8 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Nov 9)

Ups...

8. A Fun (If Unfocused) Opener

Swerve Strickland
AEW

FTR and the Acclaimed Vs. Swerve In Our Glory and the Gunn Club was a pleasing start to the show in and of itself, although it did a better job of showcasing the tag team division than the World title match at Full Gear.

Dax Harwood was on sublime form again, between his early suplex barrage and one of the better "if you know you know" spots of the year - and even if you don't know that Road Dogg was dumb enough to put himself over Bret Hart on his worthless podcast, it was still funny watching Austin Gunn cosplay as a culture-appropriating, mid-air-humping, deluded f*ckwit before Dax tried to shred his ligaments via Sharpshooter. This Bret > Road Dogg spot was the highlight of a match that while very fun didn't approach the exhilarating mind-melt of the best AEW multi-man matches. It wasn't paced nor plotted with that signature brilliance.

Also: Tony Khan has a near-infuriating habit of telegraphing certain narrative developments, and it is blindingly obvious that Swerve In Our Glory won't make it past November. The very, very subtle tease of an FTR Vs. Acclaimed match felt bigger than the one we're getting in just over a week, too. That isn't ideal.

Still: f*ck Road Dogg.

Star Rating: *******

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!