8 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (16 Oct)

Ups...

8. Dante Martin Shines

Malakai Black Dante Martin
AEW

Onto the good, and there was a lot of it.

The opener was a doozy. Malakai Black ruled the first portion of the match, then let Dante Martin shine by showing off some high-flying offensive flurries that would ultimately cost him. Unlike the aforementioned six-man, this was a logical powerhouse that leaned hard on Black injuring Dante's leg then letting inexperience be his downfall.

Dante looked like a gusty bastard by fighting through the pain, and the announcers (including CM Punk, who was stellar all night) did well to suggest that Martin learns not to over-rely on aerials if he's gonna beat the best AEW has to offer. In other words, Lio Rush needs to teach him a new hold.

Malakai deserves a pat on the back for making the match 60/40 in his favour, which it should've been anyway, and for giving Dante a begrudging nod of respect afterwards. This, ladies and gentleman, is how you put over a young star whilst also looking strong yourself.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.