8 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (4 October - Results & Review)

1. Lazy, Lazy House Show Fare

Da Blade Max Caster
AEW

Everybody loves the Acclaimed, which is rather unfortunate, since that enables Tony Khan to book them in random, nothing matches just to nab a decent quarter hour and make a building loud.

There was no substance whatsoever to their win over the Butcher, the Blade and Kip Sabian, a forgettable match, one of countless this year that functioned as an excuse to get a popular act on telly. The Acclaimed are low-stakes. A living, working merchandise advert. A box to tick on a format sheet.

The Trios division barely exists, having turned now into an excuse to justify a popular act winning matches, but the matches are rarely good. They just exist. That is a bit reductive. Anthony Bowens is excellent on the hot tag, blowing the daft heels away with his fiery and creative strike combinations, and wrestles every single time as though he has one eye on a huge singles run. The Acclaimed as a unit work dark matches on TV - and this was the night that Khan should have at least teased a Full Gear trajectory for one of his star acts.

No real quality, no episodic hook.

Great if you were in Stockton, but if you in Gateshead or anywhere else, it was a waste of time.

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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!