8 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (5 April - Review)

2. Another Gentle Endorsement

HOOK Ethan Page
AEW

After peaking last week, the Matt Hardy Vs. Ethan Page saga is now accelerating towards a conclusion: Hardy has very obviously f*cked Page over, where previously, his nudge-nudge-wink-wink stealth babyface work just about drove a cult favourite of a feud forward without damaging Page's credibility. His character is a midcard heel goon, but he can't be a complete buffoon.

Hardt overtly turned here, costing Page the FTW title in a fairly nothing match against HOOK, and a storyline that has won the hearts of the AEW ultras, who watch every vlog and YouTube show, is set to end. It was scoffed at, and then the rest of the audience slowly warmed to it.

If you can tell from the detached praise that, subjectively, it's not much to give a sh*t about, at least those who do are getting the payoff.

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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!