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

Ups...

8. A Tremendous Opening Hook

Jay White AEW
AEW

The opening 10 minutes or so of Dynamite were thrilling in a very atypical way.

AEW, perhaps realising that the format can grow staid at times, subverted it. If any disillusioned WWE fans sampled the show, they were told that AEW isn't necessarily locked into a fixtures-heavy formula that, while logical, requires some patience to stick with week after week.

First, before Ricky Starks Vs. Juice Robinson could even take place, a debuting Jay White stormed the ring. The timing was a bit off, in truth. Juice got jobber-entranced, so it felt a bit sudden. White however looked great: lithe and sharp and combustible prowling that ring, he looked like an amazing athlete and superstar at the same time. The match went to a no-contest for only the third time in company history (and the first was enforced by an in-ring accident). This was a shocker, one that set the transgressive White's full AEW debut apart.

Moments later, when Chris Jericho was interviewed backstage, he was admonished by of all people Keith Lee, who challenged him for next week. This was another bold move. Often in AEW, when two top stars are involved in two separate storylines, it can feel like they're in entirely different promotions. This was a thoroughly unexpected but not unwelcome overlap.

If there was a time to replace the opening "banger" with a bombshell narrative hook, after Monday's alienating WWE Raw, this was it.

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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!