8 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (6 April)

3. Samoa Joe Kills A Man

Samoa Joe Max Caster
AEW

Samoa Joe's first AEW match could scarcely have gone any better.

Max Caster was bulldozed after one of his best entrance raps in memory, dropping lines like "I'm gonna lay this dude down like a sex position / I'm Main Event Max, he's X Division", referencing Joe's injury history, and clowning his run in NXT. It was a great setup that compelled you to want to see the Acclaimed man eat even more dirt than before - and so it transpired.

Caster's offensive offerings were pithy and ineffective. Steamrolled by headbutts, chops, and stomps, he escaped to the outside, only to be wiped out by a tope suicida. Back inside, Max's attempts at chops and trash talks only riled the monster up, leading to the Muscle Buster for the 1, 2, 3.

Joe was extremely over in Boston, with the audience lapping up everything he did. An impressive, Lance Archer-tier squash was then followed by AEW tapping into the old Jay Lethal/Samoa Joe student/teacher dynamic, as Lethal (who turned heel at ROH Supercard of Honor last week) claimed he and mouthpiece Sonjay Dutt had a surprise for Joe next week, immediately putting Joe into a storyline beyond his Owen Hart Tournament qualification.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.