8 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Dec 9)
6. FTR Smash The Varsity Blondes
On a week that saw Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison get a new team name, gear, and entrance music, then score their first victory on Dark, the Varsity Blondes were taken apart by FTR.
A solid TV match saw Pillman Jr. worked over for the bulk, springing to life with fire and energy to turn the tide on a handful of occasions. His long face-in-peril stretch ended with a Garrison hot tag and Griff's near-fall following a big flurry of offense, though the rookies didn't have enough for Harwood and Wheeler, who ended their fight with the Goodnight Express.
A post-match confrontation with Jurassic Express roadmaps FTR's next tag bout. Later, they cut a promo that saw them take ownership of the Full Gear loss to The Young Bucks, with Dax claiming they're going back after the belts.
The Varsity Blondes have levelled up this week. Yes, they lost here, but they were allowed enough moments to shine in order to prevent them from going down like jobbers. The retro aesthetic and Hollywood Blondes callback works well for them, particularly in there with FTR, who were mean, nasty, and dialled in on Dynamite.