8 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Dec 9)

4. Smiles On Faces

We need more earnestly nice things in professional wrestling, particularly in this dumpster fire of a year.

Cody Rhodes being unable to contain his grin while hugging Sting, the 'Icon' visibly having the time of his life, and Tony Schiavone dropping an "it's Stiiiiiiiiiiing!" on command are earnestly nice. This was a fun, warming, and nostalgic segment that won't break the internet like last week's debut, but put the pieces in play and nudged Sting and Darby Allin closer together.

Arn Anderson made his exit early on, but not without noting that Sting had an agenda. Sting nodded towards Allin, who was watching from the rafter, accepted Cody's welcome, and told 'The Prince of Pro Wrestling', assertively, that he wasn't here for him. "See you around, kid," he told Rhodes, reminding him that the only thing for sure about Sting is that nothing's for sure.

Sting is keeping his cards close to his chest for now, though it looks like he'll be involved with both Rhodes and Allin at some point in the future. Staying guarded was the right move, as you don't want to give everything away at once, and while some may have hoped for a bigger revelation from this segment, it was still a real good time.