8 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Feb 10)

4. Arise, Lee Johnson

Lee Johnson
AEW

Last night must have felt good for AEW Dark stalwart Lee Johnson, as he teamed with training partner Cody Rhodes to score his first true victory on his 32nd attempt. A brief promo afterwards saw him thank the Rhodes family for helping him get to this level. This drew the subtle ire of his other trainer, QT Marshall, but, along with the match, it presented 'Big Shotty' as a guy to get behind.

The match came together weirdly, with Cezar Bononi trucking Johnson after Lee had beaten Peter Avalon in a Dark catwalk contest. Cody came into it as Johnson's Nightmare Family buddy and a recent Avalon opponent on Dynamite. Fortunately, the bout outdid the build, with Rhodes clearing the ring for Johnson to take center stage after taking an awkward shoulder bump, allowing Lee to flourish with big flurries of offense, eventually rolling Avalon up after dodging the Marti-Knees.

Avalon would technically be above the trainee in the pecking order, despite Lee's Surfer Sting-like talents between the ropes, so the finish makes sense. His will be a slow-burning rise - and it's such a great real-life story coming out of Dark. Credit to him for finding a way to thrive in this weird era of pandemic-stricken wrestling.

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Andy has been with WhatCulture for six years and is currently WhatCulture's Senior Wrestling Reporter. 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.