9 Ups & 0 Downs From AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam

4. An OUTSTANDING Finish

Cody Malakai Black
AEW

The finish was class, and it might have been even better had AEW consistently treated referees with more care: after Black black-misted Cody, an eternally awesome spot in and of itself, he chose a pin that entirely obscured Cody's face.

He probably didn't need to do that - AEW's refs aren't the brightest - but it was cool that he did.

The match, again, was damn good. What often gets lost or deliberately ignored is that Cody can't lose all of the time; otherwise, it will come to mean absolutely nothing. He has consistently and definitively put the right people over. Lance Archer rules, but MJF and Darby Allin are young, legit quarter-hour demo draws. He has struck the right balance, and at Grand Slam, he did it again. The craft put into the finish was another indication that Malakai Black cares deeply about his work. Fans sense this, and are drawn closely to him as a result. So AEW put him over.

Even the Arn botch worked, man. He looked embarrassed that Cody checked in on him, which added to the drama of the intended spot.

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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!