9 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (17 Nov)

1. Cowboy Sh*t

Hangman Page
AEW

Though National Cowboy Sh*t Day was cut short by Bryan Danielson, who was gloriously snippy in his microphone exchanges with the new AEW World Champion (who broke through the Dark Order to get at his contender later on), the segment's opening half was an earnestly nice, heart-warming time for a guy who deserves to luxuriate in his big win.

Page took a victory lap. Introduced by John Silver, he called himself a man with a boss to answer to, with said boss being the crowd. This resonated particularly well in his home state of Virginia, where he was received like even more of a hero than he always is.

Hangman has grown into his role as AEW's top babyface. Full Gear 2021 was him arriving at the finish line after two years of constant mental hurdles. With Danielson in his face, he held his ground. Bryan claiming that he'd rather be facing Kenny Omega turned the audience on him immediately and all Page needed to do was be Page, claiming he'd fight Bryan there and then.

It was interesting to see Dynamite effectively begin with an in-ring segment before a match, too. That the promotion has rarely done this throughout its lifespan creates the opposite situation to WWE, where every show starts this way. It's not something you'd want AEW to do more often, admittedly, but their restraint means the few opening talking segments they book have meaning.

Oh, and Page vs. Danielson is already the most over thing in the company too.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

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.