9 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite: Holiday Bash

2. Malakai Black's Aura Is Restored

Malakai Black
AEW

A not exactly definitive feud opposite Cody Rhodes, while strictly very good, undid the momentum Malakai Black had generated in his in-ring debut. He technically won the series 2-1, but was he really better? Did he even care about being better, in a ranked promotion, or was he more fussed with "corrupting" Cody?

It got messy in the autumn, but in the winter, Malakai Black feels reinvigorated.

He was on outstanding individual form in a glorious glorified squash opposite Griff Garrison. He carried himself as a man worthy of the divisive lore, and those strikes, f*cking hell. Garrison did well to even walk around, his legs must have been so dead. A jaw-dropping (and jaw-rattling) jumping knee strike almost took Garrison's head off.

Black's work was so awesome that, at the finish, he took on a basic single leg Boston Crab as a submission finish and made it look like agony.

Bring on the PAC match. In fact, bring on any match with this motherf*cker in it.

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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!