9 Ups & 1 Down From AEW Dynamite (Sep 16)

6. The Million Viewer Man Does It Again

Few veteran wrestlers are as effective as elevating younger wrestlers as Chris Jericho, even in defeat, and while the Orange Cassidy feud had its ups and downs, that 'Freshly Squeeze' left the storyline stronger than when he entered it is hard to argue. Last night, Private Party got similar treatment.

This tag match was preceded by the implication that Jericho and Jake Hager had laid Matt Hardy out backstage, preventing Private Party's mentor from joining them. This gave them an immediate advantage in what was one of Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen's most complete performances yet.

Private Party were great defensively. This isn't something that can always be said about the tandem, but Kassidy's selling was particularly strong, as Jericho and Jake worked his back over, holding him back when it mattered. Isiah was so damaged by their focused assault that missing a Swanton Bomb in the final act proved fatal. 'Le Champion' suckered him into that, then popped up, hit the Judas Effect, and ended his night.

Quen broke Jericho's post-match Walls of Jericho, setting up a potential singles bout for some time in the future. Private Party lost, sure, but they gave The Inner Circle men plenty of think about, and looked strong beyond their usual adrenaline-pumping offense.