9 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (23 August - Review)

by Michael Sidgwick

1. Serviceable Main Event Segment

MJF Adam Cole
AEW

The good news is that Aussie Open Vs. The Hardys was too rushed to be actively bad, arthritic and depressing. Even a middle-aged man with shot knees can still run for a bus if he needs to catch it quick enough and, rushed off the air to accommodate the post-match angle, the Hardys managed to work something emulating a sprint.

Much too panicked to amount to much of anything, the wonky overall pacing of Dynamite actually worked in their favour. While this lacked anything remotely approaching title match drama, the fans really got into what almost passed, accidentally, for a prime Hardys TV performance. The post-match - in which MJF and Cole brawled with Aussie Open before a teased inadvertent Cole superkick - maintained the mystery, but in truth didn't do so as well as those brilliant pre-tapes.

This felt a bit redundant and obligatory - the break-up has been teased several times now, and this really only existed to hard-sell All In - but it was the best promotional decision, and they did a decent enough job of crafting the tension that was never going to spill over until the weekend.

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Contributor
Contributor

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!