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

Downs...

2. What Was This?

Swerve Strickland August 23
AEW

This match/angle will be revisited in the 'Ups' column, because elements of it were fantastic, but there was more than extremely questionable aspect to it.

The basic gist is that Darby Allin and Nick Wayne defeated Swerve Strickland and AR Fox when Wayne pinned Fox. Afterwards, Swerve, incensed that Fox lost to a teenager, kicked him out of the Mogul Embassy and off All In. Rumours are circulating that Fox, in what is AEW's second LOLWCW moment of the week (at least), can't enter the UK. This is the only explanation that makes an iota of sense of the angle. After he was booted, Darby Allin forgave Fox - who had entered the Texas Tornado tag wearing a vest stained with Nick's blood - and the angle somehow developed into something even weirder.

It was intimated that Swerve needed a new partner. His Mogul Embassy stablemate Brian Cage was standing right there, but Christian Cage entered the scene. At one point, Darby, Sting, AR Fox and Nick Wayne stood in the ring as Swerve, Brian Cage, Christian Cage and Luchasaurus stood on the ramp. This indicated that the Coffin match was to become an eight-man tag.

Instead, burying the Mogul Embassy, Christian alone will team with Swerve in Wembley. He's the biggest star tangentially related to the Coffin match, but the implication is that Swerve doesn't trust a single member of his own unit.

Why, then, is he with them?

Brian Cage might as well have been Trench there.

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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!