9 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (27 Oct)

MJF is your worst best friend, FTR seal Tag Team of the Year, the Elite are...back?

by Michael Sidgwick
Bryan Danielson Sammy Guevara
AEW

The build to and hype surrounding this week's Dynamite was uneven.

Much intrigue surrounded Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler YUTA Vs. Chris Jericho and Daniel Garcia and, more specifically, the respective directions of the two apprentices. Were fans allowed to bond with Daniel Garcia for no reason? Is Bryan Danielson's insistence that he could still one day become the greatest wrestler alive act as the catalyst for YUTA to turn? Will Danielson turn alongside Garcia, since it was Mox, eternal babyface, who was tested by the bloodied upstart in the first place?

The pre-tape that built Mox's own match, against Penta El Zero Miedo, was atrocious. The gag at the end was amusing enough, but the idea that Penta just happened to be walking around Daily's Place (after a show on which he wasn't booked) and was magically summoned by the words "zero fear" was beyond contrived. It wasn't even sub-WWE; it was even more stupidly convenient than that.

Riho Vs. Jamie Hayter I was fantastic, if bleak in how quiet it was. The second match promised even more, since Hayter is adjacent to a sensation now. FTR Vs. Swerve In our Glory was hard to predict, promising much drama: FTR had two separate tag teams taunting them from afar, whereas SIOG are always on the verge of the split. This was deft, big picture booking from Tony Khan. A flash of the old magic.

Was the show itself magic, or...?

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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 surefire Undisputed WWE Universal 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!