9 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (5 Oct)

7. The Core Purpose Of AEW Returns

Darby Allin Jay Lethal
AEW

Without being blow-away great - the crowd was somewhat spent, having watched a returning top star blow them away - Darby Allin Vs. Jay Lethal was a solid and quietly, beautifully-worked wrestling match.

The framing of it was just as much of a minor joy. Darby Allin in a pre-tape spoke of this as a simple sporting fixture promoted to determine who is closest to orbiting the title picture. Too little of that is dry, but too much clumsily welding storylines to matches and the whole thing feels contrived. This was refreshing given how convoluted AEW has felt of late.

In a creative and superbly-timed spot, Darby only just avoided crashing into the referee when evading a Lethal grapple. In a nanosecond, putting over the believability of the contest and his own strategic acumen, Lethal chop-blocked Allin's leg. This was great; a small, crucial movement in putting over the cost of a fraction of a mistake.

Lethal's heat sequence was vicious and compelling, and Darby's bumping was as acute and terrifying as ever. He sold throughout the comeback, and while there were shades of numbing distraction to the finish, it at least suggested that the heel triumvirate is on the way out.

Just as well: it's a drab, distinctly midcard act that has never felt close to essential.

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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!