9 Ups & 2 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Oct 21)

2. Brotherly Shove

One may have looked at Rey Fenix vs. Penta El Zero M and expected pure cocaine wrestling. A wild, crazy, and out-of-control spotfest, the likes of which they have wrestled in the past, would have absolutely fit the bill here.

Instead, we got something infinitely more satisfying.

The bout had plenty of escalating bombs, of course. A number of sequences were worked at the kind of ridiculous clip only two guys with next-level chemistry can muster, but this was more about attrition than adrenaline. Fenix's chest was chopped red raw, Penta dropped him on his head throughout, and the old Lucha Underground arm-snapping spot came out for good measure. Rey, meanwhile, was at his creative best, working a number of unique spots into the runtime, including one that saw Penta yank the top rope down while he was trying to run it.

Penta struggling to muster the necessary violence to put his own flesh and blood in the ground became the key story towards the end. Rather than getting melodramatic, Penta played it subtly, showing just enough hesitation with resorting to high-school theatre. This allowed Fenix to nail a flash, snap Destroyer for the win.

Other, less deft products would have had Penta stare at his hands for a good minute before falling. That AEW doesn't smash you over the head with such beats is much appreciated.