Andrade El Idolo vs. Buddy Matthews was phenomenal on AEW Collision's debut episode. Andrade El Idolo vs. Brody King on the following week's Collision was phenomenal. The inevitable Andrade El Idolo vs. Malakai Black and/or La Faccion Ingobernable vs. House of Black matches should be phenomenal.
Unfortunately, everything outside of in-ring in this burgeoning rivalry continues to feel utterly naff. Worst of all, these segments continue to feel like something pulled from WWE Raw. And no, that's not meant to be a compliment.
Yes, masks are obviously an important part of lucha libre, but this feud feels so daft at this point. Sadly, 'daft' is a suitable word to sum up so much of what House of Black does away from the ring. It's a fine line to walk between 'atmospherically spooky' and 'cheesy bulls**t', and AEW has often veered more towards the latter when it comes to House of Black's escapades outside the squared circle.
The Julia Hart vs. Bambi Hall match did what it needed to do - with Julia continuing to show in-ring improvement, and Bambi showing some nice personality - but the other House of Black content on Collision was too hokey.
Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.
