9 Ups & 3 Downs From AEW Dynamite (6 Oct)

3. A Popping Openers

Botches happen and honing in on them with laser focus is rarely worthwhile, particularly when wrestlers react to them and adjust the match's course to ensure they don't have a detrimental impact on its flow. This unfortunately wasn't the case here. Kenny Omega fell on his backside as the Super Elite attempted to powerbomb Luchasaurus. The move was sold regardless, and the brief-hiccup took some of the juice out of an otherwise popping Dynamite opener.

This was still a great match, though. That Jurassic Express, Christian Cage, Bryan Danielson, and the Super Elite started in the ring told fans that the wrestlers were going to use the majority of the 20-minute time limit. They did that with a well-structured bout that featured all the highspots you require and expect from a bout like this, including a dive train that ended with Adam Cole faking out and taunting instead, and a red-hot Omega/Danielson sequence following their Match of the Year candidate in New York City.

Christian was taken out by an Indytaker on the outside, leaving the babyfaces a man down. They fought valiantly, but valiance, in the end, wasn't enough, and Jungle Boy tasted a four-way BTE Trigger for the loss.

Wisely holding back on interactions between Cole and Danielson preserved what will be a money-spinning feud in the future. Recent interactions between Danielson and Nick Jackson, Cole and Jungle Boy, and Danielson and Omega were well-incorporated too, and everything was over.

A success.