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

1. A Clunky Casino Ladder Match, UNTIL...

AEW Ladder Match
AEW

Full credit to the participants of last night's Casino Ladder Match for working hard, and particularly PAC, Andrade El Idolo, and Matt Hardy for their maniac bumping. The lengths that these professionals go to for entertainment should never go unappreciated and Dynamite's main event was certainly packed with gif-worthy moments.

But this was an awkward, clunky match prior to Hangman Page's arrival, which we'll get to later in the article.

A collection of high spots and awkward table-setting moments with little tying them together, this convergence of multiple feuds (Jon Moxley vs. Lance Archer, PAC vs. Andrade, Hardy vs. Orange Cassidy) was at least more cohesive than the first Casino Ladder Match, but only just. The pops were there, absolutely, but it's difficult to invest when wrestlers are visibly working to get plunder in place when they could be taking advantage of their opponents, inflicting further punishment on the road to victory.

Particularly troublesome was one spot that left Archer standing around clumsily, waiting for a countdown after setting the ladder in place. More mistimed than anything else, it made the former IWGP United States Champion look foolish, as in kayfabe, he'd spurned an opportunity to win by gawking.

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Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.