9 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Aug 12)

6. Skyfall

While not at the same level as Cody's upper-tier TNT Championship defences, 'The American Nightmare' delivered a nice battle with Scorpio Sky, who literally kicked in the door during his ring entrance. An appreciated call-back to last week's Dark promo.

Justin Roberts introducing Cody as 'The Prince of Pro Wrestling' highlighted the TNT Champion's increasingly problematic ego. This, coupled with Sky's increased aggression, created a more compelling dynamic than usual, as each man worked with a chip on their shoulder. A brawl erupted before long as Scorp carved openings by attacking Cody's wounded ribs, doling out all kinds of punishment, though hurting his lower back prevented Sky from taking full advantage. This helped Cody counter a TKO attempt into the Cross Rhodes. Sky kicked out, taking the rub, but became increasingly frustrated as his opponent scored a series of kickouts himself, leading to him missing the slingshot cutter and falling to a second Cross Rhodes.

A longer outing generating greater drama for Sky's nearfalls would have likely served the challenger better, though he walked out no worse than when he entered. Such is the magic of these Cody title defences.