9 Ups & 5 Downs From AEW Dynamite (Mar 25)

3. The No-Sell

Jon Moxley
AEW

Jake Hager straight-up no-sold Jon Moxley's Paradigm Shift in last night's brawl.

That's a huge no-no. 'The Big Hurt' ate the move, popped up like it was nothing, and was soon springing around the ring, trying to get back inside. Other than a minor headache, it had no effect whatsoever.

While Hager powdered rather than sticking around to fight, how do you justify killing the AEW World Champion's finisher like that? It was a nonsensical, harmful choice, wherever it came from, and one that undermined a title feud that makes perfect sense at the moment.

A solid backstage promo in which Mox promised to either have Hager carted out of the building on a stretcher or he'd die trying helped repair this somewhat. Not entirely, though, and the annoying thing is that this would segment would have been fine had they not killed the Paradigm Shift.

Advertisement
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.