Joey Ryan is the latest wrestler to speak out on a divisive closing angle to AEW Dynamite's last show of 2019, but has at least come to the defence of the organisation and performers in question.
A Dark Order assault on The Elite had already suffered heavy criticism thanks to the Sports Entertainment nature of the angle before Twitter user @ItsKlondikeBill posted a video of one of the unnamed creepers missing Dustin Rhodes' head by a foot as he wailed away with worked punches in the closing attack.
Calling for a bit of decorum on a social media platform that so rarely has any, Ryan felt that some of the furore may have been forced, noting that; "These punches are not more fake than the outrage I'm reading over them". The balance was genuinely refreshing, no matter how daft the spot looked on endless Twitter rewatch.
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With neither WWE nor AEW home to the 'Famous D*ck Wrestler', Ryan's statement appears unbiased and welcome in the face of numerous other wrestlers coming forward to criticise the unknown masked assailant and All Elite Wrestling in general.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
