One of the down card stories highlighted last year in both AEW as well as BTE saw Brandon Cutler and Peter Avalon fighting about who was the best of the worst. It was the Shit Bowl series, culminating in a series of three matches on Dark. While most of the review posts I have left featuring 2020 content are a series of MOTYC level bouts, I simply couldn't overlook the entertainment value on display here.
Lets dig in!
MATCH ONE
AEW Dark #52
Their first singles encounter started as expected, with Peter coming out with cheap heat work and a cut off attack. Pretty was 0-26, Brandon 0-25. I appreciated Leva stopping a shit finish from taking place, which set up a shit finish near fall. Good stuff. A few minutes later we got a double countout. This won't win any awards. It wasn't amazing. It wasn't even actually good. What this was, though, was a short first match in a series and absolutely nothing else.
Match Rating: **
MATCH TWO
AEW Dark #56
Up next, Peter attacks Brandon from behind during his entrance and then insisted on Knox calling the match. In many ways, this rivalry feels like something from CWFH. The story here was as expected, with Peter working Cutler over and the latter trying to underdog his way past the damage from the earlier attack for a bit, with some cheap heat stuff along the way. It ended in a double disqualification, keeping both winless as a lead in to their blowoff. These truly have been exhibitions in the entertainingly average but I have a feeling the third will make the trip worth it.
Match Rating: **1/4
MATCH THREE
AEW Dark #58
We close the series off with a no dq, no countout match! Note that the commentary during this match was fun. I like the duo of Taz and Excalibur and honestly think JR needs to be moved backstage for interviews and such and replaced with Taz fully on Dynamite. Back to the match, I was validated here for my time for sure. It reminded me a lot stylistically to something you'd see back in the 90's in a WWF Hardcore Title match. Was it great? Nah, but it was pure fun and I have to admit that I loved the end stretch. I'm reading the Silmarillion again for the record, though mine isn't hollowed out. Also, having stepped on die before, I can admit that I'd prefer a tac spot. Those d4's are a bitch! Imagine a pyramid shaped dicks are like stepping on a lego of death.
This feud wasn't about workrate and if we're being honest it couldn't have been. Neither are "that" guy. And that's okay. I'm an slightly overweight dude with some health issues and they can still outwork me any day. Even when I was able to work, I was below their level. Regardless, this was a fun experience. I appreciate the shit bowl style story, the first two matches were short enough that they worked as quick story builders, and the payoff match was good stuff. I also saw a lot of non-fans, especially in the ttrpg circle, take a look which is nice. While I cannot applaud these three contests as being truly recommendation level content, I can say that I enjoyed them for what they were and sometimes that's enough!
Also, all hail Leva!
Match Rating: ***