2022 Ongoing MOTY List: FTR vs. Young Bucks 2

7. FTR vs. Young Bucks AEW Dynamite 4/6

ER: These teams had a nearly 30 minute match several months before this one, that I imagine was the exact kind of match that every Revival fan wanted to see them have in AEW. I preferred this one, and not because I'm a joyless sack, but because this felt much tighter, less bloated, and felt much more like a wrestling tag than a This is Awesome performance. Now, it's not exactly profound for someone to state that a match 2/3 the length of another match is "tighter", but it's an easy observation. This is 20 minutes that felt like it hit a dry patch for awhile around 15 minutes in, but still felt like it hit the sweet spot. Keeping it shorter avoids unnecessary kickouts and cuts down on superkicks. 

I liked every guy in this, with Matt Jackson standing out especially, a grating ass who actually backs it up before getting shut up. FTR were a great team here and really seemed to be operating as one, with smart tags and awesome dedication to making the small stuff work. FTR is a team that makes sure their drop toeholds look good, and I think that's fantastic. The Bucks are great at making fun of FTR's Bret/Arn idolatry while also clearly doing it as heels. It's an easy target, and after the Bucks did the tandem sharpshooters, Matt hit a Hitman elbow off the middle buckle and stood up doing the douchiest Bret pose, I was laughing my ass off. The douchebag balance is very important: If the Bucks are too cool then FTR look like dweebs who once saw a gif of Arn doing a fake-out punch to set up a DDT and decided to do that every single week. The mockery keeps the Bucks heels and it keeps FTR honest, and I loved when Harwood did a fake-out to spike Matt with a piledriver. 

I thought they built to cut off spots well the entire match, like Nick stopping a powerplex with a big rana, FTR stopping the Meltzer Driver (surely it still doesn't have that stupid name?) with a Dax powerbomb, or the way FTR were always there at just the right time to blast into frame with a partner save. The Bucks leaned into cheating down the stretch and I dug that, and thought they came up with enough plausible ways for Wheeler to keep winding up near the ropes, hurt but not dead. My only real gripe with the match is that Nick came back into the action way too quickly after getting nailed with a Dax brainbuster on the floor. The sprint directly after was the only time the match felt like it was letting the moves dictate the match instead of the wrestlers. That said, I don't think the match ever went full overload, really loved how they all worked together, and thought FTR's selling was super strong throughout. We'll get a third match before long, and I assume that one will swing back the other way and be closer to 40 minutes, but man I'd love to see them go wild for 15. 

2022 MOTY MASTER LIST