2023 Ongoing MOTY List: Dustin vs. Swerve

 

10. Dustin Rhodes vs. Swerve Strickland AEW Rampage 2/15 (Aired 2/17/23)

ER: I don't know how he keeps doing it. At the time, I didn't know Dustin was only in his late 20s during his heavy schedule years as Goldust. That was half his and half my life ago, and he wasn't taking Death Valley Drivers on the ring apron then. He's an old dude and he keeps surprising us. A 6'6" great actor is almost a curse. It doesn't matter how good Tim Robbins or Jeff Goldblum are, it makes everything tough when your leading man is a foot taller than everyone. Liam Neeson's wife and family die in every movie so he can just be 6'5" alone in every scene. Dustin is a 6'6" old guy who is somehow a perfect opponent for every style opponent. I guess shooting guard bodies age with more grace than center bodies, but seeing Attitude era Dustin I wouldn't have guessed he'd be this adaptable into his 50s. Swerve is a talented guy who sometimes shovels a ton of bullshit onto things that don't need shoveling, and I let out a loud HA when Dustin just kick stopped some kind of slow motion handstand capoeira to hit an all time Code Red. 

Fighting Dustin made Swerve cut down on the bullshit and just kick and stomp on a seeping cut, raking his wrist tape across it to cover his arm deep red. I wish Dustin had been wearing all white instead of all red; it's like he was trying to cover up how much he was bleeding. He doesn't even need to bleed to draw sympathy, but he hides his blood showing he doesn't need such gimmicks; he bleeds for his love of the boys in the back. Dustin fucking slaps Swerve a couple of times. I like that Swerve's offense doesn't hit as hard as Dustin's. He's taking his shots and walking through them, an old man winning a gym game 10-8 over a young guy who keeps claiming he was shot from cardio day. I could never see Swerve do a handstand again, but I love how good he is at different angled spikes on his head. He'll take piledrivers, Code Reds, suplexes, a Cross Rhodes, all of it bouncing on or around the top of his head. Every nearfall worked. Retirement will never happen. Dustin is Satanico. The Code Red will get adorably slow but gracefully old but his uppercuts will be exactly the same. 

2023 MOTY MASTER LIST