AEW All In: London 2026

AEW All In: London

London, England - September 2026

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into the show, the AEW World Champion was Kenny Omega, the TNT Champion was Kevin Knight, the TBS Champion was Maya World, Brodido and Hangman Page held the Trios Championship, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were Adam Copeland and Christian Cage, the Women's World Tag Team Champions were Divine Dominion (Lena Kross and Megan Bayne), the International Champion was Kyle Fletcher, the National Champion was Andrade El Idolo, the Continental Champion was Jon Moxley, and the Women's World Champion was Willow Nightingale. 

The show kicked off with the Trios Gauntlet Match for Bandido, "Hangman" Adam Page, and Brody King's Trios Championships. The match started during the pre-show "Buy In," which itself was a loaded 2-hour card. This felt a bit perfunctory as most fans (rightfully) expected the AEW debut of Kofi and Austin Creed, who were the not-so-secret 7th entrants in the match alongside Swerve Strickland. The Dogs were made to look strong. Brody King got eliminated relatively early by pretty much everyone else in the match teaming up to dump him over the top. Hangman's elimination didn't look too good and it seems to me, based on this match and some of his recent TV performances, that he's working through some ring rust. Kofi got to have a cool near-elimination spot, which was a bit "babyface-ish" for a team debuting with Swerve, who has been presented as a heel for several months now. I don't rate matches on their booking necessarily, but it was smart to have Swerve and The New Level take the W here as debuting them in a high-profile loss would've really defeated the purpose of bringing them in. Still, the chemistry Kofi and Creed had with Big E is hard to recreate and Swerve doesn't have a goofy bone in his body. As a match, this was fine but it was really all about the debut (which occurred during the first minute of the actual show and not on the Buy In). (3/5)

The Brawling Birds - Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor - challenged The Divine Dominion (Megan Bayne and Lena Kross) for the AEW Women's Tag Team Championships in the next match. On the plus side, Tony Khan gave them plenty of time to deliver a good match worthy of the months-long feud between the two teams. On the negative side, the 12-minutes of back-and-forth action, while certainly physical, lacked an engaging story and felt like a lot of "your turn/our turn" wrestling with the usual lack of consistent refereeing. I know I just wrote that I don't rate matches on the booking, but I was also not a fan of taking the titles of Bayne and Kross just for the sake of giving Hayter and Kross a "feel good" hometown win on a show that had already seen two title changes up to this point (Maya World dropped her TBS Championship to Persephone on the Buy In) and to a team that hadn't exactly been setting the world on fire with their work. (2/5)

The Finals of the Continental Challenge Cup was next - Jon Moxley vs. Nigel McGuinness with Moxley's Continental Championship on the line. As one would expect, the crowd was very pro-Nigel, but not necessarily anti-Mox. Lots of "graps" as the kids say with Mox and Nigel both pulling out lots of painful submissions and counters and Nigel selling an injured ankle throughout the contest. I'm not a huge fan of Mox's more technical-based/BJJ-style matches and that's what this was. I'm not sure if this will be Nigel's last bout - it seemed like it could've been, but its not like he left his boots in the ring - but I'm not sure this match has me all that interested in another run from him (or at least this version of him). Another solid match, but, had this match not happened in front of a crowd that was as invested as they were, I don't think it would've stood out as particularly special. (2.5/5)

Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita challenged Kyle Fletcher for his International Championship in the next match. This was a bit of a surprise and not necessarily in a good way. Okada controlled much of the early going and, because of that, the match started at a pace that seemed "lesser" than what Takeshita and Fletcher are capable of. They also only got 13 minutes, which made the ending seem fairly abrupt, like the match was missing its big final stretch. During the match, Excalibur hyped a new AEW special known as "The Last Match," which made me think it could have to do with Okada's eventual retirement (though, 38 seems a bit young these days to call it quits) but further research does not seem to point to that being the case. This was a "funner" match than fans may have expected with more storytelling and character work than elaborate, never-before-seen sequences. (3/5)

The mutlti-man Casino Gauntlet Match to determine the number one contender for the AEW World Championship was next. The match began with Andrade and MJF, who were both the heavy favorites. The rules of the match seemed a little loose this time around - though maybe I'm misremembering other editions - as wrestlers could either come out when their number came up in a random interval or simply join the match anytime they wanted (which happened early on with Nick Wayne). There were some good moments sprinkled throughout - Kommander's rope-running is always terrific but was extra good here (maybe because he was trying to erase the fact that the announcer called him "Mistico"), I loved Mark Davis going on a piledriver spree, Mike Bailey got to shine a bit, and Jack Perry got a bigger response here than I've heard him receive on most recent Dynamites. Still, a lack of genuine surprise entrants kept this from being as memorable as past editions. (3/5)

The AEW World Tag Team Championships were on the line next as Adam Copeland and Christian defended their titles against The Young Bucks. I was really, really hoping that they would've busted out the tables, ladders, and chairs for this as I've always found Copeland to be at his best when he has access to furniture to destroy or leap off of. As much of a Christian fan as I am, it's not like he's at his physical peak either. So while this wasn't as great a match as these teams would have had 10 years ago (let alone 25 years ago), but it was fun for what it was and the Bucks worked a bit against type by doing "less" and making it mean more. The Bucks didn't do anything too cutesy, which one would think would be a positive, but because they worked a bit of a slower contest without the usual number of elaborate, never-before-seen sequences that they built their name on, the match never really "wowed" me. (2.5/5)

Darby Allin challenged Kevin Knight in a Falls Count Anywhere match for the TBS Championship in the next match. Finally, some weapons! For a company that was once known for going a bit overboard with their hardcore matches and bloody violence, this show had been pretty tame up until this match, helping this match - with its use of boards, ladders, and eventually the scaffolding on the entrance stage - really stand out. It also helped that we got a surprise appearance by Allin's retired mentor Sting after Sting's son, Steve Borden Jr., and an insane chair spot when Brian Cage back-flipped Allin onto a row of chairs (which he landed on balls-first). Because the Allin/Knight feud has been so personal, Allin winning his 3rd TBS Championship didn't really add much, but then again, Allin spending the next several months defending the title with frequent TV matches should make for some very good TV. (3.5/5)

From here we got Mercedes Mone vs. Willow Nightingale for the AEW Women's World Championship. Mercedes got her nose either broken or just busted open early on and it set the tone for the rest of the match and really helped this one stand out. Really smart work from Mone as she went after Willow's legitimately (?) injured hand, which was wrapped up in medical tape. Willow's offense looked tremendous at points, full of fire. This was the best match of the night up till this point, heated and passionate and very deserving of its placement on the card. Loved this match from beginning to end and while I'm not necessarily sure I'd call it the best match Mone has had in AEW, it was probably Willow's career match up to this point and an instant Women's Match of the Year candidate. Terrific match. (4/5)

Main event time - Will Ospreay vs Kenny Omega for Omega's AEW World Championship. Like the previous match but even better, this was an absolute masterpiece and, when you include the pre-match entrances, the best-produced match in AEW's history, surpassing last year's All In: Texas main event and Sting's retirement match. Loved Omega working as a heel. Loved the fact that, while this match certainly delivered the expected "fireworks" of an Ospreay or Omega match - intricate, crazy athletics, multiple super-finishers and finisher "thefts" and dramatic kickouts (at 1!), even some furniture wreckage and blood - it was all paced so well and there was so much quality character work and execution that it did not feel like anything was rushed to get to the next spot. Some recent AEW "spotfest" matches have been rightfully criticized for featuring moments where guys - most famously the Bucks and Moxley - essentially run around the ring or no-sell a move just to position themselves for the next big move, but Ospreay and Omega did not let the strings show here and really sold the gravity and impact of all the offense they delivered. It was just an absolute masterpiece of a match. (5/5)

All In: Wembley 2026 was a different type show for AEW. I was a bit underwhelmed by the first 2/3rds of the night, expecting a bit more of the blood and violence and state-of-the-art action that AEW is so well known for. I don't think anyone has ever used the word "restraint" in describing an AEW PPV, but Tony Khan seemed to have that word in mind with the way this show was produced. The opener was built around the debut of The New Level and they let that moment anchor it (even if it did mean the preceding 20 minutes during the Buy In were sorta pointless). McGuiness and Moxley built their match about intense grappling rather than the delivering the kind of bloody brawl they may have 20 years ago. Okada, Fletcher, and Takeshita going under 15 minutes was a legit shocker, and seemed like another intentional decision not to tire out the crowd. It wasn't until the final 3 matches that we got "swing for the fences" performances and, unsurprisingly, they came from Darby Allin, Mercedes Mone, and Will Ospreay. These three, in 2026, do not know how to not try to steal the show and all three of their matches were well above-average (with the main event being especially terrific). Earning a strong score of 3.17-out-of-5 despite a somewhat shaky start, All In: London wasn't quite as strong overall as Double or Nothing a few months back, but it was another winner from AEW.

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand

WWE SummerSlam 2026

WWE SummerSlam 2026

Minneapolis, MN - August 2026

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the World Heavyweight Champion was Roman Reigns, the Undisputed WWE Champion (yes, that's what they're calling the title now) was CM Punk, the Intercontinental Champion was Penta, the United States Champion was Trick Williams, the Women's World Champion was Liv Morgan, the WWE Women's Champion was Rhea Ripley (though she was out due to injury), the World Tag Team Champions were Austin Theory and Bron Breakker (aka The Vision), the WWE Tag Team Champions were Damien Priest and R-Truth, the Women's Tag Team Champions were Fatal Influence, Raquel Rodriguez was the Women's Intercontinental Champion, and Tiffany Stratton was the Women's United States Champion....and people say AEW has too many titles.

After taking a lengthy break from watching much of any WWE, I found myself nursing a sore lower back with little else to watch...

"SummerSlam Saturday" kicked off with IYO SKY challenging Liv Morgan for the Women's World Championship. IYO controlled early, but landed hard on the barricade when she attempted to use it as a launchpad. IYO once again showed why she's in the conversation for being among the top 10 workers on the planet, male or fame, in any major promotion. Not everything was super smooth, but credit to Morgan for taking a powerbomb on the floor. At one point, Raquel Rodriguez and Roxanne Perez showed up and Raquel chokeslammed IYO off the top rope when the ref was distracted in a great spot. IYO took them out with a moonsault from the top but Morgan caught her with a nifty headscissors as she returned into the ring, driving her head into the mat (whether or not it was by design or not, it looked gnarly). IYO met her up top, though, and brought her down with a Spanish Fly for 2. IYO got another nearfall a few minutes later off an Ob-Liv-ian (Liv's own finish) and then went back to the top for her signature moonsault. Liv rolled away and hit a Codebreaker from the second rope for a 2 count of her own. IYO delivered a German Suplex on the apron and then an awesome Meteora into the post! Holy cow. That was great. Sky went for a moonsault but Liv got her boots up and hit her with an Ob-Liv-ian and then a 2nd one when Sky bounced up from it (after an additional Codebreaker that sent her into the ropes). That was probably the best match of Morgan's career, even if there were some noticeable moments of timing/re-positioning that felt a little bit inorganic and telegraphed the next spot. Overall, though, one they should both have been proud of. (3.5/5)

After an ad for the upcoming Street Fighter movie, I sat through a lengthy commercial break where a simple screen with the Summer Slam logo played on the screen (soundtracked by some calming music) for multiple minutes...

Mark Henry, Jimmy Hart, and an unrecognizable Dan Severn were shown in the audience before The Usos and Jacob Fatu made their way to the ring for their match against Solo Sikoa, Royce Keys, and LA Knight (who got the biggest response of anyone in the match by a noticeable degree). The bell finally rung as the show hit the 38-minute mark. Solo got a "Yeet" moment early on, which got a big reaction despite its corniness. For a 12-minute match this wasn't too bad, but it wasn't anything special either. What hurt this for me most was how obvious and blatant the WWE "method" of tag matches was on display with Sikoa basically disappearing for the entire second half and various other guys not even being on the apron for extended stretches so that, if you turned it on mid-match, you'd think it was a singles match. Its something that you can't "unsee" once you see it. Compared to the Trios match I watched yesterday from Dynamite (Brodido and Mike Bailey vs. the Don Callis Family), this was not nearly as good. (2/5)

GUNTHER vs. Nick Aldis was the next match. Aldis got to enter the ring to Oasis' "What's the Story, Morning Glory?," which made for a cool moment. Cole and Barrett talked up Aldis' background, mentioning his NWA Championship run (and that Barrett had his first match ever against him). GUNTHER controlled most of the match, chopping Aldis back down after every hope spot. Aldis has never been a particularly exciting performer, but the crowd was into this, chanting "You've Still Got It" after a superplex. Aldis got a 2-count after a powerslam, hit a nice-looking pair of elbows from the top, applied the Texas Cloverleaf but GUNTHER reached the ropes, breaking the hold. He went for another powerslam but GUNTHER escaped and ended up hitting him with a powerbomb before applying the full body sleeper. Aldis got to his feet but GUNTHER brought him back down to the mat and was forced to tap. Not a bad match at all and definitely helped by a crowd that really got behind Aldis. (3/5)

The next but saw Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, and Paige take on the trio of Fatal Influence - Jacy Jayne, Lainey Reid, and Fallon Henley. Jayne hit a cannonball on Brie on the outside that looked good but I'm not sure why the decision was made to have Brie play the face-in-peril for so long considering she was coming off an injury and was generally the weaker of the two Bellas in terms of in-ring performance. The crowd was not as into this as the previous few matches, but that could be expected. I liked the finish, which saw Paige shove Nikki out of the way to prevent her from taking Jayne's spinning forearm but ended up eating one herself moments later to end the match. The Bellas "turned" on Paige after the match, which got a huge reaction from the crowd. This was too short to be offensive, even if it wasn't a great match, and the post-match segment was really well done. (2.5/5)

Cody Rhodes challenged CM Punk for the WWE Championship in the next match. I liked the Street Fighter pre-match stuff, but thought Rhodes' giant silver skull mask was silly. Punk came out wearing gear that was an homage to the old Minnesota North Stars, which I doubt most in the audience understood as the team hasn't existed for over 30 years. Lots of chop-trading throughout the contest. This was definitely more of a "human game of chess" than an all-out bomb-throwing contest or "video game" match with Punk and Cody targeting specific body parts and working them over. Highlights included Punk's not-so-pretty-but-ultra-realistic counter to Cody's Disaster Kick, a very good Super Cody Cutter late in the match, an awesome (but missed) elbow drop from the ring through the announce table by Punk, Rhodes countering a GTS attempt into a figure four, even Punk's Terry Funk-esque moonsault (which, by not connecting, made it look even more desperate). I didn't love Rhodes' spinning Alabama Slam attempt (it just looks too goofy), Punk kicking out of a Cross Rhodes (I like my finishers protected), but these were minor elements in a match that felt "old school" in the best way because of its emphasis on selling and spreading out the bigger sequences. The surprise return of Orton in the final minute led to the finish with Punk retaining after Rhodes (who'd already taken an RKO) took a second (or third?) GTS. A solid match, though maybe a hair short of "must watch" despite being one of the better Cody matches I've seen in recent years. (3.5/5)

Night One ended with Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar in a Hell in a Cell "rubber" match. I have not seen the other Femi/Lesnar matches (and very few Oba Femi matches at all) so I went into this with some excitement (even if I didn't think the outcome was ever in question). This was a solid clash of two super-heavyweights, both men showing off their strength at various points. I wasn't expecting them to go "deep" in terms of runtime and give them credit for making their 12-minute match feel like it was a bigger, more epic battle than it would seem. There wasn't any blood and there was very minimal use of the cage, making the stipulation pretty meaningless, but Lesnar did use the steps and some chairs to punish Femi. The cameraman missed Lesnar's first "tribute" to The Undertaker, when he and Femi were sitting, facing eachother, and Lesnar laughed in his face ala the classic Taker/Lesnar meme from their 2nd Hell in a Cell match. The 2nd tribute went much better as Lesnar tried to put Femi down with a Tombstone on the exposed wooden planks of the ring. Femi kicked out and, within a minute, hit Lesnar with his powerbomb finish for the second time to get the clean W. After the match, Lesnar passed the torch by raising Femi's arm. Nothing super special, but a solid match. (3/5)

Night 2 began with Sami Zayn vs. Finn Balor....vs. GUNTHER vs. Kevin Owens (?!?!) in a Number One Contender's match. Nick Aldis' surprise appearance and announcement, especially Kevin Owens making his return after a 17-month absence, got a massive response from the live crowd. Zayn's reaction was priceless as well. Owens took out Balor and GUNTHER to start things off before going face-to-face with his one-time best friend, who he hugged and then slugged. Owens hit a huge swanton cannoball to the floor, showing no hesitation or fear, but got locked in a GUNTHER sleeper when he attempted a Stunner. GUNTHER make the centerpiece of the match it this point, him and Balor delivering some quality minutes before Owens came back in, clearly the fan favorite. Sami tried to steal the win with a sneaky pin on Balor but only got 2 and a "Sami Sucks" chant broke out. Owens attempted to crush him with a swanton, but Zayn got his knees up. He tried to follow it up with a Helluva Kick but GUNTHER caught him with a sleeper and brought him to the mat. Coup De Gras by Balor on both men! 1...2....barely a kickout by Zayn! Good sequence there. GUNTHER tried a sleeper on Balor but Balor rolled out and Owens came in to take over. He stunned GUNTHER but Sami caught him with a Blue Thunder Bomb for 2! Zayn played to the crowd and went for another Helluva Kick but Owens caught him with a Superkick and a Stunner to end it. Really good match with a somewhat flat ending due to GUNTHER and Balor disappearing a little bit after breaking up so many similar pin attempts. At under 10 minutes, this match needed a few more minutes to "cook," but the emotion that came with this being Owens' return pushed it close to "must see" territory. (3.5/5)

Trick Williams (with his hype man, rapper Lil' Yachty) defended his United States Championship against the returning Baron Corbin in the next match. This was not my thing. I've not seen many Trick Williams match but had heard good things. He was okay, but nothing remarkable. The commentators hyped up Baron Corbin as having gone on something of a "journey" in his time out of the WWE, noting that he had become a top ranked Jiu-Jitsu competitor, winning tournaments in his time away from the company. Unfortunately, watching him, I didn't see any of that technique integrated into his in-ring character. This felt like the same old Corbin minus any of the big, dumb comedic elements he used to sprinkle in to make him at least somewhat unique. I disliked Williams setting up a table in the early going too, a blatant MacGuffin set-up that killed every nearfall that subsequently happened as the audience knew the match wouldn't end till someone went through the plywood. Speaking of the audience, their reaction to Corbin's post-match pose with the title was comically quiet. Also, the table bump looked weak. They tried hard and they didn't embarrass themselves, but there was almost nothing good to say about this match. (1.5/5)

The 5-Woman Ladder Match for the Interim Women's Championship was next, with Charlotte Flair, Chelsea Green, Lash Legend, Jade Cargill, and Tiffany Stratton all competing. This was fun - most ladder matches are - but very sloppy at times with all sorts of awkward bumps and moments of obvious re-positioning and cooperation to get to the next spot. In a sense, its a good thing that the wrestlers are more careful in these high-risk environments and nobody is taking the kind of super-dangerous bumps we might see in a similar match produced by AEW or in the indie scene, but I'd be lying to say if it didn't take me out of things a bit to see "the strings." Lash Legend had some impressive strength spots, Tiffany Stratton took an insane bump off a ladder to the outside (where she was thankfully caught), and Chelsea Green was mega over with the crowd. The worst spot of the match saw Charlotte hanging from the title, dangling in mid-air, and barely caught byCargill and Legend when they yanked her down (it looked like she might've shattered both of her ankles on the fall but was thankfully fine). Just not the right spot for Charlotte when you have Stratton, a college-level gymnast, in the same match (personally I would've advised against the spot entirely unless you had someone like Liv Morgan, a one-time competitive cheerleader, doing that sort of fall). I did like the arrival of B-Fab and Michin to play spoiler as I did not expect their interference (to be fair, I don't watch enough SmackDown to be familiar with how often they run in during Jade's matches). Overall, solid but more memorable for its winner than for the match itself. (2.5/5)

A "Human Monies on a Pole" match followed with Dominik Mysterio taking on Danhausen. Danhausen is not known for his in-ring work, but he wasn't the worst wrestler I've ever seen. Some of his bumps looked awkward and he looked absolutely gassed after the third minute, but he got to catch his breath once JD McDonaugh and the "Minihausens" got involved. Speaking of the "Minihausens," Cole noted that one of them was El Torito, the former mascot for the mostly-forgotten Los Matadores team. Smart move by WWE to include him in this match as his brief spotlight minutes were fun. Joe Hendry eventually made his way to the ring, knocking out JD with a guitar and then cheering on Danhausen at ringside. Mysterio made his way towards the cash but Danhausen met him on the top rope. Mysterio had his hands on the bag but Danhausen pointed to him and a weak "explosion" from the post caused Mysterio to drop to the mat in a very goofy finish. This match has a putrid score of just 1.54 on Cagematch (unlike mine, their scale is out of 10). I don't think it was that bad; it only went 7 minutes, Masacrita Dorada did some cool stuff, and there was enough run-ins and ga-ga to save both Danhausen and Mysterio from having to work an actual match. Was it good? But it didn't overstay its welcome and it wasn't boring. (1/5)

Chad Gable challenged Penta for the Intercontinental Championship in the next match. This was probably the best-wrestled match on either night as they cut a really good pace and they had good chemistry. Gable was the hometown hero and it was nice to see him land the big W, but I do not like the corny, big wave claps that he does. Seems like a less organic, much less cool attempt to get something over like the Yes Chants or Jey Uso's "yeeting." This was an impressive match and hopefully not a sign that the WWE is going to halt Penta's push because he was still very over with this crowd despite being in a defunct "heel" role. (3.5/5)

Main event time for Night 2 - Roman Reigns defending the World Heavyweight Championship against Seth Rollins. The time between the first sounds of Reigns' entrance theme and the first physical contact between Seth Rollins was a solid 9 minutes, which was the general pace of the early going. This wasn't much of a surprise if you've seen any Roman Reigns matches in the past 5 years. Rollins did some jabbering in opening minutes, gloating a bit about his win/loss record over Roman (which was parroted on commentary). To his credit, Cole said Rollins had beaten Reigns in every "major" match, which is true (if you include Raw matches, Reigns is actually 3-and-5 against Seth). Still, the idea that Reigns was somehow coming into this match as the one who had to finally overcome an opponent that he'd never properly defeated after 10+ years was a bit ridiculous considering how dominant Reigns has been for the past 5 years. Anyway...Rollins controlled early, hitting a series of dives that sent Roman into the barricade and then the Spanish Announce Table. Reigns cut him off from a fourth (?) attempt with an uppercut and then a Driveby dropkick. Roman brought Rollins into the crowd for some brawling (but mostly just walking and selling). Reigns delivered a suplex onto the floor that looked great. Rollins recovered quickly and delivered a leaping knee back at ringside. Rollins went for a Spear on the outside, got caught in a front-choke, and then powerbombed through the Spanish Announce Table! Very good spot there. Once again, Rollins recovered relatively quickly and returned fire with a powerbomb of his own, sending Reigns through the English Announce Table. I get the parity they were going for, but kinda wish they had spread those spots out so it wasn't so obvious (and didn't rely on Rollins bouncing back from being put through a table in less than a minute). Back in the ring, Rollins went for a Pedigree but only got 2.9. Rollins went for a Stomp but ran into a Superman Punch for another very good nearfall (not necessarily in terms of believable finishes as much as great timing on Rollins' kickout). Roman went for a Spear, but Rollins countered it into a Curb Stomp for yet another nearfall. Again, I like the parity going on with each guy dodging/kicking out of one of the other's signature strikes, but would've liked some space between them to make it a bit less of an obvious tit-for-tat/"your turn my turn" deal. Rollins hit a Superplex but couldn't get the Falcon Arrow as Roman locked in a standing Guillotine Choke. I dug it mostly because I hate the Superplex-into-a-Falcon Arrow spot. Rollins did a good job selling the choke but would not tap, powering up to his feet and bringing him all the way up (and over) in a suplex-like position. Roman hit a spear but only got 2.5! Great false finish there. Roman talked shit as he hit Rollins with a series of punches on the mat. He went for another Spear, but Rollins countered with one of his own for 2. Rollins did more jabbering as he set up for Roman for a Buckle Bomb. He went for a Stomp but Reigns evaded it and hit a Buckle Bomb of his own and then a Stomp of his own. More jawing followed, leading to a strike exchange. Rollins accidentally took out the referee but then hit a Rebound Lariat! Roman countered with a Dirty Deeds DDT! Holy Dean Ambrose! Roman went for a Spear but took out the referee! Stomp by Rollins! I figured we'd get a visual pin there but Rollins ended up in the corner and saw that it would be futile. Rollins eyed the timekeeper's area, stepping over the referee on the outside to get there. He grabbed a steel chair, a symbolic reference to WrestleMania 31. He looked like he might clobber Reigns with it but his hesitation cost him as Roman nailed him with an uppercut and the chair left his hands. Roman now had a chance to use the weapon, lifting it up and contemplating hitting Rollins in the back with it, but decided to toss it aside. They went face-to-face in the center of the ring again and traded blows, both showing considerable fatigue. Rollins slapped Roman's face, begging him to fight his hardest, and then delivered some Kawada kicks. Roman struck back and hit a Superman Punch but Rollins stayed on his feet. Roman went for a Spear but Rollins countered it into a Pedigree! A Curb Stomp followed soon after! Rollins went for a Super Stomp from the top but Roman evaded it and hit a Spear! Then another! Still no referee! Roman regrouped in the corner and hit a third spear! This time the referee was there to make the count. This was very good, though not "one of the greatest main events in SummerSlam history" like Cole said. (4/5)

All in all, SummerSlam 2026 was not the type of show that will get me back into the swing of watching every WWE PLE like I did for so many years. While I've criticized AEW for its marathon PPV experiences (despite enjoying most of the matches), the actual amount of wrestling compared to advertisements and, because I was watching on delay (?), "bumper" screens where there was absolutely no content at all aside from a SummerSlam logo and a message saying the show would resume shortly, was embarrassingly low. Across two nights, there really should be more than a whopping 3 hours of in-ring action with only the two World Championship matches going over 15 minutes. That being said, when we did finally get some actual wrestling, it was largely good and even great. The IYO SKY/Liv Morgan match overdelivered. Kevin Owens' surprise appearance provided a huge spark to Night 2's opener. Penta/Gable was strong. I liked both World Championship matches and the Hell In A Cell match was physical enough to work even if it wouldn't rank as an all-time great cage match. With a Kwang Score of 2.79-out-of-5, though, this didn't offer enough consistent quality to make it a should-watch, especially if you've tired of the Roman Reigns' formula.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

AEW Redemption 2026

AEW Redemption 2026

Montreal, Quebec, Canada - July 2026

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the AEW World Champion was Kenny Omega, the Women's World Champion was Thekla, the AEW World Tag Team Champions were Adam Copeland and Christian Cage, the TNT Champion was Kevin Knight, the TBS Champion was Hikaru Shida, the Divine Dominion were the AEW Women's Tag Team Champions, the International Champion was Kyle Fletcher, the Continental Champion was Jon Moxley, the Trios Championships were held by The Conglomeration (Kyle O'Reilly, Roderick Strong, and Orange Cassidy) and the National Champion was Mark Davis. 

The first ever Redemption pay-per-view kicked off with a 6-man Ladder Match where the winner would receive a shot at Kyle Fletcher's International Championship. The participants were El Clon, Jack Perry, The Beast Mortos, Nick Wayne, "Speedball" Mike Bailey, and Kommander. As one would expect, this was your typical "spotfest" and Bailey, the hometown guy, garnered the largest crowd reactions. The Beast Mortos was a great base, Perry hit Wayne with a Canadian Destroyer through a ladder bridge, and Kommander delivered an insane spinning splash after running the ropes onto Wayne (through a table). Bailey got the W after delivering his patented backflip double knees onto Mortos, who was prone on a suspended ladder. In terms of psychology and logic, this was imperfect, but that's par for the course and what separates truly great ladder matches from just a fun "popcorn" match that wants you to turn your brain off and just watch guys do crazy stuff. (3/5)

The Young Bucks vs. Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley followed. Highlights from the early going included a nifty double-team stomp on Ospreay in the corner and a very stiff head-to-head collision that I'd call a potential botch if it weren't for the fact that the talent involved are known for delivering such convincing spots in their matches. Ospreay showed concern as Nick Jackson sold on the outside, drawing him a reprimand from Moxley. From there, Matt Jackson went to work, taking out both guys with his speed and high-flying before getting sent into the steps by Marina Shafir. This led to an extended stretch of face-in-peril action as Mox and Ospreay dished out the punishment to Matt Jackson. Mox barely got 2 after a release suplex and then cinched in a rear chinlock before tagging in Ospreay. They attempted a double-back body drop but Matt fought back, nearly making the tag - but Mox pulled Nick off the apron and piledrove him into the floor! Great cut-off there. Ospreay hit a flying forearm to the back of Matt's head and then hit him with an awesome Liger Bomb for 2. Ospreay applied the Cross Arm Breaker but Jackson had too much energy and was able to power out. Jackson hits some strikes and then a flying crossbody to Mox on the floor! He went for another tag but Ospreay cut him off once more, grabbing him by his legs. Somehow Matt Jackson countered a wheelbarrow hold into a reverse destroyer (?) that brought Ospreay's face into the mat hard. Wow. I'm not sure what one would even call that. Nick tagged in (though Matt was clearly hesitant due to the head trauma earlier) and took out both Moxley and Ospreay, looking no worse for wear but still blinking on-occasion to sell the previous damage. Matt came back in to set Ospreay up for a double stomp on the top rope by Nick into a powerbomb by Matt! Incredible nearfall there. The Bucks tried for a Meltzer Driver but Mox cut it off and he and Ospreay delivered some offense of their own for another 2 count. At this point, a "This Is Awesome" chant started up and the crowd was not wrong. The hits kept coming - Mox' rebound lariat, the Ospreay hitting a ridiculous high-flying move to the floor, Ospreay inadvertently knocking Mox out with a springboard forearm, the Bucks' double superkicks, both sides delivering ridiculous front flip splashes back-to-back, and a ridiculous sequence in which the Bucks hit a BTE Trigger only for one of them to get taken out by a Hidden Blade. Nick Jackson sold the head damage a bit but continued to fight valiantly, eating another brutal forearm and then a heel kick to the head by Ospreay. Ospreay nailed him with a punch straight to the head, much to the delight of Mox on the outside and then stepped on Jackson's back, preparing him for a final punch to the back of the head. Matt came in to cover him up as Ospreay made the tag. Mox tossed Matt to the floor and delivered a Curb Stomp...but Nick kicked out at 2! After a Bulldog Choke, Mox hit him with a series of forearms to the back of the neck but Matt came in to break it up with a superkick. Ospreay pulled Matt out of the ring who then inadvertently nailed Marina Shafir with a superkick too! Superkick to Ospreay! The Bucks looked like they might turn things around but Mox hit a pair of Paradigm Shifts and then a Death Rider onto Nick Jackson! Instead of going for the cover, Mox grabbed a chair and brought it into the ring. Ospreay grabbed it from him and Matt nailed it with a superkick to send it into his head! BTE Trigger onto Mox! But Mox flips the double birds as a Superkick Party ensues and Mox eats a whole slew of Superkicks and then a Double Superkick to put him down for good. The Bucks win! That was the kind of match that people who hate the Bucks would likely consider too over-the-top and "video game"-ish, but I enjoyed the hell out of it and, at times, thought it was mind-blowing with its breakneck pacing and incredible sequences. Not for everyone and certainly not the wrestling purists, but, as I've written countless times, if you're going to have a non-stop, action-packed "fireworks show" match, you have to deliver the goods and this absolutely did. Wild stuff here. (4/5)

Bandido challenged Kyle Fletcher for the AEW International Championship next, with Fletcher promising that his allies in the Don Callis Family would not get involved on his behalf. This match was bonkers, though my favorite element may have been Fletcher's heeling, which really helped in letting things "breathe" and making Bandido's comeback - Fletcher was absolutely destroying him for the first 10 minutes or so - believable even as they went further and further into the false finishes and "super" finishers. Highlights included a brainbuster on the apron by Fletcher, Bandido delivering a 21 Plex from a Full Nelson position, a Frog Splash to the floor by Bandido, and Fletcher finally putting Bandido down with a Brainbuster in the corner that aimed for the top rope but seemed even more violent as I'm not sure what exactly Bandido landed on. My biggest criticism - aside from the match going maybe 2-3 minutes too long - was the "de-valuing" of both guy's finishers when it would've been better, with both having such deep arsenals, to build the match around Bandido or Fletcher not being able to deliver their "closer" rather than both men kicking out of each other's "best move." (3.5/5)

The Dogs - David Finlay and Clark Connors - took on Jay White and Juice Robinson of the Bang Bang Gang next in a Chain Match. Having to follow an epic like Bandido/Fletcher would've been tough for anybody, but this rivalry is so cold that it was especially noticeable how disinterested the crowd was for the first several minutes. Watching The Dogs get tortured by Juice and Jay White was fun, but the crowd barely reacted to it, which is a shame because its not like anyone was taking it easy and, by the end, some of the chain shots were particularly brutal. There was a close call when Finlay nearly paralyzed Jay White with a power slam, but at least they captured that spot on camera (Clark Connors took what sounded like a horrific bump on the steps to the outside that only the fans in attendance witnessed). Run-ins from The Death Riders' Yuta and Garcia and then the rest of the Bang Bang Gang led to the finish, but in a No DQ match, they felt unnecessary and does make one wonder why the rest of the Bang Bang Gang wasn't at ringside the whole time. There were too many brutal spots to consider this below-average and, in front of a hotter crowd and with camera work that actually captured everything from the right angles, this might've actually come off better. (2.5/5)

Hikaru Shida defended her AEW TBS Championship against Maya World in the next match. An unfortunate trend of matches that went just 3-4 minutes too long continued here with the added negative of some fairly sloppy work from both women. It's hard to separate the mediocre booking that leads to a match having very little heat from the mediocre in-ring work (which doesn't help). They were given over 15 minutes but this could've and should've been wrapped up in under 10, which may not have helped the credibility of either woman but would've helped the show immensely because it has become way too predictable that every match on these shows is going to go a considerable amount of time. (1.5/5)

The AEW World Tag Team Championships were on the line next as Adam "Cope" Copeland and Christian defended the straps against The Death Riders' PAC and Claudio Castignoli. The Death Riders dominated the early going, jumping Cope before the bell and then taking out Christian on the outside. The crowd was more into this than the previous two matches, but that's not saying much. I don't think anyone in the arena thought PAC and Claudio were going to win and the Christian and Copeland Reunion Tour lives and dies by the drama of their matches. Like their brief feud with The Dogs, there wasn't enough for them to sink their teeth into to make this match feel PPV worthy. There was some good action because PAC and Claudio's "basement" is always going to be in the good range but felt more like a TV match than a major title defense. The Bucks/Cope and Christian match at Wembley should deliver a much, much more interesting build and drama, thankfully. (2.5/5)

"The Painmaker" Chris Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa in a No Disqualification match followed. In this gimmick, Jericho is a merciless, face-painted "death match" wrestler, which is at least easier to digest than seeing him go 20-minutes in a straight-up wrestling match. There was some absolute brutality on display here with barbwire bats and tables, thumbtacks, sand, hockey pucks, and mirrors all being used. Ciampa took a Death Valley Driver through a table on the floor while Jericho, not to be outdone, ate a Psycho Driller through a mirror (with one piece of glass looking like it almost impaled his back). A Death Match going for amount of time that this match did seems unnecessary and credibility-pushing to me, though I'll give them credit for not wasting much time and getting right to the blood and gore and then building up the stakes as the match wore on with wilder and wilder spots. The crowd was into this, but there were still noticeable smatterings of anti-Jericho chants going on, not the best sign when he's working so incredibly hard to prove his value. As Excalibur noted on commentary, there was also at least one young fan who wanted to see fire. There was a little bit of comedy added to the match as Ciampa brought out a hockey stick and used it to beat down on a stuffed animal of the Montreal Canadians' mascot (and then hit with a Project Ciampa backbreaker too). Seemed a bit silly to me, but whatever. The finish came when Jericho had Ciampa trapped and looked like he was about to literally drill into his skull with a power drill and Ciampa was forced to quit. I can get into crazy death matches when there is a real sense of danger and the wrestlers treat it deathly serious, but between Jericho's goofy face-paint and Ciampa's bit with the stuffed animal, this hit too many sour notes for me. (3/5)

Andrade El Idolo challenged Mark Davis for the AEW National Championship in the next match. At 16 minutes, this was the shortest match on the show up till this point and still felt like it would've been better with 3-4 minutes shaved off. Like the Shida/World match earlier, there was some noticeably sloppy moments on display, especially in the closing stretch when Andrade struggled to remove his pants and then walked over to Davis, played around with his leg, and then headed to the top rope just for Davis to block a frog splash. Davis has become one of my favorite big men in wrestling but he has better chemistry with other workers. This match would've been better received by the audience as the main event to an episode of Dynamite, but as "filler" on a 5-hour show, it didn't stand out enough to make it worth checking out. Also, what was with Andrade's super-long  (2/5)

Willow Nightingale challenged Thekla for the AEW Women's World Championship in the next match. Willow and Thekla put on a very good match but the crowd was just out of steam by this point. The match was a nice-and-tidy 16 minutes, hard-hitting with some genuinely great moments - Thekla's crossbody to the floor, Willow's powerbomb on Skye Blue on the outside, Thekla fish-hooking Willow's mouth while she applied an Indian Deathlock - but the crowd wasn't there to push it to that next level. (3/5)

Main event time - Kevin Knight challenging Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship. This was the right match at the wrong time. If there was maybe some small sliver of a chance that Willow was not going to win the previous match - maybe some sort of screwy finish to lead to a three-way with Mone at All In? - there was an absolutely ZERO chance that Omega was losing here. Knight used some heel tactics before the bell and Omega did a good job selling, but Knight would've had to shoot the guy at point blank range in the center of the ring for the fans to believe he could win the title. Had this match happened on an episode of Dynamite, it might've worked as a "coming out party" for Knight, a match where Knight proved he was worthy of challenging for the World Championship and being considered a major player. On a PPV, though, this sort of "fan service" match felt laborious, needlessly long and more like a "performance" than a real contest. After Knight's initial flurry, Omega dominated the match and his offense looked (and sounded) incredible at times. As an Omega "Greatest Hits" match, sure, it was fine, but with so few matches left in his career (reportedly), his PPV bouts could be/should be much bigger deals. (2.5/5)

The post-match saw the Death Riders emerge to attack Kenny Omega, eventually putting a chair around his neck. The Young Bucks tried to intervene but got taken out. This led to Will Ospreay showing up and telling them to stand down. Jon Moxley offered him a plastic bag to use to essentially murder Omega the way they did Bryan Danielson. Ospreay tore it up and gave Mox a forearm that sent him out of the ring before sending the rest of the Death Riders packing. Ospreay and Omega had a moment together but as they posed for the crowd, Omega hit Ospreay with a One-Winged Angel, a bit of a heel move but I dug it. Omega and The Bucks left together with the Bucks looking a little confused/surprised that Omega would attack Ospreay. It was a good segment, but not great enough to warrant a +1.

With a Kwang Score of 2.75-out-of-5, Redemption 2026 ranks as the lowest AEW PPV I've watched since Full Gear 2023, which should tell you how consistently great AEW PPVs tend to be. AEW shows always run long and the match durations generally exceed 15 minutes but, in the past, more often than not, the matches feature enough drama and unpredictability to overcome these (fixable) issues. On this show, with every single match outcome turning out exactly as most fans predicted (save for maybe Maya World winning the TBS Championship), the lack of suspense in individual matches began to accumulate and shroud the entire show. Maybe a true, unwavering AEW "sicko" could enjoy a show like this, but for me, this was a mostly skippable, underwhelming event.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

Random Matches

Owen Hart vs. Rikishi Fatu (04/27/1996, WWE): This was back when Rikishi's gimmick was that he was "trying to make a difference" and went by the name Fatu. There's some bits in this match that are pretty fun - Owen trying to slam Fatu's head into the turnbuckle but forgetting he's Samoan (and it would thus have no effect), two mysterious figures showing up to watch Fatu (I don't think this storyline ever went anywhere), and Fatu taking an awesome backflip bump from a simple Owen clothesline. Owen is good here too, making everything look easy without being overly flashy. Fatu hits a running cutter, which wasn't something you'd see every week back then, but can't capitalize as Owen catches him on the top rope and brings him down with a superplex before applying the Sharpshooter for the W. I would've liked to see the full match - it is broken up by a commercial break - but I doubt there was too much taken out (as the match was taped for Superstars). A much more solid bout than you typically got on a Saturday morning show from the WWE. (2.5/5)

Toshiaki Kawada and Akira Taue vs. Gary Albright and Stan Hansen (02/20/1996, AJPW): Hansen and Taue start things off and the crowd is super into it before even a single strike is throne. Hansen brings Taue down with a front headlock and then tags in Albright to maintain control. Taue counters his headlock into a back suplex and then tags in Kawada. Albright and Kawada trade holds, both showing off their freestyle wrestling skill and counter knowledge. In comes Hansen and he hits Kawada with a chest chop and then a back elbow off the ropes before applying a headlock on the mat. Kawada counters it and hits Hansen with some boots to the gut before applying a wristlock and tagging in Taue. Taue delivers an arm breaker but Hansen evades a big boot attempt and hits a body slam and then a stiff kick to the back that wakes up the crowd. Albright tags in and applies a rear chinlock, keeping the pressure on. He tags Hansen back in and they do some 2-on-1 stuff before Hansen snap mares Taue into the center of the ring. Taue comes fighting back, though, clubbing at The Lariat's back. Kawada comes in, delivers a boot to the face and then a wristlock. There's a "jump cut" here (I assume it was for a commercial break?) and when we come back to the action, Albright and Hansen are back in control, working on Taue. Kawada helps out and then comes in and delivers some serious kicks to Albright. Albright retaliates with an awesome release German Suplex and then tags in Hansen. Taue breaks the count but Hansen drops an elbow to the skull and gets another 2 count. Hansen sends Kawada into the corner and then connects with a knee to the skull for another nearfall. Kawada tries to fight back but he is out on his feet as Albright comes back in. Albright applies a sorta-clumsy half-crab and then turns it into an STF but Taue boots him off. Albright settles in for a rear chinlock and then drops some knees into Kawada's head for another nearfall. Hansen comes back in but Kawada catches him with some kicks to the back of the thigh. Hansen makes another tag, essentially cutting the ring in half and keeping Kawada in their corner. Albright tries for a bear hug but Kawada struggles out and hits some kicks so Albright grabs hold of his leg and puts him back on the mat with an ankle lock. Kawada desperately crawls to the bottom rope but Albright makes another tag and Hansen applies another painful-looking leglock of his own. Kawada kicks free but still can't make the tag! Hansen with an elbow drop to the ankle! Half-crab time! Taue clubs Hansen in the back and Albright makes the tag and goes back to work on Kawada's ankle. Kawada is close to his corner, though, so Albright applies a nifty submission that I'm not sure I've seen before. HUGE overhead suplex by Albright for 2! Wow. Albright applies a Full Nelson and tries to turn it into a suplex but Kawada gets his foot in the ropes. Albright ties him up again on the ropes and stomps on his lower leg once more. Kawada rallies and hits an enziguiri and makes the tag! Taue comes in to a big ovation and boots Albright in the face! He goes for a suplex but Albright counters it into a snap suplex of his own. Kawada comes in and hits flying knee drop but then gets sent back outside. Albright and Hansen deliver a double suplex on Taue and Hansen roughs him up in the corner. Splash in the corner by Albright! Albright whips him into a Hansen clothesline! DDT by Hansen! Elbow drop by Hansen! It only gets 2, though! Hansen hits a powerbomb but Kawada breaks up the pin at 2! In comes Albright for a double shoulder block and Hansen calls for the Lariat but Taue boots him! Taue wants the chokeslam but can't get it and the ref has lost all control! Another boot by Taue! Enziguiri by Kawada! Chokeslam on Hansen! That's it. Brilliant finishing sequence. This was really smartly worked even if it wasn't necessarily the most thrilling or exciting match from beginning to end. (3/5)

Andrade El Idolo vs. Jack Perry vs. Nick Wayne (07/29/2026, AEW): This was the opening contest on an episode of Dynamite that happened in front of a very, very excited Detroit crowd. Perry and Wayne had competed in a ladder match to determine the number one contender for the International Championship but didn't win...so they get to challenge for the National Championship? Okay...Andrade was the most over of the three by a healthy margin. As one would expect, this was very fast-paced and featured some wild spots, including a hurricanrana off the top rope onto Andrade by Perry (who was on the apron) followed by Wayne flying through the middle ropes and hitting Jungle Boy with a Destroyer on the floor. Loved the stiffness of Andrade's overhand chest chops. There was a bit of a sloppy moment when they attempted a complicated sequence in the corner but they got past it by never taking their foot off the gas (and the crowd's enthusiasm certainly helped too). Wayne hit a ridiculous Phoenix Splash for 2 but Perry stopped the count, allow Andrade to get the clean victory after a spinning back elbow sent Jungle Boy to the floor and he hit his finish on Wayne. A commercial break prevented me from seeing all of this, but what we did get was quite good. (3/5)

Kyle Fletcher, Brian Cage, and Jake Doyle vs. Bandido, Brody King, and "Speedball" Mike Bailey (07/29/2026, AEW): The Detroit crowd did not disappoint by chanting "Fuck ICE" early before it morphed into a "Fuck Don Callis/Fuck ICE Too" chant. Lots of quick tags from both teams early before the babyfaces took over and punished Fletcher with some 3-on-1 offense. Highlights included King clobbering Fletcher with a clothesline, Bandido muscling Fletcher up for a vertical suplex, Cage powerbombing Bandido into the post on the outside, the "Meat" chants when King was delivering big strikes to Cage and Doyle, and a tremendous sequence on Bailey where Speedball ate a release German followed by a nasty backbreaker followed by a knee strike, Bailey's backflip knees, a ridiculous lawn dart by Fletcher...this was a terrific TV match where everybody got to shine and the crowd was fully into it. (3.5/5)

Lioness Asuka & Chigusa Nagayo vs. Akira Hokuto & Devil Masami (05/14/2000, GAEA): Nobody here is at their peak, but they make up for it by going hard and having a wild brawl. Plus, the crowd is still super duper into the Crush Gals. I read on Cagematch that this was the first Crush Gals since their forced break-up in 1989, which definitely helps explain the crowd's enthusiasm. Like many joshi matches, nobody is following any rules, we get some blood early on, and not all the shifts in momentum make total sense. Fans of the wrestlers involved will not be disappointed, but I wouldn't consider this a "top tier" match for any of the competitors. (3/5)

Curt Hennig vs. Bobby Eaton (08/09/1997, WCW): As noted on commentary, this match, from WCW Saturday Night, aired the same night as WCW's Road Wild 97' show, which was probably confusing to the kids who watched Saturday Night and were unaware that it was a taped show. Eaton gets more offense in than one would expect in a throwaway match, but Hennig eventually gets W after a Perfect-Plex. We don't get to see the actual pinfall, though, because the camera cuts to DDP trying to get to the ring. Also, Joey Maggs is involved, hinting at some sort of heel turn/rivalry with Eaton that I don't remember at all. (1/5)

Gedo & Jado vs. Yoshinari Ogawa & Yoshinobu Kanemura (02/27/1998, AJPW): Not much to say about this match, which goes less than 10 minutes. I watched this mostly for Yoshinari Ogawa, who I love, but this wasn't a spotlight match for him or anyone else involved. Forgettable, but inoffensive. (2/5)

Persephone vs. Maya World (07/29/2026, AEW): Maya World had just won the TBS Championship a few days before this match against Persephone, who was the CMLL Women's World Champion. The women showed off some good athleticism and technical skill early on, so much that I was curious how many other matches they'd had against each other to have such good chemistry (and was shocked to learn that, according to Cagematch, this was their first encounter). Before the break, Persephone brought World up in an Electric Chair and dropped her face-first on the apron. Cool move. After the break, World was back in control, hitting a double stomp and then a running knee for 2. Persephone countered a suplex attempt into a fallaway slam and then hit a rope to the floor through the middle ropes. World came back with a tornado DDT on the floor and the crowd started chanting her name. Back in the ring, Persephone hit a short line clothesline, one of my faves. She followed it up with a leg-trap German suplex, another one of my favorites. Persephone ate some boots in the corner and then a moonsault as Shida came running to the ring, throwing a kendo stick. Persephone looked to use it but Statlander stopped her and Maya hit her finish for the win. That was a really good TV match. Persephone looked excellent here and ready for a push. (3/5)

"Speedball" Mike Bailey vs. Kyle Fletcher (08/05/2026, AEW): This match was held in Arena Mexico as part of AEW's annual Grand Slam event. Fletcher has become something of an "appointment viewing" wrestler for me as I tend to enjoy the heck out of every one of his matches. Fletcher came into this match as the AEW International Champion, but Bailey held a victory over him from their bout in the Continental Classic some time ago. Lots of quickness on display in the early going, peaking with Fletcher catching Bailey on the floor on a failed dive and lawn-darting him into the guardrail in a terrific-looking spot. Back in the ring, Fletcher attempted a Last Ride but Bailey countered it into a backslide and then hit a diving springboard moonsault from inside the ring to the outside. Tremendous. Bailey hit a series of big kicks and a running shooting star press for 2. He hoisted Fletcher to the top rope and went for a headscissors but got brought down with an avalanche Michinoku Driver for another nearfall. Bailey went to the floor and we cut to a commercial. When we returned, Bailey was struggling to get back into the ring - I loved the fact that whether or not we missed any action, it felt like we didn't - but avoided a spear from Fletcher and hit a wild springboard moonsault to the floor. They got back in the ring and the insanity continued with Fletcher hitting a half-and-half and then unsuccessfully attempting the Brainbuster. They went up the ramp and Bailey hit a hurricanrana off the entrance steps. He then hit another wild moonsault off the steps that didn't quite connect but was still very cool. I loved the usage of the unique setting and the live crowd did too. Another cool nearfall followed as Bailey turned a double-crossbody into a pin attempt. Bailey hit another huge thrust kick but ate a Michinoku Driver soon after! Bailey managed to lock Fletcher in a headscissors that brought him all the way to the floor but Fletcher turned it into a release powerbomb into the apron! Goddamn. Back in the ring, Fletcher hit the Brainbuster and it should've been over...but Fletcher kicked out at 2! Unbelievable. Fletcher hoisted Speedball up to the top rope and attempted a Turnbuckle Brainbuster but Bailey escaped, kicked him in the shoulder, and hit the Reverserana off the top! Bailey went back to the top  and, with Fletcher trying to climb into his feet on the ropes, hit the flipping double knees to his back! 1...2...kickout by Fletcher! Bailey tied another nifty pin combo but couldn't get it and Fletcher was able to hit the Lawn Dart into the middle buckle and then his trademark running boot! Turnbuckle Brainbuster! It's over! One of the best TV matches of the year. (4/5)

Persephone vs. Kris Statlander (08/05/2026, AEW): I wasn't planning on reviewing this but I really enjoyed Persephone's last match so much that I opted to check this out. Both women have considerable size and strength but aren't afraid to take some big bumps, as we saw with Persephone getting clotheslined to the floor early. Statlander then took her out with a wild Spanish Fly off the apron. She missed a guillotine leg drop and got booted to the floor and then took a huge cannonball dive from Persephone. Persephone got in Thunder Rosa's face, telling her to watch as she sent Stat back into the ring. Persephone applied a headlock as went to a 2-minute commercial break. When we came back, Stat and Persephone were still in the ring, jockeying for position. Persephone missed a moonsault and took a gutbuster and then a suplex. Statlander hit a running forearm in the corner and then a running knee before hoisting Persephone up for a Cradledriver for 2. Stat called for the finish but Persephone countered it. Stat almost got the victory with a seatbelt pin but only got 2 and Persephone followed it up with a big clothesline off the ropes. A strike exchange followed with the crowd getting behind their "hometown" Champion. Statlander tried for a flipping legdrop (?) or splash but missed it and Persephone nailed her with a spear for 2! Good kick out there. Persephone went to the floor and her and Thunder Rosa went at it again. Persephone nailed her with the CMLL National Championship belt. We got a ref bump as Statlander came off the apron with a splash and took out both Persephone and the official! Back suplex on the floor! Saturday Night Special attempt...but Persephone countered it...and then Stat countered it into a pin...1...2...but there's no ref! Shida runs in and hits Stat with the belt! Springboard Frog Splash onto Statlander but there's no referee....1....2....3! Even with the "delay" of the referee coming into the ring, Persephone got the win, which is not something you see everyday (and that I actually really liked as I think most fans would've expected a kickout there). This wasn't as good as the Maya World/Persephone match from the previous week and the ending was certainly a bit overbooked, but it was solid for what it was. (2.5/5)

El Grande Americano (Ludwig Kaiser) vs. The Original El Grande Americano (Chad Gable) (05/30/2026, AAA): An instant all-timer, from the pre-match introductions to the emotional post-match speech from Gable, this was absolutely great. The wrestling, from Kaiser and Gable, is excellent and daring. The various run-ins are a perfect blend of WWE's "main event" style with traditional lucha libre storytelling (blood included). The crowd and atmosphere was incredible and unforgettable. The match went 30+ minutes but there were enough twists and turns (and false finishes) to make it work, even if there was maybe one or two too many "Hulk-Ups" from Kaiser. Believe the hype - this match proved that the WWE is capable of producing top notch wrestling when it gets out of its own way and gives fans a hero to root for, a villain to boo, and free reign to tell a complete story that sufficiently calls back to every element of a feud leaving no hanging threads. (5/5)

Bruiser Brody vs. Gino Hernandez (08/29/1980, Houston Wrestling): This is a 2-out-of-3 falls match with the crowd fully behind Brody. Realistic, gritty wrestling here. Gino Hernandez is a terrific heel, selling throughout the contest to make it clear that, if this were a fair fight, Brodywould absolutely destroy him...but it isn't a fair fight so Hernandez manages to win the first fall with help from his manager and then, when The Gran Markus (a masked luchadore) interferes, takes a DQ loss but gains an even greater advantage over Brody. Markus inteferes again during the third fall but Brody begs the referee not to call the bell, refusing to accept the would-be DQ victory. I like the babyface heroism there. Eventually, Markus' interference backfires and Brody gets the legit W. This wasn't anything super special, but the crowd was hot for it and they told a good story. (3/5)

Mark Briscoe & Jay Briscoe vs. Mark Davis and Kyle Fletcher (10/29/2022, HOG):
This match, from the House of Glory promotion, would end up being one of the last Briscoes matches ever, which is a sad thought because it was the kind of match that shows how much the Briscoes still had in them as a tag team and the level of wrestling they could've brought to AEW. From the get go, Aussie Open and the Briscoes are out for blood and eager to pop the crowd with nifty double-team maneuvers and big spots. Being unfamiliar with the rivalry meant that I didn't get much "emotional pull" from the match, but the crowd was invested and there was enough innovative action to keep me engaged. A very good match, but maybe just a hair short of "must watch." (3.5/5)

La Parka/Octagon/Rey Mysterio Jr./Winners vs. Blue Panther/Coco Amarillo/Coco Azul/Coco Rojo (09/02/1995, AAA): This was fun for what it was, though, being unfamiliar with the backstory and the majority of the workers, I don't think I "got" this match beyond just enjoying Rey Mysterio's bumping (including a particularly awesome one into the barricade) and the various dives performed. Coco Amarillo, Coco Azul, and Coco Rojo made up a team of literal clowns - "Payasos" - backing up Blue Panther, who was the anchor for the team. (2.5/5)

Akira Taue and Toshiaki Kawada vs. Steve Williams and Gary Albright (02/28/1998, AJPW): This is what one would expect between these four, all of whom are known for their stiff, slam-heavy style. The match doesn't go too long, but it is physical from beginning to end. The false finishes towards the end are really well done. Worth checking out if you're a fan of the Pillars or Dr. Death, but this match probably wouldn't rank in any of their top 10 performances. Solid match. (2.5/5)

Jinsei Shinzaki vs. Mitsuharu Misawa (10/11/1998, AJPW): The match begins with the competitors trading wristlocks with Misawa in relative control until Shinzaki counters with a front headlock. Misawa works the arm for a bit but Shinzaki breaks free. Misawa gets in a shot to the eye and Shinzaki rolls to the outside to regroup. Shinzaki takes over with a series of uppercuts, but Misawa blocks his "Vader Bomb" attempt (Shinzaki's version of the move saw him soar high into the sky and was quite a crowd-pleaser during his Hakushi run in the WWE). Misawa hit a senton and a nifty dropkick for 2. Misawa dominated a bit with some sharp elbows to the back of Shinzaki's head but Shinzaki regained control in the corner and hit a Bronco Buster. I would've liked a more logical/realistic shift in momentum, but whatever. Misawa hit a big back elbow out of the corner but Shinzaki came back with a suplex. Shinzaki gets sent into the floor and Misawa hits him with a baseball slide and then a big diving forearm! Back in the ring, Misawa hit a forearm off the top for a 2 count. Shinzaki came back with a spinning leg whip and hit a crossbody to the floor of his own, the match picking up in intensity as both men started to deliver more high-risk/high impact offense. Misawa takes an awesome bump into the crowd soon after and Shinzaki hits an unbelievable springboard splash to follow him into the audience! Wow! Back in the ring, we get some more big offense in the form of scoop slams and a springboard missile dropkick before Shinzaki goes for his modified Camel Clutch (one of my all-time favorite moves). Misawa won't quit and hits a Pele knee once he gets back to his feet (another imperfect transition there). Powerbomb by Misawa! Suplex by Misawa! Shinzaki survives for a bit, kicking out of some devastating should-be match-ending elbows and forearms and even hits a superkick of his own for another nearfall. Misawa finally lands the Tiger Driver to bring the match to its conclusion, but Shinzaki held his own. After something of a slow start, this match really picked up in its second half and some of Shinzaki's offense was especially impressive. (3.5/5)

Kevin Steen vs. El Generico (12/18/2010, ROH): I knew about this match, a highly-regarded Fight Without Honor (No DQ match), for years before seeing it, but was not disappointed one bit when I finally got around to checking it out. These two have had some excellent matches in the WWE, but I now can appreciate why longtime fans of these two consider this to be their best match. It's not just that the violence and bruality is beyond what the WWE has ever allowed them to do, the stakes are higher here than in any other match they've ever had and they do a great job of playing up those stakes from beginning to end (El Generico has put his mask on the line while Steen will have to leave ROH if he loses). There is also, due to the atmosphere and overall presentation, a sense that this is both Steen and Generico's pure vision on display, unfettered by any outside tinkering. There is a bit of outside interference from Colt Cabana and Steve Corino, but it doesn't detract too much or spoil anything. The melodrama of the finish, which would usually be a bit of a turn-off to me, is well earned and fitting here in a way it wouldn't be for a lesser match. Worthy of its reputation, this is a must watch. (4.5/5)