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HITS
Kyle Fletcher vs. Will Ospreay (Continental Classic semi-final): This was the best match of the night and unique because you won’t see either of these guys in a show opener on a PPV probably ever again. I wouldn’t say this was as good as the first match but it was still very good. Kudos to AEW for allowing Ospreay to win using the Styles Clash. Ospreay, much like Bryan Danielson, has multiple moves that he can put guys away with and it’s nice to see Ospreay win with one of those “other moves” for a change. The long term story that’s being told with Fletcher and Ospreay is very good and they are now tied 1-1. I doubt that they’ll go right back to a third match between the two immediately but much like Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page it feels like this is the type of feud that can be jump started again at any time. I look forward to seeing where both guys head from here and how they will, inevitably, be squared off against each other again.
Ricochet vs. Kazuchika Okada (Continental Classic semi-final): This wasn’t as good as the opener but that was quite a high bar that was set. I was curious to see how the heel-heel dynamic was going to work here but the fans basically chose Okada to be heel here and he leaned into it some but not completely. I am really enjoying the character work from Ricochet the past few weeks as well and he’s more interesting than he’s ever been while working for a major company. When it comes to the post-match, I wasn’t blown away by the “super embarrassing moment” that Swerve delivered on but it worked. I assume this is going to still tie into the Hurt Syndicate feud down the line also so I’m curious to see how it all ends up tied together.
Mariah May vs. Thunder Rosa (AEW Women’s Title): This was a soft hit, if only because both women worked very hard to put on a good match. The problem with the match is that the investment wasn’t there. This stipulation for a match is usually a blowoff to a feud. These two didn’t have a feud. The crowd was polite but you can tell there was no real belief that there would be a title change and despite the efforts from May and Rosa it never felt like the match kicked into second gear and the match just felt like it was “there.”
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Konosuke Takeshita vs. Powerhouse Hobbs (International Title): A good, hard hitting match that the crowd got into more as it went. The story of Takeshita taking care of the recently repaired knee of Hobbs was well done and I think Don Callis was helpful on commentary to fill in some of the gaps for those that weren’t aware of Hobb’s injuries. The work was there and that helped to get the crowd into it. But, just like the May-Rosa match, this one was initially hurt by the weak storytelling coming in. Kudos to both guys on getting the crowd into this match.
Mercedes Mone vs. Kris Statlander (TBS Title): I wasn’t nearly as high on this match as a lot of others that I’ve seen in the pro wrestling media have been in recent days. I feel like the match was 5-7 minutes too long, dragged a bit because of that, and the crowd seemed to respond that way considering the silence in the middle portion. Having said that, it was still a solid match and the final act was strong. AEW must find a way to get those challenging Mercedes to get more invested. Mercedes is hitting her stride in the ring lately and is having good matches. I assume this could lead to Statlander winning the third match (and the title) when that happens. However, I’m open to another challenger finally defeating Mercedes but the right story needs to be told if they’re going to knock Mercedes from the ranks of the unbeaten.
Kazuchika Okada vs. Will Ospreay (Continental Tournament Final/Title): A very good tournament was capped off with a great match, probably to no one’s surprise. The closing sequence to the match was excellent. When it comes to Ospreay, he shouldn’t lose again for the rest of the year. I can appreciate why he’s taken some of the losses he has in his first year but it’s time for him to now be elevated to that next level. He does have some obstacles to overcome still. But, I’d imagine he’ll want to settle scores with Ricochet, Fletcher, and Okada. These are all opponents he’s lost to somewhat recently that can keep him occupied to also help build him up right before he can finally chase the world title. As for Okada, I imagine we’ll get a slow burn to his match with the returning Kenny Omega. The foreshadowing of them having the match at All In Texas was very obvious. If it’s done right, a story to them getting to that point can be a lot of fun.
MISSES
MJF vs. Adam Cole (Dynamite Diamond Ring): I’d have never envisioned one year ago putting a match between these two in this column but here we are. I’m very hopeful that both men and the powers that be felt the need to just get this feud to a blowoff and now both men can move on. I feel like there were good intentions when this feud kicked off 18 months ago but so many things went sideways in that time that it just wasn’t meant to be. Perhaps someday they can try again with a fresh feud once the memories of this snake-bitten feud are long gone but here’s hoping it’s over and these guys go in very different directions for a long time.
Jon Moxley vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Jay White vs. Hangman Page (AEW Title): I wouldn’t say I had “high hopes” for this match as it’s hard to be extremely excited about a 4-way but this just felt like a mess that never got going. I do give all four guys credit for trying to get fans to care in the final weeks leading up to this but it was painfully obvious that there would be no title change here and that shenanigans would be heavy with the finish. Both of those held up and were proven true. I still feel like a lot can be gotten out of Jay White and Hangman Page if they stay involved in the feud with the Death Riders. Cassidy, on the other hand, needs to be shifted away or at least not be part of the feud directly involved with Moxley for awhile. As for the post-match, while I’m happy to see more big players finally getting involved in what is AEW’s top story right now, I don’t think Adam Copeland is the answer (even if it was teased pretty heavily by FTR that he’d be joining them). At some point I could see the Young Bucks and/or maybe even a reformed Elite start to feud with the Death Riders. Involving some more younger stars that don’t have a past in WWE would also be helpful when defending the company against the Death Rider’s “takeover” (that still hasn’t been explained).
OVERALL SHOW
Overall, I still thought this was a very good show. In my opinion, the main event actually hurt the overall show. I’m not usually one for having the world title not go on last but I might’ve made an exception in this case and put the Continental Title Final go last. This tournament has been a focus on TV for the past month or so that culminated here and saw the return of Omega. The arguments for that to go on last would’ve been strong. Having that great of a match for the main event couple with the Omega return might’ve affected my overall grade for the better. I was also thrilled to see the main show only have 8 matches and end at approximately 11:30 EST. The post-match angle did add a few minutes but the show didn’t feel like a marathon. I hope this is the new standard going forward as we await the AEW PPVs moving to Max in 2025. As I said, overall, no strong complaints but the main event did drag it down some. Overall grade: B
Tony Donofrio is a Contributor for PWTorch.com. You can follow Tony on Bluesky @TonyDonofrio.
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