A Quick One | AEWeekly #176

Welcome to the #AEWeekly review discussion where PWM contributors reflect on the highlights of the last week in AEW. The eligibility week always includes the most recent episode of Dynamite and Collision, plus any social-media exclusives up until publication.

This week’s contributors are Abel [@loza3.bsky.social] covering Match of the Week, Sachin [@sachin0mac.bsky.social] talking Best Interview, and Sergei [@sergeialderman.bsky.social] editing and organizing it all.

 A page of links to prior installments may be found here: #AEWeekly

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Konosuke Takeshita, Bandido, Roderick Strong, and Mark Briscoe

“Sophomore Slump of Comeback of the year…”

by Abel.

We are on the home stretch toward the biggest Pay-Per-View event of the year, All In, and AEW is setting up one of their most unique and popular match stipulations, the Casino Gauntlet. With the announcement of the match coming back to the PPV, Konosuke Takeshita, Bandido, Roderick Strong, and Mark Briscoe battled out for the right to be the first one to enter the ring during the gauntlet. Not only did the four wrestlers push the narrative towards All In, but they also put on the match of the week. 

This story for the match started from the previous segment when Briscoe interrupted MJF on his long-winded in-ring speech. The point was for the Hurt Syndicate to bring up the fact that Briscoe does tend to lose a lot of matches. That gave the 4-way match even more stakes, as if they could get any higher. Funny enough, that segment between Briscoe and MJF did not automatically mean that Briscoe was winning. Nobody knew exactly where they were going with it, so MJF could have interfered with the match and caused Briscoe to lose. However, AEW does like to have too many of those finishes, especially on television, and they didn't do it here. 

Briscoe, Takeshita, Bandido, and Strong were relentless for every single second of this match. No matter what the match-up was in the ring, they all were in sync,  which made the match flow seamlessly between the four men. This specific four-way match shows exactly how deep the talent pool is in the men's locker room.  With that being said, Bandido and Takeshita stood out, as they tend to do. AEW creative needs to find a way to make sure these guys fight again somehow. The Japanese superstar is the perfect base and match for the Mexican Luchador.

Takeshita is now the modern master of the suplex. Nobody does it like him. That 42 plex was perfect and showcased his strength. Nobody in the world is doing it like the Alpha right now. Also, he now owns the Blue Thunder Bomb, as well. Those are the rules. That is not to say that Strong and Briscoe didn't pull their weight, because they did. It's incredible to see how nimble and quick Strong is after what seems like a one-million-year career. Briscoe still has a lot left in the tank, and his effort resonates with the crowd, which is why he is a fan favorite. 

This was Mark Briscoe's night, as it was his time to shine and move forward the No. 1 entrant into the Casino Gauntlet. Hopefully, the rest of these competitors, if not booked in something else at All In, can be part of what is going to be a spectacular Casino Guantlet. The only question that remains is who will be the No. 2 entrant. More than likely, it will be MJF. A Briscoe vs MJF program is not something expected, but now that it's here, it's something that we want. 

If Briscoe is the one who wins the Casino Gauntlet, he would have deserved and earned this spot. This match might have been the turning point for his singles career in AEW. He is no longer a rookie or a "loser." He's the No. 1 contender for the AEW title.

Jon Moxley

"When we work together we can change the world"

by Sachin.

Well it seems like regardless of how much I've hated The Deathriders story, intermittently I find myself laying praise on the name of Jon Moxley. It is a tough confession to make but I'll make it nonetheless — Jon Moxley is good again. The promos have been clicking and matches have been good. Additionally the Deathriders are taking more L’s then before, they are losing and running away often and in general do not occupy the major portion of the show. All this has led to the general vibe of the show feeling much more fun.

The secret behind this turnaround? Abandoning the Deathriders storyline completely but in name. The story that started off with Jon Moxley brutally putting down the world champion and his best friend and crushing the joy and spirit out of every single babyface in AEW has now turned into a seen before story of a heel world champion with a heel stable versus an underdog babyface that had to work together with not just his friends but perhaps with his enemy too. Though not very original it is certainly better than whatever story they were cooking in the beginning of the year and the wrestlers involved seem much more comfortable working a familiar heel versus babyface dynamic. 

The man that for some reason started to have all time shit matches and do heatless segments has found his spark again. If you haven't noticed it (and I know I didn't until people in T&S podcast discord brought it up) the story between Jon Moxley and Hangman Adam Page in recent weeks has been hinting towards another death match encounter. Of course Moxley and Page have wrestled in a Texas Deathmatch before and given that the match will be in Texas it makes sense to run it back.

When you think of the history between these two men you think of not only matches but also the words they have said to/about each other as well. One promo in particular that I remember quite fondly was the one Jon Moxley cut when he called Adam Page for their first Texas Deathmatch.

Similarly to that promo Jon Moxley cuts another promo on Hangman sitting at the bottom of a stairway. However, given that he wasn't bathed in his blood and sweat this time, he could deliver his speech more calmly and coldly.

“The only thing we ever actually have is the present moment and it slips through our fingers like sand. Hangman Page has lost hold of what's come before a thousand times over and here it is in his hand again. Will he grab it? Take hold of it? Will he show up for it like it's shown up for him?”

If you needed any further evidence as to why this particular deathriders storyline is working so well then just re-read the opening lines of this promo. This isn't about Deathriders mission to change the company or the fight for the Soul of AEW or Revenge for Bryan Danielson. This is about Hangman.

The stars have finally aligned for him. Since 2024 Hangman has gotten very close to getting the title many times but time and again it has slipped away. First it was because of Swerve (Revolution 2024), After Swerve it was Jeff Jarrett (Owen 2024) then it was Jay White (Full Gear, WrestleDream, Worlds End) and then it was Christopher Daniels. Hangman was thwarted one way or another throughout 2024 in getting a singles title shot. 

But by God’s mercy 2025 has been the year of the Cowboy and after taking down MJF, Josh Alexander, Kyle Fletcher and Will Ospreay one after another The Hangman has almost earned his ascent back to the place he fell from… but he still has to climb one more step.

“I have less than zero sympathy for your plight, for your crybaby crap. A world champion doesn't shy away from responsibility. The world champion walks into the fire and does not take a single ounce of crap from anybody."

As Mox tells the Hangman what it takes to be a World Champion, he simultaneously tells everyone what he has done to get it. This all started when Mox’s heart turned completely cold and he betrayed his own friend. He did it for one thing and one thing only and that was to be a world champion. Hangman, on the other hand, despite his best attempts has failed to be as cold and outright evil as Moxley can be – barring one incredibly justifiable crash-out.

“While you're fiddling around with your emotional turmoil, worrying about who's your friend, who's not your friend… you're gonna be getting elbowed in the face. You're gonna be getting choked into oblivion. You're gonna be getting dumped on the top of your skull.”

Oh God Yes.This is why this was the interview of the week for me. Hangman has all the sympathy of the audience because we can see his struggle, we relate to it. We feel sorry for him. He is very real. Whereas in the case of Moxley, he is despised. We don't really know what he wants, he talks in riddles, he behaves and moves weirdly, one would have to be a real sick guy to relate to him. But he is also very real.

Just the mere imagination of the beautiful sight of Moxley incessantly thumping Hangman’s skull into the mat is enough to get me pumped up for their match. These two were made for each other and that was decided a long time ago.

I'M SO EXCITED.