Enter the Dragon | AEWeekly #233

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 & Moment of the Week, Lauren [@sithwitch.bsky.social] exploring an Intriguing Story Beat, Larissa [@actual-swamp-hag.bsky.social] expanding on the Most Impactful Moment, and Sergei [@sergeialderman.bsky.social] editing and organizing it all. In addition, Lauren anbd Sergei have some Quick Takes on the above categories plus on Best Move & Most Valuable.

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

We'd love for this and any and all of our content to be the beginning of a conversation with our readers. To interact with any and all of our contributors please accept our invitation to join the Pro Wrestling Musings Community Discord. Then follow this link to the #AEWeekly Discord Thread.

"Ilja is Amongst Where the Best Wrestle."

by Abel.

This week, I think there was only one correct answer for AEW's Match of the Week: the battle between debuting Ilja Dragunov and “Speedball” Mike Bailey. There wasn't much promotion for this match, but because of the quality of the competitors, all AEW fans knew it would be a banger. I love that AEW can give you a match with two of the best wrestlers in the world, two who haven't faced each other in over a decade, on a random Wednesday night and put together one of the best television matches of the year. Ilja was eager to make his doubters eat their words, and Speedball wanted to put on a performance everyone could be proud of, especially after a grueling, innovative match just three days earlier.

​The context also helped make it the Match of the Week. First, it lived up to the hype. The long-awaited Red Dragon debut had been speculated for nearly six months. When he finally stepped into an AEW ring, his famous physicality was matched by Speedball, who, while not as intense as Dragunov, is just as physical. They beat themselves silly, as neither wanted to be outphysicalled by their competitor. Raw, physical violence from Ilja vs. Bailey's sleek, pretty, yet devastating strikes made for a great combination. Dragunov’s eyes held a look, and a fire in his passion, that has been missing since his NXT days, and Speedball was the perfect opponent for this match.

I've never seen anyone eat Speedball's kicks like that. It looked, and must have felt, like a horse kicking him in the chest. Not the greatest feeling. The Conductor of Violence did his thing and made beautiful music with Speedball. Both competitors knew the assignment and did not disappoint. Both wrestlers had something to prove, and they proved it. Speedball wants to prove that he belongs at the top, and Dragonov proved he does too.

On top of all that, this shot Dragunov straight to the top of the card. Cleanly beating someone who was competing for the AEW World Title a few days earlier automatically launches Dragunov to that stratosphere. I'm not saying he'll beat Will Ospreay next week, but he's made himself a legit threat. If you made a list of all the wrestlers who LOOK like they have that AEW look and wrestling style, Dragunov would be near the top. And now, with AEW, he can finally be unleashed and become the monster we know he can be.

I'm sure this won't be the last time we talk about Ilja for match of the week. If first impressions are everything, the Red Dragon just proved he belongs where the best wrestle. He made that clear from the first bell.

Sergei: Absolutely agree with Abel, Dragunov’s debut against Speedball was an absolute blast.

Lauren: The Death Riders vs. Shane Taylor Promotions mixed tag was a blast. I'm glad we've been getting to see STP on TV more, and they have great chemistry with the Death Riders. Marina getting the win with the Brutalizer is still hitting me right in the heart.

Sergei: Speedball did the crane kick!! Now that's selling!

Lauren: I said it on Bluesky, and I'll stand by it here: during his match on Collision, Swerve Strickland did a capoeira spin that I desired carnally.

"But, can I trust him?..."

by Lauren.

All Elite Wrestling as a company would likely not exist without the Bullet Club, the gaijin heel faction originally formed in New Japan. The Elite, the original core that AEW formed around, came together as a faction within a faction of the Bullet Club. 

Three of the Bullet Club's five leaders are now in AEW: Kenny Omega, Jay White, and David Finlay. Jay, having been ousted from both BC leadership and New Japan itself by his former best friend, decided to start his own version in AEW, and thus Bullet Club Gold (now known as the Bang Bang Gang) was born. David wasn't content to let matters rest and brought his own faction, the former Bullet Club War Dogs (now called the Dogs) along for the ride.

The two factions have been at each others’ throats on and off, while also making some allies of convenience: The Bang Bang Gang and the Conglomeration hung around a few times, and the Dogs worked with the Death Riders due to the presence of Gabe Kidd, a full member of both factions. That all changed on Dynamite, when the Dogs showed up to do a post-match beatdown on the Conglomeration's Roderick Strong after his loss to Jon Moxley. Mox intervened, since Roddy had fought well, only for the Dogs to finally snap and turn on him. Gabe Kidd, the “dual citizen” as commentary liked to call him, tried to intervene, taking Finlay's shillelagh and raising it against his (now former) leader. Gabe has made his choice: he's a full time Death Rider now. Clark and Finlay wasted no time in taking him out.

The Conglomeration plus Jay White – who had tagged with Orange Cassidy earlier that night – came out as backup. And then Jay grabbed Orange and gave him a Blade Runner in the middle of the ring while the Dogs cheered. The rest of the Bang Bang Gang ran in as backup, overwhelming the gathered Conglomeration and Death Riders.

Jay handed Finlay back his shillelagh, the same weapon that Finlay used against Jay in his initial betrayal and takeover of the Bullet Club. That gesture alone speaks volumes: apparently all is forgiven for the moment, though Jay later acknowledged the tension isn't completely gone. The Bullet Club – then briefly the Last Outfit and now the Cut – rides again as a unified force.

This betrayal on two fronts is making for interesting allies in the Death Riders and Conglomeration. The two factions have been at odds for years, since the very dawn of the Conglomeration. Wheeler Yuta, Orange's wrestleson, betrayed Orange and the rest of the Best Friends long before he betrayed Bryan Danielson. Mox has had bloody rivalries with Orange and Kyle. The Death Riders held Orange down and tried to funnel cleaning fluid down his throat! It's all very tangled up and complicated, with bad feelings all around. But the Conglomeration have proven themselves as good fighters with a lot of heart, and that's most of what Mox looks for in an ally.

They aren't on the same page yet, but now the Cut outnumbers the Conglomeration and the Death Riders as individual factions. If Jay and Finlay can put their years of anger and hurt feelings behind them to work together for a common goal, I'm sure that Orange and Mox can also figure things out.

Sergei: I love that Hangman said “nah, I'm good” to Texas Death. That's growth!

"Everybody’s Problem..."

by Abel.

Watching last week’s Mercedes Moné and Marina Shafir segment moved me emotionally and physically, which says a lot, because it was one of the year's best Dynamites. It was packed with moments that could easily have won the moment of the week. But for me, this was the culmination of what Shafir, TK, and the rest of the Death Riders have been building for nearly three years. Every viewer and everyone in attendance was euphoric when Jon Moxley, followed by Marina, came out of that tunnel in the back and laid claim to the AEW title.

I have been PRAYING for Shafir to get a shot at one of the titles – I didn't care which one, any one of them – and my prayers have finally been answered. She's been doing great work with the Death Riders, but I need her focused on the women’s division. She’s worked so hard to carve out her own position on this stacked roster; she deserves a title. That’s probably why I’m so happy about this next program.

Mercedes was out there for the usual post-champion celebration, awaiting her new challenger. Based on our reactions, we weren't expecting it to be “The Problem.” Moné’s facial expression when the opening notes of the Death Rider’s entrance hit sealed her as one of the best character workers of her time. She instantly regretted calling out her next opponent, and her body language showed it. Marina, on the other hand, looked as fierce and dangerous as ever, matching the vibe the crowd was giving off. Both the crowd and Marina fed off each other’s energy to create one of the best moments in AEW in 2026.

My face was the opposite of Mercedes. The shit-eating grin I wore when I heard those first violin notes, followed by the guitar slide, made me smile like Tim Curry in Home Alone 2. Even the crowd let out an audible “oooooooooooooowwwwwwwwww” when they heard the most menacing theme in wrestling and immediately knew who was coming out.

This was a great, raw moment because it was unexpected. Up to this point, Marina has never been pushed like this. Most of her work was as the Death Riders' wild card, which has worked. But I think many, when they heard the Death Riders’ theme come on, realized, “Yeah, of course Marina could compete for the title! She's a badass!” It felt right, and just in time. Almost like a sigh of relief, especially for us who have been waiting for this.

I don't know if Shafir will beat Mercedes for the AEW Women’s title. In fact, I would bet she doesn't. However, this is the start of the era of “The Problem,” being a problem for every women’s champion in AEW.

Lauren: Marina Shafir telling Mercedes Moné not to be a pussy and then Mercedes aggressively waving her belt-dick at her was comedic perfection to me.

Sergei: A lot of guys have been the latest big hype in AEW… Not a lot have ever lived up to that hype in an immediate main event, as Ilja Dragunov did on Dynamite a week ago.

Lauren: Shoutout to Speedball Mike Bailey for not only helping the audience see exactly why Ilja Dragunov is a big deal, but for teaming with Andrade in another fast-paced match the same week. I think none of us would have begrudged Speedy a well-deserved day off after the Dragunov match….