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Every Day a Gift | AEWeekly #230
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 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] talking about the Best Interview, as well as editing and organizing it all. In addition, we have Quick Takes on the above categories plus on Best Move, Best Call & Most Valuable.
A page of links to prior installments may be found here: #AEWeekly.
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"Two Kinds of Eulogies..."
by Sergei.
As the AEW Dynamite Tribute to PAC began we immediately cut to a pretape promo with Jon Moxley sitting up against a wall, surrounded by his Death Rider allies. I’m sure I’m not the only one who wasn’t immediately clear that this was NOT specifically addressing the death of Ben Satterly. Although his words were actually about kayfabe loss, (failing to capture the men’s world title) they fit with the moment SO well that it was unsettling at the end when Moxley walks out of the frame and the camera lingers for a moment on PAC who had been listening in the background all along.
But it wasn’t THAT strange that Moxley was talking about the kind of eulogy he would want and treating each day as a gift. That sort of stoicism is central to the character – plus the fact that the fragility of life would already have been on everyone’s mind due to the passing of Andy Williams only a couple weeks before that. But even if it weren’t for how the circumstances added so much extra impact to Moxley’s words, I believe this would still be more than just this week’s best wrestling interview. This will haunt me for a long time. It might be recency bias on my part, but I don’t think so – I believe that this one belongs up there with the all-timers.
If you somehow missed it, you MUST watch it. If you have seen it, I don’t even need to tell you: watch it again!
Jon says a lot about Will Ospreay and the world championship and handling loss and the future of pro wrestling. But the most important part is that there are two kinds of eulogies: the kind that talk about “what he did” or about “who he was” … and he knows which kind he wants. And one other thing – near the beginning he passionately claims that every day is a gift. And then at the end, he commands us (all of us!): take that gift! DO something with it!
Lauren: Mox's post-All Out promo was uncanny in how relevant it was in the days following.
"Maybe everything will just work out perfectly..."
by Lauren.
This week's AEW shows, particularly Dynamite, revolved around the loss of Benjamin Satterley, AKA PAC. Every match was inspired by him, from Orange needing to be goaded into trying again, to Marina working out her grief during the women's trios tag. Even the Elite reuniting felt inspired by the knowledge that life is too short to hold onto grudges.
To steal a phrase from Mark Briscoe, the word of the day was reconciliation. This was never more obvious than with the unexpected appearance of Bryan Danielson walking into the ring after Mox’s victory against Orange, the man who betrayed and murdered him (or his career, at least) in kayfabe. With an image of PAC looking on, Bryan hugged Mox, apparently forgiven.
Later, as Tony Schiavone noted that the Death Riders were outnumbered four to five, Bryan's music hit for a second time. His return to the ring, if only for one night, felt like a miracle. During the match, Wheeler Yuta, who has been cursed for years after betraying first Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor and then Bryan Danielson, was cheered as he tagged Danielson in. And following that, Danielson tagged in Daniel Garcia, the kid he once tried and failed to mentor.
PAC played a villain for his entire run in AEW. Twitter user @lightmatane wrote:
But we have spent the week hearing stories of the real person behind the character: a good person and a great friend who wanted to leave the wrestling world better than when he entered. This past month has been a sharp reminder of how sudden death can be, so it should be no surprise that wrestlers being wrestlers, they are bringing it into the ring. Artists of all mediums express emotions through art, and wrestling is no different in that regard.
Bryan standing with the Death Riders at the end of the show, all of them huddled around PAC's empty chair, felt like the thesis of the night. Forgiveness is possible. Life is short. Your friends are your strength.Thank you for an amazing life, PAC.
Sergei: Agreed with Lauren that the reconciliation of Danielson and Mox was the most intriguing Story this week. I go into it more in Moment below…
"Ospreay hits the Black Arrow"
by Larissa.
The PAC memorial really showcased the full spectrum of human emotion. It was, as I’m sure you’ll agree, an absolutely brutal watch. The show aired only three days after PAC’s passing, and the grief felt by the locker room was still extremely fresh. We watched as wrestler after wrestler broke down, in a way that ordinary people have the luxury of doing in private. The episode shattered kayfabe and confronted us with the enormity of this loss.
There were also some moments of transcendent beauty. Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley hugging it out… Marina Shafir tying up Britt Baker in the Brutalizer. The most awe-inspiring moment of the night came when Will Ospreay climbed to the top rope at the end of his match against Ricochet. Both men put on a clinic, weaving several tributes to PAC into the match. If anyone was going to attempt the Black Arrow, a move so complicated that it takes my brain a few seconds to catch up to my eyes when it’s performed, it was going to be one of these two high-flyers. Many of us thought it would be Ricochet; Ospreay has said that he isn’t moving the same after his spinal surgery, although he has looked great in all of his matches. But once Ospreay clambered onto the turnbuckle, and the camera captured an image of PAC over his shoulder, it became clear what was about to happen. It was one of those moments where time ground to a halt. You could see the determination in Ospreay’s eyes as he launched off the top rope and executed the Black Arrow – “not as good as Ben’s,” as Excalibur put it, but still pretty damn good. As soon as he hit it, the arena exploded. What a cathartic moment. Ospreay screamed in triumph and then agony as Bryce Remsburg hit the three count. I’ve never experienced a moment as potent as that one in anything else I’ve ever watched, in any piece of art I’ve ever witnessed. I’ve never seen triumph and pain coexist in one moment the way they did in Will Ospreay’s body when he pinned Ricochet to win the match. Eventually I’ll watch that match again, but probably not for at least a year.
Lauren: For me it was Bryce Remsburg counting the three count for Ospreay after the Black Arrow, immediately followed by his visible grief. My heart hurts so badly for everyone in the roster, but that's remained as a knife in my heart all week.
Sergei: In a night with a plethora of emotional moments, hearing “Ride of the Valkyries” and then the complicated look on the faces of Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley leading up to that hug of grief and reconciliation was the one that hit hardest for me.
Lauren: In a week with a lot of tributes to PAC, Marina Shafir hitting the Brutalizer got me right in the heart.
Sergei: Agreed on Shafir, and it shouldn't be forgotten that Brit Baker tapped out in Pittsburgh.
Larissa: Will Ospreay (see Moment above…)
Larissa: (see Moment above...) Re Ospreay's Black Arrow:
...not as good as Ben’s...
– Excalibur
Sergei: There were a lot of excellent calls this week, Excalibur and Schiavone did an amazing job with a difficult night for everyone. But for me the most noteworthy was… silence. During my Moment of the week, from the hit of Danielson’s theme till they cut to commercial after the hug, neither man said a word and it was the perfect call.
Lauren: Jon Moxley carried us all that night. From getting Orange to try again, to his post-show speech about giving a shit and beyond – given the stories of him calling and checking on people – he kept things going forward. I hope he knows how loved and appreciated he is. That's our Ace.
Sergei: Very tempted to give it to Danielson – the value of semi-retired guys they can break glass in case of emergency like Dragon (or, for another example, Sting) shouldn't be underrated. But come on – it's Moxley. Jon Moxley was the whole fucking show, from that crazy pretape promo that opened the show, the opening match, calling the main event, and at the end talking to us about the man we lost and how to go on.
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