Fuck ICE | AEWeekly #206

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 and Moment of the Week, Lauren [@sithwitch.bsky.social] exploring a key Story Beat, Special Guest Greyson [@greysonpeltier.bsky.social] giving us the MVP of the Week, and Sergei [@sergeialderman.bsky.social] editing and organizing it all.

 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.

Kenny Omega vs Andrade El Idolo

"Down in the DM..."

by Abel.

All Elite Wrestling has found its creative groove early in 2026. Everyone at the top of the card is out for Maxwell Jacob Friedman in a very Kill Bill-esque storyline, and every single one of them is after the AEW World Championship. While the AEW Championship is the endgame, running MJF over to get the belt is an added benefit. While the excitement of this angle is not surprising, what is somewhat unexpected is that at the center of all of it is Andrade El Idolo.

​The recently exhumed – metaphorically speaking, of course – Mexican luchador has been on an absolute tear since his return to an AEW ring, and has looked like an absolute superstar. Standing in the way of getting a step closer to his goal is the former world champion, Kenny Omega. Omega is after the same thing Andrade is, and with a win, can get one step closer to becoming a two-time champion. Because of the stakes, quality, and repercussions of the match, Kenny Omega vs Andrade El Idolo and their absolute banger from Dynamite is the Match of the Week.

​The setup for this match was pretty simple: The winner of this match would get a shot at Hangman Adam Page for the No. 1 contender spot at Revolution. Both Andrade and Omega have been stacking up wins in a loaded division, so it makes sense that at this juncture, both men would have to face off against each other to continue to climb the ladder towards the title and MJF.

​The placement of this match was masterful. It wasn't the first or the main event. It was booked right smackdab in the middle of Dynamite. This was still in the first hour of a four-hour taping, so you want to get the crowd while they are still hot. Speaking of which… As always, the crowd brought it. This is the same crowd that brought you the news-making chant that is our Moment of the week, so a match of this magnitude was not going to pass them by. Every time I mention the crowd — which is now a weekly occurrence —I feel it's getting repetitive and tiresome. HOWEVER, the AEW crowd has become a character within every big match.

​What happened inside the ring was magical. Both men look amazing, and they showed everyone that they are two of the best in the world at what they do. Omega, as banged up as he has been, can still put on a great match. "The Best Bout Machine" says he feels as good as he ever has, and it shows in the ring. Omega taking that sunset flip off the top rope is proof of that. On the other side of the ring, Andrade is moving as well as he has ever moved. He legit has a case to be the best wrestler in the world right now.

​Andrade's "Latino Lover" gimmick is working. Stopping mid-match to take selfies with a group of women makes Andrade look like a big deal. The look, gimmick, and push could very well make Andrade AEW's first Mexican World Champion.

​Wrestling, at least to me, is about the small details. When Andrade and Omega were going punch for punch, forearm for forearm in the middle of the ring, and Andrade struggled to raise his hands to return a counter, I was so pumped. Both championship contenders were in a dragged-out knockout match, and unfortunately, only one of them could win.

​The ending was page one out of the Don Callis playbook. A distraction, a low blow, and a 1-2-3 have Andrade on the precipice of immortality. It kept Andrade’s push soaring and Omega strong, setting him up to start a mouthwatering program with Swerve. No good deed goes unpunished. All Swerve tried to do was save Omega from the same fate that befell him, and all he got was Omega mad at him. For me and the rest of us, however, we are salivating at the idea of a Swerve/Omega program starting.

​Schiovane's utter disgust for Don Callis makes me cackle every single time. Whether Schiovane is repromanding Callis or just seeing him walking down the ramp, he lets us know how despicable the follicle-challenged Canadian is.

​The Hangman is next up for Andrade, and that match has a real strong chance to be the match of the week for next week’s edition. This push hasn't been handed to Andrade. He's worked hard in every single match thus far, looking like a true main-event talent. He's taken this opportunity and he's run with it… and may soon be running across the endzone as the new AEW World Champion. Either way, El Idolo is proof that if you don't burn bridges, you can return to All Elite Wrestling and succeed. 

Hangman, Kenny, and Swerve

"Not like this!"

by Lauren.

It's one thing to joke about Swerve Strickland and Kenny Omega as Hangman Adam Page's current and ex-boyfriends, respectively. It's another to see the dynamics playing out over the past several weeks.

Kenny is Hangman's former tag partner, and someone he still has deep feelings for despite the time when Kenny betrayed him and left him at rock bottom. And Swerve is the man who nearly destroyed Hangman, yet ended up fighting beside him against a greater evil. The two men who destroyed him, and then stood by him as Hangman held the Men's World Championship belt high.

Thanks to injury and illness, Kenny and Hangman have been apart for a long while, letting the memories of bad times fade and allowing the good times to become fonder thanks to nostalgia. The former young boy of the Bullet Club became a champion during Kenny's first extended absence, and found damnation and redemption during his second hiatus. They've met now as equals.

Swerve, meanwhile, forged a bond with Hangman through fire and blood, and has seemed delighted the whole time at finding the extremes to which Hangman is willing to go. Since Hangman found himself betrayed by the Opps, Swerve has growled by his side. They became predators on the hunt, and now that the Opps have been defeated, they have returned their gazes to the top prize, but with a newfound respect for each other.

Swerve's opinion of Kenny, in contrast, has been in question. He has looked unhappy and suspicious every time that Hangman and Kenny have interacted.

A mini-tournament to pick a challenger for Hangman at Grand Slam Australia – the winner of which will challenge for the belt at Revolution – deepened the multitude of feelings at play. First, Andrade El Idolo defeated Swerve with a low blow and took him out of the running. When questioned about his opinion of how Kenny vs Andrade would turn out, Swerve was too furious to speak. Hangman, though, told Kenny that he hoped that Kenny would beat Andrade, and that the two of them would meet across the ring at Grand Slam.

During Dynamite, Swerve ran out during Kenny vs. Andrade, right as Don Callis, Andrade's patron, pulled out his trademark screwdriver to literally "screw" Kenny. The audience held its breath to see what Swerve would do – and after a moment, he ran in to help Kenny by disarming Callis. It backfired, with the scuffle distracting the referee and Andrade low-blowing Kenny to win, in a repeat of his victory over Swerve. Unfortunately, Kenny did not see Swerve helping, only him being a distraction. Security had to keep them apart when the argument turned physical.

Why did Swerve run out? Was he distracting with the plausible deniability of attempting to help, or was he being genuine? Did he want revenge on Andrade? Or did he decide to help make Hangman happy by helping to make his wish to fight Kenny a reality? The next few weeks will tell, as well as solidify where all three men stand with each other.

"Fuck ICE" chants

"Long Live Pro Wrestling..."

by Abel.

There are very few moments in the history of professional wrestling that transcend the bubble we wrestling fans live in and enter the “normie” sphere. This moment not only made the evening news — which, from a wrestling standpoint, can happen from time to time — but also the nonstop slop that is political commentary and coverage. They say – I don't know who they are – that all publicity is good publicity. Well, what does it mean when your company makes national and international news for standing on the right side of history? That, my friends, is what we call a win-win situation.

​Just Google AEW or Brody King right now. All of the (UN)usual suspects are covering the company and situation. A SITTING US SENATOR ASKED TONY KHAN TO SIGN BAD BUNNY! I don't know about you, but this week for AEW must feel like a fever dream.

(​Also, before we get any deeper into this, let me be clear, in case there was any confusion about where I stand… FUCK ICE.)

​Of course, the moment I’m talking about is the 15 seconds where the AEW fans were heard round the world, shouting “FUCK ICE” with their entire chests right before the start of the AEW World Championship Eliminator Match between MJF and Brody King. But that moment didn't blink into existence in a vacuum. None of this happens without the groundwork King has laid with fans over the course of months and years before this ever happened.  King has become the face and voice of anti-ICE sentiment in AEW… as well as in the broader world of pro wrestling. He made news at this at last year's Grand Slam: Mexico, for wearing an “Abolish ICE” shirt during his walkout in front of an international viewing crowd. He has donated close to $100,000 to charities supporting those affected by the fascism of the current US regime. 

King’s visible shift in body language in reaction to the chants of the crowd was evident. It brings me immense happiness to see King become the face of this moment. While so many wrestlers put on a punk rock front, King is the real deal. Beating MJF in a matter of moments, booking his title match, after hearing “FUCK ICE” from the crowd, was the cosmos aligning just right for King to become the biggest star in wrestling – even if just for a week.

​What makes this moment so special is that it was the crowd – not the company, in some hamfisted way – that organically took over the show and spoke for a country that is tired and angry about what is going on. The combination of King’s philanthropy, the turmoil in the country, and the main event all created the perfect opportunity for this to happen. Credit must be given to everyone involved. Bryce Remsburg, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and the production crew for laying out and not trying to censor, stop, or impede the chant. Sometimes you can't just “shut up and dribble” or, in this case, “shut up and suplex.” Collectively, everyone knew the opportunity was there and took advantage of it.

​In times like these, there is no way you can stand on the sidelines… the fans let you know where they stand. Speaking of which, this was such a watershed moment for wrestling that it changed the mainstream narrative about who wrestling fans are. There seemed to have been an outdated, archaic view of wrestling fans as knuckle-dragging troglodytes with antiquated views. I can't speak for fans of the "world leader in sports entertainment" but All Elite Wrestling is filled with fans who care for their fellow human beings…

​Wrestling fans obviously know that AEW has a track record of living out progressive values. Nyla Rose, an open transwoman, was the Women’s World Champion. Sonny Kiss, a gender-fluid trans feminine wrestler who was featured during AEW's formative years. Anthony Bowens, who is an openly gay wrestler, has had major pushes and is not treated as a side attraction. The consistent push of Black and Hispanic wrestlers. This is nothing new. This is just the culmination of the community AEW has cultivated.

​In the days following Dynamite, both MJF and King capitalized on building anticipation for their match at Grand Slam: Australia, which, in turn, built up AEW’s foothold in mainstream popular culture. King through social media, and MJF at Super Bowl Radio Row – the most significant source of pop culture in February. MJF doubled down, telling reports that the company “listens to the crowd.” 

Of course, because everything has a funny angle, MJF’s reaction to the chant became an instant internet meme. His “The Office"-like genuine reaction to the moment has been memed thousands of times already, adding to his mainstream meme repertoire alongside his “mid” rant.

As far as the storyline goes, one could be convinced that the layout and finish of the match were changed as soon as the chant started. That is how well the stars aligned for this moment. I don't think that is what happened. The plan has always been for King to squash MJF, but it all seemed so perfect for the moment.  The momentum built from this moment — the chants and King squashing MJF — is strong enough that many fans have been fantasy booking themselves into seeing Brody King winning the title in Australia. While I would LOVE that result, I don't think it's in the cards. I think Buddy Matthews comes back and starts a feud with his former tag team partner, while MJF has to continue to go through the gauntlet of Hangman, Andrade, Swerve, Joe, and Omega.

This single 15-second chant might end up being not only the moment of the week, but of the year, and possibly in the history of AEW, for the impact it had in almost every facet of a troubled country. It has changed perceptions in many ways and has now thrust wrestling into the national spotlight. As an AEW fan, it makes you proud that the company you care for will let you voice your opinion in matters outside of wrestling. Long Live pro wrestling. 

Brody King

"Be Harder. Help Immigrants. Change The World..."

by Greyson.

Brody King – both a pro wrestler and a hardcore music artist, with the motto “life is hard, be harder” – seems like the stereotype of the exact kind of person that people might expect to fall for the toughness-obsessed right-wing Manosphere’s incursions into culture, including into segments of alternative culture once believed to be progressive enclaves. His opponent this past week on Dynamite, AEW Men’s World Champion MJF has alluded to the dichotomy between King’s appearance and his views. Yet, even as prominent names in the punk, hardcore, and related scenes have fallen for the conservative conceptualization of freedom and strength, King has held fast to his values. And not just lip service: King has been a consistent advocate for immigrants, raising large sums of money for groups supporting families adversely affected by the immigration enforcement efforts. Though most of the self-proclaimed Internet experts would lead you to believe that conservative ideology and physical and mental toughness are inextricably intertwined, King’s unwillingness to bend the knee to the desires of the current economically dominant forces in industry and culture is perhaps a result of him living by his own “be harder” ideal. 

And the sequence of events that occurred showed definitively there is no contradiction between his strength and his values. In the same match where fans chanted “FUCK ICE,” briefly delaying the start of the match, King dominated and in very short order defeated a formidable opponent in MJF, the longest reigning Men’s World Champion and someone who has often leaned into the same Heel Populist archetypes our WWE Hall of Famer President has successfully leveraged. This dominant performance was truly the work of "one of America’s top professional wrestlers," as Chris Hayes called him on MSNBC back in June. In a way, perhaps the biggest win went to MJF – a social media win, with his befuddled reaction to the chants, that Abel rightly notes has become a meme.

Brody King embodied the Change The World ideal AEW was built on, and in doing so he inspired others to help Change The World by creating a chant heard around the world and by delivering material support to those in need. That's why Brody King is our MVP this week. That is also a reason why he would make an amazing World Champion.