Shock the World | AEWeekly #215

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 and the week's MVP, Lauren [@sithwitch.bsky.social] exploring a key Story Beat, and Sergei [@sergeialderman.bsky.social] talking about the Best Interview and the Moment of the Week, as well as 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.

Will Ospreay vs Hechicero

"Pure Alchemy..."

by Abel.

After the weekend of wrestling we had, there was a mixed bag of emotions about the quality and, to be frank, the quantity of wrestling some promotions put on for their fans. I don't know if I've ever had to worry about that as an AEW fan. That isn't even meant as a tribalistic dig at the other promotion or a tongue-in-cheek insult. I just know that every week, regardless of the show's overall quality, I can count on at least one match that carries over to the next week. That always gives me hope for the better.

​Luckily, we have been eating well with AEW, as they have been as hot as ever over the last two years. This match was the best in the week that saw one of the more emotional title changes in wrestling history, and yet Will Ospreay and Hechicero put on a match that should be used as an essential tape study for future wrestlers looking to see how two completely different styles make matches. That is how strong the company is right now. For an instant-classic match to be just the second most talked about segment of the night just shows how deep AEW is right now.

This was the first-ever singles match between the two international wrestling superstars, as their previous matches against one another had been tag-team matches, or a Casino Gauntlet. So we all got to witness history as two of the most proficient wrestlers in the world faced each other in the ring one-on-one for the very first time. The CMLL Heavyweight Champion had the clear advantage over Ospreay, who had just had a brutal match against Jon Moxley three days earlier at Dynamite. Ospreay had to turn around, after having faced the wrath of Moxley’s chops and bites, to weathering Hechicero’s torture holds and kicks. If there is one thing Hechicero and Ospreay have in common, it is the absolute brutality of their wrestling styles. Nobody is doing it like the British pro-wrestling superstar.

Hechicero is so efficient with his wrestling holds and transitions that he has to be in the conversation about the best technical wrestlers in the world. We all know what Ospreay offers in the ring, which made it even more impressive that, while both wrestlers are fluid and quick, the match never felt rushed. Credit to both wrestlers for letting the drama and psychology build in the ring.

Hechicero’s game plan was to squash the explosiveness of Ospreay. Which worked, until it didn't. It started with the Guillotine Head-Scissor leg drop, a move that impresses me every time. Not only is it pretty to look at, but Hechicero completely neutralized Ospreay with it. The Mexican luchador then became the high flyer, while Ospreay lay agonized on the mat. If Hechicero ever wanted to switch his in-ring focus up, he absolutely could.

The ever-present Death Riders will always hang over Ospreay. Marina Shafir was in attendance, and it seems that she – or anyone from the Death Riders – will be everpresent until Ospreay can dispatch Moxley and get his win back.

All it took was one counter for Ospreay to see an opening. He hit the Styles Clash and then a Hidden Blade. The Styles Clash has always been a superb counter move, since AJ first started using it all those years ago. The structure of the match had Hechicero looking strong as he dominated, and Ospreay won by the skin of his teeth.

This injury angle is teaching Ospreay to be much more efficient in the ring. That will ultimately extend his career. In PPV matches, he will still be his crazy, high-flying self. For television matches, he can slow down a bit and still be as good.

The future seems to be a path through the Don Callis Family for Ospreay now. It looks like he will need to go through them before he can return his focus to his revenge against Moxley. After that, Ospreay’s ultimate goal is to be an AEW World Champion. His first opponent on this long quest? Former United Empire stable-mate Mark Davis.

Darby Allin

"Boys Do Cry..."

by Sergei.

The number-one keyword to Darby Allin from day one has been "authenticity." If you are a long-time reader of #AEWeekly, this is undoubtedly not the first time you've heard me say something along these lines. But you've likely also heard me drag out the old saying: "the key to success is sincerity. If you can fake that, you've got it made". Pro wrestling is a stage magic show and I want to be fooled. But the Darby promo that kicked off Dynamite one week ago was the one time I've never been more sure that I was NOT seeing skillful sleight of hand, but the real thing.

To talk about that, first I want to talk about another Darby Allin promo that I didn't find as convincing. The previous week on Collision, Darby did an interview that was technically quite impressive: he showed a lot of emotion, and seemed to be revealing a new level of vulnerability. But he said one thing that didn't feel authentic to Darby, to me anyhow, and that kinda wrecked it for me. He asked Renee: if he can't prove he can be the face of AEW by winning the World championship, then the glass tables, Mount Everest, all of the risks… what was it all for?

Don't get me wrong, I buy that he cares about the World championship and always did. That he desperately wants to be able to say that he is the face of AEW. But that the risks he took were the result of that desperation? That he took those risks calculated as a strategy to reach the top? Really, Darby? The same guy who the announcers point out has had as many injuries from skateboarding as from wrestling? The guy who does crazy stunts at home for his own entertainment? Sure, I can buy that wanting to plant the AEW flag at the highest point in the world was A reason Darby climbed Mount Everest… but the main reason? I can't help but believe that Darby's true core reason for the climb(and for most crazy stuff he does) was the same one as George Mallory 100 years ago: "because it's there."

In my opinion, "what was it all for?" is a question Darby should never ask. To Darby Allin, risk is its own reward. But the brief speech on Dynamite is an entirely different animal. If you haven't seen it, or if it's been a week since you last watched the segment, I highly recommend scrolling up and clicking play on the embedded video above. The depth of feeling in it is honestly kind of uncomfortable. From the moment he grabs the mic away from MJF, the emotion on his face is palpable, on the ragged edge of holding back tears. Max – the man infamous for never breaking kayfabe – looks even more gobstopped than the first time he got hit with the "Fuck ICE" chant, looking for all the world like he wants to ask Allin, "dude, real talk, are you…? …actually okay?"

This was the moment I became convinced that the suspicions that Darby would be winning were true. Because if he were booked to lose, that would've been the worst case of "boo boo face" of all time, and I can't believe that Allin would be unprofessional like that. But just being overwhelmed by the trust placed in him by passing him the baton to carry for a time, and the fact that it was all about to happen only a few miles from where he first trained to be a pro wrestler? Now that's something I can get behind, an example of AEW performers pushing back against the culture of toxic masculinity and modeling a healthier relationship with one's emotions – as friend of our site Greyson often writes about, and as Lauren talks about a couple of other AEW performers doing in the very next segment in the Story section below. I have been a fan of Darby Allin since he debuted battling Cody Rhodes to a draw in AEW's second-ever PPV. But I believe that even if I had always been underwhelmed by him before, last Wednesday's Dynamite would have made me a fan.

Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay

"You've still got this..."

by Lauren.

The very first AEW Story Beat I ever wrote was about the first non-hostile encounter between Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay in AEW. I was thrown back to that while watching AEW Dynamite, when a post-PPV Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay met up in medical, bonding over their respective losses. These are two men who have been in the ring together 21 times since 2015, and only twice as allies instead of as opponents. For a decade, they were rivals. At AEW, while they are now on the same side, they are still not exactly close. Now, they have even more in common: coming back from dangerous, possibly career-threatening injuries. They are both trying to re-establish themselves after spending so much time away, and both are doubting their places in AEW.

Kenny had to be helped with walking to medical after losing to MJF on AEW Dynasty, leaning on Doc Sampson and waving off an interview with Tony Schiavone, before plopping down next to an equally despondent looking Will Ospreay, who was similarly down and injured after losing in a brutal match with Jon Moxley. Both had built the matches up as being the defining thing to get them back on top. Both were now dealing with not only the loss of the match, but the loss of a sense of self.

“That’s not how I pictured it. Not for you, not for me,” Kenny said while staring off into the distance. Because they were supposed to win. He was supposed to be the conquering hero, saving his company from the monster they had created. Ospreay was supposed to punish Mox for the crime of breaking his neck. And Ospreay was supposed to carry the torch after Kenny. Even when they hated each other, there was an understanding that Ospreay was basically inheriting Kenny’s position as the Next Great Wrestler. If AEW isn’t safe when Kenny is here, then how is it going to be safe when he’s gone? He knows that his career has more days behind than ahead of him, and this loss was enough to make him wonder if this is it. If the good days are all behind him, his last victory won, his last belt held, even if he had no faith left in himself, he still had some in Ospreay, telling him that it was all in his hands now.

Ospreay, showing a bit of the Golden Retriever man he’s become since joining AEW, reached out, reassuring Kenny that he didn't think the Best Bout Machine's time is done, that Kenny could climb back again, as he did after losing the IWGP Heavyweight Championship to Okada in 2017. Ospreay, once Kenny's mortal enemy, kissed him on the forehead as he walked out of medical. “You're my hero,” he said, before leaving Kenny alone to think.

That confession from a man he once hated seemed to be the thing that did the trick, with Kenny parking up and admitting out loud that maybe that faith in him was worth something. “Maybe I can't give up,” he said, to the audience's swelling cheers.

Recovery is never a straight line. There will always be setbacks, and you may never be able to get back to anything you remember as normal. That's what support is for: from doctors and physical therapists to coworkers and friends. Left alone, it's easy to think that nothing will ever change and that things can only get worse. When you have people around you, the pain is shared and the victories celebrated. I look at Kenny and Ospreay getting back into the ring after injury and loss, and I see my own struggles reflected back at me. Sometimes you just need that outside vote of confidence to get back up and try again.

Darby Allin

"Shocking the World..."

by Sergei.

Of course I can't find it now, but on the night, somebody in the WrestleSky universe posted something along the lines of "Bischoff and Russo only WISH they could book 'shock TV' like this!" Not to say: a lot of folks called this exact outcome – hell, I was one of them. But I'm sure all of us held deep in our hearts just a little grain of doubt. "It's not really happening, is it? Tonight? Really?" (After all of the odds he's thumbed his nose at – and then kicked in the junk – it's tough to bet against Maxwell…) But then, before we could even adjust to the idea, it had already happened!

There are those who are pretty upset that Darby – not just beating Max, but doing it so handily – makes their own faves look foolish for having failed. An understandable feeling, but my view is that if wrestling doesn't work like Rochambeau… well … it just doesn't work at all. On any given night, one particular guy might just have your number this time. And on this night, Darby was the paper that covered Max's rock that had been crushing all the scissors.

This outcome wasn't the hoped-for one for every fan of AEW. But I can't tell you how much I've appreciated the messages I've seen from those who maybe aren't as big of a Darby fan as myself along the lines of "I am genuinely happy for those who this makes happy." We are all marks for somebody, and when an outcome maybe doesn't perfectly match what we might've wished for, I hope we can remember those little kids in the audience in the Darby makeup for whom this isn't just a great moment, but the moment of their lives.

Darby Allin

"NO… It's YOUR TIME!"

by Abel.

Did you really think anyone but Darby Allin would be the AEW MVP this week? His Dynamite title win was one of AEW’s most memorable moments and may end up defining his career. For a second week, Darby Allin is Pro Wrestling Musing’s MVP of the Week.

Just like Dynasty was, Dynamite this week was completely centered on Allin and his chase. The start of the show, all the way to the very end, was all focused on Darby Allin and his championship hunt. Honestly, if you invited a friend over to watch wrestling for the first time ever, everything they needed to know was encapsulated within those 65+ minutes of the show. An underdog who got told to his face that he can't win – isn't ready for – the championship, then wins it … it's as basic and timeless a story as there is.

Tony Khan, famously, can be a little late to pull the trigger on something or someone when booking his wrestling show. This wasn't the case for Allin. While it was hinted at during Dynasty, most of the heavy lifting was done in just one show. TK struck while the iron was hot, and I think AEW will benefit from this in the long run. Allin’s title win is being compared to some of the most iconic underdog title changes in wrestling history.

Mick Foley’s Monday Night War title change and Jeff Hardy’s win over Edge and HHH at Armageddon 2008 are being mentioned in the same breath as Allin’s. Most of those takes are probably prisoners of the moment; however, for AEW, they needed another one of these moments. For me, the Hangman title win at All In will still be the gold standard for title moments. However, this is a close second.

The Native Son of Washington gave one of the most heartfelt, poignant, and emotional promos ever delivered on AEW television. I know with wrestling, EVERYTHING is questioned for authenticity. However, I would like to believe that the tears streaming down the face of Allin came from a place of sincerity. Perhaps he already knew he was going to win the title, so the tears were of joy and recognition of the hard work. Either way, I thought this was a beautiful moment. If this were the sole moment of the night, this would have earned Allin the MVP.

Sting. Those four letters always bring a smile to a wrestling fan's face. When Sting showed up to encourage Darby, I think that is what really made the title switch official. I know it did for me. Darby was there for Sting’s moment, so for Darby’s first AEW World Title win, you know Sting had to be there. The story wouldn't be complete without him. The Icon yelling, “No, it's not 'Show Time's! IT’S YOUR TIME!” genuinely gave me chills.

The match itself is memorable because of its length… or lack thereof. While many predicted Allin would win, NOBODY would have predicted that he would win in a squash. Contrary to what most believe, I think this keeps MJF strong and keeps a window open for him to win the title back. Darby said he was going to beat MJF with a headlock takeover, and he did just that, bringing the story full circle. The moment created by everyone involved will live on in anyone’s career in AEW and has become one of the year's most memorable moments.

Everyone coming out of the locker room to celebrate the big baby face win will always pop me. Friends and former foes (Brody King and the Bucks) were all there to celebrate with Darby. They knew, just like we did, this was his moment and a big one for the company that he had nearly killed himself for.

A side note: People worry that MJF losing the belt is costly, but forget that MJF might have wanted to drop the title. Maxwell is a proven, thoughtful wrestling mind and knows what he’s doing.

Whether or not Darby Allin becomes a memorable champion is yet to be determined, but for now, I don't think that matters. Big moments are part of wrestling; that's why so many of us become emotionally invested. Darby, MJF, and AEW delivered an all-time highlight that must be included when narrating the story of AEW.