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These Lonely Hunters | AEWeekly #155

Writer's picture: PWMusings CollaborationPWMusings Collaboration

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 [@sachin111222333.bsky.social] talking Best Interview, Lauren [@sithwitch.bsky.social] exploring a key Story Beat, Emiliana [@emilianartb.bsky.social] with the Moment of the Week, Peter [@peteredge7.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.



FTR × Death Riders


"The Turning Point is Here…"


by Abel.


No other wrestling promotion in the world does a plunder match quite like AEW, and the Mid-South Tag Team Street fight between FTR and the Death Rider's Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta proved that on Saturday. There is always a sense of excitement when these matches are announced on AEW, and they rarely miss, even if wrestling fans have maligned the story behind the match. The usual plunder was used: tacks, tables, and chairs, and they were all used effectively in a way that reinvigorated a crowd — that had been lackluster at best to that point — back to life. 


If taken out of context, the match was great without the Death Rider albatross hanging around the company's neck. It showcased what has made AEW great over the last five years. It also highlighted how great FTR is as a tag team, even in an untraditional tag match, and how Jon Moxley has the market corned in plunder matches. All four competitors' chemistry in the ring is excellent, which is why FTR was chosen as a centerpiece of this chapter of the Death Rider story. 


When taken in context, this might be the turning point everyone on wrestlesky or wrestling Twitter has been waiting for to break up the monotony and staleness of this story. If you've spent time online — even just for a nanosecond — the displeasure with the Death-Riders storyline has been well-documented. Even the most loyal of Death Riders zealots can admit that there has been a rut in the storytelling when every Death Rider match ends in someone from the faction interfering, costing the opponent the match, then continuing for a 5-minute-long beatdown — which is all very Bloodline-Vol.-1-esque. This match does seem — at least from the outcome — as if it may  be a turning point in the story, something which might finally bring a new wrinkle to the Death Riders in AEW. 


One wrinkle that is of interest is Marina Shafir's. We hadn't seen Shafir get involved and subsequently get backed into a table before this. If nothing else, this might signify the beginning of the end for the Death Riders as we know them. Or, I could be completely wrong, and nothing changes!


Either way, this signifies that two consecutive tag matches have been the best AEW has produced in successive weeks, which is a good sign of life for the division. The strength of any division is only as strong as mid-card or non-title programs that are just as compelling as the top of the card. All Elite Wrestling was built on a potent tag-team division, and if the past couple of weeks have been a preview of what's to come in 2025, then we may be in for a great year for tag wrestling. 

 





gif lovingly crafted by Emiliana
gif lovingly crafted by Emiliana

Swerve Strickland


"it's fun to do bad things..."


by Sachin.


The Swerve Strickland that stepped up in front of Hangman Adam Page to remind him of his laziness and passivity was a typical pro-wrestling heel –– targeting a man who has the fans' admiration for his spot and using nefarious means to get it.


A lot has happened since then between these two. Somehow over that time the fans came to cheer Swerve and boo Hangman, and — while Adam Page's turn to the dark side occurred over a long period of time and has resulted in a complete 180 degree character change on god's favourite cowboy — Swerve meanwhile hasn't actually changed much. He is still, in theory, a "bad guy" –– a cruel, unforgiving sadist that shows no remorse and gives no apologies. The only piece of counter-evidence that one can present to exhibit his 'goodness' is the response he gets from the crowds and claim if the crowd likes it he must be 'good'.


So what is it? Is he just bad at being a heel and can't get the crowd to hate him? Or is he the second coming of Rasputin and has the crowd in the palm of his hand no matter what he does? No, Neither of these theories work. He has shown time and time again that when he wants to be booed he can get the crowd to boo him –– the perfect example of this would be his All In 2024 match. The real reason why Swerve Strickland is liked and cheered despite his obvious villainous tendencies, is because he is Honest. He likes to call his shots, he likes to celebrate before the victory, he enjoys poking, exploiting and laughing over his opponent's weakness, but he never pretends to be anything he is not. There is an undeniable cool factor about him, and that emanates from his consistent, logical, and unashamed portrayal of his character. Something that the audience respects because they know what they are getting. (He is also good-looking, fashionable, and multi-talented which helps as well.)


Swerve told Ricochet that if he didn't win the C2, Swerve would embarrass him. Swerve followed up on this promise, which led to Ricochet retaliating in a show-stealing angle and after having dodged Swerve this Dynamite, Ricochet had to come face-to-face with him this Collision — mainly because Swerve didn't leave it up to him.

Swerve interrupts Ricochet's sit-down interview with Renee Paquette and casually delivers a life-threat — but opts to not follow up on it as he “...would be disappointing a lot of people in Atlanta.”

You want to talk so much, let's talk, Trevor — you know, you're right: Swerve… Ricochet… we don't see eye-to-eye… never have… probably never will. And this goes all the way back to Lucha Underground days… CZW… all of that. Matter of fact, I'll never forget the day that you announced that you were a free agent... I said don't bring that man here. Because AEW has a special gift for exposing people for who they truly are and what they're all about. You pretended to be a superhero to these people and they rejected you for it. Me, I know I'm the villain and I get all the respect in the world for it. In less than a week — February 5th in Atlanta, Georgia — I'm going to show you that there's levels to this. This isn't going to be no athletic exhibition, or no showcase of the innovators… this is going to be a fight. And you cannot win in a fight against the most dangerous man in AEW.

Any logical loophole of these two men agreeing to a sit- down interview given their history is immediately closed at the onset, because Swerve wants this fight to happen in Atlanta. He chides Ricochet for pretending to be a hero and presents himself as the opposite — an honest villain. Implying that being the latter is more noble than the former. Given that both of these men are adept at an acrobatic, high flying form of wrestling, one would not be blamed for thinking that their match might be similar to a Ricochet × Ospreay match… but in the end Swerve tips off the audience to what this match is going to look like — it's going to be a Fight.


Given Swerve's track record of following up on his promises, this fight will most likely be bloody, brutal, and not for everyone. Which might just make it the match that truly differentiates the in-ring of this AEW version of Ricochet to any other previous versions.


This was a perfect example of what makes a great pro-wrestling promo –– rooted in reality, referencing things that happened in real life, and setting out the intentions of the characters involved going into the fight. That being said, this didn’t last 15 minutes, there weren't enough zingers and they didn’t even threaten to have sex with each other’s wives or mothers. So it wasn’t THAT great, but I guess it was still good enough to be Interview of the week.

gif lovingly crafted by Emiliana
gif lovingly crafted by Emiliana


Renee Paquette × Death Riders


"What's the story...?"


by Lauren.


The Death Riders have become something of a divisive subject amongst a chunk of AEW fans. The former Blackpool Combat Club (minus Bryan Danielson and adding Marina Shafir and Pac) announced their intention to go to war over the soul of AEW some months ago. This war has somewhat cooled since World's End, with their promised existential threat fading into normal heel faction activities. 


One of the complaints has been the content of Jon Moxley's promos, full of fire and passion but lacking a definitive thesis statement. The Death Riders are angry, but why? Mox has stated that he's unhappy with the state of current AEW, but beyond that things have been nebulous.


Enter Renee Paquette's interview with the Death Riders from this week. An abridged version was shown on TV; the full 20 minute video can be found on AEW's YouTube channel. (...or below!)

Renee is married to Mox, but has shown over her tenure at AEW that this does not mean blind support. That skepticism was on full display for this interview, mostly in her facial expressions as she listened to each Death Rider explain their motivations.

Claudio Castagnoli reiterated his belief that this is all for the greater good of AEW. Pac speaking from a sauna (a delightful little nod to the running joke among fans that Pac must be kept damp at all times for his health) declared that he would prefer to raze AEW to the ground. Wheeler Yuta doubled down on sounding like a cult member, emphasizing his own unhappiness and lack of focus on anything beyond Mox. Marina Shafir stated that Mox had given her a purpose as a protector.


As for Mox? He reiterated many of the same points that he'd been dropping for months, only now all in one place and with a thesis statement tying it all together. Mox's motivation is fear. As the Ace of AEW, he has been the constant, the locker room leader, the person Tony Khan turns to when plans go sideways. This tremendous responsibility may not have made him snap, but it certainly made him focus. In his view, AEW is at a turning point where it can either be the place of serious graps or it will descend into sloppy mediocrity.


This echoes a perpetual disagreement among certain enclaves of viewers. For some, there is a belief that only high level physical performances and serious violence should be allowed on screen. But AEW was formed as an alternative that focused on a wide variety of wrestling, not limited to just one style. A single unified style, an army of Jon Moxleys, would kill what makes AEW special.


This is what it means to battle for the soul of AEW. This is what the story needs to return to. Not just, “I agree with you, but you need to stop beating up old men,” as has been going on lately. It needs to show us what those old men have offered, and what promises they failed to fulfill in their time. It must show both the strengths and failings of the newer generation. And it must show that through it all, AEW is a special place worth fighting for.




gif lovingly crafted by Emiliana
gif lovingly crafted by Emiliana

Hangman Adam Page


"The Absence of War or Other Hostilities...”

by Emiliana.


A long time ago, in July of 2021, we were given the definition of what makes a cowboy:

...It’s not the boots or the buckle. It’s not the chaps; it’s not the jeans. It’s not the lasso or the cattle, not the horse or the saddle. You might think they’re all long gone, but you don’t need a hat to be a cowboy. A cowboy isn’t too busy to lend a hand to a partner. Not too proud to take one, either. And when they get knocked in the dirt, bloodied and trampled, a cowboy dusts themselves off and gets back up. And they’ll stand by their partners and challenge those who have it all…and they’ll keep ridin’, till they find their peace.

Four years later, that definition still rings true. It is a definition that Hangman has fallen short of and lost sight of in the last year and a half. But one thing that remains at his core, through it all, is that he is still looking for his peace. Beneath the rage, the contempt, the bitterness — he is a man who has always been looking to comfort his soul and find his joy. Swerve Strickland took that peace, that joy, that comfort away, and roughly two weeks ago… Christopher Daniels reminded him of it.


“I hope you can be happy now.”


Words that echoed the words of Alex Reynolds in 2022, after Hangman lost the AEW Men’s World Championship: “We just want you to be happy…”


For a while there, Page thought his happiness was tethered to the world title, until he found out that it was more of a burden upon his soul than it was worth… Happiness. Peace… None of these things could be obtained with a target on his back.


Cut to this week’s moment…


Renee Paquette, beloved correspondent, live in front of Swerve Strickland’s locker room, her sparkling navy chaps an omen of who is to come barging into her frame a few seconds later… As she is telling the viewing audience that she is looking to get a word with Swerve Strickland… a wild Hangman appears! He bursts into Swerve’s locker room, and within seconds he’s back to tell Renee that "...well, he’s not in there." But Renee, determined reporter that she is, asks Hangman what exactly he thinks he’s doing. And — and this is my favorite part — as he opens another door, he replies with all the perfect sibling energy in the world: “It’s… uh… it’s none of your business.”


In the span of less than a minute, we receive so much information. First, Hangman is looking for Swerve. Second, his face has changed completely. Gone is the ire and rage in his eyes, and instead it is replaced by a soft determination — to perhaps set right a wrong? Uncertain, because as Renee continues to bombard the cowboy with questions about how he feels about CD and any other juicy thoughts, Hangman has the misfortune of running into MJF. An MJF who, more and more lately, seems to be completely thrown off by Hangman’s lack of respect.


Hangman’s silence when he runs into Maxwell is deafening, and Maxwell’s ADD-riddled outer thoughts about Hangman’s attitude feels like very clear direction for the both of them. Whether they like it or not? — they will collide.


But back to the point I was trying to make earlier (perhaps I also have a touch of ADD) — it only makes sense that Hangman would try to set things right with Swerve, especially since it’s become clear that rage and revenge are not the answer to Hangman’s lack of peace. Moreover, it is difficult to find joy and peace when one has to look over one’s shoulder for the most dangerous man in AEW. Maybe they were even after All Out, but at this point, it doesn’t hurt to double-check the fine print… maybe even draw up some peace accords, just in case?


I might be wrong about all of this, and that’s okay. But one thing’s for sure — Hangman is so good at this. What a tease! It is just so amusing how thirty seconds of Hangman can have me thinking about and debating his motivations for hours on end. Me, and my fellow Hangman fans, and the rest of the AEW audience?... We're just along for the ride.





gif lovingly crafted by Emiliana
gif lovingly crafted by Emiliana

Swerve Strickland and Ricochet (with a pinch of Renee Paquette)


"When two villains look each other in the eye…”


by Peter.


The scene setting is ordinary — even simple. Ricochet is in a room with Renee Paquette sitting face to face with cameras and lighting joining them. It's a set-up that has been seen regularly on AEW television, and all sorts of wrestling programming long before "All Elite" existed. Before Renee joined AEW, it was Jim Ross and Alex Marvez in that role. It is something that AEW have done well into the high 90s percent of their total time of doing wrestling television.


Setting the scene, Renee has reminded us that Ricochet has been teasing us with an explanation for his change in attitude and that this is his opportunity to finally tell us just what's been going on with him lately.


Going against what he would go on to say towards the end of the promo, Ricochet cuts a great promo talking about his past and what was the fantasy pairing of Ricochet and AEW that had been fantasy booked by fans for years. Rico talks about the guys that he wrestled in the days of PWG, Lucha Underground and NJPW. Kenny Omega, Will Ospreay, The Young Bucks, guys who bet on themselves and won the bet — while Ricochet was stuck playing the little buddy of 7-foot wrestlers in WWE… and finally — about Swerve Strickland. 


A man that who like Ricochet tried to make it in New York but couldn't — but when given a second chance, he grabbed that opportunity with both hands and then some… to the point that (as Ricochet emphasised) that Swerve was the man who held "Big Platinum" when Rico signed his AEW contract. 


Talking about how he pleased everyone by going to the same promotion as those he traveled with, Ricochet then starts to do a "you people" rant and you just see Renee's eyes roll, a big sigh overwhelms the screen. She has heard it all before. Wrestlers blaming wrestling fans for their own inadequacies. She in that moment is us the wrestling fan having heard the same song covered by a different artist ever time they turn to the dark side.


Enter Swerve… who had heard every word that Rico had said hidden away somewhere… and like a good journalist who wants to call bull on what he just heard, he forensically takes every word Ricochet just said and turns them around on the speaker.


The most telling line was Strickland talking about how "AEW has a special gift at exposing people for who they truly are". In his almost three years in AEW, Swerve has become one of its leaders. He has seen those who thought they could bully their way through AEW stuck in a predicament they can't out of and he turns this onto Ricochet, the former Prince who had been a career rival of Swerve's before they reached the big time. 


Yet, on the weekend Ricochet signed with AEW, Swerve signed his extension for money that showed that the chips he had put in had cashed out… and Ricochet deep down knows it. It's part of the resentment that has followed Ricochet all throughout his time so far in AEW. The segment on Collision was the living embodiment of "imposter syndrome" on Ricochet's side.


Ricochet resorted to the "you people" cliche, how he got left behind when his peers had bet on themselves and won and talked about his weaknesses as a performer and yet somehow he made it a positive.


While Swerve has been talking, Ricochet has become the embodiment of zen — if zen were the subject of an episode of The Casual Criminalist, that is. While Swerve is at his best invading the space of a rival, Ricochet saw Swerve's call and raised him by just looking into eyes, his hands on his lap. If Swerve is that diabolical torturer, then Ricochet is a mixture of Patrick Bateman and Hannibal Lecter: a killer in a suit who knows just how to get under someone's skin — which he did with one word:


"Hangman."


That word set Strickland off. It will always set him off and the man who wants to control the puppet strings of people just like Hannibal Lecter did in the Thomas Harris books knows it, like he knew it would annoy Hangman Page when he played Swerve's theme before playing his own during the Casino Gauntlet.


The 276 seconds that played out saw a Ricochet reborn but still with the imposter syndrome that is turning him into the Two Face of AEW and the OG diabolical villain that actually might be the conscience of AEW when he talks about people being exposed when coming into AEW. Those 276 has made the best feud in AEW so far in 2025 even better, and made me the viewer look forward to their match in Atlanta even more, raising both men to the level of MVP in AEW right now. That is the power of spoken words and of the people who speak those words.





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