The Omega Factor | AEWeekly #217

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 the Match of the Week and MVP, Lauren [@sithwitch.bsky.social] exploring a key Story Beat, Larissa [@actual-swamp-hag.bsky.social] talking about the Best Interview, and Sergei [@sergeialderman.bsky.social] expanding on 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.

MJF vs Mark Briscoe

"Wrestling Soulmates in Action..."

by Abel.

There is something magical about a big title match on a random Wednesday night in AEW. Three days after their epic Death's Door cagematch at Forbidden Door, where Team Briscoe earned Mark a title shot, the tag-team legend cashed in right away on Dynamite. Both MJF and Mark Briscoe delivered and put on one of the better AEW World Heavyweight TV matches of all time. Because of the grit and creativity shown by both men, MJF vs. Mark Briscoe for the AEW World Championship on short rest is our match of the week.

​There wasn't much lead-up to the match as it opened Dynamite. Tony Khan again proved that if you're not Main Eventing, you want to open the show. The reason for this was to set up Omega’s title stipulation for the end of the show – more on that later. The framework of this match was slow-burning and methodical, giving both men time to breathe after being sore from a steel cage match just three days prior. In other words, this was a very condensed version of a PPV main event. This match was the one we needed after such an emotional start to Dynamite. That opening segment rocked, and having this match follow it made all the sense in the world.

While the match started a little slower and more methodical, this did not mean it lacked physicality. On the contrary, as it went along, it picked up the pace and got more physical. There is no doubt in my mind that MJF is one of the best wrestlers in the world. He takes his craft very seriously and is one of the best ambassadors for the company as a World Champion. As for the match itself, it got started with color right away, as it made total sense for the World Champion to reopen Briscoe’s wound. I think that set the tone for the match.

The match saw MJF officially kick out of the J-Driller, which had been such a big point of the story leading into it. Maxwell used the momentum from kicking out of the J-Driller to get the best of Briscoe, hitting him with a Heat Seeker to retain his title. Of course, MJF couldn't leave well enough alone and attacked Briscoe after the match. He would have done some serious damage to the former ROH World Champion if not for Omega. This set the table for the post-match promo battle and the rest of the show…

Could this match have waited? Sure. They could have given Briscoe an extra week in the title picture, but I totally get wanting to get on track for Omega vs MJF. That is where the money will be. If Omega will be winning tonight, then this was the right call.

​Regardless of the booking, these men put their bodies through everything, having battled hammer-and-tongs twice in four days. Briscoe was fighting as if this was going to be his last world title opportunity, because (even without any stipulation) it might very well be. The title picture is shifting away from him, and who knows where he will go from here. So, regardless of what the future may bring, let's appreciate the greatness of both wrestlers while we still can.

Jay White

"At long last... Guns! Up!"

by Larissa.

So that’s why everybody was so hyped about Jay White coming back! I started watching AEW during White’s prolonged absence, and other than his very good match against heel Hangman (#comebackhangman) at WrestleDream 2024, hadn’t seen him in action at all. I saw that any time White tweeted “Ready?” the IWC, or at least the sections of the IWC that I respect, collectively lost their minds, but I had no idea what the big deal was. That changed this week on Dynamite when I heard him speak. That guy can really talk!

White’s return also solved another mystery for me: The appeal of the Bang Bang Gang. I have to admit that until this week, I did not get those guys at all.

(If you like the Bang Bang Gang you might not want to read the next part...)

In White’s absence, Juice Robinson chewed scenery and manically capered about as their de facto leader, a wide-eyed Jack Black impersonator without any of the charm. Ace Austin has thighs the circumference of redwood trunks and a whole truckload of fancy moves, but is still pretty green on the mic. Other than “has a card in his mouth” I can’t really tell you what his Deal is, character-wise. The Gunns are There, tanly. The Bang Bang Gang minus White emitted a frat party vibe that honestly chilled me to the bone.

(Okay I’m done!)

But when Jay White returned, the true nature of the Bang Bang Gang was revealed. The rest of the guys are obviously supposed to be White’s oafish sons! They’re not supposed to talk! Why would they, when White is such a wonder on the mic? For months, White has been represented solely by a cardboard cutout. When the real, three-dimensional Jay White took the mic this week, I realized what all of the fuss was about. Jay effortlessly gathered the room into the palm of his hand and held them there while he laid out his agenda. The best moment came when he called out one of the strangest developments in the company: the Death Riders’ face-or-at-least-tweener turn...

Before I left, it seemed like all of you were struggling to escape the rule of the Death Riders, and now I’m back and you don’t really seem to want to anymore...

... Jay mused. The crowd made bashful noises, ashamed of themselves. It’s true! What the hell is going on with the Death Riders? They’re poised to become the dominant faction again, especially now that they count the Aerial Assassin Will Ospreay among their ranks. Good for Jay for shining the spotlight of moral clarity on that situation. I’m excited to see how his rivalry with Ospreay and the rest of the Death Riders develops. It only took a few minutes to realize that one of the company’s best talkers has returned. Now let’s see where it goes.

Kenny Omega

"If you people can believe just one more time..."

by Lauren.

Kenny Omega is on a precipice. At Dynamite, he challenged MJF to a match for the AEW Men's World Championship, only for MJF to add the stipulation of never being able to challenge for that belt again. After an entire episode's worth of advice and thought, Kenny accepted. But it's not just the belt that’s on the line – it's Kenny's sense of self.

The first time Kenny held the belt, he became the villainous Belt Collector under Don Callis’ patronage. This was, perhaps, the peak of Kenny's in-ring performance in AEW, though fans now know that he was dealing with numerous injuries as well as vertigo. His physical fallibility tied into his redemption then, with Kenny in kayfabe having spent the recovery time reflecting on both his actions and what going forward meant to him. This exploration was cut short due to near-fatal diverticulitis, and since returning to the ring, Kenny has acknowledged that he is no longer the man he used to be, both inside and outside of the ring.

He has spoken about wanting one more run, this time as a good guy who doesn't screw over his friends in the name of victory. But to get there, he has to defeat the man responsible for both Cody Rhodes and Hangman Adam Page being unable to challenge for the top men's title. Cody thought of the stipulation himself, but MJF threw in the towel for him. And Hangman was at arguably the top of his game before hubris destroyed his chance.

But this Kenny is no longer the cocky, overconfident man he used to be. He's wiser, and he is full of regrets. His own legacy is at stake. He is surrounded by people who love and care for him, all of whom have been giving him their own opinions. Will Ospreay wants to face Kenny again, this time as friends. The Young Bucks are divided between fear for their friend and confidence in him. And Hangman… is not here, because of that same stipulation.

Kenny views his previous time as champion as something of a failure, given who he became and what he did to the people he loved. And he knows, now more than ever, that the future is an uncertain, unguaranteed thing that can be taken away at any moment. He is choosing to stand at the edge of the cliff and take the jump, because he can't live with himself if he doesn't. This is his time to redeem himself to himself. If he's going to go out, it will be as himself, and he will be doing what he does best. If he loses, he knows that he gave it his all, and there's no shame in losing if you did your best.

But if he wins, it means more than just being the hero of AEW. He can know that he still has more to give. He can use that power to elevate his friends instead of pulling them down. He can do it all without Don in his ear. Kenny has the chance to do it right this time, so that when he does call it quits, he can do so with a light heart and a clear conscience.

Kenny has chosen to take the leap of faith – not in a higher power, but in himself. The only thing left to do is stick the landing.

Hikaru Shida

"The Triumph of Treachery..."

by Sergei.

At the close of the final match Wednesday night, we saw Hikaru Shida holding the newly-won TBS championship above her head sitting astride unconscious former partner, Kris Statlander. This is a moment I'd say we've been heading towards since Shida's return and her failure to take the TBS title in her first match back, back in April.

Despite the dominant position, it was anything but a moment of dominance, but one of treachery, having "defeated" Statlander by applying a hold after she was already knocked out by a cheap sideswipe from someone else entirely. Not meant as a complaint: that perfectly fits her now-villainous role, and her story of choosing lower and lower cunning devious tactics because she wasn't otherwise succeeding in meeting her goals to hold a championship.

Kenny Omega

"...a Deal With the Devil..."

by Abel.

There is no doubt the AEW/Pro Wrestling Musings MVP this week is Kenny Omega. This week’s Dynamite was written around the Best Bout Machine, and Omega thrives when the spotlight is on him. From the get-go, it felt like an Omega-heavy episode after his great interaction with Will Ospreay before the opening match. This was the first of four appearances on Dynamite last week, and Omega made all of them count.

That first appearance next to Ospreay gave all of us the game plan for the rest of the show. Omega is worried about Ospreay and his alliance with the Death Riders. What I love about all of the interactions between these two is that it's always between mentor and mentee. It's not the traditional face-vs-heel standoff. It's a real human interaction, which makes it much more meaningful and gives it weight. This obviously led Omega to make the save on Mark Briscoe and set up the promo battle with MJF, where he was given the ultimatum: Omega gets a shot at the title, but if he loses, he can never challenge for it again.

Omega was then seen deliberating with his close, personal allies, The Young Bucks. Matt was hesitant, while Nick was confident. The Bucks worked as the devil and angel on Omega’s shoulders. With each appearance, you see the turmoil Omega was dealing with and how he could have chosen either option. I love when episodes of Dynamite are centered around a particular person going through real human emotions and the human experience. It's what makes pro wrestling so great!

However, out of all of his interactions from Dynamite, his emotional moment with Will Ospreay interrupting before Kenny would make it out for his decision might have been the best. “You don’t think I can do it?” rings so powerfully, as Ospreay is only looking out for his mentor. But Omega takes that as a challenge. Again, great human interactions. Not everything in wrestling has to be confrontational – it can be human.

Omega’s promo to close the show wrapped up what he had gone through all night, and he finally gave his answer. It came from the heart and set the table for what we will see in this week’s match for the world title. Then, of course, MJF attacked Omega from behind; however, the final brawl was the perfect way to end the show, to get us excited for the match tonight on Dynamite.

​Does Omega beat MJF? We can't have another all-timer be unable to compete for the AEW title again, can we? That would be two (three if you count Cody) falling victim to this stipulation. I tend to believe that we didn't have all those interactions, all those emotional beats, without a payoff in mind. Will I be writing about Omega a week from today after becoming a 2x AEW World Champion? I sure hope so. Ospreay vs Omega for the AEW title at All In is the correct call, and it's just up to Tony Khan now to pull the trigger tonight.