All Aboard the Murder Ship | AEWeekly #163

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 [@sachin0mac.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.

Kyle Fletcher vs Brody King

"Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof."

by Abel.

Brody King vs. Kyle Fletcher is a match that makes you think, "How have these guys never faced off in a singles match before?" because it is absolutely true. According to Cagematch, this is the first time these two men have faced off against each other in a singles match. The other three times were multi-man tag matches—one in AEW, one with ROH, and the other at PWG. But that is how deep – and diverse in talent – the current AEW roster is, where we can get a first-time match-up between two rising stars, and it's an absolute banger of a match. What a time for professional wrestling. 

Fletcher vs. King is a good indicator of that "Buffet" of wrestling mentioned last week and could not be more diametrically opposed to the previous week's match of the week. In the #162 edition of AEWeekly, Tony Khan and them matched up four of the greatest Luchadores the world offers. This week, they decided to pit a Wolverine against a Honey Badger and see what would happen. This comparison isn't to say that neither of these men is unathletic. On the contrary, King and Fletcher are incredibly gifted athletes for any size; it just happens to be that they are 6'5", 284 lbs, and 6'3", 205 lbs, respectively. 

The moment of the match has to be the ending, where Fletcher absolutely brained King on the top turnbuckle with a ferocious Brainbuster. Fletcher's pure, unadulterated strength to pick up Brody from an unstable top rope is nothing short of astounding. It really is easy to see why TK and the rest of creative think so highly of Fletcher. 

The brainbuster, accompanied by outside interference from Mark Davis, marked the end of King in the match. This is the sort of perfectly imperfect finish that can help keep the loser of the match – in this instance, Brody – very much over, and keep alive the possibility of revisiting this match-up, as well as others between the Hounds of Hell and the Don Callis Family. After the match, Powerhouse Hobbs saved King from a Fletcher and Davis beatdown. There was so much meat in that ring after the match that Rocky Balboa was seen punching it.

While the correct winner was called, it would be nice to see King get on a winning streak and start getting some real momentum within the singles division. Or perhaps we are all waiting for Buddy Matthews's return and get a Hounds of Hell vs Hurt Syndicate battle. Either way, King is ready for that next step. Either way, a second singles match between these two pit bulls would give every AEW fan a boost of serotonin.

Jon Moxley

"Please don't give me hope again..."

by Sachin.

Just as the fabled moth went into the pediatrician's office, I've come to you for the same reason – I saw the light.

Barely dangling from a tenuous string of hope I've been dropped like a man on nails. How many times will I see the glimmer of hope only to be let down yet again.

It seems like a millennium has passed though I remember it like yesterday. Right before his match against Copeland, Jon Moxley stared into the camera, looked into my soul, then used those hypnotic eyes of his and LIED. Lied to me, to my family, to my dying wife and my infant child (also dying). We were led to believe we might be back … while in reality it was about to be so over. My tribe, our people mourn and recount the horrors of the Revolution match between Mox and Cope. I still suffer in the agony of that past.

But he couldn't leave me alone in hate. He returned and threw his devilish dusts into my sunken eyes. Hypnotised me. Lied to me but with the fervor and might of a saviour that claims to know the truth. I know it's a lie but I see it – The Light. I convulse on the floor, thighs shaking, body quaking, the tremors, the shakes… The Horror! 

I have gone blind. I have failed. I believe in Jon Moxley and Jon Moxley only.

My sport has been taken over by billionaires and Hollywood talent agencies and kids who see the world through an Instagram filter and don't know their head from their ass.

I can't help but feel that if this entire storyline was only about 3-4 months long with Darby triumphing over Mox in the end, this would've been considered a good storyline. What if Copeland had never been involved for 3 months with this story and instead it was Hangman or Ospreay or Swerve, would there be this many people asking for a pivot. Any time Moxley does something or says something that is in line with the original Deathriders mantra of “taking over AEW” I can't help but imagine the coulda, woulda, shoulda's attached to this storyline. Nevertheless, just like Jon I'm also disappointed with the booking and I can't help but feel that the jab at billionaires and talent agencies wasn't just a throwaway line.

You just have to ask yourself one question. How far am I willing to go? Not just tonight, not just April 6th but every day when it's cold and dark and you're in pain and you're tired, when the world is bearing down on your shoulders, when you ain't got no friends left, when everybody is gunning for you, when you have the weight of the entire world on your shoulders. Will you endure, will you put one foot in front of the other and keep going or will you look for a way out and take others with you.

As far as my interpretation goes, This was basically Jon Moxley saying that he is old, he is tired, he is hurt BUT he will not harm and disrepute the company and the people working there just because things haven't gone his way (that's something only a punk would do).

Post Revolution, this man's performance, in ring or on mic, has been stellar, and for all the criticism that Jon Moxley has gotten over the last few months (fairly, I should say) no one can dispute that this is one of the hardest-working men in pro-wrestling today and it's hard not to love meaty, sweaty, hard-working men.

It's guys like you that give me hope for the future. It's guys like you that make me think everything I put my mind and my body and my soul through was for a reason. But I ain't going to give it to you. I don't care what kind of punk-ass organization they're running around here – I don't give handouts. So how far are you willing to go? Me? I'm willing to go the whole way – RIGHT NOW.

Just come back Mox. Please, we'll forget this ever happened. Please.

You don't know what you got till it's gone. The Ace of AEW made a brief appearance after a long time. It reminded me of his promos during his Hangman feuds. The heart, the passion, the love for pro-wrestling poured into every promo that made him sound lethal but sensible. Not necessarily a sick guy but a dangerous man nonetheless. A man that truly loves something and will fight everything and everyone to protect it. This is that man. He is what has to be overtaken. There are a lot of attributes to Jon Moxley – hard work, talent, skill, great instincts but one that (in my opinion) defines him is his love for pro-wrestling. I love pro-wrestlers who love pro-wrestling.

However I must say that the past few months of bad work can not be overcome by one promo and I still hope for Swerve to end this reign of error. But still, I love this guy. He is one of the best there is and win or lose I want this Jon Moxley back but my cynicism tells me that ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

I will never emotionally recover from this.

Wheeler Yuta

Wheeler Yuta's Cattle Mutilation! The move that Yuta made famous!"

 by Lauren

This week on Collision, Wheeler Yuta fought a singles match against Dax Harwood and won. It was an enjoyable match, but otherwise unremarkable. The real story of the match took place around it.

First, Yuta entered the arena alone. This is only his second time doing so as a Death Rider, as at least one other member – usually Claudio – accompanies him. The last time was after everyone save Mox had been taken out by Cope. As Cope seemed to briefly tempt Yuta with respect during their own singles match, coming out alone is a way of showing that Yuta is where he wants to be by choice.

On commentary, Nigel McGuinness took a turn emphasizing comparisons to his old rival, Bryan Danielson, by pointedly not mentioning Danielson at all. Yuta has been physically trying to become Danielson, with both his moves and shaggy hair and beard. On one such occasion of shouting, “I have ‘til five!” at the referee, Nigel praised Yuta for “inventing” the phrase, and later declared that Yuta had also created the Cattle Mutilation. Despite seeming unhappy that Yuta had been the finishing hand at retiring Danielson last year, Nigel is now wholeheartedly trying to erase his frenemy’s legacy and paste Yuta there instead.

Only after Yuta had won did Claudio join him, just past the crowd barricades on Yuta's way out. Yuta ran up, arms wide for a hug, only to be rebuffed with a pat on the back. Yuta nodded, maybe in understanding that yeah, they don't do that any more.

That wide-armed long hug approach is perhaps best associated with the Best Friends, who always celebrated their wins with going to each corner of the ring and meeting in the center with a big hug. The sight of Yuta doing this instinctively had more than a few people remembering those good times.

And of all the Death Riders, Claudio is the one Yuta seems closest to. The two of them have a years-long history of tagging together, and as faces used to have an adorable little crab dance they would do on the ramp. Now, that closeness is strained. Claudio visibly enforces a distance between them and only begrudgingly hands out praise. The contrast between this and the encouragement handed out by the Best Friends is night and day.

Right now, Yuta is still firmly under Jon Moxley's thumb. But Moxley can't stay at the top forever. Yuta has been largely defined by his mentors at AEW. When the time comes that he shakes off Moxley's influence, it will be interesting to see if he finds another? Or if he decides that it's finally time to be his own man.

gif lovingly crafted by Emiliana

Hangman Adam Page & Swerve Strickland

"Did I Stutter?"

by Emiliana.

A long time ago, before Hangman Adam Page was AEW men’s world champion, he often hesitated when it came to his convictions. It was only when he began to truly understand his own self-worth that the hesitation subsided. Before the match at Double or Nothing in which Hangman would lose the title to CM Punk, he was straightforward and absolutely crystal clear about his intent — he was going to destroy CM Punk. Now, that may not have been the case (in the ring), but it is certainly fun to see three years later Hangman calling back to the phrase he used that day. “And did I stutter?”

There are very few men in AEW with Hangman’s conviction. He said he would defeat Jon Moxley, and he made him tap out in a Texas Death by choking him with a chain. He said he would take everything from Swerve Strickland, and he burned down his house. He defeated MJF clean in the ring, which is not something that happens very often. He is the man who dethroned Kenny Omega.

Before Swerve Strickland’s face even made it into frame to confront Hangman about the implications of his words from the week prior, Hangman was pulling his jacket off and meeting Swerve’s energy. It was like pouring gasoline onto a fire - it’s so crazy how they amplify each other.

“All right, I know I’m recovering from a busted eardrum, but did I hear you say that you’re gonna get involved in my championship match?”

“BITCH, did I stutter?!”

Comedy king. The best use of the word “bitch” on the entire show, of which there were many bad ones. Immediately, they’re nose to nose, chest to chest. In a way, this scene loosely reminded me of when Hangman spoke to the Bucks on the Rampage before Full Gear 2021, very sternly telling them that if they got involved in the match against Kenny, he would ruin them.

Only Swerve’s energy is completely different than Hangman’s was in that moment, because he is definitely off the rails at the prospect of Hangman ruining an opportunity he won fair and square. He does begin to stutter, saying that Hangman better not try it, that he knows what Swerve is freaking capable of, while Prince Nana tries to pull him away to remind him, once again, that Swerve has more important things to worry about. But I get it, Swerve! It’s hard to keep your eye on the AEW men’s world championship when you’re in the cowboy’s presence. #Relatable

The reaction to this segment cannot be understated. There’s lots of people who would love for this story to play out once more on AEW’s grandest stage of the year, in the main event. This could go many ways, but there’s only one that could send me to a different plane of existence. Pull the trigger, TK. Who can do what they can do with 15 seconds of tv time? Nobody. There is no bigger match with this much history, this much emotion behind it. I was climbing my bedroom walls after this like a feral cat with the zoomies. C’maaaaaahn. It’ll be much easier for Swerve to keep an eye on the world title if both the title and Hangman Page are in the ring together, waiting to be won and dominated. You know this to be true. Let me see Hangman challenge Swerve for the world title in the electric atmosphere of Globe Life Field.

Pretty please, Tony?

Kenny Omega

"It's not about making friends, I already have a cat..."

by Peter.

It was a scenario so dominating for Kenny Omega that even the pre-match video for Omega-Blake barely mentioned the second most talented Christian in the AEW/RoH-verse… but a sub-five-minute match isn't going to be enough for MVP consideration. It was the aftermath that made Omega the most entertaining man in what was a fun week for AEW on the whole (Hurt Syndicate aside).

Post win in what was more or less a squash (does that mean in canon than Alan Angels is better than Blake Christian) all thoughts went to the upcoming match for the International Title between Kenny, Ricochet and Speedball Mike Bailey.

We all have a version of our favorite wrestler that we would like him to be. But in pro wrestling it's not a case of one size fits all in. But in the case of Kenny Omega, in the verbal confrontation with Bailey, we saw a Kenny Omega that felt very comfortable in his own skin right now.

Using Bailey's cadence of speech almost against him with the replies to what he said. The tone of the world "thanks" got the chuckle from the crowd it deserved. When Ricochet popped up to be Ricochet in his already recorded bit, Kenny made light of the fact that Rico had taped his speech earlier in the day.

When closing up, Kenny countered the claim from Speedball that friends were not going to be made at Dynasty by pointing out that he didn't need more friends, he has a cat.

This is the Kenny that I want, to be honest. We know the Best Bout Machine will always put on classics. But when it comes to the personality, what he exudes away from the bell-to-bell, it feels now that Kenny is at his most comfortable.

He's always been a good promo but also a different kind of promo. His personality isn't one of those that you would put in pro wrestling's promo Rushmore. He is a man so laid back and it was played to perfection on this night.

This was the most BTE Kenny we've seen aside from Game 2 of the Elite/Death Triangle Best of 7 series. He saw the obvious absurdities of certain elements of the segment and he used that to make the experience more entertaining for the fans. 

This is a Kenny at ease, at peace and at his happiest. It might also be a Kenny that will be hard to contend with, for anybody who wants to compete with Kenny in terms of being the best star in AEW.