-The All In PPV event on Sunday was a massive success for AEW. A huge night for the company in more ways than one. Going into this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, it was important for the company to frame that story for the TV audience that may not have watched the show. After the opening Dynamite pyro, the announce team tossed the broadcast to a wonderful video package set to Machinehead by Bush and it captured the essence of All In. An excellent piece of production that made All In look even bigger and more extravagant than it was. Three years ago, AEW doesn’t have this as part of the formula. Important growth for the company to make.

A signature promo segment for AEW

-Was Will Ospreay’s show opening championship victory promo the most important segment in AEW history? I’d argue yes. The promo needed to carry the weight of being a launching point for a new era of the company. At the same time, it needed to present Ospreay as the top star and build a roadmap for what his title reign would look like. This promo did all of that. Plus, Ospreay kept his personality front and center. So, it checked all the right boxes. Ospreay isn’t a traditionally good promo guy, but you can feel his passion on the microphone. Calling himself “the standard” was an important line that placed him at the top of the AEW star power food chain.

-Gabe Kidd and Ricochet were the first two heels to confront Ospreay. Look, both of them are heel jobbers in AEW right now, but that was the point. Their interruption of Ospreay simply existed to create an angle for a main event — one that would feature Ospreay, but not lean directly on him to shoulder the load of delivering a strong match in the ring.

-Yeah, I’d call that a two thumbs up debut for The New Level on Dynamite this week. Like the match at All In, Kofi and Austin Creed seemed motivated during their match alongside Swerve Strickland and against The Rascalz this week. They took bumps and went out of their way to be a major physical part of the match. They continued to strike the right balance of doing enough of The New Day style to maintain recognition amongst wrestling fans, while at the same time freshening up their move sets and other presentation points that glow in the fresh paint of AEW.

Cheaters

-Glad to see The Young Bucks and Adam Copeland acknowledge that Christian Cage cheated to win their tag title match at All In. It was painfully glossed over on the actual show, so The Bucks asking them about it on Dynamite this week worked well to give at least a little nod to the obvious. Copeland too. The fact that he and Cage aren’t on the same page regarding how they won speaks to their lack of chemistry as a team right now. Copeland and Cage granting a title match to both FTR and The Bucks at All Out in a ladder match positions them as fighting champions and sets up a match years in the making. It’s smart of Tony Khan to go with this right now. Why wait? These guys aren’t getting younger.

-Nobody really thought Darby Allin was going to lose the TNT Championship to Mark Davis this week on Dynamite after winning it at All In. The match had issues because of that reality. Allin and Davis worked hard to get past them. The brawl to start the match was a nice touch and very Allin-esque. Per usual, Allin took a beating, but overcame and won the match. That’s his formula and it works.

-Alright, so I can’t exactly put a finger on a specific reason for this opinion, but the Steve Borden Jr. and Darby Allin pairing comes across as forced right now. I get it. Allin is doing for Sting’s son what Sting did for him. Fine. Makes total sense. The thing is, Borden is a nobody right now. When Sting picked up Allin, he was already a guy that was getting over in AEW. Two totally different situations. Borden Jr. has done fine out there to this point, but just doesn’t have the credibility to merge into this storyline without it feeling jarring.

Birds vs. Dominion is on

-And the Brawling Birds tag title feud with Divine Dominion continues on. Fantastic. These two teams have chemistry together. Week by week they are able to cultivate a feeling of true hatred of one another and that will help make the rematch memorable. This is the first true feud we’ve seen over the women’s tag titles. So far, so good.

-The Mercedes Mone world championship celebration promo wasn’t as good as Will Ospreay’s, but it didn’t need to be. Mone has already established herself as the standard in AEW. The company is currently smack-dab in the middle of her era. Mone maintained her obnoxiousness and very much outlined a historic vision for her first AEW world title run.

-What else can you say about Thekla at his point? There isn’t a talent in AEW right now that is as comfortable within their character as she is. She’s in flow out there and that makes for not only an entertaining performance, but a believable one. Thekla vs. Mone is a huge match. Thekla said words that a heel would say about Willow Nightingale this week, but a face turn is calling if the Mone match is on deck sooner than later.

-So, is Britt Baker the manager of Persephone now? Is she building a faction? Lots of unanswered questions there.

-Why was Jon Moxley vs. AR Fox a thing? The Dynamite overruns are getting out of hand. It would be one thing if they existed because the show was just full of top end material. But, for Moxley vs. Fox? It took nearly nine minutes for Moxley to defeat Fox. That’s just silly. Fox is and always has been leagues away from Moxley and it hurts Moxley to go 50/50 with the guy for as long as he did.

-Draaaaaaaaaaaammmmma. Are we seeing cracks in The Don Callis Family? They certainly aren’t a well-oiled machine right now. I’m not a fan of the heel on heel drama. It doesn’t create a rooting interest anywhere for fans.

Ospreay vs. Moxley

-A strong main event that you knew Team Ospreay was going to win. It’s the first night of his world title run, so that booking makes sense. Team Ospreay vs. Team Demand and Dogs was fast-paced and exciting. It showcased the Ospreay-era style, but without Ospreay shouldering the load for all the big spots. AEW has to do all they can to protect him and sell his big matches. That’s a big company draw right now.

-It’s Ospreay vs. Moxley for the AEW Men’s World Championship at All Out at the end of the month. The little reveal with both Ospreay and Mox’s jaws hitting the floor when the match graphic went up in the building was a little too cute for me. That said, this match has been building up for ages. Nearly a year now. It’s not a sexy choice, but it’s a logical one for Ospreay’s first PPV title defense.

Were you a fan of the show opening promo from Will Ospreay this week on AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments!

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-WWE did a nice job on the video package that recapped the NXT Heatwave PLE from over the weekend. The video was riveting. The show itself? Not so much. That’s the idea, though. Polish up a video that makes said event shine brighter than it actually did. Bravo. Mission accomplished.

It’s still Zilla’s show

-The fact that it was Zilla Fatu who started off the show and not Grayson Waller is telling. Fatu is becoming the face of NXT. He cut a confident promo that owned his Heatwave loss and at the same time, mapped out a direction back to the top. Fatu vs. Waller is the match NXT should be building toward long-term. Stand and Deliver next year? Tristan Angels did his thing as the annoying heel … more on these two guys in a second.

-I’m out on Myles Borne as a heel. Borne walked the line this week and played up the fact that he was conflicted about what went down at Heatwave with Tavion Heights. That’s even worse than a true heel turn. With promos like the one he cut on video from his car this week, he jumps into no-man’s land. Yet another character on WWE television that fans aren’t sure how to react to.

-From the G1 in New Japan to matches against Shiloh Hill in NXT. That’s Naraku’s range the last year. It’s a bit jarring watching him work the style he did against Hill this week, but you can understand why he chose it. Naraku looked like he could do the match in his sleep. Hill held up his end of the deal in the match and fired up nicely as a babyface. The mist victory for Naraku keeps the feud on the burner. It’s been a good one so far.

-As for the Shiloh Hill weekly tracker? A thumbs up this week. He showcased enough of his character, but not too much. The one-note stuff he left out of the action.

-Noam Dar and Romeo Moreno vs. Sean Legacy and Dorian Van Dux was a WWE Evolve match that somehow ended up on NXT. Dorian Van Dux got a “dvd” crowd chant? That’s the most notable thing that happened in this one.

A pair of serious Creed’s

-Wait! The notable thing award about the above match really belonged to two guys that weren’t in the match at all. The Creed Brothers returned and ditched all the silliness that they found on the main roster. They wore street clothes and came across as a serious act. It’s the right lane for them. This version of that team against Vanity Project for the tag titles is a match that could main event any NXT show.

-Am I dreaming???? Zaria chose to ditch the Speed Championship that she won at Heatwave in favor of holding onto the NXT Women’s North American Championship. Robert Stone’s answer? Get rid of it AND the men’s version. Hallelujah. These championships hurt my head. Truly. The 24/7 Championship was more entertaining than these. Good riddance.

-What you saw this week from Kelani Jordan was her best microphone work to date in NXT. Jordan dropped a championship victory promo and not only found the right words, but the right delivery as well. The right tone. She came across as supremely arrogant, yet confident, even in the face of having to use an exposed ring post to beat Kendal Grey to win the NXT Women’s Championship. As a heel, you want the audience to see and feel that you’re out of touch with reality. If that psychology plays right, it automatically creates a line in the sand with the heel on one side and the fans on the other. Jaida Parker was the babyface benefactor. Parker had a cold match with Natalya at Heatwave, but stood on the foundation Jordan built with her promo this week. Parker got some of her swagger back and the title shot between both is a suitable NXT television main event.

It’s a work

-As for Grey, she’s got vertigo? I mean, sure, it may be an actual thing. I smell and angle, though. Jordan worked over Grey’s injured ear for the entire match at Heatwave. Having her not appear for a couple weeks because of recovery helps give Jordan the perception that she’s dangerous and can take anyone out at anytime. It’s a good foundation for a heel to work on — especially one that’s solidifying a title run.

-Don’t sleep on Thea Hail. She’s got the underdog act down pat. That feature of her personality has been neutralized by Parker’s charisma ever since the two started to become friends on television. At this point, Hail is better off going out there alone, rather than fight for time and space with Parker. It’s hard to be the underdog, when someone like Parker has your back at any given moment. Plus, Hail and Parker continue to have weak chemistry.

-As for Tavion Heights, I guess he lost his friend and all, but c’mon! Show a little anger and a little fire. His backstage promo didn’t hit either of those emotions. Heights was upset, but left his emotions there and only there. He could have used some boosted volume or more intense words to pull the audience onto his side. Thank goodness for Vanity Project. When that group jumped into the shot, they got the heat for the segment that Heights couldn’t achieve on his own. Heights against Jackson Drake next week is an above average match, but I think you can guess where it’s going. Enter heel Myles Borne — gross.

-The main event match was Zilla Fatu against Tristan Angels. It was what it was. Fatu got a victory and showcased his charisma and energy. Angels worked as a classic heel out there to make sure the entire audience was on Fatu’s side. They were. Fatu is on the chase and seemingly has a date with Birthright in the near future. They will be another domino that falls at the hands of Fatu and why not. He’s on the chase and needs wins to maintain momentum.

Grayson Waller sets tone with shoot-style storyline promo

-Grayson Waller built an uphill mountain to climb when his return to NXT was marked by a meta shoot promo. As I wrote at the time, he can’t stay in that zone forever, so he needs to find a similar voice, but within the confines of the ecosystem that NXT plays in. Waller found that lane in his main event promo segment this week. Waller had the shoot tone on what he said, but every jab at other talents was related to something that took place on television and in storyline. Waller was really good and as a bad guy, established what his newly won NXT Championship meant to him and what his title run would look like.

-After Waller spoke, it was challenger parade time. This promo format doesn’t bother me as much as it does others because of how effective it can be. After one segment here with Waller as champion, the audience knows the hierarchy of the men’s division. Those that were out there are the top contenders with Fatu waiting in the wings. Defining stuff like this organizes the roster and helps with overall presentation of stars.

What did you think of Grayson Waller’s NXT promo this week? Thumbs up or thumbs down? Let us know in the comments!

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-First and foremost, I didn’t mind the blurred out blood during the opening angle on Raw this week. Blood and guts doesn’t bother me, but Netflix is going to be supremely careful when it comes to that kind of thing. As someone with kids who watch, I can appreciate it. Plus, it didn’t hinder the impact of the angle whatsoever.

Fresh and impactful

-The opening angle itself was excellent. WWE can’t start Raw every single week with something like this, but when they choose certain spots it freshens up the show and generates a big impact. Royce Keys and OTM came across as dangerous. They looked the part and it’s a nice follow-up for Keys who reached another gear with this re-debut last week. Here’s the thing, The Usos looked pretty darn sympathetic getting trounced the way they did. Between this reality and the material later in the show with Roman Reigns, this storyline is still suffering from a severe lack of definition. Who is the audience supposed to like?

-The opening contest between Sol Ruca and Raquel Rodriguez for the WWE Intercontinental Championship was too short to be anything noteworthy or memorable. Ruca got her offense in, but the Lyra Valkyria interference cut everything short. Kind of a lame way to end a title match, but it’s Triple H booking 101. Ruca against Valkyria is a fine little feud for Raw television.

-High fives to Chad Gable, Dragon Lee, and Ethan Page. The promo segment between the three men and the following match between Lee and Page was extremely well-executed. Just straight-up pro wrestling. Clear babyfaces and clear heels, which led to a match where fans wanted to see the babyface get the victory. Boom. That’s all you need. Page was wonderful in getting some real heat out there and it set the table for Lee and Gable. The upcoming Gable vs. Lee match for the WWE Men’s Intercontinental Championship is going to be something special in the Mexico City environment.

Be better Roman Reigns

-Remember last week when I wrote about expectations for Roman Reigns now that he’s essentially lined up as a top heel act on Raw? You know, when I said that in the coming weeks we’ll see a lot about Reigns and just how much of a GOAT he truly is? This week was an awful start for him. If I was LA Knight, I’d be livid. Reigns does not work to get heat. He plays into and fans the big reaction to him. By the time the babyface — in this case Knight — comes out to confront him, Reigns already has the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand. It’s a selfish approach and it puts a ceiling on how entertaining his storylines can be.

-I get that Je’Von Evans didn’t get pinned in his tag match with Judgment Day, but this week dropped another loss on his record. Look, the bottom line is that the Evans and Hendry vs. Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh match was a filler segment on a taped show. Don’t read too much into it, but it reinforces that Evans is a middle of the card guy and not even a secondary focus.

-Ya know, I thought we were seeing a true turning of the corner this week in the Becky Lynch and Stephanie Vaquer feud — if you can even call it that. Vaquer approached Lynch backstage about the situation last week and tried to ask about why Lynch helped her out. Instead of a snide comment, Lynch just answered and said she wanted to help, she was a nice person at heart, and that she preferred to win the world title off a wrestler like Vaquer instead of Liv Morgan. Wonderful. Two babyfaces getting along — not. Vaquer could’ve been appreciative of Lynch, but no, she had to act stubborn, mean, and out of touch. Vaquer told Lynch she didn’t need her help, but obviously she did. More bickering and it continues to be unbecoming for both women.

A missing go-home promo

-It was a total surprise not to see Bron Breakker or Oba Femi at all this week ahead of their showdown at Sunday Night’s Main Event this weekend. The Paul Heyman backstage interview held down the fort for that storyline and while he did a nice job, a final encounter between Femi and Breakker was necessary. Heyman did well putting the match over, while not giving out a spoiler of any kind. He framed up the main point of intrigue in the match, which is the fact that neither guy can really take a loss right now. I still smell a Heyman pivot on Femi and a reuniting with Breakker that ushers in a Breakker win on Sunday. Nothing he said in the promo this week took that off the table.

-As expected, Penta vs. Rey Fenix was wonderful. An action-packed WWE style main event that was a fitting end to a pretty good tournament. Penta and Fenix have amazing chemistry and that was instantly on display. The Penta Driver through the announce table was wicked and a highlight of the night.

Penta vs. Reigns

-Penta needed this victory as a match between him and Roman Reigns is a much bigger draw for Raw in Mexico City than Fenix vs. Reigns would’ve been. Penta isn’t going to win the world title, but there are plenty of avenues out there for the match to travel on in order to generate some real drama. Good to see Reigns and Penta get time to face-off in the ring this week. The Penta “zero fear” pose opposite the Reigns “Bloodline put the one up” pose was a strong visual to not only close the show, but promote their upcoming title match.

What letter grade do you give Penta vs. Rey Fenix from WWE Raw this week? Let us know in the comments!

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Was Will Ospreay vs. Kenny Omega at AEW All In 2026 a perfect match? That question and more is answered on this week’s episode of the Brass Ring Media Pro Wrestling Podcast with Zack Heydorn. Full analysis on the match from Ospreay, Omega, and the future’s point of view. Plus, discussion on Mercedes Mone vs. Willow Nightingale, and the worst part of the…

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The 2026 NXT Heatwave event had the potential to be transformational for the brand due to an abundance of new stars in top spots and storylines ripe for definitive endings. Bad booking and under-achieving in-ring work led to a stagnant show that never clicked out of first gear.

If you watched this instead of an all-time edition of AEW All In, I’m sorry.

Every match on the card had the bones to potentially be the match of the night, but nothing really touched that level and we’ll hand out the award strictly out of habit. Heatwave lacked energy from the performers and the audience followed suit. Maybe they were tired from the AAA show that took place prior? Ok? If running back to back shows like this acts as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the foot, it’s time to stop doing it.

Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the event and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it and grade accordingly. One brass ring = bad. Five brass rings = epic, all-time greatness, and perfection.

Zaria vs. Wren Sinclair vs. Kali Armstrong - NXT Women’s North American Championship and Speed Championship Unification Match

A flat opener. The match wasn’t actively bad, just passively weak and slow. This will be the first time the booking gets blamed, but not the last. Why is this match in this spot? The match choice here was important due to the nature of the AAA show finishing up right before it. This needed to be a hot match with talent that were ready to deliver at that level in order to maintain crowd energy. This match with these women was never going to fill that role successfully. It was probably the least hyped match on the show and the audience figuratively leaned back in their chairs and took a deep breath as it went on. This made for a less than ideal environment for viewers. The match itself had it’s moments, but was forgettable for the most part. Zaria won, let’s hope the Speed Championship is now gone, and those were the two best things about this one.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - O 1/2

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The biggest AEW show of the year is in the books and per usual, jaws of wrestling fans all over the world are being scrapped up off the floor.

Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay for the AEW World Championship in the main event was a five-star classic. It more than delivered on the insane expectations the match had going in. Incredible action, but even better storytelling that made the audience feel something.

When the main event of a show is as much of a success as this one was, the issues around other portions of the card matter a lot less. There were some issues with the show, but those are for another time.

Here are my Brass Ring Ratings for the event and here’s how they work … I call it like I see it and grade accordingly. One brass ring = bad. Five brass rings = epic, all-time greatness, and perfect.

AEW Roulette Royale - AEW World Trios Championships

This wasn’t a pristine in-ring classic or anything like that, but it was an exciting opener than kept the crowd hot from the Buy-In and into the main card. All of this was built around the debut of The New Level — formerly known as New Day in WWE. Once they appeared alongside Swerve Strickland, they were the focus and why would you go anywhere else? Kofi and Austin Creed hit their spots and came across like an upgraded version of New Day. Hence, the New Level, so the name plays. AEW hit a home run on the production of their debut entrance — not something that would’ve happened two years ago. The question now? Is Strickland with The New Level moving forward, or was this a one time thing?

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/4

Divine Dominion vs. The Brawling Birds - AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships

Hard-hitting as advertised. This match was always going to need time in order to really land as a major match on the show and something to remember it by. It was a good match, but never got to that level. The time was there, but the action stalled out in third gear. Why are we doing double pins still? Get off my lawn, I know, but c’mon. That’s not legal and The Birds won the titles that way?

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 3/4

Jon Moxley vs. Nigel McGuinness - AEW Continental Classic Cup Finals

Much better than anticipated. McGuinness hasn’t looked great throughout this tournament, but he and Moxley used that to their advantage. Moxley worked the injured McGuinness ankle for nearly the entire match and then it was that injury that forced the submission at the end. Keeping that as the focus, alleviated the need for McGuinness to have to do a lot on the bad foot. The audience played right into their hands. The hometown nature of the crowd for McGuinness gave a little extra juice to the near falls, but it was the relentlessness of Moxley and Nigel’s selling that put the entire story over.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO

Kyle Fletcher vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita - AEW International Championship

Incredible action as expected. The pace was wild and everyone had a moment or two with something really unique. They missed on the story. Going in, the narrative was about Fletcher and Okada working together in order to keep the title in the Don Callis Family. From the jump, they didn’t work together. Because they eliminated that tension right out of the gate, nothing else that was supposed to be dramatic between those guys throughout the match landed. Same thing with the finish. Had Okada and Fletcher kept it together only for Okada to sneak a pin on him, that would’ve articulated a better shock moment for the story. Instead, they did the spot after the audience was already conditioned to accept them fighting. Not a ton of consistency there, but it seems like we’re headed for a Kyle Fletcher babyface run. That doesn’t make much sense either, given you likely are crowning a new top babyface in the main event with Will Ospreay.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 3/4

Casino Gauntlet AEW World Championship Number One Contender Match

The first real come-down match of the show. A shame that it included such a big star like MJF, who came across a bit as a fish outta water. In a good way, because he presented as a much more important talent than everyone else. The action was fine, but less exciting than similar stuff that was featured in the opening battle royal. Andrade securing the victory and earning a world title match is a surprise. MJF against Kenny Omega or Will Ospreay is a layup main event, so going the other direction means there is something else at play here. Look for Andrade and MJF to have a singles match for the number one contendership on an upcoming episode of AEW Dynamite.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OO 1/2

Adam Copeland and Christian Cage vs. The Young Bucks - AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championships

A really good match. A really awful finish. Cage cheated straight up to win. Not only that, he used a wrench to cheat and then nobody sold it. Not the announce team, not Adam Copeland, not The Young Bucks. That finish was immediately buried in favor of a post-match angle that saw all the top AEW tag teams get in the ring and confront one another. Big deal. What was billed as a dream match ended with a whimper and without solving anything. The tag team division is loaded with talent, but the titles are weakened severely when finishes like this one are deployed and then not followed up on in any meaningful way.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOO 1/4

Kevin Knight vs. Darby Allin - Falls Count Anywhere TNT Championship

Slow to start, but scorching to finish. The audience came across as very tired at the beginning of this match and didn’t react to the early big bumps and violence — including Allin bleeding from the back of the head. They came alive when all the interference happened. The Don Callis Family running out was booed, but Steve Borden and Sting making the save popped them. Borden had a very nice showing and looked comfortable. Obviously, we are going to see more of him. Then, Darby went full Darby. He jumped off the damn staging set and onto Kevin Knight with a Coffin Drop. Pure insanity. The spot looked great. It was shot well and production captured the height successfully. Kinda feels like a been there done that with Allin as the TNT Champion, but if this was the match they were going to do, he had to win it.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO

Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Mone - AEW Women’s World Championship

Fantastic and exactly what I’d hoped it be. Vicious Mercedes Mone — only that viciousness was compounded because she was bleeding from the damn nose. Mone targeted Nightingale’s broken hand on more than one occasion and used weapons on it. That narrative was there for the taking and they ran with it. Nightingale and Mone beat one another to a pulp and the match felt like a title fight because of it. Mone as world champion opens up numerous opportunities moving forward in the women’s division. If Nightingale is taking time away to heal, hopefully she gets back soon because she’s become a top player.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOO 1/2

Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay - AEW Men’s World Championship

Incredible. You won’t find a better pro wrestling match than that one. Setup, story, and execution were all perfect. That perfection cultivated a crowd reaction worthy of the moment that was Ospreay winning the world title in his home country.

The entrances were the tone-setter. Ospreay got his narrated by his mother and he walked past old haunts of his past as he got ready to walk to the ring. As for Omega, it was an entrance fitting of a world champion.

The start of the match was the key to it’s success. They hit early with a flurry of quick-paced action, but then slowed it down once Omega took over the offense. He was relentless in that effort. Omega’s slow and stalking approach forced the audience to feel with Ospreay and pulled in a loud negative response for Omega. At that time with every step Omega took, he ushered in intense anticipation for the eventual Ospreay comeback.

Ospreay was a damn menace. The way he was able to sell all of Omega’s striking and V-Trigger’s with his eyes glazed over was pivotal in building up the audience’s sympathy for him. When it came time to fire up, everyone was ready — including him.

In the end, Ospreay took the shot head on and crushed Omega with a Hidden Blade for the win. Poetic storytelling. All around, just wonderful work start to finish and a match that will help define the company’s future. Ospreay is the guy and there is plenty on deck for him to do now that he holds the top prize.

Heydorn’s Brass Ring Rating - OOOOO

What was your favorite match on All In this year? Let us know in the comments!

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Don’t sleep on NXT Heatwave this year.

AEW will rightfully own the headlines this weekend with it’s All In PPV, but Heatwave is a sneaky good show that’s waiting in the wings. NXT Heatwave airs live on the CW Network on Sunday afternoon from the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas.

You read that right. WWE has weaponized it’s developmental PLE to fire Solo Sikoa sized “pew pew” shots at AEW’s massive Wembley Stadium show. It’s business. It’s petty. It’s awesome.

A changing of the guard

The main event of NXT Heatwave is a fatal four-way match for the NXT Championship. This is the reason to tune into the show. It’ll be a fine match from an in-ring perspective, but it’s a symbol of a changing of the guard at the top of the men’s division in NXT.

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AEW returns to PPV on Sunday with their biggest show of the year. It’s AEW’s version of WrestleMania and it’s the All In PPV event from inside Wembley Stadium in London.

50,000 strong are expected to pack Wembley Stadium to watch their hometown star, Will Ospreay, try to bring home the AEW Men’s World Heavyweight Championship. To do so, Ospreay is going to have to defeat Kenny Omega in the All In main event.

It’s unreasonable to expect one, but is it wrong to hope for an absolute classic between these two? Hardly.

A classic main event

A classic is what AEW has sold. Luckily, they have two guys standing across the ring from one another that are more than capable of delivering.

Ospreay and Omega are all-time greats already. They’ve had legendary matches together and against a who’s who of top talent not under the WWE banner. At All In on Sunday, they’ll have their biggest stakes and biggest stage yet. It’s a recipe for something special.

Will Ospreay is going to win this match. After, he’ll be primed up as the real face of AEW. Anything short of a definitive outcome in Ospreay’s favor would be an epic disaster. It’s his country, his building, and his time. When the stars align that way, you don’t ignore them.

On the women’s side of aisle, there’s a bit of a different situation going on. At All In, Willow Nightingale will defend her AEW Women’s World Championship against Mercedes Mone. Nightingale hasn’t been champion that long, but is looking at the biggest match of her career opposite Mone and with the Wembley Stadium backdrop behind her.

Broken hand? Big deal

Here’s a hot take. Nightingale is injured going into this match. Tony Khan confirmed on his All In media call this week that she hurt her hand. Nightingale then revealed that it was broken. Conventional wisdom says that both women will have to slow it down because of the hand and that the match would suffer because of it. It won’t.

Mercedes Mone is a ring general. She’s flashy and has big spots in her arsenal, but her most valuable asset in the ring is her ability to adapt to the situation she’s in. Whether it’s a unique opponent, storyline, or meta circumstance, Mone has regularly proven that she can overcome.

Mone is going to view the Nightingale injury as an opportunity. They have the story of the match right in front of them — a vicious Mone obliterates the hand relentlessly. Nightingale screams and sells. Boom. Drama ensues. When Mone needs to be a monster she can be and Nightingale has a natural babyface aura to generate sympathy. That’s a lethal combination that will help the match more than wild moves.

With Nightingale injured, look for Mone to get the win and secure the AEW World Championship for the first time in her career. If Nightingale has to take time off to heal, it makes sense to get the championship off of her. More importantly than that, a Nightingale loss puts her back on the championship chase. She’s great in that role.

The Young Bucks vs. Adam Copeland and Christian Cage is the other lead match on the All In card this year. A dream match. An eras colliding match. A perfect match for the show, despite the fact that the build has been less than ideal.

The new era wins

The Copeland and Cage reunion is supposed to be a fun nostalgia partnership, but it almost always comes across as both guys being pushed through the curtain against their will. Nostalgia acts are typically designed as fun. Copeland and Cage don’t appear to be having any.

Now, once the bell rings, sit-back, relax, and appreciate a clash of styles. These two teams are not the same type of tag team. That will be fun dynamic to watch play out.

Copeland and Cage need to put The Young Bucks over in this match. AEW is a Young Bucks company. Their era has to come out victorious in what is essentially a passing of the torch moment.

The rest of the card features a batch of fun matches including Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight for the TNT Championship and Jon Moxley vs. Nigel McGuinness in the finals of the Continental Cup Classic.

There’s two sleeper matches to keep an eye on. First, Divine Dominion vs. The Brawling Birds for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships. These two teams have feuded for quite a while. It’s been a straightforward heel against babyface build, but that will payoff nicely when The Birds get in front of their home country audience in London. If this gets enough time, look out.

The other is the AEW Trios Roulette Royale. Brodido and Adam Page will defend their AEW World Trios Championships against The Bang Bang Gang, The Demand, The Dogs, The Death Riders, The Conglomeration, and a surprise team. That surprise team is the story. We know Swerve Strickland will be part of it and he just made a post on “X” that said “New.” Hmm … I wonder what he’s teasing there? What are Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods doing this weekend?

AEW All In 2026 airs live Sunday afternoon on PPV and HBO Max. Preview and predictions from The Takedown on SI and the full card is below.

AEW All In 2026 Full Match Card

• Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay - AEW Men’s World Heavyweight Championship

• Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Mone - AEW Women’s World Heavyweight Championships

• Adam Copeland and Christian Cage vs. The Young Bucks - AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championships

• Divine Dominion vs. The Brawling Birds - AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championships

• Kyle Fletcher vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita - AEW International Championship

• Kevin Knight vs. Darby Allin - Falls Count Anywhere TNT Championship Match

• Jon Moxley vs. Nigel McGuinness - AEW Continental Cup Classic Tournament Finals

• Adam Page and Brodido vs. The Bang Bang Gang vs. The Dogs vs. The Demand vs. The Conglomeration vs. The Death Riders vs. Mystery Team - Royal Roulette AEW World Trios Championship Match

• Men’s Casino Gauntlet - AEW World Title Match on the line

AEW All In 2026 Preview

What will be the match of the night at AEW All In 2026? Let us know in the comments!

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Follow Zack Heydorn on Bluesky @zackheydorn.bsky.social.

Sunday is a huge day for AEW. Just not for the reason you think.

On Sunday inside of Wembley Stadium in London, AEW presents it’s biggest show of the year — All In. Nearly 50,000 people will jam into the famous UK stadium to watch the best that AEW has to offer. The 2026 edition of All In is approaching a $6 million gate, and on this week’s call with the media, Tony Khan said the show will be one of the best in company history.

That’s all well and good, but something even bigger is at stake. The face of AEW is on the line and Will Ospreay is about to snatch that title.

In the All In main event, Kenny Omega will defend his AEW Men’s World Championship against Ospreay in the third match of their series. Each guy currently has one win over the other.

All In is going to be big

We’ve heard the narrative for weeks on AEW television and it’s a good one. Ospreay, the hometown boy, returns home, and then wins the biggest championship on the planet in front of friends and family. Like I said … huge. That face of AEW title, though? It’s bigger.

AEW came into existence in 2019. The reason for it’s existence beamed out of a batch of wrestling stars that hit the glass ceiling on the independent circuits over the years, but didn’t fit the mold of a WWE Superstar. Talent finds it’s way to the top, so The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Cody Rhodes found their home next to Tony Khan. That group of talent were the foundation of AEW.

Chris Jericho came in on top of it. Jon Moxley wasn’t too far behind. By the time the world shutdown because of COVID in 2020, AEW had a core. Never did it have a true top star.

Jericho took a spin on the top and Moxley after. Omega got his run in. Adam Page grabbed his. Then MJF and Swerve Strickland after that. AEW has always taken on a turn-based structure at the top of the card and the reason that worked was because of the connection that the foundational talents had forged with the audience. The truth is, in the meta world, fans wanted to see all of the guys that they loved and watched in front of 100s in a bingo hall wrestle, win, and get treated like top stars on national television. A lead and signature star wasn’t in the DNA of AEW. Until now.

Graduation day

This weekend and All In, AEW will graduate out of that turn-based structure. All that foundational talent — Omega, Page, The Bucks, Moxley — they’ve had their turns. Hell, Darby Allin too. The audience has gotten to have their moment with each of the guys that had a hand in making AEW what it is.

The level-up for AEW is a single star at the top of the company. The level-up is Will Ospreay.

Ospreay is going to win the AEW Men’s World Championship in front of an adoring hometown crowd of thousands on Sunday. There’s going to be confetti, fireworks, cheering, celebrating, and probably some tears. It pains me to say this, but it’ll be a moment and coming out of it, AEW will have their first real top star.

Will Ospreay wasn’t a foundation of AEW. He’s not a reason why it exists, but he’s the absolute perfect person to carry the banner into the future. He epitomizes what AEW is.

Ospreay sells tickets and sells PPV’s because his singles matches are can’t miss material. To that end, he’s a draw in the truest sense of the word. The Ospreay matches across the board are going to live in the annals of wrestling history forever and it’s certain that nobody today is appreciating them as much as they should be. To be a top talent in AEW, there has to be an element of in-ring prowess to your game. Ospreay has it in droves. He’s the shining example of what AEW’s “where the best wrestle” product pitch is.

Outside of the ring, Ospreay is fresh. The soccer jersey look and rugged, but passionate demeanor is a personality that’s attractive to not only wrestling fans, but people. Humans. Ospreay is a guy who might be uncomfortable on a talk show circuit or media run, but has an innate ability to capture attention. It’s cadence, it’s charisma, and it’s aura. As AEW moves into the future, having an attention grabbing talent is essential in order to find new eyes. Ospreay checks that box.

The importance of not being WWE

What else? Well, Ospreay isn’t WWE. Like it or not, that’s part of the AEW identity too. Ospreay embodies that. AEW was formed out of not being WWE. Who better to be at the helm of that company than a generational talent with zero connections to it.

What I’m advocating for here is a complete and total commitment to Will Ospreay. Cena-style. Austin-style. That type of synonymity. The era that Ospreay ushers in on Sunday when he pins Kenny Omega and wins the world title needs to be his and his alone. It’s best for the long-term health of the company.

This type of commitment comes with unfortunate realities. If Will Ospreay is the guy, it means that others can’t be. Swerve Strickland, Kenny Omega, Adam Page, MJF? All supremely important talents, but guys that will live in the 1A world while Ospreay is number one. That happens.

Randy Savage, Triple H, Mick Foley, Randy Orton, and CM Punk during his first WWE run. All top talents of their eras, but not the signature talents. Those titles belonged to Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and John Cena.

Ospreay must flip?

So, you get where I’m going with this. In those instances, WWE revolved around those guys. What’s next for Cena? Who’s lined up for Steve? Hogan must pose? The shows and overall company direction was dictated by those stars at the top. The company served them and they helped the company cash thick checks.

Why shouldn’t AEW have a star just like that? All top wrestling companies have. The timing is right, but more importantly the person ready to be launched to the stratosphere is right.

It’s Will Ospreay’s time. Crown him at All In and then go.

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-That’s it?!? I very much enjoyed everything that the Will Ospreay promo was. For weeks I’ve clamored for a true go-home babyface promo from Ospreay ahead of this big All In world title match and he delivered one to start the show. He wove a lot into it. His journey, British wrestling history, family, and Omega. Each are important to this story and Ospreay was eloquent in speaking about them. The problem with this Ospreay promo was everything that it wasn’t. Sir, you were dropped off the ring apron and through a table by an unhinged Kenny Omega last week. How does that not get mentioned? The angle last week was designed to try and get Omega over as a heel — for this specific match with Ospreay. It was an avenue to make sure fans were fully with Ospreay. By not mentioning it at all, that psychology got totally removed from the narrative on Sunday. Ospreay was strong here and it was a missed opportunity at the same time.

And the champ moves on

-Jon Moxley advanced in the Continental Cup Classic tournament with a win over Claudio Castagnoli this week. Hurray? The match was your standard Moxley match — hard-hitting with some ground based stuff mixed in. It lacked excitement because it lacked drama. There just wasn’t a viable scenario where Castagnoli wins, so all the attempted near falls fell flat. The match wasn’t good enough on the other end to generate true “what if” moments.

-The build for Young Bucks vs. Copeland and Christian Cage is riddled with issues. Those issues start with the fact that the Copeland and Cage nostalgia team aren’t likable at all. Both guys refuse to ditch their singles gimmicks and it’s created a nostalgia team that is void of everything that made them connect with the audience in the first place. Everyone knows Christian Cage is being a d-bag. The world saw The Bucks superkick him on accident. Copeland looks foolish by defending Cage, especially when on a regular basis, it doesn’t seem like the two of them even get along. The little brawl was what it was this week, but it was all rooted in silliness. Why not just go with a straight-forward changing of the guard match? Too cute.

-On the All In media call, Tony Khan admitted that more was planned for a final All In angle between Willow Nightingale and Mercedes Mone this week. Alas, the hand injury that Nightingale suffered limited what they could do. Less was more. The double down of Mone heelishly attacking Nightingale and targeting the injury is heat 101 level stuff. Nothing flashy, but straightforward pro wrestling storytelling that works.

Andrade the psychic

-How did Andrade El Idolo know that MJF was going to stop right in front of where he was hiding in the audience? The dude can see the future, I guess? That ridiculousness aside, the little Andrade and MJF brawl was enough to create more interest in the Casino Gauntlet Match at All In. That’s all this was. It was a two-man show out there. Same thing with the match itself on Sunday. The next time I talk with Tony Khan, I’m asking him about the resurgence of Andrade. What is the biggest reason for his turnaround? Whatever it is, it’s been drastic. Good for him.

-Nigel McGuinness will be the guy standing opposite of Jon Moxley at All In. As soon as Moxley won earlier in the show, the McGuinness win was obvious. Unlike Ospreay at All In, McGuinness won’t be getting a moment. Bottom line is, he didn’t look great in the match this week against Kyle O’Reilly and the same could be said for his other tournament appearances. The action in this across the board was slow and plodding.

-Glad to see Divine Dominion get a little heel shine before All In. They and Persephone defeated their All In challengers, The Brawling Birds, and Hikaru Shida. Not only did they win, but they showed quite a bit of dominance in doing so, while also literally showing The Birds fighting their hearts out against the bigger opponents. Smart booking. If the plan is for The Brawling Birds to win at All In and take the tag titles, it wouldn’t have made sense to put them over on this show first.

Remember AEW Rampage?

-Swerve Strickland vs. Jack Perry was a strong main event from a match perspective, but like, why? If Strickland was already announced for the Trios Roulette deal that Khan announced this week, fine. In that instance, this match makes sense and the rumors of who Strickland’s partners might be gives it reason to go on last. Without that? Remember Rampage? This could’ve been the main event on one of those shows. The Ospreay promo that opened the show would have fit better in this main event match slot.

-I love video packages in wrestling. Love ‘em. They are excellent at quickly painting a picture for an audience on what the story of an upcoming match is. HOWEVER. Video packages shouldn’t run after main events. I liked the Ospreay and Omega piece they did this week, but timing is everything. Middle of the show? Ok. Social media? Great. Go-home Dynamite show-closing segment? Nah, I’m good on that. Where was Kenny Omega?

What grade do you give the Will Ospreay promo from this week’s AEW Dynamite. C+ if you ask me. Let us know in the comments!

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Follow Zack Heydorn on Bluesky @zackheydorn.bsky.social.

NXT Heatwave is this Sunday afternoon from inside the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, Texas and live on the CW Network. Myles Borne has a busy day on his hands.

Not only will he defend his NXT North American Championship against Jackson Drake, but he’ll also be teaming with Tavion Heights and putting the NXT Tag Team Championships on the line against Vanity Project. A busy day indeed, but Borne wouldn’t have it any other way.

In an exclusive interview with Cameron Hawkins of Brass Ring Media, Borne opened up on being a lead guy on NXT, where his wrestling style came from, his potential influence on fans, and much more. The full interview can be read below:

Cam Hawkins: The whole [NXT] landscape has changed, and on this side of it now, double champion Myles Borne. How does it feel to be one of the leaders in the men’s division after all that kind of top talent (Oba Femi, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans, Ethan Page and Ricky Saints) moves on?

Myles Borne: You know, it feels great. It’s a big responsibility. It’s a lot of pressure that was added. You know, those guys, they carried the division for a long time. They carried us, uh, they represented the company well. I mean, they’re just, they’re just some dogs, and that’s why they’re where they are now. So they all got swept up and taken away, and we had to step up. And, you know, it’s a privilege to be one of the guys that were trusted to step up and kind of, you know, take initiative. I mean, we’ve got some studs in the locker room, man. Some studs. So I’m excited for that. There’s going to be a lot of guys coming onto the program that are just, you know, loaded with potential who are going to be the next guys coming up that lead this company. I mean, no doubt about it. So it’s— I’m just very glad that, uh, I’m in a position to do it now.

CH: One thing about NXT right now, everybody seems to kind of have their own style, the way of doing things. Um, you know, when I was— when I was a young guy, you know, I was, uh— when I first saw like the Dean Malenko’s and Eddie Guerreros of the world, I was like, “wow, like this, this super technical, like ground-based wrestling. It’s just so cool.” And even when they mix in the high-flying moves, there’s still a real technical aspect. You know, “No Quarter Catch Crew”, looking at the guys who coached you, the guys who trained you, knowing that, you know, you’ve been amateur wrestling since you were a little guy, just talk about developing that style and bringing that style to national TV, to WWE. What makes you want to wrestle in that particular style?

MB: It’s just the way that, you know, I naturally move. You know, I love watching Eddie Guerrero. I love the way he moves and how snappy everything is. He was something that when I watch him, I’m just... It doesn’t matter what he’s doing, I’m watching, I’m entertained. I like the way he moves. I believe everything he does. But yeah, I remember when I first got here, I was that amateur wrestler and I was so focused on trying to transition to pro wrestling and kind of leave the amateur at the door, just kind of leave that behind. And, you know, it was... I ended up having a match very soon, as soon as I got here. Like, I had barely any time and I had a match. And I was thinking, I remember telling my coach, I was like, “dude, I’m just now learning. I don’t even know what I’m going to do.” So we were messing around in the ring and I started doing some amateur stuff and just kind of mixing in what I did know. And, right there he stopped me, said, “Do that. Do exactly that.” I mean, it’s different, you know, it’s both sides.

And I’ve stuck with that ever since, you know. I love the amateur transitions into moves and the way that I just naturally carry myself as a grounded wrestler. That style has always suited me. I remember I climbed up on the top rope and I said, “oh, this is a lot higher than I thought it was. Yeah, I think I’m gonna stay on the ground, alright” That’s just where I’m comfortable at. I like that style. It fits me naturally, and I don’t want to force anything, or try to force something that, you know, I might not be... That might not be what I’m great at. You know, I stick to what I’m doing and it’s working. Obviously. So yeah, I just love that catch style grounded wrestling.

CH: I’m a Texas guy. Football is really big down here. And a bunch of my buddies are football coaches. One of my best friends, his first big job was coaching football at Texas School for the Deaf, right? So real challenge, real kind of, kind of different way of doing things, different way to communicate. I guess my question for you, what was it like the first time you got to hear your coach in a match? Like, I read that story that, you know, all of a sudden they allow you to use the FM radio and the hearing aids. How different was that the first time you got to hear your coach? And, you know, did it make things easier? Was it about the same? What was that experience like?

MB: That was a very cool experience because it was the first time I felt like I wasn’t alone in my match. I felt like I had a team. Because wrestling is a very individual sport. You go out there and you win alone or you lose alone. It can be very embarrassing. But I remember I had wrestled from the age of 4 all the way up till I was about 15 years old once I finally heard my coach for the first time. So I was so used, I was acclimated to the idea of “I’m alone, I do what I do, and I was good enough to where my coaches trusted me.” They knew that I was smart enough to and had good mat awareness that I was going to figure it out. And also I’ve always thought it was a disadvantage when the coach was yelling out something because the other opponent’s hearing it and saying, “oh, you want him to do that? Well, I’m going to counter that.” So I always thought that’s backwards. Why would the coach yell out, you know, a move? Like, that’s like yelling... That’s like [coaching football] football and yelling out the play you’re going to do.

It was almost like a cheat code when I got it in my mic, ‘cause he could just whisper it to me. And I remember I was like, “Wow.” I was like, I stopped for a second in the match. I was like, “I can hear my coach. I don’t feel alone. This is cool.” It was like, we’re like a team now. So that was fun for me, you know? But it was different, and I was so used to wrestling without hearing any of my coaches to where it was a short-lived experiment. I eventually got rid of the FM system because there was like a delay. I would hear something and then do it. And it was kind of throwing me off a little bit. Whereas usually I just go. When I feel something, I go. But yeah, it was a cool experience bringing in that FM system into wrestling for the first time.

CH: We talked about like, an Eddie Guerrero. And of course Eddie doesn’t have this specific issue, but, you know, in the heyday of WCW, you had a lot of Japanese wrestlers, you had a lot of Mexican wrestlers who don’t speak English. I think of like, a Stephanie Vaquer (Myles flashes a quick grin) who’s getting better at her English. But has communication been difficult for you in matches, in promos? Is that something that you had to get better at, that your peers had to get better at, or did it come pretty natural early on?

MB: You know, a little bit of both. It was something that I’ve always been able to adapt quickly with, but this was a new environment and a much quicker-paced environment. So, [my] way of naturally adapting to things had to.. it had to be faster. Just up here at NXT, everything moves so quick and there’s so many variables that, you know, you don’t really get time to just kind of figure it out. You gotta get it or you know, there’s someone else that’s going to do it. So it was a joint effort. I remember a lot of the wrestlers, they understood this. So, you know, it was amazing watching these wrestlers, you know, who’ve never dealt with the situation, be able to naturally just adapt and be [of assistance] to me. And it was amazing. You know, I can’t thank the crew up here enough for how they’ve helped me manage this and work along with me on this and be very understanding. And it’s worked out great. I am better, my communication here is better than it’s ever been in my home life. (Myles Laughs) And it’s just been great. So it’s been a joint effort, obviously.

CH: I love that. I was lucky enough when I started to really do this as a career to talk to [for example] Bianca Belair really early on. And how important it was for somebody who looked like Bianca Belair and talked like Bianca Belair and dressed like Bianca Belair, how important that was for little girls who had never seen themselves wrestle, right? And that is across, you know, gender, across ethnicity, across race. It’s so important for not just kids but adults too, to see themselves in the wrestlers. How have your interactions been with fans who might be hard of hearing? Have you, you know, had like cool fan interactions? Have you gotten letters and, DMs and stuff like that? How’s that been for you so far?

MB: It has been amazing. And I’ve had so many different people reach out to me as far as DMs and letters and in person and at meet and greets to where I didn’t even realize what kind of impact I was actually gonna have. It was something that... I was like, okay, I think I’m gonna have it. I think I’m influencing people. I think I’m gonna help inspire kids [by being] who they can see. They might not have a hearing impairment, but they might have something else that they’re dealing with. And that’s what I really want. I want people to say, “oh, just because I’m not hearing impaired like Myles, I have this, and everyone’s welcome.” You know, I want everyone to feel like we’re all doing this. We can all do it regardless of what obstacles you have to overcome. You might not have mine, and I might not have yours, and yours might be harder than mine, and very much so, could be. I want everyone to feel, you know, like we’re doing this, so we’re a team, you know, no one’s singled out. And I’ve had, I’ve had people message me about their kids and parents.

I’ve had parents message me asking for advice, like, “hey, my child is hearing impaired, this is their dream, I don’t know what to say to them. What do you advise?” And I’m sitting there thinking, “oh my gosh, that’s my responsibility, right?” Yeah, I’m not a parent. I said, “let me put you in contact with Mama”, because that’s crazy. Not crazy, but like, “oh crap, this is a big responsibility.” I didn’t realize that this might be something I have to help navigate because my parents had to figure things out with me and take chances and risk and put me in situations that scared the hell out of them. But I told them I can do it. And eventually, you know, it works. So, I’ve had kids come up to me at meet and greets and say, “you’ve inspired me, you changed my life.” Just a couple weeks ago in Minnesota, a guy and his girlfriend came up to me and said, “I never watched WWE before and I got put onto you.” He was at SummerSlam. He came to SummerSlam and he said, “I watch now and, I just want you to know I started training and I’m doing pro wrestling school.”

And, you know, these were things I didn’t even think about, but I’m like, wow, this is awesome. This is absolutely awesome and incredible. So it’s been really neat watching, you know, because sometimes I get lost in the moment that I’m doing all this and I forget that, oh wow, all these people are watching and they’re moved, they’re inspired, and it’s so nice when people come and remind me of that. That’s what makes everything worth it, you know.

CH: Looking at your weekend, double champ pulling double duty, how do you prepare for both a singles match and a tag team match same night? Because usually, you’re preparing for a match a week and training, right? But double duty, live TV, defending your titles, not just the physical, but how have you started to kind of mentally prepare for what you’re going to experience this weekend?

MB: You know, honestly, I just... I’ve had a good couple months. I’ve been training, uh, alongside AJ Styles. He’s been a really good trainer, one of the best to ever do it. He’s been pushing me really hard with cardio and conditioning, and that’s most important to me, is being able to go the distance and, having that confidence mentally, knowing that I’m not going to get tired, that no matter what happens, I’m going to be able to keep kicking and keep going. That allows me to really relax and feel confident and just do what I do best. So I haven’t necessarily been training specifically just for two matches. I just been training for whatever gets thrown at me, whether it’s the entire show, I don’t care. I want to be in the shape and conditioning to where whatever they throw on my plate, I got it. I don’t want to be... I don’t want Sunday to roll around and me go, “oh crap, uh, I’m not ready, I’m not prepared.” That’s the worst feeling in the world. I’m going to this weekend like I have one match, even though I’m pulling double duty, because I know [I have] one match at a time.

And I’ve done the thing to prepare, and I know that my body’s not going to break on me. I got it. Like, one match at a time. That’s all I’m focused on.

CH: What’s cooler, having a really good North American Title defense or having a really good NXT Tag Title defense? Because it’s not just you and your opponents, it’s you and Tavion [Heights] putting it together and making it work. Like, to me, that’s kind of a cooler feat, but I’m not the one in the ring. Which one’s cooler? Are they about the same? What do you think?

MB: You know, they both have different... Feelings when it comes to both of them. They’re both different structurally, and for me, it feels really good to walk away from my own match, with the North American Championship and do something on my own. That’s what I’ve done my whole life, wrestling was very individual. But at the same time, growing up, I missed that idea of having a teammate, you know, having someone I’m out there with. We’re doing this together. If I can’t do it, hey, help me. So it’s tough because both feel really good. But that tag match, man... It feels different... You got your brother with you. You’re not alone. You both know what’s at stake and you’re doing it together. And it’s like, you know, it’s a better feeling coming out when you have that brother. It’s a better feeling walking into it too. You kind of look at each other before every match and we’re like, “you know, hell yeah, let’s do this.” You know, it feels really good.

CH: You’re already the first wrestler who happens to be deaf to have this big of a platform. You’re already the first wrestler who happens to be deaf to be North American Champion, first to be NXT Tag Team Champion. So my question is this, to close out the interview: finish this sentence. Myles Borne will be the first wrestler who is deaf to—

MB: I gotta say, win the WWE Heavyweight Championship.

CH: There it is, there it is.

MB: That’s gotta be it.

CH: This weekend, NXT Heatwave, pulling double duty. The NXT North American Champion, NXT Tag Team Champion, and future, future WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Myles Borne. Great talking to you and best of luck to you this weekend.

MB: All right, thank you so much, Cam. I really appreciate your time.

CH: Absolutely.

Is Myles Borne going to be a top tier star on the WWE main roster someday? Debate in the comments!

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-Ok, Saquon Shugars defeated Dion Lennox in a Cage Match to open the show. Thank goodness. It actually was the blowoff match for this inner-DarkState feud that would never end. Sarcasm aside, Shugars and Lennox had a nice match together. They used the cage enough and the bout featured a huge top of the cage Shugars spot in the end. That’s about all anyone could reasonably ask for. The feud didn’t click and this match didn’t click all the way because of that reality. Did these two do the best they could on this night to put a bow on everything? Absolutely.

Any room at the top?

-The real question centers around what’s next for both Shugars and Lennox. With the influx of main event talent in the men’s division throughout the last month, neither of these guys have a fast track to the top of the card. Maybe a mid-card title feud with Myles Borne? That’s the best either guy can hope for at this point given the talent circumstances around them.

-Ya know, Tony D’Angelo cut a heck of a promo backstage this week. It’s total duration was less than 45 seconds, but he delivered impassioned words about being champion and remaining champion after Heatwave. This was to the point and not fancy, but it got over his intense character, the championship he’ll be defending, and the fatal four-way match that is on the PLE this weekend. Kind of a coming out moment for him in terms of acting like a lead babyface on a show.

-What the hell am I missing? Why was The Vanity Project inside of a bowling alley for their vignette this week. Since becoming fixtures of NXT this year, Vanity Project always seemed to have a good pulse on their characters. A bowling alley? That didn’t fit. A bowling alley is the last place these guys would hang out.

Time for Jaida and Nattie to go all out

-I love the idea of a Submission Match between Natalya and Jaida Parker. The promo this week to get there? Not so much. Nattie always feels like she’s forcing promos and reading off a script. Parker was fine, but I’m still not feeling that the new spin on her character is genuine. Now, the match should be excellent on Sunday and maybe Parker can find some of that character swagger once again inside of it. Here’s to letting these women go all out on Sunday.

-Keanu Carver had a good match with Kam Hendrix. Carver looked dominant, but then they did a silly protection finish that furthered a Hendrix match with Mason Rook. Huh? Carver stands out heads above both Hendrix and Rook. The hesitancy to go with Carver fully and without looking back is confusing.

-Both the Kelani Jordan and Zilla Fatu pre-recorded promos were excellent. Short, sweet, and very much tapped into the best parts of both characters. As a heel, Jordan got to be whiny, while at the same time presenting herself as a top player in NXT. As for Fatu, same thing. The charisma oozed out of him, he looked comfortable, and came across as a star.

-Yeah, they shouldn’t be beating Zaria like they did this week. I get that Kali Armstrong is one of your top prospects, but Zaria is likely going to be an eventual NXT Women’s Championship challenger for Kendal Grey in the near-future. Not only that, but she was a part of the biggest NXT women’s feud of the year last year. Beating her should be a big deal.

But … why?

-Armstrong is now added to the Women’s NXT North American Championship and Speed Championship unification match at Heatwave. Just unnecessary booking. If Armstrong is important enough to beat Zaria clean, she’s important enough to not be added to title matches at the last second. The play here is Zaria beats Wren Sinclair at Heatwave, then moves on to a real program with Armstrong. Now, that opens up different issues given that both are heels, but that’s a different problem plaguing all of pro wrestling right now.

-Wait wait wait, is that two wins in a row for Birthright? By a lottery ticket everybody!

-EK Prosper vs. Rey Fenix was far and away the match of the night. Crazy athleticism and pace. Prosper didn’t win this, but he sure was talked about like someone to watch. When he beat Keanu Carver a handful of months ago it felt odd, but now we know why it happened. The guy has huge potential.

NXT women and Zilla rule the main event

-Ehhhhhh, the championship summit main event segment was flat. Having the women’s and men’s title matches cross over in a promo segment was a fun idea in theory. In practice, it didn’t work well because the two feuds and matches are in very different places. The women came across as bigger stars than the men until Zilla Fatu walked out. That dude is getting belted up at Heatwave.

What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE NXT? Let us know in the comments!

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The Brass Ring Media Pro Wrestling Podcast is here to explain the drama surrounding the WWE and ESPN news of the week.

Is ESPN really going to pull the plug on their content deal with WWE? Plus, analysis on the pro wrestling media and more.

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It’s always something.

One day it’s AJ Styles’ kid not paying his dues. The next it’s a major sports conglomerate wanting out of their content distribution deal with WWE.

Deep breaths, everyone.

Rumors began flinging around on Tuesday morning after a report indicated that ESPN would not be renewing their content distribution partnership with WWE once the current agreement ended. A ridiculous story given the deal still has four years left and not even one year in the rearview mirror. The story was confirmed to be just that by Tuesday afternoon when ESPN crawled out from underneath Stephen A. Smith checks to report that the report was entirely farcical.

I could have told you that.

Nothing to see here, folks

I’m not reporting news here, but please recognize that ESPN isn’t concerned with WWE performance. At least not yet.

Sure, the ESPN bean counters are looking at viewership, time spent viewing, what pieces of content the world is watching on their platforms, and likely some other bizarre statistic that matters more in board rooms than real life, but they aren’t judging or basing important renewal decisions on that data at this time.

The ESPN and WWE partnership kicked off on September 20 of last year with the Wrestlepalooza PLE in Indianapolis. Not even a year ago.

When it’s all said and done, ESPN will pay WWE over a billion dollars to run their content to domestic viewers with the ESPN Unlimited streaming service and they want to tap out already? C’mon, folks …

ESPN is full of stooges and I’d willingly listen to arguments on the lack of collective brain power of those at the top of the organization, but they aren’t that stupid.

It takes time for massive deals like these to make money. Remember …

ESPN rolled out a half-assed version of ESPN Unlimited that nobody could figure out when it launched last year. The streaming service still isn’t connected into all of the premiere level TV providers, which means much of the potential audience that ESPN sees for itself is yet to be realized as they don’t have access to the product. YouTube TV subscribers were just granted access to ESPN Unlimited as part of their subscription at the beginning of this month. Oh yeah, and the ESPN Unlimited price? It just went up.

Until all of those platform connections are secure and price points are maximized, ESPN won’t be fretting about results of any kind.

Four years is forever

Let’s go in a little further. The current ESPN and WWE contract has four years left on it. In the current media landscape, that’s an eternity. Four years is even longer in WWE world.

Four years ago Netflix hadn’t run any live content yet. Paramount+ was just over a year old. UFC was still firmly in the PPV business and Disney+ hadn’t rolled out an ad tier.

Four years ago in WWE? Vince McMahon had just retired from the company. CM Punk was in AEW. Hell, TKO Group wasn’t even an actual thing.

You see where I’m going with this? In four years time, ESPN may have the deal of the century on their hands when it comes to WWE. They aren’t going to discard that fact, even if it seems like a hope and prayer right now.

Last and least, there hasn’t been sound reporting completed on what the KPI’s are for ESPN, WWE, and this deal. KPI? Key Performance Indicator. How is ESPN gauging overall success? How much value does Danhausen have to ESPN when he’s on their shows ahead of NBA Finals games? How many paid ESPN Unlimited subscribers does it take to reach that value? Nobody knows, so attempting to grade performance is a useless endeavor.

Look, I can’t defend the WWE product on ESPN right now with a straight face. It still feels odd to watch and the Unlimited service itself still pretty much sucks. That doesn’t mean it’s bad business. Right now in 2026? A lot of things that suck are making gobs of money.

All in due time

In three years time, if the same reported issues are prevalent and the same amount of business isn’t being moved forward directly to ESPN because of the deal with WWE, you can bet ESPN will have plenty of concerns. WWE too. The ESPN bean counters with nearly five years worth of data will knock on Nick Khan’s door and dropkick him into oblivion before he can say “rights fees.”

Do you use the ESPN Unlimited streaming service to watch WWE PLE’s? Let us know in the comments!

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-The opening of this week’s episode of WWE Raw was so damn refreshing. Two babyfaces being good guys to one another. Madness!! LA Knight and Solo Sikoa were great. Not only did they nicely recap the events of last week, but they both were likable and made the audience want to cheer for them. They did this without losing their personalities. Huge thumbs up here. WWE — and really pro wrestling across the board — needs more of this.

Roman Reigns is a heel

-The other great thing about the Knight and Sikoa promo to start the show? Roman Reigns was clearly defined as the heel. A huge development. Now, we need to see Reigns take ownership of the new definition and work hard to get heat.

-It’s just great to have Stephanie Vaquer back, isn’t it? She and Roxanne Perez had a long match this week, but one that seemed like it existed for Vaquer to show-off. They chain wrestled, worked in some big spots, and of course, featured plenty of Judgment Day interference. Vaquer never looks tired during matches. Insanity.

-Well, we got another Vaquer and Lynch interaction this week, but it wasn’t littered with petty, Mean Girl, nonsense. Hopefully this was a permanent pivot. Their rivalry will be stronger and more interesting if they both stay babyfaces, even when interacting with and confronting the other.

-Hell yeah. Match of the night honors go to Rey Fenix and Dragon Lee. Their semifinal tournament match was all edge of your seat action and culminated with an insane Dragon Lee flying and flipping suicide dive from inside the ring across the matted ground and directly into the chest of Fenix. The precision on that needed to be perfect and it was. Another match that showcased the WWE lucha style. Fenix won and is now in the tournament finals.

Lola Vice is headed to Raw

-If I’m Lola Vice, I’m thrilled with the setup for my main roster debut. She got the full vignette treatment and the piece very much balanced her out of the ring personality with her in-ring viciousness. It gave her credibility as a fighter who wins, but kept in the character that will help her connect with a big audience. They didn’t always walk that line right when Vice was in NXT. So far, so good.

-You know how I feel about this Oba Femi and Bron Breakker storyline. We don’t have to go there again. This was it’s best week yet. Femi and Breakker looked more like equals this week and big credit goes to Breakker for that. He found some of his original main roster aura inside the promo he cut on Femi and it elevated his stock significantly. Femi was Femi. Smooth, collected, and witty at the right moments. You saw a little confrontation between Breakker and Paul Heyman. Keep that at the front of your mind. My prediction still plays. Breakker and Heyman realign at Sunday Night’s Main Event and beat Femi.

-Well, Big Cass had to win his first match back on the Raw roster. That was inevitable. Yes, it’s too bad it was over Je’Von Evans, but Evans got a lot out of it nonetheless. First off, Evans now has a lined up feud ready to go with Judgment Day. Second, Evans looked like a fighting bad ass during the match. A lot of the Evans gimmick to this point has been rooted in energy and a passion for WWE. He lost this match to Cass, but showed edge and attitude. Long-term? That’s a great thing for him to find.

Commitment to the bit

-Lyra Valkyria is out of her mind. There’s been a complete commitment to the new character and it just might get over. Here’s the thing she has to remember. It can’t devolve into comedy. If she can maintain a serious undertone to everything she does, the sky is the limit.

-And the AAA and WWE World Heavyweight Championship finals are set. Rey Fenix won his semifinal match earlier in the show. Late in the show, Penta defeated La Parka to advance as well. Fenix vs. Penta in the final. That’s exactly how this needed to be booked. Penta and Rey Fenix are the two best that the WWE lucha style has to offer. Now, they collide with big stakes on the line. I’m still taking Penta as your winner. Penta vs. Reigns should cook when WWE brings Raw to Mexico City.

-Did everyone catch that Zilla Fatu video package? Look, not all new NXT talents get that on Raw. Fatu is pulling some numbers for the company right now.

-Well, we finally appear to be getting a Chad Gable vs. Ethan Page feud for the WWE Men’s Intercontinental Championship. This should’ve been the match for Gable at SummerSlam, but better late than never. Gable and Page had a comfortable heel and babyface dynamic. Good chemistry.

-Annnnnnnnd a non-finish in the big Usos vs. Knight and Fatu tag team main event. I get it, this is a big match, but a finish either way was workable. You can’t maintain audience investment in matches like these if they assume nothing will get solved by the end. The crowd was excited to see this and then that excitement just fizzled away thanks to the nothing being decided in the end. Disappointing.

The debut Royce Keys needed

-Now, the reason for the non-finish was the return of Royce Keys and the debut of the OTM faction on his side. Very well done. Like, this was the type of debut Keys needed all those months ago when he first joined WWE. This was attention-grabbing. Plus, it set a hook for next week due to the fact that we don’t really know what side Keys is taking and how his group fits into the dynamic between The Usos and the team of Knight and Sikoa. In one segment, Keys became more established than ever.

What did you think of the Royce Keys return to WWE Raw this week with OTM? Let us know in the comments!

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-Call me old school, but I just don’t like what’s going on with Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes right now. Orton ruined a world title shot for Rhodes at SummerSlam, but there is barely any mention of it. On Friday, we saw WWE lean into the “pick your narrative” strategy with this thing, despite all the logic pointing toward Orton being the clear heel. He’s …

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CM Punk will defend his Undisputed WWE Championship against Kevin Owens on this week’s episode of SmackDown. It’s a match decades in the making and one that has done strong business for WWE in recent weeks. The company has reportedly moved over 1,000 tickets in the last 24 hours and the show is expected to sell out on the back of this match.

It doesn’t matter who wins.

Say what??!?! Zack, you’re out of your mind and need Bron Breakker to spear you back to reality.

Seriously, though. It does not matter who wins this match as long as someone does. Cleanly.

Punk vs. Owens is a rarity

How many times a year does WWE have must-see episodes of television? How often does a main event match actually move tickets and fill seats in 2026? Holy crap, it’s rare. Real rare. Like, so rare that the WWE business doesn’t even really rely on it anymore.

The rarity of the moment tonight has created an opportunity for WWE to build trust with fans. WWE has sold Punk vs. Owens as an all-timer of a clash. A PLE worthy match. Punk and Owens have obliterated one another on promos, there’s a clear rivalry between them, and they’ve elevated that disdain to create a match that has generated loads of interest.

That’s booking. Good booking. You want to see good creative? That’s it. Fans care about this. It’s an attraction that they want to see and the data backs it up.

WWE needs to reward that. As a company that is producing hours and hours of television across weeks and weeks throughout the year, the strategy of unnecessarily prolonging storylines and feuds has become a fixture solution to keep the shows filled with viable content.

WWE is a billion dollar company, so sympathy isn’t oozing out of the pours for this issue, but they’ve found an understandable solution to a very real company problem. They need to fill time, so the longer they can keep an audience hooked into storylines without a payoff, the better.

Mean something

WWE can’t use this Punk and Owens match on SmackDown to further that cause. Look, the pro wrestling world is talking. Fans are going to spend their hard-earned Friday night in front of the television with the WWE product because of how compelling the match is. Fans have moved the needle on tickets. They have sold out the building in Toronto to see the Owens vs. Punk clash. It must mean something. To maintain trust, it has to matter.

Hence, the absolute need for a clean finish. It could be Punk winning, could be Owens, but it has to be clean because it has to settle something between them in the eyes of fans that have invested in the match. A safe finish undercuts that investment.

Distraction, rollup, Sami Zayn interference? All worrisome WWE outcome crutches because of their regularity on TV. Punk vs. Owens has to feel different because it is different.

The talking heads on WWE company quarterly revenue meetings may not realize it or care, but a healthy pro wrestling product requires that fans invest in the action. WWE isn’t themselves without that and they sacrifice it too often as it is. The babyface vs. babyface matches — like Owens vs. Punk — that have littered major shows in the past two years don’t allow for appropriate audience investment either. Adding a layer of mistrust because of meaningless finishes to marquee matches compounds the issue.

WWE wants to be able to sell out buildings around the world, move ratings, and break record revenues. In order to do that, fans need to believe them when they ask them to get hyped up to pay money and engage in something. They need the trust of their customers.

Don’t waste it

In the case of Punk vs. Owens, a clean finish is the way to maintain that trust, which WWE has been flippant with over the years. Any kind of schmoz finish let’s the fanbase know, “Thanks for coming, but we got ya, suckers.” In the long term, fans will recognize that treatment and toss up a middle finger when company brass wants them to be handing them cash instead.

So, Punk vs. Owens. It’s a moment. It’s a match that’s driving business, money, and viewership. Somewhere TKO COO, Mark Shapiro, is bathing in the dollar signs.

Don’t waste it.

Who do you think will win the Undisputed WWE Championship match on SmackDown this week? Kevin Owens or CM Punk? Let us know in the comments!

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-Will Ospreay and United Empire vs. The Don Callis Family in a trios bout to start the show was a fun match, but essentially a squash. Ospreay and Kenny Omega reigniting their individual rivalries with Don Callis felt odd and forced, but as a mini storyline on the way to All In, it was fine, and this match was the blowoff. Ospreay got the clean win and on he goes. Plenty of additional Ospreay analysis on the way.

Fingers crossed!

-Kazuchika Okada, Kyle Fletcher, and Konosuke Takeshita were excellent out there. Those three guys hit all the right notes on the tone of their feud. Okada and Fletcher talked nicely about one another with their fingers crossed behind their backs. The audience knew it and that background tension is going to make the match at All In between these guys really compelling. The fact that Takeshita stood tall with the title belt this week feeds the Okada and Fletcher tension. If they can’t pull it together, Takeshita can still win despite the family supposedly being on the same side. Lots of balls to juggle with this and they kept em all in the air.

-Hallelujah! Going into the show this week, my eye was on the Ospreay and Omega interview with Renee Paquette as a potential turning point for their feud ahead of All In. To this point, both guys have kind of danced around their actual rivalry, but they stared it down in this segment. The interview focused on them. This wasn’t a will they get along or won’t they segment, or a let’s bury the other guy because of meta backstage stuff segment. This was about the two of them fighting and trying to win. Boom. That’s how it’s done. Inside this interview, Ospreay and Omega acknowledged their history and previous matches with one another for those who were aware. If you weren’t aware, that conversation served the bigger purpose of putting context around why the third match between them is so important. This angle served fans who have been on the Omega and Ospreay ride from the beginning and those that are just getting on right now.

-Man, Maya World continues to show a lot in the ring. She has a style that’s mesmerizing. It’s consistent. It’s flashy at times, but also very to the point and straightforward. She very much compliments her opponents in the ring. The fatal four-way this week was an exciting match with good action, but there just wasn’t a reason to think World would lose the title.

What about Jay?

-Match of the night honors go to Jon Moxley and Jay White. This battle felt like a G1 Climax tournament match. Tons of striking, tests of strength, and all sorts of high impact moves with a pretty sick bumps.

-It was disappointing to see White take the loss and exit the Continental Cup Classic tournament. White has so much potential, but needs the book behind him in order to realize any of it. Don’t forget how much of a special performer the guy was. I know Moxley is the face of this tournament and the AEW Continental Championship, but White was just being revved up again. White advancing would have made for a more exciting tournament moving forward.

-Adam Page and Brodido issued an open challenge for their AEW World Trios Championships at All In. I think we’ve found our catch all match for stars that need to be on the show, but don’t have anything else to do. I’m expecting multiple teams to accept this with the result being a massive brawl at All In inside of Wembley Stadium. After the angle last night, White and Swerve Strickland will be a part of this madness somehow.

-Smart booking is so much fun to watch. Tony Khan worked Andrade perfectly this week. He looked like a total badass in squashing Jonathan Cruz. He looked great in the victory and like a star on the mic after. Thumbs up.

Stealing the smile

-Well, we know exactly what the story of Mercedes Mone and Willow Nightingale is now. They beat us over the damn head with it. Mone hates Nightingale’s smile and is going to steal it from her at All In. Ok, I can get behind that and the match itself will be able to build on that foundation easily. Their interview segment this week needed a little Ospreay/Omega dust. Mone and Nightingale kinda just insulted one another back and forth and tacked the smile story on at various points. The two women have a long history together and it wasn’t used to build this match in this segment as well as history was on the men’s side. Now, Nightingale is a fully loved babyface at this point. There won’t be a fan in the audience cheering for Mone. Bravo to both women on that.

-Look, I like Nigel McGuinness. A lot. I don’t need to see him wrestle anymore. He doesn’t look smooth out there. McGuinness advanced in the tournament and now I’m wondering if a match between him and Moxley looms for All In.

-Wonderful! Kevin Knight needed a heat segment like the one this week with Darby Allin. Admittedly, the pyro explosion gimmick bordered on the line of hokey, but it helped get where they needed to. Knight has come across as cool for far too long. Between that and straddling the heel and babyface line with MJF a month ago, there hasn’t been a solid chance for fans to line up against him. They got one this week thanks to the attack on Allin. Knight was vicious in this and his heel persona very much showed itself.

-Like Ospreay and his boys to start the show, The Elite also defeated The Don Callis Family in the main event. It wasn’t as good of a match as the opener, but like it, got the job done.

-The post-match stuff was where the real stories were. The Copeland and Christian Cage vs. The Young Bucks match got a little sizzle with The Bucks jacking Cage in the face with a friendly fire superkick. It won’t sit well with Cage, so that dissension between the two opponents will be the final chapter in their story ahead of All In next week.

Omega pushing buttons

-As far as the Omega and Ospreay stuff to end the show, it was a cherry on top of an already great night for them. Omega was unhinged in the way he attacked Ospreay before dropping him through a table with his One Winged Angel. A sick spot, but one that continued the narrative of Omega knowing exactly what buttons to push with Ospreay. Omega did a nice job with this. He could have totally hammed it up as a heel villain, but instead his acting captured what the actual story was and that was Omega continuing to up the pressure and the stakes on Ospreay because he knows the higher they get, the better chance Ospreay has of not delivering. There is so much nuance inside of this right now, but the bottom line is their main event match at All In feels more important and more massive than it did 24 hours ago.

Who had the best week on AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments!

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-Man, Cruz Montana has come such a long way. He opened the show this week with a very strong promo that came across as serious and passionate. Montana looked comfortable and confident. He addressed Zilla Fatu directly, which was a smart touch. Fatu debuted during his world title number one contender match last week. Too often in WWE, talents gloss over the heat portions of their storylines when they discuss them and feuds get colder because of it. Montana had to address Fatu ruining his opportunity and he did it in a straight up way. Plus, a fun little interaction between Rey Fenix and Montana. And well, yeah … they KIND OF referenced their time together in AEW as being in “hell.” More on these guys in a bit.

EK Prosper is prospering

-Another win for EK Prosper this week and now he gets a shot at the AAA Cruiserweight Championship, which is held by Rey Fenix. That match will certainly be a lot of what we saw this week. Loads of high impact and high pace stuff, but not a ton of selling or psychology. Not a format that I’m most a fan of, but it works in the right context and with the right background.

-What’s happening? Where is all the edge that was central to Jaida Parker’s character? Parker had attitude. She had an aggressive personality. Fans connected with both those things and she’s being asked to sacrifice them in favor of a more caring and motherly aura toward Thea Hail. Look, Parker is being featured and is in a feud with Nattie. Nobody is saying “no” to that opportunity on television. At the same time, so far, they’ve lost some of the uniqueness that Parker brought to the table.

-Regarding Nattie, it’s odd and downright not believable to see her yucking it up as a heel with her heel faction-mates. Nattie is a legacy star. Nobody really hates her as a heel. The act right now is very performative because of that reality.

Birthright faction warfare?

-Get ready for an OTM vs. Birthright faction battle. It’s coming. Lexis King defeated Lucien Price to retain his Speed Championship this week, but then Birthright attacked and the fight was on. Yay? At least the bad stuff on the show is gelling together now. Instead of Birthright material and separate material regarding the Speed Championship, it all happens at once. If you were looking for it, it’s during this stuff’s time that you should use the bathroom or grab a beer. Not only is Birthright bad, but Lexis King looks way too comfortable kinda being a nobody inside of it. The group doesn’t have edge, comedic charm, or intensity. Next year at this time, mark my words, this team won’t have a space on the show each week.

-We didn’t exactly get a Grayson Waller pipe bomb promo this week, but collectively, the one this week was better than that newsworthy one from a couple weeks ago. I know. I’m crazy. Listen, though. Waller shocked the system and his character with that out of bounds and meta promo. You can’t do those every week and you don’t want to bury the division you are in every week either. This week, Waller kept the same intense and edgy delivery from a couple weeks ago, but applied it to real television storylines like Zilla Fatu debuting. It landed much better and helped put real heat on the upcoming NXT Championship match at Heatwave.

-Wren Sinclair doesn’t have nearly as high of a ceiling in WWE that Kendal Grey has. That said, Sinclair helps Grey showcase her likable, fun, and competitive personality in a meaningful way. This is pro wrestling, so Sinclair is sure to turn heel on Grey at some point, but hopefully not soon. Grey comes out of her shell more when Sinclair is behind her. There is a different level of confidence for her in that environment.

-Sinclair and Grey against Kelani Jordan and Kali Armstrong was a fine match, but it existed to get Jordan a win over team Grey ahead of her NXT Women’s Championship match at Heatwave. Ummm … she didn’t get the win, though! Armstrong did. Odd booking. Does it brew further disdain between Jordan and Armstrong? Maybe? Jordan is wrestling for the top title in a couple weeks, though. She needed the rub.

Welcome to relevancy

-Saquon Shugars and Dion Lennox did it! Let’s call a spade a spade. This is a cold feud. Period and end of story. HOWEVER. Shugars and Lennox gave it some life with their split screen interview this week. They both came across as very natural going back and forth with one another. That authenticity brought an extra intensity to their upcoming steel cage and weapons match. The segment was the highlight of the feud by far. There are plenty of questions around both Shugars and Lennox coming out of this program, but on this night, they delivered.

-And this week’s Shiloh Hill grade is??? B+. Hill limited the silliness and had a pretty damn good match against Jackson Drake. Drake won, but Hill was protected inside of the Naraku interference finish. Drake against Myles Borne at Heatwave for the NXT Men’s North American Championship should be a fantastic heel vs. face match. I’m not making predictions yet, but Drake just may get the victory. Smart business there. Borne on a title chase is money.

-LOL, ok. So at Heatwave Zaria and Wren Sinclair are going to unify the Women’s North American Championship and the Women’s Speed Championship, but there won’t be a Speed style time limit on the match? There ya go. The Speed concept has officially jumped the shark. What good is having special Speed style rules, if the title can change hands in a match that is completely outside the bounds of what the Speed title is supposed to represent? *sigh*

Main event Zilla

-A strong debut promo from Zilla Fatu this week in the main event segment. The fact that it was in the main event is notable. Fatu showcased his natural charisma in front of the fans, but also laid down a mission statement for himself in the promotion. He’s going after the NXT Championship and now we know that he’ll join the D’Angelo, Waller, and Montana triple threat at Heatwave to make it a fatal four-way contest with D’Angelo’s title on the line. I’m not a fan of multi-person matches, but it makes sense for NXT to do it here. What you’ve seen the last month on NXT was an overhaul in the top level of the men’s division. This fatal four-way is showcasing the four new key guys that make up the top part of the NXT card. There just isn’t much of a better way for the booking to do that without someone on the outside looking in.

How do you grade Zilla Fatu’s NXT debut promo? On my end? B+. Let’s hear what you think in the comments!

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-Can’t the babyfaces just get along? This babyface against babyface “we hate each other” stuff is getting boring. Raw started with it … and, well … ended with it. Stephanie Vaquer and Becky Lynch bickered again. They both came across as unlikable and it forced the audience to see them each at their worst. I get that they both want a shot at Liv Morgan and the world title. Perfectly reasonable. Just act like a good person for god sakes.

Vaquer vs. Lynch done right

-Sidebar. WWE would tell you that “hey, we’re planting the seeds for Vaquer vs. Lynch down the road. Long-term storytelling!” Blah, blah, blah. The bottom line is this. Vaquer against Lynch in a singles match will be much bigger if there isn’t five months of build showing how terrible both women can be to the other.

-Hey! Was that a Je’Von Evans win this week? Oh, I think it was! Evans vs. JD McDonagh was an exciting match and the audience was rooting for Evans the entire way. He’s coming along as a babyface on the show and wins like this one will help establish him.

-Better than the Evans and McDonagh match was the angle between Evans and Big Cass. It’s a total mid-card program, but they have an invested audience. Go back and listen to the pop that Evans got when he landed that initial offense on Cass. It was notable and loud. When the match happens, the crowd is going to care. More importantly than that, the two men have such drastic differences in style that they will be be able to pull out the best of the other quickly.

-Rey Fenix vs. El Fiscal was a strong AAA and WWE World Heavyweight Champion tournament match. A great showcase of the WWE and AAA lucha style, which is a prime example of why the tournament is happening. Fenix getting the victory keeps a Fenix vs. Penta tournament final on the table. That’s the obvious play, WWE. Make the move.

A confident Sol Ruca

-This week was Sol Ruca’s best night on television since officially joining the WWE main roster. She had her best match yet against Lyra Valkyria, but looked comfortable out there for the first time in a long time. There has been a hitch in the way she goes for the Sol Snatcher, but that wasn’t present this week. Ruca eliminated that and hit Valkyria with a beauty to win the match. Even more than last week, this win positions Ruca for an easy WWE Women’s Intercontinental Championship title rematch with Raquel Rodriguez.

-Ruca has had a tumultuous start to her WWE main roster tenure, but this IC title chase is smart booking for her. In it, Ruca can showcase her ring style, while also presenting as a fighting champion. The audience has also seen her win matches. The earned opportunities she gets because of that land deeper because the audience knows the background and connects to it. Finally, this booking is good for the IC title. It positions the belt as something everyone on the roster wants.

-Ughhhhhhhh! It’s just too soon for Oba Femi vs. Bron Breakker. We now know it’ll happen at Sunday Night’s Main Event in a couple weeks, but it’s a bad idea. During their promo this week, this match was defined as determining who the future of WWE would be. Breakker or Femi? Smart in theory, but Femi was already crowned as such at SummerSlam. Why put a question about who the future is in the minds of fans when so much of the Femi feud with Brock Lesnar was about positioning Femi as that guy. This match clearly is going to have a non-finish. So, I beg the question again. Why nowwwww?

Who is Paul Heyman really with?

-Paul Heyman is going to turn on Femi right? That’s the only way I see an actual finish taking place at Sunday Night’s Main Event. Heyman joins Breakker and the respect to Femi was a swerve the entire time.

-The other AAA and WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament match this week was Dragon Lee vs. El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. A good match to be sure, but like, almost zero drama regarding the winner. It was Lee all the way and nothing they did in the match took anyone in the audience off that scent.

-Match of the night honors go to Chad Gable and Rey Mysterio. Just an excellent display of pro wrestling. Annnnnnnnd? It was two likable babyfaces going at it and coming out the other end likable. Both of them. It’s possible. It’s wild that Mysterio is 51 years old. During the match, he hit a springboard moonsault and it felt like he floated in the air for a good 30 seconds. The crowd reaction to Mysterio almost winning that championship was notable. A tremendously hot audience, which tells me there’s a world title program for Mysterio at some point if WWE wants it. Not a victory, but a chase.

Investment needed

-Ohhhhh dear. I was worried about Solo Sikoa for a second. He got emasculated by Roman Reigns and was then just left in the ring as Reigns turned his attention to The Usos and then LA Knight. Eventually, the momentum swung back toward Sikoa and he was the catalyst and the face of the outward rejection of Roman Reigns. Anything less than that for Sikoa would have been a disaster. The angle to close the show alleviated that concern. At the same time, this entire storyline continues to be all over the damn place. In a matter of 10 minutes, the audience went from cheering Reigns, to booing him for acting like jerk to Sikoa, to raucously cheering as Sikoa beat him up. The segment was full of fun moments that didn’t lead to any real investment on the part of the crowd.

Let’s debate this point in the comments. Is Roman Reigns a heel?

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