AEW’S TOP PROMOS OF THE WEEK: Ricochet continues to shine despite critics not recognizing him, Stokely and FTR pitch perfect, Death Rider clues

I just wanted to say sorry to anyone who has been reading this weekly column and my AEW Top Matches column for having to skip last week. I had a family medical emergency, and to be honest it really was a wake-up call on how lucky I am to still have my mom around. She is in her mid-70s and has had some medical issues lately that were a real scare to her, and me. Luckily, she is going to be alright and fully recover.

The reason I am a wrestling fan is because of my mom. She was the one that let me watch WWF Superstars on Saturday mornings when I was 5 years old when I probably should have been watching cartoons. She brought me to every show at the Boston Garden as a kid, and when I got older would drop me off and pick me up with my friends when we would go to a house show, Monday Night Raw, or Smackdown when it would come to the Boston Garden. There were times when I knew she didn’t have the money to buy tickets, but she would always make sure I didn’t miss a show.

I’ll never forget having tickets to WrestleMania 14 in my stocking for Christmas one year. We sat 10 rows from the ring, and wait for it… the ticket price was only $120. I was probably the only person in that arena not cheering for “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Shawn Michales is my guy. He was then, and he is today. I stay loyal to my guys.

So, with all that said, if you’re like me, and your parents are getting up in age, please don’t take it for granted. Call them, visit them, and make sure they know how much you appreciate them.

Alright, now for a complete change of pace. I thought this week for promos was kind of weak. FTR by far had the best promo of the week, and there was a moment in that segment that I think should be up for best comedy Moment of the Year in AEW.

FTR – Dynamite 11/5/25

I loved everything about this. FTR is so good at being bad, and this was so good at every level. Bandido’s grandmother may be the sweetest person alive, and Dax Harwood pulling that mic away from her before she could answer his questions and reading the Spanish translation off his hand, was so goddamn funny. Stokley telling Renee Paquette, “I’ve been trying to get them out all night” when Brodido was locked in the locker room made me laugh so hard.

This could have really been a tough look for FTR, but I thought the whole segment was just played perfectly, including the slap from Bandido’s grandmother to Dax Wheeler. Bandido has to teach her how to really lay that in, though. I hope they include her at the PPV and would love to see her get another shot in on FTR. My wife, who has ZERO interest in wrestling, will work on the couch next to me on Wednesday nights and will barely pick her head up during a two-hour Dynamite. I can count on one hand the number of times she’s made a comment about the show. When this segment was happening, she looked up and said, “Why are they being so mean to that poor woman?” So FTR did their job here.

Alright, let’s get to that moment. When Brody King punched through that wall and grabbed Stokley, the look on Stokley’s face was so perfect, and he played it so well. Everything about it was just perfection. It was like a real-life horror movie for Stokley.

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Ricochet – Dynamite 11/5/25

Listen, I get that not everyone is in love with Ricochet and I saw too many people this week saying that he was horrible on the mic this week on Dynamite. These are the people that complain about everything though, so I take it all with a grain of salt.

I thought Ricochet played his role perfectly this week. He’s an annoying heel and his job is to annoy you. Guess what? It seems to be working based on the reactions he gets. I thought he said it perfectly in his promo this week when the crowd was telling him to shut up. He told them “Y’all are making it worse now.” I loved everything about it. I love the robes, the Eagles hat, the laugh.

Think about where this guy was at the end of his WWE run. No one thought he was going to be this good in AEW. I’m happy for him. I hope he keeps annoying everyone, every week. I would really like to see him in a title program with “Hangman” Adam Page. I think the two of them would have great chemistry in and out of the ring.

The Death Riders and Don Callis – Collision 11/8/25

I’m putting this here because I think this backstage segment may have been laying the groundwork for the Death Riders’ turn on Jon Moxley.

Why would they just randomly have Don Callis talk about favors for the Death Riders? After Mox told Callis “Do we look like we need a favor?” Pac spoke up and said that the Death Riders are “done playing games.” There was also that moment at the end with Claudio staring down Kyle Fletcher. Is the “not playing games” line a more subtle shot at Moxley?

Daniel Garcia tapping out this week was another bad look for the Death Riders. Have Pac and Claudio finally had enough? Could Pac and Claudio take Callis up on his offer? I just find it weird that they would have Callis interact with the Death Riders for no reason at all. A favor in the back pocket of a newly aligned Death Riders led by Pac and Claudio could be interesting,