AEW’S TOP MATCHES OF THE WEEK: Kyle Fletcher vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey topped the list of the best matches AEW presented this week

The month between Thanksgiving and Christmas is always my favorite time of the year. I just love everything about it and, once I had kids, it just made it that more special to me. I love taking them to Christmas events leading up to the big day and taking them on our yearly weekend trip to Santa’s Village in New Hampshire. I am also one of those people that love Christmas shopping. Give me an iced coffee and a mall or a Christmas shopping village and I’ll wander around for hours.

With all that said though, this time of year is also stressful due to my career as an attorney for a large hospital and the rush to get all the contracts that need to be signed, sealed, and delivered done by New Year’s Day. So, this week’s AEW shows were just what I needed to de-stress a little bit and boy did AEW deliver.

This past week’s Dynamite was one of my favorite episodes this year. I think we all know what match is going to lead this article this week but overall, I just think top to bottom everything was just so enjoyable on the show, and I had a smile on my face the whole time.

With the new year around the corner, there is something that I’ve been waiting to do, and I’ve been waiting for the new year to do it. I want to start keeping track of the top matches for the entire year and do a check in every quarter to unveil the top ten for the year at that point. So, at the 3 month, 6 month, and 9 month points of 2026 and finally a top ten matches article for AEW for 2026 at this time next year. If I was doing a top ten list of matches for 2025, I think the match I’m about to talk about next might have made the cut….

Kyle Fletcher vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey – Dynamite 12/10/25

I mean… c’mon. This match was insane, and I was on the edge of my seat throughout it. This is one of the best TV matches AEW has ever put on and was easily the match of the tournament so far for the Continental Classic. I loved the opening of the match with all the pin attempts and Speedball’s hurricanrana through the ropes was so smooth.

Kyle Fletcher is also the best in the business right now with the way he uses combinations of moves in his matches. He’s seamless in the combinations and he’s just been at such another level this year. I love watching a guy finally put it all together and reach their potential.

That body slam to  Speedball on the barricade was just vicious and the mark it left on Speedball really let you know how much of an impact Speedball took on that thing. I can’t believe he didn’t break a rib on that.

Speedball gave it right back to Fletcher with that awesome backflip knee drop to Fletcher. The precision and body control you must have to hit that is so impressive. One inch off and you are falling back first to the outside.

Fletcher throwing his opponents like a dart into the corner buckle of the ring is so scary looking. Speedball took it headfirst, and his neck snapped back so hard. There was also a spot where Fletcher picked up Speedball by putting his hands around his neck and lifted him up into a powerbomb that was so impressive strength-wise.

I could not believe Speedball got his shoulder up towards the end of the match on that brain buster from Fletcher. I just could not believe it. I was going just as insane in my living room as the crowd was when he got that shoulder up. I thought for sure the match was over there.

I said last week that I think Fletcher should win this tournament and really be the focus of the tournament, but Speedball earned this victory. I must give credit where credit is due. He absolutely deserved that victory. Just an outstanding showing from both these guys. The type of match that reminds me why I love wrestling so much.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Jack Perry – 12/10/2025

Kazuchika Okada tends to not “turn it on” when it comes to these TV matches (see last week vs. Pac) – he tends to save it for the PPVs – but when he does decide to hit the gas a little harder, you get a match like he had with Jack Perry this week. I loved this match, and it was also a reminder of what Perry can do in the ring as a singles competitor.

I loved the beginning of this match with Perry coming out firing right off the bat. Okada tends to start his matches a little slower, so I really liked Perry just coming right at him. Crazy to think this was Perry’s first singles match in 13 months. Where does the time go, seriously?

Okada has the best shit-eating grin in wrestling right now. He hit Perry with a beautiful dropkick. (Calling an Okada dropkick beautiful is redundant at this point, I know.) And when he stood up, he just had the best grin on his face. Just so satisfied with his work.

Later, in the match, Perry hit Okada with a ridiculous German suplex and really showed how strong Perry is for his smaller stature. I also love how Okada’s elbow drops at this point is him just falling off the top rope like a stone and crushing his opponent with all his weight. No height at all. Just 200 plus pounds letting gravity do its job.

Jack Perry biting Okada’s little Okada was something I didn’t think I’d ever see and I’m still not sure how to process that. I did get a good chuckle when Perry told Don Callis post-match that he was “going to bite off more than he could chew again,” so I guess it wasn’t a little Okada after all. They don’t call him The Rainmaker for nothing, I guess.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita – Collision 12/13/25

As Jim Ross would say, “This was a good ole fashion slobber knocker.” These two just beat the hell out of each other for 20 minutes and it was just fantastic. I don’t remember many Claudio matches, but I’m going to remember this one and I thought it was a great use of the first tie in the tournament.

I thought the commentary team kind of gave the tie away at the beginning of the match when they kept hammering the point totals for both Claudio and Konosuke and how this match was for first place in the Blue League.

Takeshita just looks like an absolute star during his entrance coming out with the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. He’s another guy like Kyle Fletcher who has just been an absolute joy to watch this past year while you could see it all come together for them.

Claudio picked up Takeshita from his waist, and it was the same way I pick up my 5 year old when they are laying on the floor. Claudio is just an absolute genetic freak and making it look that easy to pick up another genetic freak like Takeshita is just insane.

Takeshita took an uppercut to the face while he was jumping off the ring apron in this match that was like he got hit by a sledgehammer. I rewound it and watched it again in slow motion and he got absolutely walloped by that Claudio uppercut. I also loved the counter that Claudio pulled off in this match when he had Takeshita in the sharpshooter and then turned it into a cross face when Takeshita was trying to reach for the rope to break the hold. Just such a smart counter. I love moves like that. So simple and so smart.

The post-match brawl by these two was also great and I hope they can revisit this match again.