SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
Welcome everyone!
Another week of AEW is over but not just any week; no, it was All In Texas week. I hope everyone enjoyed the show even if it may have been one of the worst overall PPV’s the company has ever had. Which, honestly, doesn’t mean it was bad at all. Instead, AEW has just put on some of the best PPV shows ever in their first six years. Eventually there will be some sort of drop.
That said, the top four matches were very good to great and you got more wrestling in those matches than you get in an entire show for other companies.
My apologies for my list being tardy, but digesting a six-hour PPV took some time.
The wait is over; let’s get to my list!
Rising Star of the Week
“Hangman” Adam Page
I know, I know he has been at the top of my list a few times since I started compiling these lists just two months ago. Then again, who has been more beloved and over like the Hangman? In an ensemble that has revolving main stars, Hangman has been at the top of that list for a while now. Really, it’s been since he won the Owen Cup Tournament. It might go back further than that, but it has been an adventure to get him back here.
If you look a what Hangman did after his first AEW World Title reign, he was basically floundering for over a year. Losing most of his PPV matches, if he makes the PPV.
Now, let’s go back to All In London 2023. Hangman wrestled in a six-man tag match along side Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi losing to Jay White, Juice Robinson, and Konosuke Takeshita. A week later at All Out 2023, Hangman didn’t even make the actual PPV. Instead, he was in a Battle Royal on the “Zero Hour” pre-show. Then everything changed.
Hangman, still with The Elite, wins the ROH World Six-Man Tag titles with the Young Bucks on an episode of Rampage in September. I know you are thinking, “What are you talking about? It’s an ROH title win and it’s on Rampage?” Normally I would agree, but do you know who they beat? I do and it was The Mogul Embassy.
The Hangman and Swerve Strickland saga begins.
From that point on there are only three men other than Swerve to beat Hangman in singles matches – Darby Allin, Jay White, and Bryan Danielson – with Jay White being the last man to beat Hangman at Full Gear 2024 in November. Since then, if you are one-on-one with Hangman, you lose. His 12th win in a row was the sweetest.
Why? With that 12th win Hangman wins the AEW World Championship for the second time. There have only been nine AEW World Champions across 14 reigns. Hangman, Jon Moxley, and C.M. Punk are the only multi-time champions.
So here we are at Hangman’s second title reign. His first reign started off with an amazing title win, taking the title from Kenny Omega, but ended in a now infamous feud with Punk.
AEW and Hangman are in a much different place this time around. Hangman’s connection with the AEW audience is only rivaled right now by a couple of other guys named Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay. (More on that later.)
So here is to a great title reign for the Hangman. It looks like MJF might be up first, but then again who knows what MJF will do with that title shot. Hangman’s reign could end sooner than later depending on what MJF does.
1st Runner Up: Toni Storm
Again, in this ensemble cast of AEW characters, Toni Storm has to be at the top of that list for the Women’s Division. Beating Mercedes Mone sends the signal as to who the top woman is and, frankly, it’s the correct one. Toni Storm has become a bigger star under the AEW banner and it all has to do with her being “Timeless.”
Toni has been treated as a star since she got to AEW. Winning her first AEW Women’s World Title in her first six months and having a record of over 70 wins and just eight losses in singles matches in her first three-plus years with AEW. That said, it was not until this turn as the Timeless one that she really became the star she is now.
Going forward, who will be next to step up and challenge Toni? After winning the Casino Gauntlet one woman we now will be keeping an eye on her is the Fallen Goddess Athena. That is someone who can have an amazing match with Toni but Athena can also go toe-to-toe with Toni on the mic as well. Whenever they decide to get to that it’s going to be fun.
Personally, it’s time for AEW to cash in (pun intended) on Athena becoming a top star on AEW television every week. Not just randomly on Collision. She has put the work in and deserves it.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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2nd Runner Up: Swerve Strickland
I had to go with Swerve over a combo of Swerve and Will Ospreay or even just Ospreay. Why? Well let me explain
Swerve’s week started off with him getting to play the ultimate babyface (sarcasm doesn’t always show up in text). And what do all baby faces love to do? Create havoc and do some property damage. Swerve got to destroy the Bucks’ gaudy limo and then give them a Swerve Stomp off a forklift.
That was followed up by an amazing face-to-face promo from the locker room between Swerve and Hangman on Collision. Both freely admitted they probably went a little too far in their feud – no, let’s call it what it was – their wrestling war, ending with Hangman walking away but leaving his chain. (More on that later.)
In his match at All In Texas, Swerve was the babyface star of his team with Ospreay as they defeated the Bucks. What a wild match that was, but it was not the end for Swerve that night. No, Swerve was the last of the babyfaces to come out and help Hangman defeat Mox, while Swerve was the one who gave Hangman the chain that would defeat Mox in the end. Bringing a huge chapter in both of their stories to an end, but it’s just a chapter. Who knows where this book is going to go?
Honorable Mention: Athena
Fading Star of the Week
Copeland and Christian
First, let me say that if wrestling entrances were something that happened in real life and you were in danger, I would not pose on the stage before coming to help you. It must be something that the guys from the OG TLC matches do. Remember Jeff Hardy doing the same thing when he was coming in to save his friends?
Back to Cope’s return. I thought this fell really flat. You had the fake out save from Nick Wayne of Christian Cage when FTR was going to attack Christian, just for Nick to turn on Christian. It’s a swerve, bro. Followed by the Cope’s entrance. All of it just did not work. I take that back; the one thing that did work was Edge – excuse me, Cope – not forgiving Christian on the spot. Outside of that, none of it worked.
How is Nick Wayne not a face after finally turning on Christian? What has Christian done to actually become a good guy? It has been almost two years of Christian with Nick Wayne and not one time did Christian ever make himself look like even a decent guy.
Now I am suppose to get hyped about two WWE legends. Well, one WWE legend and one guy who the former owner wanted to put a blue dot over his face. This is coming from someone who watched both of their rises in real time during the ’90s. It’s now 2025 and these two are suppose to do what now? Team up and go for the AEW Tag Titles? Look, I am all for beefing up the Tag Division, as I’ve talked about in prior columns, but if this is leading to an Hurt Syndicate against C & C Music Factory feud, then I want no part of it. Having four guys who have spent the majority of their careers in WWE, even if it was by default, does not sound like what’s best for AEW right now. Maybe I’m wrong and it will get over huge with the crowd, but I don’t see it.
1st Runner Up: Kyle Fletcher
One thing before I rant away about this. IF Fletcher wins the TNT Title within the next few weeks from Dustin Rhodes, then I will chalk it up to them wanting a “nice moment” for the Texas crowd at All In. If not, then there are bigger problems.
Fletcher losing isn’t that big of a deal, I get it, but it does matter how this is followed up. I really think this or next week on Dynamite, Fletcher needs to vocalize that he got screwed. Not because Dustin didn’t win the match legally but because Fletcher prepared for a singles match against Adam Cole and then he was given a match against three babyfaces. So he will have a point if he asks for a match against Dustin. Then you have him attack Dustin before the bell, viciously, and Fletcher wins the title in less than a minute. Anything else defines Fletcher down even more and also defines the TNT Title down even more than it has been the last year plus.
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