AEW RISING AND FADING STARS: Adam Copeland, Athena, Thekla, Juice Robinson, Death Riders, Megan Bayne

Welcome everyone!

Another week of AEW is done. How about the look of the two shows this week in Chicago at The Aragon Ballroom? I thought they looked great, but I love old buildings and that one is a cool 99 years old. Personally, I live in one that is over 140 years old and very quirky just like the Aragon is.

Back to the shows, they both had can’t-miss parts to them which furthered storylines in a good way. Other parts were for all the in ring people. Then some just didn’t hit with me.

Let’s get on to the list!

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Rising Star of the Week

Athena

Okay, first I will say that “Hangman” Adam Page would have been an excellent pick. That said, if we look at the name of this list, it is “Rising Star” of the week and, let’s be honest, Hangman has risen to the top spot. I am sure he won’t mind not being atop my list this week.

Let’s get to her, though. Who? The Fallen Goddess and leader of the Minions ATHENA!

Athena appeared on the big screen to interrupt Toni Storm as Toni was celebrating her successful AEW Women’s Title defense against Meredes Mone, reminding everyone that forgot – which might be a lot of you – that she is the “forever” ROH Women’s Champion and later explaining to Toni that her demise is here.

Athena was in front of the crowd on Collision. Appearing in the balcony Toni was in on Dynamite. I loved that Athena cleverly called AEW “Athena Elite Wrestling,” very “Jericho” of her. She was later chased off by Toni in the precursor to a match between Athena’s minion Billie Starkz, who is just 20 years old, and Toni this coming Dynamite.

While this doesn’t feel like the biggest week for a Rising Star, let me explain why Athena is that star: AURA

Look around the Women’s Division right now in AEW and I ask you this: Who else fits within the Toni Storm world not named Athena? Here is my answer to that question:

Mercedes Mone fit because she is one of the biggest stars on the women’s roster.

Mariah May fit because they told one of their best overall stories and May was never very far away from Toni.

Megan Bayne is definitely one of the other pics for this role, but she is not ready. Bayne needs a mouth piece or proof she can say more than “Bow Down.”

Athena is far and away who I would want in this role. Hell, I will go as far as to say she could be the one to dethrone Toni. I also think it would get over big with the audience. Wade Keller has talked about wrestlers who are “turn key,” meaning they are ready and polished. Athena is that. She looks the part, talks the part, acts the part, and can go in the ring.

1st Runner Up: Thekla and Megan Bayne

I know, ties are boring, but I felt they both deserved this.

Tekla had a four Way match where she pinned Queen Amanata after a stomp. What that doesn’t tell you is that both Skye Blue and Julia Hart played a part in that win – Blue distracting the ref and Hart spraying her black mist in Amanata’s eyes. I am definitely feeling this all female stable the three of them are creating.

Also during this week Thekla became officially “All Elite.” Tony Khan said she was on a 45 day probationary period coming into the company. Why? Because she attacked the prior boss in Stardom and was fired. Excalibur has talked about that during commentary since Thekla arrived. Nice touch, in my opinion.

Megan Bayne looks to have finally finished off Tay Melo. I would guess a match like this with Melo’s partner Anna Jay should be coming and I predict Bayne will win again. I’ve said it before and I will say it again – Bayne has “it.” She just needs to learn to talk more or needs a true mouthpiece because that’s the one thing holding her back.

For Bayne, one reason I think she keeps getting better is that she works more than most. She wrestled 80 matches total last year and this year she has been in 39 matches. That is almost double what Toni Storm and Mercedes Mone have wrestled, which is 20. Bayne has also worked for seven different companies this year. To m,e this feels like a wrestler who wants to get better and is putting in the work. There is no ceiling for Bayne.

Both women prove why Tony Khan keeps going back to Stardom when looking for his next woman wrestler signings.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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Fading Star of the Week

Juice Robinson, Austin Gunn, and Colton Gunn

I know, a three-way tie is even worse than a two-way tie. This one is a bit of a joke and then also a sad one.

Let’s start with joke part. I have always said that certain celebrities hold their power in something like what I’m about to say. Let me explain.

Brandon Boyd, the lead singer of Incubus, a band that was big in the back half of the ’90s, lost some of his “powers” when he shaved his dreadlocks off and the band made a pop song called “Drive.” To me, the band was never the same.

Tim Burton lost his powers the further and further time gets away from the 1980s. His movies just haven’t been the same since then. Except for his movie “Big Fish”; that’s an amazing film.

What am I rambling on about? Juice Robinson’s beard! Will the real Juice Robinson please stand up because this is not the Juice I fell in love with as a lovable jobber named C.J. Parker on NXT. I would take that hippy look over what he has done by shaving that iconic beard. Maybe he just needs to get on the mic to win me over again. We shall see.

The Gunns is a sad one. I know there hasn’t been any confirmation, but Colton was helped to the back after he and his brothers tag match on Collision. Everything pointed to a knee injury.

One reason this would be truly sad was that The Gunns have not been injured during their time away from AEW television. According to the brothers, they just haven’t been used. The Gunns, just as a tag team, have not appeared in regular tag matches since November 2023. They did not have one tag match in 2024, just six man tags, and have just one tag match in 2025, losing to The Hurt Syndicate.

1st Runner Up: The Death Riders

When Wheeler Yuta is in the best segment of your group for the week, then something is wrong. That said, I do like his slow courtship of Kris Statlander more than anything Yuta has, maybe, ever done.

The Death Riders came out on Dynamite and instead of “getting their heat back,” they just lost to a mishmash team Hangman, Mark Briscoe, and Powerhouse Hobbs. Jon Moxley seeming rattled from the loss was the highlight on the Death Riders side.

Then on Collision they went with a weird angle of them beating down Chicago’s beloved Colt Cabana. This made no sense. Cabana isn’t tied to Hangman in any way. So we got a bloody beat down of a random wrestler to try to get Mox’s heat back. So strange.

That said, it was great to see Colt Cabana back on AEW television. He has been a personal favorite for years. Just a huge wrestling fan as a kid who has gotten to live out his dream making a living working around the world doing what he loves. Nothing wrong with that.

Personally, I think Mox could have and should have gone away for a month or more. Leave the Death Riders with Marina Shafir in charge and make them more ruthless, like Mox was the calm mind, and that would have worked more than this.

Honorable Mention: Adam Copeland

I will make this one short. As I said last week, I just don’t care much about what Cope has to say when he comes out. On Dynamite he just stood there, mic in hand, and waited so the crowd could sing along to his song. It felt very forced. I am just not liking what he is doing right now. Hopefully that changes.