AEW TOP MATCHES OF THE WEEK: This is the best two months AEW has had in all key realms with another week of strong matches among the highlights

Alright, so we are officially two months into the new year and I try not to use hyperbole in this article because sometimes I feel like as wrestling fans we have short term memory and are too quick to announce things as “The best ever,” but what I’m out about to say I’m saying with my full chest and saying it loudly:

This is the best two month stretch AEW has ever had.

It hasn’t been perfect (looking at you, Death Riders), but I can’t remember the last time I felt this way about AEW. Dynamite and Collision are must watch and I feel like not a second has been wasted in terms of the story telling and the matches they have produced.

This past week was a prime example of two shows that were just awesome wrestling shows. Just so enjoyable and so fun. Wrestling doesn’t have to be hard. AEW is showing us that right now. Most of the feuds I’m watching make sense and when you can do that everything else falls into place.

MJF (AEW World Champion) vs. Kevin Knight (AEW Trios Champion) for the AEW World Title – Dynamite 3/4/26

What were the odds that MJF was going to wrestle before Revolution? Would have been at least -1000 at the Vegas books. The boo birds were out for Kevin Knight early on in this match and it made me nervous. I trust MJF enough though that I knew he’d find a way to get the crowd to turn on him, and he started early on by palming Knight’s face during the introductions.

I also thought AEW did a great job recapping how MJF and Knight got to this match with the video package they played before the match. If you aren’t a Collision watcher you would have tuned into Dynamite and been like “Wait, Kevin Knight is fighting for the title?.”

This is something AEW was not doing in the past and it was a disservice to their fans. MJF started the match with an arm drag and it really made me laugh and then I liked how Kevin Knight followed that up by giving MJF four arm drags. MJF running the ropes and then smashing his crotch into his opponent’s face must be the most disrespectful move in all of wrestling right now, right? Throughout the match MJF worked hard getting the crowd to boo him by yelling at them and flipping them off and by the end of the match he really had the crowd behind Knight.

I loved the ending of the match with MJF kicking the referee into the ropes and Kevin Knight did something so smart that I wanted to stand up off my couch and give him a standing ovation. After he hit the UFO splash and went for the pin it took him about 5-6 seconds to realize that the ref had been taken out by MJF before he hit the UFO splash. When he went for the original pin, he only hooked one of MJF’s legs.

When the ref finally got up and started the count, Knight realized that MJF had been on the mat for a while and instead of hooking just one leg again he hooked both MJF’s legs and really sunk in the pin knowing MJF had a lot of time to recover from the UFO splash. Just such a smart little thing to do and lets me know that Kevin Knight gets it. In the end though MJF won the match, it was another great showing for Knight who has really used the momentum he had coming out of the continental classic to his advantage.

Jet Set Rodeo (AEW Trios Champions) vs. Kyle Fletcher (AEW TNT Champion), Kazuchika Okada (AEW International Champion) & Mark Davis for the AEW World Trios Titles – Dynamite 3/4/26

This match was so much fun, and we are on a real hot streak of awesome main events on Dynamite these last 2 months. Kyle Fletcher needs to lose that headband though during his entrance. It looks absurd and not in a good way. It looks like something I’d buy my niece at Claire’s (Does Claire’s even exist anymore?). I loved the match opening with Hangman taking everyone out. Unhinged Hangman in the ring is so much fun.

I’m also happy for Mark Davis and I’m really pumped they have found something for him to do rather than sideline him while his tag team partner heals from his injury. The closing moment of the show with Mark Davis holding the title was awesome.

There were some great spots in this match and one of my favorites was “Speedball” Mike Bailey hitting that Moonsault off the ropes and nailing Kyle Fletcher on the outside. He absolutely launched himself off those ropes and I couldn’t believe the distance he got on the move.

I thought Speedball was the MVP of this match and he has really grown on me since his debut. He’s one of my favorite guys to watch in the ring. Mark Davis had friendly fire on Kyle Fletcher in this match and Bailey took full advantage of it by smoking Davis with a spinning back kick to his face. When Bailey hits these kicks flush, they really look brutal.

I loved the ending of this match because it went full circle. Early in the show Hangman called out MJF and told him to take his Dynamite Diamond Ring down to the ring and dared him to hit him with it. Well, Hangman got his wish because at the end of the match MJF brought the ring down and used it to cost Jet Set Rodeo the World Trios Titles. I also loved that Kevin Knight ended up taking the pin. It was the second time that night MJF technically beat him.

ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…

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Lena Kross & Megan Bayne vs. Toni Storm & Mina Shirakawa – Collision 3/7/26

What a debut for Lena Kross and Megan Bayne. These two looked dominant. It’s time for Megan Bayne to have a title in my opinion. Bayne put the Women’s Tag Title over her shoulder at the end of her match with the Babes of Wrath last week where Penelope Ford got injured and I thought to myself, “Yup, that title needs to be on that shoulder next.” The title just looked right sitting on her shoulder.

Bayne and Kross looked like they have been tagging for a while so it’s crazy that this was the first time they have teamed together. I also think I’m over the Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa pairing. It just hasn’t worked. I’m stunned it hasn’t worked, but for whatever reason there has just been something missing chemistry wise between those two. It has just been too comical. I think they both work better as separate acts.

I love that Lena Kross is using the Jackhammer as her finisher. It just fits her look and size so well. Toni Storm also nailed her Hip Attack on Megan Bayne in the corner of the ring. Bayne’s head snapped back so hard and fast. When the person who is taking the hip attack really sells their head snapping back it is such a devastating move.

I really like that AEW is building up this Women’s Tag Division and are making these Women’s Tag Titles seem important. With the addition of Bayne and Kross, The Brawling Birds and even The Inspiration (Squash aside) you can tell AEW is making an effort to add to this division and invest in it. You can just add this to the reasons I have thoroughly enjoyed AEW this year.

Thoughts and Observations:

– Gabe Kidd is mental, and I love every minute of it. Tony Khan really owes a lot to NJPW for the talent he has taken from them.

– Andrade asking Bandido if he wanted to take a selfie and then telling him he had to “take a call” was fantastic.

– I loved the two squash matches on Dynamite this week. I thought the Brawling Birds match on Collision the week before went way too long, so I loved seeing them make quick work of the team they faced this week on Dynamite. Sidenote: I hate calling people jobbers. You knew Hangman was going to make quick work of the guy he fought against this week when Hangman came out and still had his chain on. Didn’t even take the time to take his chin off.

– Another brutal week for Kris Statlander. She had a brutal promo on Collision and now I guess she’s in her “Dark Era,” where she’s just going to dress in black and be brooding? I have no idea what they are going to do with her at this point. It’s bad.

– Brody King standing in the ring for what seemed like forever waiting for Swerve to make his entrance made him look like an idiot. I mean he was obviously not going to come out and any wrestler with half a brain should have thought to themselves “Hey, maybe I’m being set up here.” Brody deserved better than looking like an idiot there.

– Jon Moxley, still walking around with a chipped tooth from months ago, is nuts. You have got to fix that thing.

– I really loved Thunder Rosa’s gear this week. I think she’s been great since her return and has been a little bit of a jolt the women’s division needed. She was also a great first rivalry for Thekla. Speaking of Thekla….

– That promo from Thekla on Collision this week was bad. I am a big Thekla fan, but that promo was bad. She sounded like the character “Drunk girl you meet at a party” that Cecily Strong would play on Saturday Night Live.

– Cash Wheeler telling Ciampa “ He’s in a wheelchair, buddy” after Ciampa took a shot at Stokely Hataway was laugh out loud funny this week on Dynamite.

– They should have Hook scout for new members of The Opps at local bars and gyms from wherever the show is taking place that week. Having Hook just wander around the backstage area while random people are just standing around doing nothing just looks silly. Take this to the outside world.