{"id":198050,"date":"2025-05-19T12:53:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-19T17:53:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=198050"},"modified":"2025-05-19T12:53:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-19T17:53:39","slug":"aew-rising-and-fading-stars-jon-moxley-josh-alexander-mini-shirakawa-big-bill-kazuchika-okada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/05\/19\/aew-rising-and-fading-stars-jon-moxley-josh-alexander-mini-shirakawa-big-bill-kazuchika-okada\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW RISING AND FADING STARS: Jon Moxley, Josh Alexander, Mini Shirakawa, Big Bill, Kazuchika Okada"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2512401377\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><p>Another fun week of AEW wrestling has concluded and here are some tidbits before we get to this week&#8217;s Rising and Fading Stars.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Will Osprey and \u201cHangman\u201d Adam Page started the latest episode against Konosuke Takeshita &amp; Josh Alexander of the Don Callis Family. I am a huge fan of all four of these wrestlers, but I don\u2019t like how Alexander is being positioned. More on that later.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Ricochet is so well-suited to play a heel in AEW, it\u2019s almost like that\u2019s who he is in real life.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Rest in peace, Sabu. I am sure you and Terry Funk are having some amazing matches in the afterlife.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Unpopular opinion: My favorite aspects of the Hurt Syndicate\u2019s match and post-match was the build for their opponents at Double or Nothing. The MJF part was way too goofy. Speaking of goofy, did we really need to see Tony Khan during this?<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Nigel McGuiness overshadowed Daniel Garcia, again, in the set up for their match against FTR. I just don\u2019t see how this helps Garcia, but it could get over huge for FTR and maybe that\u2019s the point.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Jon Moxley beating Samoa Joe was not a surprise. Gabe Kidd showing up to be the one that helped Mox secure the victory was a welcome surprise. Go out of your way to watch Mox\u2019s pre taped vignette on Collision. That dude, Mox, can get me fired up and ready to run through a wall but Kidd stole the scene with just one line.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022Collision was your home again for mid-card developments &#8211; and I\u2019m here for it. If they aren\u2019t going to do an actual roster split, then this is okay use for Collision.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-2844617702\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>\u2022The biggest result to come out of Collision was that we have the Hurt Syndicate\u2019s opponents for Double or Nothing in \u201cThe Sons of Texas\u201d Dustin Rhodes &amp; Sammy Guevara. This will be Sammy\u2019s first AEW PPV proper (not on the pre-show) match since 2023\u2019s Worlds End and Dustin\u2019s last AEW PPV match was a battle royal at 2023\u2019s Double or Nothing.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Rising Star of the Week<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Jon Moxley<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mox had a World Title defense against a legend in Samoa Joe and now has a new, vicious, wrestler by his side in Gabe Kidd (my mother\u2019s Maiden name, so I wonder if he and I are related somewhere). Anyways, the Mox follow-up promo might have been better than the match itself.<\/p>\n<p>Mox now turns his focus to the Anarchy in the Arena match where he is 1-1 in prior ones. I will be curious who he has on his team this time considering the last time Mox was in one of these, he was facing The OG Elite &#8211; meaning he faced Nicholas &amp; Matthew Jackson. Who are now allies?<\/p>\n<p><strong>1st Runner Up: Mina Shirakawa<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mina had her first match and first win as an official member of the AEW roster. Not by pinning just anyone. No, Mina pinned the reigning AEW Women\u2019s World Champion \u201cTimeless\u201d Toni Storm in an \u201cEliminator Match,\u201d meaning she gets a shot at the title. Not too shabby for the first day on the job.<\/p>\n<p>Like I said, this now sets up Mina challenging Toni at Double or Nothing for the AEW Women\u2019s World Championship. The ending of that match will be very interesting. Who comes out on top, who loses, and who might get involved at the end of the match with All In right around the corner now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2nd Runner Up: <\/strong><strong>Big Bill<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-4170744458\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>If you haven\u2019t been watching Collision, then you have missed out on the TV feud with Big Bill &amp; \u201cThe Bad Apple\u201d Bryan Keith battling Bishop Kaun &amp; Toa Liona, The Gates of Agony.<\/p>\n<p>We have seen them go at it several weeks in a row. Which I like since both lost to the Hurt Syndicate last month. Both teams had a fight in the parking lot two weeks ago. Followed by the Gates of Agony calling out Billy and Keith which led to a brawl where both Keith and Big Bill went through tables. This week we got a \u201cChicago Street Fight\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Big Bill shined throughout this entire match. He has become such a complete wrestler since his \u201cand you can\u2019t teach that\u201d days. How they have not run with him as a singles-dominant big man, yet, baffles me. Maybe having him turn on Chris Jericho could lead to that.<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Check out the latest episode of the &#8220;All Elite Conversation Club&#8221; with Joel Dehnel and Gregg Kanner, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/all-elite-conversation-club-dehnel-kanner-review-aew-world-title-steel-cage-match-from-chicagoland-setup-for-anarchy-in-the-arena-more--66126310\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cpwtorch\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"All Elite Conversation Club - Dehnel &amp; Kanner review AEW World Title Steel Cage match from Chicagoland, setup for Anarchy in the Arena, more\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=66126310&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Falling Star of the Week<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Kazuchika Okada<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well. Another week of AEW wrestling and what did \u201cone of the greatest ever\u201d do? On Dynamite \u201cSpeedball\u201d Mike Bailey basically made Okada run away with his tail between his legs. Then Okada comes out to deliver one line before giving his, I guess, catchphrase of \u201cBitch.\u201d Then Dralistico and Rush attacked Bailey.<\/p>\n<p>Look, I get it. He\u2019s a chickenshit heel, but I don\u2019t think he plays it right. He plays up the comedy way too much. Then there is the in-ring aspect and obvious comparisons to another New Japan Pro Wrestling star who came to NXT and seemed to down shift: Shinsuke Nakamura, anyone? I don\u2019t think the comparison lines up, personally. Okada hasn\u2019t shown anything in the ring so far where Nakamura definitely had some really good matches early on in NXT.<\/p>\n<p>So we are probably getting Okada vs. Bailey at Double or Nothing and it will be solid. I think I just expected so much more from Okada.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1st Runner Up: Josh Alexander<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you are reading this, I\u2019m guessing you know who Josh Alexander really is. What Alexander has done over the last few years with Impact\/TNA. How Alexander is a multiple time TNA World Champion and multiple time TNA World Tag Team Champion with Ethan Page (yes, that one).<\/p>\n<p>Alexander is 0-2 in singles matches and, when his team loses in tag matches, he is being pinned. I feel like he could have been so much more, but he has been immediately defined down.<\/p>\n<p>There is still time but his newness is already wearing off on AEW TV and when he comes out you can know what side of the ending he will be on. He is the heel Brody King. Both can be so much more.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show - AEW Dynamite w\/Wade Keller &amp; Chris Lansdell\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0WVRVNMfSBk?start=18&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-2453922253\"><div id=\"pwtor-2141355132\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Another fun week of AEW wrestling has concluded and here are some tidbits before we get to this week&#8217;s Rising and Fading Stars. \u2022Will Osprey and \u201cHangman\u201d Adam Page started the latest episode against Konosuke <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/05\/19\/aew-rising-and-fading-stars-jon-moxley-josh-alexander-mini-shirakawa-big-bill-kazuchika-okada\/\" title=\"AEW RISING AND FADING STARS: Jon Moxley, Josh Alexander, Mini Shirakawa, Big Bill, Kazuchika Okada\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":105672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,4309,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-198050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-rising-star-fading-star","category-specialists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/10\/MoxleyJonAEW_3x2_600.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=198050"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":198051,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/198050\/revisions\/198051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=198050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=198050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=198050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}