{"id":209860,"date":"2026-01-05T12:13:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:13:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=209860"},"modified":"2026-01-05T12:13:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T18:13:43","slug":"aews-top-promos-of-the-week-mjf-augments-his-promo-into-its-ideal-zone-darby-addresses-what-everyone-has-been-thinking-eddie-kingston-offers-an-8-year-old-an-ominous-birthday-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/01\/05\/aews-top-promos-of-the-week-mjf-augments-his-promo-into-its-ideal-zone-darby-addresses-what-everyone-has-been-thinking-eddie-kingston-offers-an-8-year-old-an-ominous-birthday-message\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW&#8217;S TOP PROMOS OF THE WEEK: MJF augments his promo into its ideal zone, Darby addresses what everyone has been thinking, Eddie Kingston offers an 8 year old an ominous birthday message"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-3017536738\" 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>Well, I\u2019m writing this on Jan. 3, and according to Larry David, this is the last day you can wish someone a Happy New Year. So, Happy New Year to everyone! (Apologies if my editor doesn&#8217;t post this until Monday.)<\/p>\n<p>I abide by many Larry Daivd rules when it comes to social norms. If you split the check with someone at a restaurant, you both must leave the same tip so if someone leaves less than the other person, they don\u2019t look cheap and always use a coaster and respect \u201cThe Wood\u201d are just a couple.<\/p>\n<p>I bring this up because there are a lot of \u201cnorms\u201d in wrestling that I think need to go. Wade Keller brought up a major one of mine on the AEW Dynamite Post-show this week with his co-host Chris Adams. The beating up the security guard spot in wrestling must go. It\u2019s just lame and eye rolling to me at this point.<\/p>\n<p>Watching undersized security guards get beat up and mind-numbingly run directly into whatever wrestler is beating them up is about as cool as listening to C.M. Punk talk about beating up Jack Perry while wearing a Ramones shirt and drinking a latte. I thought this week on Dynamite really showed the worst of that security guard spot. \u201cHangman\u201d Adam Page and Swerve Strickland are already cool. You don\u2019t need to have them beat up 150lb security guards.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>MJF (AEW World Heavyweight Champion), Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland, \u201c Hangman\u201d Adam Page, Samoa Joe ( AEW Trios Champion) \u2013 Dynamite 12\/31\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sometimes the best way to spruce up a room is to just put a fresh coat of paint on the walls and that is exactly what the opening segment of this week\u2019s Dynamite felt like. MJF as World Champion is that fresh coat of Burberry paint that the World Title scene needed. This week is also the MJF I love the most.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t get me wrong, I love when he tears into his opponents like Jeff Ross at a Comedy Central Roast, but tonight he was that good kind of arrogant and cocky. \u201cI am a stallion, and I\u2019m done slow trotting so all the other donkey\u2019s can keep up, so from now on I\u2019m going to sprint.\u201d This was probably one of my all-time favorite lines from MJF. I just love the cockiness from MJF. Maybe it\u2019s the East Coast in me, but I just love it when a guy is good, knows he\u2019s good, and just rubs it in your face. Unapologetically unapologetic (say that 10 times fast).<\/p>\n<p>I also loved when he called out \u201cevery wrestler in my sport\u201d because, yes, wrestling is a sport, and it should be treated like that when it comes to World Title shots. I liked MJF then tying that line into him talking about how \u201cwins and losses\u201d matter and if Hangman and Swerve want a shot at the title, they better pile up some wins because as it presently stands, they are losers. I just thought this version of MJF is what I want from him going forward. He can still throw in the digs and one-liners at people, but when he does it a little less often, those digs and one-liners are going to land even harder.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-801689821\" 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>I had been banging the drum for Kenny Omega to remove himself from \u201cThe Elite\u201d bubble and to start having some sort of storyline away from \u201cThe Elite\u201d and away from Don Callis. I was very happy when Kenny popped up on that screen during MJFs promo. I said out loud \u201cfinally\u201d when I was watching Dynamite. I wish he would have been live in the arena, but beggars can\u2019t be choosers at this point.<\/p>\n<p>I liked that Kenny talked about wanting to come for the title because right now he\u2019s about \u201cwinning\u201d not about being The Cleaner, Best Bout Machine, or Belt Collector. He knows he\u2019s closer to the end of his career than the beginning and he doesn\u2019t want to live with the \u201cwhat if\u201d of not going for the World Title again.<\/p>\n<p>I am totally in on having Kenny build himself up to be a contender. We all know health is the biggest opponent Kenny Omega faces every time he steps in the ring, but Kenny Omega in the World Title scene is good for everyone. Kenny and MJF had a fantastic match on a Collision a few years ago and I\u2019m excited to hopefully see them together in the ring again.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Darby Allin -Dynamite 12\/31\/25<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>What I liked about this promo so much was Darby acknowledging that \u201che\u2019s not numb to the pain\u201d and realizing the trauma he puts on his body every time he steps into the ring. I also liked him talking about how the pain he receives from stepping into the ring \u201c gives him peace.\u201d I like Darby acknowledging what everyone talks about when it comes to him. After every Darby match all you hear is \u201cwhat is this guy doing to his body,\u201d so I like Darby acknowledging \u201cthe comments\u201d and why he goes so hard in the ring and how that affects him.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s get to the Pac part of the promo now. Going back to the Moxley and Darby feud, I always thought it would lead to Moxley and Darby teaming up. I thought Mox would eventually find respect for Darby for never giving up and that he would stop some sort of beat down on Darby by the other Death Riders and that would lead to the split. I wrote about it and I talked about it with Wade Keller on the AEW Dynamite Post-Show when I was the on-site correspondent when Dynamite was in Boston in November.<\/p>\n<p>I think that may have always been the plan, but the Darby injury pushed everything back. It led to Moxley becoming an even bigger babyface then they probably imagined he could be and led to him cutting that promo after winning the Continental Classic about giving it all in the ring and kind of subtly taking shots at guys who half-ass it *cough* Okada *cough*.<\/p>\n<p>One of the first people I think about who \u201cleave it all in the ring\u201d is Darby Allin. Why continue this feud with Darby and the Death Riders if it\u2019s not going to lead to something? He just defeated Gabe Kidd, he\u2019s going to beat Wheeler Yuta on Collision, and then we will get to Pac. I don\u2019t even think Darby has to beat Pac for this to work. I would have him lose to Pac and then after the match have the Death Riders lay down an epic ass kicking on Darby that forces Moxley to step in to protect Darby and then boom they turn on Mox.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-619366463\" 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>I wouldn\u2019t have Pac lose because if he\u2019s going to be the new leader of the Death Riders (which he should be if he can commit to being on TV almost every week) then you don\u2019t want him taking a loss against Darby to kick off the new era of the Death Riders.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Eddie Kingston \u2013 Collision 1\/3\/26<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I once heard someone refer to a certain type of movie as a hang glider movie. It means that you have no idea where it\u2019s going to go, but you are just going to sit back and enjoy the ride. That is what an Eddie Kinston promo is. It\u2019s strapping into a hang glider and just jumping off the mountain with him and enjoying the ride. You have no idea where it might land, but you know it\u2019ll be fun while it\u2019s happening. In this promo, he shouted out two people for birthdays. Called one \u201cmomma\u201d and told her he appreciated her \u00a0\u201cspending a dollar\u201d to come out and see him.<\/p>\n<p>The other birthday was a young kid who was turning 8 years old and Eddie told him to enjoy it because after your 8<sup>th<\/sup> birthday \u201cit&#8217;s all downhill from there.\u201d He also kept yelling at Tony Schiavone to hold the microphone up and told Schiavone \u201c(Ric) Flair must have hated you\u201d because Schiavone kept dropping the microphone down. Eddie is the only person who can get away with this type of promo and it\u2019s the best.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show (12\/31) - AEW Dynamite w\/Keller &amp; Adams\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KRyzW28F1uM?start=1&#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-4237065449\"><div id=\"pwtor-1925710158\"><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>Well, I\u2019m writing this on Jan. 3, and according to Larry David, this is the last day you can wish someone a Happy New Year. So, Happy New Year to everyone! (Apologies if my editor <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/01\/05\/aews-top-promos-of-the-week-mjf-augments-his-promo-into-its-ideal-zone-darby-addresses-what-everyone-has-been-thinking-eddie-kingston-offers-an-8-year-old-an-ominous-birthday-message\/\" title=\"AEW&#8217;S TOP PROMOS OF THE WEEK: MJF augments his promo into its ideal zone, Darby addresses what everyone has been thinking, Eddie Kingston offers an 8 year old an ominous birthday message\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":209862,"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":[52,27,4488],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-209860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-specialists","category-top-five-lists"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-12.10.55-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209860","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=209860"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209864,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/209860\/revisions\/209864"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/209862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=209860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=209860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=209860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}