{"id":221762,"date":"2026-09-01T11:53:19","date_gmt":"2026-09-01T16:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=221762"},"modified":"2026-09-01T11:53:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T16:53:19","slug":"aew-rising-and-fading-stars-the-aew-all-in-edition-including-will-ospreay-hangman-page-okada-mercedes-mone-taz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/09\/01\/aew-rising-and-fading-stars-the-aew-all-in-edition-including-will-ospreay-hangman-page-okada-mercedes-mone-taz\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW RISING AND FADING STARS: The AEW All In edition including Will Ospreay, &#8220;Hangman&#8221; Page, Okada, Mercedes Mone, Taz"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-2439046211\" 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>Welcome everyone!<\/p>\n<p>We have a special one today. AEW Rising and Fading Stars, the All In London edition!<\/p>\n<p>Did you enjoy the show? I thought it was, yet another, a good-to-great PPV. I cheered, booed, laughed, and cried during the show. It was an emotional roller coaster. \u201cI\u2019m not crying at pro wrestling, you\u2019re crying at pro wrestling!\u201d may have been said at my house. It was also a tough PPV to walk in as champ because only three guys came in with title belts and left with them in Jon Moxley along with the team of Christian Cage &amp; Adam Copeland.<\/p>\n<p>To end the show, we had the most protected move in AEW, maybe all of wrestling, The One Winged Angel was hit and it did not end the match. Seven years and no one has kicked out of that move in AEW, a true finishing move. I wish there were more like it.<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s look back and see who fell where on my list.<\/p>\n<p>NOTE: I&#8217;ll be cohosting tomorrow night&#8217;s Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show after AEW Dynamite tomorrow night, so check that out either live on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/live\/J_SXUZfW9wA?si=qYjkIaaM2n1TjiA0\">PWTorch YouTube Channel<\/a> or on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/podcast\/wade-keller-pro-wrestling-post-shows--3275545\">the Wade Keller Post-show podcast feed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>RISING STAR OF THE WEEK<\/h3>\n<p><strong>WILL OSPREAY<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve said it before with people who have landed here and I\u2019m sure I will say it again. How could Ospreay not be here? Ospreay won the main event of the biggest show of the year, winning the AEW World Title in the process. Like I said, how could it not be Ospreay?<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3262334689\" 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>Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay was a near perfect match, in my opinion. From the video packages until the final bell, chefs kiss. The narration by Ospreay\u2019s mom could have come off a little cheesy, but instead it hit me right in the feels.<\/p>\n<p>The match itself was, unsurprisingly, a nod to all of the history of Ospreay and Omega wrestling in Japan. It felt like a main event on a New Japan card, but still felt very true to AEW. Unlike a chunk of people here at PWTorch, I really liked Omega leaning into the Cleaner gimmick.<\/p>\n<p>Omega was the \u201caway team,\u201d so to say, in this match. When your favorite team goes against a rival and they are in the rivals stadium, how often do you see your team act heelish? Not because they are bad guys, but because they are caught up in the competition and the atmosphere. I saw it more as a competitive thing than Omega being a cartoonish villain. He showed more personality in one match than he had at any other time since AEW launched, in my opinion.<\/p>\n<p>Back to the match. Seeing Ospreay kick out of the One-Winged Angel was something I figured they were going to do, but it didn\u2019t mean it had less impact &#8211; especially seeing the reaction of that crowd. Everything about the end of the match got over huge with the crowd. Hell, everything they did got over. It was just an impressive display from both guys.<\/p>\n<p>Going from here it will be interesting to see if the reign is as good as the chase. Unfortunately, that has been the issue in AEW for a lot of babyface champions. It\u2019s one reason why Darby Allin\u2019s AEW World Title reign is looked at fondly.<\/p>\n<p>Will Ospreay become the centerpiece babyface act while AEW Champ? Will we see Ospreay stumble, much like the prior centerpiece babyface act &#8220;Hangman&#8221; Adam Page did? We can only wait to see.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1st Runner Up &#8211; Mercedes Mone<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mercedes Mone made her first ever appearance, prior to signing with AEW, three years ago at the first-ever All In London. She then had his first match after signing with AEW at Double or Nothing 2024, winning the TBS Title from Willow Nightingale. Mone then had a stranglehold on that title for over 500 days before losing it back to Willow at the end of 2025.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-601339801\" 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>It was only right, with all the history between these two, that they would get an AEW Women\u2019s World Title match against each other at AEW\u2019s biggest show of the year. Even if it meant a personal favorite of mine, Thekla, did not get on the show. For the most part, I felt like the match was really well done.<\/p>\n<p>I love that Mercedes was Mercedes all the way until the end. She may of had tears running down her face after she won, but she was sure to remind Willow who she is as Mercedes legit stepped on Willow as she left the ring.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Ospreay, we know Mercedes can hold a title and build to matches as a top act. The next year should be really fun and there are lots of women waiting. Then, not to go too crystal ball here, next year&#8217;s All In sure feels like we might get a 2025 All In Texas rematch of Mercedes vs. &#8220;Timeless&#8221; Toni Storm.<\/p>\n<p><strong>2nd Runner(s) Up &#8211; AEW Production and Taz<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>First, does anyone else remember early episodes of Dynamite and the early AEW PPVs? It was very much &#8220;point a camera at the ring and let the wrestlers do the work.&#8221; At the time, as fans, we all loved it because of what had been going on with WWE leading up to AEWs inception.<\/p>\n<p>That said, it could feel a little like you were just watching g a super independent show. Then, little-by-little, the production started to step up. They got rid of the TNA style tunnels for heels and faces. Their music department got better. The set up around the ring got upgraded and AEW has really felt \u201cMajor League\u201d because of the constant upgrades.<\/p>\n<p>That brings me to All In London and it\u2019s set. Being someone who is getting close to age 50, I have watched all kinds of wrestling with varying sets through the years. From the smoke filled arenas of the NWA, to the cartoonish early-&#8217;90s WWF and WCW. The regression to those grungy arenas with ECW. Then in the mid-to-late-&#8217;90s, both WCW and WWF stepped up their sets. Each PPV would have a different structure built. Now it feels like, when watching a PPV, it\u2019s just the same set as the TV shows with different colors. Until this year that is.<\/p>\n<p>The All In London set did not feel throw away. AEW built a great looking stage for everyone to come out through and it made everyone feel like a huge star. This year overall\u00a0 has been a great year for AEW set ups. Beach Break, the one at the indoor golf are arena, and now All In London, just to name a few. I hope we get different sets going forward.<\/p>\n<p>I also wanted to talk about Taz for a minute. For me, Taz is the most important part to the AEW commentary team. As much as I like Nigel McGuiness, he is no Taz. I felt the second half of All In London\u2019s announce team suffered not having Taz. He made me truly laugh out loud several times during the show. I also just like having a true heel announcer. Someone who justify\u2019s the heels actions and isn\u2019t Tony Schiavone. Taz is that and I wish he could be the second man in the booth to an Excalibur.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\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-preview-all-in-london-tony-khan-media-q-a--74738387\">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 preview All In London + Tony Khan Media Q&amp;A\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=74738387&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\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>FADING STAR OF THE WEEK<\/h3>\n<p><strong>&#8220;HANGMAN&#8221; ADAM PAGE<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>From winning the AEW World Title at All In Texas last year to being eliminated from a battle royal 10 minutes into the PPV proper at All In London this year, what a fall down the card Hangman has had.<\/p>\n<p>I know I said what I\u2019m about to say when he came back a couple of months ago and landed in this same spot on my list, they have to have a story in mind for Hangman. So I was willing to wait to see if. Other than wanting to have the Swerve Strickland and Hangman interaction at the PPV, I am still waiting for it.<\/p>\n<p>Hangman has come back and felt like a hanger on. He wanted to help Ospreay but was denied. He then kind of put himself with Brodido. It all feels kind of strange.<\/p>\n<p>Again, I am hopeful they have a long term story for Hangman, but if he doesn\u2019t work his way back up the card, at what point do we say Hangman peaked?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Runner Up &#8211; Kazuchika Okada<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well, I wrote about Okada a few weeks back and asked if the All In London match would be the first time we see Okada shift into fourth gear and I got my answer. I don\u2019t think Okada has a fourth gear anymore. This is what Okada is at this point. A Randy Orton 3-star specialist type.<\/p>\n<p>For me, even in winning, Okada can be considered a bust. He&#8217;s going to be funny and there is definitely a place for Okada on the AEW roster. He will just never be the guy he was in New Japan, not even for one match it seems.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wrestling Night in America (8\/30) - AEW All PPV w\/Keller &amp; White &amp; Griffin\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/J_SXUZfW9wA?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-430119309\"><div id=\"pwtor-2878557575\"><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>Welcome everyone! We have a special one today. AEW Rising and Fading Stars, the All In London edition! Did you enjoy the show? I thought it was, yet another, a good-to-great PPV. I cheered, booed, <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2026\/09\/01\/aew-rising-and-fading-stars-the-aew-all-in-edition-including-will-ospreay-hangman-page-okada-mercedes-mone-taz\/\" title=\"AEW RISING AND FADING STARS: The AEW All In edition including Will Ospreay, &#8220;Hangman&#8221; Page, Okada, Mercedes Mone, Taz\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":221763,"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_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,4309,27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-221762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opnionandanalysis","category-rising-star-fading-star","category-specialists"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2026\/09\/Screenshot-2026-09-01-at-11.51.34-AM.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221762","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=221762"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221764,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221762\/revisions\/221764"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}