Enough people told me I was supposed to grow out of wrestling, yet 35 years later, I’m still a fan. I’ve been an indie play-by-play commentator. I’ve been an analyst on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. I was even lucky enough to work in WWE as an on-air talent for almost five years. And now, I want to talk to you from all of these perspectives every week as I bring you my thoughts on AEW.
With a newly minted domestic television deal to expand their TV exposure beyond TBS and TNT. With a new streaming element on Max, AEW has now set itself up to focus primarily on presenting the best possible product to grow. They’re still in the very early stages of life, as they approach their six-year anniversary at the beginning of 2025. “From the Matt” will be my weekly notebook of all the on-screen, off-screen, and business happenings within All Elite Wrestling. Let’s start with the most important man in AEW…
From the Matt: AEW News and Thoughts
Jon Moxley:
Jon Moxley’s promos stand out from everything else because of how they are shot and the use of the same, sinister music. Moxley doesn’t yell. He has a clear mission statement. It’s blindly militant and focused all at once. Is Moxley answering to someone higher or has he assumed this role because no one else can? Putting that bag over Bryan Danielson’s head was too much for some people, and I get that, but sometimes in wrestling, to get your point across, you have to establish who the hell you are with vivid imagery.
Suffocating the soul of the Blackpool Combat Club made it clear just how deadly serious Mox is as the self-proclaimed “King of These Lands.” This is not a man who should be losing on Saturday at WrestleDream. While I wouldn’t have expected Danielson’s full-time career to be over at the hands of Moxley, it may have to be that way.
Darby Allin and Brody King:
You have to hand it to Darby Allin and Brody King. Just over a week ago, this looked like an open challenge to get Darby back in the win column in his home state after losing his World Title shot to Mox. Instead, King answered it before we even got to the PPV and the two were able to use precious promo time to explain their connection, and why Brody wants what Darby has as a coveted star within the company. All of a sudden, I care about King more than I ever have before. I could make a strong argument as to why he should win. Actually, I’ll do that right now. King has been able to win over crowds with his “hoooo” or “woooof” or whatever barking he’s doing. All I know is whatever he’s doing, it’s working.
AEW could use more singles guys at the mid-to-top of the card with the type of size Brody has. At worst, he’s a big heel for a smaller babyface to overcome, but at best he could roll some singles momentum into a legit main event run. A Brody win wouldn’t hurt Darby, as you could have Tony Schiavone wonder aloud if Darby has taken on too much. A coffin match loss to Jack Perry, agreeing to and losing a match for his title shot to Moxley, and now losing this open challenge to a very hungry King. There’s a journey to the AEW World Title for Darby and it might have started when he lost to Mox at Grand Slam. Much like his entire career, the people will get behind Darby every time he gets knocked down because they know he’ll get back up asking for more.
Daniel Garcia re-signs with AEW
Daniel Garcia is staying in AEW and once again we’re talking about him being one of the best young wrestlers. Potential is a great thing, but at some point, you have to fulfill it. I’m not a believer in a title being equated to a push. However, if Garcia is going to throw out a warning to all the champions, at some point, he has to win gold. Jack Perry and the TNT Title seem like the obvious target and that’s exactly the type of future-building feud AEW should be presenting. The meeting with Shibata only adds fuel to the fire.
Private Party:
While they haven’t had as many big matches as Garcia, there’s a similar vibe to Private Party as having lots of hype, but little to show for it during their AEW tenure. We just passed the five-year anniversary of their upset win over the Young Bucks in the first round of the AEW Tag Team Title Tournament on the second episode of Dynamite. However, Private Party lost a round later to the Lucha Brothers, which felt like a waste of beating the Bucks so quickly into the start of AEW.
Amazingly, Saturday’s title match against the Bucks at WrestleDream will be only the fourth time Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen have challenged for the AEW Tag Team Titles with the three previous chances all coming up empty. Defeating the ever-annoying EVP Bucks will be satisfying for whatever fan favorite team gets the job done, but is Private Party up to the task? And will Stokely Hathaway figure into the mix after he offered his services only to be rebuffed by Isiah and Marq Quen? It’s an interesting crossroads for everyone involved. If it’s not Private Party, perhaps the next contenders should be the youngest men alive…
AEW Quick Hits:
-It was a small thing from Dynamite, but I really enjoyed Mariah May and Jeff Jarrett battling on commentary. Mariah’s insistence on Karen Jarrett’s whereabouts and setting Jeff up to say “It’s My World” got a few good laughs out of me. Now, I want Karen to manage someone to challenge for the AEW Women’s Championship just so we get Mariah versus Karen on the mic. Sounds like fun, right?
-Jamie Hayter stands out as much as any wrestler on TV right now. Returning with a new look has only added to her growing, unwavering popularity. While she seems to be entering some sort of program with Penelope Ford, Hayter could easily be pointed towards either Mercedes Mone or Mariah May down the road in an attempt to retain gold. Before that, Hayter should run through anyone in her path for the next couple of months and to put her over as a major threat, AEW should make a point to show both Mone and May keeping tabs on Hayter’s matches.
-Speaking of Mercedes, she appears to be on a collision course with Kris Statlander, but the physicality between Statlander and Kamille certainly piqued my interest. If I had the book, I’d test the temperature on a potential rivalry between those two by having a few more similar interactions. If the audience really wants to see those two in the ring, you’ll hear it. It’s a way to build Kamille up as more than just a heater and would throw a big obstacle in Statlander’s way before she gets to Mone.
AEW WrestleDream Picks and Predictions
For each match, I’ll pick who should win based on what I believe makes the most sense for the participants involved, story, and character. I’ll also pick what I expect to happen. We’ll track this monthly to see if I have any idea what I’m talking about. Feel free to tweet me your picks.
ROH World Title: Mark Briscoe © vs Chris Jericho
Who Should Win: Mark Briscoe
Who Will Win: Chris Jericho
Two Out of Three Falls: Hologram vs The Beast Mortos
Who Should Win: Hologram
Who Will Win: Hologram
Darby Allin vs Brody King
Who Should Win: Brody King
Who Will Win: Darby Allin
TNT Title: Jack Perry © vs Katsuyori Shibata
Who Should Win: Jack Perry
Who Will Win: Jack Perry
AEW Tag Team Titles: Young Bucks © vs Private Party
Who Should Win: Young Bucks
Who Will Win: Young Bucks
Jay White vs Hangman Adam Page
Who Should Win: Hangman Adam Page
Who Will Win: Hangman Adam Page
AEW Women’s World Championship: Mariah May © vs Willow Nightingale
Who Should Win: Mariah May
Who Will Win: Mariah May
AEW International Title: Will Ospreay © vs Ricochet vs Konosuke Takeshita
Who Should Win: Konosuke Takeshita
Who Will Win: Will Ospreay
AEW World Heavyweight Title: Bryan Danielson © vs Jon Moxley
Who Should Win: Jon Moxley
Who Will Win: Jon Moxley
Until next time, when I’m back to talk about wrestling even more.
You can watch and listen to Matt every weekday at 1pm Eastern at thewrestlingmattshow.com. Matt is also one of the hosts of Busted Open Radio on Sirius/XM. He is regularly featured as a streamer for Bleacher Report’s pro wrestling content.