-AEW hit a grand slam with the venue they chose to run out of for the 2026 Beach Break edition of AEW Dynamite. The place looked magnificent. Being outside was obviously a selling point, but so was the water in the background, and the beach staging on the entrance ramp. I think this event has happened in Cleveland before? Never again. It’s a warm weather venue or bust from now on. Having the freedom to run unique venues like this one is a strong AEW Dynamite selling point that Tony Khan should continue to lean into. Thumbs up.
-Holy brilliance Batman! Would you look at that. A promo to start the show from one half of the main event. This was wonderful to see. Kenny Omega speaking to the AEW audience right out of the gate shined a bright light on his huge world title main event against MJF. It gave the match deeper stakes and enticed the audience to stay with the show until the end. It gave the audience a reason to. Two years ago AEW would not have run a segment like this. Growth! It very much helped set the hook for the rest of the night.
-Let the Chris Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa feud continue. If the match this week was chapter one in the story, it was well written. There was a definite tone of disdain and hatred between both guys and the bloody match they had stood on that foundation. Some cool spots here and there, but a heelish victory for Ciampa in the end. Because the story is here to stay awhile, heel Ciampa winning was the most intriguing road to travel down. Good heat for him and some sympathy on Jericho for how he lost. Is a Street Fight next?
-Glad to see Will Ospreay get some promo time with MJF this week ahead of the main event. If nothing else, Ospreay and MJF interacting and fighting planted a seed in the heads of fans that Ospreay vs. MJF could be on for All In. The interaction helped generate a sense of doubt around the main event’s outcome.
-Ospreay was great in the promo. Not a lot of yelling, but clear and to the point statements on his future. He also openly took the side of Omega when asked to pick a winner of the main event title match. Babyfaces that stick together? Blasphemy! Seriously, though. WWE, AEW, TNA — the babyfaces don’t stick together enough in any company right now. Glad to see them play the right card here.
-Damn, a helluva match between Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher. This was a four star match or better and deserves to be remembered as such, even if the greatness was expected. What wasn’t expected was the outcome. I guess Tony Khan really doesn’t want Takeshita as International Champion losing in the G1? That would be the negative take. The positive would be that the win is shine for Kyle Fletcher. That’s important. He’s a key act for Khan’s future, so good to see him still factoring in significantly.
-Oh god … is there a Don Callis Family vs. x, y, and Mick Foley match brewing? I don’t need to see Mick Foley wrestle again, but a six-man tag is the way to do it if it has to be done.
-I’d like to see Darby Allin care more about the world championship. That mattered a lot, he won it, and now it doesn’t seem to matter much at all. The world title narrative should be central to the show, but guys can’t turn it on and off. Allin can still be involved with the exact angle he’s in, he just needs to also address the fact that he lost something that was important to him.
-Willow Nightingale is back. Good for her. She’s a strong talent and gives the AEW women’s division an impactful boost. Now, she won the Casino Gauntlet this week and now faces Thekla for the world title at Redemption. Here’s the thing, Mercedes Mone vs. Thekla is the All In match you want. Mone against Nightingale is always a strong match, but we’ve kinda been there and done that. Mone vs. Thekla feels fresher. Nightingale vs. Thekla is a strong match to do for Redemption, but here’s hoping it won’t derail the match that’s actually bigger.
-Umm, Thekla was an absolute maniac on commentary this week. So fun. She goes for it every time she’s out there.
-Another week, another bro-tastic outing for Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley as a team. Until the complete history of AEW is written and no matter what happens between them until then, I think I’ll always have the sneaking feeling that this partnership isn’t a real one. I just don’t buy it as the real deal. If that’s the point, well done. If not, uh oh.
-MJF vs. Kenny Omega was beautiful. Because the weather was so hot, it was easy for these guys to a sell an epic fight. They were sweating almost instantly and undoubtedly winded because of all the yucky Florida air. Awesome physicality and an audience that universally wanted to see Omega win the world title. Not quite five brass rings, but darn close.
-With Omega as the champion, all signs point to him vs. Ospreay in the main event at All In for the world championship. What do we think? MJF as the Ospreay opponent provides a strong narrative for fans to follow around Ospreay dethroning the bad guy. Omega against Ospreay is the dream match from an in-ring perspective and one that isn’t always available to do. I’d have kept the belt on MJF. Classic heel vs. babyface matches are a tried and true formula for pro wrestling. It’s easier to engage and rally a crowd to pay money to se those. Hard to argue with Omega vs. Ospreay though. It’s a massive match inside the AEW ecosystem.
Kenny Omega won the world title on Dynamite this week. Should he have? Should it have been MJF? Who would you rather see face Will Ospreay at All In? Let us know in the comments!
Subscribe to the Brass Ring Media Newsletter HERE.
Follow Zack Heydorn on Bluesky @zackheydorn.bsky.social.