The brand-new AEW PPV Redemption just happened, and there is so much that happened that we need to break it down. Our eyes are squarely set on London, as this is the last stop-sans Grand Slam: Mexico-- before we get to the biggest pay-per-view of the year. Thus, in preparation for All In, here are the top eight moments from Redemption that will affect AEW heading into London.
On Our Way to London
Three different title changes, major story angles, and cemented matches have changed the narrative for All In, and so far, it looks like it's going to be an all-time great AEW show. This was the first time there was a PPV the month prior to All In, and I think it was a success, allowing Tony Khan and crew a before-and-after event to get all the stories ready for the biggest PPV of the year in their return to Wembley.
There has been some early pushback on the quality of Redemption as a whole, and on whether the wrestling lived up to AEW's very high standard. I personally think that while maybe not all the matches hit that high, most did. But more importantly, a cohesive gathering of what all of the builds will be for All In was vastly more important, and I think that was successful. Not every show needs to be the biggest show of your year to supplement the product.
Grand Slam: Mexico Is Next up for the International Title
AEW Grand Slam: Mexico might have found its main event after Speedball Mike Bailey won the No. 1 contender ladder match, and Kyle Fletcher successfully defended his title against Bandido. This build for the next couple of weeks should be fun, and the winner in Mexico undoubtedly goes to All In as the International champion. It could even be a rematch if the match lives up to what we know we can get from Fletcher and Bailey.
The odds probably point to Fletcher as the favorite to retain his title in Mexico; however, Tony Khan loves to do celebratory champ-chasing, and I think Bailey would be the next person in line to get his ceremonial win. At this point, Fletcher is Teflon and losing really won't stick to him. Since this match is taking place before All In, expect us to hit the ground running on this angle as soon as this week.
Ospreay vs The Death Riders
Welp. As quickly as we got Will Ospreay into the Death Riders, he is already out. In one night, Ospreay looked like he had been born to be a Death Rider, only to betray Jon Moxley for Kenny Omega’s neck. Moxley’s reaction tells one story—his face of complete disappointment was that of a father whose child did something unexpected. However, his actions will speak louder than whatever he might feel personally.
I will be very interested to see how Moxley reacts. Will he see this as a child acting out or as Judas who betrayed Jesus of Nazareth? Will the rest of the Death Riders feel any differently than Moxley, and will that create internal conflict within the faction? This will be fascinating to watch as we march towards All In.
This is Maya’s World
The first title change of Redemption saw Maya World continue her ascension to the top of the card, defeating Hikaru Shida for her first singles title in AEW. The rise we have seen from World is almost unprecedented, feeling almost as though her rise came at the blink of an eye, yet well deserved. While it is important to remember how she got here, I think the more important question to ask for her career is: Where does she go from here?
The length of a title reign isn't what's important; it's the impact it had—ask Darby—and I think Maya can have a major impact with the TBS title. World needs to ride this momentum to continue to push her, defend the title, and give the title a shot in the arm it's been needing for a while. The women’s locker room is filled with talent which should foster an opportunity for Maya to continue to prove herself against some of the best.
How You Know What’s Next for Andrade?
Nobody this side of Channing Tatum gets a pop like that for taking their pants off like Andrade El Idolo. The new AEW National Champion, Andrade, is over with the crowd, and that connection he has with them—as we saw after the match—is something I don't think he could ever do. Andrade has gotten over a broken English catchphrase, and the only thing that will stop him is AEW’s creative. His immediate future, I think, needs to be to continue to climb for the ladder from belt to belt, until that rocketship ends with Andrade winning the AEW World Championship. Tony needs to make sure to keep the momentum going for Andrade.
Andrade is the perfect example of why burning bridges between companies is not smart. He was welcomed back with open arms for his second run in AEW, and now the goal is the AEW World Championship. How you know? Because I do. And that should be the start of his next climb.
Nothing Is Stopping Willow
It was a long time coming, but we finally have what many AEW fans have been clamoring for: Willow Nightingale as the AEW Women’s World Champion. Willow is now the first-ever women's triple crown winner, having won all the titles in the women’s division. Willow will now head to London to defend her title against Mercedes Moné. Willow vs Mercedes was always the right call. Shout out to Thekla for a successful AEW Women’s Championship reign. She took the title and ran with it. Making herself one of the more popular women in the division.
There has been major pushback that the outcomes of the match did not live up to the moment of Willow's crowning. However, all I can go back and think about is Willow’s smile after she won. I think that should speak to how Willow felt about her moment where she finally reached the mountain top.
No Big Debuts or Returns
According to reports, up to seven ex-WWE wrestlers want to sign with All Elite Wrestling, but they just had to wait for their non-compete clause to expire. However, there were no debuts or returns. No Motor City Machine Guns, no New Day, no Santos Escobar, no Kairi Sane, and no Sheamus, who was always a long shot. Even Buddy Matthews, who tweeted like he was coming back, did not. I think the majority of fans were expecting someone to make their appearance, but with All In just around the corner, that makes sense for them to do any major reveals then.
One expectation. Dynamite is slated to be in Detroit this week. Where are the MOTOR CITY Machine Guns from? Take a wild guess.
The Best Bout Machine Retained
Kenny Omega retained the title. No hijinks, no help, nothing. Just the Best Bout Machine doing what he does best: kicking ass. Obviously, the sequence most people will talk about is the post-match angle, where Ospreay betrayed Moxley, then Omega “betrayed” Ospreay. I don't see it that way. I see Omega as either misinformed or acting in the heat of the moment. Or maybe he wanted to get one over on Ospreay. We've seen him do it before to AJ Styles in NJPW as a member of the Bullet Club.
I personally think the closing sequence was spectacular and tactical. It adds a layer of storytelling it did not have before. Now, instead of two buddies holding hands into the biggest match of their lives, major tension has been created. I love that turn of events, especially since it leaves Ospreay immediately regretting not putting the finishing touches on Omega before.
That concludes our AEW Redemption fall out. Be sure to come back for future fall outs for future events, and you can watch All In: London in just over a month on August 30th.