AEW TV 2025 Discussion

[LaGoosh]

Real ones know Toni vs Mox DEATHMATCH is the way to go  

[Callum1993]

Just got tickets to the Collision show in Cardiff on Saturday last minute. £31 so relatively cheap. Couple of announced matches look decent but hope we get some Continental  Classic matches too. 

[Kamran]

It's Winter is Coming this week...

 

In the Continental Classic:

[DavidB6937]

The difference in my excitement levels in those first two pictures. Crazy. Winter has already come for Joe and Eddie because it's that fucking cold.

Put Swerve/Hangman on after them because there's no way they're matching that.

 

[RedTwoster]

I know AEW doesn’t typically do this, but they need to work fucking hard throughout the show to make the title match feel as meaningful as it could. Air backstage interviews with Joe and Eddie, making reference to the fact it’s Eddie’s first AEW title match in five years, and only his second ever opportunity to win the belt. Air voxes with fans as they head in predicting the result, have Hangman and Swerve approach Kingston backstage and wish him luck - fuck, have Jon Moxley approach him backstage and after a few seconds of tense silence have HIM wish Eddie luck. Without doing that little bit more, they’re making Kingston feel about as significant a challenger for the belt as Lee Moriarty was a few weeks ago; and given his potential value to the company, that matters.

[LaGoosh]

Agree entirely. Although sadly I know that they aren't going to do any of that. We'll get one video package and that's it.

[Infinity Land]

1 hour ago, RedTwoster said:

I know AEW doesn’t typically do this, but they need to work fucking hard throughout the show to make the title match feel as meaningful as it could. Air backstage interviews with Joe and Eddie, making reference to the fact it’s Eddie’s first AEW title match in five years, and only his second ever opportunity to win the belt. Air voxes with fans as they head in predicting the result, have Hangman and Swerve approach Kingston backstage and wish him luck - fuck, have Jon Moxley approach him backstage and after a few seconds of tense silence have HIM wish Eddie luck. Without doing that little bit more, they’re making Kingston feel about as significant a challenger for the belt as Lee Moriarty was a few weeks ago; and given his potential value to the company, that matters.

Probably won't, after all what's the World Title match at World's End? Two and a half weeks to find out. 

[Supremo]

By my count, Jeff Jarrett still has three weeks left to make good on his 2025 new year resolution to become AEW World Champion.

[Statto]

3 hours ago, DavidB6937 said:

The difference in my excitement levels in those first two pictures. Crazy. Winter has already come for Joe and Eddie because it's that fucking cold.

Put Swerve/Hangman on after them because there's no way they're matching that.

 

They've got plenty of precedent to stick the Eddie/Joe match on first - they've done it several times when there's been World Title matches on TV on the kayfabe premise they could go 60 minutes so you can't be putting them on with 15 minutes of the show left.

[DavidB6937]

6 minutes ago, Statto said:

They've got plenty of precedent to stick the Eddie/Joe match on first - they've done it several times when there's been World Title matches on TV on the kayfabe premise they could go 60 minutes so you can't be putting them on with 15 minutes of the show left.

I reckon you could probably make a safe bet that Eddie/Joe isn't lasting 60 minutes though. Not unless they spend 45 minutes of it laying down.

[The Gaffer]

I love wrestling moments where any semblance of logic, the plan, doing the maths etc goes out the window and you just allow yourself to be swallowed by the moment. 

PUT THE BELT ON HIM NEXT YEAR. 

[Tim Healys Chutney Spoon]

How can you not love that guy??? And Bryan Danielson made that moment extra special and I'd love to see a match when Eddie wins and Bryan is the first in the ring to hug and congratulate him along with a turned Mox and theres your feel good moment for 2026

Edited December 11, 2025 by Tim Healys Chutney Spoon

[RedTwoster]

That show really fell flat for me.

Firstly, Don Callis. It feels like we hear more from him on any given show than anyone else, and it also feels like the same thing over and over again, largely because it is. There doesn’t seem to be any obvious direction for Callis or his family (outside of Okada and Takeshita), and feuding with Omega again is an uninspiring prospect.

They tried to heat up Kingston/Joe a lot more, but it wasn’t enough. The crowd didn’t ever seem to buy into their match, which is such a shame for an Eddie Kingston World Title shot. This could have meant much more for everyone involved.

The opening tag match was full of spots that felt very rehearsed. It felt like a routine more than a match, and to be honest I really disliked it. It was nice to see Harley getting a bit choked up at her title win, though.  

Hangman and Swerve teaming up felt like a moment, so that’s working at least. Fletcher/Speedball was also great, although I didn’t think much of Perry/Okada. 

I hate to finish the year by being so sour on a show I’ve enjoyed almost every episode of this year, but the coldness of most storylines came to a head for me here. 

I’m still looking forward to Collision though, which has managed to avoid duff shows even in this cooler period.

[The Gaffer]

16 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

Firstly, Don Callis. It feels like we hear more from him on any given show than anyone else, and it also feels like the same thing over and over again, largely because it is. There doesn’t seem to be any obvious direction for Callis or his family (outside of Okada and Takeshita), and feuding with Omega again is an uninspiring prospect.

Yeah, he's the biggest duff point on the shows for me too (other than my longstanding gripe that they could do more to balance the overall booking philosophy seemingly being that Mitchell & Webb football sketch but with the word 'football' replaced by 'wrestling matches')

It feels like he's just about well liked enough and "Well, he knows his stuff and it seems to work so I guess..." enough that he's allowed to linger on every broadcast - unchecked - with the same act with its interminable, groundhog day booking. 

There's a few things I associate with Dark Days AEW. The EVPs and Jack Perry in their "HA! The guy you reallly want is gone!" pomp, the Death Riders and Callis. 

We've taken care of one of the three. I'm convinced that getting rid of the other two (or at least toning down the Death Rider's The Bill murder spot involvement in top angles) will result in embellishing Fun AEW - the best AEW - in 2026. 

I enjoyed this show as a lapsed AEW fan. Mostly because I'm a sucker for even the most vaguely Christmas themed wrestling TV. Christmas can be gnarly and overstimulating and I actively enjoy the total dead-air late December shows we've historically gotten as a sort of point of routine/normality. 

 

Edit: Also not sure how long they've been doing it but I really enjoyed the cuts to Renee at ringside before/after matches. Good live sports broadcast/New Gen era touch. 

Edited December 11, 2025 by The Gaffer

[DavidB6937]

17 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

They tried to heat up Kingston/Joe a lot more, but it wasn’t enough. The crowd didn’t ever seem to buy into their match, which is such a shame for an Eddie Kingston World Title shot. This could have meant much more for everyone involved.

If it's part of a longer story - and I'm hoping with that Bryan video that it might be - then I'll end up forgiving it all, but in the run up it definitely felt a wasted opportunity.

Even the Bryan video - as nice as it is - feels like an underwhelming reaction for Eddie compared to what he's had before which is a real shame. As we've said, it wouldn't take much to heat him up again to where he's been before but he's definitely not there yet.