AEW TV 2026 discussion

[JNLister]

I always interpreted the Kidd gimmick as being the annoying gobby guy who you suspect would probably back down if he was challenged, but it sure ain't going to be you who tests that theory just in case it's wrong.

FWIW, Chris Harrington says the Roku app is done but still awaiting approval from Roku to distribute.

[BrodyGraham]

Pete Dunne's Butch Character + Coked Up Lad getting hoyed out of Spoons at 3pm on a Wednesday = Gabe Kidd.

Decent enough Dynamite I thought. Enjoyed my first look at a couple of the UE lads. Hadn't seen Newman since he was doing Pre-lims in Progress. As you'd hope since he's holding New Japan's big belt he looks really promising, if not still very much in his transitioning from Junior's body. Needs to get on the Kyle Fletcher plan if they're gonna have him on US TV on the regular.

Henare has a tattoo beard now but seems largely the same as he was 7 years ago.

Francesco Akira has become one of my lads after seeing him once. Just a mad, fearless, tiny man doing things at 500mph that might kill him as easily as they do his opponent.

Thought Queen Aminata looked so much more assured for her time off.

Kenny's promo was one of his better ones in AEW but he still feels like the last thing he wants to do is cut a 10 min in ring promo segment. 

Oh aye, the feed on myAEW is so much better than Triller. Looked glorious on me tiny phone screen!

Edited April 9 by BrodyGraham

[The King Of Swing]

I also thought that was a pretty solid episode of Dynamite. Bit on the long side but nothing too bad. 

I initially groaned when the New Japan lads, rocked up. But they won me over by the end of their match. 

Willow Vs. Aminata, was a solid, hard hitting match.

Happy to see that Shida hasn't already been forgotten about/binned off to ROH. Wasn't she teasing a heel turn, during her last run? 

Jericho promo was bearable. Bringing him back as a face and booking him against Ricochet, was a smart move. 

Finally some real movement between Okada and Takeshita. Okada is still a glorious dick head. 

Final segment did it's job and I enjoyed the video packages.

[HarmonicGenerator]

1 hour ago, BrodyGraham said:

Francesco Akira has become one of my lads after seeing him once. Just a mad, fearless, tiny man doing things at 500mph that might kill him as easily as they do his opponent.

I thought he was the least interesting one! Poor lad, so tiny he tried and failed to break a table, twice.

I will agree UE are better than the Dogs. Gabe Kidd is one for the “wrestlers you’d be embarrassed to be watching if someone walked in the room” list.

I wonder if Fletcher’s injury is what’s finally getting them round to doing Okada-Takeshita. Took them long enough.

Willow vs. Aminata was the best match on the show. 

[ReturnOfTheMack]

37 minutes ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

I thought he was the least interesting one! Poor lad, so tiny he tried and failed to break a table, twice.

I will agree UE are better than the Dogs. 

I forgot about the table spot. Poor bugger. 😆 

 

I think a big thing for me is that UE aren't all in black, that splash of green actually makes them a bit different. 

[Kamran]

11 hours ago, RedTwoster said:

I liked the Jericho stuff too. It wasn’t anything spectacular but it didn’t have to be. Ricochet is a good opponent for him and the match should be fun. This also felt very ‘greatest hits’ Jericho, which does make me feel like this is going to be his retirement run.

I thought that was a pretty decent segment too but I do worry about whether he'll keep the fans on side. The pouting is giving me Jackson Drake vibes.

[Merzbow]

It's amazing that you can be on a poster with Ricochet and come out looking like the bigger twat.

[Guest]

12 hours ago, LaGoosh said:

- bunch of rubbish looking guys from Japan turn up completely out of nowhere and they expect you to know who any of them are.

- they expect you to know that Alex Windsor is Ospreay's partner despite this never having been acknowledged on screen at any point previously.

In fairness, they did detail their history with Ospreay in New Japan during the opening segment and the match itself. I'm familiar with their work and enjoyed their appearance, but AEW did a good job of explaining United Empire to the uninitiated, as they generally do with outsiders. Though I understand the argument against bringing them in when you've got a stacked roster full of talent that can't get any TV time. 

Alex Windsor narrated and featured in a video package before Ospreay's entrance at Forbidden Door last year, but I agree that her appearance here was a little jarring. They've never appeared together on TV and Windsor has certainly never had any interaction with UE. It felt like a vehicle to get her involved in the brawl, before her match with Shafir at Dynasty. If the Brawling Birds weren't right in the tag title mix, you'd be forgiven for thinking they might have split up. 

Akira is brilliant and I'd like to see him make more appearances, though admittedly he doesn't do anything that many others in AEW aren't already doing. His style stands out a lot more in NJPW. 

[2Xtreme_lives]

13 minutes ago, Ralphy said:

In my pre caffeinated daze, i had to do a double take, why is Vince Neil from motley crue on the card? 

Gutted about Kyle Fletcher, one of my go to reasons i watch AEW when i do, hopefully he can recover and be back sooner rather than later 

I shoot in and out of watching AEW regularly (at least for the time being, trying to make it more of a habit), with this being said, has Jericho wrestled much since his return, or is this his first match? 

 

No this will be his first, two weeks of promo

[LaGoosh]

Glad to see Queen Animata back, she's great. She looked a bit rusty here but that's fine. Just needs to drop that dodgy arse butting spot. They need to do more with her (and most the other women). Looking forward to her and Thekla potatoing eachother again one day.

Canada Chaos or whatever it was called was another brilliant AEW party match. Loads of fun. I don't really think the United Empire lads showed much but the Deathriders held it all together. It's just so fun to watch them beat people up, they are brilliant at it. Claudio Castagnoli in particular has been doing the best work of his career. It’s a shame he just can't get his promos where they need to be because he's so close to that main event level but was sadly born missing the charisma he needs. What a killer in ring, though.

Hard to buy Ospreay selling his neck when he forgets all about it in the next spot. Guy took THREE Deathrider DDTs on his head but was back up like nothing happened shortly afterwards. He'll never learn!

Omega promo was solid but he just says too much. Content was good but he says in three sentences what he could easily say in one.

[thatvinylgeek]

18 hours ago, BrodyGraham said:

Kenny's promo was one of his better ones in AEW but he still feels like the last thing he wants to do is cut a 10 min in ring promo segment

I think I have said this before, but I always think Kenny is a far better promo in Japanese than English, there is just something about his tone and pattern that really works...that being said I have no idea whether he is butchering the language or not

[The King Of Swing]

Okada running up to a downed Takeshita and flipping him the bird was wonderful.

Can't fucking wait to see what he gets up to, at Dynasty. Hopefully he can top showing up late to his own match, complete with entrance. 

[I Bent My Wookie]

Seen some internet things today that Thekla may have been drunk backstage during her segment Wednesday. Anyone thats watched (admittedly I haven't had the chance) any possible truth to this? 

[Hannibal Scorch]

Just now, I Bent My Wookie said:

Seen some internet things today that Thekla may have been drunk backstage during her segment Wednesday. Anyone thats watched (admittedly I haven't had the chance) any possible truth to this? 

The only account who stated, or the first, is a troll who attributed it incorrectly to the Wrestling Observer. No truth to it.

[I Bent My Wookie]

52 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

The only account who stated, or the first, is a troll who attributed it incorrectly to the Wrestling Observer. No truth to it.

That sounds about right, saw the WON bit but couldn't find anything online about it so was thinking it was a wind up.