AEW Redemption was a fine show, not on the level of most of their PPV offerings, but a very good show with a slew of excellent matches and some not so good. It did suffer from the length issue in a way that most don't for me. Despite kicking off an hour earlier than usual it still ran until midnight and didn't need to. The shortest match on the card exceeded sixteen minutes, and there were four or five bouts that could've been trimmed by five minutes each (at least one could've been omitted altogether). After the first three matches all more or less tore the house down the crowd took a long time to get back into the show, and multiple bouts suffered because of that. I'd have changed the match order around to spread the best stuff throughout the show instead of front-loading it. But it was a very good night of wrestling overall.
Things kicked off as expected with the ladder match, which was an excellent car wreck. All six men involved got plenty of time to be showcased, we had loads of high spots from everyone, and the local favorite walked away with the win to get the live crowd engaged. There were of course a few moments that seemed to defy logic, like when two guys did moonsaults off the ladder set up on the stage, or when Jack Perry had the chance to climb up and grab the contract but did a Destroyer on Nick Wayne instead. Mike Bailey finished things with a shooting star knee onto Mortos, followed by a match-winning climb. Really fun opener. ****1/2
Next up was The Young Bucks vs. Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley, and for a match that didn't have a whole lot of story going into it, these four sure told a story. Early in the match Nick Jackson and Ospreay clonked heads, in a spot that was obviously planned but looked totally legit, and Nick spent a long time on the apron selling that his bell had been rung. But the story became Ospreay's reluctance to capitalize on that injury, even as Moxley urged him to do so. Late in the match Ospreay accidentally hit Mox with the Hidden Blade, and the Bucks superkicked him to death before hitting the BTE Trigger and getting an unexpected win. This match was an excellent blend of action and drama that furthered Ospreay's journey toward Wembley and paid off later in the show. ****3/4
Match of the Night honors go to Kyle Fletcher vs. Bandido, which got more time than anything else on the show and was a classic from start to finish. Both guys pulled out all their signature offense and built to an amazing crescendo of nearfalls. They did some clonking headbutt exchanges which every wrestling promotion should really be banning, but it certainly was dramatic. The finish came after Fletcher hit a Michinoku Driver and a running kick, and polished Bandido off with a corner brainbuster (that missed the turnbuckle, leaving Bandido's back to take the brunt of it). Incredible match. *****
The two weakest entries of the night were next and brought the crowd way down. Jay White and Juice Robinson vs. The Dogs was an entertaining enough chain match but it was very messy and the chains seemed to get in the way often, case in point when Finlay gave Jay a Dominator but the chain prevented him from getting the full rotation and Jay landed on his head. This went nineteen minutes and should've gone more like twelve (or been saved for Dynamite). The Death Riders interfered at the end and during a melee with the rest of the Bang Bang Gang, Marina Shafir slipped Finlay his shillelagh, which he used to knock Juice out and score the pin. As a no DQ match though I'm not sure why the distraction was needed; Finlay could've used the shillelagh at any time. This was fine but not necessary on such a long show. **3/4
The other lowlight as it were, unfortunately, was Hikaru Shida vs. Maya World for the TBS Title. This was okay overall but the wrestling was fairly messy and the crowd was dead until the finish. The match was given sixteen and a half minutes but also could've gotten the job done in twelve, with a faster pace that might've kept the audience more engaged. Near the end of the match Shida hit Maya with a series of running knees but kept choosing not to make the cover, preferring to punish her. Shida hit a Falcon Arrow for a nearfall and accosted the referee, but Maya hit a fallaway slam into a bridge for the pin. Kind of a WWE-esque final stretch, but it woke the crowd up. Maya is the new TBS Champion and hopefully this run can elevate her. **3/4
The next match struggled to get the crowd into it thanks to the structure. Cope and Cage defended the tag belts against Claudio Castagnoli and PAC, and the heels jumped the babyfaces during entrances, which then led to a long stretch of heat segments. First the heels worked over Cope, then after Christian made a hot tag they did the same to him. Odd choice of match structure considering how lethargic the crowd had been for the previous two bouts. Eventually the babyfaces made a comeback and the crowd got into the match. The final stretch was well done and culminated in the Death Riders running train on Copeland in the corner, until Cage hit Claudio with a spear and Cope speared PAC out of midair for the sudden win. Again, this should've been five minutes shorter and faster paced to keep the crowd engaged all the way through. ***1/2
After three ho-hum bouts things finally picked up with Chris Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa in an ultraviolent bloodbath. Tons of crazy weapons here and lots of blood from Ciampa. They used the standard plunder but also hockey sticks (Boston native Ciampa donned a Bruins jersey which pissed of the Montreal crowd), pucks covered with thumbtacks, broken glass, and some mirrors, one wrapped with barbwire. This match also went longer than it needed to but it was enjoyable carnage and the crowd stayed with it. Ciampa scored a nearfall with an avalanche Air Raid Crash through one of the mirrors and then brought out his drill. But Jericho hit him with the Judas Effect using a thumbtack-covered elbow pad, and then proceeded to use the drill on Ciampa's forehead, drawing a quick tapout. Dumb hardcore fun. ****
Placed oddly late on the card was Mark Davis vs. Andrade for the National Title. Yet another match that could've been trimmed by five minutes, this was nonetheless very good. Andrade hit his spinning back elbow right at the outset, teasing a quick finish, but Davis kicked out. From there they had the expected back and forth match. Davis dominated with his power, Andrade made comebacks and hit spectacular moves, like the corner moonsault to the floor. Late in the match Andrade pulled his pants off, much to the crowd's delight, and finished Davis with the back elbow and DM to win his first AEW championship gold. Very good match but should've been earlier in the night, and shorter. ***1/2
The semi-main slot went to the Women's World Title match between Thekla and Willow Nightingale. While I was glad to see this match get the penultimate spot on the card, it suffered a bit from crowd fatigue, as the audience was clearly saving up for the Kenny Omega match. But these two put on a really good bout that spilled out to the floor for some big spots. Thekla repeatedly targeted Willow's injured ear from their Dynamite angle, reopening the cut. They built to a slew of traded nearfalls and counters, like Thekla's spear attempt that Willow turned into a Dr. Bomb. Suddenly Skye Blue appeared at ringside and put Thekla's foot on the rope (which the referee had to have seen). Willow mowed down Skye on the outside but rolled back in to a spear. Thekla went for a curb stomp but Willow countered with a backslide for a flash pin and the title. Good booking to protect Thekla, who I'm sure hasn't seen her last AEW Title run. Great win for Willow, who is now the first triple crown women's champion in AEW. So it's Willow vs. Mercedes at Wembley. ****
The main event was of course Kenny Omega vs. Kevin Knight, and they had a classic athletic main event that showcased Kenny as the Best Bout Machine while also making Knight look like he belonged in a main event setting. This got 25 minutes but it flew by. Knight attacked Omega before the bell and choked him with his wrist tape, but Kenny fought back quickly. They cut a crazy fast pace considering the match length. Omega hit snap dragon suplexes on the apron and the announce table. They had a wild series of stiff forearm shots with Kenny egging Knight on to fight back. Omega tried a snap dragon from the top rope but Knight escaped and tied him up in the corner before hitting a coast-to-coast dropkick. With the ref distracted, Knight grabbed both title belts, tossed the World Title into the ring so the ref would grab it, went to clock Kenny with it, but Kenny ducked and Knight hit a uranage slam on it instead. Knight went for the UFO splash but Kenny got his knees up, went for a One-Winged Angel, Knight escaped and went for a clothesline but Kenny hit a V-Trigger and the OWA for the win.
Post-match the Death Riders came out and attacked Kenny. The Bucks ran down for the save but also got beaten down. Claudio was about to Pillmanize Kenny's neck when Ospreay ran down to stop them. Ospreay swung the chair to clear the Death Riders out, and Moxley tried to talk him off the ledge. Mox handed him a plastic bag to suffocate Kenny with, and Ospreay hesitated before tearing the bag up and knocking Mox down with a forearm. Ospreay took off his Death Riders kneepad and threw it aside. Once the DRs were gone Ospreay helped Omega up and the two posed for the crowd, but Omega then hit Ospreay with the OWA and left him laying. The Bucks were uncertain how to react to this. Looks like The Elite will be soft-heeling it for Wembley.
Anyway, great main event to cap off a very good but uneven and overlong show. ****3/4
So yeah, probably AEW's weakest PPV so far this year but nothing to sneeze at either. As usual we got a five-star match and a handful of four-plussers, but the middle of the show definitely dragged and most of those matches should've been shortened. I'd have moved the Bucks match and the Fletcher match to later in the show so it had more peaks. Following those first three matches was a fool's errand.
Best Match: Kyle Fletcher vs. Bandido
Worst Match: Either the chain match or the Shida-World match. Both were just okay.
What I'd Change: Shorten the five matches in the middle and maybe just remove the chain match altogether.
Most Disappointing Match: The chain match.
Most Pleasant Surprise: Jericho-Ciampa
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
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