I’m never going to like matches involving guys (or gals, but, it was specifically the men’s division) who are already set for big matches at upcoming pay-previews being involved in somewhat pointless tag team matches before these big events. I say somewhat, because at least tonight in the matches that were the biggest offenders, we got some story progression with ProtoKada seemingly on the outs, and Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley not getting along.
While I did like the match pitting Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada against Brody King and Bandido, we’re getting Fletcher and Bandido for the International Championship on Sunday. I’m certain we’re not going to see Bandido get the victory, once again at a pay-per-view, due to Fletcher’s ongoing feud with Takeshita, so I guess we had to see Bandido pin the “Protostar” tonight.
I initially thought it was going to be nice to see Okada in action, but he didn’t exactly do much in the match. Fletcher and Bandido fought in a lot of the bout, as they had a long sequence in the beginning, and again toward the end, where Bandido finally landed the 21-plex to pin the champion after a series of big moves and pin attempts. While I have all the confidence in the world that their match at Redemption is going to be equally as good, I feel like I saw quite a bit of it already.
Even though they’re not facing one another at Redemption, but rather, All In: London, I also didn’t love Ospreay and Omega teaming up together, especially with Moxley involved. I personally haven’t been a huge fan of the “Ospreay in the Death Riders” story, though I’m aware I may be alone there, and the team-up felt weird, beyond the “odd couple” feeling I’m sure we were all supposed to have with it. The pairing also further enforced the fact that Omega’s title defense against Knight at Redemption is pretty pointless, as it’s beyond obvious it’s going to be Omega and Ospreay at Wembley Stadium.
We have five episodes of “Dynamite” left before All In, so I’m sure the team of Omega and Ospreay isn’t done, with some Moxley involvement thrown in there, and there’s at least one more “can they co-exist?!” matchup between now and August 30. AEW isn’t the only promotion guilty of this, but it’s a pet peeve of mine. At least the trio’s opponents tonight in the Don Callis Family aren’t involved in Ospreay and Moxley’s tag match at Redemption, as they’re taking on the Young Bucks. Overall, this show didn’t do much to get me excited for Redemption, a PPV I’m already convinced doesn’t really need to happen.
Written by Daisy Ruth
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