Welcome to After 48 on GrapPro where we discuss an All Elite Wrestling pay per view two days after it aired. That way the hot takes cool down and we can think about it with a clear perspective. At least that’s the idea.
The train keeps rolling.
All Elite Wrestling is in a funny place. Things are good! The shows are good. The pay per views are immaculate. The right people are champions. There’s good programs throughout the shows.
And yet, some people are unhappy?
We’ve been through a few years of this time of year being the most hectic, chaotic, and poorly handled times in the company. Booking on Nightmare Mode. This time the schedule wasn’t so bad for them, still condensed but not having to book a show in England, then a week later in Chicago, then build a big show in New York, only to have another pay per view soon after in Seattle.
Apparently that’s not good for people. They want the chaos back. They want the focus and quality to be whipping back and forth on a whim. And hey, I don’t entirely disagree? I think AEW could use a little bit of disruption. It can use a bit more unpredictability. The lack of Swerve Strickland hurts a lot. He always brought the chaos in his own way. Will Ospreay’s loss is also felt, though a lot of wrestlers are stepping up.
Week in and week out I feel the shows, especially for Dynamite, have still been strong television. Nothing has been bad. Could things be better? Of course, but these were decent shows leading up to this. The card got assembled earlier than usual. I liked that! My complaints are at a minimum here, and yet it feels like a lot of fans just want something more. Maybe the standards are that high, and I’ve talked about AEW having high standards, but I’m just happy they got through the past few months and have directions to head for a lot of programs.
If you want me to discuss my issues with AEW right now, it’s mostly the fact they didn’t build enough heels without having to be champions. Jon Moxley and MJF were their top heels and they exhausted their programs with the top champion early so they had to move to Page facing one member of the Trios Championship, who has now turned heel to make the program extend. Toni Storm had to face Mercedes Moné, the TBS Champion, for a big match at Y’All In Texas, and now we will be back at Full Gear only this time it’s Kris Statlander facing her. Can we not build up some heels here without involving a title? When Page needed someone for Toronto, who did they go to? Oh right, the TNT Champion Kyle Fletcher.
This certainly condenses the amount of top title programs you can run on a pay per view when one third of the Trios Championship is facing the Men’s World Champion and the TBS Champion is facing the Women’s World Champion, and on Saturday you couldn’t have a Unified Championship match or an ROH Men’s World Championship match because both were involved for the AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship. See what I mean?
I hope, going into 2026, AEW starts preparing for this better. Because babyfaces? Baby, the roster is stacked with people the fans love. It isn’t stacked with people the fans hate. It also doesn’t help it’s very hard to keep wrestlers heel in AEW. Fans have a tendency to forget you’re supposed to boo a good heel performance, not cheer it.
All that said? Loved the show.
Favourite Wrestling Match
Best Wrestling Match
AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship
Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita versus Brodido (c)
Going into the show, I felt I was confident in what was going to be the best wrestling match. Jurassic Express and Young Bucks have undeniable chemistry and with the Bucks doing some of their best work in years lately and Jurassic Express re-energized? I was convinced that would end up the match of the night. And don’t get me wrong, it was an incredible match. I thought there was no chance anything was going to beat it.
That’s on me for doubting the AEW Men’s World Tag Team Champions.
I was so focused on how both matches would get out of giving a proper result I didn’t consider that maybe they would, and they would be completely earned.
This show was a huge statement by All Elite Wrestling towards tag team wrestling. Three tag team matches in the Saturday Tailgate Brawl, with the final spilling into the opening of the show. Following that was two tag team matches on the main show and both were the best matches of the night.
I was a little worried that the arrival of Jurassic Express, a big man little man team, would end up overshadowing the current champions who also run the same way. Two babyface tag teams with similar dynamics? Can they co-exist? Apparently they can, and not only that? Brodido stepped up their game to meet the challenge.
Jurassic Express got to face the greatest tag team of the 21st century. Brodido faced two of the best singles wrestlers to come out of Japan in the 21st century, but it doesn’t change the fact they weren’t an established tag team, and they were running a, “Can they co-exist?” storyline. Brodido stood out above anyone in the company at WrestleDream.
In the PPV Preview I talked a lot about how Bandido and Brody King are built on the power of friendship, and that rang true in this match. No matter what happened? The two men had each other’s backs. They cared about each other and they fought for one another. Neither man was going to quit because they knew they could trust each other.
Okada and Takeshita are incredible wrestlers, and nearly won the tag titles on pure talent and dominance, but they are not friends. They might be in a faction together but they clearly hate each other. Takeshita didn’t want to team with Okada. He just won the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in New Japan Pro Wrestling and here he is having to tag team with Kazuchika Okada, a man who is constantly finding ways to undercut and undermine Takeshita.
With the match in hand, Okada had a chance to hit a Rainmaker on Bandido and bring the titles home to Don Callis. Instead he saw Bandido reversing the Rainmaker. He could have stopped but he saw Takeshita standing right there. He took his opportunity to smash him with the Rainmaker. Okada feigned feeling bad about it but he couldn’t hide his Cheshire grin. Okada might not have meant to not hit Bandido, but he absolutely had no issue with following through and taking out Takeshita. It was doing this that essentially cost the Don Callis Family the match.
From start to finish you had incredible action, incredible sequences, strength, speed, intelligence, technique, everything you could ask for in a great wrestling match. Tying it all together was a story that asked the question if being two of the greatest wrestlers in the world was enough to beat two scrappy babyfaces who refused to give up on each other.
The power of friendship prevailed.
More Thoughts After 48
Hangman Adam Page: Another successful defence for the champion. His recent run has been interesting. Rematch with Jon Moxley, beat MJF, beat Kyle Fletcher, beat Lee Moriarty, and now Samoa Joe. He’s likely headed into a rematch with Joe at Full Gear. It isn’t the “two matches with Bryan Danielson among the best in the history of the company” start of his first run but it’s certainly stronger. He still struggles at times to get the television time you’d think a champion should get, and he was denied the main event at WrestleDream (he was never supposed to get it at All Out Toronto either), but the company is doing steady business with him on top. He’s very much like what Bret “The Hitman” Hart was to the WWF in the 1990s. Hopefully they don’t have him drop the belt to a Bob Backlund equivalent just so their Diesel equivalent can have a business destroying run.
Samoa Joe: Great move to turn him heel. It’ll be hard for some of the crowd to boo him since he’s so cool (same with Powerhouse Hobbs and Katsuyori Shibata) but AEW desperately needed some top heels. The Don Callis Family has a lot of heels but most of them are in the midcard and the ones who are not hold championships. The Death Riders are still top heels but you gotta take a break from them in the main mix. That opens up The Opps to turn. It’ll be interesting to see if Hook and Eddie Kingston tangle with them soon. Samoa Joe might be getting up there in age but use him properly and he’s a force to be reckoned with.
Darby Allin: Darby finally got his big win against Jon Moxley but you have to wonder what sort of message AEW is sending about their roster. When Hangman faced Mox at Y’all In Texas he had The Opps, Danielson, and Darby all coming to his aid. Darby asks Bryan Danielson not to get involved last month and he still did by giving up a bag but otherwise nobody helped Allin against the Death Riders. Now in this I Quit match, the Death Riders come out to interfere and who comes out? Is it anyone from AEW? Maybe Jurassic Express, Kenny Omega, JetSpeed, Mark Briscoe, Brodido, Hurt Syndicate, The Conglomeration for revenge, anyone? It’s Sting. An old retired white haired (looking amazing) Stinger. He fights off the Death Riders, chokes Jon Moxley, and hands Darby a baseball bat. It was a great visual, but boy does AEW look easy for the picking. They don’t stand up for one another at all. The only time they did? One of them used it to get a title shot.
Jon Moxley: Jon went from one of the most frustrating characters in all of pro wrestling, defiant in suffocating us week after week with heat and destroying the babyfaces, to finally becoming one of the most interesting and fleshed out characters in all of pro wrestling. He is a terrorist. He runs with his gang and will do anything to anyone and justify it. But put him alone with nobody to save him? The facade dies. He becomes a coward who will tap out at a moments notice. Darby smashed his knee up and put him in a Scorpion Deathlok in a ring filled with aquarium water and glass, but Moxley didn’t even try to struggle out. He knew Marina was whisked away. He knew the Death Riders got smacked up. He was alone, and Moxley alone will give up the crusade. After losing the AEW Men’s World Championship and losing the rematch. Jon got his heat back by putting Will Ospreay on the shelf in London, England. What will he do this time to regain power in AEW?
Mercedes Moné: It looks like Moné has padded her belt stats once again, this time taking the interim ROH Women’s Television Championship. What’s the count? It’s pretty close to a dozen now. I see people online angry that she counts the Owen to her belt count, and it’s like, oh no? Did a heel smudge the truth to look better? You poor worked baby. Mercedes has done a fantastic job, and in her match, her strongest attributes came out. Nobody does a tantrum mid match better than her when she isn’t getting her way. Mercedes is essentially collecting all these belts because she can’t win the big one and Kris Statlander knows it. That’s why Kris is going ahead and being proactive to challenge her.
Kris Statlander: Someone recently said there were similarities to Kris and Hangman in how they were AEW Originals who can get overshadowed by others. I can see it, especially since both have complications with their friends. Kris isn’t shying from facing top competition who could get cheered over her, or looked at as bigger stars like Timeless Toni Storm and Mercedes Moné. That’s the best way to build your reign.
Timeless Toni Storm: For those who are too dumb to pay attention:
Kyle Fletcher: Fletcher was incredible against Mark Briscoe, which is no surprise, but he needs a new challenger. He’s already torn through the Conglomeration, and it’s a tragedy Kota Ibushi got injured since he would have been perfect for it. Honestly it might be time to pull the Kenny Omega trigger.
FTR: Do we go to Brodido versus FTR for the AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship finally? And does FTR win?
Jurassic Express: Successful return for those two in their win against the Young Bucks. Not sure what they do with the money but you get the feeling Young Bucks are on the edge of turning back into babyfaces. AEW needs them as heels a little bit longer (they need to do Cage and Cope versus Bucks with Bucks as heels) but I wonder if we end up seeing Jurassic Express and Brodido go toes to toes. Two very similar teams matching up against each other. Would also love to see Claudio and PAC take a crack at them.
Kazuchika Okada: You know, Okada facing the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Konosuke Takeshita at Tokyo Dome would sure be a great match. A lot of people don’t think AEW President Tony Khan would give that up outside of his promotion, but I think that’d be a real nice gift to New Japan Pro Wrestling. It would also be two top AEW talents headlining the Tokyo Dome (or sharing the headline with retiring Hiroshi Tanahashi.) If not? Just give Okada to Tanahashi for his final match.
The Don Callis Family: How are the family going to handle Okada costing them the AEW Men’s World Tag Team Championship? They usually take the side of who is winning. Takeshita is now IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Okada is still AEW Unified Champion but how long can they deal with Okada undermining the original member?
The Opps: Now heels, we should see some exciting trios matches coming up. Hurt Syndicate of course as they beat The Demand, but what about Conglomeration? What if Kenny Omega teams with Jurassic Express again? Can Eddie Kingston and HOOK find a third? Some fun possibilities.
Jamie Hayter: Hayter winning her match was interesting because it doesn’t look like she will have a belt to chase. Moné looks to be facing Kris Statlander. Maybe Hayter takes this win against Thekla and uses the momentum to build a tag team with Queen Aminata?
Thekla: You’ll get another shot. Give it time.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman: I was convinced that MJF would be making his return at the end of this show but instead they look to be going with Joe versus Page II. When will we get the return of Maxwell Jacob Friedman, and where does he fit best?
Road to Full Gear
It’s hard for me to be negative on this show when All Elite Wrestling is finally giving me something I’ve wanted for some time: booking top matches early!
We know Samoa Joe is getting his shot against Hangman Adam Page again, and it’s pretty clear we’re getting champion versus champion again between Mercedes Moné and Kris Statlander. That covers the top titles. You got the Women’s World Tag Team Tournament about to kick off, which should have their finals for Full Gear (and if they hold that off for World’s End, you will at least have matches represented here) and you can figure out who will be in the Continental Classic by Full Gear.
We also have Blood & Guts 2025 coming up just a week before Full Gear, which is expected to be headlined by the women this time. I wouldn’t be against them doing a men’s match as well. You got the cage right there. Have a team against the Death Riders or Don Callis Family. Take your pick.
AEW is doing a good job keeping their champions strong, and they addressed some of the heel imbalance. The next few weeks needs to be about keeping the progress. It’s probably time to move Jon Moxley and Darby Allin onto new opponents, and it’s long overdue to move The Demand and Hurt Syndicate away from each other.
If it’s up to me? Hangman should defend his title at some point against Ricochet before he faces Samoa Joe again, unless they want that for World’s End. They still have time before Ospreay and Strickland are healed up, and MJF is ready to return. Maybe it’s time to take Orange Cassidy serious again. The tag team division is flourishing with several top teams, and the women’s division is about to show it can handle a tag team division to go along with two championships. Things are going to get very busy for AEW, which isn’t a bad thing. They got 10 more Dynamite’s this year before a New Years Eve Dynamite on the 31st of December after World’s End. Things are already much stronger than they were last year, and 2025 is shaping up to be one of the best years for AEW in years. Time to end strong.
