When looking at AEW Redemption as a whole, it feels like a PPV that was set up to accomplish 1 major goal. However, due to a change in schedule, that goal was hit before the show even went on the air.
This was the first time that All Elite Wrestling has held the Redemption show, bringing the total number of shows to 10 in 2026. Placed in between Forbidden Door and All In, there was a major pivot for one of the big matches and some violent spots, but was this show a necessary addition to the calendar?
AEW Redemption Review: Montreal Mayhem!
The multi-man ladder match to determine a new number contender to the International Championship kicked off the show. As expected, this was all action from the get-go with high-flying dives, table spots and big moves throughout. Jack Perry hit a destroyer on Nick Wayne onto the ladder, and Kommander did his tightrope dive to the delight of the fans. In the end, it was Canada’s own “Speedball” Mike Bailey who unhooked the contract, earning his opportunity for Grand Slam next month. A high-energy match from the opening bell, this was what was needed to give the show a strong start.
Having to follow the ladder match, The Young Bucks faced Will Ospreay and Jon Moxley next. Mox’s message was clear, he would be merciless and would do whatever it takes to ensure his team picked up the win. Mox hit Nick Jackson with all the big moves, and looked more concerned with hurting The Bucks as opposed to picking up the win. Moxley tried to use a chair, but Ospreay stopped him, creating dissension between the two. In the end, The Bucks picked up the win by capitalising on their opponents not being on the same page. Fans who do not like Young Bucks matches will struggle with this one given the no-selling, but the story continued later in the night.
The match of the night came next as Kyle Fletcher successfully defended the International Championship against ROH Champion Bandido, whose title was not on the line. With time given to the match, more selling and legitimate near falls, this was exactly what it was supposed to be. Fletcher is definitely a future World Champion, and won the match with the turnbuckle brainbuster, a move that has been much more protected in AEW. Also, unlike a lot of Don Callis Family matches, this was just a straight-up match to see who was better. Fletcher backs up his claims, and the match against Bailey next month is likely to be another banger!
The Double Chain match between The Dogs and The Bang Bang Gang followed, but was sadly put in a tough spot given the 3 matches that had come before it. The fans were fatigued and needed a break before a stipulation match. One member of each team was chained to their opponent, but the chains made things more restrictive. This wasn’t the violent dog collar war between The Briscoes and FTR, but the teams used the chains as best they could. Taking advanatge of the no DQ stip, The Deathriders attacked Jay White and Juice Robinson to allow The Dogs to pick up the win. This may bring the rivalry to an end, but Jay White needs to be put back into the singles division soon.
The first title change of the night took place next as Maya World defeated Hikaru Shida to become the new TBS Champion. Given World’s rise in the Owen Hart Cup, and her match with Mercedes Mone at Forbidden Door, it’s no surprise that AEW are capitalising on the momentum. Fans struggled to get into the match at first, but World and Shida helped the fans get into it as the match went on. While cutting time on the women’s matches is not the most popular call given how little time they get in AEW, this 17-minute match would have been better if it was slightly quicker and lasted 12 minutes. Regardless of what happens down the road, we need to see another match between World and Mone soon.
Unsurprisingly, Canada’s own Cope received a thunderous ovation when he made his entrance for their Tag Team Championship match. PAC and Castagnoli attacked Cope to bring out Cage, resulting in a brawl before the match began. With order finally restored, the Deathriders controlled a lot of the match, which isn’t surprising given they are the younger team and can work around the more veteran team of Cope and Cage. Even though this was one of those matches where the faces are being beaten down for most of it but get that quick win at the end, the post-match was the more important story. After the bell, The Young Bucks confronted the champions to set up the All In clash. While there was nothing wrong per se with the match and post-match angle, this could have been a main event Dynamite match as opposed to a PPV.
The most divisive match of the night was next as Chris Jericho took on Tommaso Ciampa in a no-holds-barred match. One credit to AEW, they did hold off on the more violent spots until this point, whereas usually there is bloodshed and carnage in the opening 20 minutes. With sand, hockey pucks, thumbtacks, glass and sandpaper, this was a smorgasbord of weapon spots that some will love, and others will feel to be too much. However, the aforementioned violence was nothing compared to the end when a drill was introduced! Truthfully, the ending felt a bit hokey as opposed to graphic, as no one believes that Ciampa had a drill inserted into his head. This is wrestling, not Terrifier! Additionally, this felt like a match Ciampa should have won as it was likely the end of the rivalry. Both men’s direction for All In looks unclear, but Ciampa is one of many who deserve more than a multi-man affair.
Giving fans a break from the violence, Andrade El Idolo faced Mark Davis next with the National Championship at stake. Truthfully, it is hard to get into a National Championship match considering AEW has too many titles and this is easily the least important of them. Andrade won to get some revenge on The Don Callis Family, but again this was a very average contest and could have been used on a Dynamite.
The most surprising result came next as Willow Nightingale defeated Thekla to win the AEW Women’s Championship for the first time in her career. Both women have really put the effort in to build to this match, making it feel much more meaningful than previous matches for the title. With Thekla matched on power, this was not a straightforward matchup for the Toxic Spider, who has really shone a light on the women’s division over the past few months. Nightingale won with a backslide to the delight of the fans. Looking set to be a babyface for the rest of her career, Nightingale is someone who has organically got the fans behind her. The win was a surprise and there were no post-match shenanigans, but there is history between Nightingale and her All In opponent, Mercedes Mone. This will be the result fans remember most from the show, and no once can deny that both women didn’t deserve this spot on the card. Much like Ciampa, here’s hoping Thekla still gets her moment at All In.
Then it was time for the main event. If this was the match where Kenny Omega dethroned MJF and won the World Title, you could make a case that this extra show was needed. However, with Kevin Knight basically having no chance at winning this one, the match was nothing more than a formality. Knight tried to take advantage by jumping Omega at the opening bell, but it was clear that the TNT Champion was no match for the World Champion. Knight had some moments, but Will Ospreay vs. Kevin Knight does not scream Wembley Stadium main event. Omega won with the One Winged Angel, and again this was more about after the bell than bell to bell. The Deathriders tried to injure Omega, only for Ospreay to make the save and side with his All In opponent. However, it was Omega who attacked Ospreay at the end of the show, making it clear that they won’t be friends at All In.
AEW Redemption Review – Final Thoughts
If AEW made Redemption a special episode of Dynamite and Collision, fans would have been more accepting at some of the filler matches on the card. However, with no MJF vs. Kenny Omega match, some matches that could have played out on TV and a long runtime, this didn’t hit the home run that many AEW shows do. The women’s matches and Fletcher vs. Babdido saved the show, and the Jericho match will be polarising for fans. Additionally, given that many former WWE names are now free agents, there was an expectation that there would be some debuts. However, when all was said and done, there was no big names being announced as All Elite.
AEW Redemption advanced the stories, but this was not a must-see show.
Featured image: AEW
