AEW DON 3.6/5 Stars: Bloody Messes Meet Owen Hart Finals, Complete Card Breakdown
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Mark Briscoe Ricochet Double or Nothing AEW
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The AEW DON card is broken down in its entirety below. Overall match ratings round to the nearest tenth, with subcategory totals separated by 0.25.
Mercedes Money Def. Jamie Hayter 3.6/5 Stars – AEW DON
Storytelling 4.5/5 – This match had the benefit of Owen leading up to the event for weeks. Hayter had a convincing false finish after hitting her finisher. When the ending of the match is won by the author, it could never be five stars. The winner gets a title opportunity at All In for winning the tournament.
Athleticism 3.5/5 – Hayter looked strong, but also slipped while jumping off the stairs. Mone didn’t look out of place, but had a lacklustre performance.
Wrestling And Flow 3.5/5 – The setups were slow, and none of the spots were overly special. Hayter was the stronger athlete. To their credit, they worked in a few entertaining chains.
Intensity 3/5 – They were running and had intensity on their faces, but none of the moves looked stiff, and neither broke a sweat.
FTR Def. Nigel McGuiness And Daniel Garcia 4.1/5 Stars – AEW DON
Storytelling 3.5/5 – The leadup wasn’t the deepest, with these being the only babyfaces “Brave” enough to stand up to their heel antics. It came from attacking commentators, which came into play during the match.
Athleticism 4/5 – More so the three full-time wrestlers, but the match had numerous difficult spots. Strong spots, high spots, pace, it was all there.
Wrestling And Flow 4.5/5 – Despite being the least athletic, McGuiness showed he still knows wrestling, with great timing and reversals. Garcia carried the high spots and speed, while FTR has amazing ring IQ and strength, showing how to piece tag matches together.
Intensity 4.5/5 – Garcia brought the intensity early, and FTR was quick to return the favor. The chops were stiff, and the boys were sweaty.
Ricochet Def. Mark Briscoe 4.3/5 Stars – AEW DON
Storytelling 4/5 – Being the first ever stretcher match on AEW has to count for something. Briscoe also took a moment to shine his opponent’s skull, playing off the running bald joke from the crowd. The match told a story as well, with the babyface mounting a comeback, only to take scissors to the skill in a losing effort.
Athleticism 4/5 – It certainly didn’t have Ricochet’s typical high spots, and it didn’t need it. How they took such beatings and stayed strong is unbelievable.
Wrestling And Flow 4/5 – While not classic wrestling, both men made the safe look dangerous while avoiding too much downtime.
Intensity 5/5 – Stiff strikes, with or without weapons. Briscoe was cut open, and then took numerous headshots off the stretcher, cutting him wide open. Seeing him bleeding all over the floor, dropping an elbow on Ricochet through a table, was an intense observation. Minutes later, he was hit by the trademark gold scissors into the wound, and multiple vicious blows.
The Hurt Syndicate Def. The Sons of Texas 3.6/5 Stars – AEW DON
Storytelling 4/5 – The recent addition of MVP in The Hurt Syndicate is an additional layer of this story. He tried to give his Dynamite Diamond Ring to his new friends, but Lashley and Shelton Benjamin told him to get off the apron. The match was also full of entertaining false finishes. MJF had a bonding moment with the big man, which added to the story, considering they haven’t been getting along.
Athleticism 4.5/5 – The way Bobby Lashley ragdolled Sammy Guevara was as if he threw a sack of potatoes over his shoulder. Guevara got to show his form of athleticism, hitting him with a shooting star press, from the top rope to the floor. Benjamin is not to be forgotten, showing off his agility and strikes.
Wrestling And Flow 3/5 – Outside of a few set spots, it was fairly one-sided, and more about MJF bonding with his new faction.
Intensity 3/5 – They had speed and power, but you can’t say they left everything in the ring.
Kazuchika Okada Def. Mike Bailey 4/5 Stars – AEW DON
Storytelling 3/5 – There wasn’t a deep storyline heading into the match, but the match did a good job. Great back-and-forth leading to the jaw-dropping finish.
Athleticism 4.5/5 – Bailey showed off amazing strikes and highspots. Okada looked strong, stiff, and agile.
Wrestling And Flow 4.5/5 – The two worked well together with slick reversals both ways. The ending was fantastic, with a close finish for Bailey, who then climbed to the top. Jumping into a shooting star press, Okasa reversed it with a drop kick to the dome and finished him off from there.
Intensity 4/5 – The intensity picked up as the match went along, with both men seeming to draw more out of each other. Okasa especially looked powerful on the reversals.
Toni Storm Def. Mina Shirakawa 3.3/5 Stars
Storytelling 3.5/5 – Mina hasn’t been on AEW enough for anything too deep, but there is some storyline crossover. The match also told the story of Shirakawa, focusing on the leg, and Storm working it throughout. It was odd for the challenger to dominate, only to lose to one finisher.
Athleticism 3/5 – While there was nothing bad per se, there was nothing extraordinary either.
Wrestling And Flow 3/5 – It was good, not great. There was just one believable false finish.
Intensity 3.5/5 – While not hard-hitting, they put effort into their performance.
Swerve Strickland, Willow Nightingale, Kenny Omega, and The Opps Def. The Deathriders and The Young Bucks 4.3/5 Stars
Storytelling 3.5/5 – The match storytelling was strange, with the wrestlers calling for various songs during the match. The fourth time they looped Bodies by Drowning Pool was about enough. They did have a natural back-and-forth between the heels and baby faces. There are also crossover storylines between Samoa Joe and Moxley, or The Young Bucks with Strickland or Omega.
Athleticism 4.5/5 – The cardio and toughness were on display for every wrestler in this match. Some flipping off a high ledge, some showing moments of strength, along with a nice pace.
Wrestling and Flow 4/5 – There was no wrestling, and it was impossible to follow the flow early on, with members scattered all over the area. It was certainly entertaining and chaotic. They did get well to highlight one commotion at a time without missing anything, and the wrestlers did work in top-level reversals into the bloody mess.
Intensity 5/5 – The spots were wild. Including, but not limited to:
- Omega tossing Wheeler Yuta off a dangerous ledge, before moonsaulting down onto him.
- Hobbs drove Moxley through a table that was set up in the corner.
- Hobbs laughs after being stuck with a staple gun, even inviting another to the skull.
- Shafir stapled Swerver’s tongue.
- Omega giving one of the Bucks a One Winged Angel off the entrance ramp into exploding electrical wire.
The Don Callis Family Def. Paragon 3.8/5 Stars
Storytelling 3/5 – The main story was actually after the match, when Paragon was outnumbered and attacked, but then saved by Brody King and three of his NJPW allies.
Athleticism 4/5 – Great pace and strength used in conjunction with all men having great ring IQ and movesets.
Wrestling and Flow 4/5 – Paragon showed off great tag-team chemistry and tandem movesets. Don Callis did as well, but also looked stronger. There were great moments inside the match, but it felt short.
Intensity 4/5 – All men were putting in a great physical effort, it just wants the intensity of some of the other matches.
Adam Page Def. Will Ospreay 4.9/5 Stars
Storytelling 5/5- This is the finals of The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, which is a deep story in itself – the winner to receive a title shot at All In. They did well in telling the story during the match. Starting with a tentaive but crisp approach, they would build up the pace and intensity. Leading up to the match, Ospreay was trying to convince Hangman to turn babyface again.
Athleticism 5/5 – The pace and moveset of these men can not be replicated by many. Nobody can likely keep up with Ospreay. Whether you look at the high spots or the mat work, this match was chalked of impressive moments.
Wrestling And Flow 5/5 – Both men are at the top of the mountain with snappy reversals, all of done with smooth execution. They have a wide range in their movesets and love a fast-paced back-and-forth. The level of difficulty on these reversals caught the fan’s attention. It also featured numerous believable false finishes.
Intensity 4.5/5 – They kept things stiff throughout all the high spots and chaos. Potatoes were planted this evening. Multiple great segments started with speed and ended with a stiff, unique reversal.
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