AEW Redemption Review - July 27, 2026

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Buy-In: The Rougeaus Attacked Rocky Romero

It was advertised ahead of time that The Rougeaus would be honored on this show with it emanating from Montreal. It was a nice moment, but their promos lasted way too long and it reached a point where it sounded like the crowd didn't really know how to react. Romero was a fine person to put in there so they could make him look like an idiot, but the segment would have benefited from being slightly shorter.

The Buy-In: AEW World Trios Champions The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly) def. The Lethal Twist (Jay Lethal and The Swirl)

I'm stunned they limited the pre-show to just one match. It's a refreshing change, though, and this was a worthy addition to the card despite there being zero doubt that The Conglomeration were retaining their Trios titles. Lethal Twist are largely exclusive to Ring of Honor and they're a good group, but they didn't stand a chance here. This was a nice bout and I appreciate that The Conglomeration have been fighting champions. They'll defend against The Demand on Wednesday's Dynamite.

"Speedball" Mile Bailey def. El Clon, Jack Perry, Nick Wayne, The Beast Mortos and Komander in an AEW International Championship No. 1 Contender's 6-Way Match

We see so many damn Ladder matches in wrestling these days that I can't say this did much to stand out from the rest (nor was it necessary), but it was enjoyable for what it was with everyone getting a chance to shine. Bailey was the right winner with him being a Canada native, and we found out later on that he's choosing to challenge Kyle Fletcher for the International title on the Grand Slam: Mexico edition of Dynamite next Wednesday.

The Young Bucks def. The Death Riders (AEW Continental Champion Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay)

This was the perfect match to do heading into All In with Ospreay facing the Bucks' buddy Kenny Omega at that event, but without anything at stake, this definitely did not need almost 20 minutes. They went overboard with the nearfalls, but at least they told a solid story in the end. Moxley and Ospreay losing was the correct outcome and played into the angle that closed the show.

AEW International Champion Kyle Fletcher def. ROH World Champion Bandido (ROH World Championship Was Not Defended)

How many high-profile matches has Bandido had in AEW this year that he's lost? It's ridiculous, especially since he's the reigning ROH World Champion and they expect viewers to care about that belt. I'm not saying he should have won the AEW International Championship here, but he can't keep coming up short when it matters most. On the bright side, he and Fletcher had a hell of an outing, though they could have trimmed off five or so minutes.

The Dogs (David Finlay and Clark Connors) def. Bang Bang Gang (Juice Robinson and Jay White) in a Double Dog Chain Match

This was the low point of the pay-per-view for me. That's not to say it was bad by any means, but it was certainly boring. I know I'm not the only one who felt that way based on how apathetic the crowd was. The Dogs just aren't interesting to me, so although this was well worked, it felt like it dragged. The Dogs needed this win if we're going to get Finlay one-on-one with White eventually.

Maya World def. Hikaru Shida to Win the AEW TBS Championship

You can make the case for this being a television-quality contest, but if they bumped this to Dynamite or Collision, this show would have only had one women's match, so I didn't have a problem with it making the card. Plus, World won the TBS title, which was a wonderful surprise. She's broken out over the past two months and this was a wise way to capitalize on her momentum. The match wasn't anything out of the ordinary and the crowd was quiet for it, but it ended on a high note.

​AEW World Tag Team Champions Cage & Cope def. The Death Riders (Pac and Claudio Castagnoli)

This suffered from the same problem as most of the matches on this show in that it was obvious Cage & Cope weren't dropping the tag titles so close to All In. Pac and Castagnoli are a talented tandem, but they were just two notable names for the champs to beat. The Canadian crowd being behind their boys made this more fun. Post-match, Cage & Cope defending against the Bucks was made official for All In.

"The Painmaker" Jericho def. Tommaso Ciampa in a No Holds Barred Match

This was the obligatory hardcore match of the show, and when I say "hardcore," I mean they above and beyond to make the most of the stipulation. This sort of stuff isn't my cup of tea personally, but the crowd ate it up and you can't call it disappointing. Jericho going over was expected since Ciampa stole the win in their initial encounter at Beach Break. This feud has been a decent use of both guys, but I'm already ready for them to move on.

Andrade El Idolo def. Mark Davis to Win the AEW National Championship

Davis' reign has totally exceeded my expectations over the last few months, but it made sense for Andrade to take the title with the momentum he's had since turning babyface. It's strange that this went shorter than some of the other matches on this show, but nitpicking aside, this was a blast. I assume Andrade faces MJF at All In and the National title will be on the line.

Willow Nightingale def. Artist of Stardom Champion Thekla to Win the AEW Women's World Championship

I love Nightingale, but it's a bummer that Thekla seemingly won't be a part of the title match at All In after carrying the women's division all year. I doubt it turns into a three-way, either. On the bright side, this was a top-notch match from these two. I can only get so excited about Nightingale winning the AEW Women's World title as I fear she's going to lose it to Mercedes Mone at All In. Mone failing in her third opportunity at the title would also be questionable, so it's a lose-lose.

AEW World Champion Kenny Omega def. AEW TNT Champion Kevin Knight (AEW TNT Championship Was Not Defended)

This followed the same formula as last year's All Out main event in that the TNT champ took the world champ to the limit in an entertaining main event. Of course, it was the most predictable match on the entire show, but Knight didn't look out of place in the ring with Omega whatsoever. The post-match angle was actually better with Death Riders attempting to attack Omega before Ospreay fended them off, so Ospreay's alliance with the group is already over. I didn't see Omega laying out Ospreay as a heel turn as much as him not knowing Ospreay was trying to help him. It's a weak explanation, but it does establish more tension between the two going into their big championship clash.

Overall Show

Props to Tony Khan for starting the show an hour earlier than usual, but the runtime was still egregious at almost five hours (not counting The Buy-In pre-show). It didn't help that this was very much a filler event both on paper an in execution, but I can think of worse ways to spend a Sunday night. There was an abundance of above-average action but not much in the way of major developments aside from the three title changes.

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