AEW Five Fingers of Death 1/27 - 2/2

AEW Collision 2/1/25

RUSH vs Max Caster

MD: I can write hundreds of words about how and why Bowens could be the Kobashi of AEW if he just believed that he could be, that he's the perfect wrestler for the back half of this decade, that he's the perfect wrestler to differentiate AEW from WWE, that he can be organic in every way they're plastic, heartfelt in every way they're self-referential, an underdog that gets closer and closer and closer to the goal with the fans behind him every step of the way.

But Anthony Bowens was not in this match. Max Caster was. And I think maybe he turned a corner here, weirdly enough. The consistent low key matter-of-fact confidence, the denial of reality around himself, the way he put his hand up to do the LFI salute in a kind of "yeah, yeah, right?" way. "Go away" heat is a thing, and I don't quite think Caster reached that point yet. What is "Go away" heat? There's something I like to call the Samoa Joe test. Would the fans rather see a wrestler get beat up by Samoa Joe or would they just rather not see the wrestler at all. For instance, I do not think the fans would currently want to see Chris Jericho get beat up by Samoa Joe more than they would just not want to see Chris Jericho (Here is my major thought on 2025 Chris Jericho btw: https://x.com/MattD_SC/status/1886137775092584452). I think they still would very much enjoy seeing Caster beat up. I think they liked it here.

Speaking of wrestlers pulling from the past, I half think that Blake Christian is well on his way (if he wants it and he should because it fills a niche) to becoming another sort of sleazy player/coach in a Chicky Starr vein, but maybe it's Caster that can bring in a heavy (Mad Dog Connelly's still out there!) and shift half a step to the side. Because otherwise, I'm just not sure what the payoff is here. People will enjoy an open challenge where Caster gets thrashed as an attraction but only for so long. They had him lose right out of the gate so it's not like they're building to him getting comeuppance either. Nor does anyone want to see him redeem himself. So I just don't know... Unless the answer is him bringing in a monster and shifting half a step to the left to manage him, wrestling occasionally (while still proclaiming that he's the best of course). We'll see, I guess.

Which brings us back to RUSH. Love Rush. Loved him here. Loved him crashing across the ring to squash Caster. I talked him up huge a month or two ago and if you believe the internet news, he then got suspended for taking liberties (again) immediately thereafter. He is so visceral and unplanned (feeling) and dynamic. He's totally different from everything else in the company, certainly different from what WWE offers. The poster-child for that difference, but it's a double-edged sword and he leans too hard into who he portrays. You don't get the genius without the madness and all that, but I am not unsympathetic that they can't do more with him.

Now I have wonder if the answer isn't even to try. Use him like they use Suzuki instead. Let him wrestle in Mexico or New Japan (Strong?) or RevPro and then bring him back in as an attraction. I still think the way to sell out All In Texas is to pay LA Park to lose the mask to him, but if you can't do that, then just bring him in now and again to create a buzzworthy match where he can lose after taking his pound of flesh. I don't know what else can be done if he's not able to be counted on week to week. Maybe they should lean into the rumors, play up the idea that he's unpredictable and you never know what you'll get from him. You can't contain what makes him special. You can just hope to channel it in a positive direction.