AEW Five Fingers of Death (and Friends) 6/2 - 6/8

AEW Collision 6/4/25

Bandido/Outrunners vs Kyle Fletcher/Konosuke Takeshita/Hechicero

MD: We had a RUSH trios and an Athena proving ground match but I figured I'd spend some time with Kyle Fletcher and Hechicero instead. This was a bit of a time filler as there's no program I'm aware of right now save for a slight feud with Bandido and the Don Callis Family (maybe Archer goes after the ROH belt? They've suggested that previously) but it got to showcase Fletcher and Takeshita, had Bandido looking like a star, and gave us Hechicero hanging out with the DCF and honestly, that's all stuff I can go for. Wrestling for the sake of wrestling is not a sin. It's a joy. It's a mitzvah. It's a blessing. That some bad faith actors online have shaken the foundations of it at times is the opposite of all that. Screw them. This was a blast. 

For one thing, Bandido and Hechicero is a unique pairing. They've only had one singles and that was years ago. Their last interaction was something like five years ago. They match up extremely well. Hechicero can base for Bandido's stuff. Bandido can flow through all the llave and strange style that Hechicero can throw at him. This started with feeling out matwork between the two of them like a proper lucha trios and I loved it. From there everything picked up with the heels all stooging their way out until they caught Bandido and crushed him. Callis was great on commentary putting over Hechicero and showing derision for Bandido (which of course creates the opposite effect because everyone hates Callis).

The heat was lovely, as they beat the crap out of Truth Magnum. People may love big bomb Takeshita in crazy matches that go way over the top but hanging out with Fletcher brings something out in him that I love. Southern heel Takeshita is my favorite by far. He's got swagger, can play around with ref positioning, can let things settle in after the fact. And of course, Kyle Fletcher is the hero of the day, right? Posing, preening, heatseeking by pulling Truth's hand towards the corner when no one was there and following it up with a body slam to control the moment, and then when it came time after the hot tag, he happily looked the fool in a way that made him seem not happy at all, but instead as aggrieved as could be. 

I love the hierarchy at play too. Bandido was able to hold his own and Truth got some big moments, but when it came to slamming Takeshita, for instance, that took an extra bit of effort. Likewise, they weren't allowed to do the double elbow drop even though it would have been a crowd pleaser. I really do believe this stuff matters. Everything has to be earned and has to be consummate to the levels at play. If they were in there against Rocky and Trent it would have made more sense. Against Kyle and Takeshita, it has to be earned more than they could manage on this night. That means anything that anyone else actually manages to get on them later means all the more because it was held back here. I really, truly believe this stuff matters over time. It only matters if they make it matter and if the commentary picks up on it and everyone goes along with it but it's worth trying. It's worth doing things with care, and despite all the bluster and despite the occasional maximalist tendencies, Fletcher and Takeshita are doing things with care. It's going to pay off so long as the company cares too and allows it to. Even the increasingly elaborate ways to set up the Don Callis punch are more and more of a highlight every week (this time it was like a Rube Goldberg machine). My hope? A few months down the line when Eddie Kingston is fighting Kyle Fletcher for something meaningful, Willow gets to be handcuffed to Callis. Just imagine it.

So yeah, this was a blast and wrestling is the best thing going and I hope Hechicero gets to hang out with the DCF more.