AEW Five Fingers of Death 8/3 - 8/9 Part 1

ROH TV 8/6/26

Eddie Kingston/Ortiz vs RPG Vice (Trent Baretta/Rocky Romero) 

MD: Where's Eddie Kingston?

Oh, well, have you seen Eddie Kingston lately? He had had a bad leg injury. 

Yeah, well, I have seen Eddie Kingston. I saw him vs Joe. I saw him vs Charli. I saw him in Germany vs Tihanyi and in London against Manders and in 8 man action on ROH. I haven't seen him again Cannon and Hot Sauce though but he's done that too. 

As I write this on Friday, the day after ROH aired, he's about to face Mason and then he'll be back on AEW TV in the Continental Cup against Doyle (edit: I'll hit that next week, but we all saw him there).   

So I have seen Eddie Kingston and I can speak to Eddie Kingston. One thing I can say, without a doubt, that there's no scenario more compelling for the sometimes fascinating and always frustrating morass that is Jon Moxley's last year than to see him interact with Eddie Kingston.

But that's beside the point. 

The point is that Eddie is right here on ROH, teaming with Ortiz against RPG Vice. This was set up by Eddie and Ortiz talking about how they want to face the hungry young talents and by RPG Vice saying they just wanted an easy win. It was set up by RPG Vice being taken by surprise by Warner and Zayne and Eddie and Ortiz making the save post match. 

It's on ROH TV. It's studio wrestling. It feels like wrestling for the sake of wrestling. It hits just right.

What it feels like, and I mean this in the best way possible, is 1997-8 WCW Saturday Night where you'd have the NWO B-Team facing off against Rick Steiner and ... let's say Brad Armstrong. I don't know if that specific match ever happened, but it's something which makes the world seem a little more vibrant and lived in, something with low but personal stakes. A skirmish in a broader war between the Don Callis Family and everyone else.

And in some ways, Eddie feels like Rick Steiner in 98. Still as over as can be. Still a presence. Still a Star. The fans would pay to see him. The fans would chant his name. He can get under someone and throw a suplex. He hits hard. And when first Rocky and then Trent tried to get in his face late match when he had the Stretch Plum on, one stare from Eddie had as much of an effect on a crowd as ten moves from someone else.

He's credible. People believe in him. 

A great booker could make magic out of that. I think there are only two or three guys on the roster that can move a crowd the same way (Bandido, Briscoe, and maybe Hangman though that's frayed a bit). 

A matchmaker though? That makes it a little trickier. But I think the answer remains true, because I saw the Manders match and the Joe match and I especially saw the Evans match. I can imagine Eddie against any member of the Death Riders and what that could look like with the right positioning and the right framing? 

Do I think he could have Omega vs Okada or Komander vs Dorada or Fletcher vs Ospreay right now? No. But they're already on the roster, more or less. Do I think Omega vs Kingston would be special? Yes. Do I think Fletcher vs Kingston would be special? Yes. Do I think Moxley vs Kingston would be special? I think there isn't a match the company could currently put on that would be as potentially special if it was framed by Kingston calling Mox out like no one else could. MJF vs Kingston is up there as well. It'd have a different flavor than MJF vs Briscoe. 

Do I think that there's a heel run in Eddie where he could base for all other guys in those equations? Yeah, I do think that too. World got away from him. Chip on his shoulder. Fans love him but I think he could get heat if anyone could. He stands out as different on a roster which has so many overlaps, but he could still interface with those guys in so many compelling ways.

Ortiz worked the brunt of this one. It had multiple bits of heat with multiple comebacks, a fairly unconventional style. Trent and Rocky's arrogance caused them to slip up once or twice. It was compelling. It had the crowd. There were Eddie chants. There was even a This is Awesome chant. It felt longer than it was, but not in a bad way. It felt like it could have gone either way. There were a few very specific things that Eddie did (a hand sell after a Gotch Pile Driver, turning his head at the start of the match in surprise as the fans chanted for him, the way he handled those Stretch Plum moments) that were as good as what anyone else in the world is doing. Post match, RPG Vice got their heat back laying out Eddie and Ortiz and then Eddie in the back (with Mance and Ortiz with him), cut the most human, believable, compelling promo I heard all month, just like that. Again, it felt like the NWO B-Team and some people will tell you that's a problem, but not me. There was real utility to those guys doing their things in their own way on Saturday Night, a big fish in a smaller pond making the world feel more lived in. 

So where's Eddie? He's right here, and if you can't see the unique value he offers in 2026, it's you who have a small idea of what pro wrestling is and what pro wrestling can be. 

 Athena vs Janai Kai [Proving Ground]

MD: I came into this one thinking it wouldn't be too unlike the "Athena In Action" match on Collision a few weeks ago against Ava Everett. I thought Athena did a good job there emotionally selling Everett getting one over on her and surviving one of her moves, even if she didn't give her much offense.  

Hierarchy matters in my mind. Yes, I know you can have Omega give a long match to Angels or Flair to Mike Jackson or whatever and they could be good and they might even still serve purpose, but maybe they're almost too good for what is needed for the big picture and maybe they could serve a more important purpose in a better way. The more over someone is, the more established they are, the more dangerous and protected they are presented, the less it takes to get an opponent something tangible with them.

There are people who will disagree with me on the balance. It works the other way as well. The more a heel like Athena gives her opponent, the more it means when she goes over them. Theoretically, there's a balance where she gives a lot and that puts over both the opponent and Athena. But how much was Ava Everett supposed to get over on her? How much did Athena need to show Everett was an opponent worth facing? It's a balance, right? And I think the balance for Everett was different than the balance for, let's say Persephone or Maya World, and somewhere in the middle, you have Kai.

Athena started the match (post left handed dainty handshake, of course) with a lock up. When she didn't get her way she immediately stepped on Kai's exposed foot and got a headlock out of it. Already, it raises a flag. Why would Athena have to go to such lengths. Kai lifted her leg for momentum and turned things around. Athena got the better of the exchange and mocked Kai for being called the Kick Demon. Kai came back with a kick. Athena ducked away in a panic, barely dodging it, and then jumped into Billie's arms on the outside. Athena, on her way back in, started immediately in on the legs, showing how dangerous she felt Kai was and how seriously she was taking her.

If Kai got nothing else the entire match, that would have been substantial. She got Athena to go dirty early. She got her to scurry out. She got her to treat her like an actual threat. Considering the hierarchy difference, that's actually a lot. It's a ton. Yes, Kai is a name to those who pay attention. She's been featured on MLW. She's a unique wrestler. But she's 0-8 in ROH coming into this match. If she didn't get a single piece of offense in the rest of the match, she'd still come out looking better than she came in just for putting Athena on her back foot and making her take her seriously.

But they seem to be pushing her towards a bigger role and she ended up getting quite a bit more, coming back with kicks, forcing Athena to pull the hair, forcing Billie to get involved on the apron, surviving a nasty curb stomp, and then only losing because Billie intervened with the title belt. Maybe she would have lost anyway, but you got the sense she was going to survive the ten minutes. 

With just that first bit, she would have come out better off, entirely on the strength of her own confidence and Athena's ability to let things get to her and give things emotional resonance, to cash in on the value she has banked up over the last many years. But by giving Kai all the more (and by Kai taking it for her performance matters here just as much), she came out of this with a post-match promo and a match with Billie ahead of her and it all feels entirely credible. Details matter and the details here worked exactly as they were supposed to. 

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Paradigm Pro: UWFI Contenders Series Episode 4

ER: Paradigm put on a better show last week than AEW did, so we're dedicating the Wednesday night slot to Paradigm this week. Better show gets written up fresh the next week. 

YOYA vs. Don't Die Miles

ER: I liked the standing portions of this a lot more than the grounded portions. I especially liked how we started, with Morales getting a quick German and then a nice flying knee. Later he snuck in this cool hooking kick to YOYA's chin that I think should have at least gotten a knockdown. They have a lot of points to work with in these matches and they hardly ever get used, instead moving right on from the best looking strike in the match. But I thought a lot of the ground work looked bad, especially the striking. YOYA had mount and was throwing little slaps off Miles' arms, and half of them weren't even making contact with the arms. I thought Miles fighting for a fireman's carry looked good, but stuff like that kept taking a backseat to unconvincing YOYA takedowns or a standing slap sequence that went too long. I liked the finish, with YOYA hitting a Saito suplex and holding on to slip on an armbar, but for a guy supposed to be working an "in over his head" angle, I thought Miles showed far more poise. 

PAS: I liked how frantic everything was, this approximated one of those insane WEC Banatamweight fights with tiny guys just going after everything a million miles an hour. Really liked the open 20 seconds with the Miles suplex and big knee, and Yoya is so small that even a small guy like Miles can throw him in interesting ways. I thought some of the stand up exchanges were really bad, you can do fast hands stuff and have it look effective even if it isn't stiff, but this looked like two guys swatting flies. Finish was cool, and I would be into a little dudes shoot division, but I am not sure overall this entirely worked.

Tommy Kyle Dean vs. Janai Kai

PAS: Both wrestlers have Tae Kwon Doe black belts, but unfortunately this felt more like half speed dojo sparring then a competitive wrestling match. Felt like they were practicing rather than fighting and the KO shot either missed entirely or was the victim of a bad camera angle. 

ER: Yeah this really didn't feel like an actual match. This felt like two people playing a fighting game only neither person knows the button combos so 80% of the fight is high right kicks. Occasionally you get lucky while button mashing and come out with something cool (like Dean's leg scissor takedown and Kai's heel axe kicks to break the follow up kneebar), but the kicks all looked like two people practicing distance rather than trying to hit each other. The fast front spin kick by Kai into the KO hook kick by Dean had great form, but agree that it either missed by a foot or made totally silent connection. Either way, it fell flat as a finish, but it only makes sense to miss the finish kick since none of the other kicks seemed to land. 

Robert Marytr vs. Jeffery John

PAS: The start of this match didn't do a ton for me, felt a little formless and the shots weren't doing much. Then John hits a gross sounding headbutt, which Martyr sells like a MMA fighter who is dropped, including trying to take down the referee. Martyr is able to get his bearings, grab kind of a half choke and takedown, and land some sick Pride stomps to the back of the head for a KO. Great finish run will go a long way, and love Martyr as a guy with fun realistic knock out selling. 

ER: This was fun, thought it picked up early with a great Martyr knee, and that headbutt that downed Martyr was a great moment. I loved Martyr's selling, fully bought into it, thought he looked legitimately loopy and I love a well used/well done ref takedown spot. The stand up didn't always look great but I liked how both guys were using head movement and it lead to some interesting stuff. The finish was real sick, with Martyr fighting through the cobwebs and getting a real mean choke, looked like the kind of thing a big brother locks in way too hard after he catches his annoying little brother in his room, and the stomps to the head for the stoppage looked sick. 

3. Hoodfoot vs. Isaiah Broner

PAS: Tremendous atmosphere, really felt like a West Oakland fist fight between two of the baddest guys in Fruitvale. Loved all of the pissed off shit talking and mean mugging. There are basically three moments in this match, they come together throwing, and Broner grabs Hoodfoot and throws him down. They get back up again exchanging and Broner drops him with a sick short hook. They go at it again and Hoodfoot hits a fast Saito and two big swinging forearms to the head for a KO. I loved all three moments, I kind of wanted one or two more - this was maybe 2 minutes long - and it could have been a killer 3 and half minutes. I wanted Broner to get to his feet after the Hoodfoot KO, even if only to get dropped again. Still I adore Hoodfoot as a guy with one punch KO power, and he really brings something special. And I'm really into Broner too, just a pair of badass looking tough guys. I would totally be into running this back again. 

ER: This really did have a great feel to it. A lot of these matches have been fun, but they can feel a little faceless. This felt like two big personalities having a big showdown, and most importantly: These were two guys I *wanted* to see fight. Any fight has the potential to be a good fight, but I love a fight where I just want to already SEE the guys fight. Hoodfoot has become a fast favorite of mine, and Broner has a great look, great vibe. Last week we had one of my favorite sub 3 minute matches, and now we have one of the great sub 2 minute matches. This is the kind of stand and trade I can get behind, as they just start swinging arms and seemed fine to keep that up until either of their Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot heads popped off. I bought into Broner getting the potential upset, and loved how the had him drop Hoodfoot first, loved that advancing short hook he cracked him with. Hoodfoot's Saito suplex is really great, like the fast kind of backdrop drivers that Kobashi used to take right on his head, and I love how he wasn't messing around and got right to throwing those forearms. I wish we got twice as much as we did, and I don't think it honestly would have taken a ton more for me to want to add this to our MOTY List. Run this back, let 'em go 5 minutes, then let 'em take over the indies. 

2021 MOTY MASTER LIST

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Paradigm Pro: UWFI Rules Contenders Series Episode 1

ER: I haven't been enjoying AEW the past few weeks, TNT messed up my area broadcast of AEW tonight anyway, and the first episode of Paradigm Pro's Indiana Inokiism just happened to be tonight. Sounds like some signs pointed to us checking this one out. Big Beef is the only wrestler on this show who I have seen, and I haven't even heard of the rest of them. We're going into this blind.

PAS: This is kind of a silly idea, but silly in an awesome way. Midwest indy guys working empty arena UWFI rules matches is very much our kind of shit. I really liked the opening video graphic illegally mixing in clips of Buster Douglas and UFC fights, just hammy enough.

Big Beef Gnarls Garvin vs. Lord Crewe

PAS: Pair of solid looks on these two, really feels like an unexpected post Hardcore show fist fight at the back bar of the Black Cat. Garvin is a thick guy and despite Crewe being listed as a bare knuckled fighter, Garvin had the advantage throwing shots as he really put his weight behind them. The UWFI rules forbid closed punches to the head and it didn't feel like Crewe fully mastered throwing good looking open hands. I did like his jumping choke finish and he had some nice post match trash talking. 

ER: I think the UWFI rules held back the striking here, as the big swinging arm shots from Beef looked really dangerous for something that would have looked better as a worked punch. Kind of like how Foley said Bob Holly had bad looking punches that actually hurt - the worst combination. Beef is probably killing Crewe with open hands and heavy arms but actual worked punches would probably look better. Beef had a couple great suplexes, including a big German and another that just looked like him throwing a sack of concrete. He's put on big size during the pandemic, but I think it really works for his whole thing. Wrestling needs guys that look like Beef. I was excited to see Crewe after buying into some of the pre-match hype on him, but he didn't show a ton here. Some guys excel in this weird scheme and others don't, I'll see him some day under his own style and I'll make my judgment then. 

Janai Kai vs. Jordan Blade

PAS: Fun style clash with Kai working a Muay Thai gimmick, and Blade being a powerlifter and grappler (with cool nickname the Anklebreaker). Both ladies were DMV based, and I imagine this might be a touring match of a sort. Kai has really fast hands and used the speed to dominate on her feet, Blade took her down and dominated her on the mat before letting her up, dropping to her own back and calling Kai in, only to lock in an ankle lock for the tap. Blade got put over really strong here looked mostly unbothered. Not sure whether this leads to intergender shoot style or if they have a deeper distaff bench, but I was into what I saw. 

ER: I really liked what both these two brought, with Blade being maybe the biggest female fighter I've seen on the indy scene (tale of the tape said gold medal powerlifting background, and a female Mark Henry would be such a cool thing to see), and Kai's Muay Thai looked like a whole complete look. This started with it looking like it was going to be a Kai showcase with all her cool flash, but Blade started powering her down and basically smothering Kai. There was a great moment where the lifter finally got the bumblebee and slammed her down, immediately kneeling into her back and beginning a pounding that doesn't let up until she gets that ankle lock. Very curious to see more. 

Crash Jaxon vs. Isaiah Broner

PAS: Jaxon is a big kid out of Ohio while Broner is a menacing looking black dude from Detroit. This is short and sweet, Jaxon gets a throw but runs right into a spinning back elbow that damn near takes his head off for the fast KO. Broner calls out Hoodfoot after telling JRose the ring announcer to "Social Distance your ass to the back." Impressive way to make someone, and I like how they don't need every match to be 55/45.

ER: I get why they did this but I really wanted to see this one play out. Jaxon had a huge throw before he got put down hard by a Broner back elbow (even nicer than one Big Beef used earlier) and it looked like something that could be a KO. That's the most important thing, that your KO finish look like something that would result in a KO. They could still run this match back and you've got your built in story of Jaxon feeling robbed. 

Lexus Montez vs. Tommy Kyle Dean

PAS: This didn't fully work for me, both guys seemed to have ideas which didn't totally come off. This was one of the longer matches of the night, and despite some attempts at things, nothing really stood out. Montez wins with a spinning back elbow, which was probably a mistake with Broner's looking way better in the previous match. I would be fine seeing either guy again (TKD is an AIW student and while he hasn't done much for me yet in AIW, that school has a great track record), but this show has nicely made stars, and this didn't.

ER: I liked this a little more than Phil, but I get where he's coming from. It's hard on a show like this to not have guys doing similar versions of what others have already done on the same show, some of it is going to look better, some will look worse. I liked the things they went for and liked the messiness of some of the positions they wound up in. I liked when TKD missed a shot and Montez wound up standing over him, lobbing elbows at the back of his head. TKD would throw out a bunch of kicks and at one point looked like he was trying to intentionally miss a high kick to turn it into a kind of leveraged armbar takedown. None of those things worked, but I appreciated the "First 3 UFC events" feel of the approach. I liked the back elbow finish and thought it worked even with a nastier looking back elbow finish the match directly before. It would have made sense to not double up on the same finish back to back, but if it looks good it looks good. 

Hoodfoot Mo Atlas vs. Flash Thompson

PAS: I thought this was pretty rad for a short match. Thompson was listed as the Indiana Golden Gloves champion, and I liked his head movement and body placement, he looked like a fighter. Hoodfoot is a big charismatic guy who feels like a champion, and it was mostly the speed and technique of Thompson against the power of Atlas. We get several go behinds by Atlas, one results in a Thompson ankle lock, and two others are just dismissive throws to the ground by Atlas. Finish exchange is pretty great, both guys have figured out how to throw good looking open hand strikes, with Thompson throwing cool combos including rocking Atlas with a dip uppercut, before running into a monster looking right hook for the KO. The announcers were making Kimbo Slice and Mike Tyson comps, and it only felt a bit like hyperbole. 

ER: I love matches that barely go 3 minutes but manage to pack in a ton of detail work. Most of this match was worked real tight, a lot of need exchanges thrown from the clinch. I like how off speed they worked in the clinch, both throwing at awkward times instead of more measured turns, and I liked the ways each found to outgun the other. The short range striking can be hard to make look right, and they kept it smart by mixing it up with hard knees in between the open hand shots. The rolling ankle lock from an Atlas go behind looked good, loved how Thompson would set it up with a back elbow. As we've established already on Episode 1, back elbows are murder in Paradigm. So Atlas gets sick of taking back elbows whenever he slips into a go behind, and decides the best way to prevent those is to just toss Flash to the mat. The KO looked strong, and I liked all the KOs on this show. Shows running Only KO/Sub stoppages usually end up with a couple duds, a couple fights ending on this that looked like the weakest shot of the fight, but the KOs on this show all looked like the finish. 

PAS: They finish with a pretty heated pull apart with Hoodfoot and Broner, and they sold me a virtual ticket to that fight for sure.  Fun show, want to see more for sure.

ER: This show came at the right time, on a night where the AEW airings got all messed up in my area, coming after me not enjoying Dynamite for the past several episodes. Something totally different - in this case a Wednesday night UWFI rules show - was the right change of pace. I like some things they set up for future shows, and am excited to see what matches break away from the pack and become shootstyle classics.

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