Modern Wrestling Musings #2
Who is connecting in AEW and why. CMLL's Homenaje A 2 Leyendas and the use of stakes. Plus, a quick dive on Kanji.
I’m back with a second edition touching on the current wrestling scene and what I’ve been watching. In this one, I’ll take a look at the first quarters for AEW and CMLL with a few talking points and match recommendations. Plus, I did a quick dive on Kanji ahead of her match with Mercedes Mone.
Who Is Connecting In AEW & Why
When I wanted to write about AEW’s 2025 through Dynasty, a few different acts jumped right to mind that I wanted to highlight: Swerve Strickland, Will Ospreay, Toni Storm, The Hurt Syndicate and Kenny Omega.
When any of these wrestlers walk through the curtain, I feel like the energy shifts the most right now.
At first glance, Toni seems like the outlier of that group. The Timeless Toni character is one that started as something fun but I feel like she’s cemented it as a permanent persona since her return. Toni has the highest degree of difficulty of everyone mentioned because she’s asking the most of the audience to go along with her. Yet, she’s matched that with an incredible commitment to the persona. It feels like she lives, eats, and breathes being Timeless Toni now so it makes it easy to go along with the ride. The Holllywood Ending match with Mariah May at Revolution was one of the most violent, emotional, raw matches in recent memory. One that will likely end up being timeless. It earned a lot of trust that the next time she does an extended program, she’ll hit the right notes when the time comes.
Everyone else I mentioned above is doing a great job of playing a version of themselves and that allows for the crowd to easily invest in them.
Swerve Strickland carried himself like a big deal before he got to this position and he’s only built on that. He takes some big swings but I can trust that he’s put a lot of thought into what he’s doing and he’s going to do his best to deliver.
Will Ospreay is one of the few wrestlers going who gives interviews instead of cuts promos. It’s a key distinction that seems almost like a lost art since scripted promos became the industry standard. It’s usually Tony Schiavone in center ring asking him some questions and Will answers. His passion and enthusiasm comes out. It’s probably the most valuable aspect of his whole game right now.
The Hurt Syndicate arrived as heels but they’re just too damn cool to remain as such. MVP’s been unleashed in AEW and I think he’s only scratched the surface of how valuable he could be. Nobody wants to boo Bobby and Shelton. Personally I’d have them and a lot of stars doing more true squash matches. The squash match plus live interview segment was tremendously effective during the peak of WCW Nitro in maintaining and enhancing the popularity of wrestlers.
Lastly, Kenny Omega returned in great shape and initially did some week-to-week TV with Will Ospreay but since then has pulled back a bit to where he can be presented as above it all. Omega’s being more of “himself” and letting the fans show their appreciation for him being back instead of forcing some contrived TV wrestling storyline.
A few other highlights on the programming have been Ricochet’s great commitment to his heel persona. He’s quickly joining the group above in making me forget there was any other version of him when he’s on screen. Harley Cameron maximized her minutes like no other and has made herself a valuable weekly TV character. Kyle Fletcher continues to go in the right direction as a heel. Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Roderick Strong have really found their form as a unit after it initially seemed like a step backward for them to reunite. It feels like a one step back, two steps forward situation. At this stage of their respective careers, they can settle into a nice role and provide depth. I’ve enjoyed Daniel Garcia’s TNT Title run and turning the title into more of a TV Title. There seems to be more of a hierarchy emerging with AEW Titles which is a good thing. Mercedes Mone has hit her stride and finally feels at home in AEW.
Overall, I’ve liked consistently liked AEW more in the first quarter of 2025 than I was really expecting heading into the year. The different venues have been a major improvement atheistically as well. In the age of everything looking cookie cutter, it’s been a nice surprise to see unique looking venues.
My Recommended Matches:
Timeless Toni Storm vs. Mariah May - Hollywood Ending (3/9 Revolution)
Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe (2/8 Collision)
Kenny Omega & Will Ospreay vs. Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita (2/15 Grand Slam: Australia)
Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Big Bill - Street Fight (2/19 Dynamite)
Ricochet vs. Swerve Strickland (2/5 Dynamite)
CMLL Homenaje A 2 Leyendas & Stakes
CMLL’s Homenaje A 2 Leyendas ("Tribute to Two Legends") featured a high stakes Mask versus Mask match that may have reshaped the careers of both men.
The setup was classic CMLL as they ran a Relevos Increibles tag match (Esfinge & El Valiente vs. Zandokan Jr. & Star Jr.), as bitter rivals teamed up with the winning team battling each other in a Mask versus Mask match. The prize of taking your hated rivals mask is so big that it’s worth the risk of losing your own.
I went in expecting Esfinge or El Valiente to lose their mask but hoping that Zandokan Jr. and Star Jr. would be the ones to make it to the finale. The two young rivals have pushed each other and the promotion with their heated rivalry so on paper they looked to be the best option. Much to my delight Zandokan Jr. and Star Jr. prevailed and immediately faced off with their masks on the line.
Not only was it a great match but it was one of the most violent matches you’ll see in current day CMLL. At one point, the two started exchanging vicious headbutts and showing they’d put it all on the line to get that mask. Ultimately, Zandokan Jr. prevailed and got the big moment of taking his rival’s mask in Arena Mexico.
The night didn’t end there for Star Jr. was he knocked out Zandokan Jr. and continued to bring his newfound edge and aggression into subsequent matches. Early returns suggest that while Zandokan Jr. seems destined to be a consistent headliner in CMLL, Star Jr. may have unlocked a new ceiling for himself in defeat.
This match brought to mind the power of stakes in wrestling. Nobody does them better or protects them more than lucha libre, especially the mask. They take the match up a notch because the audience can feel that something real is on the line. That’s why a match likes Atlantis vs. Villano III will live forever.
But stakes only work if they’re protected. Too often, especially in US wrestling, retirements, career-ending matches, loser leaves town, became cheap tricks to pop a house or number but were never followed through on. The trust with audience was completely eroded and I think we’re only now at a point where big stakes could be reintroduced and protected. The stakes don’t always need to be overt either. The outcome of the match just needs to feel consequential.
A few other highlights from early in CMLL’s year included the Torneo De Escuelas where teams from the different training schools face off. There’s ton of great talent in the pipeline and the matches they put on were among the best in the early part of the year. I also enjoyed the usage of some different AEW talent as part of their working relationship. Konosuke Takeshita felt at home in Arena Mexico while Hologram and Komander killed it in their big tag team match against Mistico and Mascara Dorada. Hechicero is still consistently bring top quality and his match with Blue Panther early in the year topped their match from last year. There have been tons of great trios matches to pick from as well.
My Recommended Matches:
Zandokan Jr vs. Star Jr. (3/21)
Blue Panther vs. Hechicero (1/10)
Team Guadalajara vs. Team CDMX (2/21)
Mistico, Atlantis Jr., Titan vs. Hechicero, Soberano Jr., Barbaro Cavernario (2/7)
Konosuke Takeshita vs. Angel De Oro (2/28)
Kanji: Quick Dive
Kanji is a British wrestler who came on my radar when I saw she’d be challenging Mercedes Mone for the RevPro British Women’s Title on April 16. I can’t recall seeing her wrestle before so I decided to do a quick dive, watch a few matches, and learn about someone new!
The first match I watched was Kanji against Serena Deeb from RevPro Uprising 2024 that they’ve uploaded for free on their YouTube Channel. Kanji entered with a damaged arm and sold it well during the match. Deeb was really on her game here playing the gritty veteran. Kanji took the role as the plucky underdog and did well with it. She bumped, and sold well. Hit a nice bridge full nelson, a calf slicer and a banana split. I liked the good counters and fight for the finish which Kanji won off a great one. A very good match where Kanji fit in well and never looked out of place for a second. This is likely the closest type of match I could see her having in AEW/ROH and I feel like it’d be well received.
Up next, I took a look at Kanji against Jordon Breaks from Pro Wrestling Ceasefire NOW! in London. Breaks does the throwback British style and does it well. They went hold for hold and Kanji had good believable counters. This was worked at a terrific pace and everything felt very logical and considered. Kanji’s unique offense worked really well and she got the crowd behind her. She laid all her strikes in and there’s a great moment where Breaks has to use the ropes which gets big heat. Breaks ultimately gets a big swing and a scorpion deathlock for the win. A great match. They've run it back a couple times and those are up on YouTube as well.
Finally, I sought out the match referenced in the promo above. Kanji taking on Nina Samuels in a grudge mach from PROGRESS Chapter 174: VENDETTA 2. They brought the intensity off the bell to match the promo which was much appreciated. They each came in with damage and attacked the other. I liked the leap through the legs elbow that Kanji delivered and really nice misdirection kick that was a play on the pounce. Kanji really brought it in this and it’s easy to see why the live crowds get behind her so much. Nina pulled off a nice bit of trickery with her injured arm to steal the win. Good match.
Overall, I’m really looking to see how the Mercedes Mone match turns out because Kanji seems like a perfect stylistic opponent for her.
I hope you enjoyed this second edition. Please like, share, and subscribe!
Modern Wrestling Musings #1
Creating this as a catch-all space for current wrestling that I’m watching and enjoying. My plan is to bounce around to a few different promotions throughout the year as time permits. I also find it easier to catch up on promotions at various times instead of trying to follow them in real-time.
Great read!
I haven’t kept up with CMLL as much as I’d have liked to this year, but I thought the show last Friday from Titan’s match onwards was a lot of fun, capped off by the great main event.
Agreed with your AEW guys and girls who are really connecting atm. I’d throw Takeshita in there too, but that’s really just from an in-ring perspective. His character could be a little directionless now he’s lost the International Title.