AEW Redemption Winners, Live Grades and Reaction

The first AEW Redemption pay-per-view took place on Sunday at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and AEW kicked off the action an hour earlier than usual as part of an experiment to test different start times.

Here's a look at the card from Sunday's show:

• The Conglomeration vs. Lethal Twist (Trios Championships)
• Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay vs. The Young Bucks
• Jay White and Juice Robinson vs. Clark Connors and David Finlay (Double Chain match)
• Jack Perry vs. Beast Mortos vs. Komander vs. Mike Bailey vs. Nick Wayne vs. El Clon (No. 1 Contender for International Title Ladder match)
• Kyle Fletcher vs. Bandido (International Championship)
• Chris Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa (No Holds Barred)
• Mark Davis vs. Andrade El Idolo (National Championship)
• Hikaru Shida vs. Maya World (TBS Championship)
• Christian Cage and Adam Copeland vs. Pac and Claudio Castagnoli (Men's Tag Team Championships)
• Kenny Omega vs. Kevin Knight (Men's World Championship)
• Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale (Women's World Championship)

Let's take a look at what went down at the first Redemption PPV.

The Conglomeration vs. Lethal Twist (Trios Championships)

Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly put the Trios Championships on the line against Jay Lethal, Lee Johnson and Blake Christian in the only match on the Buy-In. The Demand sat at the commentary table to watch.

Roddy and Lethal kicked things off for their teams. The Conglomerations controlled the pace for the first few minutes, but Lethal Twist eventually managed to isolate Strong.

All six of these guys are well regarded for their in-ring skills, but O'Reilly, Strong and Christian definitely stood out the most. Their respective styles each bring something different to the table, and they helped create some of the best moments in the match.

The trios titles often feel like an afterthought in AEW, but the talent always makes the matches fun to watch. This was a good choice to put on the Buy-In because it won't outshine the rest of the show, but it was still good enough to get the crowd excited for what's to come.

The champions retained after Roddy hit Lethal with a huge backbreaker and then threw OC on top of him to get the pin.

Result: The Conglomeration defeated Lethal Twist

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• Where can we buy the raccoon shirt Mick Foley was wearing?
• Daddy Magic oversaw the Rougeau Brothers tribute. They ended up beating up Rocky Romero.
• The graphics for The Conglomeration on the big screen were awesome. It fit the sitcom aesthetic perfectly.
• Christian stole Cassidy's jean jacket to wear during the match.
• Roddy hit a chop early in the match that made a very loud sound.
• Christian's suicide dive into a moonsault was an awesome spot.

International Title No. 1 Contender's Ladder Match

The first match on the main card was the six-way Ladder match to find the next No. 1 contender for the International Championship. The competitors were The Beast Mortos, Nick Wayne, Jack Perry, Mike Bailey. Komander, and El Clon.

The match started moments after the PPV officially began, so we got right into the fun. All six men got into the ring and started fighting, which was a little strange since all of the ladders were still at ringside.

Multi-man Ladder matches have existed across multiple promotions for decades by this point, so we all came into this knowing it was going to be a series of car crashes. If we listed off every spot that looked painful, you would be reading for a very long time.

That bar has been set high for this kind of stipulation, but AEW picked a variety of guys who were up to the challenge, especially the three men wearing masks. Wayne, Perry and Bailey all had great moments, too, but the luchadors provided some of the biggest highlights.

This was entertaining from start to finish. It wasn't perfect, but few matches with this many moving pieces are. Everyone involved did an excellent job making sure the crowd got what they paid for with this one.

Several tables were broken around the ring to add some extra excitement to an already exciting bout. The hometown boy ended up winning when Bailey took down the contract to claim the title shot. The crowd erupted for him.

Result: Bailey won the title shot

Grade: A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• It was smart to have all of the entrances take place on the pre-show to save some time.
• Speedball got the biggest reaction during the entrances by a wide margin, which makes sense since he is from the area.
• The way Mortos ran into the ladder Clon was holding to take him and Perry down at the same time was creative.
• Nigel McGuinness called a headbutt a Glasgow Kiss, which is what Drew McIntyre calls his signature headbutt, but it's also a common term used for the move.
• Bailey's moonsault from the top of the ladder on the stage was awesome.
• Komander running across the top rope before putting Wayne through a table with a corkscrew splash was bonkers.

The Young Bucks vs. Jon Moxley and Will Ospreay

Matt and Nick Jackson had a bone to pick with Will Ospreay after he took away their EVP status last year, so they were hoping to get some revenge when they faced Billy Goat and Jon Moxley in the next bout.

Matt and Ospreay started the match with a fast-paced exchange that led to the Bucks getting in some of their patented double-team offense. Nick and Ospreay had a headbutt spot that looked like it caught both guys more than they expected. Nick ended up taking a longer break at ringside while Matt continued the match.

Mox and Ospreay became more aggressive as the match progressed, especially while they were double-teaming Matt. Once Nick recovered, he and his brother were able to regain some momentum.

We saw some very creative spots in this match, and the way they told the story of Nick being injured helped add some drama. Everyone had a part to play, and they did it as well as anyone could have expected.

Nick appeared to be having issues standing up, and Ospreay gave him a chance to tag his brother, but he refused. When Ospreay refused to take advantage of his injury, Mox tagged in and hit a stomp.

Ospreay has continued to operate as a babyface while associating with the Death Riders, so a lot of people came into this bout expecting him to fully embrace the dark side to get the win, but his refusal to betray his morals led to the Bucks getting the win in the end.

Result: The Young Bucks defeated Ospreay and Moxley

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• It was kind of surprising to see Ospreay come out with Mox instead of having his usual entrance.
• Moxley did a great job playing the devil on Ospreay's shoulder.
• Marina Shafir taking a cheap shot at Matt was kind of funny.
• The way Mox and Ospreay countered the Meltzer Driver was cool.

Kyle Fletcher vs. Bandido (International Championship)

Kyle Fletcher put his international title on the line against the current ROH world champion, Bandido. Whoever won this bout would already have Speedball waiting in the wings for a title shot.

They exchanged a few brief words before they started throwing forearms at each other. Fletcher stood several inches taller than his opponent, but it's hard to call that an advantage against a guy as versatile as Bandido.

The Protostar came in cocky, but he ended up rethinking his strategy when Bandido almost won a couple of minutes into the fight. Once he gained the upper hand, he spent a long time controlling the pace.

The great thing about both of these guys is their versatility. Both of them can grapple, use power moves, fly through the air, and just about anything else you could want a wrestler to do. Whenever you put two guys like that in the ring together, it's going to be enjoyable.

They spent a bit more time selling big spots than anyone in the matches that came before this one, and it helped set this apart. It felt more structured in how it played out, which worked to its advantage. It allowed them to pick up the pace toward the end to make it the most exciting stretch.

This is the kind of match that you just have to see to truly appreciate. Both guys turned in an incredible performance, but only one could leave with the gold. After a couple of convincing false finishes, Fletcher hit his finisher for the win.

Result: Fletcher defeated Bandido

Grade: A

Notable Moments and Observations

• Fletcher had some interesting headgear for his entrance.
• Fletcher is really good at doing the thigh slap when he hits a kick without it being very obvious.
• They appeared to have a slight miscommunication on an early exchange, but it barely slowed them down.
• Fletcher hitting a kick to the face while Bandido was in the middle of a moonsault was executed perfectly.
• The way Fletcher countered Bandido in a way that turned it into a 21 Plex was very creative.

The Dogs vs. Bang Bang Gang (Double Chain Match)

Jay White and Juice Robinson were looking to get rid of their biggest rivals when they took on David Finlay and Clark Connors in a double chain match. Essentially, it's the same thing as a double strap match, but it uses metal chains instead of leather straps to up the ante.

Connors and Finlay attacked their opponents before the ref had a chance to call for the bell or attach the chains completely. Once everything was officially underway, Juice and Jay were able to swing the momentum in their favor.

Even though the chains allowed them to do some interesting stuff, they also limited them in some ways. They slowed down in places, which helped sell the severity of their injuries, but it also kept this from being as exciting as it could have been.

However, we don't want to downplay how hard all four guys worked. This bout is going to leave all of them with some bruises. They did their best with the stipulation's limitations.

Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta interfered and attacked White, but The Gunns and Ace Austin showed up to help their allies. Marina snuck the sheleighleigh to Finlay, and he used it to nail Robinson to get the win.

Result: The Dogs defeated The Bang Bang Gang

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• It was smart to make this a double chain match instead of a strap match so nobody compares it to FTR vs. Briscoes.
• The crowd was singing "Who let the dogs out."
• Being whipped with a chain sounds about as fun as eating glass.
• White took a nasty bump on his head when Finlay hit a slam.

Hikaru Shida vs. Maya World (TBS Championship)

Maya World has been rising through the ranks in AEW recently, and she had her biggest opportunity to date when she faced Hikaru Shida for the TBS Championship.

They traded strikes for a couple of minutes to get things started, but once Shida took control, she slowed it down a bit so she could be a little more methodical. Whenever Maya was able to get in some offense, she picked up the pace again.

This match came at roughly the halfway point in the show, which is not an easy position to be in during these long PPVs, especially when so many of the bouts that came before it were amazing.

If this match took place in the main event of an episode of Collision, it would be highly praised, but sadly, it's going to end up being slightly forgettable due to its placement on the card and the strength of some of the other performances.

Maya did a great job playing the underdog to the bully, Shida, especially once she started selling a knee injury. This might not have stolen the show, but it was still an entertaining contest between two talented performers.

Maya survived some brutal moves from Shida before she caught her with a pinning combination to get the upset win and become the new TBS champion. The final few moments were the highlight of the match.

Result: Maya defeated Shida to win the TBS Championship

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Shida has been working as a heel, but the crowd was more cheers than boos during her entrance.
• It looked like Maya was supposed to hit a dropkick through the ropes, but she didn't go far enough, so Shida improvised and acted like it was a counter. It was a little awkward, but they managed to save it.
• A couple of the kickouts in this match had almost no energy behind them.

Cage and Cope vs. Death Riders (Men's Tag Team Championships)

Christian Cage and Adam Copeland put their tag titles on the line against The Death Riders' Pac and Claudio Castagnoli. As soon as Copeland got to the ring, he was attacked from behind by the challengers. Cage had to run to the ring to help his partner because he hadn't made his entrance yet.

Pac and Claudio were firmly in control when the match started. Cage took a little while to recover and get on the apron for a tag after being thrown into the steel steps.

It took The Rated-R Superstar a long time to mount some offense and make the tag to Christian, who had only just recovered from the pre-match attack.

This was a solid tag match with some fun moments, but the lack of any kind of significant buildup may have hurt it. The action was enjoyable because all four of these guys are skilled veterans, but it wasn't quite enough to stand out on this PPV.

Cage and Cope picked up the win to retain their titles.

Result: Cage and Cope defeated The Death Riders

Grade: B-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Claudio using his mask despite not being the CMLL champion anymore is a funny detail.
• It's still weird to see Pac wearing a singlet. He has been using it for months, but somehow it feels wrong.
• The double clothesline spot with Cope and Claudio looked good.

Chris Jericho vs. Tommaso Ciampa (No Holds Barred)

Chris Jericho resurrected his Painmaker gimmick to take on Tommaso Ciampa in a No Holds Barred match. For those unaware, Montreal does not allow intentional blading in matches, so a lot of people were interested to see how they worked this stipulation without blood.

They used chairs, a fire extinguisher and some other weapons to inflict punishment, but it was clear they were intentionally avoiding anything that might make them bleed, at least for a while.

This match was more of a series of moments than a cohesive match, which can sometimes work with this kind of stipulation, but it didn't really pick up until Jericho brought some tacks and hockey pucks into the ring.

Jericho ended up making Ciampa bleed with some sandpaper, which definitely opened up a gusher on his head. After that, the match picked up a bit and got more extreme. We saw them break a mirror, and Ciampa grabbed the same drill he had threatened Jericho with before.

The Painmaker ended up making Ciampa give up when he used the drill on his head.

Result: Jericho defeated Ciampa

Grade: B

Notable Moments and Observations

• The Young Bucks vs. Cage and Cope was confirmed for All In.
• Jericho came out to a Judas Priest song instead of his own entrance music.
• Jericho used some pocket sand on Ciampa, which got a pop.
• Ciampa taunting the crowd about hockey was funny.
• Ciampa having to crawl through the tacks to get to the ropes to break a hold was creative.
• Jericho dropped the barbed wire mirror onto Ciampa the wrong way.
• The drill bit was clearly rounded so it wouldn't cause much damage.

Mark Davis vs. Andrade El Idolo (National Championship)

The next title to be defended on the show was the National Championship, with champion Mark Davis facing challenger Andrade El Idolo.

Andrade almost stole the win right out of the gate with a big elbow strike, but Davis was able to kick out and back him to the corner for some shoulder thrusts. Andrade stayed aggressive, but Dunkzilla stayed in the fight.

These two men have very different in-ring styles, so the pace changed a bit whenever the tide shifted, but that helped keep us on our toes. Both guys clearly wanted to make sure this bout was not overlooked.

This was a highly physical back-and-forth fight that gave both men plenty of opportunities to shine. Davis leaned into his power game, and El Idolo did a great job finding counters for it.

After a hard-fought battle, El Idolo was able to get the win and become the new national champion.

Result: El Idolo defeated Davis to win the National Championship

Grade: B+

Notable Moments and Observations

• El Idolo had a fun entrance for this one.
• The elbow Andrade hit to start the match looked brutal.
• Does anyone else want to know what was in the drink Andrade spit at Davis?
• Andrade's moonsault from the top rope to the floor looked awesome.

Thekla vs. Willow Nightingale (Women's World Championship)

Willow Nightingale was looking to win the only title that has eluded her so far when she challenged Thekla for the women's world title.

As soon as she got her hands on the champion, Willow grabbed her and hit a spinebuster. She beat on Thekla for a little while before sending her right out of the ring with a pounce.

The Toxic Spider avoided a cannonball, and Willow went right into the steel steps. The wound on Willow's ear was bleeding through the bandage after Thekla pulled at it, so she started focusing a lot of her attacks on that spot.

There are many ways in which these two women are different, but they were able to work together to produce a hard-hitting contest with some great moments sprinkled throughout.

Willow sold her ear injury perfectly, and Thekla continuing to go after that injury played into her heel persona perfectly. Mercedes Moné watching from the crowd was a reminder that she is waiting for whoever wins to challenge them next.

The Toxic Spider grew more frustrated each time she failed to put Willow away. Skye Blue saved Thekla from being pinned, and the momentary distraction allowed the champion to hit a Spear.

Willow avoided the stomp that followed and used a backslide to score the win and become the new world champion. This was a good finish to a great match.

Result: Nightingale defeated Thekla to win the Women's World Championship

Grade: A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Willow had a bandage on her ear after taking a microphone to the head on Wednesday.
• Willow's pounce is the best in the business. She always looks like she absolutely levels her opponents.
• Thekla used Britt Baker's lockjaw submission at one point.
• The way Thekla applied a bridging submission was fun.

Kenny Omega vs. Kevin Knight (Men's World Championship)

Kevin Knight may be the TNT champion, but he was looking for an upgrade when he challenged Kenny Omega for the men's world title in the main event of the evening.

Knight attacked Omega before the bell to get an unfair advantage. He even used his wrist tape to choke the champion before the referee could break them apart.

The Jet has had a lot of success in his short AEW career, so even if he didn't end up winning, putting on a good performance in the main event would still raise his stock significantly. As usual, he was up to the challenge.

Even though Omega kept making brief comebacks, Knight had the upper hand for long stretches of time. They kept up a brisk pace, but they took time to sell bigger spots, too.

This was an exciting and well-structured match that made Omega look like a fighting champion and Knight look like someone who belongs in the main event. If AEW wanted to test The Jet to see how he fared in a high-pressure situation, he passed with flying colors.

Knight tried a few dirty tactics, but the One-Winged Angel put him down for the three-count. The Death Riders attacked Omega as soon as it was over, but Ospreay came out to defend him.

He chased most of them off, but Moxley wanted to get into his head. He handed Will a plastic bag and told him to finish the job. He looked like he was considering it, but he ended up tearing it up and then decking Moxley to knock him out of the ring.

He fought off the rest of the Death Riders while Omega tried to recover. He and Ospreay shook hands, but a moment later, Omega grabbed him and hit the One-Winged Angel. The show ended with Omega posing with the title as the crowd booed.

Result: Omega defeated Knight

Grade: A-

Notable Moments and Observations

• Knight had new entrance music.
• Knight looked like he almost jumped too high for a dropkick.
• Omega did a great job letting Knight shine through most of the match. He clearly wanted this to be a standout performance for the up-and-coming star.
• The snap dragon suplex on the announce table was a great spot.

The Final Word

AEW PPVs have a great track record in 2026, and this show added to that. It might have had a couple of low points, but the highs stood out much more.

Seeing Maya World and Willow Nightingale win their respective title matches were two of the biggest highlights from an excitement perspective.

Andrade winning the national title was also a nice moment, but as far as match quality goes, one bout stood out above the rest.

Fletcher and Bandido absolutely stole the show with an incredible performance. Even Omega and Knight couldn't reach the same level in the main event, which is saying a lot because they put on a terrific world title bout.

There are some people who will be down about this show because of a few matches in the middle, and that is valid, but the majority of what we got on Sunday night was very enjoyable.

Grade: B+