The Bell Centre chaos nobody asked for
If you missed AEW Redemption live from the Bell Centre last night, you essentially watched a fever dream produced by a caffeinated booking committee with no oversight. Montreal crowds are wired differently, and they spent the better part of the evening trying to hijack the show before the opening bell even rang. We saw a lineup that felt more like a frantic AEW Redemption results spreadsheet than a cohesive card.
The Conglomeration opening the show for the Trios Titles felt like a choice. It was sloppy, high-energy, and completely ignored the concept of ring psychology in favor of hitting as many spots as humanly possible before the twenty-minute mark. When you’re putting six guys in the ring at the start of a marathon PPV, you need a hook.
The booking math isn't adding up
Watching these segments feels like checking on Arsenal's transfer window where the strategy is just signing every shiny object available. The creative team seems to think that if they stack enough names into the mid-card, the lack of actual storytelling becomes invisible. It’s hard to stay invested in a title hunt when the champion changes, or is threatened, by someone who hasn't been on television in six weeks.
We hit a wall during the middle of the show where the matches began to bleed into one another. It was a repetitive cycle of superkicks, missed top-rope maneuvers, and referee bumps that felt straight out of a 1998 Russo script. If you’re asking for my honest opinion, the pacing was atrocious.
The production side of the house
Let's address the elephant in the room: the broadcast quality on HBO Max was hit or miss. Nothing ruins a main event sequence like the audio losing sync right as a title challenger hits a signature finishing move. It makes the entire product look like a side project rather than a major player in the wrestling space.
The fans in Montreal were clearly trying to carry the segments that lacked heat. When you need the crowd to shout over the lack of narrative in a championship match, the writer’s room has already failed. You cannot hide a weak foundation under a pile of pyro and neon lights regardless of how loud the Bell Centre gets.
Why this matters for the long road ahead
AEW is at a point where they need to stop throwing everything against the wall to see what sticks. The sheer roster bloat means that guys are being left off the PPV who frankly could have anchored a better match than what we saw in the secondary slots. A 7-hour show length is not a flex; it’s a hostage situation for the audience.
If the plan is to continue this reckless spending on talent without giving them actual hooks, the ceiling is going to be incredibly low. You have the best athletes on the planet but not enough direction to justify a Sunday night PPV buy. Wrestling fans aren't stupid; they can smell a filler match from a mile away.
Next time out, narrow the focus. Cut the fat from the undercard and build a narrative that lasts longer than the entrance music of the two guys involved. Montreal deserved better than the inconsistent mess that crossed the finish line last night.
