Updated

Updated · Fightful · Jul 27

Kenny Omega Retains AEW World Title as Will Ospreay Turns on Jon Moxley in Montreal

Updated

Updated · Fightful · Jul 27

Kenny Omega Retains AEW World Title as Will Ospreay Turns on Jon Moxley in Montreal

Q: Will AEW’s earlier Redemption start time change future PPVs, or was the packed Montreal card the real test?

AEW’s earlier Redemption start time looks like a genuine test for future pay-per-views, but the packed Montreal card was part of that test rather than a separate issue. Tony Khan said before the show that AEW was “experimenting” with a 6 p.m. ET Buy-In and 7 p.m. ET main card to see how it works for the audience. That matters because AEW’s recent PPVs have often started at 8 p.m. ET and sometimes run close to 1 a.m. on the East Coast, drawing criticism for length and late finishes. Moving Redemption up by an hour was a direct attempt to address that. At the same time, Redemption was not a light card designed only to test scheduling. It was loaded with 10 matches, six championship bouts, major stipulation matches, and storyline progression heading into All In London. That suggests AEW wanted to test whether an earlier window can support a full-scale PPV presentation without sacrificing match count, title stakes, or momentum. So the real benchmark is not just whether fans liked the earlier start, but whether the audience stayed engaged through a long, championship-heavy show and whether the event still performed well on pay-per-view. If Redemption delivers strong viewership, smooth pacing, and fewer complaints about ending too late, AEW will have a strong case to shift future PPVs earlier. If the audience response is mixed, Montreal may end up being a one-off experiment tied to a particularly stacked card on the road to All In.

3 articles · Updated · Fightful · Jul 27

Kenny Omega closed AEW Redemption by beating Kevin Knight to keep the AEW World Championship before a post-match angle reshaped the main event picture.
The Death Riders attacked Omega after the bell, and Ospreay broke with Jon Moxley by stopping a bagging attempt, ripping up the bag and punching Moxley.
Omega then dropped Ospreay with a One Winged Angel, but the show still ended with Omega and the Young Bucks standing tall after the wider brawl.
Three other title changes filled out the Montreal card: Maya World beat Hikaru Shida for the TBS belt, Andrade El Idolo took the National title, and Willow Nightingale dethroned Thekla.
Mike Bailey also won a six-way ladder match to earn an AEW International title shot at Grand Slam Mexico, extending the fallout beyond Redemption.