Redemption 2026: AEW’s Montreal Debut Has Strong Matches but Too Much Transitional Weight

The Conglomeration (Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong & Kyle O'Reilly) (c) defeated The Lethal Twist (Jay Lethal, Blake Christian & Lee Johnson). The AEW World Trios Championship match runs 11:54. The trios title Buy-In match is competent and lively, but it functions primarily as a warm-up. The Conglomeration's chemistry carries the action, the challengers get enough offense to avoid a squash feeling, and the champions' retention is the expected, sensible destination. The structure gives the result a clear place inside Redemption 2026: the strongest sequences build toward the finish instead of existing only as isolated highlights. The 6.8 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation, pacing, execution and emotional consequence, while keeping the importance of the event itself separate from immediate match quality.

Mike Bailey defeated The Beast Mortos, El Clon, Jack Perry, Komander & Nick Wayne. The Six-way ladder match for an AEW International Championship title shot runs 20:01. The ladder match opens the main card with athletic chaos and a clear prize. Bailey's victory gives the risks a useful consequence, while the field supplies enough different movement styles to keep the match from feeling like an interchangeable series of ladder spots. The structure gives the result a clear place inside Redemption 2026: the strongest sequences build toward the finish instead of existing only as isolated highlights. The 8.2 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation, pacing, execution and emotional consequence, while keeping the importance of the event itself separate from immediate match quality.

The Young Bucks defeated Jon Moxley & Will Ospreay. The Tag team match runs 19:36. The Young Bucks against Moxley and Ospreay has star power and plenty of motion, but the larger Death Riders story sometimes competes with the match itself. The Bucks' victory is meaningful, and the bout succeeds more as story propulsion than as a perfectly self-contained tag classic. The structure gives the result a clear place inside Redemption 2026: the strongest sequences build toward the finish instead of existing only as isolated highlights. The 8.0 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation, pacing, execution and emotional consequence, while keeping the importance of the event itself separate from immediate match quality.

Kyle Fletcher (c) defeated Bandido. The AEW International Championship match runs 26:14. Fletcher and Bandido deliver Redemption's strongest pure wrestling match. Fletcher's size and control collide with Bandido's speed and creativity, and the long runtime feels earned because each escalation changes the shape of the contest instead of merely extending it. The structure gives the result a clear place inside Redemption 2026: the strongest sequences build toward the finish instead of existing only as isolated highlights. The 9.0 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation, pacing, execution and emotional consequence, while keeping the importance of the event itself separate from immediate match quality.

The Dogs (Clark Connors & David Finlay) defeated Bang Bang Gang (Jay White & Juice Robinson). The Double Chain match runs 17:36. The double-chain match is the night's clearest miss. The stipulation creates visual clutter without enough dramatic payoff, and the teams spend too much time serving the hardware instead of building a clean competitive rhythm. The effort is visible, but the match feels longer than its ideas. The structure gives the result a clear place inside Redemption 2026: the strongest sequences build toward the finish instead of existing only as isolated highlights. The 5.8 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation, pacing, execution and emotional consequence, while keeping the importance of the event itself separate from immediate match quality.

Maya World defeated Hikaru Shida (c). The AEW TBS Championship match runs 16:35. Maya's title win is important, yet the match never fully matches the weight of the championship change. Shida provides credibility and a stable foundation, but the pacing is uneven and the finish arrives without the sustained dramatic rise that a major upset benefits from. The structure gives the result a clear place inside Redemption 2026: the strongest sequences build toward the finish instead of existing only as isolated highlights. The 6.6 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation, pacing, execution and emotional consequence, while keeping the importance of the event itself separate from immediate match quality.

Adam Copeland & Christian Cage (c) defeated PAC & Claudio Castagnoli. The AEW World Tag Team Championship match runs 18:36. Copeland and Christian against PAC and Castagnoli is solid veteran tag wrestling with a logical champion-retention story. The challengers bring physical credibility, the champions understand the pacing, and the bout is consistently watchable without becoming one of the card's defining attractions. The structure gives the result a clear place inside Redemption 2026: the strongest sequences build toward the finish instead of existing only as isolated highlights. The 7.4 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation, pacing, execution and emotional consequence, while keeping the importance of the event itself separate from immediate match quality.

The Painmaker Chris Jericho defeated Tommaso Ciampa. The No Holds Barred match runs 21:57. Jericho and Ciampa lean into the No Holds Barred format with enough commitment to justify the stipulation. The match is deliberately rougher and more theatrical than the technical bouts around it, and while some sequences run long, the intensity keeps it above filler territory. The structure gives the result a clear place inside Redemption 2026: the strongest sequences build toward the finish instead of existing only as isolated highlights. The 7.8 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation, pacing, execution and emotional consequence, while keeping the importance of the event itself separate from immediate match quality.

Andrade El Ídolo defeated Mark Davis (c). The AEW National Championship match runs 16:13. Andrade and Davis work a focused title match that gives the championship change weight without excessive ornamentation. Davis' power creates a clear obstacle, Andrade has to build momentum rather than sprint through him, and the finish makes the new champion feel earned. The structure gives the result a clear place inside Redemption 2026: the strongest sequences build toward the finish instead of existing only as isolated highlights. The 7.6 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation, pacing, execution and emotional consequence, while keeping the importance of the event itself separate from immediate match quality.

Willow Nightingale defeated Thekla (c). The AEW Women's World Championship match runs 15:58. Willow's victory supplies an emotional title change and a useful shift in the women's division. Thekla's aggression gives the match tension, Willow's comeback is easy for the crowd to follow, and the result carries more importance than the bell-to-bell work alone. The structure gives the result a clear place inside Redemption 2026: the strongest sequences build toward the finish instead of existing only as isolated highlights. The 7.6 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation, pacing, execution and emotional consequence, while keeping the importance of the event itself separate from immediate match quality.

Kenny Omega (c) defeated Kevin Knight. The AEW World Championship match runs 24:59. Omega and Knight close the show with the credibility expected from a world-title main event. Knight is presented as a real threat without forcing an implausible upset, Omega works with urgency, and the closing stretch gives the audience a strong final match after an uneven middle portion. The structure gives the result a clear place inside Redemption 2026: the strongest sequences build toward the finish instead of existing only as isolated highlights. The 8.7 score reflects the complete bell-to-bell presentation, pacing, execution and emotional consequence, while keeping the importance of the event itself separate from immediate match quality.