AEW’s 6th Anniversary Main Event: The Reminder

AEW’s main event for its 6th Anniversary Dynamite show reminded me exactly why I fell in love with it.

I was an avid pro wrestling fan throughout most of my childhood, before considering calling it quits in 2018. NXT kept me in it, but after hearing of its transition to NXT 2.0, I bowed out a year later.

2025 is the year I finally returned to watching wrestling. I gave the mainstream product a few watches and it was enjoyable. But it left me feeling a void that was never properly filled since the end of NXT’s Black and Gold Era.

I looked for alternatives this time. Lo and behold, there was AEW smiling at me. I left right before its genesis, so tapping into it was a brand new experience. I haven’t regretted my decision since.

As a rookie viewer, I think the recent Sixth Anniversary Dynamite show exemplifies exactly what made me fall in love with the product.

The main event was a No Disqualification mixed tag match, featuring Kris Statlander and Darby Allin versus Marina Shafir and Wheeler Yuta of the Death Riders. It was a match of two high-flying and speed-grappling cruiserweights, along with a powerhouse in Statlander and an MMA-style boxer in Shafir.

AEW’s resident “Daredevil”: Darby Allin

It’s an unwritten rule in American pro wrestling, that the women’s side of the show is supposed to present a softer story with more lighthearted motifs compared to the men. Years ago, this began to change, and I don’t think a brand better exclaims that change than AEW. AEW goes all the way, with Statlander and Shafir being just as brutal as the two men during the match. High feat, considering Darby Alin’s profile as one of the craziest violent wrestlers today.

But like I said, AEW likes to go all the way. And that they did. Statlander & Shafir’s boxing became even more lethal than the men’s during the thumbtack spot. Statlander dropped Shafir’s feet into thumbtacks and by God, you could feel the pain from Shafir’s face.

The Death Riders dominate the ring with Marina Shafir (pictured back left) and Wheeler Yuta (pictured right)

That wasn’t the only time AEW’s divergent vibe was felt. The deviant energy of the rebel brand also extends to fans, with a “Kill Yuta” sign on bold display during the entrances.

And the match didn’t take long to deliver on that energy. It was treated like a real fight irrespective of gender, as the Death Riders’ entrance was cut short and it started as a straight up brawl. Instead of playing the inter-gender fighting for a gimmick, where it is often a match-long build up to a spot where one gender finally attacks the other, the Dub did the opposite. AEW started off with Darby holding Marina while Kris flew off the barricade to clothesline both her and Yuta, having the 4 competitors treat each other as they would any other opponent.

Midway through the match, Yuta dropped Kris with an Angle Slam and used it to build heel heat, with “Fuck You Yuta” chants breaking out immediately. Yuta’s heel heat has been one of the most entertaining aspects of AEW for me, and he doesn’t shy away from it. You can understand exactly why the crowd erupted when Statlander suplexed him onto a stack of chairs.

The way AEW plays around with heel heat is very well-done, as they let Yuta do a lot of heel shit (despite how unbelievable he looks) just because of how hated he is by the audience. “Fuck You Yuta” has become a staple of the show, and the 6th Anniversary show carried it well.

But hate for Yuta doesn’t just result in loud boos and chants from the crowd. The hate made it even more satisfying when Kris suplexed Yuta into chairs, and the crowd was riled up.

An AEW fan favorite, Kris Statlander has built a reputation of delivering in high profile matches

Towards the end, Statlander dropped Shafir feet-first and Shafir sold it like a champion would. Despite the pain, she persevered and took powder to the eyes, before selling a 450 splash from Statlander. The match then ended with a coffin drop to Yuta by Darby, back to back top-rope excellence.

The unorthodox, rebellious, dynamic, constantly moving, but above all: persevering 6th Anniversary match perfectly encapsulates what made me fall for AEW.

A perfect idea for a legendary main event to celebrate a legendary show.