10 Failed AEW Experiments

A combination of a myriad of different hardcore indie concepts, the Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch was meant to be AEW’s nod to wrestling's violent past. At AEW Revolution 2021, Kenny Omega battled Jon Moxley in what has to be the most talked about main event in AEW’s history.

Covering the ropes in barbed wire hooked up to explosives and then adding wire-wrapped weapons into the mix, from tables to baseball bats, guaranteed one of the most insane spectacles in AEW to date. This sort of thing was expected out of the hardened brawler Moxley but Omega was on a streak of proving he would go the extra mile for the sake of entertainment. The pair ended up bloody and lacerated in a truly horrific but ultimately captivating event.

However, the match’s quality is overshadowed by the show’s finish. The other gimmick to the match was the thirty minute timer where, if someone was still in the ring at the end, they’d get caught in an explosion. Eddie Kingston ran to the ring to cover his beaten and bloody friend Moxley, as they were engulfed in… well, just a few puffs of smoke and some little sprinklers.

Poor rigging turned this deadly explosion into one of the most embarrassing moments in AEW history. Not surprising at all then that the promotion has never gone back to the concept.