Fels: BEEF.
At the time of writing, the last entrant hadn’t been decided but I’m sure neither one of them is going to matter. I love, love, love that Tony Khan has subverted the normal ladder match construction and filled this with some big beefy men bumpin’ meat. Air Traffic Control should probably be alerted to the amount of altitude and distance Starks and Cassidy are going to get chucked around in this. And the faceoffs between the three oxen here–Wardlow, Hobbs, and Lee–are going to be wonderful. At the very least we’ll exit this with a Lee-Hobbs feud and you can sign me up for that match now.
This night feels like Wardlow’s, winning this and completing it with turning on MJF. Hobbs will have a star-turn, Lee will show WWE what they missed, but this is Wardlow’s. He’s got the most buzz heading in, he’s got the best story, he’s got the most immediate potential in the AEW world.
Blum: There’s an argument to be made for all three superheavyweights winning this match, although I think it ultimately comes down to Wardlow and Hobbs. Starks would be fine, but there’s better choices. I love Cassidy, but not being pushed to the moon right now. Doesn’t matter who the final participant is too, they’re not winning outside of major shenanigans. It feels like Wardlow’s time as Sam mentioned, and that’s a good play. Am I wrong to call it the safe play too? It’s the predictable outcome and one I’d be completely fine with. It’d be deserved for Wardlow too. I’m not going to discount the chance of Hobbs winning. He’s one big moment away from being shot to the top of the card. This could be that. Having Lee in the match with him and outdueling him, so quickly after Lee’s debut, would be an understandable swerve.