Boy howdy, there sure was a lot of action in AEW in May 2026. Mick Foley joined the company at AEW Double or Nothing, quickly gathering eyes on social media.
The World Championship pictures were gaining steam. That said, there are still nagging issues, such as the women’s division struggling to have time and prominent positions on the card. Yet, there is hope on the horizon. The question remains, though, which star had the best month in AEW during May 2026?
Honorable Mentions for AEW May 2026
Lio Rush is an interesting case. In his Blackheart gimmick, he’s cultivated an image that is unique. There may be elements of spookiness and comedic elements, but this is an entity solely unto him. Easily reminiscent of Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings,” it’d be easy to shrug him off as such. However, I think there are levels here.
Rush looks panicked, gleeful, worried, and well past the fringes of insanity. He often repeats: “It’s fine! It’s fine!” as he crawls or gallops away. I wonder if that’s a critique of how fans in the past questioned his mental health. Regardless, though off-putting as it was, Rush is in his element, and that’s saying a lot since he’s lost almost every match he’s been in.
Cage & Cope put nostalgia on full display in May, as they challenged FTR for the final time. Mixing it up with young talents like The Rascalz and Young Bucks, the Father of the Year and the Rated-R Superstar felt a part of AEW. They’d win the AEW World Tag Team Championship from holders FTR at AEW Double or Nothing.
Will Ospreay and RUSH, meanwhile, picked up momentum throughout the month. Ospreay gained his in alliance with the Death Riders, whereas RUSH shoved his bull’s horns into countless enhancement talent en route to the AEW World Championship.
I normally position Thekla outside of the Honorable Mentions, but when she actually is booked to have matches, she excels. No more was that clearer than at AEW Double or Nothing when she defeated Kris Statlander, Jamie Hayter, and Hikaru Shida to defend her AEW Women’s World Championship.
Kevin Knight
Kevin Knight’s biggest achievement in May didn’t necessarily come from matches. But we’ll get there. On May 2’s AEW Collision, he retained his AEW TNT Championship against The Opps’ Hook. Sadly, he couldn’t maintain that fire as he couldn’t defeat then-AEW World Champion Darby Allin on the May 6 AEW Dynamite.
He did retain his TNT belt again, nevertheless, against the Don Callis Family’s Brian Cage on May 13. The rest of the month rolled by with no in-ring action, which, at the time, fans found puzzling. Their confusion was answered later.
Following Darby Allin’s title loss to MJF at AEW Double or Nothing, Knight seemingly rescued Allin from a post-match beatdown. Then, he shocked New York when he assaulted Allin himself. The following week, Speedball Mike Bailey tried to appeal to him but instead faced Knight’s wrath on the May 27 AEW Dynamite/Collision.
I won’t factor in my negative feelings on Knight joining the Don Callis Family on the June 3 AEW Dynamite. Still, his angle of supporting Allin and then betraying him and Bailey after failing to retain the title was done so well. We’ll see what the future holds, but that heel turn gave him big star potential.
