{"id":162707,"date":"2026-06-09T07:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T11:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=162707"},"modified":"2026-06-08T18:59:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T22:59:57","slug":"best-star-aew-may-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2026\/06\/09\/best-star-aew-may-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Star Had the Best Month in AEW? \u2013 May 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Boy howdy, there sure was a lot of action in AEW in May 2026. Mick Foley joined the company<\/a> at AEW Double or Nothing, quickly gathering eyes on social media. <\/span><\/p>\n

The World Championship pictures were gaining steam. That said, there are still nagging issues, such as the women\u2019s 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?<\/span><\/p>\n

Honorable Mentions for AEW May 2026<\/span><\/h2>\n

Lio Rush is an interesting case. In his Blackheart gimmick, he\u2019s 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 \u201cThe Lord of the Rings,\u201d it\u2019d be easy to shrug him off as such. However, I think there are levels here. <\/span><\/p>\n

Rush looks panicked, gleeful, worried, and well past the fringes of insanity. He often repeats: \u201cIt\u2019s fine! It\u2019s fine!\u201d as he crawls or gallops away. I wonder if that\u2019s 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\u2019s saying a lot since he\u2019s lost almost every match he\u2019s been in.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019d win the AEW World Tag Team Championship from holders FTR at AEW Double or Nothing. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s horns into countless enhancement talent en route to the AEW World Championship. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019s World Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kevin Knight<\/span><\/h2>\n

Kevin Knight\u2019s biggest achievement in May didn\u2019t necessarily come from matches. But we\u2019ll get there. On May 2\u2019s AEW Collision, he retained his AEW TNT Championship against The Opps\u2019 Hook. Sadly, he couldn\u2019t maintain that fire as he couldn\u2019t defeat then-AEW World Champion Darby Allin on the May 6 AEW Dynamite. <\/span><\/p>\n

He did retain his TNT belt again, nevertheless, against the Don Callis Family\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Following Darby Allin\u2019s 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\u2019s wrath on the May 27 AEW Dynamite\/Collision. <\/span><\/p>\n

I won\u2019t 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\u2019ll see what the future holds, but that heel turn gave him big star potential.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Konosuke Takeshita<\/span><\/h2>\n

It finally happened. Ever since Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita\u2019s tensions simmered since the former\u2019s inclusion in the Don Callis Family, fans mostly waited patiently for tensions to blast open. Half of Takeshita\u2019s month had been spent in Japan, performing for DDT and NJPW. <\/span><\/p>\n

He did lose to Darby Allin on the May 13 AEW Dynamite, thus denying him the AEW World Championship. Not all was lost, as he still had a bout scheduled with AEW International Champion Okada at Double or Nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the gnarly contention between FTR and Cage & Cope that started the pay-per-view, Takeshita and Okada followed excellently. Hard-hitting and fitting for their rivalry, their match stood out. Pure hatred oozed from the wrestlers, each trying to destroy the other, to Callis\u2019s dismay. <\/span><\/p>\n

Though his faction betrayed him, Takeshita found prompt allyship with The Conglomeration. Where the new AEW International Champion goes from here, only time will tell.<\/span><\/p>\n

Darby Allin<\/span><\/h2>\n

Almost everyone could tell there would be a short shelf life for Allin\u2019s reign of the AEW World Championship. Not many expected him to have such a packed May, though! Allin tore through the competition against Kevin Knight, PAC, Konosuke Takeshita, Sammy Guevara, and Speedball Mike Bailey. <\/span><\/p>\n

Since his debut for AEW in 2019, Allin has sacrificed his body and put in his best effort to set himself apart from his peers. Taking every second of his reign to provide television viewers with utmost intensity and entertainment, Allin took every bit of attention and ran with it.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n

Then AEW Double or Nothing happened. It seemed he had it made. Mick Foley gave a huge mark of endorsement in the Zero Hour pre-show. JetSpeed wished him well. And still, he couldn\u2019t put away challenger MJF. The Long Islander\u2019s title dreams and hair follicles were on the line, and he was hungry. <\/span><\/p>\n

Allin had already consumed the month; his body gave out from exhaustion, and no risky maneuvers would change that. What\u2019s the saying? It\u2019s better to burn out than to fade away. I\u2019m not a fan of Allin personally, but I will give flowers where they\u2019re due.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"AEW
Official AEW Double or Nothing 2026 graphic featuring MJF and Darby Allin. (Photo Credit: AEW)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Kris Statlander<\/span><\/h2>\n

As Timeless Toni Storm once put it: \u201cWhat a woman.\u201d Stat-Daddy may not have had many matches in May, but when she did, she made the best of them. She started strong with Hikaru Shida against Harley Cameron and Mina Shirakawa on the May 6 AEW Dynamite, continuing their awkward alliance. Their tag team tenure ran its course; however, come AEW Double or Nothing, the women split, and it was messy.<\/span><\/p>\n

They clashed in the 4-way match involving Jamie Hayter and AEW Women\u2019s World Champion Thekla. It started with Shida striking Statlander, shrugging it off. Stat, understandably ticked off, fired off. Ultimately, this led to a dissolution that proved their undoing: Hayter and Shida knocked each other out. <\/span><\/p>\n

Thekla stomped Statlander out for the finish. But Statlander wasn\u2019t done. In an overrun main event of the May 27 AEW Dynamite\/Collision, Statlander beat Shida to a pulp in a Philly Street Fight. Fluorescent light tubes were involved! She looked strong to end the month, leaving June to be a path to a comeback for the former World Champion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Willow Nightingale<\/span><\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve got a bittersweet entry here, sports fans. Continuing her comeback killer run that started in April, Nightingale was on fire. On May 2, 2026, at AEW Collision, she sent the returning Anna Jay packing in an AEW TBS Championship match. Considering rumors are still swirling like a whirlpool regarding Jay\u2019s contract status, this at least paved the way to a TayJay reunion with Tay Conti.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

ROH\u2019s Red Velvet challenged the following week on the 16th, and met the same fate in Maryland. Velvet is regularly featured on ROH but rarely pops up on AEW. Despite that, this match was physical and proved that her match with Mercedes Mone for the ROH TV Championship wasn\u2019t solely due to the CEO\u2019s big match style. <\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s heartbreaking about this is that Nightingale\u2019s reign was going so well. It was this very match with Velvet where Nightingale injured her shoulder. She\u2019d relinquish her TBS title and her spot in the Owen Hart Cup Tournament. A fantastic run cut all too short. Here\u2019s to hoping for a speedy and confident recovery for the Babe with the Power.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next for June 2026?<\/span><\/h2>\n

A lot of developments spun out of Double or Nothing. Cage & Cope already have a feud in the works with The Dogs. Konosuke Takeshita has a new beef with Kyle Fletcher, but he has the International Championship and the Conglomeration. Darby Allin may be missing in action, as Willow Nightingale definitely will. Kris Statlander\u2019s win recovery in her Philly Street Fight can position her highly in June.<\/span><\/p>\n

That leads me to my next point: the women\u2019s division. On June 3, Mercedes Mone made her return as the Wild Card to face Alex Windsor in the Owen Hart Cup Tournament. Mone is a huge star and a refreshing entry to the current scene. No longer Ultimo Mone, will she be spiritually refreshed in her quest for gold<\/a>? <\/span><\/p>\n

While the fate of the women\u2019s division shouldn\u2019t rest on her, I\u2019m excited to see how she does and if she goes toe-to-toe with Thekla. I\u2019m already thrilled thinking of the banter!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For me, June looks to have a dose of nostalgia, exciting returns, and hopefully a positive direction for the women\u2019s division!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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\u2019s division struggling to have time and prominent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5361,"featured_media":161848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4677,6,2192],"tags":[8674,7500,491,7042,4909,4634,180,1391,7280,101,3625],"class_list":["post-162707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-north-america","category-wrestling","tag-adam-copeland","tag-christian-cage","tag-darby-allin","tag-kevin-knight","tag-konosuke-takeshita","tag-kris-statlander","tag-lio-rush","tag-rush","tag-thekla","tag-will-ospreay","tag-willow-nightingale"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5361"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162707"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162751,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162707\/revisions\/162751"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/161848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}