Folks, I can’t recall the last time the wrestling world buzzed like it is heading into Monday night. All three major promotions are going head-to-head — AEW with Sympathy for the Devil, WWE with Halloween Havoc, and ULW with Hallowtravaganza. I’ll have a more detailed column on the competition later this weekend, but for now, the spotlight belongs to BWM Inc.’s mid-season four finale, Sympathy for the Devil.
Jesse Hash vs. Matt Riddle
Jesse Hash was drafted back to BWM Inc. this past June, only to sit on the sidelines for months. The BWM Inc. icon, and perhaps even an inspiration for former HLW Champion and High Minded member Matt Riddle, waited patiently for his chance to step back into the spotlight.
Meanwhile, High Minded’s chemistry had been off since the start of the season. Riddle was slated to be traded to ULW in August as part of an elaborate deal that would send Jade Cargill to AEW. But in a stunning twist, ULW backed out at the last second, just as Jade made her shocking debut on WWE programming. With the deal dead and the wrestling world buzzing over the scandal, Riddle spiraled, frustrated that he wouldn’t be joining ULW to reunite with his ex-girlfriend, Piper Niven.
Adding insult to injury, Niven ended things over text, a real low blow if you ask me. Riddle also grew disillusioned with High Minded’s constant sideshow of Lady Love and Midget Hogan’s marital drama. When Lady Love’s son, Young Crock, was assaulted over the summer, Riddle suddenly found himself the prime suspect, as Midget Hogan pointed fingers.
After weeks of digging, Riddle cleared his name through security footage, and what he uncovered flipped the entire locker room upside down. The real culprit was none other than Jesse Hash, who had been paid off by Midget Hogan himself.
As if that betrayal were not enough, things went from bad to worse when Hash later attacked Lady Love after Midget Hogan failed to win her back. Vowing revenge, Riddle went straight to Acting Director of Operations Shocker, and the result is a dream match set for Monday night. AEW.com can officially confirm it will be No Holds Barred.
Will Riddle get justice for Lady Love and High Minded, or will Jesse Hash, the original stoner of pro wrestling, prove he’s still as dangerous as ever?
Mr. Brodie Lee vs. Randy Orton
Upon being drafted to AEW, the former leader of the Dark Order, Mr. Brodie Lee, began silently stalking the AEW roster, starting with Splidder. Splidder had just confronted the then Acting Director of Operations, his brother and the legendary Master Splinter, over Splinter’s hesitancy to address the information Splidder had uncovered last season in ULW. Frustrated, Splidder left his brother’s office, convinced Splinter was on Benny’s payroll. In the hallway, he bumped into the towering Lee, who wordlessly handed him a note that read, You’re wasting your breath.
Lee’s next encounter came with Executioner, who was still tormented by his betrayal of Sami Zayn last season, a desperate move to spare himself from the wrath of Benny Mouse and Danhausen. Executioner had come to AEW promising vengeance for his former boss Mickey Mouse, but instead found himself disrespected and discarded by Benny as little more than a pawn. Once again, Lee appeared, handing him the same note with the same ominous message.
Meanwhile, Aleister Black and Julia Hart continued their crusade to eliminate anyone who had aided the Mouse family, setting their sights on Liv Morgan. They too were approached by Lee, whose numbers were quietly growing. With the House of Black now under his banner, Lee had assembled a formidable army.
On the August 18th edition of Dynamite, Shocker arrived and helped Splinter see reason, aided by his longtime rival and BWM Inc. Chairman Sami Zayn. Splinter revealed that he had endured severe hardships since his retirement match in 2024 and had taken the Acting Director position out of financial necessity. His reluctance to engage with what Splidder had uncovered suddenly made sense.
Splinter went on to share what Splidder had told him, chilling details about Benny Mouse’s discarded daughter, Abby. Her mother, Molly, had nearly died giving birth, and Megan’s first breaths did not come until she was touched by her newborn sister. Molly believed Abby was evil, but Benny saw power. He stayed in touch with the Rotundas, the family who adopted Abby, and arranged playdates between the two girls for years, convincing Megan that Abby was her cousin.
Just as Splinter was about to finish his story, Lee and his recruits, dressed in white, appeared in the front row holding signs that read, You’re wasting your breath. Moments later, eerie footage played of Megan Mouse-Zayn, her eyes wide with terror, her mouth sealed with duct tape marked with the word RUN. When the video ended, the Harlem Turtles stormed the ring and viciously attacked their uncle Splinter.
On September 8th, Mr. Brodie Lee finally revealed his group’s name, The Guilty Remnant. Their mission, he declared, was to purge the wrestling world of anyone who had enabled the Mouse family’s tyranny over the industry. Their first target was a man who embodied the spirit of BWM Inc., the first EWA Champion of both incarnations, Randy Orton.
Last week, Orton faced Aleister Black in a so-called “warm-up” for Sympathy for the Devil and was met with a fireball to the face. Now, one week later, the question looms: what will happen when the Apex Predator stands face to face with Mr. Brodie Lee?
AEW World Heavyweight Championship:
‘The Kinslayer’ Sean Olson (C) w/ Paul Heyman vs. ‘The Aerial Assassin’ Will Ospreay
For the Aerial Assassin, the long road to his first one-on-one shot at the AEW World Heavyweight Championship began on the season three premiere of Dynamite, when Sami Zayn announced that he and Megan had signed the then-IWGP World Champion to an exclusive AEW contract. A month later, Ospreay finally arrived, stealing the show with an incredible victory over former AEW World Heavyweight Champion Bryan Danielson.
Ospreay continued to shine throughout the first season of the 7th Era, scoring wins over Darby Allin, Roderick Strong, Dragon Lee, and a tag victory over Hangman Adam Page.
His first setback came on the September 23, 2024 edition of Dynamite, when Logan Paul handed MJF a pair of brass knuckles that allowed MJF to become the first man to pin him. That moment sparked a heated rivalry between Paul and Ospreay, which reached its conclusion when Ospreay became the first man to pin Paul at Elite Warfare. Ospreay then delivered a strong showing in the 60-man, three-ring battle royal before being eliminated by the eventual winner, Logan Paul. By March of the following year, Ospreay got his revenge, defeating MJF in the main event of Dynamite 43.
Ospreay was later set to compete in the Massacre 6 match to determine the number one contender for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship, but he was taken out beforehand by his old rival from Japan, Dragon Lee. The two finally settled their score in an Aerial Assault match to close out the third season, allowing Ospreay to refocus his sights on Starrcade.
In the main event of Starrcade, Ospreay faced Hangman Adam Page in a match to determine the challenger for Dynamite 50. With help from the Young Bucks, Page handed Ospreay his second AEW loss. Ospreay eventually avenged that defeat at All Out, though not before Page and the Bucks cost him another match against Randy Orton.
Now the official number one contender, Will Ospreay will step into his first-ever AEW World Heavyweight Championship match against The Kinslayer, Sean Olson, who captured the title just two weeks ago in a stunning upset over The Almighty Bobby Lashley. Olson has built his own momentum this season, ending the career of his brother Brandon Lee and stealing his advocate, Paul Heyman.
Last Monday, Olson and Ospreay exchanged heated words. But at Sympathy for the Devil, the time for talk is over. For the first time ever, Will Ospreay and Sean Olson will go one-on-one for the richest prize in wrestling!
Hell in a Cell: Sami Zayn vs. Danhausen
At Dynamite 30: Cruel Summer last season, then–World Heavyweight Champion Sami Zayn had just closed out a summer-long feud with Johnny Lawrence when Danhausen made his shocking AEW debut. He revealed that he was the one behind Zayn’s recent string of misfortunes, including flickering lights, malfunctioning microphones, and untimely explosions.
Danhausen claimed he had cursed Zayn for his actions toward his father-in-law, Benny Mouse, who had been placed in a nursing home to be treated for dementia while Megan and Sami took control of the company he founded.
Throughout the fall of 2024, Zayn became obsessed with the idea of the curse, creating tension between himself and his wife. With Megan distracted by her ongoing feud with the flirtatious Liv Morgan, neither of them were prepared for what came next. The August 19, 2024 episode of Dynamite ended with a nurse entering Benny’s room to deliver his medication, only to find the bed empty and a voodoo doll of Sami Zayn in his place.
Still holding the AEW World Heavyweight Championship, Zayn’s focus continued to unravel. He barely survived Brock Lesnar at Aftershock 2024, and while he insisted that he and Megan had not betrayed Benny, his confidence was clearly shaken. Zayn maintained that taking over BWM Inc. was exactly what a lucid Benny Mouse would have wanted. That night, Danhausen warned him that a war was coming. The lights went out, and when they came back on, Benny’s hat was in the ring. Danhausen later left Zayn a cryptic VHS tape that, once played, showed a distorted Benny Mouse announcing that Zayn would defend the AEW World Title inside the Elite Warfare match.
By mid-September, Zayn began to piece together what he believed was the truth: that Benny was somehow being controlled by Danhausen. Frustrated by her husband’s paranoia, Megan announced that Sympathy for the Devil 2024 would be headlined by Sami Zayn versus Danhausen in a No Holds Barred, Falls Count Anywhere match. Later that night, Megan learned firsthand that the curse was real, when Danhausen drenched her in a blood bath.
The main event of Sympathy for the Devil ended with more questions than answers. The Executioner arrived and attacked Zayn. At Elite Warfare, Benny Mouse’s hand emerged from a hole in the ring, dragging Megan down to the depths below. That same night, Zayn’s World Title reign ended when Roman Reigns eliminated him after a distraction from Danhausen. With the help of the Harlem Turtles, Executioner, and The Boogeyman, Zayn was abducted.
With leadership missing, Danhausen appeared months later in Benny Mouse’s office. Their two voices merged as one, and together they named Splinter the new Acting Director of Operations.
Over time, Executioner grew frustrated with Danhausen, who had promised to reunite him with Benny Mouse in exchange for his loyalty. At Genesis, Danhausen made good on that promise, taking Executioner to Benny’s abandoned mansion, where the House of Black ambushed him. Fearing betrayal, Executioner released Zayn from captivity. The two formed an uneasy alliance and began searching for Megan. When they finally found her, her memory had been wiped, forcing them to turn their focus back to Danhausen and Benny.
The shocking conclusion of Exodus saw Zayn and Executioner attempt to confront Danhausen in the ring. A bolt of lightning struck, and from the crater emerged the Harlem Turtles, who attacked Zayn. Executioner reluctantly backed away as a video played, revealing that Danhausen had used his powers to restore Benny’s memory. Benny then rose from the crater, vowing revenge. The Turtles abducted Zayn once more as the show ended with Benny Mouse thanking Danhausen for bringing him back.
Benny and Danhausen made a stunning joint appearance at the World of Wrestling Draft this past June, where Benny delivered the promo of a lifetime. He challenged the competition, blasted his brother Lenny, and warned, “When you come for the king, you best not miss.”
With his memory restored, Benny began the new season in control of BWM Inc. alongside Danhausen. Over time, however, the two began to speak of visions of the future, each seeing a different outcome. They rewarded the Harlem Turtles with a tag team title shot for their loyalty, which included taking down Splinter when he tried to reveal the truth about Benny’s second daughter, Abigail.
Splidder eventually reunited Splinter with Zayn, who had been left for dead by the Turtles in the Texas countryside. Following the attack on Splinter in August, he returned two weeks ago to convince Shocker to make the rematch official for Sympathy for the Devil: Sami Zayn versus Danhausen II. This past Monday, Zayn reemerged to announce that the match would take place inside Hell in a Cell.
Now, in just two days, these two forces will finally settle the score. With Benny Mouse’s mind now bound to Danhausen’s consciousness, the question remains: what will become of the BWM Inc. founder if Sami Zayn manages to survive?
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 