I am not much of a gamer. I enjoy diving into the occasional story driven game for a deep escape from reality as much as the next girl, but it’s just never been a passion like it is for so many others. Among Us is not popular for a captivating story, but the premise does provide incalculable substance in doing things with a simplicity of years gone by. The game doesn’t have to provide a layered and enjoyable story, because the players do all of that and more.

When I first stumbled across members of the All Elite Wrestling roster playing Among Us, it was on Evil Uno’s YouTube page. I wasn’t sure what I was watching, but it soon didn’t matter. I was hooked. Not on the game itself, though it seemed fun to be able to fool around with and trick your friends into thinking you’re on their side when you’re really trying to stick a knife in their back. Heck, us girls have been doing this to each other for generations!

The game is simple enough. Be a good crewmate and finish tasks while trying not to be murdered by your opponent. Or be a ruthless imposter and kill your mates through pure aggression and tomfoolery. There are definitive strategy plays that can prove beneficial, but oftentimes players navigate through each mini game by feel. After enough of them in a row, whether because of wrongful expulsions or bad luck, emotions become involved and the game only becomes more entertaining because of it.

I’m relatively naïve when it comes to videogame streaming, so I thought what I saw on YouTube was the only means to consume this amazing new AEW spin off. I soon found Brandon Cutler’s page, those of Colt Cabana and Miro as well, and I was off to the races. Their banter and good-natured ribbing made for a worthwhile watch whenever a new upload hit their pages. After a few weeks, it became clear that Sunday Sus Days (as they had begun to call them) were going to be a regular thing, with the game rotating in new players as the week’s responsibility’s saw fit.

Then, and only after being told about it, I found Twitch! I couldn’t believe that I could watch these streams LIVE! The edited videos were fun, and I still thoroughly enjoy Evil Uno and Brandon Cutler’s condensed YouTube videos of the prior Sunday’s games, but watching on Twitch and getting to hear and see Allie, Leva Bates, Kip Sabian, and many more, was and remains my favorite way to enjoy Sunday Sus Day. Their interaction with fans in the chats is wonderful, as each is as good a person as you’ve heard they are and then some. That’s not lip service, but a fact.

Naturally, after months of regular games with the same group of people, rivalries develop and trends are noticed. Players are forced to change their strategies a little or risk being outed as “Murder Hobos!” When not smiling from ear to ear as an imposter, Brandon Cutler is always on his game as the “World’s Greatest Detective,” even outfitted with Inspector Gadget music clips in recent games! Colt Cabana would have you believe that he is an even better detective, but would also like you to know, along with Alex Abrahantes, that the Dark Order is NOT a cult, just a social club with a shared love of purple Kool-Aid.

This past week, Allie debuted her “Ew List,” which is both hilarious and adorable as you might imagine, reminding me of a popular Jimmy Fallon bit. Naturally, it tracks her vicious rivalry with Brandon Cutler, arguably AEW’s best feud company wide despite its niche standing. In a recent game, Brandon became so consumed with revenge on Allie, he tracked her and murdered her in front of everyone else. When confronted with his very obvious guilt, he exclaimed, “Some things are more important than winning!” For Cutler, every Sunday isn’t just Sus Day – it’s also rabbit season.

One beautiful Sunday weeks ago now, a glitch in the game allowed Miro to be handed the imposter role time and time again. Despite this, thanks to his rotating partners and his propensity to go “Murder Hobo,” he almost always won, still outsmarting and outplaying his colleagues. Watching his joy as he continuously got the best of his mates made me laugh uncontrollably for the few hours they played. For anyone who has watched Miro game, whether seriously or light-heartedly, his smile and laugh are as contagious as any.

Someone who is always sus, no matter the day or show (looking at you, BTE), is Alex Abrahantes. Dubbed recently by Cutler as “all-time third imposter” for his failure to finish tasks and an ability to hand wins to his opponents, Alex is a joy to watch play because of his constant image of suspicion (it’s even in his avatar’s name!) and his knee-jerk murder-blaming when he is accused himself.

Over many months, Sunday Sus Day has become a legitimate branch, all be it a unique one, for the AEW viewing tree. I find myself looking forward to seeing who will be playing the next week – if Chuck Taylor will wake up in time to join the party, if Kip will be bringing any accents to the show, or if Nyla will openly murder in a group of people and get away with it…AGAIN!

I wonder how many adorable Leva laughs will make me laugh myself, how quickly Excalibur will expel someone incorrectly and apologize profusely almost immediately, or how many times Colt will curse in the most hilarious way possible. How many hype-train gongs will Uno gleefully bang? How many cute AF jokes will Nyla tell, and how many times will they deflect suspicion from her, warranted or not? How many times will Chris Harrington blame others for murders HE committed and self-reported? And how many times will Allie say “EWWWWWWWWW!”?

But in asking these questions, the most important one of all may simply be this: how many smiles will I get from these wonderful humans? Because that’s why I keep coming back and will always come back. For a few hours every Sunday, the All Elite Wrestling roster allows an escape into hilarity, good-natured murder, and light-hearted family time. AEW feels like family, whether on BTE, Dark, or Dynamite. They’ve fostered this image carefully and consistently over many months to even include the fans when possible. We feel this connection to them because they are sure to literally connect to us whenever they can.

Sunday Sus Days are proof that the family image surrounding AEW isn’t just a façade. It’s very real, and it’s seen in their interactions while murdering each other for the greater good. Sure, they are having fun and entertaining themselves, but they could do that without letting us in. It would be easy enough. They choose to go that extra mile, like they always do, to make us feel like part of the family too. I’m not sure they realize how much that means to some of us. But I hope they do now.

To watch these fun games live, make sure to head over to Twitch. While there, follow your favorite and subscribe to their channel. Or, do like I do and follow them all! You’ll be glad you did. Get ready to smile!

Brandon Cutler ~ BranCutler
Chuck Taylor ~ chuckietea1
Nyla Rose ~ nylarosebeast
Colt Cabana ~ ColtCabana
Evil Uno ~ EvilUno
Leva Bates ~ wrestlingleva
Kip Sabian ~ thekipsabian
Goldenboy ~ GoldenboyFTW
Alex Abrahantes ~ OntheairAlex
Allie ~ alliewrestling
Miro ~ MIROtwch
Penelope Ford ~ penelopeford