‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Apr 9th 2025)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena in Baltimore, MD. We’ve got Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Taz on commentary, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: Jon Moxley def. Katsuyori Shibata
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Shibata and Mox chain wrestled to begin the match. Mox backed Shibata into the corner and Shibata chopped him. They traded strikes in the center of the ring. Shibata didn’t even budge when he got it. Moxley was wincing and giving ground. Moxley booted Shibata in the side of the face. Shibata used a back heel trip to sweep Mox to the mat. Shibata applied a flying octopus hold. Mox escaped. Shibata was right there to boot Mox in the head. Shibata charged at the champion with a running dropkick in the corner. Moxley fired back with a clubbing lariat. Mox spiked Shibata with a piledriver. Shibata popped up and nailed Mox with a PK! Mox grabbed Shibata with a rear naked choke, after raking Shibata in the eyes, and Shibata was put to sleep. Mox was declared the winner!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #2: PAC def. Swerve Strickland
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Swerve swarmed Pac in the corner with strikes and followed up with the snake eyes and then a high boot to the jaw. Swerve whipped Pac into the steel barricades and then into the ring steps. Swerve buckle bombed Pac into the corner. Pac injured his foot or leg and entered the ring. Swerve caught him with a thrust kick and then the Swerve Stomp to pick up the pin fall victory!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #3: “Speedball” Mike Bailey, Will Ospreay, Mark Briscoe & Kevin Knight def. Ricochet, The Beast Mortos, and the CRU (Action Andretti & Lio Rush)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Bailey tried for a hurracanrana on the Beast Mortos, but Mortos blocked it. Speedball followed up with a diving hurracanrana and this time was successful. Ospreay and Rush tagged in for their respective teams. Andretti snuck in to distract Ospreay and Rush took advantage of the momentum. CRU began to stomp on Will. Things broke down as all eight men paired off! Team Ospreay got the upper hand. Speedball splashed Mortos with a running shooting star press. The Beast blocked a kick and planted Bailey with a lung blower. Kevin Knight spiked Mortos with a DDT! Lio rocked Kevin with a stunner while Action followed up with a neck breaker. Ricochet rocked Bailey with a Death Valley Driver for a near fall! Ospreay staggered Mortos with an Os Cutter. Kevin connected with the UFO splash, but the pin fall attempt was broken up by the other team. Ospreay wasted no time drilling the Beast Mortos with the Hidden Blade and scored the victory for his team!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #4: 2025 Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Quarterfinal Match – Kris Statlander def. Thunder Rosa
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Statlander used a dropkick to take down Thunder Rosa. Thunder Rosa fired back with a powerful roundhouse kick. Thunder Rosa charged at Kris and drove her to the floor with a running dropkick. Kris spiked Thunder Rosa with a DDT. Thunder Rosa blasted Kris with a destroyer for a near fall! Kris crunched Thunder Rosa with the Staturday Night Fever and pinned Thunder Rosa, advancing in the tournament!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #5: The Opps (HOOK & Samoa Joe) def. The Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Claudio scoop slammed Hook. Yuta went for a cross body, but Hook moved out of the way. Hook took Yuta for a ride with three consecutive German suplexes. Yua grabbed Hook’s boot and tried to pull him out of the ring. Claudio squashed Hook with a double foot stomp on the apron. Hook hurled Claudio with a T-bone suplex. Yuta tagged in and Hook took him over the top with a suplex. Claudio bulldozed Hook with a European uppercut. Yuta and Claudio used tandem offense on Hook for a near fall. Hook was about to lock Yuta in the Red Rum when Jon Moxley came down to the ring to distract the opposition. Shibata sprinted down to even up the odds. Shibata put Mox in a choke hold. Hook locked on the Red Rum and Yuta tapped out!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite was a great follow-up to Dynasty, striking a near-perfect balance between in-ring intensity and narrative progression. Jon Moxley versus Katsuyori Shibata set the tone early – stiff, gritty, and totally absorbing. The Young Bucks’ return and their desperate attempt to ally with both Omega and Swerve Strickland added a fun, chaotic wrinkle to their characters, especially after admitting to sabotaging Swerve at Dynasty. It’s heel delusion at its finest, and the cold shoulder they got only made it better.
Swerve’s win over PAC was fast, technical, and aggressive—Swerve looked sharp and focused, like a man with something to prove. Meanwhile, the eight-man tag with Ospreay’s crew felt like a mini-pay-per-view bout, with everyone stepping up and making the high-stakes prize feel earned.
Kris Statlander versus Thunder Rosa was a banger and a great look for Statlander – strong style meets athleticism, and she came out looking like a real threat. Samoa Joe and HOOK (“The Opps”) closed out the night with a chaotic, interference-heavy tag match that still managed to keep the crowd hot. HOOK has matured a ton in this role, and Joe’s presence makes everything feel legitimate. Plus it’s clear they’re being lined up as viable challengers for the Death Riders trios titles… Fingers crossed they eventually pick up the win there!
Overall, this week’s Dynamite was packed, fast-paced, and full of seeds being planted for future rivalries. AEW’s storytelling momentum feels strong again and this episode was proof they’re back in the zone.
