‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Nov 26th 2025)

Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from Nashville, Tennessee, and saw this year’s Continental Classic begin. Also, AEW’s official recaps are getting rather long, so we’ll be abbreviating them where we can to save your eyes! With that, let’s get into the review…

Match #1: Continental Classic Gold League Match – Kyle Fletcher def. Kazuchika Okada

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

After a recap of the Full Gear fallout between Okada, Fletcher and Takeshita — and both challengers declaring for the Continental Classic – we opened the Gold League with a rematch of last year’s tournament. Fletcher beat Okada in that one, though Okada ultimately won the whole thing and enters as defending champion. Nashville exploded before the bell even settled, and both men opened with a fake handshake and simultaneous cheap shots. A slick reversal sequence led to a brief shoving match before they reset. Okada slowed things down with a headlock, Fletcher answered with power, and the early going was all about one-upmanship and homages. Momentum swung when Okada crotched Fletcher on the top rope via the ref, leading to a trademark dropkick to the floor and a methodical ringside beatdown. Fletcher later returned the favour, crotching Okada and hitting a superplex, big boot and high-angle suplex for two. Okada rallied with a knee-breaker neckbreaker, top-rope elbow and a Rainmaker attempt, only for Fletcher to counter with a half-and-half and more apron punishment. Inside, they traded bombs: dropkick, tombstone, desperate Michinoku Driver. With five minutes left, Okada hit a backslide into a Rainmaker but Fletcher fired back with a lawn-dart, huge powerbomb and nearfalls. A chaotic final scramble saw both men nearly hit the ref, a series of reversals on the Rainmaker, and finally Fletcher countering into a Cazadora pin for the upset. For the second straight year, Fletcher beats Okada in the Continental Classic — and claims the first three points of the Gold League.

My Score: 4 out of 5

Match #2: AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Tournament Semifinal – Babes of Wrath (Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron) def. Sisters of Sin (Skye Blue & Julia Hart)

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Cameron and Hart started things off, but Willow quickly joined in for a double-team suplex and assisted senton. Hart bailed to the corner and tagged Blue, who immediately ate Willow’s corner clotheslines before falling to a short-arm. Cameron re-entered, but Hart sent Willow to the floor and hit Cameron with a standing moonsault for two. Blue tagged in for a double flapjack, only for Willow to drag Hart outside, giving Cameron a near fall on Blue. Cameron fired back with a slingblade and corner splashes, but a distraction from Hart let Blue take control. The Sisters of Sin tightened their grip: Hart’s tightrope forearm, Blue’s knee strike, a tarantula from Blue, and a dropkick assist from Hart. Cameron finally created space and tagged Willow. Willow steamrolled Hart with power spots and a spinebuster, but Blue had blind-tagged and hit a DDT. A dual-kick combo earned only a near fall. Willow countered a double suplex, tagging Cameron for a stampede and slam onto Blue. Blue rallied with a knee and a top-rope trap kick, leading to a powerbomb and Hart’s moonsault-turned-elbow, but Willow broke it up. A flurry of thrust kicks followed until Cameron blind-tagged, sending Hart into Blue. Willow leveled Blue with a lariat, Cameron hit a backstabber, and Willow finished with the Babe with the Powerbomb for the win.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #3: Continental Classic Blue League Match – Jon Moxley def. Máscara Dorada

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Dorada tried to get his high-flying game going early, but Moxley shut him down with sheer power — even hitting the first dive of the match himself, a missile-like tope that sent him crashing into the guardrail. Dorada answered with a springboard crossbody and a toss to the aisle, but his follow-up dive was countered with a brutal forearm. Moxley relished the impact, then hit a release suplex and grounded Dorada. Momentum shifted outside when Dorada sent Mox into the steps and nailed a guardrail cutter. Back inside, he landed a kick combo, Code Red and a tornillo, but hesitated re-entering and got caught with a cutter. They traded neckbreakers and submissions until Mox fought free. Dorada nearly stole it with an inside cradle and then connected with a huge kick and a 450 for a razor-close near-fall. One more trip up top proved fatal: Dorada went for a shooting star, and Moxley snatched him out of mid-air with a Dutch choke, forcing the pass-out and earning his first three points.

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Match #4: Continental Classic Gold League Match – Kevin Knight def. Darby Allin

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Knight made his Continental Classic debut against Allin in their first-ever encounter. Allin controlled early with grounded offense until Knight blasted him with a knee and flipped him awkwardly to the mat, sending Allin outside clutching his knee. Knight followed, dodged an Allin charge, and drilled him from the guardrail, but paused too long. When Knight tried to springboard back in, Allin knocked him to the floor and hit a huge dive. Allin climbed for a Coffin Drop, but Knight sprang up and hit an avalanche back suplex. He couldn’t capitalise, so he tried grinding Allin down again. A top-rope battle ended with Knight hitting a hurricanrana, then a dropkick to the floor. Allin found space and returned fire with a dropkick from the raised aisle. Back inside, they traded reversals and collided with simultaneous clotheslines. Allin tried to bait Knight on the ramp, but Knight planted him with a DDT and later wiped him out with a leaping clothesline to the ramp. Knight went up for the UFO but missed, allowing Allin to score a two-count with a Code Red. Knight countered the Coffin Drop, trapped Allin in the tree of woe and hit a coast-to-coast dropkick, then dragged Allin centre-ring and nailed the UFO Splash on his second try. A huge upset: Knight scores the biggest win of his career and his first three points in the Continental Classic.

My Score: 4.5 out of 5

Match #5: Continental Classic Gold League Match – Claudio Castagnoli def. Orange Cassidy

The following is courtesy of wwe.com:

Cassidy tried to capture Castagnoli in multiple pin attempts until Castagnoli cut those off with a backbreaker, followed by a brutal throw face-first to the corner. He landed a running uppercut, but Cassidy escaped the Neutralizer and hit some of his signature kicks before sending Castagnoli to the outside. Cassidy followed with a dive, so Castagnoli fired back with an uppercut. He sent OC to the guardrail and hit another uppercut. He tried it again, but Cassidy was ready and moved, only for Castagnoli to snatch and swing him into the LED boards. Back in the ring, Castagnoli literally swung Cassidy by his arms, which could have easily dislocated both arms. Castagnoli continued to throw Cassidy around, but the crowd willed Cassidy back into it until he sank his hands into his pockets. A kick to the hip and a PK connected for Cassidy, but Castagnoli avoided a Beach Break and wound up on the outside. However, Cassidy followed with a tornado DDT on the floor! Castagnoli missed Cassidy on the apron, and Cassidy fought in to hit a Stundog Millionaire. Cassidy came off the top right into an uppercut, but it was only suitable for a two-count. Castagnoli rained down with hammer strikes and continued with a giant swing. He called for another uppercut, but was caught by an Orange Punch! Cassidy went for another, but he was popped up only to hit a DDT on the way down! Cassidy hit another Orange Punch out of a pop-up attempt and then hit a Beach Break. Castagnoli kicked out. Cassidy ripped off his elbow pad and called for another Orange Punch. He missed, and Castagnoli ran over him with a clothesline. Cassidy managed to turn a Neutralizer into a near-fall, but got popped into another massive uppercut, and Castagnoli immediately pinned him for the win and three points!

My Score: 3.5 out of 5

Final Verdict: 4/5

AEW kicked off the 2025 Continental Classic with the kind of punchy, tournament-driven Dynamite that always makes the product feel alive. No fluff, no rambling segments, just a clear focus on points, pride and people desperately trying not to start the league on zero. Bliss. The biggest talking point was easily Kyle Fletcher shocking Kazuchika Okada. Fletcher beating the reigning champ and a stablemate on Night One immediately injects chaos into the Gold League and gives the whole tournament that unpredictable charm AEW always wants but doesn’t always land. This time? It landed. Over in the Blue League, Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli both muscled their way to strong opening victories. Nothing fancy — just violent, efficient work that sets both men up as early block favourites. Orange Cassidy and Máscara Dorada played their roles well, absorbing punishment to make their opponents look like killers. Outside the Classic, AEW sprinkled in just enough storyline follow-up to keep the world moving, without hogging space from the league matches. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… Tournaments ALWAYS make wrestling shows better! We get match-ups we haven’t seen before, we get surprise wins and losses, and it all feels much more like MUST-SEE “event” television… and this episode was the epitome of that!