‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Aug 20th 2025)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from the OVO Arena in Glasgow, Scotland – for the first time ever! Let’s get straight into the review of thus show, which had a special commentator in Bryan Danielson!
Match #1: Hiroshi Tanahashi and JetSpeed def. The Death Riders
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Tanahashi went right after Mox to start things off. It didn’t take long for Marina Shafir to get involved, but she was immediately caught by referee Bryce Remsburg and ejected from the match! As she made her way up the ramp, Ospreay returned to give her a free ride to the locker room, garnering yet another set of big cheers from the crowd. Still, the Death Riders were able to get control and singled out Kevin Knight, hitting quick tags between all three members as Knight had no chance of getting out of the wrong corner. Special guest commentator Bryan Danielson admitted it was very hard to be out there watching the match, and not in there himself, as he has lots of history with Moxley, Castagnoli, and Yuta. Finally, Tanahashi made the tag and the tide began to turn. Tanahashi, Knight, and Bailey hit Twist and Shouts on all three members of the Death Riders. With Knight and Bailey flying to the outside, Tanahashi went to the top, as it looked like The Ace would finish off Yuta, but Gabe Kidd arrived and he wasn’t alone. Kidd was backed by the War Dogs of New Japan Pro Wrestling, including Drilla Moloney, Clark Connors, and Robbie X. Tanahashi hit a High Fly Flow on Yuta for the pin, but the celebration didn’t last long.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Match #2: AEW World Tag Team Title Eliminator Tournament Final – Brodido vs. FTR (Draw)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
After a month of grueling battles, Brodido and FTR found themselves in the finals of the AEW World Tag Team Title Tournament Eliminator. Would FTR earn a chance to become three-time AEW World Tag Team Champions or is Brodido riding too much momentum? We were about to find out. The clash of styles was evident early on. FTR would try to slow down the pace while Bandido would speed things up and King would use his power advantage. FTR knew King was a problem for them and seemed to focus on taking him out early, including a piledriver that they celebrated a little too early. Brody King pops back up. Brody nearly took out both members of FTR, but took a shot from Stokely on the outside and went down in a heap. No, Big Stoke doesn’t pack that kind of punch, as he slyly revealed a pipe hidden in his sling. And it was an accurate shot, as King came up with a blood-covered face. Once again, FTR slowed things down and grinded down King finally battled through the blood to finally make the tag to Bandido and the ROH World Champion lit up FTR on his own until they caught a big dive to the outside and slammed Bandido on the apron. Stokely, perhaps overzealous, tried to distract Bandido with the stolen mask, but Bandido was able to take it back and put it on before hitting a splash for a two count. FTR looked primed to hit Power and Glory from the turnbuckles, but Bandido and King escaped, with Bandido nearly scoring a three count. Harwood got King up on the top rope once again and hit an avalanche suplex which Wheeler immediately followed with a big splash! King kicked out! FIVE MINUTES REMAINING! Bandido got a blind tag on King, as FTR put Brody down with a Shatter Machine, but he was no longer the legal man. Bandido sprung into action, yet after a brief flurry FTR once again took control and executed a brutal Blockbuster combo. But it still wasn’t enough! With King on the apron, FTR hit him with an absolutely devastating spike piledriver, seemingly taking him out of the match for good. Bandido countered the Shatter Machine with a DDT and looked poised to hit the 21 plex, but Cash saved Dax, so Bandido turned it around and Cash saved Dax! Another attempt at the Shatter Machine hit, but King made the save with 60 seconds left! FTR grabbed a table on the outside with King following right after them. Bandido chased Cash back in the ring and went to the outside, but Wheeler was right behind him and went crashing into the table as the time limit expired!
My Score: 4.5 out of 5
Match #3: Athena and Mercedes Moné def. Toni Storm and Alex Windsor
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Despite having common enemies, the team of Athena and Mercedes was still a pair of big egos, so there was some miscommunication between the two to start – and throughout the match. Storm tagged in, clad in tartan and told Moné to “Get in my belly!” Moné disappointed everyone in Glasgow by tagging out to Athena. However, that gave us a preview of Sunday’s AEW Women’s World Title match between Storm and Athena. While both had their brief moments, neither gained much of an advantage before both Moné and Windsor got back into the fray. A frustrated Athena got in Moné’s face, saying she needed to get it together. Apparently, the message was received, as Moné assisted Athena in a torpedo dive to the outside on Windsor, but Storm followed with a big hip attack of her own. Athena got in Moné’s face again before crushing Windsor with a powerbomb on the floor. Moné and Athena remained in control for some time until Windsor finally escaped them long enough to make the tag to a fresher Storm. Storm and Windsor tried to go for some tandem offense on Athena, but they were out of sync and the tide shifted on a lungblower/backstabber combo from Athena and Moné. Luckily, Windsor saved Storm from a submission just in time. With the damage done, Storm found herself in the wrong corner, and only saved herself with a desperation DDT, getting just enough time for Windsor to tag back in with a major second wind. Windsor nearly pinned the TBS Champion on multiple occasions, but Athena made a big save. Athena and Storm wound up battling on the steel steps with The Fallen Goddess putting Storm in massive pain with a piledriver. Windsor locked Moné in a Sharpshooter, but Athena was the legal woman. With Windsor distracted by her mistake, Athena flew over her with an O-Face for the win.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4/5
This week’s Dynamite from Glasgow was a fiery go-home show that hit all the right notes. Will Ospreay’s emotional promo set the tone, while chaotic brawls, surprise returns, and a thrilling FTR vs. Brodido time-limit draw kept the energy high. The Copeland–Cage reunion offered nostalgia and levity, while MJF’s shocking abduction of Mark Briscoe added a dark twist to the world title feud. The women’s division also delivered, with Athena’s ruthless display standing out. Overall, this show was a tense, action-packed episode that built Forbidden Door into a must-see event.