‘AEW: Dynamite’ Review (Apr 16th 2025)
Welcome to this week’s review of AEW: Dynamite, which was broadcast from the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, MA. We’ve got Excalibur and Tony Schiavone on commentary, so let’s get into the review!
Match #1: The Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Semifinal – Mercedes Mone def. Athena
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
There was a collar and elbow tie-up, neither woman relenting, and they spilled out of the ring and onto the ramp. Back in the ring, Mercedes tried for a back slide for a near fall. Mercedes rocked Athena in the corner with a running double knee strike. Athena staggered Mercedes into the corner with a series of kicks, followed up by a big elbow strike. Mercedes applied the Statement Maker in the center of the ring, but Athena rolled to the ropes. Mercedes didn’t let go and inflicted more punishment on Athena on the floor of the arena. Athena grabbed Mercedes and nailed her with a stunner off the apron. Back in the ring, both wrestlers slugged it out. Athena scored with a thrust kick. Mercedes caught Athena with a lung blower after countering a tombstone piledriver attempt. Mercedes spiked Athena with a swinging DDT for a near fall! Mercedes got caught in three consecutive power bombs. Mercedes slipped behind and nailed Athena with a back breaker. Athena drilled Mercedes with a Death Valley Driver. Mercedes drove Athena through the ropes with a double knee strike. Athena caught Mercedes below the chin with a kick. Athena power slammed Mercedes on the apron but Mercedes kicked out at the two-count. Athena locked in the cross face submission, cranking back. Mercedes escaped and shoved Athena into the turnbuckles. Mercedes side stepped Athena, sending Athena crashing into the guardrail. Athena blasted Mercedes with a shotgun dropkick. Mercedes blocked the O-Face and pinned Athena with a jackknife pinning combination, punching her way to the finals!
My Score: 4.5 out of 5
Match #2: The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Quarterfinal “Hangman” Adam Page def. Josh Alexander
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Page and Alexander traded strikes. Josh booted Adam in the face. Page regained momentum with a fallaway slam. Hangman avoided a high boot from Josh. Page jumped off the ramp, striking from the air, knocking Josh Alexander off the guardrail. Hangman rocked Josh with a rolling lariat! Hangman tried for a deadeye on the apron but sent Alexander crashing with a back body drop instead. Page moonsaulted onto Josh on the arena floor. Back in the ring, Page powerbombed Alexander for a near fall! Alexander applied an ankle lock. Page crawled to the ropes to force the ref to break the hold. Page spiked Alexander with a tombstone piledriver. Alexander kicked out at the two-count. Alexander rocked Page with a right hand strike. Page grabbed Alexander who was rebounding off the ropes, cradled Alexander in a small package, and pinned Alexander!
My Score: 4 out of 5
Match #3: AEW World Tag Team Championship Match – The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin) def. Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Toa charged at the Hurt Syndicate as Shelton and Bobby were discussing their strategy. The Gates of Agony double teamed Shelton with tandem offense. Bobby tagged in and drove his shoulder into the midsection of Bishop Kaun repeatedly. Toa planted Shelton with a huge Samoan Drop, following by a senton. Shelton stalked his prey and sent Bishop flying with suplexes. Bobby speared Toa outside the ring! Bobby speared Bishop inside the ring and scored the pin!
My Score: 3 out of 5
Match #4: The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament Semifinal – Will Ospreay def. Konosuke Takeshita
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Ospreay countered a powerbomb attempt with a hurracanrana. Takeshita fired back with the Takeshita-Line! Takeshita flipped over the top rope and wiped out Will on the arena floor! Takeshita lured Ospreay in for a suplex. Ospreay rocked Takeshita with a stundog millionaire, and then an Os-Cutter onto the ramp! Ospreay blasted Takeshita with a missile dropkick, followed up by a sky twister for a near fall! Will connected with another Os-Cutter for a near fall. Takeshita spiked Ospreay with a German suplex and then covered Will with a bridge, but Will kicked out at 2.999! Takeshita hammered Will with a forearm shot! Ospreay landed a thrust kick, dropping Takeshita to his knees. Ospreay was looking for the hidden blade, but Takeshita collapsed to the mat. Takeshita popped back up with a blue thunder bomb, but Will kicked out. Ospreay hit the Hidden Blade, but Takeshita kicked out at the one-count! Ospreay used a German suplex, but Takeshita cracked Ospreay with a hidden blade of his own! Ospreay headbutted Takeshita, who was perched on the top turnbuckle. Takeshita walloped Ospreay with a lariat from the top rope, but Will landed on his feet! Will scored with the hidden blade but Takeshita kicked out. Ospreay reversed the Raging Fire and planted Takeshita with the Styles Clash for a near fall! Ospreay finally hit the Storm Breaker and pinned Takeshita!
My Score: 5 out of 5
Match #5: Undisputed AEW World Trios Championship Match – Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata & Powerhouse Hobbs def. Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta)
The following is courtesy of allelitewrestling.com:
Hobbs smashed Yuta like a man possessed, laying in heavy shots in the corner. Moxley jumped in and hit Hobbs from behind, but Hobbs didn’t budge. Hobbs powerslammed Wheeler and tagged out to Samoa Joe. Samoa Joe jabbed at Yuta, decimating him with strike after strike. Shibata grabbed a tag and continued to punish Yuta. Claudio grabbed Shibata and whipped him into the barricade. Claudio walloped Shibata with a short arm lariat. Shibata doggedly tried to battle out of the corner of the Death Riders. Shibata used a back heel kick to drop Claudio. Samoa Joe and Wheeler Yuta tagged in for their respective teams. Samoa Joe powerslammed Yuta. Moxley grabbed a steel chair, frustration boiling over. Willow Nightingale ran down and disarmed Moxley. Hobbs spiked Claudio with a spinebuster. Samoa Joe nailed Moxley with a lariat. Matthew and Nicholas Jackson walked down to the ring to a chorus of boos. Matthew grabbed a steel chair, but Swerve Strickland pulled the chair away from him and used a Swerve Stomp to take out the EVPs. Shibata put Claudio in a sleeper on the ramp. Shibata followed up with a PK! Wheeler Yuta went for a tope suicida, but Hobbs planted him on the announcers’ desk. Marina cracked Hobbs with a steel chair. Willow wiped out Marina with a running clothesline. Joe countered the Death Rider with the clutch submission and Moxley tapped out!
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
Final Verdict: 4.5/5
You know, when AEW puts its mind to it, they can produce some of the greatest wrestling of the modern era. And this week’s episode featured MULTIPLE instances of some of the best wrestling we’ve seen this year. From the amazing opener between Athena and Mercedes Mone to the superb men’s tournament match with the debuting Josh Alexander, to THAT 5-star instant classic between Will Ospreay and Konosuke Takeshita, this week’s Dynamite was pure magic. Even the lesser matches, well I say lesser but hell, they were only lesser compared to the rest of the card, delivered – with Hurt Syndicate looking strong against an almost as strong looking Gates of Agony (in their best match outing in AEW so far IMHO); and the surprise loos of the Trios titles for the Death Riders. I do hope that loss leads to something… given the fact that the locker room came out to help The Opps celebrate says a LOT about where this storyline – the internal struggle within AEW – could be headed. An AEW civil war maybe? Overall, this was a BRILLIANT episode of Dynamite, and it was easily one of the best of the year so far. Imagine the WWE putting on PPV-worthy matches on TV like this… wouldn’t happen, would it?