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AEW DYNAMITE ON-SITE REPORT + COLLISION TAPINGS
MAY 14, 2025
HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. AT NOW ARENA
REPORT BY ERIC KROL, PWTORCH CORRESPONDENT
Commentators: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, Taz
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Attendance: WrestleTix reported just before showtime that 4,830 tickets had been distributed; arena is set up for 4,867. The arena has a capacity of 11,218 spectators when configured for concerts.
DYNAMITE DARK MATCH
(A) Catalina defeated Trish Adora with a top rope splash.
COLLISION TAPINGS
Before Dynamite
1. Kyle Fletcher (w/Don Callis) vs. A.R. Fox
Kyle attacked at the bell. Kyle kept cutting off Fox. He went for a superplex but Fox pushed him off and got in some offense, including a nice flip dive over the top rope. Kyle a running boot and kick but Fox caught a hope spot small package. Fletcher won the with the brain buster in 9:24.
DYNAMITE NOTE
During the ad break before MJF came out, MVP surveyed the crowd on whether they wanted to see them beat up MJF or accept him into the group.
After Dynamite ended, Kenny set up Swerve for a Who’s House and plugged AITA and bid us adieu.
As they set up for Collision, Tony Khan came out and asked how many had been to AEW before. The original All In? First time? He recommended we stay for Collision. He said family and friends were here tonight. He’s from Illinois. He said wrestling is 52 weeks a year. “Let’s give it up for the crew,” he said. He plugged a CMLL trios match after Collision ended.
COLLISION TAPINGS
After Dynamite
2. Megan Bayne (w/Penelope Ford) vs. Anna Jay (w/Harley Cameron)
Bayne won with an F5 looking move that Anna didn’t take a great bump for. Match lasted about 8 minutes. Harley and Penelope brawled to the back after Penelope removed a turnbuckle pad. They had a hard time because they followed the Dynamite cage match and big angle that closed the show.
A slight delay. When we resumed, a graphic of Steve Mongo McMichael was on the big screen. Tony Schiavone interviews Misty, McMichael’s wife, and “one of the great Four Horsemen,” Dean Malenko. Tony read some facts about Mongo’s football career, including coaching an indoor football team that played at NOW Arena. May is ALS Awareness Month. Nature Boy Ric Flair came out to talk about his late friend, Steve McMichael. Flair put over Chicago and his Chi-Town Rumble loss to Ricky Steamboat in the late 1980s. Flair thanked Tony Khan and the fans for honoring McMichael. Steve McMichael has been more man than anyone I’ve ever known in my life, Flair said. He fought the disease for six years. Mongo chants.
3. RPG Vice (Rocky Romero & Trent) & Lance Archer vs. Brody King & Tomohiro Ishii & Bandido
Ishii started, as he’s seeking vengeance for the RPG Vice attack the other week. Ishii tried to power bomb Rocky but couldn’t, then tagged out and grabbed his shoulder/neck area. Brawling at ringside with all six men. Archer slammed Brody on the ring apron. “Trent you suck!” chants. Callis was on commentary and was greeted with the usual chant. Heels got the heat on Brody. Crowd wanted a comeback. Rocky did his running clothesline into the corner spot until Brody turned the tables and destroyed him with a clothesline. Hot tag to Bandido, who one arm press slammed Rocky onto Trent. Bandido tried to slam Archer but he wasn’t having it. Ishii and Rocky in. Ishii hit German suplexes on RPG Vice. Archer chokeslammed Ishii, who kicked out. The faces clotheslined Rocky in the corner, with Bandido getting an assisted Woo drop kick. Brody pinned Rocky. Match went about 9 minutes. Heels got their heat back afterward until the Outrunners made the save. They have been building to RPG Vice v Outrunners.
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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4. Blake Christian (w/Lee Johnson) vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
Kevin Knight is taking part in New Japan’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament and was not with Speedball as in recent weeks. Speedball chants to start.
A really good five-minute, back-and-forth match. Bailey won with his kick finisher. Post-match promo from Bailey. He said Chicago has some beautiful weather tonight, so Okada why don’t you come out here with that title belt and we can make it rain?
Cue Okada, who stayed near the entrance. “Bailey, I prove it. Bitch!” Dralistico and Rush attacked Bailey from behind after Okada provided the distraction. Rush’s music played as they stood tall over the fallen Bailey.
5. Big Bill & Bryan Keith vs. Gates of Agony – Chicago street fight.
A shirtless Big Bill sported a backpack and set up a table in the ring propped up on the turnbuckles. Toa hit Bill in the stomach with a barbed-wire bat as the match started with a ringside brawl. Kaun speared Keith through the table in the corner. “Beef” chants as Bill and Toa faced off, then hit each other with kendo sticks. Kaun choked Bill at ringside with a cable. Keith tried to leap off the apron but Toa caught him. Kaun with a trash can shot on Bill. “We want tables” chants. You already got one table spot.
Heels hit Bryan with trash can lids. Keith on the tree of woe with his head in a trash can. Toa did the Nia Jax sit down spot but Bill made the save to break up the pin. Bill emptied out his backpack at ringside.
It has a brick in it. He lined up Kaun and went to hit him with the brick but hit the ring post instead.
Toa clotheslined over the announcers’ table. Crowd into it by this point. Keith taken over the barrier. Kaun hit Bill with a trash can in the ring. Keith hit Kaun with the can. Bill a big boot and Toa off the ropes and onto the tables. Keith hit Kaun with some drywall. “We want drywall” chants. Bill chokelsammed Kaun and that was it. It went about 13:45 and was good.
Tony Khan came out to thank all four men while the ring crew cleaned up. Plugged the six-show run in July in Chicago at the Aragon Ballroom, which has notoriously bad acoustics for live music.
6. Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara vs. Lio Rush & Action Andretti
Winner gets a tag title shot against The Hurt Syndicate, presumably at Double or Nothing. I don’t recall Dustin & Sammy winning any AEW matches to merit this match, but they are ROH champs.
A fair amount of the crowd left by this point. At times, this taping had a Ring of Honor taping feel.
More noise than that, but you get the vibe if you’ve been. They probably had about 5,000 in the building at the start of Dynamite.
Sammy hit a flip dice into both heels at ringside. Then got the crowd to encourage Dustin to do it. He pulled up and did a crotch chop instead.
Cru went to grab chairs but the faces cut them off. Cru eventually got the better of the faces at ringside
and took over. Andretti worked over Dustin’s leg for a while. Crowd clapped to try to encourage Dustin to make a hot tag to Sammy. Heels cut him off. Dustin lowbridged Action and got the tag at last. Sammy off the top with a crossbody on both heels. We are about 10 minutes in. Heels overpower Sammy after a nice, speedy reversal sequence. Dustin makes the save by pushing into the pile. Dustin a code red on Lio. Sammy escaped a GTS attempt and hit a kick and then a GTS to win the match in about 12:30.
Sammy and Dustin will face Hurt Syndicate.
It’s 11 p.m. Central at this point. Arkady plugged shows and vamped for five minutes.
7. Wheeler Yuta vs. Powerhouse Hobbs
This was billed as the Collision main event. Yuta attacked Hobbs as the stood on the turnbuckles before the bell. Hobbs wasn’t having it. Hobbs worked over Yuta, repeatedly slamming him on the ring apron. Yuta escaped a top rope fall away slam attempt and took over about four minutes in. Worked on Hobbs’ ankle and knee for about four minutes. Yuta a dive through the ropes. He went to the top rope but got caught. Hobbs went for a superplex but Yuta fought him off and hit a top rope splash for two.
Hobbs mounted a comeback and Yuta bumped well for him. Power slam by Hobbs. Clotheslines in the corner. Hobbs with the straps down. Yuta ran into an awkward power slam and ate the pin in about 12 minutes. Yuta and Marina beat down Hobbs. Willow Nightingale made the save and power slammed Marina and slapped Yuta. The heels bailed.
ROH TV MATCH
Bonus CMLL trios match. They put on the Ring of Honor ring apron and took off the AEW mat cover, so this will air on Honor Club.
There were very few people left in the crowd at this point. Tony Khan came out again to thank us and tell us what a big Lucha Libre fan he was. Tony plugged that the Cubs Fan is in the house somewhere and The Lucha Blog. We were now approaching 11:30 p.m. Central.
(1) Hechicero, Voladar Jr. & Barbaro Cavernario vs. Atlantis Jr. & Fuego & (couldn’t make out the other name)
Volador left his shirt on, Naito-style. Rudos worked over the tecnicos. Probably fewer than a thousand people left but the crowd enjoyed this. Atlantis Jr. made his own comeback as his partners watched from ringside. Atlantis Jr. hit a big splash onto Barbaro for the win in 8 minutes.
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