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AEW DYNAMITE REPORT
MAY 21, 2025
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. AT RIO RANCHO EVENTS CENTER
AIRED LIVE ON TBS & MAX
Commentators: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni, Taz, Tony Schiavone
Ring Announcer: Justin Roberts
Attendance: WrestleTix reports that 3,120,tickets had been distributed; arena is set up for 3,257. The arena has a capacity of 7,500 spectators when configured for concerts.
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PWTorch editor Wade Keller and PWTorch’s Tej Narayanan to review AEW Dynamite LIVE tonight right after Dynamite. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Dynamite during the show.
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[HOUR ONE]
-The Dynamite opening theme aired followed by shots of pyro blasting on the stage and a wide angle of the audience as Excalibur introduced the show.
-Tony Schiavone stood mid-ring and introduced “Hangman” Adam Page and then Will Ospreay for a “face-to-face” heading into their match at Double or Nothing. Excalibur said this match is as close to a coin flip as you get in pro wrestling. Schiavone said, “The ring is yours.”
Ospreay spoke first. He said he’s not going to get physical, so there’s no need for security at ringside. He told the security guys they can leave and they will still get paid. They left. Fans chanted, “Ospreay! Ospreay!” He said he had one important question for Hangman. “Do you still drink?” he said. He apologized if that came across bad. He said he hit him first last time, but joked that every time he gets hit in the face, it’s a drastic improvement. He asked for some beers to be handed to him. He handed an open bottle to Hangman. Hangman studied the label. Ospreay offered a toast, but Hangman didn’t reciprocate. Excalibur said Hangman was skeptical. Ospreay said he understood. He set his beer down and said they each have things to get off their chests.
Ospreay said he wants to petition to Tony Khan that they are the main event on Sunday. He said that yes, he wants to follow Anarchy in the Arena and three hours of other great wrestling. He said the stakes are that high. He said the winner has the responsibility to “bring back that beautiful gold belt.” He said he really wants it. He said he thinks he’s done it the right way. He said every week he takes a 15 hour flight from his home country. He said he is constantly jet-lagged and doesn’t sleep on Tuesdays. He said he wants to wear the belt with pride and show it around the world. He said most importantly, he wants to “bring it home.” He said at Forbidden Door in London, 30 minutes from his home, he wants to represent. He said he has grown up from a young, immature lad to who he is today and he wants to wear the belt in front of them. He said he leaves his little six year old at home every Tuesday and he wants to enter that building as the World Champion in front of him. He said he wants it just a little bit more than Hangman. Some scattered “Ospreay!” chants were followed by a scattered “Cowboy Shit” chant.
Hangman said, “That is the difference between you and I.” He said there is no prize grander and no greater honor than to be the AEW World Champion. “I know you know that!” he said. He said it’s personal to him. His voice quivered as he said, “I don’t want this opportunity, I need it.” He raised his voice as he said he has wasted two years of his life which has been full of grief and sorrow and hate. He said for two years he hasn’t won a tournament or a championship. He said the worst of it were the times he was at home, such as Christmas morning when his son sat on the floor playing with his new toys and looked up to see his dad staring out the window looking for someone he knew would never come back. He said he needs to go home and see his wife see the man who she fell in love with and not feel pity for him, and he needs his kids to be proud of their dad. “And I need this for myself because I need to know there can be some kind of light through this two year tunnel of hell,” he said. “And I need it because I need to know you were wrong when you said for me it was too little, too late.”
Ospreay stepped toward Hangman with a scowl. He asked what he is planning to do about it. He asked if he was going to bash a chair over his skull or beat him so badly that he has to retire “like you did to Christopher Daniels”? He said he has been down that path and it took a lot to come back. He said as silly as that sounds on Sunday, he’s showing up to do his best. He said he has lost sometimes, but he didn’t cheat or whine to his boss. He said when he’s lost, it was after leaving everything he had in the ring. He said in the process he won the respect of the fans. He said he also won their trust. Hangman yelled back, “Do you think that would be enough for Jon Moxley and the Death Riders?” Ospreay said he doesn’t know what it takes. He said he has wrestled Moxley twice and lost. He said he doesn’t know how to do it, but Hangman does. “You do, so show me,” he said. “Bring that man on Sunday.” He said if he can beat Moxley, he know he can bring it back.
Ospreay said Hangman has shown he can be a pure-hearted dude and a bad man. He said he’s a cowboy, but he hasn’t been doing that. He said he has been looking for Swerve. He said he gets it when someone crosses the threshold from business to person, it changes things. He said kids don’t look up to him anymore and men and the “boys backstage have lost respect for you.” He said a woman “screamed in terror when you nearly killed Swerve and you wanted to go back for more.” He said that’s not him. He said he’s just a guy who enters the ring and does his best. He said before Hangman underestimates him, he listed his wins over MJF, Bryan Danielson, Kazuchiki Okada, Kenny Omega, and Chris Jericho. He yelled that he is the best in the business. An “Ospreay” chant started amongst some fans.
Ospreay gathered himself and said he knows that when the bell rings, anything can happen. He said if he wins and he needs a friend to watch his back, he has got him. He said he hopes the same that goes back to him. He told him to meet him in the desert for a shoot out. He then poured beer into his open mouth and stared at Hangman. Hangman then guzzled his beer. Ospreay’s music played as the staredown continued. “Will it be redemption or ascension?” Excalibur asked. Taz said he cannot wait until Sunday. Hangman and Ospreay walked to the stage parallel to each other and then met at the Owen Hart trophy. They turned for a final staredown.
(Keller’s Analysis: Excellent back and forth for nearly 20 minutes from those two, each bluntly and forcefully explaining why winning Sunday means so much to them. The match feels big, and I’m really happy that it sounds like it’ll go on last. Now it’s up to Tony Khan to make sure their match starts no later than 3 hours into the PPV, and ideally a bit sooner than that, so the crowd and the home audience aren’t worn out for the match once it finally starts.)
-They cut to Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir outside and then heading into the arena. Moxley said tensions are rising and the spoils will go to those who embrace the anarchy. He walked past some fans in line at the concession stand. His music then played and he headed to the ring. They went to an inset series of clips of last week’s Anarchy in the Arena challenge from Swerve.
(1) JON MOXLEY (w/Marina Shafir) & THE YOUNG BUCKS (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) vs. SAMOA JOE & POWERHOUSE HOBBS & SWERVE STRICKLAND
The Bucks followed by Joe and his teammates made their entrances. The bell rang 25 minutes into the hour. Mox and Joe swung wildly at each other. A few minutes in, Joe and Swere side-stepped dives from the Jacksons. Mox leaped through the ropes and tackled Hobbs. The Bucks, meanwhile, stereo-superkicked Joe. They cut to a double-box break at 4:00. [c/db]
At 12:00, with the Bucks in control of Swerve, they cut to another double-box break. [c/db]
Mox piledrove Swerve after the break. Joe broke up the subsequent cover. Mox applied a half-nelson hold on Swerve on the mat afterward. Mox prevented a Swerve tag attempt and landed a headbutt. Both were down and slow to get up. Both eventually stood and tagged in Joe and Matt respectively. Joe landed a snap powerslam on Matt for a two count. A “This is awesome!” chant rang out. The Bucks rallied until Joe clotheslined both at once. Mox gave Joe a Paradigm Shift. Swerve hit a House Call on Mox next. Swerve then leaped to the floor with double-stomps onto both Jacksons. Everyone was down and slow to get up.
Back in the ring, Mox threw Hobbs into Swerve to knock him off balance on the top rope. Mox gave Hobbs a cutter. Joe clotheslined Mox over the top rope to the floor. The Bucks caught Joe with stereo superkicks and then went for an EVP Trigger on Swerve. Swerve ducked and then rolled up Matthew for the win.
WINNERS: Joe & Hobbs & Swerve in 22:00.
-After the match, Claudio Castignoli and Wheeler Yuta joined Mox and the Bucks in beating down Joe, Swerve, and Hobbs. Katsuyori Shibata made the save. Shafir gave Yuta a low blow from behind. Willow Nightingale ran out and landed the Pounce on Shafir. Kenny Omega then ran out to his music. Yuta, Claudio, and Matt went at him one at a time and Omega gave each snap dragon suplexes. “EVP on EVP crime, I love it!” Taz said. Omega then gave Matthew a V-Trigger. Swerve asked Omega to pause while he got a table from under the ring. Joe and Swerve set up the table at ringside. Omega fired up the crowd and lifted Matthew onto his shoulders on the ring apron. Claudio yanked Matthew off of Omega’s shoulders and pulled him to safety. The heels left. Joe stood on the second rope and told them that a sane man would realize he gets their asses this weekend and he should wait, but he’s not a sane man. He said they’re coming for more tonight whether they like it or not.
(Keller’s Analysis: High-energy opener with signature moves from everyone. A suitable use of TV time headed into Anarchy into the Arena.)
-Backstage, MVP, Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and their lawyer were standing by. MJF walked in with “Smart” Mark Sterling. He showed off his new suit and was all smiles. MVP said they’re going to go get some food and he can deal with the lawyers and then he’d see him later. MJF told the lawyers how excited he was about this. He asked Sterling for hand sanitizer after shaking hands with MVP’s lawyer. [c]
-The Hurt Syndicate made their ring entrance. MVP said they finally got Lashley to change his position, so tonight they officially induct their fourth member into their group. Fans booed. MVP said he knows why they’re booing. He said it’s because MJF is “better than all of you and you know it.” Fans booed. He introduced MJF. Taz called it “a special moment we’re witnessing.” MJF yanked a “PLX HURT MJF” sign out of the hands of a fan at ringside.
MJF said he’d boo too if he was born and raised there. He said his mother sat him down when he was young and told him that the most important day of his life is when he marries the love of his life. “That dumb bitch never joined The Hurt Syndicate,” he said. Fans booed. MJF said, “I appreciate the input.” MVP said nobody wants to be in Albuquerque. He yelled at the fans to shut their mouths and “show respect to the young genius.” MJF said he loves MVP. MJF said there aren’t even any pro sports teams in that state people forget even exists.
[HOUR TWO]
Sterling then led the contract signing process. MJF eagerly signed the paperwork. MVP followed. Then Shelton. Lashley hesitated. Excalibur said he seemed to be “getting cold feet.” MVP berated the fans for booing and heckling. Lashley finally signed, with encouragement from their lawyer. MJF said it’s the greatest moment of his life. He was interrupted by Sammy Guevara & Dustin Rhodes, their opponents at Double or Nothing on Sunday. MJF demanded they cut their music.
He said they have no right interrupting them. Dustin said, “Shut your mouth, Max, you stupid son of a bitch.” He said he talks and talks, but barely wrestles and has no work ethic. He said he hates his guts. He said he and MVP go way back. He said he has the utmost respect for him, and he warned him to watch out for MJF, “a snake in the grass.” He said he and Guevara are Day One Guys. He said they changed the wrestling landscape. He said now, six years later in Phoenix, they have an opportunity they earned to add more gold. He said they are ROH Tag Team Champions and undefeated. He said the word going around the block is they like to hurt people, so “jump on me and hurt me, I dare ya’.” MVP told him to be careful what he wishes for. Dustin said they work around the clock and their match won’t be “a walk in the park.” He said they can’t touch their work ethic. He said they should bet on “the day one guys.” He said he’d see them on Sunday and then dropped the mic.
(Keller’s Analysis: A pretty pointless segment overall, to be blunt. I don’t fully get the decision of MVP to go so severely heel on the fans suddenly. I was thinking it was part of a ploy to lower MJF’s guard for a double-cross, but MJF had no guard that needed lowering. I’m not sure where this is going. And Dustin just went on and on. It was drawn out and repetitive by the end and he lost the audience. It continues to cheapen the existence of the AEW Tag Team Titles by having the ROH Tag Team Titles just float their way into the AEW ecosystem without explanation like this.)
-Renee Paquette interviewed a newly dark-haired Okada backstage. She asked if he had a response to Speedcall calling him out last week. He said, “Yea.” She asked what it was. Okada said he is the Continental Champion and he calls out what goes. He said Speedball will find out at Double or Nothing why he is champion and Speedball isn’t. Renee said Speedball hasn’t been pinned since arriving in AEW. She asked if that concerns him. Okada said it doesn’t. “There’s a first time for everything,” he said. “Trust me.” He then walked away, then returned and seemed on the verge of saying “bitch,” but instead repeated, “Trust me.” [c]
(2) ANTHONY BOWENS (w/Billy Gunn) vs. RICOCHET
Anthony Bowens came out with Billy Gunn first. Excalibur said he’s been on on a hot streak. Ricochet then made his entrance. The bell rang 15 minutes into the hour. Excalibur hyped the stretcher match on Sunday for Ricochet against Mark Briscoe. Bowens cupped his ears for cheers after an early flurry to a minimal response. Gunn stared down Ricochet at ringside. Ricochet mouthed off to him. Bowens then went on the attack. Gunn threw Ricochet back into the ring; the ref scolded him for touching Ricochet. Ricochet made a comeback at 2:00 after grabbing the ref. He shoved Bowens into the ringpost and swept Bowens onto the ring apron. They cut to a double-box break. [c/db]
The ref yelled at Gunn at ringside when he took some steps toward Ricochet, giving Ricochet an opening to hit Bowens with scissors. Excalibur called it “a crafty victory by Ricochet.”
WINNER: Ricochet in 9:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Gunn remains a counter-productive appendage to Bowens. The scissors remains a stupid signature foreign object. The action itself was fine. Excalibur resorting to a crafting pun to describe Ricochet using scissors to win totally undercut the actual point of Ricochet cheating, which is to draw heel heat for cheating.)
-Afterward, as Ricochet celebrated in the aisle, Briscoe rolled a stretcher out. He put Ricochet on it, but Ricochet moved before Briscoe could leap off the top rope onto him.
-The announcers hyped the Double or Nothing line-up. They also hyped Reyna Isis facing Mercedes Moné on Collision tomorrow night on TNT in a TBS Title Open Challenge. They talked up Isis while airing highlights of her in action in CMLL. [c]
-A promo aired backstage with Stokely Hathaway and FTR. Stokely said FTR respect and honor the tradition of pro wrestling. He said they are going to do something special on Sunday. He said they want to look Nigel McGuiness and Danny Garcia in the eyes before their match on Sunday, so they’d see them tomorrow on Collision.
-Renee stood mid-ring with stools on either side of her. She introduced Jamie Hayter first, then Mercedes. Renee asked Hayter if she considers herself the underdog. Hayter said she will fight again and again and again because that’s just who she is. She said she’s not an obnoxious CEO walking around like she’s the best thing since sliced bread. (That was life-changing for me!) She said she’s rough around the edges and she can admit it, “but I am a fighter.” She said this is about more than a title match, it’s about “not being forgotten.” She said people are asking if she should have even come back. She said her back is against the wall, but she’ll do what she always does and lace up the boots and she said she hits bloody hard.
Renee asked Mercedes if Hayter has brought out a new intensity in her. She asked if she’s worried Hayter could be the first opponent to beat her in a singles match in AEW. Mercedes said she doesn’t worry. She told Hayter she doesn’t have her all figured out. She said she’s more than a champion, she’s a revolution. She said she’s not looking past her, she’s look through her “like the glass doll that you are.” She said she gets what she wants. She said she’s heading toward All In to become the AEW Women’s Champion. She said Hayter can throw shade at her accomplishments, but she’s the best TBS Champion ever and undefeated in singles matches. She said it wasn’t luck, it was hard work and dedication. She said Sunday won’t be where her story begins, but more like when her chapter finally ends. She then did her signature (hideous) laugh.
Hayter asked if everyone noticed something different about her. She said she looks “lighter.” She said it’s her New Japan Strong Title. She said she watched and she thought that was her destiny, and now her destiny is to lose everything. Mercedes leaped out of her stool and shoved Hayter hard off of her stool. (Yikes!) Mercedes swung at Hayter, but Hayter blocked it and hit Hayterade. She left Mercedes lying on her back. Toni Storm’s music then played and she made her way to the ring.
(Keller’s Analysis: Mercedes still sounds like she’s performing. He cadence is so unnatural, it just disconnects from the intention of the words. Hayter was okay here. It was suitable in terms of checking some boxes about the stakes in the match.) [c]
(3) MINA SHIRAKAWA vs. JULIA HART
Shirakawa made her entrance followed by Julia. The announcers engaged in a series of puns about Toni’s “big package.” The bell rang 49 minutes into the hour. Storm said Shirakawa is on a roll lately. Shirakawa had words for Storm at ringside. Hart then went on the attack. They cut to a double-box break at 3:00. [c/db]
Storm said, “You’re going to need a crowbar to get into these thighs,” a response to talking about the figure-four leglock. Storm asked what happened to Shirakawa’s new entrance theme last week. Shirakawa gave Hart a Crucifix Bomb off the top rope, although the landing was awkward, which the announcers commented on. Hart dragged Shirakawa to the corner a minute later and went for a top rope move, but Shirakawa moved (a little) and Hart overshot her and landed on her feet, but then sold a jammed left knee. Shirakawa then went on the attack. Hart surprised Shirakawa with a small package for a two count. Shirakawa followed up with a spinning backfist. Julia countered for a two count, but Shirakawa leveraged Hart’s shoulders down for the win.
WINNER: Shirakawa in 9:00.
(Keller’s Analysis: Especially clunky in the closing minutes.)
-Hart attacked Shirakawa after the match. She put her in a figure-four. Sky Blue ran out and kicked Shirakawa and punched away at her. Storm rolled into the ring and yanked Blue off of her and delivered a German suplex. Blue rolled out of the ring. Shirakawa landed a spinning backfist on Hart. Storm and Shirakawa then met mid-ring to build up their match on Sunday. Storm tried to yank the belt from her. Shirakawa shoved her. Storm kicked her, but Shirakawa blocked it and delivered a Dragon screw. Shirakawa then applied a figure-four leglock around the ringpost as Storm yelled out in pain. Luther called for help (instead of actually helping). Excalibur hyped the Collision line-up as Storm’s music played.
-Renee caught up with The Young Bucks backstage as they were leaving. They said Joe vowed to beat them up before the end of the show, so Joe is a liar. On cue, Joe attacked them with a trash can. A brawl broke out with everyone involved in the Anarchy in the Arena match as the announcers hyped the PPV match.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO OUR POST-SHOW PODCAST
JOIN US LIVE ON YOUTUBE TONIGHT FOR THE VIDEO-FORMAT OF OUR LIVE POST-SHOWS…
PWTorch editor Wade Keller and PWTorch’s Tej Narayanan to review AEW Dynamite LIVE tonight right after Dynamite. Join us and let us know your thoughts on Dynamite during the show.
Email our post-show at wadekellerpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and questions about Dynamite. We’ll read your emails live during the post-show.
Subscribe to all of our free podcasts by searching “wade keller” and “pwtorch” in your podcast app of choice including Spotify and Apple Podcasts and most other iOS and Android apps.
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