AEW Dynamite
May 21, 2025
By: John Siino
Rio Rancho Events Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Commentary: Excalibur, Ian Riccaboni & Taz
RESULTS:
- Swerve Strickland, Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs over Jon Moxley, Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson via pinfall (21:16)
- Ricochet over Anthony Bowens via pinfall (9:26)
- Mina Shirakawa over Julia Hart via pinfall (9:31)
Hangman & Ospreay Face-to-Face
At the show’s start, Tony Schiavone is in the ring to bring out the two men facing in the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament, this Sunday at Double or Nothing, in ‘Hangman’ Adam Page & Will Ospreay. Ospreay understands why there’s security on the outside, but he and Page both agree that they won’t get physical and dismiss the security. Ospreay asks Page an important question: if he still drinks and grabs a couple of beers. Ospreay goes to toast with him, but Page doesn’t as Ospreay takes a sip. Ospreay then says he’s here to petition to become the main event for Double or Nothing, over Anarchy in the Arena and ‘3 hours’ of professional wrestling. Ospreay says the person who wins this match will have the responsibility of bringing back the big gold belt, and he wants it so bad. Ospreay talks about being constantly jet-lagged by traveling every Tuesday, and he wants to wear that title with pride, show it around the world, and bring it home on August 24th at Forbidden Door.
Page gets on the mic and says he knows the feeling of wanting the title badly, as he has lived it. This could be a professional accomplishment for either Ospreay or he could dream of having, but for him, this is personal, and he doesn’t want this opportunity, but he needs it. He says he has wasted two years of his life, and in two years, he’s not won a single tournament or championship, and the one thing he did win brought him nothing but the same. The worst of it was the times at home, talking about his son being disappointed in him, and his wife seeing pity in him. He needs this for the fans and himself, so he could know that there could be some kind of light at the end of this two-year tunnel through hell, and he needs it so he can know that Ospreay is wrong when he told Page it was too little, too late. Ospreay then asks Page what he’s planning on doing, using a chair or beating him so bad he has to retire like Christopher Daniels. Ospreay says he’s showing up on Sunday and doing his best, and sometimes his best has not been good enough. Ospreay tells Page to bring that man who can beat Jon Moxley on Sunday, because if he beats him, he knows he can bring the AEW World Championship back. Ospreay continues that kids don’t look up to Page anymore, and the men in the back don’t respect him anymore. Ospreay names all the names his ‘best’ has beaten, before saying he’s the best in the *bleeped out*. Ospreay tells Page if he needs a friend or someone watching his back, he’s got him, and he hopes that if he wins, Page will have his back as well. Ospreay tells Page on Sunday to meet him out in the desert as he’s calling him out for a shootout, as they both chug their beers.
Excalibur confirms that Tony Khan has made it official that Ospreay & Page will be the main event for Double or Nothing.
We see Jon Moxley & Marina Shafir making their way into the building, as Moxley says that spoils will go to the winners and to embrace the anarchy as they make their way into the arena.
Jon Moxley & The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson & Nicholas Jackson) (w/ Marina Shafir) vs. The Opps (Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs) & Swerve Strickland (w/ Prince Nana)
As soon as the bell rings, Jon Moxley & Samoa Joe go at it with forearms before both get stunned and sent to their corners as Powerhouse Hobbs & Matthew Jackson tag in, but Nicholas Jackson quickly joins in as they double-team on Hobbs. Swerve Strickland tags in as he and Nicholas go back and forth on the ropes before Swerve goes from a suplex into a neckbreaker, as all six men start going at it at this point. Joe & Swerve dodge The Young Bucks trying to dive on the outside, before Moxley dives onto Hobbs. Swerve follows with a Fosbury Flop, before Joe hits an elbow suicide dive as we go to break.
We return as the Bucks, and Moxley takes out Swerve on the outside before triple-teaming him back inside. Swerve finally fights them off, but Moxley had taken out both Joe & Hobbs from the apron. They continue to work on Swerve as we go to another commercial.
After the break, Marina Shafir & Prince Nana are in each other’s faces on the outside, as Moxley hits Swerve with a piledriver that Joe breaks up at two. Swerve is finally able to headbutt Moxley off and make the much-needed hot tag to Joe. This doesn’t last long, as Swerve tags himself back in. They all end up on the outside, as Rick Knox starts counting them out, but Swerve & Matthew enter at eight as Swerve tags back out, this time to Hobbs. Hobbs hits spinebusters on all three opponents, before he tags Swerve back in (Sii-note: Jeez, give the guy a break.). The Bucks suplex Swerve off the top rope, but miss the EVP Trigger. Joe holds Nicholas back in a Coquina Clutch, as Swerve rolls up Matthew for the pin and the win.
Winners: Swerve Strickland & The Opps (Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs) by pinfall at 21:16
As soon as the match is over, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta run in and join in the attack on Swerve, Joe & Hobbs. Katsuyori Shibata runs in and takes out the Death Riders, before Marina shows up from behind and takes him out with a low blow. Willow Nightingale runs out and takes out Marina with a spear. Kenny Omega runs out and takes out Yuta & Claudio before taking out Matthew Jackson with a snap suplex and a V-Trigger. Omega goes for the One-Winged Angel, but Swerve waves it off as they set up a table on the outside. Omega lifts Matthew again, but Claudio saves him.
Joe gets on the mic and says he doesn’t want to wait for Sunday, and they are coming after them tonight, whether they like it or not.
MJF Signs With The Hurt Syndicate + The Sons of Texas Are Day One
Alicia Atout is in the back with The Hurt Syndicate and their legal representative, as MVP talks about adding MJF today, a momentous occasion. MJF walks in with Mark Sterling and shows off his new suit. They leave MJF there to go over the contracts with the lawyers, as the rest of The Hurt Syndicate go get food.
They must have eaten that food rather quickly, as The Hurt Syndicate makes their way to the ring after the break, as the lawyers are already in there. MVP says tonight they will officially induct their fourth member into The Hurt Syndicate, and bring out MJF to the ring. MJF says this reminds him of when his mom sat him down and told him the most important day of his life is when he marries the love of his life, and now that he’s older he can say ‘that dumb bitch never joined The Hurt Syndicate’. MVP & MJF keep throwing jabs out to ‘Albuquerque’ before Mark Sterling says he’s going to have MJF sign first, which he does. MVP & Shelton Benjamin sign next, as Benjamin asks their lawyer if this looks right. Bobby Lashley is next as he starts looking over the contract and talks to his lawyer, before eventually signing. MJF puts on a Hurt Syndicate hat, but they get interrupted by The Sons of Texas, Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara. MJF says they have no right to interrupt The Hurt Syndicate, as Rhodes tells him to shut his mouth. Rhodes says he has the utmost respect for MVP, but it’s in his best interest in business to watch for a snake in the grass in MJF. Rhodes continues that he and Guevara are day one guys and talk about changing the landscape six years ago, and fast forward six years, as they have an opportunity to earn more gold. Rhodes dares them to hurt him, as MVP tells him to be careful what he wishes for. Rhodes continues and says if he were a betting man, he would bet on the day one guys.
Trust Okada
Renee Paquette is in the back with Kazuchika Okada and asks if he has a response for Mike Bailey, to which he says ‘Yeah’ and says Speedball doesn’t call him out, but he calls him out and at Double or Nothing, Bailey will find out why Okada is the AEW Continental Championship and there is a first time for everything, when Renee tells him that Bailey hasn’t been pinned yet. Okada ends it by saying trust me, walks off and comes back as everyone thinks he’s going to say ‘bitch’, but he says ‘trust me’, again.
Anthony Bowens (w/ Billy Gunn) vs. Ricochet
This match comes from a backstage segment where they argued about who the true ‘king of scissors’ is. Almost right away, Anthony Bowens sends Ricochet to the outside as Billy Gunn gets in his face and they have some ‘bald’ fun with him. Ricochet attacks Bowens, sending him onto the barricade as we go to break.
We come back, with Bowens in control, hitting a Fameasser before getting a two-count. Ricochet comes back with a knee and a kick to the face, before setting up for the Spirit Gun, but Bowens dodges it, and hits The Arrival. Bowens follows with the Molly Wop, but Ricochet goes spilling to the outside as a result. As Paul Turner is distracted by Billy Gunn, Ricochet hits Bowens with a shot to the head with his scissors, followed by the Spirit Gun to pick up the pin and the win.
Winner: Ricochet by pinfall at 9:26
As Ricochet is starting to leave, Mark Briscoe shows up behind him with a stretcher and rams it into Ricochet before placing Ricochet on top of it, goes to the top rope for a Froggy Bow attempt, but Ricochet escapes.
We go to Stokely & FTR in the back, who talk about their match with Nigel McGuinness & Daniel Garcia this Sunday. Stokely says FTR wants to look them in the eyes before they sign this contract and say it’s the last time Nigel will ever sign a contract, and it’ll be tomorrow night on Collision.
Mercedes & Hayter Face-to-Face
Renee is in the ring and brings out Mercedes Mone & Jamie Hayter for a face-to-face ahead of their match on Sunday. Renee asks Hayter if she feels like the underdog, as she says people will get themselves hurt if they look past her. Hayter says she’s nothing like Mercedes and doesn’t have it like her, as she’s rough around the edges and a fighter. This isn’t about a title shot anymore to her, as it’s about not being forgotten, and when that bell rings, if it ain’t her lifting the cup, then what does that mean for Hayter. Renee asks Mercedes if she’s worried that Hayter can be the first person to defeat her in singles action here in AEW. Mercedes says she’s not and says Hayter doesn’t have her all figured out, as she’s more than a champion, but the Beyoncé of women’s wrestling. She’s not looking past Hayter, but straight through her like the glass doll that she is. Her reality is going into All In Texas to become the AEW Women’s World Champion. She calls herself the greatest TBS Champion of all time, and she will show Hayter why she calls herself the CEO. Hayter says there’s something different about Mercedes, and that something is missing before saying that she lost the NJPW STRONG Women’s Title, and her destiny is to lose everything. This prompts Mercedes to take a cheap shot at Hayter and keeps attacking her. Hayter blocks her and takes out out with a Hayterade, but this prompts Toni Storm to come out as she’s going to be on commentary for the main event.
Mina Shirakawa vs. Julia Hart
At the start of the match, Julia Hart completes her Undertaker transformation by doing the rope walk, but Mina Shirakawa comes back with her own with a knee drop. Mina trips up Hart before going to the outside and getting into Toni Storm’s face on commentary. Hart takes control as we head to break.
We come back with Mina in control in the ring hitting an elbow strike followed by a Dragon Screw out of the corner. Hart traps Mina in the ropes, as Toni Storm wonders what happened to Mina’s new theme from last week, as she enjoyed it. Mina hits an ugly-looking crucifix bomb, but Hart comes right back with a top rope moonsault attempt, landing on her knee. Mina takes advantage, going after her knee, and tries a Figure Four that Hart escapes from. Mina stays on top, hitting a back fist. They go back and forth before Mina traps on a capture pin for the win.
Winner: Mina Shirakawa by pinfall at 9:31
Hart tries to attack Mina from behind after the match, but Mina stops her and puts on the Figure Four. Skye Blue runs out and starts attacking Mina, before Toni Storm runs out and pulls Blue off with a German Suplex. Mina & Storm both take out Hart before going face-to-face. They do a tug-of-war with the title, before Mina attacks Storm and puts her in a Figure Four around the ring post, before officials have to break it up.
Anarchy Starts Early
Renee is in the back as The Young Bucks are leaving and says Samoa Joe is a liar for saying he was going to get his hands on them before the end of the night. On cue, Samoa Joe & Powerhouse Hobbs show up and start attacking the Bucks. The Death Riders & Willow Nightingale get involved, before Swerve Strickland, Katsuyori Shibata & Kenny Omega show up, as they end up fighting by the entrance stage. They take it down by the ring and inside the ring, as Sum 41 starts playing during this brawl (Sii-note: Moments like this, I wish ‘I’m So Excited’ by The Pointer Sisters stayed the theme song so that could be blasting now instead). Swerve & Omega take out the Bucks as Joe puts on the Coquina Clutch on Moxley on the outside. Gabe Kidd breaks it up and joins the brawl, as the music stops and The Young Bucks set up tables on the outside. They place Omega & Swerve on the tables, as the Bucks jump off the top ropes, crashing onto them. The heels stand tall as the show goes off the air.
Collision Line-Up
- FTR vs. Daniel Garcia & Nigel McGuiness contract signing
- Kyle Fletcher vs. Jay Lethal
- James Drake & Zack Gibson vs. Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong
- Komander & Mike Bailey vs. Rush & Dralistico
- AEW TBS Title: Mercedes Mone (c) vs. Reyna Isis
Double Or Nothing Line-Up
- Continental Title: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Mike Bailey
- Stretcher: Mark Briscoe vs. Ricochet
- Daniel Garcia & Nigel McGuiness vs. Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood
- Anarchy in the Arena: Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland, Samoe Joe, Powerhouse Hobbs, Katsuyori Shibata & Willow Nightingale vs. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, The Young Bucks, Wheeler Yuta & Marina Shafir
- AEW World Tag Team Title: Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin (c) vs. Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara
- AEW Women’s World Title: Toni Storm (c) vs. Mina Shirakawa
- Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Final: Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter
- Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Final: Adam Page vs. Will Ospreay
