The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 05.14.25

The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 05.14.25

“BEACH BREAK 2025”

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Will Ospreay & Hangman Page v. Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander

Takeshita and Ospreay trade takedowns to start and it’s over to Alexander, as the announcers accuse Will of avoiding the tag. The Callis Family double-teams him in the corner and Takeshita hits a knee strike off the middle rope before going to work on the back. Will finally tags Page in and he cleans house, hitting Alexander with a moonsault off the apron. Back in the ring for a corner clothesline on Takeshita and a powerbomb for two. Back to Ospreay for a double-team on Takeshita, as Will gets a shooting star for two, but they have trouble getting their wires uncrossed and end up on the floor as a result as we take a break. Back with Josh hitting Hangman with a northern lights suplex for two and he rolls Page into an anklelock. Page fights out of that and makes the hot tag to Ospreay and he hits the heels with a double handspring kick and moonsaults Takeshita for two. The heels end up on the floor and the faces hit stereo dives, and then Ospreay springboards in with a forearm on Alexander for two. Another handspring kick is caught by Alexander and turned into a spinning slam for two. Takeshita with a Blue Thunder bomb that goes wrong, but it gets two. Hangman comes in and it’s BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA, as the heels take turns hitting Ospreay with german suplexes and a pair of elbows for two. Ospreay comes back with a pair of Ozcutters on the heels, and that gets two. But then Page tries the buckshot and runs into Ospreay, and then Ospreay tries the Hidden Blade and almost hits Page, and that’s an awkward moment. But they get it together and double-team Alexander into another buckshot lariat and that finishes at 18:09. So everything is fine between them before they fight each other next weekend. ***1/2. And then Ospreay fights off the Callis Family again, but nearly takes out Page again.

Meanwhile, we take a look at the Samoa Joe-Moxley feud before the main event tonight. Speaking of main events, hopefully they announce one for Double or Nothing. It’s so weird that they rushed through the tournaments to get the finals a couple of weeks ago, but haven’t done anything notable to actually promote a main event for the PPV.

Meanwhile, Top Flight wants the titles, and Dustin Rhodes will be watching and cheering them on.

Ricochet v. Zach Gowen

Ricochet still has the stolen leg with him, because I guess finders keepers, and Zach goes to the mat and takes him down with armdrags to throw him off. Ricochet bails and Zach hits him with a dive and shines up the bald head. So Ric runs him into the railing as we take a break. Back with Ricochet in control and hitting a 450 for two, and he goes up again with a shooting star press for two. Vertigo gets two. Next up, he finds the scissors and takes a run with those, but Zach retrieves his leg and uses that for two. Gowen goes up and misses a moonsault, and Ricochet finishes with the Spirit Gun at 7:30. But then he keeps up the beating, and Mark Briscoe makes the save and rescues the leg as well. This was fine but I don’t think it meant anything or put any extra eyeballs on the product or anything. **

Eliminator match: The Hurt Syndicate v. Top Flight

Top Flight manages to chase the Hurts to the floor and hits them with dives. Back in, Darius gets double-teamed and tossed out for a trip into the railing. Back in, Shelton hits him with a release german suplex a few times, and that gets two. Dante gets a hot tag but immediately gets destroyed, and Bobby puts him away with the Hurt Lock at 4:20 to complete the squash. *1/2. So this brings out Dustin & Sammy as promised, and Dustin wants a shot at the AEW tag team titles, but the CRU interrupts and they also want a tag team title shot. So MVP tells them to have a match on Collision and the winner gets the title match. And then he throws to commercial and announces that MJF gets his answer after the break. Is that really the best two teams they could come up with to challenge for the tag titles?

So as promised, we return from the break and MJF tries to hide behind Tony Khan at the gorilla position, but he gets stooged out and Shelton brings him to the ring. So it’s vote time again, and this time Bobby is thumbs up while MJF goes through a range of wacky facial reactions. And next week, MJF signs his contract for official entry into the group. MJF is of course very happy, but there’s gotta be some kind of crazy plot twist still coming.

Eliminator match: Toni Storm v. Mina Shirakawa v. Skye Blue v. AZM

Skye and Toni brawl on the floor while AZM and Mina trade cradles in the ring for two. Skye hits Toni with a tornado DDT in the ring, but slugs it out with AZM until Toni pulls her out of the ring. Everyone brawls in the ring while the spider crawls down the screen again, and AZM teams up with Toni to work on Mina. Mina comes back with a figure-four on Toni, but Toni makes the ropes and bails to the floor. Everyone piles up and Skye hits them with a dive as we take a break. Back with everyone slugging it out again and Toni sends everyone into the corners and hits them with hip attacks. Mina clears the ring and goes after Skye with kicks, but Skye gets a sunset flip for two. AZM breaks it up and hits Blue with a destroyer for two, but Toni makes the save and hits AZM with Storm Zero for two, with Mina saving this time. Toni with the Big Package on Mina, but it’s reversed and Mina gets the pin to earn the title shot at 12:00. Weird, I would have thought that they’d do the Megan Bayne rematch at the PPV. Very fast-paced match but it didn’t seem like they were all on the same page for a lot of it. ***1/4. Afterwards, Mercedes takes out AZM to get revenge for losing the New Japan title last week, but Jamie Hayter makes the save and they get broken up.

Meanwhile, MJF is ecstatic about signing the contract next week, but wants to have his lawyer, Smart Mark Sterling, have a look at it first. MVP is…mostly…fine with that idea.

Nigel McGuiness joins Tony in the ring, and invites Daniel Garcia out to apologize to him for costing him the match on Collision. But Danny doesn’t want apologies, he wants a tag match against FTR, and Big Stoke interrupts and also wants to see that. Because he’s sick of Nigel sitting behind the desk as the “Al Bundy of AEW” and notes that he can’t beat FTR because he could barely beat hepatitis. And of course FTR actually is in the building despite Stokely’s misinformation, and they attack Nigel before Daddy Magic makes the save with a crowbar.

AEW World title, cage match: Jon Moxley v. Samoa Joe

They slug it out and Joe wins that one and runs Jon into the cage before beating on him with chops in the corner and hitting him with the running boot rakes. Joe drops an elbow, but Moxley kicks out his knee and goes to work on the leg with a figure-four. Joe reverses that, so Moxley gets to the ropes and that’s somehow forced break despite the lack of DQ in a cage match. We take a break and return with Moxley bleeding (WHAT? NO!) as they slug it out and the Death Riders hang out at ringside, as do Willow & Hobbs. Joe comes back with the atomic drop and big boot into the senton for two. Joe with the crossface and Moxley gets the ropes again to force a break, but again, IT’S NO DQ. What the hell? Mox goes to the top and bites Joe to fight off a muscle buster, and then puts him down with the cutter for two. Mox with the bulldog choke, but Joe escapes the third arm drop, only for Mox to hit the Paradigm Shift for two. Mox with the Death Rider, but Joe reverses to the choke while Claudio tries to climb the cage. So Joe runs Moxley into the cage to get rid of Claudio, while Hobbs puts Yuta through a table, but then Gabe Kidd returns and passes Moxley the briefcase, and he knocks out Joe to retain at 14:29. Not quite PPV quality but a good main event despite my annoyance with the rope breaks and the endless interference in these matches. ***1/2.

Afterwards, the Young Bucks hit the ring and join the Death Riders as Kenny Omega tries to save and gets trapped in the cage with Joe, and the heel beatdown is on. But then Swerve makes the save and we get the challenge for Anarchy in the Arena at Double or Nothing. Not sold on that as a main event, to be honest, as it’s not even really clear which combination of guys are participating, but Gabe Kidd is a solid addition to the Death Riders.

A good show overall, but this Double or Nothing show does not feel like something that was really necessary, as they’re kind of ambling towards the matches with no solid build for anything. Like we’re a week out and still don’t know where the MJF storyline is even going at this point. I think they’re just looking past it and peaking everything at All In but for $50 I’d like a bit more focus on this one.