The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 11.26.25

The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 11.26.25

Goddamn TSN delayed the show again for hockey and bumped it to TSN3, so my PVR didn’t get it and I gotta go crawling back to Triller to watch it tonight.

Apparently this is “Thanksgiving Eve”, which is stupid because Thanksgiving was a month ago but whatever.

Live from Nashville, TN

Your hosts are Excalibur, Nigel McGuiness & Tony Schiavone

Continental Classic Gold League: Kyle Fletcher v. Kazuchika Okada

So now the Unified title has been split up again into the International and Continental titles, but will be re-unified if Okada wins the tournament. But it might be split up, leaving Okada as the International champion only. Simple! They trade headlock takedowns while the crowd slanders Don Callis. Callis promises that he would have taken Mark Briscoe and made him into a functioning member of society, and Nigel notes that it would have a difficult task. They fight for the lockup and show sportsmanship in the face of the rude fans, and then trade shoulderblocks until Okada goes down first. Fletcher with a slam for two and he throws the chops, which Okada doesn’t appear to enjoy. Okada fights back and Kyle puts him down with an elbow for two. Kyle with more slams and he goes up, but Okada shoves the ref into the ropes to bring him down and then pleads innocence as we take a break. No wait, I’m on Triller so it keeps going. They fight on the floor and Okada runs him into the railing. Don: “I’m just a regular guy and I want to enjoy my wrestling like the sickos”. Back in the ring, Okada gets two. Excalibur notes that Bryan Danielson is home “basting his turkey” for Thanksgiving, and Nigel wonders if that’s an analogy of some sort. Nigel: “Wonder what he’s actually eating for supper? A little bit of French cheese? Maybe some Brie?” Oh my. Okada goes up and this time Fletcher shoves the ref into the ropes to even it up, and he also pleads innocence and then brings him down with a superplex for two. Kyle with the Kawada kicks and he tries a piledriver, but Okada counters into the neckbreaker and goes up with the flying elbow, but the Rainmaker is countered with a suplex. Okada bails to the floor and yanks Kyle off the apron to slam him on the floor with a DDT and it’s a double down out there. Back in, Okada with a brainbuster for two. They trade elbows and Kyle kicks him down, but Okada fires back with the dropkick and follows with the tombstone. Fletcher reverses another Rainmaker into the Michinoku Driver and they’re both down. Okada with a backslide and he hangs onto the wrist and hits a Rainmaker, but Fletcher escapes a second one and spikes Okada into the turnbuckles before hitting a powerbomb for a HOT two. Fletcher with a suplex, but Okada reverses and just avoids the ref, allowing Fletcher to counter a Rainmaker into a rollup for the pin at 16:50 and earn 3 points. This was AWESOME and I can’t believe AEW is just like “Yeah, throw that match out on free TV, why not?” ****1/2. Maniacs.

Meanwhile, at Full Gear, the Young Bucks make their choice and reunite with Kenny Omega.

Meanwhile, Kenny still isn’t entirely sure what’s going on with the Young Bucks. And then the interview ends and the Bucks come out of his dressing room.

Meanwhile, Mark Briscoe reflects on life after his TNT title win, and he did it for Jay.

AEW Women’s tag team title tournament: Skye Blue & Julia Hart v. Willow Nightingale & Harley Cameron

Harley takes Julia down with a headlock and the Babes hit a double suplex on her and then follow with a double senton for two. Over to Skye and she rolls up Willow for two and gets a backslide for two. Skye dodges a double-team slam and the heels take over on Harley as Julia gets a standing moonsault for two. Harley manages a rollup on Skye for two and follows with a sling blade, but Skye gets a neckbreaker for two and they go back to beating on Harley again. Julia comes in with a DDT for two. The Sisters double-team Harley in the corner and Skye gets a snap suplex while Julia antagonizes Willow. Amazingly Nigel does not say anything outrageous during the break. Julia with a ropewalk on Harley and Skye gets two while Nigel quotes the Scottish play, and Willow gets the hot tag. She beats on Julia, but Skye gets a blind tag and breaks up a pin. Skye with a DDT and the heels hit Willow with a double kick for two. Willow comes back with a powerslam on Skye for two and slams Harley onto Skye for two, and Harley gets a legsweep on Skye and goes up. The Sisters cut her off and Julia completely misses the moonsault and then drops an elbow instead for two. Well that was awkward. Harley fights them both off and Willow gets a blind tag and finishes off Julia with the powerbomb at 11:38 to advance to the finals. An OK match without much heat. **1/2 So I guess we’re going with a babyface finale so that fans are happy no matter who wins.

Samoa Joe joins us with his new AEW World title, but he’s quickly interrupted by the arrival of Hangman Page & Swerve Strickland in the parking lot. So Joe tells Shibata to “go get the scrubs” and then shows us a video package of Hook rejoining the team and puts over how smart he is. So Hook joins us, but before he can promo, Swerve and Hangman hit the ring (after stopping at the bar for a drink) and destroy all the geeks. Man, getting rid of “Big Pressure” is a generational mistake. So then the babyfaces literally hang two members of the dojo with chains, but Joe refuses to help. Man that’s cold. Too bad AEW doesn’t tell stories because the Swerve/Hangman one would be a pretty good one.

Continental Classic Blue League: Jon Moxley v. Mascara Dorada

Is Mox going to find a way to tap out to a shooting star press tonight? Dorada takes him down with a wristlock, but Moxley chops him down and beats him down with forearms. Dorada takes him down with a headscissors and Mox bails to the floor and then hits Dorada with his own dive into the railing. They fight onto the ramp and Dorada tries a dive off that, but Moxley just smacks him down with a forearm to take over. Back in the ring, that gets two. Moxley drops him with a suplex and goes to work on the leg with a half crab before Dorada makes the ropes. Nigel: “Tony, weren’t you calling the match when El Santo made his US debut?” Tony: “No, I was actually one of the ring crew and I carried his robe to the back. Jackass.” Moxley dumps him and runs him into the railing, but can’t get a piledriver on the stairs and Dorada makes a comeback out there. He hits Moxley with a cutter over the railing in a clever spot and back in the ring for the spinning armdrag and kicks. Code Red gets two. Moxley bails and Dorada hits him with another dive. Back in, he walks into a cutter from Moxley, who suddenly has his groove back again, and slugs away in the corner until Dorada brings him down with a neckbreaker for two. He goes to an armbar as the crowd FREAKS OUT because Moxley will submit to anything at anytime, but Moxley escapes. Mox with a running knee, but Dorada reverses the Death Rider into a cradle for two. Dorada with a superkick and he goes up for a 450, which gets two. Mox fires up again and Dorada hits him with a kick and goes up again for the Shooting Star Press, but it misses and Moxley sinks the D’Arce choke to finish at 12:50 for 3 points. This Moxley tapout storyline is kind of brilliant because it makes every submission attempt into a near fall. ***1/2.

Afterwards, Toni Storm hits the ring and announces that she’s the least bitchy person in the ring, and she still really likes Moxley despite his love of cargo pants. So she announces the stipulation for his “caveman daughter”: Holiday Death Match next week.

Meanwhile, Kris Statlander doesn’t really know what’s next for her title reign.

Continental Classic Gold League: Darby Allin v. Kevin Knight

They trade wristlocks and Darby takes him down for a headlock and then sinks in the armdrags. Knight hits him with a monkey flip and Darby sells the knee after an awkward landing, hitting the floor for a breather. So Knight moonsaults off the railing in a slick move, but Darby dives onto him and they head to the top for a backdrop suplex for a double down. Knight hiptosses him for two and puts the boots to him, and a splash gets two. Knight with a hammerlock, but Darby with the cradle for two. So Knight whips him into the corner for a sick bump into the turnbuckles, as Darby absorbs the impact with his face. To the top and Darby fights him off, but Knight snaps him off with a rana and dropkicks him to the floor. So Darby fires back with a dropkick off the ramp to send Knight into the railing. Back in for the Last Supper and that gets two. They clothesline each other for the double down. Out to the ramp and Knight hits a DDT out there. Back in, he misses the UFO splash and Darby hits a Code Red for two. Darby goes up again and Knight brings him down into the Tree of Woe for a coast to coast dropkick in a crazy spot. Knight with the UFO Splash to finish for a big upset at 12:00. Man Darby just went out and put this guy OVER. ***3/4

Meanwhile, FTR wins the tag team championship for a third time, which likely sets up Cope & Cage returning to win them.

Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli v. Orange Cassidy

Orange with a pair of rollups for two, but Claudio hits him with a backbreaker and then hurls him into the top turnbuckle. Orange fights back with the kicks and hits Claudio with a dive on the floor, but Claudio lays him out with a forearm. Orange tries a headscissors out there and Claudio swings him into the railing for a brutal bump, and back in he goes to work with a slam. Delayed suplex, so delayed they should call it this episode of Dynamite on TSN tonight, gets two. Orange tries for the pockets and Claudio beats him down to counter. Claudio flings him around the ring and hits him with backbreakers, but Orange fights back with a DDT and finally gets the pockets to make the comeback. Orange with the PK and Claudio misses a charge and hits the post, allowing Orange to give him a DDT on the floor. Back in, Orange with the stunner and he goes up and lands on a forearm on the way down. That gets two. Orange tries the Beach Break and Claudio reverses into the Giant Swing, but he charges and walks into a Orange Punch. Powerbomb is countered into a DDT by Orange to set up another Punch, and the Beach Break gets two. Another Orange Punch misses and Claudio hits him with a lariat, but Orange cradles for two. And then Claudio lays waste to him with the uppercut and pins him at 12:31 for 3 points. ***1/4.

Afterwards, Renee interviews the Death Riders, but they all attack Orange and then the whole Continental Classic field runs in and brawl to end the show.

Hey, this show was built on “Here’s a bunch of potential bangers” and that’s exactly what they delivered this week, so that’s a thumbs up from here.