The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 12.31.25

The SmarK Rant for AEW Dynamite – 12.31.25

NEW YEAR’S SMASH

Happy New Year to the blog and all the readers who stuck around through 2025!

Live from Omaha, NE, even though no one is likely to be watching this episode tonight. Hell I’m not even starting until after midnight because of New Year’s celebrations. On the bright side I’m pretty buzzed tonight.

Your hosts are Excalibur and Tony Schiavone

MJF joins us to start after winning the AEW World title, and it’s time for the debut of the Big Burberry Belt again, although the reaction is getting closer to babyface from the crowd. But then Kenny Omega interrupts on the screen, and he’s feeling like he needs to win the title one more time to prove he’s still worthy. MJF isn’t impressed, but then Hangman Page and his chain interrupt from the crowd, along with frenemy Swerve Strickland. But MJF notes that they’re both losers and don’t deserve a shot, before running away into the crowd and leaving the security geeks to be destroyed. Gotta say, the Buckshot off Swerve’s back to set up the House Call kick is an awesome double-team finish. But then Samoa Joe interrupts and he’s also wanting the title back, and also he’s sending the Opps after Swerve & Hangman next week in a lights out match. Well we’ve certainly got a lot of challengers for MJF lined up now.

Meanwhile, the Conglomeration presents asphyxiation as the word of the day, because the Death Riders will be choking on their mixed nuts tonight. But then Toni Storm hits on Orange Cassidy and Mina gets all jealous. And Roddy doesn’t want any part of these shenanigans.

Mixed Nuts II: Orange Cassidy, Toni Storm & Roderick Strong v. Marina Shafir, Daniel Garcia & Claudio Castagnoli

They all brawl to start and take turns trading punches in the corner, and Orange rolls up Marina for two. But she wallops him in the corner and the Death Riders triple-team him as we take a break. Back with Strong making a comeback and he teases a suplex on Marina, but she suplexes him instead. Roddy makes another comeback with suplexes, and that sets up another dance-off with Orange and Toni. Toni wants a Giant Swing on Claudio, but Garcia kicks her in the face to break that up and they all throw the big bombs, leading to Toni hitting Claudio with the hip attack in the corner. Orange hits him with the DDT, but Claudio hides behind the ref while Wheeler Yuta interferes, and the forearm finishes Orange at 9:23. Wheeler Yuta is the worst. I hear that he walks around backstage tonight before the show telling everyone “See you next year!” over and over. Well this was certainly a PARTY MATCH to kick things off. ***1/4

The Beast Mortos v. Bandido

Wait, the Beast FINALLY GOT A TITLE?!? Granted it’s just the ROH tag team titles, which are worth about as much as a FIFA Peace Prize, but it’s a start! Bandido uses his cape to do some bullfighting to start, but Mortos headbutts him. You know what they say, ladies: If your man asks you to buy matador gear for him, it’s probably a red flag. Mortos with a rollup for two and Bandido gets his own for two and they battle to a stalemate. Mortos tries to bite the fingers, but Bandido sends him to the floor and dons the cape this time for a superhero dive to the floor as we take a break. Back with Bandido taking Mortos down with a spinning headscissors and a superkick into the corner, and he goes up with a frog splash for two. Mortos hits him with a crucifix bomb and a samoan drop for two. Backbreaker and lariat gets two. Another discus lariat and Mortos goes up with a moonsault, but that misses and Bandido makes the comeback with the 21Plex to finish at 10:00. I bet the title match is gonna end up with MJF getting that diamond ring back but Bandido looked AWESOME here as usual. ***3/4

Meanwhile, Brodido is already plotting their title match together after Bandido wins the title, but Brody has work to do.

Brody King v. Lee Johnson

Johnson hits him with a dive before the bell, but Brody shrugs it off and destroys him with a lariat in the ring. Brody with a cannonball and Ganzo Bomb to finish at 0:52.

Meanwhile, Darby Allin admits that he still feels pain, and he still needs a win over Pac to finish what he started.

Continental title eliminator: Jon Moxley v. Josh Alexander

Josh beats him down to start and works on the broken tooth, but Mox gets all fired up and comes back with chops to draw a big babyface reaction. Josh takes him down and works the leg, but Mox comes back and slugs Alexander down before missing a charge and landing on his knee. Back in the ring, Alexander hangs him in the Tree of Woe and works the knee as we take a break. Back with Moxley coming back with the sleeper, but Alexander reverses to the anklelock. They fight for a piledriver on the apron while the announcers keep harping on the new rule where a 20 minute draw is the same as a win in these eliminator matches now. It’s fine, whatever, but they went over it three times and it’s not a hard concept. Alexander with a slam on the apron, but he misses a moonsault in the ring. Moxley comes back and they slug it out with elbows, leading to Mox hitting a cutter for two. Mox with the choke, but Alexander suplexes out and then dropkicks Mox into the corner. Moxley fires back with a lariat for a double down, and Alexander retreats to the floor as Mox hits him with a dive. But then Alexander gets a ringpost figure-four as the announcers are like “Yeah if there’s 5:00 left he’s just gonna put it in the deep freeze and stall out the rest of the match so he wins”. Hell of a way to sell it. Back in the ring, Josh with a leglock, but Moxley reverses to the choke and then pummels him with elbows before choking him out at 15:30. Alexander has struggled to find his spot in AEW but they meshed amazingly well here and this was a hell of a fight. ***1/2. And then Shelton Benjamin watches from the aisle to set up the next thing.

Meanwhile, they finally let Thekla talk and she does a hell of a promo against Kris Statlander!

AEW National title: Ricochet v. Jungle Jack Perry

Well, Luchasaurus is apparently injured again. Jack goes after the arm to start, but he bails and mediates a showdown between the dinosaur and Toa. Back in the ring, Perry grabs a headlock and Ricochet takes him down by the hair, but then Perry tries the same and fails due to the lack of hair. So Perry sends him to the floor and hits a dive, prompting a brawl between GOA and Luchasaurus. We take a break and return with Perry making a comeback with a german suplex out of the corner, but Ricochet hits him with a brainbuster for two. Perry rolls him up for two and comes back with a lariat for two. Ricochet bails to escape the knee strike, but Perry folllows him out with a bulldog on the floor. Back with a swinging bulldog that gets two. Jack sets up to finish again, but Kaun interferes and the Spirit Gun finishes at 10:23. And poor Luchasaurus gets his arm sandwiched under a railing and beaten with a chair to further explain his injury and absense. Perry continues to look good but this didn’t have a lot of heat. **1/4

Meanwhile, the Death Riders are against the world in 2026.

TBS title: Mercedes Mone v. Willow Nightingale

They quickly brawl to the floor and Willow pounces her into the railing and back in for a backslide and lariat that gets two. Mercedes runs her into the corner and chokes her out, but Willow gets a missile dropkick and cannonball in the corner for two. Another cannonball on the floor, but Mercedes SWEEPS THE LEG and runs her into the stairs as we take a break. Back with Willow making a comeback and hitting the pounce and a death valley driver for two. Willow with the powerbomb for two as Mone falls into the ropes to save herself, but then Willow goes up and misses a moonsault. But then Mone goes up and misses a splash, and Willow hits her with a death valley driver on the apron, THE HARDEST PART OF THE RING. Mone tries the triple suplexes on the floor, but Willow clears the announce table, only for Mercedes to suplex her on it. And the table no-sells it. They beat the count back in the ring and trade cradles as a desperate Mone gets the Bank Statement, but Willow powers out. Mercedes keeps trying the Moneymaker and can’t get her up for it, so Willow finally just powerbombs her ass and pins her to win the TBS Title in 15:13! And that brings out the Conglomeration to celebrate, and Kris Statlander joins them, and finally hugs Willow to bury the hatchet. A great match with a great moment of babyfaces finally getting the big win to end a great show. ****

Granted I’m very tired because it’s 2am and I’m also a little drunk, but I thought this was a FANTASTIC episode that flew by and not only set up lots of stuff for the future, but had an all-time feel good ending to begin the true downfall for Mercedes. Thumbs up and happy new year!