The John Report: AEW Dynamite 05/07/25 Review

This week’s AEW Dynamite featured Samoa Joe facing Claudio Castagnoli, plus a huge 6-man tag, Toni Storm in a 4-way match, and more.

AEW is on the road to Double or Nothing on May 25th. We know the Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals will see Will Ospreay face “Hangman” Adam Page while Mercedes Mone will face Jamie Hayter in the Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals.

This was AEW Dynamite episode #292 from the Masonic Temple Theatre in Detroit, Michigan. Follow me on Twitter/X @johnreport. Let’s get to it.

It’s Wednesday night and you know what that means. The commentary team was Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, and Taz.

This arena setup had a small stage and a short ramp. In the same building, there’s a Thursday night live episode of Collision.

Let’s Hear from “Hangman” Adam Page and Will Ospreay

The fans were cheering for Hangman as he made his entrance. Page said he doesn’t understand why the fans cheer for him after everything he’s done. Page said that it does make a difference. Page noted that the last two years have been some kind of special hell for him. Page talked about what happened to him and his family, he wanted revenge and justice and found it. Page spoke about taking another man’s hopes and dreams while claiming he nearly killed him. Page said after their cage match, he thought he might feel some joy and closure after an awful chapter of his life, but he felt nothing. Page admitted he couldn’t finish the job. Page said he didn’t know why. Page bottled up that anger and unleashed it on anybody who got in his way. Page mentioned Swerve Strickland, saying he would never forget what Swerve did to Page, and he will probably never forgive, but Page said he will have to put it behind him. Page talked about how he decided to enter the Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament. Page spoke about beating Josh Alexander and Kyle Fletcher to make the finals. Page said that at Double or Nothing, he’ll face the guy who everyone says is the best wrestler in the world, Will Ospreay.

That led to Will Ospreay’s entrance, with the fans cheering for the popular British superstar. Will got into the ring, saying this was the first time they’d actually spoken to each other, and he said it was a pleasure to meet the Hangman. Will said he apologizes that Hangman has been going through a lot. Will knows how much this match means to Page. Will said that one of his favorite moments in wrestling was when Page showed the Dark Order leadership and what it takes to be a cowboy. Will said that Page rode that support to become the AEW World Champion. Will spoke about how everything changed after Page lost the title, and it’s been a rough couple of years. Will said after Page beat Fletcher, Page smiled again. Will said we hadn’t seen that look in his eyes for a long time.

Will told Page that Will was not losing at Double or Nothing. Will mentioned how Page has been tearing this place apart while mentioning Christopher Daniels, Jeff Jarrett, and Swerve Strickland. Will talked about how he’s been making media appearances and meeting the fans, and when the bell rings, Will shows them that this is where the best wrestling is. Will yelled at Page for thinking he could take that spot back and said that doesn’t mean “Cowboy S**t” to him. Will said that this isn’t about Page’s redemption, it’s about Will’s ascension. Page got in Will’s face as they argued, and the fans booed at the sight of the Don Callis Family appearing on the stage.

Don Callis said every day, Ospreay shows him how stupid he is and the stupidest day of his life was when he left the Don Callis Family. Callis told Will that Page is a violent, mentally unstable sociopath who put his mentor in the retirement home, and he can’t walk. The fans were chanting “F**k Don Callis” as Will told Page to bring any two Callis guys down to the ring. Page grabbed Will’s hand that was on Page’s jacket. Callis said they couldn’t get through a segment in the ring without wanting to kill eachother. Callis challenged them to a tag team match. Will and Page had a staredown.

Analysis: I thought it was a very good promo exchange. I like Hangman and Will a lot. It was a new interaction because we hadn’t seen them interact before like Will mentioned, so it felt fresh. Will showed a lot of fire in his babyface promo, talking about how Page can’t just get his spot back because Will is in that spot now. Before Will got out there, I liked how Page spoke from the heart about his journey over the last two years that saw him become a vicious, psychotic heel, and now he’s back in babyface mode with the fans supporting him. It should be an awesome match at Double or Nothing. Ospreay has been my pick to win the tournament since it started.

FTR and Stokely approached Tony Schiavone on commentary. Stokely asked Tony if he had an issue with FTR. Stokely mentioned FTR issued Tony an apology, yet Tony still has negative things to say. Stokely called Tony a decrepit piece of “s**t,” but Tony put his hand on the microphone before Stokely finished it. Tony got in Stokely’s face and Stokley shoved Tony down in his chair. Cash Wheeler did a promo warning their former friend Daniel Garcia about what will happen on Collision. Dax Harwood told Tony to tell Nigel they’ll see him on Collision on Thursday night.

Anna Jay and Harley Cameron were backstage, getting ready for Anna’s match. Jay asked Cameron if Harley had Anna’s “fat ass” tonight as a way of supporting Jay. Cameron said they have the T&A together – Tenacity and the Aggression. Jay: “And tits and ass.” Cameron: “Yes, that too.” Jay asked who wanted to get choked out. Cameron wanted that, and then Cameron said that was the closing line. Cameron gave Jay a piggyback ride off screen.

Analysis: They are beautiful women. That’s for sure. The dialogue was interesting, too. Pairing them up as babyface allies is good because there are always heels who work together, but not many faces who do that.

“Timeless” Toni Storm vs. Thunder Rosa vs. Penelope Ford vs. Anna Jay

This is an AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Match, meaning if Storm doesn’t win, then she must give the winner a shot at the AEW Women’s World Title.

Rosa hit a running dropkick on Storm against the ropes. Rosa and Ford battled in the ring while the other two women stayed on the floor waiting for their turn. Ford avoided a splash attempt and Ford hit a dropkick to the back while Rosa was against the ropes. Jay was back in with a spin kick on Ford. Storm hit a Fisherman’s Suplex for two because Ford broke it up by hitting Storm low. Ford hit a moonsault onto two women on the floor. The three women on the floor had to wait for 10 seconds as Rosa hit a twisting splash off the top onto the three women on the floor. They went to a PIP break.

(Commercial)

Storm hit a German Suplex on Ford, Rosa hit a running knee on Storm, and Jay crawled to the ropes so that Ford could pull her out of the ring, which is what happened. Jay suplexed Ford on the floor. Rosa gave Jay a DDT on the floor. Ford hit a moonsault off the top onto three women on the floor. Back in the ring, Jay avoided a charge by Ford, and Jay hit a spin kick. Storm hit a running hip attack on two opponents and then Rosa jumped off Storm’s back with a dropkick. Megan Bayne went down to the ringside and into the ring in this match with no disqualifications. Bayne hit a clothesline, a kick and a running clothesline. Bayne nailed Jay with a forearm. Bay hit a Powerbomb on Jay. Harley Cameron went into the ring and clotheslined Bayne out of the ring. Why didn’t she come out there sooner? Cameron hit Bayne with a pipe a few times, and you could tell it was barely touching her. Ford applied a submission on Jay, but Storm kicked Ford in the low blow area. Storm applied the TCM Chickenwing submission, so Ford tapped out.

Winner by submission: Toni Storm

Analysis: *** I thought the match was going well, but the inclusion of Megan Bayne hurt it. I don’t like spots like that during a match just because there are no disqualifications. There are other ways to involve Bayne without having her in the ring doing moves. It was a way to give Storm a victory to show she’s a champion willing to take on three others, yet she still finds ways to win. The low blow spot from early in the match was done to set it up later, so it worked well.

After the match, Storm celebrated with Rosa and they hugged.

(Commercial)

Let’s Hear from The Hurt Syndicate and MJF

It’s time for the weekly segment involving The Hurt Syndicate’s MVP, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. Lashley and Benjamin are the AEW Tag Team Champions. MVP asked where are the best tag teams stepping up to challenge The Hurt Syndicate for the titles. MVP wondered who could hurt them.

Top Flight’s Dante & Darius Martin made their entrance to no reaction. They showed Cru’s Lio Rush and Action Andretti watching from the crowd. Darius said that they are a team that just doesn’t die. Dante said that they have proven they can hold their own with championship-caliber teams, and he knows that they can do it again. Darius asked if they wanted to see a miracle. Maxwell Jacob Friedman showed up and nailed Darius with a forearm from behind. MJF knocked down Dante with a punch. MJF threw Darius into the ring post. Dante was bleeding from the forehead as MJF punched Dante a few times. MJF gave Dante a stiff Powerbomb on the ring apron.

MJF got in Lashley’s face: “I hurt people!” The fans chanted “We Hurt People” like The Hurt Syndicate’s song. Lashley told MJF he’ll have an answer for him next week.

Analysis: The story last week was that Lashley wanted MJF to hurt people because that’s what The Hurt Syndicate does, so this week, it was MJF doing a cheap attack on Top Flight to try to impress THS. The story keeps going, and maybe next week, we’ll see Lashley give MJF the thumbs up. I think Lashley will give the thumbs up. As for the AEW tag team depth, it used to be such a strength for this company, but it’s not like that anymore.

The Young Bucks were backstage with Kazuchika Okada, who called his opponent Kevin Knight a bitch and left. Ricochet walked up to The Young Bucks, saying that he knew how to beat Swerve Strickland while trashing others in their tag team match later. The Young Bucks were happy to team with him. The Young Bucks entered The Elite locker room, and The Death Riders were there. The door closed.

Analysis: I have mentioned previously that I think we’ll see The Death Riders trio and The Young Bucks together in Anarchy in the Arena at Double or Nothing, but nothing has been made official yet.

Nick Wayne made his entrance for a match. Christian Cage walked out with him and Cage’s music played.

(Commercial)

Nick Wayne’s opponent was revealed as somebody from Christian’s past. It was the legendary Rhino, who is definitely from Christian’s past. The fans popped for Rhino, who is from Detroit.

ROH TV Championship: Nick Wayne (w/Christian Cage, Mother Wayne & Kip Sabian) vs. Rhino

The powerhouse Rhino hit a shoulder tackle to knock Nick down. Nick came back with his boots up, followed by a missile dropkick. Nick went for a standing moonsault, but Rhino moved. Rhino hit a clothesline, followed by an elbow smash. Rhino hit a shoulder tackle followed by a belly-to-belly slam. Cage tried to interfere, but Rhino was ready for it and Rhino hit a spinebuster for two. Rhino charged, Nick avoided it and Rhino hit the turnbuckle. Nick hit the Killswitch that his “father” Christian uses and Nick covered for the win. It lasted about three minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Nick Wayne

Analysis: ** A short match to put over Wayne as a champion against a veteran wrestler like Rhino. There was no Gore from Rhino, even though he tried. It was smart to keep it short since Rhino is a guy in his 50s

Christian Cage dropped the title in front of Nick, and Cage left. Nick Wayne is heading to Japan for the Best of the Super Juniors tournament for the next month.

Rush did a promo about his issues with Kevin Knight due to their interaction from Collision. Rush warned Knight that when you mess with the bull, you get the horns.

The Young Bucks – Matthew & Nicholas Jackson and Ricochet vs. Swerve Strickland (w/Prince Nana), “Speedball” Mike Bailey & Mark Briscoe

Swerve started by unloading on his former rival Ricochet with punches and kicks. Swerve sent Ricochet face-first into the top turnbuckle, and Swerve hit a boot to the face. Bailey hit a hurricanrana on Ricochet and Mark hit a clothesline on Ricochet. Bailey decked Ricochet with an elbow. Matt grabbed Bailey’s foot, and Ricochet hit Bailey in the back. Ricochet hit a jawbreaker, and the Bucks went into the ring and hit some double-team moves, including a dropkick by Nick. The heels all hit senton splashes over the top rope. After the heels posed, the faces got back up and the faces retreated. The babyface trio of Swerve, Bailey & Mark all hit dives onto the heels on the floor. The babyfaces Mark and Bailey were both in the ring with some punches on Ricochet. Nick hit a running kick on Mark, then a moonsault and Ricochet hit a German Suplex on Swerve. Nick hit a double foot stomp on Bailey off the ropes into a Powerbomb by Matt. Ricochet hit a 450 Splash. Taz: “What the hell is going on here? This is nuts!” It’s called an AEW tag team match where guys go in the ring to do random moves without trying to follow any semblance of tag team rules. Anyway, it led to a big reaction and a picture-in-picture break.

(Commercial)

The match continued with the heels working over Mark, who managed to hit a jumping kick to break free. Bailey was aggressive with multiple kicks for his opponents and a running SSP on Matt for two. Bailey hit a sitout suplex on Matt. Nick grabbed Bailey while on the apron, so Bailey gave Nick a hurricanrana off the apron onto Matt on the floor. Bailey jumped off the top with an SSP attempt, but Matt avoided it, and Ricochet hit a knee attack. There was more illegal offense with everybody in the ring as Ricochet hit a Stomp on Swerve, Mark hit two suplexes in a row, Matt gave Mark a DDT and Bailey hit a missile dropkick. Nick gave Swerve a Canadian Destroyer, Swerve got up and hit a House Call kick. The fans were going nuts for that chaos with “AEW” chants. Swerve hit a double suplex on the Bucks. Ricochet went for a hurricanrana off the top, but Swerve caught him and Swerve hit a powerslam. Swerve hit a backbreaker on Matt, Mark hit a rolling DVD, Bailey hit a shooting star knee drop and Mark hit a Froggy Bow off the top for two because Nick saved his brother. Mark hit a neckbreaker on the floor and Bailey hit a moonsault on the floor. Swerve went for a stomp on Matt, but Matt got an inside cradle on Swerve for the pinfall win. It lasted 15 minutes.

Winners by pinfall: The Young Bucks – Matthew & Nicholas Jackson and Ricochet

Analysis: ***3/4 It feels like every week there’s a chaotic 6-man or 8-man tag team match on Dynamite. It’s also repetitive at this point because nearly every one of these matches has the same “ignore the rules, just go in the ring and do moves” scenes that we see all the time in AEW. Yes, it gets a big pop from the fans, but I don’t love it as much as some fans do. I’m sure that some wrestling observers will rate this match higher than I do, and that’s fine. We all like things differently in pro wrestling. The booking of the finish was interesting, with Matt pinning Swerve with an inside cradle. I feel like they could be headed on a path to Anarchy in the Arena at Double or Nothing, so maybe that’s why Matt pinned Swerve like that, but that match isn’t official yet. Anyway, it’s interesting how you end a match with an inside cradle after all the cool moves and no selling throughout the match.

Will Ospreay was about to be interviewed by Renee Paquette, but MJF interrupted. MJF wanted the fans to buy his Dynamite Diamond Ring on AEW’s website. MJF told Will he wants him to win the Owen Hart Cup. MJF said he wants Will to win MJF’s World Title, so when MJF wrestles him, he’ll get an easy dub and get his title back. Will asked MJF if it was that easy, then why wasn’t MJF in the tournament? Will trashed MJF for being worried about losing,g and Will bragged about beating MJF at Wembley Stadium last year. MJF said that when they wrestle again, Ospreay will realize that there is nobody on the level of the devil. Will responded to that, saying that he was on another level. MJF left while Will apologized to Renee about the interruption.

Analysis: I enjoyed the MJF-Will rivalry last year, and I look forward to seeing it again.

(Commercial)

Jamie Hayter Interview

Jamie Hayter did a sitdown interview with Renee Paquette, who asked about the Women’s Owen Hart Cup final match between Hayter and Mercedes Mone. Hayter said she wanted to get to know the real Mone – the human behind the hype. Hayter said she didn’t want to know the cheap, egotistical, obnoxious woman we know today. Hayter said she doesn’t have Mone’s resume, accolades, match catalog, or star power. Hayter said she had more reason to hurt her. Hayter said that this is about showing that Mone isn’t untouchable. Paquette mentioned Hayter’s back injury in the past, but Hayter said she is fine and she’s ready to go. Hayter said Mone was looking past her. Mone showed up, grabbed Hayter by the head, and Hayter went after her.

The fight continued as Jamie Hayter was going after Hayter in the arena. Hayter tried a clothesline by the stage, but Mone ran to the back. Hayter was dumb enough to turn her back, so Mone showed up with a forearm to the back. Mone applied the Statement Maker (crossface) on Hayter on the ramp. Mone posed by the Owen Hart Cup trophy.

Analysis: It was a cheap attack to get heat on Mercedes Mone. Babyface wrestlers are so dumb when they turn their back after a heel runs away, and then the heel comes back for a cheap attack. When you’ve been watching pro wrestling for about four decades, like me, some of this stuff gets very repetitive, yet it always seems to work. Anyway, I’ll pick Mone to beat Hayter in the Women’s Owen Hart Cup Finals at Double or Nothing.

Willow Nightingale was interviewed by Alicia Atout. Willow talked about her issues with the Death Riders. Kris Statlander showed up to say that Willow wouldn’t talk to her, so Kris wanted to talk to her there. Willow said that she knew Kris was sorry. Willow suggested a match between them on Collision and Kris shook her hand to agree to it.

Analysis: Those two always have good matches. Kris is trying to be nice to Willow after Kris turned heel last year.

Kevin Knight was making his entrance for his match against Kazuchika Okada, but Rush attacked Knight. Rush sent Knight into the steel steps. Rush sent Knight into the barricade a few times. Dralistico was helping Rush fend off security from interrupting. Rush choked Knight with a cable, but Mike Bailey was there to save Knight. Referee Aubrey Edwards told Knight she could call the match off. Knight said he was okay with having the match even though he was hurt.

Analysis: There are a lot of cheap heel attacks on this show. This time, it weakens Knight going into his match.

Kazuchika Okada vs. Kevin Knight

This was not for Okada’s Continental Title, but if Knight wins then he gets a title shot. Okada started with a DDT for two. Okada connected with a flapjack for a two count. Knight tried to get some offense going, but Okada dropkicked Knight off the turnbuckle and Knight bumped to the floor. They went to a PIP break.

(Commercial)

Knight did a good job of selling the pre-match attack as he fought back and hit a top rope hurricanrana. Knight did a rolling attack, ending in a big splash for two. Okada caught a leaping Knight and gave him a neckbreaker on the top of the knee. Okada hit a body slam followed by a top rope elbow drop. Okada did a middle finger salute to the crowd. Knight got an inside cradle for two and a backslide for two. Knight jumped over Okada and hit a flip kick for two. Knight went up top and went for a UFO Splash, but Okada got his knees up to block. Ouch. Knight held onto the ropes, Okada hit a boot to the head, and Knight came back with a dropkick. Knight went for a springboard attack, so Okada dropkicked him. Okada hit the Rainmaker lariat for the pinfall win after about 9 minutes.

Winner by pinfall: Kazuchika Okada

Analysis: *** A solid match to put over Knight as a tough guy who was willing to wrestle even after getting attacked before the match. Okada winning this match was never in doubt.

After the match, Okada hit Knight with two more Rainmaker lariats. Mike Bailey ran into the ring, so Okada left the ring at that point.

Analysis: They can do Okada against Bailey down the road and that should be a great match when it happens.

Don Callis was backstage with Kyle Fletcher, Lance Archer, Trent Beretta, and Rocky Romero. Callis challenged The Outrunners to an 8-man tag team match against the Don Callis Family.

The announcers plugged AEW Collision on Thursday night by running down some of the matches.

* Mike Bailey vs. Dralistico

* Anthony Bowens vs. Lee Johnson

* Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander

* Daniel Garcia vs. A Member of FTR

Analysis: That’s a weak lineup, but I don’t usually watch Collision. I hope Bowens gets a solid singles push.

Next week on Dynamite also has Will Ospreay & Adam Page facing Konosuke Takeshita & Josh Alexander.

The Samoa Joe-Claudio Castagnoli main event was next.

(Commercial)

Bobby Lashley and The Hurt Syndicate were interviewed by Alicia Atout. Lashley said he’ll give an MJF answer next week after talking to his legal counsel and they gave a fake name to the guy. The Hurt Syndicate left.

Claudio Castagnoli made his entrance from the back part of the arena as usual for members of The Death Riders. Samoa Joe was up next as one-third of the AEW Trios Tag Team Champions and a member of The Opps group. Joe will challenge Jon Moxley in a Steel Cage Match on AEW Dynamite next week on Beach Break.

Samoa Joe vs. Claudio Castagnoli

Claudio was in control early on with uppercuts, while Joe was against the turnbuckle. Joe applied the Coquina Clutch, but Claudio got his foot against the rope to break the hold. Joe clotheslined Claudio off the apron. Joe sent Claudio into the barricade two times. Joe chopped Claudio and Joe went back into the ring to stop the referee’s count, which is not really that important in AEW, but Claudio used it to take over. Claudio sent Joe into the barricade. Claudio charged at Joe on the floor, but Joe was ready with a uranage on the floor. Joe hit a running boot to the head while they were on the floor. Back in the ring, Claudio hit some uppercuts and chops, but Joe fought back with chops. Joe hit a jumping kick to the head while Claudio was against the turnbuckle. Claudio did some classic eye gouging by the turnbuckle and pulled on Joe’s arm across the top rope. They went to a PIP break.

(Commercial)

Claudio was in control with knee strikes to the ribs. Claudio applied a Cobra Clutch-style sleeper, but Joe broke free, and Joe hit a powerslam for two. Joe hit an atomic drop, boot to the jaw, and a senton for two. That’s a sequence that Joe has been doing for decades. Claudio came back with a running lariat for two. Claudio hit an impressive springboard uppercut. Joe fought out of a Giant Swing attempt, Joe applied a Coquina Clutch submission and Claudio tapped out quickly. It went 11 minutes.

Winner by submission: Samoa Joe

Analysis: ***1/4 It was a decisive win by Samoa Joe making Claudio Castagnoli tap out quickly to the Coquina Clutch. That went how I expected, with Claudio losing the match to put over Joe before Joe faces Claudio’s buddy Jon Moxley next week on Dynamite. They have used Claudio in that spot, where he loses to the guy who faces Moxley at the PPV. It’s an easy way to tell a story.

The Dark Riders’ Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta, and Marina Shafir showed up at ringside to attack Joe. Powerhouse Hobbs went into the ring with a steel chair. Moxley, Yuta, and Shafir stayed on the floor rather than go into the ring. Hobbs hit Claudio with two chair shots to the back. Samoa Joe suplexed Claudio ribs-first onto a steel chair that was opened up in the ring. That’s what Claudio did to Katsuyori Shibata in the past. Samoa Joe held up the steel chair on the turnbuckle while staring at Moxley. That was the end of the show.

Analysis: It’s a way to promote the Moxley-Joe match for next week on Dynamite. Simple enough.

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Three Stars of the Show

1. Adam Page/Will Ospreay
2. Samoa Joe
3. The Young Bucks – Matthew & Nicholas Jackson and Ricochet

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The Scoreboard

This Week: 7.5 out of 10

Last Week: 8

2025 Average: 7.38

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Final Thoughts on AEW Dynamite

A pretty good show for the most part. I liked last week better, but plenty of solid matches and promos still advanced stories. I thought the Hangman Page/Will Ospreay opening promo exchange was excellent.

They have done a nice job building the Jon Moxley/Samoa Joe Steel Cage match for next week. Double or Nothing only officially announces two matches, even though it takes place in over two weeks, but I’m sure they’ll start adding matches soon. There are signs of building an Anarchy in the Arena tag, which I mentioned throughout the review.

The next AEW PPV is Double or Nothing on May 25th in Phoenix:

* Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals: Will Ospreay vs. “Hangman” Adam Page

* Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals: Mercedes Mone vs. Jamie Hayter

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Thanks for reading. Go Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Maple Leafs. You can contact me using any of the methods below.

John Canton

Email: [email protected]

Twitter/X: @johnreport