wrestling / TV Reports
Ciocco’s AEW Dynamite Review 7.30.25
Image Credit: AEW
Loading...SICKOS! It’s Wednesday, you know what that means! AEW Dynamite is live tonight, as the company is closing out their residency in the Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom in Chicago. The company is building towards Forbidden Door next month in London, and there is no small amount of drama and intrigue tonight and, of course, tomorrow night on a special night for Collision.
A mere 18 days after winning the AEW World Championship at All-In Texas, Hangman Page will defend the title for the first time in his second title reign, as he grants Jon Moxley his title rematch. The stipulation, this time, is that everyone is banned from ring side, so no help (legally, that is) for either man in this match. We get the third match of the World Tag Team Title Eliminator Tourney, as the formerly EVP’s The Young Bucks face The Outrunners. In what should be a low-key BRISCOE, the man whose namesake bears this out, Mark Briscoe, will face off with Ricochet. New besties Alex Windsor and the AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm will do battle with Billie Starkz and the Forever Champion Athena, MJF will appear, and for the first time since he was betrayed by his family at All-In Texas, Christian Cage will appear. All of this and, of course, so much more!
So, how is everyone tonight? MLB trade deadline is nearing the final bell, and the Phillies did indeed make a big acquisition when they traded for Minnesota Twins Closer Jhoan Duran. And for what its worth, I don’t think the team is quite done yet. Training Camp is well underway for all 32 NFL teams, which mean we are that much closer to the start of the regular season!
ALSO, don’t forget that, yes, Collision is tomorrow night. Oh, and you’ll also have ME to bring you that as well!
But that’s enough about me, let’s get ready to make some Dynamite go BOOM!
Image Credit: FTR – Follow the Revolution on Facebook.
Source of inspiration: Tony Khan saying that he would like to see Dark and/or Elevation back.
We are LIVE from Chicago, as the residency is nearing the end of its run. Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, and Taz are on the call for this one!
Long video introduction, with the emphasis on the AEW World Title match tonight. Makes sense, since AEW World title defenses on TV are not that common here.
The Youngest Men Alive are here to get the party started!
AEW World Tag Team Championship Eliminator: The Young Bucks vs. The Outrunners
LOL Nick and Matt are already in the ring as the Outrunners get their intro!
Turbo Floyd and Matt Jackson to start. Floyd overpowers Matt, and Truth gets in his locks as well. Nick is in now with cross chops to both men, but the Bucks eat a double back body drop. The Youngest Team Alive do the corner punches, ending with a double Manhattan Drop! The Bucks do pull the Outrunners to the floor; they follow that up with a pair of suicide dives. Back in the ring, The Bucks hit a double team flying back elbow then do their pose. Matt tries the suplex, but in clearly a short form of storytelling, Matt’s lower back acts up, so he tags in Nick. Double team suplex is reversed by Floyd. Magnum gets the tag and cleans house of the Bucks of Youth. The Bucks do reverse it with a neck breaker and splash combination. Double team kick in the corner, and Nick superkicks Turbo on the floor. Nick screams into Tony’s microphone as we go to PIP Break.
Both Bucks miss a double superkick as we come back from break. Nick spits in the face of Turbo on the apron, and Truth uses the distraction to try and make the tag. But Matt pulled Truth from the apron so he couldn’t make the tag. The Bucks go double team, ending with a crossbody by Nick for a two count. Risky Business by the Bucks gets them a two count on Truth. More Bang for Your Buck is avoided, and Turbo FINALLY gets the tag! He runs train over both Matt and Nick. Northern Lights Bomb to Matt. The Outrunners go to do the YOU SON OF A BITCH elbow, but Nick superkicks their hands away lol. Total Recall is avoided, superkicks are thrown, but Turbo hammers Matt with a huge lariat. YOU SON OF A BITCH, for real this time! The cover, that’s a two count. Turbo tags Truth in, but he gets low bridged to the floor. The Bucks take advantage, assisted sliced bread and a running knee from Nick gets them a two count.
Nick nearly kicks their long-time referee, Rick Knox, but instead hits a low blow on Turbo. Nick shoves Knox, and Rick shoves him into a roll-up for a two count. Friendly fire between the Bucks leads to an errant superkick. Total Recall! The cover, but Nick is back to make the save. THIS IS AWESOME chants! The Outrunners have a meeting of the minds, and Matt tries a roll-up with the tights for a two count. TK Driver by the Bucks, and they will move on!
WINNER: The Young Bucks
TIME: 14:15
THOUGHTS: A good match. The Bucks are still in top gear despite the obvious visual downgrades, and the Outrunners will always bring it.
RATING: ***1/2
Post-match, The Rainmaker is here, with new music? Interesting. All three members of the former Elite proceed to beat down the Outrunners, but here is Swerve Strickland! Well, of course, Prince Nana is out first with his coffee, but here comes Strickland. The distraction allows for the Outrunners to turn the tables on the Bucks, and Okada gets knocked around by Turbo, Truth, and Swerve. The Bucks try to pull Okada to safety. but Strickland does a STOMP to the floor from the corner, taking out the former Elite!
The Remarkable Renee Paquette has Mark Briscoe in the back. Briscoe wants to know where MJF is, but Ricochet and the GOA are here. Don’t worry about MJF, worry about me, or else we’ll send you out of here in a pool of your own blood. Mark says he is a totally different animal than he was at Revolution. Tonight, he is going to wipe his ass. Briscoe wants to address MJF again, but Bishop Kaun says to respect MJF. None of that will matter says Ricky, because you are a loser. AH-HAAAAAAAAAAA!
COMMERCIALS!
Excalibur wants to talk about how sweet life is for MJF as of late. Hey, it’s MJF from literally the biggest film in the universe and a 2-time champion! There is a camera man here to document what happens here. MJF knocks on the door of the Hurt Syndicate, and Shelton answers. MJF goes on a long run, but Shelton tells him that MVP isn’t here tonight because frankly, he is sick of MJF. Bobby apparently isn’t here either, but Shelton knows that the watch that MJF gave him came from Temu. LOL! He wants MJF to know that the only reason he wasn’t laid out months ago was because MVP told them not to. So take your cheap watch and get the hell out of here. Oh, and one more thing, as far as the Hurt Syndicate goes, YOU ARE OUT! MJF wants to talk about it, but the door is slammed on him.
In the ring now, Tony introduces Christian Cage to the ring. Cage makes his way down, as Excalibur recaps Copeland returning to save Cage at All-In Texas. Go find yourself is the name of the game. Tony says the Patriarchy was dismantled, Copeland comes back and tells him to go find himself. What is your reaction to all of this? Tony, my name is Chrisitan Cage, and I am an asshole. He is the type of asshole that’s numb to the world. He is immune to everything around him and he wanted to be the champion. At Revolution, he signed his contract and was ready to cash in and win the title. But he saw a glimpse of his past, and in a split second, he became an asshole with feelings, and it cost him everything. He has been trying to piece it together, his own family has questioned him, and he didn’t realize that Nick and Kip’s balls dropped. When it comes to this business, he’s spent more money on rental cars making towns than you two have made in your lives combined. He didn’t think the three of them were competent enough to pull this off, but let me ask you Nick, Kip, and Shayna. What would you know about taking risks? He put himself out there, and there is a line of guys out there waiting to maim me because of what I did it. As for you Adam Copeland, I heard the things you said a couple of weeks. He said he would snap his neck in front of his kids. How he would take extra special care of his wife. And even his mother. But were the things he said really that bad? You aren’t going to come out here and act like you don’t know the rules of the game, HUH? You have done some unsavory things yourself, and when you look at your bank account, your head rests well. Now, last time, you told me to go find myself, maybe I did, maybe I didn’t. But I know this, we are so different, yet we are the same.
Tony wants to know where this leaves the Patriarchy. Cage says they laid him out and they don’t need him. Cage says that he has found himself in holes that have been huge before, but he hasn’t been in gaping holes as big as hers. Maybe you think I ruled with an iron fist, but it was from a place of love and what happened to him. Nick, you have a title, and you think you’re on top of the world, but what happens when you have to answer for what you did? Say what you want about me, but Cage has always answered for what he has done. Cage will admit that Wayne has more talent than him and he is the prodigy, he protected him from so much. You have the audacity to call yourself the face of AEW, now and forever. You might have all the tools, but you will have to go through Cage to get to that point. You already have one dead father, and another one is dead to him. As of this moment, Cage disowns you!
Cage leaves the ring and heads up the ramp, but he is confronted by Mama Wayne! It was all a ruse, as was Kip’s distraction, so Nick can fly in with a title belt shot to the head. Shayna goes to get two chairs, and Nick and Kip hit some kind of a conchairto to Cage. Nick says he disowns Christian as the fans chant FUCK NICK WAYNE, but the censor kind of misses some of it and allows some of it lol.
Wait, the World Title match is next? That’s certainly a choice.
COMMERCIALS!
We’re back, as Excalibur tells us that Christian was helped to the back by the medical staff.
We cut to FTR and Big Stoke! Last week, FTR did it again, and they are one step closer to winning back their tag team titles. Stoke has something to say to Copeland, you are banned from the arena tonight. Hurt Syndicate. you are cowards, because if FTR were 100%, they would have beaten them down. Juice and Austin Gunn, you are good, but you are not as good as FTR.
The Bucks are here! They exchange pleasantries. Stoke asks the Bucks if they are still in power, and Nick says no, not technically. Stoke does some weird thing Cobra-Kai thing and then leaves lol.
No outside interference for this upcoming match!
AEW World Championship Match – No Outside interference: Hangman Page (C) vs. Jon Moxley
Chicago’s own Justin Roberts with the super introduction for this one!
The bell rings, and the start is tentative. Weird, considering how much they hate each other. Early lock-up sees Moxley take Page to the corner. Moxley with a delayed cheap shot, so Page goes postal on Moxley in the corner. FUCK HIM UP HANGMAN chants, as both men trade chops in the middle of the ring. Neither man gives an inch, so Moxley eats Hangman’s forehead like it was an apple. Moxley eats the boot of Page in the corner, turns his back, and Page picks up Moxley and chokes him! Moxley powders to the floor as Page gives chase. He grabs a chair but ends up throwing it down and throws Jon back into the ring.
Snapmare into a basement lariat by Page nets him a two count back in the ring. Hammer throw, but Moxley throws Page down by his hair. Release German from the challenger. Moxley shoves his knee into Hangman’s face and does his best Kiss impression as the fans chant FUCK JON MOXLEY. Moxley with the point of the elbow to the forehead of Page. Scoop slam by Moxley, the cover for a two count. Page tries to fight back with chops, but Moxley stops that with knees to the midsection. Another release German from Brock Moxley. He stomps on Page just because he can. Moxley looking for another German, but Page fights out of it. He runs into a big boot by Jon, anyway, and eats a third German from Jon Lesnar. Page fights back and puts himself into a huge lariat!
The match resets, as Hangman hits a dodgy looking Fallaway Slam. Moxley finds himself on the apron as Page kips up. Page misses his corner clothesline but hits a comebacker to Moxley. Page up and over the top rope with a crossbody to Moxley. Back in the ring, a Death Valley Driver gets Page a two count. Moxley with a double wrist lock, but Page quickly gets to the ropes. Moxley off the ropes, but he runs into a Pop-Up Powerbomb for a two count. Moxley slides out of the ring, Page slowly approaches only for his eyes to be gouged and get slammed into the ring steps. MOXLEY WITH A PILEDRIVER ON TOP OF THE STEPS! Moxley talks shit, the fans chant HOLY SHIT, and we need a PIP Break!
Moxley has a variation of the cross face on Page as we return from PIP break. Excalibur says that is the final break for this match when it was the only one, so that’s something lol. Moxley switches to a straitjacket, and Moxley mocks Danielson with the YES kicks. Page looks to be getting angrier with each blow, and he cuts off Moxley’s last kick with a forearm shot. This leads to a trade in the middle of the ring, Moxley flipping him off, and the typical BOO-YAY fare. Well, until Moxley wants another apple bite. Hangman with a big boot, a side suplex, and when Moxley rolled through, he eats a big lariat for his trouble. COWBOY SHIT chants. Page slowly sets up the Buckshot, but Moxley kicks Page from the apron and to the floor.
Jon cleans off the announce table, he sets up Page for another piledriver and flips off the fans. BUT THAT DISTRACTION ALLOWS HANGMAN TO COUNTER IT WITH A DEADEYE ON THE TABLE! I AM THE TABLE this one was not lol. Back in the ring, Page with a lariat for a two count. Moxley motions to cut this shit out. Corner counters ensue, ending with Page hitting a tombstone by Page for a two count. Page mounts Moxley and hammers away. Paul Turner checks on Moxley as Page paces around. Page was going to stomp Moxley, but Jon picks the ankle and tries the Bulldog Choke. Page tries to roll out, but Moxley refuses to let go. When it looks like Page was close to breaking it, Moxley does a gator roll and takes Hangman to the middle of the ring. Page makes it to his feet; Paradigm Shift is countered. Hangman with cross face of his own, and he even captured the leg! Moxley fights for all his worth and finally gets his boot on the bottom rope.
Both men on the apron now. Page looking for another deadeye, but Moxley rakes the back of Page. PILEDRIVER ON THE APRON BY MOXLEY! Moxley hits a Gotch Style Piledriver back in the middle of the ring. The cover, but Hangman is out at two. Moxley wants a Paradigm Shift, but Page counters with a weak shot. Moxley thinks this is funny, so he peppers Page with shots. Page wakes up and goes ham on Moxley. He puts Jon the apron and hits a big boot. ARI HARI MOONSAULT FROM THE TOP AND TO THE FLOOR ON MOXLEY! Hangman returns Moxley to the ring. Buckshot Lariat, no, Paradigm Shift, no! Deadeye, but Turner is clipped by the foot of Moxley!
Hey, look, Claudio and Wheeler are here now! Marina sneaks the AEW title belt to Moxley! Page with the Buckshot Lariat right into the title belt! Moxley with the cover, Turner wakes up, but Page is out at 2.9! Turner ejects Shafir from ring side, as Claudio carries her back over the guard rail lol. DARBY ALLIN IS ON THE SIDE OF THE BALCONY, AND HE FLIES IN AND DROPS EVERYONE! Moxley looks confused, as he turns around into a big boot from Page. BUCKSHOT LARIAT! Deadeye is countered into a choke! PAGE COUNTERS INTO THE DEADEYE ANYWAY! BUCKSHOT LARIATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! DEFENSE NUMBER ONE FOR HANGER!
WINNER: Hangman Page (Still Champion)
TIME: 26:20
THOUGHTS: Great Googly Moogly, Andy Reid! Even with the Death Riders coming out and the ref bump, this one was still a metric ton of fun. Darby did some insane shit, and Hangman and Jon beat each other within an inch of their lives, largely without shenanigans and weapons. As much as I appreciate Jon for all he has done for the company since it started, hopefully this puts him in the rearview mirror for a while, and out of the world title picture.
RATING: ****1/4
We get a recap of the match, just in case you tuned in right after the match ended.
Video package for the TNT Title match tomorrow night, a Chicago Street Fight between champion Dustin Rhodes and challenger KOIL FLETCHA!
The women will be up next after this break!
COMMERCIALS!
Tough act for the ladies to follow, but I believe in them!
ROH Women’s Champion Athena and Billie Starkz vs. AEW Women’s Champion TIMELESS Toni Storm and Alex Windsor
SHE IS TIMELESS chants as we get started. My heart is broken to hear that MINA is now injured when she just recently was. Tony and Excalibur make jokes about Luther as Athena wrestles Windsor to the mat and poses. Storm tags in without Athena realizing it. She turns around, she wants Storm to put up her dukes, but Athena rolls through and tags in Billie lol. Billie shakes hands with Toni, only to take a cheap shot. She runs into a side headlock takedown, though. Storm flattens Starkz, then uses misdirection to hit a drop kick.
Windsor with the tag, both women run train on Bilie and then dance their way over to the corner and kick Billie together. Well, there is always something interesting around Toni lol. Windsor sends Starkz to the apron, she kicks her on the way back in and hits a heat seeker! The cover, but Athena breaks it up. Athena baits Storm into a clothesline on the floor by Billie. CANNONBALL from the apron by Alex to Billie! Athena returns Alex to the ring, and Billie catapults Windsor into a DDT from Athena. PIP Break.
Windsor makes Athena eat the boot as we return. Billie tags in and get an assisted double stomp from Billie in their corner. Athena goads Storm into distracting Referee Aubrey so they can stomp on Alex some more. Windsor with an enziguri to Starkz, but she can’t make the tag. Athena does, and she tries to cut off Alex. Billie pulls Toni off the apron so she cannot make the tag. Windsor with a corner clothesline and a misdirection into a big lariat. LIGER BOMB from Athena, but Starkz with the save. Storm is in and wipes out Starkz. Athena takes care of Storm, Windsor takes out Athena, but Billie is back with a double stomp from the top.
FINALLY, Storm gets a legal tag, and she hits a drop kick on everyone that moves. Mongolian Chops for both of her opponents. Release German to Starkz. Hip attack to Starkz! Athena with the tag, but Storm doesn’t realize it! O-FACE FROM ATHENA! THE COVER, THE WIN!
WINNER: Athena and Billie Starkz
TIME: 11:20
THOUGHTS: A good match, for sure. Billie and Athena always have good chemistry, but Alex and Toni are a really fun team, too. That double dance to the corner was awesome.
RATING: ***1/4
Post-match, Billie throws Alex into the announce table, while Athena tells Toni she will have her day soon, and will cash in to take her title belt.
In the back, Renee has Hangman, but MJF is here to cut him off. The last time he checked, heroes don’t stab people in the face with a fork. Last week, you called MJF a coward, but you refuse to face MJF unless he executes this contract. He remembers when there was a fighting champion named Swerve Strickland. You think that will get you a shot, says Hangman? You either have to earn it or cash in your shot at the title. There are men in front of you, and one of them is Mark Briscoe, who Hangman has respected for over a decade. MJF says you dumb hicks and your stupid sticks, but Hangman says he doesn’t see the Hurt Syndicate here, so he doesn’t know what is stopping him from being MJF”s dumb ass. MJF storms off, as Renee and Hangman look on.
COMMERCIALS!
Alicia Atout is here with Willow Nightingale. Willow is the trapezoid of Grapazoid. How cute lol. Apparently, TK told him damn girl, you really want to get crazy with Thekla. So tomorrow night they are going to fight on Collision, and she will kick her spider ass and rip off all eight of those spider legs. Man, even when Willow is being serious, she is still so cute lol.
Show some love for Ricochet! SHOW SOME!!!
Ricochet vs. Mark Briscoe
We get news that World’s End is coming to Chicago on December 27th, so that’s cool. The bell rings and we get early reversals. A running knee from Briscoe meets an off-the-wall and a standing kick from Ricky. Briscoe with his own kick and he takes Ricky to the corner with some stomps. Ricky telegraphs his whip, so Mark with a kick to the head. Ricky thinks he did something with a lariat, but Mark is waiting to attack him some more lol. Briscoe with a vertical suplex for a two count. Ricky with a forearm, but Mark gives him the crazy eyes and lays him out with ONE shot. Hammer throw, and Ricky hits the corner chest first. Scoop and a slam by Briscoe. as he takes Ricky to the corner for more chops. Ricky with an elbow to slow Mark down, but he gets knocked from the top rope and to the floor. GOA have arrived, as Briscoe lays out Ricky. Both men get on the apron, and Ricky uses the distraction to hit a dropkick and a tope suicida! PIP Break!
Ricky is swinging a chair on the floor like a madman as we return. Remsburg stops his brother in bald from using the chair, and Briscoe rolls up Ricky for a two count. Briscoe with the comeback, but Ricky ducks the rolling forearm. Briscoe slaps Ricky on top of the head, and he is low bridged to the floor as Ricky has Bryce. Moonsault over the top and to the floor on Briscoe! He returns Mark to the ring and hits a springboard elbow. Running shooting star press, Briscoe out at two. Ricky loads up the Spirit Gun, but Briscoe moves. Jay Driller is countered out, but Mark clotheslines Ricky to the floor. He goes to dropkick Ricky, but Bishop Kaun bites the bullet. Briscoe sets up the chair and does the Senton Atomico to the floor to Ricky and Kaun! Back in the ring, a huge lariat from Briscoe scores him a two count. Jay Driller attempt, but Ricky is out, only to eat another lariat. Froggy Bow, says Briscoe, but Toa Liona shoves Mark from the top rope. Vertigo from Ricky, but Briscoe out at two. GOA are on the apron again, but here comes Bandido and Brody King to give us a preview of tomorrow night’s tag team match! Ricky is distracted by this, Briscoe with the inside cradle for a two count. Rising knee strike, standing kick by Ricky. Mark out the back door, enziguri from Ricky, but a huge lariat by Mark! JAY DRILLER! MARK WINS IT!
WINNER: Mark Briscoe
TIME: 13:50
THOUGHTS: I hate to see Ricky lose here, but Hangman kind of telegraphed him winning when he told MJF that he deserved a title shot before MJF got one. As a result, you knew Mark wasn’t going to lose this match, which that works too, honestly.
RATING: ***1/2
Post-match, Briscoe says we are just getting started. MJF! You brought my brother’s name up. Once, shame on you, twice, shame on me if I don’t obliterate your ass. Man, I never felt like this before. I need help, man. For the first time, he might never see his brother again. He knows he is up there chilling in the mansion, but MJF, if I kill your ass in cold blood. But if I don’t repent, because not even the slightest cell in my body feels remorse, I feel nothing. Make my day, damn it, right here, right now, get your ass out here, and let’s do it!
MJF’s theme plays, but he appears on the screen instead. Did you think I was coming out there? Not a chance. Did you drop the comedy thing, because you seem so serious. Seabiscuit says I am a coward, and I won’t face him in this ring. So, he spoke to that mark Tony Khan, and he said next week in the main event, it will be the toothless wonder and the generational talent. Well, that is, if you make it next week.
Briscoe turns around and MJF is behind him and delivers a low blow. WHAT ABOUT NOW, HANGMAN? AM I A COWARD NOW, HANGMAN? MJF puts on the ring, but Hangman is here! Page causes MJF to turn into Briscoe, who tries to hit a Jay Driller, but the NOT a coward runs away. Makes sense lol. Briscoe and Page embrace in the ring as we see the graphic for Briscoe-MJF next week, and for tomorrow’s matches on Collision.
And with that, we’re done!
