AEW Dynamite Review - May 21, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Will Ospreay and "Hangman" Adam Page Faced Off

The build to this bout has been fairly basic because they're both babyfaces and the match sells itself with it being the finals of the men's Owen Hart Cup, but to their credit, this was a fantastic final segment with Ospreay and Page cutting excellent promos. They made winning the Owen Hart Cup sound like the most meaningful thing in the world. Ospreay is still my pick to win, but they definitely put the outcome a little more in doubt here.

Swerve Strickland and AEW World Trios Champions The Opps (Samoa Joe and Powerhouse Hobbs) def. The Young Bucks and AEW World Champion Jon Moxley

This is at least the third multi-man match the Bucks and possibly Strickland have been involved in as of late, so while the action was nothing new, it was entertaining, nonetheless. Plus, this ate up a ton of television time. The rest of the Anarchy in the Arena combatants spilled out afterward, so it was complete chaos. Joe saying that their business wasn't over for the night was a nice hook for later on.

ROH World Tag Team Champions The Sons of Texas Interrupted The Hurt Syndicate and MJF's Contract Signing

As far as contract signings go, this was one of the most boring in recent memory. I guess it was realistic because nothing really happened, but MJF and MVP had to resort to heeling on the crowd so it wasn't totally silent while all of them signed the contract. Dustin Rhodes' promo was fine, but they don't stand a chance whatsoever against Hurt Syndicate on Sunday night.

Ricochet def. Anthony Bowens

Bowens going from facing undercard competitors on Collision to Ricochet felt a little sudden, unless Bowens was going to score the upset. I would've liked to see Bowens remain undefeated on his own a little longer, but Ricochet losing again (after all the other losses he's racked up lately) wouldn't have been wise. Post-match, Mark Briscoe attacked Ricochet afterward and put him on a stretcher to hype their Stretcher match for Double or Nothing.

Jamie Hayter Attacked AEW TBS Champion and RevPro Undisputed British Women's Champion Mercedes Mone During Their Interview with Renee Paquette

Although this wasn't anywhere near as good as the verbal exchange between Ospreay and Page at the start of the show, it was still solid and effective as far as hyping the finals of the women's Owen Hart Cup. Mone's promos are always hit or miss and this version of the Hayter character hasn't clicked for me yet, but I have no doubt the match will deliver. Hayter standing tall has me worried Mone is winning, which isn't necessary considering she already has the AEW TBS Championship.

Mina Shirakawa def. Julia Hart

The commentators may have called this the main event, but you knew for a fact it wouldn't be what actually closed the show. Despite that, this was a quality contest from Shirakawa and Hart. Hart has been directionless for many months and Shirakawa is the number one contender to the AEW Women's World Championship, so the outcome was never in doubt, but I thought they made the most of the time they had and I'm glad the crowd was as into it as they were. Hart and Skye Blue reunited afterward and Shirakawa attacked Toni Storm, seemingly establishing her as a heel in the process.

AEW International Champion Kenny Omega, Swerve Strickland and AEW World Trios Champions The Opps Brawled with The Death Riders and The Young Bucks

This was essentially a preview of what we can expect in Anarchy in the Arena at Double or Nothing with everyone brawling with each other. The only difference between what we got here and earlier on was that Gabe Kidd got involved. He's not officially in the match, but I imagine he'll interfere and factor into the finish somehow to help the heels win. The Anarchy in the Arena nonsense isn't my cup of tea, but the build has largely been well done.

Overall Show

The show got off to a hot start with that Page and Ospreay exchange followed by the all-star six-man tag team match, but everything else was mostly average and didn't affect my interest level in Double or Nothing all that much. AEW has done a lousy job in general with the Double or Nothing build this year, but per usual, I expect the event to be great, regardless. This was a decent Dynamite, but the first hour was significantly stronger than the second.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews