AEW Dynamite Review - May 25, 2022

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Wardlow def. Shawn Spears in a Steel Cage Match (MJF Served as Special Guest Referee)

Needless to say, the outcome of this clash was pretty predictable. It was more a matter of how Wardlow would win than if, but this was laid out very well. MJF and Spears tried to get the upper hand over a handcuffed Wardlow at several points, but Wardlow reigned supreme in the end once MJF was accidentally laid out with a chair shot to the face. Speaking of that, I find that sort of stuff completely unnecessary and thought that spot was stupid, but that's just me. At any rate, MJF vs. Wardlow is now official for Double or Nothing, as if it was ever in doubt. Wardlow is mega over at the moment and has to win on Sunday.

AEW World Champion "Hangman" Adam Page and CM Punk Exchanged Words

This was the segment I was hoping we'd get from these two ahead of the event, so better late than never. The intensity from both guys was excellent and each of them made plenty of valid points. Page noting that it was in Las Vegas (the site of this show) where Punk cut his famous pipebomb promo almost exactly 11 years ago was a tremendous touch, too. I wish we got this a few weeks ago, but I guess it's better than the program peaking too early. These two needed this and they knocked it out of the park.

Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston def. Private Party

Excalibur noted on commentary that this marked the first time since September that these two have teamed up, so it was a treat seeing them back together again because they're an awesome tandem. Private Party, of course, never stood a chance, so this served as simple showcase for Moxley and Kingston. The post-match brawl between the two opposing teams at Double or Nothing was fine and I'm interested to see what they can come up with for Anarchy in the Arena, whatever the hell that's supposed to entail exactly.

ROH World Tag Team Champions FTR vs. Roppongi Vice Ended in a No Contest

As well wrestled as this was, it felt like it had next to no heat. That's because the bout was announced randomly last week and AEW hasn't done a lot to capitalize on FTR's hot stretch in early April. Meanwhile, why are Roppongi Vice back full-time? I mean, I'm happy they are, but what does that mean for Best Friends? This was an enjoyable affair that the crowd was mostly quiet for before the shocking non-finish with United Empire's Jeff Cob and Great-O-Khan attacking both teams. They're the former IWGP Tag Team Champions and will obviously be involved with Forbidden Door, so this was supposed to serve as hype for that event. It was cool to see Cobb back on Dynamite following his first two appearances in early 2020.

Swerve Strickland def. FTW Champion Ricky Starks and AEW World Tag Team Champion Jungle Boy in a Three-Way Match

These were all the smaller guys from their respective tag teams. Unsurprisingly, they worked very well together and had a terrific three-way match. To me, it virtually didn't matter who won because I'm a fan of all three wrestlers and want to see them showcased in singles competition more often. Personally, I'm pulling for Team Taz to win the tag titles at Double or Nothing to free up Jungle Boy for a feud with Christian Cage while Strickland and Keith Lee go off and do their own stuff separately.

Tony Schiavone Interviewed AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa

Rosa feels like she's gotten the "Adam Page" treatment as champion in that she's done good work but has been booked like an afterthought more often than not. She isn't nearly as hot as she was while in chase mode, but thankfully, they've picked up some of the slack with this Serena Deeb feud in recent weeks. This was probably some of the best mic work we've gotten from Rosa yet as champ and I liked that she had no face paint on. This was a different side to her that we haven't seen before. This is what we need more of from her going forward.

Britt Baker def. Toni Storm in a Women's Owen Hart Cup Semifinal Match

This felt like one of the biggest matches AEW could have done with Storm when she signed with the company, and they've been building toward it pretty much since her debut. Unfortunately, it fell short of expectations. I wasn't thinking we'd get an instant classic or anything along those lines, but they just didn't have great chemistry and there were several awkward spots, especially at the end. This wasn't the strongest effort from either woman and I was left disappointed. The way the finish was executed was lame, too. Did Baker really need to make it to the finals over newcomer Toni Storm?

ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe def. Kyle O'Reilly in a Men's Owen Hart Cup Semifinal Match

This is the match I really wanted to see for the NXT Championship when both men were still there, but Joe got hurt shortly after regaining the title last summer and both guys were gone by January. Well, at least we got it here in AEW, and it was a lot of fun. Their styles meshed exceptionally well and they made the most of the time they had. Now we have Joe vs. Adam Cole in the finals of the men's tournament, which could easily go either way.

Overall Show

Putting both Owen Hart Cup matches back-to-back to close the show was an interesting choice. Joe vs. O'Reilly definitely delivered, whereas Baker vs. Storm did not. All in all, this was a successful go-home show in the sense that it left me looking forward to Double or Nothing, but there wasn't a lot of consistency and the pacing was off. I don't know if AEW looks at Double or Nothing as their WrestleMania, but the build on the whole has been less-than-stellar. I'm excited for Page vs. Punk and MJF vs. Wardlow, but the storylines for the other matches have left a lot to desired. I'm sure it will be a hell of a show, but the hype isn't as high as it has been for past pay-per-views, at least in my opinion.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews