AEW Dynamite Review - May 28, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay Confronted "Hangman" Adam Page

There's certainly a conversation to be had about AEW not focusing enough on storytelling (or that the stories they do have aren't all that great), but the ongoing angle with Strickland, Page and now Ospreay has been among the promotion's very best since it started two years ago. This was an excellent segment to not only build toward Page getting his AEW World Championship opportunity at All In but also further his storyline with Strickland and Ospreay in intriguing fashion with the idea being they ultimately have to band together to "save" AEW from The Death Riders. It should be a fun road getting there.

The Death Riders (AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and Marina Shafir) and Gabe Kidd def. Mark Briscoe, Willow Nightingale and "Speedball" Mike Bailey

AEW has done so many multi-person matches in the last month or so on Dynamite alone that I've honestly become numb to them, but when you fill them with notable names and make them the opening match, it's almost impossible for the crowd to not be hot for it. It was well worked, even though it largely followed the same formula a lot of the other ones have. This got the heels back on track after losing at Anarchy in the Arena.

Megan Bayne and Penelope Ford def. Harley Cameron and Anna Jay in a No Disqualification Match

The babyfaces needed the win at Double or Nothing, but I think it was smart to have the heels bounce back and avenge the loss here. AEW has a strong streak of women's tag team Street Fights over the years, and while it was technically branded as a No Disqualification match, this was essentially the same thing. The ladies worked hard and Cameron even got busted open at one point. Props to all four involved for a hell of an effort.

AEW World Trios Champions The Opps (Powerhouse Hobbs, Katsuyori Shibata and Samoa Joe) def. The Frat House (Preston Vance, Griff Garrison and Cole Karter) (Non-Title)

For those unaware, Frat House are a jobber faction that formed in Ring of Honor earlier this year. Needless to say, the group does not belong on television, but I'm willing to guess they were only in this spot because most of the roster was banged up coming out of Double or Nothing (which was reportedly the case) and this was how Tony Khan decided to fill the open spot. It was a waste of time, but at least it wasn't a lot of time. That's probably the only thing I can say about this.

Thekla Attacked Jamie Hayter

I know nothing about Thekla other than some stuff I've seen said about her skills online, but she comes from Stardom and is AEW's latest addition to the women's division. The spider shtick is cool and she has a unique look, so I'm excited to see what she can do. Unfortunately, the cameraman didn't pick up on her first attack on Hayter, so the production execution of her debut was botched. Pairing her with Hayter out of the gate is a big spot for her to be in, though. I just hope Hayter emerges from the feud unscathed after already losing in the finals of the women's Owen Hart Cup.

AEW TNT Champion Adam Cole def. Kyle Fletcher by Disqualification

Fletcher really should have challenged for the AEW TNT Championship after pinning Daniel Garcia when he was champ during the Continental Classic late last year, but better late than never. Cole's reign has been a complete afterthought in the last month, but at least this served as a reminder of how talented he is. These two were having an enjoyable outing up until the interference from Josh Alexander, which led right into the next match.

Brody King def. Josh Alexander to Qualify for the AEW International Championship Four-Way Match at Fyter Fest

Alexander and King fought to a time-limit draw several weeks ago and I'm glad we finally got the rematch. They got plenty of time and delivered another hard-hitting affair. I'm not high on Alexander getting pinned (again) so early into his run, but hopefully he'll be fine in the long run. Plus, King had to win something meaningful at some point. The other two qualifying matches will take place on Saturday's Collision.

AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm and AEW TBS Champion and RevPro Undisputed British Women's Champion Mercedes Mone Faced Off

I appreciated that this was saved for last because, as the top two women's wrestlers in AEW, their first face-off was a big deal. I could've done without all the talk of them having the greatest women's match ever at All In and the impact it'll have on the next generation, but it was a solid segment otherwise. The question is if the stakes will be raised by putting Mone's AEW TBS Championship on the line as well or if it will remain solely for the AEW Women's World Championship.

Overall Show

The Opps squash was whatever, but the rest of this show held up, making for an above-average edition of Dynamite on the whole. The timing was perfect fresh off Double or Nothing, so now there's optimism among fans as we kick off the road to All In. Nothing came close to touching the opening segment, mind you, but there was more of a sense of urgency about the show than usual this week and it resulted it in an entertaining two hours.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews