AEW Dynamite Review - May 7, 2025

By Graham "GSM" Matthews

The Don Callis Family Interrupted "Hangman" Adam Page and Will Ospreay

Page and Ospreay are two of AEW's biggest MVPs at the moment, so it was smart to give them some mic time before they face off in the finals of the men's Owen Hart Cup at Double or Nothing. That match should be fantastic, but an eventual feud between them has plenty of potential as well. Don Callis played his role well here by setting up next week's tag team match pitting Ospreay and Page against Konosuke Takeshita and Josh Alexander.

FTR Challenged Daniel Garcia

I'm surprised this happened immediately after the opening segment because this was also just talking, but at least it was kept brief and served a purpose. Stokley Hathaway bullied Tony Schiavone at the announce desk before FTR challenged Garcia, setting something up for Collision (which will be airing on Thursday this week). Their storyline has largely been exclusive to Collision so far, so I'm glad it got some exposure on Dynamite to make the match tomorrow night more meaningful.

AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm def. Penelope Ford, Anna Jay and Thunder Rosa in an AEW Women's World Championship Eliminator Four-Way Match

Have we ever seen a four-way Eliminator before? There's a first time for everything, I suppose. Storm is one of AEW's most over acts, but I do worry about AEW continuing to feature her in stuff that doesn't matter until she finds her next challenger. All of her Eliminator matches are so predictable, so that's not really the answer, but to give credit where it's due, this was a fun four-way match with the interference from Megan Bayne and Harley Cameron adding to the chaos.

MJF Attacked Top Flight in Front of The Hurt Syndicate

I've been enjoying Hurt Syndicate's storyline with MJF, but it was ready to move on to the next step and it looks like we'll be getting there next week. Bobby Lashley told MJF that he wouldn't accept MJF as a member of their group until he "hurt people," which is why he laid out Top Flight at ringside here. He said he'll have an answer for MJF next week, and the timing is interesting because Cedric Alexander's 90-day non-compete with WWE is up as of tomorrow. I'd definitely be down for MJF being teased as joined only for the spot to go to Alexander instead.

ROH World Television Champion Nick Wayne def. Rhino

Rhino was a surprise opponent for Wayne, which was perfect with Rhino being a Detroit native and that's where this episode emanated from. The crowd was happy to see him, but they were disappointed when he was beat so quickly. Honestly, that was probably the best use of Rhino, not to mention I'm sure we're going to get more of him when AEW heads to the ECW Arena soon. In short, this was what it needed to be, and the latest tension teased between Wayne and Christian Cage afterward was well done.

The Young Bucks and Ricochet def. Swerve Strickland, "Speedball" Mike Bailey and Mark Briscoe

I understand this was a logical match to do given all of the issues these guys have with each other, but it was weird to follow up last week's eight-man tag team match with a six-man tag team match featuring a lot of the same people. This was similar to that in that it was one big spot-fest, and although it wasn't for everyone, the crowd was certainly into the action. Strickland taking the clean loss (when it could've easily been Briscoe instead) was unexpected, so hopefully that's leading somewhere.

AEW TBS/NJPW Strong Women's/RevPro Undisputed British Women's Champion Mercedes Mone Attacked Jamie Hayter

Hayter was having a sit-down interview with Renee Paquette in a separate part of the venue when Mone showed up and attacked her. They brawled into the crowd and Mone ended up getting the better of her. This was basic, but it accomplished what it needed to do. I'm not sure what more either of them can do to hype their match for Double or Nothing, so anything we get until then is bound to feel like filler.

AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada def. Kevin Knight in an AEW Continental Championship Eliminator Match

Doing two Eliminator matches on the same show was a tad excessive, but I was excited for this because of the talent involved. It ended up being more of an angle than a true match because of Rush attacking Knight beforehand. As a result, Knight came into this contest at a disadvantage, but he fought valiantly and lasted long enough so he could be made to look credible in defeat. Okada really should feel more important than he does right now.

AEW World Trios Champion Samoa Joe def. Claudio Castagnoli

Obviously, this wasn't the barn burner that it could have been a decade ago and the outcome was never in doubt, but it was still a solid main event and a fine way to give Joe an additional momentum boost before he challenges Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship next Wednesday. Powerhouse Hobbs helping Joe take out Castagnoli afterward should mean that Castagnoli won't be able to interfere in the Steel Cage match.

Overall Show

I don't think there were any more match announcements for Double or Nothing, which is weird considering the event is coming up in under three weeks. I understand the focus is on Beach Break next week, but the build for Double or Nothing has certainly been lacking on the whole. This was an average edition of Dynamite where the storyline advancement was actually better than the wrestling for a change.

SEE MORE: Dynamite Reviews