AEW Dynamite 12/25/2024

AEW Dynamite 12/25/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/12/aew-dynamite-12182024.html

We are at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC, the same place as the ROH Final Battle PPV.

Continental Classic Gold League Match - Will Ospreay vs Brody King

Will hits leg kicks and chops him in the corner. Brody blocks a flying headscissors then throws him by the neck. Brody shoulders him over. Will tries to pick him up and Brody falls on him. Brody slams him and goes for a senton but Will gets his knees up. Will headscissors him off a powerbomb attempt.

Brody is dropkicked in the knee and goes into the steps. Brody spinebusters him on the steps. Brody chops him against the rail. Will hits forearms and Brody fires back. Will spin kicks him in the gut and Brody back body drops him.

We go to break and return. Brody suplexes him. Will facekicks him off the apron. Will corkscrew moonsaults him outside. Will springboard forearms him for 2. Will facekicks him and hits forearms then Brody drops him with one. Will is on the ropes and gets chopped to the outside.

Brody crossbodies him against the rails. Brody corner cannonballs him for 2. They trade chops. Will facekicks and superkicks him. Brody spinning forearms him. Will hits hook kicks. Will springboards and takes a double chop to the back. Will hits a styles clash for 2.

Brody lariats him then hits a fire thunder for 2. Brody lariats him for 2. Will flying forearms him for 1. Will hits a hidden blade for 2. Will hits a stormbreaker and wins.

Thoughts: The match was fine. Brody didn't overdo it. He beat up Will and Will did his flying before picking up the win. I don't love Brody losing, but he rarely ever wins big here.

The Hurt Syndicate run into Renee, Christopher Daniels and security. Renee says MVP and Lashley are banned from the building tonight.

Continental Classic Gold League Match -  Ricochet vs Darby Allin

They lock up. Ric complains Darby pulled his hair despite being bald. Darby side headlocks him. Darby side headlock takeovers him. Ric hits a cheapshot.

We go to PiP break and return. Darby is thrown into the buckles. Someone threw toilet paper and Ric throws it into the stands. Darby sweeps Ric on the apron. Ric is thrown into the rails. Darby runs into the rails when Ric moves. Ric kicks him outside then springboard lariats him inside. Ric asai moonsaults Darby for 2. Ric misses a 450 off the top and flips off of Darby.

Darby bottom rope springboard twisting crossbodies him. Darby la magistrals him for 2 and dropkicks him out. Darby goes for a tope and Ric gets his knee up. Darby is put on a table. Ric 630's him off the top and sends him through the table. 

We go to PiP break and return. Ric pulls the tape off on Darby's ribs and stomps them. Ric springboard double stomps Darby, jumping over the ref. Ric hits chops. Ric and Darby fight on the buckles. Darby rakes Ric's back. Darby hits a code red off the buckles then a normal code red for 2.

Ric pulls Darby's throat over the top. Ric misses a springboard 450 and Darby armbars him. Ric knees him in the chin. He hits a northern lights suplex and Darby reverse ddt's him. They then go to the time limit as Darby hits a coffin drop.

Thoughts: It went to a 20 minute draw. They did a little more than they should have but it wasn't too bad. It became obvious that they would go to a draw when they announced only 2 minutes remained. It was a high flying match as expected but it was a more toned down match than usual from Darby as he didn't take any really bad looking bumps. I thought it could have been better but it was okay.

Jay White does a promo. He says we are on the road to World's End. He says he was chopped and stomped on by The Death Riders. He says Mox knows the biggest threat to his reign in a one vs one match with him. Jay says he will find his way to Mox and the AEW Title.

Continental Classic Gold League Match - Komander vs Claudio Castagnoli

Darby tells Kom some things as he heads to the ring. CC hits some clubs and chops on him. Kom upkicks him and takes a boot to the face. Kom dropkicks him in the knee. Kom rope walks, flips into the top rope and CC suplexes him.

CC slams him and cranks his head. CC 2nd rope gorilla press gutbusters him. CC euros him over then double stomps him. Kom rolls him over the top out of the electric chair. CC holds on and drops him face first on the apron.

CC hits leg kicks. He walks up the buckles and springboard hurricanrana's him into the post. CC walks up the buckles and swantons him outside off the top. Kom counters a pop-up euro. Kom climbs on him and does a cobra twist. Kom facebusters him. Kom is crotched up top.  

Kom is crotched on the top rope. CC facekicks him over to the floor. Kom finds Darby's jacket under the ring and grabs brass knucks from it. Kom nails CC with the knucks. Kom rope walk SSP's him and wins.

Thoughts: I didn't like Kom cheating to win. He's a face and CC didn't even really cheat here to justify it. That was just bad booking. It wasn't bad other wise with Kom doing his flying and CC overpowering him.

The Death Riders beat up Kom after. Orange Cassidy and Jay White make the save. OC topes Yuta and beachbreakers Yuta. Mox then comes out and hits Jay and OC with a briefcase. Mox says this is the close OC and Jay will come to the title and are delusional if they think they are worthy enough to lay eyes on it.

Adam Page comes out. Mox gets surrounded by his 3 opponents. OC hits an orange punch and Page hits a buckshot lariat. Jay blade runners Mox.

Jay goes to grab the briefcase. Page puts his foot on it to stop him. OC then puts his sunglasses on and they let off.

Continental Classic Blue League Match - Kazuchika Okada vs Shelton Benjamin

They shake hands and lock up. Okada wristlocks him and SB armdrags him out of it. SB armdrags him. Okada stalls outside then ddt's him on the floor. Okada slams SB in the ring. Okada is up top, SB walks up the buckles and belly to belly suplexes him.

We go to PiP break and return. They trade forearms and SB running back elbows him. Okada ddt's him for 2. SB spinning heel kicks him. SB ankle locks him. Okada puts him in a hold and SB rams him into the buckles to escape. Okada over the back neckbreakers him on the knee.

Okada slams SB then gives the crowd the finger. Okada germans him then SB hits a release german. SB hits 2 more release german suplexes. SB step up knees him in the corner. Okada tries but mostly misses a dropkick and SB flatliners him. Okada hits a rainmaker and gets the win.

Thoughts: I can't tell you the last time I saw Okada miss a dropkick. It had a slower pace to it. I would have liked to have seen this one go a bit longer but I was alright with what we got. It was definitely better than I expected.

They shake hands after.

Renee interviews Swerve Strickland and Prince Nana. Swerve said he lost a lot in 2024 but plans to rebound in 2025. Ricochet walks in. He asks if Swerve saw him beat Darby. He says he will go onto World's End and win The Continental Classic. He calls him Stefon. Swerve says he's not rooting against him. He tells him not to blow it as he will embarrass him and make it big. He then makes him finch. Ric says that's why he doesn't have a house no more.

Thoughts: I'm still not sure what they are going for here but I don't like it. It's just making Ric look like a very highly paid fool.

Chris Jericho is outside with Bill and Bryan for a New York Minute. He says he's still feeling the christmas spirit. He says he has one more gift and it's for Bowens. He says he will face him on Rampage. He says Bowens doesn't seem to have a lot of friends lately and hopes he didn't bite off more than he can chew.  

Toni Storm vs Taya Valkyrie

Taya hits some boots on Toni. She chops her. Taya lariats her over. Taya hits mounted shots. Taya hits a corner lariat. Taya stinkfaces her in the corner after a hip attack. Taya corner meteora's her for 2.

Toni shoulders and lariats her over. Toni is pulled into the post crotch first and has her legs banged off of it. We go to PiP break and return. They trade forearms. Toni forearm flurries her in the corner. Taya gets a 2 count on her.

Taya knees her then running lariats her. Toni hits mounted forearms. Toni hits a hip attack in the corner. Taya slaps her and Toni slaps back. Tay running lariats her. Toni then cradles her and wins.

Thoughts: This one did nothing for Toni and losing didn't help Taya much either. Taya stinkfaced her and Toni really only won on a fluke here.

We get a video on MJF vs Adam Cole.

Renee interviews Adam Page. She asks him what's happening with him, OC and Jay. Christopher Daniels interrupts. He says Page was right and has gone through a lot. He offers help if he needs anything. Page asks why would he need help from an office stooge like him. Daniels says he can relate to him being alone and having no friends here. He says he knows him better than he thinks.He says he'll be his friend at world's End if he needs it. 

Continental Classic Blue League Match - Daniel Garcia vs Kyle Fletcher

They lock up and DG is backed up into the corner. DG dances after forcing the break and Kyle goes outside to stall.Kyle shoulders him over. Kyle hits a kick to the face and DG runs at him and flurries him. DG hits mounted punches in the corner and Kyle throws him over the top to the floor.

DG hits mounted punches outside near the rails. Kyle powerbombs him on the apron's edge. We go to PiP break and return. Kyle foot chokes him then forearms him over. They trade shots. DG running lariats him twice then flips him with one. Kyle misses a helluva kick and goes out. DG dropkicks him against the rail.

DG hits a magic screw on him for 2. Kyle suplexes him and corner facekicks him. DG guillotines him over the ropes. They go to the apron and Kle brainbusters him on the apron. Kyle hits a sitout last ride. 

Kyle low blows him while the ref isn't looking then brainbusters him. Kyle puts him up top and slaps him. They mess up some spot on the buckles and both fall down. They trade shots. Kyle facekicks him. DG hits chops. Kyle superkicks him twice. DG rolls him into a sharpshooter. Kyle bangs DG's head off the mat to stop it.

Kyle lariats him then corner facekicks him. Kyle kind of does a brainbuster on the top buckle but mostly drops him ribs first. Kyle picks up the win.

Thoughts: They did too much here as is customary with Kyle Fletcher matches and I didn't like this at all. Nobody should be kicking out of apron brainbusters. They also kind of botched the finish and had another botch.

Will Ospreay comes out after and stares Kyle down.  

Jon Moxley talks somewhere in the back or outside. He says it's 3 for 1 at World's End. He says they will separate the weak from the chaste. He says they will continue their work and crusade against ego and delusion. He says AEW lacks will, spirit and heart. He says nobody really wants it. He says if you aren't willing to sacrifice when tanks are rolling in, he will sacrifice you. He says the AEW Title isn't something you are awarded, it's something you are. He says he knows who he is when he speaks. He says he is king and was born to be king. He says he's the only king there has ever been.

There is no Collision this Saturday due to the PPV.

Overall thoughts: It was a wrestling heavy edition of Dynamite here. There weren't a lot of angles or new developments because the PPV this week and they are saving that for the PPV. It was a good show but not great. I surprisingly was okay with 4 of the matches here and probably liked Okada/Shelton or Will/Brody best. I'd give it a 6 out of 10 overall.