AEW Dynamite 1/15/2025 Maximum Carnage

AEW Dynamite 1/15/2025 Maximum Carnage

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/aew-dynamite-182025.html

Excalibur, Taz and Tony Schiavone are on commentary.

We get a package on the world title match tonight. Hobbs says he's been listening to Mox since the beginning and he took initiative. He said he stood up to him and Mox cowarded out. He says he will make him his b!tch.

Kenny Omega vs Brian Cage

Kenny hits punches in the corner and chops him. Kenny flying back elbows him in the corner. Cage bends over and is kicked. Cage back body drops Kenny. Cage fallaway slams him then back body drops him. Cage hits a corner lariat. Kenny flips over him in the corner and takes a powerbomb. Kenny hurricanrana's him. 

Kenny goes for a dive and Lance Archer gets on the apron. Kenny dropkicks him off. Cage lariats him. Kenny is sent into the rails outside. Cage gorilla presses him onto the commentary table. Lance Archer and Don Callis then take shots on Kenny.

We go to PiP break and return. Cage deadlift superplexes Kenny in. Kenny has some blood on his head. They fight on the ramp. Cage powerbombs him from the ramp into the ring. Cage hits an F-5 for 2. Cage gets his knees up on Kenny's asai moonsault. Cage then reverse sitout slams him for 2. 

Cage is on top and Kenny sunset bombs him. Kenny hits a pumping knee for 2. Kenny facekicks him then running pumping knees him. Kenny hits another pumping knee. Kenny hits a one-winged angel on Cage and wins.

Thoughts: They did too much here. Cage shouldn't be surviving sunset bombs off the top and Kenny took Cage's usual offense and still survived.

Kyle Fletcher and Lance Archer beat up Kenny after. Will Ospreay comes out to help and lariats Kyle over the top. Will enzugiri's Lance. Kenny pumping knees Lance then Will hidden blades Lance. Will plancha's Kyle outside.

Konosuke Takeshita comes down and holds his belt up at Kenny. They trade forearms. KT running lariats Kenny. Kyle and KT ends up laying out Kenny and Will. 

We get a video on The Hurt Syndicate. MVP's at a bar. He says he's taking off the suit and lacing up the boots. Him and Shelton say, "We are The Hurt Syndicate and we hurt people".

The Learning Tree does a New York Minute segment. CJ says them and The Death Riders vs Rated FTR, The Outrunners and Hobbs is one of the most anticipated matches in Collision history. Bill says size matters. CJ says Cope is a dope and Harwood is no good. Keith asks what they got for Cash and CJ says, "Wheeler is a kneeler". CJ guarantees that him and Mox will be on the same page.

Ricochet comes out. The crowd chants for Swerve. Ric takes a while to talk. He says a picture is worth a thousand words and shows him holding a bloody Swerve. Swerve's music hits. Prince Nana chairs Ric from behind and dances. swerve comes up. Swerve swings a chain at Ric and misses. Ric falls over the rail, throws a security guard at Swerve and runs outside. 

We get a video on a day in the life of Mercedes Mone. We see her signing autographs and on some TV show called "Sherri". We see her buying jewelry then training.

The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin and MVP) vs Mark Briscoe and Private Party

SB = Shelton Benjamin

Everyone starts fighting. Zay is sent into the rails. Mark hits chops on MVP. Mark hits a 2nd rope dropkick. MVP facekicks Mark. SB sends Mark into the apron and rail outside then slams him on the floor.

MVP bangs Mark's face off his knee. MVP does his ballin' elbow. Mark flying forearms MVP. Zay gets in and springboard crsossbodies SB. He then dropkicks him. PP hit double dropkicks on their opponents. Mark then tope con hilos Bobby through the ropes.

Zay asai moonsaults MVP. MVP is lariated over the top. Quen flatliners SB for 2. Mark takes an overhead suplex on the floor. Zay jumps off Quen's back onto SB. Bobby hits a super high spinebuster on Quen. SB germans Zay. Bobby rolling spears Zay. MVP facekicks Mark. SB superkicks Quen and gets the win.

Thoughts: It wasn't quite as long as I was hoping for but it was an action packed match and I liked it. The Syndicate won as expected here. Bobby's spinebuster was nice in this one.

Jeff Jarrett comes out then MJF follows. MJF said he get JJ the opportunity of a lifetime and said JJ turned him down. JJ said MJF was too lazy to enter the casino gauntlet and came up with a scheme. MJF yells at him for interrupting him. MJF says JJ is the definition of a wrestling grim reaper.

MJF says he should send JJ back to rehab where he belongs. He says to make sure is wife sticks around though as he's a big fan of her. He says when he's through with her, he will send her over to Tennessee so he can know what a generational talent's and an olympic gold medalist's balls taste like. 

JJ says what MJF was crude, stupid and has been said 1,000 times. JJ says he was MJF before MJF was MJF. He says he's done everything Max did before him and better than him. JJ says he doesn't know if MJF is a dumb@ss or a scumbag. JJ says it was tough for MJF to be raised by his parents and says MJF's mom was a Canadian callgirl.

JJ says MJF needs him because he's drowning in his own sh!t. He says MJF is a scared little boy. He says MJF is scared of becoming a one hit wonder. MJF said he made himself while JJ didn't. He said we saw aht happened when JJ was king of the mountain and says let's see what happen when MJF is.

MJF takes credit for Wembley and record PPV buys and ratings. MJF says he doesn't want to win the title, he needs to so he can shove it down the fans throats. MJF says no one cares about him. He says he's nothing more than a leech riding the coat tails of Owen Hart. JJ then nails him and hits punches. Karen Jarrett and security come out to stop it. MJF grabs Karen then runs away.

Thoughts: It was the usual MJF promo with him making sex jokes and childish insults. Sadly, instead of JJ dragging MJF to something better, MJF dragged him down. 

Okada fights Tomohiro Ishii on Collision which is an interesting choice since they both were NJPW guys.

Christian Cage vs Hook

Hook nails CC on the ramp as he enters. Mother Wayne stares down Hook. They fight outside then on the ramp. CC is back body dropped from the ramp into the ring. They hug and Hook belly to belly suplexes CC. Hook hits corner punches.

CC is thrown chest first into the buckles. We go to PiP break and return. CC hits corner punches and is thrown out to the floor. Hook runs the apron and forearms him off the apron. Hook is tripped on the steps. CC top rope splashes Hook for 2.

CC top rope splashes Hook. CC spears him for 2. Hook hits lariats on CC and throws him. Hook suplexes him for 2. Hook fisherman suplexes him for 2. Hook is sent into the post shoulder first. CC hits a killswitch on Shibata on the floor. Hook puts red rum on CC then Kip and Nick Wayne interfere for the DQ.

Thoughts: We had a dirty finish in this one. What we got wasn't bad but it wasn't a great match.

Taz stands up and wants to get involved. Samoa Joe then makes his return after a long time. He beats up Nick on the ramp and powerslams Kip. Shibata PK's Kip. Taz then says he loves it when a plan comes together.

Roderick Strong is with Cole and O'Reilly and says he's not done with Jay White yet. Jay says it's shoulda, coulda, woulda. He says Strong should have tried harder. Jay says Wheeler Yuta wanted his focus and got it. Cole says the gauntlet had the best of the best and brings up Daniel Garcia. O'Reilly questions it. Garcia then is with Menard and says he wants to fight every single week. He says let's get it if you want a shot at his gold. Cole says his crew will get some wrestling gold. 

Jeff Jarrett is interviewed. Dustin Rhodes walks in. Dustin says he's behind him and wants him to become champ. He says MJF hasn't been through what they have. Dustin says he's a 12x champ and the last outlaw. He says outlaws never die. Dustin says they are the last of their kind.

#1 Contenders Women's Casino Gauntlet

Jamie Hayter and Kris Statlander are the first two in. They lock-up and rolls on the ropes. Kris shoulders her over. Kris and Jamie lariat each other and Jamie boots her over. Kris boots her and hits a ki krusher. Megan Bayne comes out. She had some weird contract issue and this is her first appearance in a major fed in a while.

Bayne corner splashes Kris. Kris corner euros her. Bayne flying lariats her. Bayne falcon arrows Kris for 2.  Julia Hart comes out next. Jamie pounds on Hart on the ramp then suplexes her on the ramp.

We go to PiP break and return. Willow Nightingale comes in and boots Bayne. Bayne pump kicks her. jamie sends Hart into the rails. Bayne takes a double suplex. Kris and Willow chop each other. Willow pouncs Kris.

Toni Storm comes out and rolls up Willow. She shoulders her over then does the same to Hart, Kris and Hayter. Bayne throws Kris at Toni on the ramp. Willow lariats Toni then hitsa crossbody on Bayne off the apron. Kris then cannonballs both off the stage. Toni hip attacks Kris off the apron. 

Harley Cameron is next in. She bangs Hart's head off the buckles and high kicks her for 2. Jamie germans Harley then uranage backbreakers Hart. Harley rolls up Jamie for 2. Harley step up enzugiri's her. Jamie uranage backbreakers Harley. Hart mists Harley then Toni cradles Hart and pins her.

Thoughts: What we got was alright and they made the best of what they could with this. I don't get why they brought in Bayne if she was just going to lose here. I don't think this is the best way to get to the next Toni/Mariah May match. 

AEW World Title - Jon Moxley (c) vs Powerhouse Hobbs

Mox enters from the outside with Shafir. Mox hits a forearm flurry on Hobbs. Hobbs overhead suplexes Mox then hits shots on him in the corner. Mox hits forearms on Hobbs. Hobbs shoulders him over. Mox hits facekicks on Hobbs then topes him. Hobbs and Mox fight in the seats.

Mox hits corner punches on Hobbs inside. Hobbs rams him into the corner. He then bites Mox's ear. Mox goes out. We go to PiP break and return. Mox's ear is bleeding and he cutters Hobbs. Hobbs is thrown out and Shafir stomps Hobbs outside.

Hobbs lariats Mox over then hits corner lariats. Hobbs hits a world's strongest slam for 2. Hobbs hits a 2nd rope spinning slam but Mox turns it into an armbar. Wheeler Yuta comes out and flying knees Hobbs on the ramp. Hobbs spinebusters Mox. Shafir hits Hobbs with the briefcase and Mox gets a 2 count on Hobbs. Mox double underhook ddt's Hobbs for 2. Mox then wins with a bulldog choke.  

Thoughts: The blood kind of made it seem more dramatic and better than it was. At least Hobbs didn't lose clean here but I didn't like him losing this one. I didn't quite think they had enough of a heated storyline for all the blood here and I kind of think the blood was just a wasted spot in this one. It was an okay main but it was yet another match on this show with shenanigans.

The Death Riders attack Hobbs after. Mox chairs Hobbs' legs then stomps the chair into it. Cope and FTR then come out and The Riders leave.

Overall thoughts: They tried to make this seem like a bigger Dynamite than usual. I didn't like the Omega match as they did too much and Cage should have protected his size more. The Hurt Syndicate tag was okay but not great. I didn't like the Jarrett/MJF segment as it was just typical MJF stuff. Cage/Hook had shenanigans and wasn't as good as it should have been. The women's gauntlet was okay and better than expected though bringing in Megan Bayne just to lose was dumb. The main also had shenanigans and while it was okay, I don't know if they got the most out of the blood that they should have. I would just give this a 6 out of 10 but I didn't love the show.