AEW Dynamite 1/8/2025

AEW Dynamite 1/8/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/01/aew-dynamite-112025.html

Tony Schiavone is "on assignment" tonight and some are speculating he got suspended along with Chris Charlton over the weekend over stuff said during the Dome shows.

Will Ospreay vs Buddy Matthews

Buddy wristlocks him and Will reverses it. Buddy shoulders him over twice. Buddy blocks an os cutter and Will backslides him. Will hits chops and Buddy chops back. Will flying headscissors Buddy out. Will plancha's him outside. Buddy snapmares him and kicks him in the back. Buddy PK's him then knee drops him. They collide in mid-air.

Will handspring corkscrew kicks Buddy off the ropes. Will springboard forearms Buddy for 2. Buddy lifts Will into a backbreaker. Buddy tope con hilos Will outside. Buddy hits a top rope meteora off the top for 2. They fight on the apron. Buddy throws him off the apron into the commentary table.

Will superkicks him outside and hits an os cutter off the rails onto the floor. Will springboard dropkicks him then hits an os cutter for 2. Will back elbows him for 2. Will hits Kawada kicks and chops him. Buddy does like a reverse go to sleep and a curb stomp for 2. Will hits a styles clash for 2. Will then hits a hidden blade for the win.

Thoughts: It was a workrate designed opener here. There was no reason for the match other than to have a good match. The crowd liked it but it was pretty flippy and had no real face or heel roles or story.

Will tells everyone to give it up for Buddy after. Will says he admired him from afar. He says Buddy and Brody don't need to follow a leader as they can do it on their own. Will says he sees tag gold in his future and singles gold if he works hard enough. He says he hopes it isn't the last time he meets and says he'll be in his corner if he ever needs it.

Thoughts: I didn't like Will treating Buddy like he's new to singles wrestling and basically needs to put in the work to get a title as if he isn't already in kayfabe.

We see clips of the AEW wrestlers at the NJPW Dome shows on 1/4 and 1/5, which I reviewed. 

Private Party come out for a championship celebration but it's on the stage and not in the ring. They say they were in the first ever tag title match on Max. They say they should celebrate and The Hurt Syndicate come out. The Hurt's invade the party and say they like to have a good time. MVP says he invented the red velvet ropes. MVP says they should raise a toast to Private Party. Bobby then toasts to The Hurt Syndicate taking the tag titles, ruining the event.

Bobby Lashley vs Mark Briscoe

MVP is on commentary. Bobby backs up Mark on the ropes and pats him on the head. Bobby then maybe offers him the chance to leave, holding the ropes open for him. Mark chops him and forearms him. Bobby hits a flatliner. Bobby suplexes him then hits a corner spear. Bobby neckbreakers him. Bobby hits a twisting drop off his shoulder.

Mark is caught with an overhead suplex coming off the buckles. Bobby then runs him over outside. Bobby overhead suplexes him on the floor. We go to PiP break and return. Mark forearms him off the buckles then hits some shots. Bobby elbows him and Mark splats on the floor off of it.

Mark hides under the ring. Bobby opens the skirt to look for him and is hit with a chair from underneath the ring. Mark jumps off the chair in the ring and tope con hilos Bobby outside. MVP throws a fit over Mark cheating. Mark sends Bobby into the post then corkscrew moonsaults him off the top.

Mark sliding moonsaults Bobby in the ring. Mark top rope elbow drops Bobby for 2. Bobby back elbows Mark and boots him in the face. Bobby rolling spears Mark then does a spinebuster/chokeslam. Bobby submits him with the full-nelson.

Thoughts: Mark overdid it a little here but he did put out the full effort in this one. They got this one right with Bobby overpowering Mark and Mark having to do his flying against him.

Mark is beaten up after by the heels. Private Party then come out to save Mark with chairs. 

World Title Shot Casino Gauntlet Match

Jay White and Adam Page are the first two in. They trade chops. Adam shoulders him over. Jay hits chops. Jay avoids some of Page's moves. Jay top rope superplexes him. Wheeler Yuta is next in. Jay blade runners Yuta for 2. Adam fallaway slams him then corner lariats him. Adam springboard lariats Yuta and Jay off the apron. Ricochet comes out with Swerve's theme music lines playing before his music.

Ric hits a springboard elbow on Adam then topes Jay outside. Ric springboard crossbodies then asai moonsaults Adam. We go to PiP break and return. Yuta and Ric are back body dropped over the top together. Adam Cole comes out. He hits superkicks on Yuta. Ric springboards and is caught with a Cole superkick. Cole hits a panama sunrise on Ric for 2.

Daniel Garcia is next in. He trades with Cole. Cole superkicks him in the knee then DG does a twist and shout. DF then does corner punches to Cole, Jay and Page. Yuta and DG trade slaps for chats. DG is thrown out. Powerhouse Hobbs is next in.

Hobbs overhead suplexes Yuta and Cole. He then fallaway slams Page. Hobbs overhead suplexes Page. We go to PiP break and return. Hobbs lariats Ric. Jay hits lariats on Hobbs. Hobbs slams Jay. Hobbs is tripped into the 2nd buckle. Roderick Strong comes in and uranage backbreakers Jay.

Strong and Ric trade. Ric is stomped on in the corner by 3 people. Hobbs hits a doubly flying clothesline. Strong sick kick's Hobbs. Ric handspring back elbows Page. Jay does a hard suplex on Ric onto his head. Yuta low blows Jay. Lance Archer is next in.

Lance chokeslams Yuta then does the same to Strong onto Cole's back. DG is chokeslammed into the buckles. Hobbs throws Ric across the ring towards Lance. Lance then throws Ric towards Hobbs. Hobbs powerslams Lance. Lance black hole slams Hobbs. Lance hits punches on Hobbs.

Kyle O'Reilly is next in. He legsweeps Yuta outside. Kyle dragon screws Lance on the apron. Ric is on Strong's knee and takes a diving knee drop onto his neck. Cole ushigoroshi's Page and Kyle PK's Page. 

Hobbs takes a high/low. Jeff Jarrett is next in. Yuta hits him before he even enters. Yuta pounds on Jeff and they fight to the back. Lance takes superkicks. Hobbs bowling balls 3 people over at once like pins. Lance is lariated over the top by Hobbs. Kyle hits kicks on Hobbs. Hobbs spineusters Kyle for the win.

Thoughts: Hobbs winning was random. That was not well built to at all. It was hard to follow with people coming in and out, 2 breaks and people just randomly disappearing for a while. They did what they could with it but it had its limits and wasn't that great.

Renee interviews Hobbs after. Hobbs says, "let's shoot for a second". Hobbs says Mox brought him to AEW. He says he will shock the world and make Mox his b!tch.  

Jeff Jarrett comes back out after the match ends and heads to the ring. Jeff Jarrett is interviewed in the ring by Ian Riccaboni. Jeff says he has to ask himself if he still has what it takes to climb the mountain. MJF comes out. They stare down face to face. MJF tells him he's the greatest AEW champ of all time. MJF says Jeff got beaten up by Yuta. He says none of the people in the battle royale are worthy of holding his world title but says Jeff Jarrett might be.

MJF says he knows JJ may want to be champ but he says the clock is ticking. MJF say Jeff's contract is only for one more year and said it's because that's all wrestling thinks he has left to give. He says Jeff only has one more year to prove he still has it. MJF says he can help Jeff be champ and says he couldn't win a match without his help. MJF says he wants the first match though if he can help Jeff win it.

MJF asks if he wants to make a deal. Jeff says MJF was the longest reigning AEW champ but is too young to understand that you learn more from your failures than your successes. Jeff says just because MJF was on top before doesn't mean he will be on top again. Jeff says MJF is a one hit wonder. 

Jeff says he knows the road he has to go down. He has been at rock bottom. He says it gives him the opportunity to fight to the top of the mountain. He said MJF opted not to enter the casino gauntlet. Jeff says he's been on top 12 times and is looking for #13. He says he will make the most of 2025. Jeff says he doesn't need him and isn't buying what MJF is selling him.

Thoughts: It was a good segment here with Jeff being a great promo as usual. I'm down for an MJF vs Jarrett match.

We see clips of The Death Riders pushing Darby down the stairs at the end of December. They say no one has heard from Darby and he has fallen off the mat.

Cope comes out to talk. Adam says The Death Riders took out Bryan Danielson and threw Darby down the stairs. He says they tried to go FTR and says he's close with FTR. Cope says no one has fought through what he did just to be standing here. He says he will die on that hill. He says he's a different animal and broke his neck in a match with Eddie Guerrero. He said he got up, wrestled more and won the match. He says he broke his leg in the match with Malakai Black and got up and won. He said what can Mox do to him that hasn't been done before?

The Death Riders come out. FTR attacks them from behind and everyone fights. Dax dumps a trash can on CC's head. Yuta is sent into the rails.Mox and Cope fight. Shafir comes out and gets grabbed by Cope. Pac hits Cope in the back with a briefcase. Mox bulldog chokes Cope out. Powerhouse Hobbs comes out and the heels back off.

Mariah May talks. She says there will be a women's casino gauntlet for a title shot at her title. Harley Cameron interrupts and says she wants a match with her. May says she won't get a title shot. Harley says it's okay though. Harley says it's some hot girl graps. May says okay and says she will rip her head off. Harley says she will feel the wrath.

Women's Casino Gauntlet Qualifier - Kris Statlander vs Toni Storm vs Willow Nightingale

Kris shoulders over Toni. The girls roll each other up. Willow step up enzugiri's Kris then shoulders Toni over. Willow spinebusters Toni then her and Kris try pin attempts. Willow shoulders Kris over and sends Toni out. Kris shoulders Willow over. Kris armlocks Willow. Toni top rope crossbodies both opponents.

Willow catapults Toni into Kris' crotch. We go to PiP break and return. The girls trade strikes. Toni is caught on a 2nd rope crossbody and takes a double fallaway slam. Kris is pushed into Willow then trades with Toni. Kris nails Willow when Toni moves. Kris high kicks Toni then is lariated by Willow. Kris shotgun dropkicks Toni into the buckles. Willow pounces Kris. Willow corner lariats Toni then does a double cannonball on both opponents. Willow death valley drivers Toni for 2. 

Toni germans Kris. Willow facekicks Toni. Kris lariats Willow. Willow double germans both opponents at once. Kris hits a one legged package tombstone on Toni and wins.

Thoughts: I kind of expected Toni to win. The match wasn't anything too special but it wasn't awful. They mostly had all 3 girls in at the same time here. They teased Kris trying to make up with Willow at one point but then Toni interrupted it. Why these girls need to qualify for the gauntlet and why others don't is unknown.

Renee interviews Toni Storm in the back. She said she gave it her bet but isn't ready. She says the women will be amazing next week but she's not ready. She said it can't be toni time all the time and says she's sorry.

Kenny Omega comes out with new music. Kenny said he checked himself into a hospital and had diverticulitis. He said they took 2 feet of intestines from him. He said he would have been dead if he didn't check himself in. He said the doc told him he'd be lucky to return to his normal life yet alone wrestling.

He said he wondered what purpose he had without wrestling. He said he can still prove himself. Don Callis' music then hits and Don comes out. Kenny goes after him before he can say much and starts pounding on him. Cage and Archer then beat up on Kenny.

The fight goes into the ring then Kyle Fletcher comes out and nails Kenny. Cage then punches Kenny in the gut. Will Ospreay comes out to help Kenny with a chair. They then stare down.

They then announce Omega vs Brian Cage for next week.Kenny goes to talk more on a mic but the mic is muted and the show ends.

Thoughts: One would think Kenny would come back angry and mad at The Elite after they injured him but now he's feuding with Don Callis' crew and now doing something with Will Ospreay. I really don't understand this booking at all especially since The Bucks and Jack Perry were just wrestling for NJPW this week.

Overall thoughts: I didn't like the show that much. The matches didn't have that much meaning storyline wise and while having gauntlets and stuff makes for reasons to give people title shots, it's not much beyond that. They do have some stories going on at least. I don't get why Kenny doesn't seem to care about The Elite right now when they were the ones to take him out. Hobbs winning the gauntlet was not well built up to and it's not clear why some people have to qualify for these gauntlets and others don't. I also didn't like Jarrett not even really entering the gauntlet. I'd give this one a 4 out of 10 and wouldn't recommend it.