AEW Dynamite 8/20/2025

AEW Dynamite 8/20/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/08/aew-dynamite-8132025.html

Next week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/08/aew-dynamite-8272025.html

We are in Glasgow, Scotland. 

Bryan Danielson comes out to do commentary and we see Adam Page arrive in the back.

Will Ospreay comes out to talk. He talks about wrestling on the indies in Scotland. He talks about them going drinking after a show. He talks about sausage rolls and we get a chant for sausage rolls. He says he was invincible when he was young. He says he knows he's gonna be going back down the road other wrestlers have gone down before and they haven't felt the same after.

Will says he's not cleared for Forbidden Door but he says the match is unsanctioned. He says he knows the risk and is comfortable taking them as this place means so much to him. He says he's leaving everything in the ring on Sunday if there's a chance he can't be him anymore after. He says he and his friends will tear The Death Riders apart and he will take a pound of flesh from Mox.

Jon Moxley comes out with Marina Shafir and Claudio. Will says he's coming for Mox on Sunday. He says if he wants to get rid of him, he shouldn't let his boys do it, he should do it. Mike Bailey and Kevin Knight come down and the fight starts. Hiroshi Tanahashi then comes out. 

The Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta) vs Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kevin Knight and Mike Bailey

Tana dropkicks CC in the knee. Tana 2nd rope twisting crossbodies Mox. Mox and Tana trade forearms. Mox eye rakes him. CC hits shots on Tana's gut. Tana dragon screws Yuta. Mike spin kicks Yuta in the gut and axe kicks him. He then chest kicks him.

Mike standing ssp's him for 2. CC slams Mike. Shafir hits KK and is ejected. CC giant swings Mike. KK dropkicks CC. Will then comes on the ramp and carries Shafir to the back. We go to PiP break and return.

Mox foot chokes KK. CC hits euros on KK. KK hits a dropkick then superkicks Mox. Tana hits a bunch of shots on Yuta then flying forearms him. Tana slams Yuta then 2nd rope swantons him for 2. Mike top rope moonsaults Mox outside. KK springboard clotheslines CC. Tana slingblades Yuta. Mike and KK do dives. Gabe Kidd, Clark Connors, Robbie X and Drilla Moloney of NJPW's War Dogs all come out to interfere. Will Ospreay comes out with Shafir seemingly in a body bag. Mike and KK do tope con hilos on the heels and Tana hits a top rope splash on Yuta and wins.

Thoughts: It was fine. The faces did a bunch of dives and the heels looked like idiots for somehow losing this with all kinds of people helping them. It was nothing great or memorable but did what it was supposed to. Tana wasn't moving that well here.

Will still has the bodybag on the ramp and The Young Bucks superkick Will. Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly then go after The Bucks for some reason.

The Death Riders open up the bodybag and Darby Allin is inside. Darby attacks the heels then The Opps come out and join the fight. A bunch of the wrestlers go into the crowd and fight. They fight near an entrance and Darby does a dive off the top off the seating entrance onto heels. 

Tony Schiavone interviews Cope and Christian Cage in the ring. Cage tells the crowd to sit down and shut their mouths. Cope asks what he's doing and says the people love them. Cope says they are one of the biggest tag teams of all time. Cope says Cage is what he is - an @sshole. Cope says sometimes you need an @sshole and Cope says Cage is his @sshole.

Cage says he found himself and said he's perfect just the way he is. Cage says they aren't on the same page but are writing in the same book. Cage says this is a reunion out of necessity. He says they agreed to help each other with their problems and they can't commit beyond that. Cage says he will be the best tag partner Cope ever had. They shake hands.

Kip Sabian and Mother Wayne come out. Kip says isn't this cute and says he's pandering. He says Cage is pathetic. Mother complains about being booed. Nick Wayne appears on the tron in his garage with the ring. He says they should address last Wednesday. He says they didn't take his head off but they broke his foot. He says he'll be on the shelf for weeks. He said he would have embarrassed them and took their careers from them. Nick says it's a blessing he won't be there Sunday but says he's always one step ahead.

We then get a video of Killswitch/Luchasaurus sitting up in a hospital bed. He comes out to the ring. Kip Sabian tries to jump the faces from behind. Cope is chokeslammed. Lucha then chokeslams Cage. The heels then stand over top the faces to end the segment.

MJF talks to Ricochet and The Gates of Agony in the back as thye try to cut a promo. MJF says he doesn't like him and says bald people freak him out. MJF says an enemy of an enemy is my friend. He says their enemy is looking for him. MJF says what would happen if they found that guy first? MJF offers to be friends. Ric says he likes to see him run around scared usually but Ric doesn't like Mark Briscoe and says MJF has a deal.

AEW Tag Title Eliminator Tournament Final - FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) vs Bandido and Brody King

Dax backs up Band in the corner. Dax wristlocks him and Band headflips out. Band reverses it then shoulders him over. Dax shoulders Band over. Dax misses a legsweep and Band taunts him. Dax shoves him.

Cash hammerlocks Band and side headlocks him. Band trips him then dropkicks both FTR members. Dax sits at commentary to take a break. The Hurt Syndicate watch this on TV in the back. Dax throws chairs in the ring and the ref throws them out. King shoves Cash three times then chops him down. King chops Dax down and forearms him down. Dax piledrivers King. King double lariats FTR then slams Dax. King sentons FTR together.

King drops Band on Dax. King is sent into the ropes and Stokeley Hathaway hits him with something in his sling. Tony says it was a pipe. Dax gets on the mic and says to respect Big Stoke. King is busted open.

We go to PiP break and return. Band hits shots on FTR then headscissors Cash. Band code red's Dax for 2. Band hits punches on Dax then back body drops Cash onto Dax outside. Band's tope con hilo is caught by both of FTR and he's banged into the apron head first.

Band is sent into the rails. Dax chops Band outside. Dax brainbusters Band for 2. Band takes a demolition decapitation for 2. Cash spears Band on the ropes. Dax and Band chop each other on the buckles. Dax goes down and Band top rope crossbodies him for 2. We go to PiP break and return. Band hits a double hurricanrana then a double ddt. King comes in and double splashes FTR in the corner. He then cannonballs them in the corner and sky high's Dax for 2. King cannonballs FTR off the apron outside. Band then tope con hilos Dax outside. King crossbodies Cash into the rails outside.

Stoke grabs Band on the apron. Band takes back the mask Stoke had and puts it on. Band frogsplashes Dax for 2.  King is pushed into the rail and Dax tornado ddt's him on the floor. Dax goes for a superplex on Band but Band rolls on him and gets a 2 count. King is crotched on the top rope. Dax top rope backdrops him and Cash top rope splashes King for 2. King is hit with a shatter machine. Band springboard diving headscissors Dax. Band victory rolls Cash for 2.

FTr's shatter machine attempt is stopped. King and Dax fight on the apron. Dax is chopped down. King takes a spike piledriver on the apron. Band top rope moonsaults FTR outside. We have 2 minutes remaining. Band misses a top rope moonsault inside and Band ddt's Cash off a shatter machine attempt. Band ends up taking a shatter machine after 21plex attempts for 2. King misses a crossbody on the rails outside. Cash goes throguh a table outside and the time limit expires.

Thoughts: It was a good match. Not great or anything but it got a lot of time, we got some big spots and they filled the time nicely. I'm not sure why they did this other than making sure someone doesn't take a loss.

We are told both teams will face The Hurt Syndicate for the tag titles at Forbidden Door. The Hurt Syndicate then come out after and hold their titles up.

Thoughts: There's been a lot of rumors that Tony has been trying to get the titles off of The Hurt's but The Hurt's didn't want to lose. A random three-way seems like a perfect way to do it without The Hurt's losing.

We get a video on Swerve vs Okada.

Adam Page comes out to talk. Page says he was jumped by MJF in the parking lot last week. Page says that's how MJF likes to handle things. He says it's a waste of time to call him out. Page says he will shove his foot up his @ss.

MJF's music hits but he doesn't come out. Tony Schiavone gets on the mic and says MJF has a message for him. MJF appears on the tron. He and Ric's crew have Mark Briscoe tied up. MJF says Page will give him what he wants but he has 3 requests. MJF pours gasoline on Mark Briscoe.

MJF says he wants the title to change hands via DQ, via countout and he wants it so he doesn't have to use his contract at Forbidden Door. MJF says he will ask for a lighter and see if the people like it when things are on fire as much as Page does. Page agrees. 

Page runs to the back before we go to break.

We return from break. Page chairs Ricochet in the back and asks where MJF is. Security say MJF is gone. Page then punches out a security guard.

Mercedes Mone and Athena vs Toni Storm and Alex Windsor

This is quite the weak main.

Mone side headlocks Alex. Alex reverses it. Alex side headlock takeovers Mone then shoulders her over. Mone armdrags Alex off the bottom rope. Mone forearms Alex then armdrags Alex off the buckles. Alex fallaway slams Mone.

Toni waistlocks Ath then Ath sweeps her in the corner. Ath flips out of a hiptoss and armdrags Toni. Ath tiger feint armdrags Toni, ripping off Kelani Jordan's move. Toni shoulders Ath over then basement dropkicks her. Toni backbreakers Ath.

Toni corner lariats Ath. Ath and Mone take stereo headbutts from the faces. Mone holds the ropes open so Ath can do a tope on Alex. Toni hip attacks Mone off the apron. Ath powerbombs Toni hard on the floor. Alex cannonballs the heels off the apron. We go to PiP break and return. Ath forearms Mone on accident. Toni is tagged in. Toni dropkicks Ath and hits mongolian chops. Toni thesz presses Ath and hits mounted punches. Toni fisherman suplexes Ath. Alex lariats Ath for 2.

Alex goes up top and is knocked down. Toni takes a 2nd rope diving codebreaker and then a backcracker from Mone. Toni takes a double foot choke in the corner. Mone misses a meteora in the corner. Toni ddt's Ath from the bottom rope.

Alex hits shots on Mone then corner lariats her. Alex flying lariats her. Alex russian legsweeps Mone and larias her while seated for 2. Alex blue thunders Mone for 2. Ath storm zero's Toni on the steps outside. Alex samoan drops Mone then sharpshooters her. 

Mone taps out but Alex is told she's not legal. Ath then does an o-face on Alex from behind and pins her.

Thoughts: It got a lot of time. It was alright but particularly great or anything and it wasn't really fitting for the main. They had a few rough spots here.

Mone shoves her title in CMLL's Persephone's face and is pushed down after (they are fighting in a four way at Forbidden Door).

Overall thoughts: It's the last show before a PPV so we weren't getting anything too wild here. We shockingly only had 3 matches here which has to be a record low for Dynamite. All 3 matches were fine but not great. The FTR match was the best match of the night. I'll give the show a 6 out of 10 as it was alright enough, just not great.