With WrestleMania season fully upon us, AEW has been getting lost in the mix with some folks recently.
Tonight, however, is their night.
AEW is delivering a ten-match main card tonight. There are a whopping SEVEN title matches on the show, while the other three matches are Owen Hart Cup bouts. It’s a full show, as is usually the case when AEW is on pay-per-view.
Let’s not waste any more time, shall we?
Will Ospreay vs Kevin Knight – Opening Round Match in the Owen Hart Cup
Kevin Knight just signed with the company, and he’s already in a pay-per-view match against Will Ospreay in the Owen Hart Cup. Will the “moment” be too big for him? Time to find out.
Ospreay has delivered three or four absolutely stiff chops to Knight’s chest already, sounding like gunshots are going off in the Liacouras Center. Because the building is in Philadelphia, though, nobody is reacting as gunshots are always going off somewhere nearby.
On commentary, Jim Ross brings up a brilliant point. Three separate times in this match, Knight has gotten the upper hand with an impressive move, but instead of taking advantage of the momentum, he celebrates and plays to the crowd, allowing Ospreay to get right back in it.
Really fun opening match. Knight looked like someone who can be a major player for AEW in the future if Tony Khan figures out how to handle booking people beyond their first few weeks as a “flavor of the week” signing. He didn’t win the match, but he looked like a million bucks. Ospreay bumped his ass off for him, too. There were one or two clunky spots that were mistimed by a split second or so, but not enough to truly affect the overall match quality. 4 Stars
Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin vs Big Bill & Bryan Keith – AEW Tag Team Title Match
The challengers are coming off of a whole two wins… one against a Top Flight team that has been clearly defined down the card, and one against enhancement talent… to “earn” this title shot. Okay then.
Shout out to Big Bill, wrestling in what appears to be the green 50th Anniversary Timberlands. It’s a sharp look.
I enjoy the “we hurt people” chants that Lashley and Benjamin get during their entrances and matches. They’re catchy, and they sound cool.
MJF shows up at ringside and delivers a shot to the dome of Big Bill. Bobby and Shelton don’t look like they’re too happy about it, but they take advantage of things to pick up the win. Once again, the champions simply look like they’re multiple levels ahead of any other team on the roster. They really seem like they could be champions as long as they want to.
Not a ton to this one. It probably would’ve been better served as a match on television. 2.75 Stars
Julia Hart vs Mercedes Moné – Opening Round Match in the Owen Hart Cup
The first two matches on the show seemed like they had very obvious winners, and those very obvious winners ended up winning. This match also seems like it has a very obvious winner, but I guess we’ll wait and see.
Early on, Mercedes slips on the bottom rope, forcing her to transition into another move. The crowd boos her, and she does her little dance. Okay then.
We’re still early, but these two don’t seem to have a ton of in-ring chemistry together. Nothing too egregious, but things haven’t been to the usual level of a Mercedes match, or the improved performances of Julia Hart.
Well, things picked up. Not by much, but picked up nonetheless. 3 Stars. Certainly not the best match we’ve seen from either woman. Too many clunky, slow moments that just didn’t “click.” The crowd seemed to agree with me, as they were almost silent for the entirety of the match, only adding some faint chants for Julia at the end. This was the second straight match on the show that should’ve taken place on television.
Pac, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta vs Adam Copeland & FTR – AEW Trios Title Match
All the rumor, innuendo, and scuttlebutt surrounding this match and the creative direction of everyone involved sure points to this being another match with an “obvious” winner. Rumors or not, I’m just hoping for some matches that are a toss up.
Loud “fuck you, Yuta” chants from Wheeler’s hometown crowd as the opening bell is heard. He’s not even starting the match for his team, but the crowd wants to make sure he knows they don’t want him back.
Oooh, drama. Cash Wheeler is looking to make the hot tag, and he moves to tag Copeland in, but Dax Harwood leans over the top rope at the last minute and “steals” the tag. It has begun. Well… continued, but you get what I’m saying.
Former NBA player Vinnie Johnson was nicknamed “The Microwave” because it didn’t take him long at all to heat up and score points. I think Claudio Castagnoli needs the same nickname. You’d be hard pressed to think of anyone in the history of the sport that goes from 0 to 100 as quickly as Claudio does. One minute, things are fine. The next minute, Claudio has literally laid a handful of people out with spot after spot. It’s incredible to watch.
In typical AEW fashion, they’re giving us a really exciting Trios match. The champions retain their titles after Yuta takes advantage of miscommunication between Copeland and Dax Harwood. Oh, boy. This isn’t going to end well. 3.75 Stars
After the match, the members of Rated FTR hug. As Cash is walking out of the ring, Dax attacks Copeland and lays him out with a piledriver. Dax grabs a steel chair and goes to deliver a Con-chair-to, only for Cash to throw the chair away… but it’s a swerve, as FTR hits Copeland with a Shatter Machine. Another piledriver is delivered, followed by not one, but two Con-chair-tos. FTR leaves the ring to some major heel heat as the AEW medical team places a neck brace on Copeland and straps him to a backboard.
Once Copeland rests up, he’s going to need someone to have his back as he searches for revenge. Is there anyone on the AEW roster that knows Adam Copeland like a brother? Someone who would make a big splash if he aligned himself with Copeland? Perhaps a former tag team partner? Someone who hasn’t teamed with Copeland in over 14 years? Just wondering.
“Timeless” Toni Storm vs Megan Bayne – AEW Women’s Title Match
LOL @ the mini training montage from Toni Storm before the match, followed by her coming to the ring in a boxing robe. When in Philly, I suppose you might as well give us your twist on Rocky.
Megan Bayne is a shade of orange that is absolutely unheard of. On the bright side, it looks like she knows how to use fake tanner better than anyone else on the AEW roster, as it appears to be completely even. However, it is REALLY orange. It’s especially striking compared to the usually pale skin of Toni Storm.
Penelope Ford was able to successfully interfere in the match on multiple occasions, but Luther has had enough. He steps in and grabs Penelope, placing her over his shoulders and carrying her to the back. We’re down to a full fledged one-on-one match now.
Three hip attacks in the corner, followed by a Storm Zero, and Bayne kicks out at one! Whoa.
Well… it WAS a whoa, until Toni rolled her up for a three count about a minute later. I could’ve done without the finish, but the match was good. A bit slower paced than the usual AEW match, but that was only because the larger, stronger challenger was on the offensive for big chunks of it. 3.25 Stars. I don’t think this is the last we’ve heard from Megan Bayne as a top tier player in AEW.
Mark Briscoe vs Kyle Fletcher – Opening Round Match in the Owen Hart Cup
If you’re keeping score, this is the sixth straight match to start Dynasty that features an “obvious” winner. In the previous five, the “obvious” winner went on to win the match.
This Philly crowd has been excited for everything tonight outside of Julia vs Mercedes. They’re really behind Chicken here, and of course, everyone involved with Don Callis is going to be hated by everybody.
Oh, hey, the guy everyone figured was going to win… won. The match was fun, though. Each man had a couple of nasty landings throughout, but in the end, Kyle Fletcher got the win. Fletcher continues to look like someone that will eventually go on to become a huge star in the company. Briscoe continues to look like someone who will always have good performances, but never quite win enough to reach the top tier in AEW. 3.5 Stars
Chris Jericho vs Bandido – Title (Jericho) vs Mask (Bandido) Match for the RoH World Title
Once the official stipulation was added to this match, I think everyone saw through it and figured out what was going to happen. Technically, that makes this the seventh consecutive match to start the show that features an “obvious” winner. Sigh.
Good Lord. Bandido literally held Jericho up in a vertical suplex for an entire minute, and most of that minute saw him hold him up there with one arm. Only at the very end, when he was starting to get tired, did he put the second arm on Jericho to steady him. That was an insane spot.
While the crowd is louder here than they were for Julia vs Mercedes, this is still about as quiet as they’ve been all night. I really hope that doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone. After all, this is a Chris Jericho match in 2025 that we’re talking about.
WELP. We’ve finally done it, folks! This was the first match of the night that didn’t see the “obvious” winner come out on top. After Bryce Remsburg is distracted by Gravity and Bryan Keith brawling at ringside, Jericho grabs a baseball bat, hits Bandido, and gets the pin.
Actually… hold that thought. In an absolutely mind-numbingly stupid spot, the match is restarted after Aubrey Edwards talks to Bandido’s mother and sister at ringside, and they tell her about the baseball bat that Jericho used. Aubrey goes to the ring steps, grabs the bat, shows it to Remsburg, and the match is restarted. That’s not how this shit works.
Seconds later, Bandido gets the pin and becomes the new RoH World Champion. Man, that was so stupid. The match itself was pretty decent. A little too slow thanks to Jericho, but decent nonetheless. 3 Stars
That ending, though… woof. Overbooked for no reason. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
Daniel Garcia vs Adam Cole – No Time Limit, No Outside Interference Match for the AEW TNT Title
It’s relatively early on, but Garcia is doing his best John Cena impression, being caught loudly calling spots for everyone at home to hear. Slow it down, champ.
The crowd has been pretty quiet so far. Surprising when you consider who is involved in this one. It might be that the “No Time Limit” part of the stipulation has the crowd thinking we’re going long here, so they’re trying to pace themselves.
Ha, fooled you! The match was pretty much your usual length for an AEW match that featured a title on the line. I don’t know the exact length, but it was in the vicinity of 15 minutes from bell-to-bell. In the end, though, Adam Cole is the brand new AEW TNT Champion. It was a good match, but there were some clunky moments. Specifically, a couple of mistimed Panama Sunrise deliveries, with Garcia not quite getting all the way over to sell it properly. 3.25 Stars
Kenny Omega vs Ricochet vs “Speedball” Mike Bailey – Three-Way Match for the AEW International Title
All the potential in the world for this to be a Match Of The Year type of contest. I’m excited.
I always find it funny that Speedball wrestles without shoes, but still wears kick pads. It’s just a strange look that you don’t usually see in pro wrestling. Usually, when someone is a barefoot wrestler, that’s it… no shoes, no pads, no socks… nothing.
LOL @ Speedball saying “bald” and then slapping the top of Ricochet’s head, followed by Omega slapping the top of Ricochet’s head, followed by both Speedball and Omega slapping the top of Ricochet’s head, followed by a “bald” chant from the crowd. Y U BALD, RICOCHET?
“Bald forever” chants from the crowd got a legit chuckle out of me.
LMAO @ Ricochet performing multiple suicide dives, then grabbing Tony Schiavone’s headset to talk trash, only for Speedball’s leg to come out of nowhere and kick him right in the face. I had no idea we were getting a comedy match here.
This match has seen non-stop action so far, but I guess that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. These three are putting on a good’n.
When it’s delivered properly, there aren’t many moves in all of wrestling that look more beautiful than a Snapdragon Suplex. Kenny Omega has absolutely mastered it. He nailed Speedball with one, then dropped Ricochet with one, and then upped it by hitting both men with one at the same time. Gorgeous stuff.
Omega seems completely spent. There have been multiple pin attempts by his opponents on one another that saw Kenny not even make an attempt to break it up. He is spending multiple minutes at a time on the mat, recovering.
Holy shit! An Inverted Avalanche One-Winged Angel from the middle rope allows Omega to pin Ricochet and successfully defend his title. What a fucking match. One of the best Three-Way Matches you’re ever going to see, and certainly one of the best matches, full stop, that I’ve seen in a long time. 5 Stars
As Omega remains in the ring, Kazuchika Okada makes his way out. We get a brief staredown, but it looks like we’re running short on time, as Omega quickly leaves, followed by Okada leaving. Either way, it sure does look like we’ll be getting Omega vs Okada soon. All In seems like the perfect place for it. My body is ready.
Jon Moxley vs Swerve Strickland – AEW World Title Match
Good luck following the last match, guys.
There aren’t many things in wrestling I find funnier than seeing AEW fans in the crowd trying to dance along with Prince Nana during Swerve’s entrance. These people are fighting for their lives to find any rhythm and keep it going. I guarantee you that they get made fun of by everyone they know after they’re shown “dancing” on AEW programming.
Just as everyone suspected, this match is starting out with… chain wrestling, counters, and reversals.
It took all night, but we finally have blood! Swerve has a cut on his forehead, above his right eye. This is a Jon Moxley match, so it’s only a matter of time before he ends up bleeding, too, but for now, Swerve provides our first blood of the night.
Very physical contest so far. Mox specifically is laying the lumber.
LOL @ Tony Schiavone and Taz praising the AEW fans, almost sounding surprised that “nobody has left” the arena yet. The show is still going on, dummies. Is it normal protocol for half the crowd to leave before the show is over?
The referee is taken out by an errant chair shot, and that allows “Hangman” Adam Page to come out. He prepares to hit a Buckshot Lariat, but we don’t know who he’s aiming for, as he is interrupted by Pac, Claudio, and Wheeler Yuta. Samoa Joe, Hook, and Katsuyori Shibata come down to even the odds, and everyone brawls their way out of there.
The lights in the arena go out, and when they come back on, The Young Bucks are in the ring. They drop Swerve with a BTE Trigger, and Jon Moxley gets the pin and the win. Unfuckingbelievable. The World Title reign that nobody gives a fuck about continues on. Fuck Tony Khan. It was a good enough match until the ending… 3.5 Stars… but that sucked the air right out of the arena. Nobody wanted this. Nobody needed this.
In the end, this is exactly what you expect when you watch an AEW show. Some highly entertaining in-ring work, largely held back by poor builds and poor writing. Nothing ever changes.
