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SB Nation    •   23 min read

Dynamite recap & reactions: Slow start to new era

WHAT'S THE STORY?

AEW’s YouTube

It is a new era for AEW with Hangman Page as world champion and other explosive stories resolving at All In

. Energy was high to see what would come in the fallout on Dynamite (July 16, 2025) from Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, IL. The show turned out to be a slow start for this new era. Dynamite was entertaining, but nothing really popped to match the frenzy of energy coming out of All In.

Prime example is the main event. Hangman teamed with Mark Briscoe and Will Hobbs to face the Death Riders trio

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of Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta. But first, the new world champion opened the show to express his gratitude for the AEW fans.

Hangman also thanked Orange Cassidy, Jay White, Adam Copeland, The Opps, Bryan Danielson, Darby Alin, and Will Ospreay for their help in the war against the Death Riders. I laughed to myself when noticing the Dark Order was not named and their history with ole Hanger. The Dark Order took lots of beatings at the start of the story. I digress. Hangman built up the drama to also thank Swerve Strickland. The cowboy closed with a message for Moxley. For that talk about Hangman being a weak man (crybaby), “I am the champion of the fucking world.” That was an emphatic statement to drive home a new sheriff in town.

In the main event, Hangman was on his best, such as flipping out of the Doomsday Device then exploding for a flurry of rolling elbows.

The finish broke down into moves all around. Hangman launched for the buckshot lariat, Claudio countered for the Neutralizer setup, then the cowboy reversed for the jackknife pin to win. The Death Riders pounced after the match. Darby Allin made his presence known in the upper deck as a distraction for Hangman to clobber Moxley on the buckshot lariat.

Solid match, but it didn’t feel important. The chapter is closed on Hangman versus Moxley after Texas Death, and the hype was to watch Allin go after Moxley. Just seeing Allin up top with no action didn’t cut the mustard for me as fallout from a hot All In PPV.

So, who is next for Hangman? MJF had a warning. Maxwell feels the need to prove he can beat the cowboy clean for the world title. And if not, then he has the Casino Gauntlet contract as an insurance policy. MJF delivered a smart closing. Hangman can be the main character, because nice guys finish last.

Outside of wrestling moves, the coolest moment from Dynamite came when Swerve Strickland stepped to Okada. The Rainmaker executed the Rainmaker lariat against local talent for a quick win, then he called out Swerve. Okada wants to serve justice for Swerve screwing the Young Bucks. Swerve had a simple answer.

That was a tantalizing encounter to tease toward a huge match. Swerve versus Okada should be money.

Let’s jam through the rest of Dynamite. Catch up on all the details with excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.

Kyle Fletcher defeated Mascara Dorada. The CMLL luchador scored sweet feats of high flying, such as this fancy avalanche head scissors followed by a 450 splash.

Fletcher’s strategy was to grind his opponent down. In the end, he caught Dorada in the air to counter for a powerslam into the corner. The brainbuster sealed the deal. Fletcher turned his focus to Dustin Rhodes to take everything from him.

Nice match to showcase Dorada. Fletcher won with a statement, and the obvious seeds were planted to chase the TNT Championship. This contest put Fletcher back on the winning track toward his goal.

No more EVP power. There was a running gag through Dynamite to show the Young Bucks losing perks of being executive vice presidents. No limo this time. The Bucks arrived in a standard automobile. Renee Paquette rubbed in the disrespect. That’s when Don Callis approached with a proposal to join forces. Even though the Bucks don’t trust Callis, they agreed to do business. For the match entrance, the Bucks didn’t get pyro, and their video was generic. When the Bucks shouted for an EVP Trigger, they paused at the realization that they are no longer EVPs.

All these touches were amusing to see the Bucks knocked off their high horse. It also provides context for motivation to team with the Callis Family. When it came time to wrestle, the Jacksons did what they do best.

Josh Alexander, Hechicero, & Young Bucks defeated Brody King, Bandido, & JetSpeed. The Bucks were an important factor in victory. Bandido had Nick Jackson in line for the 21 Plex, but Alexander made the save to prevent the finisher. The Walking Weapon lifted Bandido for a spike piledriver with help from the Bucks. Hechicero launched Bandido on an inverted monkey flip into a superkick party then the masked man choked out the ROH world champion to win.

Lots of exciting action with a very cool teamwork for the finish. The story was flexing feuds. Hechicero gained bragging rights over Bandido. King and Alexander continued to throw heavy shots at one another. The Bucks and JetSpeed showed glimpses of slick chemistry that would make for a rowdy showdown in the tag team division.

About the 8-man tag formula in recent weeks, it worked fine heading into All In to keep the stars active without burning the PPV matches. Now that we are past, it’s time to pull the trigger on these feuds for TV, such as another round between King and Alexander.

Adam Copeland’s mission. Cope didn’t return to save Christian Cage. Christian is an asshole that needs to check his ego. Copeland made his return to end FTR. Stokely Hathaway interrupted with a warning that interference in FTR business would result in Cope being fired. Copeland noticed that Hathaway wasn’t protected by that HR claim, so he speared Big Stoke.

Cope’s return was popping from the Chicago fans as they sang his song. His motivations are clear. I like that he put the onus on Christian to find himself, so that leaves plenty of room for character growth in the storyline to fill TV time. We’re left with the cliffhanger of how exactly Copeland will get at FTR when he’s not allowed to push the issue physically. Hurting Stokely is always amusing to witness. Maybe Cope attacks Stoke each week until something gives.

Thekla defeated Queen Aminata, Kris Statlander, and Willow Nightingale to win $100,000. The Toxic Spider received help in the end from Julia Hart spitting black mist in Aminata’s face. Thekla took advantage for a curb stomp to win.

That finish continues the beef between Thekla and Aminata. On the same idea from the 8-man, it’s time to pull the trigger on this singles match for TV. It’s been brewing long enough. The fans want to see it. No need to wait much longer by putting them in more all-star matches. Thekla joining the Spooky Sisters feels like a natural fit. They’re aren’t an official group yet, but the direction is pointing that way.

The other story stemming from that match is more tension between Statlander and Willow. When Willow had victory within her grasp on a gutwrench powerbomb to Thekla, Statlander pulled the referee out of the ring to prevent the three-count. Stat and Willow brawled on stage.

Timeless promo. Toni Storm delivered her brand of poetry to declare that the tramp is still champ. The buffet is open for seconds if Mercedes Moné wants another taste. Athena interrupted to tease cashing in her world title shot. Luther and Mina are both ‘injured,’ so Storm better beware with nobody to watch her back.

Storm’s promos are one of a kind. So many wild lines worth a chuckle. Athena sounded strong with confidence to hype this future battle. The title contract rules are still unclear at the moment. Both MJF and Athena made it sound like cash-ins at anytime.

Notes: Mark Briscoe will make MJF pay for his sins.

Nick Wayne views Christian as past his expiration date. The Patriarch was supposed to elevate the group, but he’s dragging them down instead. The visual made me laugh with Wayne looking so short.

All In highlight package with stats, such as largest gate in AEW history and 2,151 pyrotechnics fired.

Stud of the Show: Young Bucks

Even though the Jackson boys went from the penthouse to the outhouse, they still brought lightning in the ring.

Match of the Night: Josh Alexander, Hechicero, & Young Bucks defeated Brody King, Bandido, & JetSpeed

Nice flow of action with chemistry between teammates as well as chemistry between opponents.

Grade: B-

Exciting wrestling as usual. Aside from Swerve confronting Okada, the stories didn’t pop as big as I hoped for a fallout show to AEW’s biggest PPV of the year. It was more about setting the table for what’s to come.

Share your thoughts about Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show? Who impressed you the most?

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