AEW TV 2025 Discussion

[Lorne Malvo]

Thekla and Queen Aminata get to beat seven shades of shit out of each other again? I'm in!

[Merzbow]

Is there some history there or do they just enjoy being stiff as fuck with each other and there's extra trust between them? 

I enjoy it regardless, modern day Vader and Hansen.

[Mr Butternut Squash]

Most excited I've been for a Dynamite in ages. Crazy how Hangman feels hotter than ever. The Omega feud may have had the better journey, but the payoff to this latest coronation was so much sweeter. Him taking a breath and soaking it all in before pulling out the belt was such a brilliant moment.

Odd they've got a tag match tonight though. Would have kept them out the ring for a bit to sell Texas Death.

Edited July 16, 2025 by Mr Butternut Squash

[Kamran]

I think it's an important show for them, there seems to be a lot of positive social media off the back of All In, they need to capitalise on that.  With the new few weeks taking place from the Byline Bank Ballroom in Chicago, I'm hoping it's going to be a great atmosphere too. 

[RedTwoster]

A strong Dynamite to follow up an excellent PPV. 

I’ll get the negative out of the way - the ‘Cope’ and Stokely segment. I’ve always liked Edge, but I’ve always felt uncertain about ‘Cope’. He feels out of place in AEW. Almost everyone else there feels fresh and exciting, but Copeland feels much the same as he always has as a babyface right throughout his career. Maybe it’s because his storylines have mainly seen him work with the same familiar faces, but I’m just not feeling anything he’s doing. I hope Christian helps him step up his game as a character.

The angle, to be fair, was not helped by the fact Stokely was involved. I genuinely think he’s the worst manager in wrestling. He manages to say a lot while also saying nothing at all. I’ve not seen him add much of anything to any of the acts he’s been involved with.

Contrast that to MVP, who continues to knock it out of the park. He’s revitalised MJF, he’s made The Hurt Syndicate one of the best stables in wrestling - if Prince Nana, as much as I like him, scoops the non-wrestler prizes at the UKFF Awards again this year, I’ll be questioning the sanity of anyone voting for him. MVP deserves enormous credit for the role he’s played in AEW. They missed a trick by not having him paired with Mercedes Mone as had previously been hinted - he’d have taken her to a new level as a character.

Hangman’s promo at the start of the show was exactly what I’d hoped it would be, and I’m guessing we’re heading towards a multi-person match that’ll finally end the Death Riders. 

I’m looking forward to Hangman’s eventual confrontation with MJF - I love how they’ve been planting seeds for this over time, and I suspect they’ll have a really good feud. I also think Hangman/MJF for the title is one of the biggest matches AEW can put on right now.

As much as I liked Hangman’s promo - I loved it, actually - I thought Toni Storm’s victory promo pissed all over it. It was nothing new for her, but she’s just so fucking great at everything she does. There’s no one like her in wrestling - I don’t think anyone else could get away with being as filthy and crude without it ever feeling crass.

I’m very much looking forward to the match with Athena, but I’m also not certain I want her to beat Toni. Every title reign has a shelf life, but I’m just not sure that Storm’s is anywhere close to reaching that point. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next for Mercedes too - a babyface turn might be the way to go. After losing her chance at the big one as a heel, I think there will be a lot of intrigue in seeing her succeed in her quest to become champ. Problem is, I’m not sure who her ‘big bad’ could or should be. 

Swerve/Okada should be fun, although I’m a bit disappointed that Ospreay is seemingly taking some time off. He absolutely deserves it, and all wrestlers in AEW and WWE should get extended holidays each year, but he’s been so bloody good that selfishly, I don’t want him to go anywhere!

The Bucks stuff was daft, but it made me laugh. I’m assuming this is a long path to an eventual baby face turn, but we’ll see. I’m all for seeing them face The Hurt Syndicate and Edge and Christian, if that’s the plan.

EDIT: I realise my posts about Dynamite end up being mini-essays, but there’s so much I want to talk about on each show - I love feeling as excited about wrestling as AEW is making me right now. I didn’t even have time to mention how much I enjoy watching Mascara Dorada!

Edited July 17, 2025 by RedTwoster

[FLips]

Caught the show before work this morning and to follow the format of Rooster, I’ll get the negatives out the way first.

Cope is rubbish. Like Rooster said he doesn’t fit in here, he almost feels like a relic left over who unlike others that moved from WWE to AEW has made no effort to reinvent himself. Hold him in the same regard as Sting, Mox, Cage, Lashley and Benjamin, or even FTR and they all feel like AEW stars. This guy is stuck with his copyright free name and his promos are not only weak but kinda undermine people before him. He’s watched that Hangman promo thanking the fans and then came out and said “it’s cliche but thank you”.

I don’t mind Stokeley however, he’s a funny little weasel manager and commentary teasing Tazz about him wearing orange got a laugh out of me.

Maybe I’m a big old racist but I can’t tell these masked lads apart. With so many of them on the roster now they could all be the same guy as far as I’m concerned. Impressive in the ring but their style isn’t for me as I struggle to connect with them. Maybe it’s the way they’re booked (even in WWE not just here) or maybe it is just me.

The main event lacked heat for me and I think putting it on the show after that Mox vs Hangman match was a mistake. It wasn’t a bad match but didn’t really need to be there.

Other than those I thought it was a brilliant show. Hangman and Storms promos were great, the Bucks stuff was funny, and everyone on the show had an infectious energy off the back of All In and it was a joy to watch.

That venue is brilliant. It had modern ECW vibes to it. I enjoyed (and maybe i’m in the minority) the amount of backstage segments and promos, it broke the wrestling up into a nice pace that sometimes AEW have struggled with. I can only take so many 6 man tags in one show back to back before I lose interest.

The Matriarchy is going to live and die by their next feud I think because that stable is low without Cage in it. Kip Sabian might not be a Jericho style vortex but he’s certainly a little whirlpool sucking down all the flotsam and jetsam.

Okada vs Swerve should be an exciting feud, and though it is overcrowed to the point they were making jokes, I do enjoy he’s got that Heenan thing going where he’s managing a load of heels at once and they’re all doing their own stuff. Him scooping up the Bucks while they were at their lowest was a great move too. Real slimey.

Overall I thought it was a great show that’s done a nice job mostly hitting the reset button to start the fresh stories. I might keep AEW Plus a little longer because I’m a fickle fan that now WWE is freezing again I need my fix and want to jump back on this bandwagon. Just the nature of the business isn’t it.

[RedTwoster]

20 minutes ago, FLips said:

Maybe I’m a big old racist but I can’t tell these masked lads apart. With so many of them on the roster now they could all be the same guy as far as I’m concerned. Impressive in the ring but their style isn’t for me as I struggle to connect with them. Maybe it’s the way they’re booked (even in WWE not just here) or maybe it is just me.

When it’s a full-face mask, I do sometimes find it harder to connect with a wrestler, unless the mask is particularly distinct. But part of the issue may well be that most Lucha wrestlers in the US are given no identity whatsoever. I love watching Dorada in ring, but if someone asked me to summarise who he was, or why they should care about him, I couldn’t. Lucha Underground made me care about multiple masked wrestlers, so I don’t think it’s inevitable that a high number of masked wrestlers leads to a high number of indistinguishable wrestlers.

26 minutes ago, FLips said:

The Matriarchy is going to live and die by their next feud I think because that stable is low without Cage in it. Kip Sabian might not be a Jericho style vortex but he’s certainly a little whirlpool sucking down all the flotsam and jetsam.

One of my favourite ever things written on this forum. What a brilliant description. I actually thought Nick Wayne cut his best ever promo, but I find it almost impossible to take him seriously given how scrawny he is. He looks like a mopey teenager and I can’t imagine a world in which he ever holds a World title in a major promotion. It’s a shame that there wasn’t a wrestler with more promise in The Patriarchy, that could have been elevated significantly by this whole thing. Maybe Wayne will get there as the years go by, but right now, it’s nowhere near his time. 

[LaGoosh]

When Hangman declared himself Champion OF THE FUCKING WORLD I was so hyped I could have punched through a goddamn wall.

[tiger_rick]

Hangman's promo was absolutely perfect. Just added to the list of my favourite promos ever. He's amazing. His delivery is just out of this world. Lovely touch have "Men's World Champion" on his graphic too.

I can't add much to what the previous posts have but I was absolutely going to make the point about the contrast of the Hangman and Copeland promos. I don't think Copeland's promo was bad. Some of it was good. He did a good job of weaving the thread of the history of him, Christian and FTR. The interaction with Stokely was outright terrible. But the rest was fine. Ultimately though, the lads are right - he just doesn't fit in the company. He's old. He's got old man hair. I dunno how you define a "WWE guy" but the dictionary definition has Copeland's picture beside it. His AEW run hasn't been a bust but, I just don't miss him when he's not there.

Man, what a fucking show it was otherwise. Fletcher & Mascara absolutely killed it. Mark Briscoe promo was brilliant. Great stuff from Toni as standard. Solid promo from Hurts & MJF too. Loved the little touches around the Young Bucks and they sold it great. Good main event and post-match too.

Hangman standing tall was it. I'm so excited for the company. It doesn't feel like they hit the home run and it's all going to shit now - which they've done several times.

The arena was brilliant and the crowd was great for the most part. Chanting fucking "Oompah Loompah" gets them downgraded though. Nothing good ever came out of Chicago.

Edited July 17, 2025 by tiger_rick

[mim731]

38 minutes ago, RedTwoster said:

One of my favourite ever things written on this forum. What a brilliant description. I actually thought Nick Wayne cut his best ever promo, but I find it almost impossible to take him seriously given how scrawny he is. He looks like a mopey teenager and I can’t imagine a world in which he ever holds a World title in a major promotion. It’s a shame that there wasn’t a wrestler with more promise in The Patriarchy, that could have been elevated significantly by this whole thing. Maybe Wayne will get there as the years go by, but right now, it’s nowhere near his time. 

I did wonder if there might be something to be said for adding someone to that group to give them a bit more legitimacy. What's Big Bill up to? He'd at least give them some presence at this stage if he's got nothing else going on. Also there's an easy sell on him being lost moving from group to group and now Mother Wayne is going to give him a real family, or some such bollocks. Unless they beef up their ranks Nick Wayne and Kip Sabian is not enough talent to carry a stable. 

[RedTwoster]

41 minutes ago, mim731 said:

I did wonder if there might be something to be said for adding someone to that group to give them a bit more legitimacy. What's Big Bill up to? He'd at least give them some presence at this stage if he's got nothing else going on. Also there's an easy sell on him being lost moving from group to group and now Mother Wayne is going to give him a real family, or some such bollocks. Unless they beef up their ranks Nick Wayne and Kip Sabian is not enough talent to carry a stable. 

Even as a tag team it’s a weak pairing, but I wonder if that’s the point - Christian and Copeland will squash them before moving on to face FTR, in a match that has a bit more juice to it. If The Patriarchy felt stronger, it would be harder for Christian to move on quickly from it. 

Edited July 17, 2025 by RedTwoster

[Guest]

3 hours ago, RedTwoster said:

He looks like a mopey teenager 

In Wayne's defence, he only turned 20 a week ago. He literally has been a mopey teenager for the entire time he's been there.

[digforvictory]

I thought this was a fantastic show, too often in the past AEW have followed up incredible PPVs with a mediocre Dynamite but I thought they nailed pretty much everything here. 

I didn't even mind the Copeland promo really. I completely agree that he's never really felt like he fits in AEW but I think them doing a slow burn story of the Edge and Christian full reunion and then eventual matches with FTR and presumably The Hurt Syndicate sounds pretty good. Certainly sounds miles better than singles star Cope going for the AEW World title anyway.  Christian I'm sure will make it work, he's great. 

I don't like Okada having 3 different belts, looks a bit messy.

I loved everything else, I think you can just tell theres such a  positive feeling that surrounds AEW at the minute. All the wrestlers looked like they were still buzzing from Saturday and in one show we already know the destination for the next few months. Hangman/MJF, Toni/Athena, Swerve/Okada, Fletcher/Rhodes, Mox/Darby.

The hot streak and momentum continues!

Edited July 17, 2025 by digforvictory

[LaGoosh]

Hangman needs to stop doing that big moonsault to the floor every match he has. Everytime he does it I feel like it's only a matter of time till his knees and/or ankles explode. He's at a point now where he doesn't need to do that stuff. Save it for the big matches.

[BomberPat]

I thought it was a really fun show with great wrestling, great promos, and a gorgeous venue. So it's probably just how spoiled we've become by great wrestling on TV every week that I was still a bit disappointed that it didn't feel like there was enough follow-up from All-In; there was a bit of a deserved victory lap, particularly Hangman's excellent promo - it takes real skill to be a babyface that the crowd genuinely believe is made better through their support, and to credit the audience with your success, without it feeling like pandering or it being too hokey - but I feel like there were questions raised by All In that weren't addressed or revisited here; the show ending on babyfaces standing tall over the Death Riders is pretty much exactly where we left off, I could have done with more of a hook for next week.

• Something struck me in Cope's promo - not for the first time, he basically gave a history lesson of what his character has been up to since joining AEW, and I realised that his whole delivery in AEW is an over-correction from being told in WWE that the audience doesn't know or care about history. And that seems true of so much about Cope in general; it's a version of Edge that's just doing everything he was told wasn't allowed in WWE, rather than just figuring out what works. I don't particularly care for the "he isn't allowed to get involved in FTR's matches" stipulation, which I'm guessing will result in Christian doing it for him to prove his worth, and while I liked that they're not rushing to Cope and Christian just hugging and making up, Copeland talking about how awful Christian is and how he doesn't want to help him doesn't exactly fit with "Go Find Yourself" - again, it's an over-correction, where he pushed the balance too far in the other direction.
   
• In terms of follow-up, I loved that Kyle Fletcher seemed genuinely angry and is going after Dustin Rhodes, rather than "plans change" and moving on from it. I'd like Dustin to get a decent run but, realistically, Fletcher should destroy him and take the belt, maybe get the Rhodes Boys involved now that they've been knocking around, and have Dustin do what he does best these days - bleed an insane amount and sell a beating.
   
• I liked Matt and Nick being dicked around by everybody. It was very Attitude Era, which I rarely use as a compliment, but I mean it that way this time. I should think that them not hitting their finisher because they couldn't agree on what it's called now was stupid, but the Bucks are canonically easily distracted idiots, so it works.
  I'm not sure how I feel about a Bucks/Callis alliance. It's something that would have made sense in a streamlined version of the past couple of years where the Don Callis Family was singularly focused on destroying Omega, and we got to Callis siding with Okada around the same time that the Bucks declared Okada part of The Elite, and they collectively took out Omega.
  
  It feels less focused and impactful when there's a million people in the Callis Family, and I wonder what has to give there. They could a lot worse than the Takeshita babyface turn to lead to Takeshita, Omega and either Hangman, Ibushi, Swerve, or Ospreay against Okada and the Young Bucks with Don Callis, though.
  
   
• The main event was probably my least favourite part of this show. I don't think they should have had Hangman and Mox wrestle, let alone wrestle each other, so soon after the Texas Deathmatch. I don't think Powerhouse Hobbs should be working a Trios match with partners other than his fellow Trios champions without first addressing the condition of Samoa Joe, and the future of the Trios Titles - but then I also wouldn't have booked my Trios champions to retain the belts on the same show I was writing one of them off with an injury. The Death Riders losing a match and then going straight to jumping the babyfaces after the bell felt like the most "business as usual" ending to an episode of Dynamite imaginable, when this episode should have felt like the Death Riders were finally done. The announcers were talking about how changed Moxley was, and how he's lost confidence, and is relying on the others more, but I don't think we got enough of it - I'm not often one to ask for things to be spelled out rather than played out in the ring, but that story would be better served by a promo or an angle than by a match at this stage. Of all the possible follow-ups to All In, "The Death Riders just work a Trios match with all the same story beats as usual" was the least interesting.
  
  Having Darby show up at the end was nothing. He already did that, but bigger and better, at the PPV. Having him just turn up and watch was a backwards step. I wanted more of a sense that Moxley had integrally lost something, or that the Death Riders were losing faith in him, and maybe that's coming, but they should have planted a flag in that story on this show if that's where it's going.
  
  Similarly, I found it very odd not to have Bryan Danielson on this show. Regardless of whether he's properly back or not, or if it was just a one-off, you don't bring back a legendary former World Champion and have no follow-up. It should have been at the very least a pre-recorded promo on this show.