AEW TV 2025 Discussion

[tiger_rick]

Been struggling to catch up this week after being in Glasgow last week and then camping at the weekend (ugh). Had an absolute blast at Dynamite and Collision at the Hydro. Haven't seen the PPV but given the feedback, I don't think I'll bother. Chuffed about the Dynamite in Manchester, will definitely look to go.

Enjoyable Dynamite last night. I was a bit knackered watching it this morning so was drifting back off for some of the matches but the arena looked great, crowd were good, big 8 man was fun, main event was mental and the Page/Omega duo being back is genuinely exciting. Good promos from MJF & Briscoe. Really behind Briscoe getting the big win over Max. Good stuff from Mone and Toni & Mira. 

Pity the ROH show on Friday isn't in Glasgow, them folks bloody love Hechicero. Didn't love the side build for the ROH show. Would rather it was never, ever mentioned. FTR getting shitty about the mics wasn't a great opening. Hook can fuck off. I'd never put a mic near Yuta again either. Rest was ultra enjoyable.

All Out looking like C&C vs. FTR, Mox vs. Darby, Max vs. Briscoe, Hanger vs. Kenny? Should be fairly stacked given the work they've put in throughout the Forbidden Door build to have plenty in reserve. 

[Snitsky's back acne]

Checked out a clip online to see how the building looked and I have to say that they made it look great on TV.
 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, RedTwoster said:

 

The fact everyone was talking about Ospreay and no one mentioned Swerve stood out to me, and felt pretty deliberate. I’m wondering if it’s fuel for him to return as a heel - or if it simply means he won’t be out for very long, if at all. 

 

I think that's way more to do with the length of time on the sidelines. I think he's due out for maybe a month, 6 weeks at the outside? He just needs to not wrestle a PPV cycle and then he'll be back, pretty much

[LaGoosh]

43 minutes ago, tiger_rick said:

Hook can fuck off

I don't know what his new music is supposed to be. Very peculiar and not in a good way. I am also pretty bored of Hook and would be happy to see the back of him. It's been a few years now and he's pretty much the same as when he first debut.

[digforvictory]

After an incredible run I thought the build to Forbidden Door was a bit uneven, as it always seems to be to be honest, and then the actual PPV itself was good but not great. 

This felt like a return to red hot form though. I think I enjoyed pretty much everything on the show, great matches and some great promos. I said after forbidden door I was giving up on MJF and then he goes and does an absolutely brilliant promo on this to remind me of how great he can be. This was so much better than the edgelordy shit he too often does, I love when wrestlers lose a big match and then actually sell their anger and frustration at losing.  

Darby vs Claudio was brilliant as it was always going to be. One of those matches that you just know will always be great, they are perfect opponents for each other. 

So yeah this was really good, the venue was clearly small but it was packed and the fans were really loud and engaged. It's a great start to the build to All Out. 

[gmoney]

Hook's music is absolutely horrible. 

Show flew by, very fun mostly. Highlights where the 8 man tag and the Toni Storm and Mina promo. 

[FLips]

Thought it was an excellent show with a lot of focus. Crowd looked fantastic, there was good variety and pacing on the card. A breeze to get through.

Not many real negatives coming away from it.
Hook's new music is rubbish and with them playing it through the segment ala New Jack I think they were going for some sort of vibe, but what that vibe is I have no idea. As others have said, he hasn't progressed at all the entire time he's been there. Probably good reason they haven't put him back with The Opps.

I don't think the Darby/Claudio match is as good as I would have hoped. The "underdog takes a beating and gets the fluke win" stuff works in regular singles, but a match like this should be Darby's bread and butter.
Fun spots (though Bam Bam and Spike still looks better and got a bigger reaction) but for me Darby should have been more competitive with the usage of weapons. Also Falls Count Anywhere matches taking place mostly in the actual ring are a bug bear of mine. Not bad but could have been way better.

Can't believe we're still stuck on Death Riders closing shows with (attempted) beatdowns. We're only weeks removed from all the faces banding together to help Hangman beat them and it seems everyone has forgotten. Where was Hangman for the save, or The Opps, or Hook, or anyone?

 

Edited August 28, 2025 by FLips

[BomberPat]

I tend to think with Hook that he's young and handsome and cool and I'm not, so that his choices are probably young and cool and that's why I don't get them. The problem is, most of the audience aren't young and cool either. 

[LaGoosh]

1 hour ago, BomberPat said:

The problem is, most of the audience aren't young and cool either. 

Who could possibly be cooler than a wrestling fan in their late 30s?

Good show that where  the good stuff was very good and the less good stuff wasn't bad enough to leave much of an impression.

Now they're far removed from the worst era of the Deathriders I will say that I am now enjoying the group very much. Mox is making a mid year case for best wrestler of the year. He's much better in opening TV matches than he is in PPV main events. Brilliant match with Garcia here with a smart and fantastic ending. Yuta is such a horrid little goblin and one of the few people in wrestling to get legit crowd heat. And Claudio has really found his niche as a soulless evil and violent monster.

Loved how much Garcia sold his frustration at losing the match. This stuff is important. The polar opposite of John Cena's "aw shucks, they got me" smile in defeat he always used to do which basically negated any impact his opponent got from beating him.

Really enjoying all the big, fun multi mans on Dynamite these days though I would prefer only 1 per show. The trios match felt like a bit too much. I wouldn't be averse to them dumping the Trios titles but if they have to keep them I think I'd get them off The Opps pretty soon - it's not doing much for them and I think all three men are more interesting as singles guys. Powerhouse Hobbs in particular is losing all the momentum he gained from his brilliant showing in Anarchy In The Arena.

The Don Callis Family going for the World title makes perfect sense to me. They've got two of the top singles titles, why not go for the final one? And Okada and Takeshita are both viable title contenders. A Hangman/Takeshita PPV title match leading to a Takeshita babyface turn would be the way I'd go with it. I'm thrilled Kenny is back on TV. AEW is always more interesting when Kenny is involved in a top storyline. There's loads of ways they can go with this Hangman, Omega and the DCF story - it's great smart booking.

C&C are really refreshing and a good bit of fun. I really, really wish they hadn't blown their return match on Kip Sabian & Luchasaurus. 

How many kids does Mark Briscoe have now? His family must be bigger than The Don Callis Family now. Speaking of which - Rocky Romero in the DCF is absurd considering everyone else n the group is either a monster or a tall super athlete. Also with Lance Archer already acting as Callis' personal bodyguard most the time I'm not sure what value Wardlow adds to the group.

[Chili]

After Dynamite aired, but I'm just gonna throw this in here.

[Lorne Malvo]

I really enjoyed that. Thought everything on the show ranged from good to great. I even liked Hooks music! Although I am cool, young and handsome so naturally I would.

The Garcia/Mox interaction was super interesting, to the point I came out of it wondering if it was a genuine beef between the two. If not they played it perfectly.

It's admittedly harsh for me to say knowing what he's been through but - as much as I love him - Omega is looking rough lately. I wasn't sure if it was him or Richard Richard at first glance. Still, I'm massively on board for him being in the main event picture again.

[The Gaffer]

I'm glad people are mentioning Hook's music because I almost went insane with laughter as it farted out for the entire time he was on screen. I don't even particularly think crooning over a Fruityloops beat is a bad theme tune - per say - but it became immediately apparent that a big part of the pop of his original entrance was that big time, you're going to get the shit beaten out of you tune he used to have. 

[Supremo]

I really like Hook’s new music, thus proving I am cool and hip. Result!

[RedTwoster]

A weaker than usual Collision this week. You had the dreaded Roderick Strong appearance and there was no Max Caster.

Then there’s the fact Jay Lethal and Don Callis were both on the show, alongside Rush and Darby video packages. How many women combined are AEW unable to sign because of their presence? Doing the maths there would be depressing. WWE is rightly being slaughtered for bringing Lesnar back, but AEW deserves criticism for featuring these individuals also. 

The fact a Jurassic Express return seems imminent is a big positive, though. I’m looking forward to that.

Windsor cut a solid enough promo, but she still feels a step below many other female wrestlers on the AEW roster. Perhaps even several steps below. 

[HarmonicGenerator]

A very ROH-ish Collision this week. Skyflight doing a promo about gunning for the ROH trios titles rather than the AEW ones. Mina being announced with the world’s most pointless sounding title, Interim ROH Women’s Television Champion, etc. Had flashbacks to previous times when the show was mainly being used to try and make people care about ROH. I don’t and I won’t, don’t try me.

Also, why is Mark Briscoe now so focused on the TNT title? Is this as well as, or instead of, a blowoff match against MJF?

We have to be building towards a Women’s Blood and Guts, right? There’s so many overlapping stories amongst the Triangle, Aminata, Willow, Stat, Bayne and Penelope, Harley, TayJay and now Hayter and maybe Toni and Mina too.

Garcia maybe joining the Death Riders is the most interesting he’s been for at least a year.

Edited September 2, 2025 by HarmonicGenerator
Dark Side Hologram made me edit this