AEW TV 2025 Discussion

[LaGoosh]

1 hour ago, BomberPat said:

o now we're going with Darby Allin taking out the rest of the Death Riders?

The problem with the idea of wrestlers "taking out" people is that it's wrestling - it never ends. 99 times out of 100 you "take someone out" and they'll be back wrestling again like nothing ever happened a few weeks later. 

[BomberPat]

6 minutes ago, LaGoosh said:

The problem with the idea of wrestlers "taking out" people is that it's wrestling - it never ends. 99 times out of 100 you "take someone out" and they'll be back wrestling again like nothing ever happened a few weeks later. 

which, again, is another argument for why they should have done that side of the story before the I Quit match - it makes sense that Darby would take out all the other Death Riders just long enough to ensure he gets a one-on-one match with Moxley, and then whatever happens to them after that doesn't have to be his business. This way around feels completely backwards.

I hope it's not building to Blood & Guts. We have done "all the babyfaces have to get on the same page to beat the Death Riders", and that shouldn't be the story any more. That said, I was actually amazed to discover the Death Riders have never actually been in a Blood & Guts match - the Blackpool Combat Club were back in 2022 and 2023, but not the Death Riders - so maybe that's what they're holding out for, but I still think that's a mistake. I had assumed prior to this episode that the direction for Blood & Guts was going to be Don Callis Family vs. Kenny Omega, Jurassic Express, and either JetSpeed or a face-turned Young Bucks, something like that.

[BrodyGraham]

Only thing I can think of with Hurts/Demand is that it's leading to MVP Vs Ricochet with MVP's career on the line. MVP has alluded in interviews that he's nearing hanging up the boots and transitioning to management with some new blood in Hurt Syndicate.

Is there precedent for Blood and Guts/Wargames featuring more than 2 teams because Death Riders Vs Conglomeration/Darby and Callis Family Vs Jurassic Elite both look doable but 3 Blood and Guts matches feels like overkill unless one goes on Collision.

[RedTwoster]

3 hours ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

If Mox had done that in a match against Hangman, Joe, Darby, Takeshita etc it would be a main event guy. Against KoR, a mid carder at best? It shows the desperation, it made way more sense!

it’s not the logic that’s the problem, although as @BomberPat said, you can probably question the logic of Darby taking out the big boss as the starting point of a storyline. What was that match for, if not finality? What was achieved?

Moxley almost tapping out is something that could be an exciting moment, but giving that to Kyle O’Reilly is an enormous waste. Nothing exciting can come from that given how unwatchable he is. Even Kyle O’Reilly must struggle to get excited about Kyle O’Reilly. 

Although AEW has a few big names out, it’s not like they don’t have the depth to offer up something fresh. What’s Eddie Kingston doing right now, for example? Is Powerhouse Hobbs better off in a trios team, or going for singles gold? Is a Briscoe/Fletcher rematch a better option than - for example - pitting Orange Cassidy against Kyle Fletcher? There are plenty of fresh, compelling feuds and matches they could offer up.

[BomberPat]

Moxley being afraid to submit is the only interesting part of the angle, but it still doesn't make sense - he lost the World Title to Hangman by submission! He has tapped out before! So if the story is that it's specifically saying "I Quit" that scares him, it doesn't make sense because he could have just tapped out. If the story is that specifically submitting to Darby has freaked him out, then why does it matter that it's Kyle O'Reilly getting him in a hold? When the common thread from the Trios Titles loss, the World Title loss, and now the I Quit Match loss is that Moxley panics when he's in a chokehold, why not have him put in a chokehold rather than an anklelock to make him panic? If it's the Darby loss, have someone put him in the Scorpion Deathlock to make him panic. Because otherwise, what, he's just afraid of submission holds in general now? Hell, if you go down the route of it being the Scorpion Deathlock specifically that freaks him out, have him freak out at Daniel Garcia doing effectively the same hold as his finisher. At least it's something.

[JGPuk84]

I liked this Dynamite. I thought the main event was a banger, the women’s tag titles look really interesting (Toni Storm heel turn/gimmick change incoming?)

The puppet stuff was the right stupid for me.

The Young Bucks storyline is interesting and I hope it ends in them reuniting the Elite to win the trios titles (from the Opps).

I think there are probably too many threads in the Death Riders story, but I feel like losing to Darby broke Moxley, his ego and his aura. Danielson was talking about him not being able to escape like he has before and the fact he had to get DQ’d against someone else we know he should be able to beat shows his weakness, showing him he can’t be the “flag bearer” for AEW.

So that, Darby’s promo and all the loss of faith/winners stuff means that this is about to be the end for the Death Riders when they (Moxley) once again quit at Blood and Guts.

There is probably more with Garcia wanting to win the Continental classic and how that plays with Okada and Takeshita (which also feels really exciting).

I’m probably giving AEW too much credit and assuming positives, (MVP wants to give Ricochet his retirement for example) but I did have fun with this episode and feel excited for what is coming up.

[totheback]

I personally thought that was one of the best Dynamites from an in-ring perspective in ages. The story elements were weird though, especially Darby and Fletcher/Briscoe segments. They seemed weirdly unfinished. But overall, can't agree with the episode seeming "cold". 

Kris Statlander is not a good promo.

Everything with Mone on that show was very WWE-style, which isn't really for me. 

Edited October 23, 2025 by totheback

[The King Of Swing]

Add me to the list of people that really enjoyed Dynamite. Probably the most I've enjoyed it in a while. 

Crowd were well into most of the show. 

Trios title match was good and was followed by a solid Joe promo. 

Woman's four way tag was a lot of fun though it looked like Ford might have been legit hurt. 

Hayter and Amanata already have the best tag team finisher in wrestling. Looked fucking brutal. 

Mina being Mina is always fun. 

For me, Mone arguing with a puppet was legit the most entertaining thing she has done in AEW. Good segment. 

Fuck it I'll admit it. I like Kyle O'Reily and was well into his match with Mox. 

Women's tag title tournament looks solid. Though I hope Mone to god that Mone and Athena don't win and I'm assuming that they won't. 

Unless Briscoe is winning the TNT title, I don't see the point in continuing the feud with Fletcher. 

Just the right amount of Don Callis Family. 

Cracking main event and the Takeshita slow burn is going lovely. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

@BomberPat Mox tapped out quickly to Hangman. He also tapped quickly to Darby. And I think he’s exposed himself after the Hangman loss, that he’s spirit is broken. He acts tough, he plays tough. But when he’s put into a submission he panics. And he’s had two huge losses. He is not a credible leader anymore, the sharks are circling and those sharks are getting ready to kill. I think when it comes to the Death Riders people were (rightfully) complaining of it being slow and boring. But as it’s played out, I think it’s been some great storytelling. I think we need to let it play out.

[BomberPat]

The question for me is still, assuming the pay-off is the Death Riders abandoning Mox, what better catalyst there could be for that angle than the loss to Darby, and what better time to do it than last night? They might surprise me and pull something out of the bag, but Dynamite felt (not just for the Death Riders angle) like it was time to move towards a new story and that didn't happen. Nothing felt like a satisfactory follow-up on the PPV, and lots of things were the opposite of that.

[digforvictory]

23 minutes ago, BomberPat said:

The question for me is still, assuming the pay-off is the Death Riders abandoning Mox, what better catalyst there could be for that angle than the loss to Darby, and what better time to do it than last night? They might surprise me and pull something out of the bag, but Dynamite felt (not just for the Death Riders angle) like it was time to move towards a new story and that didn't happen. Nothing felt like a satisfactory follow-up on the PPV, and lots of things were the opposite of that.

Blood and Guts?

I could see that being when the Death Riders turn on Mox.

[Lorne Malvo]

I thought the in-ring stuff was so good on this weeks show that it helped me overlook them somehow still carrying on with Briscoe/Fletcher, Darby Allin/Death Riders, Conglomeration/Death Riders and Hurt Syndicate/Demand.

I don't mind anything that gets Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy in each others orbits. The real megapowers! Hopefully that's the direction they're going leading to this Death Riders blowoff. 

Kyle vs Mox was a great fight, the main event was fantastic with a brilliant finish and all of the other matches were strong.

Mox may be my TV wrestler of the year. I really like this new wrinkle to his character where he's almost in denial at the fact he's nowhere near as tough as he thinks he is, and has submitted/quit so many times this year that doing it once more may break him. For someone who made me groan at the start of the year, he has really turned it around the last 6 months.

I'm not liking the Takeshita/Okada slowburn. It's just being dragged out way too long and is making Takeshita look bad that he's constantly taking Okada's shit and not retaliating. This episode should've ended with Takeshita running down and attacking Okada or something along those lines, just any spark to liven up the quite dull storytelling taking place at the moment.

[totheback]

Oh, I also forgot to mention that Bandido did a way better spinning back fist as just a regular move than Eddie's finish. 

@Lorne Malvo With Takeshita/Okada, I think they kind of have to take it slower than they might otherwise if the plan is to have them in the C2 final.

Edited October 24, 2025 by totheback

[The King Of Swing]

Also The Broke Bucks continue to be wonderfully entertaining/goofy.

They should win the upcoming money match and immediately blow it all on crypto. 

[totheback]

Does anyone know if there's anything else wrestling related going on in Manchester in December around Dynamite? Travelling up there by myself so would be good to have some other wrestling things to do, if possible.