AEW TV 2025 Discussion

[LaGoosh]

Some incredibly wholesome entertainment for you all on a Wednesday morning. 

 

[Lorne Malvo]

Regarding the Eddie Kingston chat a few days back, like everyone else I've got no idea why they arn't doing anything with him. But I wouldn't look too much into his disinterested promos - he did that a lot during his first AEW run too. A big part of his character was 'just let me fight, I can't be arsed with backstage interviews' (there was one cameraman in particular - I can't remember his name now - who Eddie would continually berate for asking him questions) and I think he's just carrying that on. 

Why you would have one of your best promo guys do a 'I don't like cutting promos' thing is another question, however.

[BomberPat]

the biggest problem is that he's only doing these pre-taped promos. Let him speak in front of an audience! After that time he randomly fought Jun Akiyama on a pre-show, and then just adlibbed a "go buy the PPV" promo as the time ran out, the man should have a live mic at every available opportunity.

[Supremo]

I’m begging them to do something creative here. Joe can’t just win, surely?

Hangman Page costing Joe the match would be far more interesting. Gives us a new direction and lets them get back to the Joe feud later in the year. I’d go with Hangman costing Joe the match and Ricochet stealing victory like a snake. There’s huge potential in a feud between progressive gentleman Hangman Page and Andrew Rico-Tate. 

Or, if you have to do Samoa Joe vs. Hangman2 at Full Gear, then go full February 1997 and have Hangman help Joe win. Joe looks set to lose, so Hangman steps in to ensure he gets revenge at Full Gear, as well as giving him something to rub in Joe’s face.

Just do something interesting. And tell Hangman to bring the costume.*

*Bonus points if The Young Bucks are too skint for Halloween costumes this year, so just wear black bin bags.

[Kamran]

In addition to the above 4-way on this week's Dynamite, we have:

 

[Matthew]

1 hour ago, Supremo said:

I’d go with Hangman costing Joe the match and Ricochet stealing victory like a snake.

Surely in doing this we’ll have the argument of “face champion acting like a heel”?

[JLM]

Hangman’s capacity for pettiness and shithousery is well documented though. One of the many things I love about his character is that his redemption arc didn’t magically remove all toxic traits. He’s not a tweener but he’s a human being god damn it. 

[Supremo]

I think it depends on how he costs him the match.

Belt shot to Joe’s head whilst the ref is distracted? Heelish.

Distracts Joe with a video of his childhood home being burnt down? Pure babyface.

[Daaaaaad!]

Hangman loves Halloween, doesn’t he?

[RedTwoster]

I enjoyed Dynamite, but elements of it didn’t click for me.

I’ll start with the negatives. The main event was a very good match, but the fact they did the predictable thing and had Joe win was pretty disappointing. The post-match angle also fell flat for me. It was overly long and awkward, and although the Tony Schiavone switch was original, it could have been done while eliminating a whole load of bore. Everything that Samoa Joe had done since turning heel has seen him move from being ice cold to Antarctically freezing. Also, would Hangman have done the same thing if Hook or Lashley had won?? What an arsehole!

Then there was the Don Callis family summit. Another unnecessarily long angle which dragged very quickly. Okada flipping off Takeshita was fantastic, but they could have got to that point without the ‘4 questions’ which were just tedious.

Statlander is also a horrendous promo. Either give her a manager, or keep her off the mic. Oh, and The Conglomeration is still a crap stable that drags down Orange Cassidy and Willow Nightingale. There was a time when I’d have added Mark Briscoe to that statement, but now he’s one of the wrestlers doing the dragging. He’s great in-ring, but actually kind of shit as a character.

Now the positives - Hook has improved quite a bit on the mic. What they’re doing with him and Eddie Kingston is a waste of both men. I’d rather see both of them get singles pushes on Dynamite rather than have them play second fiddle to goofs like Mark Briscoe.

The tag match was outstanding, and I can only assume this is all leading up to a Young Bucks face turn. I hope we get to see them face Copeland and Christian before that happens, though. 

The Bandido video with his granny was lovely, and he’s emerged as a real bright spot for AEW. I expect FTR to beat them at Full Gear to set up the rematch with C&C, and if that happens, I would like to see both King and Bandido get big singles pushes. Bandido could be one of the top stars in AEW, he’s quite possibly the best wrestler on the planet right now.

I was glad to see Hayter and Aminata lose simply because I didn’t expect it. Starting the tournament off with an upset was a good idea. Hart and Skye Blue are a decent tag team, as long as you keep them off the mic.

Danielson continues to be tremendous on commentary. 

A shuffling of the decks should get AEW back to its best, but I don’t expect that to happen until after Full Gear. It’s in a weird situation right now in that each episode is full of good, original ideas but many of these are dragged down by bad ones. So the shows are good, yet the overall direction is very uninspiring.

[Supremo]

“Long term storytelling,” has become a bit of a dirty word in recent times.

Feuds like Seth Rollins vs. CM Punk going on for what feels like years. Storylines that naturally conclude on pay per view like Darby vs. Moxley being inexplicably resuscitated on the following episode of Dynamite.

But credit where it’s due. Some long term storytelling does pay off!

Hangman Adam Page disguising himself as Tony Schiavone for the past six years, just so he could attack Samoa Joe on this show? Masterful.

We’re so back.

Edited October 30, 2025 by Supremo

[LaGoosh]

I enjoyed most of that even if not much of it got me excited for the future.

The opening tornado tag was a really excellent PPV quality match. I really wish Darby would stop spitting/drooling  it's gross!

The 4 way was an excellent brilliantly executed spot fest. Unfortunately I think I've seen one of those every week for about 5 years now and couldn't really give a fuck anymore. Another great Bucks entrance though.

I've always enjoyed the Don Callis stuff and enjoying the slow build to Takeshita/Okada. Love that Takeshita is the loyal warrior begrudgingly swallowing his pride for the Family but Okada is such a prick he just can't stop himself from mugging Takeshita off at every opportunity. 

Mox/O'Reilly was a gripping battle and I was fully invested in the action. Felt different from the usual spot heavy fare of modern TV wrestling.

Deathriders/Conglomeration in Blood and Guts feels very thrown together at the last minute. I hate when a scheduled gimmick match dictates the stories rather than the other way round. Orange Cassidy's announcement of it was perfectly delivered. I assume they're doing two of them this time round which I absolutely hate. Especially as the womens feels like a complete afterthought. 

Sisters of Shite winning is a booking abomination. Hayter/Aminata should be winning the bloody belts not out in the first round! They are really great together and the fans were immediately behind them. Hopefully it's not the end of them as a team.

4 way main event was the third excellent PPV level match on the show. Fantastic action from start to finish. There was a bit where Hook was going nuts, Lashley picked him up like a child and shouted "CALM DOWN" in his face - guessing that wasn't planned! I thought everyone in this came out looking good. I'd like to see more Lashley singles matches in AEW.

Hangman Page as the Master of Disguise is a gimmick I can get behind. The angle took longer than it needed to but it was still fun.

[Hannibal Scorch]

@LaGoosh I’m pretty sure Hayter/Aminata had to lose in the first round because they will be in the Blood & Guts match in 2 weeks. Also, to be picky, SoS have been tagging for a fair while.

[LaGoosh]

9 minutes ago, Hannibal Scorch said:

@LaGoosh I’m pretty sure Hayter/Aminata had to lose in the first round because they will be in the Blood & Guts match in 2 weeks. Also, to be picky, SoS have been tagging for a fair while.

Makes sense I suppose, but also highlights that booking a women's tournament and a Blood and Guts at the exact same time is probably a bad idea.

[Supremo]

Hangman Adam Page is the best wrestler in the fucking world.