Dynamite – January 22, 2025: Part Of It Worked

Dynamite
Date: January 22, 2025
Location: Knoxville Civic Auditorium, Knoxville, Tennessee
Commentators: Taz, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We are closing in on Grand Slam and that means it is time to start getting ready for the show. There is a good chance that we are going to see something set up this week, as we are starting up some big things. Revolution is coming up as well and that means there are a lot of things going on. Let’s get to it.

Here is Collision if you need a recap.

Here is Will Ospreay to get things going, with Kenny Omega coming out to join him. Sidenote: like him or not, Omega gets the superstar entrance to end them all around here and there is no way around it. The fans love him and he comes off like the king of the world. Ospreay talks about how Omega came back in a weird time because the Death Riders are holding the World Title hostage and Ospreay wants to do something about it but can’t get away from the Don Callis Family.

Omega talks about them fighting at Forbidden Door, where Ospreay tried to drop him on his head. That makes Ospreay no better than Callis, and no matter what he does, Omega is still better. Ospreay can take the #2 spot, but Omega has the #1 spot locked up. Cue Callis but Omega immediately goes after him, with Konosuke Takeshita jumping Omega. Kyle Fletcher comes in for the beatdown and Ospreay, eventually, comes in for the save.

The big brawl is on with Callis sending in the Murder Machines and the big fight heads into the concourse. Ospreay and Omega fight back and put Lance Archer through a well placed merchandise table. The brawl heads back into the arena, with Omega and Ospreay hitting some gorgeous dives off various structures to take the villains down. Omega and Ospreay climb the light structure and Omega says next time it’s Callis’ turn. Omega issues the challenge for Grand Slam to Takeshita and Fletcher.

The catchphrase is loaded up and, after Omega’s music starts and stops, he gets it in. Then Omega wants to get down because he is scared of heights (fair enough as I can relate). This was a heck of an opening segment, mainly because Omega and Ospreay were acting like superheroes, which is where they shine. The only drawback was they were doing it against Don Callis, as the energy just goes sailing out the window whenever he’s around.

Video on Pac.

The Death Riders talk about how Cope is in a world he doesn’t understand. He’s willing to finish the job on Cope’s neck because they don’t have time for relics of the past.

Tag Team Titles: Hurt Syndicate vs. Private Party

The Syndicate, with MVP on commentary, is challenging. Lashley takes over on Quen to start before handing it off to Benjamin. A neckbreaker/Swanton combination gives Kassidy a quick two but Lashley grabs Quen from the apron. The Syndicate is sent to the floor, where they catch stereo dives and hit belly to belly suplexes.

We take a break and come back with Kassidy having been put through the announcers’ table and Quen being thrown around by Benjamin. Kassidy is back up and Quen fights up, allowing the tag off to Kassidy to pick up the pace. A pop up dropkick hits Benjamin and a 450 gets two, with Lashley making the save. Lashley spears Kassidy in half for the pin and the titles at 9:10.

Rating: B-. This was how the match should have gone, as Private Party has not felt important since winning the titles. The problem came down to they have done nothing in AEW other than beat the Young Bucks twice. Since winning the titles, they have mainly sat back while teams qualified to face them or watched Action Andretti/Lio Rush vs. Top Flight. What else was supposed to happen here? The Syndicate has looked like monsters since showing up and them winning the titles is the right move.

Video on Mariah May vs. Toni Storm at Grand Slam.

Harley Cameron gives Toni Storm a pep talk. In Australian. Renee Paquette: “I didn’t get a word of that.”

Karen Jarrett tries to calm Jeff Jarrett down but he’s got this.

Here is Jeff Jarrett for a chat. Jarrett talks about being on after Jerry Lawler one night and not doing quite as well, including on the microphone. After the match, Lawler asked what Jarrett was thinking. Never get in the gutter with your opponent, like he did with MJF last week. They’ll deal with that one day, but for now, he wants Jon Moxley out here.

Moxley’s music plays but Claudio Castagnoli comes in to jump Jarrett instead. Castagnoli says no one gets to Moxley without getting through him first, so stay out of their business. With Castagnoli in the crowd, Jarrett challenges him for next week, with a title shot coming if he wins. I guess Jarrett might get the title hot in Australia, which is certainly a choice they could make.

Video on Megan Bayne.

Swerve Strickland vs. AR Fox

They fight over a suplex to start until Swerve sends him outside for a moonsault. Back in and Swerve drops him gain without much trouble and we take a break. We come back with Fox working on the arm and hitting a step up moonsault to the floor. Swerve fights back but cue Ricochet for a distraction. Prince Nana whips out a pipe to chase him off, leaving Fox to hit a quick Lo Mein Pain for two, only to miss the 450. Swerve is back with the rolling Downward Spiral into the House call. Fox has to scoot WAY over so the Swerve Stomp can finish at 9:15.

Rating: B-. This was a perfectly fine match between two guys who know how to work well with each other. It also didn’t go quite as long as I was expecting and that is nice to see for a change. Strickland didn’t give up a ton of offense and it made things better. Nana whipping out a pipe from nowhere was amusing enough as a bonus.

Post match Ricochet pops up to show that he has Prince Nana held a scissors point. They’ll meet next week. I’m still not sure about Ricochet as this crazy violent guy, but that’s where we’re going. Or at least what is being teased.

We look at Powerhouse Hobbs getting a win in a twelve man tag on Collision.

The Learning Tree is happy to be here in Knoxville, in the Rocky Mountains. Big Bill seems ok with the loss but Chris Jericho isn’t happy. What is Bill going to do about it? Bill gets serious and challenges Hobbs for Collision. They really aren’t going to stretch this Learning Tree stuff out until Eddie Kingston is back right?

Here is MJF, who orders a jobber to get out of his ring. MJF wants an apology from Jeff Jarrett because it is hilarious that Jarrett thinks he can win a World Title in 2025 without MJF’s help. Maybe he is as senile as he looks. The reality is that wrestling does not love Jarrett anymore and neither do these fans. A mediocre strength DOUBLE J chant slows things down a bit before MJF says Jarrett might go better off making by making a deal with the devil rather than defying him.

Hangman Page vs. ???

It’s the same guy who MJF sent to the floor before the match and it’s a Buckshot Lariat for the pin at 33 seconds.

Post match Page gives him the Angel’s Wings. Christopher Daniels comes out to say he regrets taking the match with Page, because his neck is so damaged that his doctors have advised him to never wrestle again. He hopes Page can be happy and then walks away, leaving Page looking a bit shaken. That sounds like the end of Daniels’ career and the start of Page coming back to reality.

Mercedes Mone is ready to continue her international expansion. She’s ready to fight in Australia so here is Harley Cameron to challenger her. In song. She’s going to make Mone feel her wrath because four belts is a bit much. Mone says no because Cameron hasn’t won a mach on AEW TV. Renee Paquette does compliment the song.

Jamie Hayter vs. Julia Hart

they go outside to start and Hart is sent into the barricade. Then Hart is sent into the barricade and steps as this is a rather violent match to start. A missile dropkick gives Hayter two but Hart pulls her off the middle rope to send Hayter face first into the buckle. We take a break and come back with Hayter knocking her off the top for a double knockdown.

Hayter snaps off some German suplexes and hits a spinebuster for two. The half crab sends Hart over to the ropes and she grabs an Octopus hold. Hayter powers out and hits a backbreaker but Hart crucifix bombs her for two more. Hart stops to glare at the crowd though and the Hatebreaker into Hayterade finishes for Hayter at 9:38.

Rating: C. I’m not sure what it is about Hayter but there isn’t much to get interested in about her since she has been back. She’s just not very interesting and it’s showing more every time she’s out there. Hart is fine enough but these matches haven’t made me want to see either of them again, which is likely why we’re probably getting a rubber match.

Post match Hayter says she’s up for a rubber match anytime.

Powerhouse Hobbs will be waiting for Big Bill in the parking lot at Collision.

Swerve Strickland is coming after Ricochet soon.

Brody King/Buddy Matthews/Julia Hart, now with a dog, suggest that they have no leader. Then King puts on a mask and talks about barking. Then he barks.

Cope vs. Pac

They go to the mat to start and trade hammerlocks with neither getting very far. Back up and Pac backs him against the ropes before kicking away at the ribs. Cope heads to the floor and drops him face first onto the steps, followed by a whip into the barricade. Pac kicks the knee out and sends him into the apron, with Cope instantly favoring his neck.

A big dive takes Cope out again and we take a break. Back with Cope fighting out of a chinlock and hitting a dropkick to leave both of them down. Cope gets up and hits the Impaler but goes to the corner instead of covering. The spear is cut off and Pac hits a superkick to the back of the head.

A pump kick tot he back of the head sets up a release German suplex and Cope is rocked. The Brutalizer goes on but Cope powers up and plants him for the escape. Cope hits a spear to the back and another to the front, setting up a TKO of all things for the pin on Pac at 17:33.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t getting into this as the match was decent enough but it wasn’t very exciting. That has been the case with Cope for a good while now as he seems to love the idea of these long matches. Not a great match and the fans were only so into it, mainly because it’s yet another Death Riders match, despite the seeming lack of any interest in the story.

We cut to the back where the Death Riders have kidnapped FTR (again) and beat up the Rock N Roll Express. Cue the Death Riders to go after Cope and the beatdown is on. Jay White runs in for the save but gets beaten down as well, leaving Moxley to choke Cope out to end the show.

Oh I laughed hard at this ending, as AEW is now probably up to septupling up on the Death Riders stuff. Moxley gets to come out and look all awesome not once but twice, leaving the good guys laying again. Such is life in AEW, as this story keeps going, likely until Darby Allin is done climbing Mount Everest or whatever his latest thing is. Lucky us indeed.

Overall Rating: C+. This one didn’t do much for me, as the opening segment and title switch were about the only things worth seeing. The rest of the show fell into the same trap that AEW has been dealing with for a long time: it is all so serious and, save for Harley Cameron, most of it just isn’t fun. Everything feels like it’s all about being serious and such and that can get rough fast. I’m not sure what AEW needs, but just giving us some kind of comic relief or something a bit more goofy might be very nice for a change. For now though, not a bad show, but it got tedious in a hurry in the last hour or so.

Results
Hurt Syndicate b. Private Party – Spear to Kassidy
Swerve Strickland b. AR Fox – Swerve Stomp
Hangman Page b. ??? – Buckshot Lariat
Jamie Hayter b. Julia Hart – Hayterade
Cope b. Pac – TKO

 

 

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