Dynamite – August 6, 2025: Dang What A Show
Dynamite
Date: August 6, 2025
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone
We’re getting closer to Forbidden Door and the show is at least starting to come together. There might not be many matches officially announced but we should be getting some of that covered this week. This might including World Champion Hangman Page, who is going to need a new challenger after dispatching Jon Moxley again last week. Let’s get to it.
Here is Collision if you need a recap.
MJF, now the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Champion, is willing to send Mark Briscoe to Hell so he’ll never see his brother again. Or just back to Delaware. Tonight, Mark Briscoe’s luck runs out.
Jon Moxley vs. Mike Bailey
The Death Riders are here with Moxley while Bailey has Kevin Knight. Bailey kicks away in the corner to start so Moxley reverses to rain down some right hands. A crossface chickenwing has Bailey in more trouble but he gets up and flips away. Some kicks send Moxley outside, where he goes to the eyes to cut Bailey off. Shafir sweeps Bailey’s leg out and Moxley slaps Knight in the face.
The fight is teased but Bailey uses the distraction to take Moxley down. The moonsault knees to the back hit Moxley on the barricade and we take a break. We come back with Moxley working on the arm/fingers before shoving him into the corner. Bailey blocks a whip out of the corner though and hits a middle rope dropkick. The running shooting star press gives Bailey two, followed by the top rope version for the same.
A cross armbreaker has Moxley in more trouble and the moonsault knees connect. The Death Riders’ distraction let Moxley hit a big boot into a Crash Landing for two but Darby Allin pops up in the crowd and kidnaps Wheeler Yuta. Moxley has to break out of another cross armbreaker and hits the Death Rider for the pin at 14:15.
Rating: B. This match had Bailey getting beaten up and Yuta possibly vanishing. I’d call that a success on multiple points to start and Moxley gets some of his heat back after the consecutive losses to Page. That being said, it shouldn’t take him that long to beat a tag wrestler, especially with the Death Riders out there helping him.
Alex Windsor is ready for her four way TBS Title #1 contenders match. Toni Storm is ready to “whip out her t*** and tango” with Athena tonight. Then she dances off with Windsor.
The Death Riders are in the parking lot when Darby Allin throws a white bag (Wheeler Yuta shaped) out of his car. The team opens the bag and finds a note saying FORBIDDEN DOOR attached to Yuta. Excalibur seems to think that’s obvious, but without a “check yes or no” option, how can we be sure?
Earlier today, Mercedes Mone returned and, when asked about her loss, told Renee Paquette to not be such a mark.
Alex Windsor vs. Queen Aminata vs. Skye Blue vs. Billie Starkz
For one of three spots in a four way for the TBS Title at Forbidden Door and Toni Storm and Athena are both here. Starkz gets knocked outside to start and Blue is chopped back and forth. Blue asks both of them to stop and is double chopped down for her request. That leaves Aminata to waistlock Windsor and kick her in the back.
Blue breaks that up and pulls Aminata outside for a ram into the steps. Windsor gets taken down with a running hurricanrana and Blue gives Aminata a hanging neckbreaker to the floor. Starkz dives in to crush the pile and we take a break. We come back with Aminata slugging away at Blue until Windsor gives Blue a blue thunder bomb for two. Windsor’s sitout powerbomb gets two on Starkz but Aminata breaks up the Sharpshooter.
Aminata and Windsor strike it out before German suplexing the other two down. A bunch of headbutts leave everyone down, with Athena and Storm seeming to approve. Aminata gives Blue a reverse implant DDT but Starkz Swantons in for the save. Aminata and Blue go to the floor, leaving Windsor to discus lariat Starkz. Athena’s attempt at a save is cut off by Storm and Windsor’s small package gets the pin on Starkz at 11:31.
Rating: B-. I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Windsor so far and she’s a nice breath of air to the division. Her moving on to an immediate title match is a good sign for her future, even if she isn’t likely to win the title. This was almost as much about Athena vs. Storm though, which is feeling like a big time title match which could go either way. Nice stuff here.
Post match Mercedes Mone comes in for the staredown. The distraction lets Athena hit the O Face on Storm. Mone and Athena have a bit of a staredown of their own.
The Young Bucks, in their founding fathers gear, commandeer the camera and yell at the production guy for not doing their entrance properly in recent weeks. They have some special instructions for him tonight.
Here is Kyle Fletcher, with the Don Callis Family, for a chat. Don Callis cuts Renee Paquette off and says he is building such a huge roster because it means power. The more titles you have, the more power you have, and he loved seeing Fletcher take out Dustin Rhodes last week.
Fletcher talks about how Rhodes doesn’t belong in the same ring as him and says anyone who tries to take the title from him will receive the same fate. Callis unveils a new painting of the two of them together, with Fletcher naked and the title strategically placed and a rather muscular Callis next to him. Fletcher is ready to be champion for a long time and is first title defense is this weekend on Collision.
Cope is ready to deal with Stokely Hathaway and FTR and next week he’s facing Hathaway. If FTR interferes, their whole restraining order is gone.
#1 Contenders Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Brody King/Bandido vs. Young Bucks
The Bucks’ entrance is screwed up again as the set doesn’t rise, leaving them to crawl underneath. In addition, their instructions are read verbatim, including saying to make them look like stars instead of jobbers. On top of that, they are now listed as Max and Jeremy, their Generation Me names from TNA. Throw in bad pyro and a messed up version of their song and things aren’t looking great for them.
Bandido runs Matt over to start and King clotheslines both Bucks down. The Bucks are sent outside for a moonsault from Bandido, setting up King’s running crossbody against the barricade. We take a break and come back with Matt still in trouble, with Bandido’s crossbody connecting for two. A cheap shot from the apron cuts Bandido off though and Risky Business gives Matt two of his own.
King comes back in and gets taken down with a standing Sliced Bread into a kick to the head for two. More Bang For Your Buck doesn’t work due to King being a rather large man and it’s back to Bandido. The Bucks take him down as well though and a slingshot X Factor sets up the apron moonsault to King. A superkick into a flipping cutter has the Bucks in even more control and we take another break.
We come back with the Bucks arguing over what they should call the EVP Trigger. That’s enough of a delay for their knees to collide so King can come back in for a Cannonball to Matt. Bandido hits a big step up flip dive to the floor but some kind of a double team move doesn’t quite work. Nick superkicks Bandido but gets superplexed by King. Back up and multiple superkicks rock King and the TK Driver gets two on Bandido with King having to dive over for a save.
Nick dives at King, who Death Valley Drivers him on the apron, leaving Matt and Bandido to fight on the barricade. Bandido gets the better of things and takes him back inside for the X Knee into the 21 Plex, with Nick making a save of his own. The super flipping fall away slam gives Bandido two on Matt so King comes back in for the monkey flip into the 450 to finish Matt at 20:26.
Rating: A-. The match was a lot of fun with the flips and the dives, plus the Bucks losing, which makes the story that much better. It’s one thing to have them be treated like losers, but that doesn’t make a difference if they keep winning. Here they look like goons and lose at the same time, albeit after a very entertaining match. Rather awesome stuff here, with the Bucks looking like goons again to make it better.
Video on MJF vs. Mark Briscoe, including some of the rather personal insults they’ve thrown at each other.
The Hurt Syndicate is ready to hurt either team in the tournament finals at Forbidden Door. MJF comes in to say they they can win the World Title, but MVP says he’s tired of hearing about MJF all the time. The team is about them, but MJF’s ego is out of control. MVP gives him the thumbs down.
FTR and Stokely Hathaway don’t like what Adam (thank goodness that seems to be his name again) is doing. Hathaway is on a crutch and says Adam is a bully. He’s going to pin Adam next week anyway though, just like that.
Video on Swerve Strickland vs. Kazuchika Okada.
Here is Strickland for a chat (oddly in the aisle). Strickland talks about doing well in big matches as well and brings up the things he’s done to people he likes, such as Will Ospreay. So what will he do to someone like Okada? Three times now, Okada has come after him to no avail and now it’s Okada in a big match because he is in there with a dangerous man. Strickland is ready to win the title at Forbidden Door, while Don Callis cries like a little b****. Good stuff here from Strickland, who knows how to make things feel big.
Mark Briscoe is ready to do his talking with his fists and make MJF pay for his sins. When asked if a win puts him in the World Title picture, Hangman Page comes in to interrupt. They’ve known each other for a long time and he hopes Briscoe is his next challenger. We get a respectful handshake.
Willow Nightingale interrupts Queen Aminata to give her a pep talk but Kris Statlander interrupts, seemingly mocking Nightingale. That doesn’t work for Nightingale, who tells Statlander to get serious and then come find her.
MJF vs. Mark Briscoe
Briscoe punches him in the face to start and teases the Froggy Bow but MJF bails into the crowd instead. That’s fine with Briscoe, who chases him up the steps and then back to ringside. It’s already time for a table but MJF rolls away before another Froggy Bow attempt. MJF uses the referee as a shield and pokes Briscoe in the eye, setting up the chinlock. Some back rakes and choking have Briscoe in more trouble so MJF drops him ribs first across the top.
We take a break and come back with Briscoe fighting out of an abdominal stretch and Hulking Up. MJF gets dropped but manages to roll away before the Froggy Bow for the third time. Instead it’s a Bang Bang Elbow from Briscoe, followed by a flip dive through the ropes. Briscoe puts him on a table but MJF rolls away and hits an Alabama slam back inside.
The Boston crab has Briscoe in more trouble but he slips out before countering the Heatseeker as well. MJF crotches him on top, only to get knocked back down. NOW the Froggy Bow can connect…for two, which is quite the letdown after it being one of the stories of the match. Another Froggy Bow through the table misses MJF, but does make good table contact. Back in and the Heatseeker to Briscoe gets the pin at 17:30…even with the foot on the rope, but MJF knocks it away at 17:30.
Rating: B. The ending feels like a way to set up the World Title match at Forbidden Door, as MJF can have a title match and Briscoe gets cheated out of the win. That’s a good way to keep things going and it came after a hard hitting match. MJF was out to win and Briscoe was out to prove a point, which is why MJF was able to avoid so much of Briscoe’s offense. Nicely put together match here with the ending making sense as well.
Post match MJF beats Briscoe down and gets in a Dynamite Diamond Ring shot. Hangman Page comes out for the brawl, which is broken up but they brawl again with security not being able to do much. The threat of a Buckshot Lariat sends MJF running to end the show.
Overall Rating: A. The show featured solid action throughout and set up some more things for Forbidden Door. I can go for that kind of a show, as it has me more interested in seeing where things are going. It continues to make me wonder why the pay per view needs all of those guest stars, as this was far better than seeing everyone come in to do their annual guest staring appearances. Heck of a show here and I could go for a lot more like this.
Results
Jon Moxley b. Mike Bailey – Death Rider
Alex Windsor b. Queen Aminata, Skye Blue and Billie Starkz – Small package to Starkz
Brody King/Bandido b. Young Bucks – Monkey flip 450 to Matt
MJF b. Mark Briscoe – Heatseeker
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