Dynamite – August 20, 2025: Oh Forget That Nonsense
Dynamite
Date: August 20, 2025
Location: OVO Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
Commentators: Bryan Danielson, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone
It’s the last Dynamite before we get to this weekend’s Forbidden Door. As a result, that means we are probably going to get some rapid fire build to the show. The good thing is that most of the card is already set, including a rather big lights out steel cage match, which should be…something. Let’s get to it.
Here is Collision if you need a recap.
Bryan Danielson comes out to be a special guest commentator. Yeah that still works.
Here is Will Ospreay to get things going. Ospreay says he’s been having one of the worst months of his career. He talks about the first time he ever came to Glasgow and got screwed over by a promoter. Ospreay praises the UK’s ability to drink and brings up Greggs’ sausage rolls (which are delicious) and we pause for a SAUSAGE, SAUSAGE ROLLS chant. Ospreay: “None of that vegan crap either!”
After calming Danielson down (that was funny), Ospreay talks about feeling human for the first time after having a bunch of health issues. A lot of wrestlers have gone down this same road and they never come back the same. Last week, he was not cleared for Forbidden Door, which is why he wanted the match to be lights out, meaning unsanctioned by AEW. He knows the risks and is willing to take them, and if he can’t be Will Ospreay after Sunday, then he’s going to give everything he has. This is about revenge and he is ready to enter the cage and tear the Death Riders apart.
Cue the Death Riders to interrupt, with Ospreay asking why Jon Moxley needs people to fight his battles. Ospreay is coming to get rid of Moxley, so Moxley should be ready to fight on his own. Cue Jet Speed to brawl with the Death Riders (before their scheduled six man tag tonight) and here is Hiroshi Tanahashi so let’s do the match now.
Jet Speed/Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Death Riders
Tanahashi crossbodies Moxley down to start but gets kicked in the face by Castagnoli to cut him off. Bailey comes back in to kick away at Yuta, who knocks him down to take over again. Marina Shafir gets in a cheap on the floor, with the referee looking right at her, before we continue. Thankfully she is ejected, with Will Ospreay coming out to carry her to the back, and we take a break.
We come back with Knight in trouble in the corner, allowing Castagnoli to strike away. Knight kicks his way to freedom and it’s Tanahashi coming back in to clean house. Triple Twist And Shouts take the Riders down but cue the Bullet Club Wardogs from New Japan for a distraction. Cue Will Ospreay with a body bag, leaving Tanahashi to hit the High Fly Flow for the pin on Yuta at 11:04.
Rating: B-. Tanahashi is retiring in a few months and that is pretty much the best for everyone. He’s an all time legend and one of the best ever, but my goodness his body is horribly broken down and it’s sad to see what he can’t do these days. The rest of the match was fine and Yuta losing is always worth a look, but Tanahashi’s inability to run is just sad to see.
Post match the Wardogs and the Death Riders beat down the winners, with the Young Bucks running in to superkick Ospreay. The Conglomeration cuts them off but Darby Allin pops out of the body bag to help with the brawl. Cue the Opps to help clear the villains out but the brawl goes into the crowd, where Allin Coffin Drops off the balcony to wipe everyone out. Total people involved in this whole thing: 19.
Video on MJF vs. Hangman Page, focusing on the main character vs. villain angle.
Here is Adam Copeland for a chat, along with a serenade from the crowd. Before he can say anything though, here is Christian Cage to join him in the ring. Cage goes to tell the fans to be quiet but Copeland cuts him off, saying these people love him. Copeland admits that Cage is an a******, but he’s COPELAND’S a******.
As Copeland realizes that wasn’t the best way to word things, Cage acknowledges that he has found himself…which is someone who does not need to change. They aren’t on the same page, but at least they are reading the same book. This is a reunion of necessity because they are agreeing to help each other with their respective problems. We get the handshake and here are Kip Sabian and Mother Wayne to interrupt.
Nick Wayne pops up on screen, carrying a pair of crutches though, because he has a broken foot. Wayne won’t be at Forbidden Door, so consider it a blessing that he can’t cost Copeland and Cage everything. He is always one step ahead though…and Killswitch is back. A chokeslam plants Copeland and Cage is laid out as well, as Sabian seems to have a replacement partner. Copeland and Cage being back together is what matters here, and I’m sure they’ll be on the same page sooner than later. It’s the Canadian way.
Mark Briscoe is in England to hurt MJF.
MJF interrupts Ricochet and the Gates Of Agony, asking for their help with Briscoe tonight. Ricochet is in.
#1 Contenders Tournament Finals: FTR vs. Bandido/Brody King
Stokely Hathaway is here with FTR. Bandido shoves his way out of the corner to start before Harwood takes him down by the arm. Harwood’s running shoulder drops Bandido again and they trade takedowns until Bandido does the gun point at Harwood’s head. Wheeler comes in and gets dropkicked to the floor as the Hurt Syndicate is watching in the back. Harwood is so frustrated that he grabs a chair as King comes in to shove Wheeler down.
King strikes away at Harwood, who is right back with a piledriver…which King shrugs off. Bandido is dropped onto Harwood for two but Wheeler comes in to send King outside. Hathaway gets in a cheap shot with a loaded sling and King is in trouble as we take a break. We come back with Bandido and Harwood coming in to pick the pace back up. Everything breaks down and Bandido’s dive to the floor is cut off, with FTR dropping him onto the apron.
A Demolition Decapitator gives Wheeler two, though Danielson wasn’t impressed by the cover. The chinlock goes on but Bandido fights up and hits a middle rope crossbody for two more. We take another break and come back again with Bandido hitting a double hurricanrana, followed by a double DDT. That’s finally enough for the tag back to King to clean quite a bit of house. The cannonball in the corner gets two on Harwood, with Wheeler having to make the save.
Bandido hits a big flip dive to hit Harwood but he has kick Hathaway down and get his mask back. A frog splash gives Bandido two and Wheeler tornado DDTs King on the floor. The PowerPlex is cut off by King’s choke but King gets crotched on top. The top rope belly to back superplex into the top rope splash gets two as we hear the five minute call. A quick Shatter Machine gets two as Bandido is back in for some rollups. King saves Bandido from a Shatter Machine and chokes Harwood, who is chopped out to the floor.
Harwood is back up with a spike piledriver on the apron but Bandido is up with a moonsault to the floor. Back in and the Shatter Machine is blocked, as is the 21 Plex. Another Shatter Machine connects with King making the save…so FTR grabs a table with less than a minute left? King sends them into the barricade but Wheeler is up to miss a suicide dive through the table as time expires at 30:00.
Rating: B+. The ending with the table was rather odd and the ending setting up another triple threat for the titles is rather annoying. Maybe it’s a way to get the titles off of the Hurt Syndicate without them having to lose, but at least the match was rather good. King and Bandido are a team who were thrown together and wound up working very well, though being in there with FTR isn’t hurting things. Heck of a match here, weird table aside.
Post match Bandido gives Harwood the 21 Plex, as his timing is a bit off. And then we get the announcement of the three way title match because…well because of course.
Video on Swerve Strickland vs. Kazuchika Okada.
Here is Hangman Page for a chat. Last week, he was attacked in the parking lot by MJF and that shouldn’t be a surprise, because MJF is a coward. Page needs him to know that at Forbidden Door, there are no second chances and Page is sticking his boot up MJF’s checkered a**. MJF’s music plays but he’s nowhere to be found. Tony Schiavone says that MJF is in the back and has a message for Page, and if Page leaves the ring before he’s done, something bad is going to happen.
MJF is with Ricochet and the Gates of Agony, who have kidnapped Mark Briscoe. They threaten to LIGHT HIM ON FIRE unless Page agrees to three conditions at Forbidden Door: the title can change hands via countout or via DQ and the contract is NOT being used. MJF whips out a lighter and Page agrees. OH SCREW OFF with the contract still being a thing. Just get rid of the stupid contract and move on.
Post break, Page jumps Ricochet with a chair and then beats up security.
Mercedes Mone/Athena vs. Toni Storm/Alex Windsor
Billie Starkz is here with Mone/Athena. Mone headlocks Windsor to start but it’s too early for the Statement Maker. Windsor fall away slams Mone into the corner, where Storm kisses the side of her head before coming in. Athena backs Storm into the corner but gets caught with a basement dropkick. Mone breaks up a double suplex as everything breaks down. Double headbutts put Athena and Mone in the corner, though they avoid the double hip attack. Athena plants Storm on the floor but gets taken out by Windsor’s dive as we take a break.
We come back with Storm getting to come in and clean house, including a PerfectPlex for two on Athena. Windsor’s short arm lariat gets two and it’s right back to Storm, who gets Codebreakered into the Statement Maker. That’s broken up and Mone misses the running knees in the corner. Storm gives Athena a tornado DDT, which is enough for the diving tag back to Windsor.
A running clothesline and Blue Thunder Bomb get two each, leaving Athena to piledrive Storm on the steps. Windsor decks Athena and gives Mone a Samoan drop. The Sharpshooter makes Mone tap…but she’s not legal so it means nothing. Athena comes in with the O Face to finish Windsor at 16:02 in a smart finish (and extra points for Athena looking all fired up after the win, which doesn’t happen often enough in modern wrestling).
Rating: B. That ending was awesome and clever, which is a nice combination to see. I’m always a fan of taking two title matches and mixing them together like this, with the result working well. Good match here, and I’m becoming more and more convinced that Athena is winning the title.
Post match Mone gets shoved down by Persephone, another of her challengers at Forbidden Door, to end the show.
Overall Rating: B. I get that it makes sense for the person doing it, but that whole deal with the contract took me out of a lot of the show. It feels like a twist for the sake of a twist or some massive backtracking, neither of which are something you want to see. Other than that, the show was rather good, with the tournament final and main event offering good action and Forbidden Door’s build going well, even without bogging the show down with all kinds of guest stars.
Results
Jet Speed/Hiroshi Tanahashi b. Death Riders – High Fly Flow to Yuta
FTR vs. Brody King/Bandido went to a time limit draw
Mercedes Mone/Athena b. Alex Windsor/Toni Storm – O Face to Windsor
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“MJF is with Ricochet and the Gates of Agony, who have kidnapped Mark Briscoe. They threaten to LIGHT HIM ON FIRE unless Page agrees to three conditions at Forbidden Door: the title can change hands via countout or via DQ and the contract is NOT being used. MJF whips out a lighter and Page agrees. OH SCREW OFF with the contract still being a thing. Just get rid of the stupid contract and move on.”
I didn’t mind the MITB thing not being used or MJF forcing stips, you called this last week anyway saying that MJF wasn’t going to use it. What was stupid was MJF threatening to light Briscoe on fire, there’s no way he was going to do it.
FTR/Brodido was insane.
“Mark Briscoe is in England to hurt MJF.”
He was in Scotland. England is a different country.
Yeah sorry about that. Stopped thinking there for a second.