Dynamite – November 26, 2025: I Love A Themed Show
Dynamite
Date: November 26, 2025
Location: The Pinnacle, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Bryan Danielson
We’re done with Full Gear and that means it is time to start the Continental Classic. This has become one of AEW’s signature events and will take place over the next few weeks on the way to World’s End. That’s in addition to Samoa Joe regaining the World Title from Hangman Page, plus the return of Swerve Strickland. Let’s get to it.
Here is Full Gear if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
We run down the card.
We look at the Don Callis Family’s issues at Full Gear, which was a rough night for the team.
Continental Classic Gold League: Kyle Fletcher vs. Kazuchika Okada
Don Callis is on commentary. Okada’s Unified Title, which is no longer unified because Okada has surrendered the Continental Title for the tournament, isn’t on the line but he can lose the Unified Title if he doesn’t make the finals. Got that? Eh you probably don’t need to as whatever unification they do won’t last anyway.
We get a handshake to start but Fletcher tries to jump him early on. They trade headlock takeovers and go face to face before Okada starts in on the arm. Okada takes him up against the ropes for some chest slapping but Fletcher runs him over without much trouble. An elbow gives Fletcher two but Okada kicks the referee into the ropes to crotch Fletcher, setting up a dropkick out to the floor. Somehow this isn’t a DQ and we take a break.
We come back with Fletcher kicking the referee into the ropes to crotch Okada, setting up a nice superplex. Okada manages to hit the White Noise onto the knee, followed by the top rope elbow. The Rainmaker is countered into a half and half suplex but Okada hits the dropkick. The Tombstone connects but Okada’s Rainmaker is countered into a Michinoku Driver for the double down. They forearm it out from their knees until Fletcher lawn darts him into the corner, setting up a sitout Last Ride for two. The referee almost gets bumped and Okada tries the Rainmaker, which is reversed into a cradle for the pin at 16:48.
Rating: B+. Well, at least Okada took a fall here, and that’s a big deal. Fletcher is pretty clearly one of the stars of the future around here and beating Okada is still an important moment. They had a rather good match here and I was surprised that they actually pulled the trigger with one of them losing.
Gold League Standings
Kyle Fletcher – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Pac – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (4 matches remaining
Kazuchika Okada – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Post match we do get a handshake, even with Okada teasing the middle finger.
We recap the Elite’s reunion at Full Gear.
Kenny Omega says this is complicated. He hasn’t been a model friend, but maybe the Young Bucks deserve a second chance. The Bucks leave Omega’s locker room.
After winning the TNT Title, the bloody Mark Briscoe talks about how he wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep wrestling after losing his brother. Then it was loss after loss but the Conglomeration became his road family. The title is for his road family and for his real family.
Women’s Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Sisters Of Sin vs. Babes Of Wrath
Cameron catches Hart’s kick to the ribs to start and Nightingale comes in for a double belly to back suplex. Blue makes the save and Nightingale fires off some corner clotheslines. An assisted splash misses though and it’s Hart coming back in to take over on Cameron. Everything breaks down and Cameron hits Blue with a Sling Blade. Black fights back to take over on Cameron and we take a break.
We come back with Cameron still in trouble but she manages a belly to back suplex to escape. Nightingale comes back in to clean house but a double kick to the chest cuts her down. Cameron gets dropped as well so Hart tries her moonsault…and overshoots it, instead having to jump forward for a kind of splash. With Nightingale on the floor, Cameron fights back and everything breaks down. The Babe With The Powerbomb finishes Hart at 11:38.
Rating: B-. This was a good enough choice, as the Babes feel like a real threat to win the whole thing. The fans like them and they work well enough together so pushing them all the way to the finals is a smart way to go. Other than that, it’s not like the Sisters are hurt that badly by a single loss so this made the most sense.
Here are the Opps (minus Hook) for a chat. Before Samoa Joe can get very far though, Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page, each carrying a chain, arrive in the back. Joe sends Katsuyori Shibata after them and talks about how brilliant he really is. We see a package on how Hook swerved everyone the entire time, which still doesn’t feel like that big of a shock. Cue Hook to brag about how smart he is but Page and Strickland are here to wreck the Opps’ lackeys. The Opps leave and Page and Strickland use their chains for some hangings.
After his loss at Full Gear, Jon Moxley said he was feeling fine after his match and is ready to keep going. The rest of the Death Riders are….I have no idea, as you can never tell who is making them mad.
Continental Classic Blue League: Jon Moxley vs. Mascara Dorada
Moxley takes him down by the arm to start but Dorada flips up without much trouble, much to Moxley’s annoyance. Dorada sends him outside but misses a dive, allowing Moxley to send him into the barricade. Back up and Moxley gets knocked down again, though he’s fine enough to knock a dive off the ramp out of the air.
We take a break and come back with Dorada snapping off a hurricanrana on the floor, followed by a running cutter over the barricade. Back in and a Code Red gives Dorada two and hits electric chair flipping slam gets the same. Moxley fights out of a cross armbreaker but can’t hit a Death Rider. On the other hand, Dorada can hit a superkick and a 450 for two, leaving them both needing a breather. Moxley gets his knees up to block a shooting star press and a choke finishes Dorada at 12:56.
Rating: B-. Good enough match here, though it felt similar to Fletcher’s match earlier, as he gets a win to make up for his loss at Full Gear. That’s fine in theory, but when Moxley is right back and winning clean a few days after the loss, it takes away from what Kyle O’Reilly managed to do on Saturday. Just give us a little breather from Moxley? Maybe?
Blue League Standings
Jon Moxley – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 0 points (4 matches remaining
Mascara Dorada – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Post match Marina Shafir comes into the ring with Moxley but here is Toni Storm to interrupt. Storm praises Moxley but she’s operates in love rather than hatred. As for Shafir, it’s time to start thinking of the right kind of match. She woke up next to Mina Shirakawa this morning and realized she hadn’t gotten Shirakawa anything for Christmas. Therefore, next week it’s an anything goes death match.
Kris Statlander is ready to face someone else and she knows where she’s going. Who’s coming with her?
Continental Classic Gold League: Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight
Knight backs him into the corner to start but Allin is back with an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and Knight kicks him in the face, setting up a monkey flip to bang up Allin’s knee. They go outside and Knight avoids a charge into the barricade and hits a moonsault to put Allin down again. A belly to back superplex drops Allin again and we take a break.
We come back with Knight sending him outside again but getting dropped onto the ramp. A running dropkick off the ramp sends Knight into the barricade and a rollup gets two back inside. The Scorpion Death Drop is broken up so they both hit clotheslines (and kind of do the inside out flips on the landing for quite the visual).
Knight is back up with a DDT on the ramp and a heck of a diving clothesline over the top rope connects. Back in and a Code Red gives Allin two but Knight ties him in the Tree Of Woe. The Coast To Coast connects and the UFO Splash gives Knight the completely clean pin at 11:57.
Rating: B. I’m surprised by the ending and while it doesn’t mean that Knight is going to win, he certainly picks up the biggest win of his career. It’s something I wasn’t expecting and came after a good match. Yes Allin was banged up and is now on quite the losing streak, but at least Knight got the kind of win he can hang his hat on going forward. Good stuff here.
Gold League Standings
Kyle Fletcher – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Kevin Knight – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Mike Bailey – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Pac – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Darby Allin – 0 points (3 matches remaining
Kazuchika Okada – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Schiavone declares this Knight’s biggest win ever in the tournament. Since it’s his first match ever in the tournament, that’s not clearing much of a bar.
We look at FTR winning the Tag Team Titles at Full Gear.
Eddie Kingston doesn’t want to talk about Hook but he heard Samoa Joe mention his name. He’s not in line for a title shot, but maybe he would be if he beats Katsuyori Shibata on Collision. The match is made.
Continental Classic Blue League: Claudio Castagnoli vs. Orange Cassidy
Cassidy gets some early near falls off some rollups, including one off a reversed powerbomb attempt. Castagnoli’s running uppercut connects in the corner but Cassidy gives him the lazy kicks. They go outside, with Cassidy hitting him with a hard clothesline to take over. A nasty Swing into the barricade drops Cassidy again and we take a break.
We come back with Castagnoli missing a charge into the post and falling out to the floor. Cassidy hits a diving tornado DDT but Castagnoli is able to uppercut him out of the air for two. The elbows to the head have Cassidy in trouble but he manages another DDT. The Orange Punch and Beach Break get two as does a hurricanrana to counter the Neutralized. Castagnoli has had it with this though and nails Swiss Death for the pin at 12:24.
Rating: B. Cassidy fighting against a giant is a good way to go and the match went well, with Castagnoli getting to run him over. Castagnoli is someone who can ignite Beast Mode and plow through people and it always works. That’s what we got here, with Castagnoli getting off to a nice start, while Cassidy can still catch up.
Blue League Standings
Jon Moxley – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Claudio Castagnoli – 3 points (3 matches remaining)
Konosuke Takeshita – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Roderick Strong – 0 points (4 matches remaining)
Orange Cassidy – 0 points (3 matches remaining
Mascara Dorada – 0 points (3 matches remaining)
Post match the Death Riders come in for the beatdown but most of the people in the tournament come in for a big brawl. Dorada moonsaults onto a pile on the floor as Kazuchika Okada looks on. The Death Riders are cleared out to end the show.
Overall Rating: B+. This was a themed show, with the focus being almost entirely on the in-ring side of things. That’s where AEW tends to shine and it certainly did here, with four matches kicking off the Continental Classic. The title situation is a huge mess and WAY more complicated than it needs to be, but I can more than settle for some rather awesome wrestling up and down the show.
Results
Kyle Fletcher b. Kazuchika Okada – Rollup
Babes Of Wrath b. Sisters Of Sin – Babe With The Powerbomb to Hart
Jon Moxley b. Mascara Dorada – Choke
Kevin Knight b. Darby Allin – UFO Splash
Claudio Castagnoli b. Orange Cassidy – Swiss Death
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