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AEW DYNAMITE TAPING REPORT
FEBRUARY 12, 2025
AUSTIN, TEXAS AT HEB CENTER
REPORT BY BRIAN ZILEM PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR
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[HOUR ONE]
-Max Caster’s Ppen Challenge opens the show. Caster received a lot of heat to start the show. Loud “You suck!” and “Shut the F— up!” chants. Hangman was the challenger and received a superstar reaction.
(1) MAX CASTER vs. “HANGMAN” ADAM PAGE
Caster ran through the crowd, and Hangman chased him back into the ring. Caster hit some cheap shots in, but Hangman was behind Caster, giving him a clothesline and beating him pillow to post. Hangman hit the Buckshot Lariat to secure the pinfall victory.
WINNER: Hangman Adam Page in 1:00.
(Brian’s Thoughts: Superstar reaction from Page, and it’s very clear at this point that Hangman is going full babyface.
(2) DEATH RIDERS vs. THE UNDISPUTED KINGDOM (Adam Cole & Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong)
Cole got a good reaction from the crowd. Undisputed Kingdom jumped the Death Riders right after the bell rang. All six men brawled on the outside. Strong nailed Claudio with a dropkick against the guardrail. The crowd chanted, “Yuta sucks!” Cole hit a neckbreaker on Yuta for a near fall. It takes a while for the match to get going. There was a Strong heat segment that lasted for ages. Cole finally got the hot tag, and he ran wild. The Undisputed Kingdom got two good nearfalls as the match finally found its grove. Castagnoli brought in a chair, which distracted the official. The distraction allowed enough time for Yuta to hit O’Reilly with a low blow into a cradle to secure the pinfall and retain the Trio’s titles.
WINNERS: Death Riders retain the Trio’s titles at 17:07.
(Brian’s Thoughts: The finish was something to be desired. I don’t understand why the match had to go 17 minutes and end in a low-blow finish.
-Hangman interrupted MJF when she was with Renee Paquette. MJF said he would become a two-time champion before Page after the two engaged in a back-and-forth.
(3) SAMOA JOE & HOOK & SHIBATA vs. AARON SOLO & JON CRUZ & ROSARIO GRILLO
WINNERS: Samoa Joe Hook And Shibata at 1:45.
(Brian’s Thoughts: Joe is the nucleus that makes this trio sound.)
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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-After the match, Joe referred to their team as “The Ops.” Next week’s show will feature a trios match against the Patriarchy.
-Bandido was given a “showdown” challenge by Chris Jericho; they both met in the ring, moving backward as though they were in a Western. Bandido ended up being jumped by Bryan Keith. Big Bill tried to choke Bandido, but Powerhouse Hobbs stepped in and stopped him.
(Brian’s Thoughts: A very convoluted way to get Bill and Hobbs to interact again.)
-Adam Copeland and Jay White steal Jon Moxley’s briefcase away from him.
(4) MJF vs. DUSTIN RHODES
Dustin hit a power slam on MJF and stomped him into the corner. MJF rolled out to regain the momentum. MJF worked over Dustin’s right arm to set up the Salt of the Earth submission. MJF hit Gold Dust punches in the corner, and Dustin powered up and hit a running powerbomb on MJF. Dustin laid in 9 punches and gave MJF the Goldust gesture, then hit the Final Punch. MJF hit a top rope stomp to work off Dustin’s right arm. MJF teased a cross, Rhodes, but Dustin counter-to-hit Cross Rhodes on his own. MJF kicked out. Dustin went for final Reckoning, but MJF countered with a cradle pin for a near fall. Dueling chants of “MJF” and “Dustin” broke out.
MJF brought a chair into the ring to stomp on Dustin’s right arm. The official removed the chair. While the official back was turned, Dustin hit the Shatter Dreams. Dustin followed with a code red for a close near fall. MJF hit the Final Reckoning and got a near-fall MJF locked in the Salt of the earth. The crowd cheered on Dustin to get to the ropes. MJF switched positions to lock in cross-face to make Dustin pass out
WINNER: MJF Viva official stoppage at 11:36.
(Brian’s Thoughts: Sometimes the simple things are the best. MJF being able to focus on a body part, sell properly throughout, and still come out of the match looking like a top star shows me the range has developed over the past few years.)
-After the match, MJF attacked Dustin after the bell, and Page came down for the save. MJF and Hangman both stared each down, and it was on. A massive pile of security guards jumped into the ring to break the fight. MJF and Hangman get pulled up and then brawl through the crowd. Both men tease like they will drop the other off a guardrail from the upper section of the arena. Security breaks them up again. MJF grabbed a mic and talked trash, and Page came out again, and they were out again. MJF bailed, and Page drilled a security guard with a buckshot as Page stood tall in the ring.
(Brian’s Thoughts: A good brawl is hard to book, yet somehow, Hangman and MJF can raise their level with each pullapart. Their feud hasn’t even started, but it’s already great!)
-In a backstage promo featuring Prince Nana and Swerve Strickland, Swerve stated that he and Ricochet were far from finished. Nana urged Strickland to overlook it. Swerve claimed that he couldn’t because he lost the world title the last time he did.
(5) MEGAN BAYNE vs. MAYA WORLD
WINNER: Megan Bayne in 01:53
(Brian’s Thoughts: Bayne is a future star in waiting.)
Post-match, Bayne bumped into Statlander as she made her way to ring.
(6) KRIS STATLANDER vs. PENELOPE FORD
WINNER: Kris Statlander in 08:46
(Brian’s Thoughts: Good chemistry from both women. The crowd was very into Statlander.)
-After the match, Bayne attacked Statlander after the match.
-Harley Cameron performed a CEO rap with the Mercedes Mone puppet but then sat down, got serious, and said she would win the TBS Championship this Saturday in Australia.
(7) THE HURT SYNDICATE (Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin w/MVP) vs. THE GUNNS (Austin & Colten Gunn) – AEW World Tag Team Championship match
There were Dueling chants from the crowd as the bell rang. We hurt people and guns up. Lashley flipped Austin to the ground as if he was a small child. Shelton flipped Austin in the air as he was a pancake. Benjamin worked over Austin to get the heat. He backed Austin into a corner and chopped him in the chest. Bobby lifted Austin for a 20-second suplex and got a near-fall. Dueling chant again for Guns up, and we hurt people. Austin hit a jumping neckbreaker on Benjamin, but Bobby took out Colten. Austin finally got the tag to his brother, and he ran wild. Colten went for a roll-up, but Benjamin flipped into an ankle Lock. The Gunns hit a shatter machine for a near fall match broke down. Benjamin hit a running knee and followed up Lashley’s spear to secure the pinfall victory and retain the AEW Tag Team Titles.
WINNERS: The Hurt Syndicate retain the AEW Tag Team Titles in 9:52
(Brian’s Thoughts: All killer, no filler here. The Gunns were a great first opponent for the newly crowned tag team champions. Everyone loves The Hurt Syndicate. There was a small child near my row who couldn’t have been older than the age of five, chanting we hurt people. Which is why pivoting this group as baby faces is the way to go at this stage.)
-Post-match, the Murder Machines came down the ramp to stare down the Hurt Syndicate.
-Cope brought the briefcase to the ring with Jay White. Cope threatened to attack the suitcase with Spike, a baseball bat loaded with nails, if Moxley refused to accept his challenge for Revolution. Moxley said he would break Cope’s neck if he accepted the bout. Together with Spike, Cope attacked the briefcase. Cope and White prevailed despite the Death Riders appearing in the ring. Meanwhile, Marina Shafir retrieved the briefcase.
FINAL THOUGHTS: It was a fun show to attend live. Texas crowds are a great cheat code. MJF vs. Hangman Page felt like this would be a tremendous and needed feud for AEW. However, I found the Death Riders segment a bit too wacky for my liking.
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