It’s Wednesday, and you know what that means. Full Gear week is upon us, so we’re back with a three-hour special edition of AEW Dynamite and AEW Collision! Not only do we have Championship defenses, Kenny Omega coming back, and Casino Gauntlet spots up for grabs, but TK has even graced us with THREE women’s matches! So, let’s get underway at Beantown with the AEW Dynamite Recap!!!
We started off the show with the #1 Spot in the Casino Gauntlet at Full Gear with Bald-on-Bald mayhem. This wasn’t their first matchup. Before the match started, Ricobald ran his mouth on the mic for quite some time. The fans cheered when Bobby had had enough and finally applied some ‘hurt’ to him. Ricobald was trying to cheat in order to win, but Bobby sealed the victory with a spear that almost took his head off. I’m glad Bobby had taken the 1st spot at the Casino Gauntlet. I wonder if Shelton would meet him as well in the Gauntlet…
Backstage, Samoa Joe cut a scathing promo towards Hangman. I never thought I’d see the day that Shibata would become a heel. So far, I’m loving it. It fits him so well with his no-nonsense character. And not only does Hangman have to face Shibata tonight, but he also has to overcome Joe in a steel cage at Full Gear. The odds are overwhelmingly against Hangman, and lightning rarely strikes twice when it comes to defeating Joe twice in a row…
Renee was backstage asking the question that we’ve all been pondering…are the Young Bucks going to join the Don Callis Family? Before they could answer, the human hot dog, Don Callis, cut her off. Don has had his head on a swivel (or corndog) on doing what’s best for his family. Never change, Don.
The second match was between Skyflight, Young Bucks, and Josh Alexander. I’m glad TK is finally using Skyflight more often. Also, I think Top Flight vs Young Bucks is always a treat to watch. This felt like a tornado tag match. All six guys were giving some high-octane offense. Josh was trying to be the team captain, but the Bucks weren’t amused. Because of this, there were some miscommunication breakdowns. Late in the match, Top Flight tried to inject some energy, but in the end, Josh stole the victory from the Bucks with an ankle lock on Dante.
Josh is really coming into his own with his heel persona in all his glory. I think he’s a much better heel than he’s been a babyface in the past. I can’t wait until the day that he has a chance to face an opponent 1-on-1 at a PPV. Kenny anyone? Or maybe have him do a good run in the Continental Classic…?
After the match, Don grabbed the mic and put the Bucks on the spot to join the DCF. Will they do it? While Don was applying a ton of pressure, Kenny came out to save the day! He laid out some DCF goons with a steel chair and made a beeline toward Josh Alexander. It’s Josh who injured Nakazawa and Ibushi after all. Kenny was overtaken by Josh, and slimy Don forced the Bucks to show their loyalty to the DCF by giving BTE Trigger. Would they do it? We would never know, as Jurassic Express came out to save Kenny with a shovel and a vacuum cleaner. I love wrestling.
I think the Full Gear 3-on-3 match is going to be amazing!
The third match was for the #2 spot in the Casino Gauntlet with Shelton Benjamin and Speedball Bailey.
The fans were cheering for both guys equally. Speedball had his work cut out for him in this matchup. Not only does Shelton have incredible strength, but he’s also deceptively quick. Bailey was relying heavily on strikes and submission moves, but Shelton had a counter to every move. A highlight of the match was when Shelton landed a thrust kick that almost took Speedball’s head off. There was some confusion with the pin. Wasn’t that a three-count? Was Bailey concussed? Regardless, Shelton wasted no time with a German Suplex and a corner knee strike for the definitive victory.
With Shelton now securing the spot, he will have to face off against Bobby. Now, that will be something interesting, won’t it?
The fourth match was between BaldRiders vs OC and Roderick Strong. Mox has been on a losing streak, and the fans weren’t going to let him forget that. At this point, OC could probably beat him clean.
Roddy and Claudio are just a great matchup. It’s one of those matches you would never get tired of watching. Every time I watch Claudio, I always marvel at how strong he is. He just ragdolls his opponents without breaking a sweat. The match turned into a street fight at one point, as all participants battled in the crowd. And as usual, Mox won with outside interference from Yuta and Garcia. It’s times like these that I get so frustrated with the Death Riders.
Mox continued beating on OC after the match, but Kyle O’ Reilly came out for the save. If there’s anyone who could tap out Mox again, he’s the guy. He didn’t have any plans to let go of his ankle lock.
Kyle called Mox out for a ‘No Holds Barred’ match at Full Gear! Will he accept? (Hint: Yes, it’s on for Full Gear!)
Also, I’ve noticed Kyle has really shone lately in AEW, and his stock is rising. Give him a 1-on-1 with Mox and put him over!
Finally, there’s a women’s match tonight. It was an AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal between “Timeless” Toni and Mina vs Alex Windsor and Riho. I liked how TK set up this match to be even in ability, history, and experience. Mina and Riho, as well as Toni and Alex, have the ability to put on banger matches. The best way I could explain this match was that this…was a well-balanced wrestling sandwich.
Mina and Toni (The Timeless Lovebombs) even came out to a new tag team theme song to boot:
The match was really entertaining with some fun spots. Mina and Toni oozed charisma. I really loved both teams, and I didn’t want either to lose. I think the story of the match was that while Riho and Winzaa had the team chemistry earlier within the match, the Timeless Lovebombs connected with theirs late to secure the victory. It was a well-deserved win, and well over ten minutes to boot!
After the match, TK pulled a fast one and announced a 4-way women’s tag team 4-corners match with the winner securing a stipulation of choice within the semifinal tournament at Full Gear. Sneaky, sneaky, TK. But hey, that means more women’s matches at the PPV, and that’s definitely something to cheer for.
It’s rare to see a Shibata 1-on-1 match these days, so I’m going to let this one soak in. With that being said, we started off hot and fast in this next match with Hangman vs Shibata. Hangman went for the surprise attack, but Shibata focused on his injured McRibs. Joe was doing his best on commentary to antagonize Hanger. I find it hilarious that Joe was trying to gaslight the fans into thinking a low blow was a legal move. We’re not buying it. Hangman pulled a Houdini with his boots and manifested a Buckshot Lariat for the W.
After the match, Hanger grabbed the mic to remind Joe of the pain he’s going to feel at Full Gear. I’m so hyped for this match! To be honest, I think Joe wins with an MJF assist, but hey, I’ll be happy with whatever happens at Full Gear.
As Collision began, we had the second AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Tournament Quarterfinal match of the night between Tayjay vs Megan Bayne and Marina Shafir. The story going into this is that Tayjay were the OG women’s tag team in AEW (which they canonically were!) and they wanted to be the first ones to hold those tag team titles. Megan is also doing record-breaking double duty as she is currently competing in not one, but TWO Tag Team Tournaments at the same time!
Having been both trained in Judoka martial arts, Tay was evenly matched with Marina. And knowing Megan was not at full strength due to travel and other obligations, Anna needed to put on the pressure. In the end, Marina caught Anna with Mother’s Milk for the submission. They’re such a dominant team that it’s not even a fair match. I think they will go all the way to the finals.
So, the 4-way tag match is set at Full Gear…Marina and Megan vs Timeless Lovebombs, vs Babes of Wrath, vs Sisters of Sin. Let’s goooo!
Okada vs Dorada was up next for the Double Jeopardy Match. This was the match I was the most excited for tonight. Okada was trained by Ultimo Dragon, so he knows how to work a Lucha Match. Dorada is one of the top Luchadores today, and he’s barely 24!
As expected, Dorada came into the match with speed and intensity. Okada was in his calm, methodical demeanor that frustrated his opponent. Nonetheless, Dorada had some bright moments. His Tornillo connected as well as a 450 splash. The nasty bump of the night occurred when Dorada attempted a top-rope Spanish fly and Okada caught him with a powerbomb on his neck. That was scary. Okada capitalized on a Rainmaker for his troubles.
After the match, Don made it known that Okada, Hechicero, and Takeshita will challenge Skyteam for the CMLL trios’ championship at the tailgate brawl at Full Gear! Okada was visibly not happy about Takeshita being there.
…yeah, the Continental Classic Finals between Okada and Takeshita can’t come soon enough!!!
The main event was for the ROH Women’s World TV Championship Unification match between Red Velvet vs Mercedes Mone. I’m glad Red Velvet is back. She was having banger matches in ROH before she got injured and had to step away for a while.
Not only was this Red Velvet’s first match back, but she had to do it in front of a hostile crowd. I think Red was evenly matched with Mone. Stat was also out there to add some commentary. The highlight of the match was Mone delivering a devastating second rope long blower for the win.
Seriously, this match was really good, and PROVED ONCE AGAIN why Mercedes Mone is PWI’s #1 Women’s Wrestler of the Year.
After the match, Mone attacked Stat and locked in the Statement Maker. She stood tall to end the show. So, who’s going to win at Full Gear…Staturday or CEO?
Well, that’s the end for this go-home show to Full Gear. What did you guys think of it and my AEW Dynamite Recap? Are you hyped for what’s to come with the PPV and the C2? Leave your comments down below!
AEW Dynamite 11/26/25:
- Continental Classic kicks off!
Countdown to Full Gear:
