AEW Dynamite: Spring Break Thru was a must watch show this week. There has rightly been a lot of talk about how big of a show this is for AEW, so they needed to make it special and they did exactly that. The focus was appropriately on match quality this week, there is no better way to structure this historic episode than by building it around the aspect that has gotten AEW so far. Mercedes Mone and Athena proved why they are two of the best in the world, in one of the best matches this year. Will Ospreay overcame Konosuke Takeshita once again in one of the best TV matches we’ve seen during the year. While AEW gave us the perfect ending of the Death Riders falling short and losing their Trios Titles. Storytelling was great this week, it would’ve been easy to lose track of the build for Double or Nothing and just fill the show with stuff that didn’t really relate to it. But they did the exact opposite and found a way to continue the build towards the PPV while nicely executing an episode of Dynamite worthy to be called historic. As is normal with AEW, a lot of their storytelling was included in the matches but the one segment they did have was very amusing and added massively to the MJF and Hurt Syndicate storyline. To finish off this review, I wanted to say congratulations to AEW and Tony Khan for getting the company to this stage. It’s just onwards and upwards from here and they are a big reason why Professional Wrestling is on fire right now!
It’s Wrestlemania week, and AEW are about to make history as the longest running weekly-wrestling show in Turner history. There is a great card in store for us today, Mercedes Mone and Athena take part in a dream match. Will Ospreay and Konosuke Takeshita run their Revolution classic back. While Hangman Adam Page faces a wildcard in the Owen Hart Tournament.
PERFECT Mercedes Mone vs Athena – Owen Hart Tournament 2025
We see the phrase ‘dream match’ thrown around a lot in Professional Wrestling today, this is one of those rare occasions where it actually fits the bill and these women rose up to the occasion and more. The match started off with the crowd already hyped before these two locked up, understandable as Mercedes Mone and Athena are two of the best in the world right now. The story told was simple, Mercedes in her hometown didn’t want to be upstaged with the whole world watching. But Athena’s constant willingness to not give up took Mone by surprise, as evident with her standard phenomenal facial expressions. It’s the little things that both women did actually such as their reactions to certain moments, that really elevated this match to the perfection it was. The inseparable chemistry between both women was on full display as well, transitioning into each sequence superbly but not so smoothly that it didn’t feel like a struggle, as a wrestling match should look like. Mone did eventually come out on top though, albeit not without some controversy as she resorted to the normal heel tactics on a roll-up pinfall to get the win.
Result: Mercedes Mone by Pinfall via Roll-Up
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 5.00 Stars
AMAZING Hangman Adam Page vs Josh Alexander – Owen Hart Tournament
The rumours are true and the wild card… is Josh Alexander! He is officially All Elite and it is no more than he deserves. What a fantastic first opponent to have in AEW in Hangman Adam Page as well. These two had what Sheamus would call a banger, we got slower more methodical style that we are used to seeing in Josh’s matches but every move made sense. The commentary team did a great job of telling tidbits of Alexander’s story to the AEW fans that might not be so familiar with him, talking about his major neck injury and the reason he wears a head guard. The finish is what I didn’t personally like, there were other ways to keep Josh looking strong in defeat without doing that finish again. After the match it seems clear that the Walking Weapon will be part of the Don Callis family. I wasn’t too fond of the post-match stuff but it will be interesting to see where it goes.
Result: Hangman Adam Page by Pinfall via Roll-Up
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
AVERAGE The Hurt Syndicate vs Gates of Agony – AEW World Tag Team Titles
This match was placed really well because after two fantastic matches, the crowd needed a bit of a breather. This wasn’t an exceptional match by any stretch, but sometimes matches like this are needed to break up the card a bit. The Hurt Syndicate looked very strong and the crowd love Lashley and Benjamin.
Result: The Hurt Syndicate by Pinfall
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 2.75 Stars
GREAT Hurt Syndicate and MJF Segment
MJF continued his quest to become a member of the Hurt Syndicate. This time to try and entice Lashley and Benjamin, Max brought out some women for them to have a “good time with.” Shelton was struggling to concentrate, but once he finally did he still gave MJF a thumbs down. This whole storyline has been great honestly, MJF has been gold in this role and it has shown us a new side of Bobby and Shelton as well.
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 3.75 Stars
MUST WATCH Will Ospreay vs Konosuke Takeshita – Owen Hart Tournament 2025
After their Revolution match from last year, I was absolutely on the edge of my seat from the get go on this one. Wow what a tremendous display of athleticism, Konosuke Takeshita has some of the most mind-boggling strength I’ve seen in wrestling. This guy never ceases to amaze me, and well Will Ospreay I’ve spoken about more than enough times. One of the greatest in-ring performers of his generation. Will winning this one was the correct decision. He is starting to push towards the AEW World Title now, so this win over someone as established as Takeshita does a lot for him. In Takeshita’s case, taking a loss here makes a lot of sense for him as he continues to go on a bit of a downward spiral after losing his title to Kenny Omega. There was one minor thing I really didn’t like in this match, but it stopped me from giving it 5 Stars was the kick outs at 1. The Ospreay one made sense, but the one after the Hidden Blade wasn’t necessary.
Result: Will Ospreay by Pinfall
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 4.75 Stars
AMAZING Death Riders vs The Opps – AEW Trios Titles
AND NEW! Probably the best way they could’ve ended this episode of Dynamite. Was it the best match of the night? Nope, but it gave the fans a heart-warming moment to finish off a historic episode of Dynamite. The match as I said wasn’t outstanding by any means, but the storyline moment of the Death Riders getting their first notch on their armour was worth the ending alone. The locker room came out to celebrate in the ring afterwards, which showed to be a perfect way to finish the show.
Result: The Opps by Submission via Sleeper Hold
Archie Carter WR Star Rating: 4.00 Stars
Overall…
AEW Dynamite: Spring Break Thru was a must watch show this week. There has rightly been a lot of talk about how big of a show this is for AEW, so they needed to make it special and they did exactly that. The focus was appropriately on match quality this week, there is no better way to structure this historic episode than by building it around the aspect that has gotten AEW so far. Mercedes Mone and Athena proved why they are two of the best in the world, in one of the best matches this year. Will Ospreay overcame Konosuke Takeshita once again in one of the best TV matches we’ve seen during the year. While AEW gave us the perfect ending of the Death Riders falling short and losing their Trios Titles. Storytelling was great this week, it would’ve been easy to lose track of the build for Double or Nothing and just fill the show with stuff that didn’t really relate to it. But they did the exact opposite and found a way to continue the build towards the PPV while nicely executing an episode of Dynamite worthy to be called historic. As is normal with AEW, a lot of their storytelling was included in the matches but the one segment they did have was very amusing and added massively to the MJF and Hurt Syndicate storyline. To finish off this review, I wanted to say congratulations to AEW and Tony Khan for getting the company to this stage. It’s just onwards and upwards from here and they are a big reason why Professional Wrestling is on fire right now!
Matches: 1/1 Stars
Show Structure: 1/1 Stars
Atmosphere/Crowd/Commentary: 0.75/1 Stars
Storytelling: 0.5/1 Stars
Production/Theme: 0.75/1 Stars
Overall Rating: 4/5 Stars
Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling
For inquiries about the rating criteria check out the article announcing the new system here
