The main event angle for AEW Dynasty is set. It will be The Devil versus The God of Professional Wrestling for the world title. The match was put into motion on Dynamite (Mar. 25, 2026) when Kenny Omega defeated Swerve Strickland to become #1 contender, then he confronted MJF. The broadcast also included Thekla breaking out brass knuckles in a women’s world title defense, Will Ospreay challenging Jon Moxley, Darby Allin winning a fight with a wrestling move, and more from Roy Wilkins Auditorium in St. Paul, Minnesota.
EVP vs. #1 contender
AEW crafted a two step story to set the Dynasty main event. First, Omega had to earn his shot. He wagered his EVP power against the #1 contender status for Swerve Strickland. They opened the show to set the mood with intensity. Swerve fought dirty with interference from Prince Nana and grabbing referee Aubrey Edwards as a distraction for a mule kick.
Swerve was also dangerous with high-impact moves, such as an avalanche back suplex and a piledriver on top of the barricade.
Omega showed the will of a champion. He kicked out of the Swerve stomp as well as the vertebreaker.
The story of the match was who could pull off the signature finisher. Escapes were ripe from the JML Driver and the One Winged Angel. In the end, Omega baited Swerve for the flying stomp. Omega dodged, rallied, and scored the win off the One Winged Angel. Omega also wins the #1 contendership for the AEW World Championship.
The tension was tight for this big fight. Swerve really poured on the punishment. Enough so that I thought he was going to win on that vertebreaker. I glossed over the highlights, but I want to be clear that Omega had plenty of offense. He knocked Swerve silly with snap dragon suplexes and V-Triggers. This result was a case of Omega being the better wrestler on this evening. I appreciate how this match sets the tone that Omega is back to form and ready to conquer MJF. I still think MJF isn’t losing, but the win over Swerve helps with believing that Omega can get the job done when the time comes for dramatic near falls. Cultivating that type of emotion can get fans hooked into the moment.
The Devil vs. The God
In the middle of Dynamite, MJF graced the ring for a promo. He dressed sharp. MJF took a verbal victory lap as the man that hanged Hangman. he claimed that Texas Death was the easiest match of his career. MJF milked the moment to say that nobody is on the level of the devil.
That’s when Omega chimed in. If MJF is the devil, then it is fitting that the god (of professional wrestling) will be the one to dethrone him. Omega is feeling better than ever in terms of his health of the past few years. He is better than MJF, and MJF knows it. Omega wants his shot at Dynasty. MJF agreed.
This promo exchange was a basic way to set the table for this title feud. The verbal and physical posturing was amusing. MJF sold the trash talk well with his facial expressions. The play on words was a nice touch pairing the nicknames together as a war between the devil and the god.
Dynasty is on April 12. So, what does AEW have planned for Omega and MJF in the meantime? It looks like hints were offered. Mike Bailey applauded Omega’s success, and he requested the first shot when Omega is world champion. The closing line was awkwardly hilarious. The handshake kept shaking, and Omega said that Bailey could let go. This clip cuts off Speedball’s response. It was something like, “I don’t want to,” as if Bailey was starstruck.
I wondered why AEW aired that scene. Ricochet called out Omega. He is tired of seeing wrestlers get handed opportunities for doing the bare minimum. After seeing Ricochet’s promo, it seems like they could set up MJF versus Bailey for TV. It’s only fair that MJF stays active while Omega is as well.
AEW posted Omega’s response on social media. Omega proposed a trios match with Jack Perry and Brody King against the Demand for next week.
Let’s jam through the rest of Dynamite. Catch up on all the details with excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth.
Jon Moxley, Daniel Garcia, & Marina Shafir defeated Top Flight & Zayda Steel. Tony Khan said before the show that he booked this match to get Top Flight on TV in their hometown. With that in mind, the match played out as expected. Top Flight and Steel provided the sizzle to pop the fans, while the Death Riders were rugged in victory. The finish was ruthlessly strategic. Garcia slapped on the Sharpshooter to Darius Martin. I appreciate the detail of Moxley and Shafir playing defense with offense to protect the submission. Once Dante Martin and Steel were put down, Moxley finished the job on Darius with a curb stomp while he was still trapped in the Sharpshooter. Garcia picked up the pin. Also of note, Wheeler Yuta earned jeers with a Busaiku Knee on Christopher Daniels. Boo this man, indeed.
Prior to that trios bout, Will Ospreay called out Moxley for Dynasty. Ospreay also accepted the challenge from PAC for a TV match.
After the trios bout, Moxley was game for the challenge. It looks like the babyface shine has worn off of Moxley for this feud. He claimed that breaking Ospreay’s neck was not personal. Damn! That is such a brazenly sinister thing to say.
“Speedball” Mike Bailey defeated Rocky Romero. Quick match. Bailey wasn’t tested much, and he won via Ultima Weapon. Rocky added Azucar to the match. I agree with Taz. I love when Rocky does this. I also love with Bailey kicked him in the head.
David Finlay & Clark Connors defeated Orange Cassidy & Roderick Strong. The Dogs were vicious. I loved their aggression on offense. The Conglomeration game plan was the usual routine. Cassidy gets beat up, then hot tag to Strong. That part worked, however, the Dogs had an answer for a brutal high low on Strong. They double-teamed Cassidy to finish with a flying spear vertical suplex combo. This maneuver was awesome.
That’s an interesting result to get the Dogs back on the winning track. The victory gives them some bite. This should also cause the Conglomeration duo to retool with a deeper strategy.
AEW Women’s World Championship: Thekla (c) defeated Mina Shirakawa to retain the title. Mina fought with anger, and Thekla dished it right back. In the end, Thekla cheated. She took off her belt as a ploy. The referee confiscated the foreign object, then Thekla pulled brass knuckles out of her top. Swing and a miss. Mina lifted Thekla for a suplex, and that’s when Thekla was able to land the loaded punch to win.
This was such an entertaining match with so much personality. Mina was mean in the ring, as she carried over the rage for whoever attacked Toni Storm. Thekla was great when mocking Mina’s mannerisms and dances. They also shared chemistry on action sequences. This one felt like a big fight, and it should have been the main event. Commentary justified that decision by claiming that Darby Allin and Rush are crazy enough to tear the ring apart, so better to be safe than sorry.
Darby Allin defeated Rush. No count out rules in effect. I praised the women’s bout as the rightful main event. That’s not to downplay this one. Allin versus Rush was action-packed. Rush borrowed a page from Samoa Joe to walk away from Allin’s suicide dive. Allin collided into the barricade. Rush followed up with a belly-to-belly suplex off the apron. One of those spots allowed Allin to bleed from his forehead. Or maybe it was when Rush bit him.
The intensity increased with Allin rallying for a Coffin Drop, a flying dropkick outside, and a Code Red.
The finish came when Allin dodged the Bull’s Horns and caught Rush with a jackknife pin to win. The show closed with a laugh out loud moment. As Allin relaxed in celebration on stage, Mark Davis snatched him for a piledriver. The quickness and power of the surprise attack cracked me up.
Strong win from Allin. Even though Rush lost, he still looked like a boss. Allin was sneaky winning with a wrestling move. I don’t think Rush was expecting that tactic from the daredevil after trading blows back and forth. I use the term ‘trade’ loosely, because Rush comically shed off Allin’s feeble strikes. This match gets Allin back in the groove as a wrestler in the hunt for the world title. The Callis Family attack on behalf of MJF’s money sets the stage for Allin’s next feud. He will likely run through Callis members on the way up to Andrade. It’s interesting to note that Andrade argued with Don Callis about these tactics. He probably wants to beat Allin on his own, not to mention the rivalry brewing between El Idolo and MJF. This could be a way for Andrade to turn face. The people love him with his pants off.
Notes: The AEW World Tag Team Championship picture was in motion. The Young Bucks are coming for the titles. It doesn’t matter who stands in their way.
Adam Copeland and Christian Cage spoke about FTR making bad decisions to throw away the friendship with Cope and piledrive Beth Phoenix. Christian thought it was even more despicable when they hit him for a piledriver.
FTR justified their actions as choosing to dump dead weight. They are living legends. Copeland is a shell of himself and a nostalgia act.
The Divine Dominion accepted tag title rematch from the Babes of Wrath. They will make Willow Nightingale choke on her greed and force Harley Cameron’s optimism to be an illusion.
Kyle Fletcher is looking to get back in the world title picture. He also reached out to Konosuke Takeshita to make sure that there were no sore feelings over ProtOkada. Takeshita was cool. ProtoShita was first. You have to love seeing bros be bros.
Studs of the Show: David Finlay and Clark Connors
The Dogs’ attitude in the ring is riveting. I love the style of throwing their bodies into attacks. That finisher was awesome.
Match of the Night: Thekla vs. Mina Shirakawa
The women fought with fire fitting of the moment.
Grade: B+
The wrestling action carried this episode for me.
Share your thoughts about AEW Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show? Who impressed you the most?
