By Jake Barnett, ProWrestling.net Co-Senior Staffer (@jakebarnett)
AEW Dynamite (Episode 323)
December 10, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia, at Gateway Center Arena
Simulcast live on TBS and HBO Max
Ring entrances started the show for the Women’s Tag Tournament Finals. First out was Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa, followed by WIllow Nightingale and Harley Cameron.
1. Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa vs. Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron for the AEW Women’s Tag Team Championships: Willow and Harley weathered jumped out to an early advantage, sending both Storm and Shirakawa to the floor in the early going…[c]
Willow and Harley maintained the advantage during the break, but Storm and Mina started their comeback quickly after the show returned. Mina wrenched on the knee of Cameron before applying a figure four. Harley reversed the pressure, and then both Toni and Willow got involved. Willow placed Toni in an Indian Deathlock, and eventually both Mina and Willow released their holds. Mina managed to land a DDT on Cameron, and then Storm landed Storm Zero. Willow was forced to break up the pinfall, and she then delivered a suplex to Storm on the floor.
Mina delivered a spinning backfist to Harley in the ring. She then went for the Glorious Driver, but Harley avoided it and delivered a reverse neckbreaker. She then made a desperation tag to Nightingale, who entered the ring and delivered a sitout powerbomb on Shirakawa and got the victory.
The Babes of Wrath defeated Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa to become the AEW Women’s Tag Team Champions
After the match, Renee Paquette interviewed the winners. Willow said she was proud of Harley Cameron, and said it had been a tough year for her in not knowing who she could trust. Harley then said had her second ever match with Willow and was incredibly honored to be her partner. They fired up the crowd with some chants. Toni and Mina then entered the ring and shared hugs and handshakes with the new Champions.
Backstage, Samoa Joe addressed Eddie Kingston and told him that his time has come. He said he had been asking for weeks, and now it was time to receive. Joe said Eddie mentioned Joe as a Champion of the Indies, but that version of him was just a beautiful idea. The real Joe was going to beat his ass tonight, and would show him the reality of what this industry actually is…[c]
My Take: A solid opening match with what I would consider the right finish. Toni and Mina will gain far less from the titles than Willow and Harley will, but the question remains whether or not they would have been better off chasing than holding the titles right out of the gate. Hopefully their first feud defending the titles is a memorable one.
Elsewhere backstage, Jon Moxley said that his back is increasingly against the wall in the Continental Classic. He said what he’s proven over and over again is that no matter how much sand is left in the hour glass, he can still score, so go ahead and count him out. He called them the hungriest group of men in wrestling today. Daniel Garcia popped up and said that they wake up every day and choose to win, and that’s why they are the hungriest and most dangerous group of men in wrestling today.
In the ring, Jack Perry made his ring entrance. He is replacing an injured Darby Allin in the Continental Classic tournament, and also inheriting his point total of zero. He was followed by Kazuchika Okada.
2. Kazuchika Okada (3) vs. Jack Perry (0) in a Gold League Continental Classic Match: Perry was fired up in the early going and sent Okada to the floor immediately. He then threw Okada into the barricade and in the ring steps. Okada reversed an Irish whip and sent Perry into the barricade, but he recovered quickly and landed a dropkick. Back in the ring, Perry landed a diving elbow from the top rope for a two count. Okada recovered and took the action back to the outside. He threw Perry hard into the barricade, and he ended up going over the top into the audience. Okada then followed up with a draping DDT using the apron for assistance…[c]
Okada got the better of a strike battle as the show returned. Perry landed a desperation lariat and both men ended up down on the mat. He followed up with a German Suplex after an awkward transition in the corner. Perry made a cover for a two count. Okada responded with his vertical drop neckbreaker and an elbow from the top rope. He then flashed a middle finger to the crowd and then delivered a big dropkick. Perry fired back with a running knee strike a moment later for a close near fall.
He then went for a Snare Trap, but Okada broke the hold by biting Perry’s hand. Okada went for a tombstone piledriver, but Perry apparently bit him in the crotch to escape. Perry then applied a Snare Trap, but Okada was able to reach the ropes and fled the ring. Okada tried to retrieve a chair from ringside, but Perry stopped him. Back in the ring, Okada landed a lariat, and then held into wrist control. Perry escaped and went for another running knee strike, but Okada avoided it and delivered a Rainmaker for the win.
Kazuchika Okada (6) defeated Jack Perry (0) by pinfall at 13:14
After the match, Don Callis brought more of the crew down to the ring. Rocky Romero had one of the duffel bags full of money. Callis grabbed a microphone and tried to convince Perry that he made a bad choice by offering the Young Bucks money, and should have given it to him instead. He said Perry lacks focus and a team of athletes around him, and offered him a spot in the Don Callis Family, along with a signing bonus out of the duffel bag of cash.
He demanded an answer, and reminded him that he was outnumbered. Callis said if he didn’t answer, he would “cut his strings and put him in a chair”. Perry said that for the second time tonight, he would be biting off more than he could chew. Luchasaurus ran down to the ring, The Young Bucks then snuck up from behind Callis Family with chairs and went to work on them. They then delivered a BTE Trigger to Okada. The Bucks took the duffel bag from Don Callis, and Takeshita ended up taking a superkick for him after diving in front of him. The Bucks and Jurassic Express stood tall to close the segment.
Elsewhere, The Conglomeration celebrated with Willow Nightingale and Mina Shirakawa. We then got a video package focusing on Mercedes Mone’s recent crisis of confidence following her losses to Kris Statlander and Red Velvet…[c]
My Take: It’s too bad Darby Allin was forced out of the tournament due to injury, but Perry did a nice job filling in. The match was a little rough around the edges at times, but they pulled it together down the stretch. The post match segment was well received by the crowd, but I can’t help but feel like the Callis Family is just the same bit over and over again, and it’s starting to run on fumes.
Eddie Kingston was interviewed by Renee Paquette. He said he hoped to make Terry Funk proud, as today was the 50th Anniversary of him winning the world title. He shouted out his Mom and Dad, and told Samoa Joe to get ready because he wasn’t going to make it easy on him. In the arena, Tony Schiavone brought out Mark Briscoe for an interview. He asked Briscoe about his title defense against Daniel Garcia on Collision.
Briscoe called out his haters who never believed he could win the big one, and said staying a champion is a whole different ballgame. Before they could say too much, Wheeler Yuta and Daniel Garcia walked out and told him he had fewer teeth than children. Garcia got in the ring and said everything about him was sad. He then told Briscoe that he would leave Saturday as a two time TNT Champion, and Briscoe would have to figure out how to feed his family with a broken leg.
They went tight face to face, and Briscoe told Garcia that he had an ass whipping coming his way on TNT, but they were on TBS tonight, and it would be a shame to deprive the people of Atlanta the same. Garcia tried to attack, but was held back by his crew. Backstage, the Triangle of Madness were brawling backstage while calling out Kris Statlander. She eventually showed up with a chair, and ran them off. Statlander called them cowards for running away.
Back in the arena, Opps members Katsuyori Shibata and Powerhouse Hobbs made their entrance. They were followed by Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland, who entered the arena through the crowd with chains around their necks. Opps Dojo members attacked Swerve and Hangman, but they laid waste to them. Shibata and Hobbs the brought weapons into the crowd, and the brawl started before the bell could ring.
They brawled into the concourse, where Swerve choked Shibata with a chain. Hobbs drank from two beers and poured them over the back of Page. Shibata returned fire and sent Sweve over a table. Hangman put Hobbs through a table with a Death Valley Driver. Shibata placed Swerve on a chair and then backed up to deliver a running kick to the chest….[c]
My Take: Hangman and Swerve really brought the crowd to life. It was the first time on the show anybody got what felt like a Superstar reaction.
3. Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page vs. Powerhouse Hobbs and Katsuyori Shibata in a Tornado Tag Match: The match began with Hangman and Hobbs in the ring. The ref confiscated a chair from Hangman, and Hobbs was able to take control with some strikes and a big body slam. Shibata joined in the attack and they performed some double team suplexes and strikes on Page. Swerve finally rejoined the fight and the tables were turned pretty quickly.
Hangman and Hobbs spilled to the floor as Swerve and Shibata battled in the ring. Swerve delivered a diving back elbow from the second rope and then taunted Shibata. He backed into a corner and set up for a House Call, but Hobbs pulled Swerve out to the floor. Shibata avoided a buckshot lariat and delivered a low blow to page. He then went for a cross armbreaker, but Swerve came off the top with a double stomp to break up the hold.
Hangman and Swerve took control of the match and took down Shibata. They shared an intense staredown and then went to the outside to powerbomb Hobbs through a table. Hangman then delivered a Buckshot Lariat to Shibata, and Swerve followed up with a House Call Kick and got the win.
Swerve Strickland and Hangman Page defeated The Opps at 7:11
After the match, Josh Alexander was shown watching the match backstage. He will face Swerve Strickland on Saturday’s Collision. Elsewhere, Don Callis demanded his money back from The Young Bucks, and told them he could take them to court, but would prefer to get his pound of flesh. Callis issued a challenge for a six man match in Manchester, with the winners getting the million dollars…[c]
My Take: Instead of another Don Callis promo, I would have rather heard from Swerve and Hangman about what they are doing next. They are out to get revenge on Joe, but the level of urgency isn’t what I would have expected.
Stokely Hathaway gave an interview backstage, and said the television camera is an addiction, and it causes people to think they are great and deserving of TV Time and Championships. He then said next week on Dynamite, Austin Gunn and Juice Robinson would cure them of that addiction when they beat them, and they would return to the back of the line and the back of the division where they belong. In the arena, Mike Bailey made his ring entrance, followed by Kyle Fletcher.
4. Kyle Fletcher (6) vs. Speedball Mike Bailey (0) in a Gold League Continental Classic Match: Bailey got off to a good start by using his speed and making frequent pinfall attempts. Fletcher bailed to the outside to regroup. After returning to the ring, Fletcher took control with some heavy strikes and stomps. Bailey fired back a hurracarrana through the ropes and to the floor. He then followed up with a top rope cross body, but Fletcher caught him and drove him into the bat with a backbreaker and uranage back to back.
Bailey fired back with a series of kicks, but whiffed on a shooting star press. Bailey low bridged Fletcher to the floor and then followed up with a springboard tornillo. Fletcher fled to create some space, and then caught Bailey with a kick as he charged after him. Both men ended up on top of the barricade, where Fletcher picked up Bailey and slammed him onto the railing…[c]
Both men were on the apron, and Bailey delivered a double knee drop onto Fletcher. Bailey sold his back after taking the slam on the barricade before the break. He set up for a Flamingo Driver out of the corner, but Fletcher dropped it. Bailey delivered a hurracarrana from the top rope, and Fletcher got his feet up on a Shooting Star Press. Fletcher followed up by tossing Bailey like a dart into the corner and a powerbomb for a close near fall.
After they got to their feet, they had a chop battle that turned into a kick battle. After a series of impressive reversals, Bailey got a close near fall after a powerbomb reversal into a hurracarrana. Bailey got another near fall after a headkick. He then delivered the time adventure kick for a 2.9 near fall. They traded kicks back and forth, and Bailey got the better of it. Bailey then delivered the Ultimate Weapon from the second rope, and Fletcher kicked out again.
He went for another Ultimate Weapon on the floor, but came up with nothing. Fletcher then delivered a running kick and a brainbuster in the ring for another 2.9 fall. After another impressive series of reversals, Bailey managed to trap both the arm and legs of Fletcher with a roll up and scored a major victory.
Mike Bailey (3) defeated Kyle Fletcher (6) at 19:31
Kevin Knight ran down to the ring to congratulate Speeball on the victory. Backstage, Hangman Page addressed Samoa Joe and told him he would be watching tonight. He said no matter who won tonight, at World’s End, he was coming for his World Championship…[c]
My Take: A top tier tournament match from Bayley and Fletcher. You can’t really ask for much more from a TV match, and upsets are just fun payoffs in these situations. I was glad to hear Hangman say he was going after the world title at World’s End. He should be a man with murderous intent and revenge on his mind after how the title was taken from him.
Backstage, Luchasaurus was asked to be the Young Bucks partner for their trios match next week against the Don Callis family. He declined, and pointed to Kenny Omega’s locker room. They knocked on Omega’s door and asked him. He said he’d do it for free, and addressed Callis through the camera and told him all his precious money would be gone next week. Omega then said it would be the Elite back together next week in Manchester.
In the arena, Eddie Kingston made his ring entrance for the main event. He was followed by AEW World Champion Samoa Joe.
5. Samoa Joe (w/ Hook) vs. Eddie Kingston for the AEW World Championship: Hook was ejected from ringside in the opening minute for attempting to get involved. Kingston grabbed a side headlock, but Joe fired back with a backdrop suplex. Joe followed up with some jabs and an elbow strike. Eddie managed to fire back with a running bulldog…[c]
Eddie dropped Joe with an uppercut and followed up with some kicks to the back. Joe got to his feet and they traded strikes. Eddie delivered a big lariat to get the better of the exchange. Joe fired back with a Uranage from the corner. He then followed up with a back elbow and a series of kicks in the corner. Eddie started a comeback, but Joe shut him down quickly with a powerslam. Eddie managed to land an exploder suplex and covered for a near fall.
Joe quickly recovered and delivered another slam. He applied an STF, but Eddie broke the hold by biting the thumb. Eddie followed up with a DDT, but Joe rolled to the floor. Joe avoided a backfist and applied the Coquina Clutch. Eddie fought the hold briefly, but tapped out just before he passed out.
Samoa Joe defeated Eddie Kingston to retain the AEW World Championship at 13:02
After the match, Joe celebrated briefly before heading to the back. Excalibur ran through the card for next week’s episode of Dynamite in Manchester. The Elite vs. The Don Callis Family and an AEW Dynamite Diamond Ring Battle Royal will be featured.
My Take: A solid match to end the show with a fairly predictable outcome. Eddie Kingston is still rebuilding the connection with live crowds coming off of his return from injury, and maybe the betrayal from Hook and this loss to Joe will be the adversity he needs to get fired up and return to form.
“A top tier tournament match from Bayley and Fletcher.”
I didn’t know Mike Bailey had gotten together with Pam Martinez, Jake! (LOL)