Philadelphia has seen a lot of wrestling history, but what went down at the Liacouras Center for AEW Dynasty 2025 felt different. It was heavy. It was loud. Honestly, it was a night where the landscape of All Elite Wrestling shifted in ways that the "internet scouts" didn't exactly see coming. Between Jon Moxley's brutal grip on the top prize and some genuinely heartbreaking betrayals, this wasn't just another Sunday night pay-per-view.
The Main Event: Moxley vs. Swerve II
Jon Moxley is a problem.
That’s basically the only way to describe his current run. Heading into the main event against Swerve Strickland, the atmosphere was electric, but also sort of tense. Swerve had the crowd. He always does. But Moxley had the Death Riders and a mean streak that seems to grow every time he steps through the curtain.
The match itself was a 31-minute war of attrition. They didn't just wrestle; they collided. Swerve looked like he had the momentum after a series of high-impact moves that nearly took Moxley's head off, but the champion is a cockroach in the best possible way—you just can't kill him. Marina Shafir’s presence at ringside loomed large, though Moxley eventually finished it himself. One final, devastating Paradigm Shift later, and Swerve’s dreams of reclaiming the gold in Philly were crushed.
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Moxley remains the king of the mountain. Whether we like it or not.
A Legacy Ends: Bandido Retires "The Learning Tree"
If you were looking for the feel-good moment of the night, this was it, but it came with a side of "end of an era" sadness. Chris Jericho put his ROH World Championship on the line against Bandido’s mask. High stakes? Absolutely.
Jericho tried every trick in the book. He even used a baseball bat while the ref was distracted to get a "phantom" three-count. For a second, the arena went silent. Then, Bandido’s family—who were actually sitting front row—went wild, alerting the officials to the shenanigans. The match restarted, and the momentum swung like a pendulum. Bandido nailed the 21 Plex, and just like that, Jericho's reign was over.
What’s wilder is the fallout. This was officially billed as Chris Jericho's last match in AEW. Seeing him walk away while Bandido celebrated with his mask intact felt like a genuine passing of the torch.
Chaos in the Midcard and Title Shifts
You’ve gotta feel for Daniel Garcia. The kid has the heart of a lion, but Adam Cole is a shark. Their match for the AEW TNT Championship was a masterclass in psychological warfare. Cole didn't just win; he dismantled Garcia's confidence. There was no outside interference allowed, and Cole proved he didn't need it. He's the new TNT Champion, and the "Bay Bay" chants were deafening.
- AEW International Title: Kenny Omega defended against Ricochet and "Speedball" Mike Bailey. This was 31 minutes of pure adrenaline. Omega retained, but the story here was what happened after. Kazuchika Okada showed up. He didn't say a word. He didn't need to. The staredown told us everything we need to know about the summer of 2025.
- The Hurt Syndicate: Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin are still your Tag Team Champions. They bulldozed through Big Bill and Bryan Keith, despite an MJF "sighting" that nearly threw everything into chaos.
- Women’s Division: "Timeless" Toni Storm survived Megan Bayne. It wasn't pretty. Bayne dominated about 80% of that match, rag-dolling the champion with suplexes. But Toni is crafty. She used a desperate inside cradle to steal the win and keep her Hollywood story alive.
The Betrayal Everyone is Talking About
We have to talk about Rated FTR and the Death Riders. This was for the Trios Titles, but it turned into a horror movie.
During the match, everything that could go wrong for the team of Cope, Dax Harwood, and Cash Wheeler did. A collision between Cope and Harwood led to Wheeler Yuta scoring the pin for the Death Riders. But the real story happened when the bells stopped ringing.
Dax Harwood snapped. He leveled Cope with a piledriver, then grabbed chairs. Cash Wheeler looked conflicted for a split second before joining in. They hit the Shatter Machine on a chair and followed it with a Conchairto that left Cope being stretchered out of the building. FTR has gone dark, and the "Rated FTR" experiment is officially dead and buried.
AEW Dynasty 2025: Quick Results at a Glance
For those who just want the bottom line, here is how the card shook out:
The Zero Hour Pre-Show
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- Nick Wayne & CRU (Action Andretti & Lio Rush) def. AR Fox & Top Flight.
- Anthony Bowens def. Max Caster in a 40-second sprint. Yes, 40 seconds.
The Main Card
- Owen Hart Men’s Quarterfinal: Will Ospreay def. Kevin Knight.
- AEW World Tag Titles: The Hurt Syndicate def. The Learning Tree.
- Owen Hart Women’s Quarterfinal: Mercedes Moné def. Julia Hart.
- AEW World Trios Titles: Death Riders def. Rated FTR.
- AEW Women’s World Title: Toni Storm def. Megan Bayne.
- Owen Hart Men’s Quarterfinal: Kyle Fletcher def. Mark Briscoe.
- ROH World Title (Title vs. Mask): Bandido def. Chris Jericho.
- AEW TNT Title: Adam Cole def. Daniel Garcia.
- AEW International Title: Kenny Omega def. Ricochet and Mike Bailey.
- AEW World Title: Jon Moxley def. Swerve Strickland.
What This Means for the Future
Dynasty 2025 wasn't just a pit stop. It set the stage for a very different AEW. With The Young Bucks finally returning from their hiatus later in the night and FTR turning into the most hated men in the company, the tag division is about to get volatile.
The Owen Hart Foundation Tournament is also wide open. Ospreay and Fletcher moving forward sets up a potential "family" conflict down the road that could tear the Don Callis Family apart.
If you're following along, the big takeaway is that the "New Era" isn't just a marketing slogan anymore. Between Jericho leaving and the rise of guys like Bandido and Fletcher, the guard is changing. Watch the next episode of Dynamite closely—the fallout from that FTR betrayal is going to be the focal point of the next three months of television.
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Keep an eye on the Owen Hart brackets as they update throughout the week; the road to Double or Nothing has officially begun.
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