AEW: Dynasty 2025 Preview

DYNASTY 2025 is upon us! Tonight All Elite Wrestling returns to Philadelphia and the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University for a huge pay-per-view event featuring seven championship matches, including AEW World Champion Jon Moxley versus Swerve Strickland, AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm taking on Megan Bayne, and AEW International Champion Kenny Omega facing both Ricochet and Speedball Mike Bailey! Plus, The Death Riders will put their AEW World Trios Titles on the line against Rated FTR, TNT Champion Daniel Garcia meets Adam Cole for a third time with the championship on the line, The Hurt Syndicate will defend their AEW World Tag Titles against Learning Tree's Big Bill and Bryan Keith, and Bandido challenges Chris Jericho for the ROH World Title with his mask on the line! We will also see the 2025 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament get underway when Will Ospreay takes on Kevin Knight and it's Kyle Fletcher/Mark Briscoe IV in Men's Quarterfinal match-ups! Plus TBS Champion Mercedes Moné faces former TBS Champion Julia Hart in the first Women's Quarterfinal bout!

DYNASTY 2025 begins at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on Triller, Prime Video, PPV.com, and more, with the ZERO HOUR getting underway at 6:30 p.m. ET! Be sure to catch the post-show Media Scrum after the event, then join All Elite Wrestling in Baltimore at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena on Wednesday night to experience the aftermath of DYNASTY 2025!

AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP...

The Death Riders' Jon Moxley(c) vs. Swerve Strickland

One year ago in St. Louis, MO Swerve Strickland claimed the AEW World Championship for the first time when he defeated Samoa Joe at the inaugural DYNASTY event. The road to get there was fraught with violence, littered with the bodies of those Swerve used and abused along the way, and at the time he said everything he did to get there was worth the cost. It was an historic moment not just because it was Swerve's first World Championship, but also because it made him the first black World Champion in AEW history. Perhaps the weight of that moment is what slowly made a change in the man from the ruthless Mogul who used up Gates of Agony, Brian Cage, and AR Fox along the way, just to name a few, to the man fighting for the soul of All Elite Wrestling here tonight. 

Perhaps it was having his dream shattered by “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson at ALL IN: LONDON 2025 that gave Swerve a sense of what he did to get where he is, or perhaps it was what happened when he and Hangman Page met inside the Steel Cage at ALL OUT 2024. Whatever flipped the switch in Swerve Strickland didn't change his aspirations or goals. His desire to reclaim the World Championship has remained resolute since he left Wembley, but we've seen a shift in how he's gone about this goal the last eight months. When his relationship was Prince Nana was put into question by MVP and The Hurt Syndicate, Swerve stood fast by a man he considers family no matter what MVP had to say about it, or what Bobby Lashley did to him because of it. He made peace with AR Fox after their January 22nd match, and even though Swerve's issues with Ricochet were initiated by him if we are being honest, when Ricochet made it deeply personal by absconding with Prince Nana's signature robe, Swerve stepped up defend his family once again. It was by settling that issue with Ricochet at REVOLUTION 2025 that Swerve earned this shot at the AEW World Championship, but perhaps the most shocking part of Swerve's growth this last year was hearing the words Strickland spoke to Hangman Page in the video embedded above; it's unfortunate that Page walked away before that moment got any more complicated, but perhaps even more so that The Death Riders used it as an opportunity to assault the #1 Contender.

After all these months it shouldn't come as a shock to anyone that Jon Moxley and his soldiers used Swerve's distraction to gain an advantage. The AEW World Champion may as well take on Cope's old “Ultimate Opportunist” moniker as his own with how many times we've seen him use every advantage he can find, or create, to insure the AEW World Title remains inside that briefcase. Most often it has been the numbers advantage The Death Riders have held over every person who has challenged Mox for his crown, but even when Cope seemingly took that all away ahead of REVOLUTION 2025, Mox found a way to leave Los Angeles with championship reign intact.

Of course Mox didn't get very far before Swerve Strickland came crashing into his world at the conclusion of that pay-per-view extravaganza. Swerve was the unquestionable #1 Contender, but he had to wait until the conclusion of Cope and Moxley's World Championship Street Fight to see who he'd have to face at DYNASTY 2025. Once again it was the sheer numbers of The Death Riders that turned the tide of Moxley and officially set-up Moxley/Swerve II for the AEW World Championship tonight in Philadelphia!

It's been 480 days since the last time Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland went one-on-one, with Mox winning that 2023 Continental Classic Gold League bout, and 466 days since the last time they shared a ring at all when they battled it out with Jay White in the Three-Way Gold League Final. Moxley was victorious that night too, only it was Jay White who he defeated to advance to WORLDS END 2023. It's only now, with the World Championship and the future of All Elite Wrestling hanging in the balance, that their paths reconverge nearly one year since Swerve last laid claim to the title. It didn't take long for things to get violent between Mox and Swerve, and the assault perpetrated on Swerve Wednesday night was no doubt intended to serve as a warning of what awaits him in Philadelphia.

Clearly Swerve didn't get the message that the powerbomb on glass was supposed to dissuade him from this title fight. In fact the end result of it seemed to fire up Swerve for this fight, and words he shared with the fans in Peoria after the cameras went off the air further illustrated that fact. It wasn't the first bit of the old ultraviolence that Swerve has experienced in AEW, much less in his larger career - after all a decade ago the man wrestled in a Panes of Glass match! Swerve is willing to go through any kind of hell Moxley can dish out to reignite his Dynasty Era, willing to go through every Death Rider put in his way, willing to bleed it out on that stage if that's what it takes to become a 2-Time AEW World Champion! 

However Philadelphia hasn't been the kindest to Swerve over the course of his career. The only time he fought an AEW match here he fell to Darby Allin while trying to claim a spot in the 2022 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, but he has won gold in the City of Brotherly Love before. Moxley has had plenty of wars of his own in Philly over the years, and even successfully defended titles at that famous South Philly Arena against foes such as the late Brodie Lee and “The Notorious 187” Homicide, to name a few.  When it comes to AEW he's 2-2 in Philly since 2019, and for those who believe a competitor's history in a city can play a part in their present, well then there's another advantage for Jon Moxley's side of the ring.

Swerve Strickland has a lot to overcome if he hopes to reclaim the World Championship for himself and for All Elite Wrestling, but he's made a career out of overcoming and perhaps that makes him the man who will finally end The Death Riders' stranglehold over the AEW World Title! 

AEW WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP...

“Timeless” Toni Storm(c) vs. Megan Bayne 

“Timeless” Toni Storm should've been on a high after defeating Mariah May at REVOLUTION 2025 and earning her Hollywood Ending. Instead she found herself laying at the feet of Megan Bayne on the AEW stage, knocked loopy by Bayne's shadowy attack, while the world was quite clear on just what Bayne's intentions were for All Elite Wrestling. See Bayne had a brief sting in AEW several years ago, just a trio of matches between 2021 and 2022, but she returned to the stage as part of the GRAND SLAM: AUSTRALIA Casino Gauntlet on January 15th and had quite the impressive showing prior to Toni Storm winning the battle by pinning Julia Hart. The time away had honed Megan Bayne into a dominating force inside the squared circle, and though she didn't have much to say to AEW cameras or her opponents, Bayne's actions spoke quite loudly.

Since that Casino Gauntlet Bayne has won seven consecutive matches, including two over former TBS Champion Kris Statlander and one over former AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa. She's also dominated Toni Storm at every turn, leaving the champion laying with Fate's Descent multiple times, including one week ago on COLLISION. We've seen Bayne take the usually devastating running Hip Attack from “The Timeless One” and shrug it off with a wry grin on her face. Though Storm has overcome threats ranging from Mariah May to Deonna Purrazzo to Mina Shirakawa to Taya Valkyrie to Hikaru Shida over the course of her cumulative 473 days as Women's World Champion, she's never faced an athlete like Megan Bayne across those four title reigns. As tough as “The Timeless One” has shown herself to be, a foe may have found her who possesses attributes Toni cannot overcome. After everything Toni Storm endured to get back to the spotlight she stands in now, are we about to watch the curtain close on her starring role?

AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP...

“The Cleaner” Kenny Omega(c) vs. Ricochet vs. Speedball Mike Bailey

For Kenny Omega that curtain seemed closed many, many months ago when he was fighting a battle with diverticulitis that not only could've ended his career, but could've ended his life. Instead Omega fought his way back to health, fought his way back to the ring at WRESTLE DYNASTY 2025 where he beat Gabe Kidd, and fought his way back to All Elite Wrestling when he stepped between the ropes for his first AEW match in 13 months on January 15th. Ever since that victory over “The Machine” Brian Cage, Omega has put the pedal to the floor without hesitation, which culminated in victory over “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita at REVOLUTION 2025 and the AEW International Championship! It was a victory that made “The Cleaner” the first Grand Slam champion in AEW's history and a monumental moment in the comeback of one of AEW's founding fathers. Yet Omega says he wants more, that he wants to earn back his “Best Bout Machine” moniker and be the best version of himself he can possibly be. Perhaps he even has designs on reclaiming the AEW World Championship he lost at FULL GEAR 2021, but this is all a process and tonight the next step in that is retaining the International Title when his first defense is against two of the finest professional wrestlers on the planet!

Ricochet had his sights set on challenging for the AEW World Championship tonight, but Swerve Strickland put an end to that ambition in their #1 Contender Match at REVOLUTION 2025. Fortunately for him another door opened up after that one closed in the form of the REVOLUTION International Championship Eliminator Tournament and Ricochet managed to escape Kastuyori Shibata with a victory via rope-leveraged pin.

Fans knew Speedball Mike Bailey was on his way to All Elite Wrestling - they'd seen the introductory video several weeks before - but it was still a wonderful surprise when he walked onto AEW stage to fight The Beast Mortos in the Qualifying Round of the Eliminator Tournament! Though it was a tough battle, Speedball showed the AEW faithful why he was such a hot prospect en route to securing a spot in the Four-Way Finals of the tourney.

Unfortunately all the talent in the world didn't prepare him for the shady tactics of Ricochet and how the man would pull the same trick he did to beat Shibata in order to muddy the waters of that match's pinfall. Though it was clearly Mark Davis who took the pinfall, both Ricochet and Speedball had claim to making the pin. Thus it was decided that Omega would have to defend against both men tonight in Philadelphia!

It's not unfamiliar territory for Kenny as a champion. After all he found a way to overcome both “The Bastard” PAC and Orange Cassidy at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2021 during his World Championship reign and successfully retained the IWGP Heavyweight Title in such fashion at KING OF PRO WRESTLING 2018. He's been in this role before and overcome the odds, and given the momentum he's been riding since returning to AEW at WORLDS END 2024, it may be just about impossible to beat him unless his foes can get on the same page. That possibility seems highly unlikely after what Ricochet did to Speedball on COLLISION after he defeated LFI's Dralistico, but stranger bedfellows have been made. It may even behoove Speedball to let Ricochet lead the way as, between the two of them, only Ricochet has a previous victory over Omega, albeit one from 11 years ago. The idea of finding common ground to eliminate the defending champion from the picture sounds promising on paper, but it's not unreasonable to say Ricochet dashed that possibility last night.

This bout is most likely going to be each man for himself, though the chance of Omega and Bailey finding the same page to take Ricochet out of the equation seems conceivable. However it unfolds, there's no doubt this will be one of the most exciting contests of the night given the men involved! The question is if Omega can walk out of Philadelphia still International Champion or will we see his triumphant return to action hit its first roadblock?

AEW WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP...

The Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli, PAC, & Wheeler Yuta)(c) vs. 

Rated FTR (Cash Wheeler, Cope, & Dax Harwood)

This is...tense...to say the least, and that's not even taking into consideration The Death Riders. Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler, and “The Rated R Superstar” Cope have not been on the same page for several weeks now. Ever since Dax walked out on the two men following Cope's AEW World Championship Street Fight loss to Jon Moxley, there's been a strain on their dynamic. It was evident when the three of them sat down with Tony Schiavone, it popped off when Dax shoved his partner to the mat following his loss to Wheeler Yuta, and it played out in front of us during the interview Renee Paquette conducted with FTR on Wednesday night. That being said, how they ended things last night on COLLISION following Cash's loss to “The Bastard” PAC, that provided some hope that Rated FTR can live up to their promise tonight in Philadelphia and bring an end to the 224-day World Trios Championship reign of The Death Riders!

Unlike Rated FTR, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, and PAC essentially operate as one mind, one body. They are Jon Moxley's instruments of destruction and play their part expertly. They've successfully turned away seven challenges to their title over the course of these last seven months, and are just 15 days away from taking the top spot as longest reigning Trios Champions in AEW history. Together they are a ruthless entity capable of great destruction. Separately, well separately doesn't exist in the world of The Death Riders. When they have fought solo, there is always another member of this army lurking somewhere nearby to sway the tide, and we've watched as both members of FTR fell in singles matches to The Death Riders. In beating Claudio, Cope was the only one able to secure a victory since this title match was signed and even that took “The Rated R Superstar” giving Double C a taste of his own medicine with a low blow. 

The obvious question is if Rated FTR can maintain the united front they presented last night, but there's also a question of what happens next? Like Cash said on Wednesday, there's still a conversation that needs to be had between the two of them once they fight this fight at DYNASTY 2025. How will the outcome of this championship battle color that talk between them? Will they be having that chat as two-thirds of the World Trios Champions or as a beaten pair trying to figure out what their next step may be?

AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH...

The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley & Shelton Benjamin)(c) vs. 

The Learning Tree (Big Bill & Bryan Keith)

“The Redwood” Big Bill and “Bad Apple” Bryan Keith are under the microscope of ROH World Champion Chris Jericho right now. He's been looking for them to step it up, to show him what lessons they've learned sitting under his tree, and get the big wins that bring championships to The Learning Tree. Well these branches took that message from Jericho and decided to shoot for the moon by challenging AEW World Tag Team Champions The Hurt Syndicate to a title fight!

It was the same track that Murder Machines took to try and earn a championship match, but they were upset by The Outrunners and thus Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd earned that REVOLUTION 2025 title shot. They came up short in their endeavor to end Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin's dominance, but Big Bill and Bryan Keith must have been paying attention to that scenario since they took the same route. Despite having a 1-1 record on the year, The Learning Tree pair still made their intentions known to the champions and MVP told them the same thing he told Murder Machines: get their wins up and maybe they'll be considered. 

So Big Bill and Bryan Keith endeavored to do just that. They took down Top Flight then utterly decimated two hopeful competitors on DYNAMITE, and yet Hurt Syndicate still seemed to laugh off the challenge. Fortunately for The Learning Tree, the decision on the title fight was made regardless of what The Hurt Syndicate thought and tonight in Philadelphia, Big Bill and Bryan Keith will get their first shot at the AEW World Tag Team Championship! Bill has been here before, he reigned as champion for 123 days, but Bryan Keith hasn't held a title in AEW as of yet, and what an accomplishment it would be for his first to come via defeating two world class competitors in Lashley and Benjamin. 

The Hurt Syndicate obviously has the MJF drama looming over their heads at this moment, but the champions are professional enough to set that aside and focus on the business at hand. That's why they are the men to whom MVP has devoted his time and why they so quickly got the results they've achieved in AEW. As for Big Bill and Bryan Keith, this is their time to show “The Nueve” Chris Jericho that the time he's given them has been worth it, that they've learned something other than how to save his skin whenever he needs it. This is the most important match of Big Bill and Bryan Keith's AEW career, not just because of the World Tag Titles being at stake, but also because their entire relationship with Chris Jericho may hinge on the outcome. His disappointment, deserved or not, can only last for so long before he cuts bait and runs. Just ask anyone who lived through The Inner Circle or Jericho Appreciation Society...

TNT CHAMPIONSHIP...

Daniel Garcia(c) vs. Undisputed Kingdom's Adam Cole

***NO TIME LIMIT, NO OUTSIDE INTERFERENCE***

Round 1: Shane Taylor Promotions hits the ring just past the 15 minute mark to draw a No Contest decision and thus the title remains with Daniel Garcia.

Round 2: With an “Everyone Banned from Ringside” rule in effect, Garcia and Adam Cole battle to a 20-minute draw as time expires just moments before Cole could hit his Boom knee strike.

Tonight in Philadelphia, the city where Adam Cole fell in love with professional wrestling, where he trained to pursue this profession, and where he won his first of three ROH World Championships, there will be a Round Three and this time there will be NO time limit and a ban on outside interference. This is the opportunity both men need to prove just who is the better man between them, but it also means so much more to each one. Garcia is chasing the goal of being the best TNT Champion of all-time, currently 54 days away from breaking Darby Allin's 186-day record as longest reigning champion, and just 14 days shy of becoming the #2 man in that record book. He's racked up seven defenses to date, three away from breaking the nine defenses record set by Cody Rhodes' 1st reign, but Garcia has to have it in the back of his mind that the two tied to Adam Cole are a bit tainted. STP soured the outcome of one while the clock was seemingly his savior in the other, and those asterisks can't sit right with Garcia.

Unpacking the situation of Adam Cole is an animal of a different sort. This is a man who came into AEW at ALL OUT 2021 absolutely on fire, engaged in unforgettable fights with Hangman Page over the AEW World Title and won the inaugural Owen Hart Foundation Men's Tournament in 2022 only for it all to fall apart after his IWGP World Heavyweight Title fight at FORBIDDEN DOOR 2022. Adam was home recovering from various issues for nine long months, and when he returned on March 22, 2023 it was Daniel Garcia who welcomed him back with words and then with fists. From there Cole found himself fighting at MJF's side. They won the ROH World Tag Titles together and fought each other for the AEW World Title in the main event of ALL IN: LONDON 2024 in front of 81,000+ fans. Then it all fell apart once again at DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2023 when a freak accident led to a shattered ankle, multiple surgeries, extensive rehabilitation, and another 13 months away from in-ring competition. Suffice to say Cole's AEW journey has been wrought with frustration and setbacks, but the man has never let it break his spirit or stop him from doing everything he needed to do in order to get back into fighting shape.

Obviously Cole didn't completely disappear from AEW during that time. He and Undisputed Kingdom conspired to return upon MJF all the sins he committed against everyone else. It wasn't until he walked out onto the stage at WRESTLEDREAM 2024 that fans could see he was a man ready for a fight. The fight that night in Tacoma, WA was aimed at MJF and it came in the form of an assist to...Daniel Garcia. While the TNT Title becoming part of their dynamic is recent, the two have been bonded for quite some time now, and though their two recent one-on-one outings have yielded frustrating results for both Cole and Garcia, their very first match provided a definitive conclusion and that was in favor of Adam Cole. 

All that has brought us to tonight at DYNASTY 2025 where these two competitors aim to bring the latest chapter in their story to a satisfying conclusion now that the possibility of interference has been removed and the clock has no power. Can Adam Cole finally add an AEW championship to his impressive trophy case, or will he be the next stepping stone in Daniel Garcia's quest to go down as the greatest TNT Champion in All Elite Wrestling history?

LUCHA DE APUESTA: ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP VS. MASK...

“The Nueve” Chris Jericho(c) vs. Bandido

The tradition of the mask in lucha libre is well-known, but along with that tradition comes another long-standing one known as Lucha de Apuesta, or the “betting match”, that dates back to the 1940s when Octavio Gaona challenged Murciélago Velázquez to put his mask on the line in a match. Apparently, since Velázquez was a much lighter competitor than Gaona, he added an additional stipulation that Gaona put his hair at stake as well, and thus the concept of Lucha de Apuesta was born. Between the challenge and the actual match on EMLL's 7/14/40 event, Velázquez defeated several other competitos in Mask vs. Hair contests, but when it came time for the bout with Octavio Gaona, Murciélago lost and was unmasked. Thus a tradition that lives on to this day was created, and it's a tradition that Chris Jericho knows all too well.

The first time Jericho engaged in such a match was on May 30, 1993 during his time with CMLL as Corazón de León. That night he defeated Cro-Magnon in a Hair vs. Hair contest, but it wasn't the last time he'd engage in such stipulations. Over the course of his career Jericho has fought in four other bouts that would've been considered Lucha de Apuesta had they been fought in Mexico: two mask versus title and two hair versus hair, of which one took place right here in AEW when Jericho defeated Ortiz on June 15, 2022. 

Now Jericho, as the defending Ring of Honor World Champion, has laid a Lucha de Apuesta challenge out on the table for Bandido: his mask staked against the Jericho's championship in what will be a first-time affair for “The Most Wanted”. Never before in his career has Bandido put his mask at stake against a championship, but tonight in Philadelphia, the city where Ring of Honor was born 23 years ago, he will do just that in an attempt to become a 2-Time World Champion and avenge the humiliation perpetrated upon his brother Gravity!

Jericho is 1-1 in Title versus Mask bouts in his career; can he add another to his trophy case tonight at DYNASTY 2025 or will Bandido join the short list of competitors who've held the ROH World Title on two occasions?

2025 OWEN HART FOUNDATION MEN'S TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL...

“The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay vs. “The Jet” Kevin Knight

Owen Hart Foundation Tournament season is upon us! The participants and brackets were fully announced this past Wednesday night on DYNAMITE and the Men's Tournament is absolutely loaded with possibilities! One of the most exciting Quarterfinal matches is going down tonight during DYNASTY 2025 when the newest addition to the AEW locker room, “The Jet” Kevin Knight, faces off with “The Aerial Assassin” Will Ospreay for the first time ever! These two men made a tremendous team on DYNAMITE when they scored victory over the talented duo of Blake Christian and “Big Shotty” Lee Johnson, but tonight they must stand as opponents as each eyes a trip to ALL IN: TEXAS this July and a match with whomever the AEW World Champion may be! The winner of this bout will meet the winner of Brody King/Konosuke Takeshita in the Semifinals, but every tournament participant knows they can only take these things one fight at a time. Over the last four years, Kevin Knight has amassed a good amount of tournament experience with participation in New Japan's 2022, 2023, and 2024 Super Junior Tag League, as well as their Best of Super Juniors 30 and 31 tournaments, and even made it to the finals of their All Star Junior USA Tournament that took place at a world famous Arena in South Philly. Unfortunately Knight didn't win out in any of those tournaments, but the experience is utterly invaluable, and now he has the chance to make one of biggest impacts possible by beating Will Ospreay in The Owen!

As for Will, he has seven tournament victories over the course of his career that include the Best of Super Juniors XXIII and XXVI tournaments, the 2021 New Japan Cup, and the 2023 IWGP United States Heavyweight Title #1 Contendership Tournament. He's on a 12-0 win streak, seven of those in singles matches, and with Kyle Fletcher in his rear-view mirror after the Steel Cage Match at REVOLUTION 2025, Will is more focused than ever on once again becoming a champion in All Elite Wrestling! 

2025 OWEN HART FOUNDATION MEN'S TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL...

Mark Briscoe vs. “The Protostar” Kyle Fletcher

Though they first battled in June 2024 during ROH ON HONOR CLUB #70 during Mark Briscoe's ROH World Championship reign, the rivalry between Kyle Fletcher and him has really picked up heat since the 2024 Continental Classic when Mark handed “The Protostar” his only loss during the League play portion of the tournament. Kyle wasn't able to move past that defeat, and Mark was more than willing to oblige him a rematch on the 2/8/25 COLLISION. Fletcher got that win via nasty Top Rope Turnbuckle Brainbuster, but the blood loss Mark experienced during the contest certainly helped sway things in Fletcher's favor as well.

Well tonight, in the Quarterfinals of the 2025 Owen, they'll have a chance to go at it once again, and if their previous three encounters are any indication, this will be a knuckles-bruising, knockdown, drag-out fight given the potential World Championship match implications! Who will advance to face the winner of the Hangman Page/Wild Card Quarterfinal? Or perhaps the better question is if there will be anything left of Mark or Kyle to even walk into that battle!

2025 OWEN HART FOUNDATION WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT QUARTERFINAL...

TBS Champion Mercedes Moné vs. Hounds of Hell's Julia Hart

As seen in the clip embedded above, TBS Champion Mercedes Moné faced off with Julia Hart in a tag team match that also featured Harley Cameron and, in her first-ever COLLISION match, ROH Women's World Champion Athena. Given the dynamic between Mercedes and Harley, it's a wonder they functioned as a team at all, especially when faced with two opponents with plenty of reasons to gun specifically for “The CEO”. It should, however, be no shock that when the going got tough, Moné left Harley high-and-dry to be beaten, sacrificing the first blemish on her AEW record. Mercedes wanted no part of that action, saving herself for tonight's Quarterfinal bout and her first one-on-one fight with former TBS Champion Julia Hart!

The CEO's participation in the tournament comes as a result of her desire to adorn herself with even more gold, without risking any of her current trophies in the process, but she drew one of the toughest fights of the Women's Tournament right off the bat. While fans already knew Julia Hart was tough from her TBS Title reign, since her return from injury she's demonstrated that at a whole new level. Her fights with Jamie Hayter and Queen Aminata have been rough, and Hart's been more than willing to just get in there and throw down. That's a trait she's going to need to endure to the Finals of her first Owen at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2025, especially given the possible road the brackets have laid out. The winner of this bout faces the winner of Athena/Harley Cameron in the Semifinals, and while there's no doubt fans are salivating at the prospect of Athena versus Mercedes Moné taking place, the thought of Athena and Hart fighting is quite intriguing as well!

ZERO HOUR

Don't forget to join us for the DYNASTY 2025: ZERO HOUR on AEW's official YouTube channel, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET/5:30 p.m. CT, and hosted by RJ City, Renee Paquette, and Jeff Jarrett!!

DYNASTY 2025 comes your way from the Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia starting at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT on Triller, Prime Video, PPV.com, etc., and the DYNASTY 2025: ZERO HOUR kicking things off at 6:30 p.m. ET! This loaded pay-per-view event includes seven championship matches with AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defending against Swerve Strickland, AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm fighting “The Megasus” Megan Bayne, AEW International Champion Kenny Omega taking on Ricochet and Speedball Mike Bailey, The Death Riders defending the AEW World Trios Titles against Rated FTR, Daniel Garcia versus Adam Cole for third time with the TNT Championship and stake, and ROH World Champion Chris Jericho putting the title on the line against Bandido's mask! After the event concludes, be sure to watch the post-show Media Scrum, and then follow us to Baltimore and the Chesapeake  Employers Insurance Arena on Wednesday night to witness the fallout of DYNASTY 2025 first-hand!