The good, the bad, and the massively overbooked

We need to talk about what happened last night in Kansas City. Actually, we need to talk about what has been happening for months, because last night was just the boiling point.

With WrestleMania 41 dominating the conversation and hitting Las Vegas in exactly six days, Tony Khan desperately needed AEW Dynasty to be a home run. The internet has been ruthless lately, and frankly, some of the criticism has been completely justified.

For the first three hours of this pay-per-view, he got that home run. The crowd was molten, the in-ring work was exactly what you expect from a premium live event, and it felt like AEW was finally getting out of its own way. The pacing felt right, the commentary desk was clicking, and the talent looked motivated.

And then the main event happened.

Look, I love MJF. You love MJF. He is arguably the most complete package in professional wrestling today. But what in the actual hell was that overbooked nonsense against Will Ospreay?

Match of the night honors

Before we dissect the disaster at the top of the card, let's give flowers where they belong. Mercedes Moné versus Jamie Hayter stole the entire show, and it wasn't even close.

This is the version of Mercedes we were promised when she signed. No weird character inconsistencies, no awkward promos about being a CEO while acting like an underdog—just pure, arrogant, unadulterated violence.

Hayter looked like a terrifying powerhouse. She spent the first ten minutes throwing Mercedes around the ring with those brutal lariats that look like they could decapitate a normal human being. The story was simple. Mercedes underestimated Hayter's raw strength and had to rely on her technical prowess to survive.

The transition sequences were mind-blowing. Mercedes reversing a ripcord lariat into a Bank Statement was smooth as butter. But it was the finish that really solidified this as a match of the year contender.

A rolling elbow into a Code Red for a near-fall at 14 minutes, followed immediately by the Moné Maker, was flawless. It didn't need twenty kickouts. It didn't need outside interference. It was just two of the best in the world beating the hell out of each other.

If Tony Khan doesn't strap a rocket to Hayter after that performance, we riot. She took the loss, but she looked like an absolute monster in the process.

The International Title picture

Speaking of monsters, let's talk about Takeshita. His match against Orange Cassidy for the International Championship was exactly what it needed to be.

Cassidy has been the workhorse of AEW for years, but his title reigns always hit a point of diminishing returns where the matches start bleeding together. Takeshita was the perfect opponent to violently end this chapter.

Don Callis on commentary was insufferable in the best way possible, constantly hyping Takeshita as the greatest athlete in the history of the sport. And honestly? Watching Takeshita hit that deadlift German suplex on Cassidy, you almost believe him.

Cassidy got his hope spots in. The Orange Punch countering a running knee was a brilliant piece of timing, but the crowd knew exactly where this was going. Takeshita winning clean with a spinning Blue Thunder Bomb establishes him as a legitimate singles champion. Now keep Callis away from the microphone when Takeshita is in the ring and let the guy wrestle.

The tag team division is treading water

I wish I could say the same for the tag team title match. The Young Bucks retaining against The Acclaimed felt like a rerun of an episode we already watched twice last year.

The Acclaimed are still massively over with the live crowds. The scissor gesture still gets a monstrous pop. Max Caster's pre-match rap was sharp, taking a thinly veiled shot at the recent backstage drama. But bell-to-bell, this match dragged.

The Elite's current heel run has completely lost its heat. It relies on the same tired referee distractions and low blows that we've seen a thousand times. When Matthew Jackson grabbed the title belt for the finish, you could literally hear the groan in the arena. It is incredibly lazy booking.

We know the Bucks can put on absolute classics. We have seen it. So why are we settling for cheap heat finishes on a pay-per-view? It dragged the pacing of the show to a grinding halt right when it needed to accelerate. It is 2026. The evil authority figure routine needs to be permanently retired.

Swerve deserves his moment

Let's pivot to Swerve Strickland's match against Hangman Page. Yes, another chapter in the most violent rivalry of the modern era.

These two simply do not miss. The psychology was entirely different this time. Instead of just trying to murder each other with weapons like they did in Texas Death matches, they tried to out-wrestle each other. They wanted to prove who was actually the better technician.

Hangman working over Swerve's knee for ten minutes was old-school brilliance. He was vicious, calculated, and methodically dismantling Swerve's base. Swerve selling the injury while trying to hit the House Call made every offensive flurry feel earned.

The crowd was entirely behind Swerve. He has evolved into the undeniable protagonist of AEW. When he finally locked in that modified stretch muffler, forcing Hangman to tap out in the middle of the ring, the roof nearly blew off the arena.

Swerve picking up the clean submission victory was the right call. It definitively ends the feud for now and cements Swerve as the absolute top guy who should be holding the world title. Which brings us to the elephant in the room.

The TNT Title is finally relevant again

Before the main event, we got Jack Perry defending the TNT Championship against Darby Allin. This was a car crash in the best possible way.

Perry's Scapegoat gimmick has finally clicked into high gear. He carries himself like a guy who truly believes he was wronged by the entire industry, and Darby is the perfect chaotic foil for that kind of calculated arrogance.

They brawled through the crowd, they destroyed the Spanish announce table, and Darby took a bump off the top rope onto the steel steps that made me physically wince. It is unbelievable what Darby puts his body through for our entertainment.

Perry retaining by ripping off the turnbuckle pad and sending Darby face-first into the exposed steel was a classic heel move. It protected Darby in defeat and gave Perry another cheap win to brag about. For the first time in a long time, the TNT title feels like it actually matters.

Toni Storm's fading glamour

We also need to discuss the AEW Women's World Championship picture. Toni Storm defended against Thunder Rosa, and frankly, the magic is wearing off.

The Timeless gimmick was incredible for the first six months. It was the most entertaining character work in the entire company. But now, it feels completely disconnected from the actual wrestling matches taking place in the ring. Mariah May at ringside is doing her best to keep the act fresh, but the bell-to-bell action is really suffering.

Thunder Rosa worked her heart out trying to bring some intensity to this match, but the crowd was completely dead for it. They were exhausted from the Swerve match and just didn't care about the black-and-white melodrama.

Storm retaining with a roll-up and a handful of tights was exactly the kind of uninspired finish that dragged the middle of the card down. We need a serious, threatening challenger to step up and take that belt, because the vanity project has run its course. It is time to let the women's division be about wrestling again, not just theater.

The main event meltdown

Will Ospreay versus MJF for the AEW World Championship should have been an instant classic. On paper, it is a dream match. You have the best bell-to-bell performer of his generation stepping into the ring against the most compelling character in the business.

Instead, we got a sports entertainment cluster-mess.

The first twenty minutes were fantastic. Ospreay's pacing was masterful, and MJF was keeping up hold-for-hold. They were telling a brilliant story of MJF trying to ground the high-flyer, working over Ospreay's neck to set up the Salt of the Earth armbar.

Ospreay hitting the OsCutter on the ring apron was a jaw-dropping spot. At that moment, it felt like we were watching history.

Then the referee bump happened. Why are we still doing five-minute referee bumps? The official took a stray elbow and was apparently in a coma. It is deeply insulting to the audience's intelligence.

Cue the run-ins. First came Wardlow. Then came the rest of the Undisputed Kingdom. Then came Adam Cole. Suddenly, there were six guys in the ring, and the actual match was entirely forgotten. It devolved into a chaotic mess that belonged on a random episode of Dynamite, not the main event of a fifty-dollar pay-per-view.

MJF hitting Ospreay with the Dynamite Diamond Ring for the pinfall after seven minutes of outside interference isn't generating nuclear heat. It's generating apathy. The crowd in Kansas City didn't boo loudly; they just sat there, completely deflated. They were robbed of a definitive finish to a match they had paid good money to see.

Where does AEW go from here?

We are exactly forty-one days away from Double or Nothing in Las Vegas. The roadmap should be clear, but instead, it feels completely muddy.

Ospreay looks foolish for getting outsmarted again. He is supposed to be this generational talent, but he constantly falls for basic numbers games. MJF's title reign feels artificially inflated by constant interference, entirely stripping away the nuance that made his character so engaging in the first place.

And Swerve Strickland is sitting right there, arguably the hottest act in the company, waiting for a shot he should have gotten months ago. The fans are practically begging to hand him the keys to the kingdom.

Tony Khan has to realize that the hardcore fan base watching these shows doesn't want overbooked retreads. They want the premium, sports-based presentation they were promised on day one. They want clean finishes in main events.

Dynasty was a solid B-plus show dragged down by a D-minus main event finish. The roster is way too talented for creative to be this uninspired at the top of the card.

Let's hope they figure it out before May 24, or that Las Vegas crowd is going to eat them alive.