AEW Dynamite On 34th Street - 12/24/2025: 3 Things We Loved And 3 We Hated

The children are nestled, all snug in their beds, with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, which means that the Christmas Eve edition of "AEW Dynamite" has come and gone. "Dynamite on 34th Street" was taped in the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan, NY, and was loaded with jewelry, tournament action, and more shenanigans on the road to Saturday's PPV. As always, there was plenty to love and plenty to hate.

We won't be breaking down "what happened," as that's been taken care of on the results page. Instead, we'll each take turns saying what we liked and what we didn't like from this week's broadcast of AEW's flagship program. From the blistering promo from Swerve Strickland or the Dynamite Diamond Ring finally being freed of the MJF vortex, to the lack of AEW Women's Tag Champions or the uninspired feud between Gabe Kidd and Darby Allin, we will run the gamut of emotions on this Christmas Eve night.

So without further ado, the best and the worst of Dynamite on 34th Street.

As a fellow New York Jew, I have always enjoyed the Uncut Gems-like running bit in AEW that the "Dynamite Diamond Ring" keeps ending up in the hands of MJF. They took the undertones a bit far with Juice Robinson's roll of quarters in 2023, but otherwise, it's been a solid joke. That being said, it was nice to see the Gentiles get a chance at the ring. 

As funny as it may have been, it made things incredibly predictable, and -pre-taped spoilers be damned- I was happy to see a match between two men who both had a shot. Ricochet, as the newly-crowned National Champion, has been on the upswing, and Bandido was easily one of AEW's best utility players in 2025. There was no obvious loser here, and that is always refreshing in today's woefully predictable wrestling world.

It also helped that the match itself f***ing ruled. Bandido and Ricochet are simply two of the most athletic men on the AEW roster and they showed out exactly as one would hope. Sometimes, two wrestlers know that they're fighting an uphill battle to get people to watch a pre-taped show, when they could just read spoilers, and the Dynamite Diamond Ring Match was absolutely worth firing up the DVR or the HBO Max or the Triller TV -or whatever dodgy stream you watch "Dynamite" on- for.

Written by Ross Berman

The Young Bucks aren't medically cleared, and Kenny Omega is up to his usual cryptic, anime bulls***. All Elite Wrestling has outgrown The Elite. I just don't care what they're doing. The Young Bucks were interesting during their money troubles, but the second they reunited with the walking shell of Kenny Omega, I lost all interest in them.

When The Young Bucks said they weren't medically cleared, I said, "Good." AEW doesn't need them and I'm tired of pretending they do. Kenny Omega says he has to go take care of something he should've a long time ago, whatever that means. I don't care what it means. It's probably wrestling Takeshita or something. Again, I don't really care, and that's a problem.

AEW has a lot going for it at the moment. It's hard to explain, but even the less-than-interesting stuff has been hooking me. But The Elite are trying to make it 2022 again, either by science or magic, and either way, I'm not interested in going back there. Kenny Omega's body is rebelling against him, and The Jacksons are out of ideas. It's time to let this all go. The faction has the same "spoiled milk on the counter" energy as Sammy Guevara or Austin Theory.

Written by Ross Berman

The Dynamite on 34th Street edition of "AEW Dynamite" kicked off with one of the three Continental Classic matches that some of the wrestlers had in hand before all 12 men battle it out for a place in the semi-finals at AEW Worlds End on December 27. "The Alpha" Konosuke Takeshita has quietly had one of the most impressive tournament campaigns, not just this year, but in the history of the competition, but he was facing off with "Freshly Squeezed" Orange Cassidy who could still qualify if he won the two matches he will have in the Hammerstein Ballroom.

This was a great way to kick off the show, and it's matches like this that make me wish that we could have the Continental Classic all year round. It was actually a match that I think if it happened in a company like DDT, it would actually be a lot more entertaining, as Cassidy would be able to lean into his comedic chops, but with what was on the line here, both men had to show up and show out.

Cassidy and Takeshita had really good chemistry throughout this one, playing into one of the most underrated types of pairings in wrestling, where you pair a wrestler whose big moves can be easily and logically countered into their opponents' big moves. Takeshita going for an Avalanche Raging Fire sounds like absolute death, but Cassidy counters it into a Stundog Millionaire. Moments like that look and sound contrived on paper, especially when Cassidy hits that move all of the time to the point where you look at wrestlers who try and Suplex Cassidy and think, "What are you actually doing?" However, Takeshita's finishing move needs a Suplex set up which makes it look natural and gets a big pop from the crowd.

I do think that Cassidy needs some sort of refresh in 2026, as he has been playing the same character in AEW since he debuted, and the "Freshly Squeezed" character for even longer than his AEW run. However, when he's allowed to just go out and be himself, he is still one of the best wrestlers in the company and can make you lean in on every near fall. As for Takeshita, he moves one step closer to winning the entire tournament, and judging by the way he's been performing, don't be surprised if he leaves NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 20 on January 4 with three belts around his waist. He is that good at the moment and is amazingly getting better with every match. Now, just give me this match at a DDT show in Korakuen Hall just to see its full potential.

Written by Sam Palmer

In principle, it does make sense. If a man who has been a thorn in your side decides one day to beat you up, put you in a body bag, tie that body bag to the back of a pick-up truck, and drive it around a major city, you would probably want to push him down a flight of stairs as well. So in that regard, Gabe Kidd isn't really a madman because his decision to try to cripple Darby Allin, who has just been medically cleared to return to wrestling, is completely justified. However, my issue with this little mini feud between Darby and Gabe is where the blow off is happening.

AEW Worlds End 2025 looks to be a good show. You've got the semi-finals and finals of the Continental Classic, a major AEW Men's World Championship match, a hard-hitting AEW Women's World Championship match, and a number of other cool bouts. That being said, does Darby Allin vs. Gabe Kidd really need to be on the show? I get that the rest of the Continental Classic competitors might not be medically cleared to compete, and that The Young Bucks being banged up screeches The Elite's recent reunion to a halt, but Darby vs. Gabe is a match that would be a great fit for an "AEW Collision" main event, or even an "AEW Dynamite" opener.

Granted, this match has the potential to fall into the category of underrated matches that you forgot happened on an AEW pay-per-view because no titles were on the line. Darby's match with Kyle O'Reilly from AEW Double or Nothing 2022 is a perfect example. That match should have been nowhere near that card but I'm glad that it was because it was a great match. That's kind of how I feel about Darby vs. Gabe. I don't hate the match itself because I'm sure it will be good, but the fact that it's on the Worlds End pay-per-view makes that event feel like it's being thrown together with whatever story leftovers Tony Khan can find.

If there is one big plus point to come out of this, it's that we look to finally be at the end of Darby's feud with the Death Riders. When you start going after people who are faction-adjacent, that's when you know that you've tied up all the loose ends you need to. Gabe isn't a loose end that needed to be tied, he's not even technically in the Death Riders, and the fact that this match is happening at the end of the year gives me hope that we can see Darby doing something fresh and different in 2026.

Written by Sam Palmer

MJF prepared for his AEW World Championship challenge alongside Swerve Strickland and "Hangman" Adam Page against Samoa Joe in the only way one can really prepare for the World title match: a tune-up bout against, checks notes, Dustin Waller. And while that in itself is very little, even less than little, to write home about, thankfully, it was a device to get to a segment involving MJF and his fellow challengers in the ring.

Obviously, MJF won. Then he was alone in the ring, Strickland and Page emerging together as the enemies-turned-best friends to exact some justice against him. MJF had a lot to say last week, most notably likening Strickland to Sean "P Diddy" Combs, and it was nice to see that howler of a line turned back against him. It is somewhat better than maybe not saying anything about the convicted sex offender at all, but wrestling stays being wrestling.

But it was very little about the content of what Page and Strickland were saying, rather than the overall catharsis that stood out; Page restrained MJF with a chain wrapped around his neck as Strickland addressed him, giving him a little nudge whenever he seemed to be slipping from consciousness. The comic book nerd in me found it to be reminiscent of Marvel's Daredevil and Punisher team-ups – two rivals, one a hero and the other an anti-hero, whose battles against one another are legendary; together, however, they are a different beast entirely, not exactly on the same page, but still dangerous when fixed on the same collective goal.

There was just a visible appeal to Strickland and Page, making their entrance together through the crowd, surrounding the villain and making him understand them for once. Everyone involved in the segment played their part well, and it came off as a truly main event-worthy segment. Samoa Joe's brief cameo via the big screen positioned him as a Final Boss-type character, orchestrating rather than acting. And to put it in the most concise way: it was just cool.

Written by Max Everett

I have nothing against "Jungle" Jack Perry, not that I presume he should care if I did. However, within the moment, it didn't really feel like the right decision to have PAC lose to Perry during this week's episode of "AEW Dynamite."

PAC has always been one of those names on the cusp of the main event, collecting titles and high-profile scalps but never really getting the solid push as a credible top guy. Even though he really seems like someone who could do a good turn in the role, especially with the aura that he has garnered as part of the Death Riders – a member that was brought in rather impromptu but has since made his mark on the group.

I'm not saying qualifying for the Continental Classic finals would have been a guarantee of a major push, but Perry was obviously given the win on this occasion because PAC is not destined to go through – if he had won it would have put him top of his group – and that's also blatantly pouring cold water on the momentum he had. Neither am I saying this is the end of PAC and any dream of winning the World title, just because he has lost to someone the company clearly values highly.

It's just that, looking at it for what it is, Perry shouldn't have really been beating PAC, and it just communicated a ceiling being put on him, irrespective of talent. There was nothing wrong with the match itself, and on another day, maybe Perry getting the babyface underdog win would have worked. But this time around it just felt like a shame. Nothing too egregious. It really does just boil down to this writer's taste, a belief that PAC is leagues better than Perry and should be booked in reflection of that. For me, it's just a shame the result was what it was.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all those who celebrate!

Written by Max Everett