AEW September to Remember recap & reactions (Sept. 17, 2025): A man of his word

AEW Dynamite (Sept. 17, 2025) went big for a three-hour go-home episode to All Out. The September to Remember special featured Kyle Fletcher being a man of his word to Hangman Page, Jon Moxley feeling pain, the Young Bucks running through their cash, Toni Storm lashing out, Thekla getting hardcore, Bobby Lashley hoss fighting, and much more from Canada Life Place in London, Ontario, Canada.

A man of his word

Kyle Fletcher is a scoundrel, but he lived up to his word on this night. The Protostar threatened that violence would be coming to Hangman Page, and he delivered.

The broadcast opened with a contract signing for the AEW World Championship bout for All Out. Hangman explained his stipulation for the match. The cowboy views Fletcher as a man who can carry AEW into the future, but he will have to prove he is worthy of the title by doing it alone. If anyone from the Callis Family interferes, then Fletcher will be disqualified and stripped of the TNT title as well.

Don Callis was upset, but Fletcher played it cool. The Protostar is scared of nothing. Once the paperwork was signed, Fletcher issued a warning. He promised no physicality for this segment. Fletcher made another promise. He will make sure that Hangman suffers a beatdown tonight.

Fast forward to the final scene. Top Flight lost to Josh Alexander and Hechicero in the main event. Hangman warned Christopher Daniels that the goons would be coming. Lo and behold, the cowboy is a fortune teller. Lance Archer and Rocky Romero went for Daniels. Hangman made the save, and the trap was set for Fletcher to attack. Hangman anticipated as much. After initially thwarting Fletcher, the numbers slowed him. On a Buckshot Lariat, Fletcher blocked with a shot from the title belt. Fletcher replicated his assault to Kenny Omega for a brainbuster to Hangman off the apron through the table.

This story has done pretty good of establishing that Fletcher is a main event player for the future. I don’t really know why Hangman wants to mentor him with tough love, but the talking points are effective to show AEW has faith in Fletcher. I think it is safe to assume that Hangman will walk out of All Out as world champion. He had one line that can keep the spotlight on Fletcher for future character development. How Fletcher handles this loss on his psyche is what will define him.

No matter how hard AEW is saying no interference, I don’t believe them. The stipulation around the Callis Family seems kind of goofy in the sense that Callis could hire anybody after the fact. I’m looking forward to a badass one-on-one match. We shall see if it plays that way.

Let’s jam through the rest of Dynamite. Catch up on all the details with excellent play-by-play from Claire Elizabeth. This week won’t be in order of airing. Some matches are grouped together for the sake of cohesion.

Jon Moxley defeated Roderick Strong. Strong had momentum down the stretch. Daniel Garcia was ringside to interfere by grabbing Strong’s foot. Kyle O’Reilly, also ringside, responded by wailing punches on Garcia. In the commotion, Wheeler Yuta ran down to grab Strong’s foot. The distractions finally paid off with a Paradigm Shift and bulldog choke from Mox to submit Strong.

Nice match with Strong looking sharp. Inside the ring, this was the version of Moxley that I enjoy putting on a rugged and technical fight. The interference finish is what it is at this point with the Death Riders. The aftermath led to one of the funniest moments on the show. Moxley was at a loss of words for the pain experienced from Strong, so he just blurted out noises. Here is the clip without sound. It’s even funnier with sound.

For those curious, Strong and Marina Shafir had a minor interaction during the match. They are married with child in real life, but AEW has never acknowledged their relationship on screen. Moxley retreated outside. When Strong gave chase, Shafir blocked his path. They just stared at each other, then Shafir cracked a smile. Taz wondered if Strong was infatuated with her. Moxley ruined the vibes by jabbing Strong in the throat. That was an amusing little moment.

On the topic of Daniel Garcia, he challenged Katsuyori Shibata to a match. Challenge accepted for the All Out pre-show.

Bryan Danielson’s promise. Later in the show, Danielson interviewed Darby Allin about the Coffin Match at All Out. The gist was developing how Allin is true to his word, unlike Jon Moxley. Allin spoke about how Mox turned on Danielson, even though, they were a so-called family. Allin could never do such a thing to Sting. Allin made Danielson promise not to get involved no matter what happens. Danielson gave his word. He also asked for something in return. Danielson whispered in Allin’s ear, and Allin made a promise on that. We, as the audience, were left hanging about what was said.

Bobby Lashley defeated Toa Liona. All teammates were ringside. The finish was electric. Lashley sized up a spear, so Liona rolled outside. Lashley followed to run on the floor and hit that spear.

Ricochet stood in Lashley’s way taunting to hit him. MVP obliged with a thunderous sucker punch. The crowd erupted. Shelton Benjamin took out Bishop Kaun with a thrust kick.

In the chaos, Liona hit a huge shoulder tackle on Lashley.

Kick out by Roberto. Lashley came back for a full nelson submission for the win.

Meat! That hoss fight delivered satisfaction. Liona looked like a stud hanging with Lashley. I like how Liona went out tough. He was unable to escape the full nelson, but that wasn’t for a lack of trying. Liona showed intestinal fortitude getting to the corner to flip over the top. Lashley kept his grip in, and Liona’s lights went out. Sure, Liona probably could have reached the ropes for the break on that corner flip, but that would have denied us the cool finish. The outside fisticuffs and post-match skirmish were hot as well. These dudes are ready for a fight. The intensity in those exchanges built instant excitement from me in anticipation for the PPV trios match.

C&C and FTR showdown. No physicality or else suffer hefty fines. FTR kicked the door down to become the best tag team in the world, then they resented taking a backseat to helping Adam Copeland in AEW. Copeland mentioned how the fans wanted him in the spotlight over FTR. Copeland also welcomed FTR to the club of great tag teams. C&C have been doing this long before FTR were around. Christian Cage heard enough. The threats of fines don’t mean a thing to him. because he is rich. Christian popped punches to start a skirmish.

No new ground here. Similar talking points with a touch of violence to ratchet up the excitement for All Out. Christian was the best of the bunch with his dry comedy.

Young Bucks defeated Juice Robinson & Austin Gunn. This bout was the first of the three qualifiers for the AEW world tag title ladder match at All Out. The Bucks had a side story blowing through the $500,000 cash prize from last weak. Nick Jackson already lost half at the casino, then he laid out more cash to production for a proper entrance and $10,000 to Renee Paquette to buy something nice.

The Bucks also tried to bribe referee Rick Knox in the middle of the match.

When that didn’t work, they were forced to fend for themselves. The Bang Bang Gang had them scouted well. Austin blocked the Meltzer Driver by intercepting Nick for a jumping Flatliner. Juice countered Matt Jackson into a Blade Runner. Matt kicked out on the cover. The Young Bucks were a step quickly to clear the ring of Austin, then they closed with the Meltzer Driver on Juice.

Very good tag team action from both sides. There were several sequences of teamwork movement for offense and defense that elevated the excitement. The Young Bucks winning is the right move to get them on the PPV. There big money spending should have funny consequences in the near future.

JetSpeed defeated Kip Sabian & Killswitch. This bout was the second of the three qualifiers for the AEW world tag title ladder match at All Out. The brothers couldn’t get along. I’m referring to Mama Wayne’s sons. Killswitch dominated with power, but Sabian kept spouting attitude. Kip slapped the dino across the face.

When Sabian went for a roll-up with his feet on the ropes, Killswitch pushed the feet down. In the end, Sabian reached for a vital tag. Killswitch left him hanging and dropped off the apron. Mike Bailey delivered a tornado kick on Sabian for the win.

JetSpeed was on point with their athleticism, but the real story was Killswitch. I’d like to think that separation from family is coming sooner than later, but this is AEW after all. There is no telling how long teases of dissension will last. Whenever Luchasaurus decides to break free, this is setting up for the crowd to erupt in support. AEW is doing a good job maintaining his aura as a badass monster in the meantime.

Josh Alexander & Hechicero defeated Top Flight. The main event of the evening was the third of the three qualifiers for the AEW world tag title ladder match at All Out. The chess match between technical skills versus athleticism was determined by old-fashioned tomfoolery. Alexander blasted Darius Martin out of the air on a suicide dive. Dante Martin hit the mark on his suicide dive to Alexander. The Walking Weapon had the last laugh by shoving Dante off the turnbuckles. Hechicero closed with a guillotine bomb to win.

Top Flight bites the dust again. There was a slight chance for the upset given that Top Flight could be very entertaining in a ladder match. I’m curious to see what Hechicero can pull out of his bag of tricks with ladders at his disposal. Also of note, “Yo soy Hechiceroooooooooo!”

Afterward, the Callis Family attacked, and that brought out JetSpeed, the Young Bucks, and Brodido for a donnybrook. Bandido cleared the chaos with a dive onto the pile.

Mascara Dorada defeated Beast Mortos. Winner advances to the AEW Unified Championship bout at All Out. Dorada surged in the end for a fancy backbreaker then a shooting star press to win. Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita arrived for a staredown. Dorada took flight, Takeshita sidestepped, and Okada took the impact.

Sweet lucha libre action. It was a back and forth flow with Mortos using his power to try to slow his opponent. Dorada styled with slick skills. He pulled out a cool avalanche headscissors takedown that had Excalibur blurt, “What a maneuver!”

I’m already well aboard the Mascara Dorada bandwagon, and I’d like to think his performance won over new fans here. I would be shocked if he doesn’t take the pin at the PPV, but at least he is getting prime exposure and experience against the best of the best.

Toni Storm spotlight. The champ delivered her monologue with the zest you would expect. She’s speaking like the end is near for her title reign, although, not necessarily in this match. Jamie Hayter and Kris Statlander came out to say their piece. It was basic trash talk with catchphrases. Thekla was on the scene last for the next match.

Thekla defeated Queen Aminata. No Holds Barred rules, or lack thereof, in effect. There weren’t a lot of holds here. It was mostly a fight with kendo sticks, trashcans, and chairs. Aminata had momentum after a brianbuster onto chairs, but she missed the mark of a flying leg drop. Thekla seized the victory with a curb stomp on a chair.

Afterward, Thekla called out Storm. Timeless arrived to dish out punches. Hayter and Statlander rumbled off to the side. Yuta, Shafir, Julia Hart, and Skye Blue entered the fray for commentary to discuss how they could legally interfere in the PPV four-way title bout.

Thekla and Aminata have had a heated grudge for a while, and the anger in this fight felt up to the level of the story. Lots of hard shots in general and impactful moves into chairs. I was entertained. The pre-match promo and post-match activity really showed the idea that it is every woman for herself at the PPV. There will be no friends in that four-way fight for gold. The second idea was how interference may play a role. With Triangle of Madness, Thekla has to be the favorite. However, the Death Riders are good at picking the right spot, so Statlander may benefit whether she likes it or not. Even though I would pick Toni Storm to retain, this segment built lots of intrigue that a new champion could be crowned.

Riho defeated Robyn Renegade. This wasn’t an easy win, but Riho handled business in the end with a dragon suplex and crucifix bomb. Mercedes Moné was on commentary. Afterward, Renegade helped onto Riho’s foot, so the CEO could attack with a backstabber.

In terms of story, this match was filler. I think the idea was to show that Riho can deal with larger opponents. Selling that point against someone the size of Mercedes isn’t that big of a threat.

Notes: MJF complained to Tony Khan behind closed doors about Mark Briscoe’s stipulation. TK used his big boy voice to not back down. He was not pleased that MJF violated the integrity of the sport by trying to light Briscoe on fire.

Big Bill won’t believe that Eddie Kingston will shot up to fight at All Out until he sees it. The Mad King is a fraud. Fraud!

Lots of good hype packages for All Out bouts, including the Tailgate Brawl.

Stud of the Show: Kyle Fletcher

The Protostar has done well carrying himself like a man ready for main event stardom.

Match of the Night: Bobby Lashley vs. Toa Liona

Lots of choices worthy, but I’m going with meat.

Grade: B+

Not much new ground covered heading into All Out, however, the physicality was very entertaining to hype for the PPV. Matches had purpose with a mix of stakes and bad blood. At the end, I’m more exciting now for All Out than I was prior to Dynamite. Success!

Share your thoughts about Dynamite. How do you rate it? What were your favorite moments from the show? Who impressed you the most?

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