On the heels of “WrestleDream,” the road to “Full Gear” began last night for AEW at the Boeing Center in San Antonio for Episode 316 of Wednesday Night “Dynamite.”
This was a marked improvement over last week’s installment of “Dynamite,” thanks in large part to the announcement of the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship tournament. With the eight-team bracket announced, a preliminary contest to consecrate the affair, and the announcement of a title versus title match at “Full Gear” between “Ultimo” Mone and Kris Statlander, it’s clear that Tony Khan is doubling down on women’s wrestling in this pay-per-view cycle.
Here is the official bracket for the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship Tournament that starts NEXT WEEK!
Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS & HBO Max pic.twitter.com/psqnfoM77G
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) October 23, 2025
Elsewhere, it’s clear that the cracks in The Death Riders’ armor are finally beginning to emerge. Following his loss to Darby Allin at “WrestleDream,” Jon Moxley squared off against Kyle O’Reilly. It was a stellar singles match that ended when Moxley punched referee Paul Turner to avoid submitting to O’Reilly’s ankle lock.
Moxley’s desperation was palpable, unable to accept yet another loss.
Immediately following Moxley’s disqualification, Claudio Castagnoli led Wheeler Yuta and Daniel Garcia into six-man tag team action – facing Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong. The Conglomeration followed O’Reilly’s lead, standing victorious after Briscoe pinned Yuta following an empathic Jay Driller.
All signs are pointing towards The Conglomeration’s war with The Death Riders reaching its crescendo at “Blood & Guts” in Greensboro. If so, hopefully The Conglomeration’s victory would be the final nail in the coffin for Moxley’s emissaries of violence.
This week’s episode was bookended by a pair of championship matches.
The show began with a trios championship match, with The Opps putting their titles on the line against The Hurt Syndicate. At “WrestleDream,” The Hurt Syndicate defeated The Demand in a tornado tag match to become the number one contenders. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to capitalize on their opportunity. Ricochet distracted MVP long enough for Samoa Joe to find the Coquina Clutch, forcing the Syndicate’s mouthpiece to submit.
Episode 316 ended with Kazuchika Okada defending his AEW Unified Championship against the ROH World Champion and one-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champions, Bandido. Over the past five months, Bandido has separated himself as a wrestler of the year candidate – staging terrific performances across AEW, ROH and CMLL. This was certainly no exception. Okada is the perfect canvas for someone as unrelenting as Bandido, finding unique ways to counter his offensive arsenal. In the end, though, it was Okada who prevailed—extending his reign as champion to over 19 months.
Final Verdict
While Episode 316 of Wednesday Night “Dynamite” wasn’t a resounding success, it was a marked improvement over last week’s abysmal installment – funneling some of “WrestleDream’s” goodwill into a firm launching point for both “Blood & Guts” and “Full Gear.”
In lieu of Will Ospreay, Swerve Strickland, and MJF’s absence, Tony Khan has wisely chosen to spotlight women’s wrestling – ushering in a bold new era for the division.
Rating: ***
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