[10.0] "Kevin Knight impressed me enormously in this match, his ability to be dynamic is insane. Ospreay does Ospreay but it's very good, I found him even faster and more fluid than usual on certain moves. To come back to Kevin Knight, I almost believed he'd win a few times, even though now, looking back, I think it could never have happened, but it was still crazy to get that impression from a guy who only arrived a week ago. Ospreay managed to make Knight very strong despite his defeat, very few people are capable of sublimating an opponent like he does. I originally rated this match 9/10, but watching it again today, it clearly deserves a 10. It's a perfect tournament match and I love this match, it's very underrated."
[8.0] "Will Ospreay vs Kevin Knight ****1. Great match. That's how you set the tone for the rest of the night. Kevin Knight is gonna be a star. Made the right choice signing with aew"
[9.0] "Amazing. Ospreay is a great wrestler and this made Kevin Knight look like a star. A few sloppy moments, but they fixed it well enough. A great way to kick off Dynasty"
[7.0] "This was loads of fun, Ospreay is great as usual and Kevin Knight held his own, i was there live in attendance and thought it was a great opener."
[7.0] "This was a very good match, and I actually appreciated how much more sensible Ospreay's work came across with the limited time. Putting him on first was the right call, as the crowd was hot from the start, and Ospreay always delivers in that role. Knight was never a serious threat to win, but he got plenty of offense in, making it feel competitive rather than a squash. I've become a fan of Knight's potential, and I think anyone watching him here would see the same promise. Ospreay didn't overindulge, instead pacing things smartly before hitting his three big moves to close it out. A strong opener that showcased Knight's growth while also reminding everyone why Ospreay shines when he keeps things tight and focused. ***1/2"
[9.0] "My first time seeing Kevin Knight so wasn't really expecting this to be much, but wow what a match. Ospreay proving that he's just one of those guys who can have a banger with anybody and make them look incredible."
[5.0] "This was the usual Ospreay match where both he and his opponent end up being very closely matched despite in this case (imo) there being no reason for it being this competitive. I have known of Kevin Knight since his Young Lion days and he has grown into a decent enough wrestler (though he was playing up to the fans a bit too much) and a very good athlete. That being said this did not need to be this close and there were some spots which I did not like (especially the no-selling of the cutter) that the fans seemed to enjoy. Regardless this was a great athletic display without too much psychology that did its job of firing up and entertaining the audience and getting Kevin Knight over (what they do with Kevin Knight henceforth is more important)."
[8.0] "This was a fun match and a good showing for Knight. My favorite sequence was probably the Styles Clash counter into the DDT outside the ring. I think there were a bit too many near falls towards the end, and the finish felt a bit too much, although I get it as Ospreay using all his moves and Knight kicking out off them so Ospreay needs to use his "secret weapon" to put him down as also a way to put Kevin Knight over a little bit more."
[6.0] "Well that was decent. The best way to describe this match is "messy", and you know for an Ospreay match that's a pretty good thing to be. Kevin Knight's rawness made this stand out to me more than a lot of Ospreay matches. There was some cool stuff like that Clash counter DDT, Ospreay basically dead-lift bombing him into the clash, Knight's dive over the post, and 99% of Ospreay's chops looked good. Unfortunatley it wasn't without it's faults. That wrist control spot was really bad and goofy looking, Knight's fire wasn't exactly fiery, and I hate when they stare each other. Ospreay took the Rana in the most cooperative way I've ever seen, he should probably watch how the guys base for that move rather than the move user themselves. Knight's Elbows also weren't up to snuff in that strike exchange, you're telling me this guy was trained by Shibata? those didn't feel Shibata-esque at all. And the finish was a bit overkill, the Styles Clash felt like the finish, and the Oscutter didn't cause you knew Knight was gonna kick out, and then the Hidden Blade ended it. Like it's to make Knight look good, but like, you're devaluing your moves man. Still I thought it was enjoyable and the overkill bit didn't go two minutes too long like they usually do. Three Stars out of Five."
[7.0] "Fast paced opener, I would have liked to see more psychology in the match from Knight and I think the finish would have been better if Ospreay didn't go for pin counts and just hit his 3 moves back to back in a sort of 'you had your fun kid, but its time for me to end this'. 4.21/5"
[9.0] "****1/2 (09/10) I don't think anyone and their mother had any doubt that Ospreay wasn't losing the Dynasty's first match of the night. This was maybe the second time I had ever watched Kevin Knight in the ring. The guy can certainly go with (maybe) the best Pro-Wrestler in the world. I do wish they would give his character more build and weight that could add depth and a reason for us to want to see him overcome the company's top talent. Had there actually been a story, even if it was something like Knight trying to sleep with Ospreay's girl, cutting him off in traffic, f****ng anything, I might have gone a full five, since what they threw in the ring was spellbindingly impressive."
[8.0] "[4*] With Jay White sidelined due to injury, Kevin Knight stepped in as a last-minute replacement in the Owen Hart Tournament opener. And let me tell you--he showed out. This was only his second week in AEW, opening a pay-per-view, against arguably the best in the world in Will Ospreay... and he knocked it out of the fucking park. The crowd took a little while to warm up, but by the end? Two separate standing ovations for Kevin. That's wild. I've been familiar with his work in NJPW, and he always felt like someone to keep an eye on, but this? This was a breakout moment. A huge spotlight, and he delivered under pressure. That man has freakish agility and explosiveness--he's built for AEW's environment. The match itself was short, but it hit hard. It was clearly designed as a high-level TV-style opener--fast, clean, exciting--and that was absolutely the right call. Nobody was trying to go 35 minutes or kick out of five finishers here. And thank God. That kind of restraint actually made it smarter. They sacrificed star ratings for realism, and it paid off. Now, it wasn't perfect--Knight had a shaky start, nearly botching the flapjack on the ropes and getting stiffed to the outside early on. But he rebounded fast, and from there it was a super polished, fast-paced, athletic showcase that still felt like a legit fight. The nasty whiplash from some of the strikes and reversals really stood out. Both guys were snapping into their offense, and the transitions were smooth as hell. Ospreay, as expected, was phenomenal. It's honestly hilarious to see people call this his "worst AEW PPV match"--because even if it is, that just tells you how insane his output has been. He treated this match like it was light work and still managed to put together a banger. The finish was especially well done--Ospreay had to hit three of his big moves in a row (Styles Clash, Os-Cutter, then Hidden Blade) just to put Knight down. That's how you protect a young guy in defeat. If you're disappointed we didn't get Ospreay vs. Jay White, I get it. That matchup would've been fire. But Kevin Knight was a damn good replacement, and this match did everything it needed to. It set the tone for the night, gave Kevin massive exposure, and reminded everyone that AEW's pipeline is stacked. Kevin's still putting everything together, but when it clicks--and it's already starting to--you're gonna see this man become a fan favorite in no time. Crazy to call a Will Ospreay match a sleeper hit, but I really do think this one will age like wine. A strong, exciting opener and a big win for everyone involved."
[8.0] "One of these matches where it put Kevin Knight on the map. He was always seen as a mid-card / tag-team guy but man this got a lot of eyes on him. A genuinely fun and impressive match with huge dives, great spots and a lot of fun. [****1/4]"
[9.0] "Good lord, what a start! Kevin Knight can GO and has chemistry with Ospreay. This was full-speed and all out. Started with wrist locks and flips to twist out of them. Psychology from the start was Ospreay being surprised and a bit confused by who this "new guy" was and what he's able to do. It worked very well since most fans ARE unfamiliar with Knight. Plus, Ospreay would pull out his moves and Knight would either counter or hit back after with something impressive of his own. Ospreay sells very well so this played out great. Highlights were: 1) Knight on the apron launching himself OVER the ringpost to take out a standing Ospreay on the floor, 2) Ospreay attempting a sunset flip or powerbomb from inside of the ring onto Knight who was on apron holding onto the ropes - Knight held on until Ospreay pulled him down into an attempted Styles Clash that Knight resisted then reversed into a headspike onto the ramp 3) Knight resisting the aforementioned Styles Clash at least twice before finally succumbing 4) Knight jumping about 10 feet to counter an Os-cutter off the ropes with a dropkick 5) Knight's "floating over" splash [no idea what it's called] 6) And the finishing sequence with Ospreay hitting Knight with finisher or finish-level moves while Knight kicks out at 2 on each until falling to the Hidden Blade. Knight showed a LOT in this match and Ospreay allowed him to shine. Some accuse Ospreay of being a Spot Monkey, but this was no mere "spotfest". It was a Counter and Reversal Fest. Honestly, it's as good as modern athletic wrestling gets. Would easily have been a 10 rating if there was a build/story (couldn't be as Knight was an injury replacement for Switchblade) and we got 5 more minutes."
[9.0] "A great match, Kevin Knight REALLY impressed me tonight, his chemistry with Ospreay was phenomenal! There were a few moves that felt out of place and awkward, Ospreay's selling wasn't great but he still managed to make Knight look like a solid performer. The crowd was excited for this one, obviously behind Ospreay but still gave Kevin a standing ovation at the end. Kevin Knight is a guy that i could see being a main eventer in a few years time, he just needs to prove himself to TK and i will guarantee he'll be a champ at some stage, fantastic worker."
[8.0] "This was a hell of an opener and a great introduction to Kevin Knight. We all knew Ospreay was going to win here, but Knight was able to go toe-to-toe with him and show off some pretty innovative offense. These guys were perfect fits for each other. ****"
"The sequences were all that I had seen before, with some edited stunts, such as the tiger wall dropkick, which Ospreay had done with Okada. Additionally, the "cutter" to dropkick was also featured in Okada's matches, and the powerbomb on the outside was a move that Hiromu typically performs. Overall fantastic game but doesn't make Kevin Night the star it's just a fantastic match nothing more"
[8.0] "Incredible opening match to the show. I haven't seen much of Kevin knight outside of AEW but he is impressive and this match is a great showing from him, Ospreay kills every match he is in and this is no different. Overall solid match and sets the tone for the rest of the show. 8.6/10"
[9.0] "Incredible match, some Dropcicks could have hit harder but overall it was rock solid and made me wonder what kind of match these two could pull-off with a little more build. Overall opening matches rarely get any better than this, great showing. ****1/2"
[9.0] "The perfect opener to get the crowd invested, with enough solid back and forth spots to keep Kevin Knight feasible in defeat. Knight refusing to let Ospreay hook the arms for the Styles Clash was one of my favourite moments of the match, especially with the spot ending with a clean, effective reversal. Ospreay was the perfect opponent for Knight's first AEW PPV, in which I'm sure he has gained a lot of fans with this performance."
[8.0] "If this is how good Ospreay and Kevin Knight can put on a match with short notice I just can't even begin to imagine what Ospreay vs. Jay White would have been like. Slow start, but really picked up as both men started showing off the athleticism. Kevin Knight stocks are through the roof after this match despite the loss. Ospreay's ability to elevate talent like Knight and Fletcher even while beating them really needs to be studied, its simply incredible."
[7.0] "Ospreay is a usual outlandishly outperforming Knight in this fun opener. It's a good way to kick off a show that I liked better than most people."
[9.0] "Everyone knew going in who was winning, so this match was all about letting Kevin Knight show everyone what he brings to the table. And I think he more than did that. My favorite part about this match was all the ways Knight was able to dodge Ospreay's big moves and especially so counter the Oscutter and Styles Clash and in a way forced Ospreay to speed up between moves as whenever Will took any amount of time in between moves was where the counters from Kevin came in to play."
[8.0] "Although the match started out a bit clunky, it picked up in the second half as Knight was able to showcase his amazing talent and agility. I love his counter to Ospreay's OsCutter in particular. I would rate this match more highly but I felt it did start to get a little long and goofy towards the end, but still a really good match. *** 3/4"
[8.0] "A very good match. Kevin Knight is really exciting and I'm looking forward to seeing more of him. And man, Will is as perfect as ever. Always such an honor to see his matches. A great opener. Especially given the last minute nature of the match."
[7.0] "This gets a touch too cute at times, but generally does the trick. It's an exciting PPV opener that doesn't overstay its welcome, perhaps more importantly showcasing Knight along the way. ***1/4"
[7.0] "Really predictably fun match; the upbeat while still dynamic pacing, outrageous acrobatics, and really strong psychological work from Knight make it a very fun way to start the PLE. Only big complaint, save from any particularly strong narrative/stakes outside of the tournament, would be the overkill of the last kickout or two from Knight kinda killing the momentum at the end."
[8.0] "At this point I wonder if Ospreay can have a bad match. He is a favorite of the tournament in front of him, he had a good opponent capable of keeping up with him. Knight resisted well and Ospreay had to try several times to do the clash style. At the end of the match Knight earned the respect of Ospreay, I hope we will see him again at AEW."
"I really like this match. I think it should be rated at least an 8 1/2. I can't see anything wrong with it. It was obvious that osprey was gonna win. That was the first time I've watched Kevin Knight, and the flow of this match was really good. I thought the pace was good too"
[7.0] "Solid match but this wasn't anything that crazy tbh. great ppv debut for kevin knight and will ospreay being super over is really great. i'm not a fan of some of the stupid sports where they are just standing there. i don't mind no selling when it makes sense, it is normal for a punch or slap or suplex to not rattle you that much, but some of what happened here was just not believable."
[7.0] "Will Ospreay always finds a way to pull off a great match with anyone, but this was not it. Initially the match was slower than usual for a Will Ospreay match but patience was key. Both men turned up a notch in the second half of the match with Kevin Knight controlling the main portions of the match. That Styles Clash should have been it. It came at the right point. The Hidden Blade that followed after was unnecessary. Not going to lie, still wished Jay White was cleared to wrestle, just for this match but surely an important spot for Kevin Knight. 7/10."
[8.0] "Nice 4* opener. Quick pace and shoutout to the Styles Clash counter. Nice showcase for Kevin Knight and well-produced for this to very much highlight his strengths (his jumping especially). Good on AEW producers and Ospreay for giving him this much."
[6.0] "**** a good match, unnecessary on the card but justified by the fact that it was originally Jay White and not Kevin Knight, Ospreay manages to make Knight shine with good sequences, good chemistry, good formula making Knight base his offense on reversals, Ospreay wins in a good ending, the only thing is that it felt like a weekly show match at all times"
[7.0] "That was really fun, the crowd erupted with Ospreay starting the show, as he's clearly one of the most beloved babyfaces the company has right now, and the match was very fast as expected, with a lot of moves, but it was fun. Kevin Knight seems like a guy that AEW already have, like AR Fox, Andretti, Lio Rush, and others, but let's see if he has something more to show and if he's able to put himself into bigger spots inside the company. Ospreay gave Knight a lot of offense, as he usually does, and despite being clearly inferior, Kevin managed to kick out of some finishers, but nothing was too exaggerated, which makes the experience solid and easy to watch - {***1/4}"
[10.0] "A really good match , especially to build up Kevin knight as a contender , love will Ospreay and this match was another incredible addition to his catalogue. Love the spot with the styles clash where Kevin knight locked his arms as I have never seen this before"
[6.0] "A super fun match that not only successfully did what an opener should in creating excitement but also gave Knight a good showcase of offense that should gain him some appreciation with the fans, as we saw the audience even had a moment where they applauded and some chanted his name. The match was filled with a plethora of entertaining action. Kevin still seems to be putting things together, but the day things click, the AEW audience is going to love him. He's absolutely in the correct promotion, as his style comes across like it was created for this environment. He has athleticism and explosiveness in abundance. ***1/4"
[7.0] "This match was good. I mean, of course if you look back at all Ospreay matches in PPV, this one here is obviously one of the worst, but this was also the shortest one and the less booked. Ospreay don't need to be that guy everytime, he can wrestle without thinking about doing a MOTY in every single PPV, and it's fine. Shout out to Kevin Knight, I was expecting another type of flippy shitty guy but the guy have some enjoyable aspects on his persona in ring. Thankfully he was trained by The Wrestler."
[7.0] "Despite a few first half communication glitches, this ended up being a really strong showcase for Knight with the lively crowd wanting to believe in the potential upset and jubilant every time he kicked out ***1/2"
[8.0] "**** - Crazy to call a Will Ospreay match a sleeper hit but I genuinely do believe that it will go down as such. No story going into it, the opening match and half the crowd took a while to warm up due to being unaware of Kevin Knight. I have loved watching Knight in NJPW and actually had no idea he was on the card so that was a nice surprise for me too. It was great to see him totally blow the crowd away. The minute I noticed they weren't too familiar with him I knew they were in for a treat. Great opener."
[5.0] "Why is Will Ospreay, who should be in a main event position, continuing to have 50/50 matches with worse and worse opponents? I'm not saying Kyle Fletcher, not Kevin Knight here aren't good wrestlers with good potential futures. But I've never heard of Kevin Knight until I saw this match. Yes, I know it was supposed to be Jay White. But did he need to be replaced by Kevin Knight and did this need to be this competitive? The answer is no. The downgrade of Will Ospreay continues."
[7.0] "[3.25*] Super enjoyable opener, a great showcase match for Kevin Knight replacing Jay White. This was 100% built as a very good TV match, which was absolutely the right choice. If Kevin started kicking out of 5 finishers or something it would be pretty odd, so I am glad they did this the right way, sacrificing star ratings for a more intelligent approach. Like I said, I had a lot of fun and thought it ruled, the right choice for an opener."
[6.0] "This was fine but didn't really stand out to me. Kevin Knight is athletic and can jump high but that's about it. Ospreay is great but should have controlled more of the match."
[9.0] "Ospreay seems to have great matches with just about everyone, but I thought his chemistry with Kevin Knight was incredible. This was a total Ospreay-style match, with great, highly athletic counters from both men. Excellent."
[7.0] "Three and three quarter stars. First half is a little shakey but once they dial up the athleticism it picked up nicely as a show case for Knight. Ospreay was very giving here."
[8.0] "Really good opener, nice full debut for Knight who's been great in NJPW and elsewhere for years. The result was never in question, it's Ospreay against a new signing. Plus Knight is in the BOSJ, so will be off in Japan for a few weeks quite soon. But a fine opening match, very entertaining and gave a good showing of who Kevin Knight is and what he can do."
[8.0] "What an introduction to Kevin Knight on his 1st ever PPV Match for AEW. I really enjoyed this opener a lot. Kevin Knight had a very good showing, and he looked like a million bucks. Will Ospreay win and advance into the next round in the Owen Hart Tournament? He's my pick to win it all. But it is a very good match to start everything off."
[7.0] "Kevin Knight and Will Ospreay had a HOT opener for Dynasty 2025. These two guys have good in-ring chemistry, and the crowd was heavily invested in the match. Ospreay is destined for greatness, and this tournament will hopefully lead him to winning the AEW World Championship at All In: Texas. There were a few spots that were clunky or seemed rushed, and stopped this from being a great match, but overall, I thought this was a great way to kick off the show, and I'm sure Knight will be a great fixture in the AEW upper mid-card."
[7.0] "This did veer a bit into overkill territory towards the end but for the most part this was a very good match. Kevin Knight is just incredible man, and if not for his performance here, this probably would've ended up being your usual run of the mill Ospreay match. The way he takes moves and sells them is so great; it slows down the match a bit but it makes the moments when the action just explodes even better. Very good opener, and a very fun showcase for Knight too. ***3/4"
[7.0] "(Grade:C+/***1/4) A solid opener for Dynasty! A bit dissapointed Jay White couldn't compete against Ospreay but Kevin Knight as an replacement was good to see. It started off a bit awkward especially with Knight almost missing the Flapjack on the ropes and getting stiffed out of the ring but he has such Incredible agility! really liked the corner splash from the apron to the outside of the room on Ospreay was sweet and just effortlessly leaping in the air like it was a cake walk. Ospreay continues to be a stellar performance and I seen people say this was one of his "worst matches" since being AEW, that shows despite some hiccups he put on entertaining offense."
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