[7.0] "Fun match between Ospreay & Buddy, they were both going balls to the wall and didn't let up for a second, i hope Buddy gets an push once he's healthy again."
[8.0] "The pacing here was incredible, felt like I was watching a Super Juniors Final and this was great. Ospreay is so good that he made Matthews left this match over, doing moves I didn't even knew that he was able to do. In the end, we got clearly the notice about Black leaving, which being honest and forgetting that Matthews got injured, it been good for Hounds of Hell."
[8.0] "Ospreay was spamming the Oscutter a bit too much. Regardless, this was a quality match between the two, highly energetic and athletic. I don't know what the plans are for Matthews, if any, but he's very good and fluid in the ring. [***3/4]"
[7.0] "Great opener for Dynamite and exactly the match you'd expect. An action-packed match with stellar execution all the way through. Buddy has been an outstanding worker with one of the best physiques in the business for years now but hasn't found a consistent spot on the card. A lack of promo ability hurts him but he really should be featured more. The match has a lot of 50/50 exchanges, big dives and strikes. The exchange on the apron with the knee strikes and superkicks was great. I wish there was more of a story to this one as it could've elevated the match. Buddy hits a super cool inverted GTS and a terrific looking curb stomp (because of Ospreay's bump). They went a bit overboard with the kickouts. The finish was shit because it's another "I'm going to invite you in to finish me off" type of finish. But yeah, a very athletic and exciting match. Needed more story or psychology to push it into the upper echelon of Ospreay matches but it's another very good one. ***3/4"
[7.0] "Very nice match. Ospreay was the king of TV matches in 2024, and seems like he'll be again in 2025. Buddy is so underrated, give him more time on TV too. (***3/4)."
[7.0] "Really great opening bout full of energy to get you pumped up for the rest of the show. This match had more Ospreay-isms that keep me from rating it higher, but I still enjoyed it very much."
[9.0] "What a freaking match dude, I knew this was gonna be a good match cause it's Will Ospreay and Buddy Matthews, but I wasn't expecting this. This shows why Buddy should be used more as a singles star than a tag team wrestler."
[10.0] "Genuinely one of the best opening matches to a Dynamite. Ospreay and Buddy bounced off each other phenomenally here, the match filled with high-speed action, great manuevers, and palpable hard-hits. The curb stomp Buddy did to Ospreay near the end of the match in particular being the most devastating usages of that move I've ever seen."
[8.0] "Exhilirating bell-to-bell wrestling action. Hard-hitting strikes and fast-paced sequences as well as a display of aesthetically pleasing high-flying offense. Post-match was interesting too ****"
[9.0] "Buddy Matthews is one of the most underrated fighters in the business, and this fight just showed how good he is, a complete fighter, and the same goes for Will, who did an excellent job as always, great fight between these two"
[7.0] "The Ospreay Shootout in full effect, kicking off AEW Dynamite with a degree of energy that as usual, wouldn't be replicated afterwards. He's not a one man army on that front either, with Buddy Matthews bringing his own firepower as well as a quietly ascending crowd reaction. That trend has come out of nowhere, though his work has been razor sharp for years now, getting a chance to spread his wings here with Ospreay. They go a beat or two far for my liking and I hate the cutscene finish, but this is a blast otherwise, rocking the house with delightful meathead energy. ***1/2"
[8.0] "Extremely good, hard hitting, well paced match that made both wrestlers look very strong. The only thing that I'm really knocking points for is that I hated Osperay not even flinching from Matthews knee strike, and I think it did take them a little bit to get fluid. Once they were in gear, though, it was riveting throughout, even if there was never any doubt who would win. I doubt these two are capable of putting together a bad match, but I also think they could probably do a bit more, too."
[10.0] "Not gonna lie, Will Ospreay vs Buddy Matthews was one of my dream matches for a long time and it became reality on this night, almost after a year of Will joining AEW. This match was really great. Didn't fell like a random match on a random dynamite. Buddy showed his potential, the moves, the resilience, and the story telling with this match. Ospreay, as always, is a star and he showed again why he is the best wrestler in the world. Really looking forward to what happens next for Buddy and would really love to see one more match between these two at a PPV one day. 4.75 stars"
[3.0] "Well, it's a brand new year and here's another Will Ospreay match that looks just like all the others, at least to me. I mean I've seen worse but the way he takes over every match to run pretty much identical to the others is just very tiresome to me, and please note I say that only personally for myself, the majority of fans are definitely into it so he's doing what he should be doing, it just so happens that the thing he's doing is not very interesting to me. Hogan rarely changed shit shtick because it works, and while clearly Ospreay's style is totally different than Hogan, the same principle applies."
[9.0] "These boys cooked, and I'm looking forward to seeing if there is an eventual stable that comes out of this match. Love both guys, and they really let them go out and show off which was nice."
[7.0] "This is the average Ospreay match, which tends to be high-pace action that get the most of his opponents and ends up being match of the night. Ospreay is such a giving performer in all of his matches where you can tell he wants the crowd to appreciate the art of wrestling as much as possible. Matthews more than impressed in the spotlight busting out some crazy offense with an upside down GTS that somehow looked incredible. A perfect way to kick off a show and get the crowd hot right away. ***3/4"
[5.0] "Pretty standard Ospreay stuff here. Nothing particularly bad but not really anything particularly standout either. I don't really have anything else to say about this honestly, it was just largely OK. **1/2"
[8.0] "As usual in these osprey matches some cool sequences start this one out. Sick step up headscissors from Ospreay who follows it up with a great planche out of the ring. Big collision in the middle of the ring, looked super brutal. Matthews nails a crazy ass over teakettle dive out of the ring. Some no selling in this match unfortunately, which is to be expected from Ospreay. Overall a great match from these two. Good showing from Buddy Matthews, who can really go."
[8.0] "This was a lot of fun, to the surprise of nobody. Buddy continues to not get the opportunies to shine that I think he deserves, while we know how good Ospreay whether he gets 10 minutes of 30. Give me Buddy vs Takeshite in Brisbane."
[7.0] "Great TV match marred slightly by the story, which culminated in a cheesy ending. Much of the action felt very par for the course for an Ospreay singles match, where the other guy is shown to be able to hang with Ospreay, such is the man's reputation at the moment. And that was indeed the story here. Matthews played this role very well, but truthfully his personality has never won me over. However, as it was a standard Will Ospreay affair, that still means it was entertaining, fast-paced, and smooth. But the ending was surely a bit too much. It was awkward! And bordering on condescending. Regardless, match of the night lol."
[8.0] "A good opening match, and easily Match of the Night. Decent work from both, Buddy has been great for ages but never seems to get a singles push. Ospreay obviously is great and they have good chemistry together. Nothing outstanding, just a good, solid match with nothing really beyond that. I see Meltzer went overboard with his ratings, but at best it's a solid 4 star match. The GTS into a stomp really should've been a finish, if you're not winning then don't use that combo. Was just there to make Will even bigger and it wasn't necessary."
[6.0] "More like a 6.5. The crowd was pretty hot, and seeing some offense from Buddy was nice. I think they both got a few too many kickouts, but it does make some sense for Ospreay to be off his game due to the injuries he suffered in the last PPV. I liked the promo at the end, even though it was a little schmaltzy. Buddy isn't the best worker or character in the business, but he deserves a consistent spot in the midcard, and I hope this will be the first step toward that."
[8.0] "An awesome opener to this week's Dynamite and a match of the night right off the bat. Will Ospreay makes wrestling look so easy and flawless. He's one of the best wrestlers in the world right now and their is ZERO doubt about that. Buddy Matthews looked really good in defeat here, Even though it was predictable he came out looking like a good contender and the appreciation given from Will Ospreay at the end of the match was awesome. [****1/4]"
[9.0] "The way how Ospreay makes this wrestling look sometimes it's ridiculous lmao.one of the coolest wrestlers ever. Ospreay is one of those guys where it's really hard to have a bad match with. Him and Buddy were going band for band in a pretty exciting back and forth. I do hope he starts protecting the hidden blade a little more because that finisher is so beast. The promo he got on Buddy after the match was very interesting and he's not wrong cause Buddy is a pretty good wrestler. Him and the hob done it all pretty much when it comes to the tag stuff, and if the rumours are true regarding Malakai Black then the promo makes a lot of sense. Aew grand slam is in Australia so hopefully Buddy has a big match there. ****.25. Lovely match"
"[8.0] Great match. Osprey was phenomenal as usual as was buddy who I really hope gets more opportunities this year because he's simply great. The action was very fun and overall it was a perfect start for dynamite."
[8.0] "This is a solid match to kick things off on Dynamite. Will Ospreay gets the win a very fun match. Buddy Matthews was presented very well in this match he looked very solid and I really thought that him as a solo act this year would rock as we're hearing rumors that Malakai Black is leaving AEW for WWE in the near future."
[8.0] "Absolutely loved this match, especially since they were given free reign on TV with no commercial breaks. These guys meshed very well, and Ospreay's promo afterward seemed to indicate that we might be seeing more of Buddy in singles action this year. Let's hope that's true, he has so much untapped potential in AEW. ****"
[8.0] "Four stars, Ospreay was the best wrestler in the world in 2024 and his 2025 looks to repeat that as he drew how the good Buddy Murphy and has a great opener on Dynamite."
[8.0] "An awesome opener here. This was my first time watching Dynamite live in a long time, and I picked a great week to do so. Matthews was presented very well here, in my opinion, and I really hope this is the beginning of him getting more Singles Matches."
[7.0] "This was far too competitive than it should have been. Buddy Murphy (Matthews) is the third man in a mid card stable of three he shouldn't be taking Ospreay to the edge in 15 minutes plus. Also, has Ospreay officially adopted the Styles Clash as a finisher now? And why is Matthews kicking out of it when the newest hit prospect in the company Kyle Fletcher is getting pinned by it?"
[7.0] "Good, crisp action as expected, with Buddy Matthews showing his talents. Ended pretty quickly, and not well. Ospreay golf-clapping Buddy was not what a genuine babyface should be doing."
[9.0] "It's crazy how Will's PPV matches are almost always in the range of a 10/10 and then on TV he goes out and puts on 9/10s with nearly everyone. Him and Buddy worked great here and if Matthews is indeed moving on from HoB, this was a great way to do it. Ospreay has been a joy to watch in AEW this year, plus he's just so likable."
[8.0] "Ospreay working his butt off in simple TV matches is forever magic, but it was Matthews who needed this kind of rebound after a not-so-good 2024. The chemistry between these men was amazing, considering this was their first one-on-one clash. The underlying story of Matthews trying to avenge his fallen partner in Brody was cool enough to justify such an incredible sprint, and the post-match promo from Ospreay solidified the "exit" of Malakai Black from the picture. 3.5 out of 5 stars!"
[7.0] "This is the worst singles match Will Ospreay has had in quite some time, and it's still pretty good. It was a high-octane match that was a good start to the show, but most of the sequences felt really cooperative and choreographed."
[6.0] "Good match between Ospreay and Buddy, probably Buddy's best singles match in a very long time, I can't remember the last time that he had a nice singles match, but he doesn't wrestle solo a lot, so it's normal, this was pretty cool, very fast paced and with a lot of stiff moves, the action looked fresh. There's some minor issues, like Buddy kicking out of so many big moves, but that's ok, the ending stretch wasn't my cup of tea, but overall the match was solid. After the match Ospreay and Buddy shook hands, and Billy said that him and Brody don't need a leader, which probably tells you that Malakai is leaving the company - {***}"
[7.0] "Nice match and a potentially a good bit of direction for Buddy Matthews coming out of it unless that was just hot smoke being blowed up his ass."
[7.0] "This was good. There were some hard bumps and the usual Ospreay athleticism. I never thought Budddy would win of course, and the match was mostly a bit of going through the motions. I will say the ending was off putting, with Buddy almost pulling a Jack Perry and just sitting up perfectly wide eyed and aware as Ospreay wipes him out. Also the promo after was pretty little brothery and weird."
[8.0] "Thought this kicked ass. Matthews had a really, really poor 2024 despite the amount of talent he clearly has at his disposal, this match proving that point. Sure, it helps that he's facing the red hot Will Ospreay in front of a crazy loud crowd by Dynamite standards, but his performance is nothing to scoff at. A marked improvement for one is somehow a step down for Ospreay after his incredible ending to 2024. But this run of Darby, Brody, Fletcher and Okada carrying on here can feel like a step down but definitely not a bad match. LOVED that inverted GTS thing Matthews did as well, haven't stopped thinking about it since he hit knee to head."
[8.0] "Tremendous start for Dynamite with this fight that was tremendous and served, in a way, to tell us that Malakai is leaving AEW. At first I didn't think it could be because of that, but after thinking about it for a while it might be because of the message Ospreay left after the fight."
[7.0] "A fun match between these two. I felt like they were kinda going through the motions but they still provived us an entertaining bout. Both men are great in-ring workers and had good chemistry. The crowd was on board with it. The action. Buddy hitting a reverse g.t.s. and a curb stomp was nice. Ospreay wins after a hidden blade. 7/10 - 3.75*/5*"
[6.0] "Ospreay is someone who often amazes me, this time not so much as I really wanted him to sell more his opponent's attacks. I have little desire to see Matthews involved in the main shows, but we will see. Will he be apart of a new United Empire? Is he going to face Takeshita for the International belt next month? ***1/4"
[8.0] "Buddy can make things happen on his own and I think this match shows that. The guy has good body awareness, good technique and a good presentation. If Malakai really does leave, Buddy deserves a push, in my opinion. We'll see how the lack of microphone opportunities is dealt with in the future"
[8.0] "You give me a couple tv matches like this a week and I'm pleased as punch. Whenever I hate on the sloppy shop that is current AEW, I get these matches the pull me back in."
[7.0] "Really fun match, Matthews and Ospreay have good chemistry. I think the match would have been better if it ended after front hidden blade. Mathews brought really good energy."
[10.0] "Finally, we got the race we wanted. In fact, I didn't expect these two to play well at first, after all, the gap between the plot strength of the two at this stage is too big, and Buddy's has not had a particularly exciting singles match since leaving WWE. But you can always trust Ospreay, this game Ospreay is still very serious, 12 minutes of play, the content is very substantial, Buddy even bounced Hidden Blade once. Standard 4.5 Stars. After the game, Ospreay spoke that he wanted to engage in the rhythm of the new group, looking forward to a wave!"
[7.0] "Saw the early 9s and decided to give this one a look. Needless to say, it was an action-packed, agreeably succinct opener with stellar execution and some cool sequences, but let's not get carried away. These no-heat, cheerleader-type crowds with their robotic 'this is awesome' & 'fight forever' interjections are an inevitable byproduct of exactly this type of match - a grudge-free, rapid-fire flurry of movez both ways relying way too heavily on improbable recoveries to keep the momentum up ***1/2"
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