The 2025 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament kicked off at AEW Dynasty with two first round matches in the men's bracket. After being pushed to their limits by both Kevin Knight and Mark Briscoe, it was Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher who advanced to the semi-finals.
Ospreay and Knight opened the show and right from the opening bell, the pace was frenetic. Knight used his speed to show Ospreay he was no slouch, but the "Aerial Assassin" took control instantly, hitting a crossbody to the outside before throwing Knight back in the ring and hitting a springboard forearm. Ospreay would actually slow things down with chops and an abdominal stretch, but Knight once again used his speed to get back in the match, landing a UFO Splash for a near fall.
Knight would then go for a suplex, but Ospreay countered into a Stunner, followed up by a Handspring Corkscrew kick. The two men would jockey for position, with Ospreay hitting a German Suplex, Knight landing a big drop kick, and Ospreay then landing a one man Spanish Fly for a near fall. The "Aerial Assassin" would once again try and slow the pace down with a series of chops, but "The Jet" would wobble his opponent with a big elbow strike. Ospreay thought he got back in the match by countering a lariat, but Knight hit another big drop kick and quickly followed that up with a Hurricanrana from the top rope after Ospreay tried to create some distance.
"The Jet"had his strongest stretch of the match by hitting a crossbody over the ring post, and prevented Ospreay from hitting a Sunset Flip Powerbomb, and a Styles Clash on the entrance ramp, hitting a DDT on the ramp instead. Knight would land a huge springboard lariat to the outside, and after throwing Ospreay back in the ring, Knight hit another DDT for a near fall. Ospreay almost got back in control, but Knight countered once more into a standing Hurricanrana for another two count, which led to one more big drop kick from Knight, and then a UFO Splash from the top rope for yet another two count.
The match concluded after an energetic final stretch, which saw Knight go to the well one time too often as his next Springboard move was counted by Ospreay into a Cutter. Ospreay would then go for an Os Cutter, but was countered by Knight into a back slide, but Ospreay would roll through and hit a Styles Clash for a near fall, an Os Cutter for a second near fall, and eventually the Hidden Blade for the win.
Kyle Fletcher and Mark Briscoe's match kicked off in quick fashion as well as Fletcher hit a Tope Suicida on Briscoe as he was making his entrance. However, Briscoe maintained composure by hitting a back drop on the apron, before landing a neck breaker on the outside. Back in the ring, Briscoe wanted to use a chair to leap over the top, but referee Rick Knox said no, leading Briscoe to tell the crowd to boo him, which they did.
Briscoe distracts the referee by throwing a number of chairs in the ring, but it comes back to haunt him as Fletcher hits a half and half suplex on a chair. Fletcher would take control of the match, with two big boots, and two powerbombs on to the apron. When Knox tried to stop Fletcher hitting a third, he would change course and hit a powerbomb in to the barricade instead. Briscoe beats the count, but Fletcher hits another boot in the corner, before things go to the top where Briscoe bites Fletcher's forehead, who then hits a big shotgun drop kick off the top rope. Both men hit a series of chops, with Fletcher resorting to knees, before both men hit a lariat each for a double down.
Back to their feet, Briscoe took control with strikes, before hitting a Fisherman Buster. He gets out of a powerbomb attempt as well, but couldn't escape being thrown into the bottom turnbuckle face first. On the apron, Fletcher hits a nasty Brainbuster as Briscoe landed awkwardly, before hitting one in the ring, which gets a near fall. Fletcher goes to hit one on the top turnbuckle, but Briscoe works himself into a position where he hits an Avalanche Razor's Edge, which also gets a two count. Briscoe then hit a sliding lariat and two Froggy Bows before attempting the Jay Driller. However, when that didn't work, he hits the Cutthroat Driver.
Briscoe was too slow to get the pin as Fletcher rolls out, leading to Briscoe hitting a third Froggy Bow, but when he went for a fourth, Fletcher hits two running boots and a Brainbuster on the top turnbuckle for the victory. "The Protostar" will now meet either the mystery wild card entrant or Hangman Page in the semi-finals, while Ospreay will face either Konosuke Takeshita or Brody King in the next round.
