wrestling / Columns
411’s AEW Dynasty Preview
Image Credit: AEW
Well, hello, fellow SICKOS, and welcome back to my expected and (somewhat) anticipated preview for AEW Dynasty this Sunday. Emanating from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Dynasty offers another great looking card chockful of title matches and matches with major title implications down the line. And if I may be so bold, Dynasty has big shoes to fill coming off Revolution in March, heralded by a lot of people as the best PPV show in AEW history.
In what should be the main event, the AEW Men’s World Title will be contested, as the champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman will defend his Triple B against the challenger and former World Champion Kenny Omega. While we know that Kenny is not from British Columbia (Rather, from Manitoba), he still stands to be the home country hero going up against the obnoxious American Patriot in MJF. With time being perceived as short in the wrestling career of Omega, will The Cleaner potentially cap it off with one more World Title, or will the Devil retain his precious title that he holds so near and dear to his blackheart?
Months after being taken out of action by Jon Moxley and the Death Riders, Will Ospreay made his return at Revolution last month and made his intentions clear, as he was coming after Moxley and anyone associated with him. That leads us to Moxley and Ospreay, and although the Continental Title feels like an afterthought in the revenge plot, Ospreay managed to get Moxley to put the title on the line. With the Continental Title rules dictating that there is to be no one else at ringside for the match, can Ospreay use the level playing field to his advantage, or will Moxley dig deep into his bag of tricks to retain the title?
We all knew that their return was imminent, and among the surprise returns that took place at Revolution, Christian Cage and Adam Copeland returned with one goal in mind: to eliminate FTR and take their tag team titles. Though these actions are obviously justified since FTR took out Adam’s wife Beth Phoenix and delivered their own conchairto to Cage, a team like FTR is smart enough to use that rage from Cage and Copeland to their advantage. Will Adam and Christian keep it together long enough to defeat FTR and take their tag team titles, or will Dax and Cash outthink and outsmart their angst riddled challengers?
While Thekla hasn’t held the Women’s World Title that long, she has managed to defend the title against anyone who has wanted a piece of her. Next in that line will be Jamie Hayter in what feels like a full circle moment for the challenger, given how Thekla made her debut in AEW. While Jamie has been in a tag team with fellow countrywoman Alex Windsor, she is a very established singles wrestler, and a former Women’s Champion in her own right. Will Hayter become a two-time champion, or will the Toxic Spider escape with her title in tact?
Rumor had it that Tony Khan wanted to put the AEW Men’s World Title on Darby Allin last year, but Allin instead went and climbed Mount Everest, thus forcing TK to pivot and have Hangman Adam Page be the one to dethrone Moxley. A year has passed since Allin started his climb up the dreaded mountain, and now, he can climb the World Title rank if he defeats Andrade El Idolo. Aside from defeating Allin, one must wonder what incentive Andrade has at stake in a match like this. Will Darby secure a future World Title match, or will Andrade stop Darby from earning that chance and earn himself a shot at the title instead?
After a year away from AEW, Chris Jericho made his return to the company last week on Dynamite in his hometown of Winnipeg. This past episode of Dynamite, Chris Jericho signed his contract and was confronted by The Demand. Ricochet ran his mouth, and Jericho revealed his contract contained a clause that he could challenge anyone who was available for Dynasty, and Jericho choose Ricochet. Will Jericho emerge victorious in his return to the company, or will Ricochet get back on track after losing his National Title?
Don Callis revealed that he was going to unleash Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita on the Young Bucks, but due to Kyle’s injury, he was forced to pivot. And in doing so, he matched up Takeshita with Kazuchika Okada, who have had issues between them dating back to last spring. Callis promised Takeshita a shot at Okada’s International Title if they can beat the Bucks, but can they even tolerate each other much less work together? Or will the Young Bucks continue to stick it to Don Callis and his family?
Speaking of Fletcher, due to the injuries that he suffered at a recent Collision, Kyle was forced to vacate the TNT Title that he had just won back from Tomasso Ciampa. To remedy this situation, the TNT Title will be contested over a Casino Gauntlet Match. We know that, because of his victory over Mascara Dorada on Dynamite, that Ciampa will be the first man in the match, and RUSH will be the second man in the match after he defeated Anthony Bowens on Collision. Whoever shows up remains to be seen, but these two guys alone are a great bet to emerge victorious and hold the TNT Title.
Given how her Brawling Birds teammate will be contending for the Women’s World Title, it makes sense to have Alex Windsor involved in the show in some capacity as well. What makes less sense, at least on the surface, is having her randomly facing Marina Shafir. Then you consider the fact that Windsor is the RevPro Women’s Champion, so Shafir winning this match could provide her a shot at the title down the line. Will Marina defeat the champion and earn a future shot at the title, or will Alex turn back the enforcer of the Death Riders?
All of this and, of course, so much more in store for us tonight! So, walk with me and talk with me as we explore the entire card for Dynasty!
On the surface, this match might look and feel random. After all, what connection do Alex Windsor and Marina Shafir have with one another? However, with Windsor holding the RevPro Women’s Title for a second time in her career, the play could be for Shafir to win this match and then earn a shot at Windsor, whether it happens in AEW or in RevPro.
Even though this match is taking place on the Zero Hour (which is not an indictment of the ladies in question, but someone was going to end up there), we should expect a hard hitting match between two tough customers. Shafir is coming off a loss to Mina Shirakawa, while Windsor is riding high with both Mina and her Brawling Birds partner Jamie Hayter. If momentum is a thing, then Windsor will win this match, but something tells me that this wasn’t a random pairing, and that to give her a shot at a non-AEW title, Marina wins here.
WINNER: Marina Shafir
One of the biggest mysteries in AEW (and in wrestling as a whole) over the last year was the status of Chris Jericho. Many people predicted that Jericho would return home to WWE, and the longer it went on and the louder the radio silence got, it seemed like an adamant conclusion that Jericho would go back to the company that he plied his craft at for nearly two decades.
But then, on last week’s episode of Dynamite in his hometown of Winnipeg, Jericho made his return to AEW and let us know that with two simple words that he was back. This week in Edmonton, Jericho expanded on his situation but was confronted by the Demand. After Ricochet dressed Jericho down and told him to leave the company again, Jericho revealed that his contract included a clause where he could choose any available competitor for Dynasty. And, invoking his inner Pokémon trainer, he chose Ricochet.
No one can truly know what the future holds for Jericho in AEW, as he admitted on Dynamite that he doesn’t care if he opens the show, is in the middle of it, or is in the main event. But one thing is for certain, he isn’t losing his return match, much to my chagrin as a big mark for Ricochet.
WINNER: Chris Jericho
One of the most underrated and underappreciated things in AEW is the conflict and side picking between Kyle Fletcher, Konosuke Takeshita, and Kazuchika Okada. Okada has done his best to try and drive a wedge between ProtoShita, instead wanting ProtoKada. And we were on the verge of watching Fletcher and Okada do battle with the Young Bucks, until we weren’t.
Due to some substantial injuries suffered by Kyle (as has been reported), not only is that match now off the table, but Fletcher was forced to vacate his coveted pink TNT Title. Not one to remain idle, Callis instead switched out Fletcher for Okada, thus sparking the previously boiling tension between Okada and Takeshita. To make sure both men play nice, Callis promised Takeshita a shot at Okada’s International Title if they can work together and defeat Nick and Matt Jackson.
Takeshita and Okada might be two incredible wrestlers, but they don’t hold a wicker to the tag team prowess that the Bucks have established over the past decade and a half. While the Young Bucks really have nothing to gain from winning this match, I don’t see a scenario where Okada and Takeshita stay out of their own way, leading to their downfall.
WINNERS: The Young Bucks
*If Darby wins, he will get a future AEW World Heavyweight Title Match
One year ago this month, Darby Allin embarked on his journey to climb Mount Everest and plant the flag of AEW atop the mountain. This had ramifications not just for him and his ability to sustain that climb, but for what happened regarding the AEW World Title scene. It was no secret that Tony Khan wanted to get the title on Allin before he took off to make the climb, and now, one year later, Allin has the chance once more to climb the world title mountain.
Standing in opposition of Darby and his world title aspirations is Andrade El Idolo, who has been on a heater since he returned (officially) to AEW, and is more than capable of shutting down Darby and his quest for the World Title. Being the hired gun for MJF (who for some unknown reason, despite having defeated Allin the past with a headlock takeover, needs Don Callis to help him out with Darby), Andrade would appear to have nothing to gain in this situation, but he could end up making a case for himself in the World Title scene again.
The stipulation leads me to believe that Allin is winning this match. Couple that with the previous knowledge of Khan wanting to put the World Title on Allin at All-In Texas last year, and it seems like the perfect storm for the guy who will never die.
WINNER: Darby Allin
There used to be a time when the TNT title was considered the next best thing in AEW behind the World Heavyweight Title, but how times have changed. When combined with the introduction of other titles and the fate that has befallen recent champions, the title named after one half of the company’s cable parents has become a symbol of bad luck.
With Fletcher forced to vacate the TNT Title due to injuries, the new champion will be decided during a Casino Gauntlet Match. Unlike the standard Battle Royale/Royal Rumble style match, the lower the number, the better chance a wrestler has at winning, since the match can end at any point in time. What we know for certain is that Tomasso Ciampa and RUSH will be the number one and two entrants in the match. For obvious reasons, the match could easily end there, and thinking outside of the box for a change wouldn’t hurt.
The unpredictable nature of these matches make a winner hard to establish, especially when a title is on the line. I am going to ere on the side of Ciampa winning his “Sylvie” back, since he has made that his clear goal since he lost the belt to Fletcher in the first place.
WINNER: Tomasso Ciampa (And NEW!)
We all knew that this day was going to come, and now that we have reached this intersection, the question becomes, “Will we get the obvious thing, or will the result not be obvious?” It’s clear to me that Khan WANTS the tag team titles on Christian Cage and Adam Copeland since it could be the end of their respective careers.
The question then becomes, “Do FTR have a say in this matter,” and that answer is, of course, yes. After all, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler are not three time AEW Tag Team Champions (among all the other accolades across NXT, NJPW, and ROH) for no reason. They also have the backing of Big Stoke which, considering that he has been healed and he can finally walk, is a miracle that we should not take for granted.
All of this to say, of course, that Cage and Copeland aren’t losing this match. The feud got too ugly and FTR did too much personal damage to Copeland and professional damage to Cage. Add in the fact that this event takes place in Vancouver, and Cage and Copeland should be Canadian heroes in this one (even if they hail from the other side of the country).
WINNERS: Christian Cage and Adam Copeland (And NEW!)
I mentioned above in the Zero Hour blurb for the Alex Windsor and Marina Shafir match that it looked like, on the surface, that there was no absolute reason for that match to happen. On the polar end of that spectrum, the AEW Women’s World Title Match is everything for Jamie Hayter. As you may recall, Hayter had to vacate the Women’s Title due to injury and was never pinned or submitted to lose the title.
There’s also the matter of that time when Thekla made her AEW debut, when she arrived and attacked Hayter and made her presence felt. This sidelined Hayter for a while, and through side quests and detours, Hayter and Thekla will meet up officially for the Women’s Title.
When Thekla defended her title in the rematch against Kris Statlander, I opined that it would be silly for her to drop the title right back to Kris after she had just won the belt. That logic applies here as well, even if Hayter is more than capable of winning the title here. Jamie is also involved with Alex Windsor in the Brawling Birds, so she’ll have something to go back to (who could end up dethroning Divine Dominion and taking the Women’s Tag Team Titles at some point) when she falls short in this match.
WINNER: Thekla (Still Champion)
The theme of Dynasty is revenge, as evidenced by the Men’s Tag Team Titles and Women’s World Title match. Add to that list the Continental Title match between Champion Jon Moxley and the challenger Will Ospreay, who recently made his return to AEW at Revolution following double neck fusion surgery.
When Ospreay returned last month, he made it his mission to extract revenge against Moxley and the Death Riders for having taken him out of action following their 10-man match at Forbidden Door in August. Since he has returned, Ospreay has been a thorn in the side of Moxley, as he defeated PAC and strongarmed Moxley into putting his title on the line.
I’ve mentioned that Moxley has been a different man since he won the Continental Title back at World’s End in December, and it’s arguable that he has been doing his best work since he arrived in AEW back in 2019. Not only does Moxley provide the platform for wrestlers to compete for his title in Eliminators, but he has been great at straddling the line as a tweener, and his commentary has been amazing.
Moxley doesn’t need the title anymore, and while Ospreay doesn’t need the title as much as he needs revenge against Moxley for the injury he suffered, if we are getting the match between Ospreay and Kenny Omega at All-In London in August, then Ospreay having a title doesn’t hurt.
WINNER: Will Ospreay (And NEW!)
Is there a better feeling in AEW than Kenny Omega and his ability to overcome diverticulitis and not only return to the ring, but he’s parlayed himself into a World Title match at Dynasty against the World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman, MJF. There is no telling how much longer Omega will be able to compete between the ropes, much less at the high rate that he has been used to, so Omega will give it everything that he’s got in this match.
The question is, will it be enough? We all know how shrewd and conniving Maxwell can be, and he manages to win when it looks like he is going to lose. MJF held the title previously for 408 days before he lost to Samoa Joe at World’s End in 2023, and I am not sure that he holds the title this time for as long, even if he does manage to defeat Omega here.
The thought of giving Omega one final World Title run as a thank you for everything that he has done not only for AEW but for wrestling is a tough thing to say no to. Also, as I mentioned in the Moxley-Ospreay blurb, one of the proposed main event matches for All-In London would see Omega face Ospreay. And that match would hit better if either Omega had the World Title, Ospreay had the Continental Title, or both.
Also, Omega will be fighting MJF as the Canadian Hero and should be a sentimental favorite for every reason mentioned above. I’m not completely sold that MJF loses the title but considering that so many titles are currently held by heels in the company, sliding the World Title to one of the biggest babyfaces would shift that perspective.
WINNER: Kenny Omega (and NEW!)
And that’ll do it for my preview of Dynasty. I will wrap this up by saying what I always do, and that is if you clicked on my article, read it, and posted a comment, I thank you for the support! It means a lot to me as do the responses, whether good, bad, or indifferent!
Dynasty airs this Sunday at 8:00PM EST, with the Zero Hour starting at 7:00PM EST, and is available for purchase in all the usual places!
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