Last week was an extremely busy one for All Elite Wrestling with FOUR huge events in five days! DARK: ELEVATION, DARK, DYNAMITE, and the historic THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS non-televised event offered up a tremendous quartet of action, drama, violence, and competition for our viewing audiences! Fans witnessed multiple TNT Title matches and the return of Mike Tyson, they saw The Young Bucks make a critical choice, QT Marshall and The Factory deliver a message to Cody Rhodes, Eddie Kingston return to in-ring action, and a whole lot more!
This week on DYNAMITE, the repercussions of all that transpired will be felt and with it fans will see TWO title bouts! We will all witness The Pinnacle and The Inner Circle head into battle with Mike Tyson at ringside! The Factory’s Anthony Ogogo will make his in-ring debut! Christian Cage will be in the house! An all-new DYNAMITE kicks off at 8pm EST/7pm CST on TNT (or AEWPlus.com for our International audiences), but be sure to catch AEW DARK: ELEVATION and AEW DARK exclusively available on the AEW YouTube Channel (Watch Here)!
TNT TITLE MATCH/FALLS COUNT ANYWHERE…
Darby Allin (c) vs. “Big Money” Matt Hardy (w/ The HFO)
Last week was a landmark one for the career of Darby Allin, not only did he continue his run as the longest reigning champion since the TNT Title’s inception nearly a year ago, he did so with two successful defenses in two days! It was a tremendous fashion in which to mark the one year anniversary of the TNT Title Tournament’s beginning, but it no doubt had to take a physical toll on Allin.
As can be seen in the video embedded above from DYNAMITE, the champion first had to survive JD Drake’s physical onslaught. A relative newcomer to AEW, Drake stepped up in a big way to answer Darby’s TNT Title Open Challenge and held his own with the defending champ. But Darby took his measure, and ultimately found Drake wanting, picking up the win with a Coffin Drop. So it was in the aftermath that, like true vultures, Matt and his Hardy Family Office tried to pick the bones of Allin but were cut off by The Dark Order before being able to unleash hell upon the battered champion.
Luckily for “Big Money” and his ilk, a second chance to slaughter Darby Allin would come to them at THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS just two nights later. The Butcher would outlast 14 other individuals, including The Blade, to earn himself a TNT Title opportunity in the main event of AEW’s historic first-ever non-televised event! Matt Hardy’s behemoth took it to Darby like none of the challengers before him, but Allin, despite the titanic size and power differential, found a way to best The Butcher and successfully retain the TNT Title for the sixth time.
To say it did not sit well with Matt Hardy would be underselling the situation, but on Wednesday night, “Big Money” has a chance to rectify the situation when he challenges Darby Allin for the TNT Title in a Falls Count Anywhere Match! That kind of environment plays strongly into Darby’s wheelhouse, but the man’s body has to be feeling some kind of pain after the last week of his life, the nature of his two title defenses, and the attacks he endured.
As for Hardy, he has been getting his reps up as a singles competitor. He picked up a pair of victories last week over Five and Vary Morales, on DARK: ELEVATION and DARK respectively, and netted himself a third straight victory over Ken Broadway this passed Tuesday night. They may not be bouts taking place in an environment where anything goes, but they are still a way for Hardy to stay ring ready, especially now that he has his first championship opportunity in All Elite Wrestling. It may be Hardy’s first title fight, but it is not his first match of this nature since coming to AEW a year ago. The Broken Rules Match he went through with Sammy Guevara at ALL OUT 2020 also had FCA rules, and although Matt won the battle, it was a pyrrhic victory that very likely took more out of Matt than his opponent.
That is not a situation Hardy is looking to repeat, and given how the man has changed in the months since ALL OUT 2020, Darby best have eyes in the back of his head for the members of The Hardy Family Office. This is not necessarily a one-on-one battle for the champion, this could very well be five-on-one given the nature of the rules, but should Allin make it through his third title match in a week with championship in his possession, he could very well be considered the greatest competitor to have held that TNT Title!
WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH…
The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (c) vs. Death Triangle (PAC & Rey Fenix)
The decision was made, when faced with their friend being decimated by Jon Moxley, a choice was made by The Young Bucks to superkick the face of the former AEW World Champion and hand Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers a victory on the last DYNAMITE. Mind you, Matt and Nick Jackson were operating as the tag team partners for Mox in that six-man tag when they made the determination to pick Kenny, so they essentially handed themselves a loss as well.
But that moment was not about the win or the loss, it was not about record books or rankings, it was not even about Jon Moxley because any man who had Omega in their clutches would’ve likely suffered the same fate. The choice to kick in the face of Mox and acquiesce to voices of Omega, Don Callis, even Brandon Cutler, had nothing to do with that fight per se. It was a response to all who had been questioning the resolve of The Young Bucks, doubting the heart of Matt and Nick, throwing shade on the passion of the World Tag Team Champions, and most importantly it was an answer to the AEW World Champion questioning why The Young Bucks never chose him. In that moment, in front of the world and at the expense of unarguably the most dangerous man on AEW’s roster, the AEW World Tag Team Champions picked Kenny Omega and their decade of history, of memories, and of shared moments. What repercussions they will face from Jon Moxley, and no doubt also from Eddie Kingston, remains to be seen, but this week the defending World Tag Team Champions better have their focus on Death Triangle!
Having earned a championship match at REVOLUTION 2021 via the Casino Tag Team Royale, PAC and Rey Fenix have been focused on the mission of dethroning the reigning champions. The momentum between the two teams is certainly on the side of the challengers seeing as how, since the pay-per-view a month ago, they’ve topped the champs in some fashion on three occasions. Rey beat Matt Jackson in a singles bout the DYNAMITE immediately after REVOLUTION 2021, then he, Penta El Zero Miedo, and Laredo Kid topped The Young Bucks and Brandon Cutler in a trios bout on the March 24th DYNAMITE. Just last Friday night, as part of THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS, the quintet of Death Triangle and The Sydal Brothers defeated The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Konosuke Takeshita in a five-on-five battle.
Even allies of the brothers Jackson have not been safe from Death Triangle as Brandon Cutler suffered a vicious loss to Penta El Zero Miedo on DARK: ELEVATION on Monday night! He may be an innocent victim of this heated rivalry, but Brandon Cutler may also serve as that added motivation for The Young Bucks to put aside any fears of Moxley and Kingston, and focus squarely on the men trying to take their titles. And now that the drama surrounding The Elite has been put to bed and The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and The Good Brothers are together on the same page, Matt and Nick have one less thing to pull their attention and can concentrate on reestablishing their dominance as THE top tag team in all of professional wrestling.
They just have to make it out of el triangulo de la muerte; but what lays waiting outside for that Triangle can be seen below…
FACTION WARFARE…
Dax Harwood (w/ Cash Wheeler) vs. Chris Jericho (w/ Sammy Guevara)
Special Ringside Enforcer: Mike Tyson
***THE REST OF THE PINNACLE/INNER CIRCLE BANNED FROM RINGSIDE***
The last several weeks have been an absolute roller coaster for the members of both The Inner Circle and The Pinnacle. Whether it be MJF’s betrayal of Chris Jericho, Max’s behind the scenes gathering of The Pinnacle, or the violence that has since ensued between the two factions, life has been utterly tumultuous for the eleven men comprising these groups. Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Santana, Ortiz, and Jake Hager asserted their dominance the night they evicted The Pinnacle from their locker room and left everyone from Cash Wheeler to Tully Blanchard bloodied and broken. That brought about the fiery, emotional, emphatic speech from Chris Jericho embedded above in which he challenged The Pinnacle to a Blood and Guts Match on the May 5th DYNAMITE!
On the heels of that rallying speech, it must have come as a surprise to the leader of The Inner Circle when he ended up on the wrong end of an assault from Cash, Dax, Spears, MJF, Wardlow, and Tully that started in the back and carried out into the ring:
Equally shocking for self-dubbed “DemoGod” must have been the arrival of “Iron” Mike Tyson in the midst of the chaos, not to reprise their last meeting that devolved into a pull apart, but to rescue Jericho from his beating. With The Inner Circle members locked up in their dressing room, the former boxing World Heavyweight Champion came to the ring, ripped off his shirt, and began to rain blows down on Shawn Spears. Eventually The Inner Circle would free themselves and join Tyson in the ring, even having the legendary fighter join them in the traditional Inner Circle one finger salute on their exit.
That continued escalation of hostilities between The Pinnacle and The Inner Circle has now led to this one-on-one match between a former AEW World Tag Team Champion and a former AEW World Champion! Dax Harwood and Chris Jericho will lock up, the former’s second singles match in AEW, and each man is allowed one representative from their squad to accompany them to ringside. Dax has of course picked Cash Wheeler as his second, while Jericho has chosen the man who only recently rejoined The Inner Circle, Sammy Guevara. It’s an interesting choice from Jericho considering the tense last several months between Sammy and The Inner Circle, but prior to MJF’s admittance into the group, Guevara was arguably Jericho’s most loyal ally as while as his Le SexGods tag team partner.
Clearly the hostilities between the two factions is barely containable so to attempt to insure both factions abide by the terms of the match, Mike Tyson will serve as the special ringside enforcer and it is doubtful either side of this rivalry will cross the man known as “Kid Dynamite” in his early boxing days.
Dax’s word in that tweet embedded above came following The Pinnacle’s dominating victory at THE HOUSE ALWAYS WINS last Friday night, and encompass how this half of FTR feels about the fight coming his way on DYNAMITE. With BLOOD AND GUTS looming in just a few weeks, any advantage either faction can get will be a welcome one and if history has demonstrated anything, both units will do whatever it takes to get that leg up.
ONE-ON-ONE…
(#2) Red Velvet vs. Jade Cargill
This one has been building for quite some time, with Jade and Red Velvet having a face-to-face on Dr. Britt Baker’s WAITING ROOM (Watch Here) or Velvet on the wrong end of an assault to send a message to Cody and Brandi Rhodes. Of course, there is the unforgettable tag team affair on the March 3rd DYNAMITE: CROSSROADS edition that put Red and Cody against Jade and NBA Hall Of Famer Shaquille O’Neal!
Although much of the spotlight heading into that bout was on Shaq’s involvement, when the match came down to its final minutes, it was all about Red, Jade, and their issues that had become increasingly heated in the preceding months. It was the powerhouse Jade Cargill who picked up the deciding pinfall on Red Velvet, picking up a victory in her very first AEW match, and further bolstering an ego that was already quite strong.
The war of words never abated though, despite Jade’s victory in that tag team match, nor did either woman’s hustle inside the ring. Both of them have racked up their share of wins in the interim, Jade with a pair of strong singles victories while Velvet has amassed a sextet of victories in singles, tag, and multi-woman matches. But regardless of who Red Velvet fought, part of her mind has always been on getting a piece of Jade in a one-on-one situation, giving Cargill her comeuppance for the slanderous words, the physical attacks, and proving to herself (and the world) that Red Velvet is the superior athlete.
That opportunity finally comes this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when Jade Cargill meets Red Velvet in a singles bout! Velvet is sitting at the number two spot in the rankings as of this writing, and another victory on her record is certainly a way to solidify that standing. For Jade, the victory could mean sliding into the top five for the very first time and getting her name into the Women’s World Title picture. For both women, it is also about taking a stand as the dominant force between the two. Both the wrestlers involved as well as the fans watching have been anticipating this collision, and they finally get it Wednesday night on TNT!!
WILL HE OR WON’T HE?
After a tremendous victory over Frankie Kazarian in his debut match, the next step in Christian Cage’s AEW career is something that has the interest of a great many individuals. One of those men who would like to be a part of the next step is the driving force behind Team Taz, the man who founded the FTW Title many years ago, “The Human Suplex Machine” himself, Taz. While he may no longer be an in-ring competitor, Taz has used his tenure in AEW to help shape the careers of Brian Cage, Ricky Starks, and Will Hobbs, as well as bring his own son Hook into the fold as the young man begins his own wrestling path. Yes, probably also one of rage based on how Hook has handled himself in All Elite Wrestling.
Now Taz wants Christian Cage in his fold to help smooth out the rough patches, bring harmony to his ilk, and enhance the profile of Team Taz with the acquisition of a talent like Christian Cage. Now, as can be heard in the interview embedded above, Taz said he would give Cage time to make his decision. Given that patience is not a virtue the man has possessed at any point in his career, it is doubtful Taz will give Christian Cage much time to make a choice.
Where will Christian Cage’s decision fall?
THE ALIEN HAS RETURNED…
Kris Statlander vs. Amber Nova
June 10th of 2020; that was the last time Kris Statlander stepped inside a wrestling ring to compete and unfortunately, in that tag team match against Nyla Rose and Penelope Ford, she suffered a torn ACL that has kept her on the sidelines ever since.
Aside from an occasional appearance on BEING THE ELITE, Statlander has largely been off the radar while recovering from her injury. That is until Arcade Anarchy on the March 31st DYNAMITE when “The Galaxy’s Greatest Alien” emerged from the interior of a claw machine to counteract the presence of Penelope Ford, throwing her support behind Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor en route to their victory over Miro and Kip Sabian.
This week on DYNAMITE, the former top contender for the AEW Women’s World Championship will make her highly-anticipated return to competition for her very first match in over 300 days! For as excited as fans are to witness it, Statlander has to be ecstatic that the end of her layoff has finally arrived and she can once more descend upon the ring to show the wrestling world why she is one of the best wrestlers going today!
THE GUV’NOR…
Gold Medal in the 2004 Junior Olympics…
Gold at the 2005 IABA Cadet World Championships in the 70 kg division…
Silver at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the Middleweight Division…
Bronze at the 2012 Olympic Games in the Middleweight Division…
An 11-1 record, with 7 KOs, as a professional…
A promising boxing career brought to an early end by a fractured eye socket and nine subsequent surgeries…
It could have been a sad story of what might have been, but the former Golden Boy Promotions signee made a choice to turn it around and turn his focus from boxing to professional wrestling. That choice brought him to Cody Rhodes, The Nightmare Factory, AEW, and since late fall, an occasional position at the announcer’s desk for AEW DARK. It was a position unfamiliar to Ogogo, but one which he took to quite well as he continued his wrestling training under The Nightmare Factory banner.
Well two weeks ago, Ogogo made another major choice about his career path when he stepped into the ring during the wild aftermath of the Exhibition Bout between QT Marshall and Cody Rhodes to deliver a devastating body blow to “The American Nightmare”, leaving the former two-time TNT Champion crumpled in a heap at his feet.
One clean shot, that was all Anthony Ogogo needed to level one of the best of this generation, and that is what his opponent this Wednesday night needs to fear. It may be the first wrestling match for “The Guv’nor” in AEW. but it is far from his first fight, and whomever stands across the ring from him on DYNAMITE best remember that fact.
Wednesday night’s belong to DYNAMITE, and it all begins at 8pm EST/7pm CST on TNT! Of course if you’re a member of our International audience, head on over to AEWPlus.com to catch all the action! Two championship matches, the return of Kris Statlander, the debut of Anthony Ogogo, The Pinnacle versus The Inner Circle, Mike Tyson, Velvet and Jade; it is a jam-packed event for an all-new DYNAMITE!
And be sure to catch AEW DARK: ELEVATION, AEW DARK, OUTSIDE THE RING, WRESTLING WITH THE WEEK, and all the other content available on our official YouTube (Watch Here) page to get that full Elite Experience!