https://www.youtube.com/embed/tEW8eq0NyjE
Last week was a historic one for All Elite Wrestling as, for the very first time, AEW crossed borders and traveled to Toronto, ON, Canada for two events at the Coca-Cola Coliseum! On DYNAMITE, Chris Jericho, with a little help from ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia, conquered Bryan Danielson in a ROH World Championship bout, defeating the man many consider the greatest to ever hold said title. Just two days later on RAMPAGE though, “The Ocho” was challenged by another former ROH World Champion in Dalton Castle as those who actually care about that legacy look to reclaim it before Jericho does irreparable damage.
Plus Orange Cassidy dethroned PAC as All-Atlantic Champion, Shida and AEW Interim Women’s Champion Toni Storm topped Dr. Baker and Jamie Hayter in tag team action, “All Ego” Ethan Page defeated Isiah Kassidy to bring Matt Hardy into indentured servitude within The Firm, and The Kingdom of Matt Taven, Michael Bennett, and Maria Kanellis-Bennett arrived in AEW at the expense of FTR.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/WMWakiq9Rf0
This week, on a special Tuesday night edition of DYNAMITE, All Elite Wrestling debuts at the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, OH for an already loaded edition of AEW’s flagship program! As mentioned, the ROH World Championship will be on the line when Chris Jericho meets Dalton Castle, the AEW Interim Women’s World Championship will be up for grabs as Toni Storm meets Hikaru Shida, and the AEW World Trios Championship will be at stake when Death Triangle meets The Best Friends! And as if that was not enough, in one of the most anticipated matches in AEW’s history, Jon Moxley will meet “Hangman” Adam Page for the very first time in singles competition and the AEW World Championship will hang in the balance!
In addition MJF will be in the house, and Renee Paquette will sit-down with “The American Dragon” and Wheeler Yuta on the heels of last week’s failure to bring the ROH World Championship back to The Blackpool Combat Club!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/zxbuqWbO4_0
AEW’s return to Cincinnati, and debut at the Heritage Bank Center, kicks off live on TBS at 8pm EDT/7pm CDT, and at AEWPlus.com for international audiences, and the official AEW YouTube page is where you need to go for all the highlights from last week’s Toronto debut, as well as the latest episodes of AEW Dark: Elevation, AEW Dark, Road To, and The Control Center with Tony Schiavone!
AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
Jon Moxley(c) vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
https://www.youtube.com/embed/C1Z83pLfflw
At RAMPAGE: GRAND SLAM 2022 on September 23rd, “Hangman” Adam Page earned this championship bout by emerging victorious in the Golden Ticket Battle Royale, eliminating QT Marshall, The Butcher, Jay Lethal, and Rush along the way. With that victory, the wheels were set in-motion for a collision between two of AEW’s premiere athletes, all Jon Moxley had to do was make it to Cincinnati with the AEW World Championship still around his waist. That meant not losing to Juice Robinson in their Eliminator Bout, thus giving the BULLET Club member a World Championship opportunity before Hangman got his, and it also meant MJF not cashing in the title shot earned from his Casino Ladder Match victory at ALL OUT 2022.
Thankfully, neither of those things came to pass, and Jon Moxley has not found himself in a position to defend the AEW World Championship since defeating Bryan Danielson at DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2022 to earn his third reign with the title. That doesn’t mean he hasn’t been putting in work; in fact Mox has fought every single week since beating “The American Dragon”! Be it the aforementioned fight with Juice on 9/28, Trios action alongside The Blackpool Combat Club on the 10/7 RAMPAGE, or tagging with Claudio last Friday night on RAMPAGE, Jon hasn’t stopped fighting just because he’s the World Champion or because he’s had a title fight on the horizon. If anything, it’s only made him work that much harder to stay ready since, as The BCC is fond of saying, iron sharpens iron.
As for Hangman, he went into battle with former ROH World Champion Rush on the October 5th DYNAMITE: ANNIVERSARY edition, but all told, his body is likely feeling a little less abused heading into this championship match on Tuesday night. That being said, this fight is about so much more than just that AEW World Championship, although its ownership is ultimately the goal for both men involved here. Both Hangman and Mox have been embraced by the AEW faithful over the last several years, albeit for different reasons; Mox has been a freight train from the moment he arrived at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2019, running over everything in his path en route to becoming a 3-Time AEW World Champion, and carrying AEW on his back through some dark times. It has been said Mox is the heart and soul of All Elite Wrestling, and with the fervor which he shows in support of AEW, it’s hard to argue differently.
But the same can be said for Hangman Page, a man who has also poured his heart and soul into AEW over the last three years, and in the process claimed both the AEW World Tag Team Championship, as well as the AEW World Championship. Fans have watched Adam Page question himself, struggle with insecurities, push away his friends only to find new ones in the process, and ultimately discover his inner strength. Hangman has struggled publicly with these dilemmas that many silently suffer with, and while he has had his successes and triumphs, Adam still has to face these internal demons every day of his life. But he never stops fighting, not any more, and even when he’s stumbled, when he’s faced with a guilt that stems from losing the AEW World Championship in the first place, he tackles it head-on, just as he will do on Tuesday night when faced with Jon Moxley.
Two men, both beloved by the AEW faithful, with the AEW World Championship at stake, and taking place in the defending champion’s hometown. This is the kind of fight both men live for, and All Elite Wrestling was built to showcase; will it be Moxley who leaves Cincinnati with championship intact and begins the road to FULL GEAR 2022, or will Hangman become a 2-Time World Champion himself and reclaim the championship that he regrets letting slip away at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2022?
ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
“The Ocho” Chris Jericho(c) vs. ROH World Six Man Champion Dalton Castle (w/ The Boys)
https://www.youtube.com/embed/VZG_I06cD0k
Chris Jericho, the reigning and defending ROH World Champion, at first it sounded like a situation that could hoist the profile of the legendary championship to new heights and bring Ring of Honor’s new era to unheard of prominence. Instead, it has become a reign of dishonor and a disdain for the history built since 2002 by many of the greatest athletes to ever compete inside the squared circle. One of the athletes, considered by some the greatest of them all, was “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, and his time atop ROH from from 9/17/05 – 12/23/06 is still looked upon as one of, if not the, greatest World Championship run in ROH’s history. And yet, when faced with an opportunity to reclaim the title he lost to “The Notorious 187” Homicide nearly 16 years ago, Danielson came up short thanks in large part to the involvement of ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia.
That victory marked Jericho’s second over a former ROH World Champion after beating Bandido weeks prior, and further fueled The Ocho’s boisterous claims to be the greatest ROH champ of all-time. His desire to desecrate the title’s lineage has only been bolstered, his want to tarnish the legacy of ROH has only strengthened, but by putting that that mindset out into the world, Chris Jericho has invited the challenge of all for whom those three letters hold meaning.
One of those men is former ROH World Champion, former ROH World TV Champion, and 2-Time ROH World Six Man Champion Dalton Castle. While he, along with The Boys, may reign as current ROH World Six Man Champions, Castle has a history with the ROH World Title around Chris Jericho’s waist. From December 15, 2017 until June 30, 2018, Dalton reigned over Ring of Honor as World Champion and did so successfully on seven occasions during those 197 days. He toppled Jay Lethal, Trent Beretta, NJPW’s EVIL, and Cody Rhodes, among others, and defended the title in the United States, Germany, Japan, and in London during that reign. And he did all of that with a broken back, what Castle referred to as a Pars Defect, to go along with two broken bones, an injury he was unknowingly suffering with before he even won the championship. To say it hindered Castle’s ability to perform at his peak during his championship reign would be an understatement, and yet even at far less than 100%, Castle accrued an impressive champion resume, and sits with the 15th longest reign of the 37 champions to date, including Chris Jericho.
So this title fight in Cincinnati, this is an opportunity for Dalton Castle to do it right with a second championship run. It’s a shot, not only to save ROH from “The Ocho”, but to also show what Dalton as ROH World Champion in peak fighting condition actually looks like. Is Chris Jericho ready for a Peacock Party this Tuesday night? Or will “The Ocho” find another opportunity to dishonor the legacy of ROH en route to retaining the World Championship for a third time?
AEW WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
Death Triangle(PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo, & Rey Fenix)(c) vs.
AEW All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy & Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta)
https://www.youtube.com/embed/7KRgyY2ok6Q
Last week, Orange Cassidy finally did something he’s been trying to do since REVOLUTION 2020 when he topped “The Bastard” PAC to become the new AEW All-Atlantic Champion. It was a moment of triumph for OC, his Best Friends, and the fans who have supported him over the years, not just since the inception of AEW, but over his entire career. It was jubilant and celebratory for all save “The Bastard” who maybe, just maybe, had to finally admit to himself that Orange Cassidy is so much more than PAC ever gave him credit for.
That loss last week has repercussions beyond just PAC being dethroned though, and that brings us to this DYNAMITE: TITLE TUESDAY where The Best Friends and the new All-Atlantic Champion hope to parlay that Canadian victory into another one in Cincinnati! In a rematch of their September 7th DYNAMITE collision, The Death Triangle and The Best Friends will lock horns once again with the AEW World Trios Championship on the line!
Both trios have fought in 12 bouts, Death Triangle with a 9-3 record and The Best Friends standing at 7-5, and as stated, their lone head-to-head bout went in favor of PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo, and Rey Fenix. Can Chuck, Trent, and OC even up the score with their long-time rivals and add another championship to their collective? Or will this be a night of vengeance for The Death Triangle after last week’s crushing defeat?
AEW INTERIM WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH…
Toni Storm(c) vs. Hikaru Shida
https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nggp1woNF0g
As much as Jon Moxley put AEW on his back during the long nights in Daily’s Place, so too did Hikaru Shida as the AEW Women’s World Champion. For 372 days, with 8 successful championship defenses, and an unbeaten streak that lasted eighteen matches, Shida fought all-comers both from within AEW, as well as challenges from without. Thunder Rosa first came to AEW to challenge Shida, and she failed. Ryo Mizunami fought her way through the 2021 Women’s World Title Eliminator Tournament in order to get to AEW for her championship match, and Shida turned that challenge away too. Nyla Rose, Abadon, Penelope Ford, Big Swole, Anna Jay, and Tay Conti all fell before the “Shining Samurai”. Still, no championship reign can last forever, and eventually the end came at the hands of Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2021.
To date, Shida has not had an opportunity to reclaim the championship she carried so proudly for over year, but that finally changes on Tuesday night when she steps into the ring against AEW Interim Women’s World Champion Toni Storm! As mentioned in the ROAD TO episode embedded above, these two women have had a connection since the earliest days of their careers, first locking horns back in 2013 in Japan, but this week’s DYNAMITE will mark their first ever one-on-one encounter!
Storm has stepped up in her role as champion, successfully defending the title in a Four Way at DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2022 and in a Lumberjack Match on the 9/28 edition of DYNAMITE from Philadelphia. She’s stepped into the ring every single week since first winning the championship at ALL OUT 2022, in singles, tags, and trios, and will continue that streak this Tuesday night in Cincinnati! Just as Moxley before her, Storm bristles at that Interim label and longs for the day she can become the sole claimant to the Women’s World Championship, but in the meantime, Toni Storm is going to have to keep the title in her possession, and that means defeating the longest-reigning champion in AEW’s history: Hikaru Shida!
MJF OPENS HIS MOUTH…
https://www.youtube.com/embed/st4QSoGFomQ
We know Maxwell Jacob Friedman, as the winner of the Casino Ladder Match, will have his attention firmly fixed on the AEW World Championship bout between Jon Moxley and Hangman Page come Tuesday night. In all likelihood, he will be the next man to challenge for said title after DYNAMITE: TITLE TUESDAY, perhaps even at FULL GEAR 2022 in Newark, NJ. MJF is never short on words, and he will no doubt have something to say about this title fight and his own plans for its future. After a rather unexpected conversation with Alex Marvez, including mentioning some dark past with William Regal, who knows what MJF will have to say for himself this week in Cincinnati?
RENEE, YUTA, & THE AMERICAN DRAGON…
https://www.youtube.com/embed/1wqvHJt0g9A
Last week on DYNAMITE, AEW unveiled the latest addition to the broadcast team in one Renee Paquette! Although she was tasked with the unfortunate responsibility of interviewing Christian Cage to start her AEW tenure, perhaps this week’s responsibility will be a bit less…unpleasant. Though perhaps not because Renee will sit-down with two men who are likely to be some of the unhappiest individuals in AEW after last week:
https://www.youtube.com/embed/iZ3H-wXCNTY
Not only did “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson fail to defeat Chris Jericho in their ROH World Championship match, it happened because of the actions of the man who dethroned Wheeler Yuta as ROH Pure Champion several weeks prior: Daniel Garcia. The Blackpool Combat Club has been dealt many painful blows over the last several weeks, Yuta losing the Pure Championship, Claudio Castagnoli losing the ROH World Championship, and Bryan failing in the attempt to bring it back to the fold. On top of that, Danielson also has to face the fact that the horse he supported, the man around whose waist he strapped the Pure Title, that’s who robbed him in Toronto. One can’t help but wonder how all that sits with Wheeler Yuta, and perhaps we will find out on Tuesday night when Renee Paquette is joined by these two members of The BCC.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/S6iSKUB2VYA
This Tuesday night, All Elite Wrestling returns to Cincinnati for our debut at the Heritage Bank Center, and with it comes four huge championship matches! The AEW World Championship is on the line when Jon Moxley battles Golden Ticket Battle Royale winner Hangman Page in their very first singles match. It’s a bout fans have been clamoring for since AEW debuted, and it is finally happening in Mox’s hometown. The ROH World Championship is on the line when former champion Dalton Castle challenges Chris Jericho, the AEW Trios Titles are up for grabs between Death Triangle and The Best Friends, and Toni Storm defends her Interim Women’s World Championship against the greatest to ever hold that belt, Hikaru Shida! Plus, we’ll hear from MJF and The BCC’s Danielson and Yuta will sit-down with Renee Paquette!
This special Tuesday night edition of DYNAMITE, comes to you live on TBS at 8pm ET/7pm CT, and the official AEW YouTube channel is the best spot to get ready for it all with Dynamite and Rampage highlights from AEW’s Toronto debut, as well as the latest editions of AEW Dark: Elevation, AEW Dark, and Road To!
https://www.youtube.com/embed/pLExLfzC7HEArticle source: allelitewrestling.com
Publishing articles on film, television, and pop culture articles inclusive entertainment