This Sunday marks the third annual AEW Dynasty show, and despite missing some key players this lineup is still a doozy.
There's no Hangman Page, no Swerve Strickland, and no Toni Storm (goddammit I need answers, what's going on with Toni??), but holy jeez does this card still look pretty fantastic. As of now there are only eight main card matches and given the length a few of them are gonna require I could see that being the final tally. But I also wouldn't be surprised if they add a TBS Title match or a Women's Tag Title match, or a Trios Title match (SPOILER: The Dogs won those belts at the Collision taping).
Let's get right into it.
Zero Hour: Marina Shafir vs. Alex Windsor
This one is a branch-off from the Mox-Ospreay feud; Will's fiancée has gone right after Mox's heater and this should be a fairly enjoyable, hard-hitting match. I think Marina probably wins this one. I know before Toni abruptly disappeared from television there was supposed to be a No Holds Barred Toni-Marina rematch that probably would've led to Toni challenging Thekla for the belt. I hope we eventually get to see Toni vs. Ronda, as that would be a big money match for this company. Anyway I think Marina wins here.
Pick: Marina
TNT Championship Casino Gauntlet
Poor Kyle Fletcher is out for an indefinite period due to an ankle injury of some sort. Anyone scheduled for a tag match partnering with Mark Davis should just refuse. That's two guys out with injuries due to matches involving that exact situation; apparently tagging with Mark is bad luck. Anyway this gauntlet will crown a new champion, and thus far we know Tommaso Ciampa and Rush are in the match but no other names have been announced. I could see either of the last two former champs getting the belt back for now, Ciampa or Mark Briscoe.
Pick: I'll go with Ciampa I guess
Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet
The Demo God is back and looks in fantastic shape, like better than he's ever looked in AEW. Whether that will translate to better mobility and thus better matches remains to be seen, but this should be a fine test. If you can't have a good match against Ricochet, something's wrong. I was tickled to see Jericho bring back The List gimmick, as that was always hilarious and even as a heel it got people to cheer him. This should be a lot of fun.
Pick: Jericho's not losing his first match in a year
Andrade El Idolo vs. Darby Allin
This one is for a future title shot, presumably at Double or Nothing. Andrade's been on fire since returning to AEW, Darby is always good for a wild and crazy match. Seems pretty clear Darby wins this to set up his first-ever one-on-one World Title match on a PPV, likely against MJF, which will be fantastic if their Full Gear 2021 match is any indication. This should be great too.
Pick: Darby
Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada & Konosuke Takeshita
Fucking FINALLY they're going back to the Okada-Takeshita feud. Allegedly Kyle Fletcher was supposed to be tagging with Okada here but this could be a blessing in disguise. This match will be incredible and could steal the show. The heels here have an agreement with Don Callis that in return for agreeing to team up, they get to wrestle each other at Double or Nothing, which will be amazing. Time to pull the goddamn trigger on Takeshita's push. Since the Bucks are going after the tag belts, and since their opponents hate each other, they should win here.
Pick: Bucks
World Tag Team Championship: FTR vs. Cope & Cage
This rematch from All Out has been seven months in the making. Cope and Cage have a win over FTR and will probably get another one here. I think the plan is probably a three-way with the Bucks added, at All In. So it makes sense for Cope and Cage to win the belts and drop them at Wembley.
Pick: Adam and Jason
Women's World Championship: Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter
Jamie was Thekla's first target when she arrived in AEW, and Jamie defeated her at WrestleDream, so another rematch long in the making. Thekla's promo work has been excellent; she just exudes demented confidence. This should be a slugfest. Jamie and Alex are probably winning the tag belts at Wembley so I don't see a title change happening here.
Pick: Thekla retains
Continental Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay
Ospreay is back for revenge against the man who kayfabe put him on the shelf, and it's for the Continental Title. That means no outside interference and a 20-minute time limit. Conventional wisdom says Ospreay wins here but Ospreay also just pinned Mox in the eight-man tag on Dynamite. Situations like that usually point to a 50-50 scenario. Maybe this goes to a draw? Ospreay seems a mortal lock to win the big belt at Wembley so he probably doesn't need this title, but it also seems odd for him to come up short in his first PPV match post-injury. I guess I'll stick with my gut though.
Pick: Ospreay
Men's World Championship: MJF vs. Kenny Omega
This will be only the second meeting between these two, and boy has AEW made it feel like Kenny's winning here. But I don't think he is. As great as Omega-Ospreay III would be as a Wembley main event, I think MJF-Ospreay is probably the plan and is probably the better business move. MJF as champion is a draw, and Ospreay beating a long-running heel champ in his hometown just seems the better story to move a lot of tickets (which they desperately need to do if they want to catch up to the 2024 number). I'm also not crazy about the idea of Hangman losing to MJF last month and thus never being able to challenge again, only for MJF to drop the title so soon after. Either way this match should be fantastic and will probably go very long. I wonder if Swerve gets involved to set up a rubber match with Kenny at Double or Nothing.
Pick: MJF retains
So yeah, quite a promising lineup despite some top names being absent. There are definitely some potential five-star classics on tap and a pretty clear direction for some of the upcoming PPVs. Should be a hoot.
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