AEW Dynamite airs tonight (May 13) with a live show from Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville, North Carolina. This is the fifth episode of Dynamite during the six week build to Double or Nothing, which takes place on May 24.
Darby Allin is actually a fantastic AEW world champion
I was mostly down on Darby Allin in the months leading up to his shocking AEW world championship win over MJF, but I’ll be damned if Darby hasn’t gone out there and had an incredibly entertaining run with the gold so far. He has successfully defended his belt against Tommaso
Ciampa, Brody King, Kevin Knight, and PAC, with one more title defense scheduled for tonight against Konosuke Takeshita. If Allin keeps it up, Tony Khan may have to let his car crash run with AEW’s top prize last longer than originally planned.
Every single Allin title match has been great so far, and tonight’s should be no exception given Takeshita’s status as one of the very best pro wrestlers in the world. It’s going to be tough to follow Darby’s crazy world title defense against PAC on a golf course at Fairway to Hell, but maybe Darby plans to go through eight tables this time instead of only four.
The bottom line is that Allin’s philosophy of sacrificing a lengthy world title reign so that he can push his body to the limit in weekly defenses is a smashing success so far, in terms of creating compelling TV matches. Tony Khan loves to boast about AEW’s roster depth and how it is Where The Best Wrestle, and these weekly Darby Allin world title matches are giving AEW a good chance to show off that strength of the promotion.
Takeshita works very well here as a late replacement for AEW International Champion Kazuchika Okada, because a loss for the challenger gives Okada more fuel to constantly remind everyone that Konosuke will never be a champion at his level.
Meanwhile, AEW is also advertising an appearance from MJF on this show. Darby originally told MJF to show up tonight for a contract signing for his world title rematch at Double or Nothing, as long as Max is willing to put his hair on the line. I don’t know if that contract signing is still on the slate for tonight, but MJF should have a response in mind for whether or not he is willing to go bald like Ricochet to get back the Triple B in NYC.
Can Darby Allin’s body handle one more world title defense against a star of Takeshita’s world class caliber? Tune into Dynamite to find out.
The rest of the card
The TNT championship is also on the line tonight, as Kevin Knight is issuing an open challenge for his belt. In a situation like this, there is always a chance that the champ won’t be able to handle the surprise that comes through the curtain, which sometimes ends up being a returning star who we haven’t seen for a while. Who will show up to answer The Jet’s open challenge? Could it be his tag team partner “Speedball” Mike Bailey?
A trios match is scheduled tonight pitting Hikaru Shida and Brawling Birds (Jamie Hayter & Alex Windsor) against the Triangle of Madness (Thekla, Julia Hart, Skye Blue). Thekla is defending her AEW women’s world title at Double or Nothing in a 4-way match against Hayter, Shida, and Kris Statlander, and one of these challengers probably needs to lay her out after the champion has mostly gotten away with calling them all dumb bitches. Is Shida smart enough to cheat with her kendo stick if that’s what it takes to win?
There is also a 10-man tag team match tonight featuring Adam Copeland, Orange Cassidy, the Young Bucks, and Christian Cage vs. FTR, Tommaso Ciampa, and The Dogs. There is potential for this one to get even nuttier if Ricochet or the Don Callis Family show up to attack the Bucks ahead of Double or Nothing’s Stadium Stampede match, which could incite a wild brawl that also sees Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Jack Perry, the Hurt Syndicate, the Ass Boys, and/or The Conglomeration to join the fray.
Will Ospreay is medically cleared again and booked in a singles match tonight against Ace Austin. Now that Ospreay is good to go, does he have a formal response to Samoa Joe’s offer for him to stop training with the Death Riders’ and instead join up with The Opps? Is Joe prepared to break Ospreay’s neck as soon as tonight if Will gives him the wrong answer? Will AEW Continental Champion Jon Moxley have Ospreay’s back if Joe attacks?
The brackets for the Men’s and Women’s AEW Owen Hart Foundation Tournament will be announced during tonight’s broadcast. I bet Will Ospreay’s name is in there, considering that he’s a good bet to be in world title contention at All In. One name that won’t be in there is Hangman Page, because he is never allowed to challenge for the men’s world title again. And what about Mercedes Mone, who desperately wants to win the AEW women’s world title but hasn’t appeared live on AEW programming yet in 2026?
Other stuff to keep an eye on
– Swerve Strickland wants power now that he’s back in AEW, and ROH World Champion Bandido is in his crosshairs. Does Swerve realize that going through the Owen Hart Tournament is probably a better path for securing power in AEW than running through a ROH champion? How does Brody King feel about Swerve choosing Bandido as his next target? Fuck ICE.
– What does Jack Perry have to say after dropping the AEW National Championship to Mark Davis at Fairway to Hell? Can he convince Tony Khan to create a new title for him to win, rather than continuing his feud against all 339+ members of the Don Callis Family?
– RUSH is really, really good at squashing jobbers and then reciting his catchphrase about when you mess with the bull, you get the horns. How long will this go on for before someone he faces someone who actually has a chance to beat him?
– Is there any women’s duo that can survive the five minute eliminator challenge of AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions Megan Bayne and Lena Kross?
– Which women’s star will return to AEW next to try ending TBS Champion Willow Nightingale’s run as the comeback killer?
– Is Andrade thinking about leaving the Don Callis Family after he wasn’t chosen to represent them as Darby Allin’s next world title challenger?
– Where the f*** are Britt Baker, The Blade, Keith Lee, Nyla Rose, and The Butcher??
What will you be looking for on Dynamite?
