AEW Dynamite airs tonight (Apr. 22) with a live show from Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. This is the second episode of Dynamite during the six week build to Double or Nothing, which takes place on May 24.
Darby Allin’s world title reign won’t last long at all
I think most AEW fans knew Darby Allin was winning the AEW world championship last week once Sting made a backstage appearance to hype him up for the main event match against MJF in his home state. Darby not only beat MJF for the gold, but he did it in less than three minutes after
a low blow and series of Coffin Drops.
Darby will cut his first promo as the new face of AEW tonight on Dynamite in Portland, before he makes his first title defense against Tommaso Ciampa later in the night. That Allin is putting the gold on the line so soon and wants to be a fighting champion doesn’t bode very well for the expected length of his title run.
When I was watching WrestleMania 42 this past weekend, it was easy to tell that several matches were being rushed for time when the wrestlers would go to their finishing sequences and spots just a few minutes into the bout. I’m getting that same feeling about Darby’s title reign burning bright and fast seeing how often he plans to defend the gold.
Former champ MJF is crashing out over losing the belt and could very well interrupt Darby’s promo or match tonight to make sure he gets a title shot at Double or Nothing. Will President Tony Khan simply book the rematch, or will MJF’s brain melt even further if he has to actually fight to earn it? Will Ciampa render all of this a moot point by kicking Darby’s ass tonight and ending his world title reign in just one week?
Tune in tonight to see if the AEW world championship changes hands on consecutive episodes of Dynamite.
The rest of the card
Mina Shirakawa pointed her finger at Hikaru Shida as the latest suspect in the case of Timeless Toni Storm’s mystery attacker. Shida and Shirakawa can punch each other in the face over those accusations tonight, because they are booked against each other in a singles match. Is there a chance that Shida cements her heel turn along the way, or does she still have to put on a facade to keep her new tag team with Kris Statlander going?
Will Ospreay quickly went from feuding with the Death Riders to now fighting the Don Callis Family. The Aerial Assassin defeated Hechicero last week, only to be laid out afterwards by a gutwrench piledriver from his former friend, Mark Davis. Ospreay vs. Davis is now booked on Dynamite. After Ospreay wins, does he have a plan to avoid another post-match beatdown from the other 307 guys in Don’s family?
Other stuff to keep an eye on
– Speaking of Don’s comically large family, AEW National Champion “Jungle” Jack Perry has challenged any one of them to come fight him for the belt this week (maybe on Collision?). Will Lance Archer answer the call, following rumors that his AEW contract is set to expire this summer?
– Chris Jericho is “the guy who gets his ass beat by The Demand every week that he shows up,” so he applied for a trademark on that exact phrase. Is Jericho about to start a new faction in AEW to counteract Ricochet’s numbers advantage?
– Now that AEW Women’s World Champion Thekla has successfully defended her title against both Jamie Hayter and Alex Windsor, who will be the next “dumb bitch” to come challenge her for the title at Double or Nothing?
– AEW International Champion Kazuchika Okada vs. Konosuke Takeshita is the first match made official for Double or Nothing. Will Takeshita’s big breakup angle with the Callis Family take place before or after the PPV?
– TBS Champion Willow Nightingale added another notch on her belt as the Comeback Killer when she defeated Kamille last week. Are there any more AEW comebacks left for her to kill? What about Nyla Rose or Dr. Britt Baker DMD?
– The Young Bucks came to the aid of Adam Copeland last week on Collision when he was on the receiving end of a 4-on-1 beatdown from AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR, Rocky Romero, and Trent Beretta. Is this somehow leading to a three way title match between FTR, the Bucks, and Cope & Christian Cage at Double or Nothing? Where do The Dogs fit into all of this after they laid out the Bucks on Collision and put the entire tag division on notice?
– The Hurt Syndicate recently returned to AEW with a win on Collision. What is the top priority for MVP’s group going forward? Recruiting a new member into the faction? What about challenging The Conglomeration for the AEW world trios championship? Do they see that Brody King, Mistico, and Mascara Dorada also look like worthy contenders for trios gold?
– HOOK says he will finally have an answer for Anthony Bowens this week (maybe on Collision?) about whether or not he is allowed in The Opps. Will Samoa Joe return to AEW and lay the law down just as HOOK is about to give his answer?
– After TNT Champion Kevin Knight retained his title against Claudio Castagnoli last week, is Speedball Mike Bailey interested in challenging his tag team partner for the gold? What about Claudio’s fellow Death Rider, PAC?
– AEW Continental Champion Jon Moxley might need someone new to fight if Will Ospreay is preoccupied with the Don Callis Family right now. Does Andrade El Idolo have any interest in taking his pants off and pursuing this belt?
– AEW Women’s World Tag Team Champions Divine Dominion also need some new competition for Double or Nothing. Will Megan Bayne and Lena Kross end up sticking their noses in the business of the Brawling Birds or Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander?
– Kenny Omega is all good with former AEW star Jade Cargill using his One-Winged Angel finisher at WrestleMania 42. Who knows, maybe Kenny will have to start using her Jaded finisher in his arsenal to get the job done the next time fights for the AEW world title.
– Reminder: Dynamite airs live coast-to-coast tonight, which means it has an earlier start time out west.
– Where the f*** are Mercedes Mone and Swerve Strickland?
What will you be looking for on Dynamite?
