Dynamite airs tonight (Nov. 26) with a live show from The Pinnacle in Nashville, Tennessee. This is the first episode of Dynamite during the five week build to Worlds End, which takes place on December 27.
Okada might actually lose right away in the Continental Classic
The Continental Classic tournament kicks off tonight on Thanksgiving Eve with AEW Unified Champion Kazuchika Okada already facing his most difficult opponent in the first round of the round robin portion of the competition. It’s Okada versus fellow Don Callis Family member, Kyle Fletcher, with three
points going to whoever wins.
A lot of fans think this year’s Continental Classic will ultimately lead to a showdown between Okada and Konosuke Takeshita at Worlds End, but Fletcher can’t be slept on. He’s the former TNT champion who recently main evented All Out in a world title match where he took then-champ Hangman Page to his absolute limit. There’s also the fact that Fletcher gave Okada his only loss in last year’s tournament, of course.
Kazuchika started off last year’s C2 with a time limit draw against that loser Daniel Garcia, so it’s worth remembering that Okada and Fletcher may each walk away with one point tonight in the case of a tie. No outside interference is allowed in C2 matches, so Takeshita won’t be able to screw over Okada. Fletcher’s body just went through hardcore hell at Full Gear in a bloody fight against Mark Briscoe, so that may give Okada an advantage tonight.
The others stars who join Okada and Fletcher in the Gold League are Speedball Bailey, Kevin Knight, Darby Allin, and PAC, with the two wrestlers who accumulate the most points qualifying for the semifinal round at Worlds End. I’d say that Okada and Fletcher are the favorites for those top two spots, so AEW is delivering one of the biggest Gold League matches ASAP in the tournament.
Which Don Callis Family member will be the first to score three points in the Continental Classic? Tune in to Okada vs. Fletcher on Thanksgiving Eve Dynamite to find out.
The rest of the card
The Blue League competition kicks off tonight Mascara Dorada vs. Jon Moxley. The leader of the Death Riders may be a quitter who is in the midst of a brutal slump, but I don’t think he’ll be tapping out here. Will Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli let us know how they feel about having to fight each other later in the tournament?
The other Gold League match tonight is a battle of babyfaces: Darby Allin vs. Kevin Knight. Darby is the clear favorite here, while Knight looks like the guy in the Gold League who is most likely to win zero matches.
Last but certainly not least, new AEW World Champion Samoa Joe is in the building tonight so that The Opps can properly celebrate his shocking win at Full Gear. Their post-match celebration was cut off by Swerve Strickland’s surprise return, so they may need extra security on hand to prevent Swerve and Hangman Page from ruining the party tonight. What does Swerve have to say in his first promo back in AEW? Will Joe’s first title defense be against Hangman, Swervem or both?
Other stuff to keep an eye on
– What does HOOK have to say for himself after turning heel at Full Gear? Eddie Kingston was played for a fool by this guy in recent weeks, so perhaps the Mad King will have to confront Taz’s cold-hearted, handsome son.
– The Young Bucks chose friendship over money at Full Gear when they saved Kenny Omega from being injured in a post-match attack by the Don Callis family. Is The Elite officially back together? Which Callis Family goons will target them tonight?
– Kyle O’Reilly made Jon Moxley tap out again at Full Gear. This guy should be moving up the card to some kind of singles title match ASAP, it would seem.
– FTR won the AEW world tag team championship after a hell of a match against Brodido at Full Gear. Does this mean Adam Copeland’s return to AEW is imminent, or will a team like Jurassic Express pursue the belts before that happens?
– Ricochet is the first ever AEW National champion. How will he try to avoid defending that title against The Hurt Syndicate’s Bobby Lashley?
– TBS Champion Mercedes Mone may be carrying around 13 different championship belts, but she has now failed twice to win the title that she wants the most, the AEW women’s world championship. Will new challengers emerge for both Mone’s TBS title and Kris Statlander’s world title, are are they headed to a rematch at Worlds End?
– Toni Storm and Mina Shirakawa get to choose the stipulation when they face Megan Bayne and Marina Shafir in the second round of the AEW women’s world tag team championship tournament, which means plenty of tits are in trouble. Let’s hope that the Timeless Love Bombs will give us the big reveal on Thanksgiving Eve. Is there any chance they’ll actually pick a Taipei Taped Fist Deathmatch?
– PAC had to cheat to beat Darby Allin in a straight up wrestling match at Full Gear, but they will have a rematch soon enough in the Continental Classic. How will PAC fare when nobody from the Death Riders is allowed to interfere?
– Mark Briscoe is the new TNT champion. How will The Conglomeration celebrate his big win?
– Collision is being taped tonight after Dynamite and will air on Thanksgiving night, to avoid going head-to-head against WWE Survivor Series, I presume. I expect more C2 matches will take place there. The Blue League wrestlers who still need an opening match are Orange Cassidy, Takeshita, Roderick Strong, and Castagnoli. There are also PAC and Speedball Bailey in the Gold League. Is Speedball ready to have every Gold League wrestler’s best match in the C2?
– Where the f*** is Hikaru Shida?
What will you be looking for on Dynamite?
