By Don Murphy, ProWrestling.net Contributor (@DonThePredictor)
At the start of the biggest wrestling week of the year, why not add a four or five-hour marathon to the festivities? AEW presents its Dynasty event tonight in Vancouver, British Columbia, at Rogers Arena. All kidding aside, I usually don’t order AEW pay-per-views. It isn’t because I don’t think they’ll be any good, but because they run too long for me to make that kind of time investment. Plus, I get my fill of AEW through the many matches aired on Dynamite and Collision, and I don’t always feel like it’s worth the $40-$50 spend.
This time, however, there’s enough to pique my interest, and I will be checking out this one. And I don’t like to do the “AEW vs. WWE” thing, but let’s be honest. We’re a week away from WrestleMania and, whether you’re a diehard WWE homer or not, you have to admit that the build to some of the main matches has been less than stellar. More on that next week. I say that because, for a variety of reasons, AEW, whether you like their style of wrestling or not, has an opportunity to gain more of the casual audience than they have before. As you know, if you read my AEW-themed reports, some of it isn’t for me. But, having lived through the ECW and WCW Monday Nitro eras, when WWE’s booking is poor, fans look for an alternative. And that’s where we are now. With all that out of the way, let’s run down the card!
MJF vs. Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship. This is the Kenny Omega that I’ve been wanting to see – the one that was presented as a big deal in New Japan. I think many can agree that his promo on Dynamite was the promo we’ve been waiting for. He looked the part, and he talked the part. And if it took MJF, the company’s best talker, to get that out of him, that’s great. In terms of the match, as you know, I’m not a fan of playing hot potato with the titles, but in this case, I think the money is having Omega defend the title at All In at Wembley against hometown hero Will Ospreay. Can they tell a nice story with Ospreay and MJF? Absolutely, as there’s history there. But, I think for the AEW fanbase, their “big match” feeling comes through best with Omega defending against Ospreay.
Don Predicts: Kenny Omega defeats MJF to win the AEW World Championship.
“FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler vs. Adam Copeland and Christian Cage for the AEW Tag Team Titles. I’m not as enamored with the Copeland Cage reunion, but I love the dynamic between the two. It would have been easy to turn Cage full babyface, but he’s been doing his best career work as a heel, and I love that they’ve kept his character intact despite reuniting him with Copeland. This match should be a lot of fun, and again, looking ahead to the big show at Wembley Stadium, I think we’re headed for Copeland and Cage defending the titles against the Young Bucks, which many would consider a dream match.
Don Predicts: Adam Copeland and Christian Cage defeat “FTR” Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler to win the AEW Tag Team Titles.
Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter for the AEW Women’s Championship. I think the original plan might have been Toni Storm challenging Thekla here. This is a fine pivot, but I don’t see much story beyond this. As many have said, Thekla has something. She’s very good in the ring and has potential on the mic. If she can hone the mic skills a bit more, she’s on track to be a top act. I think Hayter is better suited for the women’s tag division at this time until she can figure out what her character is. On a side note, do we see a re-debut of Mercedes Mone here as a future challenger for Thekla? Just a thought.
Don Predicts: Thekla defeats Jamie Hayter to retain the AEW Women’s Championship.
Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay for the AEW Continental Championship. This match has been heavily focused on the 20-minute time limit and the fact that no one is allowed at ringside. This would strongly hint at a time limit draw, which would be fine, but I’m going to go in a slightly different direction. As I said earlier, I think the All In main event is Will Ospreay challenging for the AEW World Title. That being the case, I’d love to see him lose here, which wouldn’t hurt him at all. Then, you do a reset where he must re-prove himself to get to the title match at All In. He can win the Owen and go on a journey to build himself back up. At that point, you can either go back to Moxley as the final obstacle before he gets to Wembley, or you can save Moxley as a challenger, should Ospreay win the title. There’s a decent story to be told here if the match plays out the right way.
Don Predicts: Jon Moxley defeats Will Ospreay to retain the AEW Continental Championship.
Casino Gauntlet match for the vacant TNT Championship (Tommaso Ciampa and Rush will start the match). It’s tough to say who will win this match without knowing all of the participants, but if Kyle Fletcher is going to be out for a while, it’d be a lot of fun to see Ciampa get a proper run with the TNT Title. They could always keep it in the Callis Family to set up an implosion when Fletcher returns, but I don’t think that in the faction that is not already involved in another match is credible enough to assume that role.
Don Predicts: Tommaso Ciampa wins the Casino Gauntlet match to win the vacant TNT Champion.
“The Dogs” David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, and Clark Connors vs. Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, and a mystery partner to be named for the AEW Trios Titles. This match was made after the Dogs won the AEW Trios Titles last night on Collision. This is a match that could have easily been booked for Dynamite, Collision, or at the very least, the Zero Hour pre-show. But we know that Tony loves his marathon pay-per-views. I don’t expect a major surprise for the mystery partner beyond either Tomohiro Ishii, who regularly tags with them, a returning Kyle O’Reilly (if he’s not in the Casino Gauntlet), or someone from either CMLL or New Japan that only a portion of the fanbase will recognize.
Don Predicts: “The Dogs” David Finlay, Gabe Kidd, and Clark Connors defeat Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, and a mystery partner to retain the AEW Trios Titles.
Darby Allin vs. Andrade El Idolo (Allin will earn an AEW World Championship match if he wins). The story would leave you to believe that MJF is retaining the title and will face Allin. That may be if my prediction doesn’t pan out, but I think that Allin vs. Omega for the title at Double or Nothing would tell a good story as well. As for El Idolo, the loss here will likely continue the slow burn to his babyface turn. However, with Kyle Fletcher on the shelf, they may delay this a bit as the Family needs another credible heel beyond Kazuchika Okada.
Don Predicts: Darby Allin defeats Andrade El Idolo.
Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet. Chris Jericho’s return to AEW has been a tribalist fan’s delight. You either love it or hate it based on which company you enjoy most. For me, while I think a final WWE run would have been fresh and packed more of a punch, I never begrudge anyone making the decision that’s best for them, especially when it comes with a lot of money. And yes, while a WWE return would potentially have been more impactful, Jericho would likely have less creative control than he does now. So, if he feels that AEW offers him more opportunity to create with fewer guardrails, while creating young talent, more power to him. This will be fine. Ricochet is a good first heel opponent, and I’m curious to see what ring rust there is on Jericho, if any.
Don Predicts: Chris Jericho defeats Ricochet.
AEW International Champion Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita vs. “The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson. We all know this will be for the fans of the spot fest. For me, I am looking forward to finally seeing the official breakup of Takeshita and Okada, especially since they’re already teasing the two meeting at Double or Nothing in May. And, as I said, they’re likely building to the Bucks challenging for the AEW Tag Titles at All In.
Don Predicts:”The Young Bucks” Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson defeat Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita.
Quick Predictions for the AEW Dynasty Zero Hour Pre-Show: As a quick note, if they’re going to do these loaded pre-shows, I’m hoping they don’t do what they’ve been doing, where the final match on the pre-show continues into the pay-per-view. Doing it occasionally is fine. Doing it every time may turn people off from watching the pre-show, which is designed to get some last-minute pay-per-view orders. Hey, at least we’re not getting Big Boom AJ, Big Justice, and The Rizzler, right?
-Marina Shafir defeats Alex Windsor.
-Jack Perry defeats Mark Davis to retain the AEW National Championship.
-Megan Bayne and Lena Kross defeat Maya World and Hyan to retain the AEW Women’s Tag Team Titles.
AEW pay-per-view events are priced at $49.99 (or $39.99 via HBO Max). Join Jason Powell for his live review of Dynasty tonight. Jake Barnett and Will Pruett will join Jason for a Dot Net Triple Threat same-night audio review, available exclusively for Dot Net Members (including Patreon subscribers).
I’ll be back on Thursday night with my review of AEW Collision Spring BreakThru, as well as my predictions for both nights of WrestleMania 42 over the weekend. Until then, enjoy Dynasty and enjoy wrestling!
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