White makes in-ring Dynamite debut on TSN2
Published
Wardlow gets the chance to take the TNT Championship back from Powerhouse Hobbs. Plus, Jay White makes his Dynamite in-ring debut against Komander and Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker take on the Outcasts' Ruby Soho and Toni Storm. You can catch AEW Dynamite LIVE at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2, streaming on the TSN App and on TSN.ca.
TNT Championship match: Powerhouse Hobbs (c) (w/ QT Marshall, Harley Cameron and Aaron Solo) vs. "Mr. Mayhem" Wardlow - The last time we saw Wardlow in an AEW ring, he lost his TNT Championship to Will Hobbs only days after regaining it from Samoa Joe. On the Mar. 8 edition of Dynamite, Hobbs defeated Wardlow for the title in a falls-count-anywhere match largely due to the intervention of QT Marshall, who helped power bomb Wardlow off the stage and onto the ground below where he was unable to answer the 10-count. Later it was revealed that Aaron Solo, at the behest of Marshall and Hobbs, had broken into Wardlow's rental car a day earlier to steal the TNT title among other belongings. After Hobbs defeated Silas Young on last week's Dynamite, Wardlow got a measure of revenge, destroying Hobbs's car and power bombing Solo off the stage. Things have gotten extremely personal for Wardlow and while he'd undoubtedly like to become the TNT Champion for a third time, getting his hands on Hobbs will be just as high on the agenda. Can Hobbs use that to his advantage, though? If Wardlow is blinded by emotion, the chances of making mistakes rises exponentially and plays directly into the champion's hands. On top of that, Wardlow will have to contest with the QTV crew at ringside, people who have no issue with getting involved in the match. While a victory would be a sweet one for Wardlow, the deck appears to be stacked against him. Will Wardlow regain the title he lost or will Hobbs keep rolling as TNT Champion?
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"Switchblade" Jay White (w/ "Rock Hard" Juice Robinson) vs. Komander - For the first time since his shocking arrival in AEW earlier this month, Jay White will compete inside an AEW ring, making his Dynamite debut on Wednesday night when he takes on Komander. White helped Juice Robinson lay a beating on "Absolute" Ricky Starks during the Apr. 5 Dynamite in Long Island, making his first appearance since losing a loser-leaves-Japan match against Hikuleo before dropping a loser-leaves-New Japan Pro-Wrestling match to Eddie Kingston. It was after that match where White was jumped and beaten down by David Finlay, who declared himself the new leader of Bullet Club. It was surprising, then, to hear White and Robinson declare last week that they were still members of Bullet Club, and christened themselves Bullet Club Gold, marking the first time the faction that has terrorized New Japan for the last decade has set up a permanent presence in AEW. White has competed in AEW once before, defeating Trent Beretta on the Feb. 18, 2022 edition of Rampage, but Wednesday night's match will be his first as an AEW-contracted talent and it will be a first time-ever meeting as he takes on the high-flying AAA star Komander. To say this will be a styles clash will be an understatement and White will have his hands full with Komander's speed and agility. Komander is coming off of a defeat in the four-way main event at Saturday's TripleMania card where he failed to take the AAA Mega Championship away from El Hijo del Vikingo in a match that also included Rich Swann and Swerve Strickland. Facing off with White represents one of the biggest challenges of his young career. White is the first-ever Grand Slam champion in NJPW history, having won all of the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, IWGP Intercontinental Championship, IWGP United States Championship and the NEVER Openweight Championship and it's unlikely going to be long before he sets his sights on gold in AEW. Wednesday night's match is an opportunity for White to make a statement of intent. Can Komander pick up a huge win or will the Switchblade Era begin in earnest on Dynamite?
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The Outcasts (Toni Storm and Ruby Soho) (w/ Saraya) vs. AEW Women's World Champion Jamie Hayter and Dr. Britt Baker, DMD - With their feud still simmering and as bitter as ever, two-thirds of the Outcasts - Toni Storm and Ruby Soho - take on their archrivals, AEW Women's World Champion Jamie Hayter and Britt Baker. While the situation remains highly combustible and both sides will relish the opportunity to inflict damage on the other, there is one other matter at play here. The May 28 Double or Nothing pay-per-view is now fast approaching and somebody will be facing Hayter for her championship. Both Storm and Soho would like nothing more than to be the challenger. But Hayter has had both of their numbers as of late. It was Storm who Hayter beat to capture the title at Full Gear back in November. Then at last month's Revolution, Hayter retained her title in a three-way against Soho and Saraya, the third member of the trio. Undefeated in 2023 and in 12 straight matches, a win over Hayter on Wednesday night is what could propel either of the two women to become the next in line for a chance to take the AEW Women's World Championship away from her. Of course, there is also the presence of Baker, who will do whatever she can to ensure that neither Storm nor Soho can pick up the victory. Will Hayter and Baker get one over on their rivals or will Soho and Storm help themselves perhaps earn an even bigger match?
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The Acclaimed ("Platinum" Max Caster and "The Five-Tool Player" Anthony Bowens) and "Daddy Ass" Billy Gunn vs. Jericho Appreciation Society ("Daddy Magic" Matt Menard, "Cool Hand" Angelo Parker and Jake Hager) - You just knew it was gonna end up like this, didn't you? Despite their efforts to recruit Max Caster and Anthony Bowens into the Jericho Appreciation Society, there was always the sense that A. Caster and Bowens were quite obviously going to reject the offer and B. The offer from Matt Menard and Angelo Parker was insincere to begin with and it would only be a matter of time before the JAS stuck their knives in. While their night out in New York City seemed to go off without a hitch, it was on the Apr. 7 Rampage that Menard and Parker made their double-cross, jumping Caster and Bowens after the four men successfully won their eight-man tag team match against the Infantry (Carlie Bravo and Capt. Shawn Dean), Bobby Orlando and LSG. This past Friday night on Rampage, the trio of Caster, Bowens and Billy Gunn got a measure of revenge when they attacked following the JAS's awful rap. Wednesday night's match is unlikely to be pretty with both teams simply looking to inflict damage on the other. But Caster, Bowens and Gunn need to be mindful that there are more members of the JAS than just those in the ring with them, so keeping an eye on the outside would behoove them. Can Caster, Bowens and Gunn get the last laugh or will Menard, Parker and Hager emerge victorious?
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PLUS:
- "The Ocho" Chris Jericho will confront Adam Cole after the two have crossed paths in recent weeks
- We will hear from The Elite (IWGP US Champion "The Cleaner" Kenny Omega, Nick Jackson and Matt Jackson) following their return and attack on the Blackpool Combat Club on last week's Dynamite
- AEW World Tag Team Champions FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) make an appearance