Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale returns on TSN2
Published
The fifth edition of the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale goes down on Wednesday night with AEW World Champion MJF looking to defend his crown. Plus, Kenny Omega takes on Kyle Fletcher and "The Icon" Sting addresses the fans. You can catch AEW Dynamite LIVE at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2, streaming on the TSN App and on TSN.ca.
Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale: "Rock Hard" Juice Robinson vs. 11 other entrants - In the four previous editions of the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royale, only one man has claimed the Dynamite Diamond Ring prize - current AEW World Champion Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The format of the match is a traditional battle royale with the final two entrants facing off in a one-on-one match to claim the prize. In 2019, MJF defeated "Hangman" Adam Page in the final. Then in 2020, it was "Freshly Squeezed" Orange Cassidy. In 2021, it was Dante Martin and last year, MJF turned away the challenge of "Absolute" Ricky Starks in a match that was also for the AEW World Championship. While 11 of the 12 competitors are yet to be announced, we do know the identity of one: Bullet Club Gold's Juice Robinson. Ever since "Switchblade" Jay White was laid out by a group of men, including one wearing MJF's signature devil mask, on the Sept. 27 edition of Dynamite, Bullet Club Gold has made it clear they're coming for Friedman. White will get a shot at MJF's AEW World Championship next month in the main event of the Full Gear pay-per-view, but before then former IWGP United States Champion Robinson has vowed to take out Friedman. A win in this battle royale would give him a direct path to do just that. Who will step up to the plate to ensure that MJF doesn't make it five straight?
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"Switchblade" Jay White (w/ Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn) vs. Penta El Zero Miedo (w/ Alex Abrahantes) - A pair of former world champions meet for the first time ever in singles competition when "Switchblade" Jay White gears up for his title match against MJF at Full Gear with a bout against Penta El Zero Miedo. King Switch is a two-time IWGP World (Heavyweight) Champion, while Penta has held the Impact World Championship. White is coming off of a serious of high-profile victories in singles matches with wins over "Hangman" Adam Page, Andrade El Idolo and "Absolute" Ricky Starks. Since his arrival in AEW, White is still undefeated in singles matches, but Penta - a former AEW World Tag Team Champion (alongside his brother Rey Fenix) and former AEW World Trios Champion (alongside Fenix and "The Bastard" PAC as Death Triangle) - will present an incredibly tough challenge. In recent weeks, Penta has come up short in a pair of major singles matches. He failed to wrest away the AEW International Championship from "Freshly Squeezed" Orange Cassidy on the Aug. 30 Dynamite before coming up short against Ring of Honor World TV Champion Samoa Joe in the Grand Slam Eliminator Tournament semi-final on the Sept. 9 edition of Collision. Handing White his first singles loss would go a long way in Penta reestablishing himself as a force in the singles division as Fenix recuperates from his injuries. Of course as is the case in any Bullet Club Gold match, Penta will be forced to deal with White's cronies outside the ring. Can White keep rolling or will Penta put a stop to his momentum?
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"The Cleaner" Kenny Omega vs. Kyle Fletcher - With Mark Davis out of action with a broken wrist incurred at the WrestleDream PPV earlier this month, the other half of Aussie Open hasn't slowed down. Kyle Fletcher is on a mission to prove that he can hang with the best wrestlers in the world. While he didn't pick up a win, Fletcher more than held his own against "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson on the Oct. 7 Collision. Brimming with confidence (arrogance?), the United Empire member now takes on another stiff test in the form of Kenny Omega. Fletcher and Omega have met twice before with the former coming out on the losing end on both occasions. On the Aug. 31, 2022 edition of Dynamite, Fletcher, Davis and Will Ospreay fell to Omega and the Young Bucks (Nick Jackson and Matt Jackson) in the semi-finals of the AEW World Trios Tournament. Then two weeks ago on Dynamite, Fletcher stepped in for the injured Sammy Guevara to team up with Konosuke Takeshita in a losing effort against the Golden Jets (Omega and "The Ocho" Chris Jericho). A singles match against Omega, the only AEW Triple Crown Champion (having held the AEW World Championship, the AEW World Tag Team Championship with Adam Page and the AEW World Trios Championships with the Jacksons), is an entirely different kettle of fish. If Fletcher is intent to prove he belongs among the best, then there are few more accurate measuring sticks than Omega. And what kind of head space is Omega in amid his continuing war with the Don Callis Family? Jericho is unlikely to have his back on Wednesday night, still recuperating from his brutal beating at the hands of Powerhouse Hobbs. Will Callis be lurking in the background on Wednesday night?
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PLUS:
- "The Icon" Sting" addresses the fans
- "The Rated R Superstar" Adam Copeland gives his "Rated R Rebuttal" to TNT Champion Christian Cage
- "Good Ol' JR" Jim Ross sits down with Nick Wayne and his mother
- "Timeless" Toni Storm debuts her latest blockbuster film