Swerve meets Cage on Dynamite on TSN2
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AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland meets former ally Brian Cage in an AEW World Title Eliminator Match. Plus, Kazuchika Okada defends the AEW Continental Championship against FTR's Dax Harwood. You can catch AEW Dynamite LIVE at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2, streaming on the TSN App and on TSN.ca.
AEW World Title Eliminator Match: AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland vs. "The Machine" Brian Cage (w/ Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun) - Last Wednesday night, the Mogul Embassy crumbled. As "The Patriarch" Christian Cage, Killswitch and "The Prodigy" Nick Wayne made their way towards an outnumbered Swerve Strickland in the ring, Brian Cage and the Gates of Agony (Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun) entered the fray to seemingly even the odds. But that's not what they were there for, it turned out. The three men proceeded to waylay their former ally with a three-man power bomb as Christian, the man who faces Strickland in the AEW World Championship match at this month's Double or Nothing pay-per-view, watched on in approval. Brian Cage then gorilla pressed Swerve out of the ring before Liona and Kaun delivered a two-man Razor's Edge through the announce table, leaving the world champion in a heap. What happened next was also very intriguing. As Christian made his way to the back, he stopped to chat with the AEW World Tag Team Champions the Young Bucks (Nicholas Jackson and Matthew Jackson), telling them he hoped they could do more business together, making it apparent that the Jacksons spurred on the Mogul Embassy's betrayal. In the aftermath, Brian Cage made it clear why he did what he did. He claimed that he and the Gates of Agony were sick of playing second fiddle to Swerve, a man who allowed his championship ambitions to get in the way of the aims of the Mogul Embassy on the whole. Last Saturday on Collision, Swerve attacked Cage, Liona and Kaun after their match and challenged Cage to a match. Now on Wednesday night, Cage can take a first step in taking away that championship Strickland holds so dearly by earning a shot at it in an AEW World Title Eliminator Match. Should Cage defeat the champion on Dynamite, he will receive a future AEW World Championship match. Wednesday night's bout is unlikely to be a pretty one. Emotions will be high for both men with Cage looking to prove a point and Strickland out for revenge. The timing of the match couldn't come at worse juncture for Strickland who still must answer Christian's challenge on May 26. The last thing he needs is to head into that match with an injury. And what about Prince Nana? Where the allegiances of the man who bankrolled the Mogul Embassy lie is an open question right now to which we do not have an answer just yet. Might we find out on Wednesday night? Can Cage earn a title match or will Swerve make him pay for his betrayal?
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Blackpool Combat Club ("The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson and IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley) vs. NJPW World Television Champion Jeff Cobb and ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher (w/ Don Callis) - Jeff Cobb makes his return to AEW with gold around his waist. The powerful Hawaiian defeated Zack Sabre Jr. to win the NJPW World Television Championship at Wrestling Dontaku on May 3 in Fukuoka to claim his first singles championship in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. On Wednesday night, he will be teaming with an old friend in the form of Kyle Fletcher. With Will Hobbs on the shelf with a knee injury, Don Callis has drafted in Cobb to team with former United Empire stablemate Fletcher to take on the Blackpool Combat Club's Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley. But all is not well with the BCC right now. Last week on Dynamite, Danielson revealed himself to be a part of Team AEW for the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing as he teams with archrival Eddie Kingston and FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) to take on The Elite (Nicholas Jackson, Matthew Jackson, "The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada and "The Scapegoat" Jack Perry). The decision to participate in the match clearly didn't sit well with Claudio Castagnoli. On Collision, Castagnoli and Danielson teamed up to defeat Top Flight (Dante Martin and Darius Martin) in Danielson's first match since losing to Will Ospreay at the Apr. 21 Dynasty PPV. After the match, Danielson cut a promo, but Castagnoli went to the back in the middle of it. Asked why by Lexy Nair, Castagnoli said he doesn't like the idea of Danielson putting his health on the line in a match like Anarchy in the Arena and he sure as hell doesn't like the idea of Danielson teaming with Kingston. No matter what Kingston says, Castagnoli insists he can't be trusted. This situation will serve as the backdrop for Wednesday night's match. While Moxley has taken on Cobb on a number of occasions, it will be the first time that Cobb and Danielson have shared a ring. Will the BCC be able to paper over the cracks or will Cobb and Fletcher pick up a big victory?
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AEW Continental Championship match: "The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Dax Harwood - For the first time on Dynamite, The Elite's Kazuchika Okada will put his AEW Continental Championship on the line as he battles against FTR's Dax Harwood. Okada and the rest of The Elite will do battle with FTR, Bryan Danielson and Eddie Kingston at Anarchy in the Arena at Double or Nothing, but before that the seven-time IWGP World Champion takes on tag-team specialist Harwood for his title under Continental rules. Under those rules, neither man will be accompanied to the ring by a second. While there is no interference permitted in any AEW match, interference in an Continental rules match will be dealt with especially harshly with the offending party fired from the company should somebody intervene. The match will be just Okada's second defence of the Continental Championship since defeating Eddie Kingston for the title in Toronto in March. At last month's Dynasty PPV, Okada defeated "The Bastard" PAC in a hard-fought encounter. A two-time AEW World Tag Team Champion, three-time WWE Tag Team Champion, NXT Tag Team Champion, IWGP World Tag Team Champion and ROH World Tag Team Champion, Harwood is one of the finest tag-team performers of a generation and is looking to join a very select list of AEW competitors with a win on Wednesday night. Should Harwood be victorious and become AEW Continental Champion, he would slot alongside Kenny Omega, "Hangman" Adam Page, Swerve Strickland, Rey Fenix, Killswitch, Scorpio Sky and Darby Allin as wrestlers who have held both the AEW World Tag Team Championship and an AEW singles title. To do so, though, Harwood would have to be the first person to pin Okada in an AEW ring and that might be easier said than done. Will Okada retain his title or regret issuing the challenge to Harwood?
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AEW World Tag Team Title Eliminator Match: AEW World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks (Nicholas Jackson and Matthew Jackson) (c) (w/ "The Scapegoat" Jack Perry) vs. "The Fallen Angel" Christopher Daniels and Matt Sydal - Following last Wednesday night's show-closing brawl on Dynamite between The Elite and FTR, Bryan Danielson and Eddie Kingston, a fed-up Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada and Jack Perry spoke to the camera. It was there that Okada made his AEW Continental Championship challenge to Dax Harwood. As the Jacksons addressed the camera, Christopher Daniels walked by the shot. Not only is Daniels an active wrestler, he serves as the head of talent relations. Matthew Jackson stopped Daniels and took umbrage with Daniels being part of the group who helped break up the earlier brawl, asking him if this is how they get repaid after helping Daniels get his job. Daniels quickly fired back at Jackson's disrespectful tone and threatened to kick his ass if he ever talked to him like that again. He will get that chance on Wednesday night when he and Matt Sydal team up to take on the Bucks in an AEW World Tag Team Title Eliminator Match. Should Daniels and Sydal win, they would receive a shot at the Jacksons' titles down the line. A former ROH World Champion and three-time TNA X-Division Champion, Daniels is not without significant tag-team pedigree. Daniels has held 11 major tag-team championships over the course of his career, including co-holding the ROH World Tag Team Championships with Sydal. Sydal is also a former WWE World Tag Team Champion with Kofi Kingston and twice held the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships alongside Ricochet. The Jacksons should sleep on Daniels and Sydal at their peril. Can Daniels and Sydal earn themselves a title match or will the Jacksons put Daniels in his place?
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AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm (w/ "The Glamour" Mariah May and Luther) vs. Harley Cameron (w/ Saraya) - On last week's Dynamite, AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm got reacquainted with her challenger at Double or Nothing, Serena Deeb, in a big way. After confronting Deeb during a promo, Storm was flattened with a right hand from the No. 1 contender. The blow was enough to keep Storm from ringside later in the night when her associate Mariah May took on Harley Cameron, who was making her in-ring Dynamite debut. Though Cameron put up a fight, she eventually fell victim to the May Day, a sit-out Death Valley Driver. With Storm incapacitated, Saraya pounced upon May after the match as she and Cameron put the boots to the victor. While it seemed like May might be on her own with Storm out of the picture, Mina Shirakawa emerged from the back to make the save for her former Club Venus stablemate. On Wednesday, Storm will have the opportunity to do what she missed out on last week when she takes on Cameron. For Cameron, it will be an opportunity to step into the ring with the AEW Women's World Champion and prove that she can hold her own with the best the women's division has to offer. For an inexperienced performer, it could be a lot to ask of Cameron, but with Saraya on the outside, all bets are off. Will Storm stay hot ahead of her meeting with Deeb or can Cameron somehow pull off the biggest victory of her young career?
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PLUS:
- TBS Champion Willow Nightingale and "The CEO" Mercedes Mone sign their contracts for the championship match at Double or Nothing
- AEW International Champion Roderick Strong and Will Ospreay meet face to face ahead of their championship match at the PPV
- Malakai Black answers "The Rated-R Superstar" Adam Copeland's challenge for his TNT Championship at Double or Nothing
- For the first time since losing his FTW Championship, Hook makes his return