Swerve meets Switchblade on Dynamite on TSN2
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The Continental Classic continues on Dynamite with three more matches from the Gold League as Swerve Strickland meets Jay White, Jon Moxley takes on Jay Lethal and Mark Briscoe faces off with Rush. You can catch AEW Dynamite LIVE at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN5, streaming on the TSN App and on TSN.ca.
Continental Classic Gold League match: Swerve Strickland (1-0) vs. "Switchblade" Jay White (1-0) - Two victors in their opening matches meet on Wednesday night when the red-hot Swerve Strickland takes on "Switchblade" Jay White as Gold League action continues in the Continental Classic. Strickland was a winner over Jay Lethal last Wednesday when he put the former ROH World Champion away with the Swerve Stomp. What made the victory all the more impressive is that it was only days after Swerve went to war with "Hangman" Adam Page in a Texas Death Match at the Full Gear pay-per-view and he was clearly still feeling the effects of that bloody and brutal match. White was also a winner on Dynamite, finding a way to win like he has so many times in the G1 over the years. Taking advantage of Rush nearly bumping into the referee, White hit Rush with a low blow and then a Blade Runner to pick up the victory. It was an important win for White not only to start off his tournament with three points, but also to bounce back from his loss to Maxwell Jacob Friedman in the AEW World Championship match at the PPV. The match will be a first-ever meeting between the two men and what will be interesting to see will be the crowd reaction. Despite some of the absolutely heinous acts perpetrated by Strickland during his feud with Page, the Tacoma, WA native has started to become a firm fan favourite in recent weeks. The crowd support is likely to be there against on Wednesday night against the loathsome White. Which of these two men will stay undefeated and at the top of the Gold League?
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Continental Classic Gold League match: Jon Moxley (1-0) vs. Jay Lethal (0-1) - It was differing fortunes for Jay Lethal and Jon Moxley on Matchday 1 of the Continental Classic last Wednesday night. Lethal fell to Swerve Strickland, while Moxley was finally able to put away Mark Briscoe with a second Death Rider in a hard-hitting, competitive encounter. While every match in this round-robin tournament is important because there are only five of them, falling 0-2 after two matches could be a death sentence for Lethal and that's why you should expect a desperate fight from the former two-time ROH World Champion. Lethal and Moxley have met only once before in their careers. On the Mar. 30, 2022 edition of Dynamite, Moxley put Lethal away with a Death Rider for the win. Interestingly enough, Moxley offered a handshake after the match and Lethal accepted. It's unlikely that such an offer will be extended on Wednesday with the way Lethal has changed over the past 18 months, but Moxley has always shown respect to opponents he deems worthy. While Lethal is more than capable of earning a win over the former AEW World Champion, it's been his reliance on cheaper means that make that possibility a doubtful one. Defeating Moxley in singles competition will be a tall order for Lethal with Mox 13-4 in one-on-one matches in 2023. What could buoy Lethal, though, is that two of those losses came in Moxley's last three matches as he fell to Orange Cassidy and Rey Fenix, both in AEW International Championship matches. Will Moxley stay perfect or will Lethal pick up his first win of the tournament?
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Continental Classic Gold League match: Mark Briscoe (0-1) vs. "El Toro Blanco" Rush (0-1) - Two men already desperate to turn their fortunes around in the Continental Classic take to the ring on Wednesday night when Rush goes toe to toe with Mark Briscoe. Rush will feel aggrieved by how he lost his opening match to Jay White after King Switch used a referee's distraction and a low blow to set up the Blade Runner. While Briscoe fought valiantly, he couldn't overcome a second Death Rider from Jon Moxley. Now both men face the very real prospect of an 0-2 start, which would be crippling to their hopes of escaping the Gold League. Wednesday's match will see Rush and Briscoe face off in singles action for the first time. In their three previous encounters, all multi-man matches, Rush holds a 2-1 edge. But the two men haven't shared a ring in more than two years and a singles match is an entirely different kettle of fish. It's hard to believe, but Rush is looking for his first singles win in AEW since February and it couldn't come at a better time. Still, he will be well aware that Briscoe knows that another loss will likely spell the end of his Continental Classic and can expect a fiery effort from the 13-time ROH World Tag Team Champion. Can Rush pick up his first victory or will Briscoe condemn him to an 0-2 start
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PLUS:
- Ahead of his return to action in a Continental Classic Blue League match against ROH World Champion and New Japan Strong Openweight Champion Eddie Kingston on Collision, "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson sits in on commentary
- TNT Champion "The Patriarch" Christian Cage answers "The Rated-R Superstar" Adam Copeland's challenge for his title on the Dec. 6 edition of Dynamite live from Montreal