SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
•Jon Moxley (c) vs. MJF, AEW World Championship match
Story in a nutshell: Jon Moxley defends his championship against MJF, only his finisher, the Paradigm Shift, is banned for the match.
MJF has never been pinned or submitted and is ranked number one in AEW. MJF spent a lot of effort taunting Jon Moxley using the trappings of an election campaign. Moxley eventually had enough and attacked MJF with the Paradigm Shift. MJF sold the “injury” for weeks and insisted the move be banned. MJF’s lawyer Mark was able to insert a clause banning the Paradigm Shift for the match.
Prediction: Moxley wins, Paradigm Shifting Wardlow during the match and MJF afterward. Personally, if I had my druthers, Moxley hits MJF with every single DDT variation there is, except the Paradigm Shift.
•Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy, Mimosa Mayhem match
Story in a nutshell: Chris Jericho hates Orange Cassidy’s “gimmick” of being listless and the two have gone back and forth with one win a piece so the rubber match will require one to dump their opponent into a vat of mimosa as one of the ways to win (along with pinfall or submission).
Feeling insulted by Orange Cassidy when he walked through one of Jericho’s promos, Chris Jericho brutally attacked Cassidy. This led to a match at Fyter Fest which Jericho won. Cassidy wanted a rematch he eventually got and won. Jericho wanted the rubber match and invented the Mimosa Mayhem match. Why mimosa? Chris Jericho got the phrase “a little bit of the bubbly” over which led to getting his own champaign. Orange Cassidy really likes oranges (not really, it’s because his name is “Orange”). For those interested, a classic mimosa is equal parts sparkling wine and orange juice.
Prediction: Since the match can end via pinfall or submission, Jericho wins. But he’s still taking a bath in mimosa.
•Kenny Omega & “Hangman” Adam Page (c) vs. FTR, AEW World Tag Team Championship match
Story in a (rather large) nutshell: The relationship of tag team champions Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page is on choppy waters after Adam Page was manipulated by FTR into costing the Young Bucks the chance to win the tag team number one contender gauntlet clearing the way for FTR, Cash Wheeler and Dax Hardwood, to win and become the challengers.
Since the beginning of AEW Dynamite “Hangman” Adam Page has wanted to separate himself from The Elite, as he’s felt like he’s been the fifth wheel of the group, but he was paired with Kenny Omega as a tag team and eventually won the titles. The team never really gelled but they were so talented they kept winning, with their toughest challenge coming from the Young Bucks. Enter FTR, Cash Wheeler and Dax Hardwood, who at first ingratiated themselves with the Young Bucks before betraying them, and positioning Adam Page against them. During the number one contenders tag team gauntlet match, Page interfered with the Bucks, costing them the match and helping to pave the way for FTR to win. For his efforts, the Bucks kicked him out of the Elite. FTR then attempted to continue to ingratiate themselves with an increasingly unstable Kenny Omega who wanted no part of them. Sensing the jig was up, FTR confessed to playing Page by manipulating his insecurities. Having lost his friends the Bucks, his false friends FTR, Page turned to his partner Kenny Omega, only to find himself standing alone in the ring, Kenny to turning his back on him.
Prediction: The team of Page and Omega finally falls apart when at the moment of victory Omega turns on Page, costing themselves the match, if not going full on heel, being the next major step in Omega’s eventual heel turn.
•Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Thunder Rosa, AEW Women’s World Championship match
Story in a nutshell: Hikaru Shida complained that she had no challegers for her title and was willing to fight someone from outside the company and Tony Khan found her the NWA World Women’s Champion, Thunder Rosa.
I mean, there’s not much else to add. Should be a good match, maybe?
Prediction: Hikaru Shida retains.
•Casino Battle Royale match
Story in a nutshell: Four groups of five men come to the ring at preset intervals with a “Lucky Draw” coming in twenty-first, and they all try to eliminate their opponents by tossing them over the top rope with the final man standing getting a future title shot.
The following men re involved in the match: Darby Allin who is feuding with Brian Cage and Rickey Starks, Lance Archer who has been making googly eyes at Cage (watch out Melissa Santos), Pentagon Jr., Rey Fenix, The Butcher, The Blade, and Eddie Kingston (who are a faction together), father and son duo Billy and Austin Gunn, Jake Hagar, Santana, Ortiz (who are members of the Inner Circle faction), Chuck Taylor and Trent (who tag as the Best Friends), and Shawn Spears who isn’t really involved with anyone here. This leaves four more slots open to be filled with special guest stars of stand-by wrestlers (I’m looking at you Private Party, SCU, Marko Stunt). The winner gets a future title shot.
Prediction: Of the announced wrestlers, I pick Brain Cage to set up a rematch with Moxley, but if the twenty-first entrant is a surprise, they can very well win. Wrestlers out in the wild right now include Jeff Cobb (who says he has signed with a promotion but won’t revealed who yet), Miroslav Barnyashev (formerly WWE’s Rusev who claims to have retired and is streaming on Twitch under the name Miro), and Brock Lesnar (who’d be a huge get).
•The Dark Order vs. The Natural Nightmares & Scorpio Sky & Matt Cardona
Story in a nutshell: After brutally destroying Cody and winning the TNT Championship from him, Brodie Lee and his Dark Order have claimed dominion over AEW but Scorpio Sky, Matt Cardona, QT Marshall, and Dustin Rhodes are in their way.
Brodie Lee captured the TNT championship from Cody, leaving Cody so beat up he was stretchered out, only to have Brodie Lee and his Dark Order continue the assault. The Nightmare Family, Cody’s brother, Dustin Rhodes, his wife Brandy Rhodes, and QT Marshall came to Cody’s defense, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. Enter Scorpio Sky and Matt Cardona to try to tip the scales against the Dark Order. Now the quartet face Brodie Lee, Evil Uno, and Stu Grayson, along with a seemingly oblivious Colt Cabana. Colt has been courted by Brodie Lee into joining the Dark Order but has thus far kept Cabana away from the Dark Orders more nefarious dealings. Cabana apparently does not watch AEW Dynamite or any of its ancillary content, nor follow them on social media.
Prediction: While Sky and Cardona will likely put up a valiant struggle, the Dark Order will steamroll the Nightmare Family. The roll Colt Cabana plays will be interesting as I’m sure this will be his first glance at what the Dark Order really is.
•Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara – Broken Rules match
Story in a nutshell: Sammy Guevara violently refused Matt Hardy’s offer of guidance by busting him open with a chair to the head leading to Matt wanting revenge of the “Broken” kind and is ready to give up his career in AEW if he loses.
Matt Hardy tried to steer Sammy Guevara away from Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle, but Sammy wasn’t interested. The two began to feud with each successive encounter becoming more and more violent, leading to Matt Hardy getting busted open by an errant chair toss, then on to a tables match Sammy won but ended up busted open himself. Wanting to have the “rubber” match to put Matt away for good, Sammy let Matt choose the stipulation for the match and Matt chose a Broken Rules match, agreeing (or offering, this part wasn’t clear) to leave AEW if he lost.
Prediction: A tough one to pick due to the stipulations involved. If the Broken Rules stipulation means we get a Broken Universe-esque match, then Matt wins. If Broken Rules is just a euphemism for a slight variation of a hardcore match, then I think Sammy might end up winning. Matt can always come back as another character.
•Jurassic Express vs. The Young Bucks
Story in a nutshell: The AEW All Out PPV needed another match and the Young Bucks, Nick and Matt Jackson needed to be on the show somehow.
Jurassic Express, Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy, teamed with the Young Buck, Matt and Nick Jackson, to face SCU, Christopher Daniel and Frankie Kazarian, and Private Party, Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen, with the winning tag team pairs facing each other at All Out. The Young Bucks after being betrayed by Adam Page, and being played by FTR, have taken a decidedly darker tone which could see them work as heels against the solid babyface team of Jurassic Express.
Prediction: With FTR sure to win the titles, it is way past time to get the Young Bucks the titles if they are to really be taken seriously as the best tag team in the world. I’m sure they’ll work heel this match and it will be interesting if it sticks.
•Britt Baker vs. Big Swole – Tooth and Nail match (on “Buy In” pre-show)
Story in a nutshell: Britt Baker has a big ego and Big Swole is going to try and deflate it.
For weeks, an injured Britt Baker has been really annoying everyone at the AEW Dynamite shows until Big Swole finally had enough and decided to shut Britt up. Swole said that she’s coming to Britt’s place of work if she has to in order to take her down. Hence, the Tooth and Nail stipulation.
Prediction: I’m thinking this is going to be filmed at a separate location and be a brawl to protect Britt Baker who has a legitimate leg injury. Who wins depends on how recovered Britt is. If she is one-hundred percent good-to-go, Britt wins. If she still needs more recovery time then Swole wins. I’ve got Swole.
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