{"id":195487,"date":"2025-04-02T12:59:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-02T17:59:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=195487"},"modified":"2025-04-02T13:00:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-02T18:00:55","slug":"aew-feud-tracker-barbers-assessment-of-feuds-heading-into-aew-dynasty-ppv-including-moxley-strickland-storm-bayne-mercedes-athena-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/04\/02\/aew-feud-tracker-barbers-assessment-of-feuds-heading-into-aew-dynasty-ppv-including-moxley-strickland-storm-bayne-mercedes-athena-more\/","title":{"rendered":"AEW FEUD TRACKER: Barber\u2019s assessment of feuds heading into AEW Dynasty PPV including Moxley-Strickland, Storm-Bayne, Mercedes-Athena, more"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-1436860024\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3>NEWS &amp; NOTES&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p>\u2022 Kevin Knight has signed with AEW. A unique talent who made his name in New Japan, I just hope Knight doesn\u2019t get lost in the shuffle in AEW.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Saraya announced that she was leaving AEW. Even though her contract didn\u2019t technically expire until summer, she and reached an agreement to amicably part.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 SEScoops reported that AEW is drawing just over a million viewers weekly between TNT and MAX viewership.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>INTRO&#8230;<\/h3>\n<p>Not only is tonight the final stop before Dynasty with everything that entails, but both brackets in the Owen Hart Tournament will be revealed. This should be the biggest bracket reveal in AEW history. On the women\u2019s side, six women have declared leaving two spots open. There are spots open for the men. Presumably, there\u2019s a wildcard on each side. My guess is Mina Shirakawa and Josh Alexander end up being those wildcards.<\/p>\n<p>That still leaves four open spots for the men and one for the women. The men&#8217;s side is by far the most interesting. I hope it\u2019s filled out with the likes of Kyle Fletcher and Konosuke Takeshita and not Mark Briscoe or The Beast Mortos.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Jon Moxley vs. Swerve Strickland<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Swerve and Mox had a verbal tet-a-tet with each man promising to beat the other.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis<\/strong><\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1886587605\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>Swerve came to the ring and called Mox out. He said that Mox isn\u2019t worthy of being champion because he hides behind the Mechanics and that he hides the belt in the Steve McMichael Memorial Halliburton briefcase because he knows it. Mox responded by essentially asking Swerve if he thought he was ready for the great responsibility of being champion. He said Swerve hadn\u2019t suffered enough. Mox said that his sport had \u201cbeen taken over by billionaires and talent agencies and kids who see the world through Instagram filters\u201d. He said Swerve gives him hope but he wondered if Swerve was willing to go all the way. At this point Marina snuck onto the apron with a tire iron but was cut off by Willow and lead pipe. Swerve rounded out the promo by saying that he is violence, that he\u2019s bled buckets and won Texas Death matches and that he will take his title back at Dynasty while Mox continues to play Jon Moxley on TV.<\/p>\n<p>This was an excellent way to set up the showdown at Dynasty and make Swerve feel like a legitimate threat to take the title from Mox. The scrap between Willow and Marina after the promo helped set up tonight\u2019s mixed tornado tag match. Hopefully this is the first step towards a proper Willow\/Marina singles match.<\/p>\n<p>When it comes to Dynasty, it feels like AEW has a prime opportunity to correct their world title picture. The attempts to reset the Mox +the Mechanics story haven\u2019t really worked so this could be chance to make a tactical retreat from the story and put the title on a stronger champion. The only thing that gives me pause is that I don\u2019t want Swerve to have to drop the title at All In again. If Mox just barely scrapes by it would set up the winner of the Owen to take the belt off of him in the main event of the biggest show of the year.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: B+<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Kenny Omega vs. &#8220;Speedball&#8221; Mike Bailey vs. Ricochet<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kenny Omega made quick work of Blake Christian before cutting a promo with Speedball Mike Bailey which included a cameo from Ricochet.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Kenny Omega and Blake Christian was five minute showcase for Omega. Afterwards Omega got on the mic and cut a promo about wishing he could wrestle every week before Speedball interrupted him. Speedball talked about respecting and admiring Omega but said he wasn\u2019t going to hold back at Dynasty. Suddenly Ricochet cut in with pre-taped promo from the sight of his wedding essentially saying that he got the girl and after Dynasty he&#8217;d have the gold. Omega played off the end of the video and then said that Ricochet and Speedball would be stepping stones in his legacy.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-1479954960\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>I wasn\u2019t a fan of Kenny Omega wrestling a random match on TV but at least it was quick and one-sided. The real story here was the post-match promo. Kenny and Speedball were both awkward but felt authentic to both guys. Ricochet was perfectly obnoxious in his brief promo. I also liked how Omega played off of it, acknowledging that it ended and Ricochet couldn\u2019t actually here him. Too often we\u2019ve seen the pre-tapes treated as though they\u2019re live and that didn\u2019t happen in this instance.<\/p>\n<p>As far as the match goes it should be fantastic. I expect Omega to retain. The question is who takes the pin. It\u2019ll probably be Speedball even though I don\u2019t think it would hurt Ricochet one bit.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: B+<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Toni Storm vs. Megan Bayne<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Megan Bayne pinned Toni Storm in a tag match on Dynamite and then Storm was once again left laying by Bayne on Collision.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Toni Storm and Thunder Rosa teamed together for the first time in 3 years to take on Megan Bayne and her little friend Penelope Ford. In a pre-match interview Toni dubbed the team once known as ThunderStorm, Thunder Tits. Unfortunately, Thunder Tits did not have a good night. Late in the match Bayne ate a hip attack from Toni and essentially no-sold, rising from the corner as if nothing happened. Toni was stunned. Ford attempted a sneak attack only to be caught with friendly fire from Bayne. Toni clubbed Bayne across the back in pure desperation but when bounced off the rope, she ran right into Bayne who scooped her up inton Fate&#8217;s Descent for the win.<\/p>\n<p>That surprising victory was followed up with Toni opening Collision to call Bayne out. Bayne didn\u2019t answer so Toni cut a promo in her spotlight in which in she her own unique fashion talked about self-doubt caused by Bayne. As she regained her confidence, she inched closer to the hard camera when out of the darkness a foot kicked her in the face. (This was an incredible camera shot). The foot belonged to Penelope Ford. A brief brawl ensued before Bayne jumped Storm from behind and once again dropped her with Fate\u2019s Descent.<\/p>\n<p>The tag match was fine. In this column last week I suggested that Megan Bayne pinning Toni Storm would be a bold booking choice although I didn\u2019t think it would actually happen. I was shocked when Bayne pinned Storm cleanly. The challenger pinning the champion after no-selling one of her signature moves is quite the sign of confidence. Bayne standing over Toni again on Collision was further proof of her strong push. She\u2019s left Toni lying every time they\u2019ve tussled. I fully expect her to drop Toni again after Toni beats Penelope tonight.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the previously discussed developments on the women\u2019s side of the Owen Hart tournament, it still feels like Bayne has a better than half odds of winning. I still think she needs to win or there\u2019s a risk she gets cut off at the knees. Toni is so over at this point that she will be fine and big part of the show even without the title. I\u2019m going to pick Megan Bayne to continue her streak of dominance and dethrone Toni Storm.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: A-<\/p>\n<p><em>ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Check out the latest episode of the &#8220;All Elite Conversation Club&#8221; with Joel Dehnel and Gregg Kanner, part of the PWTorch Dailycast line-up: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spreaker.com\/episode\/all-elite-conversation-club-dehnel-kanner-review-dynamite-and-compare-dehnel-s-in-person-perspective-to-kanner-s-tv-viewing-experience--65207985\">CLICK HERE<\/a> to stream (or search \u201cpwtorch\u201d on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?episode_id=65207985&amp;theme=light&amp;playlist=false&amp;playlist-continuous=false&amp;chapters-image=true&amp;episode_image_position=right&amp;hide-logo=false&amp;hide-likes=false&amp;hide-comments=false&amp;hide-sharing=false&amp;hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"200px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Mercedes Mon\u00e9 vs. Athena<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Athena unexpectedly showed up on Collision and confronted Mercedes. Both women declared for the Owen Hart tournament.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mercedes made quick work of Robyn Renegade, tapping her out with the Statement Maker inside 8 minutes. Tony Schiavone then got in the ring to interview her. She entered herself in the Owen Hart tournament only to find out from Tony that Billie Starkz was also in the tourney. That led her to once again dismissing Billie and putting down her trainer. All of sudden music hit and out walked Athena. She got in the ring and jawed with Mercedes. Mercedes feigned leaving on to attempt to clobber Athena with a belt shot. The Fallen Goddess anticipated it, ducked, and clocked The CEO with a right cross that would\u2019ve made the recently departed George Foreman proud. She scaled the ropes for the O-Face. Robyn Renegade helped Mercedes to her feet only to left to take said O-Face.<\/p>\n<p>From match to O-Face this was great. I certainly didn\u2019t expect Athena to make her return to AEW TV so soon much less on Collision so it was a legit surprise. Mercedes and Athena both entering the Owen along with Billie Starkz sets up an interesting scenario especially if Robyn Renegade further aligns herself with Mercedes. It feels like Mercedes and Athena cancel each other out to set up their All In clash therefore I don\u2019t necessarily expect them to face off kn the tourney. Billie Starkz could get a huge upset though if Athena helps her beat Mercedes. The storytelling possibilities are almost endless at this point.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: N\/A<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>MJF\u2026 in the Hurt Syndicate?<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Latest Developments<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MJF accepted MVP&#8217;s offer but was roadblocked on joining the Hurt Syndicate by Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>MJF wasted little time calling MVP to the ring. He said he wasn\u2019t interested in friends, but he would like to be in the business of hurting people. As he went to shake MVP\u2019s hand Lashley and Benjamin hit the ring. Lashley stuck out his hand and, off mic, asked MJF for the business card which he promptly tore up. MJF eased out of the ring. Later in the night Lashley complained to MVP that he and Shelton hadn\u2019t been consulted and that MJF couldn\u2019t be trusted. MVP argued that Max&#8217;s untrustworthy qualities made him perfect for the Hurt Syndicate.<\/p>\n<p>It made sense for MJF to join the Hurt Syndicate to get his edge back. As Bluesky user \u2026 pointed out that MJF even buttoned up his jacket when MVP came out. Lashley and Benjamin have every reason not to trust MJF, so it feels like we&#8217;re an impasse. I don\u2019t see MVP going against his buddies anymore than I see Lashley and Benjamin accepting MJF. This would mean MJF will feud with the Hurt Syndicate in which case he&#8217;ll need some partners. Who those might be is anyone\u2019s guess.<\/p>\n<p>Grade: B+<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Wade Keller Post-show - AEW Dynamite w\/Wade Keller &amp; Darrin Lilly\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/B-MNpJatsBg?start=5&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-4162032588\"><div id=\"pwtor-1827663778\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>NEWS &amp; NOTES&#8230; \u2022 Kevin Knight has signed with AEW. A unique talent who made his name in New Japan, I just hope Knight doesn\u2019t get lost in the shuffle in AEW. \u2022 Saraya announced <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2025\/04\/02\/aew-feud-tracker-barbers-assessment-of-feuds-heading-into-aew-dynasty-ppv-including-moxley-strickland-storm-bayne-mercedes-athena-more\/\" title=\"AEW FEUD TRACKER: Barber\u2019s assessment of feuds heading into AEW Dynasty PPV including Moxley-Strickland, Storm-Bayne, Mercedes-Athena, more\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":195488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-195487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2025\/04\/Screenshot-2025-04-02-at-12.57.29\u202fPM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195487"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195490,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195487\/revisions\/195490"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}