Swerve/Hangman III headlines stacked Dynamite on TSN2
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Hated rivals Swerve Strickland and "Hangman" Adam Page meet for a shot at the AEW World Championship. Plus, Sting and Darby Allin challenge Ricky Starks and Big Bill for the AEW World Tag Team Championships in a tornado match. You can catch AEW Dynamite LIVE at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2, streaming on the TSN App and on TSN.ca.
AEW World Championship No. 1 contender's match: "Hangman" Adam Page vs. Swerve Strickland - AEW's most heated feud boils over on Wednesday night with a title shot on the line. The winner of the match between "Hangman" Adam Page and Swerve Strickland will meet AEW World Champion Samoa Joe at next month's Revolution pay-per-view. The bout on Dynamite will be the third between the two men over the past several months with their two previous encounters already considered to be instant classics. The enmity between the two started last fall when Strickland claimed that Page, a former AEW World Champion, had been squandering opportunity after opportunity in AEW and didn't deserve his spot. They first met at the Oct. 1 WrestleDream PPV in Seattle, near Swerve's hometown of Tacoma, WA, with Strickland picking up the victory with the JML Driver. That match didn't end the bad blood between them and, in fact, things got more heated when Strickland broke into Page's home and went into his son's room. An enraged Page challenged Strickland to a Texas Death Match at Full Gear. The match was a brutal and bloody spectacle and quite likely the most violent bout in AEW history and one in which both men paid a hefty physical price. Swerve once again came out on top, this time literally choking Page out with a chain, but not without considerable help from Prince Nana and Mogul Embassy stablemate "The Machine" Brian Cage. Even though he's 0-2 against Swerve, Page remains undaunted and accused Swerve of using the Mogul Embassy as a crutch. Seemingly insulted by Hangman's assertion, Strickland has vowed to win Wednesday night's match by himself and earn his first AEW World Championship shot. Will the third time be the charm for the Hangman or will Swerve continue his mastery of the former champion?
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Tornado match for the AEW World Tag Team Championships: "Absolute" Ricky Starks and Big Bill (c) vs. "The Icon" Sting and Darby Allin (w/ "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair) - We know that Sting's wrestling career is entering its final days, but there could still be championship gold in store for "The Icon." Before Sting and Darby Allin team up for his final match at next month's Revolution, the undefeated duo has the chance to become AEW World Tag Team Championships on Wednesday night when they meet Ricky Starks and Big Bill. Sting has not lost a match in AEW and as a tag team, he and Allin are 13-0. This is something that Starks knows all too well. In fact, Starks took the loss in Sting's first match in AEW as he and Brian Cage fell to Sting and Allin nearly three years ago at Revolution 2021. Starks would love nothing more than to hand Sting his first loss and ensure he gets nowhere near his tag team titles. Should Allin and Sting pick up a victory, this would not be the first time Sting has held tag-team gold. Sting was a three-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, having held the titles with Lex Luger, The Giant and Kevin Nash. He also held the TNA World Tag Team Championships in 2007. A victory on Wednesday night would see Allin become part of a select group of AEW competitors who have held both tag and singles titles in AEW joining Kenny Omega, Adam Page, Scorpio Sky, Killswitch and Rey Fenix. Allin is already a two-time TNT Champion. Will Sting wear gold for the first time in AEW or will Starks and Big Bill spoil the party?
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Chris Jerico vs. "The Alpha" Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis, Powerhouse Hobbs and ROH World TV Champion Kyle Fletcher) - Chris Jericho once again has the opportunity to get his hands on one of the men who have made his life hell over the past several months when he goes one on one with Konosuke Takeshita. Takeshita and the rest of the Don Callis Family have preyed on the undermanned Jericho who has been without his allies Kenny Omega and Sammy Guevara with both on the shelf due to diverticulitis and a concussion, respectively. Jericho has fought back and been successful on a few occasions, including on the Jan. 31 Dynamite against Kyle Fletcher. Wednesday night's match will not be the first singles match between Jericho and Takeshita. Jericho actually defeated Takeshita in a nearly 25-minute match at DDT's Ultimate Party in Tokyo on Dec. 11, despite repeated interference from Callis. Like he has had to for the duration of this feud with the Don Callis Family, Jericho will need to dedicate at least part of his focus on what's going on outside of the ring with Callis, Will Hobbs and Fletcher likely to spring into action at any moment to hand Takeshita an advantage. Will Jericho make it two straight over Takeshita or will "The Alpha" pick up a win for the Don Callis Family?
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The Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli) vs. Team CMLL (CMLL World Trios Champion Volador Jr., NWA World Historic Middleweight Champion Mistico and Hechicero) - Problems between the Blackpool Combat Club and Team CMLL kicked off on last week's Dynamite when Jon Moxley's jawing with the group who were sitting at ringside for his match with Jeff Hardy turned physical and Volador Jr., Mistico, Hechicero and Mascara Dorada jumped Moxley after his match. With the rest of the BCC not in the building, the four Mexican stars got their lumps in until they were chased off by Matt Sydal, Christopher Daniels, Matt Menard and Angelo Parker. Team CMLL would go on to defeat that quartet who came to intervene on this past Friday night's Rampage. Then on Saturday night, Bryan Danielson became the first member of the BCC to get his hands on somebody from CMLL when he went one on one with Hechicero on Collision. The former CMLL World Heavyweight Champion gave Danielson everything he could handle, but "The American Dragon" managed to pick up the victory by reversing a cradle. Now on Wednesday night, Moxley will be out for revenge as he, Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli take on Volador, Hechicero and Mistico. An enraged Jon Moxley is a scary one and as experienced as the trio from CMLL might be, they've kicked the hornet's nest when it comes to getting on the bad side of a lunatic like Mox. Will Moxley get vengeance or will the luchador trio pick up an impressive victory?
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AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm (w/ Luther and "The Glamour" Mariah May) vs. Red Velvet - For the first time in over two years, Red Velvet will step into the ring with the AEW Women's World Champion when she takes on Toni Storm in a first time ever matchup. Velvet's last time in the ring with the champ was a title match on the debut episode of Rampage back in August of 2021 when she fell to then champion Dr. Britt Baker, DMD. Wednesday night's match will be the biggest for Velvet since she returned from a lengthy injury absence in November following nearly nine months on the shelf. Since her return, Velvet is 2-5 in AEW action, but is coming off of a win over Vertvixen on this past Saturday night's Collision. For Storm, this match will have a captive audience in the form of her opponent at Revolution and former close friend, "The Virtuosa" Deonna Purrazzo. Purrazzo, who defeated Velvet herself on the Jan. 13 Collision, will be sitting in on commentary to get a closer look at the woman she plans to take the title from next month. Under the spotlight, will Storm produce another classic performance or will Velvet pick up a huge victory?