Mox, Swerve meet in mixed tag on Dynamite on TSN
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AEW World Champion Jon Moxley teams with Marina Shafir to take on Swerve Strickland in a mixed tag. Plus, AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm battles Penelope Ford and Will Ospreay appears. You can catch AEW Dynamite LIVE on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT on TSN2, the TSN App, and TSN.ca.
The Death Riders (AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and "The Problem" Marina Shafir) vs. Swerve Strickland (w/ Prince Nana) and Willow Nightingale
Before they battle for the AEW World Championship on Sunday at Dynasty, champ Jon Moxley and No. 1 contender Swerve Strickland meet in the ring on Dynamite, but they won't be alone. Mox teams with Marina Shafir to take on Strickland and Willow Nightingale in mixed tag action. The match will mark only the third time that Moxley and Strickland have faced off with one another. Both previous matches between the two men took place during the inaugural Continental Classic with Moxley claiming both bouts. In Gold League action, Moxley defeated Strickland on the Dec. 13, 2023 edition of Dynamite before advancing to the final by besting both Strickland and "Switchblade" Jay White two weeks later. Moxley would ultimately lose in the final to Eddie Kingston. But that Strickland who Moxley defeated is not the same man who he will step into the ring with on Sunday. Swerve Strickland in 2025 is a smarter, savvier and more dangerous version of the man he was back then. Since then Swerve has won the AEW World Championship and engaged in one of the bloodiest wars in company history with his forever rival, "Hangman" Adam Page. While he was never short on confidence before, Strickland is now collected, as well. Moxley's Death Riders have run roughshod over AEW for months, but Swerve isn't remotely fazed. All he cares about is getting back the title he held for 126 days. Yet Swerve must be smart. Mox has been able to keep his championship thanks to Claudio Castagnoli, "The Bastard" PAC, Wheeler YUTA and Shafir doing his bidding to ensure the likes of Adam Copeland, Orange Cassidy and Powerhouse Hobbs were unsuccessful in their title challenges. That's where Nightingale comes into play. The former TBS Champion has attempted to counterbalance the influence of Shafir in recent weeks and will do that again on Wednesday when they have their first match in nearly two years. Will Swerve make it clear to Mox that his title isn't safe or will the champion show why he still holds the gold?
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"The Rated R Superstar" Adam Copeland (w/ Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) vs. AEW World Trios Champion Claudio Castagnoli (w/ "The Bastard" PAC and Wheeler YUTA)
Adam Copeland's pursuit of the AEW World Championship might be over for the time being, but his war with the Death Riders is far from over. At Sunday's Dynasty, the 11-time world champion teams with FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) to challenge Claudio Castagnoli, PAC and Wheeler YUTA for their AEW World Trios Championships. But needless to say, after the last couple of weeks, that pursuit will be complicated. After Cope fell to Jon Moxley in their street fight for the title two weeks ago on Dynamite, Harwood's frustrations boiled over. As Cope held out his hand for Harwood to pull him up from the mat, he blew him off and walked away. Last week on Dynamite, Harwood explained that his disappointment got the better of him. He said that he felt that he and Harwood had put off pursuing the AEW World Tag Team Championships in order to prioritize Cope's chase of the AEW World Championship and his failure to capture it angered him. As the three men talked things over with Tony Schiavone, they decided to go after titles together and challenge the Death Riders for the trios belts. But getting on the same page didn't seem to last very long. This past Saturday night on Collision, YUTA beat Harwood in singles action with the Seatbelt. Feeling that it was only a two count and not three that beat him, an enraged Harwood began to harangue the referee. Security emerged to cool him down, but he began to take them out. Finally Wheeler tried to talk some sense into his partner, but he, too, met the same fate as the security guards and was shoved to the ground by Harwood. Dax was immediately remorseful and attempted to make amends. Wheeler wasn't interested, though, and stormed to the back without him. The first step for Harwood, Wheeler and Copeland to get back on the same page comes on Wednesday night when Cope meets Castagnoli in a singles match. Copeland and Castagnoli never crossed paths in WWE and have yet to meet in singles action in AEW. Both men undoubtedly have a point to prove on Wednesday night. For Copeland, it's about setting the tone for Sunday. For "The Swiss Cyborg," it's about continuing to hammer home that Cope and his buddies aren't on the Death Riders' level. Which of the two men will pick up a victory in this ongoing war?
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AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm (w/ Luther) vs. "The Superbad Girl" Penelope Ford (w/ "Megasus" Megan Bayne)
For the past several weeks, "Timeless" Toni Storm has found herself in a predicament unlike one she's ever experienced during her AEW career: the four-time AEW Women's World Champion simply does not have an answer for Megan Bayne, her challenger at Dynasty. Ever since her return to AEW this past January, the former Stardom star has been a wrecking ball in the women's division. Bayne is undefeated, laying waste to everybody put in front of her with the Fate's Descent. When Storm challenged the rest of the roster to step up and challenge her last month, it was Bayne who did so, blindsiding her and leaving her crumpled in a heap. Since then, Bayne has been a step faster (and stronger) at every turn. Even when Storm has thought she had the jump on Bayne, she was wrong. Clotheslining her out of the ring? Bayne simply lands on her feet. On last week's Dynamite, Storm teamed with Thunder Rosa to take on Bayne and her ally, Penelope Ford. After a miscommunication between Bayne and Ford, Storm thought she had the upper hand, but she was wrong again. Attempting to take advantage of the miscue, Storm was swiftly put down with the Fate's Descent and pinned by Bayne. Frustrated, Storm called out Bayne this past Saturday night on Collision. As she passionately threw down a verbal gauntlet, Ford came out of nowhere with a running kick to take out Storm. It was the precursor for another appearance from Bayne that was punctuated by yet another Fate's Descent. Bruised, but not deterred, Storm will have the opportunity to take her frustrations out on Ford before Sunday's showdown with Bayne. But even if there is a Storm Zero in Ford's future, this match for her is more than just a footnote in Storm and Bayne's rivalry. The match will mark only the third time Ford has had a singles match with the AEW Women's World Champion and her second ever one-on-one bout with Storm. The first came in a World Title Eliminator back in 2022 that was ended with a Storm Zero. While Wednesday night's match isn't officially a World Title Eliminator, Ford knows full well that a win over Storm will certainly position her for a title challenge at some point down the road. Will Storm show Bayne the heart of a champion or will Ford prove to Ford there's more than one threat to her world title?
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"The Aerial Assassin" Will Ospreay returns
For the first time since defeating former friend Kyle Fletcher in an absolutely brutal cage match at Revolution, Will Ospreay makes his return to Dynamite. We already know he's declared for the 2025 Owen Hart Foundation Torunament with an eye on main eventing at All In in July, but what else does the former IWGP World Champion have on his mind?
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Owen brackets revealed
The full fields for the 2025 men's and women's Owen Hart Cup will be revealed on Wednesday night. On the men's side, Will Ospreay, "Hangman" Adam Page and "Switchblade" Jay White have announced their inclusions. On the women's, TBS Champion "The CEO" Mercedes Mone, ROH Women's World Champion "The Fallen Goddess" Athena, Kris Statlander, Jamie Hayter, Billie Starkz and Thunder Rosa have all declared for the tourney. Who will join them to fill out the rest of the field?