International Eliminator begins on Dynamite on TSN2
Published
The AEW International Championship Eliminator gets underway with two matches. Plus, we'll hear from the new AEW International Champion Kenny Omega. 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.
AEW International Championship Eliminator match: "Freshly Squeezed" Orange Cassidy vs. "The Alchemist" Hechicero
AEW's International Championship Eliminator will culminate in the winner earning a shot at AEW International Champion Kenny Omega at Apr. 6's Dynasty pay-per-view in Philadelphia. Wednesday night will see the tourney's kick-off with Orange Cassidy taking on CMLL's Hechicero. Cassidy, of course, is no stranger to the AEW International Championship. One of only two men to have held the title on two occasions, with the other being Will Ospreay, Cassidy owns the record for most days as champion with 471 over his two reigns. His last reign came in the fall of 2023. After defeating Rey Fenix for the title on the Sept. 20 Dynamite, Cassidy held onto the belt until Revolution 2024 when he dropped it to Roderick Strong. In Hechicero, Cassidy takes on a man he's never faced in singles competition before. The only time the two have previously shared a ring came in the Forbidden Door Casino Gauntlet match on the May 29, 2024 Dynamite that was won by Ospreay. Hechicero brings championship pedigree of his own to the match. Hecichero is a former NWA World Historic Lightweight Champion and one third of the former CMLL World Trios Champions alongside Euforia and Mephisto. But his biggest accomplishment at the CMLL 88. Aniversario show in the fall of 2021 when he defeated Ultimo Guerrero to become the CMLL World Heavyweight Champion. He would go on to reign for over a year before losing the title to Gran Guerrero. Hechicero's record in AEW has been an impressive one at 4-2. His only losses in singles competition have come to former AEW World Champions in Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Bryan Danielson. Wednesday's match marks his first in AEW since a Nov. 30 victory over Komander. Wednesday night's match should be a technical display. For all of Cassidy's laconic trappings, Cassidy is a beyond skilled technical grappler and will give Hechicero, one of the most technically gifted wrestlers in the game, all he can handle. Perhaps there is some added motivation for Cassidy, who recently failed to recapture the International strap from then-champion Konosuke Takeshita on the Feb. 26 Dynamite. Title shots come at a premium and Cassidy won't want to let another slip from his grasp. Which of these two mat magicians will come out on top?
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AEW International Championship Eliminator match: The Beast Mortos (w/ Rush and Dralistico) vs. ?
While Orange Cassidy and Hechicero know who their opponent is in the first round of the AEW International Championship Eliminator, the Beast Mortos doesn't have that luxury. The La Faccion Ingobernable member opens up his tournament against a wild card entry. So how does he go about preparing for a mystery opponent? If that weren't enough, Mortos has some additional pressure to handle when it comes to this tournament. Let's face it - his Continental Classic last fall was not an impressive one. Of the 12 competitors in the 2024 edition, Mortos was the only one who did not pick up a victory. He went 0-5 in the Blue League with losses to Kazuchika Okada, Mark Briscoe, Daniel Garcia, Shelton Benjamin and Kyle Fletcher. He surely has not forgotten about that and will see this Eliminator as an opportunity to get the bad taste out of his mouth. Of course, that is tempered by the fact that he doesn't know who he's up against on Wednesday night. Can Mortos find a way to pick up a victory over this mystery man?
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AEW International Champion "The Cleaner" Kenny Omega speaks
Fresh off of an absolute war at Revolution that saw him defeat archrival Konosuke Takeshita for the AEW International Championship, "The Cleaner" Kenny Omega will be on Dynamite. With the victory over Takeshita, Omega became AEW's first-ever grand slam champion, having won four different titles. Omega was already a former AEW World Champion, AEW World Tag Team Champion (with "Hangman" Adam Page) and AEW World Trios Champion (with the Young Bucks). What will Omega have to say and does he consider the book to be closed on his rivalry with the Don Callis Family?
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We'll hear from Maxwell Jacob Friedman
It wasn't a fun night at the office for MJF on Sunday night at Revolution. Eating an Angel's Wings followed by a Buckshot Lariat, Friedman fell to "Hangman" Adam Page in their grudge match. It was only MJF's fourth loss in singles competition since 2022. Irritable at the best of times, how will MJF address his defeat?