Swerve battles PAC on Dynamite on TSN2
Published
Swerve Strickland takes on PAC in a first-time matchup. Plus, the Opps' Samoa Joe and Hook face off with Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler YUTA of the Death Riders and AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm sits in on commentary as Thunder Rosa meets Kris Statlander in the Owen. 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.
Swerve Strickland (w/ Prince Nana) vs. AEW World Trios Champion "The Bastard" PAC
Swerve Strickland came agonizingly close to becoming the AEW World Champion for a second time at Dynasty, but the numbers game was just too much. Even with help from an unlikely source, archrival "Hangman" Adam Page, the deck was stacked too high. If it weren't enough that Jon Moxley had all of Claudio Castagnoli, PAC, Wheeler YUTA and Marina Shafir doing his bidding, he retained his title through the surprise intervention of the returning Young Bucks (Nicholas Jackson and Matthew Jackson), who laid Swerve out with a BTE Trigger. After doing so, they dragged Mox on top of Strickland to get the pin. It was the Jacksons' first appearance in AEW since October when The Elite seemed to retreat from the threat of the Death Riders. While AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada has stuck around, the Jacksons and Jack Perry have been absent. Before an irate Strickland can get his hands on the former AEW World Tag Team Champions, he'll have the opportunity to enact a measure of revenge against one of the Death Riders in PAC. The match will mark the first time these two men have shared a ring. While PAC has mostly focused on the trios division in recent months, his prowess as a single star must not be forgotten. Not only was PAC the inaugural AEW All-Atlantic (since rechristened as International) Champion, he's a former WWE Cruiserweight Champion, NXT Champion and the holder of Dragon Gate's top title, the Open the Dream Gate Championship. PAC combines technical prowess and aerial ability with a kind of savage brutality that few others possess. Despite his small stature, "The Bastard" is capable of bringing the fight to literally anybody. But Swerve is unlikely looking for a victory on Wednesday night. In PAC, he's not going to see an opponent he plans to pin. He sees one of the men who kept him away from the AEW World Championship and for that he must pay. Strickland calls himself "the most dangerous man in AEW" and intends to demonstrate that to PAC. The Young Bucks and Death Riders will pay for slighting Strickland and retribution will begin on Wednesday night. Is there anything PAC can do to prevent feeling Swerve's wrath?
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The Opps (Samoa Joe and Hook) (w/ "The Wrestler" Katsuyori Shibata) vs. AEW World Trios Champions The Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler YUTA)
Sunday night ended up being a very successful one for the Death Riders. Not only did Jon Moxley retain the AEW World Championship over Swerve Strickland, but PAC, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler YUTA held onto their AEW World Trios Championships by defeating Adam Copeland and FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler). The loss was enough to send FTR over the edge (pardon the pun) as they viciously laid out their former friend after the match and attacked his surgically repaired neck. The sight of their opponents eat one other must have been a welcome one for the Death Riders, but that joy was short-lived because future foes quickly emerged by the end of the night. Last Wednesday on Dynamite, The Opps (Samoa Joe, Hook and Katsuyori Shibata) said that they were going to be at the pay-per-view. It was a promise as much as it was a warning. They made their presence known during the main event as they chased PAC, Castagnoli and YUTA out of the ring as they attempted to aid Moxley against Strickland. But Joe, Hook and Shibata weren't there out of the goodness of their hearts. They want something the Death Riders have around their waists in the AEW World Trios Championships. They plan to make that case to the Death Riders again on Wednesday when Joe and Hook take on Castagnoli and YUTA in tag action. Joe and Hook might not be able to make the Death Riders respect them, but they can beat some fear into them and an energized and hungry Samoa Joe is one of the most terrifying prospects in all of professional wrestling. Can the Death Riders show why they hold trios gold or will Joe and Hook catch them lacking?
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Owen Hart Foundation Tournament quarterfinals match: Thunder Rosa vs. Kris Statlander (with AEW Women's World Champion "Timeless" Toni Storm sitting in on commentary
"Timeless" Toni Storm did something nobody else in AEW has been able to do on Sunday night at Dynasty when she managed to get a pinfall victory over Megan Bayne to retain her AEW Women's World Championship. About to be planted with the Fate's Descent, Storm quickly turned it into a roll-up to hand Bayne her first loss. But like every champion in AEW, Storm doesn't have much time to rest on her laurels. The 2025 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament is underway and the winner of that tournament earns a world title shot at All In. In 2024, Storm's then-protege, Mariah May, won the tournament before shockingly turning on her mentor and then defeating Storm for the title at Wembley Stadium last July. Nobody is going to get the jump on Storm this time around, which is why she is planning on scouting potential opponents well in advance. On Wednesday night, Storm will sit in with the commentary team to watch the first-round matchup between former AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa and former TBS Champion Kris Statlander. The winner of the match on Dynamite will meet the winner of the upcoming Jamie Hayter vs. Billie Starkz match. TBS Champion Mercedes Mone is the first woman in the semis on the other side of the bracket after her victory over Julia Hart at Dynasty. Wednesday's match will mark the first-ever meeting in AEW between the two women. Statlander and Rosa have teamed together on a number of occasions, including on the Mar. 5 edition of Dynamite, but have never shared an AEW ring as foes. The two have wrestled each other before, yet no time recently. Back in May of 2019 for Austin's Sabotage Wrestling, Rosa defeated Statlander on a card that also included Shotzi Blackheart, Ricky Starks and Roxanne Perez. Months later, they met again for America's Most Liked Pro Wrestling in Winston-Salem, NC where Rosa made it two straight on a card that was headlined by Colby Corino facing off with C.W. Anderson. A lot has changed in nearly six years, so it's unlikely those matches will inform how either woman tackles Wednesday night's bout. But for both women, the Owen is a chance to regain gold that has eluded both of them for some time. Statlander defeated Jade Cargill for the TBS Championship back at Double or Nothing 2023. She went on to hold the title for 174 days before falling to Hart at that November's Full Gear. She has yet to wear gold since. Rosa defeated Britt Baker for the AEW Women's World Championship in March of 2022. She was forced to vacate the title after 172 days when she incurred a back injury that kept her out of action for over a year. Since her return to competition at the end of 2023, Rosa has been held titleless. Knowing that this tournament can change fortunes in a hurry, which of these two former champions will take the first step to getting a title back around her waist?