Casino Gauntlet Match, Omega's return headline AEW Dynamite on TSN2
Published
A Casino Gauntlet Match will crown the No. 1 contender for the AEW World Championship, a three-way match will determine the first entrant in the women’s Casino Gauntlet Match and Kenny Omega returns. Catch AEW Dynamite LIVE at 8pm ET/ 5pm PT on TSN2, TSN.ca and the TSN App.
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Casino Gauntlet Match
Jon Moxley will defend the AEW World Championship on Jan. 15 at Dynamite: Maximum Carnage in his hometown of Cincinnati, that much is known.
The identity of who he faces will be determined on Wednesday in a No. 1 contender Casino Gauntlet Match.
In the Casino Gauntlet, two wrestlers start the match and a series of fighters enter the ring at a predetermined interval, until someone scores either a pinfall or submission.
The match ends on the fall no matter how many others were scheduled to join, therefore the advantage goes to those who enter earlier rather than later.
While there has been no announcement of which wrestlers will participate in the event, Will Ospreay has been very successful in past iterations of the match with two wins in singles versions and combining with Kyle Fletcher to win the inaugural tag team gauntlet.
Christian Cage currently holds an “anytime, anywhere” contract for a shot at the world title thanks to winning a Casino Gauntlet at All In: London last August
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Kris Statlander vs. Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale for #1 spot in Women's Casino Gauntlet Match
The first-ever women’s Casino Gauntlet Match will also take place at Maximum Carnage and the coveted No. 1 spot will be on the line on Wednesday in a three-way match between Kris Statlander, Toni Storm and Willow Nightingale.
All three participants have AEW championship pedigree, though Storm might be shocked to hear that fact.
Since dropping the Women’s title to Mariah May at All In: London, Storm has returned to action in AEW with seemingly no knowledge of her prior history wrestling in the promotion.
The 29-year-old has acted like a rookie, reintroducing herself to people and celebrating every opportunity given to her.
Despite her failing memory, Storm is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the history of the company, with three women’s title reigns.
Statlander is a former TBS champion and her title victory was one of the most significant as it ended Jade Cargill’s 508-day run as well as her 60-match undefeated streak.
The New York native has recently been unsuccessful in two attempts at reclaiming the title from current title holder Mercedes Mone at the recent Full Gear and Worlds End pay per views.
Willow Nightingale is also a former TBS champion. She dropped the gold to Mone at Double or Nothing last May.
Nightingale recently defeated Jamie Hayter to earn a place in the cross promotional International Women’s World Cup match at Wrestle Dynasty which took place in December at the Tokyo Dome.
The winner of next week’s gauntlet will take on champion May at Grand Slam Australia in February.
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Will Ospreay vs. Buddy Matthews
Will Ospreay lost the final of the Continental Classic to Kazuchika Okada in an intense, bloody match and there will be no break from the physicality as he takes on Buddy Matthews from the House of Black on Dynamite.
Ospreay defeated Kyle Fletcher in the semifinals of the tournament to earn his place in the final.
The 31-year-old clinched his spot in the tournament’s final four with a victory over Matthews’ House of Black stablemate Brody King, eliminating him from the competition.
Matthews can now score a manner of retribution for this partner as he takes on the former two-time International champion.
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Mark Briscoe vs. Bobby Lashley
The bad blood between Mark Briscoe and Bobby Lashley has been rising and now the pair will meet to settle the score.
Briscoe and Lashley came face to face on Christmas with neither man willing to back down from the confrontation.
They also had a run in prior to Briscoe’s match against Lashley’s Hurt Syndicate stablemate Shelton Benjamin during the Continental Classic in November.
The Hurt Syndicate has been very successful since making their debut in AEW with Lashley and Benjamin earning their latest victory over former tag team champions The Acclaimed last Wednesday.
Lashley also has a singles victory over former World Champion Swerve Strickland.
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Kenny Omega returns to Dynamite and MJF appears live
Two former AEW World Champions will also make their presence felt on Dynamite.
Kenny Omega, fresh off his in-ring return at Wrestle Dynasty, will be back on AEW Dynamite for the first time since May.
The last time Omega appeared on Dynamite, he was attacked by his former friends in The Elite, Jack Perry and The Young Bucks, while giving a health update detailing his battle with diverticulitis.
The Winnipeg native has not wrestled in AEW since facing Ethan Page in December of 2023, prior to his diagnosis.
Omega made an appearance at Worlds End where he awarded Okada the AEW Continental Championship after the conclusion of the tournament.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman became a six-time Dynamite Diamond Ring Winner with his victory over rival Adam Cole at Worlds End and now he’s ready to reclaim the World Championship.
MJF will be in Clarksville, Tenn., to make a statement on his path back to AEW gold.