We haven’t even made it to Valentine’s Day yet, but it’s already been an eventful year in pro wrestling. Can tonight’s AEW Dynamite in Phoenix keep that momentum rolling? It may depend on the answer to the first question we have for tonight’s show …
What, or who, will be the subject of Tony Khan’s big announcement?
It might be time to cut Tony Khan some slack. While there is a certain amount of eye-rolling whenever AEW promotes a “big,” “huge” or “important” announcement, the truth is that he’s batting a decent average on them overall thanks to things like All In London, the Forbidden Door shows with NJPW and his purchase of Ring of Honor.
Will this one belong in that same rarified air? It’s possible if it’s the official word that Mercedes Moné is on her way in. Or it could be verification that Kazuchika Okada has been signed. Heck, what if it’s both?
It could also be something totally out of left field. That’s why we look forward to these even though there are occasions where they’re overhyped.
Can Sting win one more championship before he retires?
The end is now drawing incredibly close for Sting, whose final match is now less than a month away. That makes his tag team title shot alongside Darby Allin mean that much more, because barring something completely unforeseen, this will be his final chance to wear gold as a pro wrestler.
Despite being somewhat thrown together, Big Bill and Ricky Starks have been fine champs. But Sting has yet to taste defeat in AEW, and it would be strange indeed for him to do so now. The guess is that he and Darby get the titles, which means a Revolution showdown with the Young Bucks would turn into a championship farewell.
Can Hangman finally defeat Swerve?
Speaking of Revolution, there’s an AEW World Championship title opportunity on the line on Dynamite when Hangman Adam Page and Swerve Strickland meet for the third time. In a lot of cases this would be a rubber match, but not here as Strickland is 2-0 in their previous meetings.
Hangman would be an easy pick here normally to ensure the proper face-heel dynamic going against Samoa Joe in Greensboro. But it feels like Page might be slipping toward the dark side at the same time more and more fans jump on Swerve’s bandwagon. It’s going to be interesting to see how AEW plays this one.
Also advertised for AEW Dynamite in Phoenix:
- Toni Storm takes on Red Velvet with Deonna Purrazzo on guest commentary
- The CMLL vs. BCC feud continues with a six-man tag match
- Chris Jericho steps in to battle Konosuke Takeshita
- And it will all go more than two hours as Khan says he’s secured an overrun from TBS
Fired up yet? We are, which is why we’ll be recapping the action live here on Wrestling Junkie. Join us here on the site at 8 p.m. ET for the latest.