AEW Dynasty 2024 is set for this weekend, so let’s run down everything you need to know about the upcoming pay-per-view.
Who is scheduled for the card? How interesting does the show seem? What’s going to happen with all the matches?
Here is a full preview of AEW Dynasty 2024.
PPV EVENT INFORMATION
Date: Sunday, April 21, 2024
Start Time: 6:30 p.m. ET (Zero Hour pre-show), 8 p.m. ET (main show)
Location: Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri
MATCH CARD, PREDICTIONS & HEAT INDEX ANTICIPATION LEVELS
(as currently advertised; card is always subject to change)
Temperature Scale = Scorching > Hot > Lukewarm > Temperate > Chilly > Cold > Freezing
Heat Index is my assessment of how interesting the segment is, including how excited I am for the match and how intriguing the feud has been. The hotter, the better. Scorching translates to not being able to wait to see it, while Freezing means I couldn’t possibly care less and think it will be awful.
SINGLES MATCH FOR THE AEW WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP:
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Swerve Strickland (with Prince Nana)
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: Swerve Strickland wins.
Thoughts: I could see this going either of two ways, and I don’t just mean “Joe wins or Strickland wins”. First, and more likely in my mind at this moment, is that Strickland does capture the title and it’s that simple. Second, and something to keep in mind, is that Swerve isn’t Tony Khan’s plan for the next champion and the whole thing is going to fall on Hangman Adam Page coming out to screw over Strickland and cost him the match. That would set up Swerve against Hangman in a feud-ending fight of sorts at Double or Nothing while keeping Joe free for some other challenger. Who would that be? Not having anyone in mind is exactly why I’m leaning more toward Joe just dropping the belt.
SINGLES MATCH FOR THE AEW WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP:
“Timeless” Toni Storm (c) (with Mariah May and Luther) vs. Thunder Rosa
Heat Index = Cold
Prediction: Toni Storm wins.
Thoughts: I’ve been a broken record about this for what feels like 2 years now. If you throw the same 6 women in these title matches for this long of a period, nothing changes, as I’ve lost interest a long time ago. Nothing about this retread of Rosa versus Storm has been different enough for me to be intrigued. I’m not in love with Storm’s gimmick like a lot of people are (and haven’t been, for a long time) and I see zero chance Rosa takes the title. So really, what’s out there for me? If I didn’t love the first 10 matches they had, why should I think this one would be any better?
SINGLES MATCH FOR THE AEW INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP:
Roderick Strong (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Roderick Strong wins.
Thoughts: These two have known each other for so long and will be eager to steal the show. I’m sure they’ll put on a great performance. It’s one of the matches I’m most looking forward to, but I still have to go more Lukewarm than Hot, funny enough, as I think it has more of a chance of letting me down than some others, and I expect the ultimate finish to be The Undisputed Kingdom interfering and costing O’Reilly the win, which will render it a little flat.
SINGLES MATCH FOR THE AEW CONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP:
Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Pac
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Kazuchika Okada wins.
Thoughts: Lukewarm? Again? How? Well, this is another one of the matches I’m most looking forward to, but again, I think the outcome is such a foregone conclusion that it takes some of the zing out for me. There’s absolutely no chance Okada drops the title. It’s just not happening. And while I think he and Pac can do a great job with this segment, I’ll fully admit that I’m more of a WWE “sports entertainment” guy than a “move-based pure pro wrestling” type of fan. If this is on the show at a time where I’m burned out from watching 2-3 hours of nonstop maneuvers, I think there’s a chance it’ll lose my interest unless they quite literally go balls-to-the-wall the entire time. I’ve found myself having that issue with Okada matches in the past, where the first 10 minutes are a bit of a slog and it only gets great in the last few after spending a long time ramping up. I’m not sure I’ll be down for the ramp up, so I’m cautiously not putting too much anticipation in my brain about this. I’d rather be pleasantly surprised than the alternative.
TRIOS MATCH:
Adam Copeland, Eddie Kingston, and Mark Briscoe vs. The House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews)
Heat Index = Chilly
Prediction: The House of Black wins.
Thoughts: Can’t have all 3 of AEW’s midcard title belts on the line, right? TNT Championship has to sit this out. I’d assume, based on that alone, that House of Black wins this in order to set up Malakai Black as the next challenge for Adam Copeland. I imagine there’s also a chance Eddie Kingston and Mark Briscoe don’t have the best synergy and that’s in part what leads to the babyface team coming up short. As far as hype…meh. This feels like something that should be on television instead of a pay-per-view.
HOUSE RULES MATCH FOR THE TBS CHAMPIONSHIP:
Julia Hart (c) vs. Willow Nightingale (with Stokely Hathaway)
Heat Index = Chilly
Prediction: Willow Nightingale wins.
Thoughts: Considering this is a “who fights Mercedes Mone at Double or Nothing” match, and I’m HAAAAATING what I’ve seen of Mercedes so far, that retroactively hurts this segment already. I’ve also already seen them interact enough to not feel like this is special anymore. Plus, I’ve suspended my disbelief a few times already and I’m tired of pretending someone as small as Hart will put up as much of a fight against Nightingale as she will. If this match goes on 10 minutes, it’ll be 5 minutes too long. It’s just a means to an end, and I’m not even excited about that end. The only real intrigue for me is whether or not Kris Statlander gets involved and turns. If she does, Willow isn’t a lock to win the belt.
TOURNAMENT FINAL LADDER MATCH FOR THE VACATED AEW WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP:
The Young Bucks (Nicholas Jackson and Matthew Jackson) vs. FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler)
Heat Index = Hot
Prediction: The Young Bucks win.
Thoughts: Yes, airing the All In footage was ridiculous and did nothing at all for someone like myself to build hype for this. And I mean, at all. Every bit of their story revolving around that has only hurt my interest or done nothing. But I love ladder matches, I know these two teams will work well together, and therefore, I’m excited about this more than almost any other match on this card. Young Bucks win because they’re not only doing this heel gimmick, but also because it’s too risky to put titles on Cash Wheeler with his legal issues still ongoing.
SINGLES MATCH:
Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay
Heat Index = Scorching
Prediction: Will Ospreay wins.
Thoughts: This is the match everyone needs to keep their eyes on. It will almost assuredly be a Match of the Year candidate. I don’t know what to say beyond that. Ospreay will continue to win, as Danielson has no problem putting people over. This should be fantastic.
FTW RULES MATCH FOR THE FTW CHAMPIONSHIP:
Hook (c) vs. Chris Jericho
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Chris Jericho wins.
Thoughts: I’ll take this over Hook just becoming another subordinate to Jericho who fails to get a decent enough push out of it, a la Sammy Guevara and Daniel Garcia. For this to work, where Jericho says Hook isn’t as good as he thinks he is, the title needs to change hands. By hook (no pun intended) or by crook, Jericho is going to capture the belt and Hook will need to work his way back to regaining it.
WINNERS TAKE ALL MATCH FOR THE AEW WORLD TRIOS CHAMPIONSHIP AND ROH WORLD SIX-MAN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP:
The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) and “Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn (c) vs. Bullet Club Gold (Jay White and The Gunns (Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn) (c)
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Prediction: Bullet Club Gold wins.
Thoughts: The angle’s been less than Lukewarm, if I’m being honest. It’s cooled down considerably after all these months. But since this is a title-for-title match, that already upgrades it a bit in my book. I’d rather see Bullet Club Gold win this, as The Acclaimed are even more stale in comparison, even though I like both groups.
OVERALL PPV:
How excited am I for the event as a whole?
Heat Index = Lukewarm
Thoughts: I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say Hot, but I feel like Lukewarm overall is a bit harsh. Then again, there are some matches on the cooler side, and those can really bog down my experience. I think this will fall into the same situation that most AEW shows go for me, where I’d rather them be shorter in time, have a few less matches, and cost less, than to try to make each one as long as WrestleMania—which I don’t think this will be equal or greater to. I do expect some good things to come out of this, though, so I’m still looking forward to it.
What do you think is going to happen at AEW Dynasty? Which matches are you most excited to see? Keep the discussion going in the comments below!
