Darby Allin defeated Samoa Joe to win the TNT Championship for the second time in his career this past Wednesday on AEW Dynamite.
AEW President Tony Khan has now announced Mike Bennett as the first challenger to Darby’s title. As per the official announcement, Allin will defend his title against Bennett this week on Rampage.
Khan took to Twitter to announce the news. He wrote,
“TOMORROW Night, Jan 6
Friday Night #AEWRampage
LIVE In Portland
@TNTdrama 10pm ET/9pm CT
TNT Championship Open Challenge
@DarbyAllin vs @RealMikeBennett
Just 48 hours after regaining his belt, Darby reopened his Open Challenge for a Friday Fight vs. Mike Bennett tomorrow night!”
Here’s the updated lineup for the inaugural Rampage of 2023:
* AEW TNT Championship: Darby Allin (c) vs. Mike Bennett
* Jon Moxley & Bryan Danielson vs. Top Flight
* Britt Baker & Jamie Hayter vs. The Renegade Twins
* Perro Peligroso vs. TBA
* House Of Black to address the AEW Galaxy