AEW Dynamite: Anniversary Preview for October 5, 2022

Last week in Philadelphia, the city where Ring of Honor was born, AEW fans were treated to a classic ROH World Championship match between Chris Jericho and Bandido, witnessed The Acclaimed successfully defend their AEW World Tag Team Championships for the first time in a Three-Way contest, and watched Toni Storm retain her AEW Interim Women's World Championship over “The Professor” Serena Deeb in an impromptu Lumberjack Match.

On top of that, Jon Moxley turned away the Eliminator Challenge of Juice Robinson, only to be confronted by the Golden Ticket Battle Royale winner “Hangman” Adam Page who will get a World Championship match when AEW returns to Cincinnati on Tuesday, October 18th. Plus The TrustBusters tried to recruit HOOK, The Firm's Lee Moriarty picked up a statement victory followed by W. Morrisey making one of his own, and that's all led us to the Nation's Capital!

This week the elite action returns to the city where DYNAMITE was born, Washington D.C., and back to the Entertainment & Sports Arena! The ROH World Champion unites with his “Le Sex Gods” partner Sammy Guevara to battle “The American Dragon” and ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia while a huge Women's Trios match goes down as Dr. Baker and Saraya accompany their respective teams. Plus, MJF returns to the ring for the first time since DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2022 to face The BCC's Wheeler Yuta, Hangman prepares for his championship fight, and defends the honor of his Dark Order family, against Rush, Jay Lethal and Darby Allin go head-to-head, and “The Machine” Brian Cage returns to action in AEW as he attempts to wrest the TNT Championship away from “Mr. Mayhem” Wardlow!

It is all coming your way LIVE on TBS starting at 8pm EDT/7pm CDT, and at AEWPlus.com for international audiences, and you best head to the official AEW YouTube page to catch-up on the wild events from GRAND SLAM week! The YouTube page is the home for Dynamite and Rampage highlights, plus the latest editions of AEW Dark: Elevation, AEW Dark, Road To, and The Control Center with Tony Schiavone!

TAG TEAM CHALLENGE...

ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia & Bryan Danielson

vs.

ROH World Champion Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara

What a turn of events we witnessed last week coming out of Jericho's Championship Celebration! Not only did it ultimately end up in “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard battling “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson in the former's first AEW singles match, but it also saw the already strained relationship between Daniel Garcia and Chris Jericho completely fall to pieces.

“Red Death” completely rained on the ROH World Champion's parade, knocked out the pizza man, trashed his pizzas, and ultimately challenged “The Wizard” and Sammy Guevara to meet Garcia and “The American Dragon” in a tag team match this week on DYNAMITE. The challenge raised the ire of Matt Menard, feeling Garcia was unappreciative of everything he and Angelo Parker had done for Daniel since coming to AEW, and the back-and-forth that resulted eventually led to a singles bout between Danielson and “Daddy Magic”:

Danielson defeated Menard in the impromptu battle, but the night wasn't over yet for this evolving situation. After defeating former ROH World Champion Bandido in a stellar match, Chris Jericho made a challenge:

Chris Jericho versus Bryan Danielson: Round III, but this time with the ROH World Championship on the line, and taking place in Jericho's home country of Canada. That was a challenge for another week though, the one for this week still stood, and now it will take place in Washington D.C., the very city where Jericho first brought Sammy Guevara under his wing to form The Inner Circle, where Sammy will once again be at Chris' side, but they are pit against the ROH World Champion's latest pupil Daniel Garcia, and his professional wrestling hero, Bryan Danielson.

This is a match with a great deal of potential repercussions for the ROH World Title match in Toronto, for the future of the ROH Pure Title, for the future of The Jericho Appreciation Society, and that of The Blackpool Combat Club as well. Which team will get their hand raised in D.C., and how will it color the future of All Elite Wrestling?

TNT CHAMPIONSHIP OPEN CHALLENGE...

“Mr. Mayhem” Wardlow(c) vs. “The Machine” Brian Cage

It has been 399 days since the last time “The Machine” Brian Cage wrestled a match on DYNAMITE; not since September 1, 2021 in the Chicagoland area, where Powerhouse Hobbs bested the excommunicated Team Taz member inside the NOW Arena, has Brian competed on AEW's flagship program.

In fact, prior to his participation in the Golden Ticket Battle Royale at RAMPAGE on 9/23, Cage had not been on AEW TV since his FTW Championship loss to Ricky Starks back on 10/8/21 in their Philadelphia Street Fight. That doesn't mean “The Machine” has just been sitting on his couch waiting for the phone to ring, in fact it has been the exact opposite. Since his last appearance on DYNAMITE, Cage has competed all around the United States, and even in Australia, capturing championships in the process, and keeping himself fit for competition. He's even made his presence felt in this new era of honor, debuting for Ring of Honor at SUPERCARD OF HONOR 2022 at the side of Tully Blanchard, and becoming a part of Prince Nana's newest incarnation of The Embassy at DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR 2022.

So when TNT Champion Wardlow laid down an Open Challenge for anyone to fight in Washington D.C., it was a perfect opportunity for “The Machine” to make his return to AEW's grand stage, and potentially shock the world. Brian Cage has all the tools to be a top shelf player in All Elite Wrestling, to represent as the face of TNT, and bring AEW gold to The Embassy, but he's got to face one of AEW's most dominant combatants in order to get there.

In addition to being the defending TNT Champion, Wardlow is on a 13 match singles win streak, has successfully defended the title on four occasions, and is hungry for the stiffest competition AEW has to offer. While “Mr. Mayhem” has faced a wide variety of foes in his AEW tenure, it's reasonable to say he's never faced anyone with the deadly combination of speed, strength, and agility that “The Machine” possesses. Of all the competitors in AEW, Brian Cage may be the best suited to combat Wardlow's gifts and the fans in Washington D.C. may bear witness to the crowning of a new TNT Champion.

GRUDGE MATCH...

MJF vs. Wheeler Yuta

When Wheeler Yuta had the opportunity to speak to the fans at Arthur Ashe stadium about his recent loss of the ROH Pure Title, he was not only rudely interrupted by Maxwell Jacob Friedman, he was also verbally berated and struck in the face when he fired back at the Casino Ladder Match winner.

The following week in Philadelphia, the city where Wheeler cut his teeth during his earliest years in pro wrestling, the Blackpool Combat Club member returned the favor and verbally attacked the 3-Time Holder of the Dynamite Diamond Ring. He offered MJF to come out for fight, but everyone in Philly knew that Max wouldn't actually lace up his boots and step into the squared circle that night. And that's, quite predictably, exactly what happened: Max just ran his mouth, used The Gunn Club to ward Yuta off from attacking, and went off to his private box seat to watch the rest of the event, particularly the World Title Eliminator fight between Jon Moxley and Juice Robinson. Unfortunately for the devil of AEW, it didn't prove the safe haven he expected it to be:

With MJF having been slapped around by Yuta in Philly, now he has to meet the former ROH Pure Champion inside the squared circle this Wednesday night, Max's first trip inside the ring since being powerbombed into oblivion by Wardlow on May 29, 2022 at DOUBLE OR NOTHING. While MJF was home holding out for more money, Yuta was putting in the work as Pure Champion, he was competing in the NJPW Best of Super Juniors Tournament, stepping into the Blood & Guts Cage, and fighting anyone who stepped up. He's been living up to the BCC motto that “Iron Sharpens Iron”, while MJF has been living in the gym, which is great, but it is not the same as stepping into the ring for a fight.

Now this isn't the first dance for MJF and Yuta, as Max said they have basically grown up in pro wrestling together, being involved in matches together as early as 2015, and fighting in their first singles bout March 18, 2017 in Worchester, MA for BEYOND. All told, in terms of one-on-one competition, these two young athletes have split their four matches right down the middle, alternating wins, with Yuta scoring the last victory in February 2018.

Now, on the biggest stage in which they've ever faced one another, Wheeler Yuta and Maxwell Jacob Friedman will collide once again, and with so much on the line. MJF stands as the Casino Ladder Match winner, meaning he's due a future AEW World Championship Match down the line, but it's not as if he'd risk that championship bout the way Chris Jericho did when he faced Yuta two months ago. And Yuta is taking on this fight for numerous reasons, it's in defense of Tony Schiavone, it's in defense of Philadelphia, it's about their personal history, and it's just to shut Max the hell up if only for three seconds.

Will MJF use The Firm as protection the way he did on the stage in Philadelphia, or will he end up victimized by Yuta the way he did in the skybox later that night? We will find out this Wednesday on TBS when Yuta faces AEW's devil on DYNAMITE!

NATIONAL SCISSORING DAY!

Fresh off their first defense of the AEW World Tag Team Championships, The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass have declared this Wednesday night in Washington D.C. to be National Scissoring Day! In honor of this event, they even got a limited edition shirt released at ShopAEW.com to celebrate the occasion, one only available until October 11th so order yours ASAP.

What will this celebration entail? Giant scissors in the crowd? Acclaimed t-shirts around the arena? A disgruntled Keith Lee? Clearly, as seen in this interview from DYNAMITE last week, the former World Tag Team Champions was none to keen on how their loss went down:

Whatever happens on Wednesday night, National Scissoring Day is certainly going to be a celebration to remember! Anthony Bowens and Max Caster have earned the right to celebrate their triumphs, working their way up from rhyming to an empty Daily's Place on AEW DARK to winning championship gold inside the historic Arthur Ashe Arena! Will they be able to celebrate the occasion without someone spoiling the celebration?

ONE-ON-ONE...

Darby Allin vs. Jay Lethal

As can be heard in the ROAD TO episode embedded at the top of the page, Darby Allin and Jay Lethal are none too familiar with one another inside the squared circle. They've never shared a ring, they'd never even shared a promotion until Lethal came to AEW late in 2021, and while this may not seem like a match with high stakes on paper, it's in fact a rather poignant spot in both man's AEW careers.

Lethal is coming off a series of losses heading into this bout: he didn't win the Golden Ticket Battle Royale, he didn't beat Jungle Boy, his trio didn't defeat FTR and Wardlow at ALL OUT 2022, and he didn't dethrone Wardlow as TNT Champion. His lone victory in that time frame was over Dax Harwood, and that not only require a bit of interference from Sonjay Dutt to get it done, it also saw Lethal use Harwood's tights for leverage on the deciding pinfall.

As for Darby, despite his loss to Sammy Guevara in the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions, he's been victorious over Matt Hardy, and over Brody King in a Coffin Match, plus been victorious with Sting at his side against The House of Black at ALL OUT 2022 and RAMPAGE: GRAND SLAM 2022. But it's this partnership, nay, friendship with Sting in which Sonjay and Lethal have planted their flag for this battle.

They've accused Darby of being unable to win without “The Icon” at his side, and although it is a transparent game, one intended to leave the most successful TNT Champion in AEW history vulnerable to the numbers of Team Lethal, it's a challenge The Relentless One is not going to back down from no matter what. Lethal and Dutt may think that Darby has played into their hands, but when you're talking about a man who just falls off a 92 foot waterfall, one has to wonder just who is really controlling the situation!

TRIOS BOUT...

AEW Interim Women's World Champion Toni Storm, Athena, & Willow Nightingale (w/ Saraya)

vs.

Jamie Hayter, Penelope Ford, & Serena Deeb (w/ Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D.)

Last week on DYNAMITE, Saraya made her first public statements as a member of All Elite Wrestling, and they led to utter chaos in the form of a Lumberjack Match between AEW Interim Women's World Champion Toni Storm and Serena Deeb. Not only did that match spawn a match of its own in the sublime Willow Nightingale versus Jamie Hayter bout on RAMPAGE last Friday, the victory by Storm clearly established some battle lines in the Women's Division.

Those lines now come into play this Wednesday night on DYNAMITE when Storm is joined by Nightingale and “The Fallen Goddess” Athena for a Trios battle against Jamie Hayter, Penelope Ford, and Serena Deeb! And each team will have a bit of support in their corner with Saraya accompanying Team Storm while former AEW Women's World Champion Dr. Britt Baker seconds Hayter and her unit to the fight.

The competition within the women's division is certainly heating up, especially after the words Saraya shared with everyone last week in Philadelphia, so this bout will absolutely impact the division moving forward! Can someone earn a championship match by pinning Storm in this bout? Will it be Toni eliminating someone from contention with this Trios affair? There are a multitude of situations that could arise from the results of this battle between six of AEW's best, and you can witness it unfold live on TBS come Wednesday night's edition of DYNAMITE!

CHRISTIAN'S RIGHT HAND...

Christian Cage's Right Hand of Destruction, the Great Betrayer himself, Luchasaurus will be in action this Wednesday night in Washington D.C. for the DYNAMITE anniversary. What a difference three years makes as back in 2019 it was Jurassic Express colliding with SoCal Uncensored in the main event of the very first DARK from Washington D.C., and now in 2022 the Dark Dinosaur has turned his back on Jack Perry to unquestionably align himself with Christian Cage.

It's probably 50/50 odds on which man Jungle Boy hates more right now, but with Cage on the shelf for the foreseeable future, it is Luchasaurus who will likely be the first target of JB's wrath. Perhaps Cage's Right Hand should keep his head on a swivel when he's in action this Wednesday night on TBS, you never know if and when Jungle Boy may retaliate...

HEAD-TO-HEAD...

“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Rush

As a result of winning the Golden Ticket Battle Royale, “Hangman” Adam Page has a date with the current AEW World Champion on October 18th in Cincinnati, presumably Jon Moxley unless something drastic happens over the next several weeks, but in the meantime, the former AEW World Champion has some family business to take care of.

Ahead of LFI's Andrade El Idolo fighting The Dark Order's Ten in a Mask versus AEW Career match LIVE on RAMPAGE this Friday night, Dark Order adjacent Hangman will take on LFI's Rush in singles action! Part of this is Hangman stepping up to assist his Dark Order family after Rush's assault on John Silver last Friday night on RAMPAGE, and part of this is the former 2-Time ROH World Champion looking for revenge as the last man Hangman eliminated to win the aforementioned Battle Royale.

All one needs to do is watch the match between Silver and Rush to see what lengths the La Faccion Ingobernable member will go to in order to secure victory, but then again, one need only look at the World Championship reign of Hangman to see what he's willing to do when pushed against the wall. There is no doubt this will be a highly physical battle between two of AEW's most hard-hitting combatants, the only question is which man will be left standing when the final bell rings?

This Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling returns to the city where it all began for DYNAMITE's third anniversary celebration! Washington D.C. and the Entertainment & Sports Arena host a thrilling week of AEW events, and it all starts with DYNAMITE! ROH World Champion Chris Jericho unites with Sammy Guevara to face the ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia and his partner Bryan Danielson! MJF is back in action for the first time since DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2022 to take on The Blackpool Combat Club's Wheeler Yuta! The Acclaimed have declared this National Scissoring Day, a huge trios match is going down in the Women's Division, Hangman Page battles Rush, “The Right Hand of Destruction” Luchasaurus will be in action, and Jay Lethal battles Darby Allin!

The action begins at 8pm EDT/7pm CDT, and you can get ready for the action by visiting the official AEW YouTube channel for Dynamite and Rampage highlights, as well as the latest editions of AEW Dark: Elevation, AEW Dark, and Road To!