AEW Dynamite: Fyter Fest 2022 Week One Preview for July 13, 2022

Last week's Dynamite and Rampage were quite a pair of landmark nights for All Elite Wrestling. The Blood and Guts Cage Match was absolutely unforgettable and though AEW Interim World Champ Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Kingston, Ortiz, and Santana won the war, they certainly did not emerge unscathed. So much blood, so much chaos, definitely injuries, but what a scene that went down on the roof of the cage to close the night.

Fans also witnessed Jade Cargill continue to make history as TBS Champion, Toni Storm and Nyla Rose had a tremendous fight with championship implications, Brody King won the Royal Rampage to earn a shot at Moxley's Interim World Title, and The Young Bucks topped Bishamon in a top-shelf tag team affair! Plus Scorpio Sky and Wardlow agreed to a Street Fight for the TNT Title, and Luchasaurus chose Christian Cage over Jungle Boy.

This week it's Savannah, GA and the Enmarket Arena hosting All Elite Wrestling for the very first time with an absolutely stacked card featuring the AEW World Tag Team Title and TNT Title on the line, the AEW Interim World Champion in action, The Blackpool Combat Club and Jericho Appreciation Society war raging on, Serena Deeb in action with Anna Jay, and Christian Cage in the house with Luchasaurus! The action begins LIVE on TBS starting at 8pm EDT/7pm CDT, and at AEWPlus.com for the international audience, and fans can get ready with a stop over at the official AEW YouTube page! There you can catch up on last week's action with Dynamite and Rampage highlights, plus see the latest editions of AEW Dark: Elevation, AEW Dark, Road To, and The Control Center with Tony Schiavone!

Don't forget, the latest episode of AEW Dark also features PAC's very first AEW All-Atlantic Title defense against Shota Umino that took place at RevPro in the UK, and AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa taking on Miyu Yamashita from Tokyo Joshi Pro's Summer Sun Princess '22 event in Japan with the stipulation that if Yamashita wins, she will earn a shot at Rosa here in All Elite Wrestling!

AEW INTERIM WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR MATCH...

Jon Moxley(c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita

***IF TAKESHITA WINS, HE EARNS A FUTURE TITLE MATCH***

Last week on Dynamite, Jon Moxley made his first successful defense of the AEW Interim World Title in a physical battle with The House of Black's Brody King. Although a rare singles affair for King, the HoB's monster gave Mox a tremendous fight, proving to any foolish doubters that he is every bit as dangerous a singles wrestler as he is in tag and trios, and leaving Jon quite battered in the process of retaining his championship.

On Friday night's edition of Rampage, Moxley's running buddy Eddie Kingston clashed with Konosuke Takeshita in a match that was as hard-hitting as Mox's affair, another bout showcasing why Takeshita has rapidly become beloved by the AEW faithful and why Kingston is just on another level inside that ring. The bout was so captivating, and Takeshita impressed so much, that AEW Interim World Champion Jon Moxley actually reached out to AEW GM looking to fight Takeshita himself this Wednesday night!

So while Mox gets his wish, it will not be a championship match given Takeshita's loss to Kingston on Friday. That being said, it's a golden opportunity for Konosuke to earn an AEW Interim World Title bout if he can figure out what no one else has since August 3rd and that's how to beat Jon Moxley one-on-one! Jon, along with Anthony Ogogo, stands with the longest active winning streak in the singles ranks at thirteen matches, and sits atop the mountain with the most singles wins in AEW history at fifty-two. It would be a landmark night in the career of Konosuke Takeshita, and in the annals of AEW history, if he could defeat the Interim World Champ during Fyter Fest 2022: Week One and if his bouts with Kingston, Page, Lethal, and others are any indication, Moxley is in store for another Wednesday night fight for his wrestling life!

And that's just the way he likes it...

AEW WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: TRIPLE OR NOTHING...

The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)(c)

vs.

Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee & Shane Strickland)

vs.

Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks)

The Young Bucks have always been a confident duo, it's not hard to understand why given the nearly forty championship reigns Matt and Nick have earned all across the wrestling landscape over the course of their career, but this second AEW World Tag Team Title reign has somehow amped that confidence up even more. Now their confidence became arrogance long ago, but if there is a level beyond arrogance, that is where the brothers Jackson have been sitting since defeating Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus to claim the titles.

The Bucks have absolutely earned the right to be proud of their accomplishments, to want some recognition for helping to build All Elite Wrestling from the ground up, but they want to be recognized as the sole reason AEW exists, and as the greatest tag team the world has ever seen in the whole of pro wrestling history. That arrogance, that pride, well there has long been an adage regarding what comes after pride, and that fall could very well happen this Wednesday night during Fyter Fest 2022: Week One and it would be a moment of their own creation!

This Triple or Nothing AEW World Tag Title Match exists because the champions made the challenge to Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs, Swerve Strickland, and Keith Lee. In that moment last week, Team Taz and Swerve In Our Glory would have been happy to just tear each other's heads off once more in order to prove who was the better team, and who was more deserving of championship opportunities. It seemed that Matt and Nick took issue with those four men all claiming to be the best when The Young Bucks were the two-time reigning World Tag Champions, and invited their own potential doom to the fight.

Now the issues between Team Taz and S.I.O.G have been raging for months, ever since Lee and Swerve joined the AEW roster, and they are what brought Keith and Strickland together in the first place. While that partnership has been strained as of late, ever since that AEW Interim World Title Battle Royal, Swerve In Our Glory has managed to keep it together to hit an 8-2 record, winning their last four bouts, but it all started with a loss to Starks and Hobbs three months ago to the day.

As for Team Taz, sitting at 10-3 overall, they haven't been beaten since October 24th on the Jericho Cruise. Ricky and Powerhouse may not have won the World Tag Team Titles in the Double or Nothing 2022 Three Way Match, but neither were they the team that got pinned that night in Las Vegas. That's nine straight matches without Team Taz having their shoulders pinned to the mat or either man tapping out in submission, and now they've got another stab at claiming the World Tag Team Titles this Wednesday night!

The Tag Team Title scene has been chaotic for quite some time now, JurEx defended the belt in two Three Way bouts during their reign, and the Ladder Match where they ultimately lost the championships to The Young Bucks was originally slotted to be a Three Way as well. Now The Young Bucks are picking up that baton and defending in a Three Way bout of their own in an effort to reinforce their belief they are the absolute best team in the world today! Will The Young Bucks be the architects of their own demise this Wednesday night on Dynamite: Fyter Fest 2022? Or will the animosity between Team Taz and Swerve In Our Glory keep the champions secure in their titles as those four men tear each other apart?

TNT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH...

Wardlow(c) vs. “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy

One week ago, AEW became Wardlow's World when he ended Scorpio Sky's second TNT Title reign and finally claimed the prize he'd been pursuing since winning the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match at Revolution 2022. It was a celebratory moment for sure, both for the fans as well as “The WarDog”, but for a man like Wardlow the time to celebrate is short, as he wants to get back on the grind immediately.

With an Open Challenge laid out, it was announced by AEW GM Tony Khan that the new TNT Champion will welcome another beloved figure into Wardlow's World this Wednesday night:

“Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy, coming off wins against “All Ego” Ethan Page and “The Premier Athlete” Tony Nese, is coming for the TNT Title...kind of...sort of...maybe...as part of Fyter Fest 2022: Week One! OC last challenged for the championship in November of 2020 when he faced Cody Rhodes in a Lumberjack Match, and he sits at 0-2-1 in TNT Championship bouts overall, but “Freshly Squeezed” may be able to change his status if he can keep the momentum going. The rough part of that though comes in the shape of “Mr. Mayhem”, “The WarDog”, the reigning TNT Champion Wardlow, and the momentum he carries from the eight straight victories that capped off with defeating Scorpio Sky!

Whether this bout swings the way of OC or if it swings towards Wardlow, the certified winners of it are absolutely the fans in attendance and those watching around the world on TBS and AEW Plus! Either way, one of the fans most beloved competitors will walk away Wednesday night as TNT Champion!

The BCC vs. The JAS

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jake Hager

For nearly a decade Claudio Castagnoli and Jake Hager have been embroiled in each other's lives. From their first one-on-one meeting in Zurich back in November 2011 to their last time sharing a ring (prior to Blood & Guts) on July 4, 2016, Claudio and Hager have been both friend and foe. They've battled over championships, they have fought together to become champions, and have traveled many miles around the globe together, but that was a different world altogether. When Hager and Castagnoli last parted ways, it was most certainly as foe, and when they came together for the first time in six years inside that Blood & Guts Cage, it was most definitely still as foes.

Here in All Elite Wrestling, Jake Hager's loyalty to Chris Jericho since day one has put him in opposition with The Blackpool Combat Club of which Claudio Castagnoli is now a distinguished member, which means Hager and Castagnoli are once again at odds. They came to blows inside that monstrous steel structure, and now they will lock horns once again as part of Fyter Fest 2022: Week One in Savannah, GA!

Their head-to-head record over the years tilts heavily in the favor of Claudio, but given the propensity of The Jericho Appreciation Society to lend each other a helping hand when needed, it's almost as if Claudio enters this fight at a numbers disadvantage already. Thankfully there are BCC members in the house to balance the scales, and perhaps make this a fair fight between two of AEW's powerhouse competitors!

ONE-ON-ONE...

Anna Jay vs. Serena Deeb

“The Professor” made it quite clear on Friday night that she cannot be trusted. The pairing of Deeb and Mercedes Martinez may have been rough from the beginning in terms of their working relationship, but in-between bells, they got the work done. They got it done on Rampage as well, but Martinez took exception to Serena's excessive nature, refusing to relent the Serenity Lock even after the tap out, and had to pull her partner out of the hold.

Still, it seemed like the moment would have just passed if not for Referee Stephan Smith handing Mercedes her ROH Women's World Championship belt. As soon as Deeb's eyes locked on that prize, the future of this partnership became even bleaker, and “The Professor” did not hesitate to assault the champion at that opportune moment. Perhaps Mercedes should have anticipated it, it's not as if Deeb had been the most honorable of fighters over the last several months, but now she knows and can roll with that knowledge.

Others can learn from it now too, those who will be facing Serena Deeb in the future, women like Anna Jay who will step up to Deeb this Wednesday night during Dynamite: Fyter Fest 2022! “The Queen Slayer” is 10-2 on the year thus far, with Jade Cargill owning those defeats in TBS Title matches, but Anna Jay is undaunted in her pursuit of championship success. With Serena also clearly looking at the ROH Women's World Title as her next prize to claim, and with Death Before Dishonor 2022 just over a week away in Lowell, MA, this is a crucial bout for both individuals. Deeb needs it to continue her pursuit of Mercedes Martinez's title on July 23rd, and Anna Jay needs it to get back into the title hunt. It's been almost two months since “The Queen Slayer” was in the rankings, Deeb is on the precipice of falling out at the fifth slot, so with a victory, Anna could slide into that number five spot and begin title hunting anew!

THE GREAT BETRAYERS...

Luchasaurus in action & Christian Cage on the mic

Nearly any other man would be ashamed of themselves for even thinking the words Christian Cage has actually spoken the last several weeks. With the words he has chosen to speak about Jungle Boy's late father Luke Perry, and those he has used to address JB's mother and sister, Christian had proven himself one of the most reprehensible individuals occupying the AEW locker room. Last week he just solidified his position as the worst human in All Elite Wrestling with what he said to Matt Hardy about his brother, and the very public struggles Jeff has had with substance abuse during his life.

That being said at least there is some track record in Cage's past of being a disreputable man, of being a great betrayer to those he claimed to care about and love, so seeing him be a good person with JurEx was at least a hope that Christian was working to be a better man. But Luchasaurus, now that is an entirely different beast, he and Jungle Boy had decade of history since first crossing paths, not to mention their strengthened bond over the last three years in AEW. They fought the good fight against all comers together, they proudly carried the World Tag Team Titles for 161 days together, together they'd won more tag team matches than any other duo, and were neck-and-neck with both Private Party and The Young Bucks for most tag matches in AEW history. With sixteen wins between 9/29/20 and 4/19/21, Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus even held the one of longest win streaks in tag team history, second only to The Lucha Brothers 19 match record! Yet Luchasaurus, at the behest of Christian Cage, spat on all of that history and donned the black mask to follow the lead of AEW's most vile roster member.

This week on Dynamite: Fyter Fest 2022, these two Judases will be on hand in Savannah. Luchasaurus will look to continue his physical decimation of whomever AEW puts across the ring from him, while Christian Cage likely aims to verbally destroy whatever target passes into his crosshairs. Wednesday night fans will witness two of AEW's most reprehensible men occupy their television screens, join us in cringing at their every move.

THE WIZARD...

Last week on Dynamite, Jericho, his Appreciation Society goons, and Tay Conti used Ruby Soho to send a message to Eddie Kingston. It's no secret that Kingston and Soho are dear friends, Ruby is one of the few people that Kingston holds close to his heart, thus why The J.A.S would go after her as a means to hurt Eddie. The fact that it took six people to do this to Ruby just goes to show how pathetic the Wizard and his cronies truly are, but it's also evidence of the fact Ruby wasn't going down without a fight. Soho is no “woman in a refrigerator”, and she will not be used as a pawn in the games of Jericho, she will exact her own revenge against Tay Conti and the J.A.S, but that doesn't mean Eddie isn't coming for blood himself:

If the point of assaulting Ruby was to scare Eddie off, it goes to show Jericho has learned nothing about who Kingston is at his core, but if it was to infuriate “The Mad King” into doing something crazy, then that mission will be accomplished next week in their Barbed Wire Death Match. Whatever the rationale, we will hear from Chris Jericho this Wednesday night on Dynamite ahead of that violent inevitability next week in Duluth.

All Elite Wrestling debuts in Savannah, GA this Wednesday night at the Enmarket Arena! Fyter Fest 2022: Week One begins on TBS at 8pm EDT/7pm CDT with AEW Interim World Champion Jon Moxley taking on the challenge of Konosuke Takeshita in an Eliminator Bout, and the Wardlow making his 1st defense of the TNT Title against Orange Cassidy! As if that wasn't enough, The Young Bucks are putting their World Tag Team Titles on the line in a Triple or Nothing Match against Swerve in Our Glory and Team Taz! Serena Deeb and Anna Jay will lock horns, Claudio Castagnoli and Jake Hager go head-to-head, and Christian Cage will be on hand, likely with microphone in hand, when Luchasaurus goes to battle! Fans can prepare for the action by heading over to the official AEW YouTube channel to catch up on highlights from last week's Dynamite and Rampage as the latest editions of AEW Dark: Elevation, AEW Dark, the Control Center and Road To episodes!