AEW Dynamite Preview for August 5, 2020

What a week for AEW! Monday night was the debut of the (Watch Here) “WOMEN'S TAG TEAM CUP TOURNAMENT”, Tuesday night always brings the thunder with “AEW DARK”, and of course Wednesday night's explode on TNT, with this week no exception!

After a crazy Tornado Tag Match last week, there is an AEW World Title Match on tap this week for our fans pitting Darby Allin against Jon Moxley in a rematch of their November “DYNAMITE” clash! Plus between a wild 12-Man Tag, and the in-ring debut of Matt Cardona as he teams with Cody, The Dark Order could own this Wednesday night. There will be more on MJF's campaign, as well as a debate between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy with an unknown moderator.

It's bound to be another wild one, and it all goes down at 8pm EST/7pm CST on TNT, or at AEWPlus.com for our International Audience! Also, make sure to check out our official YouTube page (Click Here) for the Pre- and Post-Game shows. It's the best way to get the full Elite experience each and every week!

***RANKINGS AS OF 7/29***

AEW WORLD TITLE MATCH...

Jon Moxley (c) vs. (#5) Darby Allin

The paths of Jon Moxley and Darby Allin have intertwined many times over the course of AEW's existence; from their first singles match back on November 20th “DYNAMITE”, to the tag match against The Inner Circle that ended up a Handicap affair for Darby on March 4th, to the Tornado Tag victory over Brian Cage and Ricky Starks last week.

They seem parallel souls in some aspects, two men who, to use the cliché, march to the beat of their own drums. Both have proven more than willing to risk life and limb when the bell rings, both have had their issues with Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle, but only Moxley has achieved championship success.

Darby was the first man to challenge Chris Jericho, albeit unsuccessfully, for the AEW World Title back in October in Philadelphia. He was also part of the TNT Championship Tournament, defeating Sammy Guevara in the Quarter-Finals before falling to eventual winner Cody in the Semi-Finals. He also was unable to secure a title opportunity at “DOUBLE OR NOTHING” in the Casino Ladder Match thanks to Brian Cage. The pinnacles of AEW have been just outside the reach of Darby, but that has never stopped the man from relentlessly pursuing the goal of being known as champion.

This Wednesday night Darby will have another chance to make that goal his reality when he gets his second crack at the AEW World Championship, and a second match with Moxley. Jon, as champion, has taken on every challenge that has come his way and bested them all. Jericho, Hager, Lee, and Cage have all fallen to Jon, each a hard fought contest for the champ, but each ending with a retention of that World Title. Darby offers a very different challenge than any of those men though; one of speed, of unpredictability, of a willingness to throw his own body on the line. He's not a 30 year veteran or a monster, he's not a cage fighter or a man of Herculean strength; what Darby is though is absolutely relentless and will not stop until there is no fight left in his body.

And to the victor, as we learned this week via Twitter, awaits Maxwell Jacob Friedman at “ALL OUT” on September 5th...

12-MAN TAG..

FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Hardwood) and The Elite (Hangman Page, Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, & Nick Jackson)

vs.

The Dark Order (Mr. Brodie Lee, Colt Cabana, Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, Five, & Nine)

Coming from the absolute chaos that erupted last week following The Dark Order's loss in the World Tag Team Championship match, this insane twelve man tag match is one of two contests in which Mr. Brodie Lee and his allies attempt to own Wednesday night. It is the largest gathering of Dark Order members in one match, and they are going head to head with six competitors who are not, and likely never will be, on the same page.

Even though fans have seen issues within The Dark Order during recent editions of “BEING THE ELITE” like the one embedded at the top of the page, ultimately they are united under the banner of The DO and the direction of Lee. As fans have seen even before FTR made their AEW debut, that is far from the case with their opponents.

The issues between FTR and The Young Bucks are something that have been batted back and forth via social media and “BTE” for quite some time, so with the arrival of Cash and Dax, fans knew it was only a matter of time until the four men would clash inside the ring. To the shock of everyone, especially Matt and Nick, FTR have actually been there to offer an assist on several occasions, and thus those favors have been returned as well. The tension is palpable between the two tag teams, but nothing has popped off into violence between them.

In fact, there has been more of a real problem among the four men calling themselves The Elite (or is that three seeing how Page had distanced himself prior to Stadium Stampede), highlighted by their “REVOLUTION” World Tag Title match that many heralded as the best tag match they've ever seen, a label that FTR would take umbrage at no doubt. Add on the affinity Hangman Page has had for Cash and Dax, including toasting their AEW contract signing last week, and how they, in turn, were quicker to help Page out against The Dark Order than his own championship partner. There is definitely a growing friendship between those three men, something that just feel stronger than the bond Page has with Kenny, Matt, and Nick.

These cracks in the armor may be the most crucial ingredient for The Dark Order to exploit in order to win this twelve man fight, and dominate this Wednesday night.

THE GREAT DEBATE...

Orange Cassidy and Jericho w/ Mystery Moderator

One week prior to the highly anticipated rematch on August 12th, “The DemoGod” Chris Jericho has challenged Orange Cassidy to meet him this Wednesday night for a debate that will be moderated by a special guest. What this will entail is anyone's guess, but the former AEW World Champion is certainly never at a loss for words. Jericho has no problem running off at the mouth deriding Cassidy, talking about his own accolades, or telling the world how amazing his Inner Circle is at the drop of a hat.

Orange, conversely, is not exactly known for his verbosity. His words are kept at a minimum, something fans witnessed trigger Jericho just a few weeks ago when he was on commentary and OC just...sat there.

With a rematch between the two men just a week away, one must also wonder if Jericho has an ace up his sleeve or some ulterior motive for challenging Cassidy to this debate.

THE DEBUT...

TNT Champion Cody & Matt Cardona w/ Arn Anderson vs. The Dark Order (Jon Silver & Alex Reynolds)

One week ago fans witnessed a very game Warhorse attempt claim the TNT Championship as his own, but he proved unsuccessful in the attempt to dethrone Cody. In the aftermath, Silver and Reynolds hit the ring, took down the exhausted Warhorse, and began to beat on Cody as well. This prompted Arn Anderson to enter the ring, unafraid to put his body on the line in that moment to assist his charge, but it proved unnecessary as Matt Cardona would make a shocking arrival on “DYNAMITE” to rescue his long time friend Cody.

As surprising it was for members of The Dark Order to demonstrate an interest in Cody (or perhaps it's more about the TNT Championship), it was even more surprising for Cardona to crash the scene. And now he finds himself immediately in the mix as this Wednesday night, Cardona and Cody will collide with Silver and Reynolds in tag team action! Alongside the TNT Champion, what a way to make your in-ring debut for All Elite Wrestling; and what else is Matt Cardona looking to accomplish as part of the AEW roster?

Looking back on the whole of last week's “DYNAMITE”, there are a few questions that pop up in relation to this match, one a lingering issue for quite some time, and the other something new. First off, the Young Bucks were right there to help out Page and Omega when The Dark Order assault began, but where were The Elite for Cody in his time of need? And second, what's the relationship between Arn Anderson and FTR? Was he just there, as the duo said, to help them review contracts as a tag team specialist?

TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH...

Proud-N-Powerful (Santana & Ortiz) vs. (#2) The Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent)

Last week, as part of the big ten man tag pitting The Best Friends and Jurassic Express against the whole of The Inner Circle, Chuck and Trent were on the winning side of a battle that culminated with Luchasaurus pinning Sammy Guevara. This week that battle continues as Santana and Ortiz take up arms on behalf of The Inner Circle and meet The Best Friends for the first time ever in tag team competition. They may have fought before in trios matches, the aforementioned ten man, and other multi-team situations, but this is their first ever traditional tag team contest. And it couldn't come at a better time for Chuck and Trent.

Since April 8th, those two men have only lost one match, that being their World Tag Team Title challenge against Page and Omega back on July 1st. That's four months of competition against members of The Dark Order, The Inner Circle, Private Party, The SuperBad Squad, and others. Four months of earning their spot in the rankings of the tag team division while Santana and Ortiz have been inconsistent since their return to action on May 13th.

Forced to the sidelines for two months due to COVID travel restrictions, PnP returned to AEW shortly before “DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2020” and have seen their tag team fortunes vary. They dropped their return match to Kenny Omega and Matt Hardy, and fell to Private Party at “FYTER FEST 2020, N1”. They came up strong in a Three Way against SCU and PP on “AEW DARK” several weeks ago though, as well as in several other Tuesday night outings.

But with their mentor's on-going battle with the third Best Friend Orange Cassidy, it is imperative that Santana and Ortiz set the tone by wiping out Chuck and Trent on Wednesday night. It's the kind of win the pair needs, a victory The Inner Circle needs, and one to put Proud-N-Powerful back into discussions about the World Tag Team Titles.

MJF WANTS HIS SHOT...

It is impossible to argue with the success of Maxwell Jacob Friedman in All Elite Wrestling. He has not been pinned, never submitted, and the only blemishes on his record come from two “FYTER FEST” matches a year apart. The first in 2019 in a four way fight in which he did not suffer the deciding fall, and the second this year when Wardlow was pinned during a tag team match against Jurassic Express. So, when he says he's unbeaten, he's not wrong but he's not exactly right either. That bending of the facts kind of makes Max the perfect politician doesn't it?

It's likely why this MJF 2020 campaign and it's “NOT MY CHAMPION” slogan just fits with what Max presents, and the arrogance it requires to insist he is better than everyone else, particularly whatever champion he was referring to leading into last week.

Well, as can be heard in the video embedded above, MJF made it pretty clear which of the AEW champions he was referring to, and it was not his favorite target TNT Champion Cody. Rather it was AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, or “Dictator John” as MJF has dubbed the man. Max made it very clear his intent is to challenge the champion for his title, and on Monday that challenge was made official for “ALL OUT” on September 5th.

MJF wanting a World Title opportunity is not some out of the blue, undeserving cry for attention or relevance, rather it is something he has probably been entitled to for quite some time given his perpetual status at the top of the rankings. His list of in-rings victims include Cody, Billy, Jungle Boy, Marko Stunt, Joey Janela, and Hangman Page to list a few, and his verbal diatribes, especially the one last week, are aimed at prodding Moxley and the whole of the AEW roster. To call that tirade scathing would be a woeful understatement, and the content could not have sat well with a good portion of the men and women in the locker room.

With MJF officially slotted to get his World Title match over Labor Day weekend, all that remains for him is to sit back and see who comes out of Wednesday night as the champion: Moxley or Darby. Oh, also he might want to worry about surviving week-to-week given how brutally he slandered everyone he has to share space with, and with more oratory venom certainly on tap for this week, one can only imagine how much more deeper he can dig his own grave.

With “ALL OUT” just over a month away, going down September 5th on pay-per-view, the pieces are beginning to fall into place for that Labor Day tradition! And it will continue to take shape this week on “DYNAMITE” with the Mox versus Darby, The Dark Order attempting to rule the night, MJF angling his way to the World Title shot, the continued escalation between The Inner Circle and The Best Friends trio, and so much more.

Don't miss out as “DYNAMITE” kicks off at 8pm EST/7pm CST on TNT, and on AEWPlus.com for our International fans! Before the show kicks off, head on over to our YouTube channel for the Pre-Show with Alex Abrahantas, as well as after the show wraps up for the Post-Game coverage!