5 big takeaways from AEW Dynamite (June 8, 2022)
AEW Dynamite originated live from Kansas City, and the show was cooking like a hot midwest barbecue this week.
Coming off a historical, but at the same time tough few days, AEW had massive success with Double or Nothing, but the company saw one of its biggest stars and newly crowned world champion, CM Punk take a sabbatical due to injury.
However, Tony Khan and Company cooked up a recipe for success this week. This episode was both sweet and smoky. Just like a K.C. Style pork steak... and that's no rib.
With the Forbidden Door event coming up at the end of the month, we got some glimpses and previews of what that event may have in store. There were also a couple of surprises and the introduction of a new singles championship.
The episode was loaded for two explosive hours. Here are five things that stood out about this edition of AEW Dynamite.
5. Eddie Kingston vs. Jake Hager may not be pretty, but it will be one heck of a fight
Tonight in the Battle Royale, @RealJakeHager cost @MadKing1981 a chance to be Interim #AEW World Champion and vows to get his hands on Hager at #AEWRampage this FRIDAY at 10/9c on TNT!
Tune in NOW to #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS! https://t.co/TmANMGpgoA
While Hager may be an amateur wrestling champion and trained in mixed martial arts, The Mad King doesn't care about that. This will be an all-out brawl between the two bulls.
Kingston blames Hager for costing him a shot at the AEW Championship, and he vows revenge. While we've seen this kind of storyline from Eddie before, it never gets old due to the passion he pumps into everything he does.
#4. The new AEW All-Atlantic Championship has a beautiful belt, but an odd name
Here is a better look at the brand new #AEW All-Atlantic Championship crafted by #RedLeatherBelts that was shown for the first time on TONIGHT's LIVE #AEWDynamite https://t.co/CbxuzufXld
It was only a matter of time before AEW established a new singles championship. With their incredibly stacked roster, a third belt for the members to strive for was becoming a necessity.
The new title belt is much like all the others in All Elite Wrestling - a bejeweled beauty that looks great onscreen.
The name, however, has some fans online already perplexed. The name 'All-Atlantic' is admittedly something very unique. But its unusual moniker will likely grow on fans as time goes on. After a while, it will just become part of the pro wrestling vernacular.
#3. Kyle O'Reilly was an odd choice to face Jon Moxley in the main event
The winner of the Casino Battle Royale earlier tonight on #AEWDynamite, @KORCombat, makes his way to the ring to face @JonMoxley! We are LIVE on @TBSNetwork! https://t.co/cdZhh43a68
With all due respect to O'Reilly, was there anyone who believed he would defeat Mox after winning the battle royal? It was as if the main event was already over, even though the first segment had just ended.
While the two had a reasonably good match, KOR just seemed to be picked at random. Like Tony Khan aimed at a wall full of names and started throwing darts. So whoever faced Moxley was basically assured to be taking the loss later.
Needless to say, Mox got the win and will face the winner of Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Hirooki Goto at Forbidden Door for the interim AEW World Championship.
#2. Will Ospreay showed up with his NJPW clique and wrecked FTR and Trent Beretta
Look who is here at #AEWDynamite! It's the leader of the #UnitedEmpire, @njpwglobal's @WillOspreay, and he's brought reinforcements in #AussieOpen (@kylefletcherpro/@DUNKZILLADavis) & @HenareNZ! #AEWDynamite is LIVE on @TBSNetwork! https://t.co/CBSpgo8gCW
Ospreay has long been considered one of, if not the best, professional wrestlers in the world. However, the 29-year-old Brit has mostly performed overseas for much of the past years. In many ways, he's an enigma to many American fans who have likely seen him on a limited basis or have just merely heard of him.
During a friendly exchange between Trent and FTR in the ring, Ospreay appeared on the ramp as a distraction. From there, his United Empire stablemates pulled off a sneak attack. They were later joined by Ospreay, who continued the beatdown.
While it's unclear how this segment might play in Ospreay's role over the next few weeks, his emergence on Dynamite guarantees that he will appear at Forbidden Door.
#1. Hangman Adam Page's challenge to Kazuchika Okada will likely be answered sooner rather than later
#Hangman @theadampage makes his goals for #ForbiddenDoor very clear, but @adamcolepro has something to say about it! #AEWDynamite is LIVE on @TBSNetwork! https://t.co/bJ514suQyW
While everyone figured that The Rainmaker would make some kind of appearance at the big event in Chicago, it wasn't clear who his opponent would be. Adam Page took a step towards clearing up some of the confusion by calling out Okada this week.
Hangman stated that if he wasn't going to be given a chance to regain his AEW World Championship, then he would focus on another world title: The IGWP belt currently held by Okada.
Okada's eventual arrival to AEW is enough to get fans fired up. While no one knew for sure who he might be facing, they didn't care. They were finally going to see this hero from The Land of the Rising Sun take on some of their favorites.
Make no mistake, whenever the coin flips at the Forbidden Door? The crowd will explode. They will know they are in the presence of greatness.
If this week's edition of AEW Dynamite is any indication, we can only hope that this partnership with New Japan will continue to blossom.
Many layers have been added to Tony Khan's playbook right now. For the most part, he's been positioning his promotion well as they head towards a historic night on June 26th.