5 things AEW subtly told us on Dynamite this week: Massive double turn executed; former WWE Superstar's next big feud confirmed?
Welcome to this week's column on things AEW subtly told us during the latest installment of Dynamite this week.
Tony Khan once again caught the wrestling world's attention when he, via Adam Cole and Jay White, announced the first-ever joint pay-per-view billed as AEW X NJPW: Forbidden Door for this summer.
From Dr. Britt Baker's in-ring return to Hook's debut in flagship programming, the entire show was newsworthy. The company even planted seeds for a few blockbuster feuds for Double or Nothing 2022.
We'll now dive into the subtle things you have probably overlooked during the show.
#5 AEW executes double turn during Sammy Guevara w/ Tay Conti - Men of the Year w/ Dan Lambert segment
#MenOfTheYear @ScorpioSky & @OfficialEGO, with #DanLambert respond to Sammy and Tay's antics, and present the TNT Champion with a challenge! #AEWDynamite is LIVE on @TBSNetwork! https://t.co/QLMuar0RHw
The entire feud pitting reigning TNT Champion Sammy Guevara w/ Tay Conti against The Men of the Year w/ Dan Lambert has felt incoherent thus far.
Fans have clearly rejected Conti allying with her boyfriend. As strange as it initially appeared, the audience had turned on the babyface champion. They started rallying behind Scorpio Sky, who's supposed to be a heel in this storyline.
However, that changed last night when the company seemingly executed a double turn for both rivals.
Guevara cut a heelish promo and garnered a lot of heat for flaunting his girlfriend. The couple were soon interrupted by Lambert and his men, who, on the other hand, received immense support from fans.
The group edged out Guevara and Conti on the mic and convinced The Spanish God to put his title on the line.
Next week, Guevara and Sky will slug it out once again for the TNT title, but in an intriguing stipulation this time around. The two foes will collide in a ladder match, a stipulation that favored Guevara last time around.
#4 Sting and Darby Allin to feud with The Hardys next?
On Wednesday night, fans possibly witnessed the final chapter of the long-running rivalry between Darby Allin and Andrade El Idolo. The two foes collided in a grueling coffin match to close the show.
Andrade and Allin created utter chaos throughout the match, which saw cameo involvement from AFO and Sting.
Despite being the victim of a numbers game, Allin was able to put Andrade in the coffin. In all likelihood, the rivalry between the two foes culminated this week. Andrade and Allin even broke character to shower praise on each other's work after their match.
Interestingly, The Hardys appeared on the ramp as they stared down Sting and Darby Allin before the show went off the air.
Now, this angle could mean two things. Since Matt and Jeff were involved in a storyline against the AFO, it made sense for them to come out to signal the end of the feud.
At the same time, the legendary duo could be dropping hints at embarking on a new feud with Sting and Allin.
The two teams have previously expressed a desire to wrestle each other. With Double or Nothing right around the corner, the company could look to book a dream match between the two.
#3 CM Punk and Hangman Page are officially on a collision course
CM Punk continued his winning momentum on AEW Dynamite as he defeated Dustin Rhodes in an instant classic.
After the match, a worn-out Punk started making a world title gesture around his waist on his way out. With The Cowboy's theme song blaring through the speakers in the arena, Hangman Page came out to confront The Second City Saint.
A deep staredown between the two men sold the angle planting an impending feud between the two top babyfaces. The company will likely build this marquee match as a headliner for the upcoming Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
#2 Dr. Britt Baker to challenge Jade Cargill in the future?
#Steelers #Brittsburgh #AEW #AEWDynamite #DMD @RealBrittBaker 🙌👏 https://t.co/pVPPDhpmrc
Dr. Britt Baker returned to AEW programming for the first time since losing her women's title to Thunder Rosa inside a steel cage on the St. Patrick's Day Slam episode of Dynamite.
In front of her home crowd in Pittsburgh, she returned to winning ways by defeating Kamela to qualify for the Owen Hart Foundation women's tournament.
In the aftermath, she cut a strongly-worded promo, notably calling the entire AEW women's division a 'disaster' in her absence. The Doctor even name-dropped the likes of Ruby Soho, Toni Storm, and Jade Cargill to poke fun at them.
While Baker is currently laser-focused on winning the Owen Hart cup, she could soon set her sights on capturing the TBS Championship. The company could book Britt Baker to end Jade Cargill's undefeated streak.
While this is just pure speculation at the moment based on a subtle hint that Baker dropped this week, fans would love to see the top women collide at some point.
#1 Kyle O'Reilly defeated Jungle Boy; does the victory earn reDRagon a last shot at the AEW tag team titles?
After failing to dethrone Jurassic Express for the AEW Tag Team Title, reDRagon's Kyle O'Reilly finally got the upper hand on Dynamite this week.
The Violent Artist defeated Jungle Boy to qualify for the Owen Hart Foundation Men's tournament.
Does this mean the victory potentially grants another title opportunity to reDRagon? The company may have booked O'Reilly to go over Jungle Boy on purpose.
One shouldn't be surprised if we may end up seeing a trilogy between the two teams down the road.
Did you enjoy AEW Dynamite last night? Sound off in the comments section below.