Dylan jackson
The first AEW Dynasty is a mission statement for All Elite Wrestling. The promotion heads to St. Louis on April 21 with a card that captures its renewed spirit. Dynasty features a lineage of some of the best professional in-ring wrestlers in the world, with names like Bryan Danielson, Kazuchika Okada, Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay in action.
AEW continues to grow its pay-per-view schedule with nine events expected this year. Dynasty premieres at the Chaifetz Arena on Sunday, with thousands of live spectators. The marquee is something of a modern-day dream match between Danielson and Ospreay, two of the best in-ring players in the business right now. Their rivalry is based precisely on this, the desire to prove who is the best. It’s not a groundbreaking storyline in pro wrestling, but it rings especially true when you consider who’s involved.
Match quality is high on the Dynasty’s agenda. Eight championship matches are scheduled for the 10-match card, including AEW World Champion Joe vs. Strickland, Continental Champion Okada vs. PAC, “Timeless” Women’s World Champion Toni Storm vs. Thunder Rosa, and a ladder match to cap off the new tag team champion. Mercedes Mone (formerly Sasha Banks) will have a spiritual presence in the TBS title match and older fans may gravitate towards Adam Copeland (formerly Edge in WWE) in six-man tag team action.
Take a look at the confirmed matches for Dynasty below. The event streams live on Bleacher Report and TrillerTV with the main card beginning at 8pm ET and the Zero Hour pre-show beginning at 6:30pm ET.
2024 AEW Dynasty Matches
AEW World Championship – Samoa Joe (c) vs. It seems to be a matter of if, not when, Strickland becomes AEW World Champion. Strickland experienced one of the biggest stock increases of any wrestler in AEW or WWE in 2023. His bloodlust and confident swagger were undeniable. Many expected him to win the title at AEW Revolution in March, but his heated rivalry with “Hangman” Adam Page cost him the world championship in his three-way dance with Joe. It’s a mistake that Strickland seeks to correct face-to-face against “The Samoan Submission Machine.” This is easier said than done against a champion who is equally cerebral, powerful, experienced, and downright ruthless.
Will Ospreay x Bryan Danielson: A combination that embodies the name of the Dynasty. Danielson has long been considered the greatest technical fighter, and arguably the best fighter alive, in a long time. Ospreay has painted brilliant in-ring performances against Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada and many others in recent years. Some consider Ospreay to be the future of professional wrestling. It’s a question of whether the future is now, when Ospreay and Danielson come together for the first time.
AEW Women’s World Championship – “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. “Timeless” Storm has been a breath of fresh air for AEW as one of the series’ most character-focused performers. The former Hollywood star defends her AEW Women’s World Championship against a serious former champion with legitimate mixed martial arts experience. Rosa is competing for the women’s world title for the first time since she relinquished it in 2022.
AEW Tag Team Championships – Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) (Ladder match): Darby Allin vacated the AEW tag team championship after he and Sting defeated the Young Bucks in Sting’s retirement match at Revolution. This set the stage for a tournament to crown new champions. The Young Bucks and FTR advanced to the finals and opened old wounds. AEW made a controversial decision to air legitimate footage of a physical altercation between now-WWE Superstar CM Punk and Jack Perry at AEW All In London that led to Punk’s termination from AEW. The incident was turned into a storyline for the next title fight. The Young Bucks presented the footage, claiming that their concern for Perry divided their focus on losing the title to FTR in London. Whatever drama there may be, these two acclaimed teams are expected to put on a great show on Sunday.
AEW Continental Championship – Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. PAC (continental rules match): This will give Ospreay vs. Danielson a run for his money. Okada signed with AEW after a record-breaking run in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Okada’s 18-year tenure in the top Japanese promotion saw him win five IWGP heavyweight titles, including a record single reign of 720 days, and become the only two-time world heavyweight champion from IWGP. “The Rainmaker” immediately took the AEW Continental Championship from Eddie Kingston and will make his first title defense on Sunday. Challenger PAC is a ring marvel with unparalleled intensity. PAC, the first two-time champion in AEW history, had his career stalled by repeated injuries and travel problems. Expect intensity and sharp impact when Okada and PAC collide. All continental title matches are played under continental rules, meaning any outside interference will be met with severe penalties.
TBS Championship – Julia Hart (c) vs. Willow Nightingale (House Rules Game): It’s a meeting between AEW’s most sinister champion and its bravest fan favorite. Hart has shown incredible growth over the past year, ditching her cheerleader gimmick and giving in to the sinister temptations of House of Black. Her cult aesthetic contrasts perfectly with Nightingale, one of the most likable personalities in the business. Nightingale is a force to be reckoned with inside the ring, but it’s impossible not to like her. Her gravitational aura makes her a natural underdog, even when she has a power advantage. At stake for the winner is the TBS title and a huge showdown with Mone at AEW Double or Nothing on May 26th. The match will be played under House Rules, a stipulation exclusive to the House of Black champions. There are 20 second counts instead of 10, disqualifications are applied without rope breaks. The most interesting rule is “Dealer’s Choice”, where the challenger sets a stipulation.
AEW International Championship – Roderick Strong (c) vs. Best friends meet with gold at stake. Strong and O’Reilly reached new heights alongside Adam Cole and Bobby Fish in the Undisputed Era. The group partially reunited in AEW; however, an injury suffered by O’Reilly set the ball rolling for the group to fall apart. Cole and Strong later joined forces as The Undisputed Kingdom along with Matt Taven, Mike Bennett and Wardlow. O’Reilly’s surprise return to Revolution played with the premise of him joining or opposing the group. The decision was made for him at AEW Battle of the Belts X. O’Reilly tried to intervene as Strong and The Kingdom attacked Rocky Romero, spurring Strong and company to report their former friend. O’Reilly seeks revenge and his first AEW title on Sunday.
FTW Championship – Hook (c) vs. Chris Jericho (FTW rules match): Hook is chopping down the tree of learning. The FTW Champion isn’t interested in Jericho’s unsolicited advice. The former AEW and WWE champion has been trying to mentor the young prospect for weeks, despite Hook notching a victory over the future Hall of Famer. The bubbling friction exploded after Jericho physically pushed Hook’s father, ECW legend Taz. Hook will defend the title his father created in a FTW Rules match (no disqualifications) against Jericho.
Adam Copeland, Eddie Kingston and Mark Briscoe vs. House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King and Buddy Matthews): One of only two non-title matches on the program. Former AEW Trios Champions House of Black face three of the promotion’s most hard-nosed athletes. The Chamber’s issues with Adam Copeland are new as Malakai Black eyes Copeland’s TNT championship. The House of Black has a nasty habit of making enemies. This equipped Copeland with many reinforcements. Kingston and Briscoe rushed to Copeland’s side as they tried to mind their own business with the trio.
*AEW Trios Championships and ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championships – The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) and Billy Gunn (c) vs. Bullet Club Gold (Jay White, Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn) (c): The Bang Bang Scissor gang no longer exists. The supergroup aligned themselves against common enemies in The Devil and his henchmen, later revealed to be Adam Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom. Conflicting principles meant the supergroup was always on borrowed time. Bullet Club Gold attacked The Acclaimed and “Daddy Ass” after clashing with White’s attack on Allin. Their on-again, off-again rivalry culminates in a winner-takes-all match for The Acclaimed’s AEW tag team championships and Bullet Club Gold’s Ring of Honor six-man tag team titles.
*Orange Cassidy and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Shane Taylor (Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty): After spending time in Ring of Honor and AEW Collision, Shane Taylor Promotions recently scored a big win on Dynamite over Shibata, Hook, and Jericho. Taylor and Moriarty will try to keep the momentum going in a tag match against Shibata and Cassidy.
*Trent Beretta x Matt Sydal: Beretta recently split from the Best Friends faction and now presents a much more serious outlook. He will likely take his newfound aggression out on Sydal.
*Takes place during the Zero Hora pre-show.
