Welcome to the preview of this week's episode of AEW Dynamite. The company will continue its build-up towards the upcoming Full Gear pay-per-view, which is only a few weeks away.
Last week's flagship episode ended its streak of million-plus viewership primarily for its shift from Wednesday night's slot to Saturday due to the ongoing NHL season. Nevertheless, as the saying goes, the show must go on. Tony Khan will be laser-focused on producing a quality product this time around as well.
As the show debuts at the Addition Arena in Orlando, the company has lined up exciting match-ups. Now, without further ado, let's dive into the details about what is in store for us tonight.
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#4 Bryan Danielson vs. Dustin Rhodes (AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament)
Bryan Danielson will square off against Dustin Rhodes tonight as the first round of the AEW world title eliminator tournament continues. Even though there hasn't been any animosity between the two, the fact that both worked in WWE and rarely wrestled each other is enough to grasp the audience's attention.
Given that 'The Natural' has nothing to lose in this match, he will be coming up with all the guns blazing to take 'The American Dragon' down. Rhodes' size and unmatched strength could turn out to be a challenge for Bryan. However, the latter isn't called the best technical sound wrestler for nothing.
Bryan tends to face any opponent and bring the best out of them. Moreover, it is unlikely that he will lose tonight. So fans can expect a predictable outcome out of this.
#3 Eddie Kingston vs. Lance Archer (AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament)
Lance Archer and Eddie Kingston will also be on a collision course tonight in the first round of the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. Given both men's brawling nature in the ring, their match will be a hard-hitting battle.
Archer and Kingston have had multiple gruesome encounters in the past, with their involvement in the Moxley-Suzuki rivalry being the most recent. It would be hard to predict a winner from this match. But regardless of what happens, fans will be in for an action-packed contest.
#2 Jungle Boy vs. Brandon Cutler
Another singles match pitting Jungle Boy against Brandon Cutler will go down tonight. With Full Gear fast approaching, the idea behind this bout could be to book another clash between Jungle Boy and Adam Cole.
The Jurassic Express member may comprehensively win tonight but could face the wrath of Superkliq. It remains to be seen how their storyline will unfold moving forward.
#1 Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black on AEW Dynamite
All eyes will be on Malakai Black and Cody Rhodes tonight as both men collide in what could be their last meeting for now. For months, the former NXT Champion has gotten under the skin of The American Nightmare.
Black has remained undefeated since his AEW debut. His winning streak kickstarted against Rhodes a few months ago, continuing on the Grand Slam episode of Dynamite.
Will we see a different outcome this time around? Will Cody Rhodes hand Malakai Black his first singles loss in AEW? If Rhodes loses, will he finally turn heel? We will find out tonight.