AEW Dynamite is set to emanate live tonight from Sunrise, Florida, with a stacked lineup with championship implications. Two titles will be put on the line, including the AEW International Championship and the TBS Championship.
Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin will also battle for the right to challenge MJF for the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing 2023. Finally, Tony Khan has promised a huge announcement. What can fans expect from tonight's blockbuster program? We predict five things that could happen.
#5. Maria Kanellis with The Kingdom returns to help Adam Cole
Adam Cole is currently embroiled in a budding feud with Chris Jericho that turned personal last week on Dynamite. During a promo segment between the two former WWE Superstars, the Jericho Appreciation Society ambushed the Panama City Playboy in the ring and handcuffed him to the bottom rope.
This brought out Cole's real-life girlfriend, Britt Baker, who was then attacked by The Outcasts, Saraya, Ruby Soho, and Toni Storm. It's clear that Adam Cole is severely outnumbered. With Bobby Fish no longer in the company and Kyle O'Reilly out injured, the former NXT Champion will need to find the backup from other sources.
Perhaps he could reach out to an old associate in former WWE Diva Maria Kanellis with whom he shared a long history in Ring of Honor. Cole was the founding leader of The Kingdom stable alongside Maria Kanellis, Mike Bennett, and Matt Hardy.
The faction was recently revived and has been pretty active in ROH programming. Hence, bringing in some familiar faces from his past will even help the playing field against JAS if Kanellis joins forces with Baker to take on Anna Jay and Tay Melo.
Maria offered her services on social media after the heinous attack, so this scenario could feasibly come to fruition.
#4. Bandido dethrones Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship
Tony Khan has announced the surprise return of Bandido, who will be challenging Orange Cassidy for the AEW International Championship. Cassidy has been on quite the roll of late, successfully defending the title 19 times in a row.
The former ROH World Champion suffered an unexpected injury and has been out for the last few months. Given that he is still on the comeback trail, most fans might predict a victory for the King of Sloth Style.
But underestimate Bandido at your own peril. The Mexican star is a world-class athlete and has the championship pedigree to put on a spectacular performance. Perhaps he could shock wrestling fans by ending Cassidy's red-hot reign.
#3. Takeshita turns on Kenny Omega
Last week, Japanese star Konosuke Takeshita came to the aid of The Elite in their war against the Blackpool Combat Club. Given Kenny Omega's history in Japan and DDT, it makes sense that the standout wrestler would align with The Cleaner.
But what if it was just a ruse all along? It would be quite a shock if Takeshita were to betray The Elite and reveal himself to be in cahoots with the BCC instead. Turning him over to the dark side would give him an edge, similar to how Wheeler Yuta has performed.
While the Japanese wrestler has excelled as a sympathetic babyface, the only way to elevate his character is to give him a more menacing persona. He could definitely look right at home alongside the likes of Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley.
#2. Jade Cargill's undefeated streak ends
Jade Cargill will look to extend her undefeated record against Taya Valkyrie on Dynamite tonight. With the TBS Champion reigning over the company for almost two years, it seemed unlikely that any credible challenger would realistically dethrone her.
That was until Taya Valkyrie showed up in AEW. The veteran has been a champion in nearly every promotion she wrestled in, including AAA and IMPACT Wrestling. She has the experience of Cargill and arguably performs her version of Jade's finisher better than her.
It will be an intriguing match, and Taya definitely has the best chance to usurp Cargill among all the challengers that have contested for the TBS Championship thus far.
#1. Christian Cage and Luchasaurus attack TNT Champion Wardlow
Moments after beating Powerhouse Hobbs to regain the TNT Championship, Wardlow was confronted by the returning Christian Cage, alongside his personal instrument of destruction, Luchasaurus.
It's clear that the company is setting up a brand new rivalry between War Daddy and the former AEW Tag Team Champion, which could culminate in Double or Nothing.
Hopefully, during AEW Dynamite tonight, the evil pairing will explain their actions to the fans and what their intentions are for Wardlow. Either that, or they could be looking to make a more emphatic statement by attacking the brand-new champ.