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AEW Battle of the Belts will take place on Saturday, 8th January as a special episode on TNT. It is the first of four special episodes that will air throughout 2022, once a quarter, on Saturday nights.
The first special has three announced matches for the card. Dr. Britt Baker will face former champion Riho with the AEW Women's Championship on the line. The match takes place a few weeks after the Japanese star pinned the champion on Rampage. The victory saw Riho extend her unbeaten record against Baker and earn her another title shot.
Cody Rhodes was initially supposed to defend the TNT Championship against Sammy Guevara at AEW Battle of the Belts, but due to the aforementioned medical reasons, the American Nightmare has not been cleared to compete on Saturday. As a result, we will see the first ever interim TNT Champion crowned as Cody's brother Dustin Rhodes will replace him to face the 'Spanish God' Sammy Guevara.
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The third and final announced match at AEW Battle of the Belts will see Ricky Starks defend the FTW Championship against Matt Sydal. Ricky Starks last defended the title on AEW Rampage way back in October in a Philly Street Fight against Brian Cage. The match against Matt Sydal comes during his ongoing feud against Dante Martin, who will face Powerhouse Hobbs on the next episode of Dynamite.
Predicting the winners for AEW Battle of the Belts
At first it seemed that it would be a straightforward event with predictable winners. However, there could be interesting conclusions to the matches on AEW Battle of the Belts.
The most predictable match on the AEW Battle of the Belts card is the women's match, as it seems almost inconceivable that Britt Baker will drop the belt on Saturday. Riho is a former champion and undefeated against the real life dentist, but she won't get her second title reign just yet. Of course, it seems just as inconceivable that Jamie Hayter and Reba won't make their presence felt in some form, although that could change since Hayter and Baker had a confrontation on Rampage.
Ricky Starks hasn't been featured on AEW programming nearly as much as he should be. With his feud with Dante Martin still ongoing, handing him a loss to Matt Sydal won't do Starks any favors. Sydal is a veteran and will put the former NWA star over in a big way.
Coming to the final match at AEW Battle of the Belts, it's almost anyone's guess here as to who will win. Cody Rhodes was the favorite at first but with Dustin replacing him, Sammy Guevara becomes the favorite. The Natural is an exceptional wrestler and the match is certain to be a great one. However, at his age, the former Goldust doesn't really need a title. If Sammy Guevara wins, his eventual showdown against Cody will have even more at stake. We predict the Inner Circle member to go over.
