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Tonight is the biggest night for All Elite Wrestling since the company's premier on TNT in October, as it will hold its first pay per view event of the Dynamite era. The company has been on a role, but with ratings faltering the past two weeks, it should try to make a big impact tonight, and set the stage for things to come in 2020.
There are eight matches on the card, though not all have high stakes. For example, Joey Janela vs. Shawn Spears seems random, and Riho's title match was thrown together at the last minute. It's certain she will retain.
Yet, four matches mean a lot, and if AEW is smart, they should take pains to ensure the right outcomes in all of them.
#1 SCU retains the AEW Tag Team Championship
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To be honest, I don't see SCU as being long term champions, but more on that in a moment. Transitional or not, though, it would look very bad for the inaugural champions to drop the titles on their first defense. If AEW wants its championships to mean something, it will avoid that in all but the most extraordinary circumstances.
Some people believe that the manner in which AEW defeated the Lucha Bros in the finals of the tag team tournament on Dynamite a couple of weeks ago, with a sudden, fluke pin, means that they will lose the titles back to them. I disagree and either way, that would be a bad move.
This match should be one of the hot ones on the night and it will probably open the main show. Private Party will probably take the pin from SCU here, which is honestly the right call. If AEW is smart, SCU will have a much bigger threat on the horizon soon.
#2 Santana and Ortiz beat the Young Bucks
From out of nowhere, the Inner Circle has risen to become the best faction in professional wrestling today. Santana and Ortiz have risen like a rocket and as such need the win here much more than The Young Bucks do. A loss would only dampen the Inner Circle's momentum.
A win here would put Santana and Ortiz right into title contention, an intention that they signaled when they ambushed the Rock and Roll Express on Dynamite a couple of weeks ago.
SCU vs. Santana and Ortiz is the right direction for the division to go at this point, so AEW would be smart to let that happen starting tonight. The Young Bucks will certainly get their time, but it isn't now.
#3 Chris Jericho must retain the AEW Championship
This might very well be the feud of the year. Cody's promo last night was powerful and the added stipulation - that he won't compete for the AEW title again if he doesn't win tonight, only adds drama to the match.
Yet, as Chris Jericho's hilarious video package showed, it's far too soon for him to drop the title. His age was turned into a joke on Dynamite, but it's no joke to say that he might be having the best title reign of his illustrious career right now.
Somehow, someway, Cody will get the title eventually. I suspect his long journey in 2020 will be one of the most compelling stories in wrestling, where he'll experience a multitude of tragedies (including MJF turning on him), but the first tragedy has to be tonight. Jericho's time as champion is far from done.
#4 Jon Moxley defeats Kenny Omega
Jon Moxley might just be the hottest thing in AEW now. That this match didn't happen at All Out proved to be a blessing in disguise. Now we've had weeks of television to build this match. Kenny Omega remains popular, but Jon Moxley has been on a scorcher of a run.
It would be a terrible mistake to defeat AEW's biggest acquisition from WWE in his own signature match, so soon. Like Cody, Kenny Omega will have a lot of soul searching to do in 2020. He's not out of the woods yet, despite appearances to the contrary.
It's easy to suspect that one of these two men will eventually dethrone Chris Jericho. Kenny Omega getting revenge from Double or Nothing and breaking the 1-1 tie he currently has with Le Champion is a compelling story, but...
Can you imagine this wild, violent Jon Moxley character going to war with the Inner Circle in the first half of 2020, leading to a clash at a second installment of Double or Nothing? Wouldn't it make for explosive television every week?
For that reason and many others, Jon Moxley should be the winner of this match.
