We are just a week away from DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM 2024 at the legendary Arthur Ashe Stadium where we will see The Young Bucks defend their World Tag Titles against AEW International Champion Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher, Jon Moxley face Darby Allin with Darby's future World Title match at stake, Roderick Strong challenge HOOK for the FTW Championship, and perhaps even witness Bryan Danielson fight Nigel McGuinness for the first time since 9/26/2009 if the AEW World Champion is cleared!
However, before we get there ,All Elite Wrestling debuts in Wilkes-Barre, PA at the Mohegan Sun Arena tonight with an all-new DYNAMITE featuring Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy going one-on-one for the first time in four years! Plus, AEW Women's World Champion Mariah May and “The Professor” Serena Deeb will join forces to face Queen Aminata and Yuka Sakazaki, while The Elite of Kazuchika Okada and The Young Bucks go into trios competition against Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher, and Konosuke Takeshita! Ricochet will be back in action facing The Beast Mortos after the latter's assault last week, and much more on tap for AEW's flagship!
DYNAMITE hits the airwaves at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TBS, or if you're outside the United States check here for your viewing options. No matter where you may be, you can visit the official AEW YouTube channel to catch up on highlights from recent editions of DYNAMITE, COLLISION, and RAMPAGE, the amazing Timelines dedicated to Nigel McGuinness and Athena, as well as so much more to get you prepared for tonight's event! Then join us on Saturday at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA for a live COLLISION featuring Undisputed Kingdom challenging Sammy Guevara and Dustin Rhodes for the ROH World Tag Titles...in a Bunkhouse Brawl!
FOURS YEARS IN THE MAKING...
“The Learning Tree” Chris Jericho vs. “Freshly Squeezed” Orange Cassidy
Back in the summer of 2020, with the fans of All Elite Wrestling primarily having to experience the best professional wrestling on the planet from their own homes rather than in-person, Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy engaged in a series of matches beginning with FYTER FEST 2020: NIGHT 2 on July 8th. Jericho scored the victory in that initial meeting, albeit with a little bit of engagement from his Inner Circle cronies, but the entire situation was Jericho's fault to start. He chose to assault Orange Cassidy a month prior, with a bag of orange no less, and leave the man a bloody mess while the rest of The Inner Circle made sure The Best Friends were in no shape to help Cassidy out either. The following week at FYTER FEST 2020 was the night that OC gave Jericho and his lackeys an orange juice bath, and that's the choice that has come back to haunt the 2-Time International Champion. Despite the fact he defeated Jericho in a “$7,000 Obligation Match” on the 8/12/20 DYNAMITE to settle this debt Chris arbitrarily decided he was owed (it's not as if OC came at him for broken sunglasses), despite that he bested Chris at ALL OUT 2020 in their wild Mimosa Mayhem match, and that they even teamed up on the 2021 Jericho Cruise, “The Learning Tree” has decided to latch onto this OJ stained jacket as an excuse to insinuate himself into Cassidy's sphere once again...
Whether it's sadder that Jericho can't let this go, or that he's held onto the coat for four years letting it fester that he got beat twice by OC, well that's up to the fans of All Elite Wrestling, but that's where we are today walking into DYNAMITE. Jericho insisted the debt was still owed, sent Bryan Keith to collect as part of their Continental Contenders Challenge match ahead of ALL OUT 2024, and even stole Cassidy's prized backpack as a sort of ransom. Jericho even used the fact that Cassidy keeps a picture of himself, Trent Beretta, and Kris Statlander in the bag as a means to mock him, clearly not having a grasp about the concept of friendship and how losing it can affect an individual. Cassidy may come off like nothing matters, but it's been clear since day one that his friends are the most important thing to him despite what Trent may claim.
That's why this new band of friends, this Conglomeration, has been such a big part of Cassidy's life recently, why they've had his back in this Jericho fiasco, and why they're more than willing to dump a little humiliation (and some coinage) into Jericho's life. Both men are coming into tonight after unsuccessful excursions to CMLL last Friday for ANIVERSARO 91, but at least OC got a trios victory over Dark Order on RAMPAGE alongside Kyle O'Reilly and Mark Briscoe heading in to tonight and he does have an eight-man victory over Jericho the last time they shared a ring one month ago. Jericho also has recent trios victory over Iron Savages in his pocket, but losses in his last two singles matches, including the two-of-three falls loss to Mistico in Mexico.
Given all the history wrapped up in this, and Jericho's infuriating refusal to just let this go, will tonight bring an end to this four-year old grudge, or will “The Learning Tree” find another thing to hold of Cassidy's head should OC become the first man in AEW to hold three singles victories over him?
TRIOS BATTLE...
The Elite (AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada & AEW World Tag Champions The Young Bucks) vs.
AEW International Champion Will Ospreay & Don Callis Family (Konosuke Takeshita & Kyle Fletcher)
Last week, in the first-ever Tag Team Casino Gauntlet, AEW International Champion Will Ospreay and “The Protostar” Kyle Fletcher reunited to earn themselves an AEW World Tag Team Title opportunity at GRAND SLAM 2024 next Wednesday night. Though their continuity as a team was not the smoothest, especially in a ring filled with the best teams in professional wrestling today, the former United Empire brothers managed to find their groove when it mattered most and knocked out a victory. The win made Ospreay three for three in Casino Gauntlet matches, earned he and Fletcher their championship opportunity at Arthur Ashe, and meant “The Aerial Assassin” would challenge for his third different AEW championship in 2024, his first at the World Tag Titles.
For Kyle Fletcher that victory last week meant his second opportunity to challenge for the titles, his first taking place last year at WRESTLEDREAM 2023 during FTR's reign, coincidentally also the match where Kyle's Aussie Open partner Mark Davis suffered the injury that's kept him on the shelf. Prior to last week, it had been nearly five years since the last time Kyle and Will teamed up as a tag team, yet now they're in the position to become champions with one major roadblock along the way in this trios contest!
Tonight on DYNAMITE, ahead of their World Tag Team Championship challenge, Ospreay and Fletcher will team up with Kyle's fellow Don Callis Family member Konosuke Takeshita to take on The Elite of Matthew Jackson, Nicholas Jackson, and Kazuchika Okada! All three members of that trio currently wear AEW championship gold around their waist, the former two as World Tag Champs and the latter as Continental Champion, meaning all three have targets on their back based on that fact alone. Factor in the general dislike the majority of the AEW locker room has for everything Elite, and that makes these three of the most despised men in All Elite Wrestling today.
While we know that Ospreay and Fletcher have earned their title opportunity, their third man has his own designs on finally becoming a champion in AEW, and Takeshita has made Okada the focus of those designs. The world heard how much the AEW fans at ALL OUT 2024 wanted to see these two fight during that Continental Championship Four-Way, so much so that they even threw shade at Orange Cassidy when he interrupted that possibility, but tonight they may get another opportunity to see that take place. Takeshita would certainly relish that chance to fight “The Rainmaker” here, perhaps even pin his shoulders to that mat with that impressive Raging Fire maneuver he picked up during the G1 Climax and make his case as the next Continental Title challenger.
Really that's what this one is all about, making a statement in the title picture, for The Young Bucks to establish themselves as the dominant team before GRAND SLAM 2024, for Takeshita to make his case as a potential Continental Challenger to Okada or for “The Rainmaker” to shut that down. It's a chance for Ospreay and Fletcher to further gel together as a team, to establish their viability as title holders against the brothers Jackson, but this is a trio that's never come together before facing a 4-1 Elite unit whose last trio victory came over the incredible team of The Acclaimed and NJPW President Hiroshi Tanahashi! Suffice to say, as talented as they are, the Ospreay/Takeshita/Fletcher crew have their work cut out for them...
TAG TEAM GRUDGE MATCH...
AEW Women's World Champion Mariah May & “The Professor” Serena Deeb vs. Queen Aminata & Yuka Sakazaki
Queen Aminata and Mariah May, Yuka Sakazaki and Serena Deeb, these are four women with a score to settle after Saturday night's COLLISION. On DYNAMITE, Mariah May turned away the Eliminator challenge of the Queen, denying Aminata a future title opportunity before calling out for Mina Shirakawa. On COLLISION, after months of waiting for the fight, Yuka Sakazaki topped Serena Deeb in their one-on-one bout only to get waylaid by the AEW Women's World Champion who had been sitting in on commentary. Unfortunately for Mariah May, her attempt to take out “The Magical Girl” fell short and it was Mariah who ended up knocked on her rear end by a kick from Yuka. Given that Yuka had approached Mariah earlier in the night to express her designs on the AEW Women's World Title, it was no surprise May jumped her from behind, just as it was no surprise that after she turned the tables, Yuka picked the title belt up in clear sign of her intent for “The Glamour”.
Well tonight on DYNAMITE the paths of these four women will intersect as AEW Women's World Champion Mariah May and Serena Deeb will combine forces to take on Queen Aminata and Yuka Sakazaki! It's quite the intriguing situation as, just four months ago, Mariah and Serena stood as opponents, and that was the night Toni Storm threw in the towel on Mariah's behalf to cost her the match, and thus a title opportunity at DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2024. Is there any lingering ill will about that loss or was that blame laid squarely at the feet of “The Timeless One” as Mariah came to her decision to betray that trust?
Now neither team is familiar with one another as partners, but at least Aminata and Yuka don't have a history as opponents, theirs is a clean slate upon which to write, but will they pen a story of success or one of failure tonight on DYNAMITE?
ONE-ON-ONE...
Ricochet vs. The Beast Mortos
Seconds after Ricochet defeated Sammy Guevara in their match last week, The Beast Mortos ripped through Ricochet with a spear, and who knows what more could have happened to AEW's newest acquisition if not for Sammy choosing to assist his opponent. Mortos was poised to do more than just a spear, but the chair in Guevara's hands had The Beast elect for a hasty retreat.
Well if it is a fight The Beast Mortos was looking for, he did not have to wait long because tonight on DYNAMITE, he will get the opportunity to go one-on-one with Ricochet! We know what each mans bring to the table; one side is the power and the other is flight, one side is the viciousness and the other is fluid technique, together it could make for quite the jaw-dropping match, but it's going to hurt getting to that victory!
We are on the journey to GRAND SLAM 2024 at historic Arthur Ashe Stadium, and tonight that journey brings All Elite Wrestling to Wilkes-Barre, PA and the Mohegan Sun Arena where Chris Jericho will fight Orange Cassidy, The Elite will take on The Don Callis Family and AEW International Champion Will Ospreay, plus Queen Aminata will unite with Yuka Sakazaki to face AEW Women's World Champion Mariah May and Serena Deeb! DYNAMITE begins at 8pm ET/7pm CT on TBS, or check here for your viewing options outside the United States. Wherever you may be, drop by the official AEW YouTube channel to watch all the highlights from recent editions of DYNAMITE, COLLISION, and RAMPAGE, as well as the amazing Timelines dedicated to Nigel McGuinness and record-setting ROH Women's World Champion Athena! Then AEW is off to the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA on Saturday for a live COLLISION where Undisputed Kingdom of Matt Taven and Mike Bennett will challenge Sammy Guevara and Dustin Rhodes for the ROH World Tag Titles in a Bunkhouse Brawl!