Top 5 Matches We’re Most Excited For at AEW Dynasty 2024
Six championship matches will go down at AEW Dynasty in St. Louis. Here's a preview of our 5 favorites, plus how to order and stream with Sling.
The word “dynasty” gets thrown around a lot in sports. Whether it is UCLA or the Boston Celtics on the hardwood, the New England Patriots or the Alabama Crimson Tide on the gridiron, or even Joey Chestnut in the world of competitive eating (two articles in a row with a reference to the Hot Dog Eating contest), the word describes not a flash in the pan, but the ever-elusive monolith of sustained success. It is fitting then that Tony Khan would stack a card for AEW Dynasty with six championship matches, each featuring a star looking to extend their reign to rarefied air, and a challenger equally motivated to cut them down.
Dynasty starts at 8:00pm ET on Sunday, April 21; streaming for $49.99 on Sling. To order, click “Rentals” under the “On Demand” tab in the Sling app and look for AEW Dynasty, or simply follow the link below to order now.
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While AEW itself might be a little young to be called a dynasty in the world of sports entertainment, this talented card can surely lay claim to the moniker of “Where the Best Wrestle”:
(c) = reigning champion
- AEW World Championship Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Swerve Strickland
- AEW Women’s World Championship Match: Toni Storm (c) vs. Thunder Rosa
- AEW World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: The Young Bucks vs. FTR
- AEW Continental Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. PAC
- AEW International Championship Match: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
- TBS Championship Match: Julia Hart (c) vs. Willow Nightingale
- ROH & AEW Trios Tag Team Championship Match: The Acclaimed vs. Bullet Club Gold
- Will Ospreay vs. Bryan Danielson
- Adam Copeland, Mark Briscoe, & Eddie Kingston vs. House of Black
Will Swerve Strickland finally be able to claim his position at the top of the mountain? Will the clock run out on Timeless Toni Storm? Will Danielson vs. Ospreay live up to its dream-match billing? Will anyone be able to walk after the Tag Team Championship Ladder Match? Answers to all these questions and more will abound when the bell rings live from Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. Here’s a closer look at our favorite matches.
Match #1 - Will Ospreay vs. Bryan Danielson
https://www.youtube.com/embed/QIhjHiL_u_c?si=dw84cy7qVJqeOzPU
The story - One of the reasons Bryan Danielson (then-Daniel Bryan) left WWE was so that he could finish his career with dream matches, sparring with new opponents who would test his mettle as the best technical wrestler in the world. Well, he found himself one heck of an exam in the Aerial Assassin Will Ospreay who, since debuting full-time for AEW, has been on an absolute tear. Having bested a murderers row within his own faction of Takeshita, Hobbs, and close friend Kyle Fletcher, Ospreay is peaking at the right time for what could be viewed as a changing of the guard. That being said, the old guard rarely goes quietly into the night. Danielson may be in his last year as a full-time wrestler, but that doesn’t mean the American Dragon is any less dangerous than he’s been through his multi-decade career. This match doesn’t need a title or a trophy: this match is about two men testing their abilities to see if they are as good as they think they are. We have a feeling neither will be disappointed by the other.
Why we’re excited - The best technical wrestler of the modern era vs. possibly the most exciting in-ring competitor in wrestling today. Even if this match did not have a story, it would still be number one for us. We are about to watch two of the best in the world (not a CM Punk reference, that comes later) put on a guaranteed contender for match of the year. So sit back, make some popcorn and get ready to see a spectacle like none you’ve ever seen in the ring. These guys are that good. For our money, Ospreay may be the most impressive wrestler in the game today. Every match is a show; enjoy.
Match #2 - AEW World Tag Team Championship Ladder Match: The Young Bucks vs. FTR
The story - There can only be one best in the world. The same is true for tag team wrestling, as this match pits two contenders for that distinction against each other once more. They last clashed at All In 2023, with FTR besting the Young Bucks. We learned this past week that from the Bucks point of view, the loss occurred because Matthew and Nicholas were distracted by the shenanigans of FTR associate CM Punk, causing them to lose focus on what should have been the crowning achievement of their careers. They will get a shot at redemption at Dynasty, though, and this time, with the addition of ladders to the fray, the physical stakes have been elevated. Ladder matches have a long and storied history at PPV’s, making their inclusion on a show called Dynasty quite appropriate. Let’s just hope these teams have good health insurance, as ladders rarely lead to soft landings.
Why we’re excited - Say what you will about the AEW airing the backstage footage from All In 2023, but tying it back to the long-standing feud between the Bucks and FTR for the Tag Team crown was pretty clever. With all the events going on within and outside AEW, we know the Bucks will at least be motivated to make a statement. And with all the jaw-jacking from the Bucks, we know FTR will want to make a statement all over the EVP’s faces. Buckle up fam, this one is going to get bumpy. No matter what happens, we can bet social media will be talking.
Match #3 - AEW Women’s World Championship Match: Toni Storm (c) vs. Thunder Rosa
https://www.youtube.com/embed/nlfUEGbY70k?si=_RPQ9eFfigYokEup
The story - Wrestling has a way of everything coming full-circle. For Thunder Rosa, it has been almost a year and a half since she had to vacate the title due to a devastating back injury. Who happened to pick up that ball and run with it? Toni Storm. That was a very different Toni Storm though, and the Timeless one has undergone a full psychological transformation to become the main character in the Women’s Division today. Rosa doesn’t strike us as someone who will be blinded by Toni’s star power, however, and appears more determined than ever, after a brutal attack by Storm and her cronies. Did Toni succeed in wiping away Rosa’s chances at gold just like her face paint, or did she simply reveal the monster beneath the mask of La Mera Mera? We will find out once the cameras are rolling on this feature-length foray in the women’s division.
Why we’re excited - Who doesn’t love a redemption arc? Thunder Rosa’s road back to the title picture took over a year, but she finally has herself squarely in the title picture with a chance at the belt that she was never technically pinned for. Toni’s comeback story is a little more subtle. With the Outcasts floundering, she risked fading into obscurity as a big name signing that just drifted into the wayside. Instead, she completely reinvented herself into one of the most entertaining characters on TV. Adding an additional layer to this match is Mariah May. While she has been all too eager to do a champagne toast to her hero, we have a feeling that loyalty may start wavering, with Mariah herself hovering close to the title scene. These matches always seem to plant the seeds of future conflict.
Match #4 - AEW World Championship Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs. Swerve Strickland
The story - Swerve Stickland has long felt he has had an unfair road to the title picture, and looking back at it, we don’t blame him for feeling that way. Starting out as a mid-card transplant from the WWE, he has built up quite a following, and prevailed in a bitter feud against former champion Hangman Adam Page. What did he get for his trouble? Page getting pinned in their triple threat championship match at AEW Revolution, which cost Swerve the title Samoa Joe retained. Undeterred, Swerve prevailed in a brutal number one contendership match against the “Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita to secure his one-vs-one shot vs. the Samoan Submission Machine, AEW Champion Samoa Joe. Samoa Joe’s journey to the top was hardly linear in its own right, and we have a feeling Joe is excited to show Swerve exactly what he is getting himself into. Will St. Louis be yet another room of Swerve’s House? Or will the Samoan Submission Machine maintain his mafia-like grip on the top prize in AEW?
Why we’re excited - There are certain guys who debut and are instant stars from the moment they step in the squared circle (remember when Brock Lesnar practically broke Spike Dudley in half?). The vast majority of guys have to scratch and claw their way up from obscurity, and more power to them if they can get the audience to cheer them along for the ride. Swerve is acutely aware of how hard his road was to get here, and there is just something awesome about a guy who has had to grind organically to win over the crowd. In many ways, this was the story of Samoa Joe’s career, even back to his days in the 8-sided ring of old school TNA. These are two self-made men who are about to beat the hell out of each other for a world title. Respect.
Match #5 - AEW International Championship Match: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
https://www.youtube.com/embed/R5nh_N4Bspo?si=VvRpTRGylgnmtOeS
The story - Our #5 spot for the Wrestlemania preview was a brother vs. brother match, and while blood doesn’t bond these two, it might as well. Roddy and KOR go way back, previously rising to prominence with the Undisputed Era running roughshod on NXT (with current devil Adam Cole). When KOR returned from injury, the Violent Artist seemed like a shoo-in to join up with Roddy and the Undisputed Kingdom. Instead, Kyle chose to blaze his own trail. That trail included stopping his friend Roderick Strong from beating down his opponent in a post-match brawl. This didn’t sit well with Roddy, who landed a knee to Kyle, seemingly bitter at KOR having the audacity to think he could choose his own path, and vowing to break him in the ring.
Why we’re excited - With the years of history between these two, it would have been a shoo-in for Kyle to complete his comeback by joining up with his old friends Roddy and Adam Cole. Perhaps needing to prove to himself he still has it, Kyle chose the more honorable path of striking out on his own rather than relying on a faction of heels to back him up. Roddy obviously took exception to that decision (possibly because he took the latter path, to tremendous dividends). It is a relatively simple story in wrestling terms, but the history between these two will make this match hit differently. We are sure there are plenty more twists and turns to this story, and KOR’s comeback alone makes this match one to watch.