Tony Khan is losing control of AEW

Dynamite airs tonight (May 1) with a live show from Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This is the second episode of Dynamite during the five week build towards Double or Nothing, which takes place on May 26.

Tony Khan is losing control of AEW

Last week’s Dynamite closed with a shocking angle where the Young Bucks took out AEW President Tony Khan with a Meltzer Driver after Jack Perry attacked him with a microphone. As a result, Khan is wearing a neck brace and not allowed to travel while he is on the mend.

Tony is said to be running the show remotely from Jacksonville, but Matthew and Nicholas Jackson will almost certainly try to throw their weight around as Executive Vice-Presidents of AEW to wrest control away from him. The best way Tony can try to stop them from doing that is to appoint an on-site authority figure, and who is a better fit for the job than fellow EVP Kenny Omega?

Omega has been out all year with diverticulitis and was fired from The Elite by the Bucks due to his absence. But Kenny is back on TV tonight in front of his adoring hometown fans. He’s in no condition to wrestle, but he can lay down the law if Tony hands that power over to him.

Is that where this story is going, or is Omega simply here for a one-off appearance where he is taken out by The Elite as they gain control over AEW in Khan’s absence? You’ll have to tune in to Dynamite to see how this power struggle plays out.

The rest of tonight’s lineup

AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland successfully defended the gold for the first time with a win over Claudio Castagnoli on Collision. We’ll find out tonight who will challenge Swerve for the gold later this month at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view. Could it be one of then men he wronged in the past while climbing to the top in AEW, such as Hangman Page? What about a current member of The Elite? How about pre-show wrestler Jay White? Is Miro ready to return from injury yet?

The Cope Open returns tonight. Adam Copeland will defend the TNT championship against one of the members of the House of Black, but we won’t know which one it is until the match is about to begin. Buddy Matthews doesn’t stand a chance against the rated R Superstar, whereas as Malakai Black could certainly walk out as the new champ. Does that mean it will instead be the intermediate option, Brody King?

Old man Chris Jericho is also in a title match tonight. He defends the unrecognized FTW championship against Katsuyori Shibata. Anything goes when the FTW belt is on the line, so perhaps Big Bill will prove he deserves a spot under The Learning Tree (I feel like I’m on the verge of vomiting every time I type that phrase) by showing up to help Chris win.

Serena Deeb vs. Mariah May is also booked for tonight. Serena says she’s the best wrestler on the roster and has her sights set on AEW Women’s World Champion “Timeless” Toni Storm. It would seem that Mariah will serve as a stepping stone for The Professor as she looks to move up to the very top spot in the rankings and secure a title match.

Samoa Joe vs. Isiah Kassidy is also happening on Dynamite. Samoa is sure to be in a foul mood and eager to choke this guy out after dropping the world title at Dynasty.

Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brian Cage has also been announced for Dynamite. Claudio is looking to score a win over The Mogul Embassy after falling short against Swerve.

That asshole Trent Beretta turned on Orange Cassidy last month and then mercilessly destroyed his former Best Friend Chuck Taylor in a Parking Lot Fight. It appears that Don Callis was enamored with Trent’s killer instinct and mean streak, which Will Ospreay is currently lacking. We will hear from Orange tonight, but I hope he has backup just in case Trent ends up joining Don’s family.

In case you don’t know, AEW is on TV for three hours tonight, with a one hour Rampage show following Dynamite. There’s no episode of Collision this week due to the sports playoffs schedule on TNT. As far as Rampage goes, Jay White vs. Dante Martin has been announced for the card.

Other stuff to keep an eye

– Mercedes Mone accidentally slapped TBS Champion Willow Nightingale in the face last week after some provocation from Kris Statlander. Could Kris be the mystery attacker who recently took out both Mercedes and Willow?

– Will Ospreay is set to challenge Roderick Strong for the AEW International championship at Double or Nothing. Is Ospreay going to break up with the Don Callis Family before or after that match? Will Kyle Fletcher join him on the way out?

– Is there any injury update on Bryan Danielson?

– IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley took out Powerhouse Hobbs last week, and it looks like Konosuke Takeshita wants next. Hell yeah, sign me up for that one.

– Adam Cole can walk again! He was staring daggers through Wardlow after the big man wasn’t much help to The Undisputed Kingdom at Dynasty. Will Adam have some harsh words to go along with the mean look the next time he grabs a mic?

– The Acclaimed scissored their way to a win over Grizzled Young Veterans on Collision. Are Daddy Ass and the boys looking for an AEW world trios championship rematch with Bullet Club Gold, or do they plan to chase the AEW world tag team titles instead?

– Where the f*ck are Christian Cage, Killswitch, and Nick Wayne?

What will you be looking for on Dynamite?