AEW: 5 possible opponents who could challenge Cody for his TNT Title

Cody is your first ever TNT Champion and he gave us a mission statement on Wednesday: defend the championship every week on AEW Dynamite. Presuming he successfully retains over his first opponent next week, here are five more matches I’d like to see for Cody’s TNT Championship.

One thing Tony Khan, Cody, and AEW have been adamant that they do not want the TNT Championship to be viewed as is a secondary or mid-card title just yet. Part of that is they’re not sure what to make of the TNT Championship yet, while another part of it is probably not wanting to define any wrestlers down or permanently as mid-carders.

To aid in the appearance of the championship as level with Jon Moxley’s AEW World Championship. Cody is listed next to Moxley atop the ranking as champions. There is one list for both titles rather than a separate one for the TNT Championship. Again, this would define both the TNT Champion/Championship and its contenders as lower than that of the AEW World Champion/Championship.

(Because of the amorphous nature of the rankings with the TNT Championship added to it and our limited understanding thus far of what this entails, I will forgo the rankings for the most part when deciding who to place on this list.)

Further, while Cody did say they weren’t sure if this would be the workhorse title or not (similar to the historical lineage of the Intercontinental Championship), his stance to defend the title every week seems to squarely place the TNT Championship into that category. To me, that doesn’t necessarily define it down if it truly is defended every week.

After all, many of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s viewed the Intercontinental Championship as most prestigious thanks to the likes of Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Steve Austin, The Rock, and Triple H.

We know Cody’s first defense will be next Wednesday against Jungle Boy, who won a #1 contender battle royal by last eliminating Orange Cassidy. Assuming Cody wins, who else could he face for his TNT Championship?

Let’s take a look at five possible matches I’d like to see, beginning with a fairly obvious rival…but probably not the one you’re thinking about.

Please note I’m not saying these should be Cody’s next five opponents, but just matches I’d like to see at some point for Cody as TNT Championship.

5. vs. Darby Allin

I noted I was shocked but pleased to not see Allin in the battle royal that Jungle Boy won because it helped sell the injuries from the hellacious bumps he took at Double or Nothing. I also said it’s probably too soon to return to Cody-Allin match.

Well, if we give Allin another week or so off television to sell his injuries and another few weeks to build victories, there would probably have been enough time that passed for people to reinvest in a Cody-Allin match. The stakes in their third match was a spot in the finals of the TNT Championship Tournament; this match would be for the actual championship. The stakes are higher, usually a selling point.

We also know through their first three matches that these two have great chemistry and understand how to exploit each other’s strengths in the best possible ways. Their previous match was highlighted by each using unique counters on each other’s moves, playing off of their knowledge of each other’s styles. This was topped by Cody taking the Coffin Drop from Allin only to roll Allin into a pin using the momentum of his fall. It was a well-executed finish.

The story for Allin, of course, is would he finally be able to top his personal hurdle, his stumbling block, his albatross that is Cody? His record against Cody is 0-2-1, with the draw being their first match. If he’s able to topple Cody, you have a young babyface champion that nearly every AEW fan seems to adore. If he fails, does he delve down the path of brooding cynicism and turn heel, or does he embark upon a journey of self-actualization that sees him earn another shot at Cody?

For Cody, part of the story depends on when he might face Allin. If he faces Allin after a month or so, it’s just another challenger Cody has to defeat, albeit one who knows Cody as well as any other opponent.

However, say Cody faces Allin three or four months into a reign where he’s defended the title every week. That’s 12 to 16 consecutive weeks of championship defenses. That has to take a toll both physically and mentally. Would Cody still be as sharp as when his reign first started, or would Allin be able to take advantage of a fatigued and weary Cody who leaves himself open when he may not have otherwise?

For a workhorse title, Allin might seem an ill fit considering his seemingly reckless style. However, maybe having to defend every week causes Allin to undergo a shift in style that focuses on achieving victory while elongating his career (and title reign).

The possible stories for a rekindled rivalry leave me intrigued.

4. vs. Scorpio Sky

The first of two people scheduled for the Casino Ladder Match on this list, Sky was a popular pick to win the match heading into the show. I picked Sky to win with the caveat of the ninth participant being Drew Gulak, Jeff Cobb, or Brian Cage. I was right on the latter part.

Sky is a fantastic wrestler with a charismatic personality. He just hasn’t been given much time to express that personality in AEW. The two-part video series on his upbringing and challenges in wrestling (part two above) were fantastic and gave fans reasons to support Sky; sure, they were six months later than anticipated, but at least they were shown.

Those videos were a reason why many chose Sky because it seems like he’s primed for a push through the singles division. What better way than to have him rebound from losing the ladder match and the #1 contender tag team match on Wednesday to Kip Sabian and Jimmy Havoc than to focus his efforts on newly-crowned TNT Champion Cody?

Sky has shown in his matches in AEW, particularly with then-AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, that he has a chameleon-like style that meshes well with whomever he’s working with. If you need him to fly, he can fly; work a mat-based game; or anything in-between.

Don’t let his placement as a tag team wrestler negatively affect your view of him either (much like the next wrestler on this list). He was thrust into the tag team picture only due to (kayfabe) injury to Christopher Daniels. Sky wrestled that match in slacks and (eventually) one shoe!

He and Cody should have a great match together, built around the story of Sky being more quick, athletic, and skilled while Cody uses his guile and experience to counter and deter Sky. With Cody, you know the story during the match will be gripping.

Sky also helps AEW fulfill their stated goals of having diversity in men’s singles and championship scenes. This wouldn’t be for diversity’s sake either; Sky is extremely talented! It also sets the stage for him to become TNT Champion and use that experience towards an eventual World Championship match.

I’m admittedly a huge fan of Sky. Regardless of outcome, this is a match I would love to witness.

3. vs. Rey Fenix

The second wrestler originally scheduled for the Casino Ladder Match, Rey Fenix had to withdraw due to injury (replaced by Joey Janela). Reports were that the injury wouldn’t keep him out too long, so here’s to a speedy recovery for Fenix.

Fenix (along with Sky) was someone I identified as poised for a massive breakout. The ladder match may have been that moment, but circumstances intervened. Him making a run to and challenging Cody for the TNT Championship could be that breakout moment.

Fenix isn’t just charismatic; he’s explosively and intensely charismatic. His style is a fluid display of utter athleticism and ferocity. He is among the handful considered to be the best at an aerial style. Even through a language barrier and mask, his facial expressions and body language speak volumes.

Much like Sky, don’t let his placement alongside his brother Pentagon Jr. in the Lucha Bros tag team be an indictment on them. They both can go, with Pentagon Jr. being a former Impact World Champion. To me, however, Fenix has more of that undefinable “it” factor.

He can wrestle pretty much anyone. He’s shown that in pretty much all of his singles matches, but in particular, his matches against Nick Jackson, Trent?, and Cassidy highlight the diversity in styles he’s able to coalesce with in the ring. Cody, with more of his old school style, would serve a great foil to the whirling dervish that is Fenix.

Fenix’s run for a singles championship may hurt the tag division, but it only bolsters the singles division. If both he and Pentagon Jr. embark on singles runs, AEW can rely on two bonafide spectacular performers to carry television and pay-per-view matches with little worry. The two can also work face or heel, so their malleability here would prove a boon for AEW and their booking.

If Fenix beats Cody, you have a charismatic performer with a strong connection to the crowd to carry the championship forward. If he loses to Cody, there can be a story of redemption told through another run for Fenix…or possibly a fellow member of Death Triangle?

2. vs. PAC

Of course, this all assumes travel restrictions are lifted sometime, allowing PAC to travel to Florida. I’m going to be optimistic and say that PAC will be able to leave England at some point.

It was nice to see PAC, even if just through a vignette, a couple of weeks ago as he reminded us he has unfinished business with Best Friends and Cassidy. Let’s say he and his Death Triangle compatriots finish their business with those three; where does PAC head next?

Anyone who’s watched professional wrestling the last decade know of PAC’s exploits and talents as he has had tremendous and memorable matches in pretty much every promotion he’s been in (remember his tear-ierker against Sami Zayn for the NXT Championship?). He’s also shown that in AEW with tremendous matches against the likes of Kenny Omega, “Hangman” Adam Page, Allin, Trent?, Jon Moxley, and Cassidy.

The danger some might feel in a Cody-PAC match/feud is that they may revert to their WWE-trained tendencies. Not everything WWE does is a negative, but it is a valid concern. However, I think their matches in AEW highlight that this concern is a bit misplaced. Cody and PAC have added to their styles and repertoire, the latter in particular becoming (or reasserting?) his dominant and brutal side.

PAC also has experience with veritable workhorse titles in the NXT Championship and the then-WWE Cruiserweight Championship. He held those championships and had some intense matches (well, just forget Enzo Amore ever existed in WWE), with some stiff matches in particular as Cruiserweight Champion.

If anyone is built for and has the requisite experience to defend a championship every week, it’s PAC. Then again, as a heel, he might find some ways to defend the championship as little as possible.

With Cody’s selling and PAC’s brutality, an eventual match would be something to behold. Just imagine the spot right now where PAC has Cody locked in The Brutalizer, wrenching and screaming for Cody to tap. Cody, screaming out in pain himself, reaches and reaches for the rope, and as he gets close, he starts to fade. Would this lead to a match ending technical submission like PAC had against Omega, or would this be the beginning of the major hope spot for Cody?

The beauty: it works either way!

This would also put PAC in a position higher on the card that many feel he belongs. He would be an intimidating, sadistic, and brooding heel champion that could wreak havoc on the division until a beacon of light steps up to dethrone him…possibly Cody in a rematch.

Whatever the case, “The American Nightmare” vs. “The Bastard” is a headliner that seems to sell itself. I hope it happens.

1. vs. MJF

It all seemed lined up for MJF to be Cody’s first challenger on Wednesday as the field narrowed to include himself, Wardlow, Cassidy, and Jungle Boy. Unfortunately for MJF, he tasted defeat and will have to wait to further torment his former mentor.

Whose fault is it that Cody cannot challenge for the AEW World Championship? MJF. Sure, it probably wasn’t the wisest decision for Cody to self-impose that stipulation, but to his credit, he wasn’t pinned, disqualified, counted out, nor submitted; MJF threw in the towel while Cody was in the Walls of Jericho.

We all know what happened after the match: MJF turned on Cody with a low blow. He went on to win the Dynamite Diamond Ring, which he’s used multiple times to win matches (including against Cody at Revolution). The ring is also what proved to be his downfall in the battle royal, and the moment I predicted will lead to Wardlow decimating MJF in the future.

MJF occupies a unique space as the #1 ranked singles competitor as well. World Champion Moxley is locked into a feud with #1 contender but as of yet unranked Cage, a match that will take place “sometime this summer” at Fyter Fest. That could mean any time between Jun. 1 and the end of September, really.

That really only leaves MJF to pursue the TNT Championship, held by his former mentor against whom he owns a 1-0 record. Being the smarmy and cowardly heel he is, I can see MJF refusing to wrestle and put his #1 ranking on the line until he receives what he would frame as rightfully his in either a World Championship or TNT Championship match. Cody being Cody, the honorable champion that he is, accepts MJF’s demands wanting revenge on multiple levels. That story sells itself.

The story during and after the match, however, can be even more intriguing. Is this where Wardlow decides to turn on MJF after being punched in the face with the ring and eliminated from the battle royal even as he worked at the behest of MJF? Does he tease laying out MJF only to help him defeat Cody by decimating Cody with an F10 or that drop-down knee?

If MJF wins, do we continue the story of MJF winning with leverage pins or heel maneuvers like using the ring against tougher competition, and only winning clean against jobbers and lower-card wrestlers? Does he force Cody to tap to the Salt of the Earth? Does he pin Cody clean after hitting a Double Cross or three?

What would this mean for the TNT Championship? Would MJF have Wardlow defend the TNT Championship by proxy as another weasel heel tactic, laying another act in the foundation for Wardlow’s turn? These are just some of the questions I have if MJF wins.

Cody defeating MJF evens the score somewhat, but it could also serve as the impetus for Cody to challenge MJF to another match. This time, not only will it be for the TNT Championship, but he could say it’s to regain his ability to be considered for the AEW World Championship (upon approval from Khan, of course). Cody could then vacate the championship or challenge the AEW World Champion in a Champion vs. Champion match, winner takes all.

If he loses? Well, then Cody has all the more reason to solely focus on exacting revenge for MJF. Not only would he be 0-2 against MJF, but MJF would hold the TNT Championship that Cody holds so dear.

With these two in particular, there are many potential story angles. It’s a feud we’re eventually going to see again, but I just think it would add a bit of pizzazz if it was for the TNT Championship.

What do you think of the list, and who would you like to see challenge Cody? The good news is that whomever you choose, the chances are they’ll have a decent to great match with Cody.