AEW Dynamite: Preview & Predictions for April 7th, 2021
AEW Dynamite is back this Wednesday with four announced matches and the return of a reenergized and reunified Inner Circle.
The Inner Circle did appear on last week’s episode of Dynamite as they returned the beatdown they received a couple of weeks ago at the hand of The Pinnacle and reclaimed their dressing room. However, we will hear what Chris Jericho and the boys have to say for the first time since the betrayal of MJF and Wardlow on this week’s show.
As the tension and the violence between these two factions continue to escalate the most likely ending will be a Blood and Guts match headlining Double or Nothing on May 29th. AEW has had this match in its pocket since the pre-Covid era of pro wrestling and this seems like an opportune time to use this kind of match as the hatred between these two groups is palpable.
In addition to the return of the Inner Circle, there are four announced matches that include a grudge match in the women’s division and a TNT Title defense. Let’s take a look at these four matches and what to expect from each.
Darby Allin vs JD Drake for the TNT Championship
Fans of the independent wrestling scene will probably be pretty excited for this match. JD Drake has been a mainstay of the indies for a number of years. Those that have watched his matches know that Drake is rock-solid in the ring and this has the potential to be an excellent match.
AEW once again skirted around the rankings system by saying that Darby Allin left an open contract for this title match and JD Drake was the one that jumped on the opportunity. While a match against Ricky Starks, Orange Cassidy, Jungle Boy, or any number of AEW talent would make more sense from a dramatic standpoint, I do love that AEW is choosing to use some of its television time to get eyes on talent that has gone virtually unnoticed for far too long.
JD Drake isn’t winning this match. But on Wednesday he will have the opportunity to win a lot of new fans and take one step closer to becoming All Elite. I think he will take advantage of it. Winner: Darby Allin
Jurassic Express vs Bear Country
Bear Country came into AEW as a babyface team. We have seen them team with Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss and more recently with Jurassic Express. But for whatever reason Bear Country and Jurassic Express just haven’t been able to get on the same page as a team and it has created some tension between the two teams.
Things came to a head last week on AEW Dark: Elevation. Bear Country was in a closely contested match with Private Party and was about to put Private Party away when Matt Hardy jumped up on the ring apron distracting the ref.
Marko Stunt came running out and knocked Hardy off the apron. However, Stunt’s presence drew the attention of Bear Country, and the time Bear Country spent jawing with Marko allowed Private Party to recover and ultimately pick up the win.
Stunt hit the ring and looked to be apologizing and explaining that he was trying to help but Bear Country was having none of it. This led to a brawl between Bear Country and Jurassic Express, setting up this match on Dynamite.
In Bear Country, AEW has the chance to create a tag team in the image of the Road Warriors or Demolition. Just a couple of big, strong guys that don’t care about anything but hurting people.
Jurassic Express is a wildly popular tag team and having them beat Bear Country won’t really do anything to elevate either team. Jurassic Express will remain popular, win or lose, while Bear Country will just look like two big guys that can’t get it done against the upper echelon of the tag team division.
Two things need to happen in this match. Bear Country needs to pick up the win. And after they do, Bear Country needs to put a heavy beating on Jurassic Express that will send a message that they are here to lay waste to the rest of the tag team division. Any other result is just a match for the sake of having a match. Winners: Bear Country
Tay Conti vs The Bunny
Tay Conti will look for revenge after taking a shot with a kendo stick and eating a pinfall at the hands of The Bunny last week.
The number one contender to Hikaru Shida’s AEW Women’s Title has been on a roll lately, culminating with a career-defining victory over Nyla Rose.
That is what made Conti’s loss last week a bit of a surprise. The Bunny has rarely wrestled in recent months, as she has been more involved in the matches of Butcher and Blade than any matches of her own.
While I do hope we see more of the maniacal Bunny in the ring moving forward this isn’t the match to put her over. Tay will stay on her path to a title match with Shida as she avenges her loss to Bunny in the tag match last week. Winner: Tay Conti
Jon Moxley & The Young Bucks vs Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers
Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers will team up once again this week as they take on Jon Moxley and The Young Bucks.
This match should be good due to the talent involved in it, but the match itself isn’t anywhere near as important as the story that will play out during or possibly even after the match.
The story of this match is all about the loyalty of the Young Bucks and exactly where it lies. I expected the Bucks to turn on Mox last week and reunite with Omega but it obviously did not happen. But the question remains, is a Young Bucks heel turn still coming? Was it simply too soon to pull the trigger on it? Or are the Bucks solidly aligned with Jon Moxley in his battle with Omega and the Good Brothers?
One aspect of great story-telling is unpredictability. This is something AEW does well more times than not. And the fact that my thoughts on where this story is going changes on a week-to-week basis is what I want from wrestling story-telling. At least for this week the Jackson brothers stand strong with Mox and pick up a win to close the show. Winners: Jon Moxley & The Young Bucks