AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming Preview and Predictions

AEW Dynamite is back with their Winter is Coming episode that will air live this Wednesday from Garland, Texas.

Last year’s Winter is Coming episode was full of big surprises, as Sting debuted in AEW and Kenny Omega aligned with Don Callis and robbed Jon Moxley of the AEW World Championship.

This year’s match card, and the number of free agents out there on the wrestling landscape, make this episode of AEW Dynamite extremely intriguing.

Let’s take a look at the announced match card and what to expect from the AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming episode.

Dante Martin vs MJF in the Dynamite Diamond Ring Match

Maxwell Jacob Friedman will attempt to retain the Dynamite Diamond Ring for a third straight year when he goes one-on-one with Dante Martin. Normally, this would seem like a slam dunk for MJF to retain, but the continued friction between MJF and Wardlow adds another wrinkle to this match.

We have been waiting patiently for Wardlow to finally turn on MJF and embark on his own singles career as a babyface and that happening here, during this match, is a possibility.

The question is, is this a big enough spot for that sort of turn? Probably not.

We are more likely to see the official MJF/Wardlow split during the culmination of the former’s feud with CM Punk. For now, Wardlow stays a loyal soldier, and that is too much for the budding superstar, Dante Martin, to overcome. Winner: MJF

Wardlow vs Matt Sydal

Wardlow versus Matt Sydal is an interesting match, not so much because of the matchup, but because of its sudden placement on the Winter is Coming card.

Wardlow is part of a very bright future in AEW, and he shouldn’t have any problem handling Matt Sydal here. But AEW rarely does anything without it leading to a bigger story, so the fact that this match is taking place on this card points to something big happening during or after.

Could it have something to do with the flashing blue and red lights that we saw during last week’s Battle Royal portion of the Dynamite Diamond Ring match?

Could the lights have been a signal of the upcoming debut of Windham Rotunda (FKA Bray Wyatt)? Could they be signaling the return to action of a repackaged Brian Cage, who will start a feud with Wardlow?

Or were the lights just a production glitch that has wrestling fans throwing all sorts of crazy ideas out there with no truth to them? I guess we will see, most likely after a Wardlow win here. Winner: Wardlow

Hikaru Shida vs Serena Deeb

AEW will give us chapter three of what has already been two phenomenal matches between Hikaru Shida and Serena Deeb on Wednesday.

These women are two of the best in the world inside the ring and have shown amazing chemistry in their first two matches. Both of these women will come into this match with a lot to prove.

They have split the first two contests, with Deeb denying Shida her first attempt at her 50th AEW win. Soon after, Shida won her 50th AEW match while knocking Deeb out of the TBS Women’s Title Tournament.

Deeb would then attack Shida during her quarterfinals match with Nyla Rose, causing Shida to submit and allowing Rose to move into the semi-finals of the tournament.

In addition to the fact that these two are so good in the ring, this matchup is exciting because Deeb has played the part of a cold, merciless villain to perfection while Shida is always great as the babyface with a big heart that the crowd loves to cheer for.

This match could go either way, but it makes more sense to keep Shida strong and near the top of the card. So, expect a hard-fought match to go the former AEW Women’s Champion’s way. Winner: Hikaru Shida

Bryan Danielson vs Adam Page for the AEW World Championship

Surely, AEW won’t have “Hangman” Adam Page lose his newly won AEW World Championship in his first title defense, would they?

Probably not, but if there was a spot for it to happen, then this is probably that spot.

Bryan Danielson has made it clear that he has come to AEW to wrestle, and wrestle he has every single week since his arrival.

Danielson has wrestled Kenny Omega in an instant classic that ended in a time limit draw, beaten Dustin Rhodes, Eddie Kingston, and Miro on his way to earning this title shot, and run roughshod through the Dark Order heading into this championship match.

Now, he will look to take the final step by beating Page and becoming AEW World Champion. The only reason that Page is the favorite in this matchup is that he just recently won the title, and that may be his saving grace.

But that doesn’t mean that Danielson is going to lose.

The best possible outcome for AEW in this contest is for some sort of shenanigans to take place, making sure there is no clear-cut winner. This way Page can leave with the title and Danielson still looks like the best wrestler in the promotion.

The question is: How will AEW make this happen?

Enter Jonathan Gresham.

The Ring of Honor star may be looking to close the year with a bang, and crashing the party at Winter is Coming would be a great way to do so. Gresham will appear near the end of the broadcast, head down to the ring, and attack one of, or maybe both Page and Danielson, setting up a future triple threat match between the three at Battle of the Belts. Winner: No Contest