AEW Dynamite: Preview and Predictions for January 12th, 2022

AEW Dynamite is back this Wednesday and will broadcast on TBS from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Last week’s episode of Dynamite had a little bit of everything.  Adam Page and Bryan Danielson put on an early match of the year candidate performer in the opening match.

MJF saw his record drop to 0-1 in the new year as CM Punk continues to torment MJF into a singles match with him.

Andrade El Idolo made it clear that he intends to hire Darby Allin as an assistant.

Jade Cargill defeated Ruby Soho to become the first-ever TBS Champion.

And Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy became the new AEW Tag Team Champions by beating the Lucha Bros in a match that saw Rey Fenix sustain a horrific-looking arm injury.

This week’s Dynamite will try to match the excitement of last week’s with four announced matches that include a TNT Title match and the fourth match between two of the most skilled in-ring performers in AEW.

Let’s take a look at the announced matches for AEW Dynamite and what to expect from each.

Daniel Garcia vs Sammy Guevara for the Interim TNT Title

Saturday’s Battle of the Belts was supposed to include a rematch for the TNT Title between Cody Rhodes and Sammy Guevara.

However, Cody Rhodes was not able to get medically cleared to compete so instead Sammy Guevara and Dustin Rhodes battled for the Interim TNT Title, a match that Guevara would win.

So until Cody is able to come back and unify the TNT Titles, Guevara will apparently keep busy defending the interim title, and up first is Daniel Garcia.

This match is sort of flying under the radar on this card and has a legit chance to be the best match of the night.

Guevara and Garcia have both really grown in the ring over the past 6 months and they are both aggressive, go-all-out types of performers.

2.0 will most likely attempt to influence the outcome of the match, or at very least participate in a post-match beatdown of Guevara, which will lead to Chris Jericho making the save.

This should be a fun match, but one that sees Guevara hang on to his newly won Interim TNT Title.  Winner: Sammy Guevara

Powerhouse Hobbs vs Dante Martin

The issues between Dante Martin and Team Tazz will continue on Wednesday when Martin goes one-on-one with Powerhouse Hobbs.

This match will be the ultimate contrast of styles as Martin will look to capitalize on his quickness and elusiveness while Hobbs will try to keep Martin grounded with his size and strength advantage.

This match could really go either way as both of these two competitors have very bright futures in AEW and should hold the TNT or Tag Team Titles at some point in the not too distant future.

The most likely outcome should consist of a back and forth match that sees Martin start to build momentum towards a finish.  Only to see Ricky Starks interfere, costing Dante yet another victory.  Winner: Powerhouse Hobbs

Hikaru Shida vs Serena Deeb

AEW doesn’t generally do a lot of feuds that include the exact same match over and over again, and especially not over a span of a few months.  But that is what they have given us with Serena Deeb and Hikaru Shida.

And we would have to be crazy to complain about it.

Whenever Shida and Deeb get in the ring together you can rest assured that an excellent product is going to be produced.  The only question is just how excellent.

On Wednesday we will be treated to the fourth installment of this intense and personal rivalry that started with Deeb beating Shida as Shida went for her 50th win in AEW.

Since then the two women have gone after each other with reckless abandon and have built to another match on Wednesday, which seems like it could be the blowoff match for this feud, at least for now.

A Deeb win here would make the most sense as it would tie up their feud at 2-2 and set the stage for future matches down the line.  Winner: Serena Deeb

CM Punk vs Wardlow

MJF has been very shrewd thus far in putting up obstacles to keep himself out of a singles match with CM Punk.  And this week that obstacle comes in the form of Wardlow, as CM Punk will take on MJF’s muscle in what will most likely be the main event of Dynamite.

AEW has been building Wardlow up in the same way that many big men have been built up before, with a series of squash matches.

So the fact that Wardlow’s first big match coming off all of those squashes is going to be a match against CM Punk in which he is all but certain to lose is a bit puzzling.

AEW should definitely be planning a breakout win for Wardlow in which the big man is catapulted into future main event matches but that can’t happen here.

As talented as Wardlow is, we don’t get to the money match, which is CM Punk vs MJF, if Wardlow beats Punk.

So why Wardlow’s build to the match is somewhat confusing, MJF’s use of Wardlow as a roadblock to someone wanting a match with him is not.

We have seen it in the past with Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho, and now we see it again with CM Punk.  Rhodes and Jericho were able to get past Wardlow and earn their matches with MJF and there is nothing here to signal that CM Punk won’t be able to do the same.  Winner: CM Punk