AEW Dynamite: Preview and Predictions for February 2, 2022

AEW Dynamite returns to WIntrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois this Wednesday.  The show will be broadcast on TBS and will feature a hometown hero in the main event.

Last week’s Beach Break episode of Dynamite gave us a fantastic ladder match to unify the TNT Titles.  And in a surprise outcome, Sammy Guevara defeated Cody Rhodes to become the undisputed TNT Champion.

I have to give AEW credit for this move.  Many questioned the creative direction of this storyline when Cody defeated Sammy to win the TNT Title on the Holiday Bash edition of Rampage.

But Sammy regaining the TNT Title in what was one of the best Ladder matches in recent memory makes Sammy a bigger star now than he ever was during his first title reign.

Last week’s Dynamite also brought us the debut of the newest member of the AEW roster, the very nice, very evil, Danhausen.

It will be very interesting to see what role the comedic demon plays in AEW moving forward.

And we got some advancement in the MJF-CM Punk feud as members of the Pinnacle laid Punk out, but we also got the announcement that the two will meet in a one-on-one match on this week’s Dynamite.

With only three matches announced for this week’s AEW Dynamite, let’s take a look a look at what we can expect from each encounter.

Pac & Penta El Zero Miedo vs The Kings of the Black Throne

The very personal rivalry between Malakai Black and Pac will continue this week in the form of a tag team match when Pac teams with Penta El Zero Miedo to take on Malakai Black and Brody King, the Kings of the Black Throne.

We haven’t seen Pac in the ring since he was sprayed in both eyes with a black mist by Malakai Black a number of weeks back.

And while a lot of fans had been clamoring for Brody King’s debut in AEW for many weeks before his actual arrival, I feel like the formation of this team takes away from Black’s mystique and makes his entrance and character feel less special.

That being said, this will be only King and Black’s second match as a team in AEW so there is time for them to prove me wrong.  And on Wednesday they will be facing a much tougher test in Penta and Pac than they did in their debut against the Varsity Blonds.

The match should be a lot of fun and deliver a high quality based on the level of talent of the four men involved.

And even though Pac and Penta have a score to settle, this feels like the beginning of a push for the newly anointed Kings of the Black Throne.  Winners: Kings of the Black Throne

Nyla Rose vs Ruby Soho

In a rematch of their semifinal bout in the TBS Women’s Title Tournament, Nyla Rose and Ruby Soho will lock horns again, with Rose seeking retribution for the tournament loss to Soho.

This is kind of a curious setup as we saw this match not too long ago and on top of that, AEW missed a golden opportunity to set up Britt Baker’s next program last week in a segment that accomplished little else other than remind us that Baker Mayfield isn’t a great quarterback.

It could be that AEW didn’t do more with Baker’s segment last week because they have run out of viable challengers for Baker, as she has run through the majority of the women’s roster during her title reign.  The one exception is Thunder Rosa, who is currently busy with Mercedes Martinez.

Baker’s challenger at Revolution will either be Thunder Rosa or possibly the winner of this match if AEW is looking to extend Baker’s title run a little longer.

My guess is that the Thunder Rosa and Britt Baker match is going to be on tap for Revolution and AEW uses this match to start building Nyla Rose back up to challenge for Rosa’s newly won title towards the end of March.  Winner: Nyla Rose

MJF vs CM Punk

The long-awaited singles match between CM Punk and MJF is finally scheduled to go down in Chicago on Dynamite this week.

When this feud started it seemed destined to be a part of the Revolution card as this clash is one the most anticipated matches in AEW’s short history.

But AEW is doing the right thing by having the match this week.

As entertaining as the Punk-MJF promos have been, they have run their course and it is time to end the talk.

That is not to say that these two may not also do battle at Revolution in some sort of rematch, but the time is right to pull the trigger on this first meeting.

AEW can really go either way with this match, just depending on how they want to play it.

This could be the spot where Wardlow turns on MJF, costing his employer the win, and completing his face turn.

But that seems like a moment better saved for a pay-per-view.

This will be the spot where CM Punk, in front of his hometown crowd, picks up his first AEW loss, bringing MJF a level of heat that we have yet to see in AEW, and setting up a rematch for Revolution.  Winner: MJF