AEW Dynamite: Preview and Predictions for June 8, 2022

AEW Dynamite is back this Wednesday and will be broadcast live on TBS from Independence, Missouri.

Just five days after defeating “Hangman” Adam Page at Double or Nothing, CM Punk limped out to the ring on Rampage and announced to the world that he was going to be missing some time due to an injury that would require surgery.

Punk offered to vacate the AEW World Title, but Tony Khan decided Punk would remain the champion and the promotion would introduce an interim title in the meantime, which will be unified once CM Punk is cleared to compete.

This created a bit of a scramble surrounding both the AEW World Title and the announced main event of the upcoming Forbidden Door pay-per-view.  AEW would later lay out what the upcoming weeks would hold in the statement below:

So with that, this week’s Dynamite will include a battle royal, a world title elimination match between Jon Moxley and the battle royal winner, and the return of the former AEW World Champion.

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

Battle Royal to determine a challenger for the main event versus Jon Moxley

Several AEW wrestlers will look to earn a match against Jon Moxley in Dynamite’s main event and a possible trip to Forbidden Door when they compete in the show’s opening battle royal.

It is really hard to know who might come out of this match victorious.  It could really be anyone as it seems that Moxley vs Tanahashi is all but a certainty for the main event at Forbidden Door.

With that being said, if Moxley isn’t the plan, then who might be the one to win this battle royal and then go to the main event and beat Jon Moxley?  Also, who would be a name big enough to headline the Forbidden Door pay-per-view later this month against either Hiroshi Tanahashi or Hirooki Goto?

With Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole, both nursing injuries the only names big enough to fill those shoes would be Kenny Omega, MJF, and Chris Jericho.

But all three of those names come with question marks.  Kenny Omega has been out of action since November, Chris Jericho is well past his prime, and MJF’s standing in AEW has many more questions than answers, so none of these men seem like a viable choice.

So AEW may just go with a member of the roster that they can count on to deliver a fantastic match with Moxley, even if the outcome is predictable.  While Miro or Wardlow would make for an interesting match, putting them in the main event only to be sacrificed to Moxley makes no sense.

So AEW needs a star that can create excitement and not be hurt by taking a loss to Moxley.  Enter Darby Allin.  Allin could use a big win, and surviving a battle royal would classify as just that and give a star who has done jobs for others most of the past year a much-needed rub.   Battle Royal winner: Darby Allin

“Hangman” Adam Page vs David Finlay

The former AEW World Champion, Adam Page, will make his first appearance since losing his title to CM Punk at Double or Nothing.

Punk will go one-on-one with the New Japan Pro Wrestling product, and the son of former WWE star, Fit Finlay, David Finlay.

This match will most likely pose a challenge for Page, but it will also be a reminder of how much more popular Page is as the hunter than he is as the hunted.

This will be the first step on Page’s path to find his way back to the AEW World Title and David Finlay won’t be able to derail a reinvigorated “Hangman”.  Winner: Adam Page

Darby Allin vs Jon Moxley in an AEW World Title Eliminator Match

The outcome of this match is a no-brainer.  Jon Moxley has been wanting a match against Hiroshi Tanahashi for over a year, and with the unfortunate news of CM Punk’s injury, he may just get handfed one of his own personal dream matches.

In Darby Allin, AEW pairs Moxley with a big enough of a star to create just a shred of doubt in a match that is sure to include a number of false finishes.

But any fan that has paid attention to Darby Allin’s record in high-profile singles matches knows that Allin rarely gets booked to go over and this match will be no different.

Allin will provide the fans with the same thing he always does, a fantastic match in a losing effort.  Putting Moxley over and continuing to wear the label of “the future” instead of “the present” of the promotion.  Winner: Jon Moxley