AEW Dynamite: Darby Allin Will Come Up Short Against Samoa Joe

AEW Dynamite is back this Wednesday and will be broadcast live on TBS from Seattle Washington.  AEW’s first-ever Seattle based event will feature two championship matches, a highly anticipated match between Chris Jericho and Ricky Starks, and a guaranteed appearance by the AEW World Champion, MJF.

AEW will also be introducing a new look to both its set and its production as they head into what will be a critical year for the promotion in 2023.  All Elite Wrestling will look to take the first positive step in the new calendar year on Wednesday.

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

Samoa Joe vs Darby Allin for the TNT Title

When Wardlow defeated Scorpio Sky to win the TNT Title, most wrestling fans were convinced that Wardlow was going to be the one to bring the title back to prominence.  That did not happen.  Tony Khan failed to book Wardlow in a way to capitalize on his momentum, culminating with the can’t miss prospect losing the TNT Title to Samoa Joe at Full Gear.

Since then the TNT Title has experienced the resurgence that AEW fans have longed for as Samoa Joe has been booked brilliantly.  There are not many wrestlers that are more must see than a healthy, heel Samoa Joe.  Joe’s reign as the TNT Champion has once again elevated the TNT Title and brought it back to relevance.  Which in part, is what makes this matchup with Darby Allin so intriguing.

Darby Allin could very well leave Seattle the new TNT Champion.  Darby will be wrestling in his hometown, he is the longest reigning TNT Champion in the promotion’s history, and he is undoubtedly one of the young talents that is going to carry AEW into the future.

But it just seems like this match is more about the story of Darby finding self-confidence and the possible friction between Sting and Darby than it is about Darby winning back the TNT Title.  Winner: Samoa Joe

The Acclaimed vs Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal for the AEW Tag Team Titles

Jeff Jarrett‘s initial appearance in AEW was undoubtedly a shock.  But even more surprising is his continued use on television.  Yet, here we are, still seeing Jarrett, with Jay Lethal, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh in tow on a weekly basis on AEW television.

It is true, Jarrett still gets heat, Jarrett knows what he is doing and has kept himself in phenomenal shape.  But AEW has so many talents that are more in need of some of the promotion’s limited screen time right, now that the constant presence of Jarrett just seems wrong.

The absolute worst thing that could happen on Wednesday would be Jarrett and Lethal walking out the AEW Tag Team Champions.  That would just mean more Jarrett television time and taking the titles off a very over, homegrown tag team.  Winners: The Acclaimed

Bryan Danielson vs Tony Nese

Bryan Danielson has continued to stay busy while we build to the “American Dragon” getting an AEW Title shot versus MJF.  Coming off a great win over a surging Ethan Page last week, Danielson will go one on one with Tony Nese on this week’s Dynamite.

Tony Nese seems to have found his niche with AEW.  He is one of the wrestlers that Tony Khan can book against anyone and get a good match out of, though Nese is going to suffer the loss in most cases.

That blueprint will hold true here as Danielson continues forward on his collision course with MJF.  Winner: Bryan Danielson

Swerve Strickland vs AR Fox

As we find ourselves in 2023, many wrestling fans will spend the next month arguing over which wrestlers and matches were the best of 2022.  And while every opinion is subjective, (except for FTR being the tag team of the year, as there just doesn’t seem to be any logical way to argue that) one of the performers that should be on everyone’s radar for 2023 is Swerve Strickland.

Swerve has really hit his stride in his character work lately as a heel.  He plays the role perfectly and now that he has some muscle to watch his back, Swerve should get the victory in his upcoming feud with Keith Lee.  That victory over Keith Lee should elevate Swerve into high profile programs against the like of Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and Darby Allin in the upcoming calendar year.  Of course, before this happens, Swerve has AR Fox to deal with.

Fox is a veteran of the sport that is highly skilled between the ropes.  But none of that will matter as this match is all about keeping heat on Swerve until Keith Lee’s inevitable return.  Winner: Swerve Strickland

Jade Cargill & Red Velvet vs Kiera Hogan & Skye Blue

Upon Jade Cargill’s arrival into AEW, one of her more heated rivalries was with Red Velvet.  So when Velvet recovered from her injuries it made very little sense that she would be reintroduced into the fold in AEW as one of Jade’s Baddies.

But as the weeks have passed, Red Velvet seems to be separating herself from the TBS Champion, and we may be heading to a renewed rivalry between the two.

Wednesday’s match has Cargill and Velvet teaming up to battle former Baddie, Kiera Hogan and Skye Blue.

The outcome of this match is almost guaranteed to go one of two ways.  Either Jade and Red get the win, while struggling to co-exist, or Jade leaves Red Velvet in a handicap situation during the match, furthering the divide between them.

The fomer seems like the most likely scenario as Jade Cargill and Red Velvet pick up the win, despite not being able to work as a cohesive team.  WInners: Jade Cargill & Red Velvet

Ricky Starks vs Chris Jericho

In the most likely main event of this week’s Rampage, Ricky Starks will look to continue to build off his hot end to 2022 when he takes on Chris Jericho.

It seems that Tony Khan has finally come to realize what he has in Ricky Starks.  The fear among many AEW fans was that after Starks lost to MJF at Winter is Coming, that Starks would disappear off of television for a bit before showing back up on AEW Dark a number of weeks later.

However, AEW has kept Starks relevant, and he will again be paired up with one of the top heels in the promotion, this time opposite Chris Jericho.

If there was ever a spot for Chris Jericho to put someone over this is the spot.  Starks needs to pick up this win to continue to establish himself as one of the top of the card babyfaces for AEW in 2023.  And this matchup comes at the perfect time to put Starks over against a talent like Jericho, as Jericho is mired in a bit of a losing streak.

Even if this week’s Dynamite goes off the air with Starks getting beaten down by the entire JAS faction, Ricky Starks needs to be the one that wins this match on Wednesday.  Winner: Ricky Starks