The inaugural AEW Dynasty is a mission statement for All Elite Wrestling. The promotion heads to St. Louis on April 21 with a card that captures its renewed ethos. Dynasty showcases a lineage of some of the best in-ring professional wrestling in the world with the likes of Bryan Danielson, Kazuchika Okada, Samoa Joe, Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay in action.
AEW continues to ramp up its pay-per-view calendar with nine events expected this year. Dynasty debuts at Chaifetz Arena on Sunday with thousands expected to attend live. The marquee is something of a modern-day dream match between Danielson and Ospreay, two of the best in-ring performers in the business today. Their rivalry is built on just that, a desire to prove who is the best. It’s not a groundbreaking storyline in pro wrestling but it rings especially true when you consider who is involved
Match quality is high on the Dynasty agenda. Eight championship bouts are scheduled for the 10-match card, including AEW world champion Joe vs. Strickland, continental champion Okada vs. PAC, women’s world champion “Timeless” Toni Storm vs. Thunder Rosa and a ladder match to crown new tag team champion. Mercedes Mone (formerly Sasha Banks) will have a spiritual presence in the TBS title match and older fans might gravitate towards Adam Copeland (formerly Edge in the WWE) in six-man tag team action.
Take a look below at the confirmed matches for Dynasty. The event streams live on Bleacher Report and TrillerTV with the main card starting at 8 p.m. ET and the Zero Hour pre-show beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
2024 AEW Dynasty matches
AEW World Championship — Samoa Joe (c) vs. Swerve Strickland: It seems to be a matter of if, not when Strickland becomes AEW world champion. Strickland experienced one of the biggest stock rises of any wrestler in AEW or WWE in 2023. His bloodlust and confident swagger were undeniable. Many expected him to win the title at AEW Revolution in March, but his bitter rivalry with “Hangman” Adam Page cost him the world championship in their three-way dance with Joe. It’s a wrong Strickland looks to right one-on-one against “The Samoan Submission Machine.” That’s easier said than done against a champion that is equal parts cerebral, powerful, experienced and straight-up vicious.
Will Ospreay vs. Bryan Danielson: A match that personifies the Dynasty name. Danielson has long been considered the greatest technical wrestler, and arguably the best wrestler alive, for a long time now. Ospreay has painted brilliant in-ring performances against Kenny Omega, Kazuchika Okada and many others in recent years. Some consider Ospreay the future of pro wrestling. It’s a question of whether the future is now when Ospreay and Danielson lock up for the first time.
AEW Women’s World Championship — “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. Thunder Rosa: “Timeless” Storm has been a breath of fresh air for AEW as one of the most character-driven acts on the show. The throwback Hollywood star defends her AEW women’s world championship against a no-nonsense former champion with legitimate mixed martial arts experience. Rosa competes for the women’s world title for the first time since relinquishing it in 2022.
AEW Tag Team Championships — Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) (Ladder match): Darby Allin vacated the AEW tag team championships after he and Sting defeated the Young Bucks in Sting’s retirement match at Revolution. That set the stage for a tournament to crown new champs. The Young Bucks and FTR advanced to the finals and opened up old wounds. AEW made a controversial decision to air legitimate footage of a physical altercation between now WWE superstar CM Punk and Jack Perry at AEW All In London that led to Punk’s AEW termination. The incident was worked into a storyline for the upcoming tag title match. The Young Bucks presented the footage, claiming their concern for Perry split their focus in tag title loss to FTR in London. Whatever drama exists, these two acclaimed teams are expected to put on a show-stealer on Sunday.
AEW Continental Championship — Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. PAC (Continental Rules match): This will give Ospreay vs. Danielson a run for its money. Okada signed with AEW after a record-setting run in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Okada’s 18-year tenure with the premier Japanese promotion saw him win five IWGP Heavyweight titles, including a record-setting single reign of 720 days, and become the only two-time IWGP world heavyweight championship. “The Rainmaker” immediately took the continental championship off Eddie Kingston in AEW and will make his first title defense on Sunday. The challenger PAC is an in-ring marvel with unrivaled intensity. PAC, the first double champion in AEW history, had his career stalled by repeat injuries and travel issues. Expect intensity and crisp impact when Okada and PAC collide. All continental title matches are contested under continental rules, meaning any outside interference is met with strict penalties.
TBS Championship — Julia Hart (c) vs. Willow Nightingale (House Rules match): It’s a meeting between AEW’s most ominous champion and its pluckiest fan-favorite. Hart showed incredible growth last year by ditching her cheerleader gimmick and giving in to House of Black’s sinister temptations. Her cult-like aesthetic perfectly contrasts Nightingale, one of the most likable personalities in the business. Nightingale is a force to be reckoned with inside the ring but she’s impossible to dislike. Her gravitating aura makes her a natural underdog even when she has the power advantage. At stake for the winner is the TBS title and a big showdown with Mone at AEW Double or Nothing on May 26. The match will be contested under House Rules, a stipulation unique to House of Black champions. There are 20-second count-outs instead of 10, disqualifications are enforced with no rope breaks. The most interesting rule is “Dealers Choice,” where the challenger gets to set one stipulation.
AEW International Championship — Roderick Strong (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly: Best friends meet with gold at stake. Strong and O’Reilly reached new heights alongside Adam Cole and Bobby Fish in the Undisputed Era. The group partially reunited in AEW; however, an injury suffered by O’Reilly got the ball rolling on the group falling apart. Cole and Strong later joined forces as The Undisputed Kingdom along with Matt Taven, Mike Bennett and Wardlow. O’Reilly’s surprise return at Revolution toyed with the premise of him joining or opposing the group. The decision was made for him at AEW Battle of the Belts X. O’Reilly tried intervening as Strong and The Kingdom attacked Rocky Romero, spurring Strong and company to lay out their former friend. O’Reilly pursues vengeance and his first AEW title on Sunday.
FTW Championship — Hook (c) vs. Chris Jericho (FTW Rules match): Hook is chopping down the learning tree. The FTW champ is not interested in Jericho’s unsolicited advice. The former AEW and WWE champion has been trying to mentor the young prospect for weeks despite Hook holding a win over the future Hall of Famer. Bubbling friction boiled over after Jericho physically shoved Hook’s dad, ECW legend Taz. Hook will defend the title that his father created in an FTW Rules match (no disqualifications) against Jericho.
Adam Copeland, Eddie Kingston and Mark Briscoe vs. House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King and Buddy Matthews): One of only two non-title matches on the show. Former AEW trios champions House of Black take on three of the promotion’s most hard-nosed athletes. The House’s issues with Adam Copeland are new as Malakai Black eyes Copeland’s TNT championship. The House of Black has a bad habit of making enemies. That equipped Copeland with plenty of reinforcements. Kingston and Briscoe rushed to Copeland’s side as they look to handle their own business with the trio.
*AEW Trios Championships and ROH Six-Man Tag Team Championships — The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) and Billy Gunn (c) vs. Bullet Club Gold (Jay White, Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn) (c): The Bang Bang Scissor Gang is no more. The supergroup aligned against common enemies in The Devil and his henchmen, later revealed to be Adam Cole and the Undisputed Kingdom. Conflicting principles meant the supergroup was always on borrowed time. Bullet Club Gold turned on The Acclaimed and “Daddy Ass” after butting heads over White’s assault on Allin. Their on-and-off rivalry culminates in a winner-take-all match for The Acclaimed’s AEW trios championships and Bullet Club Gold’s Ring of Honor six-man tag team titles.
*Takes place on the Zero Hour pre-show.
