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From Darby Allin's TNT Championship match to Mike Tyson's appearance, this week's edition of AEW Dynamite featured many contrasting moments.
The latest episode of Dynamite went head-to-head against night one of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver. Despite the competition, AEW delivered a pretty enjoyable show, which got better in the latter half of its two-hour timeslot.
For the last time in the Wednesday Night Wars, we must ask — how did NXT fare against AEW in terms of quality this week? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Here are the five biggest news stories from this week's AEW Dynamite (April 7, 2021).
#5 Sting gave a surprising response to his potential rival on AEW Dynamite
Tony Schiavone got another opportunity to interview Sting this week. However, the segment was once again interrupted by Jake Roberts and Lance Archer.
Archer remained frustrated over the fact that he did not have a proper top spot in AEW. The MurderHawk Monster has been in and out of the TNT and AEW title picture throughout the pandemic. But it seems like Archer has reached his breaking point at the moment.
Sting, however, fully agreed with everything Roberts and Archer have said to him in recent memory:
“I’m in full agreement with you. You’re [Lance Archer] a main event guy. I think you need to help him, Jake [Roberts]. Help him channel all this energy. Make it ‘showtime.’ You got it in you. Now go do it.”
Also during this segment, Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky watched the drama unfold from the bleachers. They laughed at the turn of events that transpired between Sting and Archer.
Through their recent encounters, Sting and Archer were initially teased as future opponents. But they somewhat seem to be on the same page at the moment.
The camera randomly panned over to Page and Sky this week, leading one to guess that Sting and Archer will team up against the duo at some point in time.
Additionally, Sting helped out Darby Allin during the latter's TNT Championship match against JD Drake. The challenger, Drake, looked impressive with his relatively unorthodox in-ring style compared to the rest of the roster.
In the end, Allin successfully retained his title, but not without some post-match shenanigans involving The Hardy Family Office.
With so many factors in mind, Sting has several options for his second-ever match in AEW. Most of these potential directions will likely result in tag team-related outcomes.
#4 Christian Cage received a unique offer from Team Taz on AEW Dynamite
Following his successful AEW in-ring debut against Frankie Kazarian, Christian Cage was interviewed in a backstage segment. During the interview, Taz interrupted Christian and offered an interesting deal.
Christian has the opportunity to join Team Taz and help out its members — Ricky Starks, Will Hobbs, Hook, and Brian Cage. The veteran could impart some beneficial knowledge to the faction.
In return, members of Team Taz will back up Christian in any situation.
Christian hasn't decided on the offer yet, but it's unlikely he will partner up with a heel faction anytime soon. However, the most interesting mystery here is Brian Cage's future with Team Taz.
AEW continues to hint towards his potential split from the faction, despite how much Taz wants to convey that all is well. If Christian does not accept Taz's offer, he could be the catalyst behind Brian Cage's eventual split from the group.
Brian and Christian Cage could even partner up in the long run, and it's just an amusing coincidence that both stars go by the same surname in AEW.
#3 Mike Tyson saved Chris Jericho from The Pinnacle's wrath on AEW Dynamite
Chris Jericho made his and The Inner Circle's intentions known during this week's AEW Dynamite. Jericho revealed how the main purpose of MJF's inclusion in their faction was to keep him under the thumb.
Jericho called out MJF's false desire to overshadow the former's legacy in professional wrestling:
"The problem is you don’t want to wait, MJF. You want to be better than the G.O.A.T. Chris Jericho now. You’re not as good as you think you are Max. I see you listening to the critics and the fans online. We call that being a mark. You’ll never be better than Chris Jericho and you know it. That’s causing your brain to ferment and to sour."
Jericho also shared a major announcement. The Inner Circle has officially challenged The Pinnacle to a Blood & Guts match on the May 5th edition of AEW Dynamite.
Later in the episode, The Pinnacle retaliated with a beatdown on Jericho. The Inner Circle's members were locked inside their room and it took a while for them to break out.
Meanwhile, boxing legend Iron Mike Tyson made his scheduled appearance on AEW Dynamite as he arrived at Jericho's rescue. Tyson hit Shawn Spears with a series of body shots and The Pinnacle immediately retreated.
Mike Tyson and Chris Jericho formed an alliance on AEW Dynamite, although the reason behind the boxing legend's actions remains unclear. After all, these two weren't the best of friends the last time they came face-to-face against each other.
Next week, Jericho will face The Pinnacle's Dax Harwood, and Tyson will act as the special ringside enforcer. There is a chance that Tyson could be working with MJF all along, so it should be interesting to see what happens next in this war between two factions.
#2 Hikaru Shida helped her potential future challenger to win on AEW Dynamite
The Dark Order and Hardy Family Office's recent feud led to a one-on-one match between Tay Conti and The Bunny on AEW Dynamite.
In the AEW women's division, The Bunny hasn't been given her own spotlight compared to the rest of the roster. After all, she has primarily acted as The Butcher and The Blade's manager/valet. But this week, she put on one of her best bouts in AEW against Conti.
With The Hardy Family Office and The Dark Order near ringside, some unfair interruptions were bound to take place. However, AEW Women's Champion Hikaru Shida supported Conti during the match and ensured that the latter would have a fair chance against The Bunny.
Shida's involvement towards the end of the match allowed Conti to pick up the victory. Although these two women are babyfaces, they will likely wrestle each other soon.
After all, Tay Conti is the top-ranked contender for the AEW Women's Championship at the moment. But the Brazilian star may have to face another roadblock in the form of Dr. Britt Baker.
Baker was featured in a short interview during AEW Dynamite, where she shunned AEW's ranking system and advocated for her position as the top contender based on overall popularity.
Who do you think will be the next challenger for Hikaru Shida's AEW Women's Championship?
#1 The Young Bucks betrayed Jon Moxley to reunite with Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers on AEW Dynamite
During the main event of this week's AEW Dynamite, Jon Moxley teamed up with The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) to wrestle Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson).
The Young Bucks haven't had a clear creative direction in recent times. Matt and Nick Jackson broke away from Omega not too long ago, but they quickly reunited during this week's show. This isn't the first time Matt and Nick have been included in on-and-off alliances in AEW.
Towards the end of the main event, The Young Bucks couldn't bring themselves to finish off Omega in the ring. A frustrated Moxley took the matter into his own hands and went for the finish. However, The Young Bucks super-kicked Moxley and allowed the opposing team to win.
After the match, The Good Brothers and Kenny Omega tested Matt and Nick Jackson's loyalty by asking them to superkick a defenseless Moxley. The Young Bucks surprisingly went ahead with the plan, as the show ended with a group hug, a reunion, and a wave of "you sold out" chants.
Although this was an explosive ending to the show, let's hope that The Young Bucks will stick to their current direction on AEW Dynamite. The odds are now completely stacked against Moxley and Eddie Kingston.
Do you think any other tag team will stand alongside Moxley and Kingston over the next few weeks? Can Matt Jackson truly coexist with Don Callis? These questions encourage viewers to stay tuned for the eventual payoff to this saga on AEW Dynamite.
In the video embedded above, do check out Sportskeeda Wrestling's 'The Debrief.' Jose G and Rico 'El Glorioso' were joined by a special guest this week to review the final Wednesday of AEW and NXT's Wednesday Night Wars.
