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AEW Dynamite Second Anniversary Show was touted as a big one for the company, and the episode played out like one. Nearly every top star was involved in some form.
A new TBS Championship was introduced for the women's division, while a new contender for Kenny Omega's AEW World Championship was crowned. CM Punk picked out another young star to battle against, and Serena Deeb made her long-awaited return to the squared circle.
A host of UFC stars appeared to prolong their feud with the Inner Circle. A former Undisputed Era member debuted on AEW as Sammy Guevara began his TNT Championship reign with a strong title defense.
With so much going on, let's look at what All Elite Wrestling told us subtly.
#5. Hangman Adam Page's journey to the AEW World Championship never halted
Many were worried about Hangman Adam Page getting lost in the shuffle after AEW signed megastars like CM Punk and Bryan Danielson. Big stars like them are, after all, made for holding the biggest titles.
During Dynamite, however, the Millennial Cowboy walked out to a thunderous ovation. He entered the Casino Ladder Match as the Joker to discard all competition and ascend the ladder to grab the giant poker chip.
The extraordinary ladder match featured many of the biggest names in AEW like PAC, Jon Moxley, Orange Cassidy, Lance Archer, Andrade El Idolo, and Matt Hardy. The stars are an intimidating set of opponents for any match, but the former Elite member triumphed over them and re-established himself as one of the top babyfaces.
Adam Page is the number one contender once again, proving the ship had never sailed on his potential crowning moment. The match against Kenny Omega will probably happen at Full Gear, and the pop from the crowd if/when Page wins the title would be deafening.
#4. CM Punk stays true to his promise of fighting every young talent in AEW
CM Punk has wrestled two matches in AEW, one against Darby Allin and the other against Powerhouse Hobbs. Although the Second City Saint won both, his opponents gained more experience, and that's what CM Punk said he was going to do.
It's no secret that the former WWE Champion lost his desire for in-ring competition. However, the prospect of squaring off against some of the most talented young men in AEW was one of the reasons he decided to join the company.
CM Punk will face Daniel Garcia at AEW Rampage to continue the trend, and like his previous two opponents, the ultra-talented Red Death will come out of the match as a bigger star than he was going into it.
#3. AEW intends to capitalize on UFC star power
This week on Dynamite, Dan Lambert, Paige VanZant, Junior Dos Santos, and the Men of the Year attacked Sammy Guevara before Chris Jericho, and Jake Hager cleared the ring.
Lambert challenged the Inner Circle to a 6-man tag team match against Men of the Year, Junior Dos Santos and Jorge Masvidal at ringside.
Masvidal and Dos Santos are former UFC champions and will add more eyes to AEW. It remains to be seen if any of them will get the #AllElite banner, but the promotion is keen to work with the MMA stars.
#2. Serena Deeb looks on course to be a top heel in AEW
Serena Deeb is unarguably the best female worker in AEW and one of the finest in-ring technicians in the world. Dean Malenko once called her 'the woman of 1000 holds.'
The former WWE Superstar made her in-ring return to AEW, squaring off against former AEW women's champion Hikaru Shida. As expected, the two women put on a great show, with Deeb picking up the win. Interestingly, the former NWA Women's Champion worked as the heel in the match, using various tactics to win.
Deeb even attacked Shida after the match with the trophy and ruined what would've been a massive night for the Japanese star as the win would've been her 50th win in AEW.
Serena Deeb will be a heel and will immediately become a top contender for the TBS Championship.
#1. The AEW women's division is thriving
People can no longer complain about the women's division in AEW. While the criticisms were valid for a long time, the company has taken strong steps in ensuring that women are a big part of their weekly broadcast.
Ruby Soho and Britt Baker main evented at Arthur Ashe Stadium in a show that featured Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega. Thunder Rosa, Nyla Rose, and Jade Cargill had a great triple threat match on Rampage, and now there's a secondary women's title in the company.
Mid-card feuds like TayJay vs. Bunny and Penelope Ford have been built over the weeks, and now we have Serena Deeb back in the ring. It's incredible to see the spotlight on the brilliant talent in the women's division.
