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Tonight, AEW will host its final episode of Dynamite this year, which will also mark an end to the flagship show's stint with the TNT network. Welcome to this week's preview of the New Year's Smash edition of AEW Dynamite.
The special episode will emanate from Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida. After finally cracking the one million viewership mark for last week's Holiday Bash, AEW will be laser-focused in carrying the momentum heading into tonight's show.
Tony Khan has lined up an intriguing match card, including the return of Jim Ross to the commentary booth. With multiple trios and high-stakes matches set to go down tonight, the AEW universe will surely be in for a treat.
Now without further ado, let's get down to what the company has in store for us.
#5 Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, and Bobby Fish vs. Orange Cassidy and Best Friends on AEW Dynamite
Tonight, it will be déjà vu for wrestling fans who've closely followed Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, and Kyle O'Reilly holding the fort during their days on NXT. The former Undisputed Era faction will return to action on Wednesday night as they take on Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, and Trent in a trios match.
Last week, O'Reilly stunned the AEW universe after he unexpectedly showed up to assist Cole in defeating Cassidy in a singles bout. Surprisingly, The Young Bucks didn't look too pleased seeing Cole's 'Christmas' present in the form of the Violent Artist.
The intense staredown between the Jackson brothers and Cole was a sight to behold as they may have seemingly planted the seeds for a potential showdown pitting The Elite against the former Undisputed Era. It will be interesting to see how The Young Bucks react tonight.
#4 What's next for the new AEW TNT Champion Cody Rhodes?
Cody Rhodes clawed his way back to the top of the men's division last week when he dethroned Sammy Guevara to win the TNT Championship for the third time in his career.
What went down during the post-match angle may have shed light on his first challenger. Taz's son, Hook, came out during Cody's celebratory moment and slapped him right in the face.
Tony Khan even hinted at a match between the two men somewhere down the road. But as the saying goes, strike while the iron is hot.
Hook is super over with the AEW universe right now. If the company propels the rising star to confront Cody this week to initiate a program for the TNT title, it will generate ample buzz on social media.
#3 Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz vs. Daniel Garcia, Jeff Parker, and Matt Lee on AEW Dynamite
Another trios match pitting Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz against Daniel Garcia and 2point0 will go down on AEW Dynamite tonight.
Both teams have been entangled in a heated rivalry for quite some time now. Initially, Chris Jericho was included in the mix, but Garcia and his men ambushed the veteran and put him on the sidelines. In hindsight, the entire angle served the purpose of taking Jericho off television since the Demo God had to visit the U.K. for a concert with his Fozzy band.
Unfortunately, he was admitted to the hospital, citing non-COVID-related and treatable health issues. But Jericho was discharged shortly after the check-up.
With Fozzy's U.K. tour possibly being wrapped up, the veteran could be eligible to return to AEW programming as soon as this week. Whether or not he shows up tonight, one can expect to see an action-filled trios match.
#2 Thunder Rosa vs. Jade Cargill: TBS Women's Championship tournament semi-finals
After weeks of confrontations and brawls, Thunder Rosa and Jade Cargill will finally go up against each other during the semi-finals of the TBS title tournament on AEW Dynamite.
It is worth noting that Cargill is still undefeated in the women's division and is likely the favorite heading into her match tonight. Meanwhile, one cannot completely rule out Rosa's experience in high-stakes bouts. Given both women's brawler wrestling styles, one can expect a hard-hitting contest between the two.
#1 MJF and CM Punk could resume their feud on AEW
Dynamite this week
MJF will be riding high on taking revenge tonight after he suffered a massive loss during the trios match against CM Punk, Sting, and Darby Allin last week.
Punk and Friedman have done a successful job thus far in generating hype for their inevitable first-time-ever clash. It is still unknown when both men are supposed to face off, but the company will likely put them together in another intense segment.
Will MJF come up with a ploy tonight to dismantle Punk? We'll have to wait and find out.
