Hardly two weeks into 2025 and already the possibilities for the first quarter of the year look enticing. Week one saw teased splits, blood, and big statements made. This week on AEW Dynamite, the Casino Gauntlet match returns. The winner gets a world championship shot at Maximum Carnage next week.
However, following Wrestle Dynasty in Japan and a triumphant return to the ring, many folks are interested in one man. Kenny “by God” Omega returns!
After a life and career-threatening battle with diverticulitis, Omega proved against Gabe Kidd why he is The Best Bout Machine.
There will likely be more fallout from Wrestle Dynasty given Mercedes Mone, Konosuke Takeshita, and The Young Bucks all walked away with more gold.
The EVPs, Matthew, and Nicholas Jackson, hinted their time “working from home” will soon be over after their IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship victory…
Come Wednesday night, plenty of us are going to lose control.
WEDNESDAY!
An EXPLOSIVE #AEWDynamite is taking shape as we welcome back @KennyOmegamanX to Wednesday Nights, determine a new challenger for Jon Moxley’s AEW World Championship and much more WEDNESDAY from Clarksville, TN on @TBSNetwork & @SportsOnMax starting at 8pm ET/7pm CT! pic.twitter.com/lCNsTl8ZCN
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) January 6, 2025
Announced Card for AEW Dynamite:
Matches announced:
- Casino Gauntlet: winner gets a world title shot at Maximum Carnage.
Segments announced:
- MJF appears live.
- Kenny Omega returns.
- Jeff Jarrett appears live.
- 3-way for the #1 spot in the Women’s Casino Gauntlet at Maximum Carnage: Kris Statlander vs. Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale
- Mark Briscoe vs. Bobby Lashley
- Buddy Matthews vs. Will Ospreay
The Casino Gauntlet Match
Wednesday will see the fifth casino gauntlet match unfold. Already, within one year of its inception, AEW has relied upon this stipulation four times to generate excitement and buzz. The first one was intriguing. AEW had finally found their version of the Royal Rumble after several attempts. The second was near perfection.
A high point in a muddled creative patch. The third at All In with its surprises and twists made me and others cry. The match helped cement All In’s legacy. Yet the fourth, the tag team version, fell flat.
Will this fifth match in less than twelve months add or subtract to the match’s legacy?
Jay White starts at number one with the advantage. Could The Switchblade efficiently grab the early win or later on steal the match from underneath someone else’s feet?
With former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland also in contention, will Ricochet be an entrant or interferent? Could Roderick Strong, one of the most overlooked wrestlers of 2024, come away with the surprise victory?
There are high hopes for lots of unpredictability. Could Will Ospreay enter and make it four out of four Casino Gauntlet victories? Does Jeff Jarrett guitar shot his way to a golden opportunity? Could a former WWE or NJPW star make a surprise appearance?
Kenny Omega’s Return
The last time we saw Kenny Omega on AEW Dynamite was May 1st. The Elite were remorseless in beating and inflicting blunt force trauma to their former friend before surgery.
Like the last time Kenny Omega returned from injury, many fans don’t want to be toyed with. They don’t want to see Omega slip into the role of team-mate. Or fall back into the melodrama of The Elite saga. That in 2023, in part, left a “putrid” taste in fans’ mouths.
Like Omega’s last return, we saw the potential in Japan. AEW is under attack by The Death Riders. Is Kenny Omega going to reignite his feud with his legacy rival, Jon Moxley?
Run the gauntlet against Claudio Castagnoli and PAC? Or does Omega turn his attention to Kazuchika Okada? Not waiting until All In Texas for their rematch. Maybe Kyle Fletcher or The Don Callis Family have an unfinished point to prove?
Sooner rather than later, fans are desperate to see Omega return to the AEW ring. Omega will speak and capture our hearts, talk through his suffering, and comeback. Yet the question needs an answer.
Who’s first?
More From LWOS Pro Wrestling
Header photo – AEW – Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. As well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night. AEW Collision airs Saturday at 8pm Eastern on TNT. More AEW content available on their YouTube.
