{"id":126105,"date":"2024-07-30T07:00:51","date_gmt":"2024-07-30T11:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=126105"},"modified":"2024-07-30T04:30:02","modified_gmt":"2024-07-30T08:30:02","slug":"preview-aew-dynamite-7-31-24-bryan-danielson-speaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/07\/30\/preview-aew-dynamite-7-31-24-bryan-danielson-speaks\/","title":{"rendered":"Preview: AEW Dynamite (7\/31\/24) &#8211; Bryan Danielson Speaks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The biggest event of <strong>AEW<\/strong>\u2019s summer is approaching fast. We\u2019re only four <strong><em>Dynamites<\/em><\/strong> away from <strong><em>All In<\/em><\/strong> at Wembley Stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Five matches are already slated. Surely more will be made this Wednesday?<\/p>\n<p>Compared to this time last year, the build to <em>All In<\/em> feels huge with the focused creative that was lacking in 2023. However, a commonly repeated point of discussion online around AEW\u2019s World Championship picture is a sticking point.<\/p>\n<p>Many are hoping this Wednesday night will be a turning point. It could be argued that, just like how before <strong><em>Double or Nothing<\/em><\/strong>, fans were already looking past the World Championship match between <strong>Swerve Strickland<\/strong> and <strong>Christian Cage<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, many were waiting to see Strickland vs. <strong>Will Ospreay<\/strong> at <em>All In<\/em>. A similar feeling is present with the prospect of <strong>Bryan Danielson<\/strong> vs. Strickland.<\/p>\n<p>Although like Strickland vs. Cage, this match will likely prove to be an awesome spectacle, folks are looking ahead to Strickland vs. <strong>\u201cHangman\u201d Adam Page<\/strong>. It is being argued that this is the biggest world championship program in AEW right now.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s needed, now that Blood and Guts is over, is the sales pitch.<\/p>\n<p>If there is one man capable of selling such a story, it&#8217;s <strong>Bryan Danielson<\/strong>. News over the weekend that Danielson&#8217;s contract is up from August 1<sup>st<\/sup> and how Danielson has been told not to wrestle until <em>All In<\/em> has caught attention.<\/p>\n<p>Whether real or part of the narrative, Danielson on Wednesday needs to convince fans why the Wembley main event cannot be overlooked. Elsewhere, two matches with history have been announced. Plus <strong>Darby Allin<\/strong> vs. &#8220;Hangman&#8221; Adam Page.<\/p>\n<p>Another important women\u2019s segment will involve <strong>Mariah May<\/strong>. There is sure to be more follow-up post-Blood and Guts. More to follow after <strong>Kamille\u2019s<\/strong> debut last week.<\/p>\n<p>Five\u2026 Four\u2026 Three\u2026 Two\u2026 One\u2026<\/p>\n<h3>Announced Card Thus Far:<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Matches announced: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;Hangman&#8221; Adam Page vs. Darby Allin<\/li>\n<li>Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer<\/li>\n<li>CMLL World Women\u2019s Championship Eliminator: Willow Nightingale vs. Kris Statlander w\/ Stokely Hathaway<\/li>\n<li>The Conglomeration (Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy, Tomohiro Ishi) vs. The Beast Mortos, Roderick Strong and RUSH<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Other segments announce:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mariah May sit-down interview with Renee Young ahead of All In<\/li>\n<li>Bryan Danielson will speak live<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Speculation<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fall out from Blood and Guts<\/li>\n<li>More matches to be made for All In<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Women\u2019s Division Progression<\/h3>\n<p>For many fans, AEW\u2019s women\u2019s division has been a signpost of AEW\u2019s creative improvement in 2024. After several failed women\u2019s revolutions (a history you can read about <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/03\/20\/the-aew-womens-division-a-history-of-revolutions\/\" target=\"_self\">here<\/a>), AEW has learned from its biggest repeated mistakes.<\/p>\n<p>With three primary feuds on <em>Dynamite<\/em>, excluding <strong>Thunder Rosa<\/strong> vs. <strong>Deonna Purrazo<\/strong> on <em><strong>Collision<\/strong>, <\/em>will Wednesday\u2019s show result in a third women\u2019s match being added to <em>All In<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Kris Statlander<\/strong> takes on her former best friend and current <strong>CMLL<\/strong> World Women\u2019s Champion, <strong>Willow Nightingale<\/strong>, in their fourth singles encounter. This is eliminator rules meaning that, if Statlander beats Nightingale, she will receive a future title shot.<\/p>\n<p>Whether in London or Arena Mexico is unknown. That\u2019s assuming Statlander can get the victory to level their series at 2-2.<\/p>\n<p>With <strong>Stokely Hathaway<\/strong> in Statlander\u2019s corner, miscommunicating and mistiming cost her during the Owen Hart Tournament. Do the pair resolve these issues on Wednesday to ensure Statlander gets a title shot?<\/p>\n<p>Or does the Babe with the Power prevail again?<\/p>\n<p>Could Mariah May\u2019s sit-down interview with <strong>Renee Young<\/strong> find a new vein to bleed? Already a blood feud, I would not be surprised to see a stipulation added.<\/p>\n<p>Given <strong>Toni Storm <\/strong>promising the only way to put her down would be to cut her head off, is a traditional title match going to be enough to contain Storm and May?<\/p>\n<p>May believes she has proven she can be a better Storm than Storm herself. Young has been there from the start interviewing and watching (for the shoe!) the rise and formation of the Toni Storm character.<\/p>\n<p>Storm\u2019s evolution you can read a full analysis of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/05\/20\/how-aews-timeless-toni-storm-achieved-what-wwes-fiend-could-not\/\" target=\"_self\">here<\/a>. As the moral foil to May, there will likely be some probing questions and emotive answers.<\/p>\n<p>Whether things run smoothly also without interruption\u2026 we will see.<\/p>\n<h3>Gamble of the Night: Will Ospreay vs. Lance Archer<\/h3>\n<p>Everybody dies!<\/p>\n<p>For a few weeks, <strong>Lance Archer<\/strong> has been decimating local talents and throwing security and backstage staff around like a kaiju throwing tanks. Being cynical, this was leading to a big clash with someone.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, it was for Will \u201cby God\u201d Ospreay! Archer and Ospreay, like Statlander and Nightingale, have fought three times before.<\/p>\n<p>Each time in <strong>NJPW<\/strong>. Ospreay beat Archer in the New Japan Cup 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Archer defeated Ospreay in the G1 Climax 2019 in Dallas. Ospreay won the third match in Osaka last year in a tournament final<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, the two have already crossed paths in AEW. Most recently, the first Casino Gauntlet match in Jacksonville, Florida.<\/p>\n<p>Chemistry pre-exists. This isn\u2019t going to be the usual powerhouse giant vs. smaller, quicker but outsized opponent.<\/p>\n<p>Although the Murderhawk Monster is a powerhouse, Archer is also athletic. It will be interesting to see if, within the story of this match, the effects of 58 minutes with <strong>MJF<\/strong> will have a lasting impact on the Billy Goat.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of the new AEW American Champion, what exactly is the Salt of the Earth doing this week? Will MJF in some way become involved in this match?<\/p>\n<p>Or before or afterwards will MJF try to throw another problem at Ospreay? Just as MJF has done to countless other opponents?<\/p>\n<p>At worst, this could be a monster of the week for Ospreay to vanquish on the road to London. At best, another banger and impressive outing by a man looking to take back his championship in his home country?<\/p>\n<h3>Bryan Danielson Speaks<\/h3>\n<p>In many respects, Danielson\u2019s selflessness and openness with the wrestling media about not feeling like he needs to win the AEW World Championship has dampened expectations heading to <em>All In<\/em>. Danielson&#8217;s Owen Hart Cup tournament victory and subsequent title shot were well-received.<\/p>\n<p>I was extremely happy for Danielson to get the big win he has missed out on this year. Although it seems to some that Strickland retaining will be a foregone conclusion.<\/p>\n<p>Strickland is a champion plagued by criticism. Both from outside of AEW and some fans who want Strickland to be treated as a true world champion.<\/p>\n<p>I would argue Strickland, in his responses as a wrestler (in promos and answering back to the media), has shown differently. AEW has had to pivot to align his character with the audience\u2019s desires.<\/p>\n<p>Also while avoiding a mistake with previous champions like Page (which I\u2019ve written about <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/03\/06\/imminent-aew-world-championship-reign-swerve-strickland\/\" target=\"_self\">here<\/a>). Strickland proved to be the best by defeating Ospreay.<\/p>\n<p>The doubt is not on Strickland but on Danielson who, in the weeks since his victory over Page, has been in the background while <em>Blood and Guts<\/em> played out. When Danielson speaks to the crowd, his response is key for the meta investment of fans in the match, as well as in the storyline.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most beloved wrestlers in the fandom needs to find a way to draw fans into his journey. Yet, given Danielson\u2019s contract is expiring and his statement before that this was his final full-time wrestling contract, is this the end?<\/p>\n<p>Is this Danielson\u2019s final match? Will another stipulation be added?<\/p>\n<p>Or will Danielson tap into another aspect of fans\u2019 psyches that we have not considered?<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Looking for an AEW Deep Dive?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em>James has also written a series that takes a deep dive into\u00a0<\/em><strong>AEW<\/strong><em>\u2019s\u00a0short but impactful history. In part 1, James discussed how AEW changed the wrestling industry (<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/06\/02\/five-years-how-aew-changed-the-wrestling-industry\/\" target=\"_self\"><em>here<\/em><\/a><em>).\u00a0In Part 2, James discussed how\u00a0AEW\u2019s\u00a0continued existence benefits wrestlers and fans alike (<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/06\/03\/five-years-how-aew-changed-wrestling-for-everyone\/\" target=\"_self\">here<\/a><em>).<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Part 3 has\u00a0been divided\u00a0into two articles. One discusses the differences between in-ring action and storytelling (<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/06\/09\/aews-polarising-present-wrestling-nirvana-potholed-creative\/\" target=\"_self\">here<\/a><em>). The other excellent in-ring action is compensating for\u00a0wider\u00a0issues in AEW creative (<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/06\/14\/aews-polarising-present-the-limitations-of-where-the-best-wrestle\/\" target=\"_self\">here<\/a><em>). The final part will discuss\u00a0AEW\u2019s\u00a0future.\u00a0Including discussing\u00a0the problems that AEW faces\u00a0and\u00a0questions\u00a0<\/em><strong>Tony Khan<\/strong><em>\u00a0will have to address. In a bonus article, James evaluates the criticism levelled at the company on social media and podcasters as well as the company\u2019s response (<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/06\/17\/aews-polarising-present-aew-is-under-attack\/\" target=\"_self\"><em>here<\/em><\/a><em>). In the final upcoming part, James examines how for AEW\u2019s future <strong>Tony Khan<\/strong> can compete with\u00a0<\/em><strong><em>WWE<\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0beyond just in the ring (<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/07\/02\/aews-future-who-aew-needs-to-compete-with-wwe-on-all-levels\/\" target=\"_self\">here<\/a><em>).\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<p><em>Header photo \u2013\u00a0AEW\u00a0\u2013 Stay tun<\/em><em>ed to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-auth=\"NotApplicable\" data-linkindex=\"1\" target=\"_self\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for 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.\u00a0 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\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@AEW\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The biggest event of AEW\u2019s summer is approaching fast. We\u2019re only four Dynamites away from All In at Wembley Stadium. Five matches are already slated. Surely more will be made this Wednesday? Compared to this time last year, the build to All In feels huge with the focused creative that was lacking in 2023. However, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4960,"featured_media":126125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4677,2192],"tags":[4133,5730,1634,4634,1193,8737,8520,101,3625],"class_list":["post-126105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-wrestling","tag-aew","tag-aew-dynamite","tag-bryan-danielson","tag-kris-statlander","tag-lance-archer","tag-mariah-may","tag-swerve-strickland","tag-will-ospreay","tag-willow-nightingale"],"modified_by":"Chinyere Okafor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4960"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126105"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126105\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}