{"id":129403,"date":"2025-01-06T10:36:44","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T15:36:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=129403"},"modified":"2025-01-08T04:17:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T09:17:45","slug":"preview-aew-dynamite-1-8-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/01\/06\/preview-aew-dynamite-1-8-25\/","title":{"rendered":"Preview: AEW Dynamite (1\/8\/25) &#8211; Kenny Omega Returns!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, following Wrestle Dynasty in Japan and a triumphant return to the ring, many folks are interested in one man. Kenny \u201cby God\u201d Omega returns! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">After a <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2023\/12\/17\/kenny-omega-out-indefinitely-diverticulitis\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">life and career-threatening battle with diverticulitis<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, Omega proved against Gabe Kidd why he is The Best Bout Machine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There will likely be more fallout from Wrestle Dynasty given Mercedes Mone, Konosuke Takeshita, and The Young Bucks all walked away with more gold. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The EVPs, Matthew, and Nicholas Jackson, hinted their time \u201cworking from home\u201d will soon be over after their IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championship victory\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Come Wednesday night, plenty of us are going to lose control.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">WEDNESDAY!<\/p>\n<p>An EXPLOSIVE <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AEWDynamite?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AEWDynamite<\/a> is taking shape as we welcome back <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KennyOmegamanX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@KennyOmegamanX<\/a> to Wednesday Nights, determine a new challenger for Jon Moxley\u2019s AEW World Championship and much more WEDNESDAY from Clarksville, TN on <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TBSNetwork?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@TBSNetwork<\/a> &amp; <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SportsonMax?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@SportsOnMax<\/a> starting at 8pm ET\/7pm CT! <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lCNsTl8ZCN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/lCNsTl8ZCN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AEW\/status\/1876267480764596449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 6, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Announced Card for AEW Dynamite: <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Matches announced: <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Casino Gauntlet: <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">winner<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> gets a world title shot at Maximum Carnage.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Segments announced:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">MJF appears live.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Kenny Omega returns.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jeff Jarrett appears live.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>3-way for the #1 spot in the Women\u2019s Casino Gauntlet at Maximum Carnage: Kris Statlander vs. Toni Storm vs. Willow Nightingale<\/li>\n<li>Mark Briscoe vs. Bobby Lashley<\/li>\n<li>Buddy Matthews vs. Will Ospreay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>The Casino Gauntlet Match <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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 <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/08\/26\/aews-all-in-the-legacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">All In\u2019s legacy<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Yet the fourth, the tag team version, fell flat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Will this fifth match in less than twelve months add or subtract to the match\u2019s legacy?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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\u2019s feet? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland also in contention, will Ricochet be an entrant or interferent? Could Roderick Strong, <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/12\/28\/overlooked-wrestlers-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">one of the most overlooked wrestlers of 2024<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, come away with the surprise victory?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There are high hopes for lots of unpredictability. Could Will Ospreay enter and make it four out of four Casino Gauntlet victories? Does Jeff <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Jarrett<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> guitar <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">shot<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> his way to a golden opportunity? Could a former WWE or NJPW star make a surprise appearance?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Kenny Omega\u2019s Return <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The last time we saw Kenny Omega on AEW Dynamite was May 1st. <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/04\/25\/the-corporate-elite-is-the-aew-faction-whats-best-for-business\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Elite<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> were remorseless in beating and inflicting blunt force trauma to their former friend before surgery. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Like the last time Kenny Omega returned from injury, many fans don\u2019t want to be toyed with. They don\u2019t want to see Omega slip into the role of team-mate. Or fall back into the melodrama of The Elite saga. <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2023\/12\/18\/2023-aew-the-elite\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">That in 2023, in part, left a \u201cputrid\u201d taste in fans&#8217; mouths<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Like Omega\u2019s 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? <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">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 <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">comeback<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. Yet the question needs an answer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Who\u2019s first?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/h3>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-50\">\n<p><em>Header photo \u2013 AEW \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>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4960,"featured_media":129407,"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":[4677,6,2192],"tags":[5730,9117,181,386,8520],"class_list":["post-129403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aew","category-north-america","category-wrestling","tag-aew-dynamite","tag-casino-gauntlet-match","tag-jay-white","tag-kenny-omega","tag-swerve-strickland"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129403","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=129403"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129485,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129403\/revisions\/129485"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}