AEW Dynamite Preview (June 3, 2020): Protect Your Gold

Tonight (June 3) All Elite Wrestling comes our way live from a closed set in Jacksonville, Florida. Last week, FTR came to the rescue, Britt Baker became a conspiracy theorist, Cody promised to be a fighting champion & Jericho renewed his long forgotten feud with Mike Tyson.

Advertised for tonight:

• Hangman Page & Kenny Omega vs. Kip Sabian & Jimmy Havoc for the AEW Tag Team Championship
• Cody vs. Jungle Boy for the TNT championship
• Chris Jericho vs. Colt Cabana
• Nyla Rose vs. Big Swole
• FTR talk to Tony Schiavone
• Brian Cage in action

Here are five questions about AEW tonight:

1) Who walks out the AEW tag team champions?

While Sabian and Havoc have proven to be an effective, if dastardly, tag team there is no way that they are walking out of Dynamite the tag team champions. Even though Hangman & Omega haven’t quite figured out how the whole friendship thing works, they have proven themselves to be a formidable tag team. Plus, if anyone is going to take the gold away from them it’s going to be The Best Friends. The Best Friends have been dominating the tag scene in the absence of Omega & Hangman. That’s the real feud we’re waiting for. Sabian & Havoc are just a stepping stone.

2) Will AEW address the current political climate?

Unlike other organizations, AEW openly addressed the corona virus pandemic. They addressed it on TV with Cody giving an impassioned speech and have regularly updated their viewers on the health of the wrestlers and the steps they have taken to ensure everyone’s safety.

After the tragic and completely avoidable death of George Floyd by the police many in our nation have taken to the streets and to social media to call for true systematic change in our fundamentally broken nation. Many companies, including WWE, released statements regarding said political climate and while WWE’s statement was laughable and clearly more of a response to mounting pressure to say something rather than to actually enact systematic change in their organization AEW has the chance as a young company that is still figuring things out to build an organization that openly denounces racism and puts into place systems to make that policy not just prattle. While AEW is not perfect and there are some on their staff with less than desirable opinions (looking at you Jericho) they have proven time and again that they are trying to be an open, exclusive organization.

How they respond to what is happening all across our nation tonight it will not only be interesting, but very telling.

3) What does FTR have to say?

FTR crashed the party last week when they showed up to Dynamite unannounced and then temporarily teamed up with The Young Bucks, their long-time internet rivals. It’s no real surprise to see FTR in AEW, but it was certainly a surprise to see them act, at least moderately, like baby faces. While FTR never really got over in WWE they have done an excellent job of getting themselves over on the internet and making themselves a hot commodity post their release. There have been conflicted reports about their name choice, their wrestling destination, and their future but tonight we hear from FTR themselves. Will it be along the same tired line as “no flips. just fists” or will we learn something new about AEW’s newest tag team?

4) Will Colt Cabana #JoinDarkOrder?

Colt Cabana got duped and dumped out of the ring during last week’s battle royal. After his feet hit the floor he was uncharacteristically visibly upset. A member of The Dark Order handed a recruitment flyer and much to my surprise Cabana didn’t immediately crumple it and toss it in the trash. He seemed to be contemplating it!

Tonight he faces Jericho, and while Le Champion will certainly be distracted by his feud with Mike Tyson it is likely that Jericho will still best the Chicago native. Leaving Cabana with another L to add to his record.

We’re used to seeing Cabana be silly, jovial and an all around delight, but could a darker, more devious Colt be around the corner? While it would certainly be out of character for Cabana to join a cult like Dark Order it would be an interesting twist to his well established personality and, frankly, Dark Order needs some star power. Brodie Lee & Colt Cabana would make a hell of a good cop/bad cop partnership!

5) Who’s Swole??

BIG SWOLE.

Tune into AEW on TNT at 8 ET tonight to see if we get any answers to these questions!