AEW Dynamite preview (May 10, 2023): The apex of pro wrestling?

Dynamite airs tonight (May 10) with a live show from Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan. There are more than two weeks to go until AEW’s next pay-per-view on the calendar, Double or Nothing, which is scheduled for May 28.

Is Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley the apex of pro wrestling?

Tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite has been hyped up as a pay-per-view level card, largely due to the main event; Kenny Omega takes on Jon Moxley in a steel cage match.

Omega vs. Mox is a match that has headlined multiple AEW pay-per-views in the past. Their last such bout was an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch at Revolution 2021 that was ruined by a dud sparkler detonation at the end. There are no explosions or bombs advertised for tonight, thankfully, so there’s a pretty good chance that this will be one of the best Dynamite matches of the year.

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Moxley said the ongoing feud between The Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club is the best thing in wrestling:

“The BCC vs. The Elite, this rivalry is the absolute apex of professional wrestling right now. We’re going to have a great crowd and we have the steel cage. It’s got all the ingredients for a really memorable night.”

Calling this feud the apex of pro wrestling is hyperbole, but unlike MJF’s current world championship story, this one actually does feel right at home in the main event. Bryan Danielson’s promos about all the amateurs in AEW have been great, the screwdriver attacks on the likes of Hangman Page and Konosuke Takeshita have made it clear that these men are trying to maim each other, and now it’s up to Moxley and Omega to deliver a disturbing level of violence in the ring and wipe out the memories of the dud finish from two years ago.

One thing I can say for sure about this match is that there will be blood, and a lot of it. What’s not quite so clear is how this fight leads to an even bigger match at Double or Nothing. Will the finish here break down into more faction warfare that can only be settled with Anarchy in the Arena on PPV?

The rest of tonight’s lineup

House of Black will defend the AEW world trios titles tonight against Bandido and the Best Friends. This will be an Open House match. Black recently tried to explain the rules for this new match type, but it was somewhat confusing. It looks like the babyfaces are here to do the job and establish what we can expect from this kind of match going forward, as these are the rules that House of Black plans to use for all their title defenses going forward. I think.

Orange Cassidy recently decided to assist Adam Cole in his feud with Jericho Appreciation Society, leading to tonight’s AEW International championship match between Freshly Squeezed and Daniel Garcia. I don’t expect that Cassidy’s singles winning streak will come to an end at Garcia’s hands, but AEW does occasionally give Garcia significant wins, so you never know.

After weeks of animosity, Anna Jay and Julia Hart look to settle their issues tonight in a No Holds Barred match. We’ve seen Jay unleash hardcore violence before in a street fight, so now it’s time for Hart to show that she can match that level of brutality.

Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal have challenged FTR for the AEW world tag team titles at Double or Nothing. Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood will give their response tonight. The champs are babyfaces, so they will almost certainly accept the fight. But will the heels continue using Mark Briscoe to get over on FTR?

We’ll also hear from Christian Cage, who is back in AEW with Luchasaurus and wants to win the TNT championship from Wardlow. Is Arn Anderson’s presence enough to neutralize Luchasaurus, or does Wardlow need a new friend to offset the numbers disadvantage against two other wrestlers?

Ring of Honor content comes back to AEW programming tonight. ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli goes one-on-one with ROH World Tag Team Champion Rey Fenix in a Double Jeopardy match. The winner earns a future title shot against the loser. This match should be great.

Other stuff to keep an eye on

- AEW World Champion MJF tried to manipulate things so that Sammy Guevara would lay down for him in a world title match at Double or Nothing. That plan blew up in MJF’s face last week when his partnership with Sammy disintegrated on the way to losing a tag team match against Darby Allin and Jungle Boy. The champ is irate because he now has to defend the title in a four way match against all three of these men at Double or Nothing. What will MJF have to say about this turn of events? And was Darby Allin trying to hit Jungle Boy with that Coffin Drop at the end of the match?

- After a recent ambush from Adam Cole, Chris Jericho would rather hide in his dressing room than risk another attack. He wants to make sure that Cole is not allowed in the same building with him going forward.

- After The Acclaimed and Daddy Ass won a trios Battle Royal last week, do they plan to go after the trios titles at Double or Nothing?

- Hikaru Shida returned to AEW last week and duped The Outcasts into believing that she was on their side. She quickly turned on them and beat the crap out of them a kendo stick. Shida now finds herself aligned with Britt Baker and AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter in this war against Ruby Soho, Toni Storm, and Saraya.

- Ricky Starks picked up a win over Juice Robinson, but Bullet Club Gold ran away to live another day. What does Jay White have in mind for retaliation?

- The Firm was deleted at the Hardy Compound last week. Does this mean the group is gone for good, or was it just a minor setback? Can The Hardys now focus on getting back into the AEW tag team scene?

- TBS Champion Jade Cargill remains undefeated at 57-0. Her biggest rival, Taya Valkyrie, was suspended last week, but she’ll probably be reinstated in time for a rematch at Double or Nothing. Otherwise there might be nobody for Jade to face at Double or Nothing, given the steady stream of jobbers that AEW puts in front of her.

- It looks like the next match in the rivalry between Dustin Rhodes & Keith Lee vs. Swerve Strickland & The Embassy will take place next week in Texas.

- Where the f*** is Miro?

What will you be looking for on Dynamite?