It’s surprising looking back at last night’s AEW Dynamite as to why Tony Khan didn’t try branding this show. A few weeks back we got Maximum Carnage. We got a New Year’s Smash on New Years Eve, as well as Christmas Collision, Dynamite on 34th Street, Holiday Bash, and Winter is Coming all in December.
The reason I say it’s a surprise because this might be the first time since the New York Grand Slam’s that Grand Slam Sydney felt like a pay per view on live TV, and this week’s Dynamite felt connected to it. Last night’s card reminded me of Lucha Underground’s Ultima Lucha, their final shows of the season broken across multiple shows. This felt like part one Grand Slam with part two in Sydney, Australia.
We got two title matches (with two title changes), a number one contenders match, and almost every star in AEW featured on it either in matches or promos. The only person conspicuously missing was Brody King, and allegedly that’s due to WBD afraid he was going to encourage more FUCK ICE chants. Even then, he was well represented by Kenny Omega calling him the real Most Dangerous Man.
Next week we get an AEW Men’s World Championship match, a Men’s Number One Contenders match, a ladder match for the TNT Championship, an AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship, a mixed tag team match with hair stipulation, and an AEW Continental Championship match. Stacked card.
This week was about setting it up and also providing a major show on U.S. soil before the Grand Slam show, and it felt big.
I feel like Tony Khan is finally getting a better handle on the emotions of his fanbase. Too much heel heat, too much nostalgia, too many letdowns for babyfaces without something in between? The fans get restless. By spreading out these title changes and allow there to be balance in the stories has allowed them to do something like two heel title changes on the same weekly show before a major show and weeks prior to Revolution in March.
Psycho Killed
It was a surprise for Tommaso Ciampa to basically walk in and win the AEW TNT Championship and it put a lot of people in an uncomfortable spot on what that could mean for All Elite Wrestling going forward. Was this AEW once again just opening up to the nostalgia of another promotion instead of respecting the history they have built themselves? Would Ciampa be another former WWE guy walking in to be a big star in AEW over AEW’s personally built roster?
Ciampa was able to beat his old friend Mark Briscoe for the championship, and defended against two ROH alumni in Claudio Castagnoli and Roderick Strong, but once he went up against a young star like Kyle Fletcher? That magic only got him so far. Kyle Fletcher once again proved that sometimes it’s not about chemistry. Sometimes you’re just good against everyone, and everyone is good against you. You elevate everything.
Ciampa proved he could hang in All Elite Wrestling, but hanging doesn’t mean you get beyond a force of nature like Kyle Fletcher. The Protostar shouldn’t be losing to a former WWE guy coming in and he didn’t. This wasn’t a Hurt Syndicate redux. Good on Ciampa for knowing his place in AEW as well.
For some this is a step back for Fletcher but I’m willing to wait and see how this new TNT run goes beyond Sydney, Australia. Kyle Fletcher absolutely should be elevated to the main event scene before this year ends, but I’m good with him having another TNT run. I wanted him to diversify a bit and maybe win the International Championship in a three way against Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada at Revolution but this works too.
I’m not sure where Tommaso Ciampa fits after this. Honestly he’s in a very good position. AEW has a fresh babyface they can put up against their heel champions like Okada (and later MJF), or build a challenge against Jon Moxley who (again) walks the line of heel and babyface. You can do either title match at Revolution and it’ll feel big and important.
The most important part of this? The TNT Championship once again feels like a television title again. The kind of belt you don’t hold forever. It’s a time bomb. It can go off at any time and lead to a new champion. That energy and excitement that Darby Allin added to it years ago is finally coming back. I hope Fletcher continues it on his second reign.
Toxic Champion
Thekla wins the AEW Women’s World Championship in a strap match against Kris Statlander in the main event of Dynamite.
AEW had kept Thekla away from the championship for a while and it bewildered me. She was in the four way at All Out Texas but after that? Everyone else was getting a shot. Statlander faced Mina Shirakawa, Toni Storm, Mercedes Moné, and Jamie Hayter. Then they finally got their match on Dynamite and Statlander won. I was afraid that was it for Thekla.
Instead it was building up to this rematch.
Kris Statlander I’ve often compared to Hangman Adam Page in the way her first title reign here is being handled. She’s an AEW original who had to wait a while for this run and in getting it? The crowd swell for her win doesn’t feel as sustained as it should be. It doesn’t help with Stat facing so many babyfaces in title matches instead of a great heel, a problem Page had as well. He faced some heels, but it was often heels the crowd loved like Danielson and Adam Cole. Prior to Thekla, the only true heel Statlander faced was Mercedes, and she was already TBS Champion. It made for an awkward situation.
Statlander tried to be a fighting champion. Statlander tried to be a good friend. Statlander fell to a Toxic Spider.
Thekla getting her rematch and using it at the right time for when Statlander didn’t have any backup was perfect planning for her. Go ahead, use the spider metaphor of catching someone in a web. Kris’ friends Willow Nightingale and Harley Cameron were already out in Australia doing press for AEW. Timeless Toni Storm and The Conglomeration were tied up with Death Riders. She had no backup. Thekla had the Triangle of Madness. If she was going to break Statlander? It was last night and she did.
Prior to this title win? Every women’s championship in the company was held by a babyface. Willow had the TBS and held the tag titles with Harley. It was time to add a heel to the mix and doing this prior to Revolution (and prior to Grand Slam) felt like the company making sure they weren’t going to slam too many changes at once to the heel side.
It’s possible Babes of Wrath lose to Megabad at Grand Slam, or lose those titles soon after. Willow has to make a choice soon on the TBS or Women’s Tag Team Championship. It’s honestly why I thought Thekla would be beating Willow and not Kris.
But here we are. Thekla hasn’t been in AEW in a year yet but she’s made a big impression and is honestly the best addition to the AEW Women’s Roster in 2025. It’s not just in the ring. Thekla is an excellent promo, and the moment she really proved it was on January 7 Dynamite.
After that promo? It just felt like Thekla was undeniable to eventually become a singles champion. It was disappointing for her to lose the first match, but it was just AEW’s way of setting her up for the eventual win.
I think the women’s division is far more exciting now that Thekla is on top. Nothing to take away from Statlander, but as hard as they tried to prove she was top in the division? Nobody really believed it. Everyone knew when Mercedes returned she’d be top, and when Toni Storm was done with Death Riders and the tag division she’d be back to the top. Fans do pay attention to who holds the title, but who gets the focused TV time and attention matters more.
Thekla doesn’t have that pressure. She cheated to win, she’ll cheat to win again. As the top point of the Triangle of Madness she can face the army of babyfaces AEW can throw at her and keep that title for as long as they want her to hold it. I called it the best decision AEW has made in 2026 and I still feel that way. Kris fought to prove she was a top star in AEW. Thekla only has to prove she belongs. She should accomplish that every week.
Road to Grand Slam Australia
One has to wonder, just how bold is AEW about to get?
Grand Slam Australia next week has four title matches and a number one contender’s match. Are we going to see Brody King suddenly beat Maxwell Jacob Friedman for the Men’s World Championship? Will Andrade beat Hangman Adam Page to get the shot at Revolution? Can Kyle Fletcher hold onto the TNT Championship in his hometown? Will Konosuke Takeshita right the wrong of losing the Continental Classic and beat Jon Moxley? Can MegaBad defeat the Babes of Wrath?
It feels too easy to just say yeah, MJF retains, Page wins, Babes of Wrath retain, Fletcher retains, Moxley retains. The big choice will just be who shaves their head in the mixed tag. Maybe all the big bold moves were made last night so Sydney, Australia could just get a strong babyface show with maybe one heel going over.
But AEW is showing a willingness to mix it up right now, and maybe that’s just to keep things fresh before going status quo at Revolution. Page and MJF finally have their one on one match for the title, Young Bucks face FTR for the 30th time, Darby gets a match where he can do something silly, and I get to complain about the AEW Trios Championship once again not defended on a pay per view.
You can’t just go bold all the time or else you begin to hot shot. You begin to make decisions just for the shock. Then it doesn’t become shocking at all. But I would like to see AEW spice things up a little so Revolution doesn’t feel so ordinary with multiple rematches. As Thekla as AEW Women’s World Champion proves, sometimes you need that acid to keep from being too basic.
