It’s Wednesday and that means another week in the wrestling war! We’ve got another ep of AEW Dynamite to look forward to tonight, and as always, a fair few major matches being advertised well in advance! I’m Jordan Huie of the Overtimer here to give some analysis of what to expect, and what brought us here!
For our next match, we have a pretty damn big one, as it’s a rematch from one of the marquee bouts at All Out! And funnily enough, it’s taking place once more in Chicago, in the very same venue, the Sears Centre!
Kenny Omega vs. PAC
It’s Kenny’s attempt at redemption. PAC is now the man he pins his blames on for his big match losing streak. In having this rematch here, the very same venue where PAC defeated him out of the blue back in August, it’s a pretty clear attempt at righting the wrong.
These are undoubtedly two of the best wrestlers in AEW, which is saying something in my estimation. Their match at All Out was pretty great considering it was occurring on such short notice. For this one, I think a lot more planning as gone into it. Not to mention the two of them have significantly more history to play off of now as well. Of course, topping a PPV match with a TV one isn’t gonna be the easiest thing in the world, regardless of circumstance. But I do expect them to try, and I do expect them to be given ample time to do so. And with any luck, they may just pull it off.
As for who wins, it’s an interesting thing. Kenny would seemingly see defeating PAC right now as vindication for all that’s gone wrong, and it’d set things right for him as it pertains to his big match losing streak. But that’s really all the reason for him to lose. I can’t say I know how this story ends, but defeating PAC certainly doesn’t seem like the way to do it.
But in PAC’s case, we have to consider the rankings and records.
PAC has one of the best resumes going, with his victory over Omega, and two wins over Hangman Page to his credit. Though he took a loss at Full Gear, he has avenged that, and otherwise doesn’t have a definitive loss to his record. His only other L comes from Mox betraying him in a tag match, after all.
Thusly, since the inception of the rankings system, PAC has been at or very close to the top of the men’s singles division. At the moment, he’s already at the #1 spot, making him the logical No. 1 Contender to the AEW World Championship. Another victory over Omega would make it seem like even more of a foregone conclusion that he’ll be challenging Chris Jericho sooner rather than later.
But there’s the rub. No one really expects to see that match, given that it’s between two heels. I do think it would be a fascinating match and the crowd would likely just side with Jericho so it might not be too big an issue. But the natural inclination for a booker would be to avoid that kind of match, regardless. Still, if PAC wins again here, there’d just be no argument against anyone else getting a shot before him. And mind you, I’m certain that’s the way they want their audience to think, wins and losses matter after all.
Kenny defeating him would thusly help keep him out of the running for a little while. On balance, I think I’ll say that Kenny Omega gets this one. It’s likely only the start of his redemption arc, though.
