Photo credit: All Elite Wrestling

The 5 Biggest Storylines to Track on AEW's Build to 1st-Ever Dynasty PPV

Philip Lindsey

Following a memorable outing at its first pay-per-view of 2024, All Elite Wrestling announced another addition to its yearly calendar, Dynasty.

The new event will take place at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis on April 21. With Dynasty, the company is inching closer to a monthly PPV schedule, seemingly confirming a Fightful Select report from last summer that Warner Bros Discovery had proposed an expansion.

The company's original "Big Four" quarterly shows—Revolution, Double or Nothing, All Out and Full Gear—became the standard until 2022, when AEW added Forbidden Door. Last year, its annual PPV schedule increased to eight events with the introduction of All In: London, WrestleDream and Worlds End.

Some viewers may be skeptical about adding more events and restructuring weekly programming around them, but AEW has quickly assembled five storylines that will make Dynasty a can't-miss show.

AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament

Straight away, the upcoming tournament to crown the new AEW world tag team champions will be a game-changer.

Sting and Darby Allin successfully defended the title against The Young Bucks in the main event of Revolution. The duo ended their run as an undefeated tag team, and The Icon retired as a champion in his adopted home of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Afterward, AEW President Tony Khan revealed there would be a tournament to determine the new titleholders.

This is an exciting development because the company's tag division has needed a reset.

AEW started as a company that boasted a stacked roster with some of the industry's best tag teams and prided itself on its commitment to showcasing that talent.

Hopefully, this tournament, which begins on this week's episode of Collision, is a sign that it will return to its roots.

Thanks to their win over FTR at Revolution, Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli are early favorites, but the field is wide open.

Thunder Rosa vs. Toni Storm

Thunder Rosa made her long-awaited return to AEW to assist Abadon during the Dec. 17 episode of Collision.

La Mera Mera had been through a tumultuous year-long hiatus as she recuperated from a back injury and contended with rumors about backstage drama. Meanwhile, Toni Storm rose in popularity as a three-time women's champion.

Most notably, the 28-year-old was the interim titleholder while Rosa was out of action in 2022 before eventually vacating the title in November of the same year, but the distinction marred her predecessor's 76-day reign.

Now, Storm is enjoying a much better tenure as champion and one of the most popular characters in the company. Conversely, Rosa is climbing the ranking, hoping to earn redemption and a shot at the title she never lost.

These two seem destined to collide at Dynasty in a showdown that has been in the making for over a year.

Kazuchika Okada Joins The Elite

Kazuchika Okada joined AEW on the March 6 episode of Dynamite.

More surprisingly, The Young Bucks kicked Kenny Omega out of The Elite and replaced him with the Japanese star, aligning themselves with his greatest rival.

The Rainmaker also made his debut on the following edition of Collision, where he once again dispatched Eddie Kingston as he attempted to confront the EVPs.

Matthew and Nicholas Jackson will undoubtedly participate in the AEW World Tag Team Championship tournament, but Okada's first major feud in AEW could be with Kingston.

The 36-year-old picked up the continental title after his second confrontation with the inaugural Triple Crown champion. This could suggest that he will challenge him for the mantle at ROH Supercard of Honor on April 5.

Still, it could also have implications for Dynasty as PAC also returned and confronted Okada during the aftermath of his Collision appearance.

Bryan Danielson vs. Will Ospreay

As Bryan Danielson wraps up his illustrious career, fans hope to see him compete in as many dream matches as possible.

If starting the year with an incredible rematch against Okada at Wrestle Kingdom 18 wasn't enough to whet your appetite for more, nothing will. His second encounter with Zack Sabre Jr. at NJPW New Beginning in Osaka and his continental crown title match against Kingston at Revolution were also outstanding.

Still, you don't get much bigger than Danielson vs. Will Ospreay in a first-time matchup to decide who is the best wrestler in the world.

We've been wondering who The Aerial Assassin's next opponent would be, but The American Dragon officially issued the challenge for Dynasty on last week's Collision.

This interaction echoes Danielson's debut in 2021 when he immediately challenged Omega to determine who is the best once and for all. So, it's fitting that he wants to be one of the first men on the roster to put Ospreay to the test.

Swerve Strickland vs. Samoa Joe

Swerve Strickland hopes to continue his bid to become the first Black AEW world champion at Dynasty.

The 33-year-old has been one of the fastest-rising stars in the company since his debut at Revolution 2022. Last year, he became undeniable during his highly acclaimed rivalry with "Hangman" Adam Page and his phenomenal run in the Continental Classic.

So much so, that it was easy to believe that he could finally achieve his crowning moment at the same event where he joined AEW this year. Instead, Strickland fell short of his goal as Samoa Joe forced Page to tap out and momentarily closed the door on his championship aspirations.

On the following episode of Dynamite, the Tacoma, Washington native cut an impassioned promo, making it clear that he wasn't done with Joe yet. It's a safe bet that the two will face off in the main event of Dynasty, giving the event its first world title match.

   

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