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AEW ‘Dynamite’ preview for Jan. 28: Three title defenses highlight card

Chris Graham

aew logo AEW is giving us, this week on “Dynamite,” a Kris Statlander title defense against Thekla that should have been saved for a pay-per-view, and an FTR tag-title defense against Jake Doyle and Mark Davis that would have been a good fit on the old YouTube shows.

First, Statlander-Thekla: you could put this toward the end of a five-hour AEW PPV, and it would keep people riveted for whatever your main event is.

Next, the tag-title match: Jake Doyle was Jake Something on the indies and in TNA. Jake Something is many times a better name than Jake Doyle.

Mark Davis is in this one because somebody needs to eat the fall.

The rest of the card


  • TNT champion Mark Briscoe defends against El Clon: El Clon is listed at 5’9”, 152 pounds. Tiny.
  • Swerve Strickland Andrade El Idolo: I assume Strickland is booked to win, which bothers me for Andrade, because he’s back in the company two weeks, and they’re already jobbing him?
  • Kenny Omega Rocky Romero: Omega goes over, but this one should be entertaining, because they’ve worked together a lot, and Romero is a good worker.
  • Jon Moxley Ace Austin: This is a Continental Championship eliminator match. For the millionth time, have two top contenders wrestle each other for a title shot. Putting a champ in an “eliminator match” is plain dumb.
  • AEW world champion MJF appears: Which is all he needs to do. Just give him a mic, and stand clear.

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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].