AEW goes head-to-head with the World Cup tonight, and Tony Khan’s answer is an eight-match Dynamite built to keep eyes on TBS.
The June 24 broadcast from the Rio Rancho Events Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, is the final go-home edition before the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view, and it sets a new bar for match volume on a two-hour episode.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio , part of the reason behind the stacked card is the competition for viewers. Dynamite airs opposite a World Cup match featuring Mexico vs. Czechia on FOX and Telemundo.
Khan, a noted soccer fan, is believed to be well aware of that conflict and has loaded the lineup to counter it while also building momentum into Sunday’s crossover event.
Tonight’s episode is also slated to feature an overrun, giving the ambitious card additional time. AEW has previously fit seven matches into a two-hour episode of Collision, but Dynamite is set to raise the bar with eight matches advertised.
Unlike some match-heavy broadcasts, the lineup does not include any apparent squash bouts, making time management one of the more intriguing aspects of the show.
AEW Dynamite Rio Rancho Card
Announced matches and segments for the go-home episode include:
- Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta & Claudio Castagnoli) vs. Mistico & Brodido
- Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Ricochet, AEW International Championship
- Marina Shafir vs. Harley Cameron, Survival of the Fittest qualifier
- Queen Aminata vs. Red Velvet, Survival of the Fittest qualifier
- Swerve Strickland vs. Daniel Garcia
- “Jungle” Jack Perry vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
- Segments with Team DCMJF and Team Briscoe
AEW Dynamite airs live at 8 p.m. ET on TBS and HBO Max. The Rio Rancho show is being run as a combined taping, with AEW Collision scheduled to be recorded immediately after Dynamite concludes.
For more on the build to the crossover show, see our recent AEW Dynamite preview featuring Swerve Strickland.