At the 300th episode of AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan booked an interesting stipulation for All In Texas that could possibly lead to a confusing storyline.
During the episode, Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay confronted AEW Executive Vice Presidents Matt & Nick Jackson (The Young Bucks). Strickland suggested that if the Bucks lose in the Texas PLE, they won’t be EVPs anymore.
Then, Ospreay proposed that if he and Strickland lost, they wouldn’t challenge for the world championship for a year, which led to the latter being confused and enraged at the same time.
The upcoming match seemed odd considering both guys have been vying for the AEW World Championship for some time now, especially Swerve, who lost recently to Jon Moxley at AEW Dynasty on April 6th.
Here are a couple of reasons why Tony Khan booking the match for the Texas premium live event could be his worst decision ever.
1. Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay getting the win is too predictable
If Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay beat The Young Bucks, the fans will definitely turn on them, as they thought they saw the upcoming win from a mile away. People would also know that there’s no way the two will lose such a high-profile match.
Also, having Matt & Nick Jackson lose their EVP titles on screen could affect their actual roles outside the ring.
Moreover, if the makeshift team wins, it might only lead to Ospreay being actually pushed as the next contender for the AEW World Title. The Aerial Assassin last challenged for the title at 2024 Forbidden Door, losing to Swerve.
2. Strickland will be forced to turn heel
Earlier at AEW Dynamite 300, Swerve was furious at Ospreay’s idea of not competing for the world championship for one year, should they lose to The Young Bucks. The former has been dying to get the title back after losing it to Bryan Danielson at All In Wembley back on August 25, 2024.
If the team of Ospreay and Strickland loses, the latter, out of rage, will viciously destroy the former after agreeing to the stipulation.
Afterward, Swerve’s frustration will then be redirected to his long-time nemesis, Hangman’ Adam Page, who will challenge reigning world champion Jon Moxley at the upcoming bout. The former Mogul Embassy leader then could screw Hangman from winning the big one.
3. AEW will be forced to push another star into the World Championship picture too soon
Additionally, if Strickland and Ospreay lose their bout against The Young Bucks, AEW will have no choice but to insert another contender all of a sudden, since the two won’t be competing for the world title in one year.
Possible names that might surface are Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF), Kenny Omega, Bobby Lashley, Kazuchika Okada, Konosuke Takeshita, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, Samoa Joe, and possibly Nick Wayne and Daniel Garcia.
While All In Texas is still a few days away, AEW President Tony Khan might have to think about coming up with a better stipulation.
He will still have a chance and time to revise his booking decision, so that the storytelling will go on smoothly, and that the personalities involved will have definitive roles and positions.