First Time Opponents Face Each Other Commercial Free On AEW Dynamite
"AEW Dynamite" had a successful time in the ratings last week largely thanks to its main event match, where Hook challenged Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship in a match that ran without commercial interruption. It was an experiment that worked out so well that AEW is poised to do it again this week with another marquee match. On Tuesday evening, AEW owner Tony Khan took to X to announce that tonight's "Dynamite" bout between Adam Copeland and Minoru Suzuki would also be airing commercial-free.
Tomorrow on Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite, the fight between international legends @suzuki_D_minoru vs @RatedRCope will have no commercial interruption!
2024 will be an amazing year for AEW! We're off to a tremendous start to this year's @AEWonTV, see you TOMORROW on @TBSNetwork! pic.twitter.com/GJypBpe9Xh
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) January 24, 2024
The Suzuki-Copeland match is the latest part of Copeland's open challenge series that he's christened "The Cope Open," which has seen "The Rated R Superstar" take on all comers in a quest to work his way back into contention for the AEW TNT Championship, held by former friend turned enemy Christian Cage. The 55-year-old Suzuki becomes the first veteran to take part in the open, following youngsters like Griff Garrison, Lee Moriarty, and Dante Martin. It will be the first time Copeland and Suzuki have ever wrestled, in a battle many thought they'd never see between two wrestling legends.
In addition to Suzuki and Copeland's commercial-free battle, "Dynamite" tonight will be the first AEW event since the promotion announced the return of its ranking system Saturday on "AEW Collision." As such, several key singles matches will take place to determine where certain wrestlers fall in the new rankings, including "Hangman" Adam Page battling Penta El Zero Miedo, Swerve Strickland taking on Jeff Hardy, and Wardlow facing Trent Beretta.