10 Wrestlers Who Could Be AEW's Joker In Dynamite's Casino Ladder Match
The return of Hangman? The debut of Buddy? Or the resurrection of an AEW Dark classic?
All Elite Wrestling has almost backed itself into a compact corner with the premise of the Joker.
Entered into all of their casino-based contests - the exception to the rule being Revolution 2021's Casino Tag Team Royale - the entrant has traditionally been a debuting or returning star.
'Hangman' Adam Page was the inaugural Joker, entering Double Or Nothing 2019's Casino Battle Royale complete with a kayfabe injury. That same year, in All Out's women's version of the bout, Mercedes Martinez was the twenty-first entrant, with the 31 August 2019 date coming on the cusp of her signing with WWE.
In 2020, Brian Cage and Matt Sydal both made their AEW debuts in the Casino Ladder match and Casino Battle Royale, respectively. Meanwhile, in 2021, Lio Rush and Ruby Soho - two former WWE talents aspiring for that next big break - entered to equally enjoyable ovations at Double Or Nothing and All Out.
That AEW is promoting this Casino Ladder match on a Dynamite broadcast indicates that the Joker may not be as big a deal as those prior mentions. Perhaps it won't even be a debuting or returning star, but rather a regular fixture on AEW programming.
Y'know, like someone who had a non-canon AEW Dark banger vs. Kenny Omega...
10. Joey Janela
AEW Dark used to mean something greater.
It used to actually be worth your time every week, as it offered top-tier names such as Darby Allin, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D, Jungle Boy, and SCU on a near-weekly basis. There would be one or two weeks where you got a dud episode, but overall, it clicked. The segments clicked, too, but again, only sometimes, Cody Rhodes' From Undesirable To Undeniable being the defining example.
On its second episode, Dark also boasted an often-overlooked AEW match. It's forgotten to the point that it may as well not be canon in All Elite Wrestling's history.
The match in question was Kenny Omega vs. Joey Janela, who provided an exemplary look at what the Lights Out match should always be. It wasn't quite the car crash style of pro wrestling that Omega vs. Jon Moxley was at Full Gear, but it was teetering on that level; CZW-lite, if you will. There were no inhumane barbed wire structures, but rather meticulously planned spots involving chairs.
Though Janela's inclusion as the Joker would a) risk turning viewers off due to him not being Adam Page, and b) render the rankings system null and void, there is a story that Tony Schiavone and co. could use to justify his placement.
Plus, y'know, Lance Archer can beat the sh*t out of him.