AEW Dynasty 2024: 10 Nightmares That Could Come True

6. Okada’s First Full Time PPV Is Weak

AEW Dynasty Tony Khan CM Punk
AEW

Dynasty obviously won’t be Kazuchika Okada’s first AEW pay-per-view. He worked matches at Forbidden Door in 2022 and 2023, but those were treated more like special appearances/one-offs than anything else. This weekend’s supershow is the Japanese favourite’s first as an All Elite full-timer, and it’s important the company bends over backwards to give that a special feel.

Kicking off the card vs. PAC is one option, because at least then fans would be rowdy and into the match. What if Okada’s first full-time PPV showing comes across as just another match on the card though? That’s a nightmarish thought, one that should keep hardcore wrestling purists awake at night.

Okada should never come across as “just another match on the card”.

AEW is pretty guilty of doing that to workers. They come in with lots of hype, then momentum fades as Tony Khan’s dream match booking plays to diminishing returns or he flat out doesn’t know what to do with them creatively. Okada was also sought after by WWE, and he’s bigger than “just another wrestler”.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.