The 2024 Dynasty was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It was the inaugural Dynasty event and took place on April 21, 2024, at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, marking AEW's first pay-per-view event to be held in Missouri.
Twelve matches were contested at the event, including three on the "Zero Hour" pre-show. In the main event, Swerve Strickland defeated Samoa Joe to win the AEW World Championship. In other prominent matches, The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson) defeated FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) in a tournament final Ladder match to win the vacant AEW World Tag Team Championship and become record-setting three-time champions, Will Ospreay defeated Bryan Danielson in a highly acclaimed "dream match", and Willow Nightingale defeated Julia Hart to win the AEW TBS Championship. The event also featured the return of Jack Perry, who had been absent from AEW programming since a legitimate backstage altercation at All In London in August 2023.
The event was praised by fans and journalists, particularly for the Will Ospreay vs. Bryan Danielson match. Some referred to the match as one of the greatest wrestling matches of all time.
Production
Background On February 22, 2024, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) filed to trademark the name "Dynasty". At Revolution on March 3, AEW announced that it would hold a pay-per-view (PPV) event titled Dynasty on April 21, 2024, at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, marking AEW's first PPV event to be held in the state. The 2021 Full Gear was originally scheduled for the same venue and would have been AEW's first PPV event in Missouri; however, it was relocated and rescheduled to avoid counter programming against other combat sporting events happening at the time. Tickets for Dynasty went on sale on March 8, 2024.
Storylines AEW Dynasty featured professional wrestling matches that were the result of pre-existing feuds and storylines, with results being predetermined by AEW's writers. Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television programs, Dynamite, Collision, and Rampage, and the YouTube series Being The Dark Order.
From mid-2022 through 2023, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) mainstay Will Ospreay had appeared on AEW programming as a result of a working relationship between the two companies. Ospreay then appeared at Full Gear in November 2023 and signed a contract to join AEW, but did not officially join the roster until February 2024 after his NJPW obligations were fulfilled. Following Ospreay's match on the March 6 episode of Dynamite, he was confronted by Bryan Danielson. The two confronted each other again on the March 9 episode of Collision where Danielson issued a challenge at Dynasty to prove which of them was the best, and the match was later made official.
Following Sting's retirement match at Revolution, he and tag partner Darby Allin vacated the AEW World Tag Team Championship. During the post-event media scrum, AEW president Tony Khan announced that a tournament would be held to determine new champions. On the March 15 episode of Rampage, the tournament bracket was revealed and the tournament began on the following night's Collision. The Young Bucks (Matthew Jackson and Nicholas Jackson) and FTR (Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler) won their respective brackets, setting up the tournament final for Dynasty, which was scheduled as a ladder match, also being a title rematch between the teams, as they last faced each other for the title at All In London in August 2023, which FTR won. During the April 10 episode of Dynamite, The Young Bucks showed the surveillance footage of the legitimate backstage altercation between Jack Perry and former AEW wrestler CM Punk, which they blamed as the reason for why they lost their match to FTR at All In. They also defended Perry and conspired that FTR were behind the incident due to being friends with Punk.
At Revolution, Swerve Strickland competed in a three-way match for the AEW World Championship where Samoa Joe retained the title. Strickland then accumulated wins throughout March to rise back up in the contendership rankings. Following his victory on the March 27 episode of Dynamite, it once again positioned him as the number one contender for the AEW World Championship, and the title match was scheduled for Dynasty.
In late 2023, Willow Nightingale's former tag team partner Skye Blue turned heel for the first time in her AEW career and aligned herself with TBS Champion Julia Hart. Throughout early 2024, Nightingale and her new tag team partner Kris Statlander feuded with Hart and Blue, with Nightingale and Statlander being victorious during the Revolution Zero Hour pre-show and then Hart and Blue victorious in a street fight on the March 20 episode of Rampage. On the March 27 episode of Dynamite, Nightingale defeated Statlander, Blue, and Anna Jay in a four-way match to challenge Hart for the TBS Championship at Dynasty.
Throughout the early months of 2024, Mark Briscoe engaged in a feud with House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews), which included interfering in the House's AEW World Tag Team Championship tournament match. At the same time, he was also engaged in a friendly rivalry with Eddie Kingston over the latter's ROH World Championship. After House of Black attacked TNT Champion Adam Copeland during the March 30 episode of Collision, Briscoe and Kingston came out in support of Copeland, leading to the three men challenging House of Black to a trios match at Dynasty, which was later made official.
Thunder Rosa won her first AEW Women's World Championship at St. Patrick's Day Slam in March 2022 and was due to defend the title against Toni Storm at All Out in September of that year. However, due to Rosa being sidelined by a back injury, Storm instead won a four-way match at All Out to become interim champion, which was later retroactively recognized as her first reign after Rosa forfeited the title that November. Storm, who took on a "Timeless" gimmick in late 2023 impersonating a golden era film actress, won her third AEW Women's World Championship at that year's Full Gear. After Rosa returned to in-ring action in December 2023, Rosa laid claim to the championship she never lost, and quickly rose through the rankings to face Storm's protegé Mariah May on the April 4 episode of Dynamite in a number-one contendership match, which she won, and the title match was scheduled for Dynasty.
Event + Other on-screen personnelRoleNameCommentatorsExcalibur Tony Schiavone Taz Nigel McGuinness Jim Ross Anthony Ogogo Stokely Hathaway Don Callis Ring announcerJustin RobertsRefereesAubrey EdwardsBryce RemsburgMike PoseyPaul TurnerRick KnoxStephon SmithBrandon MartinezPre-show hostsRenee PaquetteRJ City
Pre-show In the first match of the Dynasty: Zero Hour pre-show, Trent Beretta faced Matt Sydal (accompanied by Mike Sydal). In the opening stages, Matt delivered a dropkick and a diving splash off the apron to Beretta. Beretta delivered a half-and-half suplex and a gotch-style piledriver to Matt for a two-count. Matt delivered an Air Raid Crash and a diving meteora to Beretta for a two-count. As Matt attempted a shooting star press on Beretta, the latter impeded it with a jumping knee strike and then locked in a Gogoplata, forcing Matt to tap out. Post-match, Mike attempted to attend to his brother Matt, but Beretta attacked both Mike and Matt, leading to Chuck Taylor coming out and chasing him out of the ring.
After that, Orange Cassidy and Katsuyori Shibata faced Shane Taylor Promotions (Shane Taylor and Lee Moriarty, accompanied by Anthony Ogogo). In the opening stages, Cassidy performed a middle-rope elbow drop and a suicide dive to Moriarty. Taylor tagged him and delivered a leg drop to Cassidy on the apron. Cassidy performed a Stundog Millionaire and a satellite DDT on Moriarty. Taylor then delivered a headbutt to Cassidy, but Shibata jumped on the former and locked in a sleeper hold. Cassidy then delivered the Orange Punch to Moriarty and pinned him for the win.
In the final pre-show match, AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens, Max Caster, and Billy Gunn) faced ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Bullet Club Gold (Jay White and The Gunns – Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn) in a Winners Take All Championship Unification match, with the winners becoming the Unified AEW World Trios Champions. In the closing stages, Bowens and Caster hit Scissor Me Timbers on Austin. Colten hit Billy with a Fameasser, allowing White to hit Billy with a baseball bat, while Austin was distracting the referee. The Gunns then delivered the 3:10 To Yuma to Billy for a two-count. White delivered a uranage to Bowens. White attempted a dragon suplex to Billy, but Billy escaped and delivered the Fameasser. Billy attempted another Fameasser, but White moved out of the way and hit the Bladerunner for the win.
Preliminary matches In the opening match of the event, Kazuchika Okada defended the AEW Continental Championship against Pac. In the opening stages, Pac delivered a hurricarana and then performed a twisting plancha to Okada. Pac then delivered an avalanche brainbuster for a two-count. Okada delivered a DDT to Pac on the floor and inside the ring for a two-count. Pac then delivered a springboard moonsault to Okada on the apron. Okada then performed an Air Raid Crash neckbreaker on Pac for a two-count. Okada delivered a diving elbow drop, but Pac inside cradled him for a nearfall. Pac then delivered a lariat and a deadlift German suplex to Okada for a two-count. Pac locked in the Brutalizer, but Okada raked Pac's eyes to break the submission. Okada attempted a tombstone piledriver, but Pac reversed it into a tombstone piledriver. Pac then attempted to deliver the Black Arrow, but Okada got his knees up. Okada then delivered the Rainmaker lariat to Pac and pinned him to retain the title.
Next, TNT Champion Adam Copeland, ROH World Champion Mark Briscoe, and Eddie Kingston faced House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews). In the opening stages, King delivered a Bossman Slam and a cannonball to Kingston for a one-count. Black delivered a dropkick to Kingston for a two-count. Kingston then delivered a big boot and a German suplex to Black. King then delivered a running Death Valley Driver into the guardrail to Mark.as Copeland attempted an impaler DDT to King, but Matthews stopped him with a diving meteora. Kingston delivered a lariat and a spinning backfist to Black, a spear by Copeland and the Froggy Bow by Mark, but Matthews broke up the pin. Black delivered a jumping knee to Mark and Matthews delivered an enzeguiri to Kingston, but Copeland, Kingston and Mark responded with a triple spear to The House of Black. Copeland attempted a spear to Black, but Black impeded it with a mist to his face when the referee was distracted and then delivered the Black Mass to Copeland and pinned him to win the match.
Next, Julia Hart defended the TBS Champion against Willow Nightingale (accompanied by Stokely Hathaway) in a House Rules match, in which Nightingale's "House Rules" stipulation was that Kris Statlander and Skye Blue were barred from ringside. In the closing stages, Nightingale delivered a running boot and a spinebuster to Hart for a two-count. Nightingale attempted a shotgun dropkick but Hart escaped and locked in Hartless. Nightingale escaped and used an inside cradle for a two-count. Hart delivered two superkicks to Nightingale and attempted a moonsault, but Nightingale got her boots up. Nightingale then delivered a lariat and the doctor bomb and pinned her to win the TBS Championship. After the match, Mercedes Moné came out and stood face-to-face with Nightingale.