Coming off a successful Double or Nothing pay-per-view, AEW will look to capitalize on Sunday night’s momentum with it’s next edition of AEW Dynamite on Wednesday. However, this week’s episode of Dynamite will not just be any old episode, as it’ll be a House of Dragon-themed episode.
For those who don’t know, House of Dragon is an HBO series that serves as a prequel to its famous Game of Thrones series. As the House of Dragon is set to begin it’s second season on June 16th, AEW and WBD are taking the opportunity to promote the show on AEW’s flagship program.
In a statement on X, AEW President Tony Khan commented on the upcoming episode, announcing the main event of the episode, which will feature AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland taking on The Patriarchy’s Killswitch.
TOMORROW#AEWDynamite
Los Angeles
8pm ET/7pm CT @TBSNetworkPresented by HBO's @HouseofDragon@thekiaforum is Whose House?
AEW World Champion @swerveconfident vs @luchasaurus
After Swerve retained the World Title at #AEWDoN, Killswitch aims for payback in LA on TBS, TOMORROW!… pic.twitter.com/8d7pZtd9iq
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) May 28, 2024
This is not the first time All Elite Wrestling has held a Game of Thrones-themed edition of Dynamite. Since 2020, the promotion has held a “Winter is Coming” special of Dynamite every December. The phrase is synonymous with the HBO series and has been the backdrop of several memorable matches and moments in AEW history.
One moment that stands out is the AEW debut of The Icon Sting in 2020, marking the legend’s return to TNT after nearly 20 years.
As noted, this week’s main event will pit Swerve Strickland against the heavy of Christian Cage’s Patriarchy faction, Killswitch. Cage was unsuccessful in dethroning Strickland in their intense World Heavyweight Championship match in Las Vegas.
Are AEW and WBD a marriage made to be? Or a Red Wedding?
Khan had subtly mentioned that a House of Dragon-themed episode of Dynamite was in the works during the Double or Nothing Media Scrum, following questions from the media regarding AEW’s ongoing TV rights negotiations with Warner Brothers Discovery.
When speaking publicly, Tony Khan has only been incredibly positive when discussing his relationship with WBD, citing that AEW enjoys working with them and would like to continue the partnership.
Early Tuesday, reports emerged from Matthew Belloni of Puck News that Khan was “unhappy” with the initial offers produced by WBD. While later reports from both WrestleNomics and Wrestling Observer stated that this wasn’t the case, they each confirmed that no deal had yet been reached.
While a deal between WBD and AEW seems to be the best-case scenario for all parties involved, if WWE’s recent media rights deals have taught us anything, it’s that truly anything can happen in this space.