Tonight’s AEW Dynamite/Collision special feels like a major turning point heading into Double or Nothing. The biggest story is Darby Allin defending the AEW World Championship against “Speedball” Mike Bailey just days before his scheduled PPV showdown with MJF. Darby already went through tough title defenses recently, including matches against Konosuke Takeshita and Sammy Guevara, and now he’s risking everything again against one of the fastest strikers in wrestling. Bailey has quietly built momentum all year with JetSpeed and his breakout singles performances, so this doesn’t feel like a throwaway defense at all. 

The rest of the card has a strong “fight night” vibe instead of just filler before the pay-per-view. Jon Moxley vs. Kyle O’Reilly in a Continental Championship eliminator could easily steal the show because both guys thrive in gritty, hard-hitting matches. Mark Briscoe and Tommaso Ciampa meeting in an Anything Goes match should be chaotic from the opening bell, especially with both men leaning heavily into violent brawls lately. FTR defending the AEW World Tag Team Titles against Orange Cassidy and Roderick Strong also adds another layer to the tag division, which has been one of AEW’s strongest points this spring. 

The women’s division and tournament scene are getting a spotlight too. The eight-woman tag featuring Athena, Jamie Hayter, Thunder Rosa, Mina Shirakawa, Julia Hart, Skye Blue, Thekla, and Alex Windsor ties directly into the Owen Hart Cup picture, which AEW revealed last week. Several of these wrestlers are already positioned as tournament favorites, so tonight could shift momentum fast before Forbidden Door season starts heating up. Add in Will Ospreay facing Katsuyori Shibata and Swerve Strickland returning to Dynamite, and this show feels much bigger than a normal go-home episode.