This year’s AEW Dynasty pay-per-view will be remembered not only for its standout in-ring action and lengthy runtime, but also for the shocking return of The Young Bucks, who ambushed Swerve Strickland during the main event. Their interference allowed Jon Moxley to retain the AEW World Heavyweight Championship in dramatic fashion.
Behind the scenes, however, the event was marked by significant last-minute reshuffling. According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW made multiple changes to the match order throughout the day, including decisions that weren’t finalized until minutes before the show went live.
One such change involved the opening bout, which saw Will Ospreay defeat Kevin Knight in an Owen Hart Foundation Tournament match. Dave Meltzer reported that Ospreay and Knight weren’t informed they would be opening the event until just before showtime.
“And other matches were changed around as well throughout the day, although the main event was always going to be the main event,” Meltzer added, confirming that the headliner featuring Moxley vs. Swerve was never in doubt.
While the adjustments did not affect the evening’s climactic showdown, the shifting match card further illustrates how fluid AEW’s production process can be, particularly on the day of a major event.
