MJF defends the AEW World Championship tonight, TNA is losing a former world champion, and WWE just fired a shot at AEW’s biggest show of the summer.

Wrestling’s post-pay-per-view fallout week is in full swing, and tonight’s AEW Dynamite is shaping up to be one of the most consequential episodes of the year. AEW World Champion MJF defends his title against Mark Briscoe in the show’s opening match, TNA is dealing with the exit of a former world champion, and WWE has already responded to AEW’s biggest show of the summer with a scheduling counterpunch. Here’s the full rundown, verified against the wrestling industry’s most trusted reporting.

MJF Defends AEW World Title Against Mark Briscoe Tonight

AEW Dynamite airs live tonight, July 1, from Viejas Arena in San Diego, California, addressing the fallout from this past weekend’s AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view, according to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline and Fightful. The headline match was set up directly by that show’s results: Mark Briscoe’s team defeated MJF’s team in a 12-man steel cage match at Forbidden Door, earning Briscoe a shot at MJF’s AEW World Championship. Briscoe wasted no time calling for the title match on Dynamite’s post-Forbidden Door fallout show, and AEW made it official as the opening match of tonight’s broadcast.

How Briscoe Earned His Shot

The cage match stipulation carried real stakes. Briscoe’s team, which included Orange Cassidy, Roderick Strong, Kyle O’Reilly, Konosuke Takeshita, and Darby Allin, faced off against MJF’s team of Kevin Knight, Kyle Fletcher, Jake Doyle, Kazuchika Okada, and Andrade El Idolo. The match turned when Andrade appeared to turn on MJF, allowing Briscoe’s team to escape with the win. That betrayal opens up a new storyline thread for AEW heading into the summer, with Andrade’s future within the Don Callis Family now in question.

A New TBS Champion Gets Crowned

The AEW World Title match isn’t the only gold on the line tonight. The vacant TBS Championship will be decided in a six-woman Survival of the Fittest match featuring Hikaru Shida, Harley Cameron, Persephone, Kris Statlander, Queen Aminata, and Maika, according to Fightful. All six qualified across recent weeks of AEW Collision and Dynamite. The match uses an elimination format previously seen in Ring of Honor, with the final remaining competitor claiming the title.

WWE Counters AEW All In With Two Shows on the Same Night

WWE made a scheduling move during Forbidden Door weekend that’s generating plenty of discussion. The company announced two shows for August 30, the same date AEW’s marquee stadium event, All In, is set to take place, according to Wrestling Inc. It’s a familiar tactic in the promotion war between the two companies, and it puts pressure on fans and cable providers to choose between competing wrestling programming on the same night.

The counterprogramming comes amid otherwise tense AEW-NJPW relations. New Japan’s IWGP Heavyweight Champion Yota Tsuji had called on his NJPW peers to boycott AEW’s Forbidden Door event, arguing the partnership mostly benefits AEW and that the New Japan title hasn’t been treated with the respect it deserves on AEW programming, according to Wrestling Inc. AEW owner Tony Khan addressed the comments directly. Notably, Tsuji has since extended an invitation of his own, inviting Khan to attend the opening night of NJPW’s G1 Climax tournament in Chicago, according to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline, suggesting the friction hasn’t closed the door on cooperation entirely.

Mike Santana Reportedly Finished With TNA After Title Loss

TNA’s Slammiversary weekend had a bittersweet ending for one of its top stars. Mike Santana lost the TNA World Championship to Nic Nemeth at Slammiversary, and Wrestling Inc reports that he has finished up with the company, with his contract believed to be expiring in mid-July. It ends Santana’s second reign as champion and closes out a run that made him one of the promotion’s most prominent faces over the past two years.

• Santana dropped the TNA World Championship to Nic Nemeth via Danger Zone in under 15 minutes at Slammiversary
• His TNA contract is reportedly set to expire in mid-July
• Nemeth now holds the title as TNA moves forward without one of its top champions

Gunther and Nick Aldis Tension Could Spill Into SummerSlam

The fallout from Gunther’s Night of Champions loss to Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes is still playing out backstage on WWE television. Gunther confronted SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis in a physical altercation after the match, and veteran wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer now believes that confrontation is building toward an in-ring match between the two at SummerSlam, according to Wrestling Inc. Aldis, who transitioned from an active wrestling career into an authority figure role, would be stepping back between the ropes if the match comes together as reported.

Quick Hits From Around the Wrestling World

A few more stories worth tracking this week, all pulled from verified reporting:

• TNA Knockouts TV Title tournament underway: First-round matches from the new 16-woman tournament, including WWE NXT’s Thea Hail and Wendy Choo, begin airing this week, according to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.
• Sami Zayn’s title reign begins: The new Undisputed WWE Champion has already been asked to reflect on his win, admitting the road to the championship included real doubts along the way, according to Wrestling Inc.
• Big Bill and Enzo Amore reunion still developing: Reports continue to indicate both men are expected to sign with WWE after Bill’s AEW contract expires this week, according to Wrestling Inc and Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.
• NXT crowns a new North American Champion: Myles Borne retained the NXT North American Championship over Tavion Heights at Great American Bash, according to WWE.com.

Why Tonight’s Dynamite Matters

Some fans will say title changes happen constantly in wrestling and this is just business as usual. That’s fair to a point, but tonight is different because of what’s riding on it. MJF has held the AEW World Championship through a chaotic stretch of build, and Briscoe represents a fundamentally different kind of challenger, a fan favorite who earned his shot the hard way instead of politicking for it. Add in a new TBS Champion being crowned on the same night, and AEW is making a clear statement that Forbidden Door’s momentum isn’t going to waste. Whether that translates into a ratings boost remains to be seen, but the in-ring stakes are real.

Join the Conversation

Think Briscoe walks out of San Diego with the AEW World Championship, or does MJF find a way to retain? Drop a comment below and let us know. Subscribe to the Utica Phoenix newsletter so you never miss a Wrestling Wire update.

Sources: Fightful, Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline, Wrestling Inc, WWE.com. All claims in this article are attributed to and verifiable through the cited outlets as of publication.