It’s now official that ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe will defend his AEW TNT Title on the first AEW Dynamite of 2023.
AEW President, CEO, General Manager & Head of Creative Tony Khan took to Twitter today to announce Darby Allin vs. Joe for the January 4 Dynamite, with the title on the line. Khan noted that Allin and Sting will address the match during the taped New Year’s Smash edition of AEW Rampage tomorrow night.
“Next Wednesday, Jan 4 Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite Seattle, WA @TBSNetwork TNT Championship Match @SamoaJoe vs @DarbyAllin The King of Television vs. The Longest Reigning TNT Champion Ever! We’ll have exclusive comments on this bout from Darby + @Sting tomorrow on #AEWRampage!,” Khan wrote.
Khan’s announcement comes after Joe retained the AEW TNT Title over Wardlow on last night’s New Year’s Smash edition of AEW Dynamite. Joe attacked Wardlow after the match and cut some of his hair off, until Allin made the save. Allin then raised the TNT Title in the air while Joe retreated.
Allin vs. Joe will take place in Allin’s hometown of Seattle. This will be the second bout between the two after Joe retained the TNT Title over Allin on the December 7 Dynamite. After that hard-hitting match, Joe dropped Allin onto his own skateboard with a Musclebuster.
Allin is a one-time AEW TNT Champion, holding the strap for 186 recognized days after defeating Cody Rhodes for the title at AEW Full Gear in November 2020. This is the longest AEW TNT Title reign so far.
As noted, the January 4 Dynamite will mark the arrival of a new look for AEW’s flagship show. You can click here for a sneak peek on the changes, along with comments from AEW’s Vice President of Post Production Kevin Sullivan.
Below is the updated card for next week’s Dynamite from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA, along with Khan’s full tweet:
* Ricky Starks vs. Chris Jericho
* ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe defends the AEW TNT Title against Darby Allin
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more.
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