Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara Booked for AEW on TNT Premiere Episode

The first match for All Elite Wrestling’s premiere episode on TNT has been announced — Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara.

“I was excited this was the match selected,” Rhodes tweeted minutes prior to the announcement. “To have a young & hungry opponent who has no ceiling when it comes to pro-wrestling. Going forward not backwards.”

Rhodes has yet to suffer a loss in singles competition since signing with AEW. He defeated his brother Dustin Rhodes in an emotional, bloody battle back at Double or Nothing, went to a 20-minute time limit draw with Darby Allin and Fyter Fest and lost a tag team match alongside Dustin against The Young Bucks at Fight for the Fallen. He’s booked to face Shawn Spears, the man who nailed him with a chair shot straight to the head at Fyter Fest, at All Out on Aug. 31.

Guevara lost her AEW debut against Kip Sabian at Double or Nothing, but picked up a win at Fight for the Fallen at a six-man tag match alongside MJF and Spears.

AEW officially announced last week that their two-hour live weekly wrestling show would air from 8-10 p.m. ET on TNT starting on Oct. 2. This gives the WarnerMedia network its first live weekly wrestling show since WCW folded back in 2001.

“Focused on fast-paced, high-impact competitions, AEW offers fans more athleticism along with real sports analytics,” the press release on the show’s announcement read. “Wrestlers are also given freedom to explore their characters and highlight their athletic abilities. Introducing statistics to wrestling for the first time ever, AEW will raise the stakes for its matches and deepen fan engagement by tracking each competitor’s wins and losses as wrestlers pursue championships. Their moves and damage to their opponents will also be analyzed on-air to provide insights into their winning streaks.”

The press release also announced that the premiere would take place at the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C., the same building that hosted the final four Starrcade events for WCW. The arena is the largest venue AEW has run by quite a margin, and tickets for the show are set to go on sale on Friday.