AEW TNT Championship Full Bracket Revealed

AEW Dynamite opened this week with Tony Schiavone and Cody Rhodes unveiling the full bracket for the eight-man tournament that will crown the inaugural TNT Champion. The first round will consist of Cody Rhodes vs. Shawn Spears, Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara, Dustin Rhodes vs. Kip Sabian and Lance Archer vs. Colt Cabana. AEW first confirmed the title’s creation earlier this week, adding that the tournament would begin on April 8 and culminate at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view on May 23.

Check out the full bracket below.

“It’s been a privilege working with Kevin Reilly and TNT to bring fans the best live wrestling show week after week on AEW: DYNAMITE, especially during these tumultuous times,” Tony Khan said in the announcement’s press release. “I’m glad we’re now able to announce the TNT CHAMPIONSHIP. The first ever titleholder will be determined by an unforgettable tournament that fans will not want to miss, and that our wrestlers will be desperate to win. I’m excited for the announcement of the full bracket live on Dynamite this week. And, it’s only fitting that the champion and the title belt will carry the logo of the globally-respected TNT brand, and that they’ll represent not only AEW but also the great quality programming, massive reach, and storied history in the wrestling business that are all associated with TNT.”

Though he’s likely the favorite to win the match, Rhodes might have the toughest road in the tournament. He had a heated feud with Spears last summer that culminated in a match at All Out, went to a draw with Darby Allin at Fyter Fest and had a bloody Match of the Year contender with his brother Dustin at Double or Nothing 2019. It’s worth noting that Archer, who has been calling out Rhodes alongside his manager Jake Roberts in recent weeks, is on the opposite end of the bracket.

Roberts teased some big plans for his angle with Rhodes in a recent interview.

“It’s going to be huge. We haven’t really started it yet. It’s yet to blossom into what it’s going to be. We’re going to do some more stuff this week,” Roberts told Sportskeeda. “They’ve gone back to the old-school way of doing things, which I love. That’s building something instead of doing it the WWE way where they build it the first part of the show and then end it by the end of the show. (laughs) This, people will remember, because they’re taking the time to build it properly.”