Adam Copeland successfully retained the TNT Championship at AEW , defeating Malakai Black in an absolutely devastating Barbed Wire Cage Match. Unfortunately, that gruesome match came at a great cost to the champ. Copeland revealed after Double or Nothing that he fractured his tibia during the match, putting him on crutches and requiring the iconic wrestler to undergo another surgery.
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After that announcement, it was clear that Copeland would have to vacate his TNT Championship while he recovered from the injury. That means a new TNT Champion is going to be crowned, and the latest episode of revealed exactly how the new title-holder will be determined.
Initially, EVPs Matthew and Nicholas Jackson came out into the ring during Dynamite and announced that they were stripping Copeland of his title. They then revealed that they’d be giving the TNT Championship to Jack Perry, another member of The Elite, after he pinned Bryan Danielson during the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing. Fortunately for the rest of the AEW roster that wants a shot at that title, Christopher Daniels saved the day.
While the Jacksons fired Daniels a few weeks ago, he arrived on Wednesday night with news that Tony Khan had personally hired him to become a new, temporary EVP, making decisions and announcements in his absence. That means Daniels is essentially the mouthpiece for Khan at the moment, and he revealed the new plan for the TNT Championship.
The next few weeks will feature a series of qualifying matches on AEW shows. The winners will earn a spot in the TNT Championship bout at Forbidden Door at the end of June, which will be a ladder match to determine the new champion.
AEW Double or Nothing Results
AEW World Championship: Swerve Strickland (c) vs. Christian Cage
AEW TBS Championship: Willow Nightingale (c) vs. Mercedes Moné
Anarchy in the Arena: The Elite (The Young Bucks, Kazuchika Okada, Jack Perry) vs. Team AEW (FTR, Bryan Danielson, Darby Allin)
AEW TNT Championship – Barbed Wire Cage Match: Adam Copeland (c) vs. Malakai Black
AEW Women’s Championship: “Timeless” Toni Storm (c) vs. Serena Deeb
AEW International Championship: Roderick Strong (c) vs. Will Ospreay
Unified Trios Championships: Bullet Club Gold (c) vs. Death Triangle
FTW Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. HOOK vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Trent Beretta vs. Orange Cassidy
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Eliminator Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita
