How Did Hurricane Ian Affect AEW Dynamite?

Inclement weather always kicks out at two. As announced on Twitter by All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan, Wednesday's edition of AEW Dynamite was optional for all AEW talent due to Hurricane Ian. While the show took place in Philadelphia, PA, a bulk of the AEW roster resides in Florida, which is one of the states that is being hit the hardest by the storm. World Wrestling Entertainment also felt the effects of the hurricane, as it announced that the WWE Performance Center was closed on Wednesday due to "storm concerns and safety reasons" and scheduled live events in Florida for this weekend have been postponed to later this fall.

While AEW Dynamite still featured a majority of its top stars, two featured talent were absent. As reported on Fightful Select by Grapsody's Will Washington, former AEW World Tag Team Champion Swerve Strickland was booked for the show but was unable to travel. Strickland's tag partner Keith Lee appeared by himself in a backstage segment with new AEW World Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed.

Ring of Honor Television Champion Samoa Joe was also booked for the event but could not make it to Philly. Joe was featured in the AEW Road to Philly promo package alongside AEW TNT Champion Wardlow.

"Usually I prefer doing things alone, but every once in a while I find somebody who has the same mindset as me, which is rare," Joe said. "It is a rare occurrence when two cosmic forces like myself and Wardlow agree to come together for a common cause. It is a rarity for men like us, who can only be described as walking wars come to an accord and unleash devastation and havoc on all who come before us. What stands before you, is WarJoe."

WarJoe defeated "Smart" Mark Sterling's clients Josh Woods and Tony Nese on AEW Rampage: Grand Slam last Friday. The AEW Road to Philly package indicated that the heavyweight tag team is far from finished with Woods and Nese, but that storyline seems to be on hold until Joe is able to travel.

Despite Joe not being on Dynamite, Ring of Honor still had a heavy presence on the show. New ROH World Champion Chris Jericho opened the broadcast with a celebration for his title win and closed the show with a successful defense against former champion Bandido. ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia also cut a promo in the opening segment, setting up a tag match for next week's anniversary edition of AEW Dynamite.

This story is developing. Stay tuned for further updates on Hurricane Ian's impact on AEW Dynamite.