AEW heads to Vancouver, British Columbia, this Sunday for one of its most anticipated pay-per-views of the year, and on Friday night’s Wrestling Uncensored, Dave Simon and Johnny North delivered a full breakdown of the AEW Dynasty 2026 predictions — match by match, no hedging, no corporate spin. With WrestleMania 42 a week out and WWE SmackDown airing live in the background, the contrast between what AEW is doing and what WWE keeps getting wrong has never been sharper.
The Dynasty card — going down Sunday in Vancouver, BC — features a stacked lineup anchored by MJF defending the AEW World Championship against Kenny Omega in what promises to be a classic. But there’s also Edge and Christian chasing the tag titles, Chris Jericho returning home to Canada, Will Ospreay’s United Empire running roughshod over Dynamite, and a legitimately emotional story developing around Darby Allin. These AEW Dynasty 2026 predictions cover it all, along with Dave’s extended take on why WWE is heading into WrestleMania with a Pat McAfee-shaped problem it created entirely on its own.
This is the Wrestling Uncensored AEW Dynasty 2026 preview — honest, specific, and unapologetically pro wrestling.
🎯 Key Takeaways
- MJF retains the AEW World Title: Both Dave Simon and Johnny North have MJF going over Kenny Omega at Dynasty — and Dave sees MJF holding the belt all the way through the summer, possibly into All In.
- Edge and Christian win the tag titles: One of wrestling’s most celebrated tag teams finally gets the AEW World Tag Team Championship belts, defeating FTR in what could be the match of the night in Vancouver.
- Darby Allin earns a world title shot: Beat Andrade El Idolo on Sunday, and Darby gets a crack at the AEW World Championship. Dave Simon is on record wanting Darby to get that run — and he picks Darby to win.
- WWE’s Pat McAfee problem is a symptom, not the cause: Dave’s extended Smackdown rant makes the case that Ari Emmanuel — not McAfee — is the real issue, and TKO’s corporate approach to wrestling is hollowing out the product that Cody Rhodes and CM Punk are trying to carry.
AEW Dynasty 2026 Predictions
WrestleMania 2026 Backdrop: What Dave Watched on SmackDown
Smackdown was live as Wrestling Uncensored kicked off Friday night, which meant Dave Simon was half watching the feed while going live — and he caught enough to have opinions. The WrestleMania 42 card is now essentially locked for both nights, and the overall reaction from the Wrestling Uncensored desk is that Night Two is clearly the better show, but Night One has at least one match worth getting invested in.
Night One (Saturday) opens with Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and IShowSpeed against the Usos and LA Knight in a six-man tag. An unsanctioned match between Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre follows. Stephanie Vaquer defends the Women’s World Title against Liv Morgan — though Liv’s status is uncertain after suffering a head injury when she and Vaquer collided during a backstage segment on Raw. AJ Lee versus Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. Nia Jax and Lash Legend defending the Women’s Tag Titles in a fatal four-way. And then Seth Rollins versus Gunther, with Cody Rhodes versus Randy Orton — with the Pat McAfee stipulation attached — as the Night One main event.
Night Two (Sunday) is where the real draws live: Oba Femi versus Brock Lesnar to open, then the six-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Title featuring Penta, Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, JD McDonagh, and Rey Mysterio. Jade Cargill versus Rhea Ripley for the Women’s Title. Sami Zayn versus Trick Williams for the US Title. The Demon Finn Bálor versus Dominik Mysterio. And CM Punk versus Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event. Dave went with Punk to win. Johnny North went with Roman. That one’s going to be compelling regardless of the outcome.
📜 Historical Context
Randy Orton debuted in 2002 — after the Attitude Era ended. He’s one of the central figures who defined the post-Attitude era and transitioned the business into its next phase. Pat McAfee invoking the Attitude Era in connection with Orton is, as Dave pointed out, historically confused at best.
Reality Check: Pat McAfee Is a Corporate Stooge
The Reality: Pat McAfee is not the problem — he’s the symptom. The real issue is Ari Emmanuel running a pro wrestling company the way a Hollywood agent runs a movie studio. When you hand non-wrestling people the keys to the biggest wrestling company in the world, you get jelly roll, you get McAfee doing a Southern accent nobody asked for, and you get WrestleMania tickets that families cannot afford. McAfee didn’t book himself into the Randy Orton angle. TKO put him there because TKO doesn’t understand the difference between a celebrity guest and a professional wrestler. Vince McMahon was no angel — far from it — but Vince cared about professional wrestling. The people running WWE right now care about the stock price. That’s the distinction Dave Simon keeps coming back to, and it’s the right one.
The Randy Orton versus Cody Rhodes match had genuine legs before McAfee entered the picture. Two second-generation wrestlers — Orton, the son of Cowboy Bob, Rhodes, the son of Dusty — meeting for the world title at WrestleMania. That story writes itself, and it writes itself in the language of pro wrestling history that the TKO executives don’t understand and won’t learn. Dave suggested Cowboy Bob Orton himself could have been the WrestleMania figure in Randy’s corner, given his history at the first WrestleMania. Instead, the company reached for a football broadcaster who thinks flipping double birds is an Attitude Era callback.
Here’s what Dave makes clear: the McAfee angle actually achieved something, albeit by accident. The WrestleMania stipulation — Randy Orton wins, McAfee stays in wrestling; Randy loses, McAfee is done forever — has Dave genuinely rooting for Cody to win purely to get McAfee off his screen. That emotional investment is real. It’s just being generated for the wrong reasons. “It’s a nice steak,” Dave said. “You’ve got potatoes. Maybe some beans. And then there’s a salad of garbage next to it, and you’re like, why is this on my plate?” The Cody-Randy match is the steak. McAfee is the rest of it.
For more background on how corporate decision-making has shifted WWE’s creative direction, check out our ongoing coverage of WWE’s post-Vince creative evolution and what it means for the on-screen product.
CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns — The Real Babyface Question
Johnny North made an interesting point that there’s no clear heel or babyface in the Punk-Reigns match — and he’s not wrong from a surface-level read. But Dave pushed back: after Punk’s Raw promo this week, Roman Reigns is the heel. Not because of scripting, but because of what Punk said and why it lands.
Roman Reigns came up entirely within the WWE system, was protected from his earliest days, and was handed repeated top-of-card opportunities before the crowd was ready to give them to him. CM Punk wrestled in front of 10 people. He drove nine hours in a car to work on independent shows for $50. He fought his way into AEW and then back into WWE on his own terms. When Punk says the things he says about Roman on the microphone, he’s not just cutting a heel promo — he’s stating documented wrestling history. That’s why the crowd responds to Punk the way they do, even inside a WWE arena that, by the nature of the current product, should be tilted toward the company’s chosen guy.
Dave’s pick: CM Punk wins the World Heavyweight Title. His head says Roman. His gut says Punk. He went with his gut. You can follow the Punk-Reigns build-up in our dedicated WrestleMania 42 preview coverage here.
AEW Dynasty 2026 Predictions — The Full Card Breakdown
AEW Dynasty 2026 goes down this Sunday from Vancouver, British Columbia. The card currently sits at nine officially confirmed matches, with Johnny North believing the final count will land closer to eleven. Fewer matches means longer bouts — and for a card this loaded, that’s a genuine gift. Here are the Wrestling Uncensored AEW Dynasty 2026 predictions for every match on the card.
MJF vs. Kenny Omega — AEW World Championship
This is the main event, and it is the correct main event. MJF as a world champion is one of the best things happening in professional wrestling right now, full stop. Dave made clear this week that MJF’s media work — including a strong appearance on the Adam Freeland show — is a reminder of how complete a performer he is. The promo work heading into Dynasty has been excellent from both men. Kenny’s is good. MJF’s is great.
Dave’s pick: MJF — and he sees the title reign going well into the summer, potentially all the way to All In. Johnny North is also on MJF. The logic is straightforward: you don’t construct an angle of this size two weeks out from a pay-per-view to blow it off immediately. MJF is being built for something, and that something is long-term. This match will go long, and it will be worth every minute.
“MJF is fantastic. I like MJF a lot. He’s a magnificent world champion. I think he beats Kenny. I think the match will be great. MJF forever.” — Dave Simon, Wrestling Uncensored
Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet
Jericho’s return to AEW has been handled well. He came back to Winnipeg — his city — brought out the List of Jericho, put Ricochet’s name on it, and delivered a promo that was self-aware, sincere, and visually compelling (the man has abs again, which Dave noted with genuine surprise and appreciation). Jericho talked about pro wrestling deserving the best version of himself, framing his return as a commitment to the business rather than just a comeback for the sake of it.
He’s been wrestling since 1990. That’s 36 years in the ring. Dave thinks he can push it to 40 — a career milestone almost no performer in history can claim. In the ring at 55, in great shape, with Ricochet as his opponent, this match has real potential.
Dave’s pick: Jericho wins — it’s his home country, it’s his return match, and Kenny Omega isn’t going over in Canada either. You let the Canadian guys win in Vancouver. Both Dave and Johnny are on Jericho here.
Edge and Christian vs. FTR — AEW World Tag Team Championship
This is the match on the card that generates the most excitement from the Wrestling Uncensored desk, and rightfully so. FTR — Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood — are among the best tag teams working in any promotion in the world. Edge and Christian are Hall of Famers, legends of the tag division, and two of the most accomplished performers in the history of the business. This is, as Dave put it, a “classic all-timer Hall of Fame match.” The kind of bout that reminds you why tag team wrestling, done right, is one of the most compelling forms of professional wrestling there is.
Happening in Canada — the home country of both Edge and Christian — the crowd reaction when and if they win the AEW World Tag Team Championship will be one of the loudest pops of the year, anywhere.
Dave’s pick: Edge and Christian — new AEW Tag Team Champions. Johnny North agrees. Johnny even suggested this should open the show, which is the wrestling logic move: put the feel-good Canadian moment early, let the crowd run hot for the rest of the night. We’ll see how AEW sequences it, but regardless of placement, this one delivers. Our full FTR tag team title history breakdown is worth reading before Sunday.
Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley — AEW Continental Championship
Ospreay’s United Empire faction brought the New Japan World Champion — Callum Newman, who just won the belt over the weekend and is now the youngest NJPW World Champion in history — to Dynamite this week for a multi-man match that saw United Empire go over. Moxley was pinned. Going into a pay-per-view championship match having just been pinned by your opponent’s faction is typically not a sign that you’re walking out with the gold.
Dave noted the booking might be “a little much” in terms of putting Ospreay over so strongly heading in. But the storytelling logic is clear: they’re establishing Ospreay as a dominant force. Moxley is the credible threat, the Continental Champion, the guy who is hard to put away. Ospreay has to beat him definitively to mean something. That’s the match.
Dave’s pick: Ospreay retains. Johnny North is on Ospreay as well. Alex Windsor — Ospreay’s partner and the Undisputed British Women’s Champion — also has a match on the card against Marina Shafir, keeping the United Empire storyline running across multiple bouts on Sunday.
Darby Allin vs. Andrade El Idolo — Winner Gets AEW World Title Shot
This one has the cleanest stakes on the card. Darby Allin wins: he gets a world title match. Andrade El Idolo wins: nothing happens. Andrade already has his own title shot on the line, and he has nothing additional to gain from this match. That asymmetry tells you everything about who the bout is designed to elevate.
Andrade got the win over Darby on Dynamite this week, which sets up the pay-per-view return nicely. Dave is publicly on record wanting to see Darby Allin get a world title run in 2026. He’s a legitimate main event performer who has not yet been given that sustained top-of-card push. If Darby beats MJF whenever that title match occurs, it would be one of the more emotionally resonant moments AEW has produced.
Dave’s pick: Darby Allin wins. The match should be excellent. Darby’s style — athletic, reckless, committed — and Andrade’s in-ring ability make this a natural pairing. Watch Darby going forward; there’s a real possibility he’s your AEW World Champion before 2026 is done.
Thekla vs. Jamie Hayter — AEW Women’s World Championship
The honest assessment here is that this match came together without sufficient build. Dave and Johnny both acknowledged it feels like it emerged from nowhere, which undercuts any sense of urgency around the title change. Jamie Hayter is a capable performer who, with proper storytelling support, could absolutely carry a women’s title run. This just isn’t that setup.
Dave’s pick: Thekla retains. Johnny North agrees. When a championship match lacks heat going in, the champion almost always walks out. AEW will presumably circle back to the women’s title picture with a more developed challenger after Dynasty.
Casino Gauntlet — Vacant AEW TNT Championship
Kyle Fletcher’s ankle injury forced him to vacate the AEW TNT Championship, which means a Casino Gauntlet Battle Royal this Sunday determines a new champion. Fletcher won the title legitimately, and an injury-forced vacancy is always unfortunate for everyone involved — but ankles heal, and Fletcher will be back.
Tommaso Ciampa won a match on Dynamite this week specifically to earn the number-one entry spot in the Gauntlet — and in this format, earlier entry is better, giving you more time in the match to build momentum and take out opponents. Ciampa was briefly TNT Champion before dropping the title, and cycling it back to him is a clean, logical booking with a performer who can credibly carry it.
Dave’s pick: Tommaso Ciampa wins the TNT Championship. Johnny North floated the possibility of Dustin Rhodes making a surprise return, given his own history with the title, but acknowledged Ciampa is the more likely outcome if Rhodes isn’t medically cleared. With no clear alternative, Ciampa is the right call.
Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita
The dysfunction between Okada and Takeshita has been building for weeks. They teamed on Dynamite this week and then immediately started fighting each other. That is not the body language of a team that wins championship gold together. The Young Bucks — Matt and Nick Jackson — have the organizational advantage of a unified unit going into this.
Dave suggested the original plan may have involved Kyle Fletcher in some capacity, connecting both Okada and Takeshita, and his injury has left the creative direction slightly muddled. Johnny North agreed: “I just feel like they’re stuck or something.” That’s visible on screen, and it’s the kind of aimlessness that costs a team momentum in a title match.
Dave’s pick: Young Bucks win. Johnny North agrees. Okada and Takeshita’s implosion mid-match is the expected finish. This story has more to tell beyond Dynasty, and the Bucks winning while their opponents continue to fracture sets up whatever comes next between Okada and Takeshita cleanly.
💡 Pro Tip
AEW Dynasty 2026 takes place in Vancouver, BC — meaning the crowd will be hot for every Canadian performer on the card. Factor that in when thinking about atmosphere. Edge, Christian, Jericho, and Ospreay (originally from England but based in Japan) all have strong Canadian connections or followings that will make this building electric.
Quick WrestleMania 2026 Picks from Wrestling Uncensored
Dave and Johnny ran quick predictions for both WrestleMania nights. Here’s where the Wrestling Uncensored desk landed, with full analysis coming in next week’s dedicated WrestleMania preview episode.
Night One (Saturday): Logan Paul/Theory/IShowSpeed over the Usos and LA Knight to open — baby faces win, crowd goes home happy early. Jacob Fatu over Drew McIntyre in the unsanctioned match (Dave is on the fence; Johnny is firmly on Fatu). Liv Morgan retains the Women’s World Title if the match happens — her concussion status is the wildcard. Dave has AJ Lee retaining the Women’s Intercontinental Title; Johnny picks Becky Lynch to take the belt. Nia Jax and Lash Legend retain the Women’s Tag Titles. Dave picks Seth Rollins; Johnny North goes with Gunther. The main event: Dave is picking Randy Orton to win the world title with the McAfee-attached booking logic — why start an angle two weeks out just to kill it? — but openly says he wants Cody to win to eliminate McAfee from wrestling forever. Johnny North picks Cody Rhodes.
Night Two (Sunday): Oba Femi over Brock Lesnar (Johnny North thinks Femi is being built too obviously and suspects an upset — he’s going with Brock). Je’Von Evans wins the Intercontinental Title in the ladder match (both hosts agree; Evans’ athleticism and the narrative of him being potentially the youngest IC champion ever make this the call). Rhea Ripley wins the Women’s Title from Jade Cargill. Sami Zayn retains the US Title over Trick Williams. Finn Bálor’s Demon beats Dominik Mysterio cleanly — the easiest call on either card. CM Punk versus Roman Reigns: Dave goes Punk; Johnny goes Roman. You can follow the full WrestleMania 42 card analysis at our WrestleMania 42 match-by-match preview and our dedicated Wrestling Uncensored episode hub.
Final Thoughts: Why AEW Dynasty 2026 Matters
Here’s the thing about this week’s Wrestling Uncensored: the AEW Dynasty 2026 predictions were the stated purpose of the show, but the deeper argument beneath it all is about what professional wrestling is supposed to be and who gets to run it. AEW Dynasty, happening in Vancouver with MJF and Kenny Omega in the main event and Edge and Christian chasing tag gold, represents a version of the business that is run by wrestling people, for wrestling people. It’s not perfect, and Dave Simon is not a cheerleader — he’ll call out AEW when the booking is thin, as he did with the women’s title match this week.
But the AEW Dynasty 2026 predictions coming out of Wrestling Uncensored this week carry genuine excitement. MJF is a great champion. The tag title match is a Hall of Fame matchup. Darby Allin earning a world title shot gives the next chapter of AEW’s main event story a direction. Chris Jericho is coming home. Ospreay is building an empire. Ciampa is getting another TNT run.
That’s a lot of things to be interested in. Watch Wrestling Uncensored Friday nights at 10 PM Eastern on YouTube, Rumble, Twitch, DLive, and Kick for the live analysis — and become a supporter at ringsidereport.net to join the conversation.
AEW Dynasty 2026 FAQ
What is on the AEW Dynasty 2026 card?
AEW Dynasty 2026 takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia and features MJF vs. Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship in the main event, Jon Moxley vs. Will Ospreay for the Continental Championship, FTR vs. Edge and Christian for the AEW Tag Team Championship, Darby Allin vs. Andrade El Idolo with a future world title shot on the line, Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter for the AEW Women’s World Championship, a Casino Gauntlet for the vacant TNT Championship, the Young Bucks vs. Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita, Chris Jericho vs. Ricochet, and Alex Windsor vs. Marina Shafir.
Who does Dave Simon pick to win the AEW World Championship at Dynasty 2026?
Dave Simon picks MJF to retain the AEW World Championship against Kenny Omega at Dynasty 2026. He sees MJF holding the title well into the summer, potentially all the way to All In, with a future defense against Darby Allin as a likely chapter in that run. Both Dave and co-host Johnny North are on MJF.
Why is the AEW TNT Championship vacant at Dynasty 2026?
Kyle Fletcher suffered an ankle injury and was forced to vacate the AEW TNT Championship before Dynasty. A Casino Gauntlet Battle Royal at the pay-per-view will crown a new champion. Tommaso Ciampa earned the number-one entry spot by winning a match on Dynamite, and Wrestling Uncensored picks him to walk out as the new TNT Champion.
Will Edge and Christian win the AEW Tag Team Titles at Dynasty 2026?
Wrestling Uncensored picks Edge and Christian to defeat FTR and win the AEW World Tag Team Championship at Dynasty 2026. Both Dave Simon and Johnny North agree it will be one of the matches of the night — a Hall of Fame pairing happening in Canada, Edge and Christian’s home country, which should produce one of the loudest crowd reactions of the year.
Who does Dave Simon pick to win CM Punk vs. Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42?
Dave Simon is picking CM Punk to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 42. His head says Roman Reigns retains, given WWE’s history of protecting homegrown talent, but he went with his gut and called it for CM Punk. Johnny North went with Roman Reigns.
What does Dave Simon think about Pat McAfee’s involvement in the WrestleMania 42 main event angle?
Dave Simon is sharply critical — but frames it as a structural problem rather than a personal one. He argues Pat McAfee is a symptom of TKO Group and Ari Emmanuel running WWE like a Hollywood operation rather than a wrestling company. The stipulation attached to Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton — if Randy loses, McAfee is done in wrestling forever — has Dave rooting solely for Cody to win to permanently remove McAfee from the product.
