This week’s AEW Dynamite is shaping up to be a stacked one, and Dave Meltzer says there’s a specific reason behind it.
The June 24 episode, the final Dynamite before Sunday’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view, will feature eight matches when it airs live from Rio Rancho, New Mexico. That is a notably full lineup for the two-hour program, which has typically featured between four and six matches throughout 2026.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer explained that the loaded card is partly a response to counterprogramming, with World Cup soccer airing opposite Dynamite, along with the natural push to build toward Forbidden Door. He pointed to AEW President Tony Khan’s well-known passion for the sport.
“One of the reasons it is so loaded is because Tony Khan is a soccer guy. He is well aware of the World Cup and he’s trying to put on a hell of a show going against World Cup soccer, and that is part of it,” Meltzer said. “And again, building this pay-per-view for Sunday.”
In addition to his AEW role and his work with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, he serves as vice-chairman and director of football operations for Premier League club Fulham FC.
Here is the full card for the June 24 AEW Dynamite:
- AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) vs. Ricochet
- Will Ospreay vs. El Phantasmo
- The Death Riders (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta) vs. MÃstico, Bandido & Brody King
- Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Jack Perry
- The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Bad Dude Tito)
- Swerve Strickland vs. Daniel Garcia
- Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Queen Aminata vs. Red Velvet
- Survival of the Fittest Qualifier: Harley Cameron vs. Marina Shafir
