On Sunday, April 12, All Elite Wrestling will present their second pay-per-view of the year with AEW Dynasty 2026.
Coming off the heels of AEW Revolution 2026, the company will want to produce some surprises in a similar fashion to what was seen last month in Los Angeles.
In front of what should be a hot crowd in Vancouver, AEW should offer some debuts, returns and title changes that will shock the fans in attendance on April 12.
Here are eight potential surprises at AEW Dynasty 2026.
8. Speedball Mike Bailey Becomes New AEW TNT Champion
Over the last few weeks, there is probably no one who has the momentum on the level of Speedball Mike Bailey.
At AEW Revolution 2026, Mistico and JetSpeed defeated The Don Callis Family’s Mark Davis, Kyle Fletcher and Kazuchika Okada to win the AEW World Trios Championships.
Meanwhile in singles competition, Bailey has picked up wins over Davis and Rocky Romero, feeling like someone who should be in contention for singles gold.
Considering how close he got to winning the title against Fletcher on the March 11 AEW Dynamite, Dynasty 2026 could see Speedball win the TNT Championship in his home country of Canada.
7. Jon Moxley Shows Respect To Will Ospreay
At the AEW Revolution 2026 pay-per-view, Jon Moxley defeated Konosuke Takeshita to retain the AEW Continental Championship.
Post match, Will Ospreay made his return, looking for revenge on Moxley and The Death Riders for taking him out at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door 2025 event.
This has set the stage for Ospreay to challenge Moxley to a grudge match at the upcoming AEW Dynasty 2026 pay-per-view.
While he is the heel in this feud, fans have seen Mox showing respect to those who earn it and could do the same towards Ospreay after losing to “The Aerial Assassin” in Vancouver.
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6. Konosuke Takeshita Finally Leaves The Don Callis Family
Over the past year, Konosuke Takeshita has found himself being shunned in the Don Callis Family with the inclusion of Kazuchika Okada into the faction.
Okada has disrespected and undermined Takeshita at every turn since joining the group that “The Alpha” was the first member of.
It has now been months of Takeshita having Okada flip him off and insult him at every turn, which could cause him to finally snap.
Whether it be costing Okada the International Championship or turning his back on Don Callis himself, it feels long overdue for Takeshita to break free from the Family and stand on his own, which could happen at AEW Dynasty 2026.
5. Bobby Lashley & The Hurt Syndicate Are Back
Back in November 2025, MVP revealed that Bobby Lashley was out of action with a shoulder injury.
While Shelton Benjamin competed in the Casino Gauntlet for the AEW National Championship at Full Gear 2025, The Hurt Syndicate have not appeared on the company’s television in the past few months.
During a recent interview, Lashley admitted that he was now healthy and ready to make his return to All Elite Wrestling.
Lashley and The Hurt Syndicate making their return could put them in position for championship gold and could thrust them back into the spotlight at AEW Dynasty 2026.
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4. Charlie aka Dakota Kai Debuts
In May 2025, Dakota Kai was considered by many to be one of the most shocking WWE releases of that month’s slate of talent cuts.
Over the next 10 months, Kai remained on the sidelines and did not appear for any promotion outside of WWE.
However, Kai, now going by Charlie, made her in-ring return against Kris Statlander for EVE International Championship at EVE: Wrestle Queendom VIII event.
Receiving a stamp of approval from Statlander and Will Ospreay, Charlie could make for a wonderful addition to the women’s division following her official arrival at AEW Dynasty 2026.
3. Jay White Makes His Long Awaited Comeback
Ahead of AEW Dynasty 2025, Jay White announced that he had suffered a serious broken hand that would sideline him for the foreseeable future.
During his layoff, White also underwent surgery for lingering shoulder injuries, which has extended his time away from All Elite Wrestling.
After nearly a year away from the company, it feels like the right time to see “Switchblade” make his return to AEW.
White making his long awaited comeback at AEW Dynasty 2026 could see him place himself right into the mix for championship gold or reunite with the Bang Bang Gang to bolster the faction within the AEW roster.
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2. Swerve Strickland Introduces New Embassy To Cost Kenny Omega AEW World Title Against MJF
On the March 25 episode of AEW Dynamite, Kenny Omega defeated Swerve Strickland to retain his EVP status and become the new number one contender for the AEW World Title.
Following his victory, Omega immediately challenged MJF for the title, which will headline the AEW Dynasty 2026 pay-per-view.
Meanwhile, it should be interesting to see how Strickland responds to his latest loss and responds to Omega evening their rivalry at one win a piece.
Wanting to make sure Omega does not capture the AEW World Championship, Swerve could introduce his new Mogul Embassy with Prince Nana by recruiting the likes of Tehutti Miles and Private Party to attack “The Cleaner” and cost him his match against MJF at the PPV.
1. Chris Jericho Makes His Return
Following AEW Dynasty 2025, Chris Jericho decided to leave the company and take some time off to recover from his loss to Bandido for the ROH World Championship.
Now nearly a year later, Jericho has reportedly filed for a trademark for the term of “The Cornerstone.”
This has led to some speculation in regards to Jericho making his return in his home country of Canada at AEW Dynasty 2026.
Despite having strong interest from WWE to make his return to their company, Jericho might just make his comeback to All Elite Wrestling before finishing up his career and could show up in Vancouver on Sunday, April 12.
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