Predictions for Remainder of TNT Championship Tournament on AEW Dynamite

The TNT Championship tournament has played out on AEW Dynamite over the past few weeks, and the finals will officially be set Wednesday based on the result of the two semifinal bouts.

Cody and Darby Allin will do battle in one of the semifinals, with Lance Archer and Dustin Rhodes clashing in the other. The winner of those matches will then meet at AEW Double or Nothing to determine the inaugural TNT champion.

With the tournament taking shape now that the first round is over, here are predictions for how the semifinals will go Wednesday and for who will win in the finals and be crowned as the TNT champion.

Cody vs. Darby Allin

The semifinal between Cody and Allin is a highly anticipated one since they are two of the most popular performers All Elite Wrestling has to offer and have a ton of history with each other.

It all started a Fyter Fest last June, which was essentially Allin's coming-out party as a top star in pro wrestling. Most expected Cody to win the match with relative ease, but it ended up being a time limit draw.

They eventually met again on the Jan. 1 edition of Dynamite with Cody picking up the win, but Allin had already established himself as one of the top babyfaces in the company by that point.

More recently, Cody and Allin teamed against Shawn Spears and Sammy Guevara last month. The match came about since Cody was set to face Spears in the first round of the tournament and Allin was scheduled to face Guevara.

Cody and Allin came out on the losing end, and things were tense between them to say the least, as Allin laid The American Nightmare out before leaving.

Now, Cody and Allin will look to settle score on Dynamite, with the winner going on to compete for the TNT Championship.

There is a chance that Allin could win Wednesday if AEW wants to put the title on an up-and-coming star who would benefit from holding it, but based on the story being told between Cody and Archer, look for him to prevail once again.

Lance Archer vs. Dustin Rhodes

The other semifinal match between Archer and Rhodes is a bout that hasn't happened since they were both in WWE as part of the ECW brand in 2009.

Both men have changed a lot since then, and there is no question that there is far more intrigue surrounding their semifinal match in the TNT Championship tournament.

Archer has dominated since making his AEW debut several weeks ago, including a victory over Colt Cabana in the first round of the tourney. Rhodes took a much different path to the semis, as he put his career on the line against Kip Sabian in the first round and managed to prevail.

Wednesday's bout should be a hard-hitting affair between two big, physical wrestlers. A rematch between Cody and Dustin of their classic encounter at last year's Double or Nothing could be fun, but it seems unlikely.

Archer and his mentor, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, have spoken constantly about Cody since arriving in AEW and all signs point to them being on a collision course.

Assuming that holds true, Archer will beat a game Rhodes in the second semifinal of the TNT Championship tournament.

Cody vs. Lance Archer

There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the Double or Nothing pay-per-view, which was originally supposed to be held in Las Vegas on May 23.

Instead, the event will happen with no fans in attendance due to the coronavirus pandemic, and it will likely emanate from Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida. The card is also something of a mystery aside from the TNT Championship tournament final.

Since the only clear rivalry that has been built over multiple weeks entering Double or Nothing is Cody vs. Archer, they figure to lock horns in a heated affair on pay-per-view.

A strong case can be made for either of them to win the match. Cody is arguably AEW's top star and has lost each of his past two big PPV matches, while Archer is brand new and could be damaged by losing so soon.

Since Cody can't compete for the AEW World Championship due to the stipulation he agreed to before facing Chris Jericho at Full Gear, the TNT title should mean everything to him from a storyline perspective.

If that is the case, then Cody can ill afford to lose since he would then be in danger of losing credibility as a top babyface.

Cody using his star power and influence to make the TNT Championship feel like a big deal may be the best thing for the title in its infancy, which is why he should and will win.

A loss will be a setback for Archer, but it shouldn't be difficult for AEW to book him like a monster and get him back on track quickly after the fact.

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