All Elite Wrestling two-part television special
The December 2021 New Year's Smash was the second New Year's Smash professional wrestling television special produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). It took place on December 29, 2021, at Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida. The two-part event was broadcast on TNT as special episodes of AEW's weekly television programs, "Wednesday Night Dynamite" and "Friday Night Rampage". "Dynamite" aired live while "Rampage" aired on tape delay on December 31. It was the second New Year's Smash event to be held in 2021, after the first took place in January. The "Dynamite" broadcast was the show's final episode on TNT as "Dynamite" moved to TNT's sister channel TBS on January 5, 2022.
In the main event of the "Dynamite" broadcast, the reunited team of Adam Cole and reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly) defeated Best Friends (Chuck Taylor, Trent? Beretta, and Orange Cassidy), while in the main event of the "Rampage" broadcast, Cody Rhodes defeated Ethan Page to retain the AEW TNT Championship. The "Dynamite" broadcast also saw the AEW debut of Mercedes Martinez, who cost Thunder Rosa her semifinals match against Jade Cargill in the AEW TBS Championship tournament. Martinez last appeared in AEW as a free agent at the All Out pay-per-view and an episode of "Dark" in late 2019.
Production.
Background.
In January 2021, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) held a two-part television special of "Wednesday Night Dynamite" called New Year's Smash. On November 8, 2021, AEW President Tony Khan confirmed that New Year's Smash would return live on December 29 for "Dynamite" and an episode of "Friday Night Rampage" that would air on tape delay on New Year's Eve. The December 29 episode marked the final episode of "Dynamite" on TNT; the show moved to TBS on January 5, 2022, while "Rampage" remained on TNT. This was part of AEW's end-of-year Christmas party. The event returned AEW to its home venue of Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
Storylines.
New Year's Smash featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches. Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television programs, "Dynamite" and "Rampage", the supplementary online streaming shows, "Dark" and "", and The Young Bucks' YouTube series "Being The Elite".
References.
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