FTW Title Match Added To AEW Battle Of The Belts
Three matches set for Saturday
Jan 8, 2022
A match for the unofficial FTW championship has been added to AEW Battle of the Belts, as titleholder Ricky Starks will defend against Matt Sydal.
Starks has held the title since July 14, when he defeated one-time Team Taz ally Brian Cage at Fyter Fest.
Taz introduced the FTW title to AEW in 2020, and awarded the belt to Cage, his then-client. The FTW title was first commissioned in ECW in 1998, when Taz began carrying around the belt due to his belief that ECW champion Shane Douglas was ducking his challenges.
Starks and Sydal have a rather loose storyline connection. At one time, Sydal mentored Dante Martin, before Martin came under the tutelage of Lio Rush. Martin and Rush have since feuded with Starks and the rest of Team Taz, which Martin briefly joined before double-crossing Starks in the Dynamite Diamond battle royal in December.
The matches for tomorrow's AEW Battle of the Belts, taking place at Bojangles Arena in Charlotte, are as follows:
* AEW Women's: Dr. Britt Baker (c) vs. Riho
* Interim AEW TNT: Sammy Guevara vs. Dustin Rhodes
* FTW: Ricky Starks (c) vs. Matt Sydal