Background In February 2021,
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) held a
television special titled
Beach Break, which aired as a special episode of
Dynamite. The event replaced
Bash at the Beach as the promotion's midwinter beach-themed event. A second Beach Break was scheduled for late January 2022 to air as a two-part event as special episodes of
Dynamite and
Rampage, thus establishing
Beach Break as an annual event. It was scheduled to be held on January 26, 2022, at the
Wolstein Center in
Cleveland, Ohio.
Dynamite aired
live on
TBS while
Rampage aired on
tape delay on
TNT on January 28.
Storylines Beach Break 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
Elevation, and
The Young Bucks'
YouTube series
Being The Elite. During the special
Holiday Bash episode of
Rampage on December 25, 2021,
Cody Rhodes defeated
Sammy Guevara to become a record three-time
AEW TNT Champion. The two were scheduled to have a rematch for the championship at
Battle of the Belts I on January 8, 2022; however, Cody was pulled from the event as he had been in contact with family who had tested positive for
COVID-19, thus requiring him to quarantine. Guevara instead faced and defeated Cody's brother
Dustin Rhodes at that event to become the
interim champion. On the January 19 episode of
Dynamite,
lineal champion Cody challenged interim champion Guevara to a
ladder match at the
Dynamite broadcast of Beach Break to determine the undisputed TNT Champion. ==Results==