While Kurt Angle has retired from active competition, the Olympic gold medallist still keeps an eye on the happenings of the wrestling world. The rise of AEW has been the biggest wrestling stories of the past few years and the former world champion has big praise for one of the stars that helped start the promotion.
Chris Jericho interviewed Angle for an episode of Talk Is Jericho on Wrestling Rager At Sea Triple Whammy. The episode that was released recently saw the two long-time friends discussing a number of topics including Kurt’s TNA run. Speaking about his decision to join the company, Kurt Angle said wrestling with AJ Styles was one of the things that inspired him to join the promotion:
“You know, I got to wrestle with AJ Styles. That was my inspiration coming into the company. I had my eyes set on AJ. He was one of the greatest overall performers I’ve ever seen. The stuff he can do in the ring. He was great at technical stuff. He was great at high-flying. He had the whole ball of wax.
The great thing about AJ was you didn’t have to do any work. I mean, when you wrestled him it was like a night off. He did all the bumping. He did all the selling. He did all the flying around. All you did was catch him. And I could go an hour and a half with AJ and not even break a sweat. But he’d be exhausted.”
Angle Praises Kenny Omega
Kurt Angle has a long history with AJ Styles
Kurt Angle also had some big praise for the former AEW world champion Kenny Omega. He said that Omega reminds him of the Phenomenal one. The former WWE star claimed that both these stars have the it factor:
“Another wrestler that reminds me of AJ is Kenny Omega. Very much so. These guys are a step above everybody. For whatever reason. I don’t know what it is, but they have the it factor. These guys put on tremendous matches.
I’m not buying all the six and seven star matches by Dave Meltzer, but the only person that gets like six, seven, eight, nine stars is Kenny Omega, and he deserves it. It’s really incredible how good he really is.”
Apart from this, Kurt Angle talked about his feud with Samoa Joe. He revealed that he wanted to wait a few months after joining TNA and build the rivalry before finally having a match. Though the officials decided that they didn’t want to wait. Angle ended up facing Joe in his first PPV match for the organization at Genesis 2006.
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with a H/T for transcription
With WWE releasing people like Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt, it appears no one is safe in the roster. Though Xavier Woods doesn’t seem too worried about getting axed.
The 2021 King Of The Ring winner recently had an interview with SportsKeeda. He was asked how he would react if he was released from the promotion.
Replying to it, Woods mentioned how he has been able to achieve a lot of things in WWE. He explained that he wouldn’t be mad if the officials decide to let him go after the King Of The Ring win.
“So, as far as wrestling with New Day, we’ve been able to accomplish so many things as a tag team, and that’s been my focus as a kid. I love tag team wrestling, and I love King of the Ring. So, as far as wrestling goals, now I’m on bonus time.”
Deuces, it has been a fun ride!
Xavier Woods already knows how he would react if WWE fired him.
“If they would have been like, ‘Hey, you won King of the Ring,’ and they came back and hit me with the ‘You’re fired,’ I would have been like, ‘Okay, deuces, it has been a fun ride.”
The New Day star also talked about his singles run. He claimed that he is getting to do his best to create things every week in his solo run.
Woods explained that his goal is to attempt to bring something different to the table for fans every time they see him. We will see if the people like it.
The ending of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw Big E standing tall in the ring after scoring a victory over Austin Theory in the main event of the show.
Though this wasn’t the end of the night for fans in attendance. People who were in the arena got to see a pretty unusual dark main event after the cameras stopped rolling.
Happy birthday, Brooklyn! @RandyOrton brought his daughter in the ring after #WWERaw
After the Raw episode from Brooklyn, NY, went off air, Kevin Owens returned to attack the WWE champion. Austin Theory and Seth Rollins joined in on the attack before a number of other heels also came out.
Drew McIntyre led a group of babyfaces to make the save for the New Day star. This set up the stage for a 7 vs. 7 tag team match. People from Raw and SmackDown rosters were called in as lumberjacks for the bout.
After a good back and forth between the heel and face teams, the babyfaces won the match. They all got in the ring to celebrate afterward.
Randy Orton brought in his daughter Brooklyn to the ring and revealed that it was her fifth birthday. He asked the crowd to sing a birthday song and people obliged. The night then ended with the stars greeting each other and the crowd.
WWE has released an official statement on the fan who jumped Seth Rollins during this Monday’s episode of Raw from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
The company released the statement to media outlets when reached out about the incident. They revealed that the attacker has been turned over to NYPD:
“WWE takes the safety of its performers very seriously. The individual who attacked Seth Rollins has been turned over to the NYPD and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Architect was supposed to have a match with Finn Balor on tonight’s episode of the show. Though he attacked Balor before the bout could begin.
As Rollins was heading to the ramp after the segment, a fan jumped the barricades and attacked the former Universal champion before the security took him down.
The former Shield member seemed to be fine when he reappeared on the show during the main event WWE championship match between Big E and Austin Theory.
Rollins, who is expected to challenge for the WWE title next, interfered in the bout. Though he wasn’t successful in his attempt to cost Big E the title. Seth Rollins ended up taking a big ending from E after the match was over.
The storyline involving Cleopatra’s golden egg worth $100 million advanced on this week’s Raw as Vince McMahon continued looking for the culprit who stole the artifact.
The opening segment of the night saw McMahon threatening to fire Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville if the egg is not found. He also announced that the person to bring him the culprit will get a shot at Big E’s WWE championship.
After several segments of people looking for the egg backstage, Sami Zayn got into Vince McMahon’s office and claimed to know the person who stole the egg.
In a later segment, Zayn called in Austin Theory to the office and Theory walked in with the golden egg. When asked why he did it, Austin said that he just wanted to take a selfie with the egg.
Vince McMahon said that he will drop the charges on the high-flying star. He said that Austin reminds him of himself and that he will now get the announced title shot in the main event of the show.
Sami Zayn protested this call. He ranted about how Vince went back on his word but the boss told Sami to shut up because no one likes a snitch.
The main event saw both Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens coming down to the ringside to watch the WWE championship match between Theory and E.
Rollins interfered in the bout at one point and attacked the injured knee of the WWE champion when the referee was distracted.
However, Owens then got involved as well and he threw the architect in the ring. Rollins confronted Kevin outside and Theory got distracted by this.
The distraction allowed Big E to regain control of the match. He delivered a big ending to Austin Theory to pin him and retain his title.
After the match, he attacked both Rollins and Owens. Rollins ended up getting the big ending too while Kevin Owens retreated. The show ended with Big E standing tall in the ring and Owens ranting on the stage.
The long-standing history and the backstage drama that occurred beforehand made the Survivor Series clash between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair a very emotional encounter for both the competitors.
The Raw women’s champion was interviewed backstage after her match with Flair. She was asked if this was the most emotional match of her career. She replied by saying that she doesn’t know if she is happy or sad.
“Yeah, even watching the video packages, I got a little bit emotional cause to see where we came from to where we are now,” said Lynch. “And the hatred there, the hatred going out there. It’s so sad. That’s somebody who I loved so much. Who I trusted with my life. And we’ve been through everything together.”
I’m the better woman
Lynch continued, “We nearly died in a car crash together and just how much we despise each other now. I just wanted to rip her apart out there. I wanted to rip her apart. I didn’t break her arm like I wanted to. Like I set out to do. And I don’t know if I’m happy or I’m sad about that. but I got the win. And now she knows. She can’t deny it. I’m the better woman.”
Becky Lynch picked up a victory in this encounter after stealing a trick from Charlotte’s playbook. She rolled her up for the pin using the ropes for advantage.
Vince McMahon has ordered talent from both brands to be in attendance for Monday’s Raw, so it’s possible we could see another chapter in this rivalry unfold.
Watch Becky Lynch’s emotional post-match promo from Survivor Series:
With the Survivor Series PPV behind us, people have already started talking about Royal Rumble. Big E has revealed his pick to win the big match this time around.
The WWE champion recently appeared on Barstool Rasslin’ to talk about a number of things. He discussed topics such as the Survivor Series PPV, his match with the Universal champion Roman Reigns and more.
When asked who he would like to see winning the Royal Rumble match this year, Big E mentioned how taking the name of any of the New Day members would be a lazy answer, so he picked Cesaro:
“I feel like the lazy answer would be The New Day members, so obviously either Kofi or Woods. I’ll go with someone who’s not them. Let’s go, Cesaro should win the Rumble, man, Cesaro is so damn good in the ring. I would love to see Cesaro get hot again.
When he was with Paul Heyman, like that era, the swing era,” said Big E, “and he’s still so damn good, but people were so behind him them. He’s a guy who is deserving of that, so I would love to see him get some much-deserved momentum.”
The Raw star also discussed the New Day entrance and his roar beforehand that has become an iconic part of the group.
He claimed that his fear while doing the entrance is to get the name of the city wrong. E mentioned how R Truth once got it wrong and he was booed by the fans.
For those who don’t know, Hit Row were among the half dozen names released from WWE during the latest budget cuts earlier this week.
A report provided some backstage info on the potential reason behind some of these cuts. It claimed that Top Dolla had rubbed some people within NXT the wrong way.
He had started getting the same reputation on the main roster which contributed to the decision of his release from the promotion.
Briana ‘B-Fab’ Brandy had already been let go by the officials earlier this month. Since Top Dolla was seen as the star of the faction, the decision was made to release Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Ashante “Thee” Adonis as well.
All the Hit Row members and the other released stars are expected to become free agents in February. We will have to see if the group remains together or go their separate ways after that.
Andy Williams aka The Butcher has reportedly suffered a bicep injury that is going to keep him out of action for the next few months.
Bryan Alvarez talked about him on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Live. He revealed that the heavyweight star suffered a torn bicep during his match on this week’s episode of Dynamite.
The post Full Gear episode saw The Butcher and The Blade facing Orange Cassidy and Tomohiro Ishii in a tag team match.
The American tag team not only lost this bout to Cassidy and Ishii but Williams also ended up suffering the injury during this fight.
This isn’t the first time he has suffered a serious injury this year. The musician previously suffered a hand injury while competing against the then TNT champion Darby Allin during The House Always Wins event in April.
The previous injury kept The Butcher out of action for almost 5 months. He returned to action during the All Out PPV in September, attacking Orange Cassidy.
An exact timetable for his return is not known yet but a torn bicep should keep him out of action for at least 3-4 months. We will update you when more details regarding his health and recovery come to light.
Members of the Hit Row faction were probably the most surprising names to be let go during the latest wave of WWE releases. They had only been called up to the main roster last month.
Dave Meltzer provided some updates on this decision in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He revealed what probably led to their firing.
There had been rumors of Top Dolla having backstage heat in NXT. Meltzer reports that he rubbed a lot of people the wrong way during his time in the development brand:
“While he came across well on television, he rubbed a ton of people the wrong way in NXT and was getting the same reputation on the main roster.”
Vince McMahon apparently saw Top Dolla as the star of Hit Row due to his size. Once the decision was made to let him go, the other remaining members of the faction in Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Ashante Thee Adonis were likely “caught in the crossfire.”
WWE released over half a dozen names including talents such as John Morrison, Drake Maverick, and Tegan Nox earlier this week.
These stars including Hit Row will become free agents after their 90 days non-compete clause expires on Wednesday, February 16.
Sheamus has joined team SmackDown as the final member of the group to face team Raw in the traditional Survivor Series elimination match.
Last week’s episode of the blue branded show saw Sami Zayn losing his spot in the team after being defeated by Jeff Hardy in a one-on-one match.
The officials then held a fatal four-way match among Cesaro, Jinder Mahal, Sheamus, and Ricochet on this week’s show to determine who will join the blue team for Survivor Series on Sunday.
The Celtic warrior won this match after interference from his friend and the newest SmackDown roster member Ridge Holland.
Updated Survivor Series Match Card
A total of 6 matches have been confirmed for the PPV that will see stars from the two premier brands colliding with each other. Here is the updated card for the show:
Singles Match: WWE champion Big E vs. Universal champion Roman Reigns
Singles Match: Raw women’s champion Becky Lynch vs. SmackDown women’s champion Charlotte Flair
Tag Team Match: Raw tag team champions RK-Bro vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
Singles Match: US champion Damian Priest vs. IC champion Shinsuke Nakamura
Men’s Elimination Match: Team Raw (Bobby Lashley, Austin Theory, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins) vs. Team SmackDown (Drew McIntyre, Jeff Hardy, King Xavier Woods, Happy Baron Corbin, Sheamus)
Women’s Elimination Match: Team Raw (Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Carmella, Queen Zelina Vega, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Rhea Ripley) vs. Team SmackDown (Sasha Banks, Shotzi, Natalya, Shayna Baszler, Toni Storm)
Survivor Series 2021 will take place from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on this Sunday, November 21.
Kenny Omega thinks that the biggest difference of the wrestling fandom in America compared to Japan is the social media interactions.
The Cleaner stopped by the office of naprapath Dr. Beau Hightower to get himself in a better shape for his Full Gear match against Hangman Page before the PPV this past Saturday. The now-former AEW champion had a detailed conversation about things such as developing his persona, being a fan of anime, and more while getting the adjustments.
Omega spent over half a decade in Japan rebuilding his character after some failed stints in America. He has been reintroduced to the wider American audience in the past couple of years ever since AEW started putting out a weekly show on national television.
When asked what’s the biggest difference he has noticed in the fandom of Japan and America, Kenny Omega said that the major difference is the social media interaction with fans.
“I would say the major difference is social media interactions. I find that by far and away native English speakers are much more volatile online. You just don’t get that [in Japan]. At the very least, even at the most basic level, I would say a [Japanese] wrestling fan respects the effort wrestlers put in. Whereas in America or the UK or sometimes Canada or whatever, you know, people want us to die.
They want us to get injured. They want us to be retired. They want us to be out of work and I hear it hundreds of times a day. And if I wasn’t kind of numb to it, I don’t know. I feel like I might be in a real terrible mental place. That’s why I worry for other people who may not be in similar shoes and may not be used to that.”
“Fans Feels Like They Are Fighting The War”: Kenny Omega
AEW World Champion Kenny Omega (Photo: AEW)
Discussing the mentality behind the negative reactions of fans, Kenny Omega explained that people believe they are fighting the war alongside their favorite team. Though it’s not something the wrestlers or the companies want them to do:
“The fans feel like they’re fighting the war alongside their favorite team and so they feel like they’re doing their due diligence. And what they’re actually doing is probably not what anyone really wishes them to do.”
Kenny Omega dropped the AEW world championship to Hangman Page during the Full Gear PPV. This culminated one of the longest-running storylines of the company. The former IWGP champion has since confirmed that he is taking a break from AEW programming to heal from his various injuries. While an exact timetable for his return is not known, he is expected to stay out of action for at least a few months.
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with a H/T for the transcription.
Ric Flair has spent the majority of his life in and around the squared circle and the Hall Of Famer is willing to end it inside it as well. The 72-year-old talked about the potential of one more match on the latest episode of his Wooo Nation Uncensored podcast.
He was asked if he thinks he can get inside the ring one more time. Replying to it Flair claimed that he is in better shape now than he was during his final match for WCW on the March 26, 2001 episode of Nitro:
“Most assuredly, and a lot of conversation. That talk hasn’t happened, but could I do it? Absolutely. I’m in better shape now than I was when Sting and I wrestled the last match on Nitro.”
Flair previously teased getting physical in WWE before the 2019 Crown Jewel event. Though the spot ended up getting nixed by Vince McMahon and a team of superstars represented him instead. Talking about it, Ric Flair said that he understands why the company didn’t let him do anything, but claimed that he would rather die in the ring:
“WWE won’t let me do anything, even though I’m released. I understand, they have so much liability and I told them I would sign anything, but nobody wants me to die on their watch. I’d rather die in the ring. If I have to go. I’d rather not jump off the 19th floor or spend another 31 days in the ICU.”
Ric Flair hasn’t wrestled a full match for a decade. His last match coincidentally was also against Sting which took place during an episode of Impact Wrestling in September 2011. With him being out of his WWE contract now, it would be interesting to see if the wrestling veteran tries to pursue one final in-ring encounter before calling it a career.
Ruby Soho is living her dream in AEW and she is finally in a place where she can express herself freely. This journey started with her incredible debut during the All Out PPV where she entered the Casino Battle Royal as the joker. Fans started chanting her name even before her music hit. This incredible reception helped her stand out and made her arrival a memorable moment in a show that also featured debuts of people like Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson.
The female star talked about the day of her debut on the latest episode of AEW Unrestricted. She said that it was one of the best days of her life:
“It’s probably one of the best days of my life if I am being honest. It was super emotional; I went on such a rollercoaster that day. I was just on sensory overload for the entirety of the day. Obviously, there was a lot of anticipation. There’s a lot of stuff I was thinking about and hoping it would go perfectly and also realising it’s wrestling and nothing ever goes the way you think it’s going to go.
Leading up to that moment I was really nervous and I wanted everything to go the way that would make Tony happy and obviously I hadn’t gone by this name at that time and I was wondering if they would be receptive to that and they would be receptive to me, the new kid on the block.”
Ruby Soho discussed how she was put in an important role as the joker in her debut match for the promotion. She recalled getting emotional backstage when the fans started chanting her name and almost cried. The AEW star then revealed the reaction of Tony Khan to the fired-up crowd that made the moment even better:
“I was the joker, such a important role in that match and I was hoping that I could live up to the role that it was. So, when they started chanting my name before I ever came out, it was so emotional. I remember looking at everybody that was near the stairs and almost crying. And I was like ‘ok pull it together Ruby, I gotta go wrestle, I gotta go do stuff.’
My favorite part that I will remember forever is Tony Khan from behind the screen as soon as he hears it, goes ‘let’s goooo.’ Screams at the top of his lungs. It was awesome. I was like ‘he’s my boss and he is so behind me right now. and he is happy already and that makes me happy.'”
Ruby Soho has already made a spot for herself on the AEW roster since her arrival. In the short time, she has challenged for the AEW women’s world championship already. Soho is currently participating in the TBS championship tournament where she is scheduled to face Kris Statlander in the quarterfinals.
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with a H/T for the transcription.
Keith Lee has responded to a fan claiming that he is bitter about not being good enough and getting released from WWE. The former WWE star recently made a post on Twitter waving goodbye to his singlet.
In response, a fan claimed that he is being bitter about getting dropped by the #1 wrestling company in the world. Lee reacted to this notion from the fan saying that it makes him laugh. He explained that he is grateful for his time within the promotion:
“Lol…this makes me laugh. It is quite clear that you are either intentionally ignorant, or just simply an imbecile. I am far from bitter. I am grateful. And nothing in this tweet says anything bitter. It merely says bye to a singlet and looks toward the future.”
Lol…this makes me laugh. It is quite clear that you are either intentionally ignorant, or just simply an imbecile.
I am far from bitter. I am grateful. And nothing in this tweet says anything bitter. It merely says bye to a singlet and looks toward the future.
Keith Lee went through some gimmick changes in the recent months leading to him being renamed to Bearcat Lee. Though his new persona was short-lived as the heavyweight star was released weeks later on November 4.
Assuming a standard 90 days non-compete clause, the former NXT champion should become a free agent in February next year. There is no word yet on what he is planning for his future but we will keep you updated.
Kenny Omega has confirmed that he will be taking time off from AEW programming after dropping the AEW world championship to Hangman Page during Full Gear.
The opening of this week’s Dynamite featured the Elite in a backstage segment. During the segment, the former AEW champion congratulated Page. He then claimed that there are things he needs to change.
“You know I haven’t watched the match back yet from Full Gear and people are already asking me when the rematch is gonna be. When are you gonna get your belt back Kenny. I lost that match; the elite lost the night. Quite frankly I am a little disgusted.
Not in you hanger, you won. Congrats. Really congrats. I feel like there is things I gotta fix and there is things I gotta change and I can’t do it here. So if I can count on you to hold the fort while I am gone, I would really appreciate it”
This prompted a response from Adam Cole explaining that he will take care of things. However, Kenny Omega then cleared that he was talking to the Young Bucks.
The former NJPW star has been dealing with multiple nagging injuries for a while now. Word is that he is going to take time off for a shoulder surgery. Stay tuned for an update on how long he may stay out of action.
Fans in the UK got to see a dream match during WWE’s recent tour when Walter faced Cesaro. Drew McIntyre who was also part of the tour had big praise for this encounter.
The former WWE champion recently appeared on Busted Open Radio. He talked about things such as how he wanted to hold the WWE title in front of fans and more.
Speaking of the fight between Walter and Cesaro, McIntyre said that it was awesome, before revealing what he told the UK star about his match:
“It was freaking awesome, I mean, Walter came and asked me after the first match, ‘just any thoughts?’ I told him exactly what it was. It’s a very simple story, two men that look like men, very physical, very logical.
Anybody can go in there and get it.” said Drew McIntyre, “Dads are going in there with their families, perhaps not current fans of the product are going to watch like that and talk about it the next day.”
This was one of the rare occasions where Walter interacted with a main roster star. The former NXT UK champion hasn’t been called up because he has been unwilling to move to US. Though latest reports suggest that this could be changing soon.
Apart from this, Drew McIntyre also talked about the sword he usage in his entrance. He revealed that the sword travels in a private plane because it can’t get through TSA.
Bryan Danielson has amped things up since joining AEW and he has started taking more risks inside the ring. This increased physicality however has also sparked debate because of the issues the former world champion has faced in the past, even forcing him to take retirement from active completion for a while.
The AEW star provided some updates on his health and the precautions he takes during the post Full Gear media scrum. When he originally came out of retirement, Danielson had to do impact testing after every match. Though he has abandoned that routine now and started taking spect tests to monitor the oxygen blood flow to his brain, which shows that he is getting better:
“I don’t do the impact testing anymore, to be honest, I haven’t done an impact test in years and years. But I do regularly keep up with a neurologist who I see pretty much every month. There’s these new tests called SPECT scans which monitor the oxygen flow in your brain and all that kind of stuff. Because I keep working on it and keep doing different things, my SPECT scans keep getting better and better. I think last time he said that they were better than your average 25-year-old with no head trauma.”
Being A Father Is The Most Important Thing For Bryan Danielson
The wrestling veteran then explained that he is being very diligent with his health because he wants to be there for his children. Bryan Danielson said that his main goal is not to be the best wrestler but to be a good father to his son. He also mentioned his daughter saying that he wants to be there to help her when she needs:
“I’m trying to be very diligent because one of the things that’s most important to me is being a dad. I see the best doctors in the country and all of them have cleared me. My main goal is not to be the best wrestler — I’m a relatively old father, my son just turned a year and a half, when he turns 15, I’m going to be 54, 55. He’s going to want to take me down the way that I did when I was 15 with my dad. I’m going to sprawl on him and I’m going to crush his shoulder.
I want to be [able to] when my daughter asks me about chemistry and how H2O bonds with CO2, I want to be able to say it’s H2CO3. I want to be able to do all that and explain to her chemistry, and algebra, and calculus, and whatever it is she wants to do. That is my number one goal to do that and I think, if Tony thinks, I’m getting to a point where I won’t be able to do that, it’s going to be time to stop.”
Bryan Danielson won a hard-fought match against Miro during the Full Gear PPV. This was the final of the AEW world title tournament. The victory earns Bryan a future world title match against the new champion Hangman Page. Though there is no word yet on when this match will take place.
Please credit SEScoops if you use any quotes from the article.
The ability to play the crowd is one of the things that has contributed to the success of CM Punk and this skill was on display again at Full Gear.
The former world champion managed to evoke a range of different emotions from the crowd through his performance. One moment, in particular, that got a lot of attention was when he mimicked some moves of John Cena.
Punk spoke about this tribute to his arch-rival and longtime friend in the post-show media scrum. He said that it’s fun for him to play the audience:
“I have one boss when I’m in the ring and I often like to say, ‘I have no boss when I’m in the ring,’ but the truth is it’s the people, and I listen to them. Sometimes I go with the flow and sometimes I take it places.
Regardless of the seven-year gap, I’ve been doing this for a minute.” said CM Punk, “To me, it’s fun just to fuck with people. That’s the whole juice for me. It’s getting different reactions and kind of getting to play with that.”
The straight edge star also discussed paying tribute to Eddie Guerrero on the 16th anniversary of his death and claimed that he never expected to get cheered or booed.
CM Punk faced Eddie Kingston in what many are calling his best match since his in-ring return during Full Gear PPV. He won this bout but there is no word on what’s next for him.
Lance Archer has been out of action since last month after a botched move. Now Tony Khan has provided some updates on his condition
The AEW owner commented on Archer’s health during the post Full Gear media scrum. He revealed that the heavyweight star has passed the impact and concussion tests successfully after his injury:
“Thankfully, he came out of it good. It was a neck injury, not a head injury. He cleared all the impact testing, concussion, all the stuff over the last several weeks. He twisted his neck, but he’s good,”
When asked when we may see the AEW star back in action, Khan said that he doesn’t know and exact date and he doesn’t want to rush things.
For those who don’t know, Lance Archer faced Eddie Kingston in the first round AEW world title eliminator tournament match during the October 23 edition of Dynamite.
The former NJPW star attempted a moonsault off the top rope during one spot. Though he couldn’t rotate enough and landed on his head.
The officials called an audible to end the match after this scary spot. Kingston ended up rolling his opponent for the win. It appeared that the heavyweight star was fine after he walked to the back by himself
Lance Archer also made a tweet about the botched spot claiming that things could have been worse but his absence from AEW since then had fans puzzled. We will have to see how long he has to stay out of action before returning to AEW TV.
Hangman Page finally realized his long-standing dream and became the new AEW world champion in the main event of the Full Gear PPV.
The main event saw Kenny Omega doing everything he can to retain his title, including pulling the referee in the line of fire to save himself from a buckshot lariat.
The Young Bucks then came out and it looked like they were going to interfere in the favor of the AEW champion. Though it didn’t happen.
Nick Jackson looked on as Page hit a lariat to the back of Omega’s head. Matt Jackson gave him a nod as Hangman went for another lariat, this time from the front.
Hangman Page went on to pin the cleaner and became the new world champion. The show ended with the new titleholder celebrating with the members of the Dark Order.
This concludes one of the longest-running storylines in AEW history that started with the very first AEW world championship match at All Out 2019.
People around the internet have been reacting to this triumphant victory for Page and how it completes his character arc that had been in the making for so long since the PPV ended. You can check out some of the top reactions to his victory below:
Hangman Page spent months looking like he was in a deep depression and self-medicating with alcohol as he constantly pushed people away. In this moment, he didn’t want a drink. He just wanted his friends. #AEWFullGearpic.twitter.com/aTnc5tP0Wa
Remember when folks thought AEW would throw away their long term Kenny Omega-Hangman Page story in order to put the belt on CM Punk/Danielson?
I would’ve thought by now AEW has built up the goodwill where you can trust them. They’ve clearly proved that you SHOULD.#AEWFullGearpic.twitter.com/5zs16TAVgL
After a storyline that's lasted more than two years, Hangman Page is CHAMPION. The next time someone tries to tell you @AEW has random matches with no stories, you can show them this match. #AEWFullGear
A two year story arc from the inception of AEW about Adam Hangman Page overcoming multiple failures, becoming an alcoholic, losing friends, finding new friends to help him believe in himself culminates with him becoming AEW World Champion.
The story of AEW so far is the story of the rise of Hangman Page. From the moment he lost the first title match against Jericho they’ve been building to this moment – the Hangman Page redemption arc.
Their first true self-made superstar. The true proof of concept for AEW.
Hangman Page’s chase for the AEW World Title over the last two years has been some of the best storytelling in recent time. #AEWFullGearpic.twitter.com/YOuxs0uIOt
The main event of the AEW Full Gear PPV saw the conclusion of one of the longest-running storylines of the company that started with the very first AEW world championship match. Hangman Page finally defeated Kenny Omega to win the AEW world championship. The Dark Order came out after the bout was over and they celebrated with the new champion as the show went off air.
Though this wasn’t the end of the night as Page took on the time to address the live crowd after the cameras went off air. The AEW star explained how he has been lying to himself about his achievements throughout his career:
“When I joined the bullet club, I thought I would never measure up. I thought I didn’t belong and I lied to myself. When AEW started, I told all of you I would be the first champion, I might have believed it a little bit. I lied to myself then too.” said Hangman Page, “And as time went along, the lies kept flowing. I said I shouldn’t try to hold on to my friendship with Kenny and the Bucks. That was a lie to myself.
I said that these guy right here could never be my friends and honestly god these are the best friends I have in my life. And as we got closer to tonight, there was still a little bit of me that I don’t suppose ever really goes away, that said I wouldn’t win and I lied to myself then too, didn’t I? So, if you will humor me, I will go for one last lie, to myself – I will hold this, for the rest of my life.”
The emotional conclusion to the incredible story has fans celebrating all around the world. Though Hangman will not get a lot of time to celebrate as his first challenger has already been determined. Click here to know who will be challenging Page in his first title defense.
Walter’s unwillingness to move to the United States has been a major reason behind his limited involvement with NXT and the main roster but it appears that things may be changing in near future.
Mike Johnson of PWinsider recently provided some update on the UK star’s future within the company. He noted that some changes in the WWE star’s personal life have led to him being more open to a potential move:
“Over the last year, we are told that there have been changes in Walter’s personal life that have led him to being more open to moving to the States.”
The former NXT UK star resides in Germany with his wife. Staying close to his home has been a major reason why the Austrian star has been reluctant to make the move.
However, he has started dating fellow NXT UK star Jinny recently. The two have been open about their relationship and have shared pictures together on social media. This has led to further speculations about the future of Walter.
The heavyweight star certainly has the physique and character to become a big star in the main roster. Though we will have to wait and see if he does become a regular part of WWE’s US roster in the future.
Joey Janela has his AEW contract expiring next year and the hardcore star believes that he needs to step his game up before that. The bad boy recently appeared on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox. He discussed how he felt unmotivated during the pandemic era because of the lack of crowds.
Speaking of his AEW future, Janela revealed that he signed a three-year-long contract with AEW. His current deal expires in May next year:
“I’m under a three-year deal. My contract’s up in May, you know, I really have to step it up. I felt like I have in the last couple of months. You know, just having killer matches on Dark. Yeah. The arena’s coming back, it really helped me. I feel like we got something right now with AEW, I’m crossing my fingers.”
Joey Janela said that he hopes things will go on an upward trajectory from here on because the whole pandemic was the worst for him. The AEW star has been a regular performer for the promotion since its debut.
Though many believe that he has been outshined by other AEW signings in recent months. Janela is not booked for Saturday’s Full Gear PPV either. We will have to see if he is able to improve his position within the company before his deal ends.
The return of CM Punk was one of the biggest wrestling comebacks of the past decade. The buzz surrounding him, however, has cooled down quite a bit since then. Many fans believe that his lackluster booking in AEW is the reason for it. Now the straight edge star has responded to this criticism from the fans.
Punk recently had an interview with Bleacher Report. Responding to the criticism, he said that people who have seen the same thing for the past 20 years, don’t understand when they see something different:
“I think the majority of people currently watching wrestling have been fed the same thing for 20-25 years so that when they see something different, they automatically don’t understand it, don’t like it, or try to dissect it. There are a million different styles of pro wrestling, there are a million different booking philosophies, and I’m just kind of doing what I want to do. You can’t really look at the whole picture until you know we’re done telling the story.”
CM Punk admitted that there are a lot of moving parts in what they are doing so they have to come up with some things on the fly. Though according to him, it’s just a different way of doing things and that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s bad or wrong:
“And honestly, this is all meant for me to kind of have fun with, so as long as I’m having fun and I’m doing what I want to do, I don’t listen to the criticism, I can understand the criticism because we’re not doing what people are used to what they’ve seen for 20 years, but we’re moving in the right direction and at the pace we want to go.”
CM Punk made his triumphant wrestling return and joined AEW back in August. His first match for the company was against Darby Allin at All Out which he won. The former world champion is scheduled to face Eddie Kingston at the upcoming Full Gear PPV this Saturday.
