AEW’s Grand Slam special is now in the rearview mirror, with the promotion’s Grand Slam: Rampage edition taking place last night. The show, which took place from Arthur Ashe Stadium, opened up with the anticipated House of Black (Brody King & Buddy Matthews) vs. Darby Allin & Sting no-DQ matchup, with Julia Hart accompanying the HoB to the ring.
The match was an all-out brawl that saw the daredevil Allin get busted open following an epic crash through a table alongside Brody King. Meanwhile the Stinger was left handcuffed to a chair as Matthews prepared to beat down the legend with his own baseball bat. Right before the attack the lights would go out and the fans in New York would be treated to their biggest surprise of the night, an appearance from Japanese legend, the Great Muta.
Muta came to the ring slowly and looked as if he was about to attack Sting, who he had an intense rivalry with during the early portion of his career. However, Muta instead hit Matthews with a Dragon Screw before spitting his signature green mist in Matthew’s face, which caused him to back up into Julia Hart, who was standing on the apron. Hart was supposed to take the bump and fall through a table, but she seemed to overshoot her jump and instead came crashing onto the pavement.
While many fans were worried about Hart’s condition after her fall, they need not worry for long. Both Hart and King took to Twitter to reveal that Hart is not only doing just fine, but that her scary looking hat is also okay.
King writes, “I just want everyone to know that TheJuliaHart’s Hat made it out safely. Thank you for your concerns.” Hart herself would then confirm this news with her own tweet. She writes, “Me and my hat are okay.”
I just want everyone to know that @TheJuliaHart’s Hat made it out safely. Thank you for your concerns.
Cody Rhodes is ready to get back into the ring for WWE.
The American Nightmare has been on the shelf since June with a torn pec, with his last match being the classic Hell in a Cell encounter against Seth Rollins where his injury was present for the whole world to see. Rhodes was heavily applauded by fans, colleagues, and analysts for his gutsy performance on that night, but it came at a time when he was the hottest act in WWE.
However, Rhodes remains optimistic. In a recent interview with TMZ Sports the former three-time AEW TNT champion is ready to get back into the squared circle, and even hints that his run this time will be even more epic than the first. He does add that doctors are refusing to give him a return timetable due to a fear that he will test its limits.
“You know they haven’t really given me one because they know I’m stupid, and I’d try to test it. I got in my mind where I want to be, and I think a lot of fans have in their mind where I’d like to be, and that’s hopefully where it’s at.
Right now, I do actually agree with what’s going on because I think what happens next hopefully and what we do, and this is all speculative up in the air. Hopefully, it’s a run that people remember, and I got to be healthy for it.”
“Best Three Months Of My Life”
Rhodes was also asked about how he feels WWE has handled his return.
“No complaints. They’ve treated me like the house that built me, which they were. And honestly, it was amazing. We were back, and everything was rolling so fast, and then I tore my pec. It was like the best three months of my life. Hopefully, get back to that soon. I was told I have the strength of an 11-year-old, but I was pretty strong at 11. Hopefully soon.”
Speculation is that Rhodes will be back in time for the Royal Rumble, which many fans believe he will win and go on to challenge for the world title at WrestleMania 39.
The former WWE and AEW star made a surprise appearance at this evening’s Victory Road special from Skyway Studios where he immediately made his presence known to the Impact locker room.
Fish cut a promo about how controversial he’s been since his AEW departure, where he was most likely referring to the shoot comments he made against CM Punk following Punk’s blow up at the post-ALL OUT media scrum. He made it known that he was a guy who always did his job well, and that he has not joined Impact for the bull***t.
Fish made sure to state that he doesn’t officially work for the company, so Impact cannot fire him for any reason, and that he was in search of good competition. This brought out Raj Singh and Mahabali Shera, who confronted the former multi-time NXT tag champion thinking they would get one over on him due to the two-on-one advantage. Unfortunately for the heels, Fish would nail Shera with a kick and trap Singh in a heel hook before they eventually retreated.
As a reminder Fish left AEW near the end of August after the company decided to not renew his contract. At this time it is not known whether Fish is under contract with Impact or on a per-appearance deal.
Continue to follow Sescoops for more updates on Bobby Fish.
Shawn Michaels is very fond of his days in one of the most popular wrestling factions of all time, Degeneration-X.
The WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke with the New York Post about the group’s legacy ahead of their 25th Anniversary reunion at the October 10th edition of Monday Night Raw, which will take place from the Barclay’s Center in New York.
One of DX’s most famous signature taunts was the crotch chop, a move the Heartbreak Kid credits fellow Hall of Famer Sean Waltman for originating.
“The first place I remember seeing it was Sean Waltman, who was then known as 1-2-3 Kid and later X-Pac, doing it over in the UK. Then all of a sudden, we were doing it as a group, to each other, kind of thinking it was funny.”
Everything In DX Felt Natural
Michaels would later discuss how comfortable the group felt while on television together, explaining that a lot of their on-screen chemistry stemmed from their friendships off-screen.
“From a television standpoint, as we started to do DX, it just felt kind of natural. A lot of things that we did on TV as DX were things we were doing as friends behind the scenes long before we ever brought it to TV.”
Despite being a heel faction DX became super over with the WWE Universe. When asked why he thought they were being cheered Michaels states that their amusing antics and occasional truth bombs probably resonated with fans.
“At first, they felt like we were doing it to them — and their favorite superstars — and they booed us. But after awhile they found it amusing because some of the things we said were true and resonated. Nothing seemed to bother us. We always had a witty comment for someone else.”
DX would not have been the group it was without the presence of the Ninth Wonder of the World, Chyna. Michaels acknowledges this, adding that not only was Chyna a trailblazer for women’s wrestling, but that her impact probably would not have been the same if she was wrestling today.
“From a performer standpoint she would clearly fit in and be phenomenal. I think what makes her the awe-inspiring, innovative and transforming woman that she was was that she did it earlier than all of them. It would be a bit more commonplace today. She would certainly have an incredible career — but I don’t know that she’d be the trail blazer today that she is if she were currently doing it today.”
Michaels is now one of the main heads of NXT since Triple H took over for the now retired Vince McMahon.
Last night’s AEW Grand Slam Dynamite saw Jon Moxley capture his third-world title under the AEW banner, a definite departure from the company’s original booking plans following a number of issues with former champion, CM Punk.
The Second City Saint broke his foot shortly after winning the world title from Adam Page at May’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view, which was going to kickstart a renewed Summer of Punk, and would have seen him walk into ALL OUT 2022 holding the top prize. While Punk managed to reclaim the gold at ALL OUT from Moxley, the original booking plan would have seen him face one of his most recent rivals.
CM Punk vs. MJF III Was Originally Going To Headline ALL OUT 2022
According to Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer, Punk was originally going to be defending the AEW world title against MJF. This would have been the two top stars third meeting, with each holding a victory over the other. MJF handed Punk his first loss on Dynamite thanks to an assist from Wardlow. Punk would get his revenge at Revolution in a critically acclaimed Dog-Collar matchup.
It was not specified in the report whether MJF’s temporary hiatus would have played out the way it did on television. MJF has since won the Casino Ladder Match, and has the right to challenge for the AEW world title whenever he pleases.
For the last few weeks the company has been playing Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” at house shows and during commercial breaks of television tapings. This has prompted fans to turn on their cell-phone flashlights similar to how they use to for former WWE superstar Bray Wyatt, with many believing that the song is signaling the Eater of Worlds inevitable return. A recent fan theory added more fuel to this speculation, but now a bigger tease has been released online, one that may indicate what is to come.
Artist Kyle A. Scarborough, who has had his work showcased in WWE, AEW, NJPW, IMPACT, NOAH, and non-wrestling related markets, took to his personal Twitter today and shared an original image of what appears to be…a White Rabbit. Hidden under Scarborough’s code reads the words “Feed Your Head,” which is the final line in the Jefferson Airplane song. WWE Fans in particular remember Scarborough as he designed the mask for Wyatt’s alter ego, The Fiend.
Wyatt was released by WWE back in July of 2021, one of the more shocking cuts the company made considering Wyatt’s popularity and ability to move merchandise. He had been paired with Alexa Bliss at that time, who herself, dropped a White Rabbit hint on Monday’s edition of Raw. You can read about that here.
Stone Cold Steve Austin has chosen who he thinks was the best on the microphone during the Attitude Era, and believe it or not, it isn’t himself.
The WWE Hall of Famer named his longtime rival turned Hollywood juggernaut Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the top talker during the height of pro-wrestling in popular culture. Austin, who is well-known for his skills on the mic, throws praise to the Great One during his recent appearance on the “First We Feast” program on Youtube, but does acknowledge that Rocky didn’t start out as a fan-favorite.
“You cannot overlook The Rock. When he first arrived on the scene, he was this good-looking, third-generation babyface and people just didn’t take to him. They’d say, ‘Die Rocky Die! Die Rocky Die!”
The Rattlesnake later discusses the work The Rock did to improve his character, which started with his decision to join the Nation of Domination. From there, he took his persona to the next level.
“He started wearing the silk shirts and he started referring to himself in third person and working that eyebrow. And he electrified and captivated crowds with his catchphrases, his cadence and his delivery, and his message and calling everybody ‘jabroni. He commanded the audience’s respect, attention and elicited the response that he was looking for from them.”
Who Else Does Austin Revere As A Great Talker?
The Rock wasn’t the only WWE legend Austin decided to call attention to. He also highlighted current AEW star and fellow WWE Hall of Famer Jake “The Snake” Roberts as a talent who captivated audiences by sometimes saying nothing at all.
“Once Jake got in the ring, he commanded your respect. He had this presence about him, and he’s one of the most economic, efficient workers out there, where he didn’t do a whole lot, but everything he did meant something, and he was always working for that DDT.”
Austin may hold these talents in high regards, but few would argue that he doesn’t belong at the top of the list as it is well documented that his run in the late 90s was considered one of the greatest of all time, and catapulted the Rattlesnake to monumental levels.
AEW held their annual Revolution pay-per-view earlier this year from the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando Florida, a show that saw CM Punk battle MJF in a dog-collar matchup, and “Hangman” Adam Page retain the AEW world title over Adam Cole in the main event.
The year prior AEW was running Revolution out of their home-base in Daily’s Place due to the COVID-19 outbreak. That event saw the first-ever Exploding Barbed-Wire deathmatch in the company’s history. Now it looks like AEW will be bringing the fourth ever Revolution to a place the promotion has never been since they launched in 2019.
Revolution 2023 Potentially Headed To San Francisco
According to Fightful Select, AEW is looking to run the Cow Palace in March for Revolution 2023. The venue is located in San Francisco, and is known in the pro-wrestling community.
However, the Cow Palace has not had a wrestling event at it since the 2019 NJPW G1 Special. WWE has not run the venue in over ten years so it could be good timing for AEW to try and claim it as the California market for pro-wrestling has always been strong.
AEW made their debut in California earlier this year with shows in Ontario and Los Angeles. AEW has yet to officially confirm Revolution’s location, nor will they until after their next annual pay-per-view, Full Gear.
A couple months ago the pro-wrestling world was shocked to learn that Vince McMahon had decided to retire as the chairman of WWE, a move that many never thought would happen as McMahon’s impact on the industry had been felt dating back four decades.
In his place his son-in-law, WWE legend and former 14-time world champion Triple H had taken over as head of the creative division. The Game had shown his skill for booking in NXT over the years, with the “developmental” brand and their bi-monthly Takeover events being considered the most “can’t miss” shows under the WWE banner.
Since taking over Triple H has brought back a number of previously released talents, including Braun Strowan, IYO Sky, Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Hit Row, Johnny Gargano, and Dexter Lumis. There have also been reports that he is in talks with Bray Wyatt, but the Eater of Worlds has yet to make his WWE return.
A new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has revealed that Triple H is actually planning more surprises for WWE, ones that are apparently not being talked about in the wrestling community. It was noted that this was regarding more talents coming in, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t also be surprises business-wise.
One surprise that shocked fans this week was seeing NXT 2.0 tease a return to their old Black and Gold persona. 2.0 had become a much more colorful show since the brand got a remake last year. Stay tuned.
The biggest story in the world of pro-wrestling over the last two weeks has been the comments made by CM Punk at the AEW ALL OUT media scrum, and the backstage melee that ensued between the Second City Saint and The Elite. This led to a number of suspensions for both talent, and backstage executives who tried to stop the fight.
One of the suspensions was for VP of Talent Development Pat Buck. He missed last week’s AEW Dynamite in Buffalo, which was the first episode following the events of ALL OUT weekend. However, a new report has surfaced stating that Buck’s suspension is officially over.
According to PW Insider, Buck is backstage for this evening’s episode of AEW Dynamite from Albany. It was noted that Buck was integral in helping break the fight up between Punk and The Elite. A third-party investigation is still ongoing and will determine the future of Punk and his longtime friend Ace Steel.
Follow Sescoops for updates on the situation.
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more.
Posted September 14th, 2022 in AEW, News. Tagged: CM Punk.
The AEW women’s division has been the subject of much criticism since they launched back in 2019, but the promotion has done a lot to improve that portion of their roster, which includes bringing in marquee names like Athena, Ruby Soho, and current interim champion Toni Storm, and utilizing some top prospects from the independent circuit.
One of those prospects is Skye Blue, who has been regularly featured on AEW programming for over a year now, mainly on episodes of their Youtube series Dark and Dark: Elevation, but occasionally on their flagship shows Dynamite and Rampage. She even wrestled in the Casino Battle Royal at ALL OUT 2021, and challenged Jade Cargill for the TBS championship last October.
What Kind Of Deal Is Skye Blue Under?
Skye Blue has yet to receive the official “All Elite” graphic from president Tony Khan on Twitter, but that doesn’t mean that she’s not under contract with AEW.
According to Fightful, Blue has signed an agreement to compete for the promotion, although it is uncertain whether it is full-time or some sort of tiered deal. The report adds that indie events that have tried to book Blue have to get approval from AEW First.
Blue, who is 22 and from Chicago, last competed on this week’s Dark where she scored a tag team victory.
The AEW superstar and current TNT champion has been one of the promotion’s greatest success stories since they launched back in 2019, with his rise to the top being a years-long storyline that has paid off big for Mr. Mayhem in 2022.
This was the topic of conversation during Wardlow’s recent phone interview with the Daily Gazette. He even remembers one of the first instances that the loyal AEW fanbase finally started to chant his name, which began his ascension towards being one of their top babyfaces.
“It was in Austin, Texas. That’ll be burned in my memory forever,” he said. “I just had one of my normal squash matches that I had been having, and for the first time, I heard a decent portion of the crowd chanting ‘Wardlow.’ I’ll never forget that.”
Wardlow’s not done adapting just yet
The champ has been the muscle for the company’s top heel, MJF, since he debuted back in 2019. However, he slowly morphed away from that persona and into one that is now seen on weekly programming. However, Wardlow promises that there are still more changes for his on-screen persona to come.
“I’m just entering a new era in my life. I’m evolving, things are changing. I’ve just become a hungrier, more intense version of myself, and I’m ready to display that and I’m ready to let the rest of the world feel that.”
Wardlow successfully defended the TNT title one week ago against Tony Nese. He has not been pinned or submitted since the beginning of the year. He cut an impassioned promo after the match and told the live crowd that he’s a threat to take seriously.
Cody Rhodes says he had a “lovely time” during his run with Ring of Honor.
When the American Nightmare departed WWE for the first time in 2016 he set out to change his image completely, eventually teaming up with top talents like Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, as well as a successful run in NJPW and indies all across the world.
One of those spots was at Ring of Honor, with Rhodes capturing the promotion’s top prize, the Ring of Honor world championship. Rhodes shared a photo of himself carrying the belt recently on Twitter as he was celebrating his anniversary with Brandi Rhodes and decided to use a throwback. His tweet reads:
“Happy Anniversary @TheBrandiRhodes. Today is the best day. Thank you for the endless unspoken sacrifices you’ve made for me, for being the best mom, and being the ultimate confidant (oldie but a goodie pic).”
Happy Anniversary @TheBrandiRhodes – today is the best day. Thank you for the endless unspoken sacrifices you’ve made for me, for being the best mom, and being the ultimate confidant (oldie but a goodie pic) pic.twitter.com/AKCHiq9yss
Rhodes says competing in ROH helped shaped him into the competitor he is today
A fan would see Rhodes’ photo and compliment him for his time with ROH, calling it the beginning of the eventual revolution that would eventually form AEW. Rhodes agreed, and wrote the following back to the fan.
“Lovely time – ROH was so good for me. Got to work w/the Bucks, big Frank, Lethal, Hunter/CD, Joe & Greg, Chrissy, and a super underrated production team that allowed me to play my music uninterrupted. We got to legit change the wrestling world and shaped me as a competitor/person.”
You can see their exchange below.
Lovely time – ROH was so good for me. Got to work w/the Bucks, big Frank, Lethal, Hunter/CD, Joe & Greg, Chrissy, and a super underrated production team that allowed me to play my music uninterrupted. We got to legit change the wrestling world and shaped me as a competitor/person https://t.co/kAbHn7ujKl
Aside from the ROH world title Rhodes captured the IWGP United States championship, and the NWA world’s championship. His involvement at ROH, along with the Bucks and Omega, helped bring the promotion to their greatest financial heights before they would eventually sell to Tony Khan.
One week ago AEW held their annual ALL OUT pay-per-view from the NOW Arena in Chicago, which saw CM Punk recapture the world championship from Jon Moxley in the main event, and the monumental return of MJF.
However, the post-show media scrum and eventual backstage altercation between Punk and The Elite have dominated the headlines as the incidents have put a dark cloud over the promotion’s successes. Former AEW star Bobby Fish has not been shy of giving his thoughts on the situation, where had some major criticisms of Punk and even called him a not so kind word. You can read about Fish’s dislike of the Second City Saint here.
When Fish and Punk’s relationship took a turn
Fish and Punk actually wrestled each other an an October episode of AEW Dynamite back in 2021. The bout was a competitive back and forth that Punk ended up winning via his GTS finisher, but for some reason Fish kicked out at 3.1 seconds. The ending was clearly not the original plan as the live crowd, and Punk, were visibly confused as to why the kickout had occurred.
According to Fightful, this was the reason Punk and Fish’s relationship soured as Punk was indeed upset at the kick-out happening. The report states that communication between the two pretty much stopped aftewards.
Fish is now a free agent as his AEW contract expired after being absent from television due for several weeks. Fish was getting married at the time, but injuries to Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly kept him off television longer than anticipated.
The Mad King announced his diagnosis on Twitter earlier today, revealing that because of the virus he will be unable to compete at this weekend’s NJPW STRONG tapings. Kingston adds that the situation sucks, and that there is a chance he might miss this week’s AEW Dynamite from Albany, New York.
He writes, “So here we go, got covid won’t be able to make Strong this weekend. It fucking sucks going to test again to see if I can make tv this week.”
Kingston is coming off a huge victory over top NJPW talent Tomohiro Ishii at the Zero Hour pre-show of ALL OUT. The match was a brutal and hard-hitting contest that Kingston won by using Ishii’s brainbuster finisher, evening their score at 1-1. He was originally set to face Sammy Guevara at ALL OUT, but due to a backstage incident the match was called off, and Kingston served a temporary suspension.
We will keep you updated on Kingston’s condition ahead of next week’s AEW Dynamite.
The NJPW star took to Twitter to respond to the recent interview comments made by former AEW talent Bobby Fish, who unleashed his true thoughts on Punk following the disastrous events from last Sunday’s ALL OUT media scrum and the backstage brawl that occurred afterwards. Fish’s full comments can be found here.
At one point in the interview Fish stated that Punk was in the wrong for stealing KENTA’s finishing maneuver, the GTS, and not even having the decency to give him any credit over the years. The former Undisputed Era’s exact quotes were, “Phil, you took a man’s finishing maneuver. Anyone who knows pro-wrestling knows that’s f***ed up. You weren’t even decent enough to change the name.”
KENTA Agrees With Fish
So how did KENTA feel about what Fish said? He tweeted out the quotes on his persona account and writes, “Hey Bobby. You Are 100% right.”
This isn’t the first time KENTA has made his feelings about Punk known. Ahead of Forbidden Door (prior to Punk breaking his foot) he wrote “It looks like the forbidden door won’t open for me But I’m totally fine as long as he pays royalty.”
It looks like the forbidden door won’t open for me But I’m totally fine as long as he pays royalty ???#Go2Sleephttps://t.co/CkCwUthqJF
Dalton Castle has been one of the Ring of Honor’s top talents for the last several years, and has remained a fan-favorite of the loyal ROH followers even after the company was purchased by AEW President, Tony Khan.
Castle and his loyal servants, The Boys, captured the ROH six-man tag team titles at the Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view back in July, their second reign as the six-man tag champs. Aside from that, Castle is a former ROH Television champion, and a one-time ROH world champion. (He defeated Cody Rhodes at Final Battle 2017 to capture the world title).
Castle is currently working without a contract
According to PW Insider, Castle is a free agent and not working under contract despite holding ROH gold. The report does not note whether any company is looking to bring Castle in, nor does it specify if Tony Khan is preparing to sign Castle to a full-time deal.
Under the Tony Khan era of ROH Castle wrestled on the previously mentioned Death Before Dishonor, as well as Supercard of Honor back in April. He did appear on AEW programming as well, wrestling former world champion Jonathan Gresham at Battle of the Belts II.
We will keep you updated on Castle’s free agency status.
Ken Shamrock believes that he is worthy of the WWE Hall of Fame.
The World’s Most Dangerous man is best known in the wrestling world for his run with the WWE during the Attitude Era, where he is a former Intercontinental champion, a former tag team champion, and a one-time King of the Ring winner. Shamrock had just as many accomplishments with IMPACT, a promotion who inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2020.
He is also considered a legend of the Mixed Martial Arts world, and one of the greatest competitive fighters of all time. UFC honored Shamrock by inducting him into their inaugural Hall of Fame back in 2003. To this day Shamrock contributes to the MMA world as an analyst.
Why He Believes He Is Worthy Of The WWE Hall of Fame
While speaking on the Universal Wrestling Podcast Shamrock would be asked whether he even cared about joining the WWE Hall of Fame.
“Of course, I care,” he replied. “I think anybody that does anything at the highest level wants to be recognized for their greatness. It’s out of my control. Obviously, I think I did enough for me to be recognized, especially if you have seen some of the guys that went in there.”
Shamrock later explained how his shoot fighting and submission offense has been utilized in professional wrestling ever since his run with WWE.
“If you look at the stamps that are all over wrestling, it’s Ken Shamrock. Submission holds, I brought those in. I mixed them in with pro wrestling and now everybody is doing it. If you’re looking at it and you want to figure out whether or not I do or don’t belong, those are the things you look at. I look at and say absolutely, I belong in there.”
Ending his rant…Shamrock states that he will not lose any sleep if he never gets into WWE’s prestigious Hall of Fame, as it is something that is entirely out of his control.
“I was already inducted into other hall of fames for things that I have done, I’m very proud of that, but if I don’t get into WWE (Hall of Fame), it’s not something I’m going to lose sleep over. I see it as something important, but those are decisions that I cannot control, and therefore I have to move on and do other things to make sure my legacy and life and family are left in a better place.”
Amid the chaos surrounding the events that transpired following Sunday’s All Out pay-per-view, another performer has quiet been granted a release from the company.
Malakai Black, leader of the House of Black faction, is reportedly done with All Elite Wrestling. The Dutch-born star joined the promotion back in 2021, where he began a hot feud with Cody Rhodes. He also built the House of Black, a menacing faction comprised of Brody King, Buddy Matthews and Julia Hart.
In recent weeks, it’s been reported that Black has been dealing with personal issues and was considering taking a hiatus from pro wrestling. On Wednesday, Fightful reported that AEW talent is of the belief that Black has been granted a ‘conditional’ release. Although the terms of the release have not been made public, one would assume AEW President Tony Khan has allowed him to leave AEW with the condition that he cannot sign with WWE until the duration of their original agreement.
Just weeks ago (late July), Khan stated, on Busted Open Radio, “Malakai Black has almost five years left on his deal. I wouldn’t expect him going anywhere anytime soon.”
The news comes after Black bowed and waved goodbye to the Chicago crowd following the House of Black’s loss to Sting, Miro, and Darby Allin at Sunday’s All Out pay-per-view.
The faction hit an unfortunate rough patch with Black being banged up and Buddy Matthews going down with injury, which kept them from any major storylines on AEW programming.
AEW has yet to confirm the release of Black publicly, but with the ongoing drama between CM Punk and The Elite, it’s understandable that announcing the loss of a big star is not their top priority.
Aside from all the ongoing AEW drama the cycle of pro-wrestling continues to carry on.
Today it was revealed that the legendary D’Lo Brown is finished with Impact Wrestling after three years. The report was made by PW Insider and later confirmed by Executive VP Scott D’Amore, who had the following to say about Brown’s departure.
“We appreciate D’Lo’s contributions to Impact Wrestling over the last 3 plus years. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Brown’s Run With Impact
Brown returned to Impact in 2019 as a producer and agent, and later did some work as a color-commentator. He also competed for the company through his prestigious 28-year career, including a run with one of the promotion’s top factions, The Aces & Eights.
Brown rose to prominence during his run with WWE in the Attitude Era. There he was a one-time Intercontinental champion, and a four-time European champion, even holding both the belts at one point in his career. He started as a member of the Nation of Domination before breaking off as a singles star.
Sunday’s AEW ALL OUT pay-per-view has been overshadowed by the events of the post-show scrum, but that doesn’t mean that the show didn’t feature some marquee moments, which included a special cameo on the Zero Hour pre-show.
Rising superstar HOOK successfully defended his FTW championship against Angelo Parker on Zero Hour, but Parker’s longtime tag partner Matt Menard attacked the 23-year old New Yorker as soon as the match ended. However, HOOK would be helped by a very unlikely ally.
Rapper Action Bronson, who was shown sitting in the front row and fist bumped HOOK prior to the match beginning, jumped inside and disposed of Menard and Parker. This led to HOOK standing side-by-side with Bronson and having an intense staredown with the JAS members as the segment eventually came to an end.
Action Bronson & AEW
(AEW)
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, this won’t just be a one-off appearance for Bronson. Reports are that the famed hip-hop star has been training with Taz and will be tagging with HOOK to take on Menard and Parker at the upcoming AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam show from Arthur Ashe Stadium.
For those who don’t know Bronson’s work, he is the artist behind HOOK’s popular theme song, “The Chairman’s Intent,” and has dropped pro-wrestling references in his music for quite some time, including a full-length album entitled “Mr Wonderful.”
As of this writing AEW has yet to confirm that Bronson will be competing.
Bobby Fish is making his first appearance following his departure from AEW.
The Undisputed Elite member will be competing at Black Label Pro’s Turbo Graps event from Crown Point Indiana on September 24th, where he will taking on the super talented Kevin Blackwood. Black Label is holding a tournament at that same show but Fish’s match will be unrelated to that.
?TURBO GRAPS 24?
Non-Tournament Action!
Kevin Blackwood takes on the debuting Bobby Fish!
September 24, 2022 7:30 PM RDS Gym Crown Point, IN.
Fish’s AEW contract quietly expired on Wednesday August 31st. His final television appearance was the August 3rd Dynamite, where he, Kyle O’Reilly, and Adam Cole turned on the Young Bucks. Prior to that Fish was sidelined with an injury.
During his time with the promotion Fish had marquee matchups with CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, challenged unsuccessfully for the TNT championship, as well as unsuccessfully challenging for the AEW tag team championships with Kyle O’Reilly. He is currently still a free agent in the competitive wrestling market.
The promotion revealed at this evening’s ALL OUT that their next major pay-per-view, Full Gear, will be taking place from the Prudential Center on Saturday November 19th. Additionally, AEW will be running the same venue one night prior for an episode of their weekly episodic, Rampage.
The Full Gear pay-per-view has featured some of the biggest moments in the company’s short history. From Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega’s brutal street fight, to Adam Page finally become world champion, Full Gear will be AEW’s final pay-per-view of 2022.
Tony Khan touts the financial success of AEW ahead of the promotion’s fourth-ever ALL OUT pay-per-view later this evening.
The company president spoke with Dave Meltzer from Wrestling Observer Radio about a wide range of topics, most notably how he believes AEW is hitting these heights at a perfect time. One of the points Khan makes is that there hasn’t been another major alternative to the industry leader, WWE, in quite some time.
“We have a chance to hit these heights at the perfect time. I would say, the success we’ve had has been so great. The way the business is going right now…this is the first time there have been two wrestling companies that have the ability to be the number one show that night on cable and two wrestling companies that are grossing the kind of money.”
AEW Grossing Over $100 Million In 2022
While Khan is proud of the growth of AEW since their launch in 2019 he is certainly aware that they are still nowhere near WWE’s profits. However, he does reveal that this year AEW will gross over $100 million dollars, which includes a $1 Million Dollar gate for tonight’s ALL OUT.
“I’m not grossing a billion dollars, but I’m gonna gross over $100 million this year. That’s pretty unprecedented and it’s been over 20 years since anybody is doing that. To me, success is sustaining it.”
Elsewhere in the interview Khan discussed the reports of backstage drama in AEW, but he remained optimistic that people will keep things professional and not let it affect business. He also talked in great length about the ALL OUT card, which you can see here.
The glory of pro-wrestling does not come without its cons. For decades wrestlers have been battling severe injuries and long-lasting affects of taking bumps on a weekly basis, which requires them to take certain measures to ease their pain. While many have been able to manage this safely, there are just as many instances where tragedy has struck.
This was the topic of conversation for top industry superstar Sasha Banks (currently a free agent), who has gone through her own battles with pain, anxiety, and depression in the past.
The Boss chatted with “Cannabis & Tech Today” Magazine about her love of CBD, and how it has helped her feel like her old self again.
Being A Wrestler Is Draining
Banks begins by discussing how difficult it is to be a professional wrestler. Just a few years ago, drinking every day and she was taking ibuprofen. CBD helped her break the cycle of alcohol and pain medication. It also alleviated her anxiety.
“Being a professional wrestler, it’s so draining. It’s so, so hard. We’re never home. We’re always banged up and always hurt. And once I got introduced to CBD my life just fully, fully changed. I noticed that anxiety I would get, once I took CBD it all just dissipated. I started to feel like myself again. I started [working] with Manny and Abby, and the more that we learned and grew, we just wanted to create our own project.”
Later the former multi-time women’s champion says that she introduced CBD to several other stars backstage to great reviews.
“And there are so many people in the locker room that I gave CBD to and they’re just like, “Wait, what is this? Oh my God, this makes me feel good.” So you see, not even the culture in wrestling, the culture all over the world is changing.”
Banks has been absent from WWE programming for several months following her and Naomi’s very public departure from the company due to booking disagreements with the now retired Vince McMahon. Multiple reports have recently surfaced indicating that the duo are headed back to WWE, with a big hint being that their roster pages have been restored on the WWE website.
