We are just hours away from AEW All Out. It’s a stacked card and internal estimates already indicate that it will shatter the company’s all-time pay-per-view record.

People have been wondering which match will close the show. Fans with a traditiona, “old-school” mentality feel the World title match should headline big events. However, All Out will feature CM Punk’s first match in over 7 years. A case could be made that CM Punk’s return is the main attraction and should be the final match.

That debate has been settled. According to Dave Meltzer, Kenny Omega’s AEW World Title defense against Christian Cage will go on last at All Out.

Final AEW All Out Card

Here’s the final card for tonight’s AEW All Out PPV from the NOW Arena outside Chicago, Illinois:

• AEW World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega vs. Christian Cage
• CM Punk vs. Darby Allin
• Paul Wight vs. QT Marshall
• Chris Jericho vs. MJF (If Jericho loses, he can never wrestle in AEW again)
• Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima
• AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander
• AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros – Steel Cage Match
• TNT Champion Miro vs. Eddie Kingston
• Women’s Battle Royal: Big Swole, The Bunny, Thunder Rosa, Red Velvet, Tay Conti, Penelope Ford, Diamante, Nyla Rose, Hikaru Shida, Emi Sakura, Jade Cargill, Kiera Hogan, Abadon, Kilynn King, Lelya Hirsch, Rebel, Jami Hayter, Anna Jay, Riho, a surprise entrant, Skye Blue 
• Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, Wheeler Yuta, and Jurassic Express vs. Matt Hardy, Private Party, and TH2 – Pre-Show

CM Punk addressed the crowd at the conclusion of the latest episode of AEW Dark.

As Jurassic Express was hanging in the ring after their match, Cult of Personality hit and Punk headed tot he ring. He grabbed a microphone and said he thinks it’s super cool how involved the audience is. They sing wrestlers’ entrance songs, they’re chanting AEW and it’s an amazing party-like atmosphere. “It helps, it really does,” said Punk.

“I’m Super Grateful, Humble Punk now”

– CM Punk

Punk said he’s been tasked with “sending the crowd happy” and led the crowd to sing the ‘Golden Girls’ theme song.

Last week in Milwaukee, he addressed an AEW crowd and told them, if you enjoyed the show, great, tell your friends about it. If you didn’t enjoy the show, “shut the F up.”

He wanted to clarify what he meant by that. He doesn’t mind criticism. In fact, he welcomes criticism, because that’s feedback on how they can improve. However, there is a segment of wrestling fans who are negative for the sake of being negative.

“The part about shutting the f–k up is for the people who hate watch stuff and have nothing good to say, or nothing good to add to the conversation. We don’t need you, so shut the f–k up.”

CM Punk wants Sunday’s All Out pay-per-view to be like a “gigantic party” that makes people wish they were there in person.

“At the end of the day, ya’ll are our bosses,” Punk added. “If you’re not having a good time, please let us know. But if you like what you see, you let us know and we’ll give you all that we have. So, sing those songs, cheer for these guys, boo for the ones you don’t like. And if you don’t like it…”

CM Punk battles Darby Allin tonight at AEW All Out. It will be Punk’s first match in over 7 years.

Olympic Gold medalist Kurt Angle spoke with Nick Hausman this past week for the Wrestling Inc Daily podcast. They discussed a variety of current events, including AEW’s popularity and reports that Bryan Danielson will soon be All Elite.

Kurt Angle was one of the top Superstars during the Attitude Era, a time when WWE attracted young adults in droves. In recent years, WWE has toned down the product and is geared to be more family-friendly. Angle thinks that AEW is gaining ground with the demographic that brought WWE monster success twenty years ago.

“WWE are losing the young adults,” said Angle. “The 18 to 40 years olds that WWE had during the Attitude Era, that’s more the way AEW’s direction is right now. They’re swearing on the air, they’re putting up the middle fingers. It’s more of an Attitude Era attitude.”

Kurt Angle on Bryan Danielson to AEW

Angle also commented on the rumor that Bryan Danielson will be joining AEW in the near future. Angle says he’s very surprised by this development and never thought WWE would let him go.

“Daniel was a big part of the company for the past ten or so years,” said Angle. “He was literally the top babyface in the company for a few years, so, I’m really surprised they let him go. But Daniel is probably happier in AEW for whatever reason. I don’t know if it was money or if he wasn’t happy with the direction of his character, but it had to be something that made him leave.”

As of this writing, Bryan Danielson remains a free agent and has not yet appeared for All Elite Wrestling.

WWE Superstar Sasha Banks has stepped up to take the Paqui One Chip Challenge.

Paqui sells extremely spicy tortilla chips. The #OneChipChallenge involves the participant testing their resolve against the Carolina Reaper Chip. The Carolina Reaper Chip is laced with Carolina Reaper and Scorpion peppers.

“One eye-watering, curse-inducing chip made with the hottest peppers on the planet.”

The goal is to last 5 minutes after eating the chip before needing to drink water or milk to offset the heat.

Sasha Banks and host Sean Evans subjected themselves to the Carolina Reaper Chip as part of a sponsored promotion with Paqui. Watch how they did here:

Wrestlers on Hot Ones

Sasha Banks is no stranger to spicy food. She previously appeared on Hot Ones, the show that sees celebrities being interviewed while eating increasingly hot chicken wings. Pro wrestlers have have appeared on Hot Ones include:

• Steve Austin
• Ronda Rousey
• Chris Jericho
• Ronda Rousey
• Sasha Banks

Which of these pro wrestlers were able to take the heat? Visit the link below to see all of their appearances on Hot Ones:

Charlotte Flair is the most decorated women’s champion in WWE history. She’s an 12-time Women’s Champion, a 2-time NXT Women’s Champion, she won the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble and has achieved countless other accolades.

This fall, WWE will present the first-ever Queen of the Ring tournament. The finals are rumored to take place in October at WWE’s next live event from Saudi Arabia.

During a recent media call with Inside the Ropes, Charlotte said it’s great that WWE is holding a women’s tournament because it will bring opportunities for the participants.

Charlotte Not Interested In QOTR

Charlotte says WWE should use the Queen of the Ring to elevate some NXT talent, in addition to women on the main roster. She also implies that she’s too big a star to be involved.

“Being that I’m already The Queen, if it was to happen, I believe whoever wins it has to face me, since I am The Queen of Queens, right?” asked Charlotte. “Like I don’t think I have to be in it. I already have the title. I think they should have the opportunity to face me if they win.”

The interviewer said that match could be billed as, Queen vs. Queen. However, Charlotte set the record straight and said she’s the only queen in WWE, no matter what they call this tournament.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said Charlotte. “It won’t be Queen vs. Queen. It will be Queen vs. the Woman Who Won the Tournament. OK? Let’s get something right.”

CM Punk’s highly anticipated return to pro wrestling helped AEW draw massive viewership for Friday’s AEW Rampage: The First Dance special.

AEW Rampage: The First Dance averaged 1,129,000 viewers and drew a 0.52 rating in the A18-49 demographic. The data comes courtesy of Brandon Thurston Wrestlenomics.

Some additional key metrics:

• Viewership for The First Dance was up 53% from the previous week’s premiere. The demo rating was up a staggering 75%.

• The 0.52 demo rating is the most-watched AEW broadcast in history aside from the AEW Dynamite premiere in October 2019.

• The opening quarter hour of Rampage featuring CM Punk’s debut was watched by 1,341,000 viewers and did a 0.65 rating (A18-49).

CM Punk makes his first AEW Dynamite appearance this Wednesday night on TNT.

It has been an eventful week. SummerSlam saw the surprise returns of Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar. NXT delivered another stellar Takeover event ahead of the brand’s upcoming major overhaul. However, the debut of CM Punk at Friday’s AEW Rampage remains the most buzz-worthy topic by a long shot.

Punk appeared on Chicago’s ESPN 1000 radio on Monday morning to discuss his arrival in All Elite Wrestling.

After a few days to process what transpired, CM Punk says The First Dance may have been the greatest night of his career. He took a gamble by coming out of retirement and signing up with AEW. After that memorable night, he feels great about his decision.

“That might have been the greatest moment, the greatest night of my career… The way we set it up as the worst kept secret, selling out the United Center on a rumor that I was going to be there, never announced, never advertised, shows the connection to the fanbase that AEW has.”

– CM Punk

Punk says AEW fans “get it” and are looking for the brand of professional wrestling he loves. Punk and AEW dropped hints that he was coming without explicitly advertising his name. That approach came with some risk, but he thinks it paid off.

AEW has a young roster that includes talent such as MJF, Sammy Guevara, Jungle Boy, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks, Dante Martin and many more. CM Punk has been vocal about wanting to work with some of these performers.

During the ESPN 1000 call, Punk said AEW’s youthful roster has a “punk rock” vibe to it. He said it’s a young and hungry roster. Whatever they lack in experience, they make up for with effort.

CM Punk returns to action against Darby Allin at AEW All Out. The upcoming pay-per-view event takes place Sunday, September 5th from Chicago’s NOW Arena. When asked about how he’s preparing for his first match in 7 years, CM Punk said he’s watching a lot of Darby Allin footage. His goal is to tell a story and remind fans one more time why he is still the Best in the World.

Bray Wyatt was released from WWE on July 31st, but that hasn’t prevented fans from supporting the former WWE Champion at live events. WWE sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling world when they announced Wyatt ‘s contract was terminated after 11 years with the company.

“We want Wyatt” chants have been audible at WWE TV tapings since his departure. During Sunday’s SummerSlam kickoff show, a large Fiend sign was shown at ringside. It did not take long for security to approach the fan and confiscate the sign, which incorporated the Fiend mask into the Las Vegas Raiders logo.

Bray Wyatt’s Future

Bray Wyatt’s 90-day non-compete clause runs through the last week of October. He will be unable to work for other wrestling companies until then, but it is believed he’ll be joining All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

The night CM Punk returned to wrestling at AEW Rampage: The First Dance, Bray Wyatt posted an Eddie Van Halen Quote on Twitter. Many wrestling fans are interpreting this as another indication that we have not seen the last of Bray Wyatt inside the squared circle.

AJ Lee is one of the most significant figures in professional wrestling over the past decade. The former Divas Champion was an unlikely success story at a time when WWE was still fixated on bikini babes and fitness models.

AJ Lee is credited with kickstarting WWE’s Women’s Revolution. She paved the way for the likes of Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Bayley. She hung up her boots in 2015, but some fans are optimistic she’ll grace the squared circle again one day.

Following CM Punk’s blockbuster appearance at AEW’s First Dance event, there is renewed discussion about her future.

Big E spoke Sportskeeda this week to promote SummerSlam. He told Riju Dasgupta WWE would roll out the red carpet for AJ Lee, if she were interested in a return.

Big E on AJ Lee Back in WWE

Big E thinks AJ Lee was so successful during her initial run that WWE would let her work a “Brock Lesnar” schedule (big money for limited dates).

“I also think, if she wants it, of course, there very easily is a massive place for her,” he said. “I feel like she’s in this legend territory where she comes back and she gets a massive pop. She can have a Brock Lesnar type schedule if she wanted to and work a few times a year. So, if it’s something she wants, of course there’s a place for her.”

AJ Lee and Big E had undeniable chemistry when he served as her on-air bodyguard around 2012-2013. They were feature players during an era that is looked back upon fondly. We don’t know if AJ Lee has any interest in returning to wrestling. However, with her husband signing with AEW, it seems unlikely she’d return to the environment that drove him away for seven long years.

Ric Flair will appear at NWA 73, the upcoming pay-per-view presented by the National Wrestling Alliance.

Flair is a 10-time NWA World Heavyweight champion and a member of the NWA Hall of Fame. The legendary Nature Boy will be on hand for NWA 73 Sunday night, August 29th from the Khorassan Ballroom at The Chase in St. Louis.

Check out this video announcing Flair’s involvement:

NWA 73 Matches

Here’s the complete lineup for the NWA’s upcoming 73rd anniversary, available for PPV streaming at FITE.TV.

NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis vs. Trevor Murdoch

Mickie James vs. Kylie Rae

National Champion Chris Adonis vs. James Storm

NWA World Tag Team Champions Aron Stevens and Kratos vs. La Rebelión (Bestia 666, Mecha Wolf 450)

NWA Women Champion Kamille vs. the Women’s Invitational Cup Gauntlet Winner

Brawl In The Lou: Thom Latimer vs. Crimson vs. Tim Storm

Battle Royal: Winner becomes the new #1 contender to the NWA National Title

NWA World Television Champion Tyrus, Jordan Clearwater and The Masked Man vs. The Pope and The End (Odinson, Parrow)

AAA’s TripleMania XXIX event took place Saturday night from Mexico City, Mexico. One of the top matches saw Kenny Omega retain the Mega Championship against Andrade El Idolo.

Wrestling legend Ric Flair was in attendance. He accompanied Andrade to the ring and roughed up Kenny Omega, as seen below.

On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that the original plan was for Andrade to win the match and win the title. AEW reached out to AAA officials and requested they delay the title switch until a further date.

Omega dropped the Impact World Championship to Christian the prior night on AEW Rampage, which was likely a factor in the decision.

Charlotte Flair at TripleMania

Charlotte Flair missed a WWE live event in her hometown to attend TripleMania in Mexico City with Ric Flair and Andrade.

The Queen of WWE was advertised for Saturday night’s live event from Charlotte, North Carolina. Konnan, who was put in a figure four by Andrade El Idolo during TripleMania, posted this photo with Ric and Charlotte Flair backstage.

Kenny Omega retained the AAA Mega Championship over Andrade El Idolo at Saturday night’s Triplemania XXIX event.

Andrade was accompanied to the ring by Ric Flair, who couldn’t help getting physically involved in the match. Flair roughed up Kenny Omega before slapping his figure four leglock on Konnan. You can see video of that altercation here.

Despite taking several chops and a punch from the Nature Boy, Omega was victorious. He commented on his match backstage after TripleMania and had some words for Ric Flair. As you can imagine, Omega was none too pleased that Flair roughed him up during the match.

Kenny Omega & Andrade Trash Talk

On Sunday morning, Kenny Omega sent Andrade a message on Twitter. The Best Bout Machine told Andade that he is a tough competitor and came close to winning the AAA Mega Championship. However, he crossed the line with that “stunt” involving Ric Flair. “Not in 2021, and not in my ring, pal.” Omega wrote.

Andrade paid respect to Omega as well, but said he’s glad the champion took things personal Saturday night.

It’s clear that Andrade still has sights on Omega’s AAA Mega Championship. Since both men are signed to All Elite Wrestling, there’s a good chance they will cross paths again in the future.

WWE will hold King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments later this year.

Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast has been all over this story the past few weeks. On Friday, Zarian provided more details on when the tournaments will take place.

According to AZ, the King of the Ring tournament is returning in October. WWE’s first Queen of the Ring tournament will also take place around that time.

The finals of both the King and Queen tournaments are scheduled to take place at WWE’s next live event from Saudi Arabia. Multiple sources have confirmed that WWE is currently eyeing October 21st for the next PPV from Saudi Arabia.

King of the Ring

WWE has held many King of the Ring tournaments throughout the years. The event started out in 1985 as a special attraction at live events. The first King of the Ring pay-per-view was held in June 1993, with Bret Hart winning the crown.

In total, WWE has held 21 King of the Ring tournaments. Aside from Bret Hart, winners have included Randy Savage, Ted Dibiase, Owen Hart, Steve Austin, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Brock Lesnar and most recently, Baron Corbin (2019).

Queen of the Ring

History will be made this October when WWE crowns the first Queen of the Ring. Some of WWE’s top female competitors have expressed an interest in a QOTR tournament, including Sasha Banks and Bayley.

WWE has considered hosting a Queen of the Ring tournament dating back to 2018. Three years later, it’s finally coming to fruition.

Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming King of the Ring and Queen of the Ring tournaments.

AEW President Tony Khan made his weekly appearance on Busted Open Radio this morning. TK was on hand to promote tonight’s AEW Dynamite from Pittsburgh, PA and Friday’s AEW Rampage premiere.

As per usual, “Tony Time” yielded some newsworthy items. Here are some highlights of what was discussed:

Rampage is a great news for wrestling fans and AEW. It’s been a busy week (“Sleep is overrated”) but things are about to pick up over the next two weeks leading up to the First Dance on 8/20. Everybody in AEW has been looking forward to the launch of Rampage. It will create new opportunities and matchups for the entire AEW roster.

TNT has been very happy about the early buzz for Rampage. There’s a lot of interest and TNT has rolled out the red carpet for AEW, in terms of promotion. Tonight on Dynamite, we’ll learn more about the card for Friday’s Rampage premiere.

Dark and Dark: Elevation have helped them cultivate new talent, but Rampage is “still going to be a star-driven show.”

Dan Lambert from American Top Team and his “backup” (two great UFC champions) – that is being pushed back to next week in Houston, Texas. Lambert previously brought Amanda Nunes and Jorge Masvidal to Dynamite.

Khan called next week’s AEW Rampage: The First Dance, “The most anticipated wrestling television show in years.”

He spoke about the benefits of working with other promotions and featuring non-AEW talent on AEW programming. Khan said he has no problem helping other companies if it helps AEW at all.

AEW Rampage will not have a 4-man commentary team at all times. There are 4 hosts announced, but sometimes it will be 3 guys calling a match.

AEW Rampage premieres this Friday night at 10pm (Eastern) on TNT.

Several wrestlers from WWE’s NXT brand are currently backstage at the Amway Center for tonight’s Raw from Orlando, FL. The following names are in attendance, according to Mike Johnson:

• Odyssey Jones
• Austin Theory
• Dakota Kai
• Xia Li
• Aliyah

WWE has brought NXT talent to TV tapings several times over the past several weeks. NXT wrestlers who have competed in dark matches prior to Raw and SmackDown tapings include Karrion Kross, Bronson Reed, Shotzi Blackheart, Indi Hartwell, Toni Storm, Odyssey Jones and Austin Theory.

NXT Champion Karrion Kross was saddled with a losing streak storyline and has been pinned twice on Raw in the past month. Bronson Reed was among the 13 released from WWE this past Friday night.

WWE is advertising talking segments from Randy Orton, Charlotte Flair and WWE Champion Bobby Lashley for tonight’s broadcast.

AEW Rampage premieres this Friday on TNT at 10pm (Eastern). The event will air live from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

All Elite Wrestling is pulling out all the stops to ensure Rampage gets off to a strong start. As previously announced, Dr. Britt Baker will defend the AEW Women’s World Championship in her hometown against Red Velvet.

We now know that AEW World Champion Kenny Omega will also be in action on the 1-hour broadcast. His opponent has yet to be announced, but his opponent could be be #1 contender Christian Cage.

The FITE streaming platform announced on Monday that Rampage will be part of the AEW Plus subscription service.

AEW has begun posting videos of wrestlers reading mean tweets about themselves, a bit originated on the Jimmy Kimmel Live late night show.

Bret Hart is revered as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, so a comparison to the Hitman is high praise. During a recent discussion with Wrestling Inc, former WWE wrestler Tucker say Daniel Bryan is the closest thing we have to a modern day Bret Hart.

“To me, Daniel Bryan is the modern day Bret Hart,” he began.”“He’s the man. He’s the best. Whether it comes to his mind and talking through how and why we’re going to do things or whether it comes to the execution of said thing in the ring, I don’t think you or me could point out somebody or defend somebody better than him at either of those two things.”

Both Hart and Bryan are known for their technical expertise, so the similarities are there. Tucker said not only was Daniel Bryan an incredible mat technician, he was also a locker room leader. Many younger WWE Superstars would turn to Bryan for advice in and out of the ring.

Tucker and former partner Otis would consult with Daniel Bryan on ways to improve their team, Heavy Machinery.

“What a glorious opportunity it was for us to be able to pick his brain a little bit and kind of see how he moved around the Heavy Machinery pieces. ‘What do you guys do?’ Having a discussion about the ethos, if you will, of Heavy Machinery and that might be able to play off of them in the large scale, in the big picture.”

He recalls Bryan helping them review the ins and outs of their presentation. Everything was considered, from their promos to their character development

“Just kind of seeing how [Bryan] operates, seeing what questions he’s asking what people and why he’s going about doing those things, at least for me, I was trying to take away as much of that kind of stuff as I possibly could from working with someone like that.”

Daniel Bryan will be a tremendous asset wherever he winds up, whether its AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling, back in WWE or elsewhere.

• Kenny Omega Comments On Wrestling CM Punk & Daniel Bryan In AEW.. Possibly

Adam Cole is in high demand. The former NXT Champion will be a free agent later this month. WWE officials thought he was locked in through the end of the year, but that was not the case.

Cole’s WWE contract reportedly expired several weeks ago, but he agreed to work through SummerSlam weekend as an act of good faith.

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon will meet with Cole at tonight’s SmackDown from Washington D.C., according to Fightful. The wrestling war between WWE and AEW heating up, so rest assured McMahon will pull out all the stops to keep Adam Cole on his payroll.

Adam Cole’s Choice

Adam Cole has been with WWE since 2017. He’s reached the top of the mountain in the company’s yellow and gold brand. Cole is the longest-reigning NXT Champion in history. He’s also the held the North American and Tag Team titles.

There is a lot of uncertainty about how he’d fare on the main roster, despite everything he’s accomplished in NXT. WWE has a mixed track record when transitioning talent to Raw and SmackDown.

Adam Cole could re-sign with WWE or he could wait until September 1st and test his value on the open market. He’d almost certainly get a strong offer from AEW.

Britt Baker, Cole’s girlfriend, recently commented on the possibility of him joining her in AEW. During an interview with the Daily Star, she said:

“He’s happy where he is. So, if he were to jump ship and come my way, that would be awesome, but if he stays in WWE forever then I’d be happy, too, as I just want him to be happy.”

– Britt Baker

The 32-year-old Bullet Club alum is set to cash in with the biggest contract of his wrestling career, wherever he winds up.

We will continue to follow this situation closely. Stay tuned for further updates on Adam Cole and his future.

Alexa Bliss threw the ceremonial first pitch at Sunday’s Chicago White Sox baseball game at Wrigley Field. She was joined by her fiancé, pop star Ryan Cabrera.

WWE is currently in Chicago for Monday’s Raw at the sold-out Allstate Arena.

Bliss was good luck for Sox, who picked up a 2-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

• Alexa Bliss Comments on Bray Wyatt’s WWE Release

Check out this video of Alexa Bliss throwing the ceremonial first pitch at Sunday’s White Sox game:

2-time WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has been granted his release. The company confirmed the news on Tuesday morning. Contrary to common practice, WWE did not wish him the best in his future endeavors.

The 16-time World Champion is one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all time. His daughter, Charlotte, remains with the company.

His most recent on-camera appearance with WWE occurred back in February 2021. He was involved in a romantic storyline with Lacey Evans, who was feuding with Charlotte. The angle was dropped after Evans legitimately became pregnant.

During an interview with Ariel Helwani back in May, Flair revealed that he and Lacy Evans were both very uncomfortable with the storyline. He was angry about what WWE creative came up with, but went along with the angle in an effort to be a team player.

• Update On Why Ric Flair Was Released From WWE

Ric Flair issued the following statement regarding his departure from WWE. The Nature Boy says WWE granted his request and there are no hard feelings on his end. “We have a different vision for my future.” He’s not upset and wishes them nothing but continued success.

X Division Champion Josh Alexander doesn’t know if he’ll ever get to face Impact World Champion Kenny Omega, but if he does, he thinks he beats Omega 99 times out of 100.

SEScoops correspondent Mike Shalik spoke with the Walking Weapon last week about a wide variety of topics, including:

• How Impact Wrestling has changed since he joined in 2019
• His vision for the X Division, as champion
• Injuries in wrestling and how his neck is doing
• The feeling in the locker room about outside talent appearing in Impact
• A possible Impact x AEW x New Japan super-show
• Ambitions to wrestle in Japan

Josh Alexander vs. Kenny Omega?

We also asked Josh Alexander about his recent back encounter with Kenny Omega on Impact TV. He says fans blew up his social media at the prospect of this match, but he doesn’t think Omega would ever agree to fight him. If they did cross paths inside the squared circle, Alexander is convinced he beats the Belt Collector 99 times out of 100.

“I do not think Kenny Omega wants to face me,” he said. “I don’t think he has any intention of ever getting in the ring with me. So I think him chirping and saying his little comments like that, that’s just his way to try to get a rise out of me and everybody else.”

Alexander continued, “It gets people talking and wanting the match. I think my social media blew up more than probably anything ever has before, just in the anticipation for that possibly being a match, so it’s what people want to see. It’s good for business and it’s good for everybody else. I think it’s something that should happen. whether it does or not, not up to me, unfortunately. If that match ever were to happen, I would bet on me 99 times out of 100.”

Check out our full interview with Josh Alexander:

Sasha Banks is scheduled to return to WWE television at tonight’s SmackDown from Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Target Center.

The Boss has been off television since WrestleMania 37 in April, when she dropped the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Bianca Belair. Banks is returning as part of WWE’s “all hands on deck” build to SummerSlam, according to Pwinsider.

We’re just three weeks out from the pay-per-view, which will be held from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. Packing the stadium won’t be easy, so WWE is pulling out all the stops. Aside from Banks and John Cena, Goldberg recently returned to feud with Bobby Lashley and Becky Lynch is expected back soon as well.

WWE has included Sasha Banks in promotional materials for SummerSlam, so her return is not entirely unexpected.

As of this writing, the only match confirmed for WWE SummerSlam is the Triple Threat Raw Women’s Championship match between Nikki A.S.H, Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair.

Sasha Banks recently appeared at ESPN’s ESPY Awards, where she and Bianca Belair won an ESPY for “Best WWE Moment” (headlining WrestleMania).

In addition to Sasha Banks, Cena is advertised to appear tonight as part of his Summer of Cena touring schedule.

If you’re in the Minneapolis area, tickets for tonight’s WWE SmackDown are still available at AXS.com.

• Sasha Banks On When She Found Out About Main Eventing WrestleMania

A ticket pre-sale was held Friday morning for the upcoming AEW Rampage: The First Dance event from Chicago’s United Center arena on August 20th. Despite the short notice and a saturated market, AEW is looking at another successful showing at the box office.

AEW sold over 10,000 tickets within a matter of hours. @WrestleTix estimates the production setup will make for a sell-out crowd of around 13,000. It was ambitious, but this will be a packed house.

AEW Rampage: The First Dance

The stakes are high for AEW’s debut at the United Center. The show was announced on Wednesday’s Dynamite, leaving just three weeks for AEW to sell a respectable amount of seats. It will be the second episode of AEW Rampage, which premieres Friday, August 13th at 10pm (Eastern) on TNT.

Of course, this is not your typical television taping. Wrestling fans are expecting the highly anticipated debut of CM Punk, based on some not-so-subtle hints by AEW. The United Center is the largest basketball/hockey arena in the United States, so

Tickets for AEW Rampage: The First Dance go on sale to the general public this coming Monday at Ticketmaster.com.

Follow @WrestleTix on Twitter and Patreon for more wrestling ticket sales info.

John Cena is currently on a collision course with Roman Reigns that will culminate at WWE SummerSlam on Saturday, August 21st. Reigns has yet to formally accept Cena’s challenge, but the showdown is a foregone conclusion.

Following Cena’s surprise return at Money in the Bank, WWE announced John Cena’s summer schedule. Many fans were delighted to see that Cena’s return included multiple episodes of Raw and SmackDown, as well as non-televised live events. In total, WWE announced Cena for 15 shows. We’ve now learned the “Summer of Cena” will continue beyond SummerSlam.

John Cena to the Rescue

WWE announced on Monday that the 16-time World Champion’s current run will include a stop at Madison Square Garden on Friday, September 10th.

Over the weekend, @Wrestletix reported that WWE had sold fewer than 9,000 tickets for the September 10th Smackdown from MSG.

Early ticket sales were less-than-stellar, which led WWE to make this a “Super Show” involving talent from the Raw brand. With John Cena now advertised, WWE should have no problem getting over that 9,000 mark and might be compelled to open additional sections of the Garden, if the demand is there.

• John Cena Wrestled After Friday’s SmackDown Went Off The Air (Video)

Women’s wrestling star Thunder Rosa has officially signed with All Elite Wrestling. AEW sent out the customary “Thunder Rosa is #AllElite” tweet on Thursday afternoon.

Thunder Rosa has wrestled for AEW since August 2020, but was not formally signed to a longterm contract.

The former MMA fighter turned pro wrestler made her Impact Wrestling debut this past weekend at Slammiversary.

Thunder Rosa issued a statement following the news of her signing. She wrote, “Never in my life doubt that I would be where I want to be! Today one of the biggest accomplishments in my career has been announced!”

Prior to signing with AEW, Thunder Rosa was under contract with the National Wrestling Alliance. The NWA posted a congratulatory message wishing her well in the next chapter of her journey.

Thunder Rosa joins a flourishing AEW women’s roster that also includes (Champion) Britt Baker, Hikaru Shida, Penelope Ford, Nyla Rose, Jade Cargill, Tay Conti, Riho, Anna Jay and more.