The injuries continue to pile up in AEW as another talent is on the sidelines.
Pwinsider.com reports Skye Blue is dealing with an undisclosed injury. She was last seen in action on Dark when she wrestled Marina Shafir on June 3rd with the match airing on June 7th.
Although she has not been officially signed to a full-time deal by the promotion, she has been a regular on AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation since her AEW debut in April of 2021.
The wrestler got a big reaction from her hometown crowd at All Out 2021 when she came out for the Casino Battle Royal. It was won by Jade Cargill. She has scored wins over the likes of Amber Nova, Ruthie Jay, Robin Renegade, and others. She has also tagged with talent like Ryo Mizunami.
All of the injuries in AEW have caused various storylines to be changed. This includes AEW World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Kyle O’Reilly, Buddy Matthews, and more.
Punk is dealing with a broken foot and had surgery that forced him out of Forbidden Door. Adam Cole’s injury status has been cleared up and he’ll work a fatal 4-way bout at this upcoming event for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title against champion Jay White, Hangman Adam Page, and Kazuchika Okada.
AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door is happening this Sunday, but the show will have to go on ahead without some major names.
AEW World Champion CM Punk, Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson are all off the show due to a series of injuries that have derailed some of Tony Khan’s plans.
In the case of Danielson, there will be a replacement for his match against Zack Sabre Jr., though AEW has yet to reveal who that will be.
Gargano in Chicago
One name that fans would love to see replace Danielson is Johnny Gargano, who will be in the area this weekend.
On Twitter, the former NXT Champion announced earlier today that he will be attending The Chicago Card Show in the Windy City this Sunday, the same city where Forbidden Door will take place.
Unsurprisingly, this got fans speculating that he will be the one to face Sabre Jr. though Gargano tried to dispel these ideas.
In a follow-up tweet, he said that the timings were “ridiculously coincidental” and that he’ll only be in Chicago for eight hours.
Gargano did admit that he estimates five percent of people will believe that he isn’t showing up at Forbidden Door, and joked that this is what he wants people to believe.
I promise you this is ridiculously coincidental and has been booked for months. I'll only be in Chicago for like 8 hours!
*I also realize in saying this that only like 5% of you are going to believe I'm actually telling the truth. ?
Gargano may (or may not) be appearing this Sunday, but there is one other option fans are considering.
Claudio Castignoli, aka Cesaro, hasn’t wrestled since his departure from WWE earlier this year and doesn’t have a non-compete clause to his name.
Some have speculated that given William Regal’s connection to the Blackpool Combat Club, that Cesaro (Regal’s final opponent) will be the one who answers the call.
Matt Hardy has shot down recent reports suggesting that he’s dealing with an injury.
Recently there have been a plague of injuries going on within All Elite Wrestling (AEW); with stars such as Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, Anthony Bowens, Darius Martin, and more currently being banged up.
Earlier this week, a report from Lucha Libre Online suggested that Matt Hardy was the latest AEW star to be dealing with an injury. This was following his appearance at AAA’s TripleMania XXX: Tijuana show.
However, Hardy took to Twitter to shoot this report down, saying he’s “all good” and was even backstage at AEW Dynamite this week and is good to go.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m all good, ladies & gentlemen. I was at #AEWDynamite tonight & am good to go. Also, I loved & enjoyed my #TripleMania30 match for @luchalibreaaa. Thanks, TJ!”
Hardy had teamed with Johnny “Hardy” (aka Johnny Elite or John Morrison) to take on Dragon Lee and Dralistico. Initially, Matt was to team with his brother, Jeff Hardy, however, he was unable to compete after his DUI arrest earlier in the week.
During the match, Johnny ended up turning on Hardy, allowing Lee and Dralistico to get the win. However, Hardy, Dralistico, and Lee all teamed up to take out Johnny and end the show.
After the match, the report going around suggested that Matt was dealing with swelling in his knee. There was no indication on when the injury occurred, however, it should be noted that Dralistico did land on Hardy’s knees during a moonsault at the end of the match.
With that being said, Matt claims to be ready to go when called upon. He hasn’t been on AEW TV in two weeks.
Back in 2021 AEW President Tony Khan made a shocking announcement on Twitter revealing that top company superstar and former world champion Jon Moxley would be entering an alcohol treatment center, and would be out of action for some time trying to get sober. The response for Mox was largely supportive, and many, including fans and colleagues, wished him the best.
The Purveyor of Violence made his grand return to AEW at the tail end of the year looking like a million bucks, and has since formed the Blackpool Combat Club with William Regal and Bryan Danielson. He will also be entering this Sunday’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view with the chance of becoming the new AEW interim world champion.
While speaking with his wife Renee Paquette on the latest episode of The Sessions Moxley opened up about his time in rehab, and what eventually led him to making the decision.
“The not drinking part is easy. It’s not like I have some desire to drink. I have no desire to drink. I can’t even imagine drinking right now. Not drinking was easy. I wanted to stop drinking for a long time. I was trying to quit drinking for a long time. Just dealing with all the after effects and what happens to you physically when your body goes through this metamorphosis, trying to re-calibrate itself has not been easy.”
The revelation for Moxley was not easy. He reveals that a therapist suggested to him that he quit the business that he loves so much.
“The one therapist I had straight up told me to retire. She said, ‘Start a wrestling school. Train some kids. You know what the problem is? You gotta get out of there.’ I was like, ‘I don’t think it’s that.’”
Despite the suggestion Moxley continues to make a large impact in the pro-wrestling circuit, and has remained one of AEW most over acts since that incredible debut back at Double or Nothing 2019. When discussing his first match back after rehab Moxley admits that it was hard for him find his rhythm again.
“So my first match back, you think it’s gonna be like, ‘Okay, well, now you’re sober so you’re just going to feel like a million dollars.’ It doesn’t really work like that. It was weird. It was like my legs were in quicksand. I didn’t have any adrenaline, not that I didn’t have any adrenaline, so much is like, I wasn’t nervous.”
Moxley would eventually find his rhythm again, and has continued proving why he’s world champion material. He later adds that not going into a match hungover or feeling like crap has been massively beneficial.
“I think people who probably don’t spend their lives partying too much or whatever, probably take for granted just waking up in the morning and feeling good. I feel like I’m cheating. Like, the novelty hasn’t fully worn off of not having a hangover. Just like waking up and being like, okay, I don’t have to worry about being massively dehydrated or feeling like crap or whatever.”
Moxley will take on The Ace Hiroshi Tanahashi at this Sunday’s Forbidden Door.
This Sunday, All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling will team to put on Forbidden Door 2022 at the United Center, in Chicago, Illinois.
The event will be the first crossover show of this magnitude for both promotions, and Tony Khan has said he has plans for future Forbidden Door shows.
Final Match Card
With this week’s AEW Dynamite and Rampage being taped, here is the final match card for the highly-anticipated show.
Interim AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Jay White (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Adam Cole vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
AEW Women’s World Championship: Thunder Rosa (c) vs. Toni Storm
AEW All-Atlantic Championship: PAC vs. Miro vs. Tomohiro Ishii vs. Malakai Black
IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Orange Cassidy
ROH & IWGP Tag Team Championship: FTR vs. United Empire vs. Roppongi Vice
Zack Sabre Jr. vs Replacement for Bryan Danielson
Bullet Club (Young Bucks, El Phantasmo, Hikuleo) vs. Dudes with Attitudes (Sting, Darby Allin, Shingo Takagi, Hiromu Takahashi)
Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Minoru Suzuki v. Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta, Shota Umino
Gunn Club & Max Caster vs. NJPW Dojo (Buy-In Show)
Notable Absences
While Forbidden Door will be a stacked show, featuring major stars from both promotions it will go ahead without some top names.
AEW World Champion CM Punk is out of action, with no timeline for when he will be back, and Bryan Danielson confirmed on this week’s Dynamite that he is not medically cleared to compete.
Kenny Omega is still recovering from multiple injuries, that have kept him out since November 2021.
The June 22 episode of AEW Dynamite has come to a close but the fisticuffs didn’t end once the cameras stopped rolling.
This week’s edition of Dynamite ended with a tag team match featuring Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi taking on Chris Jericho and Lance Archer. The match ended when Tanahashi pinned Archer with the High Fly Flow.
After the match, members of Suzuki-Gun and the Jericho Appreciation Society brawled with Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz, Wheeler Yuta, and Shota Umino.
Moxley and Tanahashi had a long staredown in the ring as they are set to collide in an interim AEW World Title match at Forbidden Door.
NJPW’s top star Kazuchika Okada also made an appearance. He saved Hangman Page from a two-on-one attack at the hands of Jay White and Adam Cole.
Off The Air
The brawl kept going once the TBS broadcast ended. Chris Jericho and other members of the JAS continued fighting with Eddie Kingston in the crowd.
Things have gotten personal between Jericho and Kingston. It’ll all lead to the Blood & Guts match on June 29.
Before that, they’ll get their hands on each other again on June 26 for the Forbidden Door PPV event. Jericho will team with Minoru Suzuki and Sammy Guevara to take on Eddie Kingston, Wheeler Yuta, and Shota Umino on the show.
Kazuchika Okada has stepped foot inside an AEW ring.
The June 22 episode of Dynamite featured a match between former AEW World Champion Hangman Page and Silas Young.
Page ended up getting the win but he had no time to celebrate as he was interrupted by Adam Cole, followed by IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Jay White.
Jay and Cole put the boots to Hangman but Okada’s music hit and he ran down to make the save.
Later in the show, AEW announced a four-way match between Jay White, Kazuchika Okada, Hangman Page, and Adam Cole for the IWGP gold at Forbidden Door.
There was a lot of speculation on “The Rainmaker’s” status for Forbidden Door. He has put the rumors to rest and many can agree that the AEW-NJPW crossover show set for June 26 just wouldn’t have felt right without him.
Fans hoping to see Bryan Danielson back in action soon may not want to hold their breath.
Danielson has been out of action ever since the Anarchy in the Arena match held at Double or Nothing late last month. He suffered an undisclosed injury that many within the company thought would only take a week or two to clear up.
As it turns out, things may be a bit more serious.
Bryan Danielson May Not Wrestle For A While
Bryan Danielson (Photo: AEW)
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live reported that sources told him that Bryan Danielson is “definitely out” of the Forbidden Door PPV set for June 26. On top of that, Alvarez has been told that Danielson may not be wrestling again for a while.
Danielson made an appearance on the June 22 episode of AEW Dynamite. He addressed his status for Forbidden Door and the Blood & Guts match set for June 29.
Danielson confirmed the news, saying that he has been forced off both shows. He has promised a replacement for Forbidden Door and Blood & Guts but fans won’t find out who that person is until June 26.
While the extent of Danielson’s injury hasn’t been made public, many are obviously fearing that it may be related to head trauma. That is simply speculation at this time. Of course, Danielson was forced to retire at one point as WWE doctors wouldn’t clear him due to a history of concussions.
Danielson was eventually cleared to wrestle in WWE again. He had worked a safer style in the company, however, and certainly hasn’t taken things easy since jumping ship to AEW.
Next month, Ric Flair will have his last ever match, bringing his incredible in-ring career to its final end.
Flair has been training with AEW’s very own Jay Lethal ahead of his last match, and fans may remember their infamous interactions in TNA Wrestling many years ago.
Given that the pair are training together, you’d naturally assume the duo is close, but things got tense this week.
Lethal No Shows
Lethal was scheduled to appear on Ric Flair’s podcast this week but didn’t appear in any capacity.
In his response, Flair went on the show to claim that Lethal has an “attitude,” which has caused friction between them (via WrestlingNews.co.)
“Is he gonna hear this, if I say it? I don’t care. He’s got an attitude. He wants to be part of the show. And I said it ain’t gonna happen. You know how that happens all of a sudden and everybody’s feelings are hurt. You know, this is what we discussed, some people’s feelings are gonna be hurt.
“I’m not saying anything bad. I don’t have the authority, even though [I am a] co-owner of this venture. I don’t have the authority to put him on the card. So I think he’s upset about that, but he’ll get over it.
“They can block this out but you can’t make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t.”
Ric Flair, on Jay Lethal no-showing his podcast.
Lethal hasn’t responded publicly to Flair’s comments at this time.
AEW has been bit by the injury bug badly over the last month, with top stars like CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Adam Cole, Darius Martin, and more being sidelined. Unfortunately, another name will now be added to the list.
The House of Black’s Buddy Matthews has revealed on Instagram that he is dealing with a shoulder injury. In his post the former NXT cruiserweight champion is seen working out, where he writes that he has been able to slowly increase his weight limit, but specifies that his movement is limited. Matthews does not mention the extent of the injury, or if he will be missing any time.
The full post reads, “Always a work in progress. Dealing with a shoulder injury which limits a lot of my shoulder movements. But slowly increasing the weight again. He better than you were yesterday!”
Matthews last competed in a losing effort against PAC a few weeks ago on Dynamite. Since arriving in the company back in February he has mainly been wrestling alongside Brody King and faction leader Malakai Black in trios action. The group has yet to be defeated in six-man tags.
AEW has yet to release any additional details on Matthews injury. Check out his post below.
Former NFL and UFC star Greg Hardy is waiting on a call from either WWE or All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Recently, Hardy left the UFC after the Las Vegas-based mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion opted not to re-sign him once his deal expired. Now, Hardy has signed with Bare-Knuckle FC (BKFC) and will be competing in bare-knuckle boxing.
However, Hardy seems interested in a potential career in professional wrestling as well. The former Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman spoke to Chris Van Vliet about what’s ahead for him.
Hardy said he’s waiting on a call from either WWE or All Elite Wrestling (AEW), seemingly inspired by the likes of Rey Mysterio and Goldust.
“Somebody hit me up, AEW, WWE, hit me up. I’m down,’ Hardy said. “I’ll get in the gym right now. I’ll show up with the Monday night muscles and jump off the side of the rope on anybody. I’ll come out with one of those Rey Mysterio type masks.
“I’m going to grab a design artist too. You have to have showmanship, or like Goldust, something crazy. It has to be entertainment level stuff. You can’t just come out with tights on and have a six-pack unless you’re Brock Lesnar or The Rock.
“I’m an old school fan. I would love to get in there. I’m waiting for the call. If you know somebody that is watching this right now, hit me up and let’s get to work.”
Of course, any signing of Hardy wouldn’t come without a bit of controversy. Hardy has a 2014 arrest for domestic violence, amongst several other run-ins with the law, that seemingly ended his NFL run.
It’s certainly possible WWE and AEW would prefer to steer clear of Hardy and the baggage he brings to the table.
AEW President Tony Khan is intrigued by the possibility of venturing out to Japan.
We’re just a few days away from the big AEW-NJPW crossover show Forbidden Door. The PPV event takes place inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on June 26.
As we draw closer to the event, Japanese wrestling fans are wondering if it’s possible that AEW will make its way to “The Land of the Rising Sun” one day.
AEW in Japan?
(via AEW)
During an interview with Tokyo Sports (Michael Nakazawa serving as the interpreter), Tony Khan discussed the possibility of holding an AEW event in Japan (rough Google translation):
“I haven’t held a tournament in another country yet, but I would like to try to deliver AEW to the world. Of course, I want to hold a tournament in Japan, and if I do, I would like to invite a lot of new Japanese players. Japan is definitely included in the list of countries where you want to have an AEW tournament.”
Khan also had high praise for NJPW’s “Ace” Hiroshi Tanahashi, who will meet Jon Moxley for the interim AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door.
“Tanahashi (Hiroshi) is a charismatic and legendary person who leads the industry. He has a very strong heart … He is an indispensable part of the history of New Japan.”
The June 22 episode of AEW Dynamite is expected to feature a slew of NJPW talent to help promote Forbidden Door this weekend. One of the big names expected for the show is Zack Sabre Jr., although that is a report and hasn’t been confirmed by AEW.
In the three years since being founded, AEW has proven to be a hit with wrestling fans around the world.
AEW content is aired in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia, but has so far only hosted shows in the United States.
Fans around the world have been clamoring for AEW to bring their unique brand of programming to their countries, and now audiences in Canada are one step closer to watching AEW live and in person.
AEW in Canada
While speaking to The Star in Canada, Tony Khan addressed plans for one of his promotions to travel to the Great White North (via nodq.com.)
“We’re all back on the road this past year and we’ve been all over America, but I do look forward to bringing an AEW live events to Canada soon. I think we have a chance to really build a strong presence, not only what we’ve established on television with TSN, but also with live events for the fans.”
Khan also praised Canada for being the home of some of AEW’s wrestlers, including Chris Jericho, Kenny Omega, Christian Cage and Kyle O’Reilly.
“We have a lot of great Canadian wrestlers and I’m excited about the possibility of our live events here because we’ve had great success on TV here.”
Tony Khan.
While Khan said that Toronto is his current favorite to host AEW’s debut event in Canada, he also mentioned Winnipeg, Calgary, and Vancouver for future events.
One AEW star didn’t leave Mexico unscathed following a match during AAA’s TripleMania event this past weekend.
If there’s one thing major promotions can agree on, it’s that injuries are bad news. We’ve seen WWE hit hard with the Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton injuries. Reigning AEW World Champion CM Punk recently underwent surgery and he’ll be out for a little while.
Some injuries are more severe than others and in the case of one AEW veteran, the hope is that he hasn’t sustained anything serious.
Matt Hardy Suffers Swelling
(via AEW)
Matt Hardy recently teamed with John Hennigan to take on Dragon Lee and Dralistico at the TripleMania event in Mexico. Fightful reports that Matt was banged up as a result of the match and suffered some significant swelling in his knee.
At this time, there is no word on the severity of the injury. Obviously, AEW officials are hoping that Hardy was simply dinged up a bit and the issue won’t have any long-term effects.
Matt was expected to challenge for the AEW World Tag Team Titles during the Road Rager episode of AEW Dynamite. That plan went awry as his brother Jeff was pulled from the match due to his recent DUI arrest.
Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline had reported that even if Jeff’s DUI incident never happened, AEW had plans of pulling him from the match as he had a brain scan scheduled.
AEW star Athena recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about her road to becoming “all elite.”
“I feel like it was one of those things as soon as I got released [by WWE] or mutually parted ways, whichever way you wanna have it there, it was like, ‘Man, I don’t know how to get in contact with them, but I gotta get in contact with them,’ and I told my agent, I was like, ‘Hey, I’m really interested in going there. I really want to go there, you know.’ It’s kind of like a combination of, we reached out and they reached back, and it was like a six month ‘Are we interested?’
Are you interested, because I think when I left [WWE], I didn’t really know if I wanted to continue wrestling. I just knew that like, I loved and enjoyed watching the AEW product at home, watching the pay-per-views watching just everything. I’m like, ‘Oh, this looks like so much fun,’ and then I’d be like, ‘I don’t know, I don’t know.’
So, I had a couple matches on the indies and just those blew up, and it just getting kept getting more and more attention. And I think like, we finally just kind of hit the double tap on the phone call and it was like, ‘Yeah, let’s let’s figure out something.’”
Preparing for Double or Nothing Debut
Athena also spoke about her AEW debut at last month’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
“I get in at like eight, nine o’clock in the morning, and I was like, you know what, I’m not gonna go to the baggage claim for my airline. I’m gonna go to the other one, right, and now I’m telling all my secrets, so now I get lost, I get very obviously lost and turned around because I’m terrible at navigating airports, and I end up in the big baggage claim and all I see is piles and piles of AEW fans like stalking out the baggage claims with their binoculars.
I’m 5’1″ so I can blend so I get in the biggest crowd that I possibly can and I get in the middle and I’m like head down like I have like my glasses on my mask on, I’m trying to hide.
So they put me at a different hotel that isn’t the TV hotel. I get there, my hotel has been given away, so I’m sitting in the lobby and I’m like, ‘Oh this is weird,’ and like the travel team was like, ‘Oh no, this is like, they tried to call, they tried it they were like, ‘Hey, we bought this room day before, blah blah blah, and they’re like, ‘Well, you should have called,’ and I’m sitting here like, ‘Oh no, uh, someone is going to notice me, because I was in that lobby for like an hour or two as we were trying to figure it out. I’m just head down, just like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the worst, you know, and eventually, they’re like, ‘Okay, we’re sending a car for, you we’re gonna put you up at the hotel where everyone else is at,’ and I’m like, ‘How is that going to work?’” because once again AEW fans, or just wrestling fans in general, are really good about ruining surprises for themselves.
‘So they take me through like the basement level and they put my room name under someone else, and we are like, ‘Aright, go up the elevator, you’re on this floor,’ and I get in the elevator and it stops on the lobby level, and three AEW fans get in like they had the Jericho Society shirts and I’m like, ‘How?’ and I’m just sitting, they’re just like, and I remember they went to turn and look at me, and I start coughing and they’re like, “Oh, oh, oh god, please don’t get that on me,’ and I was like so they totally know who I am.”
Check out Steve Fall’s exclusive interview with AEW star Athena:
Adam Page isn’t interested in trashing the next generation of wrestlers that come after him.
The Hangman issued a short statement on his personal Twitter account this morning calling out older wrestlers who constantly criticize today’s talent on their “sh*t ass podcasts.” While not mentioning anyone specifically this comes one day after WWE Hall of Famer Booker T received backlash for his bodying shaming comments about AEW superstar Adam Cole.
The topic Page is discussing has become a popular trend from stars of the 80s, 90s, and 2000s. Some of the most widely controversial headlines at times come from big names like Jim Cornette, Eric Bischoff, Booker T, and Bully Ray to name a few, all who have podcast platforms with a large number of followers.
Page, who rarely tweets and always gains some traction when he does, writes the following:
“I just hope that when im old and retired i don’t lower myself to some shit ass podcast where i trash the younger generation that’s just chasing the same fortune wrestling has afforded me.”
Aside from Page’s antics on Twitter he has been trying to bounce back from his Double or Nothing loss to CM Punk, and has been constantly calling out top NJPW superstar Kazuchika Okada for this Sunday’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view.
You can check out the former world champion’s tweet, which also sees him promote tomorrow’s edition of Dynamite in Milwaukee, below.
AEW star Athena recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston about the possibility of WWE’s Paige becoming All Elite.
“Absolutely! Like I tell people all the time it’s like everyone says the women’s evolution started with the Bellas, I highly disagree! Started with Paige and Emma!
“Started with them, that was the first like mainstream women’s match that got time that made people like want more and knowing that she’s capable of that not to mention seeing her story in the movie and I’ve wrestled her mom on the indies before and just got my ass handed to me excuse my language, but like of course like she’s someone I’ve always wanted to wrestle with. I actually rolled around with her when she was training to come back.
“She is an invaluable superstar in her own right. She is absolutely phenomenal whether she’s going to be a mouthpiece, whether she’s able to get back in the ring like any company would be like stupid not to try to snatch her up. I think her eventually returning to wrestling anywhere would be beneficial to whatever companies snatches her up, but I think AEW will be a smart move again because there’s something to be added to the women’s division”
Last month one of the biggest stories in pro-wrestling was AEW superstar MJF and his contract dispute with president Tony Khan, a real-life incident that later morphed into an angle on AEW television. The Salt of the Earth’s last appearance was the post-Double or Nothing edition of Dynamite in Los Angeles, where he cut an epic promo asking for Khan to fire him.
In a recent interview with TalkSport top AEW superstar Chris Jericho spoke about the MJF situation, which included the Demo God questioning the former Pinnacle leader’s motives for a future deal with AEW, and how he believes that the 26-year old still has a lot to learn.
“He has a lot to learn. He’s not as good as he thinks he is and like I said, it really is nothing to do with me but I’m sure he’ll be back. 18 months is a long time to stay at home and that’s Tony Khan’s prerogative. You’re under contract, you want to stay at home? You can stay at home and not get paid and that’s what happens. We see it happen in other companies and that’s just how it goes. If you didn’t expect that, then why did you sign your contract in the first place?”
MJF has been teasing for months that he may jump ship and go to WWE. Jericho would be asked how he thinks MJF’s raw uncut character would be portrayed in the fed, a move he believes would be a bad decision but understands since he has switched companies multiple times.
“Oh absolutely [his character would be watered down in WWE]. He’s better off staying in AEW. But, again, don’t stick your finger in the light socket. You tell a little kid not to do that and they’re going to do it to see what happens. I’m not going to tell anybody not to go elsewhere because I did it. I did it for years. I did it to come to AEW. I walked away from WWE. When I signed my AEW contract Vince McMahon said ‘Can you get out of it?’ – No, you told me to go here!”
The Wizard ends his rant by saying that contract disputes happen in professional sports all the time, but that if a team wants to run smoothly they need to have talent that wants to be there.
“if they want to go elsewhere, that’s kind of the way it goes. That’s pro sports and that’s what pro wrestling is. It happens in the NFL, in the NHL, the Premier League – guys come and go. You got to have the best team possible with people that want to be there and if you don’t want to be there, it’s just not going to be conducive to your own performance anyways.”
Jericho and MJF feuded for a large portion of 2021, which included Jericho putting his career on the line at ALL OUT 2021. Since his Dynamite promo MJF has been noticeably absent from AEW programming, and even removed from the AEW intro. graphics.
The betting odds have been released for the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view event.
The card for the show that takes place this Sunday is nearly finalized. So far, five titles are on the line.
Some of the more notable odds include Jon Moxley expected to win the Interim AEW World Heavyweight Title when he battles Hiroshi Tanahashi while Miro is the leading candidate to win the All-Atlantic Championship
AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door Odds
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of the show this Sunday. The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds, courtesy of BetOnline:
Jon Moxley -250 (2/5) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi +170 (17/10) – AEW Interim World Championship Match
Thunder Rosa (c) -500 (1/5) vs. Toni Storm +300 (3/1) – AEW Women’s Championship Match
Malakai Black +125 (5/4) vs. Miro +125 (5/4) vs. PAC +400 (4/1) vs. Tomohiro Ishii +800 (8/1) – AEW All-Atlantic Championship Match
Will Ospreay (c) -800 (1/8) vs. Orange Cassidy +400 (4/1) – IWGP US Championship Match
FTR -150 (2/3) vs. Roppongi Vice +200 (2/1) vs. United Empire +275 (11/4) – IWGP/ ROH World Tag Team Championship Match
Chris Jericho, Minoru Suzuki & Sammy Guevara -150 (2/3) vs. Shota Umino, Wheeler Yuta & Eddie Kingston +110 (11/10) – Six-Man Tag Match
WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T believes All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Adam Cole needs to pack on some more muscle.
Booker took to his podcast, “The Hall Of Fame,” to offer his take on Cole and his recent injury troubles. The former World Heavyweight Champion suggested that Cole’s lack of muscle on his frame could be contributing to his injury woes.
“If Adam Cole has to have surgery and he’s down for six, nine months and he, you know, lose any more muscle, it’s going to be hard on this brother. You know what I’m saying? Right now, he’s about a buck 60.”
“We gotta get more weight on Adam Cole, you know what I mean? That’s his problem, he’s light, bottom light. We gotta get some muscle on this kid. That’s probably one of the reasons why he’s going out there, getting hurt because it can’t be the schedule at AEW.”
It was initially believed that Cole suffered a shoulder injury during the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, which he eventually won. His arm was taped up for his final match against Samoa Joe at Double Or Nothing.
Although Cole finished and won the match, he hasn’t wrestled since. A recent report suggests that Cole won’t be back inside the ring until the AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view (PPV) on June 26.
Previously, Cole was set for a 10-man Tag Team match on the June 1 episode of AEW Dynamite. However, he and Jeff Hardy were both removed from the match, respectively, for different reasons.
What do you make of Booker T and his comments on Adam Cole needing to add more muscle? Let us know in the comments below!
AEW superstar and current reigning ROH TV champion Samoa Joe issued a short statement on Twitter this morning explaining why he did not appear via video on last night’s Impact Slammiversary pay-per-view.
Along with the event Impact was celebrating its 20-year anniversary in the wrestling business, and got video testimonials from some of their biggest talents over the years, dating back to their days as Total Nonstop Action (TNA). This includes statements from WWE’s AJ Styles, AEW’s Sting, and the Olympic Hero himself, Kurt Angle.
Fans were quick to notice Joe’s absence from the event, as his run in TNA was quite memorable. The Samoan Submission Machine was a former TNA heavyweight champion, former TNA TV champion, former two-time TNA tag champion, and a former five-time TNA X-Division champion, and along with Styles is widely considered one of the best X-Division champions in history.
In his tweet Joe reveals that he was not asked by Impact to appear, nor would he have been available to film anything anyway. He adds that his absence should not “mar a great milestone” set by the promotion before wishing everyone well moving forward.
“Dearest cackling hens. I wasn’t asked, or available, and it should not mar a great milestone set by Impact. Happy Anniversary, and my best going forward to all involved.”
You can check out Joe’s tweet below.
Dearest cackling hens. I wasn’t asked, or available, and it should not mar a great milestone set by Impact. Happy Anniversary, and my best going forward to all involved .
There is an update on Bryan Danielson’s status and it doesn’t appear to be ideal.
Danielson is one of the top stars on the AEW roster. He’s a current member of the Blackpool Combat Club and has been involved in a big storyline where bad blood is brewing between him and Eddie Kingston in the fight against the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Unfortunately, Danielson has been out of action due to an undisclosed injury suffered during the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing.
Latest on Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson (Photo: AEW)
NJPW’s Zack Sabre Jr. has been teasing a match with Bryan Danielson at the Forbidden Door PPV event on June 26. It’s a fantasy technical matchup for many but there is a chance it may not happen at this time.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reported that as of last Wednesday, Danielson had still not been cleared to return to the ring.
Meltzer suspects that if Danielson doesn’t appear for the June 22 episode of AEW Dynamite, then he likely won’t wrestle at Forbidden Door.
It would be a major blow to the crossover show if Danielson can’t perform.
As it stands now, Kazuchika Okada’s status for the card is up in the air. Andrade claims he was set to meet Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door but politics with Mexico’s two top promotions got in the way.
Plenty of NJPW stars are expected to attend Dynamite this week in the final push before Forbidden Door.
William Regal believes that the WWE chairman Vince McMahon unknowingly helped save his life when the company paid for his surgery during the Attitude Era.
The former NXT General Manager recently had an interview with Gentleman Villain podcast. Among other things, he talked his relationship with the WWE owner.
The AEW star claimed that he never tried to get too friendly with Mr McMahon. Regal always knew that McMahon was his boss:
“I’ve always known he’s my boss, so I have never got too friendly with him because I knew one day, he might want to fire me. I’ve had an incredible, always polite, great working relationship with him,”
Though despite getting released from the promotion, William Regal claimed that he will always have a loyalty towards the WWE owner. This is because he authorized a surgery in 1999 without which Regal believes he would have died:
“So, I owe him my life. When I had my neck surgery, he might not have even known but it was his company that paid me to get the best surgeon, the only surgeon in the world who could do the surgery that I needed,”
William Regal was released from WWE earlier this year after over two decades with the company. He has since joined AEW and formed a faction with Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta.
When you think of wrestling’s biggest ever stars, two names likely to come to mind are The Rock and Hogan.
The Rock has transcended wrestling to become a leading man in Hollywood, while Hogan, for good or bad, is still known around the world.
Almost every wrestler wants to reach the same kind of heights as the “Brahma Bull or “The Hulkster,” but there’s one name who could have the potential to be the next breakout star.
The next Rock and Hogan
Hardy has seen plenty of big names come and go throughout his decades in the wrestling industry and right now, he’s particularly high on AEW’s Wardlow.
Speaking to Drinks With Johnny, Hardy praised the young powerhouse in a discussion about whether any wrestlers today could have the mainstream appeal as Rock or Hogan.
“I feel like Wardlow’s is a guy that might have that possibility here in AEW. I think he’s very special, he’s a good-looking dude, chicks love him, he’s super athletic and talented. You have a guy like that and hopefully, that does elevate the view of a company and kind of their status where they can grow and become more mainstream or whatever.”
Wardlow has been on the rise in AEW with his biggest win so far coming at last month’s Double or Nothing, where he handily defeated MJF.
What’s next for Wardlow?
On this week’s AEW Dynamite, Wardlow made it clear that he has his eyes on the TNT Championship.
Despite being in AEW for over two years now, Wardlow has yet to hold any gold as he has spent most of his career as MJF’s bodyguard.
Today marks Scorpio Sky’s 53rd day during this second reign (91 days overall) and with the MJF story finished, Wardlow could indeed be next in line for a shot at the gold.
AEW has been described as the land of creative freedom by many. According to Mercedes Martinez, the biggest difference compared to WWE is how accessible and receptive Tony Khan is.
The wrestling veteran recently had an interview with Complex Unsanctioned podcast. Among other things, she talked about the difference between WWE and AEW.
Martinez discussed how the AEW owner is busy man. Despite it, he is very accessible and responsive to talents:
“I can text him, I can message him whenever I want, If I have ideas or anything, he’s as accessible as he can be. That’s a big difference going from WWE to here.”
Mercedes Martinez noted that Khan is the one that makes the decisions. So the fact that he listens to people’s concerns is a great thing:
“He’s the boss, he’s the man, he’s the one that makes the decisions, and the fact that he listens to you and your concerns and whatever you have for creative, [it’s great]. I love that creative freedom you have to tell your story where you see fit.”
Mercedes Martinez is a 22-year veteran of the wrestling industry. She has worked for all major promotions in the US in this time. This list includes WWE, AEW, ROH, Impact Wrestling and many more.
