In 2019, Chris Jericho joined AEW at the promotion’s launch event and has consistently been one of the company’s top stars.
Later that year, Jericho would become the first AEW World Champion, and his work as part of the Inner Circle and later the Jericho Appreciation Society has kept him a fixture on TV.
Returning to WWE
Jericho has been a fixture of AEW for over three years now, but there are still some fans who hope to see him in WWE again.
It was in WWE that Jericho became a nine-time Intercontinental Champion (a record that stands to this day) and the first-ever WWE Undisputed Champion.
On Twitter, a fan suggested to Jericho that a return to WWE would be good for him, and that matches pitting Jericho against AJ Styles or Kevin Owens would be ‘fire.’
In response, Jericho pointed out that these matches have happened, multiple times.
Jericho was the first major feud for Styles after the former TNA Wrestling star joined WWE in 2016.
Jericho Vs. Owens
Fans won’t be seeing Chris Jericho face Kevin Owens in WWE, but this is a match fans have seen before.
In 2017, the former friends feuded after Jericho cost Owens the Universal Championship, payback for Owens attacking Y2J during the Festival of Friendship.
In an interview with TalkSport last year, Jericho said that there had been plans for him Vs. Owens for the Universal Championship as the main event of WrestleMania 33.
After realizing WWE did not care about the feud, which saw Owens beat Jericho for the U.S. Title at WrestleMania, the AEW star said he knew it was time to finish with WWE.
Not everything has been right in AEW. Tensions have been brewing in the promotion over the booking of the company originals and the spotlight shifting towards ex-WWE talents for a while now. According to Konnan, people have actually complained to him about their bookings.
The wrestling veteran recently discussed the reports of talent being unhappy in AEW during his Keepin It 100 podcast. He first mentioned how he loves talking to Tony Khan because they both are fans of the same things.
Speaking about the situation in AEW, Konnan actually claimed that a lot of people complained to him about their spot the last time he visited a show:
“Then the last time I was there, bro, you have no idea how many people came up to me and they were pissed about the booking. They weren’t happy how they were being used. They were very, very vocal about it.”
According to the Mexican star, people believed that Konnan may be joining the AEW creative team. So talents talked to him openly about their frustrations. Though the AAA promoter made it clear that he is not trying to get a job with ALL Elite Wrestling
What do you think about the influx of ex-WWE talents and how it has changed the booking philosophy in AEW? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
AEW surprised the wrestling world last week when they announced the much-anticipated AEW Championship unification match between CM Punk and Jon Moxley for this Wednesday night on Dynamite.
The match was previously thought to be taking place at All Out during Labor Day weekend. Instead, someone will likely walk away with both belts this Wednesday night. Will the match result in a large television ratings bump? That remains to be seen. And who will be involved in a title match at All Out? That also remains to be answered.
With all of that being said, oddsmakers see one of these men as the heavy favorite to walk out of Cleveland this Wednesday night the undisputed champion: CM Punk. With All Out taking place in his hometown of Chicago in less than two weeks, Bet Online forecasts Punk’s chances at victory at -400. They have Moxley as the underdog at +250.
The Summer of Punk That Wasn’t
CM Punk captured the AEW World Championship from “Hangman” Adam Page back at AEW Double or Nothing Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas. It was expected to lead to a “Summer of Punk,” with the former multi-time world champion having high profile matches throughout June, July, and August.
Instead, a foot injury sidelined Punk for over two months and Moxley was crowned interim AEW World Champion after a brief tournament.
Since Punk’s surprise return to AEW at Dynamite in Minneapolis two weeks ago, there’s been no shortage of headlines. Last week, Punk took a shot at Page during his promo to start Dynamite, and there have been conflicting reports of real-life animosity between he and Page, as well as he and Moxley.
Last weekend on Instagram, Punk wrote, “One year ago began the best year of my professional career. Too many great moments, not enough space to post all the great pics. Rekindled passion, made new friends, reunited with old ones. Can’t stop smiling, won’t stop until the wheels fall off. Thank you most of all to all the fans who made it possible. I’m having the time of my life.”
Who do you think will walk out of AEW Dynamite as the undisputed world champion? Let us know in the comments section below.
Make sure to check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
AEW star Jungle Boy and Christian Cage have been in a feud on Dynamite for the past two months. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus were known as Jurassic Express in the promotion, and Christian served as their manager during their reign as AEW Tag Team Champions.
However, the 48-year-old betrayed Jungle Boy at AEW Dynamite: Road Rager and even convinced Luchasaurus to turn heel for a couple of weeks. Christian has made it even more personal with references to Jungle Boy’s mother and his recently passed father, famous actor Luke Perry.
He recently challenged Christian to a match at AEW All Out on September 4th and brutally attacked him on this past Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite. Jungle Boy has since responded with a promo of his own and beat Christian down on last week’s episode of Dynamite.
Jim Cornette Wonders If Jungle Boy Will Figure It Out
On a recent episode of the Jim Cornette Experience, he was very critical of Jungle Boy and wondered if he was ever going to “get it”.
Does Jungle Boy have it? Is it going to come out? If it was, would it have come out by now? Verbally, speaking on television, having any kind of passion or emotion. Are all people of his age bracket this boring?
Jim Cornette on Jungle Boy
Co-host Brian Last suggested that Jungle Boy may find more success down the road as a heel but Cornette wasn’t optimistic. Jim claimed that the only way he could pull that off was if Jurassic Express reunited as heels, and Jungle Boy played the role of an instigator hiding behind Luchasaurus.
While Jungle Boy may not be dynamic on the microphone yet, he’s already established himself as one of the talents with the most potential on the AEW roster. The 25-year-old’s match against Christian Cage at all All Out will be the biggest match of his young career.
Do you agree with Jim Cornette’s assessment of Jungle Boy or do you believe he will be one of AEW’s biggest stars down the line? Let us know in the comments section below.
Tony Khan issued a statement on his personal Twitter account promoting this week’s Dynamite on TBS, a show that will feature the highly anticipated showdown between world champion CM Punk and interim champion Jon Moxley, with the winner being crowned the undisputed AEW champion.
The AEW President writes, “Thank you everyone who watches @AEWonTV! In 48 hours Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite @CMPunk vs @JonMoxley to finally crown an Undisputed @AEWWorld Champion! It’s been a great summer of 12 straight weeks & counting for Dynamite on @TBSNetwork in the top 2 shows on cable in the US.”
Along with that, Khan touts the success of AEW’s recent Quake By The Lake television special from two weeks ago, which he reveals scored AEW their record viewership number on ITV4 in the United Kingdom. For those who don’t remember that show was headlined by Jon Moxley taking on Chris Jericho for the AEW world title, with Punk making his surprising return from injury. Khan’s full second tweet reads:
“In addition to a great summer domestically, it’s been a huge summer for @AEW internationally including great news that #AEWDynamite #QuakebyTheLake with @JonMoxley vs @IAmJericho for the @AEW Interim World Title + @CMPunk’s epic return did our UK record viewership on @ITV4 Friday.”
You can check out the tweets below.
In addition to a great summer domestically, it’s been a huge summer for @AEW internationally including great news that #AEWDynamite#QuakebyTheLake with@JonMoxley vs @IAmJericho for the @AEW Interim World Title + @CMPunk’s epic return did our UK record viewership on @ITV4 Friday
Some analysts predicts that AEW will score their biggest viewership and demo increase for this Wednesday’s show due to the Moxley vs. Punk match, as well as the trios tournament matchup between the Death Triangle and NJPW’s Aussie Open & Will Ospreay.
A special Tuesday edition of AEW Dynamite on TBS will take place on October 18th from Cincinnati, Ohio (Tickets). This show will run against NXT 2.0 on the USA Network.
This will be the first time in over a year that AEW and NXT run opposite one another. Both companies are expected to present loaded shows. AEW will pull out all the stops to draw fans to a different night, while NXT will also want bragging rights up against its former rival.
As noted earlier, the upcoming WWE Worlds Collide (NXT vs. NXT UK) premium live event is scheduled for Sunday, September 4th, the same day as All Out.
AEW Dynamite Preemption(s)
All Elite Wrestling’s flagship show, AEW Dynamite, will be affected first. At least one week of Dynamite will have to air on a different channel or date than usual.
The American League Championship Series kicks off Wednesday, October 19th. Game 1 of the ALCS will air live on TBS that night, during AEW Dynamite’s weekly time slot.
Should the ALCS go to a series-deciding 7th game, the following week’s Dynamite (Wednesday, October 26th) would also be preempted.
WWE SmackDown Preemption(s)
WWE SmackDown will also be preempted on Friday, October 28th. FOX will be airing Game 1 of the 2022 World Series.
Should the best-of-7 World Series go to 6 games, the September 4th edition of SmackDown would get bumped as well.
SmackDown has aired on FOX cable affiliate FS1 for preemptions, so this is a likely scenario here.
Road Dogg is not a fan of All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and their TV production style.
The WWE Hall Of Famer was a guest on Konnan’s “Keepin’ It 100” podcast recently, where he discussed AEW and their progress as a young promotion. Specifically, Road Dogg talked about AEW’s production style, which he called “horrible.”
“The production of the show, not how you produce and execute the creative, but the production of the show is horrible. I have been very, very open to saying that.
“From a television point of view, and you can not like me for saying it, you can not like me for whatever you want to not like me for, but WWE is good TV.
“I think you could bring, I know I could bring, that good TV and execute it from a production and a camera standpoint to them. I just think they have too many people.
“I lose track of who all they are, They don’t focus on one. They tell the long term story, but the only reason they do that is because each guy’s only on TV every four weeks.”
Road Dogg, real name Brian James, isn’t the only professional wrestling veteran to have some harsh criticisms for AEW. Eric Bischoff’s relationship with president Tony Khan has soured over the past several months for his own criticisms.
However, James seems to be approaching his analysis of AEW from a different perspective. He seems to be open to bringing his talents to the company as an official, helping it grow and improve.
James has said numerous times, he’s surprised that Khan hasn’t reached out to him for a job yet. With over 30 years of experience in the industry as a competitor, producer, and writer, James would certainly bring a wealth of knowledge to the table.
For the last two years Eddie Kingston has been rising to the top of the AEW card. The Mad King recently finished up a feud with former world champion Chris Jericho, one that carried over for months and ultimately ended with a barbed wire everywhere match that received mixed reviews from fans and analysts.
Kingston and Jericho’s rivalry was the main subject of his latest interview with Under The Ring. The New York native was not shy of giving himself some criticism for his work against the Demo God, nor did he hold back on his experience working with the future hall of famer.
“Oh I hated them all, I hated every single one of them,” said Kingston on his matches with Jericho. “I don’t like any of my work plus I don’t like Chris. Being in the ring with him was a headache, it was seven months of a headache but I’m proud that it’s over, for now. Knowing Chris, [he’ll] probably do something to get me mad and we’ll probably get back in there.”
It should be noted that Kingston always enjoys blurring the lines of reality in his interviews, but he also isn’t someone who tells too many lies. He continued taking shots at Jericho by saying that all he learned from the feud was how to be a snake backstage.
“Did I learn a lot? Yeah, I learned what it was to be a snake backstage like Chris. I learned to avoid people like Chris and his group, so I did learn from it but it was seven months of my life that I can’t have back so thanks a lot Chris.”
Kingston has since moved on to feuding with another member of the Jericho Appreciation Society, Sammy Guevara. He recently challenged the Sex-God to a grudge matchup at the September 4th ALL OUT pay-per-view in Chicago. AEW has yet to officially confirm the bout.
The first playable demo for the AEW Fight Forever video game will be featured at this week’s Gamescom convention from Cologne, Germany.
This will be the first time that AEW’s in-development console video game can be played by the general public. The game is due out this year, although the release date has yet to be confirmed.
Amazon.com lists December 31st, 2022 as the release date for AEW Fight for the Fallen, but that is a placeholder until the actual date is announced.
In addition to the AEW Fight Forever playable demo, All Elite Wrestling is also sending talent to the convention for a series of live exhibition matches.
From Thursday to Sunday, THQ Nordic will host the first-ever AEW matches from Cologne, Germany. A press release sent in from THQ Nordic reads:
“Watch famous AEW talents fighting forever (well, maybe not forever) in our very own ring and bring incredible wrestling action right to you.”
If you can’t make it to Cologne, Germany, don’t sweat it. THQ Nordic will be streaming live from the convention center from Wednesday through Sunday live at Twitch.tv/thqnordic.
Former WWE NXT star Westin Blake, formerly known as Wesley Blake, made his All Elite Wrestling debut at the newest set of AEW Dark tapings.
On August 21, All Elite Wrestling taped two sessions of AEW Dark at Universal Studios in Florida, and during the second session, Blake worked a match.
Westin Blake Back in Action
Blake originally signed with WWE in 2013 before being paired with Buddy Murphy in the early portion of his time there where they found success with Alexa Bliss as their manager and were tag team champions.
He later teamed up with Steve Cutler (Steve Maclin) and Jaxson Ryker to form The Forgotten Sons faction that was featured on NXT TV until the trio was called up to WWE SmackDown in April 2020.
After Ryker posted some controversial tweets, they were pulled from TV, but later returned to television as The Knights of the Lone Wolf alongside King Corbin in December. However, Cutler was released in February 2021 before the company cut Blake two months later.
Following his WWE departure, Blake has been working on the independent scene for various promotions, including Control Your Narrative and The Wrestling Revolver.
He did reunite with Maclin and won the tag titles in The Wrestling Revolver to later drop them to The OGK in July.
Westin Blake made his AEW debut at the #AEWDark tapings tonight.
Bear Boulder and Bear Bronson have been teaming together since 2017 where they worked for Create A Pro Wrestling Academy and Chaotic Wrestling. They started working for AEW in 2020.
Their first AEW match was on the December 3 episode of AEW Dark where they lost to The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson). The tag team made their AEW TV debut on the March 11, 2021 episode of Dyamite when Matt Hardy, Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) & The Butcher And The Blade (The Blade & The Butcher) defeated Bear Country& Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus & Marko Stunt)
Their last televised match came on the July 6th episode of Dynamite where The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) & The Gunn Club (Austin Gunn & Colten Gunn) defeated Fuego Del Sol & Ruffin It (Boulder, Bronson & Leon Ruffin).
All Elite Wrestling is taping two sets of tapings for the weekly YouTube show that will air in the coming weeks.
It’s been one year since CM Punk made his triumphant return to pro wrestling, and according to the Straight Edge Star, this has been the best year of his wrestling career. Amid all the controversy surrounding his promo on Dynamite, the AEW champion took on his Instagram to reflect on the one-year anniversary of his return.
He posted some behind-the-scenes photos of his AEW journey so far. Seemingly commenting on the reports that he wanted to quit the company, Punk noted that he wouldn’t stop ‘until the wheels fall off’:
“One year ago began the best year of my professional career. Too many great moments, not enough space to post all the great pics. Rekindled passion, made new friends, reunited with old ones.” wrote CM Punk, “Can’t stop smiling, won’t stop until the wheels fall off. Thank you most of all to all the fans who made it possible. I’m having the time of my life, as there’s a drive into deep left field by Castellanos and that’ll be a home run. And so that’ll make it a 4-0 ballgame.”
CM Punk left wrestling when he walked out of WWE back in 2014. He mostly stayed away from the industry for almost 6 years before finally making his return during August 20, 2021 episode of Rampage. Punk has reclaimed his spot in the wrestling world since then and he became a world champion once again. He defeated Hangman Page at Double Or Nothing in May to win his first title in almost 9 years.
You can relive CM Punk’s iconic return to wrestling below:
Chris Jericho and Vince McMahon have quite a history.
The current AEW superstar spoke about a specific moment with the now retired WWE Chairman during his recent appearance on the Inside the Ropes Live show. The leader of the Jericho Appreciation Society recalled the lead-up to his WrestleMania 18 main event showdown with Triple H, and how a rehearsal with The Game got him heated with McMahon.
Jericho begins by remembers how he got heat with Triple H.
“The last couple of weeks, right before the match, I did get some serious heat on Triple H. I think I hit him in the leg with the sledgehammer and all this sort of thing. I remember one time we were rehearsing it, me hitting Triple H with a sledgehammer, and Vince [McMahon] would want you to rehearse as if it’s real. You can’t rehearse if you’re really doing it because there’s no crowd, the crowd is where you get the vibe and the adrenaline, and your whole energy comes [from] that. “
During the rehearsal McMahon demanded that Jericho put in some further effort, then later insulted him. It was here that Jericho revealed how angry McMahon’s comments made him in the moment.
“Vince would be like, ‘Do it harder! Do it harder!’ and I’m like, “I’m not in the moment yet,’ and I remember he goes, ‘Oh you don’t wanna do it? What are you on the rag or something?’ I remember thinking, ‘You big-eared, big nose motherf*cker. I’m going to punch you right in your stupid face right now. Knock that toupee right off his head’.”
In the same interview Jerichoh did praise McMahon, saying that there will never be another mind like his in the pro-wrestling industry again.
The team of Jungle Boy and Lucharsaurus finally won their first championship in All Elite Wrestling earlier this year. However, the second-generation star wasn’t a fan of how it all went down.
The AEW star recently had an interview with Steven’s Wrestling Journey. Among other things, he talked about Jurassic Express’ AEW tag team title win over The Lucha Bros at the start of this year.
Speaking about the ending of the bout where Rey Fenix got injured, Jungle Boy admitted that he didn’t like the way this match concluded:
“I kinda didn’t like the way it happened exactly. There was some stuff that kinda went wrong at the end. Fenix got hurt, which is never nice, and there were some hi-jinx going on that I didn’t fully love,
But still, to win the tag team belts in the best wrestling company in the world with my best friend was just a really special experience.”
Jungle Boy and Lucharsaurus defeated The Lucha Brothers in a tag team championship match during the January 5 episode of Dynamite. Fenix unfortunately broke his arm towards the ending of the bout.
The duo held the titles for 122 days. They dropped them to The Young Bucks in a ladder match during the Road Rager special of Dynamite on June 6.
Two key members of the Jericho Appreciation Society have been signed to new deals and that’s 2point0 (Angelo Parker and Matt Menard).
Fightful Select reported today that Parker and Menard signed contract extensions. No terms were disclosed.
The Rise of 2point0
They made a name for themselves in WWE NXT Ever-Rise, but were released in the summer of 2021, less than two weeks after signing new deals. They went to AEW in early August in a trios match with Daniel Garcia. The announcement of their full-time deals came shortly after.
The tag team became part of Chris Jericho’s new JAS faction in March following Jericho turning on Santana and Ortiz, which officially ended the Inner Circle.
Menard, who hasn’t been in action since June’s Blood & Guts cage match, has been doing commentary work for the Dark series as of late. He’s been sidelined with a torn labrum, rotator cuff, and partial shoulder tear in the gimmick match.
For Parker, he has worked just two matches since – once in July for a dark Dark match and on a Canadian indie show in August.
During this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, CM Punk challenged ‘Hangman’ Adam Page to a title match, which was not accepted by the Cowboy.
It has since been reported that Punk’s actions were not part of the plans for the show, and that the AEW World Champion knew that Page was not scheduled to appear on the show.
Seemingly going into business for himself, Punk’s promo has sparked a discussion among fans about reported real-life beef between himself and the man he dethroned as AEW World Champion in May.
Backstage Drama
Punk and Page appear to have some issues, but they are not the only ones who are causing things to be tense behind the scenes.
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that “a ton of backstage drama involving many of the top guys that has gotten much worse in recent weeks.”
Meltzer added that AEW President Tony Khan may have no other choice but to arrange a meeting with everyone to “air everything out” before things get any worse.
“It feels like a number of people are close to their breaking point if things don’t get settled.”
Dave Meltzer on the tensions within AEW right now.
Unhappy Talent
Punk may have a problem with ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, but the reigning AEW World Champion isn’t the only unhappy talent right now.
Earlier this month, Miro liked a tweet suggesting that he had it better in WWE, where he became a three-time United States Champion as ‘Rusev.’
A separate tweet, that argued that Miro was being wasted in AEW, and the same went for Andrade El Idolo, was liked by the former NXT Champion.
Kenny Omega finally made his much-anticipated AEW return during this week’s episode of Dynamite after staying out of action for 9 months. He teamed up with The Young Bucks to compete in a first-round trios title tournament match.
The former AEW champion however, wrestled in a compression shirt instead of his usual ring attire. He also appeared to be in pain during the bout.
This led to speculations about his health and many wondered if Kenny Omega has been brought back prematurely. The AEW star only further fuelled these speculations with a Tweet after his return match where he talked about being a burden to the Bucks:
“The pieces aren’t all there yet but I refuse to burden the Bucks with my limitations. We have a real chance at this. I’ll be even stronger in round 2. I’ll surpass where I was at. I’ll surpass everyone.”
The pieces aren’t all there yet but I refuse to burden the Bucks with my limitations.
We have a real chance at this. I’ll be even stronger in round 2. I’ll surpass where I was at.
Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline provided some updates on The Cleaner’s health recently. He confirmed that Omega hasn’t been brought back before he was supposed to.
Per Meltzer, the whole thing where Kenny Omega seemed to be in pain was a work. It was part of a long-term storyline that will see the former champion eventually transform into the competitor fans expect him to be.
The team of Omega and Bucks have advanced to the semi-finals of the trios title tournament after their victory on Dynamite. They will now face the winners of the match between United Empire and Death Triangle.
During this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, in a promo that was supposed to be angled at Jon Moxley, Punk instead started it off by taking a shot at Page, calling him a “coward.”
Initial reports indicate this was not part of the script. Wade Keller of PWTorch reports that there are, in fact, issues between Punk and Page.
However, he added that some wrestlers backstage in AEW wouldn’t put it past AEW president Tony Khan to do a work-shoot type of thing with it.
AEW
Keller did add, however, he doesn’t think that’s the case here. He also stated that Punk met with Khan in his locker room before Dynamite went on-air for a “decent amount of time.”
Despite the drama that unfolded on Dynamite (and all the subsequent fallout), Punk was acting fine backstage before the show with no signs of being disgruntled.
Punk has returned from a foot injury that required surgery to repair. He’s still the AEW World Champion, but in his absence, an interim champion in Jon Moxley was crowned.
Now, Punk will shift his focus to unifying his title with Moxley’s to determine the undisputed AEW World Champion.
MJF is expected to be back with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) “somewhat soon.”
A new report from Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that MJF is expected back with the company soon after several months away from television. AEW seems hell-bent on bringing MJF back at this time given their upcoming TV deal negotiations.
Negotiations for a new TV deal will begin in a few months, so ratings from September up until whenever the deal gets done are more important now than ever. AEW has had a recent drop in ratings, which couldn’t have come at a worst time.
Bringing MJF back into the fold would certainly help things in that regard. MJF hasn’t been since on AEW TV since the post-AEW Double Or Nothing episode of Dynamite, in which he cut a scathing promo on AEW and president Tony Khan.
When Will MJF Return to AEW?
MJF has essentially vanished from professional wrestling since his ‘pipe bomb’ promo. His last match at Double Or Nothing saw MJF finally get what was coming to him against Wardlow, who laid waste to his former storyline employer.
Over the course of his run with AEW, Friedman has established himself as one of professional wrestling’s biggest young stars, turning heads with his amazing ability on the microphone. He has had some of the best feuds in AEW thus far, most notably against current World Champion CM Punk.
When he finally makes his return to AEW TV, it will be interesting to see if he jumps into the World Title conversation, as he’s yet to win the AEW World Title thus far.
Posted August 19th, 2022 in AEW, News. Tagged: MJF.
CM Punk’s UFC opponent Mike Jackson has taken a dig at the controversy surrounding the AEW star’s recent Dynamite promo.
The AEW world champion had a promo battle with Jon Moxley on this week’s Dynamite. Before this confrontation, he went off script and called out Hangman Page.
Reports that have since come out reveal that there has been real life tension between Punk and Page. It started with a promo Hangman cut during their feud earlier this year.
It’s also been said that CM Punk is not happy in AEW. He has expressed his displeasure so blatantly that some even thought he might quit the company.
Mike Jackson Jokes About CM Punk
Mike Jackson reacted to one such report, which stated that Punk had made it clear that he won’t be losing to Page. The MMA star posted a photo of him beating Punk and joked that he could help with the situation:
CM Punk made his UFC debut against Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in September 2016. The former WWE star was taken down by his opponent immediately and he lost the match via a rear naked choke submission in the first round.
His second match came at UFC 225 two years later in June 2018. Punk managed offense in the first round in the bout against Jackson. However, he became fatigued in the second round and lost the bout by unanimous decision after being dominated by Mike.
This week’s episode of Dynamite featured an explosive CM Punk promo and the much-anticipated return of former AEW champion Kenny Omega, but it doesn’t seem to have helped the TV ratings of the show.
The August 17 episode of the show featuring Omega’s return and the first match of the Trios Title Tournament in the main event drew 957,000 viewers on TBS, according to ShowBuzzDaily.
This is a 1.5% decrease from last week’s episode of the show and the second lowest Dynamite viewership since July 20.
In comparison, last week’s Quake by the Lake special featuring the Jon Moxley vs Chris Jericho AEW World Title match in the main event and the surprise return of CM Punk had averaged 972,000 viewers.
The show finished second on the cable charts for the 18-49 demo. The episode drew a 0.30 rating. This is a 9.1% decline compared to last week’s 0.33 rating and the second lowest key demo rating the show has garnered since moving to TBS.
AEW has announced a big title unification match between CM Punk and Jon Moxley for next week’s Dynamite from Cleveland, OH.
This, coupled with the drama that has followed Punk’s controversial promo on the show may help the Wednesday night program regain some viewers next week.
Brian Pillman Jr. and Griff Garrison collectively known as Varsity Blondes in AEW have joined the list of stars who seem to be frustrated with their position in the promotion.
During the August 17 episode of Dynamite, the two AEW stars were squashed in a match by The Gun Club. This bout lasted for only about 30 seconds.
The match ended so quickly that Pillman Jr. never even got to tag in. He was jumped by Colten Gunn. Colten went on to hit a Colt 45 on Garrison and picked up a pinfall victory.
This short match was a way to set up a heel turn for The Gun Club. They turned on their father Billy Gunn after this bout and joined forces with Stokely Hathaway.
The Varsity Blondes Are Not Happy
The Varsity Blondes seemed to be unhappy with the fact that they were used as enhancement talents on the show. Griff Garrison took on his Twitter after this bout and wrote ‘Frustrated’:
AEW surprised everyone when they announced a AEW world championship unification match between CM Punk and Jon Moxley for next week’s episode of Dynamite.
Latest reports have now revealed some more details on the bout. They suggest that this wasn’t part of a long term plan the company had for the title.
According to reports from Fightful Select, the Mox vs Punk match for the August 24 Dynamite was ‘a late decision.’ Though they couldn’t elaborate on when exactly the decision was made.
CM Punk made his return from the foot injury at last week’s episode of Dynamite. He saved the interim AEW champion Jon Moxley from a beatdown at the hands of the Jericho Appreciation Society.
The two title holders then had a confrontation. Many expected this face off to lead into a title unification match at the upcoming All Out PPV on September 4.
However, this week’s episode of Dynamite featured a promo battle between the two AEW stars. Punk went into business for himself during the segment, calling out Hangman Page. He later had a brawl with Mox.
Everyone was left surprised when AEW announced after this segment that the title unification match between the former WWE stars will take place on next week’s episode of the show instead of the PPV event.
CM Punk was trending worldwide on Thursday after a bombshell report by Fightful Select stated that AEW officials were unsure if Punk would appear on this week’s Dynamite as advertised.
The primary issue revolves around Punk’s strained relationship with “Hangman” Adam Page, which stems from their heated feud that culminated with Punk winning the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing.
Punk has been so vocal about unhappiness with that situation that sources in AEW have wondered if he’ll quit working for the company entirely.
The following is a summary of the developing situation involving CM Punk and AEW:
CM Punk’s Feud with Hangman
The feud between Punk and Page started on the Apr. 20 episode of AEW Dynamite. Leading up to their inevitable clash at Double or Nothing on May 29, the two had gone after each other in promos to build towards the match.
The story onscreen was that Page was taking his match against Punk personal and that Punk thought it was just business. “Hangman” started the war of words by taking shots at Punk in a promo on the May. 4 episode of AEW Dynamite when Punk wasn’t in attendance.
In the promo, the champion said, “…At Double or Nothing, there’s not going to be a handshake. At Double or Nothing, there’s not going to be a masturbatory Bret Hart tribute match. I am going to destroy CM Punk.”
The May. 4 episode is the only show where Punk wasn’t in attendance for their build towards Double or Nothing. The last promo with each other took place at AEW Dynamite on May. 25 where Page alluded to Punk personal issues with Colt Cabana.
They finally had their match at Double or Nothing, where Punk defeated Page with his Go-To-Sleep finisher.
CM Punk’s Promo on August 17th
Punk is currently in a program with Interim AEW World Champion Jon Moxley. He made his return after healing his foot injury at AEW Dynamite on Aug 10 to confront the interim champion.
He was set to promote his feud with Moxley on the Aug. 17 episode of AEW Dynamite, but he decided to address Page for an unknown reason. He called Page out and referred to him as a coward, which Wrestling Observer Radio’s Dave Meltzer shared wasn’t planned.
Punk actions caught fans and reportedly the AEW roster by surprise, including Page. However, the story behind Punk’s promo got more interesting after the Fightful Select report on Aug. 18.
Fightful Details Regarding Punk
Fightful Select had followed up on Punk’s action and reports that those close to Punk believe that he contemplated not appearing on the show. It’s reported that several people on the AEW roster think Punk mentioned Page because he felt his rival went into business for himself leading into their Double or Nothing match on May 29. In a promo on the May 25 episode of AEW Dynamite, Page alluded to Punk’s issues with Colt Cabana.
The report also states that he’s shared that he is unhappy with the situation to the point that sources that know of the problem believe he might leave the company. via Fightful:
“…Sources familiar with the situation claim that CM Punk has often verbally expressed his displeasure, including recently so blatantly that they thought he might end up quitting the company. Those close to him said that he might have almost decided to stay home instead of coming to the August 17 Dynamite, but don’t think he would have quit. We haven’t been given any indication that he plans on leaving AEW, but one veteran said they have heard of “threats being levied”
– Fightful Select
Furious
According to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, some people in AEW were furious at CM Punk, but the locker room was split and some siding with Punk over Adam Page.
There were a few people furious at CM Punk backstage, because Hangman is a well-liked guy. So they’re mad at Punk. Also, you have people who are on Punk’s side who say Hangman started this, so they’re mad that you’re mad at CM Punk. I know this is pro wrestling, and we have the MJF deal, but I was told that it’s not. It was started when Hangman was unprofessional, and CM Punk followed that up by making Hangman look like a fool.
CM Punk Match Against Jon Moxley For Next Week Was Reportedly a Late Decision
In another twist from last night, fans were surprised that AEW decided to have the anticipated Punk vs. Moxley title match on the Aug. 24 episode of AEW Dynamite. AEW’s decision seems odd, especially with their Pay Per View All Out taking place on Sep. 4.
The report added that AEW’s decision to have the match on Aug. 24 was late. However, it’s unclear how late the company decided to make the match official for AEW Dynamite.
While it is a surprise, wrestling fans can rejoice at seeing the unification match without watching it on Pay Per View.
Conclusion on this topic
It’s worth noting that Punk nor Page has spoken about issues between the two. The report also acknowledges the claim that he is upset with Page over their program is based on AEW’s roster speculation.
However, Punk’s actions and Fightful Select’s sources could make wrestling fans wonder how AEW will resolve this issue. Punk signed to AEW last year and is likely in a multi-year deal. Punk hasn’t shown that he has considered quitting or didn’t want to appear on the recent AEW Dynamite episode.
CM Punk opened this week’s AEW Dynamite with a promo, the first time has spoken on AEW programming since returning last week. He first started talking about his upcoming title match with Jon Moxley before shifting his focus to “Hangman” Adam Page.
He noted he had some “not so important” things to get out of the way and called out Page. He said Page could have a rematch right then and there, but Page didn’t come out. Punk called him a coward for not showing up and how everyone wants to be champion until they have to do champion things.
Things Got Real
Dave Meltzer stated on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio that nobody knew it would happen as Page wasn’t scheduled for the segment, indicating some heat between Punk and Page.
“If you’re wondering about the CM Punk thing at the start of the show with Adam Page… that was weird for everyone. As in, nobody knew he was going to do that. If you remember months ago when they were feuding, and I said there was a lot of reality to it – well, there’s a lot of reality to it.”
Meltzer continued, “So, I don’t know what the deal was, and nobody else does either, but… Punk was supposed to go out there and talk about Moxley and build the match, and he did… after he talked about Adam Page. They may build something from it down the line, but it’s not scheduled for this pay-per-view, and nobody knew he was gonna do it.”
Punk is slated to defend his AEW World Championship against Moxley next Wednesday on Dynamite. This was a surprise as many fans expected it to take place at All Out.
