Fans can expect to see several upcoming episodes of AEW Dynamite to be preempted thanks to NBA Playoffs airing on TNT.
It’s been previously reported that Dynamite will be moved to Friday, May 28th at 10 pm ET, which is the go-home show for the Double or Nothing pay-per-view on May 30th. It was also noted the June 2nd show would be preempted, airing on Friday, June 4th, which is the post-Double or Nothing episode.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that TNT also has NBA Playoff games scheduled for three Wednesdays in June. Those dates are June 9th, June 16th, and June 23rd.
AEW does have some options on those dates as Dynamite could air late night on Wednesday after the NBA games, or on Thursday or Friday as TNT does not have NBA games booked for those three Thursdays.
If they go the Friday route then they won’t go head-to-head with WWE SmackDown at 8 pm on FOX, but rather air after the show ends.
All Elite Wrestling has dealt with this in the past and their ratings aren’t impacted too badly. As long as AEW has a TV deal with TNT and NBA is also airing on the network, scheduling conflicts will continue.
There are several reports that have come out recently which are stating that things backstage in AEW have hit a significantly rough patch.
Wade Keller of PWTorch noted on a recent podcast that certain members of ‘The Elite’ are no longer on speaking terms.
“There’s gonna a book written someday by some of these EVP’s or someone else closely observing and we’re gonna learn about a lot of dysfunction,” Keller said. “We’re gonna learn what a very short honeymoon period there was between certain key people in the company, who aren’t even talking to each other anymore.”
Keller is convinced that the situation is so volatile, it’s only a matter of time before specific details are made public.
“I think we’re gonna find that out,” he continued. “I know there are people in other wrestling companies saying The Bucks and Cody and Kenny it’s not gonna be long at all before they want to have nothing to do with each other. The honeymoon period is going to be short.”
AEW Infighting Turning Off Talent
Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net reports that there’s a major free agent, a “difference-making” star, that is hesitant to sign with AEW due to this reported infighting.
“There’s a would-be difference maker who could go there that has that opinion that there’s all this in-fighting and this person for that reason is hesitant to go there,” he said.
Adding further credence to the reports, Brian Last of the Jim Cornette Experience podcast also alluded to heated emails being exchanged between Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks. He also alluded to Cody Rhodes’ absence from BTE as being related to conflict amongst AEW management.
Shawn Spears’ decision to leave WWE was a tough one for him not only because he was leaving the job security to explore the indie wrestling world but because his wife Peyton Royce still worked for the promotion at the time as well.
During a recent interview with Inside The Ropes, the former WWE star talked about a number of things and also explained the reasoning behind his decision to leave the promotion.
Spears first mentioned how there were a lot of things that could have kept him in WWE but he would have regretted not taking a shot at himself and that made him take the leap of faith.
Shawn Spears: It’s Not About The Money
“If I didn’t leave and take a shot on myself and see what I was at least capable of, in 30-40 years down the road, I was going to say I should have. I knew that that’s what I was going to do.
I was going to look back on this time and go, ‘Damn it, I should have took a shot on myself.’ And I’m a big believer in – the worst feeling in the world is probably regret. And there’s nothing… At a time where you can’t do anything about it.”
The chairman of AEW also said that it was not about the money or being in the main event. According to him, it boils down to waking up every day and being excited for the work.
Things worked out well for Shawn Spears in the end. He signed with AEW not long after leaving WWE where he has recently joined MJF’s Pinnacle stable.
There were a lot of rumors and speculations floating around at the time and the AEW star addressed the incident during his recent interview with WrestlingInc.
Guevara was asked about the various reports about the dispute and replying to it, the young star said that the stuff that came out was only coming from one side:
“You know a lot of stuff was said, but it’s just business at the end of the day, I know I didn’t really say nothing out there, and all this stuff [reports] that came out was only coming from one side. Some of it wasn’t true; I really don’t want to comment too much on it.”
Though he didn’t elaborate on the situation further and Sammy Guevara ended the conversation around the topic by saying that he still wishes everyone the best:
“It was what it was, and I still wish everyone the best. We’re all friends and we’re just all trying to succeed at the end of the day.”
Apart from this, Sammy Guevara also talked about things such as Kenny Omega capturing the Impact world title, Young Bucks’ new attitude and more.
The WWE management had a very interesting response to the Blood and Guts match from AEW and now Sean Waltman has revealed his thoughts on the reaction from the company officials.
On the latest episode of Pro Wrestling 4 Life podcast, the former WWE star sat down with MLW owner Court Bauer and MLW World Champion Jacob Fatu and discussed a number of things.
Reacting to the reports that WWE officials believed the Blood and Guts match set the business back 30 years; Waltman explained that they might have been talking about the sponsors:
“When you first told me about the reaction from them, I was like, ‘Really?’ But maybe if you’re just talking about dealing with sponsors because there’s big-time corporate sponsors involved in wrestling these days, well, WWE, and so I guess I can understand why they might feel that way because wrestling gets painted with a very broad brush.”
Though when asked about the complaints from some that the match was too violent, Sean Waltman replied negatively while also explaining that wrestling does not belong to any one company:
“No, but who am I to say? Some people like that, there’s a place for a lot of things. Wrestling doesn’t belong to any one company.”
While the WWE management was not happy with the Blood and Guts match, the talent had a different reaction and many stars expressed their interest in doing something similar.
It appears that the initial reports of all the participants of the Blood and Guts match coming out of the bout unharmed are not correct and Chris Jericho seems to have suffered a legitimate injury in the bout.
While the former AEW champion was not kept off TV and he was seen on this week’s follow-up episode of Dynamite, many fans noted that he had his left elbow in a brace and it was taped up as well.
In an update, Bryan Alvarez noted on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio that these things were not props and Jericho has suffered a legitimate elbow injury.
According to him, the former WWE star suffered the injury during his big spot falling off the Blood and Guts cage and he possibly fractured his elbow while doing the spot. Though there is no word on the severity of the injury.
The Pinnacle vs. Inner Circle feud continued on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite and Chris Jericho’s stable confronted MJF’s group while the latter were trying to celebrate their victory in the extreme match.
While Jericho was present for the segment, he did not get physical during it. If the reports are correct then he might stay away from action for a while.
MJF has since challenged the group to a Stadium Stampede match for Double Or Nothing and it would be interesting to see how Jericho responds to this challenge from the young star.
On AEW Dynamite last night, the match between Orange Cassidy and PAC was ended early. Cassidy was noticeably hurt following a powerbomb and he had also took a stiff superkick to the face.
After some stalling, Kenny Omega hit PAC in the back of the head with the title belt and both wrestlers were unable to make Aubrey Edwards’ 10-count. The match was declared a draw and both Orange and PAC will face Omega for the title at Double or Nothing.
Cassidy was generally ‘okay’ and will be good to go by May 30th for the PPV. He was seen socializing with others in the back after the show and does not seem to have sustained any significant injuries.
Orange Cassidy Update (5/13)
The injury scare was also addressed on Wrestling Observer Radio. It was noted that the planned finish of the match had been a 20-minute time-limit draw. It had always been the plan for a 3-way match at Double or Nothing.
“They were going to do the 3-way at the PPV and the hope is that they will still do the 3-way at the PPV. It depends on Orange Cassidy,” said Dave Meltzer. “Although, he was fine later in the night but he took a nasty kick in the face and the powerbomb looked kind of ugly too. And he was knocked out, or close to knocked out, whatever it was.”
“They were going to a 20-minute draw, that was the plan. They were about 14-minutes in when this happened,” he continued.
This week’s eventful episode of AEW Dynamite ended with a big championship match between the TNT champion Darby Allin and ‘the best man’ Miro. The finish of this hard fought main event saw Miro picking up the victory and becoming the new champion after he caught the title holder in his game over submission.
The cameras went off air with Allin still lying in the ring but it wasn’t the end of the show. After the feed went off air, Darby Allin cut an emotional promo addressing the fans. The now former champion said that people have been asking him when is he gonna win the AEW title but he doesn’t need that s***:
“When I became TNT Champion, I told everybody it was the only championship that meant anything to me, and I mean that one-hundred percent. People ask me, ‘When are going to win the big one? When are you going to win the AEW [World] Championship?’ I look them dead in the eye and said, ‘I don’t need that s***. I need the TNT Championship.’
“I don’t need to collect any other belts from anywhere else in this world. I need the TNT Championship. And I guarantee you — every single one of you here — this is not the last time I am TNT Champion. Thank you for all the support. It means the world to me.”
The team of Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky have been interfering in the business of Sting and Allin in recent weeks and the Icon had to fight them off after the main event match this week as well. This suggests that we are going to see a feud between these two teams in the coming time.
As for Miro, he was confronted by Lance Archer after his big win on tonight’s episode of Dynamite. While these two have not been feuding, the segment seemed a clear indication that we will see these two competing over the title in the upcoming times.
The #1 contender match between Pac and Orange Cassidy on this week’s episode of Dynamite ended in double count-out after the latter got knocked out.
However, this wasn’t the planned finish for the bout and the officials had to call an audible during the show, according to PWInsider. The original plan was for the match to continue a bit longer and for the match to end in a 20-minute time limit draw.
However, Cassidy got legitimately hurt after taking the sunset flip powerbomb to the floor towards the ending of the match. While he still kept trying to get back in the ring and finish the match as intended, the decision was made on the spot to end the bout.
Though it didn’t change the plans for the championship match for Double Or Nothing and according to the report, the company always intended for the AEW world championship match to be a triple threat.
Regarding Orange Cassidy, it was noted that the young star was ok after the match and he was seen socializing with a number of talents after the show.
Kenny Omega will defend his AEW world championship against both Pac and Orange Cassidy in a triple threat match at the Double Or Nothing PPV on May 30.
Darby Allin previously fought all comers and did so successfully, but when he went up against Miro, he fell short.
As seen on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT, Allin defended the TNT Title against Miro in the main event. The lengthy fight saw Allin try to overcome the tough challenge that Miro brought, but it wasn’t enough.
Miro won the match with a rear=naked choke and now is the new champion. Post=match, Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page tried to attack Sting, who fought them off. This led to Lance Archer coming out to the stage and was held back by Jake Roberts as he was trying to protect his guy.
— “All Ego” Ethan Page (@OfficialEGO) May 13, 2021
Darby Allin won the TNT Title from Cody Rhodes last November at the Full Gear pay-per-view event.
It will be interesting to see when Allin gets his rematch for the title. Based on the post-match angle, it appears All Elite Wrestling is building to a future match between Archer and Miro. It could take place at the upcoming Double or Nothing pay-per-view event later this month.
Fans found out who will challenge AEW World Champion Kenny Omega for the strap at Double or Nothing and that’s both PAC and Orange Cassidy.
All Elite Wrestling booked a number one contender’s match on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite as PAC took on Orange Cassidy. The back and forth match saw it end in a double count-out.
As a result, both stars have earned the right to challenge Omega for the top prize in the promotion at this upcoming PPV event.
A Casino Battle Royale with the winner receiving a future title shot was made official. Christian Cage and Matt Sydal both revealed they are in that bout.
Adam Page vs. Brian Cage was also confirmed for the show.
It was also revealed on this show that Cody Rhodes will take on Anthony Ogogo at this show. He cut a promo about what it’s like to be an American so he will go by the name of “The American Dream” for one night only at this show.
This comes after Ogogo attacked Rhodes and then draped the flag from the United Kingdom over his body on last week’s Dynamite.
The AEW Double Or Nothing pay-per-view event will take place on Sunday, May 30, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place. Here is the updated card:
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega vs. PAC and Orange Cassidy
AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida vs. Dr. Britt Baker
“The American Dream” Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo
Adam Page vs. FTW Champion Brian Cage
Casino Battle Royale: Competitions announced thus far include Christain Cage and Matt Sydal
AEW tag team The Acclaimed are gearing up to drop a mixtape this Friday, May 14th.
“Critically Acclaimed” Volume 1 will be available this Friday on all major streaming platforms. The mixtape will feature the raps of Max Caster and is hosted by Anthony Bowens.
Critically Acclaimed Vol. 1 will begin streaming Friday, May 14th on major streaming platforms.
Watch Bowens and Caster announce The Acclaim’s first mixtape:
“Critically Acclaimed” Vol. 1 drops this Friday on all music streaming services! It includes all of @PlatinumMax’s hits hosted by your’s truly! ????
Maxwell Jacob Friedman threw Chris Jericho off the top of the cage following the conclusion to last week’s double-cage Blood & Guts match. The ending of the match has drawn polarizing reactions from fans. Jericho discussed the “big spot” recently on his Talk is Jericho podcast.
Jericho noted that there was a 6 inch mat and several empty cardboard boxes to break his fall. He also noted that he just missed hitting his head on the stage lights. He then spoke in regards to hearing negative feedback about the spot.
“It was only later on that I started hearing that people thought the fall was on a crashpad and it didn’t look great,” Jericho said. “For me, I watched it back, I thought it looked amazing. The thing that was really scary is that if you watch it back, I barely missed hitting my head on the lights at the back of the stage. I went so far back that I almost overshot everything.”
“Everybody in the business knows how dangerous this can be, how terrifying it is and just the margin for error is so slim. Like I mentioned earlier, there is some hardcore wrestling fans that were bagging on it, that’s fine, you have the right to bag on it and out of the 1.3 million people that watched, like I said if 3,000 people didn’t like it, that’s a very small percentage. Most people thought it was crazy as did I.”
“It’s one of those things that I hope you enjoyed it because you will never see me do it again. Ever. And I’m glad it turned out the way that it did.”
Chris Jericho On Blood & Guts Happening Early In the Pinnacle vs Inner Circle Feud
Jericho also addressed the Blood & Guts match taking place at the beginning of the feud with the Pinnacle rather than being the blow-off.
“Originally, we had kind of thought about doing (the match) later on,” Jericho said on the show. “But then it was decided let’s do it earlier. I think Tony came up with the idea and we thought about it and we thought why does Blood & Guts have to be the blow-off to the feud? Why can’t it be kind of the kick-off? I mean, we built it with these promos.”
“I think it blew everybody’s mind that we did it right out of the gate,” he continued.
Jim Ross was the voice of WWE during the Monday Night Wars. He then was the voice for AEW during the Wednesday Night Wars. According to comments he made recently on his “Grillin Jr” podcast, the Monday Night Wars were far more intense.
“I’m glad that there’s no more ‘Wednesday Night Wars’. That was just a cop out for the Monday Night Wars,” Ross said. “It wasn’t nearly that extreme, in my view, but hey, If you want to believe that and that helps motivate you as a fan, adds more enjoyment to your game plan then hell, have at it, make that your agenda.”
The Wednesday Night Wars lasted from October 2, 2019 to April 7, 2021. The Monday Night Wars lasted from September 4, 1995 until WCW’s death on March 26, 2001.
During an interview last year with Sportskeeda, Tony Schiavone agreed that the Wednesday Night War is not as “cut throat” as the Monday Night version was.
“You’re right, it’s not as cut-throat as it used to be,” Schiavone said. “There is still a want to be better than the other guy, but I think competition makes everybody better and everybody would agree with that. The cut-throat nature of what it was back in the day was really exhausting.”
JR’s comments regarding the Wednesday Night Wars begins around the 8:41 mark of the podcast below:
NWA star Kamille recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The ‘insurance policy’ of NWA Worlds Champion Nick Aldis discussed a number of topics on the show, including how she would like to face Jade Cargill in an AEW ring.
“I would definitely bring a different twist to their product and the type of matches they have” Kamille began, discussing AEW television and what she could bring to the roster. “The only way I would go there is if the business is there to do so.”
“I understand a working relationship, but I’m team NWA” Kamille added. “If the business got more eyes on our product, I’m all for it. Other than that, it is what it is.”
Kamille on Jade Cargill
“Down the line, no time soon, this girl is brand new but she’s an absolute superstar is Jade Cargill” Kamille continued, revealing that she’d like to work with the megastar in waiting. “If you’re flipping channels and you see her, you’re like, ‘What’s going on here?’”
“I like matches with people who are out of this world and you don’t see every day” Kamille concluded. “The business is there for me and Jade.”
Do you think we’ll ever see Jade Cargill and Kamille cross paths?
AEW star Ricky Starks recently fractured his neck. The best dressed member of Team Taz will miss around three months of action, but will most likely not require surgery. The news was first reported by Voices of Wrestling.
The injury occurred on the April 21st episode of AEW Dynamite. During a match against Hangman Page, Starks took a german suplex and hit his head on the mat during the landing. He worked the rest of the match, which is quite a feat in hindsight.
The video below does not include the spot that caused the injury, but it’s amazing to see how Starks continued to work with a broken [freakin’] neck.
Ricky Starks wrote the following about the outpouring of support for his recovery:
“AEW DYNAMITE” IS BACK ON THE ROAD WITH LIVE, TICKETED EVENTS IN MIAMI, AUSTIN, DALLAS
— Rescheduled Dates Announced for St. Louis and New Orleans Shows —
May 10, 2021 – After safely hosting 27 live, ticketed events throughout the past nine months at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Fla., AEW is bringing the excitement of its flagship show AEW DYNAMITE to Miami, Austin and Dallas this summer. AEW will become the first major wrestling promotion to safely return to a traveling schedule since March 2020.
The dates for the live shows in Miami, Austin and Dallas are:
Wednesday, July 7: James L. Knight Center in Miami.
Wednesday, July 14: H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas (greater Austin area)
Wednesday, July 21: Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas (greater Dallas area)
General tickets for the three shows will go on sale this Friday, May 14, at 11 a.m. ET / 10 a.m. CT via AEWTIX.com. At the same time, tickets for the Miami and Austin shows will be available via Ticketmaster.com, while tickets for the Dallas show can be purchased at CurtisCulwellCenter.com. Tickets start at $30 (not including service charges or fees).
Each event will be held in compliance with state COVID safety guidelines, and seating capacities will adhere to state and local mandates.
“We’re so appreciative of our fans in Jacksonville who have been with us these past nine months, ” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “Their support and incredible energy have lifted us week after week, and viewers have fed off their enthusiasm and support. Daily’s Place will always be our home.
“Looking ahead, we’re thrilled to welcome our fans back to become part of the action in Miami, Austin and Dallas. We’ve missed touring cities, meeting the fans and hearing their roar during our live shows. Please be assured, we are working closely with the venues to comply with state and local regulations in each city. Miami, Austin and Dallas are the first of many as we gear up the trucks to travel around the country again! ”
In the near future, AEW will be announcing additional live events for the late summer.
The company also announced two rescheduled dates for St. Louis and New Orleans:
• The show at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis on June 23 has been rescheduled for Friday, November 5, 2021. The live event will be an AEW TNT television taping.
• The show at the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans has been rescheduled for Wednesday, January, 12, 2022, as an AEW DYNAMITE event.
Fans who have already purchased tickets to either show will have their original tickets valid for admission to the respective rescheduled show, or they can receive a refund via the point of purchase.
As AEW continues to deliver the best matches and most entertaining moments in professional wrestling today, be sure to tune into AEW DYNAMITE every Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on TNT.
Darby Allin is in for the fight of his life this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite. The reigning TNT Champion will face his toughest challenge to date when he defends against Miro.
Last week on Dynamite, Miro declared his intention to take Darby Allin’s title. He delivered a sobering warning by billing the match as, “The man who doesn’t mind dying meets the man who doesn’t mind killing him.”
Later in the show Darby Allin was thrown down a flight of steps by Ethan Page. Allin said his shoulder is in bad shape, but he is not going to let that phase him.
Miro replied by warning Allin that denial will get him hurt. He took another dig at Sting, calling him Darby Allin’s emo face-paint Daddy.
Denial will get you hurt bad. Ask emo face-paint Daddy @Sting if you can win. If he wants to protect you he’ll tell you it’s over too. https://t.co/rDrA2FaiZr
Darby Allin replied to Miro’s comments with some trash talk of his own. He knows exactly who he is, but is Miro in touch with his own self? The Bulgarian brute came into AEW with great fanfare, but was soon relegated to playing video games and serving as Kip Sabian’s sidekick.
“Do you know who you are Miro?” he questioned. “You show up the hottest free agent just to talk about video games and be some best man. You’ve gotta be the most underwhelming Thing I’ve seen.”
He finished by warning Miro, “You ain’t taking shit away from me.”
You say Darby’s this & Darby’s that I know exactly who I am.
Do you know who you are Miro? You show up the hottest free agent just to talk about video games and be some best man. You’ve gotta be the most underwhelming Thing I’ve seen.
Last week, AEW presented a War Games style match titled Blood & Guts from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. According to PW Insider, WWE management hated the match with at least one person believing it will have serious negative implications for the industry.
“That just set the business back 30 years,” one person from WWE management reportedly said anonymously to PW Insider.
The match featured several wrestlers bleeding and Chris Jericho being pushed off the cage at the end.
The term “Blood & Guts” was actually a reference to similar criticism lobbied against AEW by Vince McMahon. At WWE’s 2nd quarter earnings call in 2019, McMahon stated he didn’t feel TNT would put up with AEW’s “blood and guts” approach for too long.
“As far as competition is concerned, the old adage is ‘competition is good for everyone,’ I think that’s generally the case,” McMahon said on the call about AEW. “We’re hoping that, to the extent that they are competition, they don’t continue with blood and guts and gory things that they have been doing, which would be bad. I can’t imagine, I can’t speak for TNT, but I can’t imagine they would put up with that.”
WWE has had similarly violent matches and segments recently, however. At Extreme Rules in 2020, Rey Mysterio’s eyeball was completely removed from his head in storyline. Bray Wyatt was also set on fire recently on WWE RAW.
AEW star and leader of The Pinnacle MJF recently spoke to Steel Chair Magazine. One of the questions posed to the outspoken and controversial character involved WWE and his Four Horseman-esque group potentially being lured over to the company.
“Me and my boys, we’re willing to go wherever the money’s at, it’s that simple” MJF began, speaking to Steel Chair. “Don’t get me wrong, AEW runs deep in me. I don’t want to leave, but I am a businessman at the end of the day. I can’t help myself if somebody’s got an offer for me, I’m going to listen to it.”
“I’m a prodigy” MJF claimed. “But people have been saying that about me since birth and the reason why it doesn’t shock me, but it shocks everybody else, is because, let’s face it, there’s ageism in this world.”
MJF on Being a ‘Prodigy’
“When people hear the number 25? They think, ‘Oh, that person probably doesn’t have their ducks in a row, he’s probably immature; he’s probably not ready for a big opportunity’” The Pinnacle leader concluded.
It’s highly unlikely that Maxwell Jacob Friedman or The Pinnacle would be heading over to WWE anytime soon. FTR themselves left the company to join AEW; citing a want to have more creative freedom and to be in an environment where they felt tag team wrestling was more ‘respected.’
Jon Moxley will defend his IWGP United States championship against Yuji Nagata on Dynamite this Wednesday. Moxley teamed with Chris Dickinson on NJPW Strong this week and they defeated the team of Yuji Nagata and Ren Narita. Following the match, Nagata locked Moxley in an arm-bar. Both teams were interviewed after the match and Nagata and Moxley both spoke on their upcoming title match.
“Mr. Jon Moxley. Under this COVID-19 situation, I, Yuji Nagata, came for you here in America,” Nagata said. “And I had a match with you. I still want more. I got some good attacks from you. Your move was not bad. However, that was not enough. I am not satisfied with today’s tag match. When is the next match with you? The next one is the US Heavyweight Championship match. I am going to give it all I got. Do same thing to me. And then, I will win. Zea!”
Following Nagata’s comments, champion Jon Moxley and his partner Chris Dickinson were also interviewed backstage.
“Let me tell you about Nagata-san,” Moxley began. “Let me tell you about this guy who got on a plane and came all the way across the Pacific Ocean to do me a favor, to come here and glad handle the American citizens and all the fans. The great respected Yuji Nagata making a tour of the United States, problem is he’s going back to Japan in a body bag.”
“Tonight, what I saw after this match, that’s the Nagata I want! I want an angry Nagata, I want a mean Nagata, I want a pissed off Nagata,” Moxley continued.
AEW star and husband of former WWE Superstar Peyton Royce, Shawn Spears, recently spoke to Inside The Ropes. During the interview, the member of The Pinnacle discussed Peyton and her IIconics tag team partner Billie Kay potentially joining him in All Elite Wrestling.
“Obviously they [the fans] would assume that would be the plan that because I work there” Spears said during the interview. “Her [Peyton] husband works there, that it’s just, naturally she’s going to… Those questions are above my pay grade.”
“I don’t have anything to do with the hiring process” Shawn Spears continued, discussing the popular tag team unit and them potentially signing. “Selfishly, of course! Why would I not want my wife working there? Not only do I feel it’d be great to see her on a weekly basis with me, but what her and Jess can offer our women’s division and the entertainment world as a whole is just second to none.”
Shawn Spears on The IIconics
Shawn Spears then seemed to almost ‘pitch’ the duo, saying “you’ve seen how entertaining they are. I don’t need to explain to you what they bring to the table, and I don’t think I would need to explain to Tony Khan what they bring to the table either. That guy knows everything about every talent.”
With Billie Kay and Peyton Royce being almost shock releases from WWE a few weeks ago, there’s a good chance that they’re on the radar of many promotions. Whether we will see the duo end up in AEW remains to be seen, as IMPACT, NWA or even a return to Australia are all viable options.
Brian Cage defeated Hangman Page last week on AEW Dynamite. He’s currently ranked #4 in the men’s singles division. Cage recently took part in an interview with the Jobbing Out podcast and spoke about his career leading up to AEW. In particular, Cage had positive things to say about his time in Lucha Underground.
“I remember the last time I was part of something that kind of slowly took the wrestling world by storm was Lucha Underground, which is still one of my favorite times in wrestling,” Cage said (transcriptions via 411Mania).
“I absolutely loved it there. And now that we’re here with another alternative – the biggest problem with Lucha Underground was finances and TV network. (In AEW), we’ve got the finances to back to the company, and we’ve got TNT. If Lucha Underground was on TNT instead of El Rey, it would have done a little better and lasted a little longer to say the least.”
Lucha Underground’s former Dario Cueto character recently debuted in MLW. Now known as El Jefe, he is expected to become a major part of the show. The Azteca Underground faction in MLW is thought to be El Jefe’s new venture following the demise of his “old temple.”
Cody Rhodes has some news to share regarding the upcoming AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view. The American Nightmare is set to make some sort of announcement next week on AEW Dynamite.
The main event of AEW Double or Nothing will also be determined next Wednesday. Top-ranked competitors PAC and Orange Cassidy will clash in a #1 contender’s match. The winner will challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship.
Tickets for Wednesday’s Dynamite are on sale now at AEWTIX.com.
AEW Double Or Nothing
AEW Double or Nothing
Double or Nothing has special significance for All Elite Wrestling. The 2019 installment was the first wrestling show presented by AEW.
Tony Khan recently revealed that Double or Nothing will feature a full-capacity crowd for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Over 5,000 fans will be in attendance.
AEW Double or Nothing takes place Saturday, May 30th from Daily’s Place Amphitheater in Jacksonville, Florida. Here is an early match listing:
AEW World Champion Kenny Omega vs. PAC or Orange Cassidy
AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida vs. Dr. Britt Baker
