TV viewership numbers are in for Wednesday’s AEW Blood and Guts special.
The May 5th edition of AEW Dynamite averaged 1.090 million viewers and did a 0.42 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. For the first time ever, AEW Dynamite was the most-watched show on cable for the day. The numbers come courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily.
Looking at the demographic breakdown, Dynamite drew a 0.58 rating in the males 18-49 demographic, more than doubling the next-closest competitor in that demo.
By comparison, last week’s AEW Dynamite did 889,000 Viewers and a 0.33 demo rating. Monday’s Raw did 1.872 million viewers with a 0.53 rating. Dynamite actually topped the third hour of Monday’s Raw in the Men 18-49 demographic (Raw: 0.55).
AEW looks to keep the momentum next week, with the following matches already confirmed for the 5/12 Dynamite:
Miro challenges Darby Allin for the TNT Championship
PAC vs. Orange Cassidy in a #1 contender’s match. The winner challenges AEW World Champion Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing later this month.
AEW World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks vs. SCU.
Check out our full results and takeaways from AEW Blood and Guts:
Last night’s AEW Blood and Guts event might have seemed as though it was live, but in fact only the match between the Pinnacle and Inner Circle was. This was discussed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.
Due to the time it takes to set up the double-cage, the first four matches of the event were pre-taped with no fans in attendance. Those matches were then shown on the big screen to the live fans at Blood and Guts, with their crowd noise being added to the broadcast.
“It was all taped with no fans a couple of weeks ago, the whole first hour,” said Dave Meltzer. “They did it to pretend that it was live so they actually set up the two rings when they did the taping. Because to set up the cage with the thing would take forever and they couldn’t do it live, they just couldn’t.”
“That’s why when they did the advertising, they advertised it was going to be a one match show, the idea was a one match show to the people who bought tickets.”
Tony Khan appeared before the show and explained the situation and offered refunds to anyone who was upset by the situation. In total, 5 refunds were given.
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite ended with the spectacle of the Blood & Guts match. This is a bout that had been in consideration since 2020, although originally it was believed that Chris Jericho and The Inner Circle would be taking on The Elite.
With the COVID-19 pandemic putting those plans on hold, we had to wait over a year to see exactly how AEW would pull off their own version of WarGames. This time we would see MJF and The Pinnacle take on The Inner Circle, with MJF and his group taking the win after The Inner Circle had to surrender to try and save their leader, Jericho.
MJF threw Le Champion off the top of the cell anyway, with the show going off air with EMTs and The Inner Circle helping the former AEW Champion. After the match, The Pinnacle’s ‘mentor’ and Four Horsemen legend Tully Blanchard spoke to cameras backstage about the group and their massive win on Dynamite.
Tully Blanchard on The Pinnacle
“What you’re looking at is King of Blood & Guts!” Blanchard began. “These guys right here took everything that the Inner Circle could dish out.”
“And yet, they’re over there waving down, ‘No, no, no, no! We give up, we give up!” Blanchard continued, slamming The Inner Circle. “And that’s all it took to get our hands raised. You guys right here [pointing at The Pinnacle], you dug deep inside, you took everything they could dish out, and you walked out on top.”
“That’s the way it is! That’s what it’s about, being on the top!” Tully Blanchard concluded. “Being at the Pinnacle, that’s what it’s about. Ladies and gentlemen, it is your honor to look at these five guys.”
Japanese Deathmatch wrestling legend Atsushi Onita has announced the formation of a brand new wrestling promotion. The man who is regarded as one of the greatest Deathmatch competitors in history will be bringing back the FMW initials, although this new brand will be called FMWE.
Speaking recently at a press conference, the 63-year-old Japanese star confirmed that the promotion’s first ever show will be taking place in July at the Tsurumi Fruit and Vegetable Market in Yokohama City.
“The meaning of E is explosion,” Onita said. “It is an explosion. It is an organization specializing in hardcore that is said in the world. There is a request to see an electric current blast in the United States, and we are doing an electric current blast all over the world.”
Atsushi Onita Talks FMWE
In terms of the ‘electric current blast in the United States’ that Onita refers to, he is clearly referencing the AEW Championship match from the Revolution PPV. Kenny Omega defended his AEW Championship in the main event of that show against Jon Moxley.
The ending of that bout was a complete dud; with the ‘explosions’ not really being as big as fans had anticipated. AEW even had to address the dud explosion and weave it into the storyline with Moxley, Eddie Kingston and Omega.
“E is also entertainment” Onita added during the press conference. “Because of this era, I would like you to feel the power from FMW by returning to the origin.”
Will you be watching FMWE if it’s available on PPV? Let us know in the comments
All Elite Wrestling presented its highly anticipated Blood and Guts match on Wednesday night during a special edition of Dynamite.
Even though Dynamite is a 2-hour show, AEW booked the show around this match, which aired during the second hour as AEW wanted to build it up as much as possible. It was also a long match that saw The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz) battle The Pinnacle (MJF, FTR, Wardlow, and Shawn Spears).
It was a 10-man elimination match featuring ‘old school’ rules with no pinfalls. There were two rings with a big steel cage around it and a roof hanging over it.
The match saw various stars bleed, the top rope on one of the rings taken off, various weapons used, and part of the ring being exposed so Santana and Ortiz could hit a double piledriver on it to FTR. At one point, Sammy hit coast to coast.
Jericho chased MJF to the top of the structure and they brawled up there. When MJF threatened to throw Jericho off the top of the structure, Sammy surrendered to save his leader. After the match, MJF shoved Jericho off the cell and landed on a crash pad.
All Elite Wrestling has announced the first match for their upcoming Double Or Nothing pay-per-view event.
On Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, it was confirmed that Hikaru Shida will defend the AEW Women’s Championship against Britt Baker. This comes as Baker has won five straight television matches with notable victories AEW Dark: Elevation and Dynamite.
On Wednesday’s edition of All Elite Wrestling’s flagship show, she beat Julia Hart in a quick squash match. Baker has stated that she was climbing up the rankings in an attempt to get a championship opportunity. Now, that will happen.
It was also announced on this show that AEW World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega’s opponent at Double Or Nothing will be determined by the winner of next week’s PAC vs. Orange Cassidy match.
The AEW Double Or Nothing pay-per-view event will take place on Sunday, May 30, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place.
The event is expected to begin at 8 p.m. ET and stream live on the BR Live platform in the United States. All Elite Wrestling will be announcing more matches in the coming weeks.
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Sammy Guevara goes to war tonight on AEW Dynamite. He’ll compete in the most violent match of his career when the Inner Circle battles The Pinnacle in the first-ever Blood and Guts match.
Guevara spoke with Steven Muehlhausen for DAZN this week to hype the event. He discussed a wide range of topics, including where he’s at in his career and the controversy surrounding his nixed appearance for Impact Wrestling.
Room to Grow
Sammy Guevara is part of a young crop of wrestlers in AEW for whom the sky is the limit. When asked about people saying he’s got the “it” factor, the 27-year-old says he’s ready to show people what he’s capable of.
“I definitely think everybody has room to grow,” he began. “Anyone who says like, ‘I’m the man right now’, they’re lying, or they’re just full of themselves. I definitely think I’m ‘it.’ I definitely think I am ‘it factor’. If you want ratings, I can give it to you all. It’ll all come in time. I feel like a lot of us young people, as performers, it’s just that waiting game is the hard part. But you got to be patient. I look forward to showing everybody.”
Impact Controversy
Sammy Guevara was expected to appear at Impact Wrestling earlier this year as part of the partnership with AEW, but it wasn’t meant to be. It was reported that Guevara showed up to Impact ready to perform, but decided against it after hearing what they had booked for him. Guevara sets the record straight and claims the “dirt sheets” blew things way out of proportion.
“Basically, some stuff was presented to me, I didn’t feel like it worked for me and for what Sammy Guevara is, so I declined that. This Then they declined to want to use me or whatnot.. Then all of a sudden, it wound up on the dirt sheets, and it blew up. I wish you could have stayed close to the vest. I felt like it wasn’t necessary for any of this to become public knowledge because it was done behind doors. So why are we opening the doors for everyone to see? But it is what it is. You can’t change what we can’t change. I wish Impact nothing but the best.”
Visit DAZN to check out their full interview with Sammy Guevara.
Tony Khan opened what he has coined “The Forbidden Door” in wrestling this year by seemingly breaking down barriers between promotions. He spoke with Entrepreneur recently regarding how “Forbidden Door” decisions are made.
Khan began by talking about how when he was younger, it was common for wrestling promotions to work together.
“When I was younger, there were partnerships between a lot of the other wrestling companies. And there was the Wrestling Peace Festival, which was a great idea, and some of those companies did keep working together,” Khan said.
“You saw wrestlers from AAA in WCW, and you saw wrestlers from New Japan in WCW, and so I think it’s very natural. Twenty years later, things have come back full circle, and now you’re seeing those wrestlers from New Japan and AAA competing again on TNT. You’re seeing IWGP titles defended on TNT. I think it’s the natural balance of the universe just coming back.”
How Are Forbidden Door Decisions Made?
Khan was also asked how the promotions involved make decisions on who wins, loses, and more. He would say that he goes into it with the same mentality as a sports general manager goes into making trades with other teams.
“I have to make sure we’re getting taken care of, and obviously the promoter we’re working with is going to have stuff they need to make sure they’re getting taken care of,” Khan continued. “And I’m pretty reasonable. I don’t want to screw it up for anybody. So whether it’s Konnan with AAA or dealing with the New Japan office or talking to Scott [D’Amore] and Impact, I just generally go into it like I’m dealing with another party in sports if you’re making a trade or something. You know, you just try to work it out and be a good person and a fair partner in the negotiation.”
The “Forbidden Door” will open again on next week’s Dynamite, when NJPW’s Yuji Nagata challenges Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Championship.
All Elite Wrestling has launched a new global online shop for official AEW merchandise.
ShopAEW.com has been expanded to include Global.Shop.AEW. Effective immediately, fans from 224 countries can order and save up to 60 percent on shipping costs and reduce delivery time by up to 50 percent.
The online shop will offer more than 400 t-shirts for purchase, with additional items available soon. The apparel will ship directly from AEW’s global distribution warehouses in Toronto, Canada; Tijuana, Mexico; Barcelona, Spain; Riga, Latvia; Amakusa, Japan; and Victoria and Brisbane, Australia.
“We now have a world-class online shop to go with our world-class roster, and we’re thrilled to be able to share the hottest AEW merchandise with our fans around the globe,” said Dana Massie, Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer of AEW.
For more information and to get started shopping, visit Global.ShopAEW.com
QT Marshall spoke with SEScoops this week to promote Wednesday’s special Blood and Guts edition of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
The leader of The Factory faces his former friend, Cody Rhodes, at Blood and Guts. During our discussion, QT explained why he turned on Cody, athletes like Anthony Ogogo crossing over to the world of professional wrestling, how The Factory is different than other factions and more.
Topics discussed include:
His role as AEW’s Director of Creative coordination
AEW gearing up for the post-pandemic era
His Nightmare Factory training facility
What he looks for in trainees
Athletes and celebrities crossing over to pro wrestling
Why he turned on Cody Rhodes
How The Factory stands apart from AEW’s other factions
Factions are a big part of AEW. MJF and The Pinnacle are one of the most talked-about factions on the roster. Tonight, they go head-to-head with The Inner Circle in a Blood and Guts match.
Yet, in speaking during an interview with Steel Chair, MJF admitted that he was looking beyond dismantling The Inner Circle and would be open to further expanding The Pinnacle.
MJF admitted that the Pinnacle have a goal in AEW, and that is to hold every title belt. That would naturally include the women’s belt. When pressed on this, MJF said that his group would consider opening their doors to a female star joining their ranks.
Rumours abound that Britt Baker is set to join the Pinnacle at some point in the future. Putting both her and MJF together has the potential for magic. They are both the ultimate heel at the top of their game. Ironically both call themselves the face of their respective divisions. As long as a power struggle could be avoided, Britt joining The Pinnacle could be a fantastic move.
MJF on Britt Baker Rumors
However, MJF was coy when discussing the matter. Remaining in steadfast character as he does so well.
“I will say this about Brittany, she is clearly not just the face of the women’s division in AEW, but at this point, I think it’s fair to say she’s the face of women’s wrestling as a whole, just like I feel it’s fair to say that I’m the face of men’s professional wrestling as a whole. I get why people keep bringing this up, it makes complete sense.”
This is a clear non-rejection of the notion, which could very easily be read as a cryptic admission that MJF has an appointment with the doctor.
Chris Jericho is a man who loves to talk. In a recent NY Post interview, he raised a number of newsworthy points. Including declaring which former WWE superstar he wants in AEW.
Jericho was open and honest when he pointed specifically to the recently released Samoa Joe as being a talent he wants to see in AEW sooner rather than later.
Since Joe’s release from WWE there have been lots of rumours about his future destination, and several wrestlers have laid down a challenge to the man. However, given Jericho’s executive position within AEW, you must feel that there is a little more weight behind his words.
Chris Jericho on WWE Releases
“Obviously, the one name that stands out as an established main-event heavyweight champion guy is Samoa Joe.” Chris Jericho said.
There is no denying that Joe is a main event calibre wrestler. He would add a very interesting dynamic to the current AEW roster. There is a chance Jericho knows a little more than he was willing to let on. If you are willing to examine his choice of words, perhaps there is a hint of a deal already being struck.
“Those guys have three months before they can go anywhere. But I’d love to see Joe in an AEW ring at some point.”
Jericho went on to say that he has his eyes on another recently released talent. Although he added that man would need to prove himself a little bit more first.
“You look at a guy like Tucker for example, I don’t know if we would take him tomorrow, we might, but it seems to me if he goes and proves what he can do and what he’s capable of, well then absolutely.”
One thing is for sure, all eyes will be on the news for the next few months. Waiting for all of these guys to make an announcement about where they will be heading next.
AEW commentator and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently spoke about AEW’s ratings success. Discussing how well the company has done on Wednesday nights since NXT moved, JR specifically brought up how Darby Allin has been bringing in ‘extraordinary’ numbers.
“I was surprised that we did as well as we did,” Jim Ross began on Grilling JR, talking about the first AEW Dynamite event with NXT having moved a few weeks ago. “I thought we might do [900,000], I thought that was being generous. But to do 1.2 million, that was pretty phenomenal.”
Jim Ross on Darby Allin
As AEW Dynamite looks to establish momentum with viewers, Jim Ross knows the best way to do that is by putting on a great product consistently.
“Hopefully we will earn the trust and the dedication from the audience and the only way we’re going to do that is to have a hell of a show every week,” said JR. “Is that possible? I don’t know, but I know the effort will be there.”
He then turned his attention to the TNT Champion specifically. “A lot of our young talents are getting better, they’re getting over,” Ross said. “I think they’re getting better and assuming their roles better. Look at the ratings, quarter hour ratings for Darby Allin were extraordinary and he’s a home grown talent.”
Are you enjoying seeing Darby Allin in the main event of Dynamite recently? Let us know in the comments
AEW star MJF recently discussed All Elite Wrestling and how their ongoing ratings successes appear to mean they are ‘creeping up’ on WWE RAW on Monday nights.
Although last week’s rating fell below the 1 million mark, AEW has been doing extremely well ever since NXT were forced to move nights and broadcast on Tuesdays.
This week’s episode marks the 4th episode of Dynamite unopposed and looks set to break the 1 million rating mark again. This week is of course Blood & Guts between The Pinnacle and The Inner Circle.
MJF: Dynamite Hunting Raw
“There has not been a wrestling show that has been able to even sniff ‘Monday Night Raw’ in decades” MJF began in a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports. “We’re creeping up every single week in that key demo.”
“If I’m not mistaken, I believe we beat them a few weeks at points on their show in the key demo,” MJF said, discussing the key 18-49 demo. “Which is absolutely insane, because we have only been a professional wrestling company on television for a year and a half, two years. It’s unheard of and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Although AEW will have to be extremely consistent to challenge WWE going forward; it is interesting that such a young show has grown in today’s television landscape to be even this close to the market leader in WWE.
Do you think that AEW could match RAW at some point? Let us know in the comments
Kip Sabian has reported that he will need to have surgery in order to repair damage to his arm. The angle being played is that the injury occurred during Miro’s attack on Dynamite last week. Injuries are common in wrestling, with stars often needing time to repair their bodies not from one single incident but from the accumulation of wear and tear.
In a Tweet sent out earlier today, Kip Sabian thanked his former Best Man for forcing him to go under the knife. The exchange was interesting because of the connotations it carries. The Venom GIF would hint at a heel turn for Sabian. Many fans would point out he has been playing that role for a while, however, what it would also point towards is that Miro will assume the face role for their feud.
It’s a position that makes the most sense from a storytelling perspective also. There is no update yet on how much TV time Kip Sabian will miss, but I am sure it will be comparable to however close Miro can get to a title push.
Kip Sabian Will Be Coming for Miro When He Returns
A feud between Kip Sabian and Miro has been coming since the Best Man debuted for the company, and the time was right to pull the trigger. The pair have strange chemistry when in the ring together, and their feud with the Best Friends has been entertaining, but both are far better when on their own.
Kip Sabian is a talented wrestler and a new angle for his character could be exactly what he needs to push him further up the roster.
Sammy Guevara has done a lot during his tenure with AEW thus far and has much more to accomplish in his pro wrestling career. With great success also comes with challenges.
He has faced this in the way of criticism among fans, which has led to the label attached to his name as being a dangerous performer. Most notably, last August, he tossed a chair towards the head of Matt Hardy that resulted in the future Hall of Famer needing to get stitches as he used the wrong chair that wasn’t gimmicked.
“The Matt stuff, a bunch of unfortunate stuff happened there,” Guevara said during an appearance on Wrestling Inc. Daily “It was almost like we were cursed for a minute.”
He recalled how they had a great match at Double or Nothing last year and that’s what people forget. One minute, nothing bad happened then all of a sudden other things started happening including the Broken Rules Match at All Out where Hardy was knocked out after a botched table spot.
“It is what it is man. People can have their opinions. That’s their right. I know who I am. It’s wrestling. This isn’t the easiest of things to do, and I know everybody wants to be safe and stuff, but this stuff is dangerous to do. As much as everyone wants to be like, ‘He’s dangerous.’ There’s a reason I’m in the ring. These people are not. What we do is very dangerous, and there’s a reason I’m doing this dangerous thing and they’re watching this dangerous thing.”
Guevara will be part of the Inner Circle vs. Pinnacle Blood and Guts match this Wednesday night on Dynamite.
Chris Jericho is a wrestler who continues to evolve in wrestling business. It is one of the reasons he is held in such high regard by those that love the sport. His recent transition from heel to babyface is a prime example of this.
Not only did his character go from the most hated to the most cheered for, but he did it with an entire faction. There is no denying that the Inner Circle are now firm faces in AEW. While this sets the stage so well for their blood and guts match with The Pinnacle this month, it did put a spanner in the works of another potential rivalry.
Iron Mike Tyson first appeared on AEW back in May last year and quickly built some solid heat with Chris Jericho. A heel at the time, their confrontation got fans talking about a potential fight.
Chris Jericho Still Interested in Working with Mike Tyson
Talking in an interview with the NY Post, Christ Jericho talked about his time working with Mike Tyson. Remarking how his recent move to a babyface character effectively put the brakes on the pair ever facing off in the squared circle.
“I’d love to have a match with Mike, but the dynamic has switched. You don’t want Mike coming in as a bad guy. That’s hard to do, he’s Mike Tyson and Jericho is a good guy, so we can’t really work each other.”
All hope is not lost, however, as Chris Jericho believes there is a way for the pair to get in the ring and have a good match.
“So maybe we can do a tag team against somebody else.” Jericho was quick to add.
A partnership between the two could work very well, as Jericho’s experience in the ring could help Tyson’s lack thereof. Whatever happens, it sounds that if Chris Jericho has his way, we will be seeing Mike Tyson in AEW again.
Chris Jericho recently spoke with Comicbook.com to promote Wednesday’s Blood and Guts match on AEW Dynamite. Jericho’s Inner Circle will go to war against MJF’s Pinnacle faction in the first Blood and Guts match in AEW history.
During his discussion with Connor Casey, Jericho spoke about the “forbidden door” and AEW’s ongoing partnerships with Impact and New Japan Pro Wrestling.
AEW currently has a working relationship with Impact, but Jericho does not think they should do a full-blown invasion storyline with the Toronto-based promotion.
“Our roster is jam packed as it is,” Jericho said. “And I think our involvement with Impact has been pretty much what it should be. I’m not saying this in an egotistical way, but AEW is at a completely different level than Impact is. So anything that we’re doing with them benefits them a lot more than it benefits us, in my opinion.”
Jericho feels that it’s a good thing for AEW stars like Kenny Omega and Private Party to appear at Impact events. However, don’t expect to see him doing the same.
“Chris Jericho will never go to Nashville and work in an empty studio in front of somebody,” he added. “There’s just no reason for me to do that. If those guys came over to invade, who are they going to [send]?”
AEW could always do an invasion angle down the road if it makes sense, but for now, they need to focus on their own up-and-coming talent. They have so many guys that are on the verge of breaking out that he wants AEW to focus on them, not outsiders.
Jericho on AEW vs. NJPW
Although Chris Jericho isn’t keen on wrestling in an empty studio for Impact Wrestling, he did express interest in matches outside of AEW. In particular, Jericho is interested in facing several wrestlers from NJPW.
“There’s a couple of matches there that I would love have. [Minoru] Suzuki and Jericho,” he continued. “I think Ospreay and Jericho. I think Kenny and myself as a tag team against Tana and Okada or against Ibushi and Okada. That’s a Tokyo Dome main event. So all of those matches are in the pipeline. I love Japan.”
Head over to Comicbook.com to check out their full interview with Chris Jericho.
The NJPW-AEW forbidden door flies open again on the May 12th edition of Dynamite. Jon Moxley will defend the IWGP United States Championship against NJPW’s Yuji Nagata. Moxley will also be in action on an upcoming episode of NJPW Strong.
Matt Hardy is arguably one of the most innovative wrestlers of the current era. Jim Cornette, on the other hand, has been frequently critical of the current state of the wrestling business. The two have been clashing on social media as of late.
Ironically, this all started when Matt Hardy put out a tweet encouraging people to not be so negative online. He wrote, “If you read/watch someone’s take & you dislike it, why would you waste any of your time to negatively comment on it? This is odd. Move on. People believe differently than you, whether you accept it or not. Unless someone’s being unethical & immoral, let people live their life.”
This led to someone commenting that Hardy sometimes is sometimes critical of Jim Cornette online.
In the past, I’ve responded to some of his cult over their #BROKEN Matt hate to enhance my heel persona. Done with that. Diehard @AEW fans view me as a heel, so I’m just gonna be me, be real going forward. Had great respect for JC early on, not into his current shock jock gig. https://t.co/kEnPBuukPI
“Not a gig, Matt, just my real opinions since I’m done with this dog & pony show some of you guys call wrestling these days. A shame what’s happened to the business. Had great respect for you when you didn’t teleport to other dimensions and change clothes in a fucking ice machine,” Cornette Tweeted.
Reby Hardy wasn’t going to just sit on the sidelines while someone insulted her husband.
“Your principles will always be tested by people who care more about fame than integrity or money instead of what’s right. Cash in & be a whore or stand up for what you believe in and have a bunch of stupid idiots say you “can’t change.” Words of wisdom. Also don’t do stupid shit,” Cornette responded to Hardy’s Tweet.
My principles have never been better, Jim. I believe in enjoying life & providing the absolute best for my family. That’s what I’m doing. I’ll keep doing that regardless of you.
You "hate" & are done with @AEW? You’ll keep watching. You have to. It fuels your shock jock gig. https://t.co/s2oBO7v679
I was speaking to your husband, who I've known for some time. You obviously don't know me. Some people are intimidated by your tonguelashings. I'm not. Stay in YOUR lane Chickadee, you're dealing with a professional. I don't play nice. https://t.co/ECjMs2O2U9
Wasn't talking just the Lollipop Guild you work for Matt, I mean ALL of this horseshit, your company & it's amateur booker are just the most egregious. Sorry you have to do shit like this to provide for your family, it must be a rotten feeling. I enjoy speaking my TRUE opinions.
Andrade appeared on AAA’s Rey de Reyes show over the weekend and issued a challenge to Mega Champion Kenny Omega for TripleMania. Omega has since responded to Andrade on Twitter.
“BUSY GUY. I debuted at 13 years old and I always kept busy and traveled around the world winning championships and you in Japan playing with children when I was a superstar, now is my first #Traquilo year,I will wait for your answer on the beach”
@KennyOmegamanX BUSY GUY. I debuted at 13 years old and I always kept busy and traveled around the world winning championships and you in Japan playing with children when I was a superstar, now is my first #Traquilo year,I will wait for your answer on the beach??@luchalibreaaapic.twitter.com/g1y2n7tFl0
— “EL IDOLO” ANDRADE (@AndradeElIdolo) May 3, 2021
Angles For TripleMania
The Rey de Reyes show set up several angles that will likely play out at TripleMania. In addition to Andrade appearing on the show and challenging Kenny Omega, Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo challenged Faby Apache after she won the Reina de Reinas championship. Purrazzo then attacked Apache and put her in an arm-bar. The match between the two will be title for title.
There was also an invasion angle on the show. Sam Adonis, Puma King and Diamante Azul are now a stable known as La Empresa and are playing up their history with CMLL. The Sexy Star character has also been recast with Hija de Gatubela now playing the role.
The pandemic era has changed wrestling in a number of ways, including the (re)introduction of taped matches. In a recent interview on Wrestling Observer Radio, Chris Jericho talked about how AEW will do several different takes of a spot just to get it right.
AEW Dynamite is often branded as being a live show. However, there have been instances during the pandemic where AEW has taped several shows. During his recent chat with Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez, the G.O.A.T of professional wrestling talked about how matches would be edited to remove botches. He went on to say he had gone through as many as three takes on a single spot.
“We worked with Top Flight, me and MJF against Top Flight, and I was gonna put one guy in the Walls and the other guy that jumps over me sunset flips over me where I catapult the other brother to where he’s on MJF who’s on the floor. When we tried this thing it fcked up so bad. We tried it again that it fcked up even worse the second that we had to try it a third time. I was like, ‘I would never do this, but why not take advantage of it?’ It’s a taped show.” Jericho said during his interview.
Blood and Guts Will Leave No Room for Error
Botches are a part of wrestling. We are talking about athletes who put together some of the most acrobatic displays you will see humans perform. Their spots take talent, timing and understanding in order to pull them off. It’s understandable that sometimes things don’t go fully according to plan. For the viewers watching at home, this can be everything from frustrating to illusion breaking. The benefit of watching taped matches is that the stars have the chance to stop, reset and try again. This allows them to create spots that look exactly as expected.
https://www.instagram.com/p/COEF-JHDJgl/
Jericho raises an interesting point. He went on to discuss using edits and re-shoots to make sure things went perfectly. Is that still wrestling? Do fans want a 100% flawless set of matches?
One thing is for sure, the blood and guys match will leave no room for error. AEW has confirmed that this match will be shot live. The other matches on the card, however, will be taped in advance.
This week on Elevation, Willow Nightingale will be making her AEW debut going head-to-head with none other than Thunder Rosa.
Many wrestling fans will not know Nightingale. However, those that follow the indie wrestling scene will no doubt be familiar with her name. The recent in a line of talent from NYWC – New York Wrestling Connection, she comes into AEW with a young, but strong pedigree.
Willow Nightingale debuted only 6 years ago in 2015 but has wrestled for some of the more prominent indie promotions, including CZW, House of Glory, and Shimmer. She was also a tag-team champion in Chikara. She held the women’s tag-titles as part of The Bird and The Bee for 228 days. They were the reigning champions until the company closed its doors at the end of 2020.
— Willow Nightingale (@willowwrestles) May 1, 2021
The chance of her picking up a victory against a wrestler with the momentum of Thunder Rosa is highly unlikely. However, this will not be your everyday squash match. It has everything it needs to be one of the better fights of the night. If she plays her cards right, it could be a major steppingstone for Willow Nightingale to get a full-time spot on the AEW roster.
The female division is growing in the company, and as rumours of a female-only show abound, we could find ourselves getting very familiar with Nightingale as the year goes on.
Willow Nightingale’s debut for AEW was called by fans after spotting her in the crowd during an episode of Dynamite. This is not the first time a wrestler was spotted in attendance before making their debut for the company.
AEW will present “Blood & Guts” on the May 5th edition of Dynamite. Chris Jericho and his Inner Circle will take on Maxwell Jacob Friedman and the Pinnacle. While the double-ring steel cage match draws many comparisons to the War Games matches created by Dusty Rhodes in the 1980s, Jericho says Blood & Guts will be different.
“It’s not a true blue War Games either,” Jericho said on Wrestling Observer Radio. “The apparatus is different just because of the way – I don’t think I’m giving anything away here – the configurations of Daily’s Place… you’ve never seen an apparatus like this, there are some differences to it.”
“Blood and guts really is a new version,” Jericho continued. “It’s not WWE’s version of a War Games, it’s not Dusty’s version of a War Games, it’s AEW’s version of War Games which is why it’s called Blood & Guts, it’s got a different name to it. And I like that, I like the fact that it has to be a different match, not just because we don’t own the copyright for War Games because we actually are making this a little bit different from what you’re used to.”
Jericho also confirmed while there might be some blood, no guts will be visible during the match (unless something has gone horribly wrong).
“I’m sure there’ll be some blood. There won’t be any guts. I don’t want to disappoint you guys but nobody’s going to be hara-kiri’ed with a samurai sword where you see the endtrails or anything like that,” Jericho said.
On AEW Dynamite this week, Chris Jericho made reference to Jake Hager having saved him from an “assassination attempt” in Abu Dhabi in 2012. Jericho appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio recently and detailed what exactly took place during this situation.
“That is a true story. He didn’t save me from assassination but he did have my back,” Jericho said on the show. “We were in Abu Dhabi and we were in a club and some guy was being a jerk so I just walked by him and gave him a body check, body checked him into the wall, a good o’l fashioned hockey move.”
“He claimed that his father owned, and I quote, 27% of the country and that I would be assassinated by the end of the day, like in 24 hours. I had a bounty for $7 million on my head.”
Jericho continued to say that he asked the person if $7 million was a good number for a bounty and what other size bounties are given in similar situations.
“Hager was behind me going ‘dude, this is the wild west, don’t mess with this guy.’”
Jericho would later say that he went back to his room and was thinking he wouldn’t go out again until things blew over. Eventually, he was convinced to go back to the same club, however.
“I go back to the club and the bouncer’s there and he goes ‘oh, you haven’t been assassinated yet’ and it’s like ‘no, should I be worried?’ and he goes ‘that m***erf***ker says that all the time. His dad doesn’t own the country, he owns a gas station down the street.’ But at the time we didn’t know and Jake had my back when I was threatened with assassination in Abu Dhabi.”
Former AEW ‘Le Champion’ Chris Jericho recently appeared on WrestlingINC’s daily show. The former WWE Undisputed Champion discussed a number of topics on the show, including how AEW has built younger stars into viable talents on a national stage.
“Our goal from the start was to make new stars” Jericho began the interview. “Because that’s what wrestling’s all about. It always has been. If you look at last week’s show, where we had Jungle Boy vs. Darby Allin in the main event, we had Shida vs. Tay Conti in a main event.”
“Those are two kind of fence post matches on our show and they both did a great number” Jericho continued. “We’ve made Darby Allin into a legit main event draw. I mean last night he’s in the main event with Ten for God’s sake and it will probably do a good number.”
“I give us a full Barry Horowitz pat on the back for that because we set out to do it and we did it” Chris Jericho added. “It’s not hard to do; pick the right guy and just stick with them.”
Jericho finished by discussing how the inclusion of Sting has really helped the Darby Allin character get over as the TNT Champion. “We paired Darby with Sting, so he got that rub. And now Sting is almost, I’m not going to say lackey, but he’s almost Darby’s second at this point. And that’s probably exactly what he should be.”
Would you like to see Chris Jericho vs Darby Allin in a feud over the TNT Championship? Let us know in the comments
