SEScoops

Category: AEW

  • Jungle Boy To Challenge Darby Allin For The TNT Title On AEW Dynamite

    Jungle Boy To Challenge Darby Allin For The TNT Title On AEW Dynamite

    In the aftermath of AEW Dynamite pulling in 1.2 million views this past week, TNT Champion took to social media to call out his boss, Tony Khan.

    Allin told Khan to pick a Top 5 contender to be the next challenger. That list includes a who’s who of AEW’s deep roster: Hangman Page, former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, Jungle Boy, former TNT Champion Cody Rhodes and Powerhouse Hobbs of Team Taz.

    AEW has since announced that TK selected Jungle Boy the #1 contender to the TNT Championship. The undefeated member of Jurassic Express will get his chance to make history next week. This will be an exciting contest between two of the top young babyfaces in All Elite Wrestling.

    Jungle Boy commented on the news of his upcoming opportunity. The 23-year-old is grateful for the chance to win his first championship gold on the big stage.

    Darby Allin as TNT Champion

    Darby Allin is one of the most exciting figures on AEW right now. His bond with Sting has been entertaining and fitting given his character. The best part about it was that it wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t done to push him into main even status, it was done because they were a good fit, and that always makes more compelling television.

    His run to the TNT title was the reward for a job well done. Putting aside the tragedy of Brodie Lee, Darby earned his title shot and took the chance he was given.

    Since then, he has never backed down from a challenge putting on some memorable matches along the way. His recent match with John Silver – who has a big future with the company – being just one example.

    Titles shouldn’t change hands every few weeks. A champion should be the best man in the company at that time. Their reign should reflect the reward for their work. With only two singles titles in the organization, it doesn’t make sense to dilute either of them with short runs. The odd surprise here and there makes for entertaining viewing, but on the whole, strong champions make for strong titles. As it stands, it doesn’t look as if Darby will be dropping the belt any time soon.

    Yes, he is closing in on a six-month reign, but with Omega being the true heel, and following the more traditional route of only defending his championship at specific, grand occasions, it makes sense to keep the TNT belt active and around the waist of a wrestler who gives his all every single match and can take a beating like nobody else on the roster.

  • A Double Dose of Positivity For AEW Dynamite Crowds and Venues

    A Double Dose of Positivity For AEW Dynamite Crowds and Venues

    Welcome to Daily’s Place, home of the Jags … and AEW Dynamite. Ever since the pandemic struck, AEW has been running their promotion from Daily’s Place. The stadium is home to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the NFL team owned by the Khan family. This has proven to be a reliable and stable home for AEW, who tape three shows there each week.

    For the past few months AEW have slowly reintroduced crowds into the stadium, and news of a sold out Machine Gun Kelly concert being held there on April 23rd can surely be a sign that AEW could soon see the return of capacity crowds to its wrestling events too, perhaps even for the upcoming Blood and Guts match on May 5th. Interesting that they don’t even mention limited places.

    It starts a double hit of positive news for AEW fans, with speculation also rife that the promotion will look to move away from Daily’s Place and take AEW Dynamite back onto the road. With previously planned shows for both Houston and Milwaukee still on the cards, albeit for dates in August as opposed to the original June and July dates.

    Could We See AEW Dynamite Back on the Road?

    The fact that they were rescheduled rather than postponed indefinitely shows that while it may not necessarily be imminent, the future is looking positive for AEW Dynamite to get back out on the open road. Dave Meltzer is even speculating that All Out could be held in Chicago later this year. Of course, that is dependent on all things pandemic related going according to plan.

    If that’s the case it won’t be long before it’s not only Sammy carrying signs around the arena

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CNawdd9pXVq/

    It will be interesting to see how this will impact the AEW Dynamite and its two Dark counterparts. Throw in the possibility of house shows too, and it is easy to see how AEW can take the great momentum they have and really ramp up the pressure on their rivals.

  • AEW Ratings Soar to a Record High and Raise Questions About Ratings Battles

    AEW Ratings Soar to a Record High and Raise Questions About Ratings Battles

    The first Wednesday night without the competition of NXT saw AEW ratings soared to an incredible rating high of 1.2 million. They also scored a 0.44 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This was the highest viewing figures to date for AEW and a jump of around 43% from the previous week.

    Likewise, however, NXT saw a growth in numbers following their move to Tuesday nights. Figures were 4.82% up on the recent Take Over: Stand and Deliver. Granted they only had a 0.22 rating and were almost 400,000 viewers behind AEW with 805,000 viewers.

    However, the fact that both companies saw a number increase gives some food for thought. Many people will call AEW the winners for the recent Wednesday Night War, but what if both sides were actually losers?

    AEW & NXT: Better Apart

    With both companies drawing increased viewers, you have to argue that fans who previously had to choose one or the other indulged their passion this week and watched both shows without problem. When taking this approach to things, does competition for a timeslot really benefit anybody or does it work to hold back both shows from really reaching their full potential.

    Wrestling fans are quite quick to call their preferred show the best by watching it live, when really, each company, and even each brand within a company is different. They are run with differing styles and mentalities and they are all ok. Some may be more appealing to certain fans but that also works both ways.

    Whether you are an AEW fan, a WWE: NXT fan or just a supporter of professional wrestling, increased numbers are always a good thing. What many initially saw as an act of retreat by WWE could turn out to be a strategic win for both promotions.

  • Young Bucks Deny That AEW Has “Faction Overload”

    Young Bucks Deny That AEW Has “Faction Overload”

    Depending on when you grew up and which wrestling promotion you watched the most, your opinion on the presence of factions in wrestling will differ. The Young Bucks, who cut their teeth in NJPW took time to respond to fan criticism that AEW has too many factions.

    The Young Bucks, who were part of two factions while working in Japan – Bullet Club and the splinter group The Elite – responded to their critics in an interview with TV Insider.

    There have been several new factions form in AEW over the past couple of weeks. Including the ‘Super Elite’ which has seen the Bucks once more side with Kenny Omega. Alongside them are the Good Brothers Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson, and the group manager, Don Callis.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CNgNV_el-WT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    This particular group is interesting not because of its members but because it crossed two different promotions without any form of brand/network segregation.

    Factions Form as the AEW Brand Takes Shape

    We have also seen the rise of The Factory, The Pinnacle, Matt Hardy Office, and the post-pandemic reunion of Death Triangle. Surely it is also only a matter of time before Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston form their own group.

    Either way, the Bucks are convinced that factions are good for wrestling. With the success AEW has had to date, who could question their logic.

    New Japan Pro Wrestling has been booking factions for more than 40 years, and they’re still around. I see the argument, but I think North American fans have never seen this many at one time. They are used to one, two, or three stables in a company. It’s easier to book angles. It’s easy to get more people involved with different groups. If you’re not aligned in a stable, you’re alone, and that’s hard to book sometimes. That’s why we have a lot of factions. It has clearly worked. Nick said in response to the question.

    While Matt went on to discuss the realistic possibility of a trios championship. This is another belt that gains much more credibility when you have clear cut groups to work with.

  • Tay Conti Comments On 1-Year Anniversary Of Mass WWE Releases

    Tay Conti Comments On 1-Year Anniversary Of Mass WWE Releases

    On April 15th, 2020, WWE cut more than 20 wrestlers from its roster shortly after a worldwide pandemic had shut down multiple wrestling companies and the entire independent wrestling scene. The company decided to do something very similar today.

    Some of the names released last year have posted online about what impact being released by WWE during a pandemic has had on them.

    “April 15th, 2020, I finally got my release. I would say it was a really big, unexpected moment. I felt lost, I felt hurt, I felt it was the end of my world,” Conti said. “Silly me. And then I allowed myself to feel all the feelings. I was sad, I was mad, I was frustrated, I was scared and the list goes on.”

    “April 15th, 2021, this morning I woke up, I looked at myself in the mirror and I said ‘hey girl, I’m proud of you.” And I really am because in less than a year, I proved myself, I finally found myself, I worked my way to the top.”

    Conti is now the #1 contender for the AEW Women’s Championship and will challenge Hikaru Shida next week on Dynamite.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CNsQ33uhKn4/

    WWE Pandemic Cuts – Where Are They Now?

    1. Drake Maverick (NXT)
    2. Luke Gallows (Impact)
    3. Karl Anderson (Impact)
    4. EC3 (ROH)
    5. Curt Hawkins (Impact)
    6. Lio Rush (MLW & other places)
    7. Heath Slater (Impact – currently injured)
    8. Eric Young (Impact)
    9. Kurt Angle (Conrad Thompson podcast)
    10. Aiden English (Twitch and YouTube channels)
    11. Erik Rowan (done some GCW shows)
    12. Sarah Logan (gave birth to little Viking)
    13. Mike Chioda (has appeared on AEW programming)
    14. Primo Colon (likely waiting to return to WWC)
    15. Epico Colon (likely waiting to return to WWC)
    16. Mike Kanellis (Bennett) (ROH)
    17. Maria Kanellis (ROH)
    18. Zack Ryder (Impact)
    19. No Way Jose (Wrestled once for Lariato Pro – Doc Gallows’ promotion)
    20. Deonna Purrazzo (Knockouts Champion in Impact Wrestling)
    21. Rusev (AEW)
    22. Tay Conti (AEW)
    23. Cezar Bononi (AEW)
  • Tony Khan & Aubrey Edwards To Attend Impact Rebellion PPV

    Tony Khan & Aubrey Edwards To Attend Impact Rebellion PPV

    On Sunday, April 25th, 2021, Rich Swann and Kenny Omega will go one-on-one with both the Impact and AEW title belts at stake. AEW’s Tony Khan recently revealed on Busted Open Radio that he plans on attending the PPV. Khan also said he plans on bringing AEW referee Aubrey Edwards along with him.

    “I’m going to be coming up to Nashville to maintain order next weekend at [IMPACT Rebellion], that you moved at my suggestion [Laughs]. I’m going to go to UFC with my good friend Dana and then I’ll come to [Rebellion] and make sure that no funny business goes on in this title match. I’m going to bring my own referee, Aubrey (Edwards),” Khan said on Busted Open Radio (transcriptions via Fightful).

    The following has been confirmed for tonight’s episode of Impact on AXS TV:

    • Rich Swann and Kenny Omega contract signing
    • Josh Alexander vs TJP
    • Jazz’s retirement ceremony.
    • Brian Myers vs Matt Cardona – Pick your Poison

    Impact Rebellion Lineup:

    • AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship
      Kenny Omega (c) vs Rich Swann
    • Impact Tag Team Championships
      FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)
    • X-Division Championship
      Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton) (c) vs. TJP vs. Josh Alexander
    • Brian Myers vs Matt Cardona
  • Questionable Authenticity: The Young Bucks’ Dior x Nike Air Jordan 1’s

    Questionable Authenticity: The Young Bucks’ Dior x Nike Air Jordan 1’s

    The Young Bucks kicked off Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite by cutting a promo about their decision to align with Kenny Omega and company last week. The Bucks are now working as heels and introduced new ring gear to signify their new attitudes.

    Nick and Matt Jackson sported Jordan 1 Retro High Dior sneakers this week. The shoes sell for upwards of $10,000 on the secondary sneaker market.

    Some eagle-eyed fans on social media were quick to point out that the Young Bucks’ Jordan 1 Retro High Diors might not be authentic. Sneaker aficionado @Richiedge is convinced the Jackson brothers were rocking fakes.

    It’s interesting that this ‘controversy’ occurred just as the Bucks were solidifying their heel turn. Was this fashion faux pas an oversight, or was it really a very clever move that shows the depths to which some wrestlers are willing to go in order to play their characters?

    Designing the Perfect Heel

    Spending $10,000 on sneakers could be perceived as a heel move. However, if the shoes are in fact fraudulent, there could be other forces at work.

    Could Excalibur’s insistence that Don Callis is literally human garbage could point to the fakes being a planned spot? After all, great professional wrestling is about great storytelling just as much as it is the action in the ring.

    Could it be that the Bucks’ new designer shoes were a gift from Callis? A device to further highlight his slimy and underhanded nature? He is, after all, a bold-as-brass coward, and an even bigger snake than Jake has ever met. Kitting out his guys in fake designer gear would be a perfect fit.

    Whether true or not, you could easily see the story being spun that way now, and fair play for it. Creativity is important to AEW and well, let’s face it, you’ve got to give the people what they want.

    Great heels were becoming a thing of the past, and the universal loathing for Kenny Omega and the new Super Elite is a throwback to the days when a heel was booed and loathed to the very core of a wrestling fans heart.

  • Chris Jericho: AEW Drove NXT Screaming & Yelling Away From Wednesdays

    Chris Jericho: AEW Drove NXT Screaming & Yelling Away From Wednesdays

    Nothing seems to polarize wrestling fans more than the concept of a ratings war. The recent Wednesday Night Wars is no different. It’s easy to understand why this concept gained such traction, with all of the similarities to the famous Monday Night Wars. AEW the young upstart, with lots of talent vocalizing their frustration at being caught in the WWE doldrums.

    Yet, an argument could be made that there never was such a war, as wrestling is a singular affair, and regardless of company is there for everybody to enjoy. Which side is right? In many ways, both and none are correct. That’s why it is so much fun to be a wrestling fan at this point in time.

    It goes without saying therefor that the recent announcement that NXT was moving from Wednesday to Tuesday was greeted by many as a surrender of sorts, with WWE conceding to AEW, for that timeslot at least. The numbers don’t lie, and AEW were pulling in the dominant ratings each week.

    The GOAT Declares Victory

    One man who was quick and clear when it came to voicing his opinion on the matter was wrestling legend and certain hall of famer Chris Jericho. The G.O.A.T, who was big part of the Monday Night Wars also, wasted no words when talking to Forbes.com claiming that AEW sent NXT screaming and yelling to the safety of a Tuesday night.

    “Yes, we wanted to beat NXT,” Jericho declared. “Yes, we wanted to drive them screaming and yelling away from Wednesdays and we did that.”

    It’s interesting to think that Chris Jericho wrestled for both WCW and WWE during the Monday Night War period, and now, despite being a WWE star appeared on the WWE network recently with an appearance on the Broken Skull Ranch podcast.

    Either way, his words speak volumes about the drive AEW’s stars have to make their company stand tall and proud.

  • The Young Bucks Comment On “Babyfaces & Heels” In AEW

    The Young Bucks Comment On “Babyfaces & Heels” In AEW

    Matt & Nick Jackson, the Young Bucks, are now “bad guys” in AEW. They have aligned with Don Callis, changed their in-ring style, changed their gear, and have made what some might call a “full heel turn.”

    The Young Bucks were recently interviewed by TSN, AEW’s Canadian broadcast partner. During the interview, Matt Jackson spoke about what wrestling fans are used to as it concerns “babyfaces & heels” in wrestling.

    “I always want to be involved in weird, nuanced, multi-layered stories and maybe sometimes the subtleties that I like to have in my storylines won’t translate with a pro wrestling audience,” Matt Jackson said to TSN. “Pro wrestling audiences are so conditioned to [the idea] that it’s good or it’s bad. It’s babyface or it’s heel, and that’s the way it’s been historically forever and how dare you change that or try something differently because it’s like you’re breaking the laws of wrestling. It’s one of those things where you have to try to find a balance, where you want to tell compelling stories, but at the same time, you don’t want people to miss the things you’re trying to do.”

    The Young Bucks on AEW’s PPV Schedule

    Nick Jackson also spoke about AEW’s schedule of running 4 PPVs a year.

    “We enjoy taking the three months to build a proper program and things like that because I feel like the payoff – which is the pay-per-view – makes it seem like a bigger thing,” said Nick Jackson. “I feel like that’s why we’ve kept getting 100,000-plus buys every three months because we make it feel special.”

    The Young Bucks On Why It Was Time To Turn Heel

    As for why it was time for the Young Bucks to turn heel, Matt Jackson offered up the following explanation:

    “Especially with us, because we’re executives at this company – we’re executive vice-presidents of AEW – and we told everybody that we helped put together the tag-team division, so it’s really hard for people to look at us as those same punk-rock Young Bucks that we were years ago, the ones that spat in the face of tradition – the ones that broke all the rules. It’s hard to break the rules when you’re the ones making the rules now.”

  • Sin Cara Eager to Work with Cody Rhodes and AEW

    Sin Cara Eager to Work with Cody Rhodes and AEW

    Former WWE star Sin Cara has been talking about his interest in working with AEW. Talking in an interview the Mexican star said that while he had not been contacted just yet, he is open to talks and ready to make the move to the Florida based promotion should opportunity come calling.

    I’m excited for the future and if they ever contact me, I’m here. He knows my number, Cody knows my number. Lot of the boys there know my number.

    Sin Cara’s interest is not a surprising move given the exposure AEW is getting and their willingness to let stars wrestle for other promotions also. Since his departure from WWE the luchador has changed his gimmick to Cinta de Oro a character that has been represented by several wrestlers over the years.

    With AEW already boasting a wealth of Latin talent and ties to AAA there is clear potential for the star to talk his way into a match or two. His recent twitter post hinted at something maybe being in the works.

    Could a Troubled History with Jericho Hinder an AEW Run?

    The only thing that might make AEW hesitant to offer the star a shot is his history as being a bit of a hothead behind the scenes. He was famously instructed to undergo anger management therapy during his WWE run, after altercations with Simon Gotch and more worryingly, Chris Jericho.

    With wrestling being a business where who you know is very important, the sin (Cara) of the past may return to hamper his future.

    Time will tell if there will be a debut in his future, but with such a wealth of talent already filling out the different AEW shows, you have to wonder if they need a man who was never anything more than a low mid-tier talent.

  • Ivelisse Alleges Misconduct Following Release From AEW

    Ivelisse Alleges Misconduct Following Release From AEW

    While Diamante went to war with Thunder Rosa in one of the co-main events of AEW Dark Elevation on Monday night, there was one figure who was decidedly absent. Diamante’s tag-team partner Ivelisse was no where to be seen.

    The wrestling star has since confirmed that she has been released from the promotion. This is not the first time the Puerto Rican wrestler has been released by a company. Similarly, it is not the first time she has seemingly done so with bad blood.

    The 33-year-old was last seen on AEW on March 2nd in a losing effort. Her disappearance was noticed, with reports circulating that it was due to a conflict with some of the AEW coaches. The star did send out a tweet, which was later deleted, that hinted at a problematic relationship with her employers.

    This is the third time Ivelisse has had a rocky departure from a major wrestling organization. After her termination with WWE, which she claimed came after she attempted to report Bill DeMott. She then joined Lucha Underground, from whom she split after five years. She and several other wrestlers filed a class action lawsuit against the company.

    Ivelisse in AEW: A New Start

    Ivelisse’s stint with AEW began back in 2018 and allowed her to carry on working for other promotions. AEW confirmed she was working on an appearance basis rather then on a fixed contract.

    For AEW, claims such as this are something they will face as they continue to grow as an organization.

    While for Ivelisse, people could easily cast her as the troublemaker, yet with Bill DeMott since resigning over multiple other allegations, and Lucha Undergrounds problems being well publicised, a case could be made that she has simply been dealt a rough hand in her career.

    Whatever the reason for her departure, she is keeping busy in various promotions as shown on her Instagram page. She’s a solid worker in the ring and is the current SHINE champion, having held the belt for almost five hundred days.

  • Paul Wight Teases ‘Captain Insano’ Might Appear In AEW

    Paul Wight Teases ‘Captain Insano’ Might Appear In AEW

    Paul Wight recently took part in an interview with Miro for the latter’s YouTube channel. During the discussion, Wight spoke about his character from Adam Sandler’s Waterboy, Captain Insano. According to Wight, we could see the character in AEW at some point.

    The film was released in 1998 and according to Wight’s comments, Tony Khan is friends with one of the creators.

    “You know, Captain Insano might be coming around again,” Wight said when asked about the character by Miro. “Tony Khan is really good friends with one of the writers or creators of Waterboy. The whole Captain Insano character, I think Tony’s trying real hard to get the rights to that and do something with it.”

    Wight also mentioned that he told Khan he would be excited to portray the character in AEW.

    “I told Tony if you get Captain Insano, I’ll rock the ever loving tits out of it,” Wight continued. “I’ll get the red boots, the whole 9 yards, Captain Insano shows no mercy, brother!”

    AEW filed to trademark “Captain Insano” last month. The purposes of the trademark were listed as ““Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer.”

    Watch Paul White’s discussion with AEW star Miro:

  • Chris Jericho Explains Signing With AEW To Steve Austin

    Chris Jericho Explains Signing With AEW To Steve Austin

    The episode of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions with Chris Jericho is currently streaming on the WWE Network. Early on during the conversation, Jericho explained to Austin his decision to sign with AEW in 2019.

    “I never thought that I would really work anywhere outside of WWE in the states, for example, after being there for 19 years or so,” Jericho said on the show.

    “When AEW was about to start and Tony Khan had this idea,” Jericho continued. “Now, you’ve been around longer than I have but you hear this all the time, ‘oh, there’s going to be a new promotion, there’s a guy whose got money,” whatever, you hear it all the time. So, when I started talking to him, I started realizing that there was something different here about this opportunity to start a new company.”

    Jericho then started talking about AEW and Tony Khan having the things needed to be successful with a new wrestling promotion.

    “What you need for that, is you need 3 things: finances and passion, that’s one. You need a television contract, and you need talent. You need about 4-6 guys you can build a territory around. Talking to Tony, he had the finances, he had the passion. Then when we started sniffing around, we realized there was a group of guys whose contracts were all coming up at the same time.”

    “Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, Young Bucks, Chris Jericho, Hangman Page, guess what? There’s your six guys right there, you can start a company on that. 6 legit guys you can build around and Jericho’s got the name value. These other guys, Cody to an extent, but nobody had really heard of the Young Bucks in the mainstream, or Kenny, or Hangman. So, when you see these guys, you’re like ‘where have these guys been?”

    “All 3 of those factors all came together in a perfect storm to where we’re like we have a chance to really do something here. The contract with TNT was big because I think at first we were thinking maybe Showtime, or HBO, or Netflix, all these different ideas. But you have to have network TV to get off the ground and TNT provided that.”

    The full episode is streaming on the WWE Network now.

  • Tony Khan: “I Just Want To Make New Fans Of Wrestling”

    Tony Khan: “I Just Want To Make New Fans Of Wrestling”

    AEW Dynamite next week will be unopposed. Tony Khan recently spoke to PW Insider about how he feels NXT moving nights will help create more wrestling fans.

     “I think there are a lot of wrestling fans who like AEW, and I think among the world of wrestling fans, we have a chance to continue building an audience and getting fans to check out the show now because we won’t be opposed by another wrestling show next week,” he said. “I think we’ll have some new fans coming in then I really hope, checking us out, and I hope to make some new wrestling fans in general, fans of AEW and then they can check out other companies and find what they like in wrestling, and find the wrestlers and the moves and the stories they like, and I just want to make new fans of wrestling.”

    Khan also spent some time during the interview talking about tomorrow’s house show. AEW will present “The House Always Wins” tomorrow from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville.

    “This is an experiment,” Khan said regarding tomorrow’s show. “It felt like a great week for us to do it where we have the whole crew available to us and we got a really good house for Dynamite this week, we have a great crowd, and with the recent sales of Dynamite, tickets have trended really well, Revolution did very well, the weather’s been great, the fans have been great, we wanted to do something special for our fans here in Jacksonville.”

  • Mike Tyson Saves Chris Jericho On AEW Dynamite

    Mike Tyson Saves Chris Jericho On AEW Dynamite

    As advertised, Mike Tyson made an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT, which marked his first appearance in AEW with a live crowd. 

    On the show, the boxing legend showed up in the second hour when The Pinnacle was attacking Chris Jericho in the ring. The rest of the Inner Circle was locked in a room backstage and was making their way out to the ring. After Tyson and Inner Circle stood tall in the ring, Jericho and Tyson hugged in peace, a reference to their past. 

    https://twitter.com/FiteTV/status/1379967412242554882

    Tyson made an appearance at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view event last year where he presented the TNT Championship to the winner of Cody Rhodes vs. Lance Archer, which served as the tournament finals to crown the inaugural TNT Champion.

    AEW followed up with another Tyson appearance on the May 27, 2020 edition of Dynamite where he was involved in a brawl alongside some of his friends with Jericho and the Inner Circle. This episode did 827,000 live viewers and a 0.32 in the important 18-49 demographic. 

    After this angle was shot, there had been some speculation about a match between the boxing great and Jericho happening. Jericho previously confirmed there were plans to do a match with Tyson at the AEW All Out PPV event on September 5th, but due to Tyson’s fight with Roy Jones jr. happening on September 12th, they had to postpone it. 

  • Inner Circle vs. Pinnacle In Blood And Guts Match Announced

    Inner Circle vs. Pinnacle In Blood And Guts Match Announced

    All Elite Wrestling is finally booking the Blood and Guts match. The COVID-19 pandemic previously prevented fans from seeing it in AEW.

    The original plan was for the match to take place in Newark, New Jersey in front of AEW’s largest paid crowd to date last year. The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz) were supposed to face The Elite (Kenny Omega, Cody, Hangman Page, and The Young Bucks) in the contest.

    On Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, Jericho came out with the rest of the Inner Circle members for a promo to address their feud with The Pinnacle (MJF, FTR, Wardlow, and Shawn Spears). This marked The Inner Circle’s first arena appearance since they were attacked by MJF and The Pinnacle a few weeks ago.

    Jericho blamed his “jerk off” friend MJF for some of the recent bad decisions they’ve made and apologized. He noted that he’s smart about pro wrestling and that’s why he brought MJF into the Inner Circle, but MJF outsmarted them. 

    He mocked MJF for being a mark for himself because he would run around backstage to see what people were saying about him after his matches.

    The former AEW World Heavyweight Champion then announced there will be a Blood and Guts match between The Inner Circle and The Pinnacle on the May 5th edition of Dynamite from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT.

  • Tony Khan Discusses Approving Chris Jericho’s Broken Skull Sessions Appearance

    Tony Khan Discusses Approving Chris Jericho’s Broken Skull Sessions Appearance

    AEW President and CEO Tony Khan commented on Chris Jericho appearing on Sunday’s episode of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions show on Peacock. 

    Khan was on Busted Open with Dave LaGreca and Tommy Dreamer where he talked about why he approved of Jericho’s appearance on the show. 

    Khan started out by stating that he never even considered this was going to be a possibility and when he first heard about it, he had to think about it for a minute. He brought how Jericho and Austin had talked about it beforehand. 

    “When Chris brought it up to me, at first I was taken aback because Chris doing something on Peacock on WWE’s channel is obviously going to give me pause. But when he said it was Steve hosting the show, I didn’t have to think very hard about it.”

    Khan continued by stating that he looked at this appearance as him or anyone else from AEW going on the Busted Open Radio show as he trusts Jericho to go on this show and feels the same way with him appearing on a WWE show. He also trusts Austin to do a great job with the interview. 

    “They’re both friends of mine, and I feel like it’s probably going to be a very good show,” Khan said. “I haven’t watched it yet, but Chris told me I’m really going to like it, and it’s a great chance for us to go out and promote AEW to a different set of fans. I was all for it, and definitely, Steve being the host had a lot to do with that.”

    This will be the first time that an AEW star will appear on WWE programming. 

  • AEW Dynamite Preview: Omega & Good Brothers vs. Moxley & Young Bucks

    AEW Dynamite Preview: Omega & Good Brothers vs. Moxley & Young Bucks


    All Elite Wrestling returns tonight with an all-new episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. This is the final battle of the Wednesday Night War, as NXT moves to Tuesday nights next week.

    NXT will have Night 1 of Takeover: Stand & Deliver, so AEW has some stiff competition. That said, AEW has a big lineup announced, including the return of boxing legend “Iron” Mike Tyson:

    Dynamite Preview for April 7th

    In addition to whatever AEW has planned with Mike Tyson, the following matches are set for Dynamite:

    • AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers will take on Jon Moxley and World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks.
    • TNT Champion Darby Allin defending against JD Drake
    • Hangman Page faces Max Caster of The Acclaimed.
    • Jurassic Express vs. Bear Country
    • Tay Conti vs. The Bunny

    Plus, we’ll get the latest from the Inner Circle after their surprise return and beatdown of the Pinnacle last week.

    Join us here later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results & Takeaways. Until then, check out our AEW News page.

  • Mike Tyson Returning To AEW Dynamite This Wednesday

    Mike Tyson Returning To AEW Dynamite This Wednesday

    AEW has announced that Mike Tyson will be returning to AEW this Wednesday night on Dynamite. It’s been 11 months since “The Baddest Man on the Planet” appeared on Dynamite along with his entourage and confronted Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle. He also appearedon the Double or Nothing PPV in May of 2020.

    “There are many reasons I wanted Mike to come back,” Khan said to SI.com. “He made a huge impact last year at Double or Nothing, and we’re at a point where we can bring him back in front of our fans. The fans who have come to the shows in Jacksonville have added so much to AEW, and it’s important for me that our fans get to see him live. We’re excited to have Mike back.”

    Tony Khan was also quoted in a press release for this week’s Dynamite.

    “There’s nothing better than an impassioned, live wrestling crowd. Since August 2020, we’ve provided safe, outdoor shows at Daily’s Place, with zero reported transmissions amongst our fans, and we’re so appreciative of the amazing fans who have been joining us week after week,” Khan said.

    “It’s been incredible for our wrestlers, and for those watching at home, to hear the live reactions. This includes historic events like Kenny Omega winning the AEW World Title, Sting’s surprise arrival, Shaq teaming with Jade Cargill against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet, The Young Bucks and Darby Allin’s respective championship wins at FULL GEAR, and so many other magic moments. Likewise, Mike Tyson always commands a massive ovation and the attention of fans worldwide. I’m excited for everyone here in Jacksonville, and for those watching on TNT and around the world, to see what Mike Tyson has in store for AEW.”

  • Trish Stratus Praises Britt Baker

    Trish Stratus Praises Britt Baker

    Trish Stratus was recently ranked as the #1 WWE women’s wrestler of the modern era. WWE ranked its top-50 female Superstars since the early 90s and Trish topped the list. Trish also recently took the time to praise AEW’s Britt Baker on Twitter.

    Busted Open Radio announced that Trish will be a guest on the show tomorrow. Baker then asked for the hosts to say hi to Trish for her.

    Trish then responded to Britt’s comment.

    “Hello you bloody legend – literally! Wanted to reach out to give you the proverbial thumbs up but well, you know how that went for some … but since I have you, thank you for your work and contributions as a woman in our sport. Keep it up girl,” Trish wrote.

    In a recent interview with Digital Spy, Baker talked about having watched a Trish Stratus match the night before her Lights Out match with Thunder Rosa.

    “The night before to hype myself up I watched the Trish Stratus and Lita main event from Raw. Just the gravity of that match, how it’s remembered as one of the most iconic women’s matches of all time I wanted to go in having that same mentality,” Baker said.  

    “I wanted this match to be remembered, I want this to be something that people talk about forever, not just for this week, not just for tonight. I just really wanted it to go down as something that is remembered.”

  • Christian Explains How His In-Ring Return Came Together

    Christian Explains How His In-Ring Return Came Together

    Christian Cage made his return to in-ring action as a surprise entrant in the 2021 Royal Rumble after saying away from the action for more than 7 years. However, while the plans for his return were only finalised days before the show, the journey for his comeback started months before the PPV.

    During his recent appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, the former world champion detailed the steps he took that led to his Royal Rumble appearance. He recalled how Edge’s return a year prior had made him think about his own future. Christian revealed that he made an appointment with the doctor. His thinking was that if the results were positive then he would have opened the doors. If they were not then he would be in no different situation than he already was:

    “I went to the University of South Florida and saw a specialist there, and I went through the physical training, went through the testing on the computer. They even said the testing had advanced some, obviously since I took it last, and when I sat in with the doctor, after I did all the tests, he was like, ‘Man, your test scores were great. You were average or above average on everything. You didn’t fail. You weren’t below average on any of these scores. Your physical tests were great, so let’s have a conversation.’ We started talking.”

    Christian eventually got to the point where the doctors started asking him about his plans. The former WWE star told them that he wanted to go back and finish his career on his own terms. Once the doctors told him that it was a possibility, he brought it to the attention of WWE. The company then sent him to Pittsburgh for more rigorous testing towards the ending of October:

    “I brought it to WWE’s attention that I had got this clearance, and obviously, they were very excited about it and was told they wanted to keep it close to the vest, quietly, [they] sent me up to Pittsburgh, I believe, towards the end of October. They sent me up there, and same thing, I just went through tests, but it was a harder test. It was more thorough tests, and it was probably about five hours long to be honest. And I saw about three or four different specialists for different things. Did a full in the gym physical workout.”

    However, while the WWE doctors had cleared him for a return, Christian hadn’t heard anything about his future until January. According to him, the officials called him on the Friday night before the Royal Rumble. They told Captain Charisma that they thought there wasn’t a big enough surprise in the Battle Royal. The current AEW star thought about it for a second and despite having no contract with the company at the time, he said yes to the offer.

  • RVD Comments On Potential All Elite Wrestling Signing

    RVD Comments On Potential All Elite Wrestling Signing

    AEW has signed a number of wresting veterans in recent times including names such as Sting, Paul Wight and Christian. Another name which could be a good fit for the company is RVD.

    The hardcore star was even rumored to be the surprise entrant at the Face Of The Revolution ladder match at one point on the company’s last PPV before it was revealed to be Ethan Page.

    RVD was asked about potentially joining the AEW roster during his recent interview with ReelTalker.com and the former WWE champion said that he always goes with the flow:

    “I just always go with the flow of the universe. I’m always very happy with the way things turn out, AEW, I watch it sometimes, mostly to help Katie Forbes out.

    She’ll watch it, she’s up-and-coming, learning and I’ll point stuff out.” said RVD, “There is nothing that interests me about going there, except for business.”

    The former WWE star, who hasn’t wrestled since September was also asked about his future in the industry and he claimed that there is nothing that makes him want to wrestle except for business.

    RVD explained that while fans may think that he dreams of wrestling different opponents, it’s not the case for him. According to the wrestling veteran, he could be done with the sport and he is totally fine with never getting in the ring again.

  • Chris Jericho On Why TNT Was Unhappy With Sting’s Surprise AEW Debut

    Chris Jericho On Why TNT Was Unhappy With Sting’s Surprise AEW Debut

    Christian Cage was the latest guest on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast where the duo talked about the former’s recent AEW signing and debut in detail.

    Another former WWE star who made his All Elite Wrestling debut recently is Sting. He surprised fans and created a lot of buzz during his appearance at the Winter Is Coming special of Dynamite.

    During the interview, Jericho revealed that the TNT Network was not happy with Sting’s surprise appearance on Dynamite because they wanted to take advantage of the rating boost:

    “I thought it was cool too because I know when we had Sting has a surprise, the network was like, don’t do that again, that’s why Paul Wight was announced on social media because TNT said we don’t want surprises. We want to take advantage of the rating.

    So I think we had a big surprise, then we had a big announcement and then we use that big announcement to announce the next big surprise.” explained Chris Jericho, “I think that’s one of the reasons too to kind of spread it out a bit as well.”

    Christian Compares AEW to WWE

    Christian also talked about his time in WWE and said that he has nothing bad to say about his time with the company. He then discussed the difference between the WWE and AEW locker room.

    The former WWE star explained that the AEW locker room seems less hectic and less frantic to him and he feels that the talent are surer of themselves as performers and what they are going to do.

  • Chris Jericho Appearing On Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions (4/11)

    Chris Jericho Appearing On Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions (4/11)

    Chris Jericho will be the next guest on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions. The episode premieres next Sunday, April 11th on Peacock and the WWE Network.

    You read that correctly: AEW star Chris Jericho returns to the WWE programming for an all-new interview with former rival, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.”

    Steve Austin replied, “Hell Yeah!!!” to the WWE Network’s announcement. You can see a video teaser of Chris Jericho and Steve Austin sitting down together in the tweeted embedded below.

    WWE, AEW & The Forbidden Door

    All Elite Wrestling has been at the forefront of ‘opening forbidden doors’ over the past several months. The promotion has changed the wrestling landscape by its open borders policy with other companies such as Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

    Chris Jericho appearing on the WWE Network while under contract to AEW is a surreal development that is sure to draw viewers during WrestleMania weekend.

    Steve Austin has creative freedom with his Broken Skull Sessions interview show, so it will be interesting to see what hot-button topics are discussed. Austin and Jericho have been friends going back to the late 1990’s, so there will be plenty to talk about. Both men are also podcast hosts and highly entertaining personalities, all-but-guaranteeing this will be an interview that wrestling fan’s can’t miss.

  • Britt Baker Addresses Critics Of AEW Women’s Division

    Britt Baker Addresses Critics Of AEW Women’s Division

    Britt Baker was the first female wrestler signed to AEW and claims to be the face of the division. She was recently interviewed by Wrestle Talk and spoke about the criticism that’s been given to AEW’s women’s division.

    “I think it kind of speaks of our generation as a whole where we’re microwave babies. We want everything now. We don’t want to wait for stuff to cook, to marinade, we wanna walk over to the microwave, put my Hot Pocket in there, and eat it in two minutes, right? It doesn’t work like that in real life,” Baker said. “Things don’t happen overnight. There’s very rarely a success overnight. Things take time, so I feel like I’ve been a broken record on a lot of these interviews saying just give us time, we’re brand new.”

    Baker also spoke about how the roster of the women’s division in AEW has little experience wrestling on television.

    “Not only that, the women’s division especially has little to no TV experience. So we’re learning on the fly for your entertainment, so please be patient with us. I know we’re superstars, we’re rockstars, we’re supposed to be the best of the best, and we are going to be, and I am. But, with that being said, you need to have a little bit of freakin’ patience and if everyone would have listened to me from day one, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation because people wouldn’t have been bitching essentially.”

    Britt Baker on AEW Women’s Division Getting More Time On Television

    She also addressed critics who say that AEW’s women’s division isn’t getting enough time on television.

    “(They’re saying we) deserve more, but it needs to be the right time and everybody needs to be ready for the opportunity as well,” Baker continued. “And a part of me is thankful for all the criticism because if we didn’t have it, I don’t think I would have had as much of a fire under my ass for this main event match. Because I love to say, ‘I told you so’, I’m a heel, but I love to prove people wrong. And we had so many eyes on the match because, let’s say it, some people probably wanted to see it fail, and it to not be main event worthy. Which is great, because if that’s why more people tuned in, we love you for it.”

    The full interview featuring Britt Baker can be viewed in the player below:

    https://youtu.be/1h5_88izT9A