Will Hobbs, the newest member of Team Taz, will be in action.
Last week, a mystery attacker laid out AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and prevented him from signing the contract to wrestle Kenny Omega at Winter is Coming. AEW has announced a contract signing will take place again tonight on Dynamite.
.@JonMoxley never backs down from a fight and wants to sign on the dotted line. It's the contract signing between Omega & Moxley for Dec 2nd TONIGHT on Dynamite.
Head over to our AEW News page for all the latest news articles from the past week, including The Young Bucks talking about their first meeting with Tony Khan and Kenny Omega revealing that he is currently working through an injury.
For more on tonight’s AEW Dynamite, visit the AEW website’s official preview.
The All In show was the start of a new era in wrestling and then Young Bucks’ association with Tony Khan has led to some massive changes in the industry.
During a recent interview with TalkSport, the brothers discussed a number of things and also revealed details of their first meeting with the person who will eventually become the president of All Elite Wrestling.
The Bucks first revealed that they had actually no sold Khan’s first attempt of contacting them and according to Nick Jackson they almost didn’t pick his phone:
“What’s funny is he tried contacting us both at first and I no sold it because I had heard this story before. I was like ‘ah, I don’t believe it’”
However, Matt Jackson decided to take the call and they had a conversation about starting AEW. According to the duo, they were still skeptical about it at the time but things started snowballing after their first face to face meeting:
“I remember meeting him for the first time in London at York Hall for a Ring of Honor show. He was in the balcony and little did Ring of Honor know that we were going to meet him [laughs].
He picked us up in a limousine right after that and took us to the stadium his team plays at [Fulham’s Craven Cottage] and we pretty much talked from there, things started snowballing and we pretty much knew it was serious when we were at his stadium and he’s telling us ‘maybe we can fill this thing up one day!”
During the interview, the Young Bucks revealed that they had plans to do a UK tour right before the coronavirus hit but the pandemic halted those plans.
The duo also confirmed that they are working towards getting a live show in the UK but they claimed that there is no news on that right now. You can check out their full interview at this link.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley joined his wife Renee Paquette for the premiere episode of her Oral Sessions podcast.
It was an entertaining discussion that showcased Paquette’s penchant for interviewing. They spoke about Moxley’s childhood (“First of all, I was adorable”) before talking at length about their complimentary personalities, with Renee being outgoing and Moxley being more of an introvert. She joked, “I can’t believe how comfortable you are with making other people uncomfortable” and said she has always been impressed how comfortable he is with silence.
Jon Moxley: Introvert Hero
Moxley said he spends a lot of time in his own head, even when conversing with people. Someone will be talking to him, and he’s carrying on with a separate conversation in his head. Some have found that odd, but it’s how his mind works.
Moxley said people have been trying to ‘fix’ that aspect of him since he was young. since he was a kid. As a 35 year old man, he has identified quirks in his personality that are off-putting to other people an has smoothed out the rough edges. Overall, he’s gotten this far being himself.
Renee said that sometimes she burns herself out feeling like she has to be outgoing and ask people questions. It can be exhausting to give so much of herself to people in social situations, while Moxley is passive. He dropped a great quote when he said, “You need to learn the art of ignoring people.”
He does not like social media, because it’s a 1-way conversation, like a bulletin board. Sometime’s he’ll be asked to post things and will do it for Renee or AEW’s social media manager. However, it’s generally not his thing.
Moxley spoke about his childhood, where he was a mischievous kid from Piccadilly, Cincinnati. He described the area as being run-down with trailer parks and lots of fights. He’d steal things just to get by. He knew the difference between right and wrong, but everybody stole. “We had no money.”
“You’re Not A Good Famous Person”
At age 12, he couldn’t imagine being famous when he was older. It was ridiculous to entertain that concept. “You’re not a great famous person,” said Renee.
Money said the fame brought him financial security and the ability to provide for his family and friends. He lived much of his life without any money, so he saves as much as he can and doesn’t care about the finer things. He doesn’t buy fancy toys, he’s not into fancy restaurants. During the interview, he said the shirt and hat he was wearing were gifted to him. In fact, he didn’t even have a bank account when he received his first paycheck from WWE.
As for the attention that fame brings, he could do without it. He’d be content making good money wrestling at the local community rec center in front of 500 people every weekend. He just wants to wrestle, tell stories, get physical and experience that feeling he gets after a big match.
There’s a lot more to the interview, including his take on WWE Superstars being independent contractors and a fun story about a special night they shared in Times Square after a WWE MSG live event.
Listen to Jon Moxley on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast at AudioBoom.com or in the player embedded below:
Ricky Starks made his AEW debut in June by answering Cody Rhodes’ TNT Championship Open Challenge. During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Starks reveals that he got a phone call from WWE almost immediately after the match.
This wasn’t Starks’ first communication with WWE. He previously worked as an extra on television and had a tryout back in 2017, but doesn’t believe he was close to being signed. “I don’t think I was close at all and I’ll never understand why,” he began. I love wrestling. I’ve never played any sports, I never did anything, I only watched wrestling. And I have immersed myself and become obsessed with it and I love it to death.”
Ricky Starks On WWE Contacting Him After Cody Rhodes Match
Later in the interview, Starks talked about WWE contacting him after his match against Cody this summer.
“The funny thing is, the day that I wrestled Cody I got a phone call from WWE saying ‘Hey, we’ve been watching you and we wanted to bring you in’. I said ‘Oh really? oh ok. Interesting. Of all days’. And so I entertained that conversation because I was curious but I think I knew already which decision I was going to make,” Starks said.
“And I had a very dear, great friend tell me once: you should look at the people who want to invest in you and not know anything about you as opposed to the people who only wanted you when they saw someone else having interest. So that put things in perspective and I don’t hold any ill will towards WWE but I really think they dropped the ball majorly on that. I’ll never know why and I guess I don’t care now.”
Chris Van Vliet’s full interview with Ricky Starks can be viewed in the player below.
The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson, recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The AEW Tag Team Champions discussed a number of topics during their time on the show; these included their time in IMPACT, changing their working style and writing their new autobiography.
The Bucks would also talk about their chaotic and ‘spot fest’ style of tag team wrestling. It’s clear that there have been detractors of this type of in-ring style; particularly among those with an ‘old-school’ mentality, such as Jim Cornette. The Young Bucks would express exactly why they feel they’re so polarizing as a duo during Busted Open.
Young Bucks on Wrestling ‘Rules’
“We broke the unwritten rules of wrestling” Matt Jackson would begin. “Like you’re only supposed to do a couple of high spots in the match. Well what do we do? We start off with 20 high spots.”
“And ‘hey, the Superkick is a finisher!’ Not for us” Jackson would continue. “For us it’s just a fun move we do 12 times a match. These are the rules of wrestling that…the unspoken rules you do not break. So, when you do those things? People say ‘you’re going to kill the business.’”
Young Bucks: Killing the Business from Backyards to the Big Leagues is the duo’s newly released book. Matt Jackson would also discuss how the name came about based on the aforementioned in-ring style. “I think that’s kind of where the phrase was kind of coined. It was the critics who said that we were spamming Superkicks. That we were doing too many high spots. We were doing all of the things that you’re not supposed to do. But for whatever reason? It worked for us when it was never supposed to work.”
Do you enjoy the AEW Tag Team Champion’s style of wrestling? Are you going to check out the new book? Let us know in the comments
Chris Jericho has been a part of the wrestling world for over 30 years and during this time, the former world champion has seen the good, the bad and the worst the industry has to offer.
One of the things Y2J has seen the wrestling world evolving through is the extensive use of drug back in the day to the current era where it’s considered prohibited.
Jericho talked about a number of things during his recent appearance on Keeping it 100 with Konnan podcast, such as the backstage environment at AEW:
“It’s been a really cool environment with AEW because Tony is, you never want to say this, but he’s one of the boys to an extent, he’s one of the boys in that he hangs out after the show. He’s very generous.”
Discussing the difference in the drug use in today’s wrestling compared to the past, Jericho said “Now, it’s you know, weed and alcohol, there’s really no pills, there’s really no drugs.”
Chris Jericho also talked about the backstage environment at AEW after the shows saying that there is food for everyone after the show and often there is alcohol as well. He explained that it’s because Tony Khan has a sports background and he knows how to take care of his athletes.
The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson, recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The AEW Tag Team Champions discussed a number of topics during their time on the show; these included their time in IMPACT, changing their working style and writing their new autobiography.
During the show co-host Tommy Dreamer asked the Bucks why they decided to adopt a more ‘unapologetic’ in-ring and promo style. “At first we weren’t that way” Matt Jackson would respond. “At first we were just like everybody else. We’re the young guys and we’re gonna do whatever you tell us to do. It didn’t seem to work for us, like yeah sure we had good matches, but that was only taking us so far and I think it got to the point where people were kind of walking all over us a little bit.”
The Young Bucks on IMPACT
Matt would then describe how this initial approach affected The Young Bucks when they joined IMPACT (then TNA) as Generation Me. “We went to IMPACT Wrestling and sort of failed there” Matt stated. “Because we were too afraid to address issues that we might have seen. They [management] wanted us to turn on each other and wrestle each other. We thought that was a terrible idea, but you know what? We were nice guys so we went and we did it.”
“They started kind of tarnishing our brand a little bit” Matt continued. “It got to the point where Nick and I were just like, ‘listen, we have to make a change here because we can see what route this is going. [We can see] what route our career is headed. And we made the decision like ‘if we’re gonna do this? Let’s go do it like we did in the backyard. Let’s go have fun and let’s wrestle with our hair down, and let’s act like there are no rules and let’s be boundless out there.”
Matt would finish by saying how this approach would boost The Young Bucks as a brand and gain them a far bigger following. “As soon as we were unafraid and unapologetic? We decided ‘hey if we’re gonna get heat doing this? Let’s just do it, because what’s the worst that can happen? We’re already broke right now and we’re not making any headway in our caree,r let’s just try this thing. As soon as we kind of dove into that? Those weird, unapologetic characters? People started gravitating towards us.”
Who would you like to see The Young Bucks feud with for the AEW tag titles? Let us know in the comments
Kenny Omega is getting ready for what’s arguably one of the biggest matches in the history of AEW against the World Champion Jon Moxley for his title at the upcoming December 2 episode of Dynamite.
However, it appears that the preparation for this bout is extra hard for the cleaner as he is not only trying to deliver a great performance but he is doing so while dealing with an injury to avoid surgery.
Omega revealed on his recent appearance on Wrestling Observer Radio that he has a torn labrum and he has been working through it to try and avoid having to miss time due to a surgery:
“So, you know, a torn labrum, as you know, is no laughing matter. That’s a surgery, but I have a very talented and unbelievable trainer, and you know our doctors, of course, are always monitoring and making sure we’re doing okay, but our trainer Bryce Ready is just next level kind of guy. He has kept me together and in a condition where I’m able to perform.
As long as I make that that I see him two or three times a week. I can lift; I have full range of motion. I just need to make sure that I can look after it, and I can avoid having that surgery.” said Kenny Omega, “I can’t afford having that time off. If things get worse that’s an option I’ll have to consider.”
Kenny Omega has wrestled Jon Moxley once before in the main event of the Full Gear PPV in November 2019 in an unsanctioned match but this will be the first time the two men will be wrestling in a standard match in the company.
While the former NJPW star seems to be doing fine despite the injury at the moment, it’s still an added concern for the AEW management and it would be interesting to see if Omega is able to deliver a performance living up to the hype of his upcoming match with the AEW Champion.
Jim Ross has been a part of the wrestling business for more than 4 decades and he continues to provide his services in his new role as the lead commentator for All Elite Wrestling.
The former WWE star has stated multiple times that the AEW role has given him a new purpose in his life and the wrestling veteran says that it’s going to be his ‘last gig’ in pro wrestling.
Ross recently talked about his role in the new promotion on the latest episode of his Grilling JR Podcast. He said that he is very lucky to get this job and explained that it’s going to be his last gig in the business:
“It’s been a great experience, I’ve been very lucky to get this gig. It will be my last gig in pro wrestling – I can promise you that. But I hope it doesn’t end anytime soon.”
Jim Ross also talked about the possibility of AEW adding another hour of television to their current programming saying that he would be shocked if the company doesn’t do it.
AEW has already announced that they are working on a second show with TNT but the company has not provided any timetable for its debut so it’s hard to say when we might see it on TV.
Even though AEW has faced some challenges from WWE, Kenny Omega isn’t against the idea of the promotion working with WWE should if a potential scenario comes up in the future.
The All Elite Wrestling EVP spoke about the idea of WWE approaching AEW for a potential working relationship while doing an interview with Wrestling Observer Radio.
“If, for some reason, WWE came knocking on our door and said, ‘hey, we would love to do a talent switch or tradeoff, or work together on something, I’d be all for it,’”
Omega joked that he wasn’t sure whether AEW President Tony Khan would welcome such a deal. He does think a talent exchange would help pro wrestling’s popularity.
“Whatever benefits the wrestling fan must always come first,” Omega stated. “When you start thinking about fantasy scenarios, if wrestlers crossed over like that, it gets really exciting.”
Omega thinks it would be a win-win situation for current fans and they won’t ever know until they try.
Omega challenges Jon Moxley for the AEW World Heavyweight Title on the December 2nd episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
Jon Moxley casually mentioned that he had a pregnant wife at home during a promo on this week’s episode of Dynamite and this is how the world found out about the pregnancy of Renee Young.
Young opened up about her pregnancy after the big announcement in her interview with People.com and said that they are beyond excited to start this new chapter of their lives:
“We are so beyond excited to start this new chapter, and now finally having the world know feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest.
I am the worst at keeping fun secrets! However I definitely couldn’t have predicted that the world would have found out on AEW Dynamite.”
Talking about the way the world found out about her pregnancy, Young revealed that she was still thinking about ways to make the announcement when Mox decided to let everyone know:
“I was thinking about all of these cute different ways that we could break the news to everyone and then bam, Jon just haphazardly spills the beans on Dynamite! But we’re a kinda no-frills couple, so I guess it actually fit perfectly.”
Renee Young then revealed that they don’t know the gender of the baby yet but said that they have options for baby names for both the scenarios.
The former WWE star also claimed that her maternal instinct is telling her that it’s going to be a girl. You can check out her full interview at this link.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho has detailed what he believes the promotion could be doing better, acknowledging that it has made a few mistakes along the way.
Speaking with Konnan on his podcast Keeping it 100, Jericho discussed how, despite AEW’s success, there have been “details that sometimes slip through the cracks.”
“We still have quite a few times when very similar angles will happen one after the other. An example of that was a few weeks ago when the big question was if MJF would join The Inner Circle,” Jericho said.
“I think there was a town hall when Bischoff was asking the questions. As soon as we were done, we went to a package where Taz was asking if Hobbs will join Taz’ team.”
According to Jericho, he brought up the similarities in a production meeting, asking how it happened. He stressed how the segments were the “exact same thing” and that nobody noticed.
Looking to try and differentiate the two segments, Jericho pitched a few ideas. This extended to leaning into different wording between the two stories. He explained how they used “Will MJF join The Inner Circle was the tagline for our PPV match, therefore any other joinings should be suspended for this duration.”
He stated how that approach is “common sense” before admitting that, sometimes, “those things fall through the cracks.”
Chris Jericho then stressed how, if there’s one thing AEW can do going forward, it’s to commit “a little more attention to detail.”
Chris Jericho And Comedy
When Konnan asked if Jericho thinks he’s doing too much comedy in AEW, Jericho argued that, regardless, his feuds always have heat.
He explained how his storylines will always have a beginning, middle, and end that is meticulously planned out. Jericho added how he’s not booking anybody else, only himself.
Jericho explained how, to have a captivating, compelling story, “there has to be ups and downs.”
He then argued how the original idea and connection between himself and MJF stemmed from comedy as “they are very similar characters.”
He added how the ultimate end goal is to turn everybody into much bigger stars by feuding with him. “At this point in my career, all I’m about is entertaining and being creatively stimulated and not doing the same old same old.”
Jericho then reflected on the recent Le Dinner Debonair segment with MJF. He credited MJF with the idea before praising him as a “childhood prodigy.”
“The song and dance routine, I wouldn’t do that with anybody, that was MJF’s idea by the way. The guy was a childhood prodigy. He’s been singing and dancing since he was five years old. If there was ever a time to try it, let’s do it. Are we going to do it every week? No. Is it something people will always remember? Yes.”
Jon Moxley somewhat casually mentioned he has a pregnant wife at home during a promo on AEW Dynamite this week. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Renee has been pregnant for some time now and was about to make a public announcement. Moxley was the one who decided to reveal the news in a wrestling promo, however.
At first, Moxley is said to have not wanted to announce anything but realized it was unavoidable. He was shown examples of other celebrities who have publicly announced a pregnancy and did not like what he saw.
“He was shown instagram notices on how celebrities have done it and found them gross and pretentious but never even considered the idea of announcing it in a wrestling promo. Then at 2 a.m. before the show, he came up with the inspiration to do a promo about his dad, which, by the way, was 100 percent real,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
He is then said to have determined the morning of the show that he can tie in Renee’s pregnancy with the promo he was going to deliver that night about his dad. He told Renee her phone would be blowing up during the broadcast and that was that.
Former Smackdown Women’s Champion, Bayley, found out about the pregnancy before others. She noted on Twitter that Renee actually sent her a text about it that was meant to go to Moxley.
AEW President Tony Khan recently appeared on The Wade Keller Pro Wrestling podcast. The All Elite Wrestling owner discussed a number of topics during his time on the show; including issues during the pandemic and the AEW roster growing over the past year.
“I would say, 10 out of the top 10 issues are related to the pandemic” Tony Khan began on the show. “So, I’d have to really go pretty deep to find a big problem that was not related to the pandemic!”
Tony Khan on AEW Roster
Khan would also discuss how the growth of the AEW roster has really surprised him. The AEW head would state that he wasn’t even conscious of the amount of great talent on the independent scene after AEW began.
“I’ve been really pleasantly surprised how many great wrestlers we’ve added since we started. We had a great group when we started, then we did a big pay per view right off the bat with Double or Nothing in MGM Grand.”
“We did great, great shows over that first summer when we launched Dynamite” Tony Khan would continue. “We launched Dynamite with a really great roster. And we’ve added so many people in the year since.”
Tony Khan
Khan would finish by teasing that there are still some ‘big’ names out in the ether that AEW are negotiating with. “There’s people still debuting on Dynamite and there’s people that are working their way up our roster on Dark that I’m really excited about. Then there’s big names that nobody knows about that I’m talking to. So, I’ve got a lot of aces up my sleeve.”
Current All Elite Wrestling TNT Champion Darby Allin has opened up about his in-ring style during an interview with TVInsider. During the discussion, Allin also shared his thoughts on being viewed as a fan favorite competitor.
When it comes to his pro wrestling training, Allin revealed he learned under an “old school” coach. He explained how this old school mentality makes its way into his matches.
“My trainer is old school. His name is Buddy Wayne. He is super old school. I’ve learned the old-school style, and I do apply it if you see my matches. It’s not just high spots,” Allin said. “There is a lot of storytelling behind everything I do. There is a brain behind what I do. As far as what people say about me, that I need to slow down, I know what works for me, and my body feels great. I’m really on physical therapy, recovery, stretching, and icing. I feel great.”
Darby Allin On Being a Role Model
Allin confessed it feels good to have been so well-received by AEW’s fanbase. He noted how they’ve embraced him for being himself. This ability to just portray himself on-screen means he doesn’t feel “any added pressure” to be a role model.
“I’m going to keep being myself. I never said I was a role model, but if they want to take me as one I’m down. A lot of kids for example look at me because I’m straight edge. I don’t drink or do drugs. I feel like that’s a cool outlook for kids to see.”
Allin recalled having anti-drug groups visit his school when he was younger. He shared how these groups would dictate what they should and shouldn’t do. Allin questioned this approach. According to Allin, he’s happy to have fans see him as a role model as he is a living embodiment of his personal ideologies.
Darby Allin recently competed on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. He teamed with Cody in a losing effort against FTW Champion Brian Cage and Ricky Starks.
AEW Dynamite scored a decisive win over NXT this week. Here is the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
AEW: 850,000 viewers, 0.37 rating (7th on cable for the night)
NXT: 638,000 viewers, 0.14 rating (56th on cable for the night)
For comparison, Monday’s WWE Raw averaged 1.778 million viewers with a 0.51 rating in the key demo. AEW and NXT combined tied Raw in the Adults 18-49 demo.
The big story this week is the strength of AEW’s numbers. This was the second best rating for Dynamite of 2020, only behind the January 15th Bash at the Beach episode. Dynamite, while going head-to-head with NXT, actually beat Raw in the Adults 18-34 demo. This is extra impressive considering Raw featured Drew McIntyre defeating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in the main event.
You can find full results and our takeaways from both shows below:
Jade Cargill the latest guest on this week’s AEW Unrestricted podcast. Cargill made her AEW television debut last week on Dynamite and has moved right into prominent storylines with Cody and Brandi Rhodes.
During her discussion with Aubrey Edwards and and Tony Schiavone, Cargill spoke about training at the Nightmare Factory with QT Marshall, being inspired by WWE legend Chyna, running her own fitness business, being a mother and more.
She credits QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes with helping launch her pro wrestling career. “Dustin’s really been geared in,” she said. “He’s been making sure that I’m prepared. He made my debut super easy for me. He talked me through everything as well as QT at the Nightmare Factory. They’ve been sitting down, talking to me, rehearsing with me, making sure that everything is perfect.”
Jade Cargill in AEW
Jade Cargill has a unique look with her bodybuilder frame and long silver hair. She recalls guys picking on her when she was younger, but turned to WWE legend Chyna for inspiration. Chyna was empowered by her muscles, which led Cargill to feel the same way about her own body.
“Growing up I’ve always been muscular and I used to always get picked on by guys saying, ‘Oh she looks like a man. She’s too muscular.’ And I remember growing up and watching Chyna and seeing how she just embodied, just loved how she looked, and it just did nothing but empower me and make me say, ‘You know what? I look good. These muscles look great!’”
“I was just sitting around with my friends, and they said, ‘You know what color you should wear? You should wear the silver or the white color.’ And I said, ‘Oh wow! I would love that!’ And they said, ‘You know, you look like Storm.’ I tried it, and I loved it. I love what she stands for. She’s a powerful Black woman, and I think I stand for that same thing.”
Jade Cargill recently signed a multi-year deal with AEW, so fans can expect to see
Listen to Jade Cargill’s appearance on AEW Unrestricted at Omny.fm or in the player embedded below:
Will Hobbs showed his true color last night on AEW Dynamite. That color is orange.
The main event saw TNT Champion Darby Allin and Cody Rhodes taking on Brian Cage and Ricky Starks. Team Taz picked up the win after Cage spiked Allin with an avalanche Drill Claw. After the match, Team Taz beat down Allin and Rhodes, until Will Hobbs came running down to ringside with a steel chair.
Hobbs was a bit late to make the save, as he has been before when saving Allin and Rhodes from Team Taz. As it turns out, this was no coincidence and was actually a big angle playing out before our eyes.
With the heels outside the ring, Hobbs dropped the steel chair, picked up Cage’s FTW Championship smashed into the face of Cody Rhodes. Hobbs embraced Team Taz as the faction’s newest member.
Former WWE Superstar Victoria (Lisa Marie Varon) has expressed her interest in becoming a part of All Elite Wrestling’s training team.
During an interview with the Wrestling Inc. Daily Podcast, Victoria discussed how she was “open” to the idea of becoming All Elite.
“I’ve always wanted to be a trainer for the new kids, being an agent or something like that,” Victoria said. “I have a lot to give back I think. I learned a lot like going through a lot of mistakes in the business, what not to do on TV, that kind of stuff, and I think I have a lot of knowledge to share.”
Despite her open interest, however, there was one caveat she brought up as a subject of discussion: travel. Victoria admitted she isn’t sure she can do “four days a week again and have a normal home life.”
“That’s a tough part. You’re sacrificing a lot to go back, so of course, it’d have to be financially viable and something I would enjoy, and I would have to see how the locker room is and see if I get along with everybody. I don’t want to go to a miserable atmosphere. I still want to be in a positive atmosphere.”
Victoria retired from in-ring competition last year. When asked about a potential return, she teased how “you never know.” She admitted she’s not in talks with any promotions about a return before acknowledging that if she were to come back, it would have to be a “good scenario,” not just an empty cameo appearance.
AEW Dynamite aired live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. Cody Rhodes & TNT Champion Darby Allin teamed up to face Ricky Starks & Brian Cage in the main event. In addition to the takeaways below, Jade Cargill attacked Brandi backstage and stomped on her arm inside of a steel chair.
Serena Deeb def. Thunder Rosa to retain the NWA Women’s Championship
Brian Cage & Ricky Starks def. Cody & Darby Allin
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Young Bucks Defeated Top Flight
Young Bucks battled Top Flight (Darius & Dante Martin) in the first match of the night.
Match Recap: Nick Jackson and Darius started off the match. Nick connected with a chop and went for an Arm Drag but Darius landed on his feet. Dante and Matt tagged in and Dante connected with a kick for a two count. Dante followed it up with a Dropkick and a Clothesline.
Top Flight did a flip and posed in the ring as the Young Bucks regrouped outside the ring. Matt and Dante locked up in the middle of the ring and Nick tagged himself in. Nick connected with a Superkick that sent Dante to the corner. Young Bucks followed it up with a Bulldog/Superkick combo and Matt tagged back in.
Matt locked in a Half Crab but Darius broke it up. Matt then Powerbombed Dante on top of Darius in the corner. Nick tagged in and delivered a Double Stomp and followed it up with a Backstabber on Dante. Dante avoided the Meltzer Driver and tagged in Darius.
Darius leveled Nick with a Clothesline and a couple chops to the chest. Darius connected with a Spanish Fly but Matt broke up the cover at the last moment. Top Flight flipped onto the Young Bucks outside the ring and knocked them to the floor.
Back in the ring, Dante hit Matt with a Hurricanrana for a near fall. Matt battled back and hit Dante with a Spear. Nick tagged in and booted Darius in the face. Young Bucks followed it up with Sliced Bread and went for the cover but Dante broke it up at two. Dante rolled up Nick for a near fall. Young Bucks knocked Darius out of the ring and hit Dante with the BTE Trigger for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Jack Evans and Angelico (TH2) attacked Top Flight outside the ring. The Young Bucks chased them away and helped Top Flight up.
Inner Circle went to Las Vegas this week. Sammy Guevara and Ortiz were not having a good time as MJF kept winning everything. MJF and Jericho argued over what drinks to order and settled on Everclear. They downed a shot and shouted “son of a bitch!”. MJF and Jericho stumbled around as Santana and Ortiz laughed. Konnan showed up as the party continued. Sammy told MJF that he hates him and everyone started laughing as Wardlow went to punch Hager. Security guards broke it up and Hager & Wardlow beat them up.
Inner Circle partied with an Elvis impersonator as they continued drinking. MJF had his scarf wrapped around his head and stated that he always considered himself to be a lone wolf but wanted to find a wolf pack. MJF got choked up and said that they are blood brothers now. Sammy pulled out a knife and offered to cut himself to make it official but Elvis talked him out of it.
Jericho woke up the next morning with Elvis in his bed. MJF stumbled out of bed and found Sammy laying in a fountain. It was revealed that MJF had marker all over his face as Sammy learned that he got married three times last night. Jericho and Santana found Swoggle crying in a diaper to end the absurd segment. Jericho & Hager versus SCU was announced for next week.
Jon Moxley cut a backstage promo tonight and said that he is motivated by his dad. Moxley said his father kept him in line and always let him know that they are the good guys. Moxley noted that he has a pregnant wife at home and his body feels like crap. Moxley vowed to walk in to the ring tonight and sign the contract for the AEW Championship match against Kenny Omega on December 2nd.
A fight is a fight and when it comes down to it – Jon Moxley is ready to fight tooth & nail for his AEW World Championship.
Orange Cassidy faced Kip Sabian tonight on Dynamite. Penelope Ford was ringside and Miro joined commentary.
Match Recap: Kip controlled the action early and applied a Headlock. Cassidy went to put his hands in his pockets but Sabian booted him in the midsection. Kip connected with a Slam for a two count. Cassidy put his hands in his pockets and went for a Dropkick but Kip dodged it. Orange then hit the Dropkick and posed for the crowd.
Cassidy connected with a Suicide Dive and Penelope Ford got in his way. Cassidy gave her a high five and Sabian capitalized on the distraction with a Gutbuster for a near fall as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Sabian hit Cassidy with a kick to the face and perched him on the top rope. Cassidy hit a Crossbody and followed it up with a DDT for a two count. Orange bounced Sabian’s head off the turnbuckle and followed it up with another DDT for a near fall.
Sabian tripped up but recovered and planted Cassidy with a Brainbuster. Kip followed it up with a Falcon Arrow for another two count. Kip hit Cassidy with a knee to the face but Orange recovered and rolled up Sabian for the pinfall victory. After the match, Miro leveled Cassidy with a Clothesline. Miro and Sabian then retreated as Best Friends rushed the ring.
Tony Schiavone moderated the contract signing between Kenny Omega and AEW Champion Jon Moxley. Jon’s music played but he didn’t come down to the ring. The cameras cut to the back and Moxley was knocked out. Kenny laughed into the microphone and said he was not one for this psychology type stuff. Omega said last time it was the elbow and this time it looks like a broken nose. Kenny signed the contract and left the ring.
AEW is hyping December 2nd as the biggest episode of Dynamite in history. It’s not just hyperbole, as the main event will see AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defend against Kenny Omega.
The show is being billed as AEW Winter Is Coming, indicating a new themed episode of Dynamite similar to FyterFest and the Beach Break.
AEW held the championship match contract signing on this week’s Dynamite, but it did not go off as scheduled, as these things rarely do. Challenger Kenny Omega came to the ring, but Moxley was nowhere to be found. We were taken backstage to find Moxley laid out by an unknown attacker (or attackers).
You can see the segment in the player embedded below.
AEW Winter is Coming takes place in two weeks live on TNT.
.@JonMoxley laid out backstage. However, @kennyomegamanx has signed the contract and is ready for Dec 2nd for the AEW World Championship Match.
Renee Paquette and AEW World Champion Jon Moxley are expecting their first child together. During Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, Moxley casually mentioned during a promo that he has a pregnant wife at home. You can see the promo below:
Paquette’s new Oral Sessions podcast launches next week, so she’ll certainly have some interesting material to talk about in the coming year.
She posted the following the following photo on Instagram, which appears to be taken shortly after she shared the news with Moxley:
Darby Allin has made himself into a star on AEW television, but in the process, has drawn comparisons to various wrestlers by fans.
Most people remember Sting for the crow-inspired version of the character, but there was a bright-colored version earlier in his career.
Allin talked about the comparisons he gets to the legendary pro wrestler while doing an interview with TV Insider. He is flattered by the comparison but insists he’s not trying to be like Sting.
“My face paint just comes from my real life. That’s not really a character thing I try to rip off of anybody. I’ve always just liked the dark stuff. I’ve always been a fan of the gothic aesthetic. Just weird stuff. I’m flattered by [the comparison], it’s cool, but it’s definitely not what I’m thinking about while I’m doing it.”
Darby Allin & Sting
Allin just scored the biggest win thus far in his pro-wrestling career as he beat Cody Rhodes to capture the AEW TNT Title earlier this month at the Full Gear pay-per-view event.
Sting has been retired from the pro wrestling business after suffering a neck injury while working a match with Seth Rollins.
Pro Wrestling Illustrated debuted the inaugural top-50 tag-team list today. The official edition of the magazine is now available for pre-order. Topping the list this year are the former AEW World Tag Team Champions, Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler, FTR.
The Top 5 ranked tag teams include:
FTR
Kenny Omega & Adam “Hangman” Page
The Golden Role Models (Sasha Banks & Bayley)
The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page)
The Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins)
Cash Wheeler reacted to the news on Twitter. He wrote, “Love us. Hate us. Agree. Disagree. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. That doesn’t take away the pride we take in our craft. It doesn’t take away the passion we put into our profession. In our hearts, we’re the best tag team on Earth, so this is special to us.”
Love us. Hate us. Agree. Disagree. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. That doesn’t take away the pride we take in our craft. It doesn’t take away the passion we put into our profession. In our hearts, we’re the best tag team on Earth, so this is special to us.”
FTR & Tully Blanchard
The evaluation period was from October 1st, 2019 to September 30th, 2020. PWI announced that the following criteria was used to rank the teams:
Momentum
Wins & Losses
Chemistry
Activity
It Factor
FTR held the AEW tag-team championships for 63 days from All Out to Full Gear. They defended the titles 3 times successfully during their reign. Those matches came against the Hybrid 2, SCU, and the Best Friends.
Omega and Page held the same titles for 228 days in 2020. They won them from SCU on the Chris Jericho cruise in January and held them until losing to FTR at All Out.
Sasha Banks and Bayley dominated WWE programming this year. They won the titles for a second time and held them for a total of 96 days. More than that, however, they dropped the Boss N Hug Connection name and went with the Golden Role Models.
A contract signing has been announced for this week’s AEW Dynamite. AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and #1 contender Kenny Omega will put pen to paper and formalize their upcoming title match.
Moxley vs. Omega is scheduled for the December 2nd edition of AEW Dynamite. It’s a match so big that many fans are wondering why AEW is not saving it for Revolution February. Giving it away on Dynamite will help AEW finish out the year strong with strong television viewership.
In addition to the contract signing, we have four matches signed for Wednesday’s broadcast:
PAC vs. The Blade
Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian
Darby Allin & Cody Rhodes vs. Brian Cage & Ricky Starks
The Young Bucks vs. Top Flight (Non-Title Match)
The newly crowned AEW World Tag Team Champions the @YoungBucks take on hot independent tag-team Top Flight!
We will also see the Inner Circle ‘slay’ Las Vegas. Inner Circle members have been posting teaser photos of the Vegas trip on social media. It looks like it’s going to be another memorable segment for Chris Jericho’s growing band of compadres.
AEW has been going ‘old school’ to promote this week’s Dynamite. Over the weekend, they dropped this retro-themed promo featuring Tony Schiavone and Cody Rhodes:
