AEW Champion Jon Moxley recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The former WWE Superstar discussed a number of topics during his appearance on the show, including his wife Renee Young’s status, the ALL OUT PPV and his ambition to go for the AEW Tag Team Titles.
During the broadcast Jon Moxley would discuss the presentation of AEW programming. “I thought it was tremendous” Moxley began, discussing the recent beatdown of Cody Rhodes at the hands of Brodie Lee and The Dark Order.
Jon Moxley on Brodie Lee
“Obviously I’m a huge fan of Brodie Lee, both personally and professionally. It is awesome that you really never know what you’re gonna see on Dynamite. We’ve kind of thrown the traditional rulebook of television wrestling out the window. You’ll see a little bit everything, but anything can happen. Anybody can show up.”
Jon Moxley elaborated further, saying “whether it’s a Thunder Rosa or an Eddie Kingston? At any moment somebody could show up. [You could get ] a match that last 15 minutes and go through the same, basic formula you’ve seen for the last 10-15 years? Or it could just be a hailstorm and over in three minutes. Anything could happen, you know?”
Moxley has made it clear over ever since he left WWE that he wasn’t looking for their style of heavily scripted professional wrestling any longer. With the style of AEW he clearly feels more comfortable, and he finished by expanding on his praise of the Cody/Brodie Lee angle.
“We really opened up the possibilities, and that’s what I really loved about it. Besides from, you know, just the awesome physicality of it? Cody, he’s a guy who stays on the ball and stays motivated. I anticipate when he comes back? He would I assume want to get that one back from Brodie.”
Did you like the angle between Brodie Lee and Cody Rhodes? Let us know in the comments
AEW star Eddie Kingston appeared on this week’s episode of the Talk Is Jericho podcast. The independent veteran would discuss a number of topics from his time on the road, working with a number of AEW stars and his tryout with WWE.
“Christopher Daniels calls me up, ‘he goes hey man, we want to bring you back’ Eddie Kingston began on the podcast, discussing how his run began in AEW. “I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’ Again, its ‘just a booking’ at the time I’m thinking. [Then] I get a call from the competition.”
On the podcast Jericho would make a disparaging remark about WWE, saying how they only called Kingston because he appeared on AEW television. Even though Kingston would reveal that he got a call from WWE? He made it clear that is wasn’t the first time they had contacted him.
Eddie Kingston on Coaching
“Well, to be honest to them? They were trying to get me to coach for years. But my thing was, and I told them. I said, ‘I can’t collect the paycheck if I didn’t earn it.’ They were like, ‘what do you mean?’ my thing was, I was gonna go in there, coach, be bitter and angry about coaching and not getting a shot [in WWE].”
“I would have been so bitter and angry. I wouldn’t have done a good job and I would have been detrimental to those kids” Eddie Kingston continued. “So I was like, ‘nah, I’m good.’ And then the call [after appearing on Dynamite]? We’re talking about other things besides coaching. I weighed my options, and I came here [to AEW] and I told a couple people; ‘hey look, the competition hit me up, just letting you know. I’m not begging for a job, It’s very hard for me to play this supposedly wrestling political game.”
Do you think that Eddie Kingston could’ve had a run in NXT/WWE? Let us know in the comments
The terrifying creature that is AEW’s Abadon has called out Al Snow for his behavior during a training seminar. Abadon was responding to a Tweet posted by the Wrestlers Lab asking wrestlers to comment on being asked to change how they present themselves when she made the comments. Before talking about Al Snow, she mentioned some other comments she has heard from promoters.
"Can you be more attractive so we can book you?" "You are too fat to be doing flips." "You are not The Undertaker, so stop."
“My personal favorite, “If this was a dildo on a pole match you guys would actually work better.” At a seminar in front of a bunch of peers right after an on the fly tag match,” Abadon Tweeted.
A follow-up Tweet revealed she is talking about Al Snow.
“That “legend” was Al Snow who said this to myself and 3 other women in front of EVERYONE at the seminar,” Abadon Tweeted.
Abadon holds a 5-1 record, with most of her wins coming on Dark. She defeated Anna Jay in her debut match on Dynamite.
I forgot this awesome one, that i should dress like a dominatrix and sell sex in the ring because thats the only way women are sucessful in wrestling! ?
AEW Champion Jon Moxley recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The former WWE Superstar discussed a number of topics during his appearance on the show, including his wife Renee Young’s status, the ALL OUT PPV and his ambition to go for the AEW Tag Team Titles.
During the broadcast Jon Moxley would discuss the AEW Tag Team division; saying how stacked it already is with the likes of FTR, The Young Bucks and Private Party. Moxley would also talk about how he would like to maybe enter the division down the line.
Jon Moxley on AEW Tag Division
“You know I’ve often thought about that actually” Jon Moxley stated on the show. “Because eventually you clear out everybody in the [singles] division, so to speak. And basically [at some point] you’re gonna get knocked off the throne.”
“I would definitely be interested in doing a tag team run like sometime down the line” Jon Moxley continued. “Because I really love [tag wrestling]. I was wrestling a match the other night with me and Darby Allin, and realized I hadn’t had a tag match in a while.”
Moxley elaborated further, saying “I was getting excited, I was like ‘oh I haven’t been a tag match in a while, this is fun.’ I love putting together tag matches, you have double the guys to work with, double the tools to create things.”
Moxley would then talk who he would consider as a tag partner in the company. “I would definitely consider like finding an optimal partner and really making a run in the tag division. Because also? We have such a great tag division. You have guys like The Young Bucks and FTR, and other young guys like Private Party.”
“So we have this amazing tag division. To work with those guys? I’m gonna be working with the best tag teams in the world. Maybe me and Brodie [Lee] could do like a Shield/Wyatt family super team or something? Or maybe like a guy…somebody that would compliment me, you know? A guy like PAC? Or even like a younger guy like a Joey [Janela] or a Darby [Allin]. Something like that?”
Who would you like to see Jon Moxley tag with in AEW? Let us know in the comments
Jonathan Huber is now known as Brodie Lee in AEW. He is the leader of the Dark Order and the new TNT Champion. Previously, he was known as Luke Harper during his 7-year career in WWE. Speaking with ESPN, Brodie Lee said that Luke Harper had a good career in WWE but he doesn’t want fans to see him as the guy who used to play that character.
“Luke Harper had a wonderful career in WWE, if you really look at it and break it down, he had a really good career,” Lee said. “But I don’t want people to think, ‘Oh, that used to be Luke Harper’ when they see Brodie Lee. I want them to be like, ‘Holy f—, that’s Brodie Lee, and he’s the man.’”
AEW President Tony Khan was also interviewed about Lee’s contributions to AEW thus far.
“He’s got the great physical size. He didn’t do so many promos in WWE, but he’s actually a great promo,” said Khan. “And so he was from the beginning someone that we figured to be a top person in AEW as soon as he signed with us.”
Lee also spent some time during the interview talking about learning to trust his instincts again upon arriving in AEW.
“I had to understand that my instincts were correct again,” said Lee. “I was almost seeking out so many opinions because that’s where I came from, that’s what it was. It was lots of people putting pieces in, instead of just letting myself be who I am.”
We have a few more highlights from the media call that AEW President & CEO Tony Khan hosted on Thursday to promote Saturday’s AEW All Out pay-per-view. Khan discussed some title-related plans AEW has in the works, and surprises that will be revealed soon.
* Khan said he believes Saturday’s All Out event will be some of AEW’s strongest work. He’s really excited for big things that are coming over the next week, including Wednesday’s post-PPV Dynamite episode, but he couldn’t provide further details because it would spoil All Out.
He also said AEW has more surprises planned for the coming weeks, and he’s excited about those as well.
* Khan was asked about Chris Jericho’s recent comments on how Brian Cage’s FTW Title really means nothing in the company like other titles do. Khan said the FTW Title has not been booked like other titles in AEW, but he’s been working on a different kind of project that he’s excited about.
He noted that he feels great about Cage and the FTW Title, and while AEW hasn’t established that title yet, they have a lot in store for it and he’s excited for what’s to come.
You can click here for Khan’s earlier comments on the Brock Lesnar/AEW rumors, which AEW PPV did better than WrestleMania 36, and more.
You can click here for Khan’s comments on the NWA/AEW relationship, PAC being away from the company, and more.
As reported before, AEW President & CEO Tony Khan hosted a conference call earlier today with members of the pro wrestling media to promote Saturday’s All Out pay-per-view.
You can click here for Khan’s earlier comments on the Brock Lesnar/AEW rumors, which AEW PPV did better than WrestleMania 36, and more. Below are more highlights from the call:
* Khan revealed that there will be a live crowd at Britt Baker’s dentist office for the “Tooth & Nail” match against Big Swole on the All Out pre-show. The cinematic-style match was originally planned for the main card earlier this summer, but Baker hasn’t wrestled much in recent months and the change was made. He sees it as a big opportunity for both Swole and Baker, who we will see a lot more from in the next few months. He said while this will be a cinematic match, the actual pay-per-view will be wrestling-heavy and not storyline-heavy. Khan said the “Tooth & Nail” match will be great and it will be fun, and it will be free for everyone to enjoy.
* Khan said he would love to have Serena Deeb back after her match with NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa on Dynamite this week, adding that they both hit a home run. Deeb received rave reviews backstage, and he was proud of them for putting on a strong performance in the second hour position that the company trusted them with. He’s very excited about Rosa facing AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida at All Out on Saturday.
* There is not a working relationship between AEW and the NWA, past the good personal relationship he has with NWA Owner Billy Corgan. They have had a strong relationship for years, before Khan got into wrestling. Khan revealed that he was introduced to Corgan by another good friend – former WWE star Chris Nowinski of the Concussion Legacy Foundation. He talked more about Nowinski and how he respects his work, and had Nowinski come to speak to the AEW roster. He sees AEW and NWA as two different companies, but he wished Corgan the best with everything he’s doing. Regarding Rosa vs. Shida, he thinks this will be one of the best matches on the card and he thought the match maked sense for both promotions when it was pitched. He believes Rosa is the perfect contender for Shida at All Out, but it was Kenny Omega who first recommended Rosa for the match. Khan agreed, called Corgan and they made it happen.
* Khan said he, and everyone else in the company, are really missing PAC, who is still in the UK due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. He believes PAC’s absence has been a great opportunity for Eddie Kingston, who he sees as a good mouthpiece for The Lucha Bros, but also one who can fit well in other roles. While it’s unfortunate that PAC can’t be here right now, it means other wrestlers are able to step up, and they have been stepping up.
AEW CEO & President Tony Khan spoke to members of the media earlier today to promote Saturday’s AEW All Out pay-per-view event. Below are a few highlights from the call:
* Khan said he “can’t comment right now” on the speculation that Brock Lesnar may be headed to AEW, if he’s talked to Lesnar or if he’s interested in bringing Lesnar in. Lesnar is now a free agent from WWE but it’s believed that he will be back to work for the company soon.
Khan said he’s been a big fan of Lesnar’s work for years, and he sees Lesnar as one of the greatest “big man workers” in the business. He also doesn’t think people talk enough about how Brock is a great worker. Khan added that he has a significant amount of respect for Lesnar, but he can’t comment on the speculation or interest right now.
* He said he believes the AEW Double Or Nothing pay-per-view in May “kicked the crap out of” WWE WrestleMania 36 in April. He talked about how both companies were dealing with different circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he believes AEW promoted their event better, and produced a better product.
* Khan promised that the new one-hour AEW TV show will premiere some time in the next year. He does not have an exact date and said they still have a lot of work left to do, including market research testing. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a lot of plans getting delayed, but the second AEW TV show is still in the works.
Stay tuned for more highlights from Khan’s media call.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the free agency of Brock Lesnar. It was recently revealed that the ‘Beast Incarnate’ was no longer contracted to WWE and he is now able to pursue options elsewhere.
Many company names have been floated around regarding Lesnar and where he may end up. Just one of those is arguably the second biggest brand in the world, All Elite Wrestling.
The buzz generated from the potential signing of Brock has been huge. However, several believe that this is an opportunity for Lesnar to negotiate a better deal from WWE. It’s not uncommon, as Brock Lesnar has previously played the likes of UFC and WWE against each other, which he absolutely should to negotiate the best deal available.
Bully Ray on Brock Lesnar
“Of course they can afford him” Bully Ray began on the show, dispelling the myth that AEW wouldn’t be able to ‘afford’ Brock Lesnar being under contract. “That’s one of those opportunities that comes up where, let’s just say that AEW is really trying to stick to their budget? Especially with things going on right now with COVID.”
“We’ve seen a couple of very quiet releases from the company” Bully Ray continued. “People that they were still paying but could not perform for whatever reason, to save on the bottom line. So let’s say their budget is extremely tight? How many opportunities are you going to have to take a crack at Brock Lesnar?”
“This is like once in a lifetime type of opportunity for AEW” Bully Ray would claim emphatically.
Former AEW Champion Chris Jericho believes that we will not see Brock Lesnar in an AEW ring.
“I think it’s just another one of the dances that Vince and Brock like to have where Brock’s contract expires, Vince lets it expire, and then they stay away from each other until the next Saudi Arabia show or the next show that has people in the crowd, or WrestleMania, whatever it may be. So I don’t think Brock is really a free agent in the sense of the word, I just think he’s like currently not under contract right now.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Let us know in the comments
Brock Lesnar is no longer under contract with WWE. The biggest pro wrestling attraction of the past decade is officially a free agent. Lesnar is already getting feelers from the world of Mixed Martial Arts. UFC President Dana White and Bellator MMA President Scot Coker have both expressed interest in signing the former UFC Heavyweight champion.
Lesnar is legally able to have talks with All Elite Wrestling, but AEW star Chris Jericho says Vince McMahon would never let jump ship. Jericho thinks it’s crazy to even call Lesnar a free agent at this point because Vince McMahon would pay any price to keep him in the WWE family.
Jericho spoke with Sportskeeda this week and commented on the Brock Lesnar situation.
“The only reason why the rumor’s there is somebody said ‘free agent,’ Jericho began. “I don’t think he’s really a free agent at all. I think it would take so much money to pry him away from Vince McMahon on Brock’s end and then for Vince to approve that.”
He continued, “I mean, Vince has two billion dollars in the bank. What are you going to spend on Brock Lesnar that Vince isn’t going to match? And Vince and Brock have a strange love affair, to begin with.”
Vince McMahon and Brock Lesnar have had a long history together. Their business relationship has had ups and downs. There have been intense negotiations and Jericho thinks this latest ‘free agency’ is part of the negotiation process between the two sides.
“I think it’s just another one of the dances that Vince and Brock like to have where Brock’s contract expires, Vince lets it expire, and then they stay away from each other until the next Saudi Arabia show or the next show that has people in the crowd, or WrestleMania, whatever it may be. So I don’t think Brock is really a free agent in the sense of the word, I just think he’s like currently not under contract right now.”
Jericho added that it would take astronomical money to lure Brock Lesnar away from WWE, so fans should not get too excited at the prospect of Lesnar in AEW.
Chris Jericho faces Orange Cassidy this Saturday night in the first ever Mimosa Mayhem match at AEW All Out.
On Dynamite this week, it was announced that Dr. Britt Baker DMD will face Big Swole at All Out. The match will take place on the Buy-In before the main card starts. Swole noted on Dynamite that the match is being dubbed a “Tooth and Nail Match.” According to a recent report on Wrestling Observer Radio, the match will not take place live and will be a cinematic match filmed before airing.
“I believe the only match (on the Buy-In) is going to be the Britt Baker – Swole match which is a cinematic match, it will not be done live. It may have already been done for all I know,” said Dave Meltzer.
He would continue to note that the setting for the match will be Baker’s dentist office.
“It’s being done at, in theory, at Britt Baker’s dentist office. They are not going to do a wrestling match, they are going to do a cinematic match,” Meltzer continued.
This week on Dynamite, Rebel/Reba disguised as a pizza delivery person and distracted Swole. This allowed Baker to attack her rival from behind.
AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. It was the final episode of Dynamite before All Out this Saturday night. Excalibur returned to the announce team tonight. In addition to the takeaways below, Britt Baker attacked Big Swole from behind and got her in the Lockjaw. Baker will face Big Swole in a Tooth and Nail match during the preshow at All Out.
Young Bucks & Jurassic Express def. Private Party & SCU
Chris Jericho def. Joey Janela
Thunder Rosa def. Serena Deeb
Jon Moxley def. Mark Sterling
Here are takeaways from this week’s Dynamite:
Santana & Ortiz Defeated Best Friends
Santana & Ortiz (Photo: AEW)
Best Friends faced Santana and Ortiz in the first match of the night. Best Friends attacked Santana and Ortiz during their entrance and Trent connected with a Crossbody off the stage. Best Friends tried to Suplex Ortiz on the steel steps but Santana broke it up.
Ortiz started choking out Trent as Chuck sent Santana over the barricade. Trent escaped and leveled Ortiz with a Spear. Chuck set up a bunch of chairs on top of each other but Santana launched a chair into his face. Santana set up for a Powerbomb but Chuck countered into a Back Body Drop. Santana then launched Chuck onto the chairs set up ringside.
Match Recap: Santana and Trent finally got in the ring and the match officially began. Trent hit Santana with Double Knees and followed it up with a chop to the chest. Ortiz held up Trent and Santana connected with a big boot. Ortiz tagged in and hit a Body Slam for a two count.
Trent battled back and planted Ortiz with a Tornado DDT. Chuck got back into the ring and knocked Ortiz and Santana tot he outside. Chuck then flipped onto Santana and Ortiz before bringing Santana back into the ring. Chuck Taylor connected with a Falcon Arrow and went for the cover but Ortiz broke it up at two.
Santana and Ortiz slammed Trent on the steel steps outside the ring. Back in the ring, Trent slammed Ortiz to the canvas and went for the cover but Santana got Ortiz’s hand on the ropes. Santana hit Trent in the back with a steel baton and then they followed it up with the Street Sweeper.
Opinion: I thought this was a very fun match but the ending was clunky. The announce team seemed to miss Santana putting Ortiz’s hand on the ropes to break up the cover and sounded like they didn’t know what was going on. It was still a good match though and Chuck Taylor’s spot on top of the chairs was great.
Young Bucks and Jurassic Express faced Private Party & SCU tonight on Dynamite. The winning team with face each other at All Out this Saturday night.
Match Recap: Frankie and Jungle Boy started the action off by locking up in the middle of the ring. Frankie leveled Jungle Boy with a shoulder tackle and rolled him up for a near fall. Jungle Boy missed with a kick and Frankie caught him with a Clothesline for another near fall.
Marq Quen and Matt Jackson then tagged in. Matt unloaded some body punches and stomps to Quen and knocked him to the canvas. Marq battled back and caught Matt with a Dropkick and Kassidy tagged in. Kassidy sent Matt out oft he ring with a Hurricanrana and Matt saw a fan with a Hangman Page sign. Matt ripped the sign in half and poured the beer over the fan’s head.
Back in the ring, Daniels and Nick tagged in. Nick caught Daniels with a boot to the face and tagged Matt back in as Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy asked for a tag. Frankie Kazarian tagged in and Clotheslined Nick to the outside. Christopher Daniels Moonsaulted onto the Young Bucks outside the ring.
Kazarian hit Jungle Boy with a springboard Leg Drop for a two count. Private Party planted Jungle Boy with a Facebuster for a two count and tagged Daniels back in. Christopher connected with a Suplex and went for the cover but Jungle Boy kicked out at two.
When Dynamite returned from a commercial break, Jungle Boy hit Kassidy with a Samoan Drop and finally tagged in Luchasaurus. Private Party hit Luchasaurus with a couple Dropkicks but he shrugged them off and leveled them with a Clothesline. Luchasaurus followed it up by flipping onto SCU outside the ring.
Back in the ring, Luchasaurus hit Private Party with a Chokeslam and they followed it up with stereo Risky Business. Daniels and Jungle Boy traded shots in the middle of the ring. Daniels sent Jungle Boy to the canvas and hit the Best Moonsault Ever. Marq Quen followed it up with a Shooting Star Press and went for the cover but Luchasaurus broke it up at two.
Luchasaurus Clotheslined Kassidy out of the ring and then tagged in. Jungle Boy took out Frankie and Kassidy with a Suicide Dive as Matt Jackson tagged himself in. Young Bucks hit the BTE Trigger on Quen for the pinfall victory. Young Bucks will face Jurassic Express at AEW All Out this Saturday.
AEW has released new top-5 rankings ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite.
AEW Men’s Singles Division
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (15-0) TNT Champion: Brodie Lee (6-1)
MJF (8-0)
Lance Archer (13-1)
Cody (18-2)
Brian Cage (6-1)
Scorpio Sky (7-2)
There was no change in the men’s singles rankings this week but one of the biggest title matches in AEW’s young history takes place on PPV this weekend. Somebody’s “0” has to go as the undefeated champion, Jon Moxley (15-0), takes on the #1 ranked MJF (8-0).
Elsewhere in the division, #3 Cody looks like he could be out of action for sometime after the beating he took at the hands of the Dark Order.
#2 Lance Archer and #4 Brian Cage are both gearing up for the Casino Battle Royal at All Out. #5 Scorpio Sky will team with the Natural Nightmares and Matt Cardona on the PPV to take on the Dark Order as well.
AEW Women’s Division
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (16-1)
Nyla Rose (8-2)
Big Swole (7-3)
Abadon (5-1) (+1)
Penelope Ford (7-5) (-1)
Dr. Britt Baker (4-5)
AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida will face the NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa at All Out. Elsewhere in the division, however, the frightening Abadon keeps rising up the rankings as she picks up wins on Dark.
#4 Penelope Ford dropped one spot in the rankings this week as she lost a handicap match along with Rebel (aka Reba) to #2 Big Swole on Dynamite. #5 Britt Baker was technically involved in that match as well, so she takes an L and drops below .500 for the year.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Champions: Kenny Omega & “Hangman” Page (12-0)
FTR (7-0)
Best Friends (14-5)
Young Bucks (6-3)
The Natural Nightmares (6-2)
Jurrasic Express (6-3) (+1)
#1 FTR maintained their top ranking this week after winning the tag gauntlet match on Dynamite. In fact, the top-4 rankings in the tag division all stayed the same as nobody in the match lost to a lesser-ranked opponent. #3 The Young Bucks defeated #4 the Natural Nightmares, then #2 The Best Friends defeated #3 The Young Bucks before #1 FTR finally defeated #2 The Best Friends to earn the tag title shot at All Out.
The Dark Order fell out of the rankings this week. #5 Jurassic Express took their place. The dinosaur themed team will tag with the Young Bucks tonight to take on Private Party and SCU. The winning team will face each other at All Out.
Having signed with All Elite Wrestling, Matt Hardy addressed why his brother, Jeff Hardy, has remained with WWE during an interview with Chris Van Vliet.
Hardy explained how his brother had accrued a lot of time away from the ring while under contract. Because of this, WWE simply extended Jeff’s contract to make up for the time away from in-ring competition. Matt shared how he managed to work through his contract without getting injured, allowing him to leave and sign with AEW.
“Jeff had two major surgeries during his deal. He had shoulder surgery and then he had the knee surgery. He also had some personal time off he needed to take. Altogether it was about a year and eight months,” Hardy explained. “Once that happens in WWE if they still continue to pay you, they can extend his contract so he had a year and eight months tacked on to his deal as opposed to my deal. I worked all the way through without ever being injured, so that is why Jeff is still working there now.”
During the course of their discussion, Hardy also addressed the current status of his Broken gimmick in AEW. He noted how, if his debut had taken place in front of fans, then Broken Matt Hardy would have been a lot more viable.
Hardy explained this was due to the gimmick’s subtleties. He argued that these intricacies would have been picked up and enjoyed by a live audience. In lieu of that connection, Hardy has decided to “hold off” on the gimmick and return to a “character-based in reality” until the time is right to re-introduce Broken Matt Hardy.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) has revealed how a fan once attempted to kidnap him whilst dressed as a pilot. In an interview with the New York Post, MJF shared how this fan attempted to convince security that he was scheduled to fly him on a private jet following an episode of AEW.
“At AEW, a fan tried to dress up I believe like a pilot and was trying to convince our security that they were supposed to fly me out on a private jet after the show,” MJF said. “I can assure you that that guy was most certainly not my pilot, so there was once a fan who literally tried to kidnap me. I’ve seen it all. When I was in Mexico, people threw a car battery at me and urine at me. That’s because I don’t tiptoe around. I don’t hide how I feel.”
MJF is set to face off against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley at this weekend’s All Out event. The show takes place on September 5 from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
All Elite Wrestling’s Matt Hardy has reflected on the damage Sammy Guevara’s errant chair shot caused during an interview with Chris Van Vliet.
Guevara would accidentally hit Hardy with a chair, causing Hardy to require 13 stitches after being busted open. Looking back on the incident, Hardy revealed how he still suffers from numbness, soreness, and headaches. He recalled how he suffered from severe headaches in the days following the impact:
“I was really lucky I wasn’t concussed badly,” Hardy admitted. “I was able to hit the chair a little bit and slowed it down. If I wasn’t able to slow it down, I’m sure it would have knocked me completely unconscious. But even knocking it down and slowing it down, it still split me open.”
Hardy highlighted how he needed 13 stitches. He revealed how the chair shot also did some damage to the back of his neck and caused whiplash that he still suffers from alongside the stiffness and headaches.
Matt Hardy added how he was given a few weeks off to recover and is now “back and ready to go again.” In the fallout of the chair shot, Hardy faced off against Guevara in a tables match in the main event of the 8/27 episode of Dynamite. Hardy lost the match to Guevara after the Inner Circle member was able to successfully drive him through a table.
MJF is just days away from the biggest match in his tenure as a pro wrestler and spoke with The New York Post to promote it.
During the interview, he was asked about his ultimate goal in pro wrestling, which he revealed to be remembered as the greatest of all-time.
“My ultimate goal is when I pass away for people to go, ‘That guy was the greatest professional wrestler in the history of our sport.’ That’s my only goal.”
The rising prospect will challenge AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley at the All Out pay-per-view this Saturday night.
MJF knocked Moxley for coming from WWE and how he plans to be in AEW for the rest of his career.
“It’s great that they had their handheld sometimes by VKM, awesome. But I didn’t. I didn’t come from that product. I didn’t come from that land. I am AEW born and bred. I will be AEW until I die. This is my company. This is where I started. This is the company that I’ll end in.”
All Elite Wrestling has announced a new match for their upcoming All Out pay-per-view event and it’s certain to be an extreme one.
It was confirmed on Monday night that the bout between Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara will be a Broken Rules Match. This comes after the two stars have been in a heated feud on television and even on social media.
The heat was turned up when Hardy got busted open when he took a chair shot to the face a few weeks ago. Fast forward to last Thursday’s episode when Guevara was bloodied during a Tables Match against Hardy.
The AEW All Out pay-per-view event will take place on Saturday, September 5, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place.
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley vs. MJF
Mimosa Mayhem Match: Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy
AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida vs. Thunder Rosa
AEW Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler)
Dark Order (Brodie Lee, Colt Cabana, Stu Grayson, & Evil Uno) vs. Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall), Matt Cardona, & Scorpio Sky – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
Darby Allin, Lance Archer, Brian Cage, Ricky Starks, Pentagon Jr, Rey Fenix, The Butcher, The Blade, Eddie Kingston – Casino Battle Royale
AEW star Lance Archer recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The ‘Murderhawk Monster’ answered a litany of questions on the show, mostly surrounding AEW’s recent television night moves and how the company have appeared to ‘retain’ their audience.
Lance Archer would also discuss the ‘Demogod’ Chris Jericho. Archer would talk about Jericho’s recent character nuance where he would tout his ratings success; saying how backstage Jericho doesn’t actually ‘broadcast’ the success to the whole locker room but just as an aside if you spoke to him directly.
The ‘Demogod’ character plays on AEW’s success in the 18-49 demographic. The 18-49 demo has been referred to by numerous members of AEW staff as a measuring stick for success; it is the pivotal demo for advertisers and AEW have consistently drawn well in this range, mostly bettering Wednesday night rivals NXT.
“I think if you had your own personal conversation with him [Jericho]? Yeah absolutely” Lance Archer began on the show, discussing the ratings success and Jericho’s approach to it. “It’s not a situation where I think; we’re not all coming together and having a big meeting and going rah rah rah ‘here we are’ and whatnot.”
“Because everybody’s very focused on doing the very best they can at what they’ve got on the show” Lance Archer continued. “If you need to speak to him [Jericho] or anybody that has that information? He will absolutely let you know and keep you abreast of what’s going on and what needs to be done. And he absolutely is one of those locker room leaders when you start talking about it that way.”
Do you like Chris Jericho’s new shtick as the Demogod? Let us know in the comments.
In January, WarnerMedia and AEW struck a new deal that was also said to include plans for a second television show. Then the pandemic hit and the President of TNT, a noted supporter of AEW, was let go from his position recently. According to recent comments on Wrestling Observer Radio, however, a second AEW show is still in the works and should debut before the end of the year.
“Yep, soon,” Meltzer said in response to a question about if the second AEW show is still happening. “Before the end of the year.”
Second AEW Television Show
It was noted back in January that when the new show does debut, it will not replace AEW Dark.
“When the new show launches, the Wednesday tapings would expand and also include matches taped for the streaming show Dark, which would not be going away,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “This means there will be about four hours a week of the product being taped.”
Although the former President of TNT, Kevin Reilly, is no longer with the company, he also spoke about a second AEW show back in January. Reilly departed TNT earlier this month.
“Let’s bring it onto the network and make it a place where you truly plant up and coming talent,’” Reilly said about a second AEW show. “I think we’ll start doing more packages there and filming some behind-the-scenes stuff, not for the matches that night but with other talent to plant stories and grow things that could eventually become another show in and of itself.”
AEW star Lance Archer recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The ‘Murderhawk Monster’ answered a litany of questions on the show, with some dynamite comments being thrown at NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
Shaquille O’Neal recently spoke to The Athletic and stated that he would ‘love’ to come to AEW and go up against the ‘face’ of the company, Cody Rhodes. Shaq stated “I’d love to fight Cody. Write it. Print it. Text it to him. Call AEW up and tell them.”
Lance Archer took exception to the fact that Shaq wanted a shot at Cody and not someone who is a lot closer to his stature. Shaq has previously appeared for WWE and stood toe to toe with the likes of The Big Show in-ring.
Lance Archer on Shaq
“I mean, Cody IS the face of AEW” Lance Archer began on the show. “So he [Shaq] wants to be in that picture with the face of AEW. That IS Cody, and who knows what Cody’s condition is right now?”
Cody Rhodes was recently ‘written off’ television after his TNT Championship loss to Brodie Lee. It was reported that this was due to an upcoming television role elsewhere and the plan is for Cody to take on the ‘Exalted One’ Brodie Lee when he returns.
“But that’s where Shaq thinks he wants to go” Lance Archer continued. “And it’s cool. [Go on] look in a different direction Shaq. Don’t pay attention to the biggest baddest SOB on the card. Because if you’re not paying attention? I’m gonna kick you in the back of the knee and take your face off your head.”
Would you like to see Lance Archer vs Shaq Fu in AEW? Let us know in the comments
AEW star Lance Archer recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The ‘Murderhawk Monster’ answered a litany of questions on the show, mostly surrounding AEW’s recent television night moves and how the company have appeared to ‘retain’ their audience.
The Dynamite show had to be moved on a couple of nights due to the NBA coverage on TNT. This meant that there was a Saturday Dynamite show (08/22) and a Thursday Dynamite show (08/27).
Typically, when a programme has to change slots it can hurt viewership with television audiences being creatures of habit, they sometimes do not switch to the new timeslot and the rating is downsized. However, the past three weeks ratings show that Dynamite fared extremely well given the move in dates:
12th August: 792,000 and a 0.32 rating in the 18-49 demographic 22nd August:: 755,000 and a 0.31 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Saturday) 27thAugust: 813,000 and a 0.29 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Thursday)
Lance Archer on Ratings
Busted Open co-host Bully Ray talked with Lance Archer about the importance of television ratings in the ‘pandemic’ era, and Archer emphatically agreed. “I think you have to be [looking at ratings] in this era of professional wrestling. Being that we’re on TV and that’s what kind of drives the business right now, especially right now. Because there is no live audience? That’s something you have to pay attention to.”
“I think it’s absolutely one of those things that’s discussed [in the locker room], it’s understood, and everybody’s looking at ways to even improve those ratings” Lance Archer continued. “Again, giving the fans new and cool things every single week, new and cool people every single week. That’s what keeps driving those ratings. I think that’s what helped that Saturday rating stay so strong, it was because you never know exactly what you’re going to tune in and see, you know?”
Do you agree with Lance Archer? Let us know in the comments
NXT will air on Tuesday night at 8pm (Eastern) on the USA Network for the next two weeks. The USA Network website has been updated to reflect that NXT is airing on Tuesday, September 1st and Tuesday, September 8th.
NXT is being pre-empted for NHL hockey. In an effort to make sure fans tune in, WWE is billing this coming Tuesday’s show as a “Super Tuesday” special. It will be a historic broadcast that will feature a 4-way Iron Match to crown a new NXT Champion. The competitors will be Finn Balor, Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa and Adam Cole.
On the other side of the Wednesday Night War, AEW Dynamite returns home to its usual Wednesday night time slot this coming week. NXT had a chance to run unopposed in its usual time slot for the past two weeks. AEW will have that same opportunity the next two weeks.
The next two unopposed editions of AEW Dynamite will be the the weeks before and after the big All Out pay-per-view scheduled for Saturday, September 5th.
AEW will now have a chance to show what they can do airing in their normal time slot unopposed for 2 consecutive weeks.
The next time NXT and AEW run head-to-head will be Wednesday, September 16th.
Kenny Omega, or at the very least an image of him, was visible inside WWE’s Thunderdome Friday night on Smackdown.
Many fans likely assumed this was another case of a virtual fan trolling WWE’s ThunderDome by featuring an image of an AEW star. Omega himself has issued a comment that seems to imply he really did serve as a virtual fan for the show. That doesn’t necessarily mean he was, however.
Fans on Twitter noted an image of Omega as a virtual fan was visible during Smackdown.
This got the attention of Kenny Omega himself, who addressed his ‘cameo.’
“I was just trying to have a good time, I honestly didn’t think anyone would notice,” Omega Tweeted.
Several virtual fans have posted images of various wrestling personalities inside WWE’s Thunderdome, however. Despite Omega’s comments, it is still entirely possible that it was not him serving as a virtual fan.
While Omega was on Smackdown this week, he was surprisingly absent from Dynamite on Thursday. Omega’s partner, Adam Page, prevented the Young Bucks from moving on in the gauntlet match and was subsequently kicked out of the Elite. Omega and Page will now face FTR for the tag belts at All Out on September 5th, 2020.
Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place averaged 813,000 viewers, down from 755,000 last week. The show did a 0.29 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic, which was down from last week’s 0.31, and finished 11th on cable for the evening, also down from the #5 ranking just five days ago.
This was the second consecutive week that AEW ran unopposed and without direct competition from WWE NXT although this week’s show was on Thursday while last week’s show aired on Saturday.
AEW President Tony Khan commented on the numbers and thanked fans for their support by writing the following on Twitter:
“Thank you everyone who watched #AEWDynamite last night! It was weird being on Thursday, but you came through for us again! It was great having fans back in such a safe environment, it felt incredible. We’re back Wednesday on TNT Live with the last Dynamite on the road to All Out!”
This episode went up against the Republican National Convention and news coverage of the Hurricane Laura storm. Both did strong numbers especially the RNC across various networks.
Next week’s episode of Dynamite will air in its normal day and timeslot while also not going up against NXT for the third straight week as NXT airs on Tuesday due to the USA’s Networks coverage of the NHL Playoffs.
