AEW broadcaster and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently appeared on the Busted Open Radio show on Sirius XM. JR discussed a number of topics on the show, including his impressions of the young talent in AEW and how they have adapted to performing on national television.
“A lot of them come to me to ask questions,” said JR. “You gotta get beyond the fact that, ‘man, I’ve dreamed all my life that you were gonna call one of my matches.’ Okay, cool. Thank you, I’ll do my best.”
Jim Ross on Rule Changes
Ross also discussed some rules changes that have been implemented into AEW programming, some of which he is not a big fan of.
“The issue is, not everybody listens. They think that somethings [in the industry] ‘suck’. We don’t have tag ropes anymore because some of our crew think it’s lame. I think it’s bullsh*t. Heels need rules to break.”
JR would elaborate further, saying “you need shortcuts to gain an unfair advantage. It’s just common sense, it is basic human instincts. The heels when they get out and wrestle? They cheat. It’s never changed, it’s not going to change.”
“Most of them listen in and are appreciative” Jim Ross would continue. “I can tell when their eyes go off the topic. If I’m talking to you and you ain’t looking at me in the eye? You ain’t listening. So why should I waste my breath?”
AEW Dynamite scored a big win over WWE NXT this week in total viewers and the key Adults 18-49 demographic. Courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
AEW: 845,000 viewers, 0.32 rating (5th on cable for the night)
NXT: 615,000 viewers, 0.17 rating (35th on cable for the night)
This marks 3 consecutive weeks that AEW viewership increased and NXT decreased. It was the biggest margin for AEW in quite some time.
Aside from the Adults 50+ demographic (which NXT won this week and typically does), AEW not only won every demo but nearly doubled NXT across the board.
NXT dropped 2.5% from last week’s 631,000. Top matches included Karrion Kross vs. Dominik Dijakovic, Dexter Lumis vs. Killian Dain, Shotzi Blackheart vs. Aliyah and Timothy Thatcher vs. Oney Lorcan. (Results & Takeaways)
Meanwhile, AEW viewership was up 7.2% from last week’s 788,000. Dynamite saw Cody defending the TNT Championship against veteran Eddie Kingston, the Young Bucks defeating the Butcher & Blade in a wild Falls Count Anywhere match, Hangman Page turning down an offer to join the Dark Order and the surprise return of Sammy Guevara. (Results & Takeaways)
AEW and NXT combined drew more viewers in some demographics than Raw did this week.
AEW President Tony Khan thanked fans for their continued support:
Thank you everyone who watched #AEWDynamite last night! It was a great show & I’m thankful for our great audience too! It was our 4th straight week in the top 7 cable shows 18-49, + back-to-back weeks in the top 5, meaning my parents are drinkin’ A Lil’ Bit of The Bubbly tonight!
There were several potential injuries coming out of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite episode.
Darby Allin reportedly suffered a concussion during his segment with Brian Cage and Ricky Starks, according to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio.
The injury reportedly occurred after Starks attacked Allin from behind to begin the double team attack. Allin had come to the ring to confront Cage. Starks and Cage were preparing to use Allin’s skateboard on him when Jon Moxley made the save with a barbed wire baseball bat, clearing the ring.
AEW later announced Allin and Moxley vs. Starks and Cage in a Texas Tornado match for next week’s Dynamite episode. However, that match may be nixed due to the concussion to Allin.
In other injury news from Dynamite, it was noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that The Young Bucks, The Butcher and The Blade were shaken & banged up coming out of their Falls Count Anywhere match.
The finish to the match saw The Young Bucks place The Butcher and The Blade onto tables on the stage. The Bucks then climbed to the top of the tunnels to finish their opponents off. Matt Jackson was described as “pretty messed up” after putting The Butcher through a table because the table leg jammed his knee. Nick Jackson was said to be “pretty shaken up” after putting The Blade through a table.
It remains to be seen if the two tag teams will miss any ring time, and there’s no word yet on the severity of their injuries. It was said that The Blade, Matt and Nick were “pretty messed up” after the match ended.
Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Taz spent some time discussing the Wednesday Night Wars on the Dynamite post-show recently. According to JR and Taz, there is no question as to which show fans should be watching first on Wednesday nights.
“This is going to sound real ass-kissing, but why is there even a choice on Wednesday nights? DVR NXT. Watch it later. Our shit’s better and I’m proud of being able to say that and it’s not in defiance, it’s just in reality,” Ross said.
Taz then added his comments by saying that he hasn’t seen NXT in some time and addressed AEW taking shots and acknowledging WWE in the past. Taz said AEW does it because it respects the audience’s intelligence unlike WWE as he claims.
“I don’t remember the last time I even watched (NXT),” Taz said. “That’s no bullshit. I really don’t give a rat’s ass about it. I respect the men and women there bumping and working but I’m not trying to be a homer, I don’t give a shit if someone thinks I am. I’m so locked into what we do, I don’t really give a rat’s ass.”
The conversation then turned to WWE not acknowledging AEW on their programming.
“Well here’s the deal, man. Do you think any of those TV shows, those online shows, those streaming shows that WWE does, that they would ever mention us? Shit no. They’re arrogant, they’re omnipotent. They’re the kings of the mountain,” Ross said.
Taz and Excalibur then pointed out that AEW acknowledges WWE on their broadcasts because they don’t want to insult their fans.
“What we’re doing is we’re not insulting your intelligence and we’re acknowledging WWE. They are the one’s insulting your intelligence,” Taz continued.
“We’re trying to be transparent for you people,” Taz continued.
Excalibur then added that AEW will also bring up when someone is unavailable due to COVID-19 related concerns while WWE does not do the same.
“There is a reason why we said Jon Moxley couldn’t wrestle because of second-hand exposure to COVID. There is a reason why we say all these things because we treat the audience like we as individuals like to be treated,” Excalibur said.
Sammy Guevara made a surprise return to All Elite Wrestling at the conclusion of this week’s AEW Dynamite. It was his first appearance on AEW television in over a month. Guevara was suspended without pay on June 22nd when an inappropriate joke he made about Sasha Banks several years ago resurfaced.
AEW President Tony Khan spoke to Sports Illustrated this week about his decision to lift Guevara’s suspension. The Spanish God underwent four weeks of extensive sensitivity training where he learned about tolerance, race relations and gender issues.
“Sammy was off television for a month and suspended without pay for 30 days. I think it was the right time for Sammy to come back because he’s shown that he’s very sorry and that he can change. He’s spent every day over the past month trying to prove that.”
In addition to undergoing vigorous sensitivity training, one month of Sammy Guevara’s salary was donated to the Women’s Center of Jacksonville.
Tony Khan feels Guevara did his best to turn around a bad situation by improve himself and making a positive impact in the Jacksonville community.
“I think Sammy was very happy to have an opportunity to apologize, publicly and privately, and do something to turn a terrible comment he made into something positive.”
Next week on AEW Dynamite, the reunited Inner Circle will battle Orange Cassidy, Best Friends and the Jurassic Express in a 10-man tag team match.
Here are some more articles related to the Sammy Guevara suspension story:
AEW has announced an 8-team Women’s Tag Tournament is taking place this summer. The event has the tagline, Deadly Draw. Eight teams will compete in single-elimination tournament. The tournament winners will be awarded a cup trophy.
While no start date has been announced as of this writing, it’s likely that the finals will take place at or around AEW’s next pay-per-view – All Out on September 5th. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, company officials are confident this will become an annual event.
AEW Women’s Tag Team Tournament
The first team confirmed for the inaugural tournament is the Nightmare Sisters: Brandi Rhodes and Allie.
It will be interesting to see if Nyla Rose and her new manager Vickie Guerrero end up being one of the teams. They were featured in the promo for the tournament, and Guerrero has wrestled some in the past.
The company might have to scout female talent outside of the AEW roster, since some women are still impacted by COVID-19-related travel issues (and injuries).
AEW has held several tournaments in the company’s short history. Previous tournaments have been held to determine a #1 contenders to crown the first AEW World Championship (won by Chris Jericho and Hangman Page), a tournament to crown the first World Tag Team Champions (won by SCU) and most recently, Cody winning a tournament to become the first AEW TNT champion.
You can watch the first promo video for the Deadly Draw tournament below:
Coming this Summer | 16 Women | 8 Teams It's the AEW Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw
Orange Cassidy has shared how he believes The Young Bucks signed him to All Elite Wrestling as a “middle finger to professional wrestling.”
Speaking with ESPN, Cassidy reflected on how Matt and Nick Jackson were determined to sign him. The brothers eventually got their wish granted when Cassidy officially debuted for AEW at 2019’s All Out pay-per-view. He had previously participated at Double or Nothing’s Casino Battle Royale.
“The Young Bucks were the people that were like, ‘We need to get Orange here,’” Orange Cassidy said. “Because my character is a giant middle finger to professional wrestling, so they were like, ‘Of course, let’s get him in.’”
Cassidy aligned himself with Best Friends, Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta. The trio have been teaming with and accompanying one another ever since.
Recognizing Cassidy had a following, Khan explained how “[…] he wasn’t somebody, when we started, that I was really particularly aware of or had real big plans for,” Khan said. “[After Double or Nothing,] I spent a lot of time with Orange Cassidy and got to know him a lot better, and also talked to him about ideas, and that opened a lot of doors for both of us.”
Since then, Khan has acknowledged how Cassidy is a multitalented team player. This recognition has seen Cassidy become involved in a major feud with former AEW Champion Chris Jericho.
The 45-year-old legend is believed to be working for WWE without a contract. WWE reportedly declined Mysterio’s request for a pay raise. The eyeball angle will keep Mysterio off television while the two sides continue negotiating.
Should he decide against re-signing with WWE, it looks like Rey Mysterio will have interest from All Elite Wrestling. AEW Executive Vice President Cody recently spoke to Sports Illustrated this week and heaped praise on his WrestleMania 27 opponent.
Cody says his father and brother helped mold his career, but Rey Mysterio also made a huge impact on his development as a worker.
“The one thing Chris Jericho and I can agree on is that there is nobody greater than Rey Mysterio,” Cody said about Mysterio. “There are people I give a lot of credit for helping me build my career, and they’re not always the obvious ones. Dusty and Dustin, of course they were involved, but they’re family. Rey Mysterio, I don’t even know if he remembers, but he changed my whole career. Rey, Randy Orton and Big Show are three people that put a great deal of work into carving out my skills as a wrestler. I didn’t know nearly as much as they did, and I still don’t. They were very important to me.”
Rey Mysterio is in the later stage of his in-ring career. However, he still has tremendous star power and can put on world-class matches that defy his age.
It’s worth noting that Mysterio wrestled in the main event of All In, the highly successful independent wrestling event promoted by Cody and The Bucks that served as the genesis for AEW.
Fresh off his TNT Championship match from last week’s special episode of Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling’s Sonny Kiss joined Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk is Jericho.
During their conversation, Kiss opened up about how he came to sign with AEW. He also revealed how he came to be known as Sonny Kiss.
Kiss revealed how Sonny is actually a nickname off his real-life name, Hassan. He explained how Kiss derives from him blowing a lot of kisses during his entrances. Kiss revealed how his dad is “partly Middle Eastern” and his mom is “African American Native American.”
Sonny Kiss on Joining AEW
Chris Jericho then asked how Sonny Kiss came to be signed by AEW. Kiss revealed how Brandi Rhodes had reached out to him. According to Kiss, she wanted to know if he was signed and asked if she could go to a show.
He explained how he was signed to Lucha Underground at the time. Despite this, he was allowed to “do other stuff.” Kiss noted how Lucha Underground talent were allowed to do “everything but the other company.”
Lucha Underground
Reflecting on his time with Lucha Underground, Kiss shared how it wasn’t the best time. He also noted how the roster weren’t on high salary contracts.
“That contract (Lucha Underground), I don’t even want to get into for legal reasons. We were probably making $4,000 a year. There were times I couldn’t even pay my cell phone bill or anything,” Kiss explained. “I couldn’t even contribute to my rent. They (Pentagon and Phoenix) were one of the first to get out and I was one of the last to get out. Cody said, don’t worry, we are still going to book you to the moon and make sure you are still here which was great.”
Sonny Kiss recently responded to hateful comments made by a troll ahead of his TNT Championship match on last week’s Fight for the Fallen event. Despite his best efforts, he would ultimately lose the match to reigning champion, Cody.
Eddie Kingston has shared his thoughts following his AEW Dynamite debut from last night’s episode. Kingston faced off against TNT Champion Cody in a No Disqualification championship bout. Despite his best efforts, Kingston would ultimately succumb to a figure-four leglock.
Speaking with AEW in a Social Exclusive after his match, Kingston stressed how you never lose, you learn. Reflecting on his brutal matchup with Cody, Kingston conceded that Cody was the better man last night.
“I learned a long time ago in this life…you never lose, you learn, and, uh, I learned tonight that Cody is the better man. He’s the better grappler, he was the better fighter—but just tonight,” Kingston stressed. “
I’ve been doing this for a very long time. I’m not gonna say the year, the number or all that jazz, ’cause that’s just pitiful to say, in my opinion. […] I have nothing else in this life that I love doing. So whether AEW brings me back or not, I’m going to keep going. I’m going to keep going until the wheels fall off ’cause I have nothing else but this. I chose to have nothing else but this.”
Kingston reiterated how he has no excuses and that Cody was undoubtedly the better man for the night. Becoming emotional, Kingston then shared how he’s going to learn from his match with Cody and use the lessons to help him move forward. He ended the interview promising how he would be back.
Arn Anderson Comments On Cody’s Defense
In another backstage interview via Coach’s Corner, Cody’s mentor Arn Anderson also shared his thoughts on the No DQ matchup.
Anderson admitted he had no idea who Eddie Kingston was or about his reputation. He acknowledged how Kingston made his presence immediately known, stating how he’s “got a big mouth and a lot of guts.”
He then noted how Kingston sold his wrestling gear in order to afford his mortgage payment. Anderson explained how that was “paying dues in life” for his family. Respecting that decision, Anderson stressed how “underneath that big mouth, Eddie Kingston is all man.”
Arn Anderson then noted how Cody was able to overcome and meet Kingston’s aggression despite having a “back full of tacks.” According to Anderson, Cody showcased the grit and determination that will help him successfully defend the TNT Championship “for as long as he keeps that mindset.”
He then promised how he and Cody have plans to “go to war” next week on AEW Dynamite.
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. AEW announced a 8 team women’s tag team tournament called the Deadly Draw during tonight’s show.
Coming this Summer | 16 Women | 8 Teams It's the AEW Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw
Cody def. Eddie Kingston to retain the TNT Championship
MJF def. Griff Garrison
Young Bucks def. Butcher & Blade
Diamante def. Ivelisse
Hangman Page def. Five
Inner Circle def. Jurassic Express
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Cody Retained The TNT Championship Over Eddie Kingston
Cody defended his TNT Championship to begin the show against Eddie Kingston. Before the match, Eddie stated that he grew up around alcoholics and junkies, so he doesn’t want to hear Cody talking about a grind. Kingston added that every person Cody has faced has been a child and that he is a grown ass man. Eddie said he wanted a No DQ match for the title and if Cody doesn’t accept he is a bitch.
Match Recap: Eddie went right after Cody to start off the match and knocked the TNT Champion to the canvas. Cody battled back and hit Eddie with a Suicide Dive. Back in the ring, Cody hit Kingston with a Dropkick off the top rope. Kingston whipped Cody several times with his belt before exposing the concrete below.
Cody slammed Kingston to the concrete with a Back Body Drop. Kingston poked Cody in the eye and followed it up with a Clothesline in the ring. Eddie was holding his knee in pain after hitting Cody with a German Suplex.
Kingston sent Cody to the canvas and booted him in the back. Eddie poked Cody’s eye once again before Cody hit Kingston with a chop block to his injured knee. Cody slammed Kingston’s face into the turnbuckle and sent him towards the ropes but Eddie’s knee gave out.
Eddie lured Cody in and hit him with a low blow. Kingston followed it up with a DDT before grabbing thumbtacks from under the ring. Eddie poured them all over the center of the ring before hitting Cody with a chop. Kingston planted Cody with a Powerbomb on top of the thumbtacks in the middle of the ring.
Kingston hit Cody with a Suplex but the TNT Champion popped up and hit Eddie with a Clothesline. Cody slapped the hell out of Kingston’s face before locking in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Kingston tapped out and Cody is still the TNT Champion.
Opinion: This was a hell of a way to start Dynamite. Kingston’s promo was awesome and the match was entertaining as hell.
SOCIAL EXCLUSIVE We hear candidly from @MadKing1981 post-match.
Brian Cage and Taz came down to the ring. Taz said that they have had a difficult week and Cage was close to firing him for throwing in the towel last week against Moxley.
Taz said that it was a business decision because he didn’t want Moxley to tear Cage’s bicep. Taz claimed that Brian Cage will never be in the position again and Cage would have never tapped out.
Taz added that Cage is the FTW Champion because he has an FTW mindset. Darby Allin interrupted before Ricky Starks attacked Allin from behind. Cage Powerbombed Allin on the stage and then back into the ring.
Starks then slammed Allin to the canvas and brought Darby’s skateboard in the ring. AEW Champion Jon Moxley rushed the ring with a barbed wire wrapped baseball bat that sent Cage and Starks retreating.
Young Bucks Def. Butcher & Blade In An Awesome Match
Young Bucks faced Butcher and Blade in a Falls Count Anywhere match.
Match Recap: The action started in the kitchen and both teams traded punches. Blade Powerbombed Nick onto a table for a two count. Young Bucks battled back and booted a sheet pan into Butcher’s face.
Butcher launched Nick Jackson into a production truck door and Jackson fell to the pavement. Matt came out of nowhere and flipped onto Butcher and Blade. Matt hit Butcher with a Senton on top of a table as Blade ran away. Young Bucks caught up to him and hit Blade with a Superkick. Blade fell onto an escalator as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, the action was ringside as Young Bucks were beating the hell out of Butcher. Blade arrived with a steel chair and hit the Young Bucks across the back. Matt planted Blade with a Cutter off the ring apron as Nick grabbed a table from under the ring.
Butcher planted Young Bucks with a double Suplex and set up Nick against a table. Blade tried to flip onto him but completely missed and crashed to the floor. Butcher hit Matt with a Crossbody through the table and brought Matt into the ring. Nick hit Butcher with a chair and followed it up with a Dropkick for a two count.
Blade got back into the ring and Clotheslined Matt onto the entrance ramp. Butcher & Blade planted Matt with a Powerbomb and Neckbreaker combo on the entrance ramp. They then set up more tables on the entrance ramp but Young Bucks battled back. Matt and Nick set Butcher and Blade up on opposite tables and climbed up the entrance tunnels. Young Bucks delivered an Elbow Drop and a Senton through the tables for the pinfall victory.
Match Recap: Hangman dominated the action early and beat Five down outside the ring. The rest of Dark Order showed up on the entrance ramp as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Hangman was still in control and planted Five with a Fallaway Slam. Page connected with an elbow to the face and went for the cover but Five kicked out at two. Hangman planted Five with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Hangman Page dared Dark Order to get into the ring. Brodie Lee made his way to the ring with a microphone. Brodie told Hangman that he was impressed by his rise to stardom but is not impressed by his lack of a tag partner when he is clearly in immediate danger.
Lee told Page that the Dark Order is here to offer him friendship and protection. Hangman said he appreciated it but is not ready to join a cult right now. Brodie told Hangman that he made his bed and hopes he enjoys his sleep in it.
Brodie took Colt Cabana to the back and ordered Dark Order to attack Hangman.FTR made the save and beat Dark Oder down before they retreated. Kenny Omega finally rushed the ring as Hangman thanked FTR and drank a beer. It was then announced that Hangman and Omega will defend the AEW Tag Team Championships next week against Dark Order.
Still impressed by Hangman. See you next week Cowboy.
Chris Jericho & Jake Hager squared off against Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus in the main event. Santana, Ortiz, and Marko Stunt were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Jungle Boy and Jericho started the match off and Jungle Boy connected with a couple of Arm Drags. Hager and Luchasaurus tagged in and collided in the middle of the ring. Luchasaurus went for a Chokeslam but Hager countered into an Ankle Lock. Jericho tagged back in and went to work on Luchasaurus’ ankle.
Jungle Boy tagged in and hit Jericho with a Hurricanrana for a two count. Jungle Boy hit Santana & Ortiz with a Suicide Dive as Jericho punched Marko Stunt in the face. When Dynamite returned from the break, Jungle Boy hit a Crossbody off the top rope for a two count.
Hager tagged in and unloaded a right hand to Jungle Boy’s face. Jericho brought the baseball bat into the ring and referee Aubrey Edwards got in his face. The two argued before Jericho finally dropped the bat out of the ring.
Jungle Boy battled back and was finally able to tag Luchasaurus back in. Luchasaurus hit Jericho with a chop that sent him to the mat and then hit Hager with a Clothesline. Jungle Boy knocked Hager out of the ring with a Flying Forearm. Marko hit Jericho with a Dropkick and Luchasaurus followed it up with a big boot for near fall.
Luchasaurus leveled Jericho with a shoulder tackle for another two count. Jungle Boy hit Santana with a Hurricanrana that sent him onto Ortiz. A masked man (Serpentico) hit Luchasaurus with the baseball bat and Jericho capitalized with the Codebreaker.
It was revealed to be Sammy Guevara under the mask. Best Friends and Orange Cassidy rushed the ring and Inner Circle retreated. Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, and Jurassic Express will face Inner Circle next week on Dynamite.
Opinion: This week’s episode of Dynamite was a great show. The two hours flew by and it felt AEW was going all out and the card they announced for next week is stacked as well. It also great to see Sammy Guevara back on TV and reunited with Inner Circle. Before his deserved suspension, he was consistently one of the most entertaining performers in AEW.
AEW has made a special announcement that will feature wrestlers from its women’s roster.
During Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT, All Elite Wrestling announced that there would be a women’s tag team tournament taking place this summer.
“The AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw” features all of the top women wrestlers in the company. Although not a lot of information was released about this tournament, what is known is that it will include 16 women and 8 teams.
As of this writing, there’s no word on the format of the tournament or what the winners will receive. Check out the promo that aired on Dynamite to hype the tournament below:
Coming this Summer | 16 Women | 8 Teams It's the AEW Women's Tag Team Cup Tournament: The Deadly Draw
Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes had been teasing something big for the women’s division and this appears to be what she had been hinting towards. She is currently one-half of the Nightmare Sisters tag duo with Allie.
AEW released the latest talent rankings on Wednesday and there was no movement in the women’s division. Although AEW does have several female wrestlers under contract there are some who are unavailable at the moment.
Eddie Kingston made his AEW debut on this week’s episode of Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT. He did so by answering the open challenge set out by Cody Rhodes. This was the first bout on the card and was a No DQ Match.
Rhodes had a hard-fought battle against the promotional newcomer including a spot where he was thrown into thumb tacks. That resulted in him bleeding from his back.
In the end, Rhodes managed to lock in the figure four leg lock to score the win and successfully retain the TNT Title.
On Wednesday while doing an interview with Sports Illustrated, Rhodes had teased who could be the person to answer the open challenge.
“We need to always be aware of the world around us. One of the charming things about what we’ve been doing is we’ve been real and we’ve been transparent. Wrestling exists outside of AEW, we are aware of that. We try to be the best wrestling, and I really think we are, but there is great wrestling outside of us, too. It’s important for us to acknowledge that.”
The 38-year-old Kingston has been in the pro wrestling business since 2002. During that time, he has worked for various promotions such as Chikara, PWG, ROH, and even TNA.
He also found success while working for Evolve and the National Wrestling Alliance.
AEW has released new rankings for 7/22. The biggest movement came in the men’s singles division with Maxwell Jacob Friedman retaking the #1 contender spot.
AEW Men’s Division
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (14-0) TNT Champion: Cody (15-1)
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (7-0) (+1)
Lance Archer (9-1) (+1)
Brian Cage (6-1) (-2)
Brodie Lee (5-1) (+1)
Darby Allin (7-4) (previously unranked)
#3 Brian Cage drops 2 spots in the rankings after losing his title shot against Jon Moxley at Fight for the Fallen. This means #2 Lance Archer and #1 MJF each move up one spot. Neither Archer nor MJF wrestled last week.
#4 Brodie Lee didn’t wrestle last week but he moves up one spot as Chris Jericho dropped out of the rankings.
#5 Darby Allin is back in the rankings after returning from injury. He picked up a win over Robert Anthony on Dark. He also appeared in the final moments of Dynamite, getting a measure of revenge on Brian Cage.
TNT Champion Cody defeated Sonny Kiss last week and has an open challenge setup for tonight’s Dynamite.
AEW Women’s Division
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (14-1)
Nyla Rose (7-2)
Big Swole (5-3)
Penelope Ford (4-4)
Kris Statlander (4-4) (injured)
Britt Baker (4-4) (injured) (role model)
There was no movement in the women’s division this week. Many of the top-ranked wrestlers in the division are unavailable at the moment. Baker and Statlander are both injured. Big Swole is suspended for kidnapping Britt Baker. #3 Penelope Ford hasn’t wrestled since dropping her title match to Hikaru Shida at Fyter Fest Night 1.
Champion Hikaru Shida picked up a win over Rache Chanel on Dark. The Unranked Nightmare Sisters (Allie & Brandi Rhodes) picked up a win on Dynamite.
#1 Nyla Rose had the week off after winning a 2-on-1 handicap match at Fyter Fest Night 2 and then announcing Vickie Guerrero as her new manager.
Tonight, Ivelisse and Diamante will face off. Diamante has had 4 matches in the promotion on Dark but this will be her first match on Dynamite tonight. The former LAX-member defeated KiLynn King on Dark this week. Ivelisse wrestled in the Casino Battle Royal at All Out last year but hasn’t been back in the promotion since.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (10-0)
The Dark Order (7-0)
The Best Friends (11-4)
Jurassic Express (5-1)
The Young Bucks (4-2)
Private Party (5-3)
There was no movement in the tag-team division this week.
Unranked FTR defeated the unranked Lucha Bros on Dynamite. #4 the Young Bucks teamed with tag champion Kenny Omega in a win over Jurassic Express.
#2 The Best Friends picked up a win on Dark over Brady Pierce & Sabby.
There are two tag team matches scheduled for tonight’s Dynamite. #4 The Young Bucks will take on the unranked Butcher and the Blade in a Falls Count Anywhere match. #3 Jurassic Express will also go up against Chris Jericho and Jake Hager of the Inner Circle.
The Triple Whammy had been scheduled for February 1-5, 2021 from Miami. As with the first two events, the cruise sails from Miami to Grand Bahama Island.
The new dates are October 21-25. Triple Whammy will be held aboard the Norwegian Jewel, a slightly smaller vessel than the Norwegian Pearl, which hosted Part Deux earlier this year.
The Jericho cruise features live wrestling shows from All Elite Wrestling, autograph signings, live music and comedy and much more.
Click here to join the Waiting List for Triple Whammy.
Cruise organizers issued a statement on Wednesday announcing the postponement.
After careful consideration and caution for everyone’s health and safety, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to postpone the Triple Whammy. We will now sail Oct 21-25, 2021 from Miami, Florida to Grand Bahama Island. Learn more: https://t.co/3OqvhZjwsU
— Chris Jericho Cruise (@jericho_cruise) July 22, 2020
Orange Cassidy has become one of AEW’s biggest stars. Lately, he’s even been involved in a memorable rivalry with “Le Champion” Chris Jericho. The two main event’ed night 2 of Fyter Fest and on last week’s episode, Cassidy had orange juice dumped on his rival from up above.
Tony Khan was recently interviewed by ESPN and noted he didn’t originally have big plans for Cassidy when he first booked him for last year’s Double or Nothing. Cassidy was in the 21-person Casino Battle Royal at the 2019 Double or Nothing event.
“He clearly had a following, but he wasn’t somebody, when we started, that I was really particularly aware of or had real big plans for,” said Khan to ESPN. “[After Double or Nothing,] I spent a lot of time with Orange Cassidy and got to know him a lot better, and also talked to him about ideas, and that opened a lot of doors for both of us.”
Khan continued to say he was surprised by how much thought the performer actually puts into his rather unique character.
“I had no idea what an intelligent person Orange Cassidy is, and he is very, very smart. And really, I had no idea how well-thought-out this all was.”
Khan also noted that he feels Cassidy has been a real team-player in AEW.
“He’s multitalented, he’s a team player, he’s tried to make other people look good as much as possible, and the most important thing above all else is his work is phenomenal. He’s a great wrestler.”
Khan (and many, many other wrestling fans) dressed up as Orange Cassidy for Halloween last year.
All Elite Wrestling’s Colt Cabana has revealed when he was first told by The Young Bucks about their plans to launch a new promotion.
Speaking with Aubrey Edwards and Tony Schiavone on AEW’s official podcast, AEW Unrestricted, Cabana shared how The Young Bucks told him their plans at All In.
He divulged how he has been close with Matt and Nick Jackson for years and is someone they often come to for advice.
“I’m someone that they talk to. They’ll ask advice. They like pulled me aside, and they were like, ‘hey this thing is happening. I’m sure you don’t believe it, but I think we’re doing this.’ That was at All In, which from All In to when it all started was pretty long, so I kept that under my hood. I’m a good secret keeper, and it was pretty exciting.”
Colt Cabana Never Doubted AEW
Cabana noted how he believed AEW would eventually become a reality. He recalled how he had often been told different things during his 21-year career. Cabana shared how he had been offered enough fake offers and tours to know when something wouldn’t actually happen. That was never the feeling he had regarding All Elite Wrestling.
“It seemed about right, and it also made sense. The Bucks, Cody, Kenny and Hangman, they were the hottest thing in wrestling,” Cabana said. “I watched it at Ring of Honor when it was x amount of people. Then Being The Elite became so hot. I watched the numbers go up. I watched everything go up.”
He continued, “I saw All In. I was going to be able to be a part of All In. For someone to realize and to understand that, it’s pretty obvious, but it’s just so much to have to put into in order to get that thing on a higher ground, it made sense. So I understood why Tony would take this gamble and this risk.”
Since his debut in AEW, Colt Cabana has become involved in a storyline involving Brodie Lee and The Dark Order. He recently teamed with Lee and Stu Grayson in a six-man tag team match on Fyter Fest Night Two. They successfully defeated SoCal Uncensored.
Jon Moxley says the company has a big surprise in store for fans this week on Dynamite. AEW’s reigning World Champion dropped the teaser during a Tuesday appearance on the Dan Le Batard Show.
Moxley gushed about how much he is enjoying himself in All Elite Wrestling. He said he’s proud to be part of today’s generation of pro wrestlers leading the charge into what is hopefully a new boom period for the industry. Moxley touted the athleticism of AEW’s roster before revealing that AEW has something really cool in store for fans this week.
“This Wednesday night is going to be an awesome show. I’m not going to spoil it, but I will tell you, I will give you this information. Tomorrow night on Dynamite, there will be a big surprise and one that made me exceedingly happy. Especially for kind of the more hardcore fans who kind of follow the scene around the world, you’re going to get a big surprise.”
“It will be an even more casual fan or a first-time viewer,” he continued. “It will be an absolute treat to watch. I tell you this, there will be an absolute kick-a** match tomorrow night.”
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on what the promotion has planned for the big surprise. AEW has already confirmed that Moxley will do a promo segment on the show.
AEW President Tony Khan recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The company owner would appear on the show to discuss a number of topics surrounding AEW, including Fight For The Fallen and working in Daily’s Place.
One of the questions posed to Khan was how AEW manages to get a better ‘atmosphere’ at their shows than WWE accomplish at the Performance Center. AEW has been hosting weekly episodes of Dynamite and pay-per-views from Daily’s Place Amphitheater in Jacksonville, FL. The venue is home to the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars, which are also owned by the Khan family.
Tony Khan on COVID-19 Testing
“There’s not hundreds of people in the building, but there are people around the ringside area who’ve been tested,” Khan began on the broadcast. “And we’ve got the staff and the wrestlers who aren’t on Dynamite necessarily; but people who are on Dark and people who are GOING to be on Dynamite, or have been on Dynamite, but just aren’t on this particular episode.”
Tony Khan would elaborate further, saying “for story reasons there’s often people planted in the crowd, as you’ve seen. But yeah it’s been great for us, it [Daily’s Place] creates a great atmosphere and thankfully we’ve got this pool of people that have already been tested for COVID. It’s safe for them to be there, and when we don’t have to worry about having those people at ringside? it definitely adds a lot to the presentation.”
AEW has announced that former NXT wrestler Tino Sabbatelli (Sabatino Piscitelli) will make his debut on Tuesday’s Dark episode.
Tino, using the name “Sabby” now, will team with Brady Pierce to face The Best Friends in tag team action.
This will be Tino’s first appearance since being released from NXT in mid-April along with other employees due to the negative impact of COVID-19. A former NFL player, Tino was signed by WWE in the fall of 2014. He teamed with Riddick Moss at times in NXT, but his run was interrupted by various injuries.
AEW has not announced that Tino has signed a contract, but wrestlers used on Dark often are not under contract yet.
AEW Dark airs each Tuesday night at 7PM ET on the AEW YouTube channel. The following matches were announced for this week:
– Kilynn King vs. Diamante
– Sabby and Brady Pierce vs. Best Friends
– Aaron Solow vs. Scorpio Sky
– Rache Chanel vs. Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida
– Peter Avalon and Brandon Cutler vs. The Butcher and The Blade
After appearing at Impact’s Slammiversary PPV on Saturday, Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows made an appearance on Being the Elite this week. The episode begins with the Young Bucks looking back on a meeting they had with Anderson and Gallows back in 2016.
Anderson, Gallows, and The Young Bucks are shown talking about how great their Bullet Club run is going. The Bucks then mentioned to Anderson and Gallows that they think they can start their own wrestling company. At first, Anderson and Gallows seem excited by the idea. After the Bucks left the room, Anderson and Gallows expressed some skepticism.
“You know this Bullet Club thing is getting us to New York, right?” Gallows whispered to Anderson.
“Those little marks not realize it’s a work?” Anderson asked.
“Do you think TNT wants wrestling after what happened last time? No,” Gallows asked.
“Vanilla little people is what it is,” Anderson said.
“We’re going to tag with Hunter one day, trust me,” Gallows continued.
“I love the fact that you want to team with Triple H,” Anderson added.
Anderson and Gallows don’t appear again in the episode. They will likely be on Impact Wrestling Tuesday night, however.
MJF is accusing AEW World Champion Jon Moxley of holding him back.
MJF, who recently celebrated his 1 year anniversary with AEW, responded to a fan on Twitter who expressed frustration over how he’s not in the world championship chase and hasn’t been on TV every week. MJF tweeted back and called Moxley out, teasing that things may be changing soon.
“It’s almost as if there’s a certain individual in the company who doesn’t want me to be spotlighted. There may be a ‘paradigm shift’ in how things are run around here #notmychampion,” MJF wrote.
Update: MJF continues to take digs at Moxley on social media. On Monday afternoon, MJF wrote the following and tagged the tweet, #NotMyChampion:
You’ve been brainwashed into believing pro wrestling is meant to be done like a car crash.
It is believed that MJF is a strong contender to challenge Moxley for the AEW World title at All Out on Saturday, September 5th.
MJF recently spent some time at the top of the weekly men’s division rankings, but he was bumped from that #1 spot last week by Brian Cage, on the day of Cage’s championship match with Moxley on the Fight for the Fallen edition of AEW Dynamite. Cage lost that match, and it’s been rumored that Moxley’s next feud would be with MJF.
MJF will be in action this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite Wardlow will be in his corner. With Fyter Fest and Fight for the Fallen in the books, don’t be surprised if we see MJF continue his campaign against AEW Champion Jon Moxley.
Former WCW star Konnan has shared his belief that All Elite Wrestling’s Kenny Omega has “failed” on American television.
Speaking on his podcast Keepin’ It 100 with Konnan, Konnan acknowledged how Omega had managed to get “majorly over” in both Mexico and Japan. However, he doesn’t believe Omega has been able to connect with American audiences in the same way.
Konnan attributed this to Omega’s promos, pointing out how they aren’t on the same level as other top wrestlers. He also highlighted how Omega “has not been pushed as a star, but just another guy who can work.”
He noted how there is plenty of other talent who know how to work. Because of this, “Omega doesn’t stand out in any way.”
He juxtaposed Omega’s AEW presence to how he was used in Mexico. According to Konnan, Mexican fans loved Omega as an aura had been built around him. This led to fans going crazy every time he entered an arena, something Konnan believes “has not happened in AEW.”
Kenny Omega “Doesn’t Cut A Good Promo”
Konnan’s co-host, Disco Inferno, added his thoughts on the matter. He explained how wrestling weekly on American television is totally different from being an independent wrestler or performing in Japan. He added how talent needs to not only have matches but deliver promos, sell facial expressions, and build up a plethora of skills every week.
When it comes to Omega’s mic work, Disco Inferno stated “Omega doesn’t cut a good promo.”
He added, “This is why it has become difficult for him to elevate himself to the level of Jericho and Moxley because his mic skills are not close to those guys. Also, he doesn’t understand the psychology of what you have to do in the ring and mic on American TV.”
Disco noted how it’s not a good look if a wrestler’s character “can’t even get over in squash matches.” He stressed how a wrestler shouldn’t focus on making their opponent look good, but should instead focus on getting over as a superstar. It’s something he believes AEW has yet to do with Kenny Omega.
Chris Jericho went into detail as to what AEW originally had planned for this past Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite for himself and Orange Cassidy.
Of course, the show that aired on TNT saw Cassidy get some revenge on Jericho and other members of the Inner Circle by dumping gallons of orange juice on them in the ring from Daily’s Place.
The former AEW World Heavyweight Champion recalled what they wanted to do for the angle during his weekly Saturday Night Special YouTube show.
The Inner Circle doused in orange juice by Orange Cassidy (Photo: AEW)
He first started talking about coming up with the idea for what they actually did by remembering the bloodbaths that the Brood used to do. They would have their rival stand in the ring and get blood dumped on them.
“I originally wanted Orange to come into the venue in an orange juice truck, kind of like [Kurt Angle] did with the milk truck or whatever it may be. But if you see at Daily’s Place whenever they have cars come in – Cody tried to drive it in that one time, and now they have FTR driving.
And you can only get to a certain area and then you have to stop, so you couldn’t get a whole orange juice truck, even if there’s such a thing. But I’m sure we could have made one, and he would have sprayed orange juice on [us].”
Jericho noted that the orange juice bath from the heavens was more manageable than the truck and so they went with it although there was a bit of uncertainty about it because they had to be in the right spot or it wouldn’t have worked.
Brian Cage is reevaluating his alliance with Taz after suffering a tough loss to Jon Moxley this week at Fight for the Fallen.
Cage looked impressive during his first opportunity challenging for the AEW World Championship. He showcased his signature style of power moves mixed with remarkable agility for a man of his stature. Moxley strategically worked on Cage’s surgically-repaired arm. Moxley put Cage in a crossface armbar submission but The Machine refused to quit. The finish came when Taz threw in the towel to save his client from another potential injury.
Taz tweeted the following on social media the following morning:
some of you DO understand why I did what I did during the #AEW World Title match between @JonMoxley v @MrGMSI_BCage…but for those who are mad about it, understand this I would do the exact same thing in that same situation again. #AEWDynamite#FightForTheFallen
Brian Cage has had a few days to think about the situation. He released a following statement on Friday about whether or not continuing with Taz is the best thing for his career. He is adamant that he was not going to to submit to Jon Moxley before Taz ended the match on his beehalf. Cage wrote:
“It’s been a rough couple of days, and Taz and I have gone back and forth,” Cage began. “I’ve considered relieving him of his duties, and wanted to immediately after the match. I’ll wait and see how I feel after the weekend.
Regardless, I never tapped. I wasn’t gonna tap. I only need one arm to drop mox on his head. I technically may no longer be undefeated, but I’m still unbeaten. And more importantly, the answer to the question “Who betta than Cage?”, is still NOBODY!”
AEW announcer Jim Ross had some interesting things to say about Brian Cage working with Taz. JR was critical of the FTW Championship storyline. He also feels Cage needs to show more personality on television. You can check out those comments below:
