Tony Khan has addressed PAC’s current status with All Elite Wrestling. Speaking with NYPost.com, Khan explained how current travel difficulties have been impacting the promotion. He pointed directly to how the coronavirus pandemic is responsible for keeping PAC from attending AEW Dynamite shows.
Khan confessed he missed PAC. He explained how current travel limitations are causing a lot of problems at this time. He stressed that, if PAC were to attempt to travel, he would be stuck for two-weeks at a time in quarantine. Khan believes that ultimately creates an unsustainable travel schedule for the wrestler.
“As I understand it, if he were to go back to England, if he were to come here and he was able to get in, do a quarantine after travel then he would also, when he tried to go home, he’d be in a two-week quarantine before he could do anything.”
Tony Khan continued, “So it just doesn’t seem like a sustainable situation right now because PAC lives in England, so until travel is sustainable and he could do what he used to do, which is come here and stay and do a few shows and then go back to England and really commute across the Atlantic, it’s very challenging right now.”
The AEW President stressed how until international travel becomes truly safe, AEW won’t “rush him back” to television.
All Elite Wrestling announcer Jim Ross has shared come critical feedback for Taz and his newest protoge, Brian Cage.
Ross spoke about Taz and Cage’s recent on-screen dynamic during a recent episode of Busted Open Radio. During the show, Ross addressed Cage’s match from this week’s Fight for the Fallen. According to JR, work still needs to be done with AEW’s camera presentation. He also stressed how Cage needs to “show more personality.”
“We had some camera work that we need to be more aware of. Taz does not need to be standing in front of Brian Cage,” Jim Ross stated. “I’m not knocking Taz. He may take it that way, but so be it. Nonetheless, we have to have better positioning in that regard.”
Ross noted how Taz has been delivering some “damn good promos” in his attempts to hype up Cage. However, when Cage was presented with Taz’s FTW Championship, Ross argued Cage “didn’t register it one bit.” He stressed that Cage was “nonplussed” by the honor.
“So, if it didn’t mean sh*t to him, then why should it mean sh*t to me, or you, or the fans?” Jim Ross argued. “There have been a lot of good things in this build. I like Taz’s heel work. His promo work is as good as anybody we have right now, quite frankly. But, Cage has got to show more personality…He is a hell of an athlete and sometimes he works as a babyface with all the flying stuff and that may need to be addressed. It’s a learning process.”
Brian Cage finally got his AEW Championship match this past Wednesday night. He ultimately lost to AEW Champion Jon Moxley after Taz threw in his orange towel after Moxley locked in a belly-down armbar.
Tony Khan has dropped a hint at some more notable talent signings being done by AEW.
The AEW President and CEO did a recent interview with Bleacher Report Live where he discussed his desire to keep expanding the All Elite Wrestling roster despite having a pretty star-studded talent roster.
Khan stated that he thinks they have a great roster but he doesn’t think people should expect that you’ll never see more people debuting.
Instead, he thinks the promotion is evolving and bringing in some great wrestlers while also introducing some new great stars. He listed the likes of MJF, Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, Orange Cassidy, and The Best Friends as stars who have become big names and done well for them.
“What I’d like to do is take the best of what we have…then don’t be surprised to see more new people and new faces.”
He continued by bringing up how Ricky Starks was a great signing and totally organic as he earned an opportunity and was somebody they were looking to book in a match against AEW TNT Champion Cody Rhodes.
“That’s a good example, but I think there’s going to be some other guys, maybe people you’d even be more familiar with down the line.”
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
Dynamite won the night in total viewers and in the key 18-49 demo. This snapped their three-week losing streak. NXT ranked #49th for the night while Dynamite was in the top 5.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy ofShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 631,000 viewers, down last week’s 759,000. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.14 rating, down from 0.20 last week.
Cameron Grimes vs. Damian Priest, Keith Lee defended the NXT and North American Titles against Dominik Dijakovic, NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defending against Tegan Nox was featured on the card.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 788,000 viewers, up from the 715,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.29 rating, up from the 0.28 rating that the show did last week.
Dynamite featured The Elite (Kenny Omega and Young Bucks) vs. Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, and Marko Stunt), Lucha Brothers vs. FTR, AEW TNT Champion Cody vs. Sonny Kiss, and AEW World Champion Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage with Taz.
Brian Cage was a major acquisition for All Elite Wrestling earlier this year. The 36-year-old grappler possesses a dangerous combination of power and agility rarely seen.
During a recent interview with TSN, “The Machine” explained why he signed with AEW instead of WWE. Cage cited better match-ups and a greater degree of creative freedom as the primary factors.
“I think just overall, it was the cool, new thing that everybody wants to be a part of, obviously, but to be able to break through the reach I’d already done – the Ring of Honor crowd, the Impact crowd, and so on,” he began. “I felt like I needed to go to a bigger, national scene like an AEW. And another big thing was AEW had the most unique, cooler matches, if you will, and all of them would be first-time ever matches, whereas everywhere else would have been repeats and not as exciting.”
Brian Cage knows the money and promotional machine that WWE offers. However, he knew that he would have far less input on his character and storylines if he had signed with Vince McMahon.
“I were to go to WWE, I wouldn’t have as much creative control,” Cage continued. “That, artistically speaking, was a big reason why. I’m going to go to a place where I can showcase my abilities and have the most fun, intriguing matches and I had more personal desire to go to AEW than anywhere else.”
Cage is now aligned with ECW legend Taz as his ‘coach’ and mouthpiece. Cage knew Taz had developed into a top-tier broadcaster in recent years, but was amazed when Taz started cutting promos for him.
“I knew he was a great commentator and he could cut promos, but I didn’t really think of him as a promo guy,” Cage said of Taz. “That’s not the first thing that jumps out at you. But dude, he can kill it on the promos!”
Cage also mentioned that he prefers working as a babyface, which goes against the grain of what most wrestlers say. “I think it’s more so because if you think of bigger heels, they often get painted in these big bully meathead roles. I just think that’s very one-dimensional and a little meh – a little vanilla to me. I’d much rather get over as a face and then turn heel.”
Head over to TSN for the full interview with Brian Cage.
AEW star Chris Jericho and rock legend Sebastian Bach got into a heated altercation on social media late Wednesday night.
It all began when Twitter user @TravisDrago pointed out that Chris Jericho is starting to look like the Skid Row frontman. Bach says he hears the Jericho comparison “every single day.” When another Twitter user says Jericho is the superior rocker, Bach called out Jericho for “miming to a tape” instead of performing live like he’s been doing since the 1980’s.
Every single day for the last two or three years somebody tells me this ?
Bach doubled down on his dig at Chris Jericho, calling him “Milli Vanilli” for lip syncing at shows. This got the attention of Le Champion, who touted that his band Fozzy has had more success on the Billboard charts than Skid Row.
Cool let's see a clip of that then because every single clip I have seen is Milli vanilli
Hi… I’m Chris “Milli Vanilli” Jericho. I have 5 top 30 singles in the last five years w my band @FOZZYROCK. I’m a huge fan of @sebastianbach … who had 3 top 30 singles 30 years ago. I always admired him as a singer and a friend! And I still do. https://t.co/fTPGmzBtSq
Jericho says that he considered Sebastian Bach a friend until this Twitter spat. He then challenged Bach to a sing-off. “No effects, no tuning, no bullshit. He’s a great singer, but I’m better. You’ve got my number dude. Call me.”
Bach said he wasn’t being derogatory by stating that Jericho lip syncs. He accepted Jericho’s sing-off challenge:
“I will sing in your f******* face anytime. Wrestling is not rock and roll. I will show you f****** rock and roll.”
Where is the derogatory comment? All I asked is to see one single clip of you singing live. Every clip on the Internet is you miming to a tape. I will sing in your f****** face anytime. Wrestling is not rock and roll. I will show you f****** rock and roll. https://t.co/dPoecJGdF7pic.twitter.com/Mm28RE9i0Q
Jericho’s bandmate, guitarist Rich Ward, says Chris is the first one to defend Sebastian Bach when other people talk trash about him.
2/2 Jericho is loyal and was always quick to defend a guy that he considered a friend. Seeing Sebastian publicly go after the only guy that I have ever witness utter a nice word about him is sad.
Chris Jericho claims to be the better singer, but he might have Sebastian Bach to thank for that. In this 2011 video for Revolver, Jericho receives a singing lesson from none other than Bach himself.
AEW Fight for the Fallen aired tonight on TNT from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. Jon Moxley defended the AEW Championship against FTW Champion Brian Cage. Cody put the TNT Championship on the line against Sonny Kiss. It was also announced that Vickie Guerrero is Nyla Rose’s manager during tonight’s show.
Jon Moxley def. Brian Cage to retain AEW Championship
Here are 5 takeaways from Fight for the Fallen:
Cody Retained In A Great Match With Sonny Kiss
Cody defended the TNT Championship against Sonny Kiss in the first match of the night. Sonny Kiss enrance included the Jaguars cheerleaders and a dance routine before he made his way to the ring.
Match Recap: Cody went right after Sonny and beat him down in the corner of the ring. Cody showed off and did some pushups as Arn Anderson shouted at him to stay focused. Sonny threw Cody to the apron but Cody got right back in the ring and hit a Disaster Kick for a near fall.
Sonny Kiss connected with an elbow to the face and sent Cody to the outside. Back in the ring, Sonny hit an Enziguri but Cody responded and locked in a Full Nelson in the middle of the ring. Sonny battled back with a beautiful Belly to Belly Suplex and then hit a Hurricanrana for a two count.
Kiss did a split in the ring and then planted Cody with the Cross Rhodes for a two count. Sonny connected with a 450 Splash for another two count. Cody battled back and launched Sonny out of the ring and onto the entrance ramp. Cody followed Sonny out of the ring and hit him with an Alabama Slam on the entrance ramp.
Cody connected a Superplex and went for a cover but Kiss kicked out at two. Jim Ross scolded Cody for a lazy cover and said Cody’s head wasn’t in the game as the champ was arguing with referee Aubrey Edwards. Cody exposed the turnbuckle but wound up getting slammed onto it. Sonny took control and hit a boot to the face. Kiss went for a Clothesline but Cody dodged it and hit the Cross Rhodes for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Cody and Sonny Kiss put on a great match to kick off this week’s show. They kept cutting to Tully Blanchard watching the match in the crowd and it will be interesting to see if anything comes of that. Cody also wrestled the majority of this match as a heel but shared a hug with Sonny after the victory.
Match Recap: Dax and Pentagon started off the match by trading shots in the corner of the ring. Fenix tagged in and went for a Suplex but Dax Harwood blocked it. Cash tagged in and hit Fenix with an Elbow Drop for a near fall. AEW continued to cut to Tully Blanchard during this match as well.
Fenix booted Cash in the face and then knocked Dax off the apron. Rey leveled Dax with a Dropkick outside the ring as Butcher and Blade watched on from the truck they stole from FTR as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Fenix went for a Crossbody off the top rope but Cash caught him with an uppercut.
Dax tagged in and hit Fenix with a couple snap Suplexes. Harwood leveled Pentagon with a Clothesline and then sent Fenix face first into the turnbuckle. Lucha Bros took control and hit Wheeler with a Splash and then a Leg Drop for a two count. Fenix went for a Hurricanrana but Wheeler caught him. Dax tagged in and hit a Flying Clothesline for a near fall.
Fenix and Pentagon went for a couple Splashes but FTR got their knees up. FTR flipped off the Lucha Bros and a brawl broke out. Fenix and Dax knocked each other out of the ring as Pentagon and Cash battled on the apron. Cash knocked Pentagon to the floor and hit a Suicide Dive into a DDT. Fenix leveled Wheeler with a Splash out of nowhere and hit Dax with a Superkick.
Back in the ring, Fenix and Dax traded shots. Dax ripped off Fenix’s mask and then rolled him up for the victory. Young Bucks showed up behind Butcher and Blade and leveled them with a couple Superkicks. Young Bucks gave FTR the keys to the truck back as Kenny Omega brought some beers into the ring as a peace offering. FTR dumped the beer over Kenny’s head and Omega went to attack FTR but the Young Bucks stopped him. FTR were supposed to drive off in their truck but it looked like it didn’t start.
Chris Jericho came down to the ring with Inner Circle. They were all holding orange juice as Jericho claimed that he had one of the best matches in AEW history against Orange Cassidy. Jericho boasted about winning the ratings war and referred to himself as “the King of the Ratings, maaaan”.
Jericho said that he understands the concept of drawing money and that Orange Cassidy wants a rematch. All the advertisers in the important demo want a rematch as well. Chris then looked into the camera and said Orange Cassidy isn’t getting a rematch as the chanted that Jericho was scared.
Chris said that the Demo God is never scared and Inner Circle raised their half gallons of orange juice. Jericho took a swig and said the rest was for his dead career. Jericho poured the orange juice in the ring before Orange Cassidy interrupted. Orange Cassidy leaned up against a railing in the crowd as they chanted “freshly squeezed!”.
Jericho told Orange Cassidy that there will never be a rematch and told him to shove his sunglasses up his ass. Chris demanded Orange Cassidy to get the hell out of the arena and called him a piece of shit. Orange Cassidy gave Jericho a thumbs down and a giant container of orange juice was dropped onto Inner Circle. Jericho threw a fit and demanded someone throw him a towel. Jericho wiped his face and it was revealed that it was an Orange Cassidy towel.
Opinion: I absolutely loved this segment and I know it pissed off the people that spend hours arguing about ratings on Twitter instead of just enjoying both shows. Jericho continues to be awesome in AEW and I’m fall for a rematch against Orange Cassidy.
The Elite squared off against Jurassic Express tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Nick Jackson booted Jungle Boy in the midsection as Hangman Page was shown drinking backstage watching the match. Jericho shouted that he wanted some vodka as Marko and Kenny tagged in. Marko hit Kenny with a couple jabs but Omega shrugged them off and hit Stunt with a chop to the chest. Stunt battled back with a Dropkick and tagged in Luchasaurus.
Nick Jackson took out Jungle Boy and Marko outside the ring. Omega knocked Luchasaurus out of the ring and Kenny flipped onto everyone as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Jungle Boy leveled Omega with a Clothesline outside the ring. Luchasaurus hit Nick with a Clothesline and sent Matt to the corner.
Luchasaurus leveled the Young Bucks with a kick to the face and followed it up with a Chokeslam on Nick for a two count. FTR joined Hangman backstage and poured some whiskey as Omega tagged in. Omega hit Luchasaurus with a V-Trigger and followed it up with a Snap Dragon Suplex. Omega hit Jungle Boy and Marko with a couple Suplexes as well.
Young Bucks brought Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt out of the ring and then hit Luchasaurus with Superkicks. The Elite then planted Luchasaurus with a Tiger Driver 98 for a two count. Jungle Boy hit Nick with a Hurricanrana and Marko followed it up with a 450 Splash for a two count. Marko hit Matt with a ridiculous Canadian Destroyer before Omega leveled Stunt with a Clothesline. Kenny hit Stunt with the V-Trigger and then the One Winged Angel for the pinfall victory. After the match, Kenny unloaded a flurry of punches to Marko’s face before Young Bucks broke it up. Kenny was laughing in the corner of the ring to end the segment.
Opinion: There is a lot going on in tonight’s show. We got FTR sharing drinks with Hangman as Kenny is losing his mind during the match. It sure looks like Kenny Omega is on the verge of a heel turn and that could lead to trouble to the AEW Tag Team Champions.
Jon Moxley defended the AEW Championship against Brian Cage in the main event of this week’s show. Before the match, Taz cut a promo about Moxley sitting home his wife while Brian Cage was wrestling a regular schedule and training his ass off. Moxley came down to the ring in a Danny Havoc t-shirt.
Match Recap: Moxley started off the match in control and beat Cage down in the corner of the ring. Cage exploded out of the corner and leveled Moxley with a Clothesline. Cage lifted Moxley up like he was nothing and did a few curls. Brian followed it up with an uppercut and went for a German Suplex but Jon broke free with some elbows to the face.
Jon battled back with a Dropkick and then focused his attack on the surgically repaired left bicep of Brian Cage. Moxley locked in an Armbreaker but Cage broke free with several punches to the face. Jon slammed Cage into the ring post and Brian fell to the floor outside the ring. Moxley hit Cage with a Suicide Dive but Cage quickly battled back and threw Moxley into the barricade.
Cage and Moxley continued to battle outside the ring and Jon trapped Brian’s arm in the barricade. Moxley booted Cage’s arm and set up a barricade on the apron. Brian Cage sent Moxley into the barricade with a Belly to Back Suplex as AEW went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Cage had Moxley in a Torture Rack in the middle of the ring. Cage slammed him to the canvas and went for the cover but the champ kicked out at two.
Brian thew Moxley into a steel chair and set up for a Suplex but Jon countered into a roll-up for a two count. Cage went for a Moonsault but Jon got out of the way. Moxley hit Cage with a knee to the face but Cage responded with a Clothesline. Moxley hit a Clothesline of his own and then the Paradigm Shift for a near fall.
Moxley perched Cage up on the top turnbuckle and planted him with a Superplex for a near fall. Jon then quickly applied the Kimura Lock in the middle of the ring. Cage powered to his feet and hit Moxley with a Buckle Bomb. Brian followed it up with a Superplex of his own and went for Drill Claw but Jon escaped. Jon went for an Armbreaker but Cage kept his hands together. Moxley ripped his fingers apart and locked in the hold.
Jon gave Taz the finger while still having the hold locked in and Taz threw in the towel to end the match. After the match, Brian Cage hit Moxley in the face with the FTW title and the lights went off in the arena. When the lights came back on, Darby Allin was on the top rope and hit Brian Cage with the skateboard.
Opinion: I really enjoyed Fight for the Fallen but thought the main event was very underwhelming. I get the logic that Taz throwing in the towel protects Cage, but it still left a lot to be desired for a title match. It was just a bad note to end such an entertaining show on. There were several good matches but I enjoyed FTR versus Lucha Bros the most and it great to see Darby Allin back.
After a week of the match getting delayed, Jon Moxley and Brian Cage finally met inside of the squared circle.
As seen on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite, titled Fight for the Fallen, on TNT, Moxley made his latest defense of the AEW World Heavyweight Title against the promotional newcomer.
Moxley successfully retained the title over Cage, who had Taz in his corner at ringside from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place. Moxley worked over the right arm of Cage for the majority of the match, which was the story of the bout.
The finish came when Moxley had Cage in an armbar and Tax tossed in the towel. Post-match, Cage attacked Moxley until the lights went out and Darby Allin came out and hit Cage with his skateboard. This marked his return after being on the sidelines due to an injury.
This contest was originally supposed to take place on the second week of AEW Fyter Fest, which would’ve been last Wednesday. However, the match got pushed back due to COVID-19 concerns.
Moxley’s wife and WWE personality, Renee Young, tested positive for COVID-19 a few weeks ago. Because he lives with her, Moxley took a test, but his results came back negative.
At the time, Moxley was informed by AEW’s doctor to start isolating himself. Out of precaution, the decision was made to not rush the match in order for it to take place as scheduled, but rather to wait until Moxley was safe to enter the tapings and work the match.
Cody Rhodes joined AEW President Tony Khan and Chris Jericho in talking about the ratings war between WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite every Wednesday night.
The AEW TNT Champion did so by talking with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT. Rhodes made it clear that he tries to not worry about the ratings nor talk about it. Instead, he wants to focus on what AEW is doing and put on the best show possible.
“It’s really easy to get caught up in the weeds with like, ‘for X amount of weeks we beat WWE in the ratings’ or get into this wild demo discussion — if you ever catch me tweeting about the demos, please just delete my account. And it’s not wrong, I respect everyone that is bringing it up. I don’t make the ‘Top 50,’ that’s the thing.
People spam me and the management core — Showbuzz Daily, they make the ‘Top 50.’ We don’t make the lists. So, if we’re ahead of your favorite or your favorite shows, spam them! [Laughs] I don’t know what to tell you!”
Rhodes stated that the data comes out on Thursday’s and you can look at everything from minute-by-minute to when someone tuned out.
Thus, by looking at that data, you can ask yourself why people turned off the show, is it a pattern, and what went wrong. He stated that if you’re not drawing viewers, you have to at least address the problem.
Rhodes continued by talking about how that’s the one day it gets really analytical and looking into the data. He considers himself as someone who is creative, a competitor, and an artist so he looks at having the best show that gives fans emotion, creates memories, and brings them joy during this period.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio on SiriusXM Bully Ray recently discussed AEW and their ongoing shows during the Coronavirus pandemic.
All Elite Wrestling have taken a different approach to taping without fans to WWE. The company has been airing shows from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, an amphitheater that has a different atmosphere to WWE’s Performance Center. Despite this, AEW has had to maintain a high level of shock and awe to keep the momentum going on Wednesday nights.
This includes debuting new characters over the last few months, something that Bully Ray believes has been hindered by the lack of live crowd reaction. “I think the mentality of not staying in a holding pattern has actually…I don’t want to use the word hurt, but it has not benefited certain talents” Bully began on Busted Open.
Bully Ray on Broken Matt and Brodie Lee
“Brodie Lee, as the leader of The Dark Order, the Exalted one” Bully Ray continued. “I just think that because he had to go full blown and could not hold back on anything? Not being in front of a crowd hurt that a little bit. I think Matt Hardy as Broken Matt? I think Broken Matt was affected, look at the position they’ve had to put Matt in now. Kind of hanging out with Private Party, being a manager.”
Bully would then elaborate on his views of Matt Hardy’s AEW run. “I don’t think AEW’s original plan was to have to go back to regular Matt Hardy this soon. Because broken Matt Hardy was such a big deal. But Broken Matt Hardy is not going to resonate as much in the COVID times. These are our characters and angles that need the crowd, but wrestling companies are not in a position right now to hold back. Because what matters the most right now? The rating.”
Bully Ray would finish by saying “it’s all about the rating. Look, everybody’s talking about this whole AEW versus NXT war. The rating? That is really the only number that anybody has to go on these days.”
Do you agree with Bully Ray? Let us know in the comments
AEW presents Fight or the Fallen tonight. Ahead of tonight’s card, the promotion has released new top-5 rankings for its men’s, women’s, and tag-team divisions.
AEW Men’s Division
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (13-0) TNT Champion: Cody (14-1)
Brian Cage (6-0) (+1)
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (7-0) (-1)
Lance Archer (9-1)
Chris Jericho (3-1) (+1)
Brodie Lee (5-1) (-1)
Champion Jon Moxley will defend against #1 Brian Cage tonight at Fight for the Fallen. Cage moved up one spot this week after picking up a victory over Brian Pillman Jr. (with the FTW title on the line) on AEW Dark.
TNT Champion Cody will look to defend his title tonight against the unranked Sonny Kiss.
#2 MJF falls down one spot. He didn’t wrestle last week.
#3 Lance Archer picked up a victory over Joey Janela on Dynamite last week.
#4 Chris Jericho moved up one spot after defeating the unranked Orange Cassidy last week.
#5 Brodie Lee tamed with Colt Cabana and Stu Grayson in a win over SCU but dropped one spot regardless due to Jericho’s win.
AEW Women’s Division
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (13-1)
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 rankings of the women’s division this week.
#1 Nyla Rose picked up a win in a 2-on-1 handicap match against Kenzie Paige and KiLynn King last week. She later teased that she could be bringing in a manager soon.
#2 Big Swole is currently suspended for kidnapping Britt Baker. Wrestlers are not allowed to kidnap each other.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Division: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (10-0)
The Dark Order (7-0)
The Best Friends (10-4)
Jurassic Express (5-1) (+2)
The Young Bucks (4-2)
Private Party (5-3) (-2)
#5 Private Party falls down 2 spots this week after dropping a tag title match to the champions.
#4 The Young Bucks were on the losing side of an 8-man tag along with FTR against the Lucha Bros and Butcher and the Blade.
#3 Jurassic Express picked up a victory over Peter Avalon and Brandon Cutler on AEW Dark. They moved up 2 spots with the win and Private Party loss.
Stu Grayson of the #1 ranked Dark Order was on the winning side of a trios match this week. He teamed with Brodie Lee and Colt Cabana in a win over SCU.
The Best Friends had the week off after dropping their title match to Omega and Page at Fyter Fest.
AEW President Tony Khan is doing the media rounds to promote Wednesday’s Fight for the Fallen edition of AEW Dynamite on TNT. The benefit show is raising money for Florida-based COVID-19 relief efforts.
During a discussion with the New York Post, Khan spoke about AEW suspending Sammy Guevara and Jimmy Havoc. He revealed that it was his decision to suspend both men, whose respective situations were different but both needed to be addressed.
Jimmy Havoc approached AEW management and informed them he needed help. Khan says Jimmy ‘really needed’ the treatment he is getting. “If and when he were to wrestle again, the most important thing for himself and everybody here is that he sought treatment and counseling.”
We wish Jimmy Havoc all the best as he receives treatment and counseling in an effort to overcome the mental health and substance abuse challenges in his life. pic.twitter.com/mh0hudsPuW
Regarding Sammy Guevara, Khan felt it was necessary to suspend him when an inappropriate joke he made about WWE wrestler Sasha Banks resurfaced. Khan says the recent controversy was the first time he heard the “horrible” comments.
“The comments he made were horrible,” said Khan. “I can’t defend them. I can’t even comment on them because they’re unspeakably bad. He has also done a different kind of counseling and he’s in a different kind of counseling and it’s a different kind of coaching. Everybody here, male and female pretty much up and down the roster we talked to felt like Sammy had no history of this kind of behavior. Really people were shocked Sammy had said that.”
Guevara is undergoing sensitivity training during his suspension. His AEW pay is being donated to a Jacksonville-based women’s non-profit.
Head over to the NY Post to read the full interview with Tony Khan.
More on the Sammy Guevara – Sasha Banks Situation:
AEW President Tony Khan recently addressed concerns surrounding the recent spike of COVID-19 cases in Florida. Not only does Khan’s AEW promotion run in the state but his family’s Jacksonville Jaguars do as well. During an interview with the NY Post, Khan addressed the situation.
“I think we are dealing with the same issues as a lot of the other pro sports that are building bubbles in Florida,” Khan said. He continued to say that the rising rates are concerning to him as someone who lives in the state.
“I think logistically you don’t like to see it, so as a person that lives in Florida it’s concerning. I have not really left my own little bubble here and that is the key thing,” Khan continued.
Khan also spent some time discussing the different ways his various companies have handled live events during the pandemic. The Jaguars are potentially planning to have the stadium at 25% capacity meanwhile Fulham F.C is playing games in front of no fans.
“The Jaguars are making a choice for their stadium, whereas, they are planning in a few months and we’re kind of going week to week here (at AEW) and I think that’s a general kind of plan for the Jags. We haven’t for the Jags released a seating plan, what that 25 percent would look like and I think there are still a lot of questions to be answered before we get into playing football games. Fulham, on the other hand, we’re playing with no fans in England and piping in crowd noise, which the broadcast people have enjoyed.”
Khan’s AEW has an important card tonight from Florida. The Fight For the Fallen event will help raise money for COVID-19 relief. The Khan family has already donated $1 million to the cause. Jon Moxley will defend the AEW World Championship on the show against Brian Cage.
Tony Khan recently appeared as a guest on the 83 Weeks podcast with Conrad Thompson and Eric Bischoff. Early in the show, Khan addressed a recent public conflict between him and Bischoff. The conflict stemmed from an interview the AEW President took part in with the Financial Times.
“WCW was badly mismanaged,” Khan said to the Financial Times. “They teased audiences with matches that never materialized and lost tens of millions of dollars on talent, some earning six figures without ever working. It was a real disservice to fans.”
Bischoff would respond to the comments by pointing out Khan has barely been in the wrestling business for long at all.
Khan addressed his comments early on during his appearance on 83 Weeks.
“Just so you know, and over the course of this conversation I’m sure it will come across, I am such a huge fan of your work and you are such an incredible innovator in the business,” Khan said to Bischoff.
“I wouldn’t be here and there would not be an AEW without you and there would not be wrestling on TNT right now without you,” Khan continued. “You gave me the opening to talk to the President of TNT to talk about the previous success you’d had on his network which he didn’t realize because it’s been 20 years.”
Khan continued to talk about how he had said numerous positive things about WCW during the interview with the Financial Times. The reporter evidently only ran with certain quotes, however.
“I’m such a huge believer in what you built,” Khan said to Bischoff.
The full podcast can be viewed in the player below:
All Elite Wrestling star Sonny Kiss has released an official statement regarding hateful comments made against him by a fan.
In the now-deleted tweet, the fan wrote:
“Seriously Cody Rhodes this is supposed to compete with WWE now? You having a match with this low class f*t he’s a joke that I’ll never take seriously. He Twerks in the ring like a stripper one of his moves is banging your face into his ass really?!!”
Having reflected on the swell of support he has received, Kiss shared how the support means a lot to him. In the wake of the negative words, both fans and pro wrestlers rallied behind Kiss.
Kiss shared how he has been open and comfortable with who he is since he was practically a baby. Because of this level of personal acceptance, “You can’t shame someone who is unabashed.”
He added how he firmly stands with the LGBTQ+ community and its allies in making wrestling a more positive and comfortable escape for people. Kiss believes this is something “we should all strive for.”
Sonny Kiss explained how “Sadly, I’d imagine the people on social media who spew hatred are often feeling more pain and sadness than what they’re inflicting on others. I won’t speak for everyone and I will continue to respect everyone’s responses that come naturally to them. We’re human. We have emotions. For me, I try my best to not counter hate with hate, but rather with confidence.”
Kiss is scheduled to face off against Cody Rhodes this Wednesday in a TNT Championship match. He added how this opportunity isn’t just for him, it’s for the entire LGBTQ+ community.
All Elite Wrestling’s Matt Hardy has hinted at his concerns over WWE’s current storyline between his brother Jeff Hardy and Sheamus.
The two have been feuding for weeks, with a heavy focus of the narrative being put on Jeff Hardy’s past real-life substance abuse issues. It’s something Matt Hardy believes could be adding “unneeded pressure” on his brother.
Responding to a fan on Twitter, Matt Hardy stressed how AEW has allowed him to “brand his persona.”
I’m very happy with how AEW has let me brand my persona. Allowing me to help younger talent on & off screen, while also respectfully celebrating my legacy & contributions to the industry. I have those same concerns about the unneeded pressure on my brother.
He explained how this freedom has seen him help out younger talent both on-screen and backstage. Matt Hardy noted how AEW has celebrated his legacy and contributions to the pro wrestling industry.
It was argued how Matt is being celebrated for his impact on the industry in AEW, whereas Jeff is being presented as a “junkie.”
It was then asked, “What if he relapsed?” These concerns are clearly shared by Matt Hardy, who acknowledged he has the same worries for Jeff.
Having lost to Sheamus at WWE Backlash, Jeff Hardy and Sheamus are scheduled to face each other once more. They will clash in a Bar Fight. The match takes place at The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, which airs on July 19 on the WWE Network.
Former AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose has explained how she came to be hired by All Elite Wrestling. She shared her story during an interview with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards on AEW’s official podcast,Unrestricted.
When reflecting on her initial hiring, Rose was asked about how Kenny Omega first reached out to her. It was explained how nobody was aware that Rose was transgender when they first approached.
Nyla Rose explained how she wasn’t asked to join AEW just to fill a “check box.” Being approached on her own merits as a professional wrestler was “the biggest compliment” for her.
“It made me feel really good because they didn’t see me as a check box, like, ok, we got one of those. They were like, we like this chick. We like what she does in the ring. We want to put her on television and we want that with us,” Rose said. “Well, at the time, there was no television, but you know what I’m saying. They knew it was happening. I didn’t know it was happening.”
“The Native Beast” recently revealed how she has hired a manager to help her in-ring career and AEW championship aspirations. Nyla Rose made the announcement during Fyter Fest Night Two.
Last year, Kenny Omega was the second biggest wrestler to sign with AEW just behind Chris Jericho.
He was coming off highly praised matches for his efforts in NJPW where he was a top star for them. However, he has found a lack of success as a singles competitor in All Elite Wrestling. As a result, the direction of Omega’s character in AEW has been criticized by fans.
Dave Meltzer noted on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that AEW decided to book him in his first year as someone who could help build other talent and strengthen the tag team division.
Part of the idea set out by All Elite Wrestling was due to them wanting to build a foundation before he becomes a top star for them in year two. Meltzer added this might still be the direction AEW takes with Omega although plans may have changed.
Omega is aware of the criticism from fans about his singles career in AEW to the point where he has addressed fans over it. He has stated in the past that just because his career might not be what it was in NJPW doesn’t mean he’s not finding success elsewhere.
Outside of the ring, he’s also in charge as an executive for the women’s division.
For the past 3 weeks, NXT has had a higher total viewership than AEW on Wednesday nights. AEW has continued to hold the lead in the 18-49 demo that advertisers value above all else, however.
DVR numbers for both shows are not as readily available as traditional ratings but some numbers have recently been reported. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW has been averaging a 34% increase from DVR viewership over the last two months. NXT has been averaging a 31% increase in DVR viewership over the same time period. These numbers are for May and June as the most recent DVR numbers have not been reported yet.
The report continued to say that AEW’s show on 6/24 did record bad ratings for the company. It brought in 633,000 total viewers and a 0.22 rating (285,000 viewers) in the key demo. This went up against an NXT that did 786,000 viewers and 0.19 in the key demo.
“We don’t have overall but if those numbers held up it would be 1.06 million for NXT and 893,000 for AEW, which would be the lowest AEW number I’ve seen for a +7 figure,” wrote Dave Meltzer about the ratings for the 6/24 show.
The “+7” mentioned above is often referred to as “Live Plus 7” and includes all viewers who watched the show within 1 week of it airing including those who watched live.
This week’s episode of AEW Fyter Fest Night Two saw Taz bring back the FTW Championship. He awarded it to his new protege, Brian Cage.
Taz and All Elite Wrestling are able to use the championship on television because it never officially owned by ECW. Because of this, ownership of the ‘FTW’ rights never transferred over to WWE when they purchased ECW.
Additionally, Taz himself owns the copyright to the belt’s design. The belt Cage received this past Wednesday night was the actual FTW Championship belt Taz defended.
BEWARE: #FTWChampionship is BACK and DOUBLE BEWARE because @MrGMSI_BCage holds the Title.
Taz held the FTW Championship during his run in ECW back in the ‘90s. Prior to Cage, only two wrestlers have held the FTW Championship: Taz and Sabu. The title would eventually be unified with the ECW World Heavy Championship in March 1999.
Brian Cage was scheduled to face off against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley this past Wednesday. This was forced to reschedule, however, after Moxley’s real-life wife, WWE’s Renee Young, confirmed she had COVID-19.
Wanting Cage to head into their reschedule championship bout with some momentum, Taz presented him with the FTW Championship. This now makes their future bout a champion versus champion matchup.
Brian Cage and Jon Moxley will face off for the AEW Championship next week on AEW Fight for the Fallen on TNT.
All Elite Wrestling President and CEO Tony Khan has shared his thoughts on this week’s ratings battle between Dynamite and WWE NXT. The two went head-to-head on Wednesday night with concurrent specials. AEW delivered Fyter Fest Night Two and WWE hosted NXT Great American Bash Night Two.
NXT Great American Bash Night Two actually defeated Fyter Fest Night Two in total viewership. This was WWE’s third victory in a row. However, they did not top the key demographic ratings. Khan took to Twitter to reflect on the numbers. He argued how he considers being a top 7 show on cable a “huge win.”
Khan stressed how “A win in the demo is a win in the business, and this is a business.” He noted how the industry as a whole no longer talks about the demographic as much as 20 years ago but explained how it “drives our revenue today.”
Here’s the chart the industry uses to analyze performance. The leftmost color-coded column is 18-49 demo. The rightmost color-coded column is total viewers. The chart’s ranked by 18-49 viewers. We love & value all viewers, in or outside that demo, but that’s how we score the game pic.twitter.com/aipX0MDfjP
He shared the Nielsen ratings chart and stated how AEW loves and values all its viewers, whether they are inside or outside that 18-49 year old demographic. Khan did add, however, that this is how “we score the game.”
Tony Khan revealed he was thrilled about the ratings from this Wednesday night. He tweeted about celebrating with A Little Bit of the Bubbly on Thursdays whenever AEW is in the top 10. He added how “this is the 3rd time in 4 weeks, & I’m grateful for the great #AEW fans that make it possible!”
AEW will host another special episode next Wednesday night with Fight for the Fallen.
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
NXT won the night in total viewers, but it was AEW, which won in the key 18-49 demo. Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 759,000 viewers, down last week’s 792,000. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.20 rating, down from 0.22 last week.
The episode featured North American Champion Keith Lee vs. NXT Champion Adam Cole in a Winner Takes All Match, Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza, Joaquin Wilde vs. Drake Maverick and Breezango, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Johnny Gargano, and Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae in a Street Fight.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 715,000 viewers, down from the 748,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.28 rating, down from the 0.29 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured bouts such as Orange Cassidy vs. Chris Jericho, FTR & Young Bucks vs. Butcher, Blade & Lucha Bros, Lance Archer vs. Joey Janela, SCU vs The Dark Order, and AEW World Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega & Adam Page vs. Private Party.
WWE Hall of Famer and AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently discussed a number of intriguing topics on the Grilling JR podcast. A recent episode of the audio show saw JR and co-host Conrad Thompson look at the 7.6.98 episode of WCW Monday Nitro.
During the episode talk turned to AEW and co-host Conrad Thompson made a joke related to former NXT Champion Adam Cole. JR would then give his opinion on the longtime NXT Superstar and how he would sometimes appear at AEW events to support his real life partner Britt Baker.
“Adam Cole is a good kid” Jim Ross began. “I’ve got a lot of time for him. He’s a great, great worker.”
“We had a big Memorial Day party in Jacksonville” JR continued. “And sometimes when he’s off? He’ll come join his wife, which is cool. He’s always welcome in our group. And he’s just, just a pleasure to be around.”
Jim Ross would also praise Britt Baker for her recent character work on AEW television. “Britt? She’s playing her role very well, she’s getting better and better. You see her improving her game [all the time].”
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Tony Khan and AEW have suspended Big Swole for an undetermined amount of time. The suspension is as a result of Swole kidnapping Britt Baker on a recent episode of Dynamite. Khan later was adamant that wrestlers are not permitted to kidnap one another.
Swole was served with a letter on Dynamite informing her that she was suspended. She would show up inside Daily’s Place later in the show, however.
“As we just informed @SwoleWorld on #AEWDynamite via formal letter, Big Swole has been suspended from AEW for kidnapping Dr. Britt Baker. Wrestlers can’t kidnap each other. We asked Swole to go home to cool off. Swole’s an important member of our team, and we’ll see her back soon,” Tony Khan Tweeted.
As we just informed @SwoleWorld on #AEWDynamite via formal letter, Big Swole has been suspended from AEW for kidnapping Dr. Britt Baker. Wrestlers can’t kidnap each other. We asked Swole to go home to cool off. Swole’s an important member of our team, and we’ll see her back soon.
Tony Khan Clarifies AEW Policy Regarding Wrestler Kidnapping
Khan would also respond to some questions online about what is and is not a suspendible offence in AEW.
Lance Archer assaults people and then throws them at or around the ring. That’s different. This is wrestling. You have to draw the line somewhere, but assault isn’t it.
“Fair enough on the coffee, but take away the kidnapping, which we can’t condone, and then I thought the coffee was offset by the garbage (twice) + then using your credential and an #AEW facemask to get back into the building under false pretenses, so I’d say call it even on that,” Khan Tweeted.
Next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite will be branded “Fight for the Fallen.” The show will raise money for COVID-19 relief. The Khan family has already donated $1 million as part of the fundraising efforts.
Last year’s inaugural FTTF event raised money for victims of gun violence.
The main event will be see AEW World Champion Jon Moxley’s highly anticipated defense against “The Machine” Brian Cage. This bout was previously scheduled for Fyter Fest Week 2, however it was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. Moxley’s wife, WWE broadcaster Renee Young, tested positive for the virus last month.
AEW Champion Jon Moxley vs. FTW Champion Brian Cage
AEW has also booked a TNT title match for the show. Cody will defend the belt against Sonny Kiss.
After being on the losing end of an 8-man tag this week on Dynamite, FTR will look to get back in the win column at Fight for the Fallen. They will take on the Lucha Bros in tag action on the show.
Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks will team up in 6-man action at Fight for the Fallen. They will take on all 3 members of Jurassic Express.
AEW Fight for the Fallen Card
The full lineup for the show is below:
– AEW World Champion Jon Moxley vs. FTW Champion “The Machine” Brian Cage
– TNT Champion Cody vs Sonny Kiss
– The Elite (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks) vs. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, Marko Stunt)
– FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) vs The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix)
