However, the show was broadcasted without any fans in
attendance due to coronavirus threats and one thing the fans noted was that
throughout the episode, the graphics for future matches were listed as ‘next
dynamite’ instead of ‘next week’.
This made many fans wonder if the show was going on a hiatus but. As of this writing, AEW is still scheduled to be broadcasted live on TNT next week. The production team wanted to get through this week’s episode of the show and “not be so arrogant as to assume” that they will be back live on TV next week. Things are changing rapidly due to the Coronavirus outbreak. As a result, nothing is guaranteed.
The company officials, including president Tony Khan believes that the situation should not be taken for granted. They did not want to come across as if anything was guaranteed and so the decision was made to list everything for the ‘next dynamite’.
The current plan is to go forward with the show as planned if they can broadcast Dynamite next week. In case the show is postponed, the company plans to pick things up where they left off as soon as they are allowed to do so.
Hardy made an appearance on their weekly television show, Dynamite, on Wednesday after the main event that saw The Inner Circle beat The Elite in a six-man tag team match.
This has been speculated for quite some time. Matt Jackson noted that someone owed him a favor, which led to Hardy being shown in the crowd. With Nick Jackson being at home to be with his family, Hardy will join The Elite to take on The Inner Circle next week in the Blood & Guts Match.
Matt Hardy already has two new t-shirts available at ShopAEW.com.
You can watch Matt Hardy’s AEW debut below:
Matt Hardy’s Road to AEW
On March 2nd, it was teased during the latest episode of Being The Elite that Hardy could be going to AEW. The episode featured Matt Jackson getting a call from a 910 area code. This is the code for North Carolina, which is where Hardy lives.
Fast forward to the tenth episode of Free The Delete, The Young Bucks drove to Hardy’s house with Hardy stating that he knew they would come. They later helped bury Hardy.
Hardy’s contract with WWE expired on March 1st, which is when he became a free agent. It was reported before he hit the market that the major hurdle between the two sides is how he would be used going forward, not money. Thus, the reason why he hadn’t signed a new deal.
WWE has been throwing out big money offers to re-sign its talent to longer deals than in previous years with most current deals seeing a star stay under contract for five years.
AEW Dynamite aired live from Jacksonville tonight at Daily’s Place. The Exalted One was revealed during tonight’s episode.
Dynamite Results (3/18)
Lucha Bros def Best Friends
Hikaru Shida def. Penelope Ford, Riho, and Kris Statlander
Jurassic Express def. Butcher & Blade
Brodie Lee is the Exalted One
Inner Circle def. The Elite
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Cody Asked The Elite To Put Their Differences Aside
Cody Rhodes
Cody kicked off the show by speaking to the audience at home. Cody said that us as human beings need to stand together and for many of us that will mean standing at a distance. He stated that he refuses to live in fear because that is not living at all.
He claimed that Matt Jackson’s anger towards Hangman Adam Page was misplaced and he needs him at his best at Blood & Guts. Cody added that he is tired of putting over Hangman Page and challenged him to be the difference maker at Blood & Guts.
Cody said that he needs the real Kenny Omega, the best bout machine. He stated that he needs The Elite to be elite. Matt Jackson and Kenny Omega joined Cody in the ring. Omega claimed that they don’t know if they will even had a Dynamite next week but he would want to go out how they came in, as The Elite.
Matt wondered where Hangman was and looked around the empty arena. Page showed up with a glass of whiskey on the ramp and Matt asked Hangman if he will stand with them tonight and at Blood & Guts. Page raised his glass and said “yep” before heading backstage. Hangman shouted to hit the pyro and Dynamite began.
Lucha Bros battled Best Friends tonight on Dynamite. Orange Cassidy joined commentary for the match. Several wrestlers were in the crowd as MJF and Spears were shown gambling on the action.
Match Recap: MJF started up a “lets go bad guys!” chant as Fenix beat down Trent to start things off. Trent battled back and hit Double Knees and followed it up with a boot to the back of Ray’s head. Chuck tagged in and slammed Ray Fenix to the canvas.
Fenix finally battled back and hit Trent with a few chops to the chest. Pentagon tagged in and hit Trent with a Superkick. Lucha Bros connected Trent with stereo kicks to the face for a near fall. MJF and Spears enjoyed some wine as Fenix booted Chuck off the apron.
Orange Cassidy stood up and distracted Lucha Bros. Trent took out Pentagon with a Suicide Dive as Chuck leveled Fenix with a Clothesline. Back in the ring, Trent connected with a Tornado DDT and tagged Chuck back in. Chuck planted Fenix with a Backbreaker. Best Friends opted not to hug and rubbed elbows instead. Lucha Bros leveled them with a couple of Superkicks as Orange Cassidy left the announce desk.
Orange Cassidy put his hands in his pockets and hit Lucha Bros with a Crossbody. Chuck hit Pentagon with a Piledriver for a two count. Pentagon pinned Trent after a low blow to pick up the win and MJF won his bet against Spears.
After the match, Tony interviewed Best Friends on the stage. Best Friends told Death Triangle to meet them in the parking lot next week for a Street Fight.
HikaruShida Remains The Top Contender For The AEW Women’s Championship
Penelope Ford, Riho, Kris Statlander, Hikaru Shida competed in a 4-Way match tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Penelope went right after Riho start it off and sent her flying out of the ring. Kip Sabian dragged Shida and Statlander out of the ring and they responded with a couple punches to the face. Riho climbed to the top rope and took everyone out with a Crossbody. Statlander planted Riho with a Backbreaker and set her up on the turnbuckle. Shida then Suplexed Statlander onto Riho. Kris battled back with a massive Clothesline. Penelope went for a Hurricanrana and completely missed.
Ford and Riho teamed up for a second to hit Shida with a Suplex. Riho launched off Penelope and hit Kip with a knee to the face. Kris lifted Riho up in the Electric Chair and slammed her onto Shida. Penelope planted Statlander and knocked her out of the ring. Shida planted Penelope with the Falcon Arrow for a near fall. Shida followed it up with a running knee to the face.After the match, Colt Cabana was interviewed ringside. He dissed Kip and Sabian got in his face. Colt slapped him and Kip retreated with Penelope Ford.
The Butcher and The Blade squared off against Jurassic Express. MJF handed Butcher and Blade some cash and said “daddy needs a win”.
Match Recap: Jungle Boy hit Blade with an Arm Drag but Blade caught him with a knee to the midsection. Luchasaurus tagged in and slammed Blade to the canvas for a one count. Jungle Boy went for a Crossbody but Butcher & Blade caught him and threw him into the barricade.
Back in the ring, Butcher tagged in and hit Jungle Boy with a headbutt. Butcher followed it up with a massive chop and tagged Blade back in. Blade hit Jungle Boy with a Backbreaker and went for the cover for a two count. Luchasaurus finally got a tag and took out Butcher with a boot to the face. Luchasaurus went for a Moonsault and came up a bit short on Butcher outside the ring. Back in the ring, Jungle Boy hit Blade with a Cutter. Luchasaurus pinned Blade for the victory.
Dark Order came down to the ring and claimed that the Exalted One is near and will bring new life to the Dark Order. Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels interrupted and said that they were sick of Evil Uno’s lies.
Daniels stated that Uno hasn’t made anyone’s lives any better in Dark Order and has just been wasting everyone’s time. Daniels shouted that there is no Exalted One before music hit. The Exalted One spoke in an altered voice and said that Dark Order will do what they want when they want.
The Exalted One then took off his hood and it was revealed to be Brodie Lee. Brodie introduced himself to Christopher Daniels and announced himself as the Exalted One. Brodie then said to Daniels that he is not the first out of touch old man to not believe in him. Brodie then appeared and the ring and leveled Daniels with a big boot and a Clothesline.
Opinion: I loved this segment and Brodie’s shot at Vince McMahon was epic. The wrestlers serving as the crowd has added so much to show and hopefully WWE does something similar going forward.
Inner Circle (Jake Hager, Santana, and Ortiz) battled The Elite ( Cody, Hangman Adam Page, and Matt Jackson) in the main event tonight. Sammy Guevara and Kenny Omega were ringside for the match. Chris Jericho joined commentary as Sammy Guevara and MJF sang along to Judas. The winner of the match will get the advantage at Blood & Guts next week.
Match Recap: Cody planted Ortiz with a Suplex and tagged Matt in. Matt got in some offense before Hangman tagged himself in. Page leveled Santana with a Clothesline for a near fall. Cody tagged in and walked into a Clothesline from Santana. Ortiz slammed Cody into the apron as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
Hager had Cody in a Wrist Lock when AEW returned from commercial. Ortiz tagged and rolled up Cody for a near fall. Cody battled back with Cross Rhodes but couldn’t make the cover. Cody crawled towards the corner but Hager tagged in. Cody Clotheslined Hager to the outside as Santana knocked The Elite off the apron.
Hangman tagged in and hit Ortiz with a big boot and followed it up with a Clothesline. Hangman planted Santana with a Fallaway Slam and then hit a Crossbody on Hager outside the ring. Back in the ring, Hangman hit a Clothesline on Santana for a two count. Cody took out Ortiz with a Suicide Dive and threw him over the barricade and onto MJF.
Wardlow grabbed Cody’s throat and Arn Anderson hit Wardlow with his notepad. Back in the ring, Matt hit Santana with three Northern Lights Suplexes in a row. Page and Matt teamed up and planted Hager with a Northern Lights Suplex. They went for the Indie Taker but Hager tripped up Hangman. Santana then rolled up Matt for the victory.
After the match, Chris Jericho grabbed a microphone and started mocking The Elite. Jericho claimed that he is banning all fans from Dynamite until he says so. Jericho boasted about attacking Nick Jackson and flipped The Elite the bird. Hager did some pushups as Sammy was on his back. Chris added that Inner Circle hasn’t done anything besides win and dominate The Elite. Jericho asked Sammy to tell the world how sexy he is and Guevara started hitting on Brandi. A drone flew over the ring as Matt stated that The Elite isn’t outnumbered. The drone (Vanguard 1) landed in the ring and Matt said he made a call to a friend. Matt Hardy was then shown standing above the ring and made the delete motion to close the show.
Opinion: Dynamite was a WONDERFUL show tonight and it is great to see Brodie Lee & Matt Hardy in AEW. The entire show tonight was entertaining and I’m looking forward to the Blood & Guts match and the Street Fight next week as well.
It’s official, Brodie Lee, formerly known as Luke Harper, is All Elite.
The former WWE Tag Team Champion has signed with AEW (All Elite Wrestling) as he made an appearance on their weekly television show, Dynamite, on Wednesday.
This is where he was revealed as The Exalted One, the leader of The Dark Order. He cut a promo about how Christopher Daniels wasn’t the only old man who didn’t believe in him. He would then attack Daniels and Kaz alongside The Dark Order.
Brodie Lee’s Road to AEW
Brodie Lee (Luke Harper) requested his release from WWE back in April 2019. He remained under contract until December when WWE finally granted the request.
At the time of his release, he had a 90-day no-compete clause with WWE, which prevented him from appearing on AEW television until late March 2020.
Harper’s time in WWE had both ups and downs as he found success as a singles star by winning the Intercontinental Title as well as a tag team competitor while with The Wyatt Family.
Things took a turn when it was reported that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon didn’t see anything in him. Thus, they stopped using him, which resulted in Harper asking for his release.
All Elite Wrestling has announced the latest set of AEW Rankings for the week ending Wednesday, March 18, 2020.
The updated standings come after the results of Tuesday’s AEW Dark episode. These rankings are for the following divisions – men’s, women’s, and tag team.
The way the rankings work is the talent will be listed in rankings by their match records but doesn’t include the champions. It also helps fans keep an eye on the current push of certain wrestlers as they work their way up the ladder to an eventual title shot in their divisions.
Cody passed PAC to reach the fourth spot in the men’s rankings while former AEW Women’s Champion Riho has dropped to fifth in the women’s division. Finally, Private Party moved past Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in the tag team division.
AEW Rankings
The rankings will be next week. You can see the rankings here:
The identity of the Exalted One, the mysterious leader of AEW’s Dark Order faction, will be revealed on tonight’s episode of Dynamite.
For months, the Dark Order and AEW’s social media pages have been pushing propaganda signaling the Exalted One’s arrival.
The most recent tease can be seen below. At a glance, it appears to be a jumbled set of numbers. Some bright minds on Twitter figured out numbers contain an encoded “tap code” message that reads, “It’s Too Late Now.”
So, who is the Exalted One? There have been many theories going around. One plausible possibility is Brodie Lee (former WWE Superstar Luke Harper). The ‘non-compete’ clause on Brodie Lee’s WWE contract has expired. He is officially a free agent and rumored to be AEW bound. Tonight’s AEW Dynamite was originally scheduled to take place from Rochester, NY. This happens to be Brodie Lee’s home town. He would make a good fit as the leader of the cult.
Matt Hardy also a prime candidate to be revealed as the Exalted One. Hardy is a free agent and is almost certainly AEW bound.
Matt Hardy has also been dropping plenty of hints about the Exalted One. It’s getting so obvious that it might very well be a red herring. Perhaps he’s headed to All Elite Wrestling to save AEW from the Exalted One.
The twelfth and final installment of Matt Hardy’s Free The Delete YouTube series premieres tonight. Hardy is likely headed to AEW, but is he the Exalted One?
Dark Order member Evil Uno has been tweeting about who is NOT the Exalted one, including names like Ryback, Jim Ross, Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, Max Headroom and others. We’ll find out who the Exalted One is in a matter of hours. Whoever it winds up being, kudos to AEW for crafting a pretty engaging mystery angle.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho will be narrating the upcoming premiere of Dark Side of the Ring. Season 2 begins with a documentary focused on the Chris Benoit tragedy. Given the controversial nature of the subject, Jericho stressed that neither he nor the show is “glorifying a murderer.”
“I didn’t want to hear how I was glorifying a murderer. I don’t want to hear that I’m ignoring this murder. I wanted to talk, specifically, about his life and times, his intensity, and his successes within the ring,” Jericho explained to SI.com.
“We’re not glorifying a murderer. We’re telling the full story. It was done properly, it was done for the right reasons, and we were able to portray the full story, emphasizing the tragedy that much further.”
Chris Jericho On Chris Benoit & Eddie Guerrero’s Friendship
Jericho shared how the episode will also cover the death of Eddie Guerrero. He explained that the connection between Benoit and Guerrero made it impossible to tell a full story without mentioning both wrestlers.
“[…] half the story is the story of Eddie and the other half is of Chris. I think we did the right way of portraying this, reminding everyone there were people behind this, not just sensational murder coverage. There is a story to tell of a friendship and a family, and a guy that was not a monster. This was someone you could trust and that was very respected in the wrestling community amongst his peers.”
Chavo Guerrero’s Involvement
According to Chris Jericho, Chavo Guerrero was instrumental in the production of the episode. He noted how Chavo helped produce it and is the reason he agreed to be a part of the show.
“His mindset was, ‘If we don’t do this properly, it’s going to get done anyway. Let’s do it for the right reasons and do it the right way.’ I think he was spot on with that. Chavo was involved, which got me involved, and David Benoit and Nancy’s sister were involved, then I was able to get Dean and Dean’s wife, and Vickie.”
He continued, “Suddenly it became this noble project instead of a hack job, which is what the media tends to do in situations with someone they don’t know. We knew the person behind this, not just the murderer.”
Dark Side of the Ring airs on VICE TV on Tuesday nights. Season 2 starts next week with a two-hour special.
AEW will present the first-time-ever type of episode for their weekly television show, Dynamite due to the circumstances of the coronavirus outbreak. There will be no fans in attendance but only essential staff.
Thus, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. The show is expected to start with Lucha Bros vs. Best Friends.
Although not confirmed, the belief is that The Inner Circle vs. The Elite in a six-man tag team match will serve as the headliner. The winners will be receiving the advantage for the “Blood & Guts” match on March 25.
AEW holds this show from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
The Inner Circle vs. The Elite – Six-Man Tag Team Match
Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy vs. The Butcher and The Blade
Lucha Bros vs. Best Friends
The reveal of The Exalted One, The Dark Order’s leader
AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds.
Join us here later tonight for our post-show AEW Dynamite Results and Takeaways feature.
Former AEW Champion Chris Jericho recently spoke to commentator Excalibur as part of the Talk Is Jericho weekly podcast. Jericho spoke to the masked man about founding PWG (Pro Wrestling Guerilla) as well as his stint thus far in the new upstart All Elite brand.
Chris Jericho’s Influence In AEW
The conversation would segue into Chris Jericho’s own backstage roles within the company. “I have a much bigger role in the shaping and creative of Dynamite than I ever did in WWE” Jericho began. “Not just for my own stuff, but everything. Production elements, music, light switches, vignettes and all that sort of stuff.”
“We have a whole group of people that are basically starting this from scratch, how do you do that?”
– Chris Jericho
Jericho would finish discussing how the AEW team as a whole has stepped up to the challenge of weekly live television and PPV. “We have a whole group of people that are basically starting this from scratch, how do you do that?” Jericho stated.
“Some things are going to be perfect. Other things are going to need stuff to work, you have to shape and work on it better. But I’ve really seen a difference from a whole crew that had never really experienced live TV yourself (Excalibur) included. Very few of us: Jim Ross, Cody Rhodes, Jericho, Dustin Rhodes, Jon Moxley dealt with it in WWE, [Also] Jake Hager. But most of us haven’t, so to see that come together so quickly, has been really cool to experience and be a part of it.”
There have been recent reports that indicate Jericho has held ‘talent meetings’ with regards to the in-ring product for AEW.
“I called a team meeting…the lack of tags and normal tag team wrestling psychology drove me nuts. It’s sort of making excuses for The Lucha Brothers because tagging in and out, they’re lazy, they don’t care.”
Do you think that the in-ring and production elements of AEW have improved over the first few months? Let us know in the comments
AEW continues to postpone upcoming episodes of their weekly television show on TNT, Dynamite.
The company did so again Monday with the April 15th episode from Boston, which will have to be rescheduled for another date due to the coronavirus.
What to take away from this statement is the fact that they noted all upcoming Dynamite episodes will be held without fans and essential personnel only.
As noted earlier this week, it looks like AEW’s big Blood and Guts double steel cage match is still happening. This week’s edition of Dynamite will feature The Elite vs. The Inner Circle, with the winners earning an advantage for Blood and Guts.
AEW issued the following statement on Twitter regarding the cancelation of the April 15th Dynamite from Boston:
AEW DYNAMITE: 4/15 BOSTON RESCHEDULED
As a precautionary measure against COVID-19, the AEW DYNAMITE show on April 15 in Boston, MA, will be relocated. The relocated show will be televised live on TNT on April 15. Until further notice, live episodes of DYNAMITE will be produced at closed set locations with essential personnel only.
The DYNAMITE show in Boston will be rescheduled for Wednesday, August 5, at Agganis Arena. Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Boston show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on August 5. Additional details will be forthcoming.
We appreciate your understanding as the safety and well-being of our fans and talent is always our top priority. We will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation related to COVID-19 and be guided by government officials, health organizations and venue management.”
This comes a few days after the promotion announced that Wednesday’s episode from Rochester, NY and then the special edition of the show, Blood & Guts, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey the following week on March 25th will have to find new locations.
Due to concerns about the coronavirus, these changes have been made.
Eric Bischoff has not taken lightly to the All Elite Wrestling’s president Tony Khan’s comments. Khan had recently told the Financial Times that he plans to run the company in a different way than Eric Bischoff ran World Championship Wrestling when he was the president.
This statement didn’t sit too well with Bischoff, who has responded back to Khan on a recent episode of his podcast, 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff.
Back in late February, Bischoff said that he AEW had a long way to go to even reach WCW’s success. Bischoff said that Khan has not been in the wrestling industry for years like him, and he isn’t sure that Khan would be able to change the wrestling industry.
“Call me in a couple of years and let me know how you’ve changed the industry. Call me in a couple of years when your show is one of the top, if not the top original piece of programming on the TNT network,” Bischoff said. “Call me in a couple of years when you’re number two, number three, number four in all of the cable programming for the night in primetime, and then let’s talk about it. But until then, hmm, I’ll just have another cup of coffee and see what happens.”
After this scathing statement, Bischoff just couldn’t let go and talked about the matter again on the next episode of his podcast which aired last week. Bischoff stated that WWE wouldn’t have been the company that it is today if not for the pressure, the influence, and the template that Bischoff thinks WCW created that made the whole industry competitive and took things to the next level.
Bischoff said that Tony is doing what he did, such as using pay-per-view event names similar to WCW’s, a “low budget Nitro,” paying huge amounts of money to stars that they have never been paid before, etc.
Bischoff said, “You’re still seeing the impact of early Nitro across the board including in AEW as much as they try to suggest, as Tony Khan did recently, that we’re gonna do everything different than Eric Bischoff did. Well, guess what m-fer? You’re doing about as much as I did than anyone else in the industry.”
Bischoff continued by explaining that many of WCW Nitro’s innovations are being employed by WWE and AEW to this day.
“I’m not defensive about that. I think it’s just a fact when you look at things objectively. The things we did on Nitro [are what] you’re still seeing today. They’re things that change the nature, the landscape [and] the entire industry, and I think it’s even fairer to say, now that I’m into my third Starbucks, WWE wouldn’t be the company that it is today had it not been for the pressure, the influence and quite frankly the template we created that they were able to follow and take to the next level, so there I’m off my soapbox. Sorry.”
You can listen to a clip of Eric Bischoff talking about Tony Khan and WCW’s influence on AEW/WWE below:
All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan has explained how the promotion is focused on being their own competition. Appearing on AEW’s official podcast, Unrestricted, Khan also noted how they don’t want to oversaturate the market. For now, a two-hour show is the “perfect amount of TV.”
“I also don’t want to oversaturate. I think there’s a sweet spot, so I’m never going to try to produce so many shows that you can’t keep track of what we’re doing. To me, a two hour Dynamite and now, the new one hour show we’re going to develop, is the perfect amount of TV,” Khan said.
Tony Khan On AEW Being Their Own Competition
Tony Khan explained how there are plans in place to release new things on YouTube and BR Live. Ultimately, however, he believes AEW’s current output of Dynamite and Dark allows them to keep creating a consistent, strong product.
“We’re our own opponent. At the end of the day, people talk about you’re in a wrestling war or whatever, we just have to do the best show we can do.”
He continued, “We’re competing with ourselves to do the best shows we can, and when we haven’t done stuff that made sense or wasn’t our best work, we’ve had to refocus and say, here’s why that didn’t work and never do that again.”
All Elite Wrestling commentator Jim Ross doesn’t believe WWE will cancel WrestleMania 36. At the time of writing, fans worldwide are still unsure as to whether WWE’s largest event will take place due to coronavirus concerns. Speaking on his podcast Grillin’ JR, Ross broke down why he thinks WWE won’t be cancelling.
“I don’t think it’ll [be cancelled],” Ross said. “It would be a shocker, it would be a huge loss for not only the WWE financially but also for fans that are planning on going and making it a part of an annual excursion or there first WrestleMania ever.”
He continued, “WrestleMania is a major event and that’s an understatement obviously, but it’s a major event from the standpoint that many other companies use WrestleMania as a source of creating new revenue. It could be detrimental to a lot of companies, but knowing the wrestling mantra as I do, I don’t think it’s going to be cancelled.”
Jim Ross On Impact On Sales, Attendance
Jim Ross shared how he had heard WWE is struggling to sell tickets for RAW and SmackDown. He noted that WrestleMania is allegedly still selling well. Although he doesn’t feel WWE will cancel the show, Ross added how there will be ongoing discussions about this virus and how it will affect projected attendance numbers.
“I think people could be more cautious and it is available on television and on the WWE Network. I don’t think it will cancel but I do think the ongoing discussions about this virus will affect the attendance at some events for everybody coming to Tampa.”
WrestleMania 36 is scheduled to take place on April 5 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Despite meeting last week to discuss options, Tampa officials have claimed they may have to “pull the plug” on the event.
Jon Moxley released a video of escaping a prison-like setting shortly after leaving WWE which was a metaphor of the former World Champion finally breaking out of the mental constraints of the company.
The AEW Champion recently had an interview with The Walkway to Fight Club podcast where he talked about things like retaining his WWE entrance in AEW and more.
Discussing the difference between AEW and WWE, the former WWE Champion said that his AEW character is like a ‘whole different person’ that has been sleeping or been in jail:
“It’s just kind of like a whole other different person that had been like sleeping or in jail or suspended. It was like Jon Moxley was serving an eight-year suspension and then he finally got reinstated,”
The former WWE star continued by saying that it’s hard to
explain but when you are being pushed in so many different directions and
saying someone else’s words, you feel like you are not yourself anymore.
Explaining the difference between the two companies, Jon Moxley said that in AEW, he just walks out and does whatever the situation calls for, doesn’t matter how tired he is.
Apart from this, Jon Moxley also discussed the crowds at AEW, saying that he thinks TVs don’t do justice to how hot some of their crowds are. Check out his prison video below:
Matt Hardy’s brother Jeff Hardy made his return to this week’s Friday Night SmackDown, where he changed his finisher’s name from the Twist of Fate to the Twist of Fury.
The next day Matt Hardy’s wife, Reby Hardy, tweeted the trademark logo, “TM”. Many fans took to mean that Matt had trademarked the Twist of Fate name and now that he is no longer a part of WWE, Jeff was not allowed to use it.
Matt Hardy then had to come out and clear the misconception regarding the move. Fans were jumping on Reby and Matt as they assumed he didn’t want his brother Jeff to be able to use the name. The clarification came after a fan on Twitter asked Matt why he had trademarked the name “Twist of Fate”.
Matt Hardy clarified by replying, “I DID NOT. The @WWE & Jeff are completely free to use “Twist of Fate.” The change 100% came on their end. I wouldn’t ever do anything to hinder my brother. I’m thrilled to see him back on #WWE TV, looking healthy & happy.”
I DID NOT. The @WWE & Jeff are completely free to use "Twist of Fate." The change 100% came on their end. I wouldn’t ever do anything to hinder my brother. I’m thrilled to see him back on #WWE TV, looking healthy & happy. https://t.co/L0xp5QyjpU
It’s still unclear why Reby posted the trademark message on her Twitter account, which lead to this unnecessary internet drama. While Reby and Jeff have history between them, it has to be noted that her posting the logo doesn’t necessarily mean she was even hinting at Matt Hardy trademarking the move. Twitterati just assumed what they wanted to anyway.
Matt Hardy is gone from WWE, but he is still continuing his “Free the Delete” YouTube series where he is teasing a change in his character’s current persona. He has heavily hinted at joining All Elite Wrestling, since none other than the Young Bucks themselves appeared on the past two episodes.
AEW will be reportedly be going forward with their plans for the six-man tag team match between The Elite and The Inner Circle on this Wednesday’s Dynamite.
There have been several changes regarding AEW Dynamite’s location. Originally, AEW was going to Rochester, NY for Dynamite but it was then moved to Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place.
On Friday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced that the city is suspending all events and gatherings at city facilities due to the coronavirus outbreak. TIAA Bank Field, which is one of the impacted venues announced by the mayor, is connected to Daily’s Place where Dynamite will be held. It is, however, believed that the show is still on at the venue but will be held without an audience.
Coming back to The Elite-Inner Circle match, the winners of this bout will receive an entry advantage in the upcoming Blood and Guts match. The match features two factions, Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager, Santana, and Ortiz vs. Cody, Hangman Page, Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, and a partner that is yet to be determined.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio, AEW President Tony Khan was rewriting this week’s show and chose to keep the six-man tag team match in. Since this match is being held to determine who will get an entry advantage in the Blood and Guts match, it is being speculated that said match is going to take place on March 25 as planned.
While the show was originally scheduled to take place on March 25 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, it will possibly be held at the same venue as this week’s show – at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) announcer Jim Ross recently spoke about the possibility of Matt and Jeff Hardy joining AEW’s ranks. He addressed the idea during an episode of his podcast, Grillin’ JR. Ross wasn’t shy about wanting to see Matt in AEW and noted how Jeff can “help any company” he’s a part of, but only if he’s healthy.
“When Jeff Hardy is clean and sober and healthy, he can help any company in a big big way,” Jim Ross said. “Then Matt [Hardy], of course, now a free agent. You know there’s a lot of talk about where he’s going. I know where I’d like to see him go, you know obviously I’m selfish.”
Ross continued, “Matt Hardy is another guy that, from his intellect to his character, his integrity, and existing in-ring skills can help any wrestling company. Including the one that I worked for at AEW. I wish him the best.”
If Matt Comes, Will Jeff Follow?
Jim Ross speculated that if AEW is able to sign Matt Hardy to their roster, then “maybe” his brother wouldn’t be too far behind. Matt has been long suspected by fans to be the ‘Exalted One’ AEW’s Dark Order frequently refer to.
Matt Hardy has confirmed he is in talks with various promotions including AEW, NWA, ROH, and Impact Wrestling. No official announcement has been made over where he will go, but he has stated his decision will be within the month.
Jeff, meanwhile, made his long-awaited return to SmackDown during last night’s episode. He defeated Baron Corbin in his return match to an empty WWE Performance Center.
AEW Dynamite In Jacksonville Still On Despite Coronavirus Ruling
For now, the latest location for next Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite episode on TNT is still on.
There have been several changes within all industries due to the coronavirus pandemic. Originally, AEW was going to run Rochester, NY next week for their weekly television show but it was moved to Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place.
On Friday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced that the city is suspending all events and gatherings at city facilities. This decision came after the COVID-19 outbreak hit Duval County this week.
TIAA Bank Field, which is one of the impacted venues on the list, is connected to Daily’s Place, the location of where Dynamite will be held.
After the announcement by the Mayor, this caused speculation as to whether next week’s Dynamite episode would take place. However, Dave Meltzer provided an update as to where things stand right now.
He did so when he reported on Twitter this afternoon that Wednesday’s episode is still on for Daily’s Place in Jacksonville.
“Just a note from AEW, Wednesday’s show at Daily’s Place is still on. Things are still having to be worked out as far as details go but it will have to be without fans,” Meltzer wrote.
Adam Page Shares Funny Changes
Adam Page took to social media to address the ongoing virus. It’s supposed to be a funny press release, which it is.
It actually notes in the header text, “Typed onto a piece of paper by an AEW errand boy at the drunken behest of Hangman Adam Page”. You can read it here:
In light of the ongoing Coronavirus disease outbreak, All Elite Wrestling is relocating the next two weeks of AEW Dynamite tapings.
Next week’s show, originally scheduled for Rochester, NY, will now take place from the Daily’s Place amphitheater in Jacksonville, FL. The first AEW Dynamite show from Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena will take place Wednesday, July 8th.
The March 25th episode of Dynamite, originally scheduled for Newark, NJ, will be held at a venue to be determined. AEW Dynamite from Newark’s Prudential Center will take place Wednesday, July 22nd.
As of this writing, AEW has yet to comment on the fate of the highly anticipated Blood & Guts double steel cage match (The Elite vs. The Inner Circle) that was booked for 3/25.
The following is an official statement from AEW sent in to SEScoops.com regarding the changes:
Rochester
As a precautionary measure against COVID-19, we are relocating next week’s AEW DYNAMITE show on March 18 from Rochester, NY, to Jacksonville, FL. This show will be televised live on TNT from Daily’s Place, and be managed under a restricted attendance policy. The DYNAMITE show in Rochester will be rescheduled for Wednesday, July 8, at Blue Cross Arena.
Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Rochester show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on July 8. Additional details will be forthcoming.
Newark
In addition, the DYNAMITE show on March 25 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, will be relocated to a new venue, which will be announced shortly. This show will be televised live on TNT on March 25, and be managed under a restricted attendance policy. The DYNAMITE show in Newark will be rescheduled for Wednesday, July 22, at the Prudential Center.
Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Newark show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on July 22. Additional details will be forthcoming.
We appreciate your understanding as the safety and well-being of our fans and talent is always our top priority. We will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation related to COVID-19 and be guided by government officials, health organizations and venue management.
AEW has announced the relocation of two scheduled episodes of Dynamite.
All Elite Wrestling was slated to hold next week’s episode from Rochester, NY and then the special edition of the show, Blood & Guts, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey the following week on March 25th.
However, due to concerns about the coronavirus, those shows have been moved. Next week’s show will take place in Jacksonville, FL from Daily’s Place. The location of the Blood & Guts is unknown at this time.
“As a precautionary measure against COVID-19, we are relocating next week’s AEW DYNAMITE show on March 18 from Rochester, NY, to Jacksonville, FL. Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Rochester show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on July 8. Additional details will be forthcoming.
In addition, the DYNAMITE show on March 25 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, will be relocated to a new venue, which will be announced shortly. This show will be televised live on TNT on March 25, and be managed under a restricted attendance policy. The DYNAMITE show in Newark will be rescheduled for Wednesday, July 22, at the Prudential Center.
Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Newark show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on July 22. Additional details will be forthcoming.
We appreciate your understanding as the safety and well-being of our fans and talent is always our top priority. We will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation related to COVID-19 and be guided by government officials, health organizations and venue management.”
The Prudential Center issued the following statement about shutting the arena down:
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War. AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group including the +50 which NXT slightly won.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 697,000 viewers, which is down from 718,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.21 rating, down from the 0.23 rating that the show did last week.
The episode featured North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grimes, Tegan Knox vs. Deonna Purrazzo, Dakota Kai vs. Mia Yim, The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) vs. NXT Tag Team Champions The Broserweights (Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle), and Kushida vs. Raul Mendoza.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 766,000 viewers, down from the 906,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.26 rating, down from the 0.35 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured such as Bea Priestley & Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida & Kris Statlander, Adam Page and Dustin Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes vs. Ortiz, Death Triangle vs. Joey Janela and Private Party, and Jurassic Express vs. MJF, The Butcher and The Blade.
All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan was the special guest on this week’s edition of the AEW Unrestricted podcast.
Here are some highlights of Khan’s discussion with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards:
In the early stages of creating the wrestling promotion that would be come AEW, the first idea he had for the company’s name was, Worlds Best Wrestling.
Tony met TNT President Kevin Reilly at a party back on April 6, 2018. He learned that TNT was considering bidding for the TV rights for WWE Raw and SmackDown. He remembers telling Reilly that the wrestling TV industry had changed a lot since TNT aired WCW programming. He told Reilly that acquiring WWE programming would be way too expensive, but there was still enough fan interest to warrant a second major league product. Reilly was intrigued, especially when Tony Khan told him that were a lot of talent free agents and WWE wrestlers with contracts expiring in the near future.
The first names Tony Khan had in mind for starting a new promotion were Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Chris Jericho and CM Punk. Jon Moxley was not under consideration at the beginning, because he was a WWE guy and they were pleasantly surprised when he became a free agent.
He is very hands-on with the AEW product, as it relates to the creative direction and overall business operations. He’s communicating with referees during the matches about time cues and with the announcers about what to put over. However, he is careful to not be in the announcers’ ears too much.
AEW executives are happy with the Dynamite product and took a dig at ‘other companies’ taping 5 weeks of shows at theme parks.
MJF recently signed a new contract extension with AEW. He will be with the company through at least 2024.
It was Tony Khan’s idea to have young stars like Jungle Boy and Scorpio Sky have TV matches with (former) AEW World Champion Chris Jericho. He thought both matches showcased the challengers in a big way.
His appearance on Steve Austin’s podcast shortly after Double or Nothing, and Austin’s praise for the show, was one of the proudest moments during his time in wrestling.
His first exposure to pro wrestling was seeing Hulk Hogan on the A-Team in the early 1980’s.
AEW Of all the names that Tony had been thinking of to sign early on, Jon Moxley’s name was never one of them, because him leaving was a big surprise.
The people in AEW do not feel like they are in a war with WWE. They are trying to present a strong alternative product and compete with themselves.
Tony spoke about wanting to avoid insulting fans’ intelligence and the need to present things logically. He called out the “invisible camera” technique that other companies have used, where you see someone hatching a plan in secret and everyone else is supposed to act like it didn’t just air on television for the world to see.
Overall, it was a fun chat that is definitely worth checking out.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City. Hangman Adam Page teamed up with Dustin Rhodes to face Jericho and Guevara in the main event.
Hangman Adam Page & Dustin Rhodes def. Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Lance Archer Made His Debut & Inner Circle Attacked Nick Jackson
Ortiz battled Cody in the first match of the night. Santana, Brandi Rhodes and Arn Anderson were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Cody took Ortiz down with a Dropkick and followed it up with a Powerslam for a one count. Jake “The Snake” Roberts showed up with Lance Archer in the crowd during the match.
Cody was distracted for a moment but refocused and sent Ortiz into the steel steps. Santana distracted Cody and Ortiz capitalized with a punch to the face. Santana followed that up with a cheap shot on Cody and Ortiz hit a Splash for a two count.
Cody hit Ortiz with ten punches in the corner before Santana once again distracted the referee. Ortiz crotched Cody on the top turnbuckle and went for a Superplex but Cody blocked it. Santana tried to distract Cody again but Brandi hit him in the head with her belt.
Ortiz then hit the Superplex and went for the cover but Cody kicked out at the last moment. Cody took out Santana with a Suicide Dive and followed it up with a Suplex to Ortiz on the entrance ramp. Archer made it seem like he was going to jump over the barricade but Jake held him back.
Back in the ring, Ortiz connected with a Fisherman’s Suplex for a two count. Cody locked in the Figure Four on Ortiz for the submission victory. After the match, Santana attacked Cody from behind. Matt Jackson and Kenny Omega made the save.
Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager then appeared on the jumbotron. Jericho claimed that Inner Circle was going to beat the hell out of The Elite at Blood & Guts. The camera then panned back to reveal Nick Jackson laid out with a door shut on his face with blood everywhere.
The Butcher, The Blade, and MJF squared off against Jurassic Express tonight on Dynamite. The Bunny and Wardlow were ringside for the match. MJF was still wearing his “I pinned Cody” shirt.
Match Recap: MJF ran away from Luchasaurus to start things off and tagged in Blade. Everyone got in the ring and had a stare down as the crowd chanted “Luchasaurus!”. MJF distracted Luchasaurus allowing Butcher & Blade to attack him from behind. They then took turns beating him down in the corner and focusing their attack on Luchasuarus’ leg.
MJF tagged back in and took Luchasaurus down with a Dragon Screw for only a one count. Luchasaurus was finally able to tag in Jungle Boy and he quickly leveled The Blade with a Clothesline. Marko Stunt planted Butcher with a DDT and then went for a Suicide Dive but Blade and MJF caught him. Jungle Boy then hit a Suicide Dive of his own. Luchasaurus then flipped onto everyone as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”.
Back in the ring, Luchasaurus hit MJF and Blade with a Chokeslam. Butcher and Luchasaurus traded elbows to the face in the middle of the ring before Marko tagged back in. Marko stomped the hell out of MJF in the corner before Jungle Boy broke it up. The Bunny distracted Jungle Boy as Wardlow leveled Luchasaurus outside the ring. MJF then tapped out Marko with the Salt of the Earth Arm Bar.
Big Swole & Britt Baker Made References To Cedric Alexander & Adam Cole
Tony Schiavone interviewed Britt Baker once again tonight. Britt took a couple shots at the Utah crowd and called the crowd boring. Baker brought Tony a Starbucks coffee and claimed that she was seeing a lot of high BMI and poor oral health in the crowd.
Baker added that it looks like a giant family reunion in the crowd. Britt continued to insult the crowd by saying that they can become the janitor or the construction worker they always wanted to be. Britt added that she will be everyone’s role model and thanked the crowd.
Big Swole interrupted and Baker hid behind Tony. Swole told Britt that Tony doesn’t even like her. Britt claimed that they only care about Big Swole’s boyfriend (Cedric Alexander). Swole said that she was married and added a “bay-bay” in reference to Baker’s boyfriend Adam Cole. Britt then threw the coffee in Swole’s face before running away.
Joey Janela teamed up with Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) to face Death Triangle (Pac & Lucha Bros) tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Death Triangle dominated early before Janela battled back with a leaping elbow off the second turnbuckle. Joey followed it up with a Clothesline that sent Pentagon to the canvas. Private Party then hit Lucha Bros with a couple Dropkicks that sent them out of the ring. Joey climbed to the top rope and hit a Crossbody onto Death Triangle outside the ring.
Private Party hit Gin & Juice and Quen followed it up with a Shooting Star Press on Fenix. Pentagon broke it up and tagged back into the match. Pentagon connected with a Slingblade and sent Marq to the corner. Pac tagged in and went for a German Suplex but Marq landed on his feet.
Janela tagged in and Pac greeted him with a kick to the face. Janela hit an elbow to Pac’s head and brought him to the apron. Joey connected with a Death Valley Driver on the apron and followed it up with an Elbow Drop off the top rope for a near fall. Fenix planted Joey with a Cutter as Pac made his way to the top. Pac connected with Black Arrow for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Death Triangle attacked Private Party and Janela but Best Friends rushed the ring and made the save.
Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara battled Hangman Adam Page and Dustin Rhodes in the main event of this week’s show. The rest of Inner Circle came down to ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Hangman and Dustin controlled the match early and isolated Sammy in the ring. Jericho grabbed a beer from the crowd and mocked Hangman by saying he is a cowboy. Page responded with a right hand that knocked Jericho to the floor. Back in the ring, Hangman hit a shoulder tackle and followed it up with a Suplex that sent Jericho on top of Guevara.
Dustin tagged in and planted Sammy with a Running Bulldog before knocking Jericho off the ring apron with a right hand to the face. Sammy connected with a Double Stomp and went for the cover but Rhodes kicked out at two. Hangman tagged back in and leveled Sammy with a boot to the face.
Rhodes and Hangman climbed to the top rope and took everyone out. Hangman went for the Buckshot Lariat but Jericho saw it coming. Jericho locked in the Walls of Jericho but Dustin broke it up. Sammy tagged in and Hangman booted him in the face. Page set up for the Buckshot Lariat but Jericho tripped him up. Dustin hit a Destroyer and Hangman followed it up with the Buckshot Lariat for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Inner Circle attacked Hangman Adam Page and Dustin Rhodes. Kenny Omega ran down to the ring with his cast on but the numbers game quickly caught up to him. Cody ran to the ring and beat Jericho down in the corner. Hager then slammed Cody to the canvas before throwing him out of the ring. Ortiz got some revenge from earlier in the night and Suplexed Cody on the entrance ramp. Inner Circle was about to Powerbomb Hangman off the stage but Matt Jackson broke it up. Matt then stared at Hangman Page before giving him the middle finger. Jericho leveled Matt and Hangman with a steel chair. Inner Circle then posed on the entrance ramp to close the show.
Opinion: I’m a fan of tag team wrestling but it was overkill tonight. Also, does every single episode of Dynamite have to end in a post match brawl? It seems like every week I am watching Cody, Omega, The Young Bucks, etc run down to the ring one at a time in an outnumbered situation. I know they are building towards the Blood and Guts match in a couple of weeks but the brawls aren’t exciting anymore. Overall, this week’s Dynamite was still decent but I thought it was one of the weakest episodes so far.
After a week of speculation from fans, the client of WWE Hall of Famer Jake Roberts was revealed as Lance Archer.
The reveal was made during the opening segment of Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Salt Lake City, UT at the Maverik Center on TNT when Cody Rhodes was battling Ortiz in a singles match.
The two men walked through the crowd and were sitting at ringside for the match.
Roberts made his All Elite Wrestling debut last week when he did a promo segment with Rhodes about how he didn’t like what the AEW executive was doing.
More specifically, how he was tired of hearing Rhodes complain and had a message for him. This is where he noted that he won’t take on Rhodes but his client will.
Archer was supposed to make his AEW Dynamite debut last week but it was pushed back after late-minute changes to the card.
Archer had a great year in 2019 that was highlighted with impressive performances in the G1 Climax tournament. He also earned his first title under the NJPW banner by winning the IWGP United States Title.
For those who may not recall, Archer, who’s real name is Lance Hoyt, had a run with WWE from 2009 to 2010 where he worked on the ECW and SmackDown brands as Vance Archer.
Tommaso Ciampa did a recent interview with Rick Ucchino of Sportskeeda where he spoke about the ongoing battle between WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite.
It’s been billed as the Wednesday Night Wars between WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite.
While the two shows don’t draw the same ratings that Raw and WCW Monday Night Nitro did back in the Attitude Era, it’s a real fight.
The former WWE NXT Champion made it known that he wants NXT to win and thinks that people should care about the ratings between the two shows.
“It makes it a little bit more fun. It brings that competitive edge out. I mean have friends over there and I also have people over there I’ve never met or ever shared a ring with. It’s awesome to see, you know, everyone just elevating their game. Everyone just wants it. I don’t know if people say ratings don’t matter… they sure as Hell matter. Like, you want to win.”
Ciampa stated now that NXT is on the USA Network, the promotion is doing live TV and no longer ‘yeah buts’ but rather the NXT roster is doing everything that you would constitute as a main roster player.
Ciampa added that he thinks that’s the main thing as they made a switch and the stink of NXT being a developmental brand is gone.
Aside from a few instances, NXT has lost the majority of the ratings battle against AEW in overnight and other TV ratings.
