All Elite Wrestling’s Tony Schiavone has shared his uncertainty that AEW will ever “be as big as WWE” in an interview with Sportskeeda. He pointed to the WWE Network and the sheer longevity WWE has enjoyed since its inception. Rather than directly competing with the promotion, Schiavone revealed he’d prefer for AEW to become a “viable part of wrestling.”
“I don’t know if AEW will ever be as big as the WWE; with a Network, and the reach that they have overseas, because WWE has been around for a long time,” Schiavone explained. “But I’d like to see it be a viable part of wrestling [and] I’d like it to be a place where very good professional wrestlers – both men and women – can come and make a good living, and be treated fairly… that’s what I’d like AEW to be.”
Although Tony Schiavone worked for the then-WWF for a stint in the ‘90s, he is best known for his work in WCW. Since WCW, he also provided commentary for Major League Wrestling, prior to his signing with AEW.
There was a time that he was hired by coffee chain Starbucks. This history has been turned into an angle on AEW Dynamite, with Dr. Britt Baker often mocking him for his previous job role.
Tony Schiavone is the co-host of two popular podcasts. He hosts What Happened When along with Conrad Thompson. Last week, AEW launched the new AEW Unrestricted podcast, which features Tony and referee Aubrey Edwards interviewing AEW talent.
AEW star Shawn Spears recently gave an interview to Chris Van Vliet where he talked about things like his infamous chair shot to Cody Rhodes at Fyter Fest, whether the chair was gimmicked and more.
During the interview, the former NXT star was asked what is the biggest difference in AEW compared to his time in WWE when it comes to the day to day stuff.
Answering the question, Spears explained that the biggest difference is that the talents are very relaxed at AEW shows and the locker rooms are almost empty during the day because people are excited to wrestle:
“The biggest difference is that it’s very relaxed,” explained Shawn. “A lot of the talent is out by the ring, the locker rooms are almost empty during the day. Like people are having fun, they are excited to wrestle.
I don’t know how it is in the WWE or NXT at the moment but there was a time when I was still in WWE where a lot of the people would stay in the locker room until they had to go and do their matches cause they would try to avoid certain other aspects of the company or other people of the company.” (Transcription: SEScoops.com)
Spears continued by acknowledging that they are still a new company and they still need to iron out some things. But the All Elite Wrestling star said that everyone at the promotion is really enjoying themselves.
Apart from this, Shawn Spears recalled how he was petrified when he originally decided to leave WWE and revealed how his pairing with Tully Blanchard came about. You can check out his full interview in the video below:
All Elite Wrestling’s resident “Chairman” Shawn Spears has opened up about his nasty chair shot to Cody Rhodes and embracing the Chairman character. Speaking on The Chris Van Vliet Show, Spears recounted swinging the chair at Cody, not knowing the damage his attack had caused until he saw the blood.
“I swang [sic] for the fences, he leaned in, and just that one little bit caught him. I didn’t know he was bleeding,” Spears confessed. “That’s because I kinda had a moment with Brandi [Rhodes], where I looked at her and kinda had a staredown with her. And I looked at him to get that one more shot and I saw the red and I was like, ’S&*%’”
He argued that, as far as their storyline was concerned, it was a “best case scenario.” Spears noted how, regardless of that, he didn’t want to be responsible for his friend needing 10 stitches in his head. “But it is wrestling, things happen, I’m pretty sure I’ll be on the tail end of a bad shot at some point.”
Shawn Spears Becomes “The Chairman”
Shawn Spears reflected on how that one chair shot, and the subsequent damage it caused, helped to put him on the map in AEW. It turned him from a “happy-go-lucky ‘Perfect 10’” wrestler into a monster villain against Cody’s babyface, birthing “The Chairman.”
“[…] that’s where ‘The Chairman’ thing was born, so I just kinda kept it, ran with it, and have yet hit someone in the head once again, so it’s a moniker, it’s a tagline that hangs with me for the moment. In terms of what’s gonna happen, I might swing it again soon.”
He shared how he’s much happier now than he was just one year ago. Spears highlighted how it wasn’t WWE itself that was behind his unhappiness: “It was just, I wasn’t happy being where I was there. So I needed to take ownership. They can’t change to work around you, you need to take ownership of your own situation.”
Conceding how many are afraid to take that first step in leaving and embracing the unknown, Spears reiterated how taking the gamble has led him to be much happier despite the fact he was “petrified to leave” at the time.
All Elite Wrestling crowned their second ever Women’s Champion on the February 12th episode of Dynamite. Nyla Rose defeated Riho to capture the Championship and cement her place in the AEW history books. Not only is Nyla Rose the second ever Women’s Champion in the company but she is the first ever Transgender Women’s Champion for a major promotion in North America.
Men’s AEW Champion Chris Jericho brought Nyla Rose onto his Talk Is Jericho podcast this week. ‘Le Champion’ discussed with Rose about being trans and how she felt about training in pro wrestling. This whilst presenting as a male.
“All Of The Above” – Nyla Rose
Jericho asked Rose if she started training as a man, women or transgender. “All of the above, all of the above” Nyla Rose replied. “I was there male presenting, I was there in boy mode. I was playing a part. The biggest part I’ve ever played in my life; I was playing that part, I was trying to get over and can convince everybody of something that wasn’t true.”
Rose would then discussed the difficulty of presenting as male to her fellow trainees but then ‘becoming’ Nyla Rose in her own time. “But in my own time outside of training for wrestling, I was Nyla Rose. Just in my bedroom and my own life. The first time I went out fully dressed was to take the trash out. And you would have thought I run like a marathon or like went to the Grammys or something that is such an accomplishment to have, you know. Just walk, you know, eight feet.”
Training
Jericho asked Rose how her colleagues perceived her at the time. “They [the other performers] were just very confused about me” Rose replied. “They thought I was just very flamboyant you know? I come in singing show tunes. Very feminine qualities, but looking like this macho playboy type big woman.”
Embraced
Rose would conclude by saying how embraced she was by the pro wrestling community when she opted to transition. “I have to do this, I have to make the change. I wasn’t sure if there was a place for me in pro wrestling. But pro wrestling was like one of the first places that absolutely embraced me and took me in, it’s like, ‘hey guys like I need to tell you something,’ I just very sheepishly approached it .So I can’t work your show because I wear a bra now because I’m starting to develop breasts.’ They thought I was ribbing them at first, but when they [were] kind of like, ‘is this real? Like is this a rib?’ and I was like no this is legit I’m trans and I’m going to be living as a woman from here on out and they were just like ‘alright.’
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray had some comments regarding Cody Rhodes’ Moonsault from this Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
Rhodes was taking on Wardlow in a Steel Cage match when he hit a Moonsault from the top of the structure to a standing Wardlow to get the pinfall. The move looked spectacular, and whilst Bully agrees that the moment was ‘epic’ he felt that a moment of such magnitude should’ve been saved for the climax of Cody’s feud against MJF. Following the broadcast of Dynamite, Cody would speak to the crowd about the history of the Rhodes’ family in Atlanta. Cody was extremely emotional and this added to Bully’s thoughts that Rhodes decided to ‘create the moment’ more for himself than the story at large.
“Selfish is good in wrestling” – Bully Ray
“Doing that moonsault last night was selfish, I’m bet on balls right” Bully Ray began on Busted Open. “Because selfish, much like the word politicking in the wrestling business has a negative connotation. But it doesn’t have to. Selfish is good in wrestling, because sometimes you need to be selfish and selfish sometimes is patting yourself on your back and doing something for yourself that you want in your scrapbook for history.”
Bully then discussed the context of the night, with AEW filming in Atlanta, Georgia. “Atlanta, Dusty’s [Rhodes] town, now Cody’s town.” Ray also described how he felt Cody’s mindset may have been going into the match/spot. “‘I may never get to stand on top of a steel cage in Atlanta for the rest of my career. I don’t know what’s going to go down. So if this is my one and only chance to stand on top of that cage in a town with so much wrestling history; in a town that my family’s name is synonymous with? I’m doing it for myself.”
Ray would also compare the moment to his appearance at the Royal Rumble in Madison Square Garden. “In 2000? That’s exactly what I did in Madison Square Garden, when I stood on top of Madison Square Garden. I did that for myself because I wanted that memory to live forever. So if I never got a chance to do that again. I did it. So, if it comes to Cody selfishness, I’d be the first one to say, Good job, man.”
Jeff Cobb was announced as Chris Jericho’s hired gun to face Jon Moxley this week on AEW Dynamite. Cody Rhodes addressed Cobb’s deal with the promotion on a recent media call, noting that Cobb was signed for more dates but nothing full-time or long-term. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer, AEW has offered Cobb a deal that will allow him to still work with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
“Jeff Cobb was offered a deal this past week. Tony Khan had never met him until this week. Cody had been trying to get him since the start of the year. Cobb had only agreed to a few dates,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
“They offered him a deal where he could still work New Japan and that’s where talks left,” the report continued. Being able to work with New Japan is said to be quite important to Cobb.
Jeff Cobb In NJPW
Cobb entered his first-ever G1 Climax tournament in 2019 with New Japan Pro Wrestling. He finished tied for 4th in Block B with 8 points. He still has yet to compete in a New Japan Cup. Cobb is also a former NEVER Openweight Champion in New Japan Pro Wrestling. He defeated Will Ospreay for the title at the G1 Supercard in Madison Square Garden before dropping it to Taichi at Wrestling Dontaku.
Late last year, Vickie Guerrero appeared on an episode of All Elite Wrestling’s YouTube show Dark. She joined Excalibur on commentary duties. During a recent episode of her podcast, Excuse Me: The Vickie Guerrero Show, Vickie addressed WWE’s reaction to her guest spot. Turns out they weren’t too happy with her decision, as she is no longer allowed to invite WWE Superstars onto her show.
Excuse Me
“They [WWE] didn’t call me for two years. What did they expect me to do? Just to sit here and wait for them to call so I could do some work?” Guerrero asked. “I love wrestling. I love to work in the ring. And if someone is giving me an opportunity to go and show up and have some fun, then I should be able to because I’m not obligated to anybody.”
She argued how promotions should encourage their talent to show off their ability and craft, regardless of who they are signed with. Vickie added how there are now enough jobs and promotions to allow everybody an opportunity to work and contribute to the industry.
“So when someone told me I couldn’t interview the Superstars because I went to AEW, I was just like, ‘Wow. They’re gonna be like that.” So you just quietly move on and you see how they are and you just have to take care of your own business.”
Vickie Guerrero appeared on the 12/11 episode of AEW Dark, which you can watch below:
All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes has revealed which current AEW talent he considers to be the most underrated on the roster. During a recent medial call, Cody pointed to one half of the Hybrid 2 tag team Jack Evans.
“Underrated is a dirty word to me because sometimes it means under pushed or undervalued. But taking the word at face value, I think the most underrated guy in AEW is Jack Evans,” Cody revealed.
He continued, “He walks around backstage super-casual and I don’t think people have any idea what he’s capable of in the ring. He’s just special. He’s someone who I always say that I’d really like to get a singles with Jack. I don’t know if he knows how much we value him, but Jack Evans is underrated.”
Hybrid 2 On AEW Dynamite
Jack Evans and his Hybrid 2 partner Angelico both participated in this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. They wrestled alongside several other teams, opening the show with a Tag Team Battle Royal. The winners of the match received an AEW Tag Team Championship opportunity at the promotion’s upcoming pay-per-view, Revolution.
Matt Jackson was eventually able to secure the victory for himself and his brother, setting an Elite showdown for the belts between The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega and Hangman Page.
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 except Adults 50+, where NXT tied with AEW with a 0.38.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 794,000 viewers, which is up from 757,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.25 rating, up from the 0.24 rating the previous week.
The episode featured The Velveteen Dream vs. Roderick Strong, NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin defended against Lio Rush, Kayden Carter vs. Chelsea Green, and the fallout from NXT TakeOver: Portland.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 893,000 viewers, up from the 817,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.31 rating, up from the 0.30 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured matches such as Cody Rhodes vs. Wardlow in the first-ever Steel Cage Match in AEW history, Jeff Cobb vs. Jon Moxley, #1 Contenders’ Tag Team Battle Royal, and AEW World Team Champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. The Luca Bros.
Many fans noticed that Raven could be seen attending last night’s Dynamite show in Atlanta. The former leader of the Flock was seated not far from where Evil Uno and the Dark Order spokesperson appeared in the live crowd during the tag team battle royal.
AEW posted the following Tweet with the caption “Did you see it? The exalted one is always watching.” Raven is sitting ominously in the crowd acting very unfazed by the brawling Stu Grayson and Scorpio Sky next to him in the video.
Did you see it? The exalted one is always watching.
Raven has been the leader or apart of several factions with a similar dark cult-esque type feel to them as the Dark Order has. There is perhaps nobody in wrestling history more closely associated with such angles.
In ECW, Raven led a stable of lackies known as “the Nest” which featured the Dudleys, Stevie Richards, Cactus Jack, and several others throughout its history. When he first brought the Raven character to WCW, he then debuted a similar faction known as The Flock with Perry Saturn, Billy Kidman, Lodi, Kanyon (though he was somewhat separate from the other members) and many others. Later in WCW, he was apart of the Dead Pool/Dark Carnival with the Great Muta, Vampiro, and the Insane Clown Posse.
In TNA Wrestling, Raven debuted “the Gathering.” This group included Alexis Laree, CM Punk, Julio Dinero, and Cassidy Riley. Later in TNA Wrestling, Raven would change things up a bit and debut a faction with A Clockwork Orange styled gimmick named Serotonin. This faction featured Johnny Devine, Frankie Kazarian, and Michael Shane.
Arn Anderson was interviewed backstage following the conclusion of Dynamite last night. Anderson is the official manager of the Nightmare Family and is now accompanying Cody to the ring for his matches.
AEW posted the following “Coach’s Corner” video with Anderson:
Arn Anderson On Steel Cage Match Between Cody Rhodes And Wardlow
“Well, I got to tell you and I didn’t want to say this to him, I’ve been proud of Cody all along. Tonight, I’m really proud of him. He crawled into that ring with a monster, he was in for the fight of his life. Wardlow is untested, he didn’t know anything about him. You lock a man in a cage, he’s going to get violent a lot of times and he’s going to overachieve.”
“Cody Rhodes stepped up to the plate, he didn’t get a single, double, or a home run, he had a grand slam. Nothing but proud of him, can’t believe what an excellent job he did overcoming all that adversity. Man, I just feel good tonight.”
Anderson also commented on Cody’s post-match comments.
“Well, if you were Mickey Mantle’s kid and showed up at a Little League ballpark there would be some expectations, I would think,” Anderson said. “Cody has always had people that were hard on him, people that were judging him, people were thinking that he’ll never be his Dad. Cody Rhodes is his own man and tonight he showed he’s a leader, he’s a battler, he’s a fighter, he’s a man that when he tells you something, you can believe it.”
Jon Moxley was the first guest on the new official AEW podcast with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards. During the conversation, Moxley spoke about his early days on WWE’s main roster with the Shield.
“I was really lucky to have a good starting off point being in the Shield,” Moxley said during the podcast.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better start,” he continued. “You can’t ask for a much better start than that.”
“It was a lot harder to break in back then. When we were in development, we had a real chip on our shoulder because we were like we’re as good as anybody up there but we’re stuck down here.”
He continued to say that NXT felt like an island where most people don’t get off.
“Even if you got the chance to go up and get on TV that you would actually break through and be successful was a lesser chance I think,” he continued.
Moxley continued to talk about how that mentality stayed with the members of the Shield when they were brought up to the main roster.
“So, same kind of mentality, when we got this tiny shred of an opportunity, we’re like nobody is taking this away from us,” Moxley said. “It was a real all for one mentality.”
Cody Rhodes defeated Wardlow in the main event of AEW Dynamite last night. The show emanated from Cody’s hometown of Atlanta, GA from the State Farm Arena. Cody climbed the cage and delivered a moonsault from the top onto his opponent for the win. After the match, Cody addressed the live crowd.
AEW posted the following video of Cody’s post-match comments:
“We’re off the air?” Cody asked before beginning his speech. “That was the best episode of Dynamite yet.”
Cody then asked the live crowd to keep up their energy for the matches taped for Dark. He also asked the live crowd to cheer for the camera operators and the behind-the-scenes crew.
Cody Thanks Atlanta For Cheering His Father
“I want to tell you the shortest story and then we’ll get Dark started,” Cody continued. “It’s about 200 yards away, it’s a street called Baker street and it’s the exact spot I fell in love with wrestling. And I’m going to tell you why. I came to a show, I couldn’t have been eight years old, I knew that my Dad was famous but I didn’t know why, I didn’t grow up in his prime, I didn’t get to see a lot of the classics.”
“I didn’t get to see you break his leg,” Cody said to Arn Anderson.
“And I came to the show and at the end of the night on Baker street is where the fans will gather right by where the boys and girls go out and Sting, Sting went out and you guys gave him such a great reception and I didn’t think anything and I went to step out myself to go to my Dad’s truck and he put his hand across my chest and he said ‘never steal another man’s pop’ and I didn’t know what he meant and when he walked out in that parking lot all of you cheered so loud for my Dad.”
The crowd began to chant for Dusty.
“I didn’t know I wanted to be a wrestler but I knew I wanted to be famous like he is and when I got into wrestling at 15, when I debuted in 2007, you guys were pretty hard on me and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate being hard on me. It made me come back week after week.”
With the win last night, Cody is now officially scheduled to face Maxwell Jacob Friedman at Revolution.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the State Farm Arena tonight. The build towards AEW Revolution continued as Cody battled Wardlow in a Steel Cage match in the main event of the show.
Dynamite Results (2/19)
The Young Bucks won the Battle Royal to earn a title shot at Revolution
Kris Statlander def. Shanna
Jon Moxley def. Jeff Cobb
Hangman Page & Kenny Omega def. Lucha Bros to retain the titles
Cody def. Wardlow in a Steel Cage match
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s episode of Dynamite:
Young Bucks Earned A Title Shot At Revolution
Young Bucks, SCU, Best Friends, Hybrid2, Private Party, Jurassic Express, Butcher & Blade, T-Hawk & Cima, Dark Order, Santana & Ortiz competed in a Battle Royal to determine the #1 contenders for the AEW Tag Team Championships.
Match Recap: Jack Evans was the first man eliminated. Private Party elimated T-Hawk after Kassidy connected with a DDT. The host of the Join the Dark Order commercials interrupted from in the crowd and distracted SCU by saying the Exalted One is near. Dark Order eliminated SCU and Young Bucks quickly eliminated Dark Order. Cima was eliminated by Luchasaurus.
Evil Uno offered Cima a Dark Order mask. Butcher eliminated Nick Jackson and had a staredown with a Luchasaurus. Santana and Ortiz sent Private Party over the top rope. Hybrid2 and Jurassic Express were eliminated. Bunny booted Orange Cassidy in the groin and Trent was sent to the outside to eliminate Best Friends. Matt Jackson eliminated Butcher. Santana & Ortiz hit Matt with the Street Sweeper and tried to eliminate him but Matt held on. Sammy Guevara tried to interfere but Matt caught him with an awesome Superkick. Matt then eliminated Santana and Ortiz to win the match.
The Young Bucks will get a shot at the AEW Tag Team Championships at Revolution.
Kris Statlander defeated Shanna tonight on Dynamite. After the match, AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose was interviewed by Tony Schiavone tonight on Dynamite. Rose scolded the crowd for booing her and said it wasn’t a proper greeting for a champion.
Nyla stated that she should be the highest paid woman in the locker room and that this championship is justice. Rose added that she got hungry waiting to become champion and when she is hungry she breaks b*tches.
Rose claimed that nobody can beat her and that nobody is a beast like her. Statlander interrupted and pointed at the AEW Women’s Championship. Big Swole joined the party and flexed in Nyla’s face. Security broke things up to end the segment.
Opinion: Statlander and Shanna had a great match tonight and I really enjoyed Nyla’s promo as well. Statlander vs. Big Swole vs. Nyla Rose sounds like a great match.
Jeff Cobb squared off against Jon Moxley as AEW Champion Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager were in the front row.
Match Recap: Jeff Cobb dominated the match early and beat Moxley down. Jon battled back and wrapped Cobb’s leg around the ropes. Moxley hit his knee with a Dropkick and followed it up by slamming Jeff’s knee on the ring post. Moxley went for a Splash off the top rope but Cobb caught him and connected with a Suplex outside the ring. Back in the ring, Cobb hit a German Suplex but Mox hopped right up and connected with a Clothesline. Jeff hit a Superplex but Moxley rolled through and pinned Cobb for the win.
After the match, Inner Circle attacked Moxley from behind. Dustin Rhodes made the save for a moment but the numbers caught up to him. The lights went out and Darby Allin showed up to an awesome reaction from the crowd. Allin skateboarded down the ramp and cleaned house as Dustin Clotheslined Hager to the outside. Moxley hit Cobb with the Paradigm Shift and traded some punches with Jericho. Le Champion retreated out of the ring as Moxley and Allin stood tall.
Opinion: Darby Allin got an awesome reaction from the crowd and has become a star in AEW. This whole segment was a lot of fun and the match between Moxley and Cobb was solid as well.
Hangman Adam Page & Kenny Omega defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against Lucha Bros tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: The crowd chanted “cowboy sh*t!” before the match started. Hangman leveled Fenix with a boot to the face and tagged in Omega. Lucha Brothers took control and beat the hell out of Omega in the corner as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Page hit Pentagon with a Fallaway Slam and then delivered a Suicide Dive to Fenix. Pentagon planted Omega with an amazing Destroyer as the crowd went crazy. Fenix hit Omega with a Hurricanrana off the apron and then Pentagon got leveled by Moonsault from Hangman. Hangman Page accidentally hit Omega with the Buckshot Lariat.
Pentagon capitalized with the Pentadriver for a near fall as the crowd loudly chanted “AEW!”. Omage hit the V-Trigger and followed it up with a Tiger Driver 98 but Fenix kicked out at two. Page then tagged back in and hit the Buckshot Lariat & V-Trigger combo for the pinfall victory. Hangman Page & Kenny Omega will defend their AEW Tag Team Championships against the Young Bucks at Revolution. Matt and Nick Jackson came down to the ring after the match and checked on Omega as Hangman drank some beers outside the ring.
Opinion: Hangman Page & Kenny Omega versus Young Bucks should be epic at AEW Revolution. Page, Omega, Pentagon, and Fenix put on an excellent tag team match tonight.
Match Recap: Wardlow dominated early and leveled Cody with a shoulder block as MJF cheered him on. Cody was busted open as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Cody planted Wardlow with a Cutter and followed it up with punches to the face in the corner. Wardlow hit Cody with a low blow and Cody collapsed to the canvas. MJF dared Arn to slam the cage door on Cody’s face but Anderson opted to bash MJF in the face instead.
Cody connected with a Powerslam but Wardlow kicked out at two. Wardlow launched Cody into the steel cage and then made his way to the top rope. Wardlow connected with a Senton and went for the cover but Cody kicked out at two. MJF threw the Dynamite Diamond to Wardlow but Cody hit him with a low blow. Brandi hit MJF with a chair and Arn threw him over the barricade. Cody took the Dynamite Diamond ring and put it on. Cody hit a couple punches with the ring and followed it up with the Cross Rhodes for a two count. Cody then climbed to the top of the cage and hit him with an insane Moonsault for the pinfall victory. Cody will now face MJF at Revolution.
Opinion: I thought last week’s episode of Dynamite was great but this week’s show was even better. The build towards Revolution has been excellent and there are several matches I cannot wait to see. Cody’s Moonsault was insane and him standing on top of the cage shouting at MJF was an epic way to close the show. This week’s episode of Dynamite absolutely flew by because it was so entertaining.
Cody Rhodes vs. MJF is official as AEW (All Elite Wrestling) has confirmed the match booking.
The promotion did so on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT in Atlanta, GA at the State Farm Arena. This comes after Rhodes completed all of the stipulations that MJF demanded including lashing Cody and Rhodes beating Wardlow in a Steel Cage match.
Chris Jericho remained as AEW World Heavyweight Champion when he successfully retained the title over Rhodes in the headliner of the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view event.
The stipulation coming into this match was the fact that if Cody didn’t beat Jericho then he would never allow himself to challenge for the AEW World Title again. This was when the rivalry started between MJF and Cody.
MJF threw in the towel while Jericho had Cody in the Walls of Jericho. Post-match, MJF kicked him in the nuts and stood over Cody.
AEW presents the Resolution pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center.
The show will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and is available for purchase via iN DEMAND cable operators, DirecTV, DISH Network and B/R Live. International fans can purchase the event at FITE.TV.
The event will mark the fourth AEW PPV event. AEW will be announcing more matches for the show in the coming days.
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Kenny Omega and Adam Page have received their opponents for the next AEW pay-per-view event, Revolution.
AEW booked a Tag Team Battle Royal on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite in Atlanta, GA at the State Farm Arena on TNT with the winners becoming the new #1 contenders for the straps.
The match featured The Young Bucks vs. SCU vs. Private Party vs. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz vs. The Butcher & The Blade vs. Jack Evans & Angelico vs. Alex Reynolds & John Silver vs. Cima & Michael Nakazawa.
As seen on the show, The Young Bucks ended up winning the contest. Now, they’ll challenge Page and Omega for the AEW Tag Team Titles at AEW Revolution.
AEW presents the Revolution pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center.
The event is being promoted in conjunction with the popular C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo) convention and will mark the fourth AEW PPV event. AEW will be announcing more matches for the show in the coming weeks.
AEW Revolution Card
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley
AEW Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Adam Page vs. The Young Bucks
Jake Hager vs. Dustin Rhodes
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
AEW Co-Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes made some very interesting comments while doing an interview with 11Alive to promote Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Atlanta.
Cody was asked where he sees AEW in five years. This is where he talked about having an interest in moving the show to a different night. In fact, he would like to compete against a different WWE brand.
Cody Rhodes Has Confidence In AEW
“I would like the company, in five years, to be on a different night and competing in the same fashion they are.”
Rhodes continued by stating that it’s not that he doesn’t love Wednesday nights, but he understands by looking at the data that they have, AEW has real players. He noted they’re not lying about the revolution anymore because it’s very supported.
“I would love to see how it does on another night of the week. In five years, who knows. If we had a random storm situation or something popped up and we had to put Dynamite on a Monday night, if that was to happen in this current threshold, I’d still be very confident in what we can do. And I’d be confident that our guys would be up for the challenge.”
This comes after it was announced AEW and TNT reached an extension for the weekly program, Dynamite, to continue to air on the network through 2023. It’s also been confirmed that a second AEW program will be added to the Turner Media family in the near future.
It should be noted that there are no further details on this second show – name, premiere date, and length.
When the news was announced that AEW had reached an agreement with TNT for a prime time TV show, WWE decided to counter-program them with NXT by moving it to the USA Network. Since October, AEW has won the majority of the ratings war up to this point.
AEW updates its rankings for each division every Wednesday. Tonight’s episode of Dynamite will take place in Atlanta and feature the first-ever steel cage match in the promotion when Cody faces Wardlow.
Here are this week’s AEW rankings:
AEW Men’s Rankings
Le Champion: Chris Jericho (0-0)
Jon Moxley (5-0)
Cody Rhodes (2-0)
PAC (1-1)
Kenny Omega (0-0)
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (2-0) (previously unranked)
The only movement in the men’s single’s rankings this week saw MJF re-enter the rankings. MJF defeated Jungle Boy this week to go to 2-0 in 2020. Kip Sabian drops out of the rankings this week. Sabian did not wrestle on Dynamite or Dark this week.
Jon Moxley defeated Santana and Kenny Omega wrestled in a tag title match with Page this week. Cody, Jericho, and PAC all had the week off from in-ring competition.
AEW Women’s Rankings
Women’s Champion: Nyla Rose (3-1)
Riho (3-1) (-1)
Kris Statlander (1-1) (+1)
Hikaru Shida (2-1) (-1)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-0)
Britt Baker (1-2)
The biggest change in the rankings this week takes place at the top of the women’s division. Nyla Rose defeated Riho to become the new AEW Women’s Champion this week. Former champion Riho drops to the #1 position.
Kris Statlander moves up one spot this week after defeating Diamante on Dark. She moves past Hikaru Shida for the #2 spot after Shida had the week off from in-ring competition. Britt Baker didn’t wrestle this week, opting instead to insult Tony Schiavone. Yuka Sakazaki was not on the show this week after having a tooth knocked out by Baker last week.
AEW Men’s Tag Team Rankings
Tag Team Champions: Kenny Omega & Adam “Hangman” Page
The Young Bucks (2-1) (+1)
SCU (2-2) (-1)
The Dark Order (2-0)
Proud and Powerful (0-1)
The Lucha Bros (0-1)
SCU drops one spot this week after losing to the tag champs Kenny Omega and Hangman Page in a title match to kick off Dynamite. The Young Bucks were victorious over Peter Avalon and QT Marshall on Dark.
The Best Friends defeated the Hybrid2 on Dark but it was not enough to put them back in the rankings this week. The Dark Order, Proud and Powerful, and the Lucha Bros all had the week off from in-ring competition.
Another week, another stacked episode of AEW’s weekly television show, Dynamite.
With bell time just hours away. It’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. The promotion has announced four big matches thus far.
The show is expected to start with AEW World Team Champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Luca Bros. Although not confirmed, the belief is that Cody Rhodes vs. Wardlow in a Steel Cage Match will serve as the headliner. If Cody wins this match then he’ll face MJF at the AEW Revolution event.
AEW holds this show in Atlanta, GA at the State Farm Arena on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Cody Rhodes vs. Wardlow in the first-ever Steel Cage Match in AEW history. As per Arn Anderson, this match will be “No Escape” with only pinfall or submission to determine the winner.
Jeff Cobb vs. Jon Moxley
AEW World Team Champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. The Luca Bros.
#1 Contenders’ Tag Team Battle Royal: The Young Bucks vs. SCU vs. Private Party vs. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. Best Friends vs. Santana & Ortiz vs. The Butcher & The Blade vs. Jack Evans & Angelico vs. Alex Reynolds & John Silver vs. Cima & Michael Nakazawa
AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds as the promotion gets closer to their next pay-per-view event, Revolution, that takes place next weekend.
Join us here later tonight for AEW Dynamite Results and our post-show Takeaways feature.
Cody Rhodes recently took part in a media call to promote tomorrow night’s episode of Dynamite from Atlanta. Rhodes noted during the call that this week’s Dynamite is from his hometown and the show will carry a special significance for him. Cody is scheduled to face Wardlow in the first-ever AEW steel cage match on the card.
During the interview, Cody was asked about the trademarking of WCW Pay-Per-View names and if we will see any more of those in the future. Cody noted that we likely won’t see many more WCW Pay-Per-View names used though he made a point of noting there is one former WCW PPV that we might see return, though he would not say which one.
“I’d actually say it’s unlikely you see many more of those, maybe one *wink wink wink,*” Cody said during the call.
“That’s more about protecting (Dusty’s) legacy for my mother,” Cody continued to say about the WCW PPV trademarks.
Cody also addressed Jeff Cobb’s status while on the call. Cobb made a surprise appearance on last week’s episode of Dynamite and is scheduled to face Jon Moxley on this week’s. Cody would not go into too much detail regarding Jeff Cobb, noting that he is signed for more shows but that he hopes Cobb will sign a longer deal in the future.
Cody named Jack Evans as an underrated guy in AEW. He noted that several other names came to his mind as being underrated as well. Cody also said that he and Taz will be scouting some NCAA wrestling events for talent.
The interview with Cody can be heard in the player below:
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has released a new video with Arn Anderson where he shed some light on the rules for the upcoming steel cage match involving Cody Rhodes.
Of course, Rhodes will battle Wardlow on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Atlanta, GA at the State Farm Arena on TNT. If Rhodes wins this match then he’ll secure a match against MJF. This will take place at AEW’s next pay-per-view event, Revolution.
This has been building for months after MJF cost Rhodes the AEW World Title at the Full Gear pay-per-view event in November.
There Will Be No Escape For Cody Rhodes
In Coach’s Corner with the legendary pro wrestler, Anderson revealed that the match can only be won by pinfall or submission. There is no escape.
Some fans will praise AEW for this booking decision as it appears that MJF will not be able to cost Rhodes from escaping through the door or over the top of the cage in order to win the contest.
AEW holds the Revolution pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center. AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley is expected to headline the show.
Jeff Cobb made his surprise debut for All Elite Wrestling this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite. Cobb appeared as Chris Jericho’s hired hitman and aligned himself with the Inner Circle and attacked Jon Moxley. Chris Jericho had said earlier on the show that he searched the world for a hitman and he found Cobb, which he recruited for a match with Moxley next week.
Reports had surfaced that despite the big debut and high-profile match for the promotion, Jeff Cobb is not signed to a long term deal with AEW. Now in the latest update from Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer has provided some more details on the situation.
Despite getting booked for a huge match next week, Cobb is still promoted for Ring of Honor shows, up to April’s Supercard of Honor event.
The report says that AEW wants Jeff Cobb to work full-time, and has offered him a contract. However, the wrestler wants to work for other promotions like New Japan Pro Wrestling, along with working his Ring of Honor dates.
Meltzer noted that at this point, Jeff Cobb is for an angle. Cobb has wanted to work with NJPW as much as he can, and there’s no indication if that has changed.
Reportedly, Cody Rhodes has had a keen interest in Jeff Cobb ever since his Ring of Honor contract ended. The company has wanted him in a full-time role, but right now Cobb is only in for the angle and hasn’t signed a contract.
On the February 12 episode of Dynamite, after Moxley defeated Santana in the main event match, Jeff Cobb attacked him by hitting the Tour of the Islands.
While it’s not sure if we’ll see more of Jeff Cobb after February 19’s Dynamite. he is scheduled to appear for ROH’s Gateway to Honor show on February 9 and the aforementioned Supercard of Honor on April 4.
All Elite Wrestling in-ring talent and promo coach Dustin Rhodes recently discussed the promotion’s approach to their Women’s Division. Speaking with Alex McCarthy of talkSPORT, Rhodes acknowledged that the company is taking a “slow, steady” approach to building the division. He shared how he has become more involved in helping AEW’s women train following his coaching of Brandi Rhodes.
“Brandi came to me and said ‘Hey, would you like to step in and give me some training sessions?’ And it was meant more for her, and then we just started bringing all the girls, and they were loving it, man, and they have such a good time every single week, and I try to switch it up and teach them new things,” Rhodes explained. “Teach them repetition, because it’s all about repetition. Getting in the habit of doing the right thing instead of the wrong thing.”
Dustin Rhodes’ Training Approach
Dustin explained how some of the repetition he has been drilling with them revolves around making sure cameras see their expressions. He noted how most of the talent haven’t been on television before. He stressed the importance of their emotions being translated on screen as well as in the ring.
“The women’s division is developing,” he said. “It is slow, but it is developing, and we will get there over time. You know, this isn’t a race, it’s not a sprint, it’s a slow, steady build, like simmer on the stove, man.”
Regarding the future of the division and how it will grow and evolve, Dustin stated that he wants the women to feel comfortable in themselves, allowing their characters to flourish—a mentality they bring to their training session every week.
Dustin Rhodes is set to face Inner Circle member Jake Hager at AEW Revolution. The show takes place on February 29th from Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
All Elite Wrestling’s Dustin Rhodes has reflected on the recent AEW segment featuring his younger brother. Cody recently featured in a whipping segment, where he received ten lashes from Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF). Speaking with the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast, Dustin recalled how emotional the process was.
In the build-up to the lashings, AEW ran a few promos featuring people speaking about what Cody was heading towards. One of the people interviewed was Dustin. He stressed how they were intended to help to get “people invested” in the feud and lashings—something he believes they achieved.
Dustin Rhodes’ Reaction
“Cody sold it so well and his acting was so good and the way he was taking them and Arn comes out, his big brother comes out and we are all rallying behind him and I wanted to take the lashes for him,” Dustin said. “I think the only thing that might have been a little bit better is if MJF told me to give him the last five lashes, but this was after I was thinking of all these different scenarios.”
“[…] They were invested and they were standing, and you get some audience shots of them saying “Oh my God” and people are just really upset about it. It is uncomfortable. Whippings are always uncomfortable.”
Dustin admitted that it was “really cool” being out there for that moment. He praised Cody for doing a tremendous job. As far as he is concerned, Cody has really come into his own and is taking the world by storm.
Dustin Rhodes challenged Jake Hager to a matchup on this week’s episode of AEW: Dynamite. The two will face off at AEW’s next pay-per-view, Revolution, on February 29th.
All Elite Wrestling commentator Jim Ross has shared his thoughts about obsessing over ratings. He claimed how they are “irrelevant” to him. He also discussed locker room leaders in AEW and Darby Allin’s potential. Addressing the ratings war, Ross was clear with his opinions: “I don’t care what the ratings do.”
“Look, we have to be realistic about things. The more that AEW devotes more time than they devote on WWE and what they’re doing, we’re wasting time on our own product. If we’re thinking about them, we ain’t thinking about us,” he told WrestleZone in an interview.
He continued, “I don’t care what the ratings do. It’s irrelevant to me what the ratings do—that’s a good sound byte. I don’t care about it because all we can do is work our ass off and provide a great product or as best as we are being produced to do, that’s what we have to worry about, not the other stuff. So I believe if we spend all our time working on how to get us better and improve our team and not worry about anybody else’s team because we can’t change or affect it. Too many of us worry about things that we have absolutely no control over.”
Jim Ross On Locker Room Leaders
The AEW roster is filled with a mixture of younger talent and industry veterans. This provides plenty of opportunities for people to learn from established names.
“I think we have a healthy locker room being built. There’s leaders there,” Ross stated. “There’s young guys that want to be led, want to be taught, coached up, and you’ve got veterans on your squad. We have several. We live by our champion, Chris Jericho.”
“How do you not respect and follow the lead of a Chris Jericho who’s reinvented himself over and over again—always for the better, always leading to more success at a high-level? So if you’re a young guy and you’re wanting to talk about being a wrestling villain or fan-favorite or whatever it may be, Chris Jericho’s a great source of information with that.”
Potential Stars & Long-Term Booking
When it comes to using that talent in AEW storylines, Ross explained how he isn’t a fan of “50/50 booking. Although he concedes that technology and social media can be great tools for wrestlers to connect with fans, he noted how “It’s a sad thing because that’s how you invest emotionally in the characters and that’s how they become big stars and part of that is how they’re booked. You can’t book somebody 50/50. They win one week, they lose the next, that’s silly. Nobody merits from that and the way you get talent over is you get guys on a roll.”
One of those young talents he believes in his Darby Allin. To him, Allin has a great future ahead of him. He noted how Allin reminds him of a young Jeff Hardy. Another is Jungle Boy. Ross described him as having an “unlimited upside” before comparing him to a young Kevin Von Erich.
Alongside these two is Inner Circle member, Sammy Guevara, who Ross claimed is a “little Eddie Guerrero-ish. Great personality, never going to beat anybody with his size, he’s gonna beat him with his technique, his skill set and his speed and so forth.”
