It appears as though not everyone sees Jon Moxley’s as a main event player in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Despite garnering high praise for his work in the promotion, including from WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray, it turns out that former WCW President Eric Bischoff isn’t as taken with Moxley’s efforts. Yet.
Speaking on his podcast 83 Weeks, Bischoff broke down Moxley’s current run in AEW, admitting that he doesn’t believe Moxley is a “top guy.”
“Not yet,” Bischoff said. “I gotta be honest, I like his character, I like his work, I like the fact that he is kind of this enigma in a way. Theres a lot of things I like about him, but the top guy? If I’m being honest, no I don’t.”
Eric Bischoff’s Belief
Eric Bischoff argued that Moxley is currently two dimensional. He believes he needs to find that third dimension to get himself to Chris Jericho’s level. He stressed that there’s nothing wrong with Moxley’s in-ring work but believes there is a “sameness” to his character. Bischoff noted how he lacks “range,” adding that this is true for a lot of characters and not just Jon Moxley.
“You go back and look at Chris Jericho’s career and he’s been able to successfully reinvent himself so many different times and so many different ways because he has that range and that third dimension that a lot of people have really never developed,” Bischoff explained.
He continued, “A lot of top guys don’t have it. If any talent, not just Jon Moxley, wants to reach that level they have got to have that range that allows them to position elements of their character that make them feel more interesting.”
Jon Moxley is scheduled to face off against Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship. The two clash on February 29th at AEW’s next pay-per-view, Revolution.
AEW will honor more wrestling legends this week on Dynamite. This week’s episode will emanate from the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama and AEW will honor wrestling legends of the SouthEast on the show.
Missy Hyatt and Austin Idol will be honored this week on Dynamite and PW Insider is also reporting that Doug Gilbert and Arn Anderson will be as well.
Missy Hyatt posted the following to her social media accounts to announce the news:
Big news!!! I'm going to be @AEWrestling this Wednesday. I will be honored among continental legend-Austin idol. No truth that I got spot from alan martin, di Carter,lord humungous,Wendell cooley for not picking up the phone.
Missy Hyatt started her career with WCCW in 1985 and would later join the UWF as well. Hyatt then was with WCW from 1987 to 1993. She also managed a little in ECW. Hyatt was inducted into the WSU Hall of Fame in 2009.
Austin Idol is running commercials for his wrestling school on episodes of NWA Powerrr these days. He is a multi-time former CWA Heavyweight Champion and a 2x NWA Alabama Heavyweight Champion as well. Idol was on-hand when AEW honored legends of Memphis Wrestling as well.
Lineup for AEW Dynamite This Week
Lucha Bros, the Butcher & the Blade vs Hangman Page, Kenny Omega & the Young Bucks
Former WWE ring announcer Justin Roberts has opened up about the differences between his former employer and All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Speaking with Wrestling Observer Radio, Roberts explained how he feels the two promotions are starkly opposite to one another.”
“Everything is completely different,” Roberts stated. “In AEW, Tony Khan is a super nice guy who wants to put on the best possible show and has surrounded himself with great minds along with great talent.”
He continued, “He wants us to have the perfect balance of work and life. To do this on Wednesdays and then have the rest of the week to enjoy yourself before coming back next Wednesday is great. We all hang out together after the show and on Tuesday nights we get together for a meeting. They just make it such a fun atmosphere here.”
Justin Roberts Doesn’t Miss Micromanaging
Roberts also explained how AEW trusts its employees, allowing them an amount of freedom WWE doesn’t. Roberts noted how the promotion encourages him to do what he thinks is right, granting him some flexibility so he’s not “worried about saying or doing the wrong thing out there.”
One crucial facet that he is glad isn’t a part of AEW’s culture is micromanaging. He shared how he has approached Cody a few times looking for advice.
He was told, “‘‘You do what you wanna do. I’m not gonna tell you how to do your job. You do what you think is right, and I’m sure it’s gonna be right.’”
It’s this kind of trust that he will get the job done that Justin Roberts highlights as one of the reasons he loves being a part of AEW.
Next week on AEW Dynamite, Cody Rhodes will be forced to take 10 lashes from his rival, Maxwell Jacob Friedman. MJF insisted on the stipulation as well as several others in order for Cody to receive a match against him at Revolution on February 29th. He explained the stipulation recently in a video posted to AEW’s social media accounts.
“Cody, a lot of people on the internet, they’re wondering ‘MJF, why 10 lashes? Why that stipulation?’ So specific, so vicious,” MJF says in the video. “It is specific. Allow me to specify why this is going to happen to your hero Cody Rhodes. A wise man once said, if you’re a walk-behinder the view never changes. And oddly enough, Cody Rhodes, that’s exactly was what you were going to allow me to be for the rest of my career. “
“Every lash will be with all my power and all my might and every single time that leather meets your skin it will symbolize all your lies and all your empty promises and you’re going to quit. You won’t make it to 10, hell you might not make it to 8. Do you want to know why Cody? I’ll tell you why. It’s because I’m better than you and you know it.”
AEW posted the below video of MJF cutting a promo on Cody and talking about why he decided on the 10 lashes stipulation.
SOCIAL EXCLUSIVE: "…and every single time that leather meets your skin. It will symbolize all of your lies & all of your empty promises." – @the_MJF.
Next week @CodyRhodes will receive 10 lashes on Dynamite!
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
This week, AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group except Adults 50+, where NXT had a significant edge as they usually do.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 712,000 viewers, which is down from 769,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.22 rating, down from 0.24 the previous week.
The episode featured The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle in Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals, Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai, Finn Balor defeats Trent Seven, Dominik Dijakovic defeats Damian Priest, and there was a contract signing for the Tommaso Ciampa-Adam Cole NXT Title Match at NXT TakeOver: Portland.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 828,000 viewers, down from the 871,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.34 rating, down from the 0.35 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured matches such as Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford) vs. Cody Rhodes (w/ Arn Anderson), The Young Bucks vs. The Butcher and The Blade (w/ The Bunny), AEW World Champion Chris Jericho, Santana and Ortiz vs. Darby Allin and Private Party
Next week’s battle will be very interesting to see which show wins the ratings battle as NXT will be getting closer to their next special, TakeOver: Portland while AEW edges closer to Revolution.
AEW Dynamite aired live tonight from the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
AEW Dynamite Results (1/29)
Young Bucks def. Butcher & Blade
Nyla Rose def. Big Swole
SCU def. Hybrid 2
Cody Rhodes def. Kip Sabian
Inner Circle def. Private Party & Darby Allin
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Moxley Sent A Message To Jericho & Inner Circle
Jon Moxley made his way to the ring to kick off this week’s episode. Moxley said it occurred to him that the fun and games were over with Jericho after he stabbed him in the eye.
Moxley added that Jericho might be the greatest of all-time but hides behind the Inner Circle. Jon stated that he was no role model but makes sure that he can look himself in the mirror at the end of the day. He called Jericho an insecure maniac and a bully.
Jon vowed to take the AEW Championship from Jericho at Revolution. Moxley challenged Jericho to come to the ring and for once in his life take a beating like a man. AEW Champion Chris Jericho came to the entrance ramp and stood there in silence as the crowd booed.
Jericho called the crowd idiots and claimed that Moxley deserved a spike to the eye because he refused to join Inner Circle. Jericho claimed that he saw Jon’s mother backstage and she was looking fetching, and that he told her all of this was Moxley’s fault. Chris said Cleveland doesn’t deserve to see Le Champion one-on-one tonight and called Inner Circle down to the ramp.
Moxley said that he was born and raised in the great state of Ohio and that it will be Inner Circle versus him and the entire arena. Jon hopped out of the ring and Jericho called him a stupid son of a bitch. Jericho brought out 5 more street thugs and all 10 men started marching down the ramp. Jon took out Ortiz with a DDT and attacked Inner Circle before security broke it up.
The Butcher & Blade faced The Young Bucks tonight on Dynamite. Before the match, a great video package was shown with MJF delivering a payment to The Bunny and his request was for them to hurt Matt and Nick Jackson.
MJF joined commentary for the match and claimed that Matt and Nick tried to murder him last week when they threw him in the pool because he cannot swim. The Bunny was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Matt and Nick isolated Blade in the corner and controlled the match early. The Bunny tripped up Nick Jackson and Butcher took him out with a Crossbody. Blade planted Nick with a Powerbomb and went for a cover but Matt broke it up. Matt tagged in and hit Blade with an Elbow Drop off the top rope for a near fall. Young Bucks followed it up with the Meltzer Driver on Blade for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Butcher and Blade attacked the Young Bucks but Kenny Omega made the save. Hangman Adam Page came down to the ring with a beer and handed it to Matt Jackson. Hangman leveled Blade with a massive Buckshot Lariat and left the ring.
Kip Sabian squared off against Cody tonight. Penelope Ford and Arn Anderson were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Cody accidentally elbowed Penelope Ford outside the ring and made it seem like she was knocked out. Cody picked her up and Kip capitalized with a boot to the face. Kip and Penelope then kissed as Dynamite went to a break. Back from the break, Cody hit the Disaster Kick for a near fall. Penelope launched her shoe into the ring for a distraction.
Arn grabbed the shoe and threw it into the crowd. Anderson bumped into the referee and he threw him out. Sabian distracted the referee and Penelope hit Cody with a Hurricanrana. Penelope and Kip went to kiss again before Joey Janela came out of nowhere and stuck his face in between them. Joey then flipped them the bird before escaping through the crowd. Cody hit three Cross Rhodes in a row for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Both the Janela and Hangman Adam Page spots were hilarious tonight. It was announced that Cody will get the 10 lashes from MJF on next week’s episode and that should be quite the segment.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Britt Baker once again tonight. Baker referred to Tony as Mr. Starbucks and then took the microphone from him.
Britt told Jim Ross to never interrupt her when she is speaking again. Baker added that all Jim Ross talks about is her being a dentist when she wrestles.
Baker called Jim a “sloppy BBQ sales rep who cannot even get the AEW roster’s names right”. She pointed out that the AEW Women’s Champion Riho is never on the show before diagnosing Tony with gingivitis. Britt then told the Cleveland crowd that they finally have a Baker they can believe in.
Opinion: Britt Baker cut an awesome tonight and she definitely isn’t wrong about Jim Ross. Jim has made a lot mistakes and made another one tonight by referring to Maxwell Jacob Friedman as “Matthew Jacob Friedman” tonight. I wasn’t a fan of Britt’s match or promo last week but this was great.
Chris Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz faced Private Party & Darby Allin in the main event of this week’s show. Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara were ringside.
Match Recap: Inner Circle dominated early and isolated Marq in the corner. Isiah Kassidy tagged in and rolled up Ortiz for a two count. Jericho tagged in and beat Kassidy down as Dynamite went to a break. Back from the break, Darby Allin tagged in and hit Ortiz with a Stunner. Darby planted Santana with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb and went for the cover but Jericho broke it up. Allin hit Jericho with a Moonsault for a two count. Allin hit Jake Hager with a Coffin Drop as Kassidy tagged in. Isiah hit a Senton off the top rope on Jericho and went for the cover but the AEW Champion kicked out at the last second. Jericho hit Kassidy with the Judas Effect out of nowhere for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Inner Circle attacked Private Party and Darby Allin. Sammy broke Darby’s skateboard and shared a hug with Jericho. Inner Circle then placed the skateboard on Darby’s throat and slammed him to the canvas. Moxley rushed the ring with a baseball bat and sent Inner Circle on the retreat to end the show.
Opinion: This week’s episode of Dynamite was another solid show. There are several storylines that I’m interest in right now. Moxley versus Jericho/ Inner Circle, MJF versus Cody, and Hangman Adam Page’s relationship with The Elite are all entertaining and give people a reason to tune in every week.
Today is “Bell Let’s Talk” day, an annual tradition dating back to 2011 where people are encouraged to open up about mental health issues. The day is sponsored by Bell Media which owns TSN, the network that airs AEW Dynamite in Canada.
AEW’s Allie (aka the Bunny) has been vocal in the past regarding her battles with mental health issues. She took to her social media accounts today to talk further about mental health.
Allie is also auctioning off some worn ring gear for a good cause. Proceeds from the sale of her gear will be donated to the GoFundMe for a woman living with Stage 3 Pancreatic Cancer.
“For most of my life, anxiety and depression have had a huge toll on me,” Allie said to the Gorilla Position in 2018. “Even when I was going through it all at the time, I didn’t realize that I was depressed. I could feel it, but I didn’t know what it really was for a long time.”
“I lost my father when I was 12… very young. That was one of the things that triggered my depression,” she continued. “Flash forward a few years later, and a very, very close friend of mine committed suicide. That just kind of pushed me further down that hole that I was in.”
Allie also posted the following video to her official YouTube channel in 2017:
AEW rankings for January 29th, 2020 have been released. The promotion releases new rankings every Wednesday morning now though its official social media channels.
AEW Men’s Single’s Division
There was no change at all this week in the single’s division rankings. Moxley defeated PAC this week, Omega won the tag titles with Page and neither Cody or Guevara competed.
Le Champion: Chris Jericho
Jon Moxley (3-0)
PAC (1-1)
Cody (1-0)
Kenny Omega (0-0)
Sammy Guevara (2-1)
AEW Women’s Single’s Division
Britt Baker and Awesome Kong swapped places this week with Baker taking the #4 spot and Kong dropping to #5. Baker picked up a win on Dynamite last week over Priscilla Kelly before blasting Tony Schiavone in a post-match promo.
Nyla Rose defeated Shanna in a tables match which aired on Dark this week though was taped on 1/21/20.
Champion: Riho
Nyla Rose (1-1)
Hikaru Shida (0-1)
Kris Statlander (0-1)
Britt Baker (1-1) (+1)
Awesome Kong (1-0) (-1)
AEW Tag Team Division
The only change to the tag team rankings this week is the former champions SCU dropping to the #1 spot after Omega and Page took the titles away from them.
The Dark Order won a match on Dark this week though as with the match between Shanna and Rose, it was actually taped on 1/21/20.
Brandi Rhodes has been spiraling as of late and according to a recent video posted to her social media accounts, Cody requested that she go to a therapy session. Highlights of the session appear in the video which can be viewed below.
In the video, the therapist insinuates that the Nightmare Collective is a cult. It was also suggested in the video that Rhodes has formed the faction to deal with her fear of people not liking her. This last bit struck a chord with Brandi, who left the session shortly after.
Brandi Rhodes Goes Back To The University Of Miami
Rhodes recently returned to the University of Miami where she delivered a keynote speech on AEW. She posted the following on social media in relation to her return to the University where she did her undergrad:
“Enjoyed my short time at #NatpeMiami2020 …it was a dream realized as a model here just 8 years ago who would later become a keynote speaker at this very hotel. The only person ever in your way is YOU. That’s the story of @AEWrestling…from undesirable to undeniable!!” Brandi Tweeted.
Rhodes was not on the recent Jericho cruise due to attending the UofM event. She also has been dealing with a missing passport.
Kylie Rae’s sudden departure from AEW last year had sparked all kinds of rumors and it’s a topic of discussion among wrestling fans even to this date.
The former AEW star seemed to have provided some more updates on her situation at the time recently when she made an Instagram post and talked about the mental health issues she has faced.
The female star posted a non-edited picture of herself from her official Instagram account recently and Kylie Rae opened up about how tough recent times have been for her and the effect her mental health issues have had:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7uIqyHJeKe/
Kylie Rae who made her AEW debut during the Double or Nothing PPV in May last year had left the promotion abruptly before the Fyter Fest event in June, despite being advertised for the show.
Her sudden departure from the promotion had sparked all kinds of rumors including stories about dispute with locker room members as well as AEW management.
However, the female star had addressed these rumors in a similar Instagram post later last year and Kylie had confirmed that nobody in the company made her leave.
She claimed that AEW took her career to new heights and the experiences that came along the way were nothing but the best. You can check out her earlier post on the matter here.
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
This week, AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group except Adults 50+, where NXT had a significant edge as they usually do.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 769,000 viewers, which is up from 700,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.24, up from 0.21 the previous week.
The episode featured NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong defends against Keith Lee, The BroserWeights (Matt Riddle, Pete Dunne) vs. Imperium (Fabian Aichner, Marcel Barthel), and The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson, James Drake) vs. NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish).
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 871,000 viewers, down from the 940,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.35 rating, down from the 0.38 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite was taped the night before as the talents are on the Chris Jericho cruise. Matches for this show included AEW World Tag Team Champions SCU vs. Hangman Page and Kenny Omega, PAC vs. Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz vs. Jurassic Express, and MJF vs. Joey Janela.
AEW Dynamite was taped this week on Chris Jericho’s Rock n Wrestling Rager Cruise. SCU defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against Hangman Page & Kenny Omega, and Jon Moxley battled PAC to determine the #1 contender for the AEW Championship.
AEW Dynamite Results
Hangman Page & Kenny Omega defeated SCU to become AEW Tag Team Champions
Britt Baker defeated Priscilla Kelly
Inner Circle defeated Jurassic Express
MJF defeated Joey Janela
Jon Moxley defeated PAC to become the #1 contender for the AEW Championship
Here are 4 takeaways from the show:
Hangman Adam Page & Kenny Omega Are The New Tag Team Champions
SCU defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega in the first match of the evening.
Match Recap: Frankie Kazarian trapped Adam Page in a Headlock to start off the bout. Scorpio tagged in and continued to beat Hangman down. Page battled back and planted Scorpio Sky with a Fallaway Slam as the crowd chanted “cowboy sh*t!”. Frankie tagged in and leveled Hangman with a kick to the face.
Hangman connected with a massive Clothesline as Scorpio took out Omega with a Dropkick on the ring apron. Omega tagged in and planted Scorpio with a Brainbuster for a near fall. Hangman hit Kazarian with a Crossbody as Omega delivered a Buckle Bomb to Scorpio Sky for a two count. Hangman went for the Buckshot Lariat but Scorpio got out of the way and he leveled Omega.
Scorpio hit the TKO and went for the cover but Hangman broke it up at the last second. Scorpio and Frankie hit the SCU later but Hangman once again was able to break up the cover at two. Hangman Page then leveled Scorpio with the Buckshot Lariat outside the ring and delivered another one to Frankie inside the ring for the pinfall victory. Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega are the new AEW Tag Team Champions.
After the match, The Young Bucks came down to the ring to celebrate with Omega and Page. Hangman quickly got out of the ring and chugged a beer. Page then crowd surfed and continued to pound beers the entire time.
Later on the show, Hangman Adam Page and Kenny Omega were interviewed. The Young Bucks showed up and Hangman took a shot at them by saying he is surprised that they became AEW Tag Team Champions before them.
Opinion: The set for this week’s Dynamite looked awesome and this was a very entertaining match. I’m not a fan of WWE using the tag titles as props for a storyline and I feel like that is the case here. Omega and Hangman Page obviously aren’t going to be a team for very long. They are a dysfunctional team as seen once again tonight when Hangman accidentally hit Kenny Omega. The major difference is that AEW did build up Omega and Hangman Page over a few weeks instead of just having them win the titles in their first match together (Rollins & Strowman, Rollins & Murphy).
Inner Circle (Santana, Ortiz, and AEW Champion Chris Jericho) squared off against Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Marko Stunt, and Luchasaurus) tonight on Dynamite. Jake Hager was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Jurassic Express dominated the match early and isolated Santana in the corner of the ring. Jericho hit Jungle Boy with a cheap shot and Santana followed it up with a Russian Leg Sweep off the middle turnbuckle. Jericho perched Jungle Boy up on the top turnbuckle and lit him up with some chops to the chest.
Jungle Boy blocked a Superplex and hit Jericho with a Crossbody for a near fall. Luchasaurus tagged in and planted Jericho and Ortiz with a Chokeslam. Luchasaurus then brawled with Jake Hager up the entrance ramp as Marko Stunt tagged in. Jericho quickly leveled Marko with the Judas Effect for the pinfall victory.
MJF squared off with Joey Janela tonight on Dynamite. Before the match, MJF had a couple of fans and Justin Roberts kiss the Dynamite Ring. There was also a fan dressed as Jesus in the crowd that gave Joey Janela a blessing before the bout.
Match Recap: MJF controlled the match early after raking Janela’s eyes on the entrance ramp. Maxwell charged at Joey but Janela was ready and hit a Back Body Drop that sent MJF flying back into the ring. MJF hid behind Aubrey Edwards and then capitalized with a forearm to the face. Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford came down to the entrance ramp and kissed to distract Joey. Janela went for an Elbow Drop but MJF got out of the way. MJF then planted Joey with the Double Cross for the pinfall victory.
After the match, MJF brought up Cody saying that he was just another chapter in his book. MJF claimed that he was the last chapter in Cody’s book before Cody interrupted. Cody stopped and leaned up against the ropes as the crowd chanted his name. MJF noted that Cody cannot touch him no matter what he says. Cody got into the ring and got right in MJF’s face as Maxwell poked fun at Cody’s lisp.
MJF pretended to hand Cody the microphone and then kicked it away when Cody went to grab it. MJF then gave Cody the finger as the crowd chanted “asshole!” at him. Cody grabbed the microphone and said MJF was right that he cannot touch him. The Young Bucks snuck up behind MJF and hit him with a couple of Superkicks. Matt and Nick then hurled MJF into the pool on the cruise ship to end the segment.
Opinion: I am really looking forward to seeing Cody versus MJF at Revolution next month. The storyline has been great and I’m expecting an awesome match at the PPV.
Jon Moxley Is The #1 Contender For The AEW Championship
Jon Moxley squared off against PAC in the main event of this week’s episode. The winner of the match would become the #1 contender for the AEW Championship. Le Champion Chris Jericho joined commentary for the match. Moxley came down to the ring with a bandage covering his eye as Jericho stabbed it last week on Dynamite.
Match Recap: PAC focused his attack on Moxley’s eye in the beginning of the match. Moxley battled back with a Dropkick and followed it up with a massive Clothesline. PAC and Moxley traded shots on the top turnbuckle and Jon got the better of the exchange. Jon shoved PAC to the canvas and went for an Elbow Drop but PAC got his knees up. PAC tried to lock in the Brutalizer but Moxley countered into a roll-up for a near fall. PAC connected with a German Suplex and both wrestlers crashed to the canvas.
PAC went for Black Arrow but Jon got out of the way at the last second. Moxley planted PAC with a DDT and went for the cover but PAC was able to kick out at two. PAC connected with a Superplex and locked in the Brutalizer in the middle of the ring but Moxley was able to battle to the bottom rope to break up the hold. PAC ripped off the bandage and unloaded several left hands to Moxley’s eye. Jon fought through the pain and hit the Paradigm Shift for the victory. Jon Moxley will face Chris Jericho for the AEW Championship at Revolution.
Opinion: This week’s episode of Dynamite was another entertaining show. I loved the theme of the show of the cruise ship in the background and the smaller crowd still was able to bring a lot of energy. Moxley versus Jericho has been an excellent storyline so far and should be a great title match at Revolution. Once again, the main the criticism of AEW is the women’s division right now. They have the talent on the roster but I just haven’t been a fan at all of how they are booking the division. Britt Baker and Priscilla Kelly didn’t have a good match and then Baker followed that up with an awkward promo with Tony Schiavone. I hope AEW is able to figure out how to make the women’s division a strength of their product because right now it is glaring weakness.
Jon Moxley vs. Chris Jericho is official as AEW (All Elite Wrestling) has confirmed the match booking for the Revolution show.
Jericho defending the AEW World Heavyweight Title against Moxley, who has been portrayed as a top star, will likely serve as the main event of this show.
AEW set up this contest on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite when Moxley beat PAC in the headliner with the winner challenging Jericho for the title at Revolution. Moxley ended up winning the match.
Moxley has been the #1 contender in the men’s rankings for quite some time now and also been feuding with Jericho over the last month.
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 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.
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
The AEW Tag Team Champions SCU will not remain on top of the division as they have been dethroned by Kenny Omega and Adam Page.
Page and Omega beat SCU for the titles on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite that was taped on Tuesday night in the Bahamas on the Ship of Jericho on TNT.
All Elite Wrestling set up this contest last week when Omega and Page defeated Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent) (w/Orange Cassidy) and Proud-N-Powerful (Ortiz & Santana) and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) in an AEW World Tag Team Title #1 Contendership Four Way Match.
As a result, it surpassed Page and Omega to the #1 spot in the AEW tag team rankings and earned them this title match.
SCU won the AEW Tag Team Titles when the promotion held the finals of the Tag Team Title Tournament on the October 30th episode of AEW Dynamite in Charleston, WV at the Charleston Coliseum. SoCal Uncensored beat The Lucha Bros to win the titles.
What are your thoughts on Kenny Omega and Adam Page the AEW Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.
All Elite Wrestling is expanding its roster as NJPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling) star Lance Archer is reportedly in talks with the promotion.
This is according to a report by Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. It was noted that AEW confirmed to the media outlet that Archer is in high-level talks with the company.
Lance Archer In AEW?
It should be noted that he’s still under contract with NJPW as he’s booked to work their tour of the United States that stars on Friday in Tampa and runs through February 1st in Atlanta.
Archer had a great year in 2019 that was highlighted with impressive performances in the G1 Climax tournament over the summer. 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.
He would then move to NJPW until 2015 before taking a brief break while competing for Japanese promotion Pro Wrestling NOAH. He returned to NJPW in 2017.
“The business is about adaptation—you either adapt or die,” Archer told SI.com in December. “People don’t know who I am, they don’t understand what I’m capable of, or who I’m going to be. Keep doubting me and I’ll keep surprising you.”
This potential signing comes after it’s rumored that Brian Cage will be joining AEW. This was following his match at Impact Wrestling’s Hard To Kill pay-per-view.
Cage’s wife has since denied that he’s signed with the promotion but the belief is that he will make a deal with All Elite Wrestling. Time will tell whether these two wrestlers will eventually sign with the promotion
All Elite Wrestling has announced the latest set of AEW Rankings for the week ending Wednesday, January 22, 2020.
These rankings are for the following divisions – men’s, women’s, and tag team.
The updated standings come after the results of Tuesday’s AEW Dark episode. The way it works is the talent will be listed in rankings by their match records but doesn’t include the champions.
Hikaru Shida fell from the #1 spot in the women’s rankings as she was surpassed by Nyla Rose.
The other change was in the tag team division that saw Kenny Omega & Adam Page become the #1 contenders after winning a big match on last week’s Dynamite episode to earn a championship match on Wednesday’s show that was taped on Tuesday night. Omega and Page will challenge AEW Tag Team Champions SCU for the straps.
AEW Rankings
The rankings will be updated each week. You can see the rankings here:
A new episode of AEW’s weekly television show, Dynamite, will air tonight.
The company taped this show on Tuesday night in the Bahamas on the Ship of Jericho. In fact, All Elite Wrestling officials took extra precautions in order to make sure the show made the air.
It’s been reported that AEW had two copies of the taped show flown in two different planes back to Atlanta, Georgia just in case there were any issues with the planes.
Thus, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
The show is expected to start with AEW World Tag Team Champions SCU vs. Hangman Page and Kenny Omega. Although not confirmed, the belief is that PAC vs. Jon Moxley in a #1 Contender’s Match for the AEW World Championship will serve as the headliner.
AEW will air this show on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
AEW World Tag Team Champions SCU vs. Hangman Page and Kenny Omega
#1 Contender’s Match for the AEW World Championship: PAC vs. Jon Moxley
Joey Janela vs. Fenix
Chris Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz vs. Jurassic Express
Britt Baker vs. Priscilla Kelly
MJF vs. Joey Janela
AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds.
All Elite Wrestling’s Darby Allin was a recent guest on Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk is Jericho. During their conversation, Allin opened up about how he signed with AEW, as well as why he decided to choose AEW over WWE.
Allin was quick to credit one person in particular for his signing: Cody Rhodes. Turns out that Rhodes was in attendance for a match between Allin and another AEW star, Pentagon Jr. That match impressed Rhodes and helped to get the ball rolling until, eventually, Allin debuted for the company.
“Yeah, Cody was the man who kind of made it happen. Yeah, I think he saw this match I had at Northeast against Penta,” Allin explained. “And, like, it that rate, before that, I think he thought I was just this stunt dummy guy. Do you know what I mean? Like, just do all these crazy stunts. But then, I think he saw that match and he’s like, ‘yo, this guy can actually, like, work.’ Do you know what I mean? And then, the ball started rolling, so it was very nice that I got to wrestle him in my first debut in this company. So yeah, it was good.”
Jericho, who has previously compared Darby Allin to Jeff Hardy, noted how Cody’s experience on the indies helped in scouting potential talent for AEW. Alongside Allin, he pointed at names such as Sammy Guevara, Joey Janela and Maxwell Jacob Friedman as top indie talent that could be assets to the promotion.
Darby Allin’s Decision
Reflecting on his decision to side with AEW, Allin recalled being offered an opportunity with WWE—one he ultimately turned down.
“Yeah, they had Canyon [Ceman], they wanted to do something where, like, I go to the Performance Center,” Allin recalled. “Not for a tryout, but I get signed and I go to the Performance Center for like a year. And then, debut a year from [then] or some crazy s—t.”
He continued, “I was just like, that’s the beauty of AEW. They’re just going making people instead of like… if I was there, God, it’s crazy to think about. A lot of my friends that got the opportunity, AEW or WWE, they chose WWE because it’s like I don’t know, ‘I just want to say I was in WWE’. I’m like, ‘come on, guys.’ Like, you can’t. That goes back to being the fanboy. Do you want to be the 100th guy who never sees the light of day, or do you want to be on the forefront of what we have? And a lot of guys just want to go brag to their friends and family, ‘oh, I’m in WWE.’”
Darby Allin competed on last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite in a losing effort to Pac.
While the taped episode of AEW Dynamite from this year’s Jericho Cruise is yet to air, it appears that the company is already planning ahead and they are preparing to amp things up next year by broadcasting a live show from the ship.
According to reports from Heel By Nature, Cody Rhodes took on a mic after this week’s Dynamite tapings. He announced that AEW will have more involvement in next year’s Cruise and the February 2, 2021 episode of Dynamite will air live from the vessel.
Next year’s version of the Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’
Wrestling Rager at Sea has already been announced and the AEW World Champion
recently confirmed that the 2021 edition of his cruise will set sail on
February 1st next year.
Though it won’t be an easy task to broadcast a full episode of
Dynamite from the ship live and the company will need a lot more preparations
for the same.
This year, the company pre-taped matches for the episode airing tonight. They have recorded the show on two separate master tapes and plans call for them to fly both tapes on separate charter flights to Atlanta to ensure the broadcast.
Airing the full episode live from the cruise itself will not only mean that the company will have to bring even more equipment and crew on board but they will also have to prepare for things like weather.
So it will be interesting to know what preparations the officials do for ensuring an uninterrupted broadcast of the show.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) talent Sonny Kiss recently spoke with Andrew Thompson of Post Wrestling. During their conversation, Kiss shared his ambitions within AEW and named who has been mentoring him backstage.
When asked about who has helped him, Kiss was quick to name two backstage personnel: Dustin Rhodes and Billy Gunn. He shared how they have been instrumental to his career ever since he first met them. He noted how his relationship with Billy has seen him learn from the WWE Hall of Famer for about four years.
Kiss admitted that regardless of whether he is competing on AEW: Dynamite or AEW: Dark, there will always be nerves involved. Despite these nerves, he remains ready to compete on whichever show AEW need him on.
Sonny Kiss On Authenticity
One of the things that attracted Kiss to the promotion was Brandi Rhodes’ promise to allow their talent to be “exactly who they are.” It’s a promise that Kiss confirms has been delivered on:
“I feel like every person that you see is authentic. They’re not altered by anybody or anything. It’s just kind of, like, this is their character, this is who they are in and out of the ring, and I think that’s awesome.”
To Kiss, the sky is the limit in terms of what he wants to achieve in the promotion. He noted how he wants to “continue to break barriers” and be a role model to those watching.
Sonny Kiss previously teamed up with Dustin Rhodes for an episode of AEW: Dark. The two defeated the team of Peter Avalon and Q.T. Marshall. Despite teasing that the two may continue to tag together, they have yet to have another match together.
All Elite Wrestling’s Matt and Nick Jackson have talked about this week’s episode of Dynamite airing at sea. The show will take place on Wednesday, live from Chris Jericho’s Rock ’n’ Wrestling Rager cruise.
“It’s not just for wrestling fans, there’s a little bit of everything,” Matt told Jim Vasallone of the Miami Herald. “Just being on the ship itself is exciting. We put together some stellar wrestling cards, too. If you’re just going for the wrestling, you’re gonna have a lot to watch. It’s action-packed. Nick put together most of the card by himself, and I was just looking at the final card last night, and Chris was going over it, and man, it’s loaded.”
Matt then noted how some of the matches that will take place will be hosted exclusively for the passengers.
The Young Bucks’ Tag Team Passion
The brother duo competes within AEW as The Young Bucks. However, as the company’s Executive Vice Presidents, they have a vested interest in developing the promotion’s tag division.
“We wanted to show the world you could do it as the main event, as the opening act, you could do it as a mid-card act, you could throw it in anywhere and entertain the fans,” said Nick.
Matt added how he can’t recall a time in wrestling since the 1980s where tag team wrestling has been so popular or relevant. He stressed how AEW’s tag division is “loaded” and that further developing their division and tag team wrestling remains a passion for them.
All Elite Wrestling’s Marko Stunt has addressed how his size initially stopped him from pursuing his dreams of becoming a pro wrestler. Speaking with Chris Jericho on Talk is Jericho, Stunt confessed how negativity has a major impact on him:
“[…] growing up, I never really saw myself as a different size because I’ve always been this size,” Stunt said. “I don’t know what it’s like to be any taller. I’ve always had the mentality of like, ‘Oh, if I want to do that, I’m gonna do it,’ you know? I’m really bad about taking negative things the wrong way, like I’ve always taken negative things to heart, so it’s had to get on Twitter and see a bunch of stuff now. But even back when I wanted to do it growing up, I had people telling me I shouldn’t, I’m too small, so I kinda threw that away for a long time.”
Marko Stunt In Person Vs. On Screen
Stunt also explained how it’s a different experience to watch him live versus on TV. He admitted that he’s trying to improve on connecting with fans through their screens and not just with those in the arena.
“I’m new to this but I’m definitely used to the being in person, connecting with the crowd that’s there, not necessarily connecting with the crowd that’s watching me from behind a screen. So, I understand watching me on TV and being like, ‘Okay, well such and such and such and such,’ because I’m not connecting with them.”
He continued, “But being in a stadium or something, I feel like I connect well with that crowd specifically. I feel like I’m able to read them to an extent and either they like me or they don’t. But usually I’m able to connect with them and I feel like I have a decent charisma about me and it’s not necessarily my wrestling, either.”
During their conversation, Stunt also shared how The Big Show was his favorite wrestler growing up. It was The Big Show that actually got him interested in wrestling. He then divulged how he gravitated towards Superstars like Big Show, Kane and The Undertaker. This was because he “wanted to be tall. I wanted to be big.”
AEW Dynamite is headed to a new city as All Elite Wrestling has announced the host venue for an upcoming episode of the weekly television show.
The promotion announced on Monday that AEW Dynamite is heading to Rochester, New York at the Blue Cross Arena on March 18th. Tickets for both shows go on sale this Friday at AEWTix.com.
The arena has a max capacity of 13,000 approximately people, which is in line with the other arenas that AEW is airing their television show from.
“#AEWDynamite is coming to the Blue Cross Arena when All Elite Wrestling makes its Empire State debut on Wed, March 18th! Tickets go on sale THIS FRIDAY, January 24th at Noon Eastern Time. For tickets visit http://AEWTIX.com.”
AEW Dynamite Schedule
Starting next week, it’s expected that All Elite Wrestling will begin announcing venues for the month of April. The following is an updated look at the AEW Dynamite touring schedule through the end of March 2020:
January 22: taped from Jericho cruise
January 29: Cleveland, OH
February 5: Huntsville, AL
February 12: Austin, TX
February 19: Atlanta, GA
February 26: Kansas City, MO
March 4: Denver, CO
March 11: Salt Lake City, UT
March 18: Rochester, NY
Last week, it was announced that AEW Dynamite has been extended through 2023 by the media company to remain on the air every week on TNT.
The second-ever Chris Jericho Rock N Rager at Sea is currently taking place. In addition to other festivities planned for the cruise, there will also be several AEW wrestling matches held aboard the boat tonight.
Jericho took to social media recently to announce the following matches will take place today on the cruise:
Jericho recently spoke to SI.com and spoke about what he believes he would be doing if he was still in WWE.
“If I was still in the WWE, I would still have to be doing ‘The List’ and it would feel so old,” said Jericho. “I love all the great stuff I did in the past, but to go out there and say ‘Raw is Jericho’ or ‘I’m the Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla’ would really feel like a rock and roll band that tours that never puts on a new record and tours every summer.”
Brandi Rhodes is not on the Jericho cruise due to not having a passport. She Tweeted recently that she would not be on the cruise due to her passport having been stolen. Rhodes has since deleted the original Tweet, however.
“I hope this doesn’t disappoint anyone, as I was having to leave early to deliver the keynote at NATPE next week (which I am insanely excited for!) but I will not be on the cruise at all this year. My passport was stolen this evening and I cannot attend. Be safe and have fun,” Rhodes Tweeted.
Rhodes would continue to Tweet that she was not scheduled to be on the cruise the entire time.
I wasn’t scheduled to be on the cruise the entire time, I have to get back to the states to deliver an important keynote, which means an international flight. Not possible.
Rhodes recently spoke to the Bleacher Report about her on-screen relationship with Awesome Kong.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Awesome Kong because she came to me wanting something specific for herself and that’s always a great thing, a great sign from a talent when they come in and say, ‘Hey, this is my vision, this is what I see. Can you help me create this?’” Rhodes explained. “Because nobody’s going to be able to create their own vision better than they do themselves.”
