A loaded episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT is just hours away. This week’s show will be a special Halloween special, with a tie-in from the popular animated series, Rick & Morty.
Although not confirmed, the belief is that SCU vs. Lucha Bros in an AEW Tag Team Tournament Finals match to determine the first AEW World Tag Team Champions will serve as the headliner.
AEW holds this show in Charleston, WV at the Charleston Coliseum on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Tournament Finals: The Lucha Bros. vs. SCU to crown the first-ever AEW World Tag Team Champions. Legendary tag team The Rock ‘n Roll Express will be on hand to award the belts to the champs.
Full Gear Contract Signing between AEW World Champion Chris Jericho and Cody
The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) vs. Kip Sabian and The Hybrid 2 (Jack Evans and Angelico)
“Hangman” Adam Page vs. Sammy Guevara
Jon Moxley will be in action
Best Friends & Orange Cassidy will be in action
AEW Full Gear is next weekend and only three matches have been announced, so expect to see more match announcements on Dynamite.
Last night’s episode of All Elite Wrestling’s YouTube show, Dark, saw Dustin Rhodes team with Sonny Kiss. The duo took on the team of Peter Avalon and Q.T. Marshall, who was making his in-ring AEW debut. Rhodes and Kiss ended up walking away the winners of this tag team encounter.
Following their victory, the two were interviewed backstage, where Rhodes shared some high praise for his partner.
“The world out there listening right now, this right here is Sonny Kiss. He did awesome, incredible partner tonight to have in the ring for AEW Dark,” Rhodes said. “We killed it out there as always, what do you think, man?”
“I’m just overwhelmed. I’m excited, I am so happy to the AEW fans—they’ve so receptive. And thank you for being my inspiration. I mean, I did this for him, I did this in homage, obviously,” Kiss replied, indicating to his red-and-black attire. Rhodes admitted he had no idea that Kiss was going to do that and was pleasantly surprised when he first saw it. Kiss then promised AEW fans that they wouldn’t be seeing the last of them as a team.
Rhodes added, “Tonight I was up close and personal, and I got to see you actually perform, and you did an exquisite job. A great job, and I was very happy that I got to tag team with you.”
When asked what their tag team name would be, Kiss suggested they leave it in the hands of the AEW fans. Rhodes stated that he liked that idea before the pair walked away.
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
All Elite Wrestling returned with episode four of their AEW DARK weekly digital series on Tuesday evening, as they presented their latest episode taped from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during last week’s AEW Dynamite show.
Featured on this week’s show is a big tag-team match pitting Dustin Rhodes and Sonny Kiss against the team of Peter Avalon and QT Marshall, as well as a four way match in AEW’s women’s division and a three-way Falls Count Anywhere match featuring Darby Allin vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Jack Evans.
AEW DARK RESULTS (10/29) PITTSBURGH, PA
Dustin Rhodes & Sonny Kiss defeated Peter Avalon (w/ Leva Bates) & QT Marshall. Rhodes pinned Marshall to get the win.
Emi Sakura defeated Penelope Ford, Sadie Gibbs, and Allie in a four-way match. Sakura pinned Ford following a Tiger Driver.
Darby Allin defeated Jimmy Havoc and Jack Evans in a three-way falls count anywhere match. Allin pinned Evans after a top rope Coffin Drop with a chair.
Next weekend, Chris Jericho will defend the AEW World Heavyweight Championship against Cody Rhodes in the main event of AEW: Full Gear.
All Elite Wrestling has informed SEScoops that a panel of 3 esteemed judges has been named for the championship bout. In the event that Chris Jericho vs. Cody ends in a 60-minute time-limit draw, the judges will decide a winner:
“In the event there is no winner at the end of the 60-minute time limit, a panel of three esteemed judges, who will be seated at ringside, must vote for a winner. In the event there is not a unanimous choice, the majority decision will be the winner. This will ensure that a draw will not be the outcome of this World Championship title match.”
AEW’s implementation of time limit draws enhances the sports-like presentation of the product and adds another layer of urgency to each match.
We’ll provide an update when AEW announces who will be ringside judging the action on November 9th.
AEW Full Gear
AEW Full Gear takes place Saturday, 11/9 from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore, MD.
As of this writing, three matches have been signed for the card:
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Cody Rhodes
Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley
The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) vs. LAX (Santana & Ortiz)
AEW Full Gear is available for purchase on pay-per-view via cable providers. Fans in the United States can also purchase the event for digital streaming via B/R Live. The show is available internationally on FITE.TV and ITV Box Office in the UK.
AEW Dark returns tonight (Tuesday) for Week 4 of the popular YouTube series.
The show will be hosted by Tony Schiavone. It will feature matches that were taped last Wednesday at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA before and after the live episode of AEW’s weekly television show, Dynamite, on TNT.
Emi Sakura vs. Penelope Ford vs. Allie vs. Sadie Gibbs in a Fatal 4-Way Match is expected to headline the show. Matches scheduled for AEW Dark Week 4 include:
Dustin Rhodes and Sonny Kiss vs. Peter Avalon (with Leva Bates) and QT Marshall – Tag Team Match
Darby Allin vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Jack Evans – Falls Count Anywhere Match
Emi Sakura vs. Penelope Ford vs. Allie vs. Sadie Gibbs – Fatal 4-Way Match.
Dark is AEW’s secondary program, but the promotion has not been shy about featuring marquee matches on it. The first three weeks of AEW Dark have seen strong viewership, with both delivering around 900,000 views.
Because AEW Dark airs on Tuesday nights, it gives the promotion as a chance to hype up the next episode of Dynamite to air the following night.
AEW got fans talking by teasing a big announcement today. It turns out that announcement is the location for the first Dynamite show of the new year.
AEW (All Elite Wrestling) announced on Monday via Twitter that the promotion would be holding a TV event in Jacksonville, Florida at the Daily’s Place Amphitheater on New Year’s Day – Wednesday, January 1st, 2020.
This location was also the site for the Fight For The Fallen show that took place in July.
AEW President Tony Khan addressed the fact that some fans found the “big announcement” to be underwhelming. Khan acknowledged that AEW’s social media manager misfired and promised to make it up to fans with another huge announcement.
Jeff, let’s do our best not to toy with people’s emotions like this. We got people who aren’t near the Florida market all excited, now we have to come up with another huge announcement, one that affects all of our fans everywhere, to make it up to them. So that’s what we’ll do.
The following is an updated look at the AEW Dynamite touring schedule through January 1st. It should be noted that there will not be a new episode on Christmas day.
AEW Dynamite is off to a strong start. After four weeks of shows, the television product has been well-received and viewership has far-exceeded the initial expectations of TNT executives.
Even with its promising launch, fans and wrestling pundits will always have critiques and feedback about what can be improved. One area for improvement that has been talked about has been the lack of interviews and backstage segments.
AEW is constantly gathering feedback from fans via various means, including social media, online surveys and the crowds at live events. On Sunday, a fan wrote to AEW Executive VP Cody Rhodes on Twitter and asked what Cody thought about the Pittsburgh crowd for last week’s TV. The fan attended the show with a “non-wrestling person,” who felt “all the matches are too fast and look the same”
Cody Rhodes replied to the Tweet and showed once again how tuned into feedback AEW is. According to Cody, there is a dedicated effort to showcase the wrestlers in non-wrestling settings. This could mean live or pre-recorded interviews, vignettes or other means.
With this acknowledgement from AEW, it will be interesting to see what tweaks are made in the weeks ahead as part of the company’s efforts to develop its characters and storylines.
All Elite Wrestling’s Nyla Rose has opened up about how she came to be involved with the promotion in a recent interview with Women’s Wrestling Weekly.
She recalled how when she was first contacted by AEW, she thought it was a joke. Rose noted that they were very candid in how they were operating, and once she realized it wasn’t a practical joke, she was thrilled to provide them with contact details to begin negotiations.
“[…] a lot of people are like, ‘Oh, they are so unprofessional and like passing out deals in tweets.’ No, that’s not what happened. There were feelers,” Rose explained. “People were saying, ‘Hey are you under contract? I’d like to discuss some things with you. You know, are you even at all interested?’ So once we got that of the way, once I realized it wasn’t a practical joke, we exchanged phone numbers and went about things the professional route. But yeah, the very first message I thought it was a joke. I thought somebody was messing with me because here I am, I’m like, who’s going to sign me, little ol’ me, right? Well, jokes on me, because here I am.”
AEW Women’s Championship Match
Rose faced off against Riho to determine the inaugural AEW Women’s Champion during the premiere episode of AEW: Dynamite. Riho would end up victorious that night. Reflecting on her loss, Nyla admitted there’s “a lot to unpack.”
“For those who don’t know me, or are not as familiar with me, I have spent some time in Japan working with Joshi-style. It wasn’t exactly completely foreign to me, so to speak, but after having been in the states for some time, I had to kind of go back and do some tape study on myself and do tape study on Rhio. I kind of shifted gears a little bit in order to just be able to match her, because she’s a squirmy, little speedy spry.”
She continued, “You know, until this point in my career, that’s probably the biggest thing I’ve ever done. Being crowned a world champion is no small feat. To be crowned the first world champion, especially in a new, blossoming company, you know there could never be another first so it’s kind of like, everything was poetic. You had all that going on, it was in my hometown, there was so much going on. It was very emotional.”
Former Lucha Underground Champion Marty ‘The Moth’ Martinez has shared his ambition to become a part of All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Martinez spoke about being sidelined for the past four months due to two herniated discs. He recently returned to the ring for Support All Pro Wrestling. In the interview, he admitted that his return bout, which took place yesterday, was “[…] a little earlier than I want, but it’s going to be a good test to see where I’m at. I didn’t want to have fusion surgery on my back because I have plenty of years left of wrestling, so I got stem cells shot directly into my spine last week.”
Looking to the future, Martinez confessed he would love to sign with AEW. When it comes to a potential opponent in that promotion, ‘The Moth’ was quick to name Jon Moxley.
“My intention is to get as healthy as I can so I can say what’s up to AEW. It’s going to be a crazy war against WWE. I have friends on both sides, but black and gold are more of my colors. And I’d love to get in the ring with Jon Moxley,” Martinez said.
He continued, “My goal is to do whatever it takes to get to the black and gold of AEW. I’ll have to do some slight changes to my character, and I’m going to bring some pieces of my Twitch channel into wrestling, too. There will be a little bit different branding, but trust me when I say you’ll still see that same type of crazy.”
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has addressed Randy Orton’s recent teasing over his interest in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Speaking on his podcast, The Hall of Fame, Booker T addressed the photo Orton uploaded of himself next to a sign that read “Elite Level.”
“Look at the talent they [AEW] has,” Booker said. “Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Randy Orton is an elite level player. I always said Randy Orton is an elite wrestler, an elite superstar.”
He continued, “He’s my guy, I always said that and one thing about Randy is he’s always been a rebel, he’s always been a guy that walks to the beat of his own drum. If anybody was to do something crazy it would be Randy.”
Booker T explained how AEW is “on the edge,” pointing to Jon Moxley as a prime example of somebody pushing the envelope, rebelling, and finding a platform that supports him.
Ultimately, however, he believes that Orton will end up staying with WWE. He explained how “Randy Orton is safe and he’s taken care of very well in the WWE.”
Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of The Revival recently added to Orton’s Elite tease. They had been briefly associated with Randy Orton on WWE television prior to the WWE Draft separating them.
This isn’t the first time that Orton has addressed AEW. He was recently heard praising All Elite Wrestling’s premiere episode of Dynamite whilst streaming a video game.
It’s worth noting that Orton is coming to the end of a 10-year contract with WWE. Unless a new deal has been negotiated in that time, Orton will become a free agent in early 2020.
All Elite Wrestling’s Michael Nakazawa was recently interviewed by Sportskeeda about his time in the promotion and his role both in-ring and backstage.
Reflecting on how he became involved with AEW, Nakazawa admitted he thought his days competing in-ring were over before he was contacted by Kenny Omega.
“We met when Kenny had just moved to Japan, I was the only person who could speak in English,” Nakazawa recalled. “And so, we used to talk and hang out a lot. But it wasn’t just because I could speak in English. We used to get along right from the start. We still do, to this day.”
Although he has only appeared a few times for AEW, Nakazawa divulged he is busier with his backstage duties. His role sees him assisting Omega and helping the Japanese talent.
When it comes to his in-ring work, Nakazawa tends to incorporate a substantial comedic element into his matches. He confessed he would never be a Kenny Omega or Kota Ibushi, but does his best and enjoys what he can bring to a show.
“I was very happy, I could work in the US, which is what I always wanted to do, I could work with my friends, and help in any way to make a difference. I’m not Kenny Omega or Ibushi, but I do my best,” he said. “I know those two wrestle at a different level.”
Addressing their head-to-head Wednesday night competitors, Nakazawa stressed that, although they acknowledge NXT as competition, AEW is more focused on putting out the best show possible every week.
All Elite Wrestling has signed former Olympic boxer Anthony Ogogo. Cody Rhodes is calling the new signing AEW’s first real developmental project. Cody was in attendance at Southside Wrestling’s 9th Anniversary show in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, England this weekend where Ogogo made an appearance in a segment with MJF.
Ogogo won a bronze medal in the middleweight division at the 2012 Olympics in London, England. He has a pro record of 11-1.
“I’m thrilled about this signing,” Cody Tweeted. “Anthony will be our first developmental project as a company. For those who followed his boxing career and saw his Olympic acumen, you’ll be happy to see he’s now applying that passion and work-ethic to pro-wrestling training. Welcome Anthony!”
Ogogo’s altercation with MFJ can be viewed in the player below:
Ogogo officially retired from boxing this March, although he had not fought since 2016. His last fight was the only loss of his professional career. He dropped a fight to Craig Cunningham for the vacant WBC International middleweight title.
“I’ve been through a lot in my career, I’ve had 17 operations and suffered every pain imaginable. I’ve won, lost, cried and hurt. But if you were to ask me would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I love this game,” Ogogo said upon his retirement.
“I’m seriously considering becoming a professional wrestler, I may join one of the big companies and do some wrestling because it has always been something I’ve enjoyed,” Ogogo said to the Eastern Daily Press this summer.
AEW star Jake Hager was back in action for his latest pro-MMA fight Friday night. He had his latest fight booked under the banner of the Bellator MMA promotion, where he took on Anthony Garrett in a heavyweight showdown.
The fight was ruled a no contest after As seen in the fight, Hager didn’t win but rather went to a no contest after Hager dropped Garrett with a knee strike to the groin. This led to doctors at cage-side to rule that Garrett could not return to fighting within a five minute rest period.
It was an unsatisfying finish (especially for Garrett!), but you can probably see how this could be incorporated into AEW storylines. Hager remains undefeated in MMA fighting and he’s demonstrated that he’s willing to fight dirty if necessary.
If Jake Hager's wrestling finisher isn't now "The Hager Effect" of him throwing a knee to the balls, Tony Khan needs to step down.
Our affiliate site MMANews.com had on-site coverage for the fight and got this exclusive video of Jake Hager discussing the controversial finish to his fight:
Inner Circle & Batista At Hager’s MMA Fight
Jake Hager’s fight was featured on the main card of the Bellator 231 event on Friday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut that aired on DAZN.
Fellow Inner Circle members Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz in attendance for this fight, as was WWE legend Dave Batista
Hager beat J.W. Kiser by first-round arm-triangle choke on the main card of Bellator 214 back in January. In his second fight, he T.J. Jones by first-round arm-triangle choke at Bellator 221 on May 11th.
Since he was last seen in action inside of the cage, Hager took his talents to AEW (All Elite Wrestling) as he has signed with the promotion.
Since joining the promotion, he has been a part of The Inner Circle group that is led by AEW World Champion Chris Jericho where he serves as the enforcer.
AEW World Champion Chris Jericho made a recent appearance on Grado’s new Wrestling Daft podcast where he made some interesting comments about the Wednesday Night Wars.
In this interview, Jericho brought up how he was always confident that AEW would win in the ratings.
“NXT is still the minor league Those guys are still unknown performers, it’s not a competition to us and I knew we’d win because we have more star power.”
Jericho stated that AEW ended their premiere episode of Dynamite with himself, Dustin Rhodes, and Jon Moxley because fans all know them. They also had WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross calling the action, who fans know as well.
Jericho continued by noting that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon decided to put NXT up against AEW in order to keep competition away from RAW and Friday Night SmackDown.
He added that their competition is with WWE’s flagship shows as well as Universal Champion Seth Rollins, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, and Roman Reigns.
“I think it was a stroke of genius by Vince McMahon to put NXT on against up because it took the focus off ‘the main show and AEW’ and put it on ‘the minor league and AEW.’”
Since October 2nd, WWE has been battling AEW with airing NXT in the same timeslot on the USA Network as a way to counterprogram All Elite Wrestling with their Dynamite series on TNT.
Jericho’s comments come at an interesting time as Rollins recently made similar comments about AEW and seeing them as the minor league promotion when talking about top AEW star Kenny Omega.
Jericho makes his next title defense on PPV when he wrestles Cody Rhodes at the upcoming Full Gear pay-per-view event.
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho filed for two new wrestling-related trademarks earlier this week. .
Using the Florida-based business entity Chris Irvine, Inc., the top dog of All Elite Wrestling has filed to protect the phrases, “The Painmaker” and “The Inner Circle.”
The Painmaker is the dark alter ego Jericho most recently summed during his title defense against Darby Allin on AEW Dynamite last week. The Inner Circle is Jericho’s new faction in AEW comprised of Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz.
The new trademarks list the following uses, “Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, live, televised and movie appearances by a professional entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network.”
AEW Dynamite Replay Tonight
Several readers have sent in word that a replay of this week’s AEW Dynamite episode will air tonight on TNT from 8-10pm ET.
Coincidentally, the Dynamite replay goes head-to-head with WWE Friday Night SmackDown, which airs on FS1 tonight.
AEW has since confirmed the news, adding that the episode will feature ‘bonus footage’ from after Dynamite went off the air.
TONIGHT at 8/7c – @tntdrama will air a special encore edition of #AEWDynamite from this past Wednesday, including Never Seen Before Footage of what happened after Dynamite went off the air. pic.twitter.com/4NSPEknn6L
CM Punk continues to do the media rounds promoting his new horror movie, Girl on the Third Floor. The film opens today in select movie theaters across the United States and has been getting positive reviews from critics.
Punk spoke with Screen Rant this week and naturally, the topic of professional wrestling came up. During a discussion with Zak Wojnar, the former WWE Superstar asked to share his thoughts on the AEW-WWE “relationship.”
Punk was complimentary about AEW and its top stars, saying they’ve “got something great going on.” However, he feels the upstart promotion should focus on its own operations and stop talking about WWE.
CM Punk on AEW vs. WWE
“I think AEW needs to focus on themselves and stop talking about WWE,” he explained. “Cody and The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, Jon Moxley, all those guys have something great going on. I just think it lessens and cheapens what they are doing when they constantly attack WWE.”
Punk continued, There hasn’t been an alternative to WWE in so very long, and I think they do a disservice to themselves when they’re trying to be the alternative but constantly bring up WWE.”
CM Punk understands the competitive nature between the two companies. He also knows that AEW talent can’t control what questions get asked in interviews. That said, he wants AEW to be successful and thinks everyone will benefit if AEW focuses on AEW.
“I would like them to just try to focus on their product and building it up and making it better,” he said. “I think that would benefit all the fans.”
Of course, it’s not just AEW talking about WWE. Both sides have been firing shots at one another since Triple H called them a “piss-ant” company at the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony during WrestleMania weekend.
Seth Rollins made headlines this week when he said Kenny Omega is “playing in the minor league.” Rollins’ remark prompted a blistering response from Jim Ross, who went off on the Universal Champion in the opening segment of this week’s Grilling JR podcast. JR acknowledged that Rollins is a talented performer, but quipped, “Maybe someday he’ll be as over as his girlfriend [Becky Lynch].”
Head over to Screen Rant to check out their full interview with CM Punk.
Below, you can check out the official trailer for Girl on the Third Floor.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has officially warned Jon Moxley over his actions from this week’s episode of AEW: Dynamite. After the main event between himself and PAC, Moxley attacked the referee in frustration. This was because of their match ending in a time limit draw. This creative decision was reportedly made to add weight and importance to time limits in all AEW matches.
In response, AEW took to Twitter to share they have reprimanded Moxley for his “unprovoked attack.” They explained that, as this is not the first time Moxley has attacked the referee, he has been officially warned that another violation could result in a fine or possible suspension.
“#AEW officials have reprimanded Jon Moxley for an unprovoked attack on referee Paul Turner, as this is not the first time Moxley has attacked the Senior Official. Moxley has been warned that another violation of AEW’s sportsmanship policy could result in a fine and/or suspension.”
Despite his best efforts, Moxley was unable to put away PAC. Even after hitting his finisher, The Paradigm Shift, he wasn’t able to get the win. PAC kicked out of the finisher as the time ran out. Afterwards, Moxley confronted AEW referee Paul Turner, laying him out with another Paradigm Shift. Moxley could be heard saying “Time limit, my ass” repeatedly as the show came to an end.
Moxley is scheduled to compete against Kenny Omega at AEW Full Gear on November 9th. The event takes place in Baltimore, Maryland.
#AEW officials have reprimanded Jon Moxley for an unprovoked attack on referee Paul Turner, as this is not the first time Moxley has attacked the Senior Official. Moxley has been warned that another violation of AEW’s sportsmanship policy could result in a fine and/or suspension. pic.twitter.com/7dlsy1Rp35
On an episode of his podcast, Grilling JR, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross addressed comments made by WWE’s Seth Rollins. Rollins recently referred to AEW as the “minor leagues.” Ross admitted that he was pissed off about Rollins’ words, adding that it wasn’t a “classy” thing to say.
“You’re right, I’m pissed off about it,” Ross stated. “Here’s what I’m pissed off about: Number one, it doesn’t do any favors for our business. Our business in general, any promotion in the total of all the pro wrestling business it’s bigger than any individual. Now I’m not inferring that Seth thinks he’s bigger than the business, but by what he says sometimes, you can make that assessment, rightly or wrongly, but it’s not a classy thing to say, for an athlete of his designation.”
“Maybe Someday He’ll Be As Over As His Girlfriend”
Despite taking issue with Rollins’ statements, Ross mentioned how he thinks he’s a “solid guy.” He explained that saying things like his minor league statement reflects poorly on the Universal Champion. He also noted that “maybe someday he’ll be as over as his girlfriend [Becky Lynch].”
“As another Hall of Famer has mentioned to me, it’s not about the individuals being over or drawing the house or selling out, it’s about the WWE brand selling out,” he said.
He continued, “Hence, the best illustration is WrestleMania. The brand name WrestleMania and the parent company, the big dog in the yard, WWE is what sells tickets to WrestleMania under the auspices that they’re going to do deliver a special show, opponents and participants to be named. But Rollins is in a great spot, he’s blessed, maybe someday he’ll be as over as his girlfriend, I don’t know, but nonetheless, I’ve always liked his work. He’s a solid guy, he’s a solid guy, but saying things like that make him look bad and for that I feel bad for him. I just do.”
Jim Ross recently shared his thoughts on social media “bookers” after receiving criticism over his referring to Jungle Boy as ‘Jungle Boy Jack Perry.’
This week’s main event on All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite saw PAC face off against Jon Moxley. Their matchup would end up going the distance, finishing in a time limit draw, much to the disappointment of fans watching live.
According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline, the creative decision behind this finish lies in making sure that time limits have actual meaning on their shows. He explained that, without the time limit forcing a draw, they mean nothing.
This decision not only ensures neither PAC nor Moxley ate a loss during the matchup but also allows for the two to compete again in the future with more on the line. It also means neither lose their current momentum.
With AEW having stressed the importance of records, wins, and losses in relation to a rankings system, being able to enforce time limit finishes and have them mean something within the context of a story allows them to create compelling arcs going forward.
The two went back and forth on Wednesday night, with Moxley managing to get the upper hand as the clock ticked down. He was unable to secure a victory over PAC despite hitting his finisher, The Paradigm Shift. PAC actually kicked out of the finisher before the time ran out.
WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash has shared his thoughts on a segment from this week’s episode of AEW: Dynamite.
Taking to Twitter, Nash levelled criticism at the segment between Cody and the AEW World Champion, Chris Jericho. The promo segment eventually devolved into a confrontation between Cody, MJF, Dustin Rhodes, and Diamond Dallas Page and Jericho’s Inner Circle stable.
“@CodyRhodes if you’re going to say you’re not @WWE and the ropes don’t stop you. Make sure @IAmJericho isn’t in his box with a AEW Mike. Couldn’t spell work any clearer. It’s the details. I ran thur the DVR to see Chris’s segment. Not a great first impression on detailed thought”
@CodyRhodes if you're going to say you're not @WWE and the ropes don't stop you. Make sure @IAmJericho isn't in his box with a AEW Mike. Couldn't spell work any clearer. It's the details. I ran thur the DVR to see Chris's segment. Not a great first impression on detailed thought
When a fan mentioned that AEW continues to jab every week to run down the competition, Nash explained that this Cody/Jericho segment was the only part of the show he watched. For him, it “was very glaring. Look back at it as creative and they can make their own opinions. Just really caught my attention. I’m not being a dick. I’ve probably said 3 sentences to Cody in my life. Don’t know him”
Who is they. I was watching my friend. It's the only segment I saw. That was very glaring. Look back at it as creative and they can make their own opinions. Just really caught my attention. I'm not being a dick. I've probably said 3 sentences to Cody in my life. Don't know him
Nash noted that, as Cody is the boss, he would have the power to cut the mic if he wanted to. He also added that he’d rather watch NXT, but will continue to tune into AEW for Jericho’s segments.
Shit load of great TV. I'd rather watch NXT. I'll continue to watch @IAmJericho segments
Luchasaurus was forced to pull out of the AEW tag team title tournament due to a hamstring injury. He suffered the injury just 2-hours before his Jurrasic Express team was to take on the Lucha Bros on AEW Dynamite last week. Luchasaurus would be replaced by Marko Stunt in the match.
It turns out the injury to Luchasaurus isn’t as bad as originally thought, however. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Luchasaurus suffered a strained hamstring and not a torn one.
“He has a strained hamstring, not a full tear,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
A strained hamstring takes a few weeks to recover from whereas a torn hamstring can be between 6-8 months.
Luchasaurus and the Jurrasic Express in AEW
After replacing Luchasaurus in the match, Marko Stunt took to Facebook to talk about the experience.
“I wasn’t originally supposed to be there this week,” Stunt begins the post. “Luckily, for some reason, they asked me to come in this past Friday, and I was going to be on AEW Dark this coming Tuesday.”
“In a very unfortunate situation, Luchasaurus was injured just 2 hours before the show, and they asked me to step in. The most nervous and uncomfortable I’ve been was right there at that moment. I was being asked to step in the ring with two of the best on 2 hours notice, on national television, for my tv debut.”
Jake Hager has a big MMA fight tonight for Bellator. He is scheduled to take on Anthony Garrett inside the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The fight is scheduled to kick off the main portion of the card.
According to a report from ESPN, Inner Circle members Sammy Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz will be in attendance for the fight and plan on getting in the cage for a post-fight photo-op should their stablemate be victorious. The report does not mention Chris Jericho’s name as being in attendance, however.
Bellator 231 Fight Card
Main Event: Frank Mir vs Roy Nelson (Heavyweight)
Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis vs Jason Jackson (Light Heavyweight)
Bec Rawlings vs Ilara Joanne (Women’s Flyweight)
Jake Hager vs Anthony Garrett (Heavyweight)
Jake Hager MMA Career
Hager is 2-0 in his MMA career thus far. He won his first fight in a little over 2-minutes at Bellator 214 in January over J.W Kiser with an arm-triangle choke. He then choked out T.J Jones with an arm-triangle choke as well at Bellator 221 on May 11th, 2019, also in the 1st round.
Jake Hager Pro Wrestling Career
Hager is a former World Heavyweight Champion. He actually defeated his current Inner Circle stablemate Chris Jericho for the title in 2010 when he cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
Hager, wrestling as Jack Swagger, is also a former ECW and United States champion while in WWE.
The fifth week of the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite war is in the books.
Viewership data has been released for the October 23rd editions of AEW Dynamite on TNT and NXT on the USA Network.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of Showbuzz Daily:
WWE NXT
WWE NXT averaged 698,000 viewers, which is down from the 712,000 viewers that the show drew last week on the USA Network. In the 18-49 demos, the show drew 0.21, up from 0.20 from last week.
Matches that took place on the NXT show included NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong vs. Keith Lee vs. Dominik Dijakovic in a Triple Threat Match, Bianca Belair vs. Rhea Ripley, and Matt Riddle vs. Cameron Grimes.
AEW Dynamite
AEW Dynamite that aired during the same time slot on TNT pulled in 963,000, which is down from last week’s episode that did 1.014. The key number is the 18-49 demos that saw AEW draw 0.45, up from the 0.44 last week.
Top matches on AEW included Jon Moxley vs. PAC, Kenny Omega vs. Joey Janella, and two Semi-Final Tag Team Title Tournament matches.
WWE and AEW will attempt to increase viewership with next week’s episodes, which should be interesting to see what number it pulls in.
The biggest competition was game two of the MLB World Series Game on FOX that drew 11.925 million. Also, an NBA game on ESPN did 1.698 million viewers.
Next Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling will crown the inaugural AEW World Tag Team Champions.
After this week’s episode AEW Dynamite, The finals of AEW’s Tag Team Championship tournament are set. The Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix) battle SCU (Scorpio Sky and Kazarian) to determine which team makes history and goes home with these bad boys:
AEW’s World Tag Team Championships
AEW has announced that legendary tag team The Rock & Roll Express will be on hand next week to present the AEW Tag Team Championships to the tournament winners.
AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes said that it will be an “absolute honor” to have Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson on hand for this championship ceremony.
Cody also teased that it will be a ‘Halloween edition’ of Dynamite, which should be interesting.
Next week’s AEW Dynamite takes place from Charleston, West Virginia at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center. If you’re in the area, head over to AEWTix.com to score tickets for as little as $20.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In addition to the takeaways below, Britt Baker picked up a win in her hometown and defeated Jamie Hayter.
Lucha Bros Advanced To The Finals Of The Tag Team Tournament
Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) faced Lucha Brothers (Fenix and Pentagon) in the semi-finals of the AEW Tag Team Tournament. Quen connected with a Dropkick but Fenix battled back with an awesome German Suplex.
Kassidy tagged in and hit Pentagon with a Hurricanrana and then Private Party posed for the crowd. Quen tagged back in and hit Fenix with a flip off the top rope. Back in the ring, Kassidy hit Pentagon with an Enziguri and followed it up with a DDT.
Quen connected with a 450 Splash and went for the cover but Pentagon kicked out at two. Fenix tagged in and hit a massive Double Stomp to the back of Kassidy’s head. Fenix hit Kassidy with a Moonsault outside the ring as the crowd chanted “AEW!”.
Kassidy tagged in and hit a Hurricanrana and went for the cover but Fenix kicked out at two. Quen tagged in and made his way up to the top turnbuckle. Marq connected with a beautiful Shooting Star Press for a near fall.
Fenix took out Private Party with Powerbomb/ Leg Drop combo and tagged Pentagon in. Pentagon planted Kassidy with a Powerbomb over his knee and then isolated Quen in the corner.
Pentagon countered the Gin & Juice and hit Kassidy with a Destroyer. Fenix booted Quen in the face and then the Lucha Brothers hit a Piledriver/Double Stomp combo for the pinfall victory. Lucha Brothers have advanced to the finals of the AEW Tag Team Championship tournament.
This match was ridiculously entertaining and another great start for Dynamite. It was nearly impossible to keep up with all the spots that went down in this match and is definitely worth a rewatch.
SCU Advanced To The Finals Of The Tag Team Tournament
Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) faced SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) in the semi-finals of the AEW Tag Team Tournament. Grayson and Kazarian started off the match. Stu started arguing with referee Aubrey Edwards and Evil Uno capitalized with a cheap shot.
Scorpio tagged in and Dark Order isolated him in the ring and dominated the next couple minutes of the match. Frankie tagged back in and hit Stu with a Dropkick in the corner. Sky tagged back in and quickly got knocked out of the ring. Evil Uno slammed Scorpio into the ring steps and rolled him back into the ring.
Inner Circle was then shown walking through the crowd with tickets and took a seat in a VIP section. Sky connected with a Neckbreaker on Uno and both men tagged out. Kazarian leveled Stu with a shoulder tackle and followed it up with a Leg Drop.
Dark Order battled back and took control of the match as Inner Circle ate popcorn and cheered them on. Grayson knocked Kazarian out of the ring and flipped onto him. Kazarian planted Grayson with a DDT and then delivered another one to Uno on the ring apron.
Frankie followed it up with a knee to the face and Sky covered Grayson for the pinfall victory. SCU will face Lucha Brothers in the finals of the AEW Tag Team Tournament next week.
Kenny Omega squared off against Joey Janela tonight on Dynamite. Omega dominated early and knocked Joey out of the ring. Kenny hit him with a Crossbody and brought Janela back into the ring.
Janela connected with an uppercut and hit Omega with a couple of chops in the corner. Joey followed it up with a Dropkick that knocked Kenny out of the ring. Janela hit Omega with a Crossbody of his own and rolled Omega back into the ring as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, Omega connected with a Moonsault and followed it up with a German Suplex. Janela battled back and climbed his way to the top rope. Janela hit an Elbow Drop and went for the cover but Kenny kicked out at two.
Omega hit Janela with a Snap Dragon Suplex and then a running knee for a near fall. Kenny hit the V-Trigger but Janela shrugged it off and hit a Fisherman’s Suplex. Joey turned Omega inside out with a massive Clothesline and went for the cover but Kenny kicked out at two.
Janela went for a Senton but Kenny got out of the way and Joey crashed on the ring apron. Omega hit a massive V-Trigger and then the One Winged Angel for the pinfall victory. Omega is now 4-3 in AEW.
Cody, Dustin, DDP & MJF Attacked Inner Circle In Their Luxury Suite
Tony Schiavone interviewed Cody in the ring but Inner Circle quickly interrupted with air horns from the crowd. Jericho grabbed a microphone and started booing into it. Cody stated that this isn’t like the other wrestling company that they came from and he can easily go up into the crowd and fight.
Jericho stated that Cody was nothing more than an entitled millennial bitch and Cody hopped out of the ring. Dustin Rhodes, MJF, and DDP joined the party and marched down the entrance ramp. The four hopped the barricade and started walking up the stairs towards Inner Circle.
Inner Circle retreated and shut the door to the luxury box. MJF handed Cody his scarf and Cody wrapped it around his hand. Cody punched through the glass and a brawl broke out. Police then escorted Cody, Dustin, MJF, and DDP out of the arena as Jericho shouted that Inner Circle had tickets.
AEW hit this promo out of the park and I simply cannot wait for Jericho versus Cody at Full Gear. There hasn’t been a dull moment in this week’s show so far.
The Young Bucks Defeated Best Friends & Accepted Santana & Ortiz’s Challenge
Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) battled Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent). Oranga Cassidy accompanied Best Friends to the ring and got a couple of Superkicks for his troubles from the Young Bucks.
Best Friends dominated early and hit Nick Jackson with a Cutter. Nick battled back and knocked Chuck out of the ring. Matt tagged in and hit Trent with a Backbreaker. Young Bucks then mocked Best Friends and shared a hug in the middle of the ring.
Trent leveled Matt with a Spear outside the ring and Chuck connected with a knee to Nick’s face. Matt planted Chuck Tayler with a DDT on the apron and then got distracted by Orange Cassidy. Trent capitalized with a Dropkick and rolled Matt back into the ring as AEW went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, Chuck hit Matt and Nick with a Belly to Belly Suplex. Chuck followed it up with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Matt kicked out at two. Chuck connected with a Falcon Arrow for another near fall.
Best Friends knocked the Young Bucks out of the ring and shared a hug in the ring. Orange Cassidy hit the Young Bucks with a Crossbody off the top rope as the referee was distracted.
Back in the ring, Best Friends went for the Doomsday Knee but Matt landed on his feet and hit a flurry of Superkicks. Nick took out Trent and Orange Cassidy with a flip and then Matt hit a Moonsault onto Chuck for the pinfall victory. After the match, the Young Bucks accepted Santana and Ortiz’s challenge and will face them at Full Gear.
PAC battled Jon Moxley in the main event of this week’s Dynamite. PAC attacked Moxley during his entrance and hit him in the back with a steel chair. PAC started choking Moxley with his jacket as the crowd chanted “asshole!”.
PAC launched Moxley into the barricade and then got into the ring. The match started and PAC hit Jon with an Enziguri. PAC climbed to the top rope but Moxley rolled out of the ring. PAC flipped onto Moxley outside the ring and started taunting him. Back in the ring, PAC went for the cover but Moxley kicked out at two. PAC followed it up with a Dropkick for another near fall as Dynamite went to a break.
PAC booted Moxley in the head and followed it up with a Standing Shooting Star Press when Dynamite returned. Moxley planted PAC on the top of his head with a Bulldog on the apron. Jon and PAC traded punches in the middle of the ring and Moxley got the better of the exchange.
Moxley leveled PAC with a Clothesline and went for the cover but PAC kicked out at two. PAC rolled out of the ring and Jon hit him with a Suicide Dive. Back in the ring, Moxley connected with a Slam for a two count as Justin Roberts announced that there were five minutes of TV time remaining.
Jon applied the Cloverleaf in the middle of the ring but PAC grabbed the bottom rope to break the hold. Moxley climbed to the top rope but PAC Dropkicked the ropes to crotch Moxley on the turnbuckle. PAC planted Moxley with an Avalanche Falcon Arrow for another near fall.
PAC went back up to the top turnbuckle but Moxley got up. PAC hopped down and Moxley rolled him up for two. PAC booted Moxley in the face and knocked him out of the ring. PAC hit a 450 Splash off the apron and rolled Jon back into the ring. PAC climbed to the top rope and went for the Black Arrow but Moxley got out of the way.
Moxley went for the cover but PAC kicked out at two. Moxley hit the Paradigm Shift out of nowhere and went for the cover but PAC kicked out and the match ended in a time limit draw. Moxley planted the referee with the Paradigm Shift and said: “time limit my ass” as Dynamite went off the air.
I thought this week’s episode of Dynamite was the best one so far. The two hours flew by and I don’t have any complaints. The Tag Team Tournament has been excellent so far and I’ve really enjoyed the build between Jericho and Cody.
