Jon Moxley successfully debuted for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) during their Double Or Nothing event last Saturday. Appearing during the final moments of the show, he was greeted with a hero’s welcome by the fans in attendance.
Since then, Moxley has appeared on Talk Is Jericho to discuss his reasoning behind leaving WWE. His thoughts on the matter have clearly struck a chord with a lot of his peers.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, former WWE Superstars Bully Ray and Tommy Dreamer discussed Moxley’s comments, admitting that they fully aligned with his feelings and creative frustrations, before reflecting on the current feeling amongst the WWE locker room.
“When you know your time is up, you just have to stare down the barrel of that gun and wait out your deal, which is exactly what he [Dean Ambrose] did,” Bully Ray said. “There’s no other way out. A couple of other people got their release and were able to wiggle on out. Nobody’s getting their release anymore. You’re going to have to wait out your contract, and he did it professionally, and he did it the right way.”
Dreamed added that he understands that frustration “because once you reach a certain amount of goals, then what? […] For guys like, even myself, it’s that creativeness, as well as to be able to have a say. I work for a lot of companies, I’m not under contract for any of them, because I don’t want to be married that way to anybody.”
During a time where more WWE Superstars than ever before are openly discussing their unhappiness within the company, Moxley’s reception must have been validating for those who decided to leave—and all the more sobering for those that were not allowed to.
Pac became a hot topic of discussion when he couldn’t come on terms with AEW and the company was forced to remove him from their Double Or Nothing PPV.
This made a lot of people wonder if the incident will turn out to be a roadblock for the relationship between the two parties and latest development in the situation suggests that this indeed, is the case.
Pac was originally expected to work the upcoming Fyter Fest
event where he was scheduled to team up with the Lucha Bros to face the Elite
in a 6 men tag match.
However, the company has recently updated their listing for the show and they have now removed the former WWE Star from the graphics of the event:
For those who don’t know, Pac was originally expected to go
one on one against Adam Page at Double Or Nothing and then face the winner of
Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega match at a later date.
He was scheduled to lose this bout; however, the former Cruiserweight Champion didn’t want to take a loss while still holding the Dragon Gate Championship. So the AEW officials were forced to cancel his match at the PPV.
While Tony Khan and others have said that they are open to working with Pac in the future, this removal makes it seem like the company does not have any immediate plans of the same and fans will have to wait for sometime before he makes his debut for the promotion.
All Elite Wrestling has confirmed Cody and Dustin Rhodes against The Young Bucks for July’s Fight for the Fallen event from Jacksonville, FL.
The match was set up at Double or Nothing after Cody’s war with Dustin. Just as the elder Rhodes brother was taking off his boots to retire, Cody asked for Dustin to be his partner for this tag team special attraction match. In the most emotional moment of AEW’s first-ever pay-per-view, Cody declared, “I don’t need a partner, I don’t need a friend, I need my older brother” and the two embraced.
With that match set, here is the updated card:
Cody & Dustin Rhodes vs. The Young Bucks
Kenny Omega will face CIMA
Brandi Rhodes vs Allie
At the Double or Nothing post-show media scrum, Chris Jericho mentioned that he’s also booked for AEW’s Jacksonville debut.
AEW: Fight for the Fallen takes place Saturday, July 13th from Jacksonville, FL at the Daily’s Place Amphitheater. Partial proceeds from the event will benefit victims of gun violence.
The former heavyweight champion, who had spent the better
part of eight years as one of the faces of the company while performing as Dean
Ambrose, knew that his time in WWE was coming to an end.
While his contracted expired in April, Moxley explained
during a recent appearance on Chris Jericho’s podcast ‘Talk is Jericho’ that he
knew last July that his time in WWE was finished.
“I knew pretty much knew that I was gone in July of 2018,”
Moxley explained. “At that point, I was out with an injury. I tore my tricep.
Normally that would only be a four-month thing but it was so banged up and
bruised because I had been working on it hurt for a long time and it was just
the tendon was all mangled so it was like a minimum of six months. Then I got a
staph infection and I had to go in for surgery.
“It turned into nine months, it was a mess. A very miserable
time in my life, very challenging.”
When Moxley returned from injury he was transitioned from a
babyface to a heel for the first time since he was a founding member of ‘The
Shield’ alongside his friends Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins.
Unfortunately, Moxley says the creative direction that WWE
took his character was just abysmal with several promos that eventually sealed
the deal that he wasn’t going to renew his contract with the company.
Moxley points to two specific incidents that burned the
bridge between himself and WWE where he could no longer see himself performing
there after his deal was up.
“The first one I’m going to tell you is the day that I physically
looked at the calendar and started counting down the days,” Moxley explained. “The
other one will be the day that I absolutely knew, no turning back, I am gone. A
day I almost walked out.”
The first incident involved a set of promos that had Moxley
saying things that made absolutely no sense to him whatsoever and it forced him
to go speak to WWE CEO Vince McMahon in hopes of having the scripts rewritten
before saying them on video.
“So one day I come into TV like normal. At this time, I
think I’m on SmackDown, I’m a good guy, a babyface. A pretty major good guy on
the show, basically the lead good guy on the show at this point. I come in and
get a backstage promo handed to me from a writer — writer is going to be a key
word in this podcast you will find and the word script — I get a script handed
to me by a writer, right? And it’s a backstage promo and it’s me describing the
things I did on the way to the arena that day. I can’t remember exactly what
the things were because they were so ridiculous and this isn’t an isolated
incident. There’s hundreds of these promos that have happened over the years.
They all get lost in the shuffle.” Moxley said.
“These are things that an idiot would do. Like things along
the lines of like driving backwards on the street in a unicycle or sharing a
pizza with a homeless man on the street, just weird stuff like that. So I’m
like, ‘I’m not saying any of that.’ So I’m like, ‘Change all that. Rewrite it
just as something normal.’ Go about my business, writer comes back to me later.
Vince redid it, put all that stuff back in, so I’m like, “Uh, now I have to go
in and talk to Vince.
“I’m like, ‘Yo, I can’t say all this stuff, it’s
ridiculous.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, it’s such good shit! Oh, this stuff, this is
the reason people like you. It’s why they connect to you cause you’re different
— this is you!’ And I’ve had a million conversations with him that are almost
this exact same conversation about similar promos or things. ‘This is you! This
is such good s—t. This is what makes you, you!’
“And I said, ‘So I’m an idiot?’ And he goes, ‘No! It’s you!
You’re different.’ And I’m like, ‘OK.’ And I don’t know where we landed on that
particular promo, whatever, but that’s just an example, that kind of sums up the battle I’ve been fighting
for six years.”
The next incident that had Moxley counting down the days
until he could get out of WWE for good was another promo that involved a ‘pooper
scooper’.
“All the things that are on these scripts, it’s a typical
WWE script. It’s a bunch of words, a bunch of big words, a bunch of goofy
words, none of it makes any sense to me. We’re not telling any kind of tangible
story. We’re not doing anything to get any kind of characters over. Nothing
that makes any sense to me,” Moxley stated.
“But the one I’m most concerned with is the in ring promo at
the end of the night. We go into the writer’s room, I start reading this promo
and again not trying to pass judgment, but to my eye in my opinion, this is
absolute hot garbage, awful crap.
“The main gist of it is the people are smelly, disgusting
people and they’re foul, disgusting [people]. You can kind of just see Vince
saying these words ‘oh Liverpool, sounds like a skin disease!’. You can just
picture the Vince face.”
“The thing that catches my eye the most is a joke about a pooper
scooper. Like something along the lines of ‘I wouldn’t come out there without a
pooper scooper’. And I’m like ‘I’m not saying that’.”
While Moxley was able to get rid of the ‘pooper scooper’
line, there was another part of the promo that had him turning Roman Reigns’
real life battle with leukemia into part of his story on television.
That definitely crossed a line in Moxley’s mind but through
some convincing from McMahon, he ended up cutting the promo as written.
“I go off to do another promo and I believe this one was live
and again it doesn’t make any sense to me, I’m just saying stuff and earlier I
had to go into Vince because in this promo there’s a line that’s a very distasteful
line taking a jab at my friend who had leukemia and is now going off to recover
from that, Roman Reigns. I don’t remember what the line was but I went ‘are you
kidding me?’ so I’m going right into Vince on this one. This is clearly a mistake.
“I cut the promo and as soon as that line left my mouth I
went ‘oh my god, I can’t believe I just said that’. “
The last straw was a final promo that Moxley was ordered to
cut where he was going to be backstage with his ‘personal doctor’, who would be
giving him injections to protect him from rabies and other diseases that could
come from the WWE audience in the building.
“Keep in mind during all this, this is a billion-dollar
company run by a man who’s allegedly a genius and keep in mind, we’re all
adults and we’re talking about stuff like this,” Moxley said.
“This is the day I knew 100-percent I was gone and there was
no turning back. I actually almost walked out. Not really, I’m glad I didn’t
cause I could have ended up in some legal stuff or whatever.”
In the end, Moxley did as he was ordered but there was no
turning back and his time with WWE was going to come to an end no matter what.
At the end of his eight year run with WWE, Moxley says the
world’s biggest professional wrestling promotion actually took away his passion
for professional wrestling and that hurt him more than anything else.
“It’s like they take wrestling away from you,” Moxley said
about WWE. “Wrestling is my first love, my only love besides my wife, the thing
I’m most passionate about. I love it. I feel like now I’ve got it back finally.
Since I was a little kid, I was obsessed. Just watching tapes, always watching
tapes, always thinking of promos, watching all the wrestling. I loved pacing
around my house just thinking of promos. Waking up in the middle of the night
cause you just thought of a cool line, a way to tell a story in a match or whatever,
and then I’m just pacing through the house cutting promos to myself in a
mirror.
“Promos used to be my favorite part of wrestling. I loved
it. They ended up becoming my least favorite part. The part I dread.”
As much as his WWE career ended on a sour note, Moxley is
still able to look back with fondness for the good times he had with the
company. In particular, Moxley enjoyed working with the ‘Make-A-Wish’
foundation and WWE also allowed him to meet his wife — on air talent Renee
Young — and that is something he will absolutely never regret.
“If nothing else, over all these past eight years, I met my
wife in WWE, who’s my best friend and my soulmate,” Moxley said. “If we got
nothing else out of this run, I got her. I always tell her, if things get too
weird, we’ll just sell all this stuff, we’ll hop in an RV and we’ll hit the
road babe cause all we need is each other.
“Needless to say the last eight years couldn’t have been any
more successful and full of gratitude for WWE for that.”
Now Moxley is beginning the next chapter of his career after inking a multi-year deal with All-Elite Wrestling and he will also be performing in promotions such as New Japan Pro Wrestling as he moves on without WWE.
Listen to “The Emancipation of Jon Moxley” on Talk Is Jericho:
After working in the Casino Battle Royale during the Double
Or Nothing Pre Show, Luchasaurus has now officially joined the AEW Roster.
The company announced the news of his signing via a tweet mentioning how he has a Master’s Degree and revealing that the American star has now joined the upstart promotion:
Luchasaurus made his wrestling debut in 2012 and since then
he has worked for a number of companies, with his most notable stints being
with WWE and Lucha Underground.
Real name Austin Matelson, Luchasaurus was dubbed as Judas Devlin in WWE and he worked for them under a development contract from 2012 to 2014.
He wrestled for FCW before it was rebranded as NXT. After the rebranding, Devlin was transferred to a different development territory and he was released from his contract after suffering a severe spinal injury.
He made his Lucha Underground debut in 2016. Now wrestling
with a mask, he was dubbed as Vibora and he won the Lucha Underground Trios
Championship as part of the Reptile Tribe stable.
He was built as a force during his AEW debut at the Casino
Battle Royale. Luchasaurus eliminated four men in the match and lasted until
the final four before being eliminated by the eventual winner Adam Page.
While the wrestling fans have been seeing it as the first
real competition WWE has had in decades, AEW Officials including Tony Khan and
others have been maintaining that they are an alternative to the Biggest
Wrestling Company in the World.
Being an alternative means that they will be doing things
differently than WWE and it appears that this means there will be less comical
segments on their show and more focus on in-ring action.
During his recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, AEW
President Tony Khan discussed the more comical style of production and said
their programs will be a serious, sports-based product:
“We’re going to provide, a serious, sport-based product with the best wrestling. Something you’re going to notice more and more in our shows is they’re going to take place in and around the ring. Like, we’re not going to go out of the arena, we’re not going to spend half the show backstage in dressing rooms, or backstage choreographed segments.
Continuing on the topic, Khan explained that there is plenty of time outside of the matches to focus on the storyline and funny sketches but he is really interested in focusing on wrestling when the bouts are taking place.
Listen to Tony Khan’s appearance on Busted Open Radio (5/28):
Fans were reportedly having their signs removed and discarded by security during Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live. The signs taken referenced All Elite Wrestling (AEW) talent and one that read, “Save Us HHH.” The confiscating took place at the behest of WWE, though not until after it had made it on the air.
The sign that read “You Aren’t MJF” (AEW star Maxwell Jacob Friedman) was featured on hard cam during the show’s earlier segments before its removal.
Yea and his other signs. Apparently they were too big or he was blocking people too much
— Wrestling Referees are Wizards (@refsaswizards) May 29, 2019
Given the popularity of AEW’s recent event Double Or Nothing, and the fact that Sami Zayn mentioned the company during his segment on Monday Night RAW, it appears as though WWE has made the decision to censor any reference to the promotion on its product. That’s assuming the Zayn namedrop wasn’t scripted.
With All Elite Wrestling (AEW) coming off the back of their Double Or Nothing event, it seems as though the entire industry has turned its attention towards the upstart promotion.
AEW has been on a hiring spree in recent months, snapping up a range of both on-air, in-ring, and backstage talent in the process.
Their intentions to change the world of pro wrestling have clearly been heard, and even wrestlers who have nothing to do with the company are now lobbying for a position.
One such talent is WWE Hall Of Famer, Jake “The Snake” Roberts.
“I’m Ready…”
Following the end of Double Or Nothing, Jake commented on Jon Moxley’s debut and the effectiveness of his DDT finisher. Moxley would lay out Kenny Omega at the end of the show with the move.
He tweeted out the following:
“Jon Moxley does a better DDT than dean Ambrose but would be glad to help either one tweak it to make it spot on.”
Jon Moxley does a better DDT than dean Ambrose but would be glad to help either one tweak it to make it spot on.
Since that innocuous tweet, wrestling fans worldwide have been chiming in, with many seemingly clamouring for Roberts to become creatively involved with the company.
Noticing this trend, Roberts has been re-tweeting fan comments in an effort to get AEW’s attention, claiming to be “ready” for AEW wrestling.
What do you think? Would Jake “The Snake” Roberts be an exciting addition to the AEW creative team? Given how many people they have hired, do you think AEW need to bring in any more talent?
Jon Moxley’s first opponent in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is Joey Janela. The match will take place at AEW FyterFest, which takes place Saturday, June 29th from Daytona Beach, FL as part of the CEO fighting game championships.
Vince Russo is convinced WWE and All Elite Wrestling are secretly working together.
The former writer for WWE, WCW and TNA says there’s “NO QUESTION” that WWE and upstart AEW are “in bed together” since several things “don’t add up” to him.
Russo plans to discuss this conspiracy theory on his podcast and warns fans, “YOU’RE BEING WORKED.”
There's NO QUESTION that @WWE & @AEWrestling are in bed together–NONE. Several things don't add up. When you look at the entire picture it becomes evident. I'm going to invite the @CnsprcyHrsmn on the new "Truth with Consequences" to lay this all out. Bro—YOU'RE BEING WORKED. pic.twitter.com/Mx6fchaGnZ
Russo clarified that WWE and AEW working together is a good thing for wrestling, but again urges fans not to get worked. He referenced WWE’s late 90’s secret partnership with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) as an example of ‘rival’ promotions finding common ground.
Don't misunderstand me-if @WWE & @AEWrestling are working together-as I believe they are-it's a GOOD THING if it makes the wrestling product better for the casual fans. I'm just saying-don't be worked. This has happened once before with ECW/WWE. History tends to repeat itself. pic.twitter.com/999EWDyQ8x
Vince Russo On If WWE Has Anything To Worry About From AEW
Previously, Russo expressed the idea that WWE has nothing to worry about from AEW.
“As much as I would like to say yes, I don’t think so,” Russo said to 411Mania. “You know, the WWE has been the only game in town for so long. I mean when you look at the Saudi Arabia deal, when you look at the FOX deal, when you look at the money they’re bringing in, because quite frankly they’ve been the only game in town for such a long period of time, I think that’s silly to believe.”
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is hyping that UK women’s wrestler Sadie Gibbs is #AllElite.
Gibbs has a background in cross fit, gymnastics and Mixed Martial Arts. She received a WWE tryout back in 2017 and recently wrestled for the Stardom promotion in Japan.
News of Gibbs joining AEW was first reported in late March. A promo for her pending arrival aired during Sunday’s AEW: Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
Gibbs wrote on Twitter that her new role with AEW is ‘starting to feel real’ and tweeted some ‘in love’ emojis in response to the promotion welcoming her aboard.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross served as the lead announcer for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) at their inaugural pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing, over the weekend.
The biggest news to come out of the show was the fact that Jon Moxley, formerly known as Dean Ambrose from his time in WWE, made his promotional debut at this show.
Ross was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated where he talked about being surprised about Moxley’s AEW debut
“I didn’t know it was going to happen. I knew we were negotiating with Moxley. I asked what was happening with him about 10 days ago, and I was told it was going well, but when it came time for the show, his name wasn’t anywhere on my format sheet. It left my mind because I had more I knew I had to prepare for.”
Ross would continue by stating that it reminded him of Mick Foley getting thrown off the Hell in a Cell structure due to him not knowing it was going to happen, which both situations had.
Ross added, “I didn’t know Moxley was coming out there. He was so full of passion and raw, animal magnetism. I felt it in my bone marrow, it was a ‘Stone Cold’ moment.”
Joey Ryan has been teasing a big announcement regarding his future. According to a report by news site SoCalUncensored, Ryan has turned down an offer to join All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
“We have confirmed with multiple sources that Joey Ryan has turned down a contract offer from All Elite Wrestling,” the report reads.
The news is surprising, since Ryan appears regularly on Being The Elite and had a memorable role at All In last September.
“Everything will be answered Thursday,” Ryan said regarding his status.
The official word regarding his future will be told Bar Wrestling’s Pickle Jar Hero show later this week.
Ryan is reported to have turned down a WWE offer recently as well.
“(WWE) asked if he was willing to move to Orlando, wrestle a few years there and then move into a coaching position,” wrote Dave Meltzer last month regarding Ryan.
The report continued to say Ryan would have accepted the offer earlier in his career. At 39, however, Ryan is not looking to take a pay cut to start in WWE.
AEW’s Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley are both set to take part in NJPW events in early June. NJPW GM, Michael Craven recently stated there is no talent-sharing agreement between his promotion and AEW, however.
“New Japan and Jon Moxley came to terms on an agreement some time ago, completely independently of All Elite,” Craven said in a statement to SI.com’s Justin Barrasso. “Our understanding is that he is free to wrestle in Japan. We wish AEW well, but have no working relationship as of now.”
Chris Jericho will face Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Dominion on June 9th. Jon Moxley is set to debut for the promotion on June 5th at the finals of the Best of the Super Juniors 26 tournament.
Tony Khan on Jon Moxley’s Contract
AEW’s Tony Khan stated over the weekend that while Moxley is full-time to his promotion, the former Dean Ambrose is also able to work for some independents as well as international promotions.
“He is a multi-year contract, he will be on a full-time deal,” Khan said. “When we go weekly, he’s going to be full-time. Same as some of the guys, especially when the schedule is light, I’m open to him working some international and indie dates. He is full-time with us, domestically, essentially he’s our guy.’”
Jon Moxley debuted for AEW Saturday night at Double or Nothing. Following the event, Moxley cut a promo stating it was time the pro-wrestling industry was given a facelift.
“One day, they will all come to my funeral just to make sure I stay dead, but today is not that day,” Moxley said. “I’m alive! My heart is still beating and I’m breathing fresh air for the first time in a long time.”
AEW Tweeted out the below video of Moxley’s promo:
“My name is Jon Moxley and I am on a mission to reclaim my soul. And I’m not the only who thinks, ‘You know it’s about time this industry got a facelift.’ So make no mistake about it, this is an official declaration of war against anybody who wants to get in my way or anybody who stands in AEW’s way.”
Moxley’s in-ring debut for AEW was announced for Fyter Fest on June 29th.
“We’re on a mission to knock the pillars of this industry on their ass,” Moxley continued. “We ain’t reading history books anymore, we’re writing them. This is what you call a paradigm shift.”
Jon Moxley to NJPW
Earlier today, NJPW confirmed that Moxley is also the man behind the videos targeting Juice Robinson in NJPW.
Even though the Young Bucks just successfully defended the AAA tag team championships against the Lucha Brothers Saturday night in Las Vegas, they will once again have to face their rivals on June 16th for AAA in Mexico.
The Lucha Libre promotion posted the following to announce that the Young Bucks and Lucha Brothers will face each other again for the titles at Verano de Escándalo.
— Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide (@luchalibreaaa) May 26, 2019
Lucha Bros Banged Up Following Double or Nothing
The Lucha Brothers were said to be a little banged up following Double or Nothing on Saturday. They were scheduled to travel to Houston for an event the following day but were forced to cancel. Lucha promotion Lucha Empire sent out the following to announce the event had to be canceled as a result.
EVENT CANCELLED. Last night during AEW show "Double or Nothing" the Lucha Brothers @PentagonJunior & @ReyFenixMx got injured and were not able to travel today. If you bought your tickets online @Ticketon please call 1-800-668-8080. pic.twitter.com/AbL8NcANvc
“The creative team is essentially a group chat that goes 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Matt Jackson said. “Some people in the group think a bit more traditionally, while others think super outside the box. We always come to some sort of agreement, somewhere in the middle. It’s a recipe that works. The process has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding.”
After taking over the wrestling world by storm on Saturday with their successful Double or Nothing event in Las Vegas, All Elite Wrestling says they have similar plans for the United Kingdom.
talkSPORT caught up with SoCal Uncensored ahead of the event and asked them about AEW’s plans for UK.
#WWE have no plans for a ?? PPV, but #SCU say @AEWrestling does..
“I think when you look at who is involved and you look at somebody like a Tony Khan who has heavy ties to the UK and London specifically, I think that it is a foregone conclusion,” Kazarian said. “And one thing that we want to do is be different. And to be different, you take your product to the people. You don’t necessarily make the people come to you. You take it to where the fans are.”
“We’d love to do a Starrcast, I’d love to do a cigar event, a jam session; let’s do everything we’re doing over here in Vegas and do it in the UK. And I think it will happen.”
talksSPORT’s Alex McCarthy also went straight to Tony Khan after the event for a word who assured them there will “definitely” be a UK PPV. The venue or the date has not been set yet but the important thing we need to know is that it will happen.
.@TonyKhan tells me he’d come on @talkSPORT when he has some @AEWrestling news for the UK and there is definetly going to be a UK PPV. No arena or date yet, but it’s going to happen.
It would only make sense for the company to broaden their horizons by making their presence felt on a different continent. And with Khan spending a lot of time in London with Fulham F.C., it only makes sense for the company to eventually visit the islands.
Following last night’s Double or Nothing PPV from Las Vegas, Cody made some comments about how his marriage has impacted his view of diversity. Today, a notable politician has responded to Cody’s comments.
“I’m in an interracial marriage, and I’ve learned a lot that I would have never known,” Cody said. “One time, I told Brandi, I told her that ‘I don’t see color.’ And she said, ‘Well, then you don’t see my experience.’ And I thought, ‘Oh, you’re right. I can’t just say that.’ You need to be able to see that experience and at least understand it.”
U.S. Representative for New York’s 14th congressional district, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded to Cody’s comments.
This exchange is a promising peek into what growth looks like in our national discourse on race.
AOC did not offer comment on Cody’s brothers’ blood still being in his hair hours after his match had ended.
Cody Comments On Diversity in AEW
Cody offered further comment on diversity in AEW.
“The old territory system of just one, that’s out. The best wrestlers are going to field the game and that’s a very diverse profile. I’m really proud of it. We’re gonna promote them as wrestlers. We’re not gonna make it a PR element for us. And I’m really proud of that because it’s about the wrestling.”
“We’re going to promote them as wrestlers. That’s all the elements of diversity. We’re not going to make it a PR element for us, and that I’m really proud of. It’s just about the wrestlers.”
Pentagon and Fenix are said to be suffering injuries following AEW Double or Nothing last night. Lucha Libre promotion Lucha Empire was forced to cancel a scheduled event for today in Houston that was to feature the tag team. The promotion noted that Pentagon and Fenix were banged-up following Double or Nothing and not able to travel.
6 Takeaways From AEW Double Or Nothing
The promotion posted the following to their social media accounts:
EVENT CANCELLED. Last night during AEW show "Double or Nothing" the Lucha Brothers @PentagonJunior & @ReyFenixMx got injured and were not able to travel today. If you bought your tickets online @Ticketon please call 1-800-668-8080. pic.twitter.com/AbL8NcANvc
There is no word on the nature or extent of their injuries.
Lucha Bros AEW
The Lucha Bros are likely finishing up with Impact Wrestling and MLW in the near future. It was reported recently that they will be exclusive to AEW in the United States while still working with AAA in Mexico.
In Impact, Pentagon and Fenix dropped the tag titles back to Santana and Ortiz at the Rebellion PPV in Toronto. The Lucha Bros won and lost the AAA Tag team championships in short order at Rey de Reyes in March. The Young Bucks appeared unannounced shortly after Pentagon and Fenix won the titles which led to an impromptu match that the Bucks then won.
Cody says that All Elite Wrestling won’t do monthly PPVs. He also said not every show will be 4-5 hours long as Double or Nothing was.
Cody commented on future PPVs during the post-event scrum last night.
”So I think we’ll probably look at Double or Nothing and All Out as tentpole events,” Cody said. “And there may be another one. We’re not going to do a pay-per-view every month.”
He also commented on the price tag associated with the PPV.
“I realize it was $50 and to ask people to part with their money you gotta make sure it’s worth it,” he continued. “So we’re going to be… not every show is going to be four or five hours either. TV, I’ve kind of indicated with you, is a two hour TV broadcast.”
Thank you all for an enchanting evening. Sold out MGM Grand. The very first AEW show!
During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, Cody confirmed the weekly TV show will be 2-hours.
“It’s really likely the show is going to be 2 hours. That’s the sweet spot. In terms of the schedule we’ll find out probably within the next few months for sure and it will be in a great spot to be in prime time on TNT, they’ve really set us up,” Cody said.
Last night on the AEW Double or Nothing PPV, the new promotion announced they will return to Chicago’s Sears Center at the end of the summer. The venue famously hosted last year’s All In event.
On the PPV broadcast last night, AEW confirmed that “All Out” will be the name of their Chicago show from the Sears Center on August 31st.
Tickets to the event are scheduled to go on sale June 14th. The event sold out in less than an hour last year. Double or Nothing tickets sold out in under 5 minutes.
AEW sent the following out on Twitter yesterday to announce the news:
AEW’s Double or Nothing PPV aired live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena tonight. For full PPV results, check out our full recap by clicking here.
PreShow results:
Hangman Adam Page won the Casino Battle Royal. Page will face the winner of the match between Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega at a future date to crown the first AEW Champion.
Kip Sabian def. Sammy Guevara
Here are 6 takeaways from the PPV:
SCU Picked Up A Win
SCU (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky) battled Strong Hearts (CIMA, El Lindaman, and T-Hawk) to start off Double or Nothing. CIMA and Daniels locked up to kick things off. CIMA applied a Headlock but Daniels quickly broke free. Daniels connected with a shoulder tackle and followed it up with an Arm Drag.
CIMA and Daniels both went for an Arm Drag and then had a staredown as the crowd applauded. Kazarian and T-Hawk tagged in and locked up in the middle of the ring. Frankie blocked an Arm Drag and rolled up T-Hawk for a two count. Kazarian leveled T-Hawk with a Clothesline but T-Hawk got up and connected with a chop to the chest.
Scorpio Sky tagged in and dropped T-Hawk with a Dropkick. CIMA knocked Kazarian and Daniels off the ring apron as El Lindaman tagged in. Lindaman connected with a Splash for a two count. Sky Bodyslammed Lindaman and Kaz tagged back in. Kazarian hit a Dropkick in the corner for a near fall before Daniels tagged back in.
Frankie planted Lindaman with a Neckbreaker and Daniels went for the cover. Lindaman kicked out at two and then grabbed the ropes to try and regroup. Lindaman tripped up Daniels and CIMA hit him with a Knee Drop. T-Hawk chopped Kazarian out of the ring and hit Daniels with Double Knees in the corner.
CIMA tagged in and immediately hit Daniels with a Senton as “SCU!” chants broke out in the crowd. Lindaman got back in and hit Daniels with a Jawbreaker. Strong Hearts isolated Daniels in the ring and took turns beating him down. T-Hawk locked in a Crossface but Scorpio Sky broke it up before Daniels tapped out.
Scorpio Sky and Lindaman tagged in and Sky cleaned house. Lindaman battled back with a German Suplex for a near fall. Scorpio hit a Dropkick and tagged Kazarian in. Frankie hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a near fall and Daniels tagged in. Daniels stomped on T-Hawk and then hit Lindaman with a Suicide Dive. Scorpio Sky hit a Neckbreaker on CIMA but turned around into a Dropkick from Lindaman.
T-Hawk and Daniels took each other out with a Clothesline as the crowd chanted “AEW!”. CIMA hit Double Knees off the top rope but Frankie broke up the count. Scorpio Sky took out CIMA and T-Hawk with a flip outside the ring. Kazarian and Daniels then hit Lindaman with the Best Meltzer Ever for the pinfall victory.
Double or Nothing started off strong with a great 6-man tag match and the crowd was into it.
Britt Baker Defeated Awesome Kong, Nyla Rose & Kylie Rae
Kylie Rae, Nyla Rose, and Britt Baker were set to battle in a Triple Threat Match but Brandi Rhodes interrupted and said that she wanted this match to be awesome. Awesome Kong made her way to the ring to a massive pop from the crowd and the match was now a Fatal 4-Way.
The match started out with a brawl and Kong booted Nyla out of the ring. Kylie went for a Sleeper Hold but Kong shrugged her to the canvas. Kong slammed Baker on top of Rae and then went for a Splash but hit nothing but canvas. Baker sent Kong to the outside and Rae went for a roll-up for a two count.
Baker slammed Kyle to the mat and mocked her smilie face. Britt went for a Crossbody but Kong caught her. Kylie Rae then took out both of them with a Suicide Dive. Baker and Rae connected with a Superkick that sent Awesome Kong to the floor outside the ring. Rose then hit Kong with a Spear into the steel steps. Baker connected with a Superkick and then a knee to Rae’s face for the victory.
The crowd chanted “Dusty” before the match started and then transitioned into a “this is awesome!” chant. Cody controlled the match early and knocked Dustin to the outside. Cody followed it up with a Suicide Dive. Dustin then battled back and connected with a Cannonball off the apron.
Back in the ring, Dustin hit a Bulldog and then unloaded 10 punches to Cody’s face in the corner. Cody rolled out of the ring and then walked into the crowd to regroup for a bit. Cody took a sip of water and finally returned to the ring. Brandi hit Dustin with the water bottle and Cody capitalized with a Gutbuster for a near fall.
Dustin battled back with a Clothesline and then a boot to the face. Dustin set up Cody for Shattered Dreams but Cody took off the middle turnbuckle pad. Dustin saw the pad and launched it into the crowd. He opted to charge at Cody anyways and Cody sent his head into the exposed turnbuckle.
Brandi then leveled Dustin with a Spear as Cody tried to distract Earl Hebner. Earl saw the Spear and kicked out Brandi from ringside. DDP then showed up and carried Brandi backstage because she refused to leave. Dustin then got up and was busted open from hitting the exposed turnbuckle.
Cody went on the attack and bashed Dustin in the face several times. Cody had blood all over his hands and wiped it on his own chest. Dustin wildly missed with a Clothesline and turned around into a Dropkick for a near fall. Cody continued to beat the hell out of Dustin and blood streamed down his face.
Dustin’s blood was all over the ring at this point and Cody Curb Stomped Dustin’s face into the canvas for another near fall. Dustin hit a Powerslam out of nowhere for a near fall. Cody quickly locked in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring and punched his brother in the face while the hold was locked in.
Dustin was finally able to reach the ropes to break up the hold. Cody took off his belt but Hebner ripped it away. Dustin hit an Atomic Drop and then exposed Cody’s bare ass. Dustin whipped him with the belt and followed it up with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb for a two count.
The crowd got on their feet as the two wrestlers stumbled back up. Dustin perched Cody on the top rope and blasted him in the face. Dustin joined Cody on the top and planted him with a Superplex. Dustin followed it up with the Cross Rhodes for a two count. Cody hit Dustin with a low blow and then the Disaster Kick. Cody hit the Cross Rhodes but Dustin kicked out at two.
Dustin hit another Cross Rhodes but Cody once again kicked out at two. Cody and Dustin traded shots in the middle of the ring as blood continued to flow out of Dustin’s head. Cody finally prevailed and connected with the Cross Rhodes for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Cody grabbed a microphone and told Dustin that he doesn’t get to retire here. Cody asked Dustin to team up with him against the Young Bucks at Fight for Fallen and the two shared a hug in the ring to a great reaction from the crowd.
Dustin and Cody put on an excellent match tonight and the crowd was on the edge of their seat throughout. There was so much emotional already built into this match and the blood just added to it. This was the type of match that reminds you of why you are a wrestling fan. I was expecting a great match but this was simply phenomenal.
Jack Whitehall came down to the ring and said that Bret Hart was here to present the AEW Championship belt. Bret got a great reaction from the crowd and a “holy sh*t!” chant broke out.
Bret stated that he was grateful to be here tonight and thanked AEW for giving him a chance to present the title. Hard called Hangman Adam Page down to the ring for the presentation.
Hangman Adam Page limped his way down the ramp and to the ring. MJF interrupted and was greeted by chants of “a**hole!” by the crowd. MJF joked that a fan was coming into the ring to attack him and then cackled into the microphone.
MJF called Page a horse and claimed that a horse cannot be the face of the company. He claimed that he was better than Page and stated that he should relinquish his title shot. Jungle Boy, Jimmy Havoc then came down to the ramp as Page exited the ring. The three surrounded MJF and launched him into the crowd. Havoc and Jungle Boy chased MJF through the crowd as Hangman got back in the ring. Bret Hart then raised the title in the ring as the crowd cheered.
Pentagon and Matt Jackson started the match off with some trash talking. Pentagon went for the Penta Driver early but Matt was able to escape. Fenix and Nick then tagged in. Fenix sent them both of them out of the ring and then posed to a great reaction from the crowd.
The Las Vegas crowd then broke out in a “tag team wrestling!” chant as Fenix and Nick traded chops. Fenix connected with a Dropkick and then the Lucha Brothers followed it up with a double Superkick. Pentagon connected with a Slingblade and Fenix followed it up with a Splash for a near fall.
Young Bucks battled back and isolated Pentagon Jr. in the ring. Nick accidentally hit Matt with a Double Stomp off the top rope and Pentagon capitalized by sending Matt and Nick to the corner. Fenix tagged in and hit an absolutely absurd Hurricanrana. Pentagon tagged in and Matt hit him with a Stunner.
Fenix tagged in and booted Nick off the ring apron. Matt connected with three Northern Lights Suplexes in a row and locked in the Sharpshooter. Nick planted Fenix with a Facebuster and then Moonsaulted onto Pentagon outside the ring. The Young Bucks isolated Fenix in the ring and Nick connected with a beautiful 450 Splash for a near fall.
Young Bucks connected with a Powerbomb/Neckbreaker combination but somehow Fenix kicked out at two. A Superkick party broke out and everyone fell the canvas as the crowd gave a standing ovation. Pentagon and Fenix hit Matt and Nick with two ridiculous Sunset Flip Powerbombs but the Young Bucks stayed alive as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”.
Fenix leaped off Pentagon’s shoulders and hit a Splash onto the Young Bucks outside the ring. Back in the ring, Lucha Brothers hit the Penta Driver and a Senton off of the top rope for another near fall. Pentagon bashed away at Nick’s ribs but Matt connected with a Superkick.
Matt booted Fenix in the face and then perched him up on the top rope. Matt planted Fenix with an unreal Brainbuster on the turnbuckle and the crowd chanted holy “sh*t!”. Young Bucks hit Pentagon with Piledriver but somehow he kicked out. Pentagon snapped the arm of Matt and then slammed him to the mat for yet another near fall. Fenix tagged in and hit Matt with a couple of boots to his injured arm. The Young Bucks then planted Fenix with the Meltzer Driver for the pinfall victory.
AEW provided everyone with several examples of how great tag team wrestling can be tonight. Best Friends had a great match with Jack Evans and Angelico. Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki, and Emi Sakura battled Hikaru Shida, Riho Abe, and Ryo Mizunami in a great match. The show started off with SCU vs. Strong Hearts and that match was also very entertaining.
Young Bucks and Lucha Brothers put on a stellar match tonight. There was honestly too many holy sh*t moments to count. While WWE continues to put on the same stale tag matches every week, AEW has already burst onto the scene and presented something far superior to what WWE is offering in terms of tag team wrestling.
Jericho Earned A Title Shot, Jon Moxley Made His Debut
Chris Jericho squared off against Kenny Omega in the main event of Double or Nothing. The winner of the match will battle Hangman Adam Page at a later date to crowd the first AEW Champion. Jericho had an epic entrance that ran through all of his previous gimmicks before coming down to the ring to “Judas” from his band, Fozzy.
Jericho and Omega locked up to start things off. Jericho leveled Kenny with a shoulder tackle but Omega quickly battled back with some chops. The action spilled out of the ring and Jericho comically rang the bell to declare himself the victor. Omega slammed Jericho onto the timekeeper’s table and then hopped onto the barricade.
Jericho shoved Omega off the barricade and into the crowd. Back in the ring, Jericho took back in control and beat Omega down in the corner of the ring. Jericho then connected with a Clothesline for a near fall. Jericho gave the middle finger to the crowd as Jim Ross noted that Jericho is giving Omega time to regroup.
Omega connected with a Hurricanrana and then Clothesline Jericho out of the ring. Omega was busted open and bleeding from his nose as Jericho grabbed a table from under the ring. Omega flipped onto Jericho and both men crashed on the entrance ramp.
Back in the ring, Omega connected with a Bulldog for another near fall. Kenny perched Jericho up on the top rope and planted him with a Belly to Back Suplex. Jericho went for the Lionsault but Omega got his knees. Omega connected with the V-Trigger but Jericho responded with a release German Suplex. Jericho followed that up with two Lionsaults in a row for a near fall.
Jericho went for the Codebreaker but Omega blocked it and hit a knee to the face. Omega went for the Tiger Driver but Jericho countered into a Back Body Drop that sent Kenny flying through the table outside the ring. Omega got back up on the apron but Jericho leveled him with a Springboard Dropkick.
Omega climbed to the top rope and went for a Crossbody but Jericho countered into a Codebreaker for a two count. Omega responded with a snap Dragon Suplex but Jericho was still the first to his feet. Kenny hit another Dragon Suplex and then a Tiger Driver for a near fall.
Kenny went for the V-Trigger but Jericho countered into the Walls of Jericho in the middle of the ring. Omega broke free and sent Jericho to the mat with the V-Trigger. Jericho hit a DDT and then an Enziguri as the crowd chanted “Kenny!”. Omega lifted Jericho up on his shoulders and Chris once again countered into a DDT. Jericho followed that up with the Codebreaker and then the Judas Effect (back elbow) for the pinfall victory. Chris Jericho will battle Hangman Adam Page to crowd the first AEW Champion.
After the match, Jericho grabbed the microphone and scolded the crowd for booing him. Jericho called the crowd marks and boasted about this being his time now. He added that he is AEW and that this is not a company for the fans, it is a company for him. Jericho claimed he was the only reason AEW got a tv deal and is selling out shows. He demanded a “thank you” from Omega and the crowd.
Jon Moxley then came through the crowd and entered the ring as the crowd went insane. Moxley hit Dirty Deeds on Jericho and then did the same to the referee. Jon tried to do the same to Omega but Kenny tackled him out of the ring. The brawl spilled into the crowd as the crowd chanted “AEW!”.
Moxley and Omega then battled on the poker chips on the stage. Jon planted Kenny with a DDT as the crowd went insane. Moxley then lifted Omega onto his shoulders and sent him flying onto the ramp to close the show.
Jericho and Omega had a very good match, but Moxley showing up will be the thing that everyone is talking about. I have grown so sick of WWE, that a decent show from AEW tonight would have been enough for me. AEW knocked it out of the park tonight and it is impossible to not be excited as a wrestling fan. I’ve been waiting for a legitimate alternative to WWE for a long time and it looks like we finally have that.
Double or Nothing was not without its faults tonight. There were multiple spots that were missed because the camera wasn’t on the action. Super Smash Bros debuted in AEW tonight following the Best Friends match and attacked both teams. The crowd chanted “who are you?” during this and I was right there with them.
I’ve been covering WWE for years now and have been living in that bubble, so this fell flat to me because I honestly had no idea what was going on. However, these issues will be resolved once AEW goes live every week on TNT. Once this company can present storylines and build up characters on a weekly basis, they can absolutely be an alternative to WWE. I felt like I was watching a wrestling show for adults tonight, and cannot wait to see what the future holds for AEW.
Jon Moxley, formerly known as Dean Ambrose from his time in WWE, is now in AEW.
Chris Jericho beat Kenny Omega in the main event of AEW’s inaugural pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing, for the newly-launched promotion at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Following the main event, Jericho was cutting a promo in the ring when Moxley came through the crowd and attacked Jericho as well as the referee. Moxley and Omega started brawling. The show ended when Moxley sent Omega flying through the stage.
Jericho is slated to face Adam “Hangman” Page at a later date to crown the inaugural AEW World Champion. It appears that Moxley vs. Omega is the feud going forward.
Moxley has been speculated to sign with the promotion by fans to the point where many think that he could make an appearance at Double or Nothing, which turned out to be true.
Moxley departed from WWE at the end of April as he decided not to sign a new contract with the company. He finished up his contract with the company when he wrestled at The Shield: Final Chapter event that aired on the WWE Network from a live event at the Tax Slayer Center in Moline, Illinois.
Chris Jericho was victorious over Kenny Omega in a classic match.
These two top AEW (All Elite Wrestling) stars battled it out in the main event of the inaugural pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing, for the newly-launched promotion at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Jericho picked up the win.
Now, Jericho is slated to face Adam “Hangman” Page at a later date to crown the inaugural AEW World Champion. Page drew the Joker card in the Casino Battle Royale allowing him to enter at lucky number 21 where he would win the contest.
I did not expect that, Jericho did, in fact, hit his new finish to beat Kenny Omega in the main event. #AEWDONpic.twitter.com/GsQF9amxrm
This was a rematch between Jericho and Omega as their first contest took place at Wrestle Kingdom 12 in 2018 at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. In this contest, Omega, who is a former IWGP Heavyweight Champion, beat Jericho in a No DQ Match.
Earlier this month, AEW inked a partnership with WarnerMedia for multi-platform access for fans to watch AEW events, airing live weekly matches on TNT in prime time, as well as streaming them through WarnerMedia’s B/R Live and on pay-per-view. AEW’s television deal with TNT is expected to start later this year.
Earlier in the night, Adam “Hangman” Page drew the Joker card in the Casino Battle Royale allowing him to enter at lucky number 21 where he would win the contest. Now, he’ll face the winner of Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho at a later date to crown the inaugural champion.
Sonny Kiss, Brandon Cutler, Ace Romero, Glacier, Brian Pillman Jr, Sunny Daze, MJF, Joey Janela, Dustin Thomas, Billy Gunn, Jimmy Havoc, Michael Nakazawa, Jungle Boy, Isiah Kassidy, Marq Quen, Luchasaurus, Shawn Spears, Orange and Cassidy were among the names to compete in the Casino Battle Royale.
