Darby Allin has regained the AEW TNT Championship, and the face-painted wrestler didn’t wait long before offering a title match to one of the company’s youngest prospects.
During this week’s Dynamite, Allin dethroned Samoa Joe to win the gold, ending the Samoan Submission Machine’s reign at 46 days.
The closing sequence saw Allin throw Joe into an exposed turnbuckle and hit a Code Red and multiple Coffin Drops to get the win.
This win marks Allin’s second AEW TNT title reign, as he held the title for 186 days (a record-long reign) after winning the gold at Full Gear 2020.
Allin’s Title Defense
AEW Dynamite went off the air with Allin celebrating his newly-won championship with Sting, who hoisted the young wrestler in the air to close out the show.
After Dynamite finished taping, Allin brought Nick Wayne into the ring and promised him a shot at the TNT Championship once he finishes high school.
After #AEWDynamite went off the air, Darby brought Nick Wayne in the ring and promised him a TNT Title match after he graduated High School. pic.twitter.com/zRtCT6mLHY
At 17-years-old, Wayne is the second-youngest name signed to an All Elite Wrestling contract, only being bested by ‘Negative One’ Brodie Lee Jr.
Wayne is yet to compete for AEW due to his age, but has big plans for his future in the ring.
Speaking to Andrew Thompson last April, Wayne said he’s ready to wrestle for AEW the moment he turns 18 and in some impressive foreshadowing, spoke about a match with Allin.
“I hope it happens one day. Me and Darby have so much backstory behind us. You know, I was there for Darby’s first day of training. Yeah, he was trained by my father. I saw him about 4-5 times a week training. We have a really big story together.”
Nick Wayne.
Outside of AEW, Wayne has competed for GCW, DEFY, and PROGRESS among other promotions.
The Young Bucks will seemingly be staying with All Elite Wrestling for quite some time as the duo is discussing new deals with the company.
Matt and Nick Jackson are founding members of AEW, having co-created the company in 2019 alongside the likes of Tony Khan, Kenny Omega, and Cody Rhodes.
In the ring, the Bucks are the first (and only) two-time AEW World Tag Team Champions, and hold the record for most days as champion (330 days.)
Contracts
The Young Bucks have been in discussions with All Elite Wrestling about new contracts for some time, Fightful Select has learned.
It is currently unclear how long these new deals will be for, or if they have already been signed.
The length of the Young Bucks’ current contracts with AEW is something of a mystery, with conflicting reports over their length.
Upon AEW’s launch in January 2019, the Wrestling Observer reported that the Bucks, Omega, and Rhodes had signed five-year deals which would expire in early 2024.
On the October 7, 2019, episode of Being the Elite, the contracts were described as “four-year deals,” meaning that they would expire at some point this year.
Several sources in AEW told Fightful that the Young Bucks have been discussing new contracts with the company that would keep them around “for quite some time.”
Frozen Contracts?
There is a possibility that Tony Khan froze the deals for the Young Bucks following the controversy stemming from All Out.
The now-infamous September 2022 Pay-Per-View is primarily remembered for CM Punk’s explosive comments after the event, and the backstage fight.
This fight resulted in all parties involved being suspended, which included the Bucks, who would miss two months of TV time before returning at AEW Full Gear.
AEW is making their debut in Seattle. Of course, MJF couldn’t wait for the opportunity to trash the city before Dynamite went on air.
The AEW World Champion told the crowd they “blew it” before a video played of the Seahawks losing the Super Bowl. MJF said it’s because they suck to which the crowd laughed.
In another tweet, a fan noted that MJF said Seattle is depressing, the SuperSonics left for Oklahoma, and that Kurt Cobain died by suicide.
MJF cuts a promo on Seattle, how it’s depressing here, how the SuperSonics left for OKLAHOMA, how Cobain killed himself, and then showed a clip of Seattle losing the Superbowl pic.twitter.com/RmV0J4QmAf
Last week, AEW tweeted a graphic stating that the champion was contractually obligated to be in Seattle. He quote tweeted it with “haven’t I suffered enough?”
Bryan Danielson has a match on Wednesday night against Tony Nese. Danielson and MJF have been feuding since the champ turned on Regal and attacked him. MJF has a penchant for sitting in suites to watch matches of his nemesis.
Fans of All Elite Wrestling have been given a glimpse of the show’s new introductory package, complete with a remixed theme song.
It has been reported that the new look has been in the works for some time ahead of tonight’s show.
In a tweet, the official AEW account shared the new intro which includes the likes of Chris Jericho, FTR, Orange Cassidy, Jon Moxley, Darby Allin, and MJF.
Tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite will take place at the Climate Arena, in Seattle, Washington, marking the debut for AEW in the city known for the likes of Bill Gates, Jimmy Hendrix, and Dr. Frasier Crane.
Here is an EXCLUSIVE look at the new #AEWDynamite intro!
This week’s AEW Dynamite will see AEW TNT Champion Samoa Joe defend against Darby Allin.
AEW World Champion MJF is “contractually obligated” to make an appearance, while AEW World Tag Champions The Acclaimed will defend against Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal.
Jon Moxley has also been announced to make an appearance.
New Era
After a difficult 2022, with injuries, suspensions, arrests and more, AEW is looking to turn over a new leaf in 2023.
Appearing on the Sports Guys Talk Wrestling podcast, AEW President Tony Khan addressed the new look for the show.
“It’s a sports-based presentation and that’s what we always go for. It’s a great pro wrestling show and we wanted to change the set to reflect a new era, and I think it’s going to be a great look. It’s a great set.”
Fans of the current AEW roster won’t have to worry too much about the fate of the in-ring action, which will remain unchanged according to Khan.
“It’s still going to be the same great wrestling with new matches and new stories and a lot to look forward to.”
Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood will defend the IWGP World Tag Team Championships at Wrestle Kingdom 17, but the trip to the show has been far from easy.
The AEW tag team will defend their titles later today against Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi.)
The IWGP World Tag Championships are the only titles that FTR currently holds, after losing the Ring of Honor World Tag Titles and AAA World Tag Team Titles in December of last year.
Travel Delay
Taking to Twitter, Wheeler explained that he had intended to make the trip to Tokyo on Monday morning, but he was not allowed to board his flight.
A flight to Atlanta that would have allowed Wheeler to fly to Japan was also delayed before later being canceled.
With no alternative, Wheeler had to drive to Atlanta to make his flight to Japan, and only recently arrived at his hotel in Tokyo.
Despite these setbacks, Wheeler remained positive about the match, saying it is “can’t miss.”
7am Monday: Issue with paperwork. Can’t board my flight to Japan. Bad.
7pm Monday: flight to ATL for new Tuesday morning flight delayed. Then cancelled.
10pm Monday: drive to ATL.
4:15am: Arrive at hotel.
WrestleKingdom day: land & go straight to the Dome.
Today’s title defense will make the third for Wheeler and Dax Harwood who captured the titles at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door in June of last year.
The AEW tag team’s first title defense was against Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis) at NJPW Royal Quest II in October 2022.
Their second defense saw Wheeler and Harwood retain against United Empire (Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan) at NJPW Battle Autumn in November, the same team FTR dethroned at Forbidden Door.
For months after the proverbial ‘Brawl Out’ situation between CM Punk and The Elite (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) CM Punk has pretty much remained radio silent on all of his social media platforms.
Recently, Dax Harwood spoke about Punk on the first episode of his podcast for Adfree Shows. Since then, Punk has come out of the woodwork on a couple of occasions.
As always, Punk has chosen to remain mysterious and evocative with his social media presence.
On December 28, a twitter user quote a comment that Dax made on his podcast, in which he pleaded that CM Punk and The Elite “find a way to make it work.” Punk responded to the tweet, simply saying ‘Duh.’
It gave a lot of people hope that maybe, possibly, there might be a way to turn ‘Brawl Out’ into an angle that would make everybody involved a lot of money.
(AEW)
CM Punk Toots His Own Horn
Now, Punk has made a couple more posts, touting his success in AEW in terms of merchandise and video views.
Punk noted that his action figure was the number-one seller for AEW action figures in 2022. His AEW debut action figure was also the number-six best seller. That action figure came complete with an ice cream bar and commemorative t-shirt.
Punk was also the subject of three of the top 10 viewed YouTube videos that were published in 2022.
Whether Punk is simply taking a victory lap, or trying to sell others on how big of a “draw” he was remains to be seen. But there can be no question, Punk was a big component of the success of AEW in 2022.
Hopefully he could be a part of their success in 2023 as well.
There has been speculation about Jeff Hardy’s future in AEW following his DUI arrest last year, and now his brother, Matt, has cast doubt on whether he will return to wrestling.
Matt also revealed that Hardys were set to become AEW Tag Team Champions if Jeff had not been suspended by AEW and entered rehab after his legal issues.
Jeff Gone for Good?
“It’s just very unfortunate, the things that happened with Jeff. Hopefully it’s something that he is going to make into a positive and he’s going to turn everything around in his life, and he can come back and be better. We’ll see, I don’t know, I don’t know.
Maybe he comes back, maybe he doesn’t, but we were scheduled to do all kinds of things during the summer and it really sent me down a big path of detour following that, but it is what it is. It’s pro wrestling where you have to adapt and change on the fly, and I’ve made the most of it and tried to do what I can.”
The former WWE Champion was arrested on June 13. Hardy has been charged with Driving While License Canceled/Suspended/Revoked, Violation of Restrictions Placed on Drivers License, and DUI Alcohol/Drugs Third Offense within 10 Years. Hardy has entered a “not guilty” plea to the charge.
Dax Harwood’s new FTR podcast has only had one episode so far, but the show is already garnering both a following and a backlash.
Harwood’s new show with co-host Matt Koon replaces William Regal’s Gentleman Villain podcast, which has ended due to Regal’s departure from AEW and iminent return to WWE.
The first episode of the FTR podcast featured an in-depth discussion of CM Punk, who is currently on an extended hiatus from All Elite Wrestling.
Among the many Punk-related topics discussed, Harwood pleaded with Punk and The Elite to sit down and make amends so they can all move forward and do business together.
On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that people in AEW were ‘not particularly happy’ with everything that was said.
“From what I heard from different people, not the people who you probably heard from, they were not particularly happy at all about this. All I heard the other day was how unhappy people were about that podcast.”
Dave Meltzer.
It has been speculated that Harwood’s pro-Punk stance has caused this backlash, given that many in AEW are against bringing back the former World Champion.
When Harwood’s comments were shared on Instagram, Punk commented “Duh.”
WWE Hall of Famer and AEW commentator Jim Ross has had it with talking about the infamous 1997 Montreal Screwjob.
That year’s Survivor Series saw Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart lose the WWF Championship to Shawn Michaels despite never tapping to the Sharpshooter, after Vince McMahon called for the bell.
The infamous moment is cited by many as the birth of the evil Mr. McMahon character, while Bret would debut for World Championship Wrestling not long after.
Never
As WWE’s chief play-by-play announcer at the time, Jim Ross had a ringside seat to seeing the Screwjob go down.
Since then, Ross like others involved has spoken about what went down and what followed, but JR is saying enough.
On his Grilling JR podcast, the Oklahoma native expressed is frustration about having to relive the Screwjob.
“If we never talk about that [Survivor Series] again ever in my life, I’ll be very content. Having to relive it again and again [is awful.]”
Jim Ross.
Hart would eventually return to WWE in January 2010 and has made appearances for the promotion ever since.
In an interview, Hart would say that Michaels’ WrestleMania 25 match with The Undertaker would play a role in his return, as he questioned how he could have so much hatred for Michaels, a man he also respected.
Punching the Boss
Hart has since made amends with Michaels and McMahon, but in the heat of the moment, the Hitman wasn’t in a forgiving mood.
After the match, Hart trashed the ringside area and backstage, punched McMahon in the face.
WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling are teaming up for Karl Anderson to compete at Wrestle Kingdom 17, but that’s not a problem for Tony Khan.
Anderson returned to WWE alongside Luke Gallows in October of last year, despite holding the NJPW Never Openweight Championship at the time.
After opting to compete at WWE Crown Jewel over NJPW Battle Autumn in November, the Machine Gun will wrestle this Wednesday at Wrestle Kingdom.
Cool
NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 will be a stacked show, with talent from New Japan, WWE, AEW, and STARDOM all competing.
Speaking to Fightful Select, New Japan’s Rocky Romero said he speaks with Khan quite frequently and was the one to tell Khan about WWE and NJPW working together.
Khan “understood why” the deal had been reached, and said he was “cool” about what was happening.
Anderson will defend the NJPW Never Openweight Championship against Tama Tonga this Wednesday.
Kenny Omega
AEW will have representation at Wrestle Kingdom 17, with Kenny Omega challenging for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Will Ospreay.
Romero told Fightful that Omega was forecasting his return to NJPW, teasing a match with Ospreay, before it was even a done deal.
Speaking about Omega’s suspension from AEW following the backstage fight at All Out, Romero said it “caused a pause” as nobody knew what was going to happen.
Romero said that NJPW worked with Barry Bloom on making this happen, and that Bloom was the one that made the Chris Jericho deal when he was in NJPW years ago.
Dax Harwood has been especially busy as of late, competing for ROH, AEW, and AAA, but the FTR member is working hurt.
Harwood and Cash Wheeler recently competed at AAA’s Noches de Campeones event, losing the AAA World Tag Team Titles to Dragon Lee and Dralistico.
Post-match, Dragon Lee announced that he has signed with WWE and the titles have since been vacated.
Working Hurt
This title loss comes mere weeks after FTR was dethroned as Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions, losing to The Briscoes at ROH Final Battle.
Harwood is still banged up from the Double Dog Collar match and is working through the pain, Fightful Select reports.
Harwood was reportedly injured after being suplexed by Jay Briscoe onto a pile of steel chairs.
What’s Next for FTR?
There’s no rest for Harwood though, as he and Wheeler will be defending the IWGP World Tag Team Championships next week at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.
FTR, who won the titles at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door in June of this year, will defend against Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi.)
In a previous report from Fightful, Harwood told the site that he believes his and Wheeler’s contracts with AEW expire in April of next year.
Harwood also suggested that the pair may take a year away from pro-wrestling, or possibly just work non-televised events.
Speaking on the final episode of the Gentleman Villain podcast this month, Harwood refuted claims that they complained backstage about their role in WWE, adding that they knew they’d stay “in the rut” if they remained with the promotion.
William Regal is officially no longer under contract with All Elite Wrestling. The former leader of the Blackpool Combat Club wants people to know he truly enjoyed his time there and any reports to the contrary are incorrect.
Regal announced on Twitter that his contract officially expired on Thursday, December 29, 2022.
“Yesterday was my last official day with AEW. I’d like to thank Tony Khan, Megha and all the hard working crew.
Contrary to people who’ve never spoken to me or have their information from people who don’t know me or are trying to make themselves noticed, I had a lovely time working there and had a great time. Lots of talented Wrestlers, and lovely people to work for.
To my fellow BCC members, it was a special, albeit brief few months but it cemented our already strong friendship. To everyone there, thank you for welcoming me. Best wishes.”
Regal will be returning to work for WWE in early 2023. He’s expected to resume working at the Performance Center and the company’s developmental brand, NXT.
Regal previously served as the General Manager authority figure in NXT, but he’ll remain behind the scenes for the foreseeable future. The terms of his AEW release require this to be a non-televised role.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Britt Baker, Saraya and Eddie Kingston were among a group of performers who were unable to attend the latest Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite.
After Dynamite went off the air, AEW taped matches for Friday’s Rampage. The show will feature Orange Cassidy defending the All Atlantic Championship against Trent Baretta, Swerve Strickland vs. Wheeler Yuta and Jade Cargill vs. Kiera Hogan. We’ll also hear from Jon Mocxley, AEW Women’s World Champion Jamie Hayter, Darby Allin and Sting.
Hall of Famer announcer Jim Ross will not be part of the broadcast, but it’s not due to any problems with his flights. AEW President Tony Khan gave JR the night off on Wednesday so he could attend the big Cheez-It Bowl game in Orlando, FL featuring Florida State vs. JR’s beloved Oklahoma Sooners.
The commentary team for Rampage will instead see Excalibur calling the action alongside Tony Schiavone and Paul Wight. JR will be back at the announcer’s desk next week for the first Rampage of 2023.
FTR are no longer the AAA World Tag Team Champions and their time with the promotion has come to an end.
At the recent AAA Noche de Campeones, the team’s 438-day reign ended at the hands of Dragon Lee and Dralistico.
After the match, Lee announced that he has signed with WWE and the titles have since been vacated.
Finished
FTR’s title loss marks the end of their 438-day reign as champions, and also marks the end of their AAA run, Fightful Select has learned.
It is reported that the tag team is “finished up” with AAA for the time being, and had informed the promotion that they wanted to lose the titles by the end of the year.
Fightful noted that FTR’s reign has been surprising, given that they are AEW talents who have been working with AAA and NJPW.
AAA and NJPW do not have a working relationship akin to New Japan’s agreement with AEW.
What’s next?
It has been a difficult month for FTR, who in addition to losing the AAA World Tag Titles, lost the ROH World Tag Team Championships to The Briscoes at Final Battle.
The pair’s next title defense will be at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, where they will put the IWGP World Tag Team Titles on the line against Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi
Speaking to Fightful recently, Dax Harwood said he believes their contracts with All Elite Wrestling are up in the Spring and have considered wrestling off of national television for a while.
All Elite Wrestling is kicking off the new era of AEW Dynamite in a big way. On Thursday, Tony Khan announced a championship main event for next week’s broadcast: Darby Allin will challenge Samoa Joe for the AEW TNT Championship.
Allin is the longest-reigning TNT Champion in history. He defeated Cody Rhodes to win the title (AEW Dynamite, 7/11/20). He was champion for 186 days and had eight successful defenses before dropping the title to Miro (AEW Dynamite, 12/5/21).
Joe has been TNT Champion since Full Gear, when he won a 3-way match that involved Powerhouse Hobbs and former champion, Wardlow.
Wardlow got his rematch against Joe this past week on Dynamite, but came up short. After the match, Joe was confronted by Allin, setting up next week’ clash.
Allin and Sting will address the upcoming match against Joe on Friday’s edition of Rampage.
AEW Dynamite Preview (January 4, 2023)
Here’s the updated card for next week’s AEW Dynamite from Seattle, WA:
Darby Allin challenges Samoa Joe for the TNT Championship
Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Starks
Bryan Danielson vs. Tony Nese
In addition to these matches, Dynamite will feature an all-new look, including a new set, graphics, music and lighting.
Sting has had another run in his legendary pro wrestling career in AEW by being paired with Darby Allin. This was after he wasn’t medically cleared to wrestle following a 2015 match in WWE with Seth Rollins due to him having spinal stenosis.
Allin and Sting most recently teamed together to score a win over Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett at AEW Full Gear. Now that he’s in his 60s, Sting does have an idea in mind for how he wants to end his wrestling career
He shared that information with The Ringer’s Cameron Hawkins and noted that Darby is going to be involved in that match whenever it comes.
The Vision
“I’ve plotted out my endgame. I know Darby’s going to be a part of it, for sure.”
– Sting
Sting has wrestled mostly tag matches throughout his AEW run. It doesn’t sound like that will be changing any time soon.
“I won’t have a singles match at this point,” said Sting. “Darby will be along with me and I’ll be along with him. But I have a few people [in mind] and I really don’t want to say now.”
Sting believes that if the former TNT Champion stays in the wrestling business with AEW, he’ll eventually land a role in creative control and/or leadership. They are heading to Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan to team with The Great Muta (Keiji Muto) in January.
Sting revealed earlier this month that he underwent surgery and had his knees cleaned out. It’s unclear when his next AEW match will take place.
Sting’s AEW run and the things he’s been able to do at this stage of his career are nothing short of incredible. He’s done it all in this business and is very lucky to write his final chapter on his terms – whatever he has planned.
Head over to The Ringer to read their full interview with Sting.
Is CM Punk open to returning to All Elite Wrestling given the right circumstances?
Duh!
Punk hasn’t been seen on AEW TV since All Out where he became a two-time World Champion, dethroning Jon Moxley.
The Chicago-Made wrestler’s incendiary comments on the post-show media scrum would lead to a fight backstage, resulting in Punk and others being suspended.
Duh
It is believed that Punk’s time with AEW is coming to an end, with reports that he is seeking a buyout from the promotion.
During this week’s FTR podcast, Dax Harwood spoke about his hope that Punk will be able to return and make amends with The Elite
“This is my plea to all four guys. Please find a way to make it work. If we can make it work, we can set up the future of professional wrestling for a long time.”
Dax Harwood.
Responding to a quote of Harwood’s comments, which added that Punk and the Elite should “just shake hands and say sorry” Punk responded with a simple “Duh.”
CM Punk has reportedly requested a buyout of his AEW deal, something that the company is in no hurry to grant him.
The belief is that AEW’s higher-ups fear Punk will join WWE soon, bringing a ton of attention to their competition.
It has been reported that some in WWE are against the idea of bringing Punk back, believing he will only bring trouble similar to what has been seen in AEW.
Actor, former WWE writer and wrestling podcaster Freddie Prinze Jr. discussed the hypothetical scenario of working for All Elite Wrestling on the latest episode of his Wrestling with Freddie podcast.
Prinze prefaced his thoughts by stating he doesn’t think Tony Khan is looking to hire any writers, he doesn’t think he’d have the time to commit to a full-time writing gig and he still plans on launching his own wrestling promotion. All that aside, he does have an idea of what an ideal gig working for AEW would look like.
Instead of spreading himself too thin and writing for the entire roster, Prinze says he’d prefer focusing on one or a select few performers. He envisions working with somebody the company doesn’t believe in, getting them over and rubbing it the company’s face. He cited Jeff Hardy as an example of someone he did this with during his stint as a WWE writer.
Prinze says the creative writing process is very different in WWE vs. AEW. In WWE, the writing process is more streamlined with an army of writers on staff and a lot of scripting. He recalls having to earn the respect of other writers in WWE and joked that he didn’t win everybody over by the time he left the company.
In AEW, the talent has more freedom and he’d need to respect that format. He sees working with talent to find some middle ground. Tony Khan is the booker, so he’d find out what match was planned for the next pay-per-view three months away, then get started on ‘how we get there.’ He’d then go to the talent, give them his ideas and still allow them the freedom to write their own promos and add their own flavor to his ideas.
It sounds like a structure that could yield positive results, but again, don’t get your hopes up on this happening. Prinze emphasized that he’s got a movie that begins filming early next year and is still very serious about starting his own wrestling federation.
You can listen to the latest episode of Wrestling with Freddie here:
Is FTR’s tenure as AAA World Tag Team Champions coming to an end? Those in the company sure think so.
The team of Dash Harwood and Cash Wheeler won the titles for the first time on the October 16, 2021, episode of AEW Dynamite, defeating the Lucha Bros.
For the match, FTR donned green outfits and masks and called themselves ‘Las Super Ranas’ which translates to ‘The Super Frogs.’
FTR’s 438-day reign (and counting) is the third-longest reign in the history of the AAA World Tag Team Championships.
The End is Near
FTR’s tenure as the best tag team in AAA has been impressive but it could all come crashing down soon.
AAA talent are of the opinion that the World Tag Team Titles are expected to change hands “sooner rather than later” according to Fightful Select.
The team’s last AAA title defense came on the April 6, 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite, where they retained against the Young Bucks.
Their last title defense on an AAA show was back in March at AAA Gira Aniversario XXX, where they retained against Dragon Lee and Dralistico.
Other Titles
FTR has proven to be a dominant duo as the AAA World Tag Team Championships, but that’s not the only gold they have.
Harwood and Wheeler are also the reigning IWGP World Tag Team Champions, having won the titles from United Empire at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door.
The Top Guys will defend these titles against Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) at next week’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on January 4.
FTR recently held the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championships which they lost to The Briscoes at Final Battle earlier this month.
As good of friends as they’ve become, they didn’t actually meet until Punk came to work for AEW. Harwood had a preconceived notion of his new co-worker and thought Punk would say something about his clothes. Punk didn’t and Harwood realized he was wrong about him.
Dax Harwood on WWE and AEW locker rooms
When asked if there’s less communication because AEW flies its talent in weekly versus traveling together for days at a time, Harwood says no. “I don’t think there’s less communication in comparison to WWE. I think there had been times where wrestlers have leaked that to the dirt sheets for whatever reason, but they’ve never experienced wrestling outside of independents; I have. In WWE, at the time that I was there — it could’ve changed now — there was no communication at all. Even up til the start time of the show, communication was very hit or miss.”
“So, I don’t think there’s a lack of communication there. As far as politics go, the political game in WWE was not bad at all. The boys got along great. I think the girls got along great as well. There was no real political maneuvering there in WWE. I think the problems were between the office and the boys. That’s where the problems were.”
“In AEW, I don’t think there’s a lot of politics there either, to be honest. The boys have a male locker room and the people who share that locker room, share a bond and share a kinship and every single day — and I think you could ask anybody — every single day, myself or myself and Cash bring a bottle of tequila and we have drinks with the guys, just to make that camaraderie even stronger. To make the kinship even stronger. So, I don’t think there’s any political games as far as that goes.”
Competition with the Young Bucks
“I think that when you’re in a position of power, obviously — even when you’re not in a position of power — you’re going to look out for your best interests because no one else is going to look out for your interests the way you are. But, when you’re in a position of power, you’re allowed to look out for your best interest and more often than not you’re allowed to get it. But again, playing politics; I don’t know if that’s what you call it.”
“(…) I feel like there’s that competition between us and the Young Bucks. I think it’s a healthy thing because that’s why our 2022 was so great because we didn’t know what we were going to get. We didn’t know what opportunities were going to come our way. We knew and had made a promise at the end of 2021, that whatever we got, we were going to kill it and we were going to have fun doing it. And so whenever you have competition, some things could be misconstrued as political agendas, but more often than not, you’re just trying to compete and be better than everyone else.”
FTR will be facing Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI) for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles on January 4, 2023 at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
Don’t expect to see Shawn Spears back in All Elite Wrestling any time soon.
The former Pinnacle member has only competed for AEW eight times this year. His record stands at 5-3. Spears made a surprise return back in October, when Dynamite and Rampage took place from his hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He and FTR picked up a victory in a six-man tag match against The Embassy’s Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage & Toa Liona.
A fan on Twitter asked Spears when he’ll be returning to AEW television. He replied:
“Don’t hold your breath… Not going there anytime soon.”
– Shawn Spears
Spears is married to former WWE Superstar Cassie Lee (Peyton Royce). The couple are expecting their first child together.
Dax Harwood of FTR is starting a new podcast with co-host Matt Koon for Ad-Free Shows. And while many in AEW remain tight-lipped about the ‘CM Punk Situation’ in AEW, Harwood is dedicating an entire podcast episode to it!
For those unaware, CM Punk has been MIA since his world title win against Jon Moxley at AEW All Out, in September of 2022. This is due to comments he made at the post-show media scrum, in which he called members of The Elite ‘Children’ who ‘couldn’t manage a Target.’ Punk also called ‘Hangman’ Adam Page ‘an empty-headed f*cking dumb f*ck.’
Punk also had words for Colt Cabana and others. The situation was a bleak one, made even worse by an alleged ‘backstage melee’ that occurred between Punk, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Ace Steele, Ace Steele’s wife, and Larry the Dog. It’s alleged that punches were thrown, chairs were also, um, thrown, and arms were bitten. It was a very volatile situation that resulted in the suspension of The Elite and the banishing of Punk.
There are still so many questions that have yet to be answered regarding that night in Chicago. It looks like it may still be sometime before fans get answers, but Harwood is certainly open to giving his own opinion about the situation.
Punk’s Love for AEW
Harwood spoke in-depth about how much Punk loved being in AEW.
“Punk was still so joyous and happy to be in the wrestling business,” Harwood stated. “To be honest, he told me, when they were going to put the belt on him, that he didn’t want the belt. He said, ‘I just want to have fun,’ but he understood that Tony putting the belt on him would put AEW in a better light. He took it, begrudgingly a little bit, but he took the belt.
At the time, he was taking me, Cash, Max [MJF], Wardlow, Hobbs, I’m missing so many guys, he was taking us out to eat, always paying for it. He bought all the girls in the locker room Starbucks gift cards and had one of the girls hand them out, anonymously, and didn’t say who they were from, but it was from him, just because he loved the atmosphere and loved being there. He also loved the work the girls were putting in. He thought they were busting their ass to try and get the attention that WWE’s women’s division was getting.”
CM Punk vs ‘Hangman’ Adam Page
(via AEW)
That love for wrestling was obvious in many of the interviews and promo segments that Punk offered, but it seemed as though things took a turn during Punk’s program with Hangman Adam Page. Punk alleges that Hangman went “off script” during a promo segment between the two, and that’s when things began going downhill.
“After the promo segment, I went to Punk and I said, ‘that was really good, that was a great segment,” Harwood shared. “They got the fans to react. It’s hard sometimes to get the fans to react to a babyface-babyface match. I thought it was a great segment. He was like, ‘Ahhh, I’m kind of feeling a certain way about it.’ I had no inkling that anything went wrong or went sideways or anything like that.”
But sideways it did go; the result of which being Punk no longer in AEW for the time being. Harwood said that he had no idea about the fight that happened backstage until Punk actually called him to explain the situation.
“All the boys in the locker room were drinking and having a good time, and we were hugging, I have picture of me and Jay Lethal on the ground together just laughing our ass off,” Harwood remembered. “I had my wife and daughter there, Cash had his girlfriend. It was such a great time. After our match was over, I shower up, we had a couple of drinks with the guys real quick, grab my girls, and head back to the hotel. I was laying in bed and I got a text from one of the wrestlers that said, ‘is this shit true?’ I had no idea what he was talking about.
Right after that, I got a call from my buddy CM Punk and he told me what happened. I said, ‘You’re lying to me dude. There is no way that happened.’ He was covered in blood from the match. He Face-Timed me, it was that night. He said, ‘I want to let you know, you’re going to hear some things. I want you to hear it from me. This is what happened.’ I said, ‘Dude, are you okay? Do you need anything? I’ll come right now to help you out, get you cleaned.’ ‘No, no, everything is fine, it’s died down, we’re good.’ That’s when I first heard about it.”
“Nobody Knows the Full Story”
Harwood referenced the fact that all sorts of wrestling news sites picked up the story; it was one of the biggest from 2022. But, he said, nobody has the full story. Nobody even knows the full story.
“Obviously, I wasn’t there,” he admitted. “Who I perceive to be God is the only person who really knows the truth. Everyone is going to have their own version in their head. We’ve all done it before, we’ve made what we perceive to be the truth. What I’ve heard that is reported, there are elements of truth in it, but then there are also some things that raise a red flag to me. It seems like we’re only getting a portion of the story or what this journalist wants to put out, whether he has a bias or grudge against one of the parties, that’s just how I felt. I also knew that I didn’t know the whole story.
I also felt that the stories that I heard from a few people, I don’t feel like they would blatantly lie to me. I do think there are bits of truth, but I also believe that some fans have read too much into it and I think they should let what happened, happen, and it die down. When it’s all said and done, I can’t tell you that I know 100% of the truth and I can’t tell you that the journalist reporting is 100% of the truth. I know what I perceive to be the truth and from the things I’ve read and heard, there is partial truth and partial things that are a bit exaggerated.”
Dax Wants Punk Back in AEW
People may never know the full story of what happened that night in Chicago. But, Harwood is of the belief that there are still bridges to be mended, and money to be made. He wants to see CM Punk back in AEW.
“I can tell you what I hope, because I don’t know,” he said. “Everyone knows about the legalities of the situation and no one is really expressing what is going to happen, what has happened, and what won’t happen. I can tell you, all I can be truthful about, I can only tell you what I know and what I perceive to know, I hope that he comes back. I feel that AEW should have the Young Bucks in their locker room. AEW should have Kenny Omega in the locker room. I know that I feel AEW should have CM Punk in the locker room. With those four entities, it makes our talent roster so much deeper and better. It’s four guys who want to be the best. Regardless of what any of us think personally, I know that we all want to be the best and I know we all want the best for professional wrestling. It’s given us a life that we could never have otherwise.”
The stories that could be told if Punk were to return to AEW could light the business on fire, once again. They could blur the lines between reality and fiction. They could fill those elements of AEW that some people feel the company is missing. It would be a story worth telling. It would be the biggest story of 2023 (probably). It would be a happy ending to this otherwise sad, weird story. That’s what Harwood wants. And it’s what many AEW fans want as well.
This is my plea to all four guys. Please find a way to make it work. If we can make it work, we can set up the future of professional wrestling for a long time and we can change the course of professional wrestling for a very long time. When you think about it, unselfishly, we’re doing this for 20-30 years down the road so guys and girls can make a living.
– Dax Harwood
You can check out Harwood’s new podcast, ‘FTR with Dax‘ when it premieres on Thursday, December 29.
AEW’s next Battle of the Belts is reportedly a matter of days away according to a recent TV listing.
As the name suggests, Battle of the Belts sees AEW’s various titles defended, which can include championships from Ring of Honor.
The most recent Battle of the Belts event took place inside Washington D.C.’s Entertainment and Sports Arena in October and featured three title matches (though no titles changed hands.)
Battle of the Belts V
In a recent schedule for TNT programming, it is noted that Battle of the Belts V will air on Friday, January 6, 2023.
The show will air immediately after AEW Rampage, which will be in its regular 10 PM to 11 PM Eastern timeslot, with Battle of the Belts going from 11 PM to midnight.
Both shows are set to air live, though no matches have been confirmed for either event.
This is the same format that was used for Battle of the Belts IV in October.
Battle of the Belts
Battle of the Belts is a quarterly special that made its debut in January of this year, and takes place every January, April, August, and October.
The show may tease title changes, but so far, only Sammy Guevara has walked away from the shows with some new championship gold.
At the first Battle of the Belts in January of this year, Guevara defeated Dustin Rhodes to win the Interim AEW TNT Championship, as reigning champ Cody Rhodes was out with Covid-19.
At Battle of the Belts two in April, Guevara once again became TNT Champion, dethroning Scorpio Sky in the show’s opener.
All Elite Wrestling has some of the most passionate wrestling fans in the world, but they may be a bit too devoted for Booker T’s liking.
AEW was founded in 2019 to serve as an alternative to WWE, though the promotion is home to several former WWE Superstars.
Given the promotion’s role as an alternative to WWE, the company has developed a large fanbase from an audience tired of what they’ve seen from the Stamford-based promotion.
Cult
AEW fans are extremely loyal to the promotion, but Booker T believes some go too far.
Speaking on the latest Hall of Fame podcast, Booker addressed tribalism in wrestling when one listener referred to AEW fans as like a ‘cult.’
“You know, I agree 100 percent. I wouldn’t say all of them, I’m not going to say all of them, but a lot of them. Sometimes they’re just looking for it. It’s like being in a relationship, you know where you got one of those girlfriends that’s just looking through your phone all the time, just looking for something … making up excuses to have a fight, stuff like that, that’s the way AEW fans are.”
“Making up excuses to have a fight, stuff like that, that’s the way AEW fans are.”
Booker T.
“You could be talking about something totally irrelevant to AEW and they’re like, ‘Wait a minute, he’s talking about AEW, did he say Kenny Omega?’ It’s that kind of stuff, it’s like they’re paranoid. Relax, no one’s thinking about AEW that much enough to where we’re going to try to talk in code about it.”
AEW recently held its Winter is Coming event, and next week’s Dynamite will see the launch of a new production design for Tony Khan’s first wrestling company.
All Elite Wrestling is set for a major change next year, with a new look coming to Television very soon.
Last week, it was reported that AEW TV will have a new look, starting with their January 4, episode of Dynamite.
During last week’s AEW Rampage, fans got their first glimpse of the new production for the show.
Tony Khan Comments
Speaking to Grapsody (and reported by Fightful Select) Tony Khan confirmed that the changes to AEW Dynamite won’t just be from a production standpoint.
Khan added that changes to the set are coming, and visual and production changes that will be made and will stick around
Addressing the changes, the AEW President assured fans that they’ll still get their fix of regular AEW action no matter what.
“The wrestling is going to be the same great wrestlers and the same great fans, but it’s in a new city, Seattle, and the look, the changes to the set, and the presentation are going to be changes that we’re going to keep. I’m really looking forward to the new look for the show.
“I’m really looking forward to the new look for the show.”
Tony Khan.
“I find, in wrestling, when you overpromise, you can disappoint people. It’s a set and a presentation. At the end of the day, the most important thing is what the fans bring, what the wrestlers and the staff of AEW and the crew bring every week, but the look of the show is important too and it’s going to look really cool.”
It has been announced that Ricky Starks will face Chris Jericho on the January 4, Dynamite.
