Miro publicly gave some advice to wrestlers upset about the lack of television time they’ve been given in AEW.
The promotion has a large roster as AEW President Tony Khan has signed many talent to either per-appearance or full-time deals. He also has talent for the ROH brand that he will use on weekly TV, whether Dynamite or Rampage.
Some wrestlers will only work one match per month, while others will wrestle more often. There has been a lot of issues behind the scenes in AEW to the point that Khan had to hold a talent meeting last week.
Miro Shares His Advice
(Scott Lesh Photography)
Miro took to Twitter to share what he thinks wrestlers should do instead of being negative about it:
“Being upset about not being on the show is a good thing. Now use that feeling and get better. Keep training, believing, and don’t be complacent.”
After losing to Bryan Danielson in an AEW Title Eliminator tournament match at Full Gear in November, Miro was off AEW programming for several months and knows what these wrestlers are going through.
At first, Miro was sidelined with a hamstring injury but later medically cleared and just not used by Khan. Miro made his return to AEW television in June.
Darby Allin did not have an easy road to AEW. He’s been All Elite since the company’s inception in 2019, but first had to buy out his contract with another company.
Allin was DDP’s guest this week on the DDP Snake Pit podcast powered by Ad Free Shows. During their discussion, he spoke about the circumstances that led him to joining AEW.
In 2019, All Elite Wrestling executives were scouring the globe to sign talent for the upstart promotion. Former AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes attended a show for Northeast Wrestling, where Allin was wrestling Pentagon.
Allin tells DDP that prior to seeing him work against Pentagon, Cody thought he was just a ‘crash test dummy’ taking gnarly bumps. After watching him wrestle in person, Cody saw that Allin could actually work.
“At the time, I was signed with another little promotion. The moment I heard Cody was interested, long story short, I paid $12,000 to get out of my contract. I took a loan out and I remember I used to hit Cody up like every day, just blow his phone up, and he would never really answer.”
– Darby Allin on joining AEW
DDP stopped Darby Allin mid-story and told him Cody’s father, the late Dusty Rhodes, used to be ‘the worst’ about returning calls, and knows Cody is the same way. DDP joked, “Even his texting sucks!” He’s known Cody since he was 12 years old and loves him.
Choosing AEW over WWE/NXT
Allin said he didn’t care about blowing up Cody’s phone, he wanted to be part of AEW. He wasn’t going to take out that $12,000 loan without having Cody’s word that AEW was really interested in him.
AEW hadn’t even run its first show at this point and this was long before a TV deal was announced. However, there was one factor that really sold him that AEW was the right fit for him.
“All I heard, when they were promoting it, were the words ‘Creative Freedom.’ I was like, ‘That’s where I need to be.’”
– Darby Allin
Cody eventually invited him to his house and the rest, as they say, is history. DDP complimented Allin’s persistence. He sad, “What you have to be, is pleasantly persistent.”
At the time, Darby Allin was being groomed for NXT. He says he saw the writing on the wall there.
“This was back when 205 Live was a thing. I was like, hell f*cking no, I’m not going there to do that. I don’t want to be put in a box.”
– Darby Allin
Allin felt his money was wrestling ‘David vs. Goliath’ matches and he’d have a better chance to get over as himself with AEW.
Darby Allin signed with AEW in April 2019. His debut match took place at Fyter Fest just two months later. His first opponent was none other than Cody Rhodes, which says a lot about how much Cody believed in him. That match went to a time-limit draw. Allin tells DDP that before the match, Cody texted him, “20 minute broadway?” Allin had no idea what the phrase meant at the time.
Allin has gone on to become one of AEW’s most successful homegrown stars. He’s a former TNT Champion and is currently aligned with the icon, Sting.
WWE and All Elite Wrestling have been in a battle for years to establish which brand of pro wrestling is dominant.
While AEW would win the Wednesday Night Wars, resulting in NXT moving to Tuesdays, the two companies continue to compete for fans and that all-important 18-49 demographic.
Double-Feature
For wrestlers, competing on AEW or WWE programming can be a huge step in their careers, and now Katie Arquette has done both on the same night.
On this week’s Raw, Arquette, working under the name Katie Arks, teamed with Dani Mo and Kay Sparks, in a squash match loss to Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, Asuka, and Alexa Bliss.
The self-professed ‘Queen of the Silver Screen’ didn’t have much better luck on AEW programming, losing to Serena Deeb on Dark: Elevation.
Arquette is the second person to achieve this impressive feat, after Cameron Stewart competed on Raw and AEW Dark in September 2021.
On the new @WWE RAW: Katie Arquette @TheKtArquette became the 2nd wrestler to compete in both WWE (RAW) & AEW in the same night.
Despite her name, Katie is no relation to former WCW World Heavyweight Champion David Arquette, though the two have appeared in the ring together.
After training, Arquette made her professional wrestling debut at IWC Proving Ground 6 in February 2017, in a losing effort to future AEW star and then-IWC Women’s Champion Dr. Britt Baker.
A year later, Arquette would challenge Baker again for the title, this time getting the win, which she told Daily DDTwas “just incredible.”
Arquette would celebrate with David Arquette, who was also at the show, and would give her a fur coat which she still wears for matches to this day.
AEW has accumulated a huge fanbase since launching back in January 2019, which has in turn made the company a fortune in merchandise sales.
T-Shirts, hats, action figures and memorabilia are all available to buy from the company directly at ShopAEW.com, while shirts can be purchased from their global online shop.
AEW has a lot of merchandise available to fans, but some content is no longer available to buy. Admit discussions about AEW finding a streaming home with parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, it’s interesting to note that all AEW DVD’s have been pulled from the AEW Shop and Pro Wrestling Tees.
At this time, Ring of Honor Supercard of Honor XV, the first ROH after the company’s purchase by AEW President Tony Khan, remains available on Pro Wrestling Tees.
No explanation has been given as to why the AEW DVDs have been removed from both websites.
Streaming Deal Imminent?
AEW has given no reason publicly to pull their DVDs, though the act has fueled rumors of an AEW Network.
The idea of an AEW streaming service, akin to WWE’s award-winning Network, has been something fans have been wanting to see for a long time.
After purchasing Ring of Honor earlier this year, Khan gave an update on plans for a streaming service, saying he was working to make sure ROH’s large video library is available to fans.
So far, AEW has released two mobile games for fans to play, the Double or Nothing Casino game and AEW Elite GM.
Right now, AEW is working on its first console video game, AEW: Fight Forever, which is hotly anticipated by fans and gamers alike.
Fight Forever will be the first wrestling action game by the company, allowing fans to play as their favorite AEW stars
FTR Pulled
Fans will get to play as their favorite AEW talent, with Kenny Omega, Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson just some of the names confirmed, but they won’t be playing as FTR.
It was reported this week that FTR had been pulled from the game, but no explanation was given as to the reason.
On Twitter, Sports Gamers Online managing director Mike Straw addressed FTR’s removal, and said that a problem with move set captures and nominations was a factor in AEW’s decision.
Update re FTR/AEW Fight Forever: One reason I was told was that there were some issues with move set captures and animations. This has caused changes to game's launch roster which includes FTR.
It's not the whole answer, but a logical reason why.#AEWFightForever
— Mike Straw (Insider-Gaming.com) (@MikeStrawMedia) August 29, 2022
If so, it is possible that more AEW talent could be pulled from the game, as this isn’t just a problem exclusive to FTR.
Speaking about the game, Evil Uno and Colt Cabana said that Fight Forever will feature a “deep career mode” which will see players go “on the road” with AEW.
AEW: Fight Forever also picked up the Best Sports Game award at Gamescon.
Despite reports of a release this year, no date has been confirmed for when AEW: Fight Forever will hit shelves.
Wardlow had his biggest match to date this past May at the AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view event where he defeated MJF. This marked the last time that fans saw MJF wrestle before he did his infamous promo, where he begged Tony Khan to fire him on Dynamite days later.
The match was in jeopardy as MJF missed the Double or Nothing fan fest and booked a flight out of Las Vegas. This was a big night for Wardlow after the storyline had been building for two years.
“That should be considered one of the best nights of my life and it really wasn’t,” Wardlow said. “Everything that was going on with Max at the time and then in my life personally. Just nothing was going right and it’s kind of sad that everything built up to this big night and there was so much that ruined it.
All the crap with Max and everything he was pulling. I mean, I showed up that day not knowing if I was wrestling. There’s a lot more I could say about it but I don’t want to get angry but yeah, that should have been one of the best nights of my life and obviously the outcome was amazing but I really didn’t ever have the opportunity to enjoy it.
I feel like ever since that night things have kind of been just off and I feel like I’m still trying to get back on track ever since that night and we’ll get there. But it is what it is, in this in life and in this business, not everything goes perfectly.”
Wardlow has since won the AEW TNT Championship last month.
MJF has not been seen on AEW television since his promo on the Dynamite, but it’s been reported that he’s expected back soon.
Wardlow has named WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar is his dream opponent. He’d love to mix it up with the likes of Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley, but thinks Wardlow vs. Lesnar could be the biggest money match in the history of cable television.
AEW’s reigning TNT Champion appeared on The Zaslow Show to hype this weekend’s All Out pay-per-view from Chicago. During the appearance, the Cleveland native spoke about his road to the top, his plans to “flip the wrestling world upside down” and much more.
Here are some highlights of what Wardlow said about:
Wardlow’s Dream Opponent
As Wardlow’s star rises, fans will continue to think about ‘dream matches’ for him. He’s been in AEW for several years, but has yet to cross paths with the promotion’s top stars.
Wardlow named Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley as two men in AEW he’d like to work with. However, there’s another wrestler outside of AEW that he considers his true ‘dream’ opponent.
“Kenny Omega is very high on that list,” said Wardlow. “Jon Moxley is also at the top of that list. I would say within AEW, it is Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley – I want those two more than anybody. Outside of that, it is the dream match.”
“I always saw Wardlow vs. Lesnar to be the biggest money match in the history of national TV”
– Wardlow on his Dream Opponent
This is not the first time Wardlow has discussed wanting to work with Brock Lesnar. Earlier this year, during an appearance on the Battleground Podcast, Wardlow said, “I think if I ever found myself in the same ring as Brock Lesnar, that has money pouring out of the idea of it. I think him and I would just murder each other, I don’t know if there’s a ring that can hold the two of us.”
“I have been obsessed with professional wrestling ever since I could remember. There’s a video of me somewhere, before I could even talk, clanging and banging an old junkyard dog and action figure, using the kitchen table chair as my ring. I caught the bug young. My first memory is falling in love with Bret Hart — he’s the one that really started it for me. I just never looked back. I fell in love and it was game over.”
Wardlow joked that he’s really mad at Bret Hart, because he met him early in his wrestling career and was too nervous to ask for a picture with his hero.
Comparisons to Batista
Batista
Wardlow says he doesn’t mind people comparing him to Batista. He actually appreciates the comparison, because Batista is a legend who always carried himself well on television.
“I’ve gotten the Bautista comparisons, and there’s no greater compliment because I was a huge Bautista fan as I’m sure you could’ve guessed. Guys that influenced me in my life – Dave Bautista, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – guys when they came out on T.V. would dress nice, and that’s how I’ve always been. I’ve always dressed nice, taking care of myself, I enjoy looking good.”
Wardlow also spoke about recently wrestling in front of his hometown crowd when AEW Dynamite took place from Cleveland, Ohio. Wardlow says it was “an adrenaline rush like I’ve never experienced in my life” and wishes he could feel that way every single day.
Listen to Wardlow’s appearance on The Zaslow Show:
At Ring of Honor’s Supercard of Honor XV event this past April, Samoa Joe made his return to the promotion.
Joe had been released from WWE in January, as part of several cuts to the team running WWE NXT, all of which had either been signed by or worked closely with Triple H.
His January release marked his second time being cut by WWE, after being released in April 2021.
Where has he been?
In addition to his work in ROH, where he is the reigning World Television Champion, Joe also makes appearances for Tony Khan’s other promotion, AEW.
Over the past month, Joe has been away filming for the character of ‘Sweet Tooth,’ for the Peacock live-action adaptation of the popular video game Twisted Metal.
Fans may not be waiting much longer to see Samoa Joe back in the ring, as the show’s first series has wrapped shooting.
On Twitter, showrunner Michael Johnathan confirmed that the show has wrapped.
Joe is providing the physical performance for his character, while Will Arnett (The Lego Batman Movie, Arrested Development, Bojack Horseman) will be providing the voice.
His absence from programming has been explained as him recovering from an injury after being attacked by Jay Lethal, Satnam Singh and Sonjay Dutt.
Joe Outside of the Ring
The character of Sweet Tooth will be a huge role for Samoa Joe, but that’s not the only role for him.
Joe has also provided voice-over work for the character of King Shark, as part of the upcoming game ‘Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.’
The game, which will include fellow squad members Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and fan-favorite Harley Quinn, is scheduled for a 2023 release.
From the moment Jon Moxley joined AEW, his character has been vastly different to the man fans knew as Dean Ambrose in WWE.
Free from his former employer’s creative shackles, Moxley has been able to improvise more in addition to being more violent in the ring.
Moxley is not only the reigning AEW World Champion, having unified the Liminal and Interim World titles earlier this week, but is the only two-time AEW World Champion.
The Worst Guy
In addition to making his name in singles competition, Moxley is also part of the Blackpool Combat Club.
The group, named after William Regal’s hometown of Blackpool, England, consists of Regal, Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, and Ring of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli.
When discussing the group, Moxley also made reference to a recent dig by CM Punk, who called him the worst part of stables.
“CM Punk said ‘oh you’re the third best guy in your group. [referencing The Shield.] It’s actually an awesome situation to be the worst guy in your group because I get to learn from those guys… I want to be around people that are better than me. Iron sharpens iron, and I want to keep getting better… If you don’t get any better, you’re going to regress because the world is going to pass you by.”
Changing Opinions
AEW and Moxley have certainly proven to be popular with fans but they have also struggled to win over some people.
In the interview, the AEW World Champion said that early into the promotion’s tenure, they tried to book the Heritage Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, Moxley’s hometown.
He said that at the time the arena “did not want to do business” with AEW and made that clear.
Things have clearly changed, as the Heritage Bank Arena will play host to AEW this October.
“”Things have changed now and it’s a hot ticket and we are gonna be down there at the Heritage Bank Center this time.”
Jon Moxley.
Moxley explained that he’s especially looking forward to the Heritage Bank show, not just because it is in his hometown but also because he worked at the arena.
The show, set for October 18, will air on Tuesday night and go head-to-head with WWE NXT 2.0.
CM Punk
This week’s Dynamite saw Moxley dethrone CM Punk, becoming the AEW Undisputed World Champion.
In the interview, Moxley addressed his title reign, and couldn’t help but take a jab at Punk.
“Belts come and go, you know, I’m gonna lose this one at some point. Somebody will beat me, but then I’ll just get right back up on the horse and get another one. I’m not gonna go quit for 7 years, or feel sorry for myself, that’s just how these things go.”
Moxley’s line about quitting for seven years is of course in reference to Punk’s seven-year break from wrestling after walking out of WWE in 2014.
Before making it to AEW in 2019, Anthony Ogogo was an accomplished Boxer, having won Bronze at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.
Unfortunately, three years earlier, a fight with Craig Cunningham for the vacant WBC International Middleweight Title resulted in Ogogo suffering a fractured eye socket.
This injury resulted in Ogogo being registered as blind in one eye, and ultimately led to his retirement.
Watching the Dream
Before his retirement, Ogogo had remained hopeful that he would box again, but for the time being, had to watch others live his dream.
Speaking to the Metro UK newspaper, Ogogo explained how it felt seeing others going on to boxing success while he had to wait and hoped for recovery.
“It sounds horrible, but it was like watching another bloke have sex with your missus. Being handcuffed to your seat and not being able to do anything about it.”
Ogogo spent over £100,000 (over $117,000) on surgeries in the United States hoping to fix his eye.
After Retiring
In March 2019, nearly two-and-a-half years after his last fight, Ogogo confirmed that he had retired from boxing.
Even now, Ogogo struggles to enjoy boxing, and was in a very bad place at the time of his retirement.
“When I first retired, I was sick of the sight of boxing. Hearing the word boxing made my skin crawl, I got so angry, so bitter, so aggressive. I became a person I didn’t want to be.”
“Hearing the word boxing made my skin crawl.”
Anthony Ogogo
Moving On
Ogogo still struggles to think about boxing, but as he told the Metro UK, he is improving.
Realizing the bad head-space he was in, Ogogo worked on moving on from his former career.
“I started to realize it’s not just my dream, it’s their dream too. I had to let it go and walk away. Boxing made me feel sick to my stomach when I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. I’m not quite there yet and I’m not going to torture myself by going to fights. But I’m getting there.”
“I had to let it go and walk away.”
Ogogo on realizing that he had to let Boxing go.
AEW and Finding “Fun”
Nowadays, fans can find Ogogo in AEW, which he said has become a much better place for him.
Comparing Boxing and wresting as “chalk and cheese,” Ogogo said that unlike his previous career, working in AEW is fun.
“What I love about wrestling, it is fun… Professional boxing ain’t fun. It is great when you win but no boxer can honestly tell you it’s fun. I was never laughing at that 1000th sit up of the day.”
Ogogo’s most recent match saw him defeat Luke Kurtis on the August 21, 2022 tapings of AEW Dark.
Earlier this month, AEW stars Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo got married, in a ceremony attended by both AEW talent and WWE’s Nikki A.S.H.
The couple’s wedding came mere months after the duo got engaged in June, after a brief dating period.
It was last year that Guevara proposed to his then-girlfriend Pam Nizio prior to the August 18, episode of AEW Dynamite from Guevara’s hometown of Houston, Texas.
Firing Back
Guevara and Nizio confirmed their split in December 2021, and at the time both he and Tay Melo, then Tay Conti, received backlash from fans.
Some accused the wrestlers of seeing each other prior to the Guevara-Nizio engagement ending.
Speaking with Denise Salcedo this week, Melo was confident that she did nothing wrong, and reiterated that she and Guevara dated after he and Pam broke up (via Wrestling Inc.)
“I know who I am, and I know I did nothing wrong… People just talking s***.”
Tay Melo on her relationship with Sammy Guevara.
Positive Experiences
Melo and Guevara both received backlash for their relationship, but they did also receive a lot of support.
Speaking about Pam Nizio, Melo said that she and Guevara have maintained a healthy friendship and that she wanted to make sure they were both okay at the time.
“After the whole [social media] drama, she was the one that text us, to check on us.”
Tay Melo on Sammy Guevara’s ex-fiancee Pam Nizio.
Melo added that when Guevara speaks about Pam, he talks about her with “a lot of respect and love.”
AEW had been battling the injury bug pretty badly over the last few months. As soon as one star would come back, another would go down in its place. Most recently the promotion lost two of their top women’s division stars, as Kris Statlander tore her ACL and women’s champion Thunder announced that she was battling a severe back injury. In La Mera Mera’s absence an interim women’s champion will be crowned at ALL OUT.
One of the women competing for the interim championship will be Rosa’s ThunderStorm tag partner, Toni Storm. However, Storm may have just missed out on missing some action as she recent underwent dental surgery. She shared a photo on her Instagram Stories of her recovering at home, assuring fans that she will be back on AEW Dynamite this Wednesday.
In case you forgot…one of AEW’s biggest superstars is in fact, a dentist. Britt Baker saw Storm’s post and took the opportunity to weigh-in with her expertise.
Baker writes, “Toni should probably stay home and rest, but I know a great dentist if any post-op problems arise.”
At ALL OUT Storm will be competing against Jamie Hayter, Hikaru Shida, and Britt Baker, but ahead of that four-way she’ll team up with Shida to battle Hayter and Baker on this Wednesday’s go-home edition of Dynamite.
In 2019, All Elite Wrestling signed a deal with WarnerMedia for their content to be aired as part of TNT and later TBS.
Later that year, AEW would premiere their weekly flagship show Dynamite, while AEW Rampage would be added to the schedule last August.
The Relationship
Over three years into the relationship between AEW and what is now Warner Bros. Discovery, and things seem to be going well for both sides.
Sources within Warner Bros. Discovery told Fightful that AEW’s current programming had made “no negative waves,” and that the promotion had held up their end of the deal.
Warner Bros. Discovery is also said to be pleased about how well AEW has done with cross-promotion of other brands, including Shark Week and House of the Dragon.
Fightful noted that there is no tension between Tony Khan and Warner Bros. Discovery, something that Khan himself has claimed in the past.
Dispelling a recent rumor, sources for Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed there are no plans to cut AEW Dynamite to one hour.
Longtime professional wrestling commentator Jim Ross is worried about the number of titles in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) right now.
The WWE Hall Of Famer recently took to his podcast, “Grilling JR,” and voiced a bit of concern over the growing amount of championship belt that are being integrated into AEW at the moment. Ross fears this could lead to a bit of oversaturation down the line.
“We’re facing that right now in AEW with the Six-Man titles. I just believe that you have to be very careful on how many titles are represented on your television. You can get overexposed very easily.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to belittle anybody for their opportunities to earn a championship, earn more money, earn a bigger place on the roster and all those things. I don’t.
“I just think you have to be very careful in how many titles they have. I just think the more you have, the less most of them mean.”
Currently, there are eight official titles listed for AEW. The AEW World Championship, AEW All-Atlantic Championship, AEW TNT Championship, FTW Championship, AEW Tag Team Championships, the upcoming AEW Trios Titles, AEW Women’s World Championship, and the AEW TBS Championship.
The newest titles of the bunch being the All-Atlantic Title as well as the upcoming AEW Trios Titles. AEW is currently holding a tournament to crown the inaugural Trios Champions, which features some big names that are left in the brackets.
As for the current title holders around AEW, they’re undoubtedly around the waists of some of the promotion’s biggest stars; such as Jon Moxley, PAC, Wardlow, Thunder Rosa, and Jade Cargill.
While putting a title on a young star such as Wardlow or Cargill can certainly help their growth, the potential issue Jim Ross brings up is certainly a valid one.
It will be interesting to see if AEW continues to add more titles to the mix moving forward.
The AEW women’s champion recently revealed that she would not be able to compete at next weekend’s ALL OUT pay-per-view due to a back injury, and that an interim women’s champion would be crowned in her absence. Competing for the interim title will be Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter, and former champions Hikaru Shida and Britt Baker.
However, Rosa’s injury wasn’t the only news that surfaced this week. Multiple reports claimed that La Mera Mera had a ton of backstage heat due to working stiff in the ring. This apparently included some problems with Hayter, who had her nose broken by Rosa when they wrestled earlier this year. It also reported that Rosa was set to lose the title to Toni Storm at ALL OUT so that there would be a new face of the women’s division.
Rosa addressed the rumors of her backstage heat on today’s edition of Busted Open Radio.
Thunder Rosa says there’s been a lot of misinformation about her spread online. She faces her issues head on and anybody who has a problem with her should speak to her directly.
“Stop reading the dirt sheets, guys. Not everything that’s being said is true. Seriously, and that’s why I’m here to clear the air. If anyone has a problem with me, anyone, you can call Busted Open, you can call my number, tell me to my face. I don’t hide from my problems, I don’t run from my problems. You can talk to me, my door is open and that goes for anybody.”
“I have taken accountability for things that have happened, we have talked about it on Busted Open, we have talked about it with people and that’s the person I am. I’m straightforward and some people don’t like that. Some people are scared of that, but I’m not. I’m a trained fighter, I don’t run away from sh-t, so stop reading stupid shit online. That’s all I have to say about that.”
Her Back Injury Is Bad Enough She Can Barely Walk
The next subject the champ would address is her back injury. She clarifies that not only is her injury legitimate, but pretty severe.
“I’m not the best physically right now, I’m not going to lie. I was in a lot of pain yesterday and one of the reasons I called — thank you for having me — a lot has been happening the past couple weeks and unfortunately, I’m going to be out of commission. I don’t know for how long, [but] for a couple months, probably. I have a problem with my back. And Tommy can [attest to this], back problems are not easy. Some days it’s very good, some days they’re not. Yesterday was not a good day. It was not a good day and I was in a lot of pain.”
Unfortunately, Rosa also reveals that she’s had some trouble walking due to the back pain.
“That’s one of the reasons I’m taking time off. I want to clear the air — this is not fake, this is not a work. I am not comparing injuries to [others], but if I can f-cking walk, I can f-cking work, I’m sorry. My doctor, he didn’t clear me to wrestle. I’m not cleared to wrestle and it’s not that I don’t want to wrestle on Sunday, I can’t work.
It’s a shame about — and we were talking about this last week about how people just want the dirt — it’s a shame to put it out on social media because it discredits me as an athlete, but it also discredits me as a wrestler. I’m sorry guys, I want to walk when I’m 40. I have the right to say no, I can’t walk. I can’t do it. I’m in my rights, because I don’t want to have surgery. And if we keep going, and you know this Tommy, if we keep going through the pain, then I’m going to be out for longer and I don’t want to do this.”
Earlier this year, Will Ospreay made his AEW debut, alongside his fellow United Empire teammates Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis.
So far, Ospreay holds a 2-2 record in AEW, including a singles win over Dax Harwood at the Road Rager episode of Dynamite in June this year
Ospreay’s Accusation
Will Ospreay has been impressive in AEW so far, but his time in the company could have come much earlier.
Speaking to Wrestle Inn recently, Ospreay accused a certain top AEW star of preventing him to come to the company last year.
“The rumor was that I was meant to be in AEW a year ago, just doing Forbidden Door stuff and somebody is putting the block on it. It doesn’t take two and two to realize who it is. One person who has not been there for a while and all of a sudden, I’m welcome in with open arms.”
Ospreay’s comments are aimed at Kenny Omega, as the former AEW World Champion had been out of action for months following last November’s Full Gear Pay Per View.
It was during Omega’s absence from AEW that Ospreay made his debut for the company.
Ready to Embarrass
Despite the alleged best efforts of Kenny Omega, Ospreay is now working with AEW, and is ready to embarrass the roster.
Speaking to SEScoops correspondent Samira last October, Ospreay spoke about several AEW stars including Bryan Danielson, Kenny Omega and Sammy Guevara calling him out for a match.
“Guys like Bryan Danielson made a living being one of the best wrestlers in the world. But if I showed up, he would not last in the ring with me.”
Ospreay added that the AEW roster don’t want him to show up, because he will “embarrass” them in the ring.
Many fans have enjoyed AEW’s edgier content, comparing it to the WWE’s acclaimed Attitude Era.
Profanity
One way AEW has set itself apart from WWE is by the use of profanity that makes it on its programming.
AEW wrestlers have often used “sh*t” when cutting promos about their opponents, or in the case of Christian Cage earlier this year, when insulting the mother of Jungle Boy, saying that she “raised a piece of sh*t.”
In June, MJF laid into AEW and Tony Khan, branding the latter a “f**king mark.”
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter now reports that AEW is expected to tone down the use of profanity in programming, an order that has come from Warner Bros. Discovery.
It is unclear how AEW President will implement these changes and if certain words are outright banned if not limited.
Blood
AEW is expected to tone down the amount of cursing that makes it on their shows, but it appears blood is here to stay.
Blood has become a large part of AEW, as wrestlers are often bleeding both at Pay Per Views and on TV.
The red viscous liquid is obviously part of the Blood and Guts match, a name based on a dig by former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
The Observer reports that there is no word on Warner Bros. Discovery wanting to tone down blood on AEW programming.
The use of blood in AEW has set the promotion apart from WWE, which very rarely allows blood.
In WWE, Christian captured the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in 2011, after the title had been vacated following the retirement of Edge.
This was the highest peak of Christian’s WWE career, which also included reigns as ECW Champion, Intercontinental Champion, and several tag titles.
For many fans, Christian’s World Championship win was a long-time coming, as fans had followed his career since 1998 both in WWE and later in TNA Wrestling.
Parents Know Best
Cage’s two WWE World Heavyweight Championships were something fans (or rather ‘peeps’) were thrilled to see, but it could’ve happened much earlier.
In his new memoir, ‘There’s Just One Problem…: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE’ former WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz recalled writing for Saturday Night Live as The Rock’s writer, and dropped a bombshell on Cage.
“SNL doesn’t really like outsides, especially friends of the host coming in and attempting to write material. As someone who’s received countless pitches from friends agents and even wrestlers’ parents who feel their prodigy should be Champion *cough* Christian *cough* I completely got the mindset.”
Gewirtz didn’t specify which title Mr. and Mrs. Cage pitched for his son to win, though it’s believed to be a World title.
Christian Today
Last year, Cage made his in-ring return, nearly seven years after his last match, competing in the 2021 WWE Men’s Royal Rumble match.
Despite this, Cage would leave the promotion, and join AEW at their March 2021 Revolution Pay Per View.
At this year’s Road Rager edition of AEW Dynamite, Cage turned heel, attacking Jungle Boy after he and Luchasaurus lost the AEW World Tag Team Titles to the Young Bucks.
The cause of this shoot confrontation was a promo the former TNT champion cut during a Rampage taping on August 10. Sammy used some derogatory remarks in the promo that Kingston wasn’t aware of.
The company chose not to air the segment on TV after the altercation. A video of the unaired segment has now emerged, which you can check out below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zYSIwrxvMg
Sammy Guevara and Eddie Kingston React
Reports have since revealed that Eddie Kingston has already completed his suspension and he is expected back on AEW programming next week.
Both Kingston and Sammy Guevara have also released statements on the matter. The Mad King admitted that he was wrong for being unprofessional.
Guevara on the other hand, blamed Kingston for not communicating things properly. He claimed that the fellow AEW star needs to do some kind of anger management because this isn’t the first time he has gotten out of control.
Sammy was originally expected to lose the match against Eddie Kingston at All Out. The bout is still advertised on social media by the company but it hasn’t been made official on TV. There is no word on who might win if the match does take place.
AEW star Sammy Guevara has issued a statement in regard to a backstage incident with Eddie Kingston. The two were involved in a feud that was supposed to lead to a match at AEW All Out on September 4th.
At the taping for the Quake by the Lake edition of Rampage, Sammy had a promo in the ring following his match. The 29-year-old mocked Eddie’s physical appearance during the promo, leading to the backstage incident. It has also been reported that Sammy has heat with previous wrestlers he’s worked with in the promotion as well.
Eddie Kingston apologized in a comment to PW Insider earlier today: “You know the truth. I wouldn’t lie. I was wrong for being unprofessional. That is the blind fact. He did what he did and the public can judge that but I know for a fact I was wrong.”
— FightfulSelect.com! Exclusive Pro Wrestling News (@FightfulSelect) August 25, 2022
Sammy Guevara’s Statement
Sammy Guevara has provided the following statement of his own to Fightful Select on the matter and called Eddie’s actions unprofessional:
“As a professional you communicate things that you don’t want to be said (like other people I’ve been in programs with and have worked with Matt Hardy, Jericho and others) and I did communicate of what I didn’t want to be said in this angle and Eddie didn’t. But Eddie did not do the same and Eddie did not mention to me or the coaches or TK or anyone in AEW what he didn’t want said.
So after Tay’s and my match with Sky Blue and Dante I cut a promo on Eddie insulting Eddie and the fans as a heel. Which I know the thing everyone loves to do is hate Me & Tay so I’m the perfect person to play this ass hole character for Eddie to ultimately beat at All Out. I see what people say online about Eddie and his appearance. (Which anyone who legitimately shames Eddie for how he looks can go to hell, it’s the same people who shame me for being too small) so Sammy Guevara the character I could be the physical person playing that person that Eddie can shut up at All Out.
But Eddie did not do the professional thing and communicate to me, which if he did I never would have said it cause the last thing I want to do is hurt someone for real.
So after the promo I get to the back and Eddie is flipping out yelling “YOU CANT CALL ME FAT” over and over as I’m trying to walk down the stairs in gorilla making a big scene. People get in between us, Eddie try’s to pie face me and he more life touches my face it was weird. And everyone backs everyone up. It was unfortunate cause this promo was on a taped show and easily could have been edited (which they ended up doing anyways) i know this isn’t Eddie’s first time being aggressive and getting out of control backstage. I know he had to do some kind of anger management after this whole thing. This whole thing was very unnecessary but it Is what it is, Live & learn I guess, onto the next we go.”
This week’s AEW Dynamite saw the surprise announcement by Thunder Rosa that she is not medically cleared to compete. As a result, she will be unable to defend the AEW Women’s World Championship against Toni Storm at All Out on September 4th.
During her absence, an Interim Champion will be crowned. a fatal-four way matchup will occur between Toni Storm, Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Hikaru Shida, with the winner being crowned AEW interim women’s champion.
BREAKING NEWS: #AEW Women's World Champion Thunder Rosa announces that she is injured and cannot defend the championship.
Thunder Rosa vows to return with a chip on her shoulder and solidify her spot at the top of the card. She did not disclose the nature of her injury on Dynamite, but PWInsider reports that Rosa is dealing with a back injury. It’s something she has been working through for some time and there is no timetable for her return.
There was a rumor going around that Thunder Rosa has been suspended by AEW, but we can confirm this is not true.
Original Plans for the AEW Women’s title
According to the Wrestling Observer, Thunder Rosa was booked to lose the AEW Women’s World Championship to Toni Storm at All Out.
Say what you want about Rosa’s title reign, but AEW officials are well aware that interest in the women’s division has taken a considerable hit since Britt Baker dropped the title to Rosa earlier this year.
It will be interesting to see if Toni Storm still gets the Women’s title at All Out. Britt Baker is the most popular female performer on the roster and they might just put the gold back on her as a ‘reset.’
This isn’t the first time AEW has had to rely on an interim championship. CM Punk went down with an injury one week after winning the world title at Double Or Nothing, with Jon Moxley capturing the title at Forbidden Door. The Purveyor of Violence solidified his second championship reign when he squashed Punk on last night’s Dynamite.
This week, it was reported that Eddie Kingston has completed a suspension over comments made about Sammy Guevara.
Kingston’s suspension is said to have happened a few weeks ago, which explains the “Mad King’s” recent hiatus from television.
The Update
In the initial report about Kingston’s suspension, it was unclear what exactly had been said that forced AEW to take action.
In an update from PW Insider, it’s reported that Kingston took issue with a promo that was ultimately cut from AEW TV.
Kingston was mad because Sammy Guevara hadn’t spoken with him or cleared the content of the promo ahead of time.
The promo in question saw Guevara refer to Kingston as a “fat piece of sh*t.”
Kingston felt the line was wrong, especially as he was booked to win their match at AEW All Out 2022.
His reasoning is that Guevara’s line buried the match, especially as the “fat piece of sh*t” was going to won.
More than just words
While the initial report claimed that Kingston was suspended for what he said about Guevara, that isn’t the whole story.
It’s reported that when Kingston confronted Guevara, the latter simply smiled at Kingston, which did little to calm him down.
This led to Kingston ‘pie-facing’ Guevara, shoving the former TNT Champion in the face, that Sammy was furious about.
Kingston’s suspension lasted two weeks before it ended.
Silent Treatment
The report adds that before this incident, the pair had not spoken since Blood and Guts where Kingston threw Guevara off of the cage.
Kingston had asked to work with Sammy, which came as a shock to some, as Guevara had earned a reputation of being difficult to work with, following his program with Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page.
During last week’s AEW Dynamite, then-World Champion CM Punk declared that he would unify his title with Interim AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, in the main event of All Out 2022.
Instead, the two had their title unification match on this week’s Dynamite, which saw Moxley destroy Punk to be crowned the AEW Undisputed World Champion.
The Main Event
With AEW’s arguable biggest match ever taking place earlier this week, this has left All Out 2022 without a main event, or so it would seem.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer confirmed that despite the match announced for All Out happening on this week’s Dynamite, the plan has not changed.
“It is Punk and Moxley. I don’t know if they’re gonna add stips or whatever but that is the main event.”
Dave Meltzer
It is unclear how AEW will put Punk back in the title picture, especially with All Out just over one week away.
Punk-Moxley 2: Should it Happen?
With AEW All Out 2022 fast approaching, it makes sense that the promotion wants a main event that already has a story connected.
However, some fans have questioned whether Punk should receive a rematch so quickly after not just being beaten, but beaten decisively by Moxley.
While AEW’s story appears to be that Punk returned from his injury too soon, as seen by how little offense he got in during the title-unification match, it makes little sense that he would try again mere days after being defeated with ease.
Some have suggested that the loss on Dynamite was done to make Punk’s title win at All Out 2022 ‘bigger’ and kick off the title run that was supposed to start earlier this year prior to his injury.
In the latest AEW rankings, Hangman Page, Powerhouse Hobbs, Jay Lethal, Darby Allin, and Bryan Danielson are all in line for an AEW Undisputed World Champion opportunity.
In 1993, just four years into his wrestling career, Billy Gunn debuted for the World Wrestling Federation and became a staple of the company.
Gunn’s first stint with WWE lasted until 2004, and saw him become part of D-Generation X, an Intercontinental, Tag Team, and Hardcore Champion, as well as the 1999 King of the Ring.
His second run in the company from 2012 to 2015 saw Gunn have one final run as a Tag Team Champion.
The Wild West
Gunn spent years with WWE, but was hired by AEW in January 2019, initially as a coach.
In addition to coaching, Gunn has transitioned into being an on-screen performer, and has noticed the differences between his current and previous employer.
“I’m very used to that [the structure in WWE.] I’m a very structured person. Especially in the wrestling business, the more structured you are, the better things are… and I’m not saying it’s not good in AEW. I’m just saying it’s a little bit on the Wild West side. Which I guess if you’re used to that then it’s okay. I am not used to that.”
” It’s a little bit on the Wild West side.”
Billy Gunn describes AEW’s backstage structure compared to WWE.
Gunn added that “the hardest adjustment” for him has been moving from how WWE works behind the scenes to how AEW operates.
Speaking about his sons, Colten and Austin Gunn, the WWE Hall of Famer said he has to fight the urge to control what they do in accordance to his own ideas about structure.
Coaching in AEW vs. WWE
Come one come all, sit under the learning tree of @RealBillyGunn! We talk teaching moments with talent and the Gunn boys, DX, Chuck and Billy, his relationship with Chyna, and…Yellowstone! Give us a listen! pic.twitter.com/TKq2u0nHUY
Billy Gunn has served as a coach in both WWE and AEW. According to Gunn, WWE talent has been more willing to tap into the wisdom of legends behind the scenes.
“In WWE, I don’t want to say they listen more, because that’s not true, [coaches] are just taken a little more serious, I think. Everybody in WWE knows that’s what we are there for and you can come to us anytime you want and run an idea by. Not that they don’t want to, I don’t know what it is.”
“AEW, I’ll have a couple guys, Hobbs, Ricky Starks, a couple of guys that come to me daily. They don’t realize how good that makes us feel. Because I’m not [going to] ask you, if you don’t want my help, then I’m not going to force myself on you, because that’s just not how it works.”
– Billy Gunn
“I’m more than happy to help you if you come to me and say, ‘Hey, would you help me with this, or could you watch this and show me this.’ So, there’s a few people that take advantage of that, I just don’t know.. I’m trying to figure out what it is, it’s not a bad thing, and it’s not like they know everything, maybe it’s just me and my demeanor [laughs].”
Renee suggests, maybe talent in AEW just want to figure it out on their own, or if it’s the looser culture. Gunn speculated, maybe talent thinks that if they ask his advice and don’t do it, he’d be really mad, which is not the case.
