Don’t expect this particular AEW star to join the Blackpool Combat Club until the stars perfectly align.
AEW certainly isn’t short on factions. The company has the likes of House of Black, Death Triangle, the Jericho Appreciation Society, The Elite, and of course Blackpool Combat Club.
Some fans have been calling for Lee Moriarty to join Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, and William Regal in the BCC.
For Moriarty, he’s in no rush.
Lee Moriarity Explains Not Focusing on Joining BCC
(via AEW)
The Blackpool Combat Club is a red hot group in AEW. Since joining the stable, Wheeler Yuta has seen his stock increase drastically.
Many feel such a move could do the same for Lee Moriarty. MuscleMan Malcolm asked Lee about the possibility of joining BCC and his answer may surprise you.
“The way I look at the AEW groups is, I’m going to do what’s best for my career. I understand everybody wants me to join the Blackpool Combat Club ever since Danielson said my name, and I get that my style of wrestling would fit well with them. But I like the idea of growing by fighting them.
“You can’t get better if you are only teaming with these people, you can only get to a certain place if you’re not fighting the best, in my opinion, there’s only so far we can go.“
Lee Moriarty on not joining BCC at the moment
“[Wheeler] Yuta is a great example. He fought those guys repeatedly. He fought Jon Moxley 3 times, I think, before joining the group, and you saw how he progressed before getting there. I’ve only had the chance to step into the ring with Danielson twice. Moxley, once. Yuta, once in AEW. There’s a lot more room for me to grow before joining them — but that’s not my priority. My priority is getting better on my own.”
Moriarty recently fell short in his bid for the ROH World Championship. He was defeated by current titleholder Jonathan Gresham on a Fyter Fest edition of AEW Rampage.
Adam Cole feels confident that he will be returning to the ring soon.
The Owen Hart Memorial tournament winner and leader of the Undisputed Elite was interviewed by the Wrestling Buddies podcast, where he discussed the injury he sustained at last month’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view during the IWGP world heavyweight title matchup, a bout won by Jay White, who pinned Cole once he realized he was hurt.
Cole has been absent from AEW programming ever since, but he hopes it is not for too much longer. During the interview he recalls barely getting injured in his 14-year career, adding that taking this much time away is eating at him.
“I’m doing okay. I’m definitely on the path, on the track to recover for sure. I have a great team around me that is helping and just making sure that I’m taken care of to the best of my ability. AEW has been fantastic as far as making sure that I’m getting the right care that I deserve and I feel like a progress and I move forward every single week for sure, because I had been — I was pretty banged up.”
“So again, for 14 years, being in the pro wrestling industry, I think the most time I had ever had off, ever, as far as traveling, being on the road was one month. I’ve been going, going, going non-stop so, eventually our bodies kind of catch up to us and I had a couple of things that were kind of lingering for me and then with what happened at Forbidden Door but… so I feel good. I’m very confident I’ll be back in the ring soon, I’m excited to be back. I miss it so much already. But yeah, I’m feeling good, I’m feeling good.”
Cole would then talk about the moment he got hurt at Forbidden Door, calling it a very scary moment.
“Injuries like that can be a little bit scary, I think not just for me but kind of for everybody. But like I said, fortunately — the most important thing in a situation like that is having a good team of people who know what they’re doing and are concerned about your well-being being around you and that was definitely the case for me so, yeah, I’m getting the proper care that I need and I’ll be good to go in no time. It was definitely scary for me too.”
The former NXT champion may be out of action in AEW, but fans can catch him on his CHUGS Twitch channel.
Ahead of this weekend’s ROH Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) spoke with WebIsJericho to hype up their highly-anticipated rematch with the Briscoes for the ROH tag team titles.
The two teams went to war at Supercard of Honor back in April, a matchup that was called one of the very best of the year and saw the Top Guys dethrone Dem Boys to become the promotion’s newest champs.
During the interview Dax Harwood reveals that he actually went into the critically-acclaimed bout with a torn labrum, an injury that happened from taking a suplex to the floor. Harwood doesn’t specify exactly when he got hurt, but details how much pain he is still in because of the tear.
“I got that [a torn labrum] right before the match with The Briscoes. I took a suplex on the floor, and it’s still very uncomfortable just to sit down. To walk or to run it doesn’t bother me, but to sit down, it just kills me. Every match you have, I don’t care how old you are or how young you are, every match is gonna take a toll on your body.”
Harwood would then give a quick rant about how hard the industry can be on a wrestler’s body, and why fans should be aware how much it actually hurts them.
“I gotta go home to my daughter, and that one tackle, that one bump hurt so bad that I can’t play with her.’ So why are we telling these fans this doesn’t hurt? ‘Watch. The ring is springy, it’s like a trampoline.’ It’s the complete opposite. Everything hurts.”
FTR currently hold the AAA, ROH, and the IWGP tag team titles, the latter of which was won at last month’s Forbidden Door pay-per-view from the United Center in Chicago.
AEW could be getting even more good news soon as two popular stars seem to be on the verge of returning.
Kenny Omega has been out of action since Nov. 2021. Following his AEW World Title loss to Hangman Page at Full Gear, Kenny was shelved to heal from injuries that had been lingering for quite some time.
Bryan Danielson hasn’t been performing since the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double or Nothing back in May. It’s been reported that he suffered a concussion and while he feels fine, Tony Khan isn’t taking any chances.
Meltzer also noted that this is probably the target return date for Bryan Danielson as well. Danielson missed his scheduled Forbidden Door match with NJPW technical master Zack Sabre Jr.
Danielson also missed the Blood & Guts match.
In addition, All Out could also mark the return of AEW World Champion CM Punk. The question remains, can his foot heal in time for the event, which will take place in his home city of Chicago.
AEW has been hit hard with injuries but the tide seems to be turning. During the July 20 episode of Dynamite, Jungle Boy made his return. He had been dealing with an injury following a ladder match at Road Rager.
Two weeks ago, Wardlow captured the AEW TNT Championship, winning the title from Scorpio Sky in dominant fashion.
The title win marks Wardlow’s first championship since joining AEW, and “Mr. Mayhem” retained against Orange Cassidy on last week’s Fyter Fest: Night One edition of AEW Dynamite.
Road Dogg’s Comments
Wardlow may have won over a lot of people with his work in AEW, but WWE Hall of Famer ‘Road Dogg’ Jesse James isn’t impressed.
“I wasn’t a fan. It took him 18 minutes. First, they give him the jabroni title. It doesn’t mean nothing when he was a guy that seemed like he was The guy, and maybe he is in the future. I just don’t think you needed to give him that other than the best title and then it took him 18 minutes to beat the jokey guy.”
“They give him the jabroni title. It doesn’t mean nothing.”
Road Dogg Jesse James on Wardlow winning the AEW TNT Championship.
Future Plans for Wardlow
Wardlow has had just one title defense so far, but he plans on having many more very soon.
Wardlow has said that he does not plan on changing the design for the TNT Championship, unlike previous holders of the title including Scorpio Sky and Sammy Guevara.
The special Fyter Fest night three edition of AEW Dynamite is over with and something went down with Chris Jericho after the show.
This week’s episode of Dynamite ended with a Barbed Wire Everywhere match between Jericho and Eddie Kingston. While Jericho won the match, Kingston got the last laugh on this night (July 20).
Jericho got some assistance from his fellow JAS members after they were let out of the shark cage thanks to Anna Jay turning heel. Anna attacked Ruby Soho and took control of the cage to let the JAS members out.
Eventually, Jericho scored the win over Kingston but he paid the price for it afterward.
Chris Jericho Helped to The Back After Fyter Fest
After the match, Kingston got a hold of Jericho and threw him onto a board covered in barbed wire. Jericho was trapped in the barbed wire as Dynamite ended.
Once Fyter Fest went off the air, Dr. Sampson went to check on Jericho. AEW staff then cut the wire to free Jericho. He was then stretchered out of the building.
The shark cage was then raised as the AEW production team prepared for the July 22 Rampage taping.
Excalibur mentioned on commentary that Eddie Kingston delivered what he had promised despite losing the match.
Time will tell if this feud will continue or if Jericho and Kingston will move on.
Another AEW personality has turned over to the dark side.
Wrestlers in the industry are constantly switching things up. Whether it’s a total gimmick overhaul or a change in personality, switch-ups in the business are nothing new.
In the latest turn of events, an AEW talent has turned heel after being a babyface since the faction she had been a part of started to embrace fans for a very special reason.
As time goes on, however, changes are made.
Anna Jay Turns Heel
Anna Jay & Tay Conti
During the main event of the Barbed Wire Everywhere match to close out night three of Fyter Fest, Tay Conti attacked Ruby Soho. Ruby had been in charge of keeping the Jericho Appreciation Society locked in a Shark Cage during the Eddie Kingston vs. Chris Jericho match.
Anna made her way out and pretended to scold Tay for her actions. Instead, she ended up attacking Ruby and allowed the JAS members to escape the cage.
This heel turn had been teased following a Dynamite match last week between Anna Jay and Serena Deeb. Anna lost the match despite turning in one of the best performances of her career.
In the backstage area, Tay Conti, who is Anna Jay’s close friend, suggested that she joins her in the JAS to turn her misfortune around.
It’s clear that Anna has heeded Tay’s advice.
Anna had been a member of The Dark Order but that is clearly in the rearview mirror now.
The misfortunate for AEW may be turning a corner as a major star has made his return.
This week’s episode of Dynamite is taking place inside Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia. The main event will be a Barbed Wire Everywhere match between Eddie Kingston and Chris Jericho.
The Jericho Appreciation Society will be suspended above the ring inside a shark cage.
Also featured on the show at the end of the opening hour of Dynamite was an unannounced return.
Jungle Boy is Back
Since Jungle Boy was put out of commission after suffering an injury at Road Rager, Christian Cage seemed to have manipulated Luchasaurus.
In storyline, Christian injured Jungle Boy with a post-match attack that ended in a Conchairto.
The reality is, Jungle Boy suffered a legit injury during his AEW World Tag Team Title ladder match against The Young Bucks.
While Christian thought he had Luchasaurus under control, it was all a ruse. Jungle Boy returned on the July 20 episode of Dynamite to confront Christian Cage and Luchasaurus did not stand in his way.
A former WWE superstar made an appearance during the July 20 episode of AEW Dynamite.
It’s no secret that Tony Khan hasn’t been afraid to sign ex-WWE talent if he sees value. This ranges from part-time deals to one-offs, and of course full-time deals.
When it comes to the latest former WWE star to enter the fray, this performer was trying to cut his teeth under the NXT banner before being released.
It seems he’s quickly gotten back on his feet.
Cole Karter Appears on Dynamite
(via WWE)
Cole Karter, who had been competing on WWE’s NXT brand as Troy “Two Dimes” Donovan, has surfaced on AEW programming through the Dark show on YouTube.
He has made his way to Dynamite in a pretty big spot.
During a backstage interview, Karter was interrupted by FTW Champion Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs.
Starks issued an open challenge with his FTW gold at stake. Karter accepted the challenge and will challenge Ricky Starks later tonight.
Karter was released by WWE after a policy violation. It was reported that he tested positive for PEDs.
Tonight AEW kicks off week two of Fyter Fest with a special edition of Dynamite, which will feature Chris Jericho battling Eddie Kingston in a barbed wire everywhere matchup, with the Jericho Appreciation Society hovering above inside of a shark cage.
Top company superstar Bryan Danielson took to Twitter to comment on the matchup, where the American Dragon take shots at both men, and warns them for his impending return. He writes:
“One of these men takes credit for injuring me and the other one is the man I actually blame for it. Excited to see them destroy each other… and when I get back I’ll kick both their heads in.”
One of these men takes credit for injuring me and the other one is the man I actually blame for it. Excited to see them destroy each other… and when I get back I’ll kick both their heads in #AEWDynamitepic.twitter.com/78Zd6zXOUv
Danielson has been out of action with a concussion since May’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view in Las Vegas. The injury forced the former WWE champion to miss the critically acclaimed Forbidden Door event, as well as Blood & Guts show the Wednesday after. He would handpick his replacement, new AEW signee Claudio Castagnoli.
It’s been a big year for Wardlow as he won his freedom from MJF at AEW Double or Nothing before becoming the new TNT Champion after defeating Scorpio Sky a few weeks ago on Dynamite.
Wardlow wants to be a fighting champion like original TNT champ Cody Rhodes was in 2020. His number one goal right now is to bring back the open challenge gimmick that Rhodes did.
He also stated that he doesn’t plan on changing the design of the TNT Championship belt, similar to what past champions Scorpio Sky and Sammy Guevara did.
“That’s actually my number one priority. I want to bring back the open challenge,” Wardlow said in a recent interview with Telegram & Gazette. “I’m not sure if that’s what we’re going to do, but I would definitely like to bring that back. Right now, I have the original design, which I love, and I don’t have any plans to customize it. If they give me the opportunity, maybe I will, but I do love the original.”
Wardlow made his first defense of the TNT Championship a week ago when he took on Orange Cassidy and successfully retained the title.
Wardlow’s next challenger has yet to be determined, and he has not been announced for tonight’s AEW Dynamite.
Adam Cole is just one of the names on the AEW roster that have been bitten by the injury bug over the last few months, with the likes of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Kenny Omega on the shelf while recovering.
Cole last wrestled during the AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view event for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, where he took the pinfall in a Fatal 4-Way match. He suffered a concussion in that bout.
Before that, Cole had suffered a labrum injury as far back as his AEW World Title program with Hangman Page that he has been working through.
Fellow AEW star and Cole’s girlfriend, Britt Baker, shared an update on his recovery while speaking with Riju Dasgupta of Sportskeeda.
“Well, he’s definitely recovering and healing, so I hope just like everybody else, that we get to see him back in the wrestling ring soon, but he definitely has to take some time to recover,” she said.
Cole and Baker were the inaugural winners of the Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournaments amonth before Forbidden Door. For most of June, Cole was not getting physical on AEW television.
Top AEW star Kenny Omega appears to be just about ready for a big return.
Omega hasn’t been seen since the post-Full Gear episode of Dynamite last year. He took some time away from the ring to heal from a slew of injuries.
Omega wanted to make sure he got the recovery process right as he has said if he has to go through this again, he’ll likely call it a career.
In the midst of a string of injuries pelting the AEW roster, some great news has surfaced.
Kenny Omega Returning Soon
Kenny Omega (Photo: AEW)
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting that Kenny Omega is expected to make his return soon. Sapp notes that the return of “The Best Bout Machine” has changed some plans involving other talent and staff.
It appears Omega’s return is happening sooner than expected.
AEW could certainly use a shot in the arm such as this one. The company has seen the likes of its current world champion CM Punk, Adam Cole, and many others go down with injuries.
The list of talents shelved has been growing and it has forced AEW President Tony Khan to switch up plans multiple times.
In this case, surely changing plans because a top star is returning is much preferred.
Time will tell what date Kenny Omega will be making his big return but perhaps All Out on Sept. 4 is now a possibility.
One key member of the AEW roster has seemingly avoided being on the shelf again.
If there’s one thing AEW could have less of, it’s injuries. The promotion has been hit with a string of bad luck when it comes to their talent being forced to sit on the sidelines.
The company is currently without its world champion CM Punk. An interim title had to be put in place and that piece of hardware is currently held by Jon Moxley.
Other top stars such as Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, and Jungle Boy have also been bitten by the injury bug. Of course, one of AEW’s biggest stars Kenny Omega has been out since Nov. 2021.
Rey Fenix is Fine Following Injury Scare
(via AEW)
There was some concern that yet another member of the AEW roster would be out of commission following the July 15 episode of Rampage.
On the show, Rey Fenix and Penta took on Private Party. While The Lucha Bros won the match, Fenix was noticeably limping as Rampage went off the air.
The issue occurred when Fenix rolled his ankle after an atomic drop.
There is some good news, however, as Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio noted that Rey Fenix appears to be okay following the match.
Fenix did perform after the Rampage show at a special benefit event in Tijuana.
This has to be a sigh of relief for Fenix, who had to miss ring time earlier this year after suffering an arm injury. He avoided any broken bones and was able to return to action quicker than many anticipated.
One great thing about AEW is that they don’t ignore the history of any wrestler, doesn’t matter which company it is from. This was evident during the most recent Blood and Guts match with Claudio Castagnoli and Jake Hager. The duo were once a very popular tag team in WWE. They got to share a moment together during the bout, reminding people of their history.
The newest AEW signee recently had an interview with NBC Sports Boston. He was asked if their moment together was designed to remind people of the history of The Real Americans. Replying to it, Claudio mentioned how it’s one of the things that excited him about AEW. He explained that it’s cool that the promotion rewards people for being invested:
‘That’s The Beauty About It’: Claudio Castagnoli
“That was another fantastic thing, when I wanted to join AEW, was look at everybody there. I have history with pretty much everybody. If not, there is something we can do, there is something that we can create here. It was one of those [moments]. Blood and Guts, me and Hager ended up in the ring. And why not?
There is history there, why ignore it? That’s the beauty about it. I feel a lot of times stuff gets ignored because [officials think] ‘I don’t know, people don’t remember.’ No, people remember.” said Claudio Castagnoli, “Especially wrestling fans. They have such good memories. They come up to me with stuff that I have forgotten.
He continued, “It’s one of those easter eggs. If you don’t know please go look it up and if you know this is for you. I mean it’s not that big of an easter egg because I feel like it’s pretty well known. That was the cool part. It’s just there is history with everybody and with Hager there is definitely that history. I thought it was fun and that people get to have fun with it. [They] chanted, probably pissed off Jericho, chanted it again. [it] made me happy. It’s very cool to see that people are invested [and] that people are rewarded for being invested.”
You can check out Claudio Castagnoli’s full interview below:
It appears that AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill has had enough of the social media negativity. She has deactivated her Twitter account.
This isn’t the first time the current champion has deactivated her Twitter. She turned off her account on the social site back in December 2021 as well.
At the time, Cargill had explained her move on Instagram. She had noted that she was spending too much time on social media, so she decided to leave at least one of the platforms. Since she made money on Instagram, Jade chose Twitter:
“Goodbye Twitter. I was spending wayyyyyy too much time on social. One of my social apps had to go. I make money on IG. So that was easy. 15 mins turned into 30. Wasn’t getting anything done. Lol deactivating was the best thing.“
Jade Cargil recently crossed 500 days in her undefeated streak in AEW on July 16. For comparison, Goldberg’s legendary undefeated streak at the start of his WCW career lasted a total of 462 days.
The AEW star made her in-ring debut back in March 2021. She teamed up with Shaquille O’Neal to defeat Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet in her debut match.
The female star became the Inaugural TBS champion during the January 5 edition of Dynamite. She defeated Ruby Soho in the finals of the TBS championship tournament.
Last month, Jeff Hardy was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.
Hardy was arrested on June 13 during a traffic stop on Interstate 95 in DeLand, Florida, and at one point, law enforcement had to draw their weapons to get Jeff to comply.
Hardy’s Blood-Alcohol level was over three times the legal limit to be driving.
In addition to the DUI charge, Jeff is also charged with driving with a suspended or revoked license and a violation of restrictions placed on his driver’s license
The Arraignment
Jeff is facing some serious consequences, and now there’s been an update in his case.
One AEW star has decided it’s time to take a step back from the wrestling industry.
For some wrestlers, the industry will always be a part of their identity. Some stars wouldn’t want to do anything other than perform inside the ring. Those talents love the business and would rather perish inside the squared circle than truly retire.
For others, the industry can bring about frustration and resentment. It can get to the point where these performers end up venturing off into a new career path entirely.
The latter appears to be the case with one AEW talent.
A.Q.A Steps Away
(via AEW)
A.Q.A, a student of wrestling legend Booker T, had been signed with AEW but she has announced a hiatus from wrestling altogether.
She issued the following statement on social media.
“I want to take this time to say thank you to anyone who has ever cheered for me, supported me, bought merch, had me on your podcast or wrote an article about me. Those who sent loving messages, made fan art, gave me a hug during a meet & greet, or a high-five on my way to and from the ring.
“Promoters who booked me, opponents that stood across from me, and my trainers for teaching me everything I know for I wouldn’t have made it this far without all of you.
“At this time, I have decided to step away from professional wrestling for the immediate future.”
A.Q.A announces hiatus from wrestling
“For the past few years, both mentally and physically, I have not been in a great place with wrestling, and silly me, I kept pushing through because I didn’t want to be seen as weak, but it only sucked the fun out of every opportunity I had. I hope during this time I’ll be able to reflect deeply and see what path is best for me.
“Thank you AEW for granting me this time.
“Until I see you all again, much love.”
Time will tell if A.Q.A ever decides to step back into the squared circle. It’ll also be interesting to see if she’ll ever reveal exactly what her frustrations were with the wrestling business.
At just 25 years old, A.Q.A has plenty of time to find something in her life that is fulfilling. If she happens to return to the wrestling world under better circumstances, she’d still have plenty of years ahead as well.
Tony Khan is said to be quite high on a new faction that is debuting on AEW Dark.
Factions in the wrestling business are simply meant to be. There are a ton of legendary stables in the business.
When wrestling fans think of factions, they reminisce on the days when The Four Horsemen ruled the earth, or when the nWo ran roughshod all over WCW.
Today, factions continue to be a key part of the wrestling industry.
You can add another faction to the list of current groups and this one has Tony Khan seeing dollar signs.
Tony Khan Gushes Over New Faction
(via JJ Williams)
A stable featuring former WWE NXT star Parker Boudreaux, Ariya Daivari (now Ari Daivari), and Slim J will be making its presence felt on AEW Dark at first.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reports that Tony Khan is very high on the group, which he’s calling the Trust Busters.
The idea is that Daivari is now rich after his trust came in on July 4.
Meltzer notes that a decision has yet to be made on whether or not this faction will be featured regularly on the AEW brand or ROH.
Boudreaux was released by WWE earlier this year, which came as a surprise as many felt he had big star potential. It was even reported that Edge wanted him to join The Judgment Day stable at one point.
Fuego Del Sol fuelled the rumors of leaving AEW with some recent steps. It turns out the real meaning behind his actions was something completely different.
The AEW star got people talking about his future when he blacked out his Twitter profile. He also sent out an ominous tweet reading that ‘change is going to come.’
Fuego then posted a photo of himself in a different mask than usual. All this led to speculations that he could be leaving Tony Khan’s promotion very soon.
Real Meaning Of Fuego Del Sol’s Tweet
As it turns out, all this was an indication of a character change for the high-flying star. The photo he posted was from the latest AEW Dark tapings.
He competed against Ariya Daivari during the tapings. Fans who attended the event noted that Fuego Del Sol was not his usual cheery self in the bout. All this indicates that we will be seeing a new version of his character in the coming times.
Del Sol made regular appearances for AEW during the pandemic era, competing on Dark and Dark: Elevation. He was offered a contract following his loss to Miro during the August 13, 2021 episode of Rampage.
This isn’t the only noteworthy event from the latest Dark tapings. A former NXT star also made his debut on the same day and joined a new faction.
Santana suffered a legitimate injury during the Blood and Guts match on the June 29 Dynamite. He appeared to have tweaked his knee during a move and was taken away by the medical staff.
Not much was known about the AEW star’s injury at the time. Though a new report from Fightful Select has provided an update on his condition.
Per the site, AEW sources have indicated that the Proud-n-Powerful member suffered an ACL Injury. It’s what Santana himself told several people within the company.
The former Inner Circle member attended a LAWE Wrestling event over the weekend. He was there to relinquish the LAWE world championship due to his injury.
The injured star was on crutches and told people he had not yet had surgery. You can check out Santana’ promo from the show in the video below:
The Blood and Guts match this year saw The Jericho Appreciation Society fighting against the team of John Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Santana, Ortiz, Wheeler Yuta, and Eddie Kingston.
The ending of the bout saw Kingston locking Jericho in a submission. When Matt Menard tried to interfere, Castagnoli locked him in as well. Claudio picked up the victory for his team when Menard tapped out.
While there hasn’t been an official announcement, it’s believed that Santana will be out of action for 8-12 months.
On this day in 2011, CM Punk won the WWE Championship in a truly historic bout.
Weeks prior, Punk had promised to leave WWE, citing that his contract with the company was expiring, and vowed to leave as Champion.
Punk also cut his infamous pipebomb, in which the Chicago-made Superstar blurred the lines of real and kayfabe.
The Money in the Bank 2011 match with John Cena is often considered a highlight in both men’s careers and earned five stars from Dave Meltzer.
Khan Comments
Punk’s goal to win the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011 was successful, though it has been years since he last appeared for WWE.
Nowadays, fans can find Punk on AEW programming (though he is currently out with an injury.)
Taking to Twitter, AEW President Tony Khan praised Punk’s 2011 antics.
“11 years ago today @CMPunk set the wrestling world ablaze. He’s every bit as good today & he’s the @AEW World Champion. Check out The First Dance, All Out 2021, Full Gear 2021, Revolution 2022, + Double or Nothing 2022 to see why & how CM Punk proved he’s still Best in the World.”
11 years ago today @CMPunk set the wrestling world ablaze.
He’s every bit as good today & he’s the @AEW World Champion. Check out The First Dance, All Out 2021, Full Gear 2021, Revolution 2022, + Double or Nothing 2022 to see why & how CM Punk proved he’s still Best in the World
True to his word, CM Punk ‘left WWE’ as WWE Champion, for all of eight days.
On the July 25, Raw, John Cena defeated Rey Mysterio, who had won a newly-reinstated WWE Championship earlier in the night, to become Champion again.
Cena’s celebration was cut short by the returning Punk, who debuted the theme ‘Cult of Personality.
The two would have a title unification match at Summerslam 2011, which Punk would win before losing the title immediately after to Mr. Money in the Bank Alberto Del Rio.
Former WWE star Parker Boudreaux, better known to NXT fans as Harland, has made his debut for Tony Khan’s All Elite Wrestling.
The former NXT star took part in the most recent AEW Dark tapings from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. He was part of the second session of the tapings.
He was introduced by fellow WWE alumni Ariya Daivari. Daivari, now going by the name Ari revealed Boudreaux as the newest member of the Trustbusters stable he created with former ROH star Slim J.
The former WWE recruit competed in a match against Serpentico, which he won. Later in the night, he accompanied Daivari for his win against Fuego del Sol.
Parker Boudreaux took part in a tryout back in February 2021. The heavyweight star made his debut for NXT as Joe Gacy’s bodyguard in October 2021.
Harland made his in-ring debut for the promotion in December 2021. He didn’t last long with the company after that. His last match took place in March 2022 and he was released a month later.
It’s unknown whether Boudreaux has been signed by AEW. Though his recruitment in the newly formed stable suggests that we will be seeing more of him in the company.
Wheeler Yuta recently spoke with Jaychele Nicole for SEScoops this past week to talk about his upcoming match with Daniel Garcia and about holding the ROH Pure Championship.
On April 1, Wheeler Yuta became the brand new ROH Pure Champion by defeating then-champion Josh Woods at ROH Supercard Of Honor XV.
His History With Daniel Garcia
(via @JWasherBeyond)
Since then, Wheeler has been defending the title on AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation against a vast amount of competitors. Now, at Death Before Dishonor, Yuta will be putting his championship on the line against Daniel Garcia.
For the past few months, Eddie Kingston and Chris Jericho have been in a blood feud. When Eddie needed backup, he called on the Blackpool Combat Club.
Yuta has now been involved in Eddie’s feud against the Jericho Appreciation Society. He recently competed in the Blood & Guts match between the Blackpool Combat Club and the Jericho Appreciation Society where he had his first interaction with Daniel Garcia since the independents.
On August 8, 2021, Daniel Garcia and Wheeler Yuta went to a 60-minute time limit draw for the IWTV Independent Wrestling World Title.
Yuta retained the title due to the draw, but that is the last and only match between the two.
Yuta’s Confidence Heading Into Death Before Dishonor
(AEW)
The youngest member of the Blackpool Combat Club, Wheeler Yuta, spoke with Jaychele Nicole for SEScoops about his feelings going into the match with Garcia.
The ROH Pure Champion said, “Yeah, definitely going into this match. I’m more confident than the first one. We went 60 minutes, but that’s actually the only time Garcia and I have ever had a singles match. The only time we’ve ever interacted in a match would be Blood and Guts. So it’s definitely going to be something that I’m excited for.
“And I think we do know each other a lot better now. But I’m excited to see where the return match goes. I don’t know if it’ll go the full 60 minutes but I think with the pure rules, it’ll be an interesting factor as well that I think fits in very well with both of our styles. So very excited. Yeah.”
Expectations For Yuta vs. Garcia
He also talked about his expectations for the match and how he plans to defeat Garcia:
“Well, I think it’s, it’s interesting that it’s under pure rules. You know, I think pure rules, people think of a very sportsman-like contest, but I think that this one’s gonna get gritty, it’s gonna get dirty, it’s gonna get violent. So I think that the key to winning this match is just who’s willing to go the extra mile.”
Wheeler Yuta on what fans can expect in his match with Daniel Garcia
“Of course, we do have those rules, but who can take those rules and like I said, make them advantages? Use them to hurt your opponent, as opposed to having them be weaknesses or restrictions. So I think that’s what we’re gonna have to do. And we’ll see who the better man is and hopefully, at the end of this will, we’ll have a satisfying conclusion and we’ll know.”
Defending the ROH Pure Championship
Before his time in AEW and the sale to Tony Khan, he spent some time in ROH having Pure Rules matches. Yuta had four Pure Rules matches in Ring of Honor in late 2020 and early 2021.
“It’s really been special to me that I’ve been able to defend the Ring of Honor Pure Championship for, for one thing, it kind of felt like a chapter of my career that I never got to sort of complete, like I had a very brief stint in Ring of Honor, actually it was all through the pandemic.
“So I never got to have a Ring of Honor crowd even, it was all empty arena. So it felt like something that I had, you know, check it off the bucket list.
“It’s always something I wanted to do. But I didn’t feel like I really reached my potential. So when Tony bought Ring of Honor, and I was able to re-enter that world was really exciting.
“So now being able to defend the pure championship, it feels like I’m sort of coming full circle with that sort of completing that chapter. And additionally, just the people that have held it before me, the legacy of the championship is something that’s really special. And I’m really happy to be part of it,” Yuta said.
Strategies for Pure Rules Matches
Yuta even shared some of his strategies for participating in Pure Rules matches.
Matches for the ROH Pure Championship are conducted under “Pure Wrestling Rules”. The Pure Wrestling Rules are:
Each wrestler has three rope breaks to stop submission holds and pinfalls during the match. After a wrestler exhausts his rope breaks, submission and pin attempts under the ropes by the opponent are considered legal.
There are no closed-fist punches to the face allowed in a Pure match, only open-handed slaps or chops to the face are allowed. Punches to other parts of the body (except for low blows) are permitted. The first use of a closed fist to the face would get a warning, and the second would cause the wrestler to be penalized a rope break. If he is already out of rope breaks, he would be disqualified.
A wrestler is subject to a 20 count by the referee if the wrestler goes to the floor.
The Blackpool Combat Club member said:
“Yeah, you really just need to take those rules that could be weaknesses and turn them into advantages. So like, for example, the punch one, you just sort of have to change up the strikes that you’re using.
“If you know that you can’t punch, then maybe use a forearm, maybe use an uppercut, a kick, a knee. So, changing your strategy is very difficult for that. But it’s a lot of fun, as well.
“And then, of course, like the rope breaks, you have to do different things like maybe, maybe it’s a weakness because you can’t get out of submissions. But maybe you turn that into a strength where you exhaust your opponents.
“And then you can use the ropes, you can do rope-assisted submissions, different things that you can’t do in normal wrestling matches. So just taking those rules and making them advantages instead of weaknesses.”
Watch Wheeler Yuta’s interview with Jaychele Nicole for SEScoops:
