Last night’s AEW Grand Slam Dynamite saw Jon Moxley capture his third-world title under the AEW banner, a definite departure from the company’s original booking plans following a number of issues with former champion, CM Punk.
The Second City Saint broke his foot shortly after winning the world title from Adam Page at May’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view, which was going to kickstart a renewed Summer of Punk, and would have seen him walk into ALL OUT 2022 holding the top prize. While Punk managed to reclaim the gold at ALL OUT from Moxley, the original booking plan would have seen him face one of his most recent rivals.
CM Punk vs. MJF III Was Originally Going To Headline ALL OUT 2022
According to Dave Meltzer from the Wrestling Observer, Punk was originally going to be defending the AEW world title against MJF. This would have been the two top stars third meeting, with each holding a victory over the other. MJF handed Punk his first loss on Dynamite thanks to an assist from Wardlow. Punk would get his revenge at Revolution in a critically acclaimed Dog-Collar matchup.
It was not specified in the report whether MJF’s temporary hiatus would have played out the way it did on television. MJF has since won the Casino Ladder Match, and has the right to challenge for the AEW world title whenever he pleases.
The next challenger for the AEW World Heavyweight Title, currently held by Jon Moxley, has been revealed.
Moxley’s first title defense will come in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, on a special live Tuesday edition of Dynamite set for October 18th.
AEW President announced to the live crowd at Grand Slam on Wednesday that the Golden Ticket battle royale winner taped for Friday’s Rampage will get their title opportunity on this upcoming Dynamite episode.
Hangman Page is Next
(via AEW)
Hangman Page won the match that included Rush, The Butcher, The Blade, Dark Order, Private Party, Danhausen, Dante Martin, Penta El 0 M, Brian Cage, Ari Daivari, Lance Archer, Daniel Garcia, Cole Carter, Best Friends, Jake Hager, Dalton Castle, Lee Moriarty, Matt Hardy, and Jay Lethal. Page last eliminated Rush to pick up the win.
Moxley regained the title on Wednesday night with his win over Bryan Danielson in the finals of the Tournament of Champions after CM Punk was stripped of the title.
With Page getting the opportunity ahead of MJF, who also holds a title shot due to his Casino ladder match win at All Out, the belief is MJF will cash in that chip at the Full Gear pay-per-view in Newark, New Jersey, in November.
All Elite Wrestling will present a special 2-hour “Grand Slam” edition of AEW Rampage this Friday night on TNT. These matches were taped Wednesday night after Dynamite from Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, New York.
The tapings saw rapper Action Bronson making his pro wrestling in-ring debut, a Battle Royal to determine Jon Moxley’s next challenger for the AEW World Championship, an Unsanctioned Lights Out Match and more.
Chris Jericho, Jim Ross, Excalibur and Jim Ross are on commentary.
Tony Khan announced the winner of the Golden Ticket Battle Royal later in the show will challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship on the special Tuesday, October 18th edition of AEW Dynamite. (Pre-emption due to Major League Baseball playoffs)
Sting and Darby Allin def. House Of Black (Buddy Matthews and Brody King) in a No DQ Match.
Action Bronson and FTW Champion Hook def. Jericho Appreciation Society’s “Cool Hand” Angelo Parker and “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard.
Jade Cargill def. Diamanté to retain the AEW TBS Championship.
TNT Champion Wardlow and ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe def. Tony Nese and Josh Woods.
Jungle Boy def. AEW World Trios Champion Rey Fenix.
Eddie Kingston def. Sammy Guevara, but the decision was reversed and Guevara was awarded the win.
“Hangman” Adam Page won the Golden Ticket Battle Royale to become the new #1 Contender to the AEW World Championship.
“Absolute” Ricky Starks def. Powerhouse Hobbs in an Unsanctioned Lights Out Match.
William Regal isn’t interested in a Blackpool Combat Club heel turn but isn’t against the idea either.
The group came together earlier this year, with the name being the brain-child of Jon Moxley, not Regal as many believe.
The BCC consists of AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta with Regal serving as manager.
Couldn’t Give a Jot
William Regal is no stranger to being a heel, but isn’t fully on board with returning to his darker routes.
Speaking on the appropriately titled ‘Gentleman Villain’ podcast, Regal said that the group isn’t looking for cheers or boos from fans.
“None of us [in the Blackpool Combat Club] could care less, a mere jot, whether we’re booed or cheered. If people cheer us, great. If they boo us, great. We’ll lean into that.
William Regal.
Speaking about the group being booed at All Out, where Moxley faced home-town hero CM Punk, Regal enjoyed the experience.
“Going out with Jon Moxley the other week and getting booed out of the building in Chicago, like music to my ears. I haven’t had that for a long time, since I was 41 or 42 [Regal is now 54 years old.]
“Like Music to my Ears.”
William Regal on being booed at AEW All Out 2022.
“It was wonderful because that’s what I thrive on. The word on the tin. Villain. I like getting it. I went out of my ways to get boos and I haven’t. Because after a while in WWE when I was still wrestling, people were cheering me because I think they were just happy I was still alive [laughs.] I wasn’t dead!”
A Future Heel Turn?
Regal spent years of his career as a villain, hence the title of his podcast, but believes his days as being a character are behind him.
When asked by co-host Matt Koon if he could be a villain again, Regal said he could, but hopes to avoid the turn, believing it would take the focus off others.
“You have no idea. If I ever have to do that again [I am ready.] This is going to be a weird thing to say, but I hope it doesn’t.
“The only reason I hope it doesn’t is not because of me. I hope it’s the person I’m walking out with who’s getting the boos if they want them, and it’s not about me.”
On this week’s AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam, Moxley defeated fellow BCC member Bryan Danielson to win his fourth AEW World Championship.
For use of these quotes please give a h/t to SEScoops.
All Elite Wrestling is dealing with its share of problems at this time, following the events of AEW All Out.
After the September 4, Pay Per View, CM Punk had explosive comments for several people on the roster, including AEW’s Executive Vice Presidents The Elite.
Backstage, a fight broke out, which Punk is believed to have instigated and thrown the first punch.
The Meeting
Despite these issues, AEW has not slowed down with its content production, with last night being the AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam special.
According to a report from Fightful, the meeting was held in the afternoon, hours before AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam went live.
It was not confirmed who spoke, but it is reported that the meeting was considered a ‘pep-talk’ and was said to be “very positive.”
This is the latest meeting for the promotion after a talent-wide meeting was held last month to address reports of talent being unhappy.
A meeting was held earlier this month following the controversy following AEW All Out.
Addition by Subtraction
The meetings held by AEW so far have been received positively by attendees, and it’s reported that the mood backstage has begun to improve.
One veteran AEW talent said the backstage atmosphere recently has been a lot more relaxed since All Out and the post-show incidents.
Another talent added that the locker room at the last three tapings has been the best it’s been in a while.
One source said that AEW is going through a process of “addition by subtraction;” making the promotion better by the removal of some members of the roster.
It is unclear who this source is referring to, though CM Punk, Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and Ace Steel have all been removed from programming.
AEW President Tony Khan addressed the crowd after Dynamite Grand Slam went off the air.
He announced that the winner of the Golden Ticket Battle Royal on Friday’s episode of Rampage will battle Jon Moxley for the AEW Championship on the October 18th edition of Dynamite.
It will be a special Tuesday night episode of Dynamite on the 18th airing from the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, AEW Champion Jon Moxley’s hometown.
Moxley lost the Interim Championship to CM Punk at All Out. However, Punk had to vacate the title due to an injury as well as the brawl with The Elite during the media scrum.
In the main event of Dynamite Grand Slam, Jon Moxley battled Bryan Danielson for the vacated AEW Championship. The two Blackpool Combat Members gave it everything they had, but in the end, Moxley captured the title once again by putting Danielson to sleep with the Bulldog Choke. William Regal stood in the ring as Bryan Danielson put the belt around Moxley’s waist after the match.
Bryan Danielson strapped the AEW World Championship belt around Jon Moxley's waist after Dynamite.
Here are the comments from Tony Khan and you can check them out in the video from Solomonster below.
“At this year’s first Tuesday night Dynamite, October 18th, in Cincinnati, Ohio. The winner of the Grand Slam Golden Ticket Battle Royal will get a shot at the first-ever three-time AEW World Champion, Jon Moxley, if he is still the champion on that Tuesday.
Everybody is coming back to their seats, we are about to get started for Rampage. Justin (Roberts) you want to fire things up and get everybody going?!”
Tony Khan back out to announce the winner of tonight’s battle royal will challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World title 10/18 on Tuesday Dynamite pic.twitter.com/fpNSCtLFrO
MJF made his presence felt throughout the show tonight during AEW Dynamite Grand Slam.
Former ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta was set to be interviewed by Tony Schiavone but Maxwell immediately interrupted. The Casino Ladder match winner did a Ric Flair strut as the crowd in Arthur Ashe popped.
MJF verbally beat Wheeler down and insulted Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley ahead of their title match. Maxwell brought up William Regal’s addiction issues and got a slap to the face from Wheeler Yuta. MJF delivered a headbutt to Yuta and then shoved poor Tony Shiavone to the floor.
Yuta attacked MJF but The Firm’s W. Morrissey (FKA as Big Cass in WWE) grabbed Yuta from behind. AEW security then showed up and separated everyone to end the segment. MJF then watched from the crowd as Jon Moxley defeated Bryan Danielson to become the AEW Champion. Maxwell earned a future title shot at a time of his choosing by winning the Casino Ladder match at AEW All Out earlier this month.
MJF Thanks His ‘Devil Worshippers’ After AEW Grand Slam
Maxwell took to Twitter after Dynamite Grand Slam went off the air to put himself over some more. The 26-year-old said that his “Devil worshippers” were out in full force tonight and noted how cool he is.
“My Devil worshippers were out in full force tonight with their pitch forks in hand. God I’m freaking cool.”
My Devil worshippers were out in full force tonight with their pitch forks in hand.
The Firm Helps MJF Win The Casino Ladder Match At All Out
The Casino Ladder match kicked off AEW All Out and the match ended in a bizarre fashion. A bunch of masked individuals rushed to the ring and attacked the participants. It was then revealed to be Stokely Hathaway’s stable, The Firm, and they retrieved the chip suspended above the ring.
A man in a devil’s mask then entered the match as The Joker (the final & mystery participant in the Casino Ladder match). Stokely handed the chip to the masked man and they exited the ring.
After CM Punk defeated Jon Moxley, it was revealed that MJF was the man in the devil’s mask and he had a stare-down with the former champion to close the PPV. MJF and Jon Moxley have shared some harsh words in recent weeks and it will be interesting to see when Maxwell chooses to have his title match.
Saraya made her stunning debut at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam tonight in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
She arrived after Toni Storm retained the AEW Interim Women’s Championship by rolling up Britt Baker in a Fatal 4-Way match. After the match, Britt Baker, Rebel, Serena Deeb, and Jamie Hayter attacked the champion and Athena.
Falling in Reverse’s “Zombified” blasted through the speakers and Saraya’s name flashed on the screen. The crowd erupted as the inaugural NXT Women’s Champion made her way to the ring.
WWE opted not to re-sign Paige on earlier this summer and her contract expired on July 7th. The Anti-Diva had not competed in the ring as an active competitor since a neck injury at house show in 2017. She teamed with Absolution (Sonya Deville & Mandy Rose) against Bayley, Mickie James, and Sasha Banks.
She spoke about WWE’s decision to not renew her contract on a Twitch stream in June and said the following:
“I’m appreciative of WWE,” she said. “I really am. They helped me so much they got me a therapist when I had drinking and alcohol issues. They kept me a long time even after my neck surgery, sitting on my ass. I felt like I had so much left to give there as someone who can cut a decent promo and do a managerial role. It is what it is.” H/T F4WOnline
Saraya (Paige) is All Elite as the former WWE star made AEW debut on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite following the fatal 4-way match that saw Interim Women’s Champion Toni Storm retain her title over Britt Bake, Serena Deeb, and Athena.
Following the match, Baker was going to attack Storm. Jamie Hayter came out to join in on the beatdown along with Deeb on Storm and Athena. This is when Saraya made the save by walking out, and the heels got out of the ring. She got an insane pop and told the crowd this was her house.
Tony Khan officially welcomed Saraya to AEW with the official All Elite graphic.
The wrestling world had a lot to say about Saraya’s AEW debut. Renee Paquette, Mickie James, Bayley and Sonya Deville are just some of the WWE and AEW stars who reacted to the historic moment.
Saraya wrote the following on Twitter about her AEW debut and thanked her boyfriend Ronnie Radke for letting her use his song Zombified a her AEW entrance music.
She also posted a photo of herself backstage at Grand Slam before her big appearance.
Fucking WOW! Absolutely blown away by the pop in the stadium and the reception outside of it. Been a long journey. Couldn’t be happier to be in @AEW thank you to everyone! ?? and thank you to my babe @RonnieRadke for letting me use his song Zombified! LFG!! ???? pic.twitter.com/9czsEWUcot
Paige has not wrestled since December 2017 due to her having spinal stenosis. Her in-ring career ended after she took a bad bump on the back of her neck during a six-woman tag team match. She officially retired from wrestling in April 2018 due to a neck injury.
This past July, Paige announced that the decision to not renew her WWE contract was made by WWE and she wanted to stay with the company.
Jon Moxley competed against fellow Blackpool Combat Club member Bryan Danielson in the main event of AEW Dynamite Grand Slam to crown the new AEW Champion.
It was a back-and-forth matchup that saw Moxley kick out of Danielson’s running knee and escape the LeBell Lock. Moxley hit a Deathrider on the entrance ramp and got Bryan back into the ring but too much time had passed and The American Dragon kicked out at two.
Moxley reigned down elbow strikes and then captured the AEW Championship by applying the Bulldog Choke until Danielson passed out.
What Happened After AEW Dynamite Grand Slam Went Off The Air?
After winning the AEW Championship once again, Jon Moxley addressed the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Here are Moxley’s comments and you can check it out in the video below.
“Let me tell you this, I am now once again the AEW World Champion. It is among one of the best things that I will ever do but it is not even near the top of the list. This championship doesn’t define me. Being a good man, being a good father, being the kind of man people can look up to, that is what defines me.
But when it comes down to the best wrestling promotion on this planet. Blood, sweat, tears, passion. This belt doesn’t define me, but I define this belt!”
Jon Moxley vs. Bryan Danielson headlined the 2022 AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam event on Wednesday night from New York City at Arthur Ashe Stadium with the Vacant AEW World Championship on the line.
The match got plenty of time, with MJF watching from the grandstands and laughing as the match ended when Moxley choked out Danielson with a rear-naked choke.
On last Wednesday’s Dynamite, Moxley and Danielson won the AEW Grand Slam Tournament of Champions semifinal matches. With their victories, they advance to the finals.
In the opening match of the show last week, Moxley defeated Sammy Guevara. Following Jericho’s crossface submission, Danielson defeated Jericho in the main event. Moxley entered the ring after the contest, and they exchanged looks. Danielson then offered his hand, and Moxley shook it as the show came to a close.
Following CM Punk’s suspension from the organization for a backstage brawl between himself & Ace Steel and Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks that occurred after AEW All Out, the AEW World Championship was declared vacant. Punk was also recently sidelined after undergoing surgery for a torn tricep.
Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) made their latest defense of the AEW Tag Team Championships against The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) at the Dynamite: Grand Slam event on Wednesday night from New York City.
The match was the second bout on the card. There was a moment where Strickland hit Lee by accident, and it looked like The Acclaimed was going to win, but it was a near fall. Billy Gunn hit Strickland with the fameasser on the floor when the referee wasn’t looking and Caster and Bowens hit their finisher to him in the ring for the win.
This was a rematch from All Out, which saw Swerve In Our Glory retain the titles, a surprising finish as many fans expected to see a title change.
Lee and Strickland became the champions on the July 13th edition of Dynamite when they beat then-champions The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) and Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks) in a triple threat match.
What are your thoughts on Max Caster & Anthony Bowens winning the AEW Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Chris Jericho was able to knock off Claudio Castagnoli to capture the Ring Of Honor World Championship in the opening contest of the AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam event on Wednesday night.
The finish saw Jericho beat Castagnoli by nailing him with a kick to the nuts when referee Aubrey Edwards was distracted and followed that up with a Judas Effect.
This marks the first time that Jericho has held the title as he has never competed in the Ring Of Honor before. Now, he’s the face of the brand that is still without a weekly television deal.
It also means the end of Castagnoli’s reign with the belt that started back on July 23 when he defeated Jonathan Gresham at Death Before Dishonor to win the belt.
Two weeks after the attacks on Sept. 11, a then 12-year-old Jacob Grondy was on his way to the airport – and he was scared.
Not only was this his first flight, but he was dealing with what many in the country were feeling – fear of flying due to the recent attacks. But a surreptitious introduction with a few pro wrestling passengers – thanks to the just-released Pro Wrestling Illustrated Top 500 issue – assuaged his fears.
Grondy’s flight out of the Raleigh, N.C. airport was shared by the Hardy Boys, Amy Dumas – who wrestled for the WWF at the time as Lita – and Shane Helms on board. They were four of the hottest acts in the WWF at the time and were heroes to a 12-year-old Grondy, especially after they turned what could have been a traumatic experience into one of his favorite childhood memories.
“I was honestly trying to act tough,” Grondy said. “But as we were getting closer to the airport, I was visibly scared. I wasn’t talking at all, which was extremely rare (for me) as a kid.”
On the way to the airport, his dad gave him a copy of the PWI 500 issue to read and keep his mind off the recent attacks. Growing up in North Carolina, Grondy said he was immersed in pro wrestling. As a kid he watched WCW and the WWF religiously and was excited when ECW made its TNN television debut. He’s continued to be a fan well into adulthood. He hosts a podcast called Curtain Jerkin’ on Spotify.
The issue provided a bit of a distraction, but it was who he saw in the airport that relieved his fears.
“I don’t remember anything other than getting to the terminal, sitting down and looking up – and there was Jeff Hardy,” Grondy said. “He was dressed exactly how you would see him on TV. I leapt up in excitement. My dad had a pen on him and gave it to me so I could ask to get my PWI signed.”
Jeff walked Grondy over to his brother Matt Hardy to get his autograph. Matt then said they should get him Lita’s as well. As he walked back to his dad, his dad was smiling with relief, that he wasn’t as scared as he had been when he got to the airport. As he sat back down, he was approached by Shane Helms – who had just joined the WWF after the WCW sale and was beginning his Hurricane Helms gimmick. He said Helms asked to sign the issue, then asked if he could read it on the plane.
“As I let him read it, that’s when I realized that no terrorist was going to take down this plane, Team Extreme wasn’t going to let that happen,” Grondy said.
Grondy shared this story with Jeff at a meet-and-greet a year ago.
“He thought it was pretty cool.”
Grondy and his dad were flying to the United States Grand Prix in Indianapolis. It was the final race of the Formula 1 season, and was the first international sporting event to take place after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“(I) couldn’t tell you who won the race we went to, but every year the PWI 500 comes out I look back at that moment fondly. It was definitely a childhood highlight.”
The betting odds for the matches that will take place at the AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam event has been released.
The card for the show that takes place tonight is finalized, with five championship matches confirmed. AEW will also tape Friday’s two-hour version of Rampage after Dynamite.
Bryan Danielson is favored to win the AEW World Heavyweight Title over Jon Moxley. Oddsmakers also expected to see The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) dethrone Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland) as the Tag Team Champions.
Punk won the AEW World Heavyweight Title from Moxley in the main event of All Out but was stripped of the title because of his involvement in the All Out fight with Ace Steel, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks.
AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam Betting Odds
(Photo: SEScoops)
Here are the betting odds, courtesy of Bet Online:
Sammy Guevara’s tenure with All Elite Wrestling could be about to come to an end, at least according to the Spanish God himself.
Guevara joined AEW in February 2019, making him one of the first wrestlers to sign with the promotion.
Since then, he has become a record-tying three-time AEW TNT Champion, and worked in the stables the Inner Circle and the Jericho Appreciation Society.
Threatening to Leave
Guevara has become a star in AEW, but he may soon be seeking his exit from the company.
Speaking on his latest vlog, the Spanish God addressed his future with the company, blaming hostile fans for his possible abrupt departure (via Sportskeeda.)
“Maybe I should go away, maybe this is it for me. I had a nice ride, and maybe I need to go away to get y’all [fans] to appreciate me, ’cause that’s what you guys do.”
Sammy Guevara.
Guevara also made reference to Cody Rhodes, a fellow three-time AEW TNT Champion, who left in February after years of a mixed response in AEW.
“That’s what you did to Cody [Rhodes.] While he was in AEW, you hated him and then he went to WWE and you guys love him now.“
Sammy Guevara.
These comments come after Guevara teased that things were “coming to an end” in a cryptic tweet.
Despite this threat, Guevara’s recent comments come just one week after he said how he enjoys AEW and is planning to stay.
AEW Departures
Cody Rhodes isn’t the only name to leave AEW this year, as multiple names have ended their tenures with the promotion.
Stu Grayson and Alan Angels have both left AEW this year after working as part of the Dark Order.
In August, it was reported that Bobby Fish’s contract would not be renewed.
Earlier this month, Malakai Black was granted a conditional release from his contract, and is rumored to be considering a WWE return.
Ricky Starks does not mind the comparisons to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
While speaking with The Ringer’s Cameron Hawkins, he was asked about fans comparing him to the former WWE Champion.
Starks said some fans have even suggested he is The Great One himself but thinks the comparisons are a huge compliment. He also noted that he was a big fan of The Undertaker growing up.
Ricky Starks on The Rock
“I really don’t [hate the comparison]. In fact, it’s a huge compliment to have,” Starks said. “I think there’s a misconception that I hate the comparison; I actually don’t. What I hate about the comparison sometimes is people say, ‘You steal the Rock. You try to be just like …’ And it’s like, I actually don’t.”
He continued, “The Rock was never … the Rock was no. 3 on my list of favorite wrestlers; Undertaker was no. 1. So when people try to discredit my talents because they think I’m trying to be someone else, that’s when I have an issue with it. Yesterday, I went to this event and people are like, ‘You remind me of …’ They always have to put an era of Rock on it for some reason, like ‘the Nation of Domination Rock’ or something like that. But then I get people who say, ‘You just remind me of a young Rock.’ And I go, ‘That’s really nice. That’s really cool,’ because at least that’s a connection that you have.”
Starks will face his former tag team partner Powerhouse Hobbs on Friday’s Grand Slam edition of AEW Rampage.
It looks like fans will soon see a different side of the Alexa Bliss character on WWE television.
During Monday Night Raw, Bayley did a promo segment where she ripped Bliss for being a shell of herself before defeating Bliss during the main event. In the match, the announcers were pointing out that Bliss was not putting everything she had into the match with the idea that she had lost a step into the ring. The lights went out briefly during the main event.
A Change Coming for Alexa Bliss?
Bliss dropped the supernatural aspects of her gimmick earlier this year after portraying a similar gimmick to Bray Wyatt’s character. WWE has been doing a storyline with Bliss where she has been floundering on Raw.
Bliss said in the promo segment that Bayley was acting “like you’re 10 Feet Tall.” In the White Rabbit song, there is a lytic that states, “Go ask Alice, When she’s ten feet tall.”
I didn't even catch that @AlexaBliss_WWE referenced White Rabbit during the segment. #WWERaw
As previously noted, WWE showed a QR code during a backstage segment with Austin Theory. The company did another White Rabbit tease during a Raw commercial break, dimming the lights in the arena.
Many fans believe the song could be used for Karrion Kross or Bray Wyatt because Wyatt recently had talks with WWE about a possible return, and Kross was known as The White Rabbit when he was in Lucha Underground.
Some fans take that Bliss line as an indication that Wyatt is returning and aligning himself with Bliss.
AEW star Wardlow is riding high right now as the reigning TNT Champion, but that isn’t quite the highlight of his career with the company.
Wardlow joined All Elite Wrestling in 2019, initially as the bodyguard of MJF, before splitting with the Salt of the Earth earlier this year.
Face of the Revolution
Speaking on the Dynamite Diamond Podcast, Wardlow said that the Casino Ladder Match at AEW Revolution 2022 will go down as his favorite moment to date.
“The ladder match at Revolution. That was the best moment of my life that night. Winning that ladder match. Holy sh*t. Standing up there with that ring and the reaction from that crowd, especially after murdering Ricky Starks.
Wardlow added that while the fan reaction wasn’t as he predicted, that made the moment with Starks even better.
“It was supposed to be I powerbomb him, the place goes wild, [I] grab the thing, They go even more wild. Instead, it was powerbomb, place goes f***ing silent, because I just murdered him. Then I was like ‘F**k you’ and as soon I did that, the place came f***ing back up. Then I grabbed the thing and it was all good.
As if winning the match wasn’t enough, Wardlow also enjoyed the crowd reaction after the bell.
“The eruption from the crowd as I turned around and walked up that ramp was [amazing]. The eruption from that crowd. That is the best feeling in the whole world. It really is, hands down. There is nothing in the world that can compare.”
Turning Face
Later in the show, Wardlow would turn on MJF, establishing himself as a face and beginning a feud with his former employer.
When Wardlow cashed in his shot at the AEW TNT Championship, MJF cost him the match against then-Champion Scorpio Sky.
At AEW Double or Nothing 2022 in May, Wardlow would defeat MJF, earning his freedom from the latter’s contract, and would capture the TNT Title in July.
The AEW rankings system has been a double-edged sword for All Elite Wrestling’s matchmaking and storylines. When AEW launched in 2019, Tony Khan and his Executive Vice Presidents emphasized that “wins and losses matter,” unlike other promotions that have been hampered by directionless ’50/50 booking.’
AEW tracks the win/loss records of everybody on the roster, but it’s the Men’s, Women’s and Tag Team divisions that have generally been published each week. The records and rankings can be a useful tool when determining the challengers to AEW’s top championships. However, there have been instances where wrestlers who are not highly-ranked receive title shots, which muddies the waters.
Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen AEW announce and reference the rankings less frequently. At the AEW website, the most recent ‘weekly rankings’ available are from August 31, 2022.
The company still shows wrestlers’ W/L records on-screen during match entrances, but there has been a noticeable pull-back on this initiative. Dave Meltzer mentioned on Wrestling Observer Radio, “There was a decision not to emphasize them as much on television.”
Of course, this could be a temporary measure and AEW could always give a renewed push to the rankings system. We know the rankings will play a big part in the storyline mode in the upcoming AEW Fight Forever video game.
The AEW rankings system has been a bold challenge to execute. The rankings are currently being de-emphasized. For the foreseeable future, we expect AEW to utilize rankings when it makes sense, without the challenges that come from regular weekly reporting.
AEW should carry on blending the worlds of professional wrestling and music according to one-half of the World Tag Team Champions Swerve Strickland.
In February this year, AEW announced an album featuring Hip Hop & R ‘n B artists for Black History month, including performers such as Jon Connor, Mega Ran, Brinson, Omega Sparx, Monteasy, and Josiah Williams.
Earlier this month, Daniel Garcia’s ring entrance was performed by Westside Gunn, ahead of the ‘Dragon Slayer’s’ ROH Pure Championship win over Wheeler Yuta.
AEW has seen plenty of Hip Hop artists already, and that trend is set to continue if Strickland has his way.
Speaking on the latest episode of ‘The Sessions’ Strickland told host Renee Paquette how he thinks that pro-wrestling and entertainment crossovers just make sense.
“I’ve always been a big advocate of the crossover. Sports and media and entertainment, now we’re seeing Dwayne Johnson announce the Superbowl and things like that. There’s those same types of parallels that are transferring over and I’ve always been a big proponent for it.”
Bringing it Back
While Strickland said that AEW was crossing over with music prior to his arrival in March this year, he felt that the company’s interest in Hip Hop had wained in that time.
“I had a connection make the Kevin Gates thing that we did happen, and I was like ‘man I feel like we can bring that back to life and provide something that has been missing for quite some time on the show.
“Especially for hip-hop culture and African American culture and stuff like that. I think that may influence, and ripple through the industry. Even when we did LA. right after Double or Nothing I brought in Jeff Hamilton to do a little one-minute backstage with me. Hip-Hop heads, true hip-hop heads through the music industry and fashion were like ‘yo! What is he doing here on AEW Wrestling?'”
Responding to Critics
AEW has a huge fan base, but it is impossible to please everyone.
Speaking about recent crossovers, Strickland admitted that not everyone is on board with seeing musical artists take up time on AEW programming.
The AEW World Tag Team Champion countered that seeing artists is likely to win over people who want to watch wrestling, but don’t quite know how to start.
“There were some critiques about it like ‘what was this for? It was like a minute. What was that put on TV for?’ Some wrestling fans were like ‘I don’t understand what the purpose of that was.’
“You guys are already watching, it wasn’t for you as fans. It was for these people who want to like wrestling, but they’re so hesitant because they don’t see representation on certain shows.
“It was for these people who want to like wrestling, but they’re so hesitant.”
Swerve Strickland on AEW’s crossover with music winning over new fans.
“So now just having that ‘oh Jeff Hamilton he just did the NBA 75 jackets for Lebron James and Steph Curry and all these guys. What is he doing in AEW? Oh, they’re in the forum!’
“That’s a pop culture thing that goes all the way through You don’t have to be a wrestling fan to appreciate those connections. And that’s why I try to find.”
The Future
AEW has shown no signs of easing up on their involvement with music now that Strickland is around, and he has big plans for the future.
When asked what he hopes to be the next step, Strickland said that with Hip Hop artists coming to AEW, it’s time for AEW to enter their domain.
“I want to see us transfer over there to that side a little bit more. Because when you look at a lot of wrestling that gets involved with rap and music or doing it, it always feel like its very charicature, where it’s a parody of the music.”
For use of these quotes please give a h/t to SEScoops.
MJF returned to All Elite Wrestling at All Out on September 4th. Stokely Hathaway and The Firm attacked during the Casino Ladder match and a man in a devil’s mask entered as The Joker. The masked man grabbed the chip to ensure a future shot at the AEW Championship.
Following CM Punk capturing the AEW Championship from Jon Moxley in the main event, MJF appeared on the entrance ramp. Maxwell and CM Punk had a stare-down as All Out went off the air. Punk and MJF had an incredible rivalry and AEW fans were looking forward to revisiting it with the AEW Championship on the line.
Unfortunately, CM Punk was injured during the match and also was involved in a brawl with The Elite following his rant at the media scrum. MJF has traded words with Jon Moxley in recent weeks. Jon will battle Bryan Danielson this Wednesday night at Dynamite Grand Slam to determine the new AEW Champion.
MJF On The Media Scrum Brawl, His Rivalry With CM Punk
Speaking with Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Maxwell noted that he cannot comment on the press conference but said that the company is in a great place right now and backed it up with numbers.
“It doesn’t apply to me, it doesn’t concern me. I’ll tell you why and I’m going to use numbers. Because numbers don’t lie, numbers are facts and facts don’t care about feelings. When MJF goes out there, I pop a huge number. We just killed it in the ratings for the second week in a row. And again, if people leave, come, go, stay, people are going to step up to the plate.
We’ve got massive stars in our company, so I am not concerned in the least. I’m not going to comment on what was said because it doesn’t apply to me. But what I will say is our company, numbers don’t lie, our company is great right now. We’re about to have an incredible show at Arthur Ashe.”
Ariel then asked if All Elite Wrestling needs CM Punk and MJF decline to comment MJF added that his feud with CM Punk will go down as one of the greatest of all time.
“No comment. What I will say is that me and CM Punk had the greatest feud in the history of the company. And I do honestly think it will go down as one of the greatest feuds of all time.” [07:09 – 07:20]
MJF on his rivalry with CM Punk
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit MMA Hour with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman, known as MJF in AEW, joined Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour today.
He discussed several topics, including getting paid more money by Tony Khan without having to sign an extension. MJF was asked about The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes and his departure from All Elite Wrestling earlier this year. Cody was one of the original EVPs of the company but jumped to WWE at WrestleMania 38.
The American Nightmare was revealed to be Seth Rollins opponent at WrestleMania and went on to defeat him three times before tearing his pectoral muscle before WWE Hell in a Cell.
Max said that Cody Rhodes is a businessman just like himself and did what he had to do. The 26-year-old called the tribalism within fans nowadays “cute” before bringing up Terry Funk. He said that Terry traveled from territory to territory throughout his career because he was a draw like MJF.
Ariel asked MJF about how the AEW locker room responded to Cody exiting the company and he said that Cody leaving gave opportunities to other stars on the roster.
“I think honesty favorably, not favorably in the sense like ‘yay Cody’s gone!’ but favorable in the sense that we are all professional wrestlers and what happens when somebody leaves is it opens room for opportunity for another person to step up to the plate. And you know, that is wrestling.
Wrestling is cyclical, it is like a wheel. As somebody who has the highest wrestling IQ in the history of this business, I can tell you when big names leave big names step up. That is just how this business works and that is a fact.
So again, I think people who were friends with Cody were sad to see him go on a personal level. But this is a very competitive sport. People want that spotlight and people stepped up to the plate.” [11:52 – 12:37]
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit MMA Hour and give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
Sammy Guevara is set to battle Eddie Kingston this Friday night on AEW Rampage Grand Slam. This Friday’s episode of Rampage will be a special two-hour edition of the show from Arthur Ashe stadium.
The two recently had personal issues that resulted in Eddie Kingston receiving a two-week suspension for confronting Sammy backstage. They were originally supposed to face each other at All Out but the match had to be canceled due to the confrontation. There happened to be a much worse confrontation between CM Punk & The Elite after All Out which resulted in more suspensions for the company.
Sammy Guevara issued a statement on the matter and called Eddie unprofessional. The Mad King apologized for his actions and admitted that he was wrong. Both men claim that the issue is behind them now.
Eddie and Sammy both wound up competing on the kickoff show at All Out. Kingston defeated Tomohiro Ishii and Sammy & Tay Melo retained the AAA World Mixed Tag Team Championships against Ortiz & Ruby Soho.
Sammy Guevara has posted a cryptic message on Twitter and changed his profile images to the night sky. The 29-year-old said that things are coming to an end and will reveal more tomorrow on his vlog.
Thank you to the ones who’ve paid attention. Things are coming to an end. More tomorrow on the Vlog…
Thank you to the ones who’ve paid attention. Things are coming to an end. More tomorrow on the Vlog…
Some fans responded to the Tweet and claimed that Sammy is just attempting to get more views. Another asked Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful if he had any information about Guevara’s post and SRS stated that he has no clue.
AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam is looking to be a big success for the second straight year.
AEW President Tony Khan noted on Twitter that the gate for this year’s event at Arthur Ashe Stadium surpassed last year’s gate. He also noted it will be AEW’s first $1 million gate for a non-pay-per-view. AEW has reached $1 million gates for Double or Nothing, Forbidden Door, and All Out this year.
Surpassed 2021 @AEW Grand Slam gate; now SO close to the FIRST $1 million @AEWonTV gate, after 3 straight PPVs hitting $1 million for the 1st time
I promise you won’t want to miss Grand Slam, super card + maybe something up my sleeve LIVE on TBS + tickets https://t.co/YDS5ifNqnB
Last year’s event drew a reported 21,277, with 18,300 paying just over $960,000. The show sold fewer tickets this year, although ticket prices are higher this year.
According to WrestleTix, tickets distributed are just over 11,400 as of one week ago.
The Cards
Grand Slam: Dynamite
AEW Championship (Vacant): Bryan Danielson vs. Jon Moxley
AEW Tag Team Championship: Swerve in Our Glory (champions) vs. The Acclaimed
ROH Championship: Claudio Castagnoli (champion) vs. Chris Jericho
Interim AEW Women’s Championship: Toni Storm (interim champion) vs. Dr. Britt Baker vs. Serena Deeb vs. Athena
AEW All-Atlantic Championship: PAC (champion) vs. Orange Cassidy
Grand Slam: Rampage
No Disqualification: Sting & Darby Allin vs. Brody King & Buddy Matthews
TBS Championship: Jade Cargill (champion) vs. Diamante
Eddie Kingston vs. Sammy Guevara
Wardlow & Samoa Joe vs. Josh Woods & Tony Nese
Hook & Action Bronson vs. Matt Menard & Angelo Parker
