Kenny Omega made a not-so-surprising return on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. After a week of speculation, Omega was revealed to be the Young Bucks partner in their first round match of the Trios World Championship tournament.

The reunited Elite defeated Andrade El Idolo, Rush, Dragon Lee to advance to the second round. Following their loss, Andrade and Rush turned on Dragon Lee, effectively ending that short-lived alliance.

After AEW Dynamite went off the air, Kenny Omega addressed the live crowd. He broke character and discussed his long road to recovery, doubting himself along the way, what keeps him motivated and what the future holds for him and The Elite.

After Dynamite Ended

Kenny Omega has been healing from a slew of injuries and procedures over the past 9 months. However long its been, it’s been pretty grueling. Many times, he questioned himself. He questioned if he’d be able to come back to AEW and perform at the highest level.

He admits it will take him a while to catch up to the Young Bucks and what they can do in the ring. It may be a while before he can challenge for a singles title again, but this is a work in progress and he’s very glad that everyone is joining him on this journey.

Omega told the audience, “Don’t get it confused I’m not a good guy. I might even cheat to win every now and then. But one thing that I will say, is when we’re in this ring, you’re getting a genuine Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Elite performance from the genuine Young Bucks and Kenny Omega.”

“We’re not pretending to be something we’re not. We’re not a tribute act. We’re not a parody. We’re not selfish and we’re not in this for selfish means or for selfish gains.”

Omega said The Elite is here to leave a legacy. That legacy is not about titles or match ratings or money. The Elite is here to change the world by changing wrestling.

They’re going to give fans the best wrestling in the world. That’s always been their mission statement. As long as The Elite are in AEW, they vow to give fans variety every time they perform. Win lose or draw, you’ll always get their best effort.

The Best is Yet to Come

Early Thursday morning, the Best Bout Machine provided additional commentary on his long road to recovery.

Omega admits he isn’t 100% just yet, stating, “the pieces aren’t all there yet.”

He does not want to be the weak link on his trios team, but is certain that he and the Young Bucks have a real chance at becoming the first AEW World Trios Champions.

Omega also teased that we haven’t seen him at his best, which is quite a statement, considering the success he’s attained in his career.

“I’ll surpass where I was at,” he wrote. “I’ll surpass everyone.”

Since AEW launched in 2019, the promotion has been at odds with WWE in a fight for viewers.

For over a year, AEW Dynamite went head-to-head with WWE NXT in the Wednesday Night Wars, which Tony Khan’s promotion would ultimately win.

Now, the two companies are set to go head-to-head once more, on a bigger scale.

World’s Collide

During this week’s NXT Heatwave special edition of the show, several stars from NXT UK made their presence felt.

The first surprise appearance came by Gallus, who attacked the Diamond Mine but later attacked fellow NXT UK Superstars Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen.

Blair Davenport later appeared on the show in a segment with Indi Hartwell, while NXT UK Champion Tyler Bate confronted NXT Champion Bron Breakker after the latter’s victory in the main event.

In a statement on WWE’s Corporate website, the company confirmed that this crossover is for World’s Collide, which will take place on September 4, the same day as AEW All Out.

WWE’s statement comes after Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the two shows will face off, and that Triple H will be overseeing things.

“Hunter is all in on this.”

Dave Meltzer on NXT World’s Collide.

No matches have been confirmed for the NXT & NXT UK crossover event.

Possible Card

WWE has not confirmed the crossover event for September 4, so no matches have been confirmed either.

After this week’s NXT 2.0, it’s likely that Tyler Bate will face Bron Breakker are the show.

If WWE goes down the route of Champions Vs Champions (like Survivor Series) then certain matches are expected.

NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose would face NXT UK Women’s Champion Meiko Satomura unless either woman loses their titles in the coming weeks.

NXT Tag Team Champions The Creed Brothers are likely to face NXT UK Tag Team Champions Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen.

Veteran wrestling commentator Tony Schiavone has received a big promotion in AEW. In addition to his broadcast duties, he is now working in a talent relations role as well.

The AEW commentator opened up about this on the most recent episode of AEW Unrestricted. He revealed Tony Khan has promoted a number of people recently:

“I’m very honored to have been promoted by Tony Khan. It’s a crew of us that have been promoted. It’s QT Marshall, Sonjay Dutt, Pat Buck, and myself. [We all] have been promoted within the confines of what’s going on.”

Tony Schiavone’s New Job Title

Tony Schiavone also confirmed his new job title and explained his role behind the scenes. Schiavone noted that when he is not helping Khan with something, he makes sure that all the talents are happy:

“My job is now Senior Producer, Special Advisor & Talent Relations. I love that special advisor role. I do a lot of running during the day, trying to talk to talent. Then what I’ll do is when I don’t have a specific thing to do, like run go get this person because Tony wants to talk to them and we need to hammer out some things and bring him back into Tony’s office.

Basically, what I do [is I] walk around during the day and ask people how they’re doing and ask them if they’re happy. If there’s anything we can do to make it better. That’s very very important, I think we are really making good strides. I really do.”

More Originals From SEScoops:

• Hangman Page Reveals the Most Difficult Matches of His Career
• Becky Lynch Reveals How Much Creative Freedom She Has On The Mic
• ‘I Am Done’: Goldberg Is Not Apologizing To Bret Hart Anymore
• Miro Details His Struggles In America Before Wrestling Success
• John Cena Reveals The Advice He Got From The Rock

If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

On last week’s AEW Dynamite, CM Punk returned to TV after over two months away due to a foot injury.

This week, Punk said that he and Jon Moxley would unify the AEW World Championships at All Out, but Moxley later convinced Punk to have the match next week.

This will mark Punk’s first match since the June 1, edition of AEW Dynamite when he and FTR defeated the Gunn Club and Max Caster

Kingston Hits Back

During his promo on this week’s Dynamite, Punk made reference to WWE and also took aim at some of the AEW wrestlers.

One name Punk mentioned was Eddie Kingston, calling him the third best Eddie he’s stepped in the ring with and the second best Kingston.

The first comment likely is in reference to Eddie Guerrero, who Punk faced early in his career, but it’s unclear who the other Eddie is.

The second best Kingston line is presumably a nod to Kofi Kingston, who Punk teamed with in WWE in 2008.

Responding on Twitter, Eddie Kingston didn’t hold back.

Punk and Kingston

Kingston’s comment stems from reported real-life beef that the ‘Mad King’ has with the reigning AEW World Champion.

Last November, it was reported that Kingston despised Punk from their days in IWA-Mid South, where Punk called Kingston and his tag-team partner at the time Blackjack Marciano, fat, lazy, and unsafe.

Marciano had injured Delirious during a match, and an irate Punk “buried them nonstop” according to a source who was with the promotion at the time.

Current ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli will be challenged by a 34-year veteran in his next title defense.

This week’s episode of Dynamite gave us many notable moments, including the AEW return of Kenny Omega and the surprising announcement of the AEW world championship match.

Though things didn’t end there as the company also taped this week’s episode of Rampage after the Wednesday night show went off air.

During one of the segments on the taping, ROH world champion Claudio Castagnoli came out alongside ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta.

Castagnoli first mentioned how it was great to come out before the crowd as the ROH champion, especially with Ricky Steamboat in attendance.

Claudio Castagnoli’s Next Challenger

The former WWE star then issued an open challenge for next week. Dustin Rhodes came out to accept this challenge, and officially became the #1 contender for the title. This match will take place on the August 26 Rampage.

Claudio Castagnoli won the ROH championship by defeating Jonathan Gresham at the Death Before Dishonor PPV. He previously defended his title successfully against Konosuke Takeshita.

Apart from this, the Rampage episode also featured matches such as Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland vs. Private Party, Buddy Matthews vs Serpentico and The Best Friends & Orange Cassidy vs. The Trustbusters in a first-round trios title tournament match.

Former AEW world champion Kenny Omega made his grand return after almost 10 months of absence on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.

The Cleaner teamed up with The Young Bucks to compete in the first round of AEW Trios Title Tournament. They defeated the team of Andrade El Idolo, Rush, and Dragon Lee in the main event of the show.

Andrade turned on Dragon Lee after this loss. The broadcast ended with the former NXT champion dropping Lee with a Hammerlock DDT.

The Elite then hit the ring to save Lee from the attack. They stayed in the ring afterwards, and Kenny Omega addressed the crowd following his grand return after almost 300 days.

Kenny Omega Talks To The Fans

Omega first mentioned how they were able to survive the match on the show because of The Young Bucks. The Bucks pointed that the crowd has been booing them the past year and Kenny then explained why he probably should be mad too:

“Maybe I should be mad, too, because the reason why I’m in this state right now, the reason I have to have three, sometimes four sessions of physical rehab every single day, is because of you. Maybe I should hate each and every one of you, because I come back out here for you guys. It’s never for me.”

However, Kenny Omega then claimed that deep down, he has an appreciation for all the fans. He ended the promo by thanking the crowd for their support:

“So, on TV, I may blame you guys, I may hold resentment towards you guys. But perhaps, deep down inside, as long as this never gets aired, I do very much appreciate you. Thank you very much.”

You can check out Kenny Omega’s post Dynamite promo below:

• Huge Championship Match Shockingly Announced For Next Week’s Dynamite

Kenny Omega is back!

The former world champion had been absent from AEW programming since November last year. He dropped the AEW title to Hangman Page at Full Gear and took time off due to multiple issues.

The Cleaner had been overseeing the development of AEW Fight Forever video game in the meantime but keeping his distance from the wrestling side of things.

In his absence, Adam Cole became the unofficial leader of The Elite for a while. However, he turned on The Young Bucks and left the group along with Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly a few weeks ago.

Fans started speculating about Kenny Omega’s return when the company finally announced the brackets for the trios title tournament, and The Young Bucks started looking for a partner.

Kenny Omega Returns To Dynamite

The tournament began on this week’s episode of Dynamite. This is where Omega made his return as the surprise tag team partner of The Young Bucks.

The team of Kenny Omega and The Bucks went on to defeat the trio of Andrade El Idolo, Rush, and Dragon Lee to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament.

They will meet the winner of the first-round match between Death Triangle and the United Empire. The Elite are currently the favorites to win the whole thing and become the Inaugural Trios champions.

• Huge Championship Match Shockingly Announced For Next Week’s Dynamite

AEW has shockingly announced a huge championship match for next week’s episode of Dynamite from Wolstein Center in Cleveland, OH.

They have confirmed that the AEW world champion CM Punk will be facing the Interim world champion Jon Moxley to unify the titles next week.

Punk won the AEW title from Hangman Page at Double or Nothing in May. Though he had to take time off from the company shortly after due to a broken foot.

The promotion crowned Mox the interim world champion in the meantime, and the hardcore star has been defending the championship since Forbidden Door.

Punk vs. Moxley

Punk made his surprise return on last week’s Dynamite and saved Moxley from a beatdown. The two then had a confrontation and many believed they will meet at the upcoming All Out PPV.

This week’s episode of the show, however, saw a heated verbal exchange between the two stars. This was followed by a brawl that had to be broken up by security. The championship match was announced for next week after this.

This surprise announcement has left fans puzzled. The All Out PPV is only a few weeks away, and there is now speculation that this storyline could lead to the return of MJF.

The Salt of The Earth hasn’t been seen since his explosive Dynamite promo. Many believed that his return was being held off because of Punk’s injury and fans are now wondering if we can finally see his comeback next week.

• AEW Dynamite Results (8/17/22): Kenny Omega Returns, CM Punk & Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia

Former All Elite Wrestling talent Jake Evans reflected on his AEW run and believed he could’ve done better.

Evans signed with the company alongside his former tag team partner Angelico on May 9, 2019. He also competed in a tag match with his partner at AEW’s inaugural Double or Nothing Pay Per View against Best Friends(Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta) on May 25, 2019.

While Evans started in the early days of AEW, the company rarely used him for TV, and he also dealt with setbacks as a team with his partner. AEW decided not to re-sign Evans to a new deal and let his contract expire in April this year.

Evans recently spoke with Brett Deutchman for PWMania and discussed what keeps him going in professional wrestling. He shared that AEW motivated him and said he could’ve done better with the company.

“Honestly, one of the things that has motivated me recently was my AEW stint,” said Evans. “I didn’t do as well there as I could’ve, but nonetheless, I was grateful for the experience. I don’t know how likely it is that I’ll be back there, even though I would love to. It’s a very sought-after promotion that everyone’s trying to go to.”

Jack Evans on His Current Plans After Leaving AEW

Since his departure, Evans has begun to work for independent wrestling promotions and recently wrestled for Impact Wrestling. He unsuccessfully challenged “Speedball” Mike Bailey for the X Division Championship at Emergence on Aug. 12.

At 40 years old, Evans is motivated to compete in the indies. He also praised how independent wrestling promotions operate today compared to the past.

“After I got released from AEW, I got back on the indies, and I’m just grinding it out,” said Evans. “Tomorrow, I’ll be wrestling on Impact. I just did MCW recently too. Not a lot of people realize that MCW has been around a long time, which is impressive for an indy promotion.”

He continued, “At the time when they were established, not many indies would last that long; it was rare. Most would be a one-off show, and that’s it. MCW has a business model that makes it profitable.”

Although Evans wants to compete with the best on the independent wrestling scene, he doesn’t rule out a return to AEW. He would also like to do more promos if he returns to the company. For now, Evans is a free agent looking to compete as a single competitor.

Kenny Omega will be returning to in-ring action soon. Really soon.

In what is the worst kept secret in wrestling, he will be teaming with the Young Bucks on tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite to face Andrade El Idolo, Rush, and Dragon Lee in a first-round match for the AEW World Trios Championship tournament.

The Young Bucks have been searching for a partner to join them in the trios tournament. On Wednesday morning, they updated their Twitter bio to let the world know, the search is over.

Plans in Motion

We’ve got an update on the circumstances leading to Omega’s return, courtesy of Fightful Select. The former AEW World Champion has been out of action since November. The company has been planning for his return, but the tentative plans for his returned were changed as recently as last month.

Some wrestlers were told this was due to Omega’s pending return once the planned match between FTR and The Young Bucks was changed. It was noted then that Omega was scheduled to return with The Bucks for the Trios tournament.

AEW President Tony Khan talked about creating the Trios Titles for a while now, but he wanted to establish the titles whenever Omega could return.

Omega has reportedly avoided the public eye while he’s been on the shelf recovering from various injuries. In addition to focusing on rehab, he was integral in developing the AEW Fight Forever video game. One source close to the situation described his input as “crucial.”

Omega was dealing with a shoulder injury, a sports hernia, and a leg/knee injury before he took time off. For years, he also battled vertigo brought on by a dropkick he took from Kazuchika Okada. 

• Kenny Omega Says He’s “Done” If He Suffers Another Major Injury

Another former WWE Superstar is hoping to become All Elite in the near future.

The AEW roster features a healthy mix of homegrown talent, former WWE stars and legends. Competitors such as PAC, Malakai Black, Andrade, Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland are just some of the names who joined Tony Khan’s promotion hoping to show fans their true potential.

Miro is a great example of a former WWE star who has taken advantage of the creative freedom offered by AEW. Having reinvented himself as The Redeemer, Miro has done a commendable job establishing a new character that is completely different from his former persona, Rusev.

God’s Favorite Champion has long spoken about his hot, flexible wife. After countless references to his better half, it sounds like former WWE Superstar CJ Perry (Lana) is itching to get back to business.

Lana Wants to Join AEW

CJ Perry appeared on Wednesday’s edition of Busted Open Radio and spoke about Miro’s success in AEW.

Miro was courted by Julia Hart to join the House of Black faction last week on Dynamite. He rejected the offer, but the interaction caught Perry’s attention.

According to Perry, she didn’t like seeing Hart proposition her man. She was so enraged by the interaction that she was ready to retaliate with violence.

“I’m not a jealous type of person, but I was furious. I wanted to literally show up and slap the shit out of her.”

– CJ Perry on Julia Hart

She wasn’t done venting about what she wants to do to Julia Hart. Perry continued, “She does all these cute pictures on Instagram and her vibe is very House of Black, then she shows up in a blazer. I will literally dropkick her in the face.”

CJ Perry was asked if she’d be interested in working with Miro in AEW. As we saw in WWE, the married couple has undeniable on-screen chemistry.

“Hopefully, I get a chance to do that,” she said. “I’d love to do something with Miro in AEW. We’ll see what happens.”

Watch CJ Perry’s comments about wanting to join AEW:

Miro Comments on Lana Joining AEW

Miro spoke with WhatCulture last month and had this to say about his wife possibly joining AEW:

“You never know. She’s really focused on CJPerry.com, her website, and everything it has to do with. She’s doing movies, she’s producing movies, so she’s really, really busy. But like I said in my interview, it’s about my god, my gold and my gorgeous wife.”

He says he and his wife have always been “money” wherever they’ve gone, whether it’s pro wrestling, reality television or online digital content.

“In my mind, in The Redeemer’s mind, his wife is always there, so it’s a no-brainer for my gorgeous wife to join my team eventually and walk through fools together.”

Jim Ross believes that CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley for the Undisputed All Elite Wrestling (AEW) World Title will be the promotion’s biggest main event ever.

Ross recently took to his podcast, “Grilling JR,” to offer his thoughts on the potential CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley match to unify their AEW World Titles. Punk recently made his return to AEW TV to confront Moxley, teasing their eventual matchup.

Of course, given Punk’s current injury, there’s no indication as to when that match could finally take place. With that being said, Jim Ross believes when the match finally does go down, it could do historic business for AEW.

“I knew he was in the building. I saw him briefly, earlier in the day, in the trainer’s room, getting some attention. He sure has been missed, there is no doubt about it. The crowd’s reaction would indicate the same. They are ready to see him.

“I still don’t know how healthy the guy is. I asked on air ‘has he been cleared to wrestle?’ Nobody knew. He will be cleared. He’s under good doctor’s care. This process has been ongoing.

“He’s still in the process of healing as far as I’m concerned, until I get word that he’s 100%, I’m going to play it by ear. He’s a tough guy. Everyone wants to see him and Moxley beat the shit out of each other.

“You can count your bottom dollar that’s what they’re going to do. They both have that pride. It’s going to be, arguably, the biggest main event we’ve ever had considering all the ramifications going in and injuries and all these things.

“I’m excited about calling that match. I think it’s going to be fun as hell.” 

Punk won the AEW World Title at AEW Double Or Nothing earlier this year against Hangman Page. However, in June it was announced that Punk suffered a foot injury that needs surgery to repair.

In his absence, Moxley has been crowned as the interim World Champion. He’ll be ready to welcome Punk back once the former WWE Champion is ready to get back inside the squared circle.

Chris Jericho believes that the cons of Vince McMahon’s departure from WWE won’t be felt for another few months.

Jericho was recently a guest on the Swerve City podcast, where he talked about Vince McMahon stepping down as WWE CEO, as well as retiring as the head of creative on television. This happened shortly after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against McMahon.

“Y2J” explained that, while there will certainly be some positives from McMahon’s WWE departure – especially creatively – there will also be some negative impacts. Those negatives in particular likely won’t be felt for a few more months.

“I can go back working for him for 17-18 years. Obviously, there are Vince-isms and Vince-foibles that don’t make sense, but I did learn a lot about the psychology of the business and how to be a star, how to conduct yourself, how to be a true main eventer and money draw.

“I think the pros, if that’s the right word, the pros of Vince leaving WWE will be seen very quickly. There are a lot of changes right off the bat, very refreshing. Lots of in-ring time. The cons of Vince leaving won’t be felt for a few months, maybe more, six months, a year.

“There are a lot of things that Vince did, little things, and I know people bag on him for his recent booking, and obviously there was a habit he had, but the guys who are true main event stars are legit stars. Legit stars.

“You can spot them from a mile away. Look at the difference between Drew McIntyre now, prior to the last run he had. Vince worked with him to make him a top guy and top star. Same with Roman (Reigns).

“Completely different now than it was before he turned heel. Brock as a babyface, I can tell Vince worked with him as being a babyface. You can spot it. I can see it.”

Chris Jericho certainly knows what he’s talking about when it comes to working with McMahon. The current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star worked under McMahon during his nearly 20-year run with WWE.

After departing from WCW in the late 90s, Jericho debuted for WWE and instantly became one of the company’s biggest stars. The six-time WWE World Champion eventually joined AEW in 2020, where he became the promotion’s inaugural World Champion.

Quotes via Fightful

Hangman Page has wrestled in many competitive matches over the course of his career. The two hardest matches for him are a death match where he suffered a gruesome injury…and wrestling Bryan Danielson.

The former AEW world champion recently held a Q&A session at GalaxyCon Raleigh 2022. During the talk, Page was asked which are the hardest matches he has had to wrestle. He first recalled his Texas Death Match against Lance Archer:

“Probably the hardest match I would say two. One of them would be wrestling Lance Archer in a Texas Death match. I got my eyebrow cut. I didn’t know there were like vessels and veins in your eyebrow a lot. So I bled so much.” remembered Hangman Page, “There’s blood in my eyes and I couldn’t see.

I couldn’t breathe because it was just like going up my nose and stuff like that. I couldn’t see anything, I got thrown onto the steel steps and my left arm crashed into the edge of it. I lost feeling in my left arm for a while. It was a terrible combination. So that was a really hard match.”

‘I’m Just Huffing and Puffing’: Hangman Page

The second match was Hangman Page’s very first AEW world title defense against Bryan Danielson. The two wrestled for an hour in a match that ended in a draw. Per Page, Bryan was enjoying this bout while he was looking for an opportunity to throw up:

“Secondly, I’d probably say wrestling Bryan Danielson for an hour. An hour is so long to do anything, especially wrestle someone like Bryan. He’s just doing jumping jacks and having a good ol’ time lefts and right in the ring and I’m just huffing and puffing and trying to throw up. So those are probably my two hardest matches.”

You can check out the session featuring the AEW star below:

More Originals From SEScoops:

• Becky Lynch Reveals How Much Creative Freedom She Has On The Mic
• ‘I Am Done’: Goldberg Is Not Apologizing To Bret Hart Anymore
• Miro Details His Struggles In America Before Wrestling Success
• John Cena Reveals The Advice He Got From The Rock
• What John Cena Thinks About A 17th World Title Victory

If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

All Elite Wrestling returns tonight with a special “House of the Dragon” themed edition of AEW Dynamite from Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, West Virginia.

The show is being presented as a promotional tie-in to the Game of Thrones spinoff series premiering this Sunday on HBO Max.

Dynamite will feature a huge 2 out of 3 falls main event, a Trios Tournament first round match, a special appearance by Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and more.

Daniel Garcia shocked the world when he defeated Bryan Danielson last month. Can the Jericho Appreciation Society member do it again?

The Young Bucks need a partner for the AEW World Trios Championship tournament. “Hangman” Adam Page turned them down last week. Will they be able to find a suitable third man?

AEW Dynamite Preview (8/17)

AEW has announced the following for tonight’s AEW Dynamite:

• Best-of-3 Falls Match: “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia

• Trios Tournament (First Round): Andrade El Idolo, Rush and Dragon Lee vs. The Young Bucks and a Mystery Partner

• Toni Storm vs. KiLynn King

• The Gunn Club vs. The Varsity Blondes

Plus, wrestling legend Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat will serve as the special guest time keeper for tonight’s matches.

Check back later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results and news coming out of the show.

AEW Control Center

AEW has produced this special “control center” preview for tonight’s House of the Dragon episode of Dynamite:

In March this year, Thunder Rosa captured the AEW Women’s World Championship, ending the 290-day reign of Dr. Britt Baker DDS and doing so inside of a steel cage.

The win was made even more special as it happened in her adopted hometown of San Antonio, Texas.

Rosa has held on the title since then, defending against the likes of Toni Storm, Nyla Rose, Serena Deeb, Marina Shafir, and Miyu Yamashita.

The Challenge

Prior to signing full-time with AEW, Thunder Rosa competed for the NWA, where she is a former NWA Women’s World Champion.

Rosa’s 277-day reign as NWA Women’s World Champion began in January 2020 and would end at the hands of Serena Deeb that October.

Speaking to Bullet Cast, Thunder Rosa explained how being the Champion of AEW has brought on more challenges than her time with the NWA (via Wrestling Inc.)

“It’s been really challenging because being a champion on a major platform is different than when I was the NWA Women’s Champion. There’s a lot more at stake, there’s a lot more that you’re representing, and also a little bit of pressure.

“It’s been really challenging… There’s a lot more at stake.”

Thunder Rosa on her reign as AEW Women’s World Champion.

“Every time you stand in front of the camera, you just want to make sure that you’re perfect. The thing is, it’s not about perfection, it’s about making a difference and I hope that I have been making a difference in the women’s division.”

Rosa’s most recent title defense saw her retain against Jamie Hayter on the August 5, Battle of the Belts III special taping.

AEW star Kris Statlander joined the ever-growing injury list when she suffered a leg injury during the AEW Dark tapings on August 5.

The female star provided some updates on her health on the most recent episode of AEW Road To. She revealed that she has completely torn her ACL:

“After getting an MRI, I have a completely torn ACL. My lateral meniscus is torn, and there is lateral impaction fractures in my tibial and femoral heads. So just tiny little cracks that are more of a bruise, but still, technically a broken leg.”

Speaking about her recovery, Kris Statlander noted that it’ll be six to eight months before she gets cleared to compete again:

“So recovery time, it’s about six-to-eight months post-operation. Once we got the MRI, we were hoping it was just a meniscus tear. That would have either been a few weeks to three months, at most. But now that we know the ACL is completely torn, that’s the one you don’t want to get, children.”

The timing of the injury is unfortunate for Statlander as she was gaining momentum in AEW before that. She has reached the #2 spot in the ranking and was making a strong case for a shot at the women’s title.

All Elite Wrestling invades the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, West Virginia this Wednesday for the House of the Dragon edition of AEW Dynamite. The tie-in comes from the soon to be released House of the Dragon HBO series, a spin-off of the hit Game of Thrones.

AEW President Tony Khan revealed on Twitter this evening that along with a stacked lineup the show will feature an appearance from WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, who will serve as the company’s guest timekeeper for the evening. Khan writes:

“For tomorrow’s Wednesday Night AEWDynamite presented by HBO’s @HouseofDragon, we have the perfect special guest timekeeper for the event: Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all-time, making his return to TBSNetwork tomorrow night @ 8pm ET/7pm CT!”

Steamboat’s appearance won’t be the only thing fans can look forward to on Dynamite. The big rumor is that former world champion Kenny Omega will be returning as the Young Bucks mystery partner for the opening round of the trios tournament to crown the first-ever AEW Trios champions. They will be facing RUSH, Dragon Lee, and Andrade El Idolo.

Stay tuned.

AJ Styles has revealed exactly how close he was to becoming a member of the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) roster.

Styles was set to be a free agent this summer before signing a new multi-year extension with WWE. Now, Styles is enjoying a deal that is seeing him make well over a reported $3 million a year.

The former WWE Champion was asked about his contractual situation earlier this year with WWE in a recent interview with Inside The Ropes. Styles was specifically asked about how close he came to becoming a member of the AEW roster, where he has several friends.

Styles admits he doesn’t think it was close for him, but he does ultimately want AEW to succeed, as it benefits everyone in the long run.

“I didn’t really sign a new [WWE] deal. Basically, I had a player option and I just used that option. I had no plans, really, looking back.

“I want to be with WWE and as much as I’d like to be with my friends [in AEW], this is what I know, this what I know is expected of me, I understand what they need here in WWE, and I want to be a part of it.

“Like I said, this is a business. I’m going to go where business is best for AJ Styles… Was it close? I wouldn’t say it was close for me.”

“I want AEW to do well. Competition is a good thing, it makes everybody better, there that. We want to see people succeed and to tell the truth, I have friends in every company, I would like to see them do well.

“So, they have my support, just like anybody else. I want to see them do well, I don’t want to see anyone lose their job and you never know who might show up in WWE.”

Currently, AJ Styles is one of the top stars on Monday Night RAW. This week he even challenged for the United States Championship against Bobby Lashley.

Despite putting on a great performance with “The Almighty” inside the ring, he came up just short, eating a Spear off of a Phenomenal Forearm attempt for the defeat.

WWE reportedly tried to poach a talent from All Elite Wrestling (AEW) recently.

Since Triple H has assumed control of WWE creative, there have been several returns made on television. Former NXT stars such as Karrion Kross, Scarlett Bordeaux, B-Fab, Dakota Kai, and Hit Row have all been brought in.

Of course, it seems like this is only the beginning of the main roster Triple H has envisioned moving forward. While more NXT stars are expected to be brought up, some desired talents Triple H has his eyes on might not even be under the company’s umbrella at the moment.

Some could be with AEW, such as former WWE stars Adam Cole, Daniel Bryan, and more. Apparently, WWE tried to make a move on a current top AEW star to bring them into WWE.

Fightful Select reports that a notable AEW star “reported to AEW management that WWE had reached out to them about coming to WWE.” The reported talent made it clear that they’re happy in AEW and wanted upper management to know about the situation.

The talent added that they have no desire to leave AEW. It was noted that the talent received a call from one of WWE’s talent relations department members. The talent responded by referring them to their representation rather than speaking directly.

A source also notes in the report that there were no mistakes made in regards to knowing that the talent was under contract with AEW on a full-time basis. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.

Eric Bischoff is not a fan of how Tony Khan is booking All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

It’s no secret that the former WCW president has been critical of the Khan-led promotion in recent months. Both he and Khan have exchanged harsh words through the media as of late, mainly due to Bischoff’s criticisms of AEW.

In a recent interview with SHAK Wrestling, Bischoff was asked for his thoughts on the booking in AEW at the moment. Bischoff doesn’t seem to be a fan of Khan’s creative mind or storytelling ability.

Instead, he feels like Khan is booking the promotion as a 14-year-old with too many toys to play with.

“If Tony Khan is smart, and I know he’s very, very smart, a lot smarter than me in a lot of ways. I don’t exactly think he’s got a creative instinct in his body.

“I think what he’s doing is reliving a childhood memory, you know of ECW and the indie scene, and super matches. He’s booking, in my opinion, like a 14-year-old would – who would have a lot of toys and things he can play with.

“But I’m not seeing story – we’ve seen the wrestling audience or AEW audience call it a story but it’s not. It’s an excuse for having a super match or dream match.”

At one point Bischoff made a few appearances for AEW in 2020. However, that all stopped after he became more vocal about his issues with the product. That doesn’t mean fans should expect Bischoff to show up in WWE anytime soon.

Bischoff noted that WWE doesn’t need him back, and any changes he would make seem to already be in the works in the post-Vince McMahon era.

Quotes via Wrestling Inc.

This coming January, New Japan Pro Wrestling will host its annual Wrestle Kingdom event, highlighting the biggest stars of the promotion.

Wrestle Kingdom is NJPW’s biggest event of the year, and next year’s show will have an international flavor to it.

AEW at Wrestle Kingdom

Wrestle Kingdom 17 will showcase NJPW’s biggest stars, but will reportedly include names from All Elite Wrestling.

Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio today that there are plans for some AEW wrestlers to compete at the event, but didn’t name any specific stars.

This wouldn’t be the first time AEW and NJPW had teamed up, as at Wrestle Kingdom 14, then-AEW World Champion Chris Jericho defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi.

The two-night event also saw Jon Moxley defeat Lance Archer for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship in a Texas Death Match.

AEW and New Japan

Wrestle Kingdom 17 will be just the latest team-up by the two massively popular promotions.

AEW star Wheeler YUTA competed in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament while Lance Archer is working the G1 Climax tournament.

The promotions also teamed together for the Forbidden Door Pay Per View in June which saw Jon Moxley defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi.

A Confirmed Match?

Wrestle Kingdom 17 is still months away, but one match may already be known.

AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door was rumored to have CM Punk face Hiroshi Tanahashi in the show’s main event, but that did not take place due to the AEW World Champion’s injury.

While speaking to Tokyo Sports in June, Tanahashi threw out the challenge for Punk to face him in the Tokyo Dome for Wrestle Kingdom.

The upcoming AEW Fight Forever video game will be historic in multiple ways. In addition to being the first console game from All Elite Wrestling, the game’s promotional artwork will be groundbreaking in its own right.

Jade Cargill will make history when she graces the cover of the upcoming AEW Fight Forever video game. After dozens of wrestling video games over the past three decades, Cargill will be the first Black woman on the cover of a wrestling video game.

On Monday, the leader of the Baddies shared on Twitter that she’s feeling #blessed over the career milestone.

“Just found out that I’m the first black woman on the cover of a wrestling video game #blessed.”

– Jade Cargill

Along with Jade Cargill, CM Punk, Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega, Britt Baker and Chris Jericho are also featured. Here is the cover art for AEW Fight Forever, which you can pre-order now from Amazon.

Cargill made her promotional debut in November 2020 when she interrupted Cody Rhodes. This eventually led to her teaming with Shaquille O’Neal for a mixed tag team match against Rhodes and Red Velvet. Originally, the bout was supposed to feature Brandi Rhodes, who was pulled from the match due to her pregnancy.

As the reigning TBS Champion, Cargill remains undefeated.

AEW Fight Forever

All Elite Wrestling is gearing up to present its first-ever video game, AEW: Fight Forever. An official release date has yet to be released, but the game is available for pre-order with a tentative date of December 31, 2022. 

It will be released on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo® Switch. There will be a career mode and a wide range of customization modes.

Several match types, including Unsanctioned Lights-Out and Exploding Barbed Wire Death Matches will be featured. 

It was recently reported by Dave Meltzer that WWE may be looking to sign Konosuke Takeshita. However, it seems like Takeshita has his sights set elsewhere.

Takeshita First Excursion

Takeshita just finished up his excursion in America this month. He headed to the UK for some bouts in PROGRESS Wrestling before he returns to Japan to compete for DDT Pro Wrestling. 

Takeshita competed against top AEW names such as Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, and Hangman Page on AEW TV and traveled around the independent scene, wrestling for various promotions.

Konosuke is already looking to return to All Elite Wrestling and he is hoping to be back in the United States in October. 

Takeshita To Return To AEW

When speaking with Cultaholic, Konosuke revealed that he is looking to return to All Elite Wrestling.

“To be honest, now I’m not interested in WWE. My next goal is more fights in AEW I hope. So I have to go to back to Japan in August and September. Maybe, not decided yet, I hope I go back to America in October. Then if I stay in the US I can come to the UK more times. From Japan to the UK is so far but US to UK is maybe seven hours. It’s possible,” Takeshita said.

Takeshita competed at PROGRESS Wrestling over the weekend and is set to wrestle at DDT Wrestle Peter Pan on August 20.

Another former WWE Superstar is All Elite.

AEW has been criticized for signing too many former WWE performers, but that trend does not appear to be slowing down.

Ariya Daivari is the latest wrestler to sign a full-time deal with AEW, according to Fightful.

Daivari has been featured on AEW programming over the past several weeks. The former 205 Live star has been throwing his not-so-hard earned money around in AEW. He leads the Trustbusters faction, a group that has been making noise on AEW Dark.

Ariya Daivari in AEW

Since joining AEW, Ariya Daivari has received a fair degree of creative direction. He’s positioned as a “trust fund kid” who has a lot of not-so-hard-earned money to throw around.

The Trustbusters faction includes Daivari, Slim J, fellow WWE castoff Parker Bordeoux and Sonny Kiss is the latest addition.

Aside from his work on-screen, Daivari has also worked as a producer behind-the-scenes for AEW. He recently helped put together the Thunderstorm vs Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter match from AEW Dynamite. The bout got rave reviews, which only helped Daivari’s standings behind the scenes.

In addition to some critics feeling that Tony Khan is signing too many former WWE wrestlers, certain AEW performers have publicly expressed frustration with the company. Last week, company president Tony Khan addressed the chatter that underutilized performers are growing frustrated. You can read his reaction at the link below:

• Tony Khan Addresses Rumors of Bad Morale in AEW

There is a case to be made that AEW should focus on the talent already under contract. However, someone like Ariya Daivari is extremely talented. At 33 years old, he’s in his athletic prime and has a lot to offer the business on and off screen. As noted earlier, he’s starting off on the right foot. Daivari’s character is being developed and a faction is being built around him, so it does appear that AEW has the creative ‘bandwidth’ for him.

We’ll wait and see how Ariya Daivari does in the months ahead.