The Dark Order had to go through some tough times before they became one of the most beloved stables in wrestling. There were times when they had to face harsh criticism from fans for some spots. Evil Uno recently talked about one such moment which he thought would be the end of the faction.

The AEW star was talking about the infamous segment where The Dark Order beat up The Elite and SCU to end an episode of Dynamite back in December 2019. Not only did the segment didn’t go over with the fans but it later got criticized for a very bad botch. Videos of a creeper delivering punches to Dustin Rhodes went viral where the unnamed wrestler was seen throwing punches that didn’t even come close to connecting to the wrestling veteran.

Evil Uno and Stu Grayson both recently appeared on the latest episode of Talk Is Jericho where they talked about this segment and revealed their reaction to it. Uno admitted that they thought the group would be done after that. However this didn’t turn out to be the case and the Dark Order member gave credit to Tony Khan for coming up with the idea to revive the faction:

“We thought we were done after that to be honest, I mean, even on the lead up, we were a little nervous because originally, that wasn’t what was planned. We didn’t know we were going to end the last Dynamite of the year on this big beat down on all the faces

We thought we were done because we were supposed to have a follow up to that, which was on the first show of January, and they had cut us entirely from it, and then they cut us from the next couple of weeks too. We’ve had a lot of uncertainty throughout the year of AEW, and that was one of those moments where I was like, well, we’re done. I don’t think we can come back, but to Tony’s credit, he thought of The Exalted One hook right away.”

• Cody Rhodes Confirms “Negative One is the Leader of the Dark Order”

Thankfully for the Dark Order, Brodie Lee was revealed as the leader of the group in March 2020. The former WWE star helped them in becoming a fan favorite and took the group to new heights before his unfortunate passing in December 2020. Since then, Lee’s son dubbed as Negative 1 has been named their new leader.

Rampage will be the fourth weekly show in AEW’s repertoire. With an already packed production schedule, the company will have to make some major adjustments to make sure things run smoothly. Tony Khan recently explained how they are planning to ensure that this expansion is seamless.

The AEW president recently had an interview with PWInsider. He talked about a number of things and went into details of what changes the company is planning to make and how Rampage will fit into their plans. Khan first revealed that Rampage will not be live every week. They will instead choose between a taped show some weeks and live special on some specific markets:

“With Rampage, there’s going to be some weeks Rampage will be live and there’ll be weeks where we plan to tape Rampage after Dynamite, including here at Arthur Ashe Stadium [in NYC], where we will be filming also after. We’ll do Dynamite live and we’ll also film Rampage. And in some of the markets where we have these amazing crowds, I think it’s okay.”

Though Tony Khan confirmed that the premiere episode of their new show will be airing live and future Rampage episodes will also serve as the go-home shows for their PPVs. Regarding their non televised shows in Dark and Dark: Elevation, the AEW official revealed that they will tape Elevation before Dynamite and find a new venue for Dark:

“Before Dynamite, we used to tape Dark. That’s going to change. I’m going to tape Elevation before Dynamite now,” Khan said. “So it’s going to be a shorter Elevation and I may add matches that I’ll explain where I’ll add them from. I’m going to procure a venue for use to tape Dark and other content that’ll be great. And I’m really looking forward to this”

Tony Khan also explained that Dark will continue being their developmental show. AEW announced their expansion plans earlier this year, confirming that they will be launching their second TV show Rampage on August 13. The company confirmed that both their premiere shows will be moving to TBS in 2022.

• Tony Khan On WarnerMedia Wanting To Add Third Hour To Dynamite, If Rampage Will Be A Secondary Show

All Elite Wrestling is set to invade New York City for a very special edition of AEW Dynamite this September

AEW Grand Slam will take place Wednesday, September 22nd from the famed Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY. The venue hosts the annual US Open tennis grand slam tournament and accommodates nearly 24,000 people for tennis matches.

The venue opened in 1997 and features a lightweight retractable roof. It should provide a rather unique venue for professional wrestling.

Tickets start at just $25 and will go on sale July 16th.

AEW sent in a press release for the event, including these comments from AEW CEO, GM and Head of Create, Tony Khan:

“We wanted our first show in New York City to be extraordinary and epic in scale, and there’s no better venue to bring out the best in our talent and creativity than the iconic USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. We love the concept of wrestling in a non-traditional venue and placing our AEW ring on center court in the awe-inspiring Arthur Ashe Stadium. I can’t wait for fans to experience our live AEW DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM show in one of the coolest venues on the planet.”

Tony Khan & Chris Jericho Comment

AEW President Tony Khan was quoted by NY Daily News about the event.

“No city is more synonymous with wrestling than New York City,” Khan said. “AEW is a new company and our company is in the business of both embracing tradition and trailblazing, trying to start new traditions and new history.”

Chris Jericho was also quoted.

“It’s a real cool end to the chapter of our lives that we all want to move on from,” Jericho said.

“We’ll be vindicated as the coolest wrestling company in the world today. What fans can expect is what we’ve been doing, just at a higher intensity level and a higher energy level because of the people in the crowd giving us more inspiration and more energy and more reward for what we’re doing.”

More Reactions from AEW Stars

AEW President Tony Khan was recently profiled by Forbs for their Daily Cover feature which includes an interview with the wrestling promoter and a photoshoot with several wrestlers from the company.

The AEW owner talked about their competition with WWE and he said that he doesn’t want his promotion to be the next wrestling company of the past:

“I don’t want to be the next ‘blank’ wrestling company of the past—fill in the blank, We love wrestling of the past, wrestling of the present and wrestling of the future…” said Tony Khan, “That’s what gives us a great chance to retain and gain audience share.”

The co-owner of the Jacksonville Jaguar then also discussed the rise and fall of WCW and he interestingly claimed that he is glad that WCW failed:

“I’m glad that WCW failed because it created a vacancy for us to come in and succeed, but it made it a fairly bleak period for the wrestling business.”

• Tony Khan Reacts To Triple H Saying ‘Everybody Wants To Work For WWE’

Reiterating their commitment of providing an alternative, Tony Khan then said that the business is hotter than it’s been in a long time.He explained there is no reason why there needs to be only one wrestling company.

The interview also featured comments from the AEW president’s father Shahid Khan who revealed that he didn’t believe in the idea of the promotion at first. You can check out his remarks at this link.

Jon Moxley took over the hosting duties of “Oral Sessions” from Renee Pacquette this week. He tried out his best radio/podcasting voice and answered questions fans asked him online. One of the questions asked was how his nickname of “The Titty Master” came about.

Moxley has sort of given his autobiography the tag line “The Book of Zero F***s. Tales of the Titty Master.”

Using his best podcaster voice, Moxley explained the story of the Titty Master. It was a fairly ridiculous tale.

“Here is the thing that you have to understand. That one does not simply wake up in the morning and put on the Titty Master. One does not come home at night and take it off. This is a life you live when you are bequeathed with the energy of the Titty Master,” Mox began the tale.

He then detailed the Titty Master origin story. Marvel couldn’t have written it better.

“I woke up in a cold sweat, cold sweat. I had a nightmare and I was given a message through the ether, I knew where I needed to go. Somehow I knew, the universe put me on this path and I set out on a journey to Mount Titicaca.”

Jon Moxley Climbs Mount Titicaca

“I climb to the top of this mountain, lightning crashing, wind, dust in my face, hot ash flying. I see the Titty elders at the top of the mountain standing around a tree and they all raise their hands in the air and then lightning strikes and it hits this big oak tree,” Moxley continued. He would then say that he was not sure if it was an oak tree or a ficus, however.

“Then out of this lightning strike I see red glowing, two pieces of wood. I’m called to them. I feel a pull and the elders look at me and I look at them and I look at the wood and I see it come into view. And I see it’s just a pair of nunchucks inscribed into the wood with the lightning. A ‘T’ is inscribed in the wood with burning fire and lightning and an ‘M.’”

Moxley continued to say he knows that these inscribed nunchucks mean he is the Titty Master.

“The elders they put their heads up and they walk away and they leave me alone on top of the mountain with these. I realized at that moment that I am the Titty Master.”

You can listen to this full and ridiculous story in the player below:

Renee Paquette and Jon Moxley are the proud parents of a baby girl. Paquette took to Twitter to announce the news this morning. She also stated that she will not be hosting her podcast for the next few weeks. Renee has lined up some guest hosts to cover for her, however.

“Baby girl is officially here, so I’m checking out and becoming a mom. (She’s absolutely incredible!!” Paquette Tweeted. “I have a bunch of guest hosts lined up for you guys and I started with none other than my baby daddy, cool dude husband.”

Several people from the wrestling world have issued congrats to her and Moxley online.

“Congrats Renee!!!! You’re going to be such a bad ass mom. Can’t wait to see your little girl!” wrote Kayla Braxton.

Nyla Rose also commented on Renee’s birth announcement:

The former Tom Phillips (Tom Hannifan) also commented:

Renee Paquette On The Negatives Of Working For WWE

Paquette was recently on Busted Open Radio and spoke about the negatives she experienced while working for WWE.

“For me it’s not the wrestling,” Paquette began. “The wrestling side of wrestling I love. It’s the production side of things that can be a kick in the lady d*ck. Just being micromanaged.” 

“I don’t like being micromanaged” Renee Paquette added. “I don’t like being under the magnifying glass as much as one is or can be in that world. You think you go through it once and ‘okay, I’m safe!’ and then like, another year later or so its ‘you’re back under the microscope again.’”

The father of AEW’s Tony Khan recently admitted that he thought his son starting a wrestling company was a bad idea. Tony and Shahid Khan were both interviewed recently by Forbes and spoke about how the decision to start AEW came about.

“I absolutely didn’t think this was a good idea,” Shad Khan said. “But I told Tony, ‘Look, when I’m dead and gone, I’m going to be leaving you and your sister a lot of money. Why don’t you blow some of that while I’m alive?’”

The elder Khan would be pleasantly surprised with the success of AEW, however. The father and son’s history with wrestling actually goes back to 1996. Tony was 13 at the time. His father wanted to incentivize him to go to the University of Illinois Laboratory High School. After Khan took the entrance exam for the school, Khan agreed to take Tony to an ECW show in Philadelphia. Tony spoke about his father’s reaction to seeing a live ECW show.

“My dad couldn’t believe what he was seeing,” Tony Khan said about the experience. “He was like, ‘This is a mix between an underground rock show and a cult.’”

Last year, Tony Khan’s AEW received $43.75 million in rights fees from Turner. Brett Weitz, general manager of TNT, TBS and truTV, spoke to Forbes about their investment in Khan’s company.

“It was very clear we put ourselves in the right hands,” said Weitz. “For someone to have the audacity to say, ‘I’m going to go take on the biggest wrestling league in the world and see if I can be a challenger brand,’ it takes chutzpah. And he nailed it.”

Andrade El Idolo won’t be at the Federacion Wrestling debut show on June 19th. 

The former WWE star known as Andrade took to Twitter  to announce he won’t be appearing at the event as he stated, “A good arrangement was not reached with the new company.”

He was scheduled to team with RUSH, Bestia Del Ring, and a surprise partner against Matt Taven, PJ Black, and The Briscoe Brothers (Mark & Jay Briscoe) at the event. 

RUSH as well as Kenny King, Dragon Lee, and Bestia Del Ring have also announced that they’re off the show due to “logistical issues.”

Andrade recently signed with All Elite Wrestling. He’s slated to do an interview segment with Jim Ross on Friday’s episode of Dynamite. 

At an RGR Lucha Libre show in Los Angeles over the weekend, Andrade teamed up with V.I.P. and Piloto Suicida to face El Hijo del Santo, Rey Leon, and Misterioso. His next match will be when he faces fellow WWE star Alberto Del Rio on July 31.

He’s slated to challenge AEW World Champion Kenny Omega for his AAA Mega Championship at TripleMania XXIX in August.

AEW officials got some better news regarding the Dynamite ratings that have been plagued due to TNT’s coverage of the NBA Playoffs

The June 11th Friday Night edition of Dynamite did 487,000 viewers on TNT, according to Nielsen via Brandon Thurston of WrestleNomics. That is down from last week’s show that aired on the same night and timeslot, which pulled in 462,000 viewers.

The show did a 0.19 rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic, which was the exact same as the show did a week prior. The June 4th episode marked the lowest audience in the history of the show. 

The show did a 0.12 rating in the female 18-49 demo, 0.26 in male 18-49, 0.33 in persons 18-34, and a 0.35 in the male 18-34 demo. 

AEW will continue to be preempted for NBA action for the rest of this month. This week’s show will air on Friday night before switching to a Saturday night slot on June 26th, which will be headlined by AEW World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega defending the title against Jungle Boy. That will be a live show from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place.

AEW, AAA Mega, IMPACT and TNA Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega recently appeared on the PWI Podcast. The former IWGP Champion discussed a number of topics during the interview, including the ongoing ‘Forbidden Door’ storyline that has seen multiple companies work together during the pandemic era.

“I think there will always be limits,” Omega began, discussing the concept of the Forbidden Door and companies working in tandem. “There will always be lines that you cannot cross. But I believe that there is a world, right place, right time, when you can see every company working together.”

“And I don’t necessarily mean every company. I just mean if another wanted to work with another company, I think they’d be open to the idea. And I think again, this is a terrible thing to say, one of the reasons the Forbidden Door, quote unquote, was opened with New Japan, it was partly due to what we’re all struggling with right now, which is a pandemic” Omega continued, highlighting the overall landscape of pro wrestling.

Kenny Omega on The Forbidden Door

“For us to take a step back and stop worrying about our own stuff and see what kind of world we’re all living in. It’s the same world” Kenny Omega would continue. “And how we need to set aside petty differences, how we need to set aside just age old tropes of ‘this is my company and my territory and stay the heck out. There’s no way we can ever play nice and cross paths.’

Although New Japan appear to still be working with AEW, there have been rumors of WWE working out a deal with the Japanese company. These are not currently confirmed, however talks between WWE and NJPW are at a more advanced stage than previously thought.

Triple H made some interesting remarks about female talents during his latest Takeover: In Your House media call. It appears that Tony Khan does not agree with a specific part of it.

The Game was talking about how their roster has the best female talents in the world and he claimed those who are not in their company want to join it.

Khan took exception to Triple H’s remarks. On the latest Busted Open Radio, he explained that it’s ok to think that your product is the best and what offended people was the thinking that everybody wants to work for WWE:

“I think where people got offended yesterday is when he said ‘everybody wants to work there.’  That was like; people are confusing the two things.

If you want to say like ‘hey, I think my show is the best. I think my product is the best’, there’s nothing wrong with that. Like you should feel that way. That’s good.”

• AEW’s Tony Khan Explains How Unpredictable Matches Help Viewership

The AEW president then said that it’s crazy to think that everyone wants to go to WWE and there are plenty of AEW talent who have no interest in competing for the rival promotion:

“But when you say it like ‘anybody of any value wants to work here’, that’s not true. It’s crazy. There’s plenty of people who work in AEW that have no interest in working there.”

What did you make of Triple H’s remarks about the female talents? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Mark Henry made a surprise appearance at AEW Double Or Nothing last month. He was then announced as their newest star but the company promoted him as a Coach & Guest Analyst. This made many wonder about his in-ring status for the company and the former world champion recently cleared the air on his future inside the squared circle.

During the latest episode of Busted Open Radio, Mark Henry talked about Sting’s recent performance. He then claimed that he will be wrestling for AEW in the future, though the former WWE star didn’t give a timetable or date for it:

“Sting has made me feel like fifty is not old,” Henry said. “Sting is one of those guys that, and if there’s anyone out there in this world I’d appreciate if you tweeted this out, Sting is a credit to the elder statesmen in wrestling. He has made me feel there’s a lot that I can still offer, not just behind the scenes, but possibly in the ring.

I don’t know when that’s going to be. But I’ve said it before, I want to wrestle again before it’s all said and done.” said Mark Henry, “I want to wrestle in four decades, and that time is upon us.”

• Mark Henry On How Vince McMahon Reacted To His Decision To Join AEW

Sting made his debut for AEW during a Dynamite episode last December. He wrestled a cinematic match for the company during Revolution in March and the 62-year-old then had his first live match since 2015 during Double Or Nothing.

This isn’t the first time Mark Henry has talked about an in-ring return in recent times. The former champion revealed back in February that he was training for one more match. It would now be interesting to see who turns out to be his opponent for this bout.

The Acclaimed’s Max Castor recently dropped some rhymes for TMZ based on some of the latest stories they have published. These included stories about LeBron James, Logan Paul, Naomi Osaka, Julio Jones and Buff Bagwell.

“Platinum, I be looking for attention in the summer
Feeling like LeBron James when he’s switching numbers.”

“He with the stars, red carpet with the pastel
I’m with the bars feeling like I’m Buff Bagwell
I saw his video, does he need a doctor?
Maybe take a tip from Naomi Osaka.”

“Nobody holding me up, I’m not Logan Paul
Feeling like I’m Julio Jones now, going long.”

Castor’s full rap can be viewed in the video below:

Also during the interview, Caster noted that he writes all of his own lyrics.

“I do all my own writing, I write all my own stuff. I will kind of pitch it around to other guys and say ‘hey, is this hitting hard enough? Is this the one or should I make it a little bit better?” Caster said. “I have people who will tell me ‘hey man, that might be too far’ but if they say it’s too far then I stick with it, usually.”

The full interview with Castor can be viewed in the player below:

Kenny Omega vs Jungle Boy was originally scheduled to take place tonight but was moved to the June 26th show. This was done so the match could air live and build the show on the 26th into a big event but it will also be beneficial for Omega who is said to be dealing with several nagging injuries at the moment.

Omega’s current physical state was addressed recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“Omega is hurting pretty badly between slicing up his hand and needing seven stitches when he delivered the fourth belt shot on Pac in the three-way (the one with the AEW belt which is especially sharp), a deep bone bruise near his tailbone, the normal wear and tear on his knees and an athletic hernia,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

It was also noted that Omega had a stomach virus for a period as well. Omega reportedly was telling people at the Fan Fest before Double or Nothing that he’s hurting pretty badly and that this might be a sign he is closer to hanging up his boots.

“At the fan fest the day before the PPV, he said there are days he wakes up and walks around where he thinks maybe he’s close to the time to hang it up because his body is feeling worse,” Meltzer continued.

Omega has several big title matches upcoming this summer. He’ll face Moose tomorrow on Impact’s Against All Odds show. It’s not clear when exactly that match was taped or if it has been yet, however. He’ll then take on Jungle Boy on the 26th. Omega is also scheduled to defend the AAA Mega Championship against recent AEW signee Andrade at TripleMania.

The Dark Order has fast become one of the hottest and most over factions in AEW. Under the guidance of the late Brodie Lee, they grew into a dominant force in AEW.

Ever since his passing in December 2020 the group have been acting without a dedicated leader. However, AEW has allowed his son Brodie Lee Jr to appear on the show, assuming the identity of Negative One. While still only a child, Negative One loves wrestling. He already has the promise of a contract when he turns 18, should he want it.

Recent articles have discussed his appearances, with his mother Amanda Huber recently confirming he had been taken off TV after his grades slipped at school.

The internet has been full of talk ever since it was confirmed that WWE had released both Braun Strowman and Aleister Black. Both men being touted as the ones to assume the mantel of the leader of the Dark Order.

This talk was silenced by Cody Rhodes last night when he confirmed the only leader of the Dark Order.

There is something incredibly wholesome about the Negative One story. Allowing him to continue to develop his love of professional wrestling. It is a sign of how AEW operate as a company that they have allowed Brodie Lee Jr to carry on in his father’s role.

Negative One is the leader of the Dark Order. It will take a force bigger than Braun Strowman and Tommy End (Aleister Black) to dethrone him.

Lio Rush recently announced his retirement from professional wrestling. He had been wrestling with NJPW and MLW before making his AEW debut in the Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing. According to an update from Wrestling Observer Radio, NJPW had given Rush permission to sign with AEW as well.

“New Japan gave AEW the okay to sign him, I mean New Japan would have priority on the dates but originally the nature of the New Japan contract was that he could work for AEW, he could work for MLW, he could do indies but New Japan would have the first priority and New Japan would also have the right to turn things down,” said Dave Meltzer.

Meltzer would continue to say that NJPW granting Rush the okay to sign with AEW is indicative of the current relationship between the two companies.

“In fact, they gave him permission to sign an American contract with AEW. Which also I think is very important politically because the fact that New Japan would give someone who they have under contract the okay to sign with AEW tells me that New Japan at this point today believes that they are going to be in business with AEW and not WWE.”

Rush did say in his retirement announcement that he would be finishing up his New Japan commitments when he returns from his shoulder injury.

All Elite Wrestling star Tay Conti has signed with Clubhouse Media Group, an influencer-based marketing and media firm.

The collaboration will see AEW’s #2 ranked female competitor move in to Clubhouse BH, a 12,000-foot Beverly Hills mansion.

She will be living with some of the top social media influencers in the world, including pro racecar driver Lindsay Brewer, YouTube stars The Dobre Brothers, blogger Michelle Kennelly, dancer Gabriella Saraivah, and many more who have a collective reach now exceeding 250 million followers.

“Joining Clubhouse Media as a resident of its popular content house, @TheClubhouseBH, is a huge step in my social media career,” said Conti. “I’m looking forward to collaborating with some of the best content creators in the industry as well as the professionalism the Company brings to the process and the fun antics being a resident of the house will create.”

Clubhouse Media brings together some of the most influential voices in the world. The social media reach of their talent roster now exceeds 250 million followers.

Chris Young, co-founder of Clubhouse Media, says Tay Conti is a perfect fit for the influencer house. “Tay’s background affords Clubhouse Media the opportunity to communicate with a new diverse audience of followers as we help her enhance her content, grow her audience and introduce her to brand partners.”

Ever since the passing of Mr Brodie Lee in December 2020, his son, Brodie Lee Jr (or -1 as he is known in AEW) has been a regular member of the Dark Order. However, in recent weeks, his absence has been noticed by many.

After a social media user jokingly suggested the youngster was grounded for not trying hard at school. His mother, Amanda Huber responded saying they were correct.

“100% He stopped doing his work so he lost privileges,” wrote Amanda of her son, Brodie. “I don’t make any money off any appearances he does at AEW, it’s purely for fun. It’s his favorite place in the world and a reward for hard work. He managed to finish his school year with all A’s & B’s despite slipping up a bit. I’m very proud of him.”

The way AEW handled the passing of Brodie Lee is commendable. How they have helped the family and made sure that Brodie Lee Jr gets to continue spending time in his favorite place is a story that deserves all the attention it gets.

However, there is something undeniably wholesome about this. There seems to be little doubt right now that Brodie Lee Jr will enter the wrestling world. However, it is good to see he will not do so at the expense of his education.

-1 has been a popular figure in his time in AEW, and as the de facto leader of the Dark Order, his presence is always felt.

In a time when everybody is talking about big money signings and contract disputes, it is refreshing to see that it’s not always about money. It’s great to see that the love of professional wrestling is still there in many people.

AEW star Sammy Guevara recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The member of the Inner Circle stable discussed a number of topics during the interview, including the leader of the group, Chris Jericho.

“Man there’s so many” Guevara began, discussing the reasons why Chris Jericho is a ‘genius’ in wrestling terms. “Just taking your time in between the moments, structuring certain things. He’s such a mastermind at this.”

“There’s a reason he’s been doing this longer than I’ve been alive” Sammy Guevara continued. “And so anytime he says something I always try to just take it.”

Sammy Guevara on Chris Jericho

“And even if I don’t see what he’s seeing, I try to understand it from where he’s coming from” Guevara revealed. “Then by the end of it I’m like, ‘Okay, now this makes sense.’”

“He kind of has a different way of thinking” the Inner Circle member concluded. “I don’t even know. He’s a genius. There’s so many lessons this dude has taught me and too many to really say, to be honest.”

With The Inner Circle set to continue their feud with The Pinnacle, Sammy Guevara will be able to continue to ascend the ranks. Guevara winning the Stadium Stampede II match was a huge moment for the young star, and he’s just one of the many performers who AEW have built in their first years of existence.

If there is one man who could be called the voice of wrestling, then it is Jim Ross. Good Ol’ JR has been the voice of several generations, as well as being an influential figure behind the scenes. Talking on his Grilling JR Podcast, he took time out to talk about AEW’s recent Hall of Fame signing, and what is really means for the company.

Jim Ross of full of praise for Mark Henry, and while he was surprised AEW were able to coax the world’s strongest man away from WWE, he believes it shows the true intentions of AEW Rampage.

 “You know he’s got a good eye for talent, he’s coachable, he likes to mentor so that was pretty cool. It gives me credence that the Friday night show Rampage is not going to be a throw away, it’s not a space filler. I was kind of surprised that Mark got out from under the WWE banner and is coming to work with our team.”

Jim Ross Feels Mark Henry Has a Big Role to Play at AEW

Jim Ross is not believed to be part of the Rampage team. However, he believes Mark Henry has what it takes to make the show something special. He also feels as though we will be seeing Mark Henry competing in an AEW ring also. Jim Ross also spoke about how AEW kept Mark Henry’s signing a true surprise for everybody.

“It’s a win-win for everybody I believe, and it also opens the door potentially down the road for Mark to have another match or two. He’s still got the itch; it seems to me like. I didn’t see him all day, so they kept him sequestered all day. It didn’t leak, it never got out.”

AEW need the show to hit the ground running. Especially after a run of disappointing figures for Dynamite during its recent stint on the Friday night slot. The same slot Rampage will fill.

Lio Rush made the announcement of his retirement from professional wrestling earlier today and now Tony Khan has commented on his decision. All Elite Wrestling reacted to the surprising announcement by releasing a statement on social sites, which featured the comments from their owner and president.

In the statement as seen below, Khan revealed that Rush had shared his plans with him before going public with it. Tony Khan also claimed that while the news was unexpected, he is glad that Lio has made a choice that will make him happy:

“Lio Rush reached out to me today, and he shared that he’d planned to announce his retirement from pro wrestling tonight. While this news was unexpected, I’m glad that he’s made a choice that he’s confident will make him and his family happy. Lio is a great talent, and I enjoyed briefly working with him, and I absolutely wish him the best.”

Lio Rush had made his debut for All Elite Wrestling just last month. He was revealed as a surprise entrant in the casino battle royal during the Double Or Nothing PPV on May 30. Tony Khan had even expressed interest in bringing the former WWE star back to his promotion for future appearances.

However, Rush made a surprising announcement earlier today. He made a lengthy post on Instagram and explained that a recent injury has forced him to reflect on his career and think about his future. The NJPW star then revealed that he has made the decision to retire from active competition.

• AEW’s Tony Khan Explains How Unpredictable Matches Help Viewership

Former AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida debuted a new look during this week’s episode of AEW Dark: Elevation. The Japanese star lost to Dr Britt Baker D.M.D at the Double or Nothing PPV event just over a week ago, and now Shida has changed up her look as she looks to climb up the Women’s division rankings.

Hikaru Shida faced Diamante in the main event of the show. The episode also featured some of AEW’s more established names on the card, including Santana & Ortiz, Ethan Page, Brian Cage & Powerhouse Hobbs, The Acclaimed and Scorpio Sky.

Here’s the full results for this week’s episode of the YouTube show:

• Jade Cargill w/ Smart Mark Sterling b. Rache Chanel
• Santana & Ortiz b. Liam Gray & Adrian Alanis
• Scorpio Sky b. Trevor Read
• Brian Cage & Powerhouse Hobbs w/ Hook & Ricky Starks b. Trevor Aeon and Kendall Blake
• Evil Uno w/ -1 b. Danny Limelight
• Ethan Page b. Mike Sydal
• The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) b. Alex Reynolds and Alan “5” Angels
• Kris Statlander b. Queen Aminata
• Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr. & Griff Garrison) w/ Julia Hart b. JD Drake and Ryan Nemeth w/ The Wingmen
• Hikaru Shida b. Diamante

Check out this week’s episode of AEW Dark: Elevation below:

Preemptions due to TNT’s coverage of the NBA Playoffs continue to plague AEW Dynamite’s ratings.

The June 4th Friday Night edition of Dynamite did 462,000 viewers on TNT, according to Nielsen via PWTorch. That is down 12.17% from last week’s show that aired on the same night and timeslot, which pulled in 526,000 viewers. 

The show did a 0.19 rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic, which was slightly down from the 0.20 rating the show did a week prior. As a result, this was the lowest audience in the history of the show. 

For comparisons, let’s take a look back at other ratings from past episodes of Dynamite that aired on a different night instead of its traditional Wednesday night slot. 

The episode that aired one year ago in the same week and went head-to-head against WWE NXT was up 36.7%. The Saturday Night Dynamite episode on August 22, 2020 drew 755,000 viewers with a 0.31 rating while the Thursday Night Dynamite episode on August 27, 2020 drew 813,000 viewers and a 0.29 rating.

This was the post-Double Or Nothing edition of Dynamite that featured the fallout from the show. AEW will continue to be preempted for NBA action for the rest of this month.

Billy Corgan’s NWA presented the When Our Shadows Fall PPV this weekend. Kamille defeated Serena Deeb to win the NWA World Women’s Championship on the show. Deeb had most recently successfully defended that same title against Riho on the Double or Nothing Buy-In show.

Corgan appeared on the 2 Man Power Trip podcast recently and spoke about the relationship his promotion has with AEW.

“We work everything out. Tony has been an incredible partner and I never felt like the NWA or myself wasn’t totally respected,” Corgan said on the show (transcriptions via Fightful). “The communication is great and we talk fairly often. He’s obviously a very busy guy. When we do talk, we keep it to what is most valuable. I’m a fan of Tony. He’s been a breath of fresh air to business.”

Corgan continued to talk about Khan’s influence in wrestling. In particular, Corgan says that Khan and AEW are proving that there is room at the table for other promotions.

“It’s great to see their success because Tony is paving the way for us to make the argument that there is more room at the table for others,” Corgan continued. “Five years ago, when I was with TNA and I’d go into those meetings, we’d sit in meetings and they’d say, ‘It’s WWE and no one else.’ TNA’s biggest year generated like $39 million gross revenue, which is a big number. In those meetings, they didn’t care what I was selling. If they couldn’t make it happen, what could you say if you were [at a lower revenue], no matter how good your ideas are.”

Corgan’s NWA is back in the GPB Studios today. They welcomed fans back for the first time since the pandemic for tapings scheduled from June 5-7.

“Tony is proving there is more and you see that with them expanding their programming. They wouldn’t be expanding their programming if there wasn’t a desire for more.”

With Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb becoming regulars in AEW while still in the NWA Women’s division, it begs the question of who else could be shared between the two promotions. Could Kamille defend her newly won NWA title in AEW? Could former AEW talent and recent NWA signing Kylie Rae appear on Dynamite?

Cody Rhodes vs Nick Aldis III?

Corgan was also recently on Busted Open Radio and spoke about wanting to book a trilogy bout between Cody Rhodes and Nick Aldis.

“I’ve pitched it to Tony [Khan] a few times [Nick Aldis coming over to AEW]. It’s Tony’s world, I respect him for what he’s building. But yeah, look, I’ll say it again, Nick [Aldis] versus Cody Rhodes for a third time. I mean, that is an epic, epic matchup waiting to happen,” Corgan said (transcriptions via Post Wrestling). 

Sometimes you need to change things up a bit. A fresh look or a new attitude can change the fortunes of a wrestler. In a cryptic, yet revealing social media post, AEW star Hikaru Shida has hinted at just that.

Posting an image of cut hair on a salon floor with the simple caption ‘Restart’.

Hikaru Shida was the AEW women’s champion for just over a year. The longest reign in the entire AEW promotion so far. Dr Britt Baker dethroned the Japanese star at the recent Double or Nothing PPV. The loss clearly had an effect on Shida, prompting her to make a drastic change.

It’s unlikely that this will signify a heel turn for the star, with Baker filling that dominant heel role for now. However, a change in attitude might be what is needed for Shida to reclaim her title.

There is only one belt for the packed female roster in AEW right now. Hikaru Shida is a fan favourite and has a star power draw. However, after recent segments on Dynamite, it looks as if Baker is set for a feud with Nyla Rose.

Whatever the creative plans at AEW, it is clear that Hikaru Shida has a big role to play still. It will be interesting to see how she copes with the loss of her title, and where she goes from here.