Matt Hardy is arguably one of the most innovative wrestlers of the current era. Jim Cornette, on the other hand, has been frequently critical of the current state of the wrestling business. The two have been clashing on social media as of late.
Ironically, this all started when Matt Hardy put out a tweet encouraging people to not be so negative online. He wrote, “If you read/watch someone’s take & you dislike it, why would you waste any of your time to negatively comment on it? This is odd. Move on. People believe differently than you, whether you accept it or not. Unless someone’s being unethical & immoral, let people live their life.”
This led to someone commenting that Hardy sometimes is sometimes critical of Jim Cornette online.
In the past, I’ve responded to some of his cult over their #BROKEN Matt hate to enhance my heel persona. Done with that. Diehard @AEW fans view me as a heel, so I’m just gonna be me, be real going forward. Had great respect for JC early on, not into his current shock jock gig. https://t.co/kEnPBuukPI
“Not a gig, Matt, just my real opinions since I’m done with this dog & pony show some of you guys call wrestling these days. A shame what’s happened to the business. Had great respect for you when you didn’t teleport to other dimensions and change clothes in a fucking ice machine,” Cornette Tweeted.
Reby Hardy wasn’t going to just sit on the sidelines while someone insulted her husband.
“Your principles will always be tested by people who care more about fame than integrity or money instead of what’s right. Cash in & be a whore or stand up for what you believe in and have a bunch of stupid idiots say you “can’t change.” Words of wisdom. Also don’t do stupid shit,” Cornette responded to Hardy’s Tweet.
My principles have never been better, Jim. I believe in enjoying life & providing the absolute best for my family. That’s what I’m doing. I’ll keep doing that regardless of you.
You "hate" & are done with @AEW? You’ll keep watching. You have to. It fuels your shock jock gig. https://t.co/s2oBO7v679
I was speaking to your husband, who I've known for some time. You obviously don't know me. Some people are intimidated by your tonguelashings. I'm not. Stay in YOUR lane Chickadee, you're dealing with a professional. I don't play nice. https://t.co/ECjMs2O2U9
Wasn't talking just the Lollipop Guild you work for Matt, I mean ALL of this horseshit, your company & it's amateur booker are just the most egregious. Sorry you have to do shit like this to provide for your family, it must be a rotten feeling. I enjoy speaking my TRUE opinions.
Andrade appeared on AAA’s Rey de Reyes show over the weekend and issued a challenge to Mega Champion Kenny Omega for TripleMania. Omega has since responded to Andrade on Twitter.
“BUSY GUY. I debuted at 13 years old and I always kept busy and traveled around the world winning championships and you in Japan playing with children when I was a superstar, now is my first #Traquilo year,I will wait for your answer on the beach”
@KennyOmegamanX BUSY GUY. I debuted at 13 years old and I always kept busy and traveled around the world winning championships and you in Japan playing with children when I was a superstar, now is my first #Traquilo year,I will wait for your answer on the beach??@luchalibreaaapic.twitter.com/g1y2n7tFl0
— “EL IDOLO” ANDRADE (@AndradeElIdolo) May 3, 2021
Angles For TripleMania
The Rey de Reyes show set up several angles that will likely play out at TripleMania. In addition to Andrade appearing on the show and challenging Kenny Omega, Impact Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo challenged Faby Apache after she won the Reina de Reinas championship. Purrazzo then attacked Apache and put her in an arm-bar. The match between the two will be title for title.
There was also an invasion angle on the show. Sam Adonis, Puma King and Diamante Azul are now a stable known as La Empresa and are playing up their history with CMLL. The Sexy Star character has also been recast with Hija de Gatubela now playing the role.
The pandemic era has changed wrestling in a number of ways, including the (re)introduction of taped matches. In a recent interview on Wrestling Observer Radio, Chris Jericho talked about how AEW will do several different takes of a spot just to get it right.
AEW Dynamite is often branded as being a live show. However, there have been instances during the pandemic where AEW has taped several shows. During his recent chat with Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez, the G.O.A.T of professional wrestling talked about how matches would be edited to remove botches. He went on to say he had gone through as many as three takes on a single spot.
“We worked with Top Flight, me and MJF against Top Flight, and I was gonna put one guy in the Walls and the other guy that jumps over me sunset flips over me where I catapult the other brother to where he’s on MJF who’s on the floor. When we tried this thing it fcked up so bad. We tried it again that it fcked up even worse the second that we had to try it a third time. I was like, ‘I would never do this, but why not take advantage of it?’ It’s a taped show.” Jericho said during his interview.
Blood and Guts Will Leave No Room for Error
Botches are a part of wrestling. We are talking about athletes who put together some of the most acrobatic displays you will see humans perform. Their spots take talent, timing and understanding in order to pull them off. It’s understandable that sometimes things don’t go fully according to plan. For the viewers watching at home, this can be everything from frustrating to illusion breaking. The benefit of watching taped matches is that the stars have the chance to stop, reset and try again. This allows them to create spots that look exactly as expected.
https://www.instagram.com/p/COEF-JHDJgl/
Jericho raises an interesting point. He went on to discuss using edits and re-shoots to make sure things went perfectly. Is that still wrestling? Do fans want a 100% flawless set of matches?
One thing is for sure, the blood and guys match will leave no room for error. AEW has confirmed that this match will be shot live. The other matches on the card, however, will be taped in advance.
This week on Elevation, Willow Nightingale will be making her AEW debut going head-to-head with none other than Thunder Rosa.
Many wrestling fans will not know Nightingale. However, those that follow the indie wrestling scene will no doubt be familiar with her name. The recent in a line of talent from NYWC – New York Wrestling Connection, she comes into AEW with a young, but strong pedigree.
Willow Nightingale debuted only 6 years ago in 2015 but has wrestled for some of the more prominent indie promotions, including CZW, House of Glory, and Shimmer. She was also a tag-team champion in Chikara. She held the women’s tag-titles as part of The Bird and The Bee for 228 days. They were the reigning champions until the company closed its doors at the end of 2020.
— Willow Nightingale (@willowwrestles) May 1, 2021
The chance of her picking up a victory against a wrestler with the momentum of Thunder Rosa is highly unlikely. However, this will not be your everyday squash match. It has everything it needs to be one of the better fights of the night. If she plays her cards right, it could be a major steppingstone for Willow Nightingale to get a full-time spot on the AEW roster.
The female division is growing in the company, and as rumours of a female-only show abound, we could find ourselves getting very familiar with Nightingale as the year goes on.
Willow Nightingale’s debut for AEW was called by fans after spotting her in the crowd during an episode of Dynamite. This is not the first time a wrestler was spotted in attendance before making their debut for the company.
AEW will present “Blood & Guts” on the May 5th edition of Dynamite. Chris Jericho and his Inner Circle will take on Maxwell Jacob Friedman and the Pinnacle. While the double-ring steel cage match draws many comparisons to the War Games matches created by Dusty Rhodes in the 1980s, Jericho says Blood & Guts will be different.
“It’s not a true blue War Games either,” Jericho said on Wrestling Observer Radio. “The apparatus is different just because of the way – I don’t think I’m giving anything away here – the configurations of Daily’s Place… you’ve never seen an apparatus like this, there are some differences to it.”
“Blood and guts really is a new version,” Jericho continued. “It’s not WWE’s version of a War Games, it’s not Dusty’s version of a War Games, it’s AEW’s version of War Games which is why it’s called Blood & Guts, it’s got a different name to it. And I like that, I like the fact that it has to be a different match, not just because we don’t own the copyright for War Games because we actually are making this a little bit different from what you’re used to.”
Jericho also confirmed while there might be some blood, no guts will be visible during the match (unless something has gone horribly wrong).
“I’m sure there’ll be some blood. There won’t be any guts. I don’t want to disappoint you guys but nobody’s going to be hara-kiri’ed with a samurai sword where you see the endtrails or anything like that,” Jericho said.
On AEW Dynamite this week, Chris Jericho made reference to Jake Hager having saved him from an “assassination attempt” in Abu Dhabi in 2012. Jericho appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio recently and detailed what exactly took place during this situation.
“That is a true story. He didn’t save me from assassination but he did have my back,” Jericho said on the show. “We were in Abu Dhabi and we were in a club and some guy was being a jerk so I just walked by him and gave him a body check, body checked him into the wall, a good o’l fashioned hockey move.”
“He claimed that his father owned, and I quote, 27% of the country and that I would be assassinated by the end of the day, like in 24 hours. I had a bounty for $7 million on my head.”
Jericho continued to say that he asked the person if $7 million was a good number for a bounty and what other size bounties are given in similar situations.
“Hager was behind me going ‘dude, this is the wild west, don’t mess with this guy.'”
Jericho would later say that he went back to his room and was thinking he wouldn’t go out again until things blew over. Eventually, he was convinced to go back to the same club, however.
“I go back to the club and the bouncer’s there and he goes ‘oh, you haven’t been assassinated yet’ and it’s like ‘no, should I be worried?’ and he goes ‘that m***erf***ker says that all the time. His dad doesn’t own the country, he owns a gas station down the street.’ But at the time we didn’t know and Jake had my back when I was threatened with assassination in Abu Dhabi.”
Former AEW ‘Le Champion’ Chris Jericho recently appeared on WrestlingINC’s daily show. The former WWE Undisputed Champion discussed a number of topics on the show, including how AEW has built younger stars into viable talents on a national stage.
“Our goal from the start was to make new stars” Jericho began the interview. “Because that’s what wrestling’s all about. It always has been. If you look at last week’s show, where we had Jungle Boy vs. Darby Allin in the main event, we had Shida vs. Tay Conti in a main event.”
“Those are two kind of fence post matches on our show and they both did a great number” Jericho continued. “We’ve made Darby Allin into a legit main event draw. I mean last night he’s in the main event with Ten for God’s sake and it will probably do a good number.”
“I give us a full Barry Horowitz pat on the back for that because we set out to do it and we did it” Chris Jericho added. “It’s not hard to do; pick the right guy and just stick with them.”
Jericho finished by discussing how the inclusion of Sting has really helped the Darby Allin character get over as the TNT Champion. “We paired Darby with Sting, so he got that rub. And now Sting is almost, I’m not going to say lackey, but he’s almost Darby’s second at this point. And that’s probably exactly what he should be.”
Would you like to see Chris Jericho vs Darby Allin in a feud over the TNT Championship? Let us know in the comments
Tessa Blanchard and husband Daga are in talks to sign with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The negotiations have been ongoing for over a month. One source close to the situation tells us that it’s “all but a formality” until they are signed.
Blanchard is a former Impact World Champion. She is widely considered one of the most talented female competitors on the open market.
She’s weathered her share of controversies, including claims that she is difficult to work with and allegations of racism, which she adamantly denied. AEW officials have discussed the idea of acknowledging Tessa Blanchard’s prior ‘issues’ on television and presenting her with a redemption storyline of sorts.
Daga has been wrestling for Mexico’s Lucha Libre AAA promotion. He was the AAA Latin American Champion up until this past week, when he vacated the belt.
The NBA Playoffs get going on May 22nd, 2021 and several of the games will air on TNT. The episode of AEW Dynamite originally scheduled for May 26th, 2021 will not air in the promotion’s usual time slot due to the basketball schedule.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the show scheduled for the 26th will now take place on Friday, May 28th. Additionally, the show will air at 10 PM est rather than at 8 PM est. AEW’s next PPV is scheduled to be Double or Nothing on May 30th, 2021. This means the delayed show on the 28th will be the go-home show for the event.
AEW was also forced to move several shows last summer to make way for the NBA Playoffs. The NBA was forced into a bubble for the end of the season and playoffs last year, months after the season would have normally already ended.
Tony Khan On AEW’s Deal With Turner For Wednesday Nights
Turner Sports also recently signed a deal with the NHL. The deal is not expected to impact AEW programming much, however. Tony Khan recently spoke about AEW’s deal with Turner for Wednesday nights during an appearance on Busted Open Radio.
“I know Wednesday night is our slot and our home,” he said. “I’m thrilled with our partnership with TNT. It’s the lifeblood of our company and our primary revenue source and t’s the way most fans get exposed to AEW and see our show. And tonight and every night that we do Dynamite, for a lot of wrestling fans, it’s a really important night of the week.”
“We have a contract with over two and a half years left for Wednesday nights in this slot. And if there was ever an opportunity to move or if there was a deal to be had, I would consider it. If we did something, it would have to be a really good deal for AEW and it would have to make sense for us. As it stands right now, that is the spot we’re in. If we move, I would certainly consider a deal if there was something in it for AEW.”
AEW Dynamite viewership took a major hit this week after a strong start running unopposed on Wednesday nights.
The April 28th edition of AEW Dynamite on TNT averaged 889,000 viewers. The show did a 0.33 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic to finish #10 on cable. The data comes courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily.
Dynamite viewership was down significantly after drawing viewership above 1.1 million the past two weeks. The show went up against US President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address to Congress and the subsequent coverage.
Digging into the demographics, AEW’s numbers were down across the board. The demographic that was hit the hardest was Adults 50+, which was down 23%.
AEW has Blood and Guts scheduled for next week, which should spike a big number and bring things comfortably back above the 1 million mark.
Wednesday’s show featured FTW Champion Brian Cage getting a surprise win over Hangman Page, Penta El Zero M getting a win over Orange Cassidy, an appearance from AEW/Impact World Champion Kenny Omega, a face-to-face showdown between the Inner Circle and the Pinnacle, Darby Allin retaining the TNT Championship over Dark Order member 10 and much more.
Konosuke Takeshita was impressive during his recent visit to AEW. The Japanese talent was an unknown entity to everybody. However, he is a superstar of some repute back in his homeland. He has held close to every title in the DDT promotion including their Openweight belt.
Talking in a recent press conference, Takeshita spoke about making his debut for the company and wrestling with a roster and a crowd who had little to no idea who he was.
“To be appreciated at that time was what gave me the most confidence. That kind of environment is what I think was different. But I really drew motivation from it. I felt the hunger to perform the most.”
Konosuke Takeshita only had three matches with AEW, one on each of their Dark shows, following a debut at their first-ever house show. Fighting alongside AEW Champion Kenny Omega, he held his own and left wrestling fans eager to see more.
Takeshita went on to mention that he was eager to return to AEW and has already signalled out two potentially huge matches that he would like to have upon his return.
While he featured as one of Kenny Omega’s boys during his first run, the current AEW and IMPACT champion was the first name on his list of potential opponents. This was closely followed by another wrestling legend in Chris Jericho.
“As for who I want to face, the one who has really had the most influence on me the last few years is Kenny Omega. Also, I had a little conversation with Chris Jericho.”
A match against either opponent would be a great chance for Konosuke Takeshita to demonstrate his true potential and win over the hearts of an entirely new continent of fans.
As announced last night, IWGP United States Champion Jon Moxley will defend his title on the May 12th edition of AEW Dynamite. His opponent will be Yuji Nagata.
This will be the second time Moxley has defended the title in the United States. He defeated KENTA on an episode of New Japan Strong from the company’s Los Angeles dojo recently as well.
Moxley is one of only six wrestlers who have won the title since its inception in 2017. Kenny Omega became the inaugural champion that year after defeating Tomohiro Ishii in the finals of a tournament. Omega then dropped it to Jay White after a 210 day reign and 4 title defenses.
Moxley’s current title reign sits at 476 days as champion and 3 title defenses. His previous reign lasted 130 days but he was forced to vacate the belt due to injury before making any title defenses. Should he defeat Nagata on May 12th, Moxley will tie Omega for the most combined title defenses as well as the most title defenses in a single reign with 4. Juice Robinson and Jay White each had 3 successful title defenses during their respective reigns with the belt as well.
The 7-year deal will see WarnerMedia-owned cable networks airing 72 regular-season games per year, as well as several games from the Stanley Cup finals.
With Dynamite airing on Wednesday nights on TNT, there’s been some speculation about whether or not AEW could face frequent preemptions or get moved to a different night entirely.
Tony Khan appeared on Busted Open Radio on Wednesday and addressed this very topic.
“I know Wednesday night is our slot and our home,” he began. “We’re in a great situation. I’m thrilled with our partnership with TNT. It’s the lifeblood of our company. It’s the primary revenue source and it’s the way most fans get exposed to AEW.”
“It Would Have To Be A Really Good Deal For AEW”
He said that Wednesday night is an important night for a lot of wrestling fans and he said he does not want people to worry about these kind of major changes. They have a contract with WarnerMedia that runs for another two and a half years plus.
“If there was ever an opportunity to move, or if there was a deal to be had, I would consider it. If we did something, it would have to be a really good deal for AEW.”
Based on these comments, it seems that AEW Dynamite is staying on Wednesday nights for the foreseeable future, but “money talks” and Tony Khan would be flexible if it was worth their while.
Check out Tony Khan’s comments on Busted Open in the tweet embedded below:
"If we did something, it would have to be a really good deal for @AEW."
Sadie Gibbs announced on her official Instagram account that she has retired from wrestling.
Gibbs participated on a tour with Stardom in Japan before she joined AEW in 2019. She made her in-ring promotional debut at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view event where she worked the Women’s Casino Battle Royale and ended being one of three women to eliminate Awesome Kong. Gibbs was released from AEW last August.
Gibbs posted a lengthy statement on Instagram, which you can read an excerpt here:
“It’s been a really confusing year and half for me, but I’ve always been good at following my instinct and letting go AND HAVING NOTHING BUT GRACE IN THE PATH AHEAD OF ME.
I’ve decided in order for me to excel in my new endeavours, coaching speaking teaching BEING THE LEADER which I’ve always been.
I have to let go! And set my intentions on what it is I want from my life and where I see long term sustainable fulfilment.
And those doors are opening and it’s about time I conserved all my energy and focus on this new chapter.I will forever be THE AMAZING GRACE! I will forever be the GIRL WHO DID A CORKSCREW SASUKE SPECIAL ! I WILL FOREVER BE #UNDEFINABLE.”
Gibbs had a tryout with WWE in 2017 but wasn’t signed at the time. In addition to her wrestling career, she has a CrossFit, gymnastics, and MMA background.
The National Hockey League has signed a 7-year agreement with Turner Sports, which owns TBS and TNT. The news has drawn reactions from several people in wrestling. Chris Jericho, Britt Baker, Renee Paquette, and CM Punk all reacted to the new NHL TV deal online.
Chris Jericho, whose father is former NHL player Ted Irvine, reacted to the news:
— Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) April 27, 2021
Renee Paquette was formerly a host on TheScore in Canada. Sports coverage in Canada has a heavy emphasis on hockey. She’s offering her hosting services to TNT.
Hello TNT and the @NHL, I’ll be available for all hosting, backyard or otherwise, by the upcoming season. #gameonhttps://t.co/QQFswzVYyV
72 regular season games will air on either TNT or TBS throughout the year. Turner can bounce the games between TNT and TBS to avoid having to move Dynamite. Turner will air 3 of 7 Stanley Cup Finals series as part of the deal as well.
The NHL’s deal with Turner was addressed recently by Dave Meltzer.
“AEW will stay in its timeslot, and NHL will probably end up on TBS or a different night,” said Dave Meltzer.
AEW star and TNT Champion Darby Allin recently discussed the taping of the AEW Revolution match. Allin teamed with Sting at the PPV in a cinematic match against Ricky Starks and Brian Cage.
Darby Allin was reportedly extremely involved in the creation of the match; as Allin has an extensive history in filmmaking and independent releases.
“I was writing storyboards for months before the PPV” Darby Allin began, speaking on Drinks with Johnny. “When I saw the location where we were filming, I took all these photos and was plotting everything in my brain.”
“[I was] sitting in the boiler room, just coming up with all the shots” Allin noted. “We had an awesome crew and Steve Yu, who helped direct it. When we’re shooting it, I was running around and doing everything possible. ‘I wanna shoot it like this.’”
Darby Allin on Sting
“When we got done with the cut, I’d run through a pane of glass, and go, ‘alright, get the next shot.’ I was doing everything and I felt on autopilot” Allin stated. “I had an adrenaline rush and felt we could go all night and was on fire with it.”
“The only thing that stopped me was when I had to throw the bat to Sting” Darby Allin said. “I was like, ‘Alright, I’m going to throw this down.’ Tony [Khan] put it best, ‘You know how the laws of physics work, right? That bat is going to come down and we don’t know if it’s going to break Sting’s face.’”
Darby Allin finished by revealing that Sting was able to do the shot in the very first take. “First time in the whole shoot I started thinking like, ‘what if I do break Sting’s face and he can’t finish the match?’ He’s the one who was like, ‘I’m catching that bat.’ Perfect catch, first try, beat the f*ck out of everyone. I was on cloud nine.”
AEW Tag Team Champions Matt & Nick Jackson, the Young Bucks, were guests recently on Talk N Shop. During the conversation, the brothers revealed that WWE offered them $500,000 to sign with them in 2018.
“I knew [Good Brothers] money. Everyone else was getting [$150,000] to start. He’s already offering us $500,000 each guaranteed. I’m going, ‘what!’ Right then, we knew our street value. That was the first offer. Basically, he said, ‘by the end of your trip, I would love an answer.’ The whole trip, I’m [stressed]. I kept dragging it out,” said Matt (transcriptions via Fightful).
The Bucks also spoke about negotiations they had with Ring of Honor to stay with them. According to comments by Nick Jackson, they knew ROH would be unable to afford what they were looking for.
“They couldn’t afford it. We told them, ‘we know we can make a million and that’s our goal, to make seven digits this year.’ They knew they couldn’t come close to that,” Nick Jackson said.
During an interview with Chris Van Vliet in 2019, Matt Jackson opened up about how close they were to signing with WWE.
“We talked to [WWE] endlessly. At one point, I remember me, Nick, and Kenny were in a room because all of our deals were up at the same time. We got off the phone one day and we looked at each other, and we said, ‘I think we’re all going to WWE.’ It was that close.”
Former Lucha Underground Champion, Marty “The Moth” Martinez, could possibly be appearing in an AEW ring shortly. Martinez was the 3rd last holder of the LU title. He won it from Pentagon Dark after cashing in the Gift of the Gods title but would drop it back to Pentagon shortly after.
Martinez took to Instagram last month to mention that he’s training for a comeback at QT Marshall’s gym in Atlanta.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CL99Y9QF80Q/
He also posted a photo to Instagram recently and mentioned that he’d had a “fun week of shooting some wrestling” and tagged the post with several AEW hashtags including #AEWDark #AEW and #NightmareFactory.
In his post from March, he explained his absence from wrestling in recent years.
“In Feb 2019, I herniated my L4 & L5 in my spine while doing a workout stream. (twitch.tv/martythemothcasaus). Not lifting, I herniated them while hugging my pup on stream. Yes, I got injured hugging my adorable dog. Docs said I needed surgery. I opted for stem cells instead. I’ve spent the last 2 years relearning how to walk without pain from sciatica & muscle tension. I had to relearn how to run on the treadmill. Spent more time on rehab than heavy weights. My stream watched the struggle. I learned that progress is just as important as results. I had already beat sleep apnea, learned to manage my lyme disease, & I spent way to much time fighting to be healthy that there was not a chance in hell I wasn’t chasing my dream with it.”
Rap Icon Snoop Dogg recently appeared on Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning podcast. The star behind hits such as ‘Gin N Juice’ and ‘Nuttin But a G Thang” discussed a number of topics during the podcast, including how WWE were not happy that he appeared in AEW.
Snoop got physical on the January 6th “New Year’s Smash” edition of AEW Dynamite. He hit a ‘frog splash’ (if you can call it that) during the show as part of promo for the Go-Big Show on TBS.
“Let me tell you this, Snoop Dogg ain’t no wrestler. He’s bigger than that” Snoop Dogg began, speaking on the podcast. “You gotta understand that. This is the dynamics of what happened: I had a show on TBS called Go-Big Show.
“So, Cody Rhodes was one of the judges on the show, and he’s one of the top dogs at AEW” Snoop noted. “So, as a promotional vehicle for the gig, I went on AEW.”
Snoop Dogg’s AEW Appearance
Snoop reveals that WWE disciplined him for his appearance on AEW Dynamite by putting their working relationship on hold.
Recounting WWE’s communication to him, Snoop said, “‘Hey, you running with them? We got to push pause on your ass for a minute. So, I stayed cool. They pushed pause for about two weeks, and then they go, ‘Hey man, we got this video game and we need you.’”
Watch Snoop Dogg’s comments this situation here:
Snoop says WWE “felt some type of way” when he showed up on AEW Dynamite, got word from them they wanted to “push pause” on their relationship, that lasted about 2 weeks before they asked Snoop to be a part of their new video game. pic.twitter.com/QRbWTdY2y6
Snoop’s appearance on AEW Dynamite got a lot of attention for his less-than-graceful dive off the top rope. His cousin, WWE Superstar Sasha Banks, teased him on social media that his moves need a little work.
All Elite Wrestling will present the first Blood and Guts match in company history on the May 5th edition of AEW Dynamite on TNT. Blood and Guts is AEW’s version of War Games, the double steel cage match created by the late Dusty Rhodes.
Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle will square off MJF’s Pinnacle faction in what’s sure to be a violent affiar that lives up to the Blood and Guts name.
On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed some details about what fans can expect from this special episode of Dynamite.
“I think it’s going to be a one match show,” said Meltzer. He clarified that AEW might pre-record some other matches and video packages, but he expects that entire show to be built around B&G and for it to be the only live match that takes place that night.
AEW Blood and Guts: May 5th
AEW Dynamite is a 2-hour show, so Blood and Guts will be a long match. The 10-man elimination match will feature ‘old school’ rules – with no pinfalls.
The Blood and Guts double steel cage will feature a roof, which stays true to Dusty Rhodes’ original concept. WWE’s version of the match, War Games, did not feature a roof.
AEW is just the latest promotion to present their own version of the mythical War Games match. Aside from the original War Games match presented by the National Wrestling Alliance in 1987, other companies that put their own spin on the “match beyond” include ECW, Smoky Mountain, Ring of Honor, Impact Wrestling, Major League Wrestling and WWE/NXT.
TV viewership data is in for Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite on TNT, the second week of the ‘unopposed’ era.
The April 22nd episode of AEW Dynamite averaged 1.104 million viewers. The show did a 0.37 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic and finished #2 on cable for the day. The numbers come courtesy of ShowBuzzDaily.
For comparison, Monday’s WWE Raw averaged 1.907 million viewers and did a 0.61 rating. Dynamite’s viewership is up since NXT moved to Tuesday’s, but AEW still has a ways to go before they catch WWE’s flagship show.
This was the 4th most-watched episode of AEW Dynamite. MTV’s The Challenge season finale was the highest-rated show of the night, but AEW has a chance to claim that mantle next week.
Overall, this is a strong showing for AEW. The next big test for AEW comes in two weeks, when the company presents Blood and Guts on the May 5th episode.
Check out our results and takeaway’s from this week’s AEW Dynamite:
Christian recently signed with All Elite Wrestling and has vowed to, “Out. Work. Everyone.” During this discussion with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards, Captain Charisma spoke about his AEW debut, what he loves about AEW and much more.
Christian made his AEW at the recent Revolution pay-per-view. He was the ‘big signing’ teased by Paul Wight. Even though he’s been a household name for decades, Christian reveals that he wasn’t sure how fans would react to him in AEW.
“I get there, and straight onto a bus, and it’s nerve-wracking you know, because you’d be like, ‘Will anybody even care that I’m here?’” he said. “You know, you have those kind of thoughts that go through your head a little bit.”
Christian in AEW
Christian’s first match for AEW was against fellow veteran Frankie Kazarian. It was Christian’s first singles match in seven years. He felt Kazarian was the right guy to work with for his debut.
“I wanted to raise his stock no matter what happened in that match, and I know he felt the same way,” said Christian. “When you have two guys committed to that purpose, I think you’re gonna go out there and do something really special.”
Christian was with WWE since the Attitude Era in the late 1990’s. He knows that system inside and out. There are several ways that AEW differs from WWE. Christian says that one thing in particular that he enjoys is the amount of time that AEW gives talent to do their thing. “That’s the thing, too, that I love about AEW. There’s so much time in these matches to tell these stories.”
Other topics discussed include Jon Moxley’s role in Christian joining AEW, his appreciation for AEW’s tag team division, who he’s excited to work with and more.
Listen to Christian on AEW Unrestricted in the link embedded below.
We cover his surprise signing, his 1st match in 7 YEARS with Kaz + the exchange he had with TK after the match, getting medically cleared, his routine to get shredded + more!
Jim Ross recently discussed IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay on the Grilling Jr podcast. JR discussed that while Ospreay is a ‘very good hand’ he still has a long way to go before he can be classed as one of the best in wrestling history.
“He’s now the greatest champion in the history of wrestling and nobody’s been better, are you sh*tting me?” Ross began on Grilling Jr. “Come on. He’s a very good hand. I called some of his matches back in the day, he’s very good and very unique, he creates his own style with a lot of British stuff.”
Jim Ross then discussed the former top Champions of New Japan, questioning whether Will Ospreay even ranks up to them at present.
“I think Will Ospreay is a great talent, but all of a sudden, because he did have a fantastic NJPW experience, is he the greatest ever?” Ross asked. “Is he even the greatest NJPW champion? It’s hard to say he’s better than [Hiroshi] Tanahashi, it’s hard to say he’s better than [Kazuchika] Okada or the list of all luminaries that held that title. I do think he’s very good, it might be a little early a week after his win to consider him the greatest ever.”
Jim Ross on Will Ospreay
JR finished by saying that he wants to see Ospreay appear for AEW at some point in the future. “I wish he wrestled in AEW, he’d do great here,” Ross noted. “He’s not from here you know, I don’t know if that means a lot to him or not. I know he could probably make more money than he’s making where he is, that’s my guess.”
“We know he’d have more creative freedom if he wrestled for Tony Khan than if he wrestled for Vince McMahon” Jim Ross added. “I think that’s one of the attractive things about our company that’s ever growing, you get to have a bigger influence on your creative. I know guys here in AEW that outline their whole program, I think that’s cool as hell. It gives them some creative release and wrestlers are creative by nature.”
Would you like to see Will Ospreay appear in AEW? Let us know in the comments
Japanese wrestling star Konosuke Takeshita is headed back to Japan after a successful (short) stint working for AEW.
The 25-year-old primarily works for Japan’s DDT promotion. He spent a few weeks in the United States and wrestled at three AEW events. He worked the ‘House Always Wins’ non-televised event during WWE WrestleMania weekend. He also competed on two episodes of AEW Dark: Elevation.
Earlier this week, Takeshita posted on Twitter that he’s returning home, but hopes to return to AEW in the future as DDT Champion. He stated that his next goal is to appear on All Elite Wrestling’s flagship show, AEW Dynamite. He let American wrestling fans know, this is only goodbye ‘for now.’
My @AEW match is the last one that was broadcast earlier. I must go back to Japan.
But I'd like to come back here as @ddtpro Champion. My next goal is to fight in Dynamite.
Konosuke Takeshita teamed up with AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa this past week on Dark: Elevation. They defeated Danny Limelight, Matt and Mike Sydal’s in the main event.
Omega took notice of Takeshita’s message. He replied with condescension. “We sent him home packing but he was a good hand. He fought the good fight for the brothers in the Elite. Maybe we’ll bring him back?”
Takeshita took Omega’s ‘good hand’ jab in stride. He thanked the champion for his support and hinted that they might cross paths again in the future.
Thank you for your support.
I know many fans want to watch us fight each other in the belief that one day it will come true. https://t.co/MrkvJXTE7j
All Elite Wrestling is gearing up to hit the road once again this summer.
AEW has been filming shows from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL since last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to AEW broadcaster Jim Ross, the company is getting ready resume a ‘pretty aggressive’ touring schedule starting in July.
“We’re getting our schedule together,” said Ross on the Grilling JR Podcast. “It looks like we’re going back on the road pretty aggressively, beginning in July. Getting back in front of a live audience is a blessing. I can’t wait.”
JR said that performing in front of live crowds across the United States will help everyone’s work. “You can’t help but feed off of the adrenaline of the people and the audience surrounding you,” he added.
The Events section of the AEW website lists the following dates for AEW Dynamite tapings outside Jacksonville:
6/23: St. Louis, MO
8/18: Houston, TX
8/25: Milwaukee, WI
9/8: Boston, MA
9/15: Newark, NJ
9/29: Rochester, NY
10/6: Philadelphia, PA
AEW has done a commendable job running television and pay-per-view events during these challenging times. Smaller crowds have been permitted at Daily’s Place for several months, but it’s been nearly a year since AEW talent performed in front of a full house.
The recent WWE WrestleMania pay-per-view featured the largest live crowds since the start of the pandemic. According to Wrestlenomics, WWE had over 20,000 fans in attendance for each night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, FL.
We will provide an update when AEW announces more information about this big push to resume touring with fans in attendance.
