AEW has announced that Mike Tyson will be returning to AEW this Wednesday night on Dynamite. It’s been 11 months since “The Baddest Man on the Planet” appeared on Dynamite along with his entourage and confronted Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle. He also appearedon the Double or Nothing PPV in May of 2020.

“There are many reasons I wanted Mike to come back,” Khan said to SI.com. “He made a huge impact last year at Double or Nothing, and we’re at a point where we can bring him back in front of our fans. The fans who have come to the shows in Jacksonville have added so much to AEW, and it’s important for me that our fans get to see him live. We’re excited to have Mike back.”

Tony Khan was also quoted in a press release for this week’s Dynamite.

“There’s nothing better than an impassioned, live wrestling crowd. Since August 2020, we’ve provided safe, outdoor shows at Daily’s Place, with zero reported transmissions amongst our fans, and we’re so appreciative of the amazing fans who have been joining us week after week,” Khan said.

“It’s been incredible for our wrestlers, and for those watching at home, to hear the live reactions. This includes historic events like Kenny Omega winning the AEW World Title, Sting’s surprise arrival, Shaq teaming with Jade Cargill against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet, The Young Bucks and Darby Allin’s respective championship wins at FULL GEAR, and so many other magic moments. Likewise, Mike Tyson always commands a massive ovation and the attention of fans worldwide. I’m excited for everyone here in Jacksonville, and for those watching on TNT and around the world, to see what Mike Tyson has in store for AEW.”

#BreakingNews

Boxing Legend Iron @MikeTyson Returns to #AEWDynamite TOMORROW night LIVE at 8/7c on @tntdrama

Join us @dailysplace by purchasing tickets at https://t.co/UN1cNj1kQq or watch Dynamite at 8/7c on TNT pic.twitter.com/V1vqG0kN3q

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) April 6, 2021

Trish Stratus was recently ranked as the #1 WWE women’s wrestler of the modern era. WWE ranked its top-50 female Superstars since the early 90s and Trish topped the list. Trish also recently took the time to praise AEW’s Britt Baker on Twitter.

Busted Open Radio announced that Trish will be a guest on the show tomorrow. Baker then asked for the hosts to say hi to Trish for her.

Tell her I said “hi!”???

— Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (@RealBrittBaker) April 6, 2021

Trish then responded to Britt’s comment.

“Hello you bloody legend – literally! Wanted to reach out to give you the proverbial thumbs up but well, you know how that went for some … but since I have you, thank you for your work and contributions as a woman in our sport. Keep it up girl,” Trish wrote.

Hello you bloody legend – literally! Wanted to reach out to give you the proverbial thumbs up but well, you know how that went for some … but since I have you, thank you for your work and contributions as a woman in our sport. Keep it up girl ?? https://t.co/LB4b1HTcB1

— Trish Stratus (@trishstratuscom) April 6, 2021

In a recent interview with Digital Spy, Baker talked about having watched a Trish Stratus match the night before her Lights Out match with Thunder Rosa.

“The night before to hype myself up I watched the Trish Stratus and Lita main event from Raw. Just the gravity of that match, how it’s remembered as one of the most iconic women’s matches of all time I wanted to go in having that same mentality,” Baker said.  

“I wanted this match to be remembered, I want this to be something that people talk about forever, not just for this week, not just for tonight. I just really wanted it to go down as something that is remembered.”

Christian Cage made his return to in-ring action as a surprise entrant in the 2021 Royal Rumble after saying away from the action for more than 7 years. However, while the plans for his return were only finalised days before the show, the journey for his comeback started months before the PPV.

During his recent appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, the former world champion detailed the steps he took that led to his Royal Rumble appearance. He recalled how Edge’s return a year prior had made him think about his own future. Christian revealed that he made an appointment with the doctor. His thinking was that if the results were positive then he would have opened the doors. If they were not then he would be in no different situation than he already was:

“I went to the University of South Florida and saw a specialist there, and I went through the physical training, went through the testing on the computer. They even said the testing had advanced some, obviously since I took it last, and when I sat in with the doctor, after I did all the tests, he was like, ‘Man, your test scores were great. You were average or above average on everything. You didn’t fail. You weren’t below average on any of these scores. Your physical tests were great, so let’s have a conversation.’ We started talking.”

• Edge Reacts To Christian Cage Joining AEW

Christian eventually got to the point where the doctors started asking him about his plans. The former WWE star told them that he wanted to go back and finish his career on his own terms. Once the doctors told him that it was a possibility, he brought it to the attention of WWE. The company then sent him to Pittsburgh for more rigorous testing towards the ending of October:

“I brought it to WWE’s attention that I had got this clearance, and obviously, they were very excited about it and was told they wanted to keep it close to the vest, quietly, [they] sent me up to Pittsburgh, I believe, towards the end of October. They sent me up there, and same thing, I just went through tests, but it was a harder test. It was more thorough tests, and it was probably about five hours long to be honest. And I saw about three or four different specialists for different things. Did a full in the gym physical workout.”

However, while the WWE doctors had cleared him for a return, Christian hadn’t heard anything about his future until January. According to him, the officials called him on the Friday night before the Royal Rumble. They told Captain Charisma that they thought there wasn’t a big enough surprise in the Battle Royal. The current AEW star thought about it for a second and despite having no contract with the company at the time, he said yes to the offer.

AEW has signed a number of wresting veterans in recent times including names such as Sting, Paul Wight and Christian. Another name which could be a good fit for the company is RVD.

The hardcore star was even rumored to be the surprise entrant at the Face Of The Revolution ladder match at one point on the company’s last PPV before it was revealed to be Ethan Page.

RVD was asked about potentially joining the AEW roster during his recent interview with ReelTalker.com and the former WWE champion said that he always goes with the flow:

“I just always go with the flow of the universe. I’m always very happy with the way things turn out, AEW, I watch it sometimes, mostly to help Katie Forbes out.

She’ll watch it, she’s up-and-coming, learning and I’ll point stuff out.” said RVD, “There is nothing that interests me about going there, except for business.”

• RVD On What It Would Take For Him To Make A WWE Return

The former WWE star, who hasn’t wrestled since September was also asked about his future in the industry and he claimed that there is nothing that makes him want to wrestle except for business.

RVD explained that while fans may think that he dreams of wrestling different opponents, it’s not the case for him. According to the wrestling veteran, he could be done with the sport and he is totally fine with never getting in the ring again.

Christian Cage was the latest guest on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast where the duo talked about the former’s recent AEW signing and debut in detail.

Another former WWE star who made his All Elite Wrestling debut recently is Sting. He surprised fans and created a lot of buzz during his appearance at the Winter Is Coming special of Dynamite.

During the interview, Jericho revealed that the TNT Network was not happy with Sting’s surprise appearance on Dynamite because they wanted to take advantage of the rating boost:

“I thought it was cool too because I know when we had Sting has a surprise, the network was like, don’t do that again, that’s why Paul Wight was announced on social media because TNT said we don’t want surprises. We want to take advantage of the rating.

So I think we had a big surprise, then we had a big announcement and then we use that big announcement to announce the next big surprise.” explained Chris Jericho, “I think that’s one of the reasons too to kind of spread it out a bit as well.”

Christian Compares AEW to WWE

Christian also talked about his time in WWE and said that he has nothing bad to say about his time with the company. He then discussed the difference between the WWE and AEW locker room.

The former WWE star explained that the AEW locker room seems less hectic and less frantic to him and he feels that the talent are surer of themselves as performers and what they are going to do.

• Christian Cage Sees Big Potential In Several AEW Stars

Chris Jericho will be the next guest on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions. The episode premieres next Sunday, April 11th on Peacock and the WWE Network.

You read that correctly: AEW star Chris Jericho returns to the WWE programming for an all-new interview with former rival, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.”

Steve Austin replied, “Hell Yeah!!!” to the WWE Network’s announcement. You can see a video teaser of Chris Jericho and Steve Austin sitting down together in the tweeted embedded below.

Hell Yeah!!! RT @WWENetwork: No foolin' around here. You're gonna get … IT! ? @IAmJericho joins @steveaustinBSR on the next #BrokenSkullSessions, premiering Sunday, April 11 on @PeacockTV in the U.S. and @WWENetwork everywhere else! pic.twitter.com/7zgXVvLOte

— Steve Austin (@steveaustinBSR) April 2, 2021

WWE, AEW & The Forbidden Door

All Elite Wrestling has been at the forefront of ‘opening forbidden doors’ over the past several months. The promotion has changed the wrestling landscape by its open borders policy with other companies such as Impact Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Chris Jericho appearing on the WWE Network while under contract to AEW is a surreal development that is sure to draw viewers during WrestleMania weekend.

Steve Austin has creative freedom with his Broken Skull Sessions interview show, so it will be interesting to see what hot-button topics are discussed. Austin and Jericho have been friends going back to the late 1990’s, so there will be plenty to talk about. Both men are also podcast hosts and highly entertaining personalities, all-but-guaranteeing this will be an interview that wrestling fan’s can’t miss.

• Steve Austin Reveals Vince McMahon’s Role In Chris Jericho on Broken Skull Sessions

Kickin open the #ForbiddenDoor! #AustinVsJericho April 11 on @peacockTV! #BrokenSkullSessions @steveaustinBSR @AEW @wwe pic.twitter.com/oLBtQVZaI0

— Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) April 2, 2021

Britt Baker was the first female wrestler signed to AEW and claims to be the face of the division. She was recently interviewed by Wrestle Talk and spoke about the criticism that’s been given to AEW’s women’s division.

“I think it kind of speaks of our generation as a whole where we’re microwave babies. We want everything now. We don’t want to wait for stuff to cook, to marinade, we wanna walk over to the microwave, put my Hot Pocket in there, and eat it in two minutes, right? It doesn’t work like that in real life,” Baker said. “Things don’t happen overnight. There’s very rarely a success overnight. Things take time, so I feel like I’ve been a broken record on a lot of these interviews saying just give us time, we’re brand new.”

Baker also spoke about how the roster of the women’s division in AEW has little experience wrestling on television.

“Not only that, the women’s division especially has little to no TV experience. So we’re learning on the fly for your entertainment, so please be patient with us. I know we’re superstars, we’re rockstars, we’re supposed to be the best of the best, and we are going to be, and I am. But, with that being said, you need to have a little bit of freakin’ patience and if everyone would have listened to me from day one, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation because people wouldn’t have been bitching essentially.”

Britt Baker on AEW Women’s Division Getting More Time On Television

She also addressed critics who say that AEW’s women’s division isn’t getting enough time on television.

“(They’re saying we) deserve more, but it needs to be the right time and everybody needs to be ready for the opportunity as well,” Baker continued. “And a part of me is thankful for all the criticism because if we didn’t have it, I don’t think I would have had as much of a fire under my ass for this main event match. Because I love to say, ‘I told you so’, I’m a heel, but I love to prove people wrong. And we had so many eyes on the match because, let’s say it, some people probably wanted to see it fail, and it to not be main event worthy. Which is great, because if that’s why more people tuned in, we love you for it.”

The full interview featuring Britt Baker can be viewed in the player below:

https://youtu.be/1h5_88izT9A

AEW has many factions currently active on its roster. Last night on Dynamite, several members of the Nightmare Family split off from the rest, adding another team to the mix. Below is an updated list of who is aligned with who in AEW.

Team Taz

Updated list of Team Taz members:

• Taz (manager/leader/mouthpiece)
• Hook (Trainee/Taz’s son)
• Brian Cage (seems like he might not be all that happy with his teammates)
• Will “Powerhouse” Hobbs
• Ricky Starks

The Inner Circle

Updated list of Inner Circle members:

• Chris Jericho (Lead singer/Bubbly provider/Le Champion)
• Sammy Guevara
• Santana (Proud & Powerful)
• Ortiz (Proud & Powerful)
• Jake Hager

The Pinnacle

The founding members of The Pinnacle are:

• Maxwell Jacob Friedman (Leader)
• Shawn Spears
• Wardlow
• Dash Wilder (FTR)
• Cash Wheeler (FTR)
• Tully Blancard (Manager)

The Dark Order

The current members of The Dark Order are:

• Brodie Lee Jr. (-1)
• Evil Uno (1)
• Stu Grayson (2)
• Alex Reynolds (3)
• John Silver (4)
• Alan Angels (5)
• Colt Cabana (8)
• Anna Jay (injured) (99)
• Preston Vance (10)

Good friend: Adam “Hangman” Page
Good friend: Tay Conti

The Nightmare Family

After the action of QT Marshall and his crew last night, the updated lineup for the Nightmare Family is below:

• Cody Rhodes (EVP of AEW)
• Dustin Rhodes
• Brandi Rhodes (AEW CBO)
• Arn Anderson (Manager)
• Lee Johnson
• Billy Gunn (Gunn Club)
• Austin Gunn (Gunn Club)
• Colten Gunn (Gunn Club)

QT Marshall’s Faction

The following wrestlers took part in the beatdown of the Nightmare Family on Dynamite last night:

• QT Marshall (Leader/Head Trainer)
• Aaron Solow
• Nick Comoroto
• Anthony Ogogo

The Super Elite

• Kenny Omega (Leader/AEW World Champion/AEW EVP)
• Don Callis (Impact executive)
• Doc Gallows (Good Brothers)
• Karl Anderson (Good Brothers)
• Michael Nakazawa (Kenny’s best friend)

The Hardy Family Office

• Matt Hardy (Leader)
• Isiah Kassidy (Private Party)
• Marq Quen (Private Party)
• The Butcher (The Butcher and the Blade)
• Blade (The Butcher and the Blade)
• The Bunny (The Butcher and the Blade)

AEW Trios & Smaller Factions

AEW also has several trios and smaller factions currently active.

The Best Friends

• Trent
• Chuck Taylor
• Orange Cassidy
• Sue (Van Driver/Trent’s Mom)
• Kris Statlander (May have aligned with the Best Friends last night. She’s, like, their alien friend)

The Pretty Picture

The Pretty Picture running things!
Order #AEWRevolution NOW on @BRLive, @FiteTV (Intl), or any major provider. pic.twitter.com/P6ZoQ7Qhci

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 8, 2021

• Peter Avalon
• Cezar Bononi
• Ryan Nemeth
• JD Drake (aligned with Nemeth on Dark)

Death Triangle

• Pac
• Penta El Zero M
• Rey Fenix
• Alex Abrahantes (enthusiastic translator)

Jurassic Express

• Jungle Boy
• Luchasaurus
• Marko Stunt

Ethan Page is the newest addition to the AEW roster and the former Impact Wrestling star made his surprise debut for the promotion during the Revolution PPV last month.

The ‘All Ego’ appeared on Insight With Chris Van Vliet podcast after his debut where he talked about things such as his signing with the company and more.

Talking about the creative freedom the promotion is known for, Page said that he wants to be credited for his work before explaining how AEW allows their wrestlers to play the characters they want:

“There’s been so many instances where I did not have a say in my name, in my character, in the way I was represented or presented. And it’s amazing, now being in AEW, the creative freedom and I guess trust that they give their talent to kind of let them do what they want

And play the characters that they want. So I can fully now be the Ethan Page, the ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page that I’ve always wanted to be, so it’s cool.”

• Ethan Page Reveals Why He Chose AEW Over WWE

The Canadian star also mentioned how he has been wrestling for more than one and a half-decade after making his pro wrestling debut in 2006.

Apart from this, Ethan Page talked about things such as his family’s reaction to his AEW debut, a possible The North reunion and more. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

Christian Cage made his highly anticipated in-ring debut for All Elite Wrestling on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite on TNT. 

The former WWE star battled Frankie Kazarian in a singles match from  Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place during the opening segment. The bout had a slow-building start with Kaz working as the heel. In the end, Cage made a comeback and won the match with his killswitch finisher. 

Huge flog splash from @Christian4Peeps!
WATCH #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama. pic.twitter.com/bwD9XeGeVK

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) April 1, 2021

.@FrankieKazarian isn't backing down!!!! ? #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/NSfrTmTDF8

— AEW on TV (@AEWonTV) April 1, 2021

Opening the show tonight sees @Christian4Peeps make his AEW in-ring debut against @FrankieKazarian!

WATCH #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama. pic.twitter.com/Q9zv4lzDvm

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) April 1, 2021

https://twitter.com/FiteTV/status/1377411922082037765

All Elite Wrestling set up this contest last week in a backstage segment where Cage was confronted by SCU member, who asked Cage when the “work” portion of his catchphrase was going to become a reality. This led to Cage telling him that while he planned to wrestle the following week, he didn’t have an opponent so Kaz offered to fill that spot and the contest was made official. 

Christian had been retired due to a history of suffering concussions. The process of him returning began after last summer’s unsanctioned “match” with Randy Orton on an episode of Raw. 

At the time, Christian was on a list where he was banned from doing anything physical on television. Cage went to the University of South Florida Concussion Center to see where he was at and whether he could return to in-ring action.

He was eventually cleared and made his return to action this past January at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view where he worked the men’s rumble match. He didn’t come to terms on a deal with WWE so he talked with AEW President Tony Khan and the two agreed to a multi-year deal. He made his promotional debut at the Revolution pay-per-view event earlier this month. 

Ethan Page made his AEW debut at Revolution as the surprise entrant in the “Face of the Revolution” ladder match. He literally had a chance to grab the brass ring in his first match. Page spoke to Chris Van Vliet recently about the experience.

“I still can’t comprehend that I’ve finally been able to achieve my dream,” Page said. “Because it’s like your one step closer, one step closer, one step closer. I’ve never actually made it to the point where I had envisioned from when I was a kid. I don’t even know how to digest it or comprehend that it’s happened. It’s great obviously, but I can’t explain it.”

Page also spoke about his family’s reaction to seeing him on the PPV.

“Nobody knew I was debuting other than my parents. So they got the pay-per-view at their house and threw a little pizza party. My daughter is there, my wife is there. They made an AEW cake with the world title on it, they all wore my T-Shirts. But I think for my dad to see Jake the Snake clothesline me on a pay-per-view is the most full circle moment, because my dad is the one that introduced me to wrestling. We would watch in the early 90’s. Taking that line from Jake was cool for me, but I can’t imagine how cool it was from my father.”

Page also spoke about the possibility of him and Josh Alexander re-forming The North.

“I’m very proud of what we accomplished as a team, and if there is potential down the road for The North to do a tag team then I’m in. I think now, especially for both of us, it’s best to venture off into singles, I’ve always wanted the spotlight to shine on me. So this is a Natural fit for “All Ego” Ethan Page. I had a singles run with Evolve prior to IMPACT Wrestling, so I’m comfortable with both, so I’m excited to see what happens.”

IMPACT Wrestling star Josh Alexander recently spoke to TSN’s This is Wrestling on TSN 1200. The former tag team partner of Ethan Page discussed his The North tag team partner moving to All Elite Wrestling.

“I didn’t even think about it because I hadn’t been watching AEW really too intently,” said Josh Alexander. “And I haven’t been keeping up with storylines or anything. I looked up the pay per view, I think it was the day before, and I saw that they had the ladder match and it was a mystery for it. And I knew that, of course, they were teasing a different ex- Hall of Famer to debut as well.”

“So I just remember looking at it like, I bet it’s going to be him” Alexander continued. “You know what I mean? I just wanted to be left in the dark like everybody else so I can be a fan. I love watching wrestling as a fan if I’m pleasantly surprised by something like that happening.”

“I miss the old music. I will say that,” Alexander continued, discussing The North. “But otherwise it was just awesome to see because I know how much hard work has gone in to get him there. He’s going to be nothing but successful.”

With IMPACT and AEW now working in tandem, there’s a chance that the two former tag team partners could work together again.

• Sting Says He Was ‘In Shambles’ After Revolution Match

All Elite Wrestling is set to hold the first ever non-televised ‘house show’ in company history. AEW: The House Always Wins takes place Friday, April 9th from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL. The event coincides with WrestleMania weekend.

All of AEW’s top champions will be in action on this card, including AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, TNT Champion Darby Allin, World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks and Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida.

Tickets for AEW The House Always Wins are now on sale at Ticketmaster.com. Here is the lineup:

• AEW World Tag Team Champions the Young Bucks & Brandon Cutler vs. Death Triangle (PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix)

• TNT Champion Darby Allin will face the winner of a 12-man Battle Royal. Participants include Lance Archer, Scorpio Sky, Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks, QT Marshall, Butcher, Blade, Dustin Rhodes, Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn, 10 and Colt Cabana.

• AEW World Champion Kenny Omega & Michael Nakazawa vs. Matt & Mike Sydal

• Cody Rhodes vs. Ethan Page

• AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida, Tay Conti & Red Velvet vs. Dr. Britt Baker, Nyla Rose & Allie

• The Pinnacle (With Wardlow) vs. Jurassic Express & Dante Martin

• Eddie Kingston vs. Cezar Bononi 

Plus, Orange Cassidy and Jade Cargill will be in action.

John Cena was impressed with Shaquille O’Neil’s AEW debut recently. Shaq teamed with Jade Cargill and defeated Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet at AEW’s special “Crossroads” event on March 3rd.

Bleacher Report Tweeted out highlights of Shaq and Cena both appearing on the post-game show from NBA on TNT. During the appearance, Cena commented on Shaq’s AEW debut.

“I want to say, you are one of that Mount Rushmore of sports entertainers,” Cena said to Shaq. “It’s a shame that you were born so large and so gifted on the basketball court because you could have been something in WWE, I still think you can be.”

The clip Shaq and Cena were looking at featured Shaq giving a Brodie Lee tribute and power-bombing Cody Rhodes.

“Well, I just wanted to represent your guys,” Shaq said about his performance. “Right here, giving a shoutout to the Brodie Lee power slam right there, wanted to make it look good. Listen growing up, you know, I watched you guys… Junkyard Dog, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, I just wanted to represent you guys.”

“I think I did pretty good. I just wanted to represent you, wrestlers, because you guys are some of my favorite athletes. You know how I feel about you. I love you, big fan of yours, congratulations on everything that you’re doing,” Shaq continued.

Watch John Cena talk to Shaq about his pro wrestling debut for AEW:

AEW has confirmed that there will be four Women’s division bouts for this week’s episode of AEW Dark: Elevation on YouTube.

The matches that have been announced for Monday’s show are as follows:

• Thunder Rosa vs. Alex Gracia
• Penelope Ford (with Kip Sabian and Miro) vs. Leila Grey
• Leyla Hirsch vs. Vipress
• KiLynn King vs. Ryo Mizunami.

The other matches that have already been confirmed for the show are as follows:

• Rex Lawless & Milk Chocolate v Gunn Club
• D3 & Vary Morales v 5 & 10 of Dark Order
• Chandler Hopkins v Joey Janela
• Frankie Kazarian v Danny Limelight
• Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor vs. Ryan Nemeth and JD Drake
• Jon Moxley vs. Bill Collier

Frankie Kazarian will be facing Christian Cage in Captain Charisma’s debut AEW match this week on Dynamite. Kazarian invited Cage to watch his match against the now confirmed Danny Limelight from ringside for Monday night’s show.

AEW Dark: Elevation is available to stream at 7 pm ET on AEW’s official YouTube channel.

It was probably the right choice for the 62 year old Sting to make his in ring return in a cinematic match during the Revolution PPV earlier this month.

However, this in-ring return did not come without consequences. Even though the match was pre-taped, it left its toll on the body of the wrestling veteran.

Sting opened up about the aftermath of the bout during his recent interview with Bleacher Report and The Icon claimed that he ‘came out of it in shambles’:

“The cinematic was fun. I would like to do more of those for sure, but I came out of it in shambles. It took its toll on me. It was two nights of filming and that was pretty tough. It can be taxing on the body especially at my age.

It was 12 hours instead of being in the ring for 30-40 minutes.” said Sting, “I love filming. I have done movies and TV, and I always have fun with that stuff. The tough part was all of the hours and the recovery time.”

Though continuing on the topic, the former world champion revealed that while the AEW president Tony Khan had originally brought him in for cinematic matches, he has talked to him about potentially wrestling matches on Dynamite.

Sting teamed up with the TNT champion Darby Allin to defeat Brian Cage and Ricky Starks of Team Taz in a cinematic Street Fight at the Revolution PPV.

• AEW Sent A Ring To Sting’s House Ahead Of His Return

Former Impact Wrestling star Daga might be headed to AEW soon after spending most of 2020 at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Mexican professional wrestler is a former trios champion from Lucha Underground who got recognization among American fans when he signed with Impact Wrestling in February 2019.

He stayed in Mexico for the most part of 2020 and it was revealed in October last year that the company officials have accepted his request for a release.

Dave Meltzer provided some update on his future in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter and he reported that “there has been talk of Daga coming in.”

Though as far as the future of his wife Tessa Blanchard goes, he noted that it’s a decision that will be made “based on the perceived value of her to the product vs. the negativity and backlash in some quarters such a signing would have.”

• WWE Interested In Signing Tessa Blanchard

Impact wrestling made Blanchard their world champion when fans were still attending the events. Despite some backlash on social media, there was never a visible backlash from those in attendance.

However, the situation has changed now. With multiple accusations against Blanchard for inappropriate behavior, it’s possible that the company that signs the female star will have to face major backlash from fans.

Would you like to see Daga and Tessa Blanchard join the AEW roster in near future? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Before Orange Cassidy signed with AEW, he frequently used the Jefferson Starship song “Jane” as his entrance music. Recently, Tony Khan said he tried to get the rights to use the song in AEW but was unable to. It was then revealed that he has purchased the rights to the Pixies’ song “Where is my mind?” as Orange’s new entrance theme.

Orange Cassidy will team with Chuck Taylor against Ryan Nemeth and JD Drake on AEW Dark: Elevation next week.

For the fans attending tonight’s LIVE #AEWDynamite here in Jacksonville at @dailysplace, we’ll tape one of the top matches for next week’s #AEWDark: Elevation, Chuckie T/@orangecassidy v. Nemeth/Drake! Also 1st time anyone’s heard the new Orange Cassidy theme; I promise it’s dope pic.twitter.com/pl3RATyoC0

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) March 24, 2021

It’s not Jane. I’d tried to get it for a year & a half, they never even answered my emails, so I decided to take a huge swing, & it came through. It’s a new theme. The fans attending #AEWDynamite tonight in Jacksonville will be the first to ever hear it before we go Live on TNT!

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) March 24, 2021

As it turns out, the new entrance music turned out to be “Where Is My Mind?” by the Pixies. Khan made a statement to Pitchfork about the news.

“A few weeks ago, I played it for him, he said he loved it. I asked if he wanted to me to try to license it, he gave me his ‘thumbs up,’” AEW CEO Tony Khan said in a statement to Pitchfork. “I signed a multiyear agreement to use the song, and every use of the song in AEW will live in our content library forever in perpetuity.”

Khan also recently purchased the rights to use the song “Tarzan Boy” for Jungle Boy. Additionally, he purchased the rights to “Ol’ 55” by Tom Waits for the Brodie Lee tribute show.

Video of Cassidy using the theme can be viewed in the Tweet below:

Scoop #3: JD Drake & Ryan Nemeth vs Orange Cassidy & Chuck Taylor on Dark: Elevation

OC came out to Where is my mind? By The Pixies pic.twitter.com/eaAM5K1nit

— Jacob Cohen (@MrJacobCohen) March 24, 2021

John Silver injured his shoulder during his match against TNT Champion Darby Allin in the main event of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.

Darby Allin picked up the victory after hitting a Canadian Destroyer on the Dark Order member.

The champion cut a promo praising his opponent after the show went off air and he revealed that Silver dislocated his shoulder halfway through their contest:

“I don’t think anybody here knows, but I’m pretty sure you dislocated your shoulder about halfway through that match, but g*ddamn, did you put everything into it! And I’m down to do it anytime again. Thank you, John. Thank you.”

John Silver himself confirmed the news of his shoulder damage later on and on Twitter he wrote “came up short tonight. Shoulder is messed up. Doctor doesn’t think it’s too serious but I’ll keep everyone updated once I know.”

Here is the spot in question:

https://twitter.com/HeelDoors/status/1374912497208164353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

The Meat Man has since provided an update on his condition. On Friday, Silver wrote on Twitter that he’s expected to miss about 4-6 weeks of action. The good news is that he will not require shoulder surgery. A six week layoff puts John Silver back in action in May, several weeks before AEW’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

Bad news: I’ll be out about 4-6 weeks
Good news: I don’t need surgery and there is no major damage

— John Silver (@SilverNumber1) March 26, 2021

We wish John Silver a speedy recovery.

Red Velvet teamed with Cody Rhodes at Crossroads in a losing effort to Jade Cargill and Shaquille O’Neil. Today, Cody Rhodes announced that Red Velvet is officially all elite after the company upgraded her contract.

Rhodes took to Twitter to announce the news:

At The Crossroads @AEWonTNT event squaring off against @SHAQ & Jade…Red stepped up in a huge way! @TonyKhan saw what over a million people saw that night and upgraded her contract. She’s ALL ELITE now! Let’s stir it up my friend. pic.twitter.com/1bJ2JVx280

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) March 25, 2021

Red Velvet In AEW

Velvet made her pro debut in 2016 and has performed primarily in the Florida area. She has won championships with promotions such as Fighting Evolution Wrestling and Full Throttle Pro Wrestling.

Velvet has wrestled 25 matches for AEW since debuting last June. She holds a 10-10 singles record but is on a 9-match winning streak in one-on-one matches. Her last loss in one-on-one competition came to Tay Conti on the November 11th, 2020 episode of Dynamite. Her singles record in 2021 is 5-0 and that is good enough to have her ranked at #2 in the AEW women’s division.

She has a 3-2 record in tag-team matches to bring her overall AEW record to 23-22.

During an appearance on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Velvet talked about how she got her ring name:

“A show came up asking for wrestlers and anyone can do it. I had to cut a promo. I went to my friend’s house and I was like, ok, I’m going to cut a promo. I’m going to be a wrestler. He said, ‘What is your wrestling name’, and he was a huge wrestling fan. I said, ‘Red Violet.’ He said, ‘Ew, That’s not good.’ I said, ‘I have nothing. That’s like my alter ego.’ He said, ‘You’re small, petite, spicy, you’re very elegant in the way you do things. Your hair is super red. Your skin is beautiful chocolate. You remind me of a red velvet cake.’”

Thunder Rosa defeated Britt Baker in a Lights Out match to headline last week’s edition of AEW Dynamite. Rosa was the guest this week on the AEW Unrestricted podcast with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards. Amongst other topics, Rosa spoke about the response she received backstage after her match with Baker last week.

“It’s one of those moments where you cannot fake it,” said Rosa “I was already crying at the end of the match because of all the things that I felt and all the things I’ve been through in the last 7 months. Just coming to a new place and knowing that you are ruffling some feathers and you know that you have to work really hard to show that you are one of the best talents and that’s why they brought you here.”

Backstage Ovation

When Rosa began speaking about the response she received backstage, she got choked up.

“Just walking through and seeing absolutely everybody clapping is that moment that I just want to recall it for the rest of my life until I die.”

“I’ve worked so hard, so hard to get recognized and still working so hard to keep this spot and just that moment right here, if I die tomorrow, I’ll die happy because I know we made a difference on Wednesday.”

Listen to Thunder Rosa on AEW Unrestricted here or in the player embedded below:

Jim Cornette says a lot of controversial things. He is a polarizing figure in pro-wrestling. Jim Ross recently spent some time on his podcast talking about what wrestlers on the AEW roster think of Cornette.

“I’ll be honest with you,” JR responded with Conrad Thompson asked him about the AEW roster’s opinion of Cornette. “I’ve never heard one talent say a word about him. And I talk to a lot of guys and I shoot the breeze about what’s going on in the business, so forth and so on and for better or worse, I have a link to Cornette.”

“We’ve been friends for 30 years, we were partners, we were broadcast partners. I worked with him in Mid-South in his first big manager’s gig.”

“I don’t think they pay a lot of attention to it,” JR continued. “Now, they may in smaller circles, I don’t know that because I’m not in those circles but I can tell you, it’s not a topic of conversation. In other words, when I see Tully and Arn for example, they don’t come and say ‘hey JR, what did you think of what Cornette said last week? Those words have never been spoken.”

“I don’t agree with everything that Cornette says,” JR continued. “Let’s make sure that’s clear and I’m sure he doesn’t agree with everything I say but I respect his right to say it.”

JR’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Christian Cage recently spoke to TVInsider. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion discussed a number of topics during the interview, including which AEW stars he sees as having the most potential.

Captain Charisma says MJF and Darby Allin stand out to him as two guys who have the ‘it’ factor to become huge stars.

“MJF gets it and understands what he’s trying to convey at all times,” said Christian. “He has that poise and confidence that is hard to teach. He just has it.”

“I look at Darby Allin, who has that cool factor about him” Christian Cage continued. “That Jeff Hardy feel where people just gravitate to him. It will be interesting to get that newer Jeff Hardy-type feud against Darby.”

Christian Sees Potential

He also named a few women that he believes will be the foundation of the AEW women’s division.

“I look at the women,” he continued. “Jade Cargill has all the tools to be a huge star. Britt Baker is doing great things. She is the face of the women’s division. She really stood out to me as well as Thunder Rosa. Their match was unbelievable. The future is pretty set up here in AEW.”

Christian will make his AEW in-ring debut next week on Dynamite. He will face SCU member Frankie Kazarian – his first singles match in 7 years.

Christian and Kazarian have actually crossed paths before. Shortly after AEW announced this match, Impact Wrestling tweeted the following clip from 2007:

Check out Christian Cage vs. Kaz from Genesis 2007.

Subscribe at https://t.co/9F0lXlvfyu to watch all your favorite IMPACT matches. pic.twitter.com/MoOZOCjdwY

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 25, 2021

MJF surprised everyone when he formed his own faction in Pinnacle featuring FTR, Wardlow, Shawn Spears, and Tully Blanchard and took out Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle on Dynamite a couple of weeks ago.

Since the big reveal, people have been wondering if the storyline will lead us into the Blood and Guts match between the two groups which the company originally had to halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

MJF commented on the possibility during his recent interview with Sports Illustrated.The Dynamite diamond ring holder said that if the WarGames match does happen, then it would be the best version ever of the bout.

“Those old-school WarGames matches, they are absolutely incredible spectacles, If Inner Circle-the Pinnacle does happen, it would be the best version ever of that.

Personally, I’m not sure it would be the right fit for me. I’ve seen the ‘Lights Out’ matches, the death-matches, and I don’t know if that’s for me. But down the road, if it made sense, this would be the best blood-and-guts match in the history of the business.”

On Thursday morning, MJF tweeted that the Inner Circle are “scared shitless” of The Pinnacle.

Inner circle are scared shitless of The Pinnacle.

Shawn spears has a chip on his shoulder the size of his chair.

Dax man hits a hell of a brain buster.

Cash money is single and ready to mingle.

And last but not least

When you’re in the Pinnacle you’re always on TOP!

— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™? (@The_MJF) March 25, 2021

There’s unfortunately not enough characters on this App.

Tully is a hell of a mind.

And wardlow is a monster

— Maxwell Jacob Friedman™? (@The_MJF) March 25, 2021

Pinnacle: A Modern Day ‘Four Horsemen’

MJF also discussed the comparisons between his new group and the Iconic four horsemen faction of the past. He revealed why he chose to have 5 members in his group saying that he wanted to put a modern spin on things:

“I wanted to take something that was old and put a modern-day spin on it, it’s incredible to me that we are so talented that we have Wardlow in a Big Bubba Rogers position. He’s gigantic and a freak athlete.

FTR is the best tag team in the world. I’m also so excited for the world to see Shawn Spears. He’s never received the proper spotlight, but now people are going to recognize how incredible he is.”

Apart from this, MJF discussed how he is the biggest homegrown talent of AEW and said that he plans to be the face of the company for a long time.

For more, check out MJF’s interview with Sports Illustrated.

Christian Cage’s AEW debut match is set.

During Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling did a segment where Cage was confronted by SCU member Frankie Kazarian, who asked Cage when the “work” portion of his catchphrase was going to become a reality. This is when Cage told him that he would wrestle next week, but didn’t have an opponent. 

This led to Kaz offering to fill that role and the match was booked. This will be Cage’s first singles bout since his retirement years ago. Kaz told him to check out Monday’s AEW Dark: Elevation as he has a match set for the show. It’s possible Cage could appear on that program to further build this upcoming match. 

"When does the work part begin…" – @FrankieKazarian
Watch #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama pic.twitter.com/kmJ2UPFxDI

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 25, 2021

AEW has announced a few other matches for this show such as AEW World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers vs. Lucha Brothers and Laredo Kid in a six-man tag team match

Dynamite Card

• Christian Cage vs. Kazarian
• Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall 
• Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers vs. Lucha Brothers and Laredo Kid
• Hikaru Shida and Tay Conti vs. The Bunny and Nyla Rose
• Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy vs. Miro and Kip Sabian – Arcade Anarchy