AJ Styles was part of the Bullet Club faction during his time with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Also part of the group was Kenny Omega, Doc Gallows, Karl Anderson, and The Young Bucks.
With the working relationship between AEW and Impact Wrestling in place, there was a mini-reunion on the first episode of AEW Dynamite between Omega, Gallows, Anderson and The Young Bucks.
Styles’ career in NJPW took off when he joined the group in NJPW. While doing an interview with Bleacher Report, he looked back on his time in the group.
Styles started off by wondering how it got over so well and thinks it was because there were guys that genuinely wanted to hang out together. He noted that they were together outside of the ring.
Styles then briefly commented on the members mentioned above being back together.
“We were actually hanging out, and I think that’s why it worked so well for us at that time. We all hang out together, so seeing those guys, I’m happy for them. It’s cool they’re able to continue what they started, whenever it was.”
TV ratings are in for Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite and NXT TV. Dynamite scored a decisive win over NXT with New Year’s Smash (Night 2). Here’s the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
AEW: 762,000 viewers, 0.30 Rating (A18-49), 31st on cable
NXT: 551,000 viewers, 0.14 Rating (A18-49), 70th on cable
Both shows were impacted by coverage of US President Donald Trumps’ second impeachment, which dominated the list of Top 30 shows on cable for the evening. Unfortunately, NXT was hit much harder by this competition.
AEW viewership was up around 15% from last week (+20% in the key demo), while NXT viewership fell around 14% (-12% in the key demo). This was the lowest total audience for NXT since March 2020.
Impact Wrestling co-Vice President and Kenny Omega’s manager, Don Callis, was recently interviewed by Chris Van Vliet. During the discussion, Callis teased that there is more to come in his angle with Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers.
“Kenny and I have a lot of plans and what people are seeing from a national television perspective is just the fruition of those things,” Callis said. “We take great pride in the fact that when people think they have seen the apex of it, we try to do something different, take it to the next level.”
Callis talked about how he cut a promo in WWF as a complete unknown and called out Vince McMahon. What he said in the promo, Callis said, was indicative of what he wants from the wrestling business.
“I called out Vince McMahon. I said that I wanted to run the World Wrestling Federation, I wanted to run the wrestling business,” Callis said. “But it was true. I never had any interest in being a pro-wrestling manager, or being a color commentator, I wanted to be the person pulling the strings. I was 29-years-old when I said that.”
Callis continued to say the timing wasn’t right for him to run the wrestling business, however. WWE did offer him jobs working in creative but he turned them down.
“I wrote 6 weeks of television for Kurrgan to get him to try to get him to a different level and I wrote it out in a week-by-week format,” Callis continued. “That would be fairly common now, in 1997, it was pretty unheard of.”
Callis said that after doing so, he was offered a spot in WWE creative but turned it down. He ended up getting released from the company in 1999. The belief is he was fired by Bruce Prichard for “getting over at the talent’s expense.”
Callis then went to ECW and performed as Cyrus the Virus. During his interview with Chris Van Vliet, Callis referred to Paul Heyman as one of the most influential people in his career.
Don Callis On Comparisons To Paul Heyman
“There’s probably been 3, I’d say,” Callis said when asked about the most influential person in his career. “Kenny’s uncle the Golden Sheik, for sure. Bad News Allen (aka Bad News Brown) who kind of took on my training after the Sheik moved on. And then Paul Heyman in ECW.”
Callis then explained the key difference between what he does and what Paul Heyman does, however.
“I’ve been happy for Paul that he’s had the success that he’s had cause he’s a very talented and hard-working guy. Did a lot for me. There have been people now that have been comparing us. I think it’s an unfair comparison for Paul. Cause Paul is a tremendous wrestling performer, a character on a wrestling show. He does a wonderful job of that. I’m not a character. I am the essence of who I am and what I do is done at a much higher level than what characters like Paul, with all due respect, can do.”
The full interview with Don Callis can be heard in the player below:
AEW‘s Eddie Kingston recently appeared on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast. The ‘Mad King’ would discuss a number of topics on the show, including his current relationship, appearing overseas and tribute to his long-time friend Brodie Lee.
Eddie Kingston made a speech following the Brodie Lee Tribute episode of AEW Dynamite. It wasn’t something that Kingston planned; but he felt he had to say something to the other talent about the emotion of the show. He also stated how as a further tribute to Brodie? They should bring that to the forefront every single week.
The speech was filmed and released by AEW. It would end up going viral amongst wrestling fans.
Eddie Kingston on Tribute Speech
“Homicide busted my balls about it” Eddie Kingston began on the podcast. “‘I see you’re the locker room leader now!’ I’m like, ‘leave me alone.’ He’ll randomly send me like a picture of something saying ‘boss’ on it or something, I’m like ‘oh come on.'”
“I just had this overwhelming feeling of energy after the show was over” Kingston then continued. “And I was kind of like, I feel like I need people to understand why I’m getting this energy. I just started…just yelling because I was like, ‘why can’t we do this every week? Why does it take one of our fallen brothers to pass away for us to be this emotional in the ring? Bring it out to the people so that people can feel us?’ You know?”
Eddie Kingston then described how everyone would quieten down and then his speech started to get filmed. “And then? I’m going on and on and I’m like ‘oh man this is really embarrassing, people are looking at me. What the fuck is going on!?’ And then I see the camera and you can actually see me, see the camera! I Look at it and I go ‘okay! We got to carry it! Then I run away as fast as I can, because it’s not about that. And I get why they (AEW) put it up [online] and that’s cool.”
Chris Jericho revealed on an episode of Talk is Jericho recently that he tested positive for COVID-19 back in September. Jericho said he was asymptomatic and was actually surprised that he tested positive. More information on this was revealed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“He believes that he got it from a family friend, is what I understand,” said Dave Meltzer regarding Jericho. “Had no symptoms. Nobody in the family had any symptoms but the friend tested positive so he went and checked and tested positive.”
“(He) quarantined, did not feel bad. At the next TV, he passed the test and worked the next TV after the quarantine was over.”
There have been some fans wondering if Jericho’s positive COVID test is related to cases that Lance Archer and Nick Jackson had around the same time. In the case of Lance Archer, however, it’s believed he got it from a friend.
“It was from a family member who may have gotten it from a friend when they were taking the dog to the vet, I think is the story,” Meltzer said about Archer.
Nick Jackson doesn’t know how he got the virus.
“Nick Jackson doesn’t know how he got it. He doesn’t know if he got it from a taping, he doesn’t know if he got it from the airport but when he got home from the taping, he was sick right away,” Meltzer continued. “He was traveling with Matt and he was traveling with Brandon Cutler and they were fine.”
We have an update on Jay White’s status, courtesy of AEW broadcaster Tony Schiavone.
Switchblade has been in the news as of late. He recently competed at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15. He challenged Kota Ibushi for the IWGP World & Intercontinental Championships, but came up short. A despondent Jay White announced after the event that he was leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling. He bemoaned, “I will never be appreciated like I should be” before stating that it might be time to take his talents elsewhere. “I am not going to do this anymore.. maybe my time would be better spent some place else.”
It has been rumored that Jay White’s contract with New Japan is expiring soon. If this was the case, he could test the waters by negotiating with other promotions.
During Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite post-show, Tony Schiavone was asked about the possibility of AEW signing Jay White. Schiavone revealed this is unlikely. He thinks Jay White is committed to NJPW longterm.
“I don’t think so,” Schiavone responded to a fan question. “I think he’s pretty much locked into what he’s doing there.”
Dave Meltzer on recently stated on Wrestling Observer Radio that AEW was interested in signing Jay White when the company launched in 2018. White reportedly told AEW executives that he had several years left on his NJPW contract.
For what it’s worth, Jay White’s profile has been pulled from the NJPW Website.
At only 28 years old, Jay White is one of the top pro wrestlers in the world. He would certainly be a top free agent, if he did leave New Japan. For now, it appears he is staying put for the foreseeable future.
Tony Schiavone confirmed on the latest Dynamite post show that former WWE star Erick Rowan is not part of the AEW roster just yet.
The AEW commentator was asked if fans can expect to see the former Wyatt Family member in action again.
Replying to it, Schiavone said that his appearance was only for the tribute show though he did not rule out the possibility of Rowan returning to the company in future:
“I believe Erick’s appearance only came on that tribute show to his former tag team partner. Then again, I say that but who knows? He might show up tomorrow,”
Erick Rowan made a surprise appearance during the Brodie Lee Celebration Of Life episode of Dynamite to pay tribute to his former tag team partner.
The former WWE star was released from his contract in April earlier last year as part of the company’s coronavirus budget cuts alongside several other stars.
Many of the released stars such as Miro and The Good Brothers have since signed new contracts with different promotions but Erick Rowan remains a free agent.
Now it would be interesting to see if the indie star makes any more appearances for AEW in future and which company he eventually joins as a full time star.
AEW star Sonny Kiss has clarified a report that he is currently out of action due to injury.
The story about a potential injury began circulating late Wednesday night. During the AEW Dynamite post-show, Tony Schiavone was asked by a fan about Sonny Kiss’ whereabouts. Schiavone replied, “He’s been injured; I’ve seen him in the training room. So he’s been banged up. I’ve seen him in the gym but he’s just not able to perform. He is a tremendous athlete.”
On Thursday afternoon, Sonny Kiss set the record straight on social media:
I’m not sure how this narrative started that I was injured, but babygirl is totally okay. Just an FYI. ?
Haha, I just get @breadyfitness to adjust me every now and again because I have tight dancer hips and hold stress in my neck from time to time ?? but I’m totally okay! ? https://t.co/R6VlpTfguW
Sonny Kiss signed an AEW contract back in February 2019. He made his debut at the company’s inaugural Double or Nothing PPV in May and has been a part of the AEW roster ever since.
Kiss last competed during the December 22 episode of AEW Dark where he was defeated by Miro. His last Dynamite appearance came on October 21 when he competed in a match against Kenny Omega.
Erick Redbeard, aka Erick Rowan, recently revealed a new tattoo he got to honor the passing of his friend and former tag-team partner, Brodie Lee. The two were formerly known as Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of the Wyatt Family and also performed together in WWE as the Bludgeon Brothers.
The Bludgeon Brothers held the Smackdown tag-team championships from April 2018 until that August. The duo were also former NXT tag-team champions as members of the Wyatt Family.
Rowan appeared on the AEW Tribute to the Life of Mr. Brodie Lee show two weeks ago. He held up a sign that said “Goodbye for now my brother, see you down the road.”
“I’m not really sure how to answer that question because I’m not used to him being the leader, I’ll have to watch a little bit more of his stuff. Yeah, I’d love to lock back up with Brodie and get back together, but there’s a place and a time for it, you know? Now just might not be the right time.”
Brodie Lee also commented on what he felt was next for Rowan in an interview exclusive to SEScoops.com:
“I think Erick Rowan is almost tailor-made for a Japan run. I don’t know if we’ll ever find each other over there because that would be pretty cool. Or if we’ll find each other in AEW, who knows? I think there’s going to be a lot of opportunity for these guys.”
AEW’s Eddie Kingston recently appeared on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast. The ‘Mad King’ would discuss a number of topics on the show, including his current relationship, appearing overseas and tribute to his long-time friend Brodie Lee.
When Paquette asked Kingston what else he wanted to accomplish in his career, he would reply emphatically, saying NJPW. “Of course New Japan, but there has to be certain guys” Eddie Kingston would state.
Eddie Kingston on NJPW
“I want to get in there with [Hiroshi] Tanahashi, he is number one” Kingston continued. “Stone Cold Steve Austin is my favourite American wrestler, and to me Tanahashi is the Stone Cold Steve Austin of New Japan. He saved that company.”
Kingston also confirmed that he wants to appear for other promotions in Japan. “I want to step into an All Japan Pro Wrestling ring, because I love All Japan Pro Wrestling. Especially the 90s with the four pillars: [Akira] Taue, [Toshiaki] Kawada, [Mitsuharu] Misawa, and my personal favourite of all time Kenta Kobashi.”
Kingston finished by naming the All Japan Pro Wrestling legend that he desperately wants to face. “But I NEED this” Kingston stated, “I NEED me versus Jun Akiyama, that would be the cap on everything.”
All Japan aside, it’s interesting that Eddie Kingston notes his want to face Hiroshi Tanahashi. There have been rumors and rumbling since Harold Meij left New Japan regarding a potential collaboration between AEW and NJPW. Reportedly, Meij was not on good terms with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega; meaning that the link up between the two brands was highly unlikely. There are however several AEW performers who appear in NJPW, such as Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley.
Do you want to see Eddie Kingston appear in New Japan? Let us know in the comments
Chris Jericho recently spent some time talking about the ongoing global pandemic on his Talk is Jericho podcast. His guest was Dr. Alex Patel, an ICU doctor working in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. During the discussion, Jericho revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19 in September.
The former WWE & AEW World Champion says he did not experience any symptoms of the virus, but still quarantined for 10 days to protect his loved ones.
“I haven’t really told anyone this but I tested positive back in maybe September and I had zero symptoms” Jericho said on the show. “I had my 10 days in isolation and stayed away from everybody.”
Jericho added that he was very surprised to learn he had COVID-19 when he took a routine test.
“I didn’t even know that I had it, I went and got a test just in general. It was one of the ones where they said you’re positive and I was like ‘Really? Are you serious?’ I had nothing, I didn’t have a headache, I didn’t have a cough.”
“Once I did have it, and it wasn’t a false positive because I took 3 different tests and they were all positive, but now I have the antibodies,” Jericho continued.
Retribution’s T-BAR has accused a current AEW star of stealing his finisher.
The former NXT star took on Twitter earlier today and made an interesting tweet, claiming that “some little teenage virgin on AEW” stole his finisher four years ago. He wrote, “Some little teenage virgin on AEW stole my finisher like four years ago after we did a show together. I’d steal something from his move set but it’s all just @KingRicochet moves.”
T-BAR did not mention any names in the since-deleted tweet, the post invoked a response from Sammy Guevara who claimed that the move known as Feast Your Eyes belongs to indie wrestler Matt Demorest.
You can view the two finishers here:
Sammy Guevara fired back at the Retribution member saying that he is just trying to get the move to be seen by fans because the Raw star is never on TV.
AEW star Dax Harwood also joined in on the conversation by replying to Guevara and called T-BAR “an idiot” who is lucky to even be in the wrestling business.
“Stole MY finisher”. MY FINISHER?! ? The guy is an idiot. He’s lucky to even be in the business.
T-Bar later referenced a controversial joke Guevara made about Sasha Banks in 2016, which AEW suspended him for last year when they resurfaced. He wrote, “Someone tell panda kid I had a singles match on TV last night, and I didn’t steal the move from some backyarder, I thought of it in a professional wrestling ring with @Kill4nova. Try being creative sometime, instead of, oh I don’t know, making jokes about rape.”
He also responded Dax Harwood’s tweet, writing, “I could never understand what your problem was with me. I was always polite to you. Complimented your matches. I think you hated my style? So weird. Hope all is well, you usually seem like a nice enough dude.”
T-Bar eventually decided to delete the tweets related to this conversation and said the whole argument was dumb. “You know what, everyone is right. This is a dumb argument and I’m deleting my contributions to it.”
Don Callis says nobody is on Kenny Omega’s level, including his “onetime close friend” and former partner, Kota Ibushi.
The former Golden Lovers partners sit atop the wrestling world with championship gold to prove their worth. Omega is the reigning AEW World Champion and the AAA Mega champion. Ibushi was the big winner coming out of NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 15 by winning and defending the IWGP Heavyweight & Intercontinental titles.
“The Invisible Hand” recently spoke with Talk Sport about Omega’s success. He says Ibushi was a good friend of Kenny Omega “at one point.” He knows Ibushi is a great wrestler. But he’s not the best.
“Kenny Omega is still the best wrestler in the world and number two isn’t close,” said Callis “Whether it’s [Impact World Champion] Rich Swann or Kota Ibushi, you’re getting in the ring with Kenny Omega, a generational, once in a lifetime performer.”
Callis thinks that no matter how good of a wrestler Kota Ibushi is, he exists in a bubble. Ibushi hasn’t tested himself around the world like Kenny Omega has.
“What makes Kenny great isn’t just the athleticism, it’s his next level thinking. Kota Ibushi thinks in the IWGP bubble. It’s all he knows and all he’s ever known. In order for Kota Ibushi to truly evolve into the Kota Ibushi he can be, he needs to get on an airplane. He needs to come from Japan and defend that title around the world like Kenny Omega does.”
The Problem With Kota Ibushi…
Don Callis honed in on what he believes to be, “the problem” with Kota Ibushi. Naturally, Callis will promote his guy and is protective of how Kenny Omega is perceived.
“The problem with Kota Ibushi has never been a lack of ability, it’s been a lack of imagination,” he began. “But Kota is very much like the wrestling fans we spoke about, he has a limited world view. He has been a great friend of Kenny’s in the past, the reality is, sometimes as we move through our lives we have to shed friends like we shed dead skin cells. What once worked in a friendship or relationship no longer works for us, so we move on.”
Callis finished by teasing that he and Kenny Omega have plans that most of us are thinking ‘too small’ to comprehend. “A lot of people would love to see Kenny and Kota Ibushi reunite, but that’s very small-minded thinking and it is what it is. People get excited about their dream matches.”
Head over to Talk Sport to check out their full interview with Don Callis.
It is a dream of Cody Rhodes to stand across the ring from Sting, his favorite wrestler and childhood hero.
Sting returned to wrestling at AEW Dynamite in December and has signed a multi-year deal with the company. At 61 years of age, he is not expected to perform as a full-time wrestler. However, he is expected to wrestle in some capacity. Among the wrestlers Sting has interacted with since joining AEW, Cody Rhodes is one.
Sting has a long and decorated history with the late Dusty Rhodes. It seems like he would share some storyline in the future with Cody as well.
In an interview with Daniel Trainer earlier this week to promote AEW Dynamite, Cody Rhodes talked about Sting and discussed the possibility of a singles match with Sting. Rhodes admitted that Sting was his favorite wrestler growing up, along with the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels.
“It’s no secret that Sting was my favorite wrestler,” Cody began. “I had Sting in WCW and Shawn [Michaels] in WWF. But really I wasn’t supposed to watch WWF. So, Sting was everything. I got to see him live so often and I got to see the connection he had. I honestly am scared to answer that. Obviously, as a wrestler, to stand across the ring from your hero is everyone’s dream, to share that field. So, yes, I would love and envision that.”
Sting & Dusty Rhodes
Cody Rhodes vs. Sting
In order for a match against Sting to occur, Cody Rhodes would have to put his fandom on hold and focus on Sting as a competitor. He understands this dynamic and responsibility that would come with sharing a ring with Sting.
“When you put yourself in that position, you’re no longer a fan. You’re now out to outperform them, out to beat them, however you look at wrestling. You are opposite of them. You are their dance partner, their competition. You’re all these things. That is a big responsibility and that is also just scary, especially if you’re somebody like me who loves the memory and the legacy of wrestlers. I never want them to feel like they have to carry on. Their memories carry on enough as they get older.”
He noted that Sting appears to be moving around quite well for a legend with over three decades in pro wrestling.
Cody Rhodes is waiting for Sting’s current storyline with Darby Allin to run its course and see how that unfolds. After that, the fans might get one or more matches between the two, if ‘Sting has his eyes on him as much as he does on Sting’.
Other topics discussed in the interview include Brodie Lee and AEW’s tribute, including Amanda Huber’s involvement with that show. To read a full transcript of the discussion, visit Daniel Trainer’s blog.
IMPACT Wrestling stars Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows recently joined forces on-screen with AEW Champion Kenny Omega and ‘The Invisible Hand’ Don Callis.
The group aligned during an episode of IMPACT Wrestling back in December; since then fans have been wondering when The Good Brothers would eventually make their way over to AEW Dynamite.
Kenny Omega and Don Callis were the catalyst for the AEW/IMPACT storyline beginning, at least on-screen, and last week saw The Good Brothers invade Dynamite and attack Jon Moxley. Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson appeared following the main event which saw Kenny Omega defeat Rey Fenix for the AEW Championship.
The 4 men would then unite with The Young Bucks on screen; revealing that the ‘Bullet Club’ (not named as such on camera) had reunited outside of New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Karl Anderson discussed the invasion during this week’s episode of Talk’n Shop. Co-host and NJPW star Rocky Romero would ask Anderson if ‘the boys’ backstage did not know they were going to appear.
Karl Anderson On ‘Bullet Club’ Invasion
“No, no, no [they knew]” Karl Anderson would begin on the podcast. “I guess that’s the difference of the time right? Because there was a couple…I guess there was a couple marks at the hotel here and there?”
Anderson would then discuss how the invasion wasn’t leaked online. “We came in and there might have only been one or two in the hotel? I don’t know how they didn’t see us? Maybe they just are a part of the game, and didn’t want to leak it? I almost think it was probably expected at some point, but where we are in the world right now? It’s just easy to surprise I guess.”
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops
Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks recently noted on his Instagram stories that he was sick with COVID-19 for several weeks back in September.
“Crazy to think there’s still COVID deniers out there in the world,” he wrote. “I had a pretty bad case of COVID in early September that kept me bed ridden for nearly 3 weeks. I couldn’t taste or smell for 2 and a half months. At one point my whole body had hives on it and my doctor said that it was definitely from COVID.”
“Matt had to do the majority of the work in matches once I returned safely because I couldn’t catch my breath. My cardio is finally back but it took months to finally feel like myself again. Let’s protect each other and wear a mask.”
Nick Jackson went from September 5th to October 21st, 2020 without wrestling any matches in AEW.
Nick Jackson also suffered a leg contusion on AEW Dynamite this week. He was teaming with his brother and SCU against the Acclaimed and the Hybrid2 when the injury occurred. He is not expected to miss any time, however.
The Young Bucks are scheduled to team with Kenny Omega in trios action. Their opponents have yet to be named.
Cody discussed a number of topics during the interview, including the first year of AEW programming. He emphasized the importance of the 18-49 demographic, saying how he and other members of AEW’s management are consistently checking the top 50 shows to see where they rank.
AEW has consistently outperformed NXT amongst the younger audience since the two shows began going head-to-head in October 2019. NXT tends to trend with an older audience, who are likely to have already been ‘loyal’ to WWE over the decades Rhodes revealed a certain WCW legend convinced him to focus on engaging the younger audience.
“Konnan of all people,” he said. “I don’t speak to Konnan a lot, but he had told me his secret to success. I asked him for any advice. His secret to success? It was always being around young people. Like ‘hey, I’m gonna listen to hip hop, I’m gonna listen to modern music. Even if I don’t like it? I’m gonna listen to it. I want to know what they’re talking about.'”
Cody Rhodes on Demographics
Rhodes continued, “That to me is the brightest part of the AEW roster. The youth that is on the roster and the youth that is in the creative, the direction. With Tony [Khan] in that lead spot, the direction of the show, the artistic vision of the show, the talent on the show.”
Cody Rhodes would then discuss the demographics of the show specifically. “We joke about the demo, but it’s not a joke. Seriously there’s a potential that if you, and this is for any show, if you don’t look at that? You’re going to age out. One of the reasons I’ve turned my act around into a bit of a squeaky clean act? It is because it’s really…I want to engage a young fanbase. Not just the young, affluent, and cool. I want to engage kids, because the show has a lot of violence, a lot of adult content.”
Rhodes finished by discussing the importance of attracting the younger demographic. This holds true not just with pro wresetling, but with all television shows.
“Anyone who’s not scared, and I’m not talking about our competitor, I’m talking about any show. If you’re not in with the youth in terms of, they’re not watching your show? You should absolutely be terrified. 50 plus means you’re losing your audience. Again this is about TV in general, not about WWE and not about AEW, but because we see all top 50 shows every week.”
Do you agree with Cody Rhodes? Do you think that AEW are doing a good job of bringing a younger audience to pro wrestling?
AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. Cody would discuss a number of topics during the interview, including the first year of AEW programming.
“Somebody asked me to grade it [AEW’s first year]” Cody Rhodes began on the podcast. “And of course, as part of the company I can’t give it a bad grade! But I said like ‘an A, and there’s room for an A+.'”
“We know where we need to grow” Rhodes would continue. “Even if AEW only went one year? It’s still been the greatest year of my life. I learned a lot of lessons, and learned some hard lessons about the burdens of management. If you were not popular before? You’re definitely not going to be popular as you enter that space.”
Cody Rhodes on Company Metrics
Cody would then discuss the ratings success of the promotion. “I still think like, it is surreal, like the numbers? That’s why I love the data. I love when (Chris) Harrington shows me this spreadsheet, talks about our international deals. We’re having these calls…like I was on the phone with Microsoft the other day!”
Rhodes would finish by saying how he laid out how he wanted his involvement to work with AEW President Tony Khan on day one. “I told Tony, I said do not give me this job unless you want me to really do the job. Which would mean really embrace it, which would probably include pissing you [Khan] off from time to time. But he’s never been pissed at me.”
AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. Cody would discuss a number of topics during the interview, including the younger talent who are currently working in the promotion.
Chris Jericho would specifically discuss the young tag team Private Party. Jericho faced Isiah Kassidy in a match on the September 25th 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite.
Chris Jericho on Private Party
“The thing with this those guys? They’re like 19 and 21” Jericho would begin on the podcast. “They’re never had to do a promo in their life, at least not on national TV. When I worked with Isaiah Cassidy? It was his second ever singles match on live TV. Like for us we’ve been doing it for so long, but these are kids and they need advice and are probably super happy to get it.”
“But they must also be a little scared you know? Like ‘oh these guys never say anything, they don’t talk, they don’t ask questions.’ I’d be terrified if I was those two guys at 19 and 21!”
Jericho would finish by saying how it’s the older talent’s responsibility to look after the younger stars. “It’s kind of our responsibility, but these are just really young guys.”
Chris Jericho has of course been working with his own stable of younger talent over the past year. The creation of the Inner Circle has given ‘Le Champion’ the ability to help fresh stars like Sammy Guevara, Pride & Powerful, MJF and Wardlow advance their careers and stature on AEW programming.
Congratulations are in order for AEW star Matt Hardy and wife Reby. On Friday evening, the couple announced they are expecting their fourth child together. It will be their first daughter.
The couple got married in 2013 and had their first child, a son, Maxel in June 2015 before having their second son, Wolfgang Xander in June 2017. Their third child, Bartholomew “Bartie” Kit, was born in December 2019.
Hardy returned to WWE with his brother, Jeff, in 2017 at WrestleMania 33 after being away for several years. However, he had a run with WWE that wasn’t what he had envisioned, and thus, he decided to let his contract expire with WWE.
This was at a time where he wasn’t being used on television in a way that he wanted his brother went down with an injury that resulted in him getting surgery and being on the sidelines for several months. Hardy joined All Elite Wrestling earlier this year.
Hardy uploaded a new video on his YouTube channel earlier this week that saw him talk about where The Hardy Boyz ranks among the greatest tag teams of all-time. He even poked fun at Vince McMahon decided to put Jeff in a tag team with Matt Riddle as the Hardy Bros.
Tony Schiavone has enjoyed a career resurgence since he joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The legendary broadcaster was away from pro wrestling for nearly two decades following the demise of WCW in 2001. Longtime fans have called him “the voice of their childhood.” He now reaches a new generation of wrestling fans every week on AEW Dynamite.
Schiavone co-hosts the ‘What Happened When’ podcast with Conrad Thompson and the AEW Unrestricted podcast with referee Aubrey Edwards. On this week’s Unrestricted, Schiavone was in the ‘hot seat.’ He spoke about what he knew about Sting joining AEW, Kenny Omega hijacking the AEW Championship, working through the pandemic and much more.
The most interesting part of the discussion focused on Tony Schiavone’s path to AEW. Prior to joining the company, he negotiated with not just Tony Khan but also WWE. Believe it or not, Khan encouraged him to sign with WWE if they offered him enough money.
Tony Schiavone’s Road to AEW
Schiavone says Bruce Prichard reached out to him in 2019 and informed him that Vince McMahon wanted to hire him at WWE. Schivaone was interested and asked what the position would be. Prichard said it would probably be a producer role and they’d be in touch. He told Conrad Thompson that he was in talks with WWE and got a text message from Cody Rhodes “two minutes later.”
Cody told him, “I don’t want you to work for WWE” and set up a call between Schiavone and AEW President Tony Khan.
“Tony called me, we talked for over an hour and said he was going to have me come to Jacksonville,” said Schiavone. “During this time, WWE kept talking to me and I never told WWE that Tony Khan had an interest, I was just listening. They called and said, ‘We don’t have our ducks in a row yet, we’ll be back in touch.'”
Schiavone continued speaking with Bruce Prichard, who told him that Vince McMahon wants him to end his career with WWE. He received a call from someone in WWE’s HR department, who asked how much money he was interested in. He threw out a big number and was told they would be in touch.
“Meanwhile, I met with Tony Khan. It was an all-day meeting at the stadium and I knew immediately that I wanted to work there. My wife also told me, ‘If you take a job at WWE, I’ll divorce your ass.’ I didn’t play two sides against the middle, I was just waiting to hear.”
Khan made Schiavone a “phenomenal” offer, but he still owed WWE courtesy of making an offer as well. Khan told Schiavone, “If they offer you $1 million, take it!” He replied, “Don’t worry, I will.”
Schiavone’s wife Lois urged him not to work for WWE, no matter what they offered him. WWE said they would be in touch with him after SummerSlam. He received a phone call from WWE the day after SummerSlam 2019. They informed him, “Thank you for your interest Mr. Schiavone, we have nothing for you.” He replied, “You guys contacted me!” He called Tony Khan that day and said, “I’m in.”
You can listen to this week’s AEW Unrestricted at iTunes and other podcast platforms.
Nick Jackson got banged up at Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, but is not expected to miss any ring time.
Along with his brother Matt, The Young Bucks are the reigning AEW World Tag team champions. They teamed with SCU against The Acclaimed and The Hybrid 2 in the opening contest of New Year’s Smash (Night 1).
Mid-way through the contest, Jack Evans hit a 630 splash off the top rope onto Nick Jackson. Nick countered the move by putting his legs up, which resulted in Evans landing on them hard. He was limping later in the match, which indicates a possible injury. Footage of the move in question can be seen here:
Wrestling Observer Live notes that Jackson sustained a leg contusion, but thankfully there was no fracture. As of this writing, Nick Jackson still scheduled to compete next week at New Year’s Smash (Night 2). The Elite will be in action, as the Young Bucks team with AEW World Champion Kenny Omega.
The trio, along with Gallows & Anderson, were part of the show-closing angle that saw a reunion of former Bullet Club members. For more on that story, check out:
Jim Ross has named his three favorite matches since the launch of AEW last year. The Hall of Fame announcer has been ringside for some of the greatest matches in pro wrestling history, so his opinion on this subject carries weight.
During a recent episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Ross named the three AEW matches that fans should go out of their way to see, if they haven’t already.
JR told co-host Conrad Thompson, “I loved Dustin and Cody.” Of course, the match he is referring two was the battle of the Rhodes brothers from the inaugural AEW pay-per-view, Double or Nothing 2019. It was an instant classic that ranks on any serious list of the best AEW matches.
Brother vs. Brother: Double or Nothing 2019(Photo: AEW)
Best AEW Matches
Jim Ross said the best match of 2020 was the Young Bucks vs. FTR tag team ‘dream match’ from November’s AEW Full Gear pay-per-view. He also praised the Cody Rhodes vs. Brodie Lee dog collar match for the TNT Championship. Tragically, this would be Brodie Lee’s final match before his untimely passing on December 26th.
He noted that Jon Moxley had a stellar year as AEW World Champion. “There’s a couple of Moxley matches that I thought were really good, I’m a big fan of Jon Moxley.”
Jim Ross wrapped up by going back to the Cody vs. Dustin match, stating that the personal nature of the match-up and the luxury of a live crowd put it over the top for him
“Overall, just looking back in total, the Rhodes brothers match might be my favorite match thus far that we’ve done in AEW. Live crowd, the dramatic use of blood, the story behind it. It became very personal and emotional, it wasn’t a ‘rasslin’ storyline so to speak. It was based on reality. They turned it on and it got me.”
You can listen to this “Ask JR Anything” episode of Grilling JR at Westwood One or in the player embedded below:
The AEW Games Youtube channel has launched 2.Show, a new digital series hosted by AEW World Champion Kenny Omega. On the premiere episode, Omega and Kip Sabian spoke discussed the AEW console video game currently in development.
Sabian asked Omega the top 5 most common questions about the game that AEW has received from fans. Topics discussed include:
Gameplay: Arcade or simulation?
Estimated release date
Features: Create-a-Wrestler and Online
WWF No Mercy creator Hideyuki “Geta” Iwashita’s involvement
Gameplay: Arcade or Simulation?
When asked if the AEW console game style will be simulation or arcade, Kenny Omega replied, “Neither.” He explained that if you look at a pure simulation game, the best example is the Fire Pro Wrestling series. This is a beloved franchise with a devoted fanbase. However, there’s a high learning curve and it makes it less fun for people who want to simply pick up and play with their friends.
AEW is looking to incorporate the speed of arcade play with the movs and countering systems of a simulation game. They are looking to create a wrestling game that lets players feel like they’re actually in the ring with their opponent. Players will have the areal offense of Rey Fenix and can perform variations of the Canadian destroyer.
A clip was shown of the Young Bucks’ Meltzer Driver tag team move in development.
Release Date
Kenny Omega said they are attempting to create the greatest pro wrestling video game of all time. They want it to be fun and last for a long time. To create a game that improves upon WWF No Mercy, it takes time and effort.
Omega made some jokes at the expense of WWE 2K20. “Sometimes, when games are rushed, they encounter a lot of bugs. They become almost unplayable, and then they become a meme in themselves. We don’t want that! We want people to have fun with this thing.” They’re working with the best game developers and producers. AEW Games will release a complete, playable, unbroken package.
Unfortunately, they can’t give a release date just yet. Omega hopes the game will be out “maybe next year, maybe the year after that.” He assured viewers that they will receive regular updates on the AEW Games channel.
Omega says he was impressed when he played an early build of the AEW video game.
Features: Create a Wrestler & Online Play
The game will absolutely have a Create-a-Wrestler mode. AEW understands this is a beloved feature and it’s a high priority to them as well. They know some fans like to use the CAW suite to create themselves, fictitious characters and wrestlers from other promotions.
There will “absolutely” be online play. Wrestling fans can play with their friends or against their friends. They are exploring ways to incorporate cross-play functionality, so [example] gamers who own the AEW video game on Xbox can play against people who own the console game on Playstation. Online mode will involve all match types and specific functions will be exclusive to online play.
Geta’s Involvement
Finally, they asked about the process of getting Hideyuki “Geta” Iwashita on board with this project. Geta was the driving force behind WWF No Mercy (N64), the 2000 classic that is considered by many to be the best wrestling video game ever.
Kenny Omega says he did a lot of footwork on this game before AEW even launched. When he was still over in Japan, he visited the AKI studio, creators of WWF No Mercy. He spoke with the one remaining team member who worked on the game. Much of the original team has moved on. Many of them are developing mobile games. They all loved working on wrestling video games.
Omega received a message from someone he met at E3. This friend informed him that he was friends with Geta, who heard about the visit with AKI. Geta was eager to meet. Omega flew to Japan, where they decided to make a game together ‘when the time is right.’ They had additional meetings. AEW then linked up with Yukes and Geta was excited to join the team.
You can watch the the premiere episode of AEW Games: 2.Show below. Kenny Omega and Kip Sabian discuss the AEW game:
