Archive for the ‘AEW’ Category

The Young Bucks Discuss Sting’s AEW Debut

All Elite Wrestling’s Young Bucks have opened up about Sting’s AEW debut on this week’s episode of Dynamite. The special episode, entitled Winter is Coming, saw the former WCW World Champion make his debut for the promotion.

Speaking with the Living the Gimmick podcast, The Young Bucks explained how Sting was hidden backstage throughout the day. When it came time for him to make his debut, Sting was accompanied by a member of Atlas Security.

He reportedly walked through the backstage area with an intense tunnel vision. Members of AEW’s staff and roster all turned their heads “like it was the Exorcist” to watch the Icon walk by.

The Young Bucks described the shock the AEW roster collectively experienced as Sting prepared to debut. According to the Young Bucks, it was a lot of fun to see the locker room have a “mark out” moment like that.

Witnessing the way the AEW talent reacted to Sting helped build their personal excitement for his on-screen reveal. This is because The Young Bucks were confident it would be an “even bigger moment on television.”

Sting debuted following a tag team matchup between Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin versus Team Taz’s Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs. Upon entering the ring, he stood face-to-face with Arn Anderson before leveling intense looks at Dustin Rhodes, Cody Rhodes, and, finally, Darby Allin.

Sting remained silent throughout his first appearance. He is set to speak for the first time on next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.

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The Young Bucks interview on the Living the Gimmick podcast drops next week, but you can listen early at the show’s Patreon page.

Posted December 4th, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: , .

Young Bucks Talk About AEW Working With Impact & Other Companies

Don Callis dropped a bombshell at the conclusion of this week’s AEW Dynamite. Kenny Omega’s first comments as new AEW World Champion will not take place on next week’s Dynamite, but on Tuesday’s edition of Impact Wrestling. It was a huge development that signals a working relationship between the two organizations. Wrestling fans are excited at the prospect of inter-promotional matches, especially in the women’s and tag team divisions.

AEW Executive Vice Presidents Nick and Matt Jackson have revealed interesting details about how the AEW-Impact situation came together. The Young Bucks spoke with Jon Alba and Doug McDonald this week for the Living The Gimmick Podcast. According to Matt, the working relationship has been in the works for nearly two years

“Two years ago, this is something Nick and I actually brought up and we wanted to get this going,” Matt said. “And for whatever reason, it just didn’t work out. I don’t know if that was more on our side or what, but we just couldn’t get everyone to agree on what the creative would be.”

This is something we’ve been whispering in Tony Khan’s ear for two years. So we’re all about collaboration and partnering with everyone and working together .. This is something that we truly wanted to do for a very, very long time. And I guess the timing was right and we got done.”

Collaborating With Other Promotions

In the lead-up to the launch of AEW, the Bucks made surprise appearances at independent wrestling shows across the United States. The All In pay-per-view was a “super show” of independent wrestling that showed the benefits of companies working together for a greater good. Matt thinks this attitude is “what wrestling needs” and will help AEW further transforming the landscape.

“I just think [working with other promotions] makes things unpredictable when you’re working with companies,” he said. “That’s what wrestling needs. It gets stuck in the same formula for so long it gets boring. It’s too easy to predict at times and you don’t want that to happen. So when you can make it different and change things up a bit, make it unpredictable, the fans like it more. It’s almost an easy formula when you explain it that way.”

Nick agrees that inter-promotional matches makes wrestling interesting. The entire industry benefits when companies ‘relax their borders’ to present the most compelling storylines and matches that are possible.

“This is a way to make things interesting, and if you do it right it can be very good for business,” said Nick. “We’ve done it, like Matt said earlier, it worked well when we’ve done it in the past.”

Both men talked about their feud with The Hardy Boyz doing massive business for Ring of Honor.

AEW & Impact Wrestling

So, what will a working relationship between AEW & Impact look like? Nick says it’s still so early, he doesn’t think they know exactly how things will play out. They’re dipping their toes in the water, but already have some big picture plans in place.

“There are immediate plans that I can’t exactly just give away right now. But my dream, if I had it my way, I just think about the possible dream matches. People are already hitting me up like, ‘Oh my god, can you imagine if it was the Young Bucks and the Motor City Machine Guns 10 years later?’ How can you not jump ahead and fantasize and fantasy book?”

AEW has the strongest tag team division in the world. In addition to established acts like the Young Bucks, FTR, the Lucha Bros. and Dark Order, they are still introducing exciting young talent, like Top Flight and The Acclaimed. The Bucks know fans are eager to see AEW’s top teams work The North, the Good Brothers and the Motor City Machine Guns. Matt once again hinted that there are some big surprises coming that fans are sure to enjoy.

“Are we going to do that stuff? I’m not sure yet, we’re still in the beginning of this. But there are some big surprises coming and I’m really excited about it,” Matt said.

The Young Bucks interview on the Living the Gimmick podcast drops next week, but you can listen early at the show’s Patreon page.

Posted December 4th, 2020 in News, AEW, TNA. Tagged: .

AEW Dynamite & NXT Viewership For December 2nd

Sting’s AEW debut, Jon Moxley’s World title defense against Kenny Omega and the shocking conclusion of last night’s Dynamite helped Winter is Coming score a decisive win over WWE NXT. Here’s the breakdown, courtesy of PWTorch.com:

  • AEW: 913,000 viewers, 0.42 rating (Adults 18-49)
  • NXT: 658,000 viewers, 0.16 rating (Adults 18-49)

In the Men 18-34 demographic, AEW crushed NXT .29 to .04.

For comparison, Monday’s WWE Raw averaged 1,741,000 viewers and did a 0.53 rating in the key demo.

This week’s Impact Wrestling data is available this week, since they made the Top 150 shows on cable. Tuesday’s Impact on AXS-TV did 166,000 viewers with a 0.05 in the Adults 18-49 demographic. It ranked 121 on cable for the night.

With new AEW World Champion Kenny Omega appearing on Impact next week, it’s going to be interesting to see how much of a boost Impact gets from this appearance.

AEW President Tony Khan thanked the great fans who helped make the ‘biggest Dynamite of all time’ a viewership success.

Check out our results and takeaways from this week’s AEW and NXT:

Posted December 3rd, 2020 in AEW, News, NXT.

Renee Paquette Talks Starting Podcast Whilst Pregnant During COVID-19 Restrictions

Former WWE on-screen personality Renee Paquette (Young) recently discussed her pregnancy on the Oral Sessions Podcast. Oral Sessions is Paquette’s newest venture; now on the second episode which features former MMA and Pro Wrestling star Josh Barnett.

Barnett hosts the annual BloodSport events and Paquette’s husband Jon Moxley has been a long admirer of the concept. The ‘shoot’ based event saw Moxley appear for the 2020 iteration back in October, facing Chris Dickinson in the main event.

Renee Paquette on new Podcast

Prior to the event Renee would record her episode of the podcast with Josh Barnett. “What’s kind of funny is that this was literally recorded days after I found out that I was pregnant” Renee would reveal on the show. “So, I had no idea what was going on with anything.”

“It was a very interesting time” Paquette would continue. “I was just wrapping my head around the fact that I was pregnant. AND trying to get this podcast off the ground.”

Renee would then discuss the difficulties of recording the interview during the COVID-19 pandemic whilst also being pregnant. “I was in Indianapolis with Jon (Moxley) who was going to do Bloodsport finally for the very first time. So I was stuck in the hotel room, I had to fully quarantine and couldn’t hang out or do anything because I just found out I was pregnant. I couldn’t do anything! Josh had been COVID tested, Jon had been COVID tested, so we were all safe to be able to gather around and crank out this podcast.”

Have you started listening to Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast? Have you got over the name yet? It’s ridiculous, right? Let us know in the comments

Check out the full episode of Oral Sessions view the embedded player below.

Posted December 3rd, 2020 in News, AEW. Tagged: , .

Backstage News On AEW & Impact Wrestling Relationship

AEW’s Winter is Coming was an eventful show, to say the least. We saw Sting’s AEW debut, which garnered mainstream headlines and was still trending on social media on Tuesday morning. However, that memorable moment was overshadowed by what transpired at the end of the broadcast.

Dynamite closed with Kenny Omega winning the AEW World Championship with help from longtime friend (and Impact Wrestling executive), Don Callis. As Omega and Callis were leaving the arena, Callis said that Omega would be on Impact Wrestling next Tuesday night.

AEW’s relationship with Impact Wrestling was discussed on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. “The Callis thing has been in the works for a while,” Dave Meltzer. “I didn’t know this but I presume that Don Callis – you know, Don Callis came up with the Omega Jericho match- I presume he came up with this idea and Tony Khan went with it and Omega probably wanted it.”

Kenny Omega is now a full-blown heel, with Don Callis at his side. Hijacking the AEW World Championship and are taking it to another ‘territory’ is a huge development that presents a multitude of storyline options.

In addition to Omega appearing on Impact television next week, we’ve heard that this affiliation will naturally lead to some talent exchange. It is very likely that some Impact talent will end up on AEW television, which is win-win for both sides. Impact has a strong women’s division, as well as several tag teams like The North, Gallows & Anderson and the Motor City Machine Guns. You can also expect some AEW talent appearing on Impact.

Kenny Omega will address his actions next Tuesday on Impact Wrestling.

Posted December 3rd, 2020 in AEW, News, TNA.

News On Sting’s AEW Deal & How He Will Be Used

Sting debuted for AEW last night at Winter is Coming. Shortly after his appearance on the show, it was announced that he signed a full-time multi-year agreement with the promotion.

Sting’s deal with AEW was discussed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio. “It’s not like WWE where you show up once every year or whatever. I mean, he is going to be on this thing. They wanted the idea of the big star from the old generation TNT being back as a regular.”

At 61-years-old, Sting is limited with how physical he can get. Don’t expect to see him working 20-minute singles matches, but he can still be a valuable asset to AEW.

“Whatever physical stuff he does, they are going to have to do very safely,” Meltzer continued. “There will be physical stuff but I don’t think he’ll be taking any bumps or anything like that. But he’s in, he’s going to be a character in some form.”

Sting’s debut was timed for the holiday season in part to sell merchandise. Fans probably noticed Sting was wearing an official AEW t-shirt for his debut. Immediately after his segment on Dynamite, a line of Sting t-shirts, hoodies and hats was added to the AEW store.

Check out Sting’s new AEW merchandise at ShopAEW.com.

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Posted December 3rd, 2020 in AEW, News.

New AEW Champion Kenny Omega Announced For Impact Wrestling Appearance

The ‘Winter Is Coming’ themed episode of AEW Dynamite featured many surprises including the involvement of Impact wrestling VP Don Callis in the AEW World title match between Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega.

Callis was in the commentary for this bout and he eventually made his way to the ring. He checked on Omega after a tough suplex on the floor and Callis then tried to pursue the referee to stop the fight, saying that Kenny was hurt.

This resulted in Mox blasting the Impact Executive with a punch. However, the mic Callis was holding ended up in the ring due to Jon’s punch and Kenny Omega used it to his advantage by hitting the AEW Champion with the microphone.

He went on to hit Moxley with a one winged angel and Kenny Omega became the new AEW World Champion after pinning the former WWE star.

Callis then grabbed the AEW title and helped Omega to get backstage and into a waiting vehicle. Alex Marvez tried asking Callis what just happened and he responded by saying that we will find out about it on Tuesday at Impact.

Impact Wrestling’s official Twitter account later retweeted a video of the segment and when a fan accused Don Callis of screwing AEW, he simply responded by saying ‘AEW screwed AEW’:

All these signs point towards a new partnership between the two promotions. We still don’t know the details of this partnership but it does open a plethora of new possibilities.

One such interesting possibility is the potential of exchanging talents which could lead to a Bullet Club reunion between Omega and the team of Gallows and Anderson. Stay tuned for more updates.

Posted December 3rd, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: , .

AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming Results: Moxley vs. Omega, Sting Debuts

AEW Dynamite Winter is Coming aired live from Daily’s Place. Jon Moxley defended the AEW Championship against Kenny Omega in the main event. In addition to the takeaways below, The Acclaimed attacked AEW Tag Team Champions the Young Bucks backstage tonight.

Dynamite Results (12/2)

  1. MJF & Orange Cassidy won the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal
  2. Chris Jericho def. Frankie Kazarian
  3. Britt Baker def. Leyla Hirsch via submission
  4. Cody & Darby Allin def. Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks
  5. Kenny Omega def. Jon Moxley to capture the AEW Championship

Here are the takeaways from the show:

MJF Will Face Orange Cassidy Next Week For The Dynamite Diamond Ring

The Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal kicked off the show. Hangman Page eliminated Serpentico first and then Dark Order celebrated with him. Dark Order eliminated Luther as MJF and Sammy Guevara worked together. Scorpio Sky sent Shawn Spears over the top rope to eliminate him. Tully Blanchard gave Spears the steel slug and Shawn put it in his glove. Spears hit Scorpio Sky with a cheap shot and then Wardlow eliminated him.

Alex Reynolds was eliminated and then Marq Quen sent John Silver over the top rope. Hangman Page got sent over the top rope but Dark Order caught him. Hangman hit Quen with a Buckshot Lariat but Matt Hardy eliminated Page from behind. Miro eliminated Lee Johnson and slammed Joey Janela to the canvas.

Miro eliminated Marq Quen, Matt Hardy, and Joey Janela. Wardlow and Miro traded punches in the middle of the ring. Inner Circle teamed up and beat Miro down. Miro tried to battle back but Wardlow caught him with a Clothesline. Inner Circle then eliminated Miro. The final four wrestlers left in the Battle Royal were MJF, Wardlow, Sammy Guevara, and Jungle Boy.

Sammy and Jungle Boy were battling on the top rope and MJF shoved Jungle Boy from behind. Jungle Boy and Sammy fell to the floor and were eliminated. Wardlow realized that Orange Cassidy had not been eliminated and brought him back into the ring. Cassidy hit MJF and Wardlow with an Orange Punch. Cassidy then eliminated Wardlow and will battle MJF next week for the Dynamite Diamond ring.

Jericho Defeated Kazarian

Jericho battled Frankie Kazarian tonight on Dynamite. Kazarian controlled the action early but Jericho battled back with a poke to Frankie’s eye. Jericho followed it up with a Dropkick and posed in the ring as the crowd in attendance cheered. Frankie hit Jericho with a Dropkick of his own on the ring apron.

Hager and Ortiz distracted Frankie and Jericho capitalized with a Codebreaker as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Kazarian connected with a Dropkick and went for the cover but Le Champion kicked out at two. Frankie brought Jericho to the top rope and connected with the Flux Capacitor for a near fall.

Jericho went for the Codebreaker again but Frankie locked in the Walls of Jericho. Wardlow brought a towel down to the ring and handed it to MJF. Sammy Guevara ran down the ramp and ripped the white towel away from MJF. Jericho spotted Sammy with the towel and thought he was about to throw it in. Jericho kicked out of a roll-up and hit the Judas Effect for the pinfall victory.

After the match, MJF and Sammy started shoving each other and Jericho grabbed a microphone. Jericho shouted that they will have an ultimatum next week to decide if they can work together. If not, Inner Circle will break up.

Britt Baker Tapped Out Leyla Hirsch

Britt Baker battled Leyla Hirsch tonight. Baker mocked Hirsch’s height but quickly got taken down to the canvas. Leyla applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring and then transitioned into an Armbar. Baker battled back and beat Hirsch down as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Leyla hit Reba with a Suicide Dive outside the ring but Britt Baker capitalized and bounced Hirsch’s face off the apron. Back in the ring, Baker sent Leyla into the middle turnbuckle and followed it up with a Swinging Neckbreaker. Britt applied the Lockjaw for the submission victory.

After the match, Thunder Rosa attacked Britt Baker before AEW officials broke it up. Leyla planted Reba with a Suplex while Baker and Thunder Rosa brawled again.

Sting Arrived In AEW

TNT Champion Darby Allin & Cody Rhodes squared off against Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs tonight. Allin and Cody controlled the match early as Dynamite cut to a break out of nowhere in the middle of Excalibur talking. When Dynamite returned, Cody hit Starks with a Suplex before tagging Allin in. Powerhouse Hobbs leveled Allin with a Clothesline outside the ring and then launched him into the barricade.

Back in the ring, Hobbs tagged in and planted Darby with a Suplex. Hobbs did some pushups and taunted Cody before tagging Starks back in. Hobbs and Starks isolated Darby in the corner of the ring and spent the next few minutes taking turns beating him down.

Cody finally tagged in and hit Hobbs off the apron with a Disaster Kick. Darby tagged himself in as Cody hit Starks with a Cutter. Cody hit Hobbs with a Suicide Dive and then Darby connected with the Coffin Drop on Starks for the pinfall victory. After the match, Team Taz beat down Dustin Rhodes and Hobbs was about to hit Cody with the FTW Championship but the lights went out.

Sting then appeared on the entrance ramp as the crowd went nuts. Sting took out his baseball ball and marched to the ring. Sting stared at everyone before making his way backstage. It was announced that Sting has signed a multi-year deal with AEW.

Opinion: This was awesome. Sting’s entrance was absolutely perfect. Sting has returned home to TNT and we will see what happens from here. I have no idea if he is going to be wrestling for one final run or will be a coach/manager like Arn Anderson. If you are wrestling fan and didn’t get goosebumps during this segment I don’t know what to tell you.

Kenny Omega Won The AEW Title & Will Appear On Impact Next Week

Jon Moxley defended the AEW Championship against Kenny Omega in the main event. Don Callis once again joined commentary for the title match.

Moxley applied a Headlock to start off the action. Omega escaped and sent Moxley to the corner of the ring. Jon leveled Omega with a Clothesline that knocked him to the floor outside the ring as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Omega slammed Moxley’s knee into the barricade and brought him back into the ring.

Omega lit up Moxley’s chest with a series of chops and then sent Jon out of the ring. Omega flipped onto Moxley and rolled him back into the ring. Moxley booted Omega in the midsection and planted him with the Paradigm Shift. Jon didn’t go for the cover but brought two chairs into the ring.

Moxley and Omega took a seat on the chairs and traded strikes. Omega rocked Moxley with the V-Trigger and followed it up with a Snap Dragon Suplex. Moxley connected with a German Suplex but Omega popped up and hit another V-Trigger.

Jon caught Omega with a massive Clothesline and followed it up with another Paradigm Shift. Moxley went for the cover but Omega was able to kick out at the last moment. Jon went for a Suicide Dive but Omega countered with another V-Trigger to the AEW Champions face.

Back in the ring, Omega made his way to the top rope as Jon stumbled to his feet. Kenny connected with a Dropkick that sent Moxley to the opposite corner of the ring. Kenny hit Moxley with a knee to the back of the head and planted Jon with the Tiger Driver 98 for a two count.

Omega went for the One Winged Angel but Moxley escaped. Kenny hit Moxley with a Dropkick to the face and followed it up with another V-Trigger. Omega set up for the One Winged Angel but Jon blocked it. Jon tripped Omega up and bounced his face off the ring apron.

Moxley connected with another Paradigm Shift into the heaters next to the ring. The referee called for a doctor and Don Callis went to check on Omega. Jon got impatient and brought Omega back into the ring. Jon started unloading punches to Kenny’s face as Don Callis got on a microphone and said Omega is hurt.

Jon punched Don in the face and Omega grabbed the microphone. Omega hit Jon over the head with the microphone and slid it out of the ring while the referee was checking on Callis. Moxley was busted open and Kenny hit Jon with four V-Triggers in a row. Omega then planted Moxley with the One Winged Angel for the pinfall victory. Omega and Callis then scampered out of the ring and to the parking lot as Tony Schiavone shouted “bullshit!”. Alex Marvez stopped Callis and he said that Omega will be on Impact Wrestling next Tuesday.

Opinion: I have no idea what the hell is going but I would be ecstatic if Impact and AEW are going to start working together in some kind partnership. If that is the case, the women’s and tag team divisions just got infinitely better. This was an insane way to end the night and once again Dynamite delivers an entertaining show.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1334332355511803905?s=20

Posted December 2nd, 2020 in Results, AEW, News.

Kenny Omega Wins AEW World Championship With Help From Don Callis

In the highly anticipated rematch, Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega presented a very good match on AEW Dynamite.

The special episode of the weekly All Elite Wrestling television show had a “Winter Is Coming” theme on TNT with Moxley defending the AEW World Heavyweight Title against Omega. 

The main event of this show from Jacksonville, Florida went several minutes. It featured a hard-hitting yet technical style of match. Omega worked over the left knee of Moxley throughout the match, but they did have momentum swings. Moxley teased bringing in chairs despite their agreement of no weapons so instead of using them, they sat down and exchanged strikes. 

Towards the end, they hit some of their signature moves. Omega caught Moxley with the V-Trigger when Mox went for an outside dive. They did a spot where Moxley sent Omega into a heater and a doctor checked as well as Don Callis on Omega.

Moxley pulled him into the ring. Callus got hit after getting on the apron by Moxley and Omega took the microphone to hit Moxley with it so Mox started to bleed. Omega hit Moxley with a few V-Triggers then the One-Winged Angel for the win. 

Omega is the new AEW world heavyweight Champion. Post-match, Callis, and Omega got into an SUV just before Callis said that they would tell all on Tuesday’s episode of Imact Wrestling. 

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Omega earned this title match when he beat Adam Page in the finals of the AEW World Title Eliminator to determine the new #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Title at last month’s Full Gear pay-per-view event. 

Kenny Omega Open To AEW Having A Working Relationship With WWE

Posted December 2nd, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: , .

Sting Debuts On AEW Dynamite, Signs Full-Time Multi-Year Deal

The Icon Sting is All Elite. 

For the first time since 2001 when wrestling Ric Flair on WCW Nitro, the legendary pro wrestler made an appearance on TNT during Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. 

The show saw Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin (with Arn Anderson in their corner) face Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs in a tag team match. The finish of the contest saw Allin hit the Coffin Drop on Starks after Rhodes hit him with a cutter. 

Post-match, Hobbs attacked Allin and Anderson got involved by trying to make the save. However, Arn got taken out only to have Dustin Rhodes try to make the save and Brian Cage took him out. The lights went out then back on with Sting appearing with his trusted baseball bat in his hand.

AEW sent out a press release announcing that Sting has signed a full-time multi-year agreement. “The surprise introduction of Sting was a great way to celebrate our biggest episode of Dynamite yet,” said Tony Khan, CEO and GM of AEW.

“When AEW launched, I was ecstatic to bring wrestling back to TNT after a very long absence. Sting defeated the legendary Ric Flair in the final wrestling match to be shown on TNT for more than 18 years until the debut of Dynamite in 2019. Now, almost two decades later, it’s such a thrill to welcome Sting to AEW and bring him back home to TNT!”

Sting hasn’t wrestled a match since 2015 at Night of Champions in a match with Seth Rollins due to a neck injury. His legends deal with WWE expired earlier this year. 

Posted December 2nd, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: .

Anthony Ogogo Calls Out Jake Paul: Come Play With The Big Boys

Former Olympic boxer turned AEW wrestler Anthony Ogogo has called out YouTube personality turned boxer, Jake Paul.

On the undercard of Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr over the weekend, Paul knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson to earn his second win as a professional. Video of the viral knockout can be seen below.

Ogogo sent the following message to Paul on Twitter, challenging him to step up if he wants to ‘play with the big boys.’

Ogogo signed with AEW in October of 2019. He is training with Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall as well as working in a commentary role periodically on AEW Dark. He retired from the boxing ring in 2019 after suffering visual impairment following a broken orbital bone suffered in a 2016 fight against Craig Cunningham. His trainer took him out of the fight in the 8th round, resulting in the only loss of Ogogo’s pro career. Ogogo has said he was declared legally blind as a result of the injury and had his driver’s license taken away.

He hasn’t fought since and officially retired in 2019.

“I’ve been through a lot in my career. I’ve had 17 operations and suffered every pain imaginable. I’ve won, lost, cried and hurt. But if you were to ask me would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I love this game,” he said when announcing his retirement.

As for Jake Paul, he has over 20 million subscribers on YouTube. He is also the brother of famous YouTuber, Logan Paul. Jake Paul won his first pro-fight in January and then knocked out his opponent over the weekend in a clip that has gone viral online.

https://twitter.com/HipHopDX/status/1332918297000460289

Posted December 2nd, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: .

AEW Rankings Report 12/2: Omega, Swole, & FTR Ranked #1

AEW has released new top-5 rankings ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite.

Men’s Singles Rankings

AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (21-0)
TNT Champion: Darby Allin (14-5)

  1. Kenny Omega (7-0)
  2. Maxwell Jacob Friedman (10-1)
  3. Cody Rhodes (20-3-1)
  4. Brian Cage (11-1)
  5. Ricky Starks (14-2)

There was no movement in the men’s singles division this week.

Tonight on Dynamite, #1 Kenny Omega will challenge champion, Jon Moxley.

TNT Champion Darby Allin will team with #3 Cody Rhodes tonight in tag action against #5 Ricky Starks and Will Hobbs.

#2 Maxwell Jacob Friedman will look to defend his Dynamite Diamond ring tonight in the battle royal.

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Women’s Singles Rankings

AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (21-1)

  1. Big Swole (13-4)
  2. Nyla Rose (12-3)
  3. Serena Deeb (4-2)
  4. Penelope Ford (11-5)
  5. Abadon (5-1) (previously unranked)

Anna Jay drops out of the rankings this week after losing to Hikaru Shida in a title match last week. Abadon, who confronted the champion after the match, replaces Anna in the #5 spot.

In the women’s division tonight, unranked Britt Baker takes on unranked Leyla Hirsch.

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Tag Team Division Rankings

Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (11-3)

  1. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (12-1)
  2. The Best Friends (Trent & Chuck Taylor) (19-7)
  3. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (14-5) (+1)
  4. The Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall) (9-2) (-1)
  5. The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) (14-2)

The Jurassic Express and Natural Nightmares switch spots this week. No other movement was recorded in the tag team division, however. There are no matches featuring established tag-teams scheduled for Winter is Coming.

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Posted December 2nd, 2020 in News, AEW.

KENTA Continues ‘Wednesday’ Teases Ahead of Winter Is Coming

New Japan Pro Wrestling star KENTA continues to drop hints about Wednesday nights. Ahead of tonight’s AEW Winter is Coming event, he tweeted:

KENTA has been calling out AEW World Champion Jon Moxley in recent weeks. In addition to holding AEW’s top prize, Moxley is also the reigning IWGP United States Champion. KENTA wants that title and is tired of waiting for Jon Moxley’s return to Japan.

NJPW’s biggest show of the year, Wrestle Kingdom, is just over one month away. Unfortunately for KENTA, AEW President Tony Khan stated this week that Jon Moxley won’t be there. This puts KENTA in a predicament and it sounds like he’s getting fed up waiting around for his title shot. He recently noted that he’s busy Wednesday nights and also does not care for the Khan family’s Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team.

Opinion: Tony Khan has expressed interest in working with NJPW. He’s teased a few big surprises still to come in 2020 – the proverbial “aces up his sleeve.”

Will KENTA walk through the “forbidden door” tonight at Winter is Coming? His teases are getting a little heavy-handed at this point. However, if he does show up, it will be a shocking moment that delivers on AEW’s hype that Winter is Coming will be the biggest Dynamite in history.

Posted December 2nd, 2020 in AEW, News, NJPW.

AEW Winter Is Coming: Final Card, Control Center Video

Winter is Coming to AEW. As this roller coaster year winds down, All Elite Wrestling will deliver what they’re calling the biggest AEW Dynamite ever.

Jon Moxley’s AEW World Championship will be on the line in his toughest challenge to date. Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin seek revenge against Team Taz. 15 men will vie for the coveted Dynamite Diamond Ring and more.

Tony Khan AEW Winter Is Coming Media Briefing Recap

AEW has brought back the the control center to provide a preview for Winter is Coming. Take it away, Tony Schiavone:

AEW Winter is Coming Card

The following matches are signed for Winter is Coming:

  • AEW World Champion Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega
  • Cody Rhodes & TNT Champion Darby Allin vs. Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks
  • Chris Jericho vs. Kazarian
  • Britt Baker vs. Layla Hirsch

Posted December 2nd, 2020 in News, AEW.

Chris Jericho Reacts To NXT Beating AEW Dynamite In TV Ratings

‘The Demogod’ Chris Jericho has reacted to NXT beating last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite in TV ratings and reminded people that they still came out ahead in the important demo.

The former AEW World Champion took on his Twitter to react to the latest TV rating of both the shows and he wrote: “It’s all about the Demo daddy. #wewinagain”

Week 59 of the Wednesday Night Wars between AEW and WWE saw NXT defeat Dynamite in overall viewership during the Thanksgiving eve episodes of the shows.

NXT managed to garner an average of 712,000 viewers on the USA Network while Dynamite was only slightly behind with 710,000 viewers on TNT.

Dynamite came out ahead when it comes to the 18-49 demo which is considered to be the most important demo for advertising. It ranked #7 in the Cable Top 150 for it while NXT ranked at #25.

However, AEW’s weekly show still saw a significant 16% drop in overall viewership from last week’s episode of the show which had garnered 850,000 viewers.

On the other hand, NXT recorded a jump of 12% from last week’s episode of the show which had only gotten 638,000 viewers.

Posted December 2nd, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: .

AEW Trios Championships ‘On The Agenda’ for 2021

All Elite Wrestling is considering introducing a new set of championship titles next year. AEW President Tony Khan commented on these plans during Tuesday’s Winter is Coming Media Briefing. Khan said he is considering AEW Trios Championships and that it’s “on the agenda” for the future.

AEW currently has four sanctioned championships, including:

  • AEW World Championship (held by Jon Moxley)
  • TNT Championship (held by Darby Allin)
  • AEW Women’s Championship (held by Hikaru Shida)
  • World Tag Team Championships (held by the Young Bucks)

In addition to these belts, there are multiple unsanctioned titles in the AEW universe, including the Brian Cage’s FTW Championship and Serena Deeb’s NWA Women’s Championship. There’s also MJF’s Dynamite Diamond Ring, which is up for grabs this week at Winter is Coming.

Fans have been speculating about AEW trios championships over the past few months. AEW has no shortage of 3-man teams, with a dozen teams that could contend for trios belts.

  • The Elite
  • Best Friends & Orange Cassidy
  • Jurassic Express
  • Death Triangle
  • Eddie Kingston, The Butcher & The Blade
  • Team Taz
  • The Dark Order
  • SCU
  • The Nightmare Family
  • The Inner Circle
  • Hardy Party (Matt Hardy & Private Party)
  • FTR & Shawn Spears

Discussion: Should AEW create Trios Championships?

Posted December 1st, 2020 in AEW, News.

Young Bucks Explain How A Shaquille O’Neal Appearance Benefits AEW

The Young Bucks have discussed why Shaquille O’Neal appearing in AEW would be so beneficial for the promotion. Matt and Nick Jackson broached the topic during an interview with WrestleZone while promoting their new book, Young Bucks: Killing The Business From Backyards To The Big Leagues.

Nick Jackson explained how he’s all for the NBA star to crossover into AEW. He stressed how Shaq’s involvement would undoubtedly “[…] get more eyeballs on our product and that’s definitely a way to get the fans that probably wouldn’t watch AEW Dynamite.”

He noted how Shaquille O’Neal is a celebrity who has a lot of fans outside of wrestling. Nick argued how those fans could gravitate to AEW if he were to appear on the show in some capacity.

Nick then shared how Shaq was actually backstage at AEW Full Gear in November. According to Nick, Shaq stood up and gave them a standing ovation following The Young Bucks’ bout against FTR.

AEW hinted that Shaquille O’Neal could be bound for the promotion a few weeks ago. Jade Cargill interrupted Cody Rhodes during a promo and mentioned his name. For what it’s worth, Shaq has expressed his interest in wrestling Cody in the past.

Since this initial tease, however, AEW has not provided any further hints that Shaq could be involved with the promotion.

Young Bucks: Killing The Business From Backyards To The Big Leagues is available now at Amazon.com and other book retailers.

Posted December 1st, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: .

Kenny Omega Talks About Potential AEW/NJPW Relationship: ‘Maybe Down The Road’

Kenny Omega recently discussed the possibility of a working relationship between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling. According to Omega, it could become a reality somewhere “down the road.”

Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Omega opened up about the current state of the world. He touched on how COVID-19 has created understandable restrictions in pro wrestling.

Omega noted how the world is collectively struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic. He added how it’s a perfect opportunity to “make lemonade out of lemons by putting forth our best efforts for a collaborative effort.”

He believes the great thing about pro wrestling is how so many people in the industry “love making people happy.”

“There are a lot of us in wrestling right now that want nothing more than to make fans happy,” Omega explained. “We get lost in our own fantasy booking talking about how cool it would be to team up, and there are restrictions in the world right now, but maybe down the road.”

NJPW’s Ace, Hiroshi Tanahashi, recently made an appearance on AEW programming. He recorded a congratulatory video for Chris Jericho’s 30th Anniversary Celebration.

Kenny Omega is set to face off against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley in a championship bout. The two compete on this Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Winter is Coming.

Posted November 30th, 2020 in AEW, News, NJPW. Tagged: .

Darby Allin On Signing With AEW, Jeff Hardy Comparisons, Future Goals

AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin has opened up about signing with All Elite Wrestling and how he feels about being compared to Jeff Hardy.

Speaking with Inside the Ropes, Allin shared how the moment he discovered Cody Rhodes was interested in signing him, he immediately took the initiative and reached out.

“I heard that he was interested in hiring me, and the moment I heard that I just blew his phone up, and I was like, ‘Dude, I need this, I need this. Like, there’s nowhere else I want to go. I want to have my creative freedom there. This is it, get me involved.’ So I just called him off the hook.”

He explained how the key phrase that enticed him to AEW was the promise “creative freedom.” Allin stated how “[…] if I’m going to make it in this world, I’m going to do it as Darby Allin. No one else. I’m not going to have anybody change who I am. Period. So, AEW is my calling card.”

Darby Allin On Jeff Hardy Comparisons

When asked about comparisons between himself and WWE Superstar Jeff Hardy, Allin shared how he’s “fine” with being compared.

He confessed he “never searched” to be compared to anybody but acknowledged how “if it’s there, it’s there.”

Ultimately, he believes there will only ever be one Darby Allin, just like there will only be one Jeff Hardy.

Allin also shared his interest in a potential matchup against Jeff Hardy. He admitted he would “[…] love to step in the ring with someone who is as creative and driven as artistically as he is, I feel like he would always be able to go. Even with Matt, I want to step in the ring with him and just create some art.”

Having won singles gold in AEW, Allin has already set himself another goal for the future: main event an AEW pay-per-view.

“I want to make the TNT Championship one of the most important things in professional wrestling, period. I want to main event a pay-per-view. That’s a big one. So right now the TNT Championship is my biggest concern and then main-eventing a pay-per view.”

Darby Allin teams with Cody Rhodes this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite. The pair face off against Team Taz, represented by Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs.

Posted November 30th, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: , .

Kenny Omega Discusses Which WWE Stars He’d Like To Face, Comparisons To Seth Rollins

All Elite Wrestling’s Kenny Omega has reflected on his year in AEW during an interview with Forbes. During the interview, Omega also shared which WWE Superstars he would be interested in competing against and acknowledged being compared to Seth Rollins.

Reflecting on his first year in AEW, Omega revealed how he would grade it “very, very favorably.” He explained how AEW boasts the best tag team wrestling experience. Omega added how he considered it an honor to have competed in AEW’s tag division and praised the caliber of talent amongst the teams.

He then noted how he feels “sorry” for people who can’t understand that “[…] it is every bit as important to be competing in [AEW’s] tag team division as it is to be wrestling as a singles performer for a world championship.”

Kenny Omega On WWE Stars He’d Like To Face

Turning his attention to WWE’s roster, Omega highlighted how he has previously worked with AJ Styles in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.

According to him, Styles “saved” him as he was thinking about leaving wrestling at the time they were feuding. “He was there for me to help point me in the right direction and I think he would be a great opponent.”

Styles isn’t the only WWE Superstar Omega has an interest in wrestling, however. He also pointed to the New Day, believing they would be a lot of fun to work with.

Kenny Omega acknowledged how he is often compared to Seth Rollins. He noted how Rollins a “great wrestler.” He believes that they could have “really great matches together.”

Ultimately, Omega stressed he just wants to “work with good people.” He explained that this isn’t limited to being good in the ring. Omega wants to work with “[…] people who are genuinely good dudes who the fans would want to see me wrestle. At the end of the day, I’d just want to wrestle the opponents who would make fans the most excited because that’s really what it’s all about.”

Kenny Omega is set to face off against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley in a championship bout. The two clash on the December 2 episode of AEW Dynamite, Winter is Coming.

Posted November 30th, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: .

Konnan On Inner Circle’s Las Vegas Segment, Nixed Marijuana Reference

Last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite saw Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle descend upon Las Vegas. Making a surprise cameo appearance during the segment was none other than Konnan, who recently shared some behind-the-scenes details on shooting the segment.

Konnan divulged the information during a recent episode of his podcast Keepin’ It 100 with Konnan. He revealed how they had attempted to get in a marijuana reference into the video. The idea, however, was ultimately nixed.

“If we are opening up a limo and smoke is coming out, what do you think we are doing in there, roasting marshmallows? … I will give Chris credit. He tried. We tried to do the roll up sign. We tried to have a blunt.”

Konnan explained that the reason the idea got shut down was due to a Jacksonville Jaguars “legal girl.” This led him to come up with the line “I always have the best stuff.”

“We couldn’t do none of that but Chris did try. He did try to push the envelope because he even goes, ‘what is that you do, Iranian tobacco? Say that, your fans will know.'”

Konnan’s AEW Experience

He shared how he was “very impressed” by AEW’s production quality. Konnan noted how he didn’t know what to expect. However, he found his experience to be “first class.”

Unsurprisingly, Konnan revealed how he had to sign a lot of documents and get a COVID test done. According to him, “They do everything by the book.”

He then praised Jericho, comparing him to a “force of nature.” Konnan pointed out how Jericho was there producing, thinking of lines, and doing all he could to make sure the segment was as good as possible. This level of dedication wasn’t only noticed by Konnan, however.

“You can tell that MJF is gonna be just like Jericho because he is the young guy who is watching Jericho does and learning so he’s gonna be like him, a guy that does everything,” Konnan said. “Their level of professionalism is very high. I was treated very well. They had me at a nice hotel, everything was very cool. Kudos to them on that.”

You can watch the Inner Circle’s trip to Las Vegas below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1NSCpH5rL0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCxgbiqJwJw

Posted November 30th, 2020 in AEW, News.

Chris Jericho On Why WWE Comedy Does Not Work

While Chris Jericho is often praised for his mic work, he is also an incredible actor and his skills such as his unmatchable comic timing have helped him in staying relevant in the wrestling business for so long.

During his recent appearance on the Keeping It 100 podcast, the former AEW champion talked about a number of things and he also gave his opinion on why the comedy in WWE does not work nowadays.

Jericho explained that his view of comedy is that you should always play it straight because when you try to be funny, it never really turns out that way:

“My view of comedy is you always play it straight, WWE comedy is d–k and fart jokes. That’s why a lot of it doesn’t work well.

Don’t try to be funny. Because when you try to be funny it’s never funny. And that’s been my attitude with all these segments.”

Chris Jericho also talked about the process of putting together a show in AEW and he admitted that there are times when some details slip through the cracks since they do not have writers at the show.

Apart from this, the former World Champion talked about things like drug use in wrestling nowadays compared to older times. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

Posted November 28th, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: .

Kenny Omega Thought He’d Have To Retire In 2015

All Elite Wrestling’s Kenny Omega has revealed he thought he would have to retire from pro wrestling in 2015. Omega shared how he had been suffering from a “terrible herniation” in his neck months prior to Bullet Club turning on AJ Styles in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. This injury forced him to ask for time away from the ring for the first time in his career.

“I lost all power on the right side of my body and I thought that that was it. I thought that I was going to have to wrap it up and maybe I was already sort of winding down,” Omega told Fightful.

He continued, “I was able luckily enough to to turn it around. I think one of the greatest things I can ever ask for is being able to decide what time that is. It’d be great if I could, but unfortunately, as wrestlers, and doing what we do, we sometimes don’t have the ability to choose.”

Omega stressed how an in-ring career can be taken from a wrestler in a heartbeat. This awareness is why he’s so eager to “dip my fingers and toes as much as I as long as I can.”

Kenny Omega’s Outside Interests

Kenny Omega explained how he’s making an active choice to only take on responsibilities he would enjoy outside of the ring. Omega believes by doing so, there will never be a “dull moment” for him.

He then highlighted his investment in video games, anime, bodybuilding, and fitness as personal interests away from pro wrestling.

“I just want to make sure that if for some reason something happens in the ring, or outside of it, or whatever, you never know what’s going to happen, that I exit without regrets.”

Omega admitted he couldn’t put a number on how long he may be an active in-ring performer. He added that he didn’t want to continue until he couldn’t compete anymore. He hopes to be aware of when the time to step away arrives.

Until then, however, he promised to “burn the candle on both ends and go out in a blaze of glory rather than just kind of hang around in a ring longer than I should.”

Kenny Omega competes for the AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley on next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Winter is Coming.

Posted November 27th, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: .

The Young Bucks Talk Mick Foley’s Influence on Their New Book

The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson, recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The AEW Tag Team Champions discussed a number of topics during their time on the show; these included their time in IMPACT, changing their working style and writing their new autobiography.

Matt Jackson would start by saying how much of an influence Mick Foley’s ‘Have a Nice Day’ book was when he was younger. “Ever since I was a kid I remember reading Mick Foley’s Have a Nice Day. It was when I was a freshman, I think it was in my language arts class?”

The Young Bucks on Autobiography

“Miss Mira, for some reason she had that book on her bookshelf” Matt Jackson would continue. “I picked it up, I read it and I fell in love with it. I remember telling myself at the end like ‘man if I ever have a career worth writing about that would be so cool!’ So it was always a dream of mine to write a book.”

Jackson would then describe how they were contacted by Harper Collins, one of the major global publishers. “We got an offer from from HarperCollins publishing, which is one of the biggest in the world. When HarperCollins calls? You pick up, you know? At the time Nick and I were going through a really strange thing in our career, like a kind of a fork in the road.”

Matt Jackson would then say how the timing of the book coincided with the Young Bucks getting an offer from WWE. “There was the big decision to be made, whether or not we’re gonna go to WWE or if we’re gonna start this new thing (AEW). And I remember thinking to myself like ‘this is worth documenting’ and we do have a really interesting story. It’s a story that is kind of different than all the other wrestling books you’ve probably read from the the Attitude Era guys.”

“I think we have a unique story” Matt Jackson continued. “We were the first guys from the independent ‘boom’ era that have really had a chance to write our story. I was going to say put pen to paper but it wasn’t even been to paper! It was literally all written on our iPhones in between business trips and in hotel rooms and while I was at the bus stop waiting for my daughter to get picked up from school. We were literally writing this thing while we were opening up AEW so it was really terrible timing, actually.”

Have you read The Young Bucks’ new book? Let us know in the comments

The Young Bucks
The Young Bucks

Posted November 27th, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: .

Jon Moxley On WWE Superstars Being Independent Contractors, Why He’s Frugal With Money

All Elite Wrestling World Champion Jon Moxley has shared his thoughts on how WWE considers its talent to be independent contractors. He stressed how WWE’s terminology “is not true.” Moxley broached the issue while appearing on the debut episode of Renee Young’s new podcast, Oral Sessions.

“When I was doing my taxes in WWE, because you’re an independent contractor – which is not true – you’re a fu–ing employee,” Moxley explained. “So, you have to pay your taxes. In the developmental first couple of years, I didn’t make that much money. I was able to do them myself on TurboTax.”

When Jon Moxley first began to earn a lot of money in WWE, he confessed the tax situation became confusing. He sought out the help of an accountant and a financial advisor who asked what he wanted to do with the money. Aware that “this could all end tomorrow,” Moxley wanted to save as much as he could. That way, he’d be covered in case anything happened.

“That was my plan when I just started to make a little money in WWE. I was going to hoard it and save it because this could end at any moment,” Moxley said. “Went up, and had really nice, long run. Went over five years, but I still have that same mentality. I don’t ever want to depend on anyone else for a paycheck if that was the case.”

Moxley added how he still doesn’t like to spend money. Despite all his success, Moxley maintains a savings mindset that sees him continue to be frugal with his earnings instead of suddenly becoming something he’s not.

Jon Moxley is set to defend his AEW World Championship against Kenny Omega. The two clash on the December 2 episode of AEW Dynamite, entitled AEW Winter is Coming.

Posted November 27th, 2020 in AEW, News. Tagged: .

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