For the first time in 2 years, Tessa Blanchard is a free agent. There have been reports that WWE is interested in her and others have suggested she could end up in AEW where her father Tully is.
Last September, Big Swole and Tessa Blanchard met in single’s action at an independent show in Orlando. They’ve also wrestled in a multi-person match for Warrior Wrestling in February. According to comments Swole made on Twitter recently, she thinks Blanchard’s best choice is to sign with AEW.
Swole was asked on Twitter about the possibility of Tessa ending up in AEW:
Both wrestlers were trained by George South Jr. before starting their careers. Cedric Alexander, Swole’s real-life husband, is also said to have had a hand in training Blanchard.
The match between Big Swole and Tessa Blanchard from last September can be viewed in the player below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGv91ZGy4rQ
Big Swole In AEW
At the moment, Big Swole sits outside AEW’s top-5 rankings. She seems more focussed on making life miserable for Dr. Britt Baker DMD. In recent weeks, she has dumped Baker in a dumpster and taken her “Role’s Royce” for a ride. Swole is sporting a 4-3 record in 2020 and a career 5-7 record in AEW.
All Elite Wrestling’s Executive Vice President and in-ring talent Cody Rhodes has commented on the recent Sammy Guevara controversy that came to light. Guevara has been suspended from AEW without pay and will undergo sensitivity training after he came under fire for comments he made about Sasha Banks on a podcast back in 2016.
Responding to a fan on Twitter, Cody Rhodes addressed the situation after being asked to reinstate Guevara. The AEW TNT Champion stated:
“Sammy will return. And he will be a better professional wrestler, and a better man when he does.”
Sammy Guevara Apologizes
Since the clip of Guevara’s comments surfaced, the Inner Circle member released an apology video addressing his statements. He acknowledged that he has grown as a person over the past four years and would be taking a break from social media:
“I just want to apologize to anybody I let down, to Sasha, to anybody I hurt with my words.”
Guevara continued, “It just sucks cause 2016 me is not me today. 2020 me would never say those kind of hurtful things that I did in 2016. I used to think it was funny to do some kind of shock humor to pop the room I’m in. I thought it would be funny to do that kind of humour, shock humour and it’s not.”
He stated how some people may be dubious over his statement. For them, four years may not be that much time for genuine change. He argued that so much has happened in his life as wrestling allowed him to travel the world and grow as a person. Guevara stressed he now understands the words he says can have an impact on people. He promised to never joke or take sexual assault lightly again.
Sasha Banks would speak with Sammy Guevara about his words. She explained how the two had an open discussion. Banks stressed how “the comments he made, jokingly or not, have absolutely no place in our society!”
All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan was the latest guest on a special edition of the AEW Unrestricted podcast. Khan opened up about the promotion working with a limited roster thanks to COVID-19. He also reflected on the coronavirus pandemic and the creative decisions AEW had to employ.
Khan explained how several of their female talents live outside of the United States. With travel bans and limitations in place, it meant losing some talent they may have had plans for. However, Tony Khan admitted AEW was “fortunate that a lot of the top women ranked in the division at the time were here.”
Tony Khan added how they had 20 percent of the AEW roster available to them in Atlanta, Georgia as the coronavirus pandemic restricted movement and travel. Although this would have forced changes to planned storylines, Khan is happy with how AEW was able to pivot and change accordingly. This number also meant they had enough wrestlers available to put on the TNT Championship tournament:
“We were able to do this great tournament and tell some great stories,” said Tony Khan. “We were able to do some really good shows and I was proud of some numbers we did on the back end of those shows, especially as we went later in the month on the taped shows. The numbers were going up which proved the stories were compelling.”
AEW TNT Champion Cody Rhodes has reacted to WWE’s recent announcement that NXT is reviving the Great American Bash to counter-program AEW Fyter Fest.
When a fan stated via Twitter that WWE should be giving Cody Rhodes’ mother a check for using the event name, Cody responded with a crying laughter emoji. The champ wrote, “it’s all good friend.”
Cody shared that he appreciated where the fan was coming from and noted that The Great American Bash means a lot to himself and his sister. That being said, he explained how he doesn’t own the IP and isn’t “holding much of a grudge on it.”
Instead, Cody Rhodes’ focus remains on AEW and their roster. He shared how he wants to continue “Making it fun, making it violent, making it memorable.”
Like AEW’s upcoming Fyter Fest, NXT’s Great American Bash is scheduled to be a two-week event. It takes place on 7/1 and 7/8. Both shows will be going head-to-head when they air on Wednesday night.
Cody Rhodes is scheduled to compete against Inner Circle member Jake Hager during Night One of Fyter Fest. Accompanied by Arn Anderson, Cody will attempt to defend his recently won AEW TNT Championship.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) President Tony Khan joined Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards on this week’s episode of the AEW Unrestricted podcast. The episode acted as a preview for AEW’s upcoming two-week special, Fyter Fest, which kicks off on July 1.
During their conversation, Khan stressed how Fyter Fest will see every single AEW championship defended. He noted how several AEW storylines will be “coming to a head” across those two weeks. Khan also explained how every match will provide a “huge moment” that will see further development to their current stories. Looking to the format of Fyter Fest’s presentation, Tony Khan admitted that “It is the kind of environment we typically have on PPV quarterly.”
As he hyped the event, Tony Khan confirmed that fans can expect the return of Chris Jericho to the commentary table. Speaking on the Private Party versus Santana and Ortiz tag match, Khan shared that “Le Champion” will be providing vocal duties for that episode of Fyter Fest. He juxtaposed Jericho’s ringside presence with Matt Hardy, who will be joining Private Party.
“[…] both teams are being advised by all time legends. Not just all time legends in the wrestling business, but two of the great tag team wrestlers of all time,” Tony Khan stated. “All the great tag teams Chris Jericho has been and Matt Hardy is a Mount Rushmore tag team wrestler. I think it’s going to be an awesome match. Those are two top teams. There has been a rivalry going on for a while between Private Party and Santana/Ortiz that goes way back.”
Although Jericho may be providing commentary on July 1, he is scheduled to compete on July 8. He will be facing off against Best Friends’ Orange Cassidy.
AEW Dynamite aired live from Daily’s Place tonight on TNT. It was the final episode of Dynamite before Night 1 of Fyter Fest next week. The cards for each night of Fyter Fest were announced during tonight’s show. AEW Champion Jon Moxley missed tonight’s show due to COVID-19 concerns. Taz cut a promo on Moxley to hype the AEW Champioinship match at Fyter Fest after Brian Cage picked up another dominating win tonight.
Brodie Lee & Colt Cabana def. Sonny Kiss & Joey Janela
FTR def. SCU
Hikaru Shida def. Red Velvet
Brian Cage def. Joe Cruz
Matt Hardy def. Santana
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Wardlow Used A Cheap Shot To Defeat Luchasaurus
Luchasaurus squared off against Wardlow in a Lumberjack Match tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Wardlow dominated the action early and leveled Luchasaurus with a Clothesline. Wardlow sent Luchasaurus out of the ring and the heel lumberjacks beat him down. Luchasaurus sent them all flying and hopped on the apron. MJF distracted Luchasaurus and Wardlow capitalized with a shot to the ribs.
Luchasaurus battled back and hit a Moonsault for a near fall. Wardlow planted Luchasaurus with a Superplex and went for the cover but Luchasaurus kicked out at two. Luchasaurus hit a Spanish Fly for another two count. Wardlow rolled out of the ring to regroup and Luchasaurus followed him out there.
Wardlow connected with a slam on the entrance ramp and then launched Jungle Boy to the heel side of the ring. Marko Stunt flipped onto the heels as Wardlow & Luchasaurus battled on the entrance ramp. Wardlow launched Stunt and Cutler onto the lumberjacks but turned around into a right hand from Luchasaurus.
Luchasaurus hit a massive Shooting Star Press onto everyone before the action returned to the ring. Luchasaurus connected with a Chokeslam and went for the cover but MJF distracted the referee. Jungle Boy hit MJF with a Spear as Wardlow hit Luchasaurus with a low blow. Wardlow followed it up with the F10 for the pinfall victory.
After the match, a brawl broke out and all the wrestlers entered the ring. It was announced that MJF & Wardlow will face Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus at Fyter Fest.
Cody, Arn Anderson, and the rest of the Nightmare family had a conference to promote the TNT Championship match at Fyter Fest.
Anderson claimed that it was disrespectful of Hager not to show up to the press conference or is too stupid. Cody was asked how it felt to be TNT Champion and Cody stated that it feels like hope. Cody complimented Ricky Starks and pointed out how he had no money arriving at Dynamite and left with a job last week.
Cody noted how the TNT Championship was in complete but was still beautiful. Hager and his wife showed up and Jake asked Cody if he was ready. Jake and Cody had a stare down before Hager put his fist up against Cody’s face. Cody slapped Hager’s hand away before Catalina launched a drink in Cody’s face to end the segment.
Match Recap: Daniels and Kazarian controlled the action early and isolated Wheeler in the ring. Both teams got in the ring and traded shots as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, Kazarian hit Wheeler with a Suplex before tagging Daniels in. Wheeler knocked Daniels to the canvas and tagged in Harwood. Dax hit Daniels with a Suplex and then Clotheslined Kazarian out of the ring. Wheeler and Frankie tagged in and traded chops in the middle of the ring.
Frankie got the better of the exchange and planted Wheeler with a Backstabber for a near fall. Harwood tagged in and hit Daniels with a Leg Drop (Veg-O-Matic) for a near fall. Daniels planted Hawrood with Angels Wings but Wheeler broke up the cover. Wheeler then tagged in and FTR hit Midnight Express for the pinfall victory.
After the match, FTR cut a promo and said that they were not a welcome addition to the tag team division. Harwood claimed that FTR was the best tag team in the world before Butcher & Blade showed up in FTR’s truck. Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix got in the ring behind FTR as Butcher & Blade suggested an 8-man tag at Fyter Fest. Lucha Bros beat FTR down before Young Bucks made the save. FTR & Young Bucks will face Butcher & Blade and the Lucha Bros at Fyter Fest. Lucha Bros and Butcher & Blade then drove away in FTR’s truck to end the segment.
"We are the absolute best tag team on this planet!" – @DaxHarwood
Matt Hardy faced Santana tonight on Dynamite. Ortiz was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Santana controlled the action early but Hardy battled back and sent Santana out of the ring with a Back Body Drop. Hardy followed him out there and launched Santana into the barricade. When Dynamite returned from a break, Hardy connected with a boot to Santana’s face. Santana knocked Matt to the canvas and went for a Splash but Hardy got out of the way.
Hardy hit a massive Clothesline and went for the cover but Santana kicked out at two. Matt hit the Side Effect and went for the cover but Santana powered out at one. Hardy hit another Side Effect and got a two count this time. Hardy rolled up Santana for the pinfall victory. After the match, Ortiz attacked Matt with the madball. Santana & Ortiz followed it up with the Street Sweeper before Private Party ran to the ring for the save. Private Party will square off against Santana & Ortiz at Fyter Fest. Matt Hardy will be in Private Party’s corner for the match.
Full Cards For Both Nights Of Fyter Fest Were Revealed
The match cards were announced for Night 1 (July 1st) and Night 2 (July 8th) of Fyter Fest during tonight’s show.
Night 1
Private Party (w/ Matt Hardy) vs. Santana & Ortiz
MJF & Wardlow vs. Jurassic Express
Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Penelope Ford (AEW Women’s Championship
Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (c) vs. Best Friends (AEW Tag Team Championship)
Cody (c) vs. Jake Hager (TNT Championship)
Night 2
SCU vs. Dark Order
Lance Archer vs. Joey Janela
Nyla Rose vs. TBA
FTR & Young Bucks vs. Lucha Bros and Butcher & Blade
Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy
Jon Moxley (c) vs. Brian Cage (AEW Championship)
Orange Cassidy Sent A Message To Jericho Leading Into Fyter Fest
Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy met in the ring tonight before their match at Fyter Fest. Jericho told Orange Cassidy that he is the wrestling form of the “why did the chicken cross the road?” joke and he thinks his act is stupid. Chris claimed that he called Tony Khan and complained when AEW signed Orange Cassidy.
Jericho noted that people love Orange Cassidy because he is a lot like them, lazy, a slacker, and not having what it takes to make it to the top. Chris told Orange Cassidy to not try any of that bullsh*t shin kick stuff at Fyter Fest because he will knock his teeth down his throat. Orange Cassidy took the microphone away from Jericho and put it down on the canvas.
Orange Cassidy did his lazy kicks before putting his hands in his pockets. Jericho smirked and took off Cassidy’s glasses. Jericho broke the glasses and threw then at Orange. Cassidy tackled Jericho out of the ring and chased him into the crowd. Jericho hit Orange with a barricade and the battle continued into the limited fan seating.
Cassidy hit Jericho with an elbow to the face and then swung the camera jib into Orange Cassidy’s face. Orange Cassidy hit Jericho with a leaping Superman Punch that sent Jericho through a table. Orange Cassidy then put on a pair of sunglasses as blood poured down from his ear to close the show.
Opinion: This week’s episode of Dynamite was another good show and did a solid job of hyping up Fyter Fest. There are matches I’m looking forward to on both nights of the event. Orange Cassidy versus Jericho should be great, but the 8-man tag match announced tonight between FTR & Young Bucks vs. Butcher, Blade & Lucha Bros is probably the match I’m most excited about.
New matches have been announced for the upcoming AEW Fyter Fest special.
During Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, it was confirmed that MJF and Wardlow will take on Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus in a tag team match.
This contest was booked after Wardlow was able to defeat Luchasaurus in a Lumberjack Match. Post-match, a brawl broke out between Jurassic Express, MJF, and Wardlow. AEW President Tony Khan was quick to announce the bout.
Also revealed for the show was an eight-man tag team match that will see FTR and The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Brothers & The Butcher & The Blade
AEW presents the Fyter Fest special on July 1st and the second week on July 8th in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place that will air on TNT. Although the card is getting close to being finalized, that will change soon as AEW is still announcing more matches for the special. Here is the updated card:
AEW Fyter Fest Night 1 Card
AEW World Tag Team Champions Hangman Page and Kenny Omega vs. Best Friends
AEW TNT Champion Cody vs. Jake Hager
AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida vs. Penelope Ford
Private Party vs. Santana and Ortiz – Tag Team Match
MJF and Wardlow vs. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus – Tag Team Match
AEW Fyter Fest Night 2 Card
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage
FTR and The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Brothers & The Butcher & The Blade – Eight-Man Tag Team Match
AEW has released official top-5 rankings for 6/24. #2 Brian Cage makes his first appearance in the rankings as he prepares to challenge Jon Moxley at Fyter Fest.
AEW Men’s Single’s Rankings
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (13-0) TNT Champion: Cody (13-1)
MJF (7-0)
Brian Cage (4-0) (previously unranked)
Lance Archer (7-1) (-1)
Brodie Lee (5-1) (-1)
Chris Jericho (2-1)
#1 MJF retains his ranking this week after defeating Billy Gunn on Dynamite.
#2 Brian Cage debuts in the rankings this week. He will challenge AEW World Champion Jon Moxley at Fyter Fest. Cage picked up a victory over Robert Anthony on Dark last night.
#3 Lance Archer picked up a win on Dark over Griff Garrison.
#4 Brodie Lee had the week off. He’ll team with Colt Cabana tonight to face Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss.
#5 Chris Jericho lost to the Best Friends along with Sammy Guevara on Dynamite. Jericho will have a face-off with Orange Cassidy tonight.
TNT Champion Cody retained over Ricky Starks on Dynamite.
AEW Women’s Division
Champion: Hikaru Shida (11-1)
Nyla Rose (6-2)
Penelope Ford (4-3) (+1)
Big Swole (4-3) (previously unranked)
Kris Statlander (4-4) (injured) (-2)
Britt Baker (4-4) (injured) (-1)
Champion Hikaru Shida will defend against #2 Penelope Ford at Fyter Fest. Neither wrestler competed this week, however.
#1 Nyla Rose had the week off.
#3 Big Swole debuts in the rankings this week. She took #5 Britt Baker for a ride last week on Dynamite.
#4 Kris Statlander is out with a torn ACL and dropped two spots in the rankings this week.
There were two matches in the women’s division this week. Abadon picked up a surprise victory over Anna Jay, one which might send Anna to the Dark Order. Then on Dark this week, Mel picked up a victory over KiLynn King
AEW Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (8-0)
Best Friends (10-3)
The Dark Order (6-0) (+2)
Young Bucks (3-2) (+2)
The Natural Nightmares (5-1) (-2)
Private Party (4-2) (-2)
Omega and Page retained their titles over #4 the Natural Nightmares this week. This results in QT Marshall & Dustin Rhodes’ team dropping two spots in the rankings.
#1 The Best Friends retained their top spot by defeating Le Sex Gods in the main event of Dynamite last week. Trent and Chuck Taylor will challenge the champions at Fyter Fest.
#2 the Dark Order move up two spots. They only moved down in the rankings due to inactivity so now that they are back, they find themselves in a top-ranked spot again.
#3 The Young Bucks moved up two spots this week after defeating Kip Sabian and Jimmy Havoc.
#5 Private Party drop two spots this week after not competing last week.
Tonight on Dynamite, #4 The Natural Nightmares are scheduled to go up against FTR. This will be the first match against ranked competition for Harwood and Wheeler.
Sammy Guevara was suspended without pay for an undetermined amount of time by AEW recently. Guevara came under fire for comments he made about Sasha Banks on a podcast in 2016. Additionally, Guevara will undergo sensitivity training.
Guevara released a new video on YouTube recently. In the video, he went into further detail regarding his regret concerning the situation. He talked about growing as a person over the last four years and taking a break from social media.
“There is going to be no vlog today and there’s going to be no vlog for a while. I’m going to take a hiatus from social media, in general. I just want to apologize to anybody I let down, to Sasha, to anybody I hurt with my words.”
“It just sucks cause 2016 me is not me today. 2020 me would never say those kind of hurtful things that I did in 2016. I used to think it was funny to do some kind of shock humor to pop the room I’m in.”
“I thought it would be funny to do that kind of humour, shock humour and it’s not.”
“A lot has happened in four years of my life. I know a lot of people think four years is not that much time but if you look at how much has happened to me in my life from wrestling in the middle of nowhere in Texas, to wrestling all around the world, to wrestling in different countries, to wrestling on TV for AEW. So much has happened to me in four years and one of the thing’s that’s happened is me growing as a person.”
Guevara continued to say that he now understands the words he says can have an impact on people. He also said he’ll never say stuff like that again.
“Whenever I do come back, I will be better. I’m going to do sensitivity training and I’m going to be a better version of myself.”
AEW star Shawn Spears recently appeared on the AEW Unrestricted podcast. The former Tye Dillinger discussed a number of topics from his career; including his recent feud with Cody Rhodes and comparing his television time between AEW and his former home of WWE.
“It’s funny, you get nicknamed ‘The Chairman’ and then you hit a guy once with a chair and then you never touch anybody else with a chair since then!” Shawn Spears laughed. “The moniker is funny but, you know, to that point? That moment created a lot of traction, a lot of buzz both positively and negatively.”
Shawn Spears on ‘The Chair Shot’
The now infamous chair shot took place at Fyter Fest 2019. Shawn Spears appeared and lamped Cody Rhodes over the head; the chair shot was unprotected and it caused a lot of negative press for the upstart AEW promotion at the time.
“Here’s the thing with Cody, you know the history between us is pretty well documented. Qe go back a very very long way” Shawn Spears continued on the show.
“That guy is never going to half ass anything. No, if you put them on top of the cage? He’s going to Moonsault off. If you hit him in the head with a chair? I say ‘man look, get a hand up’ he’s going to go ‘No!’ He’s going to say ‘swing for the fences.'”
Cody Rhodes
Spears would elaborate further, saying “as performers? We have the same mentality, you’ll see him state a lot publicly, when he says that he’s going to outwork you. When he says he’s going to out dog you. When he says he’s going to outperform you? He means it. Whatever he may not understand is, I’m that guy too.”
Do you want to see the feud continue between Shawn Spears and Cody Rhodes? Let us know in the comments
Tag-team wrestling was on full display during the Wednesday night war last week. Both shows featured tag matches in the main event. On Dynamite, Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara took on the Best Friends. On NXT, Sasha Banks and Bayley defended their belts against Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart. This led to Chris Jericho and Sasha Banks having an interesting exchange on Twitter about TV ratings for the segments.
Banks has recently been claiming that her team with Bayley is the best of all time. She noted on Twitter that they are better than Jericho and Guevara’s team as well.
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) June 21, 2020
Banks was responding to a Tweet regarding the NXT main event beating the AEW main event in the ratings this week. Jericho then noted on Twitter, however, that AEW still won for that segment in the key demo (18-49, which advertisers consider to be the most important demographic.)
Congrats guys, proud of you! But don’t forget to add that you got SMOKED in the all important p18-49 demo (which is what advertisers care about the most) 367k to 264k! You did good…Just not good enough! ? https://t.co/3qcGIjxdck
It seemed as though both promotions chose to feature tag-team wrestling last week. On Dynamite, Kenny Omega & Hangman Page retained their titles over the Natural Nightmares. The Young Bucks defeated Kip Sabian & Jimmy Havoc. The Best Friends then defeated Le Sex Gods in the main event.
On NXT, Imperium retained their titles over Breezeango. Bayley and Banks defeated Blackheart and Nox in the main event as well.
AEW star Shawn Spears recently appeared on the AEW Unrestricted podcast. The former Tye Dillinger discussed a number of topics from his career, including his recent feud with Cody Rhodes and comparing his television time between AEW and his former home of WWE.
AEW had to hold a two day taping event at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown. Several talents were unable to appear due to travel issues, but Shawn Spears was one of the talent on hand to appear on Dynamite.
“I got a great deal of television time during the course of those two days” Shawn Spears began. “I think I made a joke on Twitter? Somebody said something about my career previously [in WWE], that I was barely on TV; and I actually went back and did some number crunching.”
Shawn Spears (formerly Tye Dillinger) then revealed a crazy statistic that sheds a light on his final few years in WWE. “In those two days over the course of two weeks of taping? I was on TV for more minutes than I had in my entire 2018 [for WWE]. Those opportunities are gonna pop up and when you have to go 20 minutes on television, because we’re short staffed or time gets added or for whatever reasons? You have to be ready to adapt and that’s the world of pro wrestling.”
Do you think that Shawn Spears is being better utilised in AEW than he was in WWE? Let us know in the comments
AEW star Shawn Spears recently appeared on the AEW Unrestricted podcast. The former Tye Dillinger discussed a number of topics from his career, including his recent feud with Cody Rhodes and ‘being a fan’ in attendance for the shows filmed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“So the idea was Tony’s [Khan] actually the night before television” Shawn Spears revealed, discussing how he and MJF were asked to be ‘fans’ for the shows. “He called me and we talked for about 20 minutes. He [Tony Khan] said ‘I have this idea, I want to put you and MJF in the crowd. And I kind of just want to give you guys free rein to go out and do what you guys want to do.'”
Shawn Spears and MJF
“I thought that was a hilarious concept” Spears would then reveal. “And you pretty much can’t ask for a better charismatic dance partner than MJF. So when they kind of put us out there? They just said, ‘yeah, do whatever you want, have some fun.’ I’m like well, can I eat food while I’m out there? I’ll be hungry. They’re like ‘yeah go ahead and MJF’s like ‘can I have a glass of wine?’ That was a bad idea, well for him cause he’s a lightweight.”
Shawn Spears would then discuss the importance of being given that time to showcase his character on AEW television. “I tell this to some young talent, being out there as an audience member is an opportunity in itself. You might not get that television time in the ring, performing, or you might not get that promo time backstage in a segment, or live mic in the ring.”
Spears elaborated further, saying “that in itself? Being an audience member is an opportunity, the camera is going to catch you. I said it recently to a few other talents. I said, we’re out in the crowd I think was a couple weeks ago I said ‘I dare you to steal the camera from me, I dare you. If you can do it? Then I’m not doing a good job, and I think that’s when I tailgated on the back of a golf cart. So it’s just finding different ways to stand out, show some personality without taking away from the actual in-ring product.”
Have you enjoyed AEW’s presentation during the coronavirus pandemic? Let us know in the comments
Jimmy Havoc will be entering a rehabilitation program for substance abuse and mental health. AEW announced the news recently on social media. Havoc is one of several wrestlers recently accused of sexual misconduct and/or assault as part of the #SpeakingOut hashtag on Twitter.
AEW released a statement that they will evaluate his status with the company and address it after he has finished his rehabilitation program.
“We wish Jimmy Havoc all the best as he receives treatment and counseling in an effort to overcome the mental health and substance abuse challenges in his life.”
We wish Jimmy Havoc all the best as he receives treatment and counseling in an effort to overcome the mental health and substance abuse challenges in his life. pic.twitter.com/mh0hudsPuW
Shortly after the promotion was announced, Havoc was officially signed to AEW in February of 2019. He is currently part of a tag-team with Kip Sabian. Havoc and Sabian challenged unsuccessfully for the AEW tag team Championships on the May 28th, 2020 show.
The 36-year-old Havoc began his career in 2004. He is a former Progress Champion and once held the promotion’s tag titles along with Mark Haskins as well. Havoc is a former Hardcore champion with Defiant and won CZW’s Tournament of Death 16 back in 2017.
Tony Khan has a strong team surrounding him in All Elite Wrestling, but the buck stops with him.
It’s no secret that Khan is the President of AEW. He is active on social media about all things AEW, but (mercifully) does not appear on television as an authority figure.
Earlier this week, Tony Khan tweeted that he signed Ricky Starts to an AEW contract after an impressive showing on this week’s Dynamite.
Wrestling statistician Craig from Pro Wrestling Musings noted that Tony Khan said “he” personally signed Starks, not “we” – as in, the company or the wrestlers who serve as AEW Executive Vice Presidents.
(Full disclosure: Craig has previously served as a correspondent for SEScoops)
Craig wrote, “‘I signed’ not ‘We signed’. Be aware of what you are watching. Yes, it’s a great product. Yes, it’s better than WWE morally. But it is not the same product as All In. Be aware of what you are watching. ‘For the wrestlers by the wrestlers’, it is not.”
Tony Khan Sets The Record Straight
Tony Khan responded to Craig taking issue with him stating that he personally signed Ricky Starks. AEW’s lineage and genesis are linked to the [independent] All In event, but Khan never claimed it’s the same product.
“I’m transparent on how we work,” he replied. “We have a great group of execs in leadership roles, many are star wrestlers, & I work closely with them, & I’m accessible for all staff & wrestlers. This isn’t a public company, I’m in 100% control of everything.”
We never said it’s the same product. I’m transparent on how we work. We have a great group of execs in leadership roles, many are star wrestlers, & I work closely with them, & I’m accessible for all staff & wrestlers. This isn’t a public company, I’m in 100% control of everything
Craig clarified that he is mostly supportive of AEW as a game-changing company. He was simply objecting to the idea of “the at the top being deified.” He then asked Tony Khan to help him with all the backlash he was getting on Twitter for his remarks. Khan replied:
Craig buddy, I never intended for anyone to pile on you or attack your mental health. I was just responding to a tweet in which *you tagged me*. If you don’t want a response, don’t tag me & then it’s less likely. You do great work with stats, please don’t let tweets get you down!
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
AEW won the night in total viewers and in the key 18-49 demo, but both shows were up. Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 746,000 viewers, up last week’s 673,000 In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.20 rating, up from 0.16 last week.
The episode featured Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley and Sasha Banks vs. Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart, Tag Team Champions Imperium vs. Breezango, and Damian Priest vs. Killian Dain.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 772,000 viewers, up from the 677,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.28 rating, up from the 0.23 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured bouts such as Le Sex Gods (Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara) vs. Best Friends, Billy Gunn vs. MJF, AEW TNT Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Ricky Starks, The Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall) vs. AEW Tag Team Champions Hangman Page and Kenny Omega, and Superbad Death Squad (Kip Sabian and Jimmy Havoc) vs. Young Bucks
AEW has signed two wrestlers after they each made their Dynamite debut last night. Abadon defeated Anna Jay on Dynamite and Ricky Starks dropped a TNT title match to Cody on the show as well.
Tony Khan and AEW have since announced that both Abadon and Ricky Starks have been signed to AEW contracts.
Abadon’s Twitter bio now reads, “I am Abadon. Living dead girl. RMP Dead I am the dog, hound of hell you cry, devil on your back I can NEVER die.”
Thank you @starkmanjones for a great effort tonight. While he didn’t win the open challenge & the TNT Title, he opened a lot of eyes on #AEWDynamite. Thank you @CodyRhodes & Arn for nominating a great challenger; I was glad to sanction the match. Now: congrats Ricky you earned it pic.twitter.com/K9dTVRlv1I
Starks was revealed as Cody’s TNT Title Open Challenge opponent on last night’s edition of Dynamite. He was previously a member of the NWA roster and former NWA Television Champion.
Anna Jay Joining The Dark Order?
Anna Jay is another recent signing to the promotion. There was some hype for her match on Dynamite this week against Abadon. In the end, however, it was Abadon who would pick up her first AEW victory and not Anna Jay.
Following the match, the Dark Order helped Jay to the back. This has led to speculation she could be the next to join the faction.
Chris Jericho recently sat down with AEW referee Aubrey Edwards on an episode of his podcast, Talk Is Jericho. During their conversation, the two discussed the promotion’s use of disqualifications and the need for an established rulebook.
Edwards confessed she liked working with Jericho as he’s “super easy to work with.” She noted how Jericho is always interested in telling a story, making her job that much easier. The two then turned their attention to Jericho’s matchup at AEW Revolution against Jon Moxley.
During that match, Chris Jericho was physically pushing Edwards at points in the match. Turns out he was doing so to hit the right story beats and camera angles. Although he tried to express this to her during the match, Edwards admitted she did not hear him. To fans, however, it appeared as though Jericho was trying to get himself disqualified.
“There has to be that kind of psychology behind it where it’s like, why wouldn’t she DQ him?” Chris Jericho said. “Well, it’s like a title match or a boxing match. It’s like a knee in the in the groin for example, maybe if it was an earlier fight, a prelim fight, there would be a DQ, but in the main event, that people paid millions to see, you got to let these guys fight.”
Chris Jericho added how he loves that aspect about pro wrestling. He argued how they weren’t “bending the rules” but were instead telling a story and “making things fit into what we need because we have the right to do that.”
Edwards would reveal that she has been given permission by AEW President Tony Khan to scribe an official AEW rulebook. Chris Jericho stressed how it’s “important to establish that.”
She explained how when she first accepted the Project Coordinator Job, she “wanted to have our rules written down.” Edwards recalled how Tony Khan had previously expressed his interest in having their rules public to give AEW a sports company dynamic.
“So I started writing everything down and realize there’s all these holes of like what happens if the illegal person hits a legal person. How do we treat that at AEW? It was funny. I had like the rules printed out. We’re talking about it. Hangman comes and goes over, ‘oh, are the refs meeting to talk about the rules? Actually, we are, but we talk about things and figure out how do we want to treat this situation? How do we want to treat this? And I got a thumbs-up from boss man. So hopefully that will come out soon.”
Chris Jericho is scheduled to compete against Orange Cassidy during AEW Fyter Fest, which takes place on July 1 and July 8.
All Elite Wrestling and Natural Nightmare member QT Marshall has discussed his on-screen pairing with Allie during a recent interview. Speaking with The Wrestling Inc. Dailypodcast, Marshall opened up about his new partnership. He also addressed Diamond Dallas Page giving him permission to begin using the Diamond Cutter.
QT Marshall noted how they may integrate the Diamond Cutter into more a defined angle “just to get it public.” He then shared how he and DDP had a “true, genuine conversation” about his using the finishing move.
“I asked, ‘Do you really want me to [use the Diamond Cutter]?’ He said I would really do it justice. I said it’s an honor but I’d love to make it part of something entertaining as well,” QT Marshall said. “Of course, the sappy story is really good as well but for the fans, we kinda want them to have fun with it as well. That’s why we filmed those videos.”
Looking to his new relationship with Allie, Marshall reflected on how their pairing came to be. He shared how he was searching for his apple but couldn’t find it. He would look up to see Allie eating it which was “her way of saying that she likes me.” Marshall confessed that his tag team partner Dustin Rhodes and Brandi, however, aren’t fans of Allie. Despite their history, Marshall stressed how “we’re just trying to be one big, happy family. And we’re winning – at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about. We’ll see where it goes and I’ve been more successful since she’s been around.”
QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes competed last night in a losing effort against the AEW Tag Team Champions, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page.
AEW has confirmed the former World Champion Chris Jericho’s opponent for the upcoming Fyter Fest event, announcing that he will face Orange Cassidy at the show.
The former WWE star had brutally attacked The King of Sloth Style on last week’s episode of Dynamite and Y2J had beaten him down with a bag of blood oranges.
This week’s episode of the show then saw Jericho teaming up with Sammy Guevara to face the Best Friends in a #1 contenders match for the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
The ending of this bout saw Guevara being tripped by a cameraman which led to the Inner Circle members losing the match. Cassidy then revealed himself as the cameraman.
The former Chikara star then went on to attack Chris Jericho and the company confirmed a match between the two for the upcoming event as the show went off air.
Fyter Fest this year will be taking place on July 1 and July 8 at 8 pm ET on TNT. You can check out the updated match card for the event after the latest announcement below:
AEW World Championship Match: Jon Moxley (c) vs. Brian Cage
AEW World Tag Team Championship Match: Hangman Page and Kenny Omega (c) vs. Best Friends
AEW TNT Championship Match: Cody (c) vs. Jake Hager
AEW Women’s Championship Match: Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Penelope Ford
AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page put their AEW Tag Team Championships on the line against the Natural Nightmares. Le Sex Gods battled Best Friends to determine the #1 contenders for the tag titles.
Dynamite Results (6/17)
Hangman Page & Kenny Omega def. Natural Nightmares to retain the AEW Tag Team Championships
Abadon def. Anna Jay
MJF def. Billy
Cody def. Ricky Starks to retain the TNT Championship
Young Bucks def. Superbad Squad
Best Friends def. Le Sex Gods & will face Omega & Page at Fyter Fest for the AEW Tag Team Championships
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Hangman Page & Kenny Omega Retained
Hangman Page and Kenny Omega defended the AEW Tag Team Championships against the Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall). Brandi Rhodes accompanied the Natural Nightmares to the ring.
Match Recap: Omega and Dustin started it off by locking up in the middle of the ring. Omega hit Rhodes with a chop and went for One Winged Angel but Dustin escaped. Rhodes hit a Hurricanrana off the second rope and regrouped in the corner of the ring after Omega accidentally caught him with a headbutt to the face.
Hangman Page and QT Marshall tagged in and locked up in the middle of the ring. QT took control and leveled Page with a Dropkick. Hangman popped up and leveled Marshall with a boot to the face. Omega tagged in and QT beat him down in the corner.
Dustin tagged back in and planted Kenny with a Suplex. QT tagged in and continued to beat Omega down as Britt Baker passed Tony Schiavone notes at the announce desk. Dustin planted Omega with a Back Body Drop but Kenny battled back with an elbow to the face. Kenny connected with a Kotaro Crusher and finally got to the corner to tag in Hangman.
Page hit QT with a Fallaway Slam and then delivered a Crossbody to Rhodes outside the ring. Back in the ring, Hangman connected with a Lariat and went for the cover but Marshall kicked out at two. Omega tagged in and hit a Moonsault off the middle rope for another near fall.
Hangman tagged in and walked into a right hand from QT. Marshall followed it up with an Enziguri and both men fell to the canvas. Rhodes and Omega tagged in and Dustin hit an Atomic Drop. Rhodes followed it up with a Bulldog and then a Powerslam. Hangman hopped in the ring and Rhodes greeted him with a Powerslam.
Rhodes climbed to the top rope and flipped onto both Page and Omega. Rhodes threw the champs to the outside and tagged in QT. Dustin hit another Senton off the apron as Marshall hit the QT Special onto Omega outside the ring. Back in the ring, QT went for a Diamond Cutter but Omega countered with a Snap Dragon Suplex.
Dustin got in the ring and hit Kenny with a Destroyer. Omega leveled Rhodes with a Clothesline but turned around into a Diamond Cutter from QT. Allie came down to the entrance ramp to try and encourage QT. Marshall went for a Moonsault off the top rope but Omega got out of the way.
Hangman tagged in and hit a German Suplex but Dustin broke up the cover. Omega tagged in as Hangman hit QT with a Powerbomb. Omega hit QT with a V-Trigger to the back of his head but Marshall kicked out at the last moment. Hangman and Omega hit the Last Call on QT for the pinfall victory. Hangman Page and Kenny Omega are still the AEW Tag Team Champions.
Abadon completely dominated the match and defeated Anna Jay with ease. After the match, Dark Order’s music hit and Brodie Lee led them to the entrance ramp.
Stu Grayson and Evil Uno approached Colt Cabana with an envelop and Cabana read it as Brodie nodded his head. Dark Order helped Anna Jay out of the ring and Brodie shook her hand. Dark Order helped Anna Jay to the back to end the segment.
Match Recap: Billy controlled the action early and MJF retreated backstage. Billy chased after him and brought MJF back to the ring by carrying him over his shoulder. MJF hit a Neckbreaker over the ropes but Billy no sold it. MJF posed as if he had won and Billy got back in the ring behind him.
MJF hit Billy with a chop block and then stomped on his knee several times as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Billy tripped up MJF and slammed him into the second turnbuckle. Billy planted MJF with a Tilt-a-Whirl Slam and hobbled to the ropes.
Billy went for a knee strike and wound up crashing into the turnbuckle. MJF locked in a Calf Crusher and used the ropes for leverage but referee Aubrey Edwards caught him.
Wardlow hopped on the apron and distracted Billy. Wardlow threw the Dynamite Diamond ring to MJF before Billy knocked him off the apron. MJF put the ring on and punched Billy in the face for the victory. MJF is still undefeated in 2020. After the match, Jurassic Express hopped over the barricade and attacked Wardlow & MJF. A massive brawl broke out until the locker room and AEW officials broke it up.
Cody Defeated Ricky Starks To Retain The TNT Championship
Cody Rhodes with the AEW TNT Championship (Photo: AEW)
Cody came down to the ring with Arn Anderson. Arn said that with age comes maturity and wisdom. Arn said Cody’s opponent tonight is someone that he can get better against. It was then revealed that Cody’s opponent tonight will be former NWA World Television Champion Ricky Starks. Jake Hager was shown watching the match backstage.
"The only two things I had when I had nothing else in this world was work ethic and grit, the same two things that @CodyRhodes has."
Match Recap: Starks controlled the action early and beat Cody down in the corner. Cody battled back with a Dropkick and knocked Starks out of the ring. Cody connected with a Suicide Dive as Hager watched on from backstage.
Back in the ring, Starks sent Cody into the bottom rope ribs first and unloaded some punches to his face. Arn Anderson shoved Cody out of harms way and traded some words with Starks.
Ricky planted Cody with a DDT and went for the cover but Cody kicked out at two. Starks went for another DDT but Cody escaped and hit a Powerslam for a near fall. Ricky battled back and connected with a Superplex.
Starks knocked Cody out of the ring with a Crossbody. Back in the ring, Cody went for the Disaster Kick but Starks got out of the way and hit a Spear for a two count. Cody and Starks traded roll-up attempts before Cody hit Cross Rhodes for the pinfall victory. Cody is still the TNT Champion.
Young Bucks faced Jimmy Havoc and Kip Sabian tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Havoc and Sabian targeted Matt Jackson’s injured ribs throughout the match. Butcher and Blade came down to the ringside area and FTR came down as well.
Havoc and Sabian isolated Matt in the corner of the ring and took turns beating him down. Jimmy poked Matt in the eye while the referee was distraction and rolled Matt up for a two count.
Kip tagged in and went for a Hurricanrana but Matt caught him and hit a Powerbomb off the top rope. Nick finally got the tag and unloaded a flurry of kicks to Kip and Havoc. Nick hit Havoc with a Crossbody and then locked in a Sharpshooter on Sabian in the middle of the ring.
Sabian reached for the bottom rope but Matt hit him with an Elbow Drop. Havoc hopped on the apron with a mallet and the referee was distracted. Penelope Ford hit Nick from behind to break up the Sharpshooter.
Kip connected with a DDT and went for the cover but Nick kicked out at two. Nick hit Sabian with a Superkick and tagged Matt in. Havoc tagged in as well and Matt hit him with two Northern Lights Suplexes. Nick tagged in and hit a Moonsault for a near fall.
FTR and Butcher & Blade started arguing ringside and Nick got distracted. Havoc knocked him out of the ring and tagged in Sabian. Kip hit Matt with a Double Stomp and went for the cover but Nick broke it up. Matt hit Sabian & Havoc with a double Northern Lights Suplex.
Nick tagged back in and Young Bucks hit Superbad Squad with a Superkick. Young Bucks then booted Sabian in the face for the pinfall victory. After the match, Butcher and Blade and FTR got in the ring for a brawl. FTR hit Butcher with Goodnight Express. Young Bucks and FTR then hit Butcher and Blade with Mindbusters and had a stare down to end the segment.
Best Friends Will Challenge For The Tag Titles At Fyter Fest
Le Sex Gods (Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara) squared off against Best Friends (Trent & Chuck Taylor) to determine the #1 contenders for the AEW Tag Team Championships. Best Friends were already #1 contenders but put their title shot on the line to get their hands on Inner Circle after they brutally beat Orange Cassidy down last week. Matt Hardy joined commentary for the match.
Match Recap: Best Friends dominated early and beat Le Sex Gods down outside the ring. The action returned to the ring and Chuck hit Sammy with a Neckbreaker for a two count. Jericho tagged in and hit Taylor with a Dropkick for another two count.
Jericho leveled Chuck with a shoulder tackle and went for the Lionsault but Taylor got out of the way. Sammy and Trent tagged in and Trent lit up Sammy with a couple chops. Sammy went for a Splash but Trent got out of the way and hit Guevara with another chop.
Trent hit Sammy with a Suplex and then delivered a Dropkick to Jericho outside the ring. Jericho grabbed Floyd the bat and hit Trent in the midsection as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Le Sex Gods were still in control and had Trent isolated in the ring. Trent battled back and stomped Sammy to the canvas. Chuck tagged in and knocked Jericho off the apron.
Taylor hit Sammy with a Falcon Arrow and went for the cover but Guevara kicked out at two. Chuck climbed to the top rope and went for a Moonsault but Sammy got out of the way. Taylor landed on his feet and hit a Powerbomb but Jericho broke up the cover.
Trent went for a DDT but Jericho blocked it. Sammy hit Taylor with a Suicide Dive as Jericho applied the Liontamer to Trent in the middle of the ring. Trent battled through the pain and reached the bottom rope to break the hold.
Sammy tagged in and walked into a massive Clothesline. Trent went for the cover but Jericho broke it up at two. Jericho raked Trent’s eyes and Sammy rolled him up for a near fall. Chuck Taylor sent Jericho into the barricade outside the ring and grabbed a steel chair.
The referee ripped the chair away from Chuck and Jericho capitalized by sending Taylor over the barricade. Sammy hit Trent with the bat again and followed it up with a Shooting Star Press for a near fall. The cameraman tripped Sammy and Trent hit him with Piledriver for the pinfall victory.
The cameraman was revealed to be Orange Cassidy and he hopped in the ring with Jericho. Cassidy tacked Jericho and unloaded a flurry of punches to Jericho’s head. Orange Cassidy knocked Jericho out of the ring with a massive Superman Punch to end the show. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page will defend the AEW Tag Team Championships against Best Friends at Fyter Fest. It was also announced that Chris Jericho will face Orange Cassidy at Fyter Fest as well.
Opinion: This week’s episode of Dynamite was a very good show. Abadon immediately made an impact with her unique character and there were several great tag team matches on this week’s episode. I thought Cody and Ricky Starks had the match of the night. The card for Fyter Fest is coming together well and I’m looking forward to the event on July 1st and July 8th.
The former NWA star made his AEW debut on this week’s episode of Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT. He did so by answering the open challenge set out by Cody Rhodes in the middle of the show.
After an in-ring promo by Rhodes and Arn Anderson, a video hyped Starks’ debut.
This saw him challenge Rhodes for the AEW TNT Championship, which featured a back and forth contest that ended with “The American Nightmare” hitting his signature finisher, Cross Rhodes, for the win to allow him to retain the title.
Based on social media, Starks had an impressive performance in his first outing under the All Elite Wrestling banner.
Just last month, Starks announced his departure from the NWA and free agency status. Clearly, his time on the market didn’t last long.
Starks had been with the NWA since August of 2019. During his time with the NWA, he had been praised by many and seen as a rising prospect in the pro wrestling business.
The AEW video game is in development, but do not expect to play it any time soon.
AEW referee Aubrey Edwards was Chris Jericho’s guest on the latest installment of the Talk is Jericho podcast. During their discussion, Edwards revealed that she is involved in the game’s development.
Edwards not sure what she was authorized to reveal, aside from saying that the game is “very, very early on” in the development cycle. “It’s definitely a way’s out,” she said.
AEW Executive Vice President Kenny Omega, an avid gamer, is also involved. Edwards says she talks to Omega a lot about the project.
Chris Jericho asked what makes a good wrestling game. They know expectations are high. “It has to kick ass.” They are listening to feedback and will give the people what they want. They spoke about the importance of a robust Create-a-Wrestler suite.
She spent several years working on mobile games and believes that experience will help AEW deliver a great product. WWE’s release of 2K20 was an all-out disaster. Edwards talked about what went wrong with that game.
Her gaming console of choice is the Nintendo Switch. She likes that it affords her the flexibility to play from home or while on the road traveling. This bodes well for a Switch release of the AEW game.
AEW has released updated top-5 rankings ahead of tonight’s edition of Dynamite. MJF continues to top the men’s single’s rankings with an undefeated 6-0 record.
#3 Penelope Ford and #4 the Dark Order also made gains in the rankings this week.
AEW Men’s Single’s Rankings
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (13-0) TNT Champion: Cody (12-1)
MJF (6-0)
Lance Archer (6-1)
Brodie Lee (5-1)
Kenny Omega (4-0)
Chris Jericho (2-1)
There was no movement in the men’s single’s division this week in AEW. TNT Champion Cody successfully defended his title against Marq Quen. #2 Lance Archer picked up a single’s victory on Dark. Champion Jon Moxley, #1 MJF, #3 Brodie Lee, #4 Kenny Omega, and #5 Chris Jericho all had the week off.
#4 Kenny Omega will team with Hangman Page tonight to defend the tag belts against the Natural Nightmares. #5 Chris Jericho will team with Sammy Guevara to take on the Best Friends with the winners facing the champions at Fyter Fest. #1 MJF will face Billy from the Gunn club tonight as well.
AEW Women’s Division
Champion: Hikaru Shida (11-1)
Nyla Rose (6-2)
Kris Statlander (4-4) (injured)
Penelope Ford (4-3) (+2)
Britt Baker (4-4) (injured) (-1)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-1) (-1)
#3 Penelope Ford moves up 2 spots after pinning the champion in tag-team action last week. She teamed with #1 Nyla Rose to earn the victory over champion Hikaru Shida and #2 Kris Statlander last week.
Unfortunately, Statlander announced this week she’s out with a torn ACL that will require surgery. #4 Britt Baker is also on the shelf/in a “Role’s Royce” for awhile.
AEW Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (7-0)
Best Friends (9-3)
The Natural Nightmares (5-0)
Private Party (4-2)
The Dark Order (6-0) (previously unranked)
Young Bucks (2-2)
SCU drops out of the tag rankings this week and #4 the Dark Order are ranked once again. Stu Grayson and Evil Uno picked up a win on Dark this week after having been absent for weeks due to travel restriction between the US and Canada.
It’s a big week for the tag division tonight, however. The tag titles are on the line as the champions defend against #2 the Natural Nightmares. #1 The Best Friends will put their previously earned title shot on the line against Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara (Le Sex Gods) as well.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho has revealed what he believes is holding Roman Reigns back from becoming pro wrestling’s top star. Speaking with Adam Wilbourn of WhatCulture, “Le Champion,” praised Reigns, sharing how he would love to have him become a part of the AEW roster. According to Jericho, he believes WWE needs to allow Reigns more freedom to be himself. If they do, the former AEW World Champion thinks Reigns could easily become the biggest star in wrestling.
Jericho noted how he’d put Roman Reigns at the top of any roster wish list. “Not only is he a great worker but he’s such a cool guy. If they just let him be him he’d be the biggest star in the industry, for real. That’d be a guy I’d love to get my hands on for sure.”
Roman Reigns has not been a part of WWE programming since refusing to wrestle Goldberg at WrestleMania 36. Due to his previous battles with leukemia, Reigns falls into a high-risk category in regards to the coronavirus pandemic. His decision to step away from the ring revolved around wanting to protect his family and newborn twins. Roman Reigns was scheduled to face off against Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship. Reigns was eventually replaced by Braun Strowman, who would defeat Goldberg and claim the gold.
