All Elite Wrestling has announced new matches for their upcoming Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
First up is the likely main event of this show, which will be AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley defending the title against Brodie Lee. AEW set up this contest during on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite that saw Moxley beat Frankie Kazarian in a non-title match.
The Dark Order attacked Moxley after the contest. Lee hit Moxley with a discus lariat. He then cut a promo about how he is just here to answer the bounty that Moxley put on his head last week.
Brodie said that there is no one here to save Moxley. Lee then challenged Moxley to a World Title Match at Double or Nothing, which Moxley accepted. The Dark Order beat down Moxley once again.
Also set for this show is a singles match between MJF and Brodie Lee as well as a Casino Ladder Match for future AEW World Championship shot.
AEW Double or Nothing Card
The AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view event will take place on Saturday, May 23, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place and will be held in front of no fans on a closed set.
The event is expected to begin at 8 p.m. ET will be available for purchase via BR Live, iN DEMAND cable operators, DirecTV, DISH. AEW fans outside the United States can order via the FITE streaming service. Here is the updated card:
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee
Cody Rhodes vs. Lance Archer – AEW TNT Title Tournament Finals
Jungle Boy vs. MJF
TBA vs. TBA – Casino Ladder Match for future AEW World Championship shot
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
AEW Dynamite aired live from Daily’s Place this week. Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara battled Kenny Omega & Matt Hardy in a Street Fight to close the show.
AEW Dynamite Results (5/6)
Cody def. Joey Janela
Nyla Rose def. Kenzie Paige
Jon Moxley def. Frankie Kazarian
Lance Archer def. QT Marshall
Le Sex Gods (Jericho & Guevara) def. Kenny Omega & Broken Matt Hardy
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Cody Picked Up A Win
Cody Rhodes
Jim Ross and Excalibur made their returns to Dynamite tonight and joined Tony Schiavone on commentary. Cody squared off against Joey Janela in the first match of the night.
Match Recap: Cody and Janela shook hands before the match and then locked up after the bell rang. Cody took control early and hit a couple of shoulder tackles. Janela and Cody traded a series of roll-ups and then some chops in the middle of ring.
Cody lifted Joey up for a Suplex for a near fall. Joey tripped up Cody and hit him with a kick to the face. Joey launched Cody into the turnbuckle and followed it up a Splash. Janela hit a Back Suplex and went for the cover but Cody kicked out a two.
The action spilled out of the ring and Janela threw him into the barricade. Janela ran down the entrance ramp and leaped but Cody dodged him. Cody connected with a Disaster Kick and followed it up with a Moonsault off the stage.
Back in the ring, Janela hit a Superkick and made his way to the top rope. Joey hit an Elbow Drop and went for the cover but Cody was able to kick out at the last moment. Cody battled back and hit a reverse Suplex off the top rope for another near fall.
Janela avoided the Cross Rhodes and hit an elbow to the face. Cody battled back with a Powerslam for a two count. Joey hit a German Suplex and then a massive Clothesline. Joey climbed to the top rope and went for a Moonsault but Cody got out of the way.
Cody connected with a Cutter for another two count. Janela and Cody traded shots in the middle of the ring. Cody got the better of the exchange and connected with Cross Rhodes for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: It is great to have Dynamite back live and back at Daily’s Place. Cody and Janela had a very good match tonight and the wrestlers making noise in the crowd makes the show feel as close to normal as possible.
AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose made her return and was in action tonight on Dynamite. Tony Schiavone interviewed Nyla before the match. Rose shouted that she is the most dominant force in AEW and told Tony to shut up and go do his job. Kenzie Paige was Nyla Rose’s opponent.
Match Recap: Nyla Rose marched to the ring and booted Kenzie in the midsection. Rose shoved her boot in Paige’s face and beat her down in the corner of the ring. Kenzie went for a roll-up but Nia didn’t budge. Rose absolutely leveled Paige with a Clothesline as MJF was shown in the crowd.
Rose made her way to the top rope and hit a Senton. Nyla went for the cover but opted to get up after a two count. Rose hit three Powerbombs in a row for the easy victory.
Match Recap: Moxley and Frankie battled in the corner of the ring to start things off. Kazarian brought Jon to the canvas and applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Moxley broke free but Frankie hit him with a shoulder tackle and went right back into the Headlock.
Jon escaped and applied a Wrist Lock before stomping on Frankie’s wrist. Moxley and Kazarian traded a couple of chops before Moxley brought Frankie back to the mat. Kazarian got Moxley trapped in a Headlock once again.
Moxley battled back with a Backbreaker for a two count. Jon sent Frankie flying out of the ring and Kazarian landed on his knee as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Moxley was in control and hit a knee to the face that sent Frankie tumbling out of the ring.
Jon climbed to the top rope and went for a Splash but leaped right into a Superkick from Kazarian. Back in the ring, Frankie hit a Dropkick and followed it up with a DDT for a two count. Moxley hit a German Suplex but Frankie shrugged it off and connected with a Backstabber.
Moxley and Frankie traded Dropkicks and both wrestlers fell to the mat. Moxley got up first and went for the Paradigm Shift but Kazarian countered into an Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. Jon went for a Spear through the ropes but Frankie countered into a Leg Drop.
Frankie planted Moxley with a German Suplex and followed it up with some right hands to his face. Jon hit a powerful Clothesline but Kazarian rolled up Jon for a two count. Kazarian connected with a Suplex that sent Moxley into the ropes. Kazarian climbed to the top rope but Moxley caught him. Jon then hit the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory.
After the match, members of the Dark Order rushed the ring and beat the hell out of Moxley. SCU tried to make the save but the numbers game caught up to them. Dark Order attacked Frankie outside the ring as well. The Exalted One Brodie Lee made his way to the ring and leveled Moxley with the Discus Lariat. Brodie said that he was just hear to answer the bounty that he put on his own head last week. Lee stated that he is a leader and that he makes lives extraordinary.
Brodie added that he wants the AEW Championship and challenged Jon to a match. Lee demanded that Moxley answer his challenge or they will make him. Brodie dropped the microphone next to Jon and Moxley told Lee that all he had to do was ask. Moxley laughed before Brodie Lee leveled him with a boot to the face. Dark Order stomped the hell out of Moxley once again as The Exalted One left the ring with the AEW Championship.
Opinion: I thought this was a terrific old school wrestling match between Moxley and Kazarian. I’m also all for Moxley versus Brodie Lee at Double or Nothing. This week’s episode of Dynamite has been excellent so far.
Lance Archer made quick work of QT Marshall tonight in a singles match. Before the match, Brandi Rhodes told Jake Roberts to keep his name out of her mouth during a vignette.
After Archer defeated QT Marshall with the Blackout, Britt Baker attacked Brandi Rhodes outside the ring. She rolled Brandi into the ring and Jake Roberts made his way through the ropes.
Jake then took out the snake and placed it on Brandi. Roberts then laid above Brandi and mocked her while doing so.
Opinion: I thought this was awesome and it just adds to how personal the rivalry between Archer and Cody has become. Their match for the TNT Championship at Double or Nothing is one of the bouts I’m looking forward to the most.
“Le Sex Gods” Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho faced Kenny Omega & Broken Matt Hardy in a Street Fight. It was the main event of this week’s episode of Dynamite.
Match Recap: Matt Hardy bit Sammy’s hand right when the bell rang. Omega and Jericho battled outside the ring and Le Champion sent Kenny into the steel steps. In the ring, Matt planted Guevara with a Powerbomb for a two count.
Matt and Jericho then battled outside the ring as Omega went for a Moonsault but Sammy got his knees up. Chris and Hardy battled through the entrance tunnel and to the backstage area.
Jericho returned by himself and joined Sammy in beating Kenny Omega down for the next several minutes. Matt Hardy rushed the ring and sent Sammy flying with a Back Body Drop. Matt hit the Side Effect and went for the cover but Guevara kicked out at two.
Hardy connected with a Cutter on Jericho and went for the cover but Sammy broke it up. Kenny planted Sammy with a Snap Dragon Suplex as Jericho brought a bat into the ring. Jericho hit Kenny with the bat and Sammy made his way to the top rope.
Guevara went for a Shooting Star Press but Omega got his knees up. Hardy threw Jericho out of the ring and then brought a ladder inside. Omega set up a table in the ring and set Sammy on top of it. Matt climbed up the ladder and hit a Splash through the table. Jake Hager pulled the referee out of the ring to break up the cover. Hager slammed Kenny’s face onto the ring apron before trading some words with Pineapple Pete as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, the action had spilled backstage and into the concourse area. Matt hit Jericho and then Hager with a pipe. Jericho grabbed a bag of ice and hit Matt across the face with it. Hager and Jericho put Hardy on ice before Omega showed up with a trash can.
Kenny bashed Jake and Jericho in the face and then sent Chris flying onto a golf cart. Sammy hit Kenny over the head with a trash can before sending him into the ATM machine. Some money flew out of it and Sammy pocketed it.
Omega Powerbombed Sammy into a garage door and then sent Hager flying on top of him. Kenny hit Hager with the V-Trigger before Jericho came out of nowhere and ran a storage cart into Omega’s midsection.
Jericho Suplexed Omega on top of a barricade as Hardy emerged from the ice. Matt was in his Damascus character and hopped in the golf cart. Hardy drove the golf card and clipped Jericho. Omega hopped in the cart and they ran down Sammy.
Kenny climbed to the top of a scissor lift and Moonsaulted onto Jericho, Hager, and Matt Hardy. Santana and Ortiz came out of nowhere and Inner Circle beat Omega and Hardy down. Hager Powerbombed Matt through a table and then Jericho Powerbombed Kenny on top of the golf cart. Jericho then hit Omega with the Judas Effect for the victory. Inner Circle then flipped everyone the bird as their logo was shown on the screen above the football field in the background.
Opinion: I enjoyed every second of this match and this week’s episode of Dynamite. It was one of the best shows AEW has done in some time and the two hours absolutely flew by. The epic final shot of the show was just the icing on the cake.
Moxley spoke about the experience during a recent interview with SEScoops to promote his new movie Cagefighter: Worlds Collide. You can hear his comments below.
“You know it was a thing where I just got to Jacksonville,” Moxley began. “We had no real plan we just knew we had to film stuff. We were only allowed 10 people in the building at that time. So we didn’t even have anybody dotted in the audience to make any energy whatsoever.”
The match was set up when Moxley attacked Hager at the March 25th edition of Dynamite. AEW hyped the bout for several weeks before delivering on April 15th. Moxley says they went into the 3/25 show without much of a plan and decided on the spot to film the angle and the match that night ‘just in case.’
“It was a thing where it’s just like, ‘Alright well let’s just get this in the can.’ We kind of cobbled together a little program really quickly, ‘You can drop me, no sell a DDT and choke me out. Then we’ll go to the World Title match, let’s just do it tonight and get it in the can.’ Because we didn’t know when we’d be able to film again.”
It turned out to be the right call. The COVID-19 pandemic quickly brought about dramatic changes to AEW’s production schedule. The company began taping several weeks of shows in advance, with most of the roster unable to appear.
Moxley describes a ‘different energy’ from the no-crowd experience. AEW’s rabid crowds provide the performers with a ton of energy to feed off, but the champ had to get into his own headspace this night.
“We just went out to the ring and and wrestled. It was actually really fun, it’s different energy, you know? It’s obviously so awesome, the adrenaline spike and just the crazy fun of coming out with the crowd at a live AEW Dynamite; where the house is packed and they’re going nuts and walking through the people high five-ing and getting ready to get into a big brawl or whatever, you know? The adrenaline is like off-the-charts.”
“With this you have to go to a different place. To me? For some matches I worked myself up to the point where with matches or promos or whatever? I worked myself up to a point where I think ‘I really hate this guy and I really want to go out there and hurt him.’ So, I guess it’s similar in that way to a movie. You got to bring the energy from within. And then that match, add that nice Florida humidity, and I broke a nice little sweat. I got into a groove, just kind of free flowing and wrestling. And we beat the absolute hell out of each other and it was quite fun.”
Tony Khan was the guest this week on the AEW Unrestricted podcast. During the show, Khan spoke about the challenges involved in filming empty arena shows recently in Jacksonville, Florida, and Norcross, Georgia.
The last episode of Dynamite to air with a live audience was on March 11th from Salt Lake City in Utah. The company was forced to pivot and move future shows to Jacksonville and then Norcross from that point on.
“What was really hard for me was that I didn’t want to force anyone to come to work under these circumstances,” Khan said on the show.
He also mentioned that the company had to think quickly on what they were going to do.
“I had to figure out by the next morning where we’re going to be because the trucks needed to know where to take the rings and the set,” he continued.
Khan also said he spoke with TNT about AEW continuing to produce content.
“I talked to the network and they were excited for us to keep putting on shows,” Khan said about TNT’s reaction.
Tony Khan on the Quality of Dynamite Shows
Khan continued to talk about how much he enjoyed the first empty arena show they did and the most recent one.
“The two best shows that we’ve done since the shut down I think would be the first one we did and the most recent one,” Khan continued. “I loved them both.”
Khan also talked about sports/wrestling with national tv deals being deemed essential in some states.
“I never considered us or tried to force us to be an essential business. I never tried to stay open against restrictions and so when we heard that Florida and Georgia were going to shut down, we were shutting down too. We needed to tape as much content as we could before that shutdown.”
He continued to talk about how many wrestlers stayed in the area for the tapings and the different challenges they faced.
AEW airs live tonight from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. AEW President Tony Khan confirmed that all wrestlers and employees tested negative for COVID-19 prior to the broadcast.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is doing its best to ensure the safety of its talent and staff ahead of Dynamite tonight.
With the current coronavirus pandemic going around, there’s a lot of controversy as to whether or not live shows/sporting events should be allowed to continue. However, AEW is being allowed to continue taping its shows in Jacksonville, Florida from Daily’s Place. With that being said, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) took to Facebook to reveal the safety measures for tonight’s Dynamite.
Everyone involved in the tapings was not allowed into the venue without first receiving a COVID-19 rapid test. Other measures have been taken, such as implementing portable wash stations, hand sanitizer stations, mandatory masks, and enforcing social distancing – especially during breaks. Furthermore, in the comments of the post, IATSE confirmed that the tests were supplied by AEW themselves.
It was added that tonight’s taping of AEW Dynamite will be a closed set with no crowds, despite the fact that Florida is allowing sports venues to have fans as long as its 25 percent capacity of the venue.
When asked what would happen if someone tested positive for COVID-19, IATSE confirmed that all personnel tested negative. However, had anyone tested positive, they would have been referred for a Molecular test, which determines if you can work.
It seems like AEW is pulling out all the stops to ensure everyone is working as safe as possible. We’ll keep you updated on the situation as more information becomes available to us.
AEW President Tony Khan noted that all wrestlers and employees tested negative for COVID-19 ahead of Wednesday’s live AEW Dynamite from Jacksonville, FL.
#AEWDynamite is live tonight on TNT at 8pm ET/7CT! I’ve tested negative for COVID as have all wrestlers & staff here, we’re taking best precautions possible & it’ll be a great show with the debut of Matt Hardy teaming w/ Kenny Omega v. Jericho & Guevara, + @JonMoxley v. Kazarian! pic.twitter.com/Kh56Drk5I4
AEW has released its weekly rankings for May 6th, 2020.
AEW Men’s Single’s Rankings
Champion: Jon Moxley (9-0)
Cody (8-1)
Lance Archer (4-0) (+2)
Kenny Omega (4-0) (-1)
Brodie Lee (4-0) (previously unranked)
Darby Allin (5-3) (-1)
There was quite a bit of movement in the men’s single’s rankings this week. Lance Archer moves up 2 spots after defeating Dustin Rhodes and advancing to the finals of the TNT title tournament. Cody also maintained his #1 spot in the rankings by defeating Darby Allin in the tournament semi-finals. The two top-ranked competitors in the rankings will meet in the finals of the tournament at Double or Nothing.
With the loss in the semi-finals to Cody, Darby Allin drops 1 spot to the #5 position.
Jake Hager drops out of the rankings this week after losing his AEW World Championship match to Moxley on the April 15th episode of Dynamite.
Brodie Lee improved to 4-0 last week after defeating Marko Stunt. He now occupies the #4 spot in the rankings.
AEW Women’s Division
Champion: Nyla Rose (4-1)
Hikaru Shida (7-1)
Kris Statlander (2-3)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-1)
Britt Baker (3-3)
Riho (3-3)
There was no movement in the women’s divisional rankings this week. No women’s matches took place on Dynamite or Dark last week.
The division could be in for a big night tonight, however, as champion Nyla Rose Tweeted out that she will will “See y’all soon” earlier today.
AEW Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (6-0)
The Dark Order (5-0)
Best Friends (6-3)
The Young Bucks (2-2)
SCU (2-3)
Lucha Bros (1-2)
There was no movement this week in the tag-team rankings either. The Best Friends did pick up a key victory over Kip Sabian and Jimmy Havoc, however, allowing them to maintain the #2 spot in the rankings.
Jon Moxley stars in Cagefighter: World Collide, a film about about a pro wrestler who crosses over to the world of mixed martial arts. Cagefighter premieres (outside the United States) Saturday night, May 16th at FITE.TV.
Moxley also spoke about wrestling with no crowds and cinematic matches. The Ace of AEW wrestled Jake Hager in an empty arena last month on Dynamite. We asked Mox about what it was like to practice his craft in such a different environment than he’s used to. This prompted him to tell a great story about some advice he got from the late all-time legend, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
Below, check out Jon Moxley’s comments about wrestling with no audience, cinematic matches and valuable advice he got from “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. His comments about Piper come at the 1:38 mark.
Roddy Piper’s Advice for Jon Moxley
Jon Moxley enjoyed a good relationship with WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, a master of pro wrestling psychology. Moxley already had a lengthy career under his belt by the time he worked with Piper in WWE, but there were still some lessons to learn from the master.
“You know Rowdy Roddy Piper told me once, I had a pretty good relationship with him,” he began. “One time he came to like a Smackdown or something? I can’t remember exactly how he phrased it, but I was out there wrestling; I did something and I was just kind of soaking in the adulation of the crowd or playing to the crowd or something like that, you know?”
Piper then dropped some invaluable knowledge on Moxley about how to enhance his connection with the audience by basically ignoring them.
“He came to the back and found me, he’s like ‘you went too much babyface’ or something. I can’t remember exactly [what he said] but he’s like ‘don’t even worry about them’ [the fans]. He’s like ‘you look at the guy’s shoes.’ Basically saying you stay focused on your opponent. You’re there to hurt him, kind of thing.”
Piper’s Starrcade 1996 Entrance
Jon Moxley recalled Piper’s ring entrance at WCW Starcade 1996 as an example of Hot Rod completely immersing himself in the moment.
“If you go back and watch? One of the best instances you’ll ever see, again on a weird tangent, but one of the best instances you’ll ever see is Roddy Piper at Starrcade 96 against [Hulk] Hogan. Where he beat Hogan with the Sleeper, but yet it’s somehow inexplicably not for the world title, I think?”
“If you watch just Roddy Piper’s entrance? From the moment he walks through the curtain his eyes are locked on Hogan. And it’s just like, it’s like this death march to the ring. Even though he was in his 50s with an artificial hip? When you watch that and you watch the entrance you’re like ‘this dude’s going to war.'”
You can watch “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s match against Hollywood Hogan from WCW Starrcade 1996 below. Ironically, the clip includes the entire match, minus their entrances.
Visit FITE.TV to order Cagefighter: Worlds Collide (Outside the United States. The film will be released in the US later this year)
This Saturday, FOX will be airing a two-hour special on WWE’s Greatest Ladder Matches. The announcement was accompanied by a Tweet highlighting how the special will feature top Superstars who competed in “the best of the most high-flying, crowd-wowing battles in sports entertainment — the ladder match.” Although the message listed a number of top stars, a few names were noticeably missing, including Matt Hardy’s.
The former WWE Superstar has since responded to the apparent slight by WWE. When a fan tagged him in a tweet complaining at Hardy’s omission, Hardy replied: “It’s all good.”
Hardy wasn’t the only Superstar to be missing from their advert. Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, and Matt’s brother, Jeff, were also noticeably absent.
Matt Hardy wrote:
“In 2020, wrestling fans know you can’t talk about @WWE’s greatest ladder matches without the names HBK, Razor, Christian, Bubba, D-von, Matt & Jeff included.. Hopefully, those matches are included for keeping the actual history credible.”
It’s all good. In 2020, wrestling fans know you can’t talk about @WWE’s greatest ladder matches without the names HBK, Razor, Christian, Bubba, D-von, Matt & Jeff included.. Hopefully, those matches are included for keeping the actual history credible. https://t.co/BzkI4PCKuj
He teams with Elite member Kenny Omega. The pair will take on the team of Inner Circle members Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara. This match marks Matt Hardy’s in-ring debut with the company since his first debuted on the show.
All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes has recalled a few rejected gimmicks he had pitched during his time in WWE. Speaking with The Dan Le Batard Show, Cody shared details about two ideas he had worked on with his father, Dusty Rhodes. Both concepts were ultimately shot down.
Cody recalled how, prior to leaving WWE, he went through a phase of going to the WWE Performance Center. He explained how he had been working on different projects with Dusty at the time, noting he was blessed he got the chance to do so. He noted how “none of them got green lit” before revealing how one was based on Iron Man’s Tony Stark. The gimmick would have seen Cody act as a “prince in the industry, the opposite of the common man which Dusty was.”
Another idea saw Cody Rhodes‘ Stardust character accompanied by a hairless cat. He recalled how Dusty was once trying to produce a promo with him as he held a hairless cat adorned with makeup and glitter.
“At the end, everything I flew against the wall didn’t stick, which the ultimate answer of that was why don’t I try being myself and see if that sells any tickets. And that’s where I’ve been fortunate and blessed enough to have the most success.”
Cody Rhodes is set to compete this Wednesday night on Dynamite. He will be participating in the finals of the TNT Championship Tournament. He faces off against Lance Archer to determine who will be the inaugural TNT Champion.
AEW has some surprises in store for this week’s episode of Dynamite on TNT.
After several weeks of taped shows, AEW Dynamite will be live Wednesday night from Jacksonville, FL at the Daily’s Place Amphitheater. There will not be any fans in attendance just yet. However, that hasn’t stopped AEW from loading up the show.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley will be in action, “Broken” Matt Hardy makes his AEW in-ring debut in a star-studded tag team match and more.
AEW Dynamite Preview (5/6)
AEW is advertising the following items for Wednesday’s Dynamite:
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley vs. Kazarian (Non-Title Match)
Street Fight: Kenny Omega & “Broken” Matt Hardy vs. Le Sex Gods (Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara)
Cody vs. Joey Janella
Lance Archer vs. QT Marshall
The return of Maxwell Jacob Friedman
Cody also teased “some surprises” for the show in a tweet sent out Tuesday morning.
– #AEWDynamite LIVE – • Cody V Janela • Mox V Kazarian • Omega/Hardy teaming together
AEW Double or Nothing takes place Saturday, May 23rd from Jacksonville, FL. As of this writing, the only match confirmed for the pay-per-view is Cody vs. Lance Archer to crown the first AEW TNT Champion. Expect some PPV match announcements on Dynamite, including details on Jon Moxley’s next challenger.
Check out part of our exclusive interview with AEW World Champion Jon Moxley:
Cobb says his agreement to work two shows for AEW was kept pretty quiet. Only Cody Rhodes, Jon Moxley and a handful of other people knew he was coming in.
At the time, AEW made it known on Twitter that Cobb was “All Elite,” an indication that he would be wrestling for the company going forward but that wasn’t the case. After losing to Moxley, he hasn’t been seen on Dynamite since.
Cobb stated that on January 1st, his contract with ROH expired but he made it known to ROH officials that he wanted to stay and work with ROH. The reason for that is due to his belief in ROH and the direction that the company is going.
He put over ROH having a talent roster that is ridiculous. His goal was to stay with ROH but the AEW opportunity came up and he took it.
“I feel it was good for both parties. Because now people that only watch AEW are like ‘well, I thought Jeff is Ring of Honor?’ or some people are like, ‘what’s Ring of Honor?’ Then they come over and look at Ring of Honor and now there’s more eyes that wouldn’t have been on Ring of Honor that are going over now. I think it helped everybody in the grand scheme of things. It was fun. Good pay day.”
Cobb also noted that he’s okay with not being signed to an exclusive contract with any promotions. However, he does know there are pros and cons with being exclusive and being non-exclusive. Thus, he eventually thinks he’ll settle down.
Many fans feel the use of authority figures in wrestling has been overdone. Recently, a fan on Twitter asked Cody about the possibility of AEW utilizing someone in such a role. According to Cody, using an authority figure in today’s era of pro-wrestling would be insulting to the audience.
“Hopefully never,” Cody Tweeted when asked if there will be an authority figure in AEW. “The audience isn’t dumb, they know who management is. Authority elements seem insulting in this era. This is just my opinion, as there’s a lot of fun ways to do this and I respect those.”
Cody also responded to a fan who asked if he’ll ever challenge for the AEW World Championship again.
While Cody can never challenge for the AEW belt again, he is in the finals of the TNT title tournament. He will face Lance Archer at Double or Nothing for the belt.
Cody noted Kris Statlander and Wardlow both seem on the verge of something special as well:
Might be a lot of those, the talent pool in wrestling is so rich atm
Statlander & Wardlow seem to be on the verge of special stuff
Cody will take part in an interview with Tony Schiavone at 6 PM tonight. Schiavone and Cody’s discussion will be broadcast on AEW’s social media channels.
All Elite Wrestling’s resident Dentist, Britt Baker, has revealed how she and NXT Champion Adam Cole first began dating. Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Baker explained how they didn’t actually meet at a show or through friends. Instead, the two met thanks to a dating app called Bumble.
Baker shared how she was in Hersey, PA for a dental school conference when she came across his Bumble profile. According to Britt Baker, he didn’t look like Adam Cole as he had his hair back and was wearing normal clothes in his profile. Every time she’d seen him in the past, Cole was in a wrestling ring with soaking wet hair and only wrestling gear on. Additionally, the profile listed his name as Austin.
She recalled how “this guy looks so familiar but I don’t know Austin and then it finally clicked and we started talking from there, and then it took us a while to go on a date.” Baker admitted she was hesitant at first as he’s not the “most likable character on TV and is kind of evil.” Eventually, however, she agreed.
Britt Baker recalled how they went on a date after he had returned from New Japan Pro-Wrestling during the time when Cole won the Ring of Honour Championship. The couple now lives in Orlando, Florida together. They are signed to different companies, with Baker competing for AEW and Cole on WWE’s NXT brand.
All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes has opened up about why the TNT Championship belt is so important to him. Speaking with AEW announcer Tony Schiavone, Cody also broached the topic of retirement and what he wants to accomplish with his future in pro wrestling.
Having successfully made his way to the finals of the TNT Championship Tournament, Cody Rhodes is set to face off for the belt against Lance Archer. He stressed how his personal standards are “pretty lofty,” especially when juxtaposing his accomplishments with his father, Dusty Rhodes. He added how being a second or third-generation wrestler immediately sets a high standard that is based on what was “laid before you.” It’s an expectation that could be met with a championship victory.
“I mean, he [Dusty] really had a significant chunk of wrestling’s total legacy,” Cody Rhodes said. “I don’t do this to be anything other than the greatest. Anything other than the absolute best. That sounds ridiculous, but I really still believe in dreams. And you get better every day. Every day since I started, which is really 15 years old since I started, I’ve tried to be a better wrestler the next day.”
Cody Rhodes’ Retirement Plans
Regarding his future in the business, Cody Rhodes confessed how he intended to only wrestle until he turned 40. He turns 36 this June. He admitted that he no longer knows if that initial retirement date will hold true. Cody stressed how he wants to make sure that two people never have to work: his wife and his mother.
He acknowledged how his wife, Brandi, will choose to work every day as that’s who she is. According to Cody, his mother, “refuses to acknowledge that I’m still trying to do everything I can to take care of her.” To him, however, it’s important that they both know that he not only did it, but he did it in wrestling.
Cody Rhodes will face Lance Archer for the TNT Championship at AEW’s next pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, on Saturday, May 23.
More details on AEW going back to holding TV tapings have surfaced online.
As noted, All Elite Wrestling will return to Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida on May 6th for future episodes of Dynamite and Dark in addition to their next pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing, later this month.
According to a report by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW plans to air the May 6th episode of Dynamite live. Then, they will tape the May 13th episode either the night of May 6th or the next day.
Finally, AEW will return on May 20th with a live show, which will be the go-home show of Double or Nothing. AEW will do Double or Nothing on May 23rd and then do another live episode of Dynamite on May 27th.
Plans for June and going forward have not been revealed as of this writing. Those who live in the area will stay in town or go home while those who fly into the state will stay in Jacksonville from May 20th through May 27th
Cody Rhodes vs. Lance Archer will be in the finals of the tournament that will determine the inaugural AEW TNT Champion. This has been the only match to be confirmed for Double or Nothing.
The evolution of state order guidelines regarding the coronavirus continues to change and pro wrestling promotions such as WWE and AEW have been adapting to it.
Since March, stay-at-home orders and social guidelines have been put into place by various states throughout the United States. Florida has been a state that has been more relaxed to the point where pro wrestling, MMA, boxing, and sporting leagues have been deemed an essential business.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has revealed his guidelines for re-opening the state. These new guidelines could let pro wrestling promotions be allowed to have fans attendance at their shows as early as Monday, May 4.
Per the guidelines, large spectator sporting events can include fans but must have social distancing followed and the venue be at 25 percent capacity.
Thus, if WWE wanted to do so, they could have fans attend shows in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center and Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. Same goes for AEW from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida for Dynamite shows.
Regarding for AEW, if Tony Khan wanted to do so, they could have fans attend their Double Or Nothing pay-per-view event on Saturday, May 23rd.
Jon Moxley believes there are endless possibilities ahead for the 20+ wrestlers recently released by WWE.
The AEW World Champion spoke with SEScoops earlier this week to promote his role in Cagefighter: Worlds Collide. The film premieres on FITE pay-per-view Saturday night, May 16th for fans outside the United States. A domestic release is planned for later this year. Moxley plays Randy Stone, a pro wrestler who crosses over into the world of mixed martial arts. Moxley told us that he relates to Randy Stone, who he described as ‘kind of an a-hole’ with a chip on his shoulder.
We asked Jon Moxley if he thinks AEW should sign some of the Superstars who were laid off by WWE last month. We also got his take on AEW’s impact on the wrestling industry at large.
Jon Moxley on WWE Releases
WWE released and furloughed over 30 people in April. Many of the released performers could be strong additions to All Elite Wrestling, whether in the ring or behind the scenes.
We asked Jon Moxley if AEW should considering signing some of them, or if he thinks AEW should focus on developing their current roster.
“Everybody in wrestling, you kind of generally end up where you’re supposed to end up,” Moxley began. “That’s just kind of how it goes. The cool thing is that, of all the kind of current free agents who are unfortunately on the market at an unfortunate time? Once the world kind of goes back to normal and stuff? Now [companies] are all gonna have all these great talents.”
Getting released by WWE is the end of the road for some. It marks a new beginning for others. We’ve already seen The Revival, Gallows & Anderson, Matt Cardona (Zack Ryder), EC3 and others set the stage for the next chapter of their careers.
Jon Moxley says he would not simply sign former WWE talent and plug them right into AEW programming. He thinks the talent needs time to branch out and evolve.
“It’s not like I’m just gonna plug this person in here and then put them into AEW and it’s gonna be the same thing,” he said. “You can’t even think like that because you have no idea what these people are going to become. They may become totally new characters, they may branch into a different style. It may be the best version of all 20 of those people, we’ve yet to see. It’s endless possibilities, and you just kind of have to see what the future holds.”
We asked Jon Moxley what his friends in WWE think about AEW. He hasn’t gotten much feedback specifically about the AEW product, but a few people said it looks like he’s having fun.
“I haven’t really got much feedback or opinion on anything like that from anybody within WWE,” Moxley began. “Just in general, just like ‘Happy for you, looks like you’re having fun, keep killing it’ kind of thing. I don’t really know what the opinion and situation is. But I do know that … in terms of business? Obviously nothing’s gonna change in the last month or two, but from the time AEW came in the picture? All positive things have happened for the business all across the board.”
He elaborated on AEW having a positive impact on the industry. “People in WWE have gotten new and better contracts or new and better schedules. NXT is live on TV now as a direct result of that [AEW Dynamite] so that’s a great opportunity for those people. I think it’s just good for everybody. It’s good for the whole business, so I don’t see how there could be any negative thoughts whatsoever. I think everybody’s loving that the business is still kind of on fire right now.”
Catch Jon Moxley in Cagefighter: Worlds Collide on Saturday, May 16th at FITE.TV.
Darby Allin was eliminated in the semi-finals of the TNT title tournament recently on Dynamite. The 27-year-old went into the match ranked #3 in the official AEW top-5 rankings. He spoke to the Bleacher Report recently about a variety of subjects including the creative freedom he currently enjoys in AEW.
In lieu of long in-ring promos, Darby often creates videos addressed to his upcoming opponents that are aired on Dynamite. He spoke to the Bleacher Report about the process these videos go through before being broadcast.
“Me and my friend Max Yoder, we’re just a two-man group. All it is,” Darby said about who produces the videos.
He would continue to say he sends the videos to Cody, Tony Khan, and Chris Jericho.
“Yeah. I send it to Tony. First thing I send it to Tony and then I’ll send one to Cody. Jericho too, I’ll send him s–t. Just like, ‘Yo, look at this.’ It’s not, like, so much to be hoping that they’ll put the thumbs up. Because I know that they’ll like it. It’s just that I just want to share my art with certain people before it gets on air. Just being like, ‘Tell me your thoughts on this.'”
Britt Baker was recently interviewed by Chris Van Vliet. During the discussion, Baker talked about her heel turn in AEW, whose idea it was, and the creative process backstage in the company.
“I don’t want to say I felt lost but it just felt like I didn’t have a character,” Baker said about her pre-heel turn character. “It was something that obviously the fans can’t relate to because they’re not dentists and professional wrestlers. So, when you’re shoving it down their throats it’s almost like a slap in the face.”
She continued to say that it was Kenny Omega who had the idea of turning her heel.
“It was Kenny who had the idea of turning me heel,” she continued. “I was like ‘of course’ I’m down to try anything but I knew I was going to need a lot of help because I’ve never been a heel before ever.”
Baker also continued to talk about the backstage creative process for her in AEW.
“It’s a lot of coming together. So, Tony obviously writes the show and I’ll get bullet points. Tony, Cody and I will all kind of come together and come up with the content of what we want to say in the promos.”
Recently on Dynamite, Baker gave fans a tour of her dental office while she talked about some of the rules of being a role model.
Chris Jericho was recently interviewed by Newsweek and discussed his time at the commentary position as of late on Dynamite. Jericho noted that the temporary move to the commentary booth allowed him to be more of a focus of the show.
“I’m the leader of the Inner Circle, and I’m Le Champion,” he continued. “I think that was a great kind of stopgap measure to keep the star power on the show because we had a smaller crew for those four weeks that will plug up the gaps and I can kind of be one of the focuses of the show without being the focus of the show if that makes sense.”
Jericho continued to say that he has enjoyed his time working commentary but now he feels its time to go back to what he had been doing before.
“As fun as it is to commentate, that’s maybe something I’ll do more in the future,” Jericho said. “But I think it’s time to kind of take control again, outside of the commentary booth.”
While Dynamite will be live next week, they won’t be live every week moving forward. The May 13th edition will be pretaped before Dynamite runs live again on May 20th.
Chris Jericho, the Inner Circle & “The Bubbly Bunch”
In addition to working the commentary booth, Jericho and his stablemates have debuted “the Bubbly Bunch” segments. This past week, the Flim Flam Challenge took a turn. It became a “Manitoba Melee.” Highlights of the segment were posted to the AEW YouTube channel:
The full interview with Newsweek can be read here.
AEW President Tony Khan has provided some interesting insight about All Elite Wrestling’s creative process.
Khan spoke with Johnny Christ this week on a special Youtube edition of the Drinks With Johnny podcast. They spoke a wide variety topics, including the recent NFL draft. Of course there was also a lot of wrestling talk.
Interestingly, Khan revealed that he has taken inspiration from late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon when formulating AEW’s “no audience” programming. He also shed some light on the importance of letting wrestlers be themselves without over-scripting.
Christ said one of the things he likes about AEW is the wrestlers speak from the heart. He feels like the talent has taken control of their characters, which gives them and the product a more organic feel.
Tony Khan Lets AEW Talent Get Creative
Tony Khan said there needs to be an overall structure to AEW’s story telling. However, he does not want to write dialogue that is not believable for a specific wrestler. He would never hand a wrestler a piece of paper and tell them to memorize 6 paragraphs to recite.
Khan singled out Darby Allin as a prime example of a talented performer that needs to speak in his own words. “I can’t speak for Darby Allin, nobody can but Darby,” Khan said.
Darby Allin’s character development in AEW has been fueled by his ominous vignettes. He puts those together himself. “That’s the genius of Darby,” Khan said. He reiterated that AEW needs an overall structure and he loves that side of the creative process. But the talent needs leeway to flourish creatively.
Johny Christ said promos are what sold him on wrestling as a kid. When you see a wrestler who is fired up and speaking passionately, you have no choice but to get invested. Christ said he’s seeing cooler promos in AEW than “elsewhere.”
Tony Khan wrapped up by saying, “we have some really creative people” in AEW. In recent weeks, they have been working with a skeleton crew. Everybody stepped up and that has made him proud. He gave another example of Chris Jericho coming up with the Bubbly Bunch series. Jericho was given a chance to get creative and it’s working.
You can check out the full episode of Drinks With Johnny Live below:
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley stars in the new movie Cagefighter: World Collide. Moxley plays Randy Stone, a pro wrestler who crosses over into the world of mixed martial arts. Cagefighter premieres exclusively on FITE Pay-Per-View Saturday night, May 16th for fans outside the US. A domestic release is planned for later this year.
Jon Moxley spoke with SEScoops this week about the project. Moxley discussed how former WWE Superstar Christian , identifying with his character Randy Stone and why the Cagefighter story is especially timely with everything going on in the world right now.
Jon Moxley’s Role in Cagefighter
Moxley revealed that former WWE Superstar Christian reached out to him about playing Randy Stone. “You know I originally got a call from Christian,” he began. “He was working as executive producer on this. He was the first one to reach out to me and throw my name out there for this role.”
Moxley told Christian to send him the script and immediately felt, “Yeah, I can play that guy. Because you know the character as is written? He’s kind of a…he’s basically a jerk. Kind of an a**hole. There’s an unapproachable kind of chip on his shoulder. A kind of bristly quality to him that is not unlike what I may have been when I was younger.”
He would go into how the character mimicked elements of himself and would mesh perfectly with the antagonist character of Randy Stone.
“I am…at my worst times? I can sometimes not be the most approachable guy in the world. Combine that with trying to bring a bit more of the over the top, full of himself, talking, big ego kind of always a pro wrestler thing? It’s kind of a combination of those two things; being the super obnoxious guy who just runs his mouth so much you want to see him get his clock cleaned by the end of the film. Combine that with a little bit of my chip on your shoulder, kind of bristly real life personality? That’s kind of what I tried to bring to it.”
Ad Libbing His Lines
All Elite Wrestling provides its wrestlers the ability to cut promos without over-scripting. Moxley has praised this aspect of the AEW creative process.
Film acting is traditionally a more structured format. Jon Moxley was given the leeway to ‘ad lib’ most of his lines in Cagefighter.
“Cool thing for me was so much of my lines in this movie are ad libs,” he said. “They just really gave me the freedom to just kind of say whatever I want. As far as, talking trash and cutting promos and stuff like that. We had a scene where we did a press conference and all these different interviews. Where I’m talking trash to them. It was really fun to just kind of be able to be obnoxious and say whatever thing comes to your head. It was really fun.”
Cagefighter & Today’s Climate
Jon Moxley feels the film is suitable for the current world climate, with the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic still causing many to lose jobs.
“Basically the the story of the movie? It’s kind of apropos for right now; this guy hits the skids, and the worst thing that could happen to him happens that he’d never imagined could happen. He hits rock bottom and he’s ruined in every sense. Personally, professionally and financially. He’s embarrassed, and he has to climb all the way back up to the top. To where he was before, and a redemption story like that is kind of a good message to send right now I think. So many people are being affected by these crazy times, financial or worse.”
He elaborated on this point further, saying “I think it’s gonna probably still have lingering effects for the next year or two or longer. People have lost their jobs, businesses have shut down. People have been laid off. You know people are taking hits right now, so any kind of message of perseverance? Picking yourself up and dusting yourself off? Tough times won’t last forever, you just gotta get back to the grind and do it. I think that a good message to send right now.”
Jon Moxley says he has not yet seen the film, but will be watching live on FITE pay-per-view onMay 16th. “I myself haven’t even seen it yet because I’m waiting till May 16 to watch it with everybody else, and kind of experience it all together on the night of the premiere so it’s very, very exciting.”
All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes has addressed the idea of the promotion signing recently released WWE Superstar Zack Ryder. Taking part in a Q&A session via Instagram, Cody was asked whether fans could expect to see Ryder show up in AEW in the future. Although he clearly holds Ryder in high regard, Cody stressed how he didn’t want the company to become “All Friends Wrestling.”
Cody Rhodes noted how Ryder is the best and has managed to earn a broad social media following across Twitter and Instagram. “Very broad influence, incredibly famous, more famous than many guys out there. But that doesn’t always translate.” He noted how the biggest hurdle Ryder will face will be their pre-existing friendship.
“The American Nightmare” shared how Ryder is one of his really close friends in wrestling. He noted how Ryder may be his “only friend” in wrestling. Cody then stressed AEW can’t just be “All Friends Wrestling.”
“You have to handle it the best way,” Cody Rhodes explained. “If you put on the Nightmare Family jacket, you’ve got a massive bullseye on your back, just in the locker room alone. It’s a total heat seeker. But I’m looking forward to what he does next. He’ll turn a lot of heads. I think and hope our paths will cross down the road. He’s just entering wrestler prime. Men’s wrestler prime is 35 to 40.”
When Ryder was first released, Cody Rhodes uploaded an honest, emotional response to the news. He stressed how Ryder’s best days are “ahead of him” and that he believes he will succeed, wherever he ends up.
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 down.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 637,000 viewers, down from last week’s 665,000 In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.16 rating, down from 0.18 last week.
The episode featured NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Mia Yim in a non-title match, North American Champion Keith Lee defending his title against Damian Priest, a Newly Bro Show segment with Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher, Candice LeRae in a squash match, two Cruiserweight Title Group matches
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 693,000 viewers, down from the 731,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.27 rating, up from the 0.25 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured bouts such as Shawn Spears in a squash match, Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt, Best Friends vs. Jimmy Havoc and Kip Sabian in a No DQ Match, and two TNT Title Tournament Semi-Final matches – Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin and Dustin Rhodes vs. Lance Archer.
Darby Allin has faced Cody 3 times in AEW. The first time they wrestled was at Fyter Fest and the match went to a 20-minute time-limit draw. They met again on the New Year’s Day/AEW Homecoming episode of Dynamite. This time Cody would pull out the victory in just under 18-minutes. Last night on Dynamite, they met again, this time in the semi-finals of the TNT title tournament. Cody reversed Darby’s Coffin Drop into a pinning combination and scored the win, booking his trip to the tournament finals.
Darby reacted to the loss backstage in an AEW social media exclusive but refused to answer any questions. His reaction can be seen in the Tweet below:
SOCIAL EXCLUSIVE: Darby Allin doesn't advance to the finals
With last night’s loss, Darby Allin’s record in 2020 drops to 5-6. He is 5-3 in single’s matches this year, however. Darby has defeated Brandon Cutler, Sammy Guevara twice, Preston Vance, and Kip Sabian this year in single’s matches. He’s lost to Cody twice and PAC once.
He is 0-3 in tag matches this year. Darby lost to Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz along with Private Party on the January 29th show. He lost what was essentially a 2-on-1 handicap match against Jericho and Guevara on March 4th when Moxley was attacked pre-match. On the April 1st show, he teamed with Cody and lost to Shawn Spears and Sammy Guevara.
