All Elite Wrestling’s Dustin Rhodes isn’t only an in-ring talent. He also uses his vast experience in the industry to help coach AEW talents with their promo skills. Speaking with the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast, Rhodes opened up about his coaching experience to date and how the talent has been growing under his tutelage.
A lot of AEW’s roster weren’t initially familiar with adapting their style for a television production. Rhodes acknowledged this fact but noted how “they are handling it pretty good. There are still some things every single week that I see that I go up to them and I tell them.”
Dustin Rhodes’ Feedback
Rhodes shared how there are still occasions where talent will turn around and face the audience rather than the hard cam. Valuing feedback, Rhodes will approach them to let them know how to improve these subtle things that have a massive impact for the “million people at home” rather than the “4,5 or 6,000 in the arena.”
He continued, “That’s a transition for them to learn because they are coming from the indies and they never had that. Guys like Chris Jericho, myself, Moxley, Cody are teaching that, and it is very important for them to learn. We’ve got three months in now and they are doing good and they are starting to be cognisant of where those cameras are and lifting their heads up because they know the camera is right there to make them look good and the people at home get to see them. If you are looking the other way, they just see your ass and they want to see you.”
Dustin Rhodes recently challenged Inner Circle member Jake Hager. The two will clash at AEW’s next pay-per-view, Revolution, on February 29th.
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
This week, AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group except Adults 50+, where NXT had a significant edge as they usually do.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 757,000 viewers, which is down from 770,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.24 rating, up from the 0.22 rating the previous week.
The episode featured Lio Rush vs. Angel Garza with the winner to become the No. 1 contender to the NXT Cruiserweight Title, Roderick Strong vs. Bronson Reed, Dakota Kai vs. Candice LeRae, Johnny Gargano vs. Cameron Grimes, and NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Kushida in a non-title match.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 817,000 viewers, down from the 928,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.30 rating, down from the 0.36 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured matches such as MJF vs. Jungle Boy, Sammy Guevara vs. Dustin Rhodes, Jon Moxley vs. Santana, AEW Tag Team Champions Adam Page and Kenny Omega vs. SCU, and Riho vs. Nyla Rose for the AEW Women’s Title.
Next week’s battle will be very interesting to see which show wins the ratings battle as NXT will be getting closer to their next special, TakeOver: Portland while AEW edges closer to Revolution.
AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently took part in a Q&A episode of his ‘Grilling JR‘ podcast. The former voice of WWE answered questions across his illustrious career, both for WWE and his new home on TNT with AEW.
One of the questions posed to Jim Ross revolved around AEW’s stance in terms of new signings. Ring of Honor star Jeff Cobb appeared in a shock appearance on Dynamite this week to the end the show. Interestingly, although JR is reportedly not involved in talent relations he did mention that the likes of Cobb would be a great fit for All Elite.
“I’m a big fan of Lance Archer, I’m a big fan of Jeff Cobb” – Jim Ross
When asked about the type of talent AEW should be looking for JR replied “size. Athletic, big guys. I don’t know who is signed. I [just] know that I’m a big fan of Lance Archer, I’m a big fan of Jeff Cobb. I’m a big fan of the former Harper in WWE [now Brodie Lee].”
Jim Ross elaborated further, saying “guys like that have ability that we all can see. [Guys] That have not been given the total opportunity to become a global star with a spotlight on them. I like those kind of guys, because all those guys I just mentioned are from athletic backgrounds. So that means to me that since being a kid they were competitive. That’s important. Because this business is not easy. So finding athletes to become pro wrestlers is not a bad formula, it worked for generations in our country. Bronko Nagurski is an NFL Hall of Famer. [He] was playing football in the height of his career, but left the NFL [to] wrestle full time cause he made more money wrestling at that point.”
Jim Ross also made the point of saying that AEW needs to look at bringing in bigger stars to play the heel role. “We need heels, big heels, we need heels on our roster to develop. We [AEW] probably have too many babyfaces. So I think big athletic heels are something they’re looking for.”
Who do you think AEW are likely to sign next?Let us know in the comments
Despite an impressive debut and a high-profile match scheduled for next week’s show, Jeff Cobb has not signed a long-term deal with the promotion. PWinsider reports that the 37-year-old Olympian remains a free agent.
Cobb’s appearance with AEW should not be seen as the start of a working relationship with ROH, as the appearance was booked independently.
It was announced during this week’s episode of Dynamite that Le Champion Chris Jericho has hired Cobb to take out Jon Moxley in a match next week.
Cobb made a surprise debut during the closing segment of the show. After Moxley scored a hard-fought victory over Inner Circle member Santana, he was taken on a Tour of the Islands.
Jeff Cobb will return to AEW programming next week to take on Mox in the announced match, but this report puts his future beyond that in doubt.
Chris Jericho defends the AEW World Heavyweight Championship against Jon Moxley later this month (2/29) when AEW Revolution invades the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the H.E.B. Center in Austin, Texas. Riho defended her AEW Women’s Championship against Nyla Rose tonight.
Dynamite Results (2/12)
Kenny Omega & Hangman Page def. SCU to retain the titles
Dustin Rhodes def. Sammy Guevara
Nyla Rose def. Riho to become the AEW Women’s Champion
MJF def. Jungle Boy
Jon Moxley def. Santana
Here are 4 takeaways from this week’s show:
Omega & Page Retained
Hangman Page & Kenny Omega defended the AEW Tag Team Championships against SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky). Before the match, Dark Order appeared on the screen and Evil Uno stated that they are preparing for the arrival of the Exalted One and will strike when the time is right. Christopher Daniels told Frankie and Scorpio that he was going to the back to find Dark Order.
Match Recap: Frankie hit Omega with a shoulder tackle but Omega battled back with a couple of Arm Drags. Scorpio Sky hit Omega in the back with a cheap shot and Kenny responded with a boot to the face. Frankie connected with a German Suplex for a near fall before Scorpio tagged in. Sky connected with a Flatliner for another near fall as Frankie knocked Hangman out of the ring. Page got back into the ring and planted Scorpio with a Suplex.
Frankie brought Hangman back to the outside and hit him with a Clothesline. Omega hit Scorpio with a Brainbuster for a two count. Hangman Page tagged in and planted Scorpio with a Fallaway Slam. Kenny and Frankie tagged in and Kazarian drove Omega into the turnbuckle. Hangman tagged back in and got a great reaction from the crowd. Page hit Scorpio with a Moonsault for a two count.
Page went for the Buckshot Lariat but Scorpio ducked and Frankie hit Hangman with a Clothesline. Frankie tagged in and hit a Tornado DDT for a two count. Omega tagged in and connected with the V-Trigger on Scorpio. Hangman and Omega hit Frankie with the V-Trigger and Buckshot Lariat for the combo for the pinfall victory. Kazarian grabbed the ropes to try to break the cover but was a second too late.
After the match, Dark Order made their way to the ring and surrounded Scorpio and Frankie. Best Friends joined SCU in the ring as Butcher, Blade, and Bunny came down the ramp. Hybrid2 joined the party but Young Bucks rushed the ring as a well. A massive brawl broke out as the AEW hyped the Tag Team Battle Royal next week on Dynamite.
Matt and Nick Jackson stood tall at the end of the brawl. Christopher Daniels did not come down to the ring for the fight. Jim Ross possibly hinted at Matt Hardy as the Exalted One when he referred to the Young Bucks as “the Bucks of Youth”.
Dustin Rhodes Challenged Jake Hager To A Match At Revolution
Dustin Rhodes defeated Sammy Guevara tonight on Dynamite. After the match, Dustin called Jake Hager “Jericho’s bitch” and asked if he was ever going to step in the ring.
Rhodes told Hager that he was failing in his MMA career and is already failing in AEW. Dustin challenged Hager to a match at Revolution and Jake marched down the ramp. Hager stopped short and walked backstage as Jim Ross pointed out that Hager’s MMA career isn’t failing because he is undefeated. The match was later made official for AEW Revolution.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Dr. Britt Baker once again tonight. Tony tried to ask about Britt’s attack on Yuka last week but Baker immediately interrupted. Britt called the question stupid and claimed that Yuka’s tooth had extensive decay. Baker threw out a bunch of dental terms as the crowd booed.
Baker claimed that she did her a favor by extracting the tooth for free. She claimed that Sakazaki doesn’t have health insurance and referred to Tony as “Mr. Starbucks”. Britt said that this was her division and said that she sees a lot of confusion in the “chubby Whataburger faces” in the crowd. The crowd booed as Baker claimed thatwhomever wins the title match is still behind her in the women’s division.
Riho defended her AEW Women’s Championship against Nyla Rose tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Riho started out the match in control and connected with a few strikes in the corner. Rose battled back and grabbed a table from under the ring. Riho hit Nyla with a Dropkick. Back in the ring, Riho connected with a Crucifix Bomb and went for a 619 but Rose blocked it. Riho escaped and hit a Dropkick for a near fall. Nyla planted Riho with a Samoan Drop and went for the cover but Riho was able to kick out at the last second. Rose hung up Riho on the ropes and hit a Knee Drop to the back of her neck for a two count. Nyla hit a massive Death Valley Driver off the middle rope but somehow Riho kicked out again.
A loud “Riho!” chant broke out as the champ tried to battle back with a couple of punches. Riho escaped the One Winged Angel and hit Nyla with two Snap Dragon Suplexes. Riho followed that up with a Northern Lights Suplex for a near fall. Riho hit three Double Stomps in a row and went for the cover but Rose got her foot on the rope. Nyla leveled Riho with a Spear and followed it up with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. Nyla Rose is the new AEW Women’s Champion.
Opinion: Britt Baker cut an awesome promo before the title match and she has been improving every week as a heel. Riho and Nyla Rose had an excellent match tonight and the crowd showed their appreciation by applauding after it was over, even though they were heavily behind Riho. I’ve been critical of how AEW’s women’s division has been booked pretty much since Dynamite began last October. They absolutely killed it tonight. I’m looking forward to Nyla’s reign and which wrestler is going to step up and knock her off the top of the mountain.
Jon Moxley squared off against Santana in the main event of this week’s episode of Dynamite. AEW Champion Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager were in their suite for the match. Ortiz was ringside and a brawl broke out before the match officially started.
Match Recap: Moxley controlled the action early but Santana battled back and sent Moxley to the outside. Santana threw Jon into the barricade and unloaded a couple chops to the chest as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Jon rolled up Santana for a two count. Santana bounced Moxley’s face off the turnbuckle and followed it up with a Cutter for a two count. Santana planted Moxley with a Piledriver and went for the cover but Moxley was able to kick out at the last moment. Ortiz spit alcohol in Jon’s good eye and Santana capitalized with a Frog Splash off the top rope for another near fall. Moxley poked Santana in the eye and both men were stumbling around blind. Moxley bumped into Santana and hit the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Inner Circle rushed the ring and beat Jon down. Chris hit Moxley with a belt several times and Sammy followed it up with a 630 Splash. Jericho leveled Moxley with the Judas Effect and asked Jeff Cobb to come down to the ring. Jeff slammed Moxley to the canvas as Inner Circle posed in the ring. Moxley will face Cobb next week on Dynamite.
Opinion: Dynamite was once again a very good show this week and the build towards Revolution has been excellent. Next week’s show should be awesome as well with Cody battling Wardlow in a Steel Cage and Moxley versus Jeff Cobb.
All Elite Wrestling has announced a new match for their upcoming Revolution pay-per-view.
Jake Hager, formerly known as Jack Swagger from his time in WWE, is slated to take on Dustin Rhodes in a singles match at this show. This will mark Hager’s in-ring debut for the promotion.
There is some history with Rhodes and Hager as during the build-up for the AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho-Cody Rhodes match last year heading into Full Gear, Rhodes took a beat down from Hager.
In fact, AEW did an angle where Rhodes’ arm was broken after Hager smashed it in a car door.
AEW presents the Revolution pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center.
The show will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and is available for purchase via iN DEMAND cable operators, DirecTV, DISH Network and B/R Live. International fans can purchase the event at FITE.TV. The promotion will be announcing more matches for the show in the coming weeks.
The news was made on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT via AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho. It was revealed that Cobb is slated to take on Jon Moxley in a singles match on next week’s episode of Dynamite in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cobb made an appearance at the end of this week’s show by attacking Moxley. Next Wednesday’s will mark the go-home show for the Revolution pay-per-view. Also set for next week is Cody Rhodes vs. Wardlow inside of a steel cage.
Cobb is a former ROH World Television Champion and former PWG World Champion. As of this writing, his status with AEW and ROH is not fully known as Ring of Honor and All Elite Wrestling hasn’t had a working relationship up to this point.
While it’s likely that Cobb will be working for AEW full-time going forward, he’s still working dates for ROH. In wrestling you can’t rule out much so technically it’s possible that this could be a one-off appearance.
An update on Cobb’s status is likely to surface in the coming days. Ironically, ROH announced minutes before this AEW announcement that Cobb would be working an ROH show on WrestleMania weekend.
Cobb and Dan Maff face KENTA and Taiji Ishimori in a tag match at Supercard of Honor in Lakeland, Fla., on April 4th.
The reign of the inaugural AEW Women’s Champion ended on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Austin, TX at the H.E.B Center on TNT. This was a surprise for many as Riho had a long reign leading into this contest.
Rose climbed her way up the women’s rankings to earn this title match. You can see the top five as of February 12th:
Nyla Rose (2-1)
Hikaru Shida (2-1)
Kris Statlander (0-1)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-0) (previously unranked)
Britt Baker (1-2) (-1)
It turns out that Riho beat Rose to become the first-ever champion under the AEW banner back on the October 2nd episode of AEW Dynamite in Washington, D.C., at the famed Capital One Arena.
These two stars earned this opportunity to compete for the title back in August at the All Out event at the Sears Centre in Chicago, IL that aired on pay-per-view.
The AEW Revolution pay-per-view event takes place on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center. Time will tell whether a third match for the title between these two stars gets booked as a result of this title change.
All Elite Wrestling releases new rankings every Wednesday. The rankings for this week have been released as the promotion prepares for tonight’s episode of Dynamite from Austin, Texas.
The only movement in the men’s singles division rankings this week sees Kip Sabian move into the top-5 as a result of his victory over Joey Janela on Dynamite last week. Sabian knocks Sammy Guevara out of the rankings as a result. Jon Moxley picked up a win over Ortiz this week. Kenny Omega was on the losing side of an 8-man tag while PAC had the week off. Cody didn’t wrestle this week but rather faced 10 lashes from MJF.
Women’s Single’s Division
Champion: Riho (3-0)
Nyla Rose (2-1)
Hikaru Shida (2-1)
Kris Statlander (0-1)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-0) (previously unranked)
Britt Baker (1-2) (-1)
Awesome Kong drops out of the rankings this week. Yuka Sakazaki moves into the #4 position as a result of her victory over #5 Britt Baker, though she also lost a tooth in the process. Riho defeated Shoko Nakajima in a non-title match on Dark last night. Hikaru Shida also picked up a win over Cassandra Golden on Dark.
Men’s Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Adam “Hangman” Page (3-0)
Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky (SCU) (2-1)
Matt & Nick Jackson (The Young Bucks) (1-1)
Evil Uno & Stu Grayson (The Dark Order) (2-0) (+1)
Santana & Ortiz (Proud and Powerful) (0-1) (-1)
Pentagon Jr. & Fenix (The Lucha Bros) (0-1) (previously unranked)
Last night on AEW Dark, Evil Uno & Stu Grayson picked up a victory over Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt that helped them move up one spot in the rankings this week. SCU picked up a victory over the Best Friends which knocked Trent and Chuck Taylor out of the rankings. The Lucha Bros teamed with the Butcher and the Blade successfully in 8-man action which helped them land back in the rankings this week.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has allegedly discussed making their UK debut this year with a “mini-tour.” Speaking with talkSPORT, AEW’s Promo Coach, Dustin Rhodes, talked about the promotion’s plans for their first overseas tour to the United Kingdom.
“Rumor has it that we may doing a little mini-tour over there in the UK,” Rhodes revealed. “And I hope so, I hope that’s true. Definitely want to hit London, man. London is a good town for us, good town for wrestling. All the UK is, man. The UK has got deep roots in wrestling and they love wrestling. So hopefully, sooner rather than later, we’re going to get over there.”
Rhodes extrapolated on his statement, explaining that AEW’s offering would probably be “just live events.” He added how plans aren’t set at this point in time, and “[…] you never know. We could be over there for a week and shoot a TV somewhere, I don’t know.”
AEW’s “Mini-Tour”
Dustin’s brother Cody corroborated this sentiment in a recent interview with Wrestling Observer Live. Cody noted how AEW’s schedule for travelling “across the pond” is a “very vague 2020.”
“But I will be kept… I’ll hold my word as far as like… and Tony will hold his word, and The Young Bucks and Kenny [Omega], and everybody… we have to go,” Cody said. “We have to go to London and Manchester, and there’s a lot of great markets in the UK, but 2020 – we have to make those steps for sure, and I think we’ll do well. Everyone onboard is excited about that.”
As usual, AEW has announced matches and segments in advance for the lineup of their weekly television show, Dynamite.
With bell time just hours away, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
The show is expected to start with Austin, TX at the H.E.B Center. Although not confirmed, the belief is that the headliner will be Jon Moxley fighting Santana in an eye for an eye match after Moxley attacked Santana’s eye last week.
AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds as the promotion gets closer to their next pay-per-view event, Revolution, that takes place later this month.
AEW Dynamite Lineup
AEW holds this show in Austin, TX at the H.E.B Center on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Sammy Guevara will face Dustin Rhodes in a singles match
Jon Moxley will fight Santana in an eye for an eye match
AEW World Tag Team Champions Adam Page and Kenny Omega vs. SCU
AEW Women’s Champion Riho vs. Nyla Rose
MJF vs. Jungle Boy
Join us here later tonight for AEW Dynamite Results and our post-show Takeaways feature.
Cody Rhodes recently appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio and talked about being in a management role with AEW. During the conversation, he spoke about what metrics the companies use to evaluate how popular some of their stars are.
“Numbers have been on our side and I’m not a big numbers guy, I’m a feeling guy,” Cody said.
One metric that is particularly valuable in helping to evaluate the popularity of a wrestler Cody says, is merchandising.
“Merchandising never steers you wrong,” Cody said about using merchandise sales numbers to determine how popular a wrestler is. “Our top stars at AEW also sell the most shirts.”
Cody was asked about AEW wrestlers who are doing particularly well in this regard.
“Orange is always a safe bet but I’ll also point out Joey Janela, only because Joey’s the type of wrestler that I don’t always understand,” said Cody. “I’m a different type of wrestler, I like old-school Southern wrestling.”
“It’s actually cool to see that he moves the needle in a direction and it’s cool to understand why,” he continued to say about Janela.
Luchasaurus was another wrestler mentioned as someone who does well in this metric. Darby Allin was heavily praised during the conversation as well.
“Everyone who you see represented on the show, they’re doing really well numbers-wise, there’s nobody who’s not,” Cody said. He would continue to say that nobody really knows why Orange Cassidy does so well but he does.
Brandi Rhodes recently appeared on Wrestling Observer Live and talked about the Nightmare Collective angle in AEW. According to Rhodes, she is no longer involved in the angle, though Mel and Luther will still likely continue to be aligned on the show. The other Nightmare Collective member, Awesome Kong, is currently away from the promotion as she films the final season of Netflix’s GLOW.
“It’s a question that has been going on for a while enough that I want to address it,” Rhodes said. “I want to address it one time and then I’m not going to talk about it probably ever again, we’ll see.”
“The Nightmare Collective became the Nightmare Collective,” Brandi said. “There was no original ‘hey, let’s do a Nightmare Collective.'”
“The original thing was supposed to be myself and Awesome Kong, me managing Awesome Kong,” Brandi continued. “Awesome Kong came to me with an idea of wanting to change her look, and kind of her vibe, still being an assassin of sorts.”
Rhodes would continue to say that Kong was not physically feeling great as things moved forward so changes to the angle had to be made and more people were added to the group. She would then say as the Nightmare Collective angle developed, she wasn’t feeling the storyline.
“I started to see that the music was not playing how I liked it,” Brandi said. “I didn’t feel it and I started to notice that audience members are on the same page as me.”
Brandi Rhodes Goes To Therapy, Leaves Nightmare Collective
Rhodes then said it was her decision to change the angle and she put together the video series with the therapist which essentially ended her involvement in the Nightmare Collective.
“I made the decision to do the series that I put out with the therapist, I hired the actress that was the therapist,” she continued.
“That definitely doesn’t mean its dead now that I’m not there,” Rhodes continued, suggesting that Mel and Luther would likely continue the angle.
More locations for upcoming episodes of AEW Dynamite have been announced.
AEW (All Elite Wrestling) announced on Monday via Twitter that the promotion would be holding a TV event on TNT in Boston, MA at the Agganis Arena on April 15. They also will hold a show on April 22 in Philadelphia, PA at The Liacouras Center.
For fans who plan on attending, tickets for the shows will go on sale on Friday, February 14 at 11 am CST / Noon Eastern at AEWTix.com.
#AEWDynamite returns to BOSTON! Wednesday, April 15th@AgganisArena Tickets start at $30 & go on sale Friday, Feb 14th at Noon EST
Starting next week, it’s expected that All Elite Wrestling will begin announcing venues for the month of May. The following is an updated look at the AEW Dynamite touring schedule through the end of April 2020:
February 12: Austin, TX
February 19: Atlanta, GA
February 26: Kansas City, MO
March 4: Denver, CO
March 11: Salt Lake City, UT
March 18: Rochester, NY
March 25: Newark, NJ
April 1: Milwaukee, WI
April 8: St. Louis, MO
April 15: Boston, MA
April 22: Philadelphia, PA
Last month, it was announced that AEW Dynamite has been extended through 2023 by the media company to remain on the air every week on TNT.
The promotion returns to pay-per-view on February 29th with its Revolution show headlined by AEW World Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley.
Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks recently did a Q&A on his Instagram story where he answered some interesting questions such as his worst injury, if MJF is really the person he portrays on TV and more.
When asked what is the hardest part about being an EVP while also being an active performer for AEW at the same time, Matt said that the hardest part is that he gets very little time to prepare for his own matches.
The relationship between the Elite and officials from NJPW has been subject to many rumors in recent time. Though when asked if they will go back to the promotion, Jackson explained that it won’t be happening anytime soon:
“NJPW helped put us on the map and I’m incredibly proud of our body of work there over six-plus years. We will not be returning any time soon though.”
The Dark Order storyline has been one of the prominent stories of AEW in recent times. So a fan inquired if the original plans were for Marty Scurll to be revealed as the Exalted One, to which Matt simply replied with “Nope.”
Apart from this, Matt Jackson also said that Hangman Page will be the biggest star in AEW in a year and revealed that his favorite AEW match is the one between the Young Bucks and the Private Party.
Tony Khan is said to be taking a larger role in the creative side of things backstage in AEW. According to a report from Fightful, Khan’s role has evolved from being the final say to coming up with ideas and developing storylines of his own. He is also said to have been more outspoken concerning the ideas of others as of late.
In addition to Khan’s evolving role on the creative team, Kenny Omega is said to have been pushing for certain storylines behind the scenes as well. The recent Britt Baker heel-turn is said to have been Omega’s idea. The lines blasting Jim Ross and Tony Schiavone are said to have come from Khan, however.
Baker attacked Yuka Sakazaki after their match this week, breaking off one of Sakazaki’s teeth in the process.
Regarding the Hangman Page storyline, it is being reported that AEW management is having fun working on the angle and coming up with ideas for Page. On the most recent episode of Dynamite, Matt Jackson confronted Page in the back about his drinking. Page appeared to be taking Matt’s comments to heart before he then began drinking beer directly from a full pitcher.
The main event of next week’s Dynamite from Atlanta will be the first-ever AEW steel cage match. Cody Rhodes will face Wardlow in the match.
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
This week, AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group except Adults 50+, where NXT had a significant edge as they usually do.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 770,000 viewers, which is up from 712,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.22 rating, the same from the previous week.
The episode featured Angel Garza vs. Isaiah Scott, Dominik Dijakovic vs. Killian Dain, Mercedes Martinez vs. Kacy Catanzaro, Jordan Devlin vs. Tyler Breeze, and The BroserWeights (Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne) & Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Undisputed ERA (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly)
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 928,000 viewers, up from the 828,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.36 rating, up from the 0.34 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured matches such as Dr. Britt Baker vs. Yuka Sakazaki, Jon Moxley vs. Ortiz, and The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Lucha Bros, The Butcher and The Blade (w/The Bunny). In the main event segment, Cody Rhodes got 10 lashes from MJF.
Next week’s battle will be very interesting to see which show wins the ratings battle as NXT will be getting closer to their next special, TakeOver: Portland while AEW edges closer to Revolution.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) President and CEO Tony Khan has revealed which wrestlers adorn his personal wrestling Mount Rushmore.
Speaking with AL.com ahead of last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Khan listed Ric Flair, Bret Hart and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. They would join the current AEW World Champion, Chris Jericho, upon his Mount Rushmore.
Tony Khan’s Favorites
Reflecting on how he became a fan of pro wrestling, Khan spoke about his favorite childhood wrestlers. He shared how The A-Team introduced him to Hulk Hogan at a time when he didn’t know what wrestling actually was.
“When I first really got into wrestling, my favorite wrestlers at first were Ric Flair and the Macho Man, Randy Savage. But the first time I saw wrestling was Hulk Hogan on ‘The A-Team,’ and I didn’t really know what wrestling was, and then I saw Hulk Hogan on WWF TV when I was a kid and that was the first time I’d seen pro wrestling.”
He continued, “Then I learned about other pro wrestling, like WCW and then later when I was like 13, I got really into ECW, I started trading tapes with people through the dial-up internet, junior-high up into high-school.”
Khan noted how, upon entering high school, his favorites changed to Austin, Hart and Jericho. With Jericho currently the champion of his promotion, Khan has since developed relationships with both Austin and Hart. It’s a development he admits is “kind of awesome.”
AEW’s Character Approach
Many AEW wrestlers have been highlighting the creative freedoms the promotion provides them. It’s a factor that stars like Shawn Spears and Jon Moxley clearly consider important to allow them to flourish without being weighted down.
When asked how involved AEW are in crafting or adapting their rosters characters, Khan replied:
“It depends. I think we’re really involved in the presentation of whoever it comes in, whether it’s a complete overhaul … I think we have a big say, like I have a big say, in what the presentation’s going to be.”
Khan continued, “I think what’s great is when we work with people who have so much experience and knowledge, like Chris is brilliant. And I’ve sat with Chris and with Cody and people and we’ve had really interesting talks about how AEW can help develop a unique presentation for them.”
He highlighted how AEW’s version of Chris Jericho is a different iteration compared to previous gimmicks. He then pointed to Cody Rhodes. Khan explained how Cody evolved during independent circuit experience, but believes his “presentation is off the charts” in AEW.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes has addressed fan criticism over her stable, the Nightmare Collective. Speaking with Yahoo! Sport, Rhodes acknowledged the negative reaction her group has received since their debut.
“Our fans have been very vocal about it from the very beginning,” Rhodes confessed. “They’re a little spoiled, but that’s OK because we love them and we will spoil them.”
She continued, “One of the things they said that they wanted was stories for the women. Now we are starting to see certain stories develop, ‘Nightmare Collective’ being one of them, but it’s certainly not the only story in the women’s division. There’s a lot of other things happening that people can look at and see where their feelings lie. There’s definitely potential this year for a lot to happen within this division and people should be excited about new stories forming.”
Although she has competed a few times in an AEW ring, Brandi Rhodes has acted more of a puppet master and spokesperson for the group since their debut.
Brandi Rhodes’ Nightmare Collective Is Changing
During this week’s episode of AEW: Dark, Awesome Kong was attacked by her Nightmare Collective cohorts, Mel and Luther. The altercation came about after Kong confronted Mel following Mel’s loss to Hikaru Shida.
It is speculated that AEW has done this angle in order to write Awesome Kong off of television so she can film the final season of Netflix’s pro wrestling drama series, GLOW.
All Elite Wrestling’s Jon Moxley has shared what he considers to be some of the key differences between WWE and AEW. For him, one of the most prevalent differences between the two promotions lies in the creative process.
AEW’s Story Pacing
Speaking with TV Insider, Moxley stated how AEW is how wrestling is supposed to be. He highlighted how the company is providing the same kind of product that he enjoyed as a kid when he was first becoming a fan.
Moxley noted how AEW doesn’t have “37 pay-per-views a year and 600 network specials every year,” and instead deliver Dynamite once a week and 4/5 pay-per-views a year. He argued how in doing so, it allows them to “keep those high-quality, big matches” for the bigger shows, giving them a big fight feel.
“I think some of that has been missing over the last few years when you have to rush through stories and car crash stuff and give away so much on TV,” Moxley explained. “The gratifying part for me is that it’s so much easier. You don’t have to overcomplicate things.”
Jon Moxley Hates Scripts
Jon Moxley noted how the story is a simple one. To him, it’s one that doesn’t need to be complicated: “You have professionals who know what they are doing, veteran guys. Sometimes you can take risks and try something out. Maybe it works or doesn’t. It’s always great to be willing to do that.”
He continued, “The lack of 30 writers buzzing around with all this weird f—’in energy is the biggest difference. Instead of a 10-minute sports entertainment segment, at AEW I don’t have anyone bugging me with 40-page script to memorize or drilled to me how it’s supposed to be done.” He added how this attitude creates a stress-free environment that allows people to get on with their jobs because AEW trusts them to do so.
Other AEW stars have recently spoken about how the promotion allows them a level of creative freedom. Both Shawn Spears and AEW ring announcer Justin Roberts have shared what they consider the differences between the AEW and WWE.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Cody was forced to receive 10 lashes in order for his match against MJF at Revolution to become official.
Dynamite Results (2/5)
Jon Moxley def. Ortiz
SCU def. Best Friends
Yuka Sakazaki def. Britt Baker
Lucha Bros, Butcher & Blade def. The Elite
Kip Sabian def. Joey Janela
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Moxley Got Revenge On Inner Circle
Jon Moxley battled Ortiz to begin this week’s episode of Dynamite. AEW Champion Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, and Sammy Guevara joined commentary for the match. Santana was ringside as well.
Match Recap: Moxley controlled the match early as the crowd chanted his name. Ortiz retreated out of the ring to regroup with Santana but Moxley went after them with a steel chair. Ortiz threw Moxley into the steel steps and locked in a Cobra Clutch in the middle of the ring. Moxley escaped and applied a Figure Four. Ortiz broke the hold by poking Moxley in the eye. Moxley escaped and leveled Santana with a Suicide Dive outside the ring. Back in the ring, Moxley connected with a Side Slam for a near fall. Ortiz sent Jon to the outside and connected with a Cannonball. Ortiz rolled Jon in the ring and hit a Splash off the top rope for a two count. Jon quickly connected with the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Santana attacked Moxley from behind but Jon fought him off and planted him with a Paradigm Shift. Moxley taunted Jericho with the Ford GT car keys and then shouted “eye for an eye!”. Jon then stabbed Santana in the eye with the key and escaped through the crowd as Inner Circle rushed the ring. Medical personal attended to Santana in the ring as Moxley posed in the crowd.
Later on Dynamite, Santana was shown with a bandage over his eye and challenged Moxley to a match next week.
Opinion: Awesome start to this week’s Dynamite. Moxley and Ortiz had a solid match and Jericho added to it with his commentary. I’m looking forward to the title match at Revolution and February 29th cannot get here fast enough.
SCU squared off against Best Friends (Trent & Chuck) tonight on Dynamite. Orange Cassidy was in Best Friends’ corner for the match.
Match Recap: Best Friends controlled the action early and isolated Scorpio Sky in the ring. Frankie tagged in and planted Trent with a German Suplex outside the ring. Frankie followed it up with a Suplex and then a beautiful DDT for a near fall. Best Friends battled back and shared a hug in the ring. The hug cost them and Frankie planted Trent for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Dark Order rushed the ring and attacked both teams. Evil Uno made his way down the ramp as the crowd booed. Orange Cassidy got in the ring as the crowd chanted “freshly squeezed!”. Evil Uno tried to recruit Cassidy to Dark Order but Orange put his hands in his pockets. Dark Order beat him down before Christopher Daniels ran to the ring. Dark Order backed away as Jim Ross pointed out that Daniels is the wrestler that Dark Order wants the most.
Britt Baker faced Yuka Sakazaki tonight on the show. Baker cut a promo during the commercial break and insulted the crowd.
Match Recap: Britt sent Yuka to the corner and choked her. Baker followed it up with a kick to the face and went for the cover but Sakazaki kicked out at two. Yuka battled back and hit a Senton off the top rope. Baker rolled to the outside and Sakazaki hit her with a Splash off the top rope. Back in the ring, Yuka leveled Baker with a Clothesline. Britt connected with a Swinging Neckbreaker and tried for Lockjaw but Yuka escaped. Sakazaki rolled up Baker for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Baker brought the ring bell in the ring and hit Yuka in the back with it. Baker went to hit her again but referee Aubrey Edwards ripped it away. Baker then placed Yuka’s jaw on the ropes and stomped on it. Sakazaki was bleeding from her mouth and spit out a tooth. Baker then applied the Lockjaw for a bit before finally exiting the ring.
The Butcher & The Blade, Lucha Bros battled Hangman Adam Page, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks in a 8-man tag team match tonight on Dynamite. The Bunny was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: The Elite dominated early and hit three Splashes as Hangman Page just chilled on the ring apron. Fenix took out Page, Omega, Matt and Nick Jackson with a flip outside the ring as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Nick Jackson sent the Lucha Bros flying into the barricade. Matt tagged in and planted Fenix with three Northern Lights Suplexes in a row. Omega tagged in and Fenix sent him to the corner. Pentagon tagged in and hit Omega with a Backstabber. Butcher and Blade then took turns beating Omega down before Kenny connected with a Hurricanrana.
Hangman tagged in and a “cowboy sh*t!” chant broke out. Hangman Moonsaulted onto Butcher, Blade, and Lucha Bros outside the ring. Butcher connected with a Powerbomb but Kenny broke it up. Hangman Page tagged himself in and went for the Buckshot Lariat but Butcher got out of the way. Page then hit Blade with the Buckshot Lariat and planted Butcher with a Fallaway Slam. Hangman refused to tag in Young Bucks and it cost him. Pentagon planted Hangman as Fenix took out Young Bucks with a Suicide Dive. Pentagon then pinned Page for the victory.
Opinion: It sure looks like we are heading towards a clash between Omega & Page and The Young Bucks for the AEW Tag Team Championships somewhere down the line and I’m all for it. Hangman Page has been getting a great reaction from the crowd recently and it will be interesting to see where this goes in the weeks leading up to Revolution.
Tony Schiavone was set to interview Kenny Omega after the match but was interrupted by PAC backstage. PAC approached AEW Women’s Champion Riho and told Kenny that he could stop what was about to happen if he accepted a match. Kenny Omega accepted but Nyla Rose attacked Riho from behind. Rose Powerbombed Riho onto a table and it was announced that Riho will defend her title next week against Nyla. It was also announced that Omega and PAC will battle in a 30-minute Iron Man match in 3 weeks.
MJF and Wardlow made their way to the ring to deliver 10 lashes to Cody at the end of this week’s show. MJF demanded to use Cody’s belt as the crowd loudly chanted “a**hole!”. MJF struck Cody twice with the belt and Cody got right in his face. MJF dared Cody to hit him but Rhodes resisted as it would void their match at Revolution.
Arn Anderson came down to ringside and told Cody not to give MJF the satisfaction. MJF hit Cody again and shouted at him to quit. Cody popped back up as the crowd cheered him on.
Dustin Rhodes hopped in the ring and started trash talking with MJF. Dustin said he wanted to take the rest of the lashes and MJF told him that isn’t how this works. MJF delivered two more lashes and we are up to 7. Young Bucks joined the party and hyped up Cody. MJF hit Cody again shouted “stay down b*tch!” as Rhodes collapsed to the canvas. Cody give MJF the finger and hopped back up to his feet. Wardlow asked for the belt and MJF gave it to him. Wardlow wound up and hit Cody with everything he had. Brandi then came to the ring and told Cody that he only has one more lash and he can do this. MJF delivered the final lash across Cody’s chest. MJF got pissed off because he thought he could get Cody to quit. MJF hit Cody with a low blow and escaped through the crowd to close the show.
Opinion: I thought this segment was done very well and brought out emotion in the fans. People felt sorry for Cody but at the same time can’t wait for him to finally get his hands on MJF at Revolution. His brother, friends, and wife coming down to the ring was also great. Cody’s back was bright red by the end of the 10 lashes and I can’t imagine how painful it was. Overall, this week’s episode of Dynamite was excellent and did a phenomenal job of building towards the PPV later this month.
AEW Double or Nothing returns to Las Vegas Saturday night, May 23rd from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The news was first reported by Sports Illustrated Wednesday afternoon.
AEW President Tony Khan told SI’s Justin Barrasso that the success of last year’s AEW Double or Nothing led to the launch of Dynamite, the promotion’s weekly flagship television show on TNT.
“It’s been an incredible run, and only fitting that we return to Las Vegas to celebrate our one year anniversary with AEW’s marquee event,” said Tony Khan. “On Saturday, May 23, Double or Nothing is back for round two at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Last year’s event changed the world of wrestling, and this year the stakes will be even higher.”
Tickets for AEW Double or Nothing go on sale next Friday, February 14th at AEWTIX.com and AXS.com.
Double or Nothing 2019 was the first pay-per-view event presented by All Elite Wrestling. Since then, we’ve seen the development of AEW’s quarterly PPV calendar, which also includes the events All Out, Full Gear and Revolution. In addition to these pay-per-view events, AEW has held several other ‘special’ shows including Fyter Fest, Fight for the Fallen and Bash at the Beach.
The first AEW Revolution takes place later this month on Saturday, February 29th from Chicago, IL.
All Elite Wrestling has released its newest rankings. The promotion unveils its top-5 rankings in the men’s, women’s, and tag-team divisions every Wednesday. Here are this week’s rankings:
The only movement in the men’s single’s rankings this week saw Cody Rhodes pass PAC for the #2 spot. Cody defeated Kip Sabian this week on Dynamite while PAC had the week off.
AEW Women’s Single’s Division
Women’s Champion: Riho (2-0)
Nyla Rose (2-1)
Hikaru Shida (1-1)
Kris Statlander (0-1)
Britt Baker (1-1)
Awesome Kong (1-0)
There was no movement in the women’s division rankings this week. Shida defeated Mel on Dark this week and Nyla Rose defeated Big Swole on Dynamite. Champion Riho recently teamed with Kenny Omega and defeated Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford on the Jericho Cruise.
AEW Tag Team Rankings
Tag Team Champions: Kenny Omega and Adam “Hangman” Page
Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky (SCU) (1-1)
The Young Bucks (1-1) (+1)
Proud and Powerful (0-1) (-1)
The Dark Order (1-0)
The Best Friends (1-1) (previously unranked)
SCU maintain their #1 ranking after defeating the Hybrid2 on Dynamite last week. The Young Bucks moved up one spot after defeating the Butcher and the Blade. Santana and Ortiz drop down one spot despite being victorious along with Chris Jericho against Darby Allin and Private Party last week.
The Best Friends re-enter the rankings after picking up a win on Dark. The Lucha Bros fall out of the rankings this week as a result.
Awesome Kong’s days as an active competitor for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) might be over.
AEW has provided an update on Kong’s ‘medical condition’ following an attack from her Nightmare Collective cohorts, Mel and Luther. This attack took place during this week’s episode of AEW: Dark, which is available to watch on their YouTube channel.
Taking to Twitter, AEW says Awesome Kong sustained ‘serious injuries.’ Additionally, they are unsure when she will be cleared to wrestle again, if ever.
Awesome Kong Medical Update: on this week’s episode of #AEWDark Kong suffered serious injuries at the hands of Mel & Luther. We do not know when or if she will return to action. pic.twitter.com/3lELXkbrOK
The incident took place after Mel’s loss to Hikaru Shida. Kong confronted Mel over the loss only to be attacked. She was held in place by Luther as Mel assaulted her. She was then sent through a barrier, with the attack continuing until Mel delivered a leg drop onto her on the steel steps.
It is speculated that AEW has done this angle in order to write Awesome Kong off of television so she can film the final season of Netflix’s pro wrestling drama series, GLOW. It’s worth noting that, although this is the currently believed reason, it has yet to be confirmed.
AEW’s next pay-per-view, Revolution, takes place on February 29, 2020, from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
A new episode of AEW’s weekly television show, Dynamite, will air tonight.
As usual, the promotion has loaded up the show with some interesting matches. Thus, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
The show is expected to start with The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Lucha Bros, The Butcher and The Blade (w/The Bunny). Although not confirmed, the belief is that Jon Moxley vs. Ortiz will serve as the headliner.
AEW Dynamite Preview
AEW holds this show in Huntsville, AL at the Von Braun Center on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
PAC will be looking for Kenny Omega
Cody Rhodes to receive 10 lashes from MJF
Dr. Britt Baker vs. Yuka Sakazaki
Jon Moxley vs. Ortiz
The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Lucha Bros, The Butcher and The Blade (w/The Bunny)
AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds as the promotion gets closer to their next pay-per-view event, Revolution, that takes place later this month.
