AEW has fans talking, and it’s not just about the important announcement that AEW President Tony Khan will make on this week’s episode of Dynamite as something new is coming to the promotion
All Elite Wrestling aired a vignette aired for “QTV” with the note that it is coming soon during the February 21 episode of AEW Dark.
The promotion didn’t provide any further details on what QTV is, including whether AEW will keep this exclusive to its weekly streaming shows (Dark and Dark: Elevation) or if it will make its way to their weekly television programs (Dynamite on TBS and Rampage on TNT). Check it out below:
AEW will be having an “after party” following this week’s episode of Dynamite that will feature a DJ set, appearances by wrestlers, and more.
All Elite Wrestling holds the show from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ on Wednesday night. AEW’s Swerve Strickland announced on Twitter that rapper Mega Ran would be performing at the Cobra Arcade Bar after AEW Dynamite.
Ran does have a history with the promotion as he provided music for AEW in the past for two of its events – AEW Fyter Fest in 2019 and AEW Revolution in 2021.
Ran performed his track “Going to the Garden” before being confronted by Bully Ray at the co-promoted ROH and NJPW event, G1 Supercard, at Madison Square Garden in 2019.
AEW President Tony Khan says he’s excited to deliver some big news on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. He teased that it’s something that will be “great for the company” and has given a hint about what it’s about.
Dynamite will take place from Phoenix, Arizona just weeks before Revolution, the company’s next pay-per-view event scheduled for Saturday, March 5.
AEW is advertising a number of matches and segments for the broadcast, including:
Jon Moxley vs. Evil Uno
Orange Cassidy defends the AEW All-Atlantic Championship against ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta
A Tag Team Battle Royale to determine who challenges the Gunn Glob at Revolution
Saraya vs. Skye Blue
The Acclaimed vs. Big Bill & Lee Moriarty
We’ll hear from Bryan Danielson, the #1 contender to MJF’s AEW World Championship
Christian Cage speaks with Tony Schiavone about his AEW return
TK spoke with the Phoenix New Times to hype Dynamite and continued to hype up this mystery revelation.
Tony Khan’s Big Announcement
When asked about the big announcement, Khan told Benjamin Leatherman of the Phoenix New Times, “Hah. Well, I can’t tell you right now, but it’s something I’m very excited about and it’s great for the company.”
That’s not very substantive, but the ‘hint’ came when Khan was asked about the possibility of AEW collaborating with New Japan Pro Wrestling again for another Forbidden Door PPV.
Without answering the Forbidden Door question directly, he circled back to the announcement.
“There are a lot of exciting things in the near future for AEW,” said Khan. “All I can say is we have an important announcement coming at this show in Phoenix. And it’s an exciting development for the company, and I’m excited to share it with the fans in Phoenix and all over the world.”
In February 2021, Paul Wight aka The Big Show, shocked a lot of people when he left WWE after being with the company for 20 years for AEW.
Since then, he has mainly worked as an announcer on AEW Dark: Elevation, although he has worked a handful of matches.
He made his in-ring debut at All Out, where he beat QT Marshall. Since then, he’s only worked three other matches, all of them happening on Dark Elevation.
Since August 2022, the former WWE Champion has been recovering from a knee replacement procedure, which kept him from competing inside of the squared circle. During that time, he has continued his duties as a commentator on AEW Dark: Elevation episodes.
The Journey
While doing a new interview with Metro UK, Wight revealed that the procedure kept him in a wheelchair for eleven weeks.
“Well, I spent 11 weeks in a wheelchair because I was waiting for them to build the implant for my knee because of my size. I had crushed all the bone in the knee, I was bleeding into my shin. So, I’ve got a good pain tolerance, but when I say I rode the tire down to the rim, that’s exactly what I did. But, luckily I still have all my ligaments in that knee, everything’s good there, it’s a nice, brand new titanium joint so it’s good for 35 years. So, I can parachute if I want to – not that I’ll ever jump out of an airplane, we all saw the movie Operation Dumbo drop, I don’t think that’s me, we’re good!”
AEW’s ‘Hangman’ Adam Page appreciates having a large and loyal fanbase but has spoken about fans who cross the line to invade his privacy.
Page signed with AEW at the start of the promotion in January 2019, and the company planned from the get-go for a World Title run for the Cowboy.
That reign came at Full Gear 2021, when Page dethroned Kenny Omega to win the gold, and would hold the Championship until AEW Double or Nothing 2022.
Dealing with Fans
As various wrestlers have experienced, there are some fans who cross the line when they meet wrestlers, often tracking them down at airports or at a hotel.
During a recent Highspots virtual signing, Page talked about his response to fans who disturb him, including giving them a less-than-stellar autograph.
“I’ll tell you a little secret — if you ever buy one that doesn’t have the Hangman underneath, it’s because someone harassed me in the hotel lobby and I give them the halfway, house show signature… Don’t come in my hotel lobby. That’s my front door, you know what I mean? Leave me alone.”
‘Hangman’ Adam Page.
Recently, Rey Mysterio was confronted by ‘fans’ who arrived with a large sheet of card covered with merchandise packaging for him to sign.
Mysterio signed one item but refused to sign any others, believing that these fans were looking for autographs to sell online.
Days after the Mysterio situation, fellow WWE Superstar Zelina Vega shared a similar interaction with fans who wanted her autograph to sell on eBay for a profit.
Jeff Hardy is scheduled to appear in court this week, stemming from his arrest in June of last year.
Within months of making his AEW debut, Hardy was arrested and charged with his third DUI within a decade.
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion has been suspended from AEW ever since, and will not be allowed to appear until he can prove his sobriety.
Court Date
In August of last year, Hardy waived his right to a speedy trial, and his case has faced some delays.
PW Insider reports that the Charismatic Enigma’s next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, February 23rd at 1:30 PM EST in Florida.
Hardy submitted a written plea of “not guilty” on June 28, 2022 and it had been reported that the two sides could come to a plea deal, though that has not been confirmed.
Hardy has been charged with DUI (Alcohol or Drugs), third offense within ten years, driving while license canceled/suspended/revoked, and violation of restrictions placed on a driver’s license.
Punishment
While most of the charges Hardy is facing are misdemeanors, the DUI charge to his name is a felony offense.
Under Florida law, Hardy would face a minimum 30 days behind bars and could face up to five years in prison if convicted of the DUI.
Other potential punishments include a minimum 10-year driver’s license revocation and up to $5,000 in fines.
Tony Khan has said he supports Hardy’s choice to try and seek help for his substance-abuse issues, but has said that this will be Jeff’s one and only chance to improve in AEW.
Ariel Helwani is speaking out after AEW President Tony Khan called him a “fraud” after his appearance on Friday’s edition of WWE SmackDown.
Helwani is primarily an MMA journalist, but also covers some pro wrestling. In recent months, he’s interviewed WWE executive Paul “Triple H” Levesque, AEW President Tony Khan and several WWE superstars. He’s also worked for WWE in a limited capacity, narrating video packages and most recently, serving as an on-screen correspondent.
Several people blasted Helwani as unethical, including Khan. Several months ago, Helwani called his interview with Tony Khan “one of the most frustrating, and to a degree, not-so-fun interviews of my career.” That relationship has deteriorated even further, with Khan labeling Helwani a “fraud” and Helwani referring to Khan as “the snowman.”
Helwani hasn’t been phased by Tony Khan’s attack. After SmackDown, he wrote on Twitter that it was a “perfect” experience. “Life is short,” he tweeted. “I’m enjoying the ride. Thanks to the real ones for the support along the way”.
On Monday, he addressed the situation on the latest edition of his MMA Hour podcast.
“I see this tweet from Tony Khan, and I read it like three times, I swear to god, I thought it was fake. I thought it was fake. You know, because anybody can have a blue check, right? This guy doesn’t follow me, he’s never tweeted me, I was like, ‘There’s no way that he actually tweeted this.’
Number one, proving that he was watching, which is bizarre, why would you put the competition over and show that you’re watching some random SmackDown at some random moment in telecast?
Number two, putting down his own guy in the process, the great Tony Schiavone, Atlanta sports legend. Calling me a fraud, and then saying that I am as much as a journalist as Tony Schiavone. Now, I’m trying to think, what is the point that he is trying to prove here? He is trying to prove that Schiavone isn’t a journalist? Correct me if I’m wrong, as an Atlanta guy, doesn’t he kind of have some respect as a media dude?
So this guy is calling me a fraud, then he’s saying, Tony Schiavone is as much of a journalist as me, I guess trying to imply that he’s not a real journalist and I’m not a real journalist? Why insult your own guy in the process?
The real thing he should have done is not say anything. Why are you putting over the competition’s broadcast? Your show is coming up, nice little cheeky hashtag there on the tweet as well. You talk about an own-goal, and I know Fulham is having a better season, they certainly haven’t had a great run with the Khans involved, but, this was one of the all-time great own-goals. I just couldn’t believe it. I had to check multiple times, is this really him?”
Backstage Reaction to Tony Khan’s Tweet to Ariel Helwani
Helwani is convinced Tony Khan is still upset that he did so poorly during their interview, which he finds ridiculous. AEW reached out to him about having Khan on his show and he agreed. They didn’t put any restrictions on what he could ask and he thinks Khan is mad that he came off as foolish and a person who wasn’t comfortable doing anything but promote his product.
Backstage at SmackDown, he questioned why Khan was so quick to call him a fraud during his moment. He said the ‘Old Ariel’ would have let a tweet like this bother him. He was actually invigorated by it and thought it was hilarious.
“The amazing thing was how everything spread backstage,” said Helwani. “Everybody was, ‘Did you see the tweet? Did you see the tweet?’ I’ve just been here for four hours. I don’t even know a lot of these people. ‘This is amazing. How could he have done this? Was that really him? What a ….’ Yeah, I guess it was really him!’ Bizarre.”
Ariel Helwani’s Work with WWE
Helwani said he didn’t even know he’d be attending Elimination Chamber weekend until Wednesday of last week. He’s had conversations in the past about doing things for WWE. He did the video package for Extreme Rules a few months ago. WWE offered to pay him for it, he said no, because he wanted to avoid conflicts of interest. Someone advised him that he was stupid to refuse payment for his work. He came to the conclusion that he isn’t a wrestling journalist, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
Many years ago, Jeff Jarrett tried to get him on the creative team for Impact Wrestling. He didn’t accept the position, but working in the wrestling business has always been a ‘bucket list’ thing for him. He made a promise to himself that if he would seriously consider accepting an offer from WWE if that came up.
The Elimination Chamber opportunity came up and said, I’m going to do it. I’m not going to live and die by people’s opinions on social media. He’s going to do what brings him joy. He says yes, it was a paid gig. He joked that he technically hasn’t been paid yet and hopes he didn’t blow it with all the controversy that’s unfolded over the weekend.
Helwani gave a shout out to Triple h for going to bat for him, believing him, being welcoming and kind to him throughout their interactions. Helwani says he was on cloud nine over the SmackDown appearance until he saw people complaining on social media.
Eric Bischoff gave his thoughts on the beef between Tony Khan and Ariel Helwani during the latest episode of his 83 Weeks Podcast.
It all started when the AEW President tweeted last Friday that Helwani is a fraud for being in the crowd at WWE SmackDown in Montreal. Helwani responded by calling Khan, ‘The Snowman.’
Helwani has known WWE’s Nick Khan for several years because Nick once served as Helwani’s agent. Because of this, some of Helwani’s critics have said say that he is biased in favor of WWE.
Also, Helwani openly attacked the president of the AEW for refusing to answer some of his questions when he spoke with Khan in October.
Bischoff’s Thoughts
“I was disappointed to see that. Look, I’ve heard a lot of the same rumors and I’ve heard them from people that are in AEW, to be blunt, and I don’t put any stock in them. I think it’s bad for him, no matter who you are, unless you were sitting down and watch someone, anyone, actually doing something, whether it’s snorting a line of blow or, you know, beating their wife, or whatever, unless you witness it with your own eyes, shut the f**k up.”
Bischoff thinks starting rumors like that is a bad reflection on the person and he doesn’t listen to that type of talk.
“It’s just bad. Bad. You don’t want to do that to people. I’ve had it done to me. There’s no reason for it. Tony is inviting a lot of this criticism. He acts like a petulant child in the way he responds, and his response to Ariel in the crowd was a petulant child whose feelings were hurt because somebody took his toy away from him. I mean, it’s just so absolutely childish. I think that’s a reflection, at least in my mind, of who Tony Khan is. He’s immature. He is a child with a vanity project. He’s passionate.”
Bischoff stated that he’s not taking that away from him, but thinks the way that Khan reacts to things further gives off a negative impression of who he is.
He added, “Tony should have never reacted the way he did to Ariel being out there.”
Jon Moxley is no longer set to appear as planned at the Scrappermania event by Ireland’s Over The Top Wrestling.
The top AEW star had been advertised for the show on March 17, but the promotion confirmed today that he had been pulled. In addition to him wrestling Trent Seven, he was also slated to do a meet & greet with fans.
This turns out to take place the day before AEW’s House Rules live event on March 18 in Troy, Ohio, Moxley’s home State. As a result, All Elite Wrestling pulled Moxley from the show so he could work their event.
The Announcement
However, as a make-good, AEW is sending Eddie Kingston and another star to the event. The promotion issued the following statement on Twitter:
“OTT have announced their first ever FanFest for Scrappermania 7. Due to circumstances out of their control, Jon Moxley will no longer be available to appear. Eddie Kingston, a 2nd unnamed AEW star, will appear along with Santino Marella, Davey Richards, Big Damo and more.”
At the house show presented by AEW, the promotion is advertising Moxley, Britt Baker, Orange Cassidy and more for it. The former AEW World Heavyweight champion will wrestle Evil Uno on this week’s Dynamite episode.
Other bouts confirmed for the show include a tag team battle royale for a spot in the Tag Team Title match at Revolution, AEW All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy vs. Wheeler Yuta, The Acclaimed vs. Lee Moriarty & Big Bill, and more.
Is AEW President Tony Khan on the cusp of announcing another show to the promotion’s catalog of content?
In 2019, AEW launched their flagship weekly show AEW Dynamite, and on TV, fans can tune in to AEW Rampage each Friday night.
Online, AEW hosts their YouTube shows, Dark and Dark: Elevation each week, giving less experienced talent the chance to hone their skills off of TV.
AEW Collision
AEW could be on the verge of announcing a fifth show to its programming, according to a recent trademark filing.
In the filing made last week, AEW seeks ownership for the term ‘AEW Collision,’ with the filing reading as follows.
“Mark For: AEW COLLISON™ trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of educational and entertainment services, namely, a continuing program about wrestling accessible by radio, television, satellite, audio, video and computer networks; Entertainment services in the nature of live wrestling performances; Entertainment services in the nature of production of wrestling programs and events; Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing multimedia program featuring wrestling distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing series featuring wrestling provided through television and the internet; Entertainment services, namely, production and distribution of ongoing television programs in the field of wrestling.”
AEW has enjoyed a positive relationship with their broadcast partners at Warner Bros. Discovery, with AEW content often being among the highest-rated shows they own.
Kathleen Finch, the CCO of Warner Bros Discovery said that the company has “huge respect for [the AEW] audience,” and the company had been trying to capitalize on AEW’s popularity on their network.
Speculation has grown that CM Punk’s wrestling future may be with New Japan Pro Wrestling after the former World Champion was spotted at Battle in the Valley this week.
Punk a two-time former AEW World Champion, has been suspended from the promotion since September’s All Out Pay-Per-View over his post-show comments and backstage fight.
CM Punk is now the only person suspended following All Out to remain suspended as his trainer Ace Steel was fired, and everyone else was brought back to TV.
Battle in the Valley
All attempts to get an answer about Punk’s future from Tony Khan have come up fruitless, with the AEW President refusing to provide an update.
On Twitter, a fan shared photos of Punk attending Battle in the Valley, which happened this week in San Jose, California.
No details are currently known as to whether Punk is interested in signing with New Japan Pro Wrestling, or merely attended the event as a fan.
Punk’s Future
We can’t say for sure where Punk will wrestle next (if he wrestles again at all,) but if an AEW return is in the cards, then he shouldn’t expect a warm welcome.
Multiple top stars have said they will refuse to work with Punk if he is brought back, believing his comments at All Out were entirely inappropriate.
Chris Jericho reportedly called Punk a “cancer” after the All Out backstage fight, and the inaugural AEW World Champion is said to be part of a group trying to block a return.
There are some in WWE who have made their views clear that a Punk return would only bring problems as seen with what happened last September.
Former AEW Women’s Champion Riho has not wrestled a match this year but latest reports suggest that she could be returning soon.
Dave Meltzer provided an update on the female star in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He claimed that she could be back as early as next week.
Regarding the possible plans for her return, Meltzer mentioned that Tony Khan could use her for ROH since the AEW stories all seem to be based around talents such as Britt Baker and Saraya.
Riho was the Inaugural AEW champion who won the title on the very first episode of Dynamite. She held the belt for 133 days before dropping it to Nyla Rose.
The former champion last wrestled during a SPW show back on November 25 last year. She competed in a triple threat match for SPW Queen of The Asia title.
Her last AEW match came on November 9 from Agganis Arena in Boston. She teamed up with Willow Nightingale to defeat Emi Sakura & Mei Suruga in a tag team match during a Dark: Elevation episode.
The reason behind Riho’s absence from the ring is unclear. We will have to see if the AEW star reveals any detail regarding it when she returns to the company.
AEW TV ratings have been on a decline the last few weeks. Many believe keeping Kenny Omega out of the World title picture and putting him in a predictable storyline over the trios title is one of the reasons behind it.
Amongst the reported WWE interest in signing The Cleaner, there has also been curiousity over how the former AEW champion himself feels about his current role in the company.
The AEW star commented on his current position during an appearance on the Swerve City podcast. Omega said that both him and The Young Bucks are comfortable with their current roles:
“We’re so comfortable in our own skin and where we’re at in wrestling. Whatever I’m required to do, even if it’s not be the focus or the star of the show, I feel I have something I can give that, wherever I am on the card.”
Kenny Omega explained that his current role is not about being the focal point of AEW programming. Instead, it’s about letting lose and having fun:
“I’m not supposed to be in this epic storyline encounter. No blood feuds right now. I’m in a position where, right now, we’re doing six-man tags, it’s supposed to be fun,”
Omega said that he trusts himself to deliver in different positions on the card. When his trust wavers, he has the Young Bucks to pick him up.
AEW President Tony Khan has called out Ariel Helwani on Twitter. This came after the reporter made an appearance on tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
Sami Zayn is set to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed Championship at the Elimination Chamber PPV from his hometown of Montreal, Canada.
Tonight’s episode of SmackDown also aired from Montreal. WWE brought in Helwani who is from the city as well to interact with the crowd and promote the upcoming match.
Khan apparently saw Ariel’s appearance on the show and he called him a fraud on Twitter. Helwani responded to the AEW owner calling him a legend and saying that he can’t wait for their next chat:
“Thanks for watching, old friend! Can’t wait for our next chat. (Also, don’t listen to the snowman, Schiavone. You’re a legend in my books.)”
Thanks for watching, old friend! Can’t wait for our next chat.
(Also, don’t listen to the snowman, Schiavone. You’re a legend in my books.)
There has been tension between Helwani and Khan before. This came after the former interviewed TK in the fall of 2022.
He later went on record calling the interview with Khan ‘one of the most frustrating’ of his career. Helwani explained that Tony did not answer any of his questions and instead just focused on promoting his shows.
What do you make of this exchange between Tony Khan and Ariel Helwani? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
There is a big announcement coming from Tony Khan on next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
During this week’s episode of AEW Rampage, the segment was announced. As of this writing, it’s unclear exactly what the AEW/ROH President will have to say.
In addition to this announcement being revealed, All Elite Wrestling confirmed several matches for the show, including Orange Cassidy defending the AEW All-Atlantic Championship against Wheeler Yuta.
Matches Confirmed
The bout was set up on Rampage when they had a face-to-face confrontation during a backstage segment. Former AEW Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed will be in action when they take on Big Bill and Lee Moriarty.
AEW will follow up with Saraya facing Skye Blue. At the same time, Christian Cage will sit down with Tony Schiavone for an interview after returning this past Wednesday night on Dynamite by attacking “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry.
Bryan Danielson will do a promo segment about his upcoming Ironman Match with World heavyweight champion MJF at the Revolution pay-per-view event on March 5.
There will be a Tag Team Battle Royal to determine who will fill one of the two remaining slots in the Four-Way Tag Title Match at Revolution, as the only teams confirmed for the bout are Aussie Open, and Top Flight.
This week on Top Rope Nation, Kyle is joined by Frank Peteani of Pro Wrestling Torch for a full preview and predictions for this weekend’s WWE Elimination Chamber. Plus, thoughts on the narrative that AEW has a “babyface problem” and a look at the possible WrestleMania 39 card.
Each week, the video version of Top Rope Nation streams live to the SEScoops YouTube channel. You can join the live streams by subscribing to the channel and turning on notifications so you never miss a live broadcast. This will include a regular weekly edition of Top Rope Nation (typically Thursday nights), as well as reviews of all major WWE and AEW PLE/PPV shows.
On episode 285 this week, Kyle and Frank have a fascinating discussion on the possible directions that WWE could go with creative this weekend in Montreal at Elimination Chamber. Plus, is the AEW babyface roster actually too weak for a heel world champion?
You can watch the show via the embedded YouTube video at the top of this page. Additionally, you can listen to the audio-only podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever podcasts are found. You will also find an embedded audio player below.
Could Chris Jericho be reuniting with an old WWE ally and former Tag Team Champion?
Despite being best known for his work as a singles star, Jericho is no stranger to tag team competition, having held tag gold in the WWE on seven occasions.
In AEW, Jericho has aligned himself with others as part of the Jericho Appreciation Society, and before this group was a founding member of the Inner Circle.
A Giant Reunion
Chris Jericho may be the namesake for the Jericho Appreciation Society, but may soon be reuniting with Paul Wight.
This week, Jericho filed a trademark for ‘Jeri-Show’ the WWE team consisting of himself and Wight (then The Big Show,) that dominated from 2009 to 2010.
The full description of the filing can be read below.
Mark For: JERI-SHOW trademark registration is intended to cover the categories of entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainers; Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainers; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainers; Providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; Providing online interviews featuring professional wrestling and sports entertainers in the field of professional wrestling and sports entertainment for entertainment purposes.
Jeri-Show
After failing to recapture the Intercontinental Championship from Rey Mysterio in 2009, Jericho entered the tag-team division, winning the Unified WWE Tag Titles with Edge at ‘The Bash.’
After Edge went down with an injury, Jericho introduced the Big Show as his new tag-team partner, and the pair enjoyed a 140-day reign as champions.
That reign ended at WWE: TLC 2009, when the pair lost a TLC match to D-Generation X, kicking off Shawn Michaels’ final championship reign.
While Wight has only had a handful of matches in AEW, the Giant has said he plans to be back in the ring very soon after healing up from surgery.
It was only a few months ago that Briscoe being under contract with AEW seemed impossible.
Due to comments made a decade ago by Jay, both men had been essentially blacklisted from AEW programming by WarnerMedia.
Jay apologized multiple times for his homophobic comments, which he stated were as part of his heel character and not reflective of his personal beliefs.
It has been said that by the time of his passing, Jay’s apology was considered 100% legitimate by the wrestling world, and he had the support of many LGBTQ+ wrestlers in the industry.
This week’s tapings of AEW Rampage saw a huge return from a former AEW World Tag Team Champion who has been out of action for weeks.
Friday’s Ramapge was taped immediately after the latest AEW Dynamite in Laredo, Texas, and saw names including Jon Moxley, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, Britt Baker, and Mark Briscoe in action.
This week’s Dynamite saw AEW continue on the road to Revolution 2023, which will be headlined by AEW World Champion MJF vs. Bryan Danielson in AEW’s first Iron Man match.
Rampage Return
In the main event of the AEW Rampage taping, Dustin Rhodes defeated Swerve Strickland by disqualification when Parker Bordeaux got involved.
A post-match beatdown continued until Keith Lee made his return to AEW programming to even the odds.
Lee had been out of action for over a month after being attacked by Swerve, his former friend and tag partner, and the Mogul Affiliates.
The Limitless One was written off of TV with Swerve double-stomping a cinder block onto his former tag partner.
AEW Rampage
Keith Lee’s return to TV was just part of a stacked AEW Rampage this week, which we will be keeping spoiler free.
The show will feature AEW Trios Champions The Elite defending one more time against AR Fox and Top Flight.
Jericho Appreciation Society member Daniel Garcia will take on Ricky Starks as part of the latter’s feud with Chris Jericho.
AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill will put her title and her undefeated streak on the line against Vertvixen.
On AEW Dynamite, “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry defeated Brian Cage. As he was going up the ramp after the match, the familiar music and countdown appeared on the screen. His mentor-turned-nemesis, Christian Cage, had returned.
Cage was still wearing a cast and shoulder sling when Perry came at him. Cage sprayed Perry with something in the face. He removed his arm contraptions in order to put “Jungle Boy” in the Killswitch Engage and left him laid out on the ramp.
The issue has also kept Bandido off TV. He hasn’t been on TV since losing to Bryan Danielson on January 17. Visa issues are also keeping Dragon Lee from debuting for WWE.
Thunder Rosa is back on the road with AEW for the first time in months due to an injury as she joined the Spanish announce team. There was a backstage meeting held with talent last week at Dynamite regarding Rosa’s return.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports there was a locker room meeting for all of the women on the roster who were present at the show and those who were there said it was done as an effort to ease the tension between Rosa and the locker room due to several frayed relationships.
Making Amends
Those there stated that Rosa did a lot of “making amends” for several issues along the way during her previous run in promotion. Some talent had taken issue with how she handled things in the past and felt she made certain people on the roster come across as bullies.
There were also complaints about sandbagging and working stiff in the ring with Rosa. One talent stated that Rosa was met with some of that early in her AEW run, which had been rectified.
Some talent took issue with her not being on the road with AEW while traveling for other work and questioned the legitimacy of her injury, which Rosa addressed publicly.
Sources indicated that Rosa was happy to do commentary work and wouldn’t be wrestling immediately. Rosa is getting closer to being medically clear. One AEW management member stated the meeting was productive and hoped it was a “clean slate.”
Mick Foley has given some advice to AEW’s Darby Allin regarding his character.
Allin has been a fan favorite long before he signed with AEW, but he found further success and became more popular with fans when he signed with the promotion.
Allin is known to take risks during his match and put his body on the line, just like the WWE Hall of Famer.
Foley on Allin
Foley gave his thoughts on the AEW star while speaking on AdFreeShows.com, Foley is Pod.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete and he comes from the world of extreme sports. He’s like a cat and then he lands on his feet. He’s got incredible body control. But I think every performer has to find a different gear that they can go into as much wild stuff as I did. I was able to temper it with the promos and by shifting gears and injecting humor.
I think almost every guy with a long history, not talking about the guys who could go from territory to territory and basically recreate that same push each time, talking about the guys who had the long runs in WWE, WCW found another gear and that it often involved humor. And so Darby, I haven’t seen him in a couple of years or talked to him, but he’s a soft spoken young man and he probably should find a way to add layers to that character that doesn’t necessitate taking those risks all the time.”
Mick Foley reveals his concerns about Darby Allin to @adfreeshows fans:
“He probably should find a way to add layers to that character that doesn’t necessitate taking those risks all the time”
Dax Harwood’s future with AEW remains uncertain at this time, and the FTR member sure wants fans to think that a WWE return is coming.
Harwood joined AEW in 2020 alongside tag partner Cash Wheeler, after exiting WWE just a month earlier.
The Revival signed over their downside guarantees to WWE in order to be released without the standard 90-day non-compete clause.
WWE Return
December 2022 was hardly a great month for FTR, who lost the ROH World Tag Team Championships to the Briscoes, and the AAA Tag Gold to Dragon Lee and Dralistico.
At NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17, FTR lost the IWGP World Tag Team Titles, and are currently taking a break from all wrestling ventures.
On Instagram, Harwood shared an image from his home, and eagle-eyed followers spotted what appeared to be some WWE paperwork in the bottom-left corner.
On Twitter, Harwood shared the same image but cropped the WWE logo out.
Finally got my hands on @DrinkCazcanes! An Additive free tequila with a rich flavor profile.
FTR has stated that their AEW deals will expire this April, but it remains unclear whether this current hiatus will add time to their contracts.
The pairing of Harwood and Cash Wheeler certainly benefited under Triple H’s tenure as Head of NXT, leaving some to speculate on a return to WWE’s main roster now that the Game is Head of Talent and Creative.
What’s next for FTR?
While a return to AEW or even a return to WWE are two options, FTR’s future may take them outside of the ring, or at least off camera.
Both Harwood and Wheeler have expressed interest in possibly returning to the indies for a limited run away from TV.
Harwood has also said that he and Cash are looking at potential locations for a wrestling school, and they are considering a coffee shop project, as well as real estate ventures.
Cody Rhodes opened up on the fight between The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) and CM Punk at the AEW All Out pay-per-view last September.
The Elite have since returned to TV while Punk, who suffered an injury in the All Out main event, is still on the sidelines. AEW President Tony Khan has yet to comment on Punk’s status with the promotion.
Rhodes was one of the names that helped launch the promotion in 2019. While appearing on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour, Rhodes commented on the Brawl Out incident.
The Next Day
Rhodes recalled waking up to 63 text messages and was worried that someone from AEW said something about him at the press conference.
Rhodes noted he still has a great relationship with The Young bucks and Omega. He admitted it was tested by them being younger executives and having different opinions on wrestling, but that made them work. He said they’re bonded forever because of that. He also had a great relationship with Punk and had dinner with him every week in AEW.
Rhodes went on to talk about his relationships with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, noting that it was indeed tested by their differing opinions on the sport of pro wrestling. Rhodes also talked about his relationship with CM Punk, noting that they had a great relationship despite not talking much.
“So when I watched it just from me sitting there, I was not — there was some people texting me. I remember somebody texted me, ‘Man, you’re the smartest guy in the room. I wanted to write back like, ‘F— you, man.’ I don’t feel that way. I feel this thing we built got damaged. I’m not putting any blame on anybody. Sorry, super Switzerland.”
The Brawl
Rhodes stated he doesn’t put any of the blame on anybody but didn’t like to see it.
“I just hated seeing that, because as the company grows, and I hope it continues to grow, I hope people remember the mission in the first place and why we were there. If you bring in people who don’t know the mission, then things like that can happen.
I’m not saying he didn’t know the mission or anything of that nature, but I was just bummed out. That’s how I felt, I was bummed out. because I have — you win the title, it’s a feather in your cap. You win the Royal Rumble, it’s a feather in your cap. Building an alternative wrestling promotion is definitely a feather in the cap. I don’t want that to be erased. I don’t want that to go away.”
“Plus, there’s not as many jobs in wrestling as people think. There’s about 1000 people who work there structurally, infrastructure and talent. I’m proud of them. I want to make sure they’re able to feed their families and that was a situation that was so big and heavy. I don’t think it was helpful. I don’t know, maybe you could make it helpful. Maybe you can do something with it. That’s how I felt.
No heat on Punk. No heat on Matt, Nick, Kenny, or Tony, I was just bummed out when I saw it. That’s not how we envisioned it. The spirit of ‘All In,’ if you ever lose the spirit, you’re lost. I think the spirit was gone in that moment, doesn’t mean can’t get it back, but it was just a bummer.”
Rhodes departed from AEW last year to make his return to WWE at WrestleMania 38. Rhodes will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title at WrestleMania 39 this month.
