Chris Jericho’s ‘Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager at Sea’ cruise is returning in 2024. The fourth installment, dubbed Four Leaf Clover, just wrapped up. On Monday, organizers announced the first details about Five Alive.

The Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager returns to the high seas January 26-30, 2024 from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico. Once again, Jericho and company will be commandeering the Norwegian Pearl.

According to the official announcement sent in to SEScoops, “It’ll be the incredible Jericho Cruise experience that you know and love, full of insane AEW wrestling, Fozzy performances, up-close-and-personal meet and greets and more. This year, we’re adding a Top Rope Belly Flop competition and The Gimmick Gala.”

Here’s all the information regarding the pre-sale and general on-sale events:

• First Round Pre-Sale Deadline: 2/13 @ 11:59 PM ET

• Final Pre-Sale Deadline: 2/15 @ 11:59 PM ET                      ?

• Public On-Sale: 2/17 @ 2 PM ET

For booking information, visit JerichoCruise.com.

Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood wasted no time in seeking employment with AEW from the moment their time with WWE came to an end.

FTR, known as The Revival in WWE, was the first triple-crown tag champions, holding the Raw, SmackDown, and NXT Tag Team gold.

After a series of embarrassing segments, and an even worse plan for the two to receive Flava-Flav style gimmicks, the pair were granted requested releases on April 10, 2020.

Tony Khan

After their WWE exits, which saw the pair sign over downside guarentees to WWE in exchange for no non-compete clause, the pair debuted for AEW in May 2020.

During Dax Harwood’s FTR Podcast, he revealed that the duo wasted no time after receiving the call from the WWE Talent Relations head at the time Mark Carrano.

“The day that Mark Carrano called us, so two days before the announcement [of the Revival’s release from WWE] was made online, he called us and said ‘you don’t have to give us an answer right now, talk about it, give me a call back.’ I called Cash. We said, should we talk to Cody, or the Bucks, or Tony? He said yeah, let’s do that.

Harwood added that a text message sent to the Bucks confirmed AEW’s interest in them, and it wasn’t long before they were speaking to Khan.

“We called Mark Carrano, yes, we agree to your terms. Please give us our release, and thank you.” So he gave us our release. The following day, whenever the contracts were cut and we got the paperwork from Mark Carrano that said we were officially released, is when we started talking contracts with Tony Khan.”

FTR would go on to become AEW World Tag Team Champions, and have also held the ROH World Tag Team Champion after Khan bought the company last March.

The Future of FTR

FTR has been a highlight of AEW’s Tag division for close to three years, but their time with the promotion may be coming to an end.

The duo is currently on a hiatus from AEW, and their contracts are set to expire in April of this year.

In a previous edition of his podcast, Harwood stressed that whatever FTR does next will likely be the final chapter of the careers of both men.

h/t – 411 Mania

AEW has finally announced its version of non-televised live events after a lot of chatter over the past few months and the reaction to it within the company has been positive.

Fightful Select provided reactions from some of the talents. They noted that many people within the company knew something like this was coming. There were multiple people who actually pushed for it.

One talent said that they would rather get their in-ring reps under the company banner instead of working for outside promotions.

Some talent have spoken highly of the experience they can get wrestling on Dark. Being able to work longer matches on the road will help them grow further. They expect to see more creative matches on these shows

As far as the contractual status of the stars go, the site noted that most talents do not reach even close to the number of yearly dates in their contracts. AEW seems prepared for more shows in that aspect and it shouldn’t be a problem.

AEW Announced their ‘House Rules’ live event series that will take place in different cities across United States earlier this month.

The first ‘House Rules’ event will be taking place on Saturday, March 18 from Troy, Ohio at the Hobart Arena. The show will feature Ohio’s own Jon Moxley among others.

AEW has carved their own place in the wrestling world in a relatively short period. They have shown that there is demand for an alternate wrestling product that doesn’t follow the set formula of WWE. Jon Moxley thinks it’s exactly what they should continue doing.

The former AEW world champion recently spoke to Kev Nash on The Justin Kinner Show. He spoke about things such as his love for professional wrestling and leaving WWE. Speaking about what makes AEW the success it is, Mox explained that they have deviated from the set formula of WWE. Per Mox, it’s something they have to keep up:

“I think what we always have to remember is that it’s an alternative. I think the other promotions in the past that have tried to be the standard kind of WWE formula that’s kind of the known, typical [thing]. What people in North America think of as major league wrestling,” said Jon Moxley, “It comes off as WWE light and it comes off like some kind of Triple-A baseball or something. I don’t think we should ever be that.

He continued: “I think we should always do the opposite thing. The more subversive thing. The cooler thing. We should always be one step ahead and we should be on the precipice of like, what the next big thing in wrestling is. We should always be looking ahead you know. I think it’s important for us to always be an alternative. To see things and people and wrestlers and styles that you wouldn’t see anywhere else. [Things] that aren’t put into a blender and made to be part of a fancy polished product. “

You can check out Jon Moxley’s full interview below:

More Originals From SEScoops:

• Umaga’s Son Zilla Fatu Reflects On His Time In Prison
• Cody Rhodes Committed A ‘Cardinal Sin’ At Royal Rumble
• Cody Rhodes Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles Before WWE Departure
• Bray Wyatt On What The Undertaker Said To Him At Raw 30th
• Bray Wyatt Opens Up About Struggles After Loss Of Brodie Lee, WWE Release

If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Jon Moxley has been loyal to AEW since May of 2019. He extended his contract with the promotion for five more years back in October of 2022.

There is no secret that Jon Moxley has a tremendous passion for the pro wrestling industry. In a recent interview with Justin Kinner of ESPN Radio out of Dayton, Ohio, Moxley stated that he will ‘ride or die’ with AEW.

When asked by Justin Kinner, “What is about wrestling that pushes you so hard, that when you choose to have an off night and yet you choose not to?”

Moxley had this to say,

“I enjoy it, it’s recreation for me. As much as it is, anything else. What else are you going to do with your time? It’s the coolest job in the World. Some people like to go golfing, I like to step in a cage and attack people with weapons. There’s really no other levels of adrenaline you can reach.”

Jon Moxley wants to leave a lasting impact.

Later in the interview, Kinner said that “it looks there are no regrets leaving the WWE back in 2019 to sign with AEW.”

Moxley said, “It was a wreck for guys like myself and Chris Jericho. We joked that we tied ourselves, we were getting in a raft and heading down the river. We had no idea what was going to come. It was not guaranteed that AEW was going to be a success. We didn’t know if the show was going to be any good”

We didn’t know if this was going to last. It was all a shot in the dark, but we all had faith. It was really important to the business for AEW to be successful. For the sport, the art of pro wrestling and for the fans.

Moxley would follow that up with this quote.

Could WWE and All Elite Wrestling one day put their differences aside and work together for a crossover supershow? Tony Khan hopes so.

WWE’s mantra has infamously been to not play with others, and has for decades refused to work with other promotions.

That attitude has softened somewhat over the last year, with Impact’s Mickie James competing in the 2022 Women’s Royal Rumble.

Last month also saw WWE’s Karl Anderson be allowed to compete at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17.

WWE-AEW Crossover

In the four years since being founded, fans have speculated on what a dream card between AEW and WWE talent would look like.

Tony Khan was a recent guest of the WTF with Marc Maron podcast and when asked, expressed his interest in a crossover show between the two sides.

“It’s something I would certainly be open to, and I think it’s an interesting thing for the future. It’s not something that’s ever really been done. They’ve kind of existed in their own space. We are working with a lot of wrestling promotions.”

Tony Khan.

Khan compared the situation to Marvel and DC Comics, saying it’d be a crossover that fans would have not seen before.

The AEW President did admit that things “would get very political” with talent from both sides wanting to come out on top.

Crossing Over

While WWE and AEW haven’t held a show (yet) the relationship between the two sides isn’t as frosty as one may expect.

In 2019, Billy Gunn, who had signed with AEW, was allowed to attend the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony for DX’s induction, joking on-camera that Vince McMahon couldn’t fire him.

For last year’s celebration of 20 years of John Cena, multiple AEW stars including Bryan Danielson and Chris Jericho praised Cena in videos aired on Raw.

AEW and WWE talent being backstage at each other’s companies is not uncommon either, with Ricky Starks being backstage to support his mentor Cody Rhodes at last weekend’s Royal Rumble.

h/t – 411 Mania

AEW had ups and downs in 2022 including backstage altercations. Most notably, CM Punk and Ace Steel got into it with The Elite (Young Bucks and Kenny Omega) at the All Out event last September. 

Two AEW stars have admitted that they got into a skirmish in 2022. Those wrestlers are Swerve Strickland and Ricky Starks, who were part of a Tag Team Championship match at AEW Double or Nothing. 

Fightful Select reports it led to a scuffle, according to the two wrestlers. There had been a report last year regarding there being some issues between them after the match over a miscommunication. However, this was the first word of them having a scuffle. 

The issues came down to a “miscommunication late in the match, where there was an unplanned spot that saw Swerve attack Ricky Starks after an attempted pin on Jungle Boy.” 

Starks was originally slated to hit his finish on one of his opponents, but Swerve ended up doing nothing because he thought it would be better to get hit and dumped out of the ring, otherwise he’d be standing there watching it. 

Fightful had heard that they had a follow-up segment on Dynamite after that. However, they made peace after that, and are fine to this day. At Fyter Fest a few months after the show, they worked together. 

The report noted they spoke with each other about the scuffle while on the Jericho Cruise for an upcoming episode of Swerve’s podcast.

Kyle O’Reilly has been out of action since last June due to various health issues. According to his good friend Adam Cole, he is in good spirits despite the struggles and is getting better.

The former NXT champion recently appeared on Wrestling Observer Radio. He opened up about his own injuries and recovery before providing an update on his friend.

Cole said that he talks to O’Reilly every day and he is doing good. Per the AEW star, his teammate is working hard but not rushing anything:

“Kyle was really banged up and it got to a point where he kind of couldn’t take it anymore. I’m so glad that he got fixed and got healthy and is recovering day by day, every day.”

– Adam Cole

Kyle O’Reilly Is Doing Better

Kyle O’Reilly underwent neck fusion surgery in September. In January, he revealed that he was dealing with a post-surgical issue. Adam Cole mentioned that the early parts of recovery were discouraging for Kyle because he wasn’t able to do a lot. His mood however has improved with time:

“He’s starting to be able to do more and more in therapy and rehab, you see the excitement and wheels turning of him already thinking about how he can’t wait to get back. He’s in good spirits and he has a lot of people around him that love him a lot.”

Adam Cole has been dealing with his own health issues since last year. He spent the second half of 2022 on the shelf due to concussion issues. He is expected to return to the ring soon though with Cole’s first match back expected at AEW Revolution.

H/t Fightful

Seth Rollins made his stand on a potential CM Punk WWE return very clear recently and it appears Matt Hardy was amused by The Architect’s clear vision.

On the latest episode of his podcast, Hardy talked about a number of things. During the AMA episode, the hardcore legend discussed things such as his tag team with Bray Wyatt and more.

Matt was also asked about Seth Rollins recently calling CM Punk a cancer and telling him to stay away from WWE. The Broken One claimed that the WWE star won him over with his statement:

“He especially won me over just because of his comments on Punk the other day, I popped huge when I saw that. I was laughing out loud. Very funny stuff.”

– Matt Hardy

Seth Rollins appears to be building a feud with Logan Paul for WrestleMania 39. The YouTube star eliminated him from Royal Rumble. Rollins has since called him out, and said that he doesn’t need Logan Paul in his locker room.

The former Shield member is also set to enter the Elimination Chamber match for Austin Theory’s US championship in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on February 18.

Matt Hardy on the other hand has been involved with The Firm in AEW. The trio of Hardy, Ethan Page and Isiah Kassidy unsuccessfully challenged for the AEW Trios Title during this week’s Rampage.

• Matt Hardy Reflects on First Match with The Briscoes

MJF is known to blur the line between reality and kayfabe. He has kept everyone guessing about his AEW contract and future, but a latest report suggests that he has actually been telling the truth.

It all started when the current AEW champion no-showed an event before Double or Nothing in May last year. He was unhappy with his pay in the company compared to some newer signings.

He went on a hiatus from AEW programming after the PPV. He was given a more prominent role once he returned at All Out. The 26-year-old went on to win the AEW world championship at Full Gear in November.

• MJF Reveals the Secret to his Popularity

The Future Of MJF

Many fans believe that this push is a sign that MJF has signed a contract extension with the company. The AEW star himself however has maintained that it’s not the case.

According to Whatculture, the Wrestling Devil is actually telling the truth. He has not signed a contract extension and his current deal is set to expire in January 2024.

The young star is still undecided about his plans past his current deal. It’s possible that he explores other possibilities instead of re-signing with the company.

Would you like to see MJF possibly jumping ships to WWE when his current deal expires? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

This week on Top Rope Nation, Kyle Ross is joined by Wrestling Observer Newsletter award-winning author Liam O’Rourke (Crazy Like A Fox: The Definitive Chronicle of Brian Pillman 20 Years Later) to discuss this week’s AEW Dynamite and look at some classic wrestling.

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 283 this week, a great discussion is had about some of the positives (and negatives) that are plaguing AEW in early 2023. Plus, Kyle and Liam begin a series looking back at 1998 WCW and how things could have played out differently. Hulk Hogan. Sting. The nWo. Kevin Nash. Bill Goldberg. Bret Hart. They’re all discussed.

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.

Bryan Danielson offered up quite the Vince McMahon story.

All Elite Wrestling star Bryan Danielson was part of a significant Bloomberg story centered around AEW and the company’s President, Tony Khan.

On the topic of AEW’s competition, Danielson claimed that Vince McMahon flat-out asked him what AEW does better than WWE.

An excerpt from the piece offers that Danielson thinks AEW puts more of a premium on the in-ring product.

“Bryan Danielson says that in early 2020 McMahon called him and asked a question that shocked the wrestler. “Do you see anything that AEW’s doing better than us?” Danielson spent the next two weeks watching every morsel of AEW programming and came to a conclusion: AEW committed more time to and placed more value on the craft of fighting in the ring. WWE’s shows were often marked by long segments of characters on the microphone. “It feels like you’re watching a wrestling show without any wrestling,” Danielson told Vince McMahon.”

• Bryan Danielson On What Vince McMahon Thinks About His Vegan Lifestyle

Bryan Danielson History with WWE

It appears as if Bryan Danielson still has a great relationship with both Vince McMahon and WWE as Danielson appeared on the June 27, 2022, episode of Monday Night RAW via satellite to congratulate John Cena on his 20th anniversary with the company.

Bryan Danielson was a mainstay of WWE programming from 2009 through 2021. ‘The American Dragon’ claimed many accolades during his decade-plus-long tenure with the Connecticut-based company. Among his accomplishments, Danielson secured the WWE (four times), World Heavyweight, Intercontinental, and United States Championships. Danielson was the sixth Grand Slam Champion in WWE history.

Bryan Danielson AEW Debut

Danielson departed WWE in April 2021 following losing a ‘Career vs. Title’ match against Roman Reigns. ‘The American Dragon’ made his All Elite Wrestling debut on September 5, 2021 during the company’s All Out pay-per-view, where he and fellow newcomer Adam Cole, engaged in a closing segment to the show alongside The Elite.

Samoa Joe returned to TV via video package last week and told Allin he was coming for his TNT Championship. He kept his promise in the main event of AEW Dynamite.

The reigning champion came to the ring wearing a hoodie covered in thumbtacks. The two battled into the crowd, including Joe throwing Allin down on the steps.

Samoa Joe Two Belts

There was also a Coffin Drop in the thumbtack hoodie, chairs and tables in a wild main event. Allin cut the ropes holding the mat in place to expose the ring. This would backfire as the ROH Television Champion would do a Muscle Buster from the second rope onto the exposed ring.

While Samoa Joe Two Belts celebrated, a familiar sound blasted through the speakers. Wardlow has returned and came straight for his enemy. He attempted to put Joe in the Powerbomb Symphony, but the champ rolled out of the ring just in time. An incensed “Mr. Mayhem” attacked several security guards. He yeeted one poor soul into a group of security he had just attacked and Joe and his belts watched safely from the ramp.

• Jade Cargill Earns 50th Consecutive Win

On AEW Dynamite, Jade Cargill looked to continue her winning streak against former Baddie, Red Velvet.

Prior to becoming a Baddie, Cargill and Red Velvet had history. Cargill defeated her in the TBS Championship Title tournament Quarter Final.

Jade Cargill Makes History

Red Velvet held her own and nearly became the “one in 49-1.” Keira Hogan attacked Leila Grey and sent her into the steps. While it was happening, Red Velvet was pinning the champion. Aubrey Edwards was distracted by Hogan and Grey and missed what was happening inside the ring. Cargill was able to get her shoulder up.

Cargill hit her Jaded finisher to earn her 50th consecutive win. Afterwards, she celebrated with her daughter on the way to the back.

• AEW Announces ‘House Rules’ Live Event Series

On January 5th, Cargill marked one year as AEW TBS Champion. As she walked to the ring tonight, the stat shown on screen was that Cargill is the longest reigning champion in AEW history at 392 days. With her 50th win, the champion remains undefeated.

All Elite Wrestling’s has announced the ‘AEW House Rules’ tour, a series of live events that will soon take place across the United States. Ahead of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, the company sent out a press release announcing the first details.

The first installment of the series will take place on Saturday, March 18 in Troy, Ohio at the Hobart Arena. The show is set to feature several current and former champions including Ohio’s own Jon Moxley.

Tony Khan’s Statement on ‘AEW House Rules’

“As a lifelong fan of professional wrestling who grew up attending house shows, AEW House Rules is an exciting next step in our journey. We’re always looking for meaningful ways to engage with our fans, and AEW House Rules will be a great way for them to connect with our incredible talent.”

AEW Director of Business Development Jeff Jarrett’s Statement on ‘AEW House Rules’

“The extraordinary success of AEW changed the landscape of professional wrestling. Not only as a whole, but by providing a fresh new product in a manner deemed impossible years ago. As expand to house shows, fans can expect an innovative approach along with the best talent in professional wrestling. In addition to satisfying diehard fans, we’re excited about creating new fans of all ages.”

Ticket Information

Tickets for the new live event series will go on-sale on Friday, February 3 at 10:00 a.m. EDT/7:00 a.m. PDT and can be purchased at AEWTix.com.

Former NJPW star Kota Ibushi is now on the free agent market after departing from New Japan Pro Wrestling and he knows he will have promotions interested in him including AEW. 

AEW/ROH owner Tony Khan has signed some of the biggest stars in today’s wrestling and is interested in talking with Kota about potentially being the next to become All Elite. 

During a his weekly Wednesday morning appearance on Busted Open Radio, Khan was asked about Ibushi.

Ibushi said in an interview today that he thinks he will talk with AEW after he opens a wrestling school in Japan.

When his contract expired, NJPW issued a statement, wishing him luck in his future endeavors.

Kota has been sidelined for over a year as his last match happened in October 2021 with a dislocated shoulder suffered in the G1 Climax finals. GCW has already announced that Ibushi is slated to work Bloodsport and Spring Break during WrestleMania weekend in Los Angeles.

All Elite Wrestling has announced a refresh of its community outreach program. The revamped program, named AEW Together, includes a restructure of programming and the addition of key staff.

Here’s the full announcement, sent in to SEScoops Wednesday morning:

Feb. 1, 2023 – AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan today announced the company’s refreshed and refocused community outreach program under a new name: AEW TOGETHER. Moving forward, AEW TOGETHER will operate as AEW’s philanthropic initiative designed to foster lasting, positive change in each market AEW visits.

Under the leadership of new Director of Community Engagement Katelyn Borden, AEW TOGETHER will dedicate its efforts and initiatives around four core pillars: (1) Next Generation, focusing on youth programs, (2) Equity, with an emphasis on human rights and social change, (3) Service, helping those in need in the local area, and (4) Wellness, focusing on physical and mental health. The efforts of AEW TOGETHER complement AEW’s commitment to fostering the physical and mental wellness of its talent and staff. Borden and AEW Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer Megha Parekh established these core pillars with a renewed emphasis on selecting and serving causes near and dear to the hearts of AEW’s roster.

AEW TOGETHER will continue its larger-scale national partnerships with charitable organizations throughout the year, including KultureCity, the American Heart Association and Oceana. In tandem, the team will continue to develop collaborations with local nonprofits and organizations to support communities in need. AEW Together will also continue fundraising efforts and awareness campaigns for groups that align with the program’s core values.

AEW TOGETHER’s relaunch kicks off today, the start of American Heart Month, with a CPR training session done in coordination with the American Heart Association for AEW talent and staff ahead of a live episode of “AEW: Dynamite” in Dayton, Ohio.

The following updates to the AEW TOGETHER team, who will report into Parekh, are effective immediately:

Katelyn Borden will serve as AEW TOGETHER’s Director of Community Engagement. She will be responsible for driving the overall strategy of philanthropic and local activations, managing fundraising targets and overseeing team members. She will also manage the evaluation of proceeds, data and results, and work to secure and develop partnerships and implement activations.

Amanda Huber will continue her impactful work as Community Engagement Coordinator, spearheading the identification of local organizations for collaborations in AEW’s touring markets. Her role will encompass coordinating logistics for activations and meet-and-greets, as well as managing all team communications channels.

Mark Henry, Paul Wight, Jake Roberts, and “Captain” Shawn Dean have been promoted to Special Advisors to AEW TOGETHER. In this role, they will bring their experience and passion for community relations to help identify partner organizations across the country, assist in incorporating talent participation and provide counsel on enhancing activations.

“The overarching mission of AEW TOGETHER is to fight collectively for a better world, and I’m honored to lead this incredible team in our effort to create meaningful impact,” said Katelyn Borden. “With our roster of passionate wrestlers and amazing partners across the country, we have the power to make a difference. We’re thrilled to officially kick off AEW TOGETHER today, and I’m looking forward to all that’s to come this year and beyond.”

“Hand-in-hand with delivering the best product to our fans each week is our strong commitment to fostering a safe, healthy and inclusive community through the power of wrestling. AEW TOGETHER complements this by identifying causes that are important to our talent and supporting organizations in the cities we visit throughout the year,” said Tony Khan. “The team behind AEW TOGETHER will ensure that we make a positive impact in every town we visit through volunteering, fundraising and helping to drive social change.”

For the latest updates and activations, follow @AEWTogether on Twitter & Instagram and visit www.aewtogether.org.

2K Games has released a new gameplay trailer for WWE 2K23, this time showing the video game debut of an NXT star and what WarGames, a fan favorite match, looks like in the virtual world. 

The game is still a month away, but this new trailer highlights Roman Reigns, Logan Paul, John Cena, The Undertaker, and Bad Bunny. It also features the details gone into making WarGames look as real as possible. 

• Pre-Order WWE 2K23 Now from Amazon

WarGames

WarGames is making its WWE video game debut this year after the company brought back the match type in 2017 for NXT. Although WWE first used WarGames on the main roster for last year’s Survivor Series event, the match will only be able to take place in one WarGames arena modeled after the 2021 event.

Also, NXT’s Cora Jade and Alba Fyre are featured as Jade hit Fyre with a Glory Bomb. It should be noted that it looks like she will have her babyface gimmick in the game, which marks her video game debut. 

The game is slated to be released on March 17, 2023. Fans who  pre-order the standard edition of the game early will be able to play as Bad Bunny and those get the Deluxe or Icon editions will have access to the game on Tuesday, March 14, 2023. 

Kenny Omega is slated to be back at this week’s AEW Dynamite after not appearing on AEW television since January 11 due to a visa issue. 

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported on Tuesday that Omega will be at Dynamite in Dayton, Ohio. As of this writing, it’s unclear whether Omega will be appearing on the show as he hasn’t been advertised for the episode.

Omega being cleared to travel again should pave the way for the future title defense of Trios Champions The Elite against Top Flight & AR Fox, which has been in the planning stages for weeks. Up to this point, AEW was not able to announce the date because of the visa issue.

The Elite won the titles on the January 11 episode of Dynamite in Los Angeles by defeating Death Triangle (PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) in a ladder match.

Updated AEW Dynamite Card

• Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page III
• Bryan Danielson vs. Timothy Thatcher
• TBS Champion Jade Cargill defends against Red Velvet
• TNT Champion Darby Allin defends against Samoa Joe in a no holds barred match
• Konosuke Takeshita vs. Brian Cage
• AEW Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed vs. TBA

Saturday night “The Road to WrestleMania” officially kicked off with the Royal Rumble.

The men’s Royal Rumble match saw a guest spot from Booker T along with the returns of Edge and Cody Rhodes. GUNTHER also set a record for the longest time in a Royal Rumble match.

AEW Star Supporting Cody Rhodes

Rhodes made his return from injury at the 30th entrant in the rumble match. He was able to defeat GUNTHER to earn a match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39.

Last night, AEW star Ricky Starks tweeted that “#30 is a great number. LFG”

On Sunday evening, a photo surfaced on Starks at the Royal Rumble with Rhodes. The two wrestlers are good friends. Settle down, IWC.

In response to the photo and the Twitter jokes, Starks commented, “Damn, they brought back GTV.”

On last Wednesday’s Dynamite, Starks and Action Andretti faced “Le Sex Gods” Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara.

Former MLW star EJ Nduka made his debut for All Elite Wrestling at Saturday’s AEW Dark tapings from Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. He faced Konosuke Takeshita in a match that will soon air on the AEW Youtube channel.

Nduka had two tryouts for WWE before signing with the company in August 2019. He trained at the Performance Center but was released less than two years later.

He signed with Major League Wrestling shortly thereafter as part of that year’s MLW Open Draft. Known as The Judge, Nduka held the MLW World tag team championships with Calvin Tankman. His MLW contract expired earlier this month and he decided to test himself on the free agency market.

Here are some photos of Nduka’s AEW debut, courtesy of Jacob Cohen:

Nduka is friends with AEW TBS Champion, Jade Cargill. They attended Jacksonville University together and broke into the business on the very same day.

During a November 2021 interview with SEScoops correspondent Samira, “So, Jade and I, we both went to college together. Ironically, we knew of each other, but we didn’t know each other. In college, she played basketball and I played football. We actually got close when we got in the industry the same day.”

“We had our tryout at the WWE at the PC (Performance Center). She was literally right behind me in line. We started chopping it up and ever since then we’ve just been really good friends and we train whenever we get a chance. They were in Orlando for the AEW Dynamite, so we got an opportunity to train.”

Everybody loves The Acclaimed, AEW’s reigning world tag team champions – even the guy who was in charge of the music playing at WWE’s Royal Rumble Super Store

The Royal Rumble Super Store has been open since January 26 at the Alamodome and is presented by Credit One Bank. Fans who are in town for the Rumble can purchase merchandise, check out iconic WWE memorabilia and participate in autograph signings presented by Fiterman Sports A correspondent on the ground in San Antonio wrote in to tell us that it’s an attraction that’s definitely worth checking out if you attend a big WWE PPV weekend.

On Friday night, a few customers who were in attendance mentioned on social media that the Acclaimed’s entrance theme music was playing at the store while ‘members of the WWE Universe’ were shopping.

According to Twitter user @BosniazFinest28, “the guy who came to turn it off said he got screwed by his Spotify playlist.”

Here’s the footage:

Scissor Me Daddy Ass

The Acclaimed was represented at another WWE event just miles away from the Royal Rumble Super Store. On Friday’s SmackDown, a fan of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens who had great seats proudly held a sign that reads, “Scissor Me Daddy Ass!”

Mark Briscoe was allowed to compete on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, but only after a lot of pushback from Warner Bros. Discovery.

In the main event of the show, Briscoe defeated Jay Lethal in a tribute match to Mark’s brother Jay, who died earlier this month.

It has been reported that the match was not approved until the day before Dynamite and that multiple segments were shortened to give the main event plenty of time

Warner Bros. Discovery Ban

Jay Briscoe unfortunately never got the chance to compete on AEW TV, due to a ban against the brothers implemented by Warner Bros. Discovery.

This ban was due to controversial tweets made by Jay a decade ago, comments that Briscoe would apologize for and explain as part of his heel character.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that WBD also had an issue with Jay and Mark’s use of the Confederate flag for their wrestling attire in the past.

It’s noted that as part of their agreement with AEW, Warner Bros. Discovery has the power to remove anyone from TV they do not wish to appear.

Following Mark’s debut, it was said that the ban on him is lifted and he is free to appear on future AEW programming.

What’s Next?

Jay’s daughters, who were in the car at the time of the accident, have undergone surgery and both are said to be doing okay despite what’s happened.

A fundraiser has been created to support Jay’s family, as well as the family of the other driver, who was also killed in the crash.

Mark has spoken about his brother, saying that Jay is still with him in spirit, and that he’s going to keep pushing forward.

This week’s emotional tribute show to Jay Briscoe was a huge night for AEW, but wasn’t approved until very late in the game.

Briscoe died last Tuesday in a car accident, mere minutes from his home in Laurel, Delaware. He was 38.

Both Jay and Mark had previously been banned by WBD from appearing on AEW programming over controversial comments Jay made a decade ago.

Tribute Show

This week’s show went off well, but there were several changes made to the show before it went live.

Fightful Select reports that prior to Tuesday, it didn’t appear that Mark Briscoe’s match against Jay Lethal was happening.

AEW had to move “many things around” to make the match a reality, and Ian Riccaboni was flown in just hours before the show.

The AEW TNT Championship match between Darby Allin and Buddy Matthews was the originally scheduled main event of the show.

That match had some time trimmed to add to the Briscoe-Lethal match, and the same happened with the Acclaimed’s therapy segment.

One source said it was impressive how they were able to provide Mark Briscoe and Jay Lethal as much time as they needed without compromising anything else that was advertised.

Dalton Castle was at the show and came to sit front row to cheer on Mark Briscoe, who defeated Lethal in the main event.

Those working in AEW who spoke to Fightful said they were very happy with how the show went.

This week’s edition of AEW Dynamite was an emotional show, but one top name from the company could not attend.

This week’s Dynamite was a tribute to Jay Briscoe, who died earlier this month in a car accident near his home in Laurel, Delaware.

Dynamite saw Jay’s brother Mark make his AEW debut and defeat Jay Lethal in the main event of the show.

Visa Issues

In addition to a stacked show, Dynamite saw the rosters of AEW and Ring of Honor appear to support Mark, but Kenny Omega wasn’t among them.

According to Fightful Select, the self-proclaimed ‘Best Bout Machine’ wanted to be at the AEW tapings “but has been battling visa issues” in recent days.

Omega has not appeared for AEW since he and the Young Bucks regained the AEW Trios Championships from Death Triangle on the January 11, 2023, episode of Dynamite.

It remains unclear when Omega will be able to return to TV, and the former World Champion missed much of 2022 due to injuries and his post-All Out suspension.

Tribute Show

Even without Omega, this week’s Dynamite was an exceptional affair in memory to one of the most established names in Ring of Honor history.

Dynamite saw AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin retain his title against Buddy Matthews, while JungleHook defeated Matt Hardy and ‘All Ego’ Ethan Page.

Bryan Danielson continued his winning ways in his efforts to get a shot at MJF, by defeating ROH Six-Man-Tag Team Champion Brian Cage.

Ruby Soho defeated Toni Storm in a match that was meant to be a triple-threat but was changed due to Britt Baker’s injury.