They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but that’s probably not what MJF was going for with his latest bombastic suit.
Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite saw Maxwell Jacob Friedman’s first appearance as AEW World Champion. It was an eventful segment that saw the 26-year-old send William Regal to the hospital and the introduction of his custom “BBB” AEW World title belt.
Friedman marked the big occasion by donning a custom suit that features the text, “Better Than You” all over it. As seen below, MJF will stop at nothing to express his feelings of superiority.
MJF has been throwing shade at Conor McGregor for years now and his “Better Than You” suit may be his latest attempt to goad The Notorious into an in-person confrontation.
The UFC megastar made headlines in 2017 when he wore the infamous “F-U” suit during his press tour for his fight against boxing champion Floyd Mayweather. The custom three-piece “F-U” suit was designed by David August and cost around $6,500.
There are similarities between MJF and Conor McGregor, but don’t tell that to MJF. Back in December 2020, he called comparisons to McGregor “cute” and “laughable.”
MJF said he appreciates what McGregor did in the UFC, but McGregor couldn’t spar with him and would get “absolutely bent over, if you know what I mean” on the microphone.
All Elite Wrestling star William Regal is expected back in WWE very soon. Over the past several weeks, there’s been conflicting reports over Regal’s contractual status with AEW.
Regal was released by WWE back in January. The decision caught a lot of people off guard and was attributed to the company’s decision to go in a new direction with NXT 2.0. His Lordship made a surprise debut at AEW Revolution in March and quickly aligned with Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley. They later formed the Blackpool Combat Club, one of this year’s most dominant factions in pro wrestling.
Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite saw Regal’s first public appearance with the man he helped win the AEW World Championship, Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The alliance was short-lived, as MJF ended the segment by blindsiding Regal with an attack that sent him to the hospital.
Regal Likely Returning Home to WWE
A lot has changed since Regal joined AEW, most notably Vince McMahon’s retirement. Regal’s longtime friend Triple H is now running the show, a situation that paved the way for his inevitable return.
On Thursday, a pair of reports strongly indicate Regal will be back at Triple H’s side in the very near future. According PWInsider, “there have been rumblings” within WWE that Regal will be returning soon in a backstage role. Regal was a driving force behind the success of NXT and served as the brand’s on-screen authority figure for several years.
In addition to this report, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful tweeted that he’s heard Regal’s AEW contract expires this month (December).
Regal is considered one of the brightest minds in the business and is an invaluable asset to whichever company he decides to work.
‘Hangman’ Adam Page is back on AEW programming, and the Cowboy is raring to go!
Page returned to Dynamite on last night’s episode, confronting Jon Moxley in the opening segment of the show.
The Cowboy’s appearance marked his first time on AEW TV since the October 18, episode of Dynamite, where he faced Moxley in an AEW World Championship match.
Cleared to Wrestle
During Page’s return, it was stated that the former AEW World Champion was in town to get medically tested.
The line certainly implies that Page has yet to be cleared, but as Dave Meltzer explained on Wrestling Observer Radio, that this is far from the case.
“He was (cleared to compete.) 100%.”
Dave Meltzer.
After an intense face-off with Moxley, the pair fought around the arena before wrestlers came in to break them up.
Page’s Injury
During the AEW World Championship match between the two, a lariat clothesline by Moxley left Page motionless in the ring.
The match was quickly called off, and it has been reported that there was an extra ten minutes of the match scheduled which didn’t take place.
It was later confirmed that the former World Champion had suffered a concussion during the match.
AEW’s medical team was widely praised for their immediate action, including by former WWE Superstar Chris Nowinski.
Sending positive thoughts to Hangman. This was not a high risk move. Something went wrong. Ref Paul Turner is trained to recognize a #concussion or a possible neck injury & stopped match. @DocSampson13 was ringside & there in seconds, gives us the best chance for a good outcome. https://t.co/wLbzKZa5xD
Nowinski was one of WWE’s promising Superstars in the early 2000s before a concussion derailed his career, and he has spent the years since doing research on CTE.
All Elite Wrestling could soon introduce its own Hall of Fame, if AEW President Tony Khan takes the advice of Ric Flair.
Khan founded the promotion in 2019 as an alternative to WWE following the success of the independent supershow ALL IN in 2018.
The promotion is home to several veterans of wrestling, including Chris Jericho, Paul Wight, Mark Henry, and Billy Gunn.
AEW Hall of Fame
Ric Flair is no stranger to being inducted into a wrestling Hall of Fame, having been given the nod twice by WWE (2008 and 2012.)
Flair is also a member of the NWA Hall of Fame (2008,) the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame (1996,) and the International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame (2021,) among others.
Speaking on the latest episode of his To Be the Man podcast, Ric called on Khan to give AEW an equivalent accolade.
“I wish Tony would start a Hall of Fame. That would create a lot of interest.”
Ric Flair.
The Nature Boy explained that the accomplishment wouldn’t solely be for the wrestlers of AEW, but for names associated with the company who are established legends of the sport.
“Do it based on people who he thinks were good in the history of the business not just guys from AEW the last three years.”
Ric Flair.
Ric Flair and AEW
If Tony Khan takes Flair’s advice on board, it may be a long time before the 16-time World Champion adds another Hall of Fame ring to his collection.
After leaving WWE in 2021, it was expected that Flair would manage his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo, but those plans were scrapped after the Dark Side of the Ring episode, documenting the Plane Ride from Hell.
Speaking about the infamous 2002 flight, Flair has denied all allegations of forcing a female flight attendant to touch his genitals.
William Regal made his way to the ring tonight on AEW Dynamite to a chorus of boos from the crowd in Indianapolis tonight.
He only was able to head to the ring because Jon Moxley was escorted out of the arena minutes prior. Moxley kicked off this week’s Dynamite but was interrupted by Hangman Page.
Hangman was making his return after suffering a concussion in a recent title match against Moxley before he dropped the belt to MJF at AEW Full Gear. Hangman Page and Jon Moxley traded punches before security broke it up. The brawl continued later on the show backstage and the two were taken out of the arena.
William introduced new AEW World Champion MJF and he got a great reaction from the crowd. Maxwell claimed that he was above the title because it reminded him of the men who have held it before.
He introduced a new title and referred to it as “BBB” (Big Burberry Belt). MJF said he is going to use the title as a bargaining chip in the bidding war of 2024, and he hopes the right Khan pays up, and he wasn’t talking about Tony.
5 Opponents for AEW World Champion MJF
Before the end of his promo, MJF pulled out the brass knuckles William Regal slid him at the end of the main event of Full Gear. MJF said Regal was a genius and noted a recent email William sent him.
The email was Regal offering MJF to become a better villain and suggesting that he use brass knuckles instead of the Dynamite Diamond Ring against Jon Moxley. Maxwell then punched Regal in the back of the head with the brass knuckles and quoted Regal’s email from seven years ago to him. MJF told Regal to “send him his stuff” down the line because right now he’s only hiring world-class athletes.
Bryan Danielson rushed the ring but MJF had already made his escape. MJF made multiple references to Danielson during the promo tonight. He referred to the crowd as “fickle” and Daniel Bryan introduced a new belt as the “Planet’s Champion” in WWE.
"You are now in the era of @The_MJF and my reign of terror has just begun."
MJF’s first title defense is set for Dynamite: Winter is Coming on December 14th. Ricky Starks will challenge for the title. Starks cut a backstage promo tonight and said he’s coming for everything MJF has and vowed to win the Battle Royal for the Dynamite Diamond Ring next week on Dynamite. Starks defeated Ari Daivari tonight in a singles match.
MJF came out to address the crowd and was introduced by William Regal. In the ring was a platform with something covered by a black cloth, which was very obviously a new title.
While talking about what he was better than, the champion said he was better than current title. After becoming champion, he promised himself there would be changes. He said looking at the title around his waist makes him “want to gag in his mouth.” The current title “is tacky and lacks class, and even worse, it reminds me of all of the men who have held it previously.”
Regal revealed the newly redesigned AEW World Championship that has a Burberry pattern on the straps. The champion said the belt is called the “Triple-B, the Big Burberry Belt.”
MJF warned everyone that his “reign of terror has begun”. He began to return Regal’s brass knucks to him as he thanked him for his help. He walked up behind Regal and hit him with his own brass knucks.
The champion left Regal laid out in the ring while Danielson came down to check on his mentor. No one else from Blackpool Combat Club came to check on Regal. Regal was stretchered to an ambulance.
"You are now in the era of @The_MJF and my reign of terror has just begun."
Tay Melo accompanied Anna Jay A.S. to the ring for her match with Willow Nightingale. At one point, Melo was knocked off the apron.
After Nightingale picked up with win, Melo was in the ring, facing the ramp when Ruby Soho made her return by sliding into the ring from behind. A newly green-and-black-haired Soho had receipts for the broken nose she received from Melo. She rained down blows on her and pushed Jay off the apron. Melo punched Soho in her jaw.
On the outside, Soho headbutted Melo before hitting Destination Unknown on the ramp.
Soho’s injury occurred in September when she was teaming with Ortiz against Melo and Sammy Guevara on Zero Hour. Her nose was broken by a knee to the face from Melo.
In October, Soho underwent reconstructive surgery because her nose was broken in two places and her “septum was a mess.” She tweeted that a month after ALL OUT, “the countdown begins until I can breathe again.”
Soho returned to her hometown on the same night as Hangman Page.
AEW Dynamite opened with Jon Moxley, who still hasn’t gotten his six week vacation, addressing the crowd. He talked about how he used to wrestle in Indianapolis early in his career.
He declared, “There are three constants: Death. Taxes. And Jon Moxley. There is nobody that can out work me, out hustle me, out wrestle me, out fight me, out bleed me, or out sweat me. Nothing has changed since Day One. Here at AEW, I am at the top of the food chain. I do what I want, I say what I want. This ring belongs to me. And you can bet your ass there is not a man in that locker room, there’s not a man in this building, there’s not a man in a 100-mile radius that has the balls to come out here, look me in the eyes and tell me any different.”
Page strutted straight to the former AEW World Champion and went nose-to-nose with him. Mox asked, “are you sure you want to do this after what happened last time? Oh, I’m sorry. Do you not remember?” Page replied by punching Moxley. Mox attempted to run away, but Page caught him with more punches. The two battled up to the ramp while Excalibur yelled that he doesn’t know if Hangman is cleared and if he is, it happened last minute.
The two had to be held back from each other. Mox ran at the “Anxious Millennial Cowboy”, but ended up falling off the ramp.
Page had been out of action since October when he suffered a concussion in the main event of Dynamite when facing Moxley for the AEW World Championship. He missed Full Gear as well.
Andrade El Idolo has announced that he has undergone the knife.
The AEW star had the first surgery of his career after suffering a torn pec a few months ago. Despite the injury, he continued to wrestle until he was sidelined due to backstage drama and he decided to get the procedure. He wrote the following:
“My first surgery, I can’t believe it happened. A few months ago, I tore my pectoral. Thanks god!I could and wanted to finish my match. I kept working because I love the business, but we know that many people do not value your effort. These days off, I took the opportunity to go to Dr.”
My first surgery I can't believe it happened.A few months ago,I tore my pectoral. Thanks god!I could and wanted to finish my match.I kept working because I love the business but we know that many people do not value your effort, these days off I took the opportunity to go to Dr. pic.twitter.com/7ah5ax2bEe
On November 30, Andrade provided an update on his injury. As seen below, he was injured in a 6-man tag match during the recent tournament to crown the inaugural AEW World Trios Championships.
THIS IS THE MATCH WHERE MY INJURY HAPPENED I LEAVE YOU PART OF THE MATCH.
You can't imagine in what movement we can get injured, it happened to me in the 6-man Suplex almost starting the match but I wanted to finish as a professional. pic.twitter.com/xDwrZhEUJF
In early October, Andrade El Idolo was sent home by AEW after he was involved in a backstage fight with Sammy Guevara. This was after they exchanged words on Twitter, including when Guevara accused Andrade of wanting to return to WWE.
El Idolo hasn’t been seen on AEW TV since then. Leading up to the incident, Andrade stated that he wasn’t scared to get fired. There was speculation among fans that was trying to get out of his AEW deal to return to WWE by being involved in this fight, although Andrade has denied those rumors.
There’s still no word yet on his status regarding whether Andrade will be brought back by AEW or let go.
From all of us here at SEScoops, we wish Andrade a speedy recovery.
AR Fox is All Elite. On Wednesday afternoon, AEW President Tony Khan announced that Fox had signed with All Elite Wrestling after he was offered a contract following the November 16 episode of Dynamite.
On this episode, Fox teamed with Top Flight (Dante & Darius Martin) to unsuccessfully challenge Death Triangle (PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo, & Rey Fenix) for the Trios Championships.
Fox’s Background
Through the fall, Fox has been used on AEW Dark, where he has worked matches against Eddie Kingston, Fenix, and Serpentico.
Fox is a wrestling veteran who debuted in 2009 and has worked for companies such as EVOLVE, PWG, Dragon Gate, Lucha Underground, and more. He’s helped train wrestlers such as Austin Theory and AC Mack.
Khan also confirmed that Fox would challenge Samoa Joe for the TNT Championship on the November 30 episode of AEW Dynamite.
Congratulations @ARealFoxx, you are officially ALL ELITE!
Chris Jericho has accomplished plenty in the world of professional wrestling, but he won’t be the start of a wrestling dynasty.
Among his accomplishments, Jericho was the first WWE Undisputed Champion and is a nine-time Intercontinental Champion, a record that has stood since 2008.
Joining AEW in 2019, the Canadian veteran became the first AEW World Champion that same year, and is currently in his first reign as Ring of Honor World Champion.
One-Man Dynasty
Pro-Wrestling is filled with second-generation talent, Randy Orton, Charlotte Flair, Cody Rhodes, Hook, and the Gunn Club.
Ash Irvine, Jericho’s 19-year-old son, won’t be adding his name to that list, as he doesn’t believe wrestling is in his future.
Speaking to Jim Varsallone, Ash said that he has flirted with the idea of wrestling, but knows he isn’t the right fit.
“It’s always been something that I like to think about. But I think deep down, I know it’s not for me. My grandpa played hockey, my dad does wrestling, and I’m not going to do either. I’m going to do my own thing.”
Ash Irvine.
Irvine’s grandfather, Ted Irvine, is a retired professional hockey player, best known for his time with the New York Rangers.
Fishing
With wrestling and hockey seemingly off the table, Ash Irvine’s future may be in the world of fishing.
The 19-year-old is an avid fisherman, and has appeared on his father’s Talk is Jericho podcast, where he is introduced as ‘Ash the Fishing Expert.’
His fishing expertise was hinted at strongly at the end of his interview with Varsallone, where Irvine was shown at a creek, fishing pole in hand.
The Elite returned at AEW Full Gear at the Prudential Center to a great reaction. They came to the ring to “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas and battled Death Triangle in a Trios match.
11 Best Moments from AEW Full Gear 2022
Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks came up short in their return match but it was later announced that they would get another shot at the titles, six of them in fact. Death Triangle are currently in a Best of 7 Series for the Trios Championships.
PAC and the Lucha Brothers are up 2-0, with both matches being one by Death Triangle striking The Elite with a hammer. AEW Dynamite aired from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago last week.
The crowd was all over the place during the match, with some fans chanting “f*** CM Punk!” and “f*** The Elite!”. All Elite Wrestling EVPs Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks took the opportunity to mock CM Punk two and a half months after All Out. Matt Jackson mocked CM Punk for missing the Buckshot Lariat, Kenny Omega did the GTS and bit his opponent.
Booker T discussed Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks mocking CM Punk months after AEW All Out on his Hall of Fame podcast.
The two-time WWE Hall of Famer said he doesn’t see the benefit of rehashing the CM Punk issue again if he’s not coming back and noted that it does nothing for the company.
I’m perplexed on that situation right there just because I don’t think [there] was anything tasteful about it
They’re gonna be heels, they’re going to get booed anyway so leaning into it, it’s just rehashing what happened at the scrum. It does nothing for that company.
Booker T went on to say that it was childish and he’s had beef with wrestlers in the past before but they were able to move passed it. He added that today’s generation of wrestlers doesn’t fear consequences and lacks locker-room etiquette.
I just think it’s childish stuff. I’ve had beef with guys in the business before. We handle it, we squash it, we move on and normally, that’s the way it used to be, but now it’s different.
And now it’s different because now nobody is getting their asses whooped.
No real consequences, no real repercussions, no real men running around. That’s got a lot to do with it. There’s no locker room etiquette, you know what I mean?
FTR has considered leaving AEW once the time comes for their contracts to expire as they went to keep their options open.
The AEW tag team has been vocal in recent months about not being completely happy with their booking in AEW and denied a shot at the company’s top Tag Team Championship despite being the number one ranked tag team in the company.
According to an interview with Fightful Select‘s Sean Ross Sapp, Dax Harwood said that he is under the belief that his current AEW contract ends at the end of April. He added that he and Cash Wheeler had had a lot of conversations about their future for when their AEW deal is up.
Options
While the two may be discussing leaving AEW, that does not necessarily mean they will return to WWE, although they may receive offers from the promotion purely based on their skill and success.
The tag team has discussed taking a year off from wrestling for major wrestling promotions, opting instead to work for smaller companies and do things that they personally find fun. He also said that having the opportunity to work more indies and various companies has led them to find out how much they love that landscape.
Harwood is set for a match with Bryan Danielson on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
FTR is the current ROH World Tag Team Champions and the former AEW World Tag Team Champions. They will defend the ROH gold at the Final Battle pay-per-view event on December 10th against Austin & Colten Gunn.
Posted November 29th, 2022 in AEW, News. Tagged: FTR.
Stokely Hathaway got into the wrestling business to “prove that pro wrestling is an art form” for his grad school thesis. Since his professors thought he’d fail, they “allowed me to go on this journey.”
On the latest episode of “The Sessions with Renee Paquette”, Hathaway used a Jill Scott lyric to explain why he is a manager; ‘everything isn’t for everybody.’ I wanted to be a wrestler and I’m 5’8″ on a good day and I didn’t have the athletic ability to pull it off. And so everyone thought that I was a good talker, so I just transitioned into that.”
To work on his thesis, he moved to Philadelphia. “Claudio Castagnoli was originally one of my trainers; Cassidy and Chuck Taylor. Claudio probably wouldn’t claim me on the athletic front. Managerial duties, maybe.” Although he never managed Castagnoli, they did try.
When asked how the thesis did, Hathaway replied that “I graduated, so it went well.” He has his Masters in Performing Arts. Hathaway discussed how the program teaches students that not everyone will be a famous actor, so they teach things like lighting, production, and directing to “make you a well-rounded entertainer.”
Hathaway appeared in his friend’s thesis films and was doing “the marketing thing professionally.” Wrestling was a hobby, but it soon took off. Hathaway watches a lot of comedy and is influenced by Robin Harris and Bernie Mac because he looks at being a manager as a character. He looks to Wayne Brady for improv. “You’re like the dressing on the salad and the salad is whoever you are managing, so that’s how I look at it.”
Stokely Hathaway On Working with MJF
AEW Dynamite Albany, NY 2022-09-14
Although Hathaway and MJF worked together on the indies, they hadn’t seen each other since 2018 before crossing paths in AEW. They had kept in touch over the years. “Fuck MJF” is what he says about him now.
Hathaway also reveals that the original plan for The Firm was to work with CM Punk. In fact, he was handpicked by Punk to work with him. “That was one thing I was looking forward to because I was hand-chosen for that role. I’m just going to say it. I don’t know the specifics about people choosing sides. I just know that CM Punk said ‘hey. I want to work with this guy.’ That means a lot, regardless of what has happened.”
Due to the situation with Punk, The Firm is having to figure out where to go next. “Everyone in the group is trying to do their best. The purpose isn’t the purpose anymore. With Ethan Page, I think he’s doing great. The Gunns are doing great. Lee is going to go into this feud with HOOK. And so things are slowly, no pun intended, gearing up.”
“It’s just going to take a few weeks. I think the way wrestling is nowadays, I get that first impressions are everything, but it’s a little bit difficult to change people’s minds. Obviously, I get it. People do not want to see Picasso work on his painting. They just want to see the shit when it’s done, right? I think that’s the phase that we’re in. We are working on it, but people don’t want to see anyone working on it. They want to see the finished product. Which I completely understand, but at the same time, we’re all human. Like, I wish this was Harry Potter and I had a wand and could move time.”
Hathaway was offered a contract extension, but declined the offer. He did a comedy show alluding to why he left, but he says “the wrong message got sent.” On the latest episode of The Sessions with Renee Paquette, he revealed what actually happened.
“I need to be completely honest. I woke up one day in February and just felt miserable. I just felt, I guess the right way is, I just felt crazy. Like I didn’t know where I was, I didn’t know what was going on.” The feeling would go away, but came back to the point where it was “debilitating.”
Stokely Hathaway Discuss Mental Health Journey
“I voluntarily committed myself. I think this was on a Friday. I got out on Sunday. It was a very interesting experience, mainly because I would say in like Florida, it’s like prison for the mentally ill. So when I went in, I had no idea what I was in for. I was kinda like in a cell. No real sheets, it was like a metal frame that you’d laid on. The sink was one of those that was like rigged to be motion detected. They gave you a little thing of soap and a little thing of toothpaste. You couldn’t really go into your room until like 8, 9 P.M. and you had to wake up at 6 A.M. You just like walked the floors and that’s like it. Walk back and forth to fill up the time. That was like three days of that. And then afterwards I was like, ‘maybe I’m not as crazy as I thought.’ (laughs)
When discussing how he got to that point, Hathaway says “it was just trying to manage everything. I regret leaning into the “being funny” thing because I think it’s hard for people to take you seriously. So who am I going to say ‘I feel this way’, like I don’t think there was anyone to really like listen or that I could vent or to talk to. And especially with social media nowadays. One, it’s hard to take people seriously. Two, I don’t want to say it’s like a thing to use mental health as a crutch, but I just felt like no one would believe me if I said, ‘hey, I feel this way or I feel that way.’ So, I just felt like that was the right thing for me to do.”
At the time where he felt like he needed to go get help, he didn’t tell anyone. “They take your phone away, so like I had minor communication.” He was able to check in with his dog sitter, so he was able to get his phone for a few minutes. Afterwards, I told people close to me that I could trust and honestly it worked because it didn’t get out.”
Hathaway says his time at the facility wasn’t beneficial other than he never wants to go through it again.
Why He’s is Coming Forward Now
AEW Dynamite Albany, NY 2022-09-14
When discussing pressures from work at the time, Hathaway says he feels a lot of pressure “as a Black talent because I feel like I get judged more harshly than other people. Like I feel like everything I do is analyzed, like overanalyzed. Everyone gets a critique, but I feel like mine is like a different level. I’m also incredibly hard on myself. So it was like one of those things where hard on myself, I had to realize it’s wrestling. It’s wrestling, it’s not like a live or die situation. So for me, it was dealing with that and it was also again, I regret leaning into the funny thing because I’m very introverted and closed off. You know what? I have this very small circle of people I trust.”
To help him cope, he “prays every day. Even if you’re an atheist, it helps. At the end of the day, even if there isn’t God or Allah or whatever, I think just being able to focus and having a peace of mind that has helped me, I’d rather be safe than sorry. Y’know, I do not want to go to hell if there is one. But, that has been pretty important to me.”
He also revealed that he agrees with some ideologies in the Islamic faith. He clarified that he is not in the Nation of Islam. Revealing this information on the podcast is also the first time his family will learn this about him.
Once he left the facility, he had to go back to work with WWE and he was miserable. There was pre-tape and he had to “just jump back into it and get my shit together.” He decided to come forward with what he’s been dealing with so that his current co-workers can understand him and to talk about mental health more openly. “I’m sure there a many Black males who have felt the way that I do, so this is a ‘hey, it’s not the end of the world.'”
For his AEW co-workers, he said he wants to share all of this because he thinks there was this expectation that “I was going to do cartwheels and it’s just like no, I want to come in and do my job and leave. Everywhere I’ve worked outside of wrestling, it can be taken the wrong way, especially as a Black male. It can turn into ‘oh, this dude has an attitude.’ Or this person doesn’t want to be bothered. When the harsh reality is — the nice way to say it is — stay out of shit. I have my own segments to deal with. I don’t want to know about it unless it pertains to me.”
Japanese star Konosuke Takeshita looks to be in line for a notable push in AEW.
Takeshita built up his reputation at DDT-Pro and began regularly competing for AEW earlier this year, where he won over the hearts of the AEW fans with his in-ring performances. He shared the ring with the likes of Adam Page, Jon Moxley, and Eddie Kingston and nearly won the ROH championship from Claudio Castagnoli in their match at Battle of the Belts III.
He picked up a series of wins on AEW’s weekly Youtube shows (Dark: Elevation, Dark), as well as a victory over Ryan Nemeth on an episode of Rampage. Takeshita’s run with the company ended over the summer as he had to return to Japan, but now he’s back.
Takeshita held onto Daivari’s tights and picked him up for a Blue Thunder Bomb that made Callis smile. Takeshita went for a springboard, but Takeshita saw Callis and got distracted, which led to Daivari rolling out of the way. In the end, Takeshita got the win with a rolling German Suplex into a bridge and got the pinfall.
Don Callis scouting Konosuke Takeshita on Elevation. ?
AEW star Danhausen announced on social media that he was recently the victim of a hit-and-run car accident.
On November 2, 2019, Danhausen made his debut for Ring of Honor at ROH Wrestling, where he lost his match against Shane Taylor for the ROH World Television Championship. He continued to work for the company.
Danhausen participated in a four-way match at ROH 19th Anniversary Show on March 26, 2021, but lost. That December, the company went on a break until AEW President Tony Khan bought the promotion.
The Incident
In a post on Twitter, AEW shared that he was a victim of a hit-and-run incident:
“Today Danhausen’s car was hit and runned apparently, airport had no parking, second flight was delayed by 3 hours so had to buy and entirely new flight and get checked bag transferred over to new airline that will hopefully make it.”
On January 26, 2022, on a special Beach Break episode of Dynamite, Danhausen made his AEW debut by appearing in the Lights Out match between Orange Cassidy and Adam Cole. Danhausen joined the company according to an announcement made by AEW President Tony Khan hours later after the appearance.
Danhausen’s most recent AEW match was on the Full Gear: Zero Hour pre-show, where he came up short in a ten-man tag team match.
It was initially reported that Regal had months left on his AEW deal, but in an update, it was said he has years and will remain under contract until 2025.
At AEW Full Gear 2022, Regal turned on Jon Moxley and aided MJF in winning the AEW World Championship.
Regal’s Return
Regal may still have plenty of time left on his AEW deal, but that hasn’t stopped WWE hoping for a return.
While speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer went into detail regarding the former King of the Ring’s contract.
“William Regal when he signed, which was only in April or May, said that he signed for three years. Now, something is going on… I’ve been told a lot of stuff but most of it was off the record.
“I do know that it is something that has been talked about [by WWE.]”
Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer added that Tony Khan has yet to let anyone out of a contract early, but that doesn’t mean Regal won’t be the exception.
“It’s something that’s in play. But he said his contract is three years, so in theory, that would tell you that he couldn’t do anything until April 2025.”
Run
On last week’s AEW Dynamite, Jon Moxley confronted Regal, and would have attacked him if not for Bryan Danielson.
Instead of attacking Regal, the former World Champion told Regal to run from AEW and never return.
Speaking about the segment, which some have seen as AEW’s way of writing Regal off TV, Meltzer said this isn’t the case.
“The thing on Wednesday’s show was just an angle, but there had been talk of that from very early on.”
Dave Meltzer.
After missing last week’s Dynamite, AEW World Champion MJF will be on tonight’s show, but it is unclear if Regal will join him.
CM Punk has parted ways with All Elite Wrestling according to recent comments made by Stokely Hathaway.
Punk, who debuted for AEW in August 2021, has been suspended since All Out for his role in the backstage fight.
With the third-party investigation into the fight now finished, it has been reported that Punk is seeking a buyout of his contract.
Out of the Company
Following All Out, Tony Khan kept silent on any CM Punk matters, due to the investigation.
The now-infamous September Pay-Per-View went off the air with MJF, who had won the Casino Ladder match earlier in the night, staring down Punk.
Speaking on the latest episode of The Sessions, Stokely Hathaway spoke about his run in AEW so far, and his work with The Firm.
Hathaway noted that plans for the group to feud with CM Punk have fallen through.
“Everything that was supposed to happen with The Firm did not happen. Back at All out, what happened immediately after the Pay-Per-View, that was a huge part of it.
“[The person] We were supposed to directly feud with is no longer in the company. “
Stokely Hathaway.
Tony Khan has not confirmed CM Punk’s AEW status or whether he has been released by All Elite Wrestling at this time.
Wanting to work with CM Punk
Like Punk, Hathaway is able to more than hold his own on the mic, and a war of words between them would have been epic to see.
On the podcast, Hathaway said that he regrets not getting to chance to work with the former AEW World Champion.
“That was one thing I was looking forward to because I was hand-chosen for that role. I’m just going to say it. I don’t know the specifics about people choosing sides. I just know that CM Punk said ‘hey. I want to work with this guy.’ That means a lot, regardless of what has happened.”
At AEW Full Gear, MJF captured the AEW World Championship from Jon Moxley thanks to a heel turn by William Regal.
MJF, aka Maxwell Jacob Friedman, became the biggest star in All Elite Wresting simply by walking away.
He returned from his hiatus following his pipebomb rant at the now infamous All Out PPV. MJF confronted former AEW World Champion CM Punk to set up the third match in the rivalry but it never came to fruition.
MJF went on to battle Jon Moxley in the main event at AEW Full Gear after William Regal made a shocking decision. The former Blackpool Combat Club leader slid MJF the brass knuckles and Maxwell clobbered Moxley over the head with them to become the new AEW World Champion.
5 Opponents for AEW World Champion MJF
MJF Mocks Young AEW Fan
A young wrestling fan sent a video to the AEW World Champion and said that he was going to be at Dynamite this Wednesday night. The kid poked fun at MJF needing outside interference to win matches.
I hope you don’t ever win any more matches and that somebody else has a shot at the AEW Championship without actually cheating.
Nolie’s going to @AEW Dynamite on Wednesday in Indianapolis, and he wanted to warn @The_MJF about all the mean stuff he’s gonna yell from the crowd. pic.twitter.com/qVtmHp486F
MJF will make his first appearance since winning the AEW World Champion this Wednesday on Dynamite. It will be interesting to see if the young fan gets to mock MJF back to his face.
This is not an isolated incident. The Salt of the Earth doesn’t take crap from anyone, including children.
William Regal’s future with All Elite Wrestling has been speculated about over the past several weeks. Recent actions from AEW and WWE led to fans wondering if he’d be working for Triple H again in the near future, but that won’t be the case.
WWE released Regal in January 2022 as part of “the continued evolution of NXT 2.0.” Regal served as WWE’s Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting. A talent of his caliber does not stay on the sidelines for long.
Just two months later, Regal shocked the wrestling world when with a surprise debut at AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view. The longtime figurehead of WWE’s NXT brand stormed the ring after Jon Moxley’s match against Bryan Danielson.
Within a matter of weeks, they’d all be on the same page as part of the Blackpool Combat Club faction. The group later added Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta.
Regal turned on Jon Moxley earlier this month at AEW Full Gear and allowed MJF to capture the AEW World Championship. This past week on Dynamite, Moxley told Regal to run far away from him or else he will deliver on his violent intentions for revenge. It seemed like Regal was being written off television.
Triple H later invoked Regal ahead of Saturday’s WWE Survivor Series premium live event with a video of Regal shouting WarGames. He noted the show wouldn’t be the same without him.
Dave Meltzer stated on Wrestling Observer Radio that Regal still has “several months left” on his AEW deal. Early Monday morning, Meltzer clarified that his initial report about Regal signing a 1-year deal was incorrect. Regal actually signed a 3-year deal with AEW in early 2022, based on comments he made shortly after his debut.
Regal’s Role in AEW
William Regal is one of the brightest minds in pro wrestling and offers decades of experience that he’ll use to train the next generation of AEW talent.
AEW President Tony Khan spoke about Regal’s role with the company at the media scrum that took place after Revolution, the night of Regal’s AEW debut. Khan said he couldn’t believe that Regal became a free agent and has the utmost respect for his contributions to the business.
“Behind the scenes, I’m really excited to have him here,” said Khan. “I think Lord Regal can teach all of us here a lot. It’s gonna be great having him here and I’m very excited like I said, onscreen and offscreen. It came together very recently and I think it fits very well with what we’re doing here in AEW all around.”
The average age of your standard AEW Rampage viewer has increased dramatically over the last year according to the latest data.
Rampage, AEW’s second televised show, launched in August 2021 and provides matches and the continuation of storylines from AEW Dynamite.
Getting On in Years
AEW has always prided itself on being an alternative to WWE, but recent data suggests the two companies aren’t too far apart.
In data from Wrestlenomics, it has revealed that the average age of an AEW Rampage viewer is in their early 50s, a sharp increase from the average age from October 2021 (mid-late 40s.)
The average age of a Monday Night Raw viewer is also in their early to mid-50s, and it seems just a year or two separates WWE’s three-hour show and AEW Rampage.
AEW Dynamite has also seen an increase in the age of the average viewer, but nowhere close to how dramatic the rise has been for Rampage.
Both WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown have been able to win over younger fans this year and lower their average audience tuning in each week.
After an increase in late 2021 following the launch of NXT 2.0, WWE’s gold brand has seen the average age of their viewer also drop.
AEW's live+same-day TV audience has aged up in recent months.
Rampage has moved from being the youngest audience in wrestling to closing in on Raw's median age.
CM Punk reportedly wants to be bought out of his AEW contract. He arrived in All Elite Wrestling at the 2nd-ever episode of Rampage on August 20th last year.
5 Best Moments of CM Punk’s AEW Career
AEW sold out the United Center on a rumor that CM Punk would be making his return to the world of professional wrestling after seven years away.
Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer noted during a recent live chat that CM Punk is the one that wants the contract buyout and AEW would have just released him if they wanted him gone.
Punk wants the buyout. Why would AEW want a buyout? Fire him. If you troll him, what’s gonna happen, he’s going to say he doesn’t want a buyout anymore?
Maybe they will fire him, but they’re not gonna do when he’s injured.
— Andrew Ravens l WrestlingNews.co (@Andrew_Ravens) November 26, 2022
AEW Brawl Out
All Elite Wrestling held its All Out PPV at the NOW Arena on September 4th. CM Punk defeated Jon Moxley in the main event to win the AEW Championship for the 2nd time. MJF was revealed to be the masked man that won the Casino Ladder match to begin the show and confronted the new AEW World Champion as the PPV went off the air.
Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks (The Elite) defeated Death Triangle to become the inaugural Trios Champions on the PPV as well. After the show, new AEW World Champion CM Punk sat next to Tony Khan and went on a rant about The Elite, Colt Cabana, and Hangman Page. The Elite confronted CM Punk backstage and a brawl broke out. CM Punk and The Elite were suspended indefinitely and stripped of their titles.
The Elite Return
Two and half months after the brawl at the All Out media scrum, The Elite returned to AEW at Full Gear.
11 Best Moments from AEW Full Gear 2022
They lost to Death Triangle in a Trios Championship after Pac bashed Kenny Omega with a hammer. It was the first match of a best-of-7 series, and The Elite battled Death Triangle once again in the Wintrust Arena in Chicago this past Wednesday on Dynamite.
CM Punk’s hometown was wild during the Trios Championship match as The Elite took shots at the former AEW World Champion during the match. Omega and the Young Bucks once again came up short after Rey Fenix bashed Nick Jackson over the head with a hammer. The Elite currently trails 0-2 in the series with the next match scheduled for December 7th edition of Dynamite in Indianapolis.
Saraya says there is a clear distinction between the woman she is today and Paige, the persona she portrayed in WWE from 2011 until June 2022.
The former WWE Divas and NXT Women’s Champion shocked the wrestling world when she debut at AEW Grand Slam in September. She returned to in-ring action at AEW Full Gear last weekend, her first match since December 2017.
She went through hell to get to where she is today. After battling being forced into an early retirement and battling addiction and other personal issues, Saraya is ready to write the next chapter of her career.
Saraya recently spoke with Chris Van Vliet about a wide variety of topics, including The Rock making a movie about her life, dealing with negativity on social media, her relationship with Sasha Banks and so much more.
Saraya vs. Paige
As she embarks on a new journey in AEW, Saraya about leaving ‘Paige’ behind for good. She has matured in so many ways, she’s simply not that person anymore.
“Saraya is more mature, that’s definitely a big thing.. and sober,” she said. “The thing is, with Paige, she was.. she was this little emo girl teenager, kind of like the anti-teenager phase, and going into Saraya; I can’t imagine myself being that character anymore.”
(WWE)
Saraya is an industry veteran at only 30 years old. She was a teenager when she joined WWE, which is an important factor to consider when thinking about everything she’s dealt with over the years.
Looking back at how her current character compares to Paige, she considers Saraya to be “elevated” and “more grown-up.”
“Paige just didn’t give an F about anybody, not even herself,” she said. “She just cared about.. outside of wrestling, partying, and stuff like that. Where me, as Saraya, I focus on elevating myself, remaining healthy, mentally being happier.”
Saraya sounds like she’s in a great place and ready to lead the AEW women’s division into a new era.
Posted November 26th, 2022 in AEW, News. Tagged: Saraya.
Bryan Danielson took a leap of faith when he left WWE and joined All Elite Wrestling. The American Dragon admits that it was a “scary” decision to step outside of his comfort zone and wrestle a more physical style in AEW.
During a recent appearance on Ron Funches’ One Fall podcast, Danielson spoke about WWE always wanting to portray him as an underdog and his drive to continue testing his body at this stage in his career.
You can listen to the full episode here, with highlights below:
Playing the Underdog
Danielson was one of the top stars in WWE over the past decade. He did it all there, including five world title reigns and countless other accomplishments.
He understands the company wanted to portray him as an underdog early in his run. It made sense for him to be the underdog against monsters like Brock Lesnar. But he eventually grew tired of that role and think fans did too.
“It was hard for the fans a little bit too, I think to connect with somebody who is an underdog, who, at this point, had won the title multiple times … Married also this beautiful woman who’s got a reality TV show. I’m really not an underdog in life anymore, right?”
Joining AEW
He ultimately made the decision to leave WWE and join AEW. Danielson admits the change came with some fears and uncertainty.
“The scary part of it was stepping outside of this comfort zone that I had in WWE,” he said. “In AEW, you see them doing some pretty risky things. I was like, I don’t know if physically I can do that anymore. Over the last year-plus, I’ve proven to myself that I can.”
Danielson remains driven to continue testing himself physically. Some people, including his wife Brie, question why he feels the need to push himself to the limits at 41 years old.
