Who is winning the war between WWE and All Elite Wrestling? Well in the UK, it’s hard to tell.

In May 2019, months after launching, AEW announced a partnership deal with ITV for their weekly programming and Pay-Per-Views to be aired.

After ITV Box Office ceased operations in January 2020, the promotion’s Pay-Per-Views were no longer streamed by the broadcaster.

The Ratings

During this week’s AEW Dynamite, it was announced that the promotion will host its first UK event next year.

The UK is known for its wildly passionate fanbase, as the success of WWE Clash at the Castle can attest.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that AEW is consistently improving in the ratings thanks to a new timeslot.

“Because the ratings have been good, ITV 4 [AEW’s host channel] decided to move it to 9 pm every Friday night. That is a regular time slot. It won’t be revolving around. What happened the first couple of weeks is the new timeslot, the numbers were way down. Not way up, because people didn’t know about the timeslot change. But every week the ratings have gone up and up and up.

“Last week, they set their all-time record rating, not just for that time slot but since Dynamite has been on the air.”

Popularity

Typically, ratings can tell you what is the more popular show, and this metric can often shape future deals for companies.

As Meltzer explained, this isn’t the case with the UK, as WWE remains the more popular show despite what the numbers say.

“Ratings and popularity are not the exact same thing. Because they are on a station that is stronger in England than WWE is, as far as exposure, their ratings dwarf WWE in England.
WWE just ran in Cardiff and did 53,999 paid attendance and an $8 million house, and AEW is not going to do that. AEW’s ratings dwarf WWE but WWE is more popular in England, and by a significant margin.

“In this case, the ratings do not tell you which is the more popular promotion, even though more people by far watch Dynamite than any other show. More people watch Rampage than watch Raw or SmackDown in England.”

It is unclear when exactly in 2023 AEW will make their UK debut, while WWE’s next events in the UK will be in April next year.

Sammy Guevara was in no mood for sportsmanship after this week’s AEW Dynamite wrapped up filming.

This week’s Dynamite took place from the Aggannis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts, and saw the promotion continue on the road to Full Gear.

Guevara and Danielson

In the main event of this week’s AEW Dynamite, Sammy Guevara faced off against Bryan Danielson in a two-out-of-three falls match.

The first fall saw Danielson get a DQ victory after being hit in the face with a steel chair by Guevara.

A rising knee strike to a bloodied Danielson quickly tied the score, with one victory each.

The tiebreaker fall saw Danielson win the match via submission, locking in the former three-time AEW TNT Champion into a double arm-bar submission.

After the show, Danielson offered his hand in a sign of respect, but Guevara did not shake back.

Instead, the Spanish God flipped off Danielson and stormed off to bring the show to an end.

Facing off Again

Guevara didn’t get the win this week, but will get another shot at Danielson at next week’s AEW Full Gear 2022 Pay-Per-View.

The pair will be joined by Claudio Castagnoli and Ring of Honor World Champion Chris Jericho in a four-way match for the Wizard’s title.

This week’s Dynamite also saw Saraya confirm that she is medically cleared and will also compete at Full Gear where she’ll face Britt Baker DDS.

AEW Full Gear will be headlined by AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defending against MJF, who earned a title match by winning the Casino Ladder Match at All Out.

Dustin Rhodes will be staying with AEW for at least the next year despite recently teasing an exit from wrestling.

The former Goldust has been one of AEW’s longest-tenured stars, joining in early 2019 but has made fewer appearances in the ring in recent years.

Rhodes’ most recent match for AEW saw him challenge then-ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli on the August 24, episode of Rampage.

Rhodes’ Contract

Last month, Rhodes seemingly teased his retirement, saying he will have to do “heavy thinking” about his future and that “time comes for us all.”

Speaking this week on the Sports Guys Talk Wrestling podcast, Rhodes gave an update on his status with the promotion.

“I still have a year under contract, a little less than a year, and I’m gonna try to do the best I can and entertain as much as I can because I still love it and am pretty passionate about it.”

Dustin Rhodes.

In addition to being an on-screen performer, Rhodes also works as a trainer and coach for the company and has been praised for his efforts.

Retirement?

The former WWE Superstar had a lot of people believing his time was up with his post last month.

Addressing his health issues and possible retirement, Rhodes said he is doing much better now but realizes his time in the ring will be over soon.

“Knee is great. I’m feeling good. I’m ready to go back. I’ll be back very very soon, probably two weeks. Right now, I feel good.

“I am getting older and that kind of weighs on my mind a little bit… I’m getting older, they’re getting younger and faster. I know my time is short.”

h/t – NoDQ.com

If you weren’t listening carefully, you might’ve missed Tony Schiavone casually announcing that AEW is finally headed to the UK in 2023.

Tony Khan hinted earlier on Wednesday that the announcement was on the way. After promising a very “exciting newsworthy show”, he threw in UK ITV4 viewership news, including that the October 28th episode of Dynamite was the most watched episode ever.

Tony Khan Wants to Have A Show in Craven Cottage

On nearly every single media call, someone has asked when AEW is coming to the UK. Khan has long said he wants to hold a show at Craven Cottage. That venue is the home of Fulham FC, the Premier League football (soccer) owned by the Khan family.

Back when AEW was in the early stages, Khan flew the Young Bucks to the UK. While showing them around, Khan told them he wanted to hold a show there. The promotion had hoped to get there sooner, but the pandemic changed everything and made it impossible for AEW to go to the UK.

• Saraya Announces She’s Cleared to Wrestle

In September, it was reported that AEW was shooting for Summer 2023. In Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer said “Right now, it still looks like next summer at the earliest for a U.K. debut at Craven Cottage, the home of Fulham.”

AEW will give more details about their foray into the UK next week.

The inaugural Trios Champions appear to be on their way back to All Elite Wrestling at the Full Gear PPV on November 19th.

During tonight’s edition of Dynamite, AEW aired another video package featuring The Elite. Kenny Omega and Young Bucks can be seen with Cody Rhodes, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, and other wrestlers in the video.

The video features graphics from Full Gear and that appears to be the date Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks will return.

• AEW Full Gear 2022 Preview

The Elite Suspended after AEW All Out

Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks defeated Death Triangle at AEW All Out on September 4th to become the first Trios Champions in company history. Their title reign lasted a few days before they were suspended for their part in a backstage brawl following the PPV.

Jon Moxley and CM Punk had a rivalry leading into the PPV. Moxley had won the AEW World Championship from Punk on an episode of Dynamite two weeks before All Out. The legendary Ace Steel talked Punk into accepting Moxley’s Open Challenge for the AEW World Championship at the PPV. CM Punk wound up accepting the challenge and defeated Moxley to become the AEW World Champion for the 2nd time (without a single title defense).

After CM Punk won the title in front of his hometown crowd, he was confronted by MJF to set up the third match in their rivalry. However, that likely will never happen as the former AEW World Champion went on a tirade after the PPV that had very little to do with winning the title ten minutes prior. CM Punk had also torn his triceps during the match, which would likely have resulted in having to forfeit the title.

The rant led to AEW EVPs Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks confronting the champion in his locker room. According to various reports, the door either was kicked open by The Elite and hit Larry the Dog in the face, or The Elite politely knocked. The truth is likely somewhere in between.

What has been confirmed is that a brawl broke out, CM Punk reportedly threw the first punch, Ace Steel hurled a chair at Nick Jackson, bit Kenny Omega, and was fired. The Elite now appear to be on their way back while there has been no word on the status of CM Punk. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has stated that AEW has been negotiating with Punk for a buyout but nothing has come to fruition yet.

• 5 Best Moments of CM Punk’s AEW Career

Cody Rhodes is a guest on the latest episode of “Out of Character” with Ryan Satin. During the show, Rhodes talks about his AEW role and the mistakes he made as an EVP.

Satin mentions that in the post-WrestleMania scrum, Rhodes told Nick Hausman that he wasn’t mature enough for an EVP role. Rhodes clarified that while he said he wasn’t mature enough, what he thinks he meant was that “in that role, I did well.”

“I was very active and I did start a department, a community department. Brandi did bring Kulture City into the wrestling and sports entertainment space. So, we were very active in terms of all the facets and assets of that gig. But, I think that job was meant for — we wanted a wrestling company brought you by wrestlers. For sure, that’s a huge part of the mission — but maybe it would’ve been better served for me at age 45 then it did at age 33 or whatever it was.”

Cody Rhodes Can’t Be A Wrestler and a Boss Simultaneously

“I am just now entering the prime of my career. So the make political decisions like boxing myself out of winning a world championship, those decisions in hindsight were not the correct decisions and what I should’ve been doing.”

Rhodes declares that he’s the best wrestler. He said it isn’t being “braggadocios” because he lives and breathes wrestling. He says he treats wrestling like “an athlete would treat an NFL game.” Rhodes said, “I needed to go and be that. And I wanted to both and that was just too difficult and that’s where I didn’t have the maturity to balance it.”

• Jeff Jarrett Takes a Shot at Braun Strowman & WWE on AEW Dynamite

Being on the backstage side of things, he feels he can “no longer be one of the boys.” If he had been in an EVP role later in his life, Rhodes feels like it would’ve served him better. “If I can’t be the best wrestler in the world on television because I’m afraid I’m going to offend colleagues because I am also their boss, that was the situation we were in and I just played it in the middle. There was only so much of playing in the middle that I could do and now I’m not in charge of nothing other than me and being a pro wrestler.”

Rhodes is currently rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle that he suffered earlier this year.

Jeff Jarrett made his shocking debut in All Elite Wrestling last week on Dynamite and took a shot at a WWE Superstar during tonight’s show.

• 5 Reasons MJF Should Win The AEW Championship at Full Gear

He attacked Darby Allin in his debut and bashed a guitar over his head. Double J cut a promo and vowed to be a prominent figure in AEW on and off the screen. Jarrett sent out a warning to AEW fans as well during the promo.

AEW President Tony Khan tweeted out that Jeff will be serving as the Director of Business Development for the company.

Jeff Jarrett Takes a Shot At Braun Strowman on Dynamite

On this week’s episode of Dynamite, Jeff Jarrett appeared following Jay Lethal’s win over Trent. He hyped up Jey as a wrestler that has wins over Sting and Ric Flair. Double J added that Sonjay Dutt has an IQ of 180 and they’ve taken over promotions all across the world.

• AEW Full Gear 2022 Preview

Jarrett then brought up Satnam Singh and said he’s a real giant. He added that he’s not a “make believe monster in red skinny jeans produced by the banana nose factory”.

Jeff Jarrett appeared at WWE SummerSlam as the special guest referee for the Undisputed Tag Team Championship match between The Usos and The Street Profits. After Triple H gained power, he let Jarrett go and replaced him with Road Dogg as the SVP of Live Events.

Ever since debuting in AEW, everyone has wondered if Saraya is cleared to wrestle. She has gotten physical a few times since being in an AEW ring. It was reported that she was clear, but Saraya would not confirm it.

On last week’s Dynamite, Saraya had a sit-down interview with Renee Paquette. They were supposed to be joined by Britt Baker, but she didn’t show. When Paquette asked her for her status, Saraya answered that she was saving it for next week because “there’s one more doctor I’ve got to see.”

Saraya Has Her First Match in AEW

During tonight’s Dynamite, Tony Schiavone led a segment with Saraya and Baker. It quickly devolved into a back and forth with plenty of WWE references.

Saraya announced that she was cleared right off the bat. She had MRIs, x-rays, and CT scans. “And unfortunately…for Britt, I’m a 100-percent cleared!”

After detailing her journey in the wrestling business, Saraya focused on how Baker was handed everything by Tony Khan. “Here’s another opportunity handed to you on a silver platter. This is going to be my comeback story and this is going to be the biggest match of your career. It’s going to be you versus me at Full Gear!”

Full Gear will be live from Neward, New Jersey on Saturday, November 19. The main show begins at 8 PM ET.

• The Elite Rumored for Big Match at AEW Full Gear 2022

Chris Jericho wants to bring his Painmaker character to the big screen. Jericho believes his serial killer-inspired alter ego can hugely successful outside of pro wrestling.

AEW’s Inaugural World Champion recently appeared on Howie Mandel Does Stuff. During a discussion about super heroes, Jericho said The Painmaker has a comic book in the works and has a rich backstory that could put it on the level of super heroes like Batman, Superman and Spider-Man.

“The idea is to make it into a movie at some point. That’s my overall goal. We’re just writing and illustrating the graphic novel now.”

– Chris Jericho

The Painmaker Lore

“So the idea is The Painmaker is an intergalactic former serial killer. He’s changed his life, and he’s not a serial killer anymore, but now he travels the galaxy hunting down other serial killers in different galaxies, different planets.”

Jericho further explained what makes the character tick, and likened it to the character Dexter Morgan from the Showtime series Dexter. He’s already brainstorming ideas for a big love interest storyline.

“What if The Painmaker falls in love and can’t help himself, and he has to kill the one he loves?!” Jericho questioned. “Who knows? The possibilities are endless.”

The Painmaker first appeared in New Japan Pro Wrestling during Jericho’s feud with The Rainmaker Kazuchika Okada. He’s since appeared in AEW on several occasions.

H/T Transcription: Wrestling Inc

AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa has been off of television since the Dynamite before AEW All Out on September 4th. The disastrous media scrum that followed took all the attention away from the current odd situation regarding the champion of the women’s division.

Thunder Rosa announced that she was stepping away with injury before the PPV. Toni Storm won the AEW Interim Women’s Championship at All Out and has since taken a couple of shots at Thunder Rosa. Britt Baker has as well and the AEW Women’s Champion recently responded on Busted Open Radio. She claimed that she will be back in January and that Toni should go talk to the booker if she has an issue.

Ivelisse Lashes Out at Thunder Rosa

Ivelesse battled Thunder Rosa at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville on a September 2020 edition of Dynamite. The NWA Women’s Championship was on the line during the match. It was a debacle with real punches being thrown and professional wrestlers no-selling each other. Ivelisse took to Twitter to remind the fans of when the current AEW Women’s Champion threw a shoot punch at her during Dynamite.

Former AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker also recently took a shot at Thunder Rosa during the SwerveCity podcast with Swerve Strickland. You can check that out in the link below.

Chris Jericho has emerged as a locker room leader in AEW alongside Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley following All Out, where there was an altercation between CM Punk, Ace Steel, Matt & Nick Jackson, and Kenny Omega

Everyone involved was suspended while Steel was fired. CM Punk and AEW are reportedly in talks about the promotion buying out his contract. 

While appearing on Howie Mandel Does Stuff, the AEW altercation was indirectly referenced. 

Jericho on the Situation 

“There was a locker room fight that happened a couple months ago between a couple of guys. When these things happen, you have to deal with them. Sometimes, the way to deal with it is guys just have to not be there anymore.”

As previously reported, Jericho approached Punk the night of All Out after the fight and was unhappy about it. He reportedly told Punk that he was a “cancer to the locker room and a detriment to the company.”

The discussion about the incident in this interview began with Jericho being asked about locker room altercations in general and how things are dealt with.

“It happens, sure it does. If you’re cast in a movie and you hate your co-star, either you make it work, do your job, put on a great performance and never talk to each other again or you leave the project. It’s that simple. If there are people you have a problem with, which I’ve had over the years, not a lot but this guy can rub me the wrong way, ‘he’s a fucking asshole,’ whatever, you still have to put on a good show. Sometimes you have fight in the locker room and that sort of thing. It’s a big team. Sometimes guys get into fights, sometimes guys just have the wrong attitude for how to make the team work. That’s how you have to look at it. Sometimes, guys just have to leave.”

H/T to Fightful for the transcription

The upcoming AEW Fight Forever video game will not be launching on Xbox Game Pass any time soon after all.

Fight Forever is All Elite Wrestling’s first console video game. In recent months, details about the game have been few and far between The game won the Best Sports/Racing Game Award at Gamescom. It was officially announced in August, but its release date and other information remain unclear.

Earlier this week, WrestleZone reported that Fight Forever would be included on the Xbox Game Pass when it releases, which would have made it available to more than 25 million subscribers on the subscription service. 

AEW Fight Forever Update

On Tuesday, the official @AEWGames Twitter account poured cold water on the report about Xbox Game Pass. According to AEW, the game will not be part of any monthly gaming subscription services.

The next round of information about Fight Forever will be announced Saturday, November 19th during AEW’s Full Gear pay-per-view.

AEW Fight Forever will be released on Playstation 5, Playstation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Although no official release date has been confirmed.

A website with information has been launched and a teaser trailer is out.  Wrestlers, move-sets, entrances, and arenas in the game will be customizable. There will also be a deep career mode. 

AEW star MJF is making his film debut in a pro-wrestling-related project, as he will be part of an upcoming biopic on The Von Erich family.

It was reported via Deadline today that MJF is joining the cast of “The Iron Claw.” The role that MJF will be playing hasn’t been revealed.

Sean Durkin is writing and directing the movie. The synopsis for the film notes that the movie “follows the rise and fall of the Von Erich family, a dynasty of wrestlers who made a huge impact on the sport from the 1960s to the present day.”

The Movie

Zac Efron (Kevin Von Erich), Harris Dickinson (David Von Erich), Jeremy Allen White (Kerry Von Erich), Holt McCallany (Fritz Von Erich), Maura Tierney (Doris Von Erich), and Lily James are also part of the cast. 

A24 released a first-look picture of Efron in the ring as Kevin Von Erich on Monday. Marshall Von Erich, who wrestles for MLW and is one of Kevin Von Erich’s sons, previously commented on Efron playing his father by noting:

On November 19th, MJF will challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World Heavyweight Title in the main event of the Full Gear pay-per-view event.

FTR is set to wrestle at the Tokyo Dome for the first time ever for the NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 event. 

Dave Meltzer confirmed on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio that FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) will be wrestling at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 as they’ll defend their IWGP Tag Team Titles at the event.

FTR’s History with NJPW

The AEW stars won the IWGP Tag Team titles by defeating Jeff Cobb & The Great-O-Khan and Trent Beretta & Rocky Romero in a three-way match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door this June.

Since becoming the champions, FTR has retained against Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) and Great-O-Khan & Cobb in their two title defenses. 

NJPW did an angle after NJPW Battle Autumn in Osaka last Saturday with FTR and Aussie Open as Aussie Open confronted FTR backstage, saying that they’re going to win NJPW’s World Tag League tournament and then go on to challenge FTR at Wrestle Kingdom.

This upcoming event is taking place at the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. FTR wrestling at the event means they’ll miss that week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. It’s been previously reported that other AEW stars will also be working the show. 

AEW broadcaster Tony Schiavone wants to see AEW do more to utilize Renee Paquette.

Schiavone spoke about his new colleague on the latest episode of his What Happened When podcast. During an ‘Ask Tony Anything’ round of Q&A, Schiavone spoke very highly of Paquette. He’s thrilled to have her on board as part of the team. She is a polished performer, the consummate professional and is so good that she makes other peoples’ jobs easier.

Paquette debuted on the first-ever AEW Dynamite in Canada, over two years after departing WWE where she worked as Renee Young.

Paquette recently joined All Elite Wrestling nearly two years after leaving WWE. During that time, she became a mother, released a cook book and worked on several other projects outside of wrestling.

She performed several functions during her extended run with WWE. She conducted backstage interviews, hosted television and digital shows and was was the first full-time female announcer on Monday Night Raw for a short period of time.

On a recent episode of her own podcast, The Sessions, Paquette said she’s not really interested in calling matches in AEW, but did not rule that out entirely.

Capable broadcasters can make a huge difference on the overall product of a wrestling show. Paquette has only been with AEW for a few weeks, but Schiavone is already convinced she’s been an important addition to the team.

“She looks so great on camera,” he continued. “She’s so cool, one of our best hires in a long long time, she really is.”

AEW’s ‘Hangman’ Adam Page has become the latest prominent name to leave Twitter following the Elon Musk takeover. 

Musk began his acquisition of the social media giant in April 2022 and concluded his purchase last month. 

Page told his fans that he would be deleting Twitter from his phone, and joins WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley in removing himself from the platform. 

The former AEW World Champion is still available on Instagram, where he has over 227,000 followers.

Musk and Twitter

Musk’s time running the site has been mired in controversy, as he has faced backlash for his ‘Twitter Blue’ idea, which will charge users to have their accounts verified. 

Others have criticized the reinstatement of several banned accounts which many fear will open up the risk of misinformation being spread.

Despite previously claiming that Twitter should be politically neutral, Musk has encouraged U.S. voters to vote a particular way in the 2022 mid-term elections. 

The billionaire has also begun permanently suspending accounts parodying him, despite advocating for ‘free speech.’

While Musk has claimed that accounts that impersonate others but make it clear they are parody accounts are safe, accounts that follow this rule when parodying him have been banned.

Hangman’s Injury

Fans won’t be hearing from the former AEW World Champion on Twitter, and they won’t be seeing him in the ring either.

During the October 18, Dynamite, Page was left motionless after taking a lariat clothesline by AEW World Champion Jon Moxley.

The match was quickly called off and it was later confirmed that Page suffered a concussion.

The Cowboy was inundated with a ton of positive messages after the injury, including from WWE’s Big E, who is still recovering from a broken neck suffered earlier this year.

There is no timetable for when Page will be back in the ring.

Colt Cabana was reportedly afraid that CM Punk’s arrival to AEW would result in him losing his job.

Punk joined AEW in August 2021 after over seven years away from wrestling following his WWE walkout in January 2014.

The Chicago-Made wrestler has captured two AEW World Championships in the company, the first at Double or Nothing 2022 and the second at September’s infamous AEW All Out event.

Losing a Job

Not long after Punk’s arrival in AEW, appearances by Cabana on TV dried up, and some have said that this was something Punk had orchestrated.

During the latest episode of his Keepin it 100 podcast, Konnan recalled meeting with Cabana at an AEW event and asking about Punk.

“When I saw Colt Cabana backstage, I remember asking him, ‘So what’s up with you now that Punk is back?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, man. We’re not really talking.’ I go, ‘Come on, dude. After all these years, you guys were boys’ He said, ‘Yeah, man. He just won’t talk to me.’ He would kind of look around, like, he knew [he was going to be fired.]”

Konnan added that looking back, it was clear that Colt thought he was “going to get the ax” and said that Khan would have done so to make Punk happy.

Cabana has not been fired from AEW, but has been moved to the Ring of Honor roster, which some have suggested was done to keep the former friends apart.

No Going Back

Punk and Cabana were once the closest of friends, but that changed due to a legal dispute regarding WWE.

When WWE physician Dr. Chris Amann sued the pair for defamation (over comments made by Punk on Colt’s podcast) Punk allegedly offered to pay Cabana’s legal fees.

Punk has claimed that this wasn’t the case, which led to the fallout between the two, something that Colt believes can’t be fixed, according to Konnan.

“I remember telling him ‘Bro, you can’t even sit down and just say, Hey, let’s reset our relationship.’ He said, ‘Nah, man. He won’t even talk to me.’“

Konnan recalls a conversation with Colt Cabana about CM Punk.

Konnan added that he was pleased to see Colt make his AEW TV return recently, challenging ROH World Champion Chris Jericho on the November 2, AEW Dynamite.

This marked Cabana’s first AEW TV match in close to a year, which Konnan summed as down to “chicanery” and “politics.”

h/t – WrestlingNews

On Friday, the Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) announced that legendary second baseman, Brandon Phillips had purchased a franchise in Dallas. They followed up their tweet welcoming Jade Cargill to “the fam”.

Cargill confirmed that she is co-owner of the franchise. She said they’ll be “providing more opportunities for women to prolong a passion of this amazing game long after college.”

The press release describes the WPF as “Women’s Professional Fastpitch (WPF) is the official professional softball league in the United States, founded by USA Softball, USSSA, and Smash It Sports. WPF showcases the best athletes in softball, provides a world-class experience for fans, and connects young fans to their idols.”

The league had its inaugural season last year with two teams, Smash It Sports Vipers and USSSA Pride. The Oklahoma Sparks will field a team next season.

Who is Jade Cargill’s partner, Brandon Phillips?

In WPF’s press release, Phillips said of the opportunity, “I’m very excited to become an owner of a franchise in the WPF. I’m looking forward to branching off into something new but very similar. It’s time to provide more opportunities for women to prolong their passion of this amazing game long after college to achieve their dreams.”

In addition to the Dallas franchise, Phillips is the co-owner of the Lexington Legends, an independent baseball team. He also played for the team last season. While playing in the MLB, Phillips racked up four Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger while also playing in three All-Star Games.

Dallas will field a team in June 2023. Cargill and Phillips are asking for fans to help them name the team. They’re using the hashtag #ImGlovinIt.

Phillips and Cargill are a real life power couple and have a daughter. Cargill signed with AEW in November 2020. She won the TBS Championship tournament in January to become the inaugural title holder. Cargill is currently on a 41-win streak and on track to face Nyla Rose at Full Gear.

• The Factory Interrupted by Ominous Video on AEW Dark: Elevation

After members of The Factory defeated the team of Rhett Titus, Cheeseburger, and Logan Laroux on AEW Dark: Elevation, QT Marshall cut a promo about how they were “running on cylinders” and repeatedly referred to the crowd as “pieces of crap”.

As he was yammering, a grainy video popped up on the screen. Two long nails were shown, with one being pulled away from the other. The video ended as abruptly as it started and all members of The Factory looked confused, as was Paul Wight on commentary.

Who Could Be Behind the Video?

Although the video was in black and white and reminiscent of House of Black, it’s unlikely that it’s them. They appear in their vignettes and don’t have any reason to be involved with The Factory.

There was speculation that Darby Allin was coming for Cole Karter after he attacked Allin on Dynamite while dressed as Sting. This led to the AEW arrival of Jeff Jarrett.

Some fans have been buzzing about “Evil Danhausen”. There is a photo of this version of his character in which he’s holding a long nail, similar to the ones seen in the video.

Last week, Marshall beat Danhausen during the main event of AEW Dark Elevation. Afterwards, Danhausen quote tweeted a clip of his loss with song lyrics from “Unclean Spirit” by Code Orange. The next night on AEW Dark, he beat Jon Cruz in a more vicious way than we typically see from him. He quote tweeted a clip of that win with “the executioner is here and he’s sharpening his axe.”

Following tonight’s AEW Dark: Elevation, he once again took together tweeting an intriguing photo.

Evil Danhausen would bring a dimension to his character that AEW fans haven’t seen yet. It may move him away from Best Friends and company (and HOOK) and let him be on his own for a while.

• Lio Rush: ‘AEW Didn’t Know What to do With Me’

Lio Rush had an interesting run with AEW that started with his debut at the Double Or Nothing pay-per-view in 2021, which marked the first show to feature a full crowd at a wrestling event since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

His tenure with the promotion didn’t last long, as he became a free agent after his contract with AEW expired in February 2022. 

His contract expiring came after Rush spoke out on Twitter regarding a controversial tweet from AEW President Tony Khan on New Year’s Eve in 2021.

While speaking on the Say Less podcast, Rush was asked if he thought AEW knew what to do with him as a talent when the company employed him.

Lio Rush on his AEW Run

“Of course not. When I say things, I don’t wanna sound like it was breaking news because I feel like these things are so blatantly obvious. It’s like, yanno, he made it pretty clear to me, verbally, that when he was a fan of me, it was when I was in WWE and I was doing the manager stuff with Bobby [Lashley]. If that’s how he saw me, that’s the only light he sees me in… [then] that’s [probably what] he’s gonna shift me to be in that kind of role. Which I’m not, yanno… I’m so grateful for that time period [in WWE] because it taught me how to talk, it taught me how to present myself and build others up. No, I don’t think that [they] exactly knew what to do with me. That’s always a frustrating thing, but like you said when [I] say stuff it just gets f*cking blown up.”

Since he departed from AEW, Rush has dealt with various injuries. He returned to in-ring action in October and has since competed for promotions such as GCW, PWG, and MLW. Rush was recently announced for NJPW’s upcoming Super Junior Tag League.

H/T to Fightful for the transcription

The Young Bucks will attend an online virtual signing next month, in what will likely be their first public appearance since AEW All Out 2022.

HighspotsAuctions.com confirmed that the Bucks will be participating in a virtual signing on December 1, and fans can either purchase items or send their own to get signed.

Items available to purchase include trading cards, action figures, turnbuckle pads, Funko POP! Vinyls as well as posters for both Being the Elite and AEW’s predecessor event ALL IN.

The Bucks’ Absence

Unless they return to AEW programming very soon, this will be the first public appearance by The Bucks since All Out.

After the now infamous event, a fight broke out backstage following explosive comments made by then-AEW World Champion CM Punk.

It is believed that Punk threw the first punch that hit Matt Jackson, though Punk’s camp has claimed that he felt threatened that a fight was going to break out.

During the fight, it is alleged that Punk’s trainer and then-AEW producer Ace Steel threw a chair that hit Nick Jackson in the eye.

All participants in the fight were suspended due to a third-party investigation into the matter which has since concluded.

Future Plans

While Tony Khan has not commented publicly on the results, it is believed that the investigation cleared the Bucks and Kenny Omega.

In recent weeks, the trio have been featured in vignettes on Dynamite, which has seen the group be replaced by Death Triangle.

Death Triangle, AEW’s second Trios Champions after the Elite was stripped of the titles, are expected to feud with The Bucks and Omega once they return.

Bryan Danielson debuted in All Elite Wrestling last year at AEW All Out and most fans thought he’d have a title run with the company by now.

Former WWE writer Freddie Prinze Jr. hasn’t been a fan of Danielson’s run in All Elite Wrestling and shared his opinion on the Wrestling with Freddie podcast. Freddie stated that Danielson has lost more matches than he has needed to lose and has been under-serviced as far as character development.

H/T: Wrestling Inc

Danielson debuted at All Out 2021 after Kenny Omega defeated Christian Cage in the main event to retain the AEW World Championship. Adam Cole had made his debut minutes earlier and aligned with Kenny Omega and The Elite.

Danielson went on to have feuds with Kenny Omega and Hangman Page for the AEW World Championship but came up just short. Bryan also reached the finals of the Tournament of Champions this year at Dynamite: Grand Slam at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.

He battled his stablemate in the Blackpool Combat Club for the vacant AEW World Championship in the finals but once again came up on the losing end of a title match. Danielson remained persistent and challenged Chris Jericho for the ROH Championship on Dynamite then AEW visited Toronto on October 12th.

Once again, it wasn’t meant to be for Danielson and he lost another title match. Danielson and Jericho were in a war over Daniel Garcia and whether he was a sports entertainer or a wrestler.

Daniel Garcia ultimately decided he was a sports entertainer, betrayed Danielson and re-joined the Jericho Appreciation Society. Jericho will defend the ROH Championship against Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Sammy Guevara in a 4-Way match at AEW Full Gear on November 19th.

Jon Moxley had a topsy-turvy 2021. He became a father in the summer, and later in the year, admitted himself into an inpatient alcohol treatment program.

In a recent interview with his hometown Cincinnati Inquirer, Moxley openly admitted he was afraid of dying in the ring.

“Over a year ago, I was afraid of dying of a seizure in the ring,” Moxley said. “I had that on my mind every day. It was all (messed) up, and going through an absolute personal hell for a long time that nobody else even knew about.

“When you’re scared for your actual life, to make the decision to go to rehab and (stuff) was basically – I had to basically assume I’m giving everything away. I was like, OK, I’m either going to live a long, happy life and raise my kid and be a person, or I can wrestle. But I can’t have both.”

• 5 Reasons Jon Moxley is AEW’s MVP for 2022

Jon Moxley’s Rise Back to Prominence

Moxley returned from rehab a new man, both in and outside of the ring. With renewed focus, he became a 3-time AEW World Champion.

Initially, Moxley was wondering if the AEW fan base would be disappointed or upset with him for taking time off. He would soon learn that wasn’t the case.

“But when I got out, it turned out that nobody was mad at me at all,” Moxley stated. “Everybody was very happy. I was welcomed back by AEW and by the fans, and it was just like, go and get back to it. And when you’ve already lost everything, all you fear for is your life, literally and figuratively.

“If I had taken another step in the wrong direction, I could have been on the verge of losing my family if I had gone that way. If I had kept going in another direction, I could have died on live television. I could have literally lost everything. So to make that choice, I had to completely give away everything.

“I’ll never wrestle in this arena again, I’ll never get to wrestle in front of these fans again, I’ll never get to be on TV again, I’ll never win a championship again, I’ll never make any money again, I’ll go back and get my old job at the arena – I don’t know. I had to give it all away.”

Upon CM Punk’s initial departure from AEW in June due to injury, Moxley was crowned world champion and admirably held the belt all summer long without missing a beat. Then, he retained the belt against Punk in a very quick match on Dynamite upon Punk’s return, only to lose it to Punk at AEW’s All Out PPV. And we all know what happened after that.

Regaining the title for a third-time following Punk’s second departure from the company, Moxley continues to be the heart, soul and flag bearer for the promotion.

Jon Moxley will defend his AEW World championship vs. MJF at Full Gear on Saturday, November 19th. SEScoops will have full coverage of the PPV and all of the events leading up to it, so make sure you keep it tuned here.

AEW star Andrade El Idolo deleted a recent tweet stating that he would rather quit the company than be fired.

Andrade El Idolo has quietly stayed out of the limelight after being sent home on October 5th after a backstage altercation with Sammy Guevara. Having spent nearly a month away from AEW, Andrade celebrated a birthday on the fourth of November.

As a sarcastic gesture, he thanked AEW for the birthday wishes. Even though the official Twitter account did not wish El Idolo a happy birthday on social media.

Will Andrade return to AEW soon?

Following up on the deleted tweet, a fan responded, questioning why Andrade would want a message from the company he seemingly dislikes? Andrade El Idolo retorted.

“Look man, I’m a man and if I wanted them to fire me, I’d quit and I’ve never done it.”

We’ve seen Andrade’s stablemate Rush featured on TV, as he will be apart of the AEW World title eliminator tournament starting on Dynamite this Wednesday. The question to ask here is: Will El Idolo return to AEW in the near future?

The mystery remains unsolved as AEW President and owner Tony Khan hasn’t said a word about Andrade since the incident. El Idolo himself had been mum on this topic until his deleted tweet.

We at SEScoops will continue to update you on the situation as it unfolds.

AEW has booked a 4-Way match at Full Gear on November 19th for the ROH Championship.

Chris Jericho will put the ROH Championship on the line against Claudio Castagnoli, Bryan Danielson, and Sammy Guevara.

Danielson battled Chris Jericho for the ROH Championship on a recent episode of Dynamite. Chris Jericho picked up the victory after Daniel Garcia betrayed him and re-joined the Jericho Appreciation Society. Jericho defeated Castagnoli at Dynamite: Grand Slam to become ROH Champion.

On this week’s edition of AEW Rampage, William Regal, Claudio Castagnoli, and Bryan Danielson cut a backstage promo on Chris Jericho. They both wanted a title shot, Claudio wanted to battle Jericho because he was attacking ROH announcers. Danielson spoke about his ROH legacy and wanted one more shot against Jericho. William Regal ended the promo by telling Jericho to choose his opponent at the PPV on November 19th.

Later on Rampage, Chris Jericho said he will face them both at Full Gear along with Sammy Guevara in a 4-Way. The ROH Champion said that the Blackpool Combat Club members will wind up picking each other apart, and added that he knows Sammy will do “the right thing” in the match.

Another match announced for AEW Full Gear is the finals of the World Title Eliminator tournament. The winner of the tournament will earn a shot at the AEW World Championship. Ricky Starks announced that he will be in the tournament on this week’s episode of Rampage. Ethan Page and Eddie Kingston will battle Wednesday on Dynamite in the first round.