It’s always said that a talent is two inches away from catastrophe while wrestling a match and former AEW star Joey Janela recently found this out firsthand.
The Bad Boy revealed on Twitter recently that he is dealing with a ruptured bicep after his most recent indie match. Not only that, the 35-year-old has also suffered nerve damage which has resulted in him losing feeling in a couple of his fingers:
In the hospital, just got to see a doctor looks like now after my match yesterday and attack today by Atticus, I not only have a complete ruptured bicep but also nerve damage to the arm that’s affecting the my arm all the way down to the hand.
I currently have no feeling in my ring and pinky finger. We are looking for options but it seems a major surgery is imminent in the morning. I’m sorry to everyone, things aren’t looking too good.”
In the hospital, just got to see a doctor looks like now after my match yesterday and attack today by Atticus, I not only have a complete ruptured bicep but also nerve damage to the arm that’s affecting the my arm all the way down to the hand.
Joey Janela has been active in the indepedent circuit and a regular for Game Changer Wrestling in recent times. His last match came at Saturday’s GCW event where Janela suffered a loss at the hands of Atticus Cogar.
The former GCW World Champion was one of the first talents signed by AEW upon its inception in 2019. He had high profile matches with names such as Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega and Darby Allin during his stint with the company that ended in 2022.
Former AEW star Joey Janela has responded to the viral video of him being attacked by a fan during a meet-and-greet event for GCW.
In the video as seen below, the fan was seen flipping the table the wrestling star was using for the event. Janela in response threw the table at the person and the two then got into a physical altercation before being separated by people around.
The Bad Boy issued a statement about the confrontation on X. He claimed the person who attacked him was upset about extra work after the passing of Brodie Lee 4 years ago:
“Gonna nip this in the butt there’s a Video circulating of me getting ambushed at my table while I was meeting fans after the show tonight, it stems from him airing his grievances about his experience doing AEW extra work the day after brodie lee’s death that a lot of us were very upset about. I took to Twitter because I thought it was disgusting and we went back and forth.”
Gonna nip this in the butt there’s a Video circulating of me getting ambushed at my table while I was meeting fans after the show tonight, it stems from him airing his grievances about his experience doing AEW extra work the day after brodie lee’s death that a lot of us were very…
Joey Janela also confirmed that he came out at the other end of the confrontation unscathed and the other person was eventually ‘carried out like a crying baby.’
The Hardcore star was one of the first signings of the Elite promotion, being announced as part of the company’s roster in January 2019. He had some high-profile feuds early on but left AEW in May 2022 when his deal expired.
AEW presented the Brodie Lee Celebration of Life episode of Dynamite on December 30, 2020, after the wrestling star, real name Jonathan Huber passed away a few days earlier on December 26. While Janela did not compete at the show, he was present at the event to pay tribute to the late star.
Former AEW wrestler Joey Janela has informed fans that he has been diagnosed with Gallstone Pancreatitis.
Taking to his social media on Wednesday, Janela announced that he had been dealing with insane pain and vomiting. He went to the hospital and was diagnosed with Gallstone Pancreatitis. ‘The Bad Boy’ mentioned that his wrestling schedule in August is uncertain and he will release some merchandise for the fans to help him with the medical bills.
“Well I’ve been in pain for quite a while, worst the past couple days along with insane vomiting. I braved through it to do a something at the limp bizkit concert and today had to check into a hospital. Turns out I have gallstone pancreatitis, my August schedule is uncertain for the time being, and bills gonna be through the roof. I’ll be trying to get some merch out there, should be in here for a minute.”
Johns Hopkins Medicine defines Gallstone Pancreatitis as a disease that causes inflammation and pain in the pancreas. It also makes enzymes that help digest and break down the foods you eat. This is part of the digestive process. However, sometimes a gallstone gets stuck in the common bile duct which blocks the pancreatic duct. This is known as gallstone pancreatitis.
Janela has been one of the prominent stars on the indie circuit. He has been performing in GCW and his last match took place at GCWDon’t Tell Me What To Do 2024. At the event, he teamed with Effy and faced Blake Christian and Shane Mercer in a losing effort. In the past, he has a had run with AEW and he departed the promotion after his contract expired in 2022.
Earlier this year, Janela talked about his desire and the possibility of signing with WWE. The 35-year-old wrestler said that joining WWE remains his goal and a dream. He also said that he aims to work with NJPW and perform at the Tokyo Dome.
We here at SEScoops wish Joey Janela a full and speedy recovery.
The GCW World Championship reign of Blake Christian has come to a controversial end thanks to GCW General Manager Matt Cardona.
At GCW Take A Picture, Cardona appeared in the ring and spoke about Christian’s title reign. The self-professed Indy God said that Christian was scheduled to defend his title against Joey Janela at GCW Tournament of Survival. That match will not go ahead as Christian would not make the event due to his participation in NJPW Best of Super Juniors.
As Christian would not make his scheduled title defense on June 1, Cardona announced that he had stripped Christian of the gold and that the title is currently vacated. Janela confronted Cardona and said the decision was wrong. Cardona announced that Janela would still get his title shot, but it would be in the Matt Cardona Gauntlet of Survival.
The ninth GCW Tournament Of Survival event will take place on Saturday, June 1, from the Showboat Hotel Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Names promoted for the event include Big F’n Joe, Brandon Kirk, Hideyoshi Kamitani, John Wayne Murdoch, Shunma Katsumata, UltraMantis Black, Yuki Ishikawa. The show will be available to watch on Triller TV
Along with Kerry Morton, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express will join forces once again to take on Mike Bailey and the East West Express which consists of Nick Wayne and Jordan Oliver. Spring Break will take place at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia on Friday, April 5.
Janela took to X to express his excitement about having a young “Express” vs. a legendary “Express.”
“We had to make this one happen! Thank you for buying tickets for my show and selling it out! We ain’t even close to being finished, this will be the best spring break of all time! The Rock N Roll express reunites for SPRING BREAK.”
Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson started up their retirement tour back in 2022 before Gibson stepped out of the squared circle and made a hot tag to Ricky’s son Kerry to take up the mantle.
While no titles are on the line for this bout, Rock ‘n’ Roll had a renaissance before COVID-19 hit as the duo won the NWA World Tag Team Titles. Since then, Morton and Gibson would find themselves working a cup of coffee in AEW and several stints in New Japan Pro-Wrestling.
The forthcoming GCW match will cover a wide range of ages as Morton is one of the oldest active talents at 67 years old and Wayne is one of the youngest at the age of 18.
Independent wrestling promotion Expect The Unexpected returned after a two-month break with an exciting match card. In the main event, Key To The East Champion Marcus Mathers defended his title against his rival Ken Broadway in a Deathmatch.
ETU had built towards their main event for a few months, dating back to when Mathers won his championship. He won the title by defeating Masha Slamovich and Broadway in a three-way elimination match at ETU Summer Madness on July 30. After the match, Broadway made his intentions clear that he wanted another title opportunity.
The feud continued when Broadway and his faction Killionaires Club (J Boujii & PB Smooth) defeated Mathers, Austin Luke & Dyln McKay at ETU Nostalgia, Ultra on September 23. After the loss, Mathers made the Deathmatch against Broadway official for the Key To The East Championship for ETU Just Gettin’ Warm.
In the main event of the show, both Mathers and Broadway tested their limits as they tried to do whatever it took to win. The finish came when Mathers landed a Gotch Piledriver on a stack of steel chairs for the win.
After the match, Broadway shared that Mathers earned his respect, and they shook hands to seemingly end their rivalry.
Another match on the card had IWTV Independent Tag Team Champions Miracle Generation (Dustin Waller & Kylon King) successfully defending their titles against High Flying Star Machines (Bojack & Diego Hill).
High Flying Star Machines hoped to pull off the upset, but Waller and King proved why they are one of the best tag teams in wrestling today.
ETU Just Gettin’ Warm occurred at The Heart Ballroom in Newark, New Jersey. The event went live on Independent Wrestling TV. To watch the event, you must pay $10 for a subscription.
?SHOW DAY?
LIVE from the Heart Ballroom. Today at 3pm we celebrate TWO YEARS of ETU Wrestling!!!
Brayden Toon def. Steve Peña, Adonis Stone & Yoya- Four Corners Match
Janai Kai def. Christina Marie
Killionaires Club (J Boujii & PB Smooth) def. The Shook Crew (Bobby Orlando & Bryce Donovan)
Jimmy Lloyd def. BK Westbrook
(C) Miracle Generation (Dustin Waller & Kylon King) def. The High Flying Star Machines (Bojack & Diego Hill) to retain the IWTV Independent Wrestling Tag Team Championship
Rickey Shane Page def. John Wayne Murdoch-ETU Key To The East Title #1 Contendership Match
Kushida def. Brandon Kirk
(C) Marcus Mathers def. Ken Broadway to retain the ETU Key To The East Championship in a Deathmatch
Game Changer Wrestling returned with an intriguing card for the second Highest In the Room live event. One of the featured matchups had GCW World Champion Blake Christian defending his title against Starboy Charlie.
The GCW World Champion came into the match motivated to defend his title for the 27th time. His last successful defense was against Little Guido at GCW What Is Your Choice on December 3. Christian has had an incredible run this year in the promotion, and it looks like he could end 2023 with it still around his waist.
GCW Highest In The Room 2 Blake Christian vs. Starboy Charlie
“The Denim Dragon” tried his best to pull off the upset victory, including nearly winning with a Piledriver. However, Christian was able to bounce back in the match and land a Curb Stomp on Charlie for the win.
Another match on the card featured All Elite Wrestling superstar Andrade El Idolo taking on Joey Janela in his GCW debut. El Idolo won the match with a Figure Four Leg Lock.
GCW Highest In The Room 2 occurred at the Ukrainian Culture Center in Los Angeles, California. The event streams live on FITE TV with a subscription to FITE+ for $7.99.
*SATURDAY*
Starboy Charlie challenges Blake Christian for the GCW Title at #GCWHighest in LA!
+ Andrade v Janela Maki Death Kill v Johnny/Taya VIF v Masha/Rina Cardona/SDL/Jimmy v Macizos Santana v South Joe v Wreck SGB v SPS
Game Changer Wrestling held its event, Ransom, on March 5 at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The card featured a steel cage match between Allie Katch and Charles Manson. They have been in a feud for several months, and this match could be the final confrontation. GCW: Ransom also had the promotion’s debut of The Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley), who challenged Los Macizos(Ciclope & Miedo Extremo) for the GCW Tag Team Championship.
The event went live on FITE for their subscription service, FITE+, for free. Fans wanting to watch the card must pay $7.99 to subscribe. Yesterday, GCW had their event GCW: Holy Smokes, which is available on video on demand for subscribers.
Check back here to catch the live results updates.
*TODAY – 4PM!*
ALLIE KATCH and CHARLES MASON settle the score inside a Steel Cage at #GCWRansom!
Plus: Bailey v Parker Macizos v MCMG Jordan v Blake Maki/Rina/Veny v Wreck/Billie/Janai Masha v JWM Joey v Kirk +more
Second Gear Crew (Mance Warner & 1 Called Manders) vs. Young Dumb N Broke (Ellis Taylor & Charlie Tiger) vs. Bang Bros (August Mathews & Davey Bang) vs. Wasted Youths (Marcus Mathers & Dylin McKay) ended in a no contest
Game Changer Wrestling held its event Holy Smokes on March 4 at the Showboat Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
GCW: Holy Smokes featured Ultraviolent Champion Rina Yamashita defending her title against Kasey Kirk. Her last successful title defense was against Ciclope at GCW Fight Club on Sep. 10, 2022. Another match on the card had Hijo Del Vikingo take on Alex Zayne.
The event went live on FITE for their subscription service, FITE+, for free. Fans wanting to watch the card on Video on Demand must pay $7.99 to subscribe. The promotion will hold another live event on March 5 for FITE+ members.
Former AEW star Joey Janela says AEW Dark has turned into a “stale ass” show that does “nothing for anyone” anymore.
Janela currently wrestles for GCW, but has some opinions about the way Tony Khan is booking the Dark. Janela claims short squash matches are “pointless bullshit for the sake of it” and a waste of everybody’s time.
Ironically, Janela’s rant about AEW Dark came while he was complimenting an AEW Dark match between Rey Fenix and AR Fox.
While referencing the Fenix vs. Fox match, Janela said, “This is what Dark should be, all around competitive action packed sprints, and maybe a one longer type storyline based match weekly,” before unloading his thoughts on what Dark has become since he left AEW.
“What that show does is nothing for anyone anymore, tbh it’s stale ass! Squash matches do nothing for anyone in 2022, especially on a YouTube show. No one wants to watch fucking squash matches on YouTube in 2022, I understand if you’re introducing a new wrestler on tv then I’m all for squash matches. This is the reason for talent degression doing nothing but pointless bullshit for the sake of it.”
Joey Janela on AEW utilizing squash matches
Janela says whenever he worked with enhancement talent, he’s made a point of having the matches be 60/40 or 50/50. He considers himself a big wrestling fan and he wouldn’t want to waste people’s time or degrade his own in-ring abilities through squash matches.
Discussion: Do squash matches serve a purpose in 2022? Can they be an effective tool for establishing new talent, or are they really a waste of everyone’s time?
Joey Janela is one of the faces of deathmatch wrestling and a mortal enemy of Jim Cornette. The former wrestling promoter has now confined himself to staying at home and targeting wrestlers who he thinks are ‘killing the business.’ Though his fans do the bidding for him and per Janela, his whole family has been harassed by them.
The former AEW star recently appeared on The Sessions podcast. Speaking about how Cornette makes his living nowadays, he revealed that the former manager doesn’t leave his house anymore:
“He knows what gets the listeners and makes the money because he’s not leaving his house. He’s like, Agoraphobic or something. He don’t like to leave. I think he likes going to the supermarket and that’s it. He won’t do appearances anymore or anything. This is all he has. His podcast. This is how he’s gonna live out the rest of his life, which might be two years might be 10 years. Who knows? because Evil never dies.”
‘I Might Go Out Dimebag Darrell Style’: Joey Janela
Joey Janela then opened up about his encounters with the fans of Jim Cornette. He revealed that they have sent outlandish messages to his family. The Bad Boy also discussed the possibility of being attacked by a Cornette fan in real life:
“These people have nothing to lose, some of these people. This is like their religion. Jim Cornette is the pastor of the church. They’re gonna drink his Kool-Aid. I don’t know, I might go out Dimebag Darrell style, some deranged fan comes in and kills me because they believe every word he says. That I’m actually ruining the business they love.
Someone brought it up to me last year – ‘Maybe you should calm down a little bit.’ These people are actually crazy. They’re sending Facebook messages to my mom. Just sending me just the most deranged fucked up messages on my personal Facebook, on my mom’s Facebook, family members. Jim Cornette fans. You have to realize these people are a little bit crazy. Now everywhere I go, there’s always at least a fan that is there for the sole intention of heckling me.”
AEW star Sonny Kiss was featured on last night’s AEW Dynamite, but it wasn’t in a match.
Instead, the 28-year-old wrestler was part of a commercial celebrating Pride month, but the timing of this has been criticized by one ex-AEW talent.
Janela’s response
After the commercial aired, ex-AEW talent Joey Janela pointed out how Kiss was featured, but she hasn’t been used in a match on TV in years.
Sonny Kiss’ last match on AEW Dynamite was back on the October 21, 2020 edition of Dynamite, where she lost to Kenny Omega.
Janela said that AEW should “cut the bullsh*t,” insinuating that the only reason the company featured Kiss was due to Pride month.
You can check out Janela’s tweet below.
I heard @SonnyKissXO was finally on tv tonight! Oh yeah its June, & it was a Pride commercial of course!
Hasn’t been in a match on tv in like 2 Years, cut the bullshit
— “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) June 16, 2022
AEW and LGBTQ+
Anthony Bowens with his partner Michael, in a 2019 video where the AEW wrestler announced he solely identifies as gay.
Sonny Kiss is proud to be part of the LGBTQ+ community but she isn’t the only star on AEW’s roster who is part of this group.
Anthony Bowens previously identified as bisexual, but revealed that he solely identifies as gay in a 2019 video.
Despite a recent injury, Bowens has appeared regularly on AEW programming as part of The Acclaimed.
Nyla Rose is a transgender woman and was the first transgender World champion in a major American promotion after capturing the Women’s World Championship in February 2020.
Diamante is openly gay and is in a relationship with Impact Wrestling star and former Knockouts Tag Team Champion Kiera Hogan.
Kiss uses both he/him and she/her pronouns. For consistency and given that Kiss identifies as transfeminine, the author has used she/her pronouns throughout this article.
Booker T was not a fan of the Joey Janela flaming boot spot at his recent GCW appearance.
Janela went one-on-one with Drew Parker at the GCW Maniac show this past Saturday night (May 21). During the match, Janela wanted to do a flashy high spot, which he decided would be setting his boot on fire and nailing Parker with a super kick.
However, the fire didn’t go out immediately, and took quite a while to put out, nearly starting a panic.
Le Flaming Superkick de Joey Janela à #GCWManiac… sans aucun extincteur à proximité. Encore une belle idée
Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T, however, did not find it amusing. Taking to his podcast, “The Hall Of Fame,” he offered his take on the situation. The former World Heavyweight Champion said Janela’s decision was “the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my career.”
“I’m always willing to say in somebody’s face what I’m willing to say on this show. Joey Janela, that was the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen in my career,” Booker said.
“I’m serious because the thing is, he didn’t have a boot where it could actually fend off the flames for a minute. He had a kick pad on and a tennis shoe.
“He put so much damn lighter fluid on his foot, it probably soaked all the way through to his foot.
“That right there just embodies what I talk to my young students about. If that’s the route you want to go, that’s on you, but plan on working that scene forever, because this is not stuff they do in the major leagues.”
Joey Janela had a scary moment during a recent GCW show.
Janela was featured on the GCW Maniac show this past Saturday night (May 21). Janela went one-on-one with Drew Parker and he wanted to do something that would have fans talking.
Mission accomplished but at the expense of things nearly going terribly wrong.
At one point in the match, Janela set his boot on fire and superkicked Parker. The problem was that the fire wouldn’t go out for a while as it got more intense.
Thankfully, the fire was eventually put out before things got extremely dangerous.
Le Flaming Superkick de Joey Janela à #GCWManiac… sans aucun extincteur à proximité. Encore une belle idée
Joey Janela has not wrestled for AEW since January. His absence had made many fans wonder about his status with the promotion.
The AEW star himself mentioned in an interview that he might have heat backstage for an incident where he injured Eddie Kingston with a superkick.
Mike Johnson of PWinsider provided some update on it. He confirmed that Janela’s suspicion was right. The injury which delayed Kingston’s feud with Chris Jericho got him heat backstage:
“There was a lot of heat on him for the Kingston injury, as it prevented Kingston from traveling for several weeks and changed plans for TV and the Jericho feud as the promotion waited for Kingston to heal.
The report also noted that apart from Kingston, the internal belief among AEW officials is that several other talents have been hurt while working with Janela.
The Bad Boy has not been brought in since AEW’s TV taping in Charlotte, North Carolina. His current contract expires in late April and the hardcore star is not expected to be utilized again before that.
AEW has the policy of not releasing talents mid-contract and letting the deals expire instead. As of right now, a contract renewal for Joey Janela seems very unlikely.
Game Changer Wrestling/GCW returned on Saturday February 19th at the Showboat in Atlantic City, New Jersey for Believe Me.
Believe Me is the first of two PPV offerings this weekend via FITE TV, and is now available to watch back on demand via the service.
One of the featured bouts on the card saw former WWE Superstar Mascara Dorada take on All Elite Wrestling’s Joey Janela.
Here are the full results from GCW Believe Me (02/19):
The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) b. SAT (Joel & Jose Maximo) – Jay Briscoe took the win after hitting the Jay Driller
Blake Christian b.Jimmy Lloyd – Christian took the win after hitting a DDT
Nick Wayne b. Jordan Oliver – New AEW signee Wayne took the win after he reversed a Boston Crab into a pinning combination
The Second Gear Crew (1 Called Manders, AJ Gray, Effy, & Matthew Justice) b. ASF, Gringo Loco, Jack Cartwheel & Kamikaze – Justice took the win for his team hitting a splash on Cartwheel
Nick Gage appeared for a promo
The Rejects (John Wayne Murdoch & Reed Bentley) b. G-Raver & Orin Veidt – Murdoch took the win for his time by hitting a Canadian Destroyer through glass to Veidt
Billie Starkz b. Cole Radrick – Starkz took the win after hitting a Swanton Bomb
Mascara Dorada b. Joey Janela – The former Gran Metalik took the win after hitting a poisonrana followed by the Dorada Screwdriver
Hoodfoot b. Matt Tremont – Hoodfoot took the win after hitting a Saito
GCW Don’t Tell Me What To Do
GCW will be returning to the Showboat tonight for Don’t Tell Me What To Do and the following matches are currently advertised:
2 Cold Scorpio vs. Gringo Loco
Alex Zayne vs. Atticus Cogar
Drago Kid vs. ASF
Blake Christian vs. Ninja Mack
Jordan Oliver vs. Alec Price
Joey Janela and Marko Stunt vs. Second Gear Crew (AJ Gray and Matthew Justice)
GCW Ultraviolent Championship: Alex Colon (c) vs. Orin Veidt
GCW Tag Team Championship: H8 Club (Nick Gage and Matt Tremont) (c) vs. The Rejects (John Wayne Murdoch and Reed Bentley)
GCW Medical Personnel is currently tending to @OGkevingill backstage. Stay tuned for an update when it is available.
“The Fallen Angel” Christopher Daniels is unsure if he’ll wrestle for All Elite Wrestling again.
Daniels hasn’t competed for AEW since he and Frankie Kazarian’s lost to the Young Bucks at AEW Dynamite on May. 12, 2021. The result of the loss made him and Kazarian end their tag team. While his partner has competed for AEW as a singles talent, the company has Daniels working as a Head of Talent Relations.
Although he hasn’t wrestled for AEW, he is competing for other wrestling promotions. He made his Impact Wrestling return defeating Madman Fulton on Sep. 30, 2021. However, in an interview with Chris Van Fleet, Daniels shared that he still hopes to be an in-ring talent for AEW soon.
“…The landscape of AEW is in constant flux. Addition, subtractions, so I mean it’s just a crowded field right now, and hopefully, I can make my way back there, said Daniels. He continued, “…There no real timetable as to when that might be, so I’m sort of at the mercy of circumstance.”
Keith Lee (Photo credit: Scott Lesh)
AEW Signing New Talent
Daniels isn’t the only talent unsure of his in-ring future in AEW. Joey Janela revealed on the Barstool’s Rasslin Podcast with Brandon Walker that his AEW contract is coming up on Apr. 30, and he isn’t sure if the company will re-sign him. As some talent in the company is unsure of their future, AEW President Tony Khan continues to sign free agents like Keith Lee on Feb. 9.
When the WWE released or didn’t re-sign talent throughout last year, fans speculated if Khan would attempt to sign them. With the signing of Lee, Khan has signed four former NXT Champions within a year. As the AEW roster gets more stacked with talent, veterans like Daniels or Janela may lose opportunities to compete.
It’s unclear if AEW has plans for an in-ring return for Daniels.
Former WWE superstar Matt Cardona has shared that he’s open to returning to the company. However, he still wants to be able to do his podcast.
Cardona appeared on Busted Open with Bully Ray and Dave LaGreca to promote The WRLD on the GCW event on January 23. Ray asked Cardona if WWE called him to appear the following night on Monday Night Raw, would he listen. Cardona responded that he’d be open to talking about a return, but WWE can’t prevent his podcast business.
“…I’d definitely would listen, but I tell you right now if one of things were you can’t do your podcast, I’ll say thanks but no thanks,” said Cardona. He continued, “That would be a deal-breaker, no way. If there were going to just take away everything that I’ve built with Brian Myers, like something we tried to do in WWE. The Major Wrestling Figures Podcast, they didn’t want it. We pitched it to them. They didn’t want podcasts. They didn’t want anything to do with collectibles. I think they’ve since had a failing podcast network, and they tried something with collectibles, but I’ve had so much fun with this, and this is setting me up for life after wrestling where I would never sacrifice that.”
Matt Cardona on Leaving WWE
After more than ten years with the company, the WWE released Cardona on April 15, 2020. However, leaving WWE helped him reinvent himself, and Cardona may be having more success since he became an independent wrestler. In the interview with Busted Open, he shared that he appreciates his time with the company.
“…I’ve said this, and I don’t mean this as an insult. WWE was my developmental. That’s not a shot a WWE, that is that everything that I learned there the good and the bad I’m using it to make me succeed,” said Cardona. He also shares he has no animosity towards the company.
Cardona is enjoying his professional wrestling career working outside of the WWE. This Sunday, he has a match with Joey Janela at The WRLD on GCW. Regarding the WWE, the company will have the Royal Rumble on January 29. Based on Cardona’s comments, he could be open to the idea if the WWE asked Cardona to appear.
Joey Janela is saying “She was mine before she was yours” about Chelsea Green to Matt Cardona. The 3 appear to be recreating a famous angle between Randy Savage, Miss Elizabeth and Ric Flair to potentially play out in GCW.
The angle between Flair and Savage took place in the build-up to WrestleMania VIII. Flair was the WWF Champion after having won the vacant title in the 1992 Royal Rumble. Flair then began claiming that he had pictures of the lovely Miss Elizabeth that would prove Flair and her had once been an item. Keep in mind this was before editing photos could be done by anyone other than a professional photographer.
Flair eventually released the photos that showed him with Miss Elizabeth. Joey Janela has now done the same only with him and Chelsea Green.
Just got this package from @JANELABABY. I assume it’s a wedding gift. Thanks Joey…I appreciate it. But no gift will ever make me come back to @GCWrestling_. I’ll film an unboxing video though and post it in a bit! Thanks again Bad Boy! pic.twitter.com/fLfR0y8efn
It turns out that package contained compromising (by early 1990s standards) photographs of Janela and Green. The photographs sure do look a lot like the ones Flair had of Elizabeth.
WTF!!!!!!!! I wouldn’t touch you if my life depended on it!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS ALL A LIE! TELL THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!! https://t.co/QlPuKuaIoz
For those interested in the original angle, there is a WWE Timeline documentary on the WWE Network titled “She Was Mine Before She Was Yours” which covers it.
Joey Janela has his AEW contract expiring next year and the hardcore star believes that he needs to step his game up before that. The bad boy recently appeared on My Mom’s Basement with Robbie Fox. He discussed how he felt unmotivated during the pandemic era because of the lack of crowds.
Speaking of his AEW future, Janela revealed that he signed a three-year-long contract with AEW. His current deal expires in May next year:
“I’m under a three-year deal. My contract’s up in May, you know, I really have to step it up. I felt like I have in the last couple of months. You know, just having killer matches on Dark. Yeah. The arena’s coming back, it really helped me. I feel like we got something right now with AEW, I’m crossing my fingers.”
Joey Janela said that he hopes things will go on an upward trajectory from here on because the whole pandemic was the worst for him. The AEW star has been a regular performer for the promotion since its debut.
Though many believe that he has been outshined by other AEW signings in recent months. Janela is not booked for Saturday’s Full Gear PPV either. We will have to see if he is able to improve his position within the company before his deal ends.
Last night on AEW Dark: Elevation, Joey Janela turned on Sonny Kiss. It had seemed as though the team had patched up their differences but this was all a rouse by Janela. Before their scheduled match on Dark: Elevation, Janela delivered a superkick to Sonny and later gave him a piledriver on the outside. He then took to Twitter to explain his actions.
“I did what I did not because Sonny, it’s because most mainstream wrestling “fans” are absolute losers, mutant scum!” Janela Tweeted. “Always arguing about ratings, what’s wrestling & what’s not, who’s dating who, body shaming, & what’s going on backstage.. now you have a reason to really hate me!”
“This comes from the heart, if you stood by me through the years Thank you! If not & you’ve partook in any of these activities you belong in a hole!”
I did what I did not because Sonny, it’s because most mainstream wrestling “fans” are absolute losers, mutant scum! Always arguing about ratings, what’s wrestling & what’s not, who’s dating who, body shaming, & what’s going on backstage.. now you have a reason to really hate me! https://t.co/Kd6aVBYSUi
In 2021, Janela and Sonny Kiss racked up a 3-4 record in 2-on-2 tag-team matches. Their victories were over enhancement talent but they dropped matches to teams such as The Acclaimed, Ethan Page & Scorpio Sky, Santana & Ortiz, and Brian Cage and Ricky Starks.
Sonny Kiss is 3-6 in AEW singles matches in 2021. Joey Janela is 5-3 in AEW singles matches in 2021
Joey Janela and Big Cass (aka W. Morrissey, CaZXL) were involved in a backstage altercation in late 2019 at a WrestlePro event. Cass took a little time away from wrestling after that and spent some time staying with Diamond Dallas Page as well. He was on Sean Waltman’s podcast recently and said that he and Janela have buried the hatchet.
“I spoke to Joey the weekend of WrestleMania. At GCW, I did a show. I spoke with Joey, and we’re really cool, man. We buried the hatchet,” Cass said (transcriptions via WrestlingNewsCO). “That was one that I really, genuinely needed to apologize to the guy in person. I like to do things face to face.”
Cass continued to talk about speaking with Janela backstage at the GCW show.
“I happened to walk in, we started talking right away, and I was super happy about that. He’s cool as can be, and I appreciate him being super understanding.”
Not long after, Janela took to Twitter to comment on the conversation the two had over WrestleMania weekend as well. Janela also mentioned he’d hoped to book Cass for GCW over the summer. Cass is wrestling for both Impact and SWE at the moment, however.
“I saw that Cass talked about our convo, he’s really awesome! I’m happy to see him doing so well, tried to get him in the fold at GCW this summer but he’s become a busy guy! Hope I can make something happen sometime because that 7 foot dude slamming guys through doors would rule!” Janela Tweeted.
I saw that Cass talked about our convo, he’s really awesome! I’m happy to see him doing so well, tried to get him in the fold at GCW this summer but he’s become a busy guy! Hope I can make something happen sometime because that 7 foot dude slamming guys through doors would rule!
— “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) July 24, 2021
Joey Janela has been on the shelf since wrestling Hangman Page on the go-home episode of Dynamite before Double or Nothing. Page defeated Janela on the show before then defeating Brian Cage on the PPV.
Janela appeared recently on the Wrestling Perspectives podcast and spoke about dealing with a concussion.
“I’ll be coming back soon. I’m dealing with an injury right now, a little concussion deal. S**t happens, everyone knows that, it’s wrestling. All sports, everyone gets concussions. I’ll be cleared from that in the coming weeks, maybe the coming weekend. I’ll be good and hopefully doing AEW stuff soon. Things were about to pick up for me right before [the concussion].” (transcriptions via Fightful).
Not long after his match with Page on Dynamite, Janela posted a video to Twitter noting that he will have to miss his bookings in June.
Before getting injured, Janela and Sonny Kiss appeared to be building an angle. Janela’s character seems like it might be going heel as he was making excuses for not coming out to help his tag-team partner. In the below backstage segment from Dark 2 weeks ago, Kiss seems to be done with their team. Janela then tried to blame Alex Marvez for his recent actions.
AEW star Joey Janela has revealed that he is dealing with an injury that is expected to keep him out of action for the whole month of June.
The hardcore star posted a video on his Twitter to make the revelation. Though he did not provide a lot of details on his condition and just said that he is currently not medically cleared to compete.
Janela confirmed that he won’t be able to compete at some upcoming announced dates. He noted that he will not be able to wrestle at Saturday’s GCW show in NJ, though he will be doing commentary at the event.
The AEW star also mentioned that he will be missing the GCW show in Laramie, WY on June 19 but he is ‘almost sure’ that he will be cleared for the July 10 GCW show from Dallas, Texas.
Joey Janela hasn’t been out of action for long and he wrestled at this past Friday’s episode of AEW Dynamite. Janela competed in a singles match against Adam Page and lost the bout.
There is no word yet on when or where he suffered the damage and the severity of his injury is not known yet. We will keep you posted on his health.
Joey Janela will challenge Darby Allin for the TNT Championship next week on AEW Dynamite. Janela recently took to Twitter to fire back at fans who are critical of him receiving a TNT title shot.
“When other people do things it’s fine but when it involves Joey Janela it involves a lot of fans crying! Probably because I look a lot like you but the difference is I get to wrestle on tv, have a super hot Girlfriend, eat lobster whenever the fuck I want & don’t care!” Janela Tweeted.
The complaints regarding Janela receiving a title shot aren’t really about his abilities, however. Rather some fans feel his win/loss record in the promotion doesn’t warrant a title shot in storyline. The story is that Darby requested the match, however, and that’s why he’s getting the title shot.
“Why does Joey Janela get a TNT title shot, When’s the last time Joey got a win on tv” is the phrase of the of the last 2 days. It’s not like CODY did an open challenge series for the belt with RANDOM dudes Lmfaooooo…
DARBY wanted this match, and THE BAD BOY IS BACK! @aew
A likely storyline reason as to why Darby requested the match with Janela is the long history the two have against each other. Daring back to 2017, they have been in 11 matches together, including 6 one-on-one singles matches across 6 different promotions.
Darby Allin vs Joey Janela Singles Match Stats:
8/4/2017: Darby Allin defeated Joey Janela (Scenic City Invitational Tournament)
