This week’s AEW Dynamite from Arlington, Texas is in the can. What was good? What was bad? What worked? What didn’t?

Let’s dive into Wednesday night’s show.

They started the show off hot with a Samoa Joe coming out for a promo right off the bat, even skipping the Dynamite show intro. The segment quickly evolved into including Hangman Adam Page and Roderick Strong as well. Joe accused Page of being the Devil, while Strong said it was obvious that MJF is.

This flowed right into the first match, featuring Page vs. Strong. They had an excellent match, maybe a little too competitive for my taste considering they teased Page getting into a world title feud with MJF recently and…Strong isn’t exactly on that level. However, the story was that Page was outnumbered by Strong’s crew outside the ring. In the end, Page got the victory. Hot way to start the show.

Roderick Strong is out of the wheelchair (still in the neckbrace) and presents his case on the identity of The Devil!

But Hanger wants to fight!

Watch #AEWDynamite #WinterIsComing LIVE on TBS!@roderickstrong | @MattTaven | @RealMikeBennett | @SamoaJoe | #HangmanAdamPage pic.twitter.com/c9w0h9FwF8

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 14, 2023

The Continental Classic Doesn’t Let Up. Good. 

The Continental Classic continued with Brody King and Andrade absolutely tearing it up with an outstanding match. I am a bit surprised that Andrade continues to go over in some of these contests given his recently teasing he could be interested in a return to WWE. He went over King here, using an exposed turnbuckle to his advantage.

The Von Erichs (Kevin, Marshall, and Ross) were backstage with an interview with Renee Paquette. Orange Cassidy came in with the Best Friends and said he needs two partners for a match on Rampage and asked the Von Erichs (Marshall and Ross) to team with him. They obliged. Felt like a bit of false advertising to not put the Von Erichs out in front of the crowd on Dynamite since they advertised it in advance, though the live crowd will see them when they tape Rampage later on after Dynamite. 

The Von Erichs are back in Dallas, TX!

Watch #AEWDynamite #WinterIsComing LIVE on TBS!#KevinVonErich | @MarshallVonEric | @RossVonErich pic.twitter.com/E1O9HQjF80

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 14, 2023

Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho Have An Off Night

The Golden Jets, Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, came out for a promo in the ring. They explained their lengthy absence was due to getting attacked backstage by Big Bill and Ricky Starks at Full Gear. They were eventually interrupted by Starks and Bill and the segment turned into a back and forth of insults between the teams. Jericho and Omega were a bit off, with Omega even calling the team the Winnipeg Jets at one time (but quickly corrected himself). Omega’s big line was talking about how nobody remembered the storyline with Bill and The Firm, but said that he was more flacid and “sawft.” There was even a mention of Enzo Amore. 

They officially announced that Jericho and Omega will challenge for the tag titles against Bill and Starks at Worlds End. Starks came off very well by the end, showing a lot of fire on the microphone. I still have zero interest in seeing Omega and Jericho continue to team as it feels like a waste of Omega.

Riho and Ruby Soho wrestled while Toni Storm did guest commentary with Mariah May at her side. I’ve said it before here in this column, but man, this character with Storm is really flatlining. They need to kick this storyline with May into high gear as it still hasn’t even really begun. Way too slow of a burn here, in my opinion.

Jay Lethal and Rush wrestled in a Continental Classic bout. They mentioned that Lethal would be mathematically eliminated with a loss as he has zero points so far (Rush has 3, though he’s really shined in each match). Maybe surprisingly, Lethal was mathematically eliminated as Rush won with a sleeper hold tap out very quickly. Match only went a few minutes (the fastest of the whole tournament). Lethal was consoled by Jeff and Karen Jarrett, and Sonjay Dutt after the match as he looked frustrated. Rush celebrated with a dude’s beer at ringside and high fived another crowd member so hard I was worried they might have fractured their hand. 

Mark Briscoe and Jay White Have A Good One

Mark Briscoe and Jay White wrestled in a Continental Classic tournament match. The announcers did a good job going over the different scenarios for each man to make it to the finals. Crowd was really into this one, with several “Dem Boys” chants. 

This match is what the #AEWContinentalClash is all about!

Watch #AEWDynamite #WinterIsComing LIVE on TBS!#AEWContinentlalClassic Gold League@SussexCoChicken | @JayWhiteNZ pic.twitter.com/jQOHkm96GJ

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 14, 2023

Very back and forth, with Briscoe charging in right away and hitting the Froggie Bow early. Briscoe took a crazy toss to the outside and also hit an elbow to the outside late. In the end, Briscoe dodged a second Froggie Bow and hit the Blade Runner to get the victory. Excellent match.

The previous result eliminated Rush mathematically from the tournament since White holds a tiebreaking victory over him. 

Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland Delivered

In the main event, Jon Moxley and Swerve Strickland wrestled a Continental Classic match that was my most anticipated television match in quite some time. Strickland is one of the hottest names in all of wrestling right, so I was intrigued with how they’d book this one against one of Moxley’s core main eventers.

Crowd was super hot early until they worked a slow style at the start. If they brawled and started out quick, the place would have been unglued. Each guy tried to get into each other’s head as they struggled for position, with Mox giving Swerve a brief peck of a kiss in the corner, and Swerve returning the favor moments later. 

Mox took an early advantage brawling but Swerve then hit a brutal looking DDT to Mox off the second rope. Swerve worked him over on the outside of the ring, but Mox came back with a clothesline out of the corner back in the ring and hit a piledriver for two. Moments later, he trapped Swerve in the ring apron on the outside, then tossed him into the ring steps as they went to commercial.

Mox has Swerve trapped!

Watch #AEWDynamite #WinterIsComing LIVE on TBS!#AEWContinentlalClassic Gold League@JonMoxley | @swerveconfident pic.twitter.com/ip1TMasY03

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 14, 2023

Mox was still in control throughout the commercial and after until Swerve came roaring back with a backbreaker and some back elbows. Mox reversed a rolling offensive maneuver into a cutter for two, then hit a Gotch-style piledriver for two. They exchanged headbutts and Swerve then hit the Flatliner, a suplex and big boot for two. Strickland then used Moxley’s move, with the continued stomps and back elbows. He then hit his running kick and went up top for the Swerve Stomp but Mox knocked him to the outside. 

Mox hit a Stomp and locked in an armbar when Swerve made it back into the ring. Swerve made the ropes for the break. Moxley then went to get a chair, which would have been a DQ loss, but Swerve hit a crossbody over the top to the outside. Back in the ring, Strickland hit the Swerve Stomp off the top for two. Strickland then went for the JML Driver, but Moxley rolled through for the pinfall while holding the tights. Taz sold that Strickland may have had a shoulder up, too. Stricland looked stunned in the ring. Feels like we’re destined for a rematch in the Gold League finals in two weeks. 

The show ended with Hangman Adam Page being attacked in the parking lot by the four masked men. The Devil was sitting a car and nodded at his men, who then slammed Page on the windshield of the car. 

For more from Ryan Droste, check out the Top Rope Nation podcast. New episodes drop weekly on YouTube, Apple, Spotify and everywhere else podcasts are found. 

AEW will be having an “after party” following this week’s episode of Dynamite that will feature a DJ set, appearances by wrestlers, and more.

All Elite Wrestling holds the show from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ on Wednesday night. AEW’s Swerve Strickland announced on Twitter that rapper Mega Ran would be performing at the Cobra Arcade Bar after AEW Dynamite.

Ran does have a history with the promotion as he provided music for AEW in the past for two of its events – AEW Fyter Fest in 2019 and AEW Revolution in 2021. 

Ran performed his track “Going to the Garden” before being confronted by Bully Ray at the co-promoted ROH and NJPW event, G1 Supercard,  at Madison Square Garden in 2019.

The show will feature an “important announcement” from AEW President Tony Khan.

Rest of the Card

• Jon Moxley vs. Evil Uno
• Tag team battle royale for a spot in the Tag Team title match at Revolution
• AEW All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy vs. Wheeler Yuta
• The Acclaimed vs. Lee Moriarty & Big Bill
• Saraya vs. Skye Blue
• Christian Cage interview with Tony Schiavone
• Bryan Danielson promo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The identity of the man who attacked Keith Lee on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite has been revealed.

During a segment, rapper Rick Ross attempted to mediate a discussion between Lee and tag-team partner Swerve Strickland.

After Strickland warned Lee to be wary of his surroundings, the Limitless One was attacked by Parker Boudreaux and a mystery man, bringing an end to Swerve in Our Glory.

Granden Goetzman

After AEW Dynamite went off the air, Lee’s attacker was revealed to be Granden Goetzman, according to Fightful Select.

It is reported that Goetzman has been training for quite some time in preparation of his AEW debut, and has been working hard at Jay Lethal’s wrestling school.

Sources who spoke to Fightful said that his debut has been planned out for at the least a couple of weeks before last night’s show.

Goetzman was also backstage at AEW Dynamite on October 10, and sources said he’s been with AEW for “quite some time” anticipating his debut.

Goetzman Before AEW

The 30-year-old Goetzman joins AEW with a background in baseball, which he played professionally until last year.

A second-round pick by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011, Goetzman has been playing in the minor league system in Mexico.

Listed at 6-4, Goetzman made it all the way up to AAA in the Rays minor league system before moving on to the St. Lous Cardinals and Houston Astros farm systems until 2019.

The outfielder was primarily known for his speed but did not end in the major leagues.

Swerve in Our Glory appears to be done for good after failing to capture the AEW World Tag Team Championships at Full Gear 2022.

On AEW’s latest big event, Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee faced off against The Acclaimed, who won the titles from Swerve in Our Glory at AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam.

This match marked The Acclaimed’s third title defense and the first championship opportunity for Swerve in Our Glory since losing the titles in September of this year.

The Split

Despite appearing to be on the same page at first, issues began in the match when the team disagreed over whether to put a piece of barricade on the ring apron.

Lee had to save his partner from being put through it, then was sent crashing through it himself by The Acclaimed.

When The Acclaimed went for their tandem finisher, Anthony Bowens’ arm gave out, and Lee cleaned house.

When Strickland told Lee to use the pliers on Bowens, the big man said no, and Strickland slapped the Limitless One.

Irate, Keith Lee helped Bowens up and walked out of the match, and The Acclaimed would hit their tandem finisher to get the win.

The Build

In the run-up to AEW Full Gear, there had been tension within Swerve in Our Glory, which reached its boiling point on the Pay-Per-View.

The two have been noticeably at odds for months, and many fans have been predicting a split for some time.

The now former tag team is expected to feud immediately on AEW programming, though it is difficult to say if they will have a Pay-Per-View match at AEW’s next major event Revolution in March 2023.

Some of the big names from All Elite Wrestling represented the company at the recent birthday bash for Snoop Dogg.

The music legend turned 51 earlier this month and had a huge party in Miami, Florida.

On Twitter, AEW’s official account shared images of TBS Champion Jade Cargill, Swerve Strickland, and Ricky Starks at the event.

Cargill, who attended in her wrestling gear, later shared a video of her giving Snoop his cake, calling it a bucket list moment.

Snoop and AEW

Snoop Dogg appeared for AEW on the January 6, 2021 edition of Dynamite, which was the company’s ‘New Year’s Smash’ special.

Appearing in the corner of Cody Rhodes for his match with Matt Sydal, the rap legend would get physical himself later on, delivering a frog-splah to Serpentico.

Rhodes would then deliver a three-count, given Snoop an unofficial victory in AEW.

Snoop was one of the four judges for season one of the Go-Big Show, which Rhodes is also a judge for.

Snoop and WWE

Snoop has appeared for AEW, but the vast majority of his wrestling appearances have come with WWE.

The rapper was the Master of Ceremonies for a women’s tag team match at WrestleMania, and later shared a kiss with Maria Kanellis, who won the match alongside Ashley Massaro.

In March 2016, Snoop was inducted into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame the night before WrestleMania 32.

At WrestleMania, Snoop would perform for the entrance of his cousin Sasha Banks, who unsuccessfully competed for the WWE Women’s Championship.

AEW Dynamite was live from Philadelphia, but was impacted by Hurricane Ian in Florida, as several wrestlers didn’t make it to the show.

According to Fightful Select, Swerve Strickland was scheduled to appear. This is why Keith Lee was by himself in a backstage segment with AEW Tag Team Champions, The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn. Lee said that his partner wasn’t there because he was “exceptionally disgruntled”, particularly with Gunn cheating to help The Acclaimed win.

ROH Television champion, Samoa Joe, was also scheduled to be on Dynamite. With the show being in Philadelphia and having a focus on Ring of Honor, they had plans for him.

Tony Khan advises AEW talent to stay home due to hurricane

On Monday, Tony Khan sent out both an e-mail and a tweet stating that talent and staff could voluntarily stay home from TV if they were “worried about Hurricane Ian affecting your travel or home or your family life.”

Although his name wasn’t mentioned in the Select report, Jake Hager was absent from the Jericho Appreciation Society’s celebration of Chris Jericho’s “The Ocho” title win.

Rampage was filmed after Dynamite, so it’s possible that it was also affected by wrestlers who didn’t travel to Philadelphia.

• Watch: MJF Sings To The Philadelphia Crowd Before AEW Dynamite

The report did say there will be more to come on who else didn’t travel and how it effected the show.

There has been a great amount of discussion over the last two months about WWE reportedly making overtures to AEW talent who are still under contract, and a new report sheds some light on exactly who these names are.

According to Fightful Select, there were indeed some AEW stars who did receive word that WWE would be interested in bringing them back. The first name that jumps off the page is former AEW Tag Team Champion Swerve Strickland. According to the report, he told the WWE party to contact his attorney. Strickland apparently had no interest in returning to WWE, and the pitch was reportedly for him to return as part of Hit Row.

For what it’s worth, Strickland’s partner Keith Lee has apparently not been contacted by WWE.

On the tag team front, it was previously reported that word was given to FTR that WWE would be interested in bringing them back.

Any Truth to Those Bobby Fish, Adam Cole, and Kyle O’Reilly Rumors?

There has been some chatter that Bobby Fish, prior to exiting AEW, was trying to get Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly to ask for their AEW releases so that the trio could return to WWE. According to Fightful Select, there’s no truth to this rumor. Several AEW sources indicated the rumor was false, and WWE sources stated that they have not been in contact with Fish about a return to the company.

Miro has not asked for his AEW release despite there being some chatter about WWE reaching out to him. These rumors were not substantiated or refuted, with no reporting either way on the matter.

Lastly, at least one AEW official stated they are expecting both Buddy Matthews and Aleister Black to be back with AEW within a couple of months. Black had asked for his AEW release and reportedly told at least one person at WWE that he wished he was back with the company, however AEW never had any intention of releasing him so that he could return to WWE. AEW officials believed that the situation had been “smoothed over” prior to All Out.

Furthermore, Black did an IG Live on Monday night where he noted he has not been released from AEW. He stated that he has been given some time off to deal with some personal things. He said he would be back with AEW soon.

• Candice LeRae Returns to WWE on Raw

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news. Apple – Spotify – YouTube. 

Several AEW stars were contacted by WWE or those working with WWE about potential returns to the company.

When these reports came out, former WWE stars were contacted by WWE talent relations, referred the contact to their attorney, and informed AEW management of the contact.

The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer previously reported that WWE contacted Malakai Black. Fightful Select reports that they heard from WWE sources that Black indicated to contacts in the company that he wished he was still there.

For now, Black is effectively done with AEW, but with the inability to compete for WWE for an extended period. Several in AEW management initially had the impression that he wanted to go back to WWE, and there were higher-ups in AEW who were of the “if they want to go, let them” mentality.

Malakai Black Wasn’t The Only One Contacted

The report noted that a source within WWE stated they heard that feelers were sent out to Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood of FTR, and Swerve Strickland. 

FTR has a while to go until their AEW contracts run out. They had spent years in the WWE system working with Triple H. Before they left WWE, the company made numerous efforts to re-sign them. 

An AEW source added that “WWE had reached out in August to an AEW name who had been with the company since the start, but that even we’d be surprised to learn they reached out to.”

AEW should carry on blending the worlds of professional wrestling and music according to one-half of the World Tag Team Champions Swerve Strickland.

In February this year, AEW announced an album featuring Hip Hop & R ‘n B artists for Black History month, including performers such as Jon Connor, Mega Ran, Brinson, Omega Sparx, Monteasy, and Josiah Williams.

Earlier this month, Daniel Garcia’s ring entrance was performed by Westside Gunn, ahead of the ‘Dragon Slayer’s’ ROH Pure Championship win over Wheeler Yuta.

Hip Hop star Action Bronson has been training ahead of an appearance at this week’s AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam.

AEW and Music

AEW has seen plenty of Hip Hop artists already, and that trend is set to continue if Strickland has his way.

Speaking on the latest episode of ‘The Sessions’ Strickland told host Renee Paquette how he thinks that pro-wrestling and entertainment crossovers just make sense.

“I’ve always been a big advocate of the crossover. Sports and media and entertainment, now we’re seeing Dwayne Johnson announce the Superbowl and things like that. There’s those same types of parallels that are transferring over and I’ve always been a big proponent for it.”

Bringing it Back

While Strickland said that AEW was crossing over with music prior to his arrival in March this year, he felt that the company’s interest in Hip Hop had wained in that time.

“I had a connection make the Kevin Gates thing that we did happen, and I was like ‘man I feel like we can bring that back to life and provide something that has been missing for quite some time on the show.

“Especially for hip-hop culture and African American culture and stuff like that. I think that may influence, and ripple through the industry. Even when we did LA. right after Double or Nothing I brought in Jeff Hamilton to do a little one-minute backstage with me. Hip-Hop heads, true hip-hop heads through the music industry and fashion were like ‘yo! What is he doing here on AEW Wrestling?'”

Responding to Critics

AEW has a huge fan base, but it is impossible to please everyone.

Speaking about recent crossovers, Strickland admitted that not everyone is on board with seeing musical artists take up time on AEW programming.

The AEW World Tag Team Champion countered that seeing artists is likely to win over people who want to watch wrestling, but don’t quite know how to start.

“There were some critiques about it like ‘what was this for? It was like a minute. What was that put on TV for?’ Some wrestling fans were like ‘I don’t understand what the purpose of that was.’

“You guys are already watching, it wasn’t for you as fans. It was for these people who want to like wrestling, but they’re so hesitant because they don’t see representation on certain shows.

“It was for these people who want to like wrestling, but they’re so hesitant.”

Swerve Strickland on AEW’s crossover with music winning over new fans.

“So now just having that ‘oh Jeff Hamilton he just did the NBA 75 jackets for Lebron James and Steph Curry and all these guys. What is he doing in AEW? Oh, they’re in the forum!’

“That’s a pop culture thing that goes all the way through You don’t have to be a wrestling fan to appreciate those connections. And that’s why I try to find.”

The Future

AEW has shown no signs of easing up on their involvement with music now that Strickland is around, and he has big plans for the future.

When asked what he hopes to be the next step, Strickland said that with Hip Hop artists coming to AEW, it’s time for AEW to enter their domain.

“I want to see us transfer over there to that side a little bit more. Because when you look at a lot of wrestling that gets involved with rap and music or doing it, it always feel like its very charicature, where it’s a parody of the music.”

For use of these quotes please give a h/t to SEScoops.

Hit Row made a “smash return” to WWE on the August 12th edition of Friday Night SmackDown. However, they are missing a key component of the original act.

The group, which was comprised of Swerve Strickland, Top Dolla, Ashante “Thee” Adonis and B-Fab, were broken up and released from WWE at different points throughout 2021.

Strickland later signed with All Elite Wrestling. Along with Keith Lee, he’s one half of the reigning AEW World tag team champions.

The three remaining members now look to reestablish themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the SmackDown brand.

During a recent appearance on the Jobbing Out podcast, Top Dolla spoke about how their WWE return came about and his thoughts about the group continuing without Swerve.

Hit Row’s Road Back to WWE

Hit Row member Top Dolla appeared on the Jobbing Out podcast this week and spoke about their road back to WWE. He never stopped talking to Triple H after his release. They kept in regular touch and said they have a strong relationship.

He kept in touch with other members of WWE management, as well. The day after he was released from WWE, John Laurinaitis (former head of talent relations) called him and said Hit Row would be waned back in WW when the company resumes hiring.

Top Dolla said the group knows they created something special. They never stopped plotting their return and were eager to get back to work. When Triple H came into power at WWE, Top Dolla was waiting for “the call” to return. That call came and he told Triple H the crew is ready to come back. Within a week or so, they were back on television.

Hit Row Without Swerve Strickland

Of course, Top Dolla was asked about the absence of Swerve Strickland, the group’s breakout star during their initial run in NXT.

The former NFL star said it’s not really a big deal, because the three remaining members have been working together for over two years and were a unit before Swerve was added to the group.

Top Dolla said he, Ashante “Thee” Adonis and B-Fab are the “OG-3.” The group was his creation and were just fine before Swerve was added. The three original members feed off of each other creatively and will be just fine on SmackDown.

Listen to Top Dola’s appearance on the Jobbing Out podcast:

This week’s AEW Dynamite was Night One of the annual Fyter Fest special, and saw two huge title matches.

In the show’s opener, TNT Champion Wardlow retained his title against Orange Cassidy.

In the main event, Swerve in Our Glory captured the AEW World Tag Team Titles from The Young Bucks, in a match that also featured Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs.

An Invalid Title Change?

Fans were thrilled to see Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland win their first titles in AEW, but their win may be invalid.

Fans have noticed that when getting the pinfall, Strickland pinned someone who was not a legal man.

As seen in the video from AEW below, Strickland and Matt Jackson both tag into the match around 04:15, making both men the legal man.

Referee Rick Knox confirms that these two are the legal man, counting two pin attempts by Jackson (around 06:30, 07:00) and one pin attempt by Strickland (around 07:30.)

At around 08:15, Powerhouse Hobbs tags Ricky Starks into the match, despite neither being the legal man.

Strickland pins Starks to win the Tag Titles, which in theory should not have been counted by Referee Knox.

Khan Responds

This controversial finish has had fans speculating on whether this was a botch, or part of an ongoing storyline.

Responding to the finish, AEW President Tony Khan insisted that the referee’s decision is final.

Khan did not disclose whether this finish will be addressed on Rampage or next week’s edition of Dynamite.

The Fyter Fest edition of AEW Dynamite week one has wrapped up and here’s what happened just before the Rampage tapings began.

This week’s episode of Dynamite was held inside Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA. The show got started with a TNT Championship match between titleholder Wardlow and Orange Cassidy.

There was also a non-title match between interim AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and Konosuke Takeshita.

Headlining this week’s episode of Dynamite was an AEW World Tag Team Title match between champions The Young Bucks, Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks, and Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland.

After The Show

Dynamite went off the air with new AEW World Tag Team Champions. Swerve in Our Glory defeated The Young Bucks, Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks to lay claim to the gold.

When the show went off the air, Lee and Hobbs continued to celebrate and were then congratulated by AEW President Tony Khan.

Before meeting with Khan, Keith Lee shared some words with the fans and had a heartfelt message for a close friend.

The July 15 edition of AEW Rampage is being taped right after Dynamite. The show will feature an ROH World Championship match between Jonathan Gresham and Lee Moriarty.

Stick with the SEScoops homepage for coverage of this week’s edition of Rampage.

Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland have shocked the world.

Week one of AEW Fyter Fest began on the July 13 episode of Dynamite. The show was stacked and featured key matches. Championship gold was also at stake.

In the main event, The Young Bucks put the AEW World Tag Team Titles on the line against Swerve in Our Glory, Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks.

The action was intense but in the end, it was Strickland who scored the pinfall over Ricky Starks.

That’s right, we have now AEW World Tag Team Champions.

Many expected The Young Bucks to successfully retain the gold but that isn’t what transpired. AEW has been running a storyline where Lee and Strickland haven’t been on the same page but continue to win.

There was even a moment in the match where Strickland appeared to be looking to turn on his partner but thought better of it.

Here are video highlights of the big title win for Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland:

An AEW star may have turned over to the dark side.

Dynamite aired live on June 8. The action was held inside the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, MO.

The event featured a Casino Battle Royale to determine who would meet Jon Moxley in the main event later that night. The winner of that match would go on to Forbidden Door to challenge for the Interim AEW World Championship.

Swerve Strickland Turns Heel?

Swerve Strickland and his (now seemingly former) tag team partner Keith Lee were in the Casino Battle Royale. The two had been working together when Strickland found the right opportunity and eliminated Lee.

While the action itself doesn’t immediately scream “heel turn,” Strickland had an evil grin on his face and received heavy boos from the crowd. He then eliminated Darby Allin, another fan favorite.

Strickland got too cocky and relished in the elimination, which ultimately led to him being eliminated himself.

In the biggest clue that Swerve Strickland may have turned heel, he took to his Twitter account to call Keith Lee “dead weight.”

Tony Khan remains in disbelief over WWE’s decision to release Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland.

AEW hasn’t been shy in bringing in talent that once worked under the WWE banner. The likes of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Chris Jericho, Christian Cage, and many more once made a name for themselves within Vince McMahon’s empire.

There are some talents that WWE decided to drop, leaving fans puzzled. Heck, it’s even left Khan confused.

Tony Khan Surprised Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland Hit The Market

Tony Khan appeared on Barstool Rasslin’ and he admitted that he never envisioned a scenario where both Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland would be released by WWE (h/t Fightful).

“Also, speaking of established stars coming in, Swerve Strickland and right before that Keith Lee. I can’t believe these guys got fired by any wrestling company in the world.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re thinking if you run a wrestling company and you don’t have a spot for Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee. I get that there are only so many positions in a company but I think any company that has those guys and, you know, it wasn’t like they’re unreasonable guys. They’re great!

“I love both guys. They’ve been a huge part of what we’re doing here now, too.”

On AEW TV, Lee and Strickland have actually formed a duo at least for this feud with Team Taz. Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs have been thorns in the sides of Lee and Strickland, so something has to give.

Lee and Strickland will team to take on Starks and Hobbs on the April 13 episode of Dynamite.

While Triple H didn’t pick his favorites during his time as the head of NXT, he did have a core group of talents he preferred over others, according to Swerve Strickland.

The now former WWE star appeared on the Getting Over podcast. Among other things, he discussed how The Game ran the development brand during his time there.

Strickland said that Triple H didn’t buy into him until Hit Row became a thing. He then explained how the WWE EVP chose which guys he wanted to push:

“He’s one of those guys like, he has those talents on the show that he knows and he’s well-acquainted with and it’s hard for him to deviate from those guys. When he’s set on someone, he’s set on them.

Anybody who says that he doesn’t, like, I wouldn’t call it picking favorites,” said Swerve Strickland, “but if somebody says he doesn’t have his core guys, you’re one of the core guys. You know what I mean?”

• Swerve Strickland Reveals Initial Talks With NJPW Before Signing With AEW

The AEW star continued his explanation saying that Triple H missed out on people like Matt Riddle and Bianca Belair because he was focused on his core group of talent.

According to him, when you are running a weekly product like NXT, you have to prefer some people over others. You want to go to your guaranteed guys.

Thanks to WrestlingInc for the transcribed quotes

Swerve Strickland is All Elite but another prominent promotion was knocking on his door.

Back in Nov. 2021, Strickland was surprisingly released by WWE. He along with other members of the group, Hit Row were given their walking papers despite just being called up to the main roster.

While the release was abrupt, many were convinced that Strickland wouldn’t be out of work for long. That hunch was correct as he is now a member of the AEW roster.

NJPW Tried Signing Swerve Strickland

Appearing on Adam Silverstein’s Getting Over Podcast, Swerve Strickland revealed he was first contacted by NJPW (h/t Fightful).

“My first call was New Japan. I was on the phone with Rocky Romero and talked with Will Ospreay about it. That’s a little brother to me, he wants me to be over there as much as them.

“My cousin, Will Washington, who helped produce ‘Who We Are’ AEW album, he talks with Tony Khan frequently and does a lot of media scrums as well. He also does the Grapsody podcast with Righteous Reg and Phil Lindsey, shoutout to them. Tony Khan reached out to him because we’re family and was like, ‘what can we do about getting him here?’

“That was the bug in the ear. I was happy about interest being there really early on. I didn’t want to just show up there. I’m glad I had the 90 days. It gave me time to go out, travel, build a team, network, meet other people.

“I went to LA for 12 days and met so many people in the industry and outside the industry, in the music industry, fashion. I’m building a podcast team, a music team.”

Swerve made his AEW debut at the Revolution PPV. He’ll have his first match with the promotion against Tony Nese on the March 11 episode of Rampage.