SEScoops

Author: Andrew Ravens

  • The Gunn Club Retain Tag Team Titles, FTR Return at AEW Revolution

    AEW Tag Team Champions The Gunn Club (Colten Gunn & Austin Gunn) put their titles on the line in a fatal 4-way bout at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event from the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. 

    The other teams involved in the match were The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster), Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal, and Orange Cassidy & Danhausen.

    The match saw everyone get in their spots early on. They brought in Singh for a staredown with Danhausen, who hit him in the nuts and Billy Gunn hit the fameasser. There was a near fall when Jarrett and Lethal used a weapon and hit Caste rin the face before Jarrett connected with the stroke. Caster threatened to hit Jarrett with the guitar. The Gunns went over with their finisher on Danhausen. 

    Post-match, FTR made their return by laying out The Gunns, indicating a future title match. 

    The Gunn Club defeated The Acclaimed on Dynamite: Championship Fight Night on February 8, 2023, in El Paso, Texas to win the titles. 

    What are your thoughts on The Gunn Club retaining the AEW Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.

  • Wardlow Wins TNT Title at AEW Revolution

    AEW TNT Champion Samoa Joe put his championship on the line against Wardlow at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event from the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.

    The match saw Wardlow come out strong and brought the fight to him before Joe took over. Wardlow fought back and hit a front senton off the top rope for 2. Although Wardlow hit him with a powerbomb, Joe cut him off with a clothesline. Wardlow with a rear-naked choke for the win. 

    Since they started working together in September, the two stars have been feuding. After Wardlow said he intended to win every title in the company, Joe turned on him, despite the fact that they had initially gotten along well as tag team partner. Joe chose to attack Wardlow first because he claimed Wardlow was a danger to his ROH World Television Championship. Joe would later win the TNT Championship from Wardlow at Full Gear in a triple threat match that also included Powerhouse Hobbs.

    At the New Year\’s Smash event, Joe went on to defeat Wardlow in a singles match, causing him to pass out in the Coquina Clutch and later chopped off his ponytail.

    On the February 2 episode of AEW Dynamite, Wardlow returned to AEW television and confronted Joe after he  won the championship by defeating Darby Allin.

    What are your thoughts on Wardlow winning the TNT Title? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.

  • Jamie Hayter Retains Women’s Title at AEW Revolution

    AEW Women\’s World Champion Jamie Hayter defended her championship against Ruby Soho and Saraya at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event from the Chase Center in San Francisco, California.

    The match started with them brawling into the crowd. Saraya took some hard bumps in this bout including when Hayter hit a rock bottom to her on the ring apron. Saraya did a comedy spot where she told them to stop attacking her. Saraya planted Hayter with a DDT. Britt Baker got on the apron and punched Saraya. Soho with her finisher for 2 as Hayter broke it up. Hayter rolled up Soho for the win. Post-match, Soho turned heel by aligning herself with Saraya and Toni Storm after the two sides got into a post-match brawl. 

    The story of this program has been Soho\’s allegiances as she has been in the middle of four female talents – Saraya, Toni Storm, Hayter, and Britt Baker. The idea is that Saraya and Storm are outsiders from WWE against the homegrown talent of AEW in Braker and Hayter. Soho has yet to declare a side in the story. 

    In November 2022, in Newark, New Jersey, at Full Gear, Hayter defeated Toni Storm to win the inaugural interim AEW Women\’s World Championship. Thunder Rosa later relinquished the real championship, making Storm\’s interim reign an official reign, and she was then crowned the undisputed lineal champion on a later episode of Dynamite.

    What are your thoughts on Jamie Hayter retaining the Women’s Title? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.

  • House of Black Win Trios Titles at AEW Revolution

    AEW Trios Champions The Elite (The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega)  put their titles on the line against The House of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black) at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event from the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. 

    The match opened with a slow start before a brawl took place. Omega and Matt hit outside dives. King avoided a moonsault by putting up his knees to Omega. The Young Bucks with superkicks to Black and Buddy while King missed a dive in the corner. They did a sequence where everyone took out each other, leading to an AEW chant. There was a spot where Julia Hart got on the apron to distract Omega, but Omega accidentally kneed her in the face and Black with a head kick to Omega for 2.  The House of Black with their finisher to Omega for 2. Matt took the pinfall loss. 

    The House of Black had been doing various teases as a warning to The Elite that they were coming for the Trios Titles in the weeks leading up to the match getting made official. 

    The Elite defeated Death Triangle (Pac, Penta El Zero M, and Rey Fénix) in an Escalera de la Muerte (ladder match) on the January 11th episode of Dynamite in Inglewood, California, which was the final match in a Best of Seven Series for the championship. The Elite were the inaugural champions crowned at All Out, the night they got into a backstage fight with CM Punk for the comments he made about them, Hangman Page, and Colt Cabana at the press conference. 

    What are your thoughts on House of Black winning the AEW Trios Titles? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.

  • AEW Double or Nothing 2023 Date and Location Confirmed

    All Elite Wrestling has confirmed the details for this year\’s AEW Double or Nothing.

    During Sunday’s Revolution show, the promotion confirmed that this upcoming pay-per-view event, the biggest event of the year for AEW, will take place on Sunday, May 28, from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

    The promotion will also hold a live Dynamite event on Wednesday, May 24th, and Rampage on May 26th from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Tickets go on sale from Friday, March 17th.

    Past Shows

    The first-ever Double or Nothing (and AEW) event took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and Las Vegas has become an annual tradition as the promotion held the show in the city last year at the T-Mobile Arena. The plan was to do it there in 2020, but that was shifted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the event was held at Daily\’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida instead. AEW also held the 2021 edition at this venue as well. 

    Chris Jericho vs. Kenny Omega to determine who would compete for the inaugural AEW World Championship at All Out headlined the 2019 PPV. In 2020, Matt Hardy and The Elite vs. The Inner Circle in a Stadium Stampede match was the main event. 

    In 2021, The Inner Circle vs. The Pinnacle in a Stadium Stampede match took place, while Hangman Adam Page vs. CM Punk headlined last year’s event for the AEW World Championship.

  • AEW Revolution Match Order Revealed

    AEW Revolution is quickly approaching, and the planned match order has been revealed based on the internal production listing.

    AEW World Heavyweight Champion MJF vs. Bryan Danielson in a 60-Minute Iron Man Match will headline the show. 

    There are a total of five title matches on this card. According to the final betting odds released, there is one title expected to change hands, which is Wardlow beating Samoa Joe for the TNT Title. The event starts with the Zero Hour pre-show show at 7 PM EST and the main card at 8 PM EST. 

    AEW Revolution Match Order

    According to Fightful Select, the current scheduled match order for tonight is as follows:

    Mark Briscoe & The Lucha Bros (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) vs. Ari Daivari & Varsity Athletes (Josh Woods & Tony Nese) – Pre-Show Match

    Jungle Boy vs. Christian Cage – Final Burial Match

    Chris Jericho vs. Ricky Starks – Everyone is banned from ringside

    AEW Trios Champions The Elite (The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega) vs. The House of Black (Brody King, Buddy Matthews & Malakai Black)

    AEW Women\’s World Champion Jamie Hayter vs. Ruby Soho vs. Saraya

    Jon Moxley vs. Hangman Page – Texas Death Match.

    AEW TNT Champion Samoa Joe vs. Wardlow.

    AEW Tag Team Champions The Gunn Club vs. The Acclaimed vs. Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal vs. Orange Cassidy & Danhausen

    AEW World Heavyweight Champion MJF vs. Bryan Danielson – 60-Minute Iron Man Match.

  • Jeff Jarrett Calls AEW Stars ‘Box Office’

    Jeff Jarrett has been able to share the ring with countless wrestlers over the years throughout his wrestling career. His career spans decades in several different promotions including WWE, WCW, TNA Wrestling, and now AEW. 

    For most of Jarrett’s time in All Elite Wrestling has spent feuding with The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) and Billy Gunn on-screen alongside Satnam Singh, Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal. 

    In fact, AEW Tag Team Champions The Gunn Club vs. The Acclaimed vs. Jarrett & Lethal vs. Orange Cassidy & Danhausen in a fatal 4-way bout will take place at Revolution.  

    The Praise

    While doing an interview with Wrestling Observer Radio. Jarrett praised The Acclaimed for what they do as an act with Caster wrapping and Bowens’ mic skills. 

    He said the act is real and connects with fans because when they take digs at people, it resonates right away with fans. Jarrett thinks adding Billy Gunn to the pair makes a magical combination. 

    “I think it takes the presentation of the charisma of all three to another level and look, Max and Bowens can both go, they’re both youthful. But to me, it’s just a fantastic box-office attraction because just as we were talking a few minutes ago, you can do a few moves here and there but is it really gonna resonate? We’re talking about it. So, you know, MJF may have great verbal skills but he can’t rap. Max can rap and it’s authentic and real. Bowens can talk, Billy has his lineage in the business and when you kind of put it together and the scissor and everything, it just is a true box-office attraction that is homegrown and I think that is something when you look at that diverse roster, they’re breakouts and we just kind of answered our own question. Why are they breakouts? Well they’ve got athletics, but they also can talk and you kind of combine the three, it works.”

    AEW Revolution Staff Predictions

    H/T to POST Wrestling

  • Ric Flair on His Last Match: ‘It Was The Sh*ts’

    WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair had a retirement match billed as “Ric Flair’s Last Match” last July when he teamed with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo against Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal.

    Flair and the AEW star went over when Flair hit Jarrett with brass knuckles and then put him in the figure-four leg lock. Coming out of the event, Flair blamed not being properly hydrated for his performance in the match. 

    Dave Meltzer recently published the fan-voted Wrestling Observer Awards. Among the list of awards was the worst match with Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee at WrestleMania 38 earning that award while Flair’s last match was the runner-up.

    Flair’s Reaction

    While speaking on his To Be The Man podcast, Ric Flair talked about the Wrestling Observer Awards.

    “I’ll take that because it was the sh*ts. No, no, but here’s the deal. It was the sh*ts because I made a mistake in not hydrating. Let them have it again. No, I mean, I’m serious. I think about it all the time. Let me have the match again. Because the one thing I never thought about was to keep myself hydrated, which I found out my doctor told me the other day, I just went to get my heart tested and all that.”

    He faked having a heart attack during the match a play on having a pacemaker in chest.

    Flair continued by noting that the only recommendation that his doctor gave him was to drink more water since he won’t stop drinking, which includes nine to 12 beers a day.

    H/T to TJRWrestling

  • Injured AEW Star to Undergo Surgery

    AEW\’s Fuego del Sol has provided an injury update days after announcing that he had undergone medical testing. 

    Last month, the AEW star announced that he dislocated his right foot and only had one minor fracture. However, earlier this week, it was revealed that he has been diagnosed with five fractures in his foot. 

    The injury happened during an Extreme Title Three-Way match at an SPW show on February 19th. He was wrestling Guapo Lupe and Daniel Torch.

    The Announcement

    In a post on Instagram, Fuego noted that he will need surgery to fix the injury and will be sidelined for at least 3 months. He wrote the following: 

    “I LOVE PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING!

    Which is why I’m devastated to say that due to this injury I’ll need surgery that’s going to keep me from doing what I love for at least 3 months.

    This a clip from a recent seminar I did. Hoping to do more along with some meet and greets while I’m out of the ring. I’m too passionate about this business to let this hold me back. The comeback will be far greater than the setback.”

    His most recent match under the AEW banner happened on February 15 during Dark: Elevation when he lost to Juice Robinson while his last televised bout came when he lost to Luchasaurus in October on Dynamite.

    We wish him a speedy recovery.

  • Keith Lee Says New Look is a “Giant Middle Finger” to Critics

    Keith Lee made his return to AEW television last month to continue his feud with former tag team partner Swerve Strickland. 

    When he did, the former WWE star also debuted a new natural look with white/grey hair. Since that return, he has continued to evolve his look with robes and capes. 

    While doing a new interview with Fightful\’s Grapsody podcast, Lee addressed the new look and explained that part of it is a middle finger to people that tell you what you need to look like.

    \”I think that what inspired that look or return and all of that, I think in my previous interview the exact terminology I used was, \’A giant middle finger to society and a lot of companies that want you need to look like, a lot of people that tell you what you need to look like.\’ Instead I decided to say, \’Okay, here\’s reality\’,\” Lee said.

    Make A Statement

    Lee pointed out that he made statements about this in the past with his first grey hairs. He wants people to be comfortable with who they are and the best versions of themselves. 

    “While I want people to take care of themselves physically and do what they can to adhere to their health, things of that sort, I\’m going to be the trendsetter that says, \’Okay, naturally grey hair, white hair, however you view it, I\’m going to be the one who sets it off.\’ Because I am who I am and I don\’t really care what people say or think about me, I am going to be successful doing this,\” Lee said. \”I\’m going to change the game once again. That\’s what I always do. That\’s really what it\’s about.\”

    Although Lee said that he looks forward to putting an end to his feud with Strickland, he won’t do it at Revolution as neither star is booked for the show. 

  • MJF Told a WWE Talent That he Looks Forward to Being There in 2024 (Report)

    Last year, there was a lot of talk about what MJF would do when his contract with AEW comes due in January 2024.

    This was put on television through a storyline that led to him cutting a heated promo where he called AEW President Tony Khan a ‘mark’ and dared him to fire him. He showed up at the end of the All Out event in September before beating Jon Moxley for the AEW World Heavyweight Title at Full Gear that November. 

    It’s been reported that WWE has an interest in signing him when he’s free and clear of his AEW deal. MJF has reminded fans in countless interviews and promos that his contract is coming up. He shifted this to a work and came up with the \”bidding war of 2024\” line he has used on TV.

    The Admission

    Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that MJF told one WWE talent, \”I\’m looking forward to being there in 2024.\” 

    The source said that MJF wanted them to think he was serious, but the person didn’t take anything MJF said too seriously. The report added, \”Word of him saying that had made its way to other talent there, as well.\”

    It should be noted that MJF has said he’s looking to sign with whichever company will offer him the most amount of money. Whether it’s AEW or WWE, MJF is a top star who continues to improve and will be getting paid either way come 2024.

  • Kofi Kingston Injured on Friday’s SmackDown (Report)

    Kofi Kingston is currently on the sidelines with an injury. 

    On Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown, it appeared that Kingston had suffered an injury in a segment that also featured Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, Karrion Kross, and LA Knight to set up a 5-way match on next week’s show to determine who will face Gunther for the Intercontinental Title at WrestleMania 39.

    Kofi Kingston’s Status

    Unfortunately, that is the case. FightFans.co reported today that Kingston is dealing with an arm injury. Bryan Alvarez also reported the news on his Twitter account. 

    While the exact injury and timeline for his return is unknown, the word is that it is expected to be a lengthy period of time. The report added that there is already talk of a replacement for Kingston in the match. 

    Kingston’s most recent match was a dark match with Jinder Mahal that saw Kingston go over the fellow former WWE Champion at a February 24 SmackDown event. 

    Kingston and Xavier Woods previously dropped the NXT Tag Team Titles to Gallus (Mark Coffey & Wolfgang) at WWE NXT Vengeance Day.

    We wish Kingston a speedy recovery.

  • Ruby Soho: ‘I\’m Over The Issues Between Outsiders and Homegrown Talent in AEW’

    AEW is playing into the past locker room divide with the feud over the Women’s Title heading into Revolution as Jamie Hayter will defend the title against Ruby Soho and Saraya in a triple threat match at the show. 

    In 2022, there had been locker room issues between certain stars, whether that was CM Punk’s issues with The Elite, Hangman Page, and Colt Cabana or Eddie Kingston pie facing Sammy Guevara, or the incident with Andrade and Guevara. Also, there were issues with members of the women\’s roster with Thunder Rosa, something the promotion held a meeting about when rosa returned to the road with AEW a few weeks ago as part of the Spanish commentary team. 

    The idea with this women’s storyline is that Soho and Saraya are outsiders from WWE going up against AEW homegrown talent in Britt Baker and Hayter.

    The Divide

    During a recent interview with Fightful\’s Grapsody podcast, Ruby explained that she is not choosing sides. She noted that she just wants to go to work and home and mind her own business. Soho isn’t interested in picking a side because she’s the only person she can count on. 

    “I did the group thing before. I did it for four years. Some of the best times of my entire life. I ain’t doing it again. I’m over it. I’m choosing my side. I’m choosing me and I’m the only person I can depend on to make sure I take home that gold. So as far as the cat fight crap that keeps happening, I would love for it to just stop. But I don’t know how to run away from it and still run towards the gold. I feel like it’s just something I have to maneuver through in order to get to where I want to be. But, yeah, it’s been an ordeal.”

    Regarding the divide fracturing the women\’s roster, which is currently playing out on television, she takes pride in helping build up the women’s division. 

    \”I think this divide was a long time coming. It was going to happen regardless because of how many people that have come from somewhere else coming into the company. I think that it was inevitable because, after a while, the homegrowns are like, ‘We built this place,’ and the outsiders are like, ‘We came here to try to make this place better.’”

    Soho added that there’s an argument on both sides. 

  • Brett DiBiase, Son of Ted DiBiase, Pleads Guilty to Federal Fraud Charge

    Brett DiBiase has made a plea in the case against him connected with Mississippi\’s largest welfare embezzlement scandal.

    WLBT reports DiBiase pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States in US District Court. He previously pled guilty to two charges in Hinds County Circuit Court. 

    Now, he awaits his sentence in state court and faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

    The Scandal

    Brett was one of several people who were connected to the fraud where they were accused of the embezzlement of millions of dollars in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families funding. Brett paid $48,000 through his business Restore2, LLC by using false claims to get the money as he covered up these payments by falsifying documents, invoices, books, reports, and ledgers.

    Others involved in the case were indicted and later convicted. The names included were former DHS Executive Director John Davis, Nancy New, Zach New, and Ann McGrew.

    The son of WWE Hall of Famer Ted Dibiase did work for WWE from 2008 to 2011 where he was used in FCW (Florida Championship Wrestling), then-WWE’s developmental territory where he was a Tag Team Championship.

  • Paul Heyman Opens up on Emotional Promo Segment With Cody Rhodes

    Paul Heyman and Cody Rhodes had a memorable promo segment on the February 6 edition of WWE Raw.

    This was where Heyman talked with the 2023 Men’s Royal Rumble winner on behalf of WWE Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns ahead of their clash at WrestleMania 39. 

    The topic of Cody’s late father Dusty Rhodes was the main focal point of the promo. Rhodes thanked Heyman for reigniting Dusty’s passion during his ECW days. Heyman told Rhodes that in the last conversation he had with Dusty, the legendary wrestler told him that  Cody was his favorite son, but Reigns was the son he always wanted.

    The Pressure

    While speaking on the SI Media podcast, Heyman looked back on the promo. 

    “I like pressure. I don’t find pressure to be burdensome. I find it to be inspiring. We have Cody coming out of the gates now one-on-one with Roman because this was the night after the Elimination Chamber where Roman Reigns defeats Sami Zayn. so you know it won’t be Sami, you know it’s going to be Cody challenging Roman and an audience. I\’m sorry, this was before the Elimination Chamber, but an audience that is really honed in on the arrival of Sami Zayn as a superstar.”

    Heyman continued, “Here’s Cody, with his own narrative, his own story to tell, and as he will tell his story to finish. And a compelling one at that, and an emotional one at that. We have to tell his story as well. The pressure is we have a first time WrestleMania main event and an audience that is very critical of new people in the main event of WrestleMania….The pressure really was to demonstrate Cody Rhodes as someone who is capable of hanging with and telling himself a WrestleMania main event level story for the audience to absorb and become invested in.”

    If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit with an h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

    Backstage Reaction to Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman WWE Raw Segment

  • Ronda Rousey Dealing With an Injury Heading Into WWE WrestleMania

    Although Ronda Rousey is dealing with an injury, she is not expected to miss WWE WrestleMania 39 in April. 

    According to PWTorch, the top WWE star has aggravated a prior injury, but the report stated that it wouldn’t prevent her from competing at WrestleMania next month in Los Angeles.

    Rousey was originally set to team with Shayna Baszler to take on Tegan Nox and Natalya on Friday’s episode of SmackDown. However, plans had to change due to Rousey’s injury. 

    Plans Change

    WWE did an angle on the show where it was revealed that the two teams got into a brawl backstage at the show earlier in the day. The announcers would later explain that Rousey suffering an injury in the brawl caused the tag team match to be nixed and a singles match between Baszler and Nox was made. 

     Baszler won the match via armbar while Rousey was with her good friend during the match while wearing a sling on her arm.

    As of late, Baszler and Rousey have been teaming together. Rousey has stated that she wants to have a tag team run with Baszler, which is reportedly the direction for both stars by WWE as they’re supposed to challenge for the Women’s Tag Team Titles at WrestleMania 39. 

    Twist and Turns Expected in The Build of WWE WrestleMania 39 Match

  • Update on Sonya Deville’s WWE Status Following Arrest

    Last month, Sonya Deville was arrested for gun possession in Atlantic City, New Jersey, but she remains in good standing with WWE. 

    A valet discovered the weapon in her car’s glove box and called the cops before Deville was arrested a short time later because she didn’t have a proper New Jersey permit.

    She was charged with one count of unlawful weapon possession. Deville got the gun after a man allegedly attempted to kidnap her in 2020 during a home break-in in Florida and she wanted it for personal protection. Although it is legally registered in Florida, it\’s not in New Jersey.

    At the time of the arrest, it was reported that Deville didn’t have heat in WWE for the arrest because they understand why she would want to protect herself following the stalker incident.

    The Latest

    Pwinsider.com reports that Deville has not been pulled from the road and she is still slated to make all of her scheduled appearances for WWE including wrestling SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair at the March 12th live event at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 

    The report noted that WWE was aware she had applied and received a permit to carry a gun. Deville is slated for a court appearance later this month.

  • AEW All Access Premiere Date Revealed, Trailer Released

    The premiere date is set for AEW All Access, a new reality show based on the behind-the-scenes elements of All Elite Wrestling. 

    It was announced today that the series would premiere on March 29 on TBS following AEW Dynamite and will consist of six one-hour episodes for the first season. 

    Adam Cole, Dr. Britt Baker, Sammy Guevara, Tay Melo, The Young Bucks, Saraya, Wardlow, Eddie Kingston, and AEW CEO, GM, and Head of Creative Tony Khan will be featured on the episode. 

    The synopsis notes, “The series will showcase AEW’s stars as they navigate the week-to-week challenges to remain at the top and will track the rivalries between talent as they vie for fans’ attention. Over the course of the series, viewers will get the chance to follow the contentious lead-up to AEW’s major wrestling events and matches.”

    The Trailer

    The show is produced by Shed Media in association with AEW and Activist Artists Management. Tony Khan, Dan Peirson, Lisa Shannon, Sam Berns, Alan Bloom, Bernie Cahill, and Jon Kanak are the executive producers.

    As previously announced, Adam Cole will work his first match since June on March 29 after being sidelined with concussion-related issues that the show will document. 

  • Tony Khan Has \’Major AEW Announcements Coming Soon\’

    AEW President Tony Khan has more announcements to make. 

    Khan took to Twitter today to hype this week’s AEW Rampage episode and Sunday\’s Revolution pay-per-view from San Francisco. In a tweet, Khan stated that he has announcements \”coming soon\” that \”will be important to AEW & our fans!\”

    Khan wrote: “This is one of the best weekends of the year: AEW Revolution, Sunday in San Francisco + Friday Night #AEWRampage & then Countdown to Revolution TONIGHT on TNT! 2023 will be the biggest year yet for AEW, I have major announcements coming soon that are important to AEW & our fans!”

    The Last Announcement

    Khan just made what was hyped as a major announcement on the February 22 episode of Dynamite, although Khan had Adam Cole make the big reveal, which was that AEW’s new reality show, AEW All Access, would be premiering this month. Cole also announced his in-ring return would occur the same night the show premieres. 

    Khan previously announced that he would be purchasing Ring of Honor and the AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view. 

    Rampage’s lineup includes Dustin Rhodes & Keith Lee vs. Swerve Strickland & Parker Boudreaux, as well as Top Flight, Aussie Open, The Dark Order, and Blackpool Combat Club.

    Bryan Danielson is scheduled to challenge MJF for his AEW World Championship in a 60-minute iron man match at the Revolution PPV.

  • Vince McMahon Would’ve Let Bryan Danielson Work NJPW G1 Climax Tournament

    Bryan Danielson had leverage when going through contract talks with Vince McMahon in 2021, as the possibility of him going to NJPW, or AEW was real. 

    Danielson has often talked about wanting to work in Japan and be part of NJPW’s G1 Climax tournament, one of the most prestigious tournaments in all of wrestling that sees several great matches take place among NJPW’s top stars and sometimes some outsiders.

    In a recent interview, Danielson spoke about wanting to work the tournament but doubted that AEW President Tony Khan would let him do so because the tournament takes place over the course of a few weeks. He would also run the chance of Danielson getting injured. 

    Danielson said in the interview that he would give it a 33% chance that he gets to compete in a G-1.

    Vince Said Yes

    Dave Meltzer noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that McMahon would’ve let Danielson work the tournament. 

    “In 2021, when Danielson was negotiating with both sides, he did not get Khan to agree to allow him to do G-1, but Vince McMahon said he could do G-1. My gut is that Vince McMahon had no idea what G-1 was at the time.”

    It should be noted that WWE and NJPW reportedly had talks around this time about a potential partnership, mainly about WWE letting Danielson wrestle in Japan if he re-signed. A partnership was never made, though. 

    Danielson is scheduled to challenge MJF for his AEW World Championship in a 60-minute iron man match at the Revolution PPV this Sunday.

  • Twist and Turns Expected in The Build of WWE WrestleMania 39 Match

    WWE is on the road to WrestleMania, and some of the top matches have already been confirmed, while other bouts are still not official. According to a new report, fans should expect a few twists and turns along the way.

    On this week’s WWE Raw, Lita and Becky Lynch beat Damage CTRL’s Dakota Kai and IYO Sky to win the Women’s Tag Team Championships with the help of Trish Stratus, who took out Bayley at ringside. 

    The company has been planning for Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler to get a shot at the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania. 

    Twists and Turns

    Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE is planning twists and turns for the titles. 

    “The only thing we know is that the women’s tag title situation with the six women involved, as well as Bayley and Trish Stratus, has several twists and turns yet to come before the matches are finalized.”

    It’s still unclear whether Sky and Kai will win the titles back or where the storyline is going, but “Rousey & Baszler were to face whoever ends up as the tag team champions in a few weeks.”

    Rousey has publicly talked about wanting to dominate the Women’s Tag Team Division as of late.

  • Backstage Update on Jay White’s Wrestling Future

    Jay White became a free agent on February 28, and his wrestling future remains a mystery following reports he could be heading to WWE.

    At NJPW’s The New Beginning event in Osaka, White lost a “Loser Leaves Japan” match to Hikuleo before losing to AEW’s Eddie Kingston at the Battle in the Valley pay-per-view event.

    In January, there had been reports that stated AEW and WWE were interested in signing the top star. WWE felt they had a better chance of signing him. Since then, there has been speculation that he could show up at WrestleMania 39 in April or make his debut by showing up on the post-WrestleMania episode of Raw. 

    The Latest

    In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that while the circumstances seem to indicate he’s headed to WWE, there has yet to be any confirmation that would back it up. 

    Meltzer wrote, “If he is going to WWE, it’s not something well known within the company by many because multiple people who normally know haven’t heard his name mentioned.”

    Meltzer previously reported that WWE was the favorite to sign White as if he was going to AEW, then NJPW wouldn’t have had him lose two “loser leaves” matches since they have a working relationship.

  • Details on The Names Behind The Bloodline Storyline

    Many people consider The Bloodline storyline to be one of the best that WWE has told in years, perhaps even decades. Roman Reigns leading the charge, a change from what Vince McMahon had him portray since breaking away from Dean Ambrose after they were done feuding with Seth Rollins when he broke up The Shield. 

    Reigns had been pushed for years as the typical babyface character that McMahon knew and replicated with Hulk Hogan and John Cena, but Reigns never broke through the glass ceiling in the eyes of the fans as a top draw for the promotion. 

    That all changed in the summer of 2020 when he came back from hiatus as a heel, aligned himself with Paul Heymand and slowly recruited The Usos to form the faction. They later added Solo Sikoa and, for a few months, had Sami Zayn as the Honorary Uce. 

    There’s been a curiosity among fans regarding who is behind the storyline and whether it’s run by Heyman and Reigns or if whoever is in charge of creative whether that be Vince McMahon or Triple H, has the only say in it. 

    The Faces

    Mike Johnson of Pwinsider.com was recently asked in a Q&A who is behind the storyline. 

    Johnson wrote, “Paul Levesque oversees it with Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns having strong, perhaps the strongest voices, involved in the direction, language and scripting.  Michael Hayes regularly produces the segments and I am sure if a good idea is suggested by those on the Raw team, it would be considered or assimilated into the process.”

    Reigns will defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Title against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39. 

  • Bella Twins Starring in New \”Social Dating Experiment Series\” on Amazon Prime

    The Bella Twins have another project in the works, as they will host a new social experiment dating show for Amazon Studios. 

    It was announced on Thursday that Nikki & Brie Bella would be co-hosting \”Twin Love,” which is slated to air in the US and UK through Amazon Prime, although a premiere date was not given. The show will focus on the love lives of identical twins and will have ten sets of twins. 

    The Synopsis

    The synopsis for the project reads as \”Twin Love is a social dating experiment that explores the love lives of identical twins. Ten sets of twins will be split up and placed into two houses of \”identical\” casts, where they\’ll begin a unique and compelling search for love. With double the fun and drama, the series will discover if their inherent similarities extend to their romantic desires. When separated from their twin brothers and sisters—some for the first time ever—will they pursue the same identical partners? Or will their choices be dramatically different??

    The series will be produced by Amazon Studios and ITV America’s ITV Entertainment, while Simon Thomas, Bernie Schaeffer, Kenny Rosen, and Jessica Nahmias will serve as executive producers. 

    The Bella Twins continue to find success outside of the WWE banner as they have their own podcast, brand of wine, and more. 

    Nikki co-hosted \”Barmageddon\” on USA Network, a series already renewed for a second season. The twins have also starred on \”Total Divas,\” \”Total Bellas,\” and other reality shows. 

  • Reason Why WWE Changed Finish of Elimination Chamber Match

    WWE presented the final PLE before WrestleMania 39 last month with the Elimination Chamber event, headlined by the highly-anticipated match between Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn. 

    Another match featured on the card that included two top stars was Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley, a trilogy bout between them. WWE needed to change the match\’s finish because plans for “The Beast” had changed at WrestleMania. 

    As previously reported, WWE did consider several opponents for Lesnar at the event, including Steve Austin, Gunther, Lashley, and Bray Wyatt. Lesnar nixed the idea of wrestling Wyatt.

    The Finish

    Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE had to change up their plan for Elimination Chamber with Lesnar and Lashley because of the change to Lesnar’s WrestleMania direction. 

    The original plan called for Lesnar to go over Lashley clean to move on to a match with Wyatt at WrestleMania. Once that planned bout was off the table, WWE had Lesnar get DQ’d and Lashley going over. 

    This is why Wyatt did the promo on SmackDown ahead of the PLE, where he told the winner of the match to run because he was going after them. Lesnar is scheduled to wrestle Omos at WrestleMania. 

    Brock Lesnar Nixed Idea for Huge WrestleMania 39 Match – Vince McMahon Involved?