Max and Maxxiine Dupri’s Maximum Male Models (Mansoor & Mace) teamed up with Los Lotharios to battle Hit Row and Street Profits this week on SmackDown.
Hit Row and Street Profits picked up the victory and Max Dupri gave his faction a pep talk during a WWE Digital Exclusive following the show. Mace and Mansoor were despondent after the loss and Max searched for the words to say.
After a dramatic pause, the 39-year-old changed his tune and appeared to hint at a return to his LA Knight gimmick in NXT.
“Gentlemen, you have to pick those chins up. Lift those chiseled chins, I’ve been here before, unfortunately too many times. In that process, I have learned that you have to go through the day to get to the night”.
When Maximum Male Models are moping in the locker room after their loss, @MaxDupri informs them that they must “go through the day to get to the night.” #SmackDownpic.twitter.com/UVpf2YMVKR
Max performed as LA Knight in NXT and captured the Million Dollar Championship from Cameron Grimes at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. He lost his final match in NXT to Intercontinental Champion Gunther at Stand & Deliver.
He made his debut on the main roster on the May 20th edition of SmackDown as Max Dupri. Maximum Male Models later added Max’s storyline sister, Maxxiine Dupri to the faction. Maxxine Dupri performed as Sofia Cromwell in NXT.
Maximum Male Models debuted while Vince McMahon was still the CEO of WWE. It will be interesting to see what The Game has planned for the group and Max Dupri moving forward. Triple H has already given Riddle and Theory their first names back and brought back several stars that were released under the previous regime.
LA Knight just teased us with this: “You have to go through the day to get to the ??????.. ????.”
AEW Rampage was taped after Wednesday night’s Dynamite in the Keybank Arena in Buffalo, New York. Claudio Castagnoli defended the ROH Championship against Dax Harwood in the main event. Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin battled in the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions to crown a new AEW Champion.
Rampage Results
Sammy Guevara def. Darby Allin to advance to the semifinals of the tournament
Serena Deeb def. Madison Rayne via submission
Claudio Castagnoli def. Dax Harwood to retain the ROH Championship
Here are the takeaways from this week’s episode of AEW Rampage:
Sammy Guevara Will Face Jon Moxley In The Semifinals Of The AEW Championship Tournament Next Week
Sammy Guevara battled Darby Allin tonight in the tournament for the vacant AEW Championship. Tay Melo was ringside for the match. Darby took Sammy down to start off the action and applied a Headlock.
Guevara hit a Superplex but didn’t let go. Sammy went for another Suplex but both wrestlers wound up tumbling out of the ring. Darby went for a Suicide Dive but Tay stood in the way. Allin went for the dive anyway but Sammy countered into a Cutter on the floor as Rampage went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Darby took control and started bending back Sammy’s fingers like Pete Dunne. Tay hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Sammy caught him with a knee strike. Sammy followed it up with a springboard Cutter for a near fall.
Sammy went for a Coffin Drop but Darby rolled out of the way. Allin climbed to the top rope and Anna Jay provided a distraction this time. Sammy capitalized with a low blow and then Powerbombed him to the mat. Sammy then hit the GTH for the pinfall victory.
ROH TV Champion (ROH doesn’t have a TV show at the moment) Samoa Joe made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Joe said he’s open for business before he was interrupted by Mark Sterling. Mark noted that Tony Nese has more abs than Samoa Joe and claimed that Josh Woods deserves a title shot. Samoa Joe accepted but Mark delated the match until next week’s Rampage.
Opinion: The crowd let out an exhausted boo when Mark Sterling and the funky bunch interrupted. Samoa Joe versus Josh Woods might be great but there’s no momentum at all for the match following this segment.
Miro cut another ominous promo from a poorly lit room tonight on Rampage. He spoke about God, his wife, and complained about the “lesser” men battling for “his” title in the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions.
Things did not go according to plan for @ToBeMiro at #AEWAllOut. Now, #TheRedeemer demands God to give him the gold around the waist of “lesser men”.
Serena Deeb squared off against Madison Rayne tonight on AEW Rampage. Madison controlled the action early but Deeb battled back with a slam. Serena bashed Madison’s knee into the canvas several times before applying a Half Crab for the quick submission victory.
TBS Champion Jade Cargill was interviewed backstage and boasted about defeating Athena at AEW All Out. Jade challenged anyone on the roster and try to defeat her. The TBS Champion is currently 37-0 in AEW.
TBS Champion @Jade_Cargill (37-0) plans on racking up more numbers & throws a challenge out to any woman willing to step up and work – come apply!
Claudio Castagnoli defended the ROH Championship against Dax Harwood in the main event. William Regal accompanied Claudio to the ring. Mark Henry interviewed both wrestlers before the match. The action started out back and forth as Rampage went to a break.
It's TIME for the MAIN EVENT! The #ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli defends the title against #FTR’s Dax Harwood on #AEWRampage – Tune in NOW on TNT! pic.twitter.com/2F9nxaKLNk
When Rampage returned, Claudio launched Harwood into the ring post and the challenger fell to the floor outside the ring. Back in the ring, Claudio remained in control and locked in an Abdominal Stretch. Harwood countered into an armdrag but the champ shrugged it off and leveled Dax with a lariat for a near fall.
Harwood hit a slam and followed it up with a headbutt off the top rope for a two count. Claudio went for an uppercut but Dax blocked it. Harwood connected with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Claudio was able to kick out and the match continued.
Dax connected with a German Suplex before perching Claudio up on the top turnbuckle. Harwood went for another Suplex but Castagnoli countered into a Crossbody for a near fall. Castagnoli got Harwood in The Swing for several rotations before locking in a Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring.
Harwood tried to crawl to the ropes but Claudio dragged him back to the center. Dax then escaped and locked in a Sharpshooter on the champion in the middle of the ring. Claudio escaped with several forearm shots to the face and got Dax back in the Sharpshooter for the submission victory. Claudio Castagnoli is still the ROH Champion. William Regal raised Dax’s hand and Harwood shook hands with Castagnoli to close the show.
Final Thoughts: AEW has a long way to go to get people invested in tuning into Rampage every week again. Tonight was a solid show and hopefully more stars are featured on Friday in addition to the changes moving forward.
WWE SmackDown aired live from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. Ronda Rousey, Xia Li, Natalya, Sonya Deville, and Lacey Evans battled in a Fatal 5-Way to determine Liv Morgan’s opponent for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules next month. In addition to the takeaways below, Corey Graves was revealed as Pat McAfee’s replacement as he has joined College Gameday on ESPN full-time.
SmackDown Results
Imperium def. Brawling Brutes
Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah def. Toxic Attraction
Ronda Rousey won the Fatal 5-Way to earn a shot at the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules
Drew McIntyre def. Solo Sikoa via DQ
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Imperium def. Brawling Brutes In A Great Match
Imperium (IC Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, Giovanni Vinci) battled The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch, Ridge Holland) in a 6-man tag team match to begin the show. Imperium controlled the action early and isolated Ridge Holland in the ring.Gunther tagged in and booted Sheamus off the ring apron.
Butch tagged in and got Ludwig in an Armbar but Gunther broke it up with a giant chop. Sheamus and Gunther traded punches outside the ring but Vinci broke it up with a flying knee off the ring apron. The action returned to the ring and Vince whipped Butch into the turnbuckle. Giovanni followed it up with a Clothesline as SmackDown went to a break. The Intercontinental Champion had Pete Dunne in a submission hold when the show returned. Dunne escaped and tagged in the Celtic Warrior.
Sheamus unloaded the 10 Beats of the Bodhran on Ludwig Kaiser’s chest as the crowd erupted. Sheamus hit White Noise on Ludwig as the crowd cheered. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick on Vinci and then a Powerslam on Ludwig. Ridge tagged in and hit a lariat but Gunther broke up the cover. Gunther and Sheamus traded punches and battled out of the ring. Dunne went for a Blockbuster but Vinci beautifully countered into a Brainbuster. Vinci and Ridge tagged in. Ludwig and Giovanni hit the Imperium Bomb on Ridge Holland for the pinfall victory in a great match.
Solo Sikoa Joined The Bloodline, Drew McIntyre Interrupted
Sami Zayn came down to the ring with The Usos to welcome Solo Sikoa. Zayn played the role as the hype man and high-fived Jimmy Uso. Jey wasn’t interested in a high-five and noted that Roman Reigns is the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Jey boasted above Roman beating Drew McIntyre on his own turf at Clash at the Castle. The Usos introduced Solo Sikoa to the group and he made his way to the ring. Solo announced that he was here to stay before Drew McIntyre interrupted.
Drew marched down to the ring with a steel chair and everyone retreated besides Sikoa. Sami jumped in front of a chair shot before the Bloodline retreated. McIntyre shouted that he wanted a match against Solo tonight as SmackDown went to a commercial break. Later on SmackDown, Sami informed Solo Sikoa that he doesn’t have to go into the battle against McIntyre alone. Jey shouted “he know” and Sami hilariously responded with “I know he know”. It was decided that all of The Bloodline will be ringside for the match later tonight.
Opinion: Sami Zayn has always been great but he has become one of the most consistently entertaining performers WWE has to offer. He’s fantastic in the ring and his comedic timing during these segments is impeccable.
The Women’s Tag Team Champions battled Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin, Jayce Jayne) tonight in a tag team match. Toxic Attraction got in some offense early but the champs wound up winning with ease. Raquel planted Jacy with a Tejana Bomb off the top rope for the pinfall victory.
Ronda Rousey Will Battle Liv Morgan At WWE Extreme Rules
Ronda Rousey, Sonya Deville, Lacey Evans, Natalya, and Xia Li competed in a Fatal 5-Way match that couldn’t wait to be over. Xia, Lacey, and Natalya will eliminated in rapid fashion as SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan watched from the crowd. Ronda and Sonya were the final two in the match.
Rousey went for Piper’s Pit but Sonya blocked it. The action spilled out of the ring and Rousey slammed Sonya into the barricade. Back in the ring, Ronda hit Piper’s Pit and applied an Ankle Lock for the submission victory. Ronda Rousey will face Liv Morgan for the SmackDown Women’s Championship once again at Extreme Rules.
Hit Row & Street Profits battled Los Lotharios & Maximum Male Models tonight on SmackDown in an 8-man tag team match. Humberto caught Montez Ford with an Enziguri and knocked him out of the ring. Angelo Dawkins leaped onto everyone. Top Dolla was about to the same when Maxxine Dupri got in the way. B-Fab dragged her down and then Max Dupri got knocked down. Top Dolla lifted Mansoor in the air and Ashante The Adonis hit a Dropkick for the pinfall victory.
The Monster of all Monsters Braun Strowman interrupted Alpha Academy tonight on SmackDown as they cut a heel promo on the crowd. Braun returned on RAW and decimated four tag teams. Braun beat Otis down in the corner and then turned his attention to Gable. Braun hit him with a Powerbomb and then delivered one to Otis as well.
Drew McIntyre faced Solo Sikoa in the main event. Drew dominated the match early and sent Solo out of the ring as SmackDown went to the final break of the night. When SmackDown returned, Sami caught Drew with a cheap shot while the referee was distracted. Solo capitalized with a Uranage and went for the cover but McIntyre kicked out at two.
McIntyre knocked The Usos off the apron and then dragged Sami by the hair. McIntyre launched Sami across the ring and set up for a Claymore. Drew went for the Claymore but Solo caught him with a Superkick for a near fall. Street Profits rushed down the ring to help and brawled with The Usos. Montez climbed to the top rope and hit the Frog Splash from the heavens onto everyone.
Drew hit a Claymore but Solo fell out of the ring. Karrion Kross (and his black & white filter) showed up and he choked out McIntyre with the Kross Jacket to close the show.
Final Thoughts: Solo Sikoa impressed in his debut and this was a good way to get out of handing him a pinfall or submission loss in his debut. Overall, SmackDown was a decent show this week. The Fatal 5-Way was disappointing but the 6-man tag to begin the night stole the show.
WWE announced the tournament to crown the new Women’s Tag Team champions in the midst of all this. The tournament was won by Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez.
It was believed that both Sasha Banks and Naomi will return to TV shortly after this tournament concludes since they never officially lost the titles. However, they haven’t made their return so far.
The Bloodline welcomed a new member tonight on SmackDown.
Solo Sikoa made his presence felt at Clash at the Castle in the main event between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre. The Usos’ younger brother interfered in the match and it allowed Reigns to connected with his third Spear of the night to win the match.
Honorary Uce Sami Zayn and The Usos welcomed Solo to The Bloodline tonight on SmackDown. Roman Reigns was not with them during the segment. Sikoa announced that he was here to say but Drew McIntyre interrupted.
Drew marched to the ring with a steel chair but Sikoa remained in the ring as the rest of The Bloodline retreated. Sami then jumped in front of the chair shot but McIntyre was able to beat down Solo a bit. The Bloodline retreated as Drew demanded a match against Solo tonight.
MJF Reacts To The Bloodline Segment on WWE SmackDown
MJF returned to All Elite Wrestling this past Sunday at All Out. He confronted then-AEW Champion CM Punk to close the show. CM Punk then went on an absurd rant during his appearance at the media scrum following the PPV, which led to a physical confrontation with then-Trios Champions The Elite (Young Bucks & Kenny Omega). The fight after the media scrum (AEW Brawl Out) has led to CM Punk and The Elite being stripped of their titles and numerous suspensions.
On Wednesday’s edition of Dynamite, MJF referred Cody Rhodes and Triple H during his promo. He claimed that he views the AEW Championship as a bargaining chip for the bidding war of 2024. Maxwell was tuning into tonight’s edition of SmackDown and reacted to The Bloodline’s segment with a “we the ones” emoji.
Former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston has suggested a new nickname for Sami Zayn based on being an Honorary Uce in The Bloodline and his friendship with Kevin Owens.
Sami has spent months trying to become an official member of The Bloodline faction with Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Paul Heyman. He recently had some conversations backstage with The Tribal Chief and it appeared that Sami was on his way to joining the group.
Kevin Owens battled Jey Uso on the August 29th episode of RAW. During the match, The Usos wanted Zayn to strike Owens with a chair but he refused. This led to Jimmy getting frustrated with Sami and taking his eye off of Owens. Kevin capitalized with a Stunner for the pinfall victory.
Earlier today, Kofi took to Twitter to suggest a new name for Sami that may allow The Role Model to stay loyal to both parties.
Man… i might be late on this but…I just realized that Sami been trying to get in with the Samoans…but there’s questions on wether he’s still boys with Kevin Owens… you think he can stay loyal to both parties by changing his name to ‘Sam Owens’ ? (I’m not high)
Man… i might be late on this but…
I just realized that Sami been trying to get in with the Samoans…but there’s questions on wether he’s still boys with Kevin Owens… you think he can stay loyal to both parties by changing his name to ‘Sam Owens’ ? ?
Sami has already hopped in front of a few Claymore kicks from Drew McIntyre in an effort to show his loyalty to Roman Reigns. It will be interesting to see how much more The Locker Room Leader is willing to take before he inevitably has a falling out with The Bloodline. The Usos’ younger brother, Solo Sikoa, joined The Bloodline at Clash at the Castle this past weekend and helped Roman retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship over Drew McIntyre.
Blood is important, sure, but it should never be used as a reason to exclude people. I’m not saying you or anyone else would do that, just making a general statement. Ok anyways look forward to meeting you soon uce! https://t.co/egzbgmhoXY
AEW will crown a new World Heavyweight Champion on the September 21st edition of Dynamite: Grand Slam from Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Punk became the World Champion when beating Jon Moxley in the main event of All Out, but was stripped of the title following a backstage fight involving Punk, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Ace Steel.
Tony Khan confirmed during Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite that Punk has been stripped of the AEW World Heavyweight Title and a Gran Slam Tournament of Champions began on this same show.
In first-round matches Bryan Danielson beat Hangman Page and is slated to take on Chris Jericho in a second-round matchup next week as Jericho received a first-round bye. Jon Moxley will face Sammy Guevara next as well, after the Spanish God bested Darby Allin on Rampage.
AEW World Championship Tournament Winner
Fans who actually bet on wrestling have selected Bryan Danielson as their favorite to walk away with the AEW World Championship on September 21st.
Here are the current betting odds for the four remaining participants in the tournament, courtesy of BetOnline.ag:
Bryan Danielson: -130.
Chris Jericho: +150
Jon Moxley: +450
Sammy Guevara: +650
BetOnline is also gauging whether or not fans think Maxwell Jacob Friedman will hold the AEW World Championship before the end of 2022. As of this writing, things are looking good for MJF.
AEW may have more than its fair share of problems at the moment, but money certainly isn’t one of them.
Since launching in 2019, the promotion has won fans over with its alternative style to WWE, and Tony Khan’s promotion is paying dividends.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that AEW is on track to gross over $100 million this calendar year, the first company in two decades to do so, not named WWE.
While it’s an impressive figure, it is dwarfed by WWE, which is projected to gross $1.1 billion.
All Out
Speaking at the now-infamous All Out post-show media scrum, AEW President Tony Khan spoke about the show’s buy rate, which he believes will be affected by WWE.
The opposition produced not one but two shows to run the same weekend as All Out, WWE Clash at the Castle, and NXT Worlds Collide.
Khan considers the actions by WWE a ‘predatory’ move by running multiple events in competition during Labor Day weekend.
Regardless of WWE’s ‘interference’ All Out has proven to be a financial success.
All Out drew a gate of just over $1 million from the 9,100 fans in attendance (8,800 paid.)
The show marks the third consecutive AEW Pay Per View to surpass $1 million.
Dynamite
Tony Khan isn’t just pleased with the numbers for All Out, but has been impressed by the figures for this week’s Dynamite.
In a tweet, Khan noted that this week’s show surpassed one million viewers, the third week in a row Dynamite has done so well, and the first time since October 2021 that this streak has been reached.
This week’s Dynamite had a lot of intrigue ahead of going live, as fans tuned in to see what Khan would do regarding the post-All Out comments by CM Punk and the fight backstage which saw Punk and Ace Steel fight the Elite.
This week’s DYnamite marked the 15th Wednesday in a row that the show has been in cable’s top two shows in the 18-49 demographic.
WWE will be waiting again to see Roman Reigns back in action as Reigns is next scheduled to defend his WWE Universal Title at Crown Jewel on November 5.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that The Tribal Chief will not be wrestling at WWE’s next premium live event, Extreme Rules, on October 8th.
Meltzer was told the next challenger was neither Seth Rollins nor Kevin Owens, even though both matches have been teased in recent times. With both stars mentioned above being ruled out as Reigns’ opponent at the Saudi Arabia show, it would favor Karrion Kross or Drew McIntyre being the next challenger.
This is unless WWE decides to bring back a big name such as Brock Lesnar or Goldberg, two opponents who have wrestled Reigns in the past. Lesnar’s most recent match was against Reigns at SummerSlam.
Reigns most recently worked a match when he successfully defended the title against McIntyre in the main event of last weekend’s Clash At The Castle pay-per-view.
Roman is currently in the middle of a record-setting run as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, as his reign is up to 740 days and counting.
Thunder Rosa announced her injury on August 24 episode of Dynamite and confirmed that she will be taking time off.
This was just a couple weeks before she was supposed to face Toni Storm for the title at the PPV event and it appears that the timing of the announcement got her some heat.
Dave Meltzer provided the latest update on the situation in Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He reiterated that Rosa’s injury is legit. She stopped wrestling in fear that she may require surgery if she continued.
However, the Women’s Champion informed people of the damage only hours after she was told that she would be dropping the title to Storm at the PPV.
This peculiar timing created a lot of conjecture about the situation, with some comparing it to Shawn Michaels in the 90s.
The women’s division already had divisive issues about Thunder Rosa before the announcement. It has only been fuelled further because Rosa didn’t drop the title in the ring before taking the time off.
Talents like Storm and Britt Baker have publicly taken shots at Rosa insinuating that the injury isn’t really that serious. She took the time off to avoid dropping the title at All Out.
There is no word yet on how long Thunder Rosa will stay out of action and it would be interesting to see if she drops the title when she comes back.
For those who missed it, MJF returned at the All Out pay-per-view (PPV) this past weekend, winning the Casino Ladder match as a masked mystery Joker opponent in the contest. He now has a guaranteed shot at the AEW World Title in the future.
Later in the show, CM Punk defeated Jon Moxley to win the AEW World Title. After the match, the lights went out and a voicemail from Tony Khan was playing, pleading with someone to return to AEW and offering them a lot of money to do so.
MJF then made his way out, standing on stage and starring down Punk, motioning for the title around his waist.
According to Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Google Trends shows that MJF was actually the highest-searched wrestler over the weekend.
(via AEW)
That’s certainly quite the accomplishment, as he out-scored WWE’s Roman Reigns after the Clash At The Castle event, which was a massive show for the promotion. MJF out-scored Reigns on Saturday as well as Punk on Sunday.
Of course, after the drama that occurred after All Out, Punk then out-scored MJF on Monday and Tuesday.
In fact, Punk’s interest did over 70% more than what his title win generated after the stories broke about his backstage altercation with The Elite.
Triple H has scrapped two longstanding Vince McMahon edicts.
It’s “The Game’s” show now, and he’s certainly making his presence felt. Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Triple H first has done away with the notion that, in a tag team match, the illegal man can only attack a legal competitor in the ring when the referee is done.
The long running Vince McMahon rule stated that WWE producers have been told for years that an illegal competitor can’t successfully attack a legal competitor in a match without it being a DQ.
You can get away with doing the five-second double team spot, however, if it’s a straight up attack on the legal competitor from the illegal one, the referee had to be down. That is no longer the case.
The second rule “The Game” has done away with has been banned by McMahon for years, but was a staple in major matches during the Attitude Era.
(BT Sport)
There was a pin spot where the babyface of the match would look like they had the match won, but someone would pull the referee out of the ring from outside to kill the count.
Vince McMahon reportedly banned the spot because “it makes no sense.” However, as Dave Meltzer points out, nothing in pro wrestling makes sense.
The spot is no longer banned and was returned with Solo Sikoa debuting at Clash At The Castle by assisting Roman Reigns in defeating Drew McIntyre.
Johnny Gargano was living a peaceful life at home and contemplating the idea of never returning to wrestling at all. This was until he heard a song.
The former NXT champion appeared on After The Bell podcast. Among other things, he discussed his time away from wrestling and how he was enjoying his stint as a stay-at-home dad. When Vic Joseph asked Gargano if he considered just calling it a career at the time, Gargano noted that he was considering the possibility, until he heard the song Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush:
“This is when I knew what I wanted to do. I was watching Stranger Things and the song came on. The first thing that popped into my head was ‘Wait a minute, that’s Shawn vs. The Undertaker song from WrestleMania.’ That’s where my mind went. I was like, ‘I remember that.’ That’s right and I watched a hype video for Shawn and Taker from Mania.”
‘It Just Hit Me’: Johnny Gargano
Johnny Gargano recalled watching the video on his kitchen table. It reminded him of what he originally got into wrestling for:
“I sat there in the kitchen. Candice was right there. She can tell you this. I sat there in the kitchen. I watched this hype video. She’s doing baby stuff. It just hit me watching this video. I was like, ‘This is what I want to do.’ I want this. This is where I want to be and this is what I want to do. This is why I got into this. To have videos like this about me but also to have these WrestleMania stories and matches, and I haven’t had that yet. “
You can watch the promo that inspired Johnny Gargano’s return below:
CM Punk shook the foundations of All Elite Wrestling and gave Tony Khan his biggest challenge yet as the leader of a wrestling promotion with his All Out media scrum rant. Latest reports have now come out that suggest the move might have been premeditated as opposed to what was previously believed.
Dave Meltzer on the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that when Punk originally made his return two weeks ago, he had claimed that the All Out press conference would be interesting.
A report from Wade Keller supports these claims as well. Before the Newsletter came out, Keller reported on Todd Martin’s The Fix audio show onPWTorch VIP that Punk had spoken to Tony Khan ahead of the scrum. The former world champion had apparently told the AEW president that he would be firing some shots at the press conference:
“I was told that Tony knew something was coming from punk, and he had some idea he had something he wanted to bring up.. so, watching Punk, he had the agenda,”
Several fans had noted after the PPV media scrum that the Straight Edge Star went on a rant for no reason and he kept bringing up the EVPs every now and then during the whole segment. These claims if true, changes the whole narrative of what transpired after the show.
The comments being preplanned would mean that CM Punk intentionally tried to bury the AEW EVPs. The promotion has hired an independent firm to investigate the whole issue. If the claims against Punk are verified, then it could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for his AEW run.
Bobby Fish isn’t done sharing his opinions about CM Punk.
Fish was released by WWE on August 6, 2021 after four years with the promotion. He spent his entirety of that run in NXT, where he was part of the Undisputed Era faction. By October, he was wrestling for All Elite Wrestling. He’s since left AEW after two sides failed to come to terms over a new deal.
He was gone from Tony Khan’s promotion by the time Punk melted down at the All Out post-show media scrum, but that didn’t stop Fish from challenge Punk to a fight during the latest episode of his Undisputed Podcast. He had more to say about the self-proclaimed “Best in the World” during a new interview.
Bobby Fish’s Harsh Words for CM Punk
Bobby Fish spoke with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston earlier this week. As a lifelong martial artist, he feltwas personally insulted having to ‘sell’ for Punk’s “bunk-ass martial arts” during their match on the October 27, 2021 edition of AEW Dynamite.
“Phil is not a bad pro-wrestling, but what Phil is not is a martial artist,” said Fish. “I’ve been doing martial arts since I was eight years old so I take a lot of pride in it… You are insulting the audience’s intelligence. It’s honestly insulting for you as one of my co-workers. As a martial artist you’re asking me to go out and sell, put over your bunk-ass martial arts. It’s insulting to the audience. It’s insulting to me. At the same time, I’m working for AEW. They’re the ones paying my check. You asked me to go out and put my shoulders down for Phil Brooks. I go out and I do it.”
“Phil, after the match, was a c***.”
Bobby Fish on his October 27, 2021 AEW Dynamite match with CM Punk.
Instead of thanking him for a good match, as is customary, Fish says Punk was bent out of shape over a blown spot. Fish says Punk was salty after he executed his Go to Sleep finisher poorly, a move that Fish reminds everybody was lifted from NJPW star KENTA.
“Phil, after the match, was a c*nt. Frankly as a martial artist, I laid my shoulders down for you. You should be grateful that I did, because on national TV if I decided I wanted to ‘Haku’ your ass, I could have. You’re that little of a threat in my world. I’m not Jon Jones or Anderson Silva, but like, I’ve been doing martial arts since I was young and I can handle myself enough to where I will fold you like a wet-nap, Phil Brooks.”
“So for you to be c*nt afterwards because of a mistake that you made, it doesn’t it doesn’t wear well, not to mention the move that he finished me with, it’s not even his finish. It was Kenta’s. Phil, you took a man’s finishing move, which anybody who knows pro wrestling knows like, that’s kind of fu*ed up, and you weren’t even decent enough to change the name.”
“So yeah, I mean, it goes back. It wasn’t a challenge. It was an invitation like Phil, if you want to throw hands with The Young Bucks, who are on a short list of people that are my friends when it comes to this business, I’m happy to oblige. I wasn’t there, so I don’t know what exactly went on. But like, if you’re feeling froggy, man, come on. Let’s jump together.”
As seen below, Fish does kick out of Punk’s finisher at the “3.1” second mark of the pinfall, so that might be a factor in Punk’s post-match frustration.
Watch: CM Punk vs. Bobby Fish (AEW Dynamite, 10/27/21)
Open to All Options
When asked about the possibility of going back to work for WWE, Fish said he’s open to the possibility.
“I don’t know. I’m open to all options and offers at the moment. I do know that there have been quite a few people who have come back through those doors. And I’m happy for you know, the people, that I know were left there after I had left.
“Things were weird there for a bit. So for them to be back in the direction of some normalcy and some positivity, working for Hunter. I know I enjoyed it.”
Speaking about his relationship with Triple H, Fish praised the WWE Head of Creative and Talent Relations as “awesome” and “down to earth.” Last month, while still under contract with AEW, Fish was quoted saying that he would go to war for Triple H.
Watch Bobby Fish’s interview with Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston:
AEW has grown their roster exponentially in the past year or so and brought in a number of big stars. Though with limited TV time, it also means that the company has to make some changes to other people’s deals to accommodate and let some talents go. Alan Angles, previously known as number Five of the Dark Order is one such star who parted ways with the company earlier this year.
The former AEW star appeared on Talk Is Jericho recently. When asked about his decision to leave the promotion, he explained that it was just time to go:
“I just decided that maybe it was time to [go]. I was told they weren’t gonna renew my contract about 45 days before it was up. Basically, they just weren’t gonna give me the same deal. They were gonna give me a per appearance deal If I wanted it.” said Alan Angles, “I kind of just I figured that maybe I had reached the limits of where I could get here right now. In this run in my career, at this point in my career. I’m so young, I came into AEW virtually a nobody. I wrestled maybe three years doing the South East circuit.
He continued: “I had built up a little bit of a following on the internet and stuff like that, but I feel like there was a perception of me. I know a lot of people hate this word, but, I was kind of like the jobber of the Dark Order, or the bottom guy on the Dark Order. I feel like when fans build up that perception of you it’s kind of hard to change that. I think once that’s decided, once they get that, there’s no changing it. Unless, gradually you build up, build up, build up. But I feel like in AEW that would have taken a really long time, if that makes sense.”
Chris Jericho then asked Alan Angles what the final straw that led to his departure from the promotion was. The former Dark Order member explained that he just realized that he could do a lot more elsewhere:
“I don’t know if there was a final straw. I think it was just I kind of realized that I could do a lot more on the indies and or other companies, I could really build up my name doing that as opposed to just staying here and doing the same thing over and over again.”
Alan Angles had a relatively easy start in wrestling, and he was signed by AEW to a contract at only 22 years old. Though this doesn’t mean that he didn’t pay his dues and Angles had already been wrestling in the independent circuit for a while before that.
The former Dark Order member detailed his experience in the indie circuit during his recent appearance on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast. When asked about his worst indie booking, Angles recalled wrestling in a barn for his very first show:
“Probably the first indie show that I ever did. There was about seven of us packed in a car. We drove about seven hours to a town called Dyersburg, Tennessee for I think it was called DXW.” recalled Alan Angles, “It was in a shoot barn like an actual barn. There was hay on the floor.
A small lowboy ring, [with] just the worst ropes of all time. We got paid, I think $20 Each or something like that. That’s actually not the least I’ve ever been paid.”
Jericho then asked him what’s the lowest amount he got paid. Angles recalled getting paid $5 for a tag match “One time I got paid in a $5 bill, and it was supposed to go to me, and my tag partner.”
Alan Angles was part of the AEW roster from 2020 to 2022. He left the promotion earlier this year after the company offered him a per appearance deal instead of a full contract. The star previously known as Five explained that he wanted to rebuild himself.
During the AEW All Out 2022 post-show media scrum, CM Punk had some explosive comments for Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks.
Punk criticized the management skill of the AEW EVPs and also accused them of spreading false information about him.
The two-time AEW World Champion also fought with the Bucks and Omega, in a brawl that also involved Punk’s trainer Ace Steel.
Return to WWE?
Due to his comments and involvement in the fight (in addition to an injury) Punk has been removed from AEW programming and stripped of the AEW World title.
It has been reported that Punk could be fired (if not already) or could choose to leave AEW, especially if Steel is fired as expected. Speaking to WrestlingInc, Booker T discussed a possible WWE return for the ‘Best in the World.
“It would be hard, it would be really hard for him just to swallow his pride and go back to that.”
Booker T on CM Punk.
Booker added that while Punk’s time on WWE Backstage provided an opportunity, he believes that ship has sailed.
The two-time WWE Hall of Famer also questions what Punk’s “positioning” would be in WWE’s current roster.
Is a Deal Possible?
Punk walked out of WWE after the 2014 Royal Rumble Pay Per View, citing injuries and frustrations with the company.
Though Punk was part of WWE Backstage in 2019, the former Champion never returned to WWE, signing a deal with FOX instead.
AEW Rampage is set to go live for the next two months, according to the schedule for the show.
While Rampage airs on Fridays, the show is traditionally taped on Wednesday’s following the live AEW Dynamite.
According to the schedule, the majority of episodes after September 28, will be live rather than taped.
The exception to this is the October 13, taping of Rampage in Toronto, Canada, which will be aired on Thursday instead of Wednesday or Friday.
It has been speculated that the delay will be due to international travel from the United States to Canada.
This pattern will continue until the November 4, episode of AEW Rampage.
Making the Show Important
While AEW Rampage started strong last year, with Christian Cage beating Kenny Omega for the Impact World Championship on the debut episode, the show has lot a lot of steam since then.
During a media call leading up to the All Out pay-per-view, Tony Khan said that the fall of momentum was down to several stars being out of action (via Comicbook.com)
“A lot of the biggest stars in AEW have been out and the stars that I do have, I’ve had to put them on Dynamite every single week.”
Tony Khan on AEW Rampage losing momentum.
Khan added that Rampage will pick up momentum again with many stars coming back from injuries as of late.
It’s worth pointing out that Khan made these comments prior to All Out and before Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks, CM Punk, Ace Steel and others were removed due to their involvement in the post-show media scrum fight.
During the April 11, 2022 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, Tommaso Ciampa had his call-up to the main roster, appearing in a segment with Kevin Owens and Ezekiel.
For his run on the red brand, Ciampa has aligned himself with The Miz, and both lost and regained his first name.
Change of Plans
Ciampa may be seen on the main roster these days, but for years, the two-time former NXT Champion was against being called-up.
In an appearance on a 2019 episode of After the Bell, Ciampa told Corey Graves that he would rather retire than leave NXT.
Speaking to Fightful, Ciampa explained his previous comments, saying that at the time, he felt his career was coming to an end soon, and he does not feel that way now.
Instead, the former NXT Champion said he now feels to be finished with the first half of his career, because he’s learned to wrestle with his neck injury, andnjot be in pain.
Addressing the call-up, Ciampa said that lot of things changed, from the world, his life and maturity that made him more open to joining the main roster.
Creative Freedom
Speaking about his time on Raw, Ciampa addressed his passionate promo during the July 25, 2022 edition of Raw Talk.
Ciampa said that he was given a lot more freedom than expected, and was told to say what he wants as long as he made the relevant points.
The Miz, who was also in the promo, encouraged Ciampa to improvise along the way.
Cruiserweight Classic
In 2016, Ciampa competed in the Cruiserweight Classic, the tournament of cruiserweights which was won by TJP.
Ciampa’s time in the tournament was short-lived, as he lost to his friend and rival Johnny Gargano in the first round.
Tommaso told Fightful that he was not planned to be in the tournament at first, but told William Regal he wanted to be included and wanted to face Gargano.
Regal, then the NXT GM, encouraged Ciampa to pitch the idea to Triple H, who approved the change.
Chris Jericho is not only helping talents get under the spotlight but he is helping them get contract extensions as well.
The former AEW champion spoke to Inside The Ropes before the All Out PPV. He talked about things such as Triple H’s comments about Dynamite beating NXT and more.
During the talk, Chris Jericho also confirmed that Angelo Parker, Matt Menard, and Jake Hager have all signed contract extensions with AEW:
“They all got contract extensions. I’ve told the story many times about how the Jericho Appreciation Society came to be. It was never planned; it was just something that happened in accordance to the circumstances that we were facing.
I do feel proud that they got contract extensions, raises, everything in-between.” said Chris Jericho, “They earned it, they earned it by showing what they can do.”
Bobby Fish unexpectedly left AEW last month after his contract with the company expired and both sides failed to negotiate a new agreement.
Fightful Select provided some news on his exit, noting that there was interest from both sides in continuing their relationship. They had entered the discussion about possibly renewing his deal.
However, the two sides couldn’t come to terms financially and decided to part ways. AEW officials thought the split was amicable, until Fish’s comments about CM Punk.
The creative didn’t have much for him after Kyle O’Reilly’s injury either, though it’s said that he remains friendly with many people in the promotion.
There has been no news of WWE reaching out to Bobby Fish and the creative haven’t been told anything about a potential return so far.
The issues between Fish and CM Punk have been highlighted since he left AEW. The former AEW star had told many that he didn’t appreciate Punk’s attitude after their match in October 2021. Though it didn’t have any effect on his contract negotiations.
Bobby Fish has been announced for an indie appearance later this month. There is no word on how long the 45-year-old plans to continue wrestling after his AEW departure.
The backstage altercation at All Out was the buzzing topic among fans going into this week’s episode of Dynamite, but it appears that the talent backstage were actually trying to move past it.
According to reports from Fightful Select, there was a much more positive vibe in the locker room after the Wednesday night show, with one source saying that it couldn’t have been worse than the chaos of the last few days.
The situation was ‘out of sight, out of mind’ for plenty of the roster. A talent said that the best way for all parties to make up the public embarrassment would be to get over the issues, make money for the company and help other talents along the way.
As of Tuesday, most of the roster didn’t know if they would be allowed to address the altercation on screen. AEW chose not to make any mentions of it except for the Tony Khan segment and some content had to be adjusted accordingly.
It was reported on Sunday that a top talent was scheduled to take time off. Jon Moxley confirmed during his promo that he was supposed to be on vacation.
The company planned on him being back by the Cincinnati show in October but he ended up staying to help conduct a talent meeting and add star power to the show.
Mox has since been added to the announced tournament for the vacant AEW World Championship, so it appears that he won’t be taking time off in the foreseeable future.
The phrase any publicity is good publicity seems to be true for AEW as the negative fallout from CM Punk media scrum and the backstage altercation seemed to have helped the viewership of Dynamite.
This week’s episode of the Wednesday night show averaged 1.035 million viewers, which is actually a 1.5% increase compared to last week’s show.
Last week’s episode which featured the final build for the Jon Moxley vs CM Punk match at All Out had averaged 1.020 million viewers.
The show did a 0.38 rating in the 18-19 demographic, which is an increase from the 0.35 rating last week. Dynamite ended up being #2 on cable for the night.
Tony Khan Reacts
Tony Khan didn’t miss the opportunity to tout these viewership numbers. He made a tweet sharing some stats about the show’s ratings:
“Thanks to you, last night marked the first time since Oct 2021 that Dynamite’s had 3 straight weeks over 1 million viewers! + we made it 15 straight Wednesdays Dynamite ranked in cable’s top 2 shows in the 18-49 demo!”
Thanks to you, last night marked the first time since Oct 2021 that Dynamite’s had 3 straight weeks over 1 million viewers!
+ we made it 15 straight Wednesdays Dynamite ranked in cable’s top 2 shows in the 18-49 demo!
See you TOMORROW for a huge Friday Night #AEWRampage on TNT!
The quarterly breakdown shows that fans were interested in knowing how the company will handle the fallout from the backstage altercation at All Out. Over 1.2 million tuned in for the first quarter of the show and it slowly decreased from there.
Now that it’s confirmed that we won’t be seeing The Elite or CM Punk on TV in the foreseeable future, it’d be interesting to see if the show is able to hold the viewership numbers next week.
Dalton Castle has been one of the Ring of Honor’s top talents for the last several years, and has remained a fan-favorite of the loyal ROH followers even after the company was purchased by AEW President, Tony Khan.
Castle and his loyal servants, The Boys, captured the ROH six-man tag team titles at the Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view back in July, their second reign as the six-man tag champs. Aside from that, Castle is a former ROH Television champion, and a one-time ROH world champion. (He defeated Cody Rhodes at Final Battle 2017 to capture the world title).
Castle is currently working without a contract
According to PW Insider, Castle is a free agent and not working under contract despite holding ROH gold. The report does not note whether any company is looking to bring Castle in, nor does it specify if Tony Khan is preparing to sign Castle to a full-time deal.
Under the Tony Khan era of ROH Castle wrestled on the previously mentioned Death Before Dishonor, as well as Supercard of Honor back in April. He did appear on AEW programming as well, wrestling former world champion Jonathan Gresham at Battle of the Belts II.
We will keep you updated on Castle’s free agency status.
