It appears Brody King is All Elite.Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net has brought word that King is on his way to AEW.
The report notes that one source was told over Thanksgiving weekend that his contract was a “done deal.”
It’s been said that shortly after word broke of ROH “reconceptualizing,” Brody ended up putting pen to paper with AEW.
Brody King’s Role In AEW?
(via Mikey Nolan Photography)
On the Dec. 15 Winter Is Coming special episode of AEW Dynamite, Malakai Black was seen in a segment where he appeared to introduce someone to the House of Black.
Brody King is expected to join Malakai Black as a member of the House of Black in AEW. It would come as no surprise as Malakai and Brody are tag team partners in PWG.
Back in October, Malakai teased bringing Brody to AEW.
Brody has been seen working for ROH and NJPW. In particular, he’s been appearing on a lot of shows on NJPW Strong in North America.
While Brody has yet to capture gold under the NJPW banner, he is a former ROH World Tag Team Champion. He’s also held the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Titles.
In PWG, he holds one-half of the tag team gold with Malakai Black.
Bryan Danielson and “Hangman” Adam Page had one of the best singles matches in the brief history of All Elite Wrestling on Wednesday evening. The two men opened up AEW Dynamite in a match for the promotion’s world championship; it ended up going the distance, lasting a full 60 minutes and ending in a draw.
This will undoubtedly lead to a rematch between the two, potentially at AEW’s first TNT special (Battle of the Belts) January 8th. Will that lead to Danielson’s first reign as AEW champion? While I wouldn’t bet on that at this time, Bryan may become the promotion’s champion at some point down the line.
In advance of his big match with Page on Wednesday night, the former WWE Champion spoke with Sports Illustrated about the bout, and the topic of AEW’s championship belt design came up. Bryan is no stranger to changing up wrestling promotion’s title belts; he famously changed the WWE Championship during his 2019 reign to a more eco-friendly version of the belt.
“I do not understand why we are still making anything out of animal skin,” Danielson said. “We don’t need to. The synthetic fibers are just as good-looking and just as durable as leather, and we don’t harm any animals. I don’t know if I’d go all the way to the hemp and naturally fallen oak [like the “The Planet’s Champion” belt], but I’d love to get that changed.”
Bryan Danielson Came Up Short Wednesday Night
As previously mentioned, Danielson failed in his bid to become AEW World Champion on Wednesday night. That being said, he was given considerable offense in the bout with Page. Bryan worked over Page for the good majority of the 60 minute match until Page made a hot comeback near the conclusion.
Page hit a Dead Eye and followed that up with a Buckshot Lariat in the ring. He then went to the outside to flip over the top rope and hit the full-on version of his Buckshot Lariat finisher. However, the referee called for the bell immediately after he hit the move as time had expired.
When do you want to see Bryan Danielson and Adam Page have a rematch? What did you think of Wednesday night’s match? Let us know in the comments section below!
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.
AEW Dynamite Winter is Coming aired live from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. Hangman Page defended the AEW World Championship against Bryan Danielson tonight. MJF battled Dante Martin with the Dynamite Diamond Ring on the line in the main event.
Dynamite Results
Hangman Page vs. Bryan Danielson ended in a 60-minute time limit draw
Wardlow def. Matt Sydal
Hikaru Shida def. Serena Deeb
MJF def. Dante Martin to win the Dynamite Diamond Ring for the 3rd year in a row
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Hangman vs. Danielson Ended In A 60-Minute Time Limit Draw
Hangman Page defended the AEW Championship against Bryan Danielson in the first match of the night. Danielson avoided Hangman early and did some jumping jacks. Danielson took Hangman down and posed for the crowd. The crowd chanted “Cowboy shit!” as Hangman battled back. Hangman went for a chop but Danielson avoided it and did some jumping jacks again.
Bryan continued to avoid Hangman and retreat to the ropes in an effort to frustrate the champion. Page connected with a Body Slam and followed it up with a chop to the chest. Danielson wrestled Hangman to the mat and applied a submission hold in the middle of the ring.
Danielson and Hangman then traded chops. Hangman knocked Danielson to the corner with a big chop to the chest. Page followed it up with several punches to the face but Danielson brought Hangman back down to the mat. Danielson focused his attack on Hangman’s knee with several strikes and another submission hold.
Page sent Danielson to the apron and then to the floor with a Clothesline. Hangman hit a Crossbody and rolled Bryan back into the ring. Page jumped off the top rope but Bryan was ready and booted him in the face. Danielson connected with a Knee Drop for a near fall as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Hangman connected with a lariat but Danielson fell out of the ring. Page leveled Bryan with a Suicide as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”. Page connected with a Moonsault off the top rope and brought Danielson back into the ring. Hangman hit a Death Valley Driver and went for the cover but Bryan was able to kick out at two.
Hangman climbed to the top rope and went for a Moonsault but Danielson got out of the way. Bryan went for the cover but the AEW Champion kicked out at the last moment. Daniel got Hangman trapped in Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. Page escaped but Bryan caught him with a kick as we were now thirty minutes into the match.
Danielson hit two Dropkicks in the corner and went for a third but Hangman countered into a Pop-Up Powerbomb for a near fall. Hangman set up for the Buckshot Lariat but Danielson rolled out of the ring and the match continued. Hangman climbed to the top rope but Danielson shoved him over. Page landed on his shoulder and Danielson capitalized. Danielson bashed Hangman into the ring post several times and flexed in the ring as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
During the break, Daniel Bryan continued to pose for the crowd as doctors checked on Hangman outside the ring. Danielson hit Hangman with a kick to the face and a flying knee of the apron. Danielson unloaded some punches to the face as Hangman was busted open. Bryan hit Hangman with another knee to the face before bashing his shoulder into the ring post again.
Bryan shoved his boot into the back of Hangman’s head as he was pressed against the turnbuckle. Hangman went for a Fallaway Slam but Danielson countered into a German Suplex for a two count. Danielson went for the Cattle Mutilation but Hangman was able to escape.
Danielson hit some kicks before Hangman ducked and Bryan bashed his knee into the ring post. Page lifted Bryan up and sent him into the ring post once again. Hangman put Bryan’s leg on the steel barricade and connected with a kick. Back in the ring, Page applied a Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Danielson battled to the ropes and broke the hold as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Danielson hit Page with an Enziguri and followed it up with some uppercuts. Danielson countered the Pop-Up Powerbomb into a Hurricanrana for a two count. Hangman hit a Tombstone but Danielson somehow kicked out. Hangman and Danielson then battled to the apron and Page hit the Dead Eye.
Page climbed to the top rope and went for a Splash but Danielson got out of the way. Hangman crashed through the table as Dynamite went to a break. Danielson hit a DDT on the cement floor during the break. Page hit a German Suplex but Danielson was first up and hit a few Yes Kicks. Page battled back with a Lariat but Hangman couldn’t get much on it due to Danielson working on his arm.
Danielson perched Hangman up on the top turnbuckle and joined him up there. Danielson unloaded some elbow strikes to the back of the head and went for a Back Suplex but Hangman somehow landed on his feet. Page hit a massive lariat and both men fell to the mat as the crowd chanted “Cowboy shit!”. Hangman and Danielson traded punches as the crowd was behind the champion.
Danielson hit a few headbutts and then went for a German Suplex. Hangman landed on his feet and the two traded some more strikes. Danielson caught Hangman with a boot to the side of the head as the match was 55 minutes in now. Bryan stomped on Hangman’s head several times and went for the Running Knee but Page countered into the Dead Eye for a near fall.
Page held his right arm in pain and shouted that he was going to kick Danielson’s head in. Hangman stomped on Bryan’s face several times and fired up the crowd. Page went for the Buckshot Lariat but Danielson ducked under it. Danielson applied the LeBell Lock in the middle of the ring with one minute remaining in the 60 minute time limit. The crowd chanted “Cowboy shit!” again as Hangman broke free and hit a lariat. Hangman hit the Buckshot Lariat but the time limit had expired to end the match in a draw.
Wardlow faced Matt Sydal in the second match of the night. Wardlow shoved Sydal to the canvas as Shawn Spears cheered him on ringside. Wardlow hit a Powerbomb but didn’t go for the cover. Spears grabbed a microphone and asked Wardlow to pin him. Wardlow hit another Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. After the match, Spears beat Matt Sydal with a steel chair. Spears received a phone call from MJF and he instructed Wardlow to go get champagne for after his match.
A brief vignette with Malakai Black was shown tonight. Black spit mist in someone’s eyes and told him that he is now he is so much more than a king (Brody King?).
Varsity Blonds were interviewed backstage and called Malakai Black a coward for spitting myst in Julia Hart’s face. Pillman tried to stop Griff Garrison from saying to much but Griff vowed to break Malakai’s jaw next week on Dynamite.
Hikaru Shida battled Serena Deeb tonight on Dynamite. Shida hit a Dropkick and sent Deeb to the corner to start off the match. Shida hit a springboard Crossbody but Deeb rolled through and applied a Heel Hook but Hikaru quickly reached the ropes to break the hold. Deeb sent Shida to the corner and hit her with an uppercut as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, Shida was in control and connected with a Suplex for a near fall. Serena connected with a Powerbomb for a two count and then some knee strikes. Deeb applied a submission hold in the middle of the ring but Shida was able to get to the bottom rope to break it up.
Deeb connected with two swinging Neckbreakers and went for a third but Shida countered into a Falcon Arrow. Deeb kicked out and locked in a Half Crab in the middle of the ring. Shida broke free and Serena beat her down. Serena took the turnbuckle pad off the top rope but it instantly backfired. Shida booted Deeb to the corner and Serena hit her face off the exposed turnbuckle. Hikaru then rolled her up for the win.
MJF Won The Dynamite Diamond Ring For The Third Time
MJF faced Dante Martin in the main event for the Dynamite Diamond Ring. MJF blasted the Texas crowd before the match and said “hey Texas, your daughter swallows”. MJF mocked CM Punk for resorting to making fun of local sports teams to get a reaction last week. Maxwell said CM Punk is the new Ryback because he is undefeated against mediocre opponents. MJF added that he is the only younger talent that matters and Dante Martin has the charisma of Hellen Keler. Maxwell closed the promo by saying he doesn’t claim to be the Best in the World, he just is.
Dante controlled the match early and leveled MJF with a Dropkick. Dante flipped onto MJF and went for the cover but Maxwell kicked out at two. MJF rolled out of the ring to regroup and then got out of the way as Dante set up for a dive. Dante was frustrated and chased after MJF. Max went for an attack as Dante got into the ring but Dante was ready for it. Dante booted MJF and climbed to the top rope but it backfired. MJF shoved Martin off the top rope and into the barricade surrounding the ring. MJF bashed Dante into the barricade again and started shouting at a fan giving him the middle finger as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, MJF hit a Powerbomb and tried to use the ropes for leverage during the cover but the referee caught him. Dante sent MJF to the outside and barely connected with a Shooting Star Press. MJF connected with the headlock takeover but Dante escaped. Dante hit a headlock takeover of his own and both men traded pinfall attempts. MJF hit a big Powerbomb and went for the cover but Dante kicked out at two.
Back in the ring, Dante hit a springboard Moonsault and went for the cover but Ricky Starks showed up. Starks put MJF’s foot on the rope to break up the cover. MJF applied the Salt of the Earth Armbar for the submission victory. MJF has won the Dynamite Diamond for a third time.
The lights went out as MJF was celebrating with FTR. Sting & Darby Allin showed up and a brawl broke out. MJF hit Sting with a low blow and then beat down Darby Allin with Cash Wheeler. CM Punk ran down to the ring with baseball bat and MJF & FTR retreated out of the ring. CM Punk announced a Trios Match (Sting, Darby, CM Punk) against MJF & FTR next week to close the show.
The highly anticipated match between Bryan Danielson and Adam Page took place on the special Winter is Coming episode of AEW Dynamite on Wednesday night as “Hangman” made his first title defense as AEW World Heavyweight Champion against the former WWE star.
The match from Garland, Texas at the Curtis Culwell Center opened the show and went to an-hour draw, which means Page retained the title and this leads to the possibility of a rematch happening.
Danielson dominated the early parts of the match before Page made a comeback including a moonsault off the top rope to the floor. Page got busted open after being sent into the ring post. Page did take a dive from the top rope through a table on the floor.
Page won the AEW World Championship from Kenny Omega at the Full Gear pay-per-view on November 13 while at the same event, Danielson defeated Miro in the finals of an AEW World title eliminator tournament. Because Danielson won this tournament, he earned a title match.
Page earned the shot at the title to make him champion by winning a Casino Ladder Match on Dynamite’s second anniversary episode on October 6th. At last year’s Winter is Coming, Omega defeated Jon Moxley to win the AEW World title and held it until losing to Page at Full Gear.
Danielson joined AEW in September after making the decision to not re-sign with WWE and he made his promotional debut at the All Out PPV event.
Wardlow knows that he won’t be by MJF’s side for eternity.
MJF has been relying on the assistance of Wardlow but he doesn’t always treat his bodyguard with respect. In fact, there have been numerous times where Wardlow appeared to be on the brink of snapping due to MJF’s passive-aggressive tone.
Nonetheless, Wardlow remains by MJF’s side. With that said, the leader of The Pinnacle would be wise to watch his back.
Is the Split Inevitable?
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Wardlow said that his relationship with MJF has always been solely business but the deal won’t stick around forever.
“MJF and I, we strictly have a business relationship,” said Wardlow. “That’s all it’s ever been, that’s all it ever will be.
“He pays me to make sure his jaw isn’t wired shut and thus far, his win record and the fact that he’s still talking his sh*t every week I think I’ve done pretty well at my job. However, that contract isn’t forever and the way he treats people, we’ll see what the future holds with that.”
“I will be the future CM Punk, the future Bryan Danielson…I’m gonna be above and beyond that, because look at me.”
– Wardlow
Working Hard to be Wardlow
Wardlow (Photo: AEW)
Wardlow is undoubtedly in tremendous shape. He admitted that maintaining his physique is no easy task.
“It’s a full-time job. It truly is the hardest part of this job is dieting and maintaining this type of shape. You have to cook your meals and you have to pack them with you and you have to travel with meals.”
“If it’s time to eat in the middle of a flight, sorry everyone around me I’m opening up a container full of rice and ground beef or bison or salmon and everybody’s gotta deal with it cause it’s time to eat. You have to do what you have to do.”
Katsuyori Shibata is set to end his in-ring hiatus.
Shibata suffered a life-threatening injury back in April 2017. He took on Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis. The match was a classic but Shibata injured himself after connecting with a headbutt.
Okada won the match and Shibata ended up collapsing backstage. He was rushed to the hospital and needed to undergo emergency surgery for a subdural hematoma. It’s believed that an accumulation of headbutts, which Shibata had used as a signature, was the culprit.
Katsuyori Shibata Returns At Wrestle Kingdom 16
Katsuyori Shibata has been trying to make an in-ring comeback and he will get his wish on Jan. 4, 2022. On the final day of the World Tag League and Best of the Super Juniors, Shibata announced that he will wrestle on night one of Wrestle Kingdom 16.
It looked as if Shibata would never wrestle again but he has tested the waters since his head injury. Back in summer 2019, Shibata attacked KENTA for turning on his LA Dojo young lions.
He even took bumps from the Bullet Club members but nothing was aimed at his head.
Shibata then shocked the wrestling world on the final day of the G1 Climax 31 tournament. He had a surprise UWF rules exhibition grappling match with Zack Sabre Jr. The match went to a five-minute draw.
Hardy was recently released by WWE after an incident at a live event where he exited through the crowd during a match. He had been with the company since returning for a second time in 2017.
Kevin Owens has signed a new multi-year deal with WWE. The news was first reported by Fightful and confirmed by Pat Laprade.
Owens spoke with Laprade earlier this week. That interview, with comments on his decision to stick with WWE, drop Thursday.
WWE officials had been very interested in retaining his services. His contract was expiring soon and they made the former Universal champion an “excellent” offer to stay.
Retaining Owens is a big success for WWE after recently having lost people such as Bryan Danielson to AEW. The WWE sources that Fightful spoke to were said to be ‘over the moon’ about successfully re-signing Kevin Owens.
Many perceived AEW as the natural destination for the former Universal champion after his departure. AEW talents also believe that the management would have been interested in signing the former champion.
Though the belief is that AEW officials realistically wouldn’t have matched the financial offer made by WWE.
Kevin Owens has been with WWE since 2014. He has won over half a dozen championships in this time including a run with the Universal title.
His WWE contract originally expired later but he had restructured it to end in January 2022. This made the officials start the negotiation in the fall of 2021, something which is a ‘far cry’ from how things were done before.
The new deal is a multi-year agreement, though the exact length of it is unknown. So it’s hard to say for how long Kevin Owens is now locked in for.
KO is set to challenge for the WWE Championship in a Fatal Four Way match at Day 1. Now we will have to see how this turn of events affects his on-screen character.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) says there will be a bidding war for his services when his AEW contract expires in 2024. He’s not bluffing.
The Long Island loudmouth has teased the “bidding war of the century.”
MJF still under contract for almost 3 more years. However, in what has become somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy, MJF has gotten attention of TV executives from the Fox and NBC Universal (USA Network). They want WWE to make a play for him.
According to Andrew Zarian of the We’re Live, Pal podcast, MJF’s talk a 2024 bidding war has ‘got people buzzing.’
”It almost worked the corporate side of stuff on USA and even Fox,” said Zarian. “It perked their ears like ‘hey, this guy is really good. Is his contract ending in 2024? Is that true? There have been conversations and I know WWE is very interested in him.”
WWE and its television partners realize they need to invest in young talent. MJF is with AEW for the foreseeable future, but WWE could make a play for him in a few years.
Zarian’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Tony Khan Comments On An MJF Bidding War In 2024
Tony Khan appeared on Busted Open Radio shortly after MJF made the comment about a bidding war in 2024. The AEW President is fine with the idea that he could be bidding for MJF’s services come that time.
“I have no problem with it,” Khan said. “I signed him to a five year contract two years ago, he has three years left. I’m totally fine. There may be a bidding war in 2024, I’m fine with that.”
The feud between Hangman Page and the graphics team has been one of the most unique yet entertaining parts of his journey to the AEW world championship. The lower third graphics of Page’s entrance have never failed to get a laugh out of people and they have frequently been a topic of discussion among fans online. Though according to the AEW champion himself, he is not very happy with it.
The cowboy recently appeared on Oral Sessions with Renée Paquette. When asked if the lines are something he comes up with himself, Hangman Page claimed that it’s not the case. According to him, he has been trying to catch the culprit behind it as well:
“I guess someone at the graphics truck who does all those? They clown on me all the time. I’m so pissed off about it. I’ve tried to get snitches from the truck. I’ve planted spies in the truck. I’m not sure that’s in the truck and not like back in the studio in Nashville or something like that. I can’t figure out who it is. And I’m fed up about it.”
“I Am The Champion And I Can’t Get It Fixed”: Hangman Page
The story with Hangman’s lower third graphic came full circle at Full Gear
Hangman Page continued by expressing his displeasure at not being able to get it fixed despite being the top champion of the company. Though he vowed to catch whoever is behind it and said that if the graphics start being nice, then fans should know that he has found the culprit:
“Yeah, I don’t know. At this point, I don’t know what to do about it. I’m the champion and I can’t get it fixed. So I guess they’re just probably gonna keep clowning on me for the foreseeable future. But if I stop having lower thirds altogether, or they start being nice to me or normal, then you’ll know that I got ’em.”
Hangman Page also discussed his storyline with the Dark Order and revealed if there were any plans for him to feud with Brodie Lee before his passing. You can check out the story below:
If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription
Ric Flair says Jeff Hardy can do “anything he wants” with the next chapter of his career. He’s known Matt and Jeff for a long time and says Jeff has “already got a job” waiting for him in AEW, if he wants it.
Co-host Mark Madden asked Flair what he thinks is in store for Jeff Hardy’s future.
“Anything he wants,” said Flair. “I think he knows he made a mistake. I don’t know any more than that. But I know Jeff Hardy is such a great talent. He does have the money, as you mentioned, he probably doesn’t need to work. But Like all of us that want to work, for different reasons, it’s hard to walk away.”
Jeff Hardy in AEW?
Ric Flair has known the Hardy family for many years. He has great respect for them and feels Jeff is in control of his destiny.
“I’ve known those boys since they were young kids,” Flair continued. “They came to see me in Fayetteville, Raleigh, with their dad. I’ve known their dad. Matt and Jeff are two of the greatest guys in my lifetime, that I’ve had an immense amount of fun with and have an immense amount of respect for. So Jeff can do whatever he wants to do.”
Will we see Jeff Hardy join Matt in AEW? Flair began, “If Tony Khan doesn’t hire him…” and is convinced Jeff could be All Elite if that’s what he wants to do.
“You know right away he’s already got a job.”
– Ric Flair on Jeff Hardy in AEW
As a publicly traded company, WWE is held to a different standard when it comes to dealing with ‘problematic’ talent.
“I’m not defending the WWE here, but you have to remember, they’re a publicly traded company,” said Flair. “They get looked at and scrutinized at a whole different level than once that’s not [publicly traded].
“So, I don’t think they had a choice but to tell Jeff he could go. Not because they don’t want Jeff Hardy there, but because there’s just some things that being publicly traded allows you to do and not do.”
Charlotte Flair has no interest in a Queen vs Queen match against Zelina Vega.
During an interview with Metro UK, Flair said she has no interest in Vega’s crown.
“I don’t think I need to fight over a crown, sorry.” she said. “I don’t think I need a crown to be called the Queen, I am the Queen. It’s silly to me. [laughs] No offense!”
Flair continued to say that she has no problem facing Queen Zelina, but she’s not interested in a storyline or a match over a crown. She believes she’s the “Queen of them all” and always has an “invisible crown” on her head.
The Real Queen of WWE
Charlotte Flair continued, “I mean, maybe facing Zelina, but to have a match focused around Queen versus Queen? Like, I’m the Queen of them all – without a throne,’ she insisted. ‘I don’t see that as – she has a long way to go before that becomes her… I don’t know how you say it? I always wear my invisible crown.”
Flair did not participate in the recent Queen’s Crown tournament, which saw Zelina Vega defeat Doudrop in the finals.
The Hardy Family office has suffered another blow as after The Butcher, another one of their stars have been sidelined with an injury.
According to reports from Fightful Select, one-half of the Private Party, Marq Quen is currently out of action due to an undisclosed injury.
The AEW star hasn’t wrestled since October 12. He worked NEW’s Better Than You event back then, where he teamed up with his Hardy Family Office teammates Matt Hardy and Isiah Kassidy for a six men tag team match.
Quen’s last AEW match was an eight men tag team match during the October 11 episode of Dark: Elevation. The Private Party had teamed with The Butcher and The Blade for that match.
Another member of the Hardy Family Office, The Butcher suffered a torn bicep. He has been out of action since the post Full Gear edition of Dynamite on November 17.
The injury, which he suffered during a tag team match with Blade against Orange Cassidy & Tomohiro Ishii is expected to keep him out of action for at least 3-4 months.
The report doesn’t provide a lot of details regarding the health of Marq Quen. So it’s hard to say how long he will stay out of action. We will keep you posted on his status.
Buff Bagwell says WWE wanted him to go into the WWE Hall of Fame along with the other members of the NWO in 2020. Bagwell says he turned down the offer, however, as he didn’t want to go into the Hall of Fame as a member of a group. He made these comments on the “Who The Fook Are These Guys” podcast.
“They actually called me to do the Hall of Fame thing,” Bagwell said. “I was like, I’ll be honest with you I said ‘I don’t want to be part of a group in the Hall of Fame.’ I’d be like Brett Favre getting a Hall of Fame ring because of the Green Bay Packers.”
“Brett Favre got a ring because he’s Brett Favre.”
When Bagwell asked if he felt that a solo induction was possibly in his future, the 51-year-old stated he didn’t believe that was ever going to happen. He also noted that Lex Luger isn’t in the WWE Hall of Fame either.
HUGE GUEST THIS WEEK! We welcome Buff Bagwell, and discuss the nWo, Hulk Hogan, being fired by Vince McMahon, declining a Hall of Fame induction, and so much more! Listen now on Spotify, Apple podcasts and everywhere else! ????? pic.twitter.com/68mb2lJCKW
Bagwell had a 10-year-run in WCW from 1991-2001. He then had a very brief run with WWE that ended shortly after a disastrous match against Booker T on the July 2nd, 2001 episode of RAW.
If you use any of the above quotes please credit the “Who The Fook Are These Guys” podcast with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
If you want to see Johnny Gargano, all you have to do is chant “Johnny Wrestling”. At least, that is according to comments he made during the first live stream on his new Twitch channel.
With Gargano now a free agent, he could show up anywhere and at anytime. If fans want to see his return to wrestling, they just need to chant for him at shows.
“The ‘Johnny Wrestling’ chants, they mean the world to me,” said Gargano on the stream. “If you chant ‘Johnny Wrestling’ somewhere loud enough, you never know what could happen.”
He continued, “I could show up anywhere at this point. That’s real. I’m free to do whatever I want. So if someone wants to see me bad enough, the Johnny Wrestling chants come in, I’ll hear them. I watch everything. You never know.”
Just chant “Johnny Wrestling”
Now that Gargano is a free agent and has told fans how to ‘summon’ him, it will be interesting to see if we get any Johnny Wrestling chants tonight at AEW Winter is Coming.
Gargano’s WWE contract is believed to have expired on December 10th. This is after he signed a one-week extension on a contract that expired on December 3rd. The extension was so he would be able to perform on the War Games PPV and the following episode of NXT 2.0.
He had been with WWE since 2015 and does not have a non-compete clause.
The new ROH champion Jonathan Gresham recently said that he would like to defend his title against people like Bryan Danielson and CM Punk and Danielson is all for it.
The AEW star recently had an interview with Dallas News. He discussed things such as his dream scenario in AEW, why he doesn’t want to name his Mt Rushmore of wrestling, and more.
When asked about the comments from the new ROH champion, Bryan admitted that he likes Gresham’s style and he would love to get in the ring with him:
“I’d love to wrestle Jonathan Gresham. I love his style. He’s got a great mat-wrestling style. I think he’s one of the guys who have really carried on the tradition of real ‘technical wrestling’ wrestling, and I think that match would be a lot of fun.”
Apart from this, Bryan Danielson also talked about ROH’s announcement of going dark for the first quarter of 2022 to reimagine the company.
The former world champion discussed how wrestling is a hard industry to be profitable in with AEW and WWE taking up the majority of the mental space of fans. You can check out his full comments on the matter here.
Ring Of Honor helped build many of the top stars of the current generation. This list includes the current AEW star Bryan Danielson who was part of the very first ROH show in 2002.
The former WWE champion recently had an interview with Dallas News. He discussed things such as his upcoming match against Adam Page and more.
“As far as the future, who knows? I don’t even know what they’re thinking or how they’re going to restructure or anything like that. The wrestling industry is a hard industry to be profitable in, and especially with WWE and AEW already taking up so much of the wrestling fans’ mental space.”
He continued, “You know, it’s interesting to see where a company like Ring of Honor fits in. … I hope the best for them. especially because of how much they meant for my career.”
The American Dragon mentioned how ROH gave him a ton of exposure and opportunity. It was a platform to work against some of the best wrestlers of the time.
He feels the ROH fanbase that preferred a more wrestling-based product as opposed to the soap opera style of entertainment is now served by AEW.
The Briscoe Brothers have called out Tony Khan and FTR ahead of this Wednesday’s Winter Is Coming special of Dynamite from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TX.
The current ROH tag team champions posted a video message earlier today on Twitter. They told FTR that they made a mistake by confronting them at Final Battle.
The duo then called out AEW president Tony Khan as well to send them plane tickets, and told the AEW stars that they don’t know the danger they have put themselves in:
The Briscoe Brothers defeated Matt Taven and Mike Bennett at the Final Battle PPV this past Saturday to become the new ROH tag team champions.
After the match, they picked up the mics and laid out a challenge for any tag team in the world. In response, FTR made their ROH debuts and confronted the newly crowned champions.
The AEW stars picked up the ROH tag team titles. They then got out of the ring to brawl with The Briscoes to end the segment.
Tony Khan has teased new AEW debuts in the coming weeks. After this latest promo, the only question that remains is when exactly we will see The Briscoe Brothers making their AEW debut.
The December 14, 2021 episode of WWE NXT 2.0 aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Cameron Grimes def. Duke Hudson.
Ivy Nile (w/Malcolm Bivens) def. Amari Miller.
Harland (w/Joe Gacy) def. Guru Raaj.
Cora Jade def. Dakota Kai.
Tony D’Angelo def. Andre Chase.
Boa def. Edris Enofe.
Jacket Time (Ikemen Jiro & KUSHIDA) def. Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson).
Bron Breaker def. Roderick Strong.
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Grayson Waller Speaks
WWE had been advertising that Grayson Waller would answer for his actions on thai show after he attacked Johnny Gargano as he gave his farewell speech to the NXT brand on last week’s show.
The angle was done to write Gargano off television as his contract expired on December 10th. He is officially a free agent.
Waller cut a promo in the ring about Gargano’s speech and how the fans didn’t help Gargano when he got attacked. He showed footage of his attack on Gargano. He said he ended the career of an NXT legend and touted his week while the fans just complained about him like they always do. He showed off tweets from angry fans as well as a tweet sent out by Wade Barrett. He said that since 2010, he couldn’t care what Barrett has to say about him. He said he doesn’t need anyone except himself to go to the top.
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong vs. Bron Breakker in a non-title match took place.
The match was made after Strong’s manager Malcolm Bivens interrupted Breakker on last week’s show. Bivens said Breakker may have his sights set on Ciampa, but Strong’s sights are on Breakker. Bron stated he doesn’t care who he has to run through to get another title match against Tommaso Ciampa. Their first match happened at Halloween Havoc this October that saw Ciampa retain the NXT Championship.
This was the main event. Bron took a nasty table bump during it. It was a fun match with power moves by Bron and technical style of Strong. Bron won with his finisher. Post-match, Ciampa planted him with a DDT on the title.
Cameron Grimes vs. Duke Hudson in a No Holds Barred match was booked.
This appears to be the blowoff match for this feud that has been going on for a while and all started when Grimes beat Hudson in a poker game. At WarGames, Grimes beat him in a hair vs. hair match which resulted in Hudson getting a haircut.
The match featured them using various weapons such as a kendo stick, chairs, and even Grimes going through a poker table. Grimes avoided some clippers and hit his finisher while Hudson was sitting on a chair.
Harland made his in-ring debut against Guru Raaj. Harland beat down this poor guy before hitting his powerslam finisher. After the match, he further beat him down.
Harland, real name Parker Boudreaux, debuted on NXT this October and is aligned with Joe Gacy, who just lost to NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong at WarGames.
Harland refers to himself as ‘The Next Big Thing’ and has been praised by Paul Heyman because he resembles Brock Lesnar.
Cora Jade vs. Dakota Kai in a singles match took place. This was a rematch from last month where Kai defeated Jade in their first meeting.
At WarGames, Jade, Io Shirai, Raquel Gonzalez & Kay Lee Ray defeated Kai & Toxic Attraction (Mandy Rose, Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne) in the women’s WarGames match when Jade pinned Jayne to get the win. Jade overcame a storyline shoulder injury that she suffered during the match.
Last week, Jade appeared with her arm in a sling and interrupted Toxic Attraction after Mandy Rose had mentioned her name. Raquel Gonzalez then made her way out with a steel chair to back up Jade.
Rose was on commentary for the match. Kai went to get a shuffle and when she got into the ring, Jade rolled her up for the win. Post-match, Kai attacked her until Raquel came out to make the save. Raquel brawled with her through the crowd. Rose laid out Jade.
Bret Hart’s disdain for Hulk Hogan is nothing new, and the topic came up again this week during an interview with the WWE legend’s hometown newspaper.
Hart took part in an interview with the Calgary Sun in advance of his December 17th induction into the Canadian Walk of Fame. During the discussion, Hart was asked about his influence on future generations of wrestlers. Of course, the topic of Hogan came up.
“I think it all goes back to when Gorilla Monsoon called me the ‘Excellence of Execution.’ I was just a guy who did everything right. I remember when I started wrestling, I knew how everything worked. I knew how to take turnbuckle (hits to the chest), I knew how to body slam. When you want to watch how to do something in wrestling, you watch my matches back. You’ll learn how to do a Sharpshooter. That’s how you do it. Want to learn how to do a standing suplex? That’s how you do it. I was always that guy,” Hart said.
“He didn’t know a headlock from a headlamp. He didn’t know very much.”
– Bret Hart on Hulk Hogan
He continued, “And all the Canadian wrestlers like Natalya or Edge were influenced by me. I think if you look back at wrestling when it was the Hulk Hogan show. He was six-foot-eight and a one-out-of-three wrestler. He didn’t know a headlock from a headlamp. He didn’t know very much. He knew how to do a clothesline and maybe a body slam. He was very limited.”
Bret Hart was crowned WWE Champion in October 1992. The World Wrestling Federation was undergoing a dramatic change during this period. After an era of larger-than-life muscle-bound champions, the Hitman ushered in a new era of technical excellence.
“Vince McMahon took a chance with me and made me that champion. It meant so much to me that I think I tried to live up to be that champion. It was about being the best wrestler. I gave so much as that wrestler. I was a good role model in the dressing room. All that means a lot.”
The SummerSlam Main Event That Wasn’t
Hart’s dislike for Hogan goes back to 1993 when the Hitman claims that Hogan was slated to drop the WWE Championship to him at SummerSlam in Detroit in a passing of the torch moment. Hart had lost the title to Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX earlier in the year, and Hogan came out to assist the injured Hart on the outside of the ring following his controversial loss. It was at that time that Mr. Fuji challenged Hogan to face Yokozuna; Hogan won the WWE Championship in less than one minute.
That eventual Hart vs. Hogan match never occurred in the WWE. Hart wrote in his 2007 autobiography that Hogan refused to lose to him because of his size.
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Booker T thinks there could be some serious potential with Xia Li.
Li was brought on board at the WWE Performance Center back in 2017. She competed in the Mae Young Classic and WWE officials were impressed with her efforts.
In 2019, Xia Li made her Royal Rumble debut. She then transitioned to the NXT roster and is now a member of the SmackDown brand. Many have high hopes for WWE’s first Chinese female talent.
Booker T Talks Xia Li’s Ceiling
During an episode of his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T was asked by a fan about his thoughts on Xia Li. It’s clear that Booker T thinks there’s some potential there.
“She’s got talent. She definitely can perform and she’s different. I think, man if given a chance and put in the right position she definitely can get over. Let’s just put it that way and that right there, that’s the question for a lot of guys.
“A lot of times you wonder and I’m using examples now because one of my favorite guys before he ever came to WWE was Ricochet, Prince Puma. I was like, ‘Good God, this guy’s amazing.’ And then he gets to WWE and it seemed like it’s taken him a while to figure it out but now you see Ricochet on the rise.
“You see him getting the shine and me personally, I just hope it don’t take that long to see if this thing works out [with Xia Li].”
Xia Li made her SmackDown debut on Dec. 10. She protected Naomi from Shayna Baszler, Natalya, and heel authority figure Sonya Deville.
It hasn’t taken long for Li to gain support within WWE. Before her release, Serena Deeb was a coach at the WWE Performance Center and she praised Li several times. Sasha Banks has also been supportive of Xia.
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Tommy Dreamer has some pointers for Austin Theory.
Theory is currently enjoying a push on the WWE main roster. As a member of the Raw brand, he’s been featured in ongoing backstage segments with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
Theory’s segments have drawn strong viewership from younger audiences. WWE management is taking notice, according to the Wrestling Observer. Theory is particularly a hit with teenager viewers, a demographic WWE seeks to attract.
Tommy Dreamer Has Tips For Austin Theory
Tommy Dreamer spoke with Bully Ray during an episode of The Fat n The Furious on Busted Open Radio. During the show, Dreamer explained how Austin Theory can give himself the best chance at making this push last.
“Yes [I’m a fan of Austin Theory]. He is unproven I feel on the main roster. He was doing an excellent job when he first got called up when he was tagging with Andrade with Zelina Vega.
“I thought he was doing very, very good and then he went to NXT, answered the call in NXT, also became very, very entertaining in NXT, showed different sides of him and I hope we can see different sides of him on Monday Night Raw.
“You’re getting an opportunity, don’t blow that opportunity. Literally, do everything the best that you can, and like I said go above and beyond because they’re interested in you right now. That can change but run with it. It will only change if you mess it up.”
At the Survivor Series PPV, WWE did a movie tie-in with Red Notice, starring The Rock. During the PPV, Vince McMahon showcased Cleopatra’s egg valued at $100 million.
The egg went missing but it didn’t take long to find out who took it. It was Theory who was the culprit. Vince ended up giving him a pass, however, and is taking him under his wing.
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Eddie Kingston has shared what led to him signing with All Elite Wrestling and turning down WWE’s offer. Kingston credits Low Ki, Cody Rhodes, and his mother for helping him secure the biggest break of his wrestling career.
Kingston appeared on the Swerve City Podcast with Shane “Swerve” Stickland and Monteasy Jones to discuss his journey to AEW. In the interview, Kingston shared that he had an opportunity to be a developmental coach for WWE in the past but turned it down. He also shared that Low Ki helped him change his lifestyle and deal with personal issues last year.
“…The pandemic made me mature. It made me deal with issues that I did not deal with. That I shoved down,” said Kingston. He continued, “…During the pandemic, I dealt with a lot of things. I dealt with me being lazy. I dealt with me not being fully focused. You know what I mean? At the time, my boy Low Ki was there with me, and people can say whatever they want to say about him, but he helped me focus.”
During the pandemic, Kingston lived with Low ki. He shared before the pandemic, he went to the United Kingdom and had a hard time getting back to the United States. He ended up staying with Low Ki in Orlando, Florida. However, it’s unclear how long it lasted.
When speaking on Low Ki’s advice, Kingston said, “He was like, ‘what are you doing with your life. Now that you have this time off, what are you doing in your life.’ He just asked me that, and I was like, huh. It just clear as day came to me. It was like, okay, I want to do this, this, and this. He was like, ‘All right, get to work. You have time now.’ And I got to work.”
Eddie Kingston Calling out Cody Rhodes
Kingston refocused on his wrestling career after taking Low Ki’s advice and dealing with his issues. He revealed that he got his opportunity to wrestle for AEW after calling out Rhodes during Internet Championship Wrestling- No Holds Barred Volume 3:Deathmatch Drive-In 2 on July 4, 2020. After his call out, a representative from AEW asked if he wanted to come to do a match with Rhodes. However, Kingston didn’t view the opportunity as more than just a match and just wanted to get paid. At the time, he was selling his wrestling gear for money and had problems with paying off his mortgage. Kingston impressed AEW and fans when he made his first AEW appearance on July 22, 2020.
His Debut Match with Cody Rhodes
Kingston revealed that the aired promo before his match was his second attempt. He mentioned Rhodes as Cody Rhodes in the first promo, and AEW President Tony Khan told Kingston that he had to do it over. Rhodes couldn’t use his wrestling name during that time and was going by Cody. Regardless, AEW liked his debut, and he credits Rhodes as a good opponent.
“…They can say whatever they want to say about Cody, but that man danced with me that night. Cody could’ve been one of these old school vets that sat there and said, Oh, this guy likes to talk Sh*t. I’m on national TV; you get nothing,” said Kingston. He continued, “…But he didn’t. He went and there and worked with me, and I guess that match went well because I got a job like two weeks later.”
Kingston Choosing AEW Over WWE
After the match, people in AEW told Kingston he earned a job with the company. He also had WWE that wanted to sign Kingston. However, he listened to his mother’s advice and signed with AEW.
“…Did I entertain other possibilities? I entertained them, but again momma’s boy. My mother being my best friend. When I told her, hey, mom, I’m getting interest from a lot of people all of a sudden. She goes go to AEW. You won’t be happy at WWE,” said Kingston.
He explained, “… ‘She said yeah go there Papi, go there. You deserve to have fun.’ She said you deserve to have fun. I said okay, and that was it. It was a wrap from that point.”
Kingston has a win/loss record in AEW at 35-13. He is currently in a feud with Daniel Garcia and 2Point0.
Kurt Angle has reflected on two of the most physical wrestlers he’s ever shared the ring with.
Angle knows a thing or two about physicality. His neck has been through the wringer throughout his career and he’ll tell anybody who listens that he won a gold medal at the Olympics with a “broken freakin’ neck.”
For as tough as Angle is, there are some other wrestlers who were just as willing to dish out punishment as well as take it.
Kurt Angle Reveals His Most Intense Opposition
During an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle said that Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chris Benoit were the most physical and intense wrestlers he’s ever been in the ring with.
“Yeah, him and Chris Benoit were the two most physical athletes I’ve ever faced in the ring. Austin was very physical. That’s the one thing about him that made him special. He was really intense. He kept the intensity up very high and he was very physical.”
It should come as no surprise that Stone Cold made Angle’s list. After all, Austin was the one who taught Kurt how to blade and it wasn’t a pretty sight.
Angle went on to say that he always felt at home when his opponents threw stiff strikes.
“I was comfortable being snug cause I was snug. That’s just one thing that I tried to work on, my finesse but there were times when I throw punches or kicks they’re gonna stick, they’re gonna hurt and Austin was the same way. So, I enjoyed that because in order to give it you have to be able to take it and I did.”
Angle also said that he never gave anyone a receipt because he always assumed that if he got caught with a good strike it was just how his opponent worked.
It also helps that Angle was a legit amateur wrestler so not many in the locker room would dare to test him.
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On last week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, a fan can be heard yelling a homophobic slur at the Acclaimed’s Anthony Bowens during his match. The Acclaimed teamed with 2.0 in a losing effort to the Varsity Blondes and Jurassic Express on the show.
Bowens recently spoke to TMZ about the incident.
“Unfortunately that kind of stuff comes with the territory, being an out LGBTQ athlete,” Bowens said.
“This is actually the first time that I’ve audibly heard something like that during a performance or during television.”
Bowens also responded to a Tweet featuring a video of the fan yelling the slur.
This is why I posted that photo the other day. Stuff like this unfortunately still exists. Not phased, I’ll just keep fighting against stuff like this til the day I die. ? https://t.co/OI29dCeNU2
Bowens continued to say that when he started a YouTube channel with his boyfriend, the comments they received were quite hateful.
“I have really thick skin, I’m kind of used to it from my boyfriend Michaeland I,” Bowens said. “We have our YouTube channel and when we first started that the comments were brutal.”
Bowens would continue to say, however, that the comment is not indicative of AEW fans at all.
“This is not indicative of the AEW fans at all,” Bowens said. “Any interactions I’ve had with them since starting the company have all been positive.”
Bowens also spoke about how when he first arrived in AEW, he was happy to see LGTB wrestlers such as Nyla Rose and Sonny Kissfreely being themselves. His full comments are available in the player below:
