If it was up to The Young Bucks, they wouldn’t be the AEW Tag Team Champions right now.
Nick and Matt Jackson recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to discuss their title win over FTR at last Saturday’s Full Gear pay-per-view event.
In this interview, Nick revealed that they wanted to wait until 2021 to win the straps because they didn’t think it would hurt them to not be the champions. However, AEW President & CEO Tony Khan wanted them to win the titles now so the title change was made.
“If we’d won them right away, there wouldn’t have been a struggle for our characters,” Nick said. “We actually wanted to hold back for another year, so winning now was a Tony [Khan] call, but I’m glad it happened at the pay-per-view. It felt special, and winning it from FTR in this rivalry, in a match we never thought would happen, took it over the top.”
Matt noted that they wanted their story to be painful by losing and when fans thought they would start winning again, they’d lose more matches. He noted that they know the feeling of when that pain turns to celebration. However, they believe the right time for them was now after talking with Khan.
Matt thinks they worked in arguably the biggest tag-team match of the last five years and did so by coming out with the titles in the company we helped start.
New Japan Pro Wrestling and Bullet Club star Tama Tonga recently discussed his ‘dream’ tag team matches on the Tama’s Island podcast.
“I don’t want to name just one team, I’m gonna name three” Tonga began on the podcast. “From WWE? Probably The Usos. Then the other two would be FTR and Lucha Bros.”
Tama Tonga on Dream Matches
Tonga would go on to say why he chose those specific teams. “That would be the three just because of their unique styles. They all represent a style. I feel that my brother (Tonga Loa) and I can mesh with each one of those styles. We’ve been to Mexico, we’ve done the Lucha style. We do the ground and pound and we kind of have like an old school style mixed in our in our repertoire, that I feel like FTR would be into that style.”
Tama Tonga would then hype a potential match with FTR even further. There has recently been rumors of a potential AEW and NJPW partnership, so these could be some very telling comments. “Just even the promos battle with them” Tonga stated. “Because I just feel…like even on social media? The things that we would do? I watched their social media and I think they’re very good at trash talking.”
Tonga would finish by saying “we would try to match them, not only in the ring? But all the outside shenanigans you know? The social media crap.”
Would you like to see GOD vs FTR in AEW or New Japan? Are there any other AEW vs NJPW matches you want to see? Let us know in the comments
David Benoit recently appeared on The Ryback Show podcast. The son of Chris Benoit discussed a litany of topics during the interview, including his want to appear in the ring himself.
David has spoken at length about the difficulties of carrying his last name, following the tragic events of June 2007. These can be heard at length on VICE’s Dark Side of The Ring.
Although Benoit is still in the “early stages” of his wrestling training? He has already made a major decision regarding his professional wrestling future. “I don’t want to go to WWE” Benoit stated on the podcast.
David Benoit as a ‘Technical’ Wrestler
Benoit would also claim that he wants to be a “technical” style wrestler when he finally makes it to the ring. It’s clear that David is heavily influenced by his father, as well as Chris Benoit’s contemporaries such as Chris Jericho and Dean Malenko. David would list Jericho and Malenko as two men who have guided him thus far and are his longtime friends.
It’s been reported previously how David Benoit has been spotted backstage at both WWE and AEW. Ryback would ask Benoit if there were differences between the two company’s atmospheres backstage.
“I’d say, yes, you know?” Benoit revealed. “Because everyone seems to be more happier [in AEW] I find.” Benoit would finish by saying that “I’ve seen…I’ve seen a lot of old ex WWE employees at AEW. They’re just a lot happier.”
Do you want to see David Benoit in an AEW ring? Do you think that he will struggle to get past the baggage of his last name? Let us know in the comments
Tony Khan did an interview with TSN to talk about a wide range of topics involving AEW. During the discussion, AEW’s President provided an update on the status of a third AEW show, which will be the second series to air on TNT.
It’s been well documented that Dynamite isn’t getting a third hour, but rather aside from Dynamite and Dark, which airs on YouTube, AEW will be having a new program arrive on TNT.
For the longest time, the belief was that the new show would air in 2020. However, Khan noted that the show is set to arrive on TNT in the coming months.
“It’s going to launch in 2021,” Khan said of the new show. “We’ve worked it out with TNT. It’s 100 per cent going to launch in 2021. I don’t have the exact date yet, but I would look out for it soon and it’s right around the corner.”
Khan continued by noting that he hopes to see growth for the promotion 2021 after a successful 2019 and 2020.
If the pay-per-views come in higher in 2021 than in 2020, that would be incredible and I’d like to see us hit new highs for Dynamite.”
Hoping to build upon the momentum AEW has built in 2020, Khan is confident that the company will continue to grow next year. Once again, he teased that AEW has some aces up their sleeve to help achieve this goal.
“I think we’ve got some big matches and some big surprises ahead where it’s going to be really possible to do that,” Khan said.
Other topics discussed include Le Dinner Debonair, the possibility of working with NJPW and wanting AEW to serve as a “hub” for other promotions. Check out the full interview here.
AEW President Tony Khan says this week’s episode of Dynamite will be an eventful one. (Dynamite Preview)
Saturday’s Full Gear pay-per-view brought multiple title changes, including Darby Allin capturing the TNT Championship from Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks dethroning FTR for the AEW tag titles. We also saw MJF defeat Chris Jericho to earn a spot for himself and Wardlow in the Inner Circle.
In a tweet sent out Wednesday morning, Khan went above and beyond with his hype for the broadcast. In addition to a great lineup of matches, AEW fans were told to expect “massive surprises” ahead. He then said, “Please join us on TNT tonight, the balance of power in wrestling will shift tonight.”
Tonight we have a great lineup for #AEWDynamite Live on TNT at 8pm ET/7pm CT! For the rest of 2020, #AEW will keep delivering great matches on Wednesday Nights + there are massive surprises ahead! Please join us on TNT tonight, the balance of power in wrestling will shift tonight
The “balance of power in wrestling” shifting is a bold claim that would seem to describe an event more significant than MJF and Wardlow joining the Inner Circle. Even a scenario like the Inner Circle turning on Chris Jericho would fall short of Khan’s statement.
Perhaps we will see a new act debut or the return of PAC. AEW has a strong track record with post-PPV shows. The Dynamite after last year’s full gear featured the debut of Wardlow. After Revolution, we had the formation of Death Triangle (PAC, Penta El Zero M & Rey Fenix). FTR made their first AEW appearance after Double or Nothin and Miro made his debut after All Out.
The good news is that we will only have to wait a few more hours to find out what Tony Khan is talking about.
Discussion: What do you think Tony Khan is alluding to?
The Bella Twins believe they have one more WWE run left in them. The 36-year-olds were recently interviewed by Michael Lopez on Access and said that the WWE Women’s tag-team titles serve as motivation for them to get back in the ring.
“When we left, all of the sudden the WWE Women’s Tag Titles came, and we’re like, ‘Wait a sec, that’s for the Bella Twins.’ Like, we’ve been dying to have tag titles, and so her and I feel like we have one more run in us, and we really want to go for those tag titles,” Brie Bella said during the interview.
This isn’t the first time the Bella Twins have expressed interest in going after the tag belts. They replied to a WWE post on Twitter regarding current tag champs, Shayna Bazler and Nia Jax.
While the twins have never held tag-team gold, they are each former Divas Champions. Brie held the title once while Nikki had two reigns with the belt. Nikki’s 307 combined days with the title is second only to AJ Lee’s 406 combined days with that particular championship.
Last night on Impact Wrestling, it was revealed that the Rascalz (Trey Miguel, Zachary Wentz, & Dezmond Xavier) are leaving the company. In storyline, the trio received an eviction notice after it was revealed they had not paid rent on their treehouse in 2 years.
The trio is actually done with Impact Wrestling. They are said to be leaving on good terms and finished up at the last set of TV tapings. On next week’s episode of Impact, Dez and Wentz will team against Rich Swann and Trey Miguel. The Rascalz are not booked to be at Turning Point on Saturday.
In addition to performing for Impact Wrestling, the Rascalz have teamed together for promotions such as CZW and PWG. Dez and Wentz are 2x CZW tag champions and 1x PWG champions.
The Rascalz came out to save Rich Swann from an attack by Sami Callihan last night on Impact. Callihan was going to hit Swann with a baseball bat before the trio made the save. Later in the back, Swann would book the tag match for next week which will be the final episode for the Rascalz.
According to a report at WrestlingInc, the Rascalz have a ‘standing offer’ from WWE and are expected to join the company soon.
Raw Superstar R-Truth opened up about his early career in WWE and shared how close he was to quitting during an interview with The New Day’s podcast, Feel the Power.
Reflecting on first signing with the then-WWF, R-Truth confessed he was growing frustrated wrestling for WWE developmental.
“The overwhelming feeling, I just embraced it and took it head on. Road Dogg saw me in developmental. I was about to quit because I was in developmental for almost nine months – they told me I would be there for six months. I was there for nine months and it didn’t seem like anything was working out.”
R-Truth recalled how he had been running out of money while sleeping on Daniel Bryan and Brian Kendrick’s floor. At that point, he was ready to quit because of how discouraged he had become.
“I was questioning myself. It was a whole different route that I embraced, and it was not paying off. It was not giving me what I thought I would have. I’m not a big wrestling star, so I was discouraged and ready to quit.”
R-Truth & Road Dogg
R-Truth informed Kevin Kelly, Bruch Prichard, and Terry Golden he didn’t intend to re-sign with WWE. Golden then asked him what he intended to do when he got home. R-Truth confessed he was feeling overwhelmed and didn’t know the answer.
Things started to change, however, after Road Dogg saw R-Truth rapping:
“Nothing was paying off, and Road Dogg came to the TV taping and saw me rap going out. I think I wrestled Jerry Lawler that night. When I came back to the locker room, two or three guys told me Road Dogg was asking about you. I said, ‘Road Dogg of DX?’ They said, ‘yeah’.”
R-Truth continued, “Got in the locker room, and we all know Road Dogg. Road Dogg came to my face and said, ‘Was that you dancing and rapping to the ring?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘Do you want to be my tag partner?’ I said, ‘Man, I was about to quit. I don’t think this is for me. I think I bit off more than what I can chew.’ He said, ‘I’ll tell you what – I know you have been discouraged. You give me one month and I will have you on TV.’ I said, ‘Alright.'”
After Road Dogg’s proposal, R-Truth recalled how everything started falling into place in less than a month. This resurgence culminated with R-Truth making his Raw debut as K-Kwik in 2000.
Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara recently met in an Elite Deletion matchup at AEW Full Gear. Their clash was reportedly filmed about a week before the pay-per-view, according to Fightful Select.
Per the report, several wrestlers were involved in the creation of the match. Those involved in the Elite Deletion match were said to have had a lot of creative input. The overall backstage feedback for the bout was said to be positive.
Furthermore, Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline shared how fans in attendance for AEW Full Gear were “feeling tired” during the Elite Deletion confrontation.
The match is thought to have been purposefully scheduled after the AEW Tag Team Championship match between The Young Bucks and FTR. This was done to allow fans an opportunity to rest while enjoying something different.
The Elite Deletion featured cameos from AEW stars Private Party, Santana, and Ortiz. The match also saw former WWE Superstars Gangrel and The Hurricane make appearances.
Despite Guevara’s best efforts, Matt Hardy would eventually emerge victorious from their Elite Deletion clash.
Both Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara have released behind-the-scene videos and additional footage of the match and its filming process. You can watch both videos below.
AEW Full Gear took place this past Saturday on November 7, from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
All Elite Wrestling’s Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) believes his championship match against Jon Moxley gave the current AEW Champion the “best match of his title reign.”
Joining The Wrestling Inc. Daily podcast, MJF looked back on his championship opportunity against Moxley at All Out:
“I wish I could say enjoyed it, but he cheated. He cheated. He used an illegal maneuver in order to beat me because that’s the only way ‘Dictator Jon’ could beat me,” MJF stated. “Let’s face the facts, I gave him the best match of his title reign. If you don’t believe me, just watch it back. It was bar none the best Jon Moxley match he’s ever had in All Elite Wrestling, and it’s all thanks to me.”
MJF added how Moxley’s actions were “unfortunate.”
He stressed how Moxley had resorted to using “such a disturbingly, debilitating maneuver that was outlawed in that match-up.”
MJF added how, as he is an “honest human being,” cheating was something he would never do. He then shared how looking back on the match is a “bittersweet” experience.
Despite the loss, however, MJF acknowledged his personal pride in competing in the main event of a pay-per-view at only 24 years old. He then proclaied that it’s only a matter of time before he holds the AEW World Championship.
John E Bravo continues to be in a medically induced coma but don’t worry, Tommy Dreamer has a Sherlock Holmes hat and is dedicated to solving the case. This week, Dreamer hooked several suspects up to a lie detector.
Dreamer went through interviews with Larry D and Cody Deaner before an interesting session with Father James Mitchell. The Sinister Minister stated that he didn’t shoot Bravo, but he thinks he knows who did. Havok was then brought in to Dreamer’s interrogation room but she pointed the finger at Rosemary instead. The segment ended before we could hear Havok’s full interview with Dreamer.
The Good Brothers and The North Battle Ahead of Turning Point Title Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je8oAM74pgM
Karl Anderson met Josh Alexander in the main event this week. At Turning Point, however, the stakes will be much bigger. The finish of the match came when Alexander had just fended off the Gun Stun by Anderson and Page jumped in the ring and caused the disqualification.
Doc Gallows got in the ring as well and the two teams brawled ahead of their title match on Saturday. Officials from the back had to come out and separate the teams as the show came to an end.
The Rascalz Are Leaving Impact Wrestling
The Rascalz received an eviction notice this week. Evidently, the trio hasn’t paid rent on their treehouse in years. This was clarified to mean that the Rascalz are actually leaving Impact Wrestling. They have to be gone after next week.
Later in the show, the trio rescued Rich Swann from an attack by Sami Callihan, Ken Shamrock, and Chris Bey. In the back, Swann and the Rascalz decided to send the team out in style. It was agreed that Swann would team with Trey Miguel in a tag match against Dez and Wentz next week in the Rascalz final match for Impact.
Tenille Dashwood & Madison Rayne Have Trouble Working As A Team
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ0NP6Jz-fc
Last week on an episode of Madison Rayne’s “Locker Room Talk”, Tenille Dashwood and Rayne agreed to try being a tag-team. Things didn’t work out well in their first match this week, however.
Rayne was initially hesitant to get in the ring after Dashwood tagged her. Turns out she was right to be worried as Havok and Nevaeh made pretty short work of her. Havok pinned the former multi-time Knockouts champion after a tombstone piledriver.
Havok and Neveah look prepared for the start of the Knockouts tag title tournament. Rayne and Dashwood not so much.
Rohit Raju Retains Over TJP
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8813A7rj-DE
The stipulation heading into this week’s title match was that if TJP doesn’t win the title, he’s not able to challenge again while Raju is champion. Raju, like he often does, resorted to underhanded tactics to score the victory. With the ref out of position, Raju hit a low blow followed by a running knee to the head for the win. Now TJP will be unable to challenge for the title again until someone other than Raju is champion.
Raju will once again hold his “Defeat Rohit” challenge at Turning Point on Saturday.
Chris Sabin Recruits James Storm To Be His Partner At Turning Point
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDwCBgcd1Lw
Chris Sabin was able to use his speed and technical precision to defeat the much larger Acey Romero this week. Sabin is without his partner Alex Shelley at the moment, who is out with injury. After Sabin won the match, Larry D attacked him from behind and Team XXXL stood tall over him to end the segment.
Later in the show, Chris Sabin offered James Storm a beer to be his partner at Turning Point.
A highly skilled young blue-chipper versus a highly-skilled veteran in this match. Commentary noted that Bey will be competing in the Super J-Cup next month for NJPW and also mentioned Don Callis’ appearance at AEW Full Gear.
Edwards picked up the victory when he countered Bey’s springboard cutter into a pinning combination for the win.
After the match, it looked like Bey and Edwards were going to continue the fight but Sami Callihan came out to attack Edwards. This brought out Rich Swann for the save but then Ken Shamrock came out for the heel contingent and Bey got back into things as well. Then the Rascalz came out to save the babyfaces just as Callihan was going to hit Swann with a baseball bat.
Upcoming Matches In Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lInLyhLmKUI
Here are the matches scheduled for Turning Point on Saturday:
Moose vs Willie Mack
Eddie Edwards vs Daivari
Brian Myers vs Swoggle
Tenille Dashwood & Jordynne Grace vs Taya Valkyrie & Rosemary
Defeat Rohit Challenge
Impact Tag Team Championships
The North (c) vs the Good Brothers
Knockouts Championship No DQ Su Yung (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Impact World Championship Rich Swann (c) vs Sami Callihan
These matches are scheduled for next week’s episode:
AEW has released new top-5 rankings ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite. Kenny Omega is now the top-ranked contender in the men’s singles division and Big Swole has moved up to the top spot in the women’s rankings.
AEW Men’s Singles Division
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (21-0) TNT Champion: Darby Allin (14-5)
Kenny Omega (7-0) (previously unranked)
MJF (10-1)
Cody Rhodes (20-3-1) (previously TNT Champion)
Brian Cage (10-1) (-3)
Ricky Starks (12-2) (previously unranked)
The men’s singles rankings were almost completely overhauled based on the results of AEW Full Gear. TNT Champion Darby Allin’s victory at Full Gear bumps Cody Rhodes to the #3 spot.
#1 Kenny Omega shoots to the top-ranked position after winning the title-eliminator tournament.
#2 MJF maintains his rankings this week after defeating the unranked Chris Jericho at AEW Full Gear.
#4 Brian Cage drops several spots after not competing at Full Gear. His “Team Taz” teammate Rick Starks sits just underneath him at #5. Both Starks and Cage might be interested in challenging for Darby Allin’s TNT title soon.
AEW Women’s Division
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (20-1)
Big Swole (11-4) (+3)
Nyla Rose (12-3) (-1)
Penelope Ford (9-5) (-1)
Serena Deeb (3-2) (Previously Unranked)
Dr. Britt Baker (6-6)
Champion Hikaru Shida defeated top-contender Nyla Rose at Full Gear. The loss for Rose drops her to the #2 spot in the rankings.
#1 Big Swole jumped several spots in the rankings this week. She picked up a win on Dark but also benefits from losses by Rose and inactivity from others in the division.
NWA Women’s Champion Serena Deeb debuts in the rankings. She defeated free agent Allysin Kay at Full Gear. It seems Thunder Rosa may want to run things back with Deeb again sometime soon, however.
#3 Penelope Ford drops one spot, mainly due to inactivity.
#5 Britt Baker stays put in the rankings.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Champions: Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (10-3)
The Young Bucks are the new AEW Tag Team Champions. The loss for FTR drops them to the #1 ranked spot in the division.
The only other movement in the rankings this week saw Jurassic Express and the Butcher and the Blade switch spots. Jurassic Express has picked up 3 straight wins on Dark.
This week’s live edition of AEW Dynamite will feature plenty of fallout from Saturday’s Full Gear pay-per-view. The following is an updated preview for Wednesday’s broadcast:
Penta El Zero M vs. Rey Fenix. This is a rematch from their recent battle in the opening round of the AEW World title eliminator tournament.
MJF and Wardlow will be officially inducted into Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle.
The Natural Nightmares vs. The Butcher & The Blade in a Bunkhouse Match
Scorpio Sky vs. Shawn Spears. This match was originally scheduled for last week’s Dynamite, but was postponed after Scorpio Sky exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Tay Conti vs. Red Velvet
FTW Champion Brian Cage vs. Matt Sydal
Plus, we will hear from new AEW World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks and Cody Rhodes, who lost the TNT Championship to Darby Allin at Full Gear.
It’s worth noting that Tony Khan put out this cryptic tweet promoting Dynamite. The AEW President is teasing “massive surprises” – so massive that “the balance of power in wrestling will shift tonight.”
Tonight we have a great lineup for #AEWDynamite Live on TNT at 8pm ET/7pm CT! For the rest of 2020, #AEW will keep delivering great matches on Wednesday Nights + there are massive surprises ahead! Please join us on TNT tonight, the balance of power in wrestling will shift tonight
All Elite Wrestling’s Eddie Kingston believes that no one in the promotion is better than he is. Speaking with Busted Open Radio, Kingston shared his opinion on the matter. He explained that to survive in pro wrestling, it’s an ego-centric opinion he has to fully invest in.
“It feels good, but the ego in me goes, ‘Yeah, I know I’ve been the best’. When people hear that, they think I’m an egomaniac,” Kingston said. “You need a little bit of an ego to be in this business. I’m not going to sit here and tell you Jon [Moxley], Kenny [Omega], Hangman [Adam Page] are better than me. No one is better than me – that’s the attitude I have to have. If I’m going to survive and survive as long as I have in wrestling, I have to believe I’m the best.”
Kingston stressed how he has to believe he is the best promo guy and best in-ring worker. He explained how the day he wakes up and doesn’t think he can beat someone up is the “day I don’t get up.”
It’s an attitude and approach he attributes to his father. Kingston shared how “Every man bleeds, every man can get beat up. So if I wake up one day and I say to myself, ‘Well I can’t kick nobody’s a–‘, then I’m just not going to get up on my bed.”
Braun Strowman has reportedly been turned babyface after a short stint as a heel. The belief within WWE is that Strowman is considered a babyface for the Raw brand.
The Superstar turned heel following his Swamp Fight brawl with “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt at July’s Extreme Rules event. Strowman enjoyed a WWE Universal Championship reign after his WrestleMania 36 victory. He would lose the title before being drafted to Monday Night Raw.
Braun Strowman On His Universal Title Reign
Braun Strowman recently reflected on losing the WWE Universal Championship and being drafted to Raw in an interview with SI.com. Strowman shared how he knew it was inevitable he would drop the title. Because of this, his goal was to make “the most of the time that I had it.”
“It started as a result of some last-minute changes that forced me into that role, but I was ready for it. I worked very hard to make the most of the opportunity I was given, and I was lucky to work with the people I did that stepped up during my title run.”
Strowman shared how he pitched to bring back the “Monster Among Men” due to Raw’s third hour ratings drop. He pointed to how people can easily watch parts of Raw on social media after the fact. His goal, however, is to get people watching the live show. He noted how “That’s a huge factor why I went to Raw, which is where I first made a name for myself.”
Braun Strowman is a member of Team Raw’s Survivor Series Team. He joins AJ Styles, Keith Lee, Sheamus, and Riddle. They face off against Team SmackDown at WWE’s annual Survivor Series event on November 22.
Tuesday’s AEW Games 1.0 Special Event saw Kenny Omega officially announce three AEW video games. At the conclusion of the keynote presentation, Omega shared “one more thing” with fans: Hideyuki “Geta” Iwashita is officially on board to help develop games with AEW.
Iwashita was the director of the beloved Nintendo 64 game, WWF No Mercy, which was released back in 2000.
In an AEW press release following the event, the promotion discussed Iwashita’s involvement in the team:
“The event also featured the introduction of wrestling gaming mastermind and the newest AEW GAMES team member, Hideyuki ‘Geta’ Iwashita, best known for his work on the critically-acclaimed No Mercy for fifth-generation consoles.”
Hideyuki ‘Geta’ Iwashita
AEW Games
In the statement, Kenny Omega reflected how every so often, a “revolutionary company” comes along and changes everything.
He claimed that this is precisely what AEW is doing. Omega noted the ambition was as valid for pro wrestling as much as it was for AEW’s video games:
“When I first signed with AEW, I asked Tony Khan to let me help assemble the best gaming team on the planet, to make the best wrestling games ever. With masterminds like Geta and the incredible team at YUKE’S, we are well on the path to deliver a fresh, vastly superior gaming experience that our fans deserve.”
During AEW Games 1.0 Special Event, Omega was joined by Aubrey Edwards, Dr. Britt Baker, and Cody. Over the course of the event, they announced they had partnered with former WWE video game developer Yuke’s Co. Ltd. for its console games.
The highly-anticipated console games will be available on both current and next-generation hardware. They also announced mobiles games, AEW Elite General Manager, and the upcoming AEW Casino: Double or Nothing.
All Elite Wrestling has announced not one, but three new AEW video games. AEW Games has provided the first official details regarding an AEW console game, an ‘Elite General Manager’ game as well as AEW Casino: Double or Nothing.
The big news is that the AEW console game being developed by Yuke’s Co. Ltd, the company that developed WWE’s video games for nearly twenty years. The AEW console game will be available on current and next generation consoles.
Yukes is the studio behind the classic SmackDown! games and the ‘WWE 2K’ series up until WWE 2K19. WWE and Yukes parted ways in 2019 due to creative differences. WWE went on to partner with Visual Concepts for the release of WWE 2K20, a game riddled with bugs that flopped so hard that this year’s 2K21 installment was scrapped entirely.
Yukes also developed games for New Japan Pro Wrestling (2005, 2007) and UFC (2019-2012). In May 2019, the company announced plans to produce a wrestling-related video game to compete with WWE’s 2K franchise. (More on the split).
For more on the ‘Elite General Manager’ and ‘Casino: Double or Nothing’ games, visit AEWGames.com.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.690 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This was up from last week, which did 1.656 million viewers and 0.48 demo rating.
WWE went up against an NFL game that aired on ESPN, which was between the Patriots and Jets that had 9.828 million viewers.
To compare, just one year ago, RAW averaged 2.135 million viewers. The biggest thing to note is the third hour rebounded after setting its all-time low last week with 1.455 million.
Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:
Hour 1: 1.847 million, 0.58 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 2: 1.690 million, 0.53 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 3: 1.532 million, 0.49 in the 18-49 Demo
WWE Champion Randy Orton, The Miz and John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre and RAW Tag Team Champions The New Day served as the main event.
SmackDown Viewership
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.135 million viewers on FOX. This is up from the 2.286 that the show did for the previous week on FX.
The overnight rating was 2.209 million viewers. The first hour did 2.312 million viewers while hour two did 2.155 million viewers. This was up from the 2.133 a week ago with hour one doing 2.115 and hour two doing 2.151.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.70 rating in the 18-49 demos, up from 0.60 rating as last week’s show.
Lance Archer is currently the #3 ranked wrestler in AEW’s men’s singles division. So far, his only losses in the promotion have been to Cody Rhodes and Jon Moxley. He spoke with Chris Van Vliet recently and talked about his “Everybody Dies” gimmick as well as what led to him signing with AEW.
“There’s kind of that underlying meaning to the phrase ‘Everybody Dies’ that’s like everybody’s career ends at some point. I’ve been lucky and blessed over 20 years now and still going strong and at a top level with a top company in the business of professional wrestling but at some point, it will come to an end. I don’t know when and I don’t plan on it being any time soon,” Archer said on the show.
Lance Archer On Signing With AEW
The Murderhawk was also asked about what led to his signing with AEW last year.
“It was December of 2019 when I had just finished up the New Japan Tag League tour literally two days prior and AEW came to town to Dallas, Texas so I went there just to see some friends and whatnot because there’s a lot of people that I’ve been around the business with and become really good friends with. That was kind of where the seed was planted because people were asking what my situation was. And at that time, my situation with New Japan was that I did not have a full-time contract.”
Archer continued to say that his deal with NJPW was tour by tour and that he had done that for over 8 years. He also expressed he feels quite fortunate with all the places he’s gotten to wrestle throughout his career.
“I’ve worked in a lot of different places from TNA to WWE for a short cup of coffee, I showed up in Ring of Honor a few times, I worked down in Mexico with AAA and different places like that. So I’ve bounced around and been a journeyman to say the least.”
Priscilla Kelly and Darby Allin were married in November of 2018. In August, Kelly announced on Twitter that the couple was going through a divorce. Kelly noted at the time that they were not on bad terms and wished the best for each other. She appears to be happy for Darby’s recent success at AEW Full Gear, where he defeated Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship.
She took to Twitter to congratulate Allin on the win:
It’s crazy watching someone start from barely having money to eat to taking over the world. No one deserves it more, and I’m super proud to have been there to watch him grow over the years into who he is as a performer today.
“The last few months have been extremely difficult, and there’s been a lot of questions. Not only due to Covid and the loss of work for myself, but also due to the fact that Darby and I have been going through a divorce.”
“There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but we have come to the conclusion that we are just not compatible together as people. We are on great terms, and wish only the best for each other. There are no hard feelings, as we both understand this is what is best. I know a lot of you have supported us for a long time as a duo, and we appreciate it so much, but this decision is what’s best for both of us and our wellbeing. I hope to see him continue his rise in the entertainment industry and take the world by storm as he already is. As for me, it’s time to begin a new chapter.”
With the NBA set to return on December 22nd and the Orlando Magic set to return to the Amway Center, WWE has reportedly been given a date that they must move out of the venue by. According to comments made by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, other nearby venues are being discussed as the new home for RAW and Smackdown broadcasts.
“The contract is through whatever it is, like November 24th but I think that they’ve been given like 2 more weeks and then they’ve got to go because the Amway Center has got to get ready for the Orlando Magic games,” Dave Meltzer said. “They have been given like an out date, I think it’s right around December 4th.”
Meltzer then continued to say he has heard that Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg is an option. The Tampa Bay Rays play their home games there. Although it is called a “field” the venue is actually indoors and does not have a retractable roof.
“I don’t know where they are going. Believe it or not, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg has been talked about, which is a baseball stadium. I don’t know how you run that every week,” Meltzer continued.
Karrion Kross fans will not have to wait much longer for his return to WWE’s NXT brand. Kross has been out of action since August, when he suffered a separated shoulder during the main event of NXT TakeOver: XXX. Kross captured the NXT Championship at that show, but was forced to surrender the title just days later due to the injury.
The undefeated star provided an update on his condition this week. “I feel absurdly stronger now than I did even before July. I have not squandered this time away,” he said. “And I see no point in returning if I’m not coming back even stronger than I was to begin with.”
He then put the NXT roster on notice and warned that he could return “any second” – even when people least expect it.
“See you all again when the T I M E is right. Which as you know… could be any second. Or maybe when you least expect it.”
Karrion Kross holds an undefeated record in NXT. There is no question that he will be a huge threat to whoever stands before him upon his return. Now feeling stronger than ever, he has something to prove once again after having his championship taken from him just as he reached the top of the mountain in NXT.
The message was accompanied by a video of Kross training hard in the gym.
AEW has released the first promo video hyping Revolution, the company’s next pay-per-view event scheduled for Saturday, February 27th. The main event will likely be AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defending against World Title Eliminator Tournament winner Kenny Omega.
Since AEW pay-per-views take quarterly, AEW typically presents special editions of Dynamite midway through the 3-month breaks. Previous events have included FyterFest and Bash at the Beach. AEW president Tony Khan noted that ‘Beach Bash’ will take place some time in January.
The AEW: Countdown to Full Gear special that aired on TNT this past Friday night at 11pm (Eastern) averaged 245,000 viewers and did a 0.09 in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This viewership is down from September’s Countdown to AEW All Out special, which did 357,000 viewers and 0.14 in the demo. However, it’s not an apples-to-apples comparison. The All Out countdown show aired Saturday at 5:30PM (EST) just hours before the PPV.
Eddie Kingston is still processing his loss to AEW World Champion Jon Moxley at Saturday’s Full Gear pay-per-view. After losing the hard-fought “I Quit” match, it looks like Kingston broke his phone out of frustration.
Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows signed with Impact Wrestling earlier this summer. There are also rumors that the pair will head back to Japan for NJPW when the world opens back up. They are 3x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions in the promotion.
Recently, NJPW announced that Impact’s Chris Bey will be part of the J-Cup tournament. Historically, the tournament has always involved lighter weight champions from other promotions but Rocky Romero believes Bey’s involvement will help rebuild a better relationship between the two companies.
“I think it’s just him being involved is obviously important to rebuilding a relationship with IMPACT! and New Japan. I’ve gotta say, like you said with the Full Keg special being a part of it was a big deal. Even IMPACT! being so cool with shouting out New Japan Strong and New Japan World on the special as well. I think it’s just little steps here and there. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future obviously, but I think it’s definitely moving in the right direction. They’re definitely are more friendly than they have been for a very long time. That’s for certain. I think it’s a testament to the Good Brothers and their relationship with both companies and how they’re so important for both companies and the respect is deep there. I think they have a lot to do with it as well,” Romero said to Fightful.
Karl Anderson On Impact & NJPW Relationship
Karl Anderson also spoke about repairing the relationship between Impact and NJPW during the interview. In particular, Anderson noted that he believes the two companies will be working with each other by the summer.
“I think all that’s going to be repaired as well. Because there’s a whole new regime at IMPACT! right now. I think us moonwalking into IMPACT! and being so close with the higher-ups there and then with Rock working with us and us being close with the higher-ups in New Japan as well. We’re all working really hard to repair everything. I think by the summer 2021, there’s going to be a lot of big shit that’s happened by then. Especially once we can get the world opened back up. It’s a game-changer,” Anderson said.
Anderson will team with Doc Gallows tonight on Impact to challenge the North for the promotion’s tag-team championships.
