Mark Henry has shared his thoughts regarding John Cena’s return to SmackDown last Friday night. The WWE Hall of Famer spoke about Cena’s comeback during an episode of Busted Open Radio.
Henry reflected on how he’s so used to hearing the WWE Universe chanting ‘Cena Sucks’ at the Superstar. He noted how it was “unfathomable” to him that Cena would be so embraced upon his return.
“I could not believe the reaction from the crowd last night,” he confessed. “I just, like, I guess absence does make the heart grow fonder. Because he got more love that first minute and a half…he couldn’t even talk. The crowd was like constant. It was a constant roar. And every time he got ready to say something, they amped up.”
Mark Henry noted how Cena may have been taken aback by the reaction, given how crowds have been so mixed in previous years.
John Cena Vs. ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt
John Cena’s appearance helped to set up a WrestleMania 36 matchup between himself and ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt. Ironically, Cena was highlighting how this year’s ‘Mania should be focused on new talent and modern Superstars. Despite these statements, he now finds himself in a major matchup on ‘The Grandest Stage of Them All.’
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has praised SmackDown Superstar John Morrison. During an episode of his podcast, Hall of Fame, Booker T shared how he feels Morrison has an undeniable “IT factor.”
Booker T On John Morrison
Booker T revealed his thoughts off the back of a fan question. He was asked whether he would prefer for The Miz and Morrison to defend their newly won SmackDown Tag Team Championships against The New Day or The Usos at WrestleMania 36. For Booker T, he’d prefer the champions to go up against the New Day. He noted how Morrison has been a star since day one.
“[WWE] Made him the tag team champion, put him right back in the mix, and that’s what you need to do with someone like Morrison,” he explained. “Because, honestly, John Morrison, he’s not a sideline player. He’s not a guy you want to bring in off the bench. He’s the guy you want to keep in rotation, keep him in the game, you know. Keep him warm, keep him hot.”
Booker T continued, “This guy, you look at him, you know from from day one. He’s always had that, that one thing man he always had stop star potential. He always had that, what would that ‘je ne sais quoi.’ The ‘IT’ factor you know what I mean? But yeah, man. He always had ‘it.’”
John Morrison teamed with The Miz to win the tag team championships during WWE’s recent Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia.
Cody Rhodes has made many bold decisions in recent years. Leaving WWE, starting a new company, announcing a stipulation that he can never challenge for the AEW World title again, and now he’s tattooed the Nightmare Family logo on his neck. He tends to go “All In” on things.
The former NWA and ROH World Champion took to social media to better explain his most recent decision.
“I’m humbled by the run I’ve been on and the love of the fans. Incredibly lucky man.”
Cody commented on his tattoo with the following statement in the post:
“It was very simple, I wear a lot of brands…I wanted to make sure mine was one of them. And I wasn’t hiding it. More details on tomorrow’s “Road To Denver”… – thank you @inkanddaggertattoo@craigbrocktattoo for taking the design and making it a reality!”
Brandi Rhodes commented on Cody’s new tattoo during the AEW Revolution post-event media scrum.
“I’m the one person that doesn’t like the neck tattoo, I don’t like it,” Brandi said. “I’ve said it, there it is.”
“I know a lot of wives like to be really hands-on,” Brandi continued. “My husband makes his own decisions. He’s allowed to make his own decisions. So, if I decided to do something crazy, he can just let me make my own decisions.”
Brian Pillman Jr. offered up perhaps the best reasoning as to why Cody got the tattoo where he did.
Simple. He's wearing it on his neck so it's always visible, can't be covered up easily. It's symbolic of him going "all-in" on his brand and his company and not having a backup plan. It means he's literally got his neck on the line for AEW and his family. SKIN IN THE GAME!!! https://t.co/7MpqXPbDtw
Tony Khan also commented on Cody’s new ink. Khan said the tattoo looks great if Cody just wants to be a “badass wrestler” but might make it difficult for him to get some acting roles.
Major League Wrestling presented its first episode of Fusion from its recent Fightland tapings in Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena. The main event of the show featured the return to the promotion of LA Park as Los Parks took on Josef Samael & Simon Gotch from Contra Unit.
MLW Fusion 2/29/20 Quick Results:
Richard Holliday, Gino Medina, & Alex Hammerstone (the Dynasty) defeated Logan Creed, Savio Vega, and Mance Warner
Kotto Brazil & Jordan Oliver (Injustice) defeated Zenshi & Laredo Kid
Lumberjack Match LA Park & El Hijo de LA Park (Los Parks) defeated Josef Samael & Simon Gotch (Contra Unit)
The full episode of Fusion can be viewed in the player below:
Los Parks Get Measure Of Revenge Against Contra Unit
The last time we saw LA Park in MLW, he was defeated by Jacob Fatu in the main event of the Super Fight PPV in November. He returned to the territory this week along with his son El Hijo de LA Park and they faced two members of Contra Unit in Simon Gotch and Josef Samael in a lumberjack match.
Contra Unit attempted to get an early advantage by attacking the father-son team during their ring entrance. The crowd was vocally behind Los Parks, however as they mounted a comeback throughout the match. Park would finally pick up the win for his team with a twisting senton onto Samael. Contra Unit doesn’t take to losses well so we will have to see how they respond to taking the L against the legendary luchador and his son here.
Richard Holliday, Gino Medina, and Alexander Hammerstone came out to kick things off on Fusion this week. Holliday is still wearing the Caribbean Championship belt he stole from Savio Vega as well. The trio were interrupted by Konnan who was then backed up by 3 wrestlers who have all had their problems with the Dynasty in the past: Logan Creed, Savio Vega, and Mance Warner. An impromptu 6-man tag would begin.
The Dynasty would pick up the win after Holliday hit Vega with the belt. After the match, however, Konnan picked up a measure of revenge on Gino Medina with a flapjack and the babyfaces retook the ring to end the segment.
After the previous segment, Konnan found himself alone in the ring. The members of Injustice then came out and continued their ongoing rivalry with the legend. Brian Pillman Jr. who has had his own problems with Injustice stemming from their attack on him before the Opera Cup, came out to back up Konnan and serve on commentary for Inustice’s match against Zenshi and Laredo Kid.
Injustice would pick up the win after Laredo Kid was distracted by middleweight champion Myron Reed on the outside. Oliver and Kotto hit Zenshi with a crucifix stunner combo for the win.
After the match, Laredo Kid went after Myron Reed on the outside as Injustice was confronting Pillman at the commentary booth. Laredo Kid then hit Reed with White Noise in the ring and allowed the live crowd to count the 3-count on him while the luchador held up the middleweight title. It looks like a title match between these two is in the works and Pillman looks to have that title in his sights as well, though he might be a little heavy for it.
Brian Pillman Losing Weight To Go After Myron Reed’s Middleweight Title
In a backstage segment later in the show, Injustice poked fun at Pillman Jr for being north of the 205lbs middleweight limit. Pillman has since announced plans to go on the Keto diet to get down to 205 and take on Myron Reed.
Next week will be the 100th episode of MLW Fusion. The special episode will feature an MLW World Heavyweight Championship match pitting title-holder Jacob Fatu of Contra Unit against CIMA.
Rush has regained the ROH World Championship. He defeated former champion PCO and Mark Haskins in a triple threat match over the weekend at ROH’s Gateway to Honor event from St. Charles, Missouri. PCO had defeated Rush in single’s competition to win the title at the Final Battle PPV from Baltimore on December 13th, 2019.
With the win, Rush becomes just the 5th person to win the ROH World Title for a second time. Jay Lethal, Jay Briscoe, Adam Cole, and Austin Aries are the other 4 wrestlers. Adam Cole is the only wrestler to ever win the title a 3rd time.
PCO’s title reign finishes at 78 days and included successful title defenses against both Rush and Dragon Lee.
Nick Aldis played a role in the title change from Saturday. The NWA World Heavyweight Champion’s “Strictly Business” faction has been in an inter-promotional rivalry with Villain Enterprises as of late. Aldis is also scheduled to face PCO at Supercard of Honor. He hit PCO in the head with the NWA title, allowing Rush to capitalize for the win.
Unlike previous weeks of WWE Monday Night RAW, the company has announced several things in advance to get more interest from fans.
With the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of RAW.
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is fresh off his latest title defense over Ricochet at Super Showdown. The company has confirmed that he will appear on RAW to further build his program with Drew McIntyre ahead of their title match at WrestleMania 36.
Also, Seth Rollins and Murphy will defend the RAW Tag Team Titles against The Street Profits. This is a rematch from WWE Super ShowDown that saw the champions go over.
WWE holds this show in Brooklyn, NY at the Bell Barclays Center. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar will appear live
Beth Phoenix to discuss the condition of her husband and fellow WWE Hall of Famer Edge after being attacked by Randy Orton.
Shayna Baszler will take on Asuka in a singles match.
RAW Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Murphy will defend the titles against The Street Profits.
WWE 24/7 Champion Riddick Moss will defend his title against an unknown opponent
Join us here later tonight for our post-show RAW Takeaways feature.
Matt Hardy is now a free agent and has allowed his WWE contract to expire. Hardy had been with the company since returning in 2017 with his brother Jeff. He announced his free agency on a live stream from his YouTube channel at midnight.
“Right now it’s just a little past midnight, we have just entered Monday and that is March 2nd, 2020 and my WWE contract was set to expire at midnight on March 1st,” Hardy confirmed regarding his WWE contract. “This is what’s happened. As of this current time, I have decided to let my contract with WWE expire. I am going to become a free agent and that’s not saying I’m not going to return to WWE.”
“I did not want to leave WWE, I love WWE, WWE is my home. WWE has treated me great as an employee for the last 3 years. They’ve been good to me, they’ve been good to my family, they’ve been great to my kids. I have nothing but great things to say about WWE and all the people that work there.”
Hardy continued to thank Vince McMahon for what he’s done for him. He also thanked Michael Hayes, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon and more.
Hardy would then say that creatively he and WWE are not on the same page right now and that has played a large role in his decision to leave.
“I just think myself and WWE are on different pages,” Hardy explained.
“I want to enter a creative renaissance and I want to have non-stop input on my creative process and I think that’s where WWE and I are on different pages.”
Hardy would then say he does plan on being back in WWE at some point in some way.
“I definitely think there is a Hall of Fame ring waiting on myself and my brother,” he continued.
Hardy’s comments can be heard in the player below:
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry had some intriguing comments regarding the Universal Championship match at WrestleMania. Roman Reigns will be challenging new Champion Goldberg at the event; following a face-to-face with the former WCW star on SmackDown this past Friday. The live crowd in Boston not only booed Goldberg, who had defeated The Fiend just the night before, but also were not exactly receptive to Reigns, chanting “you both suck.”
Roman Reigns Main Eventing Again?
This will be the fifth time that Roman Reigns has main evented WrestleMania, if this match goes on last. The previous four bouts came at the height of fans completely rejecting Reigns in the main event position, however Mark Henry believes that this time will be different.
“This is a time where you’re not shoving Roman Reigns down somebody’s throat” Henry began. “And the people actually wanted…they were cheering for Roman, they were like, ‘kick his ass, take the title.’ They [the fans] want to see Roman Reigns have success again, that’s where we’ve evolved to, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Henry elaborated further, saying “I think that this is Romans time. People believe in him, people get behind him. They want to see him. Do they want to see him be [WWE] champion? I’m not sure, we’ll find out. But do they want to see him be champion more than Goldberg? Yes.”
Henry then made the point that Goldberg should be clearly positioned as the antagonist in the feud with Reigns. “He’s [Goldberg] gonna have to be arrogant. ‘I told you that I will be champion again, everybody was on my back about what happened the last time I was in Saudi but look at me now.’ I would paint the picture of him being the biggest assh*le that has ever been in pro wrestling.”
You can listen to Busted Open Radio every day via SiriusXM or the Podcast version via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Player FM.
Do you think that Roman Reigns and Goldberg will main event WrestleMania this year? Let us know in the comments
Dustin Rhodes lost to Jake Hager last night at AEW Revolution. Following the match, Rhodes spoke to the media backstage at Chicago’s Wintrust Arena. During the post-event media scrum, Rhodes announced that he is moving to the tag team division. He also announced QT Marshall as his new partner.
“I’m a little bit upset right now, not going to lie about,” Dustin said backstage.
“I think it may be time for me to reach out and take a partner, for a little while,” Rhodes continued. “QT Marshall has been there with the Nightmare Family for quite some time and I want to give him a chance.”
“You are going to be seeing a lot of us together. It’s going to help my body tremendously.”
Dustin then said they have a secret weapon and that weapon is Brandi Rhodes.
“Brandi will also be there as our manager and help us on our path,” Dustin continued.
“The Natural Nightmares maybe,” Dustin said regarding a possible team name.
Rhodes and Marshall teamed up recently on AEW Dark and defeated the team of Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears.
Dustin’s post-event media scrum can be viewed below:
Tony Khan addressed his wrestlers appearing for New Japan Pro Wrestling during last night’s post-event media scrum.
“We all definitely watch a lot of New Japan in this room. I think they are a great company and a lot of my people have worked shows there and I have no problem with guys – as long as its not interfering on a regular basis with what we do on Wednesdays and with our PPVs, guys working there. That’s some of the flexibility we have. Can’t have it all the time but I think it’s been fine for me, it doesn’t really bother me.”
Khan continued to talk more about NJPW.
“Hasn’t really been a 2-way street,” Khan continued. “Haven’t seen a lot of their guys here. Don’t hear from them often but if you guys are watching this you’re welcome for all the great stuff I’ve done for you and if you’d ever like to send somebody here to do work, I would treat them respectfully like you’ve treated my guys because generally when my people worked there you’ve done right by them. You being New Japan.”
Khan’s post-event media scrum can be viewed in its entirety in the player below:
Jon Moxley is the new AEW World Champion. He defeated Chris Jericho for the title at AEW Revolution last night from Chicago’s Wintrust Arena. Moxley spoke to reporters following last night’s event and spoke about what the win means to him.
“I’m feeling pretty f***ing about it, to be honest with you,” Moxley said when asked about his decision to come to AEW to kick off the scrum.
“That feeling of satisfaction of piece of work, that artistic satisfaction. 8 weeks of beginning to end, a piece of work. It’s like popping f***ing bubble wrap, it’s so satisfying. It’s why we do this and to be standing there in an arena full of thousands of of people and they’re so happy. They’ve been on the ride, they’ve been on the journey. It’s like a painting I can hang on my wall and always look at.”
Moxley also spoke about conversations he had a year ago discussing what the goal of AEW was to be.
“Pro-wrestling, I’m telling you it works. It’s like Mac and Cheese, it always works, it’s always good and we’ve brought that back to the people.”
Moxley also suggested during the interview that he might not want Cody to adhere to the stipulation that he can never challenge for the world title again.
“I’m not playing that game, I’m not going to live in a world where ‘oh you beat everybody except for Cody because he had the thing with MJF.’ If he feels he can beat me, he better damn sure expect to get in the ring with me and we’re going to wave the little rule.”
“If he thinks he can beat me, I insist that he give it a try.”
Moxley’s full media scrum can be viewed in the player below:
Tony Khan spoke to members of the media last night following AEW Revolution from Chicago. Khan spoke on a number of issues including his role
Khan noted that while there have been reports that his role on the creative team has increased in recent weeks, he’s always been the final say. He is the filter because there are so many ideas from wrestlers that you can’t do them all.
The word “War Games” will not be used in relation to the 2-ring event on March 25th, 2020. The term they are using is “Blood and Guts Match.”
Had mixed feelings toward Cody’s neck tattoo. It could be a hindrance if he wants certain acting roles, however, but said it works great if Cody just wants to be a “badass wrestler.”
Khan would like to keep All Out in Chicago, says the market has been great for them.
They are trying to hit different markets for Dynamite but moving it internationally could be tough because of time zones and wanting to keep the show live.
Colt Cabana has signed. He is coming in as a wrestler, announcer, and coach. He also has the ability to work other places as well.
No update on negotiations with Jeff Cobb but talks are ongoing.
Awesome Kong helps to produce the women’s matches but is currently filming the final season of Netflix’s GLOW.
He checks in with TNT from time to time when there are ideas that are little “out there” but they have been very supportive.
Khan described the Dark Order has a “huge evil corporation” and said it is really developing into something he thinks fans will like. He would not speculate or comment on Matt Hardy, however.
He said everyone at AEW watches a lot of NJPW and he has no problem with his guys working there. He noted that it hasn’t been a 2-way street with them, however.
Cody Rhodes debuted a new neck tattoo before yesterday’s AEW Revolution PPV. The tattoo has drawn strong reactions, both positive and negative, from fans.
AEW posted the following closer look at Cody’s new ink:
Brandi Rhodes was asked about the tattoo during the post-event media scrum last night. The former leader of the Nightmare Collective is not a fan of Cody’s new ink.
“I’m the one person that doesn’t like the neck tattoo, I don’t like it,” Brandi said. “I’ve said it, there it is.”
“I know a lot of wives like to be really hands-on,” Brandi said. “My husband makes his own decisions. He’s allowed to make his own decisions. So, if I decided to do something crazy, he can just let me make my own decisions.”
Brian Pillman Jr. offered up an interesting reason as to why Cody put the tattoo in a hard-to-cover place.
Simple. He's wearing it on his neck so it's always visible, can't be covered up easily. It's symbolic of him going "all-in" on his brand and his company and not having a backup plan. It means he's literally got his neck on the line for AEW and his family. SKIN IN THE GAME!!! https://t.co/7MpqXPbDtw
Some feel so strongly about Cody’s tattoo that they have started a GoFundMe to have it removed.
“Cody just unveiled a horrible tattoo on AEW Revolution. The tattoo clearly was a major factor in him losing his match against MJF, and it’s just really really ugly. I’m sure Cody is embarrassed and probably regrets it. Let’s raise some money so Cody can afford to get it removed,” a description of the GoFundMe readds.
The Young Bucks decided to reduce their social media presence last year. They have since left Twitter and according to the brothers, this move has helped spark creativity in them.
The duo recently had an interview with Sporting News where
they talked about things like the early success of AEW, their tag match at
Revolution and more.
Talking about their decision to leave social media, the Bucks claimed that they had been discussing it for a while and Nick Jackson then revealed a particular moment which helped solidify his decision:
“There’s one particular moment where it hit me where I was
reading stuff about the show, and my kids were playing, and they were like,
‘Daddy come play with me.’ And I wasn’t listening to them. They had to shake me
and said, ‘Daddy, come play with me.’
And then I looked at my phone and was like, ‘What am I doing? I’m wasting time on this fake thing that doesn’t matter. It doesn’t affect my life, I’m taking time doing this instead of playing with my children at home. How selfish of a human being am I to do this?’”
Speaking of the difference this move has made, Matt Jackson said that the shows have been a lot better for them.
The Young Bucks explained how negative comments on social media affect them saying that they stay in the back of your head even if you don’t believe them.
Apart from this, The Young Bucks talked about not making any money in wrestling during their initial days, adjusting into the executive roles and more. You can check out their full interview at this link.
Shelton Benjamin’s original WWE run lasted for almost a decade. He started with the company in 2000 and lived through the eras of Brock Lesnar and John Cena but his tenure ended abruptly in 2010.
The former US Champion recently sat down with Lilian Garcia for Chasing Glory podcast, where he talked about a number of things like his start in the promotion and more.
Talking about his departure from the company in 2010, Shelton revealed that it wasn’t him who chose to leave the promotion and the officials let him go instead:
“Me and WWE had a difference in opinion, I wanted to
keep my job, and they had a different opinion. Honestly, I was so frustrated by
the time I left, that I felt like I was constantly trying to prove myself, as a
Superstar, and as a performer.
It got to the point where I was coming to work and my heart just wasn’t in it.” recalled Benjamin. “It was almost like my spirit was broken because I felt like every time I had something going for me, it was taken away, somehow or another.”
Shelton went on to explain how he needed to work on certain aspects of his character but WWE wasn’t helping him and he felt miserable while coming to work.
After leaving WWE, Shelton Benjamin started wrestling in the independent circuit. He competed for promotions such as ROH, NJPW and Pro Wrestling Noah before making his return to the company in 2017.
Cody Rhodes created some buzz recently when he said that he wouldn’t mind taking Dynamite out of its current slot on Wednesday nights and move it to Monday. However, the AEW President Tony Khan doesn’t seem to be a fan of the idea and it appears that he believes that Wednesdays are the best spot for them.
The AEW CEO was asked about Cody’s comments during the post Revolution media scrum and he said that while Cody is one of his best friends, as the president he is saying that they are on Wednesday nights: (Transcription: SEScoops.com)
“I think Cody brings (a lot) to the company both on-screen and off-screen. He is one of my best friends.” said Tony Khan. “That may be his view for 5 years. As his personal view and that might even be his view as the executive vice president but as the president and CEO, I am telling you we are on Wednesday nights, I want to be on Wednesday nights.
I have no intention of moving for a variety of reasons and I am really happy with where we are (in the) the relationship with TNT. It’s a night that works great for them. We have been a top performer for them. We are doing great on Wednesdays and I want to stay there. “
Tony Khan continued by explaining how he believes Monday Night Football is the greatest franchise on cable and he never wants to compete with them. Apart from this, the AEW president also discussed Jon Moxley’s Championship win at Revolution and revealed how he feels about Cody Rhodes’ new tattoo. You can check out his full interview below:
Kazuchika Okada and Kenny Omega have been in the ring multiple times due to their rivalry in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Both of them have had some amazing matches together. Omega talked about his rivalry with Okada and said that he reminds him of Ric Flair.
The AEW Tag Team Champion said that The Nature Boy is widely agreed upon to be the best of all time, and the same goes for the current IWGP Heavyweight Champion Okada who brings out the best in his opponents, a quality that Flair also had.
“A lot of wrestling historians and purists will go to bat and say that [Ric] Flair was the greatest of all time because he was so successful for a period of years. The same goes for [Kazuchika] Okada, who’s almost the modern-day Ric Flair. They have a very patterned main event style, but it’s very successful. They bring out the best in almost every opponent,” Omega told Bleacher Report.
Omega has had an upper hand with his matches against Kazuchika Okada. Before arriving in AEW, Omega had a match with The Rainmaker for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship that lasted for well over an hour. Omega won the match to become the champion.
Now in AEW, Omega successfully defended his AEW Tag Team Championship with his partner Hangman Page against The Young Bucks at AEW Revolution.
Edge returned to WWE at Royal Rumble which was no one saw coming. After the Royal Rumble, Edge made his return after being nine years away from it.
But it was not all celebrations as Randy Orton brutally assaulted Edge on Raw a few weeks ago with a chair shot to the neck.
According to a report by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is planning to have a match between Randy Orton and Edge at WrestleMania 35, and it will have a stipulation added to it.
Adding a stipulation to such an important match will make the match stand out more from the bunch of other matches on the WrestleMania card.
A traditional match would require Edge to take a lot of bumps, so maybe it’s WWE’s way of dealing with the situation by adding a stipulation that lets Edge work a longer match without risking his body too much.
Edge’s last match at WrestleMania XXVII was against Alberto Del Rio, where he successfully defended his World Heavyweight Championship.
At WrestleMania 36, Brock Lesnar will defend his WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre. The Universal Championship will also be on the line with new champ Goldberg defending it against Roman Reigns.
Charlotte Flair will try to take on the NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, while The Fiend will go one-on-one against John Cena. Becky Lynch will defend the Raw Women’s Championship against whoever wins the women’s Elimination Chamber. It could be any one of these women: Asuka, Shayna Baszler, Ruby Riott, Natalya, Liv Morgan, or Sarah Logan.
WrestleMania 36 will emanate from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on April 5, 2020.
AEW Revolution aired live from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Chris Jericho defended the AEW Championship against Jon Moxley in the main event.
AEW Revolution Results:
Jake Hager def. Dustin Rhodes
Darby Allin def. Sammy Guevara
Omega & Hangman def. the Young Bucks to retain the titles
Nyla Rose def. Kris Statlander to retain the AEW Women’s Championship
MJF def. Cody
Pac def. Orange Cassidy
Jon Moxley def. Chris Jericho to become the new AEW Champion
Here are 7 takeaways from AEW Revolution:
Jake Hager Picked Up His First WinIn AEW
Dustin Rhodes squared off against Jake Hager to start off the show. Hager kissed his wife in the front row before the match.
Match Recap: Dustin controlled the match early and beat Jake down outside the ring. Hager battled back with a Clothesline for a two count. Hager leveled Rhodes with an elbow to the face and posed in the ring as his wife cheered him on. Dustin knocked Hager to the canvas and then Rhodes kissed Hager’s wife. Jake connected with a Vader Bomb for a two count.
Dustin bounced Hager’s head off the steel steps and then unloaded some right hands in the corner. Rhodes hit a boot to the midsection and Code Red for a near fall. Dustin went for an Arm Bar but Hager countered into an Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. Dustin broke free and Hager sent him towards referee Aubrey Edwards. Hager capitalized on the distraction and hit a low blow. Hager then put Rhodes to sleep with a Standing Arm Triangle for the victory.
Darby Allin faced Sammy Guevera tonight at Revolution.
Match Recap: Allin hit a Suicide Dive right away and then Dropkicked Sammy into the barricade. Darby hung up Sammy on the barricade and went for another Suicide Dive but his foot got caught on the ropes. Sammy grabbed the skateboard and hit Allin with it before setting up a table. Guevara then set up Darby on the table and hit an absolutely insane 630 Senton off the top rope. Allin slowly made his way into the ring and the match officially started.
Sammy hit a Running Knee to the face and went for the cover but Darby kicked out at two. Allin locked in an Arm Bar while bending Sammy’s fingers back. Guevara used his legs to reach the bottom rope to break the hold. Sammy hit a Stomp off the top rope and went for the cover but Allin kicked out at two. Sammy followed it up with a Spanish Fly for another near fall. Darby sent Sammy into an exposed turnbuckle and followed it up with a Stunner. Allin then hit the Coffin Drop for the pinfall victory. After the match, Darby tried to attack Sammy with the skateboard but Hager made the save and got him out of the ring.
Opinion: Allin and Sammy had an awesome match tonight. The Coffin Drop is easily one of my favorite finishers right now and Allin’s completely fearlessness in the ring is impressive to watch.
Kenny Omega & Hangman Page defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against The Young Bucks tonight at Revolution.
Match Recap: Hangman Page got a tremendous reaction when he tagged in and the crowd chanted “cowboy sh*t!”. Page and Matt went back and forth for a bit and then Matt offered a handshake. Hangman responded by spitting in Matt’s face and that pissed him off. Matt tacked Hangman and hit him with a flurry of punches to the face. Matt continued to unload punches to Hangman’s face until Nick broke it up. Nick tagged in and Hangman slapped him in the face. Matt tagged back in and levled Hangman with a Dropkick. Page hit Matt with a couple shots to his lower back.
Hangman tagged in Omega by slapping his chest and started barking orders at him. Page quickly tagged back in and leveled Nick Jackson with a cheap shot that knocked him off the apron. Page was about to Powerbomb Matt through a table but Hangman stopped him. Matt Jackson hit a double Northern Lights Suplex out of nowhere and finally was able to tag Nick in. Nick hit Hangman with a Facebuster and then Moonsaulted onto Omega outside the ring.
Matt tagged in and spit in Hangman’s face on the apron. Nick tripped up Hangman on the apron and Omega couldn’t tag out. Matt planted Omega with a massive Piledriver for a two count. Page tagged in and unloaded several Clotheslines. Hangman hit a Fallaway Slam on Matt and then Clotheslines him out of the ring. Page then Moonsaulted onto the Young Bucks outside the ring.
Hangman demanded that Matt tag in and the two started trash talking as the crowd was behind Page. Hangman and Omega took turns beating Matt down before Nick tagged in. Nick hit an awesome Destroyer for a near fall. Hangman sent Nick out of the ring then booted Matt in the knee. Page locked in the Chicken Wing as Nick climbed to the top rope. Nick broke it up with a 450 Splash and Matt went for the cover but Hangman kicked out at two.
Page planted Nick with a Blockbuster Suplex and Omega followed it up with a V-Trigger but Matt broke up the cover. Omega hit Nick with a couple Snap Dragon Suplexes and then the Tiger Driver 98 for a near fall. Matt then planted Hangman with three Northern Lights Suplexes on the entrance ramp. Young Bucks followed it up with a Meltzer Driver on Hangman Page on the ramp as the crowd booed. Matt and Nick leveled Omega with several Superkicks.
Young Bucks hit the Golden Trigger and went for the cover but Kenny kicked out at one. Matt stomped on Omega’s injured shoulder several times. Young Bucks set up for the Meltzer Driver but Hangman broke it up and Powerbombed Nick through the table. Hangman and Kenny hit the Buckshot Lariat/ V-Trigger combo on Matt but he somehow kicked out at two.
Hangman tagged in and planted Matt with the One Winged Angel (Omega’s finisher) but Nick broke it up at two. Page leveled Nick with a Buckshot Lariat outside the ring and then delivered another one to Matt in the ring for the pinfall victory. After the match, it seemed like Hangman was going to level Omega with the Buckshot Lariat but he opted not to.
Opinion: This match was everything I wanted it to and more. It was thirty minutes of flawless tag team wrestling and it is going to be pretty much impossible to follow this match tonight.
Nyla Rose defended her AEW Women’s Championship against Kris Statlander tonight at the PPV.
Match Recap: Statlander controlled the match early and connected with a Standing Moonsault for a two count. Kris went for a Spear through the ropes but Nyla avoided it and Statlander crashed on the entrance ramp.
Rose hit a Spear of her own and went for the cover but Statlander kicked out a two. Kris hit a Superkick and both women fell to the canvas. Statlander sent Nyla to the outside and hit her with a Suicide Dive. Statlander hit another one that sent Rose crashing into the barricade.
Back in the ring, Statlander hit a Dropkick and went for the cover but Rose kicked out at two. Rose hung up Statlander on the ropes but Kris broke free by doing a handstand. Statlander hit a boot to the face and followed it up with a DDT for a two count.
Nyla planted Statlander with the Beast Bomb and went for the cover but Kris kicked out at two. Rose climbed to the top rope but Kris caught her with a punch to the face. Statlander planted Rose with a Superplex and went for the cover but Rose kicked out at two. Statlander went for a Hurricanrana but Nyla caught her with a Beast Bomb of the second rope for the pinfall victory. Nyla Rose is still the AEW Women’s Champion.
Opinion: Rose and Statlander were put in an impossible position trying to follow the epic Tag Team Championship match. They did the best they could to get the crowd invested in this turned out to be a solid match. The lack of build and poor placement on the card made it pretty much impossible for the crowd to be invested in this match.
MJF and Cody finally squared off tonight at AEW Revolution. Downstait played Cody’s entrance theme live at the PPV.
Match Recap: MJF spent the beginning of the match avoiding Cody and hopped into the crowd. MJF slapped the hat off a fan’s head before Cody caught up to him. MJF poked Cody in the eye and then stomped on Cody’s broken toe.
Brandi threw a beer and Wardlow’s face and he chased after her. Cody hit Wardlow with a Suicide Dive that sent him flying into the barricade. Back in the ring, MJF battled back and locked in the Salf of the Earth (Arm Bar) in the middle of the ring. Cody was forced to bite the rope to break the hold.
MJF ripped off Cody’s boot to expose his broken toe. MJF then savagely bit the toe as the crowd chanted “you sick f*ck!”. Cody battled back and planted MJF with a reverse Superplex. Cody hit a Disaster Kick but Wardlow hopped up on the ring apron. Arn Anderson grabbed a steel chair from under the ring and walked towards Wardlow.
Cody bounced MJF’s face off the steel steps and busted him open. MJF planted Cody with a Piledriver and went for the cover while using the ropes for leverage. The ref caught it as Brandi went for a Crossbody on Wardlow. Wardlow caught and dropped her and Cody went for a big boot. Wardlow got out of the way and Cody accidentally hit Arn Anderson with a boot to the face.
Back in the ring, MJF hit Cody with low blow and went for the cover but Cody kicked out at two. In an insane spot, Cody went for a Suplex but MJF held on and both men fell to the floor. Back in the ring, MJF whipped Cody with his own belt before the ref ripped it away. Cody hit MJF with a low blow and slammed him to the mat for a two count.
Cody whipped MJF with the belt before the referee grabbed it. Cody shouted let me have one more and referee Paul Turner let him have do it. Cody launched the belt into the crowd as MJF cowered to the corner of the ring. MJF crawled to Cody’s foot and started crying. MJF then hugged Rhodes in the ring before spitting in his face. Cody hit MJF with two Cross Rhodes and set up for a third but MJF used the Dynamite Diamond Ring and punched Cody in the face. MJF fell onto Cody for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I don’t think this match lived up to the hype but it still was very solid and felt old school. I liked the finish and it was the right decision to have MJF get this win. MJF is going to be a huge star in AEW for years to come and a victory over Cody will only that.
Match Recap: Orange Cassidy threw Pac to the mat and put his hands in his pocket. Pac and Cassidy traded lazy kicks before Pac shoved him to the mat. The crowd chanted “fight forever” as Cassidy leveled Pac with a Dropkick. Cassidy rolled up Pac for a two count and Pac rolled out of the ring to regroup.
Pac planted Cassidy with a Tilt-A-Whirl Backbreaker and sent Cassidy to the outside. Pac launched Cassidy into the ring post and rolled him back into the ring. He climbed to the top rope and hit a massive Dropkick. Pac followed that up with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Cassidy kicked out at two.
Pac perched Cassidy up on the top turnbuckle and planted him with a Brainbuster. Pac went for the cover but pulled Cassidy up at two. Pac went back up to the top rope but Cassidy rolled out of the ring as the crowd jokingly chanted “holy sh*t!”. Pac rolled Cassidy back in the ring but Cassidy rolled to the outside to a thunderous reaction from the crowd. Cassidy then smired at Pac and hit him with a Suicide Dive and then a DDT for a two count as the crowd was going insane.
Orange Cassidy hit a Superman Punch and then a Stunner. Cassidy climbing to the top rope but Pac tripped him up with a Dropkick. Cassidy hit Pac with a DDT and followed it up with a diving DDT but Pac rolled out of the ring. Trent threw Pac into the ring and Cassidy connected with an Air Raid Crash for a two count. Lucha Bros then rushed the ring and brawled with Best Friends. Pac then locked in the Brutalizer and Cassidy tapped out.
Opinion: This match was fun as hell and the crowd added so much to it. There are plenty of people that cannot stand Orange Cassidy’s shtick but I find it hilarious.
Chris Jericho defended the AEW Championship against Jon Moxley in the main event of AEW Revolution. Santana and Ortiz accompanied Jericho to the ring as a choir sang Judas (Jericho’s theme) on the entrance ramp. Aubrey was the referee for the match.
Match Recap: Moxley went right after Jericho to start things off and sent him over the barricade and into the crowd. Jericho and Moxley battled through the crowd as Aubrey elected not to end the match in a DQ. Jericho grabbed a camera and filmed himself giving the middle finger to Moxley.
Jon responded by biting Jericho’s face where the stitches were from the headbutt on Wednesday night. Jericho slammed Moxley’s face into the ring post as Santana and Ortiz cackled in his face. Moxley was busted open and Jericho capitalized with a few punches to the face. Jericho Powerbombed Moxley onto the timekeeper’s table and posed in the ring.
Moxley got back into the ring and Jericho beat him down while shouting that Jon was a piece of sh*t. Jericho rang the bell and declared himself the winner before returning to the ring to stomp on Moxley in the corner. Jericho distracted the referee as Santana and Ortiz beat Moxley down outside the ring. Jericho then launched Moxley into the steel steps.
Back in the ring, Jericho perched Moxley up on the top rope. Jon battled back and sent Jericho to the canvas. Moxley followed that up with a Clothesline off the second rope and both men fell to the canvas. Jericho went for the Liontamer but Moxley quickly countered into a Heel Hook. Jericho grabbed the ropes to break the hold and turned around into a Running Knee to the face from Jon for a two count.
Ortiz hit Moxley with the madball and Jericho followed it up with the Lionsault for a two count. Jericho went for the Liontamer again but Moxley countered into a Liontamer of his own. Jake Hager rushed the ring and Moxley broke the hold to punch him in the face. Jericho planted Moxley with a Codebreaker and went for the cover but Jon kicked out at two.
Jericho then locked in the Liontamer in the middle of the ring but Moxley battled through the pain and reached the ropes to break the hold. Jericho shoved Aubrey Edwards in an effort to get disqualified but she let it go. Moxley hit a Back Drop and followed it up with a massive Clothesline. Jake Hager leveled Moxley with a right hand but Aubrey saw it and kicked Inner Circle out from ringside. Sammy Guevara hit Moxley with the AEW Championship while the referee wasn’t looking but Moxley survived.
Moxley and Jericho then traded shots in the middle of the ring. Jericho raked Moxley’s eyes and followed it up with a boot to the face. Jericho pulled down his knee pad and hit a Knee Drop to Moxley’s face off the second turnbuckle. Jericho went for the Judas Effect but Moxley dodged it and hit the Paradigm Shift. Jon took off the eye patch to reveal that his eye was fine. Moxley hit another massive Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory. Jon Moxley is the new AEW Champion.
After the match, Jon Moxley grabbed a microphone and said he loved this sh*t. Jon added that it has been a hell of a year and said that the wrestling fans have been driving AEW forward. Moxley added that the crowd is the energy that drives AEW forward and they are bring pro wrestling back to the people. Jon said that the title belongs to everyone in Chicago and all the AEW fans around the world. Moxley thanked the fans that have stuck with him through the all the ups and downs. Moxley’s music played and Jon told them to shut it off. Jon said that he fight anyone at any time but right now it is time to knock back some whiskey.
Opinion: Jericho and Moxley had a very good match tonight and it is great to see Jon rewarded with the AEW Championship. I enjoyed the storyline of Moxley getting one over on Jericho by pretending his eye was still injured. Omega, Page, and the Young Bucks completely stole the show but the rest of the card was great as well. Overall, AEW Revolution was a great PPV and I’m already looking forward to Dynamite this Wednesday night.
Jon Moxley is the top star of All Elite Wrestling, joining the company after working for WWE for almost a decade. As Dean Ambrose, he was also at the top of the game in WWE too and achieved a lot of success.
Moxley has been very vocal about the creative process in WWE and how much frustrated he was with the company regarding this. Especially in the final years of his WWE tenure, Moxley was done with the company’s system and wanted to get out.
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda, Jon Moxley talked about the creative freedom AEW offers its wrestlers. There’s no bookers or writers writing scripts, everyone is allowed to be themselves which means the characters feel more genuine.
“Best thing about AEW is that guys are just allowed to be themselves. You know I don’t have anybody writing scripts for me. I don’t have anybody putting words in my mouth. I don’t have to wonder what my motivations are or be confused about – ‘what are we even doing here? This doesn’t make any sense.’ It’s whatever I want it to be,” said Moxley.
Moxley says that young talent who started wrestling in AEW have no idea how good they have it in the company. He enjoys the fact that others are able to go out and do the same thing as him, be themselves and love what they’re doing. Moxley likens it to being a free wild animal, as opposed to being one put in a cage.
“It’s great for me to watch these young guys especially, that don’t even understand how good they have it. Don’t even understand the opportunity that they have, because they’ve never been put in a cage or put in a box. They’ve only been free wild animals. They don’t even know about captivity yet,” Moxley said.
Jon Moxley was the wrestler to dethrone Chris Jericho as AEW World Heavyweight Champion.
Jericho didn’t successfully retain the title over Moxley but rather Moxley ended the reign of Jericho in the headliner of the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center. Up to this point, Moxley had been portrayed as a top star and now he’s a champion.
AEW set up this contest on the January 22nd episode of Dynamite when Moxley faced off with PAC in the headliner with the winner challenging Jericho for the title at Revolution. Moxley ended up winning the match to earn the opportunity.
Moxley has been the #1 contender in the men’s rankings for quite some time now and also been feuding with Jericho over the last few months.
In fact, at first, Jericho tried to recruit Moxley to his Inner Circle group. The faction consists of Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana, Ortiz, and Jeff Cobb.
Jericho became the inaugural AEW World Heavyweight Champion when he beat Hangman Page in the headliner of the All Out pay-per-view event back in August at the Sears Centre Arena in Chicago.
What are your thoughts on Jon Moxley winning the AEW World Heavyweight Title? Was this the right call by AEW officials? Sound off in the comment section.
All Elite Wrestling has announced the next special themed episode of AEW Dynamite.
During the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL, it was revealed that the March 25th episode of Dynamite will carry a special theme, Blood & Guts, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
It was also revealed in the announcement through the way of a video package that one giant covered cage with two rings for WarGames-like match.
The theme of the show is a reference to what WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon had to say during an earnings call with media outlets when questioned about AEW last July.
At the time, McMahon stated that WWE will not “do blood and guts and things of that nature, such as what is being done on our new potential competitor.”
The first-ever Steel Cage match under the AEW banner came earlier this month when Cody Rhodes beat Wardlow as part of his stipulations set out by Chris Jericho.
Rhodes didn’t go over MJF as he got his revenge at Saturday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL. The finish saw MJF counter a third Cross Rhodes by hitting Cody in the face with a diamond ring for the win.
The promotion finally announced the match after the February 19th episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT in Atlanta, GA when Rhodes beat Wardlow in a Steel Cage match.
This comes after Rhodes completed all of the stipulations that MJF demanded. These stips included lashing Cody and Rhodes beating Wardlow.
After months of MJF acting like he was Rhodes’ friend, he turned on the fan-favorite last November.
Chris Jericho retained as AEW World Heavyweight Championship over Rhodes in the main event of the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view event.
The stipulation coming into this title match last November was the fact that if Cody didn’t beat Jericho then he would never allow himself to challenge for the AEW World Title again.
MJF threw in the towel while Jericho had Cody in the Walls of Jericho, which resulted in the finish. After the match, MJF kicked him in the nuts and stood over Cody. Since then, the two had been exchanging words to build to this moment.
Chris Jericho, who is set to defend his AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley at AEW Revolution, talked about the difference between working in WWE and AEW.
Jericho talked with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated and discussed a variety of topics, among which the subject of difference working between the two wrestling companies came up.
Jericho said that if he’d be in WWE he would still be doing “The List!” gimmick, even though it’s “archaic and outdated”. Jericho said that since he left WWE he has reinvented himself and tried out different things like the Painmaker, his work in Japan and now in AEW.
Jericho revealed that there are no bookers and writers in AEW as opposed to WWE. “There’s no bookers, no writers. I’m coming up with these ideas and bouncing them off of a couple guys. These are all our ideas,” Jericho said.
Jericho noted that he’s not the only one involved in the process. He can lay down the groundwork and a basic idea for the storyline, and the rest of it goes from there. Jericho added that this way of working is something new for him.
“Also, it’s not like I’m coming up with every single thing. But the basic skeletons, like, ‘Here’s what I’ve got for the first six weeks for Jericho-Moxley.’ Then each week we tighten it up and focus it. I’ve never been in that position before.”
While working for WWE, Chris Jericho’s process involved getting a phone call Sunday night from a writer who would tell him the plan for the next day’s Raw. Jericho said that he would do as directed if he liked the idea, but if he didn’t, then he would have to wait three hours outside Vince McMahon’s office to explain to him why it would work better in a different way. “We don’t have that. All that stress is gone. It’s fun, it’s creative freedom,” said Jericho.
Jericho said that he loved working in WWE, and anyone who signs a contract with them knows what they’re getting into. They’ll have to work in Vince’s way. Jericho didn’t want to work Vince’s way anymore and that’s why left.
Wrestle-1 made the announcement that it is going to go on an indefinite hiatus and suspend all activities after their April 1 event at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo. The Japanese wrestling promotion made the announcement at a press conference by representative director Keji Mutoh aka The Great Mutah and president Kaz Hayashi.
All contracts of Wrestle-1 talent will be terminated, the company announced. The contracts will be terminated the day before the April 1 show, making the entire roster free agents.
“We would like to report that the professional wrestling organization “WRESTLE-1” will suspend its activities indefinitely at the end of the Korakuen Hall Games in Tokyo on Wednesday, April 1, 2020.
Thank you to all the fans who supported us, the people who supported the organization and the players, and all the concerned parties. Sorry for the sudden report.
Due to the suspension of activities, all Wrestle One players will be released on March 31, 2020 (Tuesday).
Both players and staff are willing to run with all their strength until the end.
Thank you for your continued support.”
The reason behind the closure of Wrestle-1 is the fact that it was not profitable. There’s also a professional wrestling training academy by Great Muta which was established back in 2016. Popular female wrestlers like Hana Kimura and Reika Saiki were the first-year students at this academy. It has been announced that the academy will also be closed indefinitely.
Wrestle-1 has been around since 2013 and was created by The Great Muta. The early days of the promotion managed to draw in large crowds while having stars like Sanada, Shuji Kondo, and Kaz Hayashi under its belt. The company also had a partnership with Impact Wrestling. However, Sanada and other popular stars started leaving and the company spiraled down into obscurity soon enough.
