Actor, former WWE writer and wrestling podcaster Freddie Prinze Jr. discussed the hypothetical scenario of working for All Elite Wrestling on the latest episode of his Wrestling with Freddie podcast.
Prinze prefaced his thoughts by stating he doesn’t think Tony Khan is looking to hire any writers, he doesn’t think he’d have the time to commit to a full-time writing gig and he still plans on launching his own wrestling promotion. All that aside, he does have an idea of what an ideal gig working for AEW would look like.
Instead of spreading himself too thin and writing for the entire roster, Prinze says he’d prefer focusing on one or a select few performers. He envisions working with somebody the company doesn’t believe in, getting them over and rubbing it the company’s face. He cited Jeff Hardy as an example of someone he did this with during his stint as a WWE writer.
Prinze says the creative writing process is very different in WWE vs. AEW. In WWE, the writing process is more streamlined with an army of writers on staff and a lot of scripting. He recalls having to earn the respect of other writers in WWE and joked that he didn’t win everybody over by the time he left the company.
In AEW, the talent has more freedom and he’d need to respect that format. He sees working with talent to find some middle ground. Tony Khan is the booker, so he’d find out what match was planned for the next pay-per-view three months away, then get started on ‘how we get there.’ He’d then go to the talent, give them his ideas and still allow them the freedom to write their own promos and add their own flavor to his ideas.
It sounds like a structure that could yield positive results, but again, don’t get your hopes up on this happening. Prinze emphasized that he’s got a movie that begins filming early next year and is still very serious about starting his own wrestling federation.
You can listen to the latest episode of Wrestling with Freddie here:
Bobby Lashley returned to action at Tuesday night’s WWE holiday tour live event from Atlanta, GA at the State Farm Arena.
The Almighty has been off television for the past few weeks. WWE is running a storyline that saw Adam Pearce ‘fire’ Lashley. WWE moved Lashley’s Superstar profile page to the Alumni section of the company website an in effort to convince fans this was a serious situation.
Pierce later released a video message, apologized to Lashley and stated that he will instead serve a suspension instead of outright losing his job.
Bobby Lashley Returns
At Tuesday’s WWE event from Atlanta, Omos came down to the ring for the second match on the card. As seen below, fans in attendance were surprised to see Lashley announced as his opponent.
The former WWE Champion got a huge pop from the Atlanta crowd and picked up a win over the Nigerian Giant. The company has yet to formally announce the end of his suspension, but expect to see him back on Raw as early as next week.
Here’s a quick rundown of the results from Tuesday night’s show:
Becky Lynch vs. RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair ended in a No Contest when Bayley attacked them both. Lynch and Belair then joined forces to attack Bayley run her off.
Bobby Lashley defeated Omos
The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods) and Madcap Moss defeated Imperium (GUNTHER, Ludwig Kaiser, Giovanni Vinci)
Karrion Kross defeated Drew Gulak
Ricochet and Braun Strowman defeated The Usos via DQ after Sami Zayn interfered. Kevin Owens came out to confront Zayn, which led ot the match turning into a 6-man tag.
Owens, Ricochet and Strowman defeated The Usos and Zayn after Owens hit a stunner on Zayn.
Legado del Fantasma (Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro) defeated The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland)
Bray Wyatt defeated Jinder Mahal
Austin Theory retained the United States Championship against Seth Rollins in a Steel Cage match. Theory hit Rollins with a low blow to get the win.
Injuries in wrestling can happen at any time, and in the case of Erick Rowan, WWE gave him small amount of time to heal up.
Rowan was part of the Wyatt Family in WWE and later worked with Luke Harper/Brodie Lee as the Bludgeon Brothers before his release in April 2020.
Since departing WWE, Rowan, working as Erick Redbeard, has made a handful of appearances for AEW, the most recent of which coming on the August 10, 2022, episode of Rampage.
One Day
Like any wrestler, Rowan isn’t immune from being injured, and that’s exactly what happened at Summerslam 2018.
On the show, the Bludgeon Brothers defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against the New Day and Rowan suffered a torn biceps during the match.
Speaking to Wrestling News, Rowan recalled being given very little time off before being asked to next appear.
“Every time I was off TV for a period of time it was because I was having a surgery. You never saw cameras around me. No. I was by myself at the hospitals, getting the surgery, flying back home, miserable, and doing the rehab every day.”
“They gave me one day off so I could hopefully deal with the pain.”
Erick Rowan.
“At SummerSlam, I tore my bicep. They gave me one day off so I could hopefully deal with the pain, and then we did a SmackDown versus The New Day where we used ladders and all sorts of stuff. In the meantime, I don’t have a right bicep that’s attached to my arm.”
The match on SmackDown would see the New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods win the titles from the Bludgeon Brothers.
After Rowan’s pain got worse, WWE allowed him more time off and the former Superstar would not wrestle again until February 2019.
Chyna was once one of the biggest names in the World Wrestling Federation, but she and WWE had very different ideas as to how much she was worth.
Chyna (real name Joan Marie Laurer) joined the WWF in 1997 as the bodyguard for the newly-formed stable D-Generation X.
In April 2016, Laurer would die of an overdose of alcohol and pain medication. She was 46.
Guarantee
By 2001, Chyna had won the Intercontinental Championship twice (the only woman to date to win the title) and would win the Women’s Championship at WrestleMania X-Seven.
Chyna’s time with the company would come to abrupt end after the Judgment Day 2001 Pay-Per-View, where she’d retain her title against Lita.
Speaking on the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross addressed Chyna’s departure after she requested a $1 million guarantee on a new contract.
“She wanted a million dollars because she felt like she was worth more being a female, being more unique, than Stone Cold, some of the other guys. There was only a handful of guys making a million dollars per year.
“She wanted a million dollars…There was only a handful of guys making a million dollars per year.”
Jim Ross.
“I said, ‘Vince, if I can’t get a decent number, we may have to pass on it. He said, ‘Well, that’s your call.’ I couldn’t give her a million dollars a year. Could she have earned over a million dollars per year? She probably did a couple of times, if I remember correctly, but that guarantee was just too big.”
After her departure, the WWF Women’s title was vacated before being won by Trish Stratus at that November’s Survivor Series.
Hall of Fame
Chyna would never return to the WWE before her tragic passing in 2016 and was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2019.
Her induction would not be as a solo act but as part of D-Generation X, which has caused a backlash among fans who believe Chyna deserves an induction as a singles wrestler.
Last month, Mick Foley (a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee) advocated for Chyna to receive a solo induction.
WWE Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER has dominated since winning the title, but 2023 is shaping up to be one very difficult year.
After debuting on the main roster in April, GUNTHER captured the Intercontinental title in June of this year, dethroning Ricochet.
Since then, GUNTHER has retained against Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Rey Mysterio, and had an acclaimed match with Sheamus at WWE Clash at the Castle.
Sheamus
Sheamus Vs. GUNTHER earned five stars from Dave Meltzer, but their Welsh war saw the leader of Imperium keep the gold.
On Twitter, Sheamus responded to a clip of the Clash at the Castle match, claiming that he will become Intercontinental Champion in 2023.
Sheamus is a former WWE, World Heavyweight, U.S., Raw, SmackDown, and WWE Tag Champion, but needs the Intercontinental Gold to complete both the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam.
Drew McIntyre
Sheamus is fixated on dethroning GUNTHER, but Drew McIntyre also has his sights on the Austrian and his title.
During this week’s ‘Absolute Best of 2022’ edition of Monday Night Raw, McIntyre declared his interest in the gold.
“I’ve got my eyes on GUNTHER with the Intercontinental Championship. I see the chatter on social media, I see what happened with himself and Sheamus, I saw the battles. I love competition, I’m a former Intercontinental Champion and I would love to tangle with that man.”
Drew McIntyre.
McIntyre’s one and only Intercontinental title reign saw him dethrone John Morrison at WWE: TLC in December 2009 and would hold the title for 161 days before losing to Kofi Kingston.
It has been reported that GUNTHER Vs. Brock Lesnar is also in the works for WrestleMania 39.
Is FTR’s tenure as AAA World Tag Team Champions coming to an end? Those in the company sure think so.
The team of Dash Harwood and Cash Wheeler won the titles for the first time on the October 16, 2021, episode of AEW Dynamite, defeating the Lucha Bros.
For the match, FTR donned green outfits and masks and called themselves ‘Las Super Ranas’ which translates to ‘The Super Frogs.’
FTR’s 438-day reign (and counting) is the third-longest reign in the history of the AAA World Tag Team Championships.
The End is Near
FTR’s tenure as the best tag team in AAA has been impressive but it could all come crashing down soon.
AAA talent are of the opinion that the World Tag Team Titles are expected to change hands “sooner rather than later” according to Fightful Select.
The team’s last AAA title defense came on the April 6, 2022 edition of AEW Dynamite, where they retained against the Young Bucks.
Their last title defense on an AAA show was back in March at AAA Gira Aniversario XXX, where they retained against Dragon Lee and Dralistico.
Other Titles
FTR has proven to be a dominant duo as the AAA World Tag Team Championships, but that’s not the only gold they have.
Harwood and Wheeler are also the reigning IWGP World Tag Team Champions, having won the titles from United Empire at AEWxNJPW: Forbidden Door.
The Top Guys will defend these titles against Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and Yoshi-Hashi) at next week’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on January 4.
FTR recently held the Ring of Honor World Tag Team Championships which they lost to The Briscoes at Final Battle earlier this month.
As good of friends as they’ve become, they didn’t actually meet until Punk came to work for AEW. Harwood had a preconceived notion of his new co-worker and thought Punk would say something about his clothes. Punk didn’t and Harwood realized he was wrong about him.
Dax Harwood on WWE and AEW locker rooms
When asked if there’s less communication because AEW flies its talent in weekly versus traveling together for days at a time, Harwood says no. “I don’t think there’s less communication in comparison to WWE. I think there had been times where wrestlers have leaked that to the dirt sheets for whatever reason, but they’ve never experienced wrestling outside of independents; I have. In WWE, at the time that I was there — it could’ve changed now — there was no communication at all. Even up til the start time of the show, communication was very hit or miss.”
“So, I don’t think there’s a lack of communication there. As far as politics go, the political game in WWE was not bad at all. The boys got along great. I think the girls got along great as well. There was no real political maneuvering there in WWE. I think the problems were between the office and the boys. That’s where the problems were.”
“In AEW, I don’t think there’s a lot of politics there either, to be honest. The boys have a male locker room and the people who share that locker room, share a bond and share a kinship and every single day — and I think you could ask anybody — every single day, myself or myself and Cash bring a bottle of tequila and we have drinks with the guys, just to make that camaraderie even stronger. To make the kinship even stronger. So, I don’t think there’s any political games as far as that goes.”
Competition with the Young Bucks
“I think that when you’re in a position of power, obviously — even when you’re not in a position of power — you’re going to look out for your best interests because no one else is going to look out for your interests the way you are. But, when you’re in a position of power, you’re allowed to look out for your best interest and more often than not you’re allowed to get it. But again, playing politics; I don’t know if that’s what you call it.”
“(…) I feel like there’s that competition between us and the Young Bucks. I think it’s a healthy thing because that’s why our 2022 was so great because we didn’t know what we were going to get. We didn’t know what opportunities were going to come our way. We knew and had made a promise at the end of 2021, that whatever we got, we were going to kill it and we were going to have fun doing it. And so whenever you have competition, some things could be misconstrued as political agendas, but more often than not, you’re just trying to compete and be better than everyone else.”
FTR will be facing Bishamon (Hirooki Goto and YOSHI-HASHI) for the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Titles on January 4, 2023 at Wrestle Kingdom 17.
The December 27, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Julius Creed defeated JD McDonagh
Wendy Choo defeated Cora Jade
Scrypts defeated Ikemen Jiro
Lyra Valkyria defeated Lash Legend
Scisim defeated Odyssey Jones, Edris Enofe, and Malik Blade
Fallon Henley defeated Kiana James
Wes Lee defeated Tony D’Angelo.
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Julius Creed vs. JD McDonagh
Julius Creed defeated JD McDonagh. JD missed a moonsault off the top rope and Creed hit a sliding lariat. The match opened the show and was as good as expected.
Post-match, Indus Sher confronted The Creed Brothers and set up a match at New Year’s Evil. They vowed to take them out.
There was a backstage segment with Bron Breakker where he was asked about spearing Grayson Waller last week and Waller having a steel plate on.
Bron said that he fell into his trap and he’s all recovered. He said that he plans to call him out tonight. Bron was informed that he wasn’t at the show. A video with Waller was shown and he praised Bron before noting that he’s smarter than Bron. Waller said that he went home to prepare for the match. Waller vowed to bring the NXT Title back home.
Via issues may derail WWE’s plans for Tyson Fury at the Royal Rumble next month and WrestleMania 39 in April.
The US Sun reports that WWE was planning to have Fury make a Royal Rumble appearance and work a match at WrestleMania, but that Fury’s issues entering the country are in the way. Those hopes are looking “slim and complicated.”
The boxing superstar cannot enter the US because of links to alleged Irish mob boss Daniel Kinahan, who co-founded MTK Global, which represented Fury. It was shut down in April when Kinahan was hit with sanctions regarding his alleged crimes.
Fury is among over 600 people with connections to Kinahan who are believed to be banned from entering the country.
Originally, Fury was set to face Jake Paul in a fight in New York City, but that had to be pushed back because Fury could not get into the country for the match, having appeared in a picture with Kinahan in February. Fury has said he has nothing to do with Kinahan.
“Because I had my picture taken with a man, it doesn’t make me a criminal. I’m just a boxer. There could be a criminal in this building.”
Fury-WWE Connection
An insider told the outlet, “Tyson is well loved at the WWE, and him popping up in any match, and a run to Wrestlemania would generate huge headlines and fan interest. However, his immigration status is proving tricky to deal with. Tyson and the legal team or getting this whole grey and tricky area resolved. But non-entry, quite simply put, means non-payment.”
The source continued, “And people may not believe this but turning up for a match or being part of the shows, not even fighting, earns him several million dollars. So this issue with his working visa in the States is costing him a large amount of cash. The WWE works with foreign athletes all the time in aiding their visa processing for appearances. The legal team are on the sidelines offering support in this matter, but ultimately getting approval is on Tyson’s head and how US immigration assesses his case.”
This source noted that Fury working matches in Saudi Arabia is always possible. Fury faced Braun Strowman at WWE Crown Jewel in 2019, which marked his pro wrestling in-ring debut and his only match to date in addition to appearing at Clash of the Castle in September.
WWE is putting in extra effort to try and avoid more travel woes for talent and crew that could impact Friday’s SmackDown on FOX episode, which is one of the biggest shows in recent SmackDown history.
As previously reported, those working Monday’s house show in Columbus, OH, dealt with significant travel-related issues that caused changes to the lineup. Talent working the SmackDown event at MSG that same night dealt with their flights being delayed.
Some people working the house show in Columbus couldn’t even appear, including Alexa Bliss, Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, and Becky Lynch.
The Warning
On today’s Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez noted that some WWE talents and crew members were told to leave Tuesday to make it to Tampa, FL, for Friday’s SmackDown because of travel issues.
It’s believed that there should be limited issues as many of the wrestlers are already in Florida as they live there. WWE’s post-Christmas tour runs through Thursday in Miami. Top wrestlers booked for the final SmackDown of 2022 will likely go to Tampa in advance.
The show will have a stacked lineup that includes Raquel Rodriguez vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, Sheamus vs. Solo Sikoa, Kevin Owen & John Cena vs. Sami Zayn & Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.
More details regarding the contract negotiation process of WWE deals have come out as part of the overall changes that have happened in WWE following the resignation of Vince McMahon and the influx of new management.
It was reported last year that no-cut clauses had not been a part of any of the negotiations. In an update, Fightful Select reports Vince “specifically was not in favor of adding a no cut-clause, but that others in the front office were.”
Against The Idea
Many in the front office of WWE have heard that WWE President and Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan had sounded open to the idea, but Vince had the final say and was “vehemently against the idea of a no-cut clause.”
The edict didn’t prevent top free agents from signing with the company, but some people had inquired about it. One person thought it was Vince McMahon being stuck in his ways. This person added that it put in perspective how much talent had been released said “Vince McMahon liked me but…” when he ultimately had the say-so over who was cut.
Most of the talent that spoke with the media outlet had positive things to say about Khan and his method of management, “specifically thinking outside of the box as compared to WWE traditions.”
WWE star Charlotte Flair has responded to AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill showing respect to her on Twitter.
Cargill and Flair are two of the most dominant female wrestlers in their respective companies and in the entire wrestling business. Flair has been pushed as a top star in the sports entertainment company for years, while Jade has stayed undefeated in the rival wrestling promotion.
The Exchange
The AEW star recently noted on Twitter that she’d love the opportunity to face off against The Queen. This was after she was asked by a fan about which non-AEW wrestler she’d choose to defend her TBS Championship against.
Cargill tweeted: “@MsCharlotteWWE – because she can GO.”
Flair replied with her own praise, tweeting: “Keep killing it, queen. #undefeated.”
Flair hasn’t wrestled since WrestleMania Backlash in May, when she lost her SmackDown Women’s Championship to Ronda Rousey. She recently teased her return on social media by revealing that she has been training for her eventual comeback.
Her husband and AEW star Andrade El Idolo previously revealed that she has been out of action due to ‘personal reasons‘ that she will one day discuss herself. WWE has reportedly been working on plans for her return.
WWE has filed for several trademarks centered around slogans as the filing was made on Friday, December 23, 2022
WWE applied to trademark the terms “All Heart All In,” “Inspire The Impossible,” From Dreams To Destiny,” “Desire. Determination. Destiny.” and “Where The Stars Align” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
Purpose
The trademarks all list the same Goods and Services usage descriptions, which are for general pro wrestling and sports entertainment use, as well as merchandise and other common uses.
Earlier in the month of December, WWE filed trademarks on its logo for metaverse-related purposes earlier this month. WWE has spoken in the past about its interest in breaking into the metaverse, which is why it opened an NFT shop, WWE Moonsault. There are occasional NFT drops to go along with holidays or premium live events.
Regarding e-sports, a field largely untapped by WWE for now, Stephanie McMahon is on the Board of Directors for FaZe Clan, a popular e-sports franchise.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on what the new trademarks are for. Most recently, WWE filed to trademark its logo for various categories.
Dave Bautista (Batista) has come a long way in life as he found a ton of success in the world of pro wrestling in WWE and now in Hollywood as an actor. Many wrestlers have tried acting like Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, and plenty more in featured films over the years.
Bautista, The Rock, and John Cena have found the most success out of those who attempted it. Bautista has often spoken about wanting to carve a different path for himself by taking various roles to show his range.
While speaking to The Atlantic, filmmaker Rian Johnson discussed Bautista’s acting chop after working with him on “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” when asked who has surprised him the most.
High Praise
“Dave Bautista. When I was writing [his character, a men’s-rights streamer named Duke Cody], I was picturing a scrawny dude who’s trying to overcompensate. When Bautista was brought up, I was instantly so smitten by the idea. I’ve been a very big fan of his dramatic chops as an actor.”
It was noted that Batista is “Low-key the greatest wrestler-to-actor ever,” Johnson replied, “I absolutely 100 percent agree. And I think somebody like [Paul Thomas Anderson] is going to give him a real part and is gonna look like a genius. As a person, Bautista is genuinely, immediately vulnerable when you meet him, and that’s what I was excited about. This is someone who has the physical trappings of someone who would play it big, but he actually brings sensitivity to the role.”
Batista gifted Johnson with a WWE Championship after filming the movie that is currently on Netflix.
Don’t expect to see Shawn Spears back in All Elite Wrestling any time soon.
The former Pinnacle member has only competed for AEW eight times this year. His record stands at 5-3. Spears made a surprise return back in October, when Dynamite and Rampage took place from his hometown of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He and FTR picked up a victory in a six-man tag match against The Embassy’s Bishop Kaun, Brian Cage & Toa Liona.
A fan on Twitter asked Spears when he’ll be returning to AEW television. He replied:
“Don’t hold your breath… Not going there anytime soon.”
– Shawn Spears
Spears is married to former WWE Superstar Cassie Lee (Peyton Royce). The couple are expecting their first child together.
Dax Harwood of FTR is starting a new podcast with co-host Matt Koon for Ad-Free Shows. And while many in AEW remain tight-lipped about the ‘CM Punk Situation’ in AEW, Harwood is dedicating an entire podcast episode to it!
For those unaware, CM Punk has been MIA since his world title win against Jon Moxley at AEW All Out, in September of 2022. This is due to comments he made at the post-show media scrum, in which he called members of The Elite ‘Children’ who ‘couldn’t manage a Target.’ Punk also called ‘Hangman’ Adam Page ‘an empty-headed f*cking dumb f*ck.’
Punk also had words for Colt Cabana and others. The situation was a bleak one, made even worse by an alleged ‘backstage melee’ that occurred between Punk, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Ace Steele, Ace Steele’s wife, and Larry the Dog. It’s alleged that punches were thrown, chairs were also, um, thrown, and arms were bitten. It was a very volatile situation that resulted in the suspension of The Elite and the banishing of Punk.
There are still so many questions that have yet to be answered regarding that night in Chicago. It looks like it may still be sometime before fans get answers, but Harwood is certainly open to giving his own opinion about the situation.
Punk’s Love for AEW
Harwood spoke in-depth about how much Punk loved being in AEW.
“Punk was still so joyous and happy to be in the wrestling business,” Harwood stated. “To be honest, he told me, when they were going to put the belt on him, that he didn’t want the belt. He said, ‘I just want to have fun,’ but he understood that Tony putting the belt on him would put AEW in a better light. He took it, begrudgingly a little bit, but he took the belt.
At the time, he was taking me, Cash, Max [MJF], Wardlow, Hobbs, I’m missing so many guys, he was taking us out to eat, always paying for it. He bought all the girls in the locker room Starbucks gift cards and had one of the girls hand them out, anonymously, and didn’t say who they were from, but it was from him, just because he loved the atmosphere and loved being there. He also loved the work the girls were putting in. He thought they were busting their ass to try and get the attention that WWE’s women’s division was getting.”
CM Punk vs ‘Hangman’ Adam Page
(via AEW)
That love for wrestling was obvious in many of the interviews and promo segments that Punk offered, but it seemed as though things took a turn during Punk’s program with Hangman Adam Page. Punk alleges that Hangman went “off script” during a promo segment between the two, and that’s when things began going downhill.
“After the promo segment, I went to Punk and I said, ‘that was really good, that was a great segment,” Harwood shared. “They got the fans to react. It’s hard sometimes to get the fans to react to a babyface-babyface match. I thought it was a great segment. He was like, ‘Ahhh, I’m kind of feeling a certain way about it.’ I had no inkling that anything went wrong or went sideways or anything like that.”
But sideways it did go; the result of which being Punk no longer in AEW for the time being. Harwood said that he had no idea about the fight that happened backstage until Punk actually called him to explain the situation.
“All the boys in the locker room were drinking and having a good time, and we were hugging, I have picture of me and Jay Lethal on the ground together just laughing our ass off,” Harwood remembered. “I had my wife and daughter there, Cash had his girlfriend. It was such a great time. After our match was over, I shower up, we had a couple of drinks with the guys real quick, grab my girls, and head back to the hotel. I was laying in bed and I got a text from one of the wrestlers that said, ‘is this shit true?’ I had no idea what he was talking about.
Right after that, I got a call from my buddy CM Punk and he told me what happened. I said, ‘You’re lying to me dude. There is no way that happened.’ He was covered in blood from the match. He Face-Timed me, it was that night. He said, ‘I want to let you know, you’re going to hear some things. I want you to hear it from me. This is what happened.’ I said, ‘Dude, are you okay? Do you need anything? I’ll come right now to help you out, get you cleaned.’ ‘No, no, everything is fine, it’s died down, we’re good.’ That’s when I first heard about it.”
“Nobody Knows the Full Story”
Harwood referenced the fact that all sorts of wrestling news sites picked up the story; it was one of the biggest from 2022. But, he said, nobody has the full story. Nobody even knows the full story.
“Obviously, I wasn’t there,” he admitted. “Who I perceive to be God is the only person who really knows the truth. Everyone is going to have their own version in their head. We’ve all done it before, we’ve made what we perceive to be the truth. What I’ve heard that is reported, there are elements of truth in it, but then there are also some things that raise a red flag to me. It seems like we’re only getting a portion of the story or what this journalist wants to put out, whether he has a bias or grudge against one of the parties, that’s just how I felt. I also knew that I didn’t know the whole story.
I also felt that the stories that I heard from a few people, I don’t feel like they would blatantly lie to me. I do think there are bits of truth, but I also believe that some fans have read too much into it and I think they should let what happened, happen, and it die down. When it’s all said and done, I can’t tell you that I know 100% of the truth and I can’t tell you that the journalist reporting is 100% of the truth. I know what I perceive to be the truth and from the things I’ve read and heard, there is partial truth and partial things that are a bit exaggerated.”
Dax Wants Punk Back in AEW
People may never know the full story of what happened that night in Chicago. But, Harwood is of the belief that there are still bridges to be mended, and money to be made. He wants to see CM Punk back in AEW.
“I can tell you what I hope, because I don’t know,” he said. “Everyone knows about the legalities of the situation and no one is really expressing what is going to happen, what has happened, and what won’t happen. I can tell you, all I can be truthful about, I can only tell you what I know and what I perceive to know, I hope that he comes back. I feel that AEW should have the Young Bucks in their locker room. AEW should have Kenny Omega in the locker room. I know that I feel AEW should have CM Punk in the locker room. With those four entities, it makes our talent roster so much deeper and better. It’s four guys who want to be the best. Regardless of what any of us think personally, I know that we all want to be the best and I know we all want the best for professional wrestling. It’s given us a life that we could never have otherwise.”
The stories that could be told if Punk were to return to AEW could light the business on fire, once again. They could blur the lines between reality and fiction. They could fill those elements of AEW that some people feel the company is missing. It would be a story worth telling. It would be the biggest story of 2023 (probably). It would be a happy ending to this otherwise sad, weird story. That’s what Harwood wants. And it’s what many AEW fans want as well.
This is my plea to all four guys. Please find a way to make it work. If we can make it work, we can set up the future of professional wrestling for a long time and we can change the course of professional wrestling for a very long time. When you think about it, unselfishly, we’re doing this for 20-30 years down the road so guys and girls can make a living.
– Dax Harwood
You can check out Harwood’s new podcast, ‘FTR with Dax‘ when it premieres on Thursday, December 29.
Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier have been friends and training partners for years. They also have a love for pro wrestling as they have both attended and even participated in WWE events in the past.
Velasquez had an opportunity to become WWE Champion against Brock Lesnar in 2019 for an event in Saudi Arabia, but came up short. Velasquez has also wrestled for AAA Lucha Libre in Mexico, while Cormier hasn’t wrestled a match yet, but has entertained the idea.
During a recent appearance on Konnan’s K100 podcast, Velasquez revealed that he and Cormier have discussed doing a match together for AAA. Velazquez did not specify whether it was about competing in a one-on-one match or a tag-team scenario.
The Moment
“Daniel Cormier was actually at my house yesterday, him and Luke Rockhold came over. DC, we talked about doing a match as well — like doing something with me, him, AAA,” said Velasquez. “For me, man, it’s just good that I get to have like my family involved in it. You know, my kids get to watch it and they love it. They’re big fans of AAA and WWE. I’m just glad I get to bring my family into the sport that I’m doing now. With fighting, it wasn’t like that. I had to like kind of shelter them throughout that whole thing.”
Cormier, a former UFC Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion, was recently the referee during the Fight Pit Match between Seth Rollins and Matt Riddle at WWE Extreme Rules. Konnan, the head of talent relations for AAA, said he would be excited to work with Cormier and Velasquez in AAA.
Shinsuke Nakamura made a name for himself in NJPW and was nicknamed the King Of Strong Style, but decided to make the jump to WWE several years ago, where he found a spot on the main roster.
This Sunday, a rare situation is happening when WWE allows Nakamura to wrestle The Great Muta (Keiji Muto) at the NOAH The New Year show on January 1st, 2023. The match was first announced in October.
While speaking to Yahoo Sports, Nakamura discussed the upcoming match, and during it, Nakamura revealed that Vince McMahon initially declined his request to face Muta. However, when McMahon resigned due to the hush money scandal, Triple H took over and approved the match.
Initial Reaction
“I was like, “No way. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think it would happen. It was something that would never have happened under the previous structure of the WWE. Noah came to me with the idea, and we discussed it, but my answer was no. Vince (McMahon, Chairman and CEO of WWE) stepped down in the summer, and I was advised by people within the company that it might be possible now. I still thought it would be difficult, but I even talked directly to Triple H (WWE’s vice president). When the decision was actually made, I was shaken.”
Nakamura noted that a big change happened between when Mutoh announced his retirement and when the match was decided, as a lot of changes happened when McMahon walked away. Nakamura admitted there was a feeling that many things would change in the future.
“They had me in protective custody. It was very low-key. Only a few people that I was able to kind of hang out with and I guess the good thing about it is you got a lot of alone time with yourself and the bad thing about it was you got a lot of alone time with yourself.”
Cain Velasquez
Speaking about his release, Velasquez said he was pleased but also found it daunting to be a free man again.
“My mind ran like both sides of it [being positive about getting out versus thinking he’d be serving time straight through]. The bad side and the good side. It’s a thing, we always have to have faith, you know? It doesn’t matter what position we’re in, where we’re at. We always gotta look for the best-case scenario.”
Working for AAA
Velasquez was given a hero’s response when he competed at the AAA event by an audience seemingly sympathetic to his case.
Speaking about the show, Cain addressed the pressure he placed himself in ahead of the event.
“I felt like I was probably in the worst-case scenario for myself that I’ve ever been in and I feel like I always do this, I put a lot of pressure on myself and I just wanna be ready when I go out there and you know, compete and when I did, went out there and did it dude, it was [incredible.]”
Cain Velasquez.
Velasquez teamed with Blue Demon. Jr and Pagano to defeat Gringo Loco, Sam Adonis, and Taurus at the AAA Tempe show on December 3.
WWE’s recent live event from Columbus, Ohio is being considered a logistical mess by those within the company.
Yesterday, WWE hosted an event from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, which was headlined by U.S. Champion Austin Theory retaining against Damian Priest and Johnny Gargano in a steel cage match.
In addition to the Columbus event, the promotion returned to the World’s Most Famous Arena, as it had every December 26, for the past few years.
Logistical Mess
The crowd in Columbus got to see a stacked show, but what fans saw was far from what was originally planned.
Several WWE Superstars were forced to miss the show, which was a logistical mess, according to Fightful Select.
Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins both missed the event, with Rollins apologizing for his absence in a tweet.
It has been reported that loud “we want Rollins” chants were heard all night.
Bobby Lashley and Columbus’ own Alexa Bliss also missed the event, and it’s noted that “several more had to rush to even make it to the show.”
Due to the absences, Johnny Gargano competed twice on the show, defeating Baron Corbin in the third match of the night before later headlining the show.
Madison Square Garden
WWE’s event in Columbus, Ohio didn’t go as planned, but the show inside MSG had its own problems.
The New York City event was also plagued with travel issues, with PW Insider reporting that flight issues led to “travel headaches” and several Superstars being delayed.
That event also saw Ricochet be pulled from an Intercontinental title ladder match due to the injury during the latest SmackDown which required stitches.
Drew McIntyre had been promoted for the main event but was pulled as he is “medically disqualified.”
2022 has been a wild year in wrestling, not just because staples of the industry like Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis have become a thing of the past.
This year has also seen an influx of young talent reach the forefront of wrestling and poise themselves as the top names of the future.
While some of these stars were wrestling before this year, 2022 has been a pivotal year for everyone involved, and here are our top five breakout wrestlers of this year.
5: Wheeler Yuta
Wheeler Yuta is in his record-breaking second reign as ROH Pure Champion. (via AEW)
The induction of Wheeler Yuta into the Blackpool Combat Club was a fantastic creative decision earlier this year, and a lesson on how to make a new name with established stars.
This time last year, sure, some wrestling fans would be aware of Yuta, but it his inclusion with the BCC that has turned him into one of the most exciting prospects in all of wrestling.
Now in his second reign as Ring of Honor Pure Champion, Yuta has also represented AEW in NJPW’s 29th Best of the Super Juniors tournament, and the future looks extremely bright for the young star.
4: Bron Breakker
Reports of WWE wanting to fast-track Breakker to the main roster come as no surprise.
Our reigning NXT Champion, it’s incredible to think that Bron Breakker has only been with WWE for slightly over a year.
In such a small amount of time, Breakker has become one of the biggest stars the gold brand has ever produced, thanks in part to his family connections as a Steiner.
But Bron isn’t just a tribute act to his father and brother, and has shown endless ability and charisma, so it’s hardly surprising that we see reports of WWE wanting to fast-track him to the main roster.
3: Hook
Originally a meme among wrestling fans, Hook has become one of the most promising future stars in AEW (Scott Lesh Photography)
What started off as a meme among fans, Hook has become one of the most popular names in AEW, all without having to do much.
The 23-year-old FTW Champion, Hook’s presence screams ‘star’ and his ability in the ring (complete with suplexes inspired by his father Taz) have only added to his starpower.
In short, Hook has all the tools to be a top name in wrestling, and when you consider his young age, the second-generation wrestler has oodles of time to make that goal happen.
2: Roxanne Perez
Roxanne Perez started this year as ROH Women’s World Champion and will likely end as WWE NXT Women’s Champion.
Roxanne Perez started this year as the first-ever ROH Women’s World Champion, and short of a monumental upset, will end it as the WWE NXT Women’s Champion.
Throw in a reign as NXT Women’s Tag Champion, Perez is proving herself each week, not just as a star of today, but as a top babyface for years down the line.
The 21-year-old former Rok-C is a babyface that fans naturally want to cheer (something that is a slight rarity in these modern times) and expect many more accolades, titles and moments in her future.
1: Logan Paul
Logan Paul has won over even his harshest of critics with his three WWE matches this year.
Logan Paul was once society’s public enemy number one, but it’s safe to say that he has found something of a home in WWE.
After a mixed response to his WWE debut last year, Paul stepped into the ring as a wrestler for the first time at WrestleMania 38, and exceeded expectations.
Paul’s impressive WrestleMania outing has been followed up with more impressive performances at Summerslam and Crown Jewel, and the Maverick has won over even his harshest of critics.
Rumors of Paul’s imminent return aren’t being met with disgust or outrage, but rather excitement and intrigue, as the YouTuber has proven he belongs in professional wrestling.
AEW’s next Battle of the Belts is reportedly a matter of days away according to a recent TV listing.
As the name suggests, Battle of the Belts sees AEW’s various titles defended, which can include championships from Ring of Honor.
The most recent Battle of the Belts event took place inside Washington D.C.’s Entertainment and Sports Arena in October and featured three title matches (though no titles changed hands.)
Battle of the Belts V
In a recent schedule for TNT programming, it is noted that Battle of the Belts V will air on Friday, January 6, 2023.
The show will air immediately after AEW Rampage, which will be in its regular 10 PM to 11 PM Eastern timeslot, with Battle of the Belts going from 11 PM to midnight.
Both shows are set to air live, though no matches have been confirmed for either event.
This is the same format that was used for Battle of the Belts IV in October.
Battle of the Belts
Battle of the Belts is a quarterly special that made its debut in January of this year, and takes place every January, April, August, and October.
The show may tease title changes, but so far, only Sammy Guevara has walked away from the shows with some new championship gold.
At the first Battle of the Belts in January of this year, Guevara defeated Dustin Rhodes to win the Interim AEW TNT Championship, as reigning champ Cody Rhodes was out with Covid-19.
At Battle of the Belts two in April, Guevara once again became TNT Champion, dethroning Scorpio Sky in the show’s opener.
WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash has some suggestions for changes the promotion’s new regime could make.
In July, Vince McMahon retired as WWE’s CEO, Chairman, and Head of Creative, due to allegations of misconduct with female employees.
With McMahon gone, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan serve as Co-CEOs, with Stephanie as Chairwoman, while Triple H is Head of Creative.
Changes
Under the new regime, several released Superstars have been brought back including Bray Wyatt, Karrion Kross, and Dakota Kai among others.
During the latest Kliq This, Nash gave his suggestions for improvements WWE can make now with Vince McMahon, not a factor.
“I would have fewer house shows. They’ve already shown for a fact, during COVID that it was more profitable for them not to do live events.”
Kevin Nash.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE went for over a year without Live events due to rules regarding social gatherings.
Production
Fewer WWE Live events isn’t the only suggestion that Nash, a two-time Hall of Famer, has made.
On his show, the former World Champion said that the production quality of WWE’s content could be seriously improved if changes are made.
“Come in on Sunday, and have a call sheet and shoot, you know, have the crew come in Saturday, and get all the locations in the building for all the shots, have a call sheet, come in and shoot two and three camera shots that that production crew could definitely edit and install on Monday. Instead of everything being shot with a single camera and giving it a completely different look. Then, as I’ve always wanted to do, shoot the show like The Larry Sanders Show. When it’s in the ring, it has that hard camera.
“That’s what I would do, then that way they’re the camera doesn’t go back and forth, which tells you it’s a camera. It’s the POV that goes back and forth, and tells you, ‘I’m watching a televised show.’ This is part — It’s the only thing you watch that’s trying to convey any kind of a story that is shot with a single camera.”
Any changes to WWE’s production would have to be approved by Stephanie, Triple H, and Khan before being implemented.
The final WWE Raw of 2022 was dedicated to looking back at some of the show’s biggest happenings over the past 12 months. One of the biggest moments of the year was Cody Rhodes jumping ship from the company he helped create to the company that didn’t see him as a star.
Appearing on RAW in a pre-taped segment, Rhodes said he wants to “pick up right where I left off.”
“I am being incredibly vague here and I get it. Anyone who is a fan of what we do can read between the lines. There is one thing that I came back for specifically. One thing. And again, a torn pec couldn’t stop me. I couldn’t name anything that can stop me. It has to be done. It needs to be done. And I want to get it done.”
Rhodes is of course talking about winning the WWE Championship. When he returned to the company, he made it clear that he wanted to win the championship that his father, Dusty, could never win.
Earlier on Monday, Wrestling News Co. said that the current plan for WrestleMania 39 main event is for Seth Rollins to face either Rhodes or Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship. Night Two would be Roman Reigns versus an undetermined opponent for the Universal Championship. If The Rock cannot wrestle at WrestleMania, then Rhodes would face Reigns.
It seems like Rhodes will get a title shot at WrestleMania one way or another. It’s unclear which night and which title. It’s possible that Rhodes will have to wait a while longer to become WWE Champion, but could become the Universal champion in the meantime. Assuming he returns during the Royal Rumble and wins, he can “choose” which title he wants to compete for at “The Show of Shows”.
Bray Wyatt made his triumphant return to WWE at Extreme Rules in October. This followed weeks of teases of the White Rabbit. He has since spent time taunting LA Knight and cutting promos that are more like riddles.
Last week, the crowd and LA Knight got to meet Uncle Howdy. While Wyatt was in the ring, Uncle Howdy stood at the top of the ramp to prove that they are in fact two people and not a figment of Wyatt’s imagination.
Weeks after making his WWE return, Wyatt has had his first match. WWE held a house show at the famed Madison Square Garden tonight.
Bray Wyatt’s First Match Back
Wyatt has not wrestled a match for WWE since The Fiend lost to Randy Orton at WrestleMania 37 in April 2021.
Twitter user Taboy225 posted a seven second clip of Wyatt in the ring and captioned it “Bray is having a match!” His opponent was Jinder Mahal.
