Tony Khan broke the news that there will actually be two Owen Hart Cup tournaments One men’s singles tournament and one women’s singles tournament.
Dr. Martha Hart, widow of the late Owen Hart, will be on hand to present trophies to the winners.
The finals of the men’s and women’s Owen Hart Cup tournaments will take place in May at the annual Double or Nothing pay-per-view from Las Vegas.
Additional details will be given next week on the Holiday Bash edition of AEW Dynamite. A video package will air on that show featuring Owen Hart from his days in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Khan thanked Rocky Romero for being instrumental in securing that footage.
You can listen to Tony Khan’s comments from Friday’s Busted Open here:
Tony Khan previously had this to say about AEW’s relationship with the Hart Family:
“AEW’s relationship with the Hart family dates back to our inaugural pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing in 2019, and Owen’s influence is still felt today,” said Khan. To extend his memory and his legacy even further through this agreement is a powerful and meaningful moment for the entire wrestling community.”
Martha Hart issued this statement on behalf of the Owen Hart Foundation regarding the Owen Hart Cup Tournament(s) and its decision to partner with All Elite Wrestling:
“The Owen Hart Foundation is extremely pleased to partner with AEW in this wonderful joint venture to honor Owen’s substantial international wrestling career and the lasting influence he and his craft has had in the sport.
AEW’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament serves as a tremendous tribute to Owen and provides an incredible way for professional wrestling enthusiasts to celebrate his work in a most fitting way.
We trust that Tony Khan and his amazing AEW team will do a brilliant job with this highly anticipated project. This OHF/AEW partnership is my special gift to all of Owen’s magnificent loyal fans who forever remember him and his inspiring repertoire of talents.”
Impact Wrestling on 12/16 continued the build to the Hard to Kill PPV on January 8th. It featured a major angle between Moose and Matt Cardona.
Impact quick results 12/16:
Josh Alexander defeated Rohit Raju w/Raj Singh
Joe Doening & Doc Gallows w/ Karl Anderson & VBD defeated Rich Swann & Willie Mack w/ Heath & Rhino
Trey Miguel defeated John Skyler
Chris Bey defeated Laredo Kid
Tenille Dashwood defeated Jessie McKay
Josh Alexander Defeats Rohit Raju
Alexander had to contend with interference from Raj Singh on the outside but came back to win this match with a C-4 Spike. Commentary played up that we are seeing a more aggressive side to Alexander recently. They also noted Alexander is still dealing with injured ribs from JONAH’s attack at Turning Point.
The Good Brothers and Violent By Design were interviewed in the back and spoke about having come to a business agreement to work together, as we saw them do last week. This led to Doc Gallows teaming with Joe Doering to take on Rich Swann and Willie Mack this week. The finish of the match came shortly after Doering tossed Swann off the top turnbuckle and then him and Gallows gave Mack a double choke-slam and got the pin.
After the match, VBD and the Good Brothers continued the assault on Mack, Swann, as well as Heath and Rhino who were in Mack and Swann’s corner. This led to Eddie Edwards coming out with a kendo stick to make the save.
X-Division Champion Trey Miguel defeated John Skyler with a meteora this week. As he was heading to the back after the match, however, he was attacked by Steve Maclin. Maclin then dragged him backstage to end the segment.
After the break, we cut to a video of Miguel tied up backstage while being taunted by Maclin.
Laredo Kid had to contend with HIKULEO on the outside and it cost him this match here. After a crazy back and forth match, Laredo Kid looked like he had the match won. Bey was prone on the mat and Laredo went to the top. HIKULEO got up on the ring apron, however, and Laredo eventually took him out with a diving attack to the floor. The distraction allowed Bey to recover. Bey then countered a diving attack from his opponent into a cutter and got the 3-count.
Deonna Purrazzo vs Mickie James At Hard To Kill Made a Texas Death Match
Footage of Deonna Purrazzo and Knockouts Champion Mickie James getting into a confrontation at an autograph signing aired. We then cut to a clip of Purrazzo and James being told their match at Hard to Kill will now be a Texas Death Match by Gail Kim.
The short-lived alliance between the Iinspiration and the Influence continues to implode. This week Jessie McKay took on Tenille Dashwood in singles competition. McKay looked like she had the match wrapped up after delivering a big boot but Kaleb pulled the referee out of the ring. This led to Madison Rayne attacking Cassie Lee and McKay coming out of the ring to deal with her. As McKay got back in the ring, Kaleb grabbed her foot, which allowed Tenille to hit the spotlight kick for the win.
Chelsea Green Knocked Out By Chair Shot During Hard To Kill Contract Signing
The main event of the show featured a contract signing for the Impact World Championship match at Hard to Kill. Consistent with how such segments usually go, this one eventually broke down into a brawl. Morrissey signed the contract and promptly left. Moose then called Chelsea Green some names and Cardona attacked. Moose put Cardona through the table and then taunted him with his title belt.
It looked like Moose was going to leave but he turned around and came back. He wrapped Cardona’s neck in a chair and looked like he was going to hit him with another chair but Chelsea Green stopped him. Cardona then went to go hit Moose with a chair but missed and hit Green. Cardona checked on Green as Moose laughed and made his way to the back to end the show.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
ICYMI: The IPWF returns as @PabstBlueRibbon presents Throwback Throwdown II this Saturday December 18 from the Davis Arena in Louisville, KY, LIVE on @IMPACTPlusApp!
Impact World Championship Moose (c) vs Matt Cardona vs W. Morrissey
Knockouts Championship Texas Death Match Mickie James (c) vs Deonna Purrazzo
Ultimate X Match For The #1 Contendership to the Knockouts Championship Lady Frost vs Rachael Ellering vs Tasha Steelz vs Jordynne Grace vs Chelsea Green vs Rosemary
Women’s wrestling has certainly raised the bar in the year of 2021.
It’s also had its share of highs and lows this year, so let’s take a look back at some of this year’s highlights from the world of women’s wrestling.
On the latest edition of Women’s Wrestling Focus, Ella Jay runs down the the year in Women’s Wrestling, including WWE, AEW, Impact, ROH, NWA and independents.
WWE
WWE began the year with their 2021 Royal Rumble, where Bianca Belair stood tall, eliminating Rhea Ripley to claim the victory. Belair would embark on a three month journey, before meeting Sasha Banks in the night one main event of WrestleMania. Competing in arguably match of the year, Banks and Belair delivered an emotional and high action bout. Belair prevailed to become the new Smackdown Women’s Champion.
In the absence of Sasha Banks following WrestleMania, Bianca Belair would pursue feuds with Bayley and Carmella. She would achieve a series of successful title defenses before Banks’ eventual return ahead of SummerSlam. The two were set to collide at the summer’s biggest event, but Banks was left unable to compete. So Belair was met with a new opponent, in the form of a returning Becky Lynch. “The Man” would stun the audience in a twenty six second victory over Belair, winning the Smackdown Women’s Championship.
In the weeks following, Lynch and Belair would trade blows and intense words, before the return of Sasha Banks. The WWE Draft would seperate this trio of superstars, but before the selections were officially put into place, they would meet at WWE Crown Jewel. All three competitors would display strong resilience, but Becky Lynch emerged victorious, and retained her Smackdown Women’s Championship.
Sasha Banks would stay on Smackdown, while Belair and Lynch would travel to the red brand on RAW. Becky Lynch would be forced to trade women’s championships with the reigning RAW Women’s Champion, Charlotte Flair. Therefore, Lynch became the RAW Women’s Champion, while Flair would become Smackdown Women’s Champion, as Flair was now assigned to Smackdown following the draft.
Let’s back up a bit here though.
Following her impressive performance in the Royal Rumble, Rhea Ripley disappeared from WWE programming. Resurfacing on Monday Night RAW, she challenged RAW Women’s Champion, Asuka, to a title match at night two of WrestleMania. Ripley would emerge victorious, defeating Asuka to become the new RAW Women’s Champion before entering a feud with Charlotte Flair.
Flair and Ripley would go back and forth for months, before meeting at Money In The Bank in July. Flair would outlast her competition, forcing Ripley to tap out, becoming the new RAW Women’s Champion. The same night, Nikki A.S.H. outlasted seven other competitors to win the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, earning herself a future title opportunity.
A.S.H. wasted little time, cashing in on a stunned Flair the next evening on RAW to become RAW Women’s Champion for the first time in her career. A.S.H. found herself in the middle of three way feud with herself, Flair and Ripley, as each competitor collided the next month in a triple threat match at SummerSlam. Charlotte Flair would regain the RAW Women’s Championship, ending A.S.H’s reign. The next month, she defeated Alexa Bliss at Extreme Rules.
Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley would form a tag team shortly after, and captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, before eventually following to Carmella and the 2021 Queen Crown winner, Zelina Vega. Vega defeated Doudrop (fka Piper Niven) in the finals of the inagural tournament to become the first ever Queen’s Crown in WWE.
Meanwhile, Charlotte Flair is drafted to Smackdown following the annual draft, and is forced to swap titles with Becky Lynch, as previously stated. The two former friends now turned foes met at Survivor Series in a grueling back and forth battle, in which Lynch utilized rope leverage to defeat Flair.
Also at Survivor Series, Team Raw outlasted Team Smackdown to earn the victory in the battle for brand supremacy. Bianca Belair found herself down 4-1, but overcame her competition to secure the win for the red brand. This win marked an impressive third win this year for Belair within WWE’s “big four” pay-per-views.
In the weeks following Survivor Series, Flair has been met with a new challenger: Toni Storm. Storm made her Smackdown debut earlier this year, and now founds herself in the hunt for the Smackdown Women’s Championship.
On RAW, Becky Lynch has pursued a program with crowd favorite, Liv Morgan. Morgan would fall short in her shot for the RAW Women’s Championship, but a rematch has been quickly lined up for WWE’s Day 1 show, coming up on January 1st.
NXT
Mandy Rose
NXT began the year with a huge announcement of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic, where the winners would receive a championship opportunity against the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai would go on to win the tournament, but fall short to Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler in their pursuit of tag team gold. Shortly after, however, NXT unveiled their NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship and awarded them to Kai and Gonzalez, winners of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic. This reign would last merely one hour, as Kai and Gonzalez lost their titles on the same night to the team of Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart.
Raquel Gonzalez would assume a feud with Io Shirai, heading into NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver, where she would defeat Shirai, ending her 300+ day reign. Gonzalez would go on to dominate the women’s division, picking up victories over Franky Monet, Xia Lee, and former friend, Dakota Kai. This reign would last six months, until Mandy Rose defeated Gonzalez with the aid of Dakota Kai, who wielded a shovel against Gonzalez at Halloween Havok.
Mandy Rose returned to NXT earlier this year, aligning herself with Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne to form the stable known as Toxic Attraction. This trio would dominate the NXT women’s division, winning not only the NXT Women’s Championship, but the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships as well. Rose defeated Gonzalez for singles gold, while Dolin and Jayne dethroned Io Shirai and Zoey Stark at Halloween Havok to capture the tag team titles.
Most recently, Toxic Attraction teamed with Dakota Kai to take on Io Shirai, Raquel Gonzalez, Kay Lee Ray and Cora Jade at NXT WarGames. The two teams would collide in an all out brawl, before Jade secured the pin on Jacy Jayne. Cora Jade now aims her sight on NXT Women’s Champion, Mandy Rose, as we head into 2022.
AEW
All Elite Wrestling rang in the new year with Hikaru Shida at their Women’s World Champion before announcing and Eliminator Tournament, featuring eight superstars from Japan and eight competitors from the USA.
Nyla Rose would plow through the USA bracket, while Ryo Mizunami picked up victories in the Japan bracket to advance to the finals. On the March 3rd edition of Dynamite, Mizunami defeated Rose via pinfall to earn herself an AEW Women’s World Championship title opportunity against Shida.
Maki Itoh also marked as a notable standout from the AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament with her high energy, charimsa, and exceptional singing ability. She teamed with Britt Baker at Revolution to defeat Riho and Thunder Rosa.
Following the tournament, AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida would later retain against the winner of the tournament, Ryo Mizunami, before entering a feud with Dr. Britt Baker.
After being eliminated from the tournament, Britt Baker would engage in an epic Lights Out match against Thunder Rosa in the main event of the March 17th edition of Dynamite. Rosa would emerge victorious, after Baker dawned a bloody crimson mask.
Britt Baker would get her retribution a few months later at ADouble or Nothing pay-per-view in May, defeating Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women’s World Championship, to much applause.
Britt Baker
From there, Baker dominated in her reign as champion, defeating the likes of Nyla Rose, Red Velvet, and Kris Statlander. However, she found herself with a new ally following her successful title defense against Velvet in August. Jamie Hayter was now All Elite, joining forces with Rebel and the DMD Britt Baker. Together, the three would form a seemingly unstoppable trio.
Baker would later compete in the main event of Grand Slam against a recently debuted, Ruby Soho. Soho made her shocking debut to All Elite Wrestling at All Out, in the women’s Casino Battle Royale as the joker. Soho reigned victorious after eliminating Thunder Rosa, earning herself that future title shot against reigning champion, Britt Baker.
Baker proved herself as the victor of the matchup, again successfully defending her championship. Baker would move on the face Tay Conti at Full Gear in November, further establishing her dominance as the women’s champion, and arguably a pillar of AEW. She heads into 2022 with Hayter and Rebel by her side, although some tension has been brewing amidst the trio.
Meanwhile, All Elite Wrestling also introduced another women’s title in the form of the TBS Championship. Ahead of their move from TNT to TBS early next year, AEW unveiled a second championship for their women’s division a few months ago. Amongst the tournament to crown the inaugural champion, included twelve competitors, with four of them earning first round byes.
At the time of this writing, AEW is down to the final four in the tournament. Crowd favorite Thunder Rosa itches to take on the dominant Jade Cargill in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, Ruby Soho must take on former AEW Women’s World Champion, Nyla Rose.
Thunder Rosa signed with All Elite Wrestling earlier this year after leaving the NWA, and brings a plethora of experience.
Jade Cargill has remained undefeated since entering AEW just over a year ago, notably feuding with Red Velvet this year.
Ruby Soho entered AEW with a hot start, winning the Casino Battle Royale, and looks to gain even more steam.
Nyla Rose aligned herself with Vickie Guerrero earlier this year, and hopes to be the first to hold both women’s championships in AEW.
The first ever TBS Champion will be crowned on the January 5th edition of AEW Dynamite.
IMPACT Wrestling
Deonna Purrazzo
Deonna Purrazzo slayed her competition this year during her second run as the IMPACT Knockouts Champion. Starting the year defeating the likes of Taya Valkyrie, and ODB, Purrazzo gained confidence heading into her Career vs Title match against wrestling legend, Jazz. Consequently, Purrazzo would retire JAZZ from IMPACT Wrestling following her victory at Hardcore Justice.
In the months following, Purrazzo would steam roll her competition with victories over Tenille Dashwood, Thunder Rosa, Melina Perez, and more, before she finally met her match in the form of “Hardcore Country”, Mickie James.
James would reemerge into IMPACT Wrestling at Slammiversary, following Purrazzo’s win over Thunder Rosa. Mickie would extend an invitation for Purrazzo to be a part of NWA’s first ever all-women’s pay-per-view, Empowerrr, which Deonna initially declined. However, after some persuasion from James and IMPACT producer, Gail Kim, Deonna Purrazzo eventually accepted the offer and was set to face Melina Perez with the Knockouts Championship on the line.
After defeating Perez at Empowerrr, Purrazzo shocked the audience the following night at NWA 73 by attacking Mickie James, following her victory against Kylie Rae. From there, the two would make waves on IMPACT, notably engaging in a brutal barnyard brawl at James’ home in Nashville. Purrazzo and James would meet at IMPACT’s Bound For Glory event with the Knockouts Championship on the line. Mickie James would end Purrazzo’s impressive reign, becoming a four-time Knockouts Champion.
James then defeated Madison Rayne and Mercedes Martinez in the successful title defenses, before Purrazzo returned with vengeance. In a invoke of her rematch clause, Purrazzo is now slated to face James at Hard to Kill on January 8th.
Outside of the Knockouts Championship, IMPACT also re-introduced the Knockouts Tag Team Championships earlier this year. Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz were the first to capture them this year, before falling to Jordynne Grace and the debuting Rachael Ellering. Fire N Flava (Hogan & Steelz) would win the championships back a few weeks later, before engaging in competition against the team of Decay. Fire N Flava would lose the titles to Decay, resulting in an ultimate split of the duo. Steelz would introduce Savannah Evans, would ultimately took out Hogan from IMPACT programming, before signing with All Elite Wrestling.
Decay headed into Bound For Glory as the Knockouts Tag Team Champions, after previously succeeded in their title defense against Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood at Knockouts Knockdown.
Following the return of the all-Knockouts event, it was announced that The IInspiration (formerly the IIconics in WWE) would be joining IMPACT.
The IInspiration defeated Decay at Bound For Glory in October to claim the Knockouts Tag Team Championships before now pursuing programs with The Influence, Madison Rayne and Tenille Dashwood.
2021 also introduced the Digital Media Championship at Bound For Glory, won by Jordynne Grace. Grace now becomes the first ever Triple Crown Knockout in IMPACT Wrestling history.
IMPACT also saw the return of Taylor Wilde, and ended the year with the notable signings of Masha Slamovich and Lady Frost following their impressive performances at Knockouts Knockdown.
Actor and former WWE creative team member, Freddie Prinze Jr., has mentioned in multiple interviews as of late that he is interested in starting a wrestling promotion. Prinze recently spoke to TV Insider and mentioned that long-time wrestling fan, Macaulay Culkin, might join him in this venture.
“I have this plan where one day I want to start my own [independent] fed here in California,” Prinze said. “One that I know won’t make any money and will be a loss, but I can still stay connected. That I can hire wrestlers and let them do their work.”
“I was talking to Ariel Helwani about a two-year plan I had,” he continued. Prinze then mentioned Macaulay Culkin, who has been on his podcast, might be interested in being involved as well.
“I might have a partner in crime with one of my guests Macaulay Culkin, who has a passion for it as well. So we may do MFW, which does not stand for what you think it does.”
The 45-year-old did two separate stints on the WWE Creative Team. Once from 2008-09 and then again from 2010-12. He mentioned in the interview that he did not have the time to continue in the role after having two kids with his wife, actress Sarah Michelle Gellar.
The ROH World Championship will be defended on tonight’s Game Changer Wrestling show from Los Angeles. Not only that, Gresham’s match against AJ Gray will be contested under “Pure rules”.
The show is available on a pay-per-view basis on FITE.
GCW: Blood On The Hills Lineup:
Gringo Loco vs. Arez vs. Jimmy Lloyd vs. Matt Vandagriffvs. Jack Cartwheel vs. Ninja Mack
No Ropes Barbed Wire Death Match Atticus Cogar vs. Jordan Oliver
Chelsea Green & Matt Cardona vs. BUSSY (Allie Katch & Effy)
Blake Christian vs. Alex Zayne
Tony Deppen vs. Nick Wayne
Matthew Justice vs. Jacob Fatu
ROH World Championship Pure Rules Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. AJ Gray
GCW Tag Team Championships The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe) (c) vs. Brody King & PCO
*BREAKING*
The JON GRESHAM vs AJ GRAY match at #GCWBlood will now be for the ROH World Championship and will be contested under Pure Rules!
Shortly after winning the ROH Championship at Final Battle, Gresham spoke to Sports Illustrated. He said that it’s up to him to keep the spirit of ROH alive. Gresham also noted that he wants to defend the title against CM Punk and Bryan Danielson.
“As champion, it is up to me to keep the spirit and the essence of Ring of Honor alive,” Gresham said. “I will preserve and protect Pure wrestling as Ring of Honor world champion.”
Bret Hart is set to be inducted onto Canada’s Walk of Fame today. He is the first professional wrestler ever given the honor. Other inductees set for the ceremony include star of the Matrix and other films, Keanu Reeves.
During a Q&A session held before his induction, Bret Hart was asked if he’d ever consider being a manager, commentator, or any other type of on-screen character in WWE or elsewhere.
“I have no time to do that,” Hart responded. “I like to get away once in a while and do the odd little bit here and there. You know, anything sometimes to get out of the house,”
He added, “But at the same time, my days of sort of playing a character for wrestling, I don’t need it that bad and I’m happy kind of just making up time with my grandkids and being home and you know, kind of smiling about stuff like that.”
“I Don’t Wanna Be Remembered As a Manager”
– Bret Hart
Hart also answered if he would be interested in coming back for a one-off match or something similar.
“I mean if there was something where it’s like I could wrestle Donald Trump at WrestleMania and Vince McMahon was gonna referee it or something,” Hart joked. “I’d hear it out because it’d be funny to hear it. But the thought of me going in there and wrestling somebody is pretty unlikely.”
“As far as managers and all that kind of stuff… Bret Hart was a wrestler, not a manager and I don’t wanna be remembered as a manager and so I would never do it.”
In addition to Canada’s Walk of Fame, Hart was also inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Oklahoma in 2006. The Hall of Fame and museum honors achievements in amateur wrestling. Hart won the city of Calgary wrestling championship in 1974.
For professional wrestling, Hart is in the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, Canadian Wrestling Hall of Fame, Prairie Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, Stampede Wrestling Hall of Fame, Quebec Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame, and he’s been inducted twice into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Bret Hart is the first professional wrestler to be inducted to Canada’s Walk of Fame.
Both Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were reported to have their contracts expiring in early 2022. Owens recently signed a 3-year deal to stay in the promotion.
“There has also been locker room talk that Sami Zayn (Rami Sebei, 37) did as well, but WWE sources have not confirmed Zayn having signed to us yet,” Dave Meltzer wrote.
Owens new deal with WWE is said to be in the $2-3 million range but does not include a no-cut clause. This means that while Owens is committed to WWE for 3 years, WWE only needs to provide him with 90 days notice that they are releasing him.
If, for whatever reason, WWE decides Owens is no longer worth the amount they are paying him, he could be released.
Darius Martin has spent the majority of this year on the shelf recovering from an injury, but he is grateful to get the best support he can from AEW. The AEW star recently had an interview with Jon Alba on One-On-One. During the talk he provided an update on his recovery, claiming that he is feeling pretty good:
“I’m feeling pretty good, just moving around, taking it day by day, trying to get the clearance again, working my way up and building the strength again, you never want injuries, but I’m thankful it came at a time where I am fortunate enough to have this deal with AEW.”
Martin continued by saying that AEW has been great to him during his recovery. Darius said that he really feels the love and support from the company. He then praised Tony Khan as a boss who values his employees:
“I’m still on the road, they’ve still been paying me. I’m still lucky enough to have that job and financial security because of AEW. It’s a great place and Tony Khan is an amazing boss who really values his employees and treats us like human beings. Tony is the best.”
Darius Martin last wrestled on AEW TV during a Dark episode back in February 18. He underwent ACL surgery on April 22. In his absence, his brother and Top Flight partner Dante Martin has made a name for himself in the singles division. He wrestled MJF for the Dynamite Diamond Ring during the Winter is Coming special.
NXT star Zoey Stark has provided an update on her health and confirmed that she is now able to walk around on her own without crutches.
The female star provided the update on Instagram on Wednesday. She posted a video and thanked her physical therapist for her progress in the caption:
“Officially off the crutches and walking on my own! Next step = RUNNING Thank you to my awesome Physical Therapist Lauren! @wwenxt #WWENXT,”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CXhRaB3g85w/
Zoey Stark has not wrestled on WWE TV since the NXT Halloween Havoc special on October 26. Stark and her partner Io Shirai defended their NXT tag team titles in a triple threat match.
The ladder match dubbed as Scareway to Hell saw Toxic Attraction’s Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne win the tag team championships from the duo.
The company then did an injury angle with Zoey during the November 2 episode of NXT. She was taken to the hospital after being attacked by Dolin and Jayne.
The angle was done so the female star can take time off to repair a torn ACL. She underwent the required surgery in early November.
There is no news on when we can expect her back in the ring at this point. Though this latest update is a positive sign for her fans.
Tegan Nox, now going by the name Nixon Newell has released a list of stars she wants to face and it includes some pretty interesting names.
The former WWE star took on her Twitter earlier today to post the list of talents she wants to go up against now that she has been released from the company.
The list as seen below incorporates a number of AEW stars including the women’s champion Britt Baker, Ruby Soho, Thunder Rosa, and Cash Wheeler:
Tegan Nox signed with WWE back in 2017. She was supposed to compete in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament but a torn ACL kept her out of it.
She competed in the 2018 version of the tournament before joining NXT full-time in 2019. She tore her ACL again in 2020. It kept her out of action for almost 10 months.
Nox made her SmackDown debut in July this year. She was then drafted to Raw but was released from her WWE contract on November 18, without making any appearances for the red brand.
Since the female star had been promoted to main roster it’s likely that she has a 90 days non-compete clause. This means Tegan Nox will have to wait until February to return to the ring.
All Elite Wrestling tag team FTR have shared their plans for what they want to achieve next year.
FTR appeared on Barstool Rasslin‘ with Brandon F. Walker to discuss future opponents and plans for 2022. They mentioned unfinished business with teams like the Young Bucks, Proud and Powerful, and the AEW Tag Team Champions The Lucha Bros. FTR also revealed that they want to go to New Japan Pro Wrestling to try to win the IWGP Tag Team Championship.
When asked what 2022 holds for them, Cash Wheeler responded with two opponents in mind.
“I think we are going to be the first-ever two-time AEW Tag Team Champions. In 2022, we are going to get the titles back. We are going to have the title run that we should’ve had the first time,” said Wheeler. He continued, “…We are never going to lose those again. Rematch with the Young Bucks. Beat the sh*t out of The Briscoes. Hold titles everywhere.”
FTR’s Dax Harwood Thoughts for 2022
Dax Harwood followed up after Wheeler shared their plans for next year. Harwood talked about how he wants FTR to prove they are one of the best tag teams of all time.
“I think ultimately for 2022, for me specifically, a legacy is something that I’ve wanted to leave, and I talk about it all the time in our interviews. Ultimately that’s what I want to do is continue to build on legacy,” said Harwood. He continued, “I know for a fact that I can’t do things like Ray Fenix or Nick Jackson, and because of my limitations, we can’t have the athletic matches that they can. There is a difference between having great tag team matches and being a great tag team. And I think 2022 going forward just proving that we can be in that same conversation as Arn and Tully, Midnight Express, Rock and Roll Express, that’s my goal for 2022.”
FTR’s AEW Contract Status
Harwood expressed urgency in accomplishing his goals because of FTR’s AEW contract status. FTR signed a multi-year contract with AEW on July 29, 2020. While Harwood didn’t say, their AEW contract could expire in 2023.
“…We don’t have much longer on these current contracts. I don’t know what’s going to happen from there. But we have a short amount of time to accomplish what we want to accomplish,” said Harwood. He continued to list goals, “…Like the IWGP Tag Team Championship, obviously two-time AEW Tag Team Championship. Proving that we are the best.” He also boasts that FTR is the only tag team that has faced great tag teams from WWE and AEW but wants to challenge more.
FTR is currently in a feud with Sting and Darby Allin, and they are still chasing the AEW Tag Team Championship. It’s also unclear if NJPW has discussed bringing in the tag team for future events. Regardless, FTR has made their plans clear that they want to defeat the best tag teams in AEW and accomplish many goals in 2022.
Bully Ray believes Bryan Danielson played a pivotal role in getting his match with Hangman Page to the one-hour mark.
On the Dec. 15 Winter is Coming special episode of AEW Dynamite, Page put his AEW World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Danielson. The title match opened up Dynamite and fans got even more than they bargained for.
A winner wasn’t determined as the match went to a 60-minute draw. It is widely considered to be a late contender for Match of the Year.
Danielson’s Role In Time Limit Draw
It’s no secret that Bryan Danielson is world-class but Bully Ray believes “The American Dragon” has an ability that very few possess.
On Busted Open Radio, Bully explained how Danielson’s “phantom gear” helped bring Hangman Page to the finish line.
“I think the props to Hangman is the fact that he was able to keep up with Danielson. I can just hear the AEW fans now, ‘Oh, what is Bully Ray talking about?’ Bryan Danielson has what’s called the phantom gear.
“The phantom gear was invented by Kurt Angle. It’s this sixth gear that very, very, very few have. It’s the ability to go deep into a match where most guys are blown to the gills and then go faster.
“Go smarter, go harder, go everything, and Danielson has it. There were times in that match where I saw Hangman, he needed to take an extra breath which is totally fine. He’s in deep water with Danielson once you get past that half-hour mark and now you got another half-hour to go.
“If you’re not used to that it’s brutal, brutal! It’s brutal on the mind first because you know you’re breathing heavy and I’m not saying that Hangman was breathing heavy, I’m just saying he needed to get a breath.
“You looked at Danielson and he looked fresh as a daisy. Danielson, smart worker, allows Hangman to get that breath, takes Hangman, boom hits that next gear. Allowing Hangman to take that extra breath allows Hangman to hang with him in that next gear.”
Hangman has already had some classics under the AEW banner. His title victory over Kenny Omega at Full Gear back in November was highly praised.
There was also the tag team title match featuring Page and Omega vs. The Young Bucks at Revolution back in Feb. 2020, which garnered a slew of praise.
As for Danielson, he’s been on quite the run. Since entering AEW, he’s had some certified bangers with the likes of Omega, Minoru Suzuki, Eddie Kingston, Page, and more.
Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article
Bulnes brought up names like Roman Reigns and Finn Balor, but Breakker expressed intrigue when Lesnar’s name came up.
“I met him, I want to say like 2017, maybe or something like that. I went backstage to a Raw when I was in college,” said Breakker. “I met him there, but as a performer, I haven’t ran into him. Yeah, I’d love to work with Brock.”
Bron Breakker sees Brock Lesnar as someone who would push him to step up his game.
“He is an animal,” he continued. “I think he would kind of like Roddy elevate me. You know, force me to elevate and bring my game up as well. I think Brock would do the same thing, and I think it would be a war.”
Bron Breakker Feud with Tommaso Ciampa
Since his debut in NXT 2.0, Breaker’s goal is to be NXT Champion. He also played into the heel role. He challenged the current champion, Tommaso Ciampa, at Halloween Havoc on October 26th. While he lost the match, Breakker shared the following week on NXT 2.0 that the feud wasn’t over.
The two competed on opposite teams during WWE NXT WarGames on December 5th. Breakker team won, with Breakker also pinning Ciampa to gain victory. Both have pinned each other in a match, which helps set up an NXT Championship rematch. However, it seems that Ciampa is now the heel in the feud.
On Tuesday’s NXT 2.0 episode, Ciampa attacked Breakker after his match with Strong. The attack also seemed out of character from how Ciampa has acted recently. It’s unclear if the WWE is swapping roles with Ciampa and Breakker. However, it does appear that NXT 2.0 fans will be getting a rematch soon.
The interview will be released next week, but Laprade posted quotes from the interview on his blog.
Owens shared that the decision was the best thing for his family. He also said that it’s a three-year deal and that originally the contract was going to expire on January 31, 2022.
“I’m just going to say that it still ends on January 31, but not 2022. I’m still going to be there for several years,” said Owens. He continued, “The decision was pretty easy because it really was the best thing for my family. When it comes to that, it’s always a pretty easy decision. WWE has been my home for seven years, so I have a sense of belonging.”
“Basically, I spent most of my career there. When you look at all the wrestling companies, I’ve wrestled in, in WWE, that’s where I’ve been the longest, that’s where I need to be for the next few years. That’s how I felt, and that’s the decision I made.”
Kevin Owens Choosing WWE over AEW
Owens’s decision to re-sign with WWE surprised wrestling fans. He teased that he may leave the WWE in September, which caused speculation on joining All Elite Wrestling. On his blog, Laprade said, “If you read between the lines, when Owens says he did the best thing for his family, it could mean that it was the financial aspect of the deal that influenced the wrestler to stay with WWE.”
Numerous talent in WWE that they spoke to are happy that Owens re-signed, according to a reporty by Fightful. The report also shared that he still maintains a good relationship with people in AEW.
An AEW source said, “Anyone who knows Kevin knows his priorities are with his family first, so you have to be happy for him.”
At 37 years old, Owens will be under contract with WWE until January 31, 2024. He is currently in a feud with WWE champion Big E. He will also be in a fatal four-way for the title against Big E, Seth Rollins, and Bobby Lashley at Day 1 on January 1, 2022.
Serena Deeb was once a member of CM Punk’s Straight-Edge Society faction in WWE. They are now both members of the AEW roster. Deeb was recently interviewed by Wrestling Inc. and noted that Punk has helped her career in multiple ways.
“We have a great relationship, we obviously go back a long way and we did some really good business together over the years,” Deeb said. “I met Punk in, I want to say 2005 at OVW when he first reported there and Paul Heyman was booking the show and Punk was his guy.”
Deeb continued to say that Punk played a role in helping her get into the Shimmer and Ring of Honor promotions.
“Punk was the driving force behind getting me to Shimmer for the first time, which at the time was, as a female wrestler, that was the indie that you aspire to go to because that was the best. From Shimmer that got me to Ring Of Honor. Punk really guided me and really helped support me in getting to all these places before WWE.”
CM Punk, Serena Deeb, and the Straight Edge Society
During the January 22nd, 2010 edition of WWE SmackDown, Deeb appeared as a fan in the crowd. She jumped the guardrail and made it known she wanted to join Punk’s Straight Edge Society faction. As an initiation, the group shaved her head. Deeb also spoke about her time in the group during her recent interview.
“I think because we had that great relationship and that friendship and that foundation, we had chemistry already just from all of that. It translated on-screen. I constantly get tagged on social media and people still love The Straight Edge Society and it was over a decade ago, it’s crazy. I love having him in the locker room.”
Serena Deeb On Advice She Receives From CM Punk
Deeb also spoke about how she regularly goes to CM Punk for advice on her matches. She believes everyone in the AEW locker room should do the same.
“He’s somebody I think all the guys and all the women should be asking for feedback. I ask him. I ask him to watch my matches, he doesn’t always get the chance to because he’s doing a million things on the show.”
Deeb continued to praise CM Punk’s ability to tell stories in the ring. She even noted that we might see a reunion between them somewhere down the line.
“The dude’s a master storyteller. I mean he blows my mind with some of the stuff he does. He’s clearly one of the best to ever do it and we have a great relationship. We talk every week and everything is great and yeah, we might see a reunion one day.”
The full interview is available in the player below:
Last night on Dynamite, Maxwell Jacob Friedman referred to CM Punk as the “New Ryback” during a promo. MJF was commenting on how Punk has been undefeated while facing a string of underwhelming opponents in underwhelming matches when he made the comment.
Ryback took to social media last night to respond to MJF’s comments.
“Thanks for the shoutout MJF. Now you have your big chance at being an enhancement talent working with an underwhelming opponent,” Ryback Tweeted.
MJF’s comment about Punk being the “new Ryback” comes on the heels of a line Punk used on him during their promo battle in Chicago. Punk referred to MJF as a “less famous Miz” during that show. The reference to Miz on Dynamite was then alluded to by Edge on the following week’s RAW.
“You have people on other shows saying your name just to get a cheap reaction. You live rent-free in a lot of heads,” Edge said to Miz.
"YOU have people saying your name just to get a cheap reaction. You live rent-free in a lot of heads." – @EdgeRatedR
Ryback was signed to WWE in 2005 after impressing WWE officials on Tough Enough. In 2010, he would be one of the members of the Nexus faction that invaded WWE. He was once rated as high as #13 in the PWI Top-500 rankings. Ryback is a former Intercontinental Champion and won 5 Slammies from 2012-14. He was released in 2016.
Ohbari: The match card is yet to be announced. NJPW and NOAH wrestlers have their own histories and backgrounds. It's up to them whether they want to face off, or even join together.
Kevin Owens has a lot to celebrate this holiday season.
News broke on Wednesday that Owens has signed a new multi-year contract with WWE. Details of Owens’ new deal have been revealed by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“He signed a 3-year deal with WWE,” said Meltzer. “I believe it was actually a couple of weeks ago when this happened.”
“It’s a very good money deal. I think the feeling is it’s more than he’d be able to get from AEW. $2-3 million in that range per year.”
Iron Clad?
While Owens is making good money per year, he did not get a no-cut clause in his contract that would protect him from being released somewhere down the line.
“He did not get a no-cut, he didn’t, that’s the other thing that I’ve heard,” Meltzer continued.
“In 3-years, he’ll be in the same position and probably fixing to make more money barring a career-ending injury.”
Owens has been with WWE since 2014. He is a 1x NXT Champion, 1x Universal Champion, 2x Intercontinental Champion, and 3x United States Champion.
Owens is scheduled to challenge for the WWE Championship at Day 1 on January 1st. He is booked in a fatal 4-way match against Bobby Lashley, Seth Rollins, and WWE Champion, Big E.
Bobby, thank you for remembering that I’m a former Universal Champion. Whoever does the little write-ups for the stats on tv during our entrance on Raw never remembers. They know I speak French fluently though…
Anyway, so happy to have you in this match, buddy!
Ric Flair watched the AEW Dynamite “Winter Is Coming” on Wednesday night and came away impressed by the championship match.
The 16-time world champion took to Twitter to praise both AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page and challenger Bryan Danielson for their efforts.
Flair wrote, “I’ve Done So Many Hour Draws, Some Great, Some Average! Tonight, You Gentlemen Set A New Bar!! The Wrestling World Can Learn From @theAdamPage & @bryandanielson! CONGRATULATIONS! WOOOOO!”
I’ve Done So Many Hour Draws, Some Great, Some Average! Tonight, You Gentlemen Set A New Bar!! The Wrestling World Can Learn From @theAdamPage & @bryandanielson! CONGRATULATIONS! WOOOOO! @AEW#AEWDynamite
Flair was hardly the only legend and outside observer to praise the bout; the match is already being talked about as perhaps the greatest singles match in the brief history of AEW. It seems to be at least on par in fan’s eyes with the great Danielson vs. Kenny Omega draw that occurred at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Dynamite back in September.
AEW announcer Jim Ross, who is currently off television as he receives cancer treatment, also had high praise for the match.
“I didn’t say he wasn’t a good worker. When Hunter put him over at [WrestleMania 30], that made him,” Flair said. “He’s a very talented kid, don’t misunderstand me, but you have to have one match, one place, one day, somewhere that makes you who you are. Hunter, who only wrestles once in a while, came out and the match started off slow but they ended up having a world-class match.
“He’s a hell of a performer, I don’t see him as being Kenny Omega. As a babyface, he’s not Ricky Steamboat. As a heel, he’s not me. If that pisses people off, they have to live with history.”
Flair continued his assessment of Bryan by talking about WrestleMania 30.
“They (Triple H and Danielson) tore the joint down,” Flair said. “That is the night that made Bryan. I like him a lot personally. He’s got a style…he’s not AJ Styles by any means. He’s a little bit smaller than AJ. He’s not AJ Styles.”
“That is the night that made Bryan.”
Ric Flair on WrestleMania 30
Flair continued, “I like his conditioning, he works hard, he’ll do anything and sacrifice his body at all odds. He’ll throw himself around and take incredible bumps. He’s a hell of a hand. You’re asking me who is good and who is great. He’s very good. As a babyface, it’s more believable. He can sell his ass off so when he’s making a comeback, it’s more fun to watch him make a comeback against bigger guys. It’s harder for me to believe he’s going to hold someone down. As a babyface, who is just average size but loaded with talent, I much prefer to see him fighting from underneath.”
What do you think? Was Flair attempting to walk back his earlier comments following the great match on AEW Dynamite? Let us know in the comments section below.
Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
It appears Brody King is All Elite.Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net has brought word that King is on his way to AEW.
The report notes that one source was told over Thanksgiving weekend that his contract was a “done deal.”
It’s been said that shortly after word broke of ROH “reconceptualizing,” Brody ended up putting pen to paper with AEW.
Brody King’s Role In AEW?
(via Mikey Nolan Photography)
On the Dec. 15 Winter Is Coming special episode of AEW Dynamite, Malakai Black was seen in a segment where he appeared to introduce someone to the House of Black.
Brody King is expected to join Malakai Black as a member of the House of Black in AEW. It would come as no surprise as Malakai and Brody are tag team partners in PWG.
Back in October, Malakai teased bringing Brody to AEW.
Brody has been seen working for ROH and NJPW. In particular, he’s been appearing on a lot of shows on NJPW Strong in North America.
While Brody has yet to capture gold under the NJPW banner, he is a former ROH World Tag Team Champion. He’s also held the ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Titles.
In PWG, he holds one-half of the tag team gold with Malakai Black.
Bryan Danielson and “Hangman” Adam Page had one of the best singles matches in the brief history of All Elite Wrestling on Wednesday evening. The two men opened up AEW Dynamite in a match for the promotion’s world championship; it ended up going the distance, lasting a full 60 minutes and ending in a draw.
This will undoubtedly lead to a rematch between the two, potentially at AEW’s first TNT special (Battle of the Belts) January 8th. Will that lead to Danielson’s first reign as AEW champion? While I wouldn’t bet on that at this time, Bryan may become the promotion’s champion at some point down the line.
In advance of his big match with Page on Wednesday night, the former WWE Champion spoke with Sports Illustrated about the bout, and the topic of AEW’s championship belt design came up. Bryan is no stranger to changing up wrestling promotion’s title belts; he famously changed the WWE Championship during his 2019 reign to a more eco-friendly version of the belt.
“I do not understand why we are still making anything out of animal skin,” Danielson said. “We don’t need to. The synthetic fibers are just as good-looking and just as durable as leather, and we don’t harm any animals. I don’t know if I’d go all the way to the hemp and naturally fallen oak [like the “The Planet’s Champion” belt], but I’d love to get that changed.”
Bryan Danielson Came Up Short Wednesday Night
As previously mentioned, Danielson failed in his bid to become AEW World Champion on Wednesday night. That being said, he was given considerable offense in the bout with Page. Bryan worked over Page for the good majority of the 60 minute match until Page made a hot comeback near the conclusion.
Page hit a Dead Eye and followed that up with a Buckshot Lariat in the ring. He then went to the outside to flip over the top rope and hit the full-on version of his Buckshot Lariat finisher. However, the referee called for the bell immediately after he hit the move as time had expired.
When do you want to see Bryan Danielson and Adam Page have a rematch? What did you think of Wednesday night’s match? Let us know in the comments section below!
Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
AEW Dynamite Winter is Coming aired live from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. Hangman Page defended the AEW World Championship against Bryan Danielson tonight. MJF battled Dante Martin with the Dynamite Diamond Ring on the line in the main event.
Dynamite Results
Hangman Page vs. Bryan Danielson ended in a 60-minute time limit draw
Wardlow def. Matt Sydal
Hikaru Shida def. Serena Deeb
MJF def. Dante Martin to win the Dynamite Diamond Ring for the 3rd year in a row
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Hangman vs. Danielson Ended In A 60-Minute Time Limit Draw
Hangman Page defended the AEW Championship against Bryan Danielson in the first match of the night. Danielson avoided Hangman early and did some jumping jacks. Danielson took Hangman down and posed for the crowd. The crowd chanted “Cowboy shit!” as Hangman battled back. Hangman went for a chop but Danielson avoided it and did some jumping jacks again.
Bryan continued to avoid Hangman and retreat to the ropes in an effort to frustrate the champion. Page connected with a Body Slam and followed it up with a chop to the chest. Danielson wrestled Hangman to the mat and applied a submission hold in the middle of the ring.
Danielson and Hangman then traded chops. Hangman knocked Danielson to the corner with a big chop to the chest. Page followed it up with several punches to the face but Danielson brought Hangman back down to the mat. Danielson focused his attack on Hangman’s knee with several strikes and another submission hold.
Page sent Danielson to the apron and then to the floor with a Clothesline. Hangman hit a Crossbody and rolled Bryan back into the ring. Page jumped off the top rope but Bryan was ready and booted him in the face. Danielson connected with a Knee Drop for a near fall as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Hangman connected with a lariat but Danielson fell out of the ring. Page leveled Bryan with a Suicide as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”. Page connected with a Moonsault off the top rope and brought Danielson back into the ring. Hangman hit a Death Valley Driver and went for the cover but Bryan was able to kick out at two.
Hangman climbed to the top rope and went for a Moonsault but Danielson got out of the way. Bryan went for the cover but the AEW Champion kicked out at the last moment. Daniel got Hangman trapped in Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. Page escaped but Bryan caught him with a kick as we were now thirty minutes into the match.
Danielson hit two Dropkicks in the corner and went for a third but Hangman countered into a Pop-Up Powerbomb for a near fall. Hangman set up for the Buckshot Lariat but Danielson rolled out of the ring and the match continued. Hangman climbed to the top rope but Danielson shoved him over. Page landed on his shoulder and Danielson capitalized. Danielson bashed Hangman into the ring post several times and flexed in the ring as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
During the break, Daniel Bryan continued to pose for the crowd as doctors checked on Hangman outside the ring. Danielson hit Hangman with a kick to the face and a flying knee of the apron. Danielson unloaded some punches to the face as Hangman was busted open. Bryan hit Hangman with another knee to the face before bashing his shoulder into the ring post again.
Bryan shoved his boot into the back of Hangman’s head as he was pressed against the turnbuckle. Hangman went for a Fallaway Slam but Danielson countered into a German Suplex for a two count. Danielson went for the Cattle Mutilation but Hangman was able to escape.
Danielson hit some kicks before Hangman ducked and Bryan bashed his knee into the ring post. Page lifted Bryan up and sent him into the ring post once again. Hangman put Bryan’s leg on the steel barricade and connected with a kick. Back in the ring, Page applied a Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Danielson battled to the ropes and broke the hold as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Danielson hit Page with an Enziguri and followed it up with some uppercuts. Danielson countered the Pop-Up Powerbomb into a Hurricanrana for a two count. Hangman hit a Tombstone but Danielson somehow kicked out. Hangman and Danielson then battled to the apron and Page hit the Dead Eye.
Page climbed to the top rope and went for a Splash but Danielson got out of the way. Hangman crashed through the table as Dynamite went to a break. Danielson hit a DDT on the cement floor during the break. Page hit a German Suplex but Danielson was first up and hit a few Yes Kicks. Page battled back with a Lariat but Hangman couldn’t get much on it due to Danielson working on his arm.
Danielson perched Hangman up on the top turnbuckle and joined him up there. Danielson unloaded some elbow strikes to the back of the head and went for a Back Suplex but Hangman somehow landed on his feet. Page hit a massive lariat and both men fell to the mat as the crowd chanted “Cowboy shit!”. Hangman and Danielson traded punches as the crowd was behind the champion.
Danielson hit a few headbutts and then went for a German Suplex. Hangman landed on his feet and the two traded some more strikes. Danielson caught Hangman with a boot to the side of the head as the match was 55 minutes in now. Bryan stomped on Hangman’s head several times and went for the Running Knee but Page countered into the Dead Eye for a near fall.
Page held his right arm in pain and shouted that he was going to kick Danielson’s head in. Hangman stomped on Bryan’s face several times and fired up the crowd. Page went for the Buckshot Lariat but Danielson ducked under it. Danielson applied the LeBell Lock in the middle of the ring with one minute remaining in the 60 minute time limit. The crowd chanted “Cowboy shit!” again as Hangman broke free and hit a lariat. Hangman hit the Buckshot Lariat but the time limit had expired to end the match in a draw.
Wardlow faced Matt Sydal in the second match of the night. Wardlow shoved Sydal to the canvas as Shawn Spears cheered him on ringside. Wardlow hit a Powerbomb but didn’t go for the cover. Spears grabbed a microphone and asked Wardlow to pin him. Wardlow hit another Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. After the match, Spears beat Matt Sydal with a steel chair. Spears received a phone call from MJF and he instructed Wardlow to go get champagne for after his match.
A brief vignette with Malakai Black was shown tonight. Black spit mist in someone’s eyes and told him that he is now he is so much more than a king (Brody King?).
Varsity Blonds were interviewed backstage and called Malakai Black a coward for spitting myst in Julia Hart’s face. Pillman tried to stop Griff Garrison from saying to much but Griff vowed to break Malakai’s jaw next week on Dynamite.
Hikaru Shida battled Serena Deeb tonight on Dynamite. Shida hit a Dropkick and sent Deeb to the corner to start off the match. Shida hit a springboard Crossbody but Deeb rolled through and applied a Heel Hook but Hikaru quickly reached the ropes to break the hold. Deeb sent Shida to the corner and hit her with an uppercut as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, Shida was in control and connected with a Suplex for a near fall. Serena connected with a Powerbomb for a two count and then some knee strikes. Deeb applied a submission hold in the middle of the ring but Shida was able to get to the bottom rope to break it up.
Deeb connected with two swinging Neckbreakers and went for a third but Shida countered into a Falcon Arrow. Deeb kicked out and locked in a Half Crab in the middle of the ring. Shida broke free and Serena beat her down. Serena took the turnbuckle pad off the top rope but it instantly backfired. Shida booted Deeb to the corner and Serena hit her face off the exposed turnbuckle. Hikaru then rolled her up for the win.
MJF Won The Dynamite Diamond Ring For The Third Time
MJF faced Dante Martin in the main event for the Dynamite Diamond Ring. MJF blasted the Texas crowd before the match and said “hey Texas, your daughter swallows”. MJF mocked CM Punk for resorting to making fun of local sports teams to get a reaction last week. Maxwell said CM Punk is the new Ryback because he is undefeated against mediocre opponents. MJF added that he is the only younger talent that matters and Dante Martin has the charisma of Hellen Keler. Maxwell closed the promo by saying he doesn’t claim to be the Best in the World, he just is.
Dante controlled the match early and leveled MJF with a Dropkick. Dante flipped onto MJF and went for the cover but Maxwell kicked out at two. MJF rolled out of the ring to regroup and then got out of the way as Dante set up for a dive. Dante was frustrated and chased after MJF. Max went for an attack as Dante got into the ring but Dante was ready for it. Dante booted MJF and climbed to the top rope but it backfired. MJF shoved Martin off the top rope and into the barricade surrounding the ring. MJF bashed Dante into the barricade again and started shouting at a fan giving him the middle finger as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, MJF hit a Powerbomb and tried to use the ropes for leverage during the cover but the referee caught him. Dante sent MJF to the outside and barely connected with a Shooting Star Press. MJF connected with the headlock takeover but Dante escaped. Dante hit a headlock takeover of his own and both men traded pinfall attempts. MJF hit a big Powerbomb and went for the cover but Dante kicked out at two.
Back in the ring, Dante hit a springboard Moonsault and went for the cover but Ricky Starks showed up. Starks put MJF’s foot on the rope to break up the cover. MJF applied the Salt of the Earth Armbar for the submission victory. MJF has won the Dynamite Diamond for a third time.
The lights went out as MJF was celebrating with FTR. Sting & Darby Allin showed up and a brawl broke out. MJF hit Sting with a low blow and then beat down Darby Allin with Cash Wheeler. CM Punk ran down to the ring with baseball bat and MJF & FTR retreated out of the ring. CM Punk announced a Trios Match (Sting, Darby, CM Punk) against MJF & FTR next week to close the show.
The highly anticipated match between Bryan Danielson and Adam Page took place on the special Winter is Coming episode of AEW Dynamite on Wednesday night as “Hangman” made his first title defense as AEW World Heavyweight Champion against the former WWE star.
The match from Garland, Texas at the Curtis Culwell Center opened the show and went to an-hour draw, which means Page retained the title and this leads to the possibility of a rematch happening.
Danielson dominated the early parts of the match before Page made a comeback including a moonsault off the top rope to the floor. Page got busted open after being sent into the ring post. Page did take a dive from the top rope through a table on the floor.
Page won the AEW World Championship from Kenny Omega at the Full Gear pay-per-view on November 13 while at the same event, Danielson defeated Miro in the finals of an AEW World title eliminator tournament. Because Danielson won this tournament, he earned a title match.
Page earned the shot at the title to make him champion by winning a Casino Ladder Match on Dynamite’s second anniversary episode on October 6th. At last year’s Winter is Coming, Omega defeated Jon Moxley to win the AEW World title and held it until losing to Page at Full Gear.
Danielson joined AEW in September after making the decision to not re-sign with WWE and he made his promotional debut at the All Out PPV event.
Wardlow knows that he won’t be by MJF’s side for eternity.
MJF has been relying on the assistance of Wardlow but he doesn’t always treat his bodyguard with respect. In fact, there have been numerous times where Wardlow appeared to be on the brink of snapping due to MJF’s passive-aggressive tone.
Nonetheless, Wardlow remains by MJF’s side. With that said, the leader of The Pinnacle would be wise to watch his back.
Is the Split Inevitable?
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Wardlow said that his relationship with MJF has always been solely business but the deal won’t stick around forever.
“MJF and I, we strictly have a business relationship,” said Wardlow. “That’s all it’s ever been, that’s all it ever will be.
“He pays me to make sure his jaw isn’t wired shut and thus far, his win record and the fact that he’s still talking his sh*t every week I think I’ve done pretty well at my job. However, that contract isn’t forever and the way he treats people, we’ll see what the future holds with that.”
“I will be the future CM Punk, the future Bryan Danielson…I’m gonna be above and beyond that, because look at me.”
– Wardlow
Working Hard to be Wardlow
Wardlow (Photo: AEW)
Wardlow is undoubtedly in tremendous shape. He admitted that maintaining his physique is no easy task.
“It’s a full-time job. It truly is the hardest part of this job is dieting and maintaining this type of shape. You have to cook your meals and you have to pack them with you and you have to travel with meals.”
“If it’s time to eat in the middle of a flight, sorry everyone around me I’m opening up a container full of rice and ground beef or bison or salmon and everybody’s gotta deal with it cause it’s time to eat. You have to do what you have to do.”
Katsuyori Shibata is set to end his in-ring hiatus.
Shibata suffered a life-threatening injury back in April 2017. He took on Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship at Sakura Genesis. The match was a classic but Shibata injured himself after connecting with a headbutt.
Okada won the match and Shibata ended up collapsing backstage. He was rushed to the hospital and needed to undergo emergency surgery for a subdural hematoma. It’s believed that an accumulation of headbutts, which Shibata had used as a signature, was the culprit.
Katsuyori Shibata Returns At Wrestle Kingdom 16
Katsuyori Shibata has been trying to make an in-ring comeback and he will get his wish on Jan. 4, 2022. On the final day of the World Tag League and Best of the Super Juniors, Shibata announced that he will wrestle on night one of Wrestle Kingdom 16.
It looked as if Shibata would never wrestle again but he has tested the waters since his head injury. Back in summer 2019, Shibata attacked KENTA for turning on his LA Dojo young lions.
He even took bumps from the Bullet Club members but nothing was aimed at his head.
Shibata then shocked the wrestling world on the final day of the G1 Climax 31 tournament. He had a surprise UWF rules exhibition grappling match with Zack Sabre Jr. The match went to a five-minute draw.
