Author: Josh Nason

Since 2011, Josh has been a contributing editor to Wrestling Observer/F4WOnline.com and also hosts the Punch-Out podcast. He has also written for Fight Magazine, Bloody Elbow, Bleacher Report, and other websites. He's a 2000 graduate of the University of Maine, worked in pro sports, and once was an indie ring announcer.

AEW updates on Lance Archer, Matt Hardy & Kenny Omega injury

Posted on by Josh Nason

This story was updated and corrected at 10:30 AM Eastern.

Following Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite, a big question was why the promotional debut of Lance Archer didn’t happen as planned.

According to our Dave Meltzer on Thursday’s Wrestling Observer Radio (subscription needed), it was a creative change in the last week that resulted in the non-appearance. Meltzer didn’t know if it was related to Jake Roberts’ debut and Archer perhaps being his mystery client. 

Meltzer also discussed Matt Hardy and his future with AEW following Hardy’s video featuring the Young Bucks that came out Wednesday.

Meltzer had said Hardy was pulled from Saturday’s The Big Event wrestling convention in New York City and replaced with Terry Funk due to Hardy’s possible signing with AEW. However, RF Video (one of the event vendors) has reached out this morning to indicate Hardy will indeed be at The Big Event this weekend as their guest and that Funk was booked the entire time. According to them, he was never pulled. Hardy himself confirmed his appearance there on Twitter.

On the timing of debuts, Meltzer “strongly presumes” Brodie Lee is heading to AEW, so he expects the company to spread out the debuts instead of having them all on one night.

Following the AEW tag title match from Revolution, Kenny Omega has a broken pinkie that will not require surgery, but he does need a cast. Meltzer said he expects Omega to work with the cast, but he’s not sure when Omega will return. He didn’t believe Omega was in attendance last night.

Nick Jackson is at home as he and his wife await the birth of their third child. He’s not expected on Dynamite until then as none of the four participants were scheduled to work matches last night.

Three matches, Blood & Guts rules set for next week’s AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

Several of AEW’s top stars will get back into action on next Wednesday’s Dynamite from Salt Lake City, Utah’s Maverik Center.

Following his loss to rival MJF at Revolution, Cody Rhodes will take on Ortiz of the Inner Circle. During a skirmish following Jake Hager’s submission Wednesday over QT Marshall, Ortiz hit Rhodes with a chair to the back.

Also announced was the debut match of Death Triangle, the new trio of PAC, Pentagon Jr., and Ray Fenix. Following PAC’s Wednesday win over Chuck Taylor, the Lucha Bros ran out to jump Orange Cassidy and Trent as they were confronting PAC and the three heels did a promo announcing their union. Their opponents weren’t announced.

Another six-man tag team match will feature MJF teaming with The Butcher & The Blade to take on all three members of Jurassic Express. MJF is coming off the aforementioned win over Cody and did a promo on the Wednesday show saying his goal is to become the no. 1 contender for the AEW title.

Finally, the rules for the “Blood & Guts” edition of Dynamite on March 25th in Newark, NJ, will be announced. The concept was announced during Revolution and is expected to be a War Games-style match.

WWE moving ahead with WrestleMania despite coronavirus concerns

Posted on by Josh Nason

Despite the coronavirus and concerns around it affecting business, sports, and entertainment events around the world, WWE announced Wednesday they are moving ahead with this year’s WrestleMania 36 in Tampa, FL.

“The health and safety of our fans, performers and employees are our top priorities and we are monitoring the situation closely with our partners and government officials in Tampa Bay. We remain committed to hosting WrestleMania at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, April 5, and like other entertainment properties in the U.S., there are currently no plans to cancel or postpone our upcoming events.”

The cancellation of major spectator events hasn’t hit the United States with cancellations or postponements even as new cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to pop up daily including several cases in the Tampa Bay area. Major League Baseball said they have no plans to cancel or postpone games while the NBA and NHL have continued their seasons without issue.

The main concern is with travelers coming from around the world to the WWE’s biggest annual event plus all of the additional events throughout the week. As of this writing, there have been 80 reported cases of COVID-19 in the United States with nine deaths. 24 of those are travel related. More than 95,000 people worldwide have been affected with 3264 deaths, nearly all in mainland China.

When asked last Thursday about how the virus could affect WrestleMania, Stephanie McMahon had a similar response to the aforementioned statement, telling the Tampa Bay Times that, “The health and safety of not only our fan base, but also our superstars, really does come first. We don’t want to put anyone in a bad situation ever, regardless of the circumstance. Those are not risks worth taking.”

Recently, both New Japan Pro Wrestling and Stardom canceled the majority of their March slate due to the virus. 

Matt Hardy video features Young Bucks, teases AEW deal

Posted on by Josh Nason

At the end of this week’s Being The Elite, Matt Jackson got a call from a North Carolina area code, sending he and brother Nick to go see the caller instead of going home following Saturday’s Revolution.

In the final scene of Matt Hardy’s Free The Delete series, the answer as to who was the caller was revealed as the Young Bucks pulled up to Hardy’s house. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj3nstTudDo

Shown from the other end of the call, Hardy said the two were the only ones able to pull “Zenith” from his body along with imagery of Hardy burying the past and recovering from his mid-February attack at the hands of Randy Orton. He wrote down “Bring Damascus to life” among other things as a way to “get his affairs in order”. Hardy is shown looking sadly at a dug grave while holding a wooden cross that says ‘Zenith’ as the Bucks roll up. Hardy says, “Bucks of Youth, I knew you’d come” to close the video.

As of this time, there is no word if he has officially signed with AEW, but the video obviously nods in that direction. 

There has been heavy speculation the 45-year-old would be revealed as The Exalted One as part of AEW’s Dark Order storyline, especially after Christopher Daniels appeared to shed the speculation it was him this past Saturday at Revolution. Hardy and brother Jeff worked with the Bucks in 2014 for Northeast Wrestling and for Ring of Honor in two 2017 matches.

Hardy returned to WWE with Jeff in at 2017’s WrestleMania as a surprise entrant into a Raw Tag Team Championship ladder match, winning the titles. Injuries relegated Hardy to a part-time player over the past year before he returned to challenge Orton as part of the Edge injury storyline. 

Earlier this week, WWE issued a statement wishing Hardy the best in his future endeavors as his contract expired on March 1st. Jeff remains with WWE.

PAC-Taylor, Swole-Bates added to Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

This story was updated at 12 PM Eastern.

Orange Cassidy’s teammate will attempt to get revenge against PAC on his behalf as Chuck Taylor will face “The Bastard” on tonight’s edition of AEW Dynamite from Denver, CO.

PAC will be looking for his second straight win after submitting Cassidy on last Saturday’s Revolution pay-per-view. The win snapped a two-match losing streak (Kenny Omega IronMan match, Jon Moxley no. 1 contender’s match).

This will be the first singles action for “The Kentucky Gentleman” since signing with AEW and his first singles match since a January 4th three-way for F1RST Wrestling in Minneapolis, MN. He was last in action teaming with Best Friends partner Trent in a winning effort over The Butcher & The Blade on last week’s Dynamite.

AEW also announced that Big Swole will face Leva Bates in women’s action. Swole is coming off a loss in a four-way on last week’s Dynamite while Bates has been out of action since the December 4th Dynamite when she lost to Nyla Rose in 96 seconds.

Tonight’s Dynamite will also feature a tag team match between new AEW World Champion Moxley and Darby Allin vs. former champion Chris Jericho and the promotional debut of Lance Archer against a yet-to-be named opponent.

Moxley/Allin vs. Jericho/Guevara announced for AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

The post-Revolution edition of AEW Dynamite will feature a tag match involving four of the standouts from Saturday’s pay-per-view.

Announced Tuesday on social media, new AEW World Champion Jon Moxley will team with Darby Allin to face former champion Chris Jericho and Inner Circle stablemate Sammy Guevara.

Moxley pinned Jericho in the main event to win the AEW title, revealing his previously injured right eye was all healed up to thwart his rival. Allin defeated Guevara in a wild, spot-filled match earlier in the night. 

Allin faced and lost to Jericho in a World title match on the third episode of Dynamite last October while Moxley pinned Guevara on the January 15th Bash at the Beach Dynamite.

AEW’s Denver, CO, debut will also feature the promotional debut of NJPW star Lance Archer who recently signed a multi-year deal. Past that and the tag match, nothing else has been announced including Archer’s opponent.

Lita, Gail Kim & Christy Hemme raising money for ‘Kayfabe’ pilot

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: Kayfabe

Three former wrestlers launched a Kickstarter Monday in hopes of producing a pilot.

Amy “Lita” Dumas, Gail Kim, and Christy Hemme are the trio pushing Kayfabe, a one hour show they say is half story, half in-ring action.

From the Kickstarter: “It is an edgy, racy, cinematic television series about a female led professional wrestling start-up. This show is a dramatization and collection of female stories inspired by real life events.”

In the nearly five minute video for the pitch, the three introduced the concept and the crew behind it which include former WWE writer Tom Casiello, former WWE/Impact production team member David Sahadi, Jimmy Jacobs, and Chavo Guerrero.

The video also includes what best can be described as trailer-style footage showing a female fan being disenchanted with the wrestling business amid images of #MeToo articles plastered on a wall. The accompanying voiceover is that she doesn’t trust the business or how it’s run so she’s going to take matters in her own hands.

They are looking to raise $400,000 in 36 days with stretch goals of up to $4.6 million to produce a full eight episode season.

Season 2 of Viceland’s ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ debuting in late-March

Posted on by Josh Nason

The second season of Viceland’s ‘Dark Side of The Ring’ docuseries focusing on some of the seedier and infamous stories throughout the history of pro wrestling is going to return in late-March.

The news was first reported by PWInsider and confirmed independently with sources close to the show. There is no exact date for the season kickoff as of this point.

While season one featured six episodes, season two will be ten episodes with nine subjects meaning one will be two hours instead of their customary one. Some of the topics confirmed include:

  • The Chris Benoit story (expected to be the two hour focus)(
  • Brawl For All
  • The life and times of Dino Bravo
  • New Jack
  • Herb Abrams, founder of the UWF
  • The life and times of Owen Hart

The season two renewal was announced last summer as the series did very well for the Viceland channel, setting their record for the highest viewed premiere in their three year history. 

Season one featured the Montreal Screwjob, the bizarre relationship between Randy Savage and Elizabeth, the Fabulous Moolah, the life and times of Bruiser Brody, the life and times of Gino Hernandez, and the legacy and tragedy of the Von Erich family.

Here is my 2019 interview with series co-creator and producer Evan Husney about the creation of the series.

Jon Moxley defeats Chris Jericho for World title at AEW Revolution

Posted on by Josh Nason

Six months after crowning their first-ever AEW World Champion, they officially have their second as Jon Moxley pinned Chris Jericho at AEW Revolution Saturday in Chicago, IL, to win the title.

The match was the culmination of a feud that started on the Dynamite after November’s Full Gear pay-per-view. It was a wild and bloody brawl with the two fighting inside and outside the ring. Moxley bled from behind his eye patch and bit Jericho’s stitches that were earned on last Wednesday’s Dynamite courtesy of a Moxley headbutt.

The challenger took his share of abuse, getting powerbombed through a ringside table among other attacks, nearly hitting the back of his head on the bell for good measure. He also got beat up by The Inner Circle who were eventually ejected from ringside after loads of interference.

The finish came when Moxley ducked a Judas Effect and hit a Paragdim Shift, then revealing that his right eye was recovered by taking off his eye patch. He then hit a second Paradigm Shift for the pin and win.

For the full match recap and the night’s events, check out Ethan Renner’s live coverage.

This isn’t the first world title for the 34-year-old, who signed with AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling last year following a long stint in WWE. He held the WWE Championship for just under three months in 2016 before losing it to AJ Styles.

This was the fourth title defense for the 49-year-old Jericho after wins over Darby Allin, Scorpio Sky, and Cody Rhodes. He became the inaugural titleholder at All Out on August 31st with a win over Hangman Page.

With the Moxley win, all three AEW championships have changed hands once since the company’s inception. 

UFC still without flyweight champion after Figueiredo KO win

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: Zuffa/Josh Hedges/Getty

The MMA scales of justice were not on Joseph Benavidez’s side Saturday in Norfolk, VA, as he failed in his third attempt to wear UFC flyweight gold in a second round knockout loss to Deiveson Figueiredo.

The problem: Figueiredo didn’t walk out with the title either as he was ineligible to win the vacant strap because he missed weight by 2.5 pounds Friday. Therefore, the UFC is without a flyweight champion for the foreseeable future.

Figueiredo had Benavidez in trouble in the first, forcing him to fight off two armbar attempts. He looked unfazed by Benavidez’s strikes, pursuing his challenger around the cage and landing punches of his own. 

The end came in the second round when Benavidez led in with his head (something the announce team noted earlier in the fight) and clashed heads with Figueiredo, opening up a bad cut over his left eye. As he tried to recover, Figueiredo hit a straight right to the mouth that floored Benavidez, followed by some equally hard hammer fists for the TKO finish with 1:54 left in the round.

Figueiredo told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in a post-fight interview that he considers himself the champion because he won the fight. In his in-cage interview with Michael Bisping, neither Figueiredo or his team were subdued in their celebration despite the lack of winning the title.

The UFC stripped Henry Cejudo, also the company’s bantamweight champion, of the flyweight championship in order to move both divisions forward. Cejudo is scheduled to defend his title against Jose Aldo later this year. Unfortunately, UFC doesn’t have a lot of options for one of its most beleaguered divisions.

Should they give Figueiredo another opportunity, which seems likely even with the weight cut blunder, they could go with Jussier Formiga as a challenger even though he is coming off a loss to Benavidez. He did beat Figueiredo prior to that, however. Other options are coming off a single win, so there is no clear cut pecking order or star name.

John Cena accepts The Fiend’s challenge for WWE WrestleMania 36

Posted on by Josh Nason

Even “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt got in on sign-pointing season Friday night, offering a WrestleMania challenge to John Cena that was accepted with a hat tip and a hand wave.

In the closing minutes of SmackDown, Cena had just wrapped a promo essentially announcing his retirement in front of his hometown fans in Boston, MA. He was on the top of the ramp doing a military salute when the lights went out with the Fiend’s accompanying sound effects. 

He then appeared behind Cena and simply pointed to the Mania sign. Cena looked at the fans and turned back to Wyatt and tipped his cap, giving the “You can’t see me” hand wave. The lights then went out again to close the show.

Wyatt is coming off a widely-panned Universal title loss to Bill Goldberg at Thursday’s Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia. To that end, Goldberg accepted Roman Reigns’ title challenge on SmackDown, setting up their Mania match.

This was Cena’s first appearance on WWE TV since last summer and WrestleMania will be his first match since January 2019 where he lost in a no. 1 contender’s four way on Raw.

3-on-1 Intercontinental title match added to WWE Elimination Chamber

Posted on by Josh Nason

More than a month after he won his first WWE Intercontinental title, Braun Strowman will defend his title against the man he won it from as well as his two stablemates.

On Friday’s SmackDown during a contract signing segment for a one-on-one Elimination Chamber match between Strowman and former champion Shinsuke Nakamura, Strowman said in passing that he would be fighting all three men anyway. Zayn picked up on that line and forced Strowman’s hand into a three-on-one match.

Strowman agreed and went on the attack, only to be beat down by the trio and eventually suplexed through a table.

Strowman defeated Nakamura for the I-C belt on the Friday, January 31st edition of SmackDown, ending a 201-day run as champion for the Japanese star.

Elimination Chamber will be on Sunday, March 8th from Philadelphia, PA, with the card still taking shape. Thus far, a women’s Chamber match featuring Natalya, Liv Morgan, Shayna Baszler, Asuka, Ruby Riott, and Sarah Logan will be for a show at Becky Lynch’s Raw title is official with the I-C title match as the only other official match as of now.

UFC flyweight title fight undergoes change due to missed weight

Posted on by Josh Nason

Saturday’s UFC main event for the vacant flyweight title in Norfolk, VA, has undergone a change the day before the fight.

Due to missing the 125 pound limit by 2.5 pounds, Deiveson Figueiredo is ineligible to win the title and was also fined 30% of his purse. That means only Joseph Benavidez, who made weight, can take the championship with a victory.

The Brazilian was given an hour to cut the weight, but declined to do so. MMA Fighting noted that while this is his first time missing weight in the UFC, he has made 125 pounds just once in seven fights, using the extra pound allowance for non-title fights the other six times.

The title will officially be vacated by Henry Cejudo Saturday once the fight starts. Cejudo is also the UFC bantamweight champion and will defend against Jose Aldo later this year after a year of inactivity due to injuries. He defeated Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight belt in August 2018, defending it against TJ Dillashaw last January, before besting Marlon Moraes in March for the vacant bantamweight title.

This will be Benavidez’s third attempt at winning the flyweight title.

Chris Jericho gets seven stitches following AEW Dynamite brawl

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite ended with a big brawl between members of the Inner Circle and their opponents for Saturday’s Revolution pay-per-view in Chicago, IL, one that left the company’s figurehead needing to visit the doctor.

During the weigh-in segment for their AEW World title match, Jon Moxley headbutted champion Chris Jericho before the latter could get on the scale. It caught Jericho right between the eyes, opening up a cut that needed seven stitches to close.

The two will finally clash in the ring Saturday, finishing a build that began following the November Full Gear PPV and one that has seen many twists and turns including Moxley getting his eye stabbed with a spike from Jericho’s jacket, an expensive car being stolen, and lots of brawls.

The full card for Revolution is as follows:

– AEW World Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley
– AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose vs. Kris Statlander
– AEW Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Young Bucks
– Cody vs. MJF
– Jake Hager vs. Dustin Rhodes
– Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin
– PAC vs. Orange Cassidy

Also, The Dark Order alluded to a confrontation with SCU regarding The Exalted One, but it’s unclear whether it’s a match or a segment on the show.

AEW Dynamite video highlights: Omega vs. PAC iron man match

Posted on by Josh Nason

Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite saw the rubber match between rivals Kenny Omega and PAC play out over a 30-minute Ironman match as well as a weigh-in for Saturday’s Chris Jericho-Jon Moxley World title match that ended in chaos.

The show also featured Jurassic Express vs. Santana, Ortiz, and Sammy Guevara in six-man tag action, The Butcher & The Blade vs. Best Friends, Orange Cassidy challenging PAC to a match at Revolution, and a four-way women’s match.

More coverage from last night’s Wednesday Night Wars:

AEW Dynamite video highlights —

Omega vs. PAC IronMan match highlights

Jurassic Express vs. The Inner Circle

Omega/Hangman Page-Young Bucks interview segment

Orange Cassidy vs. PAC set for Revolution

Women’s four-way highlights

Best Friends vs. Butcher/Blade highlights

Jericho-Moxley weigh-ins gets out of control