For the first time since his company parted ways with Cody and Brandi Rhodes, AEW head Tony Khan addressed the situation during his weekly appearance on Busted Open Radio Friday.
Khan said his statement made Tuesday was “from the heart and really positive. I meant it.”
“I wish them both really well. I appreciate everything they did here in their different roles in the company. It’s very sad and not something any of us wanted to happen,” he said.
He went on to say, “I believe that Cody has got something else in the works. I’m not sure about that, but we’ll see. I am sure they will have great opportunities in wrestling and in life. You never know what will happen in the future. I wish them the best and I’m appreciative of everything they did here.”
When asked about comments that have circulated surrounding the sentiment that some in the company were happy to see Brandi leave, Khan didn’t address them specifically but said that they have “classy people in the locker room” and that he wasn’t surprised that they rallied around her on social media and for the company in general Wednesday.
The following are the results of the 42nd annual Wrestling Observer Newsletter readership awards, along with a listing of the previous winners in the various categories. On a worldwide basis, these are the most covered mainstream international pro wrestling awards. The awards are based on the time frame from January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. Readers are encouraged to send in their comments on the results.
What at one point felt highly unlikely will apparently become a reality as Cody Rhodes is reportedly returning to WWE after being an integral part of AEW since its 2019 launch.
Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso reported the news Wednesday, saying that “sources close to the situation have confirmed that his next destination will be back where his career started in WWE.”
There was no timeframe given, but the report speculated Rhodes could begin filming vignettes at the Performance Center as soon as this weekend.
Barrasso’s sources also said that Cody’s wife, Brandi, is not expected to join him in WWE. If that is the case, it’s unknown where her in-ring career would continue if she wants to pursue it.
Barrasso noted that while Rhodes’ May 2016 departure from WWE after a decade was due to creative differences with his portrayal and specifically the Stardust character, those issues “will be a non-factor in this return where he is expected to have a far different relationship with the writing team and (Vince) McMahon.”
Cody, Brandi and AEW head Tony Khan all released positive statements on Tuesday as part of the split, but as of now, no one has spoken publicly as to the specifics of why an executive vice president and founding member of the startup decided it was time to go.
The report pointed to a specific area of friction regarding Rhodes losing booking power over time:
“While Rhodes was never intended to overstay his welcome in the world title picture, one key factor that led to this exit was losing all responsibilities involving booking. That is a role where (Tony) Khan, who is the head of creative, has taken full rein. Originally, Rhodes was part of that process. As great as Dusty Rhodes was as a performer, his contributions as a booker are an integral part of his legacy. For Rhodes, AEW represented another chance to pay homage to his father as a booker while also further cementing his own legacy. Losing that opportunity in AEW hurt Rhodes more than any loss he suffered in the ring,” he wrote.
There was nothing in the story about Rhodes having a booking/creative role within WWE upon his return.
Dave Meltzer and I are back on Wrestling Observer Radio to talk about Cody and Brandi Rhodes leaving AEW. We answer a lot of listener questions.
Before we get to that story, Dave has a little bit more information on the possibility of Stone Cold Steve Austin wrestling at WrestleMania.
We talk about a little bit about why Cody’s option might not have been picked up, rumors of EVPs not getting along, how WWE would need to book him to maximize the opportunity if he goes there, and more.
It’s a brand new episode of We’re Live, Pal as Andrew Zarian and I are back to talk about two giant pro wrestling stories.
We spend the first 40 minutes of the show talking about Cody Rhodes’ exit from AEW before discussing the possibility of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin returning to the ring at WWE WrestleMania.
Enjoy the latest We’re Live, Pal in podcast form below or on YouTube above.
Cody and Brandi Rhodes, who were part of the original AEW crew along with The Young Bucks and Tony Khan, have left the promotion after failing to come to terms on a new contract.
Both had signed three-year deals that expired on December 31, 2021. Over the last six weeks, there had been negotiations for a new deal with both continuing to work in community relations and on television as if they were staying.
Cody, who was TNT Champion, missed a title defense due to a COVID-19 issue with the family, but returned to lose the title to interim champion Sammy Guevara in a unification ladder match, one of his two best singles matches he had during his AEW run, the other being a classic 2019 match against his brother Dustin. Brandi had just shot an angle with MMA fighter Paige VanZant.
Behind the scenes, both had major positions. Cody was an executive vice president, headed community relations, and was also partners with QT Marshall on the Nightmare Factory training school where he will remain part of.
Dustin, who is staying and has said he’s very happy in AEW, was also training wrestlers. Cody also has been part of two television shows: Rhodes to the Top — a TNT reality show about the couple which ended up with the timing of Brandi giving birth to their first child and Go-Big Show, a wacky and dangerous competition show on TBS where he is one of the judges and was the pitchman in the television commercials.
The latter is in its second season while a second season for Rhodes to the Top was agreed upon some months back. No formal announcement was made and the belief has been with the situation as it is that it will not be back.
Until the negotiations fell apart on Monday, most of the top people in AEW were not aware anything was up and figured both Cody and Brandi were staying. Several were surprised and didn’t know anything until the day of, but one person did tell us that he never thought it would happen when Rhodes’ contract expired. That person did actually know this was coming for a few weeks and categorized it as unhappiness, even though everyone said that the EVPs were getting along the best they have in a long time. They were working last week on projects for the future. One person close to the situation used the term “heartbroken,” but didn’t know the machinations of the split.
Both have kept quiet on the talks and haven’t spoken to anyone that we are aware of regarding the split or what led to it. Until the split, Cody had acknowledged working without a contract but gave the impression he expected a new deal. Brandi, who was the company’s chief brand officer, had just closed a partnership deal a week earlier with the American Heart Association. Cody had worked strongly with Amanda Huber in the community relations division.
As far as the story behind the story, there is a ton of speculation right now. What we do know is that as of Monday morning, lawyers were involved working out the split. With no contract, both could go to WWE immediately. In WWE, there was locker room talk that Cody was possibly coming in. Whether Brandi would come in and wrestle wasn’t known, but it was clear that she wanted to be a wrestler and made it clear that after giving birth, she wanted to return.
Khan had said in the past that he had options on all the key talent for 2022. Rhodes did have an option year, and possibly a two-year one, so it would have been Khan’s call not to exercise it.
While we don’t know if the Rhodes’ deals are different, the big key original deals with the Young Bucks and Chris Jericho were all for three years, meaning they would end this year, plus an option period. The Bucks and Jericho’s options were picked up and they are still with the company. Kenny Omega’s first deal was for four years. Jericho was the highest money deal in the company until CM Punk came in at what was believed to have been the same level of money.
If Cody and Brandi are leaving, the only logical place they could go is WWE, but could this be a carefully crafted Brian Pillman-esque work? It always could be because this is pro wrestling. While there had been times Cody had butted heads with others, those discussions, differences of opinions, and arguments are always part of numerous people having different ideas of what pro wrestling is.
At the end of the day, Khan made all the choices, approving all angles and choosing who wins and loses. But there was never a period where the EVPs weren’t talking. Although Omega and the Bucks were close personally and the relationship between the Bucks and Cody was more business, they always talked and, again, were said to be on their best terms of late.
Cody absolutely had great input, but his character was struggling. He had been getting booed at every show by a percentage of the audience, probably starting with his feud with Anthony Ogogo. Some believed he was running the company and blamed him for making the call not to put younger talent over when he beat Ogogo. It was not his call and it was the only call that could have been made at the time with Ogogo needing eye surgery. However, nobody was privy to that information.
Cody tried to make it a United States vs. United Kingdom program, which would also get Ogogo over as a UK star since he has some name value there for being an Olympic medal winning boxer. Cody channeled his father in a controversial promo that some loved but others criticized. It was the type of promo that his father thrived upon that Cody was doing, right down to saying for this match he would be “The American Dream,” but it wasn’t as great with a very different type of audience.
When Cody beat Ogogo in the match, stories came out that he was not putting younger talent over. The irony is that was actually one of his strengths as all the EVPs probably put people over too much in the early days because they wanted the perception of what Cody’s father had. MJF, Darby Allin, Brodie Lee, Malakai Black, and recently Guevara were all elevated by beating Cody. He made it clear from an early stipulation that that he would never challenge for the AEW World Championship after a loss to Chris Jericho in 2019, one he vowed not to break. The TNT title became his domain with three title runs.
But no matter what he did, Cody couldn’t shake the booing at live events. Some believed it was because fans thought he went Hollywood doing two other shows. He would do promos talking about how he helped build the company and would not go heel. But it was one of those things where, even when put across the ring from Dan Lambert who did the anti-AEW Jim Cornette gimmick, a percentage of the crowd would boo Cody. Those live always said it wasn’t the majority, but boos travel better than cheers so the perception was worse and it became the thing to do. The same thing happened to Brandi, although her last interview was weird because she insulted the local fans on purpose by getting the town wrong, but then had a verbal battle with Lambert, one of the biggest heels in the company.
From a perception standpoint, this would be the first major AEW star to leave for WWE if it happens. The question is whether Brandi would be brought in as a performer. Obviously it hadn’t looked good for WWE for the perception that all the talent moves were one way. In that sense, this would be a major move for WWE. Still, Cody would always be pushed as a top star in AEW and WWE never saw him as that when he was there before and he left to prove he could be a top star. Signing a big money deal would at least guarantee him being used better than his first run. But he did have far more creative freedom with both his promos and his matches in AEW than he would in WWE.
The surprising news comes as Cody is currently on two WarnerMedia-owned programs in Go Big Show and Rhodes to the Top, the latter being a reality show featuring the couple and behind-the-scenes happenings in AEW that was just picked up for a second season.
As of now, it’s unknown what the barriers were between the 36-year-old and Khan on getting a deal done. TMZ reported that their sources said there was a fallout between the two “as Khan’s visibility within the company grew.”
Speculation will now lead to whether Rhodes will return to WWE, the company he requested a release from in May 2016 and that he has been critical of since leaving.
On the most recent Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that there had been increased speculation from both locker rooms as to where Rhodes would land. He said that when the initial story broke about Rhodes being a free agent, he thought it was a minimal possibility Rhodes wouldn’t return to AEW but he wouldn’t say that as of last night.
Meltzer said Rhodes returning to WWE was “definitely something talked about…in certain circles about the potential of something happening.”
Rhodes’ AEW deal expired at the end of December and he even noted that he was working without a deal in a promo leading up to his TNT title unification bout with Sammy Guevara, quipping the match contract was not the one he was expecting to receive in the mail.
Rhodes was granted his request for a release by WWE in May 2016. He re-invented himself on the indies and then Ring of Honor, Impact and New Japan Pro Wrestling before founding AEW with Khan, Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and others.
He wrestled just once this year, losing to Guevara in that January 26th match. It was originally to take place earlier in January, but Rhodes had to pull out due to an undisclosed medical situation.
I love my brother #CodyRhodes. I love my sister in law @TheBrandiRhodes . Whatever they decide to do in life, I support 110%. I am sad that they are gone, but the fucking train keeps moving. 💙❤️#LFG
All Elite Wrestling’s flagship show Dynamite on TBS featured a lot of major news . Join on-air personality Denise Salcedo as she reviews the February 2nd edition of the show which includes the removal of an announced Brian Kendrick match, an unpopular segment, and CM Punk’s first loss on AEW. This is the perfect show for all AEW fans!
Former UFC star Paige VanZant appeared on tonight’s AEW Dynamite, confronting Brandi Rhodes.
Rhodes and Dan Lambert were in the ring when Lambert introduced VanZant, who immediately came to the ring and attacked Rhodes. The two had to be pulled apart by the AEW women’s locker room as the segment ended.
Rhodes has confronted Dan Lambert and Men of the Year (Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky) in recent weeks. On tonight’s Dynamite, she came out for a promo and was immediately confronted by Lambert. The two ended up hurling insults. Rhodes told Page that the only reason AEW was interested in him was because they wanted to get to Josh Alexander, and also brought up American Top Team’s recent losses. After another derogatory comment by Lambert, Rhodes slapped Lambert, leading to Lambert introducing VanZant.
VanZant, who finished her contract with the UFC in 2020, appeared several times in AEW last year as part of American Top Team’s feud with The Inner Circle.
Brandi Rhodes will look to remain undefeated in her AEW return on Monday on Dark: Elevation.
Rhodes will face Dark regular KiLynn King in the latter’s first AEW action since early-December. Rhodes is 4-0 since returning following the birth of her and Cody Rhodes’ first child.
A winner in his last three, Jay Lethal will look to continue his positive momentum as he faces Casey Carrington before his FTW title challenge this Friday on Rampage.
Likewise, Lance Archer is looking to keep things going ahead of his impending Texas Death Match challenge of AEW World Champion Hangman Page as he faces Chase Oliver. Archer has been unbeaten in a handful of matches since returning this month from injury.
Monday’s show will also see an interesting trios match featuring The Factory against Matt Sydal, Dante Martin and Lee Moriarty in addition to Thunder Rosa and Ruby Soho teaming up for the second straight week.
Here’s the seven-match lineup for Monday on YouTube:
Brandi Rhodes vs. KiLynn King
Jay Lethal vs. Casey Carrington
Anna Jay vs. Nikki Victory
Matt Sydal, Dante Martin and Lee Moriarty vs. QT Marshall, Aaron Solo and Nick Comoroto
Thunder Rosa and Ruby Soho vs. Megan Meyers and Joseline Navarro
It’s Monday and you know what that means: an eight-match AEW Dark: Elevation taped last Wednesday at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC. Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight and Mark Henry were on the call.
Leyla Hirsch defeated Brittany Blake
This was Blake’s debut. Hirsch (28-12) was rolling early, but Blake turned things around and had control until Hirsch countered a crossbody into a knee strike to end things.
Private Party (w/ Matt Hardy) defeated Action Andretti & Myles Hawkins
Private Party (27-17) isolated Hawkins and were on top until Andretti got a hot tag that was ended quickly. Marq Quen hit a shooting star press on Andretti to pick up the win.
For those interested, the commentary team once again explained Andrade’s 51% purchase of HFO, the faction name changing into AHFO and Matt Hardy remaining as CEO of the group. So, there you go.
Brandi Rhodes defeated Willow Nightingale
This was a good showcase for Nightingale who won the hearts of the crowd really quickly. Even still, Rhodes (14-3) won with a modified crossface.
Men of The Year (w/ Dan Lambert) defeated Logan Easton LaRoux & Mike Fowler
Scorpio Sky hit the TKO on LaRoux to win this squash. After the match, Lambert ordered Page to deliver Ego’s Edge to Fowler.
Red Velvet defeated Janai Kai
Kai’s gear paid homage to Bruce Lee’s iconic yellow/black jumpsuit from the movie Game of Death. Kai had a great showing, showcasing her Muay Thai-inspired kicks. Velvet (43-20) turned the tide with knee strikes and ended things with her new finisher (Just Desserts) for the win.
Ortiz & Santana defeated Breaux Keller & Goldy
This was the AEW debuts for both Keller and Goldy. They got in more offense than expected, but their advantage ended after Ortiz hit several clotheslines on Keller. Santana hit a devastating lariat on Keller to end the match and improve their record to 31-10. This was an important win ahead of their trios match with Chris Jericho against 2point0 and Daniel Garcia on Wednesday.
Ruby Soho & Thunder Rosa defeated Jordan Blade & Leva Bates
This was the AEW debut for Blade. Rosa won with the Peruvian necktie on Blade in a match that definitely took place.
Team Taz (Powerhouse Hobbs and FTW Champion Ricky Starks) defeated Lee Moriarty & Matt Sydal
Team Taz started out dominating thanks to Hobbs’ power. Starks and Hobbs isolated Moriarty for a while. Sydal got the hot tag and was able to turn things around, especially with his knee strikes and kicks. Sydal and Moriarty targeted Hobbs’ legs to slow him down, but it was not enough. Starks hit an assisted spear on Moriarty to pick up the win.
After the match, Starks cut a promo calling out Dante Martin. Martin came out and tried to clean house, but the numbers game was against him until Sydal and Moriarty evened the odds.
Final Thoughts:
Most matches served their goal of helping improve records for the AEW contracted stars. Both Kai and Nightingale had good showings and should definitely return for more matches. The main event between Team Taz vs. Sydal & Moriarty was the match of the night and worth giving it a watch.
Eight matches have been announced for Monday’s AEW Dark: Elevation.
Brandi Rhodes will face Willow Nightingale on the show. Rhodes enters the bout on a seven-match winning streak.
Ruby Soho and Thunder Rosa will team against Leva Bates and Jordan Blade in the second of four women’s division matches on the show. Red Velvet will face Janai Kai, plus Leyla Hirsch will take on Brittany Blake.
Men of the Year Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page will tag against Mike Fowler and Logan Laroux. Private Party’s Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy will face Action Andretti and Myles Hawkins in another tag match.
Santana and Ortiz of The Inner Circle will face Goldy and Breaux Keller. Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks vs. Matt Sydal and Lee Moriarty rounds out the card.
Dark: Elevation was taped on Wednesday, January 19 in Washington, DC. It airs Monday at 7 p.m. Eastern time on AEW’s YouTube channel.
Here is the lineup:
Brandi Rhodes vs. Willow Nightingale
Ruby Soho & Thunder Rosa vs. Leva Bates & Jordan Blade
Red Velvet vs. Janai Kai
Leyla Hirsch vs. Brittany Blake
Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page vs. Mike Fowler & Logan Laroux
Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy vs. Action Andretti & Myles Hawkins
Santana & Ortiz vs. Goldy & Breaux Keller
Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks vs. Matt Sydal & Lee Moriarty
It’s Tuesday and you know what that means: new AEW Dark matches.
Enjoy that fresh new match smell! Matches were taped at “AEW Universal” this past Friday in Orlando, Florida. Your hosts are Excalibur and Taz.
Lee Moriarty defeated Misterioso (4:59)
Moriarty has awesome entrance music while Misterioso is thicker than your typical luchador. Moriarty is very technically sound and this was a good showcase for him. He did a cool sequence that started with a headlock takeover and ended with a cradle for a near fall, later followed by an arm capture belly-to-belly suplex. Misterioso caught a double boot to the face going for a moonsault and Moriarty hit a face-first suplex to get the pinfall.
Lio Rush defeated Rayo (2:49)
On commentary, Taz buried Rush’s chances in the Dynamite Dozen rattle royal Wednesday while noting that Team Taz has a “125% chance” of winning. Everything Rush does is so fast and so crisp. He used the frog splash to get the victory.
Brandi Rhodes defeated Angelica Risk (3:47)
This was Rhodes’ first match back since late-2020. Risk turned her back on Rhodes and walked into a pump kick which led to a near fall. Both ladies pulled each other’s hair. Risk got on some kind of leglock, but Rhodes punched her way out of the hold and hit a superkick. She then hit an enziguri, a pop-up forearm and then tied up Risk for the submission.
This match definitely belonged on Dark.
Emi Sakura (w/ Mei Suruga) defeated Ryo Mizunami
Suruga interfered a few times throughout the bout, tripping Mizunami and attacking her on the floor. Sakura went for the Queen’s Gambit early on, but Mizunami backdropped her opponent and came back with chops. Mizunami hit a leg drop, a stiff lariat and a twisting uranage, but could not put her opponent away. Behind the referee’s back, Suruga hit Mizunami in the head with Sakura’s sceptre and Sakura pinned Mizunami with a La Magistral cradle to get the pinfall.
After the match, Suruga and Sakura attacked Mizunami, leading to Riho running in to make the save.
Anthony Ogogo (w/ QT Marshall) defeated Baron Black (5:13)
This was Ogogo’s first match since Double or Nothing. He went for the Olympic Slam, but Black slid down into a sunset flip for a near fall. Black hit an atomic drop, a backstabber and an exploder suplex out of the corner that got a one count. Black went for a Texas Cloverleaf, but Marshall distracted the ref and Ogogo raked Black’s eyes. Ogogo then hit the Olympic Slam and got the pinfall.
Shawn Spears and Wardlow defeated Jay Marte and Richard King
Wardlow offered up Marte a free headlock attempt which he took and then got killed. After flooring Marte with a clothesline, King got the tag. King at least got a few kicks in, but then went for a rana and Wardlow planted him with a power bomb. Wardlow power bombed King a few more times and then Marte when he tried to run in again. Spears tagged himself in and got the pin.
Fuego Del Sol defeated Luke Sampson (5:05)
Del Sol didn’t even get a pre-match graphic introducing his squash.
Sampson has long hair and is dressed like Kevin Nash, even aping some of his moveset like the elbows in the corner. He looked next to Del Sol. A half nelson slam got a near fall from Sampson. Del Sol escaped a suplex attempt and caught Sampson with a jumping neckbreaker. He came off the top with a tornado DDT followed by a double stomp to the back of Sampson’s head for the pinfall.
Sampson looked good in his AEW debut.
Team Taz (Dante Martin, Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks) (w/ Hook) defeated Kekoa, Omkar and JT Dunn
Martin is still getting a babyface reaction, despite being on the heel team. Martin hit the double jump moonsault on Dunn to get the pinfall.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Team Taz afterward. Starks did the talking, claiming that Team Taz has a “100% chance” of winning the battle royal tomorrow night which was down 25% from Taz’s earlier prediction. It didn’t take long for him to start running down Lio Rush. Rush came out to retort to say that when high stakes are on the line, Team Taz always comes up short. This was a good promo from Rush.
Thunder Rosa defeated Sofia Castillo
Castillo made her AEW debut in this loss. Rosa looked impressive and was never really in trouble. Rosa hit a running dropkick in the corner and a death valley driver, followed by the submission with the Peruvian Necktie.
After the match, Schiavone interviewed Rosa and when she mentioned Jade Cargill. Mark Sterling came out. Sterling started questioning Rosa in a lawyerly fashion in a segment that felt like it belonged on Raw. With Sterling distracting Rosa, Cargill ran in and hit her with a pump kick. This made me less interested in their match.
John Silver (w/ -1) defeated Aaron Solo (5:32)
This was a nice showcase for Silver ahead of arguably the biggest singles match of his career tomorrow night on Dynamite.
Silver gorilla pressed Solo and dropped him on the top rope in an ugly way. Solo came back with a vertical suplex and worked over Silver in the corner with chops and threatened that -1 was next. A double stomp got him a near fall.
Solo walked into a boot after mocking Silver’s muscle pose. He went for a rana, but Silver countered into a sit-out power bomb for a near fall. Silver won an exchange of forearms and caught Solo with kicks to the chest. After a pump kick to the back of the head, Silver hit the Spin Doctor (helicopter slam) to get the pinfall.
After the match, Schiavone interviewed Silver and -1 about his match with Bryan Danielson on Dynamite. Johnny is “hungee” for some vegan meat in the form of Bryan Danielson.
Final Thoughts:
There was nothing really worth going out of your way to see here.
The following are AEW Dark spoilers from Friday’s double session of tapings at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Session 1
Lee Moriarty defeated Misterioso. They later did a reshoot of both of their entrances and then played rock/paper/scissors which Moriarty won.
Brandi Rhodes defeated Angelica Risk
Red Velvet defeated Jordan Blu
Lio Rush defeated Rayo
Emi Sakura (w/ Mei Suruga) defeated Ryo Mizunami. Post-match, Riho made the save after a two-on-one attack on Mizunami.
Anthony Ogogo (w/ The Factory) defeated Baron Black
Shawn Spears and Wardlow defeated Jay Marte and Richard King
Fuego Del Sol defeated Luke Sampson
Team Taz (Ricky Starks, Powerhouse Hobbs and Dante Martin) (w/ Hook) defeated The Bollywood Icon, Kekoa and JT Dunn. In a post-match interview, Team Taz and Tony Schiavone were interrupted by Lio Rush who said no member of Team Taz will win the Dynamite Diamond ring.
Thunder Rosa defeated Sofia Castillo. Post-match, Rosa’s interview with Schiavone was interrupted by Mark Sterling who said Jade Cargill wasn’t there because she’s doing rich people things. Rosa and Sterling went back and forth to build up the TNT title tournament match until Jade snuck in and laid her out.
John Silver defeated Aaron Solo. In a post-match interview with Schiavone, Silver said he’s going to beat Bryan Danielson.
Kiera Hogan defeated Shalonce Royal
Diamante defeated Shawna Reed
Nick Comoroto defeated Dean Fleming
Riho and Ryo Mizunami defeated Emi Sakura and Mei Suruga
Kris Statlander defeated Marina Shafir
Arjun Singh defeated Tony Vincita
Jade Cargill (w/ Mark Sterling) defeated Valentina Rossi
Angelico defeated Invictus Khash
Tay Conti (w/ -1 and Anna Jay) defeated Heather Monroe
Brock Anderson and Lee Johnson (w/ Arn Anderson) defeated Tony Donati and Faboo Andre. Post-match, Colten and Austin Gunn interrupted and challenged Anderson and Johnson.
Chuck Taylor (w/ Wheeler Yuta) defeated Ryan Nemeth (w/ Cezar Bononi and Peter Avalon)
There were also a pair of Cody Rhodes appearances telling dad jokes.
Session 2
2point0 and Daniel Garcia defeated Dark Order’s Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno and Colt Cabana
Julia Hart defeated Xtina Kay. Post-match, QT Marshall and The Factory asked her to join The Factory. Varsity Blonds ran in and a scuffle broke out.
Shawn Spears defeated Josh Woods (current ROH Pure Champion)
Nyla Rose defeated Zeda Zhang
Gunn Club (Austin and Colten) defeated Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson (w/ Arn Anderson)
Brandi Rhodes defeated Robyn Renegade
Eddie Kingston defeated Colin Delaney
Penelope Ford defeated Willow Nightingale
Jorah Johl defeated Julius Coleman
Isiah Kassidy defeated Carlie Bravo
Abadon defeated Charlette Renegade
Shawn Dean defeated Lucas Chase. Post-match, Marshall was back out and attempting to recruit Dean to The Factory and was turned down.
Bear Country defeated Zack Clayton and Mike Orlando. Post-match, Bear Country said they wanted more competition. The Acclaimed then challenged them for the next show.
10 (w/ -1) defeated Leroy Patterson (w/ Howdy Price). This match was absurd. Patterson ended up in his underwear as Vance destroyed him. Post-match, -1 took Price’s cowboy hat and rode him like a horse. Tony Khan, from the stage, gave this one five stars.
Varsity Blonds defeated QT Marshall and Nick Comoroto
Matt Sydal defeated Serpentico (w/ Luther)
Red Velvet defeated La Rosa Negra
Anna Jay (w/ Tay Conti) defeated Reka Tehaka
The Blade (w/ The Bunny) defeated Toa Liona
Wardlow destroyed Casanova
Tony Nese defeated Anthony Greene
The Bunny (w/ The Blade) defeated KiLynn King
The Acclaimed defeated Bear Country
Skye Blue defeated Ashley D’Amboise
Orange Cassidy and Wheeler Yuta defeated Cezar Bononi and Peter Avalon
Joey Janela (w/ Kayla Rossi) defeated Sonny Kiss in a no DQ match that saw Janela bleed and do a piledriver off the stage through a table.
Brandi Rhodes returned to in-ring action at Friday’s AEW Dark tapings at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Rhodes wrestled Angelica Risk on the first set of tapings and Robyn Renegade on the second set.
It was her first in-ring action since October 22, 2020, when she and Red Velvet teamed up to defeat Elayna Black (Cora Jade in WWE) and Leyla Hirsch in a tag team match.
Rhodes had been out of action due to her pregnancy. She gave birth to a girl, Liberty Iris Runnels, on June 18 of this year. Episodes of Rhodes to the Top, the reality show that starred both Brandi and Cody Rhodes, documented the birth and Brandi’s desire to return to in-ring action.
Appearing sporadically on AEW television since giving birth, Brandi appeared on this week’s episode of Dynamite, helping out Cody in the finish to his Atlanta Street Fight match against Andrade El Idolo. She entered the ring as a fan and lit a nearby table on fire as Cody attempted a superplex on Andrade. He was successful, hitting the superplex through the table that eventually led to the win.
