A dog collar match for the TNT Championship is on for next week’s Dynamite.
Cody responded to Mr. Brodie Lee in an in-ring interview on last night’s show. The two then had a massive pull-apart.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley successfully defended his title in the main event of the show, defeating The Butcher.
FTR retained their AEW World Tag Team titles in the first title match of the evening, using underhanded tactics to defeat the SCU duo of Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky.
Dr. Britt Baker made her in-ring return on Dynamite, defeating Red Velvet.
Ricky Starks came up short in the show’s opener, as Darby Allin was able to walk away with a victory.
After losing to Lee in a TNT Championship match last week, Orange Cassidy got some measure of revenge by defeating 10 from The Dark Order.
For more of what you missed, including Chris Jericho vs. Isiah Kassidy, scroll down.
Cody did his first promo since his return to AEW, accepting TNT Champion Mr. Brodie Lee’s challenge for a dog collar match for next week’s live Dynamite.
On Wednesday’s show, the former and inaugural TNT champion initially told Dasha Fuentes “no” and walked away, but came back into the ring and said, “No as in no regrets” and emphatically accepted in babyface fashion. This brought out Lee and the two got in a long pull-apart brawl that saw the locker room empty out to separate them.
That pull-apart included Brandi Rhodes who did a flip off the top rope onto the Dark Order on the outside of the ring which caused Anna Jay and she to then also be pulled apart.
Lee defeated Rhodes in minutes for the TNT title on Dynamite, putting Cody out of action in an injury angle as he filmed a show for TNT.
Other announced matches:
As part of the Chris Jericho 30th anniversary celebration, Le Champion will team with Inner Circle stablemate Jake Hager against the undefeated team of Chaos Project (Luther and Serpentico). The teams got in a brawl after Jericho’s win over Isiah Kassidy on this week’s Dynamite.
FTW Champion Brian Cage will defend the title against Will Hobbs. The two brawled after Hobbs came out to get rid of Cage when he tried to interfere in Wednesday’s Ricky Starks-Darby Allin match.
Cody returned to AEW Dynamite last night after a month-long absence.
The returning Cody attacked The Dark Order in his first in-person appearance on the show since the Brodie Lee-led faction sent him out on a stretcher on the August 22 Dynamite.
Lee retained the TNT title in a match with Orange Cassidy before Cody’s return, then challenged Cody to a dog collar match.
In the show’s main event, Jon Moxley retained the AEW World title with a win over Eddie Kingston. Moxley used a bulldog choke to secure the victory, though Kingston never tapped out.
Miro made his AEW in-ring debut, teaming with Kip Sabian in a victory over Joey Janela & Sonny Kiss.
Hikaru Shida & Thunder Rosa teamed up to defeat Ivelisse & Diamante in a tag match.
Matt Hardy and Private Party had a promo battle to set up Jericho vs. Isiah Kassidy on next week’s Dynamite.
For more of what you missed, including Hangman Page vs. Evil Uno, scroll down.
After a six week absence, Cody is back in AEW with a new look and a challenge he has to determine whether to accept.
Following TNT Champion Brodie Lee’s win over Orange Cassidy on Wednesday’s Dynamite, Cody’s music hit and out he walked, now with black hair. He came to the ring and laid out both John Silver and Alan “5” Angels, putting the figure four on Angels. He did no promo afterward.
The announce team played up that Cody, clad in nearly all black, seemed different and more sadistic in his approach.
Lee did a backstage promo on Cody afterward, criticizing him for staying away while Dustin Rhodes did the work for him and while his wife, Brandi, was posting “thirst trap” photos on Instagram. He then challenged Cody to a dog collar match, saying he has one week to answer his challenge.
This was Cody’s first appearance since Lee ran through him on the August 13th Dynamite for the TNT title, adding insult to injury by laying him out on the stage afterward, dumping pieces of the first TNT title all over him as members of the Nightmare Family were laid out all around him.
Cody will be a judge on a new TBS reality show, Go-Big Show.
After tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite ended, Cody appeared and mentioned that while he is currently out of action, he will be a part of a new talent competition. He threw it to host Bert Kreischer, who explained the premise of the show.
Go-Big Show will feature celebrity judges Snoop Dogg, Rosario Dawson, Jennifer Nettles and Cody judging the likes of monster trucks, alligator trainers, stunt archery, and other feats. It will also highlight behind-the-scenes stories from the challengers, whose aim is to impress the judges in head-to-head competition.
The show is taking place at the Macon Coliseum in Georgia, where strict COVID-19 safety protocols are taking place. The arena will remain empty, but will have a drive-in audience with spectators. The show will be produced by Propagate and Matador Content and will launch in 2021.
Cody has not been seen on AEW television since being laid out by Brodie Lee and the Dark Order on the August 22 episode of Dynamite.
Mr. Brodie Lee will celebrate his TNT title victory on Dynamite this Thursday.
AEW’s social media confirmed the segment this afternoon. It comes as Lee squashed Cody to win the championship on Dynamite this past Saturday, ending Cody’s 91 day reign with the championship.
The squash was brutal enough that Cody had to be stretchered out after the match. The rest of the Dark Order, however, blocked the medics from taking Cody to the backstage area. The show ended with the Dark Order taking out Cody, Arn Anderson, and the rest of the Nightmare Family, with Lee dumping remnants of the old TNT title on Cody.
Already announced for next week’s Dynamite include Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara, a tag team gauntlet match featuring The Natural Nightmares, Young Bucks, Best Friends, and FTR with the winners getting a AEW Tag Team title shot at All Out, Big Swole vs. Britt Baker, Rebel, and Penelope Ford in a handicap match, and a contract signing between MJF and Jon Moxley for their match at All Out.
Due to the NBA playoffs, Dynamite won’t air in its normal timeslot this week. Instead, it will air the following day, Thursday, at 8 p.m. EST.
AEW will give an update on Cody’s condition on the next Dynamite.
Their social media confirmed that an update will be given next next week following an attack that took place at the end of Saturday’s Dynamite.
Cody was set to defend the TNT title in the main event against Mr. Brodie Lee. Lee completely dominated the match, pinning Cody relatively quickly with the discus lariat to win the championship, ending Cody’s run with the title after 91 days.
Lee and the rest of the Dark Order eventually attacked Cody, preventing him from getting medical help. The rest of the Nightmare Family (Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall) were laid out as Lee attacked Cody with a satchel. Brandi Rhodes came out to shield her husband from further attack, but was choked out by The Dark Order’s Anna Jay.
Lee finished the assault by dumping the contents of the satchel on Cody: the remnants of the former TNT title.
Due to the NBA playoffs, This week’s episode of Dynamite will air on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.
Mr. Brodie Lee defeated Cody to win the TNT Championship in the main event of last night’s AEW Dynamite.
Lee beat Cody in what was essentially a squash match and his Dark Order faction left Cody’s Nightmare Family laying at the end of the show.
FTR continued their climb to the top of the tag team division with a win over Private Party in the show opener. FTR also revealed that they have aligned themselves with Tully Blanchard who accompanied them to ringside for the match.
Matt Hardy and Sammy Guevara’s feud continued last night. Hardy attacked Guevara with a chair, then sent him through a table. The two are scheduled to meet on Thursday’s Dynamite in a tables match.
MJF will challenge AEW World Champion Jon Moxley for the title at All Out on September 5, but last night MJF was in a neck brace and threatened legal action against Moxley unless Moxley agrees to not use the Paradigm Shift in their match.
The Elite trio of The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega defeated 3, 4 and 5 of The Dark Order, but the real story came after the match when Omega had to be pulled away from 5 by The Bucks for dishing out too much punishment.
Diamante and Ivelisse won the inaugural AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup tournament, scoring a victory over Brandi Rhodes and Allie.
Chris Jericho also challenged Orange Cassidy to a Mimosa Mayhem match at All Out, then had The Inner Circle beat down Cassidy and Best Friends.
For more of what you missed from last night, including Eddie Kingston forming an alliance, a Thunder Rosa promo and Ricky Starks attacking Darby Allin, scroll below.
Lee defeated Cody on tonight’s episode of Dynamite, pinning him with a discus lariat in a short match. Lee cut a promo putting over himself and the Dark Order as medics came to stretcher out Cody, who hadn’t moved since being pinned. Lee said that with the TNT title, he now had all of the power in AEW.
As Cody was being stretchered out on the ramp, he gave a thumbs up signal to say he was okay. The Dark Order then intercepted the medics, blocking their path to the backstage area. Arn Anderson, Cody’s manager, decided to fight back, but was quickly taken out.
The rest of the Dark Order arrived, dragging QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes out on stage. Lee laid out Cody with a loaded stachel. Brandi Rhodes came out to shield her husband from any further attack, but Anna Jay of the Dark Order choked her out.
The show ended with Lee dumping out the contents of the satchel, which was revealed to be the remnants of the old TNT championship.
Cody, the first TNT champion, had held the championship for 91 days, defeating Lance Archer in a tournament final to become the first champion back at Double or Nothing on May 23.
A TNT title match headlines tonight’s special Saturday edition of AEW Dynamite.
Cody will defend the TNT Championship against Mr. Brodie Lee. Cody has managed eight successful title defenses since becoming the inaugural TNT Champion at Double or Nothing in May.
The AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament Final will take place tonight. The Nightmare Sisters will face Diamante and Ivelisse in the final of The Deadly Draw Tournament to determine the Cup winner.
The Elite will face off against The Dark Order in a six-man tag as The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega team against Alex Reynolds, John Silver and Alan Angels.
The Lucha Brothers will tag up with The Butcher and The Blade against Natural Nightmares and Jurassic Express in eight-man tag action.
FTR will face Private Party in a tag match. Darby Allin will also be in action against an unannounced opponent.
Orange Cassidy’s first in-ring interview has been advertised for the show, as well as promos by Jon Moxley and MJF.
Our coverage begins following the conclusion of the NBA playoff game.
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Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone and Taz were the announce team for the show.
The show began with the opening bell for the first match.
FTR (w/Tully Blanchard) defeated Private Party
I was wondering if I had missed an angle with Blanchard joining up with FTR but apparently not. Here Tully was with an FTR jacket.
The match started with a solid exchange, both teams trading offense. FTR eventually cut off Marq Quen. This was clunky at times as Quen is the greener half of Private Party. Harwood and Wheeler worked over Quen.
They built to a hot tag to Isiah Kassidy. Kassidy hit a springboard cutter on Wheeler and a slingshot cutter on Harwood for a near fall. Quen blind tagged in and hit a springboard crossbody for another two count.
Quen and Wheeler ended up the legal men. Kassidy tried a plancha to Harwood but Blanchard pulled Harwood out of the way and Kassidy crashed to the floor.
Harwood tagged back in and FTR hit the Goodnight Express for the pin.
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The sound mix was way off for this show. The crowd sweetening was drowning out the announcers.
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Jon Moxley cut a good promo. He said MJF’s campaign makes for good TV and it’s entertaining but he doesn’t need to hear his faults from MJF. He said if you want a list of his faults just ask his wife.
Moxley said he doesn’t like people who constantly talk about themselves like MJF does. He said all MJF’s talking makes him think MJF is hiding something.
He said he hopes MJF is who he says he is, the man to carry the company for decades. Moxley said he wants the company to succeed for years and years and most days Mox thinks he might not have another 18 months left he’s so beat up. He said he hopes MJF can also move out of his parents’ basement and lose his virginity.
Moxley promised to punch, kick, elbow and smash MJF’s skull with his skull on September 5. He said MJF will be champ one day but that day won’t be September 5.
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MJF cut a promo surrounded by his campaign staff and legal team. He was wearing a neck brace.
MJF compared Dictator Jon to Nixon and Castro. He said that the Paradigm Shift is an abomination and has left him mangled. MJF said he wants to have a family one day, with kids, he clarified. He said he won’t be able to play catch with his kids as a result of the Paradigm Shift.
MJF’s lawyer took over from there and cut a promo. He mentioned an online petition to ban the Paradigm Shift, which could be deadly according to some medical experts he’s talked to.
The lawyer said that if Mox doesn’t agree to ban the Paradigm Shift from his title defense against MJF he’ll sue him and wants him to sign the contract he’s drawn up banning the move.
This was a paint by numbers old school rassling angle the likes of which we rarely see any more. Good times.
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Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall defeated Butcher, Blade, Rey Fenix & Pentagon Jr.
This began with a wild sequence that saw Pentagon and Fenix hit stereo topes. The heels beat on QT for a bit. QT managed a tag to Rhodes. Rhodes got cut off and worked over through a commercial break.
Luchasaurus got a hot tag after the break. Jungle Boy went for a tope suicida on Butcher but Butcher didn’t catch him. Jungle Boy hit a tope suicida on Fenix, then a tope con giro on Butcher and Blade, showing tremendous confidence that they would catch him after dropping him moments before.
Luchasaurus hit some kicks. He hit a rough looking chokeslam on Pentagon and a standing moonsault. Everyone jumped in for big moves. Dustin hit a destroyer but didn’t get all of it and almost landed on his head. He should probably retire that one.
Jungle Boy and Blade ended up the legal men. Blade and Pentagon argued over who should hit their finish on Jungle Boy, allowing Jungle Boy to roll up Blade for the pin.
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After the match, Lucha Bros and Butcher and Blade started pushing and shoving.
Eddie Kingston entered and cut a good promo. He said that they all came from the indies and now they’re on TNT. He said TNT knows drama but that doesn’t mean there shoud be drama between the five of them.
Kingston said the only thing holding them back from being champs was a lack of unity. He said to stick together and stick with him, so those five look to be a new group.
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They showed a Dr. Britt Baker vignette. Baker and Reba were in a gym with Penelope Ford and Kip Sabian. Ford and Sabian were making out. Baker warned them that the number one cavity-causing bacteria is spread through human saliva and they’ve been spreading a lot back and forth.
Baker offered them a year of free dental care if they joined Reba and her in a handicap match against Big Swole. Sabian and Ford didn’t answer.
Baker then offered a year of free makeup from Reba for Ford if they accepted. Ford agreed. All Sabian cared about was going back to making out.
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Tony Schiavone introduced Orange Cassidy. Cassidy came to the ring with Best Friends. Before he spoke, Chris Jericho interrupted.
Jericho came to the stage and put Cassidy over with a total babyface promo. He said he’s only been pinned three times in AEW and Cassidy has a win over him.
Jericho challenged Cassidy to a rubber match at All Out. Jericho said he created one of the most famous gimmick matches ever involving a briefcase and a ladder. Jericho said he’s done it again and threw to a video package.
The video detailed the rules of a Mimosa Mayhem Match.
500 cases of champagne will be mixed in a tank at ringside with 80 gallons of orange juice. You win by pinfall, submission or throwing your opponent in the tank.
Cassidy accepted the challenge.
Jericho came to the ring with champagne to toast Cassidy and Best Friends, but called out Inner Circle first.
Inner Circle surrounded the ring and attacked on Jericho’s signal. Jericho and Inner Circle left Cassidy and Best Friends laying and Jericho poured champagne all over Cassidy.
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The Elite defeated The Dark Order
This was a very good match.
This started off as you would expect with The Elite taking most of the offense. Things turned when Matt’s series of northern lights suplexes was interrupted. Matt was briefly victim of a 3-on-1 but managed a tag to Omega. Omega got cut off and worked over through an ad break.
Nick Jackson’s hot tag began during a commercial break which is just brutal timing. The Bucks went for an Indytaker but it was blocked. Silver got a near fall off a double stomp.
The action really intensified near the finish. Nick hit a crazy series of dives. Omega helped The Bucks hit an assisted Indytaker on Angels. Omega then used the One-Winged Angel on Angels for the pin.
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Omega continued assaulting Angels after the match. The Bucks tried to talk sense to him but he acted unhinged before finally calming down.
I’m not a fan of teasing dissent between members of The Elite. They have done this constantly for months and months, first with Page and now with Omega. This has to pay off at some point, right?
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Alex Marvez was with FTR and Blanchard backstage.
Marvez announced a gauntlet match on next week’s Dynamite to determine Page and Omega’s challnegers at All Out.
The match will begin with fourth-ranked Natural Nightmares and third-ranked Young Bucks. The winner of that match will immediately face the second-ranked Best Friends. The winner of that match will face top-ranked FTR.
Marvez then interviewed FTR and Blanchard. He asked what the relationship between them was. Wheeler said they want to learn from the best. Blanchard said he’s going to take FTR from almost to crossing the threshold.
Page entered and confronted FTR for attacking Rock ‘n’ Roll Express last week. They said that was their business and didn’t concern him. Wheeler said they wanted to honor Rock ‘n’ Roll but they turned their backs on them.
Harwood said he had to fake a knee injury because after seven years of The Bucks talking trash about FTR he had to know if he could trust them. He said when he was pretending to be hurt only Wheeler and Page came to check on them.
Harwood then tried to convince Page that it would be best for him if The bucks didn’t win the gauntlet because they’d keep him in their shadow.
So the tease is that Page might turn on The Bucks next week on Dynamite so he and Omega can defend against his buddies FTR at All Out.
There are about three months worth of storylines that have played out in about six minutes of TV with this FTR angle.
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Darby Allin defeated Will Hobbs
Allin ran in and attacked before the opening bell. He hit a tope suicida. Hobbs took over and hit a backdrop and a spinebuster.
Allin answered with a springboard elbow and a Coffin Drop for the pin.
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Taz cut a promo from the announce desk immediately after the match. He said Team Taz is rolling. He introduced the newest member of Team Taz, Darby.
Ricky Starks came out dressed as Darby. He cut a promo mocking Allin’s persona. Taz did some obnoxious fake laughing.
Brian Cage attacked Allin from behind. Starks then came to the ring and cut a strong promo on Allin before laying him out with a skateboard shot.
Starks hit a Coffin Drop on Allin and the segment ended with Starks and Cage posing over Allin.
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They shot an angle during a commercial break.
Sammy Guevara came to the stage with his Love Actually cards to send Matt Hardy a message.
Hardy attacked Guevara with a chair and laid him out.
Please don’t shoot angles during commercials. Thanks.
Hardy continued the attack after the break. He threw Guevara off the stage through a table.
Hardy grabbed the same kind of chair that Guevara busted him open with a couple of weeks ago and threatened to use it but referees intervened.
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Schiavone threw to a pre-taped promo from NWA Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa.
Rosa cut a great promo. She said she heard Shida’s call for challengers and she’s hear to help. Rosa said she will take Hikaru Shida’s AEW Women’s World Championship from her at the PPV.
Rosa is a good worker and a good talker so that match should be something to look forward to.
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Veda Scott joined the announce desk for the Deadly Draw Finals. Shaul Guerrero was the special ring announcer.
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AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup finals: Ivelisse & Diamante defeated Nightmare Sisters (w/ Natural Nightmares) to win the tournament
This match should not have aired on international television.
Brandi and Ivelisse began and traded a couple of spots before Allie and Diamante tagged in. Diamante got cut off and worked over through a commercial break.
Brandi and Ivelisse got tags. Brandi hit a spear. Allie and Diamante tagged back in. Allie hit Rabbit Hole for a near fall. Brandi teased a pedigree on Ivelisse but got tossed outside.
Marshall jumped on the apron. Ivelisse bumped him off the apron. Diamante hit something resembling a cutter and pinned Allie.
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Madusa was their to present medals, flowers and the cup to the winners. Diamante and Ivelisse threw the flowers down and celebrated with Puerto Rican flags.
All of this felt rushed and the match was awful.
If you would like to look on the bright side, Veda Scott was good on commentary, no easy feat in that particular booth.
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Jericho on commentary, the tag team gauntlet match, Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara in a tables match, a Moxley/MJF contract signing and Big Swole vs. Britt Baker in a handicap match were announced for next week’s Dynamite.
The main event is next.
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TNT Championship match: Mr. Brodie Lee defeated Cody (w/Arn Anderson) to win the title
Cody tried a flurry of strikes at the opening bell. Lee came back right away with a dropkick before throwing Cody over the top rope to the floor. Lee sent Cody into the barricade and tossed some chairs around.
Back inside, Lee hit a half-and-half suplex and a release German.
Lee hit a discus lariat. Cody took a flip bump and got pinned in a total squash match.
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Dark Order came to the ring to celebrate with Lee. Tony Schiavone went to the ring to interview Lee.
Lee said he has the power and the say-so now that he has the TNT title. He says executives like Schiavone held him down and created him.
Cody was in the background meanwhile being tended to by paramedics. They did a stretcher job complete with an oxygen mask for Cody.
Cody gave a thumbs up as he was carted to the tunnel. Dark Order intercepted Cody. Arn started to fight his way through Dark Order but was quickly cut off and hit with a thrust kick by Lee.
Dark Order dumped Cody off the stretcher and Lee continued to assault him. Lee hit Cody with a loaded satchel. We would see later that the satchel held the old TNT title.
Dustin and QT came to the stage but were also laid out.
Brandi entered and laid across Cody to try to stop the assault. Anna Jay attacked Brandi and choked her out.
Lee dumped the old TNT belt in pieces on top of Cody and posed over the fallen Nightmare Family.
The announcers put over that AEW changed tonight and it now belongs to Dark Order.
An updated lineup was revealed for next week’s episode of Dynamite.
A TNT title match was set, as Cody will defend the title against Scorpio Sky of SCU. Sky and Cody exchanged some words as Cody was heading to the back following a match on tonight’s show.
Next week’s edition of Dynamite will serve as Tag Team Appreciation Night. Jurassic Express will take on AEW World Tag Team champions Kenny Omega & Hangman Page, while Stu Grayson & Evil Uno of the Dark Order will take on The Young Bucks.
As part of Tag Team Appreciation Night, there will be appearances by Tully Blanchard, Arn Anderson, and The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express.
Additionally, the match between Orange Cassidy and Chris Jericho is now a $7,000 obligation match. If Orange Cassidy loses, he must pay $7,000 for the jacket he ruined when he poured orange juice on the Inner Circle.
This week’s Dynamite featured a debate between Cassidy and Jericho, with Eric Bischoff serving as a special guest moderator. Cassidy won the debate, but was laid out by Jericho and Jake Hager.
A look at the very good, and the very bad, of Extreme Rules is the lead story in the new double issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We also have a back-of-the-book feature on Carlton Haselrig, one of the greatest American heavyweight wrestlers in the history of the sport of wrestling.
The new issue also covers:
Interest levels in Extreme Rules and with the rating the next day, the lesson that tells us about certain types of angles, the background of Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio, along with match-by-match coverage, star ratings and poll results on the show.
An examination of all facets of the Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson departure from WWE, including what makes sense, what doesn’t, why, how come they were signed, how come they were given such a strong offer to stay, their release, A.J. Styles, angles set up for them in New Japan and AEW last year, the booking of Raw under Paul Heyman and much more. This is a very detailed look not only at Gallows & Anderson, but the roles of a number of different people and how Raw fell off the creative tracks
Impact Slammiversary with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results on the show.
Stephanie McMahon’s interview in Ad Age covering wrestling during the pandemic, testing and what changes look to be permanent, as well as race relations.
The current plan for WrestleMania and how it has shifted, the new WWE Board of Directors, next week’s Raw show, NXT North American title thoughts, notes on the next Takeover, update on Wendy Barlow and COVID, WWE producer let go, WWE loses major international deal and how it went down, WWE TV personality get bullied by fans, idea nixed for Raw this past week and all the different changes to the show, Adam Cole-Pat McAfee angel, Bellas update, sports ratings and Canadian TV ratings for the past week, another example of WWE marketing that ha led to the situation they are in, market value of WWE and the most-watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network.
This past weekend’s UFC show.
A feature on Haselrig, a Pennsylvania sports legend who could have been an Olympic medalist or an all-time great NFL player, but drugs curtailed his career, but not before he set a heavyweight record that may never be beat and another record that almost surely will never be beat.
Ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
WWE uploaded a video of Kairi Sane reflecting on her career in WWE.
Triple H tweeted about Sane: “A truly unique young woman with the ability to capture hearts, minds (and pirate ships!!!) Proud of @KairiSaneWWE’s growth as a performer and her time spent with #WWENXT and @WWE.”
Variety published a story on WWE’s declining ratings and Vince McMahon’s various explanations over the last few quarters as to why ratings have been down.
Jerry Lawler paid tribute to his son Brian, who passed away on this date two years ago: “Today is a sad anniversary. Two years ago today we got the horrible news that my son Brian had died. I miss him every day. We are headed to his gravesite now to visit. #RIPBrianChristopher #GrandMasterSexay #ToolCool”
Talking to Wrestling Inc, Doc Gallows said that AJ Styles would likely want another match with the Undertaker, one with a crowd. “The Boneyard Match was them doing the best they could do with what they had as a resource at the time,” he said. “Creatively, it was where to go and what to do. But I think that probably AJ would like to give Taker that match with a big crowd and a big reaction. I know that.”
Matt Riddle will be the guest on After The Bell with Corey Graves this week.
FS1 will air SummerSlam 2019 following its MLB coverage on August 11.
Other Wrestling
A seriesoftweets between FTR and Tony Khan revealed that FTR will “make a decision” today regarding their contracts with AEW.
In an interview with ESPN, Cody spoke about the status of a second weekly AEW show: “I think probably in four to six weeks I’ll have a firmer answer on that. That’s still very much the case. The format of that show might be different. It might rely on the production we have in place already, it might not. I know we’ve got all kinds of different plans converging on what we want. The goal of what the third hour would be is to showcase a different crop of talent from AEW. It’s very hard when you have this much talent and you only have a single weekly show. It’s hard to keep people in the mix. As a wrestler, it’s even hard to train for. The only way to train for wrestling is still wrestling. It’s been an adjustment, even without the pandemic.”
Jeremy Lambert of Fightful talked to Ricky Starks about his match on Dynamite tonight and working with Taz.
Ace Austin and Kylie Rae will make their GCW debuts on Sunday’s show in Indianapolis. ACH vs. Joey Janela has been announced for the event.
In the latest edition of the Aces High interview series, Hiroshi Tanahashi talked to NJPW‘s website about working as an assistant to Riki Choshu.
A match that has been in the rumor mill for weeks is now a reality as Cody will defend the TNT Championship this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite against indie fan favorite Warhorse.
On the Road to Fight for the Fallen, Cody’s coach Arn Anderson suggested that Warhorse would be a good future opponent when the champion was asked about potential future opponents from the indies. AEW tweeted the clip, effectively setting the match into motion.
This will be the promotional debut for the 27-year-old who has been the IWTV Independent Wrestling Champion since September 2019. This will be just his second match since the pandemic put a long pause on the indie wrestling business in March.
Cody will be looking for his seventh successful defense of AEW’s new title and is coming off a win over the debuting Eddie Kingston in a no DQ match last week.
The show will also feature AEW World Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Dark Order, World Champion Jon Moxley and Darby Allin vs. Brian Cage and Ricky Starks, The Inner Circle vs. Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy in a ten-man tag, and Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida vs. Diamante in a non-title match.
Eddie Kingston appeared on AEW Dynamite last night, answering Cody’s open challenge for the TNT Championship.
Kingston opened Dynamite with a promo where he challenged Cody to a no DQ match for the title. A wild brawl ensued that saw Kingston empty a bag of thumbtacks in the ring. Cody ultimately retained the title, but the veteran Kingston had a good showing.
Sammy Guevara made his return from suspension in the main event of last night’s show. Guevara disguised himself as Serpentico, then used a baseball bat on Luchasaurus to aid Chris Jericho & Jake Hager in a victory over Jurassic Express.
The Young Bucks were victorious over The Butcher & The Blade in a falls count anywhere match that saw the two teams brawl all over Daily’s Place and into the concourses of the adjoining TIAA Bank Field.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley came to the aid of Darby Allin who fell victim to a two-on-one attack at the hands of Brian Cage and Ricky Starks.
For more of what you missed, including MJF and Adam Page in action and the Dynamite debuts of Ivelisse and Diamante, scroll below.
Eddie Kingston answered Cody’s TNT title challenge tonight on Dynamite.
The show started with Cody in the ring. Kingston interrupted the ring announcer and cut a promo, tearing down Cody and comparing their own upbringings. He then challenged Cody to a no disqualification match for the title. Cody accepted, starting the match.
The two had a back and forth match, brawling both around and inside the ring. At one point, Kingston introduced thumbtacks and Cody even took a powerbomb into the thumbtacks. Despite this, Cody fought back Kingston with strikes, took him down with a figure four leglock and submitted him to retain the TNT title.
Kingston has recently wrestled for the National Wrestling Alliance, forming a tag team with Homicide. He’s also wrestled for Impact Wrestling in the past, as well as Ring of Honor.
Cody has faced a number of challengers for the title in recent weeks, including Ricky Starks (who was eventually signed to AEW), Jungle Boy, Jake Hager, and Sonny Kiss.
