Cody Rhodes’ first match since Full Gear will take place on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite.
After announcing that he would be appearing on the show, AEW has confirmed that Cody will be returning to action in a singles match on Wednesday night. His opponent hasn’t been revealed.
AEW World Champion Chris Jericho retained his title against Cody at Full Gear, with MJF throwing in the towel after Cody was locked in the Liontamer. After the match, MJF turned against Cody and low blowed him.
Jericho vs. Cody had a stipulation where Cody can’t challenge for the AEW World title again after losing.
Cody appeared on the post-Full Gear episode of Dynamite and brawled with Jericho and MJF. Wardlow then made his debut, aligning with MJF and laying out Cody.
Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite is taking place at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Chris Jericho will defend his AEW World title against Scorpio Sky, Kenny Omega will face PAC in a rematch from All Out, and Hangman Page will take on MJF.
Page and MJF were the final two wrestlers in the Dynamite Dozen battle royal on this Wednesday’s show. The winner of their match will receive a diamond ring.
The Sears Centre Arena also hosted All In in September 2018 and All Out this August.
Next Wednesday’s Thanksgiving Eve edition of AEW Dynamite is shaping up to be a big one in Chicago, IL.
The final two entrants from Wednesday’s Dynamite Dozen battle royal — MJF and Hangman Page — will face off in the finals for the Dynamite diamond ring. MJF eliminated Jungle Boy by pulling him off the apron as Page remained in the ring. Page and MJG got into a brawl after the match and had to be pulled apart.
Cody Rhodes will return for the first time since being attacked by MJF and Wardlow on Dynamite two weeks ago. It’s unclear whether he will be wrestling or doing a promo.
Also announced for the show is the aforementioned Jericho facing off against Scorpio Sky in an AEW title match coming off Sky’s pin of Jericho last week in a tag team match, and Kenny Omega vs. Pac in a rematch from All Out.
Dynamite will air live from the Sears Centre, home of both the All In and All Out pay-per-views.
– Cody needed eight stitches for the cut he suffered at Full Gear last night. He suffered a costochondral (rib) separation as well when he did a dive and crashed on the metal part of the ramp landing on both his face and ribs. AEW listed that he was right now not medically cleared. It was said to not be badly injured.
Dr. Michael Sampson checked on Cody after he hit his head not the ramp to determine whether he could continue. Obviously there would have been hell to pay if it was stopped given they had a long time left and had laid out a major match.
– Will Ospreay injured his shoulder at the New Japan show in San Jose last night. It popped out during a handspring move and he was clearly in a lot of pain. But he did get medical attention. Kazuchika Okada had to work several minutes on his own but Ospreay did come back and he said he doesn’t think the shoulder is out.
– There was also a Matt Sydal injury scare at Evolve. During his match yesterday with Leon Ruff, he got numbness in his arm and feared suffering a neck injury during the match. He was treated backstage and was fine but still had numbness.
– Hangman Page may have suffered a stinger in last night’s match with Pac as he was having problems with his right arm but he is still at this point expected to work against Pac on Wednesday night’s Dynamite in Nashville.
We’re looking for reports on yesterday’s WWE Smackdown show in Minehead, England as well as today’s shows in Aberdeen, Scotland and Dublin, Ireland to [email protected] We’re also looking for reports on the MLW TV tapings yesterday in Orlando.
We’re also looking for your thoughts on AEW Full Gear, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
Since Raw was taped on Friday, there are WWE live shows Monday in Glasgow, Scotland for Raw and Vienna, Austria for Smackdown. Walter will be defending the NXT UK title against Jordan Devlin in Austria. Tuesday has shows in Amsterdam, Germany and Lille, France. The Smackdown crew is in Zurich, Switzerland on Wednesday.
Joseph Currier gives his thoughts on Crown Jewel and the travel delays the WWE roster faced after the show.
When Crown Jewel ended last Thursday, it seemed like things weren’t quite as awful for WWE as their previous shows in Saudi Arabia.
In the ring, this year’s Crown Jewel was probably the best event that WWE has had in Saudi Arabia. There were low points, but the show was focused more on the current roster and special attractions than relying solely on nostalgia. Though Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair were part of the show, they coached teams of current wrestlers and weren’t actually competing themselves. A major title change even took place, with The Fiend becoming Universal Champion by defeating Seth Rollins in their falls count anywhere main event.
Most importantly for WWE, they got to put on the first-ever women’s match in Saudi Arabia. Natalya defeated Lacey Evans, and it went as well as could be expected. There were obviously restrictions, including what Natalya and Evans were allowed to wear. But the quality of the match was largely irrelevant to WWE. Natalya and Evans treated this like a milestone that they were honored to be part of. The audience also played their part, helping WWE’s narrative come off as more than just hollow messaging.
One of the craziest stories in pro wrestling history, one that will be talked about in autobiographies to come, involves the WWE’s trip to Saudi Arabia. We’ve got a complete rundown on what happened as well as details of a story that involved hundreds of millions of dollars, the stock market, mainstream media, and much more. The new issue also covers:
The decision to put NXT talent on main roster shows affected ratings for Raw, Smackdown and NXT.
A complicated story with a lot of issues, including a $60 million payment, let money, a new and better deal for WWE, lagging stock price, talent stuck in Saudi Arabia an extra day, a meeting called by Vince McMahon, what does and doesn’t add up among the different stories, the Smackdown show and how it went down, stock analyses look at WWE, and much more.
Coverage of UFC 244, with the story behind the fight, the stoppage of the main event, Nate Diaz’s 180 reaction on what he wants to do, Jorge Masvidal and the BMF championship, scary finishes, upsets and surprises along with match-by-match coverage and poll results from the show.
New Japan building two Tokyo Dome shows in January with key matches, angles being worked on, the retirement of Jushin Liger, the situation with Katsuyori Shibata, the return of Hiromu Takahashi, what Will Ospreay talked of, the upcoming tag team tournament, the junior tag team tournament, California shows as well as a full rundown of Power Struggle with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
The Randy Orton contract, interest level of Crown Jewel, Lance Storm goes to WWE in a non-wrestling role and why now, Styles pushes for angle which changes storyline direction, another finish changed on Raw, NXT future plans, lots of WWE injury notes, WrestleMania kickoff party and plans for the next show in Mexico City.
Upcoming War Games matches, UK stars on main roster shows, WWE’s biggest house show week of the year, the most watched shows on the WWE Network, plus WWE’s first show in the U.K. and a rundown on all the NXT house shows.
Kenny Omega’s possibly going after yet another world title with coverage of DDT’s big show at Sumo Hall.
Coverage of the MLW PPV show, Dragon Gate’s Gate of Destiny with storyline notes and coverage and Pro Wrestling NOAH’s biggest event of the year at Sumo Hall.
Coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.
In-depth looks at the 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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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I have our weekend show up covering Full Gear, last night’s New Japan show and also cover the reasons behind some of the things on Raw that airs tomorrow night.
We are sorry to report the death of New York independent wrestler Matt Travis, who was on his bicycle at 2:30 a.m. Saturday when a dump truck driver made an illegal left turn and hit him. He was rushed to Harlem Hospital and pronounced dead on arrival. The driver didn’t stop and police are looking for him. Wrestlers all day yesterday were writing tributes about him. I believe he was trained originally by Amazing Red.
In the Google trends over the weekend, the only thing combat sports related was the Logan Paul vs. KSI rematch which did 2 million searches, making it No. 1 for yesterday. UFC and AEW did not crack the top 20 yesterday. AEW was on the list at one point but other subjects overtook it.
A few notes regarding Raw which are spoilers. These are the matches:
Asuka & Kairi Sane defend the women’s tag titles against Becky Lynch & Charlotte Flair
Sin Cara vs. Drew McIntyre
The Singh Brothers vs. R-Truth for the 24/7 title
Seth Rollins vs. Walter
Rollins & Kevin Owens & Street Profits vs. Imperium
Cedric Alexander vs. Andrade
Soner Durson vs. Erick Rowan
Viking Raiders vs. Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews
Randy Orton & Ricochet & Humberto Carrillo vs. A.J,. Styles & Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson
In the Lana angle that we talked about on the show earlier today, with Rusev and Bobby Lashley, at the end of the angle it is revealed as a ruse and that Lana really isn’t pregnant. This angle got a really bad reaction live. Will be interesting to see if they change the crowd reaction audio.
“Playing With Fire” starring John Cena opened at an estimated $12.8 million for the weekend, putting it in third place behind Midway ($17.5 million) and Doctor Sleep ($14.1 million). The movie didn’t do well in reviews, with only 24 percent positive according to Rotten Tomatoes.
WWE
Natalya missed the TV tapings on Friday due to a family obligation.
Kambi has put up some odds for Survivor Series for star ratings (thanks to David Taylor):
Men’s tag team title Triple Threat ***3/4
Brock Lesnar vs. Rey Mysterio ***
Women’s title three way ***3/4
A November 6, 1983 event at the Omni is now on the WWE Network in the new Hidden Gems listing. The card is:
Brad Armstrong vs. Joe Lightfoot
Ron Garvin vs. Jake Roberts for the National title
Jimmy Valiant vs. Great Kabuki
Buzz Sawyer vs. Abdullah the Butcher
Road Warriors vs. Dusty Rhodes & Brett Sawyer for National tag titles
Tommy Rich vs. Ted DiBiase
At today’s WWE show in Dublin, Daniel Bryan asked if for the first time in a year people wanted the “yes” chants and they did so he led them doing so.
AEW
Another note on the show when we talked about Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley coming from CZW, Omega actually got his hardcore wrestling start in JAPW, the first U.S. group he worked regularly with, while Moxley was in CZW.
There was a skirmish on Thursday night at Tony Schiavone’s birthday party in Baltimore involving Excalibur and Jimmy Havoc. It definitely happened, Tony Khan said it was a draw while other reports differed on that saying Excalibur choked him out.
MISCELLANEOUS
For those interested in going to Japan in January with a group of people Wrestling Travel has tour for the two Tokyo Dome shows here. They also have packages for the Royal Rumble and WrestleMania.
The toy company Super 7, based in San Francisco, announced they are coming out with New Japan action figures including Kazuchika Okada, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii and Will Ospreay. They also have a Lucha Libre line with Blue Demon Jr. Tinieblas Jr., and Solar (thanks to Ross Blair)
King Mo, who retired from MMA on Friday, debuted yesterday for MLW in Orlando.
Myron Reed beat Teddy Hart to win the middleweight title at the Orlando show.
Kambi also has star ratings odds for the 1/4 show at the Tokyo Dome:
Jay White vs. Tetsuya Naito ****1/2
Kazuchika Okada vs. Kota Ibushi *****
Will Ospreay vs. Hiromu Takahashi ****3/4
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Chris Jericho ****1/4
Tickets go on sale on 11/14 for the MLW return to Cicero Stadium on 2/29 at www.MLWtickets.com
WAR has an all women’s event on 12/6 in Lima, OH at the Bradfield Community Center.
Defy has shows on 11/30 and 12/1 in Seattle at Washington Hall. 12/1 will have all ages allowed. Only over 21 for the 11/30 show. Meiko Satomura, Jimmy Havoc, El Phantasmo, Jake Atlas, Alex Hammerstone, Jacob Fatu, Douglas James and others are no both shows. They also announced a 1/3 show with Matt Sydal.
Charli Evans vs. Avary was announced for Melbourne City Wrestling’s next GIRL show on 11/17.
Erika Reid vs. Saraya Knight, Lena Kross vs. Hiroyo Matsumoto and Meiko Satomura vs. Mercedes Martinez were announced for NHPW on 12/6 in Western Australia. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Tajiri vs. Andruew Tang headlines the 11/23 Singapore Pro Wrestling show.
Joe E. Legend is doing a pro wrestling seminar on 11/17 for $40 at the House of Truth Pro Wrestling school in Center Line, MI. He’s teaching European style chain wrestling match psychology, character development and different styles learned working all over the world. For more info go to hotwrestlingschool.com
Pro Wrestling Eve from yesterday in London, UK: Laura DiMatteo b Gisele Shaw, Rhia O’Reilly b Mei Suruga, Millie McKenzie b Nicole Savoy, Angel Hayze b Aleah James, , Jazz b Jetta, Mercedes Martinez b Kasey
The second show from yesterday: Millie McKenzie b Gisele Shaw, Jetta b Mei Suruga, Kasey b Angel Hayze, Mercedes Martinez b Mercedes Blaze, Laura
DiMatteo b Nicole Savoy, Rhia O’Reilly b Jazz. Promoter Dann Read thanks Jazz for coming in and talked about how great she was to work with and how back in the past she gave a lot of the women hope for the future of non-models in wrestling and said she deserves a run in WWE or AEW. The entire roster came out to thank her. Jazz said she wasn’t expecting all this and thanked the fans, and aid she was in the T&A era but for her that stood for talent and ability.
Pro Wrestling Eve from today in London: Promoter Dann Read announced Nicole Savoy was injured and off today’s show and Angel Hayze is out today and questionable for the next show. Rhia O’Reilly announced i she wins the tournament she wants a shot at International champion Jamie Hayter. Jazz b Mei Suruga, Kasey b Mercedes Blaze, Jetta b Rhia O’Reilly, Mercedes Martinez b Amazon (Ayesha Raymond), Gisele Shaw b Rebel Kinney, Millie McKenzie b Laura DiMatteo. The B block in the tournament comes down to a three-way with McKenzie, DiMatteo and Shaw. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
EPW from last night in Melbourne: Dan Moore b Gavin McGavin, Julian Ward b Kiel Steria, Jack Edwards & Tipene b Taylor King & Tyler Jacobs-DQ, Jay Taylor b Del Cano, Aaron Hawk & Dan Steel b Alex Kingston & Logan Grey in a street fight, Julian Ward b Dan Moore, Damian Slater & Marcius Pitt b Davis Storm & Richter, Mikey Nicholls b Michael Morleone to win the EPW title
MCW from last night in Melbourne: Brat Pack won three-way over Ritchie Taylor & Mike Burr and Jett Rouka & Kaz Jordan, Gino Gambino & Bad Luck Fale b Atlas Whittaker & Emmanuel & Shaun Young, Avary b Lena Kross, Jake Andrewartha b Fun Time Phil, Steph DeLander b Kellyanne in a no DQ match to keep the women’s title, Danny Psycho b Hartley Jackson to keep the Intercommonwealth title, Robbie Eagles b Emman the Kid, Adam Brooks won elimination match over Alex and Dowie James to win the MCW title. Gino Gambino & Fale attacked Eagles as part of the New Japan program where Eagles quit Bullet Club. This was the last show on longtime MCW booker Criss Fresh, who has retired from the position. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Xia Brookside and Sean Kustom will be in Australia taking bookings from 11/20 to 1/2.
Shine from yesterday in Woodside, NY: Madi Maxx b Savannah Evans, Tina San Antonio b Vanity, Candy Cartwright b Notorious Nadi, Ashley Vox & Delmi Exo won three-way over Brittany Blake & Avery Taylor and Gabby Gilbert & Luscious Latasha, Natalia Markova b Double D’Rose, Alex Gracia b Brandi Lauren, Shotzi Blackheart & Big Swole & Aja Perera b Allysin Kay & Marti Belle & Jayme Jameson. Kay vs. Blackheart takes place today.
CWE tonight in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan with Juventud Guerrera. They also run 11/15 in Grande Prairie Alberta at the Jackpot Grill Events Centre with Guerrera and Jimmy Jacobs.
Billy Gunn, Sammy Guevara and Matt Sydal are headed to IPWA in Ciname City Glilot, Israel on 12/15.
AEW’s first PPV since their weekly television debut takes place at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland tonight.
Chris Jericho will defend the AEW World Championship against Cody, who has vowed to never challenge for the title again if he doesn’t defeat Jericho tonight. There will be three judges at ringside that will decide the winner if they reach a 60-minute time limit draw.
Kenny Omega will face Jon Moxley in what is being billed as a Lights Out match. In storyline, AEW has not sanctioned the match, thus there will be no rules and the match will not count in either man’s record.
Two other title matches are set for the show. Riho will defend the AEW Women’s Championship against her mentor and teacher Emi Sakura. SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky) will defend the AEW Tag Team titles against Private Party and The Lucha Bros in a triple threat match.
Plus, The Young Bucks take on Santana & Ortiz, PAC and Hangman Page continue their feud, and Joey Janela faces Shawn Spears.
The main card starts at 8 p.m. Eastern time. There will also be a pre-show featuring Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestley starting at 7 p.m. Eastern.
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Excalibur, Taz and Goldenboy were the announce team for The Buy In.
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Dr. Britt Baker, DMD submitted Bea Priestly
Britt stormed the ring and was quick off the bat at the bell, but Bea did what she could do to slow her down, which included rolling out of the ring on multiple occasions. Bea’s offense was built around kicks and stomps to the head, playing off the injury Britt got back at Fight For The Fallen.
Taz mentioned Britt having the flu and Cody tweeting about it earlier. Darby Allin was shown sitting at ringside for some reason. Bea worked over the back of Britt, which led to Britt being unable to lift her up for a bodyslam. Britt hit a Top Rope Brainbuster and tried to roll over do a second brainbuster, but she couldn’t lift Bea. Bea locked on a face lock that Britt got to the bottom rope for, but when Britt rolled to the apron for a breather, Bea jumped off the top rope with a double stomp. Britt came back and paid tribute to her boyfriend Adam Cole and hit a Panama Sunrise/Canadian Destroyer, but only got a 2 count. Britt tried twice to get on the Lock Jaw and succeeded the third time for the tap out.
A good opener.
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The lights went out and Awesome Kong has arrived. Kong came out with Brandi, while Bea was still in the ring and Bea lost her second fight of the evening. Kong hit the spinning back fist and then gave Brandi a knife before laying out Bea with an Implant Buster.
Brandi handed Kong the knife back and she used it to cut a chunk of Bea’s hair off before adding it to a belt of trophies she was wearing.
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Taz and Goldenboy tagged out to Jim Ross as the show began.
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Santana & Ortiz (Proud & Powerful) defeated Young Bucks
The Rock & Roll Express was sitting ringside, playing off them being assaulted by Proud & Powerful 2 weeks ago. Young Bucks used that as inspiration early as they ran wild, including sending Ortiz over the guardrail and into the first row. Referee Rick Knox would not allow a Proud & Powerful tag when Santana tried tagging Ortiz’s foot and then didn’t allow their tag behind the referee’s back. They stopped bothering with tags one point when Ortiz put Nick in a Boston Crab, Santana put Matt in a Gory Special and then simultaneously put Nick in a Camel Clutch. Rules of tag team wrestling or not, that was a cool visual.
Matt set up Santana for a moonsault, but instead did a beautiful dive over the post onto Ortiz on the floor. Minutes later Nick was running wild and ran down the apron to kick Ortiz, but Ortiz ducked and Nick kicked the ring post, which looked like it hurt as much as a few seconds later when he got tripped and landed face-first on the ring apron. Santana threw Matt into the Rock & Roll Express. Nick did do a hell of a job selling the leg. Nick took quite the beating before nearly doing the splits while doing a Superkick. Matt got the tag and hit a series of rolling Northern Lights Suplexes on both of P&P. Young Bucks did the Inzigiri/Power Bomb combo, which messed Nick up almost as much as Santana. Nick had to tag out again, so Ortiz ripped him down off the apron. P&P went for the Street Sweeper, but Matt was watching old Steiner Brothers-Beverly Brothers matches, as he caught his foe with a belly-to-belly suplex when he came off the top.
It was time for a Superkick Party and Nick, again, couldn’t stay in the ring long and Matt wasn’t able to get a good breather. Young Bucks went for a Meltzer Driver, but Nick collapsed on the mat before doing his half of the move. Matt set Nick on the top rope, but P&P laid out Matt and forced the tag. Nick spat his gum at Santana, but Santana showed what a sicko he was by putting it in his mouth. Matt went charging at Santana, but got a shoulder-full of ringpost instead. Santana and Ortiz then laid out Nick with The Street Sweeper for the surprising pin.
The match started weird, but picked up in the middle and ended as a tremendous match. The Young Bucks were the #3 ranked tag team going into the match, so undoubtedly that will change.
Sammy Guevara came out to celebrate with his Inner Circle stable mates and handed Santana & Ortiz a sock full of baseballs. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson hopped the guardrail to make the save. Morton hit the slowest Canadian Destroyer ever, but did hit a decent Suicide Dive. The crowd died at the finish and were more excited for the aftermath of the Morton and Gibson run-in than they were for the actual run-in.
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Hangman Page pinned Pac
A completely different match from the bell. This was more of a brawl than the opener and stood out in front of a crowd that just saw that crazy opener. The fans chanted “Cowboy Shit”, which Hangman took a second to acknowledge and that was all Pac needed. Pac used kicks to the face and stomps that Page sold really well. Page was begging for more as Pac hit pump kick after pump kick in the corner. Well Pac may be a Bastard, but he’s a nice enough guy to give Page what he was asking for.
Pac glared at the crowd as he set up for the Phoenix Splash, and like with Page earlier, it gave his opponent just enough time to recover. Page hit a really nice Spinebuster for a near fall. Page hit a slam on the ring apron (which is the hardest part of the ring) and an Orihara Moonsault before hitting his own running boot to the face. Pac rolled outside and played possum and when Page went for his next attack Pac cut him off and hit a brainbuster on the conveniently placed chair at ringside. Page barely got in by the count of 10 and continued to beg Pac for more kicks and Pac continued to acquiesce.
Pac went up top for the Black Arrow, but Page cut him off and hit a top rope Fallaway Slam. He kept going for a Buckshot Lariat and Pac kept avoiding it. Pac turned The Dead Eye into The Brutalizer, but Page collapsed into the ropes, causing a break. Pac missed a Black Arrow, but ducked another Buckshot. They ran near the ref and Page caught an attempted Pac low blow and picked up the win with the Dead Eye.
A better overall match than the opener, but that match was more spectacular.
This couldn’t follow the last two matches, but they did what they could. The first big move saw Janela run down the apron, but get power slammed for his efforts. The fans were into it, even though they didn’t have much of a reason to care for this match. Spears ripped off the turnbuckle pad and tie the tag rope around Janela’s hair. If nothing else that is a unique move. Joey lost a bit of hair when he ripped his head out of the knot. Shawn Spears locked on the Sharpshooter, 22 years to the day after the Montreal Screwjob and Earl Hebner is the referee. These coincidences were ignored by JR and Excalibur and Earl did not claim a phantom submission. Janela made the ropes and got a brief flurry that included a flipping dive to the floor. Janela hit a Northern Lariat and then stomped on Spears’ face. Tully jumped on the apron for a distraction, which worked. Spears took off a corner pad, which distracted Earl long enough for Spears and Tully to hit a Spike Piledriver on Janela on the floor. Spears then hit the C-4 in the ring for the win.
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Goldenboy interviewed Kip Sabian backstage. Sabian said when he joined the company he was going to go straight down the middle, but saw everyone forming their own cliques, so he formed one with TH2. He introduced Penelope Ford as his valet. For more information on Kip Sabian and The Hybrid2, check out yesterday’s bonus AEW Dark report.
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AEW World Tag Team Champions Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky defeated Lucha Brothers and Private Party
The fans booed referee Rick Knox. After that opener I want to boo him too. Lucha Brothers got the best of Private Party early. Somehow Scorpio Sky was distracting the referee long enough for Fenix and Pentagon to hit superkicks on both Marq Quen and Isaiah Kassidy. Kassidy was a little off a few times on his moves, including sitting on Pentagon’s face when hitting a legdrop. Fenix hit a springboard Missile Dropkick to Quen.
The Lucha Brothers did a great job of making sure they were always in the ring and always available for a fresh tag, while making sure that the other wrestler in the ring couldn’t tag out to their own partner. We got the big dive spot and when Scorpio went for his, Fenix ran down the ropes and kicked his head off. Fenix then did a Triple Springboard Twisting Planch onto the pile. I’m not even sure he meant to do that, but he did and it was spectacular. Fenix wasn’t done yet as he ran down the ramp leading to the ring, ran up the ropes and did another twisting dive into the ring. Quen hit one of the most beautiful Shooting Star Presses you’ll ever see. Gin & Juice got broken up and Kazarian pinned Kassidy after an S-C-U-Later.
Fenix was the star of stars in this match and Marq Quen continued proving why he’s going to be a huge star one day.
Pentagon and Fenix attacked SCU after the match. The lights went out and when they came back on someone was dressed as Pentagon in the ring with the real Pentagon. Literally everyone knew who it was and no one was surprised when Chris Daniels hit an STO on Pentagon and an Angel’s Wings on Fenix before taking his mask off. They were still happy to see him. It still makes me wonder why he bothered.
I should point out that despite the wonkiness of the refereeing earlier, they have been doing a better job this week at enforcing actual tag team rules and there’s been a lot less of a free for all. It’s not perfect, but it’s a definite improvement.
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AEW Women’s Champion Riho pinned Emi Sakura
Both ladies looked near tears at the bell. Sakura used her size to bully the champ once the bell rang. At one point Riho was on the apron and Sakura used a running cross bodyblock, which sent Riho crashing onto the pretty black mats. Riho hit the corner double stomp, which looked contrived when Alberto Del Rio did it and looks contrived now. Sakura used a rolling Mexican Surfboard, which was the first time I ever saw such a move. The fans got into it, chanting for Riho, which encouraged her to make a comeback. Sakura cut her back off with a series of back breakers. Instead of hitting a Vader Bomb, she came down with a double stomp.
Riho took several hard chops and decided enough was enough and fired up. Riho tried to get up a head of steam, but Emi grabbed her, hit a Backdrop Driver and a Torture Rack Drop, but Riho got he foot on the ropes. They sped up to an astounding degree as Sakura kept going for the La Magistral cradle that she won on Wednesday with, but Riho stayed away and got the win with a roll up of her own.
Probably the best AEW women’s match so far.
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We got two hours left with two matches to go.
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AEW World Champion Chris Jericho (w/Jake Hager) defeated Cody (w/MJF) when MJF threw in the towel when Cody was trapped in the Liontamer and having his head stomped on
The stipulations are if the match goes the 60-minute time limit, it will be decided by three judges. If Cody doesn’t win the title, he can never challenge for the title again. The three judges are Dean Malenko, Arn Anderson and The Great Muta. Jericho did not have the goth facepaint he has had for most of his post-WWE matches.
The match started slow. If they’re not going an hour, they’re going close. Jericho confronted Dean Malenko at ringside and Malenko glared him down. A lot of chain wrestling early with Cody working on Jericho’s right arm, which is the arm he throws the Judas Effect with. The first big move of the match saw Jericho standing on the ramp and Cody going for a Suicide Dive, but Jericho moved and Cody landed face-first on the ramp, which busted him open hardway. Dr. Sampson ran over to tend to him and try to heal the cut and the match continued.
I am assuming the Maryland State Athletic Commission doesn’t still stop matches due to blood, as Cody was bleeding a gusher, but Dr. Sampson was able to close it. MJF went after Jericho at one point, which did allow Hager to deliver some punishment to Cody as well. 13 minutes in Cody went for a moonsault, but got absolutely nothing but canvas. Cody got his knees up on a Lionsault and hit a Diamond Cutter for a near fall. Cody hit the Bithycle Kick and a Disaster Kick, but Jericho rolled out of the ring to prevent Cody from sustaining this momentum. Jericho went over to intimidate Cody’s Mom, Michelle, at ringside, so Michelle slapped Jericho and Cody speared him into the barricade. Cody hit an Alabama Slam, which Excalibur couldn’t name and, for once, JR got to be superior in that regard. Excalibur did remember a few minutes later.
Cody whooed before putting on the Figure Four, despite his dad using that move. Hager broke it up with a punch to the face behind Aubrey Edwards’ back and then did it more blatantly, so the ref threw him out. MJF mocked Hager, so Hager kicked him in the groin like this was Bellator. While Aubrey made sure Hager left, Jericho laid Cody out with a belt shot. He took so long to make the cover that Cody kicked out. Cody blocked the Judas Effect and hit Cross Rhodes, which everyone bought as the finish, but wasn’t.
24 minutes in, Cody hit the Flip, Flop and Fly with a Bionic Elbow, which the fans bought, but not as much as the Cross Rhodes. Either way Jericho kicked out. Jericho countered a Disaster Kick into a Codebreaker for another 2 count. Jericho took off his weight belt and whipped Cody with it. Aubrey allowed it for a few shots and then got rid of it. Jericho blocked the Hurricarana and locked on the Liontamer. Cody got out of it and Jericho confronted Aubrey, who shoved Jericho into a small package. It still didn’t work. Jericho locked on the Liontamer and this time began stomping on Cody’s head. MJF, seeing this and not wanting his best friend to go through anything more, threw the towel in for a submission.
The fans were legitimately shocked for this finish. There was some light booing, but mostly shock since everyone was convinced this was Cody’s night and was ready to start the coronation.
The Inner Circle came out with the bubbly to celebrate. MJF had a look of anger on his face. Cody looked like he wasn’t sure what to think. MJF began crying and apologized to Cody. The fans chanted “You fucked up” as Cody regained his composure. Cody picked MJF up off the mat…AND MJF KICKED HIM IN THE GROIN! After months of teasing it, MJF finally turned heel despite arguably doing the right thing and throwing the towel in earlier. The fans booed him out of the building as MJF kicked dirt on Cody’s fallen body and walked away.
A fan was caught on camera throwing a large drink at MJF. This was a 5+ star match and angle.
**********
Jon Moxley pinned Kenny Omega in a Lights Out Match
I have been watching wrestling for 28 years and I have been working for F4WOnline.com/WrestlingObserver.com since 2010 and I can honestly say no match has ever made me so numb and made me want to abandon it as much as this match did. This was a barbaric display and left me completely desensitized. I can honestly say I wish I turned the show off after the Cody-Jericho match. I understand there is an audience for everything and a lot of you guys probably enjoyed this. I did not.
We did not get any “believe it or not” scientific wrestling to start the match and Omega quickly threw Mox over the guardrail and did a running dropkick over the guardrail onto the floor. Not quite as painful looking as when Samoa Joe did a running dropkick on the steps to Sting that time, but bad enough. Omega did a dive off a barrier onto Mox and then tried to do a dive off the guardrail, but Moxley shoved him off and onto the floor. Moxley pulled out the barbed wire bat and punctured the back of Omega with it. Kenny did block Jon’s attempts at pushing it into his face. While I am not a fan of these matches, I do admire the creativity of things like Omega going for a Dragon Suplex and Moxley breaking it by rubbing the barbed wire bat into Omega’s bicep. Kenny pulled out both a table and a barbed wire broom. Omega used it to “sweep” Moxley’s back. He swept Moxley’s back with a broom covered in barbed wire. You probably aren’t surprised to find out that Moxley was bleeding pretty good here, even if it did clot up later.
Trash cans were being destroyed all night, as both men took some hard can shots to the head and Omega did a moonsault while holding a can. Next up in the list of weapons was a board covered in mouse traps. Omega took a release suplex into them. Next up was a long length of chains. Omega took a sidewalk slam and then a Rude Awakening into them. Omega kicked out at 1 and it was sold that Omega was desperately kicking out quickly and Moxley knew that. Mox then used the chains to rip at Omega’s mouth and yank his head back.
Next up was either an ice pick or a screwdriver that got stuck in the top turnbuckle pad when Omega moved out of the way of an attack. Omega hit a pair of Snap Dragon Suplexes to get out of what appeared to be an attempted hanging. Omega then countered an attempted hanging with a hanging of his own. Omega being a nice guy did let Moxley go before he passed out. Omega hit the Terminator Dive onto Moxley and through a table that was set up at the beginning of the match and forgotten about. Moxley went under the ring and pulled out a bag of broken glass. Now I really do think Kenny was watching 2008 TNA and channeling his inner-Abyss. However this was allegedly the same glass from the table Moxley put Omega through back on October 2. Omega gave Moxley a Lo-Down on the glass for a 2 count. Referee Paul Turner got glass stuck in his hand. Omega dragged Moxley back first through the glass and put on a Sharpshooter and Moxley had to crawl back through the broken glass to get to the ropes.
Omega began shoving glass into Moxley’s mouth, but took a German Suplex into the glass, but then hit a pair of V-Triggers to Mox, who rolled out of the ring and crawled up the ramp. Omega grabbed the long forgotten screwdriver and jammed it into Moxley’s head. No submission. Omega demanded that Hangman Page and the Young Bucks “bring it”. They didn’t want to, but eventually acquiesced. They brought out a bed of barbed wire, which Excalibur called a barbed wire spiderweb. Omega teased a One Winged Angel and they teased some other things, but finally Moxley gave him a suplex off the ramp and into it.
This is just disgusting.
No less than 12 people helped pull them out. Omega hit him with some production equipment and then gave Moxley a V-Trigger through a set piece. Somehow the blood is incredibly minimal on both men. I don’t even know how. They made it back to the ring, after all that, Moxley hit a Paradigm Shift onto the long forgotten glass for a 2 count. Moxley pulled back the canvas and the padding underneath, leaving just the boards. Omega backdropped out of a Gotch-style Piledriver and hit a V-Trigger and his own Paradigm Shift and the match isn’t over yet.
Omega missed a Phoenix Splash and kicked out. Finally Moxley hit an elevated Paradigm Shift for the pin.
If I never see another AEW Lights Out match it will be too soon.
If there’s a wrestling show on Wednesday night, then it’s only right that your favorite baby boy previews their big shows.
Hello friends and welcome to my first dance for AEW and their first show that is more than just a super indie show, and the first show where they have had to show their work and build primarily through TV instead of YouTube, social media, and the occasional press conference. Here is where it starts to get hard.
It’s one thing to have YouTube shows that build to a one off pay-per-view. It’s another thing to tell weekly stories that lead to a logical conclusion. One thing that’s worth saying here, and is something that I’ll repeat later, is that everything should be given time. This is the first major show after a month of TV. It’s not going to be perfect and it’s not going to be awful. There is a ton of grey area here, and it’s important to remember that.
AEW embraces that gray and doesn’t take itself too seriously. By doing that, they have created something that is easy to access. The overwhelming reaction from the non-wrestling fans I’ve convinced to watch Dynamite has been positive and sometimes, fun can be enough. WWE’s favorite thing is to remind their audience just how stupid they think pro wrestling is. By taking everything too seriously and constantly shouting at their audience, they have taken the fun and pageantry out of wrestling.
This isn’t a combat sport; it’s people doing performance art in their underwear. Something fun like Luchasaurus could never exist in WWE as any time he was on screen, the announcers and other wrestlers would be reminding us how stupid and silly a luchadore dinosaur is. Like an undead funeral home worker is so based in reality.
AEW has no middle ground. It’s almost unthinkable to have a mild take on it. You can’t criticize it without being a hater, and you can’t praise it without being a fanboy. Here’s the thing (and the thing is not new): you can critique something while still liking it. The company has had a month full of shows and, objectively, the good has far outweighed the bad. There are some things that haven’t worked out and the success of the company will hinge on their ability to pull the plug on those things.
They should embrace the growing pains. Failing, and failing often, is the quickest way to succeed. I just really hope they get their merch in order. Holy moly, almost all of the shirts are unimaginably bad. With the exception of the very okay Darby Allin coffin drop shirt, the rest of them look like something you’d see in a targeted Facebook ad. If you are trying to decide whether or not to buy the new Cody ‘shirt’, I’d encourage you to evaluate your most recent life decisions, and perhaps consider this instead.
So yeah, that was a whole bunch of words about AEW as a whole. I’m allowed to do that because it’s my column and I like to throw my thoughts at something new before I break it down match by match. None of the matches on this card are bad, they are all levels of good, and I’m excited to see what happens on Saturday. I don’t have TakeOver levels of excitement, but still, I’m excited. So like we always do at this time, let’s run through the card for Full Gear.
Pre-Show: Bea Priestley vs. Britt Baker
The three minute pre-taped promo Baker had during AEW Dark was very well done. It made me care more about her character than anything else she’s ever done. She’s angry at Bea, thinks she hurts people, and is coming for her. Simple, easy, awesome. Wrestling isn’t all that complicated. If the audience believe in the performers and the emotion resonates, that’s more than half the battle. No one wants to hear whether or not someone’s breath smells, or if they can’t sexually satisfy their partner, or any other juvenile scenarios. People understand the premise of “when you did this to me, I got mad and it’s payback time”. Everyone has wanted to give someone their comeuppance, so it’s easy to imagine ourselves in Britt’s role.
That promo might have been good, but Baker just not there yet in the ring. This isn’t an Adam Page situation where he’s close, but a situation where she is nowhere near ready. She has the look and the presence, but still needs loads of seasoning between the ropes and on the mic. And honestly, how can anyone expect anything else? She’s only been wrestling for a few years and has balanced it with school and dentistry. Not everything happens right away, so give it time. Give this whole thing time.
The unfailable wrestling internet tells me that Priestley might be…the worst? I truly don’t know enough to form an opinion, but she’s certainly being positioned as unlikable here. It makes sense for Britt to get her revenge in a quick, hard hitting match.
Joey Janela vs. Shawn Spears (w/Tully Blanchard)
I take it as a personal affront that this match was added after I submitted my column. No regard for professional journalists’ time SMH. If this feels tacked on, that’s because this was. It should work though. Spears is perfectly fine as a mid-card heel (sorry, Cody) and having Blanchard makes him seem just a bit more important than without him. People seem to think that if someone isn’t at the top of the card. they don’t matter, which is completely silly. Mid-card championships exist for a reason, and Spears would do well holding such a title if AEW goes in that direction. Plus, belts are cool.
In a way, I’m glad this match got added because it presents the opportunity to discuss Janela. There was no one hotter on the North American indies in the year or so leading up to the foundation of AEW. His Spring Break shows have been incredible and are everything pro wrestling should be. The worry is overexposure. Will Janela, on a weekly basis, still have the allure he did on the indies? It’s the big fish, small pond conundrum. It’s one thing to run your own GCW show, it’s another thing to be across the ring from Pac, Mox, Omega, Cody, etc. week after week. It’s great that he’s shared the ring with those guys and kept up, and looked great in the process. I’m excited to see him push his character to a broader audience and see where he goes from here.
This match belongs as the main event an episode of Dynamite. It’s a perfect example of a feud that could have existed entirely on TNT/Dark and wouldn’t need a PPV match. But since it’s here and this column is about predictions, Spears really needs to take this one. He could really use a signature to win establish him as someone meaningful.
Young Bucks vs. Santana and Ortiz
It’s so great that Santana and Ortiz are getting this level of shine on such a large platform. Being at the top of Impact for a spell is one thing, but being in a feud with the Young Bucks on a nationally televised wrestling program is something else entirely. They have been excellent for years, are always improving, and never mail it in. Both of these guys are great, but Santana is coming off like an absolute star. The parallel here is Montez Ford from the Street Profits. Both teams have something special, but it’s very clear who the real star of the team is.
This is yet another feud involving the Bucks and who the best team in the world is. Totally fine, I get it. But if wins and losses matter in AEW, isn’t the best team in the world the ones that just won their tag team tournament? The tournament that had ‘the best tag teams in the world in it? The same tournament that saw the Bucks losing in the first round? This might be splitting hairs here, but it sort of makes the tournament feel less important. I kind of hope this never stops and every time the Bucks wrestle, it’s for the completely fabricated title of best team in the world.
This match actually has had some sort of a build, and has clearly positioned faces and heels. As much as I’d love to cheer the shit out of Ortiz and Santana, that just isn’t going to happen. Considering the Bucks are obsessed with losing to put newer teams over, look for them to take the pinfall here with The Inner Circle getting involved.
Pac vs. “Hangman” Adam Page
I don’t quite understand why they’re running this one back so soon. Was there really an outcry for another one? Is there really enough heat here? Asking your audience to remember a months old match that was pretty good is a fairly big ask, even for a rabid fanbase like this. A fair criticism of AEW is that they don’t give matches enough time to feel big. The names are big, but the builds are lacking. Moxley/Omega runs into the same problem. They haven’t done nearly enough to make the match more than a first time dream match, so they slapped a no DQ stipulation on it. This should feel more like a rivalry than it does. One thing that might help with that is announcing matches more than two weeks out and letting the beat build more organically.
Here is a question only for people who don’t have prowrestling tees dot com as their home page: What is your favorite Adam Page match? I watch too much wrestling and am entirely too online, but I can’t name one of his matches that really blew me away. His match with Jericho was fine, and his match with Pac was also fine. He’s just fine. That doesn’t mean there isn’t another gear for him to hit or a level for him to reach, but the current state of Hangman Page isn’t at the same level as Neville Pac. That’s kind of a shame, because Page is a delightful weirdo on Twitter.
I guess saying Hangman isn’t at Pac’s level isn’t really fair. Pac is just in a whole different stratosphere as a performer right now. Everything works: the character, the look, the fractured speaking pattern, the moves, everything. He is a consistently great performer who makes everyone he works with look like a world champion, Pac is the wrestler AEW should be strapping the proverbial rocket to, not the horse guy. I can see a world where Hangman gets his win back so they can build towards a rubber match with some sort of stipulation, but I just don’t think Pac should be losing much, if ever. Pac wins and makes a run at the big boy belt in the near future.
Dean Ambrose vs. Kenny Omega unsanctioned match
Omega continues to be very much on his bullsh*t. My man busted out an Undertale costume on a nationally televised wrestling show and really does not care what you think about it. He still really has yet to bring out the full ‘best bout machine’ experience in AEW, but his matches with Janela (a sentence that is wild to write) have been closest. He also seems to have taken the poses and outrageous anime poses to new lengths. Do you, Omega man, do you.
While Kenny’s performances and motivations have been questionable in 2019, the opposite is true for Moxley. Mox is free and feeling himself, and do we love to see it. We have all had jobs that suck out our souls, jobs where we have to give ourselves a pep talk in the parking lot every morning just so we can walk through the door. Most of the jobs don’t come with a seven figure salary though, and that money can be tough to walk away from. Shoutout to Jonboy for doing it his way, for leaving on his own terms and rekindling the passion that was stifled for so many years. Imagine listening to this guy talk for more than 30 seconds and thinking the best use of him was as a prop comedian.
These frequent lights out matches are weird. They seem like a way to work around the whole wins and losses mattering thing, which no one asked for in the first place. If your wrestling company is a month old and you already are trying to book your way out of some weird self-imposed standings system, you might want to reassess some things. I will say as someone who lives his life by the mantra ‘nothing matters’, seeing a company just say “Hey, here’s a match but it doesn’t count or matter” is right in my wheelhouse.
This match is built on the sheer star power of both guys, wwo transcendent performers who have sold this match on their presence alone. All signs point to Mox winning and Kenny continuing his search for inspiration in AEW.
AEW Women’s Champion Riho vs. Emi Sakura
For someone so young, it is frightening just how much Riho gets being a pro wrestler. When I was 22, my main concern was if I had enough money to go to the Pizza Hut lunch buffet and five-dollar movie night on the same day. You forget just how small she is, because her connection with the crowd is just so large. Being the first ever AEW women’s champ placed a pretty big spotlight on her, and she hasn’t shrunk from it. She is clearly a star and was a great choice as the inaugural champ.
Sakura trained Riho at one point, and that’s enough of a hook right there. My first exposure to her was at the AEW show in Boston and she was enjoyable as hell. The Freddy Mercury/frontwoman gimmick has no business working but it sure does. Plus her tiger driver rules, and I will always pop for a good tiger driver.
This is way too early to take the belt off Riho, partially because she’s had it for like a month, and partially because she is such a good opponent for so many of the women in the company. This should be a fun match with the champion retaining.
AEW World Tag Team Champions SCU vs. The Lucha Bros vs. Private Party
This column was just about done before Wednesday night when this match was announced. I’m never going to complain about a match that should be tons of fun, but, like the matches previewed before this, it’s another example of something with no build. But hey, there’s nothing wrong with a popcorn match that looks as good as this does.
What it has going for it is the recent history of the teams involved. SCU beat Lucha Bros in the tag team tournament in a fine match that deserves a runback. AEW, if nothing else, has proven that they know how to make tag team wrestling work, and a sprint with these six guys will be well put together and well worth our time.
Since I don’t have a ton to say, I’ll talk about Rey Fenix for a second. Fenix is, in my mind, one of the five best wrestlers in the world. An invested Fenix is something spectacular, and is firmly in the unnecessary but fun ‘best in the world’. He’s been the clear MVP of every match he’s been a part of in this company, and is someone they should be building around. With the depth of the tag division, seeing both Fenix and Pentagon wrestle more singles matches would really help round out that side of things.
It would actually be hilarious if SCU dropped the belts after having them for like 10 days. Since I doubt that happens, SCU retains over in a match that should open the show with a bang.
AEW World Champion Chris Jericho vs. Cody
It’s easy to say that Chris Jericho is doing the best work of his career because everything he does is incredible. His constant reinvention is exhaustively documented elsewhere and isn’t something I’ll get into here, but just when you think we’ve seen peak Jericho, he goes and does it to us one more time. His claim to being the best of all time grows with each promo, and with each stroke of eyeliner. I know people are already trying to ‘cancel’ Jericho for his most recent podcast guest, but if we had to cancel every conservative leaning wrestler, then there would not be much wrestling left. It’s an unfortunate truth of our time, which is also the worst time in human history.
Cody isn’t the best of all time, or even in the discussion, but he certainly deserves a ton of credit for making you care about his matches and for telling a great story in the ring. The man knows his ethos and pathos and can tap into the emotions needed to tell the best story. A frequent complaint is about the lack of storytelling in American wrestling, but Cody really wants you to care. He really, really wants it. He really, really wants you to care about a match when you really, really don’t. The best example of this is him getting people to even remotely care about a Shawn Spears match. Cody’s matches mean something in a time where most matches don’t. Oh, and his promo on Wednesday ruled. What a talker.
The build to this has been fine. It’s not anything we haven’t seen before, and it doesn’t have to be. The stipulation they added Wednesday night certainly added some stakes, and I like how they are openly addressing the management being wrestlers. I genuinely like Cody but I’ll never forgive him for the introduction of the Cody listening gif that shows up in every reply to any somewhat newsworthy wrestling tweet…ever. Jericho leaves Baltimore strapped up, remaining Le Champion heading into 2020.
Mike DellaCamera’s favorite day of the week is now Wednesday and he loves leftovers. Find him on Twitter.
AEW has revealed a new rankings list for each of their divisions.
The first rankings, which were posted on AEW’s social media, features Cody, Emi Sakura and The Lucha Bros at the top of each of AEW’s divisions. These rankings align with the matches set for Full Gear on Saturday, as Cody will face Chris Jericho for the AEW World title, Emi Sakura will face Riho for the AEW Women’s title and The Lucha Bros. (along with Private Party) will face SCU for the AEW Tag Team titles.
These lists also feature the win/loss records for each wrestler and team. AEW has put an emphasis on wins and losses since premiering on TV last month.
Here are the rankings as of November 8. Full Gear, AEW’s next pay-per-view, will take place tomorrow at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland:
Prior to AEW Full Gear Saturday in Baltimore, MD, Cody Rhodes spoke to the media on a conference call Friday afternoon. To listen to the call, just click the red button that says ‘Right Click Save’ below.
A few of the topics the AEW World title challenger and executive vice president spoke about:
– He revealed the plans for the company’s weekly power rankings
– AEW’s schedule and the benefits of working less in the ring leading up to big shows like this
– He discussed his well-received promo from Wednesday and how it was sensory overload for him
– He talked about what he’s learned as an executive vice president thus far
– He talked about Keith Mitchell’s approach to producing AEW while giving a nod toward WWE’s Kevin Dunn
– He said there might be another singles title or “prize” introduced over the next month and that he dislikes the term “mid-card”
– He put over Turner as a partner and their role in Dynamite’s production, adding that there is an opportunity for more live events as B/R Live gets more integrated into the Bleacher Report app.
On Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite from Charlotte, NC, Cody was finally able to make his big announcement and how it relates directly to this Saturday’s AEW Full Gear.
In an emotional in-ring promo with Tony Schiavone, the challenger to AEW Champion Chris Jericho said that if he doesn’t win the title at the pay-per-view, he will never challenge for the championship again in his career.
To further build to the match, Jericho, members of The Inner Circle, and even Virgil appeared in a video done in the same style of one done on Cody several weeks ago, but in more of a mocking tone. The show ended with a big brawl featuring all of the key players for this weekend’s show.
– Jericho was announced as being an in-studio guest on TNT’s Inside The NBA Thursday night.
– Countdown to Full Gear debuted on YouTube Wednesday night:
Ahead of his title defense against Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho will be in action on AEW’s go-home show for Full Gear.
Jericho & Sammy Guevara vs. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page has been made official for this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite. The show is taking place at Bojangles’ Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
A segment with Cody will also be part of the final build to him challenging for Jericho’s AEW World Championship at Full Gear. Cody announced the segment on Twitter, hyping that he’ll be making his announcement that had originally been teased for two weeks ago: “This week’s @AEWonTNT #AEWDynamite I will be uninterrupted and have the chance to make my career announcement. I hope it resonates with the fans, because it matters a great deal to me.”
Jericho, Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz interrupted Cody when he tried to make the announcement on the October 23 episode of Dynamite. That led to Cody, Dustin Rhodes, MJF, and DDP brawling with Jericho and his Inner Circle.
Omega vs. Jon Moxley in an unsanctioned match, Page vs. PAC, and The Young Bucks vs. Santana & Ortiz are also set for Full Gear. The Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland is hosting the pay-per-view this Saturday.
A tiebreaker stipulation is set for the main event of AEW’s Full Gear pay-per-view.
AEW issued a press release today announcing that — If Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes’ AEW World Championship match goes to its 60-minute time limit — “a panel of three esteemed judges” at ringside will vote for the winner. Who the three judges will be hasn’t been revealed.
Jericho became the inaugural AEW World Champion by defeating Hangman Page at All Out. Cody defeated Shawn Spears at that show, with the Full Gear title match being announced shortly after.
There will be a contract signing for Jericho vs. Cody at Full Gear on this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite.
Full Gear is taking place at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday, November 9. Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley, The Young Bucks vs. Santana & Ortiz, and Hangman Page vs. PAC are also set for the PPV.
Santana and Ortiz are in AEW’s Inner Circle stable with Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager.
On Tuesday afternoon, AEW’s Cody held a conference call with the media (audio available below) as the debut of Dynamite awaits Wednesday night.
Among the topics Cody hit on while flipping back and forth between kayfabe:
– He answered a lot about the Dynamite debut, whether they will be watching NXT while they watch the show, and more.
– How he won’t go on to face Chris Jericho at Full Gear if he loses to Sami Guevara
– He has clearance to use the Rhodes weight belt on TV, but won’t use it because he feels he got the name Cody over while in Japan. “By no means is WWE holding my name hostage,” he said. “There’s a lot of respect between the families involved here. I just like using my first name.”
– Had ROH and New Japan accepted dual contracts, what would he have done?
– He discussed why they are running East Coast cities in this first run of shows.
– He answered some criticisms about a lack of African-American talent on AEW’s singles roster.
– He said they are in the 80-85% size when it comes to their max roster size for now and some misconceptions that any disgruntled WWE star can find a home there.
– He wondered if he could just buy the War Games concept back from WWE as his dad came up with the idea. He has the Bunkhouse Stampede and BattleBowl ownership in his back pocket.
– He said he’s keeping a close eye on Cain Velasquez’s progress as a pro wrestler and would take him on as a project if he came to AEW.
The second episode of AEW’s Road to AEW on TNT is now available.
The first part of the episode highlighted Sammy Guevara, who is set to face Cody in the first episode of the program on October 2. He talked about using this blog as a therapeutic process, as well as using it to get his name out in the industry.
Tony Schiavone returned for the AEW Control Center, highlighting the women’s battle royal and the upcoming AEW Women’s title match between Nyla Rose and Riho, as well as the feud between Bea Priestley and Britt Baker.
The final segment was a sit-down interview between Cody and Schiavone. Cody gave comments regarding AEW going to TNT and his match against Guevara, as well as the Full Gear match against Chris Jericho.
The video ended when Cody asked Schiavone if he would be returning to the desk to call matches with Jim Ross. Schiavone replied that Cody would know since he’s the boss. Cody then said “see me wink?” then winked twice to end the video.
The AEW World Championship will be on the line when Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes face off at Full Gear.
AEW announced via Sports Illustrated today that Jericho will defend his World title against Cody at Full Gear on Saturday, November 9. The pay-per-view is taking place at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.
In his three singles matches for AEW thus far, Cody has won twice and gone to a time limit draw once. He defeated Dustin Rhodes at Double or Nothing and Shawn Spears at All Out. Cody and Darby Allin went to a 20-minute time limit draw at Fyter Fest.
At Fight for the Fallen, Cody & Dustin lost a tag team match against The Young Bucks.
Jericho defeated Hangman Page at All Out to become the inaugural AEW World Champion. Jericho being in that title match was set up by him defeating Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing.
It was announced last month that a World title defense will take place on week three of AEW on TNT on Wednesday, October 16.
Tickets for Full Gear are going on sale tomorrow (September 6) at noon Eastern time. Omega vs. Jon Moxley has also been confirmed for the PPV.
After being set up at Fyter Fest, Cody Rhodes vs. Shawn Spears is now official for All Out.
Episode three of the Road to All Out featured a contract signing for Cody vs. Spears. Tully Blanchard, who is managing Spears, had it stipulated that Cody and Spears will each only be allowed to have one person in their corner for the match.
Cody and Spears’ storyline began when Spears signing with AEW was announced on the Road to Fyter Fest. Cody called Spears “a great hand” and someone who could be a player-coach for AEW. At Fyter Fest, Spears appeared and gave Cody a chair shot.
Tully Blanchard was revealed as Spears’ manager on the first Road to All Out episode.
All Out is taking place at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois on Saturday, August 31. Here’s the updated card for the pay-per-view:
Chris Jericho vs. Hangman Page for the AEW World Championship
Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley
AAA Tag Team Champions The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) defending against The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) in a ladder match
Cody Rhodes vs. Shawn Spears
Darby Allin vs. Joey Janela vs. Jimmy Havoc
Best Friends (Trent Barreta & Chuck Taylor) vs. The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) (winning team gets a first-round bye in AEW’s Tag Team title tournament)
This week’s Road to All Out episode is available to watch below:
