A TBS Championship match has been added to the lineup for Dynamite.
Julia Hart will defend her title against Emi Sakura on tonight’s show.
Dynamite this week takes place from Hart’s hometown of Minnesota. She trained at Academy SOPW in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and wrestled for local promotions such as Midwest All-Star Wrestling before signing with AEW.
Tony Khan announced the match via X on Wednesday.
Khan wrote:
A luminary with decades of experience Emi Sakura will fight one of wrestling’s rising stars Julia Hart for the TBS Title in Julia’s hometown Minneapolis, TONIGHT!
TONIGHT! Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite TBS, 8pm ET/7pm CT
A luminary with decades of experience Emi Sakura will fight one of wrestling's rising stars Julia Hart for the TBS Title in Julia's hometown Minneapolis, TONIGHT! pic.twitter.com/Bs1sNnrmHi
Hart pinned Skye Blue in a triple threat match also involving former champion Kris Statlander at Saturday’s AEW Full Gear pay-per-view to win the TBS title, her first championship win in AEW.
Statlander hit Blue with her Saturday Night Fever finisher, but Hart threw Statlander aside and stole the pin to win the title.
Hart has won 14 out of 15 AEW matches in 2023, with her only defeat coming at the hands of Statlander in a TBS title bout last month.
Statlander’s first reign with the TBS title comes to an end after 174 days and 14 successful defenses.
Hart becomes just the third-ever TBS Champion since the title was established in January 2022 joining Statlander & Jade Cargill.
Hart’s win was the second title change at Full Gear, as Toni Storm defeated Hikaru Shida earlier in the evening to win the AEW Women’s World Championship, joining Shida as the only three-time Women’s World Champions in company history.
A Ring of Honor TV title match between Samoa Joe and Keith Lee is official for this Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite along with several other new additions.
Lee issued the challenge on Saturday’s AEW Collision in a backstage segment where Joe was recognized for being the longest-reigning ROH TV Champion ever. Joe said he had beaten everyone to which Lee retorted that he hadn’t beat him.
This will be the first time the two have squared off. They have shared the ring only once, that being in 2020 WWE Royal Rumble match.
After nine months on the injured list, Red Velvet will make her return to action as she faces Julia Hart. Velvet’s last match was in February when she lost to then-TBS Champion Jade Cargill while Hart’s recent long winning streak came to an end against current champion Kris Statlander at last month’s WrestleDream.
Also made Saturday was Jay White vs. Mark Briscoe. White is looking to continue his undefeated streak in AEW on his path to a shot at AEW World Champion MJF at this month’s Full Gear. Briscoe returned to action on Collision in a tag team match — his first in-ring action since late-June when took time off with a knee injury.
Swerve Strickland will go one-on-one with Penta El Zero Miedo after a backstage confrontation on Collision with Strickland, Prince Nana and Alex Abrahantes. The two have shared the ring several times dating back as far as 2015 in Lucha Underground. This will be their first-ever singles match in AEW and their first since a December 2018 indie.
After a win over AR Fox on Collision, Strickland is preparing for a rematch with Hangman Page at Full Gear while Penta is coming off a three-way victory over El Hijo del Vikingo and Komander on Friday’s Rampage.
The four new additions join the previously announced World title match between champion MJF and Daniel Garcia.
Here’s the current lineup for Portland, Oregon:
AEW World Champion MJF defends against Daniel Garcia
ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe defends against Keith Lee
Julia Hart and Lee Johnson are reportedly set for some time off from AEW and ROH in the near future.
Fightful Select is reporting that the engaged couple will be away from the company as they celebrate their upcoming wedding and honeymoon.
Hart revealed the couple’s engagement during an appearance on AEW Unrestricted in October 2022.
For the surprising jump in Collision during the show and which match it was, it was actually both Julia Hart vs. Kiera Hogan (601,000/265,000 18-49) and Jay White vs. Andrade (611,000/263,000 18-49). Both VERY male oriented audience, 73.6% or Hart-Hogan and 79.1% for…
Hart has been one of the most active wrestlers on the roster over the last two weeks, having wrestled five matches on AEW programming during this time. Her match against Kiera Hogan on the September 23 Collision was the highest-rated segment in 18-49 on the show. The episode itself was the highest-rated non-sports show in prime time on all of English television that night.
“It should be noted the peak of the show was the Julia Hart vs. Kiera Hogan match, which was not in a time slot at the top of the hour,” our own Dave Meltzer wrote in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Julia Hart will be in action on the eve of Sunday’s AEW WrestleDream pay-per-view.
Hart will face an unnamed opponent on the Saturday, September 30 edition of AEW Collision, the go-home show for Sunday’s WrestleDream pay-per-view. Hart will challenge Kris Statlander for the TBS Championship at the PPV.
The Collision bout was added to the lineup for Saturday’s show during Friday’s Rampage episode.
Already announced for Saturday’s show, Chris Jericho & Kenny Omega will team against Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona. Omega, Jericho, and Kota Ibushi will face Konosuke Takeshita, Will Ospreay, and Sammy Guevara at WrestleDream.
Juice Robinson vs. Andrade El Idolo is also set for Collision, as is a tag team match with The Kingdom’s Mike Bennett & Matt Taven facing Best Friends’ Chuck Taylor & Trent Beretta.
Also set for Collision, Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta, & FTR’s Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler will take on Ricky Starks, Big Bill, & Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis of Aussie Open.
The updated Collision lineup:
Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta & FTR vs. Ricky Starks, Big Bill & Aussie Open (Zack Sabre Jr. will be on commentary)
It’s Monday and you know what that means: AEW Dark Elevation. Since last Thursday’s Ring of Honor TV was taped prior to Dynamite, this week’s episode was the first to emanate from Orlando’s Universal Studios.
Tony Schiavone and Matt Menard were on the call as Paul Wight was “on assignment” in South Carolina.
Action Andretti defeated Nick Comoroto
Andretti used his speed throughout until he tried a tope suicida and was caught by Comoroto and then slammed onto the apron (the hardest part of the ring if you didn’t know.) Comoroto got cocky with consecutive backbreakers and consecutive nearfalls.
Andretti got back into things with an enziguri and another tope suicida. He followed it up with a spinning torneo off the middle rope and a split-leg moonsault. Comoroto caught him with a clothesline off the ropes but when he went for a power bomb, Andretti caught him in a pinning combo for the surprise win.
Skye Blue defeated Angelica Risk
Risk didn’t take too kindly to Blue early, so Blue started beating the crap out of her. Risk turned things around with a neckbreaker off the ropes and then used the ropes to choke her. Blue rallied with an enziguri in the corner and on the mat, but Risk kept grabbing the hair. But after a superkick, Blue hit her Code Blue for the win.
Gates Of Agony (w/ Prince Nana) defeated The Qrown (Leonis & Maximus)
Four big sweaty men in this match — you love to see it. Every move in the early going was just a strength contest and as you might expect, Toa Liona won those matchups. When they went for a double-team move in their corner, Kaun slapped Liona in the face to wake him up and then threw him into Maximus. He was then able to fight out of a headlock to get Leonis in on a hot tag, but they got caught and Gates of Agony just drove his face into the mat for the pin and win.
Julia Hart defeated Kelsey Heather
Hart came out singing her theme song and Menard called her a real freak. Heather was already in the ring and it appeared she is a cheerleader like Hart’s former gimmick. Heather started by leading the crowd in a House of Black chant, which I did not understand at all.
Hart pounded on Heather and whenever the cheerleader went for something, Hart just stopped it and smacked her around. After a vertical suplex, it looked like Hart was gonna go for a pin, but she just kept beating her instead. Heather finally connected on a neckbreaker in her only offensive move of the match. After Hart moved out of the way of a moonsault, she locked in the Hartless for the quick tap and her 20th straight win.
Kip Sabian (w/ Penelope Ford) defeated Leon Ruffin
The commentary team was also weirded out by Sabian and Ford. When asked who runs things in this duo, Schiavone said, “Well, I know who runs things at my house.”
They started with their own test of strength and when Sabian won, he kicked the arm of Ruffin and he looked more offended than hurt. Ruffin turned it around with a tope suicida, but he started playing to the crowd and let Sabian get back up. When Ruffin got back in the ring, Sabian locked in an arm stretch. Ruffin hit a middle rope cutter after a second try, but when Sabian kicked out, he hit a brainbuster and a flatliner for the win.
Lance Archer (w/ Jake “The Snake” Roberts) defeated Bryce Cannon
If you were to look up “people who don’t have a chance” in the dictionary, it would be a picture of Cannon. He had a goofy hairdo that Archer played with until he threw him to the outside. Roberts actually gave him a clothesline and then threw him back in. Archer went to do the chop spot in the corner where he rips off your shirt, but this Cannon guy had three different shirts on. After that, Archer hit the chokeslam and clothesline for the win. Everybody, in fact, dies.
AEW Tag Team Champions The Gunns defeated The Infantry (Carlie Bravo & Shawn Dean) in an eliminator match
Schiavone made sure to comment on The Gunns’ atrocious outfits. Austin Gunn then called a guy down from the crowd and just started yelling at everyone.
A lot of this match was each man and team showing off to the crowd. Of course, the Gunns got booed each time and The Infantry got cheered. The Infantry got the advantage early and set up a cool spot where they yanked both champions’ legs wide open. When they went to fight on the outside, The Gunns got the advantage back with some dirty tactics. They just worked over Dean until he hit an enziguri and the hot tag to Bravo.
Bravo ran wild on both Gunns, hitting a cutter on Colten for a two count. When he tried to follow up with a stomp, Colten rolled him up and Austin got involved. Bravo hit a double DDT after a double-team move. Bravo kept trying to get something going, but the champions simply got him up for the 3:10 to Yuma for the pin and win.
After the match, Schiavone was in the ring to talk about Wednesday’s Tag Team title defense against FTR. Gunn just started singing “Na na na, hey hey, kiss him goodbye” and said FTR will be gone forever on Wednesday.
This week’s AEW Dark was taped at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Dark Order (John Silver & Alex Reynolds) defeated The Outrunners
Silver and Truth Magnum started out and after some flexing, Turbo Floyd came in, but Silver took both of them out of the ring with a double clothesline. Floyd re-entered and tried to wear down Silver, but Reynolds came in. Both of The Outrunners tried to double team Reynolds, but it didn’t work out.
Reynolds then positioned Floyd on the turnbuckle for a DDT, prompting Silver to come off the top rope and assist with a stomp to Floyd’s back. Moments later, Reynolds made the pin.
Riho defeated Diamante
Riho started with a few armdrags, but Diamante responded with a bit more physicality, tossing Riho out of the ring and into the barricade.
Riho fought back with the will of the crowd and eventually hit a big 619 that would change the course of the match. After coming off the top rope with a crossbody, Riho seemingly had control. However, Diamante changed course after launching the former AEW Women’s Champion over her head with a German suplex.
Riho would go on to win after hitting Diamante with a double foot stomp from the top rope, followed by a running knee strike.
Sonny Kiss defeated Terry Kid
Kiss was dominant from the get go. After hitting Kid with the splits and a backspring elbow into the corner, Kiss went on to win the match after a rotating roundhouse kick.
Julia Hart defeated Zoey Lynn
Hart hit Lynn with a back hand to start the bout, but Lynn fought back and hit a nice dropkick to the shoulder while Hart was down. Lynn was quickly put away moments later after Hart submitted her with her Heartless submission — good for her 19th straight win.
Action Andretti defeated Lee Johnson (w/ Cole Karter)
Andretti and Johnson exchanged various holds throughout the opening stages, but Andretti ended up with the advantage. After teasing a dive onto Johnson, Andretti faked him out and instead posed in the middle of the ring.
Karter distracted Andretti which led to Johnson regaining control. After keeping Andretti in a headlock for a solid minute, Johnson tried to hit a few big moves, but Andretti started reversing things left and right. After hitting a tornado DDT, Andretti was hit with a superkick from Johnson.
The final stages saw Johnson attempt to go to the top rope, but Andretti met him up there which led to a big superplex spot. Andretti then took out Johnson with a dive at ringside before hitting Karter with a superkick. Moments later, Andretti pinned Karter with a floating neckbreaker.
AEW announced five matches for Tuesday’s AEW Dark that will see Riho, Julia Hart and Action Andretti all compete.
Former AEW Women’s Champion Riho will look for her fourth straight win as she takes on Diamante. Riho is coming off victories over Toni Storm, Emi Sakura and Nyla Rose as she looks to get back into title contention.
Julia Hart has quietly built up a long winning streak on Dark/Dark: Elevation and will go for her 19th straight win against Zoey Lynn. Hart hasn’t been beaten since an April 2022 loss to Kris Statlander.
Dark Order’s John Silver & Alex Reynolds will look to rebound from their loss to the Blackpool Combat Club as they face The Outrunners.
Action Andretti will look to snap a two-match losing streak (both to Sammy Guevara) as he faces Lee Johnson.
Sonny Kiss will return to singles action for the first time since late-August as he takes on Terry Kid.
Hart appeared on an episode of AEW Unrestricted released on Thursday and revealed the news.
“We are engaged,” Hart said of her relationship with Johnson. “Now, it sounds weird saying ‘boyfriend,’ I’m like, ‘what?’ he’s my fiance. Nobody really knows that but we also don’t care, but we also didn’t make a huge post about it. Anyway, we did meet at the Nightmare Factory, we were just friends at first. Then one day he asked me, he’s like, ‘hey, do you want to get pizza and watch wrestling?’ And I was like, ‘sure.’ I didn’t really have any friends in Georgia so I was like, ‘sure, I’m not doing anything.’ Then the next thing you know we are literally hanging out until 7 a.m just talking and just clicking, having the best time ever.”
Johnson has been out of action since May with a knee injury.
“He’s the best, I don’t know, I just couldn’t ask for anyone better,” Hart continued. “He’s like my dream man. He just has everything I could ask for in a guy, it’s great. I can’t wait for him to come back.”
It was later revealed on the show that Hart and Johnson became engaged “months ago” but had not announced the news publicly.
Hart also addressed her character change from the Varsity Blondes cheerleader to the darker House of Black member.
“Words can’t explain how much I’m obsessed with my new character,” Hart said. “I was a competitive cheerleader for six years and, you guys, I was so over it. I was so over cheerleading and being on the sidelines and cheering for someone else.”
“I just needed something different and new and a different side of me that I can pull from and it’s crazy how being with House of Black, how creative everyone is and just being around that environment of those people, and I’m constantly learning from all of them.”
AEW has filed to trademark “House of Black” for wrestling purposes.
The filing was submitted on September 8, one day after reports were released that Malakai Black had received a conditional release from the company.
Brody King, Buddy Matthews, and Julia Hart continued to be referred to as representing the House of Black on Monday’s edition of Dark: Elevation. Our own Dave Meltzer posted to Twitter on Monday that the faction will continue despite Black’s reported departure.
Following his match at All Out, Black took a bow and blew a kiss to the live crowd, leading to speculation it was his last match in AEW. Tony Khan would offer “no comment” on his status during the post-event media scrum.
The purposes of the trademark are listed as “Entertainment in the nature of wrestling contests; Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a group or individual wrestlers; Entertainment services, namely, televised appearances by a group or individual wrestlers; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer.” As well as “Beanies; Hats; Shirts; T-shirts.”
AEW has revealed the lineup for this week’s edition of Dark.
Matches for the show were filmed on Friday, September 2 from the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois.
The ROH World Championship will be on the line as champion Claudio Castagnoli defends against Ari Daivari.
Other notable matches scheduled to air include Serena Deeb vs. Sierra, Private Party vs. Robert Anthony & GPA, and Julia Hart vs. Missa Kate.
Zack Clayton will return to action on Dark this week as well. He will face Serpentico in singles competition. Tony Nese, Josh Woods, and Marina Shafir will be on the show as well.
AEW Dark airs on Tuesday beginning at 7 p.m Eastern time on YouTube. The announced lineup for the show is as follows:
ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli defends against Ari Daivari
Serena Deeb vs. Sierra
Serpentico w/ Luther vs. Zack Clayton
Tony Nese & Josh Woods w/ Mark Sterling vs. Storm Grayson & Brandon Gore
Julia Hart vs. Missa Kate
Marina Shafir w/ Nyla Rose & Vickie Guerrero vs. Laynie Luck
Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy) vs. Robert Anthony & GPA
Heads up, it’s Wednesday which means it’s time for AEW DYNAMITE! Join Denise Salcedo on Speak Now Pro Wrestling as she does an honest, in-depth recap of the show while sharing her analysis on stories and matches. She also engages with the live audience! Tune in for a good time.
Some of the items talked about on the show include lots of Owen Hart Cup talk, AEW Double or Nothing build up, Wardlow facing W. Morrissey, did Hangman Adam Page turn heel, Julia Hart’s storyline, Deonna Purrazzo vs. Mercedes Martinez, and more!
Another qualifying match for the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament has been announced for this week’s AEW Dynamite.
Hikaru Shida will face Julia Hart in the qualifier, deciding the third entrant in the women’s bracket.
Tomorrow on Wednesday Night Dynamite is a huge night of pro wrestling on TBS, and the Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Qualifiers continue LIVE on #AEWDynamite @ 8pm ET/7pm CT with@shidahikaru vs. @TheJuliaHart!@jmehytr + Toni Storm are already in the field, who’s next? pic.twitter.com/5o3x7z4rxz
Toni Storm became the first entrant in the Women’s Tournament on last week’s Dynamite in her AEW debut, defeating The Bunny. Jamie Hayter then defeated Skye Blue on last week’s Rampage to become the second person to qualify.
Shida has wrestled just twice for AEW so far this year, losing to Serena Deeb on Dynamite in January, then defeating Madi Wrenkowski on Dark: Elevation last month.
Five matches are now official for the Wednesday, April 6 Dynamite. The show will air live from Agganis Arena in Boston.
The lineup:
Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament qualifier: Samoa Joe vs. Max Caster
Owen Hart Foundation Women’s tournament qualifier: Hikaru Shida vs. Julia Hart
Adam Cole vs. Christian Cage
Tables match: The Hardys vs. The Butcher & The Blade
ROH World Tag Team Championship & AAA Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs. The Young Bucks
It’s Monday and you know what that means: a seven-match AEW Dark: Elevation taped last Wednesday at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Tony Schiavone, Mark Henry and Paul Wight were on the call.
Bobby Fish defeated Robert Anthony
Anthony used his speed to overwhelm Fish, but the latter’s striking balanced things out. Fish (2-0 this year) worked Anthony’s left leg throughout the match. He won after a combination of an exploder suplex into the ropes and a roundhouse kick.
Emi Sakura, The Bunny & Diamante defeated Heather Reckless, Queen Aminata & Skye Blue
Before the match started, Blue got one of the biggest pops of the show as she’s from Chicago. The heels tried to outsmart the babyfaces, but Aminata and Blue were able to fend them off. Bunny, Diamante and Sakura have had more experience as a trios unit which was a factor. One of the best spots was Sakura tying up both Skye and Reckless in a submission attempt. In the end, Bunny hit the Rabbit Hole on Reckless for the win.
Scorpio Sky (w/ Dan Lambert) defeated Stephen Wolf
This was Wolf’s AEW debut and basically a squash loss. Sky won after hitting the TKO to improve his overall record to 54-16. On commentary, Ethan Page talked about both his and Sky’s goal of winning the TNT title. Also, according to Page, the Men of the Year trim each other’s eyebrows.
Julia Hart defeated Arie Alexander
This was Alexander’s AEW debut. Since getting the black mist from Malakai Black, Hart has worked a more aggressive style and this match was the best example of that. She showcased her agility with a scorpion kick, winning after submitting Alexander with a leg scissors. She evened her record at 9-9 with the win.
Is Hart becoming more aggressive a sign that she’ll become the third member of the House of Black? We might find out soon when she takes her eyepatch off.
Dante Martin defeated Aaron Solo (w/ Nick Comoroto)
Solo is a very underrated guy and in this match, he made Martin look like a billion bucks every time he could. Comoroto, as always, intervened on Solo’s behalf, but Martin’s speed and agility were too much for both. He won with the always impressive Nosedive moonsault to improve his record to 39-19.
The Acclaimed & Gunn Club (w/ Billy Gunn) defeated Brock Anderson, Lee Johnson, Lee Moriarty & Matt Sydal
Max Caster and his opening rap made a reference to Chicago’s murder rate.
The heels tried to isolate Moriarty, but he was able to hold on his own despite the numbers game being against him. This was a good showcase for the Gunn Club and their act, especially when fans chant “ass boys.” This had a lot of things going for it and was the best match of the night. Austin Gunn won with a roll-up and the use of The Acclaimed’s boom box.
Best Friends (w/ Kris Statlander) defeated Chaos Project
Paul Wight mentioned on commentary that the reason Luther was missing these last few weeks was because he was in Egypt helping an archeological team regarding a mummy. He later said he was just messing around.
Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta started off strong to open things up, but Chaos Project and their gimmick of Luther using Serpentico as a weapon helped them turn things around. They isolated Beretta for a while and even did the Best Friends’ hug spot. Serpentico tried to slam Luther on Trent, but he failed miserably. Trent and Taylor (27-11) hit Strong Zero on Serpentico to pick up the win.
Final Thoughts:
For the third week in a row, Sydal and Moriarty were the MVPs of Elevation. Their matches are always the best on the show. Henry, Wight and Schiavone were really fun on commentary tonight, not on the same level of Taz and Excalibur on Dark, but fun in their own way.
Julia Hart is out of tomorrow’s women’s Casino Battle Royale.
In an angle that aired on a special edition of AEW Dark tonight, Hart was cutting a promo when she was taken out by Vickie Guerrero, Nyla Rose, and Jade Cargill. A chair was placed on Hart’s knee and Cargill stomped on the chair, injuring Hart’s knee.
With Hart no longer in the battle royal, 20 out of 21 participants have been announced. They include Thunder Rosa, Nyla Rose, Penelope Ford, Jade Cargill, Anna Jay, Riho, The Bunny, Big Swole, Tay Conti, Hikaru Shida, Red Velvet, Diamante, Emi Sakura, Kiera Hogan, Abadon, Leyla Hirsch, KiLynn King, Jamie Hayter, Rebel, and now Skye Blue.
Here is the rest of the card for tomorrow’s All Out pay-per-view event, which takes place at the NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois:
AEW World Championship: Kenny Omega (c) vs. Christian Cage
CM Punk vs. Darby Allin
AEW Women’s World Championship: Britt Baker (c) vs. Kris Statlander
AEW World Tag Team Championship steel cage match: The Young Bucks (c) vs. The Lucha Brothers
TNT Championship: Miro (c) vs. Eddie Kingston
Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima
Paul Wight vs. QT Marshall
The Buy-In pre-show match: Matt Hardy, Private Party & TH2 vs. Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, Wheeler Yuta & Jurassic E
