Tag: Kenny Omega

AEW Dynamite Maximum Carnage live results: World title match, Kenny Omega in action

Posted on by Ryan Howard

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Maximum Carnage from Cincinatti features a World title bout, plus the AEW in-ring return of Kenny Omega.

AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defends the title tonight against Powerhouse Hobbs, the winner of the men’s Casino Gauntlet match last week.

Omega will have his first AEW match since December 2023, facing Brian Cage. Omega returned to the ring earlier this month at Wrestle Dynasty against Gabe Kidd.

The first women’s Casino gauntlet match will take place with the winner earning a shot at AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May at February’s Grand Slam Australia.

The Hurt Syndicate will be in action as MVP makes his AEW in-ring debut with Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin against AEW Tag Team Champions Private Party and Mark Briscoe.

The long-simmering feud between Christian Cage and Hook comes to a head with the two finally meeting one-on-one.

Ricochet will share some thoughts two weeks after he attacked Swerve Strickland with a pair of golden scissors.

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AEW Dynamite: Maximum Carnage comes on the air with Excalibur welcoming us alongside Tony Schiavone & Taz as they throw it to a video package highlighting tonight’s card. The highlights did include Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd at Wrestle Dynasty, as Omega’s AEW in ring return is the opening contest of the evening.

Kenny Omega defeated Brian Cage (w/Don Callis & Lance Archer)

(This was a good return match for Omega, as he sold a lot of the time before delivering some of his greatest hits. Obviously this was nowhere near the Wrestle Dynasty match and I’d recommend seeking that out if for some reason you haven’t seen it, but it was nice to see Kenny back in an AEW ring. The post-match set up the Takeshita/Fletcher vs. Ospreay/Omega showdown, which could happen either on TV or possibly Grand Slam, which, at this moment, we haven’t been told how we can watch it.)

Omega’s first match on Dynamite since November 15, 2023 in the 8-man Street Fight against, ironically enough, Brian Cage & The Don Callis Family. Loud ovation for Omega, as he fired off early chops, but Cage no sold, so Omega took out the leg. Omega couldn’t power Cage up, allowing Cage to curl Omega before hitting a fall away slam. Cage hit one pop-up powerbomb, tried another, but Omega countered into a hurricanrana to the floor. Omega teased the Terminator Dive, but Archer ran distraction, allowing Cage to turn Omega inside out with a lariat. Cage tossed Omega into the barricade and press slammed him abdomen first on the announce table (I wonder if it’s still “solid oak” like Excalibur told us last week?). Cage took the ref, as Archer & Callis got in their cheap shots as things went to commercial.

Back from break, Cage hit a suplex from the apron back inside for two as Omega crawled to the ramp. Omega tried another hurricanrana, but Cage powerbombed him back into the ring for another near fall. Omega fought off a pump handle, connecting on a face palm slam, but Cage got the knees up during a moonsault attempt and hit the sit-out pump handle for two. Cage went up top, but was cut-off, allowing a springboard sunset bomb before a V-Trigger got a near fall. Omega signaled another V-Trigger, but Cage sidestepped, Omega floated over a German suplex, ducked a discus lariat and popped Cage with a pump knee followed by a V-Trigger. Omega connected on the One-Winged Angel and got the victory.

Post-match, Archer & Kyle Fletcher hit the ring and attacked the midsection until Will Ospreay hit the ring and made the save similar to last week. Ospreay flipped out of an Archer chokeslam, hit an enzugiri, Omega fired off a V-Trigger and Ospreay capped it with a Hidden Blade. Ospreay & Omega had words until Ospreay shoved Omega out of the way and wiped out Fletcher with a dive. Konosuke Takeshita’s music hit and he walked right out and brawled with Omega until Fletcher & Ospreay got back in and the fight continued. Fletcher & Takeshita got the advantage and laid out Ospreay & Omega with the Brainbuster and Raging Fire respectively. The Don Callis Family stood tall over Ospreay & Omega. Despite all of that, Schiavone said that Omega & Ospreay stood tall after Omega’s return, as they were both struggling to their feet after the attack.

-Hurt Syndicate video ahead of MVP’s in-ring debut for AEW, coming up tonight.

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-New York Minute with Chris Jericho, who called Cincinnati the Bluegrass State. The Learning Tree talked about the upcoming 12-man tag on Collision, which Bryan Keith reminds us “is a dozen MF-er”. Jericho called Cope a dope and Cash Wheeler…a kneeler. Jericho promised Jon Moxley that The Learning Tree & Death Riders will be on the same page. This wasn’t the best New York Minute segment they’ve done, even Taz said that was so rough it made him sad to be a New Yorker.

Ricochet Addresses the Attack on Swerve Strickland

Crowd booing Ricochet big time, as he has the gold scissors in the breast pocket of his suit. The crowd wouldn’t let him talk, drowning him out with Swerve’s House chants. Ricochet said a picture is worth a thousand words and showed the bloody attack on Strickland on the big screen before Strickland’s music hit. Prince Nana snuck in from behind and cracked Ricochet with a chair before dancing over him. Swerve Strickland slowly walked out with a chain and went to whip Ricochet, who ran for higher ground, as Strickland stalked him down. Ricochet chucked a security guard into Strickland and bailed out the door through the snow.

-Video package of the media tour the TBS Champion Mercedes Mone has been on lately. The Sherri Shepard Show, Sirius XM, shopping, training at Create-A-Pro Wrestling, as she told us Mone Changes Everything.

The Hurt Syndicate (Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin & MVP) defeated Mark Briscoe & AEW Tag Team Champions Private Party (Quen & Zay)

(This was about 90/10 Hurt Syndicate and there’s really no reason why Lashley & Benjamin shouldn’t be tag team champions after a performance like this. Hurt Syndicate looked incredibly strong here to the point where I almost felt bad for Briscoe & Private Party getting darn near squashed here.)

MVP wrestled a few times on the indies at the end of last year, but prior to that, it’s been a little over 2 years since he has competed on TV. Meanwhile, this is Private Party’s first match on Dynamite since winning the Tag Titles last October. Hurt Syndicate wasted no time attacking at the bell, as MVP & Briscoe slugged it out in the ring, as Zay & Quen got beat down outside. Briscoe answered with some Redneck Kung-Fu, but MVP regained advantage, tagging Benjamin, slamming Briscoe repeatedly from apron to barricade, as things went to commercial.

Back from break, MVP hit the Ballin elbow for two, but Briscoe ducked a clothesline, hit a leaping back elbow into the double down. Zay made the hot tag and ran wild briefly on Benjamin until Quen tagged in and we got a series of double dropkicks. They held the ropes open as Briscoe hit a somersault dive onto Lashley. MVP & Benjamin were flattened back inside, as MVP & Zay tumbled outside, as Quen laid out Benjamin with a Flatliner for two. Lashley launched Briscoe with an overhead belly to belly, as Private Party hit Poetry in Motion on Benjamin. Lashley got in the ring and squashed Quen with a spinebuster and Zay with a Spear as Benjamin hit a superkick on Quen and got the pin, while MVP hit a charging knee on Briscoe ringside.

-We’re told Cope vs. PAC will happen next Wednesday as a quick video package on the friendship of Cope & FTR was shown after.

**********

-Swerve Strickland vs. Ricochet will take place 3 weeks from tonight on Dynamite

Jeff Jarrett & MJF Face-to-Face Part 2

Jarrett came to the ring to a nice ovation from the crowd, as he said the last few weeks have been humbling before immediately being interrupted by MJF’s music. MJF walked to the ring and said last week he gave Jarrett an opportunity of a lifetime, but was turned down. Jarrett cut him off and said MJF was too lazy to enter the Casino Gauntlet and tried to scheme, when MJF screamed for Jarrett never to interrupt him again. MJF cooled down and said he’s a living legend, as Jarrett has convinced these dumb schmucks he’s one, too. MJF said Jarrett is the Last Outlaw because he’s the last thing you see before your favorite wrestling company dies. MJF called Jarrett a pro wrestling Grim Reaper and said thinking of his career makes him want to drink. MJF apologized and called Jarrett a raging…recovering alcoholic and said he’ll send Jarrett’s ass packing back to rehab where he belongs. MJF said to make sure his sexy MILF of a wife sticks around, as he’s a fan of Karen, but when he’s done with her, he’ll ship her back to Nashville so Jarrett knows what a Generational Talent & Olympic Gold Medalist balls taste like.

Jarrett said all MJF does is make cruel insults and said he knows his best years are behind him, but entering the Owen Hart Cup last year made him realize he still wants to keep going. Jarrett said it’s exactly what’s needed to get him on track to become AEW World Champion. MJF thinks he can hurt Jarrett’s feelings, but he did everything like this before MJF and better than him. Jarrett is confused whether MJF is a dumbass, scumbag or all of the above. Jarrett said it must be tough being raised by a call girl mother and knows for a fact when his father knocked his mother up, she still made him pay for it. Jarrett said the old saying is we’re married to our mommies, MJF’s is nothing but a Canadian call girl. While MJF was burning it up for 60 minutes with Will Ospreay, his old lady was doing the same thing with a bunch of wrestlers in the back. Jarrett said MJF is drowning in his own sh*t, an entitled prick, a scared little boy, who won’t enter the Gauntlet, scared of becoming a one hit wonder.

MJF said he didn’t need his daddy to make him a top guy or start his own company to be a top guy, MJF made MJF. We know what happens when Jarrett is King of the Mountain, while MJF is to thank for record PPV buys, ticket sales and is the Best in the World, but then he got screwed. His name, reputation, legacy, dragged through the mud, as he doesn’t want to win the World Title, he needs to win it, to shove it down all his detractor’s throats, but has to wait in line for Jeff Jarrett? With all due respect, no wrestling fan has ever given a sh*t about Jarrett. What pisses MJF off is just because Jarrett was best friends with Owen Hart, he’s owed a grand finale, but he sees through his BS. Jarrett is nothing more than a leech, riding the coattails of his deceased friend. Jarrett finally popped MJF with punches until security hit the ring to pull him back. Karen Jarrett came in and tried to calm Jeff down, but MJF grabbed her and threw her into Jeff before bailing. This was a long segment, but had some good lines.

HOOK (w/Katsuyori Shibata) defeated Christian Cage (w/The Patriarchy) via disqualification

(This feud started back in October and we finally got the one-on-one showdown and it’s obvious that they aren’t done yet, especially with the big return of Joe after. The match itself was fine, but I wasn’t begging to see a rematch after this. The Patriarchy just don’t feel like that strong of a group right now. I always seem to forget Cage has a guaranteed World Title shot in his back pocket, too.)

HOOK attacked during Cage’s entrance and even had a brief stare down with Mother Wayne, as Cage tried bailing up the ramp, but was backdropped over the top into the ring. Cage backed off, tried apologizing, hugging HOOK, who turned it into an overhead suplex. Cage took a hard corner buckle before being comforted by Mother Wayne into commercial.

During break, Kip Sabian & Nick Wayne came out to corner Cage, as Katsuyori Shibata is out to back HOOK. Cage was sent over the top to the outside, as HOOK hit a diving forearm off the apron. HOOK tried stomping the hand on the ring steps, but Cage swept out the leg and HOOK smacked spine first. Back inside, Cage hit three Frog Splashes for two, as Cage wanted a Spear, HOOK avoided at first, but struggled to recover, as Cage ultimately hit a Spear, but HOOK kicked out. HOOK battled back with clotheslines and throws, hitting a Fisherman’s Suplex for two. REDRUM applied, but Cage climbed the ropes to break it, so HOOK just sent him crashing down. Cross face shots from HOOK, but Cage slid through REDRUM and posted HOOK. Shibata held off Wayne & Sabian from attacking, but Cage laid him out with a reverse DDT ringside. Back inside, Cage wanted a Killswitch, but HOOK countered into REDRUM. Cage signaled to Sabian & Wayne, who pounced in the ring for the DQ.

The Patriarchy went to Pillmanize the arm again, when Taz was about to leave commentary, but the music of Samoa Joe hit and he came to the ring to clean house to a massive ovation. Sabian & Wayne were tossed around and destroyed by Shibata & Joe, as Cage & Mother Wayne retreated.

-Video package of Switchblade Jay White saying he’s going to get his hands on Wheeler Yuta, The Undisputed Kingdom say they will get gold in 2025 and Daniel Garcia telling them to bring it on.

**********

-Renee Paquette is backstage with Jeff Jarrett, when Dustin Rhodes walked into the shot before Jarrett could talk about MJF. Rhodes said MJF doesn’t know a thing about the miles Jarrett has had in his career. Rhodes put all his support behind Jarrett and said MJF has no clue what they’ve been through during their career. Rhodes hyped up Jarrett and said he’s a 12-time World Champion, Outlaws never die and they’re the last of their kind.

Toni Storm won the Women’s Casino Gauntlet to earn an AEW Women’s Title match at Grand Slam: Australia

(They never actually told us the time on commentary, but a graphic read Grand Slam will be shown on TNT & MAX on February 15 during Collision’s time slot. They should probably inform the crowd about this, you’d assume. As for the match, it was fine, the surprise of Bayne was pretty much the most noteworthy thing to happen here aside from the finish. She looked strong throughout, as once Storm showed up, you knew she was winning this thing. We’re finally getting a rematch from All In in Australia between May & Storm.)

Mariah May joined commentary for this match, as Kris Statlander is first after winning the three-way last week to get this spot. Jamie Hayter was second, as she & Statlander had a nice back and forth, as May took a shot at Anna Jay not being allowed in this match, having lost any future shots at the Women’s Title last month against May. Megan Bayne is in third, as May is almost speechless, but asks what Bayne eats for breakfast, babies? Bayne flattened Statlander with a leaping clothesline and Falcon Arrow for two, as Hayter broke it up. Hayter fired off shots, but Bayne no sold, tried a suplex, but Hayter reversed into a DDT. Julia Hart is 4, out through the babyface tunnel and brawls with Hayter on the ramp, as Statlander & Bayne fight ringside, with things going to commercial.

Willow Nightingale is 5, as Bayne was waiting for her, as the two started throwing shots immediately. Statlander cut things off, attacking Bayne, as the double team suplex left Nightingale & Statlander smiling at one another, until they both chopped the hell out of each other. Nightingale pounced Statlander, as Toni Storm, the hottest AEW “rookie” is 6 and she runs wild with snapmares and shoulder blocks aplenty. Bayne launched Storm onto Statlander on the ramp, but turned into a Nightingale missile dropkick. Hart & Hayter suffered the same fate before Nightingale wiped out Bayne with a dive off the apron. Statlander flew off the stage onto both ladies, but Storm took her out with Sweet Cheek Music. Hayter & Hart were left with a hockey fight in the ring, as Harley Cameron is 7, as she scrambled for pin attempts.

Hart avoided Hayterade, but not the Hayt-breaker, as Cameron nearly stole a pin on Hayter for two. Another Hayt-breaker to Cameron, who ducked Hayterade, only to be misted by Hart. Thrust kick delivered to Hayter, as Hart went to end things on Cameron, when Storm slid in and got an inside cradle to pin Hart and win the match.

**********

Jon Moxley (w/Marina Shafir) defeated Powerhouse Hobbs to retain the AEW World Title

(I thought the match was good, but Moxley’s matches have this formula now that he’s a big heel and it’s gotten incredibly repetitive. I know it took a lot to put Hobbs away, but it was just overkill. I’m not sure why they’d Pillmanize the leg, as that usually is a way to write people off for a few weeks, but Hobbs is scheduled for the 12-man tag on Collision, so we’ll see where it goes. I just hope Hobbs stays in the upper-level of guys and doesn’t fall down the ladder, he’s been able to hang with the main eventers.)

Moxley entered the arena with Shafir walking through the cold, snowy Cincinnati night, as before the match was about to begin, Claudio Castagnoli & PAC ran distraction at the bell to allow Moxley the upper hand. They immediately retreated, but Hobbs gained control soon after with clubbing blows. Taz said he was proud of former Team Taz members Hobbs, Brian Cage & HOOK (no mention of Ricky Starks) as he quickly said for being part of this show. Moxley was able to battle back with a dive to the outside, but it was short lived, as Hobbs won the brawl in the crowd. They head back to the ring, as Moxley quickly took over with punches in bunches in the corner, but opted to trash talk, only pissing Hobbs off, as he drove Moxley to the corner where he bit at the ear, apparently trying to bite off the ear ring. Moxley was sent crashing outside, as Hobbs was in control during commercial (Schiavone had said they were sticking with this til the end, but that wasn’t the case if you’re watching on TBS).

Hobbs kept biting at the ear and now has Moxley’s blood on his mouth, as Moxley fired off a cutter for the reset. Forearm exchange until Moxley sent Hobbs to the floor, he took the ref and Shafir got in some cheap shots. Quickly back inside, Moxley wanted Death Rider, but Hobbs powered out into a shoulder tackle. Hobbs mowed down Moxley with a series of clotheslines and World’s Strongest Slam for two. Hobbs connected on an Avalanche powerslam, but Moxley used the momentum to roll through into a cross-arm breaker. Hobbs got the ropes, as the ref backed Moxley off. That distraction allowed Wheeler Yuta to sprint in for a Busiaku Knee and hightail it, as Moxley wanted a Death Rider, but Hobbs hit a desperation Spinebuster. Hobbs lowered the straps, wanted a Torture Rack, but Moxley got the rear naked choke. Moxley stumbled out, grabbed the ref, allowing Shafir to smack Hobbs with the briefcase and Death Rider but kicked out at two. Moxley sank in the Bulldog Choke and Hobbs passed out to give Moxley the win.

Post-match, Death Riders hit the ring as a group, but Hobbs briefly fought them off. Castagnoli used a chair on the previously injured leg, as they tore the brace off it and took turns smacking the leg with the chair. They Pillmanized his leg with the chair and right after it happened, Rated FTR made the save and chased off Death Riders to end the show.

AEW Collision 1/18/25

  • Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Chris Jericho, Big Bill & Bryan Keith vs. Cope, Dax Harwood, Cash Wheeler, Powerhouse Hobbs, Truth Magnum & Turbo Floyd
  • Hangman Adam Page vs. Christopher Daniels in a Texas Death Match
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Tomohiro Ishii for the Continental Title

AEW Dynamite 1/22/25

  • Cope vs. PAC

Tony Khan: Kenny Omega’s return has been ‘huge’ for AEW

Posted on by Ian Carey

Tony Khan addressed Kenny Omega’s return to AEW during a recent appearance on The Battleground Podcast.

Omega wrestled his first match in over a year on January 5 at NJPW Wrestle Dynasty, defeating Game Kidd in a singles match. His first match back in AEW in over a year is scheduled for tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Maximum Carnage where he’ll face Brian Cage.

Khan said of Omega’s return to the company:

“It’s been huge having Kenny Omega back in AEW. It was a great surprise when he came out at AEW World’s End. Then last week, what a cliffhanger to AEW Dynamite, setting up this week’s show to see Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay standing tall together. We’ve never seen that before. We’ve seen Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay clash. Maybe the greatest match in the history of AEW was Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay at Forbidden Door.”

Khan also addressed Adam Copeland’s return to AEW, and Cope’s developing rivalry with AEW World Champion, Jon Moxley.

Khan continued:

“Speaking of these big comebacks, we have Kenny Omega back in the ring tonight and we’ve had the return on AEW of the Rated R Superstar, Adam Copeland, Cope. Really great to have Cope back in AEW. It’s been something very special. Adam Copeland, we saw, he’s been clashing with the Death Riders, clashing with Jon Moxley. Jon Moxley has got a huge fight on his hands tonight. Jon Moxley defending the AEW World Championship against Powerhouse Hobbs, the former TNT Champion and that match will be streaming on Max and it’s going to be live on TBS tonight. I can’t wait for Mox and Hobbs and Adam Copeland is going to be watching that match very closely.”

“It was a huge hit to the company when Adam Copeland broke his leg jumping off the steel cage in a great match at Double or Nothing. He’s been out for most of the last year, and that was a great surprise for AEW to end 2024 with the return of Adam Copeland and the return of Kenny Omega, these are huge lifts for the company.”

In addition to Mox vs. Hobbs and Omega vs. Cage, several other matches are booked for tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite: Maximum Carnage from Cincinnati, Ohio. Hook vs. Christian Cage, a women’s Casino Gauntlet match, and a six-man tag featuring The Hurt Syndicate’s Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and MVP against Mark Briscoe’s and Private Party are also scheduled for the show. 

Khan’s full appearance on The Battleground Podcast is available below:

Big Audio Nightmare: Tokyo Dome debrief, Kidd vs. Omega, Chris Charlton controversy

Posted on by Adam Summers

Image: NJPW

The Big Audio Nightmare is back as myself and Mike Sempervive talk about everything happening in the very busy world of Japanese wrestling.

This week’s topics include:

  • Thoughts on Wrestle Dynasty and Wrestle Kingdom attendance and buzz
  • A long form discussion on Shota Umino’s weekend and whether he met the moment
  • The absolutely incredible Kenny Omega vs. Gabe Kidd match
  • Konosuke Takeshita’s big weekend
  • Praise for Yota Tsuji and David Finlay
  • AZM and Mayu Iwatani have a great but too short match…and much more

Click here to listen (sub needed)

Wrestling Observer Radio: WWE & AEW streaming numbers, The Rock, Kenny Omega

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with our Friday episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, talking about all the big news from today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Here were some of the things we covered:

  • The passing of Black Bart
  • The SEC and Vince McMahon coming to agreement
  • Streaming numbers for AEW & WWE
  • AEW Dynamite rating
  • The Rock
  • Kenny Omega back on AEW
  • UFC’s new TV deal

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube (video sub needed)

Fight Game: WWE Raw on Netflix changes the game

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and I are back to talk about the major topics in the world of wrestling on this week’s Fight Game Podcast.

We kicked off the show with our Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down winners and losers of the week before going through our Top Five topics which included:

  • WWE Raw on Netflix
  • AEW Dynamite on Max
  • Kenny Omega’s return to AEW
  • The Rock on Raw and NXT
  • What we’re watching this weekend

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

January 13, 2025 Observer Newsletter: WWE Raw debuts on Netflix, Wrestle Kingdom 19 & Wrestle Dynasty reviews

Posted on by F4W Staff

Image: WWE

Subscribers can now read this week’s brand-new Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The lead story is WWE’s debut on Netflix with a three-hour Raw that featured CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins, nostalgia, fans booing Hulk Hogan, and more.

Dave Meltzer also recaps last weekend’s double-dip of Tokyo Dome action with both Wrestle Kingdom 19 and Wrestle Dynasty.

Get that and all the rest of the wrestling news of the week.

Click here to read.

VIDEO: Kenny Omega’s AEW Dynamite post-show promo

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Kenny Omega had much to say in his return to AEW Dynamite Wednesday, including in a post-show promo for the crowd in Tennessee.

Speaking to the Clarksville crowd after AEW Dynamite went off the air, Omega noted that he was cleared to compete not just in Japan, but in North America for AEW as well.

Omega had his first match back in NJPW last weekend after missing more than a year of ring time due to a battle with diverticulitis, defeating Gabe Kidd in the semi-main event in a bout of over 30 minutes.

In his first AEW match since December 2023, Omega will face Brian Cage of the Don Callis Family on the January 15 Dynamite. Omega made reference to the match in his speech, noting that he likes to be the more in-shape person when in the ring, but that won’t be the case with Cage.

Omega’s promo is embedded below.

Kenny Omega’s AEW in-ring return announced for Dynamite Maximum Carnage

Posted on by Ethan Renner

Kenny Omega is set for in-ring action on an AEW show for the first time in over a year.

Omega vs. Brian Cage has been announced for next week’s AEW Dynamite Maximum Carnage show in Cincinnati. The announcement was made on this week’s Dynamite following an emotional promo from Omega detailing his health struggles over the past year.

Omega underwent surgery to remove two feet of his intestinal tract after a bout with diverticulitis. His last AEW match was in December 2023 against Ethan Page.

After Omega spoke on Dynamite, he was confronted by Don Callis, his former storyline manager. Callis unleashed Cage, Lance Archer, and Kyle Fletcher on Omega to set up next week’s Omega vs. Cage contest. Will Ospreay ran in to make the save for Omega.

“The Cleaner” returned to NJPW at last weekend’s Wrestle Dynasty event, putting on an instant classic against Gabe Kidd.

The updated lineup for AEW Dynamite Maximum Carnage on Wednesday, January 15:

  • AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defends against Powerhouse Hobbs
  • Kenny Omega vs. Brian Cage
  • Christian Cage vs. Hook
  • Casino Gauntlet match for an AEW Women’s World title shot at Grand Slam Australia: Kris Statlander vs. TBD

We’re Live, Pal: WWE Raw is Netflix, Kenny Omega is back

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

It’s another episode of We’re Live, Pal as Andrew Zarian and I talk about what’s going on in wrestling today, available in audio form or free on YouTube (below).

We kicked off the show talking about our break and the new year before discussing the following:

  • WWE Raw debuts on Netflix and if the game has changed yet again
  • What AEW’s competitive advantages are
  • Wrestle Kingdom and Wrestle Dynasty
  • Kenny Omega as the babyface that AEW needs

You can also follow the show account on X.

For website subscribers, you can click here to listen (sub needed).

Wrestling Observer Live: NJPW’s big Tokyo Dome weekend, WWE enters the Netflix era

Posted on by Andrew Zarian

Image: NJPW

In this uninterrupted, commercial-free Wrestling Observer Live, we get into all the wrestling from this weekend including NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom and Wrestle Dynasty shows, the latter of which saw the in-ring return of Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks once again winning the IWGP Tag Team titles.

I also talk about last Friday’s three-hour WWE SmackDown which featured one of the better Money in the Bank cash-ins to date.

Plus, I talk WWE Royal Rumble heading to Saudi Arabia, AEW Collision, and this Monday’s WWE Raw debut on Netflix.

Click here to listen (sub needed) or watch on YouTube starting at 6:05 PM EST

Daily Update: The Rock, Black Bart, Kenny Omega

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

Daily Update

Latest News

Latest Audio

Latest Free YouTube Video

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

  • The end of Raw on cable television and a look back at the show, Prime Time Wrestling, where it stands among the longest running wrestling shows on television, what to expect from the Netflix audience, the first show, how much WWE was getting for Raw at its ratings peak plus the year that USA nearly canceled Raw.
  • 2024 live attendance numbers for WWE and AEW and comparisons with this past year and historical.
  • Full coverage of Worlds End, including historical notes on aspects of the show, questions on the show, the decision to cut back on matches and what was left on the cutting floor, the best multiple match days in history, best openers in history, returns, PPV numbers and other business notes.
  • A look at both Tokyo Dome shows
  • A look at the career of Sweet Daddy Siki
  • President Jimmy Carter and he and his family’s connections with pro wrestling and Jim Barnett
  • Pro Wrestling NOAH Budokan Hall coverage and attempt to make a superstar in one night
  • Stardom’s big year-end show with one of the best women’s bouts of the year
  • Janel Grant’s attorneys looking at rewriting the lawsuit against Vince McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE and the key reason why
  • 2024 Observer Awards ballot, detailed descriptions of the categories, the criteria and who placed top three in each category last year
  • Notes from the funeral of Rey Misterio Sr.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings from the past week
  • International TV ratings
  • Advanced ticket sales for all the major upcoming U.S. events including All In Texas, WrestleMania, Royal Rumble and more
  • CMLL huge business week
  • What promotion is spending January rematching the best matches as voted by fans for 2024
  • Major Japanese title changes as the year ends and starts
  • Two major companies losing U.S. TV this week and details of what happened
  • Shooting at independent wrestling arena
  • Deaths of two British stars of the ITV era, Tally Ho Kaye and their version of Blackjack Mulligan
  • Lots of notes on discussion points of Tony Khan’s press conferences this past week
  • What AEW idea got bounced because NXT did it first
  • Debut of Sakuraba’s son
  • Updates on WrestleMania
  • Updates of archival content on Netflix internationally and MAX in the U.S.
  • New WWE TV or streaming show being talked about
  • Survivor Series PPV number makes significant change and why
  • Notes on the must-read Inside the Ropes story on the late Axl Rotten’s days backstage regarding WWE and Mel Phillips
  • New WWE business deal
  • Full coverage of WWE holiday tour and how it compared with those the past few years

This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue

Sunday Update

— Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about the latest news including Raw on Netflix and the Japan shows this past week.

— Dwayne Johnson on Twitter said he was going to be at Raw tomorrow and dedicated it to his grandfather, Peter Maivia, his grandmother, Lia Maivia, and his father, Rocky Johnson. Of course this leads to the WrestleMania speculation. We haven’t heard anything since the last issue where the belief was he was on the show but it wasn’t confirmed as a deal. I expect the biggest audience of the year for  Raw is tomorrow since historically WWE does its biggest number the first time on a new platform. So it makes sense to shoot the key Mania angles.  

— John Cena is on the show. There is certainly speculation that Rey Mysterio’s mystery partner against New Day will be Penta. Los Angeles is the right city to debut him. The show is sold out at just over 15,800, but they will be opening up some seats when production is done so the final number will be a little higher. That would also indicate a much smaller stage than usual because with the usual staging they would max out at closer to 13,000. UFC will also be selling out that building on 1/18 for its first PPV show of the year.

— Rick Harris aka Black Bart, has gone into hospice. Very sad news. He has been battling live cancer and made the decision recently to no longer do chemotherapy. The decision was basically that whatever time he had left he didn’t want to suffer so greatly.

— Regarding the AEW ratings on New Year’s Day (584,000/0.16 in 18-49), obviously the MAX debut number would be expected higher than usual since it’s first time. Like most streaming services, MAX does not want its numbers out. Most are like that because they don’t want people to realize the individual show numbers are usually not that big. For New Year’s Day, and with the start of the show going against a college football game did 21.1 million viewers (Ohio State vs. Oregon) which peaked at 24.3 million viewers. Given that competition, it’s not that far down from usual. The show didn’t have a Big Bang Theory lead-in this week.

— Kenny Omega did a very different classic performance than usual last night, very bloody, some scary stuff, very different from usual pro wrestling selling, far more believable in that regard. I’m never a fan of chairs to the head and wish it wasn’t there. I also could watch the match and see the presentation was based around making you uncomfortable at times with the brutality (unless you just love any form of brutality). He actually looked unbelievable for a first match back.  

— We’re looking for your thoughts on both WrestleKingdom and WrestleDynasty. You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match for each show to [email protected]

— We’re also looking for reports from AEW in Charlotte, NC, last night with any dark matches or ROH Matches to [email protected]

— Regarding Konosuke Takeshita signing with New Japan, he has dual contracts similar to Kushida last year with TNA and New Japan. The two companies work together and I don’t sense there are any issues. Rocky Romero also had two contracts as an executive with both companies and they’ll collaborate on Takeshita’s usage. Besides Kushida, who Takeshita will face in San Jose on 1/11, there will also be a Takeshita vs Oleg Boltin rematch coming soon off the great match they did during the G-1 tournament.

— New Year’s Dash is tomorrow and there will be a lot of angles shot at that show for the next series of shows. It’s crazy that most of the San Jose show lineup this coming Saturday won’t be out until after Dash.

— The Raw post-game show with Joe Tessitore, Wade Barrett and Biog E will air on the Netflix YouTube channel after Raw.

— AEW was told that the Christmas Dynamite show with the final day of the Continental Classic did the third highest number of the year on ITV when it aired on 12/27.

— TNA debuted at 36,000 viewers and 16,000 in 25-54 on SportsNet 360 in Canada this past Thursday night.

— The Young Bucks did a promo after winning the IWGP tag titles earlier today saying that they may be bringing the belts to AEW soon and talked about appearing on MAX. They said to their critics that between the two of  them they are worth $20 million and each have four homes paid in full. They said they owe that to how hard they’ve worked in wrestling.  The Bucks being tag team champions and New Japan booking the Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA on 5/9 is interesting because it would make sense for them to be on that show.

— Was told the Mizuki Princess of Princess title win over Miu Watanabe on yesterday’s TJPW Korakuen Hall show was great. Miyu Yamashita & Maki Itoh kept the tag titles over Masha Slamovich & Zara Zakher (a WWE ID wrestler)

— Awesome Championship Wrestling from yesterday in Poughkeepsie, NY: Alex Taylor b Real 1 (Enzo) and GKM to retain the NWA jr. title, Little Guido & Ray Jaz & Zack Clayton (J-Woww’s Fiance) b Danny Doring & Landon Hale & Dante Casanova, Crowbar b Anthony Greene, Kelly Maden b Tiara James, Tommy Dreamer b Thom Latimer-DQ for  Latimer’s NWA title (The Sandman did a run-in helping Dreamer after the match), Vik Dalishus & Hale Collins b Dan Maff & Shawn Donovan in a tables match, Richard Holiday won a Rumble match to become the first ACW champion, Nic Nemeth b Matt Riddle to keep the TNA title. Matt Cardona will challenge Holiday for the title on 5/17 in Poughkeepsie. Joel Gertner managed Dalishus & Collins. The Patriot (Tom Brandi), Tony DeVito and Brian Myers were all in the Rumble match.

— UWC on 1/11 in New Egypt, NJ at the American Legion.

— Innovate Wrestling on 1/18 in Kingsport, TN at the Beautiful Bobby Eaton Arena.

Kenny Omega makes pro wrestling return at Wrestle Dynasty

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Kenny Omega is back, and didn’t lose a step.

Omega’s first match in over a year saw him defeat Gabe Kidd in the semi main event of Wrestle Dynasty. The match was brutal at times, with both men bleeding towards the end of the match. Tables were used, with both men going through them at various points. Towards the end, Kidd planted Omega with a ganso bomb but was unable to put Omega away. Omega ended up winning the match after a kamigoye and the One-winged Angel.

After the match Hiroshi Tanahashi, who was on commentary, could be seen in tears as both men were helped to the back.

Tony Khan commented on the match shortly after it finished.

Omega’s last match was on the December 5, 2023 edition of Collision, defeating Ethan Page. Shortly after he was taken off the road after due to diverticulitis, which he eventually underwent surgery for. After making an appearance at Power Struggle in November, he was confronted backstage by Kidd, setting up the match.

At Worlds End last weekend, Omega made his return to AEW by handing the Continental title to Continental Classic winner Kazuchika Okada, teasing a future match between the two. He is set to appear on the next episode of AEW Dynamite.

Kenny Omega returning on next week’s AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Josh Nason

For the first time since May, Kenny Omega will return to AEW Dynamite.

Announced during Wednesday’s Fight for the Fallen edition of Dynamite, Omega will be live in Clarksville, Tennessee — his first appearance on the show since he confronted Kazuchika Okada in May and was taken out of action in storyline by the new-look Elite of Okada, the Young Bucks and Jack Perry.

Omega made his surprise return at last Saturday’s Worlds End pay-per-view to both confront Okada and hand him the Continental title belt he retained by winning the Continental Classic tournament. A match between the two is expected to take place at July’s All In: Texas.

Omega will compete in the ring for the first time since December 2023 when he takes on Gabe Kidd at this weekend’s Wrestle Dynasty in Tokyo, Japan. He missed the entirety of in-ring action in 2024 due to recovering from several injuries and a nearly fatal bout of diverticulitis.

Here’s the current lineup for next Wednesday:

  • Kenny Omega appearance
  • Casino gauntlet match for AEW World title match on the January 15th Dynamite

WOL: Kenny Omega & Adam Copeland are back in AEW, previewing 2025

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: AEW

The final Sunday Wrestling Observer Live in 2024 is on the air with yours truly wrapping up my three-week residency before Andrew Zarian returns next week.

What else could I talk about than Saturday’s AEW Worlds End which saw both the return of Kenny Omega and Adam Copeland at the end of back-to-back matches. Should the match order have been reversed? What can we expect from them in the weeks ahead?

I also go over the card in detail including why it was a bummer that no one thought any challengers could actually beat the champions. It was a great in-ring show, but what the feeling going into the show and what feeling do fans have coming out of it?

I finish up with a long look ahead at 2025 and what I expect some of the big stories in WWE, AEW and TNA to be.

Click here to listen