As he announced on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, Miro will return to singles action on this Tuesday’s edition of Dark against Sonny Kiss.
This is just the second AEW singles match and the fifth match overall for Miro since he debuted in late September while Kiss will be looking to extend a two-match winning streak.
The show will also include the return of TNT (the twin sons of D-Von Dudley) in action against the Gunn Club (Austin and Colten).
The rest of the lineup as announced:
Dark Order (Colt Cabana, Five and Ten) vs. Fuego del Sol, Aaron Solow and Ray Jaz
A positive COVID-19 test result has resulted in a major change to tonight’s AEW Dynamite.
Mr. Brodie Lee vs. Orange Cassidy for the TNT Championship was set to headline the show, while Jon Moxley, Will Hobbs & Darby Allin were going to face Lance Archer, Brian Cage & Ricky Starks in a six-man tag. Archer revealed a positive COVID-19 test, so now Moxley will defend his AEW World title against Eddie Kingston.
Kingston was technically never eliminated from the Casino Battle Royale at All Out and has been mentioning that fact in his promos ever since. So tonight, he gets the World title shot he’s been clamoring for.
Lee will be making his second defense of the title since winning it from Cody on August 22. Lee brings an AEW career singles mark of 7-1 into the contest. Cassidy is 8-4 in AEW singles matches in 2020 and is coming off wins over Chris Jericho and Angelico.
Miro and Kip Sabian will team against Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss in Miro’s AEW in-ring debut.
AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida and NWA World Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa will team against Ivelisse and Diamante. Rosa defeated Ivelisse on last week’s Dynamite. Diamante and Ivelisse attacked Rosa after her win and Shida made the save.
An appearance by Chris Jericho and an appearance by Matt Hardy and Private Party have also been advertised.
Our live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
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Jim Ross, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone were the broadcast team.
This was a mixed bag. I thought they used Miro smartly and he played to his strengths, mostly tagging in for a few power spots.
I thought that any talk of Miro having a new physique was overblown last week but I was wrong. He’s gigantic.
Janela and Kiss got some shine on Sabian early. Sabian and Miro cut Kiss off and worked him over. This was formulaic but the work was very good at this stage.
Janela got a hot tag and things got sloppy. Miro, Janela and Sabian brawled to the floor. Miro sold his ankle and was limping for a bit.
Miro tried to launch Sabian over the barricade to Janela. Janela was supposed to hit something mid-air but the camera crew didn’t get a good shot of it and it looked like they botched it anyway.
Miro used the former Accolade, now possibly called Game Over, for the submission win on Kiss.
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Eddie Kingston entered and demanded the hard camera be focused on him. He said he and Mox used to be cut from the same cloth but then Mox sold out and became a sports entertainer, selling his soul to the devil.
He demanded that Moxley face him. Moxley entered and faced off with Kingston. A security team kept them apart.
This was an excellent segment. Give me a Kingston promo every week.
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The announcers previewed the card. Kenny Omega joined the commentary desk for the next match.
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Hangman Page defeated Evil Uno (w/Dark Order)
This was exactly the same thing they did last week, there was no storyline advancement with Omega and Page. Omega was better on commentary this week than last week but still managed to talk under Page’s ring introduction.
JR tried to help Omega get over the storyline here and asked if he was going to help Page out. Omega said he was staying put because he’s a singles guy now.
Page is still getting his legs under him as a singles guy and his matches aren’t clicking on all cylinders yet.
They had a back and forth brawl before an ad break. Uno worked Page over in a picture-in-picture ad break.
Page made a comeback. Uno tossed him to the stage. Uno asked Dark Order to go to the back rather than interfere.
Page made another comeback and hit a standing shooting star for a two count. Uno hit a senton atomico for a two count.
Page hit a powerbomb with a stack cover for a near fall, then followed with a Buckshot Lariat for the pin.
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Schiavone interviewed Matt Jackson backstage. Matt said fans may have noticed that he and Nick have been acting out of character lately.
He broke Tony’s phone and continued to act like a jerk.
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TNT Championship match: Mr. Brodie Lee defeated Orange Cassidy to retain the title
Not much to the match here but it was more a backdrop for the post-match angle.
Cassidy did his comedy kicks and pockets spot.
Cassidy tried a suicide dive but the Dark Order lackies caught him and allowed Lee to take over. Lee beat on Cassidy through an ad break.
Cassidy made a comeback and ran wild with suicide dives. JR went on his weekly crusade to undermine talent by ripping on dives. Cassidy hit a pair of tornado DDTs for near falls.
John Silver jumped in. Cassidy hit him with an Orange Punch. Lee used the distraction to hit a powerbomb and a discus lariat for the pin.
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After the match, Cody’s music hit.
Cody entered. He has dark hair now.
Cody beat up some Dark Order lackies while Lee escaped.
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After a commercial, Lee cut a promo. He asked what kind of man Cody was for sending Dustin and Brandi to do his work for him while he was in a bubble somewhere.
Lee asked what kind of man Cody was that his wife was posting thirst traps and calling Lee “Daddy.”
Lee pulled out a dog collar and challenged Cody to a dog collar match. He gave Cody a week to respond.
This was another strong promo. The high point of this show tonight is the promos by a wide margin.
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Matt Hardy and Private Party made their way to the ring. Hardy said it was his birthday.
Hardy said he was attacked from behind last week. He used a lot of words to say that someone with a mask attacked him with a pipe or bat and noted that right after he was laid out, Jericho and Hager entered with a bat.
Hardy said he has a lot of enemies but was pointing the finger at Jericho.
Jericho and The Inner Circle entered. Sammy Guevara is back. Jericho said he didn’t attack Hardy. Jericho was carrying a baseball bat.
Hardy wanted to fight the whole Inner Circle. Quen and Kassidy talked sense to him and reminded him he’s not cleared yet.
Quen said he is cleared and laid out Jericho last week. Kassidy said he’s ready to make Le Champion his bitch next week.
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FTR and Tully Blanchard came to the ring for a promo. Tully said that Tag title matches on TV will now have a 20 minute time limit and he and FTR get to pick the opponents.
FTR are branding this as a weekly “brush with greatness.” They mentioned Best Friends as potential opponents.
Best Friends entered. FTR acted like they were ready to defend the titles right away. A referee came out and was about to ring the bell when Dax stopped him.
Cash said it wouldn’t be fair to Best Friends if they wrestled tonight and advised them to take a couple weeks to heal up and then maybe call Tully and they’ll set something up.
This was an effective segment.
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Thunder Rosa & Hikaru Shida defeated Ivelisse & Diamante
Rosa is great, Shida is great, this match was laid out really well, there’s just only so much Ivelisse and Diamante are capable of.
Rosa’s facepaint was a tribute to Road Warrior Animal.
Shida and Rosa were attacked during Shida’s intro.
Diamante and Ivelisse cut Rosa off. It’s kind of like when Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss are in together when Rosa and Ivelisse are in there at the same time in that it feels like a fight could break out at any time.
Shida got a hot tag during a commercial break. The match broke down.
Shida pinned Diamante after a falcon arrow and a shining wizard.
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Dasha Gonzalez was backstage with Chris Jericho.
Jericho said Isiah Kassidy is going to be a big star one day but not next week. He said next week he’s going down when he faces Le Champion.
MJF entered. Jericho and MJF continued to do their mutual appreciation society gimmick. It was very good.
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Jericho vs. Kassidy, Britt Baker in action, Ricky Starks vs. Darby Allin, FTR vs. SCU and a Jon Moxley appearance were advertised for next week’s Dynamite.
A 30 years of Jericho celebration was announced for the October 7 Dynamite.
The main event is next.
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AEW World Championship match: Jon Moxley defeated Eddie Kingston to retain the title
Kingston is 38 and has worked a hard style for a long time. He’s at the top of his game as a promo and a character and that makes up for whatever physical limitations he has.
They had a brawl. It was intense and very good.
They traded a couple of cursory holds right awy but things quickly became the brawl that you would expect. They lit each other up with chops and strikes.
Kingston was in control before a commercial break and beat Moxley around ringside.
Moxley made a comeback with a tope and a piledriver for a near fall. Kingston hit a powerbomb for a two count. Kingston sold like he might have a stinger.
Moxley avoided two backfists and used a bulldog choke for the submission win.
A key point in the finish here is that Kingston never tapped, the referee called for the bell after Kingston appeared to be out.
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After the bell, Penta El Zero M and Rey Fenix ran in to attack Moxley.
Will Hobbs ran in for the save. Penta and Fenix recovered and laid out Hobbs.
Darby Allin ran in to join the brawl. Allin sent Fenix and Penta outside wth skateboard shots.
Ricky Starks ran in and attacked Allin. Starks hit a big spear and hit Allin with the skateboard.
With a huge feature on the crazy story of the original Hollywood Blonds tag team with the death of Jerry Brown, we’ve got a double issue this week of the Observer up on the site right now.
Our lead story looks at this year’s G-1 tournament looking at every card, the stories going into the card, the restrictions, the odds, and the new Will Ospreay, start time for every show, complete lineups, comments by Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley regarding this year’s new format.
Also in this issue:
Update on WWE Clash of Champions, with the matches announced, updates on titles not yet announced with matches and keys to the show.
The situation with Matt Riddle and Samantha Tavel.
Daniel Cormier getting COVID and a new UFC product being pushed.
Changes at the USA Network, Sasha Banks with a major acting gig, Update on Jeff Hardy, details behind the Paul Heyman/Roman Reigns pairing, new contracts signed in WWE, wrestler teases gimmick change, Mandy Rose angle, law being talked about reglated to the Sonya Deville incident, Retribution update, this coming week’s WWE television, Randy Orton new business, Ivar injury update, Ronda Rousey update, Next NXT Takeover, weird TV moment, Sports & International ratings, Jimmy Jacobs talks WWE protocol and Vince McMahon, injury update, movie with WWE performers, market value of WWE and the most-watched shows on WWE Network.
This past week’s UFC show with the stories behind the show and match-by-match coverage.
New Japan’s last show this past week before G-1, held at Korakuen Hall, with the matches and angles and what is being pushed.
Our huge feature covers the life and career of Jerry Brown, who teamed with Buddy Roberts to form the Hollywood Blonds, one of the greatest heel tag team acts of all-time. This major feature looks at their beginnings, their heyday in Quebec and Florida, places they went, who they faced, as well as the other territories they went, championships they held, the second version of the Hollywood Blonds people don’t remember, the mentality of the act and some crazy Jerry Brown stories, with lots of comments from Bill Watts, who put the team together.
Ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
More details are out regarding the death of Joe Laurinatiis, best known as Road Warrior Animal, at the age of 60. TMZ is reporting that Laurinitis died at the Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Missouri on Tuesday night. His wife called law enforcement at around 11:49 PM. By the time law enforcement arrived, Laurinitis had already passed away. The cause of death is said to be natural causes.
Paul Ellering, longtime manager of The Road Warriors, commented on Animal’s death: “Today we lost the engine of the train LOD. Animal was a partner, warrior, and friend. He will be welcomed home by a waiting Hawk.”
This week’s episode of The Bump has Paul Heyman, Jey Uso, Alexa Bliss, and Candice LeRae.
Drew McIntyre spoke to PWInsider on the Thunderdome, Keith Lee, Randy Orton, and more.
The first episode of Alexa Bliss’ podcast, Uncool with Alexa Bliss, is now available.
Bliss spoke to Vicente Beltran. When asked about Ronda Rousey, Bliss said she didn’t think things have changed much since she left. “Our whole roster is dependent on more than just one person,” she said. “There wouldn’t be an impact if it wasn’t for the women opposite of her in the ring helping her to get there. A lot of bodies laid down for her success. It just goes to show that all of our women can be main eventers and all of our women can have that spotlight.”
John Morrison talked to Chris Van Vliet about returning to WWE, The Austin Aries incident at Bound for Glory, The Miz, and Taya Valkyrie.
PWInsider is reporting that WWE filed opposition on 9/21 against Cody, who is attempting to trademark the terms “Slamboree” and “Match Beyond”. WWE stated that they bought the rights to those concepts when they purchased WCW in March of 2001.
Angel Garza turns 28 today, while Kairi Sane turns 32.
Other Wrestling
Miro talked to Sports Illustrated about his release from the WWE and his new role in AEW. He also hinted that he could be appearing elsewhere. “I love professional wrestling, and it has so much left to offer me,” he said. “As soon as I got that call [from WWE], I immediately knew I wanted to go two places. The first one, I’m already here. The second, you’ll find out when the time is right.”
Impact announced that along with the return of Victory Road in October, Turning Point will take place in November and Final Resolution will take place in December. All three events will stream live on Impact Plus.
ROH uploaded footage of their COVID-19 sanitizing during their Pure tournament tapings.
The latest Aces High column has Hiroshi Tanahashi talking about not going on an excursion trip and ultimately deciding not to join Keiji Muto in jumping to All Japan Pro Wrestling.
Matt Hardy turns 46 today. AEW wished him a happy birthday in a tweet.
Miro will be competing in his first match on AEW on Dynamite.
Tony Khan made the announcement prior to Tuesday’s special one hour edition of Dynamite. He noted that a full announcement would be coming on Wednesday.
“Our Late Night Dynamite 1 hour special next on TNT will be great wrestling, + tomorrow’s Live show will be packed with great wrestling too, including The Best Man @ToBeMiro making his in-ring debut Live tomorrow on Dynamite! Check @AEWrestling for the full announcement tomorrow!” Khan wrote
Miro, formerly Rusev in WWE, was introduced as Kip Sabian’s best man for his upcoming wedding to Penelope Ford on the episode of Dynamite following All Out.
Also announced for this week’s Dynamite:
Mr. Brodie Lee vs. Orange Cassidy for the TNT title
Jon Moxley, Darby Allin, and Will Hobbs vs. Lance Archer, Brian Cage, and Ricky Starks
Hikaru Shida and Thunder Rosa vs. Diamante and Ivelisse
Miro and Kip Sabian will appear this Wednesday on Dynamite.
AEW confirmed the new segment this afternoon. This follows what happened last week, when Sabian introduced the former Rusev as his best man for his upcoming wedding with Penelope Ford.
After Sabian teased a couple of other people as a potential best man, including Brian Pillman Jr., he introduced Miro who came out and cut a promo talking about another company’s imaginary brass ring. He reinforced that he was not just Sabian’s best man, he was THE best man.
This was Miro’s first pro wrestling appearance since being released from WWE in April of this year as part of wide-ranging WWE cutbacks.
Also announced for this week’s Dynamite include Best Friends vs. Santana and Ortiz in a parking lot fight, Chris Jericho and Jake Hager vs. Private Party, Hangman Page vs. Frankie Kazarian, and MJF will be in singles action.
Additionally, Thunder Rosa will return to AEW to face Ivelisse, and FTR will face Jurassic Express in a non-title match. If Jurassic Express win, they will get a future title match.
“The Best Man” Miro (formerly known as Rusev in WWE) made his debut on last night’s AEW Dynamite.
Kip Sabian promised to reveal the best man for his and Penelope Ford’s wedding. After a pair of decoys, Miro entered and cut a promo. He said he is not only a best man, but “The Best Man.”
Mr. Brodie Lee retained the TNT Championship in the show’s main event. Lee defeated Dustin Rhodes. After the match, Lee and The Dark Order left Rhodes and QT Marshall laying in the ring.
Matt Hardy delivered a promo and vowed that once medically cleared, he would go after his first championship in AEW. Hardy thanked the fans for their love and support since All Out and promised that his pro wrestling journey is not over.
The next step in the Kenny Omega/Hangman Page story saw Page pledging to remain a team with Omega while Omega told Jim Ross that he is planning a singles run.
On the day it was announced that she had signed an AEW contract, Tay Conti lost to Nyla Rose and was beaten down after the match. Hikaru Shida made the save for Conti.
FTR held a celebration after winning the AEW World Tag Team titles at All Out. Their opponents on next week’s Dynamite, Jurassic Express, ruined the celebration.
Chris Jericho and Jake Hager beat Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss in a no DQ tag match. Jericho vowed that he and Hager are going after FTR’s titles.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and his next challenger, Lance Archer, cut promos on each other last night. Their title match is set for the October 14 anniversary episode of Dynamite.
For more of what you missed from last night, including Jurassic Express vs. Lucha Bros and a Ricky Starks promo on Darby Allin, scroll below.
With that, the man formerly known as Rusev in WWE ended his first AEW promo as he was announced as Kip Sabian’s surprise best man on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
During his promo, Miro said that after spending ten years in the same house with the same glass ceiling and the same brass ring, “you can shove that brass ring up your ass.” Shortly afterward, AEW tweeted out the above image, confirming his signing with the company.
He announced in July on Twitch that he had tested positive for COVID-19, so it’s unclear when he will be physically ready to return to action.
The 35-year-old born Miroslav Barnyashev was released in April by WWE during their pandemic-related financial cuts after a decade with the company that began in Florida Championship Wrestling in 2010.
During his time in WWE, he held the U.S. Championship three times, worked a WrestleMania against John Cena with a memorable entrance that featured a tank, and became popular with “Rusev Day.”
He’s married to Lana (Catherine Perry) who re-upped with WWE on a multi-year deal in 2019.
