Category: AEW

AEW’s Matt Hardy Offers Health Update For Brother Jeff

The beginning of 2024 seemed like a clean slate for former WWE Champion Jeff Hardy in AEW. After a stop/start career up until the end of 2023, matches with the likes of Darby Allin, Swerve Strickland, and Jon Moxley might not have gotten “The Charismatic Enigma” out of the loss column, but he seemed to be hitting on something of a career resurgence. Then he faced Sammy Guevara on an episode of “AEW Rampage,” which resulted in Hardy sustaining a broken nose, keeping him out of action for a number of weeks.

Speaking with WrestleZone, Jeff’s brother Matt Hardy was asked about Jeff’s health, and when AEW fans could expect to see him back in the ring, to which Matt said that he’s not far from a return. “His vision issues are good,” Hardy said. “He had to have surgery on his nose, he had some issues with his sinuses so he had surgery. I got three or four more weeks before he will be cleared to return.” Guevara was suspended from AEW following the match, as he did not follow concussion protocol, with doctors wanting him to go to the finish of his match with Hardy to check if Hardy had a serious head injury. Instead, Guevara hit his GTH finishing move (a knee to the head), resulting in his suspension.

Jeff joined his brother in AEW in March 2022 after walking out of a WWE house show in late 2021, but after a promising start that included a victory over The Young Bucks at Double or Nothing 2022, Jeff was suspended from AEW indefinitely following his DUI arrest in June 2022. He returned in March 2023, and will be hoping to keep his run of momentum going when he returns from injury in the near future.

Sources: Wrestling Inc. and WrestleZone

AEW’s Ortiz Slated To Undergo Surgery

During his appearance on Isiah Kassidy’s vlog, Ortiz disclosed that he is currently dealing with a torn pec.

At the time of filming, he mentioned that he is scheduled to undergo surgery in two weeks and anticipates being sidelined for four months.

Ortiz last wrestled on the January 20th episode of AEW Collision.

Source: eWn

Ricky Starks Provides Health Update Following AEW Collision Injury Scare

The March 30 episode of “AEW Collision” featured a reported change to Ricky Starks and Big Bill’s tag team match after the former appeared to suffer an injury. However, “Absolute” has since taken to his Instagram stories and revealed that it’s nothing to worry about. “I’m all good; everything checked out fine. Was being precautions,” he wrote.

The moment occurred when Starks didn’t kick out of a pinfall attempt that wasn’t supposed to be a three-count. This prompted the referee to stop counting, and the star was subsequently DDT’d and pinned by Darius Martin to finish the match. Worse yet, Starks and Bill were reportedly scheduled to win the match, and this loss means that they are now out of the AEW World Tag Team Tournament.

The match in question was Starks and Bill’s first on-screen appearance since they lost the AEW World Tag Titles to Darby Allin and Sting in February. Now that Starks is okay, however, it remains to be seen how he and Bill will be booked moving forward. New champs will be crowned at the upcoming AEW Dynasty pay-per-view, and Top Flight and FTR have already cemented their places in the semi-finals.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Collision Preview 3/30/2024

AEW Collision live on TNT from the Budweiser Gardens in London,  Ontario, CA.

  • Adam Copeland TNT Championship Open Challenge
  • Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli & Katsuyori Shibata vs. The Righteous (Vincent and Dutch) & Lance Archer
  • AEW Tag Team title tournament quarterfinal: Top Flight (Darius & Dante Martin) vs. Ricky Starks & Big Bill
  • AEW Tag Team title tournament quarterfinal: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) vs. The Infantry (Shawn Dean & Carlie Bravo) 
  • Kyle O’Reilly in action

AEW Rampage Preview 3/29/2024

Lineup for tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT.

  • AEW International Title Eliminator Match: Roderick Strong (c) vs. “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard
  • Mariah May vs. Nikita
  • Deonna Purrazzo vs. Rose
  • Dustin Rhodes vs. The Butcher

Backstage Report Offers Health Update For AEW Star Kenny Omega

Kenny Omega has been absent from AEW since December, reportedly dealing with a case of diverticulitis that, at one time, threatened his life. According to an update from Dave Meltzer in today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s becoming increasingly likely that Omega will require surgery to return to AEW in the best condition possible.

Meltzer reported that Omega has gone through “ups and downs” over the last few months, with his condition said to be causing him pain. Two doctors are said to have recommended surgery for Omega, with a procedure that would require repairing damaged sections of his intestines and colon. Meltzer noted that both Brock Lesnar and Davey Boy Smith Jr. dealt with diverticulitis in the past, but Omega’s case looks to be more severe.

As has been made obvious by recent developments on “AEW Dynamite,” the promotion is hoping for a feud between Kazuchika Okada and Omega upon his return. The two faced off numerous times in high-profile New Japan Pro-Wrestling matches in 2017 and 2018, with each man currently tied at two wins each. Okada debuted on the AEW roster earlier this month with the Young Bucks by his side, declaring that they were kicking Omega out of The Elite and suspending “Hangman” Adam Page in favor of adding the former NJPW star.

Omega’s most recent match was on December 5, 2023, when he faced Ethan Page during a pre-taped “AEW Collision.” Though he didn’t know it, Omega was already dealing with diverticulitis at the time. After filming a promo segment at the “Dynamite” taping the following week, it was determined that Omega was very ill and he was taken to a hospital, where he learned the severity of what he was facing.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 3/27/2024

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS from the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

  • Will Ospreay vs. Katsuyori Shibata
  • Swerve Strickland vs. Konosuke Takeshita – The winner will be ranked #1 as the updated rankings will also be released
  • AEW Tag Team Championships Tournament Quarterfinals: The Young Bucks vs. Private Party
  • AEW Tag Team Championships Tournament Quarterfinals: Best Friends vs. Undisputed Kingdom
  • TBS Championship Number One Contender Match: Anna Jay vs. Willow Nightingale vs. Skye Blue vs. Kris Statlander. Mercedes Mone’ will be on Commentary – The winner will earn a title opportunity at Dynasty on April 21 in St. Louis, MO.

Upcoming AEW Collision Will Avoid WWE WrestleMania 40 Competition

The April 6 episode of AEW Collision will not air in the show’s regular time slot nor have to go head-to-head with WrestleMania 40, which is set to start at 7 p.m. EST.

According to the TNT programming schedule, the edition of the show will instead air at 11:30 p.m. EST.

As a reminder, the show will be taped after AEW Dynamite on Wednesday, April 3.

Matt Hardy Gives Update On AEW Contract Negotiations

On the latest episode of the “Extreme Life of Matt Hardy” podcast, the AEW star discussed a wide range of topics. 

During this time, Hardy discussed his contract status with AEW ahead of its expiration this month. He was also at Monday’s WWE RAW after he and his wife were invited to sit in a suite by one of her friends. He said, 

“The reason it got even more buzz is people know my contract is coming up. I’m in the midst of contract negotiations. If you are trying to secure me under contract, I’m a guy you want. Whenever I work for your company, nobody waves the flag harder than I do. Whether it’s promoting the company on social media or promoting the hell out of all the positive the company offers. I do love AEW. There are some things I would like to change about my personal career there, and some of the things we’re doing, but overall I love AEW because it is very important for the pro wrestling industry. AEW needs to do well just because the pro wrestling industry doesn’t need just one huge company that is in control of everything. They need competition. Competition is what makes it thrive and what makes it better. For all the young kids coming up, competition needs to exist. I want AEW to do well and I want AEW to thrive. I want to be in a satisfactory position in what I’m doing in AEW. That’s where we’re at.

“Still negotiating and figuring things out. Once again, Tony Khan has taken great care of me. He’s been a good boss. I think Tony Khan is a great human being. At the end of the day, when it comes to making a decision about what I do next, it also comes down to making sure I’m happy and I’m comfortable with what I’m doing in all capacities across the board. There is a ton of value in both Matt and Jeff Hardy right now. If you’re online and don’t see that, I’m sorry, but social media does not reflect reality. People know who we are. I don’t want to say we’re household names, but if you’re a pro wrestling fan, you know who the Hardy Boys are. There are people I meet who are like, ‘You look like Matt Hardy, the Hardy Boys who did the ladder stuff.’ ‘Yeah, nice to meet you.’ I get recognized every day I go out in public. That’s promotion and press, you can’t buy that. I’ve been blessed with so much TV time over the years. There is huge value in Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, and the Hardys together, especially. That is when we’re at our most value. There is value in both of us. Once again, I want to be used to the best of my ability and get the most out of my value.”

Source: eWn

Backstage Update On Jack Perry’s AEW Hiatus

Tony Khan continues to hold a grudge against Jack Perry following CM Punk’s AEW departure and that’s why he hasn’t brought him back to television.

Perry had been absent from the scene for several months after the incident involving CM Punk at AEW All In last August. This incident resulted in Perry’s suspension. Despite Perry now working with NJPW, he remains under contract with AEW. 

Perry disregarded Punk’s advice against using real glass during a TV segment. Perry performed a spot on a car windshield at All In 2023 and made a reference to using real glass on camera, which led to the physical altercation backstage.

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Perry will be brought back after his NJPW run.

“The way we’ve heard it, was that he was sent home after Wembley and never heard back from Khan. He apologized, kept texting him about he never meant to cause any trouble and was sorry. He did hear from the company through lawyers. Then they talked and he apologized to Khan. But he still hasn’t been brought back. What they are doing now in Japan is storyline to lead to an eventual return,” Meltzer wrote.

Source: eWn