Category: AEW

Update On Adam Cole’s Injury

AEW star Adam Cole has reportedly opted not to have surgery to fix his torn labrum.

According to Dave to Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Cole has decided to undergo physical therapy on his shoulder as opposed to going under the knife.

The timeframe for Cole’s in-ring return will be determined more by his recovery from the concussion he suffered at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view in June. On a positive note, Cole is “faring better in that regard,” per Meltzer.

Cole reportedly suffered “a very serious concussion” during his Four-Way Match for the IWGP World Heavyweight Title at the AEW x NJPW crossover event. The concussion led to a “rushed and awkward finish” to the match as Jay White pinned the leader of the Undisputed Elite to retain his title.

In the lead-up to the Forbidden Door event, there were question marks about Cole’s availability after a Fightful Select report revealed he had been wrestling with a torn labrum for months. The report added that Cole braved the injury during his match against Hangman Page at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view in March, and continued to avoid taking time off despite being hurt. It was also noted that Cole had been “banged up for quite a while” and was “battling a series of injuries” for longer than most realize.

In a recent interview with New York Post, AEW President Tony Khan explained why he allowed Cole to wrestle at Forbidden Door despite the litany of injuries.

“He had no contact between Double or Nothing and Forbidden Door,” Khan said. “He was on commentary. He had been cleared to wrestle. So now, I’m also gonna take some time [off] for him. We had already taken some time and I’ll take some more time to make sure he’s right and wouldn’t want him to wrestle until he’s feeling 100 percent. He was feeling 100 percent going into Forbidden Door. That’s how unpredictable these [injuries] are.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Swerve In Our Glory’s AEW Tag Title Win Might Be Invalid

Swerve may have pinned the wrong man to end the match.

This year’s Fyter Fest kicked off on Dynamite this week. What was once a one-night event is now a two week affair that will be spread across four shows. Two episodes of Dynamite and two episodes of Rampage. Show number one came to a close with what was a terrific triple threat tag team match, and the crowning of new AEW Tag Team Champions.

Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland, who currently go by the team name Swerve In Our Glory, won the match, becoming champions in the process. However, a very close analysis courtesy of Wrestling Inc. has revealed the pinfall that resulted in a title change probably shouldn’t have counted. While Swerve was the legal man, the person who he pinned, Team Taz’s Ricky Starks, was not the other one.

There are two different rule sets used in three-way tag matches. Either one member of each team is legal at the same time, or only two people can be legal at once and you may need to tag an opponent to get into the match. The latter ruleset was in play for the title match on Dynamite. At the 4:15 mark in the video below, Swerve and Matt Jackson tag into the match, making them the legal competitors.

It’s almost exactly four minutes later where things start to get confusing. Powerhouse Hobbs tags Ricky Starks into the match. However, Hobbs wasn’t the legal man. Neither Swerve nor Matt Jackson had tagged out. That’s the last time anyone is tagged in the match, and it comes to an end with Swerve pinning Starks to win the match. If the video and analysis above is to be believed, Swerve didn’t pin the other legal man, so he and Lee shouldn’t have won the Tag Team Titles.

What remains unclear at this point is whether this was an accident, or whether AEW intended there to be ambiguity surrounding the title switch. If it was accidental, and news that Swerve didn’t appear to pin the right person to end the match becomes a big enough deal, AEW may well be forced to do something about it. If an ambiguous finish was the intention, then it will likely be addressed on Dynamite next week.

Source: TheSportster with credit to Wrestling Inc.

Keith Lee Cuts Impassioned Promo Following AEW Tag Title Win At Fyter Fest

Keith Lee addressed the fans when this week’s Fyter Fest edition of AEW Dynamite went off the air.

Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland were crowned AEW World Tag Team Champions during the climax of this week’s special Fyter Fest of AEW Dynamite … but the cameras didn’t stop rolling when the show went off the air.

It all went down at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia on Wednesday, July. Lee & Strickland defeated Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks and the defending champs The Young Bucks in a thrilling main event to capture their first accolades as members of AEW’s roster. Swerve In Our Glory celebrated as the show went off the air, but the party didn’t stop there.

https://twitter.com/TonyKhan/status/1547414497844928512

Between the climax of Dynamite and the beginning of the Rampage taping, Keith Lee got on the mic and delivered an impassioned speech in which he dedicated the momentous occasion to two of his close friends.

“My friend, his name is Lucilius King. I’ve known him since 1998. I found out a little while ago that he may have cancer,” Lee said, before referencing his own near-death experience. As you might recall, Lee took a seven-month hiatus from WWE in 2021 due to his Covid-related health issues. “As most of you know, last year, I nearly died. I didn’t say a word until the threat was gone and passed. There isn’t much you can do to me to rattle me against me,” Lee sad in his post-Dynamite promo. Lee added that he was also dedicating his win to another friend, JD Griffey.

“The fact is, I didn’t care if we won or lost. The fact is this is a brotherhood, and I’m devoting my everything to that,” he said. “So Lucilius King, this is more than just a victory for me, this is more than just a victory for our story.”

Lee became one of the hottest free agents in the world when he was released by WWE on November 4, though he wasn’t able to sign elsewhere until the 90-day non-compete clause in his contract had expired. In case you missed it, Lee appeared on an AEW show for the very first time on the February 9 edition of Dynamite on TBS. It all went down at the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Keith Lee was revealed as Isiah Kassidy’s mystery opponent in a Face Of The Revolution qualifying match just moments before the match began.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1547401604034355210

Source: TheSportster

AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest Week 1 Preview 7/13/2022

Tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite is Week 1 of Fyter Fest from Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA.

The following line-up is announced for tonight:

  • AEW TNT Championship Match: Orange Cassidy vs. Wardlow (c)
  • AEW Tag Team Championship Match: Swerve In Our Glory vs. Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. The Young Bucks (c)
  • AEW Interim World Championship Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita vs. Jon Moxley (c)
  • Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jake Hager
  • Anna Jay vs. Serena Deeb
  • Luchasaurus in action
  • We hear from Christian Cage
  • We hear from Chris Jericho
  • There will be an announcement about AEW All Out, the promotion’s next pay-per-view event, which will take place on September 4 
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1547189096799506440

AEW Rampage Preview 7/8/22

The following lineup is announced for tonight’s AEW “Rampage” at 8/7C on TNT:

  • Eddie Kingston vs. Konosuke Takeshita
  • Orange Cassidy vs. Tony Nese
  • Jonathan Gresham & Lee Moriarty vs. Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Kaun)
  • Mercedes Martinez & Serena Deeb in action

Marko Stunt Discloses Plans To Start His Own Wrestling Promotion

Marko Stunt wants to form a new wrestling company this year.

Former AEW performer Marko Stunt has revealed plans to start up his own promotion.

The 25-year-old left AEW this year as a result of not having his contract extended and is now wrestling on the independent scene, mostly performing for GCW. His exit from AEW hasn’t slowed him down any and he remains very active as an in-ring competitor. However, he has plans to begin working on the periphery and is looking to launch his own promotion before the end of 2022.

“I’m actually, I have my own promotion coming up around where I live in Memphis,” Stunt said during an interview with NBC Sports Boston recently. “I think we’re starting here in September. We’re still trying to come up with everything and do everything.

“We haven’t released any posters or anything. That is coming soon. I am going to be starting up a promotion here. I also help out a lot with a show in Missouri, with the booker there. I’ve been getting into that role and trying to learn that type of stuff.”

Stunt has been appointed EVP and co-booker of Cape Wrestling in Missouri since his departure from AEW.

Source: TheSportster

Chris Jericho Reveals He Was Hospitalized With Pulmonary Embolism

Chris Jericho has told the full story behind why he wound up in hospital last year.

Chris Jericho got wrestling fans worried at the end of 2021 when it was revealed The Wizard had been hospitalized during a UK tour with his band, Fozzy. The exact reason Jericho wound up in hospital wasn’t revealed. At least not until recently when Tony Khan let the cat out of the bag revealing Jericho had suffered from blood clots.

Since Khan had revealed half the story, Jericho decided to use Friday’s episode of Talk Is Jericho to tell the story in full. Turns out the first AEW Champion didn’t have just one blood clot, he had a lot of them. In fact, Jericho had something called a pulmonary embolism. The medical name for some of those bloodclots being in Jericho’s lungs, so an incredibly serious situation.

Jericho first realized something was up when it became difficult to breathe during a Fozzy show in Newcastle. The former WWE Superstar soldiered on, performing shows in Chester and Bournemouth, but suffering the same problem on both nights. Upon arrival in London for a media day, Jericho was finally hospitalized at which point he was diagnosed and doctors went to work on clearing the clots and increasing his blood oxygen level.

“I got to the hospital and I can barely walk. I mean walking across the lobby to get to the car to go to the hospital was a real task. It was terrifying,” Jericho revealed. “They did an ultrasound and found that there was evidence of a clot in my throat. Now if a clot gets in your throat, that’s getting into stroke territory.” Jericho was given blood thinners which cleared the clots, but if one had dislodged it could have been a very serious situation, perhaps one that had resulted in his death in a worst-case scenario.

Jericho had to stay in London for an extended period as he was unable to fly back to the US until his oxygen level was back to normal. It was also recommended that he lose some visceral fat, which is why he is in notably better shape now than he was six months ago. The leader of the Jericho Appreciation Society bulked up intentionally for his work in Japan but has lost 32 lbs since the incident in the UK. He’s all good now, as has been proved by the multiple matches he has had in AEW since.

Source: TheSportster

AEW Dynamite Preview 7/6/22

Tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite live from the Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial in Rochester, New York.

The following line-up is announced for tonight:

  • AEW Interim World Championship Match: Brody King vs. Jon Moxley (c)
  • TNT Championship “Street Fight” Match: Wardlow vs. Scorpio Sky (c)
  • AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa & Toni Storm vs. Marina Shafir & Nyla Rose
  • The Butcher & The Blade vs. Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland
  • Christian Cage & Luchasaurus will appear live

Tony Khan Reportedly Open to an AEW and WWE Supershow

AEW’s Tony Khan said it was unlikely, but he’d be open to discussing the possibility of a cross-promotional show between his company and WWE.

According to the President of AEW himself, Tony Khan, he’s open to the idea of AEW and WWE working together to put on a supershow, much like he did with NJPW for Forbidden Door. While he admits the idea seems far-fetched, he’s not opposed to it and would be open to discussing with the higher-ups in WWE.

The comments stemmed from a conversation Khan had on the The Ringer’s “The Masked Man Show.” podcast where he was asked about AEW stars appearing on WWE programming recently for the 20-year celebration of John Cena. Khan said he was approached about it and said yes because it was for a good cause. When the follow-up question was about whether he would be open to a pay-per-view with WWE, he didn’t shy away from answering yes.

Khan said, “I’m not sure if that’s gonna happen (AEW and WWE doing a joint show). But, I would be open to talking about that type of thing. It’s not crazy but it’s a bold prediction.”

Like the scene from Dumb and Dumber where Llyod Christmas was told by the female lead that it’s a million-to-one odds she’d ever be interested in him, his response was, “so you’re saying there’s a chance”. AEW and WWE working together seem incredibly unlikely, but Khan is not ruling it out as something worth considering down the line. As for whether WWE would like to pursue it, that might depend on who is in charge. Being a publicly-traded company, every decision is about revenue and the shareholders. If there’s a good financial reason to do so, WWE might be open to it as well.

The question fans will immediately ask is, what matches would make the most sense? Bobby Lashley teased on Raw this week that no one could beat him for his United States Championship, including anyone from another promotion. He seems to be thinking about it already. From there, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Riddle, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair would be names at the top of WWE’s list. For AEW, CM Punk, Hangman Page, Kenny Omega, Jade Cargill and Britt Baker would be among the more intriguing options.

Source: TheSportster

AEW Rampage Preview 7/1/22

AEW will debut a new match concept on tonight’s episode of “Rampage”. The Royal Rampage match will kick off tonight’s show. It will be contested inside the same double-ring used for the Blood & Guts match on this past Wednesday’s “Dynamite”.

The following line-up is announced for tonight:

  • Royal Rampage
  • AEW World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI
  • Nyla Rose vs. Toni Storm