One of the top stars in AEW was in a foul mood following this week’s episode of Dynamite which saw CM Punk appear on the broadcast.
Punk made his first appearance on Dynamite in months this week and earned an electric response from the crowd in his native Chicago.
When a deal was reached to bring Punk back to TV, it was believed that Punk would keep to AEW Collision while the Elite would remain fixtures of Dynamite.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reports that one “top name” of AEW was in a bad mood following this week’s Dynamite.
That top name, who was not named in the report, described the atmosphere within AEW due to the Punk-Elite situation as a potential “ticking time bomb.”
Tonight’s AEW Dynamite, live on TBS, is the final show before this Sunday’s Forbidden Door II pay-per-view.
TBS Championship Open Challenge: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie
Concession Stand Brawl: Jeff Jarrett vs. Mark Briscoe
Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara and Minoru Suzuki vs. Action Andretti, Darius Martin and AR Fox
Blind Eliminator Tournament for an AEW Tag Team Title Opportunity. Several sources have indicated this match is believed to be the Lethal Lottery concept that was first introduced by WCW at Starrcade 1991.
The Hardys vs. The Gunns
Orange Cassidy and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Zack Sabre Jr. and Daniel Garcia
We will hear from both Adam Cole and Eddie Kingston
Bryan Danielson to call out Kazuchika Okada
As of this writing F4WOnline is reporting that The Elite are only expected to appear in a pre-taped segment. There is still no confirmation CM Punk will appear live. However, tonight’s show is taking place live from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
Pwinsider reports that there are a number of New Japan talents in the United States. It’s very likely that some NJPW stars will appear on Dynamite.
All Elite Wrestling returns to the place where it all began as AEW Dynamite will emanate from the Capital One Arena in the nation’s capital Washington, D.C. To commemorate the AEW’s flagships show’s return to the site of its first episode.
AEW World Title Eliminator Match: MJF vs. Adam Cole
AEW Women’s Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Skye Blue
TNT Championship: Wardlow (c) vs. Jake Hager
The Elite (Hangman Page & The Young Bucks) vs. Blackpool Combat Club (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta)
Sting, Darby Allin, Orange Cassidy & Keith Lee vs. Mogul Embassy (Swerve Strickland, Brian Cage, Kaun & Toa Liona)
With Collision set to debut next month, will AEW split its roster between their new show and Dynamite?
AEW‘s newest weekly show, a two-hour Saturday series called Collision, is set to begin next month, June 17, from the United Center at Chicago. Much of the conversation has been about whether CM Punk will be there (the location announcement seems to confirm that he will be), but there’s perhaps an even bigger topic to be addressed for the company’s long term future.
In a media call in the lead up to this week’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view, Tony Khan spoke about Collision and addressed rumors that AEW would be doing a brand split between Dynamite and Collision, similar to what WWE does with Raw and SmackDown. “I haven’t given a lengthy explanation yet for what I’m planning regarding the future of the roster and how people will be allocated across Dynamite and Collision and our other shows. It’s a great question, certainly. I can see why wrestling fans all over the world would be interested and curious about that. That’s frankly by design that we want to build that curiosity in and get people wondering exactly what you’re asking, ‘what’s the future of the AEW roster, and what does this all mean going forward after Double or Nothing?’ It’s a really good question and something we’ll be excited to follow up on.” (h/t Fightful)
It had become a running joke in AEW, lights go down, and someone jokes that “It’s Sabu,” when it never ends up being Sabu. That all changed on Wednesday night.
Sabu appeared during a contract signing segment between Chris Jericho and Adam Cole that was done to hype their Unsanctioned match this Sunday at Double or Nothing.
Jericho and Cole went back and forth on the attack on Britt Baker and then Jericho made it clear to Cole that he has more backup than Cole for the match on Sunday. Cole, who knew that Jericho would say that, said that he was going to bring someone even crazier than him and the JAS and that person would be there, along with Roderick Strong, to back him up this Sunday night.
Sabu’s music played and he took out the JAS with chair shots to the face.
For all intents and purposes, Sabu is retired, having not wrestled a match since 2021, which makes him the latest in a long line of veteran wrestlers that have appeared in AEW as something of a mentor figure. Sabu is something of a left-field choice for Cole and Strong but with Kyle O’Reilly recovering from neck surgery and Bobby Fish seemingly on the outs with the company, Cole needs someone in his corner alongside Strong, and Sabu’s hardcore bona fides make him a good fit.
Sabu has a history with another piece of AEW’s lineage, as he is the only other man in the history of Extreme Championship Wrestling to hold the FTW Championship besides Taz, which has become something of a legacy title in AEW, currently held by Taz’s son Hook. Sabu has not received a graphic indicating that he is in any way signed to AEW.
Sabu was a key part of the ECW roster, helping popularize a particular type of high-flying action that would be emulated by countless wrestlers in the years that followed. Industry veterans who worked with Sabu, such as Rob Van Dam and Paul Heyman, believe Sabu should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for his contributions to the industry, and it seems Waltman would be in agreement. During his tenure with ECW, Sabu was a two-time World Heavyweight Champion and a three-time World Tag Team Champion. Additionally, Sabu previously performed in WWE, WCW, NJPW, TNA, and countless independent promotions over the years.
AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS and emanate from the Moody Center ATX in Austin, Texas.
Falls Count Anywhere: Chris Jericho vs. Roderick Strong
Jay White vs. Ricky Starks
The Outcasts (Saraya, Toni Storm, & Ruby Soho) vs. Dr. Britt Baker DMD, Jamie Hayter, & Hikaru Shida
RUSH vs. “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry
Don Callis speaks
Sammy Guevara in action
There will be the highly-anticipated follow-up to the promised “important announcement” by AEW and ROH President Tony Khan. AEW Saturday Collision was announced at the Warner Bros. Discovery Up-fronts in New York City, New York on Wednesday morning.
Let us know if you’ve heard this one before – AEW President Tony Khan will be making a “huge announcement” on next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
For those unaware, next Wednesday is the same day of Warner Brothers Discovery’s upfront presentation. At the presentation, it is expected that AEW’s new show, “Collison” will be announced and it’s expected to be built around the returning CM Punk.
You can check out a video of Tony Khan’s announcement below:
Wrestling News Blog 