In this WrestleTalk News, a dream signing to AEW, Bron Breakker wins the NXT title,
the latest new original plans for Day 1 and more.
Yep, you heard that correctly, Bron Breakker is your NXT champion, finally putting the
original NXT to rest.
The best way to show your love for NXT 1.0 is by clicking the button beneath this video.
I know it looks a lot like a subscribe button, but that’s just because you haven’t updated
your YouTube app yet.
It’s actually a Thank You NXT 1.0 button.
So you better press it, otherwise you hate wrestling.
Since August, AEW has seen the debuts of CM Punk, Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, Minoru Suzuki,
Ruby Soho, Bobby Fish, Jay Lethal, Tony Nese, Kyle O’Reilly and Mercedes Martinez.
Is that the best you can do, Tony Khan.
I need more stimulation, MORE!
The AEW President has teased just that in an interview with John Martinez of Z100, where
he was asked if there are any more dream signings coming to AEW, and, specifically, whether
they’re North American - to which Khan replied: “There is.
They are in North America, and they’re coming.
And pretty soon, and it’s going to be awesome.
I’m very excited.”
I mean… there’s a free agent formerly known as a Dream… but I’m pretty confident
it ain’t them.
This echoes Khan’s interview teases shortly before O’Reilly debuted last month, where
he hinted that wouldn’t be the end of AEW’s big name signings - with the first episode
of Dynamite on its new network of TBS tonight, along with the Battle of the Belts special
on Saturday.
Both shows are already loaded up with matches like Danielson vs WANGMAN II and Cody Rhodes
vs Sammy Guevarra, but perhaps Khan has saved a big debut for this week too.
The biggest available free agent names right now would be the former Bray Wyatt, who’s
now called Windham Rotunda, and Johnny Gargano.
Rotunda was heavily reported to debut for either AEW or IMPACT in September and October,
but the Wrestling Observer Newsletter most recently wrote: “The last we heard was that
he had the movie gig and didn't want to come back so soon.
At one point he was apart on money from both promotions."
Wyatt has been shooting a horror movie with his Firefly Fun House design collaborator
Jason Baker - described as “Ichi the Killer meets Xanadu” - but that supposedly wrapped
late last year, potentially freeing up Wyatt for a wrestling return.
Gargano, meanwhile, has been publicly flirting with a wrestling return on his Twitch channel,
saying if the fans chant his name enough, he’ll show up.
Who do you think is AEW’s dream debut?
Let me know in the comments down below, where I’ll be replying to as many people as I
can for the first 30 minutes after this video goes live FROM OUTTA NOWHERE saying, huh,
you know, it’s weird that we haven’t seen much of Shane McMahon and Triple H around
much recently.
I’m just asking questions.
When commenting your own suggestions, remember that Rotunda and Gargano are available to
debut anywhere right now.
A lot of the other recent WWE releases, like Karrion Kross, Keith Lee and Jeff Hardy are
still waiting out their 90 day non-compete clauses until at least February,
It could’ve been a very different story.
It could’ve been Jeff Hardy to NXT confirmed.
After Jeff Hardy became NXT champion last July when he beat Karrion Kross on his main
roster debut in 2 minutes - 2021 is behind you now, Oli, think of your happy place.
Adam Cole’s smile, Adam Cole’s smile - Fightful Select has now reported Hardy was actually
meant for a brief run in NXT 2.0.
Back in November, NXT tag team champions MSK got a series of vignettes where they were
on a journey to visit a mysterious shaman.
Wrestling.
At the start of December, this was revealed to be current Raw tag team champion Matt Riddle,
because wink wink nudge nudge, marijuana.
But apparently Riddle wasn’t meant to be the original reveal on the 7th December episode,
it was meant to be Hardy.
NXT had even filmed “numerous” segments for his debut, but due to Hardy’s erratic
behaviour at the house show the previous weekend, WWE had to scramble for a replacement.
Hardy was released two days after the episode aired on the 9th.
But there is one other ratings moving name that AEW could snap up immediately.
And Andrade is going to keep on teasing it whether Twitter wants it or not.
Following Andrade starting a feud with Darby Allin and Sting on last Friday’s Rampage,
El Idolo has tweeted: “Hello!!!
Kid @DarbyAllin Nice to meet you sir @Sting remember I have Many friends In the business
but just one father In low #TheMan #ElIdolo @RicFlairNatrBoy” with a photo of him and
Ric shaking hands at AAA last year.
A tweet that was greeted with excited wrestling fan replies like:
“Please god no.”
“that's not the brag you think it is in 2022”
And “After watching that Dark Side of the Ring Episode about The Plane Ride from hell,
I’d rather not.”
That episode aired last August, and included allegations that Flair had sexually assaulted
a female flight attendant in 2002 - allegations that Flair himself has denied.
Showing how beloved Flair is, and Twitter’s typical level of nuance, it was Tommy Dreamer
who got cancelled for that.
Flair seemed set for an AEW debut imminently, with him also being teased on Being the Elite,
but there’s been no sign of him in the six months since that episode aired.
AEW is at a fascinating point in its trajectory.
Now almost three years old and with all the attention that debuts of Punk and Danielson
bring, it’s experiencing issues that can no longer be dismissed as wrestling fan tribalism.
Occasionally you can see AEW critical signs in the audience, asking for more TV time for
the women, and after AEW chose not to re-sign Big Swole after her contract expired, she
accused the company over the weekend for a lack of representation of the black community.
Powerhouse Hobbs and Lio Rush have since posted statements in AEW’s defence.
Cynically, bringing Flair in right now to feud with Sting, as much as Cody and Tony
want to play with their favourite WCW toys, might be a backlash headache not worth having.
But there’s already been a big WWE to AEW move behind the scenes, because Covid-19 to
AEW confirmed.
Matt Jackson and Brandon Cutler have reportedly tested positive for Covid-19, and since they’ve
spent a lot of time with fellow Young Buck Nick Jackson, all three men will miss this
week’s worth of huge AEW shows, potentially forcing a rewrite of the promotion’s big
Adam Cole on a Pole storyline.
The Bucks announced Matt’s positive result in the only way they know how other than by
releasing a t-shirt, by changing their Twitter bio to read:
“Loyal to a fault, but sometimes have to make executive decisions.
Always book ourselves strong.
Our future grandkids are set for life.
Matt has covid.”
Omicron is leaping between brands like Paul Heyman is its manager, as covid also significantly
disrupted WWE’s Day 1 plans last Saturday.
Roman Reigns was pulled from the show because of a positive result, meaning his original
opponent Brock Lesnar was added to the WWE Championship match, which he won.
Initial reports said Big E was meant to retain his title at the pay-per-vi-I mean, premium
live event, but now Dave Meltzer has written on Sports Illustrated that it was actually
meant to be Seth Rollins.
But while he didn’t get a title reign, he has got a new name, as WWE have officially
renamed him as ‘OOOh Kingslayer Seth Rollins’.
Calm yourself, 2017 reference.
It’s actually been updated to Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins.
And he isn’t the only thing to finish installing its update.
As Bron Breakker literally kicked the old NXT logo in two during his entrance at New
Years Evil last night [BREAKKER CLIP SCREEN, BUT TURN INTO GIF TO AVOID COPYRIGHT], to
beat Tommasso Ciampa and become the new NXT Champion.
Triple H is going to be very confused when he comes back.
Triple H to AEW confirmed.
Bron’s dad Rick Steiner could be seen celebrating with him as the show went off air.
But that wasn’t the only big title change in wrestling yesterday.
Kazuchika Okada beat Shingo Takagi for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship in 35
minutes in what our editor Rich told me was a 7 star match.
Okada will go onto defend against Will Ospreay in Night Two like, right now.
It’s probably happening as you’re watching this.
It’s not just wrestlers from his own promotion Okada has to be wary of, though.
After saying he’d love to fight CM Punk and Bryan Danielson in an interview, Punk
has replied on Twitter: “Here’s my address, come see me:
1901 W Madison St Chicago, IL 60612
United States @rainmakerXokada” [TWEET]
Punk just doxxed himself.
Oh my god, Punk just doxxed himself.
I’m coming Punk!
I’ll bring the pizza, we’re going to be best friends.
It’s the address of the United Center.
I shall take comfort in the incredible continuing story of Katsuyori Shibata.
New Japan bases itself on the principle of lion’s pride.
That you never quit.
And while that’s a very psychologically unhealthy way to live your life, hot damn
does it make for some emotionally stirring comebacks.
After being told he’d never wrestle again, nearly dying after a head injury in 2017,
Shibata had his first official match back at yesterday’s WrestleKingdom, wrestling
his student Ren Narita.
There was meant to be no striking, given Shibata’s near death experience, but he apparently went
into business for himself and did strikes anyway.
New Japan’s president tweeted afterwards: “There is no way NJPW will give him a punishment.
The social significance of NJPW is to energize people through our battle.”