Welcome to the WrestleTalk News, I’m Pete Quinnell.
On last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite, the final two members of this year’s Blood
& Guts were revealed, and if you don’t know who they are yet, I will be spoiling them
here shortly, so best to skip ahead if you don’t want to know because seriously, I
don’t know how much longer I can not talk about it for.
OH MY GOD IT’S KOTA IBUSHI, THEY’RE DOING IT, THE MAD LADS ARE ACTUALLY DOING IT.
Ahem.
But - things aren’t just massive on screen for AEW right now, there’s some big dealings
happening behind the scenes too as according to Fightful Select, AEW and Warner Bros Discovery
have been in discussions for months about extending their contract for TV rights, with
sources reportedly stating that they believe an announcement could be made as soon as this
summer.
WBD have reportedly been very happy with AEW and its flexibility, including adding and
subtracting content when needed, and working around “preemptions and network changes”.
The big news, at least for Tony Khan, is that this reportedly would be for a “huge money
increase for AEW”.
But what about us, the viewer, what’s changing for the AEW we see on screen?
Well potentially, quite a lot.
Select also reported that one of the major proposals from WBD to AEW was to expand their
PPV schedule - perhaps as many as once a month.
Whether these would be standalone, or added to the MAX streaming deal remains to be seen,
but regardless we could be seeing the start of a major expansion and change in how AEW
structures its yearly and even weekly content with their PPV schedule.
Which means if you compare it to something like WWE’s PLEs, AEW would have its equivalent
Big Four already settled - with Revolution, Double or Nothing, All Out and Full Gear,
and you could even make the argument for the Big Five with Forbidden Door, which is also
funny as WWE has its potential Big Five with Money in the Bank as well.
And if there’s potentially a Max streaming deal as well, then it could be shaping up
to be quite similar to WWE’s structure, where you pay a subscription service to get
all the shows, or it could be similar to UFC’s, where you pay for a subscription but then
pay extra for PPVs regardless, something which Nick Khan has spoken about in the past, with
WWE potentially adopting it too.
Meanwhile over in WWE, there may be some shows they were planning that have been pulled entirely.
While appearing on The Footy with Broden Kelly, Bronson Reed noted that he’d heard “rumblings”
that WWE were planning a tour of Australia in October this year, however he also then
said that those plans had been “nixed”.
Whether this was supposed to factor into another one of WWE’s international PPVs or not,
we don’t know, considering essentially every B-PPV of WWE’s year has been held internationally,
with Elimination Chamber in Montreal, Backlash in Puerto Rico, Night of Champions in Saudi
Arabia and Money in the Bank in the UK, while the A-shows have been stadium shows on home
soil.
That will be changing come Payback in September, and there’s also another Saudi show reportedly
scheduled for November, which leaves that October gap.
So it’s not unfeasible that they could have done an Australian tour which included a PPV
in their original plans, though that is just speculation on my part.
And now, over to Oli for Dynamite.
Now it’s time for my review of AEW Dynamite… in about 5 minutes.
We’re still in Canada, so here’s Chris Jericho.
He wrestled against Komander in the opening match - with his J.A.S.
factionmates noticeable by their absence, while Jericho mulls over whether to join that
piece of carny s-word Don Callis.
Jericho gave Komander a lot, providing a solid base for the luchador’s high spots and always
impressive top rope walking, but Chris caught one of those leaps into a Liontamer to win.
Cue Don Callis’ brown noise entrance.
Bwaaaarm.
I love that Don doesn’t have actual theme music.
It’s just the sound of heat.
In his latest way to manipulate Jericho into joining his family, Callis played a clip of
him and Chris from when they were in a faction together back in 1995 under Bad News Brown.
Don tugged at Jericho’s heartstring nostalgia, saying Bad News would want them to stay together.
I’m sure nothing will be more emotionally investing than that genuine moment featuring
a real-life sadly passed mentor in this storyline.
No way a bucket hat will make me feel more than that.
Jungle Boy was chased out of his car by Hook again.
Then came the best story in AEW right now.
The second best only after the Bloodline Saga.
We’re barely a month in, and the blossoming friendship between enemies turned tag partners
Adam Cole and MJF is sports entertaining magic.
This week showed a recap of MJF and Cole enjoying a night out on the town, where Max had sex
with four women.
How do you book that?
A handicap match?
A one after the other gauntlet?
A battle royal with everyone trying to toss each other off… the ring?
Cole wouldn’t partake because he loves Britt Baker, which MJF respected, and he wouldn’t
wear their joint Better Than You Bay-Bay t-shirt either…
unless they do what he wants to do: play the AEW Fight Forever video game.
That sounds like one of the most hackneyed pieces of brand integration this side of a
Pizza Hut Trilogy Meal Battle Royal, or me plugging our brand new WrestleTalk presenters
t-shirt that you can buy from WrestleShop.com right now - link’s in the video description
below.
But this was truly special, providing the real bonding moment between the two men.
Initially hating the idea, MJF started to enjoy playing Fight Forever, where he muttered
to himself it’s more fun to play games when you’ve got a buddy.
That’s when Cole realised Max has never played a multiplayer game because he has no
friends - playing into Cole’s character, who’s found his own community through streaming
video games on Twitch.
They admit they were both going to betray each other initially, but they’ve really
come to like each other - whereupon they beat FTR in the game to become the new tag team
champions.
That fantasy booking got a step closer next after they beat Big Bill and Brian Cage in
the tag team tournament - the most fun match on the show, where the major moves were eye
pokes and a single bodyslam.
Max’s continued effort to get over the simplest of offence is admirable.
How do you stand out in a promotion that’s got Bandido and Omega?
Get over a double clothesline.
They went for that finisher, but didn’t manage to hit it - presumably building it
for the final next week - with Cole winning with the Boom.
Bill and Cage, by the way, should stay as a team, they’re great together.
Max and Cole put over them going for the tag titles afterwards, as Roderick Strong watched
on cynically backstage.
In Max’s typical way of subverting pro wrestling tropes, he’s taken the Can They Coexist
cliche and turned it into a hugely emotionally rewarding: They Can Exist story.
In that tournament final, Cole and Max will be facing Daniel Garcia and Sammy Guevara,
who beat Darby Allin and Orange Cassidy on this same episode.
There’s some poetic asymmetry between them.
Cole and MJF are enemies turning friends, while Guevara and Garcia are factionmates
getting frustrated with each other.
But I really feel like Allin and Cassidy would’ve been much better opponents for the final - with
Max’s history with Darby, and Cole’s with Cassidy.
I would’ve understood if Darby losing here because of Swerve’s interference was to
set up Allin helping Nick Wayne win his match against Strickland later on, but that didn’t
happen either.
Nevertheless, the match was loads of fun, with all these guys plus Swerve being my AEW
midcard/Super juniors division right now.
Just STOP TRYING TO MAKE SAMMY A FACE.
Elsewhere in J.A.S.
news, Jake Hager confronted Jericho backstage about their future.
They’ve been together since day 1 of Dynamite - best not remind us all of the debut episode
finale, Jake, it was massively underwhelming - and he deserves to know if Jericho is joining
Callis.
Until then, he handed over his hat.
Ruby Soho beat Sky Bllluuuuue kinda all by herself to advance in the Owen Hart Women’s
Cup final, after the Outcasts were ejected from ringside early.
Sky Blue has improved so much over the last few months, and Ruby’s fake face injury
was sold really well.
QTV debuted Harley Cameron’s music video, which put over all her faction mates while
speaking very fast at points.
Rap.
And then in a smart piece of match ordering, Nick Wayne’s AEW debut against Swerve Strickland
was technically the main event - encouraging people to watch the unknown because there
would be the huge fifth men reveals in the closing segment.
Wayne and Strickland put on a great, breakneck speed match, which stepped into an even higher
gear after two spots in the final third - Wayne reversing into a reverse hurricanrana off
the top rope, immediately following up with a cutter for a great near fall with Swerve’s
foot on the ropes.
And then Swerve reversign Wayne’s top rope hurricanrana into a powerbomb.
Despite Darby cheering Nick on from the ramp, Swerve won in the end.
I like that Strickland won, but I thought you could’ve protected him in losing with
the right booking, which would’ve given Nick more momentum on his debut.
The show closed on revealing who the Elite and the Blackpool Combat Club’s fifth men
were.
Don Callis tempted Kenny Omega out into a trap, where he was jumped by the BCC and their
final Blood and Guts member, the returning PAC - a great idea not just given their history,
but also because it isn’t Chris Jericho!
They were about to Pilmanise Kenny’s neck when Omega made his own announcement - playing
a video package so powerful, the BCC couldn’t finish their beatdown.
The video package announced the Golden Elite, as Kota Ibushi will be their fifth man.
Hangman and The Bucks then made the save, and Kenny promised once love and friendship
have conquered the BCC’s five men, he’ll be coming for Callis.
It got crowd reactions, and is an effective go-home angle, but in execution I thought
this was pretty shoddily done.
The video package staging.
What on earth was the Elite’s plan with Kenny coming down to the ring?
The lack of context for viewers who don’t know who Ibushi is.
This was well below the Elite’s usual bar of excellence for their angles.
This week’s Dynamite is 81%.
Now go watch Laurie, Pete and Luke playing AEW Fight Forever!