Here's your wrestling news for October 28th 2021
And your headlines for today include
ROH Releases Every Wrestler On Their Roster From Their Contracts!
Danhausen Drops AEW Tease After Report Of Mass ROH Releases!
Mike Bennett & Maria Kanellis React To ROH Releasing Their Roster!
Greg Hamilton Breaks His Silence Following WWE Release!
Bray Wyatt Drops Cryptic Tweet As WWE Non-Compete Clause Comes To An End!
MJF Almost Came Out To Cm Punk’s Music At AEW Rampage: The First Dance!
Business Experts Analyze AEW’s Success!
Cm Punk Vs. Bobby Fish Was An Instant Classic For AEW!
Chad Gable Reportedly Looking For WWE Release!
Jon Moxley Destroys Dark Order Member To Advance To Semi-Finals Of AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament! And More!
We’re starting today with Ring of Honour, a company that had something of an identity crisis when AEW launched, losing several of
their top stars to other promotions. The past 18 months haven’t helped the company one bit, and on Twitter this week,
ROH said they were having to take drastic action. In a statement, it was announced that after
this year culminates with a Final Battle in December, ROH will be taking the first quarter of 2022 to work internally on how to reimagine their brand.
Praising their dedicated fans, the statement adds that ROH expects to return to live events in April for the Super Card of Honour, with a new
fan-focussed product that’ll provide a unique experience for wrestling fans. Whether this new product is a new concept like
NXT 2.0, or something less drastic remains to be seen, and it’s interesting that this statement was put out after rumours of Sinclair Broadcasting
cutting the company. In a tweet of his own, Dave Meltzer reported that every wrestler on the ROH roster has been
released, but that isn’t quite the case. ROH won’t be renewing the contracts of multiple wrestlers who are currently on the company’s
payroll, as several deals are ending at the end of 2021, and they won’t be getting a new deal by the promotion
In an update from PW Insider, it’s noted that ROH would release all talent, except those who’s contracts extend past January 1st next year.
Those lucky few who’ll still be under contract are expected to remain with the promotion until March or April next year, which is when ROH
hopes to be back so their Supercard of Honour event can go up against WrestleMania 38 in Dallas
As for ROH’s weekly programming, the plan is for that to continue during the hiatus period, and we’ll have to see how that’s feasible when so many
contracts come to a close at the end of 2021. PW Insider adds that tapings are still slated for this weekend in Baltimore, and the December
12th Final Battle Pay Per View, which will mark an end point in this chapter for Ring of Honor.
What ROH will look like when they return, hopefully in the spring of next year, is impossible to say right now, but those currently under
contract right now may have no choice but to take deals elsewhere before ROH returns.
A lot of talented wrestlers will soon be losing their jobs, and that includes Danhausen, who didn’t wait long to tease a move to AEW.
Shortly after the ROH news broke, Danhausen shared a gif of himself cupping his ear, parodying the Cody Rhodes gif shared by fans who
believe a wrestler is going to AEW. AEW has become known to be a landing spot for many independent wrestlers, as well as those
disgruntled with other companies including WWE, and it may be a matter of time before Danhausen is All-Elite
More from ROH, as Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis- Bennett were released by WWE last year, and were doing well in ROH until this week.
Losing your job is usually the last thing anyone wants, but Mike is trying to make the best of this bas situation.
On Twitter, the former 24/7 Champion said there will be a silver lining to all of this, but until then it’s back to work, and plugged his contact information
for bookings, shows and seminars. In her own statement, Maria said this change hits harder than the others she’s experienced
and gave words of advice to the women’ roster, calling them an ‘incredible locker-room’ and praising Rok-C as an incredible Women’s World Champion.
Since their WWE release, both Mike and Maria have made it clear they don’t plan on returning to WWE, but the pair will now have to find other
promotions to take their talents, at least for the first-quarter of 2022.
Yesterday, we reported on the release of Greg Hamilton, a departure that has since been confirmed by WWE.
As per the norm, WWE didn’t explain the reason behind Hamilton’s release, but it’s believed by many that his comments about rapper Westside
Gunn was a factor in the company’s decision. After Gunn used Hamilton’s voice in a track, the now-former WWE announcer threatened
the artist with legal action, saying he could sick WWE’s lawyers on him. In his first statement since leaving, Hamilton was
quick to refute the idea that his issue with Gunn caused him to be fired, as he explained: “Don’t let the internet or social media gas you up;
this was a mutual respect departure from a great company. Nothing but respect from both sides. It’s business
Hamilton added that with his mother in his 70s, and his sister Jessi dealing with Cerebral Palsy, they are his priorities, not being known around
the world as part of WWE. Whatever the reason for Hamilton’s release, the 56-year-old announcer leaves WWE with a wealth
of experiences, and the company will now have to decide who’s next to fill the hole on TV Hamilton has left.
When Bray Wyatt was released by WWE this year, fans were shocked to see the popular Superstar go, and speculation quickly turned to where he’d
wrestle next. Released on July 31st, Wyatt hasn’t competed since his departure, but his waiting period will
soon be ending. On Twitter, the former Universal Champion fired off a ‘2 more days’ tweet, confirming that his
non-compete clause will end later this week. Wyatt has a lot of options for where to go next, but it’s been reported that AEW and Wyatt have
spoken to each other, but Tony Khan insisted that they’ve spoken on a personal level, as any business talk would be considered contract tampering.
Impact Wrestling is also an option, as they’ve reportedly made a big play to sign Wyatt, who we expect would be pushed to the top upon his
arrival should he join the Nashville-based promotion. Ultimately, we won’t know where Wyatt is going until it’s confirmed by him, but the former
Fiend can now look forward to appearing elsewhere now his non-compete is finally coming to an end
Should Wyatt join AEW, he could always revisit his late 2013 feud with CM Punk, who’s proven to be one of the promotion’s most popular stars.
Punk fans had waited for over seven years after his 2014 WWE Walkout to hear Cult of Personaity play when he debuted at August’s First Dance
edition of Rampage, so it should come as no surprise that MJF nearly spoiled the moment.
Speaking to Josh Martinez of Z100, Punk discussed his Rampage debut, and that there was a time when he considered having MJF
come out instead, trolling the fans who wanted to see the former World Champion. He added:
“Lowest hanging fruit in that aspect. That, of course, did cross my mind. Once I realized that was the thought on everybody’s mind, to me,
it wasn’t the right thing to do yet. Not yet.” What fans got instead was a truly epic moment that they’d been waiting for, as the right call
was made for Punk to have his epic return, without MJF getting involved. MJF went on to do something similar when
he came out to Chris Jericho’s countdown theme for their match at All Out, and while the young heel may soon cross paths with
Punk on AEW TV, the self-professed Salt of the Earth was nowhere to be seen during Punk’s debut.
Punk is one of the biggest names in AEW, but the former World Champion is just one part of the massive success of Tony Khan’s company,
something that Khan has been especially vocal about as of late. Khan’s constant mentioning of demographics and
claiming victories has annoyed some fans, who compare him to Ted Turner, but it’s hard to deny AEW’s ongoing popularity
When Khan recently had an interview with Business Insider, he was just by LightShed Ventures analyst Brandon Ross as well as
Barclays media Analyst David Joyce, who both commented on how AEW has caught up with WWE very quickly.
WWE’s “RAW” and “SmackDown” have been significant TV properties for a long time. The fact that AEW is able to sniff that shows that
there’s real traction. Joyce added that AEW has built a viewer base, the company’s task is to keep proving
they are economically viable for attracting advertisers by keeping those fans on board. Ross went on to say that with AEW now well
and truly on WWE’s radar, Vince McMahon will have to make the necessary adjustments that he felt he didn’t have to make when there wasn’t
any viable competition. Fans have grown tired of WWE’s same old storylines and strategies, and this has allowed
AEW to swoop in and thrive in the world of pro- wrestling, and after a successful near-three- year stint, we’re curious to see what will AEW
look like in 10 or even 20 years from now.
Last night saw AEW Dynamite return to Wednesday nights, kicking off with an instant classic between CM Punk and Bobby Fish.
The two veterans of the ring put on a clinic with impeccable storytelling and pacing, setting the stage for what turned out to be a great show.
Watching two great wrestlers like these to is one of the things that makes wrestling so much fun to watch, as both Punk and Fish electrified the crowd
with their moves and the story they told with their psychology. The bout marked Punk’s in-ring debut on Dynamite,
and the 43-year-old busted out some more moves we didn’t expect, even going highwire on several occasions and showing he’s not lost a step.
Fish was no slouch either, as he proved he could hang with the Best in the World, but eventually came up short, with Punk extending his undefeated
AEW record. Since joining, Punk has proven to be selfless with his time in AEW, and is willing to work with young
performers and newcomers, something he should be admired for. This match was no different, as fans aw another
stellar performance, and if this is Punk’s way of giving back to the industry, he’s giving it his all.
As for Fish, it’s not certain what the future holds for him, but he’s made a great first impression thus far in AEW, and we can only hope a sequel
for last night’s opener happens sooner or later.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Chad Gable’s close friends were pushing him to join AEW, believing that the former Olympian has
been wasted in WWE. With no singles titles to his name during his 8 years signed with WWE, it’s not hard to see
why Gable’s nearest and dearest want him to try something new, and now the man himself is reportedly wanting out
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that Gable’s possible departure has been discussed backstage,
but there are factors which may keep him working under Vince McMahon. While Gable is a talented wrestler, there’s no
guarantee that AEW would offer him a contract if he was to lose, and Meltzer explained that AEW would be the only company who
could match what WWE currently pays. In March, AEW’s Dax Harwood teased that Gable was soon going to leave WWE, and not only
has that not happened, but it may be quite some time until this happens, despite Gable’s ongoing five-month losing streak.
And we’re ending with AEW’s World Title Eliminator Tournament, as Jon Moxley qualified for the next round in decisive fashion.
Facing the Dark Order’s Preston Vance, Moxley was the heavy favourite going into the match, but nobody expected the bout to be so one-sided,
with Vance getting virtually zero offence in on the former World Champion. Showing a new viciousness even for him, Moxley
tore up Vance’s mask, and bit him to the shock of the crowd, and didn’t stop pummelling the Dark Order member when 10 started bleeding.
Ending the match with a stiff-looking Paradigm Shift, Moxley will face on in the semi-finals against Orange Cassidy, and if the leaked card for Full Gear
is accurate, fans can expect another Moxley victory, ahead of facing Bryan Danielson in the finals of the AEW World title eliminator tournament.