In this WrestleTalk News, Cody Rhodes involved in a WWE backstage fight, a major AEW Dynamite
BOTCH and Oli’s review of last night’s AEW Dynamite.
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While the wrestling news has had no shortage of reports of backstage ‘heat’, ‘tension’
and even ‘altercations’ as of late - I think there were even fights being started
over dogs!
- these have predominantly come from the AEW side of our current wrestling war.
But what if I told you that even in the promised land of WWE there were also backstage confrontations?
It would seem that one Cody Rhodes has carried across some of the bad habits from his former
employers.
Rhodes returned to WWE around this time last year, and immediately went into a feud with
Seth Rollins that lasted a handful of months leading to their excellent Hell in a Cell
conclusion where Cody had a very sore tit.
But there was also nearly some bruised egos according to the man himself, who told Dan
LeBatard that he nearly got into a fight with Rollins when asked if there had been similar
backstage drama in WWE as there had been in AEW.
“I think Seth Rollins is the closest I’ve ever had to, backstage that turning into a
fist fight in front of all of our peers and upper management.
It didn’t happen.
Him and I absolutely can’t stand one another, I’d probably try and rip his eyes out”
So, they didn’t get into a backstage fight.
But Cody also revealed that in his original run with the company, he did.
“I've had one backstage skirmish.
I'm not going to name the guy.
The good thing is, I won.
When I came back, this is early in my career, he was wearing one of my vests.
He was wearing it and kind of mocking me at the talent viewing position.
I thought, 'why don't I just grapple him?'
I have a good folkstyle Greco background.
I got an over-under and swept him to the floor.
Then I took my jacket and I looked like a complete jerk in front of everybody because
he was probably just having a good time and it was probably funny.
Only one fight backstage and I won that fight,"
Sounds like Rollins got off lucky if you ask me.
Oli Davis will be reviewing AEW Dynamite shortly but there is a bit of news coming out of the
show.
And, it’s sort of also about a backstage fight?
There was a backstage segment on the show involving Hangman Adam Page and Don Callis
that resulted in an attack from The Blackpool Combat Club.
Callis offered his hand, but got punched out by Moxley.
And like doing a podcast with his wife, it’s now made some news.
The commentary team noted that Calls was getting medical attention, which was part of the storyline,
but there was also some truth to it.
According to PWInsider, following Moxley’s attack Callis legitimately hit his head, leading
to him unintentionally bleed as a result.
Bryan Alvarez on Twitter elaborated to say:
“Don Callis was essentially kept overnight at the hospital and received a bunch of stitches
for what was described as a gash that looked he got hit with a hatchet”
But what else happened on the show?
Here’s Oli Davis.
It’s Thursday, you know what that means!
My review of AEW Dynamite… in about 5 minutes.
Weirdly for once an episode of Dynamite didn’t begin with Orange Cassidy’s entrance music.
Instead we got to sing whoah oh oh oh oh oh whoah oh, as Jungle Boy came out to face Matt
Hardy in a fun opener.
Ethan Page tried to interfere, accidentally punched Matt in the face and got beaten up
by Hook - all leading to JB’s win.
But really this was all the latest chapter in AEW’s world title storyline.
You got to mark off all four pillars on your AEW bingo card - I’m just waiting for that
Jon Moxley bleeds square to get a row - as Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin were shown watching
the match backstage, and MJF came out afterwards for all the local hometown heat.
Max explained the reason Jungle Boy isn’t at his level is because he’s got too many
friends.
Which is coincidentally why I am not a world champion in any promotion.
I’m too popular.
MJF reminded JB of his advice to him after wrestling at Double or Nothing 2020 - ditch
your friends.
Only focus on yourself.
And you’ll go far.
This fired up Jungle Boy to cut one of his best promos so far, being a true blue babyface,
saying that he’s going to win the championship his way - friends!
- and he’s not going to end up hating the person in the mirror to do it.
Which is a neat callback to the Max vs CM Punk feud, he did nothing wrong.
MJF mentioned JB’s girlfriend Anna Jay and implied erectile dysfunction, which was enough
for a brawl, which Jungle Boy got the better of.
From opening bell to Max running away, this was the whole first 30 minutes of the show,
which was great pacing.
The next half hour was fully devoted to AEW’s other main storyline - the epic, sprawling,
multi-faction whodunnit of the Elite vs Blackpool Combat Club.
First Jon Moxley, Claudio Castingnoli and Heeler Yuta robbed me of one of my favourite
acts in wrestling, Dalton Castle and the Boys, getting to do all their trademark spots.
The BCC jumped them during their entrance, Mox choked out Castle while Claudio powerbombed
one of the Boys through the centre of the earth for the squash win.
Then Carny piece of Poo Don Callis fixed the potential plot hole from last week.
He explained he just lost his balance and fell over.
Kenny jumped to conclusions with Hangman.
He wasn’t trying to frame anyone and he’ll go and apologise right now.
Hangman is in the middle of an interview when Don arrived, saying it’s obviously the BCC
who are behind the Bucks attack.
Callis went to apologise, when the BCC attacked Page.
There it is, Don is the Invisible Hand Job behind the whole scheme, it’s all wrapped
up…
[TURN AROUND, CRASH ZOOM IN ON MY EYEBROW]... just one more thing.
Mox then decked Callis too, which Don got busted open hardway.
I’m so close to completing this row, Mox, stop making other people bleed!
Now, I wouldn’t put it past Don to pay the BCC to punch him to take the heat off him.
But I probably would put that past the Elite’s storytelling, in that it’s beneath them.
Then the biggest return of the episode happened… until 15 minutes later that is…
Kenny By-Gawd Omega entered with his New Japan Bullet Club theme!
His match was against New Japan’s Jeff Cobb for New Japan’s IWGP US championship, so
using his New Japan music makes sense.
But it also perfectly aligns with this larger character arc of Don manipulating Kenny back
to his Best Bout Machine singles act - ditching all the Elite friends he’s diluted himself
with.
A very heel motivation - no friends!
- and one I am 100% on board with.
Because the is Kenny Omega from the last two weeks has been the missing ingredient from
taking AEW from here to here.
Kenny had an awesome match against Cobb, totally different from last week’s against Vikingo,
which he won with the One Winged Angel.
And then the angle of the episode happened.
The BCC surrounded the ring.
Omega is all alone.
The Bucks are recovering at home.
Hangman and Don, not that Don could really do anything, have been taken out.
So Bryan Danielson made his first appearance since losing to MJF at Revolution for the
save.
Until it wasn’t a save.
Danielson helped Omega up.
I was screaming for him to turn on him just as passionately as I screamed at Dominic Mysterio
to kick his dad in the balls at Clash at the Castle.
And when Kenny’s back was turned, Danielson started to power up, hitting him with the
knee!
This was so incredibly awesome, and one that plays out totally consistently with Danielson’s
character.
He never turned babyface for the MJF feud.
He was just less of a prick than him.
The Blackpool Combat Club are now fully united in a huge storyline with The Elite.
All the stars are literally aligning in the same place.
This is what we should have had last Summer rather than a year of BCC fighting the JAS.
Awesome, awesome, awesome.
The second half of the show couldn’t match the all killer, no filler layout of the first,
but was still fun.
2.0 wined and dined the Acclaimed to get them to join the JAS in a fun vignette.
The Gunns put over their titles vs careers match against FTR for next week.
Orange Cassidy retained his All-Atlantic Championship against Butcher, who looks like Doctor Robotnik
if Zack Snyder directed a gritty reboot of Sonic the Hedgehog.
While Blade interfered, commentary focused how Chuckie T of the Best Friends hit Butcher
with a crowbar for the finish - a rare bit of cheating, albeit arguably justified - for
the champion.
Perhaps these weekly title defences are getting to him.
And Ruby Soho got over Willow Nightingale in defeat, just like last week’s Toni Storm
defeat of Sky Blue.
Willow looked awesome, but also a bit dumb not having her Riho and Sky Blue mates not
out there from the start to negate the Outcasts’ interference.
They only ran down for the save in the post-match beatdown.
Jamie Hayter made her return to join them, doing the visual sell for her vs Riho next
week, which should be terrific.
And the main event saw Adam Cole return to the ring for the first time in almost a year
against Daniel Garcia.
And it was… it was…
I’m happy for him.
Really happy for him.
But he only hit three moves.
Something felt off about the layout from the start.
Typically, you have the babyface come out second.
That’s psychologically designed to make the audience pop louder for them.
But Cole came out first, scuppering that anticipation.
And then Garcia hit a piledriver in the first minute, which led to Cole selling for the
whole match until the end.
On paper, I totally get it.
Cole has ring rust.
You want to lean into the drama of him potentially getting a head injury again.
He’s a babyface, you want to tell a story of him overcoming adversity in the ring, just
like he did in real life.
The problem was, I don’t know if that’s what the fans wanted to see.
I don’t think it was what I wanted.
Adam Cole promised a statement on his return match, yet that wasn’t delivered.
He won, and got confetti and Britt Baker came down to kiss him, which was a really nice
moment, but the story of the match didn’t resonate with me.
And then Jericho came down to help out Garcia, purposely avoiding looking at Cole.
I’m not eager for a 6 month Jericho vortex feud with him.
The first hour was excellent TV though.
This week’s Dynamite is 90%!
The brand new episode of QuizzleMania is out now!
Here’s a clip.