In this WrestleTalk News, canceled plans for an abandoned AEW debut revealed, top AEW stars
injured ahead of Double or Nothing and an update on the apparent end to the WWE brand
split, PLUS Oli is going to be reviewing AEW Dynamite.
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It’s well established now that Tony Khan is a kleptomaniac when it comes to flexing
his check book in order to overstuff his roster with some of the biggest names in the industry.
From hoovering up every last WWE release, buying the entirety Ring of Honor and inviting
over friends from further afield like Japan and…
Canada…
Impact.
But Khan doesn’t always get his man as shown by this bit of news about him trying to get
a former NXT Champion to job out to Wardlow.
Fightful Select are reporting that AEW was in talks with Killer Kross about potentially
being Wardlow’s mystery opponent on the May 4th episode of Dynamite.
For those not in the know MJF has been challenging Mr Mayhem to topple a series of increasingly
large men in order to win a match with him at Double or Nothing.
Sort of like a modern retelling of the old lady who swallowed a fly but with more suplexes.
The role was eventually filled by the former Big Cass, W. Morrisey after Kross and AEW
couldn’t come to terms - reportedly Kross declined because Scarlett wouldn’t be involved
in the angle and he was worried the debut would be too similar to his Raw debut, which
really torpedoed the mystique he had spent time carefully cultivating in NXT.
Though things ended without another debut notch for Tony Khan’s match card the two
parties are said to have left things on good terms and are reportedly open to working together
in the future.
Sticking with AE-DUB for a moment and following last night’s Dynamite the company announced
that Sting has suffered an injury and will be missing some events around Double or Nothing
this weekend.
They tweeted: “Due to injury last week, @Sting has not been cleared to travel & will
unfortunately not be at this Saturday’s #AEWDoN Fan Fest Meet & Greets.
For fans who purchased tickets to see #TheIcon, Watch your inbox for information on refunds”
The injury was sustained during an attack from the Undisputed Elite as The Icon’s
leg was trapped inside a chair and stomped on by Kyle O’Reilly.
Sting and Darby Allin had rushed to the aid of Matt and Jeff Hardy who had found themselves
in a fight with Adam Cole after the Owen Hart Tournament matchup.
So yesterday rumors regarding WWE’s brand split picked up some steam as Bryan Alvarez
said that the split was “essentially done” on Wrestling Observer Radio.
Which would bring to an end six years of confusing kayfabe admin about how on earth someone from
Raw could make an appearance on Smackdown - wild card baby.
The desperate need to make that make some sort of internal sense seems to have eased
recently as RK-Bro and the Usos went back and forth over both sets of tag straps and
now PW Insider are claiming Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes are all scheduled
for this Friday’s SmackDown.
So people think that the brand split is slowly creeping towards being over, but Mat Men’s
Andrew Zarian checked in with his WWE sources and was told that reportedly:
“Spoke with WWE regarding the brand split this morning WWE source stated that the brand
split will not be ending.
However, the current plan is to have more individuals jump from brand to brand depending
on storylines.”
Well as long as it’s dependant on storylines that makes sense - wouldn’t want people
on a fictional show just jumping to a completely separate brand without a good reason.
It’s all storylines!!!
It’s wrestling.
Anyhow Hot Tag to Oli And now it’s time for my review of AEW Dynamite…
in about 5 minutes.
Happy birthday to AEW, Happy birthday to AEW, Happy third birthday AEW, Happy birthday to
AEW.
And as a sexy birthday surprise, MJF has come as a referee stripper!
Look at those short shorts.
It’s like he’s wearing nothing at all, nothing at all, nothing at all.
The 3rd anniversary special opened with the totally fair steel cage match of Wardlow vs
Shawn Spears, with MJF as sexy guest referee, while Wardlow still had handcuffs on.
Wardlow overcame every obstacle to the crowd’s increasing cheers, though.
Breaking out the handcuffs, kicking out of a fast count, and ducking Shawn’s chair
swing, brutally taking out MJF with an unprotected shot to the head.
Wardlow hit a Powerbomb Symphony while replacement referee Bryce Remsburg ran down to make the
count.
You’re not as sexy, Bryce.
Wardlow then beat up about 20 security guards, including yeeting one into the Phantom Zone
between the ring and the cage, and posed on the top staring at a terrified MJF.
This was go-home perfection, feeling like a Premium Live Event all by itself.
Wardlow is more over than ever.
I can’t wait for the pay-per-view.
The only change I’d make would be to have this main event the episode, as it was by
far the hottest thing on the show, and its biggest cliffhanger.
Biggest cliffhanger aside from the biggest AEW debut of the year: moving motion match
graphics for the pay-per-view card!
Hot damn, Tony Khan, you’re my number one guy again.
Tony Schiavone actually got to conduct a back and forth in-ring interview next rather than
just get interrupted - as CM Punk and Hangman Page had a fantastic relatively low-key go-home
segment.
Punk kept calmly explaining this is just business, it’s not personal.
Why you taking it so personal, Hangman?
Which is the worst thing you can say to someone who is most definitely taking it personal.
It prompted a rather rambling response from Page, who said he pities Punk, he has no respect
for Punk, started to call out Punk for diva behaviour backstage, which hasn’t been referenced
before, and finished saying he won’t just be defending his AEW title this Sunday, but
the whole of All Elite Wrestling from Punk.
The rambling nature was likely intentional.
This is a shaken Hangman, one relapsing into his self esteem demons - a personality trait
Punk is subtly exploiting, like when he told Page to shake his hand, and Hangman punched
him instead - which he immediately regretted and stormed off.
This felt like there is plenty more left in this feud, and that Sunday will just be the
first chapter.
Hangman introducing the defending AEW from Punk has tantalising Summer of Punk vibes.
Hangman could expose Punk’s real heel character.
Chris Jericho fireballed a random AEW staff member backstage for wearing a Mox t-shirt.
This entire shot was out of focus, but I imagine they didn’t want to redo the spot.
An action so despicable, they were all allowed on commentary for Mox and Kingston vs Private
Party.
This was a fun match, with Mox and Kingston locking in dual submissions before winning
- Danielson’s gonna be jealous - and everyone came out for a brawl afterwards.
FTR then defended their ROH tag titles against Roppongi Vice, complete with Caprice Coleman
commentary.
They had a really good fast paced back and forth match, when we then got a thing rarer
in AEW than a women’s TV match with decent time allocated to it: a run-in DQ finish.
New Japan’s Jeff Cobb and the Great O’Khan took out both teams and posed with the belts.
AEW do DQs like that so rarely, I didn’t mind this at all - especially as it was a
cool way to bring in Cobb and O’Khan.
My bigger, meta problem is that FTR don’t have a match on the pay-per-view, despite
arguably being one of the hottest acts in all of wrestling over the last few months.
The Hardys cut a promo on the Young Bucks, saying it’ll be a stepping stone for them
to get to the AEW tag titles.
Ricky Starks, Swerve Strickland and Jungle Boy then had the match of the night for me,
with a frantically paced three way, including Swerve landing on his feet after a top rope
poison rana.
He would then win the match through the sheer force of being so cool.
Each wrestler’s respective Pacific Rim mech then came out for a kaiju brawl, which included
Keith Lee spinning over the top rope outside like a sack of spuds.
Men of the Year are going to introduce a custom TNT title for Scorpio Sky.
I’m so glad we all got invested in him as a babyface.
Gee, Tony, what do you want to do with the Women’s title feud tonight?
The same thing we do every night, Pinky.
Book Thunder Rosa or Serena Deeb to cut a promo at the top of the ramp.
Britt Baker then beat Toni Storm to advance to the Owen Hart Cup final, in an ok match
with yet another cheating finish.
Jamie Hayter appeared to be out of position, so Baker just grabbed the rope to pin Storm.
AEW’s booking of their women’s division, and Britt specifically, has been so bad as
of late, these repeated finishes is making me not like her character with go away heat.
And who needed this win more?
Baker or Sto- It’s ok, they’re running the moving match
graphics again.
And the main event was Samoa Joe vs Kyle O’Reilly in the men’s semi final.
It’s still a welcome novelty to watch TNA Joe again.
I didn’t realise how subpar NXT Joe was until TNA Joe returned.
And Kyle’s attention to detail is near unparalleled.
Joe made Kyle pass out in a sleeper, complete with a foaming mouth.
Eat your heart out, Alexa Bliss.
What did you think of Dynamite?
Let me know in the comments.
Aside from the usual women’s booking mediocrity, this was an excellent go-home show that made
me want to see the matches at the pay-per-view RIGHT NOW.
Did I mention they had moving match graphics?
This week’s Dynamite is 85%.
A wrestling news website has spectacularly imploded this week.
Watch more to find out.