Tag: AEW

AEW Dynasty date, start time: When is AEW Dynasty?

See when you’ll want to set aside time to watch AEW Dynasty, a new addition to the AEW PPV schedule.

It’s time for something new this spring in All Elite Wrestling. While fans have grown accustomed to several months passing between Revolution and Double or Nothing, that changes this year with AEW Dynasty.

The addition of a new pay-per-view was telegraphed a bit in advance by AEW CEO, GM and head of creative Tony Khan, who mentioned ahead of Revolution 2024 that perhaps nine PPVs would be the “sweet spot” for the company. Lo and behold, the announcement was made during Revolution that Dynasty would be joining the schedule on April 21, leaving AEW with nine exactly for the year (though a handful have yet to officially be announced).

It remains to be seen how Dynasty might stand out from other events on the AEW slate, though “theming” the shows isn’t really how the company does things. What it does already have is one heck of a centerpiece match, as scintillating newcomer Will Ospreay takes on Bryan Danielson for the first time ever. One would imagine that some of AEW’s other new big name talent could make their way onto this card as well.

St. Louis is also one of the very best wrestling towns in the U.S., so expect to see a live crowd for this inaugural event. Here’s when you’ll need to tune in on PPV for AEW Dynasty in April.

AEW Dynasty 2024

  • Date: April 21, 2024
  • Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis
  • Start time: 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT

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AEW Rampage results 03/15/24: Konosuke Takeshita dazzles with Komander

A look at the results from the March 15 episode of AEW Rampage.

With Dynasty not slated until April 21, AEW has time to kill in-between major events. Thus far, they’ve used their time well, featuring a raucous match between Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher on Dynamite, Bryan Danielson’s challenging Ospreay to a bout at Dynasty, and the clash between Samoa Joe and Wardlow for the AEW World Championship. Don’t forget about Mercedes Moné’s AEW debut either.

The Mar. 15 episode of Rampage offers AEW another opportunity to shine. Despite lacking high stakes, the card still features intriguing matches highlighting the roster’s top young talent, including Konosuke Takeshita’s first match since his barnburner with Ospreay at Revolution.

With that said, let’s dive in and see what Rampage has in store from the TD Garden in Boston.

AEW Rampage results from Boston

  • Orange Cassidy and Trent Beretta def. The Dark Order (Evil Uno and John Silver) by pinfall
  • A video package showcases The Righteous, who have mostly been absent since losing an ROH World Tag Team Championship to MJF in 2023
  • Saraya says her brother, Zack Knight, wants a fight; Knight fights a few guys backstage in a cartoonish rage until Angelo Parker steps up to brawl
  • Toni Storm presents her and Mariah May to the crowd; Storm says they’re performing a “very special” tag team match and calls out Deonna Purrazzo
  • Toni Storm and Mariah May def. Little Mean Kathleen and Kayla Sparks by pinfall; Purrazzo interrupts after the match and brings out Thunder Rosa as her tag partner, and they chase Storm and May from the ring; Purrazzo says she’ll see them next week
  • A video package showcases Queen Aminata, one of AEW’s rising stars
  • Konosuke Takeshita def. Komander by pinfall in a great match worthy of closing the show
  • A vignette showcases Serena Deeb, who says she will become champion
  • The Undisputed Kingdom (Roderick Strong, Mike Bennett and Matt Taven) def. Top Flight (Dante and Darius Martin) and Action Andretti by pinfall

10 best AEW PPVs of all time: Which AEW shows were the greatest so far?

AEW has put on some classic pay-per-views since it came into existence in 2019. Here’s our list of the top 10 to date.

No matter how you feel personally about All Elite Wrestling, there’s no denying the boost that the company has given the U.S. pro wrestling scene in just its first few years of existence. A truly healthy, strong alternative to WWE had been missing for more than a decade before AEW came to life in 2019, and almost anyone you ask in the business will tell you that it’s been a net positive.

One of AEW’s calling cards from the very start has been a strong offering of pay-per-view shows. Driven by his days as a wrestling fan, Tony Khan tries to load up each event in a way that he might have once dreamt about, and while they often tend to run a little long and occasionally seem to come together at the last minute, they nearly always deliver in terms of the in-ring product.

That makes picking the best AEW PPVs to date a bit challenging. Since the company has been cautious about not running too many big cards — though that’s starting to change with the addition of Forbidden Door in 2022 and All Out and WrestleDream in 2023 — it’s not like there have been a bunch of mediocre shows to help separate the ones that have shined brightest.

Still, if there’s one thing that unites wrestling fans, it’s opinions on which things are better than others, and no site is better for that than Cagematch. Using both the user votes on that site and Dave Meltzer’s ratings, we’ve cobbled together a bit of a consensus opinion on the top AEW PPVs, just like we did for WWE.

You’ll see that even the awe-inspiring backdrop of 80,000+ fans at Wembley Stadium in 2023 didn’t sway these ranking too much, since All In London isn’t even in the top 10.

Which shows are? You’ll have to read on to find out.

AEW Dynamite results 03/06/24: Rainmaker aligns with EVPs, Will Ospreay soars again

The world title situation also kept spinning on AEW Dynamite from the Atlanta area.

It’s a bit of a joke online that Tony Khan promises a new era for AEW after every pay-per-view. But he means it for tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite from Duluth, right near Atlanta.

New, colorful set? Check. New theme song? Possibly, but hopefully we’re all still lighting the fuse.

There could be a new big name making his arrival tonight as well. Possibly one who’s been known to affect the weather with some precipitation? We shall see, but that’s the rumor.

As for what we know is on tap, Will Ospreay, another recent arrival, will be in action against his buddy Kyle Fletcher. Kris Statlander gets a stiff test in the form of former world Champ Riho. And the Young Bucks … excuse me, AEW EVPs Matthew and Nicholas Jackson have a huge announcement. Or at least they’ve said it’s huge, we’ll be the judges.

We’re ready to dive in with live updates, so let’s do this.

AEW Dynamite results from Atlanta (area):

(please scroll down for more details on any match or segment in bold)

  • Tony Schiavone invites Swerve Strickland to the ring to talk about what’s next for him, which ends up as a debate between him, Samoa Joe and Undisputed Kingdom
  • Samoa Joe and Swerve Strickland def. The Kingdom by pinfall with Swerve handling the whole match; Joe chokes Swerve out after the match and stares down Wardlow
  • Renee Paquette wants to talk to Hook, but Chris Jericho stops by and admits he respects him after facing off in the All-Star Scramble at Revolution, which gets him a fist bump of respect from Hook

  • Matthew and Nicholas Jackson have two huge announcements but say they’ll make them live in the ring later tonight

  • Hook def. Brian Cage by submission to retain the FTW Championship; he’s attacked afterward by Gates of Agony but saved by a bat-wielding Jericho
  • A video package reiterates the fact that the tag team titles have been vacated after Sting retired, with a tournament coming up to decide new champs
  • Paquette talks to Orange Cassidy and Best Friends, and since Chuck Taylor is still injured, he thinks Cassidy and Trent Beretta should win the title tourney

  • Killswitch def. Daddy Magic by pinfall; Daniel Garcia hustles down to prevent a post-match beating, but Nick Wayne also enters the fray and ends up hitting Garcia with Wayne’s World …
  • … but as the heels head up the ramp, Adam Copeland appears to chuck Killswitch off the stage, choke out Wayne and chase Christian Cage to the back; Cage throws some poor guy out of an SUV and speeds off, while Copeland says to the camera that this needs to end where it started: Dynamite in Toronto in an I Quit match for the TNT Championship

  • Kyle O’Reilly tells Paquette that he’s grateful to be back doing what he loves, but while he has nothing but love for Undisputed Kingdom, he feels like he needs to work his way back on his own
  • A highlight video is shown of Sting’s last match
  • The Jacksons make their big announcements, and an angry Eddie Kingston finds out who they’ve invited to The Elite: Kazuchika Okada
  • Highlights are shown of the Will Ospreay-Konosuke Takeshita match at Revolution
  • Riho def. Kris Statlander by pinfall
  • Toni Storm says she’ll be presenting the first ever Toni Awards (with an ‘i’ so they don’t get sued) soon, and Mariah May receives her first ever shirt, which is just like one of Toni’s old shirts
  • Paquette talks to Stokely Hathaway and Willow Nightingale, who has a match against Riho next week and says she knows she can beat Riho … but also has her sights set on Julia Hart and the TBS Championship
  • Darby Allin, Jay White exchange some pleasantries ahead of their match next week
  • Julia Hart delivers a warning that is obviously intended for Willow
  • The House of Black threatens to literally set Mark Briscoe ablaze Saturday at Collision; Briscoe himself is defiant as he tells Paquette he’ll take on the House all by himself, but Jay Lethal offers his aid and that of Jeff Jarrett
  • Will Ospreay def. Kyle Fletcher by pinfall, then has a staredown with Bryan Danielson as the show fades out

What’s next for Swerve Strickland? Samoa Joe and others put in their two cents

A slightly downbeat Swerve says he’s not sure he deserves all the love he’s getting from the crowd. He didn’t get the job done, after all, and Samoa Joe did.

Strickland recalls it was almost two years ago to the day that he signed the AEW contract in the ring with Schiavone. He said at the time he wanted to win championships, but he wonders if not having any is karma for all the terrible things he’s done in the company.

Is he destined to just be a role player? Swerve isn’t sure, as he feels that the crowd in Greensboro was truly behind him for the first time. He doesn’t want to let those people down.

So nothing changes, as Swerve says he’s coming for Joe, and will beat him for that title. That brings the AEW World Champion to the ring, looking like he’s dressed to fight. He says he’s there for a reality check, and wanted to let the people gaze upon an actual champion.

Strickland notes that Joe is ready for a fight, so why don’t they battle for the title right now? The fans like that idea, but it’s quickly interrupted by the arrival of Undisputed Kingdom on the stage.

Adam Cole says the only story worth talking about coming out of Revolution is his group, as Roderick Strong is now the International Champion and The Kingdom are still the ROH tag team champs. The only reason Joe is still on top is because Undisputed Kingdom let it happen.

Cole mocks both Joe and Swerve before saying Wardlow is going to win the world title very, very soon. Strickland thinks that’s funny and drops a hilarious Britt Baker joke.

They end up debating a match between The Kingdom and Swerve and Joe, and while Undisputed Kingdom wants it next week, Schiavone says it’s going to be right now.

Swerve takes down The Kingdom solo, then pays for it afterward

This is “can they coexist?” in a major way. The early answer is yes, as Swerve is cooking after a commercial break that takes place within the first few minutes.

Matt Taven tries to put an end to that by meeting Strickland up on the top turnbuckle, but he fails and Mike Bennett eats a Swerve Stomp. Taven takes the House Call too, and Big Pressure puts him away.

Hey, Joe really didn’t have to do any work, but he’s not happy about it, choking out Swerve from behind while staring down Wardlow, who is lurking on the ramp.

Hook puts Brian Cage to sleep, then gets some surprising post-match assistance

Hook tries to match power with Cage right away, which doesn’t go well for him. Cage looks pretty pleased with himself as he looks for plunder under the ring and pops up with a steel chair. Hook is looking for weapons himself, producing a fire extinguisher and blasting Cage in the face.

A trash can lid is also put to good use before Cage rallies by hurling the champ into the steel steps. Cage tastes the steel himself but catches Hook coming off the top step and pivoting into a powerslam.

Cage thinks he’s lined up Hook but misses and goes hurtling through the barricade as we semi-break for side-by-side ads.

The full broadcast returns in time for Hook to counter an F-5 attempt before taking Cage off his feet with a clothesline and following with a t-bone suplex. A trash can shot has Cage reeling, and that suplex into a metal guardrail set up in the corner probably doesn’t feel good either. Cage manages to kick out of the ensuing cover at two.

A pop-up neckbreaker plants Hook, and Cage continues with a powerbomb and F-5 onto a chair. His cocky cover fails, however, as Hook kicks out.

Cage goes under the ring again and produces a bag full of tacks that he spreads in the middle of the ring. Hook floats over into Redrum only for Cage to back him into the turnbuckles to escape. But the champ finds a handy kendo stick to soften up Cage, who gets suplexed into the tacks.

Hook locks on Redrum and gets dropped into the tacks, but the champ won’t let the hold go, and Cage goes out.

The Gates of Agony attack Hook right after the bell, but Chris Jericho runs down, Floyd in hand, and chases them off.

The Jacksons make their big announcements … and Eddie Kingston suffers at the hands of AEW’s newest signing

Nicholas is mad about Revolution, accusing Sting and Darby Allin of cheating. But he also says no one can take it away from them that they ended Sting’s career, and follows by saying they’re entering themselves in the tag team title tournament.

Matthew takes over and says part of being EVPs is making tough decisions. For putting his hands on referees at Revolution, Matthew says Hangman Adam Page is suspended indefinitely from The Elite without pay. Also, since Kenny Omega hasn’t been “making his dates,” he’s fired from The Elite.

He’s not done, but he’s interrupted by the arrival of Eddie Kingston. He’s got some beef for Nicholas, but he’s ready for a fight. Only the EVPs fight dirty with a low blow, and they’re about to hit Kingston with the EVP Trigger when a coin drop signals the arrival of Kazuchika Okada.

Kingston seems shocked, but he’s even more surprised when he gets a Rainmaker. The Jacksons introduce Okada as the newest member of The Elite, and Okada makes a belt motion to Eddie as he leaves the ring.

Darby Allin has a mountain to climb … but a match with Jay White first

Schiavone calls Darby Allin to the ring to ask him what it will be like without Sting. Allin is emotional talking about helping to give Sting the proper sendoff, and says what’s next is his match against Jay White and then he’s off to climb Mt. Everest. He says there was no chance he’d find a partner to replace Sting and congratulates whoever the next team will be to win the tag team championship …

… but that’s not it, as White (and the Gunns) comes down to talk to Allin face to face. The Switchblade is not too impressed with Darby’s ladder spot, calling it stupid, and he questions what Allin is without Sting. A little lost puppy, perhaps, with no one there to hold his leash.

Just like he didn’t need to jump off the ladder, White says they don’t need to have this match, and no one will think any less of Allin. Maybe Darby would like to hang with the Bang Bang Scissor Gang instead?

Allin mocks White for winning championships overseas but doing nothing in AEW, then whispers something to Jay. White looks like he wants to throw hands, but Allin has Sting’s bat so that’s not happening.

Will Ospreay thrills again against Kyle Fletcher, then gets a visit from the American Dragon

Don Callis joins the announcers to help call the action, and they point out that Fletcher is focusing his attack on Ospreay’s back.

Ospreay is doing better after side-by-side ads, but he telegraphs the Oscutter and is thrown backward by a snap suplex. A sheer drop brainbuster follows, and Ospreay has to hustle to kick out at two.

Callis thinks Fletcher is taking too long to follow up, which allows Ospreay to meet him in the middle of the ring to exchange chops. Fletcher wins that showdown, but Ospreay quickly nails him with several stiff blows. A series of counters leads to a nasty DDT by the Aerial Assassin, but Fletcher dodges the Hidden Blade and hits Snake Eyes into the middle turnbuckle.

A cutter onto the apron is a nasty bump for both men, and more picture-in-picture is here.

More chops are flying when we return, as well as vicious forearm shots. Both men look for Tombstones, but Ospreay emerges on top with a poison rana. Ospreay heads up top, but Fletcher foils that by pushing him down. He tries for a double underhook superplex but sees Ospreay land on his feet. A Liger Bomb is next, but Fletcher kicks out at two.

Fletcher hits a double underhook slam for two, then a Liger Bomb of his own for another near fall. A dazed Ospreay eats a running kick in the corner, but he escapes another superplex attempt and nails the thrust kick. An avalanche poison rana and the Hidden Blade lead to a very close two count.

Both men still have enough left to trade strikes and reversals. A standing Spanish Fly gets two for Ospreay, but neither that nor the Oscutter can win it. Somehow.

Fletcher gets to his knees and waves in his friend, who obliges with a huge Hidden Blade that ends it.

Callis comes into the ring as the two friends are talking, but so does Bryan Danielson, who stares down Ospreay as the show ends.

Kazuchika Okada makes full-time AEW debut, turns heel to join The Elite

Kazuchika Okada’s full-time AEW debut on Dynamite featured a drastic change in persona.

Following his exit from New Japan Pro-Wrestling, there has been speculation about Kazuchika Okada joining AEW. Although there were rumors about WWE, Tony Khan’s company had the upper hand.

The March 6 episode of Dynamite, following the successful Revolution pay-per-view, was anticipated for the potential arrival of the Rainmaker. With the updated Dynamite logo, set and theme music, it was fitting for a new face to enter the scene — and that’s exactly what happened.

The Young Bucks entered the ring to make multiple announcements, one of which suspended Hangman Adam Page and the other “fired” Kenny Omega from The Elite. As they teased the final one, Eddie Kingston stormed to the ring to trade barbs with Matthew and Nicholas Jackson, only for both to attack him.

Okada’s music then played, drawing an expectedly loud pop as he posed on the stage. However, something seemed different about AEW’s newest arrival; He entered the arena in a suit and tie, unlike the typical presentation of NJPW’s former face of the company.

Suspicions were confirmed as Okada delivered the Rainmaker on Kingston, concluding the segment by celebrating with Matthew and Nicholas. In the process, he turned heel and joined the Elite — a surprise for someone as beloved as the 36-year-old has been in pro wrestling.

This decision marks a major refresh for Okada, while also elevating the corporate persona of the Young Bucks, despite their recent loss to Sting and Darby Allin at Revolution. Okada is filling the roles of two key Elite members who may not return soon, injecting a new dynamic into a group that has seen its most drastic change since AEW’s inception.

Okada is officially All Elite, and it appears that his impact will be felt immediately. With his addition, Will Ospreay, and possibly Mercedes Mone, the upcoming month in AEW is shaping up to be action-packed.

Mercedes Moné addition invokes questions for AEW women’s division

The likely addition of Mercedes Moné to the AEW roster suggests potential challenges for an already underutilized women’s division. 

The likely addition of Mercedes Moné to the All Elite Wrestling roster could suggest large challenges for an already underutilized women’s division.

After early conversations for a return to WWE were said to be unfruitful, reports surfaced indicating that AEW was finally in business with The Boss.

On the Feb. 7 episode of AEW Dynamite, CEO Tony Khan announced AEW would return to Boston on March 13 with a special addition of its flagship show, titled AEW Dynamite: Big Business, all but confirming that the Boston native was scheduled to debut.

Following the “Big Business” announcement, Fightful Select and Andrew Zarian reported that Moné was already under contract with AEW, having been on payroll since January; her debut indeed imminent.

The likely addition of Moné creates a slew of questions for the AEW women’s division — questions derived from a clear imbalance between the treatment of the women’s division when compared to the men’s division.

Using statistics from 2023, AEW gave its women only 19% of matches on Dynamite and 26.2% of matches on Rampage. Women’s match time proved to be even worse in 2023, with 14.9% given on Dynamite and 22.2% on Rampage. Those are just television percentages; PPV figures are even worse. All told, they are numbers that don’t exactly generate confidence in AEW’s ability to utilize a new addition to its women’s roster.

Let’s be honest: Moné is not just another addition, either. The Boss will undoubtedly bring in her own bigger-than-life fanbase. A fanbase that, for the most part, likely isn’t in the business of watching AEW product. The former WWE Horsewoman has a tried-and-true following clamoring for more action. When she does step back into the ring, the devotees are sure to follow.

This is a fact AEW knows and plans on benefiting from. AEW surely knows the edge and position of power Moné would provide with her presence. Tony Khan and crew have undoubtedly have paid for that leverage dearly. As such, it’s reasonable to believe Moné will be a fixture on AEW television. Her spot at the top is a given.

So, with the benefit of having Moné on the payroll and such a small amount of time given to the women’s division, where does that lead the rest of the roster? The women’s roster is already comparatively small, with a good number of talent out of action or rarely utilized. How can AEW create an atmosphere where a large part of its women’s division is allowed to thrive, while also ensuring their star signee is placed at the forefront?

The question is a hard one to answer. When analyzing the men’s roster, one can even see how the majority of that roster is not being used. Now take into account that the women of AEW are often given less than a quarter of the same exposure in the ring. Sure, a good chunk of women are currently stationed at Ring of Honor tapings, but that doesn’t answer the big question: Will the women’s division suffer or benefit from The Boss?

The argument has been made that Moné will only increase the value and significance of the women’s roster. With so many new eyes on the product, how can AEW not respond with an increase in visibility? The counterargument is also valid: Mercedes is one individual. AEW doesn’t necessarily need to respond with an increase in matches. More women of AEW could simply be benched.

While appearing for the Grit & Glitter podcast discussing the news, Warren Hayes argued that divisions are often built around one person when looking back at wrestling’s history.

“Divisions and promotions are often built around one person. There’s more than enough precedent in wrestling; Flair, Hogan, even Asuka back in her NXT days. Building a top star not only to topple, but to help create great matches, creates inherent hype and drama in matches, up and down the card. You just need the right person in that position and Mercedes is that: talented worker, superstar presence, business mover.”

There’s evidence that AEW hasn’t changed its numbers in response to any new woman signee. There’s also a consensus in some circles that the world title has always been the focus of the division, receiving the vast majority of time and investment, and every other story has been an afterthought. How often do we see women’s AEW storylines dissipate after a short run? Often, women have made stars out of themselves, in spite of the story given. That, systematically, can be seen across promotions, for both men and women.

There’s precedent for star power creating serious, positive change for a card. There’s also history to the contrary. When you look at how often athletes like Asuka are pushed into a placement unfitting of their level of talent, it’s fair to say that wrestling is always evolving, and predicting the outcome of any addition is nearly impossible. There are just too many revolving parts, and the level of time and interest the promotion places into the division as a whole is just one of them.

It’s not common that woman signees, huge or not, change the direction of an entire division, and in return, create opportunities that weren’t already there. The signing of Ronda Rousey is one example of how the introduction of a star can often backfire. The “it” factor of the WWE women’s division surely saw an increase for a time, but the attention and special treatment Rousey received was not beneficial to the rest of the division.

The fact remains that Moné’s presence can’t possibly create a positive trickle down effect if there isn’t time to give to the hype and drama. If there’s consistently only one woman’s match on a PPV, one women’s match on the flagship program and one well-pushed title, is it even possible to give intrigue to other stories? There’s not a history of AEW changing their approach with the women.

Simply put, you can’t compare what has occurred in the past and present between men and women wrestlers because they are not treated equal. In fact, there’s a long history of the exact opposite; a strong and extreme history, in some cases.

“Let it play out” is not a favorite phrase for most women’s wrestling fans, but in this case, it’s as good as any. Moné is an unprecedented signing for AEW, and that could mean an unprecedented change for their women’s division.

It’s also true that history repeats itself, as it’s proven to do so in many companies, and the result of her presence is just business as usual. It’s unsettling that AEW hasn’t put this amount of faith and trust into its women’s division already. The promotion has upped the ante in what is an assumed response to Moné, but that’s even more concerning. Why not provide time to the women AEW touted so proudly? When asked, Khan doesn’t pause for a second to brag about the women of the company. Why, then, wait until a huge signing to provide a noticeable difference in utilization?

Most of these challenges won’t be addressed until the what ifs become facts. The excited and cautious alike are jumping the gun when assuming the best or worst outcome. While the reports of Moné’s addition create bold scenarios in the minds of every fan, producing deep discussions worth exploring, nothing is certain. We will indeed, have to let it play out.

AEW Dynamite preview 03/06/24: New look, new season, new talent?

There’s no question AEW Dynamite will have a new look tonight, but will there be a new face as well?

It’s kind of silly when wrestling promotions with weekly TV shows declare the start of a new season. That said, if you’re going to do that, it helps to have a visible sign that a page is being turned, and as you can see above, that’s true for AEW Dynamite tonight thanks to its spiffy new logo.

Oh, and AEW is building toward a brand new PPV: AEW Dynasty, which is headed for St. Louis on April 21.

Might there be more that’s new on top of that? And what of the matches for people we know will be on the show?

Is Will Ospreay long for the Don Callis Family?

What a full-time debut the Aerial Assassin made at Revolution. Will Ospreay absolutely delivered the goods against Konosuke Takeshita, ostensibly a teammate in the Don Callis Family.

About that … Ospreay is set to take on another teammate tonight in Kyle Fletcher (also a mate from United Empire). This is a weird set of circumstances since Ospreay is definitely getting a warm reaction from AEW fans, who despite the rest of the Family. It’s hard to imagine things won’t go sideways soon, perhaps as early as tonight.

But at least we get to see Ospreay wrestle on free TV.

Will Riho return to glory, or can Kris Statlander keep climbing?

One match that AEW promoted ahead of today is an interesting matchup in the women’s division. Riho is sort of AEW royalty, seeing as she was the first ever AEW Women’s World Champion. Kris Statlander has been TBS Champion, and is always kind of on periphery of world title contenders when healthy.

So perhaps this is a bout that would position one of them for a world title shot against Toni Storm, especially since both are fan favorites. Yet Statlander doesn’t seem to be free of the program that she and Willow Nightingale have with Julia Hart and Skye Blue, so that might play a part in the outcome here.

Might there be rain in the forecast for the Atlanta area?

It’s no secret by now that Kazuchika Okada is expected to join AEW. The question is now more one of when and not if.

Could the answer be tonight? Fightful Select (subscription required) has sure made it seem possible, so we’ll be on full Rainmaker alert for Dynamite.

We’re expecting more will be revealed when it comes to the card for Dynamite tonight and will update this post as it is. Regardless, we’re ready for the new season and raring to go with live updates here at Wrestling Junkie beginning at 8 p.m. ET.

Update: We said there would likely be more revealed ahead of tonight’s “new era” of Dynamite, and so it has. Here’s what else to expect:

  • Hook defends the FTW Championship against Brian Cage
  • EVPs Matthew and Nicholas Jackson say they have a “huge” announcement

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New report explains why Sammy Guevara has been absent from AEW TV

A new report explains why Sammy Guevara is reportedly facing AEW discipline again.

With MJF recuperating from several injuries and Jack Perry persona non grata within AEW, the company appears to be down two of its so-called Four Pillars at the moment — but it apparently is actually three.

Sammy Guevara hasn’t wrestled since Feb. 24, when he lost a No DQ match to Powerhouse Hobbs on Collision. He was absent from the AEW Revolution card this past weekend, though it was certainly loaded even without him.

As it turns out, however, he wouldn’t have been on the show anyway since he’s reportedly suspended. That’s the word from Fightful Select (subscription required), which said today that Guevara received his suspension for failure to follow concussion protocol in his Feb. 14 Rampage match against Jeff Hardy.

Per Fightful:

During the match, Jeff Hardy sustained an injury, and concussion protocol was not followed, which resulted in Sammy Guevara hitting his finisher on Hardy, which we’re told shouldn’t have happened.

The timing of the Hobbs match suggests a decision to suspend Guevara didn’t come until later in the month. Hardy remains out of action with no clear time frame for a return.

As noted by Fightful, it’s not the first time Guevara has been disciplined by AEW during his time with the company. The timing this time around is a bit ironic, though, since his reputation as a bit of a hothead had been tempered somewhat leading up to the birth of his first child with wife and fellow AEW talent Tay Melo last fall.

Guevara took understandable time off for that, and now is apparently out of the mix again. With the roster as deep as ever and expecting the arrival of Kazuchika Okada soon, it will be interesting to see where Sammy fits into AEW’s plans when his suspension is up.

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AEW deserves credit for its masterful presentation of Sting

AEW absolute nailed it with the farewell match it put together for Sting.

Tony Khan, despite being a three-time Wrestling Observer Best Booker award winner, has had his share of misses during AEW’s five-year lifespan.

The story surrounding the reveal of the so-called “Devil,” while being hampered by Adam Cole’s injury, dragged out far too long for even the most diehard of AEW’s fans. The women’s division has received more prominence in recent weeks, but when the bar is in hell, it’s not exactly a difficult task to clear it.

When it comes to Sting, however, Khan and his team have done a masterful job, one that culminated in the legendary wrestler’s final match on Sunday at the Revolution pay-per-view.

Landing someone the stature of Sting is obviously a coup for any wrestling promotion, but the pressure to do right by this legendary figure also comes with that.

Khan never asked Sting to do more than what he was capable of and never had him steamroll through talent on his way to yet another world championship. Instead, Khan aligned Sting with Darby Allin in an effort to give the latter the proverbial rub from an icon. 

Together, the two went undefeated in AEW competition. That includes Sunday night, when Sting and Allin defeated the Young Bucks to retain the AEW World Tag Team titles.

Sting winning his final match is not typical wrestling tradition, where it is almost the soon-to-be-retired wrestler’s duty to lose their final match in an effort to pass the torch to someone else. AEW rightfully broke from that tradition and had Sting and Allin win the match, which allowed the former to go out on top as a champion.

In doing so, Khan orchestrated possibly the greatest send-off in wrestling history. For as great as Ric Flair’s “retirement” was in 2008, it came after a loss to Shawn Michaels. There’s also the issue of Flair actually wrestling again, but that’s a different conversation.

Sunday night felt different. It didn’t feel like the end of a storied career as much as it felt like the celebration of one. There are very few wrestlers from Sting’s generation that can say they have experienced the same. Most of them were unceremoniously booted out of the business for one reason or another.

But the fact that Sting is still around and is in good enough health to even have a match at his age (he turns 65 later this month) — and not completely embarrass himself and AEW in the process — deserves to be celebrated.

More than 16,000 people packed into the Greensboro Coliseum Sunday to see their face painted hero have one last hurrah, and Sting was allowed to go out in a blaze of glory.

No, his final match wasn’t a 60-minute draw like Clash of the Champions or a world title match like Starrcade ‘97. Instead, it was Sting giving it his all alongside very talented performers who put their bodies through pain and destruction all in the name of delivering one final banger in Sting’s career.

Mission accomplished by Sting, Allin, the Young Bucks and AEW.

And Sting, thanks for everything.

One other note about Revolution

The long running streak of fans having issues with watching an AEW pay-per-view through Bleacher Report continued on Sunday night, with many viewers, myself included, expressing their frustration over the lack of functionality with the streaming platform.

I personally missed almost all of the first two matches on the show, as I was dealing with a number of technical issues, including not being unable to put in my credit card information to purchase the show.

Once I was eventually able to do that, I still endured a litany of streaming issues. So despite paying full price, I was able to see about 80% of the show. 

Simply put, that is unacceptable, and something seriously needs to be done about it.

For as much praise as I’m willing to give Khan and AEW for its presentation of Sting for the last three-plus years, I have an equal amount of ire for the company when it comes to the pay-per-views.

My complaints are not new or uncommon. It has become a bit of a running joke amongst wrestling fans on social media. Although everyone gets a good laugh out of it, it is a serious issue for AEW that could potentially cost the company paying customers.

Full disclosure, AEW was close to losing my money Sunday night until Bleacher Report finally got its act together during the tail end of the Continental Crown title match between Eddie Kingston and Bryan Danielson.

But I am only one person. Chances are there is someone out there who was more than willing to part ways with $49.99 (plus tax) to watch Revolution, but decided not to because of issues with Bleacher Report.

And because of that, Khan and company need to address this issue as soon as humanly possible. This is not a backburner issue. This is urgent, as one of the company’s top priorities is to make its content as accessible as possible. If people can’t even pay to watch it, what are we even doing here?

For all of the complaints people levy against Peacock, at least it actually works when you turn it on. With Bleacher Report, I may have to start logging in the day before to ensure I see the opening match.

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AEW Revolution 2024: Best photos from Sting’s last match

Check out some of the best photos from Sting’s last match at AEW Revolution 2024.

It’s hard to come up with the proper send-off for a legend. It’s even harder for an Icon.

Yet AEW managed to pull off one heck of a memorable night at AEW Revolution 2024, which culminated in a wild tornado tag team title match pitting Sting and Darby Allin vs. The Young Bucks (or as they prefer to be called at the moment, Matthew and Nicholas Jackson, AEW EVPs).

It was hard not to get emotional seeing Sting go out on top after nearly four decades of entertaining fans everywhere. See why in this look at the best photos from Sting’s last match (photos courtesy of All Elite Wrestling).