Opening Bell: Women’s tag titles on the line on Raw, Orange Cassidy defends again on Dynamite

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, April 10, Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle

It’s interesting that Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez were in the Fatal 4-way tag team match at WrestleMania, lost, and now … are getting a shot at the titles. It’s not just us, right?

That’s exactly what’s happening this week on Raw. Becky Lynch and Lita (and especially Becky) seem to have put Damage CTRL behind them, and will now get down to the business of defending their titles. We’ll see if they can walk out of Seattle still the champs.

Cody Rhodes was all set to continue his quest to dethrone Roman Reigns, even looking like he got a new ally against the Bloodline in Brock Lesnar. That turned out to be fool’s gold when Lesnar attacked him instead of teaming with him, so the American Dream will appear on Raw to reveal his next move.

And Matt Riddle will return to in-ring action for the first time in months. His opponent will be The Miz, who seems like he’s be a challenge, but considering he lost WrestleMania matches to both Pat McAfee and Snoop Dogg, it’s fair to say the A-Lister isn’t exactly on a roll right now.

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, April 12, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee

The irony of Orange Cassidy being the King of Sloth Style and then defending his title darn near every episode of AEW programming never ceases to amaze us. He’ll do it again in Milwaukee, this time trying to stop the House of Black’s Buddy Matthews from becoming a double champ.

Chris Jericho knows more than his fair share about gold, though there’s no titles on the line for his match against Keith Lee. Just, you know, Lee is a very big man who might do some real damage to him, so there’s that.

After merging his Mogul Affiliates with The Embassy, you might think Swerve Strickland has more than enough hands available to do his dirty work. But he’s still willing to take care of matters himself when needed, which is why Swerve will step in against Darby Allin in Milwaukee.

Also on the Dynamite card this week:

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, April 14, Pinnacle Bank Arena, Lincoln, NE

SmackDown rolls into Lincoln this week with a man in action that somehow didn’t get to perform at WrestleMania, LA Knight. Maybe he should change his name to Lincoln Knight. Actually, that’s a horrible idea, but he will be wrestling under his current name this Friday against Xavier Woods. Yeah!

Also on tap is the return of Shinsuke Nakaumura. There have been whispers of WWE planning on giving him a big push, but those have popped up before and usually not led to much. It will be good to see Shinsuke back, regardless.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, April 14, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, Milwaukee (recorded April 12)

Hey, hey, hey, what do you say? We say AEW hasn’t announced any matches for this week’s edition of Rampage just yet, so we can’t tell you what to expect.

We can advise you keep an eye on AEW’s social media accounts and Dynamite to find out.

AEW Rampage results: Final pieces in place for Revolution

Get AEW Rampage results for March 3, 2023 from San Francisco, the final show before AEW Revolution.

San Francisco, what’s up? Well, lots of AEW, for one thing. The promotion has been there since mid-week, holding Dynamite and now Rampage, both live, before finishing with Revolution on Sunday night.

Because of the PPV looming, this is an especially packed Rampage card. It starts with a four-way tag team match that should be lots of fun, with Top Flight, Dark Order’s Alex Reynolds and John Silver, BCC’s Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta, and Aussie Open all doing battle.

Two men who both have beef with the same guy, Keith Lee and Dustin Rhodes, will tag up against that guy, Swerve Strickland, and his Mogul Affiliate henchman Parker Boudreaux.

There are singles matches in store too. Riho and Emi Sakura, two of the few women not really wrapped up in the homegrown vs. invaders battle, will face off. And poor Serpentico will have to climb in the ring against Powerhouse Hobbs, something we don’t wish on our worst enemies.

Well, OK, yes we do. But only our very worst enemies.

Anyway, yes, this should be a fast-paced and entertaining hour of pro wrestling, and who knows? Maybe it’ll even set something up for the Revolution pre-show or something.

AEW Rampage results in 30 seconds:

  • Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta def. Top Flight, Aussie Open and Alex Reynolds and John Silver
  • The Jon Moxley and Hangman Adam Page promos from Dynamite are replayed and interspersed
  • Jack Perry says a fight isn’t enough to finish things with Christian Cage, and he’s going to put him in the ground … in The Final Burial
  • Riho def. Emi Sakura by pinfall
  • Ruby Soho, Saraya and Jamie Hayter all share short promos ahead of their AEW Women’s World Championship match at Revolution
  • Powerhouse Hobbs def. Serpentico by pinfall
  • Konosuke Takeshita tells Renee Paquette that he keeps falling short and might need to go back to Japan, but Don Callis asks for a little of his time before he does it
  • Mark Briscoe feels good, he feels strong, and the Lucha Bros. will have his back against Mark Sterling’s goons on the Revolution pre-show
  • Dustin Rhodes and Keith Lee def. Swerve Strickland and Parker Boudreaux by pinfall
  • Ricky Starks attacks Chris Jericho at the announce table, ending the show with the brawl still in progress

Please scroll down for more details on every match and major non-match segment.

AEW Dynamite results: Hobbs grabs the ring, Danhausen is clutch, MJF is speechless

Get live AEW Dynamite results for March 1, 2023, with the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match and Casino Tag Team Battle Royale.

Sometimes AEW just mashes the gas ahead of a pay-per-view and it’s kind of bonkers for the better part of a week. That feeling is setting in again as the Cow Palace welcomes the final AEW Dynamite ahead of Revolution this weekend.

That card, as you might have heard, will be headlined by a 60-minute Iron Man match between MJF and Bryan Danielson with the former’s beloved Triple B belt (better known as the AEW World Championship) at stake. It’s only logical, then, that both men will be on tonight’s show to have what’s certain to be one more explosive face-to-face meeting before they go to war on Sunday.

There’s also going to be a wild match tonight that is usually part of Revolution proper. Perhaps because the main event is going an hour, the Face of the Revolution Ladder match got bumped to free TV. That’s good news for anyone tuning in tonight, however, as it’s sure to be something of a spectacle.

Another Revolution bout that still needs to have its last question mark replaced is the four-way tag team championship match. We’ll find out who’s joining The Gunns, The Acclaimed and Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in that one after the Casino Tag Team Battle Royale on Dynamite.

Oh, and there are two championship matched tonight as well. Orange Cassidy gets a (very) big test in the form of Big Bill to retain his All-Atlantic Championship, while Hook puts his FTW Championship on the line against Matt Hardy.

AEW Dynamite results in 60 seconds:

  • Orange Cassidy def. Big Bill by pinfall to retain the AEW All-Atlantic Championship
  • A bloodied Jon Moxley cuts a promo after his match last week and warns Hangman Adan Page only one of them is coming out of their Texas Deathmatch
  • The Elite can’t even get through their entrance music before the lights go out and they brawl with House of Black in the dark, ending with the House holding their belts as all three men are laid out
  • Powerhouse Hobbs wins the Face of the Revolution Ladder Match, then laughs as Wardlow comes looking for Samoa Joe, to the detriment of numerous security guards
  • With Best Friends not medically cleared to compete, Danhausen and Orange Cassidy are going to take their place
  • Chris Jericho def. Peter Avalon by pinfall, then masterminds an assault by the JAS on Ricky Starks
  • Hangman Adam Page says there’s nothing else Mox can take away from him, but he plans on taking everything away from Moxley on Sunday
  • Renee Paquette calls out Christian Cage for a conversation, but his challenge to Jack Perry for a “fight” at Revolution is answered ominously
  • Jamie Hayter says it will be fun beating two opponents on Sunday, while Britt Baker seems to be looking forward to it too
  • Hook def. Matt Hardy by submission to retain the FTW Championship
  • The House of Black lays down The Elite’s titles but says the champs have already lost even before they meet Sunday
  • Riho def. Toni Storm by pinfall
  • Keith Lee and Dustin Rhodes are ready to get a piece of the Mogul Affiliates on Rampage
  • Orange Cassidy and Danhausen win the Casino Tag Team Battle Royale
  • Bryan Danielson, MJF face off one more time, but it’s Danielson who gets all the last words

Please scroll down for more details on every match and major in-match segment.

AEW Rampage results: Young Bucks get a W but House of Black is hunting them

Get quick AEW Rampage results for February 24, 2023, with the Young Bucks taking on Aussie Open.

You know what would be a cool way for a wrestling fan to end a Friday night (or kick one off, if you’re young enough for such things)? The Young Bucks vs. Aussie Open on free TV. Lo and behold, that’s what we’ve got on this episode of AEW Rampage.

That’s the good stuff, baby. Also good stuff is Action Andretti, everyone’s favorite out of nowhere story, back in … ahem, action. He’s taking on Sammy Guevara in what should be a real test of his in-ring chops.

Plus there’s the not so small detail of Revolution being less than 10 days away. There’s room on the card for a few more matches, so we’ll see if this episode confirms some.

Sounds like a pleasant hour to us. Let’s see how it shakes out.

AEW Rampage results in 30 seconds:

  • Young Bucks def. Aussie Open by pinfall, but the lights go out afterward, and the House of Black surrounds the ring until they disappear when the lights go out again
  • Best Friends are getting another chance in the Casino Battle Royale, but they don’t have a chance to talk about it as they get assaulted by The Firm and The Gunns
  • Orange Cassidy and Danhausen want to know who attacked their friends
  • Toni Storm def. Willow Nightingale by pinfall after a distraction by Saraya, though Ruby Soho chased off the heels before they could spray paint Willow, and Jamie Hayter came out to brawl with Saraya
  • The Acclaimed are feeling good, but not as much after an attack by Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal and company
  • Who’s left for Jade Cargill? Whoever is needs to come and see her
  • Lance Archer def. Bryce Saturn by pinfall
  • Keith Lee and Dustin Rhodes want a piece of Swerve Strickland and the Mogul Affiliates and they’re going to get it next week
  • Stokely Hathaway says Matt Hardy will take on Hook next week, and his teammates seem like they’ve agreed to some pretty absurd stipulations
  • Sammy Guevara def. Action Andretti by pinfall, and Chris Jericho comes from the commentary table to the ring to congratulate him

Ex-Bellator fighter Keith Lee, popular TikTok food critic, helps struggling restaurant go viral

Watch ex-Bellator fighter and popular TikTok food critic Keith Lee help a struggling restaurant go viral in wholesome video.

We’re barely into 2023 and combat sports already is in complete chaos. But believe it or not, it hasn’t all been just terrible news.

Among all the bad that’s happened in MMA and boxing in just the first week of 2023, there’s been some good things, notably, what former Bellator fighter [autotag]Keith Lee[/autotag] did for a struggling Las Vegas restaurant.

Lee, who’s the younger brother of ex-UFC lightweight contender Kevin Lee, is a popular food critic on TikTok. He recently went to a newly opened pizzeria in Las Vegas, Frankensons, to do his thing, and little did he know he was about to change lives.

Lee’s review went viral on TikTok with almost 30 million plays as of Sunday, and with it went Frankensons. The restaurant began to get calls and orders like never before, vastly changing its course.

Below, you can watch Lee’s video explaining the story.

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AEW Full Gear preview: When and where it’s going down, what to expect

Get set for AEW Full Gear with our complete preview, including the start time, full card and predictions for every match

Because AEW only has four pay-per-views a year, there’s always a chance that things will change up a bit around the promotion between each one. But to say that some stuff has gone down since All Out in early September would be a wild understatement.

CM Punk, who won the AEW World Championship that night, is gone, perhaps forever. None of the company’s founding EVPs have been around either, following the most surreal post-event press conference in pro wrestling history.

There have been other absences too, including that of the House of Black (though they appear to be on their way back soon). And there have been notable arrivals, none bigger than that of Saraya, formerly Paige during her WWE days.

Some indicators of lagging interest in AEW, including TV ratings and live event attendance, could be related to all the upheaval. Hitting a home run with Full Gear would certainly help, and fortunately, there’s a much anticipated main event to bat cleanup. Jon Moxley has been the heart and soul of the company just as his promos declare, and MJF is quite simply one of the best all-around young talents in the business (as he’s also fond of pointing out).

Their showdown anchors another very full PPV card that includes four other title matches, a tournament final that will determine either Moxley or MJF’s first challenger, Saraya’s in-ring debut, and a classic grudge match inside a steel cage. Given Tony Khan’s penchant for adding matches during event week, there could still be more in store as well.

Whether it’s a true reset and turning of the page or simply a fun night of pro wrestling, Full Gear definitely has the potential to deliver.

AEW Full Gear 2022

  • When: Saturday, November 19
  • Where: Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
  • Start time: 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
  • How to watch: Via Bleacher Report, on-demand through cable and satellite TV providers, and in select movie theaters in the U.S.; via PPV.com in Canada and FITE internationally
  • Matches announced: 8

Keep scrolling for our full AEW Full Gear preview, including top storylines and predictions for every match.

AEW Rampage results: Wardlow welcomes Matt Taven to AEW

Check out full AEW Rampage results for the live episode on October 28, 2022 from Uncasville, CT.

It’s another live version of AEW Rampage, the best possible kind. And if you’re going to do a live show on a Friday night, you might want to bring a title match to the party.

So that’s exactly what the fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT are getting. Mr. Mayhem himself, Wardlow, is set to put his TNT Championship on the line, and hey, it’s even on TNT this time.

The challenger, Matt Taven, is fairly new to AEW, having only recently arrived with the rest of The Kingdom. But Wardlow isn’t likely to cut him any slack for that, as he’ll look to treat Taven to a front row seat to the Powerbomb Symphony.

AEW World Champion Jon Moxley is also in action against “Daddy Magic” Matt Menard, though that should be light work for Mox. But this is a legit card, so let’s see how it all plays out.

AEW Rampage results in 30 seconds:

  • Jon Moxley def. Matt Menard by submission
  • Stokely Hathaway says he has a tougher test from The Firm for Moxley, challenging him to take on Lee Moriarty next week on Dynamite
  • Jade Cargill cuts a promo
  • Keith Lee squashes Serpentico by pinfall in about 10 seconds, then has to answer some questions from The Acclaimed about the whereabouts of Billy Gunn … who has been kidnapped by Swerve Strickland and tortured with pliers
  • Tay Melo def. Madison Rayne by pinfall
  • Ethan Page says MJF decided by himself to change plans and try to do everything by himself, but Page reminds him that Max didn’t become the No. 1 contender by himself, so they changed plans and did a favor for Jon Moxley … and Page plans to win the AEW World Championship eliminator tournament
  • Wardlow def. Matt Taven by pinfall to retain the AEW TNT Championship
  • The Kingdom attacks Wardlow after the bell, but Samoa Joe comes to the rescue … only to be attacked in turn by Powerhouse Hobbs and The Embassy

Opening Bell: Bianca, Bayley at it again on Raw, Mox back to work on Dynamite

Get set for the week in WWE and AEW with Opening Bell: quick previews of Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Rampage.

Welcome to the Opening Bell, where we round up what’s been announced for WWE (Raw and SmackDown) and AEW (Dynamite and Rampage) programming for the week we’ve just begun.

WWE Raw preview – Monday, October 24, Spectrum Center, Charlotte

It’s perhaps only fitting that this week’s Raw is from the Queen City, as two of its hottest stars continue their feud to determine who will rule as Raw Women’s Champion. Bayley would like that title to prove that Damage CTRL has complete control over the women’s division, but Bianca Belair has proven to be resilient even as she’s seen her allies fade away. Bayley couldn’t get the job done at Extreme Rules, so might this be her last shot at Belair for a while if she loses?

The Judgment Day is another faction that has run roughshod over Raw in recent months, but AJ Styles summoning The O.C. to aid him in his fight might have been the first step toward changing that status quo. One of this week’s matches might hold a clue, as Karl Anderson goes one-on-one with Finn Balor. Then again, things rarely stay that way when The Judgment Day is involved …

AEW Dynamite preview – Wednesday, October 26, Chartway Arena, Norfolk, VA

Dynamite is back on its normal night this week, and AEW World Champion Jon Moxley is right back to work. After his title defense last week had to be stopped early due to an unfortunate injury to Hangman Adam Page, Mox is undoubtedly itching to return to action, and he’ll get his chance this week by defending his gold against Penta El Zero M.

Another match with significant championship implications will see FTR take on Swerve In Our Glory for the right to be the No. 1 contenders to The Acclaimed. Will FTR get a chance to add another set of titles to their haul, or will Swerve and Keith Lee earn an opportunity to avenge their own championship defeat?

Also on the card for Norfolk:

WWE SmackDown preview – Friday, October 28, Enterprise Center, St. Louis

The Tribal Chief doesn’t have to appear on TV every week since he has the Bloodline to watch over his domain. But there have been fractures forming within his wrestling family, ones that his Crown Jewel opponent, Logan Paul, attempted to widen last week before knocking out Jey Uso.

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With that in mind, Roman Reigns will be in the house in St. Louis, attempting to get his own house in order. Can he settle things down within the Bloodline before he defends his titles in Saudi Arabia?

Speaking of the Bloodline, Solo Sikoa and Sami Zayn have proven to be a tight and cohesive duo. They’ll look to show those qualities off again against the Brawling Brutes team of Butch and Ridge Holland, who should be plenty fired up after the Bloodline laid a beating on Sheamus.

And Hit Row has a new problem in the form of Legado Del Fantasma. Even worse, they’re outnumbered, so will have to find a partner to engage LDF in six-man combat on SmackDown.

AEW Rampage preview – Friday, October 28, Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

Rampage is live again this week, which has been happening more often this fall as next week’s show is also live. With that being the case, it’s a bit surprising that AEW hasn’t revealed any matches yet for Uncasville, but you can bet that will change by Wednesday. Watch Dynamite or read our recap here on Wrestling Junkie to see what the company is cooking up for the end of the week.

AEW Rampage results: The Kingdom comes to Canada

Get quick AEW Rampage results for its Canada debut on October 14, 2022 from Toronto.

O Canada! You’ve got AEW Rampage in your area for the first time. Good for you.

Unlike most weeks, this one wasn’t taped after AEW Dynamite on Wednesday, but instead was recorded as its own show on Thursday from the same venue (Coca-Cola Coliseum) that hosted Dynamite. Different, but yet not so different at the same time, as spoilers were out there.

But you didn’t read ’em? Cool, then we got you covered here with a quick recap of what went down.

AEW Rampage results in 30 seconds:

  • Jon Moxley and Claudio Castagnoli def. The Butcher and The Blade
  • Mox and Claudio tell Hangman Adam Page he’s “gonna get stepped on” if he doesn’t step up next Tuesday on Dynamite
  • Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee air out some of their differences in front of Renee Paquette, with Lee saying his partner is “swerving into the wrong lane”
  • Dark Order’s interview is crashed by Jose The Assistant, so 10 sends him to tell Rush he wants a match next week, and Stu Grayson is back
  • The Jericho Appreciation Society comes out to gloat, and Daniel Garcia says he is a sports entertainer, but Dalton Castle says he’s willing to break Chris Jericho’s back to give fans a ROH World Champion they deserve
  • Nyla Rose def. Anna Jay by pinfall, then fights off an attack by Jade Cargill and the Baddies
  • Ariya Daivari says he wasn’t trying to recruit Hook, he was trying to buy the FTW Championship, but now he’ll take it from Hook instead
  • Ethan Page def. Isiah Kassidy by pinfall
  • Best Friends wants a shot at Death Triangle and the Trios titles on Tuesday, and Orange Cassidy says he didn’t know Dynamite was on a different night next week
  • Shawn Spears and FTR def. The Embassy by pinfall
  • Mike Bennett and Matt Taven are introduced by Maria Kanellis-Bennett as The Kingdom and have designs on the IWGP tag team titles, but when they tam with The Embassy to attack FTR and Spears, it brings Wardlow and Samaoa Joe to the ring to drive them off

Swerve Strickland confirmed as AEW wrestler WWE tried to interest in potential return

No worries, Swerve In Our Glory fans, as Swerve isn’t leaving.

Maybe it’s true what they say about not knowing what you have ’til it’s gone. At least when it comes to Swerve Strickland and WWE.

One of the hot topics as of late within the pro wrestling rumor mill has been buzz about WWE possibly sending feelers to AEW wrestlers who used to be with the company about returning. The thought was that now that the new creative team headed by Paul “Triple H” Levesque is fully settled in and talent seems happier, perhaps the issues that made some ex-WWE performers want to leave in the first place would be gone and they’d be open to heading back.

So far the identity of any wrestlers who might fall into this category has been mostly fodder for speculation, but Fightful Select has come through and confirmed one name.

We can confirm that Swerve Strickland was contacted by WWE, but referred them to his attorney, and had no interest in returning to the company at the time. We were given the indication that he was contacted as a part of the reformed Hit Row pitch.

Reaching out to Swerve about a Hit Row reunion makes sense as the group was elevated to the main roster in recent weeks, and Swerve (as Swerve Scott) was a big part of Hit Row’s initial success in NXT. But it’s not surprising that he would want to stay in AEW, where he’s found a more prominent spot on the roster teaming with Keith Lee, as the duo only recently dropped the AEW World Tag Team Championship.

(Fightful also said WWE hadn’t contacted Lee, so there apparently was no interest in bringing them back as a package deal.)

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This feels like a situation where all involved may benefit from just maintaining the status quo, as Strickland is a popular pick to break out in the near future in AEW as a singles competitor, and Hit Row appears to be settling in nicely on SmackDown.

Other than FTR, who was part of an earlier round of reports about possible WWE discussions, other AEW names are still in the rumor column at this point, so expect to hear a bunch more debate about contract tampering, informed and otherwise, for the foreseeable future.