AEW Articles - Page 16

When CM Punk made his surprise return to WWE after nearly a decade away following his firing with cause from AEW, it effectively changed the professional wrestling landscape forever. Suddenly, the promotion that positioned itself as the cool alternative to WWE had lost three of its top stars, Punk, Cody Rhodes, and Jade Cargill, and […]

When looking back at the weird period of time between the launch of AEW and Paul “Triple H” Levesque‘s elevation to CCO of WWE, one of the biggest “What ifs” has to be the absolute fumbling of the Undisputed Era. Once considered the top faction in all of WWE developmental, with the potential to become […]

After watching Paul “Triple H” Levesque perfectly orchestrate the return of CM Punk to the WWE Universe, with “The Game” hitting play on a 2023 remix of “Cult of Personality” after the legal advisory flashed across the screen, more than a few professional wrestling fans from around the internet came to a remarkably similar conclusion: […]

When Paul “Triple H” Levesque took the proverbial stand after the Survivor Series press conference, opting to bat leadoff for very obvious reasons, most of the questions he received from the media in attendance had to do with the surprise return of the “Best in the World,” CM Punk. On paper – and, in the […]

Folks, it happened, it actually freakin’ happened: CM Punk returned to WWE after almost a decade away from the promotion. The crowd went wild – except for Seth Rollins – the internet went wilder, and reporters packed into the press conference to ask Paul “Triple H” Levesque what the heck happened. Fortunately, Lesvesque was willing […]

When Cody Rhodes broke – confirmed? – the news that Randy Orton was returning to the WWE Universe at Survivor Series, it marked a very exciting restart to a career more than a few fans thought was over. That’s right, after losing his tag titles alongside WWE’s former King of Bros, Matt Riddle, and going […]

After securing the signature W of his professional wrestling career at Full Gear, winning what fans and Dave Meltzer alike have called a five-star classic worthy of being called the greatest Texas Death match in AEW history, Swerve Strickland was feeling himself. Granted, he didn’t address the audience at the end of the match or […]

When Sting officially signed with WWE in 2015, there was one dream match fans wanted to see more than any other: “The Icon” – even if he wasn’t known by that at the time – versus “The Deadman” himself, The Undertaker. I mean think about it, Sting and The Undertaker had a ton in common […]

The AEW Fight Forever Season Pass 2 made its way onto digital store shelves this week. The new Season Pass brings more wrestlers, and an all-new single player mode called Beat The Elite. Overall, AEW Fight Forever’s Season Pass 2 comes with a decent amount of content to raise interest over the Holiday season. What […]

In case you’re somehow living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that Ronda Rousey made her surprise debut for Ring of Honor at the “Fabulous” Kia Forum in Inglewood, California, last Friday, even if the show won’t officially drop until Thursday on Honor Club. While Tony Khan admitted that the “Baddest Woman on the Planet” […]

After losing out on signing Will Ospreay to AEW – which, as the “Commonwealth Kingpin” noted during the Full Gear media scrum, was never really an option on the table – another one of the top stars in TNA, “Speedball” Mike Bailey is approaching a free agent period of his own in 2024, as the […]

On a card loaded up with title bouts and grudge matches, the bout that rose above the rest at AEW Full Gear was none other than the Texas Death battle between “Hangman” Adam Page and Swerve Strickland. Fighting more so than feuding in an increasingly contentious contest of will that saw Strickland literally break into […]

When Tony Schiavone helped to announce that Will Ospreay was set to leave New Japan Pro Wrestling to become a full-time member of AEW in February of 2024 at Full Gear, it got fans hyped. Suddenly, after adding plenty of new talent to the roster in 2023 but no unquestioned superstars, Tony Khan secured a […]

The AEW Fight Forever Acclaimed DLC Release Date is slowly approaching, bringing more wrestlers into the game. The DLC marks first of many for AEW Fight Forever as we now approach into Season 2. Despite not getting the most stellar reviews, Fight Forever did well enough to continue its future. Hopefully this means more fighters […]

When Adam Copeland made the jump from WWE to AEW back in October, it left more than a few fans with hurt feelings. Granted, it felt pretty obvious that the pairing had run its course, as WWE gave Edge one final match on SmackDown against Sheamus that was presented like a massive deal, but behind […]

After making his semi-surprising debut at AEW Full Gear as Tony Khan’s game-changing big signing, Will Ospreay stopped by the media scrum to discuss leaving New Japan Pro Wrestling, coming to America to become a fixture of weekly television, and who he would like to wrestle when he becomes a full-time member of the promotion […]

When Adam Copeland took the ring at AEW Full Gear, he experienced a whole lot of firsts. It was Copeland’s first time working a Pay-Per-View for AEW, his first time wrestling in the Kia Forum, and, if you can believe it, his first time working a “Premium Live Event” under his real name, with his […]

When Will Ospreay exploded onto the entrance ramp to the thundering tune of “Elevated” at Full Gear, it got AEW fans hyped. Sure, technically Ospreay remains a member of New Japan Pro Wrestling, at least for now, but Tony Khan won out one of the hottest free agents in the game today, secured the rights […]

When news broke that Ronda Rousey, the UFC legend, WWE Superstar, and Southern California native, made a surprise appearance at the Ring of Honor taping at the Kia Forum following the conclusion of AEW Collision and Rampage, it turned heads around the industry. Now sure, Rousey had been working matches around the Southern California area […]

After much anticipation, rumors galore, and a nasty Goldberg rumor, Tony Khan made it official at AEW Full Gear: Will Ospreay is All Elite. But who, you may ask, is Will Ospreay? Well he just so happens to be one of the greatest professional wrestlers in the world today, with more five star matches from […]

When AEW signed Ric Flair, the reaction was mixed to put it mildly. Some loved the addition, wooing along with the “Nature Boy,” while others questioned the call, siting his age, past behavior, and general lack of connection with the audience AEW had cultivated. Though his appearances on television were limited from that point on, […]

For the first time in AEW’s history, Full Gear is not the final Pay-Per-View of the calendar year, with Worlds End set to shut things down on Staten Island just before the New Year. And yet, as one of the Big 4 shows of the promotion, there’s little reason to expect anything other than a […]

After weeks and weeks of anticipation, AEW Full Gear live from beautiful Los Angeles, California, is mere hours away, and needless to say, fans are hyped as all get out to see what Tony Khan has cooking up his sleeve. In a few short hours, fans will get to see a blistering eight-match card with […]

Adam Copeland has been a member of the AEW Galaxy for just under eight weeks following his massive debut at the end of WrestleDream in Seattle, Washington. Since that fateful Sunday, Copeland has wrestled exactly two matches, a slight uptick from his “wrestle rate” in WWE, provided support to the thrown-together faction of Darby Allin, […]

At some point in the next six or so months, give or take, Will Ospreay will be making his debut for a new promotion as a contracted performer. It could happen tomorrow – literally- at AEW Full Gear, it could happen when Impact Wrestling officially becomes TNA once more in January at Hard To Kill, […]

When Kris Statlander and Jade Cargill took the ring for a TBS Championship rematch on Rampage, few fans in the arena knew it would be the last time they would see the latter in an AEW ring. Now sure, by the time the match actually aired on television, that perception had changed pretty considerably, as […]

In professional wrestling, some characters are so good, they capture the hearts and imaginations of fans outside of the “wrestling bubble.” From Hulk Hogan, to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and even Darby Allin‘s tag team partner in AEW, Sting, some gimmicks, for one reason or another, connect with the general public […]

What in the you-know-what is going on with CM Punk? Is he about to return to AEW as the Devil? Will he instead be sticking around Chicago to make a special appearance at Survivor Series? Or could this all be a bunch of smoke, with all parties leaning into a spectacle when they know there […]

In professional wrestling, be it AEW, WWE, NJPW, or otherwise, only so many performers get to be on top. Sure, winners come and go, and promotions make secondary belts and even brands to allow more performers to hold titles, but in a sport where shelflives end in the blink of an eye, if there are […]

The second the referee hit the mat 1-2-3 and Roman Reigns’ song “Head of the Table” hit the PA at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, it effectively marked the start of Cody Rhodes‘ next Road to WrestleMania – a trip 364 days in the making. But what, you may ask, can a performer do to […]

When Chris Hero, known to the WWE Universe as Kassius Ohno, was released from his NXT contract during the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, fans assumed he’d be back in the ring sooner than later. Sure, at 40, Hero was no spring chicken, especially for someone who was working exclusively in WWE’s developmental system, but […]

Ever since Ric Flair made his debut in AEW, fans, pundits, and professional wrestlers alike have been asking the very same question: Will the “Nature Boy” actually get in the ring and wrestle? Now granted, technically, Flair has already very publically retired, and he even had an entire event dedicated to his exit from the […]

What is the biggest difference between WWE and AEW? Is it the size of the audience at shows? The number and quality of matches placed on Pay-Per-Views/Premium Live Events? The way storytelling is treated long-term? Well, in the opinion of CJ Perry, aka WWE’s Lana, who now works alongside her husband Miro and manages Andrade […]

As WWE and AEW gear up for a full-on arms race to snatch up the best possible talent free agency has to offer, Jordan Oliver, one of the top indie stars in professional wrestling today, recently stopped by Fightful for an interview with Iridian Fierro to talk about his future in the game and recent […]

As WWE prepares to be a heavy buyer on the 2024 wrestling free agent market, with big names like MJF, Will Ospreay, and Giulia all potentially set to test the open market, one wrestler The Fed won’t be able to woo over to any of their brands is Konosuke Takeshita, as he’s already locked up […]

As crazy as it may sound, we are just over two weeks away from Survivor Series, when the WWE Universe will descend on the city of Chicago to load up the United Center with a pair of WarGames matches and… cheer on CM Punk, who may or may not be debuting on the show. That’s […]

What does Ric Flair bring to AEW? Well, for one, he certainly brings the promotion extra publicity, even if it isn’t always for the right reasons. He also brings the promotion additional revenue as part of his Woooo! Energy drink, a deal Eric Bischoff has suggested could pay part of, if not all of the […]

If there’s one thing Adam Copeland knows better than most, it’s how to identify a superstar. Over his 25 years of experience in WWE under the Edge moniker, Copeland shared the ring with everyone from John Cena, to Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Seth Rollins, and even the current “Top Dog” in the promotion, Roman Reigns, […]

When WWE decided to unceremoniously take the title off of Mandy Rose after an incredible 413-day reign in NXT, announcing her release from the company shortly thereafter due to her use of the adult content platform Fantime, it felt like only a matter of time before the leader of Toxic Attraction popped up somewhere else. […]