First off is a bit of a personal note. The first time I went to an AEW show was literally the show before everything changed for the program with The First Dance in Chicago. Fast Forward to this year when I returned with a different cousin and it just hit me how much things have changed over the course of the year. I never in my life thought I would be doing what chants, bask in the glory of Keith Lee or cheer on my favorite wrestler of all time CM Punk. The venue hasn't changed, but the talent certainly has for the better. And I'm proud at how the company has evolved over the same year.
Let's start off with some bad news. As stated, there was a good chance that a good number of people will let their contracts expire at the end of May. And that has happened to a good number of people. Part of it was the wrestler's decision, but it seemed like the company wanted to clear things up for the budget. I will miss these people for sure:
Joey Janela, the Bad Boy:
Marko Stunt, the best little guy in the business:
Stu Grayson, arguably the most underrated wrestler around:
Ryo Mizunami with the secret top 5 theme:
Jack Evans, still a great high flyer:
Rumors have also been circulating on the fate of Maxwell Jacob Friedman. After delivering another amazing feud, this time against Wardlow, he is likely taking time off the program to access his future. I haven't commented on this because it's hard to tell a work from a shoot, especially from one as dedicated to kayfabe as MJF. If the rumors about his contract is true, I hope he gets paid what he deserves. He's by far the best heel in the company and should be paid as such. And also give him a title reign. I've noticed the's the only one of the Four Pillars that has yet to win a title. He's definitely due for one, though I'm not sure when it will happen now. More on that later.
I will have to continue with the unpleasant news by starting with the TNT title. It was thought that the departure of Cody Rhodes would have helped make things more clear for the belt, but the curse of the Codyverse lived on in the form of Sammy Guevara. It appears that AEW decided to do the sort of heel-ish turn they wanted on Cody onto Sammy and Tay Conti. Their feud with American Top Team can best described as a lukewarm disaster. From botched undefeated streaks to the failure to get Scorpio Sky over and the desecration of the TNT belt in ways I don't want to describe, nothing seemed to go right here. Even the FTW belt has more respect. Hopefully this win by his entourage puts an end to this once and for all.
Let's get to the other stuff now. The first faction of AEW, the Inner Circle, officially broke off in the meantime. Jericho decided it wasn't enough to be tough. He needed to inject a lethal dose of sports entertainment into All Elite Wrestling by forming the Jericho Appreciation Society. Manned by the men formerly known as 2point0 and Daniel Garcia, the group strive to employ WWE tactics upon their opponents. Not even the Jericho theme is safe anymore.
It was only fitting that these dorks clashed with a group of professional wrestlers who seemed to have taken the opposite approach. Mentored by William Regal, Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley have formed the Blackpool Combat Club, the most brutal faction known to professional wrestling. They too were on a recruiting mood and have turned Wheeler Yuta into one of the hottest top stars in the company as a result. We wish you the best in the Super Juniors tournament.
Jon Moxley had thought that bringing in his old friend Eddie Kingston and an independent Proud n Powerful team would be in the best interests for the group. But that has ended up in disaster as Eddie exposed some faultlines within the group that were thought to have been fixed after Revolution. It seems like violence is the only want to resolve their differences. Namely not pouring gasoline on a known environmentalist.
The House of Black and The Death Triangle had to pause their feud with the injury of Rey Fenix, but we finally got the matchup on Double or Nothing. But just when it seemed like Malakai has been cornered, he got help from a long-awaited source: Julia Blackhart. Now the group feels complete as they have brought dissent upon the Death Triangle and the Varsity Blondes.
The tag team division has been in flux during this time. Part of this is due to unfortunate injuries along the way. Darius Martin returned briefly, only to be injured yet again. Anthony Bowens also needed surgery, putting The Acclaimed on hold. Yet there are plenty of hungry teams hoping to take the titles off of Jurassic Express. with little success.The newly signed Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland are likely to continue their feud with Team Taz while FTR are receiving a surprising run as babyfaces. But the biggest question right now is how long will Christian Cage stick with Jungle Boy. His disappointment with him has been sated with a title win, but it only seems to be a matter of time before things break down.
And what has The Elite been doing in the meantime? Well, they focused their resources on the Owen Hart Foundation tournament. Yes, after months of speculation, the tournament finally kicked off. In tribute to the incredibly talented Owen Hart whose life was cut short before his influence could truly be seen in wrestling, eight men and women competed in a bracket format to determine who will receive trophies and the respects of Marsha Hart. The result was what could only be said as Elite domination. The men's section had all three members of the Undisputed Elite compete with Adam Cole handing the debuting Samoa Joe his first loss. Meanwhile, Britt Baker completed the sweep as well. It is likely that these wins will quell disputes between the trio and The Young Bucks for the time being. Whether the title should be given to two fans of Shawn Michaels is another topic all together.
The Bucks had their own problems, and they came in the form of the exciting reunion of theHardy Boyz The Hardyz. That's right, Jeff Hardy is back the two pulled off their biggest win against their younger generation counterparts. It seems like leaving the Family Office was the best thing Matt Hardy could do for his career. One wonders what will be next for the duo.
Onto the women's division, and the focus at the moment seems to be on the two champions. Jade Cargill continues to be a massive presence in the wrestling scene. While she continues her undefeated streak, she strives to make improvements in her in-ring abilities. Now supported with an entourage known as The Baddies, she hopes to continue her winning streak. But it seems like she has new competition now. First in the form of Kris Statlander and another which will be mentioned later.
It took longer than expected, but Thunder Rosa finally won the title over Britt Baker. Yet she took a slower approach to her title reign, only having one title defense coming into Double or Nothing. It was there that she faced an old foe from NWA. Serena Deeb took care of business vs Hikaru Shida and now strived for gold. The resulting match was arguably the best of the night, showing that the women's division can pull out some incredible wrestling with the right chemistry. We hope Rosa can recover in time for more great matches.
And of course this leaves us to our main event. Like Rosa, Adam Page did not have that many matches under his best during this time, but there was little doubt who his next opponent was. CM Punk set his eyes on the belt and the two have been eyeing each other ever since. It's hard to say who was in the right or wrong, but it was clear that Page was not in the right mind going into this match and it cost him. Yes, CM Punk has gotten the gold at least. Better yet, it ended up being the main event for once. It is the Summer of Punk once again, and this time we can hope that it will be more of the Ring of Honor variety rather than that other one.
Speaking of which, it turn out that the savior of Ring of Honor was none other than Tony Khan himself. Out of the clutches of Vince McMahon, there is hope that the promotion can host a new bunch of shows with much of its roster. And it was fitting to see its most prolific wrestler Samoa Joe debut in the Supercard of Honor.
He wasn't the only high profile debut in AEW. The women's division continues to be bolstered with the likes of Toni Storm and Athena joining the ranks in the hopes of tasting gold. And we also have the another reunion in our hands when Andrade hired Los Ingobernables member Rush into the fold.
And on a final note for the roster, the Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil Hook continues his meteoric rise in fame and he's made a new friend. Danhausen wanted to make his in-ring debut against Hook, but was interrupted by Mark Sterling and Tony Nese. what seemed unlikely became one of the most over teams in the roster. Hookhausen debuted at Double or Nothing and it was everything you could ever want. We hope to see more from these two.
Yet that's not all. The coveted crossover between AEW and NJPW is finally being realized in the aptly named Forbidden Door PPV. We don't have any matches yet, but we already have a couple New Japan folks make their mark.
And to end things on a personal note once more, there is a good chance that this will be my last new thread for making AEW. My personal life has recently taken a rollercoaster ride and I'm moving to a place where I may not have consistent internet. So for the time being, I'll be looking for people who can continue these threads in case I will no long be able to do so. I thank you for the support and I know the thread will be in good hands.
Happy Pride Month everyone, support your LGBT+ friends as well as wrestlers. Trans rights are human rights. An push Sonny Kiss dammit!
Where to watch:
USA: Wednesdays 8/7c for Dynamite on TBS, Fridays 10/9c for Rampage on TNT, All Elite Wrestling's Youtube page for Dark and Elevation
Canada: TSN Direct, with certain episodes airing on the network proper. For example, The First Dance is scheduled to air at 11 ET on TSN2.
Latin America: Space on Cable in English and Spanish (check availability for your country) as well as Canal Space on Youtube
Everywhere else: Fite.tv
Let's start off with some bad news. As stated, there was a good chance that a good number of people will let their contracts expire at the end of May. And that has happened to a good number of people. Part of it was the wrestler's decision, but it seemed like the company wanted to clear things up for the budget. I will miss these people for sure:
Joey Janela, the Bad Boy:
Marko Stunt, the best little guy in the business:
Stu Grayson, arguably the most underrated wrestler around:
Ryo Mizunami with the secret top 5 theme:
Jack Evans, still a great high flyer:
Rumors have also been circulating on the fate of Maxwell Jacob Friedman. After delivering another amazing feud, this time against Wardlow, he is likely taking time off the program to access his future. I haven't commented on this because it's hard to tell a work from a shoot, especially from one as dedicated to kayfabe as MJF. If the rumors about his contract is true, I hope he gets paid what he deserves. He's by far the best heel in the company and should be paid as such. And also give him a title reign. I've noticed the's the only one of the Four Pillars that has yet to win a title. He's definitely due for one, though I'm not sure when it will happen now. More on that later.
I will have to continue with the unpleasant news by starting with the TNT title. It was thought that the departure of Cody Rhodes would have helped make things more clear for the belt, but the curse of the Codyverse lived on in the form of Sammy Guevara. It appears that AEW decided to do the sort of heel-ish turn they wanted on Cody onto Sammy and Tay Conti. Their feud with American Top Team can best described as a lukewarm disaster. From botched undefeated streaks to the failure to get Scorpio Sky over and the desecration of the TNT belt in ways I don't want to describe, nothing seemed to go right here. Even the FTW belt has more respect. Hopefully this win by his entourage puts an end to this once and for all.
Let's get to the other stuff now. The first faction of AEW, the Inner Circle, officially broke off in the meantime. Jericho decided it wasn't enough to be tough. He needed to inject a lethal dose of sports entertainment into All Elite Wrestling by forming the Jericho Appreciation Society. Manned by the men formerly known as 2point0 and Daniel Garcia, the group strive to employ WWE tactics upon their opponents. Not even the Jericho theme is safe anymore.
It was only fitting that these dorks clashed with a group of professional wrestlers who seemed to have taken the opposite approach. Mentored by William Regal, Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley have formed the Blackpool Combat Club, the most brutal faction known to professional wrestling. They too were on a recruiting mood and have turned Wheeler Yuta into one of the hottest top stars in the company as a result. We wish you the best in the Super Juniors tournament.
Jon Moxley had thought that bringing in his old friend Eddie Kingston and an independent Proud n Powerful team would be in the best interests for the group. But that has ended up in disaster as Eddie exposed some faultlines within the group that were thought to have been fixed after Revolution. It seems like violence is the only want to resolve their differences. Namely not pouring gasoline on a known environmentalist.
The House of Black and The Death Triangle had to pause their feud with the injury of Rey Fenix, but we finally got the matchup on Double or Nothing. But just when it seemed like Malakai has been cornered, he got help from a long-awaited source: Julia Blackhart. Now the group feels complete as they have brought dissent upon the Death Triangle and the Varsity Blondes.
The tag team division has been in flux during this time. Part of this is due to unfortunate injuries along the way. Darius Martin returned briefly, only to be injured yet again. Anthony Bowens also needed surgery, putting The Acclaimed on hold. Yet there are plenty of hungry teams hoping to take the titles off of Jurassic Express. with little success.The newly signed Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland are likely to continue their feud with Team Taz while FTR are receiving a surprising run as babyfaces. But the biggest question right now is how long will Christian Cage stick with Jungle Boy. His disappointment with him has been sated with a title win, but it only seems to be a matter of time before things break down.
And what has The Elite been doing in the meantime? Well, they focused their resources on the Owen Hart Foundation tournament. Yes, after months of speculation, the tournament finally kicked off. In tribute to the incredibly talented Owen Hart whose life was cut short before his influence could truly be seen in wrestling, eight men and women competed in a bracket format to determine who will receive trophies and the respects of Marsha Hart. The result was what could only be said as Elite domination. The men's section had all three members of the Undisputed Elite compete with Adam Cole handing the debuting Samoa Joe his first loss. Meanwhile, Britt Baker completed the sweep as well. It is likely that these wins will quell disputes between the trio and The Young Bucks for the time being. Whether the title should be given to two fans of Shawn Michaels is another topic all together.
The Bucks had their own problems, and they came in the form of the exciting reunion of the
Onto the women's division, and the focus at the moment seems to be on the two champions. Jade Cargill continues to be a massive presence in the wrestling scene. While she continues her undefeated streak, she strives to make improvements in her in-ring abilities. Now supported with an entourage known as The Baddies, she hopes to continue her winning streak. But it seems like she has new competition now. First in the form of Kris Statlander and another which will be mentioned later.
It took longer than expected, but Thunder Rosa finally won the title over Britt Baker. Yet she took a slower approach to her title reign, only having one title defense coming into Double or Nothing. It was there that she faced an old foe from NWA. Serena Deeb took care of business vs Hikaru Shida and now strived for gold. The resulting match was arguably the best of the night, showing that the women's division can pull out some incredible wrestling with the right chemistry. We hope Rosa can recover in time for more great matches.
And of course this leaves us to our main event. Like Rosa, Adam Page did not have that many matches under his best during this time, but there was little doubt who his next opponent was. CM Punk set his eyes on the belt and the two have been eyeing each other ever since. It's hard to say who was in the right or wrong, but it was clear that Page was not in the right mind going into this match and it cost him. Yes, CM Punk has gotten the gold at least. Better yet, it ended up being the main event for once. It is the Summer of Punk once again, and this time we can hope that it will be more of the Ring of Honor variety rather than that other one.
Speaking of which, it turn out that the savior of Ring of Honor was none other than Tony Khan himself. Out of the clutches of Vince McMahon, there is hope that the promotion can host a new bunch of shows with much of its roster. And it was fitting to see its most prolific wrestler Samoa Joe debut in the Supercard of Honor.
He wasn't the only high profile debut in AEW. The women's division continues to be bolstered with the likes of Toni Storm and Athena joining the ranks in the hopes of tasting gold. And we also have the another reunion in our hands when Andrade hired Los Ingobernables member Rush into the fold.
And on a final note for the roster, the Cold-Hearted Handsome Devil Hook continues his meteoric rise in fame and he's made a new friend. Danhausen wanted to make his in-ring debut against Hook, but was interrupted by Mark Sterling and Tony Nese. what seemed unlikely became one of the most over teams in the roster. Hookhausen debuted at Double or Nothing and it was everything you could ever want. We hope to see more from these two.
Yet that's not all. The coveted crossover between AEW and NJPW is finally being realized in the aptly named Forbidden Door PPV. We don't have any matches yet, but we already have a couple New Japan folks make their mark.
And to end things on a personal note once more, there is a good chance that this will be my last new thread for making AEW. My personal life has recently taken a rollercoaster ride and I'm moving to a place where I may not have consistent internet. So for the time being, I'll be looking for people who can continue these threads in case I will no long be able to do so. I thank you for the support and I know the thread will be in good hands.
Happy Pride Month everyone, support your LGBT+ friends as well as wrestlers. Trans rights are human rights. An push Sonny Kiss dammit!
Just going back around to this.
An AEW Primer
Where can I find out more about AEW?
- The AEW YouTube page (excellent resource for latest highlights, preview shows, post-shows, etc.)
- The official AEW website (check out the roster page to see who's currently in AEW, read Dynamite results, etc.)
- The AEW Wikipedia page (a good history lesson)
- AEW early history lesson video
Where can I watch AEW television and PPVs?
- AEW Dynamite: Wednesdays @ 8PM EST on TNT in the United States and Canada, or on FITE.TV everywhere else
- AEW PPVs: brlive.com (US and Canada), FITE.TV (rest of the world)
What if I want to catch up on EVERY episode of Dynamite?
You can! They're all available for free on BR Live.
Are there other AEW shows in addition to Dynamite?
Yes!
- AEW Dark: Elevation airs on Mondays at 7PM EST, and AEW Dark airs on Tuesdays at 7PM EST on the official AEW YouTube page. These shows largely feature unsigned and/or younger talent wrestling against main roster performers. Elevation has more of a focus on story and character moments, while Dark is usually just matches.
Is there any other ancillary content I should be aware of?
While not 100% necessary, if you want to go beyond official AEW shows, you can also check out:
- Being the Elite YT page (the most essential of all of these. It's a skit show that often has important story morsels and lots of roster cameos. Highly recommended)
- The Sammy Guevara vlog (lots of cameos from AEW talent, and backstage videos. Sometimes crosses over with Being the Elite)
- Nightmare Family YT page (lots of early AEW history in the oldest videos going back to the All In show)
- The Nerd Slam (Evil Uno's YouTube Page with all things Dark Order)
- Plenty of wrestlers have their own YT pages too, such as Ethan Page, Adam Cole, The Bunny, Thunder Rosa and Matt Hardy. Explore on your own. :)
List of AEW PPV events
List of All Elite Wrestling pay-per-view events - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
VIEWING GUIDE (links provided when available)
2019
Double or Nothing PPV (Watch all of it. Best wrestling show of 2019)
Road To Double or Nothing (sixteen 5-10 minute episodes. The "Road To" series is can't-miss in general)
PRE-SHOW
FULL SHOW ($14.99)
MUST WATCH: Cody vs. Dustin Rhodes
Cody's throne breaker entrance (in Alucard gear and sending the first message to Vince and Triple H)
Cody's now-infamous "I need my older brother" post-match promo
Jon Moxley's now-infamous debut backstage promo after the event
Post-show footage
Fyter Fest PPV (Free on BRLive.com. A fun show top to bottom. Worth the time)
Road To Fyter Fest Ep.1
Road To Fyter Fest Ep.2
Road To Fyter Fest Ep.3
PRE-SHOW
FULL SHOW (free)
MUST-WATCH: Cody vs. Darby Allin, Bucks and Kenny vs. Lucha Bros. and Laredo Kid, Jon Moxley vs. Joey Janela lights out match
Also fun: Christopher Daniels vs. CIMA, Riho vs. Yuka Sakazaki vs. Nyla Rose
Fight for the Fallen PPV (Free on BRLive.com. A mixed bag of a show)
Road To Fight for the Fallen Ep.1
Road To Fight for the Fallen Ep.2
Road To Fight for the Fallen Ep.3
PRE-SHOW
FULL SHOW (free)
MUST-WATCH: Kenny Omega vs. CIMA
Also fun: SCU vs. Lucha Bros
Optional: main event between The Young Bucks and Cody/Dustin
Cody's post-show promo ("When this group goes to TNT this fall...are you coming with us?")
All Out PPV (Worth watching the entire thing. FIRST AEW CHAMPION IS CROWNED)
Road To All Out Ep.1 (these are ALL MUST-WATCH)
Road To All Out Ep.2
Road To All Out Ep.3
Road To All Out Ep.4
Road To All Out Ep.5
Road To All Out Ep.6
Road To All Out Ep.7
Countdown to All Out
PRE-SHOW
FULL SHOW (free): PART 1 and PART 2
MUST WATCH: Kenny Omega vs. PAC, The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros, Hangman (on a horse!) vs. Chris Jericho
Post-show interviews (the birth of Jericho's early catchphrase, "A little bit of the bubbly!")
Jericho lost the title at a Longhorn Steakhouse. This was his video covering for it
-----
Road To AEW on TNT Ep.1
Road To AEW on TNT Ep.2
Road To AEW on TNT Ep.3
Road To AEW on TNT Ep.4
Countdown to AEW Dynamite special
AEW DYNAMITE STARTS!
Dynamite Episode 1, 2019-10-02
Cody vs. Sammy Guevara, Hangman Page vs. PAC, Riho vs. Nyla to crown first women's champion, Young Bucks/Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho(c)/Santana/Ortiz, formation of the Inner Circle, Moxley Paradigm Shifts Kenny through a glass table
Dynamite Episode 2, 2019-10-09
Hangman Page/Dustin Rhodes vs. Chris Jericho(c)/Sammy Guevara, Emi Sakura/Bea Priestley vs. Riho/Britt Baker, Jimmy Havoc vs. Darby Allin (#1 contender's match to face Chris Jericho), Jon Moxley vs. Shawn Spears, Tag Team Tournament (TTT) begins, TTT round 1: Young Bucks vs. Private Party
...that's all I've got for now
Where to watch:
USA: Wednesdays 8/7c for Dynamite on TBS, Fridays 10/9c for Rampage on TNT, All Elite Wrestling's Youtube page for Dark and Elevation
Canada: TSN Direct, with certain episodes airing on the network proper. For example, The First Dance is scheduled to air at 11 ET on TSN2.
Latin America: Space on Cable in English and Spanish (check availability for your country) as well as Canal Space on Youtube
Everywhere else: Fite.tv
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