Welcome to another new addition of All Elite Wrestling-ERA and we have witnessed a textbook case of long-term booking that can show that professional wrestling can be a beautiful thing to witness. More on that later.
First of all, I'd like to give a shoutout to Ring of Honor. It may not have reached the level of popularity as the likes of WWE, New Japan or even Impact Wrestling, but the promotion played an instrumental role in shaping the landscape of modern wrestling. Some of the greatest wrestlers of our current generation truly began to blossom there. The likes of Bryan Danielson, CM Punk and Adam Cole and more called the place home before moving on to bigger things. Hell, they played a hand in the birthplace of AEW itself by funding All In. They handled the pandemic the best health-wise by far and I hope that they manage to pull through in the end. That promotion deserves a long tenure.
I'd also like to tip my hat to Jon Moxley for taking care of himself as he's likely to start a darker chapter in his character. It can be scary to go against your workplace for the sake of your own self-care, but it is necessary aspect to keep your body and mind in the best condition. We wish you the best and await your return.
On a more positive note, the previous PPV All Out exceeded all expectations, earning buyouts not seen by a WWE rival since 1999. And from that momentum comes fresh blood that further shook up the wrestling landscape. How so? Let's recap.
There was one title change that happened in between PPVs. The seemingly unstoppable force that was Miro had finally met his match in the form of Sammy Guevara. While the motivation was suspect, but achievement was not loss on the field: he has become the second member of the Four Pillars to gain a title. He hopes to continue that legacy by defending it in a number of matches.
But first he had some unfinished business to attend to. Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle has moved on to new things, namely feuding with MMA fighters led by Dan Lambert. This... has been more entertaining than it has every right to be, namel due to Dan Lambert being a legendarily effective heel (even with promos from the faces that threaten to ruin the experience). Still, it was a decent blow-off match at Full Gear to (hopefully) cap things off.
Meanwhile, the Pinnacle has sights in being the very best in the ring. Namely MJF wanted to prove that he is the best up-and-coming wrestler of the named 'Four Pillars of AEW'. He has already defeated Jungle Boy and Sammy Guevara so all there was left was Darby Allin. The fiend did everything to rile up the painted one from beating up Sting to even bringing up the death of his uncle through a car crash. All came to a head at Full Gear, a fantastic bout that showed that yes MJF can wrestle. And it was a match where he called the finish of a headlock takedown pin victory...after nailing Darby with his ring of course.
Meanwhile, FTR has set their sites on becoming the first two-time AEW World Champions. They will have to take on the Lucha Brothers, Penta and Fenix, to get them. The luchadors took care of business against Proud and Powerful as well as The Acclaimed on their way to the current PPV, but not before FTR handed them the ultimate insult. The AAA Tag Team Championship was lost to the cunning old school wrestlers in a match not even AAA themselves were happy about. It only meant that there was plenty of bad blood between them. While the Lucha Bros were able to retain the title, they have at least one more date between each other at Triplemanía Regia II
Over on the women's side, Britt Baker has continued to dominate the field on top. While Ruby Soho tried her best, she was unable to use that momemtun to overcome the scummy heel tactics of DMD. The unsettling Abadon was also unable to overcome the odds. Now with her boyfriend in tow, she continues to utilize some of his moveset into her own. With Tay Conti defeated as well, it remains to be scene who can end her reign.
And that's partially because there's a new belt in town. AEW has recently revealed the TBS Championship to commemorate the upcoming move of AEW Dynamite to TBS (hopefully to avoid those pesky sports delays). With that, we have another tournament in the veins of the previous one earlier this year with a larger pool of women. Expect a lot of great matches in that card (and nearly all of them to last longer than the final Queen's Crown tournament in Vinceland). We'll know about the landscape of the women's division a bit better once it ends.
Up next is Cody Rhodes who's... doing his damn hardest not to turn heel even with the audience desperately trying to tell him otherwise. There was just no way he was going to draw heat from the arriving Malakai Black and that badass look, even when the later stemrolled through the Nightmare Family. Not even teaming up with the popular PAC against Andrade el Idolo helped. Try as he might, he will likely end up being the John Cena of the current era.
There is one person who is at least doing this intentionally, and it's honestly comes as a shock to me. CM Punk's return has been met with nearly universal acclaim. While many opponents have taken the opportunity to take him on, no one has succeeded. But there may be one person who has gotten under his skin. Eddie Kingston has put on the accusation that he has become every bit of the man he swore to be against. That above all else was what gotten CM Punk to bring out an edge not seen in years. And it's an criticism that some in the crowd actually believed in. The guy took a cheap shot to the face and the crowd still ended up booing him. He may end up seeing a heel turn from this man, but I am obligated to support him every step of the way. We'll see what happens.
As for our other big debutante, Bryan Danielson is currently speedrunning the wrestler of the year award. After getting a 5-star rating in his very first match at AEW, he has had wonderful matches with just about everyone who's faced him. All of this culminating with winning the tournament and the right to be the next number one contender for the AEW World Championship. How if only that damn crowd can get the chant right.
Which leads me to the main storyline which came to a head last Saturday. The Elite led by Kenny Omega and Don Callis had seen better days. While Kenny sent Christian Cage packing at All Out, he was still without the Impact Championship. And the Young Bucks lost their own titles as well. It felt like the group was circling the wagon with the titles they had left. The reunited Superkliq with Adam Cole hoped to keep Christian Cage and Jurassic Express at bay, but they ended up losing at the PPV.
And that led an opening to a certain Anxious Millennial Cowboy to make a return and finally make a challenge for the belt. After going missing ever since that loss to the Elite, Adam Page won the Ladder Match to become the next challenger to Kenny Omega. What followed was an emotional brawl between two former best friends who gave it their all throughout the match. Yet the storybook ending was destined to reach a new chapter. The Hangman who hanged himself so many times before with losing the chance to become the fist AEW Champion, costing the Young Bucks the chance for the title and self-destructing in his tag title match as well as multiple opportunities to challenge for the belt has finally done it. The lackey has surpassed his superior and taken up his rightful place as AEW World Champion. The Dark Order, a group who had their own issues following a missed opportunity for the tag titles, were there to celebrate and Adam Page was willing to join them in celebration.
So yeah. Great stuff with a happy ending. But where does the show go from here? There's plenty of storylines left actually. Adam Page will have to contend with many new challengers, starting with Bryan Danielson, a man with a ton of momentum. It will be a real challenge to get the crowd behind him in his first defense. There are others waiting in the distance just waiting to keep his time in the sun short. There's also The Elite's likely fall from grace. There's also the inevitable feud between Baker and Rosa which will likely end with a title shot to settle things once and for all. We could see CM Punk take a dark edge as he slowly loses the respect of the crowd. There's also Cody who's already done that without even crying. We also have rumors of those from Stamford who may be jumping ship for greener pastures in the near future.And of course there's the prospect of wrestlers from other promotions calling their shot. The door may have closed with Impact with Josh Alexander taking the belt from Christian Cage, but with restrictions with Japan loosening travel restrictions, there's always the chance for the occasional dream match down the road. So buckle up, a big chapter may have closed, butthe story itself is far from over...
Where to watch:
USA: TNT, TBS for Dynamite as of January 2022
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.
Everywhere else: Fite.tv
First of all, I'd like to give a shoutout to Ring of Honor. It may not have reached the level of popularity as the likes of WWE, New Japan or even Impact Wrestling, but the promotion played an instrumental role in shaping the landscape of modern wrestling. Some of the greatest wrestlers of our current generation truly began to blossom there. The likes of Bryan Danielson, CM Punk and Adam Cole and more called the place home before moving on to bigger things. Hell, they played a hand in the birthplace of AEW itself by funding All In. They handled the pandemic the best health-wise by far and I hope that they manage to pull through in the end. That promotion deserves a long tenure.
I'd also like to tip my hat to Jon Moxley for taking care of himself as he's likely to start a darker chapter in his character. It can be scary to go against your workplace for the sake of your own self-care, but it is necessary aspect to keep your body and mind in the best condition. We wish you the best and await your return.
On a more positive note, the previous PPV All Out exceeded all expectations, earning buyouts not seen by a WWE rival since 1999. And from that momentum comes fresh blood that further shook up the wrestling landscape. How so? Let's recap.
There was one title change that happened in between PPVs. The seemingly unstoppable force that was Miro had finally met his match in the form of Sammy Guevara. While the motivation was suspect, but achievement was not loss on the field: he has become the second member of the Four Pillars to gain a title. He hopes to continue that legacy by defending it in a number of matches.
But first he had some unfinished business to attend to. Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle has moved on to new things, namely feuding with MMA fighters led by Dan Lambert. This... has been more entertaining than it has every right to be, namel due to Dan Lambert being a legendarily effective heel (even with promos from the faces that threaten to ruin the experience). Still, it was a decent blow-off match at Full Gear to (hopefully) cap things off.
Meanwhile, the Pinnacle has sights in being the very best in the ring. Namely MJF wanted to prove that he is the best up-and-coming wrestler of the named 'Four Pillars of AEW'. He has already defeated Jungle Boy and Sammy Guevara so all there was left was Darby Allin. The fiend did everything to rile up the painted one from beating up Sting to even bringing up the death of his uncle through a car crash. All came to a head at Full Gear, a fantastic bout that showed that yes MJF can wrestle. And it was a match where he called the finish of a headlock takedown pin victory...
Meanwhile, FTR has set their sites on becoming the first two-time AEW World Champions. They will have to take on the Lucha Brothers, Penta and Fenix, to get them. The luchadors took care of business against Proud and Powerful as well as The Acclaimed on their way to the current PPV, but not before FTR handed them the ultimate insult. The AAA Tag Team Championship was lost to the cunning old school wrestlers in a match not even AAA themselves were happy about. It only meant that there was plenty of bad blood between them. While the Lucha Bros were able to retain the title, they have at least one more date between each other at Triplemanía Regia II
Over on the women's side, Britt Baker has continued to dominate the field on top. While Ruby Soho tried her best, she was unable to use that momemtun to overcome the scummy heel tactics of DMD. The unsettling Abadon was also unable to overcome the odds. Now with her boyfriend in tow, she continues to utilize some of his moveset into her own. With Tay Conti defeated as well, it remains to be scene who can end her reign.
And that's partially because there's a new belt in town. AEW has recently revealed the TBS Championship to commemorate the upcoming move of AEW Dynamite to TBS (hopefully to avoid those pesky sports delays). With that, we have another tournament in the veins of the previous one earlier this year with a larger pool of women. Expect a lot of great matches in that card (and nearly all of them to last longer than the final Queen's Crown tournament in Vinceland). We'll know about the landscape of the women's division a bit better once it ends.
Up next is Cody Rhodes who's... doing his damn hardest not to turn heel even with the audience desperately trying to tell him otherwise. There was just no way he was going to draw heat from the arriving Malakai Black and that badass look, even when the later stemrolled through the Nightmare Family. Not even teaming up with the popular PAC against Andrade el Idolo helped. Try as he might, he will likely end up being the John Cena of the current era.
There is one person who is at least doing this intentionally, and it's honestly comes as a shock to me. CM Punk's return has been met with nearly universal acclaim. While many opponents have taken the opportunity to take him on, no one has succeeded. But there may be one person who has gotten under his skin. Eddie Kingston has put on the accusation that he has become every bit of the man he swore to be against. That above all else was what gotten CM Punk to bring out an edge not seen in years. And it's an criticism that some in the crowd actually believed in. The guy took a cheap shot to the face and the crowd still ended up booing him. He may end up seeing a heel turn from this man, but I am obligated to support him every step of the way. We'll see what happens.
As for our other big debutante, Bryan Danielson is currently speedrunning the wrestler of the year award. After getting a 5-star rating in his very first match at AEW, he has had wonderful matches with just about everyone who's faced him. All of this culminating with winning the tournament and the right to be the next number one contender for the AEW World Championship. How if only that damn crowd can get the chant right.
Which leads me to the main storyline which came to a head last Saturday. The Elite led by Kenny Omega and Don Callis had seen better days. While Kenny sent Christian Cage packing at All Out, he was still without the Impact Championship. And the Young Bucks lost their own titles as well. It felt like the group was circling the wagon with the titles they had left. The reunited Superkliq with Adam Cole hoped to keep Christian Cage and Jurassic Express at bay, but they ended up losing at the PPV.
And that led an opening to a certain Anxious Millennial Cowboy to make a return and finally make a challenge for the belt. After going missing ever since that loss to the Elite, Adam Page won the Ladder Match to become the next challenger to Kenny Omega. What followed was an emotional brawl between two former best friends who gave it their all throughout the match. Yet the storybook ending was destined to reach a new chapter. The Hangman who hanged himself so many times before with losing the chance to become the fist AEW Champion, costing the Young Bucks the chance for the title and self-destructing in his tag title match as well as multiple opportunities to challenge for the belt has finally done it. The lackey has surpassed his superior and taken up his rightful place as AEW World Champion. The Dark Order, a group who had their own issues following a missed opportunity for the tag titles, were there to celebrate and Adam Page was willing to join them in celebration.
So yeah. Great stuff with a happy ending. But where does the show go from here? There's plenty of storylines left actually. Adam Page will have to contend with many new challengers, starting with Bryan Danielson, a man with a ton of momentum. It will be a real challenge to get the crowd behind him in his first defense. There are others waiting in the distance just waiting to keep his time in the sun short. There's also The Elite's likely fall from grace. There's also the inevitable feud between Baker and Rosa which will likely end with a title shot to settle things once and for all. We could see CM Punk take a dark edge as he slowly loses the respect of the crowd. There's also Cody who's already done that without even crying. We also have rumors of those from Stamford who may be jumping ship for greener pastures in the near future.And of course there's the prospect of wrestlers from other promotions calling their shot. The door may have closed with Impact with Josh Alexander taking the belt from Christian Cage, but with restrictions with Japan loosening travel restrictions, there's always the chance for the occasional dream match down the road. So buckle up, a big chapter may have closed, butthe story itself is far from over...
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: TNT, TBS for Dynamite as of January 2022
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.
Everywhere else: Fite.tv
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