Chris Jericho

All Elite Wrestling didn't pull any punches when revealing its big plans to return to the road this year. Rather, it threw the stiffest possible shot—it's going into the heart of WWE territory by running a show in New York. 

AEW's flagship show, Dynamite, will get a special branding for the September 22nd event at Arthur Ashe Stadium, home of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, being labeled AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam. 

It's a stunning revelation by AEW for a number of reasons. It's not just the centerpiece of the company's return to the road, the event will be the first-ever wrestling show held at the venue. 

Call it a warning shot to WWE. After a quick, somewhat predictable ascent into the upper echelon of the wrestling world (the promotion filled a critical niche for fans), AEW essentially won the Wednesday night wars as WWE shifted its NXT program away from Dynamite. After throwing around some major weight on television programming, the natural next step was elbowing into the regional and national game with its touring. 

Now fans can see the first part of the plan. This is going to be an epic spectacle for both AEW and wrestling as a whole. The venue means AEW will place the ring right at center court, making for unique, if not amazing sightlines to the action for both in-person onlookers and those tuning in via television. 

And with what's at stake, it's safe to say AEW will go all out from a booking standpoint to give this special moment in modern wrestling history a pay-per-view-level event. That means plenty of titles on the line, big stars throughout the card and likely some major surprises. 

The goal of providing an alternative to WWE is one of the reasons AEW decided to run this particular event at a venue WWE has never stepped foot in, too.

Chris Jericho told the New York Daily News' Kate Feldman:

“They're a huge successful company, especially in the New York market. That's a WWE stronghold. But there are a lot of people who are excited to see things done a little bit differently, and I think that's one of the reasons why we're making our debut in New York City in a stadium WWE's never been in."

Even so, the challenge AEW faces is immense. Getting the hopeful 16,500-19,000 fans in the stands and selling this arena out isn't going to be an easy thing to accomplish. 

There have been many, many wrestling failures in the New York area over the last two or three decades, both in one-time shows and ongoing events. Even WCW at its prime with Hulk Hogan didn't always fill up New York arenas religiously. WWE has had its problems, too, no matter the card or how historic the venue might have been. 

And the fact we're talking about a Wednesday night is a major hurdle. This isn't a weekend event or one that goes down around a holiday. It's right in the middle of a workweek in a massive city with plenty of traffic and travel considerations to tackle. 

But that's what makes this so interesting to watch and such a power play on AEW's part right in the heart of WWE territory. We are talking about international star power here, with not only legends like Sting and Jericho, but guys who have gone all over the world and excelled—Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega, the list goes on and on. 

We're also talking about the first-ever show at this particular venue. And in the backdrop is the loosening of restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic. The general public is just getting back to being able to attend live events, and it feels like pretty much anything is selling out—wrestling fans will easily prove this to be the case over the summer and into the fall. 

Other promotions have tried to challenge WWE in certain regions and failed. The McMahons, after all, made their rise by gobbling up regionals before evolving into what it is today. But other promotions tried to gain headway on television and came up short or didn't last long, too. 

AEW has. One sellout here and the competition inches ever closer. It wouldn't mean WWE can't come to New York anymore or anything hyperbolic like that. It might not even impact WWE in the short term at all.

But if one sellout leads to another and consistently packed arenas in regions where WWE has traditionally had no equal, it could mean wrestling fans start to pick and choose which events to attend per year. You never know, right? And if that slowly starts to happen, WWE won't have a choice but to evolve in a way that remains competitive. 

That still sounds a tad dramatic, sure. But just a few years ago, anybody who suggested AEW would slap around WWE in the ratings war with a new show and send the juggernaut of a company retreating to a different night would have been laughed out of the building. 

So maybe this bold September event is the beginning of a seismic shift in the industry. Maybe not. Either way, it's bound to be something with the potential for an all-time classic of a modern show, if nothing else. 

Having already crossed paths with Mike Tyson recently, All Elite Wrestling star Chris Jericho challenged boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Jericho tweeted Sunday that "I'll be waiting" after Mayweather has moved on from his fight with Logan Paul:

Mayweather had a brief run in WWE in the spring of 2008, which culminated in his victory over The Big Show at WrestleMania XXIV. He returned as a guest host for Raw in 2009, which allowed him to reignite the feud.

Considering Mayweather is planning to earn between $50 million and $100 million for fighting Paul, Jericho might as well shoot his shot and look to cash in. It couldn't go any worse than his encounter with Mickey Rourke at WrestleMania 25.

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from AEW and WWE.

Sting Received Positive Reaction to Double or Nothing Match

After Sting teamed with Darby Allin in a winning effort against Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page at AEW Double or Nothing on Sunday, The Icon reportedly received a big reaction from those who were watching backstage.

According to PWInsider (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), the other wrestlers watching in the locker room gave Sting a "huge pop" when he came back through the curtain following the match.

It marked the 62-year-old veteran's first traditional match since 2015, and he played his role effectively.

Sting teamed with Allin against Brian Cage and Ricky Starks at Revolution in March, but that was a cinematic match taped ahead of time with no fans in attendance.

There was no real safety net for Sting at Double or Nothing with a sellout crowd present to watch him, but he seemingly made it through unscathed and hit all the marks he needed to.

Sting didn't move with the type of explosiveness he did earlier in his career, but he hit his signature moves and did enough to get the crowd into the match.

While Sting isn't someone who should be used often in an in-ring capacity, AEW can continue to get some mileage out of him by picking its spots and putting him in positions to succeed.

Belair Expects Rematch vs. Banks

On the heels of her historic match against Sasha Banks at WrestleMania 37, SmackDown Women's champion Bianca Belair believes another clash with The Boss is inevitable.

In an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Belair discussed her expectations for an eventual rematch with Banks: 

That night at WrestleMania, our match was about so much more than winning the title. We made history. And I'm fully expecting a rematch.

That moment was bigger than us. Even though I won the title, no one lost that night. That's why there are videos of Sasha smiling at the end. She had so much fulfillment from what came out of that match. Now, when she comes back and the title is on the line, we'll see who walks out as champion.

Belair vs. Banks was the main event match of Night 1 of WrestleMania, marking the first time in WWE history that two Black women competed in a WrestleMania main event.

It was also the first one-on-one women's match to headline a WrestleMania, as the WrestleMania 35 match between Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair was a Triple Threat.

While The EST was victorious and won her first title at WWE, The Boss turned in a remarkable performance as well, and both Superstars received universal praise.

Banks has been seen only once on WWE programming since WrestleMania, appearing briefly on the following episode of SmackDown.

During Sasha's absence, Belair has been embroiled in a rivalry with Bayley. Assuming Bianca exits that feud with her title reign intact, Banks figures to come for the title again sometime soon.

A match between Banks and Belair at SummerSlam would be huge for women's wrestling, especially with WWE planning to make it a big event with a large amount of fans in attendance.

Khan Teases Identity of AEW Rampage Announcer

AEW President Tony Khan provided some hints this week regarding who will join Mark Henry as an announcer on the upcoming AEW Rampage show.

According to WrestlingInc.com's Jason Ounpraseuth, Khan said:

I'm not necessarily gonna say he's going to be the play-by-play or color analyst, but he's going to be a big part of the show. I have a big announcement. I don't want to sound like it's going to be an outside person. It's somebody who's one of our top stars that will be on commentary on the show. He's a great commentator, and a great wrestler, that might narrow it down, but I'm going to put him on commentary.

Khan's hint suggests one of the Rampage announcers will be an active wrestler who has some announcing experience.

Chris Jericho immediately stands out since he has done commentary quite often in AEW, while Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega are other big names who have spent some time at the announce table.

Whoever it is, they will be joining forces with Henry, who is AEW's newest signing. Henry's arrival was announced at Double or Nothing when he appeared prior to the main event.

Henry had been with WWE in some capacity since 1996, but now he will have a chance to try his hand at commentary, much like Paul "Big Show" Wight on AEW Dark: Elevation.

Rampage is set to debut on Aug. 13, and it will be a weekly one-hour show airing at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.

It will provide AEW wrestlers with a much-needed second television platform aside from Dynamite and could go a long way toward getting much of the roster more exposure.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

Jericho Talks Henry Joining AEW

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry shockingly made his AEW debut during Sunday night's Double or Nothing pay-per-view.

It was announced that Henry will serve as an analyst on AEW Rampage, which is a new weekly show that will debut on TNT in August.

Much like when Paul "Big Show" Wight departed WWE for AEW a few months ago, it was shocking to see Henry leave WWE, as he had been with the company in some capacity since 1996.

Another former WWE Superstar in Chris Jericho discussed Henry and how important of an asset he could be to AEW during a post-show press conference (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News):

"I think any time we can have a guy with the experience of Mark Henry, both in the ring and outside the ring, just helps our company. It's one of the things that we needed very much when we first started because it was basically me, Dustin Rhodes, and Dean Malenko were the guys that had decades of experience on live TV. Here we are a year and a half later and our guys and girls are still learning. So having a guy like Mark come in is the same thing like having a guy like Paul Wight come in."

Jericho expressed his belief that Henry can do "anything" for AEW behind the scenes and on camera, and he even suggested that The World's Strongest Man could potentially wrestle again.

The 49-year-old Henry has not competed in a match since 2018, but he said in April that he would like to have one more match before officially calling it a career.

AEW has shown a willingness to use older wrestlers in big spots, as the 50-year-old Jericho was the company's first world champion, and the 62-year-old Sting just had a match at Double or Nothing.

Henry should bring a lot to the table in a company that features no shortage of young stars who could benefit from the guidance of a former world heavyweight champion.

Even if the former Olympian doesn't wrestle again, his mere presence should go a long way toward adding to the product.

Miz's Injury Reportedly Not as Bad as Initially Feared

The Miz reportedly may not have as long of a recovery timetable as feared after suffering an injury at WrestleMania Backlash.

Miz reportedly suffered a knee injury at the pay-per-view, and it was thought to be a torn ACL that would require nine or more months of recovery.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Miz did not have major surgery, meaning he may only have partially torn his ACL, which could result in him returning to the ring far sooner than the nine-month timetable.

On Monday's episode of Raw, Miz made an appearance for the first time since getting injured at WrestleMania Backlash. He hosted a Miz TV segment along with John Morrison that featured Raw women's champion Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair.

Miz said on the talk show that he was injured but didn't give any specifics beyond that. At one point, he stood up and didn't put any weight on one of his legs. He also appeared to have a brace on his knee under his pants.

While it is impossible to say when The Miz will be able to wrestle again at this point, the fact that he was on Raw was a positive sign since most wrestlers who suffer significant injuries are kept off TV by WWE.

Even if Miz still needs months of recovery time, he can still be an asset to WWE on Raw due to his ability to cut promos and put over other performers without even having a match.

The Miz has never suffered a major injury during his 15-year WWE career, and while it remains to be seen how bad his current injury is, he proved Monday he can be of use to WWE regardless.

Eva Marie Shoots Down Rumor That She Won't Wrestle in WWE

Ahead of her impending return to WWE, Eva Marie took aim at a recent report regarding her expected role on Raw.

Last week, Fightful Select (h/t Marc Middleton of WrestlingInc.com) reported that the "working plan" is for Eva to get another female star over on Raw and for Eva not to wrestle.

Eva shot that rumor down Tuesday with the following tweet:

For the past several weeks, vignettes have aired on Raw hailing the beginning of the "Eva-lution." The vignettes have featured Eva training in the ring as well as her discussing her desire to help others.

While Eva was not known for high-level work in the ring during her first WWE tenure from 2013-17, she has a great look and charisma, and it shouldn't be difficult for WWE to find a good role for her.

Perhaps Eva will be a hybrid of a wrestler and a manager who wrestles on occasion but also helps guide other Superstars to the top.

Of those on the Raw roster, Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke stand out as the best options for Eva to either manage or lead as part of a stable.

Mandy and Dana beat Naomi and Lana on Monday's Raw, and with Eva leading the way, they could be presented as a threat to beat Natalya and Tamina for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships.

Regardless of how WWE decides to use Eva, her presence undoubtedly has fans talking.

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The Inner Circle defeated The Pinnacle in a Stadium Stampede match at AEW Double or Nothing on Sunday, meaning they will not be forced to disband.

The match set a high bar from the outset as The Inner Circle rappelled from the video board at the Jacksonville Jaguars' TIAA Bank Field.

The action wasn't lacking in memorable spots, with Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer and inside linebackers coach Charlie Strong making unexpected cameos.

Stadium Stampede debuted at Double or Nothing last year and saw The Elite beat The Inner Circle, which is why Pinnacle leader MJF decided to challenge The Inner Circle to that same match type.

The challenge was laid down on the heels of the first ever Blood and Guts match on AEW Dynamite on May 5 between The Pinnacle and The Inner Circle. The Pinnacle—MJF, Wardlow, FTR and Shawn Spears—won the match, but the manner in which they won had their rivals out for revenge.

Sammy Guevara surrendered on behalf of The Inner Circle to prevent MJF from throwing Jericho off the top of the cage, but the Pinnacle leader did it anyway despite the fact that his team had already won. He sent The Demo God crashing through a platform, and the veteran had to be taken away on a stretcher.

The following week on Dynamite, The Inner Circle interrupted The Pinnacle's celebration, and much to MJF's surprise, Jericho was present with a brace on his arm.

They demanded another match, but MJF refused, prompting The Inner Circle to shoot all members of The Pinnacle with a champagne gun.

MJF broke down and agreed to face The Inner Circle under the conditions that it be a Stadium Stampede match and that the stable must break up in the event of a loss.

The Inner Circle didn't accept immediately, but Jericho cut a passionate promo the following week and agreed to the conditions.

Jericho and Inner Circle members Guevara, Santana, Ortiz and Jake Hager have been out for retribution for some time, as MJF attempted to destroy the group from the inside before starting a group of his own.

The Inner Circle got another opportunity to get back at MJF at Double or Nothing, and they did precisely that by winning the match and avoiding the threat of having to disband.

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).