All Elite Wrestling

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

Becky Lynch Wants 'No Smoke' From Chris Jericho

On Monday's Raw, Becky Lynch used an interesting phrase to describe herself, calling herself a "wizard" for her ability to take away Bianca Belair's championship in the blink of an eye.

As you might know, Chris Jericho is currently calling himself "The Wizard" over on AEW. While Lynch's comment was more of a one-off than building a new nickname for herself, she made sure to clear up the air and make sure there was no beef with Jericho.

Lynch's increasingly manic gimmick has been one of the best-running things on WWE programming since her loss to Belair at WrestleMania. Each week brings a new hairstyle, a new pair of sunglasses, a whole new wardrobe as The Man becomes increasingly frustrated with her inability to get back the gold.

Jericho is throwing fireballs in people's faces as part of a cosplay boyband and having blood-and-mustard-fueled matches.

Even if Lynch drops off the "wizard" line a couple times moving forward, there's more than enough room for these two different kinds of wildly entertaining wizards in professional wrestling.

For everyone's sake, let's hope they never change.

AJ Styles, The Miz Slated for SmackDown Appearances

WWE's brand split has been only loosely in place for months now, so it's no surprise when we see so-called SmackDown superstars popping up on Raw and vice versa.

As far as the go-home SmackDown for this week's Hell in a Cell, it appears we'll be getting appearances from AJ Styles and The Miz, per PWInsider. It's unclear whether they'll be having a match or a promo segment.

The Miz is currently on a promotional jaunt ahead of the season premiere of Miz and Mrs. while bouncing around a number of other feuds to add fuel to the fire. He's not currently slated to have a match at Sunday's premium live event, though one could be set up Friday night.

Styles is set to team up with Finn Balor and Liv Morgan to take on The Judgment Day. Odds are that feud will be furthered when Styles makes his appearance at the house he built.

MJF, AEW Relationship Update

Whew.

There's not really much else to say about the whirlwind of controversy surrounding MJF and AEW. MJF spent the entire weekend putting a scare into the wrestling world by not showing up to a meet-and-greet Saturday and scheduling a plane out of Las Vegas before eventually coming to the arena (late) and doing the job to Wardlow.

Tony Khan has refused to comment on the situation, and MJF's only public comments came via Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful that did little other than confirm we likely won't be seeing him for a while on AEW programming.

With the two eyes of the storm not giving out much information, all that's left is reporting sourced from people close to the situation. Sapp reported MJF and AEW management were set to speak before leaving Las Vegas, but no details on the contents of the meeting have been made available.

Following the departures of Sasha Banks and Naomi from WWE programming, this has been a time of talents making borderline unprecedented stands. In the case of Banks and Naomi, it's creative frustration. In the case of MJF, it's apparently long-simmering frustration with his contractual situation.

AEW and WWE have also handled these matters far differently. AEW's kept itself quiet, while WWE went on the offensive and ripped Banks and Naomi as the talent stayed silent.

Your mileage may vary on both strategies, but we'll see which of the three winds up being back on our televisions first.

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

AEW's Jake Atlas was arrested May 23 on a domestic violence charge after allegedly scratching his boyfriend during an argument.

TMZ Sports reported Atlas and his boyfriend engaged in a sexual encounter with a woman, and the wrestler became angry when his boyfriend paid "more attention" to the woman. He then allegedly tried to attack his boyfriend multiple times and ripped his shirt before police arrived.

A judge put an order into place barring Atlas from having contact with the man. He was charged with a misdemeanor count of battery (domestic violence) and released under pretrial supervision.

Atlas was allegedly uncooperative with police when they arrived on the scene and refused to give officers his side of the story.

The 28-year-old signed with WWE in 2019 and became one of the sport's most prominent publicly out wrestlers. He was released by WWE in 2021 before signing with AEW in January. On his debut appearance on TV for the company Jan. 7, he suffered a knee injury that has kept him out of action.

AEW has not commented on Atlas' arrest at this time, but his name has been removed from the company's official roster.

Less than a year ago, the thought of CM Punk standing as a pro wrestling promotion's top champion was baffling—now he's the AEW world champion and fans are headed for the next Summer of Punk. 

Sunday night at All Elite Wrestling's Double or Nothing, Punk got the best of champion "Hangman" Adam Page to close the show in an instant classic that featured not only some brilliant storytelling that avoided heel turns, but also some of the most important historical landmarks in modern wrestling history. 

After all, Punk was going on a near-decade hiatus from pro wrestling after his ugly split with WWE. That ended during his big return last August, and though he started slow while working with up-and-coming Superstars, it was only a matter of time before he contended for the promotion's top title. 

By the end of the night on Sunday, the 43-year-old was overcome with emotion after being announced as the winner, capping off a stunning resume: 

And it sure feels like we're just getting started. 

In a major way, thank the booking. This hardly has to mean the end of the Punk vs. Page saga. Perhaps if fans are lucky, it's only just getting started. 

But even if the Superstars go their own separate ways, AEW's call to not roll out a major heel turn for shock value is actually the best decision possible. The match sure hinted at chances for both. Punk avoided resorting to dastardly means to get a win on one of the biggest stages of his storied career, so there's no asterisk on it in the history books. He now gets to be the brand ambassador while welcoming babyface and heel challengers alike. 

And Page, frankly, is perhaps the best long-term booked Superstar of his generation, if not longer. What started as a journey as an underdog home-grown talent hoping to make it big, only to be cut down and take a windy course to the top over the course of multiple years, has hit another stunning development. 

Page's conscience got the best of him.

With the referee down, he could have ended a slugfest where no one man truly had an advantage by using his title as a weapon. He chose not to, threw it aside, got countered and lost said title. Nobody could complain if this was his "Joker" moment and breaks bad again, or if he doubles down and perseveres. 

A disclaimer—both of these get a for now designation, of course. Page going heel would be understandable. Punk is one of the best of the modern era at doing it and it only feels like a matter of time. 

Either way, another summer of Punk, once thought an impossibility reserved for the fantasy-bookers only, is here. And he'll be the center of every broadcast in the way Jon Moxley or Chris Jericho was, as opposed to Page's more reserved run where the rest of the roster seemed to shine brighter often. 

Given the lack of a heel turn, there's no expectation that Punk will ultimately lose to a Superstar who must be the next guy, either. He can have new, fun feuds, sure, but some of the old matchups he's already had against the likes of Darby Allin, MJF, Eddie Kingston and especially Wardlow can now unfold in a fresh light. 

Interestingly, speaking of the match quality itself, even Punk's botches on Buckshot Lariats told a captivating story of a modern, albeit aging legend trying to show he can run with the next generation. An unintentional thing (during a main event taking place well after midnight on the east coast, no less), but something Punk and his future opponents can surely weave expertly into storylines. Who doesn't want to root for the grizzled, graying veteran who really earns those "You still got it" chants?

Not that the horse needs hit much more, but this main event was another good example of where AEW just blows most other competitors out of the water. Yes, there were "steal the opponent's finisher" spots that often feel cliche. But the above meant they had more meaning than usual. And the good guy being conflicted about brutalizing an opponent with a weapon to get a win has quite a bit more weight behind it when the Superstar doing it has years and years of complex character development that gets tested in that single moment. 

In short, there's a reason the crowd at the very end of a very long pay-per-view was as red hot as viewers will see—and seemingly split right down the middle during a match with no true villain. 

It's also worth noting this is a critical juncture for AEW, which makes the Punk win and hitting the brakes on a heel turn noteworthy. The company just lost Cody Rhodes. There's the MJF drama. The main event scene needs to stabilize a bit. If there's a guy to head all this up—never mind clash with a certain three-lettered competitor a bit over the summer—it's undoubtedly Punk. 

Most fans familiar with The Best in the World know another Summer of Punk is near-guaranteed to be a banger. But with this sort of careful passion for the craft flanking him, highlighted by Page, it has a real shot to be the best rendition yet. 

Given Punk's historical resume and fan expectations surrounding his return to pro wrestling, that's saying something. 

CM Punk defeated "Hangman" Adam Page at Double or Nothing on Sunday night to win the AEW World Championship for the first time.

Page didn't land the full Buckshot Lariat but connected with a thunderous lariat on Punk that might have won him the match had the referee not been inadvertently taken out.

The champion picked up the title belt and briefly grappled with whether to embrace his dark side and take out the challenger for good. Page ultimately put the belt aside and lined up another Buckshot Lariat.

However, Punk caught him and hit the GTS for the victory.

Punk has progressively worked his way up the ladder in All Elite Wrestling and established himself as a world title contender since ending his seven-year hiatus from pro wrestling in August.

Darby Allin, Eddie Kingston and Wardlow were just a few of the opponents The Best in the World defeated en route to a title opportunity. He also got retribution for his first AEW loss to MJF by beating him in a dog collar match at Revolution in March.

After beating MJF, Punk made it clear that he was interested in pursuing the AEW World Championship and was eventually given that chance.

In the wake of the former WWE Superstar winning a match against Dustin Rhodes on the April 20 episode of Dynamite, he and Page crossed paths on the ramp, leading to a staredown.

Given his status as the No. 1-ranked male singles wrestler in AEW, Punk was granted his title shot shortly thereafter.

While the 43-year-old was a sentimental favorite to reach the top of the mountain in AEW, he was far from guaranteed to do so given everything Page went through to win the title and keep it.

Hangman wanted the AEW World Championship from the time the promotion started, but it wasn't until he beat Kenny Omega at Full Gear in November that he finally got it.

Since then, Page has faced and beaten all comers, including Bryan Danielson, Lance Archer and Adam Cole.

Leading up to Double or Nothing, Punk and Page both cut passionate promos about why they had to win at the pay-per-view.

Punk noted that he respected Page, but he wanted to prove he could still compete at the highest level. Meanwhile, Hangman expressed his desire to "destroy" and "embarrass" his opponent.

Ultimately, it was Punk who prevailed at Double or Nothing, making him the fifth different AEW world champion in the company's history and marking the start of his first world title reign since dropping the WWE Championship in 2013.

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

Jurassic Express defeated the teams of Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs and Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland in a three-way tag team match to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships at Double or Nothing on Sunday.

Sunday marked the second consecutive pay-per-view at which Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus were tasked with defending the tag titles against two sets of challengers.

The first instance occurred at Revolution in March when Jurassic Express beat both The Young Bucks and reDRagon to retain.

They faced perhaps an even bigger challenge at Double or Nothing because of the size and strength of some of the competitors involved.

One team was comprised of Team Taz members in Starks and Hobbs, who had established themselves as the No. 2-ranked tag team in AEW behind only FTR.

After beating teams like Lee and Strickland and Dark Order, Starks and Hobbs made it clear that they had the tag team titles in their sights, and they let Jurassic Express know that they were coming for them.

Like Starks and Hobbs, Lee and Strickland racked up several wins as a team to get themselves in the title conversation as well.

The former WWE stars entered AEW as singles performers but hit their stride as a tag team by beating teams like Q.T. Marshall and Nick Comoroto, and Luther and Serpentico.

After Lee and Swerve defeated J.D. Drake and Anthony Henry on the May 18 episode of Dynamite, they cut a promo about breaking the top five in the tag team rankings and wanting a title shot.

Starks and Hobbs interrupted, which led to Jurassic Express making their way to the ring and Christian Cage challenging both teams on behalf of Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus.

The odds were stacked against Jurassic Express again, but by virtue of their victory, they pushed their title reign close to the five-month mark.

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

The Jericho Appreciation Society defeated Blackpool Combat Club in a 10-man Anarchy in the Arena match at AEW Double or Nothing on Sunday night.

Chris Jericho and Jake Hager combined for a double submission on Bryan Danielson as the match neared its conclusion. Jericho had Danielson trapped with a single-leg crab while Hager was choking Danielson out with the ring rope.

The referee called for the bell when he passed out.

That capped off a physical, bloody affair.

The basis of Sunday's bout was a feud pitting Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz against the JAS comprised of Jericho, Hager, Daniel Garcia, Angelo Parker and Matt Menard.

Jericho formed the new stable after his singles feud with Kingston, which essentially caused the implosion of The Inner Circle.

While Hager stayed by Jericho's side, Santana and Ortiz aligned themselves with Kingston. That wasn't initially a fruitful move for Santana and Ortiz since the numbers advantage allowed the Jericho Appreciation Society to get the upper hand.

That all changed a couple of weeks ago when Kingston's longtime friend, Jon Moxley, confronted Jericho and Co. and made it clear that he would fight alongside Kingston.

Also, despite the fact that he and Kingston aren't necessarily close, Danielson entered the fray in support of his BCC stablemate in Moxley.

William Regal is the founder and manager of BCC, and while he is no longer a wrestler, he even got in on the violence by knocking out Jericho with a single punch.

That didn't sit well with Jericho, who eventually challenged Moxley, Danielson, Kingston, Santana and Ortiz to a 10-man tag at Double or Nothing. Specifically, Jericho called for it to be a Stadium Stampede match.

Mox accepted the challenge on behalf of his group but shot down the idea of Stadium Stampede, saying the match needed to be a brutal battle with no rules.

It ended up being precisely that, but BCC could not get their revenge as the Jericho Appreciation Society came out on top.

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

In her first pay-per-view title defense, Thunder Rosa defeated Serena Deeb at AEW Double or Nothing on Sunday to retain the AEW Women's World Championship.

Rosa connected with a superplex and transitioned seamlessly into the Fire Thunder Driver to earn the victory.

Sunday's bout was a long time coming, as both Rosa and Deeb made their All Elite Wrestling in-ring debut in a match against each other on the Sept. 2, 2020, episode of Dynamite. Rosa won that contest, but Deeb eventually got some measure of revenge.

In October 2020, she beat Rosa for the NWA women's title and followed that up by successfully defending it against Rosa weeks later on the Nov. 18 edition of Dynamite.

Despite Deeb's success, it was Rosa who broke through to the top of the AEW women's division first by virtue of her rivalry with Britt Baker.

Rosa famously beat The Doctor in an unsanctioned lights out match on the March 11, 2021, episode of Dynamite, and almost exactly one year later, she scored an even bigger win over her.

With a victory at Revolution in March, Rosa became AEW women's world champion and ended Baker's 290-day reign.

She followed that up with a win over Nyla Rose at AEW Battle of the Belts II in April, giving Rosa her first successful title defense.

Just a couple of weeks later, Serena beat Hikaru Shida in a street fight on Dynamite, cementing her status as the No. 1-ranked contender in the women's division and earning her a title shot at Double or Nothing.

Deeb noted that while she respected Rosa, she didn't consider her the best women's wrestler in the world, and she would establish herself as such by beating her at the PPV.

She tried to get in Rosa's head leading up to Double or Nothing, even orchestrating a surprise attack on a recent episode of Dynamite, but the champion managed to remain focused and left Las Vegas with her title reign intact.

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