All Elite Wrestling

All Elite Wrestling star Bryan Danielson was involved in a scary moment during Wednesday night's AEW Rampage taping.

As seen in the following videos, Danielson got his leg stuck between the ring apron and elevated ramp, resulting in several AEW personnel working to get him freed:

According to WrestlingInc's Sai Mohan, the incident occurred after a match pitting Danielson and Blackpool Combat Club stablemate Jon Moxley against Matt Sydal and Dante Martin.

There was also a brawl after the match between the Blackpool Combat Club and Jericho Appreciation Society, which is when Danielson's leg got trapped.

Mohan noted that fans in attendance at the Fertitta Center in Houston said Danielson was stuck for "several minutes" before getting loose.

Danielson reportedly walked off under his own power with a limp and gave a thumbs up to Blackpool Combat Club ally Eddie Kingston.

Earlier in the night, the Blackpool Combat Club and Jericho Appreciation Society had a confrontation on Dynamite, and it was teased that they are likely to face each other in a five-on-five match, perhaps under a Blood and Guts stipulation.

Danielson, 40, signed with AEW in September after spending more than a decade in WWE under the name Daniel Bryan.

As Daniel Bryan, Danielson was a five-time world champion in WWE and established himself as a surefire future Hall of Famer.

Since arriving in AEW, Danielson has had memorable matches against the likes of Kenny Omega, "Hangman" Adam Page and Moxley, and he has quickly cemented his status as one of AEW's top stars.

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In just two months, Blackpool Combat Club has become All Elite Wrestling's hottest stable. That's likely because the group is composed of three of the most popular acquisitions from WWE dealing out copious amounts of violence. It's an appealing selling point for most fans.

For about three minutes, William Regal waxed poetically about the group's intentions to make sure their opponents never forget them by leaving scars as a part of the Road to Baltimore special. 

This amazing segment that aired on the company's YouTube channel deftly summarized why the act works so well. 

It was a nice addition to AEW's style of storytelling and the polar opposite of Chris Jericho's promo to introduce the Jericho Appreciation Society. Is it any wonder that Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley and Wheeler Yuta attacked the JAS on the last episode of Dynamite? They're essentially their antithesis, so it was only a matter of time before they crossed paths.

This confrontation could lead to the next Blood and Guts match, AEW's version of the classic WarGames stipulation. NXT fans may remember that its former general manager settled disputes that got out of hand with that match type.

So, it could lead to a fun callback to his time with the black-and-gold brand, but where else is this going? Blackpool Combat Club is a tremendous act but what is the endgame for them?

Mentoring Future Stars

This new unit started when Danielson confronted Moxley on Feb. 2, offering him the chance to join forces and run roughshod over the rest of the roster. The proposition led to their gut-wrenching match at Revolution in March.

At the event, Mox countered The American Dragon's triangle choke into a pin to narrowly escape the bloody confrontation. Infuriated by the finish, Danielson started a brawl with his opponent.

Afterward, Regal debuted and broke up the fight, delivering a strike likened to Antonio Inoki's famous slap. Legend has it that a slap from the first IWGP heavyweight champion and the founder of New Japan Pro-Wrestling imbued people with fighting spirit. It's a clever reference for savvy fans that AEW seemed to play off of here and in the initiation into the Blackpool Combat Club.

It's not hard to tell that Japanese wrestling has influenced the group because it has been such a crucial part of their careers. Regal worked with NJPW in the early 1990s as Lord Steven Regal. The Englishman trained Danielson during his time with Memphis Championship Wrestling, but he also was a student at the NJPW's original Los Angeles dojo.

Even more, the 40-year-old also wrestled with promotion before returning to WWE in 2009. His desire to compete in Japan again seemingly led to his decision to join AEW.

Moxley's current presentation is also inspired by Atsushi Onita, and he has wrestled a host of NJPW wrestlers in the United States over the past year.

Regal employed the slap again when Yuta sought to join them on the St. Patrick's Day Slam edition of Dynamite. This excellent callback to Danielson's initial offer, where he talked about taking newcomers like the 25-year-old under their wings, paid off. It also ensured that mentorship will continue to be an integral part of the stable's goals.

The group put the current ROH Pure champion through the wringer, but he ultimately impressed them and won over the AEW fanbase. Yuta is quickly becoming the breakout star of 2022, and he recently made the trip to Japan to compete in this year's Best Of The Super Juniors tournament.

Moxley similarly mentored a young lion, Shota Umino, during his run with NJPW. So, this angle is a great way to draw from each of the initial members' careers and use their collective experience to create new stars. It would be nice to see them interact at Windy City Riot and it would be cool to see Shooter become an official member of BCC.

Nevertheless, we will more than likely see more recruits like Lee Moriarty as he and Danielson have been linked for some time.

Championship Gold

Danielson proposed that he and Moxley could change the direction of AEW by training the future of pro wrestling. However, he also told his stablemate that they could be world champions.

So, it seems easy to predict that Blackpool Combat Club will challenge for title gold very soon. Mox and The American Dragon have been a formidable tag team. They could dethrone Jurassic Express, who the Aberdeen, Washington native mocked as he made his offer.

Adding Yuta to the mix makes them a top option for AEW's eventual trios titles. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Robert Gunier of Wrestling Inc), Tony Khan has already commissioned the new belts and it's only a matter of time before he introduces them.

ROH also has a set of six-man tag team titles that haven't appeared since Final Battle 2021. If Khan wants to take the belts off The Righteous and reintroduce them, Blackpool Combat Club would be the perfect contenders.

Lastly, Moxley is currently third on men's power ranking, which would seem to suggest he will reenter the title picture soon. In fact, he could be the next No. 1 contender following the AEW World Championship match at Double or Nothing on May 29. This would put either Adam Page or CM Punk in his sights.

Punk and the ex-member of The Shield have a history together. However, he also withdrew from the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament last year, missing his chance to gain a shot at Page. In his absence, his stablemate won the tournament and went on to challenge Hangman, so there is a story to tell between both men.

This also potentially gets us one step closer to a staredown between Punk and Danielson. AEW has not revisited their storied rivalry yet. They haven't even appeared on screen together, which seems incredibly intentional. If The Best in the World defeats Hangman, Blackpool Combat Club could be the way to reignite their feud.

It's difficult to say if this means the stable will secure the company's top prize anytime soon but there is certainly championship gold in their future. It wouldn't even be hard to imagine all three active members holding a title at some point.

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Latest on MJF-AEW Contract Talks

Contracts are increasingly becoming the biggest story in wrestling. Details of Roman Reigns' new deal with WWE made waves as he steps away from being a full-time performer, while MJF's ongoing public flirtation with free agency is likely working nerves in AEW.

Fightful Select reported MJF is currently leaning toward leaving AEW for WWE when his current contract expires in 2024 over frustrations with negotiations. 

MJF has been the crown jewel among the younger AEW talent, putting on some of the best feuds in the company's history and establishing himself as the sport's best promo. He reportedly wants to be compensated as one of the company's top stars, something Tony Khan is willing to do, per Fightful Select.

However, no actual formal talks between the two sides have taken place. Khan reportedly wants a long-term commitment from MJF in order to rip up his current contract; MJF is reportedly understanding that any new deal would have to come as part of an extension.

The two sides have plenty of time to work things out, with MJF still under contract until 2024. That said, AEW can't afford to miss out on keeping its most promising young star.

Matt Hardy Names Tag Team Mount Rushmore

No surprise here: Matt Hardy believes he and his brother Jeff are among the greatest tag teams in history.

The AEW star named his tag team Mount Rushmore on the latest episode of his podcast, including the Hardys, The Road Warriors, The Dudley Boyz and Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard of the Four Horsemen.

“I think the first tag team, known as the most dominant tag team ever would have to be The Road Warriors,” Hardy said. “I would put them on there. I have a lot of love for Tully and Arn, I think they were very special.

“Here’s who I’m going to go with: The Road Warriors who are often looked at as the greatest tag team of all time, Tully and Arn because I just thought they were so dominant throughout their period with the Four Horsemen and they brought a very special technical style for heels that was unmatched. I feel like I have to go with The Dudleys as well because they’re so decorated and then just considering what we’re doing now here in AEW, I’m going to have to be biased and go with The Hardys.”

It's hard to find much to quibble with on Hardy's list. Edge & Christian, The Hart Foundation and the Rock 'n' Roll Express are among the teams that could feel a little left out, but you can see why Hardy would lean more toward his choices. Edge and Christian are better known for their singles runs at this point in their career; same goes for Bret Hart as part of the Hart Foundation. The Rock 'n' Roll Express did most of their legacy-defining work in the territory days. 

While the territory point could be made when discussing the Horsemen, you're not going to find many in the wrestling business who weren't massive Horsemen marks. 

Malakai Black Discusses WWE Creative Frustrations

When it comes to departing WWE talent, there tends to be a pattern in their comments about their time with the company:

1. loving NXT
2. difficulties adjusting to main roster
3. creative disillusionment and departure 

While there are some exceptions to that rule, it does not appear Malakai is one of them. The AEW star heaped effusive praise on Triple H for his handling of his NXT character but admitted he was sometimes stuck in a creative rut after moving up to Raw and SmackDown. 

“The one thing I will say, I’ve always had this in my head where I felt that the room promos eventually ran it’s course, even [Paul] Heyman said that," Black said on the Universal Wrestling Podcast. "But Vince [McMahon] liked them very much and he never really wanted him to change very often and we were like ‘OK’ but we felt like we needed to…everything needs to evolve, ya know? I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ‘pick a fight’ line but again, I didn’t wanna be that guy, I was given something, so I tried to make it work but eventually when me and Heyman both felt like, OK it’s running it’s course and these promos are not completely connecting, it was intriguing but it never went anywhere. I felt like we were never able to like, see the evolved version, we would never see what was going to happen next because the whole world changed and what we were filming changed and the narrative changed and where I was placed in the program changed and all these things were happening.”

Black wrestled in WWE from 2016 until his surprising departure in 2021; he seems more creatively fulfilled since joining AEW. 

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Top WrestleMania 39 Matches Reportedly in Place

WrestleMania 39 is 11 months away, but WWE reportedly already has an idea of what it wants to do at the massive event.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc's Marc Middleton), WWE chairman Vince McMahon has plans in place for some of the top matches at WrestleMania 39.

WrestleMania 39 could be one of the biggest events in WWE history, as it will take place at the state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

There are many big matches and moments that WWE could put on the card, including a match between Roman Reigns and The Rock, as well as Cody Rhodes possibly achieving his lifelong dream of becoming WWE champion.

WWE often catches flak for booking on a week-to-week basis and not having a long-term vision, but when it comes to WrestleMania, one can only assume that the company has plans in mind throughout the year.

That is especially true if WWE does want someone like The Rock to be part of the show. Since The Rock is one of the biggest and most successful movie stars in the world, he has to be locked in well ahead of time.

WWE hasn't given any indication that Reigns vs. The Rock is on for WrestleMania 39, but it is considered by most to be the biggest possible dream match WWE can do, so it is a safe bet that WWE would jump at the chance to make it happen.

Money in the Bank Stipulation Reportedly Not Changing

Despite confusion regarding the stakes at this year's Money in the Bank pay-per-view, WWE reportedly isn't straying from the traditional format.

In a Money in the Bank preview that has aired multiple times since last weekend's WrestleMania Backlash event, Rhodes said that the winners of the men's and women's Money in the Bank ladder matches will earn the chance to main event WrestleMania.

Since its inception, the Money in the Bank ladder matches have earned a contract for a guaranteed title match that can be cashed in at any time.

According to Meltzer (h/t Middleton), many within WWE believe that will continue to be the case this year and that the wording in the commercial may have simply been a mistake.

A source within WWE also indicated to Meltzer that the top matches being considered for WrestleMania 39 are not expected to involve Money in the Bank winners.

It is possible that WWE accidentally conveyed a confusing message in the Money in the Bank commercial, but it is notable that it aired the commercial more than once rather than making any changes.

Winning Money in the Bank technically could mean that someone cashes in for a title shot in a big match at WrestleMania, but they aren't confined to doing so.

Since many seem to expect Rhodes to be in a world title match at WrestleMania, perhaps the plan is for him to win Money in the Bank and ultimately use it for that purpose.

MJF Reportedly Considering Leaving AEW When Contract Expires

MJF is reportedly frustrated with AEW and may choose to leave the company when his contract expires.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Middleton), MJF is "leaning toward" departing AEW when his contract expires on Jan. 1, 2024. If that happens, WWE would be the only logical landing spot for the 26-year-old rising star.

MJF has been open about his impending free agency and his intention to test the market in interviews. Per Fightful, his desire to hear multiple offers is legitimate and not simply part of his heel persona.

It was also noted by Fightful that there was previously an issue between MJF and AEW president Tony Khan because of MJF doing an interview with Ariel Helwani without notifying AEW or asking for permission first.

MJF and Khan reportedly hashed things out during a meeting, but the "sentiment hasn't necessarily lasted" for MJF.

Another part of Fightful's report noted that MJF and AEW have had contract negotiations, but it isn't believed that the two sides are anywhere close to striking a deal.

One thing potentially working in WWE's favor when it comes to signing MJF is that he has links to the company.

WWE executive Bruce Prichard worked closely with MJF in MLW before MJF joined AEW. Also, MJF is close with Rhodes, who has been booked like a massive star since making the leap from AEW to WWE last month.

WWE undoubtedly has the money needed to compete with AEW to sign MJF, and now that it can present MJF with an example of an AEW guy being pushed to the top in WWE, it may be a highly attractive option for the remarkable talent.

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