All Elite Wrestling

Chris Jericho is a rather divisive figure in professional wrestling. The Canadian wrestler has such a legendary body of work that some fans consider him one of the greatest of all time.

While he also has many critics, particularly those concerned with comments he's made outside of wrestling, it's hard to deny the man of many nicknames and catchphrases is wildly entertaining at his best. His foray into Japan to face Kenny Omega at Wrestle Kingdom 12 helped to pave the way for All Elite Wrestling. Later, his stint as the inaugural AEW world champion gave the company its first glimpse at mainstream star power before Jon Moxley, CM Punk or Bryan Danielson entered the fold.

However, The Demo God's act kind of grew stale after he turned face and his stable, The Inner Circle, had run its course. His feud with MJF created some memorable moments like the Blood and Guts match or The Labors of Jericho. Still, it lasted way too long and ended anticlimactically after he pinned The Salt of The Earth at All Out in September.

Still, it's hard to ever count the veteran star out. Whether you love or hate him, he has always managed to adapt and reinvent himself. After what seemed like a creative drought, Jericho has done just that following a war of words with Eddie Kingston on the Feb. 23 episode of Dynamite.

The self-proclaimed Influencer went on to deliver one of his best showings with AEW to date and he took on The Mad King in the opening match of Revolution. Afterward, he refused to shake his opponent's hand, leading to a much-needed heel turn the following week.

In the process, he finally dismantled The Inner Circle and founded The Jericho Appreciation Society. Now, we know it's easy to be skeptical of another stable led by the First Ever Undisputed Champion, but the segment featuring his newest five-man band was surprisingly brilliant.

The Dawn of the Era of the Sports Entertainer

Say what you will about Jericho, but he understands his audience. It has been one of his greatest strengths throughout his career no matter where he goes. As such, he knows how to carefully craft a new antagonistic persona that plays up to his viewers' wants and masterfully mocks the things they hold dear.

In the latest edition of Dynamite, The Influencer illustrated this as he introduced the Era of Sports Entertainment in AEW. This may elicit eye rolls and groans from fans who have grown tired of the company's copious amount of jabs at its distinguished competition. However, this was such a clever way to acknowledge his legendary run with WWE and flip its verbiage into a way to garner jeers from his new smarky fanbase.

Professional wrestling is truly at its best when there is ample crowd participation. The best talkers in the industry know how to say the right words and strike the right nerves to get an intended reaction. Watching Jericho wind the live audience in San Antonio up was a thing of beauty.

Initially, there was some truth to his words as he listed his accomplishments and the things we should be grateful for. Then, the former AEW world champion appeared more and more bitter and narcissistic as he broke down his need for appreciation. Some savvy fans may immediately recognize that he similarly demanded a thank you as Le Champion.

Then, he committed a cardinal sin outside of the WWE Universe as he declared, "I'm not a professional wrestler. I am a sports entertainer." It was a veiled reference to Vince McMahon's recent appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

During his first non-WWE interview in 15 years, the chairman and CEO said, "The reasons we call them superstars and not wrestlers is because anyone can wrestle—either poorly or well. Do you want to be a professional wrestler or a WWE Superstar? WWE Superstar sounds a whole lot better."

This quote sparked a familiar debate among fans and wrestlers online over the difference between sports entertainment and pro wrestling. Even more, it created discourse over WWE's place as a dream destination and whether or not their marketing approach is the best. 

It was extremely smart of Jericho to reignite the debate and mock AEW's core fanbase's contempt for the term sports entertainment. After all, it's an idiom that McMahon popularized and All Elite Wrestling has branded itself as an alternative to his presentation. It was a shrewd move and it worked magnificently as the crowd showered him with boos.

A Well-Thought-Out Backstory

Then, Daniel Garcia added fuel to the flames when he interjected and concurred. Red Death is revered for his technical prowess among independent wrestling. He was considered the antithesis of a sports entertainer. So, this was a betrayal similar to watching your favorite underground rapper put out a heavily pop-influenced record featuring Ariana Grande. Older fans could liken it to hearing Nas' "You Owe Me" or Jay-Z's "Sunshine" for the first time.

Calling Garcia the epitome of a sports entertainer was like nails on a chalkboard for some hardcore fans. However, Jericho expertly brought this aspect of the segment full circle. The 51-year-old explained that he donated money to help his new stablemate after he and Kevin Blackwood were seriously injured in a car accident on Jan. 6, 2019. It was the type of nod to real-world events that adds depth to wrestling storytelling.

As for 2point0, Jericho disposed of their "bad names from bad creative," another callback to his time as Le Champion when he introduced Jake Hager as a part of Inner Circle on Oct. 9, 2019. Just as he used Hager's real name on that fateful day, he reintroduced the tag team as "Daddy Magic" Matt Minard and "Cool Hand Ang" Angelo Parker. It was a great nod to AEW's continuity and well-placed jab at WWE's naming conventions, which provoked the ire of some fans.

Then, the former WWE superstar gave viewers another easter egg as he explained that his former best friend, Kevin [Owens], introduced them after they were released from NXT. Many fans may remember that his feud with a certain Prizefighter was his last major storyline with WWE. Minard and Parker are real-life friends with KO, so it all lines up.

In a matter of minutes, Jericho gave what looked like another hodge-podge stable a legitimate backstory and perfectly detailed their reasons for joining or appreciating him. He also gave us just enough peeks behind the curtain to make it feel even more special. That's the mark of a truly great modern-day promo. There's an art to it, and The Influencer executed it incredibly well.

They are the JAS and they beat up pro wrestlers. It's a simple mantra, but their leader crafted his best segment in a long time around their debut and simultaneously did what he does best again. As a parting gift, he told fans to remember this date, which was Austin 3:16 day, as he reclaimed the term sports entertainer.

There is some irony here as Jericho gave fans more of what they wanted as he became a full-fledged heel again. It's hard to tell if that was intentional but the fact that we're even questioning whether he's right is another reason why this was such a phenomenal segment.

Former WWE champion Jeff Hardy debuted for All Elite Wrestling on Wednesday's episode of AEW Dynamite.

Hardy made the save when his brother Matt was getting beat down with Sting and Darby Allin by Andrade El Idolo, Private Party and the Butcher and the Blade. He was announced as an official member of the AEW roster by Tony Khan.

Hardy was released by WWE in December after a strange incident at a live event in Corpus Christi, Texas, during which Hardy left through the crowd in the middle of a six-man tag team match.

According to Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp, WWE offered Hardy the chance to go to rehab, but Hardy declined, which resulted in his release.

Jeff's brother, AEW star Matt Hardy, provided some more information regarding Jeff's WWE departure on his Twitch stream in January.

During the stream (h/t WrestlingInc's Eric Mutter), Matt said Jeff was given a drug test by WWE prior to his release. Matt said the result never came back but that Jeff knew he had passed because he hadn't been using drugs.

Matt suggested WWE jumped the gun by releasing Jeff and expressed his belief that the stress of working for WWE is what prompted Jeff to walk out rather than any issues with drugs or alcohol.

It wasn't long after Jeff's WWE release that he and Matt went public with plans for a Hardy Boyz reunion on the independent scene.

That naturally fueled speculation that Jeff would eventually join his brother Matt in AEW for one last run as the Hardy Boyz on a big national stage.

The Hardy Boyz are undoubtedly among the greatest tag teams of all time, having held tag team titles in WWE nine times, as well as the TNA and Ring of Honor Tag Team Championships.

Jeff has accomplished a ton on his own as well, holding the WWE Championship, World Heavyweight Championship, Intercontinental Championship and United States Championship in WWE.

The 44-year-old Hardy's recent run in WWE suggests he still has plenty left in the tank, and signing a wrestler of his caliber is another major coup for AEW.

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

"Hangman" Adam Page defeated Adam Cole at Revolution on Sunday night to retain the AEW World Championship.

The main event of the pay-per-view was a back-and-forth contest with multiple near-falls. Page won after connecting with his patented Buckshot Lariat.

After the match, the champion shook Cole's hand in a mark of respect while he was laying on the mat.

Sunday marked Cole's first title opportunity since leaving NXT for All Elite Wrestling in September after his WWE contract expired.

Alongside fellow Elite members The Young Bucks, as well as old friends Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish, it didn't take long for Cole to work his way through the ranks and establish himself as the No. 1 contender for the AEW World Championship.

Orange Cassidy, Jungle Boy, Frankie Kazarian and Dark Order members John Silver, Evil Uno and 10 are just a few of the competitors Cole scored singles victories against en route to Sunday's clash.

His only singles loss in AEW entering Revolution was to Cassidy, but it didn't count against his official record since it was a lights-out bout.

Hangman has been on quite a roll in his own right since beating Kenny Omega at Full Gear in November to finally become AEW world champion.

He faced no shortage of stiff challenges after winning the title, including a pair of championship matches against Bryan Danielson on Dynamite.

The first was a remarkable 60-minute draw, but Page got the better of The American Dragon in their rematch to retain the AEW world title.

Hangman put the strap on the line again on the Feb. 9 edition of Dynamite when he faced Lance Archer in a Texas Deathmatch. He survived the bloody battle, but Cole inserted himself into the title picture immediately after.

Following Page's win over Archer, Cole made his way to the ring, picked up the title belt and admired it, suggesting he had his sights firmly set on the championship.

On the next episode of Dynamite, Cole and Page had a war of words before the former joined O'Reilly and Fish in attacking the titleholder and sending a message.

Cole was a huge threat to Page's title reign, but just as he did against Danielson and Archer, Hangman survived and walked out of Revolution still the AEW world champion.

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

Britt Baker beat Thunder Rosa at Revolution on Sunday to retain the AEW Women's World Championship.

The Doctor hit her rival with a curb stomp after she was distracted by the champion's associates, Rebel and Jamie Hayter.

Sunday's match was well over a year in the making, as Rosa and Baker began feuding in late 2020 and faced off in multiple matches in both singles and tag team settings.

Baker struck the first blow on the Feb. 3, 2021, edition of Dynamite entitled Beach Break. They faced off for the first time in a singles capacity on that show, and Baker prevailed thanks to interference from Rebel and the act of driving Rosa's face into an exposed turnbuckle.

Rosa received her chance for revenge on the March 11, 2021, episode of Dynamite, however, when she and Baker became the first women to compete in the main event of Dynamite.

Their clash was an unsanctioned lights-out match, meaning there were no rules. Both competitors took advantage of that and punished their rival.

While Baker came out of it in a better position because of the iconic image of her bloodied face, it was actually Rosa who was victorious.

The fact that it was a lights-out match meant it didn't count against the record of either wrestler. Because of that, Baker remained in the No. 1 contender position for the AEW women's title.

Baker didn't let her title shot go by the wayside, as she defeated Hikaru Shida at Double or Nothing 2021 to end the then-champ's 372-day title reign.

Rosa largely continued her winning ways after Baker won the title, but she was cooled off and moved down the card with many of her victories occurring on AEW Dark.

It wasn't until recently that All Elite Wrestling truly built her back up with a pair of wins over Baker's then-enforcer, Mercedes Martinez, on Dynamite and Rampage.

With momentum on her side, it seemed as though Revolution would finally be Rosa's moment, but Baker found a way to remain atop the AEW women's division.

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

CM Punk defeated MJF in a brutal dog collar match at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view Sunday night.

Punk vs. MJF marked only the second dog collar match in All Elite Wrestling history, joining the TNT Championship bout between Cody Rhodes and the late Brodie Lee on the Oct. 7, 2020, episode of Dynamite.

It was a bloody contest that saw the use of thumb tacks among other vicious spots. The ending of the match saw Punk punch MJF in the face with the Dynamite Diamond Ring after Wardlow appeared to turn on his boss.

MJF and Punk have been going at it for several weeks, dating back to The Second City Saint interrupting his rival's promo on Dynamite days after the heel beat Darby Allin at Full Gear in November.

What ensued was weeks of promo battles in which MJF and Punk took personal shots at each other. The Salt of the Earth suggested Punk was old, over-the-hill and not capable of achieving his past glory, while Punk told MJF he was insecure and overhyped.

All of that led up to the first match between them in the main event of the Feb. 2 episode of Dynamite, which took place in Punk's hometown of Chicago.

It initially looked as though MJF won by choking out The Best in the World with his wrist tape without the referee seeing it, but when the tape became visible, the official reversed the decision and called for the match to continue.

MJF used more underhanded tactics with Wardlow reluctantly passing off the Dynamite Diamond Ring, which the heel used to punch Punk, resulting in a pinfall victory for the 25-year-old phenom.

That represented Punk's first loss in AEW, and he didn't take kindly to the manner in which MJF went about beating him.

As a result, Punk called for a special stipulation to be added to their rematch at Revolution, and it was made official shortly thereafter.

The dog collar bout is one of the most savage match types in pro wrestling history, as it prevents competitors from gaining separation and often leads to one or both of the wrestlers getting beaten, battered and bloodied.

MJF made things even more personal and proved the need for the stipulation on the go-home edition of Dynamite before Revolution when he left Punk a bloody mess as the result of a heinous attack.

Punk and MJF left it all in the ring during their Revolution grudge match, and with The Second City Saint getting a win back, there may be enough meat left on the bone for a rubber match in the near future.

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

Wardlow won the Face of the Revolution ladder match at AEW Revolution on Sunday night to earn a shot at the TNT Championship.

He beat out five other competitors in the star-studded bout, prevailing over Powerhouse Hobbs, Ricky Starks, Orange Cassidy, Keith Lee and Christian Cage.

Sunday marked the second time the Face of the Revolution ladder match has been held in All Elite Wrestling. The first occurred at last year's event and saw Scorpio Sky beat Cody Rhodes, Ethan Page, Lance Archer, Max Caster and Penta El Zero Miedo.

In the weeks leading up to Revolution 2022, qualifying matches were held on Dynamite and Rampage to determine who would take part.

Making his AEW debut three months after his surprising release by WWE, Lee faced Isiah Kassidy of Private Party in a qualifying match on the Feb. 9 edition of Dynamite and beat him emphatically to move one step closer to a TNT title opportunity.

In the other qualifying matches, Wardlow defeated Caster, Starks beat Dark Order's 10, Hobbs defeated Dante Martin, and Cassidy beat Anthony Bowens.

Finally, on the go-home episode of Rampage before Revolution, Christian took down Ethan Page to complete the field.

On Sunday, the six participants battled for the chance to go up against Sammy Guevara, who is in the midst of his second reign as TNT champion.

Guevara beat Rhodes for the title in a ladder match in January and subsequently defended it in hard-fought battles against Kassidy, Darby Allin and Andrade El Idolo.

Now Guevara is set to face arguably his biggest challenge yet in the form of Wardlow.

Wardlow has been one of AEW's dominant wrestlers for some time but has often been overshadowed by MJF. Now his spotlight is increasing, he may finally be ready to be a titleholder in the company.

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

Wardlow is one of the fastest-rising stars in AEW and professional wrestling as a whole, and he may be on the verge of the biggest win of his career.

On Sunday at AEW Revolution, Wardlow will be part of the Face of the Revolution ladder match, with the winner going on to challenge Sammy Guevara for the TNT Championship at a later date.

Wardlow also figures to be in MJF's corner for the dog collar match against CM Punk, and given the recent tension between Wardlow and MJF, it could make for an explosive situation.

On Thursday, Wardlow joined Bleacher Report for an AMA session in which he discussed the Face of the Revolution ladder match, his desire to wrestle Kenny Omega, his biggest influences in the business and much more.

The following is most of the transcript from the AMA session.

@BR_Wrestling: What do you think about your chances in the Face of the Revolution ladder match? Lots of heavy hitters there.

Not to sound too cocky, but I feel my chances are very very good. I don’t care who else is in that match. Nobody is stopping me.

@hi76revived: What’s your most effective workout in the gym?

Everything is pretty effective as long as you’re doing it right. If we’re going on importance: deadlift, bench, squat always. That is the key to success—the triple threat. 

@fcourtney27: What made you use the Powerbomb Symphony?

It actually started with a little idea from Chris Jericho and just evolved. It evolved into Tony Khan deeming it the Powerbomb Symphony and it has kind of exploded.

@the1calledcj: Where did they find you? Were you a bodybuilder or a football player?

I’ve always been a wrestler. I got started a little later than I would have liked to. AEW pretty much heard about me through word of mouth. Kind of the perfect storm—a few people mentioned my name to Cody. After some time, they gave in and wanted to see what I was all about and the rest is history.

@eggyz: What would life after wrestling look like for you?

Probably gonna still somehow involve wrestling. After I’m done in ring, I would like some position backstage helping in any way I can. I also see myself in the woods with nobody around me, surrounded by a bunch of dogs. 

@DJMainstream: We all know you’re a future champion, but if you had the chance to go after the tag titles who would be your partner of choice?

Will Hobbs or 10. Hobbs and I are both homegrown AEW powerhouses that are very hungry for success.

@AEWChief365: What legend inspired you to start wrestling?

Bret Hart was the first one that made me go: "This is awesome. This is what I want." After Bret Hart, it was Kevin Nash and The Rock. Then, Jeff Hardy. Then, when I was in high school working out, Batista was the big thing so he became a huge motivation.

@morningstar47: Favorite food and drink?

I love Italian. I love Mexican. Pizza and ice cream. I love tequila but I don’t drink often. I drink a lot of water.

@saadk11: After facing CM Punk, who is your next dream opponent you hope to face down the line?

I want Kenny Omega.

@JOSiE79: If you could face an opponent in any era, who would you choose?

Brock Lesnar is still very high on that list of any timeline. Kind of goes: Kenny Omega, Brock, but The Rock. I would love to go one-on-one with The Great One.

@a20gta: Who has been the biggest influence in your career?

Jeff Hardy and Dave Bautista and honestly Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as well. Those three have consistently motivated me and push me to where I am.

@domingomoya: What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not wrestling, any hobbies?

Always just doing something active—hiking, mountain climbing, bike riding through trails, jogging through the woods, anything that is outside and active. I really enjoy mountain biking. That is one of my favorite things to do outside of the gym.

All Elite Wrestling CEO Tony Khan is expanding his reach in the pro wrestling world.

During the opening segment of AEW Dynamite on Wednesday, Khan announced that he has purchased Ring of Honor, one of the most influential independent wrestling promotions in the history of the business.

Ring of Honor was greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last October, the company announced it would not be holding shows in the first quarter of 2022 as it rebrands itself. It was reported that talent contracts were not being renewed in December while the company was on hiatus.

As part of the deal, Khan acquired ROH's extensive video library dating back to 2002. Khan, who is the son of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan, also indicated that he is hoping to put together future ROH events and shows.

"This deal adds thousands of hours of content to our rapidly growing library and creates new opportunities to expand our footprint on a national and global scale, while having the potential to produce new content under the ROH banner," Khan's statement read.

Some of the top superstars in AEW have wrestled for Ring of Honor during their careers. CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole and AEW champion "Hangman" Adam Page had all spent time in ROH. The promotion also helped launch the careers of some top WWE superstars like Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens.

Ring of Honor is scheduled to hold its first show of 2022, Supercard of Honor XV, on April 1 at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.