This Wednesday night All Elite Wrestling makes its way to The Heart of Dixie for our debut in Hunstville, Alabama at the Von Braun Center!
EIGHT MAN TAG TEAM ACTION!
AEW World Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega & Adam Page and The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix) and The Butcher & The Blade (w/ The Bunny)
Last week on “Dynamite”, The Young Bucks managed to overcome The Butcher & The Blade, much to the chagrin of MJF who had paid them to garner revenge for the transgressions visited upon Max by Matt and Nick on the Jericho Cruise. But just because the bell rang, didn't mean The Butcher was content with the loss as he attempted to continue the assault after The Blade ate the pinfall. It was only the rapid arrival of Kenny Omega, and his V Trigger knee to the sweet spot, that stopped the big man from decimating Matt and Nick. Then, at his own speed and with beer in tow, Adam Page ripped off a Buckshot Lariat to The Blade to insure no further violence. Oh yeah, but not before passing his half-full beer off to Matt Jackson to hold for a moment, then slamming the thing down after the Lariat.
That brings us to this week where the four members of The Elite (or rather three members and Adam Page since he elected to recuse himself from the group weeks ago) will collide with The Butcher and The Blade as well as The Lucha Bros! The history between The Bucks and The Lucha Bros here in AEW is well documented, between the Escalera de la Muerte that was legendary in its violence, and their numerous battles over championship gold, the two teams helped shape the foundation of AEW. Safe to say that one would be hard-pressed to find a team in professional wrestling who have been tougher opponents for Matt & Nick Jackson than Pentagon Jr and Rey Fenix.
Pair them up with two hired assassins like The Butcher and The Blade, and right there you have all the makings of the deadliest quartet AEW may have to offer' the kind of unit that covers all the bases, and ticks off all the boxes for the measures of professional wrestling.
But with the World Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Adam Page at their side, The Young Bucks have all the firepower they need to counteract what will be standing across the ring from them in Alabama. As fans have seen, Page and Omega have gelled into an excellent pairing despite the initial reluctance from Hangman, and the continued antics that (to date at least) he has contained to post-match revelry. Is it the sort of union that can last, that can withstand the target they have on their backs as champions? Well that remains to be seen, but things like poking the Bucks as to who won the belts first won't help as it puts Omega in that awkward position to choose between friends. It also doesn't help maintain the focus on the task at hand, that being this 8-Man battle Wednesday night. The difference maker for this one is likely going to be Adam Page and if he chooses to play well with others. Can he be The Elite for one more night?
TEN LASHES FOR CODY
There were three stipulations laid out for Cody if he expected to get a match at the “Revolution” pay-per-view against his former best friend and protege Maxwell Jacob Friedman. Cody cannot touch MJF prior to that event, he must meet Wardlow inside a Steel Cage, and receive ten lashes on live TV.
The first is something that Cody must struggle through every single week of his life until February 29th because, quite frankly, if the idea of punching Max in the face is a struggle for EVERYONE on a daily basis, imagine how much worse it is for the man MJF betrayed, and left unable to ever challenge for the AEW World Title again.
The Cage Match with Wardlow is something that is on the horizon; February 19th when AEW “Dynamite” comes to Atlanta and The State Farm Arena to be exact, leaving Cody just over one week to heal up before his fight with Max.
The third and final stipulation, the ten lashes on live TV, well that goes down this Wednesday night, live on TNT from Huntsville. Imagine sitting there with your skin voluntarily laid bare as you anticipate the first lash from a leather strap. Now repeat that process nine more times: waiting for the crack of the leather across your flesh, feeling your skin break open with each successive kiss, looking down at the canvas as you wait to see if blood drips from the wounds and pools before your eyes. That is what Cody is WILLINGLY putting himself through for the chance to tear Max's head off in Chicago come 2/29.
Ask yourself, is it a price you'd be willing to pay? Would you be willing to subject yourself to that punishment to get what you need in life?
Cause that is what this is for Cody; the fight with MJF isn't just what he WANTS, it is what he NEEDS to move on with his life and forge ahead in a world where the AEW World Title can never be his because of the actions of Maxwell Jacob Friedman...
ONE-ON-ONE
(#1) Jon Moxley vs. Ortiz
Jon Moxley has been assaulted and nearly blinded by The Inner Circle, yet he's fearlessly waded into war against the full strength of AEW World Champion Chris Jericho's allies with only a baseball bat at his side. Now, with his title opportunity just over three weeks away, Moxley will step into the ring with one-half of Proud-n-Powerful, the master of Tiger Style, Ortiz!
As seen in the clip above, Moxley had no qualms about dropping Ortiz headfirst into the ground outside the ring. Safe to say he will also have no reservations about doing the same inside the squared circle once that bell rings for an actual match. The difference here though is that Ortiz will be ready to fight back, and although he can show a rather flippant side when he hits that Tiger Style pose, don't mistake that flippancy for foolishness. Ortiz is violent, Ortiz is mean, Ortiz has clearly shown he has no problem cracking a man's skull with a sock full of...something...and dropping him like a proverbial bad habit.
And although it may be his first singles match in AEW, it is most certainly not the first of his career. With over a decade of experience under his belt, Ortiz has fought with and against the best, and currently has one of the most legendary men in professional wrestling in Chris Jericho in his camp. That is a learning tree only a select few have got to sit under, and Ortiz has been camped out underneath it since day one of “Dynamite”. He knows what Jericho knows, Ortiz is an extension of Le Champion in this match, and whether their purpose is to humiliate Moxley with a loss, or merely to continue the physical punishment began when that spike split the flesh, this one is for The Inner Circle and Moxley must beware.
A RETURN TO ACTION!
(#4) Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D vs. Yuka Sakazaki
To say that Britt Baker has done little to endear herself to fans these last two weeks has been an understatement. She has gone hard at two of the legendary members of our announce team, Tony Schiavone and Jim Ross, and even elected to take shots at AEW Women's World Champion Riho. It seems that her frustration at being unable to capture that championship has gotten the best of her and that maybe, just maybe, the title attached to her name (as hard-earned as it may have been) has also gone to her head. Baker may have been the first woman signed to the AEW roster, and she may fancy herself the face of that division, but she has yet been able to claim the championship to validate it all.
As for Yuka Sakazaki, she has not competed in AEW since June 29th of last year when, as part of “Fyter Fest”, her, Riho, and Nyla Rose battled in a Triple Threat contest ultimately won by the future Women's World Champion. Yuka may not have been victorious, though she certainly impressed, but with a very full schedule competing in Japan with Tokyo Joshi Pro, she has not had an opening to return to action for All Elite Wrestling until now!
And what a return match Yuka has in store as she goes to battle with a Britt Baker who will be looking to make an example out of Yuka Sakazaki, and use the Joshi star as another stepping stone towards that Women's World Championship. Sitting at the #4 spot in the rankings, Baker desperately wants that title opportunity, but Yuka could play spoiler and slide herself right into those rankings with a high-profile victory in her AEW return. And for a little preview of the action, here's a look at Yuka Sakazaki's battle from “Fyter Fest”:
All roads lead to the “Revolution” PPV event on February 29th, airing on BRLive, and this Huntsville stop on the #AEWRevolutionTour is going to be one of the most unforgettable ones on that journey. How will Cody endure ten lashes? CAN he even endure ten of those vicious strikes from MJF? Fans have seen Moxley crack a bottle across the skull of Le Champion and, in turn, nearly blinded by The Inner Circle. They have witnessed Mox come swinging against the full contingent of Jericho's crew, and now he's got to go one-on-one with ½ of Proud-n-Powerful (with the rest of the IC no doubt creeping around). What will Huntsville bring as Moxley and Jericho head toward their championship battle in Chicago?
Plus an insane 8-Man tag, the return of Yuka Sakazaki, and a whole lot more this week on AEW “Dynamite”!!! Tickets available at AEWTix.com or catch all the action live on TNT starting at 8pm EST/7pm CST!