Boss Rock

https://www.si.com/wrestling/2022/02/16/aew-cody-rhodes-update-wwe-return Brandi may not go to WWE after all, but we'll see.

It'll be interesting to see if they actually give him a strong, consistent push as a way to try and go "Hey, we're actually not bad! You can sign with us and we'll treat you well!" But obviously that will not work for most and I can hardly trust WWE with doing any remotely competent booking.

Yeah I would certainly hope (and expect) they're going to throw lots of money at their long-term prospects. And Cody is not the investment folks like Bryan, Cole, and Punk are. But as much as it all makes sense to me, I still do wonder if there is a dollar amount that WWE could use to lure other top stars. I wouldn't be surprised if Jericho leaves next. Mox's deal is also up soon but I would be incredibly shocked if he went back.

Mixed feelings about the whole thing. Ultimately AEW doesn't "need" Cody as they're clearly building towards the future while making better investments in guys like Bryan and Punk. Not to mention his stuff always felt so disconnected from the product as a whole (even the good stuff). But at the same time, it's sad to see the guy who basically started it all leave and after just 3 years. I have to think this was about more than money and there was probably a great deal of backstage politics, but it's also a sign that WWE can and will poach talent and they've already got their eyes on MJF, Wardlow, and Jade.

I lean Fujinami just due to having a longer career with arguably more volume. But Bret has higher peaks.

Amazing that he scrambled to get Jay just because he misspoke. And after seeing Lee tonight really makes WWE's incompetence all the more shocking.

As soon as I found out that the pressure is on the straight leg, I always have to go "wait, which leg has been worked over?" and more often than not it seems to be the wrong one.

Looking forward to it!

And here I thought Kenny Omega was going to be the most divisive candidate.

From the limited viewings I have of his time in WWE, I think developing more aggression as a heel and now antihero in AEW helped as opposed to being a white meat babyface.

Brandi and Dan Lambert suck. Show was mostly good though.

Yeah I think that's the one.

John Moxley-Brian Kendrick tomorrow.

He had a really fun, sub-10 minute match against Yota Tsuji last year.

Konosuke Takeshita, the KO-D Champion in DDT, said he wants to go back to AEW this year. Would love to see him get a few TV matches. https://www.fightful.com/wrestling/konosuke-takeshita-says-he-contacted-aew-his-own-aims-be-aew-tv-2022

I think I would prefer the Bucks stay heels and kick Kenny out in favor of Cole. I liked the Undisputed Era, but I'm not sure I need to see it again in another promotion. Kyle and Bobby would probably be fine as their own team. Granted, neither guy is a great promo and Cole can carry the load in that regard.

Agreed. While I do like surprise debuts, for a couple folks they should probably consider doing vignettes.

I actually liked the main event a good deal. Definitely not the best Lights Out match, but still a fun plunder match. As for Danhausen, definitely seeing a mixed response. Some don't like the gimmick or his in-ring abilities.

I think Griff Garrison has a ton of potential. If anything replace Pillman.

Joey Janela is another one expected to not be re-signed. I never disliked him and he seems like a creative guy, but he was already getting lost in the shuffle even during the Daily's Place era. It does seem like some of them not being re-signed may continue to be used here and there on a per-appearance basis. Probably what they're doing right now with Bear Country, J.D. Drake, and Skye Blue.

Definitely a shame as I really enjoyed his work with Dante and they were a killer tag team (was already fantasy booking him and a reunited Top Flight as trios champions). Will be interesting to hear if there was still tension with TK or if it's simply a matter of wanting to do his own thing. Either way, more power to him.

Lio Rush tweeted that his AEW contract expires February 14th and will be a free agent.

Dynamite beat Raw in the demo.

It's definitely a good match. Fitting conclusion to their rivalry.

Seems pretty spot-on. My biggest criticism against Misawa is that he doesn't have that huge laundry list of great matches with different opponents that Bryan does, but his peaks still outshine Bryan by quite a bit. Bryan is more versatile, but Misawa was still better on his best day.