AEW All Out 2020 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on AEW All Out 2020. 

AEW Double or Nothing 2020 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on AEW Double or Nothing 2020. 

AEW Revolution 2020 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on AEW Revolution 2020.

AEW Full Gear 2019 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on AEW Full Gear 2019. 

AEW All Out 2019 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on AEW All Out 2019.

Shots Fired

All Elite Wrestling recently announced that it will air a two hour television show every Wednesday on TNT. While not the start of a new Monday Night War, it is definitely the beginning of a new battle for wrestling viewership. 

World Wrestling Entertainment has long dominated the wrestling indusrtry ever since World Championship Wrestling closed its doors in 2001. Total Nonstop

Action Wrestling was once seen as a potential competitor but has since fallen into near obscurity and airs on Twitch. Ring of Honor is on television via syndication, and New Japan Pro Wrestling is on tape delay on Axs TV. What has truly halted these promotions from becoming legitimate WWE competitors is exposure. That is what separates AEW from the rest of the pack.

The promotion made headlines with its signings and first ever pay-per-view, and has seemingly shaken the wrestling industry to its core with it newly announced television deal. Starting on October 2, 2019, AEW will air love on TNT from 8-10pm from the Capital One Arena in Washington D.C. This is massive. AEW's roster depth, which features stats such as the Young Bucks, Cody, Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, and Jon Moxley, was already considered to be a massive strength of the new Wrestling promotion. A live weekly television deal on a nationally broadcasted cable network will only bolster its popularity and attract more fans.

For the first time since 2001, WWE has real competition and that is fantastic for wrestling fans. Competition brings out the best in people. The Monday Night Wars featured the highest ratings for wrestling television shows in history. With AEW set to make its television debut in October, WWE will be forced to step up their game. A few shots have been fired by AEW in this new wrestling television war. Let's see how WWE responds.

Mox on the Move

Jon Moxley has seemingly made more news in a few weeks than he had during his entire time with World Wrestling Entertainment. After his contract with WWE expired, a cryptic video appeared on his usually inactive Twitter account. That sent the wrestling world into a frenzy and for good reason.

Only May 25, 2019, All Elite Wrestling had their first official show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Speculation was running wild on whether or not Moxley would make an appearance. After the main event between Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega concluded, Moxley appeared came through the crowd, hopped the ringside barricade and proceeded to take out Jericho and the referee before battling Omega up the entrance ramp. He would Omega off a stack of poker chips on the main stage of the set and end the show standing tall as chants of Moxley echoed throughout the arena. It was revealed after that Moxley had signed a full time contract with AEW and will be part of their roster.

So how do you capitalize on an unbelievable debut in a company perceived to be a real threat to WWE? You go to New Japan Pro Wrestling. About a Week after Moxley's AEW debut, another video appeared on his twitter account. This one revealed that he would be heading to NJPW to face Juice Robinson at Best of the Super Juniors Finals in what would be Moxley's first match since leaving WWE. Robinson's IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship was also on the line. After a brutal bout which saw the use of a few weapons, Moxley emerged victorious and captured the belt from Robinson after hitting a modified version of his Dirty Deeds finisher which is being called the Death Rider. With the win, Moxley became the first man in history to have held both the WWE United States Championship and the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.

Needless to say that Moxley has been on the move ever since he left WWE. He's booked a few indie shows and has signed contracts with both NJPW and AEW. The number of dream matches this can create are endless. A match with Omega in AEW seems inevitable as does a rematch with Robinson in NJPW. Bouts against Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada among others are also in the realm of possibility. The current IWGP United States Heavyweight Champ is creating a ton of buzz in the wrestling world, and it would appear that he is not finished yet.

Double or Nothing 2019 Thoughts

Ryan of Cincy Fan Zone shares his thoughts on AEW Double or Nothing 2019.

Mox is Back

Dean Ambrose's contract with World Wrestling Entertainment appeared to expire on April 30, 2019. Around midnight on May 1, his twitter account,which is notorious for its lack of activity posted, a video of him breaking out of a jail cell, climbing over a barbwire fence, escaping through a city, and training inside a wrestling ring. At the end of the video, the word Mox appears and suggests that Dean Ambrose is no more, and Jon Moxley has returned. 

For those who are unaware, Jon Moxley was Ambrose's name before he joined WWE. He made a name for himself on the indie scene as one of the best talkers in the wrestling industry and was known for his violent and hardcore matches. The fact that he would reuse the Moxley moniker makes sense as he is no longer a WWE employee. What has people excited and adding fuel to the fire on whether or not he joins All Elite Wrestling are the subtle messages hidden within the video. 

Many people claim that Moxley breaking out of the jail cell is symbolic of him breaking free from the "Ambrose Asylum" and WWE. Others are also saying that the pair of dice with the numbers 2 and 5 that are painted on a wall he runs by is a subtle nod to AEW's Double or Nothing pay-per-view which will be held on May 25 in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is also where Moxley currently resides. 

Whether or not these subliminal messages are hinting at an AEW debut remains to be seen. Some wrestling fans are even speculating that this is a big storyline from WWE which oddly does make sense. The production value of the video is top notch, and WWE uncharacteristically gave Ambrose a nice exit from the company. Whatever the case may be, it is clear that the return of Jon Moxley has shaken up the wrestling industry and generated an enormous amount of buzz. So where will Moxley end up once he finally decides to return to the ring? We will have to wait and see. 

Face or Heel?

Dean Ambrose has been out with an injury since December. He was in the midst of a storyline in which and he his Shield brother Seth Rollins were battling the Bar for the Raw Tag Team Championship. The injury brought an abrupt end to what had been an abbreviated Shield reunion and has left Raw without one of its biggest stars and storylines. Rumors were swirling that Ambrose was going to turn heel and betray Rollins in a rivalry that would lead to a Wrestlemania match between the former tag team champs. I was hoping the rumors turned out to be true. A heel Ambrose vs. a face Rollins could have been the rivalry of the year. When Ambrose does return, should he be face or heel?

Aside from the early days of the Shield, Ambrose has been a face during his time on the main roster. When the Shield broke up, Ambrose became the breakout face of the group. Reigns garnered boos despite being positioned as the main good guy of the Shield while Ambrose consistently revived great crowd reactions. The Lunatic Fringe gimmick worked as he tweaked it to become more goofy than unpredictable and it worked for the most part. The act did get stale though and Ambrose was in need of a character change. That change came in the form of the Shield reunion. The goofy aspect of The Lunatic Fringe was dropped as Ambrose embraced his unpredictable side once again. His promos were more intense and he regained the "mox" that made him a fan favorite on the Indy wrestling circuit. 

But what if Ambrose took that attitude and unpredictability to the next level? As a heel, I believe that he can. The Lunatic Fringe could morph into Jon Moxley. He could blend the CZW style of violence with WWE wrestling and run roughshod over the WWE roster. The promos he could cut as a heel would be some of the best in the business. Ambrose has always been one of the best promo cutters in WWE and as a full fledged heel, he could be one of the best promo cutters on wrestling history. He has an ability to demand your attention and make you hang on every word when he has a mic in his hand. As a he, his promos would be even better as he wouldn't have to suck up the crowd or try and make people laugh. He could be serious, intense, and real.

So should Ambrose return as a face or a heel? In my opinion, Ambrose should come back as a full force heel. WWE has a lot of face wrestlers at the moment and is in need of a true top heel. Ambrose can fill that role. The Lunatic Fringe character could thrive as a heel and make WWE much more interesting.