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Welcome to another intriguing edition of the AEW News Roundup, in which we gather all the biggest news stories coming from the world of All Elite Wrestling.
We'll begin today's column with none other than Seth "Freakin" Rollins, who has expressed his desire to work with a former stablemate.
Meanwhile, a top star has taken a hilarious jab at Edge's newly formed alliance. Before Cody Rhodes' jaw-dropping WWE return, rumors of his potential disagreement with AEW President Tony Khan over backstage power were rampant.
The American Nightmare has finally broken his silence over that gossip. With all these lead stories, we'll dive straight into the top five news stories of the week.
#5 Seth Rollins wants to work with AEW star Jon Moxley again
Seth Rollins, Jon Moxley (fka Dean Ambrose), and Roman Reigns as The Shield were undoubtedly the most dominant three-man group in the history of WWE.
These men relished profound success as a group and as solo stars by becoming world champions. However, The Purveyor of Violence surprisingly left the company, thus crushing all the hopes of fans clamoring for The Shield reunion.
Speaking on the WrestleMania panel this past weekend, Rollins cited pro wrestling's famous adage, "Never Say Never," to talk about the possibility of working with Moxley.
The Visionary said while he lauds the AEW star's current work alongside William Regal and Bryan Danielson, he is optimistic about working with his friend again:
"Well, to quote a famous Deadman, 'Never say never, baby.' Who knows? Mox is doing his thing - Blackpool Combat Club or whatever, running wild over there and doing his deal. He's a wild animal, man. You never know what's gonna happen," said Seth Rollins. "He could show up right here. He might be behind the curtain right now, I have no idea. So, if I get Paradigm Shifted on this stage, don't be alarmed. But, I hope that we haven't seen the last of Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in the same ring together."
On Night 1 of WrestleMania 38, Cody Rhodes became the first former AEW star to jump ship to WWE. It will be interesting to see whether Jon Moxley follows in his footsteps to return to the promotion where he first reached stardom.
#4 AEW star Brody King took a hilarious dig at Edge and Damian Priest
At WrestleMania 38, Edge defeated AJ Styles in a grueling singles match, thanks to Damian Priest causing a distraction to The Phenomenal One. After the bout, The Archer of Infamy and The Rated-R Superstar kneeled together to form a new alliance.
On RAW after WrestleMania, Edge officially took Priest under his wing and introduced him as “the punishment of the guilty," which was reminiscent of his old persona, Punishment Martinez.
Following the show, WWE's official Twitter handle sent out a tweet, asking fans to name the duo of Edge and Damian Priest.
In response, AEW star Brody King took a subtle dig at the two WWE Superstars, seemingly calling their faction the second version of The House of Black.
#3 Cody Rhodes questions the credibility of rumors suggesting reasoning for his AEW departure
Cody Rhodes' AEW departure gave birth to rumors about his fallout with Tony Khan over losing considerable creative control. However, the 36-year-old star has shut down those rumors.
Speaking on the Variety podcast, Rhodes stated that while he would remain silent on his AEW exit, the rumors dispersed about his reasons for leaving the company were incorrect.
The American Nightmare affirmed that it was about time for him to return to WWE:
"I chose to remain silent about my departure from AEW and I’m going to keep my word on that. There’s no shoot interview. There’s no nefarious tale that’s going to be told. There were all these different theories and none of them are correct. I mean, there were things about money and creative control. They were printed as fact and it’s been a very difficult two months to see that, when the reality is it was just time. It was a personal matter and we couldn’t move past it," said Rhodes.
On RAW after WrestleMania this week, Cody Rhodes explained his decision to return to WWE.
The American Nightmare revealed that he wants to fulfill his quest to win the WWE World Championship for his late father, "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.
#2 CM Punk teased a dream bout against Kenny Omega in AEW
YouTuber TranquiloClub recently took to Twitter to share his belief that CM Punk fears Kenny Omega. The Second City Saint, in response, tweeted a three-word message: "Sign me up."
Although The Cleaner hasn't reacted to CM Punk teasing a match with him, it has sent fans into a frenzy over the prospect of seeing the two men collide as the biggest box-office draw for AEW.
Punk and Omega have never been in the same ring despite having thrived in the same era. Now that the two men are working under the same roof, the company could book a dream match between two stalwarts in the wrestling business.
#1 Jim Cornette wants AEW to maximize Samoa Joe's arrival
At ROH: Supercard of Honor XV, Samoa Joe made a surprising appearance moments after Jonathan Gresham defeated Bandido to become the Undisputed World Champion in the main event.
However, Gresham's championship celebration was cut short by Jay Lethal and Sonjay Dutt, who launched a scathing assault on him. Joe then hit the arena to rescue Gresham, and in doing so, he applied Coquina Clutch to Dutt to put Lethal on notice.
Speaking on the Jim Cornette Experience, the wrestling manager talked about how Joe could be a jack of all trades for AEW. Cornette said he wants Tony Khan to maximize Joe's arrival rather than dropping the ball on him, as he has done with his recent additions:
"Samoa Joe could be a benefit in a variety of ways, not the least being a grown adult man who looks like he could hurt somebody. Also, being an experienced veteran, hopefully, if they listen to him, teach some of the guys some things, and also he's over not just for the ROH audience but also the AEW audience. Give him something to work with or make him look a flunky like the rest of your acquisitions lately, Tony," Cornette said.
The Destroyer will make his first appearance on the upcoming episode of Dynamite. It will be interesting to see what the company has in store for the wrestling veteran.
What do you make of these news stories? Sound off in the comments section below.
