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Welcome back to another stacked edition of the daily AEW News Roundup, and we begin today's lineup with Tony Khan's reaction to a shocking retirement.
Triple H also made a few comments recently about WWE's female roster, and his statements even got a response from Thunder Rosa.
During a recent interview, new AEW signing Mark Henry highlighted a significant flaw in the company's matches.
A former Wyatt family member commented about potentially joining AEW when he recently spoke with Sportskeeda Wrestling. We also now know why Brodie Lee Jr. was kept off TV for a few weeks.
On that note, here is the latest AEW News Roundup:
#5. AEW President Tony Khan reacts to Lio Rush's retirement
Lio Rush announced his shock retirement just days after his stunning AEW debut at Double or Nothing. Several well-known personalities in the business have since reacted to the 26-year-old's unforeseen decision to hang up his boots.
Tony Khan issued a statement revealing details of the interaction he had with Lio Rush before the superstar's sudden retirement from active in-ring competition.
Khan noted that he was caught off guard by the news but added that he enjoyed working with the star for a brief period. The AEW president sent his best wishes to Lio Rush before concluding his message.
"Lio Rush reached out to me today, and he shared that he'd planned to announce his retirement from pro wrestling tonight. While the news was unexpected, I'm glad that he's made a choice that he's confident will make him and his family happy. Lio is a great talent, and I enjoyed briefly working with him, and I absolutely wish him the best," said Tony Khan.
The former WWE Cruiserweight Champion reacted to Tony Khan's comments and expressed his gratitude to the AEW founder for providing him with an opportunity to cherish for a lifetime.
Lio Rush was forced to call time on his in-ring career due to an AC joint separation, and you can read more details on the injury here.
Lio Rush even issued a separate statement on his Instagram stories, explaining the thought process behind the retirement and how he plans on fulfilling the NJPW obligations after healing up.
#4. AEW's Thunder Rosa responds to Triple H's comments about all the best female talent being in WWE
AEW's Thunder Rosa was one of the many superstars to react to Triple H's recent comments about female wrestlers. The NXT Boss sat down for a press call in which he addressed all-women's events in the WWE.
Mickie James recently announced an upcoming NWA show dedicated to female wrestlers, and Triple H reacted by noting that all the best women are in the WWE.
The Game said that while WWE could have more pay-per-views exclusively featuring women in the future, the plan isn't a necessity at this given time. Triple H also stated that all the best female workers in the world want to join WWE, and his statements attracted attention from one of the biggest female wrestlers currently working for AEW.
"If you want to wrestle the best women in the world, come to WWE. That's where they are. If you want to go elsewhere and say that they are, that's an opinion, and you can. I'm all for it and one of the biggest drivers of it. Will we do another all-women's event down the line? Possibly, but it's not a must-have at the moment. I think we do an amazing job of displaying our female athletes. Is it perfect? No. Will it always be in flux? Yes, but we do a pretty good job. In my opinion, the best female performers in the world are in WWE, and if they are not, they want to be," said Triple H. H/t Matt Black of Sportskeeda Wrestling
AEW star Thunder Rosa was quick to issue a tweet in response to Triple H's comments.
While the #1 ranked AEW women's wrestler didn't directly address the WWE Legend, she did offer a powerful rebuttal.
The well-known AEW talent stated that proficient female wrestlers are located all around the world and not just one specific company.
"The Best Female Wrestlers are not located in one company not even in one country . They are spread over many companies and many countries! Talented women across the Globe!" said Thunder Rosa.
What do you think? Which company has the most potent female roster in the world right now?
#3. Erick Rowan is open to signing with AEW
Erick Redbeard, fka Erick Rowan, addressed his in-ring status and rumors of a potential AEW signing during his appearance on Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted with Dr. Chris Featherstone.
The former WWE star made one appearance for AEW in December last year in an emotional Dynamite tribute episode for Brodie Lee. Rowan has not wrestled much since being released from WWE in April 2020, and he has focused his attention on acting.
While Rowan has cherished playing multiple characters as an actor, the former SmackDown Tag Team Champion didn't rule out joining AEW. Rowan stated that he would entertain offers only if they benefited him and his family.
However, Rowan has loved flexing his creative muscles as an actor. Unlike pro wrestling, where a performer sticks to one character, Rowan's new career path gives him a lot more flexibility.
"You know, I take care of my family. If it came to it, and it was a good deal, yes! If it's not a good deal for me and my family, no. Am I in the process right now of trying to wrestle and have fun doing it, accomplish things? Yes. Am I enjoying the opportunity to stretch myself creatively and work on acting and doing different things outside of this Erick Rowan, Erick Redbeard character? Absolutely! It is so much fun and rewarding to play different characters. In wrestling, you're going to be the same guy. You just get to keep playing that character over and over and over again in different avenues and different storylines. So think about it, I've been playing the same character. It's always like a piece of you," stated Rowan.
Erick Rowan added that he has resumed accepting bookings and is open to all options, including signing with AEW, a possible WWE return, and a very tempting run in Japan.
"I just started doing shows again, you know, last weekend, and I had fun. So, If I have fun doing something, I'm going to keep doing it whether or not it is going to be for AEW or back to WWE, Japan, I don't know. And I like that 'I don't know' because that's what wrestling is. Nobody knows what's going to happen. If I knew what was going to happen, it just wouldn't be fun," Rowan added. H/t Sportskeeda Wrestling
Erick Rowan also shared his honest thoughts about Braun Strowman's WWE release amongst various other topics on Sportskeeda Wrestling's UnSKripted.
#2. Mark Henry's criticism of matches in AEW
AEW has pulled off one of its biggest signings to date by securing the signature of longtime WWE veteran Mark Henry.
AEW has brought in the WWE Hall of Famer as an analyst and coach, and Henry has already pointed to a glaring issue in most AEW matches. Mark Henry appeared on Renee Paquette's Oral Sessions podcast, where he explained the problem of repetition in AEW matches.
Henry gave the example of topes and noted how the high-flying move is overdone on AEW programming. Henry also brought up The Young Bucks' superkicks and stated that it's illogical to have other wrestlers execute multiple superkicks on a show before the Bucks wrestle their match.
"Wrestling-wise, I want to see less… I want everyone to watch the matches before them because there is a repetition thing. Someone will do a tope, and the next match will have two topes, and the next will have three. Stop trying to out-do what you saw before and find something else to do. Repetition is a pet peeve of mine, and I feel you're not watching the product if you go do something and someone else did the same thing. I love the Bucks doing superkicks. Why are there three matches on the card where someone does a superkick before them? If that was me, I would be upset about it," Henry explained. H/t Fightful
Are you on the same page as Mark Henry regarding the repetitive style of AEW matches?
#1. Amanda Huber reveals why -1 was kept off AEW TV
Brodie Lee Jr. (-1 of The Dark Order) returned on this week's episodes of AEW Dark and Dark: Elevation after a brief spell of absence. It has now been revealed that -1 was kept away from AEW TV as he did not complete his schoolwork.
Amanda Huber posted a video featuring her two sons on Instagram, and a fan asked her about the reason behind -1's absence from AEW programming. She revealed that -1 had lost his privileges for ignoring his studies.
However, Amanda Huber added that her son had still managed to get decent grades despite the slip-ups, and she was pretty proud of him. Here's what Brodie Lee's wife wrote on Instagram:
100% He stopped doing his work so he lost privileges. I don’t make any money off any appearances he does at AEW, it’s purely for fun. It’s his favorite place in the world and a reward for hard work. He managed to finish his school year with all A’s & B’s despite slipping up a bit. I’m very proud of him.
As you may know, Brodie Lee Jr. has an AEW contract waiting for him once he turns 18. Until he signs the deal, wrestling shouldn't lure -1 away from his school assignments, and Amanda Huber and AEW perfectly understand that.
Bayley gives us a HUGE update on a top Superstar's upcoming return RIGHT HERE.
