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Welcome back to another stacked edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's AEW News Roundup. AEW offered a successful Night One of Fyter Fest this past week, and the promotion looks set to kick on heading into Elevation and Dark.
We begin today's lineup with a veteran wrestler talking about his experiences working on Dark and how he was told not to use a move due to Britt Baker.
Elsewhere, Chris Jericho was at his insightful best during a recent interview where he made a major Roman Reigns claim and compared a top NJPW legend to the Undertaker.
Malakai Black became the latest former WWE star to join AEW's ranks, and he has already attracted a lot of attention from the roster. A former champion revealed his desire to have a match against Tommy End.
The roundup also features a well-known wrestling personality criticizing AEW for rushing its storylines.
#5. Marty The Moth on being barred from using a move in AEW due to Britt Baker
Lucha Underground fans will fondly remember Marty The Moth, aka Martin Casaus. The former Lucha Underground Champion has wrestled a few matches on AEW Dark this year, and he has also trained at the Nightmare Factory.
Marty The Moth was a guest on The Wrestling Inc Daily, and he opened up about working at AEW and the inputs he received from Tony Khan.
Marty likened Khan to Vince McMahon in the sense that both bosses are very hands-on with their talent. Casaus recalled Khan praising him after matches and also giving him some feedback.
Marty revealed that he was specifically told not to grab people by the mouth and drag them across the ring. Casaus regularly executed the move as part of his serial killer gimmick in Lucha Underground, but Britt Baker's Lockjaw finisher prevented him from doing so in AEW.
Here's what Marty Casaus had to say:
"Tony Khan was always constantly moving like Vince McMahon was when I was doing WWE stuff. He was very hands-on. He came up and said 'great match' to me every single time. He gave me a little bit of feedback on certain things.
"I do a thing in Lucha Underground, where I pretty much am a serial killer. I grab people by their mouth and drag them like dead bodies like a serial killer would, and it was super fun for me and individualistic, but they said, 'Hey, anything with the mouth is kind of Britt Baker's thing right now, so kind of adjust around that.' I kind of adjusted a few things. I went to a choke thing instead of dragging people by their mouths."
Casaus has been wrestling since 2003, and the veteran even had two brief WWE stints in the past. He has had three matches in AEW, with the last one happening in March against Matt Sydal.
#4. Former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho reacts to Roman Reigns' rise in WWE
Chris Jericho recently appeared on Konnan's "Keepin' it 100" podcast, where the former AEW world champion spoke about Roman Reigns' successful run as a heel.
Chris Jericho admitted that while he doesn't keep up with the WWE product, he has received updates on Reigns' work as Vince McMahon's premier bad guy.
Jericho reminisced about working with Reigns in 2016 when the latter was a babyface. AEW's Demo God claimed that turning Reigns heel and letting the Samoan star be himself was the ideal move.
The AEW star said Reigns was destined to shine only if WWE "dropped the f**king script." The veteran star praised the Tribal Chief and admitted he was glad about the SmackDown's superstar's progress.
"I haven't [kept up], but I've been reading about it, and it's no surprise. When I was there in 2016, I worked with Roman basically all around the world. I was a heel; he was a babyface," said Jericho about Reigns.
"It's a no-brainer there. You know what Roman is? I always said this, and he's doing it now; if you just drop the f**king script and just let him be him, he's Cool Hand Luke man. He's like the coolest cat. He's a great guy. Just let him be him, and that's what he's doing now, obviously with a heelish slant, which is great." (H/T WrestlingInc)
Reigns' reign at the top doesn't look like it will end anytime soon as he is scheduled to defend the Universal Championship against Edge at Money in the Bank.
#3. Jimmy Korderas feels AEW tends to rush its storylines
Malakai Black and Cody Rhodes had an explosive brawl this past week on AEW TV, and while many fans reacted positively to the segment, former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas highlighted a potential booking mistake from AEW.
Korderas felt it was too soon for Black and Rhodes to have a physical segment and added that the company should have been a little more patient with the storytelling.
Korderas loved several segments from last week's show, but he wasn't a fan of Malakai Black's brief fight with Cody Rhodes. The veteran referee explained the ideal situation would have been for Black to continue with mind games for a little longer before engaging in a pull-apart altercation.
Korderas said that AEW angles do feel rushed at times, and he cited Tommy End's segment with the American Nightmare as an example.
"Last night on Dynamite, I loved the atmosphere, loved the crowd. It was so exciting. The show had some great moments, and it had some fun stuff. But the interaction between Black and Cody Rhodes kind of got to me because they got physical with each other far too soon," Korderas explained.
"Yes, last week, Black took out Arn Anderson. Then he took out Cody Rhodes, and then last night Cody Rhodes calls him out, and then the lights go out. He (Malakai) appears, and then they get in a brawl-for-all and a pull-apart at that. Too soon for that! Let Black still cause havoc. Have the lights go off, come back on, he takes out Cody again; this happens for several weeks before they have this kind go contact. That's the one problem I have with AEW; they tend to rush things a little too much at times.
What are your opinions? Do you think the criticism is justified? Let us know in the comments section below.
#2. Darby Allin wants to face Malakai Black in AEW
Malakai Black (fka Aleister Black) has made a solid first impression in AEW. The former WWE star has been booked in a program with Cody Rhodes and has been given a platform to flex his creative muscles.
On paper, there are several dream matches for Black in AEW, and a clash against Darby Allin certainly ranks high on the list.
The former TNT Champion revealed his intentions to face Black during a recent appearance on The Sportsdudeheinz Show. Allin is aware that Black is still new to AEW, but he has been impressed with the former NXT Champion's ingenuity and approach towards the business.
Allin sees Malakai Black as a wrestler who has the drive to show up to work seven days a week. Allin shares the same passion for the business as Tommy End, and he sent a stern message to people who treat wrestling as a "once-a-week" job.
"I know this sounds weird because he literally just showed up, but I'd say Tommy End [Malakai Black]. Somebody like him, who has that creative side and does stuff on his own, I find that captivating," he said. "I know that sounds generic because he literally just showed up on Wednesday, but nobody gets my gears turning more than him, like, 'okay, we can do some stuff, and that would be a lot of fun.'
"I like people that, whoever shows up to work on Wednesday, when they get home on Thursday, their mind is still working. It's not a one-day job. They do it seven days a week. That's how my brain is; I can't stop thinking. Anybody else like that that has passion like that, I want to work with. Everyone else that treats it (as a once-a-week job), they can go to hell." H/t Fightful
Darby Allin vs. Malakai Black could be magical if booked right, and we're sure Tony Khan will have the storyline ready for AEW TV somewhere down the line.
#1. AEW's Chris Jericho likens working with Hiroshi Tanahashi to first Undertaker match
AEW stalwart Chris Jericho's career trajectory has been unlike any of his WWE colleagues. The former WWE champion briefly worked in Japan, where he had six high-profile matches.
While speaking on a recent Busted Open Radio episode, Jericho opened up about his Wrestle Kingdom match against Hiroshi Tanahashi and how it reminded him of The Undertaker.
Jericho stated that he was eager to work with Tanahashi as the eight-time IWGP Heavyweight Champion always had an excellent reputation in the business.
Jericho noted how he had to wait for almost 12 years in WWE to get his first program with The Undertaker. The AEW star faced the same situation with Tanahashi as he didn't take on the NJPW icon until quite late in his career.
Here's what AEW's "God of War" had to say about the comparison:
"When you get in the ring with him (Tanahashi), wow. He is so good; I'm smiling just thinking about it. What it actually reminded me of was the first time I ever worked with Undertaker, who I did not work with until I had been in the WWE for about ten, twelve years," Jericho said.
"We just never were on the same show and never really crossed paths. And to be in there with a guy like that was just unbelievable, like 'oh my gosh, it's all true. It's true! Everything you hear about The Undertaker is true! He's really that good.' And that was the same way I felt about Tanahashi." H/t WrestlingInc
Jericho and Tanahashi continue to be active performers, while The Undertaker retired at last year's Survivor Series pay-per-view.
