AEW News Roundup: Wardlow names his dream opponent, Dynamite sees lowest rating of 2022, update on Cody Rhodes' backstage reputation with AEW lock room

In this edition of the AEW Rumor Roundup, we take a look at Wardlow's comments on his ultimate dream opponent and Dynamite's massive drop in ratings this past week.

We also shared an update on Cody Rhodes' recent departure from All Elite Wrestling and his backstage reputation with the locker room, plus more fallout from the release.

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#5. Wardlow names former AEW World Champion as "ultimate dream opponent"

Wardlow has named his ultimate dream opponent as former world champion Kenny Omega. During a recent appearance on the Battleground Podcast, Wardlow discussed a potential match between himself and the Best Bout Machine.

“Unfortunately, my career started much later than I anticipated. So, I feel like I missed my opportunities with what I would consider real dream opponents. I think it has kind of passed most of my dream opponents’ times,” he admitted. “But the one that still exists, actually the top one is still in AEW, that being Kenny Omega. He’s kind of like my ultimate dream opponent.” (h/t: WrestlingInc)

Kenny Omega is currently taking time off to heal from a number of nagging injuries with a timeline for his return unknown. Wardlow has been slowly gaining the support of the audience thanks to his interactions with MJF. As his star continues to rise, an Omega vs. Wardlow match could be a potential main event in the future.

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#4. Latest news on Chris Jericho's AEW contract status

AEW has secured Chris Jericho for the foreseeable future, according to the latest reports from Fightful Select. Originally having signed a three-year contract, the Demo God's current deal is expected to run through the end of 2021 or into early 2022. Therefore, his contract, along with the other original AEW members, should in theory, have expired.

Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer revealed that Tony Khan has exercised the option to extend Jericho's deal a further two years to go along with the Young Bucks' extension previously. This indicates that the Inner Circle leader will continue to perform under the All Elite Wrestling umbrella until 2024.

Jericho has been instrumental in the swift rise of the promotion since its inception in 2019 and continues to feature prominently on television, recently wrestling a tag team match with Jake Hager against Santana and Ortiz on Dynamite.

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#3. Bryan Danielson hints at the creation of his own "Danielson Dojo"

Top AEW star Bryan Danielson took to social media to ask an interesting question to his fans: was Lee Moriarty impressive enough to earn a spot in The American Dragon's hypothetical stable, 'Danielson Dojo?'

Danielson and Moriarty clashed on the February 16 edition of AEW Dynamite in a hard-hitting affair that saw Moriarty put in a solid performance. However, he fell short of the mark as Danielson secured a submission victory with a triangle choke.

While 'Danielson Dojo' isn't an official stable at the time of this writing, Bryan has openly talked about the young talents that he would like to mentor, such as Moriarty, Wheeler Yuta and Daniel Garcia. The idea was also put forward to former world champion Jon Moxley. Danielson offered Moxley to join forces with him in the hopes that they could take over and run the company themselves.

Could this lead to a match between Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley in the near future? Only time will tell.

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#2. Update on Cody Rhodes' backstage reputation with AEW locker room

News broke earlier this week that Cody Rhodes and his wife Brandi Rhodes have both parted ways with AEW. It was shocking news at the time and now reports from the fallout have revealed the backstage reputation Cody and Brandi had with the rest of the AEW locker room.

According to Fightful, Cody and Brandi reportedly haven't had a great connection with the locker room over the last three years. The story also suggested that Cody had become distant from the other AEW Executive Vice Presidents.

Shortly after Rhodes' departure, it was reported by Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Podcast that the former WWE Intercontinental Champion could return to WWE. The Rhodes camp has reportedly been in contact with WWE officials. However, nothing has been confirmed yet in regards to Cody's future in the industry.

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#1. AEW Dynamite sees massive drop in ratings; lowest numbers of 2022 so far

Despite a stellar main event for the TNT championship between Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin, Dynamite's numbers hit a new low following this week's episode.

As shared by Showbuzz Daily, the February 16, 2022 episode of Dynamite drew 869,000 viewers. The number is down 23.02% from last week's episode of Dynamite, which recorded 1.129 million viewers.

Last week's episode featured the debut of Keith Lee and Hangman Page as well as the Texas Death Match between Hangman Page and Lance Archer for the world title.

The show also garnered a 0.31 rating in the key demographic, down from the 0.41 it recorded last week. This week's ratings are the company's lowest of 2022 so far, with Dynamite ranked third in cable originals.

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What was your favorite moment from the last episode of Dynamite? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.