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AEW News Roundup brings you the latest reports in and around the company. In this week's edition, Jeff Hardy revealed what led to his WWE release and the latest update on current AEW stars whose contracts are running out soon.
Finally, Tony Khan has announced a huge title match for an upcoming Ring of Honor show. Without further ado, let's dive into the news:
#5. Kenny Omega's latest medical update: Set to undergo another surgery soon
Kenny Omega hasn't appeared on AEW TV since losing the world championship to Hangman Page at Full Gear 2021 nearly five months ago. Thanks to his grueling in-ring style, Omega is recovering from several different injuries, which he worked through for several years.
According to new reports, The Cleaner recently had knee surgery, with another coming up in the next few weeks. It's unclear when the surgery happened, but the recovery time might take around ten weeks. Omega is also to undergo surgery on a sports hernia, which will take another two months of recovery time.
AEW teased Omega appearing at the Revolution Buy-In pre-show when his music hit the speakers, but it turned out to be a ruse by his manager Don Callis. As a founding member of AEW, Omega's return is eagerly-anticipated. While there's no official timeframe on his return, he has a feud waiting for him with The Elite, currently at odds with one another.
#4. Latest AEW contract situation of Joey Janela and Marko Stunt
Joey Janela decided not to re-sign with AEW as his contract expires in May 2022. Janela was one of the first additions to AEW when Khan began the promotion and featured in marquee matches with Jon Moxley and Cody Rhodes.
However, he hasn't been on TV since May 2021, and with newer signings coming to the forefront, his position in AEW gradually reduced. In a recent interview with Denise Salcedo, Janela hinted injuring Eddie Kingston may have been the "final straw" for him in the company:
“…I think they had plans for me, Tony kept on saying ‘after this, we’re bring you back to TV,’ but, unfortunately, I think a lot of it has to do with a situation where I worked with Eddie Kingston in Charlotte, and I super kicked him in the face a little too hard, came in a little bit too hot, I had been squatting probably 50 more pounds than I'm used to be squatting, and doing a hundred pounds more on the leg press and, I don’t know, I didn’t realize I had that type of power in my legs and I gave him a super kick and broke his orbital bone. He was going into a feud with Jericho, and I feel that may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back."
"A lot of guys, maybe some older heads, believed my hype and believed that I was some kind of dangerous professional wrestler. I’ve had times where I’ve injured people, of course, everyone has. But once you get that reputation, it’s hard to break that. I’ve had a string of bad luck throughout my AEW career, and that may have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, but I don’t know because they don’t communicate with me." (H/T - Whatculture)
Marko Stunt is another wrestler whose AEW tenure seems to be coming to an end. Christian has essentially replaced the former third member of Jurassic Express. Stunt hasn't appeared on AEW programming since October 2021.
Joey Janela also said AEW hasn't spoken to Stunt in several months, with Janela implying that the company has "ghosted" Marko Stunt.
May 2022 will mark the third anniversary of AEW's first event, Double or Nothing, and with that comes the expiration date of several contracts. The likes of Janela and Stunt will no longer be part of the company as Tony Khan leads the promotion into the future.
#3. Tony Khan announces blockbuster match for upcoming ROH show
Tony Khan, the new owner of ROH, wasted no time making an impact. He announced a huge championship match for the ROH event Supercard of Honor between The Briscoe Brothers and former AEW Tag Team Champions FTR. It'll be the first ROH event since Khan purchased the company. On April 1, 2022, the show will take place in Garland, Texas, during WrestleMania weekend.
The rivalry between The Briscoes and FTR has been over social media in recent months after Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler made a surprise appearance at an ROH event last year. Since then, all four men have been calling each other out. It's only a matter of time before the two best tag teams in the industry meet in the ring for a certified dream match.
#2. Jon Moxley sends warning to former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion
Jon Moxley has been on a roll at AEW since returning from a stint in rehab. After a hard-hitting match with Bryan Danielson at Revolution 2022, the two stars joined forces with William Regal as their manager.
On top of his AEW commitments, Moxley has now set his sights on former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay. The NJPW star recently took a shot at Moxley, calling him a "b***h."
In a recently uploaded promo video from NJPW, Mox finally responded to Ospreay. The former IWGP United States Champion sent a not-so-subtle warning to the Englishman:
"I thought we were cool but you think you can pick up a microphone and say whatever you want? You think you can put my name in your mouth, you can say whatever you want? Just because there's an ocean between us, it won't get back to me? It's time to learn your words have consequences."
"I may have never seen a wrestler in the ring, a performer more talented than Will Ospreay. I just wish I had a fraction of the talent of Will Ospreay, but it might be time to beat some humility into Will Ospreay because he's walking around, acting, talking like a clown. There's no faster way to learn humility than have to vomit up your own teeth after they get knocked down your throat."
It could happen as soon as April 16 in Chicago, where NJPW will host the WINDY CITY RIOT in Chicago. Moxley has vowed to meet Ospreay at the NJPW show. It'll be a pure battle between brawler and in-ring technician, which will entice fans of both men.
#1. Jeff Hardy opens up on his final days in WWE
On The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy podcast, Jeff Hardy revealed he often thought about leaving WWE for AEW. He also feels valued in AEW compared to his most recent WWE run:
"Yeah, I thought about that many times, yeah. Anybody from AEW would say ‘Hey man, how long have you got?’ ‘A little under two years, man!’ whatever. That was ultimately the plan, depending on how things went throughout those two years. I mean, I’m in good shape but I’m pretty beat up, so I don’t know how much longer I’ve got. I just want to make the most of the time I do have. Let’s get this in while I can! I feel valued now." (01:06:53)
The Charismatic Enigma went on to divulge on what led to his WWE departure:
“It felt right in the moment, I wasn’t trying to get released! Just thinking about Survivor Series and how fun that was, the connection with the crowd and how bad they wanted me to win made me think back to Sumerslam. I was there all day for nothing, and I thought ‘Why am I even here?’ You know? I was so excited to be a part of it, but I just wasn’t involved. Not just at Sumerslam, but, like, ‘Why am I even still here in WWE? What’s my purpose?’ Because it didn’t feel like I had much of one.” (01:06:11)
While he got misused during his recent WWE run, Jeff Hardy now has a chance to put those issues behind. With AEW rumored to be The Hardys' last run, fans are looking forward to a slew of potential dream matches.
