Swerve Strickland Pins Samoa Joe, Becomes First Black AEW World Champion At Dynasty

Swerve Strickland made history on Sunday, becoming the first African American AEW World Champion in the company’s young history.

Swerve bested Samoa Joe in the main event of AEW Dynasty to win the title, Swerve’s first singles title in the company, crushing Joe with a vicious Swerve Stomp to secure the victory. Joe had been AEW World Champion since December 30, when he beat MJF to win the title. A former AEW World Tag Team Champion, Swerve is also a former WWE Cruiserweight Champion, as well as holding world titles in MLW, EVOLVE, and CZW.

Swerve debuted in AEW in 2022 where he was quick to pick up tag team gold alongside Keith Lee. After jettisoning Lee and forming Mogul Embassies, Swerve embraced his villainous side, getting into a heated feud with Nick Wayne and a bloody feud with Hangman Page, which led to Swerve’s first chance at the AEW Title. Swerve came close to winning the title at AEW Revolution in a three-way dance against Joe and Hangman, but Joe was able to choke out Page and escape with the title.

Jack Perry Returns At AEW Dynasty, Helps Young Bucks Become Three-Time Tag Champs

The Young Bucks became the first ever three-time AEW Tag Team Champions Sunday night on AEW Dynasty, defeating FTR with an assist from a returning Jack Perry.

The two teams were meeting for the fourth time — FTR leading the saga 2-1 — and the match had a divisive build leading into Sunday’s ladder match after The Young Bucks aired CCTV footage during “AEW Dynamite” displaying the All In altercation between CM Punk and Jack Perry last year. Many took airing the footage as a retort to CM Punk’s comments about the promotion during a recent interview with Ariel Helwani, but the incident was tied to the storyline as a reason for the Bucks losing to FTR in their last meeting. 

What ensued was over 20 minutes of human demolition derby, with each wrestler taking turns at going through some form of furniture. The match came to a controversial end when it looked as though FTR were going to capture their own landmark third reign as tag champions. Alas, a masked assailant came through to the ring and cost them the match, later revealed to be Jack Perry making his return to AEW after a stint in NJPW following his suspension for his part in the All In incident. As security restrained Perry, the Bucks took advantage to climb up and grab the titles.

Chris Jericho Wins FTW Championship At AEW Dynasty Amidst Chorus Of Crowd Scorn

Hook sat under “The Learning Tree” at AEW Dynasty and it fell on top of him. FTW Championship is now in the possession of an ECW original, as former ECW World Television Champion Chris Jericho.

Jericho defeated former champion Hook, scion of the belt’s inventor, in an FTW Rules match, essentially meaning there are no rules. Hook put up a valiant fight, even kicking out of the Judas Effect. Jericho walloped Hook with a baseball bat to finally score the pinfall, in full view of Hook’s father Taz, with the crowd raining down boos and pleas for Jericho to recover. The win marks Jericho’s first reign with the FTW title and his second singles title in AEW, as he was the inaugural AEW World Champion. The title was initially created by Taz in ECW as a protest against the actual ECW Championship, eventually becoming a sanctioned title in AEW.

Hook had been FTW Champion since All In in Wembley Stadium in August, when Hook defeated Jack Perry in a controversial match that led to a backstage altercation between Perry and CM Punk. The altercation resulted in Punk being fired from AEW.

Willow Nightingale Wins TBS Championship, Faces Down Mercedes Mone At AEW Dynasty

Willow Nightingale defeated Julia Hart for the TBS Championship at AEW Dynasty, ending Harts 155-day reign. Hart entered the bout with a ton of speculation behind her after an injury scare during the April 12 episode of “AEW Rampage,” during which she appeared to injure her shoulder, and that speculation was fueled by the title bout  was removed from major betting platforms ahead of Dynasty on Sunday night. Hart did in fact defend her title as planned, although the match was fairly one-sided in Nightingale’s favor and ended after just six minutes of action. Afterward, No. 1 contender Mercedes Mone confronted Nightingale in the ring, though their confrontation ended without violence.

Nightingale is now just the fourth champion in the title’s history, cementing her name alongside the likes of her partner Kris Statlander and current WWE star Jade Cargill. She will also go on to defend the title against Mercedes Mone at AEW Double or Nothing to renew their rivalry from last year. Nightingale previously captured the NJPW STRONG Women’s Openweight Championship in a tournament final against Mone to inaugurate the belt. Mone had been expected to win the title but sustained an ankle injury mid-match which had kept her out of action until her AEW debut earlier this year.

ST. LOUIS SELECTED TO HOST 2024 UFL CHAMPIONSHIP

The UFL announced today that The Dome at America’s Center, home of the St. Louis Battlehawks, will be the host site of the 2024 UFL Championship Game on June 16, 2024. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 pm ET/4 pm CT on FOX.

“Selecting the championship game location is more than just the stadium, but the community and the fanbase that surrounds it. This is why we are proud to bring our Championship to St. Louis – a city that has loved and embraced spring football from the start,” said UFL President and CEO Russ Brandon. “Mayor Jones, The Dome at America’s Center staff, and the great team at Explore St. Louis have all been incredible partners, working tirelessly to support the Battlehawks and encourage the League to bring the Championship here. We couldn’t be more excited and look forward to the city’s welcome on June 16.”

“St. Louisans are excited to welcome the UFL championship game and tens of thousands of enthusiastic fans to our city,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “Soon, UFL fans from across the country will learn: Kaw is the law.”

“After setting league attendance records for all five St. Louis Battlehawks home games during the 2023 season, we’re thrilled to welcome the UFL Championship game to the Gateway City in 2024,” said Kitty Ratcliffe, President of Explore St. Louis. “St. Louis is the ideal home for this title game, and The Dome at America’s Center stands ready to welcome UFL fans from around the nation for what promises to be a signature event for the region.”

The UFL’s season consists of 10 regular season games between its eight teams and two conference playoff games before the championship game. In 2023, the Arlington Renegades won the XFL Championship with a 35-26 victory over the D.C. Defenders while the Birmingham Stallions won 28-12 over the Pittsburgh Maulers for their second consecutive USFL Championship.

“Both the XFL and USFL had incredible Championship games last year with some of the most exciting play of the season – and I expect it to be even better this year,” said UFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations, Daryl Johnston. “I’m so excited for our players and coaches that will have the opportunity to compete for a Championship in a setting like The Dome. Our Teams will feed off the energy and excitement that the St. Louis fans bring to the building. It will be an experience like none other for the teams lucky enough to play in the UFL Championship game.”

“To have our fans see us in that game would be awesome. There’s no doubt the Dome will be rocking. This also puts a little more added pressure on us to do what we need to do to be in that game, but everybody’s end goal is to get into the Championship, so our focus remains the same,” added Anthony Becht, Head Coach of the Battlehawks

The St. Louis Battlehawks led the XFL with an attendance of 175,121 for their five home games in 2023, which included a record-setting 38,310 for their home opener. With a seating capacity of 67,000, The Dome at America’s Center has hosted numerous conventions, trade shows, and major concert and sporting events such as the NCAA Men’s Final Four, Beyonce’s “Renaissance” Tour, and U2.

UFL team season ticket members will have the first opportunity ahead of the general public to purchase tickets for the UFL Championship. Additional details about the UFL Championship Game, including ticket information, will be announced at a later date.

AEW Dynasty PPV Announced For April

Following reports that AEW could be about to extend its Pay-Per-View schedule, the company has now confirmed AEW Dynasty for next month.

As announced during AEW Revolution 2024, Dynasty will take place from St. Louis, Missouri’s Chaifetz Arena on Sunday 21 April. Tickets for the PPV go on sale this Friday at 10am CT, with pre-sale available from Wednesday at 10am CT.

This comes hot on the heels of AEW last month filing for the Dynasty trademark, and marks the latest expansion of the company’s PPV calendar. Given that Dynasty name, some are speculating that MJF may have a key role to play at this event, with the Salt of the Earth having previously been a part of the Dynasty stable in MLW. Interestingly, Richard Holliday was one of those alongside MJF in that group, and he’s nowadays a free agent. On the other side of that, though, the other main player in the Dynasty, Alexander Hammerstone, has recently signed with TNA Wrestling after his own MLW departure at the turn of the year.

For its first three years, AEW put on four annual PPVs – Revolution, Double or Nothing, All Out, Full Gear – before last year saw three further PPVs added to that line-up in the form of All In, WrestleDream, and Worlds End. Of course, on top of that, there’s AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door which has been an annual crossover event with New Japan Pro-Wrestling since 2022.

On the Forbidden Door topic, there has recently been rumblings that CMLL talent could be involved with AEW and NJPW for this year’s edition of that PPV, with Tony Khan himself outright stating that he’s keen to feature CMLL talent if possible.

XFL Finalizes 2023 Season Kickoff Plans, Which Don’t Include L.A. Or New York

The XFL, the spring pro football league fronted by Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia, took a big step toward finalizing its plans Sunday with a press conference that revealed the cities, venues and head coaches for its upcoming 2023 season.

The regular season is set to kick off February 18, 2023 with eight teams. Those include in newly announced cities — Las Vegas, Orlando and San Antonio — which are replacing existing teams in Los Angeles, New York and Tampa, FL. ESPN says those were the three cities with the lowest turnout in 2020, the league’s most recent season, which was halted midway through because of the Covid pandemic.

Two other XFL teams on the 2023 slate reside in Texas (Arlington and Houston), with other franchises in Seattle, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.

All 43 XFL games will air on Disney platforms in a carriage deal announced in May by Garcia, the league’s chairwoman and owner, and her movie and TV producing partner Johnson, after the duo with RedBird Capitol Partners acquired the league for $15 million from Vince McMahon in 2020 after it had started bankruptcy proceedings.

McMahon originally bankrolled the return of the league, which he resurrected after a 20-year absence. It had played just one season previously, in 2001, as joint venture between McMahon’s WWF (now the WWE) and NBC.

This year’s games will air on Disney platforms ABC, ESPN and FX.

“We’ve had a clear vision for the XFL – the values to instill, the diversity of our leaders, the innovation of the game and how we want to deeply engage with our communities so they can help bring this vision to life. Today, our league takes another step closer to 2023 kickoff as we officially announce where our teams will play,” Garcia said today during a press conference livestreamed on the XFL’s YouTube channel. “What brings a league to life is the passion of the fandom behind it. In each of these cities we will co-create with our fans and build these teams from the ground up so that they represent the unique fabric of our communities. We welcome all football fans to join us as we get ready for kickoff in February.”

Along with the cities, the league revealed its head coaching assignments with most names familiar to football fans: former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops (Arlington), Wade Phillips (Houston), Terrell Buckley (Orlando), Rod Woodson (Las Vegas), Hines Ward (San Antonio), Jim Haslett (Seattle), Anthony Becht (St. Louis) and Reggie Barlow (Washington, DC).

Said Johnson, who was coming off his appearance at Warner Bros’ Black Adam panel at Comic-Con in San Diego, added: “I’m psyched to reveal the cities that our players will have the chance to represent and compete in. This is another massive moment for the XFL, and I’m ready to feel the electricity our dedicated fans will bring to these iconic venues.

“There is great energy building within our league and there is still much more to come… and I can promise it’s going to be worth the wait. We have been working on fresh, new logos and uniforms – even working with some of the team names you already know – that will match the dynamic and innovative vision of our league. We see you, we hear you and your excitement fuels us to continue to bring you the absolute best. We have just under seven months until kickoff and the countdown is officially on.”

Trio of Texas cities among sites for XFL teams

The XFL has cemented the cities it will play in upon its return to play in 2023 and assigned coaches to the teams, Pro Football Network reported Sunday.

XFL teams are set for three Texas cities — Houston, Dallas and San Antonio — as well as Seattle, Las Vegas, Orlando, St. Louis and Washington, D.C.

The XFL named the coaches in April and still have not officially announced the cities. The league also has not confirmed where each coach will be assigned.

Per Pro Football Network, Wade Phillips is heading home to Houston, where he went to college and once was an assistant coach with the NFL’s Texans. He also was the head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys.

Joining him in Texas are former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who will lead the Dallas team, and Super Bowl-winning wide receiver Hines Ward, who will be the head coach in San Antonio.

Stoops was the head coach of the Dallas Renegades in the XFL in 2020 before it ended the season prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Former New Orleans Saints head coach Jim Haslett will coach the Seattle team.

The four other teams will be led by first-time head coaches at the pro level: Reggie Barlow in Washington, D.C., Pro Football Hall of Fame member Rod Woodson in Las Vegas, Terrell Buckley in Orlando and Anthony Becht in St. Louis.

Ward also is a first-time head coach.

The rebooted XFL is scheduled to begin play Feb. 18, 2023, less than a week after the NFL plays Super Bowl LVII at Phoenix.

St Louis reach $790m settlement over Rams’ relocation

The NFL and Rams owner Stan Kroenke has agreed to pay $790m to settle a 2017 lawsuit over the team’s relocation from St Louis to Los Angeles.

“This historic agreement closes a long chapter for our region, securing hundreds of millions of dollars for our communities while avoiding the uncertainty of the trial and appellate process,” read a joint statement from St Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones and St Louis County Executive Sam Page.

According to multiple reports, the agreement does not include a promise from the NFL for a future expansion team in St Louis.

It is not clear how much of the settlement will be paid by Kroenke, who relocated the team in 2016, and how much by the league’s 31 other teams. Kroenke also owns Premier League club Arsenal.

St Louis officials said they have not yet determined how the settlement funds will be used.

Attorneys for Kroenke and the NFL were in St Louis for a mediation session on Tuesday with lawyers representing St Louis, St Louis County and the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority.

The lawsuit was seeking more than $1 billion and argued that the NFL broke its own relocation guidelines and that the Rams misled the public on their plans to leave the city, costing St Louis millions in revenue.

A trial date had been set for 10 January.

Rumoured New Location For AEW Full Gear 2021

With this year’s AEW Full Gear PPV having recently undergone a date change, a location has yet to be confirmed for this upcoming November show.

As per the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Tony Khan’s promotion is said to be currently looking at the Minneapolis-St. Paul market as the locale that will house Full Gear.

No specific arenas are mentioned by the Observer at this stage, although one might imagine that the Xcel Energy Center would be one venue under consideration – with that venue also due to host an episode of WWE SmackDown this December.

For those who missed it, AEW recently moved Full Gear from 6 November to 13 November. The reason for this is simply that AEW didn’t want to run in direct opposition to two other huge PPV events on that same night – that being UFC 268 (Kamara Usman vs. Colby Covington 2) and a hotly-anticipated boxing card headlined by Canelo Alvarez vs. Caleb Plant.

Previously, Full Gear was due to emanate from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, but the change of date for Full Gear meant that venue was now no longer available.