AEW News Roundup: CM Punk visited WWE Hall of Famer backstage long before his debut; Wrestling legend blasts Jeff Hardy's arrival (March 15, 2022)
Welcome to another exciting edition of the AEW News Roundup, where we compile all the biggest news stories coming from the world of All Elite Wrestling.
We'll start today's column with a WCW Icon, who recently revealed that CM Punk reached out to him backstage long before his debut in AEW. And speaking of debuts, Jeff Hardy's recent arrival has drawn criticism from a wrestling manager.
Meanwhile, The Charismatic Enigma is happy to embark on a new chapter and wants to face an old foe. Aside from these, we've plenty to cover before wrapping up today's edition. So without further ado, let's dive into the news roundup.
#5 Sting opens up about CM Punk's rare backstage visit to AEW
@CMPunk @Sting THAT YOU ARE!!!!
Two of my favorite wrestlers all time! https://t.co/dsD2bNJo7P
AEW veteran Sting recently wrote a column in The Players' Tribune, in which he made some surprising revelations about CM Punk.
The Icon disclosed that the former WWE Champion visited him backstage during his initial days in the promotion. Sting stated that Punk "picked his brain" to clear some queries, and it touched his heart.
"He came up to me backstage on one of my first days in AEW, and he’s such a student of history that he just wanted to pick my brain a bit. And I remember he told me, 'I’m sorry, but I’m going to bother you every day. I’ve got so many more questions!!!' It really touched me, because back in the day, if we saw a 62-year-old guy backstage, it was usually, 'Oh man, get the old-timer out of here. You had your day, old man,'" Sting recalled.
The Vigilante and The Second City Saint haven't just kept their friendship behind the curtains, as fans have seen the two men getting along in television programming.
During the Holiday Bash edition of Dynamite last year, Sting and Allin joined forces with Punk for the first time in a matchup against MJF and the FTR. The dream babyface trio emerged victorious that night.
#4 Jim Cornette slams Jeff Hardy's All Elite Wrestling debut
📸 HARDY BOYZ #AEW #AEWDynamite @JEFFHARDYBRAND @MATTHARDYBRAND 🤘🤘 https://t.co/FqtaqcUKFU
Jeff Hardy made his much-awaited AEW debut on the March 9 episode of Dynamite. The Charismatic Enigma saved Matt Hardy, Sting, and Darby Allin from the attacks of Andrade and AFO, who voted Matt out of their faction.
Speaking on The Jim Cornette podcast, the wrestling manager slammed the company for not planning out Jeff Hardy's arrival well in advance. He said the entire segment was boring and asserted that the angle was poorly executed against an underwhelming faction.
"The Hardy Boyz now have been reunited to face who? The Butcher and The Blade? Private Party? Andrade and Jose? It's like they got a 15-minute notice. 'Hey, Jeff's gonna be here, okay, let's do something!' They've had three months, right? And they have wasted it now with a poorly thought out, poorly laid out a rotten underneath heel group, a boring angle except Jeff's debut which they [crowd] were gonna pop on no matter what, they have reunited Hardy Boyz to work with job guys," said Jim Cornette.
The Hardy Boyz W/Sting and Allin appear to be on a collision course with Andrade-led AFO (fka AHFO). It will be interesting to see how their storyline builds up before eventually leading up to Jeff's debut match.
#3 Jeff Hardy interested in reigniting old feud with CM Punk
Jeff Hardy wants to pick things up with CM Punk, where the two left off during their intense rivalry in WWE.
During a recent Signed By Superstars virtual meet-and-greet, Charismatic Enigma said he would be "very excited" if the promotion books him against Punk down the road.
"Very excited, for sure. There’s so much history there, you know?" Hardy said. (H/T- WrestlingInc)
Punk and Hardy were embroiled in a captivating feud back in 2009, which saw them collide multiple times for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The two last battled inside a steel cage in a "losers leave WWE" match on the August 28 episode of WWE SmackDown in 2009. Hardy lost the bout that night and henceforward left the promotion.
#2 Jim Cornette isn't a fan of Daniel Garcia's character
While speaking on The Jim Cornette Experience, the wrestling manager praised Daniel Garcia.
Cornette stated that while the 23-year-old star is a good athlete inside the ring, he lacks a captivating personality:
"There are tonnes of people that we want to see more of that have a chance. Even if Daniel Garcia and 2.0 are the second comings of Karl Gotch for f*** sake, they’ve been beaten consistently where even if they are good they don’t mean anything now. Daniel Garcia is a good athlete and he’s got the f****** charisma of cabbage, and he's young and he needs to grow up and get some personality,” said Jim Cornette.
Daniel Garcia, Matt Lee, and Jeff Parker recently joined forces with Jake Hager and Chris Jericho to form the Jericho's Appreciation Society. Le Champion has been instrumental in elevating the careers of Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz. Keeping that in mind, it will be interesting to see how Garcia and his friends shine under the guidance of Jericho.
#1 Thunder Rosa vowed to become the new AEW Women's Champion this Wednesday
The next chapter of the long-running rivalry between Thunder Rosa and Dr. Britt Baker will be written this Wednesday when the two collide in a steel cage match for the AEW Women's Championship at St. Patrick's Day Slam edition.
Ahead of her highly-anticipated matchup, Le Mera Mera spoke with Jose Arredondo to send the final message to her opponent.
Rosa detailed her rivalry with Baker and asserted that she would finally fulfill her prophecy to become the women's champion this week.
"I'm ready, I'm just ready for Wednesday to happen. And I hope that all this time, because I know that she knows me more than anyone in that ring because we've been in it together for a while and like really epic battles. I'm getting the victory on this war sister. Nothing else, nothing. I'm not taking anything but the title with me 'cause it's not for me. It's for everyone else. And I'm not coming alone this time I'm coming with a Thunder army," said Rosa.
It's worth recalling that Thunder Rosa defeated Britt Baker in an Unsanctioned Lights Out match on last year's St. Patrick's Day Slam episode of AEW Dynamite. Whether or not she repeats history and captures gold this time around remains to be seen.
What do you make of these AEW news stories? Sound off in the comments section below.