AEW News Roundup: Cody Rhodes teases WrestleMania 39 swerve; WWE veteran retiring?; Natalya receives a big invitation
AEW Revolution took place only last weekend and the promotion is already moving on towards new storylines and angles that could hopefully bring even more attention to their roster.
Notably, a couple of WWE Superstars were interacting with some of the names on the Jacksonville roster, resulting in some interesting cross-promotional interactions. Continue reading as we break down five of the biggest news stories in this week's AEW News Roundup.
#5 Former WWE and AEW star John Hennigan is set to face Anoa'i Family member, Jacob Fatu
MLW recently announced that Jacob Fatu (son of Samuel Fatu, who is the twin brother of Rikishi) will be challenging John Hennigan for the National Openweight Championship at the upcoming MLW War Chamber pay-per-view.
@SAMOANWEREWOLF @TheRealMorrison @MLW
Just announced!
Major League Wrestling today announced a National Openweight Championship fight: John Hennigan (Champion) vs. Jacob Fatu at MLW War Chamber’23 Thursday, April 6 at New York City's Melrose Ballroom. https://t.co/olKfmXcNEI
John Hennigan last wrestled in AEW back on June 1st, 2022 and many fans have been hoping to see his return. Unfortunately, for these fans, it seems like he's busy competing everywhere else.
#4 Jade Cargill seemingly teased a match with WWE's Natalya in Canada
Reigning TBS Champion Jade Cargill recently took to social media to comment on Natalya's latest tweet and seemed to issue a challenge to the star.
"Bring your se*y a** back to Canada Nattie and see me," Cargill tweeted.
View the uncensored tweet via this link.
In response to Jade's challenge, the WWE Superstar jokingly let her know that she'd be there soon.
"Be right there!" Natalya tweeted.
AEW will be returning to Canada very soon, and Cargill seems to be bored with the roster after defeating nearly everyone. Could Natalya be the one to accept her challenge? Some fans have already begun speculating that this might be the case, but at this stage, there is no word on the legitimacy of the theories.
#3 Paul Wight (fka Big Show) recently teased a return to pro wrestling
During his recent appearance on Deuce and Mo, AEW's Paul Wight revealed that he was hard at work on a return to pro wrestling and could be back before fans know it.
“Working hard, training hard to get back in the ring, which will hopefully happen real soon. I’ve had a hip replacement and just got a knee replacement done in August, which sounds like the end of an athlete’s career, but modern technology, I’ll tell you, I feel better joint-wise than I’ve felt the past 15 years.” (H/T: Fightful)
Wight's last appearance outside of DARK was when he took on QT Marshall at AEW All-Out 2021.
#2 Cody Rhodes recently teased having his wife, Brandi Rhodes, get involved with his feud with Roman Reigns
During his recent appearance on Out of Character, The American Nightmare toyed with the idea of having Brandi Rhodes get involved in his storyline with The Bloodline. However, the star revealed that despite past joint appearances, the couple prefers to do things separately.
"She very much can defend herself and can fight her own battles. There's no difference between in-character me and out-of-character me. And part of that is the people who surround me. So I wouldn't rule it out, but she absolutely loves watching what I'm doing. But definitely never say never," Cody said.
Brandi Rhodes is back alongside Cody Rhodes. #AEWDynamite #AEW #AEWGrandSlam https://t.co/IPXTKlD2Kd
#1 Bully Ray commented on Bryan Danielson teasing an end to his pro wrestling career
Speaking on the latest episode of The Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray shared his thoughts on whether The American Dragon could possibly be serious about retiring after his unsuccessful match at AEW Revolution 2023.
“The Daniel Bryan vignette/promo last night, had me reeled in. I felt for him. Maybe it’s time to say goodbye. S*** is this the last time we are going to hear from Daniel Bryan? See from Daniel Bryan? His career almost taken away because of concussions…” Bully Ray said. [05:20 - 05:39]
Bryan Danielson's potential retirement could simply be part of a long-term storyline, but with the star's history of neck injuries and his age, there could be some truth behind his morbid thoughts.