AEW News Roundup: WWE legend claims the promotion is changing the rules of wrestling, surprising update on Kenny Omega's return date (July 20 2022)
AEW is currently gearing up for another blockbuster episode of Dynamite in Week 2 of Fyter Fest. The promotion has had quite a month, and building off the end of last week's impressive shows will be a gigantic task.
AEW's recent news cycle has even included a surprising update about former world champion Kenny Omega's injury status. This story and two more of the top headlines over the past 24 hours will be broken down in today's AEW News Roundup.
#3. Former AEW Women's Champion Britt Baker still hopes to face a former WWE Superstar in a dream match
Britt Baker is one of the biggest names on the AEW roster and is considered by many fans to be one of the true "pillars" of the promotion. Baker dominated the women's roster as champion until being unseated by Thunder Rosa at St. Patrick's Day Slam this year.
During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, the D.M.D. was asked about having a match with former ROH Women's Champion Deona Purrazzo. Baker revealed that the two are real-life friends, and that it's one of her dream matches:
“It will always be on my bucket list, even after we have the match it will be on my bucket list to have another match. She’s amazing. It’s always good to have somebody that is going through what you’re going through or isn’t going through what you’re going through, but can still understand and relate. Deonna’s always that to me, I can always vent to her, I can be excited with her, it’s always special to have someone like that.” [4:28-4:57]
Question who do you think is The better wrestler between deonna purrazzo and Britt baker https://t.co/RIA06m39LY
Purrazzo briefly made a one-off AEW appearance when she defended the ROH Women's Championship against Mercedez Martinez. Unfortunately for The Virtuosa, Mertinez proved too skilled for her, as she lost her championship to the star.
Due to the history Baker has with Martinez and her real-life friendship with Deonna, could the two stars team up to seek retribution from the ROH Women's Champion and Thunder Rosa?
#2. WWE Hall of Famer Booker T believes AEW is changing the rules of wrestling
Booker T is one of the biggest names in the wrestling industry, and despite being largely remembered for his time with WWE, the legend also found much success in WCW. After 30 years in the industry, the Hall of Famer possesses a deep knowledge of wrestling and has seen many careers rise and fall.
In the most recent Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T assessed the way AEW runs its shows and concluded that the promotion aims to change the established rules of wrestling:
"I think companies like AEW want to change the rules, they want to make it more fast paced, they want the crowd to be able to get into it from perspective towards more this is awesome chants. They want the fans to be able to say, 'Oh and ah' as much as they possibly can. Look at the beginning of the show, to the end of it, they try to have as much of that as they possibly can," Booker T said. (1:01:35 - 1:02:11)
Many veterans and legends have criticized the promotion for its pacing, especially how stars tend to opt for bigger moves in quick succession. While Booker has never been shy in criticizing the promotion, the veteran clearly sees a difference in the way the promotion is run.
#1. Fans recently got a surprising update about Kenny Omega's health
Kenny Omega has unfortunately been out with multiple injuries since November 2021 after losing the AEW World Championship to Hangman Page. The star has since been rehabilitating while making absolutely no appearances on-screen. Despite his last run as a heel, fans have been clamoring for his return for months.
A recent report from Sean Sapp Ross from Fightful Select has reported that Omega is likely to return by AEW All Out this year and signed talent are apparently aware of this. The promotion is also reportedly planning for the former world champion to team up with The Young Bucks early in September.
Missing Kenny Omega : day 238 https://t.co/0rlovr4U0f
Currently, there has been no confirmation from Omega or Tony Khan on the status of the former champion. However, the news has undoubtedly excited fans, especially after an older report from Dave Meltzer noted that Omega was not recovering as fast as he had originally hoped.