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We welcome you back to another edition of the AEW News Roundup, and we've got a lot to talk about on the heels of an eventful Dynamite special titled 'Road Rager.'
AEW pulled off another highly-anticipated debut by getting a former WWE star on board with a new name. Elsewhere, a fan tried to enter the ring during Chris Jericho and MJF's segment, and footage of the scary incident has now been released on social media.
A highly-rated star also revealed that she has yet to receive an offer from AEW or WWE amid intense speculation about her future. Another AEW star also commented on a past feud with The Undertaker and his desire to have had a longer program with The Deadman.
We wrapped up the news roundup with Tony Khan revealing details of the embarrassing pyro botch from the Revolution pay-per-view.
On that note, let's take a look at the latest AEW News Roundup:
#5. Chris Jericho punches fan for trying to jump into the ring at AEW Dynamite: Road Rager
Fans are back at AEW shows, and so is the unpredictability! An astonishingly foolish fan tried to hit the ring during Chris Jericho's entrance, and Le Champion was least impressed.
The fan tried to unsuccessfully barge into the ring while Jericho's 'Judas' played, and the security team was quick to apprehend the culprit. Chris Jericho even sneaked in an unforgiving punch while the security neutralized the unruly fan.
The moment was certainly not planned as the cameras quickly panned away during the incident. The unforeseen fan attack also prompted MJF to send a stern message while staying in character:
"I welcome any other one of you fat white trash hicks to jump in the ring too, so I can beat your a**!"
Chris Jericho and MJF cleverly even referenced the fan attack during their segment, which got a pop from a hot Miami crowd.
There have been several instances of fan attacks in the past, and Jericho isn't the first wrestler to fire back at an unwelcome intruder.
#4. AEW's Chris Jericho talks about wanting a longer feud with The Undertaker
We stick with AEW's Le Champion, who appeared on the Gresh and Keefe show to talk about his legendary career. During the chat, the AEW star also spoke about the feuds he wished to have had in the past.
Jericho would have loved to wrestle Bret and Owen Hart, a dream that remained unfulfilled due to unfortunate reasons. Owen Hart sadly passed away before Chris Jericho arrived in the WWE. The former AEW World Champion noted that he wasn't at Bret Hart's level back then to warrant a match against the iconic Hitman.
Chris Jericho then mentioned The Undertaker's name and noted how he had faced The Deadman on a few occasions in the WWE. The AEW Demo God, however, would have preferred a lengthy program with The Undertaker as he recalled them never being involved in an extended angle.
While Jericho and The Undertaker had a few solid matches, they never got to work an entire storyline together.
"I think the Hart brothers for sure. I'm talking about Bret Hart or Owen Hart," Jericho said. "Both of those guys I never got to wrestle. Owen passed away before I got into WWE, and I wasn't at the level to wrestle Bret before he got injured before his career was done. But I think with our backgrounds and kind of growing up in the same area and training the same way, those would have been a couple classic feuds. The other one is The Undertaker. I worked [with] him a few times, and we always had great matches, but we just never really had a long feud."
While The Undertaker retired at Survivor Series last year, the 50-year-old Chris Jericho continues to march forward in AEW as the leader of The Inner Circle.
#3. Aleister Black makes his AEW debut under a new name
Malakai Black, aka Tommy End, is in AEW! Rumors of Aleister Black's impending AEW debut have indeed turned out to be accurate as the former WWE superstar made his first appearance on AEW Dynamite: Road Rager.
It all began with Arn Anderson and Tony Schiavone standing in the ring for an interview. A blackout ensued, and Aleister Black was in the middle of the squared circle once the lights were back on.
The former NXT Champion attacked Arn Anderson with the Black Mass, which prompted Cody Rhodes to rush to the ring. Malakai Black had a brief stand-off with The American Nightmare before decking him with another Black Mass.
The Miami crowd absolutely loved the segment, which was evident by the loud chants echoing in the arena as Malakai Black slowly retreated to the back.
Zelina Vega's recent WWE return had raised doubts over Aleister Black's status as reports stated people within WWE were pushing for the Dutch star to be re-signed.
As reported by Fightful Select heading into Road Rager, AEW talent was already speculating about Malakai Black's AEW debut, and thankfully for all of us, Tony Khan and his team have pulled off another exciting hire.
#2. Maki Itoh has not received any offers from AEW or WWE
Maki Itoh was one of the standout performers during AEW's Women's World Championship Eliminator tournament back in February as the 25-year-old Joshi star became an overnight sensation following her energetic performances on AEW programming.
Itoh returned for a special appearance at AEW Revolution, where she teamed up with Britt Baker for a match against Riho & Thunder Rosa. Maki Itoh's last AEW match happened in March in a losing effort to Riho on a Dark episode.
While Maki Itoh has been in Japan since then, the star is looking forward to securing a significant contract in the United States. The top seller on ProWrestlingTees.com revealed during a recent live stream that she has surprisingly not received any offers. Here's what the Japanese star had to say:
"Pro Wrestling Tees ranking, sales ranking, I'm number one! Number one! I'm wondering why no offer. I think soon; I can be a star. Every pro wrestling company should offer Maki Itoh (a contract), but nothing.".
Since March, Maki Itoh has worked for Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling, but her popularity in the US should eventually get her back. However, who will secure her unique services?
#1. Tony Khan reveals AEW did not pay the pyro guys after AEW Revolution botch
The 'Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch' between Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega at AEW Revolution will always be remembered for the unappealing pyro at the end.
The final explosion was an absolute dud, and AEW received a lot of flak for letting a brutal match suffer from an underwhelming finish. During a recent appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show, Tony Khan revealed that he did not pay the pyrotechnic guys $100,000 following the botch.
The AEW boss admitted making an error by letting 'non-wrestling people' handle such a vital spot.
"I'll never let the non-wrestling people [handle it]...I was trying to be too safe, and I let the professionals handle the stuff, and they are guys who don't understand wrestling. [Like] A professional pyrotechnic guy. They totally shit the bed. I ended up not paying them. It was like $100,000 they ended up refunding for all the expenses of the match. I ended up not paying for the (exploding) barbed wire deathmatch, which I shouldn't have. They screwed up royally," Khan stated.
Tony Khan praised Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega's efforts and regretted getting it all wrong with the final explosion. However, the AEW President promised to have another iteration of the match and also vowed to avoid previous mistakes.
"We put together something great. Kenny and Jon worked their a**es off, and all they had to do was set up the final explosion. This is because we used professional pyrotechnic people who are supposed to know. The next time we do this, and I will do it again because the match drew. Everything Jon and Kenny did up until that point was outstanding; it wasn't their fault it didn't go off. Long story short, it was a long time ago, and we've bounced back since then," added Tony Khan. H/t Fightful
AEW has clearly moved on from the embarrassing incident as the company continues to offer compelling shows every week.
Did you check out Road Rager? If not, we've got you covered right here.
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