News and Rumor Roundup: WWE legend on Triple H putting over 40-year old star, AEW star compared to Stone Cold Steve Austin (December 20, 2021)

Welcome back to another exciting edition of AEW News and Rumor Roundup, where we bring you all the notable news stories stemming from the world of All Elite Wrestling.

We'll begin today's edition with WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, who recently recalled Triple H's match against a 40-year old AEW star. In another compelling news story, Bryan Danielson said a top star's persona resembles Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Meanwhile, reports swirling around have shed light on Kyle O'Reilly and Johnny Gargano's All Elite Wrestling status. A former WWE female star recently opened up about her relationship with CM Punk.

And last but not least, an AEW star has announced a break-up with his long-time girlfriend. With so much fascinating stuff lined up on the table, let's quickly get down in detail about it.

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#5 Ric Flair believes WWE Superstar Triple H helped make AEW's Bryan Danielson

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair recently made critical remarks about AEW star Bryan Danielson.

While speaking on his Wooooo Nation podcast, The Nature Boy downplayed Danielson's work and said, 'It's okay.' Flair further believes that on the night Triple H put him over [WrestleMania 30] made the latter a star overnight:

"It's okay [ On Bryan Danielson's work]. I didn't say he wasn't a good worker. Listen how I feel. When Hunter [Triple H] put him over at whatever WrestleMania that was, that made him, and he's a very talented kid, don't misunderstand me," said Ric Flair.

Ric Flair also applauded The Game and Bryan Danielson for delivering a world-class match. Yet the veteran doesn't think the All Elite Wrestling star is close to being at Kenny Omega's level:

"You know, Hunter only wrestles once in a while came out in a match that started a little slow, but they ended up having a world-class match. So yeah, no, he's a hell of a performer. I don't see him as being Kenny Omega," added Ric Flair.

Despite the legend's notable remarks, The American Dragon has proved his worth as a performer by putting on classic matches every time he's in the ring.

His recent bout against Hangman Page for the AEW World title, which lasted for an hour, has generated a massive buzz lately.

#4 AEW's Bryan Danielson says Hangman Adam Page reminds him of Stone Cold Steve Austin

While speaking with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, AEW star Bryan Danielson recalled watching his on-screen rival Hangman Page thrive, both from an in-ring and character perspective.

Danielson lauded Page's brawler style of wrestling. He added that The Anxious Millennial Cowboy persona reminds him of legendary Stone Cold Steve Austin. But on the flip side, the former WWE star quipped of Hangman Page's character being somewhat alcohol-addicted:

"Even while I was in WWE, I kept an eye on talent, I watched 'Hangman' in [other promotions]. It’s crazy to see how much he’s grown, both from an in-ring perspective and a character perspective. I love his updated brawler style of wrestling. To me, he wrestles a modernized version of the way Steve Austin wrestled, and that cowboy persona reminds a lot of people of Steve Austin," said Bryan Danielson. But in 2021, you can’t come in and be just like Steve Austin. He’s developed this nuanced cowboy character with a drinking problem," said Danielson.

Page's way of drinking and bashing beer often resembles Steve Austin's persona from the Attitude era.

Yet, the 30-year-old star still has a long way to go before reaching anywhere near the level of The Texas Rattlesnake.

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#3 Kyle O'Reilly could soon be on his way to joining AEW

Kyle O'Reilly and Johnny Gargano's next wrestling destination has become the most talked-about topics these days, especially since they've gained free agent status after letting their WWE contracts expire.

Andrew Zarian of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently reported that as per a source within Vince McMahon's promotion, either Gargano or O'Reilly is a 'done deal' with All Elite Wrestling.

It's worth noting that Adam Cole has teased giving a special 'Christmas' present to The Young Bucks and Bobby Fish this week. There's slight speculation that Kyle O'Reilly could turn out to be the latest addition to the AEW roster.

Even the star himself has fueled those presumptions by posting a cryptic message on Twitter.

#2 AEW star Serena Deeb sheds light on her friendship with CM Punk

AEW star Serena Deeb recently opened up about her connection with fellow star CM Punk.

While speaking with Wrestling Inc, Deeb stated that she loved seeing The Straight Edge Superstar return to pro wrestling in All Elite Wrestling. Serena Deeb then went on to reveal that she has maintained a great relationship with CM Punk since the first time both met in the OVW promotion back in 2005:

“I love it, I totally love it. We have a great relationship, we obviously go back a long way and we did some really good business together over the years. I met Punk in, I want to say 2005 at OVW when he first reported there and Paul Heyman was booking the show and Punk was his guy," said Deeb.

Deeb further added that Punk was the driving force behind her getting into the Shimmer wrestling promotion. The AEW star added that Punk guided and helped her thrive on the independent circuit before WWE came knocking on her door:

"Punk was the driving force behind getting me to Shimmer for the first time, which at the time was, as a female wrestler, that was the indie that you aspire to go to because that was the best. From Shimmer that got me to [Other promotions]. Punk really guided me and really helped support me in getting to all these places before WWE," Serena Deeb added.

It's worth recalling that CM Punk and Serena Deeb were once part of the former's villainous stable - The Straight Edge Society. Stars like Joey Mercury and Doc Gallows were also part of the faction.

Surprisingly, Deeb went bald as per the process of the group's initiation. Though the faction didn't last long enough, it captivated people to prohibit substance abuse since it was the tagline of their group.

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#1 AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara announces break up with his fiancée

In what came as heartbreaking news, Sammy Guevara recently announced a break-up with his fiancée, Pam Nizio, after being together for nearly eight years.

On behalf of the pair, The Spanish God issued a lengthy statement on Twitter where he made shocking revelations. He appreciated the love and support that the couple has received from their well-wishers over the years.

That said, Sammy Guevara and Pam Nizio mutually decided to end their relationship and share this piece of information with their fans. The former couple even asked people to show respect and privacy during this period.

As heart-rending as the news sounds, it's worth taking a trip down memory lane to August this year when Guevara proposed to Nizio live before AEW Dynamite aired.