AEW News & Rumor Roundup: Serious injury forces match to be stopped abruptly; Tony Khan signs ANOTHER star; Wardlow replaced

Welcome to the December 30 edition of AEW News and Rumor Roundup. In today's edition, we will briefly cover a few trending topics, like a star getting injured, which led the match to be stopped halfway, Tony Khan's roster reportedly getting a new star, and Wardlow seemingly getting replaced in a popular faction.

We will also discuss several other stories, including Ricky Starks' recent confrontation with a real-life rival of CM Punk at an event. So, without further ado, let's begin:

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#5. El Hijo del Vikingo gets seriously injured

This past Sunday, El Hijo Del Vikingo finally made his UK in-ring debut. He wrestled against Kid Lykos II for PROGRESS Wrestling at Chapter 175, which was held at the Electric Ballroom in London, England.

Halfway through the match, Vikingo botched an attempted Sunset Flip that led him to crash awkwardly and sustain an injury. The referee then threw up the X symbol to stop the match and called for help.

"Vikingo vs Lykos II was stopped early due to an unfortunate injury to Vikingo. He will get checked over by our medical team, and we hope for a speedy recovery, and a return to a PROGRESS ring in the future. #Unboxing7," PROGRESS Wrestling informed on X.

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#4. Tony Khan reportedly signs a new star

It was recently revealed that Tony Khan has signed popular independent wrestler BEEF (aka Gnarls Garvin). The star was popularly known for his stint in AAW, where he was a world champion. The Big Beef has previously wrestled in AEW and ROH.

At AAW Windy City Classic XIX this past Saturday, BEEF lost the AAW Heavyweight Championship to former WWE star Matt Riddle. Later, Kevin Kellam, who commentated on the show, confirmed to Sportskeeda Wrestling that BEEF has signed with Tony Khan's company and is now All Elite. It was also reported that he might start his run in ROH.

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#3. Ricky Starks confronts CM Punk's real-life rival

Ricky Starks has been absent from AEW since March 2024. But he has been making appearances for independent circuits. Stroke Daddy recently made a surprise appearance at the DEFY Blueprint wrestling event, where he confronted CM Punk's real-life rival, KENTA. They even teased a future match.

KENTA, who worked in WWE from 2014 to 2019, has been feuding with CM Punk for years over the usage of the GTS move. The former believes that the WWE Superstar stole his move set.

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#2. Kyle O'Reilly seemingly replaces Wardlow in the Undisputed Kingdom

Wardlow was last seen in action on Dynamite: Big Business in March 2024, when he contested for the AEW World Title against then-champion Samoa Joe. Mr. Mayhem has since been missing from TV due to a knee injury.

At the Worlds End PPV, Adam Cole challenged MJF for the latter's Dynamite Diamond Ring. However, Cole lost as The Wolf of Wrestling cheated to win the bout. Following the match, Friedman attacked The Panama City Playboy and tried to break Adam's leg, but Roderick Strong and Kyle O'Reilly made the save.

Later, Adam Cole hugged O'Reilly, hinting that the 37-year-old is the new member of the Undisputed Kingdom, seemingly replacing Wardlow.

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#1. Ex-WWE stars were backstage at AEW Worlds End 2024

AEW Worlds End witness the return of many top stars like Kenny Omega and Adam Copeland. But that was not it. A couple of former WWE Superstars were also reportedly present at the event backstage.

Fightful Select reported that Baron Corbin and A.J. Francis (FKA Top Dolla) were present backstage at the PPV on December 28.