News Roundup: WWE legend on wanting to wrestle Roman Reigns; top AEW star wants to face Sting before he retires; former champion reveals reaction to his release (February 14th, 2022)

Welcome back to this week's edition of the AEW News Roundup, where we compile all the biggest news stories coming from the world of All Elite Westling.

We'll begin today's column with a legendary tag team star who recently spoke highly of Roman Reigns and wished he could have faced the former Shield member during his time in WWE.

Likewise, a former NJPW star wants to share the ring with Sting in All Elite Wrestling. Interestingly enough, a former TNT Champion opened up about his amusing reaction when WWE released. Aside from these lead stories, we've some more exciting stuff to discuss today. So let's get started with the news roundup.

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#5 AEW star Matt Hardy heaps praise on WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns

It's no secret that WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns' current character work is widely appreciated by wrestling fans and veterans alike.

The latest to do so is AEW veteran Matt Hardy, who never had a chance to work on a full-fledged program with The Tribal Chief during his time in Vince McMahon's promotion. While speaking on the latest edition of the "Extreme Life of Matt Hardy" podcast, Matt said he would have loved to get in the ring with Reigns.

Furthermore, the 47-year-old talked about Reigns' larger-than-life persona and lauded his work both inside and outside the ring.

"Yes, I really would have loved to have had a match against Roman Reigns. I like Roman Reigns immensely as a performer and also I really like him as a human being too as well, we always got along good and he’s just a real cool cat and he’s such a hard worker. He’s so smooth, he’s so handsome, he’s so charismatic and he really does have an amazing package," Matt Hardy said.

AEW's Matt Hardy added that Roman Reigns' chemistry with his cousins, Jimmy and Jey, as The Bloodline is his favorite thing to watch on WWE television as of now:

"The stuff he’s doing currently with him and The Usos, I mean I can’t put that over enough. It is my favourite thing on WWE television, and he’s killing it," Hardy added.

WWE certainly seems to have missed out on an opportunity to book a potential "Woken" Matt Hardy vs. Tribal Chief storyline, as it would have garnered massive eyeballs on television.

Now that the two men are working under different umbrellas, it is unlikely that wrestling fans will ever get to see these two collide in the same ring.

#4 AEW star Lance Archer wants to get in the ring with Sting

AEW star Sting has undoubtedly captivated millions of fans and even young wrestlers throughout his long and illustrious career. One of them is Lance Archer, who recently expressed his desire to face Sting.

In an interview with Sean Patrick Chats podcast, Archer revealed that the WCW Icon inspired him to pursue a career in pro wrestling.

The Murderhawn Monster recalled that he has worked alongside the face-painted legend in various promotions, but sharing the ring with Sting is something he would like to achieve before either of them walks off into the sunset:

"Sting is the guy who got me interested in pro wrestling, and it’s really cool because I’ve had some opportunities both in my early career working with him in TNA, [it’s called] IMPACT Wrestling now, and now here with AEW and being able to share some of my time with him. And hopefully, before his or my time is up, I hope to get to share some ring time with him.” (h/t: WrestleZone)

Lance Archer vs. Sting seems like a far-off possibility at the moment since the latter has only competed in tag and trios matches since joining AEW in late 2020.

However, the Icon has proven his capability to hang in two-on-one handicap situations. That being said, fans could see Sting wrestle in singles match down the road, possibly against someone like Lance Archer.

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#3 AEW star Miro reveals how he reacted after getting released from WWE

Miro, formerly known as Rusev in WWE, would probably have been the only wrestler delighted to hear the news of his release from Vince McMahon's promotion. In April 2020, the Bulgarian star was let go of his contract owing to budget cuts.

While speaking on the same during the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Miro said he "was happy" to learn about his WWE release. The 36-year-old explained that he was reluctant to travel and perform in front of an empty arena during the pandemic era:

“I was so happy. Like, I kind of lost it for 30 seconds. The whole pandemic thing was happening, and we were just trying to fight for some kind of rights, you know, because it’s not right that we have to fly every week to TV in all these circumstances without anybody caring." (H/T - WrestleTalk)

Miro's WWE exit turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him, as he soon inked a deal with AEW. The Bulgarian star quickly reinvented his persona and became one of the most entertaining acts in weekly programming.

He even enjoyed a considerable reign with the TNT Championship, which solidified him as a top star in the promotion.

#2 Konnan gives his honest take on Jay White's AEW debut

Last week on AEW Dynamite, Jay White walked through the forbidden door to meet familiar faces in Adam Cole and The Young Bucks. The Switchblade helped Superkliq decimate Roppongi Vice backstage.

While discussing White's debut on the Keepin It 100 podcast, Konnan called it "underwhelming." The WCW veteran thinks Tony Khan is over-catering to the AEW universe by booking less recognizable stars to appear in television programming:

"I thought Jay White was underwhelming," Konnan said. "And I always think that, you know, I brought this up yesterday to disco. I mean, there's nothing wrong with catering to your fans because those are your hardcore fans and you sponsor goodwill, but I think he over-caters to them," said Konnan.

Since his arrival, White has refused to shut down the forbidden door, as he also showed up on Rampage last week.

He executed his Blade Runner maneuver on Trent Beretta after Roppongi Vice suffered a crushing loss at the hands of The Young Bucks. Jay White will now face Trent in his in-ring debut match on Friday this week.

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#1 Christopher Daniels wants a SoCal Uncensored reunion in AEW

AEW star Christopher Daniels wants to reunite with his long-time partner Frankie Kazarian.

In May last year, the two men were forced to split up after failing to dethrone the-then tag team champions, The Young Bucks, in a high-stakes match. While Kazarian continued to perform as a solo star moving forward, Daniels disappeared from the AEW programming.

While speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, The Fallen Angel said he would love to grab the opportunity to tag alongside his former partner Kazarian. The TNA legend understands that the stipulation won't allow them to team up again in AEW, yet he would be looking forward to pursuing a singles run just like Frankie Kazarian:

"I would love an opportunity to tag with Frankie again if that was the case," said Daniels. "At the same time, if singles is the way we must go, we're both very accomplished singles wrestlers and we were before SCU and I think Frankie has proven that he can still go and I'm looking for that opportunity to prove the same. (H/T Fightful)

Christopher Daniels still has an itch to perform in AEW again, as he recently spoke about his potential in-ring return to the company. Whether he gets the opportunity to wrestle alongside Kazarian remains to be seen.