AEW NEWS - NOVEMBER 2025

[Sublime]

I was curious and looked it up and was shocked that Bruce Prichard is only 62 Hayes is 66. It’s wild that  guy like Jericho is still going at 55 while Hayes was done by his mid thirties. 

[Elsalvajeloco]

46 minutes ago, Sublime said:

I was curious and looked it up and was shocked that Bruce Prichard is only 62 Hayes is 66. It’s wild that  guy like Jericho is still going at 55 while Hayes was done by his mid thirties. 

Well, Bruce got into the business when he was a teen and was in the WWF by the time he was 23/24. So 62 sounds about right.

I mean Hayes could have kept going on the indies if he wanted to but I dunno how many iterations of what was left of the old Dallas territory he could have wrestled for. Plus, I don't think Eric got the whole Freebird thing. He was a desperate for a job so he cut his hair and became Doc Hendrix for Vince. If he had the same options older wrestlers had today, he would just go back and forth between promotions.

[Ramo2653]

5 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

I think a fun twist on this would be Jericho coming back thinking he'll get one last shot at Cena, but then realizing he's too late.  

And/or, have him come back and expective a Cena-like retirement run but getting all pissy when he doesn't. 

Just imagine a scene where someone is yelling at Jericho saying the crowd doesn't him love him like Cena. Kinda like how Draymond Green was yelling at Paul Pierce when he had his retirement tour.

[SovietShooter]

4 hours ago, Craig H said:

And I'm sure he sees a future for himself in production for WWE because, I mean come on, Bruce and PS Hayes can't stick around forever, right? It already feels like each of them should be old as dirt and yet there they are, still kicking around. Something else Jericho should get credit for is his mind for how each match finishes or what happens in each match. He was open about his criticism of that happening in AEW where the same angle or finish would happen multiple times on one show and how that shouldn't happen. I could almost see Jericho stepping into a role that Pat Patterson had.

Honestly, I thought that was part of why Jericho was so all-in on AEW to begin with - he saw this as a place he would get an opportunity to be in a role like that, which he would never get in WWE.  But, with Vince out and a new regime in place, maybe there is a spot there for him, that wasn't there five or six years ago?  Additionally, it looks like Danielson has that spot as TK's right hand man locked down in AEW, so maybe Jericho genuinely feels slighted a bit.  

I think the big monkey wrench in all of this are all the other side projects Jericho is involved in: podcasts, rock bands, horror movies, cruises, DSOTR... I think TKO is probably much more open to letting talent be involved with that type of stuff than Vince ever was, but he was basically able to come and go as he pleased with AEW. Plus, AEW clearly let him have a heavy hand in his programs... not sure if he would have that much creative freedom in WWE. 

I will say this though, there is probably a truckload of money to be made with a Jericho/Dom program. And Jericho is/was close with both Rey & Eddy... he would do everything in his power to make him a star. 

[JLowe]

7 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

I think a fun twist on this would be Jericho coming back thinking he'll get one last shot at Cena, but then realizing he's too late.  

And/or, have him come back and expective a Cena-like retirement run but getting all pissy when he doesn't. 

Remember at the start of the year when it looked like Jarrett was gonna get a big retirement run and then he got destroyed in a promo battle by MJF while also saying some ignorant things and hasn’t been back in the ring since?

[SovietShooter]

2 minutes ago, JLowe said:

Remember at the start of the year when it looked like Jarrett was gonna get a big retirement run and then he got destroyed in a promo battle by MJF while also saying some ignorant things and hasn’t been back in the ring since?

Man, that whole thing with MJF, Jarrett and Dustin all just faded into the ether didn't it?  

[username]

8 hours ago, Dolfan in NYC said:

And/or, have him come back and expective a Cena-like retirement run but getting all pissy when he doesn't. 

This just sounds like what would actually happen >_>

[tbarrie]

On 11/19/2025 at 8:04 PM, TheVileOne said:

I'm sad that Chris Jericho is likely gone from AEW. I never hated the Learning Tree as much as everyone else

I never understood the hate for the Learning Tree. It was as if people thought Jericho was trying to do serious, sincere-sounding promos and failing.

Or maybe I just find Brian Keith angrily blurting out random things funnier than anyone else does. I don't know.

[The Green Meanie]

I liked that it started out with him making fun of the IWC (initially). Briam Keith was always good for a laugh, yes.

[Jenalysis]

He still is good for a laugh- the Bounty Hunter gimmick wasn't going to go anywhere in AEW, say what you will about Jericho but without him Bryan Keith is probably not appearing on AEW much at all- at least he's occasionally on Collision now.

 

 

[ExcellenceofAirPollution]

I've mentioned my feelings on Jericho before.  He's been one of, if not my favorite wrestler since the WCW days.  He was the main reason I kept watching WWE for several years past it's expiration date with me.  His post-WWE NJPW-->AEW run will go down in history both for it's impact and his umpteenth reinventions into "The Painmaker", "The Ocho"  "The Wizard" etc.  He had a fucking GREAT run and people are forgetting it due to recency bias.

All that said, he hit a fucking wall in AEW harder than he ever has a couple years ago and he hasn't been able to maneuver his way out of it or reinvent himself like he has in the past.  Part of it is audience fatigue, part of it is he's done everything there is to do in the company.  It's the first time he's felt genuinely old and out of touch with the audience.  In the last couple years I started occasionally skipping his segments and matches.  If someone like ME is doing that it's a bad fucking sign, because at any point in the last 25+ years it would have been incomprehensible.  It sucks that he lost so much overness and became so stale in AEW but like......it's pro-wrestling......these things happen.  Jericho knows as well as anyone that that's the sign it's time to leave the territory

One last WWE run is beyond obvious and it's the best thing for him.  The crowds will shower him with all the love and adulation he could ever want, and his half baked politics will be right at home.  I'm sure I'll check out clips to see him interact with Dom....and Dom.......probably Dom.........and I can't think of anyone else because fuck WWE but you get my point.  My hope is that he isn't bitter about the AEW crowds turning on him the way Cody was.  I'll lose a lot of respect for him if he starts taking shots at AEW once he's gone

Edited November 21, 2025 by ExcellenceofAirPollution

[HarryArchieGus]

12 hours ago, tbarrie said:

I never understood the hate for the Learning Tree. It was as if people thought Jericho was trying to do serious, sincere-sounding promos and failing.

Or maybe I just find Brian Keith angrily blurting out random things funnier than anyone else does. I don't know.

The Learning Tree concept probably looked good on paper, but suffered a hard fall with a series of extremely bad promos. I don't think 'sincere-sounding' was confusing as much as many were just disenchanted with the weak comedy. That said, there were some moments - his NY minute promos going into the ROH PPV were particularly strong. Bryan Keith's punctuations were funny, but they didn't really evolve. The trio didn't really serve Big Bill all that well either. I suppose that's arguable tho.

11 hours ago, Jenalysis said:

He still is good for a laugh- the Bounty Hunter gimmick wasn't going to go anywhere in AEW, say what you will about Jericho but without him Bryan Keith is probably not appearing on AEW much at all- at least he's occasionally on Collision now.

He's where he was. Bryan Keith is a great hand, but he doesn't or hasn't yet connected with the audience in any significant way to move him up the card. I think there's a better tag team situation for him at some point then this current middling duo with Bill. Bill also badly needs a refresh. Tho, I'm starting to think he's in the position he'll remain in AEW. 

14 hours ago, SovietShooter said:

Honestly, I thought that was part of why Jericho was so all-in on AEW to begin with - he saw this as a place he would get an opportunity to be in a role like that, which he would never get in WWE.  But, with Vince out and a new regime in place, maybe there is a spot there for him, that wasn't there five or six years ago?  Additionally, it looks like Danielson has that spot as TK's right hand man locked down in AEW, so maybe Jericho genuinely feels slighted a bit.  

I think the big monkey wrench in all of this are all the other side projects Jericho is involved in: podcasts, rock bands, horror movies, cruises, DSOTR... I think TKO is probably much more open to letting talent be involved with that type of stuff than Vince ever was, but he was basically able to come and go as he pleased with AEW. Plus, AEW clearly let him have a heavy hand in his programs... not sure if he would have that much creative freedom in WWE. 

I will say this though, there is probably a truckload of money to be made with a Jericho/Dom program. And Jericho is/was close with both Rey & Eddy... he would do everything in his power to make him a star. 

Jericho the TV character seems like a no brainer to jump, 'the Universe' will embrace him where the AEW audience won't, but the talk of what happens after the run, his next phase in Wrestling, seems like a lot bigger question mark with WWE. It seems pretty clear that he and Levesque aren't exactly close. I don't see that mending in a way that leads to Jericho getting behind the scenes opportunities. In AEW, backstage, there will always be a place for him. And probably deservedly so. 

9 hours ago, ExcellenceofAirPollution said:

One last WWE run is beyond obvious and it's the best thing for him.  The crowds will shower him with all the love and adulation he could ever want, and his half baked politics will be right at home.  I'm sure I'll check out clips to see him interact with Dom....and Dom.......probably Dom.........and I can't think of anyone else because fuck WWE but you get my point.  My hope is that he isn't bitter about the AEW crowds turning on him the way Cody was.  I'll lose a lot of respect for him if he starts taking shots at AEW once he's gone

That seems to have already happened - the recent TNA look liked Number 2/AEW at the ECW Arena looked like a 'Tony Candello show' comments. Further, to the lack of WWE backstage roles for Jericho, I wonder what happens once the shine wears off in WWE. I can imagine him being used very poorly - perhaps even worse than how he's booked himself in AEW over the last year. I do agree with your earlier comments about recency bias, Jericho did a lot of remarkable things during his AEW run often while many fans fixated over some actual misfire. Considering the pull he had in AEW, I thought he kept his ego pretty well in check. He wasn't squeezing his way into Main Events or title programs he shouldn't have. Despite any misfires (there were a fair share) or overlong feuds, he was a team player thru and thru. 

Edited November 21, 2025 by HarryArchieGus

[Technico Support]

Jericho will want to evolve and do something different, while WWE is going to want a Jericho nostalgia tour.  I know the booking was shit and the creative was half-baked, but look at Cena's run.  Fans and the company (except for Rock)  just wanted him to be the same cartoon character he's been for 20+ years.  They don't want evolving characters and a good story, they just want the mOmEnTs and familiar characters every week.  It's so uncreative and homogenous it might as well be on plain old network TV like CSI, unchallenging comfort programming.  So yeah, the conflict between Jericho, who always wants to be different, and WWE, who wants to keep it the same, will be interesting.  Unless Jericho just puts all his shit aside and takes the cash like somebody else we're tired of talking about.

Edited November 21, 2025 by Technico Support

[Craig H]

I cannot believe Bruce and Hayes are only in their 60s. Hayes, for a guy who only wrestled into his fucking thirties, looks like hot garbage. Or maybe it's just his silly ass hat. Or both. 

And I'm shocked Bruce doesn't have more heart issues.

[Nice Guy Eddie]

2 hours ago, Craig H said:

I cannot believe Bruce and Hayes are only in their 60s. Hayes, for a guy who only wrestled into his fucking thirties, looks like hot garbage. Or maybe it's just his silly ass hat. Or both. 

And I'm shocked Bruce doesn't have more heart issues.

Partying has surely taken a toll on Hayes. That, and his silly ass hat. 

[Log]

Hayes was only 36 when he became Doc Hendrix. It's wild that he was in his early thirties when he and Garvin had their run together.

[ExcellenceofAirPollution]

5 hours ago, HarryArchieGus said:

That seems to have already happened - the recent TNA look liked Number 2/AEW at the ECW Arena looked like a 'Tony Candello show' comments. Further, to the lack of WWE backstage roles for Jericho, I wonder what happens once the shine wears off in WWE. I can imagine him being used very poorly - perhaps even worse than how he's booked himself in AEW over the last year. I do agree with your earlier comments about recency bias, Jericho did a lot of remarkable things during his AEW run often while many fans fixated over some actual misfire. Considering the pull he had in AEW, I thought he kept his ego pretty well in check. He wasn't squeezing his way into Main Events or title programs he shouldn't have. Despite any misfires (there were a fair share) or overlong feuds, he was a team player thru and thru. 

When it's all said and done AEW will be a big part of Jericho's legacy.  It would be stupid of him to diminish it, but I could definitely see him doing it after he jumps and makes the rounds.  He'll get some mainstream press too, it would be pretty shitty of him to put them down as the B promotion that he elevated and carried to relevancy, but I can already hear him crafting that narrative.  My hope is he reserves whatever venom he has for the AEW fans that soured on him for not showing him the respect he deserves or whatever.  AEW gets enough shit online and from podcasters, they don't need Jericho adding fuel to the fire.  You'd think being on that side for so long and hearing all the bullshit that he'd know better

[Shartnado]

I only watched last week's episode of Collision this evening and it was one hell of a show! It was neat seeing 1979 and 1986 Dynamite Kid in the ring against each other a few times during the opener.

Toni Storm went batshit throughout the show and it was glorious! Looking forward to Love Bomb ripping off heads and shitting in handbags for a bloody good time!

The announcers (well, Tony) was trying to get a reaction out of Moxley about the tap out loss and then he was about to piss himself once he finally got it and Mox briefly turned back around and approached him after going off on the Conglomeration.

Build up was just one pesky attempted murder and immolation (or does that mean setting oneself on fire, in that case, not that) but yeah, I'm so there for PAC vs Darby! There's two AEW originals whose paths haven't crossed THAT much, if at all, in singles or tag team matches. Very interesting.

Fletcher vs Sky was awesome, as was Briscoe vs Davis. That had to have been the best looking Froggy Bow (sp?) I have seen! It looked like an actual finisher here!

The main event 8 man was super entertaining as one would expect with that line-up! Did Sammy actually draw a Dirty Sanchez on himself just to look like even more of a douche? That's dedication and it seems to be working. I wonder if Bandido pinning RUSH will lead to more between the two of them? I'd take it!

[Technico Support]

3 hours ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Partying has surely taken a toll on Hayes. That, and his silly ass hat. 

And that hat.  That FUCKIN hat.

Why must you always make me quote Tarantino movies?

2 hours ago, Log said:

Hayes was only 36 when he became Doc Hendrix. It's wild that he was in his early thirties when he and Garvin had their run together.

People in general look younger now than they used to, not even specific to wrestling.  I think the decline of smoking and fitness becoming more than just something exercise nuts do played a big part.  It’s just more extreme in wrestling because those dudes lived like lunatics.  Hayes looked 45 when he was 23.

[Ramo2653]

It always throws me off that Hayes was only 40 when he was managing and occasionally tagging with the Hardys and he looked old as hell then. Now the roster is full of 40+ year old guys and it's not even a thing. No one thinks about Finn being over 40 or LA Knight or Kofi, etc.

[JLowe]

5 hours ago, Log said:

Hayes was only 36 when he became Doc Hendrix. It's wild that he was in his early thirties when he and Garvin had their run together.

I still refuse to believe this, he’s obviously using a fake birth certificate because there is no way that dude was in his teens and 20s as a Freebird

[Curt McGirt]

I don't mean for this to be sleazy or Cibernetico or callous at all, please don't take it that way, but Rebel was one of the best looking women on the entire roster and her being diminished by cancer is gonna be a real shock to see. I'm reminded of seeing James Van Der Beek recently and was just floored. Depending on how it goes it could look really, really sad. I wish the best for her. Having her health status seemingly always hindered by her leg too makes this feel pretty 'insult to injury'.

Anyway. The UFC titles are necessarily separated by weight class so there is really no need for a World belt or anything. I'd gather 1/2 their roster is from overseas anyway, so they are all technically World titles.

Yeah it's crazy thinking PS Hayes (which you just know is referred to as Piece of Shit behind his back) was like, 18 when he started. Gordy was actually thirteen when he did. 

[zendragon]

Yhea people started pretty young back in the territory days.

21 hours ago, username said:

This just sounds like what would actually happen >_>

thinking about that time Jericho "retired" by getting thrown into a garbage truck I could certainly see him wanting do something like a retirement tour where he keeps losing

[Ramo2653]

If you count working for local indies, a lot of folks get started pretty early still in the US. Roxanne Perez debuted at 17 and started training at 13.

Keep me honest ya'll but I'm pretty sure folks start early in Mexico still right?

[username]

FWIW I could see a theoretical situation where Jericho has his last in-ring run with WWE for a year or two and then some time after ends up with some sort of backstage role with AEW. While the two companies aren't "friends" I think people in AEW would get the appeal of him finishing up his career in that fashion with a Hall of Fame induction capper, especially given as it seems like his AEW run has simply run out of gas. I'm not saying it is even likely, but it doesn't feel like some utterly impossible scenario.