Welcome to the Daily Drop for Monday, April 22, 2024. AEW brought a packed Dynasty pay-per-view last night, and there is a lot to unpack.
Last night’s AEW Dynasty PPV is the most popular subject of conversation, capped off by Swerve Strickland being crowned the new AEW World Champion. The TBS Title belongs to Willow Nightingale after she took down and she’ll be the first AEW opponent for Mercedes Mone at Double or Nothing next month.
Chris Jericho got “go away heat” as he beat Hook for the FTW Title. Also, Jack Perry finally returned to AEW. He jumped into the Young Bucks and FTR’s ladder match and helped the Jackson brothers become the first-ever three-time AEW Tag Team Champions. Now, let’s get into the Daily Drop!
AEW:
Bryan Danielson Injury Scare: Danielson vs. Will Ospreay is being hailed as one of the greatest matches in company history. The conclusion saw Ospreay unleash Tiger Driver 91 for the victory. Danielson landed hard and was tended to by medical personnel after the match. He remained unresponsive for a significant period, causing concern among the St. Louis fans. Thankfully, it was later confirmed that Danielson was fine and was selling the effects of the move and the entire match. At the post-show press conference, Ospreay teased retiring Tiger Driver 91 due to how dangerous it is.
Ospreay on Triple H Dig: Ospreay addressed his recent on-camera shot at Triple H, which was actually a receipt, where he mentioned grinding on the boss’ daughter.
“If you throw a jab, I throw one back. And although I wasn’t mentioned by name, it was clearly about me.” He went on to admit that shots like that won’t be coming from him anymore, “I don’t wanna do that anymore because I feel like I lowered myself to that standard. I don’t need to do that anymore… that’s the first time I’ve ever experienced true tribalism between the two. It’s not nice. It’s unnecessary.”
Will Ospreay says he's annoyed by the Triple H jab he took, but now simply wants to focus on promoting AEW.
“From this day on, I won't go down that route. I'm the Best Wrestler in the World. I don't need to F with guys below me.” pic.twitter.com/zPqHD8sQ8e
— Drainmaker ?? ? (@DrainBamager) April 22, 2024
Julia Hart’s Condition: The TBS Title match at AEW Dynasty ended with a title change as they planned, but Dave Meltzer confirmed during Wrestling Observer Radio that Julia was injured in the process. Their match only went around six minutes
Jeff Hardy’s AEW Contract Ticking Down: Initial reports suggested that AEW had extended Jeff Hardy’s contract into 2025. This extension was thought to compensate for time he missed due to injuries and a sabbatical following his 2022 DUI arrest. However, Jeff has informed other talent at conventions that his contract is actually set to expire in the spring of this year. Jeff Hardy joined AEW in 2022 and quickly teamed up with his brother. Matt Hardy is now a free agent, and he’s free to speak to anyone he likes. He just returned to TNA Wrestling, but it was under a non-exclusive deal.
Swerve’s Entrance: Strickland’s entrance at AEW Dynasty received a ton of props from fans all over, who really dug his Black Panther tribute.
THE BEST SWERVE ENTRANCE EVERRR #AEWDynasty pic.twitter.com/QXcT0TGlXm
— Joey ?? (@wrestlin_wasabi) April 22, 2024
WWE:
WWE RAW 4/22 Card:
- New Women’s World Champion will be crowned
- Andrade & Ricochet vs. Dominik Mysterio & J.D. McDonagh
- Awesome Truth vs. DIY – World Tag Team Championship match
- Gunther returns for the first time since losing the IC title at WrestleMania
Drew McIntyre Injured: Add Drew McIntyre to the long list of WWE wrestlers out with injuries, including Rhea Ripley, CM Punk, Seth Rollins to name a few. At WrestleMania, the ‘Scottish Warrior’ defeated Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight title (before dropping it just minutes later to Damian Priest.) It turns out that McIntyre was injured in the match against Rollins and badly hyperextended his elbow. He did work last week’s WWE UK tour as advertised, but will probably take some time off to heal. On a side note, we haven’t heard anything about him signing a new WWE contract, negotiations getting series, or anything to that effect.
The Smashing Machine: The Rock just wrapped up his road to WrestleMania 40. The Final Boss promised that he will return to the company for a match against Cody, but he has an important role coming up that needs his attention. “The Smashing Machine” will chronicle the life of fighter Mark Kerr, exploring his ascent in the world of MMA and his battles with personal issues. Johnson will portray Kerr in the film, and his MMA training will start very soon for that new role.
Bayley Still Sign Ripping: Remember when Bayley went viral practically every week when she ripped up a fan’s sign as part of Damage CTRL? She hasn’t dropped that trend. She spotted a fan holding a sign that said IYO SKY was his champion, and Bayley got to work.
You can kick Bayley outta Damage CTRL but you can’t take da DAMAGE outta Bayley ?#WWEFortWayne pic.twitter.com/rakkP0hvqv
— Bayley (@itsBayleyWWE) April 22, 2024
Upcoming PPV’s and PLE’s:
Here are the upcoming major wrestling events
- Saturday, May 4: WWE Backlash France (PLE)
- Sunday, May 26: NXT Battleground (PLE)
- Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)