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Top 10 Wrestling Stories of the Week 8/26: Moxley Is AEW Undisputed World Champion, Gargano On WWE Raw, More

By Matthew Fowler • Published 26th August 2022
jon moxley aew world champion dynamite

Welcome back, TJR readers! Did you spend all day Friday trying to explain to your star that Colt Cabana works for ROH and not AEW, and missed WWE Smackdown? Perhaps you spent all day Monday recovering from seeing Trish Stratus live and missed Raw.

Worry not for I have returned with another edition of the Top Ten Wrestling Stories of the Week.

10. AEW to Hold Matches in Europe

For the first time ever AEW has held matches across the pond. This past Thursday at the Gamescon 2o22 event in Cologne, Germany, AEW held matches to help promote their Fight Forever video game that is currently available for pre-order. AEW will also be holding matches today, as well as tomorrow and Sunday. A video game conference is not how most would have predicted AEW would be making its debut in Europe, as the smart money was on a six-hour show with 10 multi-person matches. (TJRWrestling)

9. Kip Sabian Returns to AEW

For the first time in over a year, Kip Sabian appeared on AEW TV without a box on his head. Sabian has not wrestled for AEW since March of 2021, and instead has been seen in the crowd with a box on his head for the last year. This all changed this past Wednesday on Dynamite during the Death Triangle vs. United Empire World Trios Tournament Match. During the match, Death Triangle member PAC noticed a person who he thought was Sabian in the crowd. When PAC ripped the box off this person’s head however, it was someone else with a bruised face and a taped-up mouth. The real Sabian would then attack PAC from behind, helping United Empire get the win. This was actually the main event segment of the show and not the AEW World Championship Unification Match, which may seem surprising if you didn’t know how popular unboxing videos are to the kids these days. (TJRWrestling)

8. Trish Stratus Appears on Raw

Canada got some Stratusfaction this week. This past Monday’s Raw took place from Toronto, Canada, and started off with Canadian Legend Trish Stratus coming to the ring. Stratus started to give a promo for the excited crowd, before she was interrupted by Bayley, IYO SKY and Dakota Kai. Bayley, SKY and Kai then began to disrespect Stratus before Bianca Belair came down to the ring as well. Belair and Stratus then faced off with Bayley, Kai and SKY, with Asuka and Alexa Bliss eventually joining Belair and Status. Bayley, Kai and SKY then backed down to end the segment. Stratus also actually appeared at a live event in London, Ontario the previous night, but it was not clear if the excited crowd reaction at that event was for Stratus or because John Canton was at ringside. (TJRWrestling)

7. Jeff Jarrett Leaves WWE While Road Dogg Returns

Jeff Jarrett’s most recent run in the WWE ended up being a short one. Just a few months after being announced as the Senior Vice President of Live Events, it was reported this week that Jarrett has left the company. Jarrett was recently seen on WWE television at SummerSlam, as he was the special guest referee for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship bout between The Usos and The Street Profits. Jarrett also notably was a part of Ric Flair’s last match on July 31st. It is unknown at this time why Jarrett has decided to leave the WWE (or if WWE released him), luckily however his Roadie was available to take the job. (TJRWrestling)

6. Intercontinental Title Match Added to Clash at the Castle

For the first time since WrestleMania 37 in April 2021, the Intercontinental Championship is set to be defended at a WWE Premium Live Event. This past Friday on Smackdown, Sheamus defeated Happy Corbin, Sami Zayn, Ricochet and Madcap Moss in a Fatal Five-Way Match to become the number one contender for the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Sheamus will now face fellow European Gunther for the title at Clash at the Castle in Cardiff Wales on September 3rd. Interestingly, the Intercontinental Championship is the only major title that Sheamus has never won, as he is already a former WWE World Champion, United States Champion and Tag Team Champion while also winning the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank and even King of the Ring. Gunther and Sheamus facing off may be the biggest Clash at the Castle since the Queen’s battle with Moses. (TJRWrestling)

5. NXT and NXT UK Titles to be Unified at NXT Worlds Collide

It did not take long to find out what would be happening to the NXT UK titles now that the NXT UK brand will be being replaced by NXT Europe in 2023. It was announced on NXT 2.0 this week, that there will be two huge unification bouts at NXT Worlds collide on September 4th. First, NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose will challenge NXT UK Champion Meiko Satomura and Blair Davenport in a unification bout. Also in the main event, NXT Champion Bron Breakker and NXT UK Champion Tyler Bate will also face each other in a unification bout. Upon hearing of these two huge matches, Tony Khan responded by asking, “you’re telling me you can actually get rid of title belts?” (TJRWrestling)

4. Edge Announces Retirement Plans

It appears that wrestling fans will only have one more year to enjoy Edge competing inside a wrestling ring. After Raw went off the air this past Monday, Edge addresses the Toronto crowd. Edge then stated:

“I hope to come back one last time here in Toronto. Looking at the calendar, we usually come here [to Toronto] in August. So, next August, I guarantee each and every one of you [that I’ll be back here]. And in a perfect world, we all say goodbye to each other that night.”

“Hey, it’s OK, man. This is the place for me to do it [retire]. I mean this when I say it — I love all of you, and in case you missed it, I love being Canadian!”

Edge retiring in Canada does seem like the perfect send off, especially if a meaningless tag team match in Nashville isn’t an option. (TJRWrestling)

3. Interim AEW Women’s Champion to be Crowned at All Out

As soon as AEW got rid of one Interim Championship, they were forced to add another. During a backstage segment on Dynamite this week, AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa announced that she was injured and therefore would not be able to defend her championship at All Out. It was then announced that Toni Storm, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker and Hikaru Shida will face each other in a fatal-four-way match at All Out to crown an Interim AEW Women’s Champion. Rosa will then face the Interim Champion to crown an Undisputed Champion as soon as she is healthy enough to wrestle for three minutes. (TJRWrestling)

2. Johnny Gargano Returns to the WWE on Raw

It was Johnny Gargano who got the phone call from Triple H this week. This past Monday on Raw, Gargano made his shocking return. Gargano came out to an excited crowd, and gave a promo in the ring. Gargano stated that he wants to win all the championship’s in the WWE, and show his six-month-old son that anything is possible. Gargano then declared that “Johnny Wrestling is back in WWE.” Remarkably Gargano’s return was a complete surprise, as no reports of his appearance leaked prior his return. Although not confirmed this was likely due to John Canton being too busy drooling over the pictures of Trish Stratus he took to be able to report on anything. (John Canton editor’s note: “Hey that’s not…I mean you know me too well!) (TJRWrestling)

1. Jon Moxley Becomes the Undisputed AEW World Champion

Finally, AEW has only one World Champion. This past Wednesday on Dynamite, Interim AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and AEW World Champion CM Punk faced off to crown an Undisputed World Champion. The match did not live up to the hype however, as it was over in about three minutes. After Punk appeared to reinjure his left foot after a right leg kick, Moxley hit two Death Riders to pick up the win. Having such a huge match only get three minutes shocked and upset a lot of fans, but in Tony Khan’s defense to some guys going three minutes is a long time. (TJRWrestling)

That concludes another edition of The Top Ten Wrestling Stories of the Week. Thank you for taking the time to read this each week. Although I often joke, I have recently started refereeing with NYCW and respect more than ever what wrestlers do every week. I wrote an article all about it all right here. If you like what I do, despite my jokes being almost as bad as only lasting three minutes. Then follow me on Twitter @Fowlerwrestlin1.