Following last week's successful AEW Dynamite where the league refocused going into 2020, this week was a bit of a mess.
League sources have told me that Cody was very unhappy with how Wednesday's show went, which is why he did not help out his friend Diamond Dallas Page as he was being attacked by MJF and his crew. Sources have told me that Cody stormed out of the arena following his match, blowing a kiss to Tony Khan on the way out. Despite his displeasure, Cody is still set to appear at AEW Bash at the Bash, where he will respond to MJF's stipulations.
I should have more information on Cody's attitude in the coming days. Follow my twitter feed (@jeremylambert88) for more.
AEW Power Rankings - Week 15
1. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page
Despite rumors of Page looking to cut ties with The Elite, he remains part of the group as he continues to team with Omega. I've been told that Page is having a tough time separating from the group and the two sides have met multiple times in order to find a resolution. The Elite are very worried about Page's drinking, while Page doesn't believe he has a problem. Page was 100% functional in the ring on Wednesday but quickly celebrated with some alcohol following the victory. Issues of unhappiness and impairment aside, Omega and Page managed to work well together, picking up a big victory over Private Party.
2. Riho
Riho may have defeated Kris Statlander, but she was not happy with her performance after the match. The cause of Riho's anger stems from the Nightmare Collective getting involved in the match. She was hoping to prove herself once again as the champion by defeating Statlander in a fair matchup, but obviously that didn't happen. In her post-match interview with the media, Riho said about the Nightmare Collective, "To me, I think it's tough for them because I can wrestle and they can't wrestle. At the end of the day, that's what it comes down to. I think they gotta watch their actions in certain situations. There's some shit that you just don't do. They gotta see me next time. I feel like what they did was truly disrespectful. It's all good. I'll see them again. I aint scared of nobody. They talking about 'we're gonna fight, this that, this that.' It is what it is to me. Soft. They're soft. They're not even in my fucking league. Nowhere near me. If I was their coach, I would never have them come after me. Never again. No. Send someone else after me. I'm gonna tear their ass up every time. They're trash."
3. Cody & Dustin Rhodes
Arn Anderson has once again paid off for Cody. And Dustin picked up a bounce back victory after his loss to Sammy Guevara last week. It's clear The Elite took the holiday break to re-evaluate because they have been on a different level these past two weeks.
4. The Jurassic Express
The Jurassic Express were very happy following their victory, knowing it was a matchup between two teams with some of the most potential in AEW. They were worried about Marko Stunt being at a size disadvantage, but Luchasaurus made up for it with his overwhelming size. I've been told AEW is high on Luchsaurus for multiple reasons. They're impressed with his size and agility and like how he's taken to the group. Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt were looked at two guys who wouldn't make it due to their lack of size and experience, but Luchasaurus has impressed with how he's been able to coach them up.
5. Sammy Guevara
Sammy Guevara rolls on with another victory over a veteran, though he once again needed help. It's clear AEW is high on Guevara, but they are worried about his inability to get the job done on his own. He is surrounded by a strong supporting cast in The Inner Circle and the leadership of Chris Jericho, but officials wonder if Guevara is a player you can build around. The answer seems to be "no" at the moment, but they still love his upside and think he'll get there eventually.
6. Jon Moxley
There's a lot to unpack with Moxley. First, the league looked into potential recruiting violations on the part of Chris Jericho, who made an outrageous offer to Moxley to get him to join the Inner Circle. They decided that Jericho did violate certain recruiting terms and have suspended him for the next week. Jericho will not be in action next week on Dynamite, but will return to action in two weeks. The league also fined Jericho for tampering, as he continued to pitch to Moxley while the two were in Japan over the weekend. Jericho referenced their trip to Japan in his Dynamite promo.
It cannot be stressed enough how worried AEW officials were that Moxley would join The Inner Circle. I was told by one source, "If he joins The Inner Circle, we may as well find work elsewhere because no one is touching them." Just about everyone I talked to compared it to Kevin Durant joining The Warriors. Fortunately for the league, Moxley passed on the cupcakes and bubbly, turning down Jericho's offer.
7. The Nightmare Collective
The Nightmare Collective was the talk of the town following Dynamite. And even if many weren't unhappy with their interference in the AEW Women's Championship, they felt as if they accomplished their goal. They wanted the spotlight to be on them and wanted to take away the moment from Statlander after she turned down their offer. Mission accomplished. There is talk that the league will fine Brandi Rhodes for her role in disrupting the match, but Brandi has great influence in the league office and other officials are worried about getting on her bad side. Japanese Deathmatch Legend Luther was a big addition for the team and a man they were happy to get. They feel he was the missing veteran needed to put them over the top, like that he can influence males in the locker room. Don't be surprised if Brandi is cutting locks off males in the near future.
8. The Best Friends & Orange Cassidy
The trio was said to be very disappointed following their match against Jurassic Express. They felt like they had built up a lot of momentum and hoped to truly unleash the talents of Orange Cassidy in this high profile match. Despite the loss, they still believe in the process and won't be making any drastic changes moving forward.
9. Christopher Daniels
A tough loss to Guevara, but it wasn't all on Daniels as there was a distraction. However, one has to wonder where Daniels' mind is at right now. The Christopher Daniels of old would not have let Pentagon Jr. get to him during the match. But Daniels' focus has been elsewhere for months now, dating back to Pentagon laying him out before the first round of the AEW Tag Team Title tournament. It's no secret amongst AEW fans and those backstage that Daniels is closer to the end of his career than he is the beginning. But the usually confident Daniels is having a tough time coming to grips with the fact that he is winding down as he still believes he can contribute to SCU in a meaningful way.
10. Kris Statlander
Statlander declined her post-match media interview and was another unhappy camper with how things unfolded during and following her match with Riho. It was a tough loss for Statlander, especially after she built momentum in the previous weeks. We're told that her "schedule conflict" and missing last week's show had nothing to do with how things played out on Wednesday and that this was all planned from the start.
11. Private Party
There are concerns within the league about Private Party's consistency. One week, they'll beat The Young Bucks. Next week, they'll lose to The Best Friends. This week, they lost to a team that wasn't on the same page as personal and professional issues got in the way. But Private Party failed to take advantage of that, picking up another loss. The league still has high hopes for Private Party in the long run, but the consistency must be addressed. They don't want to see these kids go the way of Hangman.
12. Lucha Bros
Things are not good with the Lucha Bros at the moment as they lost once again. Pentagon's focus has been questioned as he seems more enamored with getting under the skin of Christopher Daniels than he does winning matches. And Fenix is reportedly eyeing a singles run as he's tired of losing alongside Pentagon. Fenix has had a lot of success as a singles competitor and feels that might be the right career choice for him. We'll keep you updated on the situation.
13. Diamond Dallas Page
Page was not happy for a number of reasons following his segment. First, he questioned Cody and his friendship as he stuck up for Cody by confronting MJF over his comments. And Cody was nowhere to be found after MJF's attack. Page didn't know Cody had left the building, but he too left the arena in a foul mood. Second, Page was unhappy with his own performance. Known as a perfectionist who was highly detailed and was always the first guy in the video room and the last one out during his prime, Page didn't like the vibe in the ring with MJF. MJF was clearly ignoring Page, which threw him off and the comment about his "Diamond Daughter" was unplanned, further angering Page. Despite his complaints, Page has agreed to work with MJF next week at Bash at the Beach.
14. Chris Jericho
An absolutely rough week for Jericho as he's been fined, suspended, and saw his offer rejected by Moxley. Sources have told me that Jericho is planning a big cruise to help get over this past week, but the cruise might not be a vacation as the league is looking into holding matches and segments during the cruise. AEW is hoping to expand their reach in 2020 and going over the sea is a great way to bring in new fans.
*These rankings are a satirical take on pro sports power rankings and treat AEW as such. Any reference to sources or reports should not be taken seriously.
