Welcome along to the latest rendition of Sportskeeda Wrestling’s AEW News & Rumor Roundup. Today, we are looking at stories involving top pro-wrestling stars, including Jon Moxley and Ricochet, among others.
A legendary wrestler is set to return to AEW for “one last ride.” Meanwhile, Jon Moxley broke character to support a major cause, and Ricochet shifted into defense mode after a popular wrestling analyst targeted Tony Khan’s promotion. We’ve got exciting news to cover today, so without further ado, let’s get the roundup underway.
#5. Dustin Rhodes prepares for “One Last Ride” in AEW after recovering from surgery
Dustin Rhodes has long been regarded as one of the most dedicated and hardworking veteran competitors on the AEW roster. However, the veteran has been completely absent from television programming for nearly a year. His absence stems from lingering knee issues that have plagued him over the last couple of years, culminating in the need for knee surgery following his TNT Championship loss to Kyle Fletcher.
The former 13-time WWE champion recently took to social media to share an incredibly promising update regarding his rehabilitation and imminent in-ring comeback. Taking to X, the Natural expressed his deep gratitude to the fanbase while teasing what appears to be a final retirement tour.
“Want yall to know, I never want you to forget my body of work. I have given so much passion, love, blood(lots), sweat and tons of tears, all for the love of #prowrestling. And again, thank you all for standing by me as well as the new fans, ty. Very soon, i will be back for my “One Last Ride,” which has gone for 7 yrs lol,” he said.
His post can be viewed here.
#4. Jon Moxley breaks character to assist Renee Paquette in the Ice Bucket Challenge
The usually intense and violent Jon Moxley recently showed a completely different, lighthearted side of his personality on Instagram. Mox and his wife, Renee Paquette, have been prominent figures in the Jacksonville-based promotion for a long time. Recently, the real-life couple came together to support an incredibly important charitable cause. AEW star Rebel was recently diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) after undergoing years of extensive medical testing. Following this diagnosis, wrestlers across the industry have united to show their support and raise awareness for her recovery.
To help spread awareness and raise crucial funds to combat the disease, wrestlers have actively participated in the viral Ice Bucket Challenge. Britt Baker recently completed the challenge and subsequently nominated Renee Paquette to take part next. Paquette took to her Instagram to post a video of herself accepting the nomination while quietly reading a book. In a hilarious break from his terrifying on-screen persona, the Purveyor of Violence secretly snuck up behind his wife and dumped a bucket of freezing ice water directly over her head.
“ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE!!!!! Visit @iamalsorg to learn more and donate!! Sending so much love to @rebeltanea ❤️❤️ I was nominated by @realbrittbaker I nominate: @danni_ellexo @rjcity @tonyschiavone24 @paulwight The untaggable Eddie Kington @willowwrestles @christian4peeps and @ratedrcope 🧊 🧊 🧊,” she wrote.
#3. Ricochet defends AEW against Bryan Alvarez’s claims
Ricochet recently made waves on social media by engaging in an explosive back-and-forth with prominent wrestling media personality Bryan Alvarez. The heated exchange began after the July 15 edition of Dynamite. In a review of the broadcast, Alvarez offered an exceptionally harsh assessment, publicly labeling the show as badly booked. Alvarez also criticized AEW fans, claiming they do not criticize the product enough and suggesting that this lack of constructive criticism has actively hindered the company’s overall growth.
This critical take immediately drew the ire of Ricochet, who took to X to vehemently defend both the promotion’s booking and its dedicated fanbase. The Lightskin Kingpin argued that AEW viewers are highly vocal and frequently critique the programming, but ultimately enjoy the overall product that Tony Khan’s promotion delivers.
“This just isn’t true. (All Elite Wrestling) fans criticize the show all the time. Its just that they actually, for the most part, enjoy what they see.” – posted Ricochet on X.
When another user argued that All Elite Wrestling has failed to grow as a company, Ricochet shut down the claim. He also questioned why fans allow Dave Meltzer’s reviews to influence their enjoyment of the product to such an extreme degree.
#2. AEW breaks massive viewership records
In some incredibly positive news for the promotion, AEW has officially shattered a massive two-year viewership record. With the All In 2026 event just over a month away, fan excitement has reached an all-time high, particularly following Kenny Omega’s recent world championship victory over MJF at Beach Break. That historic championship change initially drew an impressive 773,000 viewers. However, the momentum surged during this week’s Dynamite, which was heavily focused on the fallout surrounding the new world champion, drawing an astounding 786,000 viewers.
Tony Khan took to X to express his profound gratitude to the audience and officially confirmed that the broadcast marked the company’s highest viewership on TBS since the Blood and Guts special in July 2024.
“Thanks to you all who watched Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite this week, it was All Elite Wrestling’s most viewers on @TBSNetwork in 2 years since Blood & Guts July 2024, & that doesn’t even include AEW viewers on HBO Max! See you for a tremendous Saturday #AEWCollision TOMORROW!,” he wrote.
#1. AEW kept Redemption plans hidden until matches were announced
The ratings surge comes at the perfect time as the company prepares to head to the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, for its inaugural Redemption 2026 pay-per-view on July 26, marking the first time the company has hosted a premium live event in the city. That said, a major revelation was recently made regarding Redemption.
Redemption is set to feature a stacked card, including Kenny Omega defending his newly won AEW World Championship against TNT champion Kevin Knight, alongside Willow Nightingale challenging Women’s World Champion Thekla. Interestingly, the latest reports from Fightful indicated that Tony Khan and his creative team kept the pay-per-view plans incredibly close to their chests until most of the matches were officially announced on television.
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Edited by Karan Raj