Two wrestlers debuted on last night’s (June 17) episode of Dynamite, and they have now officially been added to the AEW roster.
First up is Abadon, who was a bit of a swerve on what was expected to be a showcase match for Anna Jay. Jay instead had her soul collected by the creepy and disturbing Abadon.
Welcome to the team, ABADON is #AllElite pic.twitter.com/2wbMf5Vs8v
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEWrestling) June 18, 2020
Next up is former NWA television champion Ricky Starks, who came up short on Dynamite in his bid to defeat Cody Rhodes for the TNT championship:
Thank you @starkmanjones for a great effort tonight. While he didn’t win the open challenge & the TNT Title, he opened a lot of eyes on #AEWDynamite. Thank you @CodyRhodes & Arn for nominating a great challenger; I was glad to sanction the match. Now: congrats Ricky you earned it pic.twitter.com/K9dTVRlv1I
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) June 18, 2020
Starks is stoked about his future in AEW. He first celebrated with a song:
I said I wouldn't listen to this song until I got signed. I kept to that promise to myself. This song means a lot to me.https://t.co/soiYaIdCm2
— Ricky Starks (@starkmanjones) June 18, 2020
After that he thanked The Ryback. Starks was one of Ryback’s bullying victims on WWE television a few years ago, but it sounds like that’s all water under the bridge now:
Congratulations to @starkmanjones Laredo was all just a simple misunderstanding. Enjoyed the match and selling a superplex appropriately pic.twitter.com/DuooyZX5wP
— The Big Guy (@Ryback) June 18, 2020
Man, thank you! I'm telling you, the advice you gave me has prepared me for everything
— Ricky Starks (@starkmanjones) June 18, 2020
Before we look too far ahead, it’s worth noting that AEW also gave the big “[insert wrestler name] is All Elite” treatment to Jeff Cobb earlier this year, and not much has come from it. In fact, the next day it was revealed that Cobb didn’t actually sign with the promotion. So we’ll still have to wait and see where things go with future booking plans for Abadon and Starks.
Are you excited by AEW’s new signings?