AEW’s Swerve Strickland’s stock has risen substantially since his switch to AEW from WWE, and he feels that another star who took the same path, Buddy Matthews, has a promising future too. 

Strickland was recently asked on his appearance on the “Battleground Podcast” about a wrestler whom he has never faced before that he would like to wrestle. The former AEW World Champion, without skipping a beat, named the injured AEW star Matthews as someone he would like to face, while wishing him a speedy recovery.

“Honestly, I’m waiting for probably one of the best talents like all around in the business to come back, you know, hopefully he’s healthy and hopefully he can like do even better than what he was giving before — Buddy Matthews, shout out to him,” said Strickland. “He’s one of those guys that’s just like a dog in the rain. I think me and him could do some great work, and I look forward to seeing him back doing his own thing and doing like, you know … I think he has a lot to offer in the wrestling world, and I would like to see him back healthy again.”

Matthews and Strickland have never faced each other in the ring, despite both being part of WWE and AEW at the same time. And it may be some time before Strickland’s fantasy match becomes a reality due to the Australian’s injury. Matthews has been out of action for over a year after suffering an injury in a match against Kazuchika Okada on home soil. There’s no news on Matthews’ return date, with recent reports claiming that the injury is worse than originally feared. AEW reportedly was eyeing a return for him at the end of 2025, which couldn’t happen as Matthews is still reportedly suffering from pain from his ankle injury.

Last night on “WWE Raw,” Penta defended the Intercontinental Championship against Dragon Lee in a thrilling 11 minute contest, but according to a new report, the match was not initially scheduled to take place on the show.  

Speaking on the “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Bryan Alvarez revealed Dominik Mysterio was originally slated to be in action instead of Penta on Monday’s episode, but plans changed after he sustained an injury wrestling El Hijo de Vikingo in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide over the weekend. 

“So apparently it was supposed to be Dragon Lee versus Dominik on this show, but I guess Dominik got hurt at the Rey De Reyes show … we had Penta and Dragon Lee as the replacement.”

Dave Meltzer also added that Mysterio picked up the injury when Vikingo threw a steel chair at his face, which left him busted open. Alvarez later confirmed that Mysterio is in concussion protocol and has yet to be medically cleared. Mysterio’s latest injury also marks the second time he’s been hurt within three months, as he just returned to the ring in February after recovering from an ongoing shoulder issue.

At Rey De Reyes, Mysterio retained the AAA Mega Championship against Vikingo, which has resulted in the Mexican star never being allowed to challenge for the title again while the gold is in “Dirty Dom’s” hands. If Mysterio had lost to Vikingo, he would’ve been forced to leave AAA forever.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Wrestling Observer Radio” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Netflix’s “Unreal” has received a polarizing response from pro wrestling veterans, and Steve Austin is one of those with a mixed reaction to the WWE show.

Austin recently spoke on “Busted Open,” where he admitted that he doesn’t watch much of WWE these days, but has watched “Unreal.” While he is not a fan of WWE destroying kayfabe by revealing the business’s secrets, he is captivated by what he sees, which he attributes to the wrestlers’ likability.

“I think I’m about maybe one or two episodes from finishing season two of Unreal,” he said. “Man, I was prepared to hate it. So, I was prepared to really dislike it. But — and I do think they give away too much — but the show is good because the WWE superstars are so goddamn likable. I got to find out more about the talent, and it was almost, I mean, it’s a good show. It gives away too much, but just because the talent shines so much, you can’t help but like everybody on the damn screen.”

Austin admitted that he’s not sure how he would’ve felt if he were asked by Vince McMahon and co. to be a part of a series like “Unreal” during the prime of his career. But, he veered towards him not being interested in being a part of such a show.

“Man, that’s a really good question that I can’t answer. Man, I was so, you know, into what we were doing that that wasn’t a part of my agenda or my headspace. I don’t know if I could wrap my head around it,” the WWE Hall of Famer said.

“Unreal” has shown WWE fans a different side of their favorite wrestlers, but the stars on the show have been critical of it, like Seth Rollins, who stated that he has a difficult relationship with the show. Bully Ray, who was part of the aforementioned Steve Austin interview, has disclosed that several veterans of the business dislike the show.

WWE legend Bully Ray is excited to see Ronda Rousey in AEW and praised Tony Khan for bringing her into the promotion.

At AEW’s Revolution pay-per-view, Rousey made her return to pro wrestling, confronting former AEW Women’s World Champion, Toni Storm. Ray, on “Busted Open,” stated that the former UFC star attracts interest due to the credibility she has in the fight business.

“Whether you love the fact that Ronda is there, whether you hate the fact that Ronda is there, it’s Ronda Rousey. She’s got name value, she’s got credibility, she was in the WWE, everybody knows her, she’s about to have a massive fight with Gina Carano back in the octagon. People will tune in out of curiosity,” he began. 

Ray also threw out a potential storyline for Rousey, one which would involve her real-life friend Marina Shafir and Death Riders leader Jon Moxley. 

“What is Ronda Rousey going to do in an AEW ring? Will Ronda Rousey beat the sh*t out of her best friend Marina Shafir, just to take the side of Jon Moxley? I don’t know, I’m just throwing that out there as a potential story that I would be interested in.”

Rousey’s appearance at Revolution comes a few weeks after the announcement of her MMA fight against Gina Carano, which will take place in May.

Aside from her numerous achievements in the UFC, Ronda Rousey also ticked a few boxes in WWE, the most notable of them being her match with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, which main-evented WrestleMania. Bully Ray feels women may have not main-evented WrestleMania if not for someone like Rousey, who he feels has a star power that attracts the audience. This, he argues, is why he credits Tony Khan for taking the decision to bring Rousey in, despite AEW fans not necessarily warming up to her.

“But when the AEW fan is screaming at the top of their lungs, ‘We don’t want Ronda, we hate Ronda, screw Ronda, get her out of here.’ Who are they really screaming at? [Tony Khan.] Tony Khan made the decision to put Ronda Rousey in the middle of an AEW ring last night. That was his call. And you know what I have to say about that? Great call, Tony Khan,” he said. “I don’t give a sh*t about what Ronda has done to not make herself loved by everybody, whatever. When it comes to a ring, an octagon or a wrestling ring, people are interested in what Ronda has to do. If that wasn’t the point, she would have never been in the main event of WrestleMania with Charlotte and Becky.”

The signing of Rousey by AEW could also embarass its main rival, WWE, in a way, said Ray, as he feels that ESPN — WWE’s broadcast partner — mentioning Rousey’s appearance on AEW could be a big win for Khan and his promotion.