AEW News Roundup: MJF becomes World Champion, Ricochet attacks Bloodline member, big star confirms retirement plan

Welcome to the latest edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's AEW News Roundup. Today, we are covering stories involving top stars of the Jacksonville-based promotion, including MJF and Ricochet, among others.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman made headlines after becoming a World Champion outside Tony Khan's promotion. Meanwhile, Ricochet attacked a real-life Bloodline member, and a major star has confirmed his retirement from pro-wrestling. We have a lot to cover, so let's get started.

#5. AEW labels The Young Bucks as "Talent Name" on Dynamite

AEW has officially confirmed a hilarious rebranding of The Young Bucks following their demotion at All In: Texas. Matthew and Nicholas Jackson, who were once the Executive Vice Presidents of the company, lost their EVP titles after a defeat to Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay. Since then, they have faced a series of setbacks, including the removal of their entrance theme, the loss of their private locker room (now reassigned to the boiler room), and being introduced in matches without any special recognition.

This week on Dynamite, after the duo won their match against The Outrunners in a World Tag Team Championship Eliminator Tournament match, a new on-screen graphic officially labeled them as “Talent Name.” AEW then took to X/Twitter to congratulate them using the same moniker.

"Congratulations once again to "Talent Name" on their big win Wednesday Night on #AEWDynamite!"

#4. Ricochet attacks Zilla Fatu outside AEW

Ricochet recently made headlines by attacking Zilla Fatu, a real-life member of the Anoa'i family, and by extension, The Bloodline. The incident took place during a House of Glory (HOG) event, where Fatu was defending his HOG Crown Jewel Championship against WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray in a Tables Match.

The One and Only interfered in the match and targeted Fatu, which ultimately allowed Bully Ray to win the championship. What makes things interesting about Ricochet’s surprise appearance is the cross-promotional implications, considering Ricochet is associated with All Elite Wrestling while Bully Ray serves as a WWE ambassador.

#3. Swerve Strickland confirms retirement plans after AEW contract expires

Former WWE star Swerve Strickland has addressed speculation about his long-term future in professional wrestling. In a recent interview with Wrestling Figure News, the former AEW World Champion shared that he does not plan to offer his services to any other promotion after his current contract with the Tony Khan-led company expires.

“I meant every word. I’ve never lied to the fans about that kind of stuff. Honestly, I don’t want to give my talent, my ability, my mind, my body, or my soul to anyone else. I want to give all of that to AEW, because they’ve given me everything I need," said Swerve. [H/T SEScoops]

Later in the interview, Strickland also hinted at a future role backstage, indicating an interest in helping run the company and contributing creatively beyond in-ring performances. As of right now, The Realest is scheduled to face Kazuchika Okada at Forbidden Door for the AEW Unified Championship.

#2. MJF captures the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship

MJF added another accolade to his already impressive wrestling resume by capturing the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship. The title change occurred at CMLL Viernes Espectacular in Arena Mexico, where MJF defeated Averno, ending his reign of almost 500 days.

Following the win, Zandokan Jr. stepped forward to challenge MJF, with a match for the Light Heavyweight Title reportedly set for later this month.

#1. Michael Cole name-drops Taz ahead of WWE SummerSlam

Veteran WWE commentator Michael Cole recently mentioned prominent All Elite Wrestling personality Taz. During an interview with WFAN ahead of SummerSlam, Cole discussed his favorite broadcast partners over the years and named Taz as his top pick. The two previously worked together on WWE SmackDown during the early 2000s. Incidentally, Cole had name-dropped Taz in June on an episode of SmackDown, comparing him to JC Mateo.

"And then, for me, I've had a lot of great partners over the years. You know, JBL was a great one, Cory Graves, Pat McAfee, but to me, my favorite partner of all time was Taz."

Taz later responded to Cole’s comments on X/Twitter, thanking him and echoing his sentiments about their time as a team.

75 year old legend has challenged Cody Rhodes HERE

Edited by Arsh Das