As we reported earlier on Saturday, it appeared that All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes and Hangman Page were Connecticut bound, when they seemingly spelled out “Waterbury” together on Twitter, alluding to the home of tonight’s Over The Top event by Northeast Wrestling. Several AEW talents were already scheduled to be there, including SoCal Uncensored (SCU)‘s Scorpio Sky facing Darby Allin, and the SCU tandem of Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian facing JT Dunn & Mike Verna.
During the tag team confrontation, the speculation became reality when Cody Rhodes and Hangman Page arrived to take out Dunn and Verna post-match.
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This marks the third time in the past two weeks that members of All Elite Wrestling’s roster have “invaded” indie promotions in the US. On Wednesday, January 16, Cody, Hangman and The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) appeared at Bar Wrestling in Los Angeles, and last Saturday, January 19, The Young Bucks arrived unannounced in DEFY Wrestling in Seattle.
While All Elite Wrestling is still negotiating a TV deal, they’re gearing up for their first PPV under the AEW banner, AEW Double or Nothing, in Las Vagas on Saturday, May 25. And with the recent signing of 21-year old emerging indie star Jungle Boy, who only recently made his Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) and Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) debuts after being primarily regional West Coast indies, indicates that AEW is in the market to establish and help create new stars from indie wrestlers that aren’t just top name draws like PAC, Chris Jericho, or even MJF. It’s possible these runs through smaller indies are “scouting missions” or indications of indie promotions that AEW hopes to work with down the line. Regardless, it’s creating some exciting moments for wrestling fans around the US, wondering which indie they may pop up at next.
