Normally reserved for major events and specially branded episodes of Dynamite, AEW released a “Road to Philadelphia” video on Tuesday night in advance of the promotion’s return to the Liacouras Center for Dynamite and the last non-live Rampage for the next month or so.
While not a weekly occurrence for AEW, perhaps the “Road to” series should be used more frequently as the most recent episode featured some of the company’s most impassioned promos, teases about future storylines, and a look at the fall out from Grand Slam. It was the perfect appetizer to the main course that will be Wednesday night’s events. And whether you’re headed to the Philly show or not, it’s a video worth watching as the wrestlers provided some of their best, most emotional work for this one. Here is a look at some of the highlights from the AEW Road to Philadelphia.
Juice Robinson – “I Will Fight Him Every F***ing Day Until I Die.”
Juice Robinson had about two minutes to cut a promo at the beginning of the roughly 12-minute Road to Philadelphia video AEW put out, and he used every last bit of that time to perfection. While some fans may not know who “Rock Hard” Juice Robinson is, after watching this, at the very least, they should know why he’s a serious contender against Jon Moxley. As Robinson pointed out, tonight’s match against his former rival is an eliminator match. Should Robinson win, he’ll get a chance to face Moxley next week in Washington DC. And it was the last time these two wrestled in DC that Robinson reminded us, was when he beat Moxley for the IWGP United States Championship. Robinson is one of just two men to pin Moxley in 2022, the other of course being CM Punk.
Robinson’s passion and desire to win the match came through the screen, especially when he delivered the line, “I will fight him every f***ing day until I die.” Robinson noted he has hated Moxley for a decade and would relish the opportunity to beat him in an AEW ring.
If fans weren’t excited about this match before the AEW Road to Philadelphia, they should be now.
Anthony Bowens – “I Never Thought I’d Be Able to Live My Dream.”
One of the best promos in AEW history just happened and it happened off screen. One can only hope AEW lifts up this moment in a greater way because everyone needs to hear what the Acclaimed, and in particular, Anthony Bowens, had to say in the Road to Philadelphia video.
The segment opened with Billy Gunn recounting that the Acclaimed asked him if all of the sacrifices, all of the time spent, if it would all be worth it. And Gunn told them then, it 100 percent was, but now, the two of them were able to experience it for themselves, to know first hand that hard work does pay off. This led to Max Caster, normally known more for his off-the-cuff raps, to take a moment to be serious. Caster pointed out how much dedication he and his partner had put in, saying they rose from the “bottom of the barrel to the top of the entire sport.”
But it was Bowens, who stole the show with his passionate, raw, genuine reaction to everything. It’s not enough and it doesn’t do it justice to read his words but for those who didn’t watch the AEW Road to Philadelphia video, with tears of joy in his eyes, this is what he said:
“I don’t really talk about this much in front of the camera, some of you know and some of you may not know, but I never thought I’d be able to have a moment like this, I never thought I’d be able to live my dream because there was a time when I was very confused and didn’t know how to accept myself but I fought through it and now I cry cause I’m a champion. So if you’re someone who feels like, doesn’t even have to be about your sexuality, could be if you’re bullied, depressed or life sucks in general just know that everything gets better, we’re living proof of that. I love you, we love you, and everyone loves the Acclaimed.”
Seriously, go out of your way to watch this and then share it with someone who needs to hear those affirmations today. You won’t regret it.
Eddie Kingston: “You People Don’t Want Me to Be a Bad Guy? Then Don’t Put Disgusting People in My Way.”
Eddie Kingston has long been one of AEW’s best promos. The man expresses genuine, authenticity in a way few others on the roster do or likely even can. Kingston’s promo skills were even a bit on Being the Elite as the wrestlers would hand him a random object and tell him to cut a promo. He nailed it every time. Whether he’s a heel or a face, Kingston pulls no punches and spares no feelings. He’s real, and that real frustration came out in full force at Grand Slam as Kingston refused to release a hold on Sammy Guevara, ultimately leading Paul Turner to reverse the result of the match.
Kingston was noticeably livid, attacking just about every AEW staff member that tried to get his way. As the clip of this scene played out, the AEW Road to Philadelphia video overlaid it with a promo of Kingston talking about how he was done. Kingston didn’t say much but his line at the end was clearly a sign that the Mad King isn’t done. “You people don’t want me to be a bad guy? Then don’t put disgusting people in my way. And it’s not just Sammy,” Kingston said before looking directly in the camera. “You know who you are. Pigs. Pigs.”
Whatever is next for Kingston is no doubt going to be bad for the rest of the roster.
Jungle Boy: “Where I Used to Hang our Tag Team Titles on the Wall, I’m Going to Hang your Head.”
The singles push for Jungle Boy is going better than anyone might have expected. Not only are fans embracing the young star, singing along to his entrance music, and rallying behind him, but Jack Perry himself has come into his own. When Perry first began his AEW career, part of his gimmick was that he didn’t speak. Eventually, he began to talk, but he was still aided by having Luchasaurus and Christian Cage, one of the best promos in the business, by his side. Now, as Jungle Boy noted in his brief promo, he has neither of them because he was “screwed over yet again by the two people I used to care about the most.”
Jungle Boy cut a fine promo backstage, noting how great his match and win over Fenix was, and how that moment was ruined by his two former friends. Jungle Boy promised to get revenge against both. He acknowledged Cage needed to heal because he wanted to beat him when he was at his best, but it was his line against Luchasaurus that truly saw Jungle Boy’s emotions come out. Clearly broken over the betrayal of his best friend, Jungle Boy promised Luchasaurus, “where I used to hand our tag team titles on the wall, I’m going to hang your head.”
Everyone knew the Jurassic Express break-up was going to come, but when it did, I don’t think anyone was as excited for a Jungle Boy vs Luchasaurus singles match as they should be now.
Mark Sterling: “The Pen is Mightier than the Sword, and I Have the Pen, and it’s Time to Go to Work.”
The Road to Philadelphia accomplished a lot in just 12 minutes. It provided fantastic, emotional promos from wrestlers, and advanced storylines that had started and continued at Grand Slam. As this Dynamite live from the Liacouras Center, is the fall out show from the big show at Arthur Ashe, it only made sense that AEW would start to chart its next course. But of all that was revealed in the video, one particular item stood out and that is that WarJoe is here to stay.
Wardlow and Samoa Joe, titles over their shoulders, stood side-by-side talking about how it was rare to find someone with the same common mind but that they have in each other. They put the locker room on notice, promising to “wreak havoc on all who stand before us.”
Enter someone who stood before them, Mark Sterling. Sterling stood with Tony Nese and Josh Woods as they talked about what was next. Woods intimated that the two might go after the tag titles, which Sterling followed up by saying they could go for whatever titles they wanted because he had the power to do so, noting “the pen is mightier than the sword, and I have the pen, and it’s time to go to work.”
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other wrestling stories worldwide as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the important news in the wrestling world and provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TBS and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. In addition, AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday.
