#215September 17 · 54 min
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Episode 215 of Wrestling Tonight begins with the increasingly strange situation surrounding WWE and AAA Worlds Collide, which takes place September 26 in the Chicago market on the same night as AEW All Out. Fightful Select reported that WWE did not have broadcast plans listed internally as of Wednesday, despite a card featuring CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Penta, Rey Fenix, Dominik Mysterio, Roxanne Perez and talent from WWE, NXT and AAA.
That raises a bigger question than simply where the show can be watched. WWE created all the optics of direct counterprogramming by running the Allstate Arena while AEW runs All Out at the NOW Arena, yet nine days before the event there still isn't a confirmed live broadcast. We discuss whether WWE could potentially be reducing the scope of the head-to-head, while making clear there has been no reporting that WWE changed its plans because of AEW.
There is also speculation that Worlds Collide footage could eventually surface on Club WWE, similar to the Stephanie Vaquer vs. Liv Morgan title match. Nothing has been confirmed, but if WWE ultimately uses Worlds Collide as exclusive or delayed content, it creates a completely different discussion about what WWE wants this event to accomplish. Is September 26 primarily about competing with AEW in Chicago, or could WWE see greater value in using desirable crossover content to make Club WWE more important? We look at that potential tradeoff and why the eventual distribution decision could completely change how this event is viewed.
Elsewhere, Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling has a new Women's Champion. Priscilla Kelly defeated Gisele Shaw to end Shaw's reign of more than a year, with the title change airing only days after Shaw's exclusive NWA contract was announced. Shaw is already the NWA Women's Television Champion and has identified the NWA Women's World Championship as her next goal, while Priscilla Kelly immediately moves into a prominent position for MLP and will defend against Nikki Storm at Northern Rising on October 3.
AEW All Out continues to take shape with Kazuchika Okada defending the AEW International Championship against Tommaso Ciampa in a fresh Psycho Killer vs. Rainmaker matchup. Rather than allowing Tommaso Ciampa to float around the roster after his arrival, AEW is immediately putting him opposite Kazuchika Okada in exactly the type of matchup that demonstrates the value of adding another experienced wrestler to an already deep roster.
Hangman Page, Bandido and Brody King have also earned an AEW Trios Championship opportunity, but they won't know their opponents until Swerve Strickland and The New Level defend against The Demand on the final Dynamite before All Out. Darby Allin and Steven Borden will face Kyle Fletcher and Kevin Knight in an eliminator to determine the next challengers for whoever leaves Chicago with the AEW World Tag Team Championships.
We discuss why AEW having championship stories moving both into and beyond All Out makes the surrounding television matter. Will Ospreay vs. Jon Moxley headlines an increasingly loaded Chicago card, while Adam Copeland and Christian Cage defend against FTR and The Young Bucks in a three-way ladder match, and Brawling Birds defend the AEW Women's Tag Team Championships against Divine Dominion in a Chicago Street Fight.
The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is also officially returning after a two-year absence, this time with an expanded 14-team field featuring talent from NXT, AAA, Evolve, Raw and SmackDown. NXT Tag Team Champions Vanity Project, Brad Baylor and Ricky Smokes, and AAA Tag Team Champions El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. and Galeno have been confirmed and will receive first-round byes, while Julius Creed and Brutus Creed are also officially part of the tournament.
We look at why the cross-brand format gives WWE an opportunity to make this Dusty Classic feel different from previous versions and why the eventual bracket needs to take advantage of the talent available. With eleven teams still to be announced, WWE has enough room to create genuinely different matchups rather than making this another mostly NXT tournament with a handful of outside appearances.
NXT also has a new number one contender as Mason Rook defeated Tony D'Angelo and Saquon Shugars to earn the next shot at NXT Champion Grayson Waller. Tristan Angels pulled the referee out of the ring during a Saquon Shugars nearfall before Tony D'Angelo's back gave out while attempting Dead to Rights, allowing Mason Rook to capitalize with a top-rope splash and secure the victory.
Grayson Waller confronted Mason Rook to close NXT, setting the stage for the next championship program. We discuss why the physical contrast gives NXT a simple story to work with and why Mason Rook doesn't need to become Grayson Waller's equal on the microphone. He needs to become the massive problem standing between Grayson Waller and keeping his championship.
Because Mason Rook is big, he's bad, and he'll body slam your dad.
Plus, we look ahead to another loaded week across wrestling as the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic begins on NXT, Swerve Strickland and The New Level defend the AEW Trios Championships against The Demand on Dynamite, Moose puts his career on the line against Frankie Kazarian on TNA Impact, Money in the Bank qualifying continues on SmackDown and Andrade El Idolo defends the AEW National Championship against Daniel Garcia on Collision.
We also preview the major events coming up on the calendar, including AEW All Out and WWE & AAA Worlds Collide on September 26, NJPW Destruction in Kobe on September 27, WWE Money in the Bank on October 10, TNA Bound for Glory on October 11, CMLL/RevPro FantasticaMania UK and AEW WrestleDream on October 17, AAA Heroes Inmortales on October 24 and NXT Halloween Havoc on October 31.
Episode 215 covers a week where the biggest story might be an event we still don't know how we're watching. WWE spent months creating the perception of a fight with AEW on September 26, but the lack of a confirmed Worlds Collide live broadcast raises legitimate questions about what WWE actually wants the event to accomplish. Add a loaded All Out card, Tommaso Ciampa going directly after Kazuchika Okada, Priscilla Kelly becoming MLP Women's Champion, the return of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and Mason Rook emerging as Grayson Waller's next challenger, and there is plenty to break down across WWE, AEW, NXT, MLP and the rest of the wrestling world.
