We got to see a really cool event on this last week’s AEW Dynamite (January 22, 2020) as the show closed out the final portion of AEW’s Bash at the Beach with Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’ Rager. What was really interesting was how the show is normally live, but was pretaped due and still managed to beat WWE NXT in the Wednesday Night Wars. As luck would have it, we can expect Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’ Rager to return in 2021 from February 1-5 entitled Chris Jericho’s Triple Whammy (This one was dubbed Part Deux: Second Wave).
There was a cool mix of rock shows with comedians that gave the fans a great experience, most of which we missed when the split screen commercial break came during the video recap so we missed most of it (thanks TNT). Some of the names there included Fozzy, Light the Torch, and Jared James Nichols, along with comedians Bruce Jingles and Craig Gass.
Memories galore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jih2dSS3gPw&t=26s
Professional wrestling, and entertainment in general, is about the spectacle and creating memories both the performers and fans will remember for years to come. It’s something that set different promotions and wrestlers apart from others, and why they’re remembered twenty, thirty, or fifty years later as the memories are passed down through reminiscing or other means.
To that end, it looked like everyone had a blast, including Marko Stunt (the diminutive member of Jurassic Express with a huge heart), who got to sing with Jericho’s band, Fozzy. That was only the beginning for the talented young man.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7pvIu4JZ6d/
Welcome back next year
Not only is Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’ Rager to return in 2021, but Marco Stunt said he had a great time, and later learned he’d been invited to perform his own show next year.
This shows a great comradely between AEW’s talent that isn’t necessarily lacking in other promotions, but isn’t as visible. It’s great to see the event worked out so great and Jericho is doing everything in his power to help the young talent find their path and move forward in their careers.
What this also says is AEW is like a family, and this is one event that’s going to be a must see next year, so we’d all better start saving our money.
Bash at the Beach is back in style
It’s great to see Bash at the Beach back after being on hiatus for nearly twenty years. As a pay-per-view, Bash at the Beach had a rich history with some of the greatest in wrestling history making history at them.
The most memorable was Hulk Hogan turning on his fans and joining the nWo in 1996. It marked the birth of the most influential stable in history. While it may have happened at another pay-per-view or event, the fact it happened here and Vince McMahon wanted to distance himself from it simply because is was WCW is a shame.
While AEW doesn’t own the history of the event, they’re creating their own that looks like it has promise to be something special in the years to come.
