Dustin Rhodes was crowned as new TNT champion in All Elite Wrestlingafter imposing itself in an intense fight against Daniel Garcia, Sammy Guevara y Kyle Fletcher. The fight occurred after Adam Cole, until then monarch of the title, was forced to leave the championship vacant for an injury that will keep him out of action for an indefinite time.
The event started with the appearance of Adam Colewho visibly moved announced his temporary retirement. Accompanied by Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong, Cole thanked fans already AEW for their support, and although he said he does not want to think about hanging his boots, he accepted that his body needs to recover. The segment closed with the iconic shout of “Adam Cole, Bay Bay” chanted by all the sand.
With the vacancy, the fight for the TNT championship became the main focus of the night. Kyle Fletcher started aggressivefacing three rivals with different styles. Sammy Guevara and Dustin Rhodes showed temporary chemistry to stop the Australian, while Daniel Garcia contributed technique with his key. There were spectacular movements like a Spanish Fly from the edge of the ring by Guevara and multiple chained superplexes of Garcia, in addition to brutal punishments against the edge of the ring.
Dustin, the veteran of the contest, took advantage of his experience to resist the attacks, and after a powerful combination of Powerslam, Destroyer and Crossrhodes, was close to victory. In the final moments, Daniel Garcia locked Rhodes in his Dragontamer, but “The Natural” showed a heart when reversing the key in a surprise pin that gave him the account of three.
With this victory, Dustin Rhodes conquers the TNT championship for the first timeadding a new achievement to his legendary career. In the midst of sadness for the departure of Adam Cole, AEW celebrates the rise of an icon as a new champion.
