Episode #204
Wrestling Tonight: G1 CLIMAX FINAL FOUR: TSUJI, OIWA, NEWMAN & UEMURA | COPELAND COMPARES ARENA MEXICO TO 2020 WWE RETURN, BAYLEY CONTRACT UPDATE & ALL IN 38,909 | 204
Turnbuckle Tavern is powered by G FUEL and Official Dick Lazer. Use code TAVERN for 20% off at GFUEL.com and DickLazers.com. Episode 204 of Wrestling Tonight begins in Japan, where G1 Climax 36 is officially down to Yota Tsuji, Ryohei Oiwa, Callum Newman and Yuya Uemura, guaranteeing a first-time tournament winner. Tsuji faces Uemura and Newman meets Oiwa in the semifinals Saturday, August 15 at Ryogoku Sumo Hall, with the winners advancing to Sunday's final. Both blocks ended with three wrestlers tied at 12 points. In A Block, Tsuji, Oiwa and Konosuke Takeshita all finished 6-3, but Tsuji and Oiwa advanced because both held head-to-head victories over Takeshita. Oiwa clinched his spot by beating Takeshita in the final A Block main event, while Tsuji defeated Jake Lee and benefited from Great-O-Khan eliminating Boltin Oleg by countout. B Block produced almost the same situation, with Newman, Uemura and Gabe Kidd all finishing 6-3. Kidd's losses to both semifinalists eliminated him on the head-to-head tiebreaker. With Tsuji already holding the IWGP Heavyweight Championship, the stakes are different for the other three. If Oiwa, Newman or Uemura wins the G1, that wrestler earns a future championship opportunity against Tsuji. If Tsuji wins, the reigning champion would presumably be positioned to select his own future challenger. Saturday's tournament matches will not headline the show, however. Hiroyoshi Tenzan wrestles the final match of his NJPW career against longtime TenKoji partner Satoshi Kojima in a five-minute exhibition, followed by Tenzan's retirement ceremony. The show begins at 2 a.m. Eastern on NJPW World. We then turn to Adam Copeland's first appearance inside Arena México, where he received a reaction he compared to one of the defining moments of his career. Tony Schiavone revealed that after AEW Grand Slam Mexico, he contacted Copeland to ask whether he had ever experienced a crowd response like it. Copeland's comparison was his 2020 WWE Royal Rumble return, when he returned to the ring nine years after neck issues had seemingly ended his career. Arena México had been a bucket-list destination for Copeland, and Bandido provided additional context for what the building represents by comparing it with Korakuen Hall, the Tokyo Dome and Madison Square Garden. Bandido described competing inside Arena México as the type of achievement that allows someone to call themselves a "real luchador." Copeland is also preparing to check off another deeply personal venue on October 3, when he wrestles for Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling at the Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto, located on the grounds of the former Maple Leaf Gardens. Copeland has called Maple Leaf Gardens his wrestling "hallowed ground" and explained that Tony Khan allowed the appearance because AEW and Maple Leaf Pro are partners, Khan wants professional wrestling to flourish and he understood what the opportunity meant to Copeland personally. We also break down the growing uncertainty surrounding Bayley's WWE future. Bayley has reportedly been offered a new WWE contract but has not signed it, and there is conflicting information about exactly when her current deal expires. Bayley's own comments from April 2025 point toward October 2026, Fightful has reported that the deal is expected to expire by the end of 2026 unless additional time is added, and Bryan Alvarez has heard January 2027 but has not been able to verify that date. Dave Meltzer says Bayley has a decision to make and confirmed that she will not become a free agent in August. The speculation intensified after Bayley posted a training video featuring Mercedes Moné, captioned it "all or nothing, baby" and used the song "All In." WrestleVotes reported through Fightful Select that the post raised eyebrows backstage in WWE and did not land well with everyone. Despite the obvious AEW references, the available contract timelines make an appearance at All In on August 30 extremely unlikely. The bigger story is whether Bayley eventually re-signs with WWE or becomes one of wrestling's biggest free agents later this year or in early 2027. Swerve Strickland is also back in AEW, making his first appearance since losing to Will Ospreay in the Owen Hart Foundation tournament final at Forbidden Door. Swerve and Prince Nana confronted AEW World Trios Champions Hangman Page, Bandido and Brody King before Ricochet, The Demand and Lethal Twist entered the picture. With Jay Lethal, Blake Christian and Lee Johnson challenging Hangman, Brody King and Bandido for the Trios Championship on Collision, Swerve immediately finds himself surrounded by old enemies and a developing championship program. We also discuss the Fightful Select report that Austin Creed and Kofi are expected to join AEW soon. The report stopped short of confirming that either has officially signed, and no debut date has been established. The timing naturally creates speculation around All In, while both men have also been announced for Chris Jericho's Rock 'N' Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise in November. AEW All In 2026 continues to take shape at Wembley Stadium. Kenny Omega defends the AEW World Championship against Will Ospreay, Willow Nightingale defends the AEW Women's World Championship against Mercedes Moné, and Adam Copeland & Christian Cage defend the AEW World Tag Team Championship against The Young Bucks. One of the biggest additions is Kyle Fletcher defending the AEW International Championship against Konosuke Takeshita and Kazuchika Okada. Takeshita defeated Okada for the title at Double or Nothing before Fletcher defeated Takeshita at Beach Break. Importantly, Takeshita has since left the Don Callis Family, while Fletcher and Okada remain aligned with Callis, adding another layer to the three-way. Kevin Knight defends the TNT Championship against Darby Allin in a Falls Count Anywhere match, with Knight entering their fourth singles meeting holding a 2-1 advantage. The men's Casino Gauntlet will begin with Andrade El Idolo entering No. 1 and MJF entering No. 2. MJF secured his position by defeating Mike Bailey and Nick Wayne on Dynamite, guaranteeing that his rivalry with Andrade will be part of the match from the opening bell. The winner receives a future AEW World Championship opportunity. The Wembley card currently includes Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay, Willow Nightingale vs. Mercedes Moné, Adam Copeland & Christian Cage vs. The Young Bucks, Kyle Fletcher vs. Konosuke Takeshita vs. Kazuchika Okada, Kevin Knight vs. Darby Allin, Divine Dominion vs. The Brawling Birds, the men's Casino Gauntlet and the Continental Challenge Cup Final. We also look at the latest Wembley ticket business. WrestleTix reported exactly 38,909 tickets distributed as of August 12, an increase of 1,400 over the previous four days. The current setup is 45,023, leaving 6,114 available and putting AEW at approximately 86.4 percent of its currently configured inventory. All In 2024 finished with 53,922 tickets distributed, meaning the 2026 show currently sits 15,013 tickets behind that mark. With All In taking place August 30, AEW now has 16 days to continue closing that gap, although matching the 2024 total would also require thousands of additional seats to be opened. Additional 500-level inventory has already begun to appear. Be sure to support the show and join our Patreon for just $2.99 a month at Patreon.com/TheTurnbuckleTavern for exclusive content. Follow us on social media @TurnbuckleTavern for all the latest updates. Until the following week, when we wine and dine with you kings and queens, stay out of the alley and away from the pork and beans. Good luck and good speed.
