Things have been pretty quiet backstage at AEW lately. And this is the latest thing Wrestling Observer Newsletter it doesn’t really change that. Not quite on the scale of other conflagrations that have hit the company in the last 18 months – it made us realize how quiet it was in that locker room, at least in terms of the so-called dirty sheets.
Anyway… Dave Meltzer is reporting that AEW plans to have Metalik (fka Máscara Dorada, and Gran Metalik during his WWE tenure from 2017-2021) wrestle Komander as one of four matches on the Oct. Rampage written by Mistico. That show ended up being only three matches, as Metalik vs. Komander had to be removed because “Metalik refused to place Komander.”
The report doesn’t tell us why Metalik doesn’t want to lose to Commander. Looking at our man in the lucha free beat Manolo H. Pizzazz, Metalik is currently inactive in CMLL, so there should be no political issues with wrestling or losing to a AAA talent like Komander.
In fact, the two wrestled on an episode of ROH TV that was taped on October 14. Commander won that match, and looking back on it nothing unusual seems to have happened between the two luchadors. There were no strange spots, and no one seemed upset. They even shook hands afterwards in accordance with the “Code of Honor”.
Perhaps it was a matter of ego on the part of the veteran Metalik? He was willing to lose to a guy on a live show but not on television? It’s possible, but there should be no shame in dropping a match to someone who already holds two AAA titles (Komander is the AAA Cruiserweight Champion, and holds the World Tag titles with Arez).
Whatever the reason, Meltzer writes that Metalik’s rejection “didn’t help his standing (in AEW/ROH).” Metalik has wrestled twice in ROH since Oct. 20, he lost at the taping the following night and the following Saturday. He was back in Mexico with The Crash last Friday (Nov. 3), a 3-way loss to Andrade.
We’ll see if he shows up on an AEW show anytime soon.
Let us know what you think of this drama in the comments below.
