According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter , by way of Sportskeeda , Erick Redbeard will not appear on the August 22 episode of AEW Dynamite .
As The Inquisitr documented yesterday, there was a report circulating which stated that the former WWE superstar was set to appear and help Brodie Lee defeat Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship.
The rumor stated that Redbeard used his real name, Joseph Ruud, and he wore a mask for the appearance. Since leaving WWE, Ruud has adopted the moniker of Erick Redbeard, which he is set to use for his wrestling career moving forward.
The rumor originated on Reddit from someone claiming to have been present for the television taping. The episode was reportedly taped this week, which is why the spoiler seemed believable at the time. The Reddit user has deleted the post since Meltzer’s contrary report.
Redbeard and Lee have a history together, as both performers were frequent tag team partners throughout their respective WWE tenures. Redbeard also fits the criteria for Lee’s Dark Order faction, as he also had an outcast monster gimmick.
As highlighted by The Inquisitr article, Redbeard said that he isn’t interested in pairing up with his old friend in another company. However, now that the former WWE star has completed his 90-day non-compete clause since being released by his old company earlier this year, he is free to join other promotions.
Redbeard can still appear on Dynamite at a later date, should both parties be interested in his services. The young promotion is in the market for free agents at the moment. They’ve already signed Matt Cardona, formerly Zack Ryder, and Cody Rhodes has expressed an interest in signing Miro, formerly Rusev, to the company as well.
Rhodes is interested in the ex-WWE talents because they have proven television and locker room experience. Redbeard fits the bill in that regard, and he also fits the mold of athletic big men stars that the promotion has brought in recently.
As documented by NoDQ , Meltzer claimed that the story might not be entirely false. Thunder Rosa also reportedly appeared at the tapings, and the journalist said that might be true.
The NWA Women’s Champion supposedly showed up and challenged Hikaru Shida to a match at the upcoming Revolution pay-per-view. Shida accepted the challenge, according to the story.
The NoDQ article also recalled some Redditors breaking legitimate news in the past, but the account that released the Redbeard report isn’t one of them.