Newest AEW Member 🇨🇦, Best WrestleMania Match Ever 🪦💔, Winter Madness Champ 🍻

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Thursday, April 17th, 2025

Good morning. Today we have a look back at the night Chris Jericho technically won the WWF Championship — before it was quickly taken away. In the news, WWE crowns its greatest WrestleMania match ever, Ricochet continues firing shots at WWE leadership, and AEW fans are buzzing after Josh Alexander’s debut and Christian Cage’s return. On Reddit, fans are laughing at MJF’s Dynamite flex, debating El Grande Americano, and sharing some serious side-eyes over Nick Khan’s comments. Plus, we officially wrap up the Winter Madness tournament, and much more. Let’s dig in!

🗓️ On This Day - 2000

Jericho’s Shocking World Title Win… That Wasn’t

24 years ago today, WWF Monday Night Raw aired from Pennsylvania with one of the most memorable fake-outs in WWE history. Chris Jericho opened the show by goading Triple H into putting his WWF World Championship on the line—and surprisingly, The Game accepted. With backup from the APA at ringside, Jericho stunned the crowd by countering interference from Shane McMahon, surviving a referee bump, and hitting a Lionsault on Triple H to win the match via fast count from replacement referee Earl Hebner.

The crowd erupted, and Jericho celebrated as the new WWF Champion… but it didn’t last. Triple H and Shane bullied both referees into the ring post-match. Mike Chioda confirmed it was a fast count, and Hebner’s decision was overturned. The match was struck from the record and the title returned to Triple H. While it wasn’t official, the moment cemented Jericho as a true main event threat in the Attitude Era—and gave fans one of Raw’s greatest what-ifs.

❄️ Winter Madness 🏆

The Champion

After 2 months of voting and 64 WWE Superstars, your first-ever Morning Dirt Sheet Winter Madness Champion is…

(cue Jim Ross) STONE COLD! STONE COLD!

A favorite from the very beginning, (1) Stone Cold Steve Austin takes the crown! His road to the top wasn’t easy—he kicked things off by stomping a mudhole in (16) Goldust in the first round, then rolled past (8) Chris Jericho in round two. In the Sweet Sixteen, he defeated longtime rival (5) Triple H, before knocking out a red-hot (6) Mankind in the Elite Eight. The Final Four saw him take down (5) "Macho Man" Randy Savage, setting up a dream finals matchup.

But even with a new heel persona, (1) John Cena just couldn’t stop The Texas Rattlesnake. And that’s the bottom line—because you voted so 🍻! If you’re curious to see the full bracket and all the matchups you can still see the full bracket here.

And that wraps up our first-ever Winter Madness tournament. Huge thank you to everyone who voted and helped make it such a blast! I had a ton of fun running it, and over the next few days I’ll be sharing a few quick polls to get your thoughts.

AEW Dynamite: Spring BreakThru Results - April 17th, 2025

AEW Dynamite aired live from the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts, featuring the semifinals of the Owen Hart Cup and multiple title matches across the card.

Mercedes Moné def. Athena. The TBS Champion advanced to the Owen Hart Cup finals after a hard-fought, back-and-forth match. Mercedes rolled through a pin attempt and caught the ROH Women’s Champion with a victory roll for the win. Post-match, Toni Storm gave Moné a slow clap from the crowd.

Josh Alexander is All Elite - Hangman Page def. Josh Alexander. Alexander was revealed as the wild card entrant in the Owen tournament. In a competitive match that included a moonsault off the stage and nearfalls on both sides, Page won with a small package. After the match, Kyle Fletcher and Don Callis attacked Page, hitting a brainbuster and powerbombing him after Callis whispered something to Alexander.

Christian Cage Sent Nick Wayne to NJPW. In a backstage promo, Cage returned and addressed Nick Wayne’s betrayal and said he wanted to help his growth by entering him in NJPW’s Best of the Super Juniors. He also announced Wayne will face Komander for the ROH TV Title tomorrow night on Collision.

The Hurt Syndicate def. Gates of Agony – AEW World Tag Team Championship. Lashley and Benjamin retained their titles after Lashley speared Bishop Kaun for the win. Post-match, MJF tried once again to join the group by offering gifts and women. Shelton Benjamin demanded MJF’s expensive watch, which he received, but Bobby Lashley ultimately gave a thumbs-down. MJF gave them everything anyway, still trying to earn their favor.

Will Ospreay def. Konosuke Takeshita. In the Owen Hart Cup semifinals, Ospreay survived an intense, high-impact match filled with strikes, suplexes, and reversals. He finally hit the Storm Breaker to secure the win. Post-match, he celebrated as the crowd gave a standing ovation.

The Opps & Powerhouse Hobbs def. Death Riders – AEW World Trios Championship. Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler YUTA lost the Trios titles to Samoa Joe, Katsuyori Shibata, and Will Hobbs after a chaotic six-man match. Willow Nightingale and Marina Shafir interfered, and Swerve Strickland took out The Young Bucks at ringside. Joe put Moxley to sleep with the Coquina Clutch for the win. Post-match, the new champs celebrated as Ospreay arrived with champagne and the locker room emptied to mark the beginning of the end of Death Riders’ reign.

WWE News, Rumors & Updates

🪦💔 WWE Crowns Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels as Best WrestleMania Match Ever

WWE has declared the WrestleMania 25 match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels as the greatest WrestleMania match of all time. The company spent the last 50 days counting down top matches on their YouTube channel, finally revealing the top spot. Moreover, this year, WWE will honor the Bret Hart vs Steve Austin match at WrestleMania 13 as an 'Immortal Moment' at the 2025 Hall of Fame ceremony. "It was a hell of a match and it’s cool for people to still remember it damn near 30 years later," said Austin.

4️⃣ WrestleMania 41: Chaos Ensues in Historic Four-Way Intercontinental Championship

Bron Breakker will face an unprecedented challenge at WrestleMania 41, defending his Intercontinental Championship in the event's first ever fatal four-way against Penta, Finn Balor, and Dominik Mysterio. Breakker, who won back the championship from Jey Uso last October, has victories under his belt against all three competitors. Meanwhile, ex-AEW star Penta has emerged as a fan favorite since his WWE debut in January, remaining undefeated. Tensions are high within Judgment Day, with Mysterio and Balor clashing over the potential addition of Penta to the group. "Mysterio was seemingly only attempting to get the stable's numbers up and claimed he didn't know Penta would also be challenging for the title," adds to the drama.

🎙️ Stephanie McMahon Steps Back into the Spotlight with New WWE Podcast

Former WWE CEO Stephanie McMahon is returning to WWE’s ecosystem, this time through the airwaves. She’s set to host a new podcast called "What’s Your Story?", launching this Thursday across all podcast platforms. Interestingly, her first guest is UFC President Dana White, who has ties to WWE through the parent company TKO Group Holdings. McMahon says "Stephanie’s Places" on ESPN+ inspired her to delve into storytelling, and this podcast will allow her to do just that in a casual setting.

🎙️ Cody Rhodes Levels Up: From the Ring to the Mic

Cody Rhodes isn’t taking any breaks, even after his high-profile WrestleMania 41 match. Rhodes is all set to host a new podcast called “What Do You Wanna Talk About” in collaboration with WWE and Fanatics. The series, premiering in April, promises candid chats with WWE Superstars and Legends, laced with their favorite Wheatley Vodka. The show expands on Rhodes’s digital franchise launched in 2024, which will be available on all audio platforms and WWE’s YouTube channel.

AEW News and Rumors & Updates

🤢 Bischoff on AEW's Death Riders: 'Repulsive' Heat

Eric Bischoff recently shed light on the intense reactions AEW’s Death Riders faction is getting. He distinguishes their controversial dominance as a distinct kind of heat, stating, "It has a different kind of heat... and that reaction is largely, I can't think of a better word than 'repulsive.' People are turning away from it... You wanna call that 'heat?' That's heat." Jon Moxley, the faction's leader and AEW World Champion, is set to defend his title at AEW All In: Texas on July 12.

🧗‍♂️ Darby Allin: Taking Wrestling to New Heights on Everest!

Darby Allin’s climb up Mount Everest is well underway and he’s "doing great", according to Adventure Consultants. Having started on April 8, Allin and his team are currently stationed in Chhukhung. "Today our Everest Private Team said goodbye to the trekkers and hiked from Pheriche to Chhukhung... Tomorrow we are going to continue our acclimatisation with a hike Chhukhung Ri." The date of Allin’s return to AEW television remains uncertain.

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