The 2022 Beach Break was the second annual Beach Break professional wrestling television special produced by All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The two-part event was broadcast as special episodes of AEW's weekly television programs, Wednesday Night Dynamite and Friday Night Rampage. It took place on January 26, 2022, at Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Dynamite aired live on TBS while Rampage aired on tape delay on TNT on January 28. A Beach Break special was not held in 2023 but the show returned in July 2024.
| Beach Break | |||
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Promotional poster featuring various AEW wrestlers | |||
| Promotion | All Elite Wrestling | ||
| Date | January 26, 2022 (aired January 26, 2022 and January 28, 2022) | ||
| City | Cleveland, Ohio, United States | ||
| Venue | Wolstein Center | ||
| Attendance | 6,100[1] | ||
| Event chronology | |||
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| AEW Dynamite special episodes chronology | |||
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| AEW Rampage special episodes chronology | |||
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In the main event of the Dynamite broadcast, Orange Cassidy defeated Adam Cole in a Lights Out match, which also saw the AEW debut of Danhausen. The opening bout was a ladder match for the AEW TNT Championship, in which interim champion Sammy Guevara defeated lineal champion Cody Rhodes to become the undisputed TNT Champion in what was Rhodes' final match in AEW. In the main event of the Rampage broadcast, Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus) defeated Private Party (Marq Quen and Isiah Kassidy) to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship.
Production
editBackground
editIn February 2021, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) held a television special titled Beach Break, which aired as a special episode of Dynamite. The event replaced Bash at the Beach as the promotion's midwinter beach-themed event.[2][3] A second Beach Break was scheduled for late January 2022 to air as a two-part event as special episodes of Dynamite and Rampage, thus establishing Beach Break as an annual event. It was scheduled to be held on January 26, 2022, at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Dynamite aired live on TBS while Rampage aired on tape delay on TNT on January 28.[4]
Storylines
editBeach Break featured professional wrestling matches that involved different wrestlers from pre-existing scripted feuds and storylines. Wrestlers portrayed heroes, villains, or less distinguishable characters in scripted events that built tension and culminated in a wrestling match or series of matches.[5] Storylines were produced on AEW's weekly television programs, Dynamite and Rampage, the supplementary online streaming shows, Dark and Elevation, and The Young Bucks' YouTube series Being The Elite.
During the special Holiday Bash episode of Rampage on December 25, 2021, Cody Rhodes defeated Sammy Guevara to become a record three-time AEW TNT Champion.[6] The two were scheduled to have a rematch for the championship at Battle of the Belts I on January 8, 2022;[7] however, Cody was pulled from the event as he had been in contact with family who had tested positive for COVID-19, thus requiring him to quarantine.[8] Guevara instead faced and defeated Cody's brother Dustin Rhodes at that event to become the interim champion.[9][10] On the January 19 episode of Dynamite, lineal champion Cody challenged interim champion Guevara to a ladder match at the Dynamite broadcast of Beach Break to determine the undisputed TNT Champion.[11]
Results
edit| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[12] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sammy Guevara (interim champion) defeated Cody Rhodes (lineal champion) (with Arn Anderson) by retrieving both title belts | Ladder match to determine the undisputed AEW TNT Champion | 22:59 |
| 2 | Wardlow (with Shawn Spears) defeated Elijah Dean and James Alexander by pinfall | Handicap match | 1:23 |
| 3 | The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Ortiz and Santana) defeated Daniel Garcia and 2.0 (Jeff Parker and Matt Lee) by pinfall | Six man tag team match | 8:52 |
| 4 | "Legit" Leyla Hirsch defeated Red Velvet by pinfall | Singles match | 8:08 |
| 5 | Orange Cassidy defeated Adam Cole by pinfall | Unsanctioned Lights Out match | 16:56 |
| No. | Results | Stipulations | Times[13] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jon Moxley defeated Anthony Bowens (with Max Caster) by pinfall | Singles match | 12:02 | ||
| 2 | FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) (with Tully Blanchard) defeated The Nightmare Family (Brock Anderson and Lee Johnson) (with Arn Anderson) by pinfall | Tag team match | 9:10 | ||
| 3 | Jade Cargill (with "Smart" Mark Sterling) (c) defeated Julia Hart (with Griff Garrison) by pinfall | Singles match for the AEW TBS Championship | 2:28 | ||
| 4 | Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus (c) (with Christian Cage) defeated Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) (with Matt Hardy and The Blade) by pinfall | Tag team match for the AEW World Tag Team Championship | 10:45 | ||
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Reception
editDave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave the ladder match between Cody Rhodes and Sammy Guevara a 5 star rating.[14]
Television ratings
editDynamite averaged 1,100,000 television viewers on TBS, with a 0.41 rating in the key demographic.[15]
Rampage averaged 601,000 television viewers on TNT, with a 0.25 rating in the key demographic.[16]
References
edit- ^ "AEW Dynamite #121 - Beach Break 2022 - Tag 1". Cage Match. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ DeFelice, Robert (November 8, 2020). "Tony Khan Likes AEW's 'Big Four' Pay-Per-View Schedule, Announces 'Beach Break' Special For January". Fightful. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- ^ Klyn, Parker (December 23, 2020). "AEW Dynamite live results: Holiday Bash". Figure Four Online. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
- ^ Pritchard, Bill (January 5, 2022). "Tony Khan Confirms AEW Beach Break 2022 Will Take Place In Cleveland". Mandatory. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
- ^ Grabianowski, Ed (January 13, 2006). "How Pro Wrestling Works". HowStuffWorks, Inc. Discovery Communications. Archived from the original on November 29, 2013. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
- ^ McGuire, Colin (December 25, 2021). "12/25 AEW Rampage results: McGuire's live review of Sammy Guevara vs. Cody Rhodes for the TNT Championship, Hook vs. Bear Bronson, Leyla Hirsch vs. Kris Statlander, and Jungle Boy vs. Isiah Kassidy". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (January 3, 2022). "TNT TITLE MATCH ADDED TO AEW BATTLE OF THE BELTS". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ Holder, James (January 8, 2022). "Cody Rhodes Says He And Brandi Are Isolating With Family Who Have COVID-19". Inside the Ropes. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (January 7, 2022). "Cody Rhodes Off AEW Battle Of The Belts, Interim TNT Title Match Set For The Show". Fightful. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ McGuire, Colin (January 8, 2022). "1/8 AEW Battle of the Belts results: McGuire's review of Britt Baker vs. Riho for the AEW Women's Championship, Dustin Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara for the Interim TNT Championship, Ricky Starks vs. Matt Sydal for the FTW Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ Powell, Jason (January 19, 2022). "1/19 AEW Dynamite results: Powell's live review of Jon Moxley's return, Sting and Darby Allin vs. The Acclaimed, Adam Cole and Britt Baker vs. Orange Cassidy and Kris Statlander, CM Punk vs. Shawn Spears, Malakai Black and Brody King vs. The Varsity Blonds, Serena Deeb vs. Skye Blue". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ Barnett, Jake (January 26, 2022). "1/26 AEW Dynamite results: Barnett's live review of the Beach Break themed episode with Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara in a ladder match for the TNT Title, Adam Cole vs. Orange Cassidy in a Lights Out match, Chris Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz vs. Daniel Garcia and 2point0, Red Velvet vs. Leyla Hirsch". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ McGuire, Colin (January 28, 2022). "1/28 AEW Rampage results: McGuire's review of Championship Friday with Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus vs. Private Party for the AEW Tag Titles, Jade Cargill vs. Julia Hart for the TBS Title, Jon Moxley vs. Anthony Bowens, FTR vs. Lee Johnson and Brock Anderson". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ Taylor, Sanchez (January 28, 2022). "AEW Dynamite Beach Break Match Earns Five Star Rating". WrestleTalk. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
- ^ "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Wednesday 1.26.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED | Showbuzz Daily". showbuzzdaily.com. Retrieved 2022-02-06.
- ^ "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Friday 1.28.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED | Showbuzz Daily". showbuzzdaily.com. Retrieved 2022-02-06.