AEW: AEW, Ric Flair, & Others Pay Tribute to Steve “Mongo” McMichael at Collision Beach Break 2025 Show, Jack Perry AEW Abscense & Nixed Return Plans, Matt Cardona on Not Knowing Why He Didn’t Do More With AEW/ROH

May 18, 2025

AEW, Ric Flair, & Others Pay Tribute to Steve “Mongo” McMichael at AEW Collision Beach Break 2025 Show

Saturday’s AEW Collision Beach Break 2025 show featured AEW holding a tribute to the life and legacy of the late Pro Football Hall of Famer and former WCW wrestler Steve “Mongo” McMichael. This tribute segment featured McMichael’s wife Misty, Tony Schiavone, Dean Malenko, and Ric Flair all paying their tribute to McMichael and the impact and influence he had on their lives.

Following the show, AEW released the full video of their tribute to McMichael on their official YouTube channel.

Jack Perry AEW Abscense Status Update – Nixed Plans for Perry’s Return

Jack Perry has been absent from AEW since this past November’s Full Gear 2024 event. Perry last appeared and wrestled at this past January’s NJPW x AEW Wrestle Dynasty event.

Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp reported in a recent Q&A article that his sources stated that AEW officials had internal discussions at one point for a potential storyline feud that would have involved Perry working with Kenny Omega once Omega made his own in-ring return from diverticulitis. Sapp reported that these ideas were floated around for Perry but did not come to fruition for him.

In regards to the reason for Perry’s current abscense, Sapp reported that there is no current information to suggest that Perry is currently sidelined with an injury for the reason for his abscense.

Matt Cardona Comments on Not Knowing Why He Didn’t Do More With AEW/ROH

A recent episode of the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast featured TNA and indies talent Matt Cardona as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Cardona’s thoughts about his short feud with Chris Jericho for the ROH World Championship this past December.

“So then I go away for a couple of months, and then I got a call, ‘Hey, you interested in working Chris Jericho at the Hammerstein Ballroom?’ Yeah, let me think about it. Duh! Again, one of my childhood idols, he was on my birthday cake, but I was ninth grade. I love Chris. As a performer, I look up to Chris. So to wrestle Chris, we had a whole program, and for Ring of Honor, had to do it. Another dream match.”

Cardona also gave his thoughts about him not knowing why he did not get to do more with AEW and Ring of Honor after his feud with Jericho.