Bandido impressed many following his inaugural outing on AEW Dynamite vs. Chris Jericho, including AEW boss Tony Khan who had a deal to offer!
Tony Khan pulled a trick out of his bottomless bag on the evening of Monday, 26 September, unveiling Bandido for his first match under the AEW banner on that Wednesday’s Dynamite. He’d face Chris Jericho of all people, ultimately coming up short against the ROH World Champion in a four-and-a-quarter star match.
This may not be the last we saw of the masked marvel in All Elite Wrestling, as Dave Meltzer writes in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Tony Khan offered Bandido a contract following his impressive debut. There’s no word on if the deal was accepted or not.
A veteran of eleven years, Bandido was a mainstay in a pre-Tony Khan-owned Ring Of Honor, holding the company’s World Championship for a credited 152 days. His reign ended prematurely when a positive COVID-19 test prohibited him from working Jonathan Gresham at last year’s Final Battle, in essence making their Supercard of Honor collision a title unification bout.
That is the only match Bandido has wrestled for ROH since Tony Khan took over leadership. It’s unknown if he’d play a role in the revamped promotion once it gets off the ground should he agree to the offered contract.
Outside of ROH, Bandido has plied his trade in every notable independent promotion, including PWG, AAA, and IMPACT Wrestling, holding the PWG World Championship for a staggering – albeit COVID-assisted – 863 days.