Nightmare Family Implodes On AEW Dynamite
The Nightmare Family has split.
Tonight's AEW Dynamite saw QT Marshall take on Cody Rhodes in an exhibition with Arn Anderson as the special guest referee. Cody previously mentioned that he wouldn't go for any "big moves" on QT out of respect.
After missing a crossbody, QT punched Anderson in the face and fled the ring. Nightmare Family members such as Dustin Rhodes, Lee Johnson, and the Gunn Club joined Cody in the ring to tend to Anderson. While the aforementioned members looked to QT on the stage, three Nightmare Factory students hit the ring to attack them.
Aaron Solow, Anthony Ogogo, and Nick Comoroto led a vicious assault that included chair shots, powerbombs, and piledrivers. All three men have previously trained with Cody's Nightmare Factory. Comoroto dumped Dustin Rhodes' on the stage, leading to QT hitting Dustin with a piledriver on the steel steps. Ogogo, an Olympic medalist boxer, struct a prone Cody with a closed fist strike to the midsection. QT looked to hit Cody's head with a chair shot, but retreated after Red Velvet came to his aid.
While the Nightmare Family never operated like a traditional faction, the group did make occasional televised appearances together to support their members. The group most notably showed out for Lee Johnson's first AEW victory in February. After that match, Johnson thanked various members of the Nightmare Family, but notably left QT Marshall out.
Shortly after that, Dave Meltzer reported that Cody had been studying the legendary Bruno Sammartino and Larry Zbyszko feud, which saw Zbyszko turn heel in the early '80s and in an attempt to try to get out of the shadow of his mentor, Sammartino. AEW will reportedly use that feud as structural inspiration for this upcoming rivalry between the Nightmare Family and QT's faction.
You can see clips from the attack below:
.@aaronsolow, @Mr_Freakbeast, @AnthonyOgogo, @realmmarshall1...How could you?! WATCH #AEWDynamite NOW on @TNTDrama. pic.twitter.com/HUjD15Up8f
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) April 1, 2021