AEW elicits a new passion for fans, wrestlers and American Top Team’s Junior dos Santos

For legendary combat sports fighter Junior dos Santos, the passion is back.

A former UFC heavyweight champ, dos Santos of (South Florida) American Top Team will make his pro wrestling debut in South Florida with the home ring advantage.

Dos Santos teams with the Men of the Year (Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky) against The Inner Circle (Sammy Guevara, Jake Hager and Chris Jericho) on Friday for “AEW Rampage” on TNT from the James L. Knight Center in Miami.

Dos Santos, a tough Brazilian who is ultra successful in MMA and jiu-jitsu, is ready, willing and able to test himself in the pro wrestling discipline. He is very excited to compete in a pro wrestling match for AEW and continuing that journey afterward.

In my audio interview with dos Santos, he discusses his newfound passion, making his pro wrestling debut, AEW, its passionate fan-base, Dan Lambert, Jorge Masvidal, Kayla Harrison, MMA, Men of the Year (Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky), The Inner Circle and more.

Dan Lambert, the founder of American Top Team, an award-winning MMA training facility in Coconut Creek, and UFC star and Miami’s own Gamebred Jorge Masvidal will be in the corner of the Men of the Year and dos Santos.

Lambert knew what he was doing when he first grabbed a mic to cut a promo bashing All Elite Wrestling in July, also in Miami at the James L. Knight Center.

Lambert realized he would have a target on his back, incurring the wrath of AEW fans and especially AEW wrestlers. Smartly, he brought backup each time afterward.

Enter UFC standouts Andrei Arlovski and dos Santos, two hard-hitting heavyweights from ATT. They watched his back. That allowed Lambert to continue working the mic. He has a gift for gab.

Lambert formed an alliance with Men of the Year (Page and Sky), and the Men of the Year beat Jericho and Hager of The Inner Circle at AEW Rampage Grand Slam, before 21,000 fans at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York.

Lambert’s entourage grew. ATT’s Paige VanZant and Austin Vanderford got involved as did Mr. 305 Gamebred Jorge Masvidal.

Lambert’s first opportunity in the ring occurred when AEW returned to touring in July at that James L. Knight Center in Miami, not too far from American Top Team.

AEW returns to the Miami with AEW Rampage, AEW Dynamite, AEW Dark and AEW Dark Elevation at that James L. Knight Center.

“AEW Dynamite” on TNT will be Saturday.

“AEW Rampage” on TNT — featuring dos Santos and Men of the Year with Lambert and Masvidal against The Inner Circle — will be Friday.

AEW in Miami

All Elite on Wrestling returns to Miami for two nights of action with all its programming.

AEW Rampage on TNT is live Friday with an AEW Buy In live on AEW YouTube and AEW Dark tapings for AEW YouTube also on the docket.

AEW Dynamite on TNT is live Saturday for a special Saturday edition with AEW Dark: Elevation tapings for AEW YouTube.

The James L. Knight Center in Downtown Miami will house those shows.

AEW is no stranger to the JLC.

AEW’s Welcome Back Tour drop kicked off in Miami on July 7 with AEW Dynamite Road Rager on TNT from the James L. Knight Center in Miami.

This time around, one night will be AEW Heritage Night with a special offer.

For more ticket info on AEW in Miami, click:

https://www.ticketmaster.com/aew-presents-rampage-miami-florida-10-15-2021/event/0D005B17AA39C291

https://www.ticketmaster.com/aew-presents-dynamite-miami-florida-10-16-2021/event/0D005B17ABBAC2A7

https://www.ticketmaster.com/aew-combo-package-miami-florida-10-15-2021/event/0D005B17A8F1C251

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1447786606610554881

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This story was originally published October 13, 2021 at 12:49 PM.

Jim Varsallone

Miami Herald

305-376-3621

Jim Varsallone writes a high school sports column twice a week, featuring top performers in all varsity sports (boys and girls) in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. He also covers pro wrestling, something he’s done since his college days in the late 1980s. Now in his fifth decade of coverage, he currently follows WWE (Raw, SmackDown and NXT), AEW, Ring of Honor, TNA Impact Wrestling, MLW, WOW, NWA, and the South Florida indies, mainly CCW. He writes MMA, too -- mostly profile stories and video interviews with American Top Team and Sanford MMA fighters in South Florida. As for pro wrestling, he writes feature stories and profile pieces, updates upcoming show schedules in South Florida, photographs the action and interviews talent (audio and video) -- sharing the content here and via social media on his Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channel: jim varsallone (jimmyv3 channel). Support my work with a digital subscription