AEW brought back another wrestling legend on Wednesday night as ECW legend Rhino returned before the live episode of Dynamite in Detroit, Michigan. The former ECW World Heavyweight Champion competed in a dark match in front of his hometown fans, giving the crowd an exciting surprise before Dynamite began at the Masonic Temple.
Rhino’s return is another milestone in his long wrestling career. It also marks another appearance in AEW after previously working with the company in 2025.
Rhino’s AEW connection keeps growing
Before the July 29 episode of AEW Dynamite went live, Nick Comoroto issued an open challenge to anyone from Detroit. Rhino answered the challenge and received a loud hometown reaction from the crowd. He defeated Comoroto with his famous Gore.
Earlier in the week, PWInsider reported that Rhino would be part of AEW’s Detroit event, but nobody knew exactly what he would be doing. Fans finally got their answer.
Rhino made his name in several major wrestling promotions. He became ECW World Heavyweight Champion during ECW’s final years and later won the WWE Tag Team Championship. Since leaving WWE in July 2019, he has stayed active on the independent scene while also appearing for different wrestling promotions.
This wasn’t Rhino’s first appearance in AEW.
He previously showed up when AEW visited Detroit in May 2025. During that event, Christian Cage introduced Rhino as the challenger for Nick Wayne’s ROH World Television Championship on Dynamite. Rhino didn’t win the title, but he stayed busy throughout the visit by wrestling during the Ring of Honor tapings. He also competed in a dark match and teamed with Hologram during the ROH recordings.
His latest return strengthens his relationship with AEW and shows the company is happy to use respected veterans, especially when they perform in their hometowns.
Rhino’s work in Detroit may not be over yet.
AEW is recording both Dynamite and Collision during its Detroit visit. While Rhino wrestled before Dynamite, there is still a chance he could appear again during the ROH tapings or even on Collision.
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