Announcer Kevin Kelly has been fired by All Elite Wrestling following a series of tweets in which he shared frustrations within the company. 

This news, as first reported by PWTorch, comes shortly after wrestling fans noticed that his profile was was removed from the roster page of the AEW website.

Kelly was absent from Thursday’s AEW Collision tapings from Atlanta, which was another ominous sign about his ‘All Elite’ status. Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuiness called the action for the show, which airs Saturday night on TNT.

Kelly’s Twitter Outburst

Kelly Kelly’s posts on social media last weekend cost him his job, sources confirmed.  The commentator gained attention for his series of tweets in which he claimed his career was being sabotaged. 

He added that ROH announced Ian Riccaboni had libeled him and that he was being “pushed aside” in Tony Khan’s promotion.

You can read all about the ‘Twitter meltdown’ that precipitated the end of his stint working for Tony Khan:

Kevin Kelly

Kelly was brought to AEW last year to serve as the lead commentator for AEW Collision. His start in the company did not go well as he came across as being unfamiliar with AEW’s product and the history of the wrestlers. Within months of his arrival on Collision, Tony Schiavone was brought in to serve as lead play-by-play commentator though Kelly would remain at the desk. 

Outside of AEW, Kevin Kelly worked for WWE from 1996 to 2003 and was present for the infamous ‘Pillman’s Got A Gun’ segment that nearly saw Monday Night Raw thrown off the air. Later on, he would be the subject of ridicule from The Rock and has been critical of the company’s corporate policies and creative direction since his release. 

He is also known for his work in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. His time with both of these promotions earned him a lot of favor prior to his signing with AEW last year.

Fans should not expect to see Kenny Omega back any time soon, despite the Cleaner being referenced on this week’s Dynamite. 

The former AEW World Champion has been out of action since late 2023 due to a battle with diverticulitis. This situation forced AEW to change plans as Omega and Chris Jericho had been in line for an AEW World Tag Title shot before the Cleaner’s hiatus. Instead, Jericho teamed with his Inner Circle alum Sammy Guevara in a losing effort.

Kenny Omega Advertised

In January, Omega was advertised for upcoming AEW Dynamite tapings that will take place this month in Toronto, Canada. While fans took this as a good sign, Tony Khan made clear that fans shouldn’t expect to see the Cleaner at the tapings when he spoke at the AEW Revolution 2024 media scrum. 

“I don’t think it would be fair to create the expectation that Kenny Omega would be cleared by then… I don’t know the exact date.”

Latest on Kenny Omega

With that in mind, there is still no timetable as to when fans should expect Kenny Omega, according to Fightful Select. During this week’s AEW Dynamite, Omega was ‘fired’ as a member of The Elite and has been replaced by Kazuchika Okada. Fightful adds that the plan is for Okada’s inclusion in the Elite to set up Omega’s return and feud with the group. 

AEW’s Rush has shared a touching scene in tribute to Akira Toriyama following the manga titan’s death this week at the age of 68.

Toriyama suffered an acute subdural hematoma, which is a type of bleeding near the brain, his studio reported following his death. Toriyama is best known for creating manga hit Dragon Ball, which has spawned shows, movies, video games and more. The main series follows Goku and his efforts to collect the titular Dragon Balls to protect the Earth. 

Rush’s Tribute

Taking to Twitter, Rush shared that he had begun re-watching the series, this time with his new-born son. Rush was grateful to Toriyama for making him happy in his childhood and is grateful he can now share Dragon Ball with his son. 

TODAY I STARTED WATCHING THE SERIES WITH MY SON AND WE HAVE 7 EPISODES OF DRAGON BALL Z
THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME HAPPY IN MY CHILDHOOD AND NOW TO MY SON

? RIP pic.twitter.com/NG0M2gBobt

— RUSH OFICIAL (@rushtoroblanco) March 8, 2024

Pro-Wrestling and Dragon Ball

Rush is hardly the only professional wrestler to have their life influenced by Toriyama and his hit manga series. For WrestleMania 32, the New Day donned armor similar to the Saiyan alien species from Dragon Ball. In 2020, Rhea Ripley wore a Vegeta-themed attire for her WrestleMania debut against Charlotte Flair in the crowd-less WWE Performance Center. 

WWE Money in the Bank 2023 saw not one but two references to Dragon Ball. For her Women’s Tag Team Championship match, Ronda Rousey wore an attire based on Majin Vegeta, the darker version of the series staple. Zelina Vega, who has cosplayed several manga characters in the ring, wore an attire referencing series villain Frieza. The power of the Dragon Balls wasn’t with either Superstar as Rousey would lose her title match while Vega failed to capture the Women’s  Money in Bank briefcase.

Fans tuning into this week’s Collision will not be greeted by Kevin Kelly in the latest development in his issues with AEW. 

Earlier this week, Kelly took to social media to claim that he was being sabotaged within the promotion. Kelly added that in AEW he is being “pushed aside” but that nobody is better than him as a broadcaster.

The veteran broadcaster added that he had been libelled by ‘Ian’, believed to be Ian Riccaboni, a broadcaster for AEW, ROH, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. He later stated that Ian’s attempts to tie Kelly to a”fringe conspiracy theory that everyone knows is bullsh*t” was libellous. 

Missing AEW Collision

Following his comments on social media, Kevin Kelly was removed from AEW’s roster section of its website. Many have taken this as a sign that his time with the company is ending, if it hasn’t already. 

Now, there has been another sign of Kelly’s exit from the company. This week’s episode of AEW Collision was filmed following this past Wednesday’s live edition of Dynamite. Kelly did not appear at the Collision taping, leaving Nigel McGuinness and Tony Schiavone to call the action as a duo. This is particularly alarming given that Kelly was hired to AEW last year with the explicit reason being for him to commentate on Collision. 

Kevin Kelly

Outside of AEW, Kevin Kelly worked for WWE from 1996 to 2003 and was present for the infamous ‘Pillman’s Got A Gun’ segment that nearly saw Monday Night Raw thrown off the air. Later on, he would be the subject of ridicule from The Rock and has been critical of the company’s corporate policies and creative direction since his release. He is also known for his work in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. 

WWE Raw’s Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith have seemingly patched things up following a heated exchange between the two. 

The New York Post reports that things got heated during a private conversation between the pair from several weeks ago which was described as an “explosive argument.” Things escalated to the point that McAfee branded Smith a “motherf****r.” The Post adds that following the spat, Smith banned McAfee from his ‘First Take’ show on ESPN. 

Source of the Issue

Their issues arose from creative differences involving a yet-to-be-announced project that Stephen A. Smith is executive producing. The show will be produced by Mr. SAS Productions and will air on ESPN. A specific airdate is not known at this time.

Issues Quashed

Both sides have told the New York Post that their animosity has been resolved. In a text message, McAfee said that he was unaware of any ban. 

“I think I’m still welcome on ‘First Take’? I was scheduled through football season to join on Tuesdays, hopefully next year that’ll happen as well.”

Smith similarly made clear the positive impact McAfee has had on First Take thanks to his experience as a football star.

“We are No.1 and he has absolutely contributed to us remaining No.1. McAfee was asked to come on each Tuesday through the Super Bowl and he did just that, kicking ass each time.”

Pat McAfee and ESPN 

This is hardly the first time that McAfee’s name has been at the center of controversy for ESPN. In January, McAfee claimed that Norby Williamson had been sabotaging his show and went as far as to call  the ESPN executive a “rat.”  Days later, ESPN responded said that Williamson was committed to making the show a success. 

AEW’s Kenny Omega was recently dealt another ‘roadblock’ in his recovery from diverticulitis which required the Canadian wrestler to go under the knife. The former AEW World Champion has been out of action for months, after disclosing in December 2023 that he had been diagnosed with diverticulitis. 

This led to AEW changing its plans as Omega and Chris Jericho had been scheduled to challenge for the AEW World Tag Team Championships. Instead, Jericho teamed with Sammy Guevara in a losing effort. 

During a recent Twitch stream, Omega gave an update on his condition. The AEW EVP (who was recently fired as a member of The Elite) explained that the pain comes in waves. 

“It’s been really touch and go. I was feeling great for a week or two. When you feel terrible, a week or two feels like a long time… For two weeks, I was feeling great.”

Omega then added that after this period of feeling great, he required emergency treatment. 

“I ran into a bit of a roadblock and I had to get some emergency treatment again. Well, I wouldn’t say it’s two steps forward, two steps back, but maybe it’s one and a half steps back.”

What’s Next? 

While Omega would love to be back in the ring tomorrow, he explained during the stream that he can’t answer as to when he’ll be back in the ring. The former AEW World Champion added that he doesn’t want to get back in the ring until he’s healed and feels he can perform at the high-level fans expect from him. 

The wrestling world has shown its support for Bianca Belair following racist comments shared on social media against the former WWE Women’s Champion. 

Belair is one of the cover stars of WWE 2K24 and is featured on the ‘Deluxe Edition’ alongside Rhea Ripley. This week, WWE Games shared a photo of Belair, Ripley, and Cody Rhodes, the latter being the cover star of the standard edition of the game. 

While the vast majority of comments were positive, two were hateful in nature. One said that while Rhodes and Ripley deserved to be there, Belair did not, which many took as a racially motivated. A second comment left nothing to interpretation, as the person said that Belair did not deserve a spot on the cover but “gotta have a black.”

Wrestlers Support Bianca Belair

These comments have received backlash from fans as well as those in the wrestling industry. In a series of tweets, Zelina Vega made it clear those racist fans should be ashamed of themselves. 

The “fans” that took part in the blatant disrespect and hate towards her and other black men and women should be ashamed and embarrassed. It’s disgusting. But your hate will never EVER dim their shine. We love you B. You continue to be an inspiration to all of us.

(2/2)

— ZV (@ZelinaVegaWWE) March 7, 2024

TNA Wrestling’s AJ Francis stated that such comments are hardly new when it comes to black athletes. 

I told yall over a year ago it was racist how people would always compare B-Fab to Bianca or Jade even though none of the 3 of them are even close to looking alike…

“Ratchet” or “ghetto” are words people loved using to describe actions by all of them. Coded language is…

— A.J. FRANCI$ ? (@AJFrancis410) March 7, 2024

Rhea Ripley, Belair’s cover co-star expressed her support for the EST and said these ‘fans’ are mad that she’s better than them. 

EST ain’t just a nickname… @BiancaBelairWWE is a history maker, a trailblazer, and one of the nicest humans that you would have the privilege to ever meet.
Y’all just mad that she’s better than you ????? #EST

— RheaRipley_WWE (@RheaRipley_WWE) March 7, 2024

SmackDown’s Michin also shared her support for the EST. 

? Bianca Belair ?

— Michin ?? (@MiaYim) March 7, 2024

WWE NXT Superstar Jakara Jackson was sickened by the comments about Belair being on the WWE 2K24 cover. 

Bianca Belair ?>>>

You Dusties make me sick.

— Jakara Jackson (@JakaraWWE) March 7, 2024

Kacy Catanzaro praised Belair as an inspiration to her who has shattered glass ceilings throughout her WWE career. 

. @BiancaBelairWWE is a huge inspiration and has been good to me since the day I walked into the performance center. Thank you for all that you continue to do to shatter glass ceilings. A true legend in and out of the ring. ????

— Kacy Catanzaro (@Katana_WWE) March 7, 2024

WWE referee Daphanie LeShaunn spoke about her own experience facing racism as a black woman in wrestling. 

I never expected the amount of hate and racism I face every single day for existing in this profession. But quitting would be giving them what they want. I can only imagine what Bianca goes through…The hate is strong but our accomplishments are even greater.???? https://t.co/RGkSY6F3EI

— Daphanie LaShaunn???? (@RefBaeDaphWWE) March 7, 2024

Raw Superstar Ivy Nile credited Belair as everything she strives to be in WWE and praised the efforts of all three WWE 2K24 cover stars. 

. @BiancaBelairWWE is everything I strive to be in the WWE. All 3 are the hardest working and influential people in my life, and I’m so grateful to know ALL of them. Much love, B ? #TennesseeStrong https://t.co/6R7ljd55V4

— ivynile_wwe (@ivynile_wwe) March 7, 2024

NXT’s Joe Gacy didn’t make reference to the incident explicitly but is hoping to get a hard copy of the Deluxe Edition of the game. 

I’m getting a digital copy, but is there anyway I can get a hard copy. The one with @BiancaBelairWWE on the cover. https://t.co/S44pHBR2tn

— Joe 6acy (@JoeGacy) March 7, 2024

Karmen Petrovic made clear that Belair deserved her spot on the cover. 

a trailblazer. an icon. the EST! ?? @BiancaBelairWWE you deserve it ?? https://t.co/axm4mgxTFH

— karmen petrovic ? (@karmen_wwe) March 7, 2024

And Belair’s fellow cover star Cody Rhodes had three simple letters in support of the former Women’s Champion. 

E S T https://t.co/gc0c7ZlZiW

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) March 7, 2024

The comments made by these fans are clearly abhorrent and do not reflect the wrestling world or its fanbase. The standard edition of WWE 2K24 hits shelves today. 

This week’s episode of AEW Collision was an action-packed show as the promotion continued forward following this week’s season premiere of Dynamite. 

AEW Collision was taped following the most recent episode of Dynamite, which served as the season premiere of AEW programming. This marked the debut of a new stage (which marked the return of the tunnels) as well as a new color scheme.

Dynamite saw the debut of Kazuchika Okada who established himself as a heel by attacking Eddie Kingston and aligning himself with the Young Bucks. It had been reported for some time that Okada was going to debut on the show, with Tony Khan promising something huge in the days leading up to Dynamite. 

AEW Collision Spoilers [4/9/2024]

Here are the spoiler results for this week’s AEW Collision:

• The House of Black defeated Mark Briscoe & Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett in a Street Fight

• Mistico defeated Angelico

• Bryan Danielson defeated Shane Taylor. After the match, Will Ospreay came out to confront Danielson. The American Dragon challenged Ospreay to a match at AEW Dynasty to which Ospreay agreed. 

• The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada defeated Jon Cruz & Liam Gray & Adrian Alonis. Eddie Kingston tried to attack the Bucks and Okada but was overpowered. Penta and then PAC hit the ring, setting up a six-man tag for Big Business on March 13. 

• Mariah May defeated Trish Adora. Toni Storm came out and awarded May a “Toni Award” but Deonna Purrazzo attacked Storm. May made the save.

• Nick Wayne defeated Adam Priest. Christian Cage ripped up a masked fan’s sign. The fan attacked Cage and unmasked as Adam Copeland. 

• Tony Schiavone interviewed FTR in the ring about the tournament to crown the AEW Tag Team Champions. FTR said they want to be the first-ever three-time AEW World Tag Team Champions. The Infantry came out and said they want to be champions before everyone shook hands. 

• Lionheart Chris Jericho defeated CMLL’s Titan with the Walls of Jericho. The Gates of Agony attacked Jericho but Hook made the save with a Singapore Cane.

Sazerac Brands’ Wheatley Vodka will serve as the official vodka of WrestleMania 40 in a historic first for WWE’s premier annual event. 

This deal with Wheatley Vodka marks the first spirits sponsorship in WWE history. addition to WrestleMania, Wheatley will also be the sponsor for a yet-to-be-announced six-part series on WWE social platforms, Sports Business Journal reports. This series will feature Cody Rhodes interviewing other WWE talents and a Wheately-branded tour bus will appear in the series.

WWE & Alcohol

At WWE WrestleMania 39, the Intercontinental Championship triple threat between GUNTHER, Sheamus, and Drew McIntyre was sponsored by Mike’s Hard Lemonade. It is reported that the beverage is set to return as a sponsor of this year’s SummerSlam Premium Live Event

WrestleMania Sponsorships

Sazerac Brands’ Wheatley Vodka is just one of the products that will sponsor this year’s WrestleMania event. Last week, it was announced that WWE 2K24 and SNICKERS will serve as the presenting partners of this year’s two-night Premium Live Event. This marks the third consecutive year that WWE 2K and Snickers have teamed up as the Presenting Partners of WWE’s annual supershow.

WrestleMania 40

WWE WrestleMania 40 will be the promotion’s fifth two-night event, a tradition established during the COVID-19 pandemic. The card for the show as it currently stands is as follows:

• Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Universal Championship)

• Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley (WWE Women’s Championship)

• Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch (WWE Women’s World Championship)

• Seth “Freakin” Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

Jim Ross can buy all the cowboy hats he wants thanks to his AEW salary, which the Hall of Famer says far surpasses anything he made during his WWE career. 

Ross joined AEW in 2019, immediately lending a sense of credability and  the upstart promotion a sense of legitimacy. Since then, he has called the action for some of the promotion’s top matches. JR was on hand when Chris Jericho became the first AEW World Champion that same year with his All Out victory over ‘Hangman’ Adam Page. JR recently returned to the desk after an absence caused by health issues to call Sting’s final match. 

JR’s Lucrative AEW Deal

Earlier this week, Ross revealed that he had signed a brand new deal with AEW and that his previous one had been set to expire in February. JR didn’t share details of the new deal but admitted it was “probably the quickest and easiest negotiation I have ever done.” 

On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer disclosed more about JR’s new AEW deal. Meltzer explained that Ross is paid very well for his role in AEW and while he commentates less in AEW than he did in WWE, he’s earning much more. 

”He’s paid really well. He makes more money in AEW as an announcer than he ever made in WWE. It’s a great, great deal.”

Ross is hoping to commentate more following his return at AEW Revolution. The wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Famer has unfortunately had multiple stints off of TV due to injuries and his battle with skin cancer. 

Dwayne Johnson is stepping in the ring of men’s skin care with his new Papatui line of skin care products. 

The line of products includes a collection of hair, body and tattoo care products, and is available today on papatui.com. The products will be available in Target stores on March 10. 

The Papatui name comes from Johnson’s deep connection to his family and his roots. As he explained to GQ, Tui is a nickname granted him by his grandfather ‘High Chief’ Peter Miavia. The papa part comes from what Johnson considers his most rewarding role; being a father to his children. 

Other Ventures

Papatui is hardly the first venture that Johnson has committed to. In addition to his work in WWE and in Hollywood, Johnson also has his own brand of Tequila called Teremana. Johnson also has his own brand of ZOA energy drinks and recently launched his ‘Big Dwayne Energy’s line of flavors.

What’s Next? 

When not launching new skin-care line, Johnson can be found on WWE programming as the newest member of The Bloodline. Last week, The Rock threw out the challenge for a tag team match that’d put himself and Roman Reigns against Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania. All four men are set to appear on this week’s SmackDown. The showdown will be the first time the four have shared the screen since the chaotic WrestleMania 40 kick-off press conference. 

Boxing icon and WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson will be stepping back in the ring later this year to face none other than Jake Paul. 

Paul, the brother of WWE United States Champion Logan Paul, will fight Tyson at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the home of WWE WrestleMania 32. In a statement shared by ESPN, Netflix’s VP, Non-Fiction Sports Gabe Spitzer shared his excitement for the showdown.

“Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history… July 20 will be pure drama in the ring.”

Mike Tyson in the Ring

Known as being one of, if not the greatest fighter in the sport, Tyson was the undisputed heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990. Tyson hasn’t had a pro fight since 2005 and hasn’t fought since his exhibition match with Roy Jones Jr. in 2020. 

In pro-wrestling, Tyson featured prominently in the build to WrestleMania 14 (coinciding with a suspension from professional boxing for biting Evander Holyfield.) He has made appearances for WWE in the ears since and has also appeared for AEW. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2012. 

Jake Paul In the Ring 

At 27-years-old, Paul will enter the ring 31 years the junior of the legendary Tyson. The social media personality has proven himself in the ring, scoring a knockout on Nate Robinson in his second fight (on the undercard of the Tyson Vs. Jones fight.)

Paul has also dabbled in the world of wrestling. While nowhere near as involved as his brother, Jake appeared in the run-up to WWE Crown Jewel 2022, and aided his brother during the Undisputed WWE Universal title match with Roman Reigns. Jake Paul has also teased getting in the ring himself.

WWE & Netflix

Netflix will host the much-anticipated fight in the streaming giant’s latest dive into the world of combat sports. In January 2025, WWE Raw will begin airing on Netflix as part of a $5 billion deal between the two sides. Fans outside of the U.S. will receive Raw, SmackDown, and WWE NXT in addition to WWE’s archives of Premium Live Events. 

WWE’s YouTube channel has proven to be a hit with wrestling fans after reaching 100 million subscribers today. 

The channel was launched in May 2007, but the first video wouldn’t be published until February the following year. The video in question is a promotional video for the No Way Out 2008 pay-per-view, which marked the return of the Elimination Chamber which hadn’t been used in over a year. 

WWE’s YouTube Channel by the Numbers

In the 5,873 days since the No Way Out video, WWE’s channel has amassed 82,222,053,762 (and counting!) That equates to approximately 14 million views every single day. The channel currently has 74,394 videos available to watch. 

The most popular video on WWE’s YouTube channel comes from Raw 2009 when Randy Orton handcuffed Triple H to the ring rope. The Viper would make things personal in his war with the then-WWE Champion by RKO’ing Stephanie McMahon and kissing the knocked-out wife of the Game. The video currently sits at 315,000,000 views, far ahead of the second most-watched video (Stunning in-ring proposals) at 230,000,000 views.

Affecting WWE Programming

While WWE’s YouTube channel documents the storylines fans see on TV, it also has the power to shape those same storylines and production. WWE’s Vice President of Digital Content, Steve Barband recently told Jacob Feldman of Sportico that production thinks deeply about what will work on social media when booking events. 

“We’re very strategic through each match and each segment of each show, to pull the moments that we think will succeed on the internet while also driving back to linear television.”

Fans won’t have to wait long to see more YouTube videos, with new videos added daily, in addition to snippets of SmackDown set to be shared this Friday night. 

AEW Revolution 2024 proved to be a lucrative night for the promotion as well as a fitting send-off for the Icon Sting’s legendary wrestling career. 

The March 4, pay-per-view took place from the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina. In the show’s main event, Sting and Darby Allin defeated the Young Bucks to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships. This marked the final match for the Stinger and the AEW World Tag Titles have since been vacated. 

AEW Revolution 2024 Attendance 

AEW’s most recent pay-per-view was attended by 16,118 fans, according to Venues Now. This is up significantly from the previous year’s event, which saw 9,000 gather in San Francisco’s Chase Center. 

This year’s event was the highest-attended AEW Revolution pay-per-view in history. It was the highest-attended AEW pay-per-view since last year’s record-breaking All In event inside London’s Wembley Stadium. 

 AEW Revolution 2024 Gate

Last weekend’s show generated a gate of over $1 million, another huge win for Tony Khan’s first promotion. The average ticket price was $55 for the pay-per-view. 

On-Site Purchases

OVG Hospitality’s food and beverage per capita spending averaged at $19, excluding suites, resulting in $306,242 in concessions revenue. In terms of merchandise, the average amount per attendee was $21.64 and was said to be largely driven by Sting’s final match in the main event. This resulted in approximately $349,000 in gross sales. 

Nearly all merchandise items sold out. The report stated that the commercial performance was at the higher end for family-oriented shows and more in line with the revenue generated by concerts

Players of AEW Fight Forever can now bring the Big Swing, European Uppercuts, and more to the game with the inclusion of Claudio Castagnoli as DLC.

First announced in 2020, AEW Fight Forever is the promotion’s first console video game follows on from the company’s mobile games ‘AEW Elite: General Manager‘ and ‘AEW Casino: Double or Nothing.’ Fight Forever’s development would take longer than many fans expected, before hitting shelves and online stores in June of last year. 

Giant Swing in the Ring

In a YouTube video, it was confirmed that the newest DLC will bring Claudio Castagnoli to the popular game. The Swiss wrestler narrates over footage of himself in the game to a remix of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. 

The Blackpool Combat Club member mentions that he is coming to the game with a bunch of new skins for characters as well as the rare ‘Gold Attire.’ This unique attire is available for all playable characters but can only be unlocked by winning the AEW World Championship 20 times in the game. 

AEW Fight Forever’s Roster

Many fans weren’t happy when AEW Fight Forever was released that the playable character roster was noticeably smaller than expected (and far smaller than WWE’s 2K games.)

Noticeable omissions from the launch date roster included Inner Circle alum such as Jake Hager, Santana, and Ortiz and reigning Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion Athena. In October, it was said that work was being done on adding new talent to the game. The following month, AEW Trios Champions The Acclaimed were added to the game as DLC. 

Kazuchika Okada’s arrival in All Elite Wrestling has had the wrestling world talking following this week’s edition of Dynamite. 

On the most recent edition of AEW Dynamite, the Young Bucks were furious following their loss to Sting & Darby Allin at AEW Revolution 2024. The EVPs exercised their authority by suspending ‘Hangman’ Adam Page and firing Kenny Omega. 

This diatribe brought out Eddie Kingston, who was quickly joined by the debuting Okada. While the Rainmaker teased being on Kingston’s side, he attacked the AEW Continental Champion and shook hands with the Jackson brothers.

Wrestling World React to Okada’s AEW Debut

On Twitter, Matthew and Nicholas Jackson were pleased to share a photo with Okada and made clear that they were prepared to “change the world.”

Change the world. #theELITE pic.twitter.com/FgzUThTTXi

— Matthew & Nicholas Jackson (@youngbucks) March 7, 2024

Konosuke Takeshita made clear that he was paying attention to Okada, also known as the Rainmaker. 

Rain…

— Konosuke Takeshita (@Takesoup) March 7, 2024

AEW President Tony Khan took great pleasure in response to a tweet alleging that Okada was set to debut for WWE in January of this year as part of the Men’s Royal Rumble match. 

#AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/R8s8aTpaDr

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) March 7, 2024

Khan would also confirm Okada’s status by sharing the All Elite graphic while adding that the Rainmaker is a ‘business partner’ of Matthew and Nicholas Jackson. 

He is now business partners with @youngbucks in The Elite, and tonight it's official: @rainmakerXokada is ALL ELITE!
Welcome to @AEW, Kazuchika Okada!#AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/LfPVLoWH1r

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) March 7, 2024

Shinsuke Nakamura took to social media to express his surprise at Okada’s arrival in the All-Elite promotion. 

Shinsuke Nakamura reacts to Okada's arrival in AEW.

[Translation: "Really"] pic.twitter.com/JHPmxhRkQx

— Anutosh Bajpai || SEScoops || Wrestling News (@AuthorAnutosh) March 7, 2024

TNA Wrestling, who have often made use of Search Engine Optimization, shared a video of Okada taking on Generation Me (the future Young Bucks) during a TNA Xplosion match from 2010.

Check out Kazuchika Okada and Homicide vs. Generation Me from Xplosion in 2010.

Subscribe to TNA+ and watch all your favorite TNA matches HERE: https://t.co/SjpCtpS013 pic.twitter.com/nzALFANNYA

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 7, 2024

And Okada himself had a one-word greeting for the AEW fans and roster while sharing a graphic confirming that he is All Elite. 

Hello pic.twitter.com/gqLw8gyJGd

— Kazuchika Okada (@rainmakerXokada) March 7, 2024

Lex Luger is grateful that WWE allowed him the opportunity to attend Sting’s final match, despite being under a ‘Legends’ deal with the promotion. 

The Icon competed for the final time at AEW Revolution 2024. In the main event, Sting and Darby Allin defeated the Young Bucks to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships. This win meant that Sting was able to end his AEW career undefeated. On this week’s AEW Dynamite, Darby Allin vacated his AEW World Tag Team Championship. 

Lex Luger On Attending Sting’s Last Match

Lex Luger was one of several wrestling legends who were able to attend Sting’s final match and had a blast at the event. On a recent edition of the Busted Open Radio podcast, Luger made it clear that WWE had no issue with him attending, as long as he opted to keep off of the show. 

“WWE is classy. They said you can go and everything, just don’t be on camera or be a part of the match. It was an incredible evening. A wonderful sendoff.” 

DDP on Darby Allin

While Sting’s retirement was the focus of the show, Darby Allin made headlines with his spot that saw him fall through panes of glass. On the same episode of the show, ‘Diamond’ Dallas Page spoke about the spot in question. 

“I love him to death but damn, he’s a different animal bro.” 

Luger was similarly amazed by the work of the former AEW TNT Champion and said that Allin’s attempt to climb Mt. Everest later this month is “unbelievable.” 

Boom ‘Jackson’ Swallen, the grandson of Brian Pillman and nephew of WWE NXT’s Lexis King, will be a guest at a State of the Union speech following an immense show of bravery. 

Last month, Swallen was honored for his efforts in thwarting an attack on Mariemont High School near Cincinnati. The 14-year-old came across another teen who was planning an attack on students and staff. Despite being threatened to keep quiet, Swallen contacted his father who called 911 and alerted school officials. 

Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers said the teen was deep in the stages of planning an attack with help from an adult who was located out of state. On Twitter, Lexis King praised his nephew as a hero. 

This is my nephew Jackson Swallen. As you can probably tell he’s got the genes of his late grandfather Flyin Brian Pillman! 15 years old and already a national hero, we are all so proud of him!!! ???? https://t.co/6OimLZfG08

— King (@LexisKingWWE) February 12, 2024

Boom Swallen at the State of the Union

Boom Swallen showed immense courage and will be a guest at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address. Swallen will be the guest of Congressman Greg Landsmen for the address that will take place later today. In a statement, Congressman Greg Landsman (D) praised Swallen’s quick thinking and bravery at the time. 

“Boom serves as a testament to the principle of ‘if you see something say something.’ Students should never feel unsafe at school, and we must be the generation of parents to end the national gun violence nightmare.”

Speaking to FOX 19, Swallen shared why he informed his father despite the threat made against him. 

“He said that he would kill me immediately if I told anybody. [But] I care about the kids at my school’s lives and I knew that it was the right thing to do.”

In February 2023, Landsman joined the House Gun Violence Task Force to advocate for gun violence prevention reform. Currently, firearms are the leading cause of death for children in the United States.  

The hit YouTube channel Dead Meet paid tribute to Bray Wyatt during its most recent Horror movie awards. 

Wyatt, real name Windham Rotunda, passed away in August of last year at the age of 36. The three-time former WWE World Champion had returned to WWE at Hell in a Cell 2022 the previous October. He was pulled from programming in early 2023 due to an illness. 

Bray Wyatt Honored

This month, the popular Dead Meat YouTube channel hosted its annual Horror Awards, celebrating the best (and most gruesome) moments from the world of Horror media in 2023. During the Awards, the channel paid tribute to those who died in 2023, celebrating those who had made an impact to the genre both on and off-screen. Rotunda was among the many who were paid tribute to, as seen in the video below.

It’s fitting to see Rotunda be memorialized in Dead Meat’s annual Horror Awards. Rotunda’s Wyatt character and reinvention as The Fiend in 2019 was praised by fans as the most legitimately frightening character portrayed in WWE in years. Rotunda had worked with horror effects legend Tom Savini to create the Fiend character. Wyatt had also been working on a horror film in the final years of his life. 

Who Are Dead Meat? 

Dead Meat tallies up kills in horror films and other media in comedic, informative ‘Kill Count’ videos. The channel is hosted by James A. Janisse and Chelsea Rebecca, who also have their own Dead Meat Podcast. The pair’s YouTube channel boats over 2.6 billion views and over 6 million subscribers. 

Janisse and Rebecca are wrestling fans and make no secret of their love for the industry. References to wrestling can be found in the Kill Count videos and the couple host a Horror Royal Rumble via a WWE 2K video game every January. Several WWE Superstars have made appearances on the channel as well. 

Fans may (or may not) see John Cena at WrestleMania 40 after the former WWE Champion disclosed that he is free for the event. 

This week, Cena appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to discuss his new film Ricky Stanicky. As a leading man in wrestling, the topic of WrestleMania 40 came up. In the interview, Cena delivered a master class in dodging a question when asked about possibly being at the two-night spectacle. 

“It’s April 6, I know exactly where it is. I mean I’m free that day. I’m just saying to you guys out there… Maybe you won’t see me there [Does ‘You Can’t See Me’ gesture.]” 

John Cena at WrestleMania 40?

Cena is hoping to do something at WrestleMania 40 which will take place on April 6, and April 7, from Philadelphia, PA. With that said John’s commitments to filming Peacemaker’s second season may keep him from the Showcase of the Immortals. The second season of the hit show based off the jingoistic Peacemaker character Cena portrayed in 2021’s The Suicide Squad is expected to begin shooting very soon. 

WWE WrestleMania 40

This year’s WrestleMania will be the fifth annual two-night WrestleMania, a tradition that began with the Covid-19 pandemic. The show will also be the first WrestleMania following the launch of TKO Group Holdings last September. The card for the show so far is as follows:

• Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Universal Championship)

• Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley (WWE Women’s Championship)

• Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch (WWE Women’s World Championship)

• Seth “Freakin” Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)

• GUNTHER (c) vs. Winner of Next week’s WWE Raw Gauntlet Match (WWE Intercontinental Championship)

A former WWE Tough Enough participant and developmental talent has turned himself in after being wanted in connection to a Las Vegas murder. 

Daniel Rodimer has been accused of the murder of Christopher Tapp, who was killed in October of last year, KLAS reports. Tapp’s death at a Resorts World suite was initially ruled as an accident but the Clark County Coroner’s Office later determined it a homicide after discovering ‘blunt force trauma’ to his head.

Tapp was a recently exonerated man who had served 20 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted of killing his friend Angie Doge in 1996. Carol Doge, Angie’s mother, had previously stated she did not believe he had killed her daughter.

Rodimer turned himself in to Clark County Detention Center on Wednesday evening. His legal team said he “vigorously contests” the allegations. PW Insider reports that he was released from prison on a $200,000 bond and is due for a court hearing on April 10. 

#BREAKING: Former Republican Congressional Candidate Dan Rodimer has turned himself in to CCDC.

He is accused of a murder in October. @8NewsNow pic.twitter.com/3qxHpvASRW

— Sasha Loftis (@SashaLoftis) March 7, 2024

Daniel Rodimer in the Ring

Rodimer was part of WWE’s 2004 season of Tough Enough which also featured The Miz, Ryback, and Marty’The Boogeyman’ Wright. Despite not winning, he was signed to a developmental contract in 2006. His debut match would be in Deep South Wrestling where he defeated Heath ‘Slater’ Miller. In 2007, he was moved to OVW and debuted on Heat that same year with a win over Eugene. After two more Heat appearances, he was released in August 2007. 

Daniel Rodimer and the Law

Rodimer has been accused of assault three times, but has no convictions. He was arrested on charges of battery in 2010 and admitted to committing the offense. After a six-week anger management course, the charge was dropped. 

Daniel Rodimer in Politics

Rodimer ran for Nevada State Senate on the Republican ballot in 2018 but despite outspending his rival nearly two-to-one, lost to Valerie Weber. The following year, he lost to the incumbent Susie Lee in a bid for Nevada’s 3rd congressional district. 

In March 2021, Rodimer announced his candidacy for Texas’s 6th congressional district special election. His campaign caught attention as he dramatically changed his accent and persona in his campaign ad to appear more Texan. He also claimed that he had been personally endorsed by former President Donald Trump, which Trump’s team denied. He placed eleventh in the primary with 2.6% of the vote share. 

AEW’s Sting ended his career with an epic victory at Revolution 2024, despite being more than willing to lose to the Young Bucks last weekend. 

In the main event of AEW’s most recent pay-per-view, Sting and Darby Allin retained the AEW World Tag Team Championships against Matthew and Nicholas Jackson. This win means that Sting has ended his AEW career undefeated. After the show, Sting spoke passionately to the fans in attendance and was grateful for all the support he has been shown during his retirement tour and throughout his professional wrestling career. 

Willing to Lose

With this being Sting’s final match, there were plenty of talks during the planning process, Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reports. It is noted that everyone involved, including Tony Khan, felt it was very important for Sting to win the match, though the Icon himself disagreed. During the post-show media scrum, Sting admitted that he had some resistance to winning his last match and ending his career as a champion. 

Reasons For the Finish

Sting wanted to lose so that he could give the major moment to the Young Bucks, in a sign of selflessness from the notoriously giving Icon. However, Khan and the Bucks believed that Sting deserved to go out on top and everyone agreed that the show called for a happy ending that would be best for AEW. 

The report adds that the commentary team was not told what to expect and only a small group knew of the finish to the match in advance. 

The Rock and Cody Rhodes have taken their WrestleMania feud to a whole new level: WWE Shop, pro wrestling’s premiere merchandise store.

At last month’s WrestleMania XL Kickoff event from Las Vegas, the ‘American Nightmare’ announced his intention to challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship. The decision enraged The Rock, who envisioned himself battling Reigns in what he saw as the biggest match in WWE history. 

Rhodes delivered a scathing message to the Bloodline, claiming their ancestors would be ashamed of them. The Rock responded by slapping the lips off Cody’s face in what Paul Heyman would later dub, The People’s Slap. 

Battle of the Shirts

If you’ve been following WWE television as closely as most of our readers, you know things haven’t quieted down since then. 

The Rock’ “Slap” T-Shirt

First, The Rock released a new t-shirt mocking Cody Rhodes, his ‘Cody Crybabies’ fanbase and the The People’s Slap. As seen below, the shirt invokes the popular ‘Batman slapping Robin’ meme.

Cody Rhodes “Slap” T-Shirt

Now, Rhodes has fired back with a shirt of his own. While this one still includes The Rock’s slap last month, the defiant Rhodes makes clear that the Brahma Bull should ‘get ready to learn the lyrics to Kingdom.’

Rhodes’ message is clear: No matter what, his theme will be playing after the main event of WrestleMania 40 with Cody standing tall as the new Undisputed WWE Champion

What’s Next? 

Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins will be at this Friday’s episode of SmackDown, where they will confront The Rock and Roman Reigns. The show will be the first face-to-face between the four men since the WrestleMania 40 kick-off event. It is believed that Rhodes and Rollins will respond to the challenge laid out last week for a tag match at WrestleMania 40. 

Mark Shapiro has once again reiterated that Vince McMahon is gone from TKO Group Holdings and that he will not return. 

While McMahon was able to force his way back into WWE in January 2023, his most recent resignation happened under much different circumstances thanks to the launch of TKO Group Holdings last September. 

Mark Shapiro on Vince McMahon

Speaking at the Morgan Stanley conference, TKO’s COO Mark Shapiro addressed McMahon’s departure and his recent offloading of TKO stock. Shapiro made it clear that TKO did not participate in the sale. Shapiro added that McMahon does not work for TKO, does not go to the offices and is not coming back to the company. 

Plans for Branding

Over the past year, WWE has seen an increase in branding usage on camera at WWE events. During the conference, Shapiro said that “not to criticize Vince McMahon” but he believes WWE didn’t utilize enough branding opportunities in arenas. UFC, the other half of TKO, uses arguably too many, according to Shapiro, who said that WWE will continue to use sponsors on WWE ring assets. 

WWE RAW & Netflix

In January 2025, Monday Night Raw will move to Netflix in a blockbuster deal that will mark the end of WWE’s flagship show on broadcast television. Shapiro said that “not in my wildest dreams” did he expect Netflix for the Raw deal, and that the conversation was originally about WWE NXT. Shapiro credits WWE President Nick Khan and TKO CFO Andrew Schleimer for negotiating the deal.

What’s to Come? 

Shapiro was pleasantly surprised by the buzz that this year’s Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber events made. Looking ahead, he said fans can expect celebrities from the William Morris-Endeavor (WME) agency at WrestleMania. Partnering with Fanatics for WWE World is going well, and can be considered a blueprint for future projects.

WWE NXT Superstar Dijak is immensely grateful for the opportunity he’s had in the gold brand after being sure he’d be cut as T-Bar. 

Dijak, aka Dominik Dijakovic, was called up to the main roster in 2020 as T-BAR, part of the anarchistic Retribution stable. The group would struggle on WWE TV though with fans finding the gimmick hokey and their masks unintentionally hilarious. 

Retribution Ends & Dijak Begins

With the faction’s prospects seemingly dead in the water, Retribution imploded in early 2021 by turning on their leader Mustafa Ali. By late 2021 and throughout 2022, he exclusively competed on WWE Main Event. 

In late 2022, he returned to WWE NXT as Dijak, complete with a video promo showing his T-Bar mask being burned in a fire. Since then, Dijak has gone on to become one of the gold brand’s most prominently featured performers and has worked with the show’s top names. 

Dijak is Grateful

On this week’s episode of WWE NXT, Dijak defeated Joe Gacy in the Asylum match which saw both men use a plethora of weapons. During the match, Dijak hit a moonsault off the top of the cage in a surprising display of high-flying from the big man. 

Taking to Twitter, Dijak spoke about the spot in question and fans who may feel he shouldn’t be leaving his feet. Dijak said that he is making the most of the opportunity afforded him in WWE NXT after being sure he would be cut during his T-Bar run. 

People who tell me I shouldn’t do a moonsault off the top of a cage have never been T-Bar barely treading water on Main Event & tearfully staring at my phone waiting to be fired.

I don’t take a second of this for granted and I’m eternally grateful to @ShawnMichaels & @TripleH. pic.twitter.com/CQfkTgMNdW

— DONOVAN DIJAK (@DijakFYE) March 6, 2024