SEScoops

Category: AEW

  • Kenny Omega Feels “90% Of The Wrestlers In WWE” Would Want To Join AEW

    Kenny Omega Feels “90% Of The Wrestlers In WWE” Would Want To Join AEW

    We have seen a good number of superstars leaving WWE to join AEW in the past couple years. If we believe Kenny Omega, then 90% of the current WWE roster would be interested in making this jump too.

    The AEW champion recently had an interview with Tokyo Sports. He talked about things such as the state of pro wrestling during the COVID-19 pandemic and more.

    While talking about his AEW Grand Slam opponent Bryan Danielson who recently left WWE for AEW, Kenny was asked if he thinks more WWE superstars will be jumping over to AEW to which he replied positively:

    “There will definitely be a lot more of them coming over in the future. I feel that about 90% of the wrestlers in WWE would want to jump over to AEW.”

    When asked if there is a particular WWE talent he would like to see joining the AEW roster, Kenny Omega took the name of the Universal champion Roman Reigns:

    “There’s been quite a few already, so I’m not lacking in opponents. I don’t exactly have anyone I have in mind but….if I must say I’d love to go against Roman Reigns. It would be a great opportunity to show who’s the real World Champion.”

    Omega also named a few Japanese stars he would like to see join their promotion. He listed people such as Kota Ibushi and Kazuchika Okada as talents he would love to see joining the AEW roster.

    Kenny Omega Says Roman Reigns ‘Could Have Easily’ Been Ranked #1 In PWI 500
  • CM Punk On Who He Thinks Is The Best Wrestler In The World Right Now

    CM Punk On Who He Thinks Is The Best Wrestler In The World Right Now

    The name of CM Punk has been associated with the best in the world conversation for a long period. He even embraced this gimmick for a run in WWE. Though according to the former WWE star himself, the current time is the toughest to single out one wrestler as the best among others because there are so many greats.

    Punk was asked who he thinks is the best wrestler in the world currently during an interview on Rasslin’ with Brandon Walker. Replying to it, the former WWE champion mentioned how he used to be able to choose one name in the past:

    “You know, for the first time in I think a long time, the waters as muddy as it has been, I remember in 2002 – 2003, I was like, Eddie Guerrero is the best wrestler in the world, easily. I remember in 2004, Samoa Joe is the best wrestler in the world. It’s kind of the whole animus for the best in the world thing.”

    CM Punk Thinks It’s Very Subjective Nowadays

    CM Punk continued his explanation saying that if you had your finger on the pulse of wrestling, there was always a guy you could distinguish as the best. However, according to the AEW star, things have been the murkiest in a very long time because there are so many great athletes in different companies:

    “Now, I think it’s so subjective too. You could say it’s Bryan Danielson. You could say it’s Kenny Omega. There’s an argument for Roman Reigns. I think now, in 2021, like I said, I think this has been the murkiest it’s been in a very long time.”

    CM Punk then talked about the forbidden door and how you can see wrestlers from many different companies competing in AEW. He said that this crossover should be very appealing for someone who wants to find out who in fact is the best wrestler in the world right now.

    CM Punk Is Already Doing Huge Business For AEW
  • AEW Dynamite Moves To TBS Wednesday, January 5, 2022

    AEW Dynamite Moves To TBS Wednesday, January 5, 2022

    All Elite Wrestling’s AEW Dynamite series will move from TNT to TBS in January.

    Variety’s Joe Otterson reports AEW Dynamite will officially air on TBS on January 5, 2022. However, it will still be a weekly Wednesday show and the channel’s 8 pm ET/PT time slot. AEW Rampage will stay on TNT on Fridays at its usual time.

    AEW Move to TBS

    The decision to move AEW Dynamite to a different channel is not surprising. AEW’s President Tony Khan shared in May that the show would transition to TBS next year. However, he also revealed that AEW Rampage would leave TNT as well. It’s unclear if AEW Rampage will still move to TBS, but the company doesn’t have an official date yet for 2022.

    AEW Dynamite’s Success

    AEW Dynamite has achieved success since its first episode. The show’s debut episode on October 2, 2019, did a 1.409 million viewership. In January 2020, AEW Dynamite’s early success resulted in Warnermedia extending the AEW TV contract through 2023 with a fourth-year option for 2024 with increased pay.

    Associated Press interviewed Khan and asked him about the success of AEW. Khan shared that AEW has already turned a profit. In a transcribed interview from the Associated Press, Khan said, “Our TNT deal is very fair. I think we’ve performed at such a high level that we’ll justify a big increase on our next deal.” He continued, “We are very fortunate to have their support. The timing of that deal was great, to get that in January 2020, that is a huge revenue stream for us.”

    In the last two weeks, AEW has gained more viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 years old. They’ve also stayed over a million viewership over the previous four weeks. The official viewership numbers for yesterday’s AEW Dynamite Grand Slam are unknown. AEW has yet to make an official statement on AEW Dynamite move to TBS.

  • Eddie Kingston Details Plans Once In-Ring Career Ends

    Eddie Kingston Details Plans Once In-Ring Career Ends

    Eddie Kingston has unveiled what he hopes to do once his in-ring career comes to a close.

    Kingston has seen his hard work pay off. Many believe that Kingston had long been underrated but his talents have finally been appreciated in AEW. Kingston competed in his home of New York City on the Grand Slam edition of Rampage, which is set to air via tape delay on Sept. 24.

    Eddie Kingston has shown no signs of slowing down in the midst of his biggest run yet, but he isn’t afraid to think about the future. Here’s what he told Robbie Fox on My Mom’s Basement about his plans after in-ring competition.

    “I would definitely love to do commentary. I would love to agent. I would love to help younger talent. There is some young talent that doesn’t listen, like I did when I was younger, and I would like to tell them, ‘It’s not going to work out, man. Trust me. All this stuff you’re fighting for that you think is so important, I’m telling you, two or three years from now, you’re going to look back and go, why did I even care?’ I look at my career and calling the wrong wrestler a mark. Next thing I know, he’s the champion somewhere. Welp, not going there.”

    Many have viewed Kingston as a locker room leader. He is often relied upon to give a post-event speech exclusive to the live crowd in attendance. Kingston did just that once AEW’s Grand Slam special came to a close inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

    Kingston’s upcoming match on Rampage will be under Lights Out “rules.” He will team with Jon Moxley to take on Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer.

  • Adam Cole: NXT Was Interested In Britt Baker ‘For Sure’

    Adam Cole: NXT Was Interested In Britt Baker ‘For Sure’

    It probably won’t come as a surprise to many but Adam Cole says NXT had plenty of interest in Britt Baker.

    Baker is the reigning AEW Women’s World Champion. She captured the gold back in May, ending Hikaru Shida’s 372-day reign. She’s fresh off a successful title defense against Ruby Soho on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Dynamite in New York City.

    Cole, the real-life boyfriend of Baker, says that the higher-ups on WWE’s NXT brand have had their eyes on the AEW Women’s World Champion. Here’s what he told Renee Paquette on Oral Sessions.

    “I know for sure that NXT was interested in saying, ‘Hey, if Britt is available please let us know,’ and I know AEW was interested in me as well. It was an interesting back and forth of ‘it’d be cool if you came here’ or ‘it’d be cool if I came there,’ but we were both under contract. Not much we could do, but we did fantasize about those things.”

    Baker did work as an enhancement talent for WWE in the past. She was squashed against the likes of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler. Her stock has never been higher under the AEW banner.

    Cole was once under the NXT brand. During his time on NXT, Cole put together some of the best matches in the brand’s history. Once his contract with WWE was up, many felt that if Cole were to stay with the promotion he’d have to be elevated to the main roster. He ended up signing with AEW.

  • Chris Jericho Says He Pitched To Disband The Inner Circle

    Chris Jericho Says He Pitched To Disband The Inner Circle

    The Inner Circle formed on the 1st ever edition of AEW Dynamite on October 2nd, 2019. Jericho was already the first AEW World Champion at this point. Jake Hager would make his debut that night as well. The faction has been a focal point of the promotion since it first debuted on TNT but according to Jericho, he recently pitched for it to be disbanded.

    Jericho was speaking to Stephanie Chase when he mentioned that he pitched to Tony Khan that the stable be broken up.

    “My idea was for us to respectfully disband and go on our own ways,” Jericho said (transcriptions via Fightful). “Tony didn’t want to do that. He said, ‘Why would you want to disband? You don’t have to be together all the time, but you’re still The Inner Circle.’”

    “After this year, the whole storyline was based around MJF wanting to join, Wardlow is in the Inner Circle, The Pinnacle, five-on-five and that sort of thing. It was a well told year long story with the five of us,” Jericho continued. “It’s good for us to go our own ways and not be in each other’s business every week. It’s good that we’re still aligned. For me, I thought it was a good time for us to go our own way, but we can still do that without officially disbanding the band or breaking up the band.”

    Two members of the Inner Circle, Jericho and Hager, will face off against the Men of the Year in tag-team action on Rampage Friday night. Santana and Ortiz will also team with the Lucha Bros to take on the Hardy Family Office that show. Next week on Dynamite, Sammy Guevara will receive a TNT title shot against Miro.

  • Tony Khan Brings In Lil Uzi Vert For Rap Battle With The Acclaimed

    Tony Khan Brings In Lil Uzi Vert For Rap Battle With The Acclaimed

    The Acclaimed’s Max Caster took to social media recently to challenge Tony Khan to a rap battle in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Last night, Khan came out to answer the Acclaimed’s challenge but also brought in a little help.

    Between Dynamite and the taping of Rampage, the Acclaimed came out and again challenged Tony Khan to a battle rap. Khan came out and answered the call.

    “I’ve written a lot of wrestling shows but never in my life have I written a rap song,” Khan can be heard saying to the Acclaimed in the video below. “I’m not going to start today so I brought somebody in to help me. Ladies and Gentlemen Lil Uzi Vert!”

    https://twitter.com/PlatinumMax/status/1440869903574069248

    Caster was off of AEW television for most of August following backlash to lyrics of one of his raps that aired on Dark. The episode was pulled, re-edited, and then re-posted. Khan spoke about the incident later on an episode of Busted Open Radio.

    “Last night on Dark, Max Caster’s rap was terrible. I was not out there in the moment when he did it, it was not during Dynamite,” Khan said. “I had not heard it until last night, truthfully. In the editing process, it should have been caught. We deleted the episode and re-posted it with that edited out but it shouldn’t have aired.” 

    “This would never have happened (on Dynamite) because Max’s raps, I have always gone over them with him,” he continued. “I don’t script or write wrestler’s promos, but the bullet points I give. In this case, it shouldn’t have happened and what will happen going forward is I will take over the editing of Dark and Elevation myself.”

    According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Caster was sent to sensitivity training as a result.

    “After what happened last week and the fallout, Max Caster has been sent to sensitivity training,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

  • CM Punk Takes Shot At Hulk Hogan While Comparing Him To Steve Austin

    CM Punk Takes Shot At Hulk Hogan While Comparing Him To Steve Austin

    CM Punk is not a fan of Hulk Hogan’s. He’s mentioned this in numerous previous interviews. In a recent appearance on the Rasslin with Brandon F. Walker podcast, Punk compared Steve Austin and Hulk Hogan’s careers and then offered up his opinion of Hogan.

    Punk and Walker were talking about the biggest stars in wrestling’s history when Punk compared Austin and Hogan.

    “A lot of this is subjective, though, right? Like, you can make the argument, ‘oh well, Hulk Hogan is a bigger star than Steve Austin’ but then you look at business periods and eras and box office receipts and all that other stuff,” Punk said on the show. “I think Hogan is a piece of s**t, so obviously I’m going to be like ‘Steve Austin, yeah!’ but that’s another podcast.”

    The clip of Punk comparing Hogan and Austin can be heard in the player below:

    Punk also responded to a Tweet from someone critical of his comments about Hulk Hogan.

    “Brother, just tune in tonight. Just got off the phone with Arthur Ashe and he’s excited to host us tonight. Gonna party with Belushi in nyc after I slam Baba. Hope I don’t tear anything in my back. Metallica,” Punk wrote.

    More examples of Punk giving his opinion on Hogan are available in the links below:

    CM Punk’s Opinion of Hulk Hogan: “F**K Him” (Video)
    CM Punk Calls Hulk Hogan A Piece Of Garbage: “Shut The F Up Or I’ll Wreck You”
  • Christopher Daniels Teases Return To “Fallen Angel” Gimmick

    Christopher Daniels Teases Return To “Fallen Angel” Gimmick

    For years Christopher Daniels portrayed “The Fallen Angel” character. He recently released a video on social media teasing a return to the gimmick.

    In the video, highlights of Kazarian and Daniels losing to the Young Bucks are shown. That was the last match Daniels has had in AEW. The loss meant that Kazarian and Daniels would never be able to team up again.

    “I gambled everything and I lost it all,” Daniels can be heard saying in the video. “And now, I’m all alone. I’ve got no goal, no cause, no team, nothing to fight for except for the right to keep fighting.”

    At this point the lighting of the video goes red and Daniels appears in his Fallen Angel attire.

    “So, I fight. And since I’ve lost it all, I’ve got nothing left to lose. After 28 years, what I thought was the end might actually be a new beginning.”

    https://twitter.com/facdaniels/status/1440858439664615425

    Christopher Daniels Returns To Impact Wrestling

    Daneils was also spotted at the most recent set of Impact Wrestling tapings in Nashville. He has not wrestled for the promotion since 2014. Daniels is a former 4x X-Division Champion in Impact Wrestling/TNA. His 280 days spent with the title ranks him 8th all-time in that category.

    AEW Wrestler Spotted At Impact Tapings
  • Bryan Danielson On If He Communicated With CM Punk Before AEW Signing

    Bryan Danielson On If He Communicated With CM Punk Before AEW Signing

    Bryan Danielson and CM Punk made their debuts for AEW only two weeks apart. However, despite being friends for a long time, the duo did not speak before signing with the promotion.

    The American dragon recently appeared on ESPN SportsNation to promote the Dynamite: Grand Slam special. He discussed things like his match against the AEW champion Kenny Omega and more.

    When asked if he had any communication with Punk before inking the AEW deal, Danielson claimed that they had ‘next to zero’ communication with each other:

    “We’ve had next to zero communication, as a lot of my friends know, I’m a horrible communicator. I didn’t know about the [CM] Punk stuff until it happened right, but it seemed very fitting.”

    Bryan Danielson Wants To Team With CM Punk

    Now that both the stars are in the same promotion again, a future clash between the two is inevitable. Bryan Danielson also spoke about the possibility and recalled how he wrote about Punk in his 2015 book based on his WrestleMania main event:

    “I wrote in my book that it makes me sad that that will most likely never happen, and then now here we are in 2021 and it’s a real possibility. I had heard him say in an interview recently that I hadn’t even thought of,

    But it’s not just me against CM Punk, it’s teaming with CM Punk. He had said something about maybe me and him against The Young Bucks” recalled Danielson, “and I was like oh my God, that would be awesome.”

    The former world champion also discussed how leaving WWE was a difficult decision for him but he ultimately chose to sign with AEW because there are many names in the roster who he wants to face.

    Bryan Danielson Explains Why He Isn’t Doing ‘Yes!’ Chants In AEW
  • Spoiler: Former TNA Star Makes AEW Debut During Rampage Tapings

    Spoiler: Former TNA Star Makes AEW Debut During Rampage Tapings

    Former TNA and ROH star Homicide made his AEW debut during tonight’s Rampage tapings after AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam special.

    The special 2-hour long Rampage episode dubbed Rampage: Grand Slam featured a lights-out tag team match between the teams of Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston and Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer.

    Towards the ending of this main event bout on Rampage, the opponents handcuffed Mox and started hitting him with a trash can lid and kendo sticks. This is when the former TNA star made his debut.

    Homicide came out to help Moxley and he freed the former AEW champion from the handcuffs. Kingston then placed a trash can over the head of Archer. Eddie Kingston proceeded to hit Archer’s head with a kendo stick over a dozen times.

    He then pinned Lance Archer to pick up the victory for his team. The trio of Homicide, Kingston, and Moxley celebrated in the ring after the match was over.

    Hometown star Eddie Kingston also cut a promo and claimed that New York is now AEW’s town. Making his pro wrestling debut in 1993, Homicide has a history with Kingston. The two were part of the LAX faction during their time in TNA.

  • Kenny Omega Says There Will Be ‘No Rematch’ After Bryan Danielson Match Ends In Draw

    Kenny Omega Says There Will Be ‘No Rematch’ After Bryan Danielson Match Ends In Draw

    Kenny Omega has made his first comment since his incredible match against the debuting Bryan Danielson on tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam special from NYC.

    The AEW champion took on his Twitter to comment on the bout that ended in a 30 minutes time limit draw. He claimed that there isn’t going to be a rematch between the two:

    Tonight’s Dynamite episode saw the AEW world champion colliding with the former WWE champion in the opening match of the night. Both Omega and Bryan received an incredible ovation from the crowd.

    The audience was very excited for this bout. Both the stars put in a great effort to make Bryan’s first match in AEW after his All Out debut a memorable encounter.

    However, while both the stars gave everything they had, neither of them could keep the other down for long. The match between Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson ended in a 30 minutes time limit draw.

    The Elite ran out to the ring after the match as Danielson tried to continue the fight. Adam Cole and The Young Bucks ended up delivering a triple superkick to the former WWE star. The trio of Christian Cage and Jurassic Express then came out.

    They saved Bryan Danielson from the post-match attack at the hands of The Elite. While Kenny Omega is claiming that there will be no rematch, it’s more likely that we will see these two colliding inside an AEW ring once again sooner rather than later.

    AEW Dynamite Grand Slam Results (9/22): Omega vs. Danielson, Women’s Title Match
  • Championship Match Announced For Dynamite Next Week

    Championship Match Announced For Dynamite Next Week

    AEW has announced that the TNT champion Miro will be defending his title against Sammy Guevara at next Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite after their confrontation at last week’s Rampage.

    The main event of last Friday’s episode of Rampage saw Miro facing Fuego Del Sol in a title vs. car match. Miro won this match to become the new owner of Fuego’s car.

    However, the TNT champion continued his attack after the match was over. He put the masked star into a camel clutch. Sammy Guevara finally had enough and he came out to help his friend.

    As Miro retreated, he left his title behind. Guevara picked up the championship to tease a future match between the two. The show ended with Guevara standing tall.

    AEW then announced during tonight’s Grand Slam special of Dynamite that Miro will have to defend his championship against the spanish god at next week’s episode of the show. Guevara has promised to buy Fuego a car after winning the belt.

    This title match is the only thing that has been announced for next week’s show from the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY so far. Though more segments are expected to be announced over the week.

    AEW Dynamite Grand Slam Results (9/22): Omega vs. Danielson, Women’s Title Match
  • Watch What Happened After Dynamite: Grand Slam Went Off Air

    Watch What Happened After Dynamite: Grand Slam Went Off Air

    AEW presented another eventful episode of Dynamite tonight with their Grand Slam special which gave people plenty to talk about. Though the show wasn’t over when the cameras stopped rolling.

    After the show went off air, The Acclaimed came out on the stage. The duo called out AEW president Tony Khan for a rap battle in front of the live audience.

    Khan came out after Dynamite and said that while he has written a lot of wrestling shows, he has never written a rap song and he is not going to start doing that today.

    However, the AEW owner then brought out rapper Lil Uzi Vert, who was in attendance for the show for some assistance. Khan went on to deliver a couple of short verses for The Acclaimed.

    https://twitter.com/PlatinumMax/status/1440869903574069248

    At one point Tony joked about the reports of Max Caster’s suspension saying that he was suspending them for ‘another 30 days’.

    Though he later came out again and clarified for ‘all the clickbait sites’ out there that he wasn’t actually suspending the duo.

    The AEW president eventually brought out the Varsity Blonds. Griff Garrison and Brian Pillman Jr had a short brawl with The Acclaimed to culminate the segment.

    AEW Dynamite Grand Slam Results (9/22): Omega vs. Danielson, Women’s Title Match
  • Bryan Danielson Goes To A 30-Minute Draw With Kenny Omega On AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam

    Bryan Danielson Goes To A 30-Minute Draw With Kenny Omega On AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam

    A dream match for many fans between Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega finally happened on the AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam special at the USTA Arthur Ashe Stadium.

    The match was non-title as the World Heavyweight Champion wasn’t on the line. 

    The match opened the show and went a full 30 minutes. They built slowly and the pace continued to increase. At one point, Omega hit a running V-Trigger on the rampway. Both men exchanged chops and had bruised chests. Because time ran out, it was ruled a draw. A finish that will clearly lead to a rematch. 

    https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1440835254797803522
    https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1440834707244027916

    Danielson made his promotional debut at the AEW All Out pay-per-view event after Omega beat Christian Cage to retain the World Title. The Elite attacked Jungle Boy and Jurassic Express so Danielson came out to stand with the babyfaces. A brawl broke out with the babyfaces standing tall to end the show. 

    Danielson was originally going to debut at this show, but it was nixed and moved up due to a growing concern about the spread of COVID-19. In July, it was reported the former WWE star had indeed signed with All Elite Wrestling. 

    Back in late August during an episode of Dynamite, CM Punk responded to a “YES” chant by telling fans that they need to be patient a little bit longer. Many took this as a clear indication that Danielson was on board with the company.

  • Update On Potential New Championship Being Introduced In AEW

    Update On Potential New Championship Being Introduced In AEW

    There could be a new championship introduced in AEW shortly. According to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast, he’s heard that AEW is set to debut a secondary title for its women’s division.

    “Hearing rumblings of a new title being introduced to AEW soon. It will be a secondary women’s championship,” Zarian wrote on Twitter.

    The championship could potentially be similar to what the TNT title is to the men’s division. In fact, Zarian even hinted the title could be named in a similar fashion to the TNT title.

    AEW does not currently have women’s tag-team titles as both Impact Wrestling and WWE do. They held the AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup last summer, however, which was won by the team of Ivelisse and Diamante.

    There have also been rumblings that AEW could introduce trios titles at some point. Tony Khan addressed the idea of adding trios titles during a media call to promote All Out.

    “I mean, we see matches sometimes that don’t always have title implications but absolutely, I think it would be great to add trio’s titles,” Khan said. “Right now, it’s a lot of stuff I’m getting in three hours, and I think a lot of probably trying to cover a lot, a two-hour Dynamite and then Rampage is very different. It’s a more focused one hour show, and they’re very different formats, and still get great wrestling in both shows, but I also cover a lot of stories in a Dynamite in a very different way than I would on Rampage, so it’s a lot right now.”

  • Kenny Omega & Don Callis Talk Match Against Bryan Danielson

    Kenny Omega & Don Callis Talk Match Against Bryan Danielson

    Tonight on AEW’s Grand Slam Dynamite in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Kenny Omega and Bryan Danielson will face-off in non-title action. Ahead of tonight’s show, Omega and Don Callis spoke with Jim Ross.

    “It could be a dream match for you, it could be a dream match for other people, to me, it’s just another Wednesday,” Omega said of his match with Bryan Danielson.

    “People talk about dream matches,” Callis added. “Some people like to make people’s dreams come true, we like to crush people’s dreams.”

    Omega also spoke about accepting Danielson’s challenge for a non-title match when he did not have to. He and Callis also spoke about people coming from other promotions and wanting to face top talent immediately.

    “Here in AEW, we have a win-loss record thing going, I’m sure you’re aware of it,” Omega said to JR.

    “It’s the arrogance of the Stamford Supermax people that come in here and say ‘we’re entitled’,” Callis said.

    Omega continued to say that Danielson doesn’t deserve a title shot, and so he is not putting the title on the line.

    “You came here thinking you deserve a handout, that you deserve something for free because everyone knows your catch phrases, everyone knows your face,” Omega continued.

    This will be just the second time that Omega and Danielson have had a singles matching their careers. The first took place at a PWG show in 2009. Danielson won the match.

    Omega and Callis’ comments can be heard in the Tweet below:

  • Don Callis Responds To Bryan Danielson’s ‘Thank You’ Letter To WWE

    Don Callis Responds To Bryan Danielson’s ‘Thank You’ Letter To WWE

    Don Callis, “The Invisible Hand” for Kenny Omega, has offered a backhanded compliment to Bryan Danielson’s “Thank You” letter to WWE.

    Danielson made the decision to sign with AEW once his WWE contract was up. “The American Dragon” admitted to reporters that it wasn’t an easy decision to make. He left the company on good terms.

    Ahead of AEW Grand Slam, Danielson penned a special letter expressing gratitude to WWE through the Players Tribune.

    Bryan Danielson is set to meet AEW World Champion Kenny Omega inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City on Sept. 22. Omega’s title will not be on the line.

    Never one to hold his tongue, Callis made a snide comment on Danielson’s heartfelt message.

    “Well that brought a tear to my eye………. Kenny Omega and I are glad you kept the door open with your former employer so you have somewhere to go on Thursday. It’s a long walk to Stamford in Birkenstocks kid.”

    Danielson has made it clear that his challenge to Omega is simply about the best fighting the best. The former multiple-time world champion says he wants Omega to bring back “The Best Bout Machine” even if it’s just for one night.

    During his time in NJPW, Omega was simply world-class. He had many classic matches with the likes of Kazuchika Okada, Tetsuya Naito, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii, and others. His run in AEW was regarded by many as a disappointment in the early going but he has turned things around.

    Now, fans wait to see if Danielson vs. Omega will live up to the hype.

  • Booker T: The Best Promo Guy Right Now Is MJF

    Booker T: The Best Promo Guy Right Now Is MJF

    Booker T is of the belief that no one can touch MJF on the mic.

    It’s clear that Maxwell Jacob Friedman has become one of the breakout stars of AEW. Many have praised him for his heel work, particularly when cutting promos. MJF has proven he can hold his own in the ring as well.

    Taking to his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T explained why he gets chills whenever MJF speaks.

    “I can’t lie to you.  The best promo guy right now in the whole damn world is MJF. He’s good. He’s so good. He’s so believable. He sounds like one of those promos from back in the day where you get caught up in just looking at the guy’s eyes. The feel of the promo makes you go, ‘Good God, man.’ This guy is really good. You can tell it’s natural just having the feel of which route to go during his promos. I give that guy a whole lot of credit. Damn good promo guy, MJF.”

    MJF has already been a part of many high-profile feuds at just 25 years old. He’s mixed it up with the likes of Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and Cody Rhodes. He is set to do battle with Brian Pillman Jr. on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Dynamite on Sept. 22 in New York City.

    Many believe that it’s only a matter of time before MJF captures the AEW World Championship. He has competed for the gold before against Moxley but the timing simply wasn’t right for the title change. Whether or not a title run sometime next year is in the cards remains to be seen.

  • Bryan Danielson Explains Why He Isn’t Doing ‘Yes!’ Chants In AEW

    Bryan Danielson Explains Why He Isn’t Doing ‘Yes!’ Chants In AEW

    Bryan Danielson has shed some light on why he won’t be doing the “Yes!” chants in AEW.

    Danielson ended up being the second-worst kept secret in AEW history behind CM Punk. Danielson reportedly signed a deal with AEW and Punk even hinted at “The American Dragon’s” arrival. Danielson ended appearing at the end of the AEW All Out PPV on Sept. 5.

    As the fans chanted “Yes!” Danielson didn’t point in the air as he normally does. Instead, he just extended his arms out and hopped down the aisle.

    During an appearance on Rasslin with Brandon Walker, Danielson said he won’t be leading the chants out of respect for WWE’s IPs.

    “I’m not doing it myself because I respect WWE’s intellectual property. I don’t think anything legally, they haven’t threatened anything legally. I had a great conversation with Kevin Dunn before I debuted with AEW. I was very upfront with WWE of, ‘I want to let you guys know I’m leaving. This is my debut date.’ They asked me, politely, to respect their intellectual property. Even some things that couldn’t be legally enforced. I’m trying my best to do that. There are also certain expectations fans have of me that they want to be able to do. I’m happy they still get to do that. I’m going to do my best to avoid swinging my arms in the air.”

    Danielson has made it clear that he did not leave WWE on bad terms. In fact, he recently penned a “thank you” letter to WWE chairman Vince McMahon on the Players Tribune.

    Bryan Danielson has said that fans who wish to continue chanting “Yes!” can do so. Danielson let it be known that he still embraces the chants but you just won’t see him encouraging it as he did during his WWE run.

    Danielson and other AEW names have been making media rounds ahead of the big Grand Slam event. Dynamite will air live from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City on Sept. 22. Danielson will take on AEW World Champion Kenny Omega on the show. Rampage will also take place that same night but it won’t air on TNT until Sept. 24.

  • Ruby Soho Was Surprised By Former WWE Star Before AEW Debut

    Ruby Soho Was Surprised By Former WWE Star Before AEW Debut

    Ruby Soho was in awe after one former WWE star surprised her backstage at All Out.

    On Sept. 5, Soho made her debut for AEW. She appeared as the Joker entrant in the Women’s Casino Battle Royale at All Out. Soho won the match and will now challenge Britt Baker for the AEW Women’s World Championship on the Grand Slam edition of Dynamite on Sept. 22.

    Soho couldn’t believe that her close friend and former Riott Squad member, Sarah Logan, was backstage to greet her before the big debut. Here’s what Ruby Soho told Renee Paquette during an appearance on Oral Sessions.

    “I get to the venue, I have a hood on and everyone’s trying to sneak me in and whatever. I’ve got a bag and I’m so flustered because I’m late and I’m excited. And I open the door and she’s the first person I see. And she has Cash with her. I just start bawling and I just like hugged her and I grabbed Cash and I just held him. I was like ‘why are you guys here?’ She said ‘I said I’d be here for you.’ She apparently had it planned for a while, and she’s terrible at keeping secrets, so she almost spilled it three or four times. But yeah, it was amazing. She’s always been there for all of our milestones in our career. We’ve been together since we first started, so for her to be there just made it all that more special.”

    Soho also explained how Logan helped get her through the rough time she had dealing with her WWE release. Soho was dropped from the company back in June. It only took Soho three months to find her way back on a major wrestling show.

    Many agree that Ruby is due for the biggest match of her career. She’s yet to be in a match as prominent as the one against Baker coming up. The match will be held inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. Over 18,000 fans are expected to attend and with additional seating opening up, that number could reach over 20,000.

  • Does Tony Khan Think AEW Has WWE’s Attention?

    Does Tony Khan Think AEW Has WWE’s Attention?

    Tony Khan has addressed the question of whether or not he thinks AEW has captured WWE’s attention.

    AEW was founded in 2019. The company’s first airing of Dynamite was held on TNT back in October of that year. That episode brought in 1.409 million viewers.

    Since that time, AEW has been riding a wave of momentum, signing a new deal with TNT and adding the Rampage show. While WWE isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, many believe the promotion has at the very least been keeping tabs on AEW. Tony Khan agreed with that notion when speaking to AP.

    “I’m a big wrestling fan and I would say, objectively, AEW is the hottest wrestling company right now. So many people who watch wrestling know that AEW’s gaining ground, AEW is hitting all-time highs. It’s helping us build new fans, it’s helping people want to take the leap and check the shows out. I’m sure other wrestling companies are paying attention to that. We have great relationships with a lot of wrestling companies that know what’s going on with AEW. I think if you work in the wrestling business, you’re following what we’re doing and the success we’re having. We’re catching a lot of eyeballs outside of the world of wrestling and mainstream attention, so you better believe in the world of wrestling people are paying very close attention to it.”

    AEW is set for its biggest show to date. The promotion will be hosting Grand Slam editions of Dynamite and Rampage. The action will be held inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City. Dynamite airs live on Sept. 22 and Rampage airs on Sept. 24 via tape delay.

    On Dynamite, Bryan Danielson will make his in-ring debut for AEW against Kenny Omega. Omega’s AEW World Championship will not be on the line. The AEW Women’s World Title will be at stake as champion Britt Baker takes on Ruby Soho.

    The Rampage episode will see CM Punk take on Powerhouse Hobbs. There will also be a Lights Out tag team match between Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki and Lance Archer.

  • Tony Khan: AEW Has Already Turned A Profit

    Tony Khan: AEW Has Already Turned A Profit

    AEW has found great success under the leadership of its President Tony Khan who just two years ago took the leap of starting his own wrestling promotion. 

    In their first year, they reached a television deal with WarnerMedia that would see them air a weekly two-hour flagship series every Wednesday night in primetime on TNT. In January 2020, they reached an extension through 2023 with a fourth-year option for 2024 that would give AEW a significant pay increase.

    It was reported around this time by Dave Meltzer that the new deal was worth $175 million, just under $45 million per year.

    Khan talked about AEW’s finances in a new interview with the Associated Press. It was noted that Khan stated to them, “AEW has already turned a profit.”

    “Our TNT deal is very fair. I think we’ve performed at such a high level that we’ll justify a big increase on our next deal,” he said. “We are very fortunate to have their support. The timing of that deal was great, to get that in January 2020, that is a huge revenue stream for us.”

    It was announced earlier this year that Dynamite will move to TBS in January 2022. Part of AEW’s deal was to introduce a new one-hour show, AEW Rampage,  that premiered in August. Also in 2022, AEW will air four “supercard” specials on TNT.

  • Bryan Danielson Considered A Break From Wrestling Before Joining AEW

    Bryan Danielson Considered A Break From Wrestling Before Joining AEW

    Bryan Danielson had almost considered taking time off from wrestling before signing with All Elite Wrestling. Danielson is currently in New York City doing the media rounds ahead of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam event from Arthur Ashe Stadium.

    During an interview with the NY sports radio show WFAN, Danielson discussed his decision to sign with AEW, his article thanking WWE, and more. When explaining his decision to jump to AEW, Danielson revealed he considered taking a hiatus from wrestling after leaving WWE.

    “A lot of people look at it in terms of there being two options,” said Danielson. “Either you’re going to be with WWE or AEW, but part of me was like, or I could just do like an independent schedule, where I don’t sign with anybody. I also thought about not coming back to wrestling at all. In the sense of at least for the next couple of years.”

    Bryan Danielson’s Decision

    Danielson is starting his AEW career at age 40. His decision to sign with AEW took some consideration on how it will affect his family.

    “I wanted to take the Summer off because my daughter started pre-school and just being home with her every day,” he continued. “Her whole life, she’s four. I’ve left every week, almost every week. I loved it. She loved it, me being home every single night.”

    “Now that I’m gone, I Facetime her every night, and it’s just like, Daddy, I miss you. I miss your cuddles, said Danielson. He shared that he considered stepping away from wrestling until his son started pre-school. However, he thought, considering his age, it was best to pursue AEW now.”

    At this stage of his career, Danielson feels that he has nothing to prove in professional wrestling. The AEW contract he signed is for three years, in which afterward he expects to have a limited wrestling schedule. He’s also calling the next three years the climax of his career.

    “My goal is, at the end of three years, to become a better person. I see these next three years as kind of my last three years as a full-time wrestler.”

    – Bryan Danielson

    Danielson’s AEW in-ring debut against AEW World Champion Kenny Omega this Wednesday at Dynamite: Grand Slam.

  • Jim Ross Praises CM Punk’s Commentary On AEW Dynamite

    Jim Ross Praises CM Punk’s Commentary On AEW Dynamite

    Jim Ross knows a thing or two about commentary and he feels CM Punk is a natural.

    Punk first appeared on commentary for AEW on the Sept. 3 edition of Rampage. He was in the booth for the main event of that show between Darby Allin and Daniel Garcia. He then provided commentary on the Sept. 15 edition of Dynamite before being attacked by Powerhouse Hobbs and Hook of Team Taz.

    During an episode of his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross said that Punk nailed his role on commentary.

     “He was great. I’m not saying that to kiss his a** because that’s what some feel obligated to do, and he didn’t like it. He didn’t like having his a*ss kissed.

    “I was very, very honest with Phil, and we built a great relationship because of it. He and I spent a lot of time together on those TV days.  He is a natural. He’s as good as anybody, any ex-wrestler, that stepped into that spot and did it for the first time. Just astonishing.”

    Punk has dabbled into commentary in the past. He was in the booth for a period of time when he worked for WWE. With AEW reportedly going with a rotating commentary team for Rampage, we probably haven’t seen the last of CM Punk with a headset on.

    Punk is set for his second match under the AEW banner. He will meet Powerhouse Hobbs on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Rampage. That show will air on Sept. 24 via tape delay.