SEScoops

Category: AEW

  • ROH Star Willing To Lose Three Fingers To Face Bryan Danielson

    ROH Star Willing To Lose Three Fingers To Face Bryan Danielson

    One ROH star says that having three fingers chopped off would be worth it if he can face Bryan Danielson.

    Danielson has been the talk of the wrestling world as of late. At the conclusion of the All Out PPV, Danielson made his AEW debut. He assisted Christian Cage and Jurassic Express in clearing Adam Cole and The Elite from the ring.

    As one would imagine, plenty of wrestlers from different promotions have expressed their desire to wrestle “The American Dragon.” One of those wrestlers is Kenny King, who told Inside The Ropes that he’d even remove three of his fingers to share the ring with Danielson.

    “I would cut three fingers off to wrestle Danielson and I can see that match happening at some point. Jonathan Gresham is this generation’s Bryan Danielson, no question. I praise him as much as you possibly can praise a guy because Jon Gresham is a guy who said, ‘Okay, I’m not as physically gifted as these other guys. What I’m going to do is I’m going to turn my turn myself into a freakin’ machine and an animal.’ Physically, every time he walks by me in locker room he’s like a little tank, walking by right? But just if you watch the way Jon wrestles and the time that he talks? I don’t know, man, he’s just so meticulous about the things that he does in that ring and he doesn’t waste any movement and he’s great. That would be an amazing match.”

    King recently captured the ROH Tag Team Titles with Dragon Lee during a TV taping. It’s King’s second ROH tag title reign with Lee and third overall.

  • Fuego Del Sol Says He Made More Money On AEW Dark Than WWE Raw

    Fuego Del Sol Says He Made More Money On AEW Dark Than WWE Raw

    Fuego Del Sol says the money he made for his first AEW Dark appearance topped his squash match on Monday Night Raw.

    On the Jan. 6, 2020 episode of Raw, Del Sol had a match as KJ Orso. He was squashed by Erick Rowan. Orso had wrestled as KAGE on the independent scene. He soon made appearances on AEW Dark before the company ultimately signed him to a contract.

    Appearing on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Del Sol said that his first AEW Dark appearance brought him more money than his match on Raw.

    “I remember that day pretty fondly. They had KJ Orso just constantly practice that over and over again, running up the ramp. But they need this visual of the cage squirting some red stuff in the face and running and screaming. So, no mask. I couldn’t do it at that time, so he did it. It was a good payday for him, and he went from there. He took this prop guy and they had this little capsule in his mouth, and so, he just had to spit into his hand and rub it all over his face because it couldn’t be blood on a PG show. There’s no blood.

    “It was just red mist, red substance. There was a big man that kept saying this over and over. ‘It can’t be blood.’ You had to cover your face the whole time to kind of hide it. I got part of his money that night. It wasn’t that great. I remember getting my first AEW Dark check and thinking, oh man, AEW is taking care of me much better than that night was. So, I’ll tell you that right now.”

    Fuego Del Sol challenged Miro for the TNT Championship on the debut edition of AEW Rampage. The stipulation was that if Del Sol won, he’d earn an AEW contract. Despite his efforts, Miro won the match. Tony Khan ended up handing a contract to Sammy Guevara, Del Sol’s best friend, and the masked wrestler ended up joining the AEW roster anyway.

  • Free Agency Updates On Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman

    Free Agency Updates On Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman

    Former Universal Champion Braun Strowman was released from WWE on June 2nd, 2021. He’s now free to sign with other promotions. Former Universal and WWE Champion Bray Wyatt was released from WWE on July 31st, 2021. Assuming he is under a 90-day no-compete clause, he’ll be free to sign with another promotion at the end of October.

    Both Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt’s free agency status was addressed recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. It appears both Wyatt and Strowman could end up in Impact Wrestling but Wyatt could also end up signing with AEW.

    “Regarding newcomers (to Impact), Adam Scherr, the former Braun Strowman, is in talks but has not signed but they are in talks with him,” wrote Dave Meltzer about Strowman’s negotiations with Impact. Strowman has also been announced for EC3’s “Free the Narrative 2” PPV on October 1st.

    Bray Wyatt’s Future

    As for Wyatt, it is thought he’ll either end up in Impact or AEW.

    “As far as Windham Rotunda, the former Bray Wyatt, it appears it’ll be (Impact) or AEW,” Meltzer continued.

    “If it is AEW, the talk is that it would be on the 9/29 Dynamite in Rochester, NY, which is Brodie Lee’s home city. If not there or soon after, it would likely be here.”

    Braun Strowman To Wrestle EC3 At “Free The Narrative 2” PPV
  • Details On The Length Of Bryan Danielson’s AEW Contract

    Details On The Length Of Bryan Danielson’s AEW Contract

    Bryan Danielson was revealed as the latest AEW signee after weeks of rumors during the All Out PPV. Latest report might have revealed the length of his contract with the promotion.

    Dave Meltzer talked about the former world champion’s decision to sign with the company on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.

    Meltzer first discussed how his signing brings a lot of new possibilities. He then claimed that if Danielson doesn’t like things in AEW, he can go back to WWE ‘in three years’.

    A three-year deal would mean that the former champion would remain with the company through the Summer of 2024. He would have to make a decision about his future afterward.

    Bryan Danielson To AEW

    Reports suggest that both WWE and AEW offered Bryan Danielson similar money. The ability to work with NJPW was an important factor in his decision

    While WWE officials were ready to allow him to work with NJPW, the former WWE star also wanted to open the door for other talents to work for the Japanese promotion.

    Since nothing came out of the talks between WWE and NJPW and the Asian wrestling promotion joined forces with AEW, Bryan made the decision to sign with them as well.

    Update On Bryan Danielson’s Reasons For Signing With AEW
  • Tony Khan Offers Praise To Ruby Soho For Her Debut Match

    Tony Khan Offers Praise To Ruby Soho For Her Debut Match

    Ruby Soho was one of the surprise debutants for AEW that showed up at All Out and helped the PPV cross 200,000 buys. Tony Khan has nothing but praise for the former WWE star for her performance on the show. During his recent appearance on Busted Open Radio, the AEW president talked about things such as the TV ratings of the post All Out episode of Dynamite and more.

    Discussing the debut of Ruby Soho during the Casino Battle Royal on the PPV this past Sunday, Khan revealed that he was the agent for that match. He also explained how Soho came prepared for the bout:

    “I just have to say what an organized, intelligent, competent and professional Ruby Soho is. She was really well prepared and she had notes on everyone in the match. She knew what she was doing. I thought ‘wow this is a really hard working person’,

    And also just a really good person who really has a lot of integrity and a lot of pride in what they do but she interacted really well with everyone. She interacted really well with everyone. It was her first day at AEW and she really really is a great fit. Her Dynamite debut was tremendous”

    Ruby Riott was released from her WWE contract back in June this year. She decided to keep the name for her post-WWE career but had to change her last name due to WWE’s copyright. She made her debut for Tony Khan’s promotion during the All Out PPV earlier this month. Soho entered the Casino Battle Royal as the surprise Joker entrant and won the match.

    Ruby Soho Discusses AEW Debut & WWE Departure
  • Adam Cole: AEW Debut Felt Like A Full-Circle Moment

    Adam Cole: AEW Debut Felt Like A Full-Circle Moment

    Adam Cole is All Elite and for him, it’s all come full-circle.

    For many, Cole was the MVP of NXT. He had many memorable matches with the likes of Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Ricochet, and Kyle O’Reilly. While Cole was the top dog of WWE’s NXT brand, he never ended up having a run on the main roster.

    That’s because Cole decided to make the jump to AEW once his WWE contract expired. Cole had signed a brief extension with WWE to finish his feud with O’Reilly and seemingly left the company on good terms.

    Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Cole explained why his AEW debut was a “full-circle moment.”

    “It felt like a full-circle moment in a lot of ways. I haven’t gotten to share the ring with the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega in really long time. I was feeling very sentimental. Before I was about to come out, I was so overwhelmed with emotion that my legs were physically shaking. It wasn’t even nerves. I was so excited for that moment and that’s why I’m going to try and relive it constantly in my head. I had such an amazing time. It was so cool and felt like all 13 and a half years led to that moment.”

    The former NXT Champion had told reporters following All Out that signing with AEW was an easy decision. It had been reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE’s idea for Cole on the main roster was to pair him with Keith Lee. This wouldn’t have been a team, however, as he would’ve been a manager.

  • Ruby Soho Discusses AEW Debut & WWE Departure

    Ruby Soho Discusses AEW Debut & WWE Departure

    Ruby Soho made her AEW debut at All Out and won the Casino Battle Royale. She followed that up by defeating Jamie Hayter on Dynamite this week and has a future date with AEW Women’s World Champion, Britt Baker. She spoke to Sports Illustrated recently about her emotional debut in AEW and the 11-year journey it’s been to get there.

    “I was able to experience a lot in WWE and make lifelong friends, so I’m very grateful for my time there,” said the 30-year-old Soho. “But that chapter is closed, and I knew there had to be a new place for me. This is a chance to experience a side of professional wrestling I haven’t experienced yet. There is a fire here, and there is a lot for me to show the world. There are a lot of sides to what I do that have yet to flourish, and I am going to put it all out there in AEW.”

    Ruby Soho On Her AEW Debut

    Soho was emotional during the post-event media scrum following All Out. She talked about the fans chanting for her even before she was announced as the Joker card in the battle royale. She continued to tell Sports Illustrated how much that moment meant to her.

    “I fell back in love with professional wrestling at that moment,” Soho said. “I was elated. These people accepted me. They understand me; they understood my journey. That gave me a fire I haven’t felt in a long time. These people were ready to see me thrive, and there is no better stage to do that than in AEW.”

    After leaving WWE, Soho released a series of vignettes on social media. The videos would show Ruby en route to somewhere. In her first video, she was seen with a train ticket from Florida to New York’s Penn station. Her second video featured her stealing a car. She says “The Runaway” has now found a home in AEW.

    “Choosing AEW wasn’t a difficult decision,” Soho continued. “I had been a fan of AEW long before I left WWE. I could sense there was something very special and very different about this company. Now that I’m here, I am beginning to realize it was the home I have always been searching for.”

    “This is where I belong, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to be here,” she continued.

    Soho debuted a new name and ring music at All Out. Using “Ruby Soho” by Rancid for both her name and ring music was something Lars Frederiksen of the band encouraged her to do. Frederiksen is a longtime wrestling fan and co-hosts the Wrestling Perspectives Podcast along with Impact’s Petey Williams and former NHL player Darren McCarty.

  • AEW All Out Did “Well Over” 200,000 Buys, Per Tony Khan

    AEW All Out Did “Well Over” 200,000 Buys, Per Tony Khan

    Tony Khan was on Busted Open Radio this morning and touted the success of his company’s All Out PPV. The total number of buys is not yet available for, Khan said the show did “well over 200,000 buys” – making it the most purchased AEW PPV of all time by a longshot.

    Below is a list of AEW PPV buys, estimated and compiled by Wrestlenomics:

    • All Out 2018 (ROH/Elite): 45,000.
    • Double or Nothing 2019: 98,000.
    • All Out 2019: 88,000.
    • Full Gear 2019: 80,000.
    • Revolution 2020: 90,000.
    • Double or Nothing 2020: 105,000.
    • All Out 2020: 90,000.
    • Full Gear 2020: 85,000.
    • Revolution 2021: 135,000.
    • Double or Nothing 2021: 115,000
    • AEW All Out 2021: 200,000+

    This is the first time a non-WWE PPV had over 200,000 buys since WCW Mayhem in 1999 (estimated at 200K). WCW PPVs fell off after that. The company’s final 8 PPVs all brought in less than 90K buys following the Bash at the Beach PPV in 2000.

    TNA PPVs never managed to get higher than an estimated 60K buys.

    WWE PPVs in the years before the Network also struggled to get above 200K. Typically, WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble, and SummerSlam would all bring in monster PPV numbers while most other PPVs would bring in less than 200K buys.

    The Money in the Bank 2011 PPV from Chicago which featured John Cena vs CM Punk brought in an estimated 146,000 buys. The last WWE PPV to bring in more than 200K buys was WrestleMania 30 (420,000 buys) which featured Daniel Bryan winning the WWE Championship in the main event.

  • Tony Khan: I Always Dreamed Of Having Adam Cole In AEW

    Tony Khan: I Always Dreamed Of Having Adam Cole In AEW

    AEW head honcho Tony Khan says that Adam Cole joining AEW is a dream come true.

    Cole made his AEW debut at the conclusion of the All Out PPV. Reports had been rolling out claiming that the former NXT Champion was on his way out of WWE. The reports were correct.

    Appearing on Busted Open Radio, Tony Khan admitted that having Cole on the AEW roster is something he dreamt of.

    “I’ve never felt better. I’ve never felt better about anything. This show was almost two years in the making really. There were things that happened on this show that have been talked about for so long. I always dreamed of the day that Adam Cole would come to AEW. I always believed that some day it would be possible, though I didn’t know it would be so soon. That’s a dream come true. He’s always been a talent we’ve had a close eye on and he’s been somebody I’ve been very fortunate to get a closer look at, because our Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker obviously lives with him. He’s somebody that I’ve know and kept an eye on.”

    Adam Cole extended his contract with WWE in order to complete his feud with Kyle O’Reilly. Following All Out, Cole said that giving O’Reilly the win on his way out was important to him as the two are close friends.

    Cole is set to make his in-ring debut for AEW on the Sept. 15 edition of Dynamite. He’ll be going one-on-one with Kazarian.

  • Brian Cage & Wife Melissa Santos Frustrated With His Role in AEW

    Brian Cage & Wife Melissa Santos Frustrated With His Role in AEW

    Has Brian Cage gotten lost in the shuffle in AEW? There are some who believe so. According to Cage’s wife, Melissa Santos, he is being misused in the promotion. She posted a video to social media explaining her position.

    “You see, Brian Cage is a superstar,” Santos said. “Those people who know him from indies, Impact, Lucha Underground where I met him, know that he’s a superstar. All you have to do is Google him and watch all his matches [at] PWG. He’s a superstar, and he’s being misused right now.”

    Earlier, Santos had posted the following to social media:

    Cage appears to agree with the post and responded with a Fresh Prince GIF to illustrate this:

    The former FTW Champion lost to Team Taz’s Powerhouse Hobbs on Dynamite last week. Back in July, he lost the FTW title to Ricky Starks. Before then, he lost to Hangman Page in the opening match of the Double or Nothing PPV in May. Cage had defeated Page on an episode of Dynamite back in April, however.

    The last time Cage was ranked in the AEW top-5 was on May 19th, 2021. Cage’s career record in AEW currently sits at 38-9.

  • Minoru Suzuki Will Be Back On Dynamite Next Week

    Minoru Suzuki Will Be Back On Dynamite Next Week

    Jon Moxley defeated Minoru Suzuki in the main event of Dynamite from Mox’s hometown of Cincinnati this week. AEW has just announced, however, that Suzuki will be back on Dynamite next week.

    AEW also announced that he’ll be joined by his Suzuki-Gun teammate, Lance Archer, and plans to issue a new challenge to the former AEW World Champion. Archer and Suzuki are said to be upset that Moxley received preferential hometown treatment on Dynamite this week.

    AEW announced the news on Twitter:

    The main event match this week between Suzuki and Moxley only went a little over 8 minutes. There may have been some timing issues in the final few segments of the show that saw the match get reduced in-ring time.

    Mox and Suzuki have now met in singles matches twice, with Moxley winning both matches. Their first match took place at the New Beginning in Osaka in February of 2020.

    Suzuki also needed 7 stitches to close a cut above his eye that occurred in the match. Emi Sakura posted to Twitter about Suzuki’s injury below:

    Next Week’s Dynamite

    Next week’s Dynamite will take place from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. In addition to Suzuki-Gun challenging Moxley, the following matches have also been scheduled for the show:

    1. Frankie Kazarian vs. Adam Cole
    2. Leyla Hirsch vs. Jade Cargill (w/Mark Sterling)
    3. Shawn Spears (w/Tully Blanchard) vs. Darby Allin (w/Sting)
  • Tony Khan Gives An Update On Lio Rush’s AEW Status

    Tony Khan Gives An Update On Lio Rush’s AEW Status

    Lio Rush was the “Joker” in the Casino Battle Royale at Double or Nothing back in May. Rush was injured in the match, however, and would eventually announce his retirement in June. He did note that he would fulfill his obligations to New Japan, however.

    Rush was back wrestling with New Japan this summer and performed on the Resurgence PPV on August 14th. Tony Khan took to Twitter this afternoon to say he’s been speaking a lot with Lio Rush lately and said he feels like Rush could be back with the company in the near future.

    Earlier today, reports surfaced that WWE had pitched having Adam Cole serve as a manager for Keith Lee similar to the role Lio Rush performed with Bobby Lashley. Khan may have been referencing these reports when he posted the Tweet.

    Khan spoke about Rush during the Double or Nothing post-event media scrum back in May.

    “I don’t have a pen to paper [deal], but Lio and I have a handshake [deal] that he can work here and do New Japan both,” Khan said. “I think we have something good on a handshake, and I think he’s doing that on a handshake with New Japan too, and that’s kind of what we’ve been doing and it’s been pretty good.”

    Shortly after Rush announced his retirement in June, Khan released a statement.

    “Lio Rush reached out to me today, and he shared that he’d planned to announce his retirement from pro wrestling tonight. While this news was unexpected, I’m glad that he’s made a choice that he’s confident will make him and his family happy,” Khan’s statement read. “Lio is a great talent, and I enjoyed briefly working with him, and I absolutely wish him the best.”

  • AEW Dynamite Tops WWE RAW in 18-49 Demo For The First Time

    AEW Dynamite Tops WWE RAW in 18-49 Demo For The First Time

    More viewers between the ages of 18 and 49 years old watched AEW Dynamite than WWE RAW this week. This week’s edition of AEW Dynamite was watched by an average of 1,319,000 total viewers and 681,000 in the 18-49 demo (0.53 rating). WWE RAW this week averaged 1,845,000 viewers and did a 0.52 in the key demographic.

    There are notable variables, however. RAW this week took place on Labor Day and was up against college football. Dynamite, on the other hand, was coming off of the most talked-about and buzzworthy PPV in the promotion’s history.

    This was the second most-watched episode of AEW Dynamite in history, falling only behind the premiere episode in the fall of 2019. That first episode brought in 1,409,000 viewers on average and scored a 0.68 in the key demographic.

    Earlier this month, WWE RAW scored its best record for the summer with the post- Summerslam edition on August 23rd. That show averaged a total of 2,067,000 and brought in a 0.64 in the key demographic.

    The episode of Dynamite on August 25th also did good numbers for AEW. Until this week, that show had been the second highest-rated in company history in terms of the key demo. It brought in an average of 1,172,000 and did a 0.48 in the 18-49 demo. This was the show that came after CM Punk’s debut on the August 20th edition of Rampage.

  • Kenny Omega Wants More Unity in Pro Wrestling Community

    Kenny Omega Wants More Unity in Pro Wrestling Community

    All Elite Wrestling Executive Vice President and talent Kenny Omega shared his goal of creating more unity in pro wrestling.

    Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Editor-in-Chief Kevin McElvaney interviewed Omega about being number one in PWI’s top 500 pro wrestlers. During the interview, McElvaney asked Omega about his future goals. Omega shared that he wants to help create a less toxic wrestling community.

    https://twitter.com/OfficialPWI/status/1435611376148533256

    “…The wrestling community can sometimes be toxic, and I hate seeing it in sports. I hate seeing it in video games, music, and movies, where you have fans divided so passionately. People feel that they have to choose a side, and they feel that when they choose that side, they have to defend that side with every fiber of their being,” said Omega.

    He also went on to share that he has friends in other promotions and wants them to succeed. “…I have friends not only in AEW, but I have friends in New Japan, I have friends in Impact, and I have friends in WWE. I know it sounds crazy, but I have friends there, and guess what I want them to succeed. I still keep in touch with them. I don’t want you to wish Ill or wish harm or wish death upon them as my fans, and I don’t think the opposite is true either,” said Omega.

    How Kenny Omega Plans to Create Unity

    Omega has been one of the essential factors in AEW working other promotions. When Omega began working with Impact Wrestling, it helped create more intrigue and increased viewership for Impact Wrestling TV episodes. AEW has been working with Impact and New Japan Pro Wrestling, and the National Wrestling Alliance.

    Omega doesn’t expect unity in the pro wrestling community to happen immediately but will continue to advocate for it. “…It’s like saying a broad statement like I wish for world peace, and it’s like how do you even attain that. That’s impossible. That’s Naive. Regardless as unrealistic as it is, I’m still taking steps because I don’t think it’s wasted effort,” said Omega.

    He also doesn’t know he will see this change happen while he is alive, but Omega is hopeful that one-day promotions will all come together to do a supershow to display different styles of wrestling. Omega will remain dedicated to create unity in the wrestling community and hopes fans will follow along.

  • Lance Archer Talks Importance Of AEW & NJPW Working Together

    Lance Archer Talks Importance Of AEW & NJPW Working Together

    Lance Archer believes that cross-promotion between AEW and NJPW is healthy for the wrestling business.

    Archer enjoyed great success during his time with NJPW. Along with Davey Boy Smith Jr. as Killer Elite Squad, Archer became a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. When Smith made his exit from the promotion, it opened the door for Archer’s singles run. He ended up capturing the IWGP United States Championship.

    In Feb. 2020, Archer signed with AEW, signaling the end of his run with NJPW. Luckily for wrestling fans, the “Forbidden Door” has been busted open. Archer ended up winning the IWGP United States gold a second time when he defeated Jon Moxley in the main event of an episode of AEW Dynamite.

    During an interview with NJPW, Archer discussed the importance of cross-promotion.

    “It was absolutely special for me, one of the more special moments of my career. I was able to twice represent NJPW as its US champion, even if the second time wasn’t in a New Japan ring. It really feels for me now that, along with Jon Moxley and some other guys, I’m part of that bridge between NJPW and AEW, and that’s huge because I think that bridge is important to both companies, and to the whole business.”

    Archer put the U.S. title on the line against Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW Resurgence. Tanahashi ended up defeating Archer to capture the championship for the first time. After the match, Archer said he wants a rematch with Tanahashi under the AEW banner.

    Archer isn’t done with his time inside the NJPW ring. He will be a part of the NJPW Strong Autumn Attack shows on Sept. 25 and 26.

  • AEW Announces Universal Studios Tapings This Weekend

    AEW Announces Universal Studios Tapings This Weekend

    AEW is going to tape episodes of Dark from Orlando’s Universal Studios this weekend. The promotion announced today that tickets are available for two sets of tapings to take place Saturday.

    Each set of tapings is set to run for 3 hours. The first taping will run from 12 until 3 PM. The second taping will run from 4:30 to 7:30 PM.

    AEW Taping Schedule

    For most weeks, AEW will not tape episodes of Rampage live. Rather, the shows will be filmed immediately following Wednesday’s Dynamite and then air on Friday nights in the usual Rampage timeslot of 10 PM. Episodes of AEW Dark: Elevation are filmed before Dynamite on Wednesdays and then air the following Monday on YouTube.

    Some episodes of Rampage will air live, however. The next live episode of Rampage will take place on October 15th from Miami. The November 5th edition of Rampage is also scheduled to be live from St. Louis.

    The move to a studio setting for Dark was addressed last month in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

    “They are going to be doing studio tapings for Dark most weeks now since Rampage is being taped on most Wednesday nights going forward,” wrote Dave Meltzer. The report continued to say that the format will typically be Dark Elevation filmed before Dynamite and then Rampage being filmed after. 

    AEW Dark Moving To Universal Studios In Orlando, FL
  • Lee Moriarty Is The Latest Signing To Bolster AEW’s Growing Roster

    Lee Moriarty Is The Latest Signing To Bolster AEW’s Growing Roster

    Lee Moriarty is All Elite. The popular independent wrestler competed at the AEW Dark: Elevation tapings that took place prior to the live Dynamite broadcast. He faced Daniel Garcia in a match that will air on AEW’s Youtube channel in the days ahead.

    After the match, Moriarty made his way to the backstage area. AEW President Tony Khan greeted him on the stage.

    https://twitter.com/ConfirmedShoot/status/1435754111031513088

    Lee Moriarty is All Elite

    Tony Khan said he’s been so impressed with Moriarty’s appearances on Dark that he wanted to offer him a full-time contract with AEW. Of course, he accepted. You can see footage of Tony Khan presenting Lee Moriarty with his AEW contract here:

    AEW’s talent acquisition efforts show no signs of slowing down. The varied ages of their recent signings show the company is investing in the present and future:

    • CM Punk (42)
    • Bryan Danielson (40)
    • Adam Cole (32)
    • Ruby Soho (30)
    • Daniel Garcia (22)
    • Jamie Hayter (26)
    • Lee Moriarty (24)
  • Ricky Starks Says He’d Like To See Sasha Banks In Team Taz

    Ricky Starks Says He’d Like To See Sasha Banks In Team Taz

    FTW Champion Ricky Starks recently took part in an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session for Reddit Talk. During the Q&A, Starks was asked who he would like to see join Team Taz. Starks responded that he’d like to see Sasha Banks in the heel faction.

    “Sasha Banks. They’re gonna run with that one, boys. Sasha Banks, y’all, in Team Taz,” Starks said during the discussion.

    He also mentioned Andrade as someone who he would like to see in Team Taz.

    Where Is Sasha Banks?

    It has been over a month since Sasha Banks wrestled. She was pulled from some house show events in mid-August and then did not appear on SummerSlam for her scheduled match against Bianca Belair. The reason for her absence has not been revealed.

    WWE is hopeful that Banks will return tomorrow for WWE’s Super Smackdown event at Madison Square Garden, according to PWInsider. The Boss was reportedly backstage at last week’s Smackdown.

    “Sasha was at SmackDown last week, she did not appear on camera,” Mike Johnson wrote. “I was told the plan was for her initially to be at SmackDown this week at the Garden, so I don’t know if she’ll return, but I expect her to be on the road for the company full time this week.”

  • Previews for Friday’s AEW Rampage, Next Week’s Dynamite

    Previews for Friday’s AEW Rampage, Next Week’s Dynamite

    Following Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite (Results), we have updated previews for Friday’s AEW Rampage and next week’s Dynamite from Newark, NJ.

    AEW Rampage Preview (9/10)

    • Andrade El Idolo vs. PAC
    • Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Max Caster
    • Britt Baker, Rebel, & Jamie Hayter vs. Riho, Ruby Soho, & Kris Statlander

    Plus, Darby Allin and Sting will respond to Tully Blanchard’s challenge from Dynamite.

    AEW Dynamite Preview (9/22)

    The following items are set for next week’s Dynamite from Newark, New Jersey. This will be a big night for AEW, as the company has already sold over 11,600 tickets for the Prudential Center.

    • Adam Cole vs. Frankie Kazarian
    • Darby Allin (w/Sting) vs. Shawn Spears (w/ Tully Blanchard)
    • Jade Cargill vs. Leyla Hirsch
    WWE’s Pitch To Keep Adam Cole Made His Call To Leave A No Brainer
  • WWE’s Pitch To Keep Adam Cole Made His Call To Leave A No Brainer

    WWE’s Pitch To Keep Adam Cole Made His Call To Leave A No Brainer

    Adam Cole debuted for AEW at All Out on Sunday, aligning with members of the Elite. Cole reportedly met with Vince McMahon regarding a potential move to the main roster in the weeks leading to his departure. What WWE had planned for him on the main roster was recently addressed on Wrestling Observer Radio.

    Evidently, WWE’s pitch to keep him in the company was to have him become a manager. “They were going to bring him up, the idea was to turn Keith Lee heel, have Adam Cole be his manager, probably with a different name because of the last name Cole and its main roster and Michael Cole, and you know how that goes,” said Dave Meltzer.

    Meltzer then compared what they wanted from Adam Cole and Keith Lee to a Lio Rush/Bobby Lashley dynamic.

    “That was kind of the dynamic they were looking for from him. More of a manager than a wrestler,” Meltzer continued. He would then say that these ideas were coming from either Vince McMahon or Bruce Prichard and not necessarily the creative team.

    https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/1436028448535982081

    WWE’s Idea To Have Adam Cole Manage Keith Lee

    Mick Foley recently commented on social media that WWE is no longer the place that wrestlers aspire to be. WWE’s pitch to have Adam Cole be more of a manager than a wrestler may illustrate some of Foley’s points.

    “I think younger talent sees the way that developmental characters are cut or left by the wayside or in the case of Karion Kross, greatly watered down and even made a joke of when they debut on the main roster,” Foley said in the video. “

    “I’m not sure that I would trust WWE creative to do the right thing with my career,” Foley continued. Perhaps Adam Cole began to feel the same.

    Mick Foley: WWE Is No Longer The Place For Talent To Aspire To
  • Update On Bryan Danielson’s Reasons For Signing With AEW

    Update On Bryan Danielson’s Reasons For Signing With AEW

    At the post-event media scrum from All Out this weekend, Bryan Danielson mentioned that WWE had made a very gracious offer to him. Danielson said their offer included him being able to work for other companies.

    There had been rumors that part of Danielson’s negotiations with WWE involved being able to work with NJPW. This is said to have been a key reason why Nick Khan was looking to develop an exclusive relationship with the promotion. Danielson’s negotiations with WWE and AEW were addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.

    “New Japan was a big thing. The key aspect of this was whether Nick Khan could pull of the exclusive deal between New Japan and WWE which obviously did not happen,” said Dave Meltzer. “Because if that happened, maybe he would have gone in the other direction and maybe he wouldn’t have.”

    WWE Was Going To Let Bryan Danielson Go To NJPW

    Meltzer continued to say that WWE was going to let Danielson work for NJPW. He also said that both offers from WWE and AEW were similar from a financial perspective.

    “Both offers were money-wise similar. And both would have allowed him to do New Japan. WWE was going to allow him to do New Japan and he was trying to open the door for other people in WWE that wanted to go to New Japan to be able to do that but that seems to be a dead issue right now from a WWE standpoint.”

    Danielson’s decision is also said to have been influenced by what he felt was best for the wrestling industry as a whole.

    “He may have felt like Mick Foley did many years ago when he went to TNA, that the best thing for the industry is competition at a high level,” Meltzer continued. “Mick Foley went to TNA years ago for that reason.”

    “For the industry as a whole, if competition is one of the key things then going to AEW would obviously be a big part of that as well. So, that was a factor.”

  • Kenny Omega & Will Ospreay Trash Talk Heating Up

    Kenny Omega & Will Ospreay Trash Talk Heating Up

    Will Ospreay called out Kenny Omega on Wednesday after the AEW World Champion was named the #1 pro wrestler the world on this year’s PWI Top 500 list.

    Omega topped the list, while Ospreay charted at the #7 spot (behind Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, Kota Ibushi and Jon Moxley.)

    Ospreay was so put off by his placement on the list that he said, “I’d beat up number 1 any day of the week and twice on Wednesdays……just saying.”

    This did not sit well with Kenny Omega. He replied by telling Ospreay that “his promotion” (New Japan Pro Wrestling) has been so “ice cold” since he left that not even Dave Meltzer can convince his followers that Ospreay should be in the conversation for Best in the World.”

    “It hurts me, bruv,” said Omega. “One of you dorks should have been the guy. Turned out a bigger dog was my only competition.”

    Will Opsreay vs. Kenny Omega

    Will Ospreay wasn’t done. He followed up by tweeting a recent clip of himself threatening to walk through the ‘Forbidden Door.’

    He also touted New Japan Pro Wrestling’s accomplishments since Omega left. “A pandemic put the breaks on & you know it. Open that door, let’s have this conversation.”

    Needless to say, Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay would be a banger of a match. With NJPW talent already wrestling on AEW programming, this is high on the light for potential ‘Forbidden Door’ dream matches we could see in the months ahead.

  • Bryan Danielson Won’t Dabble Into Business Side Of AEW

    Bryan Danielson Won’t Dabble Into Business Side Of AEW

    Don’t expect Bryan Danielson to be a part of the creative process with AEW.

    Danielson has the wrestling industry buzzing. The “American Dragon” made his debut for AEW at the conclusion of the All Out PPV. He helped Christian Cage and Jurassic Express fight off The Elite.

    During a media scrum, Danielson was asked if he has any interest in dabbling into some behind-the-scenes creative decisions for AEW. Danielson says that’s a hard pass.

    “So I briefly took part in creative in WWE and I will say this, I like just wrestling, right? I’ll leave the business stuff and all that kind of stuff up to up to Tony. I mean, honestly, Tony’s the businessman. I couldn’t care less about the business. As far as the business I want him to make money so that he keeps doing this thing that is so much fun for me to do, right? So what I want more than anything else out of all this — I don’t know if you know this, I’m the richest man who’s ever lived.

    “Yeah, pretty much I grew up without much so in comparison, I feel — as far as that kind of stuff, I just feel so blessed to be able to step into this position where you have a crowd that just loves this product and you saw it tonight. Every match, they’re just invested, you know? So for me, it’s not about like, ‘Oh, can we take it to this?’, or, ‘Can we take it to that?’ I would love to help Tony do that. But my goal is to produce excellent professional wrestling that people can watch because this is one of the things I truly believe: you show excellent professional wrestling to anybody and they will enjoy it because excellent professional wrestling is fucking awesome.”

    Bryan Danielson has admitted that walking away from WWE was a hard decision to make. He says that while he has much love for Vince McMahon, he believes the WWE chairman is overly protective of him. Danielson also said there’s renewed excitement when it comes to joining the AEW roster.

  • Tony Khan Admits Adam Cole Scared Him During AEW-NXT ‘War’

    Tony Khan Admits Adam Cole Scared Him During AEW-NXT ‘War’

    AEW head honcho, Tony Khan, can now admit that Adam Cole had him worried when he was on WWE’s NXT brand.

    Cole became the talk of the wrestling world when news broke that his WWE contract expired. Cole didn’t leave the company high and dry in the middle of a feud with Kyle O’Reilly. He ended up signing an extension in order to give O’Reilly the final victory in their rivalry.

    It didn’t take long for Cole to sign on with AEW once his contract extension with WWE ended. He appeared at the end of the All Out PPV, realigning with The Elite.

    At the height of the AEW vs. NXT “Wednesday Night War,” Cole was a key player. Speaking to the media following the All Out PPV, Khan explained why he feared going up against Cole when he was on NXT.

    “I’d just like to say a statement, which is that, the Wednesday Night War is over and in the demo, I believe, out of 75 episodes, we went 74-1. [Adam Cole] is the one in 74-1. When there was a Wednesday Night War, this is the man that used to strike fear into my heart every Wednesday. This guy scared the sh*t out of me every Wednesday. There is nobody I would rather have here and it means the world that he came.”

    It shouldn’t take long to find out exactly what’s in-store for Cole under the AEW banner. He has already gotten physical, taking part in a brawl that involved Bryan Danielson before All Out went off the air.

  • Kenny Omega Named #1 Ranked Wrestler On PWI Top-500

    Kenny Omega Named #1 Ranked Wrestler On PWI Top-500

    It was revealed on Busted Open Radio this morning that Kenny Omega is the #1 ranked wrestler in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated top-500 this year. Omega last earned the top spot in the rankings in 2018.

    Omega earned the spot after spending much of the last year holding the AEW World Championship, AAA Mega Championship, and Impact World Championship. Omega ranked in at #13 in 2020.

    Omega now joins Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, and Seth Rollins as the only wrestlers to top the list on multiple occasions. 

    https://twitter.com/OfficialPWI/status/1435611376148533256

    The annual edition of the magazine is available for pre-order here.

    PWI Top-10 2021

    The top-10 ranked wrestlers from this list year are as follows:

    1) Kenny Omega
    2) Roman Reigns
    3) Bobby Lashley
    4) Drew McIntyre
    5) Kota Ibushi
    6) Jon Moxley
    7) Will Ospreay
    8) Finn Balor
    9) Shingo Takagi
    10) Rich Swann

    Kenny Omega Tops PWI Top-500 For 2nd Time

    Omega joins a small list of wrestlers who have topped the list more than once.

    • 1991: Hulk Hogan
    • 1992: Sting
    • 1993: Bret Hart
    • 1994: Bret Hart (2)
    • 1995: Diesel
    • 1996: Shawn Michaels
    • 1997: Dean Malenko
    • 1998: Steve Austin
    • 1999: Steve Austin (2)
    • 2000: Triple H
    • 2001: Kurt Angle
    • 2002: Rob Van Dam
    • 2003: Brock Lesnar
    • 2004: Chris Benoit
    • 2005: Batista
    • 2006: John Cena
    • 2007: John Cena (2)
    • 2008: Randy Orton
    • 2009: Triple H (2)
    • 2010: AJ Styles
    • 2011: The Miz
    • 2012: CM Punk
    • 2013: John Cena (3)
    • 2014: Daniel Bryan
    • 2015: Seth Rollins
    • 2016: Roman Reigns
    • 2017: Kazuchika Okada
    • 2018: Kenny Omega
    • 2019: Seth Rollins (2)
    • 2020: Jon Moxley
    • 2021: Kenny Omega (2)