Category: AEW

  • Tony Khan: “Double or Nothing Was a Better Show Than WrestleMania”

    Tony Khan: “Double or Nothing Was a Better Show Than WrestleMania”

    Tony Khan can stand back and be proud of everything AEW has achieved so far. Not only have they flourished in the early years of their formation, but they did so in the face of a global pandemic. An event that challenged the world and changed the face of sport for over a year.

    AEW made the choice to resist the call for virtual fans. Choosing instead for an open-air stadium as part of Tony Khan’s Jacksonville Jaguars complex.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CQeGXNytvUz/

    During a recent discussion on Barstool’s Pardon My Take podcast, Tony Khan spoke about AEW, and especially their core PPV Double or Nothing.

    Khan was proud of the way both editions of the annual show have turned out, making a bold claim against WWE’s own premier PPV, Wrestlemania.

    “I’ll tell you something; Double or Nothing last year and this year, in my opinion, was a better show (than WrestleMania). I liked this year’s WrestleMania a lot better than last years. They had some fans this year and everyone there worked their ass off both years. This year I thought, both (were) good shows. They did a two-night show, and it was a good show. But I thought Double or Nothing this year was outstanding, and it was the best wrestling show of the year so far. And last year Double or Nothing, during the pandemic, it kicked the s**t out of WrestleMania last year. The pandemic version last year? Not even close. Double or Nothing was a much better show.”

    Every Right to be Confident

    Tony Khan is a businessman at heart, and it is natural that he will think his product superior. However, it is interesting to see the pressure that AEW has already placed on WWE. A bigger name, a bigger brand, with unquestionably more history. To be confident enough to make such claims already speaks for both Tony Khan and the way he runs his business.

    Looking at the strides AEW has made in their first year. The addition of a second weekly television show, as well as the formation of two dark shows. The names they have signed both in the ring and out. It all speaks of the clarity of vision Khan has for the product, and the passion he brings to his job.

  • Tony Khan On How AEW Uses Legends & Future Stars

    Tony Khan On How AEW Uses Legends & Future Stars

    Tony Khan recently appeared as a guest on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take. During the discussion, the AEW President spoke about his theories regarding booking legends, current stars, and developing talent.

    “I believe in the wrestling of the past, the present and the future,” Khan said on the show. “The top stars of the past still have great value and can still come in and contribute in a meaningful way. Sting and Jake the Snake are still a huge part of our show, just as an example.”

    Khan would then continue to say that he’s careful to make sure the young talent is booked in a meaningful way in addition to the top stars of the past and present. He said it’s all about keeping the past, present, and future all together in an organized show.

    “We have a great roster of really young talent. Some of them became viral wrestling stars before AEW. They are being pushed in a meaningful way. Like I said, the past the present and the future all in one. And then trying to keep into a fun, organized show that delivers good wrestling every single Wednesday.”

    Khan spoke on a variety of other topics during the discussion including Jaguars football, balancing his various roles, and the AEW’s shows this fall in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

    https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1407679699430559750?s=20
  • Matt Hardy Reveals Vince McMahon Knew Nothing About The Broken Gimmick Before Their Re-signing

    Matt Hardy Reveals Vince McMahon Knew Nothing About The Broken Gimmick Before Their Re-signing

    Many believe that WWE did not utilize the Broken Matt character to its full extent during Matt Hardy’s last run with the company. It appears that Vince McMahon being unaware of the character’s origin may have been the reason for it.

    The former WWE star recently held his first Twitch ama. He answered questions related to a wide variety of topics including things such as crowds coming back after covid, his scariest bump, and more.

    When a fan asked how much Vince McMahon knew about Broken Matt Hardy before their return at WrestleMania 33, the attitude era star revealed that the boss knew absolutely nothing about it:

    “He didn’t know anything about it. We worked out the deal with Triple H, on the down low. Triple H was great. Really, I think we came back because Vince was like, “Why are all these people saying Delete?”

    Hardy mentioned how he had to explain the whole story of the character to McMahon in 30 minutes. Though according to the former world champion, the boss kept an open mind during their discussion:

    “Explaining the Broken Matt story to Vince McMahon in 30 minutes was one of my favorite moments of all time. I had to sound like a madman to him. But he stayed open minded. They said they’ve give us a compound deletion fight, and he kept his word.”

    Broken Matt Hardy is one of the most popular gimmicks of the wrestling veteran’s long career. Originally created during his TNA run in 2016, he has taken the persona to multiple promotions since then. He has successfully utilized it in companies such as WWE, ROH, and AEW.

  • Tony Khan Responds To Critics Of AEW’s Video Game Investment

    Tony Khan Responds To Critics Of AEW’s Video Game Investment

    Last week, an article in Forbes revealed that the only thing keeping AEW from being profitable at the moment is a significant investment made into developing a video game.

    “Khan expects its wrestling division to be profitable this year, though an eight-figure investment in video game development will keep the company in the red for now,” an excerpt from the article reads.

    Tony Khan recently spoke to PW Insider about how that investment will eventually lead to big returns for his company. He also commented on those who have been critical of the investment.

    “I’ve made this huge investment into video games and it’s comical to me that anybody would try to pull it… it goes to show that I think people will try and take a negative out of a positive sometimes because this is a hugely positive thing,” Khan said.

    Video Game Returns Won’t Come In Until 2022

    The game won’t be released until next year. Therefore, the money spent on developing it won’t yield a return until at least 2022. This is the reason why AEW won’t show a profit in 2021.

    “I have made this huge eight figure investment into video games, but we won’t see any revenue from that until 2022. That’s why it’s not going to pay off in 2021 on our books,” Khan said.

    Khan continued to talk about AEW approaching profitability so quickly.

    “Our wrestling company is very profitable. The only reason I won’t net money this year on AEW in our second full year of operations, which is pretty amazing, frankly, for a startup that has had the level of investment that we’ve had behind AEW and the amount of time that this has been going, that we’ll be significantly profitable already as a venture.”

    Khan also noted, however, that it’s not just about making money. He is very proud at the way they have conducted business throughout the pandemic.

    “I care about running a profitable business, but I also take a lot of pride in the fact that I didn’t lay people off through the pandemic. Almost everybody, we have a over 95% retention rate of people through the pandemic and I actually had significantly higher than 95%. Almost everybody that we started with is here,” he continued.

  • Gangrel on Miro’s Success “I’m super proud of him.”

    Gangrel on Miro’s Success “I’m super proud of him.”

    Talking on his Fangin’ and Bangin’ podcast, Gangrel spoke up about his former pupil and current TNT champion Miro. Miro trained under Gangrel during his time at the Knokx Pro Wrestling Academy from 2008 to 2010.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CQWX2b2L5WK/

    Talking about Miro’s dedication to mastering the art of wrestling, Gangrel was full of praise. “This is a guy that would work all night. You know, he came from another country. His dream was to be a wrestler. He left Bulgaria to come here to be a wrestler… You come all the way, you gamble on you. He bet on himself. He believed in himself, he left Bulgaria, and he came to the United States to become a professional wrestler. Look at him now. That didn’t come because he was being lazy, that didn’t come because he wasn’t dedicated. No, it’s the opposite. He was a workhorse, and he was super dedicated, he was super focused.”

    Gangrel Is Proud of What His Student Has Achieved Since Joining AEW

    Miro had a great run in WWE, but never got the push his character and popularity deserved. Following his release in 2020, he initially retired from the sport. However, AEW were able to get him back in the ring, where he is flourishing.

    Coming into his own after separating from Kip Sabian, Gangrel is proud to watch his former protégé develop and the maturity he has found in the ring.

    “So when I was watching this match with Dark Order, I see that he was just miles ahead, but not by being fast. He just knew his way around the ring and I was super proud of him because I know how hard he worked to become the professional wrestler that the human being is and then the man he is today and I’m super proud of him. So, Miro, good on you, man. Keep kicking ass, dude. I’m super, super proud of you. Keep rockin’!”

  • Vickie Guerrero On When She Found Out About Her Pairing With Andrade

    Vickie Guerrero On When She Found Out About Her Pairing With Andrade

    Andrade El Idolo made his AEW debut during the June 4 episode of Dynamite earlier this month. He was paired with Vickie Guerrero upon his arrival.

    The former SmackDown general manager recently had an interview with It’s My House podcast, where she talked about her pairing with the former WWE star.

    Guerrero revealed when she found out about her pairing with Andrade during the interview. She explained that president Tony Khan introduced the two on the day of his debut show itself:

    “I knew the day of [his debut] that I was going to be working with him. Tony Khan makes all the decisions so when he said, ‘Hey, I have someone for you to come meet,’ and I went to the trailer and saw him, I was just ecstatic.”

    Vickie Guerrero also discussed how Andrade was underutilized in WWE. She claimed that he is going to have a great time in AEW because of two reasons:

    “He was really underutilized in WWE. He’s going to have a great time in AEW. Number one, because he’s working with me. Number two, there’s a lot of great wrestlers in AEW that he’s going to be able to have incredible matches.”

    Andrade is a former NXT and WWE US champion. He had asked for his release from the company earlier this year after being unhappy with his booking. His request was granted by the officials in March.

  • AEW Dynamite Draws Best Friday Night Ratings This Year (6/18)

    AEW Dynamite Draws Best Friday Night Ratings This Year (6/18)

    AEW ended its Friday Night Dynamite run on a high note with its ratings. 

    The June 18th edition of Dynamite did 552,000 viewers on TNT, according to Nielsen via PWTorch. That is up from last week’s show that aired on the same night and timeslot, which pulled in 487,000 viewers.

    The show did a 0.20 rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic, which was up from last week’s 0.19 rating. 

    This was the biggest total audience Dynamite has had on its Friday run since starting on May 28 and that show was watched by 526,000 viewers total and 263,000 in 18-49. The June 18th show did its best viewership of the year in the Friday timeslot.

    AEW will continue to be preempted for NBA action for one more week as this week’s show will air on Saturday night, which will be headlined by AEW World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega defending the title against Jungle Boy. Hangman Page vs. Powerhouse Hobbs in a singles match has also been announced for this episode. 

    That will be a live show from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place. The June 30th episode will be back on Wednesday and moving forward will be back in its time slot.

  • AEW Returning To Pittsburgh For Dynamite & Rampage Premiere

    AEW Returning To Pittsburgh For Dynamite & Rampage Premiere

    All Elite Wrestling is returning to Pittsburgh, PA this summer with two live television tapings. Both events will take place from the Petersen Events Center at the University of Pittsburgh.

    The first show is Wednesday, August 11th for AEW Dynamite. Doors open at 6pm and the action begins at 7pm.

    Just two days later, AEW returns for Rampage on Friday, August 13th. This is the series premiere of AEW’s new show, which airs Friday nights on TNT at 10pm (Eastern). Doors open at 7pm and showtime is scheduled for 8pm.

    Tickets for the AEW Pittsburgh shows go on sale this Friday, June 25th at AEWTix.com. For fans who are interested in attending Dynamite and Rampage, a special price two-event combo ticket package will be available.

    Pittsburgh is one of the top wrestling cities in America and is the home of AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker.

  • Aleister Black Expected To End Up In AEW

    Aleister Black Expected To End Up In AEW

    There have been several reports lately that WWE may be second-guessing the decision to release Aleister Black (aka Tommy End) from the company. Black was released earlier this month despite having seemingly just started a program with Big E on Smackdown. His free agency was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.

    A question was asked on the show about if WWE would have to re-sign Black to bring him back.

    “They would have to re-sign him, it’s like with Drake Maverick, they did have to re-sign him,” Meltzer said.

    “I know that a lot of guys that they have cut over the years have then been offered new contracts for far less money and very few of them go back,” he continued.

    Black is in his 90-day no compete window. He would not be free to to negotiate with other companies until the end of August or beginning of September. WWE has exclusive negotiating rights with Black during this time. Despite this, it is being reported that Black is expected to end up in AEW.

    “Unofficially, because you are not allowed to negotiate and all that but I certainly have heard at one point not many days ago to expect him in AEW,” Meltzer said. “Officially, there’s no deal and there can’t be a deal until end of August, I think.”

  • First Footage Of Darby Allin In AEW’s Upcoming Console Video Game

    First Footage Of Darby Allin In AEW’s Upcoming Console Video Game

    The love of video games within the AEW roster is no secret. Many of their wrestlers make frequent references to video game characters in their matches or during their promos. Several are also active on Twitch and other video game communities. It also came as no surprise that an AEW video game was in the works. That market is largely dominated by WWE titles, several of which have not been favourably received in recent years.

    The first AEW video game developers Yukes just released a new sneak peek at their work in progress. It is the second bit of gameplay footage for the title, this time involving Darby Allin.

    https://twitter.com/AEWGames/status/1405638747622936576

    The footage was also given a voiceover by world champion, and video game fan, Kenny Omega.

    The teaser shows Darby’s in-ring moves including a coffin drop inside and outside of the ring, and his backflip dropkick.

    AEW All In for AEW Video Game Production

    Talking in a recent interview, Tony Khan said that not only was AEW committed to developing the AEW video game franchise but that their 8-figure investment in the project was keeping the company from making profits.

    That doesn’t scare the chairman and shows the level of commitment the Khan family have to the AEW brand. Computer games and wrestling go hand in hand, and while they are still in the early days as a company, AEW has established itself as a big-name brand. An AEW game is a sensible move. It fits with the brand and will help expand their brand and bring new eyes and ears to their product.

  • Tony Khan On Why AEW Didn’t Build Its Own “Thunderdome”

    Tony Khan On Why AEW Didn’t Build Its Own “Thunderdome”

    AEW is set to go back on the road July 7th. The promotion spent the majority of the pandemic running shows from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. During a recent interview with UPI, Tony Khan was asked why AEW never decided to do a video wall similar to what many sports and WWE ended up doing.

    Khan noted that he did get some pressure to run his pandemic shows with virtual fans.

    “I didn’t want to have a video wall, and I pushed back when I got pushed to do a video wall. It was a fine idea and WWE did it, but it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I respect it, it’s good and it’s economical, but I wanted to continue to find a way to do the shows for the fans every week. And the fans at Daily’s Place supported us. We built like a wrestling territory having a weekly audience. I’m really proud of that.”

    “And the fans at Daily’s Place supported us. We built like a wrestling territory having a weekly audience. I’m really proud of that.”

    AEW’s first four shows back on the road will be special branded episodes. The first show back “Road Rager” on July 7th will feature Cody Rhodes vs QT Marshall in a strap match. Following Road Ragers, 2 nights of Fyter Fest will lead into Fight for the Fallen at the end of July from Charlotte.

  • Evil Uno Talks Getting a WWE Tryout Offer After Signing with AEW

    Evil Uno Talks Getting a WWE Tryout Offer After Signing with AEW

    Before Brodie Lee became the leader of the Dark Order, you had Evil Uno and Stu Grayson. The founding members of the group, who have been with AEW since day one. The story of the Dark Order is well documented and somewhat immortalized because of the passing of Brodie Lee. However, one thing that cannot be denied is that founding members Evil Uno and Stu Grayson are both very talented wrestlers.

    Talking in a recent episode of Talk Is Jericho, the duo spoke up about how they got into AEW. They go way back with the Young Bucks, stretching to their PWG and ROH days.

    Jericho eventually asked the pair about WWE, and if either of them had received offers to sign for the promotion.

    Surprisingly, Evil Uno had been approached by the company, but as a singles performer. This is strange, as he has been wrestling alongside Stu Grayson ever since 2006. The funniest thing is that the offer for a WWE try out came just after Uno signed for AEW.

    “Surprisingly enough, the only tryout offer I got was once I was offered a contract here,” Uno noted. “I never seeked for it either. In my first, I’d say nine years, I just thought it was an impossible feat because I wasn’t ginormous. I’m a little masked guy who’s a video game character, and I’m from Canada.”

    It was clear from both men that moving to WWE was never on the cards. Not because they were not approached, but rather because neither Evil Uno nor Stu Grayson thought of WWE as being an end goal. Neither wrestler felt as if adding WWE to their resume was necessary to validate their in-ring careers.

  • The Bunny Names WWE Hall Of Famer As Dream Opponent

    The Bunny Names WWE Hall Of Famer As Dream Opponent

    AEW star Allie aka The Bunny was the most recent guest of the AEW Unrestricted podcast with Aubrey Edwards and Tony Schiavone where she talked about a number of things.

    The female star discussed her Impact wrestling run in detail. When asked which Impact star she would like to team or feud against in the future, the former Knockouts champion took the name of Rosemary.

    During the fan question segment of the show, The Bunny was asked who is her all time dream opponent. She revealed it to be the WWE Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus:

    “Trish Stratus, 100%, She was the inspiration for me to start wrestling, seeing her, and she’s a Toronto gal just like me. I would love it.”
    – said The Bunny

    The former Impact star also revealed her favorite moment in her previous company and said that the wedding segment of her real-life husband Braxton Sutter was the coolest experience of her life.

    Allie explained that she feels like every person who was involved in the segment knocked it out of the park. The crowd reaction to it was the loudest she has ever heard and she doesn’t think TV can translate how loud it was in real life.

  • Cris Cyborg Wants Thunder Rosa in an AEW MMA Fight

    Cris Cyborg Wants Thunder Rosa in an AEW MMA Fight

    Coming on the heels of AEW’s ‘MMA’ fight between their two bulls Hager and Wardlow, fighting legend Cris Cyborg has spoken up and potentially laid down a challenge to AEW star Thunder Rosa.

    The scripted MMA fight between Hager and Wardlow has drawn mixed reviews. Yet, it caught the attention of Cris Cyborg. The current Bellator Featherweight champion took to Twitter to ask whether or not the promotion would hold a women’s MMA fight. Quickly calling out Thunder Rose, who is active in both wrestling and MMA circles.

    Thunder Rosa wasted no time in responding. With the forbidden door open and so many stars straddling both sports these days, it is not inconceivable to think a match like this could happen.

    Could Cris Cyborg Make the Jump to Professional Wrestling?

    With a professional record of 22-2, Cris Cyborg is a seasoned warrior. Especially when you think that one of her losses came in her first-ever fight. There is a world of difference between MMA and professional wrestling, but it has been done before.

    Whether Cyborg’s looking to set herself a new challenge, or just after a once time fight remains to be seen.

    Two things for sure are that Cris Cyborg versus Thunder Rosa would be fun to watch under any circumstance. Secondly, Dr Britt Baker will be fuming that she isn’t the one being called out.

  • Jon Moxley Would Support His Daughter Becoming A Wrestler

    Jon Moxley Would Support His Daughter Becoming A Wrestler

    Jon Moxley and wife Renee Paquette announced on Twitter earlier this week that they became proud parents of their baby girl Nora. In the announcement, Paquette also stated that she would not be hosting her podcast Oral Sessions for the next few weeks. “Baby girl is officially here, so I’m checking out and becoming a mom. (She’s absolutely incredible!!)” Paquette tweeted. She added that her husband Jon Moxley would be among the first of many guest hosts for the show. “I have a bunch of guest hosts lined up for you guys and I started with none other than my baby daddy, cool dude husband.”

    Jon Moxley starred as the guest host of the podcast and answered a variety of questions from fans. One of the questions asked was about what Moxley would feel if Nora decided to become a professional wrestler too. The former AEW World Champion was very positive of the notion and said he would absolutely support her.

    “If she was really passionate about it, then, yeah, go for it. If not, if she was just like playing around, then go play around with it,” Jon Moxley said.

    Jon Moxley also talked about his passion about wrestling, stating that he was absolutely “gung-ho” about it, calling wrestling his life. “Sometimes you get into some stuff and you play around. sometimes you’re gung-ho about something, I was gung-ho about this, this was all I’ve ever wanted to do. I was not playing around having fun.” Moxley added, “This was not, let’s try this out, see if it works out, you know, some people come into wrestling with that attitude and then go on to make millions of dollars, then they get really good at it, you know? So it can work. But [with] me, this was my life. This was it. There’s no other anything.”

    He continued, saying that he would assess her mindset about it but he would still support her even if she wants to be something else like a “circus performer, or a math teacher, or join the Peace Corps, or be a pro wrestler or a hockey player, or ringette.” Moxley said that he would want his daughter to do whatever she wants to do and he’ll support her.

    Jon Moxley was also asked if he would still be so supportive if his daughter wanted to compete in deathmatches. While he first admitted that his initial instinct would be to say no, he clarified that it’s hard to say because he doesn’t know his daughter yet. “I would say if you’re gonna do something, here’s how we do it safely… So, if she ever wanted to get into wrestling, in theory, I would rather guide it and make sure it was done correctly and safely and right and for the right reasons and so forth like that. But I don’t know this person yet.”

    Jon Moxley also talked about told the ridiculous story behind the origins of his “Titty Master” nickname on the same episode which you can read about here.

    Credit to Fightful for the transcriptions used in this article.

  • Tony Khan On Rivalry With WWE: “It’s True Competition”

    Tony Khan On Rivalry With WWE: “It’s True Competition”

    Tony Khan believes All Elite Wrestling is a viable competitor to WWE. AEW’s CEO an head of creative appeared on the Moose and Maggie show this week to announce AEW’s first shows from New York and New Jersey this September.

    In discussing AEW’s rivalry with WWE, Khan says it’s “intense” and he’s excited to offer fans an alternative wrestling product.

    “It’s intense,” he said. “It is a competition. There is no way around it. It’s a true competition. I’m really excited about being a challenger brand and taking on a huge company. And I think for a long time fans were demanding an alternative, and AEW on TNT has given them that.”

    Tony Khan also discussed winning the Wednesday night wars against NXT as the competing brand moved to Tuesday nights. He said that they were very successful head to head against other wrestling:

    “We’ve really carved out a great fanbase, and Wednesday nights we’ve made a great tradition for ourselves. We had competition on Wednesday nights and we don’t anymore. I think we were very successful head to head against other wrestling on Wednesday nights, we’ve carved out that night for ourselves.”

    Apart from this, Tony Khan talked about their announced second show in Rampage and more. Rampage premieres on TNT on Friday August 13.

  • MJF Now Has His Own Cryptocurrency: $MJF Coin

    MJF Now Has His Own Cryptocurrency: $MJF Coin

    AEW star Maxwell Jacob Friedman is the first pro wrestler to have his own cryptocurrency. MJF Coin ($MJF) is now live on the Rally platform.

    You can purchase $MJF coin here at Rally.io.

    “My crypto coin is better than yours and you know it. Check Twitter for random giveaways for whoever is holding the most $MJF,” reads a description for the currency.

    Early investors in $MJF coin are making big returns. The cryptocurrency opened at $2.262 per coin. As of this writing, it’s trading at over $9.

    The Rally platform allows celebrities and influencers to launch their own online currency. The idea is that celebrities can accept their own currency in exchange for exclusive content, as well as physical and digital products.

    “Rally offers anyone with an online community the ability to launch their own coin without the complexity of coding on the ethereum blockchain. Rally is a decentralized platform completely governed by the community. This means that creators and their communities have unfettered control to use their social tokens across all social platforms.”

  • Britt Baker Says Fans Have Made Her One Of AEW’s Top Stars

    Britt Baker Says Fans Have Made Her One Of AEW’s Top Stars

    New AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker was recently interviewed by the NY Daily News. During the interview, Baker noted that she sees herself as one of the top stars in AEW.

    “I don’t see myself as a woman anymore. I see myself as an AEW superstar,” Baker said.

    “Maybe it’s not a humble statement, but I see myself as one of the top stars in the company and that’s not just because of my talent. It’s how I’ve been booked and how the fans have reacted.”

    Baker has been involved in several high-profile matches and angles AEW. Her rivalry with Thunder Rosa led to a “Lights Out” match between the two headlining an episode of Dynamite. Baker says that if fans hadn’t responded positively to the angle, the main event match would not have been booked.

    “The fans write the show. They dictate what happens next,” Baker continued.

    “That feud with me and Thunder Rosa could have gone two months if the fans didn’t like it. But they loved it so they ended up getting a main-event, lights-out match that was arguably one of the best matches of the year.”

    AEW announced yesterday plans for a show from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The tennis venue will likely provide a unique environment for a wrestling show. Baker continued to say fans are excited to get out of their houses and be there with them in person.

    “The fans are on board for everything because they just want to get out of their house and stop watching wrestling on TV,” Baker continued.

    “They want to be there with us and we’re going to ride that wave for a little bit.”

  • Evil Uno Thought Dark Order Was Done After Infamous Segment

    Evil Uno Thought Dark Order Was Done After Infamous Segment

    The Dark Order had to go through some tough times before they became one of the most beloved stables in wrestling. There were times when they had to face harsh criticism from fans for some spots. Evil Uno recently talked about one such moment which he thought would be the end of the faction.

    The AEW star was talking about the infamous segment where The Dark Order beat up The Elite and SCU to end an episode of Dynamite back in December 2019. Not only did the segment didn’t go over with the fans but it later got criticized for a very bad botch. Videos of a creeper delivering punches to Dustin Rhodes went viral where the unnamed wrestler was seen throwing punches that didn’t even come close to connecting to the wrestling veteran.

    Evil Uno and Stu Grayson both recently appeared on the latest episode of Talk Is Jericho where they talked about this segment and revealed their reaction to it. Uno admitted that they thought the group would be done after that. However this didn’t turn out to be the case and the Dark Order member gave credit to Tony Khan for coming up with the idea to revive the faction:

    “We thought we were done after that to be honest, I mean, even on the lead up, we were a little nervous because originally, that wasn’t what was planned. We didn’t know we were going to end the last Dynamite of the year on this big beat down on all the faces

    We thought we were done because we were supposed to have a follow up to that, which was on the first show of January, and they had cut us entirely from it, and then they cut us from the next couple of weeks too. We’ve had a lot of uncertainty throughout the year of AEW, and that was one of those moments where I was like, well, we’re done. I don’t think we can come back, but to Tony’s credit, he thought of The Exalted One hook right away.”

    Thankfully for the Dark Order, Brodie Lee was revealed as the leader of the group in March 2020. The former WWE star helped them in becoming a fan favorite and took the group to new heights before his unfortunate passing in December 2020. Since then, Lee’s son dubbed as Negative 1 has been named their new leader.

  • Tony Khan Explains How Rampage Will Affect Their Production Schedule

    Tony Khan Explains How Rampage Will Affect Their Production Schedule

    Rampage will be the fourth weekly show in AEW’s repertoire. With an already packed production schedule, the company will have to make some major adjustments to make sure things run smoothly. Tony Khan recently explained how they are planning to ensure that this expansion is seamless.

    The AEW president recently had an interview with PWInsider. He talked about a number of things and went into details of what changes the company is planning to make and how Rampage will fit into their plans. Khan first revealed that Rampage will not be live every week. They will instead choose between a taped show some weeks and live special on some specific markets:

    “With Rampage, there’s going to be some weeks Rampage will be live and there’ll be weeks where we plan to tape Rampage after Dynamite, including here at Arthur Ashe Stadium [in NYC], where we will be filming also after. We’ll do Dynamite live and we’ll also film Rampage. And in some of the markets where we have these amazing crowds, I think it’s okay.”

    Though Tony Khan confirmed that the premiere episode of their new show will be airing live and future Rampage episodes will also serve as the go-home shows for their PPVs. Regarding their non televised shows in Dark and Dark: Elevation, the AEW official revealed that they will tape Elevation before Dynamite and find a new venue for Dark:

    “Before Dynamite, we used to tape Dark. That’s going to change. I’m going to tape Elevation before Dynamite now,” Khan said. “So it’s going to be a shorter Elevation and I may add matches that I’ll explain where I’ll add them from. I’m going to procure a venue for use to tape Dark and other content that’ll be great. And I’m really looking forward to this”

    Tony Khan also explained that Dark will continue being their developmental show. AEW announced their expansion plans earlier this year, confirming that they will be launching their second TV show Rampage on August 13. The company confirmed that both their premiere shows will be moving to TBS in 2022.

  • AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam Set For NYC’s Arthur Ashe Stadium (9/22)

    AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam Set For NYC’s Arthur Ashe Stadium (9/22)

    All Elite Wrestling is set to invade New York City for a very special edition of AEW Dynamite this September

    AEW Grand Slam will take place Wednesday, September 22nd from the famed Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY. The venue hosts the annual US Open tennis grand slam tournament and accommodates nearly 24,000 people for tennis matches.

    The venue opened in 1997 and features a lightweight retractable roof. It should provide a rather unique venue for professional wrestling.

    Tickets start at just $25 and will go on sale July 16th.

    AEW sent in a press release for the event, including these comments from AEW CEO, GM and Head of Create, Tony Khan:

    “We wanted our first show in New York City to be extraordinary and epic in scale, and there’s no better venue to bring out the best in our talent and creativity than the iconic USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. We love the concept of wrestling in a non-traditional venue and placing our AEW ring on center court in the awe-inspiring Arthur Ashe Stadium. I can’t wait for fans to experience our live AEW DYNAMITE: GRAND SLAM show in one of the coolest venues on the planet.”

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    Tony Khan & Chris Jericho Comment

    AEW President Tony Khan was quoted by NY Daily News about the event.

    “No city is more synonymous with wrestling than New York City,” Khan said. “AEW is a new company and our company is in the business of both embracing tradition and trailblazing, trying to start new traditions and new history.”

    Chris Jericho was also quoted.

    “It’s a real cool end to the chapter of our lives that we all want to move on from,” Jericho said.

    “We’ll be vindicated as the coolest wrestling company in the world today. What fans can expect is what we’ve been doing, just at a higher intensity level and a higher energy level because of the people in the crowd giving us more inspiration and more energy and more reward for what we’re doing.”

    More Reactions from AEW Stars

    https://twitter.com/MadKing1981/status/1405189838438084608
  • Tony Khan On Why He Is Glad That WCW Failed

    Tony Khan On Why He Is Glad That WCW Failed

    AEW President Tony Khan was recently profiled by Forbs for their Daily Cover feature which includes an interview with the wrestling promoter and a photoshoot with several wrestlers from the company.

    The AEW owner talked about their competition with WWE and he said that he doesn’t want his promotion to be the next wrestling company of the past:

    “I don’t want to be the next ‘blank’ wrestling company of the past—fill in the blank, We love wrestling of the past, wrestling of the present and wrestling of the future…” said Tony Khan, “That’s what gives us a great chance to retain and gain audience share.”

    The co-owner of the Jacksonville Jaguar then also discussed the rise and fall of WCW and he interestingly claimed that he is glad that WCW failed:

    “I’m glad that WCW failed because it created a vacancy for us to come in and succeed, but it made it a fairly bleak period for the wrestling business.”

    Reiterating their commitment of providing an alternative, Tony Khan then said that the business is hotter than it’s been in a long time.He explained there is no reason why there needs to be only one wrestling company.

    The interview also featured comments from the AEW president’s father Shahid Khan who revealed that he didn’t believe in the idea of the promotion at first. You can check out his remarks at this link.

  • Jon Moxley On The Origins Of His “Titty Master” Nickname

    Jon Moxley On The Origins Of His “Titty Master” Nickname

    Jon Moxley took over the hosting duties of “Oral Sessions” from Renee Pacquette this week. He tried out his best radio/podcasting voice and answered questions fans asked him online. One of the questions asked was how his nickname of “The Titty Master” came about.

    Moxley has sort of given his autobiography the tag line “The Book of Zero F***s. Tales of the Titty Master.”

    Using his best podcaster voice, Moxley explained the story of the Titty Master. It was a fairly ridiculous tale.

    “Here is the thing that you have to understand. That one does not simply wake up in the morning and put on the Titty Master. One does not come home at night and take it off. This is a life you live when you are bequeathed with the energy of the Titty Master,” Mox began the tale.

    He then detailed the Titty Master origin story. Marvel couldn’t have written it better.

    “I woke up in a cold sweat, cold sweat. I had a nightmare and I was given a message through the ether, I knew where I needed to go. Somehow I knew, the universe put me on this path and I set out on a journey to Mount Titicaca.”

    Jon Moxley Climbs Mount Titicaca

    “I climb to the top of this mountain, lightning crashing, wind, dust in my face, hot ash flying. I see the Titty elders at the top of the mountain standing around a tree and they all raise their hands in the air and then lightning strikes and it hits this big oak tree,” Moxley continued. He would then say that he was not sure if it was an oak tree or a ficus, however.

    “Then out of this lightning strike I see red glowing, two pieces of wood. I’m called to them. I feel a pull and the elders look at me and I look at them and I look at the wood and I see it come into view. And I see it’s just a pair of nunchucks inscribed into the wood with the lightning. A ‘T’ is inscribed in the wood with burning fire and lightning and an ‘M.’”

    Moxley continued to say he knows that these inscribed nunchucks mean he is the Titty Master.

    “The elders they put their heads up and they walk away and they leave me alone on top of the mountain with these. I realized at that moment that I am the Titty Master.”

    You can listen to this full and ridiculous story in the player below:

  • Renee Paquette Announces Birth Of Baby Girl

    Renee Paquette Announces Birth Of Baby Girl

    Renee Paquette and Jon Moxley are the proud parents of a baby girl. Paquette took to Twitter to announce the news this morning. She also stated that she will not be hosting her podcast for the next few weeks. Renee has lined up some guest hosts to cover for her, however.

    “Baby girl is officially here, so I’m checking out and becoming a mom. (She’s absolutely incredible!!” Paquette Tweeted. “I have a bunch of guest hosts lined up for you guys and I started with none other than my baby daddy, cool dude husband.”

    Several people from the wrestling world have issued congrats to her and Moxley online.

    “Congrats Renee!!!! You’re going to be such a bad ass mom. Can’t wait to see your little girl!” wrote Kayla Braxton.

    Nyla Rose also commented on Renee’s birth announcement:

    The former Tom Phillips (Tom Hannifan) also commented:

    Renee Paquette On The Negatives Of Working For WWE

    Paquette was recently on Busted Open Radio and spoke about the negatives she experienced while working for WWE.

    “For me it’s not the wrestling,” Paquette began. “The wrestling side of wrestling I love. It’s the production side of things that can be a kick in the lady d*ck. Just being micromanaged.” 

    “I don’t like being micromanaged” Renee Paquette added. “I don’t like being under the magnifying glass as much as one is or can be in that world. You think you go through it once and ‘okay, I’m safe!’ and then like, another year later or so its ‘you’re back under the microscope again.’”

  • Shahid Khan Admits He Thought AEW Was A Bad Idea

    Shahid Khan Admits He Thought AEW Was A Bad Idea

    The father of AEW’s Tony Khan recently admitted that he thought his son starting a wrestling company was a bad idea. Tony and Shahid Khan were both interviewed recently by Forbes and spoke about how the decision to start AEW came about.

    “I absolutely didn’t think this was a good idea,” Shad Khan said. “But I told Tony, ‘Look, when I’m dead and gone, I’m going to be leaving you and your sister a lot of money. Why don’t you blow some of that while I’m alive?’”

    The elder Khan would be pleasantly surprised with the success of AEW, however. The father and son’s history with wrestling actually goes back to 1996. Tony was 13 at the time. His father wanted to incentivize him to go to the University of Illinois Laboratory High School. After Khan took the entrance exam for the school, Khan agreed to take Tony to an ECW show in Philadelphia. Tony spoke about his father’s reaction to seeing a live ECW show.

    “My dad couldn’t believe what he was seeing,” Tony Khan said about the experience. “He was like, ‘This is a mix between an underground rock show and a cult.’”

    Last year, Tony Khan’s AEW received $43.75 million in rights fees from Turner. Brett Weitz, general manager of TNT, TBS and truTV, spoke to Forbes about their investment in Khan’s company.

    “It was very clear we put ourselves in the right hands,” said Weitz. “For someone to have the audacity to say, ‘I’m going to go take on the biggest wrestling league in the world and see if I can be a challenger brand,’ it takes chutzpah. And he nailed it.”