SEScoops

Category: AEW

  • Shaq On What Fans Can Expect From Him In The Ring

    Shaq On What Fans Can Expect From Him In The Ring

    Tonight on AEW Dynamite, Shaquille O’Neal will team with Jade Cargill to face Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet. Shaq has long been around the wrestling industry, and even performed in the 2016 Andre the Giant memorial battle royal. Tonight will be his first time in a tag-team match, however, and his first match in AEW.

    Shaq spoke to the Associated Press about what fans can expect from him once he gets in the ring.

    “I’m not a professional wrestler, but I’ve been in a match before,” Shaq said. “I’ve got a lot of moves in my arsenal. When you step inside somebody’s world, you have to stick to what you’re masterful at. I’m not acrobatic. I’m not going to be jumping off the ropes. I’m coming with the power game. When I get hands on him, I’m going to display this power.”

    “I’m the type that if I have a look and see you do it, I got it,” Shaq continued.

    Shaq On What He Said To Hulk Hogan

    Shaq also mentioned what he said when he met Hulk Hogan during the interview.

    “I told him, ‘you broke my heart when you body-slammed Andre the Giant,’” O’Neal said. “I cried as a kid. I really did.”

    Shaq also said that his match tonight will blow away all other matches by retired athletes.

    “This one will top them all,” O’Neal continued.

    The full interview with Shaq can be read here.

  • Cody & Red Velvet vs Shaq & Jade Cargill Opening AEW Dynamite

    Cody & Red Velvet vs Shaq & Jade Cargill Opening AEW Dynamite

    AEW EVP Cody Rhodes confirmed last night that his match against Shaquille O’Neal will be opening Dynamite tonight. Appearing on the NBA on TNT Tuesday postgame, Cody said that he and Red Velvet will be taking on Jade Cargill and Shaq to open the TNT show as it goes on the air.

    There had been speculation that the bout would be ending the show. With AEW’s Revolution PPV taking place this Sunday, tonight’s episode of Dynamite is the ‘go home’ show for that event. There’s a chance that AEW have something planned for the end of the show to lead into Sunday’s PPV and try to get some extra buys ahead of the show.

    The mainstream coverage of tonight’s match has been significant. There have been many outlets reporting on Shaq getting in an AEW ring tonight for the very first time. The match itself will be intriguing to say the least, as Jade Cargill and Shaq’s in-ring abilities are as of yet untested on television.

    Stick here with us tonight on SEScoops for all of the coverage on AEW Dynamite: The Crossroads. 

  • Darby Allin Comments On “Small-Minded” People In Wrestling

    Darby Allin Comments On “Small-Minded” People In Wrestling

    Darby Allin is a creative guy, which may partially explain his popularity. The film school dropout has a big match upcoming this weekend at Revolution. He’ll team with Sting in a street fight against Team Taz’s Brian Cage and Ricky Starks. Allin recently spoke with the Independent and a frequent topic of the discussion centered around creativity in wrestling.

    “The biggest advice I’d give to anyone entering wrestling is to bring your outside world into wrestling because there are so many people [who] only know wrestling, and it gets so boring,” Allin said.

    “It’s like ‘tell me who you are and what you’re about’ and they say ‘I grew up loving professional wrestling, it’s all I ever wanted, it’s my dream.’ That is so generic that you don’t bring anything to the table. There’s a whole world out there, and so many are so small-minded in wrestling that it’s not even funny.”

    “There’s the whole world and I want to explore that world. I don’t want to be in a small bubble with all these people, so I don’t associate with a whole bunch of people, I just like to do my own thing.”

    Darby Allin Teaming With Sting

    Darby Allin has been aligned with Sting since the legend made his AEW debut at Winter is Coming. This Sunday at Revolution will be Sting’s first match since losing to Seth Rollins at Night of Champions in 2015. During a recent interview, Tony Khan confirmed that Sting has been medically cleared to wrestle.

    “He’s been cleared, he’s been fully cleared,” Khan said of Sting. “He’s been training with Darby and sparring partners and he’s been fully cleared to wrestle. In his training, one thing he’s done to get ready with his sparring partners is a powerbomb. In terms of getting ready for this, I was more than fine with it and in fact called it.”

  • “He’s An A**hole”: Jake Roberts Blasts Vince McMahon For Using His Personal Troubles Into Storyline

    “He’s An A**hole”: Jake Roberts Blasts Vince McMahon For Using His Personal Troubles Into Storyline

    WWE and its owner Vince McMahon are known for incorporating the personal issues of their superstars into various storylines over the years and Hall Of Famer Jake Roberts is no stranger to this tactic from the company.

    The promotion has previous used the veteran’s troubles with alcoholism into a controversial storyline which also involved Hall Of Famer Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler back in 1996. Lawler even force-fed his opponent a bottle of bourbon after their match at SummerSlam that year.

    Roberts opened up about the controversial angle during his recent interview with Inside The Ropes, and he blasted Mr. McMahon, calling him an ‘a**hole’:

    “Well, I thought it was a horrible thing for McMahon to ask me to do, It was cheap, it was disrespectful,” said the wrestling veteran, “It didn’t prove a damn thing other than the fact that Vince McMahon’s an a**hole, so there you go. Lawler, he’s in the same boat. Both a**holes.”

    Jake Roberts has since turned things around. His win over his battle with addiction was chronicled in the 2015 documentary, Resurrection of Jake The Snake. He also talked about his efforts to get clean during the interview and the current AEW star explained that he wants to be around for long to spend time with his grandkids. You can check out his full interview here.

  • MJF Talks Learning From Jim Cornette Whilst in MLW

    MJF Talks Learning From Jim Cornette Whilst in MLW

    AEW Star MJF recently appeared on the Wrestling Perspective podcast. Maxwell Jacob Friedman discussed a number of topics during the show, including how he learned from Jim Cornette whilst working in MLW.

    “So I worked with Jim Cornette more than I think people realize when I was in Major League Wrestling” MJF began. “And getting to go back and forth with him — look, is he a fan of guys on my roster? Absolutely not, but if I’m being honest, neither am I.”

    MJF on Jim Cornette

    “But he’s a very smart guy” MJF continued. “He understands how to manipulate an audience. I loved his work, I loved Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan’s work. Even Grand Wizard. He might not have necessarily been the greatest promo of all time? But the guy understood how to manipulate a crowd without even speaking.”

    MJF finished by praising one of WWE’s biggest managers/special councils. “I mean, there’s been so many great managers of the past. Paul Heyman obviously. We’re both Jews, we’re both very affluent. And we’re both very good at speaking and we’re both from New York. so Paul Heyman also another guy who is most certainly a big influence on me.”

    MJF and Chris Jericho will be taking on The Young Bucks at AEW Revolution in March.

  • Tony Khan Discusses AEW Programming Plans For This Year

    Tony Khan Discusses AEW Programming Plans For This Year

    AEW currently airs Dark on Tuesdays and Dynamite on Wednesdays, but starting March 15th, Dark: Elevation will be airing every Monday night on YouTube as well.

    When this was first announced, some thought this was supposed to be the second show on TNT that was confirmed when AEW signed an extension with the network in 2020, but that’s not the case. 

    AEW President Tony Khan later stated on Twitter that a second AEW show on TNT would still be coming in 2021. He then did an interview on Thursday with Wrestling Observer Radio where he further commented on their programming for this year.  

    He started out by noting that he thinks it’s very appropriate to have two television series and two streaming shows as some of the most successful wrestling companies of all time have had a couple of flagship shows and then a couple of shows that are more for developmental talent. 

    “So, you’ll have the two Dark properties and the two TNT properties and I’m really excited about it. I think we’re ready for it.”

    He noted that he thinks you can get a lot of or most of the viewing experience by just watching Dynamite and the PPVs. He brought up how there are hundreds and hundreds of thousands of people watching Dark every week. He noted that there’s an audience for Dark and will be the same for Elevation, which turned out to be an idea by TNT. 

    “It was TNT’s idea, I’ll be 100% honest. I originally had the title Elevation and they’re right, the executives made a great point to me, ‘You don’t want to create confusion with different brands.’ Elevation is an extension of Dark so they essentially said, ‘Call it AEW Dark: Elevation.’ And I said that’s a great idea.”

    Paul Wight, formerly known as The Big Show, and Tony Schiavone will be doing commentary for Dark: Elevation.

  • AEW Interested In Zelina Vega

    AEW Interested In Zelina Vega

    Zelina Vega could be receiving a phone call with AEW President Tony Khan in the near future. 

    Khan said he’s interested in talking with the former WWE star during an appearance on the Thursday edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. He was asked about his interest in her, which he thought that she was still under a 90-day non-compete clause, which he has been waiting to pass before he could legally speak with her. 

    “When we get through his (Women’s title eliminator tournament) and through (Revolution), I would be interested to see where she’s at,” he said.

    Last November, she was released by WWE after having issues with the company’s new policy regarding talent making deals with third party companies like Twitch. 

    Vega has an OnlyFans account, which is for cosplays only, and streams on Twitch. At the time, Sports Illustrated reported that it was due to her breaching her contract. It was later clarified that wrestlers can use the likes of YouTube and Twitch, but must use their real names to do so.

    It was reported by Fightful Select that her non-compete clause expired earlier this month, which means she’s free and clear to sign with any promotion that she wants whether that’s to be a wrestler or a manager.

  • Scorpio Sky Injury Update Following Torn Meniscus

    Scorpio Sky Injury Update Following Torn Meniscus

    Scorpio Sky is scheduled to take part in the upcoming ladder match at AEW Revolution. He hasn’t wrestled since January 7th, when he defeated Nick Comoroto on an episode of Dark.

    As it turns out, Sky has been out of action with a torn meniscus. The match at Revolution will mark his return to the ring after 2-months on the shelf dealing with it.

    Sky spoke about returning at the PPV recently on his Wrestling with the Week podcast.

    “First match back coming off a torn meniscus,” Sky said. “I like to dive into the deep water and see if I can swim without getting wet. People like to think of things today as a TV business and the TV matches are most important. As an old-school guy, pay-per-view is where it’s at and I’m excited to be back on pay-per-view in a marquee match.”

    Scorpio Sky on Revolution Ladder Match

    Scorpio Sky knows this is a big opportunity to catapult himself right back into the top of AEW’s rankings. “It’s a huge opportunity,” he said. “You can’t turn down a match like this. If I had to cut my leg off and crawl into the ring, I would do it. Anytime you’re attached to the name Cody Rhodes, it’s big.”

    AEW Revolution takes place Sunday, March 7th and airs live on pay-per-view.

    Watch Scorpio Sky’s comments about the AEW Revolution Ladder Match:

    H/T to Fightful for the transcribed quotes

  • Update On Sammy Guevara & Impact, Who Is Impact’s Head of Creative?

    Update On Sammy Guevara & Impact, Who Is Impact’s Head of Creative?

    It was reported earlier this month that Sammy Guevara had been sent home from recent Impact Wrestling tapings. The tapings took place in Nashville from February 9th-11th. Various reports have suggested that creative differences are what led to him not taking part.

    According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Guevara was scheduled to win 3 matches during the tapings. He is also said to have pitched to win the X-division title and not lose it before returning to AEW. There was an update on this in the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

    “Regarding the Sammy Guevara stuff here, there were losses proposed and beatdowns scheduled and while he was to win his last match, it involved a post-match beatdown that he wasn’t coming back to get revenge for,” wrote Dave Meltzer. The report continued to state that Guevara did propose winning the X-Division title.

    “Guevara did propose to Impact that he win the X title which (Impact) didn’t plan for,” Meltzer continued.

    It was also noted that Jimmy Jacobs is the current head of creative for Impact Wrestling. Jacobs reports to D’Amore who ultimately has the final say but for the most part, Impact’s television is booked by Jacobs, Robert Evans, and Tommy Dreamer.

  • Hikaru Shida Beats Jon Moxley AEW Championship Record

    Hikaru Shida Beats Jon Moxley AEW Championship Record

    Hikaru Shida, the current AEW Women’s World Champion, has beaten an impressive record that was previously set by former AEW World Champion Jon Moxley. The record in question, is of holding a championship for the longest duration in the company. Moxley won the title back in February 2020 at the Revolution 2020 event by defeating Chris Jericho. He held the title for a notable 277 days, but this record has been beaten by Shida’s reign which has surpassed a total of 278+ days.

    Hikaru Shida won the AEW Women’s World Championship in a No Disqualification and No Countout match at the promotion’s Double or Nothing event by defeating Nyla Rode back in May 2020. She has successfully defended the title six times against the likes of Penelope Ford, Thunder Rosa, Big Swole, Nyla Rose, Anna Jay and most recently Abadon during the January 6, 2021 edition of Dynamite. She will be defending the title for the seventh time against the winner of the ongoing AEW Women’s Eliminator tournament at the upcoming Revolution PPV on March 7. Rose, Yuka Sakazaki, Ryo Mizunami have already emerged as the semifinalists and a fourth competitor among Rosa and Riho will be determined in a special airing on Sunday, February 28.

    Meanwhile, Jon Moxley as the AEW World Champion defended the title a total of nine times. Starting with Jake Hager back in April 2020, Moxley successfully defended against Brodie Lee, Brian Cage, Darby Allin, MJF, Eddie Kingston, The Butcher, Lance Archer and Kingston again at Full Gear in November. He lost the title to Kenny Omega on the December 2, 2020 episode of Dynamite. Moxley will try to capture the title again from Omega at Revolution in an Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch, no less.

    Related: Bully Ray Talks How Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega Need To Approach Revolution Match

  • Jon Moxley On WWE Legend He’d Like To See In AEW

    Jon Moxley On WWE Legend He’d Like To See In AEW

    Jon Moxley has one WWE legend that he wants in AEW.

    All Elite Wrestling has seen a few former WWE stars jumping ship to the rival promotion since its launch. Most recently, the company was able to bag in Big Show. He just signed a multi-year deal with AEW to work as a broadcaster and wrestler.

    Jon Moxley recently spoke with Inside The Ropes and was asked who else he’d like to see join AEW. Moxley said that he’d like to see Christian on AEW’s roster.

    Christian, a World Champion in multiple promotions, made a surprise appearance at last month’s WWE Royal Rumble. He has also signed a part-time contract with WWE, reportedly.

    Jon Moxley said, “I’ll tell you, a guy I’d like to see here is Christian. I don’t know if that was a one-off for him in the Royal Rumble but he looked frigging good to me. He looked like he was in great shape, he looked sharp, man.”

    Jon Moxley on Christian

    Moxley continued, “I tell you, he’s one of the guys that’s — the wrestlers know it more so than anybody — Christian is so good. Like, his brain and his execution, and his mind for wrestling is just like next-level.

    “First time we worked with him, you know, we’d come in and we’re doing these six-mans with The Shield, really pushing the pace and trying to make the most exciting matches. We’re pushing these guys to like, all these dream team guys. We’re pushing them to be like, ‘No, let’s do another thing and another thing, let’s add more to do another save and another thing, and let’s do a triple this,’ or whatever,” he later added. “And we’re really pushing the pace, you know, and like thinking, like, ‘All right. Yeah, nobody can keep up with us. This is awesome.’”

    Christian’s return to the WWE was kept quiet from everyone backstage. Only a select few knew about his involvement ahead of time. Edge was one of them, who even said that they drew to the Rumble in his car together. Christian reportedly signed to appear with WWE on a part-time basis.

    Christian had to hang up his boots in 2014 after a history of suffering concussions. In a similar case to Daniel Bryan, Christian was medically cleared years after he was told that he couldn’t wrestle again.

  • Sting Medically Cleared To Wrestle For AEW

    Sting Medically Cleared To Wrestle For AEW

    Sting was recently fully cleared for physical activity ahead of his first match in several years. 

    Sting had to retire from wrestling due to him having spinal stenosis in 2015. He joined AEW and is slated to do a cinematic street fight when he teams up with Darby Allin against Brian Cage and Ricky Starks at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event. 

    Last week on Dynamite, Sting took his first bump in nearly six years as he took a powerbomb by Cage. AEW President Tony Khan spoke about the spot during an interview with Mike Johnson of PWinsider.com. 

    “He’s been cleared, he’s been fully cleared,” Khan said of Sting. “He’s been training with Darby and sparring partners and he’s been fully cleared to wrestle. In his training, one thing he’s done to get ready with his sparring partners is a powerbomb. In terms of getting ready for this, I was more than fine with it and in fact called it.”

    Khan mentioned that Sting has been taking them in training and it was time to do it in front of a live crowd. He noted that Sting has been completely cleared to do it and wanted to do it and he wanted to get out there and wrestle. 

    “Sting’s cleared to wrestle and he wants to wrestle and this is how he wanted to end his wrestling career in-ring was in AEW and come in and go out the way he always wanted to go out with great matches.”

    Khan stated that he expects Sting to have a great performance at Revolution and Sting has high expectations for it. He added that the spot got people talking in a positive way. 

  • AEW Games To Reveal A Major Announcement Thursday Night

    AEW Games To Reveal A Major Announcement Thursday Night

    All Elite Wrestling is gearing up to drop some new information about the video games currently in development by AEW Games.

    2.Show: Episode 2 will premiere on the AEW Games YouTube Channel this Thursday at 7pm (Eastern).

    AEW World Champion and 2.Show host Kenny Omega returns with a special guest, Brandon Cutler. The guys will have some development updates to share. AEW is also teasing the reveal of a “MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT!”

    AEW currently has three video games in development:

    • AEW Console Game
    • AEW Elite General Manager
    • AEW Casino: Double or Nothing

    Check out the teaser announcement for Episode 2 below.

  • AEW Dark: Elevation Monday Night YouTube Series Announced

    AEW Dark: Elevation Monday Night YouTube Series Announced

    AEW’s new show on YouTube will air Monday nights at 7 PM est. AEW Dark: Elevation will feature the newly signed “Big Show” Paul Wight and Tony Schiavone as commentators.

    “Complementing AEW Dark on Tuesdays, AEW Dark: Elevation will air on Mondays at 7 p.m. ET on AEW’s YouTube channel, and will showcase AEW’s established and rising stars, as well as the top independent wrestlers within the industry, competing against each other in the ring in pursuit of wins,” reads AEW’s press release.

    “AEW Dark: Elevation will also maintain continuity with AEW DYNAMITE, AEW Dark, AEW pay-per-view shows and streaming events, with wins and losses factoring into each wrestler’s ranking in the company.”

    AEW Dark: Elevation

    The length of episodes of AEW Dark increased following the onset of the pandemic. Khan recently explained on Talk is Jericho why the show length increased so much.

    “We bring in people to give them tryouts, and we are giving a lot of independent wrestlers work, in addition to the tryout people that we want to get a look at and put in specific matches. There are other people – we are trying to put the top people from Dynamite in get-over matches on Dark.”

    “You want to get some local people and keep them working because there’s no independent shows for all these people around Florida and Georgia like there used to be.”

  • Big Show Paul White Signs With AEW As Commentator & Wrestler

    Big Show Paul White Signs With AEW As Commentator & Wrestler

    In a “giant” move likely to send ripples through the wrestling world, “Big Show” Paul Wight has signed with AEW. The 49-year-old had been with WWE since leaving WCW and signing there in 1999.

    In addition to returning to the ring, AEW is stating Wight will also serve as a commentator on the new YouTube show, AEW Dark: Elevation.

    Big Show commented on the blockbuster news, noting that it’s been “amazing” to see what AEW has built in just a couple of years. He’s excited for his new role as commentator for AEW’s newest series, AEW Dark: Elevation.

    “AEW Dark is an incredible platform to hone the skills of up-and-coming wrestlers, but I also love that established AEW talent can build out their personalities and showcase themselves in new ways on Dark,” said White. “It’s no exaggeration when they say that AEW is boundless.”

    Big Show Will Wrestle, Commentate & More

    Big Show AEW
    “Big Show” Paul White is All Elite

    Tony Khan, AEW’s President and Head of Creative, also commented on the news of Big Show’s signing. He touted White’s experience and detailed what his multiple roles will entail.

    “Paul Wight is one of the most recognizable and impressive professional athletes in the world,” said Khan. “He wanted to come to AEW because he believes that we’re the best promotion in wrestling, and we believe that he has a lot to offer us, both in the ring as a wrestler, and also outside the ring as a commentator, host and ambassador for AEW.”

    “Paul is one of the most experienced stars in all of wrestling, and he’s eager to work with our diverse roster,” added Khan.

    Tony Khan added that Big Show joins AEW as a licensed wrestler.

    “He can benefit and guide our young talent with his mentorship, and his expert commentary on AEW Dark: Elevation will educate and entertain our fans, and also educate the younger wrestlers on the roster. Furthermore, Paul enters AEW as a licensed wrestler, and he’s very much looking forward to studying our talent firsthand from the commentary desk in preparation for his return to the ring!”

    Reactions to Paul White Joining AEW

    Here are some reactions to Big Show Paul White signing with All Elite Wrestling:

    https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/1364672461661499393
    https://twitter.com/VickieGuerrero/status/1364611002428518410
  • Tony Khan Teases New Wrestlers Coming To AEW Through “The Forbidden Door”

    Tony Khan Teases New Wrestlers Coming To AEW Through “The Forbidden Door”

    Tony Khan says AEW fans can expect some new faces to show up on Dynamite soon. Khan was recently a guest on Wrestling Observer Live and spoke about some surprises he has upcoming.

    “The ‘forbidden door’ is open. The forbidden door means that anybody from any company can show up anywhere now. The gloves are off and I’m really excited about it,” Khan said. He continued to say the travel restrictions currently limit this, however.

    “Hopefully, we can do some exciting things with this forbidden door now that it’s been opened, I think we can and we will,” Khan said. “There’s going to be people showing up, could be people from New Japan, could be people from Impact, could be people from other companies. Could be new faces, old faces, but there’s going to be a lot of changes and I’m really excited about it and that’s important in wrestling, bringing new people in and consistently changing up the card.”

    Khan also spent some time talking about people he had to convince to sign with AEW. He noted that he spent a lot of time convincing Trent to sign with him instead of remaining with NJPW.

    “Trent was probably the hardest person for me to convince that actually came,” Khan said. “I spent a lot of time on the phone with a few people who really needed the extra convincing, people I believed in and put the full-court press on.”

    Khan then said there were some people who didn’t listen to him. He didn’t say “The Good Brothers” by name, but one can make some assumptions.

    “There are a couple of other people who didn’t come, who made a huge mistake,” Khan continued. “(They) should have listened to me, and they didn’t.”

    Khan also praised Tay Conti during the interview.

    “Tay Conti is a great example of somebody who I always thought looked like a star,” Khan said. “I went to a house show, an NXT house show, 4 years ago in Jacksonville and I thought Tay Conti looked like she’d be a great star then.”

    The interview with Tony Khan can be viewed in the player below:

  • Kenny Omega Comments on Brock Lesnar Dream Match

    Kenny Omega Comments on Brock Lesnar Dream Match

    AEW Champion Kenny Omega recently commented on the in-ring abilities of WWE Superstar Brock Lesnar. The former ‘Next Big Thing’ and WWE Champion has been away from the company since losing to Drew McIntyre at last year’s WrestleMania.

    With Kenny Omega recently making comments about a potential WWE/AEW crossover; there has been discussion and clamouring from fans to see potential dream matches between the two biggest promotion in North America, if not the world.

    A fan asked Kenny Omega on Twitter what his thoughts were on Lesnar. Omega replied to the prospect of having a ‘dream’ match against the former UFC fighter.

    Kenny Omega on Brock Lesnar

    “Brock is one of the greatest athletes and performers of all time” Kenny Omega wrote. “I’d need more friends if I were to face him.”

    There was previously rumblings of Lesnar potentially joining AEW. Lesnar’s WWE contract was up for renewal and there was speculation that All Elite/Tony Khan had contacted Lesnar. With UFC now no longer on Lesnar’s radar, it is possible that he/his team were using potential AEW talks to negotiate a better deal with WWE. It has not been confirmed if Brock Lesnar is still signed to WWE at this point.

    Former WWE Superstar Jon Moxley also recently discussed the potential of AEW and WWE working together. With Moxley having intrinsic knowledge of the company, he said it wasn’t likely to happen anytime soon.

    “That would never happen” Moxley told to Inside The Ropes this week. “That’s not even worth wasting any mental energy to… You know. I mean, if you want to fantasy book some cool s**. You know, maybe you could fantasy book it for, like, fun magazine, stuff.”

    Here are some of our recent articles related to Brock Lesnar & AEW:

    Are there any dream matches you’d like to see? Would you prefer Lesnar or Omega face someone else in the other company?

  • Jon Moxley Doesn’t Think WWE And AEW Will Ever Work Together

    Jon Moxley Doesn’t Think WWE And AEW Will Ever Work Together

    Jon Moxley is the latest person from AEW to address whether there would ever be a working relationship between All Elite Wrestling and WWE. 

    AEW President Tony Khan and top AEW Executive Cody Rhodes seem to think that a possible collaboration is possible. However, the former AEW World Heavyweight Champion doesn’t seem to think so. 

    “That would never happen. That’s not even worth wasting any mental energy to… You know. I mean, if you want to fantasy book some cool s**. You know, maybe you could fantasy book it for, like, fun magazine, stuff,” Moxley stated in a recent interview with Inside The Ropes.

    “You know, Like back in the day, in magazines, you used to always have, like, ‘Dream match. Bill Goldberg versus Steve Austin,’ in ’98. But that ain’t gonna happen.”

    He continued, “It’d be cool to think about the cool s**t that could happen, you know, like a big summit at the Tokyo Dome, AEW, NJPW, WWE or some s**t but that s**t ain’t going to happen. So, you know, they do their thing. They stay over there.”

    All Elite Wrestling currently has a working relationship with Impact Wrestling and NJPW. 

    Current AEW World Champion Kenny Omega also commented on such a relationship being possible as he thinks the final forbidden door will be opened.

  • Kenny Omega: AEW-NJPW Relationship “Not A Full Talent Exchange”

    Kenny Omega: AEW-NJPW Relationship “Not A Full Talent Exchange”

    Kenny Omega recently clarified that AEW’s agreement with NJPW is not a full-blown talent exchange. He spoke with Talk Sport recently about what fans can expect from the agreement reached between the two promotions.

    “So you talk about the ‘forbidden door’ and people talk about it being open. It’s been ‘kicked open!’ or ‘blown open!’ Do I look at it as this gigantic door in the distance… I feel like it’s opened a crack and there’s this heavenly light shining through,” Omega said.

    Omega then clarified that a few wrestlers will go from one promotion to the other but it won’t be a full talent exchange.

    “A couple things slip through the cracks, you know what I mean? You might get a guy here or there sneaking in from one side to another, but it’s not going to be a full talent exchange where it’s a free-for-all going both ways.”

    He continued to say that the agreement is hampered by international travel restrictions.

    “It’s more the traveling restrictions and the things that make traveling between countries difficult is actually what is hurting us. But, in the same way, it helped this whole thing become a possibility because now we’ve been able to take a step back and take a look at the world we’ve realized there’s something a lot bigger than company pride or competing with everyone else around you trying to make yourself the number one brand.”

    In response to a fan question on Twitter, Omega also recently stated that he believes Brock Lesnar is one of the best performers in history.

    The full interview with Kenny Omega is here.

  • Anna Jay Out 6-12 Months With Shoulder Injury

    Anna Jay Out 6-12 Months With Shoulder Injury

    AEW star Anna Jay will be out of action for the next 6-12 months due to injury. According to AEW, the Dark Order member will require shoulder surgery.

    Anna Jay has been replaced in the AEW Women’s Title-Eliminator tournament by Madi Wrenkowski, a student and protege of Thunder Rosa.

    AEW announced the news on Monday. Anna Jay commented on her injury, stating that she’s super upset about the situation, but will come back stronger than ever.

    Anna Jay & The AEW Women’s Eliminator Tournament

    Fans began suspecting something was up with Anna Jay on on Monday. She was conspicuously absent from AEW’s promotion for this week’s Women’s Eliminator tournament matches. She also did not appear on this week’s Being The Elite.

    https://twitter.com/genwhyprod/status/1363924993072070657

    Wrenkowski trained out of the Hybrid School Of Wrestling in San Antonio. She made her pro-debut in 2019 and has competed on AEW Dark previously.

    Tonight’s show on YouTube will feature the semi-finals of the Japanese side of the bracket and two 1st round matches from the American side of the bracket. The scheduled matches are below:

    • AEW Women’s Title-Eliminator Tournament (1st Round American bracket)
      Tay Conti vs Nyla Rose
    • AEW Women’s Title-Eliminator Tournament (1st Round American bracket)
      Britt Baker vs Madi Wrenkowski
    • AEW Women’s Title-Eliminator Tournament (2nd Round Japanese bracket)
      Emi Sakura vs Yuka Sakazaki
    • AEW Women’s Title-Eliminator Tournament (2nd Round Japanese bracket)
      Aja Kong vs. Ryo Mizunami
  • Kenny Omega Reveals Timetable For AEW Video Game Release

    Kenny Omega Reveals Timetable For AEW Video Game Release

    Kenny Omega has provided new details regarding the AEW video game that is currently in development.

    During his recent interview with TalkSport, AEW’s World Champion provided some updates on the game’s progress. He also revealed the timetable for its eventual release.

    Omega first explained how they are trying to make a game that will be enjoyable for casual and hardcore gamers alike.

    When is the AEW video game coming out?

    The AEW video game is currently scheduled to be released during the first quarter of 2022.

    “I would say in a perfect world, give it about a year’s time,” said Omega. “We’re working really hard and we’re lucky to have two teams. One in America and one in Japan, working on this almost around the clock.

    He continued, “We do know that time is of the essence. We can’t let this sit around forever and people want a game like, yesterday. We do want to release something as soon as we feel it’s ready and representative of what our brand should be and what will make fans happy.”

    More on the AEW video game

    AEW wants to create a game fans will love, but do not want to keep people waiting forever. They want to avoid a Street Fighter 5 or Cyberpunk situation. Those games were delayed repeatedly.

    Apart from this, Kenny Omega also talked about the technical aspects of the game. They are working diligently to capture the essence of the different wrestling styles represented by AEW’s roster.

    There’s much more to the interview. If you’re interested in AEW’s video game, visit TalkSport to read all the quotes from their chat with Kenny Omega.

    Click below to learn more about the AEW video game:

  • GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 5 Results feat. Jon Moxley

    GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 5 Results feat. Jon Moxley

    GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport returned this weekend for the fifth instalment of the event. The main event of the show saw two former WWE Superstars face off, as Jon Moxley took on Davey Boy Smith Jr.

    Here’s the full results from the card that took place on FITE TV. The replay of the show is available to purchase here.

    • Calder McColl vs Bad Dude Tito – McColl took the win via submission
    • Calvin Tankman vs Nolan Edward – Calvin Tankman took the win via TKO
    • Kal Jack vs Superbeast – Kal Jack took the win via submission
    • Royce Isaacs vs Alex Coughlin – Royce Isaacs took the win via submission
    • Rocky Romero vs Simon Grimm – Rocky Romero took the win via submission
    • Chris Dickinson vs JR Kratos – Chris Dickinson took the win via submission
    • Jeff Cobb vs Tom Lawlor – NJPW star Jeff Cobb took the win via submission
    • Jon Moxley vs Davey Boy Smith Jr. – The former AEW Champion defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr via KO

    Davey Boy Smith Jr. wrote the following about his loss to Jon Moxley:

    https://twitter.com/DBSmithjr/status/1363342831885160448
  • Bully Ray Talks How Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega Need To Approach Revolution Match

    Bully Ray Talks How Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega Need To Approach Revolution Match

    WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the upcoming Exploding Barbed Wire DeathMatch in AEW. It was confirmed on this week’s AEW Dynamite that Kenny Omega will be defending his Championship against Jon Moxley in the FMW classic match type at AEW Revolution.

    “The match can work if you do it the right way” Bully Ray began. “If they try to do too much? It’s not gonna work. There’s a way to do it and it revolves around how you toy with the psychology leading up to it. It revolves around how many times you actually fall into the exploding barbed wire. It also revolves around what that means in the match.”

    Bully Ray on Exploding DeathMatch

    “One of my biggest problems with Last Man Standing matches is that talent will prostitute the count” Bully Ray continued. “When a ref starts counting early? You know the guy is gonna get up by two; but a little later he’s gonna get up by four, then a little later he’s gonna get up by six, a little later by eight and then you know whatever the finish is. If I’m doing a Last Man Standing match? I never want the count to be to be prostituted”

    Bully Ray finished by discussing how he would approach the bout from a phycological standpoint. “I don’t want it to be used too much in this match. You build to the exploding barbed wire, you go into the barbed wire one to two times the get cut up, then you fall into the exploding stuff, and then you get a finish” Bully stated. “Don’t overdo it, because then it becomes overkill. You want to leave this match with just enough so these people would want to see it again.”

    https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1363165364230574088
  • Sami Zayn On Reason Behind Name-Dropping AEW On Raw Back In 2019

    Sami Zayn On Reason Behind Name-Dropping AEW On Raw Back In 2019

    Sami Zayn did something that was unexpected live on WWE TV just days after All Elite Wrestling held their first pay-per-view Double or Nothing event back in 2019.

    He name-dropped AEW during a segment on Monday Night Raw, which would be the first time the rival promotion’s name was mentioned on WWE programming.

    The first and unfortunately the only edition of the Electric Chair segment saw Sami Zayn taking unfiltered questions from members of the audience and answering them while sitting on an apparently real electric chair. The segment aired on the May 27, 2019 episode of Raw, just two days after Double or Nothing.

    Sami Zayn recalled the segment in an interview with Sportskeeda, stating that he anticipated that questions about the AEW would be submitted by the audience as the debut of the promotion was topical at the time, but to his surprise nobody went for the low-hanging fruit.

    “So it was right on everybody’s mind. It was super, super fresh and I think they had just announced this TV deal. They had just announced that this wasn’t just going to be a pay-per-view. This is going to be a competitor and all this sort of stuff. And they tell me that we’re doing this segment where it’s legitimately, you know, unplanned questions and anybody could ask anything. So at the time this was the number one topic in the wrestling world. So you kind of expected to be asked about it,” Sami Zayn said.

    Zayn revealed that the idea behind the Electric Chair segment was that it was supposed to an unscripted and unpredictable segment. Seeing the questions he got, Zayn felt that it doesn’t have the risky vibes that was the point of the experimental segment. So instead, he took it upon himself to mention AEW on the otherwise lifeless segment.

    “As I was out there, I was like, this doesn’t have these vibes, these questions are too sterile. So I felt like it was upon me, it was incumbent upon me, to sort of make it controversial. And the fact that we’re talking about it now, all this time later, you know I hate to say I was right, but I kind of think I was right to do it,” Sami Zayn explained.

    While Sami Zayn was able to elicit a reaction of shock by viewers, it wasn’t so favorable for him backstage and the Electric Chair segment was nixed just after its debut.

  • AEW Special Feat. Women’s Title Tournament Match Announced

    AEW Special Feat. Women’s Title Tournament Match Announced

    AEW has announced that a special featuring the women’s title eliminator tournament match will be broadcasted on Bleacher Report for free.

    President Tony Khan announced that the match between Thunder Rosa and Riho as part of the US semi-finals will air for free on Sunday, February 28. Khan tweeted, “The #AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Tournament USA semifinal bout featuring former AEW Women’s World Champion Riho vs. former NWA Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa streams on Bleacher Report on February 28th on a free Sunday Special, one week before Revolution PPV!”

    It should be noted that Bleacher Report is available worldwide as opposed to BR Live, which is the only available in the US. Khan noted that streaming on Bleacher Report will provide great exposure of AEW to non-fans via Bleacher Report’s 9.4 million Twitter followers along with 14.8 million Instagram followers.

    Thunder Rosa won against Leyla Hirsch in the US quarterfinal round on the February 10 edition of AEW Dynamite, while Riho defeated Serena Deeb on last week’s episode. Four matches from the Japanese bracket have been aired on YouTube.

    Four more matches will be broadcasted via YouTube on Monday, February 22: Tay Conti vs. Nyla Rose and Dr. Britt Baker vs. Anna Jay of the US bracket, along with Yuka Sakazaki vs. Emi Sakura and Ryo Mizunami vs. Aja Kong of the Japanese bracket.

    The winners from the remaining US quarterfinals will face each other on the February 24 episode of Dynamite. The emerging winner will then face the winner of the Thunder Rosa vs. Riho match on March 1. Finally, the finalists from the US and Japan brackets will have a match on the March 3 episode of Dynamite. The winner will get to face Hikaru Shida for the AEW Women’s Championship on March 7 at the Revolution PPV.