Kevin Reilly is the chief content officer for HBO Max and president of TNT, TBS, and truTV. He spoke to Variety recently about the new deal his company struck with All Elite Wrestling. Reilly also talked about the second AEW show WarnerMedia plans to air.
“I just had this idea that this was the time to invest,” Reilly told Variety. “This is a startup. It’s already over-delivered out of the gate. That’s really when you want to hit the gasoline a little bit. The guys already have ideas about additional talent and things they want to do and I wanted to incentivize them as a partner to do that. We also wanted to gave fans and talent who potentially want to come work with us the sense that this is here to stay. You can invest in it, it’s here to stay, and it’s only going to get better.”
Reilly spoke about bringing AEW Dark to the network as opposed to YouTube.
“We just figured, ‘Let’s bring it onto the network and make it a place where you truly plant up and coming talent,’” he continued. “I think we’ll start doing more packages there and filming some behind-the-scenes stuff, not for the matches that night but with other talent to plant stories and grow things that could eventually become another show in and of itself.”
A story from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently stated, however, that Dark will continue to air on YouTube and a second show broadcast by WarnerMedia will extend tapings to 4 hours every Wednesday night.
AEW and WarnerMedia announced earlier this week that a deal has been struck for Dynamite to continue airing on TNT through until at least 2023. Also as part of the deal, a second AEW show will air on a WarnerMedia station. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, however, the new show will not replace AEW Dark.
“When the new show launches, the Wednesday tapings would expand and also include matches taped for the streaming show Dark, which would not be going away,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “This means there will be about four hours a week of the product being taped.”
Also of note, is that the new show is unable to run on either Sundays or Mondays due to agreements in place between the Khan family and the NFL. As the owners of the Jacksonville Jaguars, they are prohibited from airing programming on a day and time that coincides with NFL football.
“It would not air on Sunday, Monday or Thursday, because Khan has an agreement to not air wrestling against the NFL since his family owns the Jacksonville Jaguars,” Meltzer continued.
The report continues to state that Taz’s recent hiring is so he can work on commentary for the new show.
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
This week, AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group except Adults 50+, where NXT had a significant edge as they usually do.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 700,000 viewers, which is down from 721,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.21, up from 0.19 the previous week.
The episode featured Isaiah Scott took on Lio Rush and Tyler Breeze in NXT Cruiserweight Title Qualifying Triple Threat Match, Kushida & Alex Shelley battle Grizzled Young Veterans and Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne faced Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster in second-round matches of the Dusty Rhodes Classic tag team tournament and a #1 Contender’s Battle Royal for Women’s Title Match at NXT TakeOver: Portland.
There was also a reunion between Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano after mixing it up with The Undisputed Era.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 940,000 viewers, essentially even with 947,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.38 rating, up from the 0.36 rating that the show did last week.
Dynamite saw Sammy Guevara vs. Jon Moxley, DDP, Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall vs. MJF and The Butcher & The BladeKris Statlander and Hikaru Shida vs. Mel and Brandi Rhodes, PAC vs. Darby Allin, The Young Bucks vs. “Hangman” Adam Page & Kenny Omega vs. Santana & Ortiz vs. Best Friends in a Fatal 4-Way Match to earn future title shot.
This week’s episode of AEW and WWE NXT marked the second head-to-head battle in viewership for the new year.
Next week’s battle will be very interesting to see which show wins the ratings battle as AEW Dynamite will be taped while the talents are on the Chris Jericho cruise.
Cody Rhodes will finally get his hands on Maxwell J. Friedman at AEW’s next pay-per-view-event, Revolution. That show takes place Saturday, February 29th from Chicago, IL.
In order to secure that match, Cody first had to accept terms set forth by MJF. He accepted those terms on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, as seen in the video embedded at the bottom of this article.
One of those terms is that Cody must battle Wardlow inside a steel cage. Cody said he knew just the place for the match to take place. AEW has since confirmed that the Cody vs. Wardlow steel cage match will take place at the February 19th edition of AEW Dynamite from Atlanta, GA.
This will be Wardlow’s AEW in-ring debut and the first cage match in AEW history.
If you’re in the Atlanta area, visit AEWTix.com for ticket information or AEW Dynamite at the State Farm Arena.
Wrestling legend Taz has signed a multi-year agreement with All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
He joins the AEW broadcast team that also includes Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur, Justin Roberts, Alex Marvez, Dasha Fuentes, Jenn Decker, “Goldenboy” Alex Mendez and Chris Van Vliet.
Below, you can see Taz sign his AEW contract and Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes welcome him to the team. Cody also tweeted that he is thrilled to welcome Taz to the AEW booth.
The news of Taz signing with All Elite Wrestling comes just one day after it was announced WarnerMedia and AEW have entered into a new 4-year agreement that will see AEW Dynamite remain on TNT through the end of 2023 and the creation of a new weekly show.
Prior to signing joining AEW, Taz received strong reviews for his work calling several AEW broadcasts. Taz debuted for AEW as a guest commentator on the third episode of AEW Dark back in October. He called the New Year’s Day episode of AEW Dynamite (filling in for Tony Schiavone)and calledWednesday’s AEW Dark from Miami along with Excalibur.
AEW Dynamite: Bash at the Beach aired live from the Watsco Center in Miami, Florida. PAC and Darby Allin battled in the main event of this week’s episode of Dynamite.
AEW Dynamite: Bash at the Beach Results (1/15)
Hangman Page & Kenny Omega def. Santana & Ortiz, Best Friends, and The Young Bucks to become #1 contenders
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent), The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), Santana & Ortiz, and Kenny Omega & Hangman Page battled to determine the #1 contender for the AEW Tag Team Championships.
Match Recap: Kenny Omega got an enormous reaction from the crowd when he tagged into the match. Santana and Ortiz took control of the match as the crowd loudly chanted “this is awesome!”. Best Friends hit Omega with the Strong Zero but the Young Bucks broke it up. Hangman Page tagged himself in and pissed the Young Bucks. Omega & Hangman connected with the V-Trigger and Buckshot Lariat combo to win the match. Hangman Page and Kenny Omega will battle SCU for the AEW Tag Team Championship next week on Dynamite.
Opinion: The energy from the crowd was absolutely incredible for this match. I’ve enjoyed the story being told with Hangman Page recently. He has slowly been separating himself from The Elite and is rarely on the same page as his tag partner, Kenny Omega. It will be interesting to see what happens during next week’s title match.
Cody stated that Arn Anderson was right when he said that the audience wanted this match with MJF. Rhodes put up MJF’s stipulations up the screen and brought up wrestling Wardlow inside the cage. Cody suggested that MJF is afraid of the audience finding out that MJF should actually be carrying Wardlow’s bags.
Cody added that he didn’t need to touch MJF until Revolution because he lives rent free inside his head. Rhodes brought up MJF’s parents parading him around the Rosie O’Donnell show when he was 7-year-old.
He then accepted the Steel Cage match and claimed that he knew the perfect place. Cody accepted the 10 lashes live on Dynamite and not to touch MJF before the PPV. Rhodes added that this not MJF’s story, MJF is just a chapter in his and vowed to give MJF his own god damn scar at Revolution.
Brandi Rhodes & Mel of the Nightmare Collective battled Hikaru Shida & Kris Statlander tonight on Dynamite. Luther was ringside for the the match. Awesome Kong was supposed to be in this match but she wasn’t medically cleared and Brandi took her place.
Match Recap: Shida hit Luther with a kendo stick during her entrance as Brandi & Mel beat Statlander down in the ring. Nightmare Collective controlled the beginning of the match but momentum turned when Statlander isolated Brandi in the ring. Shida Dropkicked Mel to the outside and Rhodes leveled Kris with a Spear for a two count. Mel tagged in and slammed Statlander to the canvas for a two count. Kris planted Mel with a Piledriver for a two count.
Opinion: Nightmare Collective got no reaction and this match pretty much put the crowd to sleep. There were also countless botches that made this match a painful watch. AEW really needs to start building up the wrestlers in their women’s division besides Nightmare Collective because this isn’t working. They claim they are going to listen to the fans, well they have been dead silent for two weeks in a row during Nightmare Collective segments.
Jon Moxley showed up in his Ford GT for his match against Sammy Guevara. The winner of this match will face the winner of the PAC vs. Darby Allin match next week to determine the #1 contender for the AEW Championship.
Match Recap: Sammy attacked Moxley as he got into the ring but Jon quickly battled back. Moxley went for a German Suplex but Sammy landed on his feet and hit a Shooting Star Press for a near fall. Moxley locked in a submission hold and Sammy tapped out.
After the match, the lights in the arena went out as Jericho’s music hit. Inner Circle surrounded Moxley in the ring and beat him down. Hager held up Jon and Jericho whipped him with the AEW Championship. Jericho ripped a spike off of his jacket and stabbed Moxley in the eye with it. The crowd chanted “asshole!” as Jericho smirked in the ring. AEW officials came down to the ring to check on Moxley to end the segment.
DDP, Dustin Rhodes, QT Marshall squared off against The Butcher, The Blade, and MJF tonight on Dynamite. The Bunny was ringside for the bout and MJF came down to the ring with a shirt that read “I banged Dallas’ daughter”.
Match Recap: DDP and MJF started off the match but Maxwell quickly tagged in The Butcher. MJF tagged back in once QT made the tag. Butcher, Blade, and MJF took turns beating QT Marshall down before he battled back and tagged Dustin. Wardlow then made his way down to the ring and booted Rhodes in the face as the referee was distracted. DDP finally tagged in and bounced MJF’s face off the top turnbuckle several times.
DDP planted Butcher with the Diamond Cutter and turned his attention towards MJF. MJF hit DDP with a low blow while the referee was distracted. DDP was later able to hit MJF with the Diamond Cutter as QT Marshall tagged in. DDP then climbed to the top rope and took out everyone with a Splash. Back in the ring, MJF rolled up QT Marshall for the victory.
PAC faced Darby Allin in the main event of this week’s Dynamite. The winner of the match will face Jon Moxley next week to determine the #1 contender for the AEW Championship.
Match Recap: Allin controlled the match early and leveled PAC with a Dropkick. Darby went for a Hurricanrana outside the ring but PAC caught him and slammed his head onto the steel steps. Darby battled back and hit a Crucifix Bomb off the middle rope. Allin followed that up with the Coffin Drop on PAC outside the ring.
PAC and Allin traded roll-up attempts but both were able to kick out. PAC planted Allin with a Powerbomb for a two count. PAC and Allin then battled on the top rope. PAC headbutted Darby to the canvas and connected with the Black Arrow for the pinfall victory.
Tony Schiavone interviewed PAC after the match. PAC claimed that Jon Moxley was clearly physically incapacitated and that everyone is looking at the #1 contender. Moxley was shown being loaded into an ambulance with his eye bandaged up. Jon hopped out of the ambulance and marched to entrance ramp. Moxley said that he doesn’t care if he is blind, he will be there next week and kick PAC’s ass because the title shot belongs to him. The crowd chanted “Moxley!” as Dynamite went off the air.
Opinion: Everything besides the women’s tag team match on this show was very entertaining. Darby Allin is an incredible talent and has an amazing future in AEW. Moxley versus PAC next week on Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘N’ Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise should be awesome.
Although DDP was back in action, he did suffer a loss in a match that aired on a special episode of AEW Dynamite.
All Elite Wrestling aired Wednesday’s Dynamite episode, themed Bash at the Beach, on TNT in Miami, FL at the Watsco Center.
DDP Suffers Loss In Return
This show saw the legendary pro wrestler team up with Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall to take on MJF and The Butcher & The Blade in an eight-man tag team match.
As seen on the show, the WWE Hall of Famer didn’t win the contest as the heels went over. He looked great for his age.
DDP made his promotional debut with AEW back at Double or Nothing last year at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
He also made an appearance on the October 23, 2019 episode of Dynamite where he helped Cody, Adam Page, and Dustin Rhodes brawl with the Inner Circle in the arena after Jericho interrupted Cody’s promo to build their program heading into Full Gear.
This contest was set up last week when he interrupted a promo by MJF where he was plugging everything from social media to DDP Yoga. After being attacked by MJF, The Butcher and The Blade, QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes ran out to make the save.
This was also a way to build up the feud between MJF and Cody Rhodes as Cody is close with DDP, who has been a big supporter of the promotion that launched last year.
DDP’s previous match came at WWE WrestleMania 32 where he worked the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal that was won by Baron Corbin.
Obviously, this was special for DDP as he had a great career in WCW, which used the Bash at the Beach theme. This appears to be a one and done for the WWE Hall of Famer in regards to him as an in-ring talent.
AEW Dark is moving to TNT after today’s news of the latest development in the partnership with All Elite Wrestling and WarnerMedia.
On Wednesday, it was announced that AEW Dynamite has been extended through 2023 by the media company to remain on the air every week on TNT.
Kevin Reilly, who is WarnerMedia direct-to-consumer chief content officer and TBS/TNT/TruTV president, recently gave a brief interview with The Wrap’s Tony Maglio.
AEW Dark Moving To TNT
This is where Reilly talked about how AEW’s Dark show will air weekly on TNT. The only catch is the fact that it may not air 52 weeks a year.
“We do not yet have a weeknight for it, but obviously ‘Dark’ is currently a Tuesday show on YouTube,” he told Maglio. “We’re taking ‘Dark’ and then re-adapting it for TNT.”
“We’re going to embellish ‘AEW Dark’ and put some additional material, kind of behind the scenes, kind of docu-follow stuff, if you will, about the athletes and the stories,” Reilly additionally noted.
Reilly closed out his conversation by noting that the show’s presence on YouTube will build the bridge but not air the whole show. Thus, it appears that a version of Dark will air on YouTube after the show moves to TNT.
Currently, AEW Dark airs every Tuesday night on AEW’s YouTube channel. The promotion has yet to confirm the show moving to TNT.
AEW Dark typically features three matches and a series of promos recapping what happened on the previous episode of Dynamite as well as looking ahead to the new episode.
The big news of the day is WarnerMedia expanding its partnership with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). AEW Dynamite has been renewed for 4 more years, through the end of 2023. Warner has ordered additional programing from AEW, which will see a new AEW show premiering later this year.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has reported some new information regarding this developing story:
The four-year deal is worth $175 million ($43.75 million per year).
The new deal makes AEW a profitable this year. A big budget wrestling promotion achieving profitability in its first full calendar year is no small feat.
TNT has the option to renew Dynamite for an additional year (2024) at a “significantly increased” price.
The deal would also include adding another hour of television later this year, which would be taped on Wednesdays but air on another night, likely on TNT but could be on another Turner station. Full details of the new show have not been worked out past an agreement to add a third hour.
A new AEW show is launching later this year. The new show will be recorded Wednesday nights when AEW tapes Dynamite. No word yet on where the new AEW show will air.
AEW Dark will continue as a YouTube digital series.
Check out our initial report on the subject for more on AEW Dynamite on TNT being renewed for through 2023.
All Elite Wrestling is here to stay. Three months into a successful run on TNT, WarnerMedia has announced that AEW Dynamite has been renewed through 2023.
AEW President Tony Khan commented on the news in a press release sent in to SEScoops.com. “When we launched AEW one year ago, we wanted to start a revolution that would disrupt the wrestling business, but everyone said that it would take a strong weekly television partner to make AEW real in the eyes of everyone – above all, the fans,” said Khan.
He continued, “What virtually no one realized at the time was Kevin Reilly and TNT were committed to this very same movement from Day One, and their belief in us made it possible for AEW to think and act big from the start. Here we are, only three months into Wednesday Night Dynamite, and now we’ve been extended through 2023! We’re now making the ultimate statement that the team of AEW and TNT is here to stay and to bring fans more of the great wrestling that the fans demand and deserve.”
The press release notes that both parties are continuously exploring ways to further expand this relationship. Most notably, “The parties have agreed to launch another night of AEW action, offering more of the fans’ favorite wrestlers, with a second show straight-to- series.” It is not clear at this time whether the second night of AEW action will air on TNT, or across Turner’s other television/digital platforms.
Kevin Reilly, Chief Content Officer of HBO Max and President of TNT, TBS, and truTV, gave his take on AEW’s success. “When Tony Khan first shared with me his idea of starting a new wrestling league, I was impressed by his audacity to go up against a contender that has been the only game in town for twenty years, and ultimately believed that together we could bring his vision for a new, authentic, gritty product to bear. The fans have spoken and after only three months, we have seen AEW shake up the wrestling world and this will only continue as we build upon this momentum.”
AEW Dynamite has averaged 1.2 million viewers each week in Live + 7 Day Viewing. In just three months, AEW: DYNAMITE has reached nearly 32 million people across all platforms. The show also delivers the youngest wrestling audience on television.
AEW Bash at the Beach kicks off tonight with a special edition of AEW Dynamite live from Miami, FL. If you’re in the area, limited tickets are still available at AEWTix.com.
Bash at the Beach is being billed as a 9-day “fan extravaganza” that continues next week aboard Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise. It’s part of AEW’s broader strategy to keep things interesting in between the company’s quarterly pay-per-views.
AEW Bash at the Beach Card
AEW is promoting the following matches for tonight’s broadcast:
A #1 Contenders Match has been announced to determine the next challengers to SCU’s AEW World Tag Team championships. It will be The Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. Santana & Ortiz vs. Best Friends.
After turning down Chris Jericho’s invitation to join the Inner Circle last week, Jon Moxley will square off against the faction’s resident blue chipper, Sammy Guevara. Guevara vows to show Moxley how foolish he was to snub Le Champion.
PAC vs. Darby Allin in singles action.
Diamond Dallas Page returns to action when he teams with Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall. They’ll face Maxwell J. Friedman, The Butcher & The Blade
Top-ranked female competitor Hikaru Shida teams with Kris Statlander against Awesome Kong & Mel of the Nightmare Collective.
Cody Rhodes will also respond to MJF’s stipulations. Is Cody willing to jump through MJF’s hoops in order to get his hands on his former protege?
Join us here tonight night for our AEW Bash at the Beach Results & Takeaways.
All Elite Wrestling has revealed its newly weekly rankings. The promotion made a slight change to the release schedule of its rankings last week, now releasing them on Wednesday mornings.
Kenny Omega & Adam “Hangman” Page (1-0) (previously unranked)
The Lucha Bros (0-1) (-2)
The Lucha Bros dropped two spots this week and Hangman Page and Kenny Omega debut in the rankings. Page and Omega defeated Private Party and the Lucha Bros dropped a match to Cody and Dustin Rhodes on Dynamite.
All Elite Wrestling invades Miami, Florida this week for a special Bash at the Beach edition of AEW Dynamite. It will be the start of a 9-day “fan extravaganza” that continues next week aboard Chris Jericho’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager at Sea cruise.
AEW’s top stars have been doing the media rounds this week to promote Bash at the Beach, a reincarnation of WCW’s classic pay-per-view series. The Young Bucks appeared on ESPN’s West Palm affiliate on Tuesday and explained how AEW’s take on Bash at the Beach came together.
AEW Bash at the Beach
According to Nick Jackson, Bash the Beach is part of AEW’s broader strategy to freshen up the AEW Dynamite formula in between the company’s quarterly pay-per-views.
“Our plan is to do four pay-per-views a year, so we realized we have to dress up some of the shows on Wednesday to not fall into a formula,” said Jackson. “Try to make some of them feel more special than other ones. That was the thinking process on this. To bring something back from the past that has such a cool history.”
WCW’s Bash at the Beach pay-per-views featured unique set designs that included sand, palm trees, a boardwalk aisle, tropical birds and more. The 1995 installment actually took place outdoors at Huntington Beach, California. Nick Jackson knows that fans are expecting a ‘special’ look this Wednesday and AEW plans to deliver.
He continued, “Cody happened to get the trademark and owns it now. He brought it to Tony’s attention and we all thought it was a good idea. I think fans are gonna be excited because we’re gonna try to make it a special show, even from the look of things.”
We say this most weeks, but AEW has lined up a loaded card for this week’s Dynamite. The following is a preview for Wednesday’s AEW Bash at the Beach episode from Miami:
The Young Bucks vs. Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. Santana & Ortiz vs. Best Friends (#1 Contenders Match)
Jon Moxley vs. Sammy Guevara
PAC vs. Darby Allin
MJF, The Butcher & The Blade vs. DDP, Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall
Kris Statlander & Hikaru Shida vs. Awesome Kong & Mel of the Nightmare Collective
Plus, Cody Rhodes will respond to MJF’s challenge and stipulations.
Join us here Wednesday night for our AEW Bash at the Beach Results & Takeaways.
WWE Hall of Famer and hardcore legend Mick Foley has shared some constructive thoughts regarding All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Foley explained how AEW has, in his opinion, not been patient enough in their storytelling. He highlighted the Unsanctioned Lights Out match between Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega that took place at last year’s AEW Full Gear pay-per-view as an example.
“Maybe, they’re not showing the patience they need to. I would say that Moxley and Kenny Omega shouldn’t have had their first match in a wild, anything goes environment,” Foley explained to Inside The Ropes.
He continued, “I think these are mistakes made out of wanting to give people the absolute best product they can. But I do feel like there needs to be somebody reigning in their enthusiasm.”
Mick Foley On NXT’s Advantage
Foley highlighted how NXT’s current advantage lies in how their talents work the camera. He argued this comes from a more seasoned team of both crew and Superstars.
Although he is isn’t critical of AEW’s enthusiasm, he reiterated his belief that “somebody needs to reigns these guys in” in the same way Gerald Brisco once did with a young Mick Foley. He believes that this mentality would lead to longer, satisfying feuds and storylines. It would also help with a performer’s “longevity” as a competitor.
Brandi Rhodes has issued a formal apology to Excalibur for her comments at commentary on Dynamite this week. Rhodes mispronounced Excalibur’s name several times while on commentary during the women’s championship match. She then referred to him by a different name again during her formal apology to him.
Brandi’s “apology” is below:
I’d like to issue a formal apology to the commentator I called Xzibit this week. I knew what I was doing and it wasn’t very nice. As a former interviewer and announcer, I am better than taking cheap shots as such. I’m very sorry. It won’t happen again, Expedition.
Rhodes was recently featured in an article from the Miami Herald as Dynamite will emanate from the campus this week. She has a Master’s Degree from the University of Miami to go along with her degree in journalism from the University of Michigan.
Rhodes also spoke to the Bleacher Report recently about her on-air relationship with Awesome Kong.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Awesome Kong because she came to me wanting something specific for herself and that’s always a great thing, a great sign from a talent when they come in and say, ‘Hey, this is my vision, this is what I see. Can you help me create this?’” Rhodes said in the interview. “Because nobody’s going to be able to create their own vision better than they do themselves.”
MJF, known to many as the nicest guy in pro wrestling, announced the news on Twitter on Monday morning.
MJF had been with MLW since the promotion’s relaunch back in October 2017. He led the Dynasty faction, along with Alexander Hammerstone and Richard Holliday.
The 23-year-old Long Island native was no stranger to MLW gold. He has held the promotion’s MLW World Tag Team titles (with Holliday) as well as the Middleweight championship.
While my time with @MLW is over I can assure you the Dynasty will live on….forever.
MJF’s final appearance for MLW took place over the weekend at the MLW Zero Hour TV tapings from Dallas, Texas.
Maxwell J. Friedman is one of the standout performers in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is currently embroiled in a feud with his former best friend, Cody Rhodes. The two are on a collision course that is expected to culminate in a match at AEW’s next pay-per-view event, AEW Revolution.
MJF is the #5 ranked Men’s Singles competitor in AEW.
At one point, All Elite Wrestling’s Kenny Omega was the top star in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He was at the pinnacle of the promotion as their champion, holding the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. According to Omega, however, once NJPW learned he intended to leave the company, they did “whatever they could” to paint him in a negative light. He addressed his issues with NJPW in a recent episode of Wrestlers On The Road Ordering Room Service.
Omega’s Problem With NJPW
“Once they knew that I was going, they did whatever they could – they did a complete media blitz – to make it look like I was this terrible person,” Omega recalled. “Once I picked up on that, it actually inspired me to make a video that I made.”
He continued, “Yeah, some of my good friends in real life, Toby Fox, the guy who made Undertale, he helped me write the script for this game idea. I funded the whole thing because I knew it wasn’t going to get cleared [by NJPW]. I was like, ‘okay, we’re clear, here it is. I even edited it for you. It’s all done.’ And they’re like, ‘no, we’re not showing it.’ And I was like, ‘you’re not showing it?’ Yeah. I’m like, ‘well, what do you want me to do then?’ And they’re like, ‘well, the President doesn’t like it. Gedo doesn’t like it.’ Okay. So I said, ‘okay, thankfully, I own it, so here you go, Nick.’ We put it up on BTE.”
“It got a ton of media, press It went viral right away,” Omega noted. “And then, New Japan hits me up like, ‘so if we, like, edited the parts we didn’t like, could we use that video because I’m noticing it’s, like, getting a lot of traction. Could you actually give it to New Japan World?’ And I’m like, ‘oh, I’m sorry, I already gave it to Nick.’”
Kenny Omega’s Contract
Omega noted later in the video how he had requested a specific clause to be written into his AEW contract. This addition would have allowed him to maintain a relationship with the promotion and continue travelling and competing in Japan outside of AEW.
“I think the part that was strange for me was that I had always made clear that being a part of Japan or having roots in Japan was important to me,” Omega explained. “And that I was there to help them, anybody at any point in time for the long run, and I had it written into my contract with AEW to do so.”
Working Relationship
Nick Jackson then divulged how they had included similar additions to their contracts. He shared how the Young Bucks had attended meetings with ROH and New Japan to express how open they were to work together.
Although Kenny Omega may not be appearing on a NJPW show in the near future, two AEW stars recently competed during Wrestle Kingdom 14 earlier in the month. Both Jon Moxley and AEW World Champion Chris Jericho travelled to Japan to be on the show. Despite this, Nick has maintained the “door has not opened up at all.”
Former Impact World Champion Brian Cage has signed a new multi-year deal with All Elite Wrestling, according to reports from SoCal Uncensored.
Cage’s contract with Impact Wrestling expired recently and he had an offer from Impact to stay with the company as well as a lucrative offer from ROH to join the promotion.
However, while the offer from Ring Of Honor was the highest
paying deal, Brian Cage decided to sign with All Elite Wrestling due to the
exposure they currently have.
No start date has been given for Cage’s AEW contract so it’s hard to say when he will make his debut for the company. Though the reports say that he is expected to join the promotion soon.
It’s interesting to note here that Cage almost made his AEW
debut during the Double Or Nothing PPV while he was still the Impact World
Champion.
He was expected to participate in the Casino Battle Royal on the show but Impact Officials were not in the favor of having their world champion lose a pre-show battle royal, and so he was pulled from the event.
It’s said that his signing with AEW will not affect any of
his announced independent dates but we will have to see if he continues to take
bookings afterwards.
Former WWE Superstar Luke Harper is seen in a recently posted Instagram photo by All Elite Wrestling star and member of Chris Jericho-led Inner Circle, Sammy Guevara.
Both the wrestlers attended a Corpus Christi Icerays game against Shreveport Mudbugs. They were even given special jerseys by the team. You can check out the photo posted by Sam Guevara below:
Harper and Guevara attended an event before the match organized by indie fed GCWA. The event, dubbed “Pro Wrestling Night” featured matches outside the American Bank Center prior to the hockey game. Harper and Guevara were both part of the ceremonial puck drop as well as a meet and greet.
AEW Executive VP Cody Rhodes is a fan of Harper and thinks he would make a great fit in AEW. In an interview, Rhodes was asked about Luke Harper, and this is what he said: “He would be great as part of AEW. He’s a name that when you hear they’ve asked for their release, you definitely think about that and the next steps, for sure. I think he’s going to flourish with what he does next, he’s very special.”
Luke Harper was released on December 8, 2019, as he requested to be let go. He previously asked for a release back in April last year but he was denied. According to reports, Harper along with other names who were released during the time, are under a 90 days non compete clause and they can’t make TV appearances during this time. This means Luke Harper will only be able to join a major promotion after March 8, 2020.
Harper seems to be already preparing for a return as he recently applied to trademark his former wrestling ring name of Brodie Lee on November 26, 2019. The last time the 39-year-old used Brodie Lee as his ring name was in a match against BJ Whitmer on a Dragon Gate USA show in November 2011.
Kris Statlander quickly shot up the rankings in AEW’s women’s division. She dropped a title match to Riho on the most recent edition of Dynamite, however. Statlander recently took part in an interview with Alicia Atout and spoke about signing with AEW.
“There’s a lot of thoughts going through my mind because the whole thing with WWE was interested in me also,” Statlander said. “There’s a lot of stress with me because I didn’t know what I was going to do, I didn’t know what was the right choice.”
“You would think it’s a dream come true for anybody to be offered a contract but for me getting signed was never a legit goal of mine in wrestling,” she continued. Statlander would continue to say she was nervous and stressed about the decision but everything has worked out great in AEW so far.
“I am thoroughly enjoying all my time I’ve been with AEW and all the opportunities they have given me so far and I have no regrets about it,” Statlander stated.
AEW has booked a 4-way tag team #1 contenders match for its special “Bash at the Beach” episode next week. The show will emanate from the WATSCO Center on the campus of the University of Miami.
The Young Bucks, Trent & Chuck Taylor, Hangman Page & Kenny Omega, and Santana & Ortiz will all square off with the winner to earn a tag team title shot.
AEW Tag Team Champions Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky will meet the winners at a date to be determined later.
The tag team #1 contenders match just booked is the 5th match scheduled for next week’s event. The matches officially confirmed for the show are as follows:
Sammy Guevara vs Jon Moxley
AEW Tag Team Titles #1 Contender Match: The Young Bucks vs Hangman Page & Kenny Omega vs The Best Friends vs Proud and Powerful
PAC vs Darby Allin
Diamond Dallas Page, Dustin Rhodes, & QT Marshall vs Maxwell Jacob Friedman, The Butcher & the Blade w/the Bunny
Kris Statlander & Hikaru Shida vs Awesome Kong & Mel (the Nightmare Collective) w/Brandi Rhodes
All Elite Wrestling’s Cody Rhodes has reiterated the company’s interest in performing in Canada. The AEW Executive Vice President and in-ring talent addressed their intentions during an interview with TSN. He claimed that “there are definitely plans for 2020 in Canada.”
“I have the best respect for the Canadian wrestling fans and they’ve always been incredibly good to me,” said Rhodes. “There’s no way you can start a global wrestling company without making plans to go to Canada and making Canada a part of your fabric.”
He continued, “For people watching on TSN, just stay tuned and that will come to fruition. There are definitely plans for 2020 in Canada because it’s a great audience and everyone likes to wrestle in Canada. I look forward to it.”
Cody Rhodes On The Fan Experience
Rhodes also opened up about how the most important thing to AEW is the fan experience. He stated how there is “no single way to do wrestling” and that the only real indicator is the live audience reaction. For him, “There’s nothing more important than getting over with the fans. […] Fan experience is the only indicator on if you’re doing it right.”
Cody Rhodes competed this week on AEW: Dynamite on TNT. He teamed up with his brother Dustin Rhodes in a matchup against the Lucha Bros, Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr. He is currently feuding with his former best friend, MJF, who has laid out several stipulations he must agree to earn a match.
Speaking on After83 Weeks, former President of WCW Eric Bischoff spoke openly about the current pro wrestling market. Bischoff was honest in his assessment, alluding to an oversaturated product that currently struggles to stand out from one another. He noted how the current climate creates a difficult balance in creating compelling content without overexposing talent.
“One of the big challenges now is that there’s so much content out there. WWE’s got three hours on Monday night, SmackDown, two hours of broadcast on Friday night,” Bischoff said. “AEW’s got two hours on Wednesday night. NXT’s got two hours on Wednesday nights. My God, there’s so much content available.”
“You know, there’s a finite number of wrestling fans,” he explained. “The pool of wrestling fans out there in the audience is only so big and they’re being drenched with content and great content, by the way, not bad content. Great content. And I think there’s a point where you’re giving it away. You’re producing so much content out there that it’s hard to create great content. And that’s the key is when you put on a show, whether it’s a pay-per-view, whether it’s Monday Night Raw, whether it’s SmackDown, whether it’s Dynamite, whatever it is, NXT, it’s got to be compelling content.
“And when you start just putting out more and more and more, that’s really hard to do. There’s a limit to how much really special great content that you can create [and] not overexpose your talent. And that’s another big issue.”
Eric Bischoff’s Take
Bischoff pointed to the low ratings RAW received near the end of 2019. He speculated about what could be behind them: the talent, the writing team or the overall presentation. “Or perhaps it’s the fact that there’s so much content out there that none of it feels special anymore.”
He acknowledged how “challenging” the current marketplace is. Bischoff explained how if a fan missed an event on Monday, they don’t need to worry as there’ll be great stuff on Wednesday. If they miss Wednesday, it’s only a few days until Friday. And, if a fan manages to miss it all, the majority of the key moments from the shows will be available in bite-sized YouTube clips.
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
This week, AEW won in total viewers. NXT didn’t crack the top 50 shows on cable so all of NXT’s demos weren’t available as of this publishing.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 721,000 viewers, which is up from 548,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.19, up from 0.15 the previous week.
The episode featured Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grimes vs. Donavan Dijakovic vs. Damian Priest in a Fatal 4-Way Match to determine a new #1 contender for the NXT North American Championship, Undisputed Era vs. Gallus and Imperium (Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner) vs. The Forgotten Sons (Wesley Blake and Steve Cutler) in first-round matches of the Dusty Rhodes Classic tag team tournament.
There was also the debuts of Chelsea Green & Robert Stone as well as a six-woman tag team match that opened the show.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 947,000 viewers, down from 967,000 the previous week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.36 rating, the same as last week.
Dynamite saw AEW Women’s Champion Riho vs. Kris Statlander, Sammy Guevara vs. Christopher Daniels, Cody and Dustin Rhodes vs. Lucha Bros, and The Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt) vs. Best Friends and Orange Cassidy.
In the main event segment, Jon Moxley gave his answer on if he planned on joining Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle.
This week’s episode of AEW and NXT marked the first head-to-head battle in viewership for the new year.
All Elite Wrestling took off Christmas night two weeks ago while WWE NXT aired some random matches.
Moving along to last week, NXT took the night off by airing best of content with big matches from TakeOver events and revealing the end of the year awards while Dynamite featured a stacked card that was live.
All Elite Wrestling has officially signed Austin Gunn. Last week, his father, Billy Gunn, teamed with Austin following AEW: Dynamite in Jacksonville, FL. Although it was initially believed their matchup against Shawn Spears and Preston Vance would be a part of the most recent AEW: Dark, the bout was not present in the uploaded episode. According to ProWrestlingSheet’s Ryan Satin, however, that was always the plan.
For those wondering, sources say Billy Gunn’s match w/ son Austin Gunn taped at Dynamite last week was never intended to be on Dark & was more of a tryout.
I’m told the tryout went well & Austin will team w/ Billy again tonight for a match that will likely air on Dark next week.
Sources claimed that The Gunn Club’s matchup was never intended to air on Dark. Instead, it acted as more of a tryout for Austin. This tryout evidently went well, as not only did Austin and Billy go on to face the team of Shawn Spears and Peter Avalon after last night’s Dynamite, AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes would come out after their match to announce they have signed Austin to AEW.
This taped matchup will most likely air on next week’s episode of Dark, which is available to watch on the promotion’s YouTube channel.
Austin Gunn has previously appeared on AEW. He made his debut for the company during the All Out Battle Royal in 2018. That match was eventually won by a masked Flip Gordon. He also competed in last year’s Ring of Honor Top Prospect Tournament, losing in the finals to Dak Draper.
