With All Elite Wrestling’s next event, Double Or Nothing, now under a month away, wrestlers are busy training for their scheduled bouts.
One AEW grappler, in particular, has undertaken a different training regimen than he might generally be used to.
In an interview with Cheddar, Chris Jericho discussed his reasons for signing withthe upcoming promotion, as well as incorporating Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) training into his routine.
When asked about the crossover that exists between MMA and pro wrestling, Jericho revealed he has been “doing MMA training” to get ready for Double or Nothing.
“It’s so cool to do a different type of training, and when I’m in there, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna fight Conor McGregor. I can do this!’” he joked. “Obviously you can’t, but just to be in there doing something different, it’s a lot of fun.”
“It Was Just The Right Move”
On the subject of signing with AEW, Jericho added that he believes the moment was right, claiming that the promotions formation, coupled with fans wanting a different product to WWE, is “something that I don’t think can ever happen again.”
He continued, “It’s a company starting from scratch that consists of a bunch of guys who have traveled around the world, who have become very good and popular, but not in mainstream America. Combine that with a family who has a lot of money and a lot of passion for wrestling, combined with a great TV deal. I think it was just the right move from me knowing that I would be doing something that I never did before.”
Double Or Nothing takes place on May 25th from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chris Jericho is a big supporter of former WWE Champion CM Punk potentially joining AEW (All Elite Wrestling).
Punk and Jericho have shared the ring on several different occasions in WWE. The possibility of signing one of the biggest free agents in the pro wrestling business right now would be a great addition to the already loaded AEW roster.
While doing a recent interview with Express to promote the upcoming AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view event, Jericho made it known that he thinks AEW is a perfect place for Punk.
“It’s a pretty obvious answer,” Jericho responded. “I don’t know if he wants to wrestle, but if he decides to, I think AEW would be the perfect place for him.”
After dealing with injuries and not wanting to wrestle anymore, Punk decided to walk out of the WWE on the Monday following the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in 2014. He hasn’t worked a wrestling match since.
AEW holds their first show pretty soon. Double or Nothing, which is the inaugural show promoted by the company, will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 25, 2019.
During the Hall Of Fame event that took place over WrestleMania weekend, Triple H would make several jokes at the expense of Degeneration-X stablemate, Billy Gunn, and his new company, All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The two were inducted into the HOF as a part of DX, alongside Shawn Michaels, X-Pac, Road Dogg, and Chyna.
Triple H would tease Gunn, thanking him for being “all in” in an obvious reference to AEW’s event of the same name. He went on to joke that “Vince will buy that pissant company just to fire you again.”
Speaking with 411 Wrestling Interviews Podcast, Billy Gunn discussed Triple H’s comments about his new employer AEW.
“I thought it was done very tastefully, so it was some good, funny stuff that was — yeah, you were right. It’s typical DX stuff. You shoot at something and then you try to knock it down. So yeah, it was good.”
He was asked if any of the AEW jabs were planned backstage prior to their speech. Gunn denied this, claiming that, although they had an initial plan, that quickly went out the window. Their entire HOF speech would then unfold live without any preparation.
“We had some stuff we were gonna go to…we had a couple of calls before the Hall of Fame just to kinda figure stuff out. But none of it came true. Because it doesn’t work like that for us. It never has worked like that for us. We’ve always just been, ‘Hey. You point us in the direction, we’re gonna go there. We have no idea what we’re gonna do,’” he said.
“So when you start planning stuff out, it takes away from what we are. Because I feel like that’s what a lot of things are doing right now, you’re planning a bunch of stuff out, so when something organic happens, you don’t react to it, because it’s not in the script. And we’ve never ever been ones to go by the script.”
Despite his appearance for WWE, Billy Gunn is currently signed to AEW where he is working as a producer for the company.
Sean Waltman recently made a bold prediction on his podcast, X-Pac 1, 2, 360. He revealed that he believes it’s only a matter of time until former WWE Superstar, CM Punk, returns to pro wrestling. Not only that, but it won’t be WWE that he returns to.
Instead, Walkman points to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as the most likely promotion that Punk will end up calling home.
“I promise you at some point, CM Punk will be back involved in wrestling”
– Sean Waltman
“I haven’t said it in a while because the subject hasn’t come up really as much, because he’s doubled down on, ‘I am never coming back to wrestling.’ I mean, he’s said that over and over again. And I just — history tells me that eventually he will return to wrestling. A lot of people in entertainment that mean it just as much as he does eventually come back. I’m talking about, look at musical acts for instance: The Eagles, ‘When hell freezes over,’ right? Legit. They meant it just as much as he does,” he explained.
“The Misfits, Glenn Danzig’s war […] Never gonna happen, never gonna reunite with Jerry Only and the rest of the Misfits. They’ve had several shows. It just goes to show you. And trust me, I know Glenn Danzig and like, no one is as stubborn as that guy. So, trust me. He will be back. I promise you at some point, CM Punk will be back involved in wrestling. And no one should go, ‘Oh, see, we told you!’ because it’s his life. And at the time, he means it. When he says, ‘I’m never coming back,’ he means it. It’s just that history shows that everyone else that meant it too ends up coming back. And I can honestly see him showing up in AEW. That could be like this huge surprise they’re waiting to drop with the announcement of a TV deal.”
CM Punk was once again on the minds of wrestling fans worldwide after he made a surprise appearance at an independent show. He would sneak into the ring under a mask and deliver a GTS during a match for an MKE event in Wisconsin last Friday.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) presents Double or Nothing next month live from Las Vegas, NV. It will the first live event under the AEW banner.
A month out from Double or Nothing, company president Tony Khan spoke with sports and entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet about everything AEW. Below are some highlights followed by video of their discussion.
AEW’s TV Deal
AEW has spent the past several months announcing talent acquisitions, live events and match-ups for those shows. It’s an exciting process, but the general consensus from wrestling pundits and industry power players is that the entire venture hinges on AEW securing a meaningful television deal. So where does that stand?
“I’ve negotiated some things and I am very excited about what we are doing. I do think it’s very important to give wrestling fans a better quality of life. I think 20 years ago was honestly in many ways not nearly as good of a time to be a wrestling fan. There was not nearly as much wrestling out there and available if you were really looking for it. If you are really looking for great wrestling now there has never been a better time to be a wrestling fan.”
Tony’s 5-Year Plan for AEW
The launch of a major league wrestling organization is a massive undertaking. With tens of millions of dollars on the line, you don’t just “wing it” and hope things work out. You need a plan. You need a vision for where the company will be 1, 2, even 5 years out. Tony Khan is no stranger to managing professional sports franchises and shared his longterm strategy to make AEW a success.
“The 5-year plan for AEW is that we will have built up a brand, we will have built up a roster, we will have established ourselves as a top brand in wrestling for people who want fast paced exciting action and want a product that is more of a sporting based product. I’ve talked a lot about how I want wins and losses to matter because at the end of the day, that’s why you’re having the match.”
He continued, “There’s going to be a winner and a loser and it matters. It should matter to your standing in the company and it should matter to your standing in your chase for the championship which at the end of the day is what everyone is trying to attain.”
Staying Off Television
One of the most overdone tropes in pro wrestling is the owner putting themselves on television. Even worse is the evil authority figure. As the President of this upstart venture, Tony Khan might feel the temptation to make himself an on-air character in AEW. Khan once again shows that he’s tuned in to what wrestling fans want and plans to stay off AEW television.
“I have thought about it and I’m not going to do it. We have some of the greatest on-air performers in the world and look, I am who I am in the promotion. I am the president and the CEO and the founder of this company but it’s not going to be me all over TV and I’m not going to be doing a lot of interviews or backstage segments on television.”
There’s much more to the interview, including Tony’s thoughts on AEW having a ‘wrestler-friendly’ schedule, the signing of Dustin Rhodes, CM Punk’s return to wrestling over the weekend, WCW, ECW and more.
Check out Chris Van Vliet’s YouTube channel to see his recent interviews with John Cena, Johnny Gargano, Dolph Ziggler, Rob Van Dam and more.
Watch: Tony Khan talks about AEW’s TV Deal & 5-Year Plan
The issues come from Punk’s appearance on Cabana’s “Art of Wrestling” podcast from November of 2014 where he spoke about his time in WWE. This is where he told stories about Ryback allegedly being unsafe in the ring and accused him of steroid usage.
“He has personal issues with me because his bullsh** didn’t work with me. Karma dealt with him already. You would hear more stories of me hurting people if that were the case, but it simply isn’t. His steroid allegations are out of pure jealousy. The guy has shit genetics and can’t even get abs cutting weight with MMA training. Our history is in the past and I wish him all the best out of wrestling, but his remarks were done purposely from other personal occurrences.”
With the launch of AEW (All Elite Wrestling), there has been speculation of who the promotion could sign next and getting more talent under contract. Ryback’s name has been talked about by fans. He seems to be interested in having a conversation with officials about the possibility.
“Once I’m healthy I will speak to Cody if I feel I can contribute in a meaningful way. They are going to do very well over time I believe. They have an opportunity to do wrestling the way it always should have been done.”
All Elite Wrestling will present their first official event next month. According to recent comments on Wrestling Observer Radio, however, AEW President Tony Khan had someone other than the Elite in mind originally when deciding to start a new promotion.
“If (CM Punk) wants to wrestle, he was Tony Khan’s first pick before Jericho, before the Young Bucks, before anyone,” said Dave Meltzer. “If he wants to wrestle he can wrestle and make very good money if that’s what he wants.”
CM Punk Masked Run-In
A video featuring a masked Punk making a run-in at an independent event recently has caused a stir. The event was being promoted by Silas Young (who would later confirm it was Punk under the mask). Punk had performed earlier in his career in the same venue and this weekend’s event was scheduled to be it’s last.
He made his run-in during the Ace Steel vs. Daryck St. Holmes match.
Here is some PUNK running in a match last night @MKE_Wrestling you never know who’s in gonna show up at our shows. Former world champions have been stopping in at the last couple shows!!! Don’t miss out on May 17 at our new home Buenavista Banquets 76&oklahoma next to AMF lanes https://t.co/rr8xVH8UJ0
Dustin Rhodes has been announced as Cody Rhodes’ opponent for AEW: Double or Nothing.
The identity of Cody’s opponent was revealed Saturday night on a special edition of the Road To Double or Nothing Youtube series.
The crew from The Elite have been teasing that Cody’s opponent is a very personal situation. It doesn’t get much more personal than Cody’s older brother, Dustin.
Dustin says this is not a new beginning for him, because he’s literally done it all after a 30 year career. If this is “one last ride” for him, so be it. But if Cody is trying to put him out to pasture with this match, good luck with that. Despite being brothers, Dustin says his upbringing was very different from Cody’s. He feels that Cody was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and is an egotistical SOB. He’s always looked out for Cody and never once got a thank you for his mentorship and guidance.
Dustin was shown painting his face. He picked up gold paint and tossed it aside. He is now sporting black and red paint. The red represents life. The black symbolizes death, his dark past and the demons he has conqured.
Dustin teased, “One last ride. Or is it ?”
Updated Card for AEW: Double Or Nothing
The following matches are now confirmed for Double or Nothing:
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho
Hangman Page vs. PAC
The Young Bucks vs. The Lucha Bros
Cody Rhodes vs. Dustin Rhodes
Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose vs. Kylie Rae
SCU vs. CIMA & 2 Partners
Over Budget Battle Royal
AEW: Double or Nothing takes place Saturday, May 25th from Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Watch: Bonus episode of The Road To Double or Nothing
As All Elite Wrestling gets closer to their first event, they are scouting, and continuing to build their talent roster.
Appearing on this week’s Jim Ross Report, AEW Executive Vice President Cody reveals that the focus of a recent scouting trip was on filling out their roster with some taller talent.
“Just recently, me, Christopher Daniels, Matt and Nick Jackson, Tony Kahn, Kenny Omega, we all decided to we wanted to go on what I call a ‘hoss hunt’,” says Cody.
“We wanted to look at some guys over 6’2″, some ‘hosses.’”
Specifically, Cody says, the company is interested in Michael Wardlow, as well as Luchasaurus.
Luchasaurus, real name Austin Matelson, had a run in NXT as Judas Devlin, and later appeared on a season of the Big Brother reality series on CBS.
Cody says that he is not specifically looking for bodybuilders, but he is scouting for the proverbial people that will turn heads in an airport.
“You can’t replace that [size],” says Cody. “When you see one of those guys or girls in an airport, that’s physically big, that’s still part of wrestling.”
While he is happy with the roster he has assembled already, Cody says scouting and signing some bigger guys will help him present a buffet, an idea that he has credited Eric Bischoff with passing on to him.
“We’ve got a great, young light heavyweight roster going at the moment.”
“But to add that buffet of big, bigger, little, the whole deal, I want it all.”
You can hear Cody’s complete scouting discussion with JR below.
What do you think of AEW bringing in some heavyweight talent?
For months, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has been hyping up their next show through a series of videos on YouTube. Entitled ‘The Road To Double Or Nothing,’ these videos have chronicled the company’s journey towards Double Or Nothing.
One of the major storylines unfolding throughout these videos was who the Executive Vice President of the company, Cody Rhodes, would be facing.
Well, it turns out that AEW fans don’t have to wait too much longer to find out.
The AEW Twitter account uploaded a post not only promising a bonus episode of the popular show, but also the official reveal of who Cody’s opponent will be. That video is scheduled to drop later today at 7PM EST.
“Tomorrow @ 7pm Eastern @CodyRhodes opponent for #AEWDON will be revealed on a bonus episode of #AEW – The Road to #DoubleOrNothing”
Many names of been speculated to be standing across from Cody come May 25th—most notably his brother, Dustin Runnels. This particular theory was nixed, however, after it was revealed Dustin is still under contract with WWE.
Double Or Nothing takes place on May 25th 2019 from the MCM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
With the final countdown now underway to the reveal, who do you think it could be? Is it somebody already announced for All Elite Wrestling, or perhaps somebody new coming in looking to make an impact?
Despite the wealth of new talent being signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), it’s become a running joke that any unhappy members of WWE’s roster will simply make the jump to the new, upstart promotion.
With the days ticking down to AEW’s next show, Double Or Nothing, Cody appeared on Jim Ross’ podcast, The Jim Ross Report. During the interview, the AEW Executive Vice President would comment on AEW’s hiring practices, as well as signing talent from WWE.
“I’ve jokingly said it’s currently at about 5%—Chris Jericho, Jim Ross, Cody Rhodes. A few others, maybe,” he said. “It’s not the same. Having that equity with WWE is wonderful but you’ve got to be able to cut it and meet the standards that people have for their actual bell-to-bell contest.”
“That number might increase,” he continued. “There being the opportunity to exist for the boys and girls to make more money, here or there. Just to have options. If they can play, they’re gonna play. But right now, the recruitment is more about ‘freshmen.’ I want to build a new class of guys. I don’t them to feel like they were set up and that was it. I want them to feel like they were set up to win and succeed. Right now, it’s a lot of faces you’ve never seen and people you’ll be surprised when you do see them.”
Notable ex-WWE signings aside, AEW has been filling its roster with top independent talent from across the world. Their ‘freshmen’ mentality, however, hasn’t stopped fan speculation over wrestlers like Dean Ambrose and Tye Dillinger from eventually appearing for the promotion.
Double Or Nothing takes place on May 25th 2019 from the MCM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has given some advice to the executives of AEW (All Elite Wrestling) officials while preparing for their inaugural event.
The promotion, which launched back in February, is set to hold Double or Nothing the event, which will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 25, 2019.
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho in a rematch from their contest at Wrestle Kingdom in 2018 and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. Lucha Bros. (Penta El Zero M and Rey Fénix) are being billed as the top two matches.
While taking part in an interview with CBSSports.com, the legendary pro wrestling made it known that he thinks AEW is a good thing for the pro wrestling business. His mindset is that if there is an opportunity for guys to work who are qualified and have been trained properly in a position to be somewhat successful in their attempt to work for either company, then he’s all for it.
“I don’t think [AEW] should focus on the competition [with WWE] as much as just developing their own product. Their success will come from that. The word competition is great. People love that part of time in the world, but this will be the first time someone with the kind of money that [Jacksonville Jaguars co-owner] Tony [Khan] brings.”
Flair praised Tony Khan for being a sophisticated, intelligent, well-bred version of himself with money.
“Now that he has the joint over in England [as co-owner of the Premier League team Fulham FC], I’m sure he has kissed girls all over the world and made them cry. If I had Tony’s bankroll in the ’80s, who knows where I would have been.”
The Roast of Ric Flair has been announced as the headline attraction of next month’s Starrcast II convention in Las Vegas.
The Nature Boy will be in the hot seat Friday night, May 24th at Cesars Palace. Comedian Ron Funches will host. The pay-per-view event will stream live at FITE.tv.
Starrcast II promoter Conrad Thompson tells CBS Sports, “Well, I wanted to turn the volume up, and we are here at Caesar’s Palace, and there is no bigger name in the history of wrestling than Ric Flair,” Thompson told CBS Sports. “So, the ‘The Roast of Ric Flair’ is happening.”
Flair will be roasted by some of the biggest names in professional wrestling and comedy. The 16-time-world champion has cleaned up his hard-partying ways, but he still has fond memories of running wild in Sin City.
“I’ve got a lot of history with Caesar’s Palace,” Flair tells CBS Sports. “Oh God, it was a regular stop in the 80s and 90. I’m lucky to be here and every day is a blessing. But one of those reasons is Las Vegas. I’ve had a couple of drinks in that town!”
Starrcast II is the wrestling convention taking place in Las Vegas, NV during AEW: Double or Nothing weekend. For more details on the convention, visit Starrcast.com.
AEW has added another match to their scheduled Fight For The Fallen event on July 13th. Kenny Omega will face OWE’s CIMA on the show. AEW sent the following out to their Twitter followers earlier today:
Pre-sale for the show starts tomorrow, April 18th, at 9 am. Daily’s Place in Jacksonville only holds 5500 people, which is about half the capacity of the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the Sears Center in Chicago.
AEW Fight For The Fallen – July 13th, 2019 – Jacksonville, Florida
The event will take place in the city the Young Bucks refer to as Matt & Nick Jacksonville. Omega vs CIMA is just the 2nd match booked for the show with Brandi Rhodes vs Allie being announced earlier today on the Road to Double or Nothing YouTube series.
2 weeks before AEW Fight For The Fallen takes place, AEW will be in Daytona Beach for Fyter Fest. The luxury gaming and wrestling event has 3 matches scheduled thus far:
Cody vs Darby Allin
Alex Jebailey vs Michael Nakazawa – hardcore match
The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega vs PAC and the Lucha Bros
CIMA is scheduled to team with two members of his OWE organization against the members of SCU at Double or Nothing. Omega is scheduled to face Chris Jericho on May 25th, team with the Bucks against PAC and the Lucha Bros at Fyter Fest, and then will meet CIMA at Fight For the Fallen.
AEW made several announcements today on the Road to Double or Nothing. They announced that show editor and independent wrestler Sunny Daze has been added to the Over the Budget Battle Royal. They also announced that Allie and Brandi Rhodes will go one-on-one at AEW’s charity event “Fight For The Fallen” on July 13th.
There has been some tension between Allie and Brandi since the wrestler formerly known as Cherry Bomb was signed to AEW. The tension goes back to their short time together in Impact Wrestling. Brandi suggested the two have a match at Fight for the Fallen on today’s episode.
All Elite Wrestling announced today that independent wrestler Sunny Daze will be apart of the Over the Budget Battle Royal. Real name Dylan Frymyer, he works as the main editor for the Road to Double or Nothing YouTube series as well. Cody made the news official on today’s episode of the Road to Double or Nothing.
On the episode, Dylan revealed that he has suffered from suicidal thoughts in the past. Dallas Page also appears during the video to talk about the tremendous growth he has seen in Dylan over the years.
You can check out Sunny Daze’s match against Pain from the WrestleMerica show from May 19th last year in the player below:
Joey Janela Vs MJF
Also on this week’s episode, Joey Janela and MJF cut promos on each other. MJF was also announced for the Over the Budget Battle Royal, though it’s not yet clear if Janela has been added to the match as well. Janela was not happy that MJF was on the feature image for this week’s episode and made this known on Twitter earlier today:
— “The Bad Boy” Joey Janela (@JANELABABY) April 17, 2019
Anthony Ogogo
The episode also featured a segment focussed on retired boxer, Anthony Ogogo. The boxer is shown training pro-wrestling in the ring as Cody mentioned he was happy to get a look at what Ogogo can do.
Ogogo sported an 11-1 record as a pro and won a Bronze medal for England in the 2012 games.
The full episode can be viewed in the player below:
We have even more All Elite Wrestling (AEW) news to pass along. The Khan Family-backed promotion is rumored to have secured a broadcast television deal with a major network. Teh report suggests AEW TV is said to begin airing in October. Now, a new signing has been made official for the AEW roster.
The announcement came during the latest episode of ‘Being The Elite.’ The Young Bucks announced that AEW has signed CIMA to a contract. Matt and Nick explained that CIMA got The Bucks booked on a Dragon Gate tour several years ago, and even wrestled some tag team matches with them for the promotion.
CIMA is now All Elite. He will participate in a Six-Man Tag Team match against SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky) at AEW’s ‘Double Or Nothing’ event in May from Las Vegas. CIMA’s partners have not yet been announced:
Former pro skateboarder Darby Allin also appeared in the episode, who was announced to be joining AEW last week. It’s likely he will be part of AEW’s ‘Double Or Nothing’ card, however, his first advertised match for the promotion isn’t scheduled for a month later.
Check out the full episode of ‘Being The Elite,’ featuring CIMA’s signing announcement and Allin, here:
Former IWGP Heavyweight champion Kenny Omega has it specifically written into his AEW contract that he can perform for New Japan Pro Wrestling. Despite this, he was not on the G1 Supercard from Madison Square Garden last weekend. He spoke to John Pollock from Post Wrestling recently to promote his “Omega Man” documentary and explained why he didn’t wrestle on the G1 Supercard.
Kenny Omega On Working With NJPW
“I would very much love to be a part of everything, not only [the G1 Climax in Dallas, Texas], but the Madison Square Garden show, the G1, all of those things, but then I’m burning the candle at both ends, and on top of that, sometimes, there may be a conflict of interest,” Omega said.
“I mean, I could go there, but there are all these storylines in place and I think New Japan, with how they book so long-term, they have a direction and a plan and knowing that we have our hands completely full, overly full, with what we have to do – it’s a huge undertaking – it’s probably best that we focus on our own things for now and just know that on both sides, the door is mutually open,” he continued.
Omega wants to continue wrestling in Japan even if working with NJPW isn’t in the cards for now.
“I mean, I have a sentimental attachment to the country, and the people, of course, and to the see the amount of joy as something as simple as one of my matches can bring to a person in that country,” Omega said. “That’s really important to me and even though I may not be able to accomplish many more accolades, and that I’ve checked off almost every box that there is to check in Japan, that doesn’t mean I want to pack up and move on from Japan.”
Still, however, Omega knows his next step in wrestling is outside Japan.
“I’d love to keep coming back till I take my last bump, to Japan. But there are things that I feel like I can still do and that I even have a responsibility to do in professional wrestling, and that requires me to take the next step, which is AEW and pursue that to its full extent.”
Brian Pillman Jr. has been announced for AEW’s first pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing. Pillman is the latest grappler confirmed for the Double or Nothing Over the Budget Battle Royal.
Other participants already announced for the Over The Budget Battle Royal include:
Sonny Kiss
Kip Sabian
Brandon Cutler
Ace Romero
Darby Allin
Former WCW star Glacier
Pillman is signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW), where he is part of the new Hart Foundation faction with Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. The Harts are the reigning MLW World Tag Team Champions.
Brian Pillman Jr. commented on his involvement in the Over The Budget Battle Royal. He tweeted, “Or nothing? I’ll bet most of the men and women in this Battle Royal don’t have a clue what “nothing” feels like… Well I do. That is exactly why I will win because I have NOTHING to lose!!!”
AEW Double or Nothing takes place Saturday, May 25th from Las Vegas, NV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Standout independent wrestler Darby Allin has joined All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
The former pro skateboarder has made a name for himself on the independent scene in recent years. He’s thrilled audiences across the world with his high-flying daredevil style. He’s been a mainstay in EVOLVE while also competing for Major League Wrestling (MLW), Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG), Bar Wrestling, DEFY Wrestling and more.
Darby Allin appeared at the conclusion of the latest episode of AEW’s The Road To Double or Nothing Youtube series, which you can view below. He will most likely be part of the Double or Nothing card, but his first advertised match for AEW takes place a month later.
Darby Allin vs. Cody Rhodes has been confirmed for FYTER FEST, AEW’s live wrestling event that is part of the CEO gaming event in Daytona Beach, FL on June 29th.
AEW also revealed that former WCW star Glacier will be a participant in the Double or Nothing Over Budget Battle Royal. Glacier admits that he is not the wrestler he once was and there will be wrestlers in the match who are probably half his age. That said, he can still muster what it takes to compete at a high level and plans to show fans what he’s got at Double or Nothing.
The most luxurious wrestling and gaming event of all time now has 2 announced matches. AEW & CEO broke the news today that Kenny Omega will team with the Young Bucks to take on PAC and the Lucha Bros at the event.
The Young Bucks and Lucha Bros will meet at Double or Nothing for the AAA tag team titles. Both Omega and PAC have other matches booked for the Vegas PPV. PAC will take on Hangman Page, and Omega will once again face Chris Jericho.
Fyter Fest will be just the 2nd official event for the new promotion after Double or Nothing on May 25th from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It will take place on June 29th, 2019 from Daytona Beach in conjunction with the annual CEO Fight Gaming Championships.
A trailer for the event was revealed yesterday:
AEW Upcoming Schedule
Double or Nothing – May 25th, 2019 – MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Fyter Fest – June 29th, 2019 – Daytona Beach Ocean Center – Daytona Beach, Florida.
Fight For The Fallen – July 13th, 2019 – Daily’s Place Amphitheatre – Jacksonville, Florida.
(Rumored) All In 2 – August 31st, 2019 – Sears Center – Chicago, Illinois.
Chris Jericho’s Rock N Rager At Sea Part Deux – January 20-24th, 2019 – Miami to the Bahamas on the Norwegian Pearl.
Fyter Fest 1st Match Revealed
The 1st match announced for Fyter Fest was announced previously. It will feature DDT’s Michael Nakazawa in a hardcore match against Alex Jebailey (CEO of CEO Gaming). The two met at last year’s event as well, with Jebailey pulling out the victory.
Ticket sales to Fyter Fest have exceeded even the most realistic expectations. Several elaborate packages, such as the Brandi’s Bikini Cove package or the Super Kick luau appear to have sold out instantaneously. A special “All In” package is still available for the low price of $3.5 billion.
Actual tickets to the event are expected to go on sale next month.
According to comments made by Jim Ross on his latest podcast, fans can expect an AEW television show on Tuesday nights beginning in October. While nothing is confirmed at this point, JR sounds confident in the plan.
Ross had previously stated in a radio interview that AEW TV was expected to debut in October but this week he added that the show will likely be on Tuesday nights when it does.
This could mean AEW TV debuts on Tuesday nights the same month Smackdown moves to Friday nights on Fox. Smackdown is expected to make their Fox debut on Friday, October 4th, 2019.
“So that show starts in October?” Thompson asked in regards to AEW TV.
“That’s what it says,” a coy Ross responded.
“And it’s on Tuesday in October?” Thompson’s first follow-up question stated.
“Yep,” responded JR.
“You reckon you might be on TV in October on Tuesdays?” Thompson continued.
“There’s a chance it could happen,” Ross continued.
“Well maybe not on FS1 but somewhere,” said Thompson.
“Somewhere, it’ll be worked out folks,” Ross concluded.
AEW TV – Tuesday Night Dynamite
All Elite Wrestling has filed for several trademarks in 2019. One of the first trademarks the new promotion filed for was the name “Tuesday Night Dynamite”. It’s not clear as of this writing, however, if that is the name the promotion will be going with for their weekly television.
Ross also revealed on the show recently that AEW will be going with a 3-man commentary booth.
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion Jeff Hardy recently did an interview with the Gorilla Position podcast during WrestleMania 35 Weekend in New York City where he spoke about a wide range of topics.
During the interview, Hardy was asked about the landscape of professional wrestling changing with the launch of AEW (All Elite Wrestling). This is where Hardy noted that he does think competition is good and excited to see how things turn out especially for Double or Nothing.
“For sure, yeah. I’m so excited,” Hardy said of AEW. “We love The Young Bucks, man, and to see that Jericho’s there. I mean, it’s so exciting to see what that becomes. I can’t wait to watch that first show and get a feel for what it looks like, how it’s gonna be, the longevity it might consist of. So, yeah, it’s always exciting for a new company to come through and see what happens.”
Hardy was then asked about a possible appearance in AEW in the future. This is where Hardy said that we’ll see but it won’t be no time soon as he’s in WWE for a while but moving forward anything’s possible.
Double or Nothing, which is the inaugural show promoted by AEW, will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 25, 2019.
Kenny Omega vs. Chris Jericho in a rematch from their contest at Wrestle Kingdom in 2018 and The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) vs. Lucha Bros. (Penta El Zero M and Rey Fénix) are being billed as the top two matches.
AEW has signed another talent to their women’s division. The promotion announced recently that Hikaru Shida will join the upstart promotion.
The 30-year-old from the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan is a 12-year pro and has an acting background as well. Most recently, Shida has been wrestling for the OZ Academy promotion in Japan. AEW’s Aja Kong has been a frequent opponent of Shida’s in the promotion over the years.
Shida wrestled for 6-years in the Ice Ribbon promotion as well. She has also wrestled with the Sendai Girls promotion, where she’s worked a few matches against another AEW roster member, Nyla Rose.
AEW sent out the following to their social media accounts recently:
Triple H made some cracks regarding AEW and the amount of Executive Vice Presidents the company has during last night’s Hall of Fame ceremony.
Billy Gunn had made a joke about Vince McMahon not being able to fire him, a reference to his AEW employment, when Triple H made the following comment:
“Billy let’s be honest,” Triple H said. “(Vince) will buy that pissant company just to fire you again.”
Shawn Michaels would also chime in with the following comment directed at Billy Gunn:
“You can always count on ‘ol Billy Gunn to over-promise and under-deliver. We thank you for being out here and being ‘All In’.”
Triple H also commented during the ceremony that you can make anyone feel important by putting “EVP” in front of their name. This was likely a reference to the many Executive Vice Presidents (Cody, the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega) AEW has.
AEW Hires Billy Gunn
Billy Gunn was hired in a producer role for AEW back in January.
