SEScoops

Category: AEW

  • Chris Jericho Talks Following Rock/Hogan At WrestleMania 18

    Chris Jericho Talks Following Rock/Hogan At WrestleMania 18

    17 years ago today, WrestleMania 18 emanated from Toronto’s Skydome, now known as Rogers Center. The main event of the show was Chris Jericho defending the WWE Undisputed championship against Triple H. The match most remember WrestleMania 18 for, however, was Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs the Rock. It marked Hogan’s return to WrestleMania for the first time in almost a decade.

    Chris Jericho on WrestleMania 18

    Jericho spoke to Inside the Ropes about having to follow such an iconic match at WrestleMania.

    “Let’s be honest, [it was] a main event in the fact that it was on last, but the main event of the show was Hogan and Rock and I knew it,” Jericho admitted. “And I was actually most people to be pitching have their match on last. I was pitching [for Triple H and I] not to go on last because I said, ‘How do you follow Hogan and Rock?’ And Triple H, and probably rightfully so, was fighting for the title match to be last but we couldn’t follow it. We just couldn’t and you could just see the air go out of the room. That’s a match, I’ve never watched it back I remember being kind of disappointed in it, main event at WrestleMania?”

    The program Jericho was in at the time involved him being the first to win the Undisputed championship. With Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall being brought back into the company at the time, Jericho’s title reign was arguably not the featured storyline on RAW or Smackdown most weeks.

    “It was more of a forgotten thing, so, the buildup for the [WrestleMania]match wasn’t great, the positioning of the match wasn’t great, and in my opinion, the match wasn’t great, but, I can say I was in the main event of WrestleMania, so, there you go,” Jericho continued.

    Transcripts via Wrestling Inc, Interview below:

  • The Young Bucks Win AAA Tag Team Championships

    The Young Bucks Win AAA Tag Team Championships

    Matt & Nick Jackson are the new AAA tag team champions. The brothers won the titles last night in an impromptu match at AAA’s annual Rey de Reyes event. The Lucha Bros had just defeated Rey Escorpion and El Texano Jr. to win the titles when the lights went out in the building. When they came back on, the Young Bucks were in the ring and an impromptu match for the titles began.

    https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1107167659903328256

    Konnan celebrated the victory with the Young Bucks.

    Cody was also on the show, though he did not compete. Konnan and several others came out to confront the AEW co-Vice President and a brawl ensued.

    AAA Tag Team Championships

    The Young Bucks become the 20th team to win AAA’s tag titles. Rey Escorpion and El Texano Jr. had held the titles for nearly a year before losing them to the Lucha Bros last night.

    The all-time greatest tag-team in AAA history is Joe Lider and Psychosis who held the titles for 551 consecutive days from 2008 to 2010. Lider is the all-time greatest tag champion in the title’s lineage by far. He’s held the titles 5x for a total of 1490 combined days spent with 1/2 of the titles. Jack Evans is in second place for this statistic with 769 days spent as champion across 4 different reigns.

  • Four Horsemen Trademark Update

    Four Horsemen Trademark Update

    As previously reported, there were several interesting wrestling-related trademark applications filed over the past week.

    In addition to Cody Rhodes filing applications for the phrases “The American Dream” and “The American Nightmare” and Arn Anderson trademarking his ring name, another application was filed for the legendary “Four Horsemen” stable.

    According to the US Patent and Trademark office, the “Four Horsemen” application was filed by a company called Toot Toot LLC. Toot Toot LLC is based out of Huntsville, Alabama and has the same mailing address as 1st Family Mortgage. The President of 1st Family Mortgage is the one and only Conrad Thompson.

    Four Horsemen At Starrcast II

    Thompson recently revealed that Four Horsemen’s enforcer, Arn Anderson, will take part in the Starrcast II convention.

    “We’re proud to have Arn Anderson on stage as one of our marquee events,” Thompson said to SI.com. “We can’t wait for Arn to have a live mic in his hand, and stay tuned for more details.”

    Anderson had the following to say regarding his recent release from WWE.

    “I was fortunate enough to work with WWE for 18 years,” Anderson said. “Certainly that provided my family and myself with a nice living, and I have no regrets. A lot of my best friends still work there. Everything has a shelf life, and I guess mine ran out.”

  • Arn Anderson & Cody Each File For New Trademarks, 4 Horsemen Trademark Filed

    Arn Anderson & Cody Each File For New Trademarks, 4 Horsemen Trademark Filed

    Arn Anderson and Cody Runnels have each filed for new trademarks recently. Arn Anderson has filed to trademark his on-screen name. AEW’s Cody recently filed to trademark the terms “American Dream” and “American Nightmare” as well.

    Arn Anderson Trademark

    Real name Marty Lunde filed to trademark his wrestling name Arn Anderson on March 9th, 2019. The purpose of the trademark as listed by documents filed with the US trademark and patents office is as follows:

    “Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainment personality, Entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by a professional wrestler and sports entertainment personality; Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibits and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer.”

    Cody Trademark

    As AEW builds towards launch, Cody has filed for two new trademarks under his name recently. On March 10th he applied to trademark the term “the American Dream” and “the American Nightmare.”

    Four Horsemen Trademark Filed

    A company named “Toot Toot LLC” has filed to trademark the term “Four Horsemen” on March 10th as well.

    Cody Comments on Arn Anderson’s Release

    Not long after news of Anderson’s WWE release broke, Cody made his opinions of his departure public.

    “I’m just shocked because the entire current top talent at WWE — Seth Rollins, John Cena, Brock, even, Charlotte — I mean, everybody within the ‘golden circle’ is an Arn guy or girl,” Cody said to Pro Wrestling Sheet. I feel like that blows my mind. […] Arn Anderson is a gift the to the industry,” he said. “He’s not corporate, he’s a wrestler, but you cannot take wrestlers out of the wrestling business.”

  • Jack Swagger On If He Has Been Presented With An Offer By AEW

    Jack Swagger On If He Has Been Presented With An Offer By AEW

    While former World Champion Jack Swagger has found a new career path in MMA since leaving WWE, a wrestling return never really seems to be out of question.

    Considering the fact that he is good friends with the likes of Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, a lot of people wonder if he could show up at AEW at any point.

    During a recent interview with WrestlingInc, the former Champion was asked if he has had any talks with the company.

    Answering it, Swagger said that while he has maintained communication with his friends there, they haven’t really had any talks in a professional capacity:

    “I’m very good friends with a lot of those guys: Chris [Jericho] and Cody and I’ve met the Bucks, It’s crazy – Kenny Omega was at Deep South Wrestling in 2006 with me unsigned by WWE.  I talk to them sporadically. We haven’t brought [me working with AEW] up so far. It’s just been congratulations, patting each other on the back type deal.”

    These comments from the former WWE Star confirm that the newly founded company has no immediate interest in bringing Jack Swagger in for a show.

    However, this also means that the doors are open and it shouldn’t be a surprise if Swagger is presented with an offer by the company Officials somewhere down the line.

  • Chris Jericho Joins Cast Of Jay & Silent Bob Reboot Movie

    Chris Jericho Joins Cast Of Jay & Silent Bob Reboot Movie

    All Elite Wrestling star Chris Jericho has joined the cast of the new Jay and Silent Bob Reboot movie.

    Jay and Silent Bob are the cult-hero stoners who broke out in the 1990’s films Clerks and Mallrats. The duo got their own movie back in 2001, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Kevin Smith, the writer, director and co-star (Silent Bob) of the film, says the reboot is “literally the same f*cking movie all over again.”

    The Reboot synopsis reads, “After losing the legal rights to their names over a film reboot of ‘Bluntman and Chronic,’ Jay and Silent Bob travel across the USA in an attempt to prevent the reboot from being made.”

    Smith posted photos with Jericho on Instagram and provided some details about Jericho’s involvement.

    Jericho portrays a villain in the movie and has a scene that pays homage to the classic 1980’s road trip movies. Smith had great things to say about Jericho, calling him a “Super sweet Canadian kid” who is nothing like what we’ll see on the big screen.

    The Jay and Silent Bob Reboot is expected to hit theaters later this year.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu_hVrfA_3g/

  • Jim Ross Thinks Dean Ambrose Is Ready To Be A Major Player

    Jim Ross Thinks Dean Ambrose Is Ready To Be A Major Player

    Dean Ambrose is set to leave WWE when his contract expires in April. With his departure imminent, speculation as to what Ambrose’s next career move might be is only natural.

    Jim Ross announced on last week’s Jim Ross Report that he will also be parting ways with WWE when his contract expires later this month. JR has been linked with All Elite Wrestling and has gone so far as to retweet Twitter chat to that end, only adding to the sense that Ross and AEW will end up doing business together.

    Is it possible that both Ambrose and Ross will end up in the same place?

    While he does not address that possibility directly, Ross goes out of his way on this week’s podcast to praise Ambrose and says wherever Ambrose goes next, he expects big things.

    “Wherever Ambrose may land in his next gig, he will be a major player,” says Ross. “He’s ready to be a featured guy, not another top guy.”

    JR also praises Ambrose’s professionalism on the show, suggesting that his leaving WWE not been made public, that one might not ever guess that The Lunatic Fringe is on his way out.

    “He’s had great work since he said he was leaving,” adds Ross. “His work has been exemplary. He hasn’t called anything in, he has had great matches, great effort.”

    “Wherever he’s going, somebody’s getting a player.”

    Do you think JR and Dean will both end up in AEW?

  • Jim Johnston On Creating Music For AEW: “Sure, Absolutely. Give Me A Call.”

    Jim Johnston On Creating Music For AEW: “Sure, Absolutely. Give Me A Call.”

    Former WWE theme song composer Jim Johnston recently appeared on the Total Engagement podcast on MLW Radio. In Part 2 of his conversation with host Matt Koon, Johnston spoke about his WWE departure, his final meeting with Vince McMahon and the possibility of creating entrance themes for All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

    Here are some highlights. Audio embed of the interview is available at the bottom of the article.

    His Departure from WWE:

    Jim Johnston was released by WWE in late 2017. After working with the company since the 1980’s, WWE did not utilize his services much towards the end of his run. He admits he was very unhappy that he wasn’t getting a chance to create great music towards the end, even though he was still getting a steady pay check.

    “I don’t want a job where I don’t have to work,” he said. “There wasn’t ever a millisecond where I thought, ‘Wow, isn’t this great? I’m really not doing that much music, but they’re continuing to pay me! Oh my God, what a great deal!’ It was awful. I hate that. I hated that feeling. I’ve got handcuffs on, I can’t contribute and I eventually told Vince that as well. I said, ‘this is not right.’ I also told him at the time is like, ‘hey, if you’re unhappy with me, fire me. Fire me right now. You can fire me right now. I’m taking the pressure off. Go ahead. Fire me.’ Because that’s not the way I roll. I don’t like that.”

    Johnston says he went through a range of emotions just before his release. “All the usual suspects: sadness, fear, hey, I felt all of them and bitterness, certainly anger because there was just a lot of lies and lying’s not a good thing.”

    Composing Music For Faces Compared To Heels

    Johnston gave some unique insight regarding his process as it relates to creating music for heroes and villains.

    “I think music for bad guys always comes down to, ‘Do you believe how great I am? Can you believe it?’ And Mr. Perfect was a really strong character and he played it really well. He was charismatically bad and he really exuded that when he came out you know with the hands up in the air and that was his vibe: ‘You know, c’mon now…it’s a little hard to believe, how great I am, isn’t it? I mean, it’s hard for me to believe, for God’s sake!’ It’s like a monumental conchairto to himself whereas music for good guys is more a celebration for everyone. It’s more coming out and going out to the crowd. It’s almost like this is what the crowd feels about you and how much we love you and how much we’re supporting you and bad guys I think it comes more from it’s all about them. So it’s how they see themselves.”

    He elaborated by saying it was an “utterly subconscious” feeling that allowed him to take the personality and ‘spirit’ of a performer and translate that into music that reflects them.

    “It’s magical,” he said. “I don’t understand it. I attribute it a lot to sort of a spiritual thing which maybe works for me, but maybe anyone who’s lucky enough to have any sort of a gift like this maybe to keep your sanity you need some way to explain it to yourself or something it’s like ‘how does that work?’

    Johnston continued, “I cannot pick up a guitar or sit down at the piano without having a new idea. I just can’t. It’s not possible, it’s never happened. It’s never, ever happened. It’s purely a visceral thing for me. I just get a feel for a character and I just think about it or I get an idea about it, you know, a lyric hook idea in the shower and then I’ll know that that’s it.”

    Working For All Elite Wrestling (AEW)

    Jim Johnston does not follow pro wrestling closely anymore, but even he is picking up the buzz from All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He made his first non-WWE wresting appearance last year at Starrcast during All In weekend. He believes WWE is currently vulnerable and has fallen into a place of weakness. He seems to think AEW has a shot at competing with WWE.

    When asked directly if he’d interested in speaking with Tony Khan and Cody Rhodes about writing music for AEW, he replied, “Sure, absolutely. Give me a call.”

    Jim Johnston will be appearing at Starrcast II during Double or Nothing Weekend in Las Vegas in May. Visit Starrcast.com for details.

    (H/T to WrestleZone for the transcribed quotes)

  • Cody Shares How AEW Intend To Deliver A Unique TV Product

    Cody Shares How AEW Intend To Deliver A Unique TV Product

    With All Elite Wrestling (AEW) continuing to engage their audience through their ‘Road To’ series to hype their upcoming event, Double Or Nothing, it would be understandable if their attentions were solely on their immediate shows.

    However, in a recent interview with the New York Post, it becomes abundantly clear that this isn’t the case.

    Executive Vice President, Cody Rhodes, would address the unique aspects that AEW aim to deliver in their television show. He believes these factors will help to separate them from their competition.

    Cody admitted that he intends to treat their product like live sports, before highlighting that the “core to that is characters, and I think characters beam across your television set or devices in ways perhaps people have forgotten.”

    “Wrestling used to have these great enhancements matches, these squash matches where you would see these characters and the things he could do,” Cody said. “He’d tell you what you had at the pay-per-view event and things of that nature.”

    He would continue, explaining that “At the core of all wrestling, when it’s done right, is the characters and their connection to the audience. […] It’s really important that the character engage the audience. You don’t just want to be watching a show, you want to be participating.”

    AEW USP

    AEW isn’t interested in simply recycling old talent either. Their mission plan, according to Cody, is to hire “fresh [talent].”

    “To give you an example: We’ve all watched a lot of wrestling where a lot of guys have been recycled and rehashed and reused, and there is always a lot of activation of the legend. I totally get that. I’m not anti it,” he clarified.

    “I just think, if you’re starting a company and not many people have been starting a company in wrestling, you start with people they haven’t seen and people who haven’t gotten the opportunity and get to grow up in front of you and balance it out.”

    He admitted that “It’s ironic that it’s the ex-WWE guy saying it in me, but obviously we don’t just want to do, ‘He’s ex-WWE, let’s throw him the world and hope he comes hang out with us.’”

    AEW clearly want to revitalise the pro wrestling world and aim to deliver a product that listens to its fanbase — something other companies are often loathe to do.

    Their next event, Double Or Nothing, takes place on May 25th 2019 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

  • Billy Gunn Downplays AEW’s Plans To Compete With WWE

    Billy Gunn Downplays AEW’s Plans To Compete With WWE

    With the launch of AEW (All Elite Wrestling), the hope from fans is that they can be real competition to the WWE. The reason for this is due to them having big money baking them and having some big name talent under contract.

    Billy Gunn, who will serve as a producer for AEW, told Chris Van Vliet when asked if AEW’s plan is to compete with WWE that they won’t be competing against them. He would elaborate on his belief by stating that a promotion already when after the WWE before and that was WCW.

    They went out of business after taking the fight to Vince McMahon. However, he does think that they are as good as WWE but doesn’t think they will compete against them.

    “Why can’t we have our own product and they have their product? You know what I mean? So do they intercollide at some point? I have no earthly idea. It’s way too early to tell.”

    Gunn would continue by stating that they can be an alternative to WWE, have the same fan base and as good of a product.

    He would add, “Do I say we compete and that we’re all sitting around going ‘I can’t wait to go live against them’? We don’t sit around and do that because I feel like you’re setting your sights on something away from what you should be focusing on. Let’s focus on our company.”

  • AEW Fight For The Fallen Date & Location Announced

    AEW Fight For The Fallen Date & Location Announced

    On the latest episode of Being The Elite, The Young Bucks announced the first official details for All Elite Wrestling second live show.

    AEW: Fight For The Fallen will take place Saturday, July 13th in Jacksonville, Florida at the Daily’s Place Amphitheater. The venue is connected to the south end of TIAA Bank field and has a capacity of approximately 5,500 people.

    Fight for the Fallen is the second live event under the AEW banner. Proceeds from the show will benefit people who have been affected by gun violence.

    AEW’s first live event, Double or Nothing, takes place Saturday, May 25th rom Las Vegas, Nevada at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

    Being The Elite Ep. 141

    Also on this episode of Being The Elite, Kenny Omega meets with a new prospect for AEW, the Young Bucks unbox their new LJN figures, Hangman Page continues his #FullGearChallenge weight loss transformation and more.

    The episode also features a new introduction courtesy of @WrestlingArcade.

    Watch: Being The Elite Ep. 141 “Filler Episode”

  • Billy Gunn Explains His Role In AEW

    Billy Gunn Explains His Role In AEW

    Hiring former WWE Star and future Hall Of Famer Billy Gun as a producer was a surprising move from AEW Officials, especially considering the fact that the company has only one announced show and no known TV deals.

    Though during a recent interview, Gunn himself had claimed that he might work with the company as a talent too and expanding his comment, he has now said that he might takeover other duties for the promotion as well.

    During a recent interview with WrestlingInc, Billy Gunn talked about his role in the promotion saying that he is dubbed as the head coach and they don’t use the word producer:

    “They call me a head coach, we don’t use producer. My job will be to help the younger talent as we get going and I look forward to it. It. We have a lot of new, younger talent that needs to be developed and I’m gonna help them find their way. I’m not going to take control of talent. I’m just going to help them develop what they have.”

    Continuing on the topic, the former WWE Star also discussed helping the prospects in adjusting to TV saying: “We’re gonna be doing TV eventually and a lot of these kids don’t have the experience that I have with TV, and I’ll help them with that”

    Apart from this, Billy Gunn also talked about Chris Jericho’s signing with AEW and revealed that he will also be scouting talents for the new promotion.

  • Bea Priestley Joins AEW, Double Or Nothing Will Be ‘Sensory Inclusive’

    Bea Priestley Joins AEW, Double Or Nothing Will Be ‘Sensory Inclusive’

    Cody Rhodes’ Nightmare Family Youtube Channel has published Episode 5 of AEW’s Road To Double Or Nothing series. As usual, this installment had a new newsworthy revelations.

    The episode began with Chris Jericho talking about the significance of him being part of AEW. Jericho says his involvement legitimizes the company and takes them to a different level. He acknowledges ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’ He is the biggest star in AEW, he elevates everyone else and he is the reason fans will give AEW a look.

    Jericho hyped his match against Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing. It still bothers him that Kenny won their first encounter at last year’s NJPW Wrestle Kingdom event. Omega is the best wrestler in the world, but he’s the greatest of all time.

    AEW Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes announced a new partnership with Kulture City to make Double or Nothing pro wrestling’s first-ever Sensory Inclusive event. There are many wrestling fans with medical conditions that prevent them from experiencing live events in a comfortable way. Through the partnership with Kulture City, fans with autism, PTSD, strong anxiety symptoms and stroke survivors will be able to enjoy the show with assistance that caters to their individual needs.

    Visit KultureCity.com to learn more about this great organization.

    Brandi also announced a new signing to AEW’s Women’s division, Bea Priestley. Priestley is based out of the UK and has wrestled for various promotions including Stardom. She will make her AEW debut in July at Fight For The Fallen. That show from  Jacksonville, FL will benefit the local community and those who have been affected by gun violence.

    Bea Priestley’s significant other Will Ospreay congratulated her on the news:

    Watch AEW: The Road To Double or Nothing (Episode 5)

  • Cody Says AEW Is Scouting Stadiums For Future Shows

    Cody Says AEW Is Scouting Stadiums For Future Shows

    All Elite Wrestling’s next major event, Double Or Nothing, takes place in only a few months on May 25th. The show will unfold at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

    Following up their historic All In event with Double Or Nothing hasn’t stopped the promotion from already looking towards the future.

    In an interview with the WINCLY podcast, Executive Vice President of All Elite, Cody, discussed a range of topics including potential television plans and the fact that AEW is scouting stadiums for future shows. He is hopeful that the company will be able to draw crowds comparable to a WrestleMania or Superbowl audience.

    “To be frank, I have a couple site visits in the next few weeks that are stadiums,” he confirmed. “So, it doesn’t mean anything. There’s no promises, no contracts, no nothing like that. Just me and my business partners checking out a few spots.

    “That would be really exciting [to host that many people]. I mean, that would be a dream come true to have over 40,000+. When you get between that 40 and 80 range a Wrestlemania-like event has, that Superbowl event-like has…that’s something special. But I know that we don’t want to — we really got to do this right. We got to crawl before we walk and we’ve got to walk before we run, and you’ve seen companies that have a lot of financial backing take shop that they shouldn’t take, so, we’re just trying to be careful.”

    Having a new promotion that offers a viable alternative to WWE is an exciting proposition for many, but should AEW be looking at stadiums or perhaps leaning towards smaller venues?

    As Cody himself said, “We got to crawl before we walk and we’ve got to walk before we run.”

    H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

  • Hangman Adam Page Announces The Full Gear Challenge

    Hangman Adam Page Announces The Full Gear Challenge

    If you’re a fan of Being The Elite, you know AEW star Adam “Hangman” Page needs to tone up his physique and should not be walking around in ‘full gear.’

    Page knows it too, thanks to Cody’s relentless hazing. In an effort to get himself (and wrestling fans) in better physical shape, Page has announced the Full Gear Challenge.

    With less than three months until AEW Double or Nothing, Page wrote on social media, “For the next 89 days I’ll be documenting my journey to get in shape here on my Instagram. Whether your goal for DON is to lose some weight, add some mass, or to somehow do both at the same time, I hope you’ll join me.”

    He’s encouraging fans to share their progress using the hashtag #fullgearchallenge.

    Page added, “No more pancake ass or chubby cheeks. We can do this together.”

    Adam Page has a lot of work to do if he plans on being ‘full gear ready’ by late May. But it’s a commendable effort on his part.

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

  • Cody Comments On Arn Anderson Departing WWE

    Cody Comments On Arn Anderson Departing WWE

    WWE has seen numerous internal changes made in recent weeks, with talent asking for their releases and backstage personnel departing the company. New backstage talent have started working, and some old faces have even returned.

    However, a major name to recently leave the promotion is Arn Anderson. Although details are still light as to the exact reason why, it appears to revolve around an argument that took place with WWE Chairman and CEO, Vince McMahon.

    Speaking with Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet, Cody gave his thoughts on Anderson parting ways with WWE, claiming he was “shocked” by the announcement.

    “I’m just shocked because the entire current top talent at WWE — Seth Rollins, John Cena, Brock, even, Charlotte — I mean, everybody within the ‘golden circle’ is an Arn guy or girl. I feel like that blows my mind. […] Arn Anderson is a gift the to the industry,” he said. “He’s not corporate, he’s a wrestler, but you cannot take wrestlers out of the wrestling business. I don’t know, man. Especially because he was so instrumental to the Triple H character…gosh, I don’t know. My mind is blown.”

    Cody’s reaction came off of Satin confirming the story of Arn’s departure during the interview — something Cody was initially unaware of.

    You can watch the interview in its entirety below:

  • New AEW Signee Says Farewell To Top UK Brand

    New AEW Signee Says Farewell To Top UK Brand

    “Top UK independent star Kip Sabian recently said farewell to one of the top UK brands. Sabian recently signed for the new All Elite Wrestling (AEW) promotion and is finalising his time on the UK independent scene.

    Sabian took to Twitter and wrote “Tonight I wrestled my last match for World Association of Wrestling (WAW). Couldn’t of asked for a better send off sharing the ring with Brad Slayer. 9 years after we first teamed together! Big love to Zak Bevis, Saraya Knight, Ricky Knight, Roy Knight for everything over the years.”

    WAW is the promotion owned by the Knight Family in the UK. The promotion is featured in the new ‘Fighting With My Family’ film based on WWE Superstar Paige. Sabian was a big part of the company’s presentation, particularly at their Epic Studios shows in Norwich, England.

    IPW:UK also confirmed that Sabian will be leaving the company. The company tweeted the following: “So fans we can officially confirm Tuesday 16th April, Kip Sabian will be saying bye to the Frog and Bucket.” Again Sabian was a big part of the IPW:UK presentation, having recently won and held their top championship.

  • Dolph Ziggler Mocks Fan Who Suggests Miz Should Jump To AEW

    Dolph Ziggler Mocks Fan Who Suggests Miz Should Jump To AEW

    Dolph Ziggler responded to a fan on his official Twitter account who brought up how he hoped that Ziggler and The Miz leave the WWE in order to jump ship to AEW (All Elite Wrestling).

    Ziggler was last seen working a match under the WWE banner inside of the squared circle at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event. This comes after a few WWE stars had been granted their releases from the WWE that includes Tye Dillinger, TJP, and Hideo Itami.

    The fan wrote, “I hope @HEELZiggler @mikethemiz will switch to AEW once their contracts with WWE comes to an end this year, because you need to fly out of the cage to know there is different world outside that cage.”

    This led to Ziggler responding by writing, “Hahahahahaha yeah man, tons of talking time, his own talk show, his own reality show, multiple movies, commercials, title reigns oh, and he main-evented WRESTLEMANIA…that miz just can’t catch a break.”

    Cody, Brandi Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Chris Jericho, PAC, Trent Barreta, Chuck Taylor, Pentagon Jr., Fenix, Britt Baker, MJF, Joey Janela, Penelope Ford, Frankie Kazarian, Christopher Daniels, Scorpio Sky, Jimmy Havoc, Sonny Kiss, Sammy Guevara,, Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki, Kylie Ray, Nyla Rose, and Kenny Omega are currently the talents under contract.

  • Update On Chris Jericho & Triple H Meeting At Ric Flair’s 70th Birthday Party

    Update On Chris Jericho & Triple H Meeting At Ric Flair’s 70th Birthday Party

    Today marks Ric Flair’s 70th birthday. Tonight’s WWE Raw from Atlanta, GA will feature a special birthday celebration for the one and only Nature Boy. Flair’s family and friends held a surprise birthday party for him on Friday evening. Many famous pro athletes and wrestling personalities were in attendance, including Ricky Steamboat, Evander Holyfield, Charles Barkley, Shane McMahon, AJ Styles, Booker T, Triple H and Chris Jericho.

    All Elite Wrestling star Chris Jericho knows how to get people buzzing and posted a photo of himself with WWE executive Triple H from the party. He included the hashtag #internetblowsup with the photo.

    On the latest episode of his Heated Conversations podcast, Booker T spoke about Jericho and Triple H meeting at Flair’s surprise party. Despite Chris Jericho now working for WWE’s direct competitor, Booker said there was no heat or animosity between them.

    “Chris Jericho was at the party, Triple H at the party, and we’re all sitting there talking together and there ain’t no heat, or animosity, or anything like that,” Booker said.

    “I really think it’s enough room to go around. And that’s what Chris was talking about as far as what he’s bringing to the table as well from a backstage perspective, and really try to push this thing to a dimension where we have not seen in the wrestling business perhaps ever. And that right there, when you do it that way, you never know how big it’s gonna get.”

    Booker T also spoke about All Elite Wrestling, saying it’s great for fans and wrestlers to have an alternative. He emphasized AEW is an alternative to WWE, not competition.

    “To be able to have an alternative is great. To be able to have so many new, young talent be seen and be able to make their legacy – put it down as far as they want to leave it. That’s really what it’s all about. I don’t think it’s about competing.”

    You can listen to the full podcast below:

    (H/T to WrestlingINC for the transcribed quotes)

  • Jim Ross Suggests How AEW Can Avoid Being The Next WCW

    Jim Ross Suggests How AEW Can Avoid Being The Next WCW

    WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently made some interesting comments regarding the new AEW promotion. Good Ol’ JR spoke about the new upstart company on his Ross Report podcast.

    When discussing the new company Ross began to explain how he feels they should run the business. Ross was mainly looking at how the company could build and ‘avoid becoming the next WCW.’ Alluding to how the last company to truly contest WWE ended up going out of business.

    JR said that “Well, they’ve got to continue to create stars. They’ve got to continue to provide something new and exciting and talented to the fanbase. They’ve got to have a great television clearance as they start their weekly run this fall, I am told or as I read. So I think that’s important. They’ve struck a chord with many on social media.” Ross elaborated further, saying “their footprint, thanks to their social media expertise, is serving them well. But the main thing is they’ve got to cultivate a talented roster. They can’t get stale or predictable and continue to produce great episodic, hard-hitting, no eye-rolling content every week. It’s a hell of a big job and it ain’t going to be easy.”

    Credit to the Ross Report and WrestlingINC for the transcription

  • Young Bucks Attack Lucha Bros At AAW Event (Video)

    Young Bucks Attack Lucha Bros At AAW Event (Video)

    Matt and Nick Jackson got some revenge on Pentagon and Fenix last night. In the process, they also made a match between them official for AEW Double or Nothing.

    The Lucha Bros attacked the Young Bucks at the recent AEW rally in Las Vegas but the Bucks repaid the favor last night at an AAW show in Chicago. It is the first time the Young Bucks had been back in Chicago since All In on September 1st.

    The Lucha Bros were defending the AAW tag-team titles against LAX when the Bucks interfered.

    The interference by the Bucks allowed LAX to secure the victory over Pentagon and Fenix and win the AAW tag-team championships.  The Bucks then challenged Pentagon and Fenix to a match at Double or Nothing and the Lucha Bros accepted.

    AEW Double or Nothing Lineup

    With the addition of the Lucha Bros vs the Young Bucks, the lineup for AEW Double or Nothing now looks like this:

    • Kenny Omega vs Chris Jericho
    • Hangman Page vs PAC
    • The Lucha Bros vs the Young Bucks
    • Britt Baker vs Nyla Rose vs Kylie Rae
    • SCU vs CIMA & 2 Partners from OWE
    • Cody vs. Mystery Opponent
    • Over Budget Battle Royal
      • Sonny Kiss
      • Brandon Cutler
      • Kip Sabian

    AEW Double or Nothing takes place Saturday night, May 25th from Las Vegas NV at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

  • Davey Boy Smith Jr. Discusses Interest In All Elite Wrestling

    Davey Boy Smith Jr. Discusses Interest In All Elite Wrestling

    Since leaving WWE, Davey Boy Smith Jr. has been making a name for himself amongst the independent scene. He is currently one-half of the Major League Wrestling (MLW) Tag Team Champions and is a member of Suzuki-Gun in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). In New Japan, he tags with Lance Archer, forming the formidable team of Killer Elite Squad.

    In an interview with the WINCLY podcast, Davey Boy Smith Jr. discussed the emerging All Elite Wrestling and commented on his interest in the promotion.

    He admits that he has yet to speak to anyone from AEW, stating that “I think that it’s awesome that they’ve created something new and different, and I hope it’s a fresh breath of air for the wrestling world. Something that’s just a different alternative, and hey, competition is always a good thing, right?”

    Elite Killer

    Smith Jr. would go on to say that if he were to be approached by AEW, he wouldn’t know what he’d be able to commit to due to his NJPW obligations.

    “I haven’t been contacted by them, but if I were to be, I don’t know what the situation is with New Japan. It seems that they’re not really working with AEW, which is too bad because guys like The Young Bucks & Kenny were featured stars in New Japan. And then when they started their own company, it seems that things have kind of split. I’d have to look into what would be the best situation for myself.”

    Wishing them all the best, he shared that he would like to be a part of the promotion “if there’s interest” before reiterating that his contract with New Japan may render it impossible.

    “You know what? I wish them all the best. I would like to be a part of it if there’s interest, if there’s a situation that I can be in there but I don’t know if it would work with New Japan. I’m not sure.”

    H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

    Would you like to see Davey Boy Smith Jr. in AEW? If he did appear for them, would Smith Jr. be better suited as a singles or tag competitor?

  • Chris Jericho Says He’s The Sole Reason Double Or Nothing Sold Out

    Chris Jericho Says He’s The Sole Reason Double Or Nothing Sold Out

    Chris Jericho made some comments regarding AEW’s sellout of the MGM Grand Garden Arena on the latest episode of Cody’s YouTube series. During the episode, Jericho said he is the sole reason AEW soldout the arena.

    “It’s a very exciting time for All Elite Wrestling after selling out Double or Nothing in just 4 minutes,” Jericho said on the show. “12000 tickets sold at the MGM Grand in just 4 minutes, it’s unprecedented!”

    Jericho continued to talk about how even the fans are celebrating this accomplishment as if it is their own.

    Chris Jericho Claims He’s The Reason Double Or Nothing Sold Out In 4 Minutes

    “Cody and the Bucks are saying ‘we did it!’” he continued. “And every single person who bought a ticket to go to the show or is going to watch at home on PPV is saying ‘we did it we are part of something special, we made this happen together, we did it!’”

    Then Jericho started to insinuate he is the only reason the show sold out.

    “But is that really the truth?” Jericho asked. “Or is the more accurate description ‘I did it’ as in Chris Jericho single-handily sold 12 thousand tickets in 4 minutes because that is the truth. It doesn’t matter if Kenny Omega is on the show, or Cody’s on the show, or MJF is on the show, I made it happen.”

    Jericho is scheduled to wrestle Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing in a match which could close the show.

    “I am the sole reason why AEW is a smash success right out of the gate,” Jericho continued. “And I want all of you to thank me for that. You’re welcome.”

  • AEW Bringing Back Over Budget Battle Royal For Double Or Nothing

    AEW Bringing Back Over Budget Battle Royal For Double Or Nothing

    AEW will be bringing back the Over Budget Battle Royal for Double or Nothing. The match was on the Zero Hour pre-show for All In as well with the winner being granted a shot at the ROH World Championship on the PPV. Flip Gordon (dressed as Rocky Romero’s Chico El Luchador character) won the battle royal but then lost to Jay Lethal.

    On the latest episode of “Road to Double or Nothing”, Cody announced the match will return for the May 25th PPV.

    Cody Announces Over Budget Battle Royal Will Return At AEW Double Or Nothing

    “So when it came down to All In and we had an extra hour presented to us in the last minute,” Cody said. “We had a lot of people already in town with Starrcast. So we thought the idea we would do this battle royal but we would do a really good battle royal. But again, we didn’t have the money for it. So, we called it the Over Budget Battle Royal and I ended up selling the soft goods of the ring, the apron, the buckles, so that we could afford it and everyone could get a proper payday.”

    “Now, I wouldn’t say it’s over-budget anymore but it’s still the Over Budget Battle Royal,” he continued. “And it’s returning for Double or Nothing.”

    Cody would continue to say that battle royals are often thought of as bathroom breaks but not the one they had at All In. He also said the winner would receive a big reward. Cody would not say what that reward will be just yet, however.

  • The Young Bucks Cite “Creative Freedom” As Key Factor In Joining AEW

    The Young Bucks Cite “Creative Freedom” As Key Factor In Joining AEW

    Matt and Nick Jackson, The Young Bucks, are set to change the world with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Even lucrative offers from WWE couldn’t change their minds. WWE’s offer extended to an “Invasion angle,” and included the WWE Network hosting future episodes of ‘Being The Elite.’

    For some, this opportunity would have been too good to turn down. Not for The Young Bucks. The reason behind their decision couldn’t have been simpler and lies in creative freedom.

    “Nobody Else Can Compete With That”

    Speaking with SportingNews.com, The Young Bucks would divulge the power of creative freedom that has been granted to them. They cited this autonomy as a key factor in their decision in getting involved with AEW.

    Nick Jackson would state that “Right off the bat, I would say the freedom, the creative freedom. It was an outlet for us to express the way we feel pro wrestling should be done, the way we think it should be done in 2019 and the future. […] We were like ‘OK, we can should the world how we feel wrestling should be represented and this is how we feel like it should be.’”

    He continued, “The other options were to stay where we were or go to WWE. For me, personally, I feel like this was the easy choice because we’re going to be with all of our friends and we’re having a good time. It feels like it pretty much what we have been doing for the last four or five years but on a bigger scale.”

    His brother, Matt, would add that Tony Khan essentially gave them carte blanche control. He quoted Khan, saying, “‘Listen, hire who you want to hire and you’re in charge.’”

    Matt then added, “Nobody else can compete with that. A dollar figure can’t compete with that. We’re artists and we’re creative.”