As we’ve noted, Jericho recently signed a new deal with AEW that will keep him with the promotion through December of 2025. According to a new report from Wrestling Observer Radio, while the deal was framed as a contract extension, it’s actually a whole new deal.
Meltzer noted that Jericho’s initial deal with AEW kept him with AEW until January of 2024. He’ll continue to be on this deal until the first week of January. His new deal will expire in January of 2026.
(AEW)
While Chris Jericho is currently a major part of the in-ring action in AEW right now, the new deal will also see him take on an increased role backstage. He’ll serve as a producer and creative advisor, and will continue his current role of mentoring young talent.
AEW president Tony Khan had the following to say about Jericho remaining on with the promotion.
“Chris has discovered a fountain of youth this year, and he’s having some of the very best matches of his legendary career against some of the top names in wrestling. In expanding his responsibilities, he’ll continue to serve as a valuable leader with our roster.”
One month out and fans are still talking about the backstage brawl that occurred in AEW following their ALL OUT 2022 pay-per-view event. The incident, which is still under investigation, involved CM Punk, Kenny Omega, Ace Steel, and the Young Bucks, all who are still suspended from action aside from Steel, who was released by AEW this morning.
Some fans were speculating on Omega’s status with the company as the AEW social media team did not post anything about the Cleaner on his birthday on October 16th. However, AEW did make a birthday post for Fuego Del Sol, who shares a birthday with Omega. He just turned 27. This led to some controversy as some fans started taking unnecessary shots at Del Sol for doing nothing.
Fuego Del Sol Fires Back At The Trolls
Fuego is not the type of talent to just let silliness fly. He took to Twitter and revealed that Omega specifically told the AEW social media team not to post about his birthday, a request he made as early as a year ago. Del Sol’s full tweet reads:
“Only commenting on this because there are still articles and comments that are using me and my birthday to comment on Omega. I love Omega as much as the next fan. He told socials not to post about his birthday last year. Learn how to UNTAG me before you spew your hate and B.S.!”
Only commenting on this because there are still articles and comments that are using me and my birthday to comment on Omega.
I love Omega as much as the next fan. He told socials not to post about his birthday last year. Learn how to UNTAG me before you spew your hate and B.S.!
This isn’t the first time Del Sol has tried to clear the air regarding a misconception about him. He went on Twitter recently and explained that his angle with Malakai Black was something that Black pushed for, and was not forced upon the House of Black faction.
We here at Sescoops would like to wish Del Sol a happy belated birthday.
It appears that AEW is finally starting to make some decisions after the long investigation into the backstage brawl that took place after All Out last month.
Dave Meltzer on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio confirmed on Wednesday that Ace Steel has officially been released from his contract:
“So he was officially released yesterday, so I guess that is the first bit of news out of that whole situation in weeks. There’s a lot of other stuff going on.”
Ace Steel joined AEW earlier this year and he worked as a producer backstage. He also made an on-screen appearance before All Out where he encouraged CM Punk to answer the open challenge issued by Jon Moxley.
The now former AEW talent was part of the backstage brawl that took place after the All Out media scrum on September 5.
CM Punk first called out AEW EVPs during his post-media scrum. He was confronted by The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega once he reached his locker room.
Steel who was on Punk’s side joined in the physical confrontation and it was reported that he bit Kenny Omega at one point.
AEW suspended everyone involved in the brawl. The company has not made any public comments about the incident and has been criticised for their silence over the matter.
Jon Moxley defended the AEW World Championship against Hangman Adam Page in the main event of this week’s Dynamite.
It was a special Tuesday night edition of Dynamite in Moxley’s hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. Moxley was in control of the match at the Heritage Bank Center and connected with a Clothesline that knocked Hangman Page to the mat.
Hangman seemed to land awkwardly and the match was cut short due to injury. The former AEW World Champion was stretchered out of the arena after the medical staff had to loosen to the bottom rope to get Hangman out of the ring.
A couple of hours after Dynamite went off the air, All Elite Wrestling released a statement about Hangman Page’s injury. He suffered a concussion and was taken to the trauma center at the hospital. Page was discharged from the hospital but will remain in AEW’s concussion protocol for the time being.
You can read the full statement below:
Hangman Adam Page was taken tonight by medical personnel to a Cincinnati trauma center and diagnosed with a concussion.
He was discharged, but will remain in AEW’s concussion protocol.
AEW and Hangman Page are grateful for the exemplary response and care of staff and local medical personnel, and are appreciative of the love and support of fans everywhere.
Jon Moxley defended the AEW World Championship against Hangman Adam Page in the main event of this week’s Dynamite.
It was a special Tuesday night edition of the show in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jon was in control of the title match and hit Page with a Clothesline. Hangman appeared to land wrong during the spot and the match was cut short. Hangman was stretchered out of the arena and Moxley was named the winner.
After the match, Jon Moxley called out MJF for a title match tonight. MJF made his way to the ring but announced that he will cash in his chip at AEW Full Gear next month. Maxwell and William Regal had some choice words for each other earlier on the show.
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley didn’t just have to deal with MJF after his title match, another member of the roster confronted him. Ryan Nemeth, the brother of WWE Superstar Dolph Ziggler, confronted him. Ryan and Dolph are from Cleveland, Ohio and mocked Cincinnati as “Cleveland Jr.”.Moxley poked fun at Nemeth for looking like his bortherDolph Ziggler and Claudio Castagnoli got him in the Swing.
Moxley joked about the sound system not working at the arena and put the responsibility on a member of the security team to make sure it is fixed for when they come back. Jonvowed to keep coming back to Cincinnati until they make it the hottest wrestling city. Jon then took a bunch of photos with the fans in attendance at the Heritage Bank Center.
Jon Moxley made his latest title defense of the AEW World Heavyweight Championship against Hangman Page in the main event of a special Tuesday edition of AEW Dynamite.
The match saw Moxley get busted open. At one point, Page hit a deadeye on the apron. The match ended early as Page suffered an injury. The match was called off when Moxley hit Page with a clotheslined. The doctor checked on him, and Moxley was awarded the win. Page was put on a stretcher and taken out of the ring. Moxley, cut a promo about how he hopes and prays that Page will be okay.
For those wondering, Page is legitimately injured and the match stoppage was not planned.
AEW set up the bout on the September 23rd edition of Rampage when they All held the Golden Ticket Battle Royal. It featured Hangman Page, Rush, The Butcher, The Blade, Dark Order, Private Party, Danhausen, Dante Martin, Penta El 0 M, Brian Cage, Ari Daivari, Lance Archer, Daniel Garcia, Cole Carter, Best Friends, Jake Hager, Dalton Castle, Lee Moriarty, Matt Hardy, and Jay Lethal.
The finish saw Page eliminate Rush. As a result of this win, Page earned the right to get a title shot on the October 18 edition of Dynamite.
Moxey became a three-time AEW World Heavyweight Champion by beating Bryan Danielson in the championship tournament finals. The tournament started due to CM Punk suffering an injury that needed to be surgically repaired and his involvement in the AEW All Out media scrum fight with The Elite. Ironically, Punk started his first AEW World Heavyweight Title by beating Hangman Page at Double Or Nothing, while he started his second reign by defeating Moxley at All Out.
The ratings war between AEW and WWE returns for one night only tonight (October 18, 2022) as AEW Dynamite and WWE NXT go head-to-head for the first time since WWE’s black, and gold brand moved to Tuesdays in April 2021.
The ratings war started in October 2019 when AEW got a television deal to air its flagship show on TNT. To counter-program the show, WWE inked a deal with the USA Network to air NXT in the same time slot.
That migration ended what fans called the Wednesday Night Wars. During that time, Dynamite bested NXT in viewership in every week except one.
While speaking with Sports Illustrated, AEW President Tony Khan emphasized that his promotion prioritizes being the highest-viewed wrestling program.
Tuesday Night War
(AEW)
“It’s important for us to be the most-watched wrestling show. We want to maintain the great audience we consistently have on Wednesdays and bring it to this one-time-only Tuesday special. We want to be the number-one wrestling show this week on Tuesday.”
Dynamite will feature four championship matches including Jon Moxley defending the World Title against Hangman Page.
“It’s ‘Title Tuesday,’ only the second time in Dynamite history we’ll have four title matches on the same show,” Khan said. “We’re going to deliver in a major way.”
WWE has also stacked their show as NXT will feature main roster stars like main roster stars such as Rhea Ripley, Raquel Rodriguez, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in matches as well as Kevin Owens in an in-ring segment.
Chris Jericho will be sticking with All Elite Wrestling after signing a new three-year contract with the promotion.
Jericho was one of the first names to sign with Tony Khan in January 2019, and became the first AEW World Champion that same year.
Earlier this year, Jericho captured the Ring of Honor World Championship, his first title associated with the ROH brand.
Chris Jericho’s Best Gimmicks Ranked
New Contract
Jericho’s new contract will keep him with AEW until December 2025, Variety reports.
Not just a wrestler, the new deal will see the wrestling veteran take on increased responsibilities behind the scenes.
Jericho will serve as a producer and creative advisor in addition to continuing his current role as a mentor to young talent.
In a statement, Tony Khan expressed his delight to continue working with one of the “greatest professional wrestlers of all time.”
“Chris has discovered a fountain of youth this year, and he’s having some of the very best matches of his legendary career against some of the top names in wrestling. In expanding his responsibilities, he’ll continue to serve as a valuable leader with our roster.”
Backstage Leader
With three decades and counting in wrestling, it isn’t difficult to see why Jericho is considered a locker-room leader within AEW.
After the controversy at All Out 2022, it was reported that Jericho has ‘stepped up’ backstage to help out following months of unfavorable reports about the promotion.
Bryan Danielson and reigning AEW World Champion Jon Moxley are also said to have earned props backstage for stepping up at arguably the company’s most difficult time to date.
Bray Wyatt is once again a fully-fledged WWE Superstar, despite countless fans hoping he’d join AEW instead.
At Extreme Rules 2022, Wyatt returned to WWE in the closing moments of the show, 15 months after his controversial exit from the promotion.
Wyatt’s high-figure contract and creative differences with Vince McMahon are said to have been factors in his release.
Not an Option
While many felt like AEW would be the perfect place for Wyatt’s creative side, he did not join Tony Khan’s popular promotion.
Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross questioned whether Wyatt ever saw AEW as an option (via 411Mania.)
“I don’t know if he ever interviewed with Tony Khan or not. It wouldn’t surprise me if he did, I don’t know. Bray may have had this plan all along. Take some time off, try to go back to the nest.
“He wanted to go back to WWE, and I don’t know what amount of money Tony [Khan] could’ve offered that was gonna supplant his career in WWE.”
“My take is, there was never any major interest [in Wyatt joining AEW.]”
Jim Ross.
Wyatt’s first appearance back on TV came during last week’s SmackDown, when he thanked fans for their support.
The Wyatt 6
Bray Wyatt is back with WWE, but plans for his future are unclear.
One popular theory is that Wyatt is starting a new stable, where Superstars will portray characters from the Firefly Fun House.
These characters were portrayed as part of Wyatt’s return at Extreme Rules.
Grayson Waller, Joe Gacy, Alexa Bliss and Liv Morgan have all been rumored to be names considered for the group.
AEW star Sammy Guevara is headed to Dubai next month to be part of a high-profile boxing event for Global Titans. Guevara will serve as a commentator and backstage interviewer for Global Titans: Mayweather vs Deji.
The main event of this card will see boxing legend Floyd Mayweather fight YouTube star Deji in a boxing exhibition. Former WWE/NXT and AEW star Bobby Fish will also be competing against Boateng Prempeh.
Global Titans: Mayweather vs. Deji takes place Sunday, November 13th from Al Wasl, Dubai at the Coca-Cola Arena.
Sammy Guevara and Global Titans
Guevara confirmed his involvement with Global Titans on social media. He’ll serve as a backstage reporter and commentator.
Guevara’s upcoming role with Global Titans could be the start of a broader relationship with the upstart organization. On a recent episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that event promoters are hopeful that he will step in the ring for them at a future show.
The former AEW TNT Champion does not have any professional fighting experience, but that’s not necessarily a hinderance to a special attraction fight.
This gig with Global Titans is an example of what makes AEW contracts so appealing to talent. Aside from a reduced travel schedule (AEW does not hold ongoing non-televised live events), wrestlers have greater freedom to accept outside projects like this.
The Voros Twins, also known as the “DaVinki Twins” made their AEW debut while the promotion was in Toronto last week.
Chris and Patrick Voros went viral in 2020 when answering the question “Who painted the Mona Lisa?” by reading the answer as Da Vinki. The duo have cashed in on their viral fame with their own store on Pro Wrestling Tees.
On the latest episode of the AEW Dark: Elevation YouTube series, they faced off against (and lost to) Butcher and Blade. Despite coming up short, the brothers from New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada are looking forward to getting back in an AEW ring.
While it was their AEW debut, the brothers have been wrestling for seven years across Canada, the U.S., and Europe. DEFY Wrestling in Seattle is one of the promotions they’ve wrestled for. They’re listed on the LDN Wrestling roster. It’s unclear when they last wrestled for the promotion.
In an interview from 2015, the twins say they went to Elite Canadian Championship Wrestling in Vancouver after meeting for ECCW Champion, Ravenous Randy. He told them that the promotion was starting a wrestling school.
During an interview with Chris Van Vilet in 2021, the twins gave a little background into their wrestling journey. According to Chris, they got their start in backyard wrestling. “Our company was called NXW, which is one letter off of NXT. We were revolutionary.”
Patrick said they joined a school nearby, but didn’t specify which school. Chris explained that they have been in matches together, but one of them is usually the manager for the other. The reason they do singles matches is because they don’t want to hit the other.
They had a WWE tryout during SummerSlam weekend in 2019. Patrick gave more details saying, “It was the first and only Canadian try-out in WWE, we were super fortunate to be a part of the 42 people involved. I think it went really well.”
AEW has a stacked tag team division full of big names such as the Lucha Brothers, FTR, Young Bucks, Best Friends, and Swerve in Our Glory. The Kingdom showed up on Rampagebecause they never got their rematch for the ROH tag team titles.
All Elite Wrestling may have had its share of problems backstage, but their relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery is stronger than ever. The media giant operates both TBS, the home of AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights, and TNT the home of AEW Rampage on Fridays.
A new documentary show is in the works that focus on the behind-the-scenes lives of AEW stars, according to a report by Fightful. AEW talent and staff were informed this past week about the project. Talent have been informed that participation in the docuseries is voluntary and that they have the option not to be involved.
Filming is set to start in November at the Baltimore AEW Dynamite and run six weeks through the AEW tapings in Garland, Texas on December 14.
Producers
Fightful’s report added that Tony Khan will serve as Executive Producer of the documentary show, with Sam Berns, Executive Producer of Shed Media helping out.
The show will be in association with both Warner Media and Shed Media, who according to their website, provide “unscripted and alternative television.”
Sources who spoke to Fightful said the plan is for the documentary series to begin airing next year.
AEW Behind the Scenes
While a documentary series like this is a first for AEW, it will hardly be the first time fans see the inner workings of the company.
Thanks to ‘Being the Elite’ audiences have seen several behind-the-scenes skits featuring their favorite AEW wrestlers.
The show is on hiatus for the time being, due to the Elite (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks) being suspended from AEW due to the ongoing investigation into the All Out backstage fight.
Prior to their exit, Cody and Brandi Rhodes also gave a behind-the-scenes look at AEW with their show ‘Rhodes to the Top.’
Toni Storm knows she won’t be the true queenpin of All Elite Wrestling until her Interim title is unified with Thunder Rosa’s AEW Women’s World Championship.
Storm won the ‘placeholder’ belt at September’s All Out pay-per-view when she defeated Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter and Hikaru Shida in a Fatal 4-way match. She’s been a fighting champion ever since, but she believes it’s “nonsense” that Thunder Rosa is still recognized as the real champion.
Storm has repeatedly questioned the legitimacy the injury that’s put Rosa out of action indefinitely. Rosa has defended herself, claiming she could barely walk and denying she has backstage heat with other women on the roster.
During a new interview with Chris Mueller for Bleacher Report, she’s now bemoaning the fact that she’s only an interim champion. Storm didn’t mince words when asked what’s next for her.
“I guess my first thing would be to beat Thunder Rosa and stop this interim nonsense,” said Storm. “That’s kind of what’s been bothering me. I think that’s been bothering a lot of people because she’s still calling herself the AEW women’s world champion and I’m the one here every week doing the work.”
– Toni Storm
Just Focus on Being the Best
We don’t have any indication that Rosa is gearing up for an in-ring return, so Storm will have to focus on what she can control, for now. Right now, she’s focused on being a strong champion, working hard and giving her all.
“I guess it’s about being a good champion, being a strong champion,” she said. “That’s what I’m up against every day. I’m working harder than I ever had in my entire career. The time is now. I look at every week as just an opportunity to prove myself. I love giving it my all and who knows where we go from here? But all I know is I’m gonna continue to work hard.”
Head over to Bleacher Report for more from this interview, including Toni Storm’s opinion on Saraya joining AEW.
Interim Titles in Wrestling
Storm is not the only AEW star to be saddled with a ‘less-than’ Interim championship. Jon Moxley was an Interim champion prior to steamrolling CM Punk to unify that championship earlier this summer.
Interim titles are commonplace in the UFC, when champions are injured for prolonged periods of time. There’s an argument to be made that a champion should have to forfeit their belt if they cannot defend it. Either way, it’s less-than-ideal when a new champion did not defeat the prior champion.
“I just can’t see anything in the wrestling business that he has a hand in that’s not going to be successful. And I’m obviously biased and partial to the man, but I would go to war for him seven days a week.”
Since being appointed Head of Talent, Triple H has brought several prominent stars back, including Johnny Gargano, Karrion Kross, Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt.
Former AEW World Champion went on a rant during the media scrum after All Out that the wrestling world is still talking about.
After his rant, CM Punk brawled with The Elite and everyone was subsequently stripped of their titles (AEW World Championship & Trios Championships) and have not been seen on AEW TV since the PPV on September 4th.
Jon Moxley once again captured the AEW World Championship by defeating Bryan Danielson in the finals of the Tournament of Champions at Dynamite: Grand Slam. Moxley is set to defend the title next week on a special Tuesday night edition of Dynamite.
Rob Van Dam recently joined Kenny McIntosh for an Inside the Ropes live show and discussed the former AEW World Champion. RVD hilariously compared CM Punk to a stripper during the conversation.
Anyway, CM Punk probably has as big of an ego as anybody I can think of that I met in the business. I’m not saying that necessarily in a bad way.
Depends on how you take it, but I think that he believes that he really is the best, you know, the best in the world.
I learned years ago, that strippers can be fun to date, as long as they can leave the gimmick at work and not bring it home and be normal at home.
Rob added that the guys that make it to the top of the wrestling industry often times have the biggest egos but are also the ones he finds crazy.
If you’re able to come back in the dressing room and still be that guy in the ring, that say they really believe you’re the best in the world, and you’re ready to prove it or whatever, then you know, the business looks at someone like that as like ‘Dude, you’re believing your own hype.’
There’s nobody on their own that is moving the industry, it’s everybody together. So being around him just feeling his energy, I feel like he believes that.
Hey, these guys make it to the top the guys who believe in themselves the most the guys who do the promos that convince you they really think they’re the best. They are the ones who make it to the top.
They’re also the ones that I can’t stand because I think they’re f*cking crazy.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman has become one of the biggest stars in All Elite Wrestling and is in line for a shot at the AEW World Championship.
MJF cut a backstage promo on this week’s Dynamite and revealed that he doesn’t like himself either, but he has to be the bad guy. Stokely Hathaway interrupted and MJF threatened to fire The Firm as his stable on retainer.
The 26-year-old vowed to capture the AEW World Championship. Jon Moxley is set to defend the title against former champion Hangman Adam Page on a special Tuesday night edition of Dynamite on the 18th.
Jim Cornette Explains What Sets MJF Apart
Legendary manager and promoter Jim Cornette discussed MJF on episode 265 of Jim Cornette’s Drive Thru. A fan compared MJF to Stone Cold Steve Austin in 1997 and Cornette disagreed. Jim pointed out that Austin may have been a heel at the time, he wasn’t a smart a** that insulted people all the time.
That was completely different than MJF, who is pretty thoroughly in every aspect a heel, unlikeable, untrustworthy, will use other people to fight his battles, will jump somebody from behind, take advantage of someone, will back off from a face-to-face confrontation.
He will verbally annihilate somebody when the opportunity is there but then show fear and or trepidation if they’re in front of him.
The reason why everybody is cheering MJF now has nothing to do with the reasons they started cheering Steve Austin then.
Cornette said that fans are smarter to the business nowadays and can appreciate MJF’s performance. Jim added that there is currently a lack of entertaining wrestlers and MJF fills that void for many fans.
He’s the only one working anymore. He makes you want to see s*** and then takes it away from you until the last minute. He doesn’t just bump for the sake of bumping for everybody.
Because he knows that first he has to piss the people off so they will want to see him have his comeuppance.
So he’s got a mind, he’s got a mouth, and he’s got a physique that he knows how to use in the ring.
He’s ahead of 90% of the other people in the business and he’s more entertaining than almost all of them.
Cornette noted that Death Matches used to be popular in the territory days because they were unusual but now they are commonplace. Jim claimed that MJF is one of the only wrestlers today that knows how to cut a promo and work in the ring.
It’s all the same except for guys like MJF. The reason why all that other s*** used to get over in the territory days (Death Match) is that it was different and unusual.
Everybody else was wrestlers that knew how to talk and work. Now he’s one of the only ones of those left. MJF’s out there running a business, so they like him.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.
WWE star Finn Balor has given high praise to Chris Jericho.
After signing with WWE in 2014, Balor has crossed paths with a who’s who of the industry’s best wrestlers, such as John Cena, Roman Reigns, and even several wrestlers who are AEW stars. Chris Jericho received high praise from the former WWE Universal Champion.
Finn Balor Praises Chris Jericho
While speaking with Josh Martinez of the Superstar Crossover podcast, Balor discussed Jericho’s legacy in the pro wrestling business after a pre-recorded prompt from the current ROH World Heavyweight Champion.
“Chris Jericho is not only an AEW legend, not only a WWE legend, or a Japanese wrestling legend. He’s a legend of this business. He’s an incredible performer. He’s been able to adapt and change his character to suit multiple generations, and I feel like he is a treasure of this industry.”
Balor and Jericho previously faced each other in WWE and share a similar pro wrestling journey with experience working in Japan.
Jericho recently successfully retained the title against Bryan Danielson on the October 12 edition of AEW Dynamite. On the flip side, Balor is coming off a win over Edge in an I Quit Match at Extreme Rules on October 8.
The AEW All Out media scrum is one of the most talked about press conferences in the history of the wrestling business.
CM Punk ripped Colt Cabana, Hangman Page, and The Young Bucks. The former AEW World Heavyweight Champion was involved in a backstage brawl with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Ace Steel was also part of the brawl.
No Timetable
A third-party investigation into the brawl was started and is still going on. Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that there is still no timetable for the investigation to be concluded.
Meltzer stated that none of the five (Punk, Young Bucks, Steel, and Omega) have heard anything from AEW but are continuing to get paid.
At least one person (not one of the five) who was there had not been interviewed, and there may be others. It was said that most are frustrated because they want to be back working at this point. Punk may be the exception to that belief since he can’t work for a long time due to getting surgery.
Meltzer continued by noting that none of the five stars are allowed to speak, but several of them want to discuss the incident.
“Any rumors of anyone being fired, anyone being told they aren’t coming back, or anything like that are incorrect as of midweek at least. None have been given any impression of a timetable.”
Saraya is opening up about injuries forcing her into retirement in her mid 20’s, feeling “completely useless” when WWE wouldn’t use her for three years and refusing to give the company a cut of the revenue from her lucrative Twitch channel.
She discussed these topics and more on the latest episode of Chris Jericho’s Talk is Jericho podcast. Saraya signed a WWE contract in September 2011 when she was just 19 years old. She accomplished a lot during her time in NXT and WWE, but was forced to retire in 2018 due to serious injuries to her neck.
Jericho asked how it felt to know her in-ring career was cut short at such a young age.
“Awful,” she said. “The only thing is that I was in a better mindset, because if it was a couple years before, I would have spiraled 100%, but at that point, I was just like, ‘You know what, I can’t hit rock bottom again, I can only continue and try to do other things.’
But then, I got to be GM and I loved it, but that kind of got cut short as well, and I never really understood why, because it was a great gig. I feel like everyone liked it, I never got anything negative from it, it was just shocking.
Road Dogg called me the day before I was supposed to fly out, and then he was just like, ‘So, we’re probably not going to do the GM thing anymore, so you won’t have to come to work tomorrow.’ Then, he decided that I was going to come and do a goodbye speech as GM, which I thought was really sweet. So, I end up flying in, doing that first segment of the show and flying back and then I was sitting on my ass for years. Still under contract, doing absolutely nothing.”
Feeling Useless When WWE Wouldn’t Let Her Work
“I ended up sitting in my house for like 3 or 4 years. That’s the most depressing thing. You just feel like you’re completely useless.”
– Saraya
Saraya was devastated when WWE relieved her as General Manager. The role gave her something to do on camera outside of the ring. When that fell through, she wanted to contribute in other ways. She pitched many ideas, including being a brand ambassador or a manager, but the company gave her the runaround.
“I remember contacting them and being like, ‘If you want me to do media, I can do that, if you want me to do this, I can do that, if you want me to do managerial work, I think Ronda needed a mouthpiece at the time, I was constantly pitching these different ideas. I was like, ‘I can do these things, I’m available, just let me know.’ But I ended up sitting in my house for like 3 or 4 years. That’s the most depressing thing. You just feel like you’re completely useless and then you can’t go and do anything else, because you’re under a contract where, even though you’re an independent contractor, you still need permission to do stuff, and then it would get turned down.”
Twitch
Absolutely not. You can get Vince to call me if you want, but I’m not giving you my Twitch, there’s no f*cking way.
– Saraya
Saraya was not content just sitting at home and doing nothing. WWE wasn’t giving her anything to do, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She joined the Twitch streaming platform. Saraya’s Twitch account took off and she made a lot of money interacting with her fans online from the comfort of her home.
That sounds like a great setup, until she got a call from Vince McMahon’s assistant who said WWE wants a cut of her Twitch earnings.
“It used to really get to me a lot, I never used to be vocal about it until they tried to take my Twitch away. I was just like, ‘There’s absolutely no way you’re going to take my Twitch away from me.’ Vince’s assistant at the time called me, he only did one phone call, and he was just like, ‘Well, you need to give us a percentage of this.’ If I had spoken to Vince, he would have been way more chill about it, I believe, but his assistant just had a fucking stick up his ass.”
I was frustrated. I was like, no way. Not only did I break my neck for you guys twice, for this company, but you don’t let me do anything. So I’m not earning this extra money that I would get if I was on the road doing media and all that kind of stuff. So I was like, this is what I’m doing. It’s keeping me sane. In the end, I just said, ‘Absolutely not. You can get Vince to call me if you want, but I’m not giving you my Twitch, there’s no f*cking way. ‘
Listen to Saraya’s appearance on the Talk is Jericho podcast:
Saraya made her AEW debut during the September 21 episode of Dynamite and received a hero’s welcome. Though her arrival in the company wasn’t free of controversy. A lot of people questioned her decision to leave WWE behind despite them keeping her employed after her injury. The first promo she cut after joining the company also attracted negative reaction.
The newest AEW star addressed all this during her appearance on Talk Is Jericho. She first explained that it was WWE that let her go. According to her, fans should be happy that she found another place to continue her career:
“They call us traitors and stuff like that. But I’m like, ‘Well, they didn’t renew my contract. I don’t know what to tell you.’ It’s not as if I just left the company.
We left on good terms and it is what it is. But, I feel like people should be happy that there’s other companies out there that are just as big and getting bigger.” said Saraya, “There’s so many different places that all your favorites could potentially go and build a career. You’re not having to just focus on one company anymore. I just feel like that’s wonderful.”
‘You Guys Need To Chill’ : Saraya
Saraya then addressed her controversial promo from the September 28 Dynamite. The former champion had claimed during the show that it was good to finally have a boss that listened to her. This remark attracted negative fan reaction with people accusing her of not being grateful for the opportunities in WWE. Speaking about the promo and the fallout, the wrestling veteran explained that it was about how the creative process in WWE often led to frustration:
“Then they were mad at me because I said a boss that listens to me about the division. Because Hunter listened to me, he always did. He was always wonderful. That’s why I liked working with him in NXT. He’s the one that helped me when I first got to the main roster, but it can get a little frustrating at times being there as you know.” said Saraya, “You feel like you’re throwing ideas and stuff like that and seeing what sticks and then you end up just sitting in catering or you end up sitting at home. That’s the thing that became really frustrating.
Whereas I threw an idea at Tony, and straightaway he was like ‘Let’s give it a try. They can either like it or hate it, but we’ll give it a try.’ I really appreciate that. So I said that in a promo like, ‘Alright, A boss that listens to me.’ [It was like], Oh it’s the worst thing I ever said. It’s like I literally came over to their house and set their family on fire. It was like the worst thing ever. I was like, ‘Oh my god! you guys need to chill, it’s not that deep.'”
Saraya is the latest wrestling star to jump ships from WWE to AEW. While the new WWE regime under Triple H did try to bring her back into the company, she ultimately made the decision to join the rival promotion. According to the female star, there were two AEW stars who convinced her to join the organization.
The former Divas Champion recently appeared on Talk Is Jericho. Discussing how her AEW deal came together, Saraya revealed that it was the duo of Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley that convinced her for the move:
“People ask all the time, they’re like, so how did that come about and stuff like that. I was like, you know what? It’s a mixture between Jericho and Mox. They were like calling me about it. They were so awesome. They said you’re just gonna be happy.”
‘I Was Really Excited To Try Something New’: Saraya
Saraya later explained the reasoning behind her call to join Tony Khan’s promotion instead of going back to WWE. According to the former champion, she is really excited to try something new at this point in her career:
“It was like a mixture. I was like, ‘What do I do? Do I do WWE? Or do I go to AEW?’ And I was like ‘I just feel like I’m at the stage in my life where I’ve done so much with WWE and I’m thankful for that. But AEW is this company where there’s so much behind the scenes that people don’t see.’ I feel like there’s like this camaraderie, if that’s the right word. It is so relaxed back there too.
I was just really excited to try something so new and then like with a division that’s completely new too. As much as I love the girls, like I saw Charlotte literally minutes before I got here and I was like, ‘I miss you ladies,’ but I’m so excited to be in such a fresh [environment].”
Stu Grayson may have parted ways with All Elite Wrestling, but that didn’t stop him from making an appearance this week.
This week’s AEW Rampage, which will air tonight, was filmed after this week’s AEW Dynamite in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
According to sources who attended the taping, Grayson appeared during a backstage segment and earned a loud response from the fans at the Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Stu Grayson in AEW
Grayson spent the entirety of his AEW career as part of the Dark Order, teaming regularly with Evil Uno.
The pair made their debuts for AEW at the promotion’s first pay-per-view Double or Nothing in May 2019.
In July 2020, Uno and Grayson had their one opportunity at the AEW World Tag Team Championships, losing to then-champs Kenny Omega and ‘Hangman’ Adam Page.
Stu Grayson may be best known for his time in AEW, but he has competed outside the promotion.
He has also wrestled for Pro Wrestling Guerilla, where he is a one-time World Tag Team Champion (with Uno.)
Grayson has also competed for Chikara, where he incorporated his love of video games into his character, using video game cartridges inserted into a slot on his tights to determine his wrestling style.
Since leaving AEW, Grayson has had just one match, teaming with Uno to unsuccessfully challenge HOG Tag Team Champions the Briscoes last month.
The behind-the-scene tensions in AEW have been a major topic of discussion recently. Every time it seems like things have settled down, a new report of heat between stars or a new altercation comes out, leading to more speculation. Though according to Chris Jericho, despite all this, the positivity within the company is off the charts.
Y2J recently had an interview with Comicbook.com. He first commented on the reports of him stepping up as a locker room leader in the past few months. Jericho explained that AEW has only been around for three years and the company has growing pains. This is why people like him, Bryan Danielson and Jon Moxley have to come forward.
Commenting on the reports of the backstage environment of the promotion, Chris Jericho claimed that there is always going to be little dips and dots in any locker room:
“The funny thing is, everyone’s got an opinion when they’re online and the social media and all that stuff. We know what’s really happening and we know, sure there’re things you got to fix, but the positivity in our company is off the charts and the optimism of where we’re going over the next few years is also off the charts.”
Chris Jericho then stirred the conversation toward AEW’s third-year anniversary. He explained that it’s huge because when they started the company, they weren’t sure about having even a single anniversary. Per the former AEW champion, they are now taking care of the issues and focusing on the positives, which are 98% to two.
Hardy names various wrestlers who he thinks are the best he’s worked with in his career. He lists wrestlers like Eddie Guerrero, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Rock, Brock Lesnar, and Edge & Christian.
He shared who thinks are the best “with the newer style of wrestling.” “Three guys that I have to give shoutouts to because they truly do have great minds for what they do and they’re very polarizing, but Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks. I’ve loved my experiences with them as well. It’s funny, you know, people sleep on the Young Bucks, but they really do know their shit. I mean, they can work an old school-style match if they needed to. They’re very well-versed in everything. They are extremely smart in how they put together their shit. They’re great.”
Matt Hardy would like to work with these AEW wrestlers
(AEW)
When asked who we wants to work with in AEW that he hasn’t worked with yet, Hardy immediately replied, “Kenny Omega”. For younger talent, he wants to work with MJF. He revealed that it was discussed at one point during the Pandemic Era.
Although they worked together some in WWE, the current AEW World Champion, Jon Moxley, is someone who would love to work with now and have a “one-on-one match with.”
After getting to work with “All Ego” Ethan Page a little bit, Hardy can see the similarities that host Jon Alba pointed out, such as his “wrestling acumen”.
