WWE has recently been giving certain Superstars more creative freedom when it comes to promos, allowing them to work off bullet points rather than having to memorize scripts. Turns out that All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has no interest in scripts at all.

During an episode of the Mature Audiences Mayhem podcast, Chris Jericho explained why the promotion won’t be using scripted promos for any of its shows.

“I think people are excited because it’s something different. I know this – there’s no scripted promos,” Jericho claimed.

He continued, “There are no writers because that is what wrestling is. That is where it came from! ‘Austin 3:16’ was written by Steve Austin, ‘Y2J’ was written by Chris Jericho, ‘Never Ever Again’ was written by Chris Jericho. All that stuff came from my head because I am the one who has to deliver it.”

Jericho addressed WWE’s attitude towards scripted promos, highlighting that “you have to say it because it’s what Vince McMahon wants.” 

“I watch WWE – and listen, I love WWE. I worked there for 19 years. But you can see when people are saying s–t that they don’t buy, and you have to say it because it’s what Vince McMahon wants. And if you don’t say what he wants, you are going to hear about it. And if you don’t do it the next time, you probably won’t get promos anymore.”

Chris Jericho will is scheduled to defend his AEW Championship against Cody at AEW Full Gear in November. AEW’s television debut on TNT airs on October 2nd.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

AEW will be getting a special on TNT the night before their premiere episode on TNT. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that while the promotion or the television network has yet to officially announce the news, AEW is planning to air a preview special on TNT on October 1st. 

This would be the night before their first episode on October 2nd. Ironically, this marks the first Tuesday that WWE SmackDown Live won’t air on the USA Network as it’s moving to FOX that week on October 4th. 

If you recall, AEW originally had plans of starting their series on Tuesdays but that ultimately fell through due to TNT’s commitments with NBA.

AEW’s television deal with TNT kicks off October 2nd, which will make their first live wrestling TV show on the network. 

AEW Draws Strong “Countdown To All Out” Viewership

This upcoming preview special will be the second of its kind as TNT aired a special titled “Countdown To All Out” last month to promote their latest pay-per-view event, All Out.

That special drew 390,000 viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily. It ranked #29 in the Cable Top 150 18-49 demographic.

The first AEW on TNT from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC sold out quickly. It’s expected to be a special night. 

After a string of notable victories in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), Cody Rhodes has earned an opportunity at the inaugural AEW Champion, Chris Jericho.

Responding to a Tweet from the official AEW account asking if the people were ready for Cody to become the new AEW Champion. He wrote about having fun being underrated throughout his career, before admitting that he wants to claim the championship for his wife, mother, and every fan who supported him when he bet on himself three years ago.

“Being “underrated” was fun but also the least rewarding period of my career

It may seem silly but in my house the World Championship is The Stanley Cup, The Oscar, The Lombardi Trophy

I want it for my Wife, my Momma, & every fan who bet on me 3 years ago when I bet on myself”

Cody holds victories over his brother Dustin Rhodes as well as his recent win over Shawn Spears at All Out. He also has a tag team loss against The Young Bucks with his brother Dustin, and a time limit draw against Darby Allin. The promotion has previously stressed the importance of wins and losses, and so with these victories under his belt, Cody became the number one contender for Jericho’s championship.

AEW Full Gear takes place on November 9th from the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland.

While Luchasaurus started in AEW as a singles competitor, his popularity has seen a big jump after he did some promos with Jungle Boy and the company has now paired the two as a tag team.

The AEW Star recently took part in a media scrum where he discussed many things including the competition between AEW and WWE and more.

While talking about his pairing with Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus explained how it came about. He said that AEW Officials are keen on listening to audience response and this is why they were paired with each other:

“What’s so great about working for them is they’re really keen on listening to audience response. That’s why they kind of let me and Jungle Boy get together in the first place. We did a couple of spots a couple of promos, and people loved it so much it was like, ‘We’re just going to run with this’. “

Marko Stunt is another addition to this team which has been made recently and while talking about him, the former Lucha Underground Star said that they are very excited about it.

He revealed that they have a lot of ideas for Stunt and he is kind of the missing ingredient to some of the things they are planning to do in their matches.

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) talent Britt Baker recently took part in a media scrum during Starrcast III where she detailed how she balances her life as an AEW wrestler and her profession as a dentist.

“You just can’t think about it,” she said. “It’s more of a don’t think, just do thing. When I wake up in the morning, I know I have to do this, this, this and this. It has to get done, and that’s what you do. You have to wake up, go to the office, do any after office paperwork, you have to go to the gym, you have to train and train, you eat, you get a little bit of sleep and then you do it again.”

Baker continued, “You can’t really stress and freak yourself out with everything there is to do, you just have to say “Hey, you have to do it, I’m going to do it, that’s it.”

She admitted that a lot of her patients are now starting to recognize her because of her work in AEW. Even when she’s backstage at a show, she’ll get people wanting to ask her dental advice. Despite this, Baker stated that she loves it when her worlds crossover as it allows her to flaunt her experience, which she finds rewarding.

• Cody Teases AEW TV Title

Jon Moxley is arguably the biggest star AEW has signed till now and according to Chris Jericho, he is the one who recruited the former WWE Star to the upstart promotion.

The Inaugural AEW World Champion recently had an interview with Mature Audiences Mayhem where he discussed things like the competition between his company and WWE and more.

While talking about his contributions to All Elite Wrestling, the former WWE Star said that they wouldn’t get the TNT deal if he wasn’t involved and went on to claim that he recruited Mox to the promotion:

“If not for Chris Jericho being involved, maybe we don’t get the deal with TNT, we don’t get Jon Moxley, who I recruited, or Sammy Guevara, Dean Malenko, a couple of guys you haven’t even seen yet.”

Jericho then explained that he may not be the greatest of all time but he has the best longevity at staying at the top level in various different eras of the business.

Apart from this, Chris also talked about leaving WWE and joining NJPW. He said that he got Vince McMahon’s blessing to compete against Kenny Omega and then extend his run for more matches.

He also discussed joining AEW and revealed that he had told Vince McMahon about the contract before signing. According to him, the boss told Jericho to take the deal.

However, he was surprised when Y2J actually signed with the promotion and after that, the company started giving everybody raises because Mr. McMahon doesn’t want anybody to leave.

Chris Jericho and Cody are scheduled to go one-on-one for the AEW World Championship November 9th at Full Gear. During a recent promo he filmed for YouTube, Jericho stated he has never liked any member of the Rhodes family, including Cody, Dusty, or Dustin.

“It’s not a secret, I don’t like you Cody,” Jericho says in the video. “I don’t like your brother, I don’t like your mother, I don’t like your sisters and I sure as hell don’t like Dusty Rhodes, your father.”

Jericho would continue to speak negatively about the late Dusty Rhodes, whom he worked with in WCW in the late 1990’s.

“That son of a b*tch, promised me a lot of things that never happened. Fast-forward 25 years and now this son of a b*tch, you Cody, promised me a lot of stuff that also didn’t happen but I’ll promise you this, I don’t like you are or your family but I love being ‘le Champion’ and I’m going to beat the hell out of you and teach your entitled ass a lesson on November 9th in Baltimore, my birthday.”

Jericho finished the promo with one last dig at the American Nightmare.

“The greatest birthday present I could ever receive is beating the crap out of you, Cody. Welcome to my nightmare, I don’t think you’re going to like it. You’re welcome.”

You can watch Jericho’s full promo embedded below.

Chris Jericho vs. Cody Rhodes headlines AEW Full Gear on Saturday night, November 9th from Baltimore, MD at the Royal Farms Arena.

• Jim Ross Responds To Fans Critical of Chris Jericho Being AEW’s First World Champion

Dustin Rhodes recently signed a new multi-year contract with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). This new contract will see him assume more responsibilities with the promotion. Alongside being an in-ring competitor, he will now act as match producer and promo coach for AEW talent. 

In a recent interview with Sports Guys Talking Wrestling of The Horn in Austin, Texas, Rhodes made a favorable comparison between AEW wrestler Darby Allin and WWE’s Jeff Hardy. Reflecting on Allin’s recent matchup at All Out, Dustin highlighted one particular moment in the match that saw Darby leap off the top rope with only a barrel to cushion his fall into steel steps:

“He [Darby Allin] reminds me a lot of Jeff Hardy. If I could compare him to anybody, he’s not scared.” Dustin said. “He’s fearless, and I know adrenaline plays a big part into all this, but he didn’t even look back. It’s like he put the barrel there and he’s ready and he goes when he wants to go, and it’s like ‘I gotta look back.’”

Darby Allin competed in the Cracker Barrel Clash at All Out against Jimmy Havoc and ‘The Bad Boy’ Joey Janela. Jimmy Havoc would walk away the winner of their hardcore matchup.

H/T to Wrestlezone for the transcription.

While the Inaugural AEW World Champion Chris Jericho’s big win at the All Out PPV was highly praised by the majority of the fans, it wasn’t free of controversy.

There are some who believe that Jericho, who is in his late 40s is too old to be crowned the first champion and during the recent episode of Busted Open Radio, Jim Ross responded to this criticism.

Ross first expressed that as a main eventer you have to earn that spot. You should be able to deliver and the former WWE star is someone who can always deliver.

The WWE legend then went on to claim that the reasoning that Jericho is too old to be the champion is lame and their champion has name identity to be given the position:

“He’s in his late 40s – and that’s the reason that we’re not making him the champion – that’s a lame reason, our champion has name identity and it’s a name that people understand and know.

The other thing is that he can have a good-to-great match with just about anybody. That versatility is important for the champion to have. He also can handle the pressure”

Jim Ross then went on to say that Chris can do a lot of things that are going to be required for the new AEW Champion so he doesn’t have a problem with his crowning.

The WWE Legend also talked about All Out and said that he would have put a match between the ladder match and the main event which followed to allow the fans to regroup.

Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez confirms that he’s talked with WWE and AEW. 

The UFC star has been wrestling under the AAA banner and has two more dates to go. What his future holds remains to be seen but he has shed some light on the possibilities that are available to him. 

He did just that during an interview with Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday. When asked about if WWE has shown interest in him, Velasquez replied, “We’ve been in talks with them. They’re going pretty good.”

When pressed what that meant, he responded with, “We’ll see.” This is when he brought up how he’s also had a conversation with AEW Executive Cody Rhodes. 

Cain Velasquez Gets Match Booked For AAA Invading NY Event

“I’ve talked to him a little bit, I want to talk to him a little more. I think they are doing great things, I think AEW is doing some really cool things.”

He continued by noting that AEW has a good relationship with AAA as they do a lot of lucha libre wrestling and he likes what they’ve done so far. 

Velasquez was asked about being asked to appear on the debut episode on TNT of AEW’s weekly TV show. He noted not yet as he can only do the three wrestling appearances for AAA that were approved beforehand. This could be due to his UFC contract. 

This will be an interesting story to follow as both companies would love to have him under contract. 

The latest episode of Being The Elite has provided a newsworthy announcement that was the location for the seventh week of AEW on TNT. 

AEW (All Elite Wrestling) announced on Monday during the latest episode of the series that the promotion would be holding a TV event on TNT at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN on Wednesday, November 13.

For fans who plan on attending, tickets for that show will go on sale this Friday at 11 am CST / Noon Eastern at AEWTix.com.

The arena has a max capacity of approximately 9,700 people, which is in line of other arenas that AEW is airing their television show from. 

“#AEW heads to the historic Municipal Auditorium (@NMAuditorium) in #Nashville on Wed, Nov. 13th for a LIVE broadcast of @AEWonTNT – Tickets start at $20 and go on sale this FRIDAY, Sept 13th at 11am CST / Noon ET – http://AEWTix.com”

Aside from week 8, AEW has announced several locations for upcoming TV events. Here is an updated look at the AEW TV schedule:

• Week 1 (10/2): Washington, D.C.
• Week 2 (10/9): Boston, MA
• Week 3 (10/16): Philadelphia, PA
• Week 4 (10/23): Pittsburgh, PA
• Week 5 (10/30): Charleston, WV
• Week 6 (11/6): Charlotte, NC
• Week 7 (11/13): Nashville, TN
• Week 8 (11/20): TBA
• Week 9 (11/27): Charlotte, NC

You can watch the latest episode of Being The Elite here: 

Cody Rhodes competed for AAA at TripleMania this year and has now apologized for helping to lead the crowd in a chant of “Puto.” In a statement provided to Out Sports, AEW says Cody did not know the negative connotations behind the chant. Cain Velasquez and Psycho Clown also led the crowd in the “Puto” chant.

The word “Puto” in Spanish is often translated to a negative slur in regards to homosexuals. The Mexican Soccer Federation will issue fines for use of the chant and sports channels such as ESPN have reached out to FIFA in an effort to prevent the chant from being heard on their broadcasts of international soccer.

AEW Statement on “Puto” Chants

AEW issued the following statement to Out Sports in regards to the incident:

“Cody joined his teammates at AAA TripleMania for what he understood to be their post-match tradition in Mexico and was unaware of any negative connotations,” an AEW spokesperson stated to Out Sports. “Certainly the last thing Cody would want to do is to hurt or offend anyone, anywhere.”

Cody teamed with Cain Velasquez and Psycho Clown on the show in a winning effort against the team of El Texano Jr, Killer Kross, and Taurus.

Footage of Cody participating in the “Puto” chant was shown on an episode of AEW’s Road to All Out series on YouTube and can be viewed in the player below (59 seconds in):

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) recently announced they had signed Dustin Rhodes to a new multi-year contract. This new contract sees Dustin assume new roles within the promotion. Not only will be an in-ring talent and match producer, he will also be assisting as a promo coach.

Speaking with Sports Guys Talking Wrestling on The Horn in Austin, Texas, Dustin discussed his new role. He also mentioned which AEW wrestlers he is looking forward to working with.

“There was talks [in WWE] on this last run that I had with the Goldust character that I would transition after my father’s passing to take over where he left off, and they seemed to be on board with that. I was looking forward to it, and then they chose somebody else and so it didn’t happen,” he said. 

Rhodes continued, “I’m excited about the talent aspect of it—me performing—but I am really excited about teaching these young kids how to handle a camera in their face and to bring out some of their character and really express it in ways that they can, they just have to step out of that comfort zone a little bit and experiment with things and we see what works and what doesn’t. I need to see what they do before I even put my hands on them. I need to see their characters I have to learn their characters and what they bring to the table.”

AEW Talent

When it comes to who he’s looking forward to working with, Dustin admitted he sees a lot of potential in Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy. He also mentioned Leva Bates before adding:

“Until I get behind the scenes and kind of know how they’re running the ship, basically, then I’ll know a little better, but I can’t wait. I’m really excited that they named me their promo coach and that’s very cool.”

H/T to WrestleZone’s Dominic DeAngelo for the transcription. 

AEW recently crowned its first world champion. The promotion’s first women’s world champion will be crowned on October 2nd and a tournament to crown inaugural tag team champions will begin on TNT this fall. Cody recently teased there could be a 4th championship coming to AEW, however. He recently spoke to IGN.com and hinted that AEW management has discussed the idea of a TV title as well.

“There’s a title we’re considering,” Cody said. “And it’s something people can probably guess since we’re going to be on TV, hint hint, but there are no plans for it at the moment. Right now we revolve around the AEW Championship and in D.C. we’re going to name the first ever AEW Women’s Champion, and that’s such a beautiful belt.”

Cody would continue to talk about the aesthetic value of the AEW Women’s belt and then insinuated there would be some guidelines for the new champion as to how she should take care of it.

“There’s going to be some guidelines laid out for whoever wins that title though,” Cody laughed. “Some guidelines about how they’re supposed to take care of it.”

The full IGN interview with Cody can be read here.

Cody vs Chris Jericho – Full Gear

Cody also addressed his future AEW World Championship match at Full Gear on November 9th. He stressed, however, that neither he nor Jericho are guaranteed to be in that match. Jericho has to defend the title once beforehand on October 16th in Philadelphia and if Cody loses between now and Full Gear, his title shot could be in jeopardy.

• Shawn Spears Talks AEW Going Head-To-Head With NXT

“I’m coming off a win over Dustin, one of the best of all time, and coming off a win over Shawn Spears, who’s an absolute stud. Those were two huge wins. So me going for the title makes all the sense in the world. But it may not end up being me versus Chris Jericho,” Cody stressed. “Because Chris Jericho still has a title defense before that in Philadelphia. And it may not be me if I take a loss to Sammy Guevara on the premiere episode. I think Chris Jericho is probably going to get through his first title defense, but if he doesn’t we’re going to stick to our word about win/loss records being a deciding factor. It’s really about the data and who has the best record.”

Early buyrate numbers are in for AEW’s All Out PPV last weekend in Chicago. The PPV is trending stronger than AEW’s last PPV in terms of streaming purchases but has seen a decrease on traditional PPV according to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“U.S. television PPV, looks to be about 28,000 buys. Double or Nothing as of a few days after was closer to 35,000 and ended up 39,000,” wrote Dave Meltzer regarding traditional PPV buys forthe show.

The report also noted, however, that streaming PPV purchases were up compared to Double or Nothing but they don’t know by how much yet. Purchases of the PPV on FITE were said to be down but again, we don’t know by how much. IPPV in the UK numbers were said to have increased from last show.

As for what all these numbers mean, Meltzer speculates the PPV should end up at around the same numbers Double or Nothing did.

“All this together would indicate something around 100,000, which, while not up from last time, does show staying power which was the big question,” wrote Meltzer.

The report also noted that of those who purchased the PPV on either television or through B/R Live, only 46% of those had purchased Double or Nothing.

• Strong Estimate For AEW Double Or Nothing PPV Buyrate

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) wrestler Shawn Spears has shared his thoughts on AEW’s TNT show going head-to-head with NXT on Wednesday nights.

In an interview with MuscleAndFitness.com, Spears stated that no matter who is involved or whatever the time slot is, “everyone is going to be motivated regardless.”

“We are gonna do our thing on Wednesday nights, we’re gonna tear it up and if you watch, fantastic, we think you are in for one hell of a treat, and if you don’t watch, you are missing one hell of a show, it is really that simple,” Spears said.

He stressed that the most important thing AEW and WWE will provide wrestlings fans is an alternative—something he believes will benefit the audience.

“Not just the audience of AEW, or WWE, or Impact, or Ring of Honor, it benefits the everyday casual wrestling fan,” he explained. “You now have another option. I can’t speak for everybody, but we are not looking at it as a head-to-head competition, where we need to knock these guys out of the water, we are going to go out there and do our thing.”

All Elite Wrestling’s television show debuts on TNT on October 2nd. NXT will air on USA Network a few weeks prior on September 18th.

JTG and Shad Gaspard, formerly known in WWE as Cryme Tyme, have challenged The Young Bucks to a matchup. 

In an upload to his Instagram account, JTG shared a picture of himself and his partner with the AEW Championship. His post is most likely in response to a tweet by Shane “Hurricane” Helms, who inferred that Cryme Tyme could have been behind Chris Jericho’s missing, and now recovered, AEW Championship.

“I don’t want to point fingers or anything, buuuuuut, has anyone seen @Jtg1284 or @Shadbeast lately? Just asking. No reason.”

JTG accompanied his image, which features a speech bubble reading ‘Do we have your attention now’ with the following caption:  

“First off…. Cryme Tyme are not thiefs. We’re actually outstanding citizens, @shadbeast13 and I actually Re-Rack the weights and wipe down the equipment when were done at the Gym ! ! ! We are GOOD People. We have NEVER stolen anything in our entire career. That was a rumor that got out of hand. We borrowed this title to make a message. This was not a hit on @chrisjerichofozzy But a message to AEW. If you want your precious title back…. Its simple.We want The Young Bucks ? #crymetyme #aew #maketagteamwrestlinggreatagain #TAGTEAMGOATS #WRESTLING #tagteam #tagteamwrestling“

Cody has previously stated that AEW has only revealed approximately 40% of its roster. With All Elite Wrestling debuting on TNT on October 2nd, could Cryme Tyme be a team the promotion might be interested in?

AEW World Champion Chris Jericho has cause to break out a bit of the bubbly as his world title has officially been returned to him. The Tallahassee police reported they had found the belt yesterday but quickly deleted a Facebook post with the claim. The police department has since been able to confirm it is the actual belt and returned it to the champion.

• AEW World Championship Belt Reported As Found By Tallahassee Police

Jericho would quickly take credit for the belt being returned in the following video (he would also like a ‘thank you’):

The police department would state that the belt was found on the side of the road and turned in by a good samaritan.

Police are asking anyone with any information regarding the incident to call Crime Stoppers.

Chris Jericho Launches Worldwide Investigation Into Theft Of AEW Title

• Chris Jericho Reports AEW World Title Belt Stolen To Police

“I am launching a worldwide investigation using the top private investigators in the world today to find out who committed this crime. And trust me, as the AEW Champion, I promise to regain and restore and find and reclaim the AEW Championship, and once again give you another reason to finally give me the ‘thank you’ that I deserve. You’re welcome.”

According to Chris Jericho, both Kenny Omega and PAC were upset with their matchup at All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) recent event All Out.

Speaking on his podcast, Talk is Jericho, the AEW Champion explained how both wrestlers were mad as the match they had planned was longer than the time they were allocated. This forced them to cut a bunch of stuff they wanted to include.

“Afterward, both Kenny and PAC were mad because, I guess, their match was too long and they ran out of time, and they had to cut a bunch of stuff, and they were not happy about it and meanwhile, it’s like the best match on the show,” Jericho said. 

He went on to compare Omega and PAC to Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit. He juxtaposed their attitudes, sharing that they are their harshest critics in the same way Guerrero and Benoit were. 

 “They remind me so much of Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, in that these guys are putting on these amazing, amazing matches but they were always mad because something didn’t go right or they didn’t hit a punch or kick the way they wanted it to, originally. They were always really hard on themselves for this.”

PAC, who replaced an injured Jon Moxley, defeated Kenny Omega during All Out. The result visibly shocked several fans in attendance. Omega is now scheduled to face Jon Moxley at AEW’s upcoming show Full Gear. 

H/T to PostWrestling.com for the transcription. 

It didn’t take long for AEW officials to re-book Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega. 

On Wednesday, the promotion, which launched in January, announced the first match for their upcoming Full Gear pay-per-view event. That match is this long-awaited showdown that was delayed from taking place. 

AEW announced the news on their official Twitter account. 

Moxley had to pull out their scheduled match at the All Out event in at the Sears Centre in Chicago, IL that aired on pay-per-view this past Saturday night.

The reason for that was due to a “serious case of MRSA” in his elbow that was picked up during his time in the NJPW G1 Climax.

Kenny Omega Says Jon Moxley Owes Everyone An Apology

AEW presents Full Gear on Saturday, November 9th from Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena. The show will air on B/R Live, which is Bleacher Report’s streaming service, traditional PPV outlets, and FITE TV in international markets. 

This marks the first match announcement for this show. As it gets closer, the promotion will announce additional bouts so stay tuned. 

Tickets will go on sale at noon Eastern time this Friday (September 6) and will be available to purchase via AEWTix.com and Ticketmaster.com.

$300, $125, $90, $75, $50, and $30 are the ticket prices prior to facility fees and service charges being added.

In an update to a story which will forever be mentioned in documentaries and podcasts about AEW’s origin, the world title belt was reported as found by the Tallahassee Police Department in a since deleted Facebook post.

The Tallahassee Police Department noted through social media that they located the title which was reported as stolen on Sunday. They even said that Chris Jericho may want to break out a “bit of the bubbly” now that the belt has been found:

The Facebook post noting the belt as found was deleted by the police department and a reporter for USA Today is stating the police are now saying they can’t confirm it is the actual belt yet.

As of this writing, there are no other details available regarding how the belt was found.

Jericho reported the belt as stolen on Sunday and then announced a worldwide investigation from his hot tub yesterday:

“I am launching a worldwide investigation using the top private investigators in the world today to find out who committed this crime. And trust me, as the AEW Champion, I promise to regain and restore and find and reclaim the AEW Championship, and once again give you another reason to finally give me the ‘thank you’ that I deserve. You’re welcome.”

• Chris Jericho Reports AEW World Title Belt Stolen To Police

Stolen AEW World Title Report

“The victim reported the theft of his championship wrestling belt while he was eating inside Longhorn Steakhouse. The victim stated he arrived at the Millionaire Club Airport Terminal and placed the belt inside his rented limousine. The limo driver shuttled the victim to Longhorn for dinner. The victim remained at Longhorn while the limo driver returned to the airport. The victim had taken the wrong luggage from the airport and the driver took it back to the terminal. When the driver picked up the victim from the restaurant, the belt was missing. Responding officers searched the limo and airport for the belt without success. On-call CID was consulted, and forensics responded to the scene.”

Edge and Christian discussed the forthcoming Wednesday Night Wars between NXT and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on an episode of their podcast, E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness. The two expressed their excitement, stating that everyone will be performing to the best of their ability to help their promotion pull ahead in the ratings.

“I really do think it ups everyone’s game. I think right now if you’re a [professional] wrestling fan, if you’re a performer, what an exciting time to be involved in the industry. So, you have RAW and SmackDown sure, but man, Wednesday nights are going to be the night now. I just think it’s fun,” Edge said.

“I think back to the Nitro and RAW stuff and everything. I’m not saying AEW is WCW. I don’t even know if AEW looks at this thing like a competition. I just think they want people to have a different option or another option, but now it’s coming to this because hey it’s Vince [McMahon] and WWE and if you start a promotion we are going to try to run you out of town. But I think that does up everyone’s game.”

Christian agreed, adding that competition is healthy as it keeps everybody on their toes. Ultimately, he believes the winners are fans of pro wrestling.

“It keeps everybody sharp. And the people that are going to win – I’ve said it in the past – the people that are going to win in all of this are the fans because they are going to get some really, really great content, as far as [professional] wrestling goes, going forward.

Two Hour NXT

Edge discussed that NXT’s move to USA Network makes it WWE’s third brand, rather than ‘developmental.’ He expressed that there will no longer be conversations about moving to the main roster. Instead, if Superstars were to move between brands, it could be considered a “lateral shift.”

They spoke about NXT extending to two hours, with Edge voicing concern over fans being able to concentrate for that amount of time.

“[…] to me, one of the things I loved about NXT was that it was an hour because if you’ve got that ADD, you can probably focus through that hour and it’s just enough time to not overexpose anything. You expose enough, and that to me is kind of the biggest question mark. My hope is that if there’s talent that’s spinning their wheels and can do so much more like an Apollo Crews, like a Cesaro, so many people, let them go to NXT, man. Let them shine there. That, to me, is how you can fill up those two hours. That, to me, is how you can use those guys to teach the younger folks, ‘okay, this is live TV – this is how this works.’ And I think that that’s the key.”

WWE NXT debuts on USA Network on September 18th. AEW’s first show on TNT airs two weeks later on October 2nd.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Chris Jericho has launched an official investigation to find his missing All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Championship. The promotion’s inaugural champion informed fans of his plans via a video statement uploaded to social media. He explained he had hired the “top private investigators in the world” in order to locate the belt.

“Hi, I’m AEW Champion Chris Jericho, and unfortunately less than 24 hours after I became the first AEW Champion, with blood streaming down my face after one of the hardest matches I’ve ever had in my life, some low-life scumbag committed grand larceny and robbed me of the AEW Championship.”

“[…] as a result, I am launching a worldwide investigation using the top private investigators in the world today to find out who committed this crime. And trust me, as the AEW Champion, I promise to regain and restore and find and reclaim the AEW Championship, and once again give you another reason to finally give me the ‘thank you’ that I deserve. You’re welcome.”

LongHorn Steakhouse Statement

In case you missed it, Jericho’s championship went missing as he ate at a LongHorn Steakhouse. A police report was lodged with the Tallahassee, Florida police department.

Now LongHorn Steakhouse has also commented on the situation, writing:

“We take the safety of our guests’ property seriously and are doing everything we can to help the local authorities in their efforts. That said, @IAmJericho is a champion with or without his belt.”

Chris Jericho defeated Hangman Page at AEW’s All Out event this past Saturday, August 31st, becoming the first-ever AEW Champion.

Conrad Thompson quickly got another Starrcast on the books as the fourth installment of the convention is set to take place during the same weekend as AEW’s next pay-per-view event. 

On Tuesday evening, it was announced that Starrcast IV will take place from Nov. 7 – 10 in Baltimore. As of this writing, there’s no talent advertised for the convention but with such a quick turnaround, announcements are expected shortly. 

For more information, you can check out the official Starrcast website. The first edition of this wrestling convention presented by Conrad Thompson took place during All In weekend last September in Chicago, IL.

Starrcast is a podcast and meet-and-greet convention that includes stage shows with various wrestling personalities. 

AEW presents Full Gear on Saturday, November 9th from Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena. The show will air on B/R Live, which is Bleacher Report’s streaming service, traditional PPV outlets, and FITE TV in international markets.

Starrcast II took place on May 23, 2019 – May 26, 2019 in Paradise, Nevada at the Caesars Palace. The latest installment of the convention took place this past weekend in Chicago, IL at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

This year’s convention was headlined by CM Punk doing a two-hour interview where he talked about a wide range of topics including his WWE departure. 

Just days after winning the AEW World Heavyweight Title Belt, Chris Jericho has reported to local police that his title belt has been stolen. 

He did so on Monday, according to a report from Scott Keith’s Blog of Doom. The Tallahassee (Fla.) Police Department filed a report that detailed the incident. 

According to the report, the title went missing while he was eating dinner inside a Longhorn Steakhouse at 2400 North Monroe Street. This led to the police being called and an investigation was launched.

The report lists the crime as grand theft and Jericho as the victim – Christopher “Jericho” Irvine:

“The victim reported the theft of his championship wrestling belt while he was eating inside Longhorn Steakhouse. The victim stated he arrived at the Millionaire Club Airport Terminal and placed the belt inside his rented limousine. The limo driver shuttled the victim to Longhorn for dinner. The victim remained at Longhorn while the limo driver returned to the airport. The victim had taken the wrong luggage from the airport and the driver took it back to the terminal. When the driver picked up the victim from the restaurant, the belt was missing. Responding officers searched the limo and airport for the belt without success. On-call CID was consulted, and forensics responded to the scene.”

The Tallahassee (Fla.) Police Department confirmed the news to ESPN on Tuesday. A spokesperson could not comment further because it is an open investigation. When a request for a comment was placed to AEW, it was not immediately returned.

Jericho beat Hangman Page to become the first champion under the AEW banner in the headliner of the All Out pay-per-view event on Saturday night 

All Elite Wrestling’s weekly series on TNT will premiere Wednesday, October 2nd from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.