Kenny Omega knows his role in AEW and it’s something that he believes separates him from Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada, but will The Cleaner make a return to the ring?

While on his Twitch stream, Omega happened to give an update on his recovery after his diverticulitis diagnosis, something that had him very close to death’s door.

“I would love to say, ‘Hey guys, I’m on track to coming back next week, next month, a half of year.’ I don’t have that confidence this time. When they’re explaining to me that I was 24 hours away from a terrible blood infection and possibly dying, this is like news to me. I’ve never heard of anything like that. ‘I wasn’t close to dying, are you kidding me? No way.’ The doctors are there to ensure my safety and educate me as to how important this is. I don’t want to talk out of my ass too much and say I’m going to for sure be back, and I’ll be back at a certain date or time because I don’t know. I will say, after watching Dynamite, and getting a feel of the lay of the land. If I can come back, I feel like I have to.”

https://twitter.com/puroresuflow/status/1765901475715207217

With the official AEW debuts of Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay, the athletic bar has been raised in AEW and Kenny hopes that he’ll still be able to show who runs the show in All Elite Wrestling.

“I used to be that guy. I used to have that confidence, and now instead of being the guy that’s got a chip on his shoulder, it’s my job as the old guard to be the gatekeeper. You want to call yourself the best? F***ing prove it, b****. That’s what I’m here for.”

From a storyline perspective, Kenny Omega isn’t quite “running the show” as fellow EVPs Matthew and Nicholas Jackson have “fired” Kenny from his position this past Wednesday on Dynamite. Kenny caught wind of it and simply used a photo of himself to express his surprise.

Omega has been advertised for AEW’s upcoming residence in Canada, but there is no word as to what he may be doing.

H/t to Fightful for the transcription.

AEW brought in Will Ospreay as a big signing, but he had to wait out his NJPW contract. Now that he is a member of the Don Callis Family on AEW television, he is ready for what is next. That being said, it will take some bumps along the way.

Will Ospreay addressed fans after his first tour with AEW. He is incredibly motivated to keep going, but he is still nursing some issues with his health. After all, his style has never been what anyone would consider easy on his body.

Ospreay Addresses Health Status After First AEW Tour

In a post on Twitter/X, Will Ospreay expressed gratitude as he wrapped up his inaugural tour with AEW. He conveyed appreciation for the warm reception he received and extended thanks to everyone behind the scenes for welcoming him into their environment. 

Despite feeling physically worn out, he emphasized his unwavering dedication. Now, he looks forward to returning home to his family and relishing the rewards of his hard work, reaffirming his belief in AEW.

And thus my first tour under the @AEW banner has come to an end. Thank you so much for such an overwhelming response. To everyone backstage thank you so much for allowing into the home you’ve built, I will cherish this place & treat it as my own. I’m banged up bad but my foot is still on the gas pedal. But now I’m gonna get on this flight home to my beautiful Mrs & step son and enjoy the fruits of my labour. I believe in AEW.

And thus my first tour under the @AEW banner has come to an end.

Thank you so much for such an overwhelming response.
To everyone backstage thank you so much for allowing into the home you’ve built, I will cherish this place & treat it as my own.

I’m banged up bad but my foot… pic.twitter.com/6myWq3vxp9

— Will Ospreay • ????????? (@WillOspreay) March 8, 2024

What’s Next For Ospreay in AEW

Will Ospreay is now a full-time talent for AEW. Tony Khan will likely use him for some big matches in the pipeline, and he already has one huge one in store. Bryan Danielson and Will Ospreay’s face-to-face on AEW Dynamite this week was certainly a sign of things to come.

Ospreay entered AEW as one of the best pro wrestlers on the globe. Now he will get a chance to prove himself in front of a fan base that might be full of people who haven’t seen everything he has in store for them yet.

SEScoops will have continued coverage of this story in case there are any additional updates.

AEW was able to sign Kazuchika Okada to a three-year deal, and WWE had interest as well. After this blockbuster deal was confirmed, numbers started coming out. It seems that they are not what they seem to be.

It was reported that Okada’s deal with AEW is worth $4.5 million per year for three years. Although this number might be something that WWE would offer a top star like Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar, that isn’t what Okada is bringing in.

Okada’s AEW Deal

It was previously reported that Okada is making 2 billion yen over a three-year deal. That would certainly place Okada on top of any company’s payroll.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that this report about Okada’s massive AEW deal is not correct. The actual numbers were not revealed, but they were said to be much lower in reality to what he is actually bringing in.

Okada signed a three-year deal. Tokyo Sports reported Okada signed a three-year deal at 2 billion yen ($13.5 million) over the course of the period of the contract, or an average of $4.5 million annually, but that number is not accurate at all. The real number is considerably lower, but it was still a very large number that he signed for.

What’s Next For Okada

AEW booked Okada as a heel to join the Young Bucks as the newest member of The Elite. Kenny Omega was also fired in the process, which sets up an eventual match between the two old foes.

Omega has no timetable for his return from diverticulitis yet. Okada will have to find other things to do in the meantime, but AEW has no shortage of opponents for The Rainmaker.

It was reported that Okada is moving to the United States as part of his new AEW deal. He will also be a full-time performer for the company. Only time will tell how AEW books him in the weeks to come, but he certainly has the pro wrestling world’s interest.

SEScoops will have more information on this story as additional details are made known. 

Sting gave everything he could during his last run in AEW. He was already a WWE Hall of Famer, but it seems that the company that owns a majority of the footage with his career wasn’t even asked to contribute.

WWE bought WCW in 2001 for a meager fee. $4.2 million got WCW’s brand, intellectual property, and video library. Arguably, this was an amazing deal for Vince McMahon’s company. Even though WWE owns all that Sting footage, Tony Khan didn’t reach out to inquire about using any of it.

Sting’s Final Match Footage

Before the match started at AEW Revolution, a video featuring Sting aired, depicting him alone in an empty movie theater in full ring gear. The video showcased photos and clips from his career, but they were missing a lot of action. After all, footage from Mid South, Crockett Promotions, WCW, and WWE, mostly owned by WWE, was notably absent.

Sting reacted to the clips, displaying shock at some of the recent stunts he had performed. Then Sting uttered, “It’s Showtime for the last time.”

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted that WWE wasn’t asked about using any footage of Sting for AEW Revolution. In the past, AEW has let their talent appear as talking heads for a few WWE things, but Tony Khan’s company apparently didn’t even reach out about using footage of Sting for his retirement match.

Many people wondered, given in the past Khan has allowed his talent to appear on WWE television to honor John Cena and at the Hall of Fame ceremonies, if WWE would reciprocate here. The answer is that we don’t know because WWE was never asked. There was also no TNA footage shown.

The report also noted that, “Most of the footage shown was from New Japan Pro Wrestling, as from AEW and his lone appearance in Pro Wrestling NOAH when he & Allin & Great Muta teamed up in the last match Keiji Muto donned the Muta gimmick. Sting made it clear that would be his last time in the ring in Japan.”

WWE Gave Flowers to Sting

WWE has a lot of things going on, and they did give Sting his flowers during the RAW after Revolution. That being said, whenever Pat McAfee spoke about how great his match was, Michael Cole quickly steered things back into talking about the WWE action in the ring.

SEScoops will have more on this story if there are additional updates. As always, keep checking back for the best comprehensive stories.

AEW has a few stars on the injury list, but it seems that Fenix’s time away from the ring is coming to an end. The Lucha Bro member has been booked for an event in May.

Fenix has been missing from action for AEW since 2023, but he fought through some injuries to make that happen. He needed to take some time off, but he has now been booked for a May 5th event for HOG Wrestling.

Fenix’s Return

House of Glory is gearing up for another event on May 5th with the announcement of Cinco De Mayo at the NYC Arena. A notable addition to the lineup is AEW star Rey Fenix, who is set to grace the HOG stage for the event, streamed live on Fite+.

Fenix’s opponent has not been revelaed for the show yet, but he will apparently be wrestling, which is a good sign for his recovery.

Although he has been out of action since last year, Fenix has been trying hard to make his way back to the ring. It was reported in late January that his previous comments about returning soon were a bit exaggerated.

Fenix’s Injury

Fenix was dealing with a nagging injury for quite some time, leading to several months of absence from action. He sustained the injury during a four-way tag team match at AEW WrestleDream in Seattle. The match featured The Young Bucks, Lucha Brothers, The Gunns, and Orange Cassidy & Hook.

During the match, Fenix was thrown into the barricades multiple times, prompting ringside medical attention and his subsequent removal from the match. This injury marked the end of his reign as AEW International Champion, which lasted only 20 days. His last match before getting sidelined was against Orange Cassidy on the October 10 episode of AEW Dynamite, where he lost the championship.

HOG’s Upcoming Event

Mark your calendars as tickets for this spectacular event go on sale today, March 8th, at 12 PM EST. HOG’s social media channels will provide additional updates on talent to be revealed in the weeks leading up to the event.

Located in Jamaica, Queens, the NYC Arena, House of Glory will bring a big Cinco De Mayo event to life in New York City. SEScoops will have more updates as they are made available regarding Fenix’s return to the ring.

AEW laid down a suspension for Sammy Guevara when after his botches top rope move on Jeff Hardy went viral. Hardy was injured, and there is a lot to unpack now.

Guevara had plans in place for him in AEW, but that didn’t matter once this incident took place. Now, he is waiting on the sidelines, and that also leaves Chris Jericho without a partner.

The Spanish God’s Suspension 

Sammy Guevara’s suspension stemmed from an incident during a match on February 14, where Guevara accidentally broke Jeff Hardy’s nose with a knee strike. Despite Hardy not suffering a concussion, the match continued, contrary to proper protocol, leading to Guevara’s suspension. 

During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed the intricacies surrounding a proposed tag team involving Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega, which ultimately didn’t materialize. Omega was taken out of action thanks to diverticulitis, and then Jericho went back to Sammy Guevara as his partner. 

Meltzer explained how the plan evolved to include Jericho teaming with Sammy Guevara for a tournament, only for it to be trashed by Guevara’s suspension. 

Meltzer noted the dissatisfaction regarding the handling of the situation, emphasizing that medical professionals should have intervened to stop the match rather than leaving it to Guevara. Consequently, the partnership between Jericho and Guevara was abandoned, leaving Jericho to potentially team up with Hook instead.

“In this situation, the doctors should’ve stopped the match, and it should not have been up to Sammy Guevara to take it home. And again, like what he was told, I mean, I guess whatever it was, the fact he did a GT H and nailed the guy with the knee after the concern of concussion was one of the reasons why it went the way it didn’t end up suspended. So anyway, yeah, so that was the deal with the Jericho and Guevara team is now out the window. So I guess it’s going to be Jericho and Hook.”

What’s Next

We will have to see how long Sammy Guevara’s suspension lasts. Since the length of Guevara’s time away from AEW is unclear, we will have to keep a close eye for his return.

Jeff Hardy is trying to get cleared for an in-ring return. His brother, Matt Hardy, commented to say that this will be a slow process. 

On another note, Matt’s AEW contract is set to expire soon. The Hardys were supposed to have contracts that ran out at the same time, but Jeff Hardy’s breaks from the company caused Tony Khan to pause his deal.

SEScoops will have more on this story as additional details are made available. 

Announcer Kevin Kelly has been fired by All Elite Wrestling following a series of tweets in which he shared frustrations within the company. 

This news, as first reported by PWTorch, comes shortly after wrestling fans noticed that his profile was was removed from the roster page of the AEW website.

Kelly was absent from Thursday’s AEW Collision tapings from Atlanta, which was another ominous sign about his ‘All Elite’ status. Tony Schiavone and Nigel McGuiness called the action for the show, which airs Saturday night on TNT.

Kelly’s Twitter Outburst

Kelly Kelly’s posts on social media last weekend cost him his job, sources confirmed.  The commentator gained attention for his series of tweets in which he claimed his career was being sabotaged. 

He added that ROH announced Ian Riccaboni had libeled him and that he was being “pushed aside” in Tony Khan’s promotion.

You can read all about the ‘Twitter meltdown’ that precipitated the end of his stint working for Tony Khan:

Kevin Kelly

Kelly was brought to AEW last year to serve as the lead commentator for AEW Collision. His start in the company did not go well as he came across as being unfamiliar with AEW’s product and the history of the wrestlers. Within months of his arrival on Collision, Tony Schiavone was brought in to serve as lead play-by-play commentator though Kelly would remain at the desk. 

Outside of AEW, Kevin Kelly worked for WWE from 1996 to 2003 and was present for the infamous ‘Pillman’s Got A Gun’ segment that nearly saw Monday Night Raw thrown off the air. Later on, he would be the subject of ridicule from The Rock and has been critical of the company’s corporate policies and creative direction since his release. 

He is also known for his work in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. His time with both of these promotions earned him a lot of favor prior to his signing with AEW last year.

Welcome to SEScoops: the Daily Drop, your go-to for the latest news and rumors in wrestling for Friday, March 8. We have a lot of stories to get into, so let’s not waste any more time!

Days until WrestleMania 40: 29

WWE:

– Dominik Mysrterio married his long-time girlfriend. Interestingly enough, Dirty Dom was even booed during the reception.

Dominik Mysterio gets boo’d at his own wedding.

?: evelyyngtz_ (IG) pic.twitter.com/MO6FQBDavk

— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) March 8, 2024

– Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes are both missing from the Money in the Bank poster. I was told that there is nothing to read into regarding Cody’s absence from the graphic.

I've been told that there is "nothing to read into" Cody Rhodes being absent from the MITB poster.

Also, they are still discussing the MITB winners, but nothing has been nailed down yet. As I said last week, they're just now getting to booking Backlash.

Side Note: We still have…

— Aaron (@AaronVarble) March 8, 2024

– Bianca Belair has received a ton of support after racist comments regarding her WWE 2K24 cover.

– The location for WrestleMania 41 may have been accidentally slipped out there already as Minneapolis Minnesota.

WWE SmackDown (3/8/24) Lineup so far:

• Bobby Lashley vs. Karrion Kross.
• Logan Paul returns to Smackdown.
• Cody Rhodes & Seth Rollins to respond to Rock regarding WrestleMania challenge.

AEW:

– There is no timetable for Kenny Omega’s return to the company.

– AEW is paying Okada $4.5 million per year on a three-year deal.

– Kevin Kelly was removed from the AEW roster, and then he wasn’t around for Collision’s taping this week. It was later confirmed that Kelly has been fired.

– Tony Khan has been planning Okada’s debut for some time now.

AEW Rampage (3/8/24) Card:

• Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta vs Kip Sabian & The Butcher
• TBS Championship Match: Julia Hart (c) vs Robyn Renegade
• Action Andretti vs Penta el Zero Miedo
• Komander & Bryan Keith vs Private Party vs Top Flight

Upcoming Major Pro Wrestling Events:

• AEW Dynamite: Big Business will be hosted at Boston’s TD Garden on March 13th.
• WWE NXT Stand & Deliver is slated for the afternoon of April 6th, just before the start of WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.
• WrestleMania XL is set to take place on April 6th and 7th at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a two-part event.
• AEW is coming to St. Louis, MO with AEW: Dynasty LIVE on PPV on Sunday, April 21st at Chaifetz Arena
• Backlash France is scheduled for May 4th at LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, France.
• WWE NXT Battleground is booked for May 26th at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, exclusively available on the WWE Network and Peacock.
• WWE Money in the Bank will be held on July 6th at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, followed by WWE NXT Heatwave on July 7th at the same venue.
• WWE Bash In Berlin is marked for August 31st at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, Germany.

Fans should not expect to see Kenny Omega back any time soon, despite the Cleaner being referenced on this week’s Dynamite. 

The former AEW World Champion has been out of action since late 2023 due to a battle with diverticulitis. This situation forced AEW to change plans as Omega and Chris Jericho had been in line for an AEW World Tag Title shot before the Cleaner’s hiatus. Instead, Jericho teamed with his Inner Circle alum Sammy Guevara in a losing effort.

Kenny Omega Advertised

In January, Omega was advertised for upcoming AEW Dynamite tapings that will take place this month in Toronto, Canada. While fans took this as a good sign, Tony Khan made clear that fans shouldn’t expect to see the Cleaner at the tapings when he spoke at the AEW Revolution 2024 media scrum. 

“I don’t think it would be fair to create the expectation that Kenny Omega would be cleared by then… I don’t know the exact date.”

Latest on Kenny Omega

With that in mind, there is still no timetable as to when fans should expect Kenny Omega, according to Fightful Select. During this week’s AEW Dynamite, Omega was ‘fired’ as a member of The Elite and has been replaced by Kazuchika Okada. Fightful adds that the plan is for Okada’s inclusion in the Elite to set up Omega’s return and feud with the group. 

AEW’s Rush has shared a touching scene in tribute to Akira Toriyama following the manga titan’s death this week at the age of 68.

Toriyama suffered an acute subdural hematoma, which is a type of bleeding near the brain, his studio reported following his death. Toriyama is best known for creating manga hit Dragon Ball, which has spawned shows, movies, video games and more. The main series follows Goku and his efforts to collect the titular Dragon Balls to protect the Earth. 

Rush’s Tribute

Taking to Twitter, Rush shared that he had begun re-watching the series, this time with his new-born son. Rush was grateful to Toriyama for making him happy in his childhood and is grateful he can now share Dragon Ball with his son. 

TODAY I STARTED WATCHING THE SERIES WITH MY SON AND WE HAVE 7 EPISODES OF DRAGON BALL Z
THANK YOU FOR MAKING ME HAPPY IN MY CHILDHOOD AND NOW TO MY SON

? RIP pic.twitter.com/NG0M2gBobt

— RUSH OFICIAL (@rushtoroblanco) March 8, 2024

Pro-Wrestling and Dragon Ball

Rush is hardly the only professional wrestler to have their life influenced by Toriyama and his hit manga series. For WrestleMania 32, the New Day donned armor similar to the Saiyan alien species from Dragon Ball. In 2020, Rhea Ripley wore a Vegeta-themed attire for her WrestleMania debut against Charlotte Flair in the crowd-less WWE Performance Center. 

WWE Money in the Bank 2023 saw not one but two references to Dragon Ball. For her Women’s Tag Team Championship match, Ronda Rousey wore an attire based on Majin Vegeta, the darker version of the series staple. Zelina Vega, who has cosplayed several manga characters in the ring, wore an attire referencing series villain Frieza. The power of the Dragon Balls wasn’t with either Superstar as Rousey would lose her title match while Vega failed to capture the Women’s  Money in Bank briefcase.

Fans tuning into this week’s Collision will not be greeted by Kevin Kelly in the latest development in his issues with AEW. 

Earlier this week, Kelly took to social media to claim that he was being sabotaged within the promotion. Kelly added that in AEW he is being “pushed aside” but that nobody is better than him as a broadcaster.

The veteran broadcaster added that he had been libelled by ‘Ian’, believed to be Ian Riccaboni, a broadcaster for AEW, ROH, and New Japan Pro Wrestling. He later stated that Ian’s attempts to tie Kelly to a”fringe conspiracy theory that everyone knows is bullsh*t” was libellous. 

Missing AEW Collision

Following his comments on social media, Kevin Kelly was removed from AEW’s roster section of its website. Many have taken this as a sign that his time with the company is ending, if it hasn’t already. 

Now, there has been another sign of Kelly’s exit from the company. This week’s episode of AEW Collision was filmed following this past Wednesday’s live edition of Dynamite. Kelly did not appear at the Collision taping, leaving Nigel McGuinness and Tony Schiavone to call the action as a duo. This is particularly alarming given that Kelly was hired to AEW last year with the explicit reason being for him to commentate on Collision. 

Kevin Kelly

Outside of AEW, Kevin Kelly worked for WWE from 1996 to 2003 and was present for the infamous ‘Pillman’s Got A Gun’ segment that nearly saw Monday Night Raw thrown off the air. Later on, he would be the subject of ridicule from The Rock and has been critical of the company’s corporate policies and creative direction since his release. He is also known for his work in Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling. 

AEW’s Kenny Omega was recently dealt another ‘roadblock’ in his recovery from diverticulitis which required the Canadian wrestler to go under the knife. The former AEW World Champion has been out of action for months, after disclosing in December 2023 that he had been diagnosed with diverticulitis. 

This led to AEW changing its plans as Omega and Chris Jericho had been scheduled to challenge for the AEW World Tag Team Championships. Instead, Jericho teamed with Sammy Guevara in a losing effort. 

During a recent Twitch stream, Omega gave an update on his condition. The AEW EVP (who was recently fired as a member of The Elite) explained that the pain comes in waves. 

“It’s been really touch and go. I was feeling great for a week or two. When you feel terrible, a week or two feels like a long time… For two weeks, I was feeling great.”

Omega then added that after this period of feeling great, he required emergency treatment. 

“I ran into a bit of a roadblock and I had to get some emergency treatment again. Well, I wouldn’t say it’s two steps forward, two steps back, but maybe it’s one and a half steps back.”

What’s Next? 

While Omega would love to be back in the ring tomorrow, he explained during the stream that he can’t answer as to when he’ll be back in the ring. The former AEW World Champion added that he doesn’t want to get back in the ring until he’s healed and feels he can perform at the high-level fans expect from him. 

This week’s episode of AEW Collision was an action-packed show as the promotion continued forward following this week’s season premiere of Dynamite. 

AEW Collision was taped following the most recent episode of Dynamite, which served as the season premiere of AEW programming. This marked the debut of a new stage (which marked the return of the tunnels) as well as a new color scheme.

Dynamite saw the debut of Kazuchika Okada who established himself as a heel by attacking Eddie Kingston and aligning himself with the Young Bucks. It had been reported for some time that Okada was going to debut on the show, with Tony Khan promising something huge in the days leading up to Dynamite. 

AEW Collision Spoilers [4/9/2024]

Here are the spoiler results for this week’s AEW Collision:

• The House of Black defeated Mark Briscoe & Jay Lethal & Jeff Jarrett in a Street Fight

• Mistico defeated Angelico

• Bryan Danielson defeated Shane Taylor. After the match, Will Ospreay came out to confront Danielson. The American Dragon challenged Ospreay to a match at AEW Dynasty to which Ospreay agreed. 

• The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada defeated Jon Cruz & Liam Gray & Adrian Alonis. Eddie Kingston tried to attack the Bucks and Okada but was overpowered. Penta and then PAC hit the ring, setting up a six-man tag for Big Business on March 13. 

• Mariah May defeated Trish Adora. Toni Storm came out and awarded May a “Toni Award” but Deonna Purrazzo attacked Storm. May made the save.

• Nick Wayne defeated Adam Priest. Christian Cage ripped up a masked fan’s sign. The fan attacked Cage and unmasked as Adam Copeland. 

• Tony Schiavone interviewed FTR in the ring about the tournament to crown the AEW Tag Team Champions. FTR said they want to be the first-ever three-time AEW World Tag Team Champions. The Infantry came out and said they want to be champions before everyone shook hands. 

• Lionheart Chris Jericho defeated CMLL’s Titan with the Walls of Jericho. The Gates of Agony attacked Jericho but Hook made the save with a Singapore Cane.

AEW is hoping for some big attendence numbers for Big Business next week, but how are sales going in Boston?

WrestleTix on X notoriously keeps tabs on what WWE and AEW are doing at live events and AEW has a whopper of an event next week in place of Dynamite with Big Business.

According to the account, the TD Garden, which is home to the Boston Bruins and Boston Celtcis, is set to hold 7,800 and the tickets currently distributed are 7,004, meaning there are 796 tickets still available.

AEW Dynamite: Big Bu$iness
Wed • Mar 13 • 7:30 PM
TD Garden, Boston, MA

Available Tickets: 796
Current Setup: 7,800
Tickets Distributed: 7,004

?+108 since the last update (3 days ago)
?Days until show: 6
?7/19/2023 Dynamite: Blood & Guts 8,956
?Sections 14 & 145… pic.twitter.com/12HMT9fY9p

— WrestleTix (@WrestleTix) March 7, 2024

For reference, the last time the TD Garden hosted AEW was for Blood & Guts back in July and that set-up was made for a bigger crowd, with 8,956 attending.

With less than a week remaining, it remains to be seen if AEW will reach it’s goal of sales, but if one were to go by the sales over the past three days, AEW may only sell just over 200 more tickets.

What’s On Tap For AEW Big Business

Whether AEW reaches it’s goal or not for Big Business, the card is becoming quite stacked for the show. Darby Allin will square off against Jay White in singles competition and not only that, but a World Title match is set to go down. Wardlow is cashing in his scramble victory from AEW Revolution to challenge Samoa Joe. 

Those may be the only matches announced for the moment, but Tony Khan is basically telegraphing the much-anticipated debut of Mercedes Mone. It’s also likely that we’ll have one or two World Tag Team Title tournament matches.

AEW’s quest to present the strongest roster possible took a big step forward on Wednesday in Atlanta when Kazuchika Okada made his debut. He is now a heel alongside The Young Bucks, and he’s making a ton of money for his services.

Tony Khan is known to throw out huge money for people he wants. According to a new report, Okada is making around $4.5 million per year under his new three-year AEW deal.

Okada’s AEW Deal

During the March 6th episode of AEW Dynamite, Kazuchika Okada made a significant appearance, joining a confrontation involving AEW Triple Crown champion Eddie Kingston and the Young Bucks, who also hold executive roles within AEW.

According to reports from Tokyo Sports, Kazuchika Okada has signed a three-year deal with AEW, estimated to be worth two billion yen over the contract’s duration, roughly equivalent to $4.5 million USD per year.

In an unexpected twist, Okada didn’t support Kingston as anticipated. Instead, he surprised the audience by betraying the Triple Crown champion and aligning himself with Nicholas and Matthew Jackson, becoming the latest member of The Elite faction.

What’s Next For Okada in AEW

Okada has been a heel before, and now it appears that he will have some fun with the Young Bucks. As we previously reported, Tony Khan has been planning this for months.

It is also reported that Okada is moving to the United States. He will also be with AEW full time from now on.

Kazuchika Okada will be on a full-time AEW deal and is planning to relocate to the United States, Fightful Select has learned.

Full story for subscribers pic.twitter.com/7X4pMfKEaj

— FightfulSelect.com! Exclusive Pro Wrestling News (@FightfulSelect) March 7, 2024

WWE was in the running for Okada, but he picked AEW instead. The money was better in the Land of All Elite. Only time will tell how Tony Khan goes about getting his money’s worth.

SEScoops will have continued coverage of this story, and many more in the pro wrestling world. Keep checking back for more updates.

AEW just had a successful season premiere for Dynamite. They are also bringing in some big names, but it seems that one notable member of the crew is no longer around. Kevin Kelly is no longer listed on the company’s roster.

All Elite Wrestling and one of its announcers seem to have parted ways. This comes not too long after Kevin Kelly went on an unhinged rant on Twitter/X about how he was being sabotaged in the company.

Kevin Kelly’s AEW Status

Fans noticed on Thursday that Kevin Kelly is absent from the AEW roster page. While this could potentially be an error on the promotion’s part, it suggests Kelly’s departure from the company.

It has not been 100% confirmed that he is gone from the company. That being said, being removed from their roster page was a pretty clear hint that this is the case.

Kevin Kelly has been removed from the AEW roster page. We're working to find out more

— Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) March 7, 2024

Kelly’s AEW Tenure

Kelly began his time with AEW last June as the lead play-by-play announcer for the Collision program on TNT, alongside Nigel McGuinness. He remained a fixture on the program until recently, although he was notably absent from last Sunday’s Revolution pay-per-view.

Before joining AEW, Kelly served as a backstage interviewer for WWE before transitioning to announcing roles for ROH and later NJPW.

Kevin Kelly has been associated with several wrestling promotions, including WWE, ROH, and NJPW. His recent replacement on AEW commentary has led to controversy, with Kelly expressing dissatisfaction and pointing fingers at a specific individual.

Kevin Kelly’s Recent Controversy

Just days ago, Kevin Kelly took to Twitter/X to vent his frustration about being sidelined yet again. In a series of intense posts, he made his displeasure clear.

In that rant, he shoveled a lot of shade on Ian Riccaboni as he said, “When you go out of your way to intentionally mischaracterize my raising awareness of the global horrors of child trafficking to a fringe conspiracy theory that everyone knows is bullsh*t in order to hurt my career and standing in the industry, that at the very least is libelous.”

Jim Ross can buy all the cowboy hats he wants thanks to his AEW salary, which the Hall of Famer says far surpasses anything he made during his WWE career. 

Ross joined AEW in 2019, immediately lending a sense of credability and  the upstart promotion a sense of legitimacy. Since then, he has called the action for some of the promotion’s top matches. JR was on hand when Chris Jericho became the first AEW World Champion that same year with his All Out victory over ‘Hangman’ Adam Page. JR recently returned to the desk after an absence caused by health issues to call Sting’s final match. 

JR’s Lucrative AEW Deal

Earlier this week, Ross revealed that he had signed a brand new deal with AEW and that his previous one had been set to expire in February. JR didn’t share details of the new deal but admitted it was “probably the quickest and easiest negotiation I have ever done.” 

On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer disclosed more about JR’s new AEW deal. Meltzer explained that Ross is paid very well for his role in AEW and while he commentates less in AEW than he did in WWE, he’s earning much more. 

”He’s paid really well. He makes more money in AEW as an announcer than he ever made in WWE. It’s a great, great deal.”

Ross is hoping to commentate more following his return at AEW Revolution. The wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Famer has unfortunately had multiple stints off of TV due to injuries and his battle with skin cancer. 

AEW and WWE were both interested in Kazuchika Okada’s services, but it was Tony Khan who pulled down the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Now Okada is a heel in AEW alongside the Young Bucks, and they are off to the races.

Although AEW didn’t really hype Okada’s impending debut, they had time to do so. For whatever reason, they declined to tease this huge moment in company history, so fans didn’t know that this week’s episode, a week before Big Business, would be anything special.

Tony Khan’s Plan for Okada

Kazuchika Okada shocked the pro wrestling world when he finally debuted for AEW during the March 6th episode in Atlanta. This was a huge surprise, but it was also something they had in the pipeline for a while.

During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer remarked that Tony Khan had this plan in place for Okada months ago. It was still a secret, but the plan was certainly in place.

“The Young Bucks’ segment with Okada, that has been known for — not by me — but it has been known by the Young Bucks and Okada and Tony Khan for literally months. It was Tony Khan’s idea to do this a long time ago, like it was the show after Revolution.”

It was noted that they could have announced that the Young Bucks had a big surprise weeks ago. For some reason, they didn’t announce that the Bucks had any kind of surprise until the day of the show. That is when Okada rumors started really churning, but this was the plan for a long time.

What’s Next For Okada in AEW

We will have to see what Okada and The Young Bucks do together. This situation is seemingly setting up another Okada vs Kenny Omega match as well, whenever The Cleaner can get medical clearance.

SEScoops will have continued coverage of this story, and everything else going on in the pro wrestling world. Keep checking back for more details as additional updates are made available. 

Welcome to SEScoops: the Daily Drop, your go-to for the latest news and rumors in wrestling for Thursday, March 7. AEW Dynamite was last night and Okada debuted. There is a lot of news to get to, so let’s get to it.

Days until WrestleMania XL: 30

WWE:

– Bull Nakano was announced as the second inductee in the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame after Paul Heyman.

– The Rock and Cody Rhodes have dropped dueling t-shirt designs. They’re pretty great and worth checking out.

– Corey Graves detailed how much different Triple H is dealing with announcers than Vince McMahon was.

– Former Tough Enough competitor Daniel Rodimer has been arrested for murder.

– John Cena has said he’s free for WrestleMania 40 day. I previously reported that he was going to try to do something for Mania this year. 

– WWE 2K24 actually burred out Vince McMahon’s face to get him out of the game.

AEW:

– Kazuchika Okada’s debut for AEW brought a ton of reactions from all over.

– Sting was okay with the idea of losing to The Young Bucks at AEW Revolution. 

– Matt Hardy’s AEW contract is ticking down.

– In another piece of AEW contract news, Jim Ross has decided to ink a brand-new deal.

– AEW made a lot of money with Revolution. You can check out the numbers here.

– Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara’s team is not happening anymore after The Spanish God’s suspension. 

– Lufisto dropped a lengthy post on Twitter/X, where she claimed that companies have not booked her because they want to keep a good relationship with AEW.

MY USA VISA COMING TO AN END

(Long text, sorry)

On August 23, 2024, my O1A visa that allows me to work as a performer and producer in the field of professional wrestling will expire.

Since US immigration has all the documentation that proves that I’m eligible for such a… pic.twitter.com/p51Ft2fawv

— LuFisto (@LuFisto) March 6, 2024

Upcoming Major Pro Wrestling Events:

• AEW Dynamite: Big Business will be hosted at Boston’s TD Garden on March 13th.
• WWE NXT Stand & Deliver is slated for the afternoon of April 6th, just before the start of WrestleMania 40 in Philadelphia.
• WrestleMania XL is set to take place on April 6th and 7th at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as a two-part event.
• AEW is coming to St. Louis, MO with AEW: Dynasty LIVE on PPV on Sunday, April 21st at Chaifetz Arena
• Backlash France is scheduled for May 4th at LDLC Arena in Décines-Charpieu, France.
• WWE NXT Battleground is booked for May 26th at Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia, exclusively available on the WWE Network and Peacock.
• WWE Money in the Bank will be held on July 6th at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, followed by WWE NXT Heatwave on July 7th at the same venue.
• WWE Bash In Berlin is marked for August 31st at Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin, Germany.

Pro wrestling legend Sting recently shared some unforgettable pictures from AEW Revolution 2024 ahead of his final match.

‘The Icon’ recently bid adieu to the squared circle at AEW Revolution 2024 pay-per-view where he competed in his final match, alongside tag team partner Darby Allin. It was nothing but a fitting tribute to his legendary career which spanned decades.

Sting and Darby Allin faced off against The Young Bucks for the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Sting yet again defied his age and showcased some spectacular moves inside the ring. While Sting’s retirement was the center of attraction, Darby Allin grabbed the headlines with his terrifying spot where he took a scary fall through panes of glass. 

During the match, Sting’s sons also got involved.  Pro wrestling legends Ric Flair and Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat couldn’t help but involve themselves as well. Ultimately, Sting and Darby Allin were triumphant and with the win, ‘The Icon’ ended his AEW career undefeated.

Sting reflects on the memorable night at AEW Revolution

Taking to Twitter/ X, Sting shared some backstage pictures from the event. He went on to reflect on his final match at AEW Revolution. He claimed that he had hoped that the night would be memorable for the fans it was a night he would never forget.  He also thanked the AEW staffs and all the fellow wrestlers. He also thanked the audience. 

I had hoped #AEWRevolution would be a memorable night for the fans, but it was a night that I personally will never forget.

Thank you to all the wrestlers. Thank you to all the @AEW staff. Thank you to Greensboro. And thank you to the fans, one and all!

1/3 ??? pic.twitter.com/CgokgiRF5K

— Sting (@Sting) March 7, 2024

3/3 pic.twitter.com/LWmUxQHpGY

— Sting (@Sting) March 7, 2024

With Sting’s retirement, it’s the end of a memorable chapter in pro wrestling history. His immense contribution to pro wrestling will resonate for the time to come and fans will cherish the beautiful memories ‘The Icon’ has scripted during his decorated career.

AEW star Will Ospreay recently came up with a heart-touching gesture as he paid tribute to the late Kurtis “Mad Kurt” Chapman on this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite.

The wrestling world was recently saddened as Kurtis “Mad Kurt” Chapman tragically passed away at the age of 26 in December 2023. His final match took place in June last year and he had successfully retained his Resurgence Arthouse Championship.

Will Ospreay honors Kurtis “Mad Kurt” Chapman

Will Ospreay headlined last night’s AEW Dynamite against ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher. During the match, ‘The Aerial Assassin’ decided to honor Mad Kurt. 

It was nothing but a touching gesture as he danced and dabbed in the ring, paying homage to Mad Kurt in the process. The crowd certainly recognized the value of this heartfelt moment.

The Mad Kurt Tribute by Ospreay??#AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/x88IG2bMJI

— Peps? (@Peps_Wrestling) March 7, 2024

The hard-fought bout saw some intense action with both Ospreay and Fletcher showcasing their talent. At the end of the match, it was Will Ospreay, who emerged victorious by pinning Fletcher with his signature move, the Hidden Blade. 

Following the match, he displayed sporting spirit and showed respect to his opponent. Don Callis joined the celebration but it was short-lived as it was interrupted by none other than The Blackpool Combat Club’s Bryan Danielson

Danielson confronted Ospreay, leading to a staredown that has created a buzz. This staredown left the fans speculating about their future storyline. Fans are wondering what Danielson has to do with Ospreay. We will have to wait and see as the drama unfolds.

What does Bryan Danielson want with Will Ospreay?!

Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS!@WillOspreay | @BryanDanielson pic.twitter.com/sl7RvO2dD3

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) March 7, 2024

AEW Revolution 2024 proved to be a lucrative night for the promotion as well as a fitting send-off for the Icon Sting’s legendary wrestling career. 

The March 4, pay-per-view took place from the Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, North Carolina. In the show’s main event, Sting and Darby Allin defeated the Young Bucks to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championships. This marked the final match for the Stinger and the AEW World Tag Titles have since been vacated. 

AEW Revolution 2024 Attendance 

AEW’s most recent pay-per-view was attended by 16,118 fans, according to Venues Now. This is up significantly from the previous year’s event, which saw 9,000 gather in San Francisco’s Chase Center. 

This year’s event was the highest-attended AEW Revolution pay-per-view in history. It was the highest-attended AEW pay-per-view since last year’s record-breaking All In event inside London’s Wembley Stadium. 

 AEW Revolution 2024 Gate

Last weekend’s show generated a gate of over $1 million, another huge win for Tony Khan’s first promotion. The average ticket price was $55 for the pay-per-view. 

On-Site Purchases

OVG Hospitality’s food and beverage per capita spending averaged at $19, excluding suites, resulting in $306,242 in concessions revenue. In terms of merchandise, the average amount per attendee was $21.64 and was said to be largely driven by Sting’s final match in the main event. This resulted in approximately $349,000 in gross sales. 

Nearly all merchandise items sold out. The report stated that the commercial performance was at the higher end for family-oriented shows and more in line with the revenue generated by concerts

Kenny Omega is not so impressed after The Young Bucks (Matthew & Nicholas Jackson) fired him from The Elite.

‘The Cleaner’ is currently out of action for an indefinite period after he was diagnosed with diverticulitis. However, The Young Bucks don’t care about it. During this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, EVPs The Young Bucks addressed the fans and went on to speak about one of their old friends, Kenny Omega.

While Omega recuperates from diverticulitis, The Young Bucks raised questions about his absence as he has been missing dates which they think have baseless reasons. After that, they announced Omega has been fired from his position in The Elite.

https://twitter.com/LopeDMCA/status/1765559275005296827

Kenny Omega reacts

Taking to his Twitter/X account, Kenny Omega posted his picture from a match in which his facial expression doesn’t look too impressed. He didn’t add any caption as the image was self-explanatory.

pic.twitter.com/UJkNnYb6Pz

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) March 7, 2024

Omega was diagnosed with Diverticulitis following his match with Ethan Page last year. The former AEW World Champion was hospitalized immediately after the match. Omega was set to team up with Chris Jericho at AEW Worlds End last December but that match had to be nixed off due to Omega’s absence.

We had previously reported that Omega has a long road ahead for recovery. Well, his condition is bad enough that surgery could be risky at the time and a decision of the surgery hasn’t been made

We will have to wait and see what the future holds for Kenny Omega. We at SEScoops wish him a speedy recovery.

Players of AEW Fight Forever can now bring the Big Swing, European Uppercuts, and more to the game with the inclusion of Claudio Castagnoli as DLC.

First announced in 2020, AEW Fight Forever is the promotion’s first console video game follows on from the company’s mobile games ‘AEW Elite: General Manager‘ and ‘AEW Casino: Double or Nothing.’ Fight Forever’s development would take longer than many fans expected, before hitting shelves and online stores in June of last year. 

Giant Swing in the Ring

In a YouTube video, it was confirmed that the newest DLC will bring Claudio Castagnoli to the popular game. The Swiss wrestler narrates over footage of himself in the game to a remix of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. 

The Blackpool Combat Club member mentions that he is coming to the game with a bunch of new skins for characters as well as the rare ‘Gold Attire.’ This unique attire is available for all playable characters but can only be unlocked by winning the AEW World Championship 20 times in the game. 

AEW Fight Forever’s Roster

Many fans weren’t happy when AEW Fight Forever was released that the playable character roster was noticeably smaller than expected (and far smaller than WWE’s 2K games.)

Noticeable omissions from the launch date roster included Inner Circle alum such as Jake Hager, Santana, and Ortiz and reigning Ring of Honor Women’s World Champion Athena. In October, it was said that work was being done on adding new talent to the game. The following month, AEW Trios Champions The Acclaimed were added to the game as DLC. 

Kazuchika Okada’s arrival in All Elite Wrestling has had the wrestling world talking following this week’s edition of Dynamite. 

On the most recent edition of AEW Dynamite, the Young Bucks were furious following their loss to Sting & Darby Allin at AEW Revolution 2024. The EVPs exercised their authority by suspending ‘Hangman’ Adam Page and firing Kenny Omega. 

This diatribe brought out Eddie Kingston, who was quickly joined by the debuting Okada. While the Rainmaker teased being on Kingston’s side, he attacked the AEW Continental Champion and shook hands with the Jackson brothers.

Wrestling World React to Okada’s AEW Debut

On Twitter, Matthew and Nicholas Jackson were pleased to share a photo with Okada and made clear that they were prepared to “change the world.”

Change the world. #theELITE pic.twitter.com/FgzUThTTXi

— Matthew & Nicholas Jackson (@youngbucks) March 7, 2024

Konosuke Takeshita made clear that he was paying attention to Okada, also known as the Rainmaker. 

Rain…

— Konosuke Takeshita (@Takesoup) March 7, 2024

AEW President Tony Khan took great pleasure in response to a tweet alleging that Okada was set to debut for WWE in January of this year as part of the Men’s Royal Rumble match. 

#AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/R8s8aTpaDr

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) March 7, 2024

Khan would also confirm Okada’s status by sharing the All Elite graphic while adding that the Rainmaker is a ‘business partner’ of Matthew and Nicholas Jackson. 

He is now business partners with @youngbucks in The Elite, and tonight it's official: @rainmakerXokada is ALL ELITE!
Welcome to @AEW, Kazuchika Okada!#AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/LfPVLoWH1r

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) March 7, 2024

Shinsuke Nakamura took to social media to express his surprise at Okada’s arrival in the All-Elite promotion. 

Shinsuke Nakamura reacts to Okada's arrival in AEW.

[Translation: "Really"] pic.twitter.com/JHPmxhRkQx

— Anutosh Bajpai || SEScoops || Wrestling News (@AuthorAnutosh) March 7, 2024

TNA Wrestling, who have often made use of Search Engine Optimization, shared a video of Okada taking on Generation Me (the future Young Bucks) during a TNA Xplosion match from 2010.

Check out Kazuchika Okada and Homicide vs. Generation Me from Xplosion in 2010.

Subscribe to TNA+ and watch all your favorite TNA matches HERE: https://t.co/SjpCtpS013 pic.twitter.com/nzALFANNYA

— TNA Wrestling (@ThisIsTNA) March 7, 2024

And Okada himself had a one-word greeting for the AEW fans and roster while sharing a graphic confirming that he is All Elite. 

Hello pic.twitter.com/gqLw8gyJGd

— Kazuchika Okada (@rainmakerXokada) March 7, 2024