Ricky Starks has made a name for himself as part of All Elite Wrestling, and now the wrestler is looking to leave his mark in the world of fashion.

Starks made his AEW debut in June 2020 answering Cody Rhodes’ TNT Championship open challenge and was signed after coming up short to the American Nightmare.

Starks has one reign as FTW Champion to his name, a win in the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royale, and won last year’s AEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament.

Fashion

Starks is always dressed to impress when he appears on AEW programming, and now has plans to launch his own clothing line.

On Twitter, Starks announced his clothing brand ‘Dream Palace’ and said it will be coming soon.

The former FTW Champion’s tweet got a response from Mark Henry, who expressed his support for the endeavor.

This is hardly the first time Starks has shown interest in the fashion world, as during a 2021 appearance on The Sessions with Renee Paquette, he cited Tom Ford, Alexander Wang and Gucci as his primary designers.

Wrestling with Fashion

Ricky Starks is by no means the only wrestler to set his sights on the fashion world.

In 2018, WWE Superstar Finn Balor began his own apparel line PE&K, while Chris Jericho launched his Painmaker line in 2020.

Impact Wrestling’s Al Snow also remains the co-founder of the popular “Collar X Elbow” clothing brand while Randy Orton announced the launch of his SLTHR apparel line on Instagram in 2020.

Lance Archer was a key wrestler in the early days of AEW, particularly the Pandemic Era at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville.

Back in 2021, Archer suffered a neck injury against Eddie Kingston. He did a moonsault from the top rope and landed on his head. He returned to TV in January 2022. Archer went to Japan to compete in the G1 a few months later.

Lance Archer’s Frustrations

On Sunday, Archer tweeted “51 days since I laced up my boots last! NOT by choice!”

Archer hasn’t wrestled since December 23, 2022 for New Japan. Suzuki-Gun had their final match in an 8-man match against each other. Prior to that, Archer had been competing in the World Tag League as Minoru Suzuki’s partner.

The “Murderhawk Monster’s” last AEW match was on November 18, 2022. He lost to Ricky Starks in the first round of AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. Prior to that, he had mostly been relegated to Elevation and Dark, except for competing in the AEW World Title #1 Contendership Grand Slam Golden Ticket Battle Royal.

• Jake Roberts Recalls Fan Shooting At Him During A Show

Judging by his tweet, creative (in either AEW or NJPW) has nothing for him. His manager, Jake “The Snake” Roberts recently made his return to the company. He was named a special advisor to AEW Together, their outreach program.

AEW President Tony Khan has claimed that WWE is partaking in contract tampering by speaking to several stars under All-Elite deals.

Since being founded in 2019, AEW and WWE have been at odds, as seen with the Wednesday Night Wars which saw Khan’s promotion emerge victorious.

The two promotions have occasionally aligned, with Khan allowing AEW talent to appear via video to celebrate John Cena’s 20th anniversary on WWE’s main roster last June.

Contract Tampering

Multiple names from AEW once called WWE home, though Vince McMahon was able to bring back AEW EVP Cody Rhodes in April 2022.

Speaking on the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz, Tony Khan said he’s consistently approached by talent who claim WWE are speaking to them. Here’s what he said, courtesy of POST Wrestling:

“I can’t really comment on what their (WWE) internal struggles, internal strife’s are because I don’t work there and I’m not there. I can only speak to the challenges we’ve had.

“I got a lot of wrestlers come to me and allege that WWE reached out to them to tamper with their contracts and ask them to break their contracts. I can’t confirm that specifically. I can only tell you what the wrestlers have come to me and said.”

Tony Khan.

Khan didn’t name who WWE has allegedly contacted, but called the action “very disturbing.”

On WWE’s Radar

There’s no shortage of prominent names that WWE would love to snatch away from AEW and use to draw viewers to their own product.

In January 2022, it was reported that WWE had shown interest in Wardlow, and have also reportedly shown interest in Brian Cage.

The biggest name WWE has reportedly shown interest in is AEW World Champion MJF, who has teased leaving to join WWE when his AEW deal expires on January 1, 2024.

All Elite Wrestling World Champion MJF recently had a hilarious encounter with a female fan in El Paso, Texas. After winning against Konosuke Takeshita in this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, a female fan approached MJF and asked him to sign her chest.  

MJF recounted this interaction in a tweet, where he called the female fan a “skank” and said that he was close to signing the female fan’s chest. However, she did not have a sharpie on hand. MJF said “You were this close to getting your t*****s signed you stupid b***h!” to the female fan and began to walk away. 

The other fans with her came to the rescue and yelled that they have a marker. Hearing this, MJF returned to do the autograph signing. However, the AEW World Champion noticed that someone was recording the whole interaction, and he decided against signing the female fan’s chest and simply walked away.  

In his tweet, MJF wrote, “Some skank in El Paso tried to get me to sign her breasts outside the arena. Multiple people recorded it. Still hasn’t made its way to twitter. Prob cuz people in El Paso don’t know how to use technology.” 

You can check out the video interaction as well, but it contains partial nudity so NSFW warning: 

MJF is known for being one of the best heels in the professional wrestling industry today. His interactions with fans go viral as he always stays in character even when outside the ring.  

When it comes to the ring, MJF will face off against Bryan Danielson in the first sixty-minute Iron Man match for the AEW World Championship on March 5 at Revolution 2023.  

Is CM Punk ready to forgive The Elite over what happened at AEW All Out 2022, or is Punk hoping to be forgiven?

Once AEW’s top star, Punk has been suspended from AEW for his comments and actions after the now-infamous September 2022 Pay-Per-View.

Out of all the names suspended from AEW following All Out, Punk is the only person whose future with AEW remains unclear.

Forgiveness

As Punk made abundantly clear during his All Out post-show media scrum tirade, he has had issues with Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks.

The two-time former AEW World Champion has accused the three (currently in their second reign as AEW Trios Champions) of spreading false stories about him.

On Instagram Stories, Punk shared a video about forgiveness in which it is said that forgiveness does not excuse someone to hurt you again.

Though the video has since expired, a fan shared a clip on Twitter.

What’s Next for CM Punk?

Tony Khan has refused to speak about Punk in all interviews since his suspension, which also resulted in the Chicago-Made star being stripped of the AEW World Championship.

It has been reported that Punk is seeking a buyout of his AEW contract, something that Tony Khan is in no hurry to grant, believing he could jump to WWE.

Chris Jericho called Punk a “cancer” following his actions at All Out, and WWE’s Seth Rollins used similar verbiage last month when asked about the controversial star.

It has also been reported that people from both WWE and AEW are under the impression that Punk returning to either company is a bad idea and that he will only cause more trouble.

Punk himself has yet to publicly comment on his AEW status.

Tony Khan has signed the AEW Tag Team Champions The Gunns to new contracts. 

This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite featured a controversial main event that left a lot of fans unhappy as Austin and Colten Gunn beat The Acclaimed to win the AEW World Tag Team Championships. 

The title change was a surprise as many fans weren’t expecting it as The Acclaimed has been protected in recent months and is one of the most over acts in the entire promotion. 

The Deal

Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported today that both Austin and Colten have re-signed with the promotion and will remain with them for the foreseeable future, although specific details of the terms were not given. Fightful was able to confirm that they have signed multi-year deals with AEW.

Austin signed with AEW in January 2020 while Coten was never given an official ‘All Elite’ announcement when he joined his father, Billy, and brother, Austin, on television. 

Although not confirmed, it’s likely All Elite Wrestling will book a rematch between the two tag teams for the gold at AEW’s next pay-per-view event, Revolution, which takes place on March 5. 

AEW President Tony Khan has addressed potentially expanding its pay-per-view calendar in the future, especially if a streaming deal comes to the promotion. 

Khan was asked about this topic while doing an interview on the John Chuckery Show. For Khan, he feels the focus should remain on AEW’s big five events (Double or Nothing, All Out, Full Gear, Forbidden Door, and Revolution) as he sees those as the flagpole AEW events. 

“Well, we’ve been able to really make the events keep that super special feel, where there is so much anticipation building up to Revolution, Double or Nothing, Forbidden Door now, and of course, All Out and Full Gear,” said Khan. “I think that with the current model we have, which is a la carte pay-per-view, true pay-per-view like so many of us grew up with, it makes a lot of sense. The price is about $49.99, and if somebody’s going to give us that $49.99, I would like them to feel like they’re getting a show they’ve really looked forward to for a long time and are getting maximum value.”

Expansion

Khan did state that should a streaming offer come along he would consider expanding the PPV calendar, but the events mentioned above would still be considered the big five. 

“I think for us right now, the way we’re doing pay-per-view makes sense, but if the right offer came along on streaming to expand the calendar, that’s something we have the capacity to do. I would only want to do it if we can make sure that we keep Revolution, Double or Nothing, Forbidden Door, All Out, and Full Gear as premium, top-end events like they are right now.”

AEW holds its Revolution pay-per-view event on March 5, 2023. Transcribed by Fightful

Jade Cargill has been protected and pushed as a top star in AEW since signing with the promotion in 2020, where she was used in a top angle right out of the gate. 

She made her in-ring debut by teaming with NBA Legend Shaquille O’Neal in a win over Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet on an episode of AEW Dynamite in March 2021. 

Since that match, she has gone on a lengthy winning streak and booked strongly as the TBS Champion, the only champion in the history of the title after she beat Ruby Soho in 2022. 

However, she has yet to face any top-tier AEW talent, something she is looking to change. Cargill expressed her interest in wrestling for the AEW Women’s Title while speaking with Liam Crowley of ComicBook.com.

Bigger Goals

“I’m just going to give these ladies some time before I want to go for the big belt. That’s something that I want to accomplish. I want to go for the main belt, I know that’s for sure.”

Jade also shared her desire to mix it up with stars such as Britt Baker, Saraya, and Toni Storm.

“I wouldn’t say so soon because right now I’m just focused on getting reps and getting better. Having longer matches, better feuds, and actual storylines. However, I believe it’s time for me to start having storylines with a Britt Baker, or Jamie Hayter, or a Saraya, or Toni Storm and working those storylines. I know I can do it. I have the charisma to do it. If you stand me next to any of these ladies, the work, the look and the aura of who I am speaks for itself.”

This week on Top Rope Nation, the crew discusses a wild week in both WWE and AEW. Primary topics on the show include Cody Rhodes’ much-talked about promo from WWE Raw, a spectacular edition of AEW Dynamite (with one major flaw), and a mailbag segment to close things out.

Each week, the video version of Top Rope Nation streams live to the SEScoops YouTube channel. You can join the live streams by subscribing to the channel and turning on notifications so you never miss a live broadcast. This will include a regular weekly edition of Top Rope Nation (typically Thursday nights), as well as reviews of all major WWE and AEW PLE/PPV shows.

On episode 284 this week, Ryan and Justin get into talking about Cody Rhodes’ prospects as a possible long-term babyface champion following WrestleMania. Plus, a discussion on what worked and didn’t work on Dynamite, as well as the plans for AEW Revolution. The mailbag segment includes questions on the best wrestling stage designs in history, guilty pleasures as a wrestling fan, AEW house shows, and much more.

You can watch the show via the embedded YouTube video at the top of this page. Additionally, you can listen to the audio-only podcast on Apple, Spotify, or wherever podcasts are found. You will also find an embedded audio player below.

EJ Nduka has some options regarding what he wants to do with his wrestling career. 

The former WWE star worked the AEW Dark tapings on January 28 in Orlando, Florida, where he made his debut for the promotion. His loss to Konosuke Takeshita aired this week on Dark. 

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Nduka was offered a full-time AEW contract after the match. As of this writing, there is no word yet on if Nduka has signed the contract. 

MLW aired his match with World Heavyweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone in a Last Man Standing main event for the MLW Underground premiere on REELZ.

Free Agency

His contract expired last month, but he went forward with finishing up with the promotion at the February 4th tapings. He is still one-half of the MLW World Tag Team Champions with Calvin Tankman. Their match with Juicy Finau and Lance Anoa’i of The Samoan SWAT Team is slated to air soon.

According to multiple reports, Nduka also has interest from MLW, WWE, and those in Japan. MLW officials have praised EJ in the past, while the former WWE star previously credited the promotion for giving him a chance when he needed it. 

The former NXT star was let go in May 2021 after having been with the company since 2019. He made his MLW debut the following month when his non-compete clause expired. 

CM Punk could be back on our screens within a matter of months if AEW wants him back that is.

The two-time former AEW World Champion has been suspended since September’s All Out Pay-Per-View, following his comments on the post-show media scrum and the fight.

Punk is now the only person suspended to remain suspended, with everyone else being brought back, or in the case of his trainer Ace Steel, fired from AEW.

Getting Medically Cleared

During his AEW World Championship victory over Jon Moxley, Punk suffered a torn triceps, which made the decision to strip him of the title much easier for Tony Khan.

On the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Punk is mere months away from being cleared to return.

A torn triceps usually takes eight months to fully recover from (unless your name is John Cena) which would put Punk’s return in early May 2023.

Not Wanted

Of course, it’s not the injury that has had fans believing Punk’s time in AEW, and possibly in wrestling, is over.

It has been reported that Punk is seeking a buyout of his AEW deal, something that Tony Khan is in no hurry to grant, believing he could jump to WWE.

Chris Jericho called Punk a “cancer” following his actions at All Out, and WWE’s Seth Rollins used similar verbiage last month when asked about the controversial star.

It has also been reported that people from both companies believe Punk returning to AEW or WWE is a bad idea and that he will only cause more trouble.

AEW World Champion MJF’s promo went a little too far in the minds of some fans, who believed his comments were real.

On this week’s Dynamite, the holder of the Big Burberry Belt defeated Konsuke Takeshita in the Champion’s first match in two months.

In a backstage promo, MJF spoke about crashing a car years ago when he was being pleasured by a woman who “for legal purposes” he called Liv.

MJF recalled being covered in the woman’s blood and switching their seats to make it look like she was the one behind the wheel at the time of the accident.

Police Involvement

MJF’s promo was certainly a shocking one, even by his standards, and it blurred the lines of reality and kayfabe for some fans.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Bryan Alvarez reported that local law enforcement received “a lot” of calls from fans who watched the promo.

“100% they got a bunch of phone calls. That’s not a joke. A bunch of fans legitimately called the Nassau Police Department to report MJF.”

Bryan Alvarez.

ESPN’s Marc Raimondi also “heard from several people” who said there is truth to the reports of police being called.

It is unclear if these calls were genuine, or tongue-in-cheek by fans enjoying the Salt of the Earth’s promo.

To clarify, there is no factual evidence to back up the idea that MJF was responsible for a woman’s death.

What’s Next?

This week’s edition of AEW Dynamite also saw Bryan Danielson defeat RUSH in the latest victory for the American Dragon.

With this win, Danielson has completed MJF’s task of remaining undefeated until February 8 and has therefore earned a shot at the AEW World Championship.

Not only will the pair face off at AEW Revolution on March 5, but it will be a sixty-minute Iron Man match, the first in AEW’s history.

After his win over RUSH, Danielson was attacked by MJF, who vowed that the former WWE Champion wasn’t going to make it to Revolution.

ESPN has secured the exclusive broadcast rights for AEW programming to ESPN subscribers in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

AEW shows that will air on ESPN in those regions include Dynamite, Rampage and (on delay) the quarterly PPV lineup including Revolution, Double orNothing, All Out and Full Gear.

Here’s the official announcement sent in to SEScoops:

February 9, 2023 – ESPN announced that it has secured exclusive broadcast rights to top American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW), bringing its premium matches and entertainment to ESPN subscribers in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands starting February 16.

This marks AEW’s first broadcast deal in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and ESPN’s first broadcast partnership with a professional wrestling organization in the region. AEW, the new professional wrestling league taking the world by storm, is continuing its meteoric rise with record-high ratings, world-class roster and highly entertaining product.

Each week on ESPN, fans in the region can catch all the action on “AEW: DYNAMITE” on Thursday AEDT, and “AEW: RAMPAGE” on Saturday AEDT, with same-day replays and episodes made available on-demand. In addition, through ESPN, fans will have access to all of AEW’s quarterly pay-per-view events on delay: REVOLUTION, DOUBLE OR NOTHING, ALL OUT and FULL GEAR.

AEW’s star-studded roster includes Chris Jericho, Bryan Danielson, MJF, Jon Moxley, Jamie Hayter, Saraya, Kenny Omega, Matt & Nick Jackson, Darby Allin, Sting, Orange Cassidy, Jade Cargill, Dr. Britt Baker, Claudio Castagnoli, Adam Cole, The Acclaimed, Jungle Boy, Samoa Joe, Athena, Toni Storm, Ricky Starks, Wardlow, Buddy Matthews, and Powerhouse Hobbs. Further bolstering its global pop culture infiltration, AEW has launched impressive collections of video games, action figures, trading cards, merchandise and more.

AEW will be available on ESPN in the following locations:
Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Niue, Nauru, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Northern Marianas, Tokelau, Tahiti, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, American Samoa, Marshall Islands, Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, and Wallis and Futuna.

About AEW

Founded by CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan in 2019, AEW is offering an alternative to mainstream wrestling, with a roster of world-class talent that is injecting new spirit, freshness and energy into the industry. In the U.S., “AEW: DYNAMITE” airs every Wednesday night on TBS and attracts the youngest wrestling audience on television, and the fight-forward show “AEW: RAMPAGE” airs every Friday night on TNT.

For more info, check out Twitter.com/AEW; Instagram.com/AEW; YouTube.com/AEW; Facebook.com/AEW

About ESPN

ESPN is the world’s leading sports entertainment company and is renowned for delivering sports with personality and authority. In Australia and New Zealand ESPN operates the ESPN and ESPN2 sports television networks, distributed on the Foxtel, Fetch, Kayo Sports and Sky platforms. We deliver over 10,000 hours of live events and studio programming each year, with a broadcast rights portfolio that includes NBA, NFL, UFC, US Open, NBL, MLB and NHL, and much more. In addition, the ESPNews, ESPNU, ACC Network and SEC Networks are available to stream via the ESPN App. ESPN networks feature some of the most respected and recognizable sports anchors and reporters on the globe, with names like Scott Van Pelt, Stephen A Smith, Doris Burke, Adrian Wojnarowski, Jeff Van Gundy and Jalen Rose.

ESPN and ESPN2 and available on Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV and SKY NZ.

All Elite Wrestling’s first console video game has finally received a rating by the Entertainment Software Rating Board.

AEW: Fight Forever has received a “Teen” rating for some suggestive content, including the use of molotov cocktails, deep cleavage, partially exposed buttocks, crotch chops, depictions of alcohol consumption, smoking and more.

• Pre-Order AEW: Fight Forever Now (Amazon)

AEW: Fight Forever Rated ‘Teen’

Here’s the official Rating Summary, courtesy of the ESRB:

This is a wrestling game in which players compete in matches with wrestlers from the AEW roster. Players use punches, kicks, and grappling maneuvers to drain their opponents’ health. In some match types (e.g., Barbed Wire, Stadium Stampede, Unsanctioned) players can use barbed wired, baseball bats, metal chairs, and Molotov cocktails against opponents, eventually resulting in submission and/or knock outs. Blood-splatter effects can occur during matches, staining the mats; video footage of real matches also depicts blood on wrestlers’ faces and bodies. The game contains some mildly suggestive material: female wrestlers in revealing outfits (e.g., deep cleavage, bunny outfits, partially exposed buttocks); wrestlers performing taunting gestures (e.g., crotch chop, slapping buttocks). Real footage sometimes depicts wrestlers drinking alcohol and smoking. The word “sh*t” is heard in the game.

Fight Forever is ‘coming soon’ and has been coming soon since 2021. In recent weeks, there has been speculation that the ESRB rating was one of the issues holding up the game’s release, so this is one more hurdle cleared.

The game will be available, at some point, for Windows PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X.

Wheeler Yuta has made a name for himself as part of AEW, but he would likely be spending his time under the sea had he not entered the squared circle.

Yuta debuted for All Elite Wrestling in June 2021, and would be welcomed as part of the Blackpool Combat Club the following April.

In addition to AEW, Yuta is also part of the Ring of Honor roster and is currently in his second reign as ROH Pure Champion.

Not a Wrestler

It’s hard to imagine Wheeler Yuta as anything other than a professional wrestler, but it was something the grappler considered in his youth.

Speaking on The Sessions, Yuta said that military service would have likely been his path if not for wrestling.

“When I was young, I always thought that I was probably going to go into the navy at some point. I think my dad’s biggest dream would have been if I had gone into the naval academy and then go on to be an officer. Of course, he loves that I do the wrestling stuff but I think, if he had his way when I was younger that’s what he would have pushed me to.

“I was probably going to go into the navy at some point.”

Wheeler Yuta on what he would have done if not become a wrestler.

“Yeah I always considered going into the navy. My dad’s in the navy. My uncle’s in the navy. So that was kind of something I always had in the back of my head, but I just knew I wanted to wrestle so that was always first.”

Growing Up

Wheeler’s father is a huge supporter of his chosen career path, but the elder Yuta wasn’t afraid to use his naval discipline as a parent.

When asked how it was growing up with a naval master chief for a father, Yuta said it was good, and recalled one time when his father’s military resolve took precedence.

“There was definitely some things that you could tell were very specific to his military stuff. Like if he told us ‘hey we’re going to leave at nine AM’ [it meant nine AM.] If I was there at 9:05, his favorite thing would be to go ‘hey bud, when I say 9 am, that means when the big hand is on the 12, and the little hand is on the nine. He’d explain to me how a clock works and I’m like ‘alright dad I’m sorry.'”

Yuta’s most recent match saw him, ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli, and Jon Moxley defeat The Butcher, the Blade and Kip Sabian on last night’s Rampage tapings.

For use of these quotes please give a h/t to SEScoops.

Bryan Danielson is heading to the main event of AEW Revolution 2023, and he will face MJF on his own terms.

For over a month, Danielson has been forced to remain undefeated in competition in order to earn a title match against the AEW World Champion at the upcoming Pay-Per-View.

This challenge has seen the American Dragon pick up wins over Konosuke Takeshita, Bandido, Brian Cage, and Timothy Thatcher.

During this week’s AEW Dynamite, Danielson got his final victory, defeating RUSH to complete MJF’s challenge and earn a title match.

Post-match, MJF locked Danielson in the ‘Salt of the Earth’ submission hold. 

As previously laid out, Danielson’s match against MJF at AEW Revolution will be a sixty-minute Iron Man match, the first time this stipulation has been use in AEW.

MJF’s Reign So Far

Danielson and the Iron Man match will prove to be the greatest challenge so far to MJF’s reign on top as AEW World Champion.

The Salt of the Earth captured the title from Jon Moxley at AEW Full Gear last November, defeating the Blackpool Combat Club member thanks to an assist by William Regal.

While many believed this would start a Regal-MJF alliance on TV, the Brit was attacked by MJF shortly after, writing him off TV.

At AEW Dynamite: Winter is Coming, MJF had his first successful title defense, retaining his championship against Ricky Starks.

AEW World Champion MJF had an interesting story to tell on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite and made reference to one of WWE’s most popular current-day Superstars.

During Dynamite, MJF defeated Konosuke Takeshita in the former’s first match in two months, and was interviewed after the match by Lexy Nair.

In his promo, MJF recalled meeting a beautiful girl, whose name, for “legal reasons” was Liv.

MJF said that ‘Liv’ went down on him while driving his blue Camaro and that they were involved in a vehicular accident that killed the woman.

The AEW World Champion remembered being covered in her blood and switching seats to trick the cops into thinking ‘Liv’ was driving, before telling Bryan Danielson “I am a scumbag and I am proud of it.”

Given the choice of the name for the women in MJF’s promo, countless fans saw this as a reference to former WWE SmackDown Champion Liv Morgan.

The 28-year-old Superstar was even trending on Twitter after MJF’s promo, and you can see some of the reactions from fans below.

MJF & Liv Morgan

Despite working in different promotions, MJF and Liv Morgan have been seen together in the past, and were photographed together in late 2022.

Speaking to the Metro at the time, Morgan was asked how her meeting with MJF came together.

“I went to my friend Skylar’s birthday party and he was just there!…We had great, great, great, great banter. We have a lot in common actually.”

Liv Morgan

Morgan added that she hopes MJF does “what is best” when his contract with AEW expires in January 2024.

h/t – Fightful

All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan feels optimistic about the company’s future media rights deal.

This year will be interesting for AEW. The company’s TV rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to be finished by the end of the year. Their rival, WWE, is also entering TV rights negotiations but may decide to sell the company.

Wrestling fans are curious if Warner Bros. Discovery will renew the AEW TV deal and for how much. However, Khan has expressed optimism about the future of AEW and that their TV distributor is happy with them. In an interview with Uproxx, Khan spoke about the company’s future but pointed out he’s excited about AEW’s media rights deal.

Uproxx’s Raj Prashad transcribed the following quotes.

Is AEW Looking To Create Their Own Streaming Service?

Khan is very interested in AEW having their own streaming service. The company airs its pay-per-views on Bleacher Report in the United States but doesn’t have all its archive content on the app. They’ve also reached a multi-year broadcast deal with DAZN to air AEW Dynamite and Rampage, Dark, and Dark: Elevation, four Battle of the Belt events a year, and four Pay-Per-Views a year internationally.

Khan spoke about AEW’s tremendous content library.

“We’ve done 174 episodes of Dynamite, 80 episodes of AEW Rampage, our 17th pay-per-view event will be March 5 in Revolution, so we’ve done hundreds and hundreds of hours of AEW content in our library,” Khan says. He continued, “I also purchased Ring of Honor last year, which is a great promotion with over 20 years of history and thousands of hours of video in their library.”

Khan added, “So overall, AEW has access to so many great wrestling events, including some widely considered to be some of the best wrestling events of all time. There’s a lot of interest in this library as well as the new weekly content we continue to produce each week, and I do think there’s a lot of demand for the library and it makes a lot of sense for us to try to make that AEW library available to fans all over the world on demand.”

It’s possible to increase the value of their TV rights deal; they may look to add their content to Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service HBO Max. However, Warner Bros. Discovery is also intriguing as they are still trying to figure out their content and are expected to revamp their HBO Max service. Regardless, Khan’s optimism for the future of AEW is something that may erase concern from fans.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman, All Elite Wrestling’s reigning World Heavyweight Champion, has given his stamp of approval to The Outrunners. The duo, comprised of Turbo Floyd and Truth Magnum, have been catching fans’ attention on AEW Dark and Dark Elevation.

Floyd and Magnum are a throwback act straight out of the 1980’s. The retro team made their AEW debuts on the Sep. 13, 2021, episode of AEW Dark Elevation in a losing effort to The Butcher And The Blade. They lost a couple more matches since then, before picking up their first win on this week’s (Feb. 7, 2023) episode of Dark against Logan Cruz and Tyshaun Price.

After the win, the Outrunners cut an over-the-top promo that’s getting them a lot of buzz on social media. They’re rule-breaking villains, so naturally, they’ve earned the approval of the biggest heel in all of AEW, MJF.

He quoted tweeted a clip from their trash talking and said, “Now these are wrestlers!”

Turbo replied with a “Thanks, Champ” – which MJF ate right up.

What’s Next For The Outrunners in AEW?

Although they have wrestled a couple of times on AEW, The Outrunners aren’t signed to the company. The team is working in Ohio Valley Wrestling and is on the roster page on the promotion’s website. However, with MJF’s endorsement and growing fanbase, AEW fans may see The Outrunners more often.

Their record in AEW is 1-3. They started 2023 with the first win, so the company may invest more into them and get some wins. It’s unclear if they contractually can’t sign with AEW, but getting noticed by the AEW World Champion will put more eyes on The Outrunners moving forward.

For MJF, he will have to focus on his upcoming match against Konosuke Takeshita on tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite. You’ll be able to check the results of the match for tonight later on here.

One second generation star could be a free agent soon, as his contract with All Elite Wrestling is set to expire in May.

AEW is getting into an interesting position where they must decide if they will re-sign talent. The company has had many wrestlers compete for them in their four years of operation. As we enter the fourth year of AEW, some multi-year talent contracts are up for renewal.

Spoiler Warning Ahead!

The company has several wrestler contracts set to expire soon. FTR’s Dax Harwood said on his podcast that his and his partner Cash Wheeler’s contracts are set to expire in April. They have yet to decide if they will try to re-sign with AEW. Fightful Select reported on Jan. 24 that Brian Cage’s contract would expire in a few weeks. AEW may look to re-sign him, but the report also shared that WWE could be interested in signing Cage.

However, they will have to decide if they will keep Brock Anderson, son of Arn Anderson, whose contract expires in May. Arn broke the news in an interview with Wrestlingnews.co Steve Falls on their Patreon. He also shared that his contract expires next year and is unsure if AEW will keep either him or his son after their deal ends.

“Well, Brock’s got about, I think in May his is up, and then I have another year passed that. I’m having a great time. I’m enjoying working for the company and I’m going to certainly get that last year now. What they have for Brock and I together going forward, I don’t know. I look at things and always have going all the way back to WCW when contracts came out. When you get a guaranteed contract, your wife has the luxury of planning your life because they do it anyway. To know much time and it’s not something that’s not going to change and all that, you can map your life out. That gives me another year and a half almost to help Brock every which way I can,” said Arn(h/t Angel Aramboles).

Will AEW Re-sign Brock Anderson?

It’s unclear what the future holds for Brock. He is featured only sometimes on AEW Dynamite or Rampage. AEW mostly has him compete on AEW Dark. In his AEW career, Brock’s win/loss record stands at 16-13.

Although Brock is featured a little in AEW, he is still young in his career. At age 25, AEW could look to do more with him if he re-signs. However, the company may have to review its roster and decide whether it can renew Brock’s contract. Another possibility is WWE could look to sign the young talent if he becomes a free agent.

AEW’s much-anticipated debut into the world of console gaming will strive those working at WWE 2K to be better, it has been claimed.

Next month will see the launch of WWE 2K23, the latest installment in the franchise and sequel to last year’s successful 2K22.

Prior to 2K22, WWE’s previous game WWE 2K20, had received universal panning, with reports that WWE’s relationship with 2K on the rocks.

The Gaming Wars

While WWE’s relationship with 2K is seemingly back on track, AEW is yet to release its Fight Forever video game.

First announced in late 2020, a playable teaser has been used at gaming events, but fans are still far from getting their hands on a completed copy.

While speaking with WCCF Tech, WWE 2K23 Creative Director Lynell Jinks addressed the competition AEW Fight Forever brings.

“I love competition. I started on NBA 2K, I spent 10 years on it, and at that time, we were going against NBA Inside Drive. Then we were going against [NBA] ShootOut and NBA Live, and every year, we would look at what they did and be, like, “that’s interesting” or “they did this better than us.” That only makes our games better.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing what they’re gonna do that’s going to drive us to be even stronger.”

Lynell Jinks.

“Same thing you can say about wrestling in general — having competition, to me, it’s no coincidence that the storylines [in WWE] have been the best they’ve been in a long time. I think it’s because of that competition. It’s the same with video games. I’m looking forward to seeing what they’re gonna do that’s going to drive us to be even stronger.”

• Pre-Order WWE 2K23 (Amazon)

AEW Fight Forever

With an eight-digit investment into their gaming department (at least $10 million) a lot is riding on the success of Fight Forever.

The game will feature wrestling game staples, including singles matches, tag matches, ladder matches and battle royales, as well as more unique match types including the Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch and Intergender wrestling.

The game will feature a full creation suite, including wrestlers, movesets, entrances, and arenas and a career mode will allow players to take their own created wrestler

Despite initially being scheduled for a 2022 release date, no release date is now known for AEW Fight Forever.

• Pre-Order AEW Fight Forever (Amazon)

h/t – 411 Mania

Matt Hardy has been in the wrestling business for over 3 decades. He has worked for many different promotions and under many different bosses in this time. According to him, Tony Khan is the best boss he has ever worked for, because the AEW president cares for their wrestlers.

The wrestling veteran answered fan questions on the latest episode of his podcast. A fan asked what is the best thing about working for All Elite Wrestling. Hardy mentioned how the AEW schedule allows for much greater work life balance:

“The schedule is much more friendly to someone who has a family like I have. because my kids, they grow so fast. It’s crazy. It seems like yesterday Maxwell was just born, and he’s seven and a half now. So time flies, and I get a lot more time at home with my kids and my wife and my family, which is really important to me in this day and age. I have a very healthy balance of like professional life and personal life.”

‘The Best Boss I’ve Ever Worked For’: Matt Hardy

Matt Hardy explained that generally, he is only on the road for three days a week. There are exceptions such as PPV weeks but even then, Tony Khan lets them go home if they are not appearing on the PPV:

“I know this for a fact Tony Khan is the best boss I’ve ever worked for, because Tony looks at his wrestlers as human beings. They’re not just cogs in the machine where he’s focused on what they’re going to do for him in wrestling. He realizes they have a personal life at home, especially people who have families and kids.

If I’m away and he knows I’m not going to be on the pay per view on Sunday and I finish at the Fan Fest on Saturday, he lets me go home on Saturday. He doesn’t want to just keep you around just in case. He’s usually pretty set. So he’s very lenient, and I’m very grateful for that. If I’m not needed, he’ll let me go home and be with my kids. He wants me to be with my kids. So I really appreciate and I’m very grateful for the care and love he has for people having personal lives.”

More Originals From SEScoops:

• Jon Moxley Knows How AEW Can Set Itself Apart from Failed WWE Competitors
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If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Was CM Punk right with what he said and did following AEW All Out 2022?

Since the infamous September Pay-Per-View, Punk has not been seen on AEW programming, due to his comments on the post-show media scrum.

After lashing out at several roster members, including The Elite, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, and Colt Cabana, Punk was involved in a fight backstage that led to several suspensions.

Jake Hager Weighs In

Punk is now the only person suspended at the time to still be suspended from AEW, and many believe his days with the company are through.

While Tony Khan refuses to speak about Punk when asked in interviews, Jake Hager weighed in when speaking on Story Time with Dutch Mantell.

“Who knows how animosity builds and how lack of communication leads to certain things. I think it all stems from how you view things, and obviously one person in that party was viewing things so negatively. And I don’t think he was correct.”

Jake Hager on CM Punk.

AEW has not revealed the results of the investigation into the backstage fight that was conducted by a third party.

Given that the Elite are back on TV and AEW Trios Champions again, while Punk is still suspended and his ally Ace Steel fired, the results have seemingly damned the former AEW World Champion.

What’s next?

Today is day 155 since the All Out altercation, and Punk’s future in AEW, and wrestling as a whole, remains uncertain.

It has been reported that Punk is seeking a buyout of his AEW deal, something that Tony Khan is in no hurry to grant.

Some speculate that Punk wants out of AEW in order to return to WWE, the promotion he walked out of in 2014.

It has also been reported that people from both companies believe Punk returning to AEW or WWE is a bad idea and that he will only cause more trouble.

h/t – eWrestlingNews

AEW President Tony Khan wouldn’t mind adding another wrestling promotion to his portfolio.

Last month, Vince McMahon made his grand return to WWE’s board of directors, where he currently sits as Executive Chairman. The move came less than six months after he ‘retired’ after nearly four decades running the company.

• Jim Ross Tells WWE Talent “Don’t Be a Baby” Over Vince McMahon’s Return

McMahon has returned to facilitate a sale of the promotion. One of the most interesting names on the list is Tony Khan, the AEW founder, and head of Ring of Honor who has opposed WWE since 2019.

It is believed that if Khan and his father Shahid were to make an attempt to purchase WWE, they would seek the backing of at least one other financial partner.

Khan appeared on the Marke Hoke Show and was asked about his level of interest in the WWE’s ongoing attempts to find a buyer.

WWE CEO Nick Khan has said that Vince McMahon will do whatever is best for the company, even if that means retiring again.

However, there are many who believe McMahon would refuse to hand the keys to Titan Towers to the Khans, seeing it as a defeat and concession to AEW.

h/t – Fightful

Several AEW/ROH stars were slated to work an upcoming Beyond Wrestling event but have been pulled due to a conflict with the reported ROH TV tapings. 

On Monday, Beyond Wrestling announced that Wheeler Yuta, Willow Nightingale, Tracy Williams, and Trish Adora would no longer be appearing at their Perfection or Vanity show in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Sunday, February 26.

As previously noted, the belief is that ROH is scheduled to hold TV tapings that weekend, most likely at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. 

The Statement

“Wheeler YUTA, Willow Nightingale, Tracy Williams, and Trish Adora will no longer be appearing or competing at ‘Perfection Or Vanity’ on Sunday, 2/26 at White Eagle in Worcester,” Beyond Wrestling’s statement read”Email beyondwrestling@gmail.com if you’d like a refund.”

Yuta and Nightingale are under contract with AEW, while Williams and Adora, who were both part of the ROH roster before Tony Khan bought the promotion, have also made appearances for AEW.

Yuta currently holds the ROH Pure Championship after he won back the title by defeating Daniel Garcia at Final Battle. Adora was also in action at this same show, losing to Nightingale on the pre-show.

It was announced last December that weekly ROH TV was coming to the HonorClub streaming service, although no start date was given.