All Elite Wrestling tag team FTR will take a break from the company as their contracts expire.

After leaving the WWE, the “Top Guys” have worked with AEW since 2020. During their career in AEW, FTR has gained popularity and success by winning the AEW, Ring of Honor, IWGP, and AAA Tag Team Championships. However, FTR’s future with the company is unclear.

FTR’s Dax Harwood spoke openly about the team’s contract situation on the Jan. 12 episode of his podcast. He also received permission from his teammate Cash Wheeler to publicly discuss the team’s status. He said the team has no championship titles, so they have a clean slate for the year.

“… I’ve also got the blessing of Tony Khan to talk about this and make a statement about this. Tony has been nothing but top-notch to me and Dan since day one. There are things we haven’t agreed on, as any boss and any employee, and even any friend. There are times I felt the boat was missed on opportunities for us. There were times that I was super happy with everything we were doing,” said Harwood.

Harwood began to explain why the team’s future with AEW is uncertain. “But, there has come a time where we are on the tail end of our career, okay. I mean, I’m 38 years old. I talked last week about how hard it is for me to play with my daughter and things like that. We are on the tail end of our career now, so I think right now this point in our career is the most important time in our career. I mean that monetarily. I mean that creatively. I mean that personally. It is the most important time of our career. With that being said, we have asked and been granted the next few months off of television so we can sit back, reflect, decide, let our bodies heal and figure out what we are going to do for the next few years, because whatever we decided to do next will be the absolute last thing we do.”

Dax Harwood Talks About His Future and FTR’s Expiring Contract

It’s unclear what Wheeler thinks about the future of FTR or his career. However, Harwood is still determining if he or the team will be active in five years.

“…I don’t see myself after I’m done with whatever we are going to decide next. I don’t see myself in five years going on the independents and wrestling independents. I don’t see myself working in five years a Japan tour or a Mexico tour or traveling around the world and wrestling all over places. That’s why these next few months are the most important few months for us, said Harwood.

He continued, “…By April at least at most we will have an answer, but now again I have to take in my health, I have to take in my family, I have to take in my creativity and I have to take in my personal life all into consideration about what we are going to do next. I know what I want to do, but whatever we do I just want to be respected. We, I feel, I have done something so special in 2022 and most of that is in part to the fans. I think we deserve to continue to build on our legacy for ourselves, but also we owe it to the fans to build on that legacy because they made us this past year.

What’s Next For FTR?

Harwood confirmed that FTR’s contract would expire this April. He also shared that he isn’t sure how long FTR will not be on AEW TV. The company did tease a feud between The Gunn Club and FTR, but it’s uncertain if AEW will drop the storyline until they can confirm FTR will re-sign.

If FTR’s next contract is their last, it’s possible both Harwood and Wheeler could be in their early 40’s. The AEW tag team is in limbo as both men try to figure out what is best for themselves. That could also mean testing free agency in April for the best offers for their careers and personal life.

With rumors running rampant about a WWE sale, Conrad Thompson has chimed in on whether or not he believes AEW’s Tony Khan could put in a winning bid.

Thompson recently took to his podcast with Eric Bischoff, “83 Weeks,” to discuss the ongoing rumors about a potential WWE sale. The longtime professional wrestling podcaster noted he has received calls from multiple people asking if he thinks Khan could purchase WWE.

While Thompson believes that Khan certainly has the ability to purchase WWE, he’s not sure it would make much sense for him to do so.

“I got two phone calls last week from different people who, well, they’re names in the wrestling community,” Conrad Thompson said. “‘Would Tony Khan have the capacity to buy WWE?’ And, I think the answer is, yes, he has the capacity.

“There is no question that he would be able to put together a deal. But, I would just, I would put the odds of that being near zero. Like what would be, I don’t know why Tony Khan would do that. I don’t see the upside of Tony Khan doing that.

“How much of your 11 billion dollars of your net worth — depending on how much of it is even liquid — are you willing to put on WWE? … You’ve got the Jags, you’ve got a football team in England, you’ve got AEW, I don’t know what other businesses they’re in, but do you really, really want to do that?”

Recently, Vince McMahon returned to WWE’s board of directors to reportedly help facilitate a trade. Frontrunners have emerged for the purchasing; with names like Amazon, FOX, and Comcast leading the way.

There was a brief rumor that the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund secured and finalized a deal to purchase WWE, however, that report was later proven false as no deal has been completed as of this writing.

Despite this, the Saudi investment fund still remains a very real contender to purchase the professional wrestling juggernaut.

Quotes via Wrestling Inc.

Tony Khan says AEW plans to begin running non-televised live events.

All Elite Wrestling does not currently run house shows. This comes with positives and negatives. Many wrestlers find the AEW schedule favorable to WWE’s, because it is far less demanding.

AEW films Dynamite and Rampage on Wednesday nights most weeks, leading to a lighter travel schedule and more free time. On the flip side, the company is not earning revenue from a full-time touring schedule and younger talent is not getting the experience they need to develop as performers.

Beginning to run live events will bring a significant change to AEW’s business model. The initiative brings logistical coordination, as well as new expenses. However, it also comes with increased revenue from ticket and merchandise sales.

AEW Live Events Coming Soon

Khan appeared on the In The Zone podcast earlier this week and says AEW is actively talking about taking their show on the road.

“We have a great live events team,” said Khan. “It’s something we’ve talked a lot about and building out the live event business.”

When Jeff Jarrett signed with AEW in November 2022 and was named the Director of Business Development, the belief was that his function would include getting their house show business up and running.

Khan says the wrestlers and fans want AEW live events, so it’s something that he’s motivated to make happen.

Jim Ross also recently addressed the topic of AEW live events on his Grilling JR podcast. He stated last month, “I believe, I don’t know this to be a fact but I believe in 2023, that AEW will be in the house show/ live event business to some degree. I just think that it’s an opportunity that can be capitalized upon if AEW is strategic in their planning. I think that’s what Jeff Jarrett is working on.”

H/T to Fightful and Jeremy Lambert for the transcribed quotes

The wrestling world is still processing the return of Vince McMahon to WWE as a member of the Board Of Directors along with Michelle Wilson and George Barrios. 

Last July, the wrestling world changed when Vince McMahon announced his retirement and stepped down as WWE CEO amidst the hush money scandal, leading to Triple H taking over WWE creative. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan were named co-CEOs. Stephanie also took over as Chairwoman. 

McMahon officially returned on January 6, 2023, as a member of the board to help with media rights negotiations and a potential sale. WWE has reportedly hired JPMorgan to advise on a potential sale. Many people believe that McMahon will find a way or force his way back into power and take over creative again. 

Khan’s Take

While speaking on In The Zone, AEW President Tony Khan was asked if he’s been following the news of Vince’s return to WWE. Khan responded,

“Yeah, absolutely. I’m following it very closely.”

– Tony Khan

Khan was asked what separated AEW and WWE and if there was room for both companies. Khan thinks there is enough room for both promotions but thinks what separates them are the fans of AEW, as they’ve built a loyal fanbase and cited the television ratings.

WWE’s media rights for WWE Raw on USA Network and WWE SmackDown on Fox are set to expire in 2024. They will be gearing up for its next set of negotiations with TV networks later this year for media rights. 

Listen to Tony Khan’s appearance on In the Zone:

WWE and New Japan Pro Wrestling are teaming up for Karl Anderson to compete at Wrestle Kingdom 17, but that’s not a problem for Tony Khan.

Anderson returned to WWE alongside Luke Gallows in October of last year, despite holding the NJPW Never Openweight Championship at the time.

After opting to compete at WWE Crown Jewel over NJPW Battle Autumn in November, the Machine Gun will wrestle this Wednesday at Wrestle Kingdom.

Cool

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 17 will be a stacked show, with talent from New Japan, WWE, AEW, and STARDOM all competing.

Speaking to Fightful Select, New Japan’s Rocky Romero said he speaks with Khan quite frequently and was the one to tell Khan about WWE and NJPW working together.

Khan “understood why” the deal had been reached, and said he was “cool” about what was happening.

Anderson will defend the NJPW Never Openweight Championship against Tama Tonga this Wednesday.

Kenny Omega

AEW will have representation at Wrestle Kingdom 17, with Kenny Omega challenging for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship against Will Ospreay.

Romero told Fightful that Omega was forecasting his return to NJPW, teasing a match with Ospreay, before it was even a done deal.

Speaking about Omega’s suspension from AEW following the backstage fight at All Out, Romero said it “caused a pause” as nobody knew what was going to happen.

Romero said that NJPW worked with Barry Bloom on making this happen, and that Bloom was the one that made the Chris Jericho deal when he was in NJPW years ago.

The WWE Universe popped when Cody Rhodes made his grand return to the company at WrestleMania 38, defeating Seth “Freakin” Rollins in the process.

Months before, Rhodes’ contract expired with All Elite Wrestling. He continued to work backstage and on-screen for a period of time afterwards as the two sides tried to negotiate a new deal. In February though, news broke that Rhodes, and his wife Brandi, were officially leaving the company after failing to lock in a new agreement. This move left a major void in AEW, as Rhodes emerged as a prominent figure in the company, both in the ring and behind-the-scenes as an Executive Vice President.

AEW President Tony Khan recently addressed Rhodes’ departure, and the challenge it presented at the time. “Whenever you lose a star the caliber of Cody Rhodes, it’s going to have a major, major impact on your company,” he told Fightful’s Grapsody podcast. “It’s gonna affect a number of different departments and number of different things in terms of the presentation and the backstage. Personally, I really like Cody and I know Cody really well and during his time here, he was so involved in so many different facets of the start of AEW and what we were. When he left, that was a major challenge.”

Putting The Pieces Back Together

Despite the setback, Tony Khan managed to pull together “so many great stories” ahead of the company’s Revolution pay-per-view in March that “helped keep us strong” and the fans invested in the product. At the same time though, Kenny Omega, another major star, remained absent from programming due to several injuries.

With the absence of two of the company’s biggest stars, Khan noticeably leaned on Jon Moxley as one of the focal points for AEW. Moxley himself went on a hiatus from the company to enter a rehabilitation program for alcohol addiction late last year. The former AEW World Champion later returned in January 2022.

Tony Khan said Moxley’s leave of absence to get help “was the best thing that could have happened to him.” In addition, Khan believes it was a benefit for the company as well. “It was the best thing that could happen to us to have a healthy Jon Moxley there for the entirety of this year, 2022, to keep the company strong.”

All Elite Wrestling is set for a major change next year, with a new look coming to Television very soon.

Last week, it was reported that AEW TV will have a new look, starting with their January 4, episode of Dynamite.

During last week’s AEW Rampage, fans got their first glimpse of the new production for the show.

Tony Khan Comments

Speaking to Grapsody (and reported by Fightful Select) Tony Khan confirmed that the changes to AEW Dynamite won’t just be from a production standpoint.

Khan added that changes to the set are coming, and visual and production changes that will be made and will stick around

Addressing the changes, the AEW President assured fans that they’ll still get their fix of regular AEW action no matter what.

“The wrestling is going to be the same great wrestlers and the same great fans, but it’s in a new city, Seattle, and the look, the changes to the set, and the presentation are going to be changes that we’re going to keep. I’m really looking forward to the new look for the show.

“I’m really looking forward to the new look for the show.”

Tony Khan.

“I find, in wrestling, when you overpromise, you can disappoint people. It’s a set and a presentation. At the end of the day, the most important thing is what the fans bring, what the wrestlers and the staff of AEW and the crew bring every week, but the look of the show is important too and it’s going to look really cool.”

It has been announced that Ricky Starks will face Chris Jericho on the January 4, Dynamite.

Tony Khan may present himself as a much different boss than Vince McMahon, but like the former WWE CEO, he believes that not everybody can be happy.

2022 has arguably been AEW’s most difficult year, with multiple injuries to top talent and the fallout from All Out being huge parts of the year.

Throughout 2022, there have been reports of talent being unhappy within AEW, which led to meetings backstage with the roster earlier this year.

Can’t Please Everyone

Unhappy names on any roster in wrestling is nothing new, and the AEW President realizes he can’t please everyone.

In an interview with Fightful Select, Khan said that you’re never going to keep every single person on your roster happen.

The AEW President added that he takes every bit of criticism from talent with a smile.

A “series of circumstances” has led to people not being on Television in a regular role, but no details of those ‘circumstances’ were given.

Unhappy Talent

With such a huge roster (one that is too big in the opinion of some fans) it is not surprising that many names do not make it to TV.

Former TNT Champion Miro has been open with his disapproval of his booking in AEW, and liked a tweet suggesting he would do better if he returned to WWE.

Miro has routinely joked about his lack of TV time (his last match was nearly four months ago) and his wife CJ Perry has suggested he will return to WWE eventually.

Andrade El Idolo, who hasn’t been seen since picking a fight with Sammy Guevara, has also made it clear he is unhappy in AEW.

Tony Khan has provided new details about the “new look” coming to AEW programming in the very near future.

AEW Dynamite and Rampage have maintained a similar production aesthetic since the shows premiered. Following the recent hire of Michael Mansury as Senior Vice President and Co-Executive Producer, it’s been reported that big changes are in store for the look and feel of the company’s flagship shows.

Khan spoke with Scott Fishman for TV Insider this week and laid out what fans can expect on the first Dynamite and Rampage of 2023.

Changes Coming January 4

Wrestling fans won’t have to wait long to see the ‘new’ incarnations of Dynamite and Rampage. To commemorate the one-year anniversary of Dynamite moving to TBS, the show is getting a facelift.

“I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag necessarily, especially so close to the big day. But at the start of 2023, we’re going to open the year on Wednesday, January 4 with the first Dynamite in Seattle, marking a full year of Dynamite on TBS,” said Khan.

He doesn’t want to hype up the set re-design too much, because that can create expectations that are impossible to live up to. However, he couldn’t contain his excitement.

“I will say the set will be beautiful though,” he aded. “The look of Rampage will also be different. This will affect the way people view AEW on Wednesdays and Fridays in terms of presentation with the set and the show with the same great action.”

Khan was also asked about signing Mansury and what he brings to the team. He called it a huge acquisition for AEW and put him over for his knowledge of TV production. 

He feels Mansury is a great signing for the company and important to have someone with his experience and can’t wait to see what he brings to AEW. 

Ring of Honor presented its third and final pay-per-view event of 2022 with Final Battle last weekend. It closed up the first year under Tony Khan’s ownership and creative vision for the brand. 

The early estimates are in for ROH Final Battle. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, the show drew over 25,000 pay-per-view buys (19,000 streaming and 6,400 cable) based on first-week estimates, which are “always low in the end by five to 10 percent.”

The other pay-per-view events for ROH this year were ROH Supercard of Honor in April, with 23,000 buys, and ROH Death Before Dishonor in July, with 37,000 buys.

Other Metrics

This edition was the biggest PPV number, and the highest attended ROH Final Battle in company history.

The show reportedly drew 2,700 fans, with 2,500 paid at the College Park Center.

The show featured a loaded lineup, including the highly praised double dog collar match for the ROH World Tag Team Titles between The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) against FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) that saw FTR drop the titles. 

It was headlined by Chris Jericho defending the ROH World Title against Claudio Castagnoli. Jericho dropped the championship back to Claudio. 

Wrestling fans can expect All Elite Wrestling’s flagship shows to have a new look and feel in the very near future.

In recent months, Warner Bros. Discovery and AEW President Tony Khan decided it’s time to change the overall look and presentation of Dynamite and Rampage. Those changes will be rolled out at some point in January, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

AEW’s recent hiring of Michael Mansury is a big part of this initiative. Mansury previously worked as WWE’s VP of Global Television Production and will serve as Tony Khan’s new Senior Vice President and Co-Executive Producer.

Mansury is considered a “tremendous asset” who is universally well-liked. He worked for WWE from 2009 through 2020. At one time, he was being groomed to be Kevin Dunn’s successor. Many felt he’d replace Dunn whenever Vince McMahon stepped away from WWE, but Mansury didn’t wait that long.

One WWE source told the Observer, Mansury rose ‘too quickly’ through the ranks, which led Dunn to feel threatened and ‘covertly’ make his life very difficult.

AEW’s New Look and Feel

What will this “new look and feel” entail? AEW’s television productions involve many elements, including the the set and staging, lighting, graphics and video packages, music, camera angles, audio, and more.

Dynamite has undergone subtle changes since premiering in October 2019, but it sounds like we’ll be seeing the most significant shakeup to date in just a matter of weeks.

AEW recently brought in Renee Paquette, who has enhanced the broadcast team and by extension, the presentation of the shows.

With AEW’s next round of TV deals approaching, it makes sense for the company to freshen things up now in hopes of being in a better position during negotiations.

AEW President Tony Khan has secured the rights to “Roundball Rock,” the iconic theme song NBC used for many years for their NBA broadcasts.

Khan announced the news on Twitter and also noted that it’s his favorite song. Khan tweeted: “We got the rights to my favorite song! See you tomorrow for Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite on @TBSNetwork at 8pm ET/7pm CT for Winter Is Coming!”

AEW Dynamite: Winter Is Coming Card

AEW has loaded up the card for this show with two title bouts featured, including the fourth match between Death Triangle and The Elite in their AEW World Trios Championship best-of-seven series. Also, MJF will defend the AEW World Heavyweight Title against Ricky Starks in the likely main event. 

Here’s the full card:

• AEW World Championship and Dynamite Diamond ring winner takes all: MJF (c) vs. Ricky Starks
• House of Black in action
• AEW World Trios Championship best-of-seven series: Death Triangle vs. The Elite (Death Triangle leads 2-1)
• Ruby Soho vs. Tay Melo
• Chris Jericho in action

You can hear the song below in the preview video for the special edition of Dynamite: 

AEW Final Battle 2022 aired live today in College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. There were six title matches on the card and several new champions were crowned.

• 8 Best Moments from ROH Final Battle 2022

Ring of Honor held a media scrum featuring new ROH Champion Claudio Castagnoli, ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe, new ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta, and Tony Khan.

Tony Khan spoke at the end of the conference and he was asked about ROH TV by Women’s Wrestling Talk. He brought up his relationship with Warner Bros Discovery, and said he had a very “nuanced” answer to the question. He said that Warner Bros were not very familiar with ROH and the past two PPVs they watched.

Khan said that he is going to keep the PPV relationship with Warner Bros Discovery via Bleacher Report, but is also talking to New Japan as well.

Finally, he said that they started a soft launch with Honor Club and the TV is going to live there. Khan stated that he will announce when the TV will start on Honor Club soon and hyped New Japan and AEW’s shows for January.

He added that he will have more details after regrouping after Wrestling Kingdom and the big AEW shows in January. Khan added that he will keep Ring of Honor PPV on Bleacher Report. Tonight’s PPV will be available after a 90-day cycle on the Honor Club in mid-March. ROH Honor Club is $9.99 a month.

We have done a soft launch. When I acquired Ring of Honor from Sinclair Broadcasting earlier this year, they had actually done a lot of development work and were really far along with a new Honor Club.

We’ve paid the development cost since then and it is now functional. So now if you go, it has a big library of Ring of Honor content, including the two PPVs we’ve done this year and my plan is to keep the PPVs out 90 days.

So 90 days from now in mid-March you can get this PPV on there. But it is operational and it is $9.99.

The TV is going to live there. There is going to be big participation from New Japan Pro Wrestling I feel pretty confident I can say, based on our relationship, and they want to be involved.

You saw tonight some great wrestlers from NJPW, and also some of our wrestlers have been going there.

So the TV on Honor Club, I’ll announce when it is going to start, but I think it makes a lot of sense for us given that I want New Japan to be focused on it and involved.

Tony Khan on ROH TV

If you use any quotes from this article, please give a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.

Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of TBS and TNT that airs AEW programming, has cut more prominent leaders. 

Variety has an article looking at the company releasing HGTV and Food Network chief Jane Latman and “D-Nets”/”T-Nets” exec Nancy Daniels, both of whom were well-liked at the company and served as longtime legacy Discovery execs.

Travel Channel’s Matthew Butler and D-Nets/T-Nets’ head of franchise series expansions and tentpole programming Scott Lewers are also gone. 

The Moves

Latman served as the home and food content president at HGTV and Food Network. Her content programming responsibilities will move under execs Betsy Sanner Ayala (for Food Network) and Loren Ruch (for HGTV).

Daniels had overseen content across “D-Nets” Discovery, Animal Planet and Science Channel on the legacy Discovery side and recently took over content for Warner Bros. “T-Nets,” TNT, TBS and truTV,

Daniels is handing the reins over to TLC and Travel Channel exec Howard Lee for the D-Nets, while Jason Sarlanis of ID and HLN crime content will oversee the T-Net side. 

These are notable cuts as AEW President Tony Khan has praised Nancy Daniels and Scott Lewers as advocates for the promotion. AEW’s TV deal with Warner Bros. Discovery expires at the end of 2024. 

Warner Bros. Discovery’s U.S. networks chief Kathleen Finch announced the changes in a memo to staff Friday. This is the latest post-merger cost-cutting move made at Warner Bros. Discovery.

Although the build-up to the show was criticized for being lackluster, AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door in June 2022 ended up being one of the best PPVs of the year and did good business for the promotions. 

A second Forbidden Door show has been speculated about, but a new report suggests Forbidden Door II could be set for 2023.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer was talking about AEW/ROH President Tony Khan’s recent pre-ROH Final Battle media call, particularly Khan’s claims that 2022 was AEW’s strongest year for PPV buys.

During the call, Khan was asked about the possibility of AEW adding more PPVs to their yearly rotation.

The Plan

Meltzer wrote: “When asked if he’d add more PPV shows, he didn’t give an answer but said that he wants to not do so many that they aren’t special, but that they just finished their best PPV year in their history, and the adding a fifth event worked out (the plan is for another Forbidden Door show coming year).”

Khan noted on the call that they would internally discuss the right number of PPV shows per year.

The 2022 event did over $5 million on pay-per-view after drawing over 100,000 buys and over $1 million in ticket sales. Jon Moxley became the interim AEW World Heavyweight Champion when he beat Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event.

William Regal will finish his time with All Elite Wrestling this month, company President Tony Khan has confirmed.

For the past week, it has been reported that Regal’s time with AEW was up and that he planned on returning to WWE when he had the chance.

Regal himself has kept quiet throughout this period of time, but previously stated that he signed a three-year deal with AEW when he joined after Revolution in March of this year.

Leaving

This weekend will mark ROH Final Battle, the third event for the promotion since Khan acquired the company earlier this year.

Speaking on a media conference call ahead of the show, Khan publicly confirmed that Regal is set to leave AEW this month.

Khan explained that Regal contacted him and explained that he would live to spend more time with his son Bailey, who competes in WWE NXT as Charlie Dempsey.

The two had a “long, good talk” and Khan said he realized that Regal was honest with his reasons to return to WWE.

The AEW President said that after granting Regal’s request to depart AEW, there was a need for a complete overhaul of plans for the World Championship scene which featured him aligned with MJF.

Khan concluded his talk about the former King of the Ring by saying that Regal will remain with AEW through to the end of the year and that he is sad to see him go.

Medical Issues

During his talk about Regal, Khan addressed the recent health issues his mother has faced.

The AEW President explained that prior to AEW: Grand Slam in September, his mother suffered a stroke, and would suffer a second stroke weeks after being released from the hospital.

Calling his sister an ‘unsung hero’ for being by their mother’s side, Khan stayed with her at night, and doctors found a spot on his mother’s heart.

The discovery coincided with Regal’s request, and Khan said he didn’t want to prevent any parent and son from being together.

The surgery on Mrs. Khan was a complete success and Tony said that she is recovering well.

ROH Final Battle 2022 is this Saturday night at 4 PM EST at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.

There are currently only four matches on the card but presumably more will be added on Dynamite and Rampage. Chris Jericho will defend the ROH Championship against Claudio Castagnoli in the main event. Jericho defeated Claudio at Dynamite: Grand Slam to win the ROH Championship.

• ROH Final Battle 2022 Preview

Speaking on the Battleground Podcast, AEW President Tony Khan hyped up the PPV this Saturday.

Tony was asked how Final Battle will stand out from previous ROH shows this year and here was his response:

Tony then hyped up this Saturday’s main event for the ROH Championship between Chris Jericho and Claudio Castagnoli.

Tony praised Chris Jericho’s run as ROH Champion and noted that he’s going for “The Ocho”, his 8th straight victory over a former Ring of Honor Champion at Final Battle.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit The Battleground Podcast with a H/T to SEScoops for the transcription.

In recent weeks, AEW and ROH owner Tony Khan has come under fire from some fans who feel that there has been too much focus put on the ROH brand with its titles and storylines. 

Khan bought the promotion earlier this year and, despite not having a television deal in place for the brand, he has booked pay-per-view events for ROH and used its talent and championships on AEW programming. 

During an appearance on the Battleground podcast, Khan responded to those critics.

The Crossover

“One thing I have tried to do…I think we only have three hours of AEW TV a week so I have tried to limit the Ring of Honor focus on Dynamite to mostly the Ring of Jericho and Chris Jericho, the ROH World Champion.”

Khan stated that he has tried to keep the other ROH Title matches on either AEW Rampage or Dark: Elevation. He found it “amusing” when he saw someone saying they thought there was too much ROH on Dynamite as he feels that having a variety of new ROH-aligned wrestlers has been, and will continue to be, good for ROH business. 

According to Khan, they have made “good money” on the pay-per-views since he bought the promotion, and “frankly, (the money) has been in line with what I paid for the entire business.”

Saturday’s Final Battle is expected to garner some of their best numbers thanks to the main event of Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli, according to Khan. 

H/T to F4Wonline.com for the transcription

AEW has been criticized for running the same markets every few months, but that will be changing next year. The reason for AEW having this past strategy was to save money on production cost for its weekly shows.

Except for the Dynamite show on January 11 from The Forum in Los Angeles, CA, AEW has announced new market dates for its 2023 touring schedule thus far. 

The list of shows in new markets includes Seattle, Portland, Fresno, Lexington, Dayton, El Paso, Phoenix, and San Francisco.

For their remaining 2022 shows, the markets they are heading to haven’t had shows there since earlier this year. The last time they went to Cedar Park and San Antonio was in March while they last ran Garland in April 2022. They haven’t held a show in Broomfield since March 2020. 

• AEW Finally Headed to the UK in 2023

AEW Touring Schedule

Here’s an updated look at AEW’s touring schedule through March 2023. Head over to AEWTix.com if you’re located in any of these markets and interested in attending

• AEW Dynamite and Rampage: December 7 – H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, TX
• AEW Dynamite and Rampage (Winter is Coming): December 14 – Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas
• AEW Dynamite and Rampage (Holiday Bash): December 21 – Freeman Coliseum in San Antonio, Texas
• AEW Dynamite and Rampage: December 28 – 1STBANK Arena in Broomfield, CO
• AEW Dynamite: January 4 – Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, WA
• AEW Rampage and Battle of the Belts: January 6 – Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, OR
• AEW Dynamite and Rampage: January 11 – The Forum in Los Angeles, CA
• AEW Dynamite and Rampage: January 18 – Save Mart Center in Fresno, CA
• AEW Dynamite and Rampage: January 25 – Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
• AEW Dynamite and Rampage: February 1 – Nutter Center in Dayton, OH
• AEW Dynamite and Rampage: February 8 – El Paso County Coliseum in El Paso, TX
• AEW Dynamite and Rampage: February 15 – TBA
• AEW Dynamite and Rampage: February 22 – Footprint Center in Phoenix, AZ
• AEW Dynamite: March 1 – Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA
• AEW Rampage: March 3 – Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA
• AEW Revolution: March 5 – Chase Center in San Francisco, CA

AEW talent have reportedly been left scratching their heads over a recent booking decision made by Tony Khan.

At AEW Full Gear, William Regal turned on Jon Moxley and the Blackpool Combat Club to help MJF become the new AEW World Champion.

During this week’s Dynamite, MJF turned on Regal, and mocked the British wrestling veteran for making a deal with ‘the Devil.’

Questions

This week’s attack on Regal is being seen by many as the way he’ll be written off of TV, and the former King of the Ring is not expected to return.

It has been reported that Regal’s contract is expected to expire soon, which is something those high up in the company have known for some time.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer questioned why Tony Khan put so much emphasis on Regal’s turn and alliance with MJF, knowing he would be leaving soon.

According to Meltzer, several others in AEW have also questioned the decision of making a big deal about Regal and not having a big payoff.

“I can’t understand putting so much heel steam to the point of being the point man in stealing the title on Regal, when it was known by the key people by this point he was gone in a few weeks. I mean, story or not, the guy was leaving. A lot of talent has questioned that in the same way now that everyone knows he’s leaving.”

Dave Meltzer.

Regal is expected to return to WWE when the time is right after being released in January of this year.

MJF’s Title Win

MJF’s AEW World Championship victory at Full Gear was a long-time coming in the eyes of fans, as the Devil has been a highlight of the promotion for years.

In the Observer, it was reported that there were other pitches for his title win, with some not involving Regal as much, though there was always the need to write him out.

Meltzer writes that the core plan that has remains the same was for MJF to be champion, Bryan Danielson to be challenging and for Regal to be out of the picture.

All Elite Wrestling could soon introduce its own Hall of Fame, if AEW President Tony Khan takes the advice of Ric Flair.

Khan founded the promotion in 2019 as an alternative to WWE following the success of the independent supershow ALL IN in 2018.

The promotion is home to several veterans of wrestling, including Chris Jericho, Paul Wight, Mark Henry, and Billy Gunn.

AEW Hall of Fame

Ric Flair is no stranger to being inducted into a wrestling Hall of Fame, having been given the nod twice by WWE (2008 and 2012.)

Flair is also a member of the NWA Hall of Fame (2008,) the Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame (1996,) and the International Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame (2021,) among others.

Speaking on the latest episode of his To Be the Man podcast, Ric called on Khan to give AEW an equivalent accolade.

“I wish Tony would start a Hall of Fame. That would create a lot of interest.”

Ric Flair.

The Nature Boy explained that the accomplishment wouldn’t solely be for the wrestlers of AEW, but for names associated with the company who are established legends of the sport.

“Do it based on people who he thinks were good in the history of the business not just guys from AEW the last three years.”

Ric Flair.

Ric Flair and AEW

If Tony Khan takes Flair’s advice on board, it may be a long time before the 16-time World Champion adds another Hall of Fame ring to his collection.

After leaving WWE in 2021, it was expected that Flair would manage his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo, but those plans were scrapped after the Dark Side of the Ring episode, documenting the Plane Ride from Hell.

Speaking about the infamous 2002 flight, Flair has denied all allegations of forcing a female flight attendant to touch his genitals.

AEW President Tony Khan is adamant that CM Punk did not force or pressure him to remove Colt From AEW TV, but the wrestlers aren’t buying it.

After Punk’s arrival to the promotion in August 2021, Cabana, once Punk’s best friend, stopped appearing on Dynamite and Rampage.

Earlier this month, Cabana had his first AEW TV match in close to a year, unsuccessfully challenging Ring of Honor World Champion Chris Jericho.

Doubt

Given that Cabana’s return came amid reports that AEW will release Punk, it’s not surprising that many believe he only vanished from TV because of Punk.

Speaking at the Full Gear media scrum, Khan denied that Punk requested Cabana’s removal, saying he “never asked for that.”

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio Dave Meltzer said that many in AEW are skeptical of Khan’s claim.

“CM Punk is, and he’s always been, very adamant that he had nothing to do with it. Tony said that Punk has had nothing to do with it… that story is not going to change publicly one way or the other.

“The skepticism, and it’s vehement from a lot of people, as far as the skepticism of that story. So it’s not like that thing has been settled in the eyes of, I can’t say all the talent, but a lot of the talent [are skeptical.]”

“A lot of the talent [are skeptical.]”

Dave Meltzer on AEW’s roster doubting Tony Khan saying CM Punk did not influence him.

“Even today, I just got something that was just like, ‘Can’t you just see? Isn’t it obvious?’ It’s not like they’re speculating, they believe that they know the story. That’s basically that, I’m sure that one will never go away.”

Plans

After Cabana’s return, it was reported that his appearance was a ‘morale booster’ for the AEW roster following what transpired at AEW All Out.

Unfortunately for Khan, Colt’s appearance on Dynamite has made things worse with Punk who remains adamant that he did not influence Khan.

At this time, it is believed that Punk is still under contract, with merchandise of his being sold by AEW within the past week.

Tony Khan has addressed the Colt Cabana/CM Punk debacle that led to the biggest controversy in AEW history with the All Out Brawl.

The AEW President was asked about it during the post Full Gear media scrum, and he confirmed that the Straight Edge Star never asked Colt Cabana to be removed from AEW programming:

“No. No, he never asked for that. The first time it came up, I think you asked me on a scrum call and I wasn’t looking at you face to face, it was before Death Before Dishonor, I think. He never asked me that.”

Addressing Colt Cabana’s return match against Chris Jericho, TK mentioned how he had been using him as a ROH coach and talent. So it made sense for him to challenge Jericho for the ROH title:

“I’ve been using Colt Cabana both as a coach and a wrestler in Ring of Honor. I looked at the roster and he’s a very logical challenger because, not only has he held the Ring of Honor Tag Team Championship, but he’s also somebody who has been wrestling in the 2022 Ring of Honor, is undefeated, so I thought he would be a logical challenger for Chris. It’s also a good match,”

It’s widely believed that Tony Khan decided not to re-sign Colt Cabana due to his issues with CM Punk. After the intervention from The Elite, Khan offered Cabana a position in ROH. This is believed to be one of the major causes of the animosity between the AEW EVPs and Punk, which led to the backstage fight at All Out.

• What Happened With Jon Moxley After Full Gear Went Off Air

You can check out the complete Full Gear media scrum below:

Tony Khan has announced a new signing for All Elite Wrestling ahead of tonight’s AEW Full Gear 2022 PPV.

• AEW Full Gear 2022 Preview

Last night on AEW Rampage, Konosuke Takeshita and Jun Akiyama battled Eddie Kingston and Ortiz in a tag team match in the main event.

Akiyama connected with an Exploder Suplex on Ortiz to win the match. After Rampage went off the air, Eddie cut a promo and demanded that Tony give him a match against Akiyama at the PPV tonight. AEW President Tony Khan made it official and Eddie Kingston will battle Jun Akiyama during the Zero Hour kickoff show tonight before the PPV.

Tony Khan took to Twitter to announce that he has signed Konosuke Takeshita to an AEW contract. The 27-year-old DDT star has become quite popular among AEW fans as well.

AEW Full Gear 2022 airs live tonight at the Prudential Center in New Jersey. Our live coverage will begin right at showtime.

Here is the card for AEW Full Gear 2022:

Zero Hour

• Eddie Kingston vs. Jun Akiyama
• Ricky Starks vs. Brian Cage (World Title Eliminator Tournament)
• Orange Cassidy, Best Friends, Rocky Romero, Danhausen vs. The Factory

Main Card

• Sting & Darby Allin vs. Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal
• Saraya vs. Britt Baker
• Steel Cage Match: Jungle Boy Jack Perry vs. Luchasaurus
• TNT Championship: Wardlow (c) vs. Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Samoa Joe
• TBS Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Nyla Rose
• Trios Championship: Death Triangle (c) vs. The Elite
• ROH Championship 4-Way Match: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Bryan Danielson vs. Claudio Castagnoli vs. Sammy Guevara
• AEW Interim Women’s Championship: Toni Storm (c) vs. Jamie Hayter
• AEW Tag Team Championship: The Acclaimed (c) vs. Swerve in Our Glory
• AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. MJF

• 5 Best Moments of CM Punk’s AEW Career

Thunder Rosa was scheduled to defend the AEW Women’s Championship against Toni Storm at All Out but the match never took place.

Instead, the AEW Women’s Champion announced in a brief backstage interview that she was injured and stepping away for a while.

It has been over two months since Toni became the “Interim” champion, while zero explanation has been provided to fans by the company as to why the title has to remain with Thunder Rosa during an extended injury recovery period.

Strorm defeated Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, and Hikaru Shida at All Out to become the Interim Women’s Champion. She will defend the title against Jamie Hayter this Saturday at AEW Full Gear.

• AEW Full Gear 2022 Preview

AEW President Tony Khan spoke during a media call for AEW Full Gear today and was asked if there is a possibility of Thunder Rosa being stripped of the title. If that were to happen, Thunder Rosa would join CM Punk and The Elite as champions stripped of the belts since the disastrous night on September 4th.

Tony Khan admitted that there is a chance yet another champion in the promotion will lose their title, not by pinfall or submission, but by bizarre circumstances.

H/T: Wrestling Inc