Since being founded in 2019, All Elite Wrestling has become a smash-hit with fans, earning legions of loyal supporters around the globe.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, fans have stuck to AEW’s programming, calling it an alternative to WWE’s standard of entertainment.
Not everyone has been impressed over the years by what Tony Khan has been able to produce.
Cornette is “Fair”
One of the most vocal critics of All Elite Wrestling is Jim Cornette, who routinely bashes the product on his podcast.
From the booking to the in-ring style, Cornette has never shied away from taking shots at the All-Elite promotion and like AEW, has his own share of loyal listeners.
During the media scrum following Ring of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor Pay Per View, Tony Khan admitted that some of what Cornette says has some truth to it (via Sportskeeda.)
“Just as also some of the other vocal critics of AEW, including Jim Cornette. One of the more vocal critics, but at times also a lot of what he says is very fair.”
Tony Khan admits that some of Jim Cornette’s criticisms of AEW are very fair.
Khan didn’t give a specific example of one of these “fair” assessments of AEW by Cornette.
Cornette and Omega
Arguably Cornette’s biggest issue with All Elite Wrestling is one of the company’s Executive Vice Presidents: Kenny Omega.
Earlier this month, Omega fired back to the constant criticisms by Cornette, saying that he has realized that “hateful speech” helps to pay his bills.
Firing back on his podcast, Cornette blamed Omega for making “wrestling something to be laughed at,” and that the former World Champion has “ruined a pastime, a hobby, an interest and entertainment that a lot of us had.”
Last month saw the AEW debut of former WWE star Cesaro, now using his real name again, Claudio Castagnoli. Following Bryan Danielson’s injury, Bryan handpicked Claudio as a mystery opponent for Zack Sabre Jr at AEW and NJPW’s joint show Forbidden Door.
Castagnoli also ended up taking Danielson’s spot as a member of the Blackpool Combat Club in the Blood and Guts match a few days later against the Jericho Appreciation Society. But was this always the plan for Claudio Castagnoli’s All Elite Wrestling debut?
During the Death Before Dishonor media scrum, Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated asked Tony Khan if the original plan was to debut him at the Ring of Honor PPV.
“It was the original plan. Yeah, it was originally. He was going to debut here and it would have been a different build to the pay-per-view than what we did. And I think in a way that, you know, everything worked out perfectly.”
Tony goes on to say:
“So originally my vision when we spoke, was that Claudio was going to come back at Ring of Honor and he would debut and he would be a mystery wrestler and I think there would have been a lot of anticipation for who was going to be.
Tony Khan on original plan for Claudio Castagnoli
“But I also think that it would have been a great delivery and I honestly think that like, you know, if the fans had gotten drawn to the possibility of who could be associated with Ring of Honor, who is a name that is so important to the history of Ring of Honor and also, was certainly, I believe the best free agent wrestler in the world, then I believe it would have been a lot of fans assuming, hoping, wishing, wanting to see it be Claudio.
“But things change and I also knew when we spoke, there was a possibility that you would come in, as the alternate replacing Bryan Danielson as Zack Sabre Jr’s opponent at Forbidden Door, and also replacing Bryan Danielson in the Blood and Guts match. And so everything’s worked out great.”
Last night Claudio Castagnoli competed against ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham in the opening match of ROH’s Death Before Dishonor.
Punk ended up not relinquishing the AEW World Championship, as originally speculated by fans, but a new Interim Champion would be crowned during his absence.
During the ROH Death Before Dishonor post-show media scrum, Tony Khan was asked for an injury update on CM Punk.
“Well, he’s doing well on his recovery. He was at the Comic-Con today. I didn’t see his panel and obviously, we saw that Bryan Danielson announced his return there, and not long after of course you saw that was confirmed here again on Death Before Dishonor that it will be on Wednesday Bryan Danielson returning from injury.
“Speaking of a Ring of Honor, true Hall of Famers CM Punk, the AEW World Champion. I don’t know exactly what he said, but I know that he’s doing well in his recovery. So I don’t want to scoop anything he may have said at the Comic-Con panel. So he’s doing well, he’s not behind in his recovery.”
Tony Khan on CM Punk’s recovery
“I wouldn’t want to step on what he said, but the last we spoke, I haven’t spoken to him since he did the panel, but going into the panel, he’s doing well, and on track and we look forward to a great unification match when he’s back. Whoever the Interim Champion is.”
When asked if we could see Punk back for Labor Day weekend in Chicago, Tony replied, “We’ll see, I mean I can’t rule it out but I also can’t promise because I don’t want to say anything when it comes to somebody’s recovery from a real serious injury and he’s really battling hard to get back as soon as you possibly can.”
During the AEW panel at SDCC CM Punk stated that he has no timeline for when he’ll be back inside the ring. His foot was shattered. He says it’s healing, but has not fully healed.
He also went on to say that he’s re-learning to walk.
CM Punk defeated Hangman Page at Double or Nothing on May 29th to become the AEW World Champion. His final match before the injury announcement was alongside FTR where they defeated Max Caster and The Gunn Club on Dynamite.
AEW President and ROH owner Tony Khan has confirmed where Colt Cabana will be working going forward.
There has been a lot of speculation over the past few weeks on the status of Colt Cabana. A report suggested that Khan was ready to drop the performer once his AEW deal was up but that wrestlers in the company rallied behind him to prevent that from happening.
“TK confirms Fightful’s report that Colt Cabana is a part of ROH (plans to have him involved in the DBD show) Colt was a big part of the SCOH show … declined to comment on the CM Punk/Colt stuff or dynamics.”
Jaychele Nicole’s recap of TK’s comments on Colt Cabana
Rumors swirled that CM Punk had something to do with TK almost deciding to pull the plug on working with Colt Cabana. This is what caused Dax to speak out and deny such claims.
Dax and Punk have become good friends and have been angling to create a faction along with the other half of FTR Cash Wheeler.
Cabana and Punk were once best friends before a legal battle ruined their relationship.
Cabana believes Punk owed him money over a legal issue with WWE doctor Chris Amann. While Punk and Cabana won that case, their own legal dispute over money caused them to sever ties.
Fans of The Briscoes have wanted to see AEW sign the tag team to a deal. Fightful reported that WarnerMedia didn’t wish to AEW to sign The Briscoes due to homophobic tweets that Jay Briscoe made in 2013. It is also worth noting that Jay apologized for his comments in the past.
While it seemed unlikely that Khan would sign The Briscoes to AEW, Jaychele Nicole reports that he announced on an ROH Conference call today that the team has signed an exclusive long-term deal to return to ROH.
Will The Briscoes Signing A Deal With ROH hurt Negotiations with WarnerMedia?
During the call, Khan shared that he’s still negotiating with WarnerMedia to get ROH on Bleacher Report and to do more work with the promotion. Nicole reported that Khan wants to “Parlay BR/ROH partnership into weekly TV through Warner Bros.”
It’s unclear how far talks with WarnerMedia have gone with signing ROH to a TV deal or whether they are interested. However, according to Khan, the company is excited about ROH.
(via ROH)
While the ROH Owner shared that The Briscoes signed a deal with ROH, he didn’t say if WarnerMedia had any say in acquiring the tag team. Based on Sapp’s report, it remains to be seen if the company is okay with the signing or if they have changed their opinions on The Briscoes.
As of now, Khan is still working towards a TV deal for his newly acquired promotion. Although fans could view ROH Death Before Dishonor being streamed on Bleacher Report as progress.
Tony Khan is said to be quite high on a new faction that is debuting on AEW Dark.
Factions in the wrestling business are simply meant to be. There are a ton of legendary stables in the business.
When wrestling fans think of factions, they reminisce on the days when The Four Horsemen ruled the earth, or when the nWo ran roughshod all over WCW.
Today, factions continue to be a key part of the wrestling industry.
You can add another faction to the list of current groups and this one has Tony Khan seeing dollar signs.
Tony Khan Gushes Over New Faction
(via JJ Williams)
A stable featuring former WWE NXT star Parker Boudreaux, Ariya Daivari (now Ari Daivari), and Slim J will be making its presence felt on AEW Dark at first.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio reports that Tony Khan is very high on the group, which he’s calling the Trust Busters.
The idea is that Daivari is now rich after his trust came in on July 4.
Meltzer notes that a decision has yet to be made on whether or not this faction will be featured regularly on the AEW brand or ROH.
Boudreaux was released by WWE earlier this year, which came as a surprise as many felt he had big star potential. It was even reported that Edge wanted him to join The Judgment Day stable at one point.
On this day in 2011, CM Punk won the WWE Championship in a truly historic bout.
Weeks prior, Punk had promised to leave WWE, citing that his contract with the company was expiring, and vowed to leave as Champion.
Punk also cut his infamous pipebomb, in which the Chicago-made Superstar blurred the lines of real and kayfabe.
The Money in the Bank 2011 match with John Cena is often considered a highlight in both men’s careers and earned five stars from Dave Meltzer.
Khan Comments
Punk’s goal to win the WWE Championship at Money in the Bank 2011 was successful, though it has been years since he last appeared for WWE.
Nowadays, fans can find Punk on AEW programming (though he is currently out with an injury.)
Taking to Twitter, AEW President Tony Khan praised Punk’s 2011 antics.
“11 years ago today @CMPunk set the wrestling world ablaze. He’s every bit as good today & he’s the @AEW World Champion. Check out The First Dance, All Out 2021, Full Gear 2021, Revolution 2022, + Double or Nothing 2022 to see why & how CM Punk proved he’s still Best in the World.”
11 years ago today @CMPunk set the wrestling world ablaze.
He’s every bit as good today & he’s the @AEW World Champion. Check out The First Dance, All Out 2021, Full Gear 2021, Revolution 2022, + Double or Nothing 2022 to see why & how CM Punk proved he’s still Best in the World
True to his word, CM Punk ‘left WWE’ as WWE Champion, for all of eight days.
On the July 25, Raw, John Cena defeated Rey Mysterio, who had won a newly-reinstated WWE Championship earlier in the night, to become Champion again.
Cena’s celebration was cut short by the returning Punk, who debuted the theme ‘Cult of Personality.
The two would have a title unification match at Summerslam 2011, which Punk would win before losing the title immediately after to Mr. Money in the Bank Alberto Del Rio.
During a recent discussion with SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall for NBC Sports Boston, Claudio Castagnoli talked about how his AEW debut came together and what it was like the day of.
At AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door, Claudio Castagnoli made his promotional debut against Zack Sabre Jr. He replaced Bryan Danielson in the match as Zack’s mystery opponent. He was also named Bryan’s replacement for the Blood & Guts match.
As Claudio’s debut was a secret, Claudio now says that he was hidden and had to have a private plane fly him in for the show.
The new Blackpool Combat Club member revealed how his debut came together.
Being Hidden During Forbidden Door
(via AEW)
Castagnoli said:
“Yeah, so yes, on a special flight, no, on a hotel, kind of right to the arena. And I was kind of hiding. Well, they were like, ‘well, we put you on,’ like, I’ll just go to the locker room.
“They’re like, ‘No, no, you can’t do that.’ I’m like, ‘okay,’ so I was kind of in hiding, but I saw a lot of the guys. And a lot of the friends that came said hello. So it was pretty cool.”
Claudio Castagnoli on being hidden during Forbidden Door
He added, “Yeah, I mean, I, you know, they said maybe some vague texts to some good friends. Like, you know, maybe you come over here, you know? Because I know you, I wanted to say hello. And some people had an idea. So they came and say hello. So it was great. Yeah.”
Claudio was then asked about having to go through the airport and trying to have his location remain a secret.
The former Cesaro revealed, “Yeah, I may not have been at a public airport. So I didn’t have that problem.
“No, yeah, no, I was, it was kind of a private thing. And then I was whisked to the arena. And then I was there for the rest of the day. It couldn’t have worked out any better I thought.”
Acting As Bryan Danielson’s Replacement
At Forbidden Door, Claudio served as Bryan Danielson’s replacement. He spoke about how the debut and match came together and his feelings regarding being the replacement.
“Yeah. And, yeah, obviously very, very sad and upset to hear about Bryan being hurt. But I’m very flattered to be I mean, you know, if it’s somebody who plays Bryan, and you think of me, I’m like, it’s a very flattering compliment.
“And also, you know, Bryan is a very good friend. So of course, I jumped in at a heartbeat, you know, help him and Blackpool Combat Club, which are all my friends anyway. You know, fits perfect again, just worked out.
“So perfect. I was very excited that that was the beginning,” Castagnoli said.
Claudio was also asked if his Forbidden Door debut was the original plan or not.
He responded, “It was not. There was something in the works. But then it was like, ‘Can you start next week?’ That kind of thing. And I was like, ‘Yeah, of course. That’s … I’m a professional, right?”
Hugging Tony Khan
After the AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view, at the post-show media scrum, Claudio and AEW Owner Tony Khan shared a hug. Many wrestling fans had opinions on the hug, but Claudio thinks that people will always find something to complain about.
He said:
“It’s so strange because that was after Forbidden Door, the press conference. And it was literally like, it was like a quick hug.
“It was just like, I was done and it was just like, you know when you like see your friend and you give like a high five and then like a pat on the back kind of hug? And like it was screen captured.
“And I guess people remembered it. Hey, it’s just a few bros hugging you know.
“… If people want to complain, they’ll find something to complain about the picture or whatever.“
Believes It Should Just Be Taken As A Positive
“And if people like it, they’ll hopefully find something you like about because but I would rather be somebody that appreciates something and says something positive and likes it you know?
“Like, that was a great picture. It was a great night, there was a great view, we hugged awesome, right? Like, isn’t that great? Right?
“Yeah, successful show successful pay-per-view in Chicago, New Japan and AEW coming together, who people didn’t think that was going to be possible, and so many awesome matches on that show.
“I was just watching the whole show like what I could and it was fantastic. So just take a positive here.”
Watch Steve Fall’s full conversation with Claudio Castagnoli right here:
SEScoops recently got to speak with Wheeler Yuta. Jaychele Nicole spoke to him about Claudio Castagnoli making his debut and joining the Blackpool Combat Club. You can read about that here.
The Fyter Fest edition of AEW Dynamite week one has wrapped up and here’s what happened just before the Rampage tapings began.
This week’s episode of Dynamite was held inside Enmarket Arena in Savannah, GA. The show got started with a TNT Championship match between titleholder Wardlow and Orange Cassidy.
There was also a non-title match between interim AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and Konosuke Takeshita.
Headlining this week’s episode of Dynamite was an AEW World Tag Team Title match between champions The Young Bucks, Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks, and Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland.
After The Show
Dynamite went off the air with new AEW World Tag Team Champions. Swerve in Our Glory defeated The Young Bucks, Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks to lay claim to the gold.
When the show went off the air, Lee and Hobbs continued to celebrate and were then congratulated by AEW President Tony Khan.
Before meeting with Khan, Keith Lee shared some words with the fans and had a heartfelt message for a close friend.
The July 15 edition of AEW Rampage is being taped right after Dynamite. The show will feature an ROH World Championship match between Jonathan Gresham and Lee Moriarty.
Stick with the SEScoops homepage for coverage of this week’s edition of Rampage.
Keith Lee turned some heads last night when he posted a short statement on his Twitter account hinting that he may be leaving to deal with a potential family issue, adding that it was bad news.
The AEW superstar and former NXT champion has kept the situation pretty hush since tweeting it out last night, but he did promote his participation in this evening’s triple threat AEW tag title match at Fyter Fest. His full tweet reads:
“Got some very much less than stellar news today….No matter the results, tomorrow’s match belongs to my two brothers. It’s all I can do until I return. Love you boys.”
Tony Khan spoke was able to provide an update on Lee’s situation during “Tony Time” on today’s Busted Open Radio. The company president doesn’t reveal too much information other than Lee will still be competing tonight, and that he has AEW’s full support for his situation.
“I don’t want to get into Keith’s personal business. Keith is here, he is wrestling tonight. He had a family situation. It’s not my place to talk about it. Keith is here and here to wrestle, as I understand it. I can’t really comment on what is happening, but we’re going to support him through what is happening.”
Lee debuted for AEW back in February of this year. He has since been on their Revolution, Double or Nothing, and Forbidden Door pay-per-view cards as a featured act. Sescoops would like to wish him well on his situation.
Tony Khan hints that AEW is on the verge of a historic media rights deal.
The AEW President sat down with the New York Post to hype the promotion’s success since their inception in 2019, which saw Khan secure a massive deal with Warner Media, one that helped them survive during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When speaking about his current broadcast relationship, which now includes Warner Bros. and Discovery, Khan had the following to say:
“I’m incredibly grateful every day that AEW has this great relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery and we’ve done well for TBS and TNT with “Dynamite” and “Rampage” where we’re a strong performer for Warner Bros. Discovery on a weekly basis.”
However, Khan is always looking towards the future as his company continues to grow in scope. He states that AEW’s supportive fanbase are to thank for potentially securing them a new deal down the line.
“I do believe our future media rights will be important and frankly a very large revenue stream for AEW going forward, and I think that’s because of the great support we’ve had from the fans and the hard work of everybody backstage and the wrestlers every Wednesday and Friday, pulling it together and delivering great shows.”
Regarding a new media rights deal…Khan promises that history will be made in the pro-wrestling circuit once again.
“Whenever our next media right deal, the next one does kick in, it will be historic. It will be recorded in history because everything in wrestling is recorded in history into posterity. It will make history however it goes. Right now, everyone would expect very, very well. We expect it’s going to go very well for us based on how strong we’ve been performing.”
Khan will continue to do interviews to promote AEW’s upcoming Fyter Fest television special. Stay tuned.
AEW Founder and Owner Tony Khan took to Twitter to address the status of a popular AEW roster member.
The July 8 episode of AEW Rampage saw Eddie Kingston take on Konosuke Takeshita, featured a major Ring of Honor heel turn, set up a feature championship match, and had a great main event with Tony Nese vs Orange Cassidy.
Tony Khan Claps Back
Last night, following an eventually episode of AEW Rampage, one fan on Twitter responded to one of Khan’s tweets. The fan responded to inquire about the absence of Penelope Ford by claiming that Tony and AEW had “given up on Penelope Ford.”
Tony shut down the claim by providing an update on her status. Khan wrote:
“Not at all, total opposite in fact; she’s a great wrestler, and I can’t wait until she’s medically cleared to come back. She’s been in some classic @AEW matches, and hopefully she’ll be in many more!”
Not at all, total opposite in fact; she’s a great wrestler, and I can’t wait until she’s medically cleared to come back. She’s been in some classic @AEW matches, and hopefully she’ll be in many more!#AEWRampage
Penelope Ford has competed in two matches in 2022. She is currently 2-0 for the year 2022. Both of her matches took place in January. Her last match took place on January 15, 2022 at a set of AEW Dark tapings. She also competed on the January 14 edition of Rampage when she teamed with The Bunny and Nyla Rose to defeat Kris Statlander, Leyla Hirsch & Red Velvet.
We at SEScoops wish Penelope Ford a healthy and speedy recovery!
Last month, AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling hosted their Forbidden Door Pay Per View, which proved to be a hit with fans.
The show saw Jay White retain his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, while Jon Moxley captured the Interim AEW World Championship.
Unsurprisingly, the show’s success has led to talks of subsequent Forbidden Door shows,
Location, Location, Location
Forbidden Door took place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, despite a ton of talent coming from New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Of course, only one country could host Forbidden Door, and on this occasion, that was the U.S.
While speaking to the New York Post about the future of the show, Tony Khan vowed that despite New Japan’s influence, Forbidden Door will never go overseas.
“The idea of doing an event over there with AEW stars and New Japan stars is very potentially interesting, but if it happens it won’t be Forbidden Door. Forbidden Door is gonna stay in North America. It wouldn’t make sense with the time zones, the revenue.”
Khan has vowed that Forbidden Door will become an annual event.
Exceeding Expectations
It should come as no surprise that Khan is already making plans for a second Forbidden Door Pay Per View.
Speaking on the post-Forbidden Door media scrum, Khan said the show was a financial hit, exceeding over $1.1 million in ticket sales.
Khan also said that surpassing 100,000 Pay Per View buys, which he believes happened, is a success for the show.
Recently, it was announced that Ring of Honor will be back on the air for their ‘Death Before Dishonor’ pay-per-view. AEW and ROH Owner Tony Khan recently spoke about the upcoming pay-per-view and the possibility of getting the promotion on TV.
Ring of Honor will host their Death Before Dishonor PPV on July 23. The event will take place at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA. Tickets will go on sale on July 8 at 10 a.m. ET.
The following stars are featured on the poster for the event: ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham, ROH World TV Champion Samoa Joe, ROH Tag Team Champions FTR, ROH Women’s Champion Mercedes Martinez, ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta, and Jay Lethal.
Tony Khan On Death Before Dishonor
Tony Khan recently sat down for an interview with Joseph Staszewski for the New York Post. The ROH Owner spoke about their upcoming pay-per-view event and the business side of his ROH dealings.
Khan said, “Death Before Dishonor,” I think is going to do well, based on the success of “SuperCard of Honor” I would say probably. I think the fans are gonna support “Death Before Dishonor.” It will get good sales.
I believe “Death Before Dishonor” is going to be … the year is gonna get better and better as we go as more wrestlers get healthy, and the forbidden door continues year-round. I think “Death Before Dishonor” will be one of the best wrestling shows of the year and I think it will be one of the best Ring of Honor shows ever. “Death Before Dishonor” is going to be great and I’m very excited for it.
I think it will do well as a live event and believe it will do well for Bleacher Report and hopefully continue the interest of Warner Bro. Discovery in not only AEW and expanding that relationship and continuing to create new revenue streams and really preserve and deliver on the ones we do have, but also get Ring of Honor involved.
I also think there is a lot of potential in the future in the world of streaming with these big PPV events but also the historical libraries of AEW and Ring of Honor, which are both growing.”
ROH On TV Streaming?
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about Ring of Honor getting its own on-air programming. Since Tony purchased the company, we’ve seen many of the ROH champions on AEW TV, but as of now, their only home is on the pay-per-views.
Khan spoke about this in his recent interview as well.
“I would like weekly Ring of Honor episodes to be the best episodes and to be the best customer experience. What does that mean? The means probably being on a platform that’s easy and friendly to the customer and a good reputable platform, it could be TV streaming,” Tony stated.
Death Before Dishonor Card
Below, you can find the current card of announced matches for the Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view:
ROH World Television Championship Match: Samoa Joe (c) vs Jay Lethal
ROH Pure Championship Match (Pure Rules Match): Wheeler Yuta (c) vs Daniel Garcia
ROH World Tag Team Championship Match: FTR (c) vs The Briscoes
Despite Kenny Omega’s recent discouraging comments about his rehabilitation process, AEW Founder Tony Khan remains optimistic about the former AEW World Champion’s return.
Kenny’s Rehab Process
Kenny Omega wrestled through the pain for several months last year. At the time, he was the AEW World Heavyweight Champion and helped lead the company forward as their top star while producing legendary matches.
However, Kenny had racked up a lot of injuries, so he decided to take time off after losing the championship to heal up.
On a recent Twitch stream, Kenny provided some insight into his mindset during his time off. Omega recently mentioned that if he suffers another major setback in his career due to an injury then he will be done as an in-ring wrestler. The former AEW World Champion said that this is because he doesn’t want to go through the painful rehab he has been experiencing.
AEW Founder said, “I’m always concerned whenever a wrestler has an injury, but in Kenny Omega’s case he carried the load through more injuries than probably anyone I’ve seen in terms of working through a sustained period where he was limited and still having great matches in the ring, and also doing great box office for the company as a great champion.
It is a little bit different because you’re dealing with multiple injuries as opposed to one injury. I’m optimistic. I don’t want to put a timetable on it. I’m still optimistic Kenny’s coming back.”
Tony’s Optimism
He continued to talk about his optimism toward Kenny’s return to the ring.
“I think it’s gonna go well. I think he’s gonna be OK, I don’t know when and I’m optimistic. Nobody can put themselves in his shoes, but I feel good about it. I’m gonna talk more to him too. I know he’s been through a lot but I know he’s still trying to get back,” he said.
Possible Return Timetable
Kenny had his last match at AEW Full Gear on November 13, 2021. At this show, he dropped the AEW World Championship to “Hangman” Adam Page. Kenny had several injuries he needed to be fixed including having arthroscopic knee surgery. At the end of March, he also got surgery to repair a sports hernia.
It was reported then that the timetable for the recovery from his knee surgery was ten weeks. At the same time, he was set to be recovering from the hernia surgery for about two months.
Omega did go back on the road with AEW to be at TV events. Unfortunately, Kenny found it was too early in the recovery process to travel with his injuries.
WWE has seen its popularity decline for several years since the Attitude Era, but they’ve been able to stop the huge drop that they had been experiencing in recent years. WWE consistently dropped in popularity (TV ratings and attendance) from 2017 to 2021. However, that has largely halted.
Since launching in 2019, All Elite Wrestling has grown rapidly as they were able to secure a television deal with WarnerMedia just months after launching and have been able to draw over 100,000 PPV buys with every event they’ve presented thus far.
Dave Meltzer went into detail about how WWE is getting more interest than usual of late during today’s Wrestling Observer Radio.
“WWE being up was interesting to me. Almost across the board, whatever they are doing… another interesting thing about that is they’re up (and) one of their biggest drawing cards Roman Reigns is not even on these shows other than Nashville (SummerSlam), which is doing pretty well.
Whatever it is, there’s definitely an upswing in interest in the product, for whatever reason. So that was kind of an interesting thing to see. The ratings of WWE have been up… WWE is on an upswing right now, so they’re doing something right, whatever it is.”
Meltzer noted that although AEW’s TV ratings have been down over the last few months, he cited the mega-list of injuries they’re dealing with as several stars are out of action, including CM Punk and Bryan Danielson.
Brandon Thurston of WrestleNomics has posted an article looking at the key performance indicators for WWE and AEW and how they compare.
This report notes WWE still leads in nearly every category in terms of numbers (TV tapings and attendance). It was said, “AEW’s lower profile consistently grew in previous comparisons, and still is growing.”
For WWE, they have yet to reach popularity to the heights of the years following the launch of the WWE Network in 2014, but it was stated the Peacock deal for its Network rights had come at the same time they were seeing stabilization and improvement in multiple areas.
TV Ratings
Raw’s ranking among other programs on Monday remains strong and improved in the second quarter of 2022. SmackDown continues to remain among the most-watched shows on Fridays.
Dynamite’s key demo ranking is up strongly year-over-year, although the show is having its first negative year-over-year comparisons just slightly after several consecutive quarters of growth.
Attendance
WWE averaged higher attendances for TV events than AEW through all four quarters since returning to touring in July 2021.
WWE also has the edge with premium live events/pay-per-views compared to AEW because they run stadium events.
Other metrics such as YouTube views and social media engagement can be found in the complete report here.
In the main event, the Jericho Appreciation Society took on Blackpool Combat Club in the Blood & Guts match. The action was held inside Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, MI.
Unfortunately, there was an injury during the main event. Santana appears to have hurt his leg after landing on it awkwardly while delivering a Uranage on Daniel Garcia. He was eventually helped up the ramp.
The show got started with a singles match between Orange Cassidy and Ethan Page. TBS Champion Jade Cargill also put her gold on the line.
We also got a shocking turn of events as Luchasaurus has turned heel and aligned with Christian Cage.
After The Show
(via AEW)
When Dynamite went off the air, AEW President Tony Khan made his way out to greet fans in attendance. He then explained the rules of the Royal Rampage match, which is set to air this Friday (July 1) on AEW Rampage.
The match will determine the number one contender for Jon Moxley’s interim AEW World Championship.
Of course, the AEW ring crew was moving quickly during Khan’s speech to get ready for the Rampage taping. There was a lot of work to do as the Blood & Guts match had its share of in-ring destruction.
More numbers continue to come out for AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door.
AEW President Tony Khan took to Twitter to thank fans for supporting AEW and NJPW by investing their money into Sunday’s pay-per-view event. He noted they did over $5 million on pay-per-view and put over the show doing over $1 million in ticket sales.
Khan previously stated the show did a 1.1 million gate. Either way, it’s behind the second biggest gate in AEW history behind Double or Nothing 2022. He wrote the following:
“Thank you to everyone, especially wrestling fans around the world, who made last Sunday’s #ForbiddenDoor event a hit, with >$1 million in ticket sales+ >$5 million on ppv! We’re back for Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite on @TBSNetwork @ 8pm ET/7pm CT/8pm PT #BloodAndGuts TOMORROW!”
Khan said in the post-show press conference that early estimates have Forbidden Door at over 100,000 buys on digital pay-per-view. There’s still no word yet on what they did on traditional PPV providers.
Jon Moxley became the interim AEW World Heavyweight Champion when he beat Hiroshi Tanahashi in the main event.
To make it more impressive, the show had a card that was filled with talent that many fans in the United States might not be as familiar with.
Only one event has been produced under the ROH brand since Tony Khan bought the company. Fans have been waiting to hear more about the future of the promotion.
Now a new report is suggesting that things may change in future. Per PWinsider, the word-making round is that an announcement regarding the next Ring of Honor event ‘should be coming in the next few days.’
Tully Blanchard who was shifted to ROH previously made an appearance on Rampage this past Friday. He teased that his Tully Blanchard Enterprises faction will be going after Jonathan Gresham.
This might be an indication that a match between Gresham, who currently holds the ROH world champion and Brian Cage will be built up in coming times.
The report also suggests that there won’t be any change to the ROH commentary team. Caprice Coleman and Ian Riccaboni will continue being the voices of the brand.
It’s expected to take place in Lowell, Massachusetts. Several ROH events have been produced there in the past. It’ll also play well with AEW’s touring schedule as the July 27th Dynamite is scheduled to take place from Worcester, Massachusetts.
Jeff Hardy forced Tony Khan and AEW to make major changes to their plans when he got arrested for driving without a license while being intoxicated earlier this month. The AEW owner recently took part in a media call to promote the Forbidden Door PPV. Among other things he also addressed the actions of the Charismatic Enigma.
Khan first mentioned how Jon Moxley also battled with alcohol addiction but he did the right thing by seeking help. What Hardy did was completely different and per Tony, this is why they handled the situations differently:
“With Jeff [Hardy], it’s totally different. The way it went down is totally different and that’s why the statements and the way we handled the two things are different. In this case, I don’t think there is any comparison. Jeff is doing much better. As I understand, Jeff is in treatment. I don’t want to say too much about what is going on because it’s his business, but I’m here for him for whatever he needs. I’m really glad nobody got hurt.”
‘It’s His Last Chance’
Though Tony Khan later said that he’d be remiss if he didn’t give Jeff the credit for finally doing the right thing. The AEW president claimed that this is Hardy’s last chance:
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t give Jeff a lot of credit for now doing the right thing. This is why we said Jeff has to the right thing if he wants to stay with AEW. It’s [his] last chance.”
Khan mentioned how Moxley didn’t put anyone at risk with his actions and so the two things cannot be compared. He also revealed his recent talk with Matt Hardy where he told the AEW star that they will support his brother through his treatment.
AEW President Tony Khan is intrigued by the possibility of venturing out to Japan.
We’re just a few days away from the big AEW-NJPW crossover show Forbidden Door. The PPV event takes place inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on June 26.
As we draw closer to the event, Japanese wrestling fans are wondering if it’s possible that AEW will make its way to “The Land of the Rising Sun” one day.
AEW in Japan?
(via AEW)
During an interview with Tokyo Sports (Michael Nakazawa serving as the interpreter), Tony Khan discussed the possibility of holding an AEW event in Japan (rough Google translation):
“I haven’t held a tournament in another country yet, but I would like to try to deliver AEW to the world. Of course, I want to hold a tournament in Japan, and if I do, I would like to invite a lot of new Japanese players. Japan is definitely included in the list of countries where you want to have an AEW tournament.”
Khan also had high praise for NJPW’s “Ace” Hiroshi Tanahashi, who will meet Jon Moxley for the interim AEW World Championship at Forbidden Door.
“Tanahashi (Hiroshi) is a charismatic and legendary person who leads the industry. He has a very strong heart … He is an indispensable part of the history of New Japan.”
The June 22 episode of AEW Dynamite is expected to feature a slew of NJPW talent to help promote Forbidden Door this weekend. One of the big names expected for the show is Zack Sabre Jr., although that is a report and hasn’t been confirmed by AEW.
This week’s episode of AEW Rampage has come to a close and there was something extra for fans in attendance.
The June 17 Road Rager edition of Rampage was held inside the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri. The show featured Darby Allin vs. Bobby Fish, a TBS Championship match, Jon Moxley vs. Dante Martin, and more.
Once the show went off the air, Tony Khan made his way out and he introduced HOOK and Danhausen. Sting grabbed the mic and called himself “Stinghausen.”
Sting was still in the ring as he had made his return to close the show. He helped Darby Allin even the odds as Kyle O’Reilly tried helping Bobby Fish put Darby out of action.
Commentator Tony Schiavone was also in the ring and Sting had some fun with his good friend.
In the end, Tony Khan thanked the fans of St. Louis for attending Dynamite and Rampage.
Killer Kross has confirmed the reports about having talks with AEW owner Tony Khan earlier this year about a potential debut. The former NXT champion recently had an interview with Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast. He first claimed that he is open to working with anybody as long as he is genuinely interested.
Kross also confirmed the rumors of having discussed potential opportunities with Khan. He said he liked the AEW owner and mentioned how many people would have jumped on the opportunity:
“I like the guy. There’s a lot of people who upon getting that phone call would’ve just taken his money, and maybe they’re in a position where they absolutely have to.”
Though Killer Kross did not go into details of his talks with Tony Khan, claiming that “some conversations are meant to be private.” The former WWE star explained that the ideas he heard weren’t the best fit for him. He said that he is going to be honest when he feels that an idea is not suited for him.
While Kross did not reveal any details about their talks, reports that came out last month suggested that AEW did not want to bring in Scarlett Bordeaux with him. The heavyweight star felt that without his wife, his AEW debut would have been no different than how he was treated on WWE’s main roster.
Another episode of AEW Dynamite is over and something took place after the June 15 airing.
AEW stacked this Road Rager special for Dynamite. Fans got to witness a stellar main event for the AEW World Tag Team Championships. The Young Bucks are now two-time AEW World Tag Team Champions after defeating Jurassic Express in a ladder match.
After the match, Christian Cage turned heel by hitting the Killswitch and a Conchairto on Jungle Boy.
That wasn’t all for the show as Will Ospreay and Dax Harwood had a fantastic match. Orange Cassidy also made his return from injury and it was announced that he’ll take on Ospreay at Forbidden Door.
After The Show
(via AEW)
Asa Gray was kind enough to send us the following recap of what transpired once the cameras stopped rolling:
“After they went off the air, Cage confronted the crowd and went to the back. Tony Khan came out to check on Jungle Boy, he apologized to the crowd for what we just saw and then plugged the Rampage matches. Moxley vs. Dante Martin. Jade Cargill vs. Willow Nightingale for the TBS title, Max Caster and The Ass Boys (Gunn Club) vs. Ruffin It (Leon Ruff & Bear Country), Darby vs. Bobby Fish.”
Here is footage of Tony Khan’s speech to the crowd following Dynamite:
“It’s a heavy emphasis on international competition, but the US can get involved in the competition. And I think it’s a great way to spotlight a lot of the international wrestlers in AEW, and the international presence that AEW’s developed over the years now with our shows on in 130 countries around the world and great ratings in so many huge international markets, including every week finishing as the number one wrestling company in the UK and our ratings there continue to rise.
“So for the international fans and for the international wrestlers on the roster, I felt like it would create more opportunities. But I also don’t think this title or these opportunities are exclusive to the international wrestlers. But it’s a big benefit of the term.”
NJPW will have two qualifying matches for the All Atlantic tournament as part of their New Japan Road tour event on June 20th.
The qualifying matches will see Tomoaki Honma take on Clark Connors and Suzuki-gun’s Yoshinobu Kanemaru battle Tomohiro Ishii. The winners of these bouts will face each other on June 21 in Korakuen Hall with the winner of that bout moving on to the finals. On the AEW side of the tournament, PAC has already advanced. Ethan Page vs. Miro and Malakai Black vs. Penta Oscuro still needs to take place.
The finals will take place at the AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view event on June 26th to become the first-ever AEW All Atlantic Champion.
