Although AEW has a loaded roster, there have been several wrestlers out with injuries. The good news is some of those stars are getting closer to returning to in-ring action, which is much needed after AEW World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk went down with an injury that will result in him getting surgery. 

He’s expected to be out of action for several months and the promotion is crowing an Interim World Champion at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view event later this month. 

AEW President Tony Khan is thanking fans for watching this week’s Dynamite — and also hinted at several injured stars coming back soon.

“I appreciate you wrestlers/staff/fans, & excited for *many* injured stars returning as we approach Road Rager + Forbidden Door!”

– Tony Khan

AEW’s Sidelined Stars

Kenny Omega, Bryan Danielson, Sting, Orange Cassidy, and Kip Sabian are just some of the names that have been sidelined. Of course, AEW World Champion CM Punk is also out of action with a foot injury, but won’t be back in action any time soon.

Omega’s last match came when he dropped the AEW World Championship to “Hangman” Adam Page at Full Gear. He took time off to heal up from various injuries and has since undergone arthroscopic knee surgery as well as surgery to repair a sports hernia.

In late May, Sting took a double superkick from The Young Bucks and he had his ankle smashed by Kyle O’Reilly. It’s possible that the angle was done to cover for a nagging injury that he needed to take care of as he was pulled from the AEW meet and greets over Double Or Nothing weekend.

Danielson was hurt in the Anarchy in the Arena match at Double Or Nothing, although there’s no exact word on the injury. He is only expected to be out of action for 1 or 2 weeks.

ROH is expected to return to pay-per-view in July, according to a new report by Fightful. 

The report stated AEW talent has been told that ROH Death Before Dishonor is being planned for the weekend of July 23, 2022 with the expectation that it will take place in Lowell, Massachusetts. A venue is not known for the event. 

ROH owner Tony Khan spoke to ESPN regarding the future of the promotion in April after holding the SuperCard of Honor event: 

“I’ve been having more conversations with WarnerMedia about what we can do together to grow Ring of Honor,” Khan said. “I think it would make sense for Ring of Honor to continue as a weekly series and major events, like we just had with Supercard.”

Jonathan Gresham told Fightful recently that ROH would be starting back up soon. As noted, company also filed to trademark two potential new logos last month.

The first Death Before Dishonor took place on July 19, 2003 that featured Samoa Joe defending the ROH World Championship against Paul London in the main event. The promotion has held the show every year except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

MJF went scorched earth on AEW President Tony Khan.

We have a new pipebomb that won’t soon be forgotten. MJF made his way out for the June 1 episode of Dynamite and things got ugly in a hurry.

Maxwell started things off by discussing how banged up he is but he said all the fans wanted is for him to talk.

He said the fans weren’t there for him when they called him “unprofessional” for no-showing a meet and greet one day before AEW Double or Nothing.

Max also bashed fans for once claiming he couldn’t wrestle. He questioned why that was the case, mentioning that he works a safer style, doesn’t get dropped on his head, and doesn’t watch NJPW.

He then talked about being disrespected by the AEW brass for not paying him more despite being key to the company’s success in viewership.

MJF claimed Tony Khan doesn’t want to pay him because he’s too busy paying former WWE stars.

When a production member told him to wrap things up, MJF called him a “piece of sh*t.” He then demanded that Tony fire him and called him a “f*cking mark.”

MJF’s mic was then cut off and the camera faded to black before a commercial break.

NOTE: Language NSFW.

Here’s a look at what happened after AEW Dynamite went to commercial break:

The situation between MJF and AEW President Tony Khan has been a hot topic for months that escalated this past weekend for Double Or Nothing after MJF missed the fan fest on Saturday. 

As scheduled, MJF showed up to Double or Nothing where he lost in a quick match to Wardlow. He later told Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp that he had a lot to think about after the match as his AEW deal runs through January 1, 2024 and is expected to have a bidding war for his services between AEW and WWE. 

Khan spoke to Andreas Hale on The Corner podcast on Friday night where he was asked about MJF’s situation. However, he won’t comment on MJF’s contract details. 

“I can’t…he’s been a big part of the company from day one, but I can’t really speculate on what he’s been saying about stuff that is unrelated to his match with Wardlow. It’s not related to what we’re talking about on television.”

MJF has stated that he will go where the money goes and will listen to an offer from WWE when he’s free and clear to do so. Khan was asked if he was surprised by MJF’s comments regarding his contract.

“No, I’m not surprised, for a variety of reasons. Coming out of this weekend, as of now and everything he’s done in AEW, he’s been a huge part of the success of the company and he’s signed here for a long time. It’s 2022, and 2024 is a long way away.”

MJF was spotted at LAX on Tuesday and is reportedly having a meeting with Khan this week. It’s likely that meeting is happening at Wednesday’s Dynamite. 

H/T to Fightful for the transcript

Something has got to give in the MJF-AEW saga.

MJF was featured in the opening match of AEW Double or Nothing. He was ultimately squashed by Wardlow, paying off a long-term storyline. In story, the win has allowed Wardlow to sign with AEW.

The status of the match was very touch and go, however before Sunday night.

Maxwell didn’t fulfill his commitment to take part in a meet and greet on Saturday. PWInsider reported that this wasn’t a work and AEW officials attempted to contact him numerous times.

Fightful is now reporting that MJF and Tony Khan are set to have a sitdown meeting as MJF has stayed in Las Vegas despite claiming he quickly left the T-Mobile Arena following his loss to Wardlow.

AEW ran an angle where MJF was stretchered out of the arena at Double or Nothing. PWInsider reported that Maxwell isn’t expected to be on the road with AEW for the next several weeks, possibly longer.

There are many within the industry who believe that the MJF ordeal started as a legit issue but has turned into a work.

Tony Khan has fired back at Eric Bischoff for calling CM Punk ‘the biggest financial flop in wrestling history.’

The Double or Nothing PPV saw AEW finally pulling the trigger on the Straight Edge star. He beat Hangman Page to become the new AEW world champion. After the show, Punk was asked about his very public feud with the former WCW president. Khan, however, took it upon himself to reply to Bischoff and claimed that it’s ‘f*cking bullshit’:

“That’s fucking bullshit.” said Tony Khan, “I can tell — there’s only one person who can attest to that. I don’t what other people — I can only attest to what’s happened here, and in public record, and some of these things are a matter of public record, because of things of freedom of information and stuff. We do have over the years a good amount of financial data in pro wrestling.”

No One Has Made A Bigger Difference: Tony Khan

It all started when Eric Bischoff said that AEW needs to stop catering to a specific audience. CM Punk responded by saying that fans should let “bad-take carnies” die in the dark. This is when the former wrestling promoter called out Punk and claimed that he has not been a financial success. Though according to Tony Khan, their new world champion has made a more positive impact than any other star:

“I can tell you, like no one wrestler has ever come in and made a bigger plus-delta financial difference in the history of my company going into, this is the third-year anniversary this week, going into year four no one person has ever made a more positive impact. We just did a record pay-per-view buy. Every PPV we’ve done, he’s done a four PPV cycle now, ever one of them was the record.”

Tony Khan also noted how CM Punk was the guy he put on Rampage when they clashed against SmackDown last year. He mentioned that WWE admitted to their loss in that face off and it’s a ‘matter of record in a f*cking court.’ The AEW Owner said that Punk is ‘the biggest part of financial success’ in the history of his promotion.

You can check out his response below:

Tony Khan has decided not to make any public comments about the MJF situation that occurred before the Double Or Nothing PPV this Sunday.

The AEW president and owner took part in the post-media scrum after the big event. As expected, the very first question he was asked was about the young star but he declined to comment on the situation:

“I’m not gonna comment on that,” said Tony Khan, “I’ve got a lot of stuff from the pay-per-view that I can comment on, but I’m not going to comment on that.”

“I’m not gonna comment on that,”

– Tony Khan on MJF

• What Happened After AEW Double or Nothing Went Off The Air

Tony Khan and MJF

MJF has been unhappy with his current contract for a while. He has been looking to get a raise and has made public comments about how he should be paid more.

The situation escalated yesterday when the 26-year-old missed a scheduled meet and greet event and officials couldn’t contact him.

This started many rumors about his status for Sunday’s PPV. He wasn’t seen in the arena early in the day. AEW also stopped advertising his match with Wardlow for a bit and people were not sure about his status for the show hours before the event.

MJF did finally show up and competed in the opening match of the night. However, a report from Fightful select noted that he arrived “shortly before his match, left right after, and has a lot to think about.”

Now Tony Khan’s refusal to comment on the whole situation reaffirms that the dispute between the two parties is real. There is a lot of work that needs to be done before they are on the same page again.

• AEW Double Or Nothing 2022 Results: CM Punk vs. Hangman Page, Owen Hart Tournament, Anarchy In The Arena

AEW President Tony Khan has burned WWE amid the company’s decision to move its Money in the Bank event.

WWE MITB was going to be held inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ticketholders were recently notified that they will be refunded as the event has been moved to the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Fans who purchased tickets for the Allegiant Stadium show will be the first with access to the pre-sale for the MGM Grand event.

Tony Khan Goes Off

Never one to back down from some banter, Tony Khan took to his Twitter account to throw massive shade toward Vince McMahon’s empire.

“Yesterday: one of my favorite days, including
-great visits with fans + media
-a trip to LA for the most fulfilling meeting of my life with @wbd leadership
-dinner with my Dad + Dana White, where I got to break the news to Dana about MITB moving to MGM
Today: #AEWRampage on TNT!

“Genius move trying to take on Dana and the UFC in Vegas during International Fight Week.”

Khan isn’t the only one who has taken shots at WWE over the venue change. CM Punk also had a bit of fun with it, reminding fans of the WrestleMania VII building being changed due to poor ticket sales.

AEW-Warner Bros. Discovery On Good Terms?

Since the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger was announced, many grew concerned over AEW’s future on TBS and TNT. Brett Weitz, a top executive at WarnerMedia who championed AEW programming, is out of the company due to the merger.

Despite the fears, Tony Khan has seemingly squashed any doubt that his promotion is in good standing with the new regime.

As mentioned in the quote, Khan claimed to have had “the most fulfilling” meeting of his life with Warner Bros. Discovery leadership.

Cody Rhodes has dismissed rumors swirling around regarding his exit from AEW.

When news first broke that Cody and his wife, Brandi Rhodes were leaving AEW back in February, it sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling industry.

Some even thought it was a work but that theory was shut down when Cody emerged as Seth Rollins’ mystery opponent at WrestleMania 38.

Rumors & Innuendo

Cody Rhodes took to his Twitter account to respond to a fan who brought up a lingering rumor that “The American Nightmare” had a falling out with Tony Khan over money and creative power.

The former AEW EVP poured cold water on the rumblings.

“Full stop: the money and creative story that misguided brudda put out there has already been rebuffed by all parties.

“I’m proud of my peers/kids there and my accomplishments as competitor/EVP. It was just personal and it was just time to go for the big one.”

Cody has been treated like a big star since making his return to WWE. He’s a top babyface on the Monday Night Raw roster.

Rhodes is scheduled to face Seth Rollins a third time at the Hell in a Cell premium live event on June 5.

Since making his return to the company, Cody Rhodes has made it clear that his main goal is to capture the WWE Championship for the first time in his career.

The NBA playoffs have been crushing wrestling in the TV ratings and many have feared it could negatively impact AEW Double or Nothing.

The PPV event is set for May 29. This Friday, the Boston Celtics will take on the Miami Heat in game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

If Miami wins, the series will go to game 7 on the same night as Double or Nothing.

This is a high-stakes series as the winner will advance to the NBA Finals.

DoN Headliner Safe From NBA

AEW President Tony Khan has squashed any concern that the Double or Nothing main event could start while a potential game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals is ongoing.

During an appearance on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Khan confirmed that if there is a game 7, he will not run the world title match between Hangman Adam Page and CM Punk until it’s over.

“I promise that Hangman Page versus CM Punk for the world championship is not going to go to the ring until after game seven, if there is a game seven.

“So it leaves it open even for those diehard fans of those teams if there is a Heat-Celtics game seven.

“I promise just like Bob Arum did, another promoter here in Vegas, said that Pacquiao-Bradley was not going to go to the ring.

“I promise we’ll hold it back because we’ve planned ahead in case there was a game seven not knowing who it would be.

“But it might not even happen, but if it does, we’re prepared.”

Quotes via WrestlingNews.co.

AEW President Tony Khan has said it was “great” to see Johnny Elite make his debut for the promotion this week.

Johnny Elite, best known to fans as John Morrison, debuted as the Joker in the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament and faced Samoa Joe on Dynamite.

Despite losing to Joe, Khan told Busted Open Radio that he was pleased to see Elite make his presence felt in AEW on this week’s episode.

“It was great to have Johnny Elite here. What a great match-up he had with Samoa Joe. It was a great way to make his debut in the Owen [Hart Foundation Tournament]. That was tremendous, and really, I am very glad he was here. He’s a great mentor to some of the young wrestlers in the locker room, and somebody I think fans have looked up to for a long time, and he went toe-to-toe with one of the toughest wrestlers in AEW.”

Elite’s debut on AEW comes months after his release from WWE last November.

Joe will face Kyle O’Reilly on this week’s AEW Dynamite, with the winner facing Adam Cole at Double or Nothing 2022 in the Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament finals.

• Johny Elite’s AEW Status Revealed (May 2022)

Thanks to 411Mania for the transcription.

Tony Khan thinks All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Double Or Nothing could be the promotion’s biggest show ever.

Khan was recently interviewed on Busted Open Radio to discuss several professional wrestling topics, including the upcoming pay-per-view (PPV). With a stacked card from top to bottom, Khan said he thinks this show has the chance to be their biggest ever.

“It’s going to be a great show. Wednesday night, again, three years of AEW, leading up to what I think is going to be one of the biggest nights, if not the biggest night, in the history of the company – Double or Nothing 2022.

“Just such an amazing line-up on this show. So many big matches to look forward too. I’m really so excited,” Tony Khan said.

The card is certainly one of the best we’ve seen from the promotion as of late. AEW World Champion Hangman Page will defend his title against CM Punk.

The Men’s Owen Hart Tournament Finale will take place, Thunder Rosa defends her AEW Women’s Title against Serena Deeb, and so much more.

A star-studded Stadium Stampede match will also take place, as the Jericho Appreciation Society takes on the team of Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Eddie Kingston, Santana, and Ortiz.

It all goes down from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada live on PPV May 29, 2022.

Quotes via Wrestling Inc.

AEW President Tony Khan has said he doesn’t understand why a wrestling promoter would rip up a script before a show, in a dig at WWE and Vince McMahon.

The WWE Chairman is known for making edits to scripts, or even tearing them up completely mere hours before his programming goes on air.

Speaking with Forbes, Khan said that while he accepts that changes need to be made on the fly, ripping up a script implies that those in charge haven’t done enough preparation.

“To be honest, when I hear about somebody going in, and they have a TV show on Monday that they rip up. My first thought is, ‘what were you doing all weekend?’ Because I work my ass off on the weekends,” he claimed. “I have to come in with a plan for Wednesday, and Friday night, I want to make sure Dynamite’s great, and Rampage.

“I don’t do everything myself, but I do make the final decision on everything. I put the format together, I put an outline of what the show is going to be for Dynamite and Rampage, and I write it by hand. I don’t understand why you’re going to come in and rip up a show that you have a pretty good idea of what it is. And you should have approved it, where Monday, we know what we’re doing.”

“When I hear about somebody going in, and they have a TV show on Monday that they rip up. My first thought is, ‘what were you doing all weekend?’”

Tony Khan

McMahon’s War on Scripts

Vince McMahon employs a large team of writers to produce WWE content each week but the Chairman is seemingly very difficult to impress.

In March 2020, McMahon tore up the script for Monday Night Raw and was reported to have “changed everything.”

That same year, it was reported that McMahon had ripped up the script for Raw an hour before the show went live.

An October 2020 script for WWE SmackDown was finished very late in the day as the company could not decide what should make it on the show.

• Big Cass on Vince McMahon’s Reaction to him Going Off-Script (December 2019)

Thanks to Wrestling Inc for the transcription.

There are some new details regarding the situation with MJF and AEW.

It’s clear that MJF is poised to be the hottest thing in pro wrestling when 2024 rolls around. As it is, he’s one of the top heels in the business and his stock continues to soar.

With that said, reports have indicated that Maxwell Jacob Friedman and AEW aren’t exactly on the same page.

Of course, 2024 is important because that’s when MJF’s contract with AEW expires.

Latest On MJF & Tony Khan

Will Washington of Fightful recently claimed that the issue at hand with MJF and AEW President Tony Khan has to do with a contract extension. He claims that the word is that MJF wants more money but Khan isn’t willing to fulfill his request if his top heel won’t sign an extension.

Furthermore, Will claims that not many within AEW are taking MJF’s side on the matter because they feel he must honor the original agreement.

It’s important to note that someone could very well be feeding one-sided information to put pressure on MJF. After all, if things aren’t going someone’s way, it’s easy to put out something negative on the person who won’t cooperate.

Who Is In The Right?

It isn’t difficult to understand why MJF would want more money. He’s definitely exceeded the value of his 2019 deal. With that said, if he truly wants more money yet doesn’t want to sign on beyond 2024, you can see why AEW wouldn’t want to do that.

Since signing his initial AEW deal, MJF has seen the likes of Bryan Danielson and CM Punk get big money contracts.

Social media has already been abuzz with AEW fanboys and detractors chiming in. The fanboys are roasting MJF, while the detractors are buttering him up in hopes that he’ll make the jump to WWE.

• 5 WWE Superstars Who Would Be Perfect Opponents For MJF

Who do you think is in the right here?

Killer Kross has reflected on not making an appearance at ROH Supercard of Honor.

When ROH underwent a “reconceptualization” period, many were skeptical of the future of the promotion. The company announced it would be releasing all of its talent but was aiming for a return in the spring.

The wrestling world was turned upside down when AEW President Tony Khan announced he was purchasing ROH. This caught many off guard including someone who was trying to get Killer Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux on the Supercard of Honor show.

Killer Kross On What Went Wrong

Killer Kross was expecting to be featured on the Supercard of Honor show before Tony Khan made the deal. This gave some the impression that Khan blocked Kross and Scarlett from appearing.

As it turns out, Kross may have simply been the victim of many moving parts. He told Wrestling Inc that the person who was trying to get him on the show lost his job due to the acquisition.

“I was like, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to keep this quiet,’ we were really pumped about this, it’s going to be awesome. She might be able to revisit some stuff from Ring Of Honor that she previously did,” he said. “We can do something new, so, all of these ideas are coming to light.

“Then it was announced on TV that Tony Khan had bought Ring Of Honor. So, I hit my correspondent back, and I was like, ‘what the f*ck is going on here?’

“He’s like, ‘I have no idea,’ and then a little bit of time went on, and then we began to find out through my other friends in the company, who didn’t even know. Because we were fading them too, not like we thought they’d maliciously stooge it off, we just didn’t want it to leak. We are very old school, we don’t tell anybody what is going on.

“So, what happened was everybody lost their jobs, or they were out of jobs. They didn’t have work anymore at Ring Of Honor.”

Kross said at that point, it wouldn’t have been right to keep asking the person about his appearance.

“At that point, on a humane level, there was no way I could continue talking to this person. I felt bad for that person on the phone. Like, here is this person that was offering us work, and then they’re not there anymore.

“My heart was broken for them, I was like, I don’t think this is something, just on a human level, that we should continue pursuing. I guess, that’s just basically what happened, it was kind of like sad actually. I felt bad, I didn’t pursue it beyond that.”

During the Supercard of Honor media scrum, Tony Khan dismissed the notion that he didn’t want Kross and Scarlett on the show. He insisted that the two weren’t booked when he took over ROH and that he actually likes them.

MJF knows he’s going to be in high demand in the near future and he’d be foolish not to weigh his options.

The young AEW star will see his current contract end in 2024. While many believe that MJF could be primed to be a main event player for AEW for several years to come, the Plainview native hasn’t been shy in entertaining an offer from WWE when the time is right.

It’s also been reported that perhaps things haven’t been as rosy between MJF and AEW President Tony Khan lately. Back in March, Maxwell had an interview with Ariel Helwani that apparently wasn’t cleared by AEW beforehand, leaving Khan upset.

A report from Fightful claims that the relationship between wrestling’s hottest prospect and the AEW boss has soured a bit since then. It’s important to note that MJF has built the reputation of being a top-notch heel worker.

The lines have been blurred ever since MJF started publicly talking about his contract situation. While reports have surfaced about MJF being unhappy, nothing has changed in terms of any negotiations.

He knows his contract is up in 2024 and continues to be featured prominently on AEW programming.

At the end of the day, Tony Khan would be remiss to not give MJF a massive offer when it’s time to renegotiate. On the flip side, WWE must do their due diligence and make MJF a substantial offer to get one over on the competition.

With so much momentum built up already, MJF isn’t likely to re-up with AEW before he’s able to test the market. Letting WWE know he’d be all ears way ahead of time is a good way to keep his name in the minds of those in Vince McMahon’s circle.

AEW President Tony Khan has defended the company’s use of blood by saying that his media partners have no problem with it.

While WWE has a no-blood policy, AEW allows for the use of blood with Britt Baker Vs. Thunder Rosa from the March 17, 2021, Dynamite and Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley from AEW Revolution 2021 being two of their bloodiest bouts.

This has led to criticism, with Vince McMahon saying in 2019 that TNT will not tolerate “blood and guts” on their programming.

After AEW used the “blood and guts” term for their May 2021 show, a member of WWE management claimed that the show’s main event “just set the business back 30 years.”

Addressing the critics this week in an interview with News 12 Long Island, Khan said that bloody matches have generally been well-received (h/t Fightful).

“It’s certainly not every week, you don’t see it on a weekly basis… For the most part, you see a focus on the in-ring action, but every once and a while, when things have gotten out of hand, it’s been old-school pro wrestling in a way that has been very healthy and has been well-received by our media partners and fans.“

WWE’s History With Blood

While WWE is staunchly against the use of blood, some of the company’s most iconic moments have featured blading.

In 2008, WWE scrapped blood as part of their newly introduced PG rating but has used blood sparingly ever since.

At their most recent event in Madison Square Garden, Brock Lesnar was busted open by Roman Reigns in the build to their WrestleMania 38 title-unification match.

• Tony Khan Explains Why He Hasn’t Bought Out Wardlow’s Contract From MJF (May 2022)

AEW President Tony Khan has confirmed a report regarding the creation of trios tag team titles.

It’s no secret that AEW has a slew of factions. From The Elite to House of Black to Blackpool Combat Club and beyond, there is no shortage of stables under the AEW banner.

With so many groups, many have long believed it’s only a matter of time before trios titles are introduced.

That hunch is indeed correct.

AEW Trios Titles Are Real

During an interview with TSN, Tony Khan made the confirmation that the AEW Trios Tag Team Titles have been made. It was first reported on Wrestling Observer by Dave Meltzer.

Here’s what Khan had to say about the creation of the championships.

“I saw Dave reported it and nobody’s asked me on the record yet, but it is truthful that I have made the belts.

“I made them a long time ago, to be honest with you.

“They’ve never been seen, and I did have them made. I do have more championship belts in my possession that have never been unveiled than anybody might suspect. The TBS Championship was in my office for months at the shows before anybody knew it was going to be unveiled, for example, recently.

“The Ring of Honor purchase and now the great stable of champions[hips] and IP and, not only the legacy of past events, but the great slate of, I think, potential future events we can do with Ring of Honor and all that was kind of a surprise to everybody that we kept under wraps. That came together more quickly, whereas the trios championships are something I’ve thought about for a long time.

“But there are more championship belts than people might think that I’ve had up my sleeve and the trios championship are, arguably, the foremost.”

The fact that Khan said the gold has been made for a while now shouldn’t come as a surprise either.

After all, he confirmed in late 2020 that trios titles were on his priority list for 2021 but the timing just wasn’t right.

Wardlow is currently feuding with MJF and is set to meet him for a contract signing at tonight’s AEW Dynamite from Long Island. The contract signing will also reveal when a match will take place. It’s most likely to be set for the Double or Nothing pay-per-view event on May 29.

AEW President Tony Khan discussed Wardlow and his contract while speaking to Barstool Rasslin’. He said that the storyline has evoked a lot of interest from fans (as transcribed by SEScoops):

“It’s the evil genius that is MJF, I think, at work. I mean, you’re seeing what he has done to Wardlow is tormenting the guy, and it’s been very compelling to see. Unfortunately, that’s kinda the evil mastermind at work,” Khan said.

READ MORE: Wardlow Says His Rise In AEW Has Even Exceeded His Own Expectations

Wardlow makes his entrance with handcuffs and no music and it is something that is different and sets Wardlow and his presentation apart. Tony Khan is pleased with the way everything comes together every week on Dynamite.

Khan said things have shaped up well for the upcoming big match as there is a contract signing tonight. He added that it’s a big night to see how the crowd reacts to Wardlow as he’s going against his boss, MJF, who holds Wardlow’s future in his hands. Khan said it’s gonna be really interesting because of the conditions in the contract.

Khan was asked if he has considered buying Wardlow’s contract from MJF since he can afford to.

“MJF’s family has a lot of money. To be fair, I am making smart business decisions for the company,” said Khan. “Wardlow is still performing for the company right now and it’s on MJF’s dime. We’ve worked with a lot of people through the Forbidden Door so this is no different.”

Elsewhere on the show, matches for The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s and Women’s Tournaments will take place, and FTW Champion Ricky Starks will defend his title against AEW World Tag Team Champion Jungle Boy.

AEW has now hit its second million-dollar live gate and this time, some assistance from NJPW helped put it over the top.

The joint show will be taking place inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. No matches have been announced at this time as AEW has their own Double or Nothing PPV to focus on, which is scheduled for May 29.

Despite not having any matches announced, Forbidden Door sold out within minutes.

AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door Already Reaches Milestone

Back in March, Tony Khan announced that this year’s Double or Nothing show became the first AEW event to score a live gate of $1 million.

The promotion has done it again with its crossover show with NJPW. This does not include the secondary market, where thousands of tickets are sold at inflated prices.

Khan made the announcement during an interview with News 12 Long Island.

“[Grand Slam] was almost the first million-dollar gate in AEW history, just came shy of that, but it was real close and of course, we set that record now, for AEW Double or Nothing Las Vegas, became our first million-dollar gate for live tickets, and now just hit it again for our partnership with New Japan, for our Forbidden Door show at the United Center.”

Speaking of Grand Slam, Khan recently confirmed that the event will be returning this year at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, NY.

It’ll be interesting to see if AEW can reach that million-dollar gate to become the third show in company history to pull off the feat.

AEW President Tony Khan has gone in-depth on what he looks for when trying to sign talent for his promotion.

When Khan got AEW started back in 2019, many wondered how the roster would shake out. As it turns out, AEW has signed a mix of premier talent on the indies, internationally, and formerly of WWE.

He’s even signed some standout athletes who never had a wrestling background.

Tony Khan’s Eye For Talent

AEW star Swerve Strickland had Tony Khan as a guest on his Swerve City podcast. During his appearance, Khan laid out what he’s in search of when doing some scouting.

Athletic Background

“Well, there’s a lot of things. First of all, when you look at their body of work coming in, sometimes you get athletes, like Satnam Singh is a great example or Jade Cargill, where they didn’t have prior experience in pro wrestling, but they were great athletes, actually both of them played basketball at a high level. I thought they were worth a gamble.”

Khan said it’s rare to sign someone who does not have prior wrestling experience. AEW does not have a performance center or developmental system, like WWE.

In-Ring Experience

“It’s a different business model. There are a lot of great people, but for us, we kind of pick our spots when it comes to that thing, because we’re not as much about centralized training all week long.

Khan named Swerve Strickland as someone he saw wrestle elsewhere.

“I had seen a lot of your matches before you came in,” said Khan. “Some other people might not have as much experience as you and might not have had as much success, or really might not be as far along or as developed or as good. There’s other people where it’s hard to track them down.”

Fans have taken notice of AEW’s approach toward building young stars such as MJF, HOOK, Wheeler Yuta, Daniel Garcia, and Lee Moriarty. Those names all had some level of wrestling knowledge before being signed to AEW.

As Khan mentioned, Jade Cargill was someone who came in as an athlete outside the wrestling business. Cargill did receive a WWE tryout back in 2019.

She ended up training at the Face 2 Face Wrestling School before transitioning to the Nightmare Factory.

Quotes via WrestlingNews.co

The reports of a joint show involving AEW and NJPW have been confirmed.

During the April 20 episode of Dynamite, Tony Khan, along with NJPW President Takami Ohbari, announced “Forbidden Door.” This will be a PPV event that’ll be held inside the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on June 26.

Adam Cole interrupted Khan and Ohbari to announce he’ll take on Tomohiro Ishii on the April 22 episode of Rampage. This will be an Owen Hart Cup qualifier match. Jay White later made his way out and promised that the Bullet Club will have a presence at the show.

In a press release, Tony Khan expressed his excitement about doing business with NJPW.

“As the world continues to reopen, I’m making sure the Forbidden Door follows suit and we can finally give fans the dream events they’ve always imagined,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “The United Center was home to one of AEW’s biggest events of all time, The First Dance, where CM Punk made his return to wrestling after a seven-year hiatus. This summer, fans of AEW and NJPW can expect the unexpected during this extraordinary, first-of-its-kind pay-per-view between our two incredible companies.”

Takami Ohbari also chimed in, promising that NJPW talent will showcase Strong-Style to the highest degree.

“As we have done for more than 50 years, the power of pro-wrestling can energize people by fulfilling their dreams,” said Takami Ohbari, President of NJPW. “Now, it’s quite an important mission for us, the pro-wrestling industry as a whole. We are not only opening this door. We will show you NJPW’s genuine Strong-Style beyond the Forbidden door.”

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Tony Khan will make a huge announcement tonight on AEW Dynamite!

In all seriousness, the company has a pretty good track record when it comes to announcements and free agent signings. Just hours ahead of the big reveal, TV Insider just dropped an exclusive interview with the AEW President.

Khan spoke with Scott Fishman to provide some ’11th hour’ hype for what’s sure to be a newsworthy event. According to TK, this announcement will be “unique” and unlike anything they’ve done before.

“I think this surprise is different than anything we’ve promoted before. We’ve had a lot of great surprise moments in AEW. A lot of special nights on Dynamite. Without giving too much away, I think this is a unique announcement. I’m excited about this as anything we’ve worked on.”

He continued, “I think there will be a lot of interest in this announcement. Given the amount of intrigue I think it will create, I thought it would be good to promote a big surprise coming to Dynamite. This is the kind of announcement that deserves a lot of fanfare.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Khan speaks about the dynamics of owning two wrestling promotions, CM Punk stating his intention to go after the AEW World Championship, Cody Rhodes’ departure and much more.

• CM Punk Teases Kazuchika Okada For Rumored AEWxNJPW Crossover Show

Head over to TV Insider to read their interview with Tony Khan.

Thunder Rosa appeared on the Mack Mania podcast this week and spoke about her experience working with AEW President Tony Khan.

As AEW Women’s World Champion, Thunder Rosa is the face of the company’s women’s division. She recently ended Britt Baker’s lengthy title reign and understands the responsibility that now rests on her shoulders. She’s the top dog in AEW and now has a target on her back.

As someone who has wrestled around the world, Rosa knows what makes a good boss. She believes one of Tony Khan’s major strengths is that he listens to ideas from talent and allows them to have a hand in their storylines.

‘He listens,” she said about Tony Khan. “When you make sense, he will listen to what you have to say.”

She sees wrestling fans debating AEW storylines online. Some of them can be harsh about the AEW product and Tony Khan in particular. She’s seen her boss’ creativity in action and believes he knows what he’s doing.

“You have to believe in his vision,” said Rosa. “It is what it is, and that’s one of the things that I have learned about him. Everything that he has done from when I first started to now, I left it up to him, like the buildup to the Lights Out match and now into having the match in San Antonio was great.”

Rosa continued, “I never went and said, ‘No, I want to do this.’ I told Tony, ‘I’m going to see your vision and make sure that what you see is what you’re going to get.’ That’s what I said, and I made sure that I did everything that was in my power to do that, and I will continue to do that as a champion.”

Thunder Rosa retained the AEW Women’s World title against Nyla Rose this past weekend at Battle of the Belts II. Following that match, the top contenders in the Women’s division include Serena Deeb, Anna Jay and Jamie Hayter.

• Thunder Rosa Says Brock Lesnar Has Disrespected Her Culture

Listen to Thunder Rosa on the latest Mack Mania podcast:

Tony Khan will make another “huge announcement” this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite.

The last time that Khan promised such an announcement, he revealed that he had purchased ROH Wrestling.

Rumors have been running rampant since last week, and one possibility has since started to make the rounds.

AEW vs. NJPW Super Show

According to the Super J Cast, AEW is set to run a cross promotional show with New Japan Pro Wrestling on Thursday, June 23rd in Chicago. While some have speculated about this being a stadium show, sources I have spoken to about the possible event have denied the stadium rumors and believe that it will take place at the United Center. That week is indeed clear on the United Center’s calendar of events.

New Japan’s Dominion event takes place on June 12th, and the G1 Tournament will begin in July and run through August. This joint show would be sandwiched between that and may end up leading to some AEW involvement in the G1.

This would not be the first time AEW has run the United Center. The company sold out the venue last August for the second-ever edition of AEW Rampage with the tease that CM Punk would debut on the show (and he did). Even more amazing, that event sold out after the company already had three events (Dynamite, Rampage, and All Out) in the Chicago metro two weeks later booked and on sale to the public.

Other specifics of the show are not yet known, including how it would be covered for television or streaming, and the AEW/NJPW show might not even be the surprise that Khan reveals on Wednesday evening (that could be something else and the Chicago event might just be a straight reveal later on). A television/streaming deal for ROH is another possibility for Khan’s announcement.

June 23rd is the same night as the NBA Draft and one night after Dynamite airs live from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

• Tony Khan Talks Future ‘Bidding Wars’ Between WWE and AEW

AEW & NJPW Growing Closer In Recent Months

This would be the first time that AEW has officially co-promoted an event with another promotion, though they have worked with other organizations such as AAA, IMPACT, and of course NJPW itself over the last couple of years.

It was recently revealed that AEW Dynamite and AEW Rampage will start airing on the NJPW World streaming service soon (exclusively for Japanese users), so a co-promoted show between the two organizations seems to be in line with what we see happening from a business perspective.

NJPW held an event on Saturday night in Chicago dubbed “Windy City Riot.” Though an event with AEW was not announced, several AEW stars appeared on the show. Jon Moxley worked with Will Ospreay in the main event and called out Hiroshi Tanahashi for the NJPW show in Washington, D.C. on May 14th.

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