It’s time for the Daily Drop on Sunday, May 5, 2024. There is a lot to unpack in the pro wrestling world, so let’s not waste any more time.

WWE finally announced that WrestleMania 41 will take place in Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium. 4/20 weekend will be very busy in Vegas, for a few reasons. Tanga Loa also debuted as the newest member of the Bloodline at Backlash. That should go on to change a lot for the stable’s future.

Let’s get into today’s Daily Drop!

WWE:

Gulak Not Gone Yet: While Drew Gulak was rumored to have been released, it is now reported that he remains with WWE, although his contract will not be renewed after it expires next month. Gulak has gained a reputation for targeting the actual injuries of NXT talents during their recovery, which has led others to view him as a bully. This behavior included pressuring talents to remain silent about his actions. Multiple sources from the backstage staff, including producers and the creative team, mentioned that Drew Gulak’s approach in WWE was counterproductive. He was described to me as a poor politician by multiple sources, Gulak tried to maneuver his way to the top but ended up undermining his own position. He was difficult for producers and writers to work with because he believed he was outsmarting everyone. However, once the team started sharing their experiences, Gulak became a subject of mockery among them.

Jessika Carr Made History: During WWE Backlash in France, WWE referee Jessika Carr became the first woman to ever officiate a World Title match as Cody Rhodes defended his gold against AJ Styles. Cody Rhodes also sent out a post to give Carr a spotlight.

Wanted to mention this after the contract signing, (and forgive me if I’m wrong but I don’t think I am…)

It’ll also be the VERY FIRST PLE Main Event for The Undisputed @WWE Title officiated by a woman @WWELadyRefJess https://t.co/g26bva41sR

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) May 4, 2024

Seth Rollins’ New Look: The Messiah showed up at the 2024 Kentucky Derby, and he looked very different. Although he was wearing a classy hat, it appeared that Rollins had his hair trimmed down considerably.

AEW:

Tony Schiavone’s New Ink: The AEW announcer recently mourned the loss of his dog, Bug. This week, he paid tribute to his old friend by getting a tattoo to remember him. The new piece looks great, and you can check it out below. RIP Bug.

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C6huEs3uHmG

JR Loves TK’s Neck Brace: During his Grilling JR podcast, the WWE Hall of Famer announcer gave Tony Khan flowers for rocking a neck brace like he did. Ross considered it “old school,” which was very much appreciated.

“I was waiting to see if Tony was gonna follow through and complete the cycle by wearing a neckbrace and he did. I was proud of him for doing that because it was old school. Now whether you like the angle or you didn’t like the angle, that’s another issue but him following through and wearing the neckbrace…good for Tony Khan on that deal. That was old school like thinking and I’m really glad that he wore the neckbrace.”

Here are the upcoming major wrestling events

• Sunday, May 26: NXT Battleground (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)

It’s the first Daily Drop of May, and we have a lot to cover. Last night saw NXT bring the second night of their Spring Breakin’ event, and there is a lot to unpack.

First off, Wes Lee made his return from injury, and he is going for the North American Title, currently held by Oba Femi. The night concluded with Lola Vice defeating Natalya in an NXT Underground match.

Let’s get into today’s Daily Drop!

WWE:

New NXT Title: The NXT Women’s North American Championship is coming. On the April 30 episode of WWE NXT, General Manager Ava announced that the title will find its inaugural champion at NXT Battleground on June 9 in a six-woman ladder match in the UFC Apex. Before this event, there will be qualifying matches to decide the participants in the ladder match.

The Rock Responds: The Rock dropped a photo of himself during the WrestleMania 40 walkthrough. This was after reports that he was late and his tardiness caused issues. The timing of this post was apparent that he wanted to make a statement of denial that he was late to WrestleMania.

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C6aOICzrbOV

Who Killed WCW?: The trailer for Seven Bucks Productions’ upcoming four-part Vice TV documentary about WCW’s demise is out, and fans are talking about it in a big way. This new documentary, debuting on June 4, promises to include a lot of stories that fans haven’t heard before, and from a different angle as well. This should be a great watch, especially since Dark Side of the Ring creators are also involved.

"Who Killed WCW?" from our @SevenBucksProd & the Co-Creators of @Darksideofring comes a 4-part series about the meteoric rise and spectacular fall of the cultural phenomenon that was World Championship Wrestling.

Premiering June 4, 10P ET on VICE TV. pic.twitter.com/qIRJLYAQLC

— VICE TV (@VICETV) April 30, 2024

CM Poop: During Monday’s draft on RAW, CM Punk showed up to surprise Drew McIntyre, who didn’t think he made the trip to the show. Punk later surprised a fan who brought a “CM Poop” sign to the show. The Second City Savior tracked this fan down and had to autograph the sign. He also took photos with the young fans who brought it to the show.

CM Poop ?? pic.twitter.com/WoNKfCK0Ck

— WWE (@WWE) April 30, 2024

AEW:

AEW Dynamite Card for 5/1:

• Kenny Omega returns
• Find out Swerve Strickland’s challenger for AEW World Title at Double Or Nothing
• FTW Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
• AEW TNT Championship: Adam Copeland (c) vs. Buddy Matthews
• Mariah May vs. Serena Deeb
• Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brian Cage (with Prince Nana)
• Samoa Joe vs. Isiah Kassidy

Darby Allin Injury Update: Allin updated fans after he was hit by a NYC bus. He may still appear on AEW television, but his Mount Everest journey is cancelled for now. That being said, his foot is not scheduled to heal until around June, so he has a couple of months left.

Power Struggle: Tony Khan spoke about the power struggle going on in AEW right now. This week’s episode of Dynamite in Winnipeg could be a very interesting one with everything going on in the company. Since Kenny Omega is returning tonight, it’s anyone’s guess how another EVP might weigh into things.

Online Battle: Dax Harwood and Eric Bischoff are having it out on Twitter. This is all in defense of AEW, where Bischoff took the opportunity to call Harwood a “chunky little monkey” who keeps tabs on his timeline.

The Wizard at The Game: Chris Jericho showed up to Game 5 of the NHL Playoffs, where the Winnipeg Jets faced off against the Colorado Avalanche. Jericho pumped up the crowd, but in the end, the Jets were defeated 6-3 by the Avalanche, losing the series 4-1.

The Learning Tree has all the faith in Winnipeg ??

Tune in to Jets vs. Avalanche on Sportsnet West, or stream on Sportsnet+! pic.twitter.com/gyiXSJk282

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 1, 2024

Upcoming PPV’s and PLE’s:

Here are the upcoming major wrestling events

• Saturday, May 4: WWE Backlash France (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: NXT Battleground (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)

Tony Khan was pleased that his father Shad recently appeared on AEW Dynamite, though he wishes his dad’s debut came under better circumstances. 

Shad Khan appeared in the closing moments of the April 24, episode of AEW Dynamite, after Jack Perry & The Elite attacked his son. Tony Khan was laid out with a piledriver by the Young Bucks and has been in a neck brace ever since. Khan intends to put the neck brace to good use when he no longer needs it.

Sitting down with SE Scoops correspondent Scott Fishman for TV Insider, Khan spoke about his father’s All-Elite debut and had plenty of praise for his dear old dad. 

“It was nice of him to be on the show on one hand, but the reason for it is another. It meant a lot for him to come out to check on me. He is an incredible father and a loving parent and a great man.

“I’ve learned so much from him. I know he cares a lot. Nobody wants to see their son out cold and recovering from a deadly piledriver move. You saw he was concerned. You saw it on his face. He was angry and concerned. Mostly very angry.”

When asked if his father has a favorite wrestler on AEW’s roster, the younger Khan said that Shad has quite a few stars he’s keeping an eye on. 

“A few weeks ago I got a text from him during Will Ospreay and Claudio [Castagnoli]. He knew them both. He hadn’t seen much of Will Ospreay. He said Ospreay was amazing. I introduced him to Will, and he is now a huge fan of him.

“He is a huge fan of Kenny Omega, MJF, Jon Moxley, Orange Cassidy, Dr. Britt Baker, and recently “Timeless” Toni Storm And Mariah May. Also, he had some nice interactions with Swerve.”

It’s unclear when, if ever, we’ll see Shad Khan on AEW programming again, though Tony Khan will be operating shows remotely as he recovers from the attack. With The Elite a force to be reckoned with and Kenny Omega’s imminent return to AEW TV, it’ll be interesting to see how the power struggle goes with Khan out of the picture. 

More From Tony Khan

Here are some recent articles regarding Tony Khan as the AEW President continues to recover from the attack by The Elite: 

Tony Khan says The Elite has ignited a “power struggle” in AEW and the company plans to have a new “highest-ranking official” onsite for Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. The Elite shocked the pro wrestling world last Wednesday by attacking Tony Khan one night before his participation in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Jacksonville Jaguars owner generated a ton of media attention for the neck brace he wore at the Draft to sell the effects of the unconscionable attack he sustained.

During an interview with SEScoops correspondent Scott Fishman for TV Insider, Khan said how lucky he is to work with the NFL and appreciates all the concern about his condition. He said he won’t be present for Wednesday’s Dynamite from Winnipeg, but he’s worked remotely in the past throughout the pandemic. The big question is, who will be on top of the totem pole in his absense?

“We all have experience working outside the office. During the lockdown, we got used to meetings on Teams and Zoom. I’ll still be overseeing AEW and managing the show remotely.

As for who will be the highest-ranking official onsite, stay tuned Wednesday. It will certainly be addressed this week on TBS. This power struggle that is happening in AEW.”

As Kevin Nash spoke about on his podcast this week, Tony Khan fired CM Punk when he felt physically threatened. The Elite have taken things much farther than Punk did. What repercussions will they face, if any?

TK Welcomes Kenny Omega’s Return

Kenny Omega is advertised to make his AEW television return when they go to Winnipeg. As another EVP of the company, this could throw a wrench in the Young Bucks’ plans. After all, they did fire him from The Elite a few weeks ago. This will be a big moment for AEW, and Tony Khan is also very excited about that, as he continued plugging the upcoming episode of Dynamite on TBS.

Omega has been out of action due to a diverticulitis attack, one that reportedly required surgery. Although The Cleaner is far from his in-ring clearance, he won’t miss Dynamite in his home city. Khan says, “I can’t wait to have Kenny Omega back in AEW. It’s the perfect time for Kenny to return. I know Kenny Omega has been recovering at home since he was fired from The Elite by The Young Bucks last month. It’s the perfect time for Kenny Omega to return on May 1.”

AEW Dynamite Preview (5/1)

You can find the current lineup for the May 1 episode of AEW Dynamite below.

• Chris Jericho vs. Shibata
• Adam Copeland vs. TBA
• Mariah May vs. Serena Deeb
• Kenny Omega’s TV return

Due to a scheduling conflict with the NHL Playoffs, AEW Rampage will air at a different time this week. A three-hour event will air this week on Wednesday, May 1, with a live Rampage following Dynamite. Also, AEW Collision will not broadcast on May 4, due to this conflict with the NHL. AEW’s Saturday night show is set to return to its regular time slot on Saturday, May 11.

Tony Khan sought to remind fans that AEW is where the best wrestle with his controversial remarks during the recent NFL Draft. 

While representing the Jacksonville Jaguars, Khan spoke about AEW being an alternative to WWE and said his promotion is the Pepsi of professional wrestling. Rather than compare WWE to Coca-Cola as many expected, Khan said that WWE was evil and equivalent to Harvey Weinstein. 

This comment has divided fans. Some believe it was fair given the allegations of misconduct leveled at former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon who resigned back in January. Others felt the comment was unnecessary and offensive to victims of Weinstein and that Khan was using their experiences to further his grudge with WWE. 

Speaking to Dean ‘Mojo’ Muhtadi of TMZ Sports, Khan was asked about the response to his comments: 

“I think it is important to say that I think AEW is the best wrestling company in the world in many ways. I think that we have the best wrestlers, the best matches, we’ve been putting on the best shows.”

WWE & AEW Reacts

Those in WWE have, rather unsurprisingly, not taken kindly to Khan’s comparison to Harvey Weinstein, Bryan Alvarez reports. Those in AEW feel the same way and have taken exception to Khan’s suggestion that WWE is an ‘evil’ company. Many names on AEW’s roster have previously worked in WWE and have friends and/or partners who currently work for the competition. 

While Khan is fiercely passionate about WWE, his comments in the past have often not been well-received. Khan infamous alleged that an army of WWE-endorsed bots were attacking AEW on social media and had his issue with Jinder Mahal earlier this year. With the response to his Weinstein comments, the AEW President may want to take a pause the next time he has something big to say. 

More from Tony Khan

Here are some recent articles regarding Tony Khan as the AEW President continues to heal from the attack by The Elite on AEW Dynamite: 

All Elite Wrestling has hired Jeremy Flynn as the company’s new Director Of Live Events, a position formerly held by Rafael Morffi. Flynn previously worked for the Professional Bull Riders organization as its Senior Director of Marketing and Live Events.

The last two years with the @PBR was amazing and I am so grateful for the opportunity.

I am excited to start a new chapter as the Senior Marketing Director of Live Events for @AEW! There are so many amazing things happening here and I’m excited to be a part of the journey. pic.twitter.com/sKYZdOuSTf

— Jeremy Flynn (@JeremyAFlynn) April 29, 2024

Morffi, who left AEW last year to coordinate live events for the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, endorsed Flynn’s work in a post on his LinkedIn page.

Flynn will have a challenge ahead of him as live attendance for AEW hasn’t necessarily lived up to venue hosting them. Back during Super Bowl week, Tony Khan mentioned how that he still has decided to go with larger venues due to the media contacts and marketing possibilities.

“A lot of times, those arenas have a lot of big advantages like email lists and marketing and they are a destination venue for shows. It depends on the market and the timing. Certainly, bigger arenas do have a lot of advantages.”

Despite the unfilled arenas, Khan said in the pre-AEW Dynasty media call that revenue in Q1 for 2024 is up significantly overall as they have been running more live events, stating that live attendance is actually up in some cities when doing the year-over-year comparison.

The big hope for AEW is that the company secures a new lucrative media deal as the exclusive negotiation period between them and Warner Bros. Discovery has expired. Khan has still spoke to the positive relationship that AEW and WBD shares and has seemed optimistic that a deal will get done between the two parties.

Last week’s 4/25 AEW Dynamite from Daily’s Place finished with a a controversial angle that fans are still talking about. Jack Perry made a surprise return and attacked AEW President Tony Khan. The Elite joined in, Perry is now part of the heel faction and there are immediate parallels with the early days of the nWo. After Shad Khan’s son took a microphone shot to the gut followed by a Tony Khan Driver, The Elite stood over their boss in victory. The Young Bucks’ new alliance with Kazuchika Okada and Jack Perry has nWo vibes and the memes have been plentiful on social media.

On this week’s Kliq This podcast, Nash and co-host Sean Oliver reviewed AEW Dynasty and AEW Dynamite, including the controversial angle that led Tony Khan to wear a neck brace for the 2024 NFL Draft. While giving Khan grief for selling a padded microphone shot, Nash compared the segment to WCW’s infamous Finger Poke of Doom (Wikipedia) angle. During a match against Hollywood Hogan on WCW Nitro (January 4, 1999), Nash laid down for Hogan, handing over the WCW title in what’s seen as a low-point for the declining company. 

Dynamite viewership was under 700,000, down from the previous week and the lowest since October 2023. Nash fired, back, “Thank God, because they missed the finger poke of doom at the end of this motherf****r.

Neck Brace

Tony Khan went on to sell that attack during both nights of the NFL Draft by wearing a neck brace. He appeared on the NFL Network, where he compared WWE to Harvey Weinstein. Nash didn’t love everything he saw on AEW television this week, but he credited Khan for selling the injury and keeping kayfabe alive with the neck brace.

“The neck brace. The neck brace the following day at the Jaguars. I got to give a little respect to this because I don’t think the NFL or anyone that watches the NFL and not wrestling is going to give a sh*t, but the attempt to do some crossover, respecting the product where he wore the neck brace the next day, it’s a commitment.”

Tony Khan discusses taking the TK Driver from the Bucks and compares WWE to Harvey Weinstein pic.twitter.com/borodQ1GiF

— CJ Fogler ? (@cjzero) April 26, 2024

You Fired CM Punk…

Nash took issue with the fact that CM Punk got fired for roughing up his boss, so how is he going to handle The Elite?

“I just don’t see what it does unless Tony comes back and fires the Executive Vice Presidents for attacking him. He fired.. he got rid of Punk. You can’t have a storyline that shows, a couple weeks earlier, they showed the Punk/Perry altercation, which was nothing.”

Tony Khan and AEW are influenced by pro wrestling history. This new incarnation of The Elite (just one week in) is already drawing comparisons to the nWo, so it was an attention-grabbing segment. Hopefully The Elite sparks a similar level of excitement as Hollywood Hogan, Scott Hall and podcast host Kevin Nash did in 1996. 

AEW President Tony Khan is still reeling from the attack by Jack Perry & The Elite but will put his situation to good use by raising money for charity. 

Khan was attacked by Perry on the April 24, edition of AEW Dynamite, the first show of its kind for Perry since August of 2023. After ambushing Khan, Perry was approached by The Elite who also attacked their boss. After the attack, Khan was tended to by medical officials while AEW talent and his father Shad Khan showed their concern. 

Khan Auctioning Neck Brace

During the NFL Draft, Khan, who works as part of the team behind the Jacksonville Jaguars, appeared in a neck brace, selling the impact of the attack on Dynamite. During an appearance on the NFL Network, Rich Eisen revealed that Khan is planning on auctioning the neck brace for a good cause. 

“Tony Khan has texted. He heard me [say] ‘Hey, when you’re done with the brace, would you like to sign it and donate the proceeds to St. Jude’s Research Hospital?’ He said ‘When I’ve recovered from that spike piledriver when on AEW Dynamite’ is that a good ready for you Tony? ‘I will absolutely sign this neck brace and sell it and donate it to St. Jude’s to support Run Rich Run.'”

Nice work, @TonyKhan!
Always be selling for AEW!??? #AEWDynamite #AEWDynamite #AEWCollision #NFLDraft2024 #NFL #JacksonvilleJaguars #AEW pic.twitter.com/OxaunO8TBZ

— JC Gethicker (@Jcgethicker7) April 27, 2024

Run Rich Run is a charitable campaign hosted by Eisen to support St. Jude’s Research Hospital in the fight against childhood diseases. Over its 20 years, the campaign has raised over $7 million. Khan’s offer is an incredibly generous one and we’re sure wrestling fans will be willing to pay big for this one-of-a-kind piece of AEW memorabilia.

More on Tony Khan

Here are some recent articles featuring Tony Khan as the AEW President heals up from his attack on Dynamite: 

Welcome to the Daily Drop on April 27, 2024. We have a lot to cover, because there’s always a lot going on in the pro wrestling world.

Before we get going, WWE’s new era is continuing in a big way, and Vince McMahon is not going to be a part of it. McMahon listed his remaining TKO stock for sale.

In another interesting twist to that story, WWE President Nick Khan also listed all of his stock for sale. We will keep a very close eye on that story for further developments, but Khan is slated to keep his position with the company, unlike McMahon.

Now, let’s get into the Daily Drop!

WWE:

2024 WWE Draft: WWE presented night one of the 2024 WWE Draft during SmackDown. We had two NXT call-ups in Carmelo Hayes and Kiana James. The Bloodline also didn’t get picked until the third round, because Roman Reigns removed himself from Draft eligibility.

WrestleMania Ticket Sales: Official numbers are out for WrestleMania 40’s gate in Lincoln Financial Field. This two-night event also established a new WWE record for a gate, generating $38.5 million in ticket sales, which represents a 78% increase from the previous year and a 147% increase from 2022.

PG Era Over: It is now being reported that the internal mindset within WWE is that the PG Era is now over. This is thanks to Paul Heyman’s WWE Hall of Fame speech and everything The Rock was allowed to do on the road to WrestleMania 40.

It’s Tiffy Time: Tiffany Stratton made herself a menace this week on SmackDown. She took on Naomi in a #1 contenders match, that ended via DQ thanks to Nia Jax. After the match, Stratton continued her beat-down on Naomi and Bayley. She is very happy with herself, as you can see by her latest TikTok.

Tiffany Stratton’s new TikTok after interfering tonight ? #Smackdown pic.twitter.com/aGowVnkiFH

— malachi (@malthechamp) April 20, 2024

Dominik Mysterio Injury: It was reported that Dominik Mysterio will need Tommy John surgery. He has since tweeted out to debunk that story, as he claims that no surgery will be needed. Either way, he is expected to stay on television through his recovery. 

AEW:

AEW Collision Card for 4/27:

• AEW Unified Trios Championship: Bullet Club Gold (c) vs. Top Flight and Action Andretti
• AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm vs. Anna Jay
• Grizzled Young Veterans vs. The Acclaimed
• We’ll hear from AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland for the first time

WWE Is Harvey Weinstein: Tony Khan brought a ton of attention to himself when he appeared on the NFL Network with a neck brace. He also took the opportunity to throw a big shot at WWE in the process.

Tony Khan discusses taking the TK Driver from the Bucks and compares WWE to Harvey Weinstein pic.twitter.com/borodQ1GiF

— CJ Fogler ? (@cjzero) April 26, 2024

AEW Dynamite Viewership Drop: The April 24th edition of AEW Dynamite attracted 683,000 viewers and earned a 0.23 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, marking a decline from the previous week’s performance of 762,000 viewers and a 0.26 demo rating.

Adam Copeland’s Acting Tips: Copeland revealed some of his acting tips that he had to adopt when making a transition from pro wrestling. He had to tone it down a bit for the close-up shots.

The many branches of the performing arts! In the mind of one of the greats.

New episode of the @Swervecitypod feat @aew TNT Champion @RatedRCope is out THIS MONDAY!!!

SUBSCRIBE: https://t.co/EKysxjItfB

Swerve City Podcast Now Rated #TOP20 on Apple Podcasts Music Interviews! pic.twitter.com/u9CbtvvR3H

— The Realest Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) April 27, 2024

Kenny Omega Uncertain About Return: While speaking on his Twitch steam, Omega opened up about his AEW return in Winnipeg next Wednesday. He wasn’t 100% sure about it at first. 

”I remember thinking about maybe, maybe showing up to Winnipeg. It was a maybe. And then I saw that my sister, my parents, my aunty who lives in Calgary who said ‘Oh my goodness we heard the big news.’ I was like ‘What big news?’ They were like ‘Yeah, the arena was advertising your return.’ And I thought ‘Come on, man I’m like 80% on board maybe, but I don’t know man.’ And I thought ‘Well, they advertised me. I guess that 80 becomes a 100.’ So, I called the boss and was like ‘Hey man, you wanna run a graphic or something, I guess I’ll show up.”

Upcoming PPV’s and PLE’s:

Here are the upcoming major wrestling events

• Saturday, May 4: WWE Backlash France (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: NXT Battleground (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)

AEW has not been shy about taking shots at WWE whenever they can. During a recent appearance to promote the NFL Draft, Tony Khan took another chance to shade the competition.

Tony Khan appeared on the NFL Network to discuss the Jacksonville Jaguars’ next move in the NFL Draft. While on the show, the fact that he was wearing a neck brace took center stage.

While explaining how the Young Bucks assaulted him, Khan was sure to plug AEW’s shows on TBS and TNT as much as he could. Then the conversation steered toward his company’s biggest competition as Khan made a controversial comparison.

“There has not been a challenger brand that has gained market share like this in many, many, many years. We’re like the Pepsi of pro wrestling, and we’re against a really evil Juggernaut. WWE is our competitor, that’s who we’re facing. AEW is like the Pepsi of pro wrestling and WWE is like the Harvey Weinstein of pro wrestling, and I’m very proud of what we do down here.”

Tony Khan discusses taking the TK Driver from the Bucks and compares WWE to Harvey Weinstein pic.twitter.com/borodQ1GiF

— CJ Fogler ? (@cjzero) April 26, 2024

When Khan dropped his Weinstein line, the hosts of the show laughed and stopped him from going further. He said that fans will have to tune into AEW’s television shows if they want an update on his neck injury.

The fact that he called AEW the “Pepsi of professional wrestling” was an obvious dig at CM Punk. His Pepsi tattoo is a huge part of his image, which even brought Danhausen to refer to him as “Pepsi Man.”

Tony Khan’s Previous Controversies 

Tony Khan has taken many shots at WWE over the years, from the company’s production to their booking. Digs at Vince McMahon’s company eventually became a trademark for All Elite Wrestling.

The allegations against Vince McMahon have also not been ruled out of play when it comes to Tony Khan. He has used McMahon’s current lawsuit situation as fodder to fire at WWE in the past.

If Sir Vince McMahon said this, it would be the least of his alleged misdeeds. #AEWTitleTuesday on TBS
Tuesday #AEWDynamite Tonight!

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) October 10, 2023

Being The Elite was full of jokes about WWE as well, and Tony Khan has taken many opportunities to defend his company from critics like Eric Bischoff. Khan also rubbed it in when Bischoff cancelled his “Strictly Business” podcast to add more fuel to the fire.

It appears the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted themselves a babyface in the NFL Draft as he hopes his new boss Tony Khan can power through his “neck injury.”

Khan was the recepient of a Meltzer Driver courtesy of The Young Bucks on Wednesday night’s Dynamite as the AEW President became apart of the storyline regarding the company return of Jack Perry.

Wrestling fans were wondering if Tony Khan was planning to sell the injury during the NFL Draft, something he’s annually involved with and TK pulled a page out of Bobby Heenan’s book by wearing a neck brace in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ war room.

With the 23rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars selected wide receiver Brian Thomas from Louisiana State University and when he did get picked, the focus was on the Jags’ war room, one that had Tony Khan, Shad Khan and Jaguars’ head coach Doug Pederson.

Pundits from Rich Eisen and Pat McAfee happened to comment on Khan being “injured” as they playfully joked about the angle that took place on Wednesday night and sure enough, the new draft pick was not free from getting involved in the storyline.

CBS Sports filled Thomas in on what happened to Khan on Wednesday and the freshly drafted football player made sure to send his new boss some well wishes.

“Hope you’re good. Hope you shake back from your injury. Speedy recovery.”

Brand new @Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr sends his warm wishes to Tony Khan, after Khan suffered a dastardly attack from the hands of The Elite.@AEW | @youngbucks | @boy_myth_legend pic.twitter.com/UL8Wo1Yj1j

— NFL on CBS ? (@NFLonCBS) April 26, 2024

The angle involving Khan has gotten its fair share of criticism and positive reaction. One panelist parodying Mel Kiper Jr. on The Pat McAfee Show noted that Khan need to stick to his guns with the injury as TK was still moving his neck back and forth in the war room.

The NFL Draft may be the true forbidden door of pro wrestling as Pat McAfee actually chimed in about Tony Khan and the notorious AEW storyline that took place this week.

The color commentator for WWE RAW had his own panel at the NFL Draft in Detroit, one that featured his Pat McAfee Show co-horts and not to mention, arguably the greatest head coach of all time Bill Belichick.

Belichick was on-hand when the Jacksonville Jaguars drafted wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. with the 23rd overall pick. McAfee noted how Thomas will be a key piece for quarterback Trevor Lawrence who throughout his three-year career has gotten injured from time to time on the NFL gridiron. That’s when McAfee caught sight of Khan in a neckbrace, clearly selling the attack on him by The Young Bucks during AEW Dynamite. McAfee played along, but did mention that the Jaguars head coach, had to be curious about Khan’s ailment.

“Last thing we need is him to look like Tony Khan who took a Meltzer Driver, just the other night, Wednesday night, he took a Meltzer Driver I do believe, guy’s got a broken neck and he’s battling through so he can pick up Brian Thomas Jr. and that [Shad Khan] mustache is never not gonna be sweet and [head coach] Doug Pederson is three seats away going, ‘What the f*** is going on?'”

That last line got a laugh out of Bill Belicheck.

“Mad Mel” Of Pat McAfee Show Wants Tony Khan To “Stick With The Gimmick”

One man on the Pat McAfee Show panel who did call Khan out on the angle was “draft analyst” “Mad Mel.”  “Mel,” a potty-mouth parody of legendary draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. commented on Khan not going the whole nine yards with the supposed injury.

“I understand keeping up with the gimmick. Someone should tell Tony Khan, ‘Hey, if you have a neckbrace on, don’t f***ing move around like nothing’s wrong. You stick with the gimmick and look straight ahead like your neck’s broken, okay?’ What are we doing here?”

Rich Eisen on the NFL Network also playfully put the angle over, hoping TK stays safe in his recovery.

Welcome to the Daily Drop for Friday, April 26, 2024. There is a lot going on in the pro wrestling world, and tonight will be a big night as well.

Before we get going, there are some additions coming to the WWE Family. Luke Gallows celebrated the birth of his new con. Also, Erik and Valhalla are now expecting their second child. That should explain why Valhalla, and her antlers, have disappeared from WWE television recently.

The 2024 WWE Draft starts tonight on SmackDown. This will give fans a chance to see the company shake up their rosters. We already covered the complete draft pool and rules for this year, which you may check out below.

Now, let’s get into the Daily Drop!

WWE:

WWE SmackDown Card (4/26):

• Cody Rhodes and A.J. Styles to sign contract for Undisputed WWE Title Match
• 2024 WWE Draft begins

The Undertaker Wants More Titles: The Phenom has officially come forward to say that WWE should introduce a secondary title situation for their women’s division, something akin to the United States or Intercontinental Titles.

Sharpshooter Origin: In a recently resurfaced interview that is now making the rounds online, Bret Hart is featured admitting that Konnan is the one responsible for teaching him the Sharpshooter as a finisher.

Bret Hart gives credit to Konnan who physically showed Bret how to use the Sharpshooter! pic.twitter.com/sHwt2do0Mg

— GrappleClips (@GrappleClips) April 25, 2024

Vince McMahon’s New PR Firm: McMahon has hired Sitrick And Company to represent him. Sitrick And Company has represented several high-profile clients, including Pepsi and Make-A-Wish. Their roster also featured the late Kobe Bryant and the late Roy Disney, who was Walt Disney’s brother and a longstanding executive at the Disney corporation.

AEW:

Grizzled Young Veterans Are AEW: Zack Gibson and James Drake, known as Grizzled Young Veterans, are prepared for their AEW in-ring debut. They will wrestle The Acclaimed on Collision this Saturday.

Tony Khan’s Neck Brace: In case you’re wondering, Khan did appear during th NFL Draft in a neck brace. They also brought attention to how he took a piledriver the night before during the broadcast.

“As Tony Khan becomes the first ever NFL executive in a draft room shaking off the effects of a PILEDRIVER he recieved on National Television in a WRESTLING RING the night before.”

Actual words said during the NFL broadcast. We just witnessed history, folks. LMFAOOOO. pic.twitter.com/I2bwmenNBf

— Drainmaker ?? ? (@DrainBamager) April 26, 2024

Upcoming PPV’s and PLE’s:

Here are the upcoming major wrestling events

• Saturday, May 4: WWE Backlash France (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: NXT Battleground (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)

Chicken salad. That’s what Tony Khan and AEW did on this week’s Dynamite by maximizing whatever you can after airing the ALL IN footage. And depending on how they continue to handle it, there could be more to come in the form of Jack Perry..

The greater contingency of fans (especially on social media) will be quick to make WCW 2000 comparisons once more or say TK is riding down the Russo electric rail of irrelevancy, but that final segment of Khan being beat down was more Paul Heyman than Russo. Instead of focusing on the weakness that was the footage, the spotlight was shined on a strength from an unexpected source, usurping product’s perceived misfire weeks back.

Was Khan’s selling questionable? Yes. Was wearing low-rise socks on a night where you were getting piledriven a bad choice? Absolutely, but what AEW did is address “the other guy” in the room at Wembley in Tony Khan.

Good or bad (leaning more towards bad), the decision to air the footage has already been made and AEW had to wear that albatross like a necklace, but Tony remained adament that he didn’t feel that way. When asked about the criticism of airing the footage, Khan stated on the pre-Dynasty media call that ratings would be the true fan reaction to what we got weeks ago courtesy of a security camera. 

The ratings did pop that week with Khan saying TBS was pleased, but numbers crashed back down to earth the week after. Khan’s company was still left wading in the standing water of it’s “nowhere near a fight” footage. Then Dynasty had the Scapegoat Tarzan swing in after spending months away from AEW. Even if Perry was previously a Jungle Boy, his reemergence into the product alone would not drain the swamp from stagnancy.

I previously wrote that Khan can be the leader AEW needs by getting out of his own way. On Wednesday, he ripped the Band-Aid off, with the Neosporin being three big letters that he and the whole country are quite familiar with.

Even more than CM Punk and Perry, Khan was the most talked about person after airing that footage. He’s addressed it several times in interviews since then, but on Wednesday Khan took another risk by bringing that Charlie Brown storm cloud right out to Daily’s Place and making himself part of the storyline. 

Like Lucy, The Young Bucks and Perry held the football, and unlike Charlie Brown, TK (albeit awkwardly) kicked it through the uprights by leaning to his strengths: his NFL ties. Roger Goodell and gang were the unexpected deux ex machina in this situation as Khan not only had his father saunter out to close the show, but got the NFL buzzing about the angle too, right before the NFL Draft kicks off this weekend. It will be even better if TK sells the attack to the gills with a neck brace and a bottle of Pepto by his side while he sits by the phone.

Perception be damned, Khan coming out doesn’t seem to be a Vince McMahon or Dixie Carter move in getting himself over. Unlike the other two, Khan didn’t utter a word during the segment, but just displayed his eagerness and excitement to reinstate Perry. He was the focus of the segment, but moving forward, I’m willing to bet that the whole story will not be. He was just a way to get to where they’re headed.

Will ripping the Band-Aid off bring AEW back into a 2019 rhythm that fans got so enamored with? Of course not. That’s something that will require consistency and focus, something that AEW has never excelled at on a weekly basis, but they arguably got themselves back in the game with some outside help.

Now Tony Khan and his product is on the clock. Happy Draft Day.

Welcome to the Daily Drop for Wednesday, April 24, 2024. AEW Dynamite went down last night, complete with tons of Dynasty fallout.

Before we get started, there’s another big injury to address. While his injury is undisclosed, Jimmy Uso is out of action. We’re hoping for his quick return, but he was not included in the 2024 WWE Draft pool for a reason.

Now, let’s get into today’s edition!

WWE:

Janel Grant Responds: On Wednesday, Grant’s attorneys filed a motion to strike against what they described as “inflammatory lies” in Vince McMahon’s memorandum. According to Grant’s motion, the statements were used “as a platform to launch vicious falsehoods attacking Janel’s moral character in an attempt to harass and intimidate her into submission.”

2024 WWE Draft: The company dropped their complete list of Superstars in each night’s Draft Pool. They also released the rules for this year’s draft. Needless to say, the WWE rosters will look very different in about a week.

WrestleMania London: The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, expressed interest in bringing WrestleMania to his city. Khan mentioned his hope to host WWE’s premier event in a press release during his campaign for the upcoming mayoral election on May 2.

AEW:

Tony Khan KO’ed: On Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite, The Elite attacked Tony Khan during Jack Perry’s return, and the incident also marked Shad Khan’s first appearance on-screen. As The Elite moved back to the stage, referees, wrestlers, and medical staff rushed to assist Tony Khan. During this moment, Tony’s father, Shad Khan, entered the ring. This served as Shad Khan’s debut on AEW television for an angle.

In something we never thought we see…

The Elite attack AEW GM Tony Khan on #AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/GUWjJhRSLJ

— AEW on TV (@AEWonTV) April 25, 2024

After The Attack: Jack Perry was featured in a video after he attacked Tony Khan on AEW Dynamite. He said that TK got what was coming to him. It certainly looks like AEW is turning The Elite into a new nWo type faction. We will have to see how they proceed with this story.

EXCLUSIVE! @boy_myth_legend, the @YoungBucks & @RainmakerXOkada talk about getting #AEW "back on track" after their heinous attack on @TonyKhan on #AEWDynamite! pic.twitter.com/sOoznZoGIz

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) April 25, 2024

NFL Playing Kayfabe: After Tony Khan’s attack on AEW Dynamite this week, the NFL listed his participation in the 2024 NFL Draft as “questionable.”

Unified Trios Titles: During Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, it was announced that Bullet Club Gold members Jay White, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn will defend their Unified Trios titles this Saturday against Top Flight & Action Andretti. Bullet Club Gold previously combined the AEW World Trios and ROH World Six-Man Tag Team titles into a single championship at Sunday’s Dynasty pay-per-view, securing a win over The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn.

AEW Audio Issues: During Wednesday’s show at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida, there were persistent audio issues affecting both commentary and live segments. Before the show’s final segment with The Elite, Tony Khan addressed these issues on X.

“Thank you all watching #AEWDynamite now! We’re having an exciting show, live worldwide now! Our partner TBS is having some audio issues on tonight’s show, thankfully we understand our other worldwide partners aren’t affected, but TBS is working to fix the issue immediately!”

Upcoming PPV’s and PLE’s:

Here are the upcoming major wrestling events

• Saturday, May 4: WWE Backlash France (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: NXT Battleground (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)

Tony Khan’s status for the NFL Draft this weekend could be in doubt following the beatdown he took courtesy of Jack Perry and The Young Bucks and the National Football League took note.

Khan was the victim of an ambush on AEW Dynamite as the AEW President seemed to be all about reinstating Jack Perry back into the company, but the former Jungle Boy had other plans. He punched his boss in the gut and then The Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada came down to further put Khan down. 

The Bucks delivered a Meltzer Driver to Khan and left him laying in the middle of the ring, causing not just  the locker room to come out, but Shad Khan to make an appearance as well.

Grant Gordon of NFL.com caught wind of the angle and happened to write about the occurence on the NFL website, throwing Khan’s NFL Draft status into question.

Tony Khan’s status for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2024 NFL Draft obligations could be questionable.

Khan, the Jags’ chief football strategy officer and the founder, owner and booker of All Elite Wrestling, took a punch to the gut and a “Meltzerdriver” piledriver Wednesday night live on AEW Dynamite from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

Shad Khan, Tony’s father and the owner of the Jaguars, took to the ring to check on his son in the aftermath of the drama.

During the build for AEW Dynasty, Khan did make clear that he was going to be involved with the Jaguars’ draft process this week so it will be interesting to see if Khan sells the attack, albeit by not being present or wearing a neckbrace for the weekend.

Jack Perry is once again on AEW programming, and bringing back the ‘Scapegoat’ may be a decision AEW President Tony Khan lives to regret. 

Perry made his return to the airwaves during AEW Dynasty. The former FTW Champion interfered in the AEW World Tag Team Championship ladder match and would cost FTR the match to the Young Bucks. This marked Perry’s first AEW on-screen appearance (in person) since AEW All In in August of 2023. 

On the April 24, edition of Dynamite, Perry was spotted arriving at the show with the Elite, furthering the idea that there was some sort of alliance between the two sides. Later on, it was revealed that Perry and Khan would come face-to-face in the ring. 

During this segment, Perry admitted that he and Khan hadn’t seen eye to eye, but they agreed that they wanted the best for AEW and the future. Having said that, Perry offered a truce to bury the hatchet with the AEW CEO and asked to reinstate him.

Khan agreed but the moment they shook hands, Perry attacked the AEW President. The Elite, consisting of the Bucks and Kazuchika Okada then came to the ring. While it appeared they wanted to stop Perry from inflicting further damage, they also joined in on the attack on Khan. 

WHAT THE HELL IS GOING HERE?!

Watch #AEWDynamite LIVE on TBS!@boy_myth_legend | @TonyKhan | @YoungBucks | @RainmakerXOkada pic.twitter.com/Dv2BeH0jsO

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) April 25, 2024

AEW Dynamite went off the air with the Elite and Perry standing tall while officials and Khan’s father Shahid checked on the injured AEW President. This segment was quite the change for Khan, who unlike Vince McMahon and other higher-ups in WWE, had for the most part avoided being involved with AEW’s on-screen angles. 

It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming weeks, especially with Kenny Omega’s return to AEW TV set for next week’s Dynamite. No doubt the EVP will have plenty to say about the Bucks, Okada, and Perry after what transpired this week. 

Kevin Nash has never been one to pull punches and the two-time WWE Hall Of Famer hasn’t pumped the breaks on expressing his thoughts regarding the modern squared circle.

Speaking on the latest episode of “Kliq This,” Nash assessed the 4/15 episode of WWE RAW and the 4/17 episode of AEW Dynamite. Nash was critical of both shows and gave his forthright thoughts on Tony Khan deciding to air the CM Punk footage almost three weeks ago, noting that it’s Khan’s choice to do what he pleases, but he does say the AEW product can be difficult to watch.

“You know, it’s his ball. He can kick it. He wants to go kick it over onto the f***ing freeway, then kick it on the freeway. I’ve got no skin in that game, but it’s just a very hard show to watch. It’s very hard to get involved. It just feels so fragmented.” 

Kevin Nash Wants AEW To Flourish In Pro Wrestling

Nash went on to review both shows, adding that he made an observation on social media about AEW, and then went on to give reasons why he wants the company to become a bigger and bettter product.

“In all honesty, man, I absolutely want AEW to succeed.” 

“Number one, I’ve got friends that work there, you know, in production and in all different aspects, not just guys that are there in front of the camera. And I think they’re being a viable option is huge for the longevity of the business.”

Please credit Kliq This and h/t to SEScoops for the transcription.

Dial-up be damned, Tony Khan messaged with the legendary Lou Thesz back in the American Online days.

AEW Dynasty took place in the historic wrestling city of St. Louis, MO over the weekend and during the post-event media scrum, Khan was asked about the connections he’s made with St. Louis and the world of pro wrestling. Khan, who has been a rampant pro wrestling fan since he was a kid, recalled a time of yesteryear that consisted of him logging onto message board and amazingly sharing correspondence with some bonafide trailblazers in the one true sport.

“St. Louis is an amazing wrestling city with an amazing, amazing history. When I was 12 years old, I used to talk to Lou Thesz on AOL and I picked up stuff from Lou Thesz. Lou Thesz taught me how great Buddy Rodgers was and he was totally right. You go back and watch Buddy Rodgers, one of the best wrestlers of all time, one of the most influential of all time, both of them, two of the most influential of all time.”

Khan went on to say how St. Louis has become one of their great cities to hit and later didn’t rule out the possibility of the promotion coming back for another PPV in 2025.

Khan was all over the wrestling map as a kid even in the Extreme Championship Wrestling realm. He notoriously had his father, Shad Khan, take him to the ECW Arena in Philadelphia where he got to see first-hand the classic stretcher match between Rob Van Dam and Sabu.

Tony Khan says airing the All In footage helped explain Jack Perry’s absence from AEW TV ahead of his return to the company at tonight’s AEW Dynasty PPV.

Perry had been suspended from AEW following his altercation with CM Punk at the All In event in August 2023. He stayed away from wrestling for over 5 months before resurfacing at NJPW’s Battle in the Valley show this past January.

The AEW star finally made his return to Tony Khan’s promotion at the Dynasty PPV on Sunday. This came almost 10 days after AEW chose to air the real backstage footage of the altercation between Perry and Punk, following the Straight Edge Star’s explosive interview with Ariel Helwani.

On the post-Dynasty media scrum, Khan was asked if the footage helped Jack Perry feel like a bigger star during his return at the PPV. Tony first mentioned how ‘The Scapegoat’ had a great run in NJPW before his comeback tonight which helped generate some buzz for him:

“Well I’m really excited about a lot of things happening in AEW. I think Jack Perry’s return got a lot of excitement and got a huge reaction. Again, I mentioned we were in Chicago. It was a great night for the company when Jon Moxley became the IWGP World Champion. I got to watch Jack Perry’s return to American wrestling in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

He got a massive star reaction at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Windy City show and I think he’s been doing great work in New Japan Pro Wrestling. When you go over do an excursion and have a great run like he had in the New Japan Cup and a great performance like he had against Shota in Chicago. I think that had a lot to do with it.

We Made The Bold Call: Tony Khan

Speaking about the All In footage, Tony Khan admitted that it did heighten the circumstances around Jack Perry’s return to his promotion:

“I do think we made a bold call in the run up to this match. Really it heightened the circumstances and I do think it added to the presentation of the moment of Jack Perry’s return tonight at AEW Dynasty. The pay per view was a home run. I think a lot of people felt like it was a great return.

Also I felt like it was important to explain partially where Jack’s been because the last time we saw him on AEW television was at Wembley Stadium. He went through the curtain. We never saw him again since, so I did feel like some responsibility to the viewer given I knew Jack was going to return to AEW that we explain where he’s been.”

AEW Dynasty featured the finals of the Tag Team Title tournament between FTR and The Young Bucks. A Man in Sting mask interfered in the bout at the very end and helped The Bucks secure the victory over their opponents. The security quickly grabbed the mystery man and Jack Perry was revealed when they removed the mask.

Jack Perry is gearing up for a return to AEW following the company’s controversial decision to air footage from his backstage altercation with CM Punk from last year’s All In London PPV from Wembley Stadium.

During the NJPW Windy City Riot pay-per-view event at the Wintrust Arena on April 12, 2024, Shota Umino defeated Perry in a match that lasted just over 15 minutes. This marks the Scapegoat’s final NJPW match for the foreseeable future. 

Jack Perry’s next appearance will be for AEW and it’s expected “imminently,” according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

All Elite Wrestling returns to pay-per-view this Sunday for AEW Dynasty.

Perry’s AEW Hiatus

Jack Perry and CM Punk were both suspended following their All In Brawl last year. Punk was later fired, and he has returned to WWE since then. Perry, whose suspension lapsed some time ago, never returned to AEW television.

Tony Khan was reportedly still irritated with Perry, as he saw him as the reason AEW lost CM Punk. With Perry’s return to AEW on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how Khan works this into the story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeJ6Z-qrWNQ

Jack Perry’s Last NJPW Match

Some notable moments for AEW took place during the 4/12 NJPW Windy City Riot show in Chicago, including Jon Moxely winning the IWGP World Heavyweight Title. That event also marked Jack Perry’s last NJPW match for a while.

The match between Jack Perry and Shota Umino received the strongest crowd reaction. Fans brought signs to the event, both supportive and critical of Perry, and there were many chants directed at him during the contest. Perry embraced the heel role, as the crowd was filled with chants of “scapegoat” and singing “Oh, cry me a river” toward Perry.

He also entered the ring surrounded by security in riot gear, displayed a flag with the Chicago symbol to further provoke the crowd. And he wore a jacket saying “Cry me a River,” for good measure.

Welcome to the Daily Drop for Friday, April 19, 2024. Tonight on TV we have WWE SmackDown and AEW Rampage, which will serve as one of the final stops on the road to Sunday’s AEW Dynasty pay-per-view.

There was a lot of news coming out of this week’s ‘World Congress of Sports’ convention from Los Angeles, including Paul Levesque and Nick Khan talking about WWE changing up its approach to WrestleMania locations and dates. We can also look forward to seeing more International premium live events, but not the ‘Big 5.’

Don’t miss SEScoops correspondent Scott Fishman’s write-up of his first visit to the ECW Arena in Philadelphia over WrestleMania 40 weekend. He survived and had a pretty great time visiting the home of ‘extreme’ Here we go:

AEW:

Tonight on Rampage:

• Jamie Hayter & Dr. Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho & Toni Storm
• TNT Championship Match: Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Wardlow
• Jay White vs. Komander
• The Acclaimed & Billy Gunn vs. Matt Menard, Angelo Parker & Jake Hager
• Plus, Chris Jericho confronts Adam Cole and we’ll hear from The Elite and FTR.

Schamberger All Elite? Former WWE ‘artist in residence’ Rob Schamberger appears to be collaborating with AEW. 

Parting Thoughts: Matt Hardy believes AEW’s backstage controversies have damaged the brand and driven away fans. He recently finished up with the company and had been there since 2020.

WWE:

Tonight on SmackDown:

• AJ Styles vs. LA Knight to determine the #1 contender to Cody Rhodes’ WWE Championship
• Naomi challenges Bayley for the Women’s Championshi
• SmackDown Tag Team Title #1 Contender’s Match: The Street Profits vs. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. Angel & Humberto vs. The Authors of Pain

Cody Rhodes vs. The Rock: On WWE Raw the night after WrestleMania 40, The Rock congratulated Cody Rhodes on finishing his story and assured the new champ they will square off in the ring one day. The ‘American Nightmare’ appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday to promote this week’s UK live events tour. He fully expects ‘Final Boss’ to back up his words and has an interesting reason for why.

Fella Fires Back: Sheamus was a recent victim of ‘body shaming’ from online trolls, but responded to one of the trash talkers directly on social media. ** Not that he has to explain his physical appearance to random people on the Internet, but Sheamus said he was expecting to have several more weeks to get in shape before returning to television.

Bloodline Reunion? Jey Uso said on The Bump that he hopes he can one day reunite with Solo Sikoa, Roman Reigns and his brother.

“All in all though, I would like for us to come back together, but as a healed up family. We fighting right now. All families fight, but I want us to come back as the good guys one time and see how works. But if it wasn’t for The Bloodline, I really wouldn’t be Main Event or sitting here with YEET shirts. I had to go through that whole process to help me grow, and I feel like the people watched my story unfold.”

Upcoming PPV’s and PLE’s:

• Saturday, April 21: AEW Dynasty (PPV)
• Saturday, May 4: WWE Backlash France (PLE)
• Sunday, May 26: NXT Battleground (PLE)

The decision to air the infamous All In: London 2023 backstage fight may have been a controversial one but those at TBS seemingly had no problem with the call. 

The footage was broadcast on the April 10, episode of Dynamite, mere days after CM Punk had given what turned out to be a relatively accurate recollection of the events of the day. Though Tony Khan has said airing the footage was solely to create the best show for fans, many believe it was an effort to ‘get back’ at Punk for critical comments made about AEW. 

To many, airing the footage appears to have backfired on Khan and damaged AEW’s reputation more than it did any harm to Punk. Speaking on the AEW Dynasty media call, however, Khan said the show was given a seal of approval from those at TBS. 

“TBS called me and told me ‘good job.’ You have to remember, I’m responsible for everybody’s job in the company. It is really important for us to please the network and TBS was really happy with that show.”

Khan’s eagerness to please those at TBS demonstrates that he is ultimately in the media business just as much as he is in the wrestling business. Whether fans agree with the decision or not, airing the All In fight did result in the April 10, Dynamite seeing an increase in viewers.

With that in mind, AEW won’t be able to rely on airing the backstage footage again to see another boost in the ratings. It’s also unlikely that 2022’s ‘Brawl Out’ will ever see the light of day with reports of lifetime NDAs to those involved (though Punk has claimed he doesn’t have an NDA.) Nevertheless, Khan will have to tread carefully going forward as while TBS may have liked the decision to air the footage, the same can’t be said for many fans AEW relies upon. 

Airing the infamous backstage altercation between CM Punk and Jack Perry made a lot of sense, AEW President Tony Khan has claimed. 

The footage was broadcast on the April 10, edition of AEW Dynamite and was presented as The Young Bucks explaining why they lost to FTR at All In 2023. Many believe that the footage was actually aired in response to Punk’s comments made on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour podcast. Punk was hardly complimentary of AEW during his appearance on the show. 

Whatever the reason for the footage being aired, it seems to have backfired on Tony Khan. Many believe that the decision to air the footage has done more damage to AEW’s reputation than anything shown in the clip regarding Punk’s behavior. 

On the Chris Russell Show, Khan was asked whether he regrets airing the footage in hindsight and believes that bringing the altercation to light was the right call. 

“I think it made a lot of sense… We’ve seen the Young Bucks change a lot. We saw them get really dark during the retirement run of Sting. They’ve only gotten darker and more twisted. That’s why they felt like they should play the tape.”

Khan also brought up Jack Perry who hasn’t appeared for AEW since All In but has used his suspension to reinvigorate his career as the ‘Scapegoat.’

“It was fascinating to see after the tape played, the reaction Jack Perry got at New Japan. He got the reaction of a superstar. That is not altogether unexpected and it’s something very interesting, perhaps a side effect of this.”

One name Khan didn’t bring up when discussing the footage is CM Punk himself. The backstage fight would see Punk be suspended from AEW for the second time in under a year and was ultimately released. 

Punk has since returned to WWE where his conduct is said to be exemplary as he’s been eager to get involved and help at the WWE Performance Center. And while Khan doesn’t want to bring Punk up by name, it’s clear that the memory of the Best in the World remains with AEW.

AEW has signed some big named over the past several months, including Will Ospreay, Kazuchika Okada, and Mercedes Mone. After seeing Mercedes debut in AEW, Nikki Garcia almost joined that list. On the latest episode of the Nikki & Brie Show, the multi-time WWE Women’s Champion disclosed that she almost picked up her phone and called Tony Khan about doing business. After giving it serious consideration, she decided against it because she wants to devote her time to being a mother to her son, Matteo.

“Since we’ve been lifting so much, we always say, we always start to get that wrestling mindset, ‘We’re going to go back and do this story and cut this promo.’ You get it, but how serious I got where I was like, ‘Okay, I think I can do maybe a year at AEW and I can do it every week.'”

“When I saw Mercedes [Mone] debut and cut her promo, that line stuck with me, ‘Here, we’re going to make the evolution worldwide.’ I was like, ‘They do.’ It goes into many leagues, is what she means, it doesn’t have to be at one place. It can be at all these places where all these women are wrestling at. I go, ‘Brie, I think I can do it for a year. I can do it here to here and go every week.’

Then, I thought of Matteo. I had a good week of like, ‘This is it. I’m going to call Tony Khan. I’m your girl. I will commit.’ Then, I was like, ‘I can’t do that to my son right now. He needs me,'”

You can listen to the full episode embedded here, including Nikki’s comments about nearly calling AEW President Tony Khan:

Nikki Bella’s WWE Career and Exit

Nikki Garcia made a name for herself for years in WWE as Nikki Bella. Her contributions to the company helped spearhead the Women’s Revolution in the company, where she was placed on top of the card for years.

During that time in WWE, she achieved several notable accomplishments in the company. Nikki is a two-time WWE Divas Champion, and she was named Diva of the Year for three consecutive years in 2013, 2014, and 2015, with the 2013 award being shared with her sister, Brie Bella.

Additionally, Nikki was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2020, alongside Brie as members of The Bella Twins.

Nikki Bella retired in 2018 because of neck and spine issues but made a comeback at the Royal Rumble in 2022. The Bella Twins left WWE in 2023 after their contracts ended to pursue independent ventures.

Since her WWE exit, Nikki has hosted Barmageddon, a show that aired after WWE RAW for a while. It was not lost on fans when Michael Cole internationally omitted her name while promoting the show during RAW.

Nikki Bella later commented on that snub from WWE to say, “I think more than anything, it’s disappointing. I worked there for 16 years and I helped paved the way for them. Not only that, they’ve always been family to me.”