Author: John Bass

Jay White Returns, Attacks Hangman Page On AEW Dynamite 5th Anniversary Episode

Former AEW World Trios Champion Jay White made his return to television on “AEW Dynamite’s” fifth anniversary show from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and he saved fellow Bang Bang Gang member Juice Robinson from the wrath of “Hangman” Adam Page. White ran out following Robinson’s loss to Page, after he took a Buckshot Lariat and ate the pinfall. Following the match, Page took off his belt, complete with belt buckle, and used it to choke out Robinson before his stablemate could make the save.

White’s music hit and he blindsided Page with a clothesline. Page escaped the ring and White checked on Robinson before going after him into the crowd. White beat down on Page with chops, then sent him crashing through a table propped up on a barricade. White helped Robinson to his feet and both men made their way up the ramp, with White keeping his eyes on “Hangman.”

It was reported back in August that White was fully healthy and expected back on television “immediately.” The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion was out of action due to a foot injury. His last match before his time off was a loss to Page on the July 6 episode of “AEW Collision” in the semifinals for the Owen hart Foundation Tournament.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Shelton Benjamin Debuts On AEW Dynamite, He & Bobby Lashley Both Reportedly All Elite

Shelton Benjamin is back on our screens, and according to Fightful Select, he may not be alone.

After over a year of absence from any major televised promotion, Benjamin appeared alongside MVP on Wednesday’s five-year anniversary edition of “AEW Dynamite.” Benjamin was introduced by MVP as the “President of the Complaints Division,” after Prince Nana attempted to air his grievances during one of MVP’s backstage segments. Benjamin did little to assuage Nana’s actual complaints, instead electing to steal Nana’s cup of coffee as he walked off-screen with MVP.

Former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley was not present on Wednesday’s episode of “Dynamite,” but his AEW debut is reportedly “impending.” Benjamin’s AEW debut and Lashley’s alleged signing lends more credence to recent discussions of a revitalized Hurt Business in AEW. It is believed that the newly-christened “Hurt Syndicate” will mainly see MVP in a managerial capacity, with Benjamin and Lashley performing as in-ring competitors.

After MVP made his AEW debut on the September 25 episode of “Dynamite,” he has been attempting to recruit several of AEW’s top stars, including former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland and current TBS Champion and NJPW Strong Women’s Champion Mercedes Moné. Whether Strickland or Moné will accept MVP’s invitation to The Hurt Syndicate remain unclear.

Before his AEW debut, Benjamin had been appearing in a global array of independent promotions, including the UK-based PROGRESS Wrestling and Deadlock Pro Wrestling. Lashley has gone the opposite route, remaining absent from the wrestling world since his WWE contract expired in August 2024. Any further details about Benjamin or Lashley’s AEW deal, including exclusivity and length, have yet to be disclosed.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Officially Signs New Media Rights Deal With Warner Bros. Discovery, (Details on Deal)

AEW has reportedly officially signed a new multi-year, multimedia rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery on the fifth anniversary of its flagship show, “AEW Dynamite.” Variety reported the deal was made official on Wednesday, though financial terms were not disclosed. According to the outlet’s sources, the deal is valued at upwards of $150 million per year, anonymous social media scoop account WrestleVotes claimed afterward that the number “is closer to $185 million per year,” and Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp chimed in to confirm, saying “This number is accurate.” “Dynamite” and “AEW Collision” will remain on TBS and TNT, but will also stream live on Max simultaneously for subscribers in the United States. Shows will be available to stream on-demand at the beginning of 2025. As for AEW’s ever-increasing pay-per-view schedule, Variety revealed that PPVs will be available for purchase on Max later on in 2025 at a discounted price per show. In a statement seemingly provided to Variety, AEW President Tony Khan said the company is honored to announce the extension of its partnership.

“This extension continues the tradition of iconic wrestling events broadcast on TBS and TNT, while also establishing a new legacy for AEW through weekly live streams on Max for years to come,” Khan said. “We thank David Zaslav, Kathleen Finch and everyone at WBD for their tireless support of All Elite Wrestling since its inception, as well as the AEW fans, talent and staff that helped make this possible.”

Variety reported that the deal includes “enhanced distribution rights across social media.” It also includes “potential” new programming on both linear and digital platforms. Though former AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland was recorded last week saying AEW was taking “WWE SmackDown’s” place on Fox, Variety did not report anything of the like on Wednesday. Variety’s report also did not include anything regarding “AEW Shockwave,” a term the company recently trademarked, which is rumored to be another show set to air on FS1.

Fightful Select, meanwhile, is reporting that claims that WBD own an undisclosed stake in AEW can’t be confirmed, as sources in AEW and WBD said they hadn’t heard anything about WBD having an ownership stake in the company. Meanwhile, Fightful reports that “AEW Collision” and “AEW Dynamite” are set to remain on Saturdays and Wednesdays, respectively; as for “AEW Rampage,” it’s possible the show could end up on another network, but if so the “Rampage” archives would not be added to to Max in January along with “Dynamite” and “Collision.” AEW will continue to charge for PPVs, as the company has no interest in “cannibalizing” the PPV market by making it subscription-based, citing losses by WWE and UFC since moving to a subscription model, but the promotion is aware of the negativity generated by the idea of paywalling PPVs and then charging more for them. Fightful claims AEW may change to a different model in the future.

Finally, there are no known plans in regards to bringing Ring of Honor to TruTV, but the end of WBD’s exclusivity clause means AEW is now able to negotiate with other networks, meaning there’s a possibility for a return of programming like “AEW Dark” as well as the rumored Fox deal.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite 5-Year Anniversary Show Preview 10/2/2024

AEW Dynamite 5-Year Anniversary show will air live tonight on TBS from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The show will have a significant overrun per Tony Khan.

  • AEW World Title vs AEW Continental Title: AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson vs. AEW Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada
    (Okada’s Continental Championship is on the line for the first 20 minutes.)
  • AEW International Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Ricochet
  • Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. vs. Serena Deeb
  • Hangman Page vs. Juice Robinson

Braun Strowman Injured In Last Monster Standing Match On WWE RAW

This week’s edition of WWE Monday Night RAW ended on a high note with Braun Strowman defeating Big Bronson Reed in a Last Monster Standing match that saw not only the ring collapse, but the return of Seth “Freakin’” Rollins to interfere and cost Reed the match.

Unfortunately, that victory for Strowman didn’t come without its negatives, as it appears he may have suffered an injury during the brutal brawl.

On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez claimed Strowman sustained a torn groin injury. He said,

“I did get it confirmed – if you watched the Raw show last night, the Last Monster Standing match. They went to a commercial break, and they came back, and Braun Strowman got hit by Bronson Reed with a Samoan Drop. Braun Strowman grabbed his thigh/groin area, and then they were gonna do a spot where he knocked Bronson Reed off the apron through some chairs. (Strowman) starts running, and I knew immediately, this guy’s hurt. He normally can’t run all that fast, but he couldn’t even walk the ropes – he was limping the ropes. He knocks (Reed) off the apron and there was a long period where he just kind of laid there in the corner and the ref’s furiously communicating with the back. He may have torn his groin is what it’s looking like. That’s certainly what they thought yesterday.”

Source: eWn

Cora Jade Returns To WWE NXT, Attacks Giulia

Cora Jade has made her return to WWE NXT.

On the premiere episode of WWE NXT on The CW Network, Giulia faced off against Roxanne Perez for a shot at the WWE NXT Women’s Championship.

Near the end of the match, Jade hit the ring to nail Giulia with a DDT on the outside while the referee was trying to convince Perez not to use the Women’s Title as a weapon on the other side of the ring.

Jade eventually rolled Giulia back into the ring, and Perez hit Pop Rocks to retain the title.

Jade has been dealing with a knee injury since January.

Source: eWn

WWE NXT Preview 10/1/2024 – CW Premiere In Chicago

WWR NXT premiere tonight live on The CW Network from the Allstate Arena in Chicago.

  • NXT Championship – (CM Punk as the Special Guest Referee): Ethan Page (c) vs. Trick Williams
  • NXT Women’s Championship: Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Giulia
  • Street Fight: Wes Lee vs. Zachary Wentz
  • Lola Vice & Jaida Parker vs. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne, Jazmyn Nyx, or Fallon Henley)
  • MizTV featuring Oba Femi and Tony D’Angelo
  • Special appearances by Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair

A New Woman Appears To Be Coming To The Wyatt Sicks Faction

On this week’s episode of WWE RAW, a new message from The Wyatt Sicks aired that featured the unveiling of a mysterious woman.

Some of the messages in the new video read as follows,

“We see your intent.

“Anger festering into rage.

“Do not go down this path.

“It ends in demise.

“You know better.

“Do not force our hand.

“Heed our admonition.”

Additionally, the following message was shown in a QR code that aired in the video, “BROTHER, DO NOT BE SO DISTRACTED BY THE BEAST THAT YOU MISS THE SERPENT IN THE WEEDS.”

Source: eWn

WWE Says Ilja Dragunov Suffered Torn ACL At House Show, Will Miss Six To Nine Months

WWE dropped some unfortunate news regarding a former NXT Champion on Monday’s episode of “WWE Raw” before a promo segment featuring World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER. Commentary informed the audience at home that Ilja Dragunov suffered a suspected torn ACL and will be out of action for around six to nine months. Dragunov was injured wrestling GUNTHER for a shot at the championship during a live event in Columbus, Georgia over the weekend. In a video WWE posted to social media as well as airing on the broadcast, Dragunov was seen leaving the ring on his own volition following the injury, though he hobbled up the ramp without putting weight on his right leg.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1840938600906608994

Dragunov’s most recent television match was a loss to Jey Uso in a fatal four-way match also featuring Braun Strowman and Pete Dunne for a shot at the WWE Intercontinental Championship on the September 9 episode of “Raw.” Before the IC Title tournament, Dragunov had been working with GUNTHER on house shows in Germany before Bash in Berlin. Dragunov was called up from “WWE NXT” to the main roster’s red brand at the end of April in the fourth round of the 2024 WWE Draft, following his NXT Championship loss to Trick Williams at “NXT” Spring Breakin’.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Star Killswitch (Fka Luchasaurus) Hospitalized With Serious Medical Condition

Just days away from the fifth anniversary episode of “AEW Dynamite,” it seems All Elite Wrestling will be without one of its original stars for an undisclosed period of time. On Monday, Fightful reported that Austin Matelson, who currently wrestles in AEW under the name Killswitch after initially being known as Luchasaurus, is dealing with a serious medical issue that has resulted in his hospitalization.

Fightful reports that Matelson’s fiancee “found him collapsed” this past Friday, after which he was taken to the hospital. Upon admission his blood oxygen level was found to be below 80% — dangerously low, considering the normal level is 95% – 100%. Doctors also discovered that Matelson had pneumonia in both lungs and that he was “days away from permanent lung damage.” Matelson has been on oxygen since Friday and was reportedly told he would need more than a month to recover, and it could be longer before he’s ready to return to the ring. Fightful says they received permission “from those close to” Matelson before reporting on the situation.

Matelson is a former AEW TNT, Tag Team, and Trios Champion, having won the tag titles in 2022 alongside Jack Perry back when Matelson was known as Luchasaurus, Perry was known as Jungle Boy and they were collectively known as Jurassic Express. The years since have seen Luchasaurus become Killswitch after turning on Perry at the behest of Christian Cage, who brought Killswitch into The Patriarchy; Cage and Killswitch were Trios Champions with fellow Patriarchy member Nick Wayne until AEW All In 2024, when they lost the belts to the Blackpool Combat Club at Wembley Stadium. Killswitch later helped Cage win a Casino Gauntlet Match the same night, resulting in Cage “earning” a guaranteed world championship opportunity. Killswitch hasn’t competed in the ring since Wembley.

Source: Wrestling Inc.