Author: John Bass

Backstage News On AEW Contract Status Of ROH Double Champ Dustin Rhodes

Dustin Rhodes may be a double champion in Ring of Honor, but there are no guarantees that he will be sticking around AEW after September. According to Fightful Select, Rhodes’ deal with the company is still up and the end of the month, as Fightful initially reported last year.

Rhodes is currently a ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion alongside the Von Erich brothers, as well as ROH World Tag Team Champion alongside Sammy Guevara. Fightful reports that “many” assumed Rhodes’ title victories meant he’d signed a new deal, but that is apparently not the case as of this writing. The report contains no indication of whether Rhodes is considering jumping back to WWE, the company where he spent the majority of his career for two decades, and where his brother Cody Rhodes is the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion. According to Fightful, in addition to his spots on the AEW and ROH rosters, Rhodes helps out and contributes to the women’s division behind-the-scenes.

Rhodes debuted in ROH at Death Before Dishonor in July 2024 and teamed with Marshall and Ross Von Erich, defeating The Dark Order to win a shot at the ROH Six-Man titles. They defeated the Undisputed Kingdom later that month at battle of the Belts to win the championships. Rhodes defeated the Undisputed Kingdom once again, alongside Guevara, to win the ROH tag belts on an episode of “AEW Collision.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 9/18/2024

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite live on TBS from the Mohegan Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

  • Orange Cassidy vs. Chris Jericho
  • The Elite (The Young Bucks & Kazuchika Okada) vs. Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita
  • Yuka Sakazaki & Queen Aminata vs. Mariah May & Serena Deeb
  • Ricochet vs. The Beast Mortos

Kota Ibushi Reveals Training Session With Kenny Omega, Teases AEW Return

Both Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi have been absent from AEW for some time, with fans anxiously waiting as the two stars recover from significant injuries. However, those fans may not have to wait much longer. Based on a post made by Ibushi on Instagram, he and Omega are training together once again.

“World domination is just days away,” Ibushi wrote. “Had a golden practice after a long time. We are still far from done. Next AEW!!!”

The first photo shows Ibushi and Omega striking an iconic pose just outside of a ring, while the next picture features the two men making funny faces while holding onto a pair of large beverages. While it’s not clear from the photo whether Ibushi and Omega are training in Japan, the Tokyo Game Show is set to begin next week and Omega is a noted video game fan, offering a potential reason for Omega to visit.

While Omega has been an EVP in AEW since the promotion’s inception, it took his Golden Lovers partner a while longer to make it over. Ibushi signed a contract with AEW in 2023 but has wrestled just four matches so far. The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has dealt with a string of serious injuries over the last several years, resulting in Ibushi performing only 11 times since the end of 2021.

As for Omega, the AEW star discovered last year that he was dealing with a case of diverticulitis that could have potentially ended his life if he hadn’t sought out treatment at the right time. After months away from television, Omega returned on “AEW Dynamite” this past May, updating the audience on his health status before being attacked by his former friends in The Elite. As of now, that was the last time Omega has been seen onscreen.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces Date & Location For Return Of Saturday Night’s Main Event

WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event is making another comeback. The company announced the return of the iconic show for later this year, with the special airing simultaneously on NBC and Peacock on December 14 at 8 p.m. ET. For those interested in attending, Saturday Night’s Main Event will take place at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island, New York, with tickets available to the public on Friday and pre-sale beginning tomorrow.

These specials will continue airing quarterly as part of WWE’s latest media rights deal with NBCUniversal, which was signed last year and went into effect earlier this month. In addition to the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event, the deal ensured “WWE SmackDown” made the move back to the USA Network after a stretch on Fox.

Today’s news confirms a report from earlier this month that suggested WWE was bringing back Saturday Night’s Main Event for the previously-detailed NBC primetime special. The company first introduced the show in 1985, with a series of occasional events that aired on the network until 1992. These shows sometimes offered major moments to capitalize on all the extra exposure from broadcast TV, and often featured Hulk Hogan wrestling in the main event.

More recently, the promotion revived the branding in 2022, with a series of WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event shows scheduled during that spring. However, unlike previous iterations, those events were not televised. The last televised revival took place from 2006 through 2008, with a series of five hour-long specials that also aired on NBC.

Source: Wrestling Inc

Jesse “The Body” Ventura reportedly will be returning to WWE to be apart of the commentary team for Saturday Night’s Main Event.

WWE NXT Preview 9/17/2024

Tonight’s WWE NXT on USA Network

  • CM Punk will make a special announcement.
  • Ethan Page and Trick Williams contract signing for their upcoming WWE NXT Title match
  • Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley vs. Wendy Choo & Rosemary
  • Lola Vice vs. Jacy Jayne

Is Alexa Bliss Returning Shortly To Join The Wyatt Sicks’ Faction?

A new QR code aired on this week’s episode of WWE RAW.

During the show, a QR code was shown that teased that The Wyatt Sicks are waiting for a new “HER” to arrive.

One of the entries was titled “SHE” and read as follows,

“When SHE speaks,
mountains should tremble.
It’s waiting for HER.
I can only open the door.
SHE must choose to walk through.”

Another entry was titled “Frater” and read,

“The bond of a family is a cat of nine tails.
Bound through suffering.
We see you, brother.
When you need us, we will be there.”

As of this writing, there is no word on who this new QR code is referring to. But it’s worth noting that Alexa Bliss has been ready to return for quite some time now.

Source: eWn

Update On AJ Styles’ WWE Status

AJ Styles has not been seen on WWE TV since his match against Cody Rhodes at WWE Clash At The Castle: Scotland in June.

Since then, Styles has been busy competing in a match for Pro Wrestling NOAH and participating in specific WWE live events.

Fightful Select is reporting that Styles is in good health but is not currently appearing on television.

At the moment, there’s no timetable for Styles’ return.

Source: eWn

Backstage Report Offers Further Details On AEW-WBD Deal That’s Reportedly Close

A new TV deal between All Elite Wrestling and Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to be announced next week.

Entertainment news outlet Puck has confirmed that WBD’s deal with AEW is close to being finalized, and an announcement is likely coming “as soon as next week, barring any last-minute challenges.” It’s worth noting that AEW will be in New York City next week for their Grand Slam TV tapings. It is expected that reps from WBD will be in attendance at these TV tapings.

AEW’s next media rights deal with Warner Bros Discovery seems to be approaching the finish line, with a report yesterday suggesting AEW was poised to sign a 3-4 year contract worth $170 million annually. Now, a new report from Fightful Select has some additional details on the situation behind the scenes.

In addition to backing up the news regarding the deal, today’s report states that the new media rights package will be enough to make AEW a profitable company. Leading up to the agreement, AEW reportedly saw $200 million per year, for a five-year deal, as a “large benchmark” that they hoped to achieve. While the impending deal is slightly less than that, and for a shorter amount of time, there is now potential for the promotion to surpass that goal.

It remains a possibility that AEW’s pay-per-views are part of a separate deal that is currently being worked on between the promotion and WBD, which could see the events wind up streaming on MAX. On top of that, the report indicates that AEW is currently shopping around another television package for broadcast networks, and that it’s something Tony Khan has wanted to make happen for a while. It appears AEW’s exclusivity with WBD is ending with the new contract, allowing Khan to bring AEW offers to other companies, explaining the recent AEW-Fox rumors.

There reportedly hasn’t been any word about Ring of Honor being included in any of these deals, but it remains a possibility. So far, AEW has kept most information about the contract locked down, with talent unaware of many details. While no firm date has yet to emerge, it seems the new deal could be announced as soon as next week, according to the original report.

Sources: Wrestling Inc. and eWn

WWE Raw Preview 9/16/2024

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.

  • WWE World Tag Team Championship: The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor and JD McDonagh (c) vs. The New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods
  • CM Punk to appear
  • Braun Strowman vs. Bronson Reed
  • Dominik Mysterio vs. Damian Priest
  • Natalya vs. Zoey Stark

Update On Matt Riddle’s Likelihood In AEW

A year out from his WWE exit, Matt Riddle recently teased the possibility of joining All Elite Wrestling, specifically with the intention of making more money and working a decent television schedule. According to a new report, though, that idea may be a little far-fetched right now.

Fightful Select reports that AEW President Tony Khan has had zero interest in bringing Riddle aboard to the company, “especially over the last number of years.” In recent months, Riddle has worked with some talents signed to AEW — including Brian Cage, Dralistico, Komander, Penta El Zero Miedo, and The Beast Mortos — on the wrestling circuit. As Fightful points out, though, all those matches emanated from promotions based in Mexico, and not the United States.

In addition to the idea of signing with AEW, Riddle also recently discussed a backstage encounter he had with Khan following his loss to Zack Sabre Jr. at the April 2024 NJPW Windy City Riot show in Chicago. According to Riddle, the conversation between him and Khan was relatively awkward. While Khan initially seemed happy, Riddle stated that he later seemed “confused” when Riddle asked him if he liked the match with Sabre Jr. in a “different” kind of tone.

Since leaving WWE last year, Riddle has worked for several independent promotions across Mexico, Canada, and the United States. “The Original Bro” has additionally appeared for New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Major League Wrestling. Riddle’s latest MLW appearance came at the Summer Of The Beasts event on August 29, which saw him defeat former MLW World Tag Team Champion Matthew Justice.

Source: Wrestling Inc.