Author: John Bass

The Young Bucks On AEW Differentiate Themselves From WWE And WWE Stars Being Interested In Jumping To AEW

At yesterday’s WarnerMedia Upfronts in New York City, WarnerMedia officially announced that AEW will be airing in prime time on TNT later this year. AEW Executive Vice Presidents The Young Bucks, Matt and Nick Jackson, were amongst the stars from the promotion who attended this morning’s event.

As seen in the video above, The Bucks spoke with WrestlingNews.co at the event and discussed what they feel that the upstart needs to do in order to differentiate themselves from WWE.

“It’s gotta look different, it’s gotta feel different,” Nick said.

“It’s got to be shot different. Whatever do they do, we have to do the opposite,” Matt added. “If that means that they have a PG type of show, we should have a more edgy type of show. Our matches should look different and the things we do in the matches should be different. Our stories should be different, they should be more complex.”

In recent months, there have been many reports of WWE talent being unhappy backstage. Tye Dillinger and Luke Harper even took to Twitter to announce that they were requesting their releases. While Dillinger’s was granted, Harper found his extended. The Bucks were asked if there are WWE talent looking to join AEW.

“I think so, we’ve heard the chatter a lot. We have a lot of friends that work there so we hear it from them too,” Nick said. “I feel like we’ve changed the landscape of wrestling and it’s gonna give them some competition.”

The company has had some major signings over the past several months, including Chris Jericho and Kenny Omega. When asked who else they might be looking to bring on board, Nick noted that there might be a couple that they can’t yet mention.

“Take a look at our roster,” Nick said. “Those are all the guys we’ve wanted. There may be a couple that I can’t talk about yet.

“We might be negotiating right now with some. We want surprises to happen and we have a big show in 10 days, Double Or Nothing in Las Vegas.”

Matt added, “You never know who you’re gonna see in Las Vegas.”

AEW’s first show, the Double Or Nothing pay-per-view, takes place on Saturday, May 25th from Las Vegas, Nevada.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody And Brandi Rhodes Say That There Will Be No Scripted Promos In AEW

Yesterday was a historic day in the world of professional wrestling as it was officially announced that AEW will be airing in prime time on TNT later this year. With the deal, AEW has become the first wrestling company outside of WWE to secure a television deal in the U.S. on a top 25 cable network since WCW folded.

At yesterday’s WarnerMedia upfronts in New York City, AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes and Chief Branding Officer Brandi Rhodes spoke with WrestlingNews.co about the big announcement.

“This is serendipity how this is coming together,” Cody said. “My family moved to Atlanta 20+ years ago because WCW was going to Turner. Here we are talking about All Elite Wrestling in 2019 going to Turner. It’s just wild how it works and the number 1 thing I discovered is we build the best team. That’s what led to all of this. All In happened, me, Matt and Nick, Kenny joining and then Tony Khan being the guy to say ‘hey, I believe in you guys. I’ll invest in you guys, I believe in wrestling outside of one company.’ That has put us here so I’m really excited.”

AEW plans to offer a real alternative to WWE programming. One of the major criticisms about WWE has been their scripted promos. Cody claimed that “you might not see one scripted promo” on their television.

“When it comes to promos, if we invested you, we already know your voice,” Cody said. “We just want to put the voice out there for more people to hear. There’s great coaches we have, great collaborators. Guys like Jim Ross, guys like Billy Gunn, a bunch of guys I can’t name. We have these great collaborators, plus all of us who want to make this work. Collaboration yes, micromanagement no, scripted no, that’s the best.”

“We’re honest when we say that we want it to be very sports-centric,” Brandi added. “In order to do that, it has to be focused on the bell-to-bell, the actual matches, less of the drama and the behind-the-scenes.”

Brandi also said that the company plans to keep their roster active and not sitting on the sidelines.

“We’ve obviously been cautious in building our [women’s] division because we don’t want people to be sitting weeks and weeks out of the year not being active, not being used, not being having stories, not having reasons for you to like them,” Brandi stated. “So we’ve been very careful to pick and choose competitors that we think we are gonna be able to keep moving in some sort of sense.”

Despite all of the major developments, AEW has yet to run their first show. AEW’s first pay-per-view, Double Or Nothing, will take place next Saturday night in Las Vegas. Cody said that the company plans to make the event a great one.

“Jim Ross has been really good about saying ‘it can’t be good, it’s gotta be great.’ He’s right and everyone in the group shares that sentiment,” Cody said. “We gotta make this great and it’s just the beginning. It’s the perfect jumping in point for a brand new fan. There’s nothing before this, just jump in now and you’ll love it.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Triple H Reportedly Very Frustrated In WWE, Interesting Stories On Vince McMahon And WWE Creative

A caller into Wade Keller’s Pro Wrestling Post-Show podcast on PW Torch told several interesting stories on Monday night, allegedly told to him by three current WWE creative team writers after a recent night of drinking.

Regarding WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, the writers allegedly said there is no chance of Vince stepping down. Obviously that day will come eventually, but it sounds like there is a feeling that Vince isn’t stepping down any time soon. It also sounds like a lot of the writers blame Vince for a lot of the negativity. “It’s such a toxic atmosphere and it’s all because of one person,” one writer said. (H/T to Wrestlingnews.co.) It was emphasized that WWE’s problems are not the fault of the creative team, and that Vince is the one who deserves the blame.

Regarding Vince and WWE creative, it was said that Vince wants suggestions from everyone, but those suggestions never make it to TV. It was also said that 99 out of 100 times you can come up with an idea for Vince, but it won’t be used. The writers also painted a picture of Vince being out of touch. They claimed Vince just “watches WWE and works out” and is not aware of things going on in the real world. Regarding the WWE NXT developmental system, the writers claimed that Vince does not keep track of what goes on there, and that he “maybe” watches the TakeOver specials. Triple H has indicated in the past that Vince does know what’s going on with the black & yellow brand.

The writers had praise for Dana Brooke, calling her the hardest worker for the last three years. It was noted that Brooke regularly visits the WWE Performance Center in Orlando to work, she shows up early to events, helps set up the ring, and gets in the ring so she can work on her craft. With that said, the writers claimed that the creative team will pitch something for Brooke but she gets nothing from officials, until her recent Money In the Bank storyline for the women’s Ladder Match on Sunday.

Another interesting note on the WWE creative team had to do with WWE Ambassador Dana Warrior, who started working with the writing team earlier this year. One writer allegedly said, “We’re all working for Dana Warrior, and it’s really awkward.” It was noted that many of the WWE writers are paranoid and they feel like they are close to being fired. One of the writers said he is very close to quitting because he is “unbelievably unhappy” with the job.

Below are a few more stories and claims from the call:

* WWE’s contract with Fox for SmackDown prohibits Fox from moving the show to FS1, even if the ratings drop

* When Neville walked out of the company, there was a “crazy shouting match” and Neville flipped out on Vince. That was the last time the writers saw him. The writers praised Neville for being so easy to work with

* It was also said that ideas never pan out as originally planned because writers come up with stuff and then Vince loses interest after a week or two. They used Mojo Rawley as an example

* The writers said the pay for the job is good and it’s a dream job for many of them, but it gets frustrating. It was also said that talents are very unhappy and people are trying to get out of their contracts

* The writers believe Bruce Prichard is a pleasure to work with. “He’s a funny guy and a pleasure to work with, but he’s not getting through to Vince either,” it was said. Shane McMahon, Stephanie McMahon and Triple H have also tried to talk to Vince with no luck

* Writers listen to podcasts and they hear fans bashing them for the weak product. “It breaks their heart,” the caller said

* It was claimed that the current Sami Zayn promos are not his own, despite recent claims by Sami and others. “That’s not Sami Zayn’s promos. That’s Vince McMahon talking through Sami Zayn,” it was said

* There are currently 37 total writers and they are now working on both RAW and SmackDown. This change went into effect after the 2019 Superstar Shakeup. The entire writing team has pitched to have RAW and SmackDown look completely different with different production, a different way of filming things, and other differences, but Vince shot the idea

* Some of the writers believe WWE Hall of Famer “Road Dogg” BG James will eventually end up in AEW. James recently left the writing team after working as co-lead writer of SmackDown and his future is up in the air, but he’s been working other roles behind-the-scenes

* It was said that NBCUniversal and Fox both want top stars on their shows, which was recently reported. The writers loved it when there was a real brand split

* The Superstar Shake-Up changed week to week and didn’t pan out how it was originally laid out months prior. Everything changed because Vince just decided to change it. The Wild Card Rule was not in the RAW script on the morning of the show it was introduced

* Andrade allegedly went into Vince’s office and asked for a legit push. Vince allegedly looked at him and said, “Learn some English and get back to me.” Andrade has been taking English lessons

* The “Firefly Fun House” storyline is all Bray Wyatt’s idea. Wyatt was described as an “absolute genius” and it was said that helps others with their promos. “He’s one of the best guys in the locker room,” it was said

* The storyline comedy between The Usos and The Revival has been done because Vince just thinks it’s funny

Regarding Triple H, it was said that Triple H is the most frustrated person backstage every single night. He said, “The most frustrated person in the back every single night is Triple H. He’ll always take, especially the NXT guys, under his wing. It looks like he’s consoling them. It looks so much like he was the most frustrated person in the building every single night.”

We noted earlier this month how Triple H “liked” a fan tweet on Twitter about how WWE’s problem is with creative issues, not with Superstar absences. Triple H “un-liked” the tweet soon after, but many fans saw it and websites reported on it.

The fan wrote, “@VinceMcMahon maybe the problem with the Raw and SmackDown ratings isn’t due to wrestlers injured, it’s that you put confusing and pointless storylines. Although it wouldn’t hurt if you gave your wrestlers insurance. Just a thought @StephMcMahon @TripleH @WWE”

Triple H “liked” another similar tweet a few days ago, but like before he “un-liked” that tweet also.

That fan wrote, “I truly believe that if #WWE talent can hang in there till Vince switches to his XFL pipe dream next year (and assuming @TripleH switches to main roster control), things will actually improve. It’s a ways away, but a hard reset + post-fox deal growing pains would do wonders imo”

It should be noted that these stories on the WWE creative team have not been verified, and some should be taken as a rumor for now.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Draws Record Low Viewership Before MITB

This week’s taped Money In the Bank go-home edition of WWE SmackDown, featuring the final hype for Sunday’s pay-per-view with a main event segment that had Kevin Owens and WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, drew 1.827 million viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.

This is down 5.4% from last week’s 1.931 million viewers and the lowest SmackDown audience for a non-holiday first-run episode in history. The only first-run episode that did worse was the New Year’s Eve 2015 episode, which drew 1.658 million viewers and was the final SmackDown on Syfy show. This was back when the show was taped and featured Superstars from both brands.

SmackDown was #12 for the night in viewership on cable, behind the NBA Playoffs game between the Warriors and the Trailblazers, the NBA Draft Lottery, Hannity, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Rachel Maddow Show, The Five, The Ingraham Angle, SportsCenter at midnight, NBA: The Jump, Last Word and the NHL Conference Finals between the Bruins and the Hurricanes. SmackDown was #6 in the 18-49 demographic this week, behind the NBA Playoffs game, the NBA Draft Lottery, SportsCenter, NBA: The Jump and the NHL Conference Finals game. The Trailblazers vs. Warriors NBA game topped the night in the Cable Top 150 18-49 demographic and in viewership with 7.315 million viewers.

The big draw on network TV at 8pm was NCIS on CBS, which drew 11.696 million viewers.

To compare, Monday’s taped Money In the Bank go-home edition of WWE RAW drew an average of 2.349 million viewers, up from last week’s 2.244 million viewers, which was the second-lowest viewership of 2019 and the third-lowest audience for a non-holiday RAW episode in history.

Below is our 2019 SmackDown Viewership Tracker:

January 1 Episode: 2.091 million viewers (New Year’s episode, taped)
January 8 Episode: 2.032 million viewers
January 15 Episode: 2.143 million viewers
January 22 Episode: 2.142 million viewers
January 29 Episode: 2.137 million viewers (post-Royal Rumble episode)
February 5 Episode: 1.841 million viewers (State of the Union competition)
February 12 Episode: 2.034 million viewers
February 19 Episode: 2.269 million viewers (post-Elimination Chamber episode)
February 26 Episode: 2.150 million viewers
March 5 Episode: 2.155 million viewers
March 12 Episode: 2.198 million viewers (post-Fastlane episode)
March 19 Episode: 2.208 million viewers
March 26 Episode: 2.393 million viewers
April 2 Episode: 2.141 million viewers
April 9 Episode: 2.199 million viewers (post-WrestleMania 35 episode)
April 16 Episode: 2.219 million viewers (Superstar Shakeup episode)
April 23 Episode: 2.072 million viewers
April 30 Episode: 1.833 million viewers
May 7 Episode: 1.931 million viewers
May 14 Episode: 1.827 million viewers (taped episode from London)
May 21 Episode:

2018 Total: 122.304 million viewers
2018 Average: 2.352 million viewers per episode

2017 Total: 132.401 million viewers
2017 Average: 2.546 million viewers per episode

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW At WarnerMedia Upfronts, Chris Jericho Takes Credit For AEW TV Deal, Double Or Nothing PPV Prices Revealed

It was announced yesterday that WarnerMedia has signed with All Elite Wrestling for a multi-platform launch of the new promotion. TNT will air a weekly AEW TV series later this year and AEW’s special events will air on WarnerMedia’s Bleacher Report Live platform. AEW’s Double Or Nothing event will air on B/R Live and traditional pay-per-view on Saturday, May 25. You can read the full announcement on the WarnerMedia – AEW deal at this link.

The price for Double Or Nothing on B/R Live is listed at $49.99 for the event.

Double Or Nothing is listed for $60 on AT&T pay-per-view, $50 on DirecTV and $60 on In Demand. To compare, WWE Money In the Bank is currently listed for $44.95 on the Dish Network, which does not have AEW up for ordering as of this writing.

It’s worth noting that Chris Jericho was not at the WarnerMedia Upfronts in New York City today with the rest of the AEW crew. As seen in the various shots below, AEW was represented at the Upfronts by Tony Khan, Cody Rhodes, Brandi Rhodes, Kenny Omega, Adam Page, Dr. Britt Baker and The Young Bucks.

Jericho did cut a heel promo to hype the TV deal and his Double Or Nothing match with Omega, which you can also see below. Jericho took credit for the TV deal.

“Congratulations to All Elite Wrestling for signing a television deal with TNT, Time Warner. That’s huge. But keep this in mind, while Kenny Omega and Cody and all the other suck-ups are swarming around Tony Khan and all the executives, all the Warner executives at the Upfronts in New York City, I’m here in the dungeon, in Tampa, training for Double Or Nothing. I don’t have time to put on a suit and tie, Kenny, and go act like a hot shot with a bunch of TV executives. All I have time to do is continue training, so I can beat your ass at Double Or Nothing and get that ‘thank you’ on behalf of AEW for getting that contract in the first place. Don’t forget – when Chris Jericho signed with AEW, TNT signed with AEW. You’re welcome,” Jericho said.

https://twitter.com/AEWrestling/status/1128667944177811457

https://twitter.com/tntdrama/status/1128727588656934912

https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/1128689064239091712

https://twitter.com/tntdrama/status/1128669604040060929

https://twitter.com/Joe_Staszewski/status/1128668610224971776

https://twitter.com/AEWrestling/status/1128662055077203968

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1128647701141151744

https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/1128649791217520640

https://twitter.com/TheBrandiRhodes/status/1128652259460558848

https://twitter.com/tntdrama/status/1128632147248668673

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 5/15/19

NXT, tonight at 8 ET on the WWE Network.

* Where do The Viking Raiders, and the NXT Tag Team Titles, go from here?

* Kushida readies for Act II

* An ERA in dispute

* Can Jessie fog The Vision?

* “Limitless” Keith Lee returns to action

WWE NXT UK Preview 5/15/19

NXT UK, today at 3 ET/8 GMT on the WWE Network.

* A pair of Qualifying Matches for the imminent Fatal 4-Way Match to determine the No. 1 Contender for the WWE United Kingdom Championship – “Bomber” Dave Mastiff vs. Wolfgang and Ligero vs. Jordan Devlin

* The debut of Ilja Dragunov

 

Cody Rhodes Discusses What WWE Is Lacking That AEW Plans To Seize On

As we previously reported, All Elite Wrestling and WarnerMedia officially announced today that AEW will air live on TNT later this year. WarnerMedia will be providing exclusive multi-platform access for fans to watch AEW events, airing live weekly matches on TNT in prime time, as well as streaming them through WarnerMedia’s B/R Live and on pay-per-view.

Cody Rhodes spoke to Variety about the big announcement and discussed his own ten-year run with WWE. Rhodes admitted that while he liked his time with WWE, he felt that “it wasn’t wrestling.” AEW has promised to focus on producing fast-paced, high-impact matches and have less less scripted and soapy drama. AEW stated that wrestlers will also be given more freedom to explore their characters and highlight their athletic abilities.

“[As] much as I say [WWE] was a wonderful job, it wasn’t wrestling,” Rhodes admitted. “That’s something I’ve learned a lot about, the grittiness and the sports-centric element of the industry that doesn’t exist really anywhere else currently. We have the opportunity to seize that.”

WWE Co-President George Barrios was asked this week if WWE considered AEW to be competition. Barrios said that they did, just like they consider the NBA and Kung Fu novels to be competition, because they are all “fighting for people’s time.” Rhodes talked about AEW being a competitor to WWE, and said that it is best for both parties.

“Competition raises everybody’s game,” Rhodes said. “It will raise the wrestlers’ game, the creative people’s game, everybody. Everybody feels a sense of urgency when someone is competing with them.”

“Competitive means being profitable,” he continued. “It doesn’t mean, ‘We have to have this to beat the WWE.’ Our job is not to worry about what WWE is doing, not their TV clearances, not whose in the main event, nothing. With a growing company there are a lot of growing pains. It’s a mix of creative and athletics and a lot of different things. Our focus has to be us, period.”

AEW also officially revealed that they will be presenting statistics by tracking each competitor’s wins and losses, analyzing their moves, assessing damage to their opponents, and providing insights into their winning streaks.

“One thing we really strongly want to present is wins and losses mattering again in pro wrestling. That takes more than the W and the L column,” Rhodes said. “We’re talking about percentage of times someone loses to this particular maneuver, percentages against somebody of this height, a whole by-the-numbers approach that really intrigues me. It’s not a cornerstone of AEW necessarily but it’s a great peripheral element we’re working on and that’s going to be exclusive to us.”

No official date has been announced regarding when the show will start airing on TNT. B/R Live will exclusively stream AEW Double Or Nothing on Saturday, May 25th, while the hour-long live pre-show special, The Buy-In, will stream on WarnerMedia and AEW’s social channels.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Co-President On If SmackDown Will Be Hurt By Airing On Fridays, West Coast Being Affected

It was widely expected but finally confirmed this week when it was announced that SmackDown Live will be a part of FOX’s Friday TV lineup. It will debut on October 4 and occupy the same time slot as it does currently on Tuesdays on USA Network.

Fridays are typically the worst days for TV ratings, but WWE President George Barrios attempted to put a positive spin on the move during a fireside chat this week at the 47th Annual J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference in Boston.

“It’s hard to compare,” Barrios said referencing when SmackDown aired on Fridays from 2005-2015. “We have been on Friday nights before but we’ve never been live. We think it’s a net positive, generally. Having a few days between [Raw and SmackDown] is helpful to some degree. But ultimately, we’ll see how the fans react. But we think it’s a generally positive thing happening.”

SmackDown started out on Thursdays before moving to Fridays. It then moved back to Thursdays briefly before moving to Tuesdays in 2016.

As Barrios mentioned, this will be the first time the show will air live on Fridays. In regards to if SmackDown will air on a tape delay on the West Coast, Barrios deferred to FOX.

“Our partners are still working through that. If you look at today, depending on who the provider is, even with USA, in terms of live on satellite is different than on cable. So, I think FOX will work through that themselves as well. I don’t think they’ve announced it, so we’re not gonna announce it,” stated Barrios.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW To Officially Air On TNT Later This Year

They had the talent, the events and the money, and now All Elite Wrestling has a TV home. Per a press release, the promotion announced they are partnering with WarnerMedia to air on TNT in prime time later this year.

No specific date for a launch has been discussed, but there could be an update announced during today’s WarnerMedia presentation inside Madison Square Garden.

“All Elite Wrestling is a talent-forward, fan-first league whose inclusive approach to creating high-quality athletic wrestling competitions is already making waves with fans and attracting top-tier wrestlers,” stated EVP of Commercial Operations, Content Strategy and Monetization Michael Quigley. “It is high-adrenaline, gripping entertainment and we can’t wait to bring it to fans everywhere with this game-changing new business.”

B/R Live, a live streaming service from WarnerMedia, will stream all AEW-related events, including Double or Nothing on May 25. “The Buy-In”, an hour-long pre-show, will be available on WarnerMedia and AEW social channels. Matches on that card include the Casino Battle Royal and Kip Sabian v. Sammy Guevara. Streaming on PPV has also been discussed. The event will also be seen in the United Kingdom via ITV.

AEW promises to focus on producing fast-paced, high-impact competitions. They say that they will offer fans less scripted, soapy drama, and more athleticism and real sports analytics, bringing a legitimacy to wrestling that it previously not had. They claim that wrestlers will also be given more freedom to explore their characters and highlight their athletic abilities.

AEW will be presenting statistics for the first time ever in wrestling by tracking each competitor’s wins and losses, analyzing their moves, assessing damage to their opponents, and providing insights into their winning streaks.

“Wrestling fans have wanted – and needed – something different, authentic and better for far too long,” said AEW President and CEO or AEW Tony Khan. “AEW is answering the call. AEW is about more than wrestling. It’s about a movement fueled by wrestling fans who have been underserved and perhaps even disappointed by what the industry has produced in recent years. AEW is rising to the occasion with DOUBLE OR NOTHING and today taking it a step further by partnering with WarnerMedia, which is as committed as we are to making wrestling fans the one and only priority. With WarnerMedia, AEW is poised globally to redefine wrestling as we know it today.”

AEW first became a reality on January 1, 2019 in a Being The Elite segment. This will be the first major wrestling program outside of WWE on TNT since WCW in 2001.

Below is the full press release.

WarnerMedia Partners with All Elite Wrestling for Multi-Platform Launch of Groundbreaking New Wrestling LeagueTNT to Air Weekly Matches Later This Year

Inaugural May 25 Event Available on B/R Live and via Pay-Per-View AEW to Introduce a New Generation of Diverse Wrestlers and Give Fans a New Wrestling Experience for the First Time in 20 Years

May 15, 2019 – WarnerMedia announced today that it is partnering with All Elite Wrestling (AEW), the new professional wrestling promotion featuring a world-class roster of diverse male and female wrestlers, giving fans a new wrestling experience for the first time in 20 years. WarnerMedia and AEW together will build this powerhouse sporting league from the ground up and will begin airing weekly matches later this year. With this league, AEW is introducing a new generation of wrestlers to fans, offering fun, gripping and authentic athletic matches that will make wrestling more accessible to a broad audience. WarnerMedia will utilize its position as a next-generation global media company to build this league into a global pro-wrestling franchise.

Founded by President and CEO Tony Khan, AEW is headlined by members of The Elite, which includes all-star wrestlers The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), Cody and Brandi Rhodes, Kenny Omega, and Hangman Page, and a roster that includes the legendary Chris Jericho. Omega, Cody and The Young Bucks also serve as executive vice presidents of the company in addition to in-ring talent, and Brandi Rhodes also serves as Chief Brand Officer.

Later this year, WarnerMedia will provide exclusive multi-platform access for fans to watch AEW events, airing live weekly matches on TNT in prime time, as well as streaming them through WarnerMedia’s B/R Live and on pay-per-view. A leading digital sports enterprise, B/R Live’s high fan engagement will provide an invaluable opportunity to build AEW’s audience.

“All Elite Wrestling is a talent-forward, fan-first league whose inclusive approach to creating high-quality athletic wrestling competitions is already making waves with fans and attracting top-tier wrestlers,” said Michael Quigley, executive vice president, commercial operations, content strategy and monetization, TBS and TNT. “It is high-adrenaline, gripping entertainment and we can’t wait to bring it to fans everywhere with this game-changing new business.”

“Wrestling fans have wanted – and needed – something different, authentic and better for far too long,” said Tony Khan, President and CEO of AEW. “AEW is answering the call. AEW is about more than wrestling. It’s about a movement fueled by wrestling fans who have been underserved and perhaps even disappointed by what the industry has produced in recent years. AEW is rising to the occasion with DOUBLE OR NOTHING and today taking it a step further by partnering with WarnerMedia, which is as committed as we are to making wrestling fans the one and only priority. With WarnerMedia, AEW is poised globally to redefine wrestling as we know it today.”

Focused on producing fast-paced, high-impact competitions, AEW offers fans less scripted, soapy drama, and more athleticism and real sports analytics, bringing a legitimacy to wrestling that it has not previously had. Wrestlers will also be given more freedom to explore their characters and highlight their athletic abilities. Introducing statistics to wrestling for the first time ever, AEW will raise the stakes for its matches and deepen fan engagement by tracking each competitor’s wins and losses as the wrestlers pursue championships, analyzing their moves, assessing damage to their opponents, and providing insights into their winning streaks.

B/R Live will serve as the exclusive digital streaming partner in the United States for AEW’s inaugural event, DOUBLE OR NOTHING, on Saturday, May 25, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. DOUBLE OR NOTHING, which sold out in under 30 minutes, features an exhilarating card including the headline clash between Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho; Cody taking on his brother Dustin Rhodes; The Young Bucks battling the Lucha Bros for the AAA World Tag Team Championship; Hangman Adam Page clashing with PAC; and Britt Baker, Nyla Rose and Kylie Rae competing in a three-way match.

Additionally, the hour-long live pre-show special THE BUY-IN will stream on WarnerMedia and AEW’s social channels. THE BUY-IN includes the first ever “Casino (Battle) Royale,” which will see 21 competitors including Jimmy Havoc, Billy Gunn, MJF and Jungle Boy entering the ring in waves of five wrestlers every three minutes followed by one final entrant, lucky number 21, all fighting it out in the ring until there is one winner, whose reward will be a future title shot against the first ever AEW World Champion.

The media rights deal was negotiated by Khan and Bernie Cahill, co-founder of Activist Artists Management, LLC, an entity in which Khan is also an investor and partner.

Source: Wrestling Inc.