Category: AEW

Tony Schiavone Discusses How He Blew His Chance To Work With AEW

So many wrestlers, announcers and producers have had their names linked to AEW and Tony Schiavone is the latest. It doesn’t hurt that he hosts a podcast with Conrad Thompson who is good friends with AEW owner Tony Khan, and Schiavone talked about the promotion’s launch when he spoke to Wrestling Inc. on the WINCLY podcast recently.

“I think it’s come out of the love of independent wrestling and the love that people want from something other than just the WWE,” stated Schiavone.

“I think what happened with Starrcast and how well it was received, it opened everyone’s eyes to a niche for something that has great talent, can be promoted and doesn’t have a boss that’s an idiot.

“It opened everyone’s eyes that we can do something big.”

The next big step for AEW is to land a television deal and Schiavone says that MLW ending up on BeIN Sports is a positive and shows that there’s a want out there. He also says that a lot of people who grew up pro wrestling fans are now television executives and that’s only helping the business.

From Schiavone’s history with Dusty Rhodes in WCW, he’s known Cody since he was a kid and he praised Cody for his business mind.

“Cody is…I’m not going to use the word “brilliant” because I haven’t worked with him that long and I think brilliant is an overused term. But Cody is a smart kid and has a great business head on his shoulders,” said Schiavone.

“[AEW has] a pretty good list of talent that is going to be very good. I just hope they can put it together and put together a TV show.”

Schiavone then went into detail about his memories of Cody has a kid growing up in Georgia.

“I had a son who wrestled in Cobb County [Georgia]…and he wrestled about five miles away from where Cody wrestled and Cody was state champion. Amongst parents and kids in Georgia, Cody was kinda like the big guy,” revealed Schiavone.

Schiavone said that Cody’s parents would always help out at the wrestling meets just like any other parents and Dusty often served as a voluntary usher.

“Dusty was helping people find their seats. He was just another parent,” stated Schiavone.

As for him working with AEW, Schiavone says he’s not currently involved but had an opportunity to get in AEW’s inner circle. However, he “Schiavonied” himself at an AEW mingling event by declining an invitation to go to Cody’s house for a party in which he could have met AEW president Tony Shan.

“Conrad Thompson said, ‘I set it up where you can meet Tony Khan and you did a no-show. You Schiavonied,'” stated Schiavone before mentioning that Schiavonied is now in Urban Dictionary and is defined as “To squander opportunity by putting in minimal effort.”

AEW has reached out to lots of people, but to date Tony Schiavone is not yet one of them.

“I have not talked to them,” revealed Schiavone. “I signed a three-year deal with MLW. I know they’re not using me right now but I do intend to honor my contract.

“I know [Jim Ross’] contract is coming up to an end at the end of the month. The feeling is that he’ll end up there, but I don’t know if that’s the case.”

Schiavone doesn’t know if he’ll ever end up in AEW as he is staying busy with all of his other projects.

“I have a lot on my plate. This podcast is taking up a lot of time and now I’m making appearances.…There’s a lot going on and we’ll just see. The older I get, the busier I get and it’s a great way to end your life,” said Schiavone.

The full audio from Wrestling Inc.‘s exclusive interview with Tony was included in a recent episode of their WINCLY podcast. It can be heard by clicking on this link. During the full interview Tony discusses working with Eric Bischoff, Bruce Prichard re-signing with WWE, his memories of Cody Rhodes as a child, how WrestleMania compares to Starrcade and more.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

PAC No Longer Appearing At Upcoming WrestleCon Due To Visa Issues

WrestleCon has announced PAC will no longer be appearing at their WrestleMania weekend event due to visa issues.

The company released a statement saying:

We regret to inform you that PAC will not be at WrestleCon. We worked diligently over the past several months with our attorneys to ensure that he successfully received a Visa to travel into the United States. Our Visa application was filed in a timely manner, all fees were paid to attorneys, and all required information was disclosed to government officials. Our attorneys were confident there would be no issue and based on their experience and expectation, we advertised PAC on the assumption there would be no problem obtaining a Visa. However, after exhausting all efforts, we were unable to provide PAC the appropriate Visa to travel and work in the United States. We understand and share your disappointment of this unanticipated outcome, as does PAC.

Further, we would like to clarify that in no way will this unfortunate incident have any impact on his future with AEW. This issue is isolated to WrestleCon only.

According to WrestleCon, refunds will be issued to everyone who purchased photo ops and autographs with PAC. They’ll also be changing all the advertisements so he’s no longer shown.

Backstage News On Television Deal For AEW, Streaming Double Or Nothing

It looks as though we’ll be waiting later rather than sooner for a confirmed television deal, as All Elite Wrestling is reportedly in no rush to sign any one contract, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Meltzer noted that talks for a TV deal are “smooth” and nothing has fallen apart.

The belief is that holding out will strategically benefit AEW, especially considering the new deal between UFC and ESPN, and the proven success of the DAZN streaming service. These examples of synchronization between sports promotions and streaming services, along with rights fees for sports continuing to rise, are apparently contributing to the hold up from AEW. Nevertheless, Meltzer notes that decision time will be coming at a certain point, and we will know more then.

Regarding AEW’s upcoming Double Or Nothing show, Meltzer noted that he is certain that there will be a streaming component involved so that people can watch along at home, as well as the traditional option of watching on pay-per-view. There are reportedly several options. The higher ups in AEW have the task of selling their product to different streaming companies based off of the exceptional ticket sales they’ve seen and the potential TV deals that are on the table.

In a recent interview with Wrestling Inc.’s  WINCLY Podcast, AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes mentioned that a major TV deal remains an important aspect of AEW’s ongoing exposure. Rhodes expound only a bit further, claiming that their potential deal could create a “massive shift in the pro wrestling industry”.

“I can’t talk about it but I know that I was quoted as saying – not by you guys – that, ‘A TV deal was not important.’ And I think that in the context I was speaking, I was talking about how important social media and do-it-yourself brands are compared to the traditional TV median,” Rhodes explained. “But I also – let’s be serious, major TV is a huge thing, and it would be a massive shift in the pro wrestling industry. It would be a change-the-world-like move. But I can’t talk about any pending TV deals.

“A lot of the information that’s out there is very accurate about what we’re seeking to do and how frequently we’re seeking to do it,” Rhodes continued on. “But I don’t want to discourage any future partners. I can say that people have been really calculated about how we roll out announcements. We want to be proper. We can’t just stand on the podium in Jacksonville and say, ‘Hey, here’s the entire business model, here’s all of our plans, here’s x-amount of money.’ We can’t do that. I know the business of the business is very entertaining but I think if people put their trust in us like they have, we won’t let them down.”

AEW presents Double or Nothing on May 25th from the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jim Ross Confirms He’s In Talks With AEW

Just weeks after announcing he’d soon be parting ways with WWE, wrestling legend Jim Ross has confirmed he’s in talks with All Elite Wrestling.

“We’re talking. We’re talking. I just haven’t signed anything yet,” JR said during an interview on Thursday with ESPN’s Outside The Lines. “My people and their people are doing their thing.”

As we previously reported, the WWE Hall of Famer sounded confident that he wouldn’t be out of work for long when he announced his WWE departure on an episode of his podcast.

Check out the clip of JR confirming the AEW talks below.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

AEW Signs Former Impact Knockouts Champion Allie, News On Title Belt Design

On the latest Road to Double or Nothing it was announced former Impact Knockouts Champion Allie has signed with AEW. The above video features Allie meeting with Brandi Rhodes and getting ideas for her new wrestling gear with former WWE seamstress, Sandra Gray.

Allie spoke about how she first got into wrestling and how she’s looking forward to working with All Elite Wrestling.

“Going forward, I really want to make my mark here at AEW,” Allie said. “I feel like even though I’ve had those opportunities, I feel like now I really want to show people what I can do and I don’t know if I had that chance before.”

Allie originally appeared in Impact back in 2013 and signed a contract with them in 2016. Allie has already finished up with Impact Wrestling, according to PWInsider. Allie’s last appearance will air on tomorrow’s episode of Impact. The report stated she knew back in January the company wouldn’t be renewing her deal as they look to refresh the roster. Allie was said to be well liked and ended up keeping the news mostly to herself, so when yesterday’s signing broke that would be when many in Impact were made aware of her exit.

The video below also showed Brandi talking about the design for a new AEW championship title. She noted it will be as large as the Mid-South North American Championship. They are looking to make it unique to AEW, but the size will be in the same ballpark, below is a photo of what the Mid-South North American Championship looked like.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Kenny Omega Appears At DDT Event

AEW brought in DDT Pro-Wrestling Star, Michael Nakazawa, who was joined by Kenny Omega (via video) at the most recent DDT event. Omega wanted to let the crowd know AEW is bringing in Nakazawa, but he will still be appearing for DDT. Omega also teased maybe he’ll show back up in his old stomping grounds in the future.

https://twitter.com/ddtuniverse/status/1108711047160946688

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes Filed For New Trademarks

Earlier this week, Cody Rhodes filed for the following trademarks: “Prince of Wrestling,” “Battlebowl,” “Bash at the Beach,” and “Bunkhouse Stampede,” according to PWInsider. Bunkhouse Stampede (no holds barred steel cage battle royal) and Battlebowl (wrestlers who would not typically team with one another are randomly selected with the winners going to a final battle royal) were invented by Cody’s father, Dusty Rhodes.

In regards to Bash at the Beach (PPV originating in WCW in the early 90s), Cody tweeted out.

Matt Jackson responded to Cody:

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1108450898034851840

Source: Wrestling Inc.

MLW CEO Court Bauer Discusses AEW & States That MLW Talent Can Work Anywhere But WWE

MLW CEO Court Bauer was a guest on Wrestling Inc’s WINCLY podcast. During the interview, he addressed a number of topics, including MLW’s relationship with other companies.

On Wrestlers Working Elsewhere: “We signed MJF and Lucha Bros… we’ve had these guys for a while so there’s a mutual coolness there,” Bauer said. “There’s not a problem. We don’t block anyone from working anywhere. We only have one company where they’re prohibited working for which is WWE.”By doing that, if they end up on national TV somewhere – that’s great exposure. Now people are familiar with you elsewhere and also here.”

On AEW Entering The Mix: “I am very interested in the seeing the direction AEW goes. My philosophy is tide rises all ships. As long as your business is running at a high level and clicking with your fan base, you’re gonna do fine and the fans will support it. The fans will go beyond just one product. If AEW does well…if MLW does well, then that’s great for fans and the talent. It’s great for anyone. For every success story in wrestling, that helps validate it to a larger audience. To licensing people. To TV people. To potential investors….You don’t want a landscape where just one or two companies are successful – that doesn’t indicate a healthy industry.”

On AEW/MLW Wrestlers Leaving To Join AEW Full-Time: “We have very healthy and open lines of communication with [AEW] and I don’t anticipate it being an issue…. Whenever you can find a way to work together and take the ego out of the equation, you find that life is easier and business is better. The business problem people have in wrestling is ego…. Just get over it. It’s important to stay humble but also to be strategic and see the bigger picture.”

AEW Asking Fans To Submit Audition Videos For New Character “The Librarian”

Do you want to be part of AEW? Are you librarian-esque? If so, an opportunity awaits.

On the latest episode of Being the Elite … Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson and Cody Rhodes announced an open casting call for a gimmick called “The Librarian.”

Not a lot of details were given on the new character, but the AEW Executive Vice Presidents called for fans who are interested in playing the role to tweet audition videos to AEW that are up-to-sixty seconds in length using the hashtag #TheLibrarian.

Watch the announcement below.

Wrestling News Blog Podcast Episode Three – Orton & Styles SmackDown Promo, Career of Jerry Jarrett And More

Wrestling News Blog Podcast Episode Three

Segment One – Shooting tragedy in New Zealand

Segment Two – Randy Orton and AJ Styles SmackDown Live Promo

Segment Three – All Elite Wrestling

Segment Four – This past week in wrestling news

Segment Five – Look at the career of wrestling legend Jerry Jarrett

Wrestling News Blog Podcast is available on all major podcast apps such as Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.