All Elite Wrestling will kick off the path to the All In Summer Series with tonight’s episode of AEW Collision.
Tonight’s live broadcast follows last week’s taped show and marks the beginning of AEW’s summer residency in Arlington, Texas, featuring five weeks of shows at the Esports Stadium Arlington. The episode will air live on TNT starting at 8:00 PM EST.
AEW World Trios Championship Match: Bang Bang Gang vs. The Patriarchy
Lumberjack Match: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Thunder Rosa
Sammy Guevara has been absent from AEW programming, suspended after not following concussion protocol in a match against Jeff Hardy. Hardy’s contract with AEW expired last month, but Guevara still hasn’t been back on television.
According to Fightful Select, Guevara’s suspension has been up for some time now, as reported back in May, and the former AEW TNT Champion could be making a comeback soon. A return of some kind has reportedly been discussed though there are no details on when or how the controversial star will be brought back to AEW programming. While Guevara was punished for his behavior in the Jeff Hardy match, it is said that he was praised backstage for the No DQ match he had with Powerhouse Hobbs the following week.
Guevara injured Hardy during a Shooting Star Press, and AEW concussion protocol required Guevara to immediately finish the match, which Guevara did not do, citing a miscommunication as the reason he continued the match as planned. Guevara’s suspension had reportedly caused ripple effects leading to whatever plans were made after his reunion with his longtime mentor Chris Jericho being scrapped. Jericho has since been embroiled in a feud with Hook, joined by Big Bill and Bryan Keith in Jericho’s “Learning Tree” persona.
Jeff Hardy has since returned to TNA Wrestling, alongside his brother Matt, where both wrestlers are working as free agents.
Britt Baker has opened up on her transient ischemic attack while she was away from the ring.
During a recent interview with Renee Paquette, the DMD commented on dealing with two herniated disks and an injured hip labrum which led to the attack.
You can check out some highlights from the interview below:
On suffering the TIA: “It was the weirdest thing. I was in Orlando with my hairstylist Amanda, the best in Orlando. I was sitting down and I just remember I felt sick. Something was off and the room was spinning. I was sick, nauseous, sweating. Something was not right. She could tell right away, ‘Are you okay?’ (She) asked me if I needed water. Definitely needed water. First thing that came to mind was something with my neck. When I had the spinning, and vertigo, it must be something with the neck. She hands me the water, I go to open it, and my right side just doesn’t work. It was numb and couldn’t work. She noticed it and (opened the water for me). We both panicked at the same time and was like, ‘I think you need to go to the hospital.’ ‘I’m okay, let’s just finish my hair,’ which we did. Insane.
“It got worse and worse. As soon as we were done, ‘I’m gonna go (to the hospital).’ I actually drove myself, it was two blocks away, to the hospital. It was stupid. I should not have done that. When you go to the emergency room, you expect to wait. I’m thinking it’s going to be hours before I get seen. They took me in right away. Over the intercom, I hear them say, ‘Stroke patient coming back.’ They tested some stuff, looked in my eyes, and reflexes, put me in a wheelchair and the next thing I know, I’m wheeled back, they’re sticking needles in me and all the stickers to go and get tests. It was very quick. Next thing I knew, I’m in my own room with a pamphlet on being a stroke victim. It felt like a minute had gone by since I was getting my hair done and then admitted to the hospital for a week for a mini-stroke.”
On believing that it wouldn’t happen to her: “It was a big reality check of, you have to listen to yourself. When you’re stressed and overwhelmed mentally, emotionally, and physically, you have to listen to your body and chill the fuck out sometimes. So many of us fall into, ‘We have to go. We have to be there for AEW, Tony (Khan), the fans, this and that.’ Every now and again, we have to be there for us, too. We need to chill and relax.”
On if there are any lingering effects: “Nothing. Total recovery. If anything, it put me in a good mindset to focus on me and my body, my mind, everything. Training like a beast. I’ve been living in the gym.”
Changes are reportedly coming to AEW’s sister promotion, Ring of Honor. The promotion popularized by the likes of Bryan Danielson and Samoa Joe was acquired by Tony Khan in 2022 after going on hiatus at the end of 2021, and has since been run adjacent to AEW with its titles defended on weekly TV, even with a weekly show on its HonorClub streaming platform and dedicated pay-per-view events throughout the year.
A new report from Fightful Select indicates, however, that there will be more care given to ROH. The upcoming tapings from Arlington, Texas were noted as something to be a “turning point,” with the brand getting its own dedicated taped shows. A source reportedly indicated that this should lead to more consistent creative as a result of the show getting consistent treatment as opposed to tapings held at AEW shows.
Mansoor and Mason Madden’s recent signing with ROH was pointed to, said to have been brought in specifically for the brand. It was also indicated that champions were going to be more present on ROH shows going forward. The report made note that inquiries were made pertaining to ROH as it relates to AEW’s ongoing media right saga, but there wasn’t any update on that front. Khan has previously made it known that he wanted to align his brands in coordination with his present relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery, wanting to be cautious with discussions with other parties, but the brand has not been mentioned as on the table during current negotiations recently.
All Elite Wrestling has been fortunate enough to have some of its major stars return from injury in recent months, including MJF, Kyle O”Reilly, and Dr. Britt Baker. One person who still has yet to return, however, is Jamie Hayter. The former AEW Women’s World Champion was last seen at the 2023 Double or Nothing pay-per-view where she lost the belt to Toni Storm, and had reportedly been working through an injury at the time. She’s now been out of action for more than a year, with little to no word on the nature of the injury or when she might be ready to return. On Thursday, a new report from Fightful Select didn’t exactly provided good news, but it did give us a little more information and perhaps the hope that Hayter might be back soon.
The report stated that Hayter was backstage at a recent episode of “AEW Dynamite” as the roster had to undergo their yearly physicals. While it was noted that talent who weren’t being used on TV still had to show up for physicals, Fightful claims the feeling inside AEW is that the backstage appearance indicated “some positive movement towards a potential recovery for Hayter.” There’s also a sense of optimism about a potential return for Hayter as far as some AEW talent are concerned, primarily because her name has been brought up in match pitches in case she is cleared.
Hayter is said to largely be keeping to herself during her recovery and rarely makes backstage appearances, which has contributed to the lack of information about her injury and rehabilitation. While there has been discussion of her possibly returning by the end of 2024, there is still no official timetable, though Fightful’s sources in AEW remain broadly confident that she will return at some point.
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