Category: AEW

Chris Jericho Appears At CMLL Viernes Event, Ambushes Mistico

Chris Jericho made a surprise appearance at the CMLL Viernes Espectacular event in Mexico City on Friday night.

The former AEW World Champion, under a luchador mask, interfered during a match between Mistico and Averno, attacking Mistico.

Jericho subsequently challenged Mistico to a match, delivering a promo to express his intentions.

He said, “I’m very happy to be here. A huge part of my life was Mexico and wrestling in Mexico City and living in Mexico City, all across the country. Many people say I am the greatest of all time. But tonight, [Translated from Spanish], I am the best wrestler of all time. Mistico, you are not on my level. You are not in my nest. I am the heart of a lion. You are the heart of a mouse.”

Jericho continued in English, “Mistico, I will challenge you anytime, anyplace, anywhere. You say the word. You call Arena Mexico your house. Thirty years ago, Arena Mexico was my house, and I’m coming back to take my house away from you.”

You can check out Jericho’s promo below:

AEW Rampage Preview 6/28/2024

AEW returns with a new episode of Rampage tonight on TNT, continuing the build for AEW X NJPW Forbidden Door 2024.

  • TNT Championship Qualifying Match: El Phantasmo vs. AR Fox
  • Gabe Kidd & Roderick Strong vs. The Infantry
  • Orange Cassidy vs. The Outrunners
  • Queen Aminata vs. Skye Blue
  • Shingo Takagi vs. Dalton Castle

Penta El Zero Miedo Open To Joining WWE After AEW Contract Expires

The competition to secure the services of a prominent AEW star is expected to intensify as his contract approaches expiration.

This notable talent is Penta El Zero Miedo, whose contract will conclude between August and September 2024. The Luchador has achieved considerable success in AEW, particularly as part of the Lucha Bros alongside his brother Rey Fenix.

Penta’s diverse portfolio has contributed to numerous promotions, including AAA, MLW, TNA Impact, CMLL, and Lucha Underground. The 39-year-old wrestler is an impressive former one-time TNA World Champion and a two-time Lucha Underground Champion.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Penta is open to departing from AEW and is receptive to joining WWE.

AEW President Tony Khan has publicly expressed confidence in retaining Penta. In a recent interview, Penta confirmed that he has not engaged in discussions with WWE. This statement complies with regulations against contract tampering. Legally, WWE can only initiate talks with Penta once his AEW contract expires.

However, Penta has indicated his willingness to explore opportunities, emphasizing the significance of this upcoming contract decision as potentially the final major deal of his career.

Source: eWn

Report – New AEW-WBD TV Deal To Be Announced Imminently

There have been ongoing discussions regarding the TV rights deal between AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery, which is set to expire at the end of this year, and a resolution may be imminent.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO and President, David Zaslav, along with TNT Sports Head Luis Silberwasser, are interested in retaining the five hours of AEW programming per week on TNT and TBS, featuring Dynamite, Rampage, and Collision. The reported figures being negotiated exceed the estimated $110 million annual mark.

AEW has partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery since its inception in 2019. During this time, the promotion successfully recruited top talent and grew to become the second-largest wrestling promotion globally. The exclusive negotiation period between AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery is now close to expiring.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the deal is expected to be announced, possibly before the exclusive negotiation window ends.

Dave Meltzer also mentioned the conflicting reports circulating about the ongoing discussions. He noted,

“There are expectations the deal would be announced imminently, maybe even before the expiration of the exclusive window for negotiating that is just about over. I will say that we’ve gotten people who say they know from all over saying completely contradictory things about the talks.”

Meltzer further stated that AEW President Tony has indicated that the new deal is positive and transformative, while competitors have reportedly suggested otherwise, demonstrating the complexities of these negotiations.

AEW is set to present the 2024 Forbidden Door pay-per-view event in partnership with NJPW this Sunday.

Source: eWn

Warner Bros. Discovery Implementing Stricter Language Policies For AEW

Warner Bros. Discovery has seemingly adopted a more stringent approach towards profanity on their broadcasts.

Explicit language was prominent in prior episodes of AEW Dynamite, but recent broadcasts have indicated an increased use of censorship.

The June 26th episode of AEW Dynamite notably featured instances where certain words and phrases were censored, including during a promo by MJF.

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer remarked on the apparent shift in Warner Bros. Discovery’s stance on profanity, noting even the censorship of mild language, which was not a common practice.

Meltzer said, ”There’s definitely something that’s changed in WBD when it comes to language because they were bleeping tame stuff and they used to let almost everything go. Somebody somewhere has decided that what they were doing before is no longer kosher.”

Despite these changes, AEW continues to offer an edgier product with depictions of blood and violence. Whether Warner Bros. Discovery will extend its scrutiny to the level of violence depicted in AEW programming remains to be seen.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Star Rhea Ripley Marries AEW’s Buddy Matthews

WWE star Rhea Ripley and AEW star Buddy Matthews have announced that they have gotten married.

Ripley posted a photo of the two kissing on social media, revealing that the couple got married on June 23, 2024. “Til death. 🖤 23.06.24,” said Ripley’s comment along with the photo.

The Australian couple started dating in 2022 and got engaged last year. A recent report revealed that Matthews was written off AEW television on the June 15 edition of “AEW Collision” so that he could return back to Australia to spend time with his family. On the show, Matthews was attacked backstage by The Patriarchy to write him off television.

Ripley recently discussed her relationship with Matthews, stating that the couple are happy about each others’ success in their respective pro wrestling companies. She added that Matthews isn’t threatened by her top position in WWE and that the AEW star is comfortable with what she’s doing. Ripley has been sidelined from WWE since April and had to relinquish her WWE Women’s World Championship after suffering a legitimate shoulder injury. As per a recent report, The Judgment Day member could potentially return to WWE at SummerSlam, which is set to take place on August 3.

Following her hiatus from WWE, Ripley’s on-screen partner, Dominik Mysterio, has been in an ongoing romantic storyline with Liv Morgan, the current Women’s World Champion, who was also the reason for Ripley’s injury.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 6/26/2024

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite, live on TBS from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.

  • AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland and AEW International Champion Will Ospreay vs. Gates of Agony (Toa Liona and Bishop Kaun)
  • Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Quarterfinal: Jay White vs. Rey Fenix
  • Trios Match: Blackpool Combat Club’s (Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta) vs. LIJ (Shingo Takagi, Titan and Hiromu Takahashi). Bryan Danielson will be on commentary for this match.
  • Saraya, Harley Cameron and Anna Jay vs. AEW World Women’s Champion Toni Storm, Mariah May and Mina Shirakawa
  • Kyle O’Reilly vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
  • MJF to appear
  • We will hear from Daniel Garcia
  • We will hear from TBS Champion Mercedes Mone’

Update On Ricky Starks’ Status Amidst AEW Absence

AEW has encountered challenges utilizing its extensive talent roster despite having multiple hours of weekly television.

In recent weeks, fans have expressed a strong desire to see the return of Ricky Starks, who has been absent from AEW programming for several months.

Starks’ last appearance was on the March 30 episode of AEW Collision, during which he suffered an injury scare, leading to a change in the planned match outcome.

Since that match, Starks has publicly stated that he is not injured and expressed uncertainty regarding AEW’s decision not to involve him in programming. Meanwhile, AEW President Tony Khan has publicly expressed his desire to bring Starks back to television.

Fightful has now shared an update on Stark’s status with AEW. According to sources within the promotion, Starks has turned down specific proposed storyline ideas despite conflicting accounts.

Some sources claim that Starks declined only one storyline pitch in recent months, while the extent to which he rejected other ideas remains to be determined.

According to reports, there were concerns regarding fan reaction when Starks was not booked at AEW All In 2023. This led to the development of a suspension storyline.

Additionally, at that time, Starks was reluctant to be part of a tag team and was dissatisfied with the lack of follow-up to his match with Bryan Danielson. Starks perceived the conclusion of last summer as a pivotal moment in his booking, noting a slowdown in his momentum following CM Punk’s departure.

Criticism has emerged within AEW regarding Starks’ approach to potential storylines. While some within the company have expressed disappointment at his reluctance to engage in proposed creative directions, others involved in the storytelling process had hoped to use these opportunities to elevate different characters.

Further reports suggest that there’s been internal disagreement within AEW regarding communication between Starks and the management.

Moreover, conflicting information about Starks’ aspirations has surfaced, with speculation that he may be considering a move to WWE. However, the specifics of his AEW contractual status remain unknown.

Source: eWn

AEW Collision Preview 6/22/2024

AEW Collision tonight on TNT from the PPLCenter in Allentown, PA.

  • AEW International Championship : Will Ospreay (c) vs. Brian Cage
  • AEW Continental Championship Eliminator Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Ultimo Guerrero
  • Samoa Joe, HOOK, and Katsuyori Shibata vs. Premier Athletes
  • Chris Jericho & Big Bill vs. Private Party
  • The Patriarchy vs. The Iron Savages & Jacked Jameson
  • Brody King & Malakai Black vs. TBA

AEW Rampage Preview 6/21/2024

Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT

  • Forbidden Door TNT Title Ladder Match qualifier: Lio Rush vs. Action Andretti
  • Women’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament quarterfinal: Willow Nightingale vs. Serena Deeb
  • Shingo Takagi vs. AR Fox
  • Private Party vs. Komander & Metalik