Category: AEW

Health Update On AEW Commentator Jim Ross Following ER Visit

Ahead of AEW Double or Nothing this Sunday, commentator Jim Ross revealed yesterday that he had checked himself into a Norman, Oklahoma, emergency room after experiencing shortness of breath. Later in the evening, Ross posted an update showing himself recovering in a hospital bed with his two daughters at his side.

https://twitter.com/JRsBBQ/status/1793786184268751343

Today’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter offered a slight update on Ross. The commentator obviously won’t make it to Sunday’s pay-per-view, which he was scheduled to appear at. In addition to an elevated heart rate, Dave Meltzer reports that Ross has a Class A flu, the most common form of the virus, as well as raised heart enzymes. However, the 72-year-old is expected to recover and return home within the next few days.

Ross has dealt with a series of health issues over the last several years, including a cancer diagnosis and complications that arose from his treatment. Earlier this month, Ross provided an update on his health by stating that he felt the best he had in years, was still in remission from skin cancer, and the wound from his radiation treatment was close to fully healing.
 
This weekend’s pay-per-view marks the fifth anniversary of AEW, which Ross has been an important part of since the beginning. The former WWE commentator was one of the company’s first hires, calling the inaugural Double or Nothing in 2019 along with many shows that followed. In light of his health struggles, Ross stepped back from full-time commentary in 2022 but continues to call matches part-time for the promotion. The wrestling veteran revealed that his AEW contract expires next year, at which time Ross will likely retire from commentary.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Sting’s Son Reportedly Training To Be A Professional Wrestler

WWE Hall of Famer and former AEW World Tag Team Champion Sting retired earlier this year, wrestling his last match not only alongside Darby Allin but also his sons Steven and Garrett. Sting’s sons dressed up as versions of their father’s past, with Garrett playing “Surfer Sting” and Steven playing “Wolfpac Sting,” and it seems getting in the ring has lit a fire for the business under at least one of them.

Fightful Select is reporting that Steven Borden is currently training with Allin for a possible career in professional wrestling. Allin revealed the information in an interview set to be released on Thursday. Allin has a ring in his backyard, and the appearance at AEW Revolution inspired Sting’s scion to pursue wrestling training — Steven is said to be sleeping in Darby’s front yard in a tent while he trains. Steven, a college football player, had previously said he was hesitant about joining pro wrestling, calling his future in the business “murky,” but had noted the emotional high”he got from performing for fans.

Sting and Allin were ultimately successful at Revolution thanks to the help from the Bordens, defeating Matt and Nick Jackson in Sting’s final match. Sting and Allin then relinquished their World Tag Team Championship, which ended up back in the hands of The Jacksons at AEW Dynasty after they defeated FTR in a ladder match for the vacant titles, thanks to an assist by the returning Jack Perry.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 5/22/2024

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS from the Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, California.

  • AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland vs. Nick Wayne
  • Orange Cassidy and Will Ospreay vs. Trent Beretta and AEW International Champion Roderick Strong
  • Konosuke Takeshita vs. Matt Sydal
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Toni Storm & Mariah May vs. Saraya and Harley Cameron
  • Kyle O’Reilly vs. Malakai Black
  • FTW Title Eliminator 3-Way: HOOK vs. Bryan Keith vs. Katsuyori Shibata
  • Bryan Danielson vs. Satnam Singh
  • Bullet Club Gold will appear

AEW Star Tay Melo Training For Return To The Ring

AEW star Tay Melo is training to make her return to an AEW wrestling ring.

Melo took to X on Monday noting that she is happy to be able to be in the ring again. She also said that with a lot of patience she will get ready to be back.

Melo has been out of in-ring competition for over a year due to a back injury and then her maternity leave. Last November, Melo and her husband Sammy Guevara welcomed their first child. She and Guevara made the announcement at last year’s Double or Nothing that Melo was pregnant.

Source: eWn

Eddie Kingston To Undergo Surgery, Will Be Out 9 Months

Eddie Kingston will require surgery for his leg injury that he suffered during his match with Gabe Kidd at the NJPW Resurgence event. Kingston suffered a tibular fracture during the bout.

Kingston confirmed to Pwinsider that he suffered tears to his ACL and meniscus and will need surgery. It is said that Kingston will be out for around nine months.

Kingston said, “This part of the game. Injuries happen. I will be back.”

Source: eWn

AEW Collision & Rampage Preview 5/18/2024

AEW Collision and Rampage on TNT.

Collision:

  • Will Ospreay vs. Shane Taylor
  • Serena Deeb vs. Anna Jay
  • FTW Contender Series: Katsuyori Shibata vs. Rocky Romero
  • FTW Contender Series: HOOK vs. Johnny TV
  • Bryan Danielson & FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) vs. Lance Archer & The Righteous (Vincent & Dutch)

Rampage:

  • Deonna Purrazzo vs. Robyn Renegade
  • Kyle O’Reilly vs. Lee Moriarty
  • Brian Cage vs. Anthony Bowens
  • Rush in action

ROH Women’s Champion Athena Reportedly Suffers Injury During Latest Taping

The “Forever” ROH Women’s Champion, Athena, reportedly sustained an injury during the ROH portion of last night’s “AEW Collision” tapings. According to PWInsider, Athena suffered the injury during a spot which saw her charge through the middle ropes, landing hard on the outside, and was seen limping when she returned to the ring.

Upon her return, Athena landed a forearm smash to her opponent, who kicked out of the first pinfall attempt but stayed down for a second, wrapping up the match. It’s noted that Athena appeared to have relayed her injury to the referee in between the pin attempts. Athena was said to have remained in character after the match, but would not put any weight on her left leg and hopped out with assistance from the referee and another staffer. She was reportedly checked out after the match, but there has yet to be an update on the nature or the significance of the issue.

Athena has been the ROH Women’s Champion for 525 days, after first capturing the title from Mercedes Martinez in December 2022. Back in December last year, she outlined 2024 as the year she would like to take another stab at dominating AEW TV again, further setting her sights on the TBS and AEW Women’s World Championships as part of her goal of being the women’s triple crown champion. She had made somewhat of a stride towards that goal in April, returning to AEW programming to defend her title against Red Velvet at “Battle of the Belts X.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW’s Eddie Kingston Injured, Darby Allin Returned, Will Replace Kingston In Anarchy In The Arena Match At Double Or Nothing

This past weekend, Eddie Kingston lost his NJPW Strong Openweight Championship at NJPW Strong Resurgence in a No Ropes Last Man Standing Match against Gabe Kidd, which saw Kingston suplexed out of the ring, his leg colliding with the barricade. It was recently speculated that Kingston was dealing with a legitimate, significant injury and the worst seems to be confirmed.

On “AEW Dynamite,” AEW EVPs Matt and Nick Jackson explained that Kingston was too injured to compete in the upcoming Anarchy In The Arena Match at AEW Double or Nothing on May 26. Kingston was supposed to team with FTR and former rival Bryan Danielson to defend AEW’s honor against The New Elite’s Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, Kazuchika Okada, and Jack Perry. There is no word on how long Kingston will be out of action. While the barricade legitimately injured Kingston, The Young Bucks and Jack Perry added narrative salt in the wound by attacking the former ROH World Champion after his loss. The attack marked the Bucks’ first time back in an NJPW ring since before AEW was founded in 2019.

Kingston took to Instagram to share a photo of him, seated in a wheelchair, smoking a cigar, captioned with a quote from famed amateur wrestler Dan Gable.

Kingston will be replaced by former AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin, who returned from numerous injuries, including being hit by a bus, to help FTR and Danielson fight off the New Elite at the end of the episode. According to Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez, Allin said he is not 100% heading into the brutal match, as on top of his many injuries, a superplex during the show’s main event led to Allin getting hit in the head with a beam while he was hiding under the ring.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 5/15/2024

AEW Dynamite live on TBA from the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington.

  • AEW World title eliminator: Swerve Strickland vs. Brian Cage
  • Jon Moxley & Bryan Danielson vs. Kyle Fletcher & Jeff Cob
  • AEW Continental Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Dax Harwood
  • The Young Bucks vs. Matt Sydal & Christopher Daniels
  • Toni Storm vs. Harley Cameron
  • Mercedes Mone-Willow Nightingale contract signing
  • Will Ospreay-Roderick Strong face-to-face
  • Adam Copeland calls out Malakai Black for Double or Nothing.
  • Hook returns

The Latest Update On AEW-WBD Potential Media Rights Deal Ahead Of Upfronts

AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery have not yet reached a new television deal, and it is not expected to be part of WBD’s upfront presentation on Wednesday. 

A recent report from Fightful Select provides further insights into the ongoing negotiations between AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery and the expected timeline for a new rights deal announcement.

Sources close to the matter suggest that the announcement of a new deal is being closely guarded, with a probable timeframe for the announcement being summer to fall.

The report highlights the uncertainty surrounding the end date of AEW’s exclusivity deal with WBD, which is expected to continue into the summer. However, a firm date for its conclusion remains unknown. A pilot for a new AEW-related program with WBD was slated to be announced for social media channels this week. It is said that the program is not a reality show.

According to sources at WBD, there has been ongoing interest in the company to include AEW pay-per-view events on HBO Max. Discussions between the two parties have been in progress for an extended period of time to determine the specifics of this potential agreement. Initial proposals for this arrangement were put forth as early as last year.

These sources have also indicated that nearly every agreement made by WBD is strategically aligned with Max, emphasizing a heightened focus on the streaming platform compared to when AEW originally entered into its last agreement with WBD.

Additionally, there have been rumors that WBD may lose its media rights to the NBA. If this were to occur, the company reportedly plans to reinvest funds to maintain its position on cable and explore other properties to attract viewers.

It remains unknown whether this potential reinvestment will involve AEW. With that being said, AEW Dynamite almost always ranks number one on all of cable TV on Wednesday nights without any competition from the NBA/NHL or other sporting events. Sources from both parties have spoken highly of each other and the negotiation process continues.

Source: Wrestling Inc.