AEW Collision and Rampage on TNT.
Collision:
Rampage:
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.
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 live on TBA from the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett, Washington.
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.
Bryan Danielson is in his final full-time year as a pro wrestler, closing the chapter on one of the most storied careers in history. With his run set to wind down, Danielson told “Casual Conversations” that he still has a few things to check off his bucket list, including an appearance at All In 2024 at Wembley Stadium. However, he confirmed that his current contract is due to expire before the London event in August.
“The big one is Wembley. I want to make it to Wembley,” he said. “My contract actually expires before. But I want to make it to Wembley.”
Danielson opined that Wembley differs from other iconic wrestling venues, such as Arena Mexico or the Tokyo Dome, in that it’s not one typically synonymous with the sport. He reasoned that it held a different energy to the others he has wrestled at, and given that he was unavailable for last year’s All In event, he wants to cross off that goal this year. Furthermore, he might stick around longer, as he feels that October’s WrestleDream event would be a great curtain call.
“I’m not sure if I’ll make it. But one thing that’d be a nice way to close everything out for me is to do my last match as a full-time wrestler at WrestleDream at the Tacoma Dome. Because that’s the first wrestling show I ever saw [at the Tacoma Dome]. It was WWF and it was Ultimate Warrior versus Rick Rude.”
Bryan Danielson joined AEW in 2021 months after departing WWE, signing a three-year deal with the promotion. He confirmed that this would be his final year of full-time competition ahead of the Continental Classic late last year. However, Danielson has not been seen on TV since losing to Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
AEW Collision & Rampage live on TBS from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Collision:
Rampage:
Kenny Omega will be undergoing surgery for diverticulitis in the very near future.
On his latest Twitch stream, Omega revealed that he’ll be undergoing surgery “very, very soon.”
You can check out some highlights from the stream below:
On his health: “I did have to go back to the hospital. The good news is that I was able to get some pre-op stuff done. It’s a double-edged sword, it’s good news and bad news. The good news is, I have a wonderful doctor and he is someone who is the top of his field. He is very hard to get appointments and surgeries with. However, he’s done me a solid. I will actually be getting surgery very, very, very soon. Unfortunately for me, it means I have to leave town again. However, again, this guy is the top in his field. Even though it’s a major surgery, I do feel the most comfortable with this individual. So, even though there are always worries going into a major surgery, if there is one person I feel the most confident with, it’s this dude.
“Bad news is, it’s like an end of an era because sadly this may be my last stream in a while. I’d like to say that I can get it done and appear in front of a computer, but it probably won’t work that way. When I feel good and can travel up a flight of stairs or whatever, I’d love to hop in front of a monitor and maybe hang out and chat. That’s coming up right away. Right away, right away. A couple of days. I’m looking forward to it. A little bit of nerves, but to have such a capable doctor that I was able to have take care of this as quickly as he is, I do feel fortunate and that luck was on my side a little bit. There is good and bad. I’m feeling good about it and I’m optimistic.”
On dealing with the potential that he may not return: “There was a moment when I was dealing with this stuff where I wasn’t sure if I could come back. I was actually leaning towards, not leaning towards, but heavily considering the possibility that I might not ever (return). Had I needed to announce my retirement, I felt like I was in a place where I could have done with a smile on my face because I feel I’ve had a wonderful career and I’ve had fun doing this and I’ve met a lot of great people and I’ve been able to do things I never thought I would be able to do.”
On being optimistic about his chances: “However, now I feel like, with the individual I’m going to see and the rundown he’s given me on the way he will do the procedure, it’s so much different than what I was told here in Orlando. It opened up the door for the possibility for not only a comeback, but I might, you never know, but I might be able to come back about as good before my title run. We’re talking early days AEW level of Kenny Omega where, a little beat up from past injuries. I do believe that’s when the diverticulitis started was the beginning days of AEW. Before the broken nose, hernia, shoulder, knee, all that stuff. Those aches and pains, a lot of them still exist. I always thought the diverticulitis was my hernia. I thought the mesh had burst. It was something else completely.
“I guess it dates back to early 2020 when I started making appearances for Triple A. I’ve been fighting this thing, in the early stages, for about four years. When I actually had a herniation, I thought, ‘We got it, we nailed it, that’s the reason why my stomach hurts.’ That was just one of many problems. It’s given me a chance to consider a new Kenny Omega, repackaging, and sort of rebranding before I come back. To what degree? I don’t know, I guess we’ll see how I feel. In a perfect world, I would like to come back better than I was before. It’s not my prime; those days are done, but I want to come back differently and bring something new to the table. A lot of same these days. It’s making me sick.”
We send our best wishes to Omega for a quick and full recovery.
Source: eWn
Sammy Guevara has been absent from AEW television for months due to the company suspending him after a scary incident involving Jeff Hardy during a No DQ Match on an episode of AEW Rampage.
Guevara was suspended due to his failure to follow the concussion protocol.
Dave Meltzer reported the following in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
“Sammy Guevara is no longer suspended, but there’s no word on when he’ll be cycled back into storylines. There has been stuff pitched but nothing confirmed.”
Source: eWn
The recent reveal that Chuck Taylor is retired reportedly isn’t just for show, but the 38-year-old wrestler is actually finished in the ring.
After a brutal parking lot brawl with Trent Beretta, Orange Cassidy shared the news that Taylor’s injuries have forced the wrestler to retire from in-ring competition.
In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s noted that what was said on TV was accurate and “the belief right now is that Taylor won’t be able to wrestle again.”
The report noted that there could be “wiggle room” which may explain why Taylor himself did not make the announcement on AEW programming.
On the May 8 edition of “AEW Dynamite,” Excalibur explained that Taylor’s fractured ankle has caused bone necrosis, and fragments are now underneath his cartilage. The report notes that “Superstar” Billy Graham had the same issues of bones dying in his ankle and hip.
The report noted that the AEW roster is full of people who have been medically retired in the past like Adam Copeland, Bryan Danielson, Katsuyori Shibata, and more, but that even if Taylor has surgery on his injured ankle, he still might not be able to come back. Taylor has been a member of the AEW roster since the company’s inception in 2019, where he and Beretta wrestled on the inaugural Double or Nothing pay-per-view against The Hybrid 2. He is also a former two-time PWG World Champion and has even tag team gold with the likes of WWE Superstars Drew McIntyre and Johnny Gargano.
On this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Cassidy defeated Trent but was attacked after the match with Beretta hitting a piledriver on the steel steps.
Sources: eWn & Wrestling Inc.
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