Category: AEW

AEW’s Jim Ross Announces He’s Undergone Successful Cancer Surgery

AEW commentator Jim Ross has disclosed that he has successfully undergone cancer surgery on his right hip and thanked everyone for their support.

The WWE Hall of Famer announced on X that the procedure went well.

“Had cancer surgery this morning on my right hip. All went well. Thanks for all your love & support! 🤠💕”

The legendary pro wrestling commentator has had to deal with a few health issues over the last few years. He was previously successfully treated for skin cancer back in 2021, while he suffered a bad fall last year, which gave him a black eye. Ross has also had to deal with a spike in his blood sugar levels and a leg wound which troubled him, especially when traveling. The AEW commentator stepped away from commentary duties last November but made a brief return when the promotion visited Oklahoma. He made his return to the commentary booth on the December 20 edition of “Dynamite,” calling the main event match between Jon Moxley and Jay White. 

In a recent episode of his podcast, he promised to keep fighting and get past the health issues that he has been facing lately. Ross, who joined AEW in 2019, was initially a part of the “AEW Dynamite” commentary team and later joined the “AEW Collision” broadcast team. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Official AEW Rankings For January Released

All Elite Wrestling released the official rankings for January following Wednesday night’s episode of AEW Dynamite.

You can check out the updated AEW rankings below:

MEN’S DIVISION:

World Champion: Samoa Joe
TNT Champion: Christian Cage
1. Swerve Strickland
2. Hangman Adam Page
3. Adam Copeland
4. Jon Moxley
5. Roderick Strong

WOMEN’S DIVISION:

Women’s World Champion: Toni Storm
TBS Champion: Julia Hart
1. Deonna Purrazzo
2. Thunder Rosa
3. Hikaru Shida
4. Skye Blue
5. Mariah May

TAG TEAM DIVISION:

World Tag Team Champions: Ricky Starks & Big Bill
1. Sting & Darby Allin
2. John Silver & Alex Reynolds
3. Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli
4. Private Party
5. Orange Cassidy & Trent Beretta

TRIOS DIVISION:

World Trios Champions: The Acclaimed & “Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn
1. Bullet Club Gold
2. The Hardys & Mark Briscoe
3. Dark Order
4. FTR & Daniel Garcia
5. House of Black

Backstage Update – Kazuchika Okada In Talks With WWE, AEW Confident About Signing Him

Kazuchika Okada’s contract with NJPW expired at midnight Japan Standard Time, making him a free agent.

Pro Wrestling Tees announced that Okada’s shirts will be pulled from the site, which caused fans to speculate about the future of the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.

Fightful is reporting that Pro Wrestling Tees pulling Okada’s merchandise is connected to the expiration of his NJPW contract.

Additionally, while Okada was still technically under contract with NJPW, the Bushiroad promotion was said to be “very understanding” with the 36-year-old wrestler negotiating with other companies since he made it clear he won’t be re-signing. Things are reportedly amicable between both sides.

There have been talks between WWE and Okada. According to certain WWE talents, Okada has spoken to roster members to gauge his potential offers, learn more about WWE’s approach, and help decide his future.

It is to be noted that WWE has not put any creative plans in place for Okada, and no pitches have been made in this regard.

AEW has been fairly confident about signing Okada. In fact, Tony Khan was so confident that AEW put tentative plans together for Okada’s potential debut. AEW has reportedly made a “substantial offer” to Okada.

Barry Bloom is representing Okada and acting as his agent.

Despite the expiration of his NJPW contract, Okada still has some New Japan dates he will be finishing up next month including a final match with Hiroshi Tanahashi scheduled for NJPW’s The New Beginning in Osaka on February 11.

Source: eWn

AEW Dynamite Preview 1/31/2024

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite will air live on TBS from the UNO Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA.

  • Jon Moxley vs. Jeff Hardy
  • Dealer’s Choice: Swerve Strickland vs. an opponent that will be chosen by Hangman Page (Samoa Joe will be on commentary)
  • Dealer’s Choice: Hangman Page vs. Toa Liona
  • Deonna Purrazzo vs. Taya Valkyrie (Toni Storm will be on commentary)
  • Chris Jericho vs. ROH World Television Champion Kyle Fletcher

AEW Collision Preview 1/27/2024

AEW Collision Live tonight on TNT at 8pm ET. Tonight’s show is being held at the Brookshire Grocery Arena in Bossier City, Louisiana.

  • Escape The Cage Elimination Match: FTR & Daniel Garcia vs. House Of Black
  • AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Komander
  • Bryan Danielson vs. Yugi Nagata
  • Jon Moxley & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Shayne Taylor & Lee Moriarty
  • Mariah May vs. Lady Frost
  • Proving Ground Match: Eddie Kingston vs. Willie Mack
  • Serena Deeb vs. TBA

AEW Rampage Preview 1/26/2024

Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT.

  • Jon Moxley vs. Lee Moriarty
  • International Championship number one contender’s match, winner faces Orange Cassidy on Collision: El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Komander vs. Kip Sabian vs. The Butcher
  • Anna Jay vs. Ruby Soho
  • Konosuke Takeshita vs. Christopher Daniels

AEW Dynamite Preview 1/24/2024

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS from the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia.

  • AEW World Trios Championship: The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens) and “Daddy Ass” Billy Gunn (c) vs. Mogul Embassy (Brian Cage, Toa Liona and Kaun)
  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Adam Copeland (Tony Khan announced on social media that this match will air commercial free)
  • Hangman Page vs. Penta El Zero Miedo
  • Jeff Hardy vs. Swerve Strickland
  • Wardlow vs Trent Beretta
  • Thunder Rosa vs. Red Velvet
  • “Timeless” Toni Storm and Deonna Purrazzo face-to-face
  • Sting and Darby Allin to speak

AEW Collision Preview 1/20/2024

Tonight’s AEW Collision Live on TNT from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, MO.

  • Adam Copeland Open Challenge
  • Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson vs. Eddie Kingston and Ortiz
  • Buddy Matthews vs. Daniel Garcia
  • Jon Moxley vs. Shane Taylor
  • Thunder Rosa in action

AEW Rampage Preview 1/19/2024

Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT.

  • Darby Allin vs. Jeff Hardy
  • Chris Jericho vs. Matt Sydal
  • Kris Statlander vs. Queen Aminata
  • Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Anthony Henry

Black Taurus Reportedly Signs With AEW/ROH

The last two months have been busy for luchador Black Taurus. The former AAA Latin American Champion wrapped up his commitments to TNA/Impact Wrestling, then made two notable appearances in Ring of Honor and AEW, challenging El Hijo del Vikingo for the AAA Mega Championship on both occasions. Earlier this month, Taurus announced he would be departing AAA, his home of the last several years in Mexico, furthering speculation on whether a move to AEW/ROH could be more permanent.

As it turns out, it will be, as Luchablog reports that Taurus has secured a deal with AEW and ROH. However, he will compete in both promotions under a new name, as Taurus will be dropping both the “Black Taurus” and “Taurus” names going forward, due to “Taurus” being the intellectual property of AAA.

The situation is made murkier by Taurus owning the “Black Taurus” name, which he came up in 2016 after leaving AAA, and continued to use in the US and in the Mexican independent scene upon rejoining the promotion in 2018. Despite that, Taurus nor AEW/ROH are expected to challenge AAA on the matter, and it is believed Taurus has been preparing for the possibility of working under a new persona for some time.

It’s unclear what this means for the relationship between AAA and AEW, which began back in 2019. There have been rocky periods for the partnership since, including Dragon Lee announcing he had signed a WWE contract on a late 2022 AAA show after he and his brother Dralistico defeated AEW team FTR to win the AAA World Tag Team Championships. AAA also recently reaffirmed their relationship with TNA at the latter’s Hard to Kill PPV event last weekend, another potential sign of souring between the AEW and AAA.

Source: Wrestling Inc.