Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT at 10/9C.
- Hangman Page vs. Wheeler Yuta
- AEW Women’s Champion Jamie Hayter vs. Emi Sakura in a title eliminator match
- Best Friends & Danhausen vs. Jeff Jarrett, Satnam Singh & Jay Lethal
- Powerhouse Hobbs vs. TBA
Category: AEW
Warner Bros. Discovery Reportedly Banned The Briscoes For More Than Jay’s Offensive Slurs
Mark Briscoe appeared on “AEW Dynamite” this past Wednesday and took on Jay Lethal to honor the memory of Jay Briscoe, who passed away earlier this month. However, Tony Khan confirmed that he “fought hard” to get Mark on the show as Warner Bros. Discovery executives previously banned them from appearing on AEW programming on TBS and TNT. Furthermore, their reasons for doing so were reportedly two-fold.
Previously, it was noted that WBD had a problem with Jay’s homophobic tweet from 2013, for which he apologized several times in the years that followed. At first, it was assumed that Mark had been banned because he was associated with his brother, but the latest edition of the “Wrestling Observer Newsletter” reported that WBD executives had issues with the Briscoes for wearing the Confederate Flag on their gear in the past.
Per the “WON” article, this is why AEW wasn’t allowed to host a tribute show for Jay on TBS or TNT following his death. AEW’s deal with WBD means that the media company has the power to ban anyone from AEW programming, so the situation was out of Khan’s hands until he convinced the relevant executives to reconsider.
It now seems that WBD has relaxed its stance regarding Mark Briscoe showing up on AEW television. Earlier this week, it was revealed that he’s been given the green light to appear on AEW television going forward. Meanwhile, the latest episode of “Dynamite” featured a tribute video for Jay and discussions about his career from the show’s commentary team.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
AEW Hit With Copyright Lawsuit Over Luchasaurus’ Mask Design
A lawsuit has been filed over the mask design used by AEW’s Luchasaurus.
On December 20, Composite Effects, LLC made a legal complaint against AEW and Austin Matelson (the real identity of Luchasurus), claiming that copyrighted material is being used for merchandise without the designer’s permission.
Composite Effects claims that it owns licensing and design rights for the mask, which AEW has overstepped by producing merchandise. They state the following,
“Matelson was entitled to use the mask in events as a wrestler, but neither he nor anyone acting on his behalf was entitled to create merchandise that incorporated the mask design.”
The lawsuit features various examples of AEW using the mask design for merchandise, including on t-shirts and for action figures.
Matelson worked with Composite Effects in late 2016 for a modified version of their ‘Viper Silicone Mask’ and a modified version was created in March 2019 to add horns.
Composite Effects claims it wrote messages in 2022 to AEW and Matelson asking them to stop using the design or come to a licensing agreement, but no deal was made.
The case is filed in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana, where Composite Effects is based.
Source: eWrestlingNews
AEW Jay Briscoe Tribute Show Now Available For Free Online
The day after Jay Briscoe’s tragic passing, AEW was denied the opportunity to present a tribute show on “AEW Dynamite,” reportedly due to restrictions put in place by Warner Bros Discovery. The network would not allow such an event to broadcast because of past homophobic Tweets by Briscoe, even though the late wrestler apologized and made every effort to repair the damage with the LGBTQ+ community. Despite this obstacle, AEW still filmed a memorial show for Briscoe under the ROH banner, the promotion in which he became a record-setting 13-time ROH World Tag Team Champion with his brother Mark. The emotional celebration of Briscoe’s life is now available to watch for free.
The “Jay Briscoe Tribute and Celebration of Life” video was uploaded to ROH’s YouTube channel earlier today. The event was also uploaded to ROH’s Honor Club streaming service. The show, which is just over three hours long, features several matches and some touching tributes from the AEW roster. Memorable bouts from the Briscoes’ career in ROH are also highlighted, including their battle with The Kings of Wrestling (Chris Hero and Claudio Castagnoli) at Final Battle 2006.
Earlier this week, Tony Khan revealed that WBD’s Briscoe-related restrictions had been lifted. As a result, Mark Briscoe would debut for AEW against Jay Lethal as a celebration of Jay’s birthday. That bout headlined “Dynamite” last night, and saw Mark pick up the victory after using Jay’s finishing move, the Jay Driller. The AEW roster came out on stage following the match as a “Jay Briscoe 1984-2023” graphic appeared on the screen.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Mark Briscoe Debut On AEW, Honors Brother
Mark Briscoe made his AEW debut during Wednesday night’s “Dynamite” under the most heartbreaking of circumstances. Just over a week after Mark’s older brother Jay was killed in a multi-vehicle crash that claimed the life of another driver and left Jay’s daughters seriously injured, the younger Briscoe stepped inside an AEW ring for the first time on what would have been Jay’s 39th birthday.
Mark’s opponent in the main event of Wednesday’s “Dynamite” was another longtime Ring of Honor star, Jay Lethal. The closing moments of the match saw Mark drive Lethal through the timekeeper’s table with his signature Froggy Bow elbow drop from the top turnbuckle. Back in the ring, Mark used the J-Driller, his brother Jay’s finishing maneuver, to pin Lethal for the win.
After the match, Mark spoke into a ringside camera, telling Jay Briscoe’s children – Gracie, Jayleigh, and Gannon – he loves them and to “keep your heads up.” Mark then sent a message to his late brother, calling him by his real name, Jamin, and telling him he loves him.
As Mark saluted fans following his victory, many members of the AEW locker room and backstage crew, including Tony Khan, came out on the entrance stage to applaud both Mark and Jay Lethal.
The presentation of the main event was rich in ROH aesthetics, with the company’s broadcast team, Ian Riccaboni and Caprice Coleman, joining Excalibur on commentary and longtime ROH ring announcer Bobby Cruise was on hand for the introductions. Earlier in the show, a video tribute to Jay Briscoe was shown, which you can see the extended cut below.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
AEW Dynamite Preview 1/25/2023, Mark Briscoe AEW Debut
AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS and emanate from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
Last night, Tony Khan revealed that Warner Brothers Discovery had finally permitted Mark Briscoe to make his AEW debut. The 13-time Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champion will face Jay Lethal tonight on “AEW Dynamite” to “celebrate the life and legacy of the late great Jay Briscoe on his 39th birthday.” WBD had previously restricted the Briscoes from appearing for Khan’s promotion because of homophobic tweets made by Jay in 2013; he later apologized and made significant efforts to improve his relationship with the LGBTQ+ community. Because of the ban, AEW was unable to honor Jay — who tragically passed away on January 17 – last week on “Dynamite.” Instead, the company filmed a tribute show that will air on YouTube and WatchROH.com at a later date.
AEW announced that Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. is injured and will not be able to compete. There are no details on the injury.
As of this writing, AEW is advertising the following for tonight’s show:
- TNT Championship: Darby Allin (c) vs. Buddy Matthews
- Ethan Page and Matt Hardy vs. JungleHook (Jungle Boy and Hook)
- Family therapy with The Gunns and The Acclaimed
- Jay Lethal vs. Mark Briscoe
- Bryan Danielson vs. Brian Cage
- Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara vs. Ricky Starks & Action Andretti
- Ruby Soho vs. Toni Storm
Change Made To AEW Dynamite Match Due To Britt Baker Dealing With Injury
AEW has announced that Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. vs. Ruby Soho vs. Toni Storm in a triple threat match will no longer be taking place on tonight’s Dynamite.
Baker is dealing with an injury and was pulled from the bout. Now, Storm vs. Soho will take place.
Conrad Thompson: ‘Tony Khan Is Going To Take Care Of Jay Briscoe’s Family’
Tributes flooded in for Ring of Honor Hall of Famer Jay Briscoe (Jamin Pugh) following the news last week of his passing. AEW/ROH owner Tony Khan was the person to announce the news.
Speaking on What Happened When, Conrad Thompson explained that he’s heard that Khan will make sure Jay’s family is taken care of:
“I don’t mean to betray any confidences, but let me say this. There is lots of rumors and innuendo from really good sources that Tony Khan is who we thought he was and he’s going to do the right thing by that family as well.”
“I don’t think he would necessarily want anybody to know that information, and I know it’s not your [Tony Schiavone] place to talk about it, but I will say that for all the criticism that gets thrown around ‘Tony this, Tony that.’ When the chips are down, he’s a dude.”
Source: eWrestlingNews
AEW Rampage Preview 1/20/2023
Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT at 10/9c.
- Ethan Page vs. Jungle Boy
- Brian Cage vs. Willie Mack
- AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill & Leila Gray vs. Jaina and Jordyn Vanity
- Tony Schiavone to interview Eddie Kingston and Ortiz
- Action Andretti vs. Daniel Garcia
AEW Tried Several Times To Use The Briscoes
This past Tuesday, Jay Briscoe, real name Jamin Pugh, passed away following a car crash in Delaware at 38 years old.
Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite opened with a graphic of Briscoe and multiple wrestlers having “Jay” armbands during their matches.
As previously reported, Warner Bros. Discovery did not allow AEW to do a full tribute show to Briscoe due to homophobic tweets Jay posted over a decade ago. WBD had blocked Briscoe’s involvement on AEW television in the past. Jay had apologized for the tweets multiple times over the years.
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that AEW President Tony Khan made a few attempts to get the Briscoes on AEW television in 2022.
“This past year there were many attempts to get them on the show. They were actually flown in a few times to television, but they weren’t allowed to be used.There were plans for them on the 9/4 All Out show in Chicago, to be in a six-man tag with FTR & Wardlow vs. The Briscoes & Jay Lethal. But without being able to promote it on television and because the broadcast partners didn’t want them on AEW broadcasts, the decision was made to bring the Motor City Machine Guns in out of nowhere to team with Lethal.”
Source: eWrestlingNews
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