AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS at 8/7C, and emanate for the first time from the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, Canada.
-Billy Gunn vs. Swerve Strickland
-Jungle Boy vs. Luchasaurus
-Interim AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm & Hikaru Shida vs. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. & Jamie Hayter
-AEW All-Atlantic Championship Match: PAC (c) vs. Orange Cassidy
–ROH World Championship Match: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Bryan Danielson
There have been a lot of reports this year about cost-cutting across the various Warner Bros. Discovery networks, which has caused concern about the future of AEW as they approach negotiations for the next television deal.
The Hollywood Reporter has an interview with Warner Bros. Discovery US Networks Group chair and chief content officer Kathleen Finch.
In the interview, Finch seemed happy with the ratings that AEW has done. AEW usually ranks number 1 among all programs in the key demos on Wednesday nights, which has been touted in recent press releases sent out by Warner Bros. Discovery.
Finch noted that they are looking at adding more wrestling content.
“We really play in the sports space. One of the things that we’re doing around sports is creating shoulder programming to hold onto those fans. AEW [All Elite Wrestling] pulls huge numbers, so we are working with the wrestling team to figure out what new kind of content can we build that’s not in a wrestling ring.”
Source: EWrestlingNews
Renee Paquette might join her husband, AEW World Champion Jon Moxley in All Elite Wrestling, according to a new report from Fightful Select.
Fightful was reportedly told by several WWE sources that it’s believed that Paquette is headed to AEW. Fightful reached out to Paquette and AEW, but they have yet to confirm the move.
It was also noted in the report that GiveMeSport’s Louis Dangoor heard that WWE had reached out to Paquette about returning to the company.
The former WWE “Raw” commentator and the backstage interviewer was with WWE for eight years before leaving in August 2020. Paquette was also the host of “WWE Backstage,” which aired on FS1.
Since leaving WWE, Paquette published the cookbook “Messy In The Kitchen: My Guide to Eating Deliciously, Hosting Fabulously and Sipping Copiously” and created her own podcast “The Sessions with Renee Paquette.”
She also worked with UFC and former Strikeforce star Miesha Tate for the show, “Throwing Down With Renee & Miesha.” It was available on Sirius XM Fight Nation. As noted earlier this week, Paquette has a new series with the Cincinnati Bengals. The series is called ” Renée All Dey.”
It was reported that Moxley signed a five-year extension with AEW. He is set to not only wrestle for the company but will be a coach and mentor. Paquette had commented on her husband’s new contract on Friday night via Twitter.
“So proud of Jon! Just casually watching him carve out his own legacy in real time,” tweeted Paquette.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
It was recently announced that three-time and current AEW World Champion Jon Moxley would remain All Elite for quite a while, as the news broke yesterday that Moxley has signed a five-year extension with AEW. It also was revealed that Moxley would not only be used as a wrestler, but also as “a coach and mentor.” Now more details on Moxley’s new deal have surfaced.
According to Fightful, several sources told them that Moxley was actually working without a contract for some time. While unclear exactly how long it was, it was noted that throughout the summer Moxley’s contract was “quite a situation” and that AEW owner Tony Khan would do whatever it took to keep Moxley in the company for the rest of his career. What’s interesting is that Moxley won both the AEW World Championship and Interim World Championship during the summer without being under contract.
Fightful also revealed that Moxley is exclusive to AEW and its international partners, including NJPW, where Moxley is a former United States Heavyweight Champion. It is uncertain if Moxley will be able to continue working for companies such as GCW and REVOLVER, as AEW didn’t comment on the matter. GCW officials said today that they didn’t know about the press release regarding Moxley’s contract until it was made public. Moxley is still slated to put his GCW World Championship on the line against Nick Gage in a Title vs, Career Match later tonight.
Regarding the backstage role as a coach and mentor, Fightful said that Moxley-led talent meetings backstage are very well-received. One of these meetings notably happened after the All Out pay-per-view last month despite other events that transpired. The decision to move Moxley into the role stemmed from the weight his words carry, according to Fightful.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Tonight’s AEW Rampage and Battle of the Belts live specials takes from the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington DC.
Battle of the Belts will air live on TNT, immediately following the special live episode of Rampage.
AEW Rampage (10:00 pm ET):
-Jon Moxley, Wheeler Yuta & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Rush & Private Party
-AEW Trios Championship Match: Death Triangle (c) vs. Dark Order
-Tony Nese & Josh Woods vs. Varsity Blondes
-Tay Melo & Anna Jay AS vs. Skye Blue & Madison Rayne
AEW Battle of the Belts IV (11:00 pm ET):
-AEW All-Atlantic Championship Match: PAC (c) vs. Trent Beretta
-ROH Tag Team Championship Match: FTR (c) vs. The Gates of Agony
-AEW TBS Championship Match: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Willow Nightingale
Saraya, formerly known as Paige in WWE, has reportedly been given the go-ahead to wrestle again.
The former WWE Divas Champion was forced to retire in 2017 as WWE’s doctors didn’t clear her to perform in the ring as an active wrestler because of spinal stenosis.
She would remain with WWE for many years following the injury before WWE decided not to renew her deal a few months ago, making her a free agent.
At AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam 2022, Saraya debuted with AEW. She got physical in a wrestling ring for the first time in five years this past Wednesday night with Britt Baker. Before the confrontation, Baker claimed that Saraya wouldn’t be wrestling in the company as she hadn’t been cleared for in-ring action.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that AEW’s Dr. Michael Sampson has cleared Saraya.
Source: EWrestlingNews
An uncooperative person is to blame for the investigation into the All Out media scrum fight being delayed.
The fight took place backstage at AEW’s most recent pay-per-view, following explosive comments made by then-World Champion CM Punk.
When asked about why the investigation has not concluded, Dave Meltzer said that one person has been “uncooperative” and has threatened legal action.
Meltzer did not name who this person is, nor if their legal threat was in response to the fight, or the investigation.
Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks continue to serve out a suspension due to their role in the fight.
CM Punk, who reportedly threw the first punch, has been removed from AEW programming, with a belief that he could be fired by Tony Khan.
Source: EWrestlingNews
Andrade El Idolo was sent home by AEW on Wednesday night after he got into a fight backstage with Sammy Guevara, who was working the main event of Dynamite.
This occurred after they had a verbal altercation on Twitter, during which Guevara accused El Idolo of wanting to make a comeback in WWE.
Many fans were under the impression that this was all an act and part of a storyline in which Andrade would compete in a mask vs. career match against 10 from the Dark Order on Friday’s Rampage. That match will not take place any more.
On today’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer brought up the fact that Andrade had stated on Twitter during the exchange with Guevara that he wasn’t scared to get fired, as well as the belief that Andrade is trying to get out of his AEW deal.
“Andrade’s trying to get fired, we all know that….when guys want to leave, some will go to great extremes to do that. It’s happened with WWE. I’ve talked to people in WWE who’ve tried to get fired with some of the craziest things in the world, and I’ve told them it’s not gonna work. There were some crazy stories of people trying to do things to get fired. Getting in a fight was never one of them, but there are things much crazier than that from people who wanted to leave and get out and were not going to be allowed to do that because the company wasn’t going to release them. So now the situation is on the other front, where there are a few people, and it’s not that many, it’s like three that wanna leave [AEW]. There’s different stories and whatever, and Andrade’s one of them.”
Meltzer then added, “So, Tuesday night, they were talked to. Both of them were told no fighting. Andrade was told, ‘If this is your idea, you’re not gonna get fired if you fight, but you will be sent home’. Andrade said, ‘Don’t worry, nothing’s gonna happen. There’s gonna be no fight.’ This was Tuesday night. Sammy was the same thing, ‘Nothing’s gonna happen’. They had security there. Everybody was warned ahead of time.”
Bryan Alvarez and Meltzer both mentioned that they were aware of the fact that they had heard several distinct accounts of how the altercation initially began.
Alvarez stated, “Sammy in fact didn’t throw any punches. One person did say that Andrade spun Sammy around, and Sammy shoved him, and then Andrade punched him. The other stories were that Andrade just punched him and that Sammy didn’t fight back.”
Meltzer mentioned that a reliable source had told him the following, “Andrade was waiting in the hallway, got two punches in before it was broken up, and Sammy didn’t fight back.”
Meltzer pointed out that Sammy didn’t appear to have any bruises on his face due to the punches he took during the backstage altercation at Dynamite.
“He did throw two punches, and it was broken up right away and Andrade was sent home.”
You can listen to the Wrestling Observer Radio below:
Source: PWMania
Contrary to recent reports, it seems Jeff Hardy may not be back in the ring as soon as previously thought. According to PWInsider, Hardy is preparing for a pre-trial hearing set to take place later this month regarding his DUI arrest back in June. The report also claims that Hardy is not expected back with AEW until his legal issues are handled and the company feels confident that Hardy has a handle on his sobriety.
Last month, Jeff’s brother Matt Hardy teased on his podcast that we would soon be getting a look at a brand new Jeff. Matt shared his confidence in his brother’s new outlook on life and his ability to stay sober. Prior to his DUI arrest, Jeff was reportedly set for a major run with his brother in AEW, with the pair even being “strongly considered” for an AEW Tag Team Championship victory. However, Hardy’s arrest and subsequent suspension derailed those plans.
Hardy was released by WWE last December after a strange incident that saw him leave a match during a live event and enter the crowd. Many speculated that Hardy was somehow inebriated at the time, but nothing was ever conclusively proven, and it was later denied by both Hardy brothers. Following his release, WWE reportedly attempted to convince Hardy to return to the company, even offering him a spot in the company’s Hall of Fame. However, Hardy turned down the offer and instead decided to join his brother in AEW. Though their initial run in the company would wind up being short-lived, it seems likely that Hardy will be given another chance once he has straightened things out in his personal life.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS, and emanate from the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC.
MJF vs. Wheeler Yuta
Bryan Danielson & Daniel Garcia vs. Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara
TNT Championship Match: Wardlow (c) vs. ROH star Brian Cage
Hangman Page vs. Rush
Toni Storm, Athena & Willow Nightingale vs. Jamie Hayter, Serena Deeb & Penelope Ford
Darby Allin vs. Jay Lethal
Luchasaurus in action
National Scissoring Day” with The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn
Wrestling News Blog 