Category: AEW

AEW Rampage Preview 4/22/22

Tonight’s AEW Rampage episode was taped earlier this week from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

* Adam Cole vs. Tomohiro Ishii in a qualifier for The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament, the opening match of the night

* Lance Archer vs. Serpentico

* Eddie Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia. Santana, Ortiz and Jericho Appreciation Society members are banned from ringside

* AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill defends against Marina Shafir in the main event

* Tony Schiavone interviews Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland

* Tony Schiavone interviews The Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament participants Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Toni Storm

* Appearances by Shawn Spears, Rocky Romero, Jay White, Orange Cassidy, and more

AEW’s New Video Game Will Be Called Fight Forever

Within AEW‘s first year, some of those within the company confirmed that work had already begun on the promotion’s first video game. Revealing that information might have been a mistake as at the time, wrestling fans were used to WWE launching a game every single year. Since then, WWE 2K has taken more than two years to work on WWE 2K22, and AEW taking its time over what will be its very first console game is being encouraged.

Even though a recent report suggested the game could be here by September, details about it are still few and far between. However, Tony Khan has finally revealed what the game will actually be called. The AEW owner appeared in front of the in-house crowd for this week’s Rampage taping, revealing to them that the game will be called AEW: Fight Forever. The company filed a trademark for that name last month according to The Wrestling Observer.

Fans at the taping were encouraged to chant Fight Forever so they could be recorded and used in the game, which is pretty cool for anyone in attendance. A number of wrestler chants were also started up and recorded for the games including FTR, Aubrey Edwards, Cash Wheeler, Dax Harwood, Jeff Hardy, Sting, Adam Cole, and Hangman Page, indicating some of the other wrestlers who will be a part of the roster.

No big surprises there, of course, but perhaps a couple of interesting ones. Cole and Hardy being in the game even though they signed with AEW within the last year. Edwards having her own chant is also a cool inclusion. WWE games don’t tend to use different or even recognizable referees. AEW makes a bigger deal of its refs though, particularly Edwards who is the promotion’s leading official.

AEW’s game finally having a name leans into the reports that it could well be here before the end of 2022, as well as the news that there is now a publisher attached. Very little has been revealed about its gameplay at this point though, and there hasn’t really been anything close to a proper trailer. That might well be coming soon, and perhaps the chants recorded for Fight Forever this week will make a cameo appearance.

Source: TheSportster

AEW and NJPW Announce Crossover Pay-Per-View “Forbidden Door”

AEW, the second-biggest wrestling promotion in the United States, will partner with Japan’s number one promotion NJPW to produce a crossover pay-per-view called “Forbidden Door” in Chicago on June 26.

The announcement was made during last night’s AEW Dynamite. AEW President Tony Khan appeared on the ramp and was soon joined by New Japan Pro Wrestling president Takami Ohbari. TK was about to make the announcement, but the pair of promoters was interrupted by Adam Cole, a man who knows NJPW very well.

Cole appeared on the big screen and announced an event called “Forbidden Door” which will feature talent from both All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Cole then revealed that he will be going one-on-one with New Japan veteran Tomohiro Ishii on Friday’s Rampage. New Japan roster member “Switchblade” Jay White then joined Khan and Ohbari on the ramp to boast about selling out Madison Square Garden and remind everyone that it’s still the Bullet Club era.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1516942066294607872
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1516940662838464512

AEW Dynamite Preview 4/20/22

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite on TBS will air live from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as the Road to Double Or Nothing continues.

* The Dynamite debut of Hook vs. TBA

* CM Punk vs. Dustin Rhodes

* Wardlow vs. The Butcher

* Britt Baker vs. Danielle Kamella in a qualifier for The Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament

* Kyle O’Reilly vs. AEW World Tag Team Champion Jungle Boy in a qualifier for The Owen Hart Foundation Men’s Tournament

* Darby Allin vs. Andrade El Idolo in a Coffin Match

* Tony Khan has a “huge announcement” to make

Wrestling Community Divided On Barbed Wire Crown Spot From AEW Rampage

A spot during the Texas Deathmatch for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship between ‘Hangman’ Page and Adam Cole has stirred up some controversy on social media.

Some legends of the pro wrestling business reacted to a tweet sent out by Fightful‘s Sean Ross Sapp where he posted a video of the spot in question. With the show airing live on the Christian holiday, Good Friday, some eyebrows were raised when ‘Hangman’ Page placed a crown of barbed wire on the head of Adam Cole at the conclusion of the bout.

For those unfamiliar, Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday, on which Jesus Christ was tortured, had a crown of thorns placed upon his head, and was then Crucified to a cross. There were obviously parallels between the crown of thorns and the barbed wire crown, and viewers noticed.

Sapp’s tweet accompanied the clip with the caption, “Lmaoooooo Hangman Page put a crown of barbed wire on Adam Cole’s head on Good Friday.” Finding humor in the situation was something Eric Bischoff seemingly did not, as he wrote back, “You find this funny?”

Another veteran, Brian “Road Dogg” James also chimed into a debate on the topic, asking, “Would it be ok if they mocked ANY other religion?”

The fan perception was varied in their response, with one fan going as far as to vow they will quit watching AEW altogether because of the “unacceptable” part of the match. Others pointed to the various times religion was poked fun at in WWE — the Austin 3:16 idea being a spin-off of John 3:16, Vince McMahon’s infamous angle with Shawn Michaels and God, etc.

Page ultimately emerged victoriously and retained the AEW World Championship yesterday, following up the barbed wire crown of thorns with a Deadeye through a table for the 1-2-3. You can see full results from last night’s show at this link.

You can see the spot from AEW Rampage below, as well as various tweets:

https://twitter.com/MiskatonicLab/status/1515118334907334657
https://twitter.com/chrisjudy123456/status/1515218506488463360
https://twitter.com/LazRuiz2/status/1515128431549288453

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jonathan Gresham Reportedly Signs With AEW

ROH World Champion & PROGRESS Unified World Champion Jonathan Gresham has reportedly signed with AEW.

After weeks of speculation, a new report from Fightful Select confirms that Gresham has signed an AEW contract that will also see him perform for ROH.

Gresham will make his AEW TV debut at Battle of The Belts II this Saturday night on TNT as he defends the Ring of Honor strap against ROH veteran Dalton Castle.

AEW has also signed “Gates of Agony” Kaun and Toa Liona to similar contracts, as reported earlier this week. Word is that there are other talents who are signed to these AEW/ROH contracts, and names should be confirmed soon.

Gresham became the Undisputed ROH World Champion by defeating Bandido in the main event of ROH Supercard of Honor on April 1, which was the first show booked by new ROH owner Tony Khan.

Gresham has worked for Impact Wrestling in recent months, and will face Eddie Edwards in a non-title match at the Rebellion pay-per-view on April 23. There’s no word yet on if this will be his final date for Impact.

Gresham has also worked several indie dates in recent months, but there’s no word on if this new AEW/ROH contract will allow him to continue taking those bookings. Gresham captured the PROGRESS Wrestling Unified World Title on March 20 at Chapter 130 by defeating Cara Noir. Since then he has retained over Malik and Warren Banks, but there’s no word on how the AEW/ROH contract will impact his PROGRESS run.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Battle Of The Belts II 4/16/2022

AEW Battle of the Belts II will air Saturday 4/16/2022 on TNT at 8 pm ET.

*AEW Women’s Championship
Nyla Rose vs. Thunder Rosa (c)

* AEW TNT Championship
Sammy Guevara vs. Scorpio Sky (c)

* ROH World Championship
Dalton Castle vs. Jonathan Gresham (c)

AEW Rampage Preview 4/15/22

Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT will be a live episode that takes place at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.

Rampage is airing live at a special start time of 7pm ET instead of 10pm, due to NBA coverage on TNT.

* Gunn Club (Billy, Austin, and Colten Gunn) vs. Blackpool Combat Club (ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson with William Regal)

* Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Qualifier
Ruby Soho vs. Robyn Renegade

* Texas Deathmatch for the AEW World Heavyweight Championship
Adam Cole vs. ‘Hangman’ Adam Page (c)

Tony Khan To Make “Major Announcement” On Next Week’s AEW Dynamite

The card for next week’s AEW Dynamite was revealed last night and it is filled to the brim with action and announcements. It was promised that Tony Khan, the Founder and President of AEW, will be appearing to reveal a major announcement for All Elite Wrestling.

When it comes to the matches, the ongoing feud between Andrade El Idolo and Darby Allin looks to be coming to a head when they face each other in a coffin match. This will only be the second coffin match ever in AEW and Darby’s second time competing with such a stipulation.

Rising AEW star Hook will also be making his way to Dynamite to compete for the first time. On the show Rampage and on pay-per-view buy-in shows, Hook remains undefeated, so it will be interesting to see if he can keep up the winning streak with a new wave of challengers.

You can see the full card for next week’s AEW Dynamite below:

Wardlow vs. The Butcher

Hook makes AEW Dynamite in-ring debut

* Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Qualifier
Britt Baker vs. Danielle Camella

* Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Qualifier
Jungle Boy vs. Kyle O’Reilly

* Coffin Match
Darby Allin vs. Andrade El Idolo

Tony Khan to make a major announcement

AEW Console Video Game Notes And Possible Release Date

The AEW console video game may be released much earlier than originally expected.

AEW first announced their video game back in, but no timeframe was provided. Now Fightful Select reports that there has been internal talk of the game being released in September, but that is tentative and not official.

It was noted that there is plenty of work to be done on the game, but the plan for some time has been to release this year, and that September is widely regarded as the target timeframe as of this week.

An AEW source stressed that this is a tentative release date, and there’s a publisher involved. It was also said that fans can expect the game fairly soon if all goes well, but a lot of things can change between now and September.

It was revealed back in mid-March that there will be a story mode for the game, and that some of the AEW wrestlers were giving input into the storylines. It was also noted that several members of the Yuke’s team that helped create popular RAW vs. SmackDown video games are also a part of this story mode process.

While Yuke’s is known to be the developer of the AEW video game, no publisher has been announced, but this new report notes that a publisher is working with the AEW video game team. It’s believed that once the publisher is confirmed, there will be more information released, such as a release date and other details.

Kenny Omega is said to be determined for the AEW video game to be a success, and word is that he understands how integral a great showing could be.

The official AEW video game is scheduled to be released on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One.

Source: Wrestling Inc.