Category: AEW

Main Take Aways From Thursday’s Media Call With AEW CEO And President Tony Khan

Below are the main take aways from the media call on Thursday with AEW CEO and President Tony Khan.

Khan also promoted and hyped up this Saturday’s Full Gear PPV.

He likes the four-hour length of the pay-per-view main cards.He didn’t say whether he was interested in signing any Ring of Honor talent or buying the tape library but to stay tuned to his product because you never know.

He said there will likely be some visual tweaks when Dynamite moves to TBS in January.

He confirmed that they will hold a Battle of the Belts show and said they are going to kick off 2022 strong.

He credited Sonjay Dutt with helping put together the Lio Rush/Dante Martin vs. Matt Sydal/Lee Moriarty match Wednesday. He loves Rush and after he retired, he was in his ear to get him to return.

He said his relationship with New Japan is great and likely that more talent is to come as a result.

He reiterated the importance of the TBS title and to think of it as a sibling title to the TNT title.

Sources: WrestleView and F4WOnline

AEW Rampage Preview 11/12/21

Tonight’s AEW Rampage go-home episode for Full Gear will air live on TNT from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

* Bobby Fish vs. Jungle Boy

* Lumberjack Match: Orange Cassidy vs. Matt Hardy

Immediately following Rampage, TNT will air the “Countdown to Full Gear” at 11 pm EST.

AEW Dynamite Preview 11/10/21

AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum in Indianapolis, Indiana. This is the go-home episode for this Saturday’s Full Gear PPV.

* AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Hangman Page contract signing for their Full Gear title match

* Bryan Danielson vs. Rocky Romero with Orange Cassidy

* Dax Harwood vs. PAC

* AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker, Jamie Hayter, and Rebel vs. Tay Conti, Thunder Rosa, and Anna Jay

* Lio Rush and Dante Martin vs. Matt Sydal and Lee Moriarty

Tony Khan Confirms He Does Not Require AEW Wrestlers To Be Vaccinated

Tony Khan was recently interviewed by PWTorch about the COVID-19 vaccination status of the AEW roster. The AEW President revealed that the majority of the roster is currently vaccinated, and he noted that international touring will create an issue for those that are not.

“I have got that most of the roster in AEW is vaccinated. For example, there have been some places we went where everybody had to be vaccinated and I think when the companies start doing international travel, we will see that for Canada and England, places like that, it will be very difficult for wrestlers to travel without it,” Khan admitted. “So, it certainly will present a challenge as we tour and I know California in the future is a place that has very strict mandates. Most of the roster is vaccinated and as we continue touring it’s something that I think may come up, so understand why for some people, especially with the return to international touring looming, why that would be an issue.”

For the first time on the record, Tony Khan also revealed his own vaccination status. He stated that he has been vaccinated and noted that his work within the NFL plays a big part in that due to how different the rules are for those who haven’t been.

“Yeah. That’s the first time anybody’s ever asked me that on the record, but yeah. I mean, I am in the NFL, and our access is very different if you’re not,” Khan said. “It’s different for plays and ownership, yes, but all of us are under the same mandates and there’s mass mandates in the locker room and it’s a very different set of rules for the unvaccinated people in the NFL. So, that’s definitely one of the major factors in the NFL as far as game day travel and how the team prepares for the games and who can sit with each other. So, yeah, the NFL was at the forefront of that in terms of spreading awareness.”

Finally, Khan admitted that he does not require his wrestlers to have had the vaccine. However, he revealed that everyone had to be vaccinated in order to be part of the Jericho Cruise, using that as an example for how wrestlers will need it for certain shows.

“It has come up several times. I have not required it, same with the NFL and same with, I think other wrestling leagues. But it will be a big challenge if you’re not for a lot of circumstances a great example was the Jericho Cruise where all the wrestlers on the Jericho Cruise had to be vaccinated,” Khan revealed. “So it’s definitely as touring becomes stronger and we start to get out of the U.S. and look to international touring, it’s going to be an issue for people.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to PWTorch 

Tony Khan Already Appears To Be Eyeing Up WWE’s Latest Releases

Tony Khan has said if WWE keeps releasing people, he can keep offering up shock debuts in AEW.

Tony Khan has said if WWE keeps releasing talent, he will have no shortage of new stars to bring in and get big crowd reactions.

Just when the WWE locker room thought it could breathe a sigh of relief, the company swung its axe and released even more of its talents. 18 more Superstars were shown the door last week including Ember Moon, Scarlett, and Keith Lee. After 30 or 90 days, depending on their contracts, those 18 stars will be allowed to work elsewhere in wrestling should they want to.

You might think Tony Khan would be easing off new signings considering how many of WWE’s released wrestlers he has signed for AEW already. However, comments he made to PWTorch’s Wade Keller suggest quite the opposite. “At the rate they [WWE] are letting big stars go and firing people, I will not have a shortage of people to debut in the months ahead,” Khan said to Keller.

The comment was born from a discussion about the multiple debuts at All Out. CM Punk and Ruby Soho wrestled their first AEW matches on the show, and Adam Cole and Bryan Danielson made surprise appearances within minutes of each other to close the PPV. Khan reveals it was his decision to load All Out the way that he did and explained why he still believes it was the right call.

“Since it was the biggest pay-per-view audience we’ve ever had, I wanted to give them the best pay-per-view we’ve ever done.”Khan goes on to say that the feedback from All Out was incredibly positive, cementing his belief that loading it up with debuts and surprises was the right thing to do.

Source: TheSportster

AEW Rampage Preview 11/5/21

Tonight’s AEW Rampage will air live on TNT from the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri.

* Adam Cole vs. John Silver

* Final Opening-Round Match of the TBS Women’s Championship Tournament: The Bunny vs. Red Velvet

* CM Punk and Eddie Kingston stand face-to-face

Former WWE Superstar Kalisto Debuts For AEW Under New Name

The former WWE Superstar attempted to win the AAA Titles alongside Aero Star.

Kalisto teamed up with AAA’s Aero Star on Dynamite this week in what was the luchador’s first match since being released by WWE.

WWE has released more than 50 wrestlers and employees so far in 2021, and some of them have since shown up in AEW. Malakai Black, Ruby Soho, and Andrade all make that list, as does Tony Nese who reportedly signed with the promotion last month. On Wednesday, that list got a little longer as Kalisto wrestled in a tag match on Dynamite.

Kalisto, who is now going by Samuray Del Sol, teamed up with AAA’s Aero Star to take on FTR. The debuting pair was actually competing for FTR’s AAA Tag Team Titles. Dax Harwood and Dash Wilder beat the Lucha Bros for the Mexican promotion’s championships last month.

Despite Del Sol and Aeors Star’s best efforts, the Tag Team Titles will not be heading home to AAA. Wheeler rolled up Aero Star for the win, using the ropes as leverage. The pair will try to add more tag team gold to their resume at Full Gear where they will face Penta and Rey Fenix for the AEW Tag Team Championships, a full year after they lost the titles to The Young Bucks.

This is the first match Kalisto has wrestled outside of WWE since he was released back in April of this year. The luchador actually enjoyed a lot of success in WWE, winning the US Title on two separate occasions. It remains unclear what’s next for him in terms of his wrestling career. He doesn’t seem to have signed a permanent deal with AEW. His pairing with Aero Star could mean he has or will sign with AAA in the future.

A Twitter exchange between Del Sol and Chris Jericho might suggest the former doesn’t have a future in AEW. The former tweeted that he prayed to Brodie Lee before his match, misspelling Jon, Brodie’s real name. Jericho quote tweeted Del Sol, telling him he spelled Jon’s name wrong. While not confirmed, fans have speculated there’s more to the exchange than Del Sol misspelling a name.

Source: TheSportster

CM Punk Shouts Out Jon Moxley During Emotional Promo On Dynamite

An emotional tribute from Punk on Dynamite delivered in tandem with an important message.

CM Punk kicked off his promo on Dynamite this week by discussing how much he admires and respects Jon Moxley.

Tony Khan revealed earlier this week that Jon Moxley has entered himself into an alcohol treatment program. Moxley naturally has the full support of AEW, and well wishes for the former World Champion have been pouring in ever since. That includes a heartfelt message from CM Punk live on Dynamite last night.

Punk kicked off his promo by saying he wanted to talk about two people who weren’t in the building for Dynamite last night. The first of those people was Moxley. Punk got the fans chanting his name and admitted he’d be happy for them to keep chanting Moxley throughout the duration of his segment.

The Second City Saint then moved on and said that despite his and Moxley’s differences, he is very proud of his AEW peer right now. Punk speaks about times in his own life when he needed help but he didn’t ask for it because he thought he needed to show the world he is tougher than that. You can watch all but the very beginning of the promo in the clip below.

https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1456056299683209216

Punk closes the first half of his promo by telling fans that if they need help, talk to someone. Whether it be a phone call or a text, they don’t need to tough it out. Punk and Moxley are evidence of that. Renee Paquette, Moxley’s wife formerly known as Renee Young when under WWE’s employ, has also reached out since the news broke and thanked everyone for their messages over the past 24 hours.

Moxley will obviously be out of action for an indefinite amount of time, and we wish him all the best in his recovery. On the wrestling side of things, the former AEW Champion was replaced by Miro on Dynamite last night in the World Title Eliminator Tournament. Miro beat Orange Cassidy in the semi-final match and will face Bryan Danielson in the final at Full Gear.

Source: TheSportster

AEW Dynamite Preview 11/3/21

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at the Cable Dahmer Arena in Independence, Missouri.

The AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament semis will likely continue with Orange Cassidy facing a yet to be determined opponent. As noted, Jon Moxley entered an inpatient alcohol treatment program. The winner of this match takes on Bryan Danielson in the finals at Full Gear on November 13.

Below is the current lineup:

* Cody Rhodes vs. Andrade El Idolo

* Anna Jay vs. Jamie Hayter (AEW TBS Title Tournament First Round Match)

* Orange Cassidy vs. TBA (AEW World Title Eliminator Semifinal Match)

* FTR Open Challenge for the AAA World Tag Team Titles

Jon Moxley Enters Inpatient Alcohol Treatment Program

Tony Khan has revealed that former AEW Champion Jon Moxley has entered an inpatient alcohol treatment program.

Jon Moxley has entered an alcohol treatment program.

AEW president Tony Khan took to Twitter to announce that his company’s former Champion is undergoing treatment for alcohol addiction and will be taking a hiatus from wrestling.

“Jon Moxley has allowed me to share with you that he is entering an inpatient alcohol treatment program,” Khan tweeted on the evening of Tuesday, November 2. “Jon is a beloved member of the AEW family. We all stand with him and Renee, and all of his family and friends, as he shifts his focus to recovery,” he added.

Khan said that he’s proud to call Moxley his friend and that AEW is fully embracing Mox’s decision to seek help during this difficult time.

“I’m also a fan of Mox and look forward to a time in the future when he is eventually ready to return to the ring. Until then, thank you for supporting Jon and respecting his privacy at this time,” tweeted Khan.

Mox’s recovery will take as long as it takes, so of course, we cannot begin to speculate on how long he will be away from the ring. That being said, Mox is currently a participant in the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament, so it seems TK will have some tough booking decisions to make in the coming days, and he’s not the only one. Moxley is also the current GCW Champion and has been making sporadic appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Wrestlers have been sharing their support for Jon Moxley after it was revealed he has entered into an alcohol treatment program.

While Khan was the first to publicly share his support for Moxley as he was trusted to share the news, he was far from the last. Tweets wishing Moxley well on his journey and showing support for the decision he has made have been flooding in. Doc Gallows, Britt Baker, and Jade Cargill are just a few of the stars who have posted their support in the replies to Khan’s thread.

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/1455744811454111744

Source: TheSportster