Category: AEW

Brian Cage Has Reportedly Not Signed With AEW, News On His Injury

It was reported that former Impact World Champion Brian Cage had signed with All Elite Wrestling. Cage reportedly became a free agent following his match against Rob Van Dam at this Sunday’s Hard To Kill pay-per-view.

Following that report, Cage’s wife, Melissa Santos denied the news, tweeting, “Really?? How can you confirm something that isn’t true???? I’m his wife and I can CONFIRM, he hasn’t signed on any dotted line.”

She later added, “And when he finally signs somewhere be it AEW, IMPACT ect….. we will let you know. People trying to get ahead of actual facts is not cool.”

According to PWInsider, Cage has not yet signed with any specific promotion, but his current Impact deal is up. Cage is also mulling offers from several promotions at this time.

Additionally, the angle with RVD squashing and injuring him in short order at the PPV was done to prevent Cage from further injuring himself. The report goes on to note that Cage may have a torn bicep.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Former Impact World Champion Brian Cage Signs With AEW

Former Impact World Champion Brian Cage has signed a multi-year deal with All Elite Wrestling, according to SoCal Uncensored.

Cage became a free agent after his Impact Wrestling contract expired. Last night at Impact’s Hard to Kill, he got squashed by Rob Van Dam.

He almost appeared at the first Casino Battle Royale at AEW’s Double or Nothing but that appearance was prevented by Impact officials.

Since making his 2004 debut, Cage wrestled in several promotions like AAA, Lucha Underground, Pro Wrestling Noah, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla.

There is no word yet on when Cage will make his AEW debut.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Tops WWE NXT In Viewership, NXT Fails To Crack Top 50

Week 14 of the Wednesday Night War saw AEW Dynamite top WWE NXT once again.

Wednesday’s Anniversary Edition of Dynamite on TNT drew 947,000 viewers, topping the 721,000 viewers garnered by NXT on the USA Network by 31%, according to Showbuzz Daily.

AEW ranked #6 in the Cable Top 150, while NXT ranked #55. AEW ranked #36 in viewership, while NXT ranked #45 in viewership.

Last week’s Dynamite episode drew 967,000 viewers and ranked #13 in the Cable Top 150, and #40 in viewership, so it was only down 2% against a live episode of NXT. Last week’s taped special edition of NXT drew 548,000 viewers and ranked #66 in the Cable Top 150, and #48 in viewership.

AEW drew a 0.36 rating in the 18-49 demographic, beating the 0.19 that NXT drew in the same demo by 89% this week. Last week’s AEW show also drew a 0.36 rating while the NXT episode drew a 0.15 in that demographic.

This week’s NXT episode was the first regular live show of 2020, headlined by the beginning of the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and a Fatal 4 Way main event to crown the new #1 contender to NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong, won by Keith Lee. The Dynamite episode was the big Anniversary Edition.

Real Housewives of New Jersey on Bravo topped the night in the 18-49 demographic on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.45 rating, beating both NBA games on ESPN. Hannity topped the night on cable in viewership with 4.196 million viewers, ranking #10 on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.31 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

The Jeopardy special on ABC topped the night on network TV in the 18-49 demographic with a 24 rating, and in viewership with 14.872 million viewers.

Below is 2020 NXT Viewership Tracker:

January 1 Episode: 548,000 viewers with a 0.15 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 8 Episode: 721,000 viewers with a 0.19 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 15 Episode:

2019 Total: 10.209 million viewers over 13 episodes
2019 Average: 785,307 viewers per episode

Below is 2020 AEW Dynamite Viewership Tracker:

January 1 Episode: 967,000 viewers with a 0.36 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 8 Episode: 947,000 viewers with a 0.36 rating in the 18-49 demographic
January 15 Episode:

2019 Total: 10.840 million viewers over 12 episodes
2019 Average: 903,333 viewers per episode

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite “Tribute To Legends Of Memphis Wrestling” Preview 1/8/20

Tonight’s Anniversary Edition of AEW Dynamite will air live from Southaven, MS (the Greater Memphis area).

* Tribute to Legends of Memphis Wrestling

* Riho (c) vs. Kris Statlander (AEW Women’s World Championship)

* Sammy Guevara vs. Christopher Daniels

* Cody and Dustin Rhodes vs. Lucha Bros.

* Private Party vs. Hangman Page and Kenny Omega

* The Best Friends & Orange Cassidy vs. Jurassic Express

* Jon Moxley to give his answer about joining the Inner Circle

https://twitter.com/AEWrestling/status/1213501823027417089

Jerry Lawler Talks AEW’s Tribute To Memphis Wrestling

Memphis is getting lots of love from pro wrestling to kick off 2020 as SmackDown took place from there last week and AEW is visiting the city this week. During WWE’s trip to Memphis, they also recorded 205 Live where Ariya Daivari offered a tribute (or a shot) to The King of Memphis Wrestling, Jerry Lawler, by staging a fist drop from the second rope.

Lawler was asked about the spot when he joined Cerrito Live.

“Well, he took a little too long up there. I watched it and I never would give my opponent that much time to recover while he was lying there waiting for me to drop a fist on him,” said Lawler. “He took a little too long as a matter of fact he acted like he was wearing two straps. He was dropping two straps. Then by the time he finally dropped down on his opponent, the guy raised his feet up right in his face and it didn’t work out too well for him.”

The removing of the strap and second-rope fist drop didn’t work out in terms of functionality, but Lawler was still honored by the acknowledgement.

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” stated Lawler.

He was then asked about tonight’s AEW’s show which is being billed as a tribute to the legends of Memphis Wrestling. Lawler won’t be on hand due to his WWE ties, but many greats will be there including “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant and The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express.

“I have talked to some guys and I think they’re gonna have quite a few guys who were well known in Memphis,” Lawler said before rattling off the names of Memphis wrestlers who he knows will be on hand. “Dave Brown will be there. I talked to Dave and we have lunch every Thursday. Yeah, he’s gonna be there.”

While this will be a trip down nostalgia lane, Lawler thinks there is a more pertinent reason for AEW to bring out the Memphis legends.

“They’re looking to sell some tickets and pop the crowd,” stated Lawler. “I think a tribute to Memphis Wrestling is actually the last thing on their minds. They’re looking to sell some tickets and pop the crowd.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dark Preview 1/7/20

The following matches were taped for tonight’s AEW Dark episode on YouTube:

* SCU vs. Kip Sabian and TH2 (Jack Evans and Angelico)
* Shawn Spears and Preston Vance vs. Austin and Billy Gunn
* Awesome Kong vs. Skyler Moore

AEW Reveals List Of Memphis Legends Being Honored On Dynamite

Ahead of this week’s episode (1/8/20) of Dynamite in Southaven, MS (the Greater Memphis area), AEW has revealed a list of some of the legends they plan to pay tribute to.

Tribute To Legends Of Memphis Wrestling Announced For Next Week’s AEW Dynamite Anniversary Edition

The Anniversary Edition of AEW Dynamite next week (1/8/20) will take place in Southaven, MS (the Greater Memphis area).

During tonight’s Dynamite, it was announced that Memphis wrestling legends will be honored on next Wednesday’s episode of the show. It was noted that some legends will be appearing in person, though further details weren’t revealed.

AEW is billing next week’s Dynamite as the anniversary edition of the show, with it taking place on the one-year anniversary of the company’s Double or Nothing rally.

Cody & Dustin Rhodes vs. The Lucha Bros (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix), Riho vs. Kris Statlander for the AEW Women’s Championship, Kenny Omega & Hangman Page vs. Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy), and Sammy Guevara vs. Christopher Daniels are set for next week’s Dynamite. Jon Moxley will also reveal whether or not he’s accepting Chris Jericho’s offer to join the Inner Circle.

AEW Dynamite: Homecoming Edition Preview 1/1/20

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite: Homecoming Edition will air live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

* Cody vs. Darby Allin

* Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks vs. Pac and The Lucha Brothers

* Will Jon Moxley accept Chris Jericho’s offer to join his Inner Circle?

* MJF appearing

* Taz to make a guest appearance

Arn Anderson Joins AEW As Cody’s Personal Advisor/Head Coach

Wrestling legend/WWE Hall of Famer, Arn Anderson is joining AEW to advise Cody Rhodes as his head coach in 2020.

The announcement states:

Since AEW exploded onto the wrestling scene just one year ago, it has consistently dazzled fans with its groundbreaking shows, world-class roster, inclusive attitude and impactful announcements. To wrap AEW’s inaugural year, Cody today announced that legendary wrestler Arn Anderson will be Cody’s personal advisor and head coach for the 2020 season, starting with the New Year’s Day DYNAMITE show in Jacksonville, Florida.

According to AEW, Anderson will be ringside for Cody’s match against Darby Allin on January 1.

“2019 was the most successful year I’ve had in pro-wrestling,” Cody stated in the press release. “Beyond the superfluous financial, it’s been incredibly rewarding on a spiritual level to be able to engage so many fans with a like-minded place in their hearts for the sport.

“That said, one of my greatest fears came true as I lost the opportunity to wrestle for the World Championship again. But, on the other side of that fear is freedom to chase every other accolade
outside of that title,” Rhodes added.

“I still want to collect all the accolades I can and dominate the singles division. That’s why I’m bringing in Arn Anderson as my personal advisor and head coach. He has been in business with my family for over three decades. Having been a wrestler throughout so many different generations of talent, he understands what ingredients it takes to look beyond the horizon and produce the best content and results.”

It’s unclear at this time time whether Arn will also work behind the scenes in some capacity for AEW or if this is strictly an on-camera role.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet