Category: AEW

Entertainment Reporter Chris Van Vliet Signs With AEW

Entertainment reporter Chris Van Vliet announced today that he is joining All Elite Wrestling to work as a backstage interviewer for the AEW on TNT TV show, which premieres on Wednesday, October 2.

Van Vliet appeared as the “Control Center” segment host in the recent “Road to All Out” series on YouTube. He has been interviewing WWE Superstars for a few years now.

You can see Van Vliet’s full post below:

“I’m honored to announce that I am officially joining @allelitewrestling on October 2 for the first show on TNT!As a lifelong wrestling fan, this is a dream come true to mix my passion for broadcasting and pro wrestling as a backstage interviewer for AEW!

Growing up, I idolized the larger-than-life characters in the ring and I wanted nothing more than to be a professional wrestler.

When I was 20 years old, I enrolled in a wrestling school in Toronto but my wrestling dreams were put on hold as I chose to focus on graduating with an honors degree in Communication Studies and pursuing my other dream of being a TV host. During my senior year, I called every TV station in town and finally earned an internship that led to my first ever on-air job. Every day, I drove 60 miles each way for that job and worked part-time in the fish department of a pet store at the mall to make ends meet. That has since grown into a 15 year broadcasting career and a YouTube channel where I’m still blown away that I get to have conversations with some of the biggest wrestling stars on the planet.

I have loved working as an Entertainment Reporter for @decodrivetv on @wsvn over the last 5 years. My co-hosts @shireensandoval and @lynnmartinez123 are the best in the business—as are the producers, editors, photographers, administrators, studio crew and everyone else at Channel 7. You have all helped me grow so much as both a broadcaster and as a human since I moved to Florida from Ohio in 2014. I am so grateful to have been able to share incredible stories on TV and to also travel the world and report from some of the biggest red carpet events.

If you’re reading this, I’ve got two words for you: THANK YOU! I couldn’t have done ANY of this with you and your support.

And here’s the best part — we are just getting started!!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B0gpRWvnPnC/?utm_source=ig_embed

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ticket Prices And On-Sale Date Announced For The First-Ever AEW On TNT TV Episode

As noted, the first-ever AEW on TNT TV tapings will take place on Wednesday, October 2 from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. Doors open at 6:30pm ET and showtime is 7:30pm ET, indicating a pre-show dark match. The episode will air live on TNT that night from 8pm – 10pm ET.

AEW announced today that tickets for the first TV tapings will go on sale this Friday, August 2 at 12 noon ET, via Ticketmaster and AEWTix.com.

Ticket prices are as follows, and do not include facility fees or service charges:

* $250 (within the first three rows of floor ringside sections, seat location includes an AEW-designed commemorative take-home chair once the event is over)

* $90

* $75

* $50

* $35

* $20

It’s believed that AEW will be announcing the name of their TNT TV show this week. Stay tuned for more updates.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Brandi Rhodes Speaks Out About Receiving Death Threats On Social Media

AEW Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes revealed that she gets death threats and hate messages sent to her daily on social media.

In a series of tweets, Rhodes explained that social media is just flooded with hate and people wishing others would fail, die, or likely both. She went on to say that people that have a blue check on their social media accounts get preyed on for no reason and how they can’t even defend themselves.

In her last tweet she wrote, “And people feel okay with themselves at the end of the day. You’re sad, bitter and angry at all of the wrong people. People you’ve never met. Never had a conversation with. You hate us and wish we would die. How embarrassing that must be to know how shallow and selfish you are.”

After her tweets, someone replied to her, “I’m sorry but you are the same person who does the same thing?” After that Rhodes asked the user if they could point out where she wished failure and death upon someone on here.

Below is the Twitter thread:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage News On How Many Live Events AEW Will Run Per Year, Format For TV Tapings

In case you missed it, All Elite Wrestling announced that their TV debut on TNT will be on October 2nd. The first show will be taking place inside the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. In an arena that holds up to 20,000 people, AEW is looking to change things up when it comes to venues.

According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the promotion will be running different sized arenas based off of demand. They will be looking into holding arenas that can hold 6,000 to 11,000 people. Just like WWE does with Main Event tapings, there will be matches prior to the 8 p.m. start time. At 7:30 p.m. there will be a warm-up match prior to TV time.

In regards to how many shows they want to put on, their goal is to run 100-120 live events per year, including many Saturday night house shows. Outside of those shows, they are expected to run 51 TV show days and up to four PPVs.

In regards to live events, there are thoughts of doing more than one house show a week. The top talent would work in the area of 75 matches per year, which AEW feels would help them keep their match quality high. It was noted that on of their key goals is to have great matches on the top of the card as compared with any other promotion.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Vince McMahon Talks AEW, Says He Can’t See TNT Tolerating “Blood And Guts” Content For Too Long

WWE Chairman Vince McMahon made several references to All Elite Wrestling during today’s Second Quarter 2019 Earnings call from WWE HQ in Stamford, CT.

When discussing the WWE creative content getting a bit more edgier, Vince said they will remain in the PG environment” and they will not go back to the Attitude Era, but they will do some more controversy with better storylines. He then said WWE will not “do blood and guts and things of that nature, such as what is being done on our new potential competitor” – a reference to AEW and what they have been doing on their sows.

Vince later talked more about competition during the Q&A with investors, and said he generally believes that competition is good for everyone. Vince said they are hoping to the extent that they, presumably AEW, remains competition, but that AEW doesn’t continue “the blood and guts and gory things that they have been doing,” which he says are bad things.

Vince added that he can’t speak for TNT, but he can’t imagine that the network “would put up with that” kind of content continuing from AEW.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

CM Punk Says He Received An Offer From All Elite Wrestling Via Text Message

A large portion of the wrestling community is hoping to see CM Punk in AEW, and now the former WWE star has confirmed he recently received an offer from the company (via text message).

Punk was brutally honest, so it would seem, about his relationship with All Elite Wrestling while speaking with ESPN’s Marc Raimondi to promote an upcoming appearance at Starrcast.

When asked if he had a relationship with AEW, Punk firmly stated no.

“I know they like to talk about me a lot. If I text Matt Jackson, “Hey, have a great show tonight,” which I did when they had their big show in Vegas, that somehow turns into Tony Khan telling people he has a great relationship with me. I’ve said in the past I’ve talked to them, but nothing ever came of anything,” he added.

Punk also addressed fans having expectations to see him at All Out because of his scheduled appearance at Starrcast:

“I think if there’s an expectation, it’s purely been built by them. My silence to some fans means something. They’re trying to read the tea leaves, but there’s nothing to read. I even feel like talking about it may feel like I’m putting some sort of negative slant on it, but I’m really not. The fact is I know they’ve teased me ad nauseam, and if anybody is gonna get mad it’s at me because I don’t show up. Well then, I don’t know what to tell you. That’s one of those things that’s none of my business.”

“They do videos where they talk about me. They’re constantly talking about me in the media. And again, maybe this sounds like I’m badgering them, but I’m not. It’s just something that happens. I’m a popular guy to talk about. But I’m not doing interviews talking about them. If people ask me about it, I say no, I won’t be there.”

Punk was then asked straight up if anything between he and AEW was imminent and this is what he said:

Punk: The last thing I got — I got a text from Cody [Rhodes]. And again, I almost don’t even know how to reply to them sometimes, because if I reply, they do interviews and are like, “Oh yeah, I just talked to Punk.” I’m kind of damned if I do, damned if I don’t. I always think if somebody wants to do business with me, they can come talk to me. Texting offers isn’t really a way to do good business, at least.

ESPN: Was it an offer via text?

Punk: It was texted through three people and an offer came in through text. This is like a month ago, maybe.

ESPN: An offer for All Out?

Punk: I think it was just a general offer. I never could have done the last one in Vegas [Double or Nothing], because I was in California for CFFC.

Punk talked about his UFC future as well in the interview and how he wouldn’t be surprised to get cut.

“I’m not that dude that sat down on a stage in Vegas eight years ago,” he added. “I’m not the dude that left WWE. I’m not that guy. That was five-years-ago Phil. I’m a different dude now. People still have that connotation, like, “Oh, he hates WWE.” And it’s just like, no, I’ve let all that go, and I’ve let all that go so long ago. But there are people that hold on to that. They still think or want me to be who I was. I’m not who I was yesterday. This is my journey, this is my odyssey.”

Punk also said he doesn’t expect to be involved in wrestling by 2020 — but anything is possible.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

AEW Weekly TNT TV Show Officially Announced, Location For The First Episode, Launch Trailer

TNT and AEW have announced that the weekly AEW TV show will air on Wednesday nights from 8pm until 10pm ET, beginning on Wednesday, October 2.

The first AEW TV show will air from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. AEW will be announcing details on tickets this coming Monday.

TNT Premieres All Elite Wrestling’s Live Weekly Matches on Wednesdays Beginning October 2

July 24, 2019 – WarnerMedia announced today that the new professional wrestling league All Elite Wrestling (AEW) will begin airing its two-hour weekly matches on TNT on Wednesday, Oct. 2, from 8 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET. The highly-anticipated, action-packed matches will take place in different cities across the nation each week on Wednesdays, starting in Washington, D.C., at the famed Capital One Arena. Ticket pricing and on-sale date for the televised live event will be announced on Monday, July 29, at 12 p.m. ET via AEW’s social media platforms.

AEW features a world-class roster of diverse male and female wrestlers, giving fans a new wrestling experience for the first time in 20 years. Founded by President and CEO Tony Khan, AEW is headlined by Cody & Brandi Rhodes, The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson), Kenny Omega, Hangman Adam Page, Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley. The roster is also filled with incredibly skilled competitors including Nyla Rose, Awesome Kong, Dustin Rhodes, Jungle Boy, Dr. Britt Baker, MJF and SCU. In addition to being in-ring talent, Cody, The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega also serve as EVPs with Brandi Rhodes serving as Chief Brand Officer. Renowned commentator Jim Ross has also joined the league.

Focused on fast-paced, high-impact competitions, AEW offers fans more athleticism along with real sports analytics. Wrestlers are also given freedom to explore their characters and highlight their athletic abilities. Introducing statistics to wrestling for the first time ever, AEW will raise the stakes for its matches and deepen fan engagement by tracking each competitor’s wins and losses as wrestlers pursue championships. Their moves and damage to their opponents will also be analyzed on-air to provide insights into their winning streaks.

WarnerMedia has been offering fans exclusive access to AEW’s previous matches that kicked off in May. Their extremely popular events DOUBLE OR NOTHING, FYTER FEST and FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN were all streamed on B/R Live. The highly anticipated ALL OUT event in Chicago on Saturday, Aug. 31, will also stream on the platform. B/R Live’s high fan engagement provides an invaluable opportunity to build AEW’s audience and maximize its viewership.

Update On The AEW – TNT Announcement Coming Soon

As noted, TNT launched new social media accounts for their weekly AEW TV show this week and have been teasing a big announcement, believed to be the details of that TV show.

A new teaser was posted today, revealing that the announcement will be made on Wednesday of this week. You can see the “calm before the storm” tweet below.

It’s been reported that AEW will air each Wednesday night on TNT, beginning Wednesday, October 2.

AEW And TNT Teasing Big Announcement To Come Soon

TNT has launched a new Twitter page for All Elite Wrestling at @AEWonTNT. They are also on Instagram.

The account is teasing a big announcement to come soon, perhaps details on the weekly AEW TNT TV show, which is expected to air on Wednesdays starting on October 2nd.

The Young Bucks appear in a new promotional video, also seen below, and they tell fans to watch out for a big announcement.

Stay tuned for more information on what’s to come.

CM Punk Will Appear At Starrcast III

Starrcast III just made a big announcement for All Out weekend in Chicago — CM Punk will be making an appearance at the convention.

The AEW-connected convention dropped the news on Thursday and fans will surely continue speculating about the possibility of Punk making an appearance at All Out now.

Starrcast did not specify what Punk will be doing at the convention in the announcement.

Chris Jericho talked about the possibility of CM Punk joining All Elite Wrestling in a recent interview with Collider Live. “Do we need him? No. Would it be a huge pop to get him? Yes,” Jericho explained during the conversation.

Watch the Starrcast III announcement below.

https://twitter.com/StarrcastEvents/status/1151923037400436737

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet