Category: AEW

Is Goldust (Dustin Rhodes) Done With WWE? Goldust Denies Reports

WWE veteran Goldust is reportedly done with company, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet.

Goldust’s WWE contract recently expired and he will be a free agent after the 90-day non-compete clause expires. There’s no word on when exactly the deal expired, but word is that he will be a free agent in May.

Goldust hasn’t been used by WWE this year and he underwent surgery on both knees in July 2018. He competed in the 5th annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34 and the Greatest Royal Rumble match, both in 2018, but his TV and live event appearances were limited after that.

All WWE mentions from the former @Goldust Twitter account have also been moved. Dustin Rhodes is now tweeting from @dustinrhodes and his bio now reads like this: “Actor/Author/Entertainer! Appearance manager-scott@prestigeappearances.com. Film Agent – Aur-aelion@almondtalent.com”

There’s been speculation on a possible Dustin vs. Cody Rhodes match at AEW’s Double Or Nothing event on Saturday, May 25. It was recently announced that Cody would be facing a mystery opponent and he’s stated that things are “personal” between them. The rumors picked up when the 9th “Road to Double Or Nothing” episode was released earlier today, seen below. The video includes a tease for the match when Cody’s seamstress asks if she should stay away from gold.

WWE veteran Goldust took to Twitter today and denied reports on his WWE contract being expired.

He wrote, “I am still under contract with the @wwe , and everything that is being said online is just talk, and complete bulls–t. This is exactly why I hate smart marks!”

You can see Goldust’s full tweet on the contract reports below:

https://twitter.com/dustinrhodes/status/1111406766372216834

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Buff Bagwell Says He Doesn’t ‘Get’ AEW, Plus Bagwell talks About His Time In WCW & WWE

In an interview with Wrestling Inc,’s WINCLY podcast Buff Bagwell gave his thoughts on the upstart promotion All Elite Wrestling, saying he doesn’t know Cody or the Young Bucks. Here are highlights:

On AEW: “At my age, [WWE is the only option], because these other boys are for the young kids and unfortunately, they don’t get it. Nobody knows them. I’m in the industry and don’t know them,” Bagwell said of Cody and The Young Bucks. “So, if I don’t know them, y’all don’t know them. So I don’t get it.”

On his brief tenure in WWE: “It wasn’t my fault that I was 30 and when I joined the WWF and I was going to take somebody’s job. Every single star, when I signed, was 12 years older than me…. It wasn’t my fault, but I sure as heck paid for it.”

On his backstage reputation: “Backstage gossip… hard to get along with, complains. My mom, when she started coming on the road with me…they thought he was acting up, obviously. She realized one day that her son was doing everything right and still, it was just rules in WCW.”

On WCW White Box Rule: One of those WCW rules was a white box that all talent had to enter a code into to document their arrival at each show.”If you didn’t check the box before 12:00, you got fined $500. The second time was a grand and the third time was I think fired. Do y’all really think us being late is our problem,” asked Bagwell. Bagwell said the white box became a headache for all of the WCW talent and affected the morale of everyone. “White box half a shoe box,” Bagwell said about the box. “At any time there was a line of $10 million worth of talent waiting to put the code in so you didn’t get fined off your check. “That’s a true story and Lex Luger and Goldberg and everybody would go to that little box and everybody checked in.”

On his health: “I’m about 80 percent almost back. Not body-wise, muscle-wise, but I’m gonna be 100 percent back in 3-4 months.”

On getting respect he deserves: Bagwell feels he doesn’t always get the respect he deserves for his contributions to pro wrestling. However, he contends that he’s done something that no one else has ever done in the tag team division.

“Most importantly, I think everyone, except you, has always announced me as a five-time world tag team champion and I’m truthfully a six-time world tag team champion with five different partners,” Bagwell told Nick Hausman. “How many guys have had six tag team titles with five different partners? Please let me know. It’s never been done brother.”

On his stand up comedy routine: Bagwell is now telling his wrestling stories via Tall Tales at Doc Holliday’s Saloon in Georgia. He teased one of those stories about a late night encounter with Brian Pillman in which Pillman knocked on his hotel door at 3 am “asking for a razor.”

“It’s three in the morning, so y’all do the math,” said Bagwell before adding “God rest his soul, but he was done before he was 40. I’ve wrestled 70 dead guys now.”

Bagwell uses that backdrop to set up his on stage routine and to detail everything he’s been through in the wrestling world. He says his comedy routine is unique and not something that even the best comics in the world could replicate.

“If Kevin Hart had my material, he couldn’t make it up. It’s too deep. It’s too crazy. That’s what makes this such a great idea and hopefully guys and girls will turn out to raise awareness of this thing. It’s a big deal as people are hungry out there. So I’m really, really excited about it.”

Tony Schiavone Discusses How He Blew His Chance To Work With AEW

So many wrestlers, announcers and producers have had their names linked to AEW and Tony Schiavone is the latest. It doesn’t hurt that he hosts a podcast with Conrad Thompson who is good friends with AEW owner Tony Khan, and Schiavone talked about the promotion’s launch when he spoke to Wrestling Inc. on the WINCLY podcast recently.

“I think it’s come out of the love of independent wrestling and the love that people want from something other than just the WWE,” stated Schiavone.

“I think what happened with Starrcast and how well it was received, it opened everyone’s eyes to a niche for something that has great talent, can be promoted and doesn’t have a boss that’s an idiot.

“It opened everyone’s eyes that we can do something big.”

The next big step for AEW is to land a television deal and Schiavone says that MLW ending up on BeIN Sports is a positive and shows that there’s a want out there. He also says that a lot of people who grew up pro wrestling fans are now television executives and that’s only helping the business.

From Schiavone’s history with Dusty Rhodes in WCW, he’s known Cody since he was a kid and he praised Cody for his business mind.

“Cody is…I’m not going to use the word “brilliant” because I haven’t worked with him that long and I think brilliant is an overused term. But Cody is a smart kid and has a great business head on his shoulders,” said Schiavone.

“[AEW has] a pretty good list of talent that is going to be very good. I just hope they can put it together and put together a TV show.”

Schiavone then went into detail about his memories of Cody has a kid growing up in Georgia.

“I had a son who wrestled in Cobb County [Georgia]…and he wrestled about five miles away from where Cody wrestled and Cody was state champion. Amongst parents and kids in Georgia, Cody was kinda like the big guy,” revealed Schiavone.

Schiavone said that Cody’s parents would always help out at the wrestling meets just like any other parents and Dusty often served as a voluntary usher.

“Dusty was helping people find their seats. He was just another parent,” stated Schiavone.

As for him working with AEW, Schiavone says he’s not currently involved but had an opportunity to get in AEW’s inner circle. However, he “Schiavonied” himself at an AEW mingling event by declining an invitation to go to Cody’s house for a party in which he could have met AEW president Tony Shan.

“Conrad Thompson said, ‘I set it up where you can meet Tony Khan and you did a no-show. You Schiavonied,'” stated Schiavone before mentioning that Schiavonied is now in Urban Dictionary and is defined as “To squander opportunity by putting in minimal effort.”

AEW has reached out to lots of people, but to date Tony Schiavone is not yet one of them.

“I have not talked to them,” revealed Schiavone. “I signed a three-year deal with MLW. I know they’re not using me right now but I do intend to honor my contract.

“I know [Jim Ross’] contract is coming up to an end at the end of the month. The feeling is that he’ll end up there, but I don’t know if that’s the case.”

Schiavone doesn’t know if he’ll ever end up in AEW as he is staying busy with all of his other projects.

“I have a lot on my plate. This podcast is taking up a lot of time and now I’m making appearances.…There’s a lot going on and we’ll just see. The older I get, the busier I get and it’s a great way to end your life,” said Schiavone.

The full audio from Wrestling Inc.‘s exclusive interview with Tony was included in a recent episode of their WINCLY podcast. It can be heard by clicking on this link. During the full interview Tony discusses working with Eric Bischoff, Bruce Prichard re-signing with WWE, his memories of Cody Rhodes as a child, how WrestleMania compares to Starrcade and more.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

PAC No Longer Appearing At Upcoming WrestleCon Due To Visa Issues

WrestleCon has announced PAC will no longer be appearing at their WrestleMania weekend event due to visa issues.

The company released a statement saying:

We regret to inform you that PAC will not be at WrestleCon. We worked diligently over the past several months with our attorneys to ensure that he successfully received a Visa to travel into the United States. Our Visa application was filed in a timely manner, all fees were paid to attorneys, and all required information was disclosed to government officials. Our attorneys were confident there would be no issue and based on their experience and expectation, we advertised PAC on the assumption there would be no problem obtaining a Visa. However, after exhausting all efforts, we were unable to provide PAC the appropriate Visa to travel and work in the United States. We understand and share your disappointment of this unanticipated outcome, as does PAC.

Further, we would like to clarify that in no way will this unfortunate incident have any impact on his future with AEW. This issue is isolated to WrestleCon only.

According to WrestleCon, refunds will be issued to everyone who purchased photo ops and autographs with PAC. They’ll also be changing all the advertisements so he’s no longer shown.

Backstage News On Television Deal For AEW, Streaming Double Or Nothing

It looks as though we’ll be waiting later rather than sooner for a confirmed television deal, as All Elite Wrestling is reportedly in no rush to sign any one contract, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Meltzer noted that talks for a TV deal are “smooth” and nothing has fallen apart.

The belief is that holding out will strategically benefit AEW, especially considering the new deal between UFC and ESPN, and the proven success of the DAZN streaming service. These examples of synchronization between sports promotions and streaming services, along with rights fees for sports continuing to rise, are apparently contributing to the hold up from AEW. Nevertheless, Meltzer notes that decision time will be coming at a certain point, and we will know more then.

Regarding AEW’s upcoming Double Or Nothing show, Meltzer noted that he is certain that there will be a streaming component involved so that people can watch along at home, as well as the traditional option of watching on pay-per-view. There are reportedly several options. The higher ups in AEW have the task of selling their product to different streaming companies based off of the exceptional ticket sales they’ve seen and the potential TV deals that are on the table.

In a recent interview with Wrestling Inc.’s  WINCLY Podcast, AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes mentioned that a major TV deal remains an important aspect of AEW’s ongoing exposure. Rhodes expound only a bit further, claiming that their potential deal could create a “massive shift in the pro wrestling industry”.

“I can’t talk about it but I know that I was quoted as saying – not by you guys – that, ‘A TV deal was not important.’ And I think that in the context I was speaking, I was talking about how important social media and do-it-yourself brands are compared to the traditional TV median,” Rhodes explained. “But I also – let’s be serious, major TV is a huge thing, and it would be a massive shift in the pro wrestling industry. It would be a change-the-world-like move. But I can’t talk about any pending TV deals.

“A lot of the information that’s out there is very accurate about what we’re seeking to do and how frequently we’re seeking to do it,” Rhodes continued on. “But I don’t want to discourage any future partners. I can say that people have been really calculated about how we roll out announcements. We want to be proper. We can’t just stand on the podium in Jacksonville and say, ‘Hey, here’s the entire business model, here’s all of our plans, here’s x-amount of money.’ We can’t do that. I know the business of the business is very entertaining but I think if people put their trust in us like they have, we won’t let them down.”

AEW presents Double or Nothing on May 25th from the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jim Ross Confirms He’s In Talks With AEW

Just weeks after announcing he’d soon be parting ways with WWE, wrestling legend Jim Ross has confirmed he’s in talks with All Elite Wrestling.

“We’re talking. We’re talking. I just haven’t signed anything yet,” JR said during an interview on Thursday with ESPN’s Outside The Lines. “My people and their people are doing their thing.”

As we previously reported, the WWE Hall of Famer sounded confident that he wouldn’t be out of work for long when he announced his WWE departure on an episode of his podcast.

Check out the clip of JR confirming the AEW talks below.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

AEW Signs Former Impact Knockouts Champion Allie, News On Title Belt Design

On the latest Road to Double or Nothing it was announced former Impact Knockouts Champion Allie has signed with AEW. The above video features Allie meeting with Brandi Rhodes and getting ideas for her new wrestling gear with former WWE seamstress, Sandra Gray.

Allie spoke about how she first got into wrestling and how she’s looking forward to working with All Elite Wrestling.

“Going forward, I really want to make my mark here at AEW,” Allie said. “I feel like even though I’ve had those opportunities, I feel like now I really want to show people what I can do and I don’t know if I had that chance before.”

Allie originally appeared in Impact back in 2013 and signed a contract with them in 2016. Allie has already finished up with Impact Wrestling, according to PWInsider. Allie’s last appearance will air on tomorrow’s episode of Impact. The report stated she knew back in January the company wouldn’t be renewing her deal as they look to refresh the roster. Allie was said to be well liked and ended up keeping the news mostly to herself, so when yesterday’s signing broke that would be when many in Impact were made aware of her exit.

The video below also showed Brandi talking about the design for a new AEW championship title. She noted it will be as large as the Mid-South North American Championship. They are looking to make it unique to AEW, but the size will be in the same ballpark, below is a photo of what the Mid-South North American Championship looked like.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Kenny Omega Appears At DDT Event

AEW brought in DDT Pro-Wrestling Star, Michael Nakazawa, who was joined by Kenny Omega (via video) at the most recent DDT event. Omega wanted to let the crowd know AEW is bringing in Nakazawa, but he will still be appearing for DDT. Omega also teased maybe he’ll show back up in his old stomping grounds in the future.

https://twitter.com/ddtuniverse/status/1108711047160946688

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Cody Rhodes Filed For New Trademarks

Earlier this week, Cody Rhodes filed for the following trademarks: “Prince of Wrestling,” “Battlebowl,” “Bash at the Beach,” and “Bunkhouse Stampede,” according to PWInsider. Bunkhouse Stampede (no holds barred steel cage battle royal) and Battlebowl (wrestlers who would not typically team with one another are randomly selected with the winners going to a final battle royal) were invented by Cody’s father, Dusty Rhodes.

In regards to Bash at the Beach (PPV originating in WCW in the early 90s), Cody tweeted out.

Matt Jackson responded to Cody:

https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/1108450898034851840

Source: Wrestling Inc.

MLW CEO Court Bauer Discusses AEW & States That MLW Talent Can Work Anywhere But WWE

MLW CEO Court Bauer was a guest on Wrestling Inc’s WINCLY podcast. During the interview, he addressed a number of topics, including MLW’s relationship with other companies.

On Wrestlers Working Elsewhere: “We signed MJF and Lucha Bros… we’ve had these guys for a while so there’s a mutual coolness there,” Bauer said. “There’s not a problem. We don’t block anyone from working anywhere. We only have one company where they’re prohibited working for which is WWE.”By doing that, if they end up on national TV somewhere – that’s great exposure. Now people are familiar with you elsewhere and also here.”

On AEW Entering The Mix: “I am very interested in the seeing the direction AEW goes. My philosophy is tide rises all ships. As long as your business is running at a high level and clicking with your fan base, you’re gonna do fine and the fans will support it. The fans will go beyond just one product. If AEW does well…if MLW does well, then that’s great for fans and the talent. It’s great for anyone. For every success story in wrestling, that helps validate it to a larger audience. To licensing people. To TV people. To potential investors….You don’t want a landscape where just one or two companies are successful – that doesn’t indicate a healthy industry.”

On AEW/MLW Wrestlers Leaving To Join AEW Full-Time: “We have very healthy and open lines of communication with [AEW] and I don’t anticipate it being an issue…. Whenever you can find a way to work together and take the ego out of the equation, you find that life is easier and business is better. The business problem people have in wrestling is ego…. Just get over it. It’s important to stay humble but also to be strategic and see the bigger picture.”