Category: AEW

Maria Kanellis Undergoes Surgery On Her Adrenal Gland, Latest On Her Condition

Maria Kanellis is feeling well after undergoing surgery on her adrenal gland.

Taking to Twitter, Mike Bennett announced that his wife underwent surgery on Wednesday and will be staying overnight at the hospital.

Kanellis underwent surgery for a mass that was found on her gland earlier this year.

Bennett wrote,

“Maria’s surgery went well. She is staying overnight at the hospital for observation and should be released tomorrow. My wife is a badass.

Thank you to everyone who’s reached out. We love y’all so very much.”

https://twitter.com/RealMikeBennett/status/1849637402098225395

Source: eWn

Backstage Report On Chris Jericho’s ROH Title Win On AEW Dynamite

Chris Jericho captured the Ring of Honor World Championship for the second time during Wednesday night’s “AEW Dynamite,” defeating Mark Briscoe in a ladder match with some help from The Learning Tree. Discussing the match on “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Dave Meltzer offered a possible explanation for Jericho’s title victory.

“I think that if they are working on an ROH television deal, then it probably is beneficial for them to be champion, to try and close that deal,” Meltzer said.

The writer then confirmed that Tony Khan is in the process of trying to secure a TV deal for the brand. AEW recently re-upped with Warner Bros Discovery, ensuring “Dynamite” and “AEW Collision” remain on TNT/TBS as well as heading to streaming platform Max. However, ROH was not included in that agreement.

Meltzer praised the Jericho-Briscoe match from last night, marveling at Briscoe’s mobility after a career full of death-defying stunts. Both Meltzer and co-host Bryan Alvarez stated that it was possible that Khan would run another rematch between Jericho and Briscoe and ROH Final Battle later this year, which would allow Briscoe to compete in the Continental Classic and take some losses before winning the title back from Jericho.

This is Jericho’s second time as champion, with his last reign also coinciding with rumors that Khan was seeking a media rights deal for ROH. However, no outside agreement materialized, and ROH has since been relegated to its own online streaming platform and appearances on AEW programming.

Following the win against Briscoe, Jericho’s next challenger stepped forward — Tomohiro Ishii of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Jericho successfully defended the ROH World Championship against Ishii during his initial reign in November 2022. Though Ishii has previously held the ROH Television Championship, he has not yet held the brand’s world title.

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to Wrestling Observer Radio

AEW Dynamite 10/23/2024

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS from the Maverik Center in West Valley City Utah, just outside of Salt Lake City.

  • ROH World Championship – Ladder War: Mark Briscoe (c) vs. Chris Jericho
  • House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King and Buddy Matthews) in trios action
  • ROH World Tag Team Champion Sammy Guevara vs. Shelton Benjamin
  • The Elite’s Jack Perry and The Young Bucks vs. Daniel Garcia & Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen)
  • Kyle Fletcher will reveal why he turned on Will Ospreay at WrestleDream
  • HOOK “will handle” person who attacked his father Taz
  • AEW World Champion Jon Moxley to appear
  • Kamille vs. Queen Aminata

Adam Cole Required Donor Bone For Ankle Surgery

Adam Cole sustained a devastating ankle injury at AEW Grand Slam 2023, developing fractures in three separate areas.

Previously unknown details about Cole’s injury have now come to light, revealing that the AEW star required a bone from another person during surgery after his ankle completely shattered.

During a recent appearance on “The Takedown on SI” podcast, Cole, who recently confirmed his breakup with Britt Baker, mentioned that it wasn’t until after his first surgery that he learned just how extensive the damage truly was. What was expected to be a one-hour operation ended up taking three times longer.

Cole discovered that his ankle was in much worse shape than anticipated and would need an additional surgery only a week later. This meant he would require not only more screws in his ankle but also a bone from a donor because part of his ankle had entirely disintegrated.

During the second surgery, the doctors chose to use cadaver bone rather than a metal plate, which can limit mobility.

Cole expressed his appreciation to the donor and their family, acknowledging that this choice is likely better for his rehabilitation. He noted that he can feel a noticeable difference between his left ankle, which received the donor bone, and his right one, but he understands that this is part of the recovery journey.

Cole said, “The first piece of news that I heard was, your ankle is way worse than we anticipated. You have to get another surgery in seven days. So, not only did I have to get double the amount of screws in my ankle, but also, I had to get someone else’s bone put into my ankle because the bone piece within my ankle just completely disintegrated. Incredibly thankful to [the donor] and the family,” Cole said. “It’s certainly a better option. I definitely notice a difference in my left ankle as opposed to my right one, but I think that comes with the territory.”

At WrestleDream 2024, Cole returned to AEW television and targeted MJF.

Sting Signs New Multi-Year Contract With AEW, Reveals What He’s Doing Now

Sting has signed a new multi-year contract with All Elite Wrestling.

The wrestling icon, who retired from in-ring competition at AEW Revolution earlier this year, recently spoke with “Kayfabe Friends” at the Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion to announce what his AEW future holds. He said,

“I signed a multi-year deal with AEW, obviously not to wrestle anymore. But it’s like a licensing deal.”

He added, ”A legends deal if you want to call it that. So I’ll do appearances with them on and off, depending on what they want and all. I’ve done real estate, I did real estate before I ever was a pro wrestler, so I’ve always loved real estate. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, are you a real estate agent?’ No, I’m not an agent. I’m an investor. I was flipping houses before before flipping houses was a term. So I made money in real estate before wrestling, so I’m doing that again, and I love it.”

Source: eWn

AEW’s Ricochet Surprises Konosuke Takeshita At MLPW Forged In Excellence, Results From Both Nights

Former TNA Wrestling President Scott D’Amore got his next project off the ground this past weekend, relaunching Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling to hold a pair of shows in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The two events included talent from across the wrestling world, including AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita defending his title against TNA’s Josh Alexander. Following Takeshita’s victory, he and Don Callis began beating down Alexander when they were interrupted by a surprising face — AEW star Ricochet.

As soon as the music hit, Callis made his escape as Ricochet entered the ring and launched Takeshita to the outside. He then dove onto the International Champion before hopping back into the ring and grabbing hold of the title, teasing that he isn’t finished with Takeshita.

Earlier this month, both Ricochet and Takeshita took part in a three-way match at AEW WrestleDream with the International Championship on the line, with former champion Will Ospreay as the third man. Takeshita pinned Ricochet to win the match, but it seems Ricochet is now looking for a one-on-one shot at the title. The angle between the two AEW stars closed the show, possibly indicating that the match will take place in MLPW rather than AEW.

In addition to Takeshita, Ricochet, and Alexander, MLPW’s return shows featured performers such as Athena, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, QT Marshall, Bully Ray, and many more. Former WWE commentator Mauro Ranallo could also be heard calling the event alongside Callis, marking his return to the world of pro wrestling after more than three years away.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Source for Results: Fightful

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged In Excellence Night 1 (10/19/24) Results.

* Josh Alexander, Stu Grayson & El Phantasmo def. Trevor Lee, Rocky Romero & Alex Zayne

– Mike Bailey is interviewed backstage and talks about how excited he is to face off with Takeshita. He says the experience is nerve-racking, but so is leaving your home country to try and find stardom worldwide. That will be the main event tonight.

– Bret Hart narrates a video package about the past and future of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.

– Ahead of the next match, QT Marshall cut a promo about St. Clair College giving an Alumni of Distinction award to Bhupinder Gujjar, his opponent for the evening.

* QT Marshall (with Harley Cameron) def. Bhupinder Gujjar

– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Kylie Rae.

* Kylie Rae def. Laynie Luck, Taylor Rising, and Aurora Teves

– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Josh Alexander. He says he’s honored to be the first wrestler to score a pinfall in the new era of MLP, but now he will watch the match between Mike Bailey and Konosuke Takeshita. He will challenge Konosuke Takeshita for the International Championship tomorrow night.

* IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Jet Setters (KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight) (c) def. Rogue Squadron (Sheldon Jean & Rohit Raju) vs. El Reverso & Aiden Prince vs. Brett Banks & Johnny Swinger

* PWA Champion’s Grail: Rohan Raja def. Jake Something

– After the match, Raja was interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell and declared that he was “Ravenous” and wanted to defend the gold globally.

– Bully Ray cut a promo on Raj Dhesi. He called him a “washed-up former champion” and said that he would never ever put him through a table.

* Tables Match: Bully Ray def. Raj Dhesi

– The match ended after Raj had chokeslammed Bully through a table, but the referee was knocked out. This led to QT Marshall coming down and knocking out Raj with a chain and dragging him through the broken table before the referee woke up, so it looked like Raj had gone through the table, so Bully scored the victory without actually doing what he needed to do to score the victory. Bhupinder Gujjar stopped a post-match attack on Raj, setting up a tag team match for tomorrow night.

* Gisele Shaw def. Miyu Yamashita

* AEW International Championship Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita (c) def. Mike Bailey

– After the match, Josh Alexander came down to confront Takeshita, and they stared each other down for the show’s final moments.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged In Excellence Night 2 (10/20/24) Results.

* Jet Setters (KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight) & Aiden Prince def. Rocky Romero, Rohit Raju & Rohan Raja

* QPW Qatar Championship Match: El Reverso def. Classy Ali (c)

– Rohan Raja cut a promo backstage, incensed that he lost it in The Opening match without losing the match. He said he would defend his PWA Champion’s Grail in Oceanic Pro Wrestling in December.

– Footage aired of Harley Cameron and Laynie Luck attacking Kylie Rae after last night’s show.

* Kylie Rae & Miyu Yamashita def. Laynie Luck & Harley Cameron

* “Psycho” Mike Rollins def. Trevor Lee, Jake Something, Stu Grayson, Alex Zayne, and Sheldon Jean

* “Speedball” Mike Bailey def. El Phantasmo

– Harley Cameron completely hijacked an interview with Bully Ray and QT Marshall, where she repeated a bunch of Dudley Boyz catchphrases in a funny moment.

* Raj Dhesi & Bhupinder Gujjar def. Bully Ray & QT Marshall (w/ Harley Cameron)

– Darren McCarty appeared in the audience and attacked Bully Ray during the match, setting the scene for the end, which came when Gujjar scored with his Gargoyle Spear on QT Marshall.

* ROH Women’s World Championship: Athena (c) def. Gisele Shaw

* AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) def. Josh Alexander

– Post-Match: Don Callis bragged about Takeshita’s win. He said nobody would be able to stop him. They continued to attack Josh Alexander, and Ricochet came down to save the day. Ricochet and Josh Alexander shook hands as the show came to a close.

AEW Collision & Battle Of The Belts XII Preview 10/19/2024

AEW has a three-hour programming block scheduled for tonight on TNT. First up, it’s a new episode of AEW Collision, immediately followed by AEW Battle of the Belts XII. Both shows air back-to-back tonight on TNT.

Collision:

* AEW World Trios Championship Match: Claudio Castagnoli, PAC & Wheeler Yuta (c) vs. Top Flight
* Kyle Fletcher vs. Atlantis Jr.
* Ricochet vs. AR Fox
* The Outrunners vs. RUSH & The Beast Mortos
* Daniel Garcia & Private Party vs. Premier Athletes
* Orange Cassidy vs. Bulk Bronson
* Harley Cameron vs. Kris Statlander
* Jamie Hayter vs. TBA
* House of Black vs. TBA

Battle of the Belts XII:

* AEW Continental Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
* AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Match: Mariah May (c) vs. Anna Jay

Additional Details On New AEW-WBD Media Rights Deal, Ongoing Negotiations

AEW and Warner Brothers Discovery were finally able to announce the details of their new media rights deal on October 2. The deal will not only see AEW stay on TBS and TNT until at least 2028, but the company will also have its two main shows, “AEW Dynamite” and “AEW Collision,” streamed simultaneously on MAX, with the rest of the AEW library following as 2025 rolls on. 

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer revealed some extra details about the deal now that it has finally been made official. Meltzer revealed that the $555 Million deal that was announced on October 2 was the main part of the agreement, and the goal was to always announce it on the fifth anniversary of “Dynamite.” However, there are still some negotiations going on. The most notable being the future of “AEW Rampage,” which looks to be finishing at the end of 2024 in favor of a new third show, “AEW Shockwave,” which is still being shopped around to other networks. “Rampage” may still have a future according to Meltzer, but it is unlikely given what the company wants to do with “Shockwave.”

FOX has been “Shockwave’s” main target given they just lost WWE programming, with Meltzer stating that if AEW were to get on FOX, the best days for them would either be Tuesdays or Thursdays, as “WWE Raw” and “WWE SmackDown” already occupy Monday and Friday, AEW already have shows on Wednesday and Saturdays, and Tony Khan doesn’t want to compete with the NFL on Sundays. However, there would be competition on both of those nights in the form of “WWE NXT” on Tuesdays, and some NFL games on Thursdays.

Tony Khan Wants To Expand AEW Internationally

While the future of “Rampage” looks almost certain, some of AEW’s other programs have more uncertain futures in regards to airing on TV. The quarterly Battle of the Belts specials were reportedly not part of the new deal, and while the show can still be shopped around and air in the same way WWE is bringing back Saturday Night’s Main Event, the upcoming Battle of the Belts XII event on October 19 looks to be the final installment. Meltzer also revealed that talks still exist for other new deals, including the potential to air on TruTV, and ROH finally getting its own deal after nearly two years of streaming on HonorClub.

The other main part of the deal that Meltzer shed light on was the profitability of AEW. The new deal not only reportedly guarantees AEW will be a profitable company for the next three years, but also looks to make them the second-most profitable wrestling company in history behind WWE. However, it’s where AEW President Tony Khan decides to put the added $95 Million in television revenue that is the real question.

Meltzer noted that there is no pressure or urge to try and set profit records, with one of Khan’s main goals being investing profits into the international growth of AEW, something that has already been evident in the announcements of the Wrestle Dynasty event in Japan, February’s Grand Slam in Australia, and the 2025 Forbidden Door pay-per-view that will take place in London, England, which will then be followed up with the return of All In: London in 2026. Talent are also set to benefit greatly from the deal too, as the injection of money means bidding wars between AEW and WWE will likely result in the talent being paid more money than ever before.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Rampage Preview 10/18/2024

AEW Rampage tonight on TNT.

* Mark Briscoe vs. The Butcher
* Anna Jay vs. Trish Adora
* Private Party vs. MxM Collection
* Kyle O’Reilly in action

Health Update On Bryan Danielson Following AEW World Title Loss

After 25 years, a forced retirement, and many matches some would consider the best to have ever happened, Bryan Danielson’s full-time wrestling career is over. The American Dragon lost the AEW World Championship to Jon Moxley at WrestleDream on October 12, with many wondering what the future holds for him given the condition of his body. Dave Meltzer provided an update on what’s next for Danielson in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

According to Meltzer, Danielson is set to have an MRI scan in the near future to see what damage has been done to his neck. Danielson reportedly had an MRI scan earlier this year that showed significant damage to his neck, but not quite enough to rule him out of action completely, resulting in him being able to finish out his last full-time year. The results of the MRI scan will determine what Danielson does next, as the hope currently is that he will not need surgery, but if the damage has gotten a lot worse, he may need to go under the knife, which could put a potential in-ring return in jeopardy depending on how well the surgery, and his recovery goes.

If Danielson is able to avoid surgery, he will be able to undergo stem cell treatment therapy to heal up instead. WWE star Rey Mysterio has undergone multiple rounds of stem cell treatment to repair his knees and is still wrestling to this day, so if Danielson does end up going down that route, the hopes of an in-ring return will seem brighter. Danielson reportedly told people within AEW that he can’t see himself going back to WWE, with the idea being that he will pop up in AEW occasionally, but for right now, he is focused on getting healthy, and spending time with his family.

Source: Wrestling Inc.