Category: AEW

AEW’s Dustin Rhodes Launches Wrestling Promotion, First Show Announced

After 36 years of experience within the industry, Dustin Rhodes will start his own wrestling company and step into a new role as a promoter beginning this fall. On Sunday night, the current ROH World Tag Team Champion took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to announce the launch of Rhodes Wrestling Association, as well as the date of the company’s first show, Texas Fall Fury. He also revealed that he will be present for a VIP meet and greet one hour ahead of the first show. 

“FINALLY!!! @RhodesWrestling is LAUNCHING!! Stay tuned in the coming weeks for all info. Soon November 21st Thursday at 6pm central #RWA’s Bullpen in Leander Texas. Lets make the first one special! I will be doing a VIP Meet and greet at 5pm central.”

The announcement of Rhodes’ new promotion also lines up with the rumors surrounding his AEW contract status, which has been reported to expire this fall. In addition to his announcement of RWA, Rhodes posted a heartfelt message to AEW and reflected on his last five years with the company, suggesting that he’s keen to stick around Tony Khan’s promotion.

Prior to winning the ROH World Tag Team Championships with Sammy Guevara, Rhodes also became a ROH World Six Man Tag Team Champion alongside The Von Erichs at Battle of the Belts XI. The latter marked his first title win since 2014, when he held the WWE Tag Team Championships with his brother, Cody Rhodes, who is now riding high as the Undisputed WWE Champion. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

New Backstage Reports Claim AEW Stars The Lucha Brothers Have Not Yet Signed With WWE

Ever since early August, when it was reported that Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo wouldn’t be renewing their AEW contracts, every sign has indicated that the tag team known as The Lucha Brothers are heading to WWE. On Thursday, it seemed as though the move had been made official when Cory Hays of PWNexus claimed (or seemed to claim) that Penta and Fenix had signed a multi-year main roster deal. That conclusion now appears to be premature, as both Fightful Select and Pro Wrestling Insider are reporting that, while The Lucha Brothers are still probably WWE-bound, they have not yet signed contracts.

Fightful’s report says WWE sources denied the brothers had been signed, with one indicating that Fenix is still under contract to AEW (though AEW sources wouldn’t confirm his contract status). PWI, meanwhile, reports that both Fenix and Penta are still signed to AEW, and that while there’s strong mutual interest between them and WWE, they cannot legally have signed anything yet. Both reports agree that The Lucha Brothers are still expected to sign with WWE, with Fightful noting that neither WWE nor AEW has responded to official inquiries about the two wrestlers.

Hays, for his part, responded to Fightful’s report on Saturday by clarifying his original post, which never technically said the brothers had put pen to paper.

“Yet, as Rey’s contract hasn’t expired yet,” Hays said on X (formerly known as Twitter), quoting Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp. “But they have had the conversations and merchandise has been given the green light.” When asked by a commenter when Fenix’s deal was up, Hays replied “This month, and [Tony Khan] isn’t adding injury time to it.”

Penta hasn’t wrestled for AEW since the July 19 episode of “AEW Rampage”; Fenix’s last AEW match was the July 20 episode of “AEW Collision.” Neither man has wrestled anywhere in more than a month.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Collision Preview 9/21/2024

AEW Collision live tonight on TNT from the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA

  • All-Star 10-Man Tag Match: Hook and FTRunners (FTR & The Outrunners) vs. Beast Mortos, Grizzled Young Veterans, Rush & Roderick Strong
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Mariah May vs Lady Frost
  • Darby Allin vs. Evil Uno
  • ROH World Tag Team Championship – Bunkhouse Brawl Match: Dustin Rhodes & Sammy Guevara (c) vs. Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett)

Update On Daniel Garcia’s AEW Status, WWE Reportedly ‘Chomping At The Bit’ To Sign Him

Former Ring of Honor Pure Champion Daniel Garcia has been a major figure in the wrestling news of late, as his AEW contract is set to expire in the near future with Garcia having yet to make his decision. AEW and many people within the company are confident he’ll stay, but according to Cory Hays of PWNexus, WWE has got a close eye on Garcia’s situation, with the company reportedly “chomping at the bit”[sic] to sign him if he becomes a free agent at the end of October. Hays also said Garcia still has not signed a new deal with AEW.

The 26-year old has been extremely private about his contract situation, even going as far as declining to answer a question about it during a recent interview. Many fans assumed that the result of the match between Garcia and MJF at All Out 2024 would have been an indicator as to Garcia’s decisionwith a win signaling that he is staying with AEW. However, MJF won the match, with Garcia’s failure to re-sign reportedly resulting in the result being changed. Garcia has already made it clear that he feels like he’s ready to step up to the next level in his career and be a part of a main event scene, but as of this writing it is still unknown whether that will be in AEW or WWE.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Report Says Miro Has Asked For Release From AEW

AEW’s existence has objectively done a lot of good for the wrestling business, providing another viable option for wrestlers to ply their trade while earning major money in North America, but within any organization there will always be those who end up unhappy. For a long time, reporting has suggested that Miro, formerly WWE’s Rusev, has been displeased with his tenure in the promotion, and now it appears he wants out.

According to a report from “Fightful Select,” Miro has officially requested his release from AEW. At the time of writing, neither AEW nor Miro himself has confirmed the report, but “The Redeemer” has notably not competed in AEW at all this year, with his last match taking place during the company’s last pay-per-view in 2023, Worlds End. According to Fightful’s sources, Miro ended up being sidelined for longer than anticipated after his match at Worlds End, but that he recovered a long time ago, which the star previously confirmed, explaining that his injuries were seen to back in January.

Fightful also reports that AEW originally considered using Miro in the All In Casino Gauntlet, and an angle for him was pitched involving Jon Moxley, but added that he couldn’t reach creative agreement with management, largely the reason for his absence from programming for the past two years. The report further pointed out that there’s no confirmation if Miro’s been granted his release yet, or if WWE has any interest in picking him up. Fightful’s sources also noted that “The Redeemer” is currently signed to a seven-figure contract that doesn’t expire until Spring 2026, which might complicate the dealings around his release.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Rampage Preview 9/20/2024

AEW Rampage Friday night on TNT.

  • Mark Briscoe vs. Bryan Keith
  • Wheeler Yuta vs. The Butcher
  • Hikaru Shida vs. Harley Cameron
  • Roderick Strong & The Beast Mortos in action
  • Nick Wayne vs. Kip Sabian vs. Lio Rush vs. Rocky Romero

Backstage News On AEW Contract Status Of ROH Double Champ Dustin Rhodes

Dustin Rhodes may be a double champion in Ring of Honor, but there are no guarantees that he will be sticking around AEW after September. According to Fightful Select, Rhodes’ deal with the company is still up and the end of the month, as Fightful initially reported last year.

Rhodes is currently a ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champion alongside the Von Erich brothers, as well as ROH World Tag Team Champion alongside Sammy Guevara. Fightful reports that “many” assumed Rhodes’ title victories meant he’d signed a new deal, but that is apparently not the case as of this writing. The report contains no indication of whether Rhodes is considering jumping back to WWE, the company where he spent the majority of his career for two decades, and where his brother Cody Rhodes is the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion. According to Fightful, in addition to his spots on the AEW and ROH rosters, Rhodes helps out and contributes to the women’s division behind-the-scenes.

Rhodes debuted in ROH at Death Before Dishonor in July 2024 and teamed with Marshall and Ross Von Erich, defeating The Dark Order to win a shot at the ROH Six-Man titles. They defeated the Undisputed Kingdom later that month at battle of the Belts to win the championships. Rhodes defeated the Undisputed Kingdom once again, alongside Guevara, to win the ROH tag belts on an episode of “AEW Collision.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 9/18/2024

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite live on TBS from the Mohegan Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

  • Orange Cassidy vs. Chris Jericho
  • The Elite (The Young Bucks & Kazuchika Okada) vs. Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher & Konosuke Takeshita
  • Yuka Sakazaki & Queen Aminata vs. Mariah May & Serena Deeb
  • Ricochet vs. The Beast Mortos

Kota Ibushi Reveals Training Session With Kenny Omega, Teases AEW Return

Both Kenny Omega and Kota Ibushi have been absent from AEW for some time, with fans anxiously waiting as the two stars recover from significant injuries. However, those fans may not have to wait much longer. Based on a post made by Ibushi on Instagram, he and Omega are training together once again.

“World domination is just days away,” Ibushi wrote. “Had a golden practice after a long time. We are still far from done. Next AEW!!!”

The first photo shows Ibushi and Omega striking an iconic pose just outside of a ring, while the next picture features the two men making funny faces while holding onto a pair of large beverages. While it’s not clear from the photo whether Ibushi and Omega are training in Japan, the Tokyo Game Show is set to begin next week and Omega is a noted video game fan, offering a potential reason for Omega to visit.

While Omega has been an EVP in AEW since the promotion’s inception, it took his Golden Lovers partner a while longer to make it over. Ibushi signed a contract with AEW in 2023 but has wrestled just four matches so far. The former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion has dealt with a string of serious injuries over the last several years, resulting in Ibushi performing only 11 times since the end of 2021.

As for Omega, the AEW star discovered last year that he was dealing with a case of diverticulitis that could have potentially ended his life if he hadn’t sought out treatment at the right time. After months away from television, Omega returned on “AEW Dynamite” this past May, updating the audience on his health status before being attacked by his former friends in The Elite. As of now, that was the last time Omega has been seen onscreen.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Report Offers Further Details On AEW-WBD Deal That’s Reportedly Close

A new TV deal between All Elite Wrestling and Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to be announced next week.

Entertainment news outlet Puck has confirmed that WBD’s deal with AEW is close to being finalized, and an announcement is likely coming “as soon as next week, barring any last-minute challenges.” It’s worth noting that AEW will be in New York City next week for their Grand Slam TV tapings. It is expected that reps from WBD will be in attendance at these TV tapings.

AEW’s next media rights deal with Warner Bros Discovery seems to be approaching the finish line, with a report yesterday suggesting AEW was poised to sign a 3-4 year contract worth $170 million annually. Now, a new report from Fightful Select has some additional details on the situation behind the scenes.

In addition to backing up the news regarding the deal, today’s report states that the new media rights package will be enough to make AEW a profitable company. Leading up to the agreement, AEW reportedly saw $200 million per year, for a five-year deal, as a “large benchmark” that they hoped to achieve. While the impending deal is slightly less than that, and for a shorter amount of time, there is now potential for the promotion to surpass that goal.

It remains a possibility that AEW’s pay-per-views are part of a separate deal that is currently being worked on between the promotion and WBD, which could see the events wind up streaming on MAX. On top of that, the report indicates that AEW is currently shopping around another television package for broadcast networks, and that it’s something Tony Khan has wanted to make happen for a while. It appears AEW’s exclusivity with WBD is ending with the new contract, allowing Khan to bring AEW offers to other companies, explaining the recent AEW-Fox rumors.

There reportedly hasn’t been any word about Ring of Honor being included in any of these deals, but it remains a possibility. So far, AEW has kept most information about the contract locked down, with talent unaware of many details. While no firm date has yet to emerge, it seems the new deal could be announced as soon as next week, according to the original report.

Sources: Wrestling Inc. and eWn