Category: TNA

FOX Hoping To Make AEW Look Inferior With WWE SmackDown Debut?, News On AEW Start Date And Time Slot

AEW is expected to start on Turner during the first week of October, which is the same week that WWE SmackDown will being airing on Friday nights on FOX. The news was first reported by MMA insider @fightoracle, who first broke the story that Turner Sports would be presenting AEW at their upfronts last month. As noted, AEW applied for the trademark “Wednesday Night Dynamite” earlier this month.

With the television show seemingly airing on Wednesday nights, the premiere date will be October 2nd. Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that while there are still meetings occurring regarding the show, strategies, and other ideas from the TNT side, the plan is for the show to air on Wednesdays, with 8-10 p.m. being the most likely time slot.

WWE SmackDown will make its much anticipated debut two nights later at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. It was reported in The Observer that FOX will be testing out two new cameras for the debut. FOX is also looking to invite a lot of celebrities and give the show the feel of a major event, which is a reason that it’s being held in Los Angeles. It was noted that the idea is to make WWE look as major league as possible, which in turn would make AEW look minor league from the start.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Kenny Omega Strongly Criticizes WWE For Streaming Evolve Show Opposite AEW Fight For The Fallen

WWE announced yesterday that the WWE Network will stream EVOLVE’s 10th Anniversary Celebration. It will air as the EVOLVE 131 event, on Saturday, July 13 from the former ECW Arena, the 2300 Arena, in Philadelphia, PA. . The special will feature WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Akira Tozawa with the title on the line, Matt Riddle vs. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak in a non-title match. The event will also feature NXT’s Arturo Ruas (Adrian Jaoude) and Babatunde, plus EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory and EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Eddie Kingston & Joe Gacy. A full line-up of matches will be announced soon.

“Evolve was the birthplace for many current WWE and NXT Superstars so it is only fitting that their 10th Anniversary Celebration will be showcased live on WWE Network,” Triple H said.

WWE began their working relationship and talent exchange with WWN Live’s EVOLVE promotion back in 2015. Booker Gabe Sapolsky now works behind-the-scenes for NXT and the WWE Performance Center.

Many fans have pointed to how the WWE Network EVOLVE stream is airing on the same night as AEW’s Fight for the Fallen event from Jacksonville, FL. This event will have a portion of the proceeds donated to victims of gun violence.

It should be noted that the EVOLVE 131 date was first announced back in mid-May. We don’t know when WWE began negotiating for the livestream. AEW first announced the details on Fight for the Fallen during the first week of March.

AEW Executive Vice President Kenny Omega has fans talking on social media today after a tweet he made on the EVOLVE – WWE special. He apparently called out WWE for working with Saudi Arabia.

“If lining your pockets with blood money is okay, then what’s wrong with trying to undermine a charity show for victims of gun violence? I hear that healthy competition is supposed to be a good thing and yet I can’t help but feel like I’m gonna be sick,” Omega wrote.

Omega has deleted his original tweet that apparently knocked WWE for their working relationship with the Saudis. His new tweet, also seen below, reads like this: “I’ve said my piece and it opened the door to a very toxic environment. It wasn’t a message to fans, or the boys, just the decision makers. I wish everyone wrestling on any show that day all the best. That is all.”

You can see Omega’s full tweets below:

If lining your pockets with blood money is okay, then what’s wrong with trying to undermine a charity show for victims of gun violence? I hear that healthy competition is supposed to be a good thing and yet I can’t help but feel like I’m gonna be sick.

— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) June 26, 2019

https://twitter.com/KennyOmegamanX/status/1143980930203312133

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1143954386592423937

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Trademark Likely Reveals When Their Weekly TV Show Will Air

All Elite Wrestling applied for the trademark “Wednesday Night Dynamite,” on June 18, possibly leading towards which night their weekly TNT show will air. The show will premiere in the fall later this year.

AEW had also applied for “Tuesday Night Dynamite” last year, looking to possibly fill in Tuesday nights once SmackDown moves to Fridays on FOX on October 4. The fact that they have now applied for the Wednesday night trademark would suggest that the show will air on Wednesdays, not Tuesdays.

Back in May it was officially announced AEW would be partnering up with TNT, while also utilizing B/R Live as a platform to stream events. Despite the $50 price tag, last month’s AEW Double or Nothing was a success with an estimated 98,500-113,000 PPV buys worldwide.

The promotion is following that up with AEW Fyter Fest on June 29 in Daytona Beach, Florida, which will stream for free on B/R Live.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling Preview 6/22/19

Tonight on Impact:

* Eddie Edwards vs. Madman Fulton

* Tessa Blanchard vs. Jake Crist

* Impact Knockouts Championship: (C) Taya Valkyrie vs. Su Yung

* Rich Swann vs. Michael Elgin vs. Johnny Impact

* Mosse vs. Tommy Dreamer

AEW All Out Press Conference Details, AEW Events To Air In The UK & Ireland, Mike Tyson – AEW Video

An AEW All Out press conference has been announced for the Starrcast III convention during Labor Day Weekend in Chicago. The press conference will take place on Thursday, August 29 at 7pm CT, and a special discussion with AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes and former WCW announcer Tony Schiavone will take place after. The big All Out pay-per-view will then take place on Saturday, August 31. Details are in the tweets below:

https://twitter.com/StarrcastEvents/status/1141738710079287296

https://twitter.com/CodyRhodes/status/1141740610455572480

https://twitter.com/StarrcastEvents/status/1140686979497123840

ITV announced today that AEW’s Fyter Fest and Fight for the Fallen events will air in the UK and Ireland through Fite TV, in partnership with ITV Box Office. Below is their full announcement:

“FYTER FEST” and “FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN” Available in UK & Ireland through FITE TV in collaboration with ITV Box OfficeITV, the largest commercial television network in the UK, today announced that AEW’s next two shows, FYTER FEST and FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN, will be available in the UK and Ireland through FITE TV in collaboration with ITV Box Office. Each show will be available in the UK for £8.99 and in Ireland for €9.99, respectively. Details about how to access FYTER FEST can be found at http://www.fite.tv.

The highly anticipated FYTER FEST will take place in Daytona Beach on Saturday, June 29, during the CEO Fighting Game Championships, Florida’s largest video gaming convention managed by Community Effort Orlando (CEO) Gaming. Before the live PPV event begins at 1:30 a.m. BST, Sunday, June 30, the hour-long pre-show special will stream for free on AEW’s official YouTube channel youtube.com/allelitewrestling at 12:30 a.m. BST.

FYTER FEST will feature electrifying match-ups including British wrestler Jimmy Havoctaking on Hangman Adam Page, MJF and Jungle Boy in a fatal four-way match, the debut of Jon Moxley as he clashes with Joey Janela, and a head-to-head match-up with Cody and Darby Allin. In addition, The Lucha Bros will team up with Laredo Kid to take on The Elite (The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega) in the main event. During the free pre-show, SCU, Private Party and the Best Friends will compete in a triple-threat tag team match with the winner advancing to ALL OUT on August 31 in Chicago for an opportunity for a first-round bye in the AEW World Tag Team Championship Tournament.

FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN, AEW’s third event following DOUBLE OR NOTHING and FYTER FEST, will take place in Daily’s Place Amphitheatre at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL, on Saturday, July 13, just a few feet from where AEW was first introduced back in January. Before the live PPV event begins at 1:30 a.m. BST, Sunday, July 14, the hour-long pre-show special will stream for free on AEW’s official YouTube channel youtube.com/allelitewrestling at 12:30 a.m. BST.

FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN match-ups include Cody & Dustin Rhodes vs. The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega vs. CIMA, and Brandi Rhodes vs. Allie. Proceeds from the gate will benefit Jacksonville’s Victim Assistance Advisory Council, which coordinates cooperative efforts among social service, criminal justice, mental health and other agencies to provide assistance to crime victims and their families.

AEW released this video of WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson reuniting with Japanese wrestling host Fat Ass Masa while backstage at the recent AEW Double Or Nothing event in Las Vegas.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Women’s Title To Be Unveiled At AEW All Out

On the latest Road to Fyter, Brand Rhodes announced at All Out on August 31 in Chicago the AEW Women’s World Championship will be unveiled. Also at All Out, Chris Jericho will take on Adam Page to determine the inaugural AEW World Champion.

No details were given on how the first women’s champion will be decided. The current women’s division includes: Allie, Awesome Kong, Bea Priestley, Brandi Rhodes, Britt Baker, Hikaru Shida, Kylie Rae, Leva Bates, Nyla Rose, Penelope Ford, Riho, Yuka Sakazaki, and Sadie Gibbs.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Konnan Says Impact Wrestling’s New TV Home Will Be “Substantially Better” Than Pursuit

It’s no secret that things haven’t gone well between Impact and Pursuit which was highlighted by the network airing a re-run of Impact instead of a new episode recently. That has sparked more conversation about Impact needing to find a new home and Konnan addressed why Pursuit isn’t the best option when he spoke to Wrestling Inc. on the recent edition of their WINCLY podcast.

“First of all no one can get the channel and second of all it’s a hunting channel,” said Konnan. “It doesn’t matter how good you are if no one is watching you. And that’s a problem because we’re real good right now. …No one can really see it unless you get it on Twitch and a lot of people don’t wanna go on Twitch.

“So, I think them looking for a better platform, which I think they will find, will help image-wise, morale-wise and people will be watching a really good product.”

Konnan was asked which specific channel would be better, but he wouldn’t say it because he doesn’t want to give it away before Impact announces it.

“Just about anything…you could be on MTV3 and that would be better than being there,” Konnan said of Pursuit. “The place they are going is substantially better.”

While Impact doesn’t appear to be a fan of Pursuit, they do seem to be fans of The Rascalz. Konnan talked about Impact embracing stoner humor with the group.

“I think wrestling, sports and politicians have been behind the curve,” Konnan stated. “Let’s get real: [marijuana] is classified as a Schedule 1 narcotic like heroin. Really? Like cocaine, really?”

Konnan then gave the history of marijuana in the United States and how it was made illegal for racial reasons, particularly to keep down Mexicans and other minorities. He then mentioned the medical uses for marijuana and brought up that many NFL players prefer cannabis over opioids.

“I’m a cannabis smoker myself. Not only that, I was a big fan of Cheech and Chong’s Up In Smoke and Half Baked. Those movies were great and they’re stoner-centric,” Konnan said of his love for that culture.

Konnan is 55 now and has gone through numerous health issues, but he seems to be holding up and enjoys working as much as he’s able to.

“[Working] is better than the other option: being unemployed. I just enjoy everything, especially at my age. I’m not an active wrestler but I’m still able to work in what I love to do,” said Konnan.

Konnan can be seen every Friday night, 10 pm EST, on Impact Wrestling via Pursuit and Twitch.

Wrestling Inc’s full interview with Konnan was included in yesterday’s episode of their WINCLY podcast. It can be listened to HERE at this link. During the interview Konnan discusses what’s next for LAX, LAX’s “beautiful” feud with the Lucha Bros, why he told Michael Elgin not to work for Triple A, Impact looking for a new TV home, The Rascalz pushing stoner humor and more.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Tony Khan Talks AEW TV Deal With TNT, Reveals An Upcoming Tag Team Tournament For Their Weekly Show, Women’s Tag Titles

All Elite Wrestling’s founder and president Tony Khan recently appeared on The Steve Austin Show to speak with legendary WWE Hall of Famer, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Among a variety of subjects Austin discussed with Khan, he showed great enthusiasm on tag team wrestling’s role moving forward in AEW.

Khan emphasized how “super-focused” he and the rest of the AEW staff are on the company’s tag team division, and he has plans to establish a tournament to showcase what these teams have to offer audiences.

“When we launch our weekly television show in the Fall, we are going to be doing a tag team tournament that is going to have some of the greatest tag team wrestling matches ever on television,” Khan said. “We are going to be starting that, which is going be one of the main focuses on our TV. There are going to be teams that are going to compete for a first-round bye in that tournament, which is a big deal, and we have got some of the best tag teams in all of pro wrestling competing for our Tag Team Championships coming up in the Fall.”

For now, AEW staff and fans alike have their attention on the persisting feud between The Lucha Bros. and The Young Bucks. Khan reminded listeners that it was back in February when this rivalry between the two teams first began in AEW. He sees parallels between The Lucha Bros./Young Bucks feud and the Eddie Guerrero/Art Barr feud from the AAA World’s Collide event back in 1994.

“What is exciting about the match between The Young Bucks and Lucha Bros is that we have been working on this issue for a long time,” Khan explained. “If you look back to when we first went to Las Vegas for the ticket on-sale party, when we announced the on sale date for the pre-sale code for the Double or Nothing sale, we went to the MGM, which was right after the Super Bowl… The Young Bucks had said that they thought they were the best tag team in the world and the Lucha Bros showed up. They are the AAA Tag Team Champions – that’s cool to me because I am a huge fan of wrestling and I remember When World’s Collide PPV very fondly, with Eddie Guerrero and Art Barr kind of changing the game down in Mexico. I thought that this was more of a modern tag team classic [between Lucha Bros and The Young Bucks], and we have tried to establish this issue in so many ways.”

Khan also touched on some of the details regarding AEW’s premier on TNT this Fall. When it came to making a decision on which television network to pursue, Khan reached out to a friend that could help make everything come together seamlessly.

“[TNT was a good choice for AEW because] my friend, Kevin Reilly, is the president of TNT and TBS. It’s going to start in the Fall,” Khan stated. “There will be specific details on that very soon, and it’s going to be really exciting for pro wrestling to return to TNT in prime time, weeknights, for a 2-hour live wrestling show. I can’t tell you the day of the week, but I think it’s going to be the best pro wrestling show anyone has ever done. All Out is going to be our last pay per view going into it.”

Khan looks forward to seeing everyone’s hard work pay off during the the final show before their TV debut.

“We have set up this issue with Chris Jericho and Hangman Page and we are going to continue setting up these huge issues; And now we have set up another big event with Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley.”

“Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s podcast finally returned this week with a new episode and AEW President Tony Khan was the featured guest.

During the interview, Khan revealed AEW will have Women’s Tag Team belts down the road to go with the planned Women’s Championship.

“I want to focus on a serious main event picture,” he explained. “Both in the singles and the tag team, and then when we establish the women’s singles — ya know, this may be the first time that it gets announced, but just so you know — eventually we will establish a Women’s Tag Team title and focusing on the Women’s singles and the Women’s Tag Team title.”

“I’m not gonna pretend we’re not gonna do it when we talk about being serious about tag team wrestling,” Khan continued. “As we focus on having the best World Championship in singles and tag team, men and women, that’s gonna be the focus of our promotion when I talk about wins and losses mattering.”

Listen to the interview at the link below.

https://player.fm/series/11715/236348315

Source: The Steve Austin Show via Wrestling Inc.

Scarlett Bordeaux Granted Release From Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling has granted Scarlett Bordeaux’s request to be released from her contract.

The company tweeted saying: “Impact Wrestling confirms that it has released Scarlett Bordeaux from her commitments to Impact. We wish her every success in her future endeavors.”

https://twitter.com/IMPACTWRESTLING/status/1140983100140335106

After a brief run with Impact from 2014-2015, Bordeaux returned to Impact in July of 2018, sporting a “Smokeshow” gimmick that gained a lot of attention. She quickly became one of the company’s more popular acts after being featured regularly on their TV show. One of Impact’s most viral videos was her giving Scott Steiner a lap dance. Over time, however, she started to wrestle more frequently on the program, including against men. She beat Glenn Gilbertti (Disco Inferno) in her debut match.

Bordeaux recently requested her release from the company. Although the contract was due later this summer, Bordeaux’s deal was set to reportedly pay her per appearance and wasn’t a guaranteed contract. She was among a few members of the Impact roster to request their release, including boyfriend Killer Kross.

As we previously reported, Scarlett’s boyfriend Killer Kross has also been wanting out of his contract over financial related reasons.

So far, the company has not been willing to grant his request.

During a recent interview, Kross talked about how Scarlett’s situation with Impact was worse than his and that she was still living at home because of how little she was making with the company.

Sources: Pro Wrestling Sheet and Wrestling Inc.

The Lucha Bros’ Mystery Partner For AEW Fyter Fest Match Revealed

The Laredo Kid has been confirmed as the mystery partner for Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr. in the six-man match against The Elite at AEW Fyter Fest.

Fyter Fest, from AEW and CEO Gaming, will take place on Saturday, June 29 from Daytona Beach, Florida. It will air for free on B/R Live. Below is the current card:

Hardcore Match
Jebailey vs. Michael Nakazawa

The Elite (The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega) vs. Rey Fenix, Pentagon Jr. and Laredo Kid

Cody Rhodes vs. Darby Allin

Jon Moxley’s AEW in-ring debut vs. Joey Janela

“Hangman” Adam Page vs. MJF vs Jungle Boy vs. Jimmy Havoc

Nyla Rose vs. Riho vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Christopher Daniels vs. Cima

Source: Wrestling Inc.