Backstage News On The Division Between Thunder Rosa And The Women In AEW

It was reported in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that while a lot of people believe she is not hurt, Thunder Rosa really is dealing with a back injury and she stopped wrestling out of fear that she would have to get surgery if he kept going.

Last week on his podcast, Konnan said that Rosa told him that she was dealing with a knee issue and because she told him a different injury, he believed that she wasn’t hurt and what was really happening was that she was being punished by AEW. During the AEW All Out media scrum, Toni Storm seemed to indicate that she believed that Rosa wasn’t really injured. However, it appears that she is not being punished and Meltzer reported in the Observer that the injury is legit.

There were people comparing Rosa to the 1997 version of Shawn Michaels because she informed the company about the injury hours after she was told that she would be losing the Women’s Title to Toni Storm at the pay-per-view. The belief is that Rosa will be out for two to three months and then wrestle Storm in a unification match.

Meltzer also wrote, “There was a lot of division among many of the women and Rosa, basically the ones who made public comments that insinuated her injury wasn’t that bad or those who privately felt due to the timing of her saying her injury was serious and she’d need time off after being told she was dropping the title to Toni Storm.”

Source: WrestlingNews.co

The Elite’s Version Of Events During Backstage Fight Comes To Light

A day after reporting on CM Punk & Ace Steel’s account, Fightful Select has now disclosed details from the other side involved in Sunday’s infamous AEW All Out altercation — Young Bucks and Kenny Omega.

According to sources close to The Elite, Young Bucks did approach CM Punk in his locker room to discuss Punk’s scathing comments during the post-All Out media scrum. However, they did not kick the door open – as claimed by the other side – and simply opened the door to engage Punk in conversation. Before Matt Jackson could utter a solitary word, Punk “had went off and started throwing sucker punches at Matt’s head,” the report added. Once Nick intervened, Ace Steel reportedly interjected himself into the melee, allegedly throwing a chair that struck Nick in the face.

As for Omega’s involvement, Fightful’s sources noted that The Best Bout Machine “was trying to remove Larry (CM Punk’s dog) from the situation to help keep him safe because he was barking and going nuts.” After handing Larry off (presumably to Steel’s wife), Omega would also join the fight, trying to get Steel off of Jackson. This led to Steel biting Omega and pulling his hair, as was previously reported by both Fightful and The Wrestling Observer. 

The only lighthearted aspect of the altercation, per The Elite’s sources, was when someone joked “He got bit,” and someone assumed Punk’s dog bit Omega, only to learn it was allegedly Steel who bit the AEW EVP.

The report further added that “all sides continued shouting” during the altercation, with Punk’s side making legal threats to The Elite. 

According to an earlier report from Sports Illustrated, “the fight went on for around six minutes” before security broke things up.

Punk, Young Bucks, Omega, Steel, Michael Nakazawa, Brandon Culter, and Pat Buck have all been suspended for the altercation. AEW has yet to make an official announcement on the timeline of the suspensions, and there is reportedly an ongoing investigation to get additional details from both sides of the fight. There was no mention of the altercation during Wednesday’s “AEW Dynamite” even as the promotion vacated the titles held by Punk and The Elite. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

IMPACT Preview 9/8/2022

The twists and turns continue on the road to Bound For Glory. Don’t miss an all-new IMPACT! this Thursday at 8/7c on AXS TV and 8:30pm ET on YouTube for IMPACT Insiders.

  • Heath vs. Eddie Edwards
  • NJPW STRONG Tag Team Champions Aussie Open will compete in an IMPACT ring for the first time ever. Aussie Open vs. Bullet Club (Chris Bey and Ace Austin)
  • Chelsea Green vs. Taya Valkyrie – Jessicka will be in Taya’s corner as she vows to prove that she belongs.
  • Digital Media Championship: Brian Myers (c) vs. Bhupinder Gujjar

The action begins Before the IMPACT, streaming this Thursday at 7:30pm ET exclusively on IMPACT Plus, YouTube and Facebook. The daunting Shane Taylor makes his IMPACT debut as he squares off with Decay‘s Crazzy Steve! 

CM Punk Set To Be Out Of Action For Eight Months Due To Torn Muscle, Regardless Of Punishment Due To All Out Altercation

There was reports that CM Punk may’ve suffered some type of an injury during his AEW World Heavyweight Championship match against Jon Moxley this past weekend at All Out. The Wrestling Observer noted Punk’s injury might’ve come from a top rope maneuver. During the post-show media scrum, Punk was seen icing his arm.

On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, it was reported Punk had torn a muscle in his arm and that he would require surgery. This comes after AEW President Tony Khan announced a tournament last night on Dynamite to determine a new AEW World Heavyweight Champion.

“He may have already undergone surgery. Either way, he’s undergoing surgery. And it was not confirmed to me it was a torn triceps, but it was confirmed to me that it’s surgery for a torn muscle in the arm. So that’s triceps, biceps, maybe pec. But probably triceps. That’s usually about an eight month or so recovery period. So he was gonna be stripped of the title either way.”

An investigation is underway regarding the backstage melee involving Punk and members of The Elite. As of now, it’s unclear whether Punk will be suspended indefinitely or fired from the company.

Source: EWrestlingNews

AEW Trios And World Championship Vacated, New Trios Champions Crowned!

After a wild and ugly fallout to AEW All Out, Dynamite looked to get the company back on track with big announcements and great matches.

This week’s highly anticipated episode AEW Dynamite was broadcast live from Buffalo, New York. Hot off of All Out and the fallout thereof, Dynamite was full of big announcements in terms of championship implications.

The show opened with Tony Khan announcing that the Trios Championship and AEW World Championship had been vacated.

Death Triangle (Pentagon, Fenix, PAC) def. Best Friends (Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, Trent Beretta) via pinfall with Black Arrow to become NEW AEW World Trios Champions

 A Grand Slam tournament to crown a new AEW Champion started on Wednesday. The winner would be crowned in two weeks at AEW Dynamite Grand Slam. The competitors in the tournament include Hangman Adam Page, Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Sammy Guevara, Darby Allin and Chris Jericho.

Bryan Danielson def. Hangman Adam Page via pinfall with a Pat O’Connor Roll with a bridge to move on in the AEW World Title Tournament. Danielson will face Chris Jericho next week on Dynamite.

Sammy Guevara will face Darby Allin Friday on Rampage, the winner will face Jon Moxley next week on Dynamite.

AEW Dynamite Preview 9/7/2022

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS, and emanate from the Key Bank Center in Buffalo, New York. Tonight’s Dynamite is the fallout show from this past Sunday’s All Out PPV.

Some changes have been made to tonight’s AEW Dynamite due to suspensions after the backstage incident after All Out.

  • Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley will be appearing on Dynamite in Buffalo. They originally were not scheduled to be on the show but they are now booked to make up for losing some of the top names that were originally scheduled for the show
  • Best Friends & Orange Cassidy vs. Death Triangle (PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix)
  • ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta defends against Daniel Garcia
  • We’ll hear from MJF

Pat McAfee joining ESPN’s College GameDay

Pat McAfee has landed another gig as he has signed a full-time deal with ESPN.

The former NFL punter will help host “College GameDay,” which is a show about college football that airs every Saturday morning during the football season.

The news was first reported by the New York Post. It has since been confirmed by McAfee.

McAfee said today on his podcast/radio show that he will be putting his SmackDown duties on hold during the college football season but he is still part of the WWE family.

McAfee said that he was thinking about doing both gigs at the same time but it’s tough for him to keep up with the travel schedule and WWE suggested for him to take the time away and he could return when the time is right.

“Now one of our guys is on College GameDay,” McAfee said in regards to a text message he got from an “OG” from WWE after praising the company on his show.

Triple H tweeted the following:

@PatMcAfeeShow approached us about his amazing opportunity with College GameDay. We’d never stand in Pat’s way, as he continues to architect his exceptional career. Pat will remain a member of the @WWE  Universe and we look forward to his return. #UpToSomethingSZN”

Source: WrestlingNews.co

MLW Partners With New Management Production Company

Major League Wrestling (MLW) has confirmed a significant partnership that may take the promotion to “new heights.”

As reported by Sports Illustrated, MLW have partnered with Range Sports, a division of Range Media Partners best known for its successes in the film, television, and music industries. The company, headed up by its president Will Funk — former Executive Vice President of WarnerMedia — is set to develop content opportunities “around a high-growth property” in MLW. Notably, Funk played a key role in bringing All Elite Wrestling to Turner Sports, now owned by WarnerMedia. Funk will aim to utilize his vast resources within Range Sports and through their partners in an attempt to elevate MLW. Funk made it clear that his priorities right now for MLW will be to find a distribution partner, the right brand partners, and to seek out “the right talent to weave into MLW so it receives increased exposure.”

“With so much disruption in the content space, live sports are increasingly valued,” MLW CEO Court Bauer said. “Range has the resources to take Major League Wrestling to new heights by creating strategic partnerships that enrich and ensure our continued momentum … Range has created a true dream team in the entertainment and sports space, so this is a great opportunity for MLW. Right now, we’re airing in over 60 countries. The goal is to extract maximum value across television, sponsor sales, event touring, and our full portfolio. We want to grow our windows and that is driven by live broadcasts.”

In July, MLW and BeIN Sport announced that the organization’s content would be broadcast on the free streaming and over-the-air channel beIN Sports XTRA. There is currently no word on if the Range Sports deal will affect this agreement. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

CM Punk Meets With Tony Khan To Determine Future In AEW, Possible Exit From Company, Punishment For Those Involved In The CM Punk/The Elite Altercation

Tony Khan and CM Punk reportedly sat down to talk about his future, including how he might potentially exit the company.

As per a report by Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, CM Punk’s fate — as well as the fate of friend and AEW producer Ace Steel — should be determined by the end of today (Wednesday) and there is a chance Punk is released from his contract, with the minimum punishment for his actions after Sunday’s All Out pay-per-view being a suspension.

Barrasso writes, “Multiple sources have shared that Punk and Ace Steel will either be among those suspended or will no longer be with the company by the end of Wednesday. Punk met with AEW owner Tony Khan on Tuesday, so the two had an opportunity to discuss how that exit could be handled.” In other words, if it is determined that Punk will be gone from AEW, the two didn’t just meet about his employment, but it sounds like there was a discussion about what to do with the title and how to write him out of the promotion.

Barrasso also adds that an external third-party investigation is being conducted which could explain the delay in a decision, but that all of Kenny Omega, Matt and Nick Jackson, Pat Buck, Christopher Daniels, Michael Nakazawa, and Brandon Cutler will be suspended for their role in the physical altercation. None are expected to be at Dynamite tonight. As for Hangman Adam Page — who Punk mentioned by name — , he had already left the building when Punk’s comments were made, thus he was not part of the altercation.

If the meetings went well and the suspensions are served without issue, there is a chance that all parties involved can put what happened past them. If so, the potential to turn this real-life situation into a storyline is there and it could equate to big numbers for AEW. That’s assuming cooler heads will have prevailed and all parties involved are willing to do business.

There is always a chance CM Punk has no desire to stick around after this. If that’s the case, he may elect to leave on his own before he’s told to.

Source: TheSportster

Backstage News On How WWE Talent Feels About CM Punk’s AEW All Out Scrum Comments

It’s fair to say that the rumored backstage issues behind the scenes in AEW escalated significantly following the AEW All Out pay-per-view on Sunday night. In the post-show media scrum, newly-crowned AEW World Champion CM Punk went on a verbal tirade against his former friend Colt Cabana before targeting AEW’s “irresponsible” EVPs Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), while also furthering his spat with “Hangman” Adam Page. In light of reports of an ensuing backstage brawl between Punk, his friend Ace Steel, and the new AEW World Trios Champions Omega and The Bucks following Punk’s comments, reactions from behind the scenes at WWE have come to light.

According to Fightful Select, “numerous talent” reached out to them expressing their views on the situation, with one top talent noting that “the CM Punk that they knew years ago is being highlighted.” Additionally, two WWE talents reportedly confirmed to Fightful that the incident was not a work, and expressed their surprise that the situation happened. The pair called into question AEW chief Tony Khan, asking why he didn’t follow up with a comment after Punk criticized AEW’s EVPs. 

Meanwhile, one WWE talent said it feels as though Punk “is trying to run things, and it looks as though he’s doing it,” with another longtime WWE performer said they felt Punk was “unprofessional,” calling him “selfish and arrogant.” This sentiment was also reportedly shared by colleagues who worked with Punk on the set of the short-lived Fox program “WWE Backstage.”

The Fightful report had more to say, including the fact that a WWE official added — again seemingly calling Khan into question — that with Punk and The Elite feud, “the power had to be asserted in order to let everyone know that wasn’t tolerable.” The same official noted that such situations were very rare in WWE, because talent knew that while Vince McMahon at the helm, they would not be welcomed back, similar to how former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio was fired in 2014 following an altercation with an employee. A lack of discipline for the incident would also likely be poorly received given AEW’s recent suspension of Eddie Kingston for getting physical backstage with Sammy Guevara.

Finally, a top WWE name told Fightful that, in regard to the parties involved in the dispute, “if they don’t put their issues aside and make money from it,” then “none of them have business talking about drawing houses or losing fans or interest. They have a good show but this is still the biggest piece of business they’ve done and they have to capitalize.” AEW already has long history of using dirtsheet rumors and backstage incidents to further on-screen storylines.

Source: Wrestling Inc.