Backstage News On Tony Khan Purchasing Ring Of Honor

More details have been revealed about Tony Khan purchasing Ring Of Honor on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.

Dave Meltzer noted that the deal was put together two weeks ago, and the following day is when Khan started dropping hints. Both AEW and WWE were contacted regarding the sale, but Khan obviously put together the better offer.

The tape library was mentioned as being important to AEW, and the company does want a streaming service in some form. Ring Of Honor’s old footage is something that can help with that due to having more content. Plus, Ring Of Honor owned the footage for ALL IN, which was a crucial night for AEW’s own history.

It is not believed that WWE would have run Ring Of Honor as a separate brand. However, when the company was hot in 2018, WWE made a pitch, as Triple H wanted to buy the company. There were talks that went nowhere, as Vince McMahon wanted to buy somebody bigger. WWE ended up trying to buy New Japan Pro Wrestling, Stardom, and Pro Wrestling NOAH. The company also tried to buy AAA, but nobody would sell to them for the price that WWE was willing to pay.

In a press release, Tony Khan spoke about acquiring the ROH video library. Khan said he is exploring way to make the library available to fans.

“Ring of Honor’s influence on modern professional wrestling is etched permanently in the history books, and this acquisition ensures that its legacy will be kept alive and treated with the utmost respect,” Khan said. “This deal adds thousands of hours of content to our rapidly growing library and creates new opportunities to expand our footprint on a national and global scale, while having the potential to produce new content under the ROH banner.

“I will immediately begin exploring opportunities to make ROH’s video library available to fans, who’ll have the opportunity to witness the beginnings of the careers of some of AEW’s biggest stars.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Tony Khan Announces He Is The New Owner Of ROH

Throughout the past few weeks, Tony Khan and various AEW stars have hyped a “massive announcement” to be revealed on tonight’s episode of Dynamite. Tony even promised to personally appear in the ring for the big moment, which was a promise he fulfilled at the opening of the show this evening.

After thanking the crowd and promising the get the action going soon, Tony Khan said it would be the biggest night in the history of the company.

It was revealed that the major announcement is Tony Khan signed a deal to become the official owner of Ring Of Honor.

Earlier this week it was reported that sources from multiple wrestling companies say there was a possible sale of ROH and another promotion. It’s clear now that the deal was between AEW and Ring Of Honor.

ROH has been on a hiatus since December’s Final Battle pay-per-view, and Supercard of Honor is scheduled to be their first show back on Friday, April 1. The company announced in the lead-up to Final Battle that they were taking some time off during the first quarter of this year to “work internally to reimagine” the company and return with a “new fan-focused product and provide a unique experience.” You can click here for the updated Supercard of Honor line-up and more news from the company.

Tony Khan previously indicated that the announcement was not related to any individual talent acquisition, and instead, it had to do with a new business deal for AEW. He recently stated that keeping the details quiet was because the AEW legal team had him under NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) until everything was finalized, but assured fans that it would be “huge” for the promotion.

You can see a press release from Tony Khan below:

TONY KHAN ANNOUNCES AGREEMENT TO ACQUIRE RING OF HONOR

— Video Library, Brand Assets, Intellectual Property from Independent Professional Wrestling’s Most Prestigious Promotion Purchased Under New Partnership with Tony Khan —

March 2, 2022 – Moments ago on AEW: Dynamite live on TBS, it was announced that TonyKhan has agreed to acquire the assets of Ring of Honor Wrestling Entertainment, LLC from Sinclair Broadcast Group, including the promotion’s extensive video library dating back to 2002,brand assets, intellectual property, production equipment and more.

Known widely as the independent promotion that birthed some of wrestling’s biggest stars of today, including AEW’s CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, and highlighted dozens of members of the AEW roster, Ring of Honor’s purchase signifies a new chapter in the future of professional wrestling as AEW’s meteoric rise continues to draw the youngest-skewing wrestling audience on television.

“Ring of Honor’s influence on modern professional wrestling is etched permanently in the history books, and this acquisition ensures that its legacy will be kept alive and treated with the utmost respect,” said Tony Khan, CEO of AEW, Chief Football Strategy Officer of the Jacksonville Jaguars and GM/Sporting Director of Fulham F.C.

“This deal adds thousands of hours of content to our rapidly growing library and creates new opportunities to expand our footprint on anational and global scale, while having the potential to produce new content under the ROH banner. I will immediately begin exploring opportunities to make ROH’s video library available to fans, who’ll have the opportunity to witness the beginnings of the careers of some of AEW’s biggest stars.”

More than 40 members of the AEW roster have appeared in Ring of Honor during their careers.The promotion launched the careers of numerous AEW superstars, including CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Hangman Page, Dr. Britt Baker and Adam Cole. Additional members of the AEW roster have made their mark in ROH, including the late Brodie Lee, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, ReDragon (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly), Best Friends (Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta), Jay Lethal, Christopher Daniels, Matt Sydal, Mercedes Martinez, Serena Deeb, Frankie Kazarian, Scorpio Sky, Keith Lee, Eddie Kingston, Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, QT Marshall, Danhausen, Lance Archer, Griff Garrison, Thunder Rosa, Wheeler Yuta, Luchasaurus, Orange Cassidy, Ethan Page, Austin Gunn, PAC, Kip Sabian, Jon Moxley, John Silver, Alex Reynolds, Jerry Lynn, BJ Whitmer, and Sonjay Dutt.

“Ring of Honor has produced some of the best professional wrestlers over the past 20 years,but more importantly, it created a family. I will be forever grateful to everyone in the ROH family who has worked tirelessly for the past two decades to take ROH to levels previously unimagined,” said Joe Koff, Chief Operating Officer, Ring of Honor Wrestling. “Tony has the utmost appreciation and respect for Ring of Honor, and I’m truly excited to see how he continues the legacy.”This acquisition will be completed through an entity that is wholly-owned by Tony Khan.

Further details about the extent of this acquisition will be announced in the coming weeks.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 3/2/22

The AEW Revolution go-home edition of Dynamite on TBS will air live tonight from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

* Thunder Rosa and Mercedes Martinez vs. Jamie Hayter and AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker

* Tag Team Casino Battle Royale to determine which team will join reDRagon and AEW World Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express at Revolution

* AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page, John Silver and Alex Reynolds vs. Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish

* Tony Khan reveals his “massive announcement”

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1499007111895949317

Tony Khan To Make A “Massive” AEW Announcement

AEW President, CEO, General Manager & Head Of Creative Tony Khan is planning on making a “massive” announcement during Wednesday’s Dynamite episode from Daily’s Place at Jacksonville, FL.

Khan first revealed to Busted Open Radio last Friday how he’d been “working on something pretty big” for AEW, calling it “massive” and something that would be a “big deal in pro wrestling.” It was reported the next day that Khan was in meetings all day that Friday, trying to put together the “massive” deal for AEW.

No other details were provided until AEW tweeted a pre-Dynamite video this week, where Khan said he hopes to reveal the announcement soon, noting that the AEW legal team has him under NDAs (Non-Disclosure Agreements) to prevent him from revealing any details before the deal was finalized. Khan noted in that video that they were “working on something that’s going to be really great for the fans and the wrestlers, and it’s going to be awesome.”

He added in Wednesday’s video, “I am so excited, and I don’t know exactly when we’ll be able to tell the fans, but I know that it’s coming very soon so stay tuned to AEW. Stay tuned to AEW, I promise you something big is coming. It’s not like ‘The First Dance’ where I can put a date and a time and a place on it and say that I know exactly when, but it is like ‘The First Dance’ in that I know something big and important is coming to AEW and I’m very excited about it. It’s a little bit different than anything we’ve done before, but it’s going to be awesome.”

In an update, Khan returned to Busted Open Radio today and provided an update on the “massive” announcement. He noted that he’s looking to reveal the big news during Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite on TBS.

“I am going to tell everyone right now you definitely don’t want to miss Wednesday night Dynamite next week,” Khan teased. “I’ve been talking a lot about a big announcement in the world of pro wrestling — not only is there going to be a lot of great wrestling on the show, the Casino Tag Battle Royale, 15 tag teams entering the ring. I’m going to add a lot more to the card, but I’m going to promise you guys right now that I have a huge announcement coming. Nobody knows what it is. It’s going to be something very important in the wrestling business. It’s not one particular piece of talent, it’s something very special and I’m excited about it. I believe it’s something we’ll be in position to announce on Wednesday. So I’m pretty excited about that.”

There is still no word on what Khan has to announce.

AEW has already announced two matches for Wednesday’s Dynamite, which will be the go-home show for the Revolution pay-per-view – six-man action with Adam Cole and reDRagon vs. AEW World Champion “Hangman” Adam Page, John Silver and Alex Reynolds, plus the Casino Tag Battle Royale to determine who will join AEW World Tag Team Champions Jurassic Express and reDRagon in the Triple Threat title match at Revolution.

For those who missed it, below is the video Khan released on Wednesday before Dynamite:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Notes On Randy Orton And What Happened With The Injury Scare On RAW

Randy Orton and Riddle were originally scheduled to defeat The Street Profits on last night’s WWE RAW.

As noted, RAW saw Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins defeat Randy Orton and Riddle after Ford performed a Frogsplash on Orton, leading to an awkward finish and a post-match conversation between the two teams and the referee. Orton was seen clutching his right shoulder on the way to the backstage area.

In an update, Orton and Riddle were originally scheduled to win the bout after a series of RKOs to The Profits, according to Fightful Select. Orton took the rough splash from Ford and because of his condition, the planned finish did not happen.

 Ford made a post-RAW tweet and indicated that Orton was OK, despite the injury concern. WWE officials planned on monitoring the situation as a lot could change with Orton’s condition overnight, but word now is that this was a case of Orton getting the wind knocked out of him, his ribs crushed, and not being able to move at first.

There is no backstage heat on Ford for the spot as it was considered to be a “s–t happens” situation.

Next week’s RAW is scheduled to feature RK-Bro vs. Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens vs. RAW Tag Team Champions Alpha Academy, with the titles on the line.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

ROH Supercard Of Honor Match And New Names Revealed, ROH TV Tapings Announced

A new match and new names have been announced for ROH Supercard of Honor XV.

ROH’s Ian Riccaboni hosted another Facebook Live chat on Tuesday night and announced that SW3RVE The Realest (Shane Strickland, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott) will take on Alex Zayne at Supercard of Honor. This will be SW3RVE’s ROH debut.

Riccaboni also announced that ROH will return to the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia for a set of ROH TV tapings on Sunday, April 10. ROH is set to reveal a new logo at Supercard of Honor. Riccaboni revealed that a new set design will also be unveiled next month. It was also previously announced that ROH will resume touring and TV tapings after Supercard of Honor.

Indie stars Joe Hendry and Ninja Mack were also announced for Supercard of Honor, but no matches were confirmed. Furthermore, Denise Salcedo was announced as the special host and backstage interviewer for Supercard of Honor. She joined Riccaboni and teased an upcoming announcement on the ROH Women’s World Title, currently held by Impact’s Deonna Purrazzo. Riccaboni previously announced that he and Caprice Coleman will call Supercard of Honor that night.

In other ROH talent news, Riccaboni noted that ROH officials are negotiating with a “ROH favorite” to face the winner of the Winner Takes All main event at Supercard of Honor, which will feature Jonathan Gresham vs. Bandido to crown the Undisputed ROH World Champion.

These ROH talent announcements for Supercard of Honor were based on names that fans said they wanted to see compete in the ROH ring post-hiatus. It was previously announced that Supercard of Honor will feature 8 matches.

A special edition of ROH TV will air during the weekend of March 12 with a special look at the history of Supercard of Honor.

ROH has been on a hiatus since December’s Final Battle pay-per-view, and Supercard of Honor will be their first show back. The company announced in the lead-up to Final Battle that they were taking some time off during the first quarter of this year to “work internally to reimagine” the company and return with a “new fan-focused product and provide a unique experience.”

ROH Supercard of Honor XV will take place on Friday, April 1 from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. It will air live on pay-per-view and HonorClub. Below is the updated card, along with a promo for SW3RVE:

Winner Takes All Match for the Undisputed ROH World Title
Bandido vs. Jonathan Gresham

ROH World Tag Team Titles Match
TBA vs. The Briscoes

Alex Zayne vs. SW3RVE The Realest

Joe Hendry vs. TBA

Ninja Mack vs. TBA

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 3/1/22

The Road to Stand & Deliver will continue on tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode.

Cain Velasquez Charged With Attempted Murder, Mugshot Photo Released

MMA and pro wrestling star Cain Velasquez is still in jail and has been charged with attempted murder.

There was a shooting near San Jose, CA on Monday, and San Jose police said Velasquez was involved. The shooting happened around 3:14pm local time, in Morgan Hill, near Monterey Highway and Bailey Avenue. Police would not confirm Cain’s role in the incident, but one man was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and another man was arrested. Court records revealed that Cain was in the Santa Clara County jail, with no bond, but no other details were available at that time.

In an update, TMZ Sports reports that Velasquez has been arrested and booked on an attempted murder charge. Police confirmed that he was the suspect in the alleged shooting incident on Monday in San Jose.

“The motive and circumstances surrounding this incident are still under investigation at this time,” police added.

You can see Cain’s mugshot photo below.

Details on the incident have not been released, but the 39 year old Velasquez was involved in the shooting that happened near a high school on Monday.

Jail records show that Velasquez is still being held with no bond, at the main Santa Clara County jail facility on West Hedding Street in San Jose. He has a court date scheduled for Wednesday at 12 noon.

Velasquez fought MMA from 2006 until his retirement in October 2019. He is a two-time UFC Heavyweight Champion, and retired with a record of 14-3. A longtime pro wrestling fan, Velasquez made his in-ring debut at AAA’s TripleMania XXVII in August 2019, teaming with Cody Rhodes and Psycho Clown for a win over Killer Kross, Black Taurus and Texano Jr. He later worked AAA/Impact’s Lucha Invades NY show at Madison Square Garden that September, teaming with Brian Cage and Psycho to defeat Taurus, Texano Jr. and Rey Escorpion. Cain first worked out at the WWE Performance Center in July 2018, but he signed a deal with WWE in October 2019 and began feuding with current WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. Cain made his WWE in-ring debut at Crown Jewel 2019 in Saudi Arabia, losing to Lesnar. He then worked a WWE live event in Mexico City on November 30, teaming with Humberto for a win over current Impact World Tag Team Champion The Good Brothers. Cain was set to work the 2020 Royal Rumble but plans were nixed due to an injury, and WWE then released him from his contract on April 28, 2020 along with other budget cuts. Cain returned to AAA this past December at TripleMania Regia II, teaming with Psycho and Pagano for a six-man win over Taurus, Escorpion and LA Park.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Randy Orton Possibly Suffered An Shoulder Injury

Randy Orton may have suffered an shoulder injury during last night’s WWE RAW.

 The possible injury occurred when Montez Ford landed awkwardly on Orton’s shoulder while performing a frog splash, as seen in the GIF below.

As seen in the video below, Orton appeared to be in immediate pain after taking Ford’s splash. It looked like a false finish as The Viper’s foot was on the bottom rope as the referee counted to three. After the match, Orton remained on the mat, and was checked on by Riddle and the referee. As seen in another video below, Orton favored his right shoulder while walking to the back with the referee and Riddle.

A fan noted after the match how Orton, Riddle and a referee were seen walking off the side of the stage while everyone else went through the normal entrance-way to the Gorilla Position. Orton was seen favoring his right shoulder.

Next week’s RAW is scheduled to feature RK-Bro vs. Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens vs. RAW Tag Team Champions Alpha Academy with the titles on the line. It remains to be seen if Randy Orton is pulled from the match due to his apparent injury.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 2/28/22

The Road to WrestleMania 38 will continue tonight as WWE RAW airs live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.