Tag: AEW

Details On Roderick Strong’s WWE Departure, Surprise AEW Debut

AEW shocked the wrestling world on Wednesday night with Roderick Strong’s surprise debut on “Dynamite” in Sunrise, Florida. He had requested his WWE release last May, hadn’t been seen on WWE programming since August, and as of mid-March, was reportedly still under contract. So for him to show up on “Dynamite” to run in and save Adam Cole from the Jericho Appreciation Society was something almost no one saw coming. Very quickly, Fightful Select reported some details to try to help give context to what was a very left-field debut.

The most recent information that Fightful had was that the AEW talents they spoke to were “pleasantly surprised” that Strong had signed. On the WWE side, the newest information was that 2K Games had been told not to include Strong in the “WWE 2K23” video game, that other WWE talent had never been updated on his status, and he had not been at the WWE Performance Center “in quite some time” even though he was fully cleared to wrestle. The report also noted that Strong’s WWE run started its downward slide when Paul “Triple H” Levesque lost power in “NXT,” as he was behind Strong’s push as the center of a revitalized cruiserweight division.

Strong has been wrestling since 2000, breaking into the business when he was 16 years old after years of training under Jim Neidhart. After initially getting on the map for his work in the IPW promotion in Florida, he made a name for himself in Ring of Honor, where he was a mainstay for over a decade before signing with WWE in 2016.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 4/26/2023

AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS and emanate from the FLA Live Arena in Sunrise, Florida.

  • AEW TBS Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Taya Valkyrie
  • AEW International Championship: Orange Cassidy(c) vs. Bandido
  • Pillars Tournament Final: Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara
  • The Butcher & The Blade (w/ Kip Sabian) vs. Konosuke Takeshita & Kenny Omega (w/ Don Callis)
  • Dax Harwood vs. Jeff Jarrett
  • We’ll hear from Adam Cole
  • We’ll hear from Tony Khan
  • We’ll hear from Wardlow and Arn Anderson

AEW May Have Canceled Dark: Elevation

It appears that AEW Dark: Elevation is no more. 

The show has aired on the company’s YouTube channel and FITE TV since it premiered in March 2021. 

This week’s episode was billed as a “best of” show with no new matches airing. It was FITE that noted the series was coming to an end with the following description for it:

“The Special and final episode of Elevation – it’s Best of Elevation airing on FITE! The episode is throwing it back to some of the best matches that have graced our Monday nights over the years!”

AEW has yet to comment on the future of the program. You can watch the episode here: 

Source: eWrestlingNews

Concern That Thunder Rosa May Need Surgery

Former AEW Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa has been out of action since last year after suffering a back injury.

In an update on Rosa’s status, Fightful Select is reporting that she has still not been cleared to return to the ring. Additionally, there is some fear that she may require back surgery to fix the lingering issues.

Thunder Rosa is currently doing Spanish-language commentary for AEW.

Source: eWrestlingNews

AEW Rampage Preview 4/22/2023

This week’s AEW Rampage will air at a SPECIAL TIME of SATURDAY at 10pm ET/9pm CT.

  • AAA Mega Championship: El Hijo del Vikingo (C) vs. Dralistico
  • Jon Moxley vs. Christopher Daniels
  • Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett and FTR vs. Varsity Athletes and Slim J
  • We will hear form The Hardy’s, Hook and Isiah Kassidy
  • We will hear from TBS Champion Jade Cargill
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1649382481957916679

Report: AEW Made Decision To Bring Back CM Punk “Many Weeks Ago”

The decision for CM Punk to return to All Elite Wrestling was reportedly made by Tony Khan many weeks ago.

Last week, it was reported that Punk’s return to the promotion is being “tentatively planned,” seven months after his comments at All Out 2022.

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the decision to bring Punk back was made “many weeks ago,” and that a ‘snag‘ two weeks ago has been worked out.

Last month, Punk shared a fiery post on Instagram, alleging that the company had pressured him to compete last year when not medically cleared.

Punk also claimed that Jon Moxley had refused to lose to him and branded Chris Jericho a “liar” and a “stooge” in the deleted post.

It is believed that Punk will make his return to AEW on the June 17, 2023, episode of TV, which is believed to be the premiere of the rumored AEW Saturday show.

Source: eWrestlingNews

AEW Dynamite Preview 4/19/2023

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite will air live coast to coast on TBS and emanate from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

  • TNT Championship: Powerhouse Hobbs (c) vs. Wardlow
  • Jamie Hayter and Dr. Britt Baker vs. Ruby Soho and Toni Storm
  • Jay White v Komander
  • The Acclaimed and Billy Gunn vs. Jake Hager, Angelo Parker and Matt Menard of JAS
  • Chris Jericho confronts Adam Cole
  • We will hear from The Elite
  • We will hear from FTR

Jeff Jarrett Provides Update On Future AEW House Shows And Summer Plans

WWE Hall of Famer and AEW personality Jeff Jarrett recently spoke on his podcast, “My World with Jeff Jarrett,” about a variety of professional wrestling topics including an update on more AEW house shows coming up:

Conrad Thompson told Jarrett: “Well, we also know that you guys are back on tour. You got upcoming dates in Pittsburgh, Sunrise FL, Baltimore, Detroit, Austin TX. You got the big Double or Nothing loop for Las Vegas. The rumor and innuendo is that there might even be some more house shows coming up. Is that right?”

Jarrett said, “We’re off and running. We hit Corbin Kentucky and Salem Virginia, which is right outside of Roanoke. So yeah, we’ve got those two House Rules events coming up. Lots of buzz going on right now around AEW and the ups and downs and everything in between. But yes, Troy OH, was the first House Rules event, and, you know, Salem, and Corbin, Kentucky, so we’re moving over into a different part of the country. Our next two events are going to be near and dear to both of our hearts, but we’ll see how that goes. So, you know, at some point we’re going to get out to the Midwest and Texas and probably out West. The Carolinas are a hotbed that we’re looking at, obviously Florida, and then it goes without saying, the Northeast, There are many, many markets in the Northeast that House Rules would fit. So we’re excited. We’re also talking to some Canadian partners from coast to coast. AEW has a monster summer planned for Canada. I mean, a monster summer. Things are rocking, pal. My day job is keeping me busy in so many ways.”

Source: PWMania

You can listen to the complete podcast below:

Saraya Interested In Match Against Mercedes Mone At AEW All In At Wembley Stadium

AEW star Saraya recently spoke with Raj Prashad of Uproxx.com for an in-depth interview covering all things pro wrestling. During the discussion, Saraya commented on potential opponents for the AEW All In event at Wembley Stadium in London:

“I haven’t performed in the UK in years. And then to be on one of the biggest stages you can get over there, Wembley Stadium, it’s just a very wild opportunity. It does have that WrestleMania 1 vibe where this is something really special. I feel so fortunate that I get to be a part of history.”

“I would love to face Jamie Hayter. That would be amazing, because she’s also from the UK — I’ve had the opportunity to be in a tag and triple threat, but not a singles match, and I would love that opportunity. Do we open that Forbidden Door? Mercedes Mone, I would love to face her there. That would be such a full circle moment. There’s so much opportunity there.”

Source: PWMania

Warner Bros. Discovery Has Reportedly Been Told That CM Punk Is Returning To AEW, Reportedly Planning A Program Between Punk & Chris Jericho

Reportedly Planning A Program Between CM Punk And Chris Jericho

CM Punk hasn’t been seen on AEW programming since September’s All Out pay-per-view, where he tore his triceps while reclaiming the AEW World Championship, unloaded his feelings in the post-show media scrum, and reportedly got into a physical altercation with the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega to cap off the eventful evening. Though it seemed, for a time, that AEW and Punk would part ways, the evidence is mounting that the former world champion is preparing to stage a comeback within the next couple of months. On the latest “Wrestling Observer Live,” host Andrew Zarian revealed that Warner Bros. Discovery has been told a Punk return is coming.

“The story here is that CM Punk is essentially happening,” Zarian said. “I know for a fact that Warner has been told he is coming back. They are very much aware of the situation.” Zarian went on to state that talks between Punk and the Elite have yet to take place, with Matt and Nick Jackson of the Young Bucks particularly reluctant to work with the former WWE star.

It was reiterated that the rumored Saturday night show that AEW is expected to introduce in the coming months will showcase Punk’s comeback, with the company’s recently scheduled Chicago event on June 17 being eyed as both the show’s debut and Punk’s grand return. The new series will reportedly involve some kind of roster split for the company, though it’s still unknown just how strict these divisions will be. According to Zarian, the company is hoping to launch the new series as a top show on or near the same level as “AEW Dynamite.”

Reportedly Planning A Program Between CM Punk And Chris Jericho

The wheels appear to be in motion for CM Punk’s return to AEW in the coming months. And while reports had indicated that there were sentiments throughout the locker room that did not want him back in the fold, it may be one of the backstage leaders — and one of Punk’s most outspoken critics — who ends up in a program with him: Chris Jericho. 

As shared via “Wrestling Observer Live,” a sit-down was set to take place involving Punk, Jericho, AEW owner Tony Khan, FTR, and several others. There has been no word yet on if The Elite would participate, as they’ve reportedly been reluctant on working together with Punk in the future. However, if everyone is able to get on a similar page to make things work, one of Punk’s first angles upon coming back would then be with Jericho in some capacity. FTR — who has been pushing to do a program with Punk, specifically for All In — and other members of the Jericho Appreciation Society could get involved as things expand, but at its baseline, it’s lining up as Punk vs. Jericho. 

The bad blood between Punk and Jericho ratcheted back up last month when Punk singled Jericho out in particular in a since-deleted Instagram post. Since then, Jericho has given some winks on social media that he’s not down to work with Punk if a return should happen. However, it is entirely possible that such an approach was taken by “Le Champion” in order to stoke the fires of interest toward a big-money feud in the planning stages.

Source: Wrestling Inc.