Tag: AEW

Tony Khan Reportedly Refusing to Release Any AEW Talent

After an AEW wrestler informed the company that a WWE representative had contacted them about the possibility of returning to WWE, the company reportedly sent an email to WWE co-CEOs Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon warning them “not to tamper” with their talent.

Malakai Black has now denied the claims that he wanted to be released from his contract after it was later revealed that he had made a request. After Triple H took over creative duties from Vince McMahon a number of months ago, WWE reached out to numerous members of AEW, including Black, FTR, and Swerve Strickland, to inquire about the possibility of returning to the company.

Dave Meltzer revealed the news that AEW President Tony Khan will not be releasing anyone during his appearance on today’s episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.

“Nobody’s getting released, that’s the doctrine. [AEW President] Tony Khan made that very clear I guess in the last couple of days. So now it’s just, [Malakai Black’s] not being released, Buddy Matthews isn’t being released. Now they may be back sooner than before. They were wanting to go and trying to get a way out.

It’s not to say it’s hard and fast, and there’d be no way they’d never give anybody a release. But I think it’s pretty much the deal that if this happened in any other company, would those people get releases, and the answer is no. They signed the contract, so basically now their option is to sit at home – and [Tony Khan] can extend the contract if they sit at home – or wrestle. So now they’re gonna wrestle. He [Malakai Black] waved goodbye and now he’s coming back and he’s gonna blame me.”

“They really came after [Tony Khan], it’s pretty blatant that [WWE] came after so many of the guys. Basically everyone who had worked there, there might be an exception, every name that you would think of that had a previous relationship with Triple H was contacted and told to ‘try and get your release and come in.’ Several went to Tony and said, ‘they’re contacting us we have no intention of going’ and several said ‘we want the release’ and have been told no.”

You can listen to the audio below:

Source: PWMania

AEW Rampage on 10/7 will air live at 9pm, followed by Battle of the Belts IV

TNT has updated its programming schedule, and a change has been made to AEW’s upcoming TV slate.

AEW will air a live Rampage on Friday, October 7, in addition to taping Battle of the Belts IV at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.

Originally, Rampage was listed as airing at 9 p.m. ET followed by Battle of the Belts IV at 10 p.m. ET. This would’ve put Rampage head-to-head with the second hour of WWE SmackDown.

TNT now lists Rampage as airing at 10 p.m. ET followed by Battle of the Belts IV airing at 11 p.m. ET on Friday, October 7. The start time for the show is listed locally as 8 p.m. ET. 

Rampage typically airs at 10 p.m. ET on Fridays, while Battle of the Belts has been taped in the past and aired on Saturday nights at 8 p.m. ET.

If the Battle of the Belts special aired on October 8th, it would’ve gone head-to-head with WWE Extreme Rules on Peacock.

Source: WrestlingNews.co

Malakai Black Denies Reports Of AEW Release, Says He’s Received Death Threats

Malakai Black took to Instagram to make a statement about the recent reports he has been released by AEW.

Black said he will be back soon. He also noted that he has received death threats.

He had previously stated that he had asked for his release, saying that he need time off to recalibrate.

Black said the following in his live statement on Instagram.

“Some people can’t seem to just shut the fuck up and create things that are not there, so I have to go out here again and have a conversation with you guys. So guys, how many times do I have to tell people to not trust people that are not in this business? If you can’t even get the years of my contract right, which is a very minuscule detail, then how are you expecting or how are people expecting these guys to know very intimate and private detailing in regards to my private business? My contract’s not five years, my contract’s never been five years. This is all bullshit, it’s all lies. So you know, I posted a statement and you, of course all of you, have read my statement, because even if you read my statement, it clearly reads that even release is in quotations. Now, if you don’t know what quotation means, it means that the author does not agree with said quote or said word choice. Or it also means that it’s not his wording. Then it is followed by a bunch of multiple things, in regards to my marital stuff, but it even says that my stuff about my conditional release, that it’s false. So how are you guys still thinking like, why are people still writing that I’ve got my release? Guys, I don’t know, why do you trust these people to tell you the truth? Because it’s not true. In a time where I’m supposed to take care of myself and kind of wind down, I have to deal with this kind of stupid bullshit from people who are not in the business and pretending that they are in the business with all their sources. You know, the worst thing about it is, for the past three days, [I’ve been getting] hateful comments and today, even two death threats. Death threats? Death threats? You wish death upon a person because of what someone else had said, and then says that it’s confirmed. It’s not confirmed. Clearly it’s not confirmed. None of it’s confirmed. There’s no confirmation because I haven’t left. That’s what this whole thing was about. I’ve been given time off by Tony to take care of a bunch of stuff. All this stuff has been played up like weeks. All this stuff was weeks ago…

I posted that statement was a summary for you to understand why I’d take some time off. Again, it’s in the statement. It is in the statement. It’s mine-boggling, if this isn’t enough incentive for you to stop believing these people, then I don’t know what is. Because if you were part of this whole mob that, like I said, sending me a bunch of hateful comments based on the words of someone else, then sorry, but you’re dumb. You’re stupid. Does anyone understand that in the time where I’m going through this stuff and I’m kind of dealing with a bunch of stuff in a very productive manner, that exactly doesn’t help, and what I hate about it is that none of these dirt sheets will take responsibility, none of these guys will take accountability and say, ‘Oh shit, we fucked up, I’m sorry. We should have probably not said that. Oh he’s going through some stuff. Maybe we should not. Maybe we should not make all these baseless assumptions because again as it turns out, it’s not true. None of it’s true. Not one single thing of it is true.

So again, if you were part of this mob that felt the need to send me death threats, well, then thank you dirtsheets because they don’t care about my mental health. They don’t care about your mental health. They don’t care about your feelings, they don’t care about my wife, they don’t care about my family. They don’t give a shit. All they want is dumb clicks with stuff that they’re making up. Because they’re tying bridges between things that are no longer there, they’re tying things… that don’t exist. Because they want the narrative to exist. But again, I’m sure, tomorrow there will be a different narrative, and tomorrow it’ll be, ‘Oh, we got the wrong information. Oh we heard it from this. Don’t blame us, we’re just reporting.’ A real person will own up to their bullshit. They will own up to their words and then say, you know what? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. If the words come out of your mouth, then you know, own it. Just own it. Anyway, I would like to very much go back to just working on my stuff, working on my private life, working on getting to the point of feeling good again. So I hope that this puts all this stuff to bed. I am definitely not going to be on my social media for a while because like my god. Again guys, stop believing these things. It is unbelievable. Anyway, I will see you guys in a couple weeks, maybe a couple of months, like I said, I’m only taking some time off. That’s it. Just taking time off. There’s no conspiracy to this. Just taking some time off. Alright. I will see you guys soon. Take care of yourself, stop believing any other narrative. Right now, I debunked it. There’s nothing going on. Don’t believe these people. Don’t write, don’t believe it, nothing. I’m fine, I’m going to be fine. Everything is fine. You’ll see me right back with AEW pretty soon. I’m just gonna take some time. That’s it.

Guys, last thing before I leave, don’t make me some instrument for this while tribalism, us versus them thing because I don’t do that stuff. I don’t do the whole Team AEW versus Team WWE. I don’t play that. To me, this is a business. This is genuinely like a business in the sense that it’s a business, it’s my job, it’s what I do for a living. This is how I’ve made my living for the past 22; 13 years of my life. I’ve been in this business since the 2000s. So thank you for those who have been supportive of me, thank you for your nice messages. Thank you for the people who clearly obviously did my statement and understood from the get-go that that means that I wasn’t released. So again thank you for the support. Thank you very much. Not true if it didn’t come from me. Even that’s said in the statement. If it doesn’t come out of my mouth, it’s not true. Now you’ve known me to be a pretty calm guy for the most part, but this shit is annoying as hell. So again take care of yourself, and we’ll see each other soon. Thank you very much.“

Transcript is courtesy of Fightful.

Source: WrestleView

Buddy Matthews Gone From AEW, Malakai Black AEW Status Update – UPDATE (Nobody’s getting released)

There have been reports that Buddy Matthews(Buddy Murphy in WWE) is believed to be on his way out of AEW. Sources say that last week’s AEW Rampage Grand Slam was Matthew’s “last night” with the company.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, both Matthews and Malakai Black “want to go to WWE” and wish to leave AEW. Meltzer confirmed that Matthews is indeed gone from the company. As for Black, it was reported earlier this month that he was granted a “conditional release.” One of the conditions is that he can’t compete elsewhere, specifically in WWE, for quite some time.  In a post on Instagram, Black stated that he needs a “few months to recalibrate the last two decades of [his] life.”

Source: EWrestlingNews

UPDATE

Dave Meltzer revealed the news that AEW President Tony Khan will not be releasing anyone during his appearance on today’s episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.

“Nobody’s getting released, that’s the doctrine. [AEW President] Tony Khan made that very clear I guess in the last couple of days. So now it’s just, [Malakai Black’s] not being released, Buddy Matthews isn’t being released. Now they may be back sooner than before. They were wanting to go and trying to get a way out.

The Great Muta Appears On AEW Rampage, Sting To Be Part Of The Great Muta’s Final Match 

Japan pro wrestling legend The Great Muta, who is in the midst of his retirement tour, made a surprise appearance on AEW Rampage: Grand Slam to assist Sting in his No DQ tag team match.

Muta hit Buddy Matthews with his trademark mist and then got him with a dragon screw. Sting then hit the Scorpion Death Drop for the win.

Sting and Muta had an epic rivalry in WCW and NJPW in the late 1980s and early 1990s, so this was cool to see.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1573496610440495114

Sting will be heading to Japan next year and will be involved in The Great Muta’s final match.

Pro Wrestling NOAH has announced that Sting “has decided to participate in the Yokohama Arena tournament” at the “Great Muta Final Bye-Bye” show on January 22, 2023.

https://twitter.com/noah_ghc/status/1573525621036425216

Source: EWrestlingNews

AEW Rampage ‘Grand Slam’ Preview 9/23/2022

Tonight’s AEW Rampage ‘Grand Slam’ taped on Wednesday night form Arthur Ash Stadium in New York City, will be a special 2 hour episode airing on TNT at 10/9C.

Golden Ticket Battle Royale for a shot at the AEW World Championship: Hangman Page, Penta El Zero Miedo, Jay Lethal, Lance Archer announced

TBS Championship: Jade Cargill (c) vs. Diamante

Eddie Kingston vs. Sammy Guevara

Ricky Starks vs. Powerhouse Hobbs

Jungle Boy vs. Rey Fenix

No DQ match: Sting & Darby Allin vs. Buddy Matthews & Brody King

Hook & Action Bronson vs. Matt Menard & Angelo Parker

Samoa Joe & Wardlow vs. Tony Nese & Josh Woods

News On Saraya’s Health Prior To AEW Signing & Whether She Is Cleared To Wrestle

Saraya (fka Paige) shocked the wrestling world this week by appearing at “AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam,” making her surprise debut for the company by hitting the ring and staring down Britt Baker. However, since that point, there have questions going around regarding Saraya’s health, and whether or not she’s been medically cleared to compete again following the neck injury which forced her retirement.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was reported that as of very recently, the former WWE Divas Champion had not been cleared to wrestle. She has not competed in the ring since a live event in December of 2017 where she suffered her career-ending injury in a six-woman tag team match, and while she did appear in different roles for WWE after that, the company had a rule that nobody was allowed to touch her.

It was notable that she did not get physical during her AEW debut, but that could be simply because the company is wanting to hold off on that for another big reaction in the future. AEW has added her to the official roster page on its website, and she does have a win/loss record, which could indicate that there are plans for her to step into the ring at some point.

Saraya’s WWE contract expired earlier this year in June, and throughout 2022 she has teased the wrestling world with the idea that she could be putting her boots on once more, with Natalya adding fuel to the fire when she replied to one of Saraya’s Instagram posts, claiming she couldn’t wait to wrestle her again. However, as of right now it is unknown whether this is a possibility, and neither Tony Khan nor Saraya herself has made any comment on the matter thus far.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ruby Soho Set To Undergo Surgery For Injury Suffered At AEW All Out

Ruby Soho has revealed that she will be out of active competition for a while.

In a video posted to One Pro Wrestling’s Twitter account, Soho revealed that she was forced to bow out of an upcoming show due to a surgery she will be undergoing to correct her broken nose and her “mess of a septum”. She apologized to fans before saying that she hoped she would be able to make it back in England for the promotion’s show on February 18.

“Honestly, this is the only thing that would keep me from coming back to England,” Soho said in the video. “I was very much looking forward to the show and very much looking forward to meeting all of you and seeing all of you again, so for that, I do truly apologize.”

Soho competed in a mixed tag team match at All Out, teaming up with her partner Ortiz to take on AAA World Mixed Tag Team Champions Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo for their titles in a losing effort. Soho suffered the injury after she took a knee from Melo to the face, and subsequently held her nose as blood gushed out.

Soho debuted in AEW last year, at the same pay-per-view, as the Joker in the Women’s Casino Battle Royal. She went on to win the match and earn herself a future shot at the AEW Women’s Championship. She then went on to make it to the finals of the TBS Championship Tournament, but lost to Jade Cargill. She then competed in the Owen Hart Cup Tournament, but again fell short after Britt Baker bested her in the finals.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Saraya (Paige) Makes AEW Debut On Dynamite ‘Grand Slam’

Saraya (Paige) is All Elite.

During Wednesday night’s episode of AEW Dynamite ‘Grand Slam’, the former WWE Divas Champion made her debut following a Fatal-4 Way Match for the AEW Women’s Championship that featured Toni Storm, Serena Deeb, Athena, and Dr. Britt Baker.

As Britt Baker, Rebel, and Jamie Hayter were attacking Toni Storm and Athena after the match, Saraya came out to the ring and ran everyone off. She then had a staredown with Britt Baker and the rest of the women in the ring.

AEW President Tony Khan took to Twitter following the segment to announce that Saraya is officially All Elite.

Saraya departed WWE back in July after her contract expired and the company decided not to renew it.

According to a report from Fightful, the company reached out to Saraya after she departed WWE back in July. Fightful Select report also suggested that WWE had expressed interest in hiring Saraya. 

Following “Dynamite,” Saraya took to Twitter to discuss the live reaction to her debut and revealed who allowed her to use the theme song she came to the ring to: “F WOW! Absolutely blown away by the pop in the stadium and the reception outside of it. Been a long journey. Couldn’t be happier to be in @AEW thank you to everyone! 🥹🥹 and thank you to my babe @RonnieRadke for letting me use his song Zombified! LFG!! ❤️❤️”

It’s typical for wrestlers who plan to make a surprise debut to stay hidden beforehand. Saraya tweeted a photo of the outfit she wore yesterday, stating: Thanks @Lizzy_Cupcake for capturing me in my prime hiding attire last night 😂”

Tony Khan Says Surprises Might Be In Store For Tonight’s Dynamite and Rampage

Tony Khan has continued to hammer home that tonight’s AEW Grand Slam event, featuring a live Dynamite and a Rampage taping, will be a major event. 

During his appearance with Busted Open Radio Wednesday, Khan said he might “have a trick up his sleeve” for tonight’s show, and that surprises might be in store for both Dynamite and Rampage.

He said the event is “the closest thing to a PPV on TV we’re going to get.” Khan also noted that the show is a big value to fans in the area and urged them to come to the show. 

Source: EWrestlingNews