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

Kenny Omega Pulled From AAA TripleMania Over AEW Suspension

AEW EVP Kenny Omega won’t be appearing at next month’s AAA TripleMania event due to his ongoing suspension from AEW.

Omega, along with The Young Bucks, CM Punk, and Ace Steel, have all been suspended from AEW following a confrontation backstage at AEW All Out 2022.

During his Keepin’ It 100 podcast, Konnan confirmed that Omega was meant to be part of the event, but is off the card. He said,

“Omega was gonna headline Triplemania and [AEW] won’t let him go.”

Konnan added that Omega and AEW’s Head of Talent Relations Christopher Daniels have both said he will be unable to make the show.

Matches announced for the October 15 show in Mexico City include Pentagon Jr. vs. Villano IV in a mask vs. mask match.

AAA Reina de Reinas Champion Taya Valkyrie will defend against Kamille, who is replacing the injured Thunder Rosa.

Source: EWrestlingNews

Backstage Update On Jeff Hardy’s AEW Status

Jeff Hardy has not been seen on AEW television since June following his DUI arrest, and since that time he has been in rehab to recover from his addiction. However, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the wrestling veteran is expected to be out of rehab soon, and back inside the ring. 

No time frame was given for exactly when he will be leaving rehab, or when fans can expect to see him wrestle again, but it is a major step towards the former WWE Champion making his return to action. His last match took place back at AEW’s Double Or Nothing earlier this year when he and Matt Hardy teamed up to defeat The Young Bucks.

Hardy was arrested for a third DUI on June 13th, and following that Tony Khan suspended him from the company without pay because of his actions. The AEW President also made it clear that he could “only return to AEW upon successfully completing treatment and maintaining his sobriety,” which is what he has been working on ever since.

Jeff was referenced on “AEW Dynamite” this week when his brother challenged Darby Allin to a match, as he spoke about the encounter Allin and Jeff had in the past. Matt also teased an upcoming return for his brother, saying, “we’re getting close to the point where we meet the new Jeff and we figure out his future and what he ends up doing.”

Jeff pleaded “not guilty” to the charge against him, and a pre-trial hearing will be taking place in October in regards to the incident.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Rampage Preview 9/16/2022

AEW has announced the lineup for tonight’s new Rampage episode.

  • ROH TV Champion Samoa Joe defends against Josh Woods
  • Danhausen vs. Ethan Page
  • Darby Allin vs. Matt Hardy
  • Penelope Ford vs. Willow Nightingale

Update On The Status Of Several AEW Suspensions

Earlier this week it was reported that Pat Buck has had his suspension lifted by AEW, and according to Dave Meltzer on the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Brandon Cutler, Christopher Daniels, and Michael Nakazawa are now all in the same position, and are able to return to work. 

The four men were all suspended alongside Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Ace Steel, and CM Punk due to the backstage fight following the post-AEW All Out media scrum, with Tony Khan taking action on everyone that was in the room that night. However, it is believed that those who have had their suspensions lifted were just trying to break up the fight, rather than actually being involved themselves, which is likely why they are all now able to work again. 

AEW is holding a private third-party investigation into the incident to get to the bottom of it, and that is why they were all initially suspended so that could be carried out. But while these four men are now able to work again, the status of the other five is still very much up in the air. 

Buck was the only one out of the four that was backstage at “AEW Dynamite” this week, but both Daniels and Nakazawa are currently in Japan, where they are going to be involved in promoting AEW’s upcoming video game “Fight Forever,” at the Tokyo Game Show. Omega was also going to be involved in that, but while he is in Japan himself it is unknown if he will have anything to do with it. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 9/14/2022

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite takes place from the MVP Arena in Albany, New York.

  • “Grand Slam” Tournament of Champions – Semifinals: Jon Moxley vs. Sammy Guevara
  • “Grand Slam” Tournament of Champions – Semifinals: Chris Jericho vs. Bryan Danielson
  • Toni Storm & Athena vs. Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. & Serena Deeb

Backstage Details Regarding Pre-AEW Dynamite Talent Meeting Ran By Top Talent

The weekend is upon us and many people in AEW are sure to be thrilled after a very long week. It began with controversy following an eventful post AEW All Out press scrum, which then led to a wild post scrum backstage fight, stories that dominated the week until an acclaimed “AEW Dynamite” episode Wednesday night. Prior to the show, reports of a talent meeting had emerged to address the ongoing situation within the promotion. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer provided more details what occurred in said meeting.

“Moxley, Jericho and Bryan Danielson called a meeting in Buffalo on September 7 before the show started,” Meltzer said. “One person stated that it was the best backstage meeting the wrestlers had ever had and that they realized there was brand damage done that they have to overcome. Moxley’s promo of wanting to be handed the ball and become a legend and take that shot when we’re now in the fourth quarter of the game, and behind did have its sense of reality to it. Even before the meeting, we were told that the talent arrived, knew they had a show to do and it was business as usual.”

The Observer report also mentioned that it was again stressed to talent not to air grievances in public, although the general sentiment after the meeting adjourned was one of wanting to put what happened on Sunday night behind them and focus on producing quality shows moving forward. Additionally, most AEW talent ended Wednesday pleased with how strong “Dynamite” turned out and excited for where things go from here, although “others noted being depressed with how everything had gone down over the past week.” AEW will end this unpredictable week with “AEW Rampage“, airing tonight on TNT. The main event will see Claudio Castagnoli defend the ROH World Championship against Dax Harwood of FTR.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Rampage Preview 9/9/2022

Tonight on AEW Rampage:

  • ROH World Championship: Claudio Castagnoli (c) vs. Dax Harwood
  • AEW World Championship Tournament Match: Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin
  • Serena Deeb vs. Madison Rayne
  • ROH World Television Champion Samoa Joe speaks

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