Tag: AEW

AEW Releases Jimmy Havoc, Bea Priestley and Sadie Gibbs

AEW has released Jimmy Havoc and Bea Priestley.

There had been speculation on AEW releasing Sadie Gibbs, Havoc and Priestley after their profiles were removed from the official AEW roster. Gibbs confirmed her departure on Twitter, F4Wonline.com has confirmed the other two departures.

Priestley signed with AEW in February 2019 after turning down a WWE offer. She debuted at Fight for the Fallen on July 13 of last year, teaming with Shoko Nakajima to defeat Riho and Britt Baker. Priestley last wrestled on the March 11 Dynamite episode, teaming with Nyla Rose to defeat Kris Statlander and current Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida. It looked as if she was about to enter into a feud with Rose.

AEW issued a statement on Havoc back in June after a woman named Rebecca Crow, who bills herself on Twitter as an international stage performer and adult content creator, used the “#SpeakingOut” movement to accuse him of physical and mental abuse why they dated for several years. AEW noted then that they wished Havoc the best as he received treatment and counseling in an effort to overcome the mental health and substance abuse challenges in his life. Havoc signed with AEW in February 2019 and debuted in the 2019 Double Or Nothing Pre-show Battle Royal on May 25. He last wrestled on the June 17 Dynamite episode, teaming with Kip Sabian for a loss to The Young Bucks.

Havoc, Priestley and Gibbs are all from the UK.

The releases were finalized on Wednesday, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. This is when their profiles were removed from the official AEW roster page. All three wrestlers are from the UK and it was noted that AEW hasn’t been able to bring in talents from the UK due to the COVID-19 quarantine. The fact that AEW has added a lot of new wrestlers as of late also contributed to the decision to release these three.

AEW President & CEO Tony Khan noted a few months back that he did not want to release anyone during the coronavirus pandemic, but that there would come a time where they would have to make cuts if people couldn’t travel into the United States. It was also said that when you keep adding talent, at some point there has to be cuts.

The Observer added that Havoc likely would not be brought back due to allegations against him coming out of the “#SpeakingOut” movement, which is why he was suspended before undergoing treatment for some of his issues.

Gibbs and Priestley were released mainly due to their inability to get into the United States for TV tapings, and how it looks like that won’t be changing any time soon. Gibbs was reportedly brought in as a project, in the sense that she wasn’t ready but she was a great athlete with a good look.

There is no word yet on if there will be more AEW releases to come.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 8/12/20 – Tag Team Appreciation Night, Rock ‘N Roll Express

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

* Cody (c) vs. Scorpio Sky (AEW TNT Championship)

* Chris Jericho vs. Orange Cassidy ($7,000 Obligation Match – Both Inner Circle and Best Friends are banned from ringside)

* Hangman Page and Kenny Omega (c) vs. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus (AEW World Tag Team Championship)

* Grayson and Evil Uno vs. Young Bucks

* Appearances by Rock ‘N Roll Express, Tully Blanchard, and Arn Anderson for Tag Team Appreciation Night hosted by FTR

Sammy Guevara Gets Heat For Matt Hardy Chair Spot On AEW Dynamite, Reportedly Used The Wrong Chair

Matt Hardy needed 13 stitches to close a wound after being busted open by Sammy Guevara during Wednesday’s taped AEW Dynamite episode on TNT.

While the steel chair spot was planned, Guevara busted Hardy open because he accidentally used the wrong chair.

Guevara reportedly grabbed the wrong chair sitting at ringside, according to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live. There were apparently two chairs at ringside, and one was traditional folding chair. The idea was that Guevara would grab that chair and throw it at Hardy, but Hardy would get his arms up to take the impact. The spot was supposed to be a chair shot, but with no blood.

However, Guevara reportedly got caught up “in the heat of the moment” and was very excited. He was unable to find the folding chair, so he picked up the other, heavier chair. Alvarez noted that Guevara panicked and threw the chair at Hardy, busting him open the hardway.

Guevara reportedly had backstage heat over the incident as there were a number of people in the company who were upset, according to Wrestling Observer Radio. It was noted that Guevara received a “very stern talking-to” when he returned backstage.

As seen below, Hardy has had several choice words for Guevara on Twitter today. He also thanked Dr. Sampson and the AEW medical team for fixing him up. Matt’s wife Reby Hardy also lashed out on Twitter, and posted a video of Matt’s stitches being removed.

You can see Matt’s related tweets below, including a response to Tommy Dreamer and several fans:

https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/1291402136522285057

https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/1291413758045229064

https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/1291435801826525184

https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/1291514128557912071

https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/1291198858815512576

https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/1291192172839149568

https://twitter.com/MATTHARDYBRAND/status/1291231037268332546

https://twitter.com/RebyHardy/status/1291175580822646789

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Launching New Membership Platform For Female Wrestling Fans

Led by AEW Chief Brand Officer, Brandi Rhodes, AEW announced the launch of AEW Heels — a membership platform for female wrestling fans.

For an annual payment of $49, members will gain access to virtual meet-and-greets, video conference discussions with industry experts, Q&A sessions with AEW talent, customized merchandise and much more.

The first event is scheduled for Friday, August 7. Below is AEW’s full announcement:

AEW HEELS LAUNCHES DYNAMIC MEMBERSHIP PLATFORM FOR FEMALE WRESTLING FANS

— New Female-Forward Community Led by Brandi Rhodes to Hold First Event on New Platform Friday, August 7 —

August 5, 2020 – AEW Heels, the new female-focused wrestling community led by AEW Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes and the stars of AEW’s women’s division, today announced the launch of its new fan membership platform. Powered by Wonderful Union’s secure digital platform, female wrestling fans can seamlessly access AEW Heels’ exclusive content and other special benefits — all in a safe environment for engaging in conversation and developing friendships worldwide.

With an annual paid subscription of $49, members receive access to a variety of features including virtual meet-and-greets, video conference discussions with industry experts, exclusive AEW talent Q&A sessions, customized merchandise, special promotions, themed parties and more. The secure space enables AEW Heels members to connect, learn and thrive together through shared passions for women’s wrestling.

Female fans can subscribe to AEW Heels at: https://alleliteheels.com

The first event for AEW Heels members is scheduled for Friday, August 7, which is included in the annual subscription. The virtual event will be curated on the platform and feature a Q&A session with Aubrey Edwards, a social media strategizing discussion with Brandi, and a special session on respect and empowerment in the workplace with Keisha-Ann Gray, partner at Proskauer. “AEW Heels is a first-of-its-kind community designed to celebrate and inspire our female fans around the world,” said AEW Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes. “With our new platform, we look forward to the next step in connecting the AEW Heels community and making this the best time ever to be a female wrestling fan.”

AEW Heels debuted earlier this year with two special video conference sessions designed for women. Session elements included a Q&A with former AEW Women’s World Champion Nyla Rose, a tutorial with renowned AEW makeup artist Stella Kae, and a mental health seminar with AEW Chief Legal Officer Megha Parekh, as well as a sweepstakes program and donation opportunities to support The George Floyd Memorial Fund and The Trevor Project.

About AEW Heels
AEW Heels is a new community for females who love wrestling. The female-forward movement, led by Brandi Rhodes and the stars of AEW’s women’s division, is designed to celebrate and inspire our female fans around the world. AEW Heels is dedicated to making this the best time ever to be a female wrestling fan. Be who you are and come as you are, because we’re all going to come together as a community to change the world. For more info, check out @AEW_Heels (Twitter) and @AEW_Heels (Instagram).

About AEW
AEW is a new professional wrestling league headlined by Cody, Chris Jericho, The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson), Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Jon Moxley, Nyla Rose, Hikaru Shida and Brandi Rhodes. For the first time in many years, AEW is offering an alternative to mainstream wrestling, with a growing roster of world-class male and female wrestlers that is injecting new spirit, freshness and energy to the industry. The inaugural event under the AEW banner was the sold-out DOUBLE OR NOTHING PPV in Las Vegas in May 2019.

AEW began airing its weekly show on TNT on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, from 8-10 p.m. ET. The show, “AEW DYNAMITE,” is Wednesday’s #1 wrestling show and attracts the youngest wrestling audience on television. AEW’s multi-platform content also includes “AEW DARK,” a weekly pro-wrestling YouTube series, “Being the Elite” a weekly behind-the-scenes YouTube series, and “AEW Unrestricted,” a weekly podcast series co-produced with WarnerMedia. For more info, check out @AEWrestling (Twitter), @AllEliteWrestling (Instagram), / AllEliteWrestling (FB), AllEliteWrestling (YouTube).

AEW Dynamite Preview 8/5/20

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

 

* Chris Jericho challenges Orange Cassidy to a debate with a special guest moderator

* Matt Cardona and AEW TNT Champion Cody vs. Alex Reynolds and John Silver

* Update on MJF’s campaign

* Young Bucks, Hangman Page, Kenny Omega, and FTR vs. The Dark Order

* Jon Moxley (c) vs. Darby Allin (AEW World Championship)

* Best Friends vs. Santana and Ortiz

AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament To Begin Next Week, Rules Clarified

AEW’s upcoming Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament titled “The Deadly Draw” will begin next week on YouTube, and now the rules have been clarified.

During last night’s edition of Dynamite, Tony Schiavone confirmed the tournament is set to start Monday evening on the AEW YouTube channel.

The rules of the “The Deadly Draw” are as follows:

  • The tournament is a random draw
  • All competitors must draw a color
  • Matching colors will become a team
  • Selections are final and cannot be appealed

This means the competitors will not know who their partners will be until the drawing, therefore the tournament will not include established teams.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Matt Cardona (Zack Ryder) Makes AEW Debut On Dynamite

Former WWE star Zack Ryder aka Matt Cardona appeared on AEW Dynamite last night.

It all went down following Cody’s successful TNT Championship defense against Warhorse in one of his open challenge matches when members of The Dark Order came out.

John Silver and Alex Reynolds attempted to attack Cody, but Warhorse pushed him out of the way to help and got beaten down. Arn Anderson then got in the ring to fight the tag team, but Matt Cardona intervened instead.

The former WWE star took out both members, then hugged Cody on the outside.

Watch the video below.

AEW Dynamite Preview 7/29/20

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

* Hangman Page and Kenny Omega (c) vs. Evil Uno and Grayson (AEW World Tag Team Championship)

* Hikaru Shida vs. Diamante (Non-Title Match)

* Darby Allin and Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage and Ricky Starks with Taz (Tornado Tag Match)

* Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, Luchasaurus, and Jungle Boy vs. Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Santana, Ortiz, and Sammy Guevara

* Cody (c) vs. Warhorse (AEW TNT Championship)

* MJF gives State of the Industry Address

Chris Jericho Releasing New Book This Fall

AEW star Chris Jericho announced during his Saturday Night Special YouTube show that he is self-publishing a book that recounts every single match in his career.

Alex Marvez has been working on the project with the “Demo God”. Their goal is to finish the book and release it this October to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Jericho’s debut.

This is Jericho’s fifth book he’s written. Previous projects of his include, Undisputed: How to Become the World Champion in 1,372 Easy Steps, A Lion’s Tale: Around the World in Spandex, The Best in the World: At What I Have No Idea , and No Is a Four-Letter Word: How I Failed Spelling but Succeeded in Life.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite Preview 7/22/20

Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

* AEW World Champion Jon Moxley will speak

* Taz and FTW Champion Brian Cage will appear

* Cody Rhodes defends the TNT Title against a top independent wrestler

* MJF will be in action

* Ivelisse vs. Diamante

* Chris Jericho and Jake Hager vs. Jurassic Express

* The Butcher and The Blade vs. The Young Bucks (Falls Count Anywhere Match)

* AEW World Tag Team Champion Hangman Page vs. Five (with Brodie Lee)