Tag: AEW

The Latest Update On AEW-WBD Potential Media Rights Deal Ahead Of Upfronts

AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery have not yet reached a new television deal, and it is not expected to be part of WBD’s upfront presentation on Wednesday. 

A recent report from Fightful Select provides further insights into the ongoing negotiations between AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery and the expected timeline for a new rights deal announcement.

Sources close to the matter suggest that the announcement of a new deal is being closely guarded, with a probable timeframe for the announcement being summer to fall.

The report highlights the uncertainty surrounding the end date of AEW’s exclusivity deal with WBD, which is expected to continue into the summer. However, a firm date for its conclusion remains unknown. A pilot for a new AEW-related program with WBD was slated to be announced for social media channels this week. It is said that the program is not a reality show.

According to sources at WBD, there has been ongoing interest in the company to include AEW pay-per-view events on HBO Max. Discussions between the two parties have been in progress for an extended period of time to determine the specifics of this potential agreement. Initial proposals for this arrangement were put forth as early as last year.

These sources have also indicated that nearly every agreement made by WBD is strategically aligned with Max, emphasizing a heightened focus on the streaming platform compared to when AEW originally entered into its last agreement with WBD.

Additionally, there have been rumors that WBD may lose its media rights to the NBA. If this were to occur, the company reportedly plans to reinvest funds to maintain its position on cable and explore other properties to attract viewers.

It remains unknown whether this potential reinvestment will involve AEW. With that being said, AEW Dynamite almost always ranks number one on all of cable TV on Wednesday nights without any competition from the NBA/NHL or other sporting events. Sources from both parties have spoken highly of each other and the negotiation process continues.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Bryan Danielson Confirms When His AEW Contract Expires (And It’s Soon)

Bryan Danielson is in his final full-time year as a pro wrestler, closing the chapter on one of the most storied careers in history. With his run set to wind down, Danielson told “Casual Conversations” that he still has a few things to check off his bucket list, including an appearance at All In 2024 at Wembley Stadium. However, he confirmed that his current contract is due to expire before the London event in August. 

“The big one is Wembley. I want to make it to Wembley,” he said. “My contract actually expires before. But I want to make it to Wembley.” 

Danielson opined that Wembley differs from other iconic wrestling venues, such as Arena Mexico or the Tokyo Dome, in that it’s not one typically synonymous with the sport. He reasoned that it held a different energy to the others he has wrestled at, and given that he was unavailable for last year’s All In event, he wants to cross off that goal this year. Furthermore, he might stick around longer, as he feels that October’s WrestleDream event would be a great curtain call. 

“I’m not sure if I’ll make it. But one thing that’d be a nice way to close everything out for me is to do my last match as a full-time wrestler at WrestleDream at the Tacoma Dome. Because that’s the first wrestling show I ever saw [at the Tacoma Dome]. It was WWF and it was Ultimate Warrior versus Rick Rude.” 

Bryan Danielson joined AEW in 2021 months after departing WWE, signing a three-year deal with the promotion. He confirmed that this would be his final year of full-time competition ahead of the Continental Classic late last year. However, Danielson has not been seen on TV since losing to Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Collision & Rampage 5/11/2024

AEW Collision & Rampage live on TBS from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British  Columbia, Canada

Collision:

  • Cope Open – TNT Championship: Adam Copeland (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
  • Dax Harwood vs. ‘Dynamite Kid’ Tommy Billington
  • Bryan Danielson & Claudio Castagnoli vs. Top Flight
  • Will Ospreay vs. Lee Moriarty
  • Thunder Rosa vs. Robyn Renegade
  • Brian Cage & Gates Of Agony vs. TBA

Rampage:

  • Deonna Purrazzo vs. Lady Frost
  • Trent Beretta vs. Dalton Castle

Kenny Omega To Undergo Surgery Soon For Diverticulitis

Kenny Omega will be undergoing surgery for diverticulitis in the very near future.

On his latest Twitch stream, Omega revealed that he’ll be undergoing surgery “very, very soon.”

You can check out some highlights from the stream below:

On his health: “I did have to go back to the hospital. The good news is that I was able to get some pre-op stuff done. It’s a double-edged sword, it’s good news and bad news. The good news is, I have a wonderful doctor and he is someone who is the top of his field. He is very hard to get appointments and surgeries with. However, he’s done me a solid. I will actually be getting surgery very, very, very soon. Unfortunately for me, it means I have to leave town again. However, again, this guy is the top in his field. Even though it’s a major surgery, I do feel the most comfortable with this individual. So, even though there are always worries going into a major surgery, if there is one person I feel the most confident with, it’s this dude.

“Bad news is, it’s like an end of an era because sadly this may be my last stream in a while. I’d like to say that I can get it done and appear in front of a computer, but it probably won’t work that way. When I feel good and can travel up a flight of stairs or whatever, I’d love to hop in front of a monitor and maybe hang out and chat. That’s coming up right away. Right away, right away. A couple of days. I’m looking forward to it. A little bit of nerves, but to have such a capable doctor that I was able to have take care of this as quickly as he is, I do feel fortunate and that luck was on my side a little bit. There is good and bad. I’m feeling good about it and I’m optimistic.”

On dealing with the potential that he may not return: “There was a moment when I was dealing with this stuff where I wasn’t sure if I could come back. I was actually leaning towards, not leaning towards, but heavily considering the possibility that I might not ever (return). Had I needed to announce my retirement, I felt like I was in a place where I could have done with a smile on my face because I feel I’ve had a wonderful career and I’ve had fun doing this and I’ve met a lot of great people and I’ve been able to do things I never thought I would be able to do.”

On being optimistic about his chances: “However, now I feel like, with the individual I’m going to see and the rundown he’s given me on the way he will do the procedure, it’s so much different than what I was told here in Orlando. It opened up the door for the possibility for not only a comeback, but I might, you never know, but I might be able to come back about as good before my title run. We’re talking early days AEW level of Kenny Omega where, a little beat up from past injuries. I do believe that’s when the diverticulitis started was the beginning days of AEW. Before the broken nose, hernia, shoulder, knee, all that stuff. Those aches and pains, a lot of them still exist. I always thought the diverticulitis was my hernia. I thought the mesh had burst. It was something else completely.

“I guess it dates back to early 2020 when I started making appearances for Triple A. I’ve been fighting this thing, in the early stages, for about four years. When I actually had a herniation, I thought, ‘We got it, we nailed it, that’s the reason why my stomach hurts.’ That was just one of many problems. It’s given me a chance to consider a new Kenny Omega, repackaging, and sort of rebranding before I come back. To what degree? I don’t know, I guess we’ll see how I feel. In a perfect world, I would like to come back better than I was before. It’s not my prime; those days are done, but I want to come back differently and bring something new to the table. A lot of same these days. It’s making me sick.”

We send our best wishes to Omega for a quick and full recovery.

Source: eWn

Sammy Guevara Is No Longer Under AEW Suspension

Sammy Guevara has been absent from AEW television for months due to the company suspending him after a scary incident involving Jeff Hardy during a No DQ Match on an episode of AEW Rampage.

Guevara was suspended due to his failure to follow the concussion protocol.

Dave Meltzer reported the following in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

“Sammy Guevara is no longer suspended, but there’s no word on when he’ll be cycled back into storylines. There has been stuff pitched but nothing confirmed.”

Source: eWn

Chuck Taylor’s In-Ring Retirement Said To Be Legitimate

The recent reveal that Chuck Taylor is retired reportedly isn’t just for show, but the 38-year-old wrestler is actually finished in the ring.

After a brutal parking lot brawl with Trent Beretta, Orange Cassidy shared the news that Taylor’s injuries have forced the wrestler to retire from in-ring competition.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s noted that what was said on TV was accurate and “the belief right now is that Taylor won’t be able to wrestle again.”

The report noted that there could be “wiggle room” which may explain why Taylor himself did not make the announcement on AEW programming.

On the May 8 edition of “AEW Dynamite,” Excalibur explained that Taylor’s fractured ankle has caused bone necrosis, and fragments are now underneath his cartilage. The report notes that “Superstar” Billy Graham had the same issues of bones dying in his ankle and hip.

The report noted that the AEW roster is full of people who have been medically retired in the past like Adam Copeland, Bryan Danielson, Katsuyori Shibata, and more, but that even if Taylor has surgery on his injured ankle, he still might not be able to come back. Taylor has been a member of the AEW roster since the company’s inception in 2019, where he and Beretta wrestled on the inaugural Double or Nothing pay-per-view against The Hybrid 2. He is also a former two-time PWG World Champion and has even tag team gold with the likes of WWE Superstars Drew McIntyre and Johnny Gargano.

On this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Cassidy defeated Trent but was attacked after the match with Beretta hitting a piledriver on the steel steps.

Sources: eWn & Wrestling Inc.

Report – Ethan Page & AEW Part Ways

Ethan Page and AEW appear to have parted ways.

On Thursday, Page’s profile was removed from the roster on AEW’s official website. While AEW doesn’t publicly announce their departures, a removal from the roster page usually indicates that a talent has been released from the company.

Page joined AEW in 2021, signing with the company in March of that year.

Page was last seen on an episode of AEW Collision on December 9, 2023. At that show, he lost to Kenny Omega.

It’s worth noting that Page did wrestle on the February 14th episode of ROH TV on HonorClub, picking up a win over Anthony Henry.

Page had also been working more independent shows as of late and has been promoting his Alpha-1 Wrestling company again.

Finally, Fightful is reporting that “the word within the industry was that Ethan Page was looking to finish up with AEW/ROH a few months ago.”

Source: eWn

The Elite Give Kenny Omega Vicious Beating Following Emotional Promo On AEW Dynamite

In his first appearance on “AEW Dynamite” since December of 2023, Winnipeg’s hometown hero Kenny Omega detailed his struggles with diverticulitis, up to and including doctors telling him that he was staring down the barrel of a colostomy bag at best, and way too close for comfort to flat out dying at worst when he was diagnosed at the time. And while “The Cleaner” stated that he’d love to mix it up right now if it were up to him, he admitted that doctors told him that any blunt force trauma to his abdomen could be catastrophic. Enter: The Elite, who clearly cared not about their former comrade.

The familiar sound of coins hitting the floor hit first, with longtime Omega nemesis Kazuchika Okada entering the ring and inciting a staredown for the ages with Omega asking for “a few months” so they could run back their legendary New Japan Pro-Wrestling feud under the AEW umbrella just as soon as possible. But Okada hesitated and walked away, leading to an assault from Jack Perry and The Young Bucks that culminated in an EVP Trigger. As the beatdown ensued, FTR hit the ring to prevent any further damage, but eventually, once Omega was wheeled to the back on a gurney, about to be loaded into an ambulance, The Elite struck again, tossing Omega from the gurney and onto the cement floor as a distraught Dax Harwood looked on.

Omega, who admitted to being nervous about tonight’s appearance, hasn’t wrestled since defeating Ethan Page on “AEW Collision” in early December and hasn’t been seen at all since announcing via X that he would be out indefinitely due to his diagnosis.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Dynamite & Rampage Preview 5/1/2024

AEW Dynamite & Rampage will air live tonight on TBS from the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Dynamite:

  • Kenny Omega returns
  • FTW Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
  • TNT Championship Cope Open: Adam Copeland (c) vs. a member of the House of Black
  • Serena Deeb vs. Mariah May
  • Samoa Joe vs. Isiah Kassidy
  • Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brian Cage
  • We will hear from Orange Cassidy
  • Swerve Strickland’s AEW World title challenger for Double or Nothing revealed

Rampage:

Jay White vs. Dante Martin

AEW’s Darby Allin Recovering From Being Hit By A Bus

AEW star Darby Allin is known for taking a lot of risks, both in and out of the ring. When he’s performing in All Elite Wrestling, he is diving off ladders through panes of glass, and when he gets some free time, he jumps over his own house in a car and does stunts on a tricycle. Allin has been out of action since the “Big Business” edition of “AEW Dynamite” in March after he broke his foot during a match with Jay White, which ultimately cost him his chance to climb Mount Everest. Now Allin has yet another injury to deal with

Allin took to Instagram to say that he had been hit by a bus. Despite the severity of the situation, Allin was still able to catch a show on Broadway with American artist Raymond Pettibon. 

“That awkward moment when your crossing the street in New York with a broken foot and get hit by a bus,” he wrote. “Least I can have a good time with @raymond_pettibon_ and catch a broadway show lol”

Before his broken foot, Allin was on course to have one of his most successful years. He won the AEW Tag Team Championships with Sting on February 7 by defeating Big Bill and Ricky Starks in a Tornado Tag Match, before successfully defending the titles against The Young Bucks in the main event of AEW Revolution on March 3. With their win over Matthew and Nicholas Jackson, Allin and Sting ended their run as a team with a 100% win rate as Sting would officially retire from wrestling following the event. Allin was gifted Sting’s bat after The Icon had called it quits, but that bat is now in the possession of Jay White, who has been parading around with it on TV since injuring Allin at “Big Business.” 

Source: Wrestling Inc.