Ian Carey is a writer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, whose work has been featured in NOW Magazine, The Huffington Post, and more. A lifelong wrestling aficionado born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he has covered the industry for a decade and a half. He joined the f4wonline.com team in 2019.
The Owen Hart Foundation tournaments will return in 2023.
Tony Khan revealed the news on Thursday’s Full Gear media call in response to a question from our own Dave Meltzer.
“I do plan to do the Owen Hart tournaments in 2023. I’d like to continue my great relationship with Dr. Martha Hart and her family. Oje Hart recently attended the Jaguars-Broncos game at Wembley Stadium. I really like Oje, he’s a tremendous guy, and Martha and the whole family, they’re great. We loved having them in AEW and the Owen Hart tournament tradition will continue,” Khan said on the call.
“I really appreciate Chris Jericho facilitating that connection several years ago actually during the pandemic,” he continued.
A timeline for the 2023 tournaments has not been revealed but the finals of last year’s tournament took place at AEW Double or Nothing in May.
Britt Baker won the inaugural women’s tournament. She defeated Danielle Kamela in a qualifying match, Maki Itoh in the first round, Toni Storm in the semifinals, and Ruby Soho in the finals.
Adam Cole won the inaugural men’s Owen Hart Foundation tournament. He defeated Dax Harwood in the first round, Jeff Hardy in the semifinals, and Samoa Joe in the finals.
Tonight on #AEWDynamite next on @TBSNetwork @ 8pm ET/7pm CT, the inaugural Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournament begins on a huge night of pro wrestling!
Thank you Dr. Martha Hart, Oje Hart & Athena Hart for joining us tonight as @AEW honors the legacy of the late great Owen Hart! pic.twitter.com/4vayhDLBwy
A change has been made to the AEW World title eliminator tournament schedule.
Last week on AEW Rampage, it was announced that Ricky Starks was not cleared to compete after being attacked by his first-round opponent, Lance Archer. Tony Khan revealed during Thursday’s Full Gear media call that Starks was legitimately not cleared to perform and this has caused a change to the tournament schedule. The nature of Starks’ injury was not disclosed.
The finals will no longer take place at AEW Full Gear. The opening round match between Starks and Archer is scheduled for Friday’s Rampage with the winner to face Brian Cage in the semifinals on Saturday’s Zero Hour pre-show. The tournament finals will now take place on the November 23 edition of AEW Dynamite.
AEW World title eliminator tournament 2022 schedule and results:
Ethan Page defeated Eddie Kingston (AEW Dynamite 11/9) (opening round)
The original plan for the Survivor Series men’s WarGames match was to involve Kevin Owens but that may no longer be the case.
Owens was injured at a WWE house show on Sunday. He is believed to have suffered an MCL sprain and his status for the November 26 pay-per-view is now in doubt. The situation was addressed by our own Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“He’s doing rehab at the Performance Center,” Meltzer said of Owens.
“It is confirmed that the main event on the WWE pay-per-view, on Survivor Series, was going to be The Bloodline, Roman Reigns, the Usos, Sami Zayn, and Solo Sikoa against Butch, Sheamus, Ridge Holland, Drew McIntyre, and Kevin Owens. However, because Kevin Owens suffered an injury – which the last I heard was a sprained MCL. He was going to get it checked out, I’d heard Monday morning, I haven’t heard anything since Monday morning, he had not been checked out. He’s rehabbing it – I don’t know if he will be ready for the pay-per-view or not.”
“If they do an angle on SmackDown on Friday and throw somebody else in, that tells you that he wasn’t ready. I did hear that he’s not moving very well so he better heal up quick if he’s going to make that pay-per-view,” Meltzer continued.
Two former WWE wrestlers could be returning to the company.
Our own Dave Meltzer revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio that Chelsea Green is expected to be back with the company and JONAH has been offered a contract to return as well. Both wrestlers were released from WWE in 2021.
“WWE bound, most likely,” Meltzer said about Green. “Within the company, it’s been talked about as something that is happening. I don’t know if she’s put pen to paper but she did just finish up with Impact, so it makes sense. Presumably, she’s in but like I said, I can’t confirm the contract signing but I can confirm that they are talking about it as if it is a done deal within the company.”
Meltzer also confirmed that WWE has offered JONAH a contract to return.
“JONAH certainly has an offer from WWE and he’s got to make a decision, he’ll either be New Japan or WWE. He got a great push in New Japan, and it’s going to be his call,” Meltzer said.
JONAH wrestled as Bronson Reed in WWE from 2019 until his release in August 2021. Following his departure, he performed with Impact Wrestling and NJPW. He took part in the G1 Climax 32 this summer where he finished with eight points.
Green made her WWE SmackDown debut on November 13, 2020. She broke her wrist in a four-way match she was originally scheduled to win. The finish was changed due to Green’s injury and Liv Morgan ended up getting the victory. Green was then released on April 15, 2021. Since her departure, she has wrestled with the NWA, ROH, and Impact Wrestling.
The news was revealed in a backstage segment posted to social media following Dynamite. Fox was speaking with Lexy Nair about wrestling close to his hometown when he was informed of the offer.
“It’s unbelievable to me. I don’t think I have the words to describe it. I grew up about ten minutes down the road and I had my mother in the crowd here for a moment I thought I might never reach. So, I’m just waiting to be alone so I can cry,” Fox said to Lexy Nair.
Nair then revealed Tony Khan is officially offering Fox an AEW contract.
“AR Fox, I do have to let you know, we’ve just gotten word from Tony Khan that you have been officially offered an AEW contract here,” she said.
Fox teamed with Top Flight in a losing effort to the AEW Trios Champions Death Triangle on last night’s show. It was Fox’s seventh match with the promotion. His previous six bouts all took place on episodes of Dark and Dark: Elevation.
The 35-year-old is a veteran of promotions such as EVOLVE, CZW, and Lucha Underground. He’s a former EVOLVE Champion, CZW Junior Heavyweight Champion, and held the Lucha Undergound Trios titles along with Killshot (Swerve Strickland) and Willie Mack.
Jake “The Snake” Roberts has provided an update on his health.
The 67-year-old posted to social media on Wednesday that he is back at AEW and no longer requires oxygen supplementation as part of his treatment for COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
“Off oxygen for good!! Standing tall doing great. At AEW AGAIN!! Sweet life I’m living!!” Roberts wrote on Twitter.
Roberts revealed on a podcast in November 2020 that he has been diagnosed with the condition.
“I don’t get the right amount of oxygen into my blood and that’s not good. I don’t know how much it’s going to limit me and my future. We’re testing it today for the first time to try to go do something. I know that without the oxygen if I talk for about 20 seconds, I’m done. I can’t go anymore. It just is not there. So this is going to be something that I’m gonna have to work with,” he said of his condition. (h/t Post Wrestling).
Israel Adesanya was briefly detained by the Port Authority Police department at JFK airport on Wednesday.
According to a report from TMZ, Adesanya was detained at 1:57 p.m Eastern time after allegedly going through airport security with brass knuckles. The arrest was made near the TSA screening area of the American Airlines terminal.
Adesanya’s manager, Tim Simpson, later stated, “Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage. When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and cooperated with authorities. He has complied accordingly, with that the matter was dismissed and he is on his way home.”
Brass knuckles are illegal in the state of New York. They are prohibited to carry on your person or in a carry-on bag.
Adesanya dropped the UFC Middleweight Championship on Saturday at UFC 281 from Madison Square Garden. He was defeated by Alex Pereira via TKO in the fifth round. Prior to this, Adesanya had successfully defended the belt five times, second most in the division’s history behind only Anderson Silva (10).
AEW has announced a change to the lineup for Dynamite.
Anna Jay will replace The Bunny in tonight’s AEW interim women’s title eliminator match. The Bunny has been pulled from the bout due to illness. Anna Jay will now face champion Toni Storm on the show.
“With first shot at the winner of Storm vs Hayter at stake, Anna replaces @AllieWrestling, who is out for tonight’s show due to illness,” Tony Khan wrote on Twitter.
AEW Dynamite on Wednesday, November 16 takes place from the Total Morgage Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The advertised lineup for the show is as follows:
Claudio Castagnoli and Bryan Danielson vs. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara
AEW World title eliminator tournament semifinal: Ethan Page vs. Bandido
Interim AEW World Women’s Championship eliminator match: Toni Storm vs. Anna Jay
AEW Trios titles: Death Triangle vs. Top Flight and AR Fox
Anthony Bowens vs. Swerve Strickland
Interviews from Jon Moxley, MJF, Samoa Joe, Britt Baker (by Tony Schiavone), and Saraya (by Renee Paquette)
Jake Paul has provided an injury update on his brother Logan Paul.
During a conversation with DAZN Boxing, Jake Paul revealed that his brother’s injuries following Crown Jewel are not as bad as first thought.
“He’s doing better than expected. They thought it was supposed to be ACL but it just turned out to be MCL and meniscus, which is better.”
“He’s rehabbing it in LA and hoping for the best,” Jake said.
Shortly after his match against Roman Reigns on November 5, Logan Paul posted to social media that he had a “torn meniscus, MCL & potentially ACL.” He also noted that the injuries occurred midway through the match.
Logan Paul also noted on his Impaulsive YouTube show on Tuesday that he is interested in a potential match with John Cena at WrestleMania 39.
“After the Crown Jewel event, John Cena posted about me on his Instagram. And then I saw an article saying he’s looking for an opponent at WrestleMania,” Paul explained. “I favorited it, responded with “the eyes”. I mean, truthfully, I think me vs. John Cena would break the internet. I texted Triple H right away, ‘do you want to break the internet again?’ That’s a dream matchup, dude: at WrestleMania, in LA, on my birthday. Triple H, throw me a bone, give me a birthday present, let me take out John Cena. And that’d be crazy.”
Impact Wrestling has announced four matches for Thursday’s broadcast.
A four-way tag team match has been added to the show. The Motor City Machine Guns will take on Ace Austin & Chris Bey, Aussie Open, and Raj Singh & Shera.
Tasha Steelz vs. Jessika and Rich Swann vs. Laredo Kid has been announced for Thursday’s episode as well.
Yuya Uemura vs. Andrew Everett is this week’s Before the Impact match.
Impact Wrestling on Thursday, November 17 was filmed on October 22 from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas. The advertised lineup for the show is as follows:
Steve Maclin vs. Tommy Dreamer no DQ match
Eric Young vs. Sami Callihan Death Machine’s Double Jeopardy match
The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin) vs. Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey) vs. Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) vs. Raj Singh & Shera
Jessika vs. Tasha Steelz
Yuya Uemura vs. Andrew Everett (Before the Impact)
PJ Black vs. Black Taurus in an X-Division title tournament semifinal
Impact Over Drive takes place the following night on Friday, November 18 from the Old Forester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville, Kentucky. It will air live on Impact Plus.
Impact World Champion Josh Alexander defends against Frankie Kazarian
Last Knockout Standing match: Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defends against Masha Slamovich
Impact Tag Team Champions Heath & Rhino defend against The Major Players
Knockouts Tag Team Champions The Death Dollz defend against Tasha Steelz & Savannah Evans
Mickie James vs. Taylor Wilde
X-Division title tournament finals: Trey Miguel vs. TBD
The NXT Women’s Championship match on Tuesday saw Isla Dawn interfere and cost Alba Fyre her shot at the title.
Mandy Rose put her belt on the line against Fyre in a Last Woman’s Standing match to headline this week’s show. In the closing moments of the match, Dawn shoved Fyre off a ladder and down through the announce desk below. Fyre was unable to meet the referee’s ten count and Rose was declared the winner. Dawn then stood tall over Fyre to close the show.
Bron Breakker also successfully defended his title on NXT. He defeated Von Wagner in the opening match of the night.
Zoey Stark cut a promo this week explaining why she turned on Nikkita Lyons last week. Stark said she was tired of carrying Lyons on her back.
Also on Tuesday’s show, The Dyad, Indi Hartwell, Indus Sher, and Apollo Crews all picked up victories.
Booker T has been added to a segment on this week’s NXT.
The WWE Hall of Famer will host a contract signing between Wes Lee & Carmelo Hayes on the show. Lee will put the NXT North American Championship on the line against Hayes on the November 22 episode.
Lee won the title in a five-way ladder match at Halloween Havoc last month. Hayes is a former two-time North American Champion who lost the belt to Solo Sikoa on the September 13 episode.
NXT on Tuesday, March 15 will take place from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The advertised lineup for the show is as follows:
NXT Championship: Bron Breakker defends against Von Wagner
NXT Women’s Championship: Mandy Rose defends against Alba Fyre in a Last Woman Standing match
Apollo Crews vs. JD McDonagh
Indi Hartwell vs. Tatum Paxley
Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen vs. The Dyad (Jagger Reid & Rip Fowler)
Shawn Michaels to issue statement on NXT Deadline event
Booker T hosts contract signing between Carmelo Hayes & Wes Lee
WWE is reportedly interested in having “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wrestle again.
According to a report from Fightful Select, the company has presented him with an offer for another match. It is not clear if the match would be for WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, Saudi Arabia, or somewhere else.
While Vince McMahon was said to have been hopeful Austin would wrestle again, it was the new WWE regime led by Paul “Triple H” Levesque that made the offer. One source noted to Fightful that the two sides were initially far apart on terms, however.
Austin posted footage of himself working out earlier this week. This led to speculation on social media that he is training for another match.
During a discussion with the Brewbound Podcast shortly after WrestleMania 38, Austin spoke about possibly being involved in WrestleMania 39.
“I can’t imagine I would not be there in some capacity and I’m not booking myself on the show because I didn’t book myself on 38. That’s a Vince thing and I have a great relationship with him and if I get the call, I’ll be there.”
Billy Corgan has opened up about his approach to booking the NWA.
Corgan appeared on Stories with Brisco & Bradshaw before NWA Hard Times 3 took place on Saturday. During the discussion, he spoke about his promotion being a mainstream product and why he chooses to book heavyweights in top programs.
“I basically see that old NWA style and in my mind, what draws money, you take two old big hosses and you put them nose and nose,” Corgan said
“Why do the heavyweights traditionally always draw the biggest money? It only really gets subverted when you have a phenom of a talent like a Shawn Michaels or a Conor McGregor.”
“At the end of the day, eight times out of ten, it’s the heavyweights who draw the most money,” he continued.
Later in the show, Corgan continued to talk about putting the biggest and the toughest wrestlers from his roster in main event programs.
“It’s been very hard for the general wrestling community to understand, to me the NWA is a mainstream product. I want to bring back a mainstream, traditional, mainstream wrestling product to television, national television, or international television. It’s not complicated.”
“In terms of the vibe, I like that old shooter vibe. I want you to watch people that you believe can beat your a**, that’s it. I want the toughest to win and I want the toughest to feel like they’re the stars of our company. It’s interesting because as I’ve pivoted to that over the last 18 months and really built the company around the toughest people, not always the biggest but the toughest people, I really see how it’s starting to really click. In essence, I finally connected that passion that I had for Bruiser [Brody] when I was a kid to the modern version of the NWA.”
“A lot of people in the wrestling community – and I know it’s a hotly debated topic – they like what’s going on with, I call it the eight-star [Dave] Meltzer matches and all that stuff and I like that stuff too but if we’re just talking business, just straight business, not fan stuff, I still believe in Brock Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley. And in this upcoming main event (at Hard Times 3), Matt Cardona, who’s recast himself on the independent scene as the star that he is vs. Tyrus, who’s 6’8 375 lbs vs. Trevor Murdoch, who’s 6’3, and another 350 lbs. I want to see that match and if you don’t want to see stuff like that, don’t watch the NWA because that’s what I’m going to give you more and more of that. As we climb, as I’m able to kind of develop younger talent in the mold of the NWA, we will be the toughest, hardest-hitting wrestling promotion in the world. I know there’s the strong style in Japan but to me, that’s a different psychology.”
Corgan also spoke about the NWA having the toughest female wrestlers in the business.
“I make the argument we probably have the toughest women in the business right now. Women who can be strong, beautiful, and vicious. I just think that’s a beautiful combination and with the men, I want the meanest, toughest, elephants in the middle of the ring. If you can’t hang then go impress somebody else somewhere else. My NWA will be if you want to call it old school, you want to call it AWA, you want to call it Florida with Eddie Graham or you call it whatever you want. I put it this way and I say this, of course, respectfully to Mr. Brisco, I want you, or if Bruiser is in heaven, I want you guys to look at what we’re doing and be proud.”
The ROH Pure Championship will be defended on AEW Dark: Elevation.
Daniel Garcia puts the title on the line against former NXT North American Champion, Leon Ruffin.
Other notable matches scheduled to air on Monday’s show include Mei Suruga & Emi Sakura vs. Riho & Willow Nightingale, Serpentico vs. AR Fox, and Tay Melo vs. Paris Von Dale.
This week’s episode was filmed on Wednesday, November 9 from the Agganis Arena in Boston.
AEW Dark: Elevation airs Monday at 7 p.m Eastern time on YouTube. The announced lineup for the show is as follows:
ROH Pure Champion Daniel Garcia defends against Leon Ruffin
Dark Order’s 10 Preston Vance vs. Jora Johl
The Butcher & The Blade w/ The Bunny vs. Waves & Curls (Jaylen Brandyn & Traevon Jordan)
Tay Melo vs. Paris Van Dale
Private Party (Marq Quen & Isiah Kassidy) & Matt Hardy vs. Kyle Bradley, Smiley Fairchild, & Channing Thomas
Athena vs. Kayla Sparks
Riho & Willow Nightingale vs. Mei Suruga & Emi Sakura
Gates of Agony (Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona) w/ Prince Nana vs. Big Cuzzo & Teddy Goodz
