Tag: the elite

Jon Moxley vs. Rey Fenix, Elite vs. Bullet Club set for AEW Dynamite

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Jon Moxley vs. Rey Fenix is set for Wednesday’s Fyter Fest edition of AEW Dynamite.

The Blackpool Combat Club have been feuding with both Best Friends and the Lucha Brothers in recent weeks. As a result, Moxley will wrestle Fenix ahead of their Stadium Stampede match at All In which will see the BCC and three mystery opponents against Fenix, Penta El Zero Miedo, Best Friends, Orange Cassidy & Eddie Kingston.

The Elite (Kenny Omega & the Young Bucks) will also be in action as they will take on Juice Robinson and The Gunns.

On this past week’s Dynamite, Robinson and Jay White jumped Omega as he was giving a sitdown interview with Jim Ross. Later in the show, the Young Bucks were attacked by Robinson and White after they defeated The Gunns, which led to their All In opponents, FTR, making the save.

The ROH Tag Team titles will also be on the line with Aussie Open defending against The Hardys.

After Aussie Open retained the titles on Rampage against Brother Zay and Ethan Page, a video was shown of the Hardys congratulating Aussie Open and challenging them to a title match.

Other matches announced for Fyter Fest include Skye Blue vs. Ruby Soho and Swerve Strickland & AR Fox teaming together to take on Darby Allin & Nick Wayne.

In addition, Renee Paquette will speak to both Adam Cole and MJF. Jack Perry will retire the FTW Championship, and Chris Jericho & Will Ospreay will hold a contract signing ahead of their match at All In.

Here is everything announced for Wednesday’s Dynamite:

  • Jon Moxley vs. Rey Fenix
  • The Elite (Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks) vs. Juice Robinson & The Gunns
  • Skye Blue vs. Ruby Soho
  • Swerve Strickland & AR Fox vs. Darby Allin & Nick Wayne
  • ROH World Tag Team titles: Aussie Open vs. The Hardys
  • Jack Perry to retire the FTW Championship
  • Renee Paquette to speak to Adam Cole
  • Renee Paquette to speak to MJF
  • Chris Jericho, Will Ospreay contract signing

Tony Khan has no comment on CM Punk & Hangman Page, glad fans interested in AEW

Posted on by Ian Carey

Tony Khan is not interested in talking about the recent situation involving CM Punk, Hangman Page, and others. 

Khan appeared on the Battleground podcast on Monday and was asked about recent reports that several wrestlers were booked for and then sent home from Collision events recently. 

“No, not really,” Khan responded when asked if he could provide clarification on the matter. “I thought it was a great show Saturday night and I don’t have any further comment to that but I am glad people are still very interested in our wrestlers and what’s happening after the wrestling shows. I think we’ll try to have a couple great shows this week but certainly there has been a lot of interest in what’s happening in AEW in and out of the ring.” 

Our own Dave Meltzer reported in Sunday’s Daily Update that Hangman Page had been scheduled to film a pre-tape segment backstage at Saturday’s Collision but was then told he could not to do so in the building. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer addressed similar situations involving Ryan Nemeth, Matt Hardy, and Christopher Daniels as well. 

“Everyone believes that it’s Punk. I’m sure that Tony (Khan) will say it’s not Punk, just like he did before,” Meltzer said. 

FTR: The more time passes, the more likely CMFTR vs. Elite is

Posted on by Ian Carey

FTR is hopeful that CMFTR vs. The Elite will happen eventually. 

Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood vs. The Young Bucks III will take place later this month in London’s Wembley Stadium. However, the AEW tag champions recently told DAZN that they believe the more time passes, the more likely it is that they will be able to team with CM Punk to face the Bucks and other members of The Elite. 

“I think if the cards fall in the right place and, you know, the story is right and the opportunity calls for it then hell yeah, you can do it,” Harwood said about a potential CMFTR vs. Elite match. 

“I think wrestling is all about making the most money for yourselves and for the company you work for and I think that everybody here all agrees with that and the more time passes, the more likely I think it is that we can get to there. But you never really know, and I don’t want to say ‘yes’ but I hope so.” 

CMFTR will challenge The House of Black for the Trios titles on Saturday’s edition of Collision from the Greensboro Coliseum. It will be the third time Wheeler and Harwood have teamed with Punk since he returned. 

“I think that Punk is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time,” Harwood continued. “Look at his track record, his resume, and the things he’s done in wrestling especially when, you know, the business, at one point, was completely against him and what he represented.” 

Following Saturday’s match for the Trios belts, FTR will be looking ahead to All In later this month. They will defend the AEW Tag Team titles against the Young Bucks in what Harwood says could be the biggest match of their careers. 

“I think it has the potential to be the biggest match of Cash and I’s career,” Harwood said. “Before we even came to AEW, all you heard about was FTR versus Young Bucks. Or, excuse me, The Revival versus the Young Bucks, what would happen if those two teams got in the ring?”

The Young Bucks vs. FTR head-to-head series is tied 1-1. The Bucks beat FTR for the tag titles at Full Gear 2020 but FTR avenged the loss on an episode of Dynamite in April 2022. The rubber match is now scheduled to take place in front of 80,000 people in London. 

“It always felt like it needed the biggest platform possible and now, after all this time, we finally get it,” Wheeler said. “It really is the biggest platform possible.

“Wembley could be, and probably will be, the biggest, highest-attended wrestling event in history. And what better way to have what could be the biggest tag team match of a generation than right there?” Wheeler continued. 

Harwood continued to talk about the “underlying tension” between FTR and the Young Bucks. 

“I feel that there’s some underlying tension between the two teams, not saying that we dislike each other, but there’s some underlying tension,” Harwood said. “We honestly think we’re the best tag team of the generation, and could be the best tag team of all time, and I think they feel the same way about themselves.”

The Young Bucks on re-signing with AEW: ‘The votes did not line up every time’

Posted on by Bryan Rose

The Young Bucks talked the process behind re-signing with AEW.

On the Swerve City Podcast, The Young Bucks said that they weren’t sure of where they would go or what they would do. However, they established that they, Kenny Omega, and Hangman Page would negotiated together as a group.

“We didn’t know,” Matt said. “I don’t read any of it, but I know [people] are thinking oh, how surprising The Elite re-signed. Bro, we didn’t even know if we were going to re-sign…we all negotiated together as a team.”

“The votes did not line up every time,” Matt continued. There were a lot of emotions in the last year, as the world knows, so one day this person’s voting to leave, this person’s voting to go. We weren’t even on the same page the whole time.”

At one point, Nick brought up that Matt even considered retiring rather than continue to wrestle for either promotion.

“I had to talk him out of that,” he said.

The discussion started while Swerve and The Young Bucks were discussing recent NBA contracts going for big money.

“We just signed one today, right?” Matt joked.

“It’s funny you say that, because when we signed our contracts we were like ‘this is an NBA-level contract’. That’s pretty crazy,” Nick added.

The Young Bucks said that as wrestling gets hot, the industry could be seeing NBA-level deals if the industry as a whole continues to gain momentum.

“WWE helps us being hot because wrestling in general is hot now,” Nick said.

The Young Bucks will wrestle on Dynamite this coming Wednesday, facing The Hardys.

VIDEO: Being the Elite – ‘Renewal’

Posted on by Ian Carey

Video —

This week’s edition of BTE revealed some surprising news regarding The Elite re-signing with AEW. 

In the opening moments of the show, the group is upset about their new contracts as they had wanted to retire from professional wrestling. However, they have all been dealing with financial difficulties of late and needed the money. The group all made extravagant purchases and investments recently after Matt Jackson assured them they’d soon receive a huge sponsorship contract that never materialized. 

The Elite spent several moments voicing their displeasure with Matt before cutting to a travel montage. 

Ryan Nemeth was featured again on this week’s episode as well. He was back at the SAG AFTRA strike. 

Later in the show, Matt was critical of Cutler for the job he did while they were away, saying the only demo they did well in was people aged 98+. Cutler then blamed Colt Cabana for the poor results. 

Also on BTE this week, The Iron Savages cut a promo, highlights from AEW Dynamite 200 last week were shown, and Cutler went to Gen Con to promote AEW’s new card game with Upper Deck. 

Cody Rhodes reacts to The Elite re-signing with AEW

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Cody Rhodes is happy to see his friends in The Elite get paid.

It was revealed earlier this week that Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Hangman Page have all signed new multi-year deals with AEW. During an interview on the Swerve City Podcast, The Young Bucks called their deals “NBA-level contracts.” The financial terms haven’t been publicly disclosed.

Rhodes, who was one of the founding fathers of AEW before leaving for WWE, was asked about the news while speaking to the wrestling media during SummerSlam weekend. Rhodes told Haus of Wrestling that he’s very happy when any wrestler gets paid.

“I’m very happy when any wrestler or superstar gets paid,” Rhodes said. “I don’t want to sound carny or hacky but to know that your peers and people who take the bumps and go through all this and have that type of the physical struggle that comes with this gig, to know they’re getting paid is really exciting. I am over the moon that that group did what they did because, as Nick Jackson said, I believe they’ve made some ‘NBA money’ off of it.”

Rhodes added that, while he would have loved to see his friends again, he understands that the WWE and AEW schedules are different. Rhodes said the schedules fit different types of personalities.

“I’m honestly just really happy for them. I am. I would have loved to have seen them again. But, you know, I’m very happy with the choices they made, and that schedule is a little different. This gig is, this particular gig at WWE, it’s a different type of personality that maybe fits me a little bit more.”

Rhodes is facing Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam on Saturday night. With a 1-1 record against each other entering the match, this will settle Rhodes and Lesnar’s rivalry.

Wrestling Observer Radio: Bash at the Beach 2000, The Elite re-sign with AEW

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

Dave Meltzer and I are back with Wrestling Observer Radio going over all the news in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

We discussed the following:

  • Saturday’s crazy schedule
  • Dave’s bio on Adrian Street
  • More on The Elite re-signing with AEW
  • SummerSlam and thoughts on the Cody Rhodes documentary
  • The story behind Bash at the Beach 2000
  • MAX getting into live sports and where AEW fits in
  • AEW Dynamite ratings

We also answered several questions relating to All In, LuFisto’s comments on AEW, and Live Audio Wrestling. 

Click here to listen (website subscription needed) or watch on YouTube (with video subscription)

Wrestling Observer Live: Huge weekend with SummerSlam, Collision, Rampage, Smackdown, plus news

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including previews of Rampage, Smackdown, Collision, SummerSlam and more this weekend, plus news on the Elite signing new deals, AEW ratings, a live Q&A and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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Update on The Elite signing new AEW contracts

Posted on by Ian Carey

Further details regarding The Elite signing new contracts with AEW have become available. 

Our own Dave Meltzer addressed Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Hangman Page’s decision to remain in the company, interest they received from WWE, and more in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. 

Details regarding the length of the new deals is being kept under wraps, Meltzer reported. However, he did mention the unconfirmed “story going around” is that they are for four years. 

“There was no specific length of time mentioned on the deals past the term several years and the belief is that the agreement was to keep the time frame under wraps. The unconfirmed story going around was that they were four-year deals,” Meltzer wrote.

Meltzer continued to say the money offered by AEW was enough that The Elite opted to sign early and not wait until WWE would legally be able to negotiate with them. The Young Bucks and Page’s deals expired at the end of 2023 while Omega’s deal was set to expire earlier this year but was extended due to the nine months he was out with injury from Full Gear 2021 to August 2022. 

The better schedule and executive positions for Omega and The Young Bucks played a factor in their decision to sign as well. 

As previously reported, WWE had significant interest in Omega. 

“No formal offers could have been legally made for months but Omega was number one on [WWE’s] most wanted list. All four would have been in a great position in an open market so Khan must have made a strong deal to get them to stay without even strongly playing the WWE card,” Meltzer wrote. 

It is believed the deals were completed ahead of Blood & Guts in Boston last month, although that is not confirmed. 

Agent Barry Bloom represented all four members of the group, who made a pact to stick together with only a majority vote, as opposed to a unanimous one, needed to decide if they would sign with AEW or WWE.  

“You’d probably be surprised who voted where,” noted one member of The Elite.

Meltzer reported the group went back and forth on where they wanted to end up. 

“Votes changed at times during the discussions based on the emotions of the time, but ultimately all agreed the key, with the strong AEW offer, was to accept the offer made at this point with the other key factor being the AEW schedule,” Meltzer wrote. 

Bloom told The Young Bucks that, as far as he knew, the new deal they signed with AEW is the highest guarantee any tag team has received in wrestling history, including the WCW deals for Scott Hall & Kevin Nash, although it’s not clear if that takes inflation into consideration

“The term was that Khan had really put his money where his mouth was and that because of that they were confident that he still saw great value in all four of them,” Meltzer continued. 

Meltzer also commented on the still unresolved backstage issues regarding The Elite and CM Punk. 

“Even with the signing, there do remain significant behind-the-scenes issues that haven’t been settled, between them and C.M. Punk, which keeps Khan having to do a balancing act,” he wrote. 

Swerve Strickland posted a clip of The Young Bucks discussing their new deals on an episode of his podcast that will be released on Monday. 

  

Fight Game: WWE SummerSlam preview

Posted on by Garrett Gonzales

John LaRocca and I are back with a brand new Fight Game Podcast.

Here are the things we discussed:

  • What matches and programs we’re looking forward to and what is coming up short for us with Saturday’s WWE SummerSlam
  • The new Cody Rhodes documentary on Peacock and if AEW fans will enjoy it
  • The Elite re-signing with AEW
  • MJF vs. Adam Cole, where it’s going and where CM Punk fits in
  • The wackiness of Jack Perry vs. Rob Van Dam
  • The heated Nick Wayne segment
  • The latest in the NJPW G1 tournament.

On Saturday, John and I will be doing immediate short match reviews on the Fight Game Media YouTube channel during SummerSlam. 

Click Here to Listen (sub needed)

August 7, 2023 Observer Newsletter: Vince McMahon under federal investigation, The Elite re-sign with AEW

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

The WWE revealed on 8/2 that Vince McMahon was under investigation by federal law enforcement authorities. They did not reveal the nature of the investigation but it is believed to be related to the payouts made to various women, which at one point saw him leave the company.

The WWE statement read: “On July 17, 2023, federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant and served a federal grand jury subpoena on Mr. McMahon. No charges have been brought in these investigations. The Company has received voluntary and compulsory legal demands for documents, including from federal law enforcement and regulatory agencies, concerning the investigation and related subject matters.”

Nick Khan addressed the situation during the earnings call that day and said the company would be cooperating fully and that otherwise, they would not comment on legal matters.

McMahon is currently on medical leave from the company with no target date listed upon his return. This stems from his very serious spinal surgery last week. McMahon is still the Executive Chairman but until recovery would not be working with the company so one would expect the late changes to television and direction changes beyond minor tweaking won’t be happening at nearly the same level for now.

Subscribers can click here to read this week’s issue.

WOR Video: The Elite re-sign with AEW

Posted on by F4W Staff

The Elite are staying in AEW.

The company announced Wednesday morning that The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, and Hangman Page have re-signed with the company. Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussed the news on Wrestling Observer Radio on Thursday morning.

“The schedule was the key thing,” Meltzer said. “For all of them, really.”

Meltzer mentioned that the deal had been finalized recently, but was held off until the 200th episode of Dynamite to be announced. He also said the four had made a pact of remaining together, whether it be going to WWE or remaining in AEW.

“There were discussions,” Meltzer said, regarding a possible jump to WWE. “There were votes that changed. There were things that happened since this pact was made.”

Despite their contracts not being up until the end of the year, Tony Khan signing The Elite now, along with the recent re-signing of Rush, is a sign that Tony Khan is willing to spend money.

“He is not shying away from spending money whatsoever,” Meltzer said.

Wrestling Observer Live: Vince and the Feds, WWE huge business, Elite re-sign with AEW, more

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Mike Sempervive is back with tons to talk about including the Feds looking into Vince McMahon again, WWE business absolutely sky high year-over-year — hence this dude is unneeded — The Elite have re-signed with AEW, Dynamite 200 preview and tons more. A fun show as always so check it out~!

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The Elite sign new multi-year contracts with AEW

Posted on by Ian Carey

The Elite are staying in AEW. 

Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Hangman Page have each signed new multi-year deals with the company, according to a report from Sports Illustrated. In addition to their on-screen work, Omega and the Bucks will also continue in their roles as Executive Vice Presidents.

Omega said on the new deal:

“Our original goal was to create a wrestling alternative and give a platform to talented people that we’d all felt deserved a spotlight,” he said. “I feel like we did our best in that time, and hopefully some people you’d never heard of pre-AEW are folks you enjoy watching today. Or if you knew them from their previous work elsewhere, have maybe found a new appreciation for them. That feeling, combined with the feeling of knowing they can provide for themselves and their family doing what they love, was always the biggest reward of being an EVP/founder.”

“Pro wrestling has a presence almost everywhere on the planet,” he continued. “In my pursuit to become as complete of a performer as possible, my goal was always to experience the styles of the world at their highest level. I believe that with AEW’s current working relationships, and possibly future, I can challenge all forms of pro wrestling and diversify my style so that I’m equipped for any scenario I may encounter in the ring.”

“I was careful to weigh out all options and was open minded to all possibilities,” said Omega. “I’m here to help whomever I can while I’m still around.

“Up to this point, I’ve made the choice to sacrifice everything in the name of pro wrestling. I can’t say that family or my kids influenced the decision to stay with AEW–I’m not married and without kids–but what I can say is that I’m incredibly proud of my match catalog and the wonderful people I’ve met and continue to meet. AEW not only allows me to continue doing what I do at a high level, but allows the freedom to pursue some other passions I have in life–which, after nearly 25 years in the ring, have become more and more important to me.”

Matt Jackson also commented on re-signing with the company. 

“We’re literally the ‘E’ in AEW,” he said. “The Elite are the main characters of this company. No matter how different AEW is now from its original inception, we are the DNA. And if you lose the foundation of your home, it eventually collapses. It’d be a lie if I said that didn’t weigh on us, when making the decision.”

“In my older years of my career, being closer to the end than I am the beginning, I’m not really one who worries much about my legacy anymore,” he continued. “I’ve kind of noticed, like a summer tan, most memories fade. Or, they’re remembered differently or told with errors anyway. Oftentimes the memory is almost instantly forgotten, because you hit the refresh button. As far as my own personal stories, I’ll have enough to retell my grandchildren for a lifetime. And much of those stories can be about how I helped create a massively successful wrestling company where all of your favorites can be seen on live television every week.”

Nick Jackson said:

“If we’re going to be honest the schedule was a huge part of it,” he said. “I have a wife and three young children and seeing them as much as possible was a big factor. I’m not going to lie, the money was a huge factor, too.”

“At this point of my life and career, I just couldn’t see myself being on the road half of the year or even more than that. I have so much respect for the guys and girls that are able to do that year after year. We for sure could’ve made memories in WWE, but what’s more important to me is making memories with my family. With the position we’re in, I’ll be able to do that and still make memories in AEW.”

Page also commented:

“At this stage of my life the selling point was the schedule,” he said. “AEW’s schedule allows me to be home with my family for the majority of the week and will ideally help my body hold up better in the long run. And the pay is good.”

“AEW emerging as a legitimate wrestling company has helped drive up bargaining power for wrestlers and others who work in the industry. Making a long-term commitment to a still-growing AEW I felt was the best way I could help continue that progress.”

Tony Khan also commented on the news in an AEW press release:

“The Elite have been so important to the launch of AEW, with the Young Bucks going all in when I first approached them in 2018 about my dream to create an international pro wrestling promotion,” Khan said. “Shortly after that, their partners and closest friends Kenny Omega and Hangman Adam Page joined us to formally launch All Elite Wrestling. All four of them have been instrumental to AEW’s success from the very first episode of Wednesday Night Dynamite in 2019 through the present day. Now as we celebrate tonight’s 200th episode of AEW: Dynamite, I’m excited to share that Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and Hangman Adam Page will all be staying in AEW for years to come! Congratulations to The Elite, and we look forward to celebrating the great news with fans around the world. See you all tonight for Episode 200 of AEW: Dynamite!”

Dave Meltzer addressed The Elite’s status with AEW in last week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, writing that the “prevailing belief” was that all four members of the group would remain in the company. In a post-match promo after Blood & Guts, Omega also mentioned that they would all be sticking together. However, WWE is said to have felt they had a shot at landing Omega at one point. 

“We do know from a WWE standpoint that months ago they had the impression they had a good shot at Omega in 2024 and he was the most coveted of all the guys being talked about like Jay White and the others. That has gone cold so they do believe he’s staying with AEW.”

He continued to say that Tony Khan’s recent contract offers to talent indicate the AEW president is confident in a future television rights fee increase. 

Meltzer continued:

“Tony Khan making these big offers indicates hope or thoughts of a huge rate increase, in which case big money deals make economic sense. But as we note weekly, television is in a weird state right now and it’s the least stable it has ever been and for TV to commit to something new years in the future will be interesting.”

Trios match, MJF segment added to AEW Dynamite 200

Posted on by Ethan Renner

The Elite will be in trios action on AEW Dynamite 200, and we will hear from World Champion MJF as well on Wednesday. 

As announced by AEW on social media on Sunday, Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) will face Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh in a six-man tag team bout on the Wednesday, August 2 edition of Dynamite. 

AEW World Champion MJF will also appear on Dynamite, as the champ has been announced for a promo segment. MJF is coming off a loss on Saturday’s Collision in a Tag Team title challenge with Adam Cole against FTR.

Dynamite’s 200th episode airs Wednesday, August 2 at 8 p.m. Eastern time on TBS from the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida. 

Here is the updated Dynamite 200 lineup: 

  • AEW Women’s Champion Toni Storm defends against Hikaru Shida
  • ROH Tag Team Champions Aussie Open (Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis) defend against El Hijo del Vikingo & Komander
  • Chris Jericho & Konosuke Takeshita vs. Sammy Guevara & Daniel Garcia
  • Jack Perry face-to-face with Jerry Lynn
  • Jon Moxley vs. Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Trent Beretta in an anything goes match
  • Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks vs. Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal & Satnam Singh
  • AEW World Champion MJF speaks