All Elite Wrestling Thread (It's Wednesday...you know what that means.)

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Big Boss Man
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Re: The All-In discussion

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Yea I was thinking more so on the lines of WWE offering him a better deal, but if he's set on not going back that's a smart move. They'd Probably have him back as Stardust in a week. When you think about it I wonder if Dusty ever spoke to him about booking etc. If so he's got all that knowledge he could put that into practice.

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Re: The All-In discussion

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As for Kenny, he does love Japan since he lives in Tokyo and really loves their culture. So if they couldn't work out a deal where he can be in NJPW part time (unless NJ kicks ROH to the curb and AEW is their new US ally promotion) it's possible he could stay in Japan. But if he loves working with those guys and Kahn offers him a big deal, he could change his mind and be exclusive to AEW and move to America. But I think WWE is out of the question for him. He was treated badly when he was in developmental in 2008 and it left a bad taste in his mouth.

But the thing is, I don't think any of The Elite is motivated primarily by money. Obviously they want to be paid well, but they're not going to sacrifice being happy just because Vince throws millions of dollars at them. The Bucks are pretty well off from their merchandise, Cody has acting gigs if he needs more money, and Kenny just wants enough money to buy video games and manga and he's happy.

And another overlooked thing as to why they aren't going: WWE kind of insulted Christopher Daniels a few years ago when he asked about coming in after he quit TNA and they told him he was too old (I think he was 46 at the time.) Which is ridiculous because 1) He doesn't look old 2) He can work as well as anybody 3) They have older guys on the show all of the time in main angles. Obviously I wouldn't sign him to a 5 year deal at 48 years old, but there's no reason why he and Kazarian couldn't have come in as a tag team.

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Re: The All-In discussion

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Thanks. Yea I'd imagine they will let Kenny still work NJPW if that was a deal breaker. Because he's one of the biggest names they have and take him out of the equation it's still a big deal but Jenny Omega is arguably one of the best wrestlers in the world right now and you need him onboard.

I agree I don't think the guys are money motivated and are doing this because they want to make a better product for the fans. Which is cool for the diehard fans who are getting pissed off with the WWE product. As for Chris, always liked him since the early TNA days. He doesn't look his age I agree and he's someone I would have took a chance on, put him with AJ etc. Didn't Kaz have a run with WWE back in the mid 2000s?. He's another like Daniels I'd sign up because they are "good hands" and you're guaranteed a good match out of them. Plus with Chris Daniels you can transition him into a agent role.

But really I'm sure they will be content to help get AEW off the ground. Isn't Jericho supposedly to be involved too. You could continue the angle with Omega there in AEW, plus I'm guessing they will do working agreements with New Japan, Impact (especially as Don Callis is involved) etc.

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Re: The All-In discussion

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Kazarian was in WWE very briefly. They brought him in with the promise the Cruiserweight division was going to be pushed again and they wanted him as the top guy. It turned out they only put him on the weekend C-shows so he asked for his release.

It's not guaranteed they will have a working deal with New Japan. NJ has had an agreement with ROH for years after ROH stopped working with NOAH and given that ROH helped them so much in America I don't know if they'll walk away. Especially since The Elite have had issues with the new management. Maybe the new team would be glad to get rid of them and make the guys still with ROH their top foreign talent. I'm sure Bandido, Brody King, Jeff Cobb, PCO, and Jonathan Gresham will have really good matches in Japan if they got pushed. And apparently Gedo wants Beer City Bruiser back because he likes his 70s heel throwback gimmick.

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Re: The All-In discussion

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Thanks. Yea I forgot about The Elite having issues and they also broke away from the Bullet Club also as it was a NJ trademark. I do think because of the association with Kenny Omega that could maybe sway their opinion in working with them, or Kenny doing Japan tours at a minimum. I'd imagine AEW will need working agreements as it's just Hangman Page, Kenny, Cody & Brandi and The Bucks. Marty's still with ROH. SCU could be coming in, as well as maybe Jericho. But he'll most likely turn up back in WWE again. AEW could work with Impact since they have some talent who could fit in.

Really AEW needs to be a ROH/NXT/NJPW hybrid on a bigger scale. That should be their goal. WCW took over WWE as they were on the ropes and stuck in a rut and business was down. Now despite the product being mediocre they are making more money than ever. So they shouldn't be aiming to take over them. They need to be the best major independent promotion out there. They can't go out like when Bischoff and Hogan came into TNA and ran Mondays to compete with Vince.

They need to be smart and really need talent agreements in place where they aren't weighed down with big contracts. Like when WCW wasted a ton of money on guaranteed deals and paid people to stay at home. They need to speak with bookers/management etc who have a track record of success and pick their brains and absorb all the info they have, the good and the bad.

I'm sure Dusty would have helped Cody and the guys out and I'd imagine he'd have been involved also. Someone like Jeremy Borash would have been a smart choice to be involved but he's with WWE now. Corny I think is too old school, Gabe is associated with WWE I believe, Paul E too, Eric Bischoff we talked about in the other topic, Kevin Sullivan could be an interesting choice, but maybe they will decide to go it alone.

In some ways it's for the best since they need to learn the cycle nature of the business. They have to hit homeruns with every show. If they don't and the shows start to be too generic or whatever the fans could quickly turn on them. I also think WWE signing up talent to exclusive deals puts the spanner in the works. The UK indie scene will be affected by it. So yea they have their work cut out for them and WWE will likely try and sabotage them, most likely indirectly but if they get too big expect them to throw a ton of money at Kenny, Cody et al. I know they are loyal to each other but say if Hunter and/or Vince offer Kenny a multi million dollar deal and a promise to main event Mania, I can't see him turning it down. Because WWE still are the majors. NJ, ROH et al are where it's at wrestling wise, but WWE still is the pinnacle. Any wrestler really needs a successful run in WWE to really cement their legacy.

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Re: The All-In discussion

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Cody will be wearing a Jaguars inspired belt for Wrestle Kingdom. In tribute to his new boss and probably not Blake Bortles or Jalen Ramsey.

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Re: The All-In discussion

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Tony Khan is Shahid's son and will be in charge of AEW's day to day operations.

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Re: The All-In discussion

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Yea saw that on the F4W Daily Update about Y2J at the Vikings game. Seems likely he'll be part of AEW and they can continue the angle with Kenny there too.

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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All Elite Wrestling and Double or Nothing officially announced

After weeks of speculation, All Elite Wrestling is now official.

AEW was officially announced at the end of a Being the Elite episode that was uploaded at midnight Pacific time on January 1, 2019. In addition to the promotion, the episode also announced "Double or Nothing" -- the sequel to All In.

The Young Bucks, Cody Rhodes, and Hangman Page were included in the reveal of AEW and Double or Nothing. SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Frankie Kazarian, and Scorpio Sky) were also part of the episode.

There will be a Double or Nothing rally at TIAA Bank Field (the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars) in Jacksonville, Florida at 5 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, January 8, with more information about Double or Nothing and AEW being revealed then. The advertisement notes that the rally will include a "special announcement from The Elite." The Young Bucks, Cody & Brandi Rhodes, Hangman Page, Daniels, Kazarian, and Sky are featured on the ad, and it says that there will be more special guests.

The rally will be free to attend and will be taking place at the parking lot in front of West Club at TIAA Bank Field. Live stream information for it will be announced soon.

AEW has been rumored since October, with trademarks for the promotion being filed in November.

As the announcement was made, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed the details of AEW on Wrestling Observer Radio. Here are some notes from the episode:

- There are guys signed to the promotion, including Cody. The Young Bucks aren't officially signed yet but could be within 24-48 hours.

- There's no television deal for AEW yet, but there are "multiple offers out there." Meltzer said he's confident enough to say that he thinks it will happen.

- People are being signed to multi-year contracts.

- Tony Khan (of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC) is the head of the company. He's a longtime professional wrestling fan and the son of billionaire Shahid Khan.

- What happens with AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling is "100 percent up in the air." Everyone in All Elite would like to have a relationship with NJPW and would like to continue working with them. Whether or not NJPW will do it is up in the air.


- The success of All In wasn't lost on certain people in the TV industry. Those who watched it were very impressed.

- Meltzer doesn't think ROH talent will be working for AEW -- they'll be competing for the same wrestlers. Meltzer called this the greatest thing for talent since the WWF/WCW war, with WWE, AEW, and ROH now all competing for talent. They all wanted Bandido, and ROH got him.

Source: Wrestling Observer

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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Hoping this succeeds for the Bucks, Cody, Hangman et al. If they do everything right they could easily position themselves in the #2 position. Getting a TV deal on a decent channel is important but now you have like Netflix, Amazon Prime etc so they could go the streaming option too. There's some naysayers in the comments saying big deal it's just another indie etc but the fans are definitely behind them and they have a big money maker. Plus they are fans of wrestling, Cody of course grew up in the business, so it's not just them setting up another promotion. Like Dave says it's good for the guys and girls who if they get dropped by WWE have more options to work elsewhere now. Also might make WWE work harder to put on a better product to compete. Ideally AEW should be like the old NWA and be an umbrella promotion of sorts and work alongside NJPW, ROH, Impact etc instead of directly competing with them.

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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ROH is angry with them, Impact is useless and who knows about New Japan, the new management aren't fans of the Elite so it will depend on whether they can set issues aside.

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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I think Impact has some talent they could use, plus Don on announcing. I agree as a promotion it has minimal value but in fairness it has turned a corner and is a decent to good show now, in my opinion.

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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Don is able to announce for them and more than likely will.

I'm not knocking the quality of the show, it's the brand name that is a cancer to be involved with in anyway. TNA/Impact = awful wrestling TV shows is people's first reaction when hearing the name even though they've been good for a few years but nobody watched. So getting in business with them only helps Impact and does nothing for AEW. I don't know if TNA even does long term deals anymore since a bunch of their guys are also on MLW besides a few who seem exclusive like Moose and Brian Cage. So if they want Penta or DJZ or Callihan, they can probably get them without Impact being brought on board as a partner.

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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Cody Rhodes has issued a statement following the announcement of All Elite Wrestling.

“I feel so damn lucky. I believe that more than talent...more than chance...work ethic will guide me where i’d like to go,” he wrote on Twitter. “To be Executive Vice President for our new venture, and to be flanked by Matt and Nick and a few familiar names sharing that position; this is my dream job. I can’t think of a time when so many of wrestling’s top free agents all opted out of the road usually traveled and instead wanted to start something new. I am excited to see AEW into existence.

“What’s old isn’t new - what’s new is new. Perception isn’t reality - reality is reality. Fans first” he concluded.

The statement, which confirms Cody’s role as Executive Vice President, comes as the Elite confirmed through a video that was uploaded at midnight PST on 1/1 that All Elite Wrestling is real, and the first show under that banner will be called Double or Nothing.

There will be further announcements regarding AEW and Double or Nothing next week at a Double or Nothing rally, which will take in the parking lot in front of West Club at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The advertisement notes that the rally will feature an announcement from The Elite,. and that there would be special guests.

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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Jim Ross & Chris Jericho to be Involved with AEW; More Exclusive News & Notes

Tony Khan, co-owner of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, is indeed involved as a top executive and as the company's major financial backer. According to a well placed source, Khan is fronting $100 million for the launch of AEW.

Jim Ross, who has repeatedly denied involvement with AEW, will be heavily involved - both on commentary and in a backstage capacity. Ross is likely not commenting on this situation because technically he is still under contract to WWE for a few more months. JR and WWE will not be renewing their contract so you can expect that once he is officially out, his involvement will be publicized.

Sports agent Barry Bloom, who already represents many prolific talent in the industry, is involved from a recruitment perspective. According to our source, AEW will "go hard" at WWE for stars whose deals will be expiring and they will be "mixing in legends" as well. One name that has been brought up is Goldberg, who I believe is already a client of Bloom's. Chris Jericho - who has also been rumored to be connected to this new promotion - is going to be involved "in depth" as well, as per our source. There are other WWE employees/contractors (note, this does not necessarily mean wrestlers) who AEW is going to pursue aggressively when they are legally able to.

It was previously rumored that AEW was working on a national TV deal. As per our sources, Khan is indeed using his connections to work on a prospective TV deal and one of the networks that they are negotiating with is Time Warner to have AEW air on TNT/TBS.

While Cody and the Young Bucks have been announced as EVPs of All Elite Wrestling, we were told that they will focus mainly on wrestling and not necessarily in the creative aspect of the promotion.

Source: Rajah

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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Goldberg vs Kenny Omega would be surreal.

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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Bandit wrote: Wed Jan 02, 2019 10:28 pm Don is able to announce for them and more than likely will.

I'm not knocking the quality of the show, it's the brand name that is a cancer to be involved with in anyway. TNA/Impact = awful wrestling TV shows is people's first reaction when hearing the name even though they've been good for a few years but nobody watched. So getting in business with them only helps Impact and does nothing for AEW. I don't know if TNA even does long term deals anymore since a bunch of their guys are also on MLW besides a few who seem exclusive like Moose and Brian Cage. So if they want Penta or DJZ or Callihan, they can probably get them without Impact being brought on board as a partner.
Yea I agree with the negative brand association people have with Impact/TNA. I think Eli has a long term deal with Impact, same with Eddie Edwards. Isn't Pentagon, Fenix, Johnny Impact, Brian Cage et al signed with Lucha Undeground?. I think there's talent out there who'd be good solid additions to the roster. I've noticed JRs name as a potential commentator. Personally I'd go with Don and try & get Joey Styles since they had a fun dynamic in ECW.

I wouldn't go too heavy towards signing WWE talent unless it's talent who will make the promotion better. Gallows and Anderson, Nakamura I'd sign. But I wouldn't sign talent just because of them being ex WWE like TNA did. Since they've developed their own talent and focused on getting away of signing talent who'd been let go from WWE their product is improved.

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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I doubt they would hire that many random ex-WWE guys like TNA did but they will probably try to get the guys they are friends with to join them.
Bandit wrote: Thu Jan 03, 2019 12:59 am Goldberg vs Kenny Omega would be surreal.
Goldberg in a 6 star match.

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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Re: All Elite Wrestling Thread (All-In)

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