AEW - All Elite Wrestling (*Spoilers for Latest Show*)

ThePott

Guessing they pushed the panic button over the Dynamite rating because they've announced two big championship matches for Wednesday.

FTR vs The Acclaimed for the Tag Titles.

Samoa Joe vs Darby Allin for the TNT Championship.

Seem like two big matches that could have had a decent build but they should bang.

Loughc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119951923#Comment_119951923

Pushing hard to get the mill plus. Should get it with the line up easily. FTR have been on a tear all year and The acclaimed are over like rover.

CastorTroy

Who was the lumberjack doing the Kevin Thorn cosplay?

Lord TSC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119951416#Comment_119951416

At a guess, I’d say he has a loner contract, but has asked Tony to be let out of it, and the respect from Tony and the dressing room means they won’t hold him against his will. Regal was one of HhH ‘s top guys and the word is he wants to go back to be working behind the scenes, and his son is apparently progressing through their system too.

CastorTroy

Yeah Charlie Dempsey has been feuding with Andre Chase.

I see yet another title is on the line when Shida faces Bunny. And not an AEW or RoH title.

Cotts72

Did AEW actually hire Jarrett as a wrestler or will this be a short term gig/producer. Is khan just trying to relive his WWF/WCW days...sad to see JJ getting regular screen time as younger deserving wrestlers sit in catering

Headshot

One of the best episodes to date.

I admit I laughed by hole off at the Cut the **** segment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW0CjgShq60

Lord TSC

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1599473822251376640?t=I0azVY_DrOjK2BmW5GLXyA&s=19

I'm disappointed in the end that we didn't get some proper MJF/Regal shenanigans.

JP Liz V1

McGuinness to replace Regal or is Combat Club done?

Furious-Red

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119968860#Comment_119968860

Id say its nearly done at this stage.

Lord TSC

Notes from Tony Khan media call.

• Tony Khan addresses the William Regal status with AEW and says that he has a ton of respect for William Regal and starts by heading back to the All Out PPV. Tony says going back to All Out, the company made a lot of changes afterwards and had to overhaul. All year, they've had to make changes, many of which were challenging.
• Tony Khan says going into Grand Slam, he had several personal challenges going on with his family. His dad Shad Khan wasn't able to be there because Tony's mother had a stroke after All Out, before Grand Slam. Says it was a really stressful time for his family. He says his mother was at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, and doctors weren't able to initially figure out what led to her stroke. She was able to go home. A few weeks later, around his 40th birthday, his mother had a second stroke. Tony Khan says his mother had a spot on his heart doctors found, and the doctors said if they could fix that, they could hopefully stop the strokes. As AEW was in Toronto, she was going into surgery. He watched AEW Rampage that night from his mother's hospital room (this was the week of the Jags/Colts game). The operation on her heart went well, but he says it's a really challenging recovery for her. His mother is now doing really well. She had a great Thanksgiving with the family, and she seems to be doing better and better every day. Is grateful to his family and that he was able to be there with her during such a trying time for them all.
• Around that same time (ahead of AEW's Toronto debut), William Regal approached AEW and requested they not renew his contract at the end of the year so he could spend time coaching his son and head back to WWE. Tony Khan says that William Regal had a lot of good reasons for going back, especially his son. Considering where he was with his mother at that point, he said he understood that letting Regal out of his deal in that situation was the best move for them. He says his talk with Regal was very positive.
• Tony Khan said that William Regal is with AEW through the holidays, but they're going to make some on-screen sacrifices to help him do the right thing for his family, because they feel it's the right thing. He discusses all the changes made to AEW programming to accommodate Regal's request, and that he had a 90-minute chat in his office with him about it. Wishes Regal the best and says it's hard to see him go.
• Tony Khan says after this week, he will be limiting how much of Ring of Honor you see on AEW TV. He doesn't want it to overshadow AEW on its own platform. He'll address the future of ROH and the TV deal situation after Final Battle. Says AEW comes first and foremost, yet ROH is very important and doesn't want it to take a backseat to anything. But doesn't want it to pull focus of ROH on AEW.
• Tony talks about Rampage's low ratings. Says Rampage this week will have a big card, would like to use the depth of the AEW roster, get all hands on deck, and get big matches on Rampage.
• Tony Khan says there are several Latin America countries AEW could be successful in. There are no concrete plans to run, but he will look into it. Thinks ROH could run internationally as well, and has in the past. He would love to continue this in the future with his vision of Ring of Honor, with an international AEW or ROH show.
• Asked about Athena, Tony Khan says he's very pleased with the work she's done. Believes she's reached another level the past several weeks, past several months. He likes her aggressiveness she has displayed and called it "compelling TV." Calls it her best work in AEW so far.
• Tony Khan says that there is a connection between NJPW and ROH. Says Juice Robinson could be a great TV Champion in ROH. He would consider letting Juice Robinson defend the title in NJPW if he beats Samoa Joe at Final Battle. He also says that he can talk more about ROH/AEW/NJPW on Saturday.
• Asked about using Maria Kanellis in a backstage capacity, Tony Khan says he's talked to Maria about Women's Wrestling Army, and says she has a great eye for women's talent.
• Tony Khan is asked if he sees Jade Cargill as AEW's version of Roman Reigns or Mandy Rose (in regards to length of title reign). Tony says he sees Jade as her own star. Says there's no comparison for Jade Cargill, she's in a class all her own. Says Jade is a great champion with huge star power, great crossover appeal. When she walks into the room at sporting events, people immediately take notice.
• Tony Khan won't get into Shane Taylor's contractual status, but is excited to have people who have had success in ROH's past on the brand. He thought the story made sense with Shane Taylor's history with Keith Lee, and itseems to be a bit of a "family affair" when they meet with former partners and opponents. Keith himself was the one who brought it up to Tony Khan.
• Tony says there's a lot of crossover between AEW and ROH creative teams. Tony Khan heads them both up, but there's some crossover, and a few people that are individual to certain brands.
• On Arn Anderson and Jake "The Snake" Roberts maybe being integrated back onto TV, Tony Khan says he'd like to incorporate them more. "More content, more hours" would make that possible. Mentions the possibility of Ring of Honor inclusion, hinting on a content announcement after Final Battle.
• On why FTR is not featured on the Final Battle card, Tony Khan says he has a great appreciation of them. Through no fault of their own, he says they have been involved in a lot of storylines that have been put on hold due to outside circumstances. He notes that the CM Punk injury changed months of story for FTR. Says FTR has been great with rolling with the punches of changing plans. Says FTR has been supportive of what's happened with Tony's mother. He notes how they want to wrestle every week. He's had stuff for them that had to change due to their other commitments. Says what FTR has done this year is "pretty remarkable."
• Tony Khan says he's full of the Christmas spirit right now after what happened with his mother. He says starting tonight, through the holiday season, there is going to be a lot of Christmas on AEW television. Says he feels a bit like Scrooge with a new lease on life which will be felt in AEW as well.
• Tony Khan says tonight's Acclaimed vs. FTR match is massive. Says it will be first and foremost tonight on Dynamite.
• Tony Khan says FTR were the MVPs of the last two ROH PPVs. Says in regards to them not being on the PPV as of now, he wants to wait until how tonight plays out vs. The Acclaimed and they'll go from there.
• Tony Khan says William Regal's release dictates he is able to go back to WWE and coach, but not be able to go on-air in the next year. He says he was surprised by the tweet from WWE showcasing him on TV and didn't think it was in the spirit of how accommodating they were.
• Asked about adding more PPVs to the AEW calendar, Tony Khan says he hasn't locked in anything like that yet, but that 2022 was their most successful PPV year yet. He believes one of the best things about AEW is how much they put into their PPVs, and doesn't want to saturate the market.
• In terms of Ring of Honor's progress with what Tony Khan expected of it, he said a few things have been different than what he thought. He's overall pleased and says it's been beyond all projections a success. Said he's playing with house money on this show.
• Tony Khan mentions Final Battle is an experiment on seeing if there is a market for Saturday afternoon PPVs, given how much competition is on a Saturday night typically.
• Tony Khan puts over Chris Jericho for an incredible year in AEW and with the Ring of Jericho in ROH. Says Anarchy in the Arena may be the best match for AEW this year, and is incredibly excited to see how Jericho vs. Claudio shapes up at Final Battle.
• Tony Khan says that he's curious to see how Claudio deals with the departure of William Regal, and how the Blackpool Combat Club shapes up afterwards. If Claudio can't beat Jericho at Final Battle, he may have to join the Jericho Appreciation Society.
• Tony Khan says that Final Battle will answer a big question in "What is the future of Ring of Honor?" Will we continue with the Ring of Jericho Run? Or will Claudio save the company? What about FTR, the ROH World Tag Team Champions? Will they carry AEW's championship tonight into ROH?
• Tony Khan keeps saying that he cannot wait until after Final Battle to talk about the future of Ring Of Honor.
• The media call has been concluded.

Headshot

Tony Khan says after this week, he will be limiting how much of Ring of Honor you see on AEW TV. He doesn't want it to overshadow AEW on its own platform. He'll address the future of ROH and the TV deal situation after Final Battle. Says AEW comes first and foremost, yet ROH is very important and doesn't want it to take a backseat to anything. But doesn't want it to pull focus of ROH on AEW.

Finally!!

CastorTroy

About Final Battle being an experiment for Saturday afternoon PPVs, didn't they have another one that was on the same day as a Saturday WWE PPV and they aired it in the afternoon? Or am I getting mixed up with NXT PPV airing early on Saturday on Mania weekend?

Didn't even know Maria had her own promotion.

Lord TSC

Thought that was a banger of a Dynamite. Starks promo was amazing. The tag match was great, and the dog collar match announcement has me very interested now.

CastorTroy

So is Ricky the one putting the Dynamite Diamond Ring on the line? Was a bit confused about that since he didn't seem to get a ring and I had to double check that's what the Battle Royal was for.

Lord TSC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119972217#Comment_119972217

Nah, it seems to be treating MJFs ring as a title belt. By winning the battle royal, he gets a match at any time of his choosing for the ring.

CastorTroy

Of course they treat it as yet another title.

J. Marston

Starks is very good. The ream of insults made me think of this...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-dt-wimdgE

ThePott

Best Dynamite in a while.

If there was ever any doubt that Starks was a star, that promo solidified it, he won't win next week but he should pretty much be in the top of the card. Tag match and the Samoa Joe/Darby match banged as expected.

Seems like from the conference call and some of the other stuff that's been hinted at that AEW is going to shake off some of the nitpicks people have had lately, hopefully. Interested to see what things look like post Final Battle.

Loughc

Good dynamite ratings should be strong on the back of that card.

RollieFingers

Starks ate MJF alive with that promo, brilliant stuff. Combined with some great matches for another very enjoyable episode of Dynamite.

Can't wait for Mox/Takeshi*a II. And I know people love to give out about Khan's ROH but the Final Battle card looks sweet to me, looking forward to it.

Headshot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119972864#Comment_119972864

That double dog collar match just made me buy the PPV

ThePott

The dog collar match is the best thing on the card by a country mile, only match I'm all that interested in but it's enough of a match to make me watch the whole PPV.

CastorTroy

This match seems a bit rushed. Like having the A$$ Boys announce it with no build. I know they've got history and just the announcement is all the build they need. But still seems to have come from nowhere.

Also, Jade is now 42-0 yet she hasn't had a Women's World title match yet?

kksaints

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119972632#Comment_119972632

It actually did 30,000 less viewers although it's demo rating did improve. Would have thought it would have done better than that.

Lord TSC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119973268#Comment_119973268

https://twitter.com/davemeltzerWON/status/1600927886562668544?t=r7rxy2x3p353ZlpRuOG4nA&s=19

Meltzer: ratings

ThePott

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119973287#Comment_119973287

https://twitter.com/BrandonThurston/status/1601007812632809472

Counter-point but at the same time we have no way of knowing how the Spectrum issues impacted the numbers.

Bricoes/FTR is definitely rushed but with them not being able to use Briscoes on AEW I'm not shocked, doesn't excuse it but still.

Furious-Red

Could Saraya's partner be sasha banks? Personally I hope not as I got bored of sasha a long time ago and aews women's roster is already stacked. I'd hope for either Toni storm or statlander if she is back

RollieFingers

She's locked in for WK apparently so it could be a possibility.

riffmongous

I'm not a Sasha fan at all, but it would be exciting to see her surprise debut in AEW though, would be a huge deal.

Timing isn't optimal right now though imo, focus needs to be on the new champ for a little while. Not on Britt, Saranya, or someone new