All Elite Wrestling

After the success of the September 2018 All In event, with people in the TV industry also very impressed with the show, a group known as The Elite (Cody, The Young Bucks, and Kenny Omega), the driving forces behind the event, used the positive response from All In to pursue further events with backing of businessmen the Kroenke family. 4 months after the event, Cody, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Hangman Adam Page, SCU (Kazarian, Daniels and Scorpio Sky), left Ring of Honor. WWE offered Cody and The Young Bucks contracts, but they rejected the reported offers

On November 5, 2018, several trademarks were filed in Jacksonville, Florida, that indicated the launch of All Elite Wrestling. Names filed for trademark included: All Elite Wrestling, AEW All Out, All Out, AEW, Fight for the Fallen, Tuesday Night Dynamite, AEW Fight for the Fallen, and several logos. In December 2018, Cody, The Young Bucks, and several other wrestlers left ROH.

The official announcement of AEW's creation came at midnight Pacific Time on January 1, 2019, in an episode of *Being the Elite*, a YouTube web series created by and featuring The Elite. Also announced in the episode was Fight for the Fallen, AEW's inaugural event and sequel to All In.

On January 2, 2019, Cody and The Young Bucks officially signed with the promotion as competitors as well as serving as AEW's co-Executive Vice Presidents, while longtime wrestling fan Josh Kroenke was announced as the COO. Stan Kroenke along with his Ann Kroenke and sons Josh and Whitney Annare Kronke are promotion's lead investors.

* Stan Kroenke is a billionaire (net worth: $66.4 billion), evangelical Christian and is a donors & backers of America First Caucus featuring Marjorie Taylor Greene, Mo Brooks, Jim Jordan, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Bobert, Steve King and Paul Gosar as well as being a good friend to Trump family and Nigel Farage. Owner of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which is the holding company of the Los Angeles Rams of the NYL, Denver Nuggets of the NBA, Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, Colorado Rapids of MLF and Colorado Mammoth of the NLL he got his wealth by being a real estate developer and owns THF Realty
* Ann Kroenke is heiress to the Walmart fortune, owner of the Denver Nuggets of the NBA and Colorado Avalanche of the NHL
* Josh Kroenke (born May 7, 1980) is the heir to the Walmart family inheritance and to Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, his father's sports-media conglomerate. He is involved in running Los Angeles Rams of the NYL, Denver Nuggets of the NBA, Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, Colorado Rapids of MLF and Colorado Mammoth of the NLL. The company co-owns Elitch Gardens Theme Park as well
* Whitney Kroenke is a heiress, film producer, and philanthropist

(The Khan family are Democrat supporters, backers and donors)

Cody's wife, Brandi Rhodes, was announced as the company's chief brand officer on January 3, 2019.

On January 8, 2019, the company held its inaugural press conference on the forecourt of the TIAA Bank Field, where they announced talents that were going to perform as part of the promotion, including former ROH wrestlers the team of SoCal Uncensored (Christopher Daniels, Scorpio Sky, and Frankie Kazarian), "Hangman" Adam Page; independent wrestlers Dr. Britt Baker, Joey Janela, and former WWE wrestlers PAC and Chris Jericho.

On February 7, 2019, the group held a press conference where tickets were released for Double or Nothing. Other big announcements included Kenny Omega joining as a wrestler and the company's fourth co-Executive Vice President, as well as the signings of Lucha Brothers (Pentagón Jr. and Rey Fénix), Best Friends (Trent Beretta and Chuck Taylor). Omega signed a 4-year contract with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on February 7, 2019

## **ROH**

Men

1. AR Fox
2. Brain Pillman Jr.
3. Brock Anderson
4. Brian Cage
5. Bryan Danielson
6. Claudio Castagnoli
7. Colt Cabana
8. Christian Cage
9. Dalton Castle
10. Daniel Garcia
11. Ethan Page
12. Lance Archer
13. Mark Haskins
14. John Morrison
15. Kip Sabian
16. PAC
17. PJ Black
18. Samoa Joe
19. Sammy Guevara
20. Shane Taylor
21. Swerve Strickland
22. Tyler Bateman
23. Wheeler Yutu
24. Best Friends
25. Briscoe Brothers
26. The Butcher And The Blade
27. FTR
28. Private Party
29. The Dark Order
30. The Gunn Club

Womens

1. Athena
2. Abadon
3. Anna Jay
4. Leyla Hirsch
5. Tay Conti
6. Ruby Soho
7. Serena Deeb

## AEW PPVs

 Winter is Coming | Held annually around Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November)

## ROH PPVs

 Final Battle | December. ROH's premiere flagship event, similar to WWE's WrestleMania

Wrestlers compete in a variety of "qualifying" matches, usually either singles matches or tag team matches, with the winner(s) of each match advancing to an elimination match where the last remaining competitor would be deemed the Survival of the Fittest winner, and receive a future ROH World Championship match

## Corporate staff

https://wrestlingnews.co/aew-news/aew-announces-expansion-of-talent-relations-and-development-team

* Stan Kroenke-Owner and Chairman
* Josh Kroenke-Owner and COO
* Ann Kroenke-Owner and Chief business officer
* Whitney Kroenke-Owner and Chief strategy officer
* Don Callis-Executive vice president
* Nick Jackson-Executive vice president
* Dana Massie-Chief merchandise officer
* Matt Jackson-Vice President of Merchandise
* Brandi Rhodes-Chief branding officer
* Mark Caplan-Chief product technology officer
* Megha Parekh-General counsel
* Amanda Huber-Community outreach officer
* Nik Sobic-Chief human resources officer
* Shane Emerson-Head of global programming and partnerships
* Kevin Reilly-Chief content officer
* Mik Pandit-Content manager
* Michael Mansury-Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Distribution
* Tim Walbert-Head of Television Production
* Kevin Sullivan-Vice President of Post-Production
* Medical director
* Chief accounting officer
* Margaret Stalvey-Legal coordinator
* Denise Cutler-Seamstress
* Dion Sekone-Fraser-Social media coordinator
* Janet Ventriglia-Lead hair and make-up artist
* Rebel (Tanea Brooks)-Hair and make-up artist
* BrookLynn Ramsey-Scenic design and Timekeeper
* Kristy McConville-Audio producer
* Michael Sampson-Head physician
* Mikey Rukus-Music producer
* Nick Mondo-Audiovisual director
* Sadiel Ruiz-Portrait photography
* Shane Hagadorn-Content operations specialist
* Sunny Daze-Video editor
* Gabe Sapolsky-Chief creative officer (all responsibilities related to AEW's creative/booking and control of storylines)
* Arn Anderson-Booker/Writer
* Dutch Mantell-Booker/Writer
* Santana-Booker/Writer
* Christopher Daniels-Head of Talent Relations
* William Regal-Chief scout, Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting
* Kenny Omega-Head of AEW Games
* Sonjay Dutt (Retesh Bhalla)-Vice President of Production and Creative Coordination
* QT Marshall (Michael Cuellari)-Vice President of Show and Creative Coordination, Producer and Coach.
* Pat Buck-Vice President of Talent Development
* Tony Schiavone-Senior Producer and Special Advisor to Talent
* Jeff Jarrett-Senior Vice President of Live Events, and Backstage producer
* Rafael Morffi-Vice President of Live Events/Touring
* Brandon Cutler-Executive content producer
* Shawn Carr-Head of ring crew
* Bryce Ready-Head athletic trainer
* Leva Bates-Brand coordinator
* Dean Malenko-Senior producer
* Mark Henry-Coach, Manager, Scout and Charity Worker
* Paul Wright (Big Show)-Coach, Manager, Commentator and Wrestler
* Ace Steel-Coach
* Madison Rayne-Coach
* Awesome Kong-Coach
* Dustin Rhodes-Coach
* B.J. Whitmer-Coach
* Jerry Lynn-Coach
* Scott Armstrong-Referee
* https://www.reddit.com/r/SquaredCircle/comments/pemwiv/wcw\_camera\_work/

AEW’s Legal and Talent Resources team - led by Margaret Stalvey, Chris Peck  and Megha Parekh

https://cultaholic.com/posts/report-the-elite-cody-rhodes-are-aew-evps-in-name-only

* Chief Business Officer combines the roles of chief visionary officer, chief commercial officer, chief revenue officer, chief administrative officer (CAO), chief financial officer (CFO), and chief operating officer (COO)
* Chief privacy officer, Chief web officer, Chief technology officer and Chief product officer are combined
* President and Chief executive officer (CEO) are combined into "Chairman role"
* Chief product officer, Chief branding officer, Chief marketing officer and Chief sales officer is combined into one role and one team.

WWE filed a trademark for the name “Cody Rhodes” on October 13, 2009. The filing was valid for 10-years, expiring on October 13, 2019. Cody filed a successful trademark to regain his official wrestling surname

**Learning from WCW and ECW's mistakes**

* Never let suits and ties run your company
* Don’t have writers who write for shock value and don’t put anyone in charge that doesn’t know 2 cents about pro wrestling.
* Don’t overextend / overspend yourself financially. Follow WWE in terms of being financially sound and solvent
* Don’t focus on imported talent at the detriment of your home grown talent.
* Make your own way; don’t try to be WWE and don't take potshots At WWE
* Don’t lie to your TV network, if you do, don’t accidentally CC them an email exposing your lie.
* Don’t hire people to work behind the scenes who claim they can take you to the next level; especially if they were involved in killing another company.
* Do not let your main financial backer become a TV character & don’t give them an action figure. And stop them overhyping surprises so that they ultimately feel like a let down.
* Do not introduce creative control clauses in contracts. You can still consult talent on the basis of creative.
* Respect the fans and don’t take them for granted
* Don't act like you're too big or beyond reproach
* Every Channel Hop Diminishes Credibility. On-demand is generally considered the way forward, but there is still something to be said for having a strong weekly presence on top of that. It must be in a fixed place, at a fixed time and that must be communicated well to the fanbase so they know when and where they can get their All Elite fix.
* And MOST IMPORTANTLY - NEVER hire Vince Russo. In ANY capacity. It only leads to a lot of upset & the death or severe decline of your company.

### **Differences between AEW and WWE**

* The vast majority ends decisively (with clean pinfalls, submissions, or knockouts). On the rare occasion that a match did end with outside interference, with a "ref bump", or with some other traditional heel scenario, the live audiences reacted much more negatively than rival promotions' live audiences.
* Post-match interviews
* Bring back the Pay Winda! In the 80’s and before, commentators often referred to the idea that the winning wrestler got more money than the losing wrestler. This is a logical idea that gives every match stakes and makes every match meaningful. It explains why two losers would get in the ring against two stars, as if they are able to pull of an upset, they would get a much bigger payday. I thought for a little bit, when Kevin Owens was doing his “prizefighter” gimmick, they were bringing this back, but alas. This would be the most obvious way to begin to bring realism back to wrestling, which is the overall biggest change that needs to happen.
* Have the announcers call the matches like a sporting event. Treat it like a real fight with real consequences. Use the commentators to describe what is happening, and WHY it is happening, so that the audience understands what the wrestlers are doing to wear down their opponent and win the match. A headlock or armbar can be exciting for minutes at a time if the announcers are constantly explaining to the audience how that armbar hurts, or adds leverage, or is wearing down the opponent for a bigger move. Many of the newer wrestlers have some training in MMA and grappling, and using those moves is a lot of fun for me to watch, as I haven’t seen them a million times before.
* Create a 30 minute Sportscenter-like show for the network. Use it to show highlights, do backstage interviews, and establish personality profiles. You can also highlight the good things the Superstars doing charity and stuff like that. Remember the old WWE Confidential show? I really liked that idea. It would be a good way to advance storylines.
* MMA/Boxing-style announcing for every title match and the main event (non-title or title)
* Weight classes, and weight-ins
* Pre-match and post-match handshakes takes place
* MMA and Boxing style press conferences
* Each wrestler has 3 rope breaks to stop submission holds and pinfalls during the match. After a wrestler exhausts his rope breaks, submission and pin attempts under the ropes by the opponent are considered legal.
* Titles can change hands by disqualification or countout.
* Matches are subject to a 20-count
* NJPW-styled tables

The title is promoted by what it grants the champion instead of being the main prize in itself. Holding it entitles the champion to a match for the AEW World Championship at a time of their choosing, provided they give a 1 week notice to properly promote the high-profile match. The concept is similar to the WWE Money in the Bank contract that also grants a title match at the winner's option, but unlike Money in the Bank, it does not allow for an immediate championship match. If the champion redeems the championship for a AEW World Heavyweight Championship match, the medallions are removed and redistributed to determine the competitors for the now vacant title.

### **All Out Series**

The All Out Series is an annual professional wrestling tournament in which 10 wrestlers competes in a round-robin over several months (throughout the summer specifically) to determine who receives a match for the AEW World Championship at All Out, which is AEW's premier yearly PPV event.

A victory earns 3 points, a draw earns 1 points, a loss is 0 points and a DQ loss is -3 points. After the round robin matches the top 4 wrestlers compete in a single elimination match, the winner of that wins the BFG Series and is awarded a AEW World Championship match at Final Battle. If 2 wrestlers are tied on points then head-to-head record is determined, if they drew the match then they will compete 1 on 1, if more than 2 wrestlers are tied then they do a mini league-table of the head to head results.

### **Owen Hart Cup**

Owen Hart Cup is an annual single-elimination professional wrestling tournament featuring 32 wrestlers. The final takes place on the 20th Anniversary Show in March, the winner of the tournament is awarded an AEW World Championship match at Fight for the Fallen in May

## **AEW Intercontinental Championship**

 1
 2

## **AEW Releases and Suspensions**

In February 2015, WWE doctor Christopher Amann filed a defamation lawsuit against Brooks and Scott Colton over Brooks's allegations of medical malpractice on an episode of Colton's podcast. Amann was seeking roughly $4 million in compensation and an undisclosed amount in punitive damages. WWE issued a statement and video in support of Amann. The case went to trial in 2018, where a jury ruled in favour of Amann thus Brooks and Scott Colton must pay $4 million in compensation

In August 2018, Colton filed a lawsuit against Brooks, alleging breach of contract and fraud due to Brooks's alleged agreement and later refusal to pay Colton's legal fees for the Amann suit. Colton sought $200,000 in damages and an additional $1 million in punitive damages. The case went to trial in September 2019, where a jury ruled in favour of Colton.

Hangman was going to beat Punk at Double or Nothing until the worker's rights promo, Punk got it changed and Tony literally sat on the porch of Punk's house in LA booking out the summer with Hangman not anywhere close to being in the mix because Punk wasn't going to work with him. No way they were going back to him at any point.

**All Out Fall Out**

* In the post-All Out media scrum, CM Punk took issue with certain members of the media as he addressed non-kayfabe rumours that he had attempted to get Scott Colton (Colt Cabana) fired, a rumour which he adamantly denied. Punk cited "irresponsible people who call themselves EVPs" and saying they "could not run a target" (AEW's EVPs are Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks) and "Hangman" Adam Page as the reason why those rumours were leaked and reported in the weeks leading up to All Out. He also addressed an incident where Adam Page went off-script in a face-to-face promo leading up to their match at Double or Nothing in May, Punk quoted as saying "What did I ever do in this world to deserve an empty-headed fucking dumb-fuck like 'Hangman' Adam Page to go out on national television and fucking go into business for himself? For what? What did I do?"
* Multiple publications, including Fightful, PWInsider, and Wrestling Observer, reported that after Punk's comments, a shoot backstage fight occurred between Punk, Punk's friend Ace Steel, Kenny Omega and Cody Rhodes (who has been recovering from a torn right pectoral tendon since June and not come back until March).
* The word making the rounds is that Cody and Kenny "kicked the door down" of Punk's locker room when the latter didn't respond, both wanted to confronted Punk about his comments at the scrum. Punk allegedly starting things by swinging fists at the Cody. Punk trainer/friend and AEW producer Steel (part of the storyline that got Punk into Sunday's Jon Moxley match) threw a chair that hit the Omega in the eye and blackened it. Steel (Chris Guy) allegedly bit Omega and grabbed his hair. The reason for Steel going "ballistic" was because his wife was in the vicinity during the alleged physical altercation, with sources claiming that he was just looking out for her
* AEW security and staff as well as The Young Bucks eventually broke up the altercation. One security guard could be seen running out of the room where the media scrum was still ongoing.
* Steel's wife was there taking care of Punk's dog, Larry
* The entire scene was “very long,” and included a heated verbal exchange even after the men were physically separated with Punk repeatedly threatened legal action during the shouting portion of the fight
* The majority of the talent within the locker room was unhappy with how Punk handled the incident and now wants the veteran to be gone from AEW. Only Danhuasen and FTR (who are Punk's friends) supported Punk with the rest supporting Cody and Omega.
* CM Punk was also unhappy at AEW
* The Young Bucks tried to stop Cody and Kenny from going to Punk's locker room
* Punk and Omega have had heat since indy days, whilst Punk and Cody also have heat since they were both in WWE as well as around the first All Out in 2019 when they tried to get him to come out of retirement. Cody reportedly felt slighted and were upset, and things have been “slowly bubbling” since then, and that ultimately led to what happened late last night at the NOW Arena
* Whilst Punk and The Young Bucks have also got some beef since indy days, the two seemed to have no problems with each other in AEW.
* Bobby Fish and CM Punk also had problems
* MJF has been questioned by legal team due to him being a witness

**Aftermath**

* On the September 7 episode of *AEW Dynamite*, Khan announced Punk had been stripped of AEW World Championship and indefinitely suspended from AEW because of the fight
* On September 8, CM Punk torn his bicep during his match with Moxley at All Out and will require surgery. The belief is that the injury will keep him out of the ring for up to 8 months

1. CM Punk would be subsequently fired in the process due to "backstage heat", becoming a massive "piece of work to deal with", a huge diva, incredibly selfish and backstage politicking, thus AEW wanted to remove him, to remove his negativity and mental drain he was bringing.
2. Ace Steel was fired for throwing a chair
3. Cody Rhodes was suspended without pay for 90 days after March (when he will fully recover from injury) and is stripped/removed of his EVP role
4. Kenny Omega was suspended without pay for 90 days and is stripped/removed of his EVP role, his only ole now will be working with AEW Games but this will be a unpaid role.
5. Brandon Cutler was suspended without pay for 30 days
6. The Young Bucks (Nick and Mick Jackson) was suspended without pay for 30 days
7. Christopher Daniels was suspended without pay for 30 days
8. Pat Buck was suspended without pay for 30 days

AEW's Huge Pre-Dynamite Crisis Meeting went well

Jon Moxley Signs 5-Year Extension With AEW, from 10 October 2022 until 2027