BJ Whitmer Reportedly Headed To All Elite Wrestling

BJ Whitmer recently left Ring of Honor, a company he had been with for the majority of his career. According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Whitmer is expected to join All Elite Wrestling in 2019.

“Whitmer did a little bit of everything behind the scenes,” Dave Meltzer wrote. “Helping produce matches, was part of the booking team, trained wrestlers, did commentary at times, ran the Gorilla position and at some points was Bernard the Business Bear. He’s expected to be headed to AEW in a similar role.”

Tyson Smith previously reported that Whitmer left Ring of Honor this month amidst frustrations with the promotion. Whitmer was frustrated when ROH wouldn’t let him accept an invitation to be a guest coach at the WWE Performance Center. Instead, ROH asked him to sign a non-compete agreement after being informed of his invitation to WWE’s developmental facility.

Whitmer is reported to have sent an email to all ROH employees prior to leaving.

“In leaving ROH, I want to say thank you and it’s been a pleasure working with all of you,” Whitmer wrote. “I wish everyone nothing but the best and I’m certain I’ll cross paths with most of you again.”

All Elite Wrestling Files For New Trademark

The LLC “All Elite Wrestling” has filed for a new trademark. The trademarked term appears to be for a potential charity wrestling event. Both the term “Fight For The Fallen” and an accompanying logo were filed on Friday.

Previously filed trademarks for All Elite Wrestling also include:

All Elite Wrestling and AEW

Tuesday Night Dynamite

AEW Double Or Nothing

AEW All Out

One of the bigger questions surrounding the newly formed LLC is if wrestlers from the Elite will be permitted to perform for both NJPW and a new wrestling promotion based in the United States that isn’t Ring of Honor.

“Obviously, both AEW and ROH will want a business relationship with New Japan,” Dave Meltzer wrote recently in the Wrestling Observer.

“New Japan has blocked its talent from working for Impact, even though Don Callis is an announcer for New Japan, because of the ROH relationship,” he continued. “They have not blocked people from working for MLW.”

As it stands now, several members of the Elite have matches scheduled at Wrestle Kingdom 13. Kenny Omega will face Hiroshi Tanahashi, the Young Bucks will be in a 3-way for the heavyweight tag titles, and Cody will face Juice Robinson.

The Elite Bids Farewell To Ring Of Honor After Final Battle

Members of The Elite bid farewell to Ring of Honor after the conclusion of Friday night’s Final Battle pay-per-view from New York City.

The Young Bucks, Cody, Hangman Page and S.C.U. (Christopher Daniels, Kazarian and Scorpio Sky) were all in action on the card. All of them are rumored to be departing Ring of Honor and all of them lost their matches Friday night. You can check out our full breakdown of the Final Battle pay-per-view here. The main event saw the Briscoe Brothers defeat the Young Bucks and S.C.U. in a Ladder War to capture the ROH world tag team championships for the 10th time.

After the show went off the air, The Elite hit the ring to address the live crowd. Matt Jackson thanked everyone for their support and said the Manhattan Center is their favorite venue to wrestle in. Fans chanted, “January 1st” in reference to The Elite teasing a major announcement regarding their future after the new year.

Jackson said this was not going to be some emotional farewell speech or anything like that, which brought on more supportive chants. The Young Bucks started in Ring of Honor 10 years ago and this past 2-year run as best the best time of their lives. They thanked Ring of Honor executives and their families for joining them each step of their journey.

Matt Jackson then asked, “We’re all elite, right?” He said “the timer is ticking” and something big is about to go down. He encouraged everyone to stay tuned and keep watching their Youtube series, Being the Elite, for details on their next moves.

Fans chanted “Double or Nothing” as The Elite signed off and promised they will return to New York City again.

Update On The Evolving Landscape Headed Into 2019

As we head into 2019, there are plenty of unanswered questions surrounding what the pro-wrestling landscape will look like in the new year. One of the most burning questions is where will members of the Elite end up?

Cody, the Young Bucks, Hangman Page, and eventually Marty Scurll (he’s under contract to ROH until the spring) are expected to form the nucleus of the All Elite Wrestling. Still, many members of the Elite are hoping to continue working with New Japan Pro Wrestling next year.

What could possibly prevent the Elite from returning to NJPW, is the promotion’s approach to talent-sharing deals. This issue was addressed in the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“Obviously, both AEW and ROH will want a business relationship with New Japan,” Meltzer wrote. He would continue to say every promotion in the United States would like to have such a relationship.

“New Japan has blocked its talent from working for Impact, even though Don Callis is an announcer for New Japan, because of the ROH relationship,” he continued. “They have not blocked people from working for MLW.”

The question then becomes whether NJPW will allow their talent to work for All Elite Wrestling as they do for MLW or if they will block them from doing so, as they have done with Impact Wrestling.

A possible sign the Young Bucks could be staying occurred this week, however. The popular tag-team announced they are finally being flown first-class to Japan for NJPW shows. This was something the brothers had complained about on their YouTube series in recent weeks.

“New Japan could work with both AEW and ROH,” Meltzer concluded. “The ball really is in their court.”

We expect to hear some big announcements out of the Elite camp after New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 13 event on January 4th.

Cody & Brandi Rhodes Watch Jackson Jaguars Game In Owner’s Box

Cody and Brandi Rhodes spent an NFL Sunday inside the Jacksonville Jaguars’ owner’s box yesterday. The NFL franchise is owned by the billionaire Khan family. The Jags also share the same registered address as All Elite Wrestling.

Cody didn’t publicize the trip on social media as he does for most things, however. Brandi, on the other hand, felt it necessary to discuss her choice in wardrobe with her followers.

Cody recently traveled to Australia for a tour with World Series Wrestling. Despite having a torn meniscus, Cody worked the tour doing Meet and Greets. He also defended the IWGP United States title on 3 occasions by defeating Joey Ryan in a staring contest. During the tour, he told fans to expect an announcement regarding All Elite Wrestling in January.

“At a meet and greet in Melbourne, Australia, Cody was asked about a new promotion and said to wait for January as an announcement will be made, and said the announcement would be bigger than anyone expects,” Dave Meltzer wrote in this week’s Wrestling Observer.

Last Tuesday, Cody put out a Tweet asking “Who are some of the hottest male/female independent acts not signed anywhere?” Fuelling speculation the Elite is looking to bring in unsigned talent to their new promotion.

Young Bucks Comment On All Elite Wrestling Trademarks

From our first report to being an actual registered company who is preparing for its official launch next year, All Elite Wrestling has traveled very far in the last couple of months.

However, the main people involved with the promotion are still playing with the report. Some of them are like Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes who are just having fun.

Then there are people like the Young Bucks who also have legal limitations since they are still under contracts.

However, this is not going to stop people from discussing it. It also means that whether or not they can answer the questions, the people who are involved with the promotion are still going to be asked about it.

This was the case during the latest episode of Wrestling Perspective podcast, where the host Petey Williams talked to the Bucks about the promotion, asking them what they can say on the situation.

Answering the question both the brothers tried to protect the information and work around the question.

Matt Jackson said that they are in a situation where they don’t really know what they are going to do. Though he accepted that after All In they have offers from investors which they are still thinking about.

Nick Jackson took a slightly different route and accepted that they have offers from every major company in the world. He explained that they have not said no to anyone since they are keeping their options open.

Although whether or not they accept it, AEW has already become one of the hottest topics of discussion among fans. It doesn’t look like these discussions will be cooling down anytime soon.

Cody Hints “All Elite Wrestling” Announcement Coming In January

Cody, the Young Bucks, Marty Scurll, and Adam Page are all finishing up commitments in ROH and NJPW at the moment. When 2019 hits, however, it’s looking as though the group will be part of a new promotion, All Elite Wrestling.

Cody was asked recently at a Meet in Greet for World Series Wrestling in Australia about the promotion. He indicated an announcement would be made in January. Cody also stated the announcement will be bigger than expected.

Cody’s answer to the question was covered in this week’s Wrestling Observer:

“At a meet and greet in Melbourne, Australia, Cody was asked about a new promotion and said to wait for January as an announcement will be made, and said the announcement would be bigger than anyone expects,” Dave Meltzer wrote.

Cody has also doubled-down on his statements that he will be finishing up with Ring of Honor after Final Battle. He has said his title match with Jay Lethal will be his final match with the promotion. The angle is if Cody wins he’ll bring the title with him into free agency.

Cody also appears to be scouting talent. He sent the following out on Tuesday evening:

"Curious. Who are some of the hottest male/female independent acts not signed anywhere?"

What top unsigned talent would you like to see Cody bring to All Elite Wrestling??

Jim Ross: All Elite Wrestling Will Be Big – If They Secure A TV Deal

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has provided some new commentary on All Elite Wrestling. Ross, who has been involved in the early stages of the upstart promotion, calls it a “feast or famine” proposition whose success is predicated on securing a meaningful television deal.

On the latest Jim Ross Report podcast, Good ‘ol JR addressed the recent development that All Elite Wrestling trademarks have been filed by the Khan family:

“I certainly want to address the trademark issues filed by the Kahn family,” Ross said.

“If this thing happens, it’s going to be one of two things, in my opinion. It’s either going to never happen, because a television deal could not be acquired, or the television deal is going to be finalized, and it’s going to be big,” Ross said.

Later in the show, while interviewing Dave Meltzer, Ross again addressed the possibility of an All Elite Wrestling promotion.

“Two things you have to have to start a wrestling promotion: television, and talent. In that order,” Ross said.

“If you don’t have viable television, I’m not talking about Pop TV, I’m talking about a real television outlet, a major cable entity that everybody has access to, you damn sure don’t need any talent.”

“This company, if it ever happens, it’s an idea right now. If they don’t get TV, there is no company.”

Ross also addressed his potential involvement with All Elite Wrestling:

“I’ve been rumored to be in every role with this company. It’s just eye-rolling. At one point it’s Jericho and me, which I thought was really stupid. Me and Jericho are going to spend all the money we’ve made over the years to get in the wrestling business? Are you crazy? Are you nuts?”

Ross continued, “And then we’re not involved at all, it’s these other guys that are really the movers and shakers. There ain’t nothing to move here, folks. There ain’t nothing to shake.”

It’s worth noting that Ross never went so far as to deny his potential involvement with the proposed company, despite all of his bluster. He only stated that the company may not get off the ground.

CM Punk Open To Working With All Elite Wrestling

Former WWE Superstar CM Punk is aware of All Elite Wrestling and would consider working for the upstart promotion if they made him a solid offer. During an interview with MMAFighting, Punk said, “If those guys all go and start their own thing, more power to them,” Punk said.

When asked directly if he’d entertain an offer to work for All Elite, Punk replied, “I would always listen. I would listen to them because … I like the Young Bucks, I text with Matt on and off. But business is business.”

Prior to All In, there was speculation as to whether or not he would be involved in that show. Cody Rhodes stated at one point that they reached out to CM Punk to appear, but Punk says an official offer was never made.

“I know Cody was out there in the media saying that an offer was made,” Punk said. “An offer was not made. Calling me up or texting me saying, ‘Hey, if you want to come to the show and do something, we would love that’ is not an offer. That’s not an offer.”

While the signing of CM Punk would be a huge deal for All Elite, Punk is pretty adamant that his pro wrestling days are most likely behind him.

“There are a couple more loose ends that I’m still trying to tie up to fully absolve me from the world of pro wrestling,” Punk stated. “I feel like I’ve still been attached to it since the day that I left it and that’s mostly because of fugazi lawyers and such. But we’re wrapping all that up and that’ll come to an end. And once I’m truly free, we can explore the world and just float and hang out and I can walk my dog and drink coffee and do commentary for Dave Sholler and continue to train at Roufusport and do all kinds of stuff. I’ve earned it, I’ve paid my dues.”

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Trademarks Linked To New Promotion

An entity called ALL ELITE WRESTLING, LLC has filed several new trademarks linked to a new upstart wrestling promotion launching next year.

Last month, I broke the news that a new wrestling promotion is in the works involving members of The Elite (Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks), Jim Ross, Chris Jericho, agent Barry Bloom with financing by the billionaire Khan family. There were denials by the parties involved, there was skepticism, but I have uncovered trademarks that provide a lot more information about what’s coming next.

Based on the trademarks filed November 5th, the new promotion will be known as All Elite Wrestling (AEW). All Elite Wrestling, LLC is based out of Jacksonville, Florida with the same address as TIAA Bank Field, the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars.  The Jaguars are owned by the Khan family, co-owner Tony Khan heavily involved in AEW’s formation. The company also owns AllEliteWrestling.com.

The trademarks held by AEW’s parent company include:

All Elite Wrestling and AEW

Tuesday Night Dynamite

AEW Double Or Nothing

AEW All Out

Tuesday Night Dynamite indicates the promotion will be going with a weekly television series. As noted in my original report, AXS TV was fast-tracking plans to work with this new upstart wrestling organization. A rep from AXS TV denied this aspect of the report and I do not have any further details regarding the television home of AEW.

The following artwork was also trademarked for AEW: Double or Nothing and AEW: All Out (presumably events that will be taking place in 2019):

2019 is already shaping up to be a very interesting year for pro wrestling fans. I’ll keep you posted as more details are available regarding this new promotion.

Jim Ross Comments On The Elite Potentially Leaving ROH & NJPW

On the latest episode of The Jim Ross Report, Good Ol’ JR gave his take on the likelihood of Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks leaving the ROH and NJPW promotions in January.

“As I said early on, the card for the Ring of Honor Madison Square Garden Show, with New Japan, will probably look entirely different then, compared to what one would assume it look like if it was booked today,” Ross said. “I think there’s gonna be a lot of movement with some of the biggest stars in the game.”

While not betraying anyone’s confidence, Ross implied that his opinion is informed, and not just speculation. “Just picking up a little bit here, a little bit there, and I’ll keep you apprised,” Ross said.

“I’m talking to a lot of these cats that have opportunities to do other things, casually… I think some people’s motors are running and the wheels are turning,” he said.

Jim Ross & Chris Jericho Working With Billionaire To Launch New Wrestling Promotion

The groundwork is being laid for a new wrestling promotion. It involves some of the top players in the industry and financial backing from a billionaire family already involved in professional sports.

Jim Ross and Chris Jericho have been working with renowned agent Barry Bloom in putting the pieces together. JR’s contract with WWE expires shortly and he has declined an offer to renew. He has been sending out feelers to select WWE performers, while Jericho has been handling the New Japan side. Bloom was recently in Japan taking meetings related to this deal.

The project is being financed by the Khan family. Shahid Khan, the patriarch, is one of the wealthiest men on the world (and a colorful personality). He owns the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham F.C. of the English Premier League. Shahid’s son, Tony, is a big wrestling fan and has been hands-on with getting this off the ground. He follows a few wrestlers on Twitter, including Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and Marty Scurll.

Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks are on board, as are Hangman Page and a few others. Kenny Omega’s status is unclear. For what it’s worth, Bill Goldberg is a client of Barry Bloom, along with JR and Jericho. When The Elite has talked about sticking together next year, this is what they’ve been alluding to. Jim Ross has been coy about this on his podcast, vaguely teasing something big on the horizon without showing his cards.

With the A-level talent they are getting commitments from, the group will burn through a ton of cash quickly. They are moving forward with the understanding that significant losses are expected for the first couple years.

Talks are underway with AXS to secure a TV deal. AXS TV executive Adam Swift is fast-tracking this.  AXS currently airs New Japan Pro Wrestling and recently announced Jeanie Buss’ Women of Wrestling premieres in January. Sinclair Broadcasting, which provided logistical support for All In and has been acting in good faith, has been in the dark about this story.

The timeline for this going live is 12-16 months from now (late 2019 / early 2020).

Juice Robinson Says He’s Never Going Back To WWE

IWGP United States Champion Juice Robinson has publicly addressed a report from this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter stating WWE is interested in signing him. Robinson, who wrestled as CJ Parker for former WWE developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling and later NXT from 2011-2015, isn’t going anywhere.

“That’s in the rearview mirror now,” Juice said. “I ain’t going back, I ain’t ever going back.”

Robinson made the comments backstage from Night 8 of the G1 Climax 28 tournament. He has lost every single match in the tournament thus far, likely due to competing with a broken hand.

Earlier this summer, Juice spoke with Uproxx about his frustrations while with WWE.

“You know, I loved NXT. Just, I just knew I was dead in the water, so I had to get out,” Juice said. “So it wasn’t that it was bad, it was (that) I turned it bad because I got sad. You know what I mean? So what was happening to me on a daily basis… it wasn’t like I was going home every night and crying in my room.”

He would continue to say that in NXT anytime he would try and lighten the mood, he would be told to get back in line. This was under the old head-trainer, however.

“But they’ve got a good guy there now, and everything’s really – I think it’s fun again,” Juice said in reference to current NXT head trainer Matt Bloom. “It’s good to hear. But I’m having more fun, so, haha.”

WWE is not Juice’s only option other than NJPW. Don Callis of Impact Wrestling has made it clear they would make Juice a big part of their company if he ever jumped ship.

“Juice is a tremendous performer with unlimited likeability and unlimited charisma,” Callis said on his Killin the Town podcast earlier this month. “He definitely is a rock star.”

“I really like him a lot,” Callis continued. “He’s a guy you build a company around.”

Chris Jericho Says He Has No Restrictions In NJPW

Chris Jericho says there are no restrictions to what he can do in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). The reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion has only wrestled 3 matches in 2018, but he has remained one of the most talked about wrestlers in the world.

Jericho made waves when he wrestled Kenny Omega in the Tokyo Dome on January 4th, 2018. He appeared at WWE’s big Raw 25th Anniversary just a few weeks later, his first appearance for the company since he started working for New Japan.

In April, he was back in WWE competing in the Greatest Royal Rumble. By June, he was the IWGP IC Champion after dethroning Tetsuya Naito at Dominion.

“It’s very cool to go back to Japan, where I started, and be part of this worldwide growth of New Japan,” Jericho said to Sports Illustrated recently. “There are no real restrictions on what I can do in New Japan.”

Jericho would continue to talk about the restrictions in WWE versus NJPW.

“We did the original beatdown with Kenny and got some blood going, which you never see in the WWE nowadays,” Jericho continued.

“We did the press conference where I was swearing and attacking reporters. You can’t do that in WWE, but you can in Japan. Just to have those shackles released, it just felt like all of these things led to more of a Bruiser Brody character than a Shawn Michaels-type vibe.”

Jericho has always said he would never wrestle for a company other than WWE on American soil. Events which have unfolded this year may test his commitment to this, however.

When asked by a fan on Twitter if he still intends to stand by his earlier claims, Jericho gave an answer some fans will find surprising.

There’s been speculation that Jericho is interested in working for Impact Wrestling. Jericho responded, “Of course!” when asked if he’d consider ‘going to’ Impact.

This October, Chris Jericho is hosting the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Rager cruise, which departs out of Miami on October 27th and travels to the Bahamas.

Talent from WWE, Impact Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor will be appearing on the ship. Very few people can pull off something like this. Chris Jericho is among a rare breed of performers who makes his own rules in this business.

Hiromu Takahashi Still In Hospital Following G1 Special In San Francisco

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Hiromu Takahashi, is believed to still be in hospital 19 days after his match with Dragon Lee at the Cow Palace.

Takahashi was dropped on his head during a cradle-suplex spot on the July 7th card. After finishing the match, Takahashi is said to have collapsed backstage. He was taken to a local hospital and then was transported back to Japan a few days later.

“He’s still in the hospital,” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio last night. “He’s in good spirits but it’s 18 days and he’s still in hospital. That’s not a good sign to me, at all.”

The day after his injury, NJPW updated fans on his condition by stating he was awake and able to sit and talk.

Dragon Lee also reacted to Hiromu’s injury. “Hiromu is the most important rival I’ve ever had,” Lee said. “The most beautiful matches of my career have been against him. [Hiromu’s] injury was a wrestling-related accident. Though he is my rival, he is in my prayers.”

Juice Robinson also commented on Takahashi’s injury while on Jim Ross’ podcast.

“When you hear broken neck people think (the person is paralyzed) but that’s not with every broken neck,” Juice said. “Hopefully his broken neck is just you know time off. Even though that still sucks but that beats the alternative. After seeing it, this is probably the best case scenario cause that looked like it could’ve been the last bump he ever took.”

Sean Waltman, who has a history of neck problems, made the following comments:

“I’ve had my neck broken twice in the ring. 2nd time had it surgically repaired. I was able to make a full recovery & return to Wrestling for the most successful run of my career,” Waltman Tweeted. “Takahashi walked out of the ring on his own. He’s not done yet. Mark my words.”

Champion Challenged To Double-Title Match At All In

Only two matches have been officially confirmed for All-In so far. Cody will challenge for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship (likely against Nick Aldis) and Marty Scurll will take on Kazuchika Okada.

Another championship match may appear to be in the works. Madison Rayne just challenged Tessa Blanchard to a match which could have title implications for multiple belts.

Rayne sent the following message to Tessa Blanchard recently:

This made Tessa ponder the idea…

Blanchard captured a title recently for the Crash promotion in Mexico. She is also the RISE champion, WSU champion, PCW women’s champion and the list goes on.

Madison Rayne and Tessa Blanchard have met twice recently on Impact Wrestling. Both times Rayne used a pinning combination to score the upset victory over Blanchard. Those are the only two losses on Blanchard’s Impact record so far.

Partially as a result of the victories, Rayne has been granted a title shot against Su Yung. She’ll take on the champion July 22nd at Slammiversary. Should Rayne be victorious on that night she’s challenged Blanchard to a champion vs champion match at All-In.

Blanchard just signed a new deal with Impact reported to be 2-years in length. The contract with Impact will keep her from competing for the second year in a row in the Mae Young Classic. She lost to Kairi Sane in the 1st round of the tournament last year.

On a recent Impact Wrestling media call, Blanchard had this to say about how she’s glad she didn’t sign on with WWE last year or after her initial tryout with the company.

“These life experiences, these personal experiences through wrestling, if I was signed on (with WWE), my entire path would be different,” she said. “I’m very blessed for things to have played out the way they have.”

Daniel Bryan: I’ll Likely Re-Sign With WWE

Much has been made of Daniel Bryan’s WWE contract expiring later this year. September 1st is believed to be the final date on his current deal with the company. Based on comments he made during WWE’s recent stop in Tapei, however, Bryan won’t be leaving the company anytime soon.

“The wrestling world is an interesting world right now,” Bryan said. “But I love working with WWE and my wife (Brie Bella) is a part of WWE and so there’s a good chance I’ll re-sign.”

“The drive is always to do something better,” he continued. “I want to create a performance next that’s better than any performance I’ve ever done. And when you talk about that, you talk about the high points of my career like main-eventing Wrestlemania 30. That’s the highest you can really get. How do you create things that are as creatively, mentally and emotionally satisfying as that? And that is what I am in the pursuit of.”

Cody Takes Shot At Triple H, Offers Advice To Deonna Purrazzo

Cody Rhodes is generally complimentary of Triple H when he speaks about his time in WWE. He decided to take a jab at WWE’s COO recently on Twitter, however.

Cody’s jab came after it was revealed that Deonna Purrazzo has pulled out of All-In on September 1st, 2018. Speculation is Purrazzo is likely going to be competing in the Mae Young Classic next month.

“It’s been incredible to see first hand what @MattJackson13, @NickJacksonYB, & @CodyRhodes envision for pro wrestling. I am so sad I won’t be wrestling at #AllIn but my heart will be there September 1st.” Purrazzo tweeted.

Cody responded to Deonna’s Tweet with some advice on how to handle her potential photo with Triple H:

“Take 1 large step forward in the photo, he likes to make people look shorter than him. Good luck D. Beat everybody. Run up the score.”

Last month, Cody addressed the possibility of WWE signing talents scheduled to appear at All-In. The discussion began when a fan asked Dave Meltzer on Twitter about how WWE might decide to counter the Chicago event.

“Nope and tickets are sold,” Meltzer responded to a fan’s question of possible WWE action against the event. “All they can do it try and sign the talent on the show and pull them, and most are under contract elsewhere past that date.”

Cody saw the Twitter conversation and responded. “That’s a possibility,” Cody admitted. “Everybody has different goals. If your goal is to take a meet/greet style handshake photo, and pretend to be excited about going back to wrestling school…that’s your prerogative ha.”

Bullet Club Throws Joey Ryan A Funeral

In the Being the Elite universe, Joey Ryan is presumed dead. That Ryan has been wrestling regularly on the independent scene is not referenced on the show. The characters on Being the Elite believe Joey Ryan is missing and presumed dead, however. Stephen Amell had been considered a suspect.

Marty Scurll and Hangman Page ran into Joey Ryan’s hot-wife, Laura James, to start off the episode. James noted that Page looks an awful lot like Amell. Scurll and James then talked about how they would beat up Joey’s killer if he was there. This caused Page to storm off from the scene.

James then told Scurll that she is unable to make her late husband’s funeral and Scurll commented on how poorly Ryan’s funeral is going to draw.

Later in the show, it was revealed that actor, Stephen Amell, had been let out of prison due to insufficient evidence.

Matt Jackson confronted Page about having killed Ryan and Page responded by strangling him and storming off. Jackson then told his brother he believes Page is responsible for Ryan’s disappearance.

During the funeral, Flip Gordon noted that since Ryan was presumed dead there is an open spot on All-In.

Hangman Page showed up to the funeral at the very end despite Matt Jackson not inviting him. He said Joey Ryan taught him to never give up and to never quit. Page continued to say he believes Ryan would be proud that he became a famous dick-wrestler just like him. As Page is in the hallway collecting himself a mysterious voice tells him “I know you didn’t kill Joey Ryan, because I did.”

Don Callis On Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho Potentially Going To Impact Wrestling

Don Callis is believed to have played a key role in organizing the Chris Jericho vs Kenny Omega match at the Tokyo Dome this year. All three are from Winnipeg and Callis also has his own podcast through the Chris Jericho podcast network.

At the Slammiversary press conference in Toronto recently, Callis indicated to me he’d love to bring Omega and Jericho to Impact Wrestling. “There’s a young Canadian kid I like, we’d love to sign him, his name is Kenny Omega,” Callis said. “Another is Chris Jericho.”

Callis recently doubled-down on his comments during his appearance on Jim Ross’ podcast.

Callis explained his history with Omega. “I’ve been on this journey with Kenny Omega since he was a 16-year-old kid who I booked,” Callis explained.

“I gave him his first break wrestling for the promotion I had in Winnipeg [Canada]. And his uncle, The Golden Sheik, who was an indie wrestler in Winnipeg helped train me in the [pro wrestling] business in 1989, so my roots with Kenny go back many years. I’ve been on this journey with him, and specifically since I’ve been in New Japan and we have a very close relationship. We talk about ideas, we do things, I helped put together the match between him and Chris [Jericho] for the Tokyo Dome.”

Callis continued to say the chances of Omega and Jericho appearing in an Impact Wrestling ring are less remote than they seemed not too long ago.

“I kind of say, ‘never say ‘never” and I think that one of the things that we’ve been doing under Ed Nordholm here at Impact is breaking some longstanding paradigms of pro wrestling,” Callis said.

“The intellectual property stuff that we’ve talked about before, but also we’ve been working with multiple people now and now recently announced by Chris Jericho and I know [Ross] will be on that cruise, so that’ll be cool, get to have a beer together. It’s going to be Impact and Ring Of Honor on the same cruise ship, so there’s some stuff that’s probably going to happen and I don’t think you can have those talents in a closed environment like that, so we are working, in a sense if you take that, with Ring Of Honor right now.

We’ve got Taiji Ishimori coming in for our pay-per-view and our TV in July. The Bone Soldier just started with New Japan, so we’ll see what happens. How many people would’ve thought that Chris Jericho would’ve headlined the Tokyo Dome with New Japan Pro-Wrestling? I was so sheepish when I pitched it to him because he always told me, ‘I will never work for anyone except Vince McMahon and I have a deep respect for Vince.’ Obviously, he took Vince into consideration. Vince is the first guy he told about it. Nevertheless, it shocked me that Chris was on a New Japan show, so I’ve learned to say, ‘never say ‘never” in this business.”