Browsing: Tony

Andrade made his AEW return during the October 1st edition of Dynamite, having already signed a deal with the company. Many people were happy to see him back but journalist Dave Meltzer was not one of them and now Andrade has called out Meltzer in a big way.

Andrade took to Twitter and fired back at Dave Meltzer, telling him he talks too much without any proof. He explained that when his AEW contract ended, he personally went to thank Tony Khan face-to-face for giving him the chance to work there.

Andrade said that was all he wanted to say, but if he chose to speak more, he could prove Meltzer wrong on many things. He ended his message by saying Meltzer keeps hurting the wrestling business and wished him the best.

“@davemeltzerWON You talk too much s*** without proof, and Sir, Iâ€ll only tell you one thing: when my contract with AEW ended, I personally went man to man to thank MR. TONY KHAN for the opportunity to be in AEW, and thatâ€s all Iâ€ll tell you. If I wanted to talk more, I would show you that youâ€re wrong about many things. But you keep killing the business! Yo le deseo lo mejor!!â€

This comes after Dave Meltzer talked about Tony Khanâ€s choice to re-sign Andrade on Wrestling Observer Radio. He claimed Tony thought they had a new deal ready, even though nothing was signed. Tony tried to keep Andrade until the very last moment, but Andrade had already decided to go back to WWE. When his contract ended, he left.

“Andrade led Tony Khan to believe he was re-signing; Khan thought they had a renewal agreement in place, though it wasnâ€t signed yet. Khan pursued him until the last moment, despite insiders knowing Andrade was headed to WWE. When Andradeâ€s contract expired, he left.

Heâ€s talented in the ring, but so is everyone these days. Five years ago, Andrade was uniquely special, but now many wrestlers match or surpass him in skill, mic work, and charisma.â€

Melzer compared Andradeâ€s situation to others like Malakai Black, William Regal, and Miro, saying they didnâ€t have long-term success in AEW and mostly saw it as a backup plan.

Meltzer claimed that people close to Andrade said he always saw WWE as more important than AEW, which could cause problems. Meltzer ended by saying that if Tony Khan doesnâ€t learn from these mistakes, heâ€ll keep making the same ones again.

“AEW has enough talent. They donâ€t need— I see everyone like celebrating, ‘Oh my God, this is so great.†When all this… I—He had lots of problems in AEW— also over disciplinary reasons.

One of the biggest problems with this company has been the usage of WWE guys that were not pushed in WWE. As people who know Andrade have told me: heâ€ll always think of Tony Khan as secondary to WWE— no matter what. And thatâ€s—youâ€re asking for trouble.

If Tonyâ€s not going to learn lessons, then heâ€ll repeat mistakes. I hope Iâ€m wrong. But the track record isnâ€t good.â€

Andradeâ€s response makes it clear heâ€s not only motivated in the ring but also ready to defend his integrity off it. So weâ€ll just have to wait and see if Andrade will redeem himself during his second run in AEW.

What are your thoughts on Andradeâ€s response to Dave Meltzerâ€s claims? Do you think Andrade will thrive in AEW this time around? Sound off in the comments.

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Bandido isn’t backing down from his upcoming match against the Don Callis Family, despite recently suffering a shoulder injury. On October 3, Bandido defended the ROH World Championship against Hechicero at a CMLL event. During the match, Bandido’s shoulder would pop out of the socket and the masked star put in back in place before continuing the match.

This setback came ahead of a high-stakes tag-team match pitting ‘Brodido’ against Kazuchika Okada and Konosuke Takeshita. On X, Brody King hoped that Bandido would be able to make it to the match. In response, Tony Khan shared that Bandido plans to fight through the pain and make it to AEW Dynamite: Title Tuesday.

I talked to him this morning! He said that he wants to power through it + wrestle on Tuesday!

— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) October 5, 2025

This match won’t see any gold on the line, but will lead to a title match. If Brodido win, whoever scores the pinfall will earn a shot at Okada’s Unified Championship. If Takeshita and Okada emerge victorious, the pair will earn a shot at the AEW World Tag Team Championships.

AEW Dynamite: Title Tuesday will face stiff competition as the show will air the same night as the ‘Showdown’ between WWE NXT and TNA Wrestling. Nevertheless, Bandido remains determined to compete against the Don Callis Family despite his recent setback.

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AEW Dynamite will be airing a daily earlier this week for their annual Title Tuesday episode with Collision airing the next night. It’s not the first time they are running on a Tuesday night and it also isn’t the first time that they will be going head-to-head with WWE’s NXT brand but this time , it’s a no-win situation for Tony Khan and company.

NXT has been doing crossover promotion with TNA for the past few months, and it all looks set to come to a head (creatively, at least) this Tuesday. The show was initially named Invasion, playing on the old 2001 PPV imagery and really pushing the idea that TNA could be a threat to NXT, but due to the historical significance of October 7 to Israel and the Hamas attacks, WWE changed the name to Showdown.

The card for Showdown, as of this writing, looks pretty much finalized with both companies putting their biggest talent forward in elimination matches in addition to a winner takes all Tag Team title match between The Hardyz and DarkState.

By contrast, Dynamite (again as of this writing) only has a Mercedes Mone open challenge confirmed for the card in addition to match between Brodido and Konosuke Takeshita & Kazuchika Okada that may be postponed due to Bandido’s injury and a street fight between The Hurt Syndicate and The Demand.

We saw during the Wednesday Night Wars that both companies were more than willing to try and get ahead of each other in terms of television ratings, but it’s looking this time that Khan may be focusing more on the ongoing television creative week-to-week rather than hotshotting their own version of a supercard together to combat what is going on at The CW.

The problem here is that Khan and AEW are pretty much in a no-win situation and, ironically, it’s almost a complete flip from where NXT was back when AEW started airing on Wednesday nights in 2019.

Why Tony Khan can’t win

Khan and AEW are in a difficult position and when I say that they can’t “win,” I mean from a perception standpoint: AEW can either beat WWE’s third brand by loading up and doing a random one-off card, or they lose outright to WWE’s third brand.

The NXT of 2025 is not like the NXT of 2019 or the years proceeding. Long gone are the days when NXT TakeOver shows would be the highlight of a PPV weekend with the likes of Adam Cole, Sami Zayn, Sasha Banks, Bayley, Johnny Gargano, etc. putting on cards that would rival anything else in the industry.

Now, we’re genuinely seeing a developmental brand where either established names begin to learn the WWE style (Ricky Saints, Ethan Page) or younger names get their reps in on television (Trick Williams, Lola Vice).

So how do you approach this situation if you’re Tony Khan? Do you keep serving the television audience and stay the course with your current storylines, or do you try and counteract what WWE is doing on Tuesday night? From a perception standpoint, AEW simply cannot win either way. They either look flustered by the competition or they just hope that they have enough going creatively to beat a big invasion-esque storyline.

Why WWE and TNA will win

So if Khan and AEW can’t win on Tuesday, does that mean that WWE and TNA will actually win? Yes, it does. TNA is more than likely heading to The CW on Wednesday nights to compete head-to-head with AEW, and it’s a defacto way for WWE to go head-to-head with AEW without an actual branch of the company having to do so.

If TNA ends up beating AEW, that’s great for WWE business. But if they don’t? It’s only TNA will be the excuse. TNA gets a huge push in terms of branding on Tuesday night ahead of their new television deal set to be announced and NXT gets a differential and a big moment on Tuesday when the two brands collide — all without it actually looking like a hotshotted show to compete with Title Tuesday on TBS.

If AEW does better ratings than NXT? Well, it’s AEW’s biggest weekly show so it should be doing better ratings from a perspective standpoint, and WWE can essentially lay the blame at TNA’s door. If NXT vs. TNA beats AEW in the ratings, it’s a genuine perception changer for TNA. At least, that is how they will try to position themselves ahead of a potential Wednesday night move and WWE will get one over on the only real competition left with zero risk.

Triple H was in charge of NXT when AEW were beating them on television weekly and it led to Vince McMahon completely changing how NXT worked as a brand. With Triple H now in charge of creative on the main roster, there has to at least be a part of him that relishes the idea of sticking it to Tony Khan and AEW Dynamite one more time with “his” brand.

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On the September 10 edition of “AEW Dynamite,” Toni Storm and Skye Blue battled in a Philadelphia Street Fight, which was one of the most extreme matches on the company’s flagship program this year. Kendo sticks, a staple gun, a street sign, and a garbage can were used throughout the contest, but nothing was more gruesome than watching Storm go through a table of mouse traps on the outside of the ring. Storm would eventually pickup the win after twelve minutes of nonstop action, leading AEW President Tony Khan to call the match one of the best street fight’s in women’s wrestling, while putting over the New-Zealand born star as possibly the greatest performer in the industry today.

“One of the greatest hardcore women’s street fights you’ll ever see with Skye Blue challenging the champion, Timeless Tony Storm, who I think is the top star arguably in the entire sport and one of the really important people in AEW,” Khan said in a recent interview with Barstool’s Frank The Tank. “I think one of the really important wrestlers in the world is Timeless Tony Storm who transcends TV and the star stage and screen as well.”

Despite having defeated Blue, Storm would lose the AEW Women’s World Championship in her next match at AEW All Out, as Kris Statlander pinned her to capture the title in a Four Way Match with Jamie Hayter and Thekla.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Frank The Tank Fleming” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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Former North American Champion Tony Dâ€Angelo hasnâ€t been seen on WWE NXT programming in quite some time.

Tony Dâ€Angelo has been a staple of this generation of NXT television since his debut with the brand in 2021. Back in July, the final nail was put into the coffin of the Dâ€Angelo Family storyline when Tony picked up the win over Channing “Stacks†Lorenzo and Luca Crusifino in a triple threat match.

Dâ€Angelo would go on to compete two more times at NXT live events against Anthony Luke before appearing in a segment on the July 29 episode of NXT, where he was confronted by a shadowy figure before disappearing from WWE‘s radar completely. So what on earth happened to The Don of NXT?

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Tony Dâ€Angelo requested time off from WWE, and his absence from the company isnâ€t injury-related.

Tony Dâ€Angelo hopes more people will appreciate his in-ring work

Dâ€Angelo spoke with WrestleZone last year and made it clear that while he appreciates that people love his character, he hopes his in-ring work will get some appreciation as well.

“When fans hear the name Tony Dâ€Angelo, they immediately attach it to the Italian mob, which is fine. I am proud of all the character work and I do work really hard on that stuff. So, I think it is great to be recognized for that,†he explained. “But, I think my in-ring work doesnâ€t get enough recognition for the things I can do, the athlete that I am.

“I was a Division 1 collegiate athlete. I can go if I need to. But, I do, I leave it all in the ring every time. So, I guess that. But, to be honest with you, Iâ€m not really concerned with everybody elseâ€s opinion,†Dâ€Angelo pointed out. “Iâ€m just concerned about getting better myself. I know what I can do. The boss man knows what I can do. And hopefully through my work, shows everybody that I am the full package.â€Â

You can check out our complete interview with Tony Dâ€Angelo in the embedded video below:

READ MORE: WWE, AEW, and TNA Talent ‘Baffled†By Booker Tâ€s Remarks About Jade Cargill

What do you make of this report? Are you happy to hear that Tony Dâ€Angelo has requested this time off from WWE, and heâ€s not out with an injury? Let us know your overall thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.

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A new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletterhas provided an update on the status of WWE superstar Tony D’Angelo, revealing the reason for his ongoing absence from television. “The Don of NXT” has not been seen on programming since mid-July, leading to widespread speculation among fans that he was either injured or being prepared for an imminent call-up to the main roster. However, the new report indicates that his absence is for a much simpler, personal reason.

According to Dave Meltzer’s report, D’Angelo’s absence is not related to any injury. Instead, he is off television because he had “asked for time off.” There was no further indication as to when or on which brand the former NXT North American Champion is expected to make his return to the ring.

D’Angelo’s last televised appearance was on the July 15 episode of WWE NXT. On that night, he was victorious in a triple threat match against his own Family stablemates, Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo and Luca Crusifino. He later appeared in a pre-taped vignette where he seemed to be retiring his “Don” character before being confronted by a mysterious figure shrouded in shadows, leaving his storyline on a major cliffhanger.

His disappearance from television is what fueled the main roster call-up rumors. During his time in NXT, D’Angelo has held the North American Championship, the Heritage Cup, and was a two-time NXT Tag Team Champion. It’s unclear when he will be back.

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As a pro wrestling fan before a wrestling promoter, Tony Khan knows the significance of the arenas he books shows in, and often themes the show around the history of the building. Not too long ago, AEW held shows out of the fabled ECW Arena, where he gave tribute to ECW legend Taz as well as one other notable name. In an episode of his “My World with Jeff Jarrett” podcast, Jeff Jarrett explained how the tributes came to be as well as why they were significant.

“Tony did the, I would call it, the induction of Taz into the…Hardcore Hall of Fame, and so, you know, it’s my understanding that Tony was looking for ‘how do we pay tribute to the history of that arena?'” Jarrett said, adding that Blue Meanie and Jeff Jones explained to him how important the arena was to ECW. “[Tony] came up to me at the wedding and we had a quick conversation, and so I kinda got the heads up and started connecting the dots, and it all came together.”

Jarrett then praised Khan for his knowledge about wrestling and for his efforts to get names like Doug Gilbert, the younger brother of Eddie Gilbert, who booked ECW before Paul Heyman, and for giving a tribute to Eddie as well.Â

“There were so many different stories, and I got a chance to share just one of them in the tribute,” Jarrett noted, explaining how he and Eddie had a lot of history. “He was really good to me, I mean, when he came in and worked the Tennessee territory a couple times. I mean, we go so far back.”

Jeff Jarrett also recalled Sting’s touching tribute to Eddie Gilbert

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Another notable name who made an appearance at the 2300 Arena was none other than “The Icon,” Sting, who also shared history with Eddie Gilbert. Looking back at Sting’s contribution to the tribute, Jeff Jarrett also praised his friend for sharing a story about Gilbert. “I knew, just as a real casual, Jim Hellwig – Ultimate Warrior – Steve Borden – Sting – came to Tennessee and they were the Blade Runners,” he noted, recalling how both men were hired by Bill Watts back in the day. “Immediately, those two guys got paired up with Eddie Gilbert. Behind the scenes, Eddie was booking, loved the business, and he tried to teach them.”

Jarrett noted that Sting’s tribute ended up bringing so much heart to the night and also praised Tony Khan for his vision for the event. “Sting said that it was the two years that he spent with Eddie Gilbert, and the next thing he knows he’s working main events,” Jarret added, recalling how Sting claimed this led to his legendary feud with Ric Flair. “And Sting, honestly and candidly said: ‘When I look on my career and look back on it, and Tony’s mindset to pay tribute’ and Sting admitted, which I thought was just incredibly vulnerable but so real, he’s like: ‘It gave me a real hard look to really think without Eddie’s tutelage and care and passion for the industry, and willing to help me, I don’t know if Sting has the career that he had…'”

‘Without Eddie Gilbert’s vision, is there an ECW?’

Eddie Gilbert’s time as the booker of ECW occurred when the promotion was still known as “Eastern Championship Wrestling,” before breaking away from the NWA and eventually being headed up by Paul Heyman. But, because of this, Jeff Jarrett believes that the legacy of ECW can’t be spoken of without Gilbert. “Eastern Championship Wrestling, the precursor to ECW, Eddie was the driver, Eddie was the visionary, Eddie was the booker,” Jarrett noted. “And so, when you think about Eddie’s position…without Eddie Gilbert’s vision, is there an ECW?”

Jarrett then pivoted back to Tony Khan, pointing out how anybody can be a fan of professional wrestling without knowing stats, but expressed how blown away he is that the AEW President understood the respect and position Gilbert had in the industry. “My hat’s off to Tony, because I’ll say: knowing the straw that stirred the drink, I just got so much respect for that. And Tony? That’s what his tribute was about, let’s pay proper respect to the guy that gave you the straw that really stirred the drink in Philadelphia,” he said. “There would not be an AEW Dynamite, Collision, for three consecutive weeks – a Ring of Honor pay-per-view – in that building had it not been for Eddie Gilbert’s vision.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “My World with Jeff Jarrett” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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In December 2020, AEW star Brodie Lee passed away of pulmonary fibrosis at 41 years old, with his death resulting in a wave of anguish among wrestlers and wrestling fans. Days after his death, AEW held a tribute show in his memory, resulting in one of the more beloved episodes of “AEW Dynamite” in the show’s history. Speaking with Forbes ahead of tonight’s six-year anniversary edition of “Dynamite,” Tony Khan reflected on the impact Lee left on everyone at AEW and around the wrestling world.

“We’re very proud of Mr. Brodie Lee and Jon Huber and what he brought to AEW,” Khan said. “Jon was a great guy in a wonderful family, and he loved wrestling. And it’s a testament to Jon Huber, and Brodie Lee as a wrestler, that the first two things anybody’s going to say about this guy are he loved his family, and he loved wrestling, and the wrestlers and people that he worked with.”

Khan praised Lee for helping invigorate the company in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, when AEW was holding shows with a limited live audience at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Looking back on the tribute show held in the wake of Huber’s death, Khan still feels they succeeded at honoring the wrestler’s legacy.

“I think that’s the singular best event in AEW history,” he stated.

The Brodie Lee Celebration of Life episode of “Dynamite” took place on December 30, 2020 at Daily’s Place. It included five tag team matches featuring people who knew and worked with Lee, and ended with Lee’s wife and two children being awarded a special TNT Championship belt before a tribute video played to close out the show.

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Orange Cassidy discussed his popularity, working with Tony Khan, and his place in AEW history during a recent interview.

Cassidy will challenge Kyle Fletcher for the TNT Championship on AEW Dynamite tonight in Hollywood, Florida. It will be the 6th Anniversary episode of the show, with Cassidy having been a day-one star with the promotion. He told The Sportster that he credits his success to Tony Khan allowing him to present his vision of the character, and to wrestling fans for believing in him even before AEW started.

Cassidy said:

“I think it’s really the fans’ fault because they were very open and receptive before AEW, before Tony Khan really knew who I was, and they were reacting. I think it allowed them to be like, ‘All right, well, if they’re reacting, he must know something that we don’t.’ I was very lucky that the fans were reacting to what I was doing.”

Cassidy noted that he continues to work very close with Khan.

“He still works very close to me about what I’m doing. It’s nice to have your boss understand what you’re doing and facilitate it. I could have got pigeonholed somewhere else. It could have been the same thing we see all the other times, but I think he allowed me to do this stuff because he also knew that I wanted to wrestle, too. That was nice.”

He added that heâ€s grateful for his spot in AEW history, saying that when you think of AEW, you also think of Orange Cassidy.

“I’m just very grateful to be a part of AEW and to be a part of the history. I do like that when you think of AEW, you have to at least think of me, and that feels very special.”

Cassidy also discussed working with Sting, Chris Jericho, and wrestling in Florida. The full interview from The Sportster is available here.

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Image credit:
Tennessee coach Tony Vitello (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)

In this week’s College Baseball Podcast, Jacob Rudner and Peter Flaherty go back and forth to draft 2026 college baseball fantasy teams with four hitters, two starting pitchers and a reliever.

We also discuss recent speculation about Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello as a potential wild card candidate to fill the Giants’ managerial vacancy.

Time Stamps

• (2:48) Tony Vitello’s San Francisco candidacy
• (10:56) Explaining our fantasy draft rules
• (12:32) UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky
• (15:00)Oregon State righty Dax Whitney
• (17:52) TCU outfielder Sawyer Strosnider
• (19:49) Coastal Carolina righty Cameron Flukey
• (22:59) Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia
• (24:47) Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress
• (28:04) UC Santa Barbara righty Jackson Flora
• (32:00) Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese
• (33:56) TCU righty Tommy LaPour
• (37:50) Houston outfielder Tre Broussard
• (40:58) Texas A&M righty MJ Bollinger
• (44:30) LSU lefty Santiago Garcia
• (47:52) Texas Tech outfielder Logan Hughes

Want more podcasts like this one? Subscribe below!

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