Carlos Cabrera, the long-time WWE Spanish announcer, is no longer with the company after it was revealed today that WWE released him after 29 years of service.
The news was originally broken by another former WWE announcer, Hugo Savinovich, through his Lucha Libre Online website.
Cabrera, who is 62 years old, has done commentary for pretty much every WWE show, including pay-per-views, in his three-decade career there and had a front row seat to some of the wildest Spanish announce table crashes throughout the years.
Marcelo Rodriguez and Jerry Soto will be the new Spanish announce team. Rodriguez replaced Savinovich when he was let go from WWE in 2011.
On January 17, 2022, Sean Ross Sapp from Fightful Wrestling uploaded a post on his Fightful Select subscription service saying Cody Rhodes was a free agent.
What?
Yes, Cody Rhodes had been working without a contract and for 17 days he had been a free agent. The same Cody Rhodes who was an Executive Vice President with All Elite Wrestling. The same Cody Rhodes who co-founded All Elite Wrestling. The same Cody Rhodes who took a challenge from Dave Meltzer on Twitter once of filling up a 10,000-seater arena, put it on a pay-per-view, called it All In, and kickstarted a revolution that today is known as All Elite Wrestling.
But somehow, someway, in January 2022, Cody Rhodes became a free agent while still holding the TNT title. Dave Meltzer of the Observer blamed it on COVID-19 and logistics and mentioned how Cody has not been there in person to sign the deal and it was only a matter of days until he puts pen to paper.
What should have been red flag #1 is the fact that AEW was not using Cody anymore in their marketing material to promote Dynamite or Rampage live events. His face vanished from the posters where as before he was always part of the line up.
Cody was supposed to defend that title at Battle of the Belts against Sammy Guevara, the man who he took the title from on the Christmas Day episode of Rampage. As luck would have it, someone from Cody’s family got coronavirus and he had to self isolate at his home, missing the TNT special. Up until that time, no one knew that Cody was a free agent.
Then AEW did something that should have been red flag #2. Instead of postponing the match, they had Sammy Guevara against Dustin Rhodes for an interim TNT title. Yes, AEW created an interim title because their champion was unavailable…for two weeks.
Who does that anyway?
Where they already thinking that Cody would not return on television? Why create an interim title when he was only going to be out for two weeks?
The day after word came out that Cody was a free agent, AEW promoted Rhodes’ return on Dynamite. On the show, Rhodes, dressed as a professional as always, and standing in front of a gigantic ladder, dropped what should have been red flag #3.
“Someone told me to save this promo but I honestly don’t know if I’ll ever get the chance so I’m going to do it now,” Cody said.
If he’ll ever get the chance? Hello? Alarm bells, anyone? No? Okay…
Briefly interrupted by “Royal Rumble” chants, Rhodes talked extensively about CM Punk’s pipe bomb from several years ago on WWE television. He said in Punk’s absence, someone did all the things Punk said he wanted to do in the pipe bomb segment.
“I did them,” Cody said emphatically as he turned around to face the hard camera. “I carried every ounce of anti-monopoly sentiment on my shoulders. I held every grade of the revolution in my hand and each and every one of you cheered.”
He then continued, “People talk about the forbidden door. It’s a proper noun. It’s vernacular. But if you’re an industry journalist who covers what we do and you disagree with anything that I say here tonight, then you’re not a journalist. As this generation likes to say, check the receipts, check the dates. Before there was a forbidden door, I was the one who built it!”
That was the last time Cody Rhodes spoke to the AEW audience. Fast forward a week later and on Beach Break themed episode of Dynamite, Cody and Sammy had a banger of a match and Cody dropped the TNT title a month after regaining it. That was the last time Cody Rhodes wrestled in front of an AEW audience, and the last time Cody appeared on AEW television.
No, Cody did not show up at the Royal Rumble and only those who had some wild fantasies in their head thought he was going to be one of the 30 entrants.
On Friday, February 11, different insiders began getting weird messages about something big that was going to happen. Funny enough, it came from the WWE side so naturally, everyone thought something WWE-related was blowing up. It didn’t take long for them to realize that it wasn’t WWE-related, but it was Cody and Brandi Rhodes leaving All Elite Wrestling.
According to different sources, all parties and their respective lawyers held crunch meetings during the weekend. Cody wanted money, the same kind of money that Khan was splashing on the likes of CM Punk, Jon Moxley, and Bryan Danielson. Khan, for whatever reason, didn’t think Cody was worth that money and held his ground.
At 10AM on Tuesday, a trio of statements were released: one from Cody, one from Brandi, and one from Tony Khan. All three played nice, thanking each other, and acknowledging the contributions they made. Cody even called Tony a “beautiful soul.”
Leaving with Cody was his wife, Brandi, who has also been part of the AEW family since day one. Like her husband, Brandi’s deal expired at the end of 2021. She held the role of Chief Brand Officer and was also an on-air character. Just a few weeks ago, Brandi was involved in a segment with Dan Lambert of American Top Team and as always, the crowd did not appreciate her presence.
“Shut the f*ck up, shut the f*ck up,” chanted the Chicago crowd. Lambert, who’s usually the anti-AEW heel, found himself as the face in the segment. Brandi, for whatever reason, heeled on the crowd from the first minute by naming a different city. MMA star Paige VanZant then proceeded to beat her up, with the two seemingly in a start of a program which would lead to a match down the road.
The rumors of disagreements between Cody and Tony Khan had been brewing for around a year. Cody, an integral part of the AEW inner circle, had most of his powers stripped, powers that eventually were taken over by Khan himself. Booking was a major sticking point as Khan – and he boasts this every time he can – is the sole person who makes decisions and writes the shows. That did not sit well with Cody and his EVP status was quickly being eroded.
Cody’s relationship with The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega did not help either. At one point last year, Cody did not speak with the trio and vice versa. Matt and Nick Jackson and Kenny Omega are super tight and it became a one vs three affair with Cody being the odd one out. There was no way he was going to win that war although the icy relationship got better over time, but nowhere near what it used to be.
As Andrew Zarian of Mat Men Podcast put it, WWE was waiving the victory flag when all this blew over during the weekend. It turns out that Cody and his camp were already in discussions with WWE and that’s the only way WWE would have known that Cody and Brandi were exiting AEW stage left.
If Cody does end up going to WWE, and for all intents and purposes, this is where it’s heading, it will be a major victory for WWE and a major loss for AEW. Now, this is the wrestling industry, and anything can happen, and Cody might change his mind and not go to WWE at all, but when you do all this and reach this point, you’re basically at a point of nearly no return.
Why a major loss for AEW? Here, you have your former Executive Vice President, one of the founders of the company, who at every opportunity took a shot at his former employer on national television – be it on the mic or smashing a throne with a sledgehammer in a direct shot at Triple H – on your airtime, who is now leaving the promotion which he helped create and going back to the very same company which gave him his start and the very same company which he bashed for the past three years.
Fans might say that the mass exodus from WWE to AEW shows how bad it is over at WWE. And they’re probably right. But when you have the above scenario it looks just as bad, if not worse. Public perception is everything. For them, it’s Cody who quit the greener pastures of AEW to go back to devil, WWE. For that scenario to happen, how bad was it for Cody in AEW?
The flow of stars crossing over from WWE to AEW has been steady. Jon Moxley, Malakai Black, Andrade, Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, Kyle O’Reilly, Christian Cage, Paul “Big Show” Wight, Mark Henry, and the list goes on and on. These are only people who either their contract expired or who requested their release, and we’re not even counting those who were fired and moved over, such as the likes of Miro, Bobby Fish, Ruby Soho, Shawn Spears, FTR, etc.
There has not been one AEW star who went the other way. And as things stand, there’s no bigger star than Cody Rhodes who WWE would want to be the first one. Their co-founder. Their EVP.
Cody had a pretty secure job, an office job and an on-screen role. He’s part of the TNT Go Big Show series and also had an offer for a second season of his own reality TV show Rhodes To The Top. Go Big Show is already airing on TNT and you can bet there’s no season two of Rhodes To The Top coming. Besides, WarnerMedia never officially announced a season two pick up.
But you don’t quit just because of money. Problems have to run way deeper than that to bolt to your prior job, a job which made you wear a costume and makeup and called you Stardust and a job which you requested to leave back in 2016.
But as things stand, that’s the road Cody is willing to walk. There are rumors that Cody will be at the Performance Center as early as this weekend to start filming promotional material. Those remain rumors as there’s no word that he’s officially signed to a WWE deal. With his contract expired, there is no no-compete clause so technically, he can appear anywhere at any time.
Will Cody be a success in WWE? There’s no reason to believe not to. Vince is not paying someone a truckload of money to have him chase the 24/7 title. The Cody that left in 2016 is not the Cody of 2022. People like Drew McIntyre and Bobby Lashley left WWE after being booked poorly, made an even bigger name for themselves without the WWE marketing machine behind them, came back, and took the fed by storm.
Time will tell if Cody will follow the same path. Cody is now 36 years old and over the next few years he can make millions of dollars that otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to make in AEW. You have to strike the iron while it’s hot, and if you want to make quick money, WWE is the place to be right now.
One thing is for sure, you better buckle up, because we’re in for a ride…
…actually, two things are for sure: No matter how bad you diss them, at the end of the day, everyone goes back to WWE.
WWE today announced a multi-year agreement that will make Fiterman Sports Group the Official Autograph Partner of WWE in the United States and Canada. This is WWE’s first partnership of its kind in the autograph space.
The agreement is effective immediately and will include autograph signing sessions featuring WWE Superstars, Legends and Hall of Famers. Fiterman Sports Group and WWE have previously collaborated on signing events highlighted by WWE Legend The Undertaker, Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch.
“Fiterman Sports Group has a proven track record in the sports memorabilia industry, and we are excited for this partnership to deliver our fans top-notch autograph experiences with the WWE Superstars they passionately support,” said Scott Zanghellini, WWE Senior Vice President, Revenue Strategy & Development.
“Our industry is growing every day and with this one-of-a-kind partnership with WWE, Fiterman Sports is looking forward to creating new meet-and-greet experiences between the WWE Superstars and their fans across the country,” said Ryan Fiterman, Founder & CEO, Fiterman Sports Group. “The Fiterman Sports team is very excited to begin this journey with WWE.”
Deadline.com is reporting that John Cena is set to take the leading role in the Warner Bros Looney Tunes animated hybrid movie Coyote vs. Acme.
Dave Green will be directing the movie with a screenplay from Samy Burch. Chris DeFaria and James Gunn are producing the film which is set to be released on July 21, 2023.
According to Deadline, “the film follows Wile E. Coyote, who after ACME products fail him one too many times in his dogged pursuit of the Roadrunner, decides to hires a billboard lawyer to sue the ACME Corporation. The case pits Wile E. and his lawyer against the latter’s intimidating former boss (Cena), but a growing friendship between man and cartoon stokes their determination to win.”
Coffee helps to wake up and adjust to work, accompanies business conversations and meetings with friends, warms and boosts the spirits of millions of people worldwide. The coffee industry moves with the times of the world tendencies, expanding them with coffee trends. Coffee fans are open to new ideas and follow new brewing and consuming coffee trends. Cafes and shops try to meet clients’ requirements and do their best to increase sales.
What Are The Trends In The Coffee Industry?
The main topic in the last couple of years has been coffee bean new processing methods. This trend is hard to call just a fashion. Instead, it is an evolution of the entire coffee industry. In the beginning, it was enough to grow coffee and use a natural fermentation process. But now, the era of experiments with coffee bean processing has begun. The moment is coming when bean fermentation will no longer be something separate and “for a narrow circle of coffee lovers.”
Brewing Methods
The way you brew coffee determines its taste. The brewing process can turn into a real show or performance. For example, the basis for the preparation of Chemex is an ordinary laboratory flask made of glass. It looks very stylish. Cold brew coffee is also at the peak of its popularity in 2022. The drink has exceptional softness and unique taste.
Nitro Coffee
Nitrogen-saturated coffee is the undisputed market leader and bestseller in today’s market. It comes in kegs and looks very unusual. Nitro coffee is only found in very advanced institutions.
Vegan Coffee
To keep customers and attract new ones, coffee shops introduce new products. These products meet the new needs of food and beverages that cater to vegans, vegetarians, people who prefer gluten-free foods, and others with special dietary needs and preferences. Therefore, you can see a vast spread of espresso-based cocktails with almond, oat, rice, and other alternative milk products.
Organic Coffee
Consumer demand for organic coffee grows. People are increasingly aware of the origins of products and try to learn how their coffee gets to them. Most leading producers support adequate supply and vote for fair trade and transparency. People go for organically pure coffee in environmentally friendly packaging.
Snapchilled Coffee
Freshness is essential, especially in warm weather or places of active recreation. If you feel like you want to chill up in the hot season, the cold brewing method will suit you the best. This is the procedure when a freshly brewed drink cools down quickly for the brightest taste and aroma. It takes less time to make Snapchilled coffee than to make cold coffee, and you don’t need to dilute the drink by adding a cube of ice. Expect this trend to become more common in coffee shops worldwide in 2022.
Snacks For Coffee
Forget about the classic duo “coffee + sweets” this year. Gourmets choose unusual combinations. For example, coffee with dry chicken and other gourmet savory dishes are often ordered in America. People like spicy and exciting tastes.
Multiformat
In classic coffee shops, attendance falls after 5 pm. To increase sales, the owners of many cafeterias buy a license for alcohol to surprise guests with cocktails and an extensive wine list.
Coffee has been a trendy beverage for a long time and remains so. Its attractiveness to new audiences will grow with more convenient ways to use it and a greater variety of coffee blends and flavors.
Actor Martin Kove, better known to fans as Sensei John Kreese from the popular Netflix series Cobra Kai, made a cameo appearance on Dynamite last night.
In a backstage segment, Britt Baker said that she’s officially the most powerful female in all of professional wrestling, with the best squad…and the best sensei. Britt was sporting a Cobra Kai logo shirt and then all of a sudden Kove walked in the frame.
Mercedes Martinez, who was also part of the segment, said it was time to murder a bitch and Baker then asked Kove what if she loses to Thunder Rosa?
“You know what to do. Finish her. No mercy,” he said in his Kreese character.
After the Rosa and Martinez match ended, Baker asked Kove at ringside what happens next. “I told you she was weak. Now finish her,” he said. At that point, Baker made the cut throat hand signal and Jamie Hayter and Rebel attacked Thunder Rosa and then took down Mercedes Martinez as well.
NXT had a small rebound in the numbers this week on SyFy, with the Vengeance Day episode getting 525,000 viewers, up 125,000 from last week’s record low of 400,000. The show drew a 0.11 rating in the 18-49 demo, up 0.04 from the previous week and finished #48 in the top 50 cable chart. NXT returns on USA Network next week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Impact’s Josh Alexander announced on social media that his contract with the promotion has expired and his American working visa expired too which meant that he had to leave the country.
Alexander, who was supposed to be part of Team Impact this Saturday in their match against Team Honor No More, was removed from the match last week, and everyone assumed it for a storyline purpose. But it was no storyline and Alexander, who is Canadian, couldn’t legally stay in the United States without a working visa and therefore he had to leave since there was no new contract available for him yet.
The former Impact World champion will also be missing some indie dates as he needs a full-time contract to be able to perform.
Alexander worked for Impact Wrestling for the past four years and won the X Division and Impact World title.
He was name dropped by former AEW Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes a few weeks ago on Dynamite as she told his former tag team partner Ethan Page they only hired him to eventually get to Alexander.
CM Punk and MJF will be settling their feud in the second dog collar match in AEW history at the upcoming Revolution pay-per-view next month.
Punk, who opened Dynamite last night with a promo, said since MJF likes to emulate Roddy Piper, he’ll give him a match which Piper was famous for. He had a box with him and when he opened it he took out the dog collars. The former WWE champion also showed everyone a photo of a very young MJF standing next to him from several years ago and warned him that at Revolution, he will pay a much higher price than he did when he paid for that photo op.
MJF came out to give his response but for the first time, he had no words and left without uttering a word.
Later in the broadcast, Tony Schiavone said that the match was official for Revolution.
MJF beat CM Punk twice in Chicago earlier this month, first with a choke hold assisted by a rope and then the match was restarted and MJF won again after hitting Punk with the Dynamite diamond ring and covered him for the three count. This was Punk’s first loss in AEW.
The first AEW dog collar match was between Cody Rhodes and Brodie Lee for the TNT title and the match was acknowledged on television despite Rhodes leaving.
The first post-Cody and Brandi episode of Dynamite takes place live tonight on TBS.
Five matches have already been announced for the broadcast, including a TNT title match between Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin which will headline the show.
Other matches set include Wardlow vs Max Caster in a Face of the Revolution qualifier, Mercedes Martinez vs Thunder Rosa, Chris Jericho and Jake Hager vs Santana and Ortiz, and Bryan Danielson vs Lee Moriarty.
Plus, CM Punk will be deciding the time, place, and rules for his re-match against MJF.
Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated broke the story today that “every indication” is that Cody Rhodes is on his way to WWE and “potentially even as soon as filming segments at the Performance Center this weekend.”
With people in WWE knowing beforehand that Cody was leaving AEW last week, it suggests that the two sides were already in discussion before he even officially left. Cody has been a free agent since the end of 2021 so legally he was able to talk with anyone even though he was still appearing on AEW television.
Barrasso also adds that his wife Brandi is not expected to be heading over to WWE, at least not for now. With Brandi delivering a baby last year, it could be that the former AEW Chief Brand Officer will take a hiatus for now.
Of course, nothing is 100% confirmed until Rhodes signs on the dotted line but as things stand, the plan is to return to the place where he started his professional wrestling career. As reported before, Rhodes did not shy away from blasting WWE at every opportunity on AEW TV so it will be interesting how this evolves.
If Cody does end up back in WWE it will mark the first time that a major AEW talent went the other way. So far, traffic has flowed one way with many former WWE talent seeking greener pastures over at AEW.
But as the saying goes, the grass is always greener on the other side.
John Cena’s Peacemaker series on HBO Max has been renewed for a second season. The news was announced by WarnerMedia today in a press release.
The eight-episode first season of the DC spinoff series premiered on Thursday, January 13 and will have its finale on February 17. Gunn will direct and write all episodes for season two.
“Creating Peacemaker has been one of the true highlights of my life, both professionally and otherwise, with John Cena and the incredible creative team around me, as well as our partners at HBO Max. To have something we all love so much be loved by the audience in turn has been a wonderful experience. I can’t wait for folks to see where Team Peacemaker goes in Season Two,” said Gunn.
Joh Cena added, “I am incredibly honored and humbled by the response to Peacemaker and the experience of playing this character. Thank you to James Gunn, Peter Safran, HBO Max, the crew, and my castmates who worked tirelessly to make this unforgettable series.”
Peacemaker follows the explosive escapades of the character that John Cena reprises in the aftermath of James Gunn’s 2021 film The Suicide Squad – a compellingly vainglorious man who believes in peace at any cost, no matter how many people he has to kill to get it.
The duo of Nigel McGuinness and new hire Sudu Shah will be doing the commentary for the NXT Level Up show while Alicia Taylor and Kelly Kincaid, formerly known as Quinn McKay in Ring of Honor, will be handling the ring announcing.
Shah was introduced as the new voice of 205 Live just late last month. He previously worked for FOX 5 Atlanta as a sports producer and journalist as well as sports anchor and reporter for WMC-TV in Memphis.
Meanwhile, Kincaid was making her WWE television debut at the tapings. She previously worked for ROH as a backstage interviewer and doing commentary. She is also a wrestler and made her pro wrestling debut in 2018.
WWE also unveiled the logo of the show which consists of the words LVL UP with the L and U joining together to form an up arrow.
Wade Keller of the Pro Wrestling Torch said that one of the main reasons that Cody Rhodes decided to split from AEW was because of money and the two parties could not agree on a deal.
Rhodes apparently wanted a big-money contract similar to what stars such as CM Punk and Bryan Danielson are getting but AEW President Tony Khan was not willing to match that contract for Cody and after weeks and weeks of negotiations, things went south during the weekend which led to the departure of both Cody and his wife Brandi.
Rumors are, according to another story by TMZ, that Cody and Tony also butted heads a lot and the two were not on the same page for a very long time. It was no secret that the four EVPs – Cody, Omega, and The Bucks – were not very friendly with Cody usually being the odd one out as Omega and the Jackson brothers are tight.
Keller of The Torch also said that Brandi Rhodes was not liked backstage by anyone and she was not seen as “an asset on camera, in the ring, or behind the scenes.”
That statement was quickly shot down by Nyla Rose and Red Velvet, who jumped to Brandi’s defense.
“This is just flat out some bullshit. Brandi was liked by many people backstage including myself. Is she a polarizing character, for sure… but don’t work yourself into a shoot. You want a hot scoop from the source, well here it is. Stop making shit up,” Rose wrote.
Velvet also contradicted Keller’s report, saying, “Me and I think it’s very disrespectful and rude how you guys can make comments and have people believe things that are not true! Back off and just be happy for people in their new endeavors. Good day!”
Meanwhile, Amanda Huber, the wife of the late Jon “Brodie Lee” Huber, also shot down rumors that the whole thing is a work.
Huber, who works for AEW’s community relations department, said that she endured a frustrating 24 hours seeing people saying this is all a work.
“It’s not,” she wrote. “I’ve been in pro wrestling at 20 years this spring. I have no reason to ‘work’ an angle from my community position.”
All Elite Wrestling announced that they will be hosting a concert during the Revolution pay-per-view weekend in Orlando.
Titled AEW Music LIVE!, the event will take place on Saturday, March 5 at The Venue at University of Central Florida and will cost $20 for a general admission ticket.
The concert, which will have performances by AEW music producer Mikey Rukus, Monetary and Wrestle and Flow, will feature original AEW theme songs and some tracks from the Who We Are: A Celebration of Excellence music album which AEW is releasing this month.
A live band will be providing the soundtrack to the concert.
AEW will have a live Rampage on Friday and a Fan Fest on Saturday afternoon at the Addition Financial Arena before presenting Revolution on Sunday, March 6.
Monday Night Raw rebounded in the ratings this week, getting an average of 1,601,000 viewers for another episode on SyFy, up 214,000 viewers from the prior week.
The first hour started with 1,694,000 viewers and then increased to 1,709,000 viewers, before ending the night with 1,402,000 viewers. Raw lost 307,000 viewers from the second to third hour, one of the biggest hourly drops.
The show was #1, #2, and #3 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic with 0.47, 0.46, and 0.39 ratings respectively for an average of 0.44, up 0.08 from last week. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
The 205 Live weekly TV show on the WWE Network is no longer and the series has been binned in favor of a new name: NXT Level Up.
205 Live made its debut in November 2016 to showcase the WWE Cruiserweight division and went from being taped with Raw, to being taped before and after Smackdown, and eventually taped with NXT.
Over the past few months though, the show lost its identity and it was neither for just cruisers who were 205 and under nor was it live anymore.
In total there were 270 episodes of 205 Live recorded and the last episode was last Friday.
NXT: Level Up was taped yesterday along with Vengeance Day and will debut this coming Friday on the WWE Network and Peacock.
WWE applied to trademark the name Level Up a few weeks ago and the show will now feature up-and-coming talent who are signed to developmental deals among others in NXT.
NXT is back with Vengeance Day live tonight at 8PM ET and just like last week, the show is on SyFy and not USA Network due to Winter Olympics coverage.
Headlining the show will be a match for the NXT title as Bron Breakker defends his gold for the first time against Santos Escobar. Cameron Grimes will take a shot at the North American title in a match against Carmelo Hayes while Toxic Attraction defend their NXT Women’s Tag Team titles against Indi Hartwell and Persia Pirotta. The two other matches on the card involve Pete Dunne vs Tony D’Angelo in a weaponized steel cage match and MSK vs The Creed Brothers in the final of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
NXT returns to USA Network next week in its usual time slot.
Journalist Ariel Helwani of The MMA Hour is reporting that Cody Rhodes is in discussion with WWE for a shocking return to the company.
The news that both Cody and his wife Brandi departed All Elite Wrestling today sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling industry, a scenario which many thought would not happen just over two years since they co-founded the promotion they worked so hard to build.
Sources indicated that negotiations between Cody and AEW broke down totally yesterday at which point it was decided that all parties would part ways. One of the biggest sticking points was money, as Cody wanted a certain amount and Tony Khan was not ready to spend as much to keep him. Sean Ross Sapp from Fightful also adds that Cody had already talked to WWE before yesterday’s decision to completely leave AEW.
As Vince McMahon says, never say never in the wrestling business and even the company’s harshest critics such as Bret “Hit Man” Hart, the late Ultimate Warrior, Goldberg, and many others, all returned to the company at some point.
The former two-time TNT champion never held back in criticizing WWE on live television, most recently taking a jab at the company when they renamed Walter to Gunther. He also famously destroyed a throne with a sledgehammer in his first entrance for AEW, a dig at Triple H.
The news of Cody negotiating a potential return with WWE was later confirmed by other sources. If Cody does end up in WWE, it would be the first AEW defection as traffic has been only the other way round so far.
The second Battle of the Belts will not be a live broadcast and instead it will be taped following a live Rampage on Friday, April 15. The show will then air on TNT on Saturday, April 16.
AEW is doing a double header taping at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas, for these two shows with tickets starting at just $30 plus fees. Tickets go on sale on Friday, February 25 at 10AM CT at AEWTix.com.
The first Battle of the Belts was held last month on January 8 at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina and was headlined by Sammy Guevara defeating Dustin Rhodes to become the interim TNT champion.
The one-hour broadcast is part of an updated television deal between AEW and WarnerMedia which will see four Battle of the Belts specials per year.
