'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Welcome back to yet another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's AEW News and Rumor Roundup! Today, let's look at stories, reports, and comments about top industry figures, including "Timeless" Toni Storm, Brock Lesnar, Ricochet, and more.
There's a lot to explore in this list, including news of a top prospect's contractual status and potential new additions to the Tony Khan-led promotion's roster. So, without any further ado, let's jump right in.
#5. Update on Willow Nightingale's AEW contract
Few names from All Elite Wrestling's roster have managed to capture the admiration and support of fans like Willow Nightingale has. The Babe with The Power is regularly alluded to as a star the company should build the future of its women's division around, especially now that one of its most prominent faces as of late is rumored to be WWE-bound.
Trending
Look who just shut down all of Tony Khan's critics! More HERE.
Incidentally, it was reported recently that Willow's AEW contract would expire later this year. The update also noted that the promotion would be trying to retain her services.
It remains to be seen if Nightingale will continue her All Elite tenure and if the company will finally kickstart her push to the Women's World Title scene, something that fans have been demanding for some time now.
#4. Ricochet references Brock Lesnar on Collision
Ricochet rolled into AEW Collision this week to face and defeat Angelico in singles competition. After the bout, The Excellence of Elevation grabbed a mic and aimed at the live audience in the Masonic Temple Theatre in Detroit.
He eventually shifted his focus to former WWE Superstar and Michigan native Zach Gowen, who was in attendance. The high-flyer fired a shot at the 42-year-old by alluding to the beating he sustained at the hands of Brock Lesnar in 2003.
Ricochet was likely referencing the time Zach picked up a disqualification win over The Beast Incarnate on the August 21, 2003, edition of SmackDown in Detroit, in the course of which he was brutalized by Lesnar. The One and Only eventually vented his frustrations on some security officials, and when Gowen tried to intervene on their behalf, Ricochet took him out and even stole his prosthetic leg.
The two men will square off next week at AEW Dynamite: Beach Break.
#3. Bea Priestley on AEW talks and her relationship with Toni Storm
Bea Priestley made several appearances in All Elite Wrestling during its debut year, working both singles and tag matches featuring Riho, Britt Baker, Kris Statlander, Penelope Ford, and more. She wrestled one tag team bout on Dynamite in March 2020, but her time with the promotion came to an end that same year.
In 2021, she joined WWE, where she started appearing under the ring name Blair Davenport. The 29-year-old was featured on NXT UK and eventually on NXT before being drafted to Friday Night SmackDown in 2024. However, her run on the blue brand was brief, and this past February, news broke that the Stamford-based company had released her.
During a recent interview with Cultaholic, Priestley spoke about her close friendship with AEW Women's World Champion Toni Storm while discussing her willingness to engage in talks with the Jacksonville-based company.
"Everyone knows how close me [SIC] and Toni [Storm] are. We're like sisters at this point. She lives in Orlando as well; we see each other fairly often. But I'm also along the lines of, I'm definitely open to having conversations,'' she said. [H/T: Cultaholic]
#2. Prospects of Dakota Kai turning All Elite
Several WWE Superstars were let go recently as a part of the Sports Entertainment juggernaut's latest set of cuts. To the shock of many, the list included Dakota Kai, who had last competed for the company on a March taping of Main Event and who had incidentally shared a social media post last month referencing her ongoing hiatus.
Recently, veteran journalist Dave Meltzer noted that sources in WWE were of the view that Dakota could end up in All Elite Wrestling and lend her credibility to the promotion's burgeoning women's division. However, whether Tony Khan will extend an offer to Kai after the latter passed on his company in favor of rejoining WWE in 2022 remains to be seen.
#1. Rhino praises Tony Khan after AEW debut
WWE and ECW legend Rhino shocked wrestling fans when his AEW debut was announced for this week's episode of Dynamite. The Man-Beast showed up in Detroit, Michigan, this past Wednesday to challenge Nick Wayne for the latter's ROH World Television Championship. Unfortunately, his first outing in the company ended in a loss, as The Prodigy dodged the fearsome "gore" and planted the veteran with the Killswitch for the victory.
Appearing on a recent edition of The WHIP Show Podcast, Rhino voiced his appreciation for AEW CEO Tony Khan for taking good care of his employees, stating:
“One of the things that I really love about AEW and Tony Khan is not only his passion for wrestling and the direction that he’s taken All Elite Wrestling, but how he really, really cares about the talent, you know? And how I’ve seen him take care of some families and stuff, and he didn’t have to." [H/T: 411Mania]
The War Machine also reportedly wrestled multiple matches for this week's ROH tapings.
