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With AEW All Out just hours away, let's take a look at some of the latest news and rumors from the world of All Elite Wrestling.
All Out is set to possibly be AEW's most successful pay-per-view so far and the promotion likely has a couple of surprises up their sleeve. We take a look at rumored debuts and details on why the company didn't pursue the signing of Brock Lesnar when he was a free agent and much more.
#7 More on why AEW didn’t try to sign Brock Lesnar before his WWE return
Dave Meltzer recently had an update on why Tony Khan's promotion didn't approach Brock Lesnar when he was a free agent, before his return at WWE SummerSlam.
According to Meltzer on WON, the main reason the company was not interested in signing Lesnar was because they didn't feel that signing him would be "cost-effective" when you factor in that he would do limited dates. Those inside AEW felt that the it would not be worth the money in the long run once you factor out the initial "shock value" of the move:
"While there were rumors of Lesnar and AEW, they never made sense to me as he’s not cost-effective given AEW’s revenues and he’s he’s not going to work enough dates in AEW to make it pay off past the initial shock value of him being there," said Meltzer.
#6 Daniel Bryan debuting at All Out?
Dave Meltzer has also given an update on Daniel Bryan's debut ahead of All Out. According to Meltzer, at the time of writing, Bryan is set to make his debut at tonight's pay-per-view, something that multiple sources have confirmed. He added that if Daniel Bryan doesn't make his debut tonight, the change in plans will be last minute:
"Obviously Danielson’s debut is not confirmed in the sense by the promotion, but we’ve been told by multiple sources it was scheduled for the show, and Bodyslam.net had been the first to report it publicly. If it doesn’t happen, it would be a change in plans," said Dave Meltzer.
Meltzer also confirmed that the reason Bryan did not make his All Elite Wrestling debut earlier was because he wanted to take the summer off.
#5 Tony Khan recently commented on potential AEW All Out surprises
AEW President and CEO Tony Khan was recently interviewed on Sitting Ringside with David Penzer ahead of All Out. During the interview, he was asked about potential surprises the promotion had planned for tonight's pay-per-view. As expected, Khan did not divulge any details but he stressed that fans should tune in to All Out to check it out and promised a good show:
"Well I can’t say much and I don’t want to tip off anything and I don’t want to create... let’s just say I would strongly recommend everybody orders the pay-per-view. I think it’s going to be an amazing show, the wrestling will be great and there’s gonna be some indelible moments and I promise a great show. I don’t want to necessarily answer that question but I think if everyone tunes into All Out this weekend they are going to get a great show and I’ll leave it at that," said Tony Khan. H/T: WrestlingNewsCO
As we mentioned before, fans already expect Daniel Bryan to be making his debut at the pay-per-view tonight. However, that may not be the only debut at AEW All Out.
#4 Could Ruby Soho also debut at AEW All Out?
Another debut that could happen at AEW All Out later tonight is that of Ruby Soho, who was formerly known as Ruby Riott in WWE. With Julia Hart now out of the Women's Casino Battle Royale, there is another spot open in the match and that could very well be Soho. The 21st entrant aka The Joker is usually a surprise and she fits the bill.
Dave Meltzer gave his take on Ruby Soho possibly debuting at All Out on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:
"Another potential debut is Dori Prange, who was Ruby Riott in WWE, using the name Ruby Soho. Reports from weeks back have indicated her as being in the Casino Battle Royale, likely in the 21st spot, which AEW always tries to deliver a surprise in. Khan did indicate there would be a surprise in that match," said Dave Meltzer.
Ruby Soho has been teasing her return through a series of vignettes on her Twitter and a move to All Elite Wrestling is definitely a possibility. You can check out her latest vignette above.
#3 AEW's CM Punk would love to see AJ Lee back inside the ring but it's unlikely
CM Punk is set to return to the ring after more than seven years at AEW All Out when he takes on Darby Allin. Ahead of his return to the squared circle, Punk was a guest on Moose & Maggie where he was asked about the possibility of his wife AJ Mendez, fka AJ Lee, also returning to the ring.
Punk said that while he would love to see Lee back in the squared circle, it was unlikely because of both her successful career outside of wrestling as well as her "bad neck":
"I would love to see it. I get asked that question every single time I do an interview and I love it. I absolutely love it. I don’t (think she wants to do it), because she’s a teeny tiny person and she has a bad neck. I think the shelf life for females in wrestling, wrestling a full schedule, is a lot shorter, it’s a lot smaller then men. And I think she’s so focused on what she’s doing now, writing screenplays. She’s working on a million different projects, being pulled in so many directions. I think she would probably, maybe be receptive to the idea of coming back, but that can’t even enter her vocabulary right now. She’s so focused on the movie scripts and TV adaptation of a book she’s working on," said CM Punk. H/T: WrestlingINC
Tune in to AEW All Out later tonight to see CM Punk make his long-awaited return to the ring.
#2 AEW star QT Marshall on his Vince McMahon impression
In a recent interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling, AEW's QT Marshall opened up about his Vince McMahon impression which we saw on Sammy Guevara's vlog. Marshall said that it was a response to WWE's talent cuts, adding that he had definitely meant no disrespect by it:
"With all those cuts that they did, and they are like 'Oh we are going to back to the old system.' I read the same reports as others. I just thought it was a good bit. So we'd like to rib on the square on Sammy's vlog. And I didn't mean any disrespect by it, but at the same time, we thought it was hilarious. And Duke, the delivery guy, he's a great talent from Pittsburgh, and he was all for it. So, it made for a good bit. I didn't realize it was going to get as much traction as it did. What are the odds that hired rhymes with fire? So it was an easy one, 'you're hired' (impersonates Vince McMahon)," said QT Marshall.
QT Marshall will face wrestling legend Paul Wight at AEW All Out. This will be Wight's first match inside an All Elite Wrestling ring. During the interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling, Marshall also opened up about being the former Big Show's first AEW opponent. You can check that out HERE.
#1 Booker T suggests that Adam Cole should hold off his rumored AEW debut for a bit
In a recent edition of his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T addressed rumors that Adam Cole is heading to AEW. He had a very interesting take on the situation, suggesting that it would be better if Cole holds off his All Elite Wrestling debut for a bit.
The Hall of Famer suggested that Cole should hold off his AEW debut until the hype around CM Punk's return and Daniel Bryan's rumored debut dies down so that he could make the biggest impact possible:
"For instance, if he was to come to AEW, after the CM Punk news for the last week and of course it is rumored that Daniel Bryan will be making his debut sometime soon... that's going to be another cycle of news - Daniel Byran making his debut. I think to jump in right behind those guys, it can't help you, you know what I mean? A little bit of time, a little bit of space in between, definitely I think would help him - go to Japan, work over there for a little while and then make a huge Y2J entrance, like he did back in the day and pop the whole crowd. Definitely like I said, he has got a bright future," said Booker T.
Booker added that he's a big fan of Adam Cole and sees him being a vital part of whichever promotion he decides to sign with.
