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Cody and the Young Bucks announced their new promotion All Elite Wrestling on January 1st on their YouTube channel 'Being the Elite' and since then the wrestling world has been busy speculating what that will mean for professional wrestling and what 'The Elite' have got planned for us all.
They announced their first show, a sequel to 'All In' titled 'Double or Nothing' and that they'd be holding an AEW rally in Jacksonville, Florida to make some huge announcements and boy did they deliver on those huge announcements.
We got some signing announcements, an idea of which divisions the company will have, and we got one or two major surprises. So, did All Elite Wrestling's rally deliver on their promise to change the world? Well, let's look at 5 of the most jaw-dropping announcements to come from Cody and the Bucks and you tell me!
We're also going to look at a couple of things that weren't announced that everyone was expecting. What were the AEW rally's glaring omissions?
#6. Double or Nothing date and location
All In was a huge success, something that started as a bet between Cody Rhodes and wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer quickly turned into an independent wrestling resistance movement and a very, very good show.
With that in mind hype for their next show 'Double or Nothing' was especially high since it was announced on January 1st, but the rest of the details surrounding when that show would take place and where were scarce, until now!
Cody and the Bucks took to the stage and made the announcement together that 'Double or Nothing' will take place on May 25th in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand arena. This is a big deal because it's the perfect place to continue the 'gambling' theme and it has a capacity of around 17,000 which means they're aiming to eclipse their 'All In' attendance.
#5. The women will be paid the same as the men; women's division announced
At the start of the rally, Cody took to the stage to announce that gone are the days of professional wrestlers not being paid well. However, Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes went one step further by announcing that AEW will be a completely equal wrestling promotion with female wrestlers being paid the same as male wrestlers.
She also announced that AEW would have a women's division that she would be part of as an active wrestler as well as her backstage role, before saying that she was casting a wide net to secure the top female talent in the world.
She then introduced the first signing for the AEW women's division, one of the stars of the Fatal Fourway women's match at 'All In' Britt Baker.
#4. MJF, Joey Janela and Penelope Ford sign with AEW
'The Bad Boy' Joey Janela, Penelope Ford and MJF who were all standouts at 'All In' appeared during the AEW 'Double or Nothing' rally to confirm that they had signed with All Elite Wrestling.
MJF interrupted Conrad Thompson who was MC'ing the event, and was just typically awful to him and the crowd until the Jacksonville Jaguar's mascot interrupted, distracting MJF long enough for Janela and Ford to appear and knock him out.
These are great additions to the roster for AEW, but I'm a little confused about MJF's status as I thought he was signed to Major League Wrestling (MLW)
#3. Two former WWE champions surprise the world at the AEW rally; Dragon Gate partnership?
We knew there'd be some surprises and the AEW rally certainly didn't disappoint with Chris Jericho and Pac making surprise appearances throughout the rally to announce their involvement in the new promotion.
Pac arrived to interrupt Adam 'Hangman' Page who announced he wanted to be the first ever All Elite Wrestling champion, this was something Pac took exception to. The two squared off, hinting at our first major title feud for the promotion.
Interestingly, Pac was holding his Dragon Gate title, which is leading many to believe that AEW will be partnering with Dragon Gate, an interesting development given that NJPW reportedly opted to continue their relationship with ROH instead.
Jericho ended the rally with a bombastic firework display and announced he was 'All In'. Oh yeah, that's one more thing. This promotion will probably have a LOT of pyro.
#2. Where is Kenny Omega?
Everyone in the world thought that the ongoing saga surrounding Kenny Omega and the choice he has to make between AEW, NJPW and WWE would end today with the AEW rally clearing up the 'Best Bout Machine's' future.
Instead, he wasn't mentioned at all and didn't make an appearance (unless he was in the Jacksonville Jaguar mascot suit interrupting MJF)
So, we're no closer to having a definitive answer as to where Kenny Omega will be lacing his boots when his NJPW contract expires at the end of January.
#1. No Television Deal
A wrestling promotion isn't going to stand a chance of truly taking off unless it can reach as many people as possible. Whilst touring live shows is a great way to do this, there really isn't anything better than television for reaching a wide audience.
I fully expected AEW, with the Khans' influence, to have announced they've secured a television deal at the AEW rally. However, this didn't happen. So we're left wondering if we'll be able to watch AEW on television or if it will just be a live show promotion.
