00:00More AEW stars following Penta to WWE, wrestlers upset behind the scenes, WWE and TNA officially
00:07update their Facebook status to In a Relationship, and more.
00:12I'm Oli Davis, and this is the WrestleTalk News.
00:23Some argue that AEW's problems didn't actually start with CM Punk's Brawlout promo.
00:28That it didn't even start with Hangman Page's shoot promo on Punk months before it.
00:32AEW's problems began when one of its founding fathers, Cody Rhodes, left for WWE, and was
00:40booked to become the promotion's top star.
00:42Despite how much The Rock keeps trying to stop that.
00:46Because even before the fans started to sour on AEW's product in the wake of Brawlout,
00:50the actual wrestlers had their heads turned five months before, when Cody returned at
00:55WrestleMania.
00:56AEW, once the place that would bury you if you had tried to find success elsewhere, was
01:01now pushing a previously sworn enemy to the very top.
01:06And once Vince McMahon was removed, for the first time, a few months later, AEW stars
01:10started to see WWE as a viable alternative for actually enjoying their work.
01:16Young former AEW stars J Cargill, Ethan Page and Lexus King followed, who all received
01:22very decent pushes.
01:23Page, who was an afterthought in AEW, won the NXT Championship last year.
01:28But I imagine there was still trepidation amongst AEW's luchadors that they would
01:32get lost in the Mexican division shuffle.
01:35Dragon Lee chose to sign with WWE over AEW, while he had a decent run in NXT, and then
01:40in an initially big call-up, he's now the Speed Champion.
01:58Other Mexican wrestlers have mostly been split into two Mexican factions, either Rey Mysterio's
02:03new LWO or Santos Escobar's Legado del Fantasma, who aren't really focused on.
02:09But that might've changed on the Monday 13th episode of Raw, and the debut of former
02:14AEW star and luchador Penta.
02:17Penta's debut match against Chad Gable, and his fiery promo afterwards, had been received
02:22very well by almost everyone.
02:24WWE officials were apparently very happy with how he was cheered by the San Jose crowd,
02:29and likely even happier by his merch sales.
02:32As Penta just posted, who has the number one and two top selling t-shirts in the WWE shop?
02:38And, reportedly, some AEW stars are now considering following Penta to WWE when their contracts
02:45are up, as Lucha Libre Online have posted.
02:48Oh hell no.
02:49I'm going to copy and paste that into Google Translate.
02:51Our sources confirm that there are several AEW talents who do not feel comfortable with
02:56their role in the company.
02:57These talents did not dare to explore WWE as a real alternative due to the feeling of
03:02uncertainty of getting lost in the monster of a system that is WWE.
03:07This was because they had not previously had the television time and prominence that
03:11they would've liked during their previous stay in WWE.
03:14However, that feeling of uncertainty was eradicated because upon seeing Penta's debut in WWE,
03:20those talents who want to leave AEW due to their current role in the company understood
03:25that having the AEW brand on their resume becomes a strength and a negotiation piece
03:30that they can use to their advantage.
03:33Because of this, said talents who are not happy with their current status in AEW are
03:37more willing to study WWE as an alternative, with two of said talents confirming that they
03:42would explore free agency in 2025, specifically WWE.
03:48Talents feel more secure and confident about achieving success in companies like WWE due
03:53to the administrative change, culture change and the range of opportunities presented to
03:57talent that came out of AEW, as was also the case for Ethan Page and Lexus King.
04:03With Penta's brother Rey Fenix aside, who was publicly talked about trying to leave
04:06AEW, most of the big name wrestlers were signed up to multi-year contracts by either WWE or
04:12AEW last year.
04:14So there's very little reporting to go on to identify who these two AEW talents could
04:19be.
04:20The only AEW names with their contracts known to be expiring in 2025 are Jim Ross, Angelo
04:24Parker, Matt Maynard, Serea, Renee Paquette and Chris Jericho.
04:28None of whom really fit Lucha Libre Online's description.
04:31So some advice to those wrestlers who are looking to become free agents this year.
04:35Refuse to lose and get released from your contract early.
04:38On last Wednesday's Dynamite, Will Ospreay told Buddy Matthews that he should take control
04:42of the House of Black.
04:43This started speculation that the faction's leader Malakai Black was leaving AEW, which
04:49Fightful later confirmed.
04:50Black's AEW deal was previously thought to expire in 2027, but it's now being reported
04:55the final two years were option years, meaning Black could become a free agent in 2025 if
05:02AEW choose not to exercise them.
05:04But PWTorch is now reporting that, just like Rey Fenix, AEW wanted a lot of time added
05:11to the expiration date due to inactive time due to injury.
05:15But Malakai recently pushed back against the extension of his contract, and sources say
05:19a deal has been either already reached or is in the works for him to become a free agent
05:25soon.
05:26The report notes that the AEW locker room might be better off without him, as,
05:29"...Black was criticized by colleagues in AEW who were frustrated by the perception
05:34that he was resistant to doing business, including a reluctance to doing jobs and frequent claims
05:40of injury issues.
05:41He and Tony Khan never developed rapport."
05:44Whether it was because he was actually injured, or because he refused to lose, his record
05:49in AEW is stark.
05:51In the three and a half years since he joined, he's wrestled just 15 singles matches, of
05:56which he won 12 of.
06:00Despite starting his run with the potential to be a main event title challenger, he quickly
06:04became a tag and trios wrestler.
06:07The speculation is that he'll return to WWE, which is now run by his NXT papa Triple
06:12H and where his real-life wife Zelina Vega works.
06:15Eric Bischoff has also recently said in an interview that Black is a Paul Heyman guy.
06:20Paul Heyman was very high on Malakai, almost like overly aggressive about trying to push
06:25him.
06:26Paul spent hours and hours and hours in catering talking with Malakai, helping Malakai understand
06:31his character.
06:32Triple H and Paul Heyman are pretty influential in WWE.
06:37So remember that when I read this next part of PWTorch's report.
06:40PWTorch has heard that there are influential people in WWE who are big fans of Black, and
06:46see him as a possible top singles act in the company.
06:49So it seems as if he'd be welcomed back and embraced.
06:52But Malakai Black isn't the only thing talent is unhappy about in AEW.
06:56They also didn't like the MJF line from Wednesday's Dynamite.
07:01During a segment with Jeff Jarrett, MJF said, but allow me to school all you simple-minded
07:05folk on the real legacy of The Last Outlaw, emphasis on last, because Jeff Jarrett is
07:11the last thing you see before your favourite wrestling company dies.
07:15You know, Double J, this whole one more year with the possibility of you winning my Triple
07:19B would be a whole lot cuter and warmer and fuzzier if you weren't literally the definition
07:25of a pro wrestling Grim Reaper.
07:27MJF still mourning what could have been for Global Force Wrestling.
07:30He is, of course, actually referring to TNA, which somehow never died, and is anything
07:35just getting stronger.
07:37But according to Wrestling Observer Radio, they've heard from many people backstage
07:40who were bothered by MJF's line, because of how it plays into the unhelpful perception
07:45that AEW is also a dying brand, despite it recently securing the next three years of
07:51its future on TV and becoming the second most profitable North American wrestling promotion
07:55ever.
07:56Talking of TNA, mine and Luke's full five episode series on their historic Samoa Joe
08:01vs Kurt Angle feud from 2006-2008 is up in full to watch on Patreon.com forward slash
08:09WrestleTalk right now.
08:10That's an insane 20 hour long series on Patreon.com forward slash WrestleTalk.
08:17There's never been a better time to go watch that, as after courting for almost a year,
08:22WWE and TNA are taking the next step in their relationship, issuing a press release announcing
08:27a multi-year partnership.
08:29The new working agreement claims it will create unprecedented crossover opportunities within
08:34WWE and TNA programming for NXT superstars and TNA wrestling stars, which includes the
08:40TV for TNA and NXT, and select WWE Premium Live events.
08:47So Joe Hendry's in the Royal Rumble, then, Bayley posted of the announcement.
08:50Finally, my TNA gut check tryout has paid off, and TNA's former Consequences Creed
08:56who now goes by the name Xavier Woods tweeted.
08:58As the very first TNA homegrown talent to find success in WWE, I just think it's funny
09:04that no one who came after me had the manners to say thank you as I held the door open for
09:09them.
09:10It has led to TNA's Genesis PLE this weekend to now be advertised with the NXT logo, despite
09:15no NXT wrestlers being announced for matches on it.
09:18And it likely turns the prohibitive portal into, well, a facilitative portal.
09:26Just weeks before WWE's Royal Rumble PLE, which has two matches designed for surprise
09:31appearances, which, of course, the Hardy Boyz are immediately trying to promote themselves
09:36onto.
09:37Matt Hardy replied to the announcement with a gif of him and Jeff in their WWE Team Extreme
09:41gimmick, and he also told Chris Van Vliet that they've already filmed some content
09:45for WWE that will come out soon, and that he feels good about having a crossover match
09:50in WWE this year.
09:53That five episode, 20 hour long TNA series I referenced earlier, well, the first episode
09:59is available to watch for free on our YouTube channel right now!
10:03Click the video onscreen now to enjoy the absolute lunacy that is 2006 TNA as slowly
10:10being taken over by Vince Russo.
10:13LAVEK HICKAM BOTTOM!
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