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Welcome to another edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling's AEW News and Rumor Roundup. Today we're going to take a look at news stories involving Bryan Danielson, Sting, and more.
The American Dragon has revealed his current contract status with All Elite Wrestling. Meanwhile, a former AEW International Champion has officially signed with WWE. So, without any further ado, let's dive into all of these stories.
#5. Bryan Danielson revealed current contract status with AEW
Bryan Danielson is one of the most popular stars to grace All Elite Wrestling. The American Dragon won the AEW World Championship at All In 2024 and subsequently announced that he would retire from full-time wrestling after he got dethroned.
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Following this announcement, Jon Moxley and the newly formed Death Riders attacked him, leading to a World Title match between the former stablemates at WrestleDream. Moxley went on to defeat Danielson and take the latter out for good. Since then, the 43-year-old has not been seen on TV.
In an interview with Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful last December, Bryan Danielson was asked if he was still signed to the promotion. He had made a brief appearance at an event to commemorate the ticket sales for All In: Texas. The 43-year-old revealed that he hadn't signed a new contract and that he only came to the event because Tony Khan wanted him to.
“No, just Tony and I were talking on Friday, and he said, ‘We’ve got this All In on sale event.’ I said, ‘Oh, do you want me to come? I’d love to.’ He goes, ‘Yeah, I’d love to see you.’ So here I am!” he said. [H/T: PWMania]
#4. Former AEW champion officially signs with WWE
There have been quite a few stars who have jumped ship from AEW to WWE in recent times, and one of the latest additions to that list is now Rey Fenix. The former International Champion was long rumored to follow his brother, Penta, and join the Stamford-based promotion.
A mysterious vignette, aired on SmackDown this week, has hinted at his arrival. Fightful Select has now confirmed in a report that he has officially signed with WWE and is getting his medicals done. It was also noted that there were plans in place to have his debut on the blue brand, with the company seemingly keeping The Lucha Brothers apart.
#3. WWE reportedly willing to bring back AEW star for Lex Luger's Hall of Fame induction
WWE WrestleMania 41 is on the horizon. The Show of Shows will be held in Las Vegas on April 19 and 20. Ahead of the marquee event, the company will host the Hall of Fame ceremony on April 18. Lex Luger will be one of the inductees into the prestigious club this year.
A new report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter claimed that Luger allegedly asked for The Icon Sting to induct him, and WWE was open to this idea. However, it all depends on whether Tony Khan will give the green signal to Sting, and the belief is that he may not deny something that one of his biggest stars would want to do.
There have been instances when several AEW stars have crossed over from Tony Khan's promotion to film content for the Sports Entertainment juggernaut. It now remains to be seen if All Elite Wrestling will permit Sting to induct Lex Luger into the WWE Hall of Fame.
#2. Tony Khan believes that Toni Storm is the greatest actress in Hollywood
Toni Storm's portrayal of a vintage Hollywood starlet has been exceptional. The AEW Women's World Champion recently appeared in the movie Queen of the Ring, in which she played the role of Clara Mortensen.
In a recent interaction with Tim & Eli on Battleground, Tony Khan spoke about Storm's casting in the movie and if the filmmakers had reached out to the promotion directly. The AEW President hailed The Timeless Superstar as ''the greatest actress in Hollywood!''
“Yes. I talked to Ash [Avildsen] at the beginning, when he was working on this movie. He asked me about casting Toni Storm, and Toni Storm is the greatest actress in Hollywood, so I was very supportive of it. Of course, we have other people in AEW involved in the project, but Toni Storm is the AEW Women’s World Champion. She’s the person I think of when I think of Hollywood and when I think of pro wrestling, and it fit like a glove," he said. [H/T: Fightful]
#1. AEW canceled multiple segments for Dynamite
The Jacksonville-based company faced a lot of hurdles this week for Dynamite due to a blizzard in Omaha, Nebraska. Many stars faced a lot of difficulties while traveling to the venue.
Jon Moxley was reported to have driven 11 hours in extreme conditions to make it in time for his Street Fight Match against Cope for the World Championship. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that many talents were not able to make it for the show, forcing the creative team to scrap several segments.
The scrapped segments were a major reason behind the matches on the show being lengthy.
