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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 Darby Allin, Samoa Joe, and more.
AEW suffered a significant setback as one of its most popular stars has suffered an injury. Samoa Joe has given an update on his retirement, and the date for Darby Allin's climb on Mount Everest has been revealed. So, without any further ado, let's dive into all of these stories.
#5. Massive setback for AEW after another major star gets injured
Orange Cassidy is one of the most beloved superstars on the entire All Elite Wrestling roster. The laid-back talent had been performing regularly on TV and even reached the finals of the recent International Tournament to determine the number one contender for the title. The former International Champion was, unfortunately, unsuccessful in winning the tournament.
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Fightful Select has now reported that Cassidy has suffered a torn pectoral injury. It's not yet known if he suffered the injury during his recent matches and when he will return. This is another major setback for Tony Khan's promotion after it was revealed that Jay White had also been injured.
#4. Samoa Joe revealed a major retirement update
Samoa Joe has been an active in-ring competitor since 1999. Over the years, he has wrestled for several promotions, including TNA, ROH, WWE, and now AEW.
Speaking in an interview on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, the Samoan Submission Machine hinted at his retirement. Joe stated that he may be leaving the squared circle sooner than you might think.
“Yeah, I do a lot. It’s probably coming sooner than later, which is fine. I think a lot of people from my generation, from what I’ve seen, if that they have the ability, we’ve done our best to kind of save up and we definitely don’t want to out stay [sic] our welcome, because we may have been privy to a few people [who] may have done that in their careers. So I definitely don’t want to be that guy in mind.”
He further added in the same conversation that he hasn't finalized the date of his retirement yet but hinted that it could be once his current AEW contract expires.
#3. Date revealed for Darby Allin's return climb on Mount Everest
Darby Allin has been off of TV for some time now. Allin has been absent ever since he was attacked by The Death Riders on AEW Rampage: New Year's Smash. Following the brutal attack from Jon Moxley and his crew, the Daredevil was sidelined.
It was revealed in a report that Darby had taken time off for "several months" to prepare for a Mount Everest expedition. Many fans had speculated that he could be the wild card entry in the Owen Hart tournament. However, Denise Salcedo noted on her YouTube channel that Darby Allin might be starting his climb later this month, which makes him an unlikely pick for the wild card entry.
The former TNT Champion had planned to start his climb last year but, unfortunately, wasn't able to due to an injury. Many fans had pegged him to be the one to finally dethrone Jon Moxley as the AEW World Champion, but it seems like he might not make his return in time.
#2. Tony Khan finally comments on whether he'll allow Sting to attend WWE Hall of Fame 2025
WWE recently announced that Lex Luger will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2025. The WCW Legend had recently named who he'd want to induct him, which was none other than his close friend, Sting.
However, that might be difficult since Sting has signed an AEW ambassador deal, and his appearance for WWE will need to be approved by Tony Khan.
TK recently addressed this matter during a recent media scrum for Dynasty 2025. Khan said he wasn't sure about it since he hadn't spoken to the Icon yet regarding Lex Luger's WWE Hall of Fame induction and has been focusing on the PPV.
#1. AEW star provides insight into Tony Khan behind the scenes
Tony Khan has been massively credited for AEW's massive growth and popularity over the years. He has brought in major talent to wrestle for his promotion, with the most recent major signing being Speedball Mike Bailey.
Bailey is currently slated to take on Ricochet and Kenny Omega for the International Championship in a triple-threat match at Dynasty 2025. Although he has only been in the promotion for a short time, he has already formed an opinion on Tony Khan.
The former X-Division champion spoke highly of him in an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling.
"Tony has been absolutely amazing, of course. What he does behind the scenes is absolutely tremendous. He is the busiest man in the world seemingly. But you can really feel his passion, his care, and all the effort that he puts on AEW and absolutely everything that goes on over there. It's been amazing." [5:39 onwards]
He also stated in the same interview that he's excited to see Toni Storm take on Megan Bayne at Dynasty 2025.
