Wrestling personality accuses AEW of not being "fair" during partnership with TNA - "WWE is not in it like that"

AEW and WWE have both opened their forbidden doors to TNA in recent years. TNA's alliance with AEW ended a few years back, but the working relationship with WWE's NXT brand is currently in progress. Two wrestling stars with a front-row seat to the partnerships have just weighed in with interesting remarks.

All Elite Wrestling linked up with Total Nonstop Action fka Impact Wrestling in early 2021 as Kenny Omega captured the Impact World Championship not long after winning the AEW World Championship. The talent exchange featured The Good Brothers vs. The Dark Order and Thunder Rosa vs. Deonna Purrazzo, among others. Omega ended up dropping the title to Christian Cage on the inaugural Rampage. The partnership ended after Cage dropped the World Championship to Josh Alexander at Bound For Glory in October 2021.

WWE and TNA joined forces in late May as Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace made a surprise appearance on NXT. The storyline has included names like Joe Hendry and Frankie Kazarian and is still going strong as of Sunday's Heatwave PLE. Head TNA referee Daniel Spencer and former referee Brian Hebner recently discussed TNA's forbidden door partnerships on the Rewind Recap Relive podcast, and the current working relationship seems to be the favorite.

Spencer recalled how the All Elite partnership was OK, but working with WWE just feels like the right one. He added that working with Tony Khan's company may have been the right thing at that time, but he's excited for the current program. Hebner was present for the TNA - AEW alliance and shared some candid thoughts on what went down. The second-generation referee said working with AEW really was not that good.

"I think any time you get to get the rub from WWE, for a smaller company like TNA, that there's nothing but a positive... and that old partnership you’re talking about, I’ll say it... with AEW, was really not that good, and... it was a give and take. It was all give... and we take nothing. That’s what it really did amount to," Brian Hebner said. [From 9:55 to 10:18]

Hebner continued:

"I just felt like matches weren’t fair. It was just all about their talent getting over. Where I feel like WWE is not in it like that. I don’t feel like, Jordynne Grace is going to win their title while she has TNA’s, but I do feel like they’re going to give her a fair shake and make her look really, really good, and that’s all I’m sure TNA is asking," Brian Hebner said. [From 10:33 to 10:55]

The interview was recorded before TNA Against All Odds, where Grace retained the Knockouts World Championship over Tatum Paxley. This came 5 days after she failed to defeat NXT Women's Champion Roxanne Perez at NXT Battleground.

AEW announces big events for Chicago

All Elite Wrestling has officially announced two big shows for All Out Weekend 2024. The brand will be returning to The Windy City.

A live Collision episode will be taped for TNT on Friday, September 6, from the NOW Arena in Chicago. The following day, the company will air the 2024 All Out pay-per-view from the same arena. The pre-sale is beginning today via AEWtix.com, and the general on-sale will begin Thursday.

All Out will take place two weeks after All In, which is scheduled for Sunday, August 25, at Wembley Stadium in London. All Out 2023 was also held in Chicago but at the United Center. The main event saw Jon Moxley defeat Orange Cassidy to become the new International Champion.