The wait is over. All Elite Wrestling is officially here.
For months Cody Rhodes, the Young Bucks, and members of The Elite have teased their next move in professional wrestling. The group became free agents at the end of 2018 and they reportedly had offers on the table from every major company. Instead of signing with WWE or NJPW, the group decided to form their own promotion: All Elite Wrestling.
The announcement was made on a special New Years edition of Being The Elite.
Rumors of the new promotion began to swirl following All In on Sept. 1. The event, billed as the largest Independent wrestling show ever, was a massive success for all parties involved as the show sold out in less than 30 minutes and received rave reviews for those who watched and attended. The success of All In laid the foundation for All Elite Wrestling.
On Nov. 21 it was reported that a company going by All Elite Wrestling, LLC had filed trademarks on AEW, Double or Nothing, Tuesday Night Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling and more. From there, the rumors only grew stronger. On Dec. 18 a trademark was filed for "Fight For The Fallen" tied to live streaming of video pay-per-view events on the internet.
The promotion is backed by Tony Khan, whose family owns the Jacksonville Jaguars. Tony is a lifelong wrestling fan.
Along with the formation of All Elite Wrestling, the group announced Double Or Nothing, the sequel to All In. More details on Double or Nothing and AEW are expected to be announced on Jan. 8 in Jacksonville.
Join us January 8th in JACKSONVILLE for more information on Double or Nothing...and AEW! pic.twitter.com/72gnO6fqOh
— Double or Nothing (@ALL_IN_2018) January 1, 2019
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, AEW are in talks with multiple television companies, but no deal is in place at the moment. Meltzer also reports that Cody has officially signed, but that the Young Bucks have not officially signed. They are expected to sign in the next "24 to 48 hours." Cody's deal is reportedly a multi-year contract.
Finally, Meltzer reports that AEW would like a working relationship with NJPW. Currently, NJPW has a working relationship with ROH and the two companies are set to hold a joint Supercard at Madison Square Garden the night before WrestleMania 35. All members of the Elite will be wrestling at Wrestle Kingdom 13 on Jan. 4. NJPW has not committed to working with AEW.
Fightful will continue to provide information on the company as more is known.
