AEW Sign “One Of The Biggest Deals In History Of The Company” | WWE Announce Commentary Shake-Up

Summary

In the world of wrestling, AEW has secured a multi-year deal with Swerve Strickland, marking one of the biggest in company history, extending his stay until at least 2028. WWE has announced a shake-up in their commentary team ahead of Smackdown's move to USA and Raw's to Netflix. Newcomer Joe Tessitore joins the Raw commentary team, while Michael Cole and Corey Graves will lead Smackdown's commentary. Meanwhile, NXT talent Izzy Dam impresses in a Main Event taping, and there's speculation about Jay Uso's future in WWE following comments from his father, Rikishi. Lastly, Miro's return to the US hints at a possible reappearance in AEW programming.

Takeaways

• 📝 Swerve Strickland has signed a multi-year deal with AEW, keeping him with the company until at least 2028, marking one of the biggest deals in AEW's history.
• 🏆 Strickland's growth and success in AEW have been significant, rising from an NXT talent to a world champion and engaging in a heated rivalry with Adam Page.
• 🎙️ WWE has announced a shake-up in their commentary team ahead of Smackdown's move to USA and Raw's move to Netflix, with Michael Cole and Corey Graves teaming up for Smackdown.
• 📺 Joe Tessitore is joining the Raw commentary team as it moves to Netflix, bringing his passion and wrestling fandom to the broadcast.
• 🤼‍♀️ NXT talent Izzy Dam had a match taped for WWE Main Event, showcasing her potential and the company's investment in her future.
• 💼 Rikishi Fatu expressed disappointment in WWE's utilization of his son, Jey Uso, suggesting that Jey could consider going to AEW if WWE doesn't capitalize on his talent.
• 🏆 Despite not yet being a world champion, Jey Uso has been a prominent and successful wrestler in WWE, selling merchandise and participating in major storylines.
• 📍 Miro (formerly Rusev) has been absent from AEW TV since December 2023 and has now returned to the United States, but his future with AEW remains uncertain.
• 🤔 There is speculation that AEW may need to consider parting ways with Miro if reports of his unhappiness are true, given the growing roster and changing dynamics.
• 🔄 The AEW roster continues to evolve, with new talents emerging and established wrestlers like Swerve Strickland and Jey Uso continuing to shape the company's direction.

Q & A

What significant deal has AEW signed with Swerve Strickland?

Swerve Strickland has signed a multi-year deal with AEW that will keep him with the company until at least 2028, marking one of the biggest deals in the history of the company.

How has Swerve Strickland's career trajectory been since signing with AEW?

Since signing with AEW in March 2022, Swerve Strickland has risen significantly, becoming the world champion and having a great run before losing the title to Bryan Danielson.

What is the update on WWE's commentary team shakeup?

WWE has announced a shakeup in the commentary team ahead of Smackdown's move to USA and Raw's move to Netflix. Michael Cole and Corey Graves will be the commentary team for Smackdown, while Joe Tessone will join the Raw team.

What is the significance of Izzy Dam's match on the WWE Main Event?

Izzy Dam's match on WWE Main Event indicates that WWE is putting stock in her potential and pushing her to reach it, as she has shown tremendous growth in a short amount of time.

What does Rikishi Fatu think about his son Jey Uso's current situation in WWE?

Rikishi Fatu expressed disappointment in WWE's utilization of Jey Uso, suggesting that if he wanted to, Jey could go to AEW and possibly write his own ticket.

What is the current status of Miro in AEW?

Miro has not been seen on AEW TV since the end of 2023 and has returned to his home country of Bulgaria. However, he is now back in the United States and his location has been confirmed.

How has WWE utilized Swerve Strickland since his departure from WWE?

WWE has capitalized on Swerve Strickland's strengths, building him up significantly and treating him well in terms of storylines and rivalries, making him a legitimate pillar of the company.

What is the potential future for Jey Uso in WWE?

While Rikishi Fatu has expressed concerns, Jey Uso is currently doing well in WWE, selling merchandise, and being a prominent player in the Bloodline storyline, with potential for a future singles championship run.

What is the significance of the commentary team changes for Smackdown and Raw?

The commentary team changes are significant as they come with the shift of Smackdown to USA and Raw to Netflix, indicating a strategic move to pair experienced commentators with new talent.

What is the general sentiment towards Swerve Strickland's performance in AEW?

The general sentiment is highly positive, with Swerve Strickland being praised for his in-ring work, storytelling, and ability to play both face and heel roles effectively.

What is the potential impact of Miro's return to the United States on AEW?

Miro's return to the United States could potentially lead to a resurgence in his AEW career, given the challenges he faced with utilization and the possibility of a fresh start or new storyline.

Outlines

00:00

🤼‍♂️ AEW's Swerve Strickland Signs Multi-Year Deal

AEW wrestler Swerve Strickland has signed a multi-year deal with the company, extending his contract until at least 2028. This is considered one of the biggest deals in AEW's history. Strickland has had a meteoric rise since joining AEW in March 2022, becoming world champion and engaging in a heated rivalry with Adam Page. Despite losing the title to Bryan Danielson, Strickland's future in AEW looks promising, with expectations of him regaining the title and continuing his main event status.

05:01

🎙️ WWE Announces Commentary Team Shakeup

WWE is undergoing a significant change in its commentary team. Michael Cole and Corey Graves will be the official commentators for Smackdown when it moves to USA Network on September 13th. Joe Tessone, a new addition, will join the Raw commentary team when it moves to Netflix in the new year. Wade Barrett is also expected to be part of the Smackdown commentary team alongside Cole and Graves. This shakeup is part of WWE's strategy to align their commentary teams with the prominence of their broadcasting platforms.

10:03

🏆 NXT Talent Izzy Dam's Rapid Ascent in WWE

NXT talent Izzy Dam had a match taped for WWE Main Event, showcasing her rapid growth and WWE's confidence in her abilities. Dam, who debuted on NXT Level Up in July of the previous year, has already been given high-profile opportunities, including a match against Jordan Grace for the Knockouts Championship in TNA Wrestling. Her performance has been lauded, and WWE seems to be positioning her for a bright future within the company.

🤔 The Future of Jay Uso and The Bloodline

Rikishi 'The Bull' Fatu, father of Jay Uso, expressed disappointment in WWE's utilization of his son, suggesting that Jay could consider going to AEW if he's not given proper opportunities in WWE. Despite being a prominent part of the Bloodline storyline, Jay Uso has yet to win a world championship. While he's currently involved in the Intercontinental title tournament and is a strong merchandise seller, his father's comments hint at a possible dissatisfaction with his current status in WWE.

📍 Miro's Return to the United States

Miro, who has been absent from AEW TV since the end of 2023, has reportedly returned to the United States. He was spotted in LA, indicating that he might be preparing for a return to AEW. However, his future with the company remains uncertain due to his unhappiness and the evolving AEW roster. There's speculation that AEW might need to reconsider their investment in Miro, given the reports of his discontent and the challenges of fitting him into the current lineup.

Keywords

💡WWE

WWE, or World Wrestling Entertainment, is a globally recognized professional wrestling promotion company. In the script, WWE is mentioned in the context of a commentary team shake-up and the potential for a wrestler to sign with AEW, illustrating the competitive landscape between wrestling organizations.

💡AEW

AEW, or All Elite Wrestling, is another major professional wrestling promotion. The script discusses a significant deal signed by Swerve Strickland with AEW, highlighting the company's investment in talent and its growth as a competitor to WWE.

💡Swerve Strickland

Swerve Strickland is a professional wrestler who has gained prominence in AEW. The script mentions his multi-year contract with AEW, emphasizing his importance to the company and his rapid rise within its ranks.

💡Commentary Team Shake Up

A commentary team shake up refers to changes in the personnel providing live commentary during wrestling broadcasts. The script discusses WWE's decision to reorganize its commentary teams in anticipation of programming changes, affecting shows like Smackdown and Raw.

💡Michael Cole

Michael Cole is a professional wrestling commentator known for his work in WWE. The script mentions him being part of the new commentary team for Smackdown when it moves to USA Network, indicating his continued significance in WWE's broadcasting.

💡Corey Graves

Corey Graves is a commentator and former wrestler who has worked with WWE. The script notes his role change to color commentary on Smackdown, showing his versatility and importance in WWE's commentary team.

💡Joe Tessitore

Joe Tessitore is a sports commentator who is new to the WWE commentary team, as mentioned in the script. His addition to the team is expected to bring a fresh perspective and passion for wrestling to the broadcasts.

💡Izzy Dam

Izzy Dam is a professional wrestler who has made a quick impact in WWE, as highlighted in the script. Her participation in a WWE Main Event match demonstrates WWE's belief in her potential and the rapid trajectory of her career.

💡Raki Fatu

Raki Fatu, also known as Rikishi, is a retired professional wrestler and father of current wrestler Jimmy Uso. The script discusses his comments about his son's potential and the possibility of him moving to AEW, reflecting the personal dynamics and career decisions in professional wrestling.

💡Miro

Miro, formerly known as Rusev, is a professional wrestler who has been absent from AEW programming for some time. The script mentions his return to the United States and speculation about his future with AEW, indicating the uncertainty and potential changes in his wrestling career.

Highlights

AEW has signed one of the biggest deals in the company's history with Swerve Strickland.

Strickland's new contract is a multi-year deal, keeping him with AEW until at least 2028.

Strickland has risen to become the world champion and is considered a pillar of AEW.

WWE's commentary team is undergoing a shake-up ahead of Smackdown's move to USA and Raw's move to Netflix.

Michael Cole and Corey Graves will be the official Smackdown commentary team post move to USA.

Joe Tessone is joining the Raw commentary team when it moves to Netflix.

Izzy Dam had a match at the WWE Main Event taping, showcasing her growth and potential.

Raki Fatu suggested Jay Uso could go to AEW if not utilized properly in WWE.

Fatu expressed disappointment in WWE's utilization of Jay Uso, hinting at a possible move to AEW.

Jay Uso is currently involved in the IC title tournament and is a prominent player in the Bloodline storyline.

Miro has not been seen on AEW TV since the end of 2023 and has returned to the United States.

There is speculation about Miro's future with AEW due to his absence and reported unhappiness.

AEW may need to consider cutting their losses with Miro if he is not happy with the company.

The initial gimmick for Miro in AEW is considered to have harmed his potential impact.

Miro's return to AEW screens is uncertain, with his future in the company up in the air.

Transcripts

aw have signed one of the biggest deals

in the history of the company WWE have

announced a commentary team shake up and

we've got a little update on the return

of Meo it's time for the news so if you

were watching the Zero Hour pre-show

which was 2 hours on Sunday night you

will have seen that it was announced

that swerve stricklander signed a new

deal with the promotion he initially

signed with aew all the way back in

March of 2022 he very much risen up the

card since that time becoming world

champion really great run and then

obviously dropping it to Brian Danielson

on Sunday night bit of an update from

Sean Ross app on this one yes he tweeted

swer Strickland's new contract with aw

is a multi-year deal that will keep him

with the company until at least

2028 though the exaggeration is unknown

it was confirmed to fightful Slit that

this deal is considered one of the

biggest deals in the history of the

company buzzing for him amazing he has

been as you said on a complete

trajectory it's just straight up like he

has been used so so well his growth has

been immeasurable at the same time as

well he's really sort of landed into

that whole Main Event seen so perfectly

you saw glimpses of it in NXT but aw

have really like capitalized on what

swer Strickland does best and he has

just been incredible and also they've

Trea him really well in terms of he's

beaten so many former aw Champions as

well they've just continued to build him

and build him and build him and

obviously him dropping the title areas

but to me a footnote within the history

of swerve Strickland which is going to

be incredible he'll get it back at some

point he's already once again entering a

very heated rivalry with Adam hangman

Paige once again that's going to be

fantastic I imagine we'll see that in a

couple of weeks time at all out that

match um first off WWE couldn't have

dropped the ball more with this guy he's

he's somebody that I think every want to

have their eyes on like since his Indie

work Y and the fact that they let swerve

go idiots absolutely foolish and aw have

done wonders with him you want to talk

about pillars of aw forget the marketing

bollocks forget the forget the the

origional pillars and all that swerve is

a legit pillar of the company at this

point he is fantastic fully expect him

to be hovering around the main event

scene whenever they need him to be and I

expect him to be world champion again

he's just he's the bollocks like in ring

work storytelling he's he's amazing he's

a guy right he he you can it depends who

he's in a rivalry with um he can play

face or heel Without Really changing his

character at all just depending who he's

feuding with I mean that whole thing

with Danielson right as well he he he

was very much like a well he was kind of

like an edgy face I guess but then going

into this he's very much doing like the

heel stuff but the crowd are still like

this is brilliant when somebody's that

talented

um we were talking about Kevin Owens

previously it's like when Kevin Owens is

a heel I'm still

like at all the horrible things he's

doing and I feel the same with swerve

he's just so much fun to watch isn't he

so it's great to hear that you stick it

around in aew WWE's lost very much aew's

game uh gain rather in this case uh over

the WWE side of things it was confirmed

yesterday on Raw that that announced

team the commentary team shakeup is

indeed going ahead so this is ahead of

smackdown's uh move to Fox uh sorry

leaving Fox and then heading over to USA

uh that's happening on September 13th

and then raw is obviously heading over

to Netflix in the new year on last

night's raw Michael Cole was joined by

Corey Graves who who's been serving as

play byplay on uh Smackdown and he

announced that him and graves are

officially the smackdown commentary once

it moves to USA meaning that they're

going to team uh up once again uh with

Cole doing play byplay and Gra on color

and then McAfee will supposedly return

to Raw uh once it makes the move to

Netflix so just to completely summarize

this because there's a lot to get your

heads around because there's a new face

joining as well uh in Joe tessore um so

from now until January Smackdown team

Michael Cole Corey Graves raw team Joe

and Wade Barrett and then from January

raar on Netflix team is going to be Cole

and Pat and then Smackdown will uh

reportedly be Joe Tator Graves and

Barrett that make sense Cole goes where

the bigger uh Cole goes where like the

bigger stations are I'm guessing right

he's the voice exactly and you want him

on what would you know essentially be

the one that gets more eyes on it I

guess yeah I I'm really excited to see

uh the Joe Tor guy because I I I don't

follow any of stuff that he's done

previously so I just sort of looked him

up on YouTube and he's proper passionate

he's proper into it and he's a proper

wrestling fan as well which always helps

doesn't it so it' be exciting to see how

he does and NXT Talent worked on Main

Event taping last night yes they did

Izzy Dam had a match tap for WWE man

event ahead of last night's Royal

broadcast taking on Lyra valkiria uh

obviously Dan recently appeared in TNA

Wrestling she challenged Jordan Grace

for The Knockouts championship in a

really really good match we were talking

before um we we started recording the

news but the fact that she's not been

wrestling that long and she got given a

match against Jordan Grace and really

held her own as well and showed what she

can do the growth for her has been

tremendous in such a short amount of

time and I guess it also goes to show

that WWE are putting stock in her as

well they see the potential that she's

got and they really want to push her to

reach that as well gone of the days the

a main event match um as in the TV show

Main Event means that you're getting

called up so don't read too much into it

but the fact that she's getting to work

that in such a short space of time she

only debuted her televised debut was on

NXT level up and that was July last year

she's barely been with the company for

any time at all and so the fact that

she's being used in this position

certainly suggests that they've got

their eyes on her and that she'll be

doing big things in the future I think

she's class really like her stuff really

like her stuff uh an interesting one

from rakii Fatu now um saying that Jay

Uso if he fancied it could go to aew if

you like stories about fathers who are

pissed off that their sons

aren't AR getting utilized properly

you're going to love this one he was

chatting away on his over-the-top

podcast and he said he said once the

money in the bank thing didn't go

through I thought let's see what they do

now maybe they'll give him a shot maybe

they'll set him up for the I don't know

the Intercontinental belts he's on his

way he's on his way he is I think he

deserves a shot at the world

championship I'm at this point where I

want to call my son go ahead and take a

break obviously the writers don't know

where to put you or they can write uh

something that is right for the

character J Uso the yeep man what I'm

saying is make no mistake about it I'm

not in favoritism of my

son

which right I'm speaking about what is

happening because this could be any

other wrestler what is the case why

aren't you lighting this kid up and just

letting him do his thing I appreciate

everybody let's hope WWE gets it

together and does the right thing uh he

also continued to say the kid is so good

WWE ain't the only spot he could

probably go to aw if he wants to write

his own ticket maybe more than what WWE

is making on him hopefully they turn it

around and do the right thing by the

Yeet man right no disrespect to raki uh

I really like raki super over he's with

WWF for the longest time various

gimmicks uh Jay's doing just fine yeah

Jay is doing just fine he is selling

merch like nobody's business right now

he's super super over um he's just

qualified in the IC uh

tournament um he can be put into the

main event slot whenever you need him um

and he's a pretty believable Challenger

he doesn't feel out of place there sure

literally the only thing that he hasn't

done really is become world champion and

the timing is not right for it is it

you've got Cody World Champ you got Gun

World Champ raki's upset that his boy is

isn't the World Champ but that's

literally the pretty much the only thing

that he hasn't done in his career no and

I think as what like granted there's

definitely been times within this Main

Event juso R where I'm like it would be

so nice to see him with a singles

championship for sure like it would be

really cool to see that but also he's

what I feel like probably away from this

IC t uh this IC title tournament and

everything and uh once that's done and

dusted I think he's about to be inserted

back into one of what will be I assume

one of the hottest story Lines within

the company in terms of the bloodline

2.0 versus the original bloodline yeah

and how could you be disappointed in

that he's such a featured prominent

player H you're right the bloodline

story line is the biggest story in

wrestling of the last 20 odd years like

it's so huge and he has been a real

focal point of that story as well he's

doing amazing stuff and yeah maybe you

could have picked up some singles gold

uh but I think he's doing fight no

disrespect obviously to raki it's nice

isn't it my dad would be saying the same

thing if I were talented um we finish

off with a little update on Meo Meo has

not been seen on aew TV since the end of

2023 uh that all the way back at World's

End in December uh and after that he

returned to his home country of Bulgaria

according to a new report from PW

Insider although there's no specific

return date as far as awtv goes miro's

loccation has been confirmed and he's

back in the United States he was spotted

in La over the weekend so he's back in

the US MH um I it's a weird one with Meo

because I think a lot of us were so

disappointed you look back Rusev day so

so massively over and then aw this fresh

property was a really big signing for

them they dropped the ball in that case

didn't they because they they didn't use

Meo especially well when he came over

it's been very stopped start since then

we've not seen him in an awful long time

uh I this this going to sound rough

right I think aw maybe need to cut their

losses with him because the impression

that I get um according to all reports

and the things that I've heard Meo say

as well is that he's not happy there he

he doesn't want to be there he's

probably waiting for his contract to

expire um and

so I mean do you want to invest in a guy

who's not happy being there if reports

are to be believed it's it's difficult

isn't it as well because the amount the

the more that Meo is away the more time

that aw roster grows as well and then

spots start getting taken and then where

do you like realistically slot Meo into

now Meo can fit into like you know you

can give him something and he takes it

and does something incredible with it

but like realistically with how much

things are growing for them as well it's

hard to see where he would fit in

necessarily at the moment um so yeah

maybe maybe that would be the best just

go wherever you're happy Miro do

whatever do whatever makes you happy I I

think they messed him up from the start

I think the the initial gimmick really

really harmed him because he was so over

people were very very excited to see him

and then the kip saabi and stuff that

that weird thing it was just like okay

well that's not what we expected at all

and then it wasn't that good he's had

some decent matches yeah for sure yeah

time will tell we might see Meo back on

our screens we might not anyway thanks

very much for watching the news I've

been Adam I've been Andre take care