By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
It appears that All Elite Wrestling will be the name of the potential startup promotion backed by Tony Khan, son of Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan. Trademarks for AEW, AEW All Out, All Elite Wrestling, Tuesday Night Dynamite, and AEW Double Or Nothing were filed on November 5, as first noticed on the trademark website by WrestlingNews.co. While Khan’s name is not mentioned in the filings, the address listed for the LLC is the same as the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium.
Powell’s POV: The story of the Elite members and Khan working together has been downplayed or even ignored by some in the pro wrestling media, but these filings point to the project moving forward. There’s a lot to take in from those trademark names. It would appear that All Out and Double Or Nothing are potential followups to the All In event. The Tuesday Night Dynamite name is most interesting in that it would seem to tease the possibility of a new Tuesday night television series. With WWE Smackdown moving to Fridays in October 2019, Tuesday nights will become open real estate as far as pro wrestling television is concerned.
The big question is who is involved in the group. All signs obviously point to Elite members Cody, the Young Bucks, and Adam Page. Chris Jericho and Jim Ross have had discussions, and Jericho had a photo with Tony Khan on his instagram page, though it’s unclear whether either man committed to the project. There are suspicions that Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian are involved in the project as well. Kenny Omega is a member of the Elite, but it’s unclear where he stands, though Cody did indicate that the Elite members intend to stand together in free agency.
As I mentioned in an October 19 story, I asked Khan via DM on September 12 about his potential involvement in a pro wrestling startup company, but he declined to comment. It’s worth noting that while the trademarks appear to be a sign of the project moving forward, most of the talent mentioned remains under contract to other promotions. It is common knowledge that the Elite members will become free agents in early 2019. Nevertheless, it’s doubtful that any of currently contracted talents would be able to sign on as talents until their deals with other promotions expire. Jake Barnett and I will be discussing this development later this afternoon in a special Dot Net Weekly and Pro Wrestling Boom simulcast podcast.
Check below for Monday’s ProWrestling.net Live with Jason Powell and Will Pruett taking calls and email questions coming out of WWE Survivor Series and NXT Takeover: WarGames.
Actually the first people to notice the trademark filings was SquaredCircle on reddit. Wrestlingnews.co posted their story like an hour after SC’s user base had found a lot of the info
Intriguing, to say the least. I’m not a fan of the ROH/NJPW style, but like some of the guys involved and will definitely give it a shot when it comes around.