AEW President, CEO, General Manager & Head Of Creative Tony Khan took to Twitter tonight and revealed that Moxley is going into rehab, noting that Moxley has allowed Khan to make the announcement.
“Jon Moxley has allowed me to share with you that he is entering an inpatient alcohol treatment program. Jon is a beloved member of the AEW family. We all stand with him and Renee, and all of his family and friends, as he shifts his focus to recovery,” Khan wrote.
Khan noted in a follow-up tweet that AEW is embracing Moxley’s choice, and supporting him in any way they can.
“Jon is making a very brave choice to get help, and we’re embracing his choice and supporting him however we can. I’m proud to call Jon a friend, and like many of you, I’m also a fan of Mox and look forward to a time in the future when he is eventually ready to return to the ring. Until then, thank you for supporting Jon and respecting his privacy at this time. If you or a loved one need help, please reach out to SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357),” Khan wrote.
Moxley was scheduled to face Orange Cassidy on tomorrow’s AEW Dynamite episode, in a match for the AEW World Title Eliminator Tournament. The winner, previously expected to be Moxley, would then advance to the AEW Full Gear pay-per-view on November 13 to face Bryan Danielson in the finals. There is no word on how AEW will handle Moxley’s spot in the tournament, but we should know more after tomorrow’s Dynamite.
Moxley just released his “MOX” autobiography today, which you can find at this link via Amazon.
Amy Dumas, also known as WWE Hall of Famer Lita, is part of the “Tag Me In” initiative, alongside names like Chris Jericho, Trish Stratus, and Mick Foley, among many others. The group behind this mission is trying to spread the word and normalize mental health in order to break the stigmas associated with it, particularly in the wrestling world.
In an interview with Steven Muehlhausen of DAZN News, Lita discussed the importance of mental health in wrestling. When asked, she stated that major promotions like WWE and AEW should make an effort to provide their talent with an official resource so they can “check in” about their mental health as needed. She argued that, in doing so, the companies would be setting themselves up for success because it would help the performers operate at their highest level.
“I think definitely in professional sports, it’s more focused, and just checking in would be great,” said Lita. “There are these huge companies in professional sports, and just to add an additional point of resource to check in, I think it could provide huge benefits and potentially more profits, which obviously any company is looking at. But if you can have your performers performing at a top level because they feel great, that works for everyone. I would love that.”
Earlier in the interview, Lita shared her stance on the reason(s) it has taken so long for mental health to get the attention it deserves in professional wrestling. She described how it’s often perceived as a weakness, but in actuality, it deserves to be recognized as a vital part of the athletes’ training.
“…Professional sports, in general, is all about being at the top of your game physically, but mentally is also tied in,” said Lita. “I think it’s a perceived weakness that I don’t want to show or let anybody in to think that I can’t perform at my top level. But really, it all goes hand in hand. If you can’t be at your top level and feel comfortable mentally, you’re physically inhibiting yourself from performing at your top.
“So it needs to be extended as a part of your training and not only the physical preparation that goes into it but check in with yourself mentally to make sure that you’re dealing with whatever it is that you need to deal with, whether it is your anxiety, depression or feelings of loneliness to know that you’re not alone.”
Ring of Honor is planning to go on a brief hiatus.
ROH announced to staff, talent and fans today that they are looking to make changes to their business operations, with a pivot to a new mission and strategy.
Following the December 11 Final Battle pay-per-view in Baltimore, ROH will go on a hiatus as they take the first quarter of 2022 to “work internally to reimagine” the company. There will be no live events during the first quarter of 2022 as the current plan is to return to acting in April with the Supercard of Honor. ROH noted that they hope to return with a “new fan-focused product and provide a unique experience” for fans.
It was noted by PWInsider that this decision was made about one week ago.
Stay tuned for more on this developing story. You can read ROH’s full statement below:
“Throughout the pandemic, our top priority was to keep everyone healthy and safe, and despite not producing any live events over 18 months, we were able to keep everyone fully contracted. We now find ourselves at a time where we need to make changes to our business operations and are planning a pivot for Ring of Honor, with a new mission and strategy.
The year will culminate with a Final Battle in December, and we will be taking the first quarter of 2022 to work internally to reimagine ROH. ROH has the most dedicated fans in the industry, and we appreciate their loyalty and patience as we reconceptualize ROH.
We anticipate returning to live events in April for the Super Card of Honor with a new fan-focused product and provide a unique experience for wrestling fans.”
AEW President, CEO, General Manager & Head Of Creative Tony Khan took to Twitter today to announce that Dynamite will begin airing on TNT at 5pm on the West Coast, 6pm in the Mountain time zone, and 7pm in the Central time zone, starting with this Wednesday’s episode.
“Great news for you great wrestling fans who support @AEW: we’re back on Wednesdays for #AEWDynamite starting this week in just over 48 hours, from now on we’re officially LIVE everywhere in America! Dynamite every Wednesday @ 8pm ET, 7pm CT, 6pm MT, 5pm PT! See you all Wednesday!,” he wrote.
WWE referee Jessika Carr made history at today’s WWE Crown Jewel event from Mohammed Abdu Arena on The Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Carr worked two matches on the Crown Jewel card – the Hell In a Cell opener between Seth Rollins and the winner, WWE Hall of Famer Edge, plus the King of the Ring Tournament finals between Finn Balor and King Xavier Woods.
With the matches, Carr became the first female referee to call a WWE match in the Kingdom.
Carr tweeted about the opportunity:
“I am so blown away at the opportunity that I was blessed with tonight. Thank you #CrownJewel I’ll absolutely share more of this in the days to come,” Carr wrote.
Carr was covered up in her referee gear, due to local religious laws, as were the female Superstars competing on the show
After a brief stint on the indies as a wrestler, WWE signed Carr to a deal in 2017, to work as the first female WWE referee since the 1980s. The first full-time female WWE referee in history came to the main roster from WWE NXT in December 2019.
Stephanie McMahon was inducted earlier today into the International Sports Hall of Fame. She is the first female executive to be inducted. The ISHOF was established in 2012 to honor the world’s greatest athletes in all categories of sports.
“Humbled & honored to be the 1st female executive inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame with such a prestigious class,” McMahon wrote. “The key messages from all were passion, love, hard work, intention, & believing in yourself – #wordstoliveby. #ISHOF”
Other notable WWE connections who are in the ISHOF: WWE Hall of Famers Arnold Schwarzenegger (2012), Mark Henry (2012), Bruno Sammartino (2013), and Kurt Angle (2016). Also, Triple H (2015) and Ronda Rousey (2018).
It was announced during the Impact Wrestling Knockouts Knockdown event that Awesome Kong is now inducted into the Impact Hall of Fame.
She will be the second woman inducted into the Impact Hall of Fame, following her rival Gail Kim. This comes following Kong's retirement announcement at NWA EmPowerrr.
