Grilling JR - JR Joins AEW [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Today JR we are talking about the 5 year launch of AEW and your role in it…

Let's talk about some history of AEW starting

In May 2017, Meltzer made a comment that the American professional wrestling promotion Ring of Honor could not sell 10,000 tickets for a wrestling event, a feat that no U.S.-based wrestling promotion besides the dominant WWE had accomplished since WCW did, in 1999.

In response, Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks & Kenny Omega promoted and held an independent professional wrestling event called All In in September 2018, featuring wrestlers from ROH as well as other promotions. The event sold out in 30 minutes and had the largest audience in attendance for a professional wrestling show in the United States held and organized by promoters not affiliated with WWE or WCW since 1993. 

The event was attended by 11,263 people. What was your opinion on that at the time? Were you surprised it did so well?

What was the reaction internally within the WWE do you know?

Competition is always good for the business…it was needed at this point for the business was it not?

Did you think the time was right for the sport to have another company form?

When did you first hear the rumors of the Khan family wanting to be involved in professional wrestling?

You wrote that you met Tony Khan the first time at a New Japan show in California. Did you have any idea who he was at the time?

Talk about how you understood that the Khans got involved to help start AEW

On November 5, 2018, several trademarks were filed in Jacksonville, Florida, that indicated the launch of All Elite Wrestling. Names filed for trademark included: All Elite Wrestling, AEW All Out, All Out, AEW, Double or Nothing, Tuesday Night Dynamite, AEW Double or Nothing, and several logos. You’re still under WWE contract at this time - does this land on your radar?

Were you in talks or knew of anything going on?

In December 2018, Cody, The Young Bucks, and several other wrestlers left ROH.The official announcement of AEW's creation came at midnight Eastern Time on January 1, 2019, in an episode of Being the Elite, a YouTube web series created by and featuring The Elite. Also announced in the episode was Double or Nothing, AEW's inaugural event and sequel to All In. You weren’t surprised when this was announced were you?

Were you shocked with this company forming that you weren’t offered a new deal? Or were you and they weren’t willing to have you do commentary?

On January 2, 2019, Cody and The Young Bucks officially signed with the promotion as competitors as well as serving as AEW's co-Executive vice presidents, while entrepreneur, football executive, and Tony Khan was announced as the president of the company. What was your relationship like with the Elite at the time - Cody, the Young Bucks, Kenny Omega & Adam Page from your time in New Japan?

On April 3rd, 2019 it was announced that you signed a 3 year contract with AEW

First, talk about what you were up to leading up to signing with AEW

What were some ideas that Tony told you for his vision for AEW and what did you think of his ability to make those things happen?

What wrestlers who were already signed to AEW did you talk to about getting their input about the company, if any?

Who reached out to you about possibly joining AEW?

Talk about those negotiations to join AEW. Who did you deal with the most?

Meltzer wrote - Jim Ross’ WWE contract expired this past week and he’s openly said a deal here is imminent. He was on Inside the Ropes and said he hopes to sign as early as 4/3 and that he hopes to be on the Double or Nothing broadcast team. “Hopefully my tenure will eventually lead me to AEW, which is where I have been negotiating and talking for quite some time. That’s kinda what my goal is, to get my contract finished for AEW so I can start there and be part of their presentation in May in Las Vegas for their pay-per-view, Double or Nothing. I hope to have that finished, by Wednesday. That’s my target.” As far as his expected role, “I want to help mentor talent and be part of the management team. It’s a great opportunity for me to get back in the game.” 

What was it about the opportunity with AEW that held special for you?

What was the dual role? How much did that actually  happen?

It’s been heavily rumored he was headed to AEW as long as both sides could reach a financial agreement because he’s probably not coming cheap. It’s been heavily and openly talked about. It’s not clear what his role would be, but he has a lot of experience at many different faces of the business. I don’t expect him as the lead announcer, but would expect him to at least announce at times as the legendary guy, maybe for analysis, sit-down interviews (where he’d be good) and to sit in on big main events or title matches to give those matches a special aura. 

Really, it’s been known for months that he wasn’t going to sign a new WWE deal. I’m not sure if he was even going to be offered one. 

At the end of the day - it’s been reported you had the highest contract ever for an announcer - was that something that was important to you?

WWE clearly had made the decision they weren’t going to use him on TV, but at the same time prevented him from renewing with AXS TV (which set into motion AXS dropping its own announcers doing voice overs and now just use the live New Japan World announcing) and also wouldn’t allow him to do Quintet for UFC Fight Pass. He was really hired, given a great contract for a two-year deal largely to keep him from being the lead announcer for ITV’s World of Sport which they saw as potentially serious competition in the U.K. because they had a much larger television platform than WWE. But that ended up going nowhere. 

Do you think they only brought you back to stop you from the World of Sport show?

What was it agreed to as far as what you'd be doing backstage as a part of your duties?

Because of your experience as head of talent relations in WWE, did you want to do similar things in AEW?

Did you think you could be a mentor of sorts to Tony Khan?

Were there things, maybe mistakes you made in that role in WWE that you didn't want to happen in AEW?

On May 15, 2019, AEW and Warner Media announced a deal for a weekly prime-time show airing live on TNT, which of course broadcast Nitro. CBS Sports described AEW as "the first company with major financial backing to take a swing at beginning to compete with WWE on a major level in nearly two decades".

How did you feel about AEW going on TNT, did you feel it was a good fit because of the networks past with WCW?

Meltzer wrote - The company announced its announce team for Double or Nothing, which will likely be the announce team once they get television. The biggest name, to no surprise, is Jim Ross, who was announced as having signed the most lucrative contract for an announcer in pro wrestling history. Ross will both announce as be a senior adviser to the company. The basic gist is that while all of the guys involved in running the company, Tony Khan, Cody, The Young Bucks, Christopher Daniels and Kenny Omega are students of wrestling and follow it closely, they are all also new to management. 

What did it feel like to step into this company and this role?

Even Chris Harrington is new to actually working in the business even though he knows the business end probably as good as just about anyone who never worked in the business end. Really, aside from Ross, when it comes to the key people, only Keith Mitchell, who heads production, and dates back to the 80s and worked in production everywhere from World Class to WCW to Impact (where he worked until recently) are all new and this is a learning on the job experience. They are working with the Jacksonville Jaguars staff who would have experience in their fields but still would all be new to pro wrestling. Ross mentioned that the company would have a major cable deal that would start in October. 

What can you tell us about the formation of the company?

Chris Harington is a name that isn’t talked about much - but what can you tell us about his role in the formation of this company?

Keith Mitchell - no longer with the company - but were you comfortable with having him in there?

How drastic was the change between WWE & AEW?

What were the major differences? What were good or bad?

Was being a mentor to the announcers something you wanted to do?

What were some of your personal goals when you joined AEW for both in front of the camera and backstage?

Meltzer wrote - As far as the announcing team goes, Ross will do the shows, and I’m not certain if he’ll do the complete shows or just the major matches to get them over as special. The their play-to-play guys are Alex Marvez and Excalibur. I’ve known Marvez since he was 16 and he was even involved with the Observer web site before we joined with Bryan Alvarez. He was one of the leading NFL reporters in the country and of late has had a pro football show on Sirius XM. He was the former President of the Pro Football Writers of America. He, like the rest of the guys, knows the wrestling business and was actually really perceptive on it even as a teenager, did one of the best wrestling newsletters in the country when he was very young, and has done plenty of television and radio for football. But he’s never done pro wrestling announcing. Another of Ross’ roles will be to mentor both Marvez and Excalibur 

What were some challenges that you intially faced upon joining the company?

Meltzer reported in the April 29th, 2019 Observer - 

Dustin Runnels’ (Dustin Rhodes/Goldust) is headed here and will face brother Cody on Double or Nothing on 5/25 in Las Vegas. Runnels asked for his notice from WWE on 1/19, and they gave it to him, but he was given a 90-day non-compete which ended on 4/19. From the WWE side, Vince McMahon was said to be against it but Paul Levesque talked him into allowing Runnels to leave. The reality is WWE hadn’t done anything with Runnels in years, and he’s 50, and coming off double knee surgery. It’s hard to figure the decisions on who they let go, since with Runnels, it was a lock if he was let out of his contract, he was coming here (and his contract was expiring fairly soon, but WWE could have frozen it and continued it for another eight months due to his time off after the most recent surgeries) 

Having Dustin come in had to be good for building the company right?

Meltzer also reported in that same issue - Jim Ross was at the corporate offices with Excalibur and Alex Marvez learning to work together as an announcing crew to get ready for the PPV. It’s an interesting dynamic. Excalibur knows the talent and the moves and has experience calling some of the best matches in the world on PWG. Marvez, while a lifelong fan, is a football guy who became a huge NJPW fan and is there to give the sports feel that they want from the product. Ross is, as Cody would say, he’s Jim F’n Ross. The idea is it’s the familiar wrestling voice of people’s childhoods who is there to get the product over and the talent over. Right now it looks like it’ll be a three-person full-time booth for the PPV and television, plus Justin Roberts as ring announcer, Alicia Atout doing interviews 

What was the prep like during this time with Excalibur & Alex?

Did you have any idea what the announce team would turn into?

Were you disappointed Tony wasn’t a member on the broadcast team for Double or Nothing?

Who did you work with the most in those early days of AEW? 

Travel with?

What were some ideas that you came up with that were done and any that you came up with that were turned down in the early days of AEW?

In hindsight, what would you go back and either you personally do differently or have the company do differently in those early days of AEW?

How would you describe your career in AEW thus far?