Posted By: Ben Kerin on Jun 02, 2026 
WWE has officially scheduled an NXT Premium Live Event to go directly against one of AEW’s biggest annual pay-per-views later this month.
If you reference any quotes from this piece, please attribute them to the original source, and kindly credit WrestlingNewsSource.com (h/t) for the transcription.
Popular Tags
Popular Articles
Join WNS Discord
Donate to WNS
AEW President and CEO Tony Khan has reflected on the difficult road to securing the promotion’s first television deal, revealing that the company came dangerously close to launching without a broadcast partner in place.
Speaking with Wide World of Sports, Khan explained that negotiating a television agreement proved to be the biggest obstacle during AEW’s formation. Despite spending nearly a year working to secure a network, he reached the spring of 2019 with a roster already under contract and no deal finalized.
“The biggest hurdle was to make the TV deal. I reached a point in early-2019 where I had signed the wrestlers, but didn’t have a deal. I had been working on the TV portion of it for nearly a year, but I had got into April and still didn’t have a deal. Reaching a point where it became a reality was very challenging. It’s hard to launch, but things have grown so quickly.”
At the time, AEW was preparing for its official debut and had already committed significant resources to signing talent on multi-year agreements. Without a television contract in place, the company faced a major financial risk, especially with its first event only weeks away.
Fortunately for AEW, a partnership with WarnerMedia was eventually secured, paving the way for Dynamite to premiere on TNT in October 2019. The relationship has since expanded across both TNT and TBS and remains a key part of the company’s ongoing success.
Before that agreement was finalized, Khan had already assembled a roster that blended established stars with emerging talent. Founding Executive Vice Presidents Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes, and The Young Bucks were central figures in the company’s launch, while names such as Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, PAC, MJF, Darby Allin, and Jack Perry helped establish AEW’s identity during its early days.
The women’s division was also built with a mix of proven performers and international standouts, featuring Britt Baker, Nyla Rose, Riho, Hikaru Shida, Brandi Rhodes, Kylie Rae, Aja Kong, Yuka Sakazaki, Bea Priestley, Penelope Ford, Allie, and Leva Bates.
AEW officially introduced itself to the wrestling world with Double or Nothing in May 2019, an event that capitalized on strong fan demand for a new major wrestling alternative. Backed by Khan’s experience working with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, Premier League side Fulham FC, and the wider Khan family business empire, the promotion quickly established itself as a major player in the industry.
📅 miércoles 5 de agosto¡Prepárate para una noche histórica de All Elite Wrestling en la Catedral de la Lucha… pic.twitter.com/MD7qUQoXrf
— FOX Sports MX (@FOXSportsMX) June 2, 2026
Grand Slam Mexico will take place two months later than it did last year, a decision likely influenced by the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The football extravaganza will be held, in part, in Mexico from mid-June to mid-July, which has resulted in CMLL tweaking their schedule to hold shows in Mexico City, Puebla, and Guadalajara every day of the week, thus making it unlikely for AEW to hold Grand Slam in June. The show will now be part of AEW’s build to All In later in August, and will come just two weeks after AEW Redemption, being held in Montreal on July 26.
The first edition of Grand Slam Mexico proved to be important to both AEW and CMLL, as it kick-started a month-long feud between MJF and Mistico after the latter defeated MJF by DQ. Their issues would culminate at CMLL’s 92nd Aniversario in September, where Mistico would defeat MJF in a Mask vs. Title match to claim the CMLL World Light Heavyweight Championship.
WWE legend Booker T has shared his thoughts on Sol Ruca’s progress on the main roster since being called up from “WWE NXT.”
Ruca has had a quick rise on “WWE Raw” since debuting in April, and at Clash in Italy, she won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship from Becky Lynch. The young star came under some criticism recently after what seemed like a botch in her match. Booker T said on his “Hall of Fame” podcast that such mistakes are part and parcel of professional wrestling.
“But I give Sol Ruca a lot of credit for being able to make those mistakes. Because normally when you make that mistake one time, you try to figure out how not to make that mistake again. And that’s something that she hasn’t had a whole lot of chances to do in NXT because man, she’s been flawless. She’s been going out there and running the play, and she’s been running that play, you know, properly,” he said.
Booker T said that all wrestlers make mistakes on television, including himself, but that the key is to keep improving every time you step into the ring. The two-time Hall of Famer is pleased with Ruca’s progress on the main roster and believes she couldn’t have a better opponent than Becky Lynch.
“Sol Ruca is working with Becky Lynch. And I think working with Becky, she’s going to be in the best place she possibly can to be able to call that audible and be able to go out there and succeed at the same time. So I’m enjoying where Sol Ruca’s career is going. I think it’s been a meteoric rise. I think it’s been very, very quick for her and if Sol is listening — just like I tell all of them if they’re listening — keep your head on a swivel.”
Ruca understands the significance of a win over a legend like Lynch, stating that such a victory could be a defining moment in her career.
WWE’s Roxanne Perez has spoken glowingly about Liv Morgan and detailed what she has learned from her Judgment Day stablemate.
Morgan has grown by leaps and bounds in WWE in recent years and is now one of the more experienced women on the main roster. Perez has come under Morgan’s wing, and the former recently discussed with “Complex” the lessons her Judgment Day partner has taught her since joining forces with her.
“I think I have learned so much from Liv Morgan and more so from being able to work alongside her. But also just like to be able to look at her career from the outside and see where she came from. She did have to figure things out on NXT and like find herself and then, years and years later, becoming this mega star, the face of WWE, and just all the things that she went through to get there. Obviously, everybody’s path is different, but sometimes it’s hard to know when that big moment for you is coming. And I think she’s the perfect example of someone that just worked her a*s off until she got that big moment, and now she’s running with the big moment, and she’s not stopping. So yeah, that is pretty inspiring.”
Perez, during her time with Judgment Day, has received some valuable advice from Morgan, one piece of which stood out to her was to not dwell on things for too long.
“Honestly, I think there was one time where she did tell me, you know, to not harp on the little moments that I feel like maybe don’t go my way or the moments where I feel like I’m not as important in certain areas,” she said.
The former NXT star revealed that Morgan has told her she is destined to be a big star and encouraged her to keep striving, assuring her that success will eventually come.
