AEW Sources Reject Dave Meltzer Report As Outright False
Tony Khan and AEW recently did a deal with Mexican promotion CMLL but it seems the deal has caused some confusion as to what it actually entails.
AEW has seen an influx of talent from CMLL in recent weeks with the two promotions now working closely together. The Blackpool Combat Club has been at the centre of many of those matches and now Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta will be heading to Arena Mexico in late March for a huge eight-man tag team match.
Writing in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer divulged some apparent details regarding the deal, noting that politics between Mexican companies may have been in play:
As noted before, the deal with CMLL is that on any television show that their talent appears on, no other Mexican wrestlers can appear. It doesn’t matter if they work for AAA or not, or did in the past, it’s no other Mexican wrestlers can appear. Some of the prior Mexican talent is mad that Tony Khan agreed to those terms, noting that AAA never made a demand like that for AEW to not feature CMLL talent even though they were warring in Mexico.
Meltzer also noted that many felt the deal was unfair to established AEW stars such as Penta El Zero M and Rey Fenix as they could miss shows due to CMLL talent being booked:
It was noted that Penta and Fenix were in AEW from day one in particular and the feeling it’s disrespectful to them that there would be shows including perhaps multiple PPVs this year, including any PPV anyone from CMLL is booked on, that they couldn’t even be allowed on the show. Previously it was just Forbidden Door.
There was an incident with Penta coming off the Jericho Cruise where he stayed for Dynamite as he was under the belief he was booked on, and was there, only to find out that he couldn’t appear on the show because they had booked CMLL guys for both Dynamite and Rampage.
AEW Sources Reject CMLL Deal Claims
A report from Fightful Select has now thrown Meltzer’s assertions in doubt. Their report cites AEW sources who have called Meltzer’s claims “outright false.”
It was noted that Komander worked on the 31st of January edition of Dynamite against Wardlow and that was the show where the CMLL contingent first appeared – although they were not featured in matches on that show.
Penta missing AEW programming recently was put down to travel issues rather than politics. It was conceded that CMLL talent is not supposed to be booked in angles with AAA talent in AEW.