AEW Battle of the Belts is a series of professional wrestling television specials produced by the American promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW). The one-hour specials are broadcast on TNT in the United States and air quarterly throughout the year. The series currently airs on select Saturday nights at 10 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) immediately after AEW's regular Saturday program, Collision; the series originally aired on select Saturday nights at 8 p.m. ET, but was moved to Fridays at 11 p.m. ET beginning with the fourth episode before its move back to Saturdays with the seventh episode. Battle of the Belts premiered with a live episode on January 8, 2022. The eighth and most recent special aired live on October 21, 2023.
| AEW Battle of the Belts |
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AEW Battle of the Belts logo |
| Genre | Professional wrestling |
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| Created by | Tony Khan |
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| Country of origin | United States |
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| Original language | English |
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| No. of episodes | 8 |
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| Production |
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| Producer | Tony Khan |
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| Running time | 60 minutes |
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| Production company | All Elite Wrestling |
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| Release |
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| Original network | TNT |
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| Original release | January 8, 2022 (2022-01-08) –
present |
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| Related |
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The theme of the show is that all matches are contested for professional wrestling championships. Thus far, seven of AEW's eight championships have been defended on the specials, as well as three championships from AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH). These include the AEW Women's World Championship, the AEW TNT Championship, the AEW TBS Championship, the AEW International Championship, the AEW World Tag Team Championship, the AEW World Trios Championship, the FTW Championship, the ROH World Championship, the ROH World Television Championship, and the ROH World Tag Team Championship.
History Edit
In May 2021, the American professional wrestling promotion All Elite Wrestling (AEW) renegotiated its broadcasting deal with WarnerMedia (now Warner Bros. Discovery), which saw AEW's flagship television program, Wednesday Night Dynamite, move from TNT to TBS in January 2022, while its other core program, Friday Night Rampage, remained on TNT.[1][2] Also as part of the deal, AEW agreed to produce four quarterly television specials on TNT that would take place on Saturdays.[1][3] Former AEW executive and wrestler Cody Rhodes said that these specials would be similar to Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling's Clash of the Champions and WWE's Saturday Night's Main Event shows, calling them super events.[4] Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer reported that the quarterly specials would be one-hour shows, but said they were originally planned to be longer, and also that they would feature pay-per-view caliber cards.[5]
On November 24, 2021, the television special series was announced to be titled Battle of the Belts with the inaugural event scheduled to be held live at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on January 8, 2022, at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The tagline was confirmed as "Saturday Fight Night".[6][7] The name "Battle of the Belts" came from a National Wrestling Alliance event held from 1985 to 1987 by the promotion's Florida territory that was operated by Eddie Graham.[6]
AEW President Tony Khan confirmed that due to the show's one-hour length, not all of AEW's championships would be defended on the specials, but their goal was to put on great championship matches.[8] On the day of the inaugural event, Khan revealed that matches for the January 11 episode of their YouTube show, Dark, were scheduled to be taped before the Battle of the Belts I live broadcast, with all other AEW champions participating in these Dark matches.[9]
On February 15, 2022, AEW announced that Battle of the Belts II would be taped on April 15 at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas,[10] which aired on tape delay the next day on April 16.[11] After Tony Khan's purchase of Ring of Honor (ROH) in March 2022, the ROH World Championship was scheduled to be defended at Battle of the Belts II, the first non-AEW championship defended on the series.[12]
On August 4, 2022, Battle of the Belts IV was announced to be held on Friday, October 7 at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. As Battle of the Belts was established as a Saturday night television special, it was expected that Battle of the Belts IV would air on tape delay the next day on October 8.[13] However, due to WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view airing that night, Battle of the Belts IV was instead scheduled to air live on October 7 at 11 p.m. ET right after the live broadcast of Rampage to avoid counter programming against WWE. Due to its Friday scheduling, its tagline was changed to "Friday Fight Night". This was also the first Battle of the Belts episode to not include matches for either the AEW Women's World Championship or AEW TNT Championship, but it did include an ROH World Tag Team Championship match.[14]
On November 2, 2022, it was announced that the Battle of the Belts series would continue with Battle of the Belts V scheduled to air live on Friday, January 6, 2023, at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon.[15] Despite the addition of Saturday Night Collision to AEW's weekly lineup, which premiered on June 17, 2023, Khan confirmed that Battle of the Belts would continue, although its future on TNT was uncertain.[16] On July 4, 2023, PWInsider reported that the show would remain on TNT with Battle of the Belts VII scheduled to be held on July 15 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada at 10 p.m ET after the live broadcast of Collision on TNT. This in turn returned the special to Saturday nights and also marked the first Battle of the Belts to be held outside of the United States.[17]
Battle of the Belts VIII, which took place live on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 10 p.m. ET on TNT at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee, was the first Battle of the Belts to have four matches on the card; all previous episodes only had three. It would also be the first episode to include defenses of the AEW World Trios Championship and the ROH World Television Championship.[18]
Events Edit
| Event | Date | City | Venue | Main Event | Ref |
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| Battle of the Belts I | January 8, 2022 | Charlotte, North Carolina | Bojangles Coliseum | Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. (c) vs. Riho for the AEW Women's World Championship | [19] |
| Battle of the Belts II | April 15, 2022
(aired April 16, 2022) | Garland, Texas | Curtis Culwell Center | Thunder Rosa (c) vs. Nyla Rose for the AEW Women's World Championship | [10][11] |
| Battle of the Belts III | August 5, 2022
(aired August 6, 2022) | Grand Rapids, Michigan | Van Andel Arena | Claudio Castagnoli (c) vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the ROH World Championship | [20] |
| Battle of the Belts IV | October 7, 2022 | Washington, D.C. | Entertainment and Sports Arena | FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) (c) vs. Gates of Agony (Toa Liona and Kaun) for the ROH World Tag Team Championship | [21] |
| Battle of the Belts V | January 6, 2023 | Portland, Oregon | Veterans Memorial Coliseum | Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Kip Sabian for the AEW All-Atlantic Championship | [15] |
| Battle of the Belts VI | April 7, 2023 | Kingston, Rhode Island | Ryan Center | The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fenix) (c) vs. Q. T. Marshall and Powerhouse Hobbs for the ROH World Tag Team Championship | [22] |
| Battle of the Belts VII | July 15, 2023 | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | Scotiabank Saddledome | Luchasaurus (c) vs. Shawn Spears for the AEW TNT Championship | [17] |
| Battle of the Belts VIII | October 21, 2023 | Memphis, Tennessee | FedExForum | The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) and Billy Gunn (c) vs. Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, and Daniel Garcia for the AEW World Trios Championship | [23] |
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match |
Results Edit
Battle of the Belts I Edit
Battle of the Belts I took place on Saturday, January 8, 2022, at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event aired live at 8 p.m. ET on TNT. In the main event, Dr. Britt Baker, D.M.D. defeated Riho to retain the AEW Women's World Championship. On the undercard, Ricky Starks defeated Matt Sydal to retain the FTW Championship and in the opening bout, Sammy Guevara defeated Dustin Rhodes to become the interim AEW TNT Champion; Guevara was originally scheduled to face lineal champion Cody Rhodes for the title, however, Cody was pulled due to COVID-19-related issues.[19]
Battle of the Belts II Edit
Battle of the Belts II was taped on April 15, 2022, at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.[10] It aired on tape delay the next day on Saturday, April 16 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.[11] In the main event, Thunder Rosa retained the AEW Women's World Championship against Nyla Rose. On the undercard, Jonathan Gresham defeated Dalton Castle to retain the ROH World Championship and also in the opening bout, Sammy Guevara defeated Scorpio Sky to win the AEW TNT Championship for a record-tying third time.[27]
Battle of the Belts III Edit
Battle of the Belts III was taped on August 5, 2022, at the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.[20] It aired on tape delay the next day on Saturday, August 6 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.[29][30] In the main event, Claudio Castagnoli retained the ROH World Championship against Konosuke Takeshita. On the undercard, Thunder Rosa defeated Jamie Hayter to retain the AEW Women's World Championship and in the opening bout, Wardlow defeated Jay Lethal to retain the AEW TNT Championship.[31]
Battle of the Belts IV Edit
Battle of the Belts IV took place on Friday, October 7, 2022, at the Entertainment and Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. As Battle of the Belts was established as a Saturday night television special, it was expected that Battle of the Belts IV would air on tape delay the next day on October 8; however, to avoid counter programming against WWE's Extreme Rules pay-per-view that night, Battle of the Belts IV was scheduled to air live on October 7 at 11 p.m. ET on TNT immediately after the live broadcast of AEW's regular Friday program, Rampage.[13][33][34] In the main event, FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood) defeated Gates of Agony (Toa Liona and Kaun) to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On the undercard, Jade Cargill defeated Willow Nightingale to retain the AEW TBS Championship, and in the opening bout, Pac defeated Trent Beretta to retain the AEW All-Atlantic Championship.[21]
Battle of the Belts V Edit
Battle of the Belts V took place on Friday, January 6, 2023, at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. The show aired live at 11 p.m. ET on TNT immediately following the live broadcast of AEW's regular Friday program, Rampage.[35] In the main event, Orange Cassidy defeated Kip Sabian to retain the AEW All-Atlantic Championship. On the undercard, Jade Cargill defeated Skye Blue to retain the AEW TBS Championship and in the opening bout, The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) defeated Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal in a No Holds Barred tag team match to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship.[36]
Battle of the Belts VI Edit
Battle of the Belts VI took place on Friday, April 7, 2023, at the Ryan Center in Kingston, Rhode Island. The show aired live at 11 p.m. ET on TNT immediately following the live broadcast of AEW's regular Friday program, Rampage.[22] In the main event, The Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo and Rey Fénix) defeated Q. T. Marshall and Powerhouse Hobbs to retain the ROH World Tag Team Championship. On the undercard, Jade Cargill defeated Billie Starkz to retain the AEW TBS Championship, and in the opening bout, Orange Cassidy defeated Dralístico to retain the AEW International Championship (formerly All-Atlantic Championship).[38]
Battle of the Belts VII Edit
Battle of the Belts VII took place on Saturday, July 15, 2023, at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, marking the first Battle of the Belts to be held outside of the United States. This episode returned the special to Saturday nights and aired live at 10 p.m. ET on TNT immediately after the live broadcast of AEW's regular Saturday program, Collision.[17] In the main event, Luchasaurus defeated Shawn Spears to retain the AEW TNT Championship. On the undercard, Toni Storm defeated Taya Valkyrie to retain the AEW Women's World Championship, and in the opening bout, Orange Cassidy defeated Lance Archer to retain the AEW International Championship. Due to inclement weather that caused satellite issues in Calgary, the conclusion of the Women's World Championship match was not broadcast. After the signal was restored, the announcers informed the television audience of the result, and showed a replay of the finish.[39]
Battle of the Belts VIII Edit
Battle of the Belts VIII took place on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. The show aired live at 10 p.m. ET on TNT immediately after the live broadcast of AEW's regular Saturday program, Collision.[23] While all past Battle of the Belts episodes featured three matches per card, Battle of the Belts VIII had four matches. In the main event, The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens and Max Caster) and Billy Gunn defeated Matt Menard, Angelo Parker, and Daniel Garcia to retain the AEW World Trios Championship. On the undercard, Kris Statlander defeated Willow Nightingale to retain the AEW TBS Championship, Samoa Joe defeated Tony Nese to retain the ROH World Television Championship, and in the opening bout, Orange Cassidy defeated John Silver to retain the AEW International Championship.[18]
See also Edit
References Edit
- ^ a b Lambert, Jeremy (May 20, 2021). "Tony Khan Turned Down Third Hour Of AEW Dynamite, Got 'Fair Financial Considerations' For TBS Move". Fightful. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ Joe Otterson (September 23, 2021). "'AEW: Dynamite' Sets January Date for TBS Move, 'Rampage' to Remain on TNT". Variety.com. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
- ^ Heydorn, Zack (November 24, 2021). "AEW officially announces Battle of the Belts special". PWTorch. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ Casey, Connor (November 1, 2021). "Latest Report on AEW's First TNT Special Event in 2022". ComicBook.com. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ Ounpraseuth, Jason (November 2, 2021). "Backstage News On Plans For AEW's Battle Of The Belts". Wrestling Inc. Retrieved December 17, 2021.
- ^ a b Guzzo, Gisberto (November 24, 2021). "Date Revealed For First-Ever AEW Battle Of The Belts". Fightful. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ "AEW Battle of the Belts". All Elite Wrestling. Retrieved December 16, 2021.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (December 20, 2021). "Tony Khan Confirms AEW Battle Of The Belts Will Be A One Hour Special". Fightful. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
- ^ Lee, Joseph (January 8, 2022). "AEW To Tape House Show Before Battle of the Belts Tonight, Matches Will Air On Dark". 411mania. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Mike (February 15, 2022). "AEW ANNOUNCES BATTLE OF THE BELTS II". PWInsider. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
- ^ a b c Thomas, Jeremy (April 6, 2022). "Women's World Title Match Set For AEW Battle of the Belts II This Month". 411mania. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ Casey, Connor (April 13, 2022). "AEW Battle of the Belts 2's Full Lineup Includes a Ring of Honor World Championship Match". ComicBook.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ a b Currier, Joseph (August 4, 2022). "AEW returning to Washington, D.C. for Dynamite, Rampage, Battle of the Belts IV". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ Lowson, Thomas (September 27, 2022). "AEW Battle of the Belts 4 Moves Date - No Longer Competing with WWE Extreme Rules". eWrestlingNews. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- ^ a b Tessier, Colin (November 2, 2022). "Date And Venue Announced For AEW Battle Of The Belts V". Fightful News. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
- ^ Nason, Josh (June 14, 2023). "Tony Khan says AEW Battle of the Belts will continue". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Mike (July 4, 2023). "AEW BATTLE OF THE BELTS VII WILL TAKE PLACE..." PWInsider. Retrieved July 4, 2023.
- ^ a b Pulido, Luis (October 21, 2023). "AEW Battle Of The Belts VIII (10/21/2023): Kris Statlander vs Willow Nightingale, Three More Title Bouts". Fightful. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ a b c McGuire, Colin (January 8, 2022). "1/8 AEW Battle of the Belts results: McGuire's review of Britt Baker vs. Riho for the AEW Women's Championship, Dustin Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara for the Interim TNT Championship, Ricky Starks vs. Matt Sydal for the FTW Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ^ a b DeFelice, Robert (June 1, 2022). "AEW Battle Of The Belts III Set To Take Place In Grand Rapids, Michigan". Fightful News. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
- ^ a b c McGuire, Colin (October 7, 2022). "10/7 AEW Battle of the Belts IV results: McGuire's review of Pac vs. Trent Beretta for the AEW All-Atlantic Title, Jade Cargill vs. Willow Nightingale for the TBS Title, FTR vs. Gates of Agony for the ROH Tag Team Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
- ^ a b Tessier, Colin (January 4, 2023). "Date And Venue Announced For AEW Battle Of The Belts VI". Fightful. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ^ a b Carey, Ian (October 12, 2023). "Date and start time revealed for AEW Battle of the Belts VIII". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ All Elite Wrestling [@AEWonTV] (January 7, 2022). "BREAKING: @DustinRhodes will now face @SammyGuevara for the INTERIM TNT Title tomorrow night at #BattleOfTheBelts! #AEWRampage" (Tweet). Retrieved January 7, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] (January 7, 2022). "Another incredible match has been added to #AEW's #BattleOfTheBelts! It's #RickyStarks vs. @MattSydal for the FTW Title TOMORROW LIVE at 8/7c on @TNTDrama!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 7, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ All Elite Wrestling [@AEW] (December 17, 2021). "It's official: @RealBrittBaker will defend her #AEW Women's World Title against top contender and former champion @riho_gtmv at AEW #BattleOfTheBelts on Saturday, Jan. 8 LIVE at 8/7c on TNT from Charlotte, NC!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Powell, Jason (April 16, 2022). "4/16 AEW Battle of the Belts 2 results: Powell's review of Thunder Rosa vs. Nyla Rose for the AEW Women's Championship, Scorpio Sky vs. Sammy Guevara for the TNT Title, Jonathan Gresham vs. Dalton Castle for the ROH World Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c Guzzo, Gisberto (April 13, 2022). "AEW TNT Championship And ROH World Championship To Be Defended At AEW Battle Of The Belts II". Fightful. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- ^ . TNTdrama.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (July 29, 2022). "ROH World Championship match announced for AEW Battle of the Belts III". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved July 30, 2022.
- ^ a b McGuire, Colin (August 6, 2022). "8/6 AEW Battle of the Belts results: McGuire's review of Claudio Castagnoli vs. Konosuke Takeshita for the ROH Championship, Thunder Rosa vs. Jamie Hayter for the AEW Women's Championship, and Wardlow vs. Jay Lethal for the TNT Championship". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c Russell, Skylar (August 3, 2022). "TNT Championship Match, AEW Women's Title Bout Set For AEW Battle Of The Belts On 8/6". Fightful. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
- ^ Rueter, Sean (September 27, 2022). "Next week's AEW Battle of the Belts won't air on Saturday". Cageside Seats. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Thomas, Jeremy (October 5, 2022). "Updated Card For AEW Battle of the Belts IV". 411mania. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- ^ Thomas, Jeremy (January 4, 2023). "Updated Lineup For AEW Battle of the Belts V". 411mania. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ^ a b McGuire, Colin (January 6, 2023). "1/6 AEW Battle of the Belts V results: McGuire's review of Orange Cassidy vs. Kip Sabian for the AEW All-Atlantic Championship, The Acclaimed vs. Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal in a No Holds Barred match for the AEW Tag Team Titles, Jade Cargill vs. Skye Blue for the TBS Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Russell, Skylar (January 4, 2023). "Acclaimed vs. Jarrett/Lethal No Holds Barred Match, TBS Title Bout Added To AEW Battle Of The Belts V". Fightful. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ a b McGuire, Colin (April 7, 2023). "4/7 AEW Battle of the Belts VI results: McGuire's review of Orange Cassidy vs. Dralistico for the AEW International Title, Jade Cargill vs. Billie Starkz for the TBS Title, Rey Fenix and Penta El Zero Miedo vs. Powerhouse Hobbs and QT Marshall for the ROH Tag Team Titles". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Powell, Jason (July 15, 2023). "AEW Battle of the Belts VII results (7/15): Powell's review of Orange Cassidy vs. Lance Archer for the AEW International Title, Toni Storm vs. Taya Valkyrie for the AEW Women's Title, Luchasaurus vs. Shawn Spears for the TNT Title". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ a b Russell, Skylar (October 18, 2023). "AEW International Championship Match, TBS Championship Bout Added To AEW Battle Of The Belts VIII". Fightul. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- ^ Tessier, Colin (October 19, 2023). "AEW Rampage Spoilers For 10/20 (Taped On 10/18)". Fightful. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (October 14, 2023). "Trios title match announced for AEW Battle of the Belts VIII". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ "AEW Battle Of The Belts VIII". Cagematch. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
External links Edit
- All Elite Wrestling Official website
