AEW: Dustin Rhodes Contract Update, Partnership with Best Buddies, Lance Archer

Dustin Rhodes AEW Contract Status Update

In an interview with the Busted Open Radio podcast this past December, Dustin Rhodes had stated that his current contract with AEW would be expiring in July of 2023. Rhodes had also mentioned at an event for Great Lakes Championship Wrestling that same month that he would be retiring after the end of 2023.

Fightful Select reported that their sources stated that Rhodes had signed a contract extension and his current deal does not expire until September of 2024.

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AEW Signs Partnership Deal with Best Buddies Organization

AEW announced that they have recently signed a partnership deal with Best Buddies, which is a global nonprofit organization that is dedicated to ending social, physical, and economic isolation for individuals with intellectual and developmental impairment.

Official press release:

Best Buddies International and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Unite to Champion Inclusion for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

MIAMI (July 21, 2023) —Best Buddies International, a global nonprofit organization and All Elite Wrestling (AEW), the new professional wrestling league taking the world by storm,today announced an impactful partnership committed to promoting inclusion and empowering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

This collaboration will be facilitated through AEW TOGETHER, AEW’s philanthropic initiative designed to foster lasting and positive change within the AEW community. AEW stars will proudly serve as Global Ambassadors for Best Buddies, actively engaging in local events and using their influence and impact to create awareness about Best Buddies’ mission of inclusion.

Joining the esteemed lineup of Best Buddies Global Ambassadors are the following AEW stars, who are highly committed to making a difference in the lives of people with intellectual and development disabilities: Paul Wight, Ethan Page and Willow Nightingale.

The collaborative efforts of Best Buddies, AEW TOGETHER and the new Global Ambassadors will officially launch today at the highly anticipated Best Buddies Leadership Conference at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. This annual event unites Best Buddies leaders, volunteers and community advocates from around the globe to imagine, create, lead and empower the future of the disability rights and inclusion movement.

AEW will amplify the new partnership on Saturday, July 22 during the “AEW: Collision” show at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The presence of Best Buddies participants from the tri-state area will add special significance to the worldwide event.

Best Buddies International and everyone at AEW are dedicated to creating a greater awareness to the infinite abilities people with intellectual and developmental disabilities possess. Together, both organizations aim to create a positive and transformative impact on the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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Lance Archer Comments on His Choice of Opponents for Potential Future Matches in AEW

A recent episode of the Sportskeeda’s WrestleBinge podcast featured Lance Archer as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Archer’s thoughts about Adam Cole being among the people he would like to wrestle in AEW.

“Adam Cole, he’s a guy I’ve never had a chance to step in the ring. He obviously gets out there. He captures everybody’s attention when he steps on the mic. I think it would be an extreme challenge for him to step in the ring with ‘The Murderhawk Monster,’ but he’s obviously proven himself to be able to do it against the best in this business, so I’d like to prove myself against him.”

Archer also gave his thoughts about Wardlow and Sammy Guevara being other people he would also like to wrestle in the company.

“There’s a lot of revenge matches on my mind. I would love to step back into the ring with Wardlow, on his rise to where he’s gotten to today, three-time TNT Champion. He’s somebody that I’d like to step in the ring with. I think we could deliver a monster battle that they’ve never seen in AEW or the business before. There’s so many guys. Sammy Guevara, we’re out of Texas, and we’ve never once ever stepped in the ring together. Never once. So I’d like to step in the ring and beat him too.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com