AEW: Leva Bates Departure, Next Week’s Rampage Show Airing Update, Arn Anderson on Pairing with Wardlow

Leva Bates Announces Her AEW Contract Expired & Departure from Company

Leva Bate announced on Twitter that her contract with AEW recently expired and she has departed from the company.

🫶 pic.twitter.com/SNefHc4RWt

— Leva Bates (@wrestlingleva) May 1, 2023

Prior to her departure, Bates had been with AEW since August of 2019 working as both an active talent and in a backstage role. Bates was also among the initial people signed by the company.

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Next Week’s Rampage Show to be Preempted to Saturday Airing

The May 12th episode of AEW Rampage is currently scheduled to be preempted by one day on TNT.

In a recent update to their programming schedule on their official website, TNT revealed that this upcoming episode is currently scheduled to be airing on a new date of Saturday, May 13th and starting at 10PM EST on the network. The reason is due to TNT’s 2023 NHL Playoffs commitments for Friday that week.

This will be the fifth week in a row that AEW’s Rampage will be preempted from its normal time slot due to NHL and NBA Playoffs related coverage on TNT.

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Arn Anderson on His Recent Pairing with Wardlow & Wardlow’s Star Potential in AEW

A recent episode of the Ask Arn Anything podcast featured co-host Arn Anderson giving his thoughts on his recent pairing with Wardlow and his belief that Wardlow has “so much potential” as a future star for AEW.

“You know, I don’t think anybody expected [this pairing]. It’s not even from left field, it’s from down the first base line or something, you know? [Wardlow] has got so much potential, so much talent. He is such a class act, he is focused, he carries himself like a professional. He does everything right, he’s just been getting some bad advice from day one. When that locker room sees a guy that’s got unlimited potential, the claws come out, you know what I’m saying? They try to shut him down before he ever gets rolling in all kinds of political ways and physical ways, you name it, breaking into another man’s car is pretty stout. We had a couple of closed door conversations and I said ‘You let me worry about what goes down on the floor, because I’ve thought it, seen it, and done it decades before anybody else. Let me just free you up to do what you do, and that’s clean house.’ He kinda looked at me and I said ‘Don’t worry about anything else that goes on, I’ll take care of the floor, you just take care of the match.’ What makes it such a big victory, that guy he beat, Powerhouse Hobbs… He’s a stud and a superstar in the making, make no mistake. That guy has got unlimited potential as well, so it makes [Wardlow’s] win even bigger.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com