AEW Battle of the Belts
AEW Battle of the Belts | |
---|---|
Genre | Professional wrestling |
Created by | Tony Khan |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of episodes | 10 |
Production | |
Producer | Tony Khan |
Running time | 60 minutes |
Production company | All Elite Wrestling |
Original release | |
Network | TNT |
Release | January 8, 2022 present | –
Related | |
AEW Battle of the Belts is an American series of
The theme of the show is that all matches are contested for professional wrestling championships. Thus far, seven of AEW's nine championships have been defended on the specials, as well as four 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, the ROH World Tag Team Championship, and the ROH Women's World Championship.
As of April 2024, only two title changes have occurred during Battle of the Belts episodes, both of which involved Sammy Guevara. The first was on the inaugural episode which saw him defeat Dustin Rhodes to determine the interim TNT Champion and the other was on the second episode in which he defeated Scorpio Sky to win his record-tying third TNT Championship. Additionally, only one match was not contested for a championship. Instead, it was a Championship Eliminator match on the 10th episode in which reigning International Champion Roderick Strong faced Rocky Romero. Strong defeated Romero, thus Romero cannot challenge Strong for as long as Strong is champion; had Romero won, then he would have received a future title match.
History
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 weekly program at the time, 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
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 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
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 | Kaun) for the ROH World Tag Team Championship
|
[21] |
Battle of the Belts V
|
January 6, 2023 | Portland, Oregon | Veterans Memorial Coliseum | AEW All-Atlantic Championship
|
[15] |
Battle of the Belts VI
|
April 7, 2023 | Kingston, Rhode Island | Ryan Center | [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 | Angelo Parker, and Daniel Garcia for the AEW World Trios Championship
|
[23] |
Battle of the Belts IX
|
January 13, 2024 | Norfolk, Virginia | Chartway Arena | Orange Cassidy (c) vs. Preston Vance for the AEW International Championship | [24] |
Battle of the Belts X
|
April 13, 2024 | Highland Heights, Kentucky | Truist Arena | Athena (c) vs. Red Velvet for the ROH Women's World Championship | [25] |
(c) – refers to the champion(s) heading into the match
|
Results
Battle of the Belts I
Battle of the Belts I | |||
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Promotion All Elite Wrestling | | ||
Date | January 8, 2022 | ||
City | Charlotte, North Carolina | ||
Venue | Bojangles Coliseum | ||
Tagline(s) | Saturday Fight Night | ||
Battle of the Belts chronology | |||
|
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,
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Singles match for the AEW Women's World Championship[28] | 12:47 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Battle of the Belts II
Battle of the Belts II | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion All Elite Wrestling | | ||
Date | April 15, 2022 (aired April 16, 2022) | ||
City | Garland, Texas | ||
Venue | Curtis Culwell Center | ||
Tagline(s) | Saturday Fight Night | ||
Battle of the Belts chronology | |||
|
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 in the opening bout, Sammy Guevara defeated Scorpio Sky to win the AEW TNT Championship for a record-tying third time.[29]
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Singles match for the AEW Women's World Championship[30] | 14:10 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Battle of the Belts III
Battle of the Belts III | |||
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Promotion All Elite Wrestling | | ||
Date | August 5, 2022 (aired August 6, 2022) | ||
City | Grand Rapids, Michigan | ||
Venue | Van Andel Arena | ||
Tagline(s) | Saturday Fight Night | ||
Battle of the Belts chronology | |||
|
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.[31][32] 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.[33]
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Singles match for the ROH World Championship[34] | 19:59 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Battle of the Belts IV
Battle of the Belts IV | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion All Elite Wrestling | | ||
Date | October 7, 2022 | ||
City | Washington, D.C. | ||
Venue | Entertainment and Sports Arena | ||
Tagline(s) | Friday Fight Night | ||
Battle of the Belts chronology | |||
|
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.
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Tag team match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship[36] | 13:26 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Battle of the Belts V
Battle of the Belts V | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion All Elite Wrestling | | ||
Date | January 6, 2023 | ||
City | Portland, Oregon | ||
Venue | Veterans Memorial Coliseum | ||
Tagline(s) | Friday Fight Night | ||
Battle of the Belts chronology | |||
|
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.
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times AEW All-Atlantic Championship[39] | 16:44 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Battle of the Belts VI
Battle of the Belts VI | |||
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Promotion All Elite Wrestling | | ||
Date | April 7, 2023 | ||
City | Kingston, Rhode Island | ||
Venue | Ryan Center | ||
Battle of the Belts chronology | |||
|
Battle of the Belts VI took place on Friday, April 7, 2023, at the
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Tag team match for the ROH World Tag Team Championship 14:41 | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Battle of the Belts VII
Battle of the Belts VII | |||
---|---|---|---|
Calgary, Alberta, Canada | |||
Venue | Scotiabank Saddledome | ||
Battle of the Belts chronology | |||
|
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.[41]
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Singles match for the AEW TNT Championship 9:15 | | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Battle of the Belts VIII
Battle of the Belts VIII | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion All Elite Wrestling | | ||
Date | October 21, 2023 | ||
City | Memphis, Tennessee | ||
Venue | FedExForum | ||
Battle of the Belts chronology | |||
|
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.
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Six-man tag team match for the AEW World Trios Championship[44] | 10:44 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Battle of the Belts IX
Battle of the Belts IX | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion All Elite Wrestling | | ||
Date | January 13, 2024 | ||
City | Norfolk, Virginia | ||
Venue | Chartway Arena | ||
Battle of the Belts chronology | |||
|
Battle of the Belts IX took place on Saturday, January 13, 2024, at the
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Singles match for the AEW International Championship[49] | 11:17 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Battle of the Belts X
Battle of the Belts X | |||
---|---|---|---|
Promotion All Elite Wrestling | | ||
Date | April 13, 2024 | ||
City | Highland Heights, Kentucky | ||
Venue | Truist Arena | ||
Battle of the Belts chronology | |||
|
Battle of the Belts X took place on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at the
No. | Results | Stipulations | Times Singles match for the ROH Women's World Championship[53] | 12:40 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
See also
References
- ^ 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.
- 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.
- ^ 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.
- ComicBook.com. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ a b Lambert, Jeremy (December 31, 2023). "AEW Battle Of The Belts IX Listed On TNT Schedule For January 13". Fightful. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
- ^ a b Defelice, Robert (March 9, 2024). "AEW Battle Of The Belts X To Take Place On 4/13/24". Fightful. Retrieved March 9, 2024.
- ^ All Elite Wrestling [@AEWonTV] (January 8, 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 8, 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 18, 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.
- ^ "Schedule". TNT.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- 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.
- ^ 411Mania. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
- 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.
- Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
- ^ "AEW Battle Of The Belts VIII". Cagematch. October 21, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
- ^ a b "AEW Battle Of The Belts IX". Cagematch. January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (January 6, 2024). "Big Bill And Ricky Starks To Face Sammy Guevara And Chris Jericho In A Street Fight At AEW Battle Of The Belts". Fightul. Retrieved January 6, 2024.
- 411Mania. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
- Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ Pulido, Luis (April 13, 2024). "AEW Battle of The Belts X (4/13/2024) Results: Roderick Strong vs Rocky Romero, Athena, HOOK, More". Fightful. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
- ^ Renner, Ethan (April 11, 2024). "FTW title match booked for AEW Battle of the Belts X". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Rose, Bryan (April 7, 2024). "International title eliminator official for AEW Battle of the Belts X". Wrestling Observer Figure Four Online. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
- ^ Lambert, Jeremy (April 12, 2024). "Athena To Defend ROH Women's Title Against Red Velvet At AEW Battle Of The Belts X". Fightful. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ Powell, Jason (April 13, 2024). "AEW Battle of the Belts X results (4/13): Powell's review of Athena vs. Red Velvet for the ROH Women's Title, Hook vs. Shane Taylor for the FTW Championship, Roderick Strong vs. Rocky Romero in an eliminator match". Pro Wrestling Dot Net. Retrieved April 13, 2024.