WWE legend “Road Dogg” Jesse James spoke about AEW and its growth while appearing in an interview recently. The veteran also attributed the Tony Khan-led company’s recent development to a key addition to its production crew.
Since its foundation in 2019, All Elite Wrestling has grown by leaps and bounds as a promotion. The company currently produces two weekly televised shows, Dynamite and Collision, which usually air respectively on TBS and TNT besides being simulcasted on HBO MAX as per the terms of AEW’s media rights agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery. All Elite Wrestling is moreover continuing to add to its annual pay-per-view calendar, and will be hosting multiple international shows these coming months.
During his recent appearance on the Busted Open podcast, former WWE Smackdown writer Road Dogg spoke about how the sports entertainment juggernaut had underestimated AEW’s prospects at the time of its inception, which he argues had been a mistake. The veteran then claimed that the promotion has been developing and “getting stronger” in the meantime, which he attributed in part to the company adding Mike Mansury to its production team.
“No, no, no, we didn’t, and we probably should have, to be quite honest with you, but instead it was, I think it was looked at like, oh, that’s this other little money marks company, you know what I mean? I honestly think that’s how it was kind of looked at, and I would argue, however long we are now into their tenure, that was wrong to be looking at it that way… Here, they’re still here, they’re still strong. They’re, I would argue, they’re getting stronger. I would argue adding Mike Mansuri to their team, who runs their truck now, was a huge step in the right direction. He’s a smart guy with good instincts.” [H/T- WrestlingNews.co]
Announcements for this week’s AEW Dynamite
This coming Wednesday, All Elite Wrestling will be returning to the Andrew J. Brady Music Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, for the 2026 edition of Dynamite: Summer Blockbuster. A number of star-studded matches have already been announced for the show, including at least one title bout, as listed below:
- Jon Moxley (c) vs Shane Taylor [AEW Continental Championship Match]
- Mark Briscoe vs PAC
- Orange Cassidy vs Andrade El Idolo
- Skye Blue vs Saree [Women’s 2026 Owen Hart Foundation Cup quarterfinal]
- Swerve Strickland vs Brody King [Men’s 2026 Owen Hart Foundation Cup semifinal]
It remains to be seen what TK and his creative has in store for fans this Wednesday enroute to Forbidden Door 2026.
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Edited by Anurag Mukherjee