Tony Khan, President, CEO, and General Manager of All Elite Wrestling, made a major announcement ahead of this week’s AEW Rampage. It’s been confirmed that Tony Nese is All Elite; Nese will take on Sammy Guevara on the aforementioned show, challenging for the TNT Championship. “The Premier Athlete” is among various names that AEW has signed throughout 2021. Other names on this list include, but aren’t limited to, Jay Lethal, CM Punk, and Bryan Danielson. Here is what to know about Tony Nese as the newest AEW signee.
The TNT Title is at stake in a huge match TONIGHT on #AEWRampage! We have a great Champion @sammyguevara & I’m so impressed by the challenger, he’s been one of the hottest free agents in the business; ahead of this HUGE match tonight I’m making it official: @TonyNese IS ALL ELITE pic.twitter.com/OY6OplUs3D
— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) December 4, 2021
Tony Nese is All Elite
The Premier Athlete Signs With AEW
Tony Nese, the newest signee of All Elite Wrestling, made his first appearance for the promotion this past October. He was seen sitting in the crowd during the October 23 episode of AEW Dynamite. As Nese was shown on camera, the commentary team took notice, touting his then-free agent status. The following November, Nese made his in-ring debut on AEW Dark, besting Fuego Del Sol. He would then set his sights on Sammy Guevara, interrupting “The Spanish God’s” backstage interview before attacking him. Nese then proclaimed that he would become the new TNT Champion.
Prior to signing with AEW, Tony Nese became best known for his time in World Wrestling Entertainment, where he first appeared in the summer of 2016 during the Cruiserweight Classic. During this tournament, Nese bested Anthony Bennett in the first round before falling to Brian Kendrick in the second round. From there, Nese became a mainstay on 205 Live, being showcased alongside other cruiserweight talent. From time to time, he would also appear on NXT. His greatest achievement in the company came at WrestleMania 35 in April 2019; during the kickoff show, Nese defeated Buddy Murphy to win the Cruiserweight Championship. “The Premier Athlete” would hold the title for 77 days before losing it in the Stomping Grounds kickoff match the following June. Nese was released from his contract this past June alongside Ever-Rise, Ariya Daivari, Killian Dain, and several others.
Stay tuned to the Last Word on Pro Wrestling for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can catch AEW Dynamite Wednesday nights at 8 PM ET on TNT and AEW Dark: Elevation (Monday nights) and AEW: Dark (Tuesday nights) at 7 PM ET on YouTube. AEW Rampage airs on TNT at 10 PM EST every Friday night.
