AEW: Ortiz’s Torn Pec Injury & AEW Status Update, Mark Briscoe on “I’ll Never Have Anything I Cherish Like The Briscoe Brothers”, Warner Bros Discovery Announces Post-Split Companies Names & Executive Leadership Teams

Ortiz’s Torn Pec Injury & AEW Status Update

As noted before, Ortiz has been out of action for AEW since January of 2024 due to a torn pectoral injury and surgery. Ortiz made his in-ring return for the indies this past March.

Fightful Select’s Sean Ross Sapp reported in a recent Q&A article that his sources stated that Ortiz is still under contract with AEW and is medically cleared for a potential in-ring return.

Sapp reported that Ortiz’s current abscense from AEW television is simply due to AEW CEO Tony Khan currently does not have any creative plans for him.

Sapp also reported that Ortiz has only wrestled three matches over this past year but he is still being paid by AEW.

---

Mark Briscoe Comments on “I’ll Never Have Anything I Cherish Like The Briscoe Brothers”

A recent episode of the Wrestling Observer Radio featured Mark Briscoe as the guest. One of the topics discussed included Briscoe’s thoughts about him wanting to perform at a high level so that fans with seek out his past matches with his brother Jay and how much he cherishes his tag team with his late brother.

““I never will in my life have anything that I cherish like our tag team career together, me and Jay as The Briscoe Brothers. I could have, whatever, a thousand five star matches and win all the awards. Nothing I could do at this point can scratch the surface of the legacy of the Briscoe Brothers.

Part of my mission at this point is to perform at a level where people enjoy what I’m doing and what I’m presenting, and they’ll search out some old Briscoe Brothers stuff because that was the gold.”

Briscoe also gave his thoughts about his praise of his later brother’s daughters Jayleigh and Gracie Pugh.

They’re my heroes from now on. From now until I head to the grave myself, those two are my heroes.

Some people will tell me, ‘Good job, Mark, you’re carrying on for The Briscoes’ and whatever. They are carrying on (for The Briscoes).”

Briscoe also gave his thoughts about how when doctors told the family that Gracie would never walk again after the car accident, he was confident they were underestimating her because she is the most like Jay out of anyone in the family.

“When they passed that news along to all of us, I thought to myself, y’all don’t know Gracie Pugh. Like, y’all do not know Gracie Pugh cause she is Jamin Pugh, aka little Jay Briscoe. That’s just her personality.”

Transcript h/t: F4WOnline.com

---

Warner Bros Discovery Announces Post-Split Companies Names & Executive Leadership Teams

As noted before, Warner Bros Discovery will be splitting into two separate companies in 2026. Following online speculation and rumors over AEW’s future with WBD, AEW CEO Tony Khan had stated in an interview with Yahoo Finances this past June that AEW has a great relationship with both of WBD’s upcoming new split companies.

WBD provided an update on Monday announcing that their “Streaming & Studios” Company will now be called Warner Bros and their “Global Networks” Company will now be called Discovery Global.

Official press release:

Warner Bros. Discovery Announces Post-Separation Company Names and Leadership Appointments

“Streaming & Studios” Company will be Warner Bros.; “Global Networks” Company will be Discovery Global

Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) today announced corporate names and senior leadership appointments for when the company separates in mid-2026. “Streaming & Studios,” which will be home to Warner Bros. Television, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, DC Studios, HBO, HBO Max and Warner Bros. Gaming Studios, as well as their legendary film and television libraries, will be called Warner Bros., honoring the legacy of more than a century of industry-defining storytelling. “Global Networks,” which will include premier entertainment, sports and news television brands around the world including CNN, TNT Sports in the U.S., Discovery, and top free-to-air channels across Europe as well as digital products such as the Discovery+ streaming service and Bleacher Report (B/R), will be called Discovery Global, in recognition of the affinity and value this name has around the world in entertainment, news and sports. The properties of Discovery Global deliver content to 1.1 billion unique viewers in 68 local languages across 200 countries and territories.

The leadership team at Warner Bros. includes David Zaslav, currently President and CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, who will serve as President and CEO, as well as:

* Pam Abdy, Co-Chair and CEO Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group
* Priya Aiyar, Chief Legal Officer
* Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO and HBO Max
* Bruce Campbell, Chief Operating Officer
* Mike De Luca, Co-Chair & CEO, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group
* Channing Dungey, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. TV Group
* Robert Gibbs, Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer
* James Gunn, Co-Chairman and CEO, DC Studios
* Lori Locke, Chief Accounting Officer (reporting to the Chief Financial Officer)
* JB Perrette, CEO & President of Streaming and Games
* Peter Safran, Co-Chairman and CEO, DC Studios
* Avi Saxena, Chief Technology Officer (reporting to Perrette)

“We will proudly continue the more than century-long legacy of Warner Bros. through our commitment to bringing culture-defining stories, characters and entertainment to audiences around the world,” said Zaslav. “Over the past several years, we have made important strides across the business, launching and investing in a profitable, global streaming service and reinvigorating our studios to return them again to an industry leading position. With our unmatched portfolio of storytelling IP coupled with our incredible creative partners, and now an executive team of proven, bold, and committed creative and corporate leaders, we are in a strong position to launch and continue to meaningfully grow a company worthy of our storied past.”

The leadership team at Discovery Global includes Gunnar Wiedenfels, currently CFO of Warner Bros. Discovery, who will serve as President and CEO, as well as:

* David Duvall, Chief Technology Officer
* Amy Girdwood, Chief People & Culture Officer
* Ryan Gould, President, US Ad Sales GTM (reporting to Zeiler)
* Anil Jhingan, Chief Development Officer
* Kasia Kieli, President and MD, Poland and CEO, TVN
* Fernando Medin, President, International
* Scott Miller, President, Distribution (reporting to Zeiler)
* Fulvia Nicoli, Executive Vice President, Content Strategy & Insights (reporting to Zeiler)
* Brian Rauch, Chief Accounting Officer (reporting to Woodford)
* Luis Silberwasser, Chairman and CEO, TNT Sports
* Mark Thompson, Chairman and CEO, CNN Worldwide
* Sue Underwald, Chief Legal Officer
* Bobby Voltaggio, President, US Ad Sales Platform Monetization (reporting to Zeiler)
* Fraser Woodford, Chief Financial Officer
* Gerhard Zeiler, President, US, UK & Germany, Discovery+ and Chief Content Officer

Wiedenfels commented: “As we prepare for the launch of Discovery Global, our enthusiasm for the opportunities ahead only grows thanks to our leading portfolio of beloved brands and programming, our worldwide footprint for adults, kids, and families, and now the experienced and talented leadership team who will ensure strong operational execution to drive strategic investments and deliver compelling content to global audiences.”

Warner Bros. has begun searches for both the Chief Financial Officer and Chief People & Culture Officer roles, while Discovery Global is looking to hire a Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer.

Biographies of Select Discovery Global Executives:

Anil Jhingan (Chief Development Officer) – Mr. Jhingan is currently Chief Development Officer, International for WBD, leading strategic growth and expansion opportunities across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and Latin America. He joined Discovery in 2019 as EVP Corporate Development, EMEA & APAC, and has over 25 years of media, entertainment and sports experience.

Kasia Kieli (President and MD, Poland and CEO, TVN) – Ms. Kieli currently serves as President & MD of Warner Bros. Discovery in Poland and CEO of TVN, which holds a leading position in the Polish media market, regularly reaching nearly 17 million viewers daily, and garnering a monthly audience of over 30 million. Earlier, she was Discovery’s President & Managing Director of EMEA, where she oversaw business development in 140 markets.

Fernando Medin (President, International) – Mr. Medin currently serves as President and Managing Director of Warner Bros. Discovery Latin America and U.S. Hispanic, a division of WBD. He has spent 23 years in senior roles at the company. Earlier, Mr. Medin worked at the law firm Vinson & Elkins where he focused on mergers and acquisitions in the media space.

Sue Underwald (Chief Legal Officer) – Ms. Underwald currently serves as WBD’s Executive Vice President of Legal for Streaming, Games, Technology, Privacy and Business Operations, where she leads a global legal team. Earlier, she was a Partner at Dow Lohnes, PLLC, in Washington, D.C., in the firm’s Media & Information Technologies Practice where she represented major entertainment and media companies in a wide range of corporate transactions.

Fraser Woodford (Chief Financial Officer) – Mr. Woodford currently serves as WBD’s Executive Vice President of Treasury, Investments, and Real Estate, where he oversees the global treasury function including treasury operations, capital structure and financing, financial risk management, global liquidity, and free cash flow optimization. Previously, he spent a decade in Investment Banking.