The Rock prides himself on being the hardest worker in the room and that includes the gym.
However, sometimes situations can get a little out of hand and things happen. The former WWE Champion found this out the hard way while throwing around some chains in a recent training session.
The chain hit him on the side of the face and got some color. He showed off the wound in a post on Instagram. He wrote the following in the caption:
“We ain’t playin’ tiddlywinks and we ain’t reciting nursery rhymes – it’s called the #ironparadise for a reason and things get extremely intense.Threw around my 50lb chains ? for a drop set – I got lumped up and need stitches ??Taste your blood, keep training and stitch up later – rules of the house. And I can confirm my blood tastes like Teremana, calluses and BlaMoan (black and samoan) Hot Sauce????? Have a productive week, my friends – keep it light and a lil’ fun, but get after it like a MF.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CG0bKZslpFM/
The Rock has been tied with WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in the rumor mills as of late as “The Great One” has gone on record by noting that if he were to come out of retirement then a match with his cousin at WrestleMania would be something that he’d be interested in.
Over the weekend, The Rock did the induction speech for Ken Shamrock’s Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame induction.
Ring of Honor has returned to producing content for its weekly television program. Marty Scurll has not been involved, however. Scurll was the subject of allegations during the #SpeakingOut movement and it was announced that ROH would be launching an investigation into his past conduct. There have been no updates from ROH regarding the investigation.
Scurll is said to not be involved in creative with the company at the moment. He isn’t be used as a wrestler either.
Dave Meltzer addressed Scurll’s situation on Wrestling Observer Radio.
“Marty Scurll was taken off the Ring of Honor roster page,” Meltzer said. “Obviously, Marty Scurll’s not worked, he’s not the booker anymore, he’s had nothing to do with creative. From the #SpeakingOut allegations, at this point, there’s no plans to use him. As far as is that forever? I don’t know. I just know he was taken off the active roster, has not been used at any of the TVs, he’s not booked at any of the TVs going forward for right now.”
“As far as I know he hasn’t been fired, so I don’t know what the exact situation is other than they’re not using him,” he continued.
Kenny Omega will defend the AAA Mega Championship at TripleMania 28 against Laredo Kid. Omega has held the title for over a year after winning it from Fenix on October 19th, 2019.
Luchablog has been Tweeting news from a AAA press conference held today.
AAA press conference starts with talk about AutoLuchas. They have two more shows on Sunday with a Dia del Muertos theme.
It will be a 7-match event with a hair vs hair match between Chessman and Pagano also confirmed for the show.
Normally, TripleMania is held every August. Due to the pandemic, however, that did not occur this year.
Kenny Omega & The AAA Mega Championship
Only 11 wrestlers in history have won the AAA Mega Championship. El Mesias won an 8-person tournament in 2007 to be crowned the inaugural champion. He defeated Chessman in the finals.
El Texano Jr.’s reign with the title from 2012-14 holds several records. At 735 days, it is the longest single reign in the title’s lineage. He also defended the title 9x during the reign, which is also a record. Omega has defended the title 3x during his year-long reign.
WWE SmackDown announcer Corey Graves recently discussed the WWE Draft. The Draft took place just over a week ago and saw some of WWE’s biggest Superstars make the move to either to Blue or Red brand.
On the WWE After The Bell Podcast, Corey Graves would outline some of the moves that he was and wasn’t happy about from the Draft.
Corey Graves on The WWE Draft
“Off the top my head? I’m bummed to see The Fiend and all the madness that follows him head to Monday Night Raw” Corey Graves began on the podcast. “But of course it makes for some fresh new matchups.”
Graves would then make a prediction about a major angle for The Fiend Bray Wyatt on RAW. Corey made it clear that he wants one of the commentary team on RAW to leave the desk and get back in the ring.
“I’m putting it out in the universe, here first on After The Bell. I want Samoa Joe to get out from behind the commentary table and fight The Fiend. There’s my big bold prediction. Maybe it’ll happen by the end of 2020? I have a bad habit of making it worse.”
Corey Graves would also lament the loss of AJ Styles from Friday nights, but also discuss the move of Seth Rollins to FOX Network. “AJ Styles also headed back to Monday nights…but my man, one of my favourites, one of my closest friends Seth Rollins has arrived on Friday night SmackDown, to bring the greater good, your way. Keep your eyes peeled, I’m sure it’s gonna be gud as Booker T so often says.”
Would you like to see The Fiend vs Samoa Joe? Do you think that AJ Styles will work on RAW and Seth Rollins will be a major asset for SmackDown? Let us know in the comments
WWE announced an agreement with Orlando’s Amway Center back in August to host its RAW, Smackdown, and PPV shows. WWE’s agreement with the venue has less than 1-month left on it, however, and with the NBA possibly returning to the venue in December, WWE could be looking for a new home soon.
Orlando-based reporter Jon Alba tweeted out several updates to this story today. He noted that he has obtained a copy of the amended contract between WWE and the Amway Center.
I have received the amendment to the contract between the city of Orlando and #WWE to hold the ThunderDome at Amway Center. Officially, it runs through November 24. pic.twitter.com/QRLMiCzb1k
Alba continued to note that with the Orlando Magic returning to the venue in December, in addition to the Orlando Solar Bears hockey team, WWE will be looking for a new home venue for December.
“The contract itself has not changed between #WWE and Amway Center. With the #NBA looking to start its season in December, and the #ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears beginning play as well on approximately Dec. 11, this appears to be the end of ThunderDome’s run in Orlando,” Alba continued to Tweet.
I had been working on this request for information for nearly a month. Apologies for the delay. Finally was able to get it today.
Amazingly, #WWE has run every single one of its shows in Orlando since March 13, the first Smackdown empty-arena show.
At one point, it was felt the NBA would not be returning until January. The league has recently floated the idea of returning in late December, however.
WWE Survivor Series 2020 is scheduled for November 22nd, 2020. No matches have been officially announced for the show but it is believed that the event will once again follow a brand-versus-brand format. Unlike last year, however, we may get a men’s singles champion vs men’s single’s champion match.
According to comments made by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the plan at the moment is for Randy Orton vs Roman Reigns to headline the event.
This would also mean there are no plans to add the NXT champion to such a match. Finn Balor’s status as champion is up in the air at the moment, anyway, due to the broken jaw he suffered at TakeOver 31.
Last year’s event did not pit the men’s world champions against each other. Brock Lesnar defended his WWE Championship against Rey Mysterio and Bray Wyatt defended the Universal strap against Daniel Bryan.
If the RAW vs Smackdown vs NXT format takes place at this year’s event, it would also pit Sasha Banks vs Asuka vs Io Shirai. Some fans have expressed enthusiasm for such a match online.
Shayna Baszler defeated Becky Lynch and Bayley at Survivor Series 2019.
Rumored Retribution vs WWE Match At Survivor Series
Last month there were also rumors that Retribution would be involved in a big Survivor Series match against a WWE team. The faction is involved in a stable vs stable feud with the Hurt Business right now. Their rivalry could potentially culminate in a traditional Survivor Series match on the PPV.
In the late 1980s, Paul Heyman managed the Samoan Swat Team of Fatu and Samu in WCW. The team would later win WWF tag team titles as the Headshrinkers. Fatu would later be dubbed Rikishi and is the father of Jimmy & Jey Uso in WWE.
Following last night’s Hell in a Cell PPV, Paul Heyman commented on his history with the Anoa’i/Fatu wrestling dynasty:
Atn @WWEUniverse: Let's be very clear. I respect #RomanReigns' father #Sika and his Uncle #Afa and every member of his family, who were very good to me when they had no reason to be good to me except they appreciated my passion for this business. But business IS business! #Samoan
Afa and Sika appeared on the stage following Roman Reigns’ victory over Jey Uso at Hell in a Cell. They presented him with a traditional lei and embraced him as the Tribal Chief.
With Jey Uso saying “I Quit” last night at Hell in a Cell, him and his brother must now recognized Reigns as the Tribal Chief. Jey Uso recently spoke with Chris Van Vliet about the feud with his cousin.
“We showing you real emotion, we showing you feeling. You can put the Fiend with Roman, you can put Seth Rollins with Roman, whoever, whatever, whatever top guy they got, put him with Roman, I guaran-damn-tee you, uce, they didn’t pull out emotion, they didn’t pull out real feeling, they didn’t pull out storytelling the way me and uce did that thing.”
“Tell me you didn’t feel like you were watching a damn movie, you forgot you were watching wrestling,” he continued.
WWE celebrate 30 years of The Undertaker at next month’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. The Dead Man made his WWE debut at the 1990 installment of the fall classic.
A promo video aired announcing the celebration during Sunday’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. It was later announce don commentary that The Undertaker will be at Survivor Series to mark this anniversary.
The Undertaker last competed at WrestleMania earlier this year. He was victorious against AJ Styles in the cinematic Boneyard match. It might be his final sanctioned match for WWE.
“Never say never” is a popular phrase in the world of professional wrestling, but The Undertaker said he has no plans to wrestle again during the conclusion of the WWE Network’s Last Ride docuseries.
In the lead up to Survivor Series, the WWE Network is celebrating “30 Days of the Deadman” with a weekly special focusing on different aspects of the Undertaker’s legendary career.
WWE Survivor Series takes places Sunday, November 22nd from the Thunderdome in Orlando, FL.
Sasha Banks is your new Smackdown Women’s Champion after defeating Bayley at Sunday’s Hell in a Cell PPV. With the win, Banks is now just the 3rd female grand-slam champion in WWE.
“The boss” has now won the WWE women’s tag-team, NXT, RAW, and Smackdown women’s championship. Only Bayley and Asuka have done the same. More on that below.
Here’s a look at Sasha Banks’ nine title reigns in WWE/NXT:
1x NXT Champion
5x RAW Women’s champion
1x SmackDown Women’s Champion
2x WWE Women’s tag champion (with Bayley)
Bayley’s Path to the Grand Slam
Bayley became the 1st ever women’s grand slam winner on May 19th, 2019. That was when she first won the Smackdown women’s title. She had previously won the RAW title in 2017 and the tag titles with Sasha banks in 2019. Bayley first won the NXT title in 2015.
Asuka’s Path to the Grand Slam
Asuka became the 2nd grand-slam winner in WWE women’s divisions on May 10th, 2020 when she won the RAW Women’s Championship. She won the MITB match and it was revealed on RAW the next night that the match was actually for the RAW women’s title as Becky Lynch was vacating it. Asuka first won Smackdown women’s title on December 16th, 2018. She won the tag titles with Kairi Sane on October 6th, 2019. Asuka’s NXT reign began on April 1st, 2016.
Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory PPV saw some unscheduled changes take place. In the Call Your Shot Gauntlet match, Heath was in obvious discomfort and needed the ropes to hold himself up. Alex Shelley was taken out of the 4-way tag-team match early and Kylie Rae did not perform in her scheduled match against Deonna Purrazzo.
According to updates from the Wrestling Observer, Heath suffered a hernia in the gauntlet match. At the time, he thought he suffered a torn groin. Heath was also scheduled to win the match but the plan changed after he was injured. In storyline, one of either Heath or Rhino needed to win the match or they would both be gone from Impact. An on-the-fly decision saw Rhino defeat Sami Callihan in the finals of the match. This keeps Rhino and Heath in the company from a storyline perspective, though now it is Rhino who has a title shot owed instead of Heath.
The North attacked Alex Shelley before the tag title match at Bound For Glory. This forced Chris Sabin to wrestle the match by himself. The North would regain the tag titles in the match. Shelley provided his own detailed medical evaluation on Twitter:
Wrestling is a really dangerous sport and sometimes things don’t work out the way you want them to. I apologize to @BLabelPro and @SORBilly who was coming out of retirement as well as any independent companies I was negotiating with. Piledrivers are very dangerous. https://t.co/VzRCxTUlJq
So, the C6 nerve root controls your pointer finger and bicep and C5 can refer to your pectoralis. If you feel intense burning in either of these areas following trauma, please seek medical attention. I feel somewhat grateful to have the education to know what the red flags are.
Kylie Rae also missed the show. According to a report from PW Insider, she traveled to Nashville but was unable to make it to the venue Saturday evening. The reason she missed the show is a private matter and Impact has said they won’t publicly comment on it. She is said to be doing well and is in good-standing with the company. She’ll be back when she is ready to be.
At Impact Wrestling’s Bound For Glory PPV over the weekend, the company announced the Knockouts tag team championships will be returning. New champions will be crowned on the next Impact PPV at Hard to Kill on January 16th.
BREAKING: You've asked for it – the Knockouts Tag Team Titles are BACK!
Sarita and Taylor Wilde were the first-ever winners of the Knockouts tag team championships. They won a tournament and defeated Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky in the finals. Awesome Kong and Hamada would defeat them for the belts 106 days later.
The titles were then vacated when Awesome Kong left the company in 2010. The Beautiful People would then win the vacated belts that March.
In March of 2012, Eric Young became the first male wrestler to win 1/2 of the titles. His team with ODB defeated Gail Kim and Madison Rayne to win the belts. Impact executive Brooke Hogan would eventually strip them of the titles due to Young being a male competitor, however. The titles were eventually deactivated.
Randy Orton added another impressive achievement to his long list of accomplishments when he defeated Drew McIntyre at tonight’s Hell In A Cell PPV to win his 14th world title.
The new WWE Champion was interviewed backstage after the show where he was asked if the 14th world title is the sweetest yet. Replying to it, the Legend Killer mentioned how he has put many legends out to pasture.
Orton then discussed how there is a very short yet impressive list of competitors who have won the world title for 14 times in their careers and claimed that if this win doesn’t make him a legend, at least it’s sweet:
“There is a very short yet impressive list of men that have held this title for 14 times or more. My mentor Triple H, my mentor Ric Flair, one of my greatest opponents, John Cena.
That’s a short list I am now a part of.” said Randy “So yes I would say if tonight’s win didn’t make me a legend, well at the very least it definitely is sweet.”
This title change with Randy Orton makes the upcoming few weeks very interesting considering the fact that Survivor Series is the next big show in WWE’s yearly lineup of PPVs.
The company has focused on the rivalry between brands for the last few years of the Survivor Series PPV and fans are waiting to see if officials continue this approach this year as well.
Check out the complete Hell In A Cell results here
WWE Hell in a Cell 2020 aired on the WWE Network from the ThunderDome in the Amway Center. Drew McIntyre defended the WWE Championship against Randy Orton in the main event.
Hell in a Cell Results
Roman Reigns def. Jey Uso to retain the Universal Championship
Elias def. Jeff Hardy via DQ
The Miz def. Otis to capture the Money in the Bank contract
Sasha Banks def. Bayley to capture the SmackDown Women’s Championship
Bobby Lashley def. Slapjack to retain the United States Championship
Randy Orton def. Drew McIntyre to capture the WWE Championship
Here are the takeaways from the PPV:
Roman Reigns Retained In An Incredible Match With Jey Uso
Roman Reigns defended the Universal Championship against Jey Uso in a I Quit Hell in a Cell match. Before he entered the ring, Roman Reigns asked for forgiveness for what he was about to do.
Match Recap: Roman Reigns and Jey locked up to start off the match. Reigns threw Jey to the ropes and leveled him with a shoulder tackle. Roman followed it up with a massive right hand to the face and then a Suplex. Reigns knocked Jey to the canvas with a Clothesline and said that he was wasting his time.
Jey caught Roman with a boot to the face and followed it up with an Enziguri. Jey launched Roman into the cell and then connected with a Crossbody. Reigns leveled Jey with a Spear and told Jey that in a few minutes he is going to wish that he never came here.
Uso hit Reigns with a Dropkick and went for another one but Roman caught him with a right hand to the face. Reigns hit Jey with another massive Spear but Jey refused to quit. Roman went for another Spear but Jey blocked it and connected with a Superkick.
Jey made his way to the top rope and hit the Uso Splash. Jey followed it up with another Uso Splash and Reigns said “the head of the table never quits”. Uso grabbed a leather strap and brought it into the ring. Jey whipped Reigns across the back several times but Roman shrugged it off and hit Uso with a third Spear.
Reigns grabbed the leather strap and started whipping Jey across the back. Roman tied the strap around Jey’s wrist and whipped him across the chest. Jey dodged a Superman Punch and tied the strap around Roman’s neck. Jey started choking Roman and Reigns passed out.
Jey grabbed a steel chair but Roman popped up and hit a Superman Punch. Reigns then locked in the Guillotine choke as Roman shouted that he will make Jey take his last breath. Jey didn’t give up and Roman released the hold. Roman leaned over Jey and told him to quit or he is going to take this next level.
Roman brought Jey the apron and connected with the Drive By. Reigns put Jey’s head up against the ring post and set up the steel steps next to him. Roman patted Jey on the head and hit another Drive By that sent the steps into Jey’s head. The referee tried to stop the match but Reigns prevented it and launched him out of the ring.
Officials rushed the ring and tried to stop Roman but he threw the steel steps into the ring. Roman put the steps on top of Jey and said that he is better, he is the man, and is the Tribal Chief. Reigns was about to bash the steel steps on Jey’s head but Jimmy Uso got into the ring.
Jimmy had tears in his eyes and told Roman that he didn’t have to do this. Reigns got choked up and sat down in the middle of the ring. Jimmy told Reigns that whatever he is going through they will help him but this is not it. Reigns stated that he doesn’t even know who he is anymore and that he is sorry. Roman hugged Jimmy and then locked in the Guillotine choke. Jey grabbed Jimmy’s hand and said that he quit. Roman Reigns is still the Universal Champion. After the match, Reigns’ uncle and father (Afa and Sika) presented him a lei as the Tribal Chief.
Opinion: I thought that this match was awesome. The performances by Reigns, Jimmy, and Jey were amazing and I was completely invested for the 45 minutes. I haven’t seen storytelling executed this well in wrestling in a long time. The Hell in a Cell was largely irrelevant during this match but I didn’t care. Reigns and Jey could have this match at a mall and I would have been just as riveted because of their performances.
Jeff Hardy faced Elias tonight at WWE Hell in a Cell.
Match Recap: Jeff Hardy controlled the action early and focused his attack on Elias’ arm. The action spilled out of the ring and Elias sent Jeff into the barricade. Jeff got back into the ring right before the referee counted to ten and Elias greeted him with a stomp to the back.
Jeff went for the Twist of Fate but Elias countered into a Powerbomb for a near fall. Jeff hit Whisper in the Wind and then a Twist of Fate. Hardy climbed to the top of the ring post but Elias rolled out of the ring. Jeff hopped down and then hit Elias across the back with the guitar to end the match in a DQ.
It has been over 1 year since I have lost a match. #HIAC
The Miz battled Otis tonight at Hell in a Cell. The Money in the Bank contract was on the line and Tucker & John Morrison were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Otis dominated early and The Miz begged for mercy. Miz sent Otis out of the ring and went for a Dropkick but Otis got out of the way. Otis hit Miz with a Clothesline and then bounced Miz’s head of the announce table a couple of times.
Back in the ring, Morrison hopped on the apron for a distraction and Miz capitalized with a DDT for a near fall. Morrison hit Otis with a cheap shot and Miz hit some It Kicks in the corner of the ring. Otis took back control and Morrison hopped on the apron once again. The referee kicked Morrison out as Otis rolled up Miz for a two count. Tucker hit Otis in the head with the briefcase and The Miz covered him. The Miz is now Mr. Money in the Bank.
After the match, Tucker said that they were supposed to be a team but he did everything for the team. Tucker claimed that Otis cannot function without him and he was the one that gave him the confidence to ask out Mandy Rose. Otis showed up and chased Tucker away.
The third match between Drew McIntyre and Randy Orton ended up serving as the main event of the WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event.
The contest was held inside of the Hell in a Cell structure. It was a long match with them using various weapons.
Orton used bolt cutters to get out of the cell only for them to climb the cell and brawl on top of it. They crawled down the cell until Orton sent him flying through the air and crashing onto the announce table. Back in the ring, McIntyre missed the claymore kick and Orton hit the RKO to win the title. Orton is now a 14-time world champion.
This feud dates back to August. McIntyre successfully retained the WWE Title over Orton at SummerSlam with a backslide.
Orton would then drop a loss to Keith Lee at Clash of Champions. So, WWE decided to have three separate singles matches with the winners of those bouts advancing to a Triple Threat Match later in an August 31st episode of RAW.
Orton beat Kevin Owens to advance to the finals where he would defeat Lee and Seth Rollins to earn a second title match. However, at Payback, McIntyre retained the WWE Title in an Ambulance Match.
The third match was set up with McIntyre wanting to get revenge on Orton, who attacked Big Show, Ric Flair, Christian, and Shawn Michaels on an episode of RAW. These legends got involved in their Payback match with Orton blaming them for costing him the title.
Sasha Banks didn’t come up short while trying to get revenge on Bayley
As seen at Sunday’s WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event in Orlando, Florida, Bayley defended the SmackDown Women’s Title against her former best friend inside of the Hell in a Cell structure.
It was a slow start and then they started using various weapons such as tables, kendo sticks, a fire extinguisher, and the cell. The finish saw Banks use a chair while putting Bayley into the Bank Statement for the win.
This snapped Bayley’s 380-day reign as champion and the first time that Banks has been the SmackDown Women’s Champion.
Last month on an episode of SmackDown after failing to reclaim the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship from the team of Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler, the betrayal happened. Bayley turned on Banks, who was kept off television to sell the angle.
After Bayley retained her SmackDown Women’s Title via disqualification at Clash of Champions, Banks returned to attack Bayley with a steel chair.
Time will tell whether WWE continues this feud or goes into a different direction heading into the Survivor Series pay-per-view event on November 22nd.
Roman Reigns and Jey Uso brought a different intensity to their rematch.
Unlike their previous encounter, which was a singles match, WWE booked them in a Hell in a Cell I Quit Match at the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event.
The match with the Universal Title on the line saw them open the show. Reigns got the early offense while talking trash. The trend of the match was Reigns dominating with Jey having moments of life only for Reigns to put him down again.
Reigns hit Uso with back-to-back drive-bys on the apron with one of them being with a steel step. Reigns attacked a referee for trying to stop the match. Reigns was about to hit Jey with the steps until Jimmy Uso talked him out of it. When Reigns put Jimmy in the guillotine choke, Jey said he quit and that was the finish.
Their first match took place last month at the WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view event. Reigns beatdown Jey so much that Jimmy, his brother, had to come out while still injured to throw in the towel.
The following week on SmackDown, WWE set up the rematch during a celebration ceremony was held to crown Reigns as the tribal chief. When Reigns refused to be named as such because Jey did not acknowledge him, it led to this contest being made.
We have an update on AEW star Abadon, who was injured earlier this week at a taping for AEW Dynamite. She wrestled Tay Conti at Thursday’s TV tapings from Jacksonville, FL in a match is scheduled to air next week on Dynamite.
The injury took place mid-way through the match, which was cut short before Abadon was sent to the hospital for an evaluation. Brian Alvarez reports (via Wrestling Observer Radio) that Abadon took an elbow to the throat, which rendered her unable to breathe. This made for a very scary situation and
Despite the serious nature of the injury, doctors determined that she will be fine without any longterm damage. We wish Abadon a speedy recovery.
Abadon is the #3 ranked female competitor in AEW. She first competed for AEW back in March in an AEW Dark match against current Women’s Champion, Hikaru Shida. She currently holds a 5-1 record.
Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently discussed the contentious AEW Dynamite segment featuring MJF and ‘Le Champion’ Chris Jericho.
The musical segment caused a ton of conversation since it aired on Wednesday, with the actual low rating for that quarter hour of the show adding to the back and forth. It would turn out that the quarter hour had an audience of 676,000 viewers.
Chris Jericho, however, would tout the success of the actual musical number, saying that the minute by minute rating proved it was a success. Jericho tweeted, “Just saw minute by minute ratings for #LeDinnerDebonair. I’m stoked that almost 800k checked out our song and dance! Fifth highest demo for #AEWDynamite as well. Add over a million views on Twitter & it looks like our experiment paid off!”
Ryback’s Take
“I watched the entire thing and was entertained by it” Ryback began on the Shooting Blanks Wrestling podcast. “It caught me completely off guard, I was not expecting that at all. I don’t know if anybody was expecting that!? We’ve ever seen it.”
“I’m not against stuff like that at all” The Big Guy would continue. “Because I think you do need to try things. I mean, that was why I asked that question ‘let’s see what the rating said and if the rating showed an increase? It’s not something you’re gonna do every week. They’re not gonna have Jericho and MJF just do Broadway’s every week you know?”
Ryback would further praise the pair for the creativity of the segment. “I think it was a way to do something outside the box in a creative way at a time where creativity is kind of. We need creativity right now with everything going on. I didn’t hate it at all and I enjoyed it. I watched the entire thing, and I go ‘whoa I’ve never seen anything like this before.’ And I thought, both of them? They pulled that off as well as they could have.”
The Big Guy would finish by discussing how the segment worked from a character standpoint. “They had the the character stuff up front, and I thought it created a really interesting dynamic and story with them. Just how they’re both kind of scumbags and dropping the girls at the same time and doing little things like that. I thought it was really cool and interesting.”
Do you agree with Ryback? Did you enjoy the segment? Will this help the MJF and Chris Jericho feud? Let us know in the comments
WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair recently signed with the VaynerSports Agency. The agency is owned by entrepreneur and internet personality Gary Vaynerchuk as well as his brother AJ. The agency launched in 2016 and is under the successful VaynerMedia umbrella. Charlotte Flair looks to be their first wrestler that they have publicly represented on their books.
Gary V reacted to the news with a response of “BEEN WAITING TO ANNOUNCE THIS! So pumped!!!” whilst Flair replied, “So excited!!!”
As noted, Flair appears to be the company’s first ‘acquisition’ in professional wrestling. On a recent episode of The Jim Cornette Experience, Corny himself would question why the agency would be taking their first steps in the pro wrestling bubble by representing a major WWE talent.
Jim Cornette on VaynerSports
“If your wrestling agent dealing with wrestling people for you has 30 years of experience in and around the wrestling business? That’s fine” Jim Cornette would begin on the podcast. “But when your wrestling agent starts trying to negotiate a Motion Picture deal…?”
“What I’m saying here…I wish all the best for Charlotte, but does she have to be the canary in the coal mine? The first wrestler they [VaynerSports] represented?” Jim Cornette would continue. “They’ve never talked to any people in the wrestling business and they’re going to start by negotiating with the WWE!?”
Cornette would elaborate further, saying “I’m just…you know that perked my ears up a little bit. But I hope everything works out for the best. I’m sure that they could probably negotiate a wonderful contract for if she was gonna play for the f*cking Chicago Bears, because they’ve represented a bunch of football players. I’m just trying to figure out why they’re getting into wrestling, and she’s their maiden voyage?”
Do you agree with Jim Cornette? Do you think that this could have a detrimental effect on Charlotte’s WWE career? Let us know in the comments
WWE Superstar Dana Brooke recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The newly traded RAW Superstar discussed a number of topics on the show, including her charity work and performing in arenas and buildings with no live fans in attendance.
“I always say ‘never take things for granted.’ But I feel as though now I can look back and say maybe I did a little bit” Dana Brooke began on the show. “Because it was show after show after show on the road travelling night after night after night.”
Dana Brooke on ‘Live’ Crowds
Dana Brooke would then describe the difference in her schedule pre-pandemic and now. “Now only doing it, one or maybe two times a week? And going into an empty arena? The first time I did this, I felt like I’m practising, and then when I’m doing it again I had to come into a mindset where it was ‘okay they’re (the fans) not here with us presently but that red light is on, and there’s cameras all around us.'”
“I’m doing this for the people on the other side of the television” Brooke would continue. “Knowing that they may have had a hard day at work, maybe they had been let go [from their jobs]? The children are rambunctious at home? This is bringing families together, and this is the reason why I’m doing it. I’m doing it for the people on the other side of the TV knowing that we may be gaining new fans, we have returning fans and we have the loyal fans as well too.”
ThunderDome
Dana Brooke would also describe performing in front of the ThunderDome fans, saying how it differs to a live crowd and energy. “So at that point in time? We didn’t have the virtual fans, it was just an empty arena. Now that we have the virtual fans? It’s fun, it’s exciting to see the faces and everybody in the arena. It’s just such a different time.”
The RAW Superstar would finish by saying how she is looking forward to a point in time when the crowds can be let back physically into arenas. “I wish I could go back and be that much more excited for the opportunities that I did have when there were thousands of people in the arena. When that time does come? You best believe that I’m going to take full [advantage] of it, every single night that I’m allowed to do so.”
Are you enjoying the ThunderDome compared to the Empty Arena shows like WrestleMania earlier this year? Let us know in the comments
UFC 254 took place this weekend from the Flash Forum at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. The main event of the historic card saw Khabib Nurmagomedov unify the UFC Lightweight Championships against interim Champion Justin Gaethje.
Khabib took the win in the second round via Submission. Following the fight the 29-0 Champion would announce his retirement from Mixed Martial Arts, following the death of his father (and trainer) Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov to COVID-19 complications.
Several WWE Superstars reacted to the massive main event and emotional ending to Khabib’s career.
CM Punk, who himself fought in the UFC on two occasions tweeted “Best in the World! @TeamKhabib#UFC254.” NXT Champion Finn Balor simply wrote “Khabib #UFC254.”
NXT UK Superstar Eddie Dennis also reacted to the fight on Twitter. Dennis wrote “It’s a shame he never fought Tony [Ferguson].”
The Rock actually admitted to missing the fight, tweeting “gotta crush this training session now but #UFC254 just started. 2pm fights threw me off dammit. Best of luck to all the fighters and put on a great show! Training comes first.. checking my phone for updates. #ineedmyfix #hardestworkersintheroom“
Did you watch the fight? Let us know in the comments
Daniel Bryan has had a great run since his return to in-ring action from a career-threatening injury in 2018 and he has had memorable feuds with foes such as The Fiend, AJ Styles, Kofi Kingston and more since his comeback.
Unfortunately, it appears that we won’t be seeing a lot more of these long feuds featuring the former WWE champion, as according to the SmackDown star himself, his current run is his last stint as a full time WWE superstar.
Daniel Bryan talked about his status on the special episode of Talking Smack that aired this past Friday and the former champion explained that he has made up his mind about this run being his last full time outing:
“I haven’t said anything about this, but in my mind, this is kind of my last run, you know what I mean? This is my last run as a full-time Superstar.”
Bryan also talked about his mentality through his current run saying that he is not thinking that he has to ‘prove to everybody’ that he’s the best and instead it’s about proving things to himself.
While Daniel Bryan did not reveal how long he is planning to continue working as a full-time superstar for WWE, previous reports have confirmed that he signed a new three year deal in 2018.
His current contract is expected to be up in September next year and it’s likely that he will resort to a part-time schedule after the expiry of his current deal.
James Storm had revealed recently that WWE actually wanted to sign him to a contract earlier this year but the coronavirus pandemic derailed those plans.
The Cowboy recently appeared on Busted Open Radio where he talked about things like his previous WWE appearances, being a veteran in the wrestling world, and more.
During the interview, Storm provided some details on the talks he has had with WWE and revealed what role the company wanted him to play upon his signing:
“I think they wanted me to come in and work with the younger talent on RAW and SmackDown. They were basically saying with your personality and stuff like that, I know I would have gotten over, no matter what. I can work with anybody and still make myself get over. As you say, you can go over; you can get over as well,”
When asked which of the current wrestling storylines he is enjoying, James Storm said that he is really enjoying the ongoing storyline with the New Day.
The former champion made his return to Impact Wrestling during the Bound For Glory PPV this week and it would be interesting to see if he sticks around for a longer run.
After being signed to WWE for more than a decade, Big E finally seems to be ready to take his place in the main event scenes of the company and potentially have a run with the world title.
The New Day member recently appeared on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast where he talked about a number of things and also revealed some of the names which have had an influence on his career.
Big E talked about his early wrestling career and during the interview, he credited wrestling veteran Curt Hawkins for giving him his finisher, The Big Ending:
“There’s been a lot of people along the way, just people who’ve been there, who’ve helped me like Curt Hawkins. When I was super green, my only finisher I’ve ever used is The Big Ending,
And I remember Curt Hawkins gave that to me, this had to be in 2009. It was called The Body Bag, and he showed it to me.” recalled Big E, “I forgot how we came up with The Big Ending. I remember Darren Young getting in the ring with me a little bit, showing me how to gorilla press.”
The former NXT Champion also talked about the influence former Nexus member Michael Tarver had on his career when he was only getting started with wrestling and was very green.
The SmackDown star revealed that Tarver used to sit down with him and talk about in-ring psychology and E said that the former WWE star gave him a sense of confidence like no one else.
UFC legend and veteran wrestler Ken Shamrock was inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame during the pre-show for tonight’s Bound For Glory PPV event by none other than The Rock via a video message.
Shamrock was announced for the Hall Of Fame in February this year and last month he asked The Great One if he could send greetings for this induction.
The Impact star had called his time with the Rock his ‘greatest memory’ in wrestling and The People’s champion had replied to his request positively.
Tonight’s pre-show then saw Shamrock receiving video messages from the likes of WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, Bas Rutton, Ariel Helwani, and Chael Sonnen congratulating him on his induction.
The final message was from the Rock who credited his rivalry with Ken Shamrock as a big moment in his wrestling career and congratulated the former champion for the achievement.
Shamrock then delivered a speech where he thanked his friends and family. He also thanked pro wrestling personalities like Bret Hart, The Rock, and even Vince McMahon for giving him a shot in WWE:
This induction makes Ken Shamrock the ninth person to join the Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame alongside people like Sting, Kurt Angle, and Team 3D.
My pleasure, brother. Ken was very instrumental early in my career and I’ll always be grateful to him. Thanks to you as well for being so kind to me on that Indy show we did back in ‘97. Tell all the Impact boys (and girls) I said keep working hard and have fun ??
