Jon Moxley says he plans to wrestle for at least another decade and expects to retire in All Elite Wrestling.
AEW’s reigning World Champion spoke with Jim Alexander of ReelTalker.com this week to promote the AEW Dynamite Anniversary special. Moxley spoke about his time in AEW thus far, his new movie Cagefighter and more.
When asked if he has any plans to wrestle for WWE before retiring, Moxley made it clear – he will “definitely” finish his career in AEW.
“I’ve become great friends with Tony Kahn, who is a great dude and the most successful promoter outside of Vince in many years,” he said. “We’ve been able to create something as a team and to get through the challenge of this pandemic, and well, stay alive [as a promotion]. I’m incredibly proud of everybody.”
Moxley is the face of AEW, but also competes for New Japan Pro Wrestling and other companies, such as Bloodsport this past weekend. His AEW contract allows him the flexibility to work elsewhere, but the Jacksonville-based promotion will “definitely always” be his home.
“It’s just done so much for me, and I’ve done everything I could to help build the brand and solidify it as a legit alternative,” he said of AEW. “It’s vital to the wrestling industry that AEW be successful. I don’t see that changing ever. I have loyalty to the people who treat me well and they have treated me extremely well.”
As for how long he plans to continue wrestling, the 34-year-old Moxley says he’d like to wrestle into his 50’s.
“I’d like to wrestle till I’m in my 50’s, hopefully,” Moxley said. “Whatever that means? I don’t know.”
Visit ReelTalker.com to check out their full interview with AEW Champion Jon Moxley.
John Cena has tied the knot again. The legendary WWE Superstar and Shay Shariatzadeh were married Tuesday, October 12th in Tampa, FL. Their marriage license can be viewed below courtesy of the Hillsborough County Clerk of Circuit Courts.
News of the couple’s relationship was made public in March 2019. They were engaged earlier this year. Congratulations to the newlyweds!
John Cena was previously married to Elizabeth Huberdeau from 2009-2012. He was also engaged to WWE personality Nikki Bella. Prior to their split, Cena and Nikki were scheduled to get married in May 2018. The couple announced their separation in 2018 after dating since 2012 and being engaged for a year. The main reason for their split was due to Cena being against having children but had later stated that he is willing to be a father. Earlier this year, Nikki gave birth to a son with Artem Chigvintsev.
Speaking of Cena, he announced today in a post on his official Twitter account that he’s the new voice of Honda. He also shared the first commercial:
We define who we are when we persevere in the face of obstacles. Proud to be the new voice of @Honda, starting with this message that encourages people to ”Rise to the Challenge.” pic.twitter.com/S7PgmkYq11
Andrade was not drafted during this year’s WWE Draft nor was he signed as a “free agent” to either RAW or SmackDown.
As a result, it caused speculation that he could be returning to NXT. Whether he does go back to NXT remains to be seen, but there’s a reason as to why he wasn’t selected in the Draft.
Wrestling Inc reports that Andrade is undergoing a minor elective procedure and is expected to be out of action for a month.
Andrade joined Mickie James as the only two stars not drafted following the conclusion of night two of the WWE Draft. James is currently out of action with a broken nose, which will prevent her from wrestling for a couple of weeks.
Andrade was last seen in action on Monday’s episode of RAW where he dropped a loss to Angel Garza in a singles match. Post-match, Andrade, and Zelina Vega were attacked by Bray Wyatt and Alexa Bliss.
The NXT speculation came about when he tweeted and deleted “thank you,” but that was quickly cleared up by Charlotte Flair. His girlfriend stated that he was simply wishing Vega well as they go their separate ways. However, he then shared a photo of himself with the NXT Title.
As of this writing, Andrade nor WWE has commented on his status and when he’ll be placed on a brand.
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns appeared on ESPN’s First Take on Wednesday morning to promote match against Braun Strowman this Friday on SmackDown.
One of the topics that came up once again was the possibility of wrestling his cousin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Roman Reigns vs. The Rock is arguably the biggest match WWE could possibly promote, so this is an intriguing hypothetical.
Last month, The Rock stated that if he ever returned to work one more match at WrestleMania, then Roman Reigns would be the ideal opponent. In fact, The Rock said he’d be “honored” to put Reigns over.
During his appearance on First Take, Reigns kept the conversation going. He said it would be “amazing” for The Rock to use his star power to once again shine a spotlight on the WWE product for a whole new audience.
“It would be amazing, Reigns said. “I think for any Superstar of my generation to have someone on his level, someone that has done so much not only in sports entertainment, but the movie industry, entertainment in general. The man has what a billion followers online and stuff. To be able to put that type of spotlight on our current generation and what we do within our product in WWE would be amazing and just sharing the ring with him.”
Family Affair
Roman Reigns is currently feuding with another cousin of his, Jey Uso. After headlining the recent Clash of Champions pay-per-view, they will do battle once again at Hell in a Cell on October 25th. Despite the bad blood we’ve seen on television, both men are now on record talking about how much they’re enjoying working together.
“I’m really enjoying what I’m doing right now to share the ring with my cousin Jey Uso. To be able to tell that story of our family, the lineage, and the history of where we come from, is pretty cool. To continue it and take it to the next level is what I’m doing each and every time.”
One of the first questions that came up was his removal as the Executive Director of WWE RAW. The change happened earlier this year as Heyman had been overseeing the creative for the RAW brand until Vince McMahon decided to make a change and Heyman was pulled from that role.
“I served at the pleasure of the Chairman Vince McMahon and there came a day I was no longer at the pleasure of the Chairman Vince McMahon. When I took the role of Executive Director, I made an agreement with Vince McMahon, I want this job as long as every morning Vince McMahon woke up, he said thank God or whatever deity he subscribes to Paul Heyman is looking after the store on Raw. And the day that Vince McMahon didn’t wake up and feel that way, I didn’t want the job anymore.”
He stated that he’s been in a similar role where McMahon wasn’t happy with him and it was a miserable existence. He said he didn’t want that.
“Apparently on that day on that given time and given moment, Vince didn’t wake up that morning thanking whatever deity he subscribes to that Paul Heyman was in charge of Raw. We left with a smile, a handshake, and a hug. Absolutely no harsh feelings and actually better feelings about each other because of the way that it ended because it’s ended miserably before.”
Heyman said that proof of his exit is a positive thing as it came down to McMahon’s comments on an earnings call shortly after the move was made. He recalled McMahon stating that he thought Heyman did a great job instead of saying something like they needed someone with a new vision.
“My run in terms of serving at the pleasure of the chairman was up and then this opportunity presented itself both for me, for Roman and for WWE and we all jumped on it.”
After a few months of Heyman being on the sidelines, he was paired with Roman Reigns.
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns appeared ESPN’s First Take Wednesday morning. The Tribal Chief spoke about football, his match against Braun Strowman this Friday night and which wrestlers he looked up to growing up.
When asked which wrestlers he looked up to as a kid, Reigns named WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart.
“Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart was kind of my guy,” he said. “A lot different than [larger than life characters, such as] Ultimate Warrior. There’s just something I respected. He was like a journeyman, like a blue-collar sports-entertainer.”
Reigns praised Hart as, “that pro-wrestler, go in there and wrestle for 30-minutes every single night. He just put a different dynamic on what the top looks like and I like to think that we have a little of all that nowadays.”
Reigns battles former Universal Champion Braun Strowman this week on SmackDown. Despite Strowman’s imposing stature, Reigns said he’s not intimidated by the big man.
“To be honest, I’m not nervous. I’ve been this, I’m tenured, I’ve been doing this so long. Like I said, I’m on a different level and I’m displaying it week in and week out.”
“To be honest, I don’t think Braun Strowman deserves the opportunity. I beat him, I pinned him, I took the Universal Championship from him.”
WWE.com covered Roman Reigns’ comments about Braun Strowman during the ESPN First Take appearance. Reigns replied, stating that these weren’t “hot takes” – he’s just telling the brutal truth.
No hot takes here, just the brutal truth. There are levels to being in the position I am and why I am who I am!!! #Smackdownhttps://t.co/NKIQ2Kboq7
Finn Balor had recently posted a photo on Twitter confirming a successful surgery for his broken jaw which he suffered during his recent match with Kyle O’Reilly.
The NXT champion provided some details about his surgery in an Instagram post recently and he confirmed that the operation actually took place this past Friday.
Finn revealed in the post that one of the fractures had gone into his tooth. The doctors had to remove that tooth and his jaw was then wired shut to restore his bite and help align the fractures.
The surgeons then screwed three plates in to fixate the fractures and the former Universal Champion confirmed that no wires were needed after the operation.
What’s interesting to note here is that while WWE has not provided a timeline for Balor’s comeback, the former Raw star himself noted that he is hoping for a quick recovery.
Previous reports have revealed that the company is actually making his injury worse than it is and the current champion is not expected to miss a lot of time.
While an actual timetable for his return is not known yet, the usual recovery time for a broken jaw is six weeks and it would be interesting to see how soon Finn Balor is able to recover and return to in-ring action.
Finn Balor posted this photo to social media on Wednesday, less than one week removed from jaw surgery.
AJ Styles commented on WWE WrestleMania being too long during a recent live stream on his Twitch channel.
The length of WrestleMania has expanded dramatically in recent years. What used to be a 4-hour special has evolved into marathon events. This year’s WrestleMania was “too big for one night” and was held over two nights for the first time in history.
‘More’ is not always ‘better’ and AJ Styles agrees with the general fan sentiment that WrestleMania would be a more enjoyable experience if WWE cut back on the number of matches on the card. He believes the talent would benefit as well. It used to be an honor to be chosen for the WrestleMania card. Only the top performers who excelled on WWE’s roster earned the right to be part of the most special night of the year. That honor has been diminished as the match count grew.
Less Is More
“I wish we would not do so many matches on WrestleMania,” Styles began. “It used to be if you were on WrestleMania, you accomplished something. Now, everybody’s on it, so it’s not as big of a deal.”
“Hey, we’re gonna give you everybody you wanted to see, so by the time you see this match, you may be burned out or ready to go home and your kids may be falling asleep. It’s a tough day because when it starts, you’re in out in the sun, you’re watching it, and that sun will drain you quick. In my opinion, I think less is more.”
Styles clarified that he’s not pushing for WrestleMania to revert to a 3-hour format. However, he does feel that four hours is the sweet spot.
As for whether or not WWE should continue presenting WrestleMania over multiple nights, he’s not sure.
“We’re gonna have to find out together. So much has changed over these past couple of months, who knows what’s gonna happen? I was watching my intro video and I thought ‘Gosh, man, it was so great being in front of those fans.’ We took it for granted. No doubt about it. I certainly did.”
AJ Styles’ WrestleMania Record
AJ Styles has a 5-2 record at WrestleMania since joining WWE in 2016:
All Elite Wrestling marks the one year of Dynamite tonight with a special 1-Year Anniversary of their flagship show.
To mark the occasion, AEW has booked a stack card. For the first time ever, all [sanctioned] championship belts will be up for grabs.
There are five matches signed for this week’s live AEW Dynamite:
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defends against “The Murderhawk Monster” Lance Archer. Archer earned the title shot by winning the Casino Battle Royal at All Out.
Best Friends will challenge FTR for the AEW World Tag Team Championships. This bout will carry the “Brush With Greatness” stipulation with a 20-minute time limit.
AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida will face Big Swole.
“The Best Man” Miro & Kip Sabian will be in action.
In addition to these matches, MJF (with Wardlow) is scheduled to make a huge announcement.
Impact Wrestling 10/13 continued the build to Bound For Glory on October 24th, 2020. Doc Gallows faced Madman Fulton, Kimber Lee faced Kylie Rae and more.
Moose finally found EC3 this week in the final segment of the show. EC3 was holding the TNT World title that he called a false title for a false idol. He put the title down and dared Moose to fight him, which Moose quickly obliged to. The two brawled in some undisclosed location, just as they will at Bound For Glory.
Moose got the better of the exchange and walked away from a bloody EC3 with the TNA World title in his grasp.
Rich Swann Cleared To Compete At Bound For Glory
Eric Young closed out this week’s episode with a promo. He asked Scott D’Amore to officially announce that Rich Swann would not be medically cleared for Bound For Glory. Young attacked Swann again last week in a gym. D’Amore announced that Young had done extensive damage to Swann’s ankle last week but he would be cleared to compete at the PPV.
Young then attacked D’Amore but Rich Swann came out for the save. He hit a springboard cutter off the ropes, seemingly not favouring his ankle at all. Young escaped the ring and Swann celebrated with the title to end the segment.
Doc Gallows Defeats Madman Fulton In No DQ Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGHwpPrJ3u8
Before this match could begin, the Good Brothers cut a promo. They noted they are happy they signed with Impact but that they need to become the tag-team champions. They will have that opportunity at Bound For Glory in the 4-team tag match. This week, Gallows would face Madman Fulton, who will team with Ace Austin at Bound For Glory.
Fulton and Gallows were first counted out but the match was restarted as a no-dq no-countout match. Gallows finished his opponent off with a double-handed chokeslam onto two tables for the win.
Kylie Rae Shows A More Vicious Side Ahead Of Bound For Glory Title Match
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuEUljInQKw
Kylie Rae will face Deonna Purrazzo for the Knockouts title at Bound For Glory. This week she took on Purrazzo’s run-in buddy, Kimber Lee. Rae scored the victory with the Smile To The Finish submission but the newly aggressive Smiley Kylie wouldn’t let go of the hold.
Purrazzo hit the ring and attacked her challenger from behind but Kylie fought back and took the champ down with a superkick. Rae mounted the champion and reigned down the blows but Purrazzo found away to escape to end the segment.
Heath Or Rhino Need To Win Call Your Shot Gauntlet To Remain In Impact
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M5HBnEepGY
After contract negotiations between Impact and Heath broke down last week, a new deal was worked out between Rhino and Scott D’Amore this week. They agreed that Heath would be entered into the Call Your Shot Gauntlet on the PPV but if neither Heath or Rhino win, then Heath will be given no more opportunities in Impact and Rhino will forfeit his contract as well.
This week a 10-person tag was scheduled with the winning team facing each other next week in a 5-way match. The winner of that match will be given the #20 spot in the gauntlet on the PPV.
Heath picked up the win for his team by pinning Johnny Swinger with the Wake-Up Call.
Havok Agrees To Help Re-Incarnate Father James Mitchell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHY7jtUIqXA
The Knockouts division seems to have several tag-teams working together at the moment. This week’s opening match featured 3 of them. The team of Rosemary & Taya Valkyrie might be busy planning for the Demon Assassins wedding but they were able to focus their efforts enough to pick up the victory here.
The finish of the match came after Taya had taken out Neveah, Havok, and Kiera Hogan on the outside. This left Rosemary in the ring with Tasha Steelz. Rosemary hit a spear followed a double undertook sit-out slam type move.
After the match, Rosemary and Taya stared down Havok & Neveah in the ring while Hogan and Steelz watched on from the ramp.
Rosemary needs Father James Mitchell to officiate her wedding to John E Bravo. For this to happen, she needs Havok’s (who helped murder Mitchell) help. Later in the show, Havok and Rosemary agreed to a match for next week. If Rosemary wins, the Sinister Minister will be brought back, if Havok wins, he will not be.
Crazzy Steve Picks Up Victory Over Fallah Bah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLnu0YoKvQ
There is a wad of cash that is flowing through the Impact Wrestling roster like the sisterhood of the traveling pants (unless I misunderstand what that movie is about). This started when Hernandez and Rhino were feuding over gambling debts and arm-wrestling. Then last week Fallah Bah obtained the cash in the backstage shower area. This week Fallah Bah and Crazzy Steve met in singles competition with the wad of cash playing a significant role.
Steve kept trying to get Fallah Bah to take his shirt off, potentially revealing the wad of cash’s location. The finish of the match came when Steve ripped Bah’s shirt off and revealed he was keeping the cash attacked to a necklace. Steve hit a schoolboy on the distracted Bah and picked up the 3-count. Bah escaped to the back still with the cash, however. Josh Matthews noted on commentary that Hernandez will now know for sure it was Fallah Bah who stole the cash from him.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1llCwNe5bE
The following matches are scheduled for next week’s show:
Hernandez vs Cousin Jake vs Rhino vs Alisha Edwards vs Heath
Eddie Edwards vs Sami Callihan
Chris Bey, Rohit Raju & Jordynne Grace vs TJP, Willie Mack & Trey Miguel
The North vs The Good Brothers
Updated Card For Bound For Glory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQW1A6W9GyM
The following matches are scheduled for Bound For Glory:
Impact World Championship Eric Young (c) vs Rich Swann
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Kylie Rae
Impact Tag Team Championships The Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs the Good Brothers vs The North vs Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
X-Division Championship Rohit Raju (c) vs Jordynne Grace vs TJP vs Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel vs Willie Mack
Aleister Black was moved to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2020 WWE Draft. The former NXT Champion recently spoke to Sports Illustrated about the evolution of his character, battling mental health issues and much more.
The man formerly known by Tommy End achieved a great deal of success in NXT. Since transitioning to the main roster in February 2019, the results have been mixed. In recent months he turned heel, got new theme music and has been sporting an eye patch after getting viciously attacked by Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy.
Black spoke to Justin Barrasso about these changes. “I think the reason for that is we moved so far away from what Aleister Black was in NXT that people started getting confused about what exactly Aleister Black was supposed to be,” he said.
“After a few conversations, I said, ‘I need a different direction.’ That led to the creation of this new Aleister Black, where he is a little more human and people can latch on to him quicker.”
Black clarified that being ‘a little more human’ does not necessarily mean being a good guy. It can also mean being a villain, but he thinks it makes it easier for fans to identify with the character’s motives.”
Aleister Black on the importance of character development for his success in WWE:
“I want to establish this character. I want to establish this entrance, I want to establish this aesthetic. I want people to understand this character to the fullest extent”https://t.co/YzoZIw9XBV
Black has struggled to find his footing on the main roster. However, he is not discouraged. He sees the opportunities presented on Raw and SmackDown as a “great chessboard.” If he does not get the opportunity to do what he needs to do, he’s got no problem burning the whole chessboard.
“If that means he’s sent to purgatory, that’s fine, because he’s been in purgatory. If you want to take it one step further and send him to hell, that’s fine, too. He’s accustomed to hell, his whole childhood was spent there. If Aleister Black doesn’t get his opportunity, then no one does.”
Aleister Black acknowledges that this mentality is more relatable than what we saw from his first year on the main roster.
“Before, that motive wasn’t as clear. A few months ago, what did he stand for? He was fighting for himself, then he got entangled with Rey Mysterio, and that left himself open to vicious beatings each week. It seemed like he never learned from his mistakes, which is strange for Aleister, because he seems so calculated. That got shuffled away a little bit.”
Head over to Sports Illustrated to read their full interview with Aleister Black.
Former WWE/TNA Superstar and multiple time World Champion Christian recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Christian appeared on the show to discuss the release of the new Cagefighter movie.
Christian also discussed a number of other topics, including the RETRIBUTION stable and angle on Monday Night RAW. Captain Charisma would state that the new leader of the group, Ali, is an exciting prospect in the role.
Christian on Ali in Retribution
“I think that he’s got a lot of untapped potential” Christian began on the podcast. We haven’t really had a chance to see any layers of his personality, I don’t think. And? I think that there’s a lot there.”
Ali was recently revealed as the leader of the RETRIBUTION group. Ali would align with the group on RAW shortly before the WWE Draft. The casting of such a ‘fringe’ character on WWE programming to such a prominent role was risky; however Christian believes that WWE have the chance to develop Ali further alongside the likes of T-BAR.
“I’m interested to see how that unfolds and how he builds on it” Christian continued. “Now? He’s got an opportunity. That’s what you know everybody needs, that opportunity to show what they can do and he’s got it now.”
Christian would finish by praising Ali further, saying that he hopes the newly ‘heel’ Ali can flourish in the role. “I’m really really interested and hoping that he can hit it out of the park on this.”
It was recently reported that WWE opted to send a RETRIBUTION member ‘back’ to NXT. Pwinsider.com reported that Mercedes Martinez had been removed from Retribution after she had been assigned the “Retaliation” name. There’s currently no confirmation on why WWE decided to take this route with Martinez.
Do you agree with Christian? Do you think that Ali will be able to get higher up the roster with RETRIBUTION? Let us know in the comments
AEW has released new rankings ahead of tonight’s special Anniversary episode of Dynamite. All championships will be on the line tonight.
AEW Men’s Singles Division
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (19-0) TNT Champion: Cody (19-2)
Lance Archer (13-1)
Brian Cage (9-1)
MJF (9-1)
Brodie Lee (8-2) (TNT champion last week)
Scorpio Sky (8-2)
The only movement in the men’s singles division this week sees Cody reclaim his spot as the TNT Champion. After losing the title in a dog-collar match, Brodie Lee drops to #4, the exact spot Cody was ranked at last week.
Two big title matches take place in the division this week. Cody will defend against unranked Orange Cassidy. Jon Moxley will also look to defend the AEW World Championship against #1 ranked Lance Archer.
AEW Women’s Division
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (17-1)
Nyla Rose (11-2)
Big Swole (10-3)
Penelope Ford (9-5)
Abadon (5-1)
Dr. Britt Baker (5-6)
There was no movement in the women’s singles division this week. #1 ranked Nyla Rose sent a message on Dark, however. Vickie Guerrero said that Rose won’t wrestle on Dark anymore until she gets another shot at champion Hikaru Shida.
#2 Big Swole will get a title shot tonight on the Anniversary show as well.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Champions: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (11-0)
Best Friends (17-6)
Young Bucks (7-3)
The Natural Nightmares (8-2)
Butcher and the Blade (9-5)
Santana & Ortiz (8-5)
There was no movement in the men’s tag-team division this week. Last week on Dynamite, FTR successfully defended their belts against the unranked TH2.
Tonight on Dynamite, the titles will again be on the line as FTR look to defend against the #1 ranked Best Friends.
Mandy Rose defeated Sonya Deville at SummerSlam this August. The match carried a stipulation that the loser would leave WWE. Despite Rose ending her career, Deville says the two have made up after Rose apologized. She took to Instagram to announce their reconciliation, which evidently took place on a boat.
Deville also recently celebrated “National Coming Out Day”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CGNp57ennDq/
Where Is Sonya Deville?
Shortly before SummerSlam, Deville and Rose were staying at Deville’s Florida home when an intruder broke in. The suspect has been denied bond and is currently in prison awaiting trial. He is believed to have sent several disturbing messages to Deville’s social media.
According to reports from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the reason Deville vs Rose at SummerSlam was changed from hair vs hair to career vs career is because Deville’s legal team didn’t think it was a good idea for her to appear in court with a shaved head. Deville is believed to have been scheduled for time off after SummerSlam regardless, due to acting opportunities.
“The original idea was not to shave her bald, but to cut off most of her hair for some sort of an acting role. No word on how long she’ll be gone but she’s not leaving WWE,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
All Elite Wrestling star Dr. Britt Baker has acknowledged the criticism leveled at the promotion’s women’s division. However, Baker stressed how it’s not just on AEW. According to her, “we need help from the fans at home too!”
Baker shared her thoughts during an interview with Uproxx.com. She explained how “[…] it’s something the company is working on” before highlighting the impact COVID-19 had on the promotion.
“You know, and we got hit hard—our women’s division, because of the COVID outbreak. Half our roster is international talent, so we immediately didn’t have access to any of those women. Then Kris Statlander got hurt, and I got hurt. And there’s only so much time on AEW Dynamite to start with.”
Baker explained how AEW has plans in place to help grow the women’s division. However, “[…] at the same time we need help from the fans at home too! We can’t have the women’s segments being the lowest rated or the lowest views each week. Because at the end of the day it’s a business, and AEW needs ratings.”
Britt Baker stressed how the Wednesday Night Wars between AEW and NXT aren’t a secret. She stressed that in order to get more time dedicated to AEW’s women, “we need the ratings up” during their segments.
“So for the fans that are so encouraging and saying ‘We want more women, we want more women!’ that’s great, but please don’t turn the channel when the women are on TV then!” Baker stressed. “We want everybody to be watching the segments and cheering us on from home.”
AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes has addressed the feedback and criticism the promotion has received from its fans.
He confessed to TVInsider how he has always been open to feedback and has actively sought it out in the past:
“I wanted to hear what they liked, what they didn’t, what worked and what they thought didn’t work and why. I still very much stand by that.”
Cody explained how a “background noise” exists on certain social media platforms before admitting to a personal managerial mistake he’s working on remedying.
“One of the mistakes I made in management early on is I talked a lot. I talked a lot in terms of the product will be this. This is how the product will be presented. I was basically trying to frame up what our goals were for the company. But when you talk so much, the show almost draws the ire of many fans.”
Cody On AEW’s Social Media Reports
According to Cody, AEW has a full data report of social mentions provided after every show. He claimed how this report helps them to discover “credible thoughts” shared by fans worldwide.
However, this report also allows them to “[…] see the hurt WWE fan that is pretty much going to say what they want to try and draw attention. A lot of times we have given them attention. We’re learning slowly and surely that Twitter is really aging out in terms of its value and what it can offer. That’s what I learned in year one. Talk less as a member of management and show more.”
Cody Rhodes is set to defend his AEW TNT Championship against Best Friends’ Orange Cassidy on tonight’s Dynamite Anniversary Show.
Impact Wrestling star Heath has reflected on his time in WWE, believing his former employer “never really wanted me to get over as much as I could.”
Heath joined Sitting Ringside for an interview where he detailed his issues with WWE. He believes WWE took issue with him for pitching ideas whenever he could earn some momentum with fans.
“They would work and then they would switch it. Then they end the story and put me on ice and you would not see me for a year and a half,” Heath explained. “If you do, it’s me putting over this guy. Once that happens to you four or five times, you get frustrated.”
Heath continued, “Then you start asking questions and they say you are asking too many questions and you’re being a bother. What can I do? There is no communication between the lines. You are paying me. You have a guy that wants to work and wants to do things but you can’t get anywhere. It’s like tires spinning.”
Heath was let go by WWE earlier this year as a cost-cutting measure by the promotion in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Since leaving the company and joining Impact Wrestling, he has claimed several WWE Superstars have contacted him expressing their interest in making the jump between promotions.
Forgotten Sons member Steve Cutler has addressed the current status of the SmackDown faction during a recent appearance on the Borne the Battle podcast.
Cutler confessed how, at this time, it’s a waiting game. He noted that a potential return will eventually happen, explaining that their time is “coming.”
“Couldn’t tell you and I wouldn’t tell you either way. Just one of those things where it’s we’re being patient and doing what we can and waiting for our spot and waiting for our time and it’s coming, don’t worry. It’s coming.”
Cutler explained how they have had better communication with WWE’s SmackDown creative team as opposed to their time on NXT. He noted how the scripts they’ve been given on SmackDown contain more accurate verbiage they would use in real life. However, there is still plenty of back and forth between themselves and creative.
“[…] it’s just one of those things where you’re working back and forth and it’s like no problem. But, they kinda got the gist of us, I feel main roster on SmackDown, creative had more of an understanding of what to do with us than NXT because it’s just a — both NXT, SmackDown and RAW are all different. NXT is more wrestling based and kind of getting a character out there, but more or less everything is based on wrestling where RAW and SmackDown is the entertainment part of WWE.”
The Forgotten Sons debuted on SmackDown following WrestleMania 36. However, they were shortly removed from on-screen programming following statements stable member Jaxson Ryker made on social media.
Cody shared his thoughts whilst appearing on The Rich Eisen Show. He joined the show ahead of his TNT Championship defense on tonight’s Dynamite Anniversary Show.
He noted how “When I get around marketing guys or new wrestling fans, who want to know what makes us different, authenticity is always the No. 1 thing I say.”
Cody pointed to the past to strengthen his argument. He highlighted names like his father, Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. Cody stated that the connection between these wrestlers and their fans helped them stand out and succeed.
“Back in the 70s and 80s, when wrestling fans were rabid for the sport, everyone thinks it is because they thought it was real. However, I disagree with that notion. Dusty, Hogan, and Flair succeeded because of the connection fans made to their characters.”
Cody explained how the only way to achieve this genuine connection is by being truly “[…] authentic in your interview, your ring work, and everything else.” He is confident that this commitment to authenticity is what helps AEW separate itself from its competition.
Cody Rhodes is set to defend his AEW TNT Championship against Best Friends’ Orange Cassidy on tonight’s Dynamite Anniversary Show.
Recently drafted SmackDown Superstar Aleister Black has praised the blue brand’s Universal Champion Roman Reigns. According to Black, Reigns is currently delivering the “best work he’s ever done.”
Speaking with Sports Illustrated, Black noted how the partnership between Reigns and Paul Heyman has been presented in “super organic” way since the two began working together. Black stressed how The Tribal Chief gimmick is so natural to Reigns, he doesn’t believe he’s even playing a character.
“For Roman, I feel like this is the best work he’s ever done. Roman is in that super rare spot where he is so comfortable in the role that his confidence is Level 1000,” Black explained. “Everything is presented in a way that is super organic, it makes you think he’s not even playing a character. To be honest, I don’t think he is playing a character. I think this is playing to every strength of Roman Reigns, of which there are a lot.”
Now that Black is also on the blue brand with a new theme and attitude, he confessed he would love to feud with Reigns in the future. It’s something he’s apparently already spoken to Heyman about.
“I’d love to be entangled with Roman and Paul, and I’ve spoken with Paul [Heyman] about this before. There are a lot of things that move the different pieces on that chessboard, getting me to checkmates, and that’s one of them.”
Aleister Black was recently moved to SmackDown following the WWE Draft.
Several talents were left undrafted after the 2020 Draft concluded with this week’s episode of Raw and after WWE announced some more draft picks during the night, there are two talents which have been left without a brand.
Pwinsiderrecently provided some updates on the future of both these stars in Mickie James and Andrade. According to their report, the plan as of this past Monday night was for both Andrade and Mickie James to join the Raw roster:
“As of last night, the plan is for the Andrade and Mickie James, the two talents left undrafted following the 2020 Draft to land on the Monday Night Raw roster.”
There has also been some buzz of Andrade moving back to the NXT brand.
Meanwhile, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer believes that Vince McMahon never “got it” with Andrade. When Paul Heyman was removed as the Executive Director of WWE Raw earlier this year, Andrade lost a key ally.
Vince never got it with him. Whatever he got was just remnants because Heyman saw him in Mexico & Japan and thought he was top talent, and got him as far as he could. There's a reason when Heyman was ousted I told everyone Andrade was dead. https://t.co/0gXUQDlrB9
The 2020 edition of WWE Draft saw a number of big stars changing brands including names like Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, and the Fiend being moved to different rosters. You can check out the updated rosters of Raw and SmackDown after both nights of Draft atthis link.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!
Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Yota Tsuji def. Yuya Uemura (7:56) Once more, the classic and always compelling dynamic of technique versus power was on display between Uemura and Tsuji. Uemura took advantage early with a keylock to weaken Tsuji’s arms in preparation for his “deadbolt” double arm suplex. Tsuji showed that he’s not all brute force as well, when he rolled through Uemura’s hold to get on top and apply a single leg Boston crab. Uemura was able to break the hold, but Tsuji landed a spear followed by a giant swing, then the Boston crab for the submission victory.
B Block: KENTA def. YOSHI-HASHI Soon into the match, KENTA left the ring and started playing with the staff that YOSHI-HASHI carries to the ring. Perturbed by this, YOSHI-HASHI would follow him to the outside, but be thrown head-first into the ring post. From there, KENTA went about systematically dismantling YOSHI’s left arm. YOSHI’s comebacks were short-lived, and KENTA hit a diving foot stomp and went for the Go 2 Sleep. YOSHI-HASHI managed to avoid it and hit a spin kick to grant himself some reprieve. He hit a running powerbomb and tried to apply the Butterfly Lock even with one bad arm. KENTA did not tap, and YOSHI broke the hold to hit a running double knee attack, but KENTA got out of the way and punished YOSHI-HASHI with heavy kicks. He attempted the Go 2 Sleep again but YOSHI would reverse it into a DDT to the crowd’s pleasure. He hit the Kumagoroshi for a near fall and went for Karma, but KENTA avoided it and applied the Game Over facelock. YOSHI-HASHI nearly earned a rope break, but KENTA rolled him back into the center of the ring and YOSHI-HASHI submitted. KENTA goes to 8 points
B Block: Zack Sabre Jr. def. Juice Robinson To the surprise of likely everyone, the match began with Juice Robinson grinding Zack Sabre Jr. down on the mat, using his weight advantage to keep the spindly submission artist beneath him. All the skill and leverage in the world won’t help if you can’t move. Eventually, Juice stood up and started trying to lift Zack for power moves, at which point Zack was able to mount a comeback, targeting Juice’s left arm to weaken the left handed punch that often signals the end for his opponent. Juice still had one good arm and was able to put up a fight, but Zack would repeatedly interrupt his comebacks with guillotine chokes and bodyscissors attacks. He kept going back to the left arm, and when Juice tried to powerbomb him out of an armbar, he needed two tries to do so. Juice hit a big right-handed punch and went for the Pulp Friction, but Zack dropped out of it and rolled him into the European Clutch for the three-count. Zack Sabre Jr. goes to 10 points
B Block: Tetsuya Naito def. Toru Yano (8:04) Tetsuya Naito was walking especially slowly to the ring as he entered, which made Yano get restless. Of course, when the bell rang, Yano was not actually interested in wrestling Naito, and spent a long time going in and out of the ring to delay the inevitable. Soon, though, he had pushed both Yota Tsuji at ringside and Tetsuya Naito down and taped their wrists together between the guardrail, but they were able to make it back in the ring before before Naito was counted out. Naito offered Tsuji a fist bump after they had delivered a double clothesline to Yano and freed themselves from the tape. Tsuji was going to accept it, but it was just a fake out; Naito kicked Tsuji and body-slammed him on top of Yano. Yano hit a sneak low blow on Naito and tried to roll him up, but Naito kicked out. Naito retaliated with a pop-up kick to the groin and a jackknife pin to defeat the Sublime Master Thief. Tetsuya Naito goes to 12 points
B Block: EVIL def. Hirooki Goto (15:33) With Naito now at 12 points, Goto is ostensibly out of the running, while EVIL has the best chances of defeating him since he has the tiebreaker victory. If Goto does win, it will be a matter of honor and sportsmanship conquering… evil. With the aid of Dick Togo at ringside, EVIL dominated Goto in the early stages of the match. Goto fired back up to lift the running EVIL and hit the Ushigoroshi, but Togo’s distraction enabled EVIL to stop Goto as he climbed to the top rope to capitalize on his first bit of momentum. EVIL hit a heavy lariat followed by Darkness Falls only for Goto to kick out, and attempted the EVIL STO, but EVIL avoided it. He forced EVIL out of the ring and hit a plancha on both EVIL and Togo! Goto hit a headbutt and a reverse GTR on EVIL for a near fall. He tried for the regular GTR, but EVIL dodged it. He attempted a discus lariat and EVIL caught his shoulder to transition into the STO finish. The G in G1 does not stand for Goto this year. EVIL goes to 12 points
B Block: SANADA def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (28:25) Matches between Hiroshi Tanahashi and SANADA are always interesting because a trained eye can spot all the ways that they wrestle like each other. Being both proteges of Keiji Mutoh, their offense, largely based on attacking the neck and knees to make them more susceptible to both submissions and bursts of high-speed offense. Tanahashi exemplified this, as he caught SANADA with his first dragonscrew, sending him reeling to the outside, and then landed on him with a High Fly Flow crossbody. He brought SANADA back and continued attacking his legs with Dragonscrews, but SANADA was able to make it to the ropes to break Tanahashi’s Texas Cloverleaf. SANADA was able to make it to his feet and fight back with a rope-hung Magic Screw and a springboard dropkick. SANADA went for the top rope moonsault, and he could see that Tanahashi had moved while he was in flight. When he landed on his feet, he felt it in his knees, and his stumble allowed Tanahashi to hit a Sling Blade. He followed up with a bridging full nelson suplex for a near fall, and looked to capitalize with the High Fly Flow. SANADA lifted his knees to block the move, but it hurt him just as much as Tanahashi. He managed to trap Tanahashi in the Skull End and soon went for the top rope moonsault again, but Tanahashi got his knees up! Feeling the pressure, SANADA tried for a hurricanrana, but Tanahashi caught his legs in midair and twisted SANADA into the Texas cloverleaf again! SANADA scratched and clawed and made it to the ropes. Tanahashi hit another Sling Blade and tried for the High Fly Flow, but SANADA hit him with a cutter in midair! With two top rope moonsaults, he stays in G1 contention. SANADA goes to 10 points
G1 Climax 30 Standings
A Block: 12 points – Kota Ibushi, Jay White, Kazuchika Okada 10 points – Will Ospreay 8 points – Jeff Cobb, Taichi 6 points – Minoru Suzuki, Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi 0 points – Yujiro Takahashi
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.855 million viewers with a 0.57 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This was up from last week, which did 1.686 million viewers and 0.52 demo rating.
To compare, just one year ago, RAW averaged 2.279 million viewers. This marked the second night of this year’s Draft.
WWE had to deal with just one NFL game that aired on ESPN, which was between the Saints and Chargers that had 10.654 million viewers. Last week’s show faced two NFL games.
Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:
Hour 1: 2.006 million, 0.60 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 2: 1.884 million, 0.59 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 3: 1.676 million, 0.52 in the 18-49 Demo
SmackDown Viewership
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.178 million viewers on FOX. This is up from the 2.155million viewers that the show did for the previous week.
SmackDown averaged 2.087 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was up from the 2.042 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.156 million viewers while the second hour did 2.017 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.105 million viewers while the second hour did 1.980 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from 0.50 rating as last week’s show.
This Wednesday night, All Elite Wrestling celebrates the 1-year anniversary of AEW Dynamite. TNT Champion Cody spoke with USA Today to discuss his biggest regret from the first year, AEW dealing with the the COVID-19 pandemic, how he’s approaching the next 12 months and much more.
AEW has spent the past year establishing their identity and building a core audience. During that time, we’ve also seen some crossovers with other promotions.
AEW World Champion also holds the IWGP United States Champion for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. AEW Executive VP Kenny Omega is the reigning AAA Mega Champion. NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa has been a regular on recent AEW programming. Last week’s Dynamite even saw a cameo from the legendary Hiroshi Tanahashi.
Tanahashi vs Jericho not one, not two, but ten more times?!
Hiroshi Tanahashi appeared last night to wish @IAmJericho a happy 30th anniversary in the professional wrestling industry. pic.twitter.com/78KursQO1f
Fans are naturally interested in the prospect of AEW collaborating with other promotions. Cody says he doubts we’ll ever see a big pay-per-view event co-promoted by AEW and another company. However, we could see relationships established which could result in talent exchanges.
“I think you’ll never see a full-scale, joint-promoted show,” Cody said. “We have too much pride in our individual brand. But in terms of the relationships, we’re never closing the doors and we’re never going to pull up the bridges.
Visit USA Today to read their full interview with Cody.
Alberto Del Rio is set to go to trial early next year on charges of aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault. He was arrested in May after a woman came forward and stated she had been held captive by Del Rio for a period of several hours.
According to a recent report from PW Insider, Del Rio has received a trial date of January 25th, 2021. The trial will be held in San Antonio, Texas.
His accuser is alleging that Del Rio sexual assaulted her and physically beat her during the kidnapping as well. If convicted, Del Rio is looking at a possible lengthy prison sentence.
How Much Possible Prison Time Is Alberto Del Rio Facing
Aggravated kidnapping in Texas carries a sentence of 5 to 99 years in prison. Del Rio is also looking at a possible fine of up to $10,000.
“A conviction for aggravated kidnapping is generally punishable as a felony of the first degree, which can result in a prison sentence ranging from five to 99 years or life imprisonment and/or a fine up to $10,000,” the law firm of Dunham and Jones’ website states.
If a defendant can prove they dropped the victim off at a safe location, however, the charge would be reduced to 2nd degree kidnapping. This crime carries a possible penalty of 2 to 20 years in prison.
The penalty for sexual assault in Texas is also 2-20 years and a $10,000 fine.
