All Elite Wrestling commentator Tony Schiavone has opened up about WWE approaching him prior to signing with AEW. Schiavone shared his story during an “Ask Tony Anything” segment on his show, What Happened When with Tony Schiavone and Conrad Thompson.
When asked why he ultimately signed with AEW over WWE, Schiavone explained how WWE was “very sketchy” about the position he would have within the promotion.
“They said we just want you to come to work here. We need more people here who have a strong wrestling background to help out. Well, what would I do? Well, you would just work with us.”
He shared how he spoke to Bruch Prichard about the role, and believes that Prichard was “shooting” with him when he confessed he didn’t know what position he would have. Looking back on it, Schiavone added how it’s “pretty apparent” what WWE was trying to do and that he doesn’t blame Prichard for his part in it.
“[…] they wanted to get me so AEW wouldn’t get me and they would have run me out the door right after Eric Bischoff or before. I’m not blaming Bruce but I get it. I know what Vince (McMahon) was thinking.”
SmackDown Superstar AJ Styles has reflected on his feud with “The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar during a recent Twitch stream. The two Superstars clashed at Survivor Series 2017 in a Champion vs. Champion matchup.
“The Phenomenal One” explained how putting the match together was Lesnar was “a lot of fun” for him. Styles believes that the bout came together well and remains a matchup that he is proud of.
“It was a true David vs. Goliath thing with him beating the c**p out of me at the beginning and making people think, ‘Oh, AJ’s got no chance’ and then all of a sudden it was, ‘Oh my God – maybe he does have a chance.’ That was a really cool and fun match. Brock’s so great, too. I loved working with him.”
At the time, AJ Styles was SmackDown’s WWE Champion. Lesnar, conversely, was Raw’s Universal Champion. Despite his best efforts, however, “The Phenomenal One” was unable to beat Lesnar at Survivor Series, losing to him in approximately 15 minutes after receiving an F5.
Despite the loss, AJ Styles stressed how much fun he had competing against Lesnar and that he loved working with him and delivering that experience for the WWE Universe.
Chris Jericho has claimed it is “embarrassing” for WWE to continue to air its black-and-gold brand NXT against AEW Dynamite every Wednesday night. Jericho made his proclamation during a recent interview with Inside the Ropes.
The Inner Circle leader explained how WWE decided to air on Wednesday nights opposite Dynamite, “just to mess with us.” Jericho argued how WWE should switch nights to broadcast NXT, suggesting that WWE should look to Tuesday nights instead.
“Don’t worry about our company. We’re not worried about you. We don’t have a screen up that shows what’s going on every moment on NXT, like they do watching Dynamite,” Jericho stated.
Jericho stressed how his recent Demo God character “is not a gimmick” before reiterating how WWE should switch NXT to another night away from Wednesdays. He highlighted how WWE could “[…] go to any other day you want, but don’t exist just to mess with us because we’re beating you every week. It’s kind of embarrassing for NXT at this point.”
Chris Jericho continued to recommend Tuesday nights for WWE’s black-and-gold brand, explaining that by committing to a schedule change, WWE would be able to “make more money” and “get more viewers.”
“I think you should throw the red flag, retreat, go to Tuesday, make Tuesday your night, make more money, get more viewers, get more guys over and don’t worry about what we’re doing because we’re going to continue on either way, and we’re winning every week anyways, so just go your own way. That’s the best way to do it.”
You can listen to Chris Jericho’s full rant about NXT in the player embedded below:
Former WWE Superstar Mike Bennett recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Formerly Mike Kanellis, Bennett would discuss a number of topics from his time with WWE. These topics would include creative meetings with Vince McMahon, appearing for NWA and his battle with addiction.
Mike Bennett on First Impressions
“Here’s the thing that I learned when I got sober, is you have to hold yourself accountable” Mike Bennett began on the show. “One of the big things I’ve started doing is…there’s this mantra that I kind of live by. It may not be your fault, but it is now your responsibility. That’s something that I’ve kind of had not only in life and that’s what helped me with my addiction, but just in general.”
Bennett would then recant his early days when WWE, shortly after being signed along with Maria Kanellis. The couple debuted in 2017 at the Money In The Bank PPV. “So I showed up at WWE, it was my dream job. It’s what I always wanted to do. But, I showed up not in the best shape. I showed up addicted to drugs and I showed up not ready to go. And so, first impressions are a big deal.”
Vince McMahon
“If the first impression that Vince [McMahon] or anybody else got there was, well? ‘He’s had three months to sit at home before we brought him there AND he’s not in the best shape of his life!? What has he been doing!?'” Bennett continued. “And then ‘we sign this guy who’s addicted to drugs!? Maybe we need to look at our vetting process a little bit better!?’ You add all those things together? And I think there’s a percentage of the failures that falls on me.”
Mike Bennett would also discuss the angles that he was put in on WWE programming. Originally, Bennett and Maria Kanellis were portrayed as a performer/manager pairing, however that shifted to a ‘cuckold’ style angle, with Mike having to ‘submit’ to his wife. “It might not be my fault but it is my responsibility. Now was there bad creative along the way? Of course there was, but I tried to make the most of it. I tried to do the best I could; with what I was given.”
“I actually liked the challenge of that crazy RAW angle of like submitting to my wife all the time” Bennett continued. “I was like, ‘let’s see if we can get something out of this. Because who knows? Maybe this could be the best thing that ever happened to me.'”
Do you think that Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis deserved a better shot in WWE? Let us know in the comments
Chris Jericho is known to be the guy who always has his figure on the pulse of the wrestling business and he continues to evolve his character to stay relevant in the wrestling world.
On the other hand, WWE is often blamed for not understanding what the fans want and up until recently, one of the biggest examples of it was the babyface run of Roman Reigns, who many believed should have been turned heel long ago.
Jericho talked about WWE’s decision to finally turn Reigns heel during a recent interview with Inside The Ropes and the former World Champion claimed that the Big Dog will do better as a heel:
“I’m a huge fan of Roman Reigns, I think as a heel, he’s going to leaps and bounds be better than as a babyface, which will then allow him to become a babyface, which will be leaps and bounds over being a heel.”
Y2J also recalled his time working with Roman and said that he would be a much bigger star if WWE would just let him be himself. Interestingly, Chris Jericho then went on to compare the current Universal Champion to his cousin, The Rock:
“He reminds me a lot of The Rock, he’s the type of guy that if you’re a guy, you want to have a beer with them. If you’re a girl, you want to go on a date with him, but he doesn’t get a chance to really show that.”
Chris Jericho continued by saying that WWE should let the former Shield member relax and be himself and he would get to a point where he would become the top guy in the company who no one complains about.
Trish Stratus continues to address a potential match against WWE Superstar Sasha Bans. The trailblazing Attitude Era star appeared on The Bump this week to discuss the women’s revolution movement, her career and much more.
Ever since their interaction in the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble match, fans have speculated the possibility of Stratus and ‘The Boss’ going one-on-one.
Stratus says she loves and respects Sasha Banks. She knows fans want to see them wrestle and finds the match-up intriguing.
“I mean, do you guys think fans would want to see that? I’m not sure,” she asked sarcastically. “The fact of the matter is that I can’t go back, that’s a proven fact, right? I love and respect Sasha so much. I love her in-ring work. Would I love a taste at that? Yes.
Here’s the thing people have been buzzing about Sasha and I’s interaction at the Royal Rumble.” said Trish Stratus “As a wrestling fan, do I think this is intriguing? Absolutely!”
Earlier this year, Trish Stratus got fans buzzing with a cryptic video she tweeted that included her and Sasha Banks. WWE knows fans are interested in a potential ‘dream match’ between the two women, as seen in the video embedded below.
Would you like to see Trish Stratus returning to the ring for one last match against Sasha Banks sometimes in the future?
The former Nexus Leader spoke to Sports Illustrated about his new contract with the company after the news broke out and he claimed that their aim is to be different than the rest of the WWE programming.
Barrett also revealed that he has signed a one-year deal with WWE which has the option to extend their partnership, before claiming that NXT is not a developmental brand:
“This isn’t a developmental brand, I’ve followed the careers of The Undisputed Era, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Rhea Ripley for a long time. There are so many up-and-comers, and NXT is a destination where you can see people turn into stars.”
Before rejoining WWE, Wade Barrett was doing commentary for NWA and he revealed that he was actually planning to sign a long term deal with the company.
Though he noted that the coronavirus pandemic made them change their plans and the former Intercontinental Champion claimed that he has nothing but great things to say about Billy Corgan.
AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to the takeaways below, Matt Hatt was attacked backstage during tonight’s show. It was also announced that Brodie Lee will defend the TNT Championship against Orange Cassidy next week.
Thunder Rosa def. Ivelisse to retain the NWA World Women’s Championship
Best Friends def. Santana & Ortiz in the Parking Lot Fight
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
FTR Remains Undefeated
FTR & Tully Blanchard
AEW Tag Team Champions FTR faced Jurassic Express in a non-title match. Before the match, the Young Bucks came down to the ring and hit a referee with a Superkick. They went backstage and threw money at Tony Khan for the upcoming fine for their actions. They trash talked with FTR before leaving.
What was the meaning of this attack by the @youngbucks?!
Match Recap: FTR dominated early and isolated Luchasaurus in the corner of the ring. Jungle Boy tagged in and connected with a Hurricanrana on both members of FTR. Cash Wheeler hit Jungle Boy with a Powerslam and went for the cover but Jungle Boy was able to kick out at the last moment.
Wheeler locked in the Bow & Arrow Stretch on Jungle Boy in the middle of the ring. Jungle Boy escaped with an Arm Drag and went for the tag but Wheeler prevented it. Dax tagged in and hit a Suplex for another near fall.
Wheeler tagged in and went for a Dropkick but Jungle Boy got out of the way. Harwood tagged in and walked into a massive Clothesline from Jungle Boy. Luchasaurus tagged in and unloaded several chops before leveling FTR with a Clothesline.
Luchasaurus planted Wheeler with a Chokeslam and followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a near fall. Jungle Boy tagged back in after Luchasaurus hit FTR with a series of kicks. Jungle Boy hit Harwood with a Shining Wizard for a two count. Wheeler went for a Powerslam but Jungle Boy countered into a roll-up for a near fall.
Jungle Boy rolled up Harwood for a two count and then made his way to the top rope. Jungle Boy went for a Crossbody but Harwood countered into a roll-up for a two count. Luchasaurus went for a Splash outside the ring but Cash got out of the way and Luchasaurus went into the crowd. Harwood rolled up Jungle Boy for the win asWheeler grabbed Dax’s arm for leverage.
Hangman Page squared off against Frankie Kazarian tonight on Dynamite. Kenny Omega joined commentary for the match.
Match Recap: Frankie controlled the action early but Hangman battled back and planted Kazarian with a Body Slam. Hangman brought Frankie to the corner and unloaded several chops to his chest. Page connected with a Suplex and Frankie rolled to the corner of the ring.
Frankie hopped to his feet and hit some punches and chops of his own. Hangman knocked Frankie out of the ring and hit him with an awesome Crossbody as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Kazarian and Hangman traded forearms to the face. Both men went for a Clothesline at the same time and wouldn’t go down. Frankie went for a German Suplex but Hangman landed on his feet and connected with a Clothesline.
Frankie went for a Crossbody but Hangman caught him with a Fallaway Slam and both wrestlers fell to the canvas. Hangman followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a near fall. Kazarian planted Hangman with a DDT for another two count. Hangman hit Kazarian with a Death Valley Driver and went for the cover but Kazarian kicked out again. Frankie connected with a Cutter for another near fall. Hangman battled back with a Powerbomb as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”.
Page hit Frankie with a Clothesline outside the ring and rolled him back inside. Hangman followed it up with a Buckshot Lariat for the pinfall victory. Kenny Omega left the announce table and didn’t go to the ring to congratulate Page. Hangman looked around for Omega before downing a beer in the ring.
MJF faced Shawn Dean tonight on Dynamite. MJF immediately poked Dean in the eye and locked in the Salt of the Earth Arm Bar for the quick submission victory.
After the match, MJF said that he is an honest man as the crowd chanted “no you’re not!”. MJF bitched about Moxley using the banned Paradigm Shift at All Out and claimed that he should still be undefeated.
MJF added that he should be the AEW Champion as a “you’re a loser!” chant broke out. MJF demanded that everyone refer to him as the undefeated, undisputed and uncrowned world champion of All Elite Wrestling. He told Justin Roberts to announce him with his new title and Justin obliged.
MJF claimed that in order to get a fair shake around here you need to be in a group or stable. MJF said that he has always been a lone wolf but maybe it is about time to join a wolf pack.
The September 16, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
WWE NXT Results
Io Shirai def. Shotzi Blackheart
Tommaso Ciampa def. Desmond Troy
KUSHIDA def. Austin Theory
Breezango def. Imperium to retain tag team titles
Killian Dain & Drake Maverick def. The Undisputed Era via disqualification
Damian Priest def. Timothy Thatcher to retain North American Title
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Non-Title Match
Io Shirai
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Shotzi Blackheart in a non-title match took place, which was certainly an interesting dynamic with two babyfaces facing each other.
We’ve seen this type of booking before, but with Shotzi, who had been in a comedy feud with the Robert Stone Brand, it made for an interesting decision by NXT officials.
Io hit a moonsault off the top rope for the win. This was an excellent match with the announcers putting over Blackheart for taking the champion to her limit. It was a back and forth affair with both stars shining bright.
With such a performance, it will be interesting to see where Blackheart goes from here. Perhaps a title shot in the near future?
Killian Dain and Drake Maverick vs. Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish in a tag team match is in the books.
Of course, WWE set up this bout last week when Dain took on Strong in a singles match, which saw Strong go over thanks to outside interference by Fish. Post-match, Strong and Fish beatdown Dain until Maverick ran out, but he got taken out. Once Dain chased them off with a pipe, Maverick tried to make an alliance by shaking his hand, but Dain laid him out with a punch.
It turns out that for this contest, Dain didn’t want to be Maverick’s tag team partner as advertised. Thus, Maverick worked a handicap match instead. William Regal tried to talk some sense into Dain and go to the ring, which he did. He laid out Fish and Strong until Fish attacked him with a chair that caused the DQ.
Post-match, Dain and Maverick cleared house, but Dain laid out Maverick before leaving.
Breezango put the NXT Tag Team Titles on the line against Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner.
The NXT tag team division is lacking so this felt like just another endless match between these two teams.
The match was fine and there were some nearfalls. At one point, it looked like Imperium was going to win as Breeze missed a leg drop off the top rope and Aichner caught him with a running knee strike followed by a german suplex for a near fall.
In the end, Breeze scored a roll up win to retain the titles. Let’s hope there are some new challengers in the wait and we move on from this feud.
Damian Priest put the NXT North American Title on the line against Timothy Thatcher.
The match was really fun and that was expected as Priest has found his groove in the last few months while Thatcher is always going to put on a fun match just because he’s so talented.
Thatcher got the majority of the offense in this contest and brought the champion to the peak of abilities. Priest made a comeback that was capped off with a heel kick to the face and his finisher to retain the title.
Thatcher has been finding his character as of late and it’s no secret that Triple H is a big fan of his as he has been pushed hard since his pairing with Matt Riddle.
WWE had promised that there would be two major announcements made on this show and it was delivered.
William Regal did so in a pre-recorded video to announce that a Gauntlet Eliminator Match will determine the new #1 contender to the NXT Title, which is held by Finn Balor.
This contest will take place next week. The rules of this match is as followings:
Two men will start in the ring
Ever 4 minutes, another competitor will enter
The only way to be eliminated is via pinfall or submission
The last man standing will be named the #1 contender for the NXT Title and will go on to face Balor for the strap at NXT TakeOver.
There will also be a #1 contender battle royal to determine who will challenge Io Shirai at TakeOver for the NXT Women’s Title.
Shotzi Blackheart, Kacy Catanzaro, Indi Hartwell, Aliyah, Dakota Kai, Candice LeRae, Rhea Ripley, Tegan Nox, Raquel Gonzalez, Kayden Carter, and Xia Li are the competitors.
Wade Barrett has officially signed with WWE to remain on the NXT broadcast team.
The news was first reported by Sports Illustrated and later confirmed by WWE. He has been part of the announce team in recent weeks alongside Vic Joseph and Beth Phoenix after being away from the company for a few years.
Barrett decided to leave WWE in 2016 and hasn’t wrestled a match since then. He has stayed in the pro wrestling business where he has worked as a wrestling commentator for various promotions.
“I hope this lasts for a long time, that’s our intent,” Barrett told SI. “So there is no bad news to share, but never forget, there is always a little bad news up my sleeve.”
Part of that was due to his passion for acting as well as there were not being many viable alternatives in terms of wrestling promotions in the United States.
Up until his WWE return, he had replaced Jim Cornette on the announce team for the weekly NWA Powerrr show on YouTube.
Barrett also sent out these tweets about signing with the company:
Former WWE Superstar Mike Bennett recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Formerly Mike Kanellis, Bennett would discuss a number of topics from his time with WWE. These topics would include creative meetings with Vince McMahon, appearing for NWA and his battle with addiction.
“I had many good conversations with Vince [McMahon]” Mike Bennett began on the show. “After we [Mike and Maria] had our first child? I remember going into Vince’s office and I just said to him, ‘look if this isn’t working out? If I’m not what you thought I was or whatever or you just don’t see anything? Release me.”
Mike Bennett on Vince McMahon
“I said ‘just let me go for a couple years and maybe I’ll come back and we’ll figure this out'” Bennett would continue. “And he straight up told me, he said, ‘I’ve seen your work I think you’re good. We just have to find the right storyline that fits. We just have to find the right place for you. I’ve got a million guys right now.'”
Mike Bennett would then discuss his own personal views on the WWE Chairman. “One thing I respect about Vince? He was always brutally honest with me. He never sugar coated anything, I respected that. It was other people in that company that would sugarcoat things for me or just try to do things, but Vince? If I went to him directly? He always straight up told me what was going on.”
Vince McMahon Getting ‘distracted’
Bennett would finish by saying that his creative meetings with McMahon were beneficial, but that it was easy for McMahon to get distracted. “We did have those conversations and we had many opportunities where me and Maria went in there and we pitched stuff. Vince always seemed open to it, he was very respectful about everything.”
“Then they just didn’t materialise, and I know how that works. I know I’ll go in there and I’ll tell Vince one thing he might like it…but then Roman [Reigns] goes in there, Seth [Rollins] goes in there and Bray [Wyatt] goes in there right after me. And he [Vince] probably doesn’t remember it after that, which sucks. It sucks for a smaller guys, we’re trying to get our names up there, but it at the end of the day? It’s just how that company works.”
Do you think that Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis deserved a better shot in WWE? Let us know in the comments
Daniel Cormier and WWE have had an interest in working with each other for the last few years.
That possibility appears to be getting closer as the former UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion confirmed to Sports Illustrated in a new interview that the two sides are talking, but it’s still early.
“We’ve been talking. We’ve spoken to some of the people over there in very, very early conversations. WWE is a company I’ve watched and loved my entire life.”
Cormier also shared that he would rather be a commentator at first instead of being an in-ring performer. He thinks WWE should let him call matches and tell people how great the wrestlers are in the ring for six months. He said he would love that and not faking it as WWE is something that he loved his entire life.
“Then, after those six months, what if I’m sitting next to Michael Cole, and Roman [Reigns] comes over and smacks the microphone out of my hand? But I’m an announcer. Will I hit him back? Then you’re asking if this will happen or not.”
Cormier stated that is what he wants, which would be a slow build to a story that fans want to see and the hearts of fans feeling like it will explode while waiting for it. Thus, he wants it to simmer before getting into the ring.
Cormier just retired from being an MMA fighter when he lost in a trilogy fight against Stipe Miocic in the headliner of UFC 252 last month.
Will Hobbs is All Elite. AEW announced the signing Wednesday afternoon.
Hobbs has been competing on AEW Dark over the past few weeks and picked up his first victory two weeks ago. He racked up another win this week, bringing his record to 2-5 for the year.
The big man tweeted, “Been through hell and back. Dreams do come true. BELIEVE IN #”
The news of Will Hobbs joining AEW was well-received by several members of the AEW roster. Jim Ross, Jungle Boy, Sammy Guevara, Isiah Kassidy and Peter Avalon are among the wrestlers who tweeted their approval.
Congratulations to Will Hobbs. You can follow him on Twitter at @TrueWillieHobbs.
Check out Hobbs’ latest match rom this week’s AEW Dark:
AEW has released new top-5 rankings ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite.
AEW Men’s Singles Division
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (17-0) TNT Champion: Brodie Lee (7-1)
Lance Archer (13-1)
Brian Cage (8-1)
MJF (8-1)
Cody (18-2)
Scorpio Sky
There was no movement in the men’s singles division this week in AEW. The rankings are the same from last week.
In the division last week, Brodie Lee successfully defended the TNT Championship against the former champion’s brother, Dustin Rhodes.
#1 ranked Lance Archer maintained his top ranking this week. He’ll face Jon Moxley for the title on the 1-year anniversary of Dynamite show next month.
AEW Women’s Division
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (17-1)
Nyla Rose (9-2)
Big Swole (8-3)
Abadon (5-1)
Penelope Ford (8-5)
Dr. Britt Baker (4-6)
There was no movement in the women’s division this month either.
Last week in the division, #1 ranked Nyla Rose defeated the newly signed Tay Conti in singles competition.
A big match in the women’s division is scheduled for tonight, however. Ivelisse will challenge Thunder Rosa for the NWA Women’s Championship.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Champions: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (8-0)
Kenny Omega & “Hangman” Page (12-1)
Best Friends (15-6)
Young Bucks (7-3)
The Natural Nightmares (7-2)
Santana & Ortiz (8-4)
There was no movement in the tag-team division rankings either this week, marking the first week of AEW rankings to see no changes whatsoever.
Last week in the division, the unranked Jurassic Express defeated the Lucha Bros and tonight they will take on the tag champs, FTR, in non-title action.
Also tonight, #2 The Best Friends will continue their rivalry with #5 Santana and Ortiz.
Chris Jericho and Jake Hager were victorious over Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss last week. They will take on Private Party this week on Dynamite.
AEW has filed for two trademarks possibly related to a potential new video game. According to documents publicly available on the US Patent and Trademark Office website, AEW has filed for terms potentially related to a GM mode in a new game.
The filings are for two terms: “Elite GM” and “All Elite Wrestling General Manager.”
The purposes of the trademarks are listed as:
“Downloadable game software, Downloadable computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones, Downloadable electronic game software for use on handheld computers and mobile gaming devices; Downloadable video game programs; Recorded video game software.”
The applications were filed on September 10th.
ALL ELITE WRESTLING: ELITE GENERAL MANAGER "Downloadable game software; Downloadable computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones; Downloadable electronic game software for use on handheld computers and mobile gaming devices…"https://t.co/1otg0zkzWVpic.twitter.com/M4iZl8xfTG
AEW Co-Executive Vice President Kenny Omega spoke about a possible AEW video game recently in an interview with Venn.
“Yes, we are in production of a video game. We have a lot of creative minds at work at the new video game right now. I think people are going to like it. And I think that what the fans are hoping for is, in fact, going to come to fruition.”
“I’m hoping that it really is sort of a brand new take on something that’s like the No Mercy game of old. So, if you liked WrestleMania 2000, No Mercy, VPW – we are very much hoping to recreate the same feel, the same fun-factor, the same pick-up-and-play ability of those games in the past. So, look forward to that. We are working diligently to give you guys something in the near future.”
NXT will hold the next Takeover special Sunday, October 4th. The event will air live on the WWE Network.
The most recent Takeover saw Damian Priest win the vacant North American Championship in a ladder match, Io Shirai defend the NXT Women’s Title and Karrion Kross capture the NXT Championship from Keith Lee. Finn Balor has since won the NXT title after Kross had to vacate the gold due to a shoulder injury.
WWE will begin promoting NXT Takeover XXXI on tonight’s edition of NXT TV on the USA Network. WWE has yet to announce if Takeover will take place from the Performance Center or the ThunderDome at Orlando’s Amway Center arena.
The North and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton defeated The Motor City Machine Guns & The Good Brothers
Impact World Championship Match Booked For Bound For Glory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U6IOak49bA
Rich Swann will face Eric Young for the Impact World Championship at Bound For Glory on October 24th. Scott D’Amore made the match official for the PPV this week. Swann came out on crutches to cut a promo. He said he wanted to face Young for the title which brought out D’Amore. The co-Vice President of Impact said if Swann faces Young he could end up crippled but Swann was undeterred. Young came out to confront Swann and a melee ensued after Young shoved D’Amore. As Young retreated up the ramp, D’Amore made the match official for Bound For Glory.
Tag Team Controversy Headlines Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdsSqsggG5Q
The Rascalz were replaced in the night’s main event by the Good Brothers. Wentz and Dez had been attacked in the back earlier in the show by the North and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton. The match seemed to be more every team for themselves rather than 4-on-4 at times and this was noted on commentary.
The finish of the match came when The North delivered a double-team move onto Sabin but Ace Austin got the pin off the blind tag. The North looked annoyed at Austin after the match. The Good Brothers and MCMG also seemed to take issue with each other after the match’s conclusion.
Moose has been searching for EC3, who stole the TNA World Heavyweight title from him and has been threatening to destroy it. Moose called someone on the phone this week looking for help. He referred to this person as “Demo God” and asked them what they did that time they lost the World Championship belt, something Jericho did shortly after becoming AEW World Champion. Moose thanked the person on the other end of the phone for some advice the audience was not privy to and then said the next time they see each other, that the “Bubbly” would be on him.
Kiera Hogan Scores Huge Victory Over Taya Valkyrie Thanks To Tasha Steelz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubeGqmIAnoM
Taya Valkyrie was perhaps more concerned with Rosemary and John E Bravo’s upcoming wedding than she was with this match. Valkyrie told Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz last week that they would not be involved in the wedding leading to this match.
With the referee distracted, Steelz kicked Taya in the head and allowed Hogan to hit a fisherman suplex for the win. One has to wonder how this match would have gone if Rosemary had been in Taya’s corner, however. Rosemary was seen approaching Havok backstage this week. She needs Father James Mitchell to officiate her wedding as she is a demon and all, but to bring him back she either needs a virgin sacrifice or Havok’s help. Havok seems unwilling, however.
Jordynne Grace Confronts Tenille Dashwood During Photoshoot
Anyone else sensing a little jealousy here!? I have multiple jobs! The people know how hard I work! Plus, we’ve all seen @JordynneGrace try to follow in my food steps with the photoshoots and all.. It’s not my fault she hasn’t been as successful as me! ????? #IMPACTonAXSTVhttps://t.co/Ip25UVuLpz
Tenille Dashwood was in the middle of a photoshoot with her own personal photographer this week when Jordynne Grace confronted her about “showing up to work.” A match between the two has been scheduled for next week.
Willie Mack Gets Measure Of Revenge On Brian Myers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6FMuQmuS_8
Willie Mack came into this one having dropped 5 straight singles matches. He lost two in a row for the X-Division belt to Chris Bey, then he lost to Eric Young and recently he had dropped two in a row to the debuting Brian Myers.
Mack kicked out of Myers’ big DDT and then threw him into an uncovered turnbuckle that Myers himself had exposed before then giving him a Stunner for the win. Willie Mack is back in the win column and Brian Myers suffers his first loss in Impact Wrestling.
Trey Miguel Makes Case For X-Division Title Shot, Rascalz Attacked
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY1ruRdYiFI
Trey Miguel was seen challenging X-Division champion Rohit Raju in the back for a title shot this week. He then went out and had a great match with TJP, scoring the victory with a Meteora from the top rope.
Unfortunately, while Trey was out in the ring wrestling TJP, The North and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton attacked his Rascalz teammates in the back. Wentz & Dez had been scheduled to team with the Motor City Machine Guns later in the show but “Dr” Ross Foreman was unable to clear them to compete. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows then volunteered to replace the Rascalz.
Later in the show, Chris Bey, TJP, and Trey Miguel confronted Raju. The champion then suggested the 3 contenders face each other to determine the next contender.
Susie Channels Su Yung To Score Victory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abQnEW9m7cg
This week’s episode kicked off with Susie and Kylie Rae teaming up to take on Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee. It would be Susie picking up the win for her team on Kimber Lee but the innocent Susie seemed to channel some of her darker Su Yung persona to close the match.
Susie would use a modified hurricanrana out of the corner followed by the Panic Switch on Kimber Lee to score the pin. Those two moves are more associated with her Su Yung persona than Susie. It seems possible that the former undead bride and Knockouts Champion Susie could be returning.
Team XXXL Picks Up Win Over The Deaners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51C3xHxtAzs
This week a story appeared on SI.com covering Acey Romero’s astonishing weight loss. Perhaps Team XXXL will have to drop one or two of the “Xs” in their name soon.
The heavyweight team also picked up a big win this week over Cody Deaner and Cousin Jake. It was Larry D, who gained so much confidence in himself on Wrestle House as Lawrence D, picked up the win for his team when he knocked out Cousin Jake with a big right fist.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R23lknFOQNc
The following matches have been confirmed for next week:
Trey Miguel vs TJP vs Chris Bey (X-Division #1 Contender)
Ever since her interactions with “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, Alexa Bliss has incorporated character changes to her on-screen role. During an interview with TVInsider.com, Bliss reflected on her character evolution and why she loves anything “out-of-the-box.”
Alexa Bliss admitted how she loves anything “different and out-of-the-box.” This is because those ideas allow her to evolve and change her character.
She highlighted how gimmick changes and character development will often “spike people’s interest.” Bliss then pointed to “The Fiend” as a successful example of this.
Bliss noted how she is known for loving promos and enjoys being given a chance to “portray a character.”
According to Bliss, it’s her favorite thing to do. She admitted that being able to try something new is a lot of fun and that she is excited to see where it may go.
Bliss then looked back at her participation during the Extreme Rules Swamp Fight between “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman. She revealed how she didn’t know she would be a part of their clash:
“I thought it was really cool how it came across. I didn’t know I was going to be in that. When I was told I was, it was really cool because it was something different. It was something I’ve never done. I love how it turned out.”
You can see Alexa Bliss role in Extreme Rules’ Swamp Fight below:
All Elite Wrestling’s newest signing, Miro, has explained why he believes the company is the best wrestling promotion during an interview with Busted Open Radio.
During the conversation, Miro—formerly known as WWE’s Rusev—highlighted the range of different in-ring styles in AEW. He admitted how he’s been “fascinated” by AEW ever since its inception. Miro acknowledged how he had spent ten years performing in a “bubble” while conforming to the “same style” each time. Coming to AEW, however, has led him to a pro wrestling epiphany.
“I was just into this bubble and at the same style for ten years, and everything outside was like, ‘Well, that makes no sense.’ You’re just pointing fingers, but now, I’m on the outside looking and I finally understand why AEW is the best,” Miro said. “AEW gives you every single style around the world, and when they invite you to come to AEW, they don’t invite you and tell you, ‘Hey, come and change your style to what we want’. No, you come and show your style, doing whatever you’re coming from.”
He explained how “the old bubble” was like boxing. According to Miro, AEW can be likened to MMA. He highlighted how AEW provides “all styles combining into one and in one show.”
Miro added how this diversity of in-ring styles is what he loves about AEW and why he can’t wait to begin competing.
Thunder Rosa has commented on the current state of All Elite Wrestling’s Women’s Division. The current NWA Women’s World Champion shared her thoughts with SportsKeeda, explaining how she believes AEW is on the “right track.”
She acknowledged how AEW is filled with a lot of young female talent. Rosa indicated how, due to their youth, they “don’t have experience of working TV shows.” She believes this is one of the main issues AEW’s Women’s Division faces.
“It will take time to build something strong. We shouldn’t be discrediting the effort the female wrestlers are putting in. Being a female performer, I can tell you from my own experience, it is hard. You are constantly competing with very talented men.”
Thunder Rosa highlighted certain women in AEW, including Red Velvet, Abadon, and Anna Jay. She noted how they are doing a great job at being “positive and supportive.” According to her, they are on the “right track to build up a strong women’s division.”
The NWA Women’s World Champion has appeared on AEW programming in recent weeks. She defeated Serena Deeb on the 9/2 episode of AEW Dynamite. Thunder Rosa would face off against AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida at the promotion’s recent All Out event. Despite her best efforts, Thunder Rosa lost to Shida in their Champion versus Champion clash.
Former WWE on-air talent, Renee Young, has opened up on her relationship with AEW’s Jon Moxley. She addressed whether their relationship had ever affected her WWE career.
Young divulged the information on a recent episode of the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast. She explained how Moxley’s departure from WWE to AEW wasn’t as weird as she thought it would be.
“I actually thought it was gonna be weirder than it was, but maybe I just had my head buried in the sand about it. When Jon and I were at WWE together, it wasn’t like we were this couple that was rammed down people’s throats. When we walked through the door, we went in, and did our separate jobs, and then we’d meet each other in the car after and make our way to the next town.”
Because of this approach, Young doesn’t believe there were any “real effects” after Moxley debuted in AEW. She attributed this to her being valued by WWE separate from Moxley’s contributions. However, Young couldn’t deny that there were some initial concerns:
“[…] once he left, it was, ‘Are people gonna treat me different? Are people gonna start being weird towards me?’ I really didn’t feel that way, and I don’t know if it was more like a slow burn of feeling that happen. It wasn’t an overnight thing, and it might have been nothing.”
SmackDown Superstar AJ Styles has confirmed that he had discussions with All Elite Wrestling last year when his WWE contract was set to expire. Styles revealed the news during a recent Twitch stream.
During the stream, Styles conversed with fans online. He revealed that “there were talks” before pointing out how “it’s a business.” Styles then highlighted how his contract with WWE was going to expire, opening up a conversation with AEW.
AJ Styles explained how he’s good friends with Matt and Nick Jackson. He added that, although discussions had been had with The Young Bucks, they never reached a point to actively discuss money. He then reiterated how, ultimately, “it’s all business.”
Styles would ultimately re-sign with WWE. According to Matt Jackson, had Styles signed with AEW, they would have had a Bullet Club reunion at Madison Square Garden. This proposed storyline would have seen Styles reunited with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
AJ Styles recently shared which WWE Superstars he would want in a WWE Bullet Club. Styles immediately pointed to Bullet Club founder Finn Balor. He also included Undisputed Era—and former Bullet Club member—Adam Cole. However, he admitted that without Gallows and Anderson, it made the idea a harder sell for him.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.689 million viewers with a 0.50 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This was down from last week, which did 1.725 million viewers, but up from the 0.47 demo rating.
The summer is over and that means that the NFL is back. Monday featured the premiere of Monday Night Football for the league on ESPN, which had two games. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants did 10.762 and Denver Broncos vs. Tennessee Titans had 7.697.
To compare, just one year ago, RAW averaged 2,.272 million viewers. Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:
Hour 1: 1.812 million, 0.52 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 2: 1.734 million, 0.52 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 3: 1.521 million, 0.45 in the 18-49 Demo
SmackDown Viewership
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.329 million viewers on FOX. This is up from the 2.129 million viewers that the show did for the previous week.
SmackDown averaged 2.261 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was up from the 2.066 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.236 million viewers while the second hour did 2.286 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.018 million viewers while the second hour did 2.113 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from the 0.60 rating as last week’s show.
Mickie James vs Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship was stopped early last night. It looked as though James may have injured her shoulder leading to the premature ending to the match.
Mick Foley then noted on Twitter that he heard James had injured her shoulder.
“I’m hearing that Mickie James may have injured her shoulder in tonight’s RAWmatch – which would explain the quick ending to the match. If true, I’m wishing Mickie a quick and complete recovery…and hoping she gets another shot at the title.”
According to Bryan Alvarez, however, James is fine and the referee made a mistake ending the bout.
Mickie James’ Mission
Before her title match with Asuka, James spoke with SI.com about wanting to change how women are perceived in wrestling.
“My goal has always been to change the way women are perceived in wrestling, and that’s still my goal,” says James. “It was very different when I first broke in. I never wanted to be a valet or a manager. I wanted to be a wrestler. I wanted to have the best match of the night. That mentality has kept me leveling up. I always want more for women in wrestling.”
Paul Heyman was removed from his role as Executive Director of RAW this summer. He has since become Roman Reigns’ advocate and is reportedly involved in the creative process of the character. According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, there are 2 stars from the RAW brand who are being negatively impacted by Heyman’s departure from the brand.
“When Heyman got replaced, I was kind of told – not so much the Viking Raiders cause that obviously came from the injury – But Aleister Black and Andrade were like the two guys that I was told that were really going to be in trouble because Vince doesn’t necessarily see a lot in them as compared to what Heyman saw in them.”
This week on RAW, it appeared the faction of Andrade, Angel Garza, and Zelina Vega has split up.
Aleister Black recently turned heel after sustaining an eye injury via an attack by Seth Rollins and Murphy. Black attacked Kevin Owens and turned heel a few weeks later.
“I really see Andrade from tonight’s show, when I saw that split, it was just like ‘oh god’. Yep, that thing with Andrade is going to come true exactly like I was told,” Meltzer continued.