Vince McMahon has reportedly lost interest in RAW Superstar Mustafa Ali despite plans to push the Superstar only months ago.
Ali was rumored to be revealed as the abandoned hacker storyline prior to appearing on Monday Night RAW. He returned to in-ring competition with a six-man tag team victory giving him some momentum upon his comeback.
Following that win, however, Ali would lose to Hurt Business member Bobby Lashley. Although Ali was not featured on RAW this week, he did participate in a losing effort against Riddick Moss on WWE Main Event.
Mustafa Ali’s WWE Frustrations
Mustafa Ali recently appeared on WWE show The Bump. He stressed how he tried to stay in a state of readiness for any opportunity to come his way.
Ali openly addressed some of his current frustrations within WWE, noting how he is in his prime and “ready to go.” He joked how he wanted someone in WWE to take his chains off.
“As far as adaptation, it’s hard because you can’t adapt without opportunity, right? If you don’t have the opportunity, if you’re not given a platform, if you’re not included in the discussion, it’s hard. You could be the best in the world, but if you’re sitting in a dark room and no one sees you, no one sees you.”
Ali explained during the interview that his words come from a place of frustrated passion for pro wrestling.
One NXT Superstar believes she is a “perfect fit” for RAW’s faux-MMA segment, RAW Underground. Taking to Twitter, the black-and-gold brand’s Xia Li shared how she feels she’d be a great addition to the action.
Xia Li joined WWE’s developmental system in 2017. She competed in the inaugural Mae Young Classic tournament.
Li lost a first-round matchup to the Robert Stone Brand’s recent acquisition, Mercedes Martinez. She has since become a more regular fixture on NXT and has even been a participant in 2019 and 2020’s Women’s Royal Rumble matchups.
RAW Underground
RAW Underground debuted during this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW. It was introduced by a returning Shane McMahon.
The segment featured several WWE Superstars participating in “shoot-style” matchups. Bouts took place on a ring with no ropes surrounding it. Dabbo-Kato, the Viking Raider’s Erik, and Dolph Ziggler all participated in winning clashes.
MVP’s Hurt Business stable eventually crashed the proceedings and proclaimed they would be taking over RAW Underground.
Although the segment would receive a mixed reaction amongst the WWE Universe, there have been some prolific supporters, including CM Punk. Punk recently expressed his love for RAW Underground, noting how he would love to see women, including Nix Jax, become involved.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho has reflected on Double or Nothing’s Stadium Stampede matchup. The match saw his Inner Circle stable clash with The Elite and Matt Hardy.
Speaking with The SDR Show, Jericho shared how he believes the Stadium Stampede matchup was one of the “best things” he’s done throughout his career.
He explained how the entire process of putting the match together was universally collaborative. However, there was one element the NFL didn’t want them to do. According to Jericho, the NFL didn’t want the Jacksonville Jaguar mascot to get knocked out.
“That was just 10 guys with different ideas, banging it out, not having to worry about ‘so and so approved this’. The only thing I had to get approved was knocking out the Jacksonville Jaguars mascot.”
Jericho stressed how the only reason he needed approval was because the NFL didn’t want them to do it. That being said, he explained how “Tony Khan said do it anyway.”
He reiterated how the Stadium Stampede’s creative process was “free form,” adding how “It’s just how creative do you want to be and how successful do you want to make the segment you’re in.”
Matt Cardona, formerly WWE Superstar Zack Ryder, recently appeared on Busted Open Radio. During their conversation, Cardona shared who amongst AEW’s locker room has stood out to him and grabbed his attention.
Cardona admitted that his answer is somewhat generic as he replied, “I’ll be honest. Like, there’s so many people. I would say everybody on the roster. I know it’s a generic answer, but if you want me to pick out a couple of guys, like, Darby Allin. Of course you look at this guy and you just see a star, you know?”
Cardona explained how there’s something undeniably “different” about Darby Allin. He pointed to the matches Allin has had and his willingness to do “unorthodox” things that help him stand out.
Allin isn’t the only talent to have caught Cardona’s attention, however.
“And somebody like Joey Janella – he’s crazy with that hardcore stuff that he does. I would love to get in there and do stuff like that because I’ve never really done it before and, you know, I feel like in AEW I can show a different side of me.”
Matt Cardona teamed up with Cody Rhodes on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. They successfully defeated Dark Order members, Alex Reynolds and John Silver.
Inner Circle member Sammy Guevara reportedly received heat backstage within AEW following this week’s episode of Dynamite after a steel chair spot went awry. Guevara accidentally busted Matt Hardy open during their segment. Hardy would subsequently need 13 stitches to close the wound.
According to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, two chairs were placed at ringside. The spot was meant to see Guevara hurl a traditional folding chair. Hardy would have then blocked it with his hands.
Unfortunately, Guevara was allegedly unable to find the folding chair. So, in the moment, he grabbed a heavier chair nearby before throwing it at Hardy, busting him open.
This situation led Guevara to reportedly receive backstage heat as a lot of people within AEW were upset with Hardy’s injury. The Inner Circle member was said to have been given a “very stern talking to” when he went backstage.
Hardy acknowledged the injury via social media, thanking Dr. Sampson and AEW’s medical team for their swift assistance to fix the “gaping hole” on his face. He also promised Guevara that a “receipt” is coming his way.
Sammy Guevara recently returned to AEW Dynamite after serving a suspension for previous comments regarding WWE Superstar Sasha Banks.
While AEW is not a company to shy away from brutal and hardcore spots in matches where they are necessary, there are many spots which aren’t planned by the company.
Cody Rhodes getting busted open with a chair shot to the head from Shawn Spears was one such infamous spot and latest reports reveal that this week’s episode of Dynamite featured another such moment.
The latest Dynamite episode saw Sammy Guevara brawling with Matt Hardy and the segment ended with the former throwing a chair at the wrestling veteran.
The Broken One ended up getting busted open due to the chair shot and according to reports from Mike Johnson of Pwinsider, Hardy’s bludgeoning was not pre-planned.
The former WWE star had to get 13 stitches to close the wounds but reports suggest that the former World Champion was fine after being treated by the medical staff.
Matt Hardy has been feuding with the Inner Circle since his arrival in AEW in March this year and Sammy Guevara has been a regular opponent for him.
During the Stadium Stampede match at Double Or Nothing, Santana and Ortiz dunked Hardy in a version of the Lake Of Reincarnation, allowing the former champion to shuffle between his multiple gimmicks at his will.
Kofi Kingston’s monumental WWE Championship win at WrestleMania 35 last year made him part of an elite line up of stars who have won a world championship in the company.
However, many people also started considering him to be the first African American WWE champion in history, despite The Rock’s claim on the mantle.
Kofi recently talked about this sentiment from people during his interview on the Table Talk podcast, and he said that it’s silly that people try not to count The Great One in the category:
“I think it’s sometimes kind of silly that people try to not count The Rock in that category because, regardless of what you look like, you are what you are, you know what I’m saying? Like, he’s black. Whether he is half-black or black, he’s black.”
Continuing on the topic, Kingston said that while winning championships is cool, what’s important for him is to be somebody who inspires other people to go out there and do great things.
Apart from this, Kofi Kingston also talked about his Kofimania run leading to the WWE title win, how it happened naturally and how he got support from all kinds of fans before his championship victory.
We have seen miraculous returns of Daniel Bryan and Edge in the last few years and now a new video has sparked similar speculation for the future of another retired star in Tyson Kidd.
His wife Natalya recently posted a video of Kidd on her Instagram account in which the former wrestler is seen training in the ring for the first time in 5 years:
Tyson Kidd signed with WWE in November 2006 and went back and forth between the main roster and the various development territories during his early years in the company.
He was finally starting to get reorganization from fans after forming a tag team with Cesaro in 2014 but a career-ending neck injury suffered during a dark match with Samoa Joe on Raw in June 2015 cut this run short.
Tyson was hired as a full-time producer by WWE in June 2017. The company moved his profile to the alumni section of their website during the same period, thus officially marking the end of his career.
However, there have been a lot of rumblings since the monumental return of Edge earlier this year and now this new video is making fans wonder if the former Hart Dynasty member could be on his way back as well.
AEW Dynamite scored another decisive win over WWE NXT this week in total viewers and the key Adults 18-49 demographic. Courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
AEW: 901,000 viewers, 0.36 rating (5th on cable for the night)
NXT: 753,000 viewers, 0.20 rating (27th on cable for the night)
Both shows were up this week, but the big story is AEW topping 900,000 viewers for the first time since March 18th. These are pre-pandemic numbers that AEW and TNT have to be thrilled with.
More to come. I think this was the first time this year AEW beat Raw in 18-34, and that's with competition.
AEW viewership jumped 16.5% from last week’s 773,000 (the key demo was 0.30). Dynamite saw Jon Moxley retain the AEW Championship against Darby Allin in a great main event, Eric Bischoff hosting a debate between Chris Jericho and Orange Cassidy, MJF continuing his campaign to be AEW Champion and much more. (Results & Takeaways)
NXT viewership was up 6.5% from last week’s 707,000 (key demo was 0.18). Top items on the show included Dakota Kai getting a win over Rhea Ripley, Keith Lee defeating Cameron Grimes, a successful tag title defense from Imperium and wild show-closing brawl between Pat McAfee and Adam Cole. (Results & Takeaways)
By comparison, Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.71 million viewers with a 0.51 rating in the 18-49 demo. Raw had slightly more viewers than AEW and NXT combined, but Wednesday night wrestling outdrew Raw in the key demo 0.56 to 0.51.
Viewership for AEW and NXT combined topped 1.65 million, the best total on Wednesday nights since February 19.
The NBA on ESPN was the most-watched show on cable for the night in the key demographic with a 0.51 rating. Sean Hannity on FOX News had the higher viewership with 3.97 million viewers. AEW Dynamite actually topped Hannity in the key demo 0.36 to 0.34 – an amazing feat considering the viewership gap (Hannity’s audience skews much older).
AEW Dynamite topped Guy’s Grocery Games on the Food Network in the demo once again. Cody noticed.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson provides the voice for the character of Maui in Disney’s Moana. In the film, he sings a song titled “You’re Welcome.” Daniel Bryan’s child’s fondness for the song has led to the Smackdown star stating he would like to wrestle the Rock.
“I would love to do a match with @TheRock based solely on how many times my daughter has made me listen to “You’re Welcome.” And then of course it’s stuck in my head and I sing it all day,” Bryan Tweeted.
The Rock then responded to Bryan:
“I can see the writing on this wall from miles away – I’ll be jobbing again in the spirit of being a girl dad. Let’s do it. And congrats brother on the new arrival. We’re thrilled for you, Mama B and the fam,” Rock responded.
I can see the writing on this wall from miles away – I’ll be jobbing again in the spirit of being a girl dad ? ? ?? Let’s do it. And congrats brother on the new arrival. We’re thrilled for you, Mama B and the fam ????
The Rock has previously revealed that Maui’s appearance in the film was inspired by his grandfather, “High Chief” Peter Maivia. He posted the following about the character in 2017:
a lil’ @Disney gem of a secret, my character Maui was partly inspired by my late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia of Samoa. #gratefulhttps://t.co/VQgj8hJIcS
A Facebook post by Marty Jannetty yesterday made the claim that he made someone disappear in 1973 when he was 13. TMZ reached out to the local police department in Georgia who said they would be looking into the claim.
Jannetty has since appeared on Boston Wrestling MWF and provided further details on the claim he made in the post.
Marty claims the man tried to molest him so he beat him with a brick.
“I can’t say he deserved to die, but he deserved to get his ass beat,” Jannetty said. “And, when I was beating him in the head with a brick, I was only trying to beat his ass, I wasn’t trying to kill him.”
“Can you imagine dragging a guy — he’s just tried to f*** you in the ass — can you imagine dragging him to the river and throwing him in? And, then finding out on the news the dude’s missing. You know the dude. And, you know more than that. That affected me bad, bro.” Transcriptions via TMZ.
Jannetty’s comments can be heard in the player below:
Chris Jericho has formed a new rock band comprised of some of the most talented musicians around, The Wheelblocks.
The Inner Circle leader is the lead vocalist. Other members include Alice Cooper guitarist Nita Strauss, former Machine Head guitarist Phil Demme, Avenged Sevenfold’s Johnny Christ, and drummer Josh Villalta.
The bands first single will is a cover of Iron Maiden’s classic Aces High. You can listen to it below:
The Wheelblocks
Jericho dropped a few hints about the project recently during an interview with Rock 95. He hinted that Nita Strauss or someone from Alice Cooper’s band would be involved.
“It’s kind of still under wraps,” Jericho said about The Wheelblocks. “But it’s another supergroup. If [Jericho’s other side project] KUARANTINE is the worst supergroup ever, I’d have to say THE WHEELBLOCKS is a lot more star power in that one. And Alice Cooper is not involved, but a prominent member of his band is involved. It’s probably the second most recognizable person from that band, if you’ve seen Alice Cooper live over the last three or four years.”
Of course, Jericho is also the lead singer of Fozzy.
AEW star MJF recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio show. The ‘Salt of The Earth’ appeared on the show to discuss his ongoing role with All Elite Wrestling, including how he feels the show stacks up to the competition.
“It makes my job a lot harder” MJF began on the show, discussing the move daredevil aspects of his peers’ style and how he perceives that AEW President Tony Khan ‘prefers’ that version of pro wrestling for AEW to his own mat-based offense. “The issue at hand that I would say is this: If you do that eventually you’re going to jump the shark.”
MJF on Hardcore Wrestling
“And what I mean by that is this,” MJF continued. “If we go out there every week and we bump into thumb tacks. If we go out there every week and we are chewing on panes of glass? What if we go out there every week and we get hit by cars? What if we go out there every week and we’re hitting each other over the head with kendo sticks? For the first couple of times? It’s great.”
MJF elaborated on this point further, “here’s a great analogy. If an elephant takes a giant sh*t on your neighbor’s yard? In the morning you open the door and you see it and you go, ‘Whoa, that’s crazy. That elephant just took a huge dump in my neighbor’s yard!?’ And then the next day the elephant shows up and does it again. ‘Whoa, that’s pretty nuts!’ And then the next day the elephant shows up. o’h, okay, the elephants here again.’ And then the next day and the next day and the next day. Eventually you’re gonna go, ‘here’s that stupid freakin elephant again.'”
The top ranked AEW star would finish by saying how he wants to bring a different element to AEW’s presentation. “That’s what’s happening here and that’s what I don’t want to happen. And that’s why it’s so important to give our fans different flavors of ice cream, and that’s all I’m offering. I’m the flavor maker baby!”
Do you agree with MJF’s analogy? Let us know in the comments
Last night on NXT, Pat McAfee punted Adam Cole in the head, seemingly knocking the former NXT Champion out cold. Today, Triple H appeared on ESPN’s “Get Up” and challenged the former NFL kicker to face Cole at TakeOver XXX on August 22nd.
Tensions between McAfee and Cole date back to an NXT live event in 2018. Cole then appeared on the Pat McAfee Show 2 weeks ago and things got heated between the two.
Cole and McAfee appeared to have patched things up before last night’s edition of NXT. McAfee was then on commentary during the Imperium vs Fish & O’Reilly match and made several disparaging remarks that Cole heard from ringside. Cole then confronted McAfee during the match and a melee ensued. During the chaos, McAfee found an opportunity to kick Cole in the head.
“Adam Cole and Pat McAfee have had a history here,” Triple H said on the show.
“Pat, now is your opportunity, you want to be famous? Just so happens, coincidentally as things happen in WWE and NXT, we have a big TakeOver PPV in a few weeks. August 22nd, NXT TakeOver XXX. My call out to Pat McAfee is put your money where your mouth is, let’s see how bad you are. Pat McAfee vs Adam Cole, on that stage, massive match.”
Adam Cole also commented on why it was Triple H challenging McAfee on the show and not him.
Let me make this crystal clear for everyone, especially you @PatMcAfeeShow…Hunter is the one who can make this match happen, but I will be the one kicking your ass at #TakeOverXXX…if you’re as bad as you think you are, accept. I dare you.
So far, the only matches scheduled for TakeOver XXX is Io Shirai vs Dakota Kai for the women’s title and the ladder match for the North American title.
Footage of the melee from NXT last night can be viewed in the player below:
Lance Storm has been on Twitter today talking about inter-gender wrestling. Storm says that he has heard from many women who are uncomfortable taking part in such matches. He continued to say that these women often go along with the bookings as inter-gender matches have become the norm.
“I see some discussion on intergender wrestling matches again. In light of #SpeakingOut I think these matches have to stop. I’ve heard from so many women who were uncomfortable doing these but felt obligated to get booked because these matches were accepted ‘norms,'” Storm Tweeted.
“I sat with countless female students/wrestlers and had long conversations with them about their struggles on the Indy scene and being pressured into these matches came up a lot. Claiming I dont pay attention is such an ignorant statement,” Storm said in another Tweet.
Storm has had a hand in training some of the top female athletes in wrestling today. With that being said, his comments do run counter to what has been said by others regarding inter-gender wrestling. Storm says this is because those who are opposed to inter-gender wrestling or uncomfortable taking part in the matches are afraid to speak up about it.
Storm also responded to a fan who said that it should be up to the women to decide. He responded that the pressure would still be there for the women to perform in such matches even if it was presented to them as optional.
“The pressure is there to force those who don’t want to do it. Especially when the women are green and are terrified to say no to what is asked of them by the Booker/promoter,” Storm Tweeted.
Following the conclusion of last night’s AEW Dynamite, the cameras kept rolling as the AEW World Champion was still in the ring. Moxley picked up a microphone and spoke about his opponent Darby Allin and the interference by Maxwell Jacob Friedman in the match.
“Not for nothing, Darby Allin, you are a persistent little bastard aren’t you?” Moxley said. “You are relentless. Dude, one day, mark my words, I know what I’m talking about, one day Darby you are going to be a world champion. You will win many championships. But it ain’t going to be on my watch, this is my time.”
“One of these days you’re going to take me out and I know that but today ain’t that day. There’s a lot of fake, disingenuous, just any insult you can think of, there’s a lot of crappy people in wrestling. There’s a lot of bad dudes in this company who does bad things. You are a loner like me. You can ride with me anytime you want.”
Moxley then addressed MJF’s interference in the match last night.
“It’s a little scrambled in my brain right now, I’m not sure exactly what happened but I got a pretty good idea. There’s a kid out there with no heart and even if he did, it stops beating real soon. He’s a dead man.”
MJF responded to an AEW tweet about the promo as well:
Ever since Rhea Ripley dropped the NXT Women’s Championship, people have been wondering if it’s the start of the end of the former Champion’s NXT run and if WWE could be planning to bring her up on the main roster.
The Australian star recently had an interview with Newsweek where she talked about a number of things and also revealed her thoughts on a potential main roster call up.
Ripley said that she can’t outgrow NXT and she wants to be on the Black and Yellow brand for a long time but revealed that she doesn’t know if that’s what the officials are planning for her:
“I don’t think I can ever outgrow NXT. There is always something coming up and I honestly want to be in NXT for a long long time, Whether that’s the case or not, I don’t know, I don’t have that call.
I feel like I have so much more to do here.” said Rhea Ripley. “Whether that’s singles matches or whatever, I love NXT and I love being a part of it. And I hope I’m here for longer. I guess we’ll see.”
The former champion also admitted that she feels that the spotlight on her has diminished a little bit since her WrestleMania loss, though the NXT star said that her time will come again.
Apart from this, Rhea Ripley talked about her match with Dakota Kai, possibly facing Mercedes Martinez in the future and more. You can check out her full interview at this link.
WWE RAW Superstar Mustafa Ali recently joined WWE show The Bump. During his time on the show, Ali addressed being away from WWE programming. He also spoke about making the most of opportunities, his recent return to TV, and how he’s ready for someone to “take these chains off me.”
Since his return, Ali competed on two matches on RAW. He won his return bout before losing to Bobby Lashley in another. This week, however, Ali didn’t feature on RAW. Instead, he worked the Main Event TV tapings.
“As far as adaptation, it’s hard because you can’t adapt without opportunity, right? If you don’t have the opportunity, if you’re not given a platform, if you’re not included in the discussion, it’s hard. You could be the best in the world, but if you’re sitting in a dark room and no one sees you, no one sees you.”
Mustafa Ali On Staying Ready For Opportunity
Mustafa Ali explained how he tries to stay in a state of readiness and preparedness. That way, should an opportunity present itself, he would be able to “hit a home run.”
However, for that to happen, he acknowledged he needs to be “called up to bat.”
“That is not me complaining at all. The thing that I am craving for, the thing that I am asking for, the thing that I want, is to tell a story. I could sit here and tell everybody, I have not had that opportunity yet.”
Ali addressed how taking time off can be challenging, especially when it isn’t your choice. He argued how he would view his time away differently had he been injured. Ali stressed how his comments don’t come from a place of anger. Instead, it’s because he is so passionate about wrestling and performing.
Ali then stressed how he is currently in his prime and “ready to go,” joking how he wanted someone in WWE to take his chains off. He noted how anybody that is passionate about something would be able to understand his frustrations.
Add CM Punk to the growing list of people who are interested in New Day member Big E breaking off as a singles competitor.
Punk made the comments this week during a SummerSlam 1992 Watch Party with Renee Young, Booker T and Finn Balor.
Punk agreed with Booker T that now is the time for Big E to make a name for himself. He believes that in order to that, Big E needs to detach himself from the New Day. He pointed to how the group has been together for a long time and that to succeed, Big E would need to disassociate with both Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston.
“I definitely think…Big E and New Day they’ve been rolling for like how long?” Punk asked. “I agree with you that he has to dump Woods and Kofi, kick those guys to the curb. That’s what we’re talking about right?”
Booker T chimed in on Punk’s sentiments, adding how he believes that for Big E to make an immediate, memorable impact, he needs to turn heel against his New Day cohorts. Booker T stressed how, although attacking Kingston would send a message, he believes Big E should focus on attacking Woods.
This prompted Young to share how many of the WWE Universe aren’t interested in the New Day breaking up. Instead, they would rather have the group succeed alongside a successful Big E singles push. CM Punk replied how “Sometimes that’s the best thing to do, something that people don’t want to see.”
Both Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are currently injured. Kingston is expected to be out for up to 6 weeks. Woods, meanwhile, is still rehabbing and recovering from a torn Achilles Tendon. Their absence has placed Big E in prime position for a singles run.3
Speaking during a Twitch stream, “The Phenomenal One” addressed his former O.C. stablemates’ comments. Styles admitted he didn’t know what to make of it, adding how fans “know how I feel about that.”
“Yeah, Gallows and Anderson are trying to get me back [in Impact Wrestling] is what they said. Never say never but I also have said that I would like to finish my career in the WWE. So, we will see.”
Styles acknowledged how Impact Wrestling has “a lot going on right now,” especially after its influx of former WWE Superstars. He stressed how Impact’s roster was good beforehand, but with the addition of The Good Brothers, EC3, Eric Young and more, “they’ve upped it just a little bit more.”
Looking at the prospects on the horizon for Gallow and Anderson, AJ Styles expressed how thrilled he was for his friends, saying, “Man, I am so happy for those guys. I’m happy they’re happy, you know what I mean? ‘Cause there was a tough time there for all of us. So, they’re kicking tail right now anyway.”
Gallows and Anderson were released earlier this year as a cost-cutting measure by WWE due to the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on business.
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has provided a medical update on his daughter, Charlotte Flair. Speaking with Ring Rust Radio, “The Nature Boy” shared how she’s “doing great” following surgery to fix a breast implant issue.
Flair explained how she is currently “climbing the walls” out of boredom, with Charlotte recently having texted him to tell him she’s “going crazy.” According to him, however, her current frustrations will be worth it as the surgery was necessary.
“She is so intense and so invested in our business, in the product, in her work ethic. This surgery was something that had to take place. Personally, I wish she had done it earlier, but she would never ever leave without fulfilling what she felt she had to do.”
He noted how nobody in WWE “made her stay.” Flair shared how Charlotte will never be anything less than “100 percent committed to the success of the company and her career and her involvement.”
Ric Flair revealed how she’s recovering well but is missing WWE and performing. He added how she “does not know how to turn it off.” He cited this as the reason she is so great. Flair believes his daughter could have the greatest match in the world, but wouldn’t rest or be satisfied with it.
“She’s a walking, talking highlight reel. And when she’s not working, she dresses immaculately, spends the money, she invests in her gimmick. She’s not crazy like me.”
He added how she doesn’t waste her money on luxury, materialistic items. Flair then stressed how she invests in her appearance to look like a champion. He argued that if people wanted to see a champion, all they have to do is look at Charlotte Flair.
WWE has announced via a press release that they have hired Nick Khan as the new President and Chief Revenue Officer of the company. Khan previously worked as the co-head of television at the Creative Artist Agency or CAA.
He represented many big corporations during his time in CAA including WWE and Khan played a part in negotiating the promotion’s much talked TV deals with both Fox Network and NBC Universal in 2019.
Commenting on his appointment in the press release, the former CAA official said that he is looking forward to expanding his relationship with Vince McMahon and it’s a rare opportunity:
“It’s rare to have an opportunity to work at a company that is not only legendary in what it has already accomplished, but also uniquely poised to enter into an unprecedented phase of growth and expansion across all lines of business. Our collective industry experience will enable us to extract maximum value across the portfolio globally while driving long-term shareholder value.”
Nick Khan will be taking over the duties of both George Barrios who was previously acting as a Co-President for the company and Michelle Wilson who was previously the CFO of the promotion.
WWE is always looking to figure out who might be their next big star and latest reports suggest that the company has very high hopes for a current NXT star.
This week’s episode of NXT featured another triple threat match between Damien Priest, Oney Lorcan and Ridge Holland to determine the contender for the upcoming NXT North American Championship match.
Talking about the bout, Bryan Alvarez on the latest Wrestling Observer Live made an interesting comment about Holland, mentioning that the WWE officials “think that he has the potential to be the next big thing.”
The wording of this assessment is very interesting as ‘The Next Big Thing’ catchphrase has long been associated with Brock Lesnar and it was used to promote The Beast Incarnate during his early WWE career.
Ridge Holland signed with WWE back in May 2018, and after making some appearances for the NXT brand, he was assigned to NXT UK.
The triple threat match at this week’s episode of the Black and Yellow brand was Ridge’s first appearance on the main NXT brand since his time in 2018.
Even though he lost the bout at this week’s show, this report suggests that WWE has high hopes regarding the English wrestler and it wouldn’t be a surprise if we see a lot more of him in coming future.
This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite saw the in-ring debut of Matt Cardona, better known to WWE fans as the former US Champion Zack Ryder.
The former WWE star teamed up with the TNT Champion Cody to face John Silver and Alex Reynolds of the Dark Order, after setting up this tag team match during his debut for the promotion last week.
The match was won by the faces and Cardona picked up the victory for his team after hitting his finisher Radio Silence on Reynolds.
Matt Cardona’s long career with WWE ended back in April when he was released as a cost-cutting measure. He had been with the organization for 15 years.
After the conclusion of his 3-month “no compete” period, he showed up in AEW last week on Dynamite to save Cody from an attack by the Dark Order.
Though Cardona’s himself has confirmed that he is currently on a short term deal with the company and while he has said that he plans to stay with the promotion, we will have to see what the future brings for the newest AEW star.
Matt Cardona had this to say following his AEW in-ring debut:
The August 5, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
WWE NXT Results (8/5)
Dakota Kai def. Rhea Ripley
Bronson Reed def. Shane Thorne
Damian Priest def. Ridge Holland and Oney Lorcan
Keith Lee def. Cameron Grimes.
Tegan Nox def. Indi Hartwell.
NXT Tag Team Champions Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner def. Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Ladder Match Spot
Photo Credit: WWE.com
A triple threat match that featured Damian Priest vs. Oney Lorcan vs. NXT UK Superstar Ridge Holland doing battle for the second Ladder Match spot at NXT TakeOver: 30 to crown a new North American Champion took place.
So far there have been three of these matches and this one was the least entertaining. They all worked hard, but something was lacking. It was interesting to see Holland in there as he hadn’t been used on NXT television in the past.
The finish saw Priest hit Lorcan with his finisher to get the win.
As a result, Priest now joins Bronson Reed as the other competitor in the match. More stars will be added to the bout in the coming weeks.
NXT Tag Team Champions Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner vs. Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish was booked in the main event.
As expected, this match delivered. With the challengers being distracted by the argument between Pat McAfee and Adam Cole at ringside, the champions hit their finisher for the win.
Some could argue that WWE should’ve saved this contest for the NXT TakeOver: XXX event that is slated to take place in a few weeks.
WWE hadn’t given this match much build especially considering that NXT is lacking tag teams right now. That hadn’t been an issue in the past, but we’re in a different era of NXT compared to what it was when it was a one-hour program on the WWE Network.
We now know who is next in line for a title shot in the women’s division as Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai was booked in a #1 Contender’s Match.
The back and forth match was quite entertaining with both stars getting a chance to shine in a competitive bout. The finish saw Kai get the pinfall when Rhea was taken out with a big boot by Mercedes Martinez.
After the match, Martinez laid out the former NXT Women’s Champion. It appears that is the new direction for these two stars.
As a result, Kai has earned the right to challenge NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai for the strap at the NXT TakeOver: XXX event. Either one would’ve been a fine choice.
Ripley clearly is one of the two top stars in the division. On the flip side, Kai has been built up by management over the past few months as someone that fans should take notice of.
NXT Champion Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grimes in a non-title match was booked with what many felt as just filing time while also advancing the storyline with Lee and Karrion Kross.
WWE actually gave Grimes some offense and made him look serious, which was a surprise. Lee went over with a powerbomb.
After the match, Kross was seen on the big screen and had laid out several people in the backstage area.
Of course, Grimes had interrupted Lee last week, which led to him getting laid out. The match was very much one-sided and rightfully so.
Grimes is a comedy guy with a limited shelf life in this current gimmick. While he’s talented and gets the job done, some could argue that he’s not being allowed to hit his full potential in a somewhat limited character role.
Former NFL punter and current sports personality Pat McAfee made an appearance in order to address his confrontation with former NXT Champion Adam Cole last month.
Cole was a guest on “The Pat McAfee Show” and things got heated between the two men. After trading some jabs, Cole finally snapped when called short and dropped a couple of F-bombs before he shoved McAfee’s co-host. Cole has since then apologized for his actions.
WWE did a storyline where McAfee had made up with Cole earlier in the night. He joined Tom Phillips on commentary for the last 30 minutes of the show. This includes the main event for the tag team titles. During it, he was taking jabs at Cole.
Cole came over and threw water on Pat. They were separated. Shawn Michaels and Triple H appeared to break it up. All of a sudden, Pat laid him out with a kick to the head.
