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NJPW Announces Cards for New Japan Road and Sengoku Lord 2020

Evan S
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Following the events of yesterday’s Dominion 2020 event, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced cards for their upcoming events, New Japan Road on July 20th and Sengoku Lord in Nagoya on July 25th.

New Japan Road (July 20, 2020)

  • TenKoji (Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan) vs. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura
  • Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Ryusuke Taguchi & Gabriel Kidd vs. CHAOS (SHO, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI)
  • Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi & SANADA) vs. Suzuki-gun (El Desperado & DOUKI)
  • CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto) vs. Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi & Gedo)
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata & Master Wato vs. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
  • Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI) vs. Bullet Club (EVIL, Dick Togo & Taiji Ishimori)

Sengoku Lord 2020 in Nagoya (July 25, 2020)

  • Yuya Uemura vs. Taiji Ishimori
  • Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano, Yota Tsuji & Gabriel Kidd
  • CHAOS (SHO, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & BUSHI)
  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato vs. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI)
  • Kazuchika Okada vs. Yujiro Takahashi
  • Shingo Takagi (c) vs. El Desperado for the NEVER Openweight Championship
  • EVIL (c) vs. Hiromu Takahashi for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships

Both events will be available to watch live on NJPW World.

WWE Announces “Women’s Evolution Week”

Chris Stephens
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WWE has declared that this upcoming week will be “Women’s Evolution Week.” The celebratory week is in recognition of the 5-year anniversary of Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch making their debut on the main roster. All 3 debuted on the July 13th, 2015 episode of Monday Night RAW.

“Five years ago on July 13, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks arrived to Raw, signaling a change for women’s wrestling in WWE. In honor of this landmark night in sports-entertainment history, WWE will celebrate Women’s Evolution Week on its digital and social channels all this week,” a WWE press release for the week reads.

Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, & Charlotte Flair On The Main Roster

Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair are 3 of the most decorated women’s wrestlers in WWE history. Here are their championship statistics:

Sasha Banks Championship Statistics:

  • 4x RAW Women’s Champion (80 days as champion)
  • 1x NXT Women’s Champion (191 days as champion)
  • 2x WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion w/Bayley (86+ days as champion)

Becky Lynch Championship Statistics

  • 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble Winner
  • 1x RAW Women’s Champion (398 days as champion)
  • 3x Smackdown Women’s Champion (216 days as champion)

Charlotte Flair Championship Statistics

  • 2020 Royal Rumble Winner
  • 2x NXT Women’s Champion (321 days as champion)
  • 4x RAW Women’s Champion (242 days as champion)
  • 5x Smackdown Women’s Champion (189 days as champion)
  • 1x Divas Champion (196 days as champion)

Keith Lee Comments On Leaked Spoiler Of Title Win

Chris Stephens
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Keith Lee won the NXT Championship on Wednesday from Adam Cole. The match was filmed the previous week, however, and news of the title change leaked. In an interview with Talk Sports, Lee said he was not bothered by the spoiler coming out but recognizes some people might prefer not to know what will happen ahead of time.

“At the end of the day the only way someone knows what happens is when it airs,” Lee said. He continued to talk about how the spoiler may have hurt the enjoyment for some fans, however.

“For those people that think that they’ve unloaded some big mystery or something is one thing, but the only thing that makes me sad in the scenario is how many of them are trying to ruin it for other people, because there is the potential for it.”

NXT has filmed multiple endings for matches previously to prevent spoilers from leaking out. There really was no certainty that the same thing had not happened this time.

“To me, it shows me how uncool some people can be, but at the end of the day, you don’t really know what’s happening until it happens and that’s just the truth of the matter,” Lee continued.

The full interview with Keith Lee can be read here.

Lana On Parents’ Condition Following COVID-19 Diagnosis

Chris Stephens
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Lana stated on social media recently that both her parents have tested positive for COVID-19. Her mother was taken to the hospital as she was having trouble breathing. In a recent video update, Lana let fans know that her mother is doing much better. They have taken her off oxygen.

“My mom is doing much better. They have had her off of the oxygen in the hospital for over 24 hours now, so that’s incredible,” Lana said. “Thank you guys for all your prayers and positive thoughts. Her oxygen, the thing she has to breathe in, it’s like you don’t want it lower than 90 and its at 93 right now.”

“She’s out of the ICU, she’s in a hotel room and they are talking about releasing her today because she is doing much better. They said that she’s not out of the woods though yet. So, just keep her in your prayers and thoughts but she is doing much better.”

Lana also updated fans on her father’s condition.

“My dad is doing better. He’s on about day 15 now from his first symptom. He couldn’t get out of bed at all for a week. Last week, he could not get out of bed but he’s not asthmatic like my mother is.”

“Wear your masks, like for real and now that things are starting to open up in America, you have to be extra careful.”

“We have to come together and we have to be kind and be nice and continue to lift each other up and be nice.”

Lana’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Results: NJPW Dominion 2020

Evan S
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0

Following the events of yesterday’s New Japan Cup Final, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has been shaken up by the betrayal of EVIL, turning his back on Los Ingobernables de Japon and joining Bullet Club after his victory over Kazuchika Okada to win the New Japan Cup. Today, he challenges Tetsuya Naito in the main event for Naito’s IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships.

Watch exclusively on NJPW World with Japanese commentary.
English commentary will be recorded and uploaded to NJPW World this week.
Note: This event will have a reduced attendance capacity to comply with social distancing regulations. Also, the live audience was instructed not to cheer loudly to reduce exhalation of potentially contagious aerosols.

NJPW Dominion 2020 Results

Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi def. Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Gabriel Kidd (9:25)
The audience only reacting by applause is still somewhat jarring, but the crowd is making the most of it. There was an extended bit of Kojima and Honma trading Machine Gun chops in which the crowd clapped in time with every single chop. Their hands are going to be sore by the end of the night. These matches do get repetitive, but when a young lion’s in there it’s always satisfying to see the process of their development.
Finish: Yuji Nagata over Gabriel Kidd by submission (Nagata Lock II)

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, BUSHI & SANADA) def. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Yota Tsuji (10:15)
The story of this match was more how Los Ingobernables de Japon were processing EVIL’s betrayal yesterday. None of them looked particularly happy to be there. and SANADA and BUSHI weren’t carrying the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships that they were holding with EVIL. Hiromu Takahashi’s hair was frayed like he’d been up all night and his wrist tape had “Why?” written on it over and over again.
Finish: Hiromu Takahashi over Yota Tsuji by submission (Boston crab)

Suzuki-gun (El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI) def. Master Wato, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Yuya Uemura
Master Wato’s strikes are a little loose, but he wrestles with a good energy about him and he’s very young so I don’t view it as particularly problematic. He got over as a young lion for being an underdog who you could really feel for, so his lack of dominance can be forgiven, but Hiroyoshi Tenzan being the one to draw sympathy by being beaten up by all three members of Suzuki-gun seemed misplaced.
Finish: El Desperado over Yuya Uemura by pinfall (Pinche Loco)

Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & Yujiro Takahashi) def. CHAOS (Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto)
Okada threw his big coat at Yujiro as he entered, incensed by Yujiro’s intereference in the New Japan Cup yesterday, and he kept trying to go after Yujiro. This isn’t the first time Yujiro interfered to Okada’s detriment in a big match, so Okada’s bone to pick was evident. After a while, Gedo came out and hit Okada in the back with a spanner while Goto was the legal man, and this gave Ishimori and Yujiro the opportunity to team up on Goto for the victory.
Finish: Yujiro Takahashi over Hirooki Goto by pinfall (Pimp Juice)

After the match, Okada was able to shake Gedo off to attack Yujiro some more, but Yujiro planted him with a Pimp Juice of his own. As he said in an interview yesterday, he wasn’t on Okada’s level, but he could pull Okada down to his own level.

NEVER Openweight Championship Match: Shingo Takagi (c) def. SHO
We’ve seen a lot of this match over the last month, with SHO defeating Shingo for the first time in the first round of the New Japan Cup, and them coming to blows ever since. SHO has continued to carry himself more and more like Shingo’s equal despite Shingo’s advantage in experience and size. It goes without saying that these two hit each other hard and threw each other hard, but they brought it into a new gear in this match, just potatoing each other in a way that pleased my hindbrain very much. SHO looked to have Shingo on the ropes and lifted him for the Shock Arrow, but Shingo sprawled and lifted SHO for a Made in Japan that gave him a near fall. He hit a Pumping Bomber, but SHO kicked out immediately, even before the one count. SHO attacked with a cross-arm piledriver for a near fall. From that point, he kept going for a cross armbreaker, but Shingo used his strength to keep getting out of it. SHO finally hit a straight punch, followed by a GTW and the Last of the Dragon for the win. Shingo Takagi defends the NEVER Openweight Championship.

As Shingo celebrated on the ramp, El Desperado came from behind the curtain and punched him in the face, then hit Shingo with his own belt. He yelled that Shingo would be accepting this challenge no matter what.

IWGP Tag Team Championship Match: Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.) def. Golden Ace (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi) (c)
Even Zack Sabre Jr., who is considered a relatively noble wrestler by Suzuki-gun’s standards, couldn’t help but stoop down to Taichi’s level. The two of them took turns beating down Tanahashi while keeping him separate from Ibushi. Zack bit off more than he could chew and Tanahashi got out of his abdominal stretch and whipped him with a reverse Dragon screw. He reached Ibushi for the hot tag, who unleashed hot fire on his enemies. Ibushi was on the verge of winning, but Zack came in and put him in a guillotine, which he was nearly disqualified for. Ibushi landed a LOUD high kick that dropped Taichi to the mat, then tagged in Tanahashi as Taichi tagged in Zack. Tanahashi hit a sling blade for a near fall when Taichi came in to break up the pin. Tanahashi hit another sling blade and a high fly flow, but Zack got his knees up. With Taichi holding Tanahashi in place, Zack hit repeated dragonscrews on both of Tanahashi’s legs. Taichi hit a high kick on Tanahashi as Zack planted him with the Zack driver for the victory. Dangerous Tekkers (Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.) are the new IWGP Tag Team Champions.

IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships Match: EVIL def. Tetsuya Naito (c)
EVIL entered with new music and a new look about him, like a cross between a Roman gladiator and a dominatrix. Every member of Bullet Club in the country accompanied him to the ring, but the referee refused to start the match with them present. EVIL rolled in and out of the ring as the match began, but the angered Naito ran straight after him. EVIL took the early edge, and with Naito laying, EVIL took Milano Collection AT’s EVIL toy scythe and broke it in half, then threw it at him. Incensed, Milano jumped the barricade and tried to fight EVIL, but EVIL whipped him into the guardrail, knocking him out of commission. EVIL continued to batter Naito, destroying his knee to nullify his speed advantage. He had pulled out a table earlier in the match and he lifted Naito and gave him a sickening knee drop straight through the table on the outside, which also gave Naito a big cut on his back. He grinned (evilly, as you might imagine) at Naito, then floored him with a running lariat and Darkness Falls for a two-count. Naito took back the momentum with a turning rope-assisted DDT and the Gloria for a near fall of his own. He lifted EVIL to the top rope to hit a super hurricanrana, then a running DDT for yet another count of two. Naito went for the Destino again, but EVIL blocked it and pushed him into the referee, giving Bullet Club the opportunity to interfere. Hiromu Takahashi ran out and took on Jado and Taiji Ishimori by himself. Although they were apprehended, EVIL had grabbed a steel chair amidst the chaos and slammed it right over Naito’s head, popping the seat off. He looked to capitalize, but Naito blocked the EVIL finish and went for the Destino only for EVIL to hit a mule kick while pushing the referee down. BUSHI came out and lifted Naito to his feet, only to attack him. EVIL stomped Naito in the groin and hit the EVIL for the three count. EVIL is the new IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Champion.

BUSHI, who had helped EVIL win the match, took his mask off to reveal he wasn’t BUSHI, but Dick Togo, a freelance wrestler who has been in NJPW before. Hiromu Takahashi came out and, to avenge Naito’s loss, wanted to challenge EVIL for his newly won championships. If not both, either one would be fine, he noted. EVIL brushed him off and left Hiromu going ballistic in the ring.

Latest On Kenny Omega’s Push In AEW

Andrew Ravens
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Last year, Kenny Omega was the second biggest wrestler to sign with AEW just behind Chris Jericho. 

He was coming off highly praised matches for his efforts in NJPW where he was a top star for them. However, he has found a lack of success as a singles competitor in All Elite Wrestling. As a result, the direction of Omega’s character in AEW has been criticized by fans.

Dave Meltzer noted on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that AEW decided to book him in his first year as someone who could help build other talent and strengthen the tag team division. 

Part of the idea set out by All Elite Wrestling was due to them wanting to build a foundation before he becomes a top star for them in year two. Meltzer added this might still be the direction AEW takes with Omega although plans may have changed. 

Omega is aware of the criticism from fans about his singles career in AEW to the point where he has addressed fans over it. He has stated in the past that just because his career might not be what it was in NJPW doesn’t mean he’s not finding success elsewhere.

Outside of the ring, he’s also in charge as an executive for the women’s division. 

Tommaso Ciampa Shares Theory On Why He’s Been Absent From NXT TV

Andrew Ravens
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Tommaso Ciampa wrote an interesting message that he posted on his official Instagram account. 

Ciampa made a comeback after undergoing neck surgery in 2019 that forced him to relinquish the NXT Title. 

In the post, he gave his thoughts on giving up the title, his career lows, and why he thinks he has been taken off NXT television. Here’s an excerpt from the post: 

“Motivation is a fascinating trait. Throughout my career, I’ve often found that creating false dialogue has led to my greatest internal motivation. In 2018, I created a scenario in my head in which “nobody believed in me.” It drove me.

In 2020, after weeks of being left off television (yes, I’m healthy), I find myself with a new false dialogue. “Creative has nothing for you.” Whether or not this is true really doesn’t matter. Because in my head, it’s true.

In 2018, I willed my vision into existence. Well, today I have a new vision. And surprisingly enough, I’m hungrier than ever. It’s time to evolve. It’s time to catch that next wave and reach that next high.”

After returning from surgery, Ciampa did have a chance to reclaim the title but came up short at TakeOver: Portland against Adam Cole. He also lost an Empty Arena Match against Johnny Gargano and most recently a match against Karrion Kross at TakeOver: In Your House.

He hasn’t been since that match with Ciampa back on June 7th. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCgsEy8peGj/?utm_source=ig_embed

Brian Cage To Defend FTW Title Against Brian Pillman Jr.

Chris Stephens
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Taz announced Brian Cage as the new FTW Champion on Dynamite this week. This marks the first time anyone has held the title since Taz won the ECW World Championship on January 10th, 1999. AEW has announced Brian Cage’s first title defense.

Cage’s first title defence will take place on AEW Dark this week against Brian Pillman Jr.

AEW announced 6 matches for the show this week:

AEW Dark Lineup:

  • FTW Championship
    Brian Cage (c) vs Brian Pillman Jr.
  • Serpentico & Luther vs Brady Pierce & Pineapple Pete
  • Robert Anthony vs Ricky Starks
  • Diamante & Rache Chanel vs Allie & Brandi Rhodes
  • Michael Nakazawa vs Marko Stunt
  • Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus (Jurrasic Express) vs Brandon Cutler & Peter Avalon

FTW Championship History

Taz introduced the rather unique title on May 28th, 1998. The show was titled “It Aint Seinfeld” and emanated from Queen’s, New York. He held the title for 219 days before dropping it to Sabu. This was a triple threat match from Philadelphia with Justin Credible as the 3rd man. Taz then won the title back at Living Dangerously 1999 in an “Extreme Death Match.”

The title then ceased to exist after Taz defeated Shane Douglas for the ECW World title in 1999.

MLW Looking At Producing An Island Event

Chris Stephens
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Major League Wrestling is exploring the idea of holding an event on an island. The promotion is looking at holding an event in possibly either Puerto Rico or Hawaii in 2021. This all assumes MLW officials will be able to regain control of the company from Josef Samael’s Contra Unit by then, of course.

“We are cautiously optimistic about this project,” said an anonymous league official.

MLW has not been hosting events since the start of the pandemic. They appear hopeful that the situation will soon improve enough for them to do so, however.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1281937045754191873

“While the on-going COVID-19 pandemic continues, there is optimism that a vaccine is on the horizon and as such, the league is having meetings to push forward on expanding MLW into new territories,” reads an MLW.com update.

The Von Erich brothers are big stars in MLW and make their home in Hawaii with their father, Kevin Von Erich. Savio Vega is also a big star in Puerto Rico, making the two locations ideal for MLW to expand into.

Savio Vega is officially the Caribbean Heavyweight Champion but the title was stolen by Richard Holliday. We could perhaps get an official title match if an event is held in Puerto Rico next year.

“As for Puerto Rico, it was revealed on this week’s Pulp FUSION via Savio Vega that MLW’s CEO met with Puerto Rican government officials about hosting a Caribbean Heavyweight Championship title fight,” MLW.com’s report reads.

Jim Ross Talks About Raven In WWE

Chris Stephens
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Raven had two stints in WWE. Once in a manager’s role as Johnny Polo in 93-94 and then again from 2000-03 as Raven. During his run in the company as a wrestler, Raven set the record for most Hardcore title wins with 27.

Raven signed with WWE in 2000 as it became clear ECW was struggling financially. He would eventually join “the Alliance” as part of the Invasion angle.

“It was just a matter of trust for a variety of reason,” JR said on the show.

“The thing about Raven, it was never a talent issue. He had talent. He was a good talker, smart guy, high IQ. Probably could have been a good road agent at some point later on. He could have contributed in a lot of ways.”

Conrad Thompson had previously mentioned that Raven’s reputation for substance abuse may have hampered in him in WWE. He also is said to have partied a bit too much with Shane McMahon during his first run with the company.

“It was never a talent issue with Scotty. He needed to distance himself from his previous indiscretions.”

“We used him on TV, he was a broadcaster, he probably could have been a great manager over time,” JR continued.

Raven briefly served as a broadcaster on Sunday Night Heat before returning to the ring. He competed at WrestleMania X-7 in a triple threat hardcore match against Kane and Rhino as well.

JR’s comments can be heard in the player below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFd1-BLHiQ0

Edge Comments On His New Film “Money Plane”

Chris Stephens
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Edge tore his tricep during the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever. He is going to be out of action for awhile. In the mean time, he’s promoting his new film “Money Plane.” The film was released to video on-demand yesterday.

Edge plays a professional thief named Jack Reese in the film. One of his co-stars is Kelsey Grammar, who plays the role of Darius Emmanuel Grouch III. Edge recently spoke to SI.com about why he decided to take the role.

“I thought the script was fun. For an hour-and-twenty minutes, you can forget about everything else and just enjoy a throwback 90s, tongue-in-cheek action movie,” he said. “And you have Kelsey Grammer, Thomas Jane, and all of the people involved in it, and that’s when I said, ‘Great, I can’t wait to share scenes with them and pick their brains.’ And for me, there were personal ties. Kelsey Grammer was my mom’s favorite actor, bar none.”

Edge would continue to talk about how much his mother loved Kelsey Grammar.

“My mom passed away about a year-and-a-half before we filmed this, but her favorite actor was Kelsey Grammer. Even when she was going through her chemo, all she wanted to do was go home and watch Frasier. So that’s what we’d do. And then to get offered this fun script where Kelsey Grammer is playing the villain, are you kidding me? I’m not saying no to that.”

The full interview with Edge can be read here.

Eric Bischoff Comments On WCW Nitro Expanding To 2 Hours

Chris Stephens
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WCW Nitro increased from a 1-hour program to a 2-hour program after the conclusion of the 96 NBA Playoffs on TNT. It would later expand to 3-hours. Eric Bischoff recently discussed the decision to expand the program by an hour on an episode of his podcast.

“Who set that standard, who led the way? Who cleared the path for 120 minutes, some of the most exciting action that has ever been seen in the world? Not just here in the states but in the entire world of professional wrestling, that would be Nitro.”

Bischoff would continue to discuss how this decision has had a lasting impact in pro-wrestling.

“As you pointed out, WWF would follow suit, and then followed suit again with a 3-hour show,” he continued.

“If you write down all the ways WWF followed suit in terms of what we did at Nitro, you’ll understand why I say Nitro changed the wrestling landscape not only during the Monday Night Wars but to this very day,” Bischoff said on the show. “Our fingerprints, our choices, our decisions, our tactics, our strategies still live on today, not just in the form of the NWO merchandise, in terms of the format you are watching. You are watching live TV on Monday nights and Wednesday nights and Friday nights, when things are back to normal, because of Monday Night Nitro, just remember that.”

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THV1AI0Hj2g

Results: NJPW New Japan Cup 2020 Final

Evan S
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0

Today, NJPW will hold the ninth and final day of the 2020 New Japan Cup. It is a 32-man single elimination tournament. The winner will challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships at NJPW Dominion on July 12. Today’s card will hold the final match to determine tomorrow’s main event challenger at Dominion!

Watch exclusively on NJPW World with Japanese commentary.
English commentary will be recorded and uploaded to NJPW World this week.
Note: This event will have a reduced attendance capacity to comply with social distancing regulations.

New Japan Cup 2020 Day 9 Results

Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma) def. Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura (9:15)
Everyone in this match wrestled with a level of enthusiasm befitting the first NJPW match with a paying crowd in over four months. Also, there was a mystifying new element to this match: the fact that the crowds were told by NJPW not to cheer loudly. Instead, it was just a sea of applause for every cool move and every time the young lions made a comeback. The happiness was palpable. Togi Makabe finished off Yota Tsuji with a bridging German suplex.

TenKoji (Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan) def. Hirooki Goto & Gabriel Kidd (9:57)
The euphoria of the return of the audience was still affecting me during this match, and it must have been affecting Gabriel Kidd too because he was a house of fire in this match. Even after the crowd successfully stifled the instinct to chant Kojima’s “Icchauzo bakayaro” catchphrase, Kidd lifting Kojima up for a vertical sequence got the biggest vocal reaction so far, prompting gasps from the crowd. Katsuyori Shibata must be a great trainer. Satoshi Kojima put Gabriel Kidd down for the three count with a lariat.

Master Wato def. DOUKI (7:46)
I’m not sure that Master Wato came out like a house of fire, leveling DOUKI with high kicks and a spinning uppercut. When DOUKI took control of the match, it was mostly with repeated eye-rakes and hitting Wato with his pipe. I’m still not sure about Wato. His strikes are very good and fit his persona well, and he certainly looks better than he did in the video package hyping him up over the last month, but it still feels out of place. Master Wato pinned DOUKI with a top rope corkscrew somersault senton.

Following the end of the match, as Wato celebrated, Yoshinobu Kanemaru came out and attacked him. Hiroyoshi Tenzan came out to pull Kanemaru off Wato and the two of them shook hands.

Bullet Club (Taiji Ishimori & Yujiro Takahashi) def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA & BUSHI) (9:20)
It seemed like Los Ingobernables de Japon especially relished the return of live audiences. The crowd roared (with applause) when SANADA applied the Paradise Lock on Taiji Ishimori, and BUSHI was over as well. There was a single person booing when Ishimori tried to rip off BUSHI’s mask, which may have been unintentional comedy. Yujiro Takahashi pinned BUSHI with the Pimp Juice DDT.

Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata & Ryusuke Taguchi (12:43)
Hiroshi Tanahashi experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in this match. He soaked in the crowd’s applause like no one else, then ten minutes later he was having his knees twisted, pummeled, pulverized, and punished by everyone in Suzuki-gun. This damage may make the difference in the outcome of Tanahashi and Ibushi’s first defense of the IWGP Tag Team Championships against Zack Sabre Jr. and Taichi tomorrow. Ibushi and Zack Sabre Jr. exchanged incredibly quick blows and transitions, Nagata threw some lovely suplexes, and Taguchi’s shtick is much more enjoyable with a crowd, even if all they do is clap. El Desperado pushed Taguchi into the referee, then hit him with a straight punch and the Pinche Loco for the pinfall victory.

Golden Ace and Dangerous Tekkers came to blows after the match, but for once in this whole rivalry it was Tanahashi and Ibushi who held the IWGP Tag Team Championships high in the end.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Tetsuya Naito, Shingo Takagi & Hiromu Takahashi) def. CHAOS (SHO, Tomohiro Ishii & Toru Yano) (15:00)
This was a wild trios match featuring five great athletes, and one generational athlete in Toru Yano. But seriously, between SHO and Shingo coming to violent blows as they usually do, Hiromu Takahashi and Tomohiro Ishii in a battle of speed versus hardness, and Toru Yano being surprisingly formidable and only going down after being triple-teamed by all three members of LIJ, and getting several dramatic near-falls on the dual IWGP Heavyweight and Intercontinental Champion, this match was action-packed. Tetsuya Naito pinned Toru Yano with a jackknife pin for the victory.

After the match, the three members of Los Ingobernables de Japon posed in the ring, with five Championship belts between the three of them.

New Japan Cup 2020 Final: EVIL def. Kazuchika Okada (31:50)
EVIL has really been living up to his name this tournament. Every match he’s won to make it to this point has occurred in a dastardly fashion, with groin stomps and chair shots as far as the eye can see. He went to finish the match early, going for his namesake finisher within two minutes of the opening bell, but to no avail. Even though the crowd was instructed not to cheer vocally, you could hear people calling out EVIL and Okada’s name from time to time. EVIL’s game plan, at first, was to work Okada’s arm to weaken both the Rainmaker, which Okada has yet to actually win a match with in the tournament, and the cobra clutch, which he has been finishing all his matches with. Okada hit a flapjack and a short-range dropkick to slow EVIL’s roll and applied the cobra clutch, but EVIL made it to the ropes to break the hold. Okada tried to capitalize, but EVIL pushed him into the referee and delivered a low blow to Okada. With both Okada and the referee down, EVIL threw no fewer than four chairs into the ring, and Okada with Darkness Falls into the pile of chairs. Okada had enough energy to hit a reverse neckbreaker, but fell to the mat. EVIL hit a nasty rolling elbow and went to run the ropes, but Okada hit a standing dropkick and reapplied the cobra clutch, but EVIL raked his eyes to stop it. Okada applied the cobra clutch once more, but stopped it to hit a short-range Rainmaker. As Okada went to follow up, Gedo came out and distracted the referee, then Yujiro Takahashi attacked Okada while the referee wasn’t looking. Okada caught EVIL in the cobra clutch yet again, but EVIL broke it with a mule kick and then stomped the laying Okada right in the groin. Finally, EVIL hit the EVIL on Okada for the three count.

EVIL wins the New Japan Cup 2020. He will challenge Tetsuya Naito for the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships tomorrow at Dominion!

After the match, Tetsuya Naito showed up to congratulate EVIL on his victory. He said that he enjoyed the new EVIL he’s been seeing lately, and that he was looking forward to their match tomorrow. He offered a fist bump to EVIL, but EVIL met it with a Too Sweet, and he hit the EVIL on Naito. Every Bullet Club member in Japan showed up to applaud him, and he left with then. EVIL is Bullet Club.

WWE SmackDown Results (7/10): New Day Defend Tag Titles, Karaoke Showdown

Robert Lentini
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The July 10th edition of SmackDown aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. New Day defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro during tonight’s show. It was also announced that AJ Styles will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Matt Riddle next week.

WWE SmackDown Results (7/10)

  1. Jeff Hardy def. The Miz
  2. Bayley & Sasha Banks def. Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss
  3. Lacey Evans vs. Naomi ended in a No Contest
  4. New Day vs. Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro ended in a No Contest

Here are 4 takeaways from this week’s show:

Jeff Hardy Will Face Sheamus In A Bar Fight

Fox Officials were thrilled about this SmackDown segment
Fox Officials were not thrilled with this SmackDown segment

Miz and John Morrison cracked a couple substance abuse jokes before welcoming Jeff Hardy for an episode of Miz TV. The Miz said that they had to show a clip for the show and rolled footage of interviews of Jeff Hardy & Sheamus. They spliced in Hardy’s previous mugshots before recapping Sheamus’ toast last week.

Jeff Hardy told Miz and Morrison that if they keep this up he is going to break something. Miz told Jeff that he doesn’t want his daughter to put faith in someone that is going to self destruct again. Hardy stated that he wants to put his demons behind him and Sheamus hasn’t gotten into his head. The Miz suggested that he face Sheamus in a Bar Fight and Hardy accepted. Hardy then challenged one of them to a match right now and a brawl broke out before a commercial break. Miz then battled Jeff Hardy when SmackDown returned.

Match Recap: The Miz rolled out of the ring right when the bell rang and chatted with Morrison. Back in the ring, Miz hit a shoulder tackle but Hardy shrugged it off and hit an Arm Drag. The Miz battled back and applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. The Miz took control and beat Jeff down for the next few minutes of the match. Jeff finally regained momentum with a Dropkick and a Splash for a two count. Morrison hopped on the ring apron but Jeff immediately knocked him to the floor. Sheamus showed up on the titantron and was enjoying a beer. The Miz tried to capitalize with a roll-up but Hardy reversed it for the pinfall victory. Sheamus raised his glass and smiled at Jeff on the entrance ramp to end the segment.

Opinion: I just want the Sheamus and Jeff Hardy feud to be over at this point. I don’t care if it a Bar Fight or a Pillow Fight, just end this horrible storyline at Extreme Rules so everyone can move on.

Bayley & Sasha Picked Up A Win

Bayley Sasha Banks SmackDown 7 3

Sasha Banks and Bayley came to the entrance ramp but Nikki Cross attacked the SmackDown Women’s Champion from behind as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Bliss and Cross battled Bayley and Banks in a tag team match.

Match Recap: Sasha and Nikki started the match off and Banks beat Cross down in the corner of the ring. Bayley tagged in and Cross trapped her in the ring skirt and unloaded a flurry of punches. Bayley retreated back in the ring and went for a tag but Cross dragged her back to the corner. Alexa tagged in and Bayley greeted her with a knee to the ribs. Bayley carried Alexa to the corner and tagged Sasha in.

Bliss slammed Banks to the canvas and tagged Cross back in. Cross hit a Dropkick before tagging Alexa back in. Bayley and Banks rolled out of the ring and Nikki grabbed the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Nikki danced around before hitting Bayley with a Crossbody off the announce table as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Banks and Bayley were back in control and Alexa isolated in the ring. Sasha slapped Alexa in the face before applying a Headlock. Bayley and Cross tagged in as Sasha launched Bliss into the barricade. Bayley then rolled up Cross and used the ropes for leverage for the victory.

Naomi Won The Karaoke Showdown

Naomi. Image Credit: WWE.com
Naomi. Image Credit: WWE.com

Lacey Evans, Tamina, Dana Brooke, and Naomi competed in a a Karaoke Showdown tonight on SmackDown. Jey Uso introduced the competitors and Lacey Evans was up first.

Evans sang Jeff Jarretts theme and Dana Brooke sang Honky Tonk’s theme while dancing around the ring. Tamina shouted Triple H’s theme ridiculously and Jey quickly put a stop to it. Naomi sang Dusty Rhodes’ theme and crushed it. Naomi then got the most applause from the crowd to win the Karaoke Showdown. Lacey got pissed off and tried to attack Naomi with her heel as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Evans and Naomi battled in a match with Tamina and Dana ringside. The match was quickly thrown out as it turned into a brawl between the four superstars.

The SmackDown Tag Team Title Match Ended In A No Contest

nakamura cesaro smackdown 7 10

New Day defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Cesaro & Nakamura in the main event of this week’s show.

Match Recap: Shinsuke Nakamura and Kofi Kingston started off the match. Nakamura beat Kofi down and brought him to the corner. Cesaro tagged in and hit Kofi with a couple uppercuts. Cesaro draped Kofi across the top rope and Nakamura hit him with a knee to the ribs. Shinsuke went for the cover but Kingston was able to kick out at two.

Kofi battled back and stomped on Cesaro in the corner of the ring. Big E tagged in and continued to stomp the hell out of Cesaro against the turnbuckle. When SmackDown returned from a break, Big E leveled Cesaro and followed it up with a Splash for a near fall. Nakamura and Kofi tagged in and traded punches.

Everyone started brawling and the match ended in a DQ. Cesaro and Nakamura set up a table in the ring and put Big E on top of it. Cesaro then hopped on the second rope and Powerbombed Kingston on top of Big E and through the table to end the show.

Opinion: I’m assuming this is going to lead to a Tables Match at Extreme Rules for the tag titles. This week’s episode didn’t have much effort put into it and it resulted in a completely forgettable show. I can only hope that RAW and SmackDown are much better next week heading into Extreme Rules.

Bar Fight Set For WWE Extreme Rules

Andrew Ravens
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A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Extreme Rules PPV.

During Friday’s episode of SmackDown, WWE confirmed that Jeff Hardy would battle Sheamus in a Bar Fight at this pay-per-view event. 

WWE did an angle where Hardy appeared for a MizTV segment and accepted the challenge from Sheamus. This comes after Sheamus had tried to get Hardy to drink alcohol last week. 

WWE presents the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event on Sunday, July 19, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming week. Here is the updated card:

Updated WWE Extreme Rules Card

  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler
  • WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka vs. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Sasha Banks
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Nikki Cross
  • Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman – Swamp Fight
  • Eye For An Eye Match: Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio
  • WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. MVP
  • Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus – Bar Fight

Drew McIntyre Pushed For Heath Slater To Make Recent WWE RAW Return

What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.

Drew McIntyre Pushed For Heath Slater To Make Recent WWE RAW Return

Andrew Ravens
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It turns out that Drew McIntyre had a lot to do with the latest and final appearance for Heath Slater in WWE. 

Slater, who was released by WWE in April, made a surprise appearance on Monday’s episode of WWE RAW to be part of the opening segment as Dolph Ziggler brought Slater out to do a promo with the WWE Champion.

Eventually, it led to McIntyre quickly beating Slater in a singles match. They made up after the match once McIntyre saved Slater. 

While doing an interview with talkSPORT, McIntyre revealed that he called up Slater about doing another match in WWE before his non-compete expires. 

“The moment at the end was very special and I was very much pushing for that idea to happen,” McIntyre started. “I think I saw something on the internet saying I was behind it and I’m thinking how are they getting this information?! But yeah, I played a big part in making it happen and to be honest, Heath was a little bit against it and I spoke to my wife right before the phone call I made to Heath to try and convince him to come onto the show for the segment.

McIntyre continued by noting how his wife told him to remember how he felt when he was released and not sure what was next for him. He noted that Slater appreciated the opportunity with WWE and has mentally he has moved on.

McIntyre continued, “[Heath Slater’s] ready for the next stage and he’s not sure about going backwards, so I made it clear to him like ‘trust me, this isn’t going to be like anything you’ve done.’”

McIntyre added that Slater has been working hard and people will get to see what he looks like now and it also advances their story so everybody won from that segment. 

“We finally got him on board and got him on the show – he absolutely killed it, like I knew he would.”

Roman Reigns Reacts To High Praise From Keith Lee

Andrew Ravens
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Roman Reigns has given his reaction to the recent praise by Keith Lee. 

While doing an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, the WWE NXT Champion and NXT North American Champion recalled how Reigns had helped push his career forward during the 2019 Survivor Series pay-per-view where they wrestled each other. 

According to Lee, Reigns doesn’t get enough credit for what he means to the pro wrestling business.art of something special, and he won’t forget what Reigns did for him.

“Roman doesn’t get enough credit for what he means to this sport,” Lee said. “And he went above-and-beyond to make that moment. The simple gesture of our fist bump, he turned that into magic. That was the start of something very special for me. He is such a superstar that he made that moment overshadow everything else that happened in that match, and I won’t forget it.”

The former WWE Champion saw the kind words made by Lee and took to his official Twitter account to respond. This is where he congratulated Lee on his journey. 

Reigns wrote, “Congrats on one hell of a journey @RealKeithLee. Still a ton of work to do, which I know you already know. Keep killin it and representing. I definitely still want that one on one, Champ! [fist emoji].”

Of course, they shared the spotlight at this pay-per-view back in November. They faced off in the middle of the ring during the big NXT vs. RAW vs. SmackDown match.

 Lee received high praise from many within WWE at the time. 

Rumored Matches For WWE SummerSlamPPV

Andrew Ravens
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Although WWE SummerSlam is still over a month away, the company already has matches in mind for the show. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Matt Riddle could get his first title shot on the main roster at this show. On a recent episode of SmackDown, the former NXT Tag Team Champion defeated WWE Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles in a non-title match, which marked his main roster debut. 

WWE has also pushed Riddle in a feud with Baron Corbin on television with the idea of Riddle facing Corbin to get the title shot from Styles at SummerSlam.

Next up is Andrade and Angel Garza vs. RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day defending their titles against Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura at SummerSlam. 

With WWE booking this same match involving the SmackDown titles on Friday’s episode of SmackDown, it’s possible that it could lead to a rematch at SummerSlam with some sort of stipulation.

WWE is also looking at Bray Wyatt challenging WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman as “The Fiend.” Of course, Wyatt and Strowman have been feuding with each other over the past few months with Strowman scoring a win over Wyatt at Money in the Bank. Now, they’ll face each other in a Swamp Fight at Extreme Rules next week with the title not being on the line. 

Finally, the only match that has been well known is Randy Orton vs. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. 

SummerSlam was previously scheduled for the TD Garden in Boston but the company was forced to move it to a different location due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The pay-per-view event is scheduled to take place on August 23 from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. 

Triple H Comments On The #SpeakingOut Movement

Chris Stephens
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Triple H recently took part in an interview with Yahoo Sports. He discussed the #SpeakingOut movement that has taken place in wrestling over the last month. Triple H also spoke about WWE’s policies for when a wrestler is accused of such offenses.

“You don’t ever want to see somebody be in situations that you have heard about in the #SpeakingOut movement,” Triple H said.

He then reiterated WWE’s policy on offences similar to those that have been mentioned as part of the #SpeakingOut movement.

“We’ve stated that as far as this movement goes, individuals are responsible for their own actions,” Triple H said. “But we also have a zero-tolerance policy for domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual assault. If someone is arrested for that, they are immediately suspended. If they are convicted, they are immediately terminated. There’s no leeway or wiggle room. That is what it is.”

He continued to say that in lieu of an arrest or conviction, WWE could also take action against a member of its roster provided irrefutable evidence exists that an offense was committed.

“We also have the ability to fine, suspend or terminate for anything that has evidence of illegal misconduct or what we deem to be enough evidence to have the right to terminate.”

The full interview with Triple H can be read here.

Sami Zayn’s Mobile Health Clinic Arrives In Syria

Chris Stephens
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Sami Zayn has been raising money to purchase a mobile health clinic to provide medical relief in Syria. In total, Sami has raised over $57 thousand along with the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) Foundation for the project.

Zayn announced recently that the mobile health clinic has arrived in Syria. It is able to treat up to 126 patients a day.

“Launching the mobile clinic was delayed by a heart attack, border issues, and yes, a global pandemic, but it is here now! So far, it has treated an average of 126 patients/day. Donate at SamiForSyria.com to help cover operation costs. Thank you all for making this happen,” Zayn Tweeted.

“We need your help to continue operating the Sami for Syria Mobile Clinic, including paying for the fuel, warehouse rent, and other operational costs. Help Sami and SAMS bring urgently needed medical care to families and children impacted by the crisis in Syria,” reads the Sami4Syria website.

Zayn hasn’t wrestled for WWE since WrestleMania 36. He defeated Daniel Bryan on the show to retain the Intercontinental title. WWE later stripped him of the title as he began no longer participating in the tapings from the Performance Center.

Update On AEW & NXT DVR Viewership

Chris Stephens
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For the past 3 weeks, NXT has had a higher total viewership than AEW on Wednesday nights. AEW has continued to hold the lead in the 18-49 demo that advertisers value above all else, however.

DVR numbers for both shows are not as readily available as traditional ratings but some numbers have recently been reported. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, AEW has been averaging a 34% increase from DVR viewership over the last two months. NXT has been averaging a 31% increase in DVR viewership over the same time period. These numbers are for May and June as the most recent DVR numbers have not been reported yet.

The report continued to say that AEW’s show on 6/24 did record bad ratings for the company. It brought in 633,000 total viewers and a 0.22 rating (285,000 viewers) in the key demo. This went up against an NXT that did 786,000 viewers and 0.19 in the key demo.

“We don’t have overall but if those numbers held up it would be 1.06 million for NXT and 893,000 for AEW, which would be the lowest AEW number I’ve seen for a +7 figure,” wrote Dave Meltzer about the ratings for the 6/24 show.

The “+7” mentioned above is often referred to as “Live Plus 7” and includes all viewers who watched the show within 1 week of it airing including those who watched live.

Keith Lee Comments On Doubting Himself After Signing With WWE

Chris Stephens
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Keith Lee is the new NXT Champion. He defeated Adam Cole in the main event of NXT’s Great American Bash night 2. The 35-year-old signed with WWE in 2018 but his road to the top of NXT wasn’t a smooth one. At first, Lee says he wasn’t sure who WWE wanted him to be. He eventually learned how to just be himself.

“The beginning was tough,” Lee said to SI.com. “I thought the company wanted something else from me. The entire time, they wanted me to be myself. The one person who really helped me work through all of that was [WWE trainer] Terry Taylor.”

Lee continued to say that when he began to doubt himself, Taylor helped him through it.

“I thought I was doing something wrong, but Terry Taylor was the one that kept reminding me who I was. When I was filled with doubt, he kept me together. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what would have happened for me in this company.“

Lee is a 15-year pro having begun his career in 2005. He tried out for WWE 3 times before eventually signing in 2018. Lee’s WWE tryouts came in 2008, 2011, and again in 2013.

He also said during the interview, that he wants to be a representative for African Americans.

“I want to be the representation for African American people, to have someone that looks like them and represents them on the top stage and has top caliber matches,” Lee continued.

The full interview can be read here.

Jim Ross Talks Infamous Buff & Judy Bagwell Incident from 2001

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer and AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently discussed a number of intriguing topics on the Grilling JR podcast. A recent episode of the audio show saw JR and co-host Conrad Thompson look at the 7.6.98 episode of WCW Monday Nitro.

This episode of the WCW flagship show was hugely significant, as it featured Goldberg challenging for and winning the WCW World Championship against Hollywood Hulk Hogan.

One of the acts that appeared during the watch-along was Marcus ‘Buff’ Bagwell and his mother, Judy Bagwell. Conrad would ask JR about the infamous story that involved all three when Bagwell first joined WWE as part of the Invasion angle in 2001.

Jim Ross and Buff Bagwell

Supposedly, Bagwell was unhappy with the way he was being treated in then WWF and wanted to skip a live date. Judy Bagwell apparently called JR and asked that Buff be allowed to skip a date, with Jim Ross apparently saying that Judy should pass on the news that Marcus was fired.

Buff Bagwell would refute these claims back in 2017. “Do you really believe, out there in video world, that Buff Bagwell got fired because of his mother?” Buff stated on The Steve Austin Show. “Do people really believe that I had my mother call the WWF and say let him off Augusta in Birmingham? Well f**k no that’s not true! Why would I do that? But people believed it. And one person was responsible: Jim Ross. And only God, Jim Ross and me know the truth, and who’s gonna believe me. Nobody… The true, true story is Jim Ross created that monster, and people believed it.”

JR gave his own take on the situation on Grilling JR. “That’s old news. You know, we had a conversation on the phone, once. [I said] I want to talk to Marc, not to her. With all due respect I’d never met the lady, I didn’t know her. I have no issues with her. I’ve just made it clear that when Marcus wanted to talk about his WWE run? He should just call me. Simple as that. It became a story and it really wasn’t a story.”

This podcast episode as well as a ton of other premium audio content is available now on AdFreeShows.com. Subscribers get exclusive content from Grilling Jr, What Happened When (w/Tony Schiavone), 83 Weeks (w/Eric Bischoff), ARN (w/Arn Anderson) and Something To Wrestle (w/Bruce Prichard).

Also Check out:

Backstage Update On Rey Mysterio’s WWE Status

Chris Stephens
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Earlier this week, it was reported that Rey Mysterio is working without a contract in WWE. He signed with the company in September of 2018 shortly after performing in the main event of All In that month. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Mysterio asked WWE for a raise recently and was told the company is not giving those out at the moment.

“Essentially where things stand is that Mysterio had asked for a raise and been told that no raises were being offered, and that they had just let a number of wrestlers go,” wrote Dave Meltzer. Mysterio is working under the terms set out in his previous contract.

Mysterio is currently in a high-profile storyline with Seth Rollins on WWE RAW. They did an angle where Rollins damaged Mysterio’s eye leading to an “Eye for an Eye” match at Extreme Rules. WWE.com has said the match can only end when one competitor has extracted the eyeball of the other.

It is also being reported that CGI will likely be apart of the match at Extreme Rules.

“The idea is to do a taped match and use some form of CGI effects to simulate an eye being pulled out as the finish,” Meltzer wrote.

Should Mysterio lose the match and his eye, it would likely serve as a way to write him off television.

A major factor which will could determine where Mysterio ends up might be how his son Dominik is used. Mysterio will likely want to sign with a company that would also bring in Dominik.

Matt Hardy Talks About His AEW Experience To Date, Current Gimmick

Steve Russell
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All Elite Wrestling’s Matt Hardy has opened up about his experience with the promotion to date. He also detailed his future plans in the company and how where he sees his current gimmick going.

Speaking with Sportskeeda, Hardy shared how he has been “thrilled” so far with his time in AEW. He added how he “honestly can’t say enough good things about it.” 

Hardy explained how he wanted to pick up where the Broken Matt Hardy character should have been left off. This is what led to the creation of his Free The Delete show on YouTube. He noted how the show highlighted how a “new version” of Matt Hardy was heading to AEW.

Since his time in the promotion, Hardy has been embracing several different gimmicks and appearances that reference his career, often within the same segment or match. He explained that had always been his intention. 

“Once I started, from the jump, my plan was to do different versions of my personas throughout time, as the ‘Multifarious’ Matt Hardy. Ultimately my goal is to lead that into something new, something to put that together into one entity, and have that be the next persona I really want to get over and run with.”

Matt Hardy has recently been accompanying and helping Private Party. He coached them from ringside during their AEW Tag Team Championship match on Wednesday night at Fyter Fest Night Two. Despite their best efforts, however, they were unable to wrest the championships from reigning champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page.

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