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WWE SmackDown Results (6/12): New Intercontinental Champion, Jeff Hardy Drug Test

Robert Lentini
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SmackDown aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. Daniel Bryan competed against AJ Styles in the finals of the Intercontinental Championship Tournament. Jeff Hardy and Sheamus had the contract signing for their match at Backlash tonight as well. It was the final episode of SmackDown before WWE Backlash this Sunday. It was also announced that Matt Riddle will debut next week.

SmackDown Results (6/12)

  1. Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura def. New Day in a non-title match
  2. AJ Styles def. Daniel Bryan to become Intercontinental Champion
  3. Braun Strowman & Heavy Machinery def. The Miz, John Morrison & Dolph Ziggler

Here are 4 takeaways from this week’s show:

Jeff Hardy Threw His Urine Sample In Sheamus’ Face

Sheamus Jeff Hardy

Renee Young moderated the contract signing between Sheamus and Jeff Hardy to kick off SmackDown. Sheamus came down to the ring with a docter and a bunch of security guards. Jeff Hardy then joined them in the ring.

Sheamus said the curtain was for discretion because he didn’t want to offend Renee Young. Sheamus added that security team wasn’t here for him, they were here for Jeff. He stated that he has to go behind the curtain and take a urine test to get the match at Backlash because there is no way he is getting in the ring with a junkie.

Jeff Hardy admitted that he is an alcoholic and has other addictions that he has been battling since his early twenties. Hardy vowed to be a beacon of light for everybody that struggles with this and will go along with this bullsh*t to get his hands on Sheamus this Sunday.

Hardy went behind the curtain as Sheamus cut a PSA about not doing drugs into the camera. Jeff finished up and his urine was absurdly yellow and Sheamus joked that he must have really enjoyed happy hour. Hardy then threw the urine in Sheamus’ face and signed the contract. Sheamus freaked out and gagged as the crowd chanted “you got pissed on”. The doctor then informed Sheamus backstage that Jeff’s test came back negative.

Later on SmackDown, Sheamus attacked Jeff Hardy backstage and beat him down before security broke it up.

Opinion: Sheamus framing Jeff Hardy for a hit & run on Elias was ridiculous but entertaining in my opinion. This segment was just idiotic and came off as something that was written by a 5 year old. I believe Jeff Hardy uttered “it is better to be pissed off than to be pissed on” before throwing his urine at Sheamus. That line is really all you need to know about this segment.

AJ Styles Captured The IC Title In An Awesome Match With Daniel Bryan

Styles IC Champ

Daniel Bryan squared off against AJ Styles for the vacant Intercontinental Championship.

Match Recap: Bryan knocked Styles out of the ring and connected with a Suicide Dive as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Styles was in control and head Bryan in an Arm Bar. Bryan broke free went to work on AJ’s left knee.

Styles and Bryan traded roll-ups but both superstars kicked out several times. Bryan and Styles then ran into each other and crashed to the canvas as SmackDown went to another commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Styles was back in control and sent Bryan flying out of the ring. AJ joined Bryan on the outside and Daniel shoved his elbow into the ring post. Bryan followed that up by pressing AJ’s elbow against the apron and stomping on it.

Back in the ring, Daniel stomped on AJ’s elbow once again before applying a submission hold in the middle of the ring. Daniel went for a Dropkick but Styles got out of the way and Bryan crashed into the turnbuckle.

Styles focused his attack on Bryan’s left knee and tied it up in the ropes. AJ kicked it several times as Bryan screamed in pain. Bryan hit an Enziguri out of nowhere and both superstars fell to the mat.

AJ was the first up and went for the Phenomenal Forearm but Bryan tripped him up. Daniel perched Styles up on the top rope and connected with a Frankensteiner. Styles battled back and turned Bryan inside out with a Clothesline as SmackDown went to another commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Bryan and Styles were trading punches in the middle of the ring. Daniel got the better of the exchange and sent Styles out of the ring. Bryan went for a Suicide Dive but AJ was ready and delivered a boot to Daniel’s face.

AJ went for the Phenomenal Forearm but Bryan countered into an Arm Bar in the middle of the ring. Styles then reversed into the Calf Crusher but Bryan countered right back into the Arm Bar.

Styles escaped and walked into a Yes Kick to the head for a near fall. Daniel Bryan hit a Back Suplex off the middle rope as we went to a fourth commercial break during the match. AJ hit a reverse DDT when SmackDown returned for a two count.

AJ followed that up with a Pele Kick and a Brainbuster for a near fall. Styles went for another Pele Kick but Bryan countered into an Ankle Lock. AJ battled to his feet and planted Bryan with a German Suplex for a two count.

Bryan hit a German Suplex of his own and hit several elbows to AJ’s shoulder. Daniel then applied the Yes Lock in the middle of the ring but Styles was able to get his foot on the bottom rope to break the hold.

The crowd chanted “yes!” as Bryan got up and unloaded some kicks to AJ’s face. Bryan went for the Running Knee but AJ countered into the Styles Clash. AJ couldn’t capitalize and go for the cover.

Styles rolled to the apron and pulled himself up by using the ropes. Bryan stumbled to his feet and turned around into the Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall victory. AJ Styles is the new Intercontinental Champion.

After the match, Styles said that he was the best champion the WWE Universe has ever seen and he is phenomenal.

Opinion: The only complaint I have about this match is that it wasn’t at Backlash. The commercial breaks drove me insane because they were interrupting an incredible match.

Bayley & Banks’ Celebration Was Interrupted

Bayley Banks Celebration

Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley came down to the ring for a celebration. Before entering the balloon covered ring, Banks and Bayley took a selfie in front of Michael Cole. Bayley and Banks will defend the titles against The IIconics, and Bliss & Cross at Backlash this Sunday.

The crowd booed and Bayley shouted that they are lucky to have been invited. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley said it is lonely at the top but she is not lonely because she has her best friend, Sasha Banks.

Banks claimed that they told everyone so and that they are the role models. Sasha added that the titles represent their friendship and they are only going to get stronger because they are unstoppable together.

Bayley was about to read a poem she had written for Banks but was interrupted by Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross. Alexa said she was fine with the celebration until poetry got involved. The IIconics showed up on the jumbotron and boasted about defeating Banks & Bayley at WrestleMania and Bliss & Cross recently.

Bliss and Cross then attacked Bayley and Banks in the ring as The IIconcics laughed. Nikki and Alexa threw Bayley and Banks out of the ring to end the segment.

Strowman & Heavy Machinery Picked Up A Win

heavy machinery mandy braun

Universal Champion Braun Strowman & Heavy Machinery teamed up to face Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, and John Morrison in the main event. Strowman will defend the Universal Championship against Miz & Morrison in a Handicap Match this Sunday at Backlash.

Match Recap: Ziggler and Otis started the match off and Dolph immediately scampered out of the ring. The Miz tagged in and Otis greeted him with a Body Slam. Tucker tagged in and headbutted Miz in the ribs.

John Morrison tagged in and hit Tucker with an Enziguri. Tucker went for a Back Body Drop but Morrison landed on his feet. Tucker planted Morrison with a Powerslam and John retreated to the corner.

Ziggler and Strowman tagged in and Braun hit a Splash in the corner. Tucker got back in and lifted Ziggler up for a Suplex. King Corbin showed up on the jumbotron and confronted Mandy Rose about Otis stealing his crown last week. Corbin claimed that Mandy was fantasizing about being with him. Otis sprinted out of the ring and attacked Corbin backstage as SmackDown went a break.

When SmackDown returned, Tucker was isolated in the corner and Otis had not returned to the ring. Tucker spent the next several minutes trying to escape as Strowman pleaded for a tag. Miz and Morrison dragged Strowman off the apron and beat him down outside the ring.

Ziggler sent Tucker into the turnbuckle as Otis and Mandy came down to the entrance ramp. Otis hopped on the apron as Tucker hit Ziggler with a boot to the face. Otis tagged in and knocked Miz & Morrison off the apron. Otis danced off a couple shots from Ziggler and hit him with a headbutt.

Otis launched Ziggler out of the ring and signaled for Strowman. Braun leveled Miz and Morrison with a couple of shoulder tackles and rolled Ziggler back in the ring. Otis hit the Caterpillar Elbow to Ziggler for the victory.

Opinion: A feud between Otis and King Corbin sounds horrific. Cesaro & Nakamura defeated New Day in a non-title match and I’m sure they will be thrown into title match at Backlash or in the near future. Cesaro & Nakamura have done absolutely nothing as of late but this his how WWE books their tag team division. Instead of building up a rivalry over several weeks on television, Cesaro & Nakamura randomly defeat the champs and springboard to the top of the division. The epic Styles and Bryan match saved this show from being terrible.

Betting Odds For WWE Backlash

Andrew Ravens
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The betting odds for all of the matches that will take place at the WWE Backlash pay-per-view event have been released.

The card for the show that takes place this Sunday from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center is likely or closed to be finalized. 

Make sure to join us for match recaps and our takeaways from this latest pay-per-view event held by WWE.

The only title change expected involves the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles as Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are favored to win them back. 

WWE Backlash Betting Odds

The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Odds call for all three titles to change. Here are the final betting odds courtesy of BetOnline:

  • Edge +120 vs. Randy Orton -160 – Singles Match
  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre -950 vs. Bobby Lashley +500
  • WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman -1250 vs. The Miz & John Morrison +550 – Handicap Match
  • WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka  -600 vs. Nia Jax +350
  • Jeff Hardy -140 vs. Sheamus -140 – Singles Match
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks 4/7 vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross 2/1 vs. The IIconics 5/2 – Title Triple Threat Match
  • WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews -550 vs. Andrade +325

Backstage Update On WWE Coronavirus Testing

AJ Styles Wins WWE Intercontinental Championship

Andrew Ravens
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AJ Styles has become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion. 

During Friday’s episode of SmackDown from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on FOX, WWE held the tournament finals to crown a new Intercontinental Champion. 

As seen on the show, Styles went over Daniel Bryan to become the champion. It was a long hard-hitting affair that saw both stars hit their signature moves. Several fans praised the contest on social media. 

Back on the May 15th episode of SmackDown, WWE announced the full bracket for the Intercontinental Title tournament. There were 8 competitors in the tournament.

Styles, Bryan, Drew Gulak, Elias, Jeff Hardy, King Corbin, Sheamus, and Shinsuke Nakamura were confirmed as competitors.

WWE booked Elias vs. King Corbin, Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak, Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus, and AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in the first round. 

The semi-finals of the tournament were supposed to take place on SmackDown with Jeff Hardy vs. Daniel Bryan and Elias vs. AJ Styles. But there were some changes due to a DUI storyline involving Hardy and Elias. 

This tournament came about due to WWE stripping Sami Zayn of the title. The reason for this booking decision was due to Zayn being off of television. 

WWE Star Posts Cryptic Mental Hospital Video

Drew McIntyre Names Former WWE Champion As Ideal SummerSlam Opponent

Andrew Ravens
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WWE Champion Drew McIntyre is already looking ahead to SummerSlam. 

McIntyre spoke with Inside The Ropes about his ideal opponent for SummerSlam, which is where named Randy Orton as that opponent. 

McIntyre explained that right now they’re in the position where WWE is building a lot of people including himself and Bobby Lashley together as they’ll be able to help each other with MVP bringing each other up. 

He thinks they’re both helping to establish each other as he considers himself as being on the rise and WWE Champion and what his legacy is going to be. 

“But someone like an Orton is someone who can make me work up, really learn from, he’s obviously an established name, people tune in saying hey there’s Randy Orton. “

“If they’ve never seen me before or remember me from the past they’re gonna go ‘ooh who’s this guy?’ and he’s gonna help tell that story and really establish me as a top, top player. I think basically Randy Orton is my Joker.”

As of this writing, despite the coronavirus pandemic, WWE is still moving forward with plans to hold SummerSlam with fans in attendance in Boston come August. Whether that will happen as scheduled remains to be seen. 

McIntyre makes his next title defense against Lashley at Sunday’s Backlash PPV event. 

Vince Russo Addresses Rumors Of His Impact Wrestling Return

Andrew Ravens
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There was an interesting rumor going around online that Vince Russo was back with Impact Wrestling to help with the creative process.

Pwinsider.com reports that those in Impact Wrestling had denied the rumors that the former head writer was back with the company. Per the report, the rumors have made the rounds since before WrestleMania 36 Weekend.

It was noted that Russo is not involved or employed in any way by Impact. Regarding whether he was set to be part of the “TNA: There’s No Place Like Home” special event back in April at Wrestlecon, it was noted that there was talk of using him at the show. 

The reason behind this idea was due to the promotion having an open-door policy for that one single night, to celebrate the old TNA brand.

Russo was never officially booked. The event was nixed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Finally, PWInsider noted there are no plans for Russo within the company in any capacity. This includes him being a consultant, independent contract, or employee. 

Russo took to Twitter to react to the rumors by writing the following: 

WWE Nixed Plans For New All-Women’s Tournament

Andrew Ravens
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It turns out that WWE had plans for a Queen of the Ring tournament this year, but those plans were nixed.

As of late, there had been rumors on WWE holding off on doing a Mae Young Classic tournament earlier this year. However, it’s since been reported that there were never plans to do this tournament for a third year. 

Instead, WWE did have plans for a Queen of the Ring tournament to be held. 

Bryan Alvarez shared the news on Wrestling Observer Live today. The tournament would’ve taken place this summer, but due to the coronavirus outbreak, those plans were halted. 

Back in 2018, Dave Meltzer reported in an edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE wanted to hold the event in 2019, but the idea was dropped. Originally, a QOTR event, with main roster Superstars, would be the follow-up to the all-women’s Evolution pay-per-view held in 2018.

Clearly, the Evolution show took place, but not without a tournament following it. 

As of this writing, there’s no word on if WWE has plans to hold another all-women’s event in the future once they’re able to run shows again with fans in attendance. 

Eric Bischoff Reacts to WWE’s Big Creative Shakeup, Has Advice For Paul Heyman

Eric Bischoff Reacts to WWE’s Big Creative Shakeup, Has Advice For Paul Heyman

Michael Reichlin
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Eric Bischoff has some thoughts about WWE’s decision to consolidate the writing teams of Raw and SmackDown.

WWE announced on Thursday that Bruce Prichard is now in charge of creative for both shows. The Something to Wrestle host had been acting as the Executive Director of SmackDown, a job previously held by Bischoff. Raw’s Executive Director, Paul Heyman, will remain with WWE exclusively as an on-air talent.

Bischoff commented on the dramatic shakeup. He also offered some advice for Paul Heyman. During a conversation with Christy Olson on After 83 Weeks, Bischoff said his initial reaction is to reach out to Bruce Prichard with a cheeky congratulatory message. “My first reaction is I’m going to send Bruce Prichard a text that says congratulations, with a question mark,” he joked.

Eric Bischoff says Bruce Prichard is one of his best friends and he fully supports Bruce in this new role. “Bruce is an architect, more than a creative mind. But Bruce being a good architect will know how to take advantage of the resources within his grasp, and will do a great job.”

As for Paul Heyman’s situation, Bischoff’s reaction was a little more .. mixed.

“He’s quirky as shit. He’s got his own thing, you know. Most really creative, highly aggressive people do. Paul was a handful but in a fun and positive way for me, not in a negative or challenging way, but in a way that kind of made you better because he made you think.”

Bischoff gave some advice to Paul Heyman, who now finds himself on the outside of WWE’s chaotic creative process.

“This too shall pass,” Bischoff advised Heyman. “It’ll pass quickly, and there will be another opportunity tomorrow. So just lay low.”

Bischoff added that Paul Heyman has a cult-like following with wrestling fans to this day. Heyman is an icon to so many people who feels he can do no wrong. Bischoff says that’s simply not the case and Heyman is ‘just a human being’ like the rest of us.

“He’s a very creative talented human being, but he still a human being that has flaws. but Paul is on such a pedestal that I think people tend to give him a little more credit than they should for some things.”

Watch the latest episode of After 83 Weeks with Christy Olson and Eric Bischoff:

https://youtu.be/yY1R-fFMeRg

Shayna Baszler: “People In This Business Worry Too Much About Making People Laugh Backstage”

Jake Skudder
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WWE Superstar Shayna Baszler recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The former NXT Women’s Champion appeared on the WWE Network show to discuss a number of topics from her recent career with the company.

One of the points raised was Shayna Baszler’s approach to her character on camera. Baszler is known for her smash mouth hard hitting style, with more of an emphasis on her in-ring work rather than promo abilities.

Shayna Baszler on Action over Words

“I think without saying much, everyone knows what I’m about,” Shayna Baszler began on the show. “And to be honest? I haven’t had to be in the ring very long with people to let them know what I’m about either. I think what someone does says a lot more than what someone says.”

Shayna Baszler would elaborate further, saying “I think whether people live by that or not? Everyone would agree to that. But that’s a thing that the one of the martial arts gyms I used to train at that [lived by], the team motto. It’s just something that carries over [to WWE].”

baszler2

Baszler would then comment on some Superstars who seemingly try to ‘pop’ the other talent backstage.

“I think people in this business worry too much about making people laugh backstage when they’re talking on the mic or when they’re on camera. What matters more is what we do in the ring. It doesn’t matter if I can get on a camera and say ‘I’m the best wrestler ever! I’m gonna beat everyone up! And then I go on the ring and don’t prove it.”

Shayna Baszler would finish by re-iterating her style as a performer in WWE. “But if you say nothing else but go in the ring and beat everyone up? They can’t come back for weeks or months? Then that says a lot more than anything you would have said on a camera. So it’s just, it’s a model that I live by.”

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Salina de la Renta Returns to MLW

Michael Reichlin
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Salina de la Renta is officially back with Major League Wrestling (MLW). According to MLW, she is now under an exclusive deal with the fight league.

As the founder of Promociones Dorado, she represents the top stars of Latin America in professional wrestling, other sports leagues, TV and film.

Salina de la Renta has managed some of Mexico’s top luchadores, such as LA Park, Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix. She is widely considered one of the most powerful and influential people in MLW history.

After a reign of dominance in MLW, de la Renta vanished when Promociones Dorado clashed with CONTRA Unit at Saturday Night SuperFight back in November 2019.

  • MLW Signs Streaming Deal With DAZN

The Empresaria made her shocking return on this week’s episode MLW Pulp Fusion. Check out her return at the conclusion of the video embedded below.

More On Paul Heyman’s Removal From WWE’s Creative Team

Chris Stephens
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It wasn’t even a year ago that WWE announced Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff as the new Executive Directors of RAW and Smackdown. The Heyman and Bischoff experiment was first announced by WWE on June 27th, 2019. Heyman lasted just under a year in the role, while Bischoff was gone in under 4 months.

Now, both RAW and Smackdown’s creative teams have been consolidated with Bruce Pritchard serving as the lead. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the move did not come as a surprise to many behind the scenes.

The report would quote an unnamed source from WWE’s front office as saying, “I am shocked it took this long. Everyone knew it was coming. Vince did not like Paul.”

It is also being reported that the global pandemic caused a shift in Vince McMahon’s priorities. While Heyman said upon taking the role that it would take RAW 18-months to establish new stars, McMahon evidently ran out of patience.

“It’s said by those close to the situation that once COVID-19 started that McMahon’s mentality changed about everything,” wrote Dave Meltzer. Before the pandemic, WWE had a more longterm outlook. Since the pandemic hit, short-term viewership performance became the greater concern.

WWE’s statement on Thursday stated that Heyman will continue to have an on-air role in the company. He currently serves as the advocate of Brock Lesnar.

Update On The Undisputed Era’s NXT Contract Status

Chris Stephens
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The Undisputed Era will turn 3-years-old this summer. The faction debuted in August of 2017. During their time in NXT, they have frequently held championships including Adam Cole’s current 1-year long reign as NXT Champion. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the faction won’t be leaving the promotion anytime soon.

“WWE made sure to sign a lot of the NXT key talent to new long-term deals which included all four members of the Undisputed Era,” wrote Dave Meltzer. He would continue to say that they won’t be free agents for “multiple years from now.”

A previous report from PW Insider stated that Cole’s contract had 18-months left on it.

The Undisputed Era In NXT

The 4-wrestler faction has captured all gold available to them in NXT. The combination of Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly and sometimes Roderick Strong are 3x NXT tag team champions. Both Adam Cole and Roderick Strong have won the NXT North American Championship on one occasion. Adam Cole is the current NXT Champion, having held that title since TakeOver: XXV on June 1st, 2019.

On the most recent episode of NXT, Adam Cole wrestled Dexter Lumis in the main event.

Update On Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows’ Free Agency

Chris Stephens
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Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows signed new WWE deals in July of 2019. 9 months later, they were released from the promotion.

According to an update from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Anderson & Gallows are looking to return to NJPW and also looking for a North American promotion to work for. They could be headed to Impact Wrestling but nothing is for sure at this point.

“Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson are looking for what was described as two deals, one of which would be New Japan, which would be the main deal, and the other would be a U.S. deal, and Impact is in play for being the second deal,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

The tag-team’s 90-day no-compete clause with WWE expires in time for them to appear on the Impact Slammiversary PPV. The event is scheduled for July 18th, 2020.

Impact has been heavily-teasing that several recently released WWE stars could appear on the show.

Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows

Anderson & Gallows began teaming together shortly after the Bullet Club angle began in 2013. Gallows debuted for NJPW as Anderson’s tag partner in November of 2013, with the faction having been formed that May. They won the World Tag League tournament that year. They would then go on to win the IWGP Heavyweight tag-team titles 3x before leaving the promotion in 2016.

Anderson & Gallows then appeared in WWE shortly after WrestleMania 32. They would win the RAW tag team championships twice and won the WWE Tag Team World Cup in Saudi Arabia in 2019 as well.

WWE Blocking Billy Gunn From Using His Last Name In AEW

Anutosh Bajpai
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The battle between WWE and AEW Vice President Cody Rhodes over the last name of the latter has made a number of headlines since Cody left the company and it appears that he is not the only star in battle with WWE due to a similar issue.

It was noted on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that former DX member Billy Gunn is not allowed to use his last name in AEW due to WWE.

While the exact details of the issues between the star and the company were not disclosed, it was noted that the veteran is not allowed to use his last name due to WWE lawyers getting involved.

This would explain why AEW has refrained from referring to the former WWE star using his full ring name. The star’s official ring name in the company is just Billy.

Though AEW officials have still managed to work around these restrictions and they usually refer to the wrestling star as “Billy of The Gunn Club”. They also bill him as “Billy and Austin Gunn” when he is teaming with his son.

Billy Gunn was hired as a producer and coach by AEW back in January 2019. He has made numerous on-screen appearances for the company since then and the wrestling veteran has also competed in several matches for the promotion.

Sonya Deville On If She Has Auditioned For Batwoman

Anutosh Bajpai
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Recent reports have suggested that Sonya Deville is pushing for acting roles in near future and one possible opportunity for her is the role of Batwoman in the CW series.

The former NXT star recently had an interview with ComicBookMovie.com where she talked about a number of things including a possible acting career and more.

Deville is WWE’s first openly gay female superstar. With Batwoman being a famous gay superhero, the female star was asked what it would mean for her to play the role:

“It was so cool to me to not only see a strong female being portrayed on a network like The CW, but that Batwoman is gay. That was so, so cool to me. I remember seeing when Ruby Rose got the part and being like, ‘Oh my God, that’s so badass.’

The fact they want to keep it in the LGBTQ+ community I think is something that’s really, really cool.” said Sonya Deville “I would love to be able to be the one to continue that inspiring message.”

When asked if she has had any contact with the makers of the show or if she had been given any chance to audition for the role, Sonya said that it’s a work “in progress. I’m working on it. [Laughs] I’ll say that.”

Ruby Rose, surprisingly announced her departure from Batwoman after the first season of the show recently. The producers have since confirmed that Rose’s Kate Kane will be replaced by a different character in season 2 of the series.

AJ Styles Responds To Harsh Comments From CM Punk: “I Don’t Respect Him Anyway”

Anutosh Bajpai
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CM Punk had taken some serious shots at AJ Styles while replying to a fan tweet recently and now the Phenomenal One has responded to his comments with the same sharpness.

The former TNA star recently had an interview with Times Of India where he talked about a number of things including his upcoming match with Daniel Bryan and more.

When asked about Punk’s comments, Styles made some interesting remarks saying that he would not react to criticisms from a guy who he doesn’t respect:

“I will not react at all coming from a guy like that I don’t respect anyway, it doesn’t really matter. Look, my job as a performer is to perform and get the mind off all the things that have happened throughout the world. I am not going to react to people saying ridiculous and stupid things.”

CM Punk ‘Shoots’ on AJ Styles

The comments in question came in response to a tweet where a fan had questioned AJ Styles for being quiet on the current events in the United States.

The fan had called out the SmackDown star for promoting his streams and claimed that his “silence speaks volumes” before noting that he is unfollowing the former champion.

CM Punk interestingly responded to these remarks from the fan and in a tweet which has since been deleted he wrote “Well. Come on. That one has been obvious for years.”

Now it would be interesting to see where this rivalry between the two former WWE Champions is headed next and how CM Punk comes back at AJ Styles.

Vince McMahon Has Reportedly Been ‘Very Upset’ With Raw

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE made some major changes to its creative team earlier yesterday when the company decided to merge the creative teams for its premier shows Raw and SmackDown.

This change was a result of the declining ratings of the Red Branded Show which has seen over 20% decline in year over year audience in the past couple of months.

PWInsider provided some more update on the changes recently and the site notes that the boss Vince McMahon has been “very upset” and openly “frustrated” with Raw of late.

The TV audience has been on a decline across the board for all wrestling shows since the coronavirus pandemic forced companies to halt their regular production and produce shows without a real audience.

However, the Red Brand of WWE has been hit hardest among the shows and 5 out of the last 6 Raw episodes have been the least-watched episodes in the show’s history.

In their response, the officials have decided to relive Paul Heyman of his duties as the Executive Director of Monday Night Raw, a position he took over in June last year.

The company has also decided to merge the creative teams of Raw and SmackDown which will be led by Bruce Prichard to ‘streamline’ their writing process.

WWE Combines Writing Teams, Paul Heyman No Loner Part of Creative

Michael Reichlin
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Another major shakeup has taken place with WWE’s writing staff.

WWE has consolidated the writing teams for Raw and SmackDown. Bruce Prichard will lead the new creative team. He previously served as the Executive Director of the SmackDown brand.

Paul Heyman, who served as Executive Director of Raw, will not be part of the new writing team. According to the following statement sent in to SEScoops.com, Heyman will focus on his role as on-air talent.

“In an effort to streamline our creative writing process for television, we have consolidated both teams from Raw and SmackDown into one group, led by Bruce Prichard. Paul Heyman will concentrate on his role as an in-ring performer.”

Heyman worked as the head of Raw’s creative effort since June 2019. At the time, Eric Bischoff was named as the leader of SmackDown’s writing team. Bruce Prichard took over for Heyman in just a few months later in October 2019.

AEW Dynamite Viewership Dips, NXT Edges Closer (6/10)

Andrew Ravens
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Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.

AEW won the night in total viewers and in the key 18-49 demo, but both shows were down. Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

WWE NXT Viewership

NXT on the USA Network averaged 673,000 viewers, down from last week’s 715,000 In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.16 rating, down from 0.20 last week.

The episode featured Finn Balor vs. Cameron Grimes, WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Dexter Loomis in a non-title match, and Keith Lee & Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae & and Johnny Gargano. 

AEW Dynamite Viewership

AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 677,000 viewers, down from the 730,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.23 rating, down from the 0.29 rating that the show did last week. 

AEW Dynamite featured bouts such as Colt Cabana vs. Sammy Guevara, The Butcher and The Blade vs. FTR, Inner Circle (Santana, Ortiz, and Jake Hager) vs. Best Friends and Orange Cassidy, Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander vs. Nyla Rose and Penelope Ford, and TNT Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Marq Quen.

Kris Statlander On How She Became An Alien

Chris Stephens
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Kris Statlander is currently ranked #2 in the AEW Women’s division rankings. She was this week’s guest on the AEW Unrestricted Podcast with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards. Amongst other topics, Statlander talked about how she became the “Galaxy’s Greatest Alien.”

“When I first started wrestling, I went by the name Liza Viero,” she said on the show.

“I was getting work and I was able to do stuff, it just wasn’t really like a character that was good.”

She continued to talk about how the alien gimmick is a bit of a play on how others have perceived her throughout her life.

“I’m a little bit weirder than people realize,” she continued. “I know I’m a little bit weirder and I never really fit in with any specific group of people. When I was in school, high school and everything, it was kind of like no one really wants to get to know you until they do start to get to know you and then they realize you’re so interesting and you have so much more to offer than what you just lead people to believe.”

“In a way, it’s almost like you feel alienated from everybody and I know that’s a weird play on words.”

“No one wants to believe aliens are real until somebody can prove something about it. No one cares to look into it more until there are facts to be known or things to research.”

“I kind of feel like in a weird way it’s a weird play on how I’ve always been perceived in life. No one really cared to get to know me until I had something interesting to say or I had something to offer that interests them and that’s kind of like what aliens are in a way. So, I was just kind of like ‘why not just play up how odd I am?”

Ric Flair On His Friendship With The Undertaker

Chris Stephens
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Ric Flair recently took part in an interview where he discussed his longtime friendship with the Undertaker. The two first met in 1989, when Taker was part of a tag-team along with Dan Spivey called the Skyscrapers. Evidently, Taker, Flair, and Horace Grant’s brother went out one night and the Jack Daniels was flowing. According to Flair, he lost a Rolex that night.

“Me and Taker and Harvey Grant were out one night and I lost a Rolex, which is a whole different part of the story,” Flair said to Metro UK. “Trying to hang with him and that Jack Daniels man, it’s tough. We’ve had so much fun!”

Flair also spoke about coming back to WWE in 2001 and working against Taker at WrestleMania the following year.

“When I agreed to come back to work it was never to wrestle,” Flair said regarding his return to WWE in 2001. Flair would end up facing the Undertaker at WrestleMania 18 in Toronto that year.

“I was so nervous wrestling Taker – when anybody in the world would be so excited to walk down that ramp and I was horrified.”

Flair was 53-years-old when that match took place. He noted that he told Taker he was hurting at the time.

“Once we got going – and he knew, I told him, it’s hard to tell somebody I’m struggling. Well, Ric Flair’s got a problem, guys. I’ve always been so comfortable with him, I had no problem telling him. And he got it.”

The full interview can be found here.

Luke Gallows: There Would Be No AEW Without Bullet Club

Chris Stephens
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Recently released from WWE, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows appeared on Tama Tonga’s podcast recently and discussed a variety of topics. During the discussion, Gallows stated that there would be no AEW without Bullet Club.

”The f**king Bullet Club revolutionized professional wrestling and if somebody hears this and they’re mad about it, sorry,” Gallows said. “If there’s no Bullet Club there’s no AEW. If there’s no Bullet Club there’s no growth in professional wrestling. If there’s no Bullet Club there really is no reason to have an NXT because why do you turn developmental into indie heaven and hire everybody in the business? There’s no reason to do it.”

The Young Bucks joined Bullet Club in 2013 as the faction’s junior heavyweight tag-team. Kenny Omega would join the following year, originally as the group’s junior heavyweight single’s competitor. Cody, Hangman Page, and Marty Scurll were all involved with the faction during their time in NJPW.

Tama Tonga, Karl Anderson, Bad Luck Fale and Prince Devitt (Finn Balor) are the group’s founding members dating back to May 2013. Doc Gallows would join that November, shortly after the Young Bucks did.

“Professional wrestling advanced because of what the Bullet Club was in Japan,” Gallows continued. He would continue to credit Bullet Club with wrestling resurgence over the last few years.

Gallows would continue to say the success of Bullet Club was also why they were recruited by WWE.

“That’s why they bought us, they f**king wined and dined us, then they fired us.”

A link to the full podcast can be found here.

Randy Orton On How Long He Plans To Continue Wrestling

Anutosh Bajpai
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Randy Orton has been a top of the class performer for WWE for almost two decades and he does not plan on stepping away from the ring anytime soon.

The Viper recently took part in a media call to promote the Backlash PPV during which he talked about his twitter feud with Tommaso Ciampa among other things.

Discussing the highly physical wrestling style of NXT stars, Orton said that it worries him because they wear and tear your career. Randy then went on to explain that he plans to continue wrestling for at least another decade:

“I’ve been doing this 20 years and I’ll do it another decade. I just turned 40 and my plan is to just keep going until my 50th birthday and I think I would be able to do that and I would be able to support my family for 30 years of wrestling under Vince McMahon because of the way I tell stories in the ring.”

The former World Champion went on to explain that the NXT stars should try to work smarter and improve on their ability to tell a story in the ring because wrestling is a business and they need to make money doing it to pay their bills.

Randy Orton is currently scheduled to face Edge in the ‘Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’ at the Backlash PPV from Performance Center this Sunday night.

Triple H On Why They Re-Signed Drake Maverick After Release

Anutosh Bajpai
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Drake Maverick was among the names which were released by WWE in April as part of the coronavirus budget cuts. However, the high flying star was able to turn his luck around and he was recently signed to a new contract by Triple H.

The Game recently took part in a media conference call where he talked about a number of things and also explained why they decided to re-hire the former 205 Live GM.

Triple H mentioned how Maverick managed to capture people’s hearts. He said that they had the option to ignore it or turn it into something and they chose the latter:

“When the release happened, he wasn’t involved in anything but it just happened the way it did, during the process of this tournament, he captured people’s hearts and their imagination and he earned that spot.

It was already out there so you either ignore it or you turn it into something.” said Triple H “We turned it into something based on him and his performances.”

Drake Maverick had been announced for the cruiserweight title tournament before his release. WWE decided to work this into a storyline and built a story where the high flying star was fighting to get his job back.

The former TNA star managed to win people’s hearts through his storytelling abilities in the tournament. Even though he couldn’t win the title, the buzz he created forced the WWE management to change their decision and Triple H re-hired the NXT star.

Randy Orton Comments On Potential Match With Tommaso Ciampa

Anutosh Bajpai
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There have been a lot of speculation about a potential match between Randy Orton and Tommaso Ciampa after the two got into a heated twitter exchange recently.

The Viper took part in a conference call to promote the upcoming Backlash PPV and during the interview; he also talked about a potential match with the former NXT Champion.

Orton said that he would be open to wrestling Ciampa if that’s what Mr McMahon wants him to do before claiming that there are a few things he can help the NXT star with:

“Yeah, as I was saying earlier, whatever Vince gives me to do, whatever my job is in that particular situation, I’m gonna do it.

If it’s working with a Tommaso Ciampa, then I’d be all for it, because I think he’s very talented and I think that theres a few things that I can help him with.”

Randy Orton On Tommaso Ciampa’s Injury Problems

Randy then mentioned how the former DIY member has been plagued with injuries in his career. The legend killer said that he would like to help Tommaso get a little bit out of his character and slow things down:

“What I worry about Ciampa in particular, is that with all these big injuries he’s had, and we’ve all had injuries, we’ve all worked hurt, we’ve all woke up stiff after a big fight,

But he needs to learn how to tell stories and slow it down and not think that the fans want to see him kill himself.”

While Randy Orton and Tommaso Ciampa have had an intense battle on twitter, reports suggest that there are no plans for a match between the two at the time.

Randy Orton will be facing Edge at Sunday’s Backlash PPV from the Performance Center and WWE has been dubbing this match as the “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.”

Shawn Michaels Got Into Heated Argument Before NXT Takeover: In Your House

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels was reportedly involved in a heated backstage argument before the NXT Takeover: In Your House event this past Sunday night.

According to FightFul, the Heartbreak Kid who is an important behind the scene figure of the Black And Yellow brand got into a heated debate with another WWE producer before the show went on air.

Though the debate did not have anything to do with the show and it was about the current events in the United States and the issues of racism in the country.

The other un-named producer reportedly claimed that everyone already gets treated the same in United States and these comments did not sit well with Shawn.

The DX member got upset over the remarks and he responded with an explanation on inequality and systemic racism in the country. Though he was professional in the debate.

It appears that things did not reach a breaking point as, despite his anger, Shawn Michaels and the other WWE official worked the Takeover event after the argument.

The WWE veteran has been working with the stars from the NXT brand for a while now and the current NXT Champion Adam Cole is among the names the former World Champion has worked closely with.

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