Edge vs Randy Orton at Backlash this weekend is being billed as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” This has led lots of wrestling fans to wonder what exactly WWE has planned for Backlash. Edge was recently interviewed by ESPN and said that when he first heard his match with Orton being billed that way, he didn’t think it was serious.
“I just laughed because I didn’t think it was serious,” Edge said. “Then I realized fairly quickly it was. Then my reaction was, is this wise, because anytime you say something the greatest ever beforehand, you’re setting yourself up for failure. And I don’t ever want to think that way. I need to think the opposite of that, I can’t control the court of public opinion. I need to do and be proud of the work that I put in.”
“All I can do is take it as if this is all just a bonus and in a weird way, a compliment. Or it’s a giant rib. I don’t know.”
Edge continued to say that he would have preferred the match not be billed in such a way.
“Would I have preferred they not billed it as that? Absolutely. But I also know there are times where heels get dug in the sand and there’s no changing it.”
Edge and Orton met at WrestleMania in a Last Man Standing match that went all over the WWE Performance Center. For Backlash, however, Orton challenged Edge to a traditional wrestling match.
Kurt Angle recently served as the referee for Matt Riddle’s match against Timothy Thatcher on NXT. Following Thatcher’s victory over Riddle, Kurt Angle then announced on Smackdown that Riddle would soon debut for the blue brand on Friday nights. In a recent interview with Talk Sport, Riddle recently revealed a booking idea he had for a storyline involving himself and Kurt Angle.
It had recently been revealed that WWE offered Angle the role of managing Riddle but the Original Bro feels the big money would have been with him turning on Angle.
“You know what crossed my mind originally [with Kurt Angle]? There’s the management thing, but then like in my head – and maybe this is just greedy me – in my head, when I see Kurt Angle, even if I like him and I’m friendly with him, I know the money is in beating up Kurt Angle,” Riddle said.
Riddle felt that the storyline could have been him turning on Angle after Angle costed him his match against Thatcher.
“I was really hoping he was going to cost me the cage match and then the Bro was going to snap and beat up Kurt Angle! Some deadlift Germans to an Olympic gold medallist from the Stallion? You telling me everybody at home wouldn’t be like ‘no he didn’t just dump him on his head!’ – because that’s what I do! It would have been crazy.”
Riddle also talked about how he could get revenge on King Corbin for retiring Angle and that could be a storyline he works on Smackdown.
Following last night’s NXT: In Your House event, Triple H spoke with media. During the discussion, he talked about Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship victory and the fact that she pinned Rhea Ripley and not the then-champion, Charlotte Flair.
“That finish was done tonight the way it was done for a very specific reason,” Triple H said. “Some people will read into that and go ‘oh, Charlotte can’t even get beat.’ I don’t buy into that, first of all. To me, the whole rhetoric of Charlotte Flair and her dad and her name and all that stuff is garbage. She works as hard as anybody I’ve ever seen. She’s a great performer, deserves everything she’s ever gotten and has.”
“This was done for a very specific reason for storytelling purposes,” he continued to say. “Hopefully, if we get to tell the story the way we want to over the coming months, I think 3 or 4 months from now you’ll go ‘I know exactly why they did the finish that they did.'”
Earlier on the call, Triple H was asked if Charlotte will continue on the NXT brand.
“We shall see,” Triple H responded when asked if Charlotte was done with NXT. “Charlotte’s always been a RAW talent, that is where she signed and her home. She had the NXT Championship. In essence, she’s been working all 3 brands lately, which has been awesome. We’ll see, I’m not 100% sure.”
Triple H On Io Shirai
Triple H also spent some time talking about the new NXT Women’s Champion, Io Shirai on the call.
“Io coming here from Japan, I always considered Io to be one of those game-changing talents, much like I did Asuka when she came here,” Triple H said. “There’s been bits and pieces of moments and injuries and setbacks and things. It’s amazing to see here where she is right now. She’s one of the greatest in-ring performers in the women’s division anywhere. I’m really excited for her. This is a new era for the NXT Women’s division with Io Shirai in that position.”
Elias was removed from the Intercontinental Championship tournament on Smackdown recently. 2 weeks ago, he was shown being taken to a “local medical facility” after being hit by a car. As it turns out, the angle will explain Elias’ absence from the show. He is dealing with an injury that will keep him out of action for months.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Elis has suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will be out of action for some time. The typical recovery time for a torn pec is 4 months but there is currently no timetable available for his return.
Elias made his WWE main roster debut shortly after WrestleMania in 2017. He had been on NXT since 2014. The only title he has won in his WWE career thus far is the 24/7 Championship which he has held on 4 occasions.
This year at WrestleMania, he defeated King Corbin on night 1 of the 2-night show. He again defeated Corbin in the 1st round of the Intercontinental Championship tournament before an injury led to him being no longer able to continue. AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan will face each other in the finals of the tournament this week on Smackdown.
NXT TakeOver: In Your House aired from Full Sail tonight on the WWE Network. Adam Cole defended the NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl. Charlotte Flair put the NXT Women’s Championship on the line against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley in the main event.
NXT TakeOver: In Your House Results
Tegan Nox, Mia Yim & Shotzi Blackheart def. Candice LeRae, Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai
Finn Balor def. Damian Priest
Keith Lee def. Johnny Gargano to retain the NXT North American Championship
Adam Cole def. Velveteen Dream to retain the NXT Championship
Karrion Kross def. Tommaso Ciampa
Io Shirai def. Rhea Ripley & Charlotte Flair to win the NXT Women’s Championship
Here are 6 takeaways from TakeOver: In Your House:
Tegan Nox Pinned Dakota Kai
Mia Yim, Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart battled Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez in the fist match of the night.
Match Recap: Tegan Nox beat Dakota Kai down to start off the match and then tagged in Shotzi. Kai battled back and tagged in Candice. LeRae went for a Senton but Blackheart got out of the way and connected with a kick to the face. The action spilled out of the ring and Yim hit a Suicide Dive. LeRae hit a Crossbody and then Tegan Nox flipped onto everyone.
Back in the ring, Gonzalez hit Shotzi with a cheap shot as Dakota Kai tagged in. Dakota bounced Shotzi’s face off the turnbuckle and beat her down in the corner of the ring. Mia Yim and Candice tagged in and Yim planted LeRae with a Neckbreaker. Yim connected with a Dragon Suplex and went for the cover but LeRae kicked out at two.
Gonzalez and Tegan then tagged in and traded shots in the middle of the ring. Gonzalez hit a massive Powerbomb and went for the cover but Mia broke it up at the last moment. Yim and LeRae then battled up the entrance ramp and backstage. Dakota Kai accidentally booted Gonzalez in the face and then Nox hit Kai with the Shiniest Wizard for the pinfall victory.
Finn Balor Defeated Damian Priest In A Great Match
Finn Balor faced Damian Priest tonight at In Your House.
Match Recap: Balor started off the match in control and hit him with a Dropkick in the corner. Priest went for a Splash but Finn got out of the way and booted Damian out of the ring.
Finn followed Damian out there and Damian sent him flying into the steel steps. Damian slammed Balor on the ring apron with a massive Side Slam from off the steel steps. Priest brought Balor back into the ring applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring.
Priest connected with the Broken Arrow but Finn quickly hit a Double Stomp and both superstars fell to the canvas. Balor hit the Pele Kick and went for the cover for a near fall. Finn Clothelined Damian out of the ring but Priest hopped right back onto the apron and booted Finn in the face. Damian Priest hit a Razor’s Edge on the ring apron and went for the cover back in the ring but Balor was able to kick out at the last moment.
Balor connected with a Slingblade but Priest quickly caught fin with two roundhouse kicks. Finn hit another Slingblade and followed it up with a Dropkick in the corner of the ring. Balor made his way to the top rope but Priest caught him. Priest planted Balor with a massive Chokeslam for a near fall.
Damian went for a Razor’s Edge off the apron but Finn broke free. Balor hit a forearm to the face and Priest fell onto the steel steps outside the ring. Balor hit Priest with a Coup de Grace on Priest as he got back into the ring. Finn went right back to the top rope and hit another Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: The bump on the steel steps looked unbelievably painful for Priest. Balor picked up the win but I’m sure Priest impressed a lot of people and earned new fans tonight.
Keith Lee Retained The NXT North American Championship
Keith Lee defended his NXT North American Championship against Johnny Gargano tonight at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
Match Recap: Gargano knocked Johnny out of the ring and went for a Suicide Dive but Lee caught him. Johnny escaped and went for a Cannonball off the apron but once again Keith caught him. Gargano escaped again by raking Lee’s injured eye but Keith caught Johnny with a punch to the face.
Johnny tried to exit through the door on the set but it was locked. Keith Lee bounced Johnny’s face off the door and threw him back down the entrance ramp. Gargano continued to attack Lee’s injured eye and beat him down in the corner of the ring.
Gargano kept Lee grounded for the next several minutes as “Johnny sucks!” chants broke out. Keith connected with a massive Clothesline for a two count. Lee went for a Powerbomb but Gargano countered into a roll-up for a near fall.
Keith Lee lifted Gargano up into a Fireman’s Carry but Johnny once again countered into a roll-up for a near fall. Johnny planted Lee with a DDT outside the ring. Gargano got into the ring and broke up the referee’s count so the match could continue. Keith Lee hit Gargano with a Pounce that sent Johnny flying through the plexiglass.
Candice LeRae tried to distract Keith Lee but Mia Yim attacked her. Gargano grabbed the key from his trunks and dug it into Keith Lee’s eye. Gargano hit One Final Beat and went for the cover but Lee kicked out at two. Gargano hit Lee with several kicks to the face but Lee kept kicking out at two.
Lee grabbed Gargano by the throat and lifted him up to his shoulders. Keith planted Johnny with the Spirit Bomb and followed it up with the Big Bang Catastrophe to retain the NXT North American Championship.
Adam Cole defended the NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl tonight at TakeOver: In Your House. If Velveteen Dream did not defeat Cole tonight, he wouldn’t get another shot at the title as long as Cole was champ.
Match Recap: Dream cosplayed Negan from The Walking Dead and Cole arrived in a monster truck. Velveteen got in the ring with a baseball bat and Cole demanded that he put it down.
Velveteen rolled up Cole a few times in a row but Adam kicked out at two each time. Cole leveled Dream with a boot to the face and said he was leaving with the title. Cole hopped in a car but Dream climbed on top of it and started swinging the bat.
Cole got out of the car and the two superstars started trading shots. An Uber driver showed up and Dream bounced Cole’s face off the car. Dream launched Cole into a trash can and then tried to throw it at him but the champ got out of the way. Cole ran away and Dream followed him. Dream opened an unlocked door and Cole sprayed him in the face with a fire extinguisher.
Dream battled back and sent Cole flying into the ring post. Velveteen leaped off the top rope but Cole was ready and caught him with a Superkick. Dream returned the favor and hit a Superkick of his own after Cole leaped off the apron.
Velveteen beat Cole down on top of a car and then set up a ladder next to him. Dream climbed to the top rung but Undisputed Era showed up for a distraction. Dream shoved Cole off the ladder and onto the windshield of the car. Undisputed Era attacked Dream and beat him down.
Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish threw tons of steel chairs into the ring that were stored in the monster truck. Dexter Lumis slid out from under the ring and attacked Fish and Strong with a steel chair. Dexter put Fish and Strong in his trunk and drove away.
Adam Cole crawled towards the ring and climbed to the top rope. Cole went for the Panama Sunrise but Velveteen countered into the Dream Valley Driver for a near fall. Cole hit Dream with a low blow and then the Panama Sunrise on top of the steel chairs for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I was looking forward to this match and was surprised when it wasn’t the main event. After watching it, I now understand why it wasn’t. There were fun moments here and there but the setting didn’t work for me. I thought the ring surrounded by cars was cool looking but Dream and Cole stumbling through the backlot for several minutes was boring. It was overproduced as well with a ton of camera cuts that felt unnecessary. The match wasn’t bad by any means but I was just underwhelmed by it.
Karrion Kross faced Tommaso Ciamps tonight at In Your House. Scarlett was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Tommaso got in a little offense early but Kross quickly took control of the match and brutally slammed Ciampa onto the ring apron. Kross then planted Ciampa with multiple Suplexes in the ring.
Kross put his hands behind his back and dared Ciampa to hit him. Tommaso swung but Karrion avoided it and connected with a Northern Lights Suplex. Kross leveled Ciampa with a Clothesline but Tommaso battled back with an Enziguri.
Ciampa delivered a knee to the face that sent Karrion to the ring apron. Tommaso hit a DDT and went for the cover but Kross kicked out at two. Ciampa went for Fairy Tale Ending but Karrion countered with a slam. Karrion then locked in the Kross Jacket and Ciampa passed out.
Match Recap: Charlotte rolled out of the ring and Rhea & Io locked up. Flair hopped in the ring and attacked Ripley from behind. Ripley and Shirai then teamed up and beat Flair down in the corner of the ring.
Ripley knocked Flair out of the ring and went for a Cannonball but Charlotte got out of the way. Flair launched Ripley into the barricade but turned around into a Frankensteiner off the apron from Io. Flair shrugged it off and launched Io onto Ripley against the barricade.
Back in the ring, Charlotte locked in a Boston Crab on Io in the middle of the ring. Ripley broke it up and hit Flair with a Dropkick. Shirai dropped Rhea with a kick to the face and hit Charlotte with a 619. Shirai followed it up with a Double Stomp and a Dropkick to Flair for a near fall.
Ripley and Shirai connected with a punch at the same time and collapsed to the canvas. Flair connected with a Spear on both superstars and went for the cover but they both kicked out. Flair went for a Moonsault but Io got her knees up. Rhea went for the Riptide but Shirai countered.
Io applied a Crossface to Charlotte in the middle of the ring but Rhea broke it up with a boot to the face. Flair leveled Rhea with a big boot for a two count. Flair went for Natural Selection but Ripley blocked it. Shirai hit a springboard Dropkick that sent Ripley to the canvas.
Flair hit Shirai with Natural Selection and went for the cover but Io kicked out at two. Charlotte locked in the Figure Four but Ripley dragged Charlotte out of the ring. Io hit Ripley with an awesome Crossbody through the ropes. Charlotte sent Io flying through the windows on the In Your House set.
Charlotte took Ripley down and unloaded several punches. Shirai climbed to the top of the set and hit them both with a massive Crossbody as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”. The action returned to the ring and Charlotte went for a Spear but wound up crashing into the turnbuckle.
Ripley hit Io with several chops and perched her up on the top turnbuckle. Ripley went for a Superplex but Io blocked with a couple punches to the ribs. Io went for a Frankensteiner but Ripley stopped it and Charlotte hit Shirai with a boot to the face.
Charlotte hit Ripley with several chops and joined her on the top rope. Rhea hit the Riptide but Shirai broke up the cover. Flair brought a kendo stick and hit Ripley in the back with it. Flair hit Io as well and then continued to beat the hell out of Ripley.
Flair connected with a Spear on Ripley and locked in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Charlotte bridged into the Figure Eight as Io climbed to the top rope. Shirai connected with a Moonsault onto Ripley for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Io Shirai capturing the title was awesome to see . I thought this match was very entertaining and once again NXT put on a great TakeOver event. Backlash has a tough act to follow next week.
Charlotte Flair didn’t survive the Triple Threat Match as NXT Women’s Champion against two of the best stars that NXT has to offer as Io Shiri dethroned her.
Shirai won the NXT Women’s Championship by beating Rhea Ripley and Flair in the main event of the NXT TakeOver: In Your House special on Sunday night.
It was a wild match that saw them brawl over ringside. At one point, Flair used a kendo stick on her challengers. Flair sent Io through the window part of the set while Ripley threw a plant at Flair. Io did a dive off the roof of the house set onto Flair and Ripley.
The finish saw Io hit a moonsault to Rhea’s head off the top rope for the win.
This feud all started when Flair defeated Ripley by submission to win the NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36 – Night 2. Fast forward to the April 8th episode of NXT, Shirai won a ladder match to earn a championship match against Flair.
Moving along to the May 6th episode, Io won the match against Flair but failed to win the championship due to the DQ victory.
After the contest, Rhea made her return to NXT television in order to make the save for Io. Then, a match between Shirai and Ripley ended in a no-contest on the May 20th episode when Flair attacked them leading to this title match.
Karrion Kross now can say that he had a match featured on the main card of an NXT TakeOver special.
As seen at Sunday’s (June 7, 2020) WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House in Winter Park, Florida, the former Impact Wrestling star did so when he took on Tommaso Ciampa that saw Kross go over the former NXT Champion.
It was a short match that saw Kross be booked strong with Ciampa not getting a ton of offense in. The finish saw Kross lock in the Kross Jacket submission, which is a rear-naked choke.
When Kross first signed with the company, it was reported that he was being brought in as a top star and WWE is living up to that expectation.
Back in April, this feud started when Kross attacked Ciampa from behind as Ciampa was doing a backstage promo. WWE paired Kross up with his real-life girlfriend, Scarlett. Fast forward to the May 20th episode of NXT, WWE had Ciampa cut a promo about Kross to make this match official.
The Velveteen Dream didn’t dethrone Adam Cole as WWE NXT Champion as he failed to win the title.
The Backlot Brawl aired during Sunday’s WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House at Full Sail University on the WWE Network. WWE actually had taped this match in late March.
As seen in the contest, Cole went over in the contest when he hit a Candian Destroyer onto a pile of chairs for the win. Cole arrived at the fight in a lifted truck while Dream drove to the fight in a lambo.
They brawled around and at one point, an Uber showed up for Cole, who was trying to leave. Dream pushed Cole off the ladder and onto the windshield of the car.
Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish showed up but were taken out by Dexter Loomis, who put them in his car and drove away.
This was actually a rematch from the May 6th episode of NXT on the USA Network that saw Cole successfully retain the championship. However, WWE continued the program.
WWE set up this contest back on the May 27th episode of NXT when Cole had a Zoom call with NXT General Manager William Regal to address his problems with Dream.
Cole added a stipulation, which was if Dream loses then Dream can never get a title shot again as long as Cole is the champion.
Johnny Gargano isn’t a champion once again in WWE NXT as Keith Lee held onto the NXT North American Championship.
The former NXT Champion failed to beat Lee to win the NXT North American Championship at the WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University on the WWE Network.
The contest featured the two stars having plenty of time to tell the story of Gargano willing to do anything to get the win including working over the eyes of the champion and outside interference by his wife, Candice LeRae. In the end, Lee picked up the win by hitting his finisher.
WWE didn’t give this feud a ton of build-up as they had a run-in a few weeks back along with Candice LeRae and Mia Yim. WWE later confirmed that Gargano would indeed challenge Lee for the title at this show back on the May 27th episode of NXT.
Lee won the North American Title Match back on the January 22nd episode of NXT on the USA Network when he beat Roderick Strong for it.
WWE holds the fallout episode from this show and match of NXT on Wednesday in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
What are your thoughts on Keith Lee retaining the NXT North American Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Triple H spoke with CBS Sports for a new interview to promote the NXT TakeOver: In Your House special.
During the interview, he talked about the difficulties for those in NXT with having to wrestle in the empty Performance Center during the COVID-19 pandemic. It should be noted that a few weeks ago, WWE decided to have Performance Center recruits work as fans in the crowd.
Triple H started out by talking about how he’s very proud of the product that they’ve continued to put out. He noted how NXT had to drift along on the tail of RAW and SmackDown in regards to move as they were the last in the three-show order. He noted how there were a lot of times that they were scrambling to pick up the chains last and move with it.
He stated that it was difficult to do but thinks the talent has done a remarkable job.
“I read a quote the other day where a talent said everybody hates doing these empty-arena shows. Of course, they do. No one wants to wrestle in an empty arena. No one wants to get COVID either. “These empty-arena shows are what they are.”
He continued by stating that WWE feels like it’s really important right now in the world for people to be entertained while also doing everything they can from a safety standpoint and following guidelines to continue putting on a product.
“It’s a different product and it’s hard for talent, especially in NXT where some of the talent are younger and newer.
I can’t even imagine if I’d only been in the business for a couple of years and I’m just starting to get used to having a lot of fans at the shows and now they take all the fans away. I’m expected to do the matches still and put one-hundred percent into everything else. It’d be really hard. It’s a tough thing.”
He stated that everything they do goes back to being taught to listen to the reactions from fans and react to it. He stated that you can guide them from there but now, there’s nothing to guide you.
He called it really tough but understands that this isn’t going to last forever. He noted that he’s a big believer the talent will rise to the top, the cream will rise to the top. He added that if they continue to put out great shows, people will continue to watch.
It turns out that this year’s WWE Backlash pay-per-view event will not be live.
Instead, WWE taped the show on Sunday in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that WWE brought in Performance Center recruits this morning to film the show.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on whether WWE has any cinematic elements planned for the show.
Once filming was done for the show, WWE sent the recruits to Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University in order to be there for the live NXT TakeOver: In Your House special.
It was added that the recruits had a call time at 8:30 AM and expected to be working until midnight.
WWE presents the Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 14, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network.
Updated WWE Backlash Card
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison – Handicap Match
Zack Ryder was recently a guest on “Keepin it 100” with Konnan and Disco Inferno. Ryder talked about how he got over with some fans on YouTube, social media, and being “the Internet Champion” in WWE. He was asked if he thought Vince McMahon resented him for getting over outside of the company.
“I wasn’t the first guy to have a YouTube show, I wasn’t the first guy to have social media. I think I was the first guy to use it to accelerate my career,” Ryder said. “There was clearly nothing going on for me. Yes, I was in WWE, I was on RAW but I was doing nothing.”
Ryder then talked about how despite getting over with some fans, he never knocked on Vince’s door and asked why he was being used the way he was.
“I could have easily knocked on his door and said ‘hey, Vince, what’s going on here?'” Ryder said.
“I at the time was a couple of things, I was naive, I wasn’t mature enough, I wasn’t man enough to knock on his door and ask, so we’ll never know.”
Ryder continued to say he’s not bitter. He also reiterated that he could have asked Vince why he was being used the way he was.
“I blame myself for that. I never want to regret things or hold grudges or blame other people because then you are just bitter and I just don’t want to live that life,” he continued.
Arn Anderson worked in WCW when Vince Russo was brought in during the promotion’s final years. Russo signed with WCW on October 3rd, 1999. The final episode of Nitro would take place 18 months later on March 26th, 2001. On an episode of “The Arn Show,” Double-A talked about what it was like working with Russo.
“He’s one of the guys that I worked for instead of with,” Anderson said regarding Russo. “When he came in a lot of guys started going home, the regular guys, the big stars, because there was a creative difference in what they had in mind and what he had in mind.”
Anderson continued to say he just tried to do what he was told at this time.
“All I did as an agent at the time was exactly what he wanted. Him and Ed Ferrara because they were writing the show and from my perspective, they had absolute autonomy. What they said went.”
“Was Vince Russo in some areas very creative? Absolutely.”
Double-A would continue to say that he believed strongly that the product needed to make sense. He perhaps insinuated that WCW storylines at the time did not do that.
“It shouldn’t dumb the product down, it shouldn’t be so outlandish that nobody is going to buy it. It can be as creative as you want it to be but, at least, at the end of the day when it’s all said and done, have it make sense.”
“To answer the question, I worked for him, what he said he wanted I did my best to give him and that was the extent of our relationship to my memory,” Anderson concluded.
Booker T recently spent some time on his radio show and YouTube channel talking about Impact Wrestling. He said that now could be the time for Impact to get back in the game as the promotion has teased bringing in recently released WWE stars to their Slammiversary PPV on July 18th.
“I am wondering if this is a time now for Impact Wrestling to – bang – explode again and get back in the game,” Booker said.
Booker and his co-host discussed the video Impact aired last Tuesday night for Slammiversary. Clips of EC3, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, the Bennett/Kanellis’ and more were shown in the video. The clip also shows a flag of Belarus, Rusev’s home country.
“You gotta think Anthem, Anthem has been doing a lot of big major moves, lot of money moves. I’m sure they’re saying ‘hey man, this is the time to get back in the game.'”
“There’s guys out there like Rusev right now. We got guys out there like Heath Slater, Erik Rowan, Kassius Ohno, there’s a lot of big guys out there that we can pick up that can put a lot of behinds in the seats.”
“It’s the perfect time for TNA (Impact) to pull the trigger and get back in the game,” he continued.
They continued to discuss the rumours of WWE reaching out to bring back some of the released stars as well.
Booker’s comments can be heard in the player below:
WWE Hall of Famer and backstage producer for NXT Road Dogg Brian James recently appeared on the WWE After The Bell podcast w/Corey Graves. The D-Generation X member discussed a number of topics from his career with WWE, including his run backstage with the company.
One of the points discussed was fans not understanding the intricacies of the business and why certain talents are not able to cut ‘unscripted’ promos.
“They shouldn’t be able to, because they can’t fathom the intricacies that go into it” Road Dogg began on the podcast, talking about the fan’s mentality about the business. “We got to keep the lights on, you know what I mean? We’re trying to pay the power bill.”
Road Dogg on Scripted Promos
Road Dogg would elaborate further; saying “it’s big picture stuff, we have a way we shoot TV and we have a way the promos are cut. It’s to rise above that ‘wrasslin,’ that old school mentality. We talked before we came on about USWA and look, I learned how a wrestle there and I loved it. It was a breeding ground and I really did love it. But that’s how a lot of people in the world still view wrestling.”
The former New Age Outlaw would then praise Vince McMahon for trying to change the causal viewer’s mentality of pro wrestling. “For somebody there to try to take it out of that and make it something more? I don’t think that is a bad thing, I think it’s a brilliant business decision, to be quite honest.”
The Fans ‘Not Getting It’
Moving on to scripted promos, Brian James would say that certain fans don’t understand that with the nature of WWE as a public company; they cannot allow certain talents to just cut promos they way that used to in the 90s. “They [the fans] can’t fathom like ‘okay, this guy is a loose cannon, he might say a cuss word or something.’ So we script his promo and he has do it word for word now, because we don’t trust you yet.”
Road Dogg did then clarify that talents in WWE can build that trust and be given more leeway with promos over time. “If we see over a period of time that we’re wrong and we can trust you? Then you will be brought in to the writers room. The writer has this balancing act of making sure you [the talent] get the message across. And not only the message that is written, but the message that we as a company want to send. The message that we as a company are comfortable with telling; and how far do you go and how far do you not go?”
Do you think that WWE needs to give performers more of a chance to be unscripted on television? Let us know in the comments
FTR, the former Revival, made an appearance on Jim Cornette’s podcast where they spoke about their time in WWE.
During the interview, they recalled how Randy Orton was not only a good friend but an even better top star to them as he would go and pitch to work with the former WWE Tag Team Champions on television.
“With Randy, who has become one of our mentors and one of our really close friends, we talked to him every single day. He fought for us so hard to get us on TV with him every single week because he believed in our work ethic and he believed in what we brought to the table.
We watched him go to Vince every single week, or Hunter or whoever, and say, ‘we gotta keep this up’.”
It was added that there were other WWE stars in addition to Orton who pitched McMahon about working with them. If an idea go through then they would do it for a few weeks then have it taken away without putting any juice on it.
The Usos, Roman Reigns, and Shane McMahon were mentioned as guys who wanted to work with them and went to management about working together.
The card for Sunday’s WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House event has been finalized.
The company has yet to officially announce the main event of this event that takes place in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University and will air on the WWE Network.
This show marks the third special for the yellow brand in 2020, which features a stacked lineup. There are a total of six matches booked for this show with three of them being championship matches.
As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special later tonight. Here’s the final card:
WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House Card
NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. The Velveteen Dream – Dream can’t challenge for the title as long as Cole is champion should he lose, Backlot Brawl
Karrion Kross vs. Tommaso Ciampa – Singles Match
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai – Triple Threat Match
Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Johnny Gargano
Teagan Nox, Shotzi Blackheart & Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez – Six-Woman Tag Team Match
One WWE star is not happy with his current role on television and decided to take to social media to let fans know about it.
It all started when a fan sent a tweet to Ali claiming that he had one of the easiest jobs in WWE.
The fan stated that Mustafa Ali was being paid not to do anything. Ali took issue with that opinion and expressed his displeasure with no working. He wrote the following:
“Yeah, man. It’s real nice to be in your prime and wanting to use the exposure you get to bring light to serious topics, but instead forced to the sidelines for reasons beyond your control. Real nice to not be allowed to do what you’re passionate about.”
Since the introduction of the mystery hacker on Friday Night SmackDown, Ali has been rumored as the possible star behind it.
It should be noted that the character hasn’t been mentioned on SmackDown in a few weeks, which some fans think that the gimmick is losing steam.
Ali hasn’t worked a match since February 7th, which was a dark match at a SmackDown TV event where he went over Drew Gulak.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed Velveteen Dream and the upcoming NXT Takeover: In Your House event that will be taking place this weekend.
The show will be airing live on WWE Network Sunday night, and the main event will see NXT Champion Adam Cole defending his title against Velveteen Dream in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl match. If Velveteen Dream cannot defeat Cole, then he will be unable to challenge again for the NXT Championship.
Velveteen Dream vs Adam Cole
That stipulation will stay in place as long as Cole is Champion. With the stipulation confirmed, there have been rumblings of Velveteen Dream finally making his rise to WWE’s ‘main roster’ and joining SmackDown or RAW. Although WWE has previously said that NXT is on par with both of the traditional main brands, it’s clear that WWE still classes SmackDown and RAW as the two main programmes for the company.
“I want to see Velveteen Dream stepping up” Mark Henry began on Busted Open. “He’s always entertaining and flamboyant and kinda like a loose cannon, if you will, sometimes.”
Henry would elaborate further, saying “I want to see him elevate his work. I want to see him be the Velveteen that we’ve seen, BUT I also want to see something else. I want to see everything, I want to see more from Velveteen Dream.”
Here’s the full card for NXT Takeover: In Your House
Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross
Keith Lee (c) vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT North American Championship Match
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai – NXT Women’s Championship Match
Adam Cole (c) vs. Velveteen Dream – Last Chance Backlot Brawl for the NXT Championship
Do you think that Velveteen Dream will win the Championship this weekend? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed NXT Champion Adam Cole and his prospects on WWE’s ‘main roster.’ There have been reports that WWE management are concerned at the size of Adam Cole, who some deem as ‘too small’ to be taken seriously as a main eventer on WWE’s biggest stage.
“There’s the misconception that Adam Cole is not big enough to be on RAW or SmackDown” Mark Henry would begin. “When I say big enough? I mean his stature? It is great, incredibly big enough. But size wise?”
Adam Cole (Baybay)
Henry would elaborate further, saying how he does not agree at all with the assessment of the NXT Champion. “I think that’s unbelievably unfair. Because you think about the match he had with Daniel Bryan; and him beating Daniel Bryan, I might add to that [November 2019]. The dude was stellar, and you would get more of that if he was to go to RAW or SmackDown.”
The World’s Strongest Man would then talk about the perceived size issue in WWE generally. “I think that the biases about size needs to go away” Henry confirmed. “The dude is unbelievably good. And I want to see him versus Drew McIntyre, I want to see him versus Brock Lesnar, I want to see him versus Randy Orton, Edge, Baron Corbin you name it, he can get the job done.”
Adam Cole is set to defend his NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream this weekend at NXT Takeover: In Your House in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl match. If Dream loses then he will be unable to challenge for the belt again, as long as Cole is Champion.
Do you think that Adam Cole could be a big star on WWE’s ‘main roster’ of RAW and SmackDown? Let us know in the comments
Outspoken pro wrestling personality and former TNA, WWE and WCW on-screen performer Jim Cornette recently discussed a hilarious tale from TNA’s chequered legacy.
Cornette was discussing Championship belts on the Drive Thru podcast earlier this week when he revealed the faux pas from TNA’s production staff. 2005-2010 is considered by many to be the heyday of the Total Nonstop Action brand, with the likes of AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Abyss and Kurt Angle topping the card. Even still, the company that sometimes gets lumbered with the ‘LOLTNA’ meme in their later years were liable to gaffes even in this time frame.
Jim Cornette on ‘Losing’ The Belt
“Another time in TNA? It was years ago., like 2007-2008ish they did the pay per view in St. Louis” Jim Cornette would begin on the podcast. “They actually had to have a stooge in Florida that could get into the soundstage at Universal Studios to go in. Because they forgot the belt [TNA World Championship].”
Cornette would discuss how times had changed in the wrestling industry, as Champions nowadays rarely hold on to their prized possession. In the case of TNA it was kept ‘safe’ by the production team…so things like this didn’t happen.
“The champion wasn’t carrying the belt” Jim Cornette continued. “So the f*cking, you know, production people were supposed to bring it. They forgot the belt they had it at the soundstage. So they had the stooge go to the soundstage in Orlando, get the belt rush it over to the airport and buy it a f*cking plane ticket.”
Jim Cornette would finish by revealing that the belt not only had a seat on the plane, but apparently went under the name belt/championship (we can’t verify if this is true). “They put it on the goddamn plane and they had somebody in St. Louis go to the airport. They still didn’t get there on time, the pay per view had already started. They picked up the belt at the airport in St. Louis from Delta. The ticket was under the name of belt slash championship.”
Can you think of a more LOLTNA moment than this? Let us know in the comments
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Backlash PPV.
During Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX, WWE confirmed that Sheamus would battle Jeff Hardy at this show. The two stars have been feuding for several weeks now to lead to this contest.
The two stars were part of the tournament to crown a new Intercontinental Champion but Hardy was removed when he was featured in a hit & run angle that also involved Elias while Sheamus lost in the semi-finals to Daniel Bryan. Both the segment and match took place last week on SmackDown.
WWE presents the Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 14, 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 Backlash Card
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison – Handicap Match
The June 5th edition of WWE SmackDown aired from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross defended their Women’s Tag Team Championships against Bayley & Sasha Banks in the main event.
SmackDown Results (6/5)
Otis def. King Corbin
Lacey Evans def. Sonya Deville
Drew Gulak def. AJ Styles
New Day & Shorty G def. Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, Mojo Rawley
Sasha Banks & Bayley def. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross to capture the Women’s Tag Team Championships
Here are 5 takeaways from the show:
Sheamus Beat Jeff Hardy Down
Jeff Hardy came down to the ring as Michael Cole stated that Elias could miss months due to injuries sustained in the hit & run angle last week.
Hardy said he pulled up to the Performance Center and right when he got out of his car someone hit him on the head. When he woke up he was in handcuffs and smelled of alcohol.
Jeff wondered how he could have let his wife and daughters down again and how many more times could he beg for forgiveness. He said that he knew deep down that he did not slip last Friday and passed all his sobriety tests.
Hardy added that there were eye witnesses at the police station that saw a man with red hair and a red beard leave the scene of the crime. Sheamus interrupted and claimed that Jeff was just blaming other people for his problems.
Sheamus said that Jeff always has an excuse for his actions and that his fans were enablers. He told Hardy to be a man for once in his life and admit what he did. Sheamus called Hardy a junkie and his family is used to it.
Jeff Hardy sprinted up the entrance ramp and tackled Sheamus. Sheamus quickly fought back and leveled Hardy with a Brogue Kick. He then slammed Hardy into the plexiglass several times as the PC trainees chanted “you suck!”.
Opinion: I thought this promo was great and I’m really enjoying this storyline. The use of Jeff Hardy’s troubled past has made the rivalry personal. Sheamus trying to frame Jeff Hardy for running Elias over while intoxicated is an act that shouldn’t be settled in a traditional wrestling match. It was announced that they will face each other at Backlash but I hope a stipulation is added to the match next week.
Mandy Rose Cost Sonya Deville Her Match Against Lacey Evans
Lacey Evans faced Sonya Deville tonight on SmackDown. Before the match, Sonya attacked Evans from behind and shoved her into the ring post.
Match Recap: Evans battled back when the bell rang and hit Sonya with an Arm Drag. Lacey followed it up with an elbow to the face and went for the cover but Deville was able to kick out at only a one count.
Deville hit Lacey with a boot to the face and targeted her knees and midsection with a series of kicks. Evans went for a roll-up and wound up sending Sonya into the referee. The ref grabbed his knee in pain and called for help as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Deville was in control as another referee was in the ring. Sonya knocked Lacey out of the ring and slammed her on the ring apron. Back in the ring, Lacey hit Sonya with Clothesline and both superstars fell to the canvas.
Evans leveled Deville with a running knee and followed it up with a Bronco Buster in the corner of the ring. Lacey connected with an impressive Moonsault for a near fall. Mandy Rose showed up on the jumbotron and called Sonya failure. Lacey capitalized and hit the Woman’s Right for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: She took the loss tonight but Sonya Deville has really shined on SmackDown as of late. Her aggression in the ring was awesome tonight and her promos have been excellent throughout this entire storyline. I honestly didn’t see this coming at all and hopefully this feud leads to her being built up a strong heel on SmackDown.
Daniel Bryan Wants To Defend The IC Title Every Week
Renee Young moderated Face to Face between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan tonight on SmackDown. Bryan and Styles will clash to determine the new Intercontinental Champion next week.
Styles claimed that if Jeff Hardy not got involved in his match he would be facing Sheamus for the Intercontinental Championship. Daniel Bryan called AJ a coward for taking a bye into the finals.
AJ referred to himself as the greatest champion WWE has ever seen and Daniel Bryan is all heart. Bryan called Bryan stupid for not taking a bye as well. Daniel told AJ that he wasn’t going to get under his skin and they apparently have two different visions of what it means to be an Intercontinental Champion.
Bryan stated that AJ’s vision was sparingly defending the title while Daniel wants to the defend the title on SmackDown every single week. AJ said that he doesn’t believe in handouts, he believes in earning an opportunity. Styles added that Gulak doesn’t belong in WWE and challenged him to come down to the ring to get his ass kicked.
Drew rushed the ring and tackled AJ Styles as SmackDown went to a break. AJ Styles dominated most of the action and set up for the Styles Clash. Styles took his time and started at Daniel Bryan ringside. Gulak countered into a rollup for the pinfall victory. Bryan and Styles will battle next week in the finals of the Intercontinental Championship Tournament.
The Miz and John Morrison spent the entire show pulling pranks on Universal Champion Braun Strowman. They tried to slime him but wound up getting Kayla Braxton instead.
They then smashed Strowman’s car up with a baseball bat. Strowman got pissed off and found them in the van they were hiding in. The Miz and Morrison locked the doors but Strowman wound up flipping the van over.
Opinion: I would much rather Strowman have a legitimate opponent at Backlash instead of this feud. I wouldn’t hate the goofy prank segments if it wasn’t for the Universal Championship.
Bayley & Sasha Banks Are The New Women’s Tag Team Champions
Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Sasha Banks & Bayley in the main event.
Match Recap: Bliss and Cross controlled the action early and isolated Bayley in the corner. Nikki connected with a Bulldog and went for the cover but Bayley kicked out at two. Nikki sent Sasha into the ring post and then delivered a Crossbody on Bayley outside the ring. Sasha tagged in and hit Nikki Cross with a Meteora as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Cross was trapped in the corner as Banks and Bayley took turns beating her down. Nikki crawled across the ring but Bayley prevented her from making a tag. Cross booted Bayley away and tagged in Alexa Bliss.
Bliss leveled Bayley with a Clothesline and followed it up with a Dropkick to Banks. Alexa made her way to the top rope and booted Banks to the ring apron. Bayley capitalized on the distraction and caught Alexa with a right hand.
Baley hit Bliss with the Bayley to Belly off the second rope and tagged Sasha in. Banks connected with a knee to the face for a near fall. Nikki planted Bayley with a Tornado DDT outside the ring as Bliss hit a Sunset Flip Powerbomb on Banks for a near fall.
Nikki tagged in and hit Sasha with a Crossbody for a two count. Sasha hit the Backstabber and locked in the Bank Statement but Bayley had tagged herself in. Sasha tagged back in and locked in the Bank Statement in the middle of the ring. Alexa tried to break it up but Bayley prevented her from getting in the ring. Nikki countered into a roll-up but Sasha countered into a cover of her own for the victory. Bayley and Sasha Banks are the new Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Opinion: This was the right call and hopefully Bayley & Banks can breathe some life into the women’s tag team division. I’m not sure if that is even possible with so few viable teams in the division. Overall, this week’s episode of SmackDown was a good show despite the Universal Championship storyline.
EC3 got fans talking over the latest video that he shared on his official Twitter account.
Earlier this week, Impact Wrestling released a commercial to promote their Slammiversary pay-per-view event.
The video showed a news anchor announcing how several WWE stars had been let go and that their futures are unknown while the world deals with the pandemic.
The video EC3 shared indicates that he could be the mystery man shown watching the commercial as he removed the hoodie to reveal himself. His video featured footage shown in the commercial with flashes of various stars who had previously worked in Impact.
Although not confirmed, a theory is going around that is how the mystery man will be revealed at Slammiversary.
All WWE stars that were released in April including those in the commercial are under 90-day no-compete that will expire a few days before Slammiversary
This could just be his way to play into the rumors or he could be the mystery man. Nothing is confirmed until the PPV event that takes place on Sunday, July 18th. No matches have been announced for this show.
The final betting odds have been released for the WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House event from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
The card for the show that takes place this Sunday has been finalized as only 6 matches have been announced.
Some of the more notable odds include Rhea Ripley being the favorite to beat Charlotte Flair and Io Shirai to win the NXT Women’s Title in the Triple Threat Match.
WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House Odds
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of the show this Sunday. The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds:
NXT Champion Adam Cole -300 vs. The Velveteen Dream +200 – Dream can’t challenge for the title as long as Cole is champion should he lose, Backlot Brawl
Karrion Kross -250 vs. Tommaso Ciampa +170 – Singles Match
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair 6/5 vs. Rhea Ripley 2/1 vs. Io Shirai 2/3 – Triple Threat Match
Finn Balor +120 vs. Damian Priest -160
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee +120 vs. Johnny Gargano -160
Teagan Nox, Shotzi Blackheart & Mia Yim -200 vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez +150 – Six-Woman Tag Team Match
