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Details On The Undertaker’s Lengthy WWE Contract

Andrew Ravens
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The Undertaker will be 70-years-old the next time that his contract with WWE expires. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The Undertaker signed a 15-year contract extension with the company last year.

This comes after it was noted last August that the former WWE Champion is considered to be a WWE lifer after he signed a big-money deal with WWE in early 2019. 

Per the report, the deal came together when WWE Chairman Vince McMahon angrily reacted to the non-WWE dates Taker was booking.

McMahon made an offer to Taker that couldn’t refuse financially in August that led to him signing the deal. At the time, there weren’t many details about it aside from the fact that Taker could no longer work the non-WWE signing dates that he had started to book.

Taker was pulled from the Starrcast II convention, which ran on the same weekend as AEW’s Double or Nothing after he had already been announced to appear.

When Taker’s previous deal expired last year, he started to agree to do appearances and then broke character by joining social media platforms. McMahon reportedly got so mad that Taker would actually take non-WWE bookings that he made him a big-money offer. 

While McMahon was upset with Taker, the lucrative contract was offered once things calmed down between the two. Going back to 2018, it was reported that Taker was charging $25,000 per hour for non-WWE signing appearances.

Matt Riddle Says It’s Not Looking Good For Brock Lesnar Match

Andrew Ravens
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0

Matt Riddle recently did an interview with Fansided where he spoke about a wide range of topics including the potential match against Brock Lesnar. 

Riddle has made it known for years that he wants a match against the former WWE Champion with the desire for it to serve as Lesnar’s retirement match. He has called out Lesnar through interviews and on social media. 

While Riddle understands that the chances of this match happening aren’t looking good, he will continue to pursue it. 

“I shook the 8-ball and it’s not looking good, it’s not looking good (laughs). I’ll be honest. Am I going to stop? No. I really want the match, even if he takes some of the things I said wrong or personal. I get it, I guess. 

I mean I don’t, but whatever. At the end of the day, I think I’m going to become valuable enough where he’ll want the match. When I do that and that day comes, I’ll get my dream match. But that’s a lot of work and I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me.”

The NXT star thinks the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida would be the perfect place for this fight to take place as he considers it a safe place.

He added that he thinks the match would be good as their styles of a smaller wrestler vs. bigger talent makes for a good clash. 

The former NXT Tag Team Champion added that his call outs aren’t something to be seen as disrespectful. 

Erick Rowan’s New Ring Name Revealed

Chris Stephens
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The WWE Superstar formerly known as Rowan (or previously as Erick Rowan) will be going by a new name outside of WWE. Rowan’s new moniker was revealed recently on his new ProWrestlingTees store.

Rowan’s new name will be “Erick Redbeard” as seen on the merchandise below.

Rowan was one of many WWE Superstars released from the company last month.

Erick Rowan/Redbeard In WWE

The 38-year-old from Minnesota signed with WWE in February of 2011. He reported to Florida Championship Wrestling shortly after. Before signing, Rowan was trained by Eddie Sharkey and later spent some time living and training in the Pro Wrestling NOAH dojo in Japan.

In 2012, he was placed in the new Wyatt Family stable along with Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt. His tag-team with Luke Harper won championship gold in WWE twice. They held the NXT Tag Team Championships as members of the Wyatt Family. Later, Harper and Rowen won the Smackdown tag team titles as the Bludgeon Brothers. Rowan would also once hold tag-team gold on Smackdown along with Daniel Bryan.

In 2013, the Wyatt Family was voted the Best Gimmick of the year by subscribers to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Renee Young Says She’d Like To Manage Elias

Chris Stephens
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Renee Young has worn a lot of hats in WWE. She’s been on the RAW broadcast team, served as a backstage interviewer, and was a host of the popular yet ultimately canceled “Talking Smack.” In a recent interview, Young revealed that she would love to be a manager in WWE. She even specifically mentioned Elias as someone she is interested in possibly managing.

“I would love to do that, I’ve always kind of wanted to dabble in it,” Young said. “One person who I thought for a second, I was like, ‘Oh, should we pitch a thing?’ was Elias. I thought it would be really fun to manage Elias as, like, his band manager or something.”

Young also revealed during the interview that she would like to see a certain cinematic match come back. As the conversation turned to cinematic matches at WrestleMania, Young mentioned the Hollywood Backlot Brawl as her favorite WrestleMania match.

“One match that I keep insisting that we put on is the Hollywood Backlot Brawl because that is my favorite WrestleMania match. So, I’m still going to the powers that be hoping that we can get a little Roddy Piper and Goldust in our lives.”

The interview with Renee Young can be viewed in the player below:

Martha Hart Reveals Details Of WWE’s Lawsuit Against Her

Chris Stephens
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The world lost Owen Hart on May 23rd, 1999. He fell to his death in front of thousands of onlookers from the Kemper Arena ceiling during the Over the Edge PPV in Kansas City. He was only 34-years-old at the time of his death. Owen left behind a wife, 2 children, and countless friends, family, and fans.

Owen’s tragic fall will be the topic of Dark Side of the Ring’s season 2 finale. His widow Martha appeared on Talk is Jericho recently to discuss Owen, the documentary, and more. During the conversation, Martha revealed the legal battles that have taken place between her and WWE.

“It was really tough. I have to say it was a knock-down-drag-out fight/battle against them,” Martha said during the discussion. “A lot of people might not realize this but they actually sued me for breach of Owen’s contract.”

“They had in their contract that you could only sue them in Connecticut but I wasn’t suing them about Owen’s contract, it was something totally different. But through that process of the lawsuit, they were trying anything and everything to muddy the waters or just intimidate me.”

“This was a company, they have deep pockets, and they can pay lawyers forever to just keep this case going and going.”

Martha continued to mention details of the lawsuit filed against her.

“Vince sued me because he wanted the case moved to Connecticut because in Missouri you are allowed punitive damages but in Connecticut you’re not. So he was so worried that ‘oh my god, there’s so much negligence here that the punitive damages are just going to be through the roof.’ So he sued me which was really tough because I had to actually hire lawyers in Connecticut to fight that lawsuit while I was battling the wrongful death lawsuit in Kansas City.”

Martha continued to talk about coming to the realization that the wrongful death lawsuit would only ever end up being about money. This motivated her to create the Owen Hart Foundation.

The Owen Hart Foundation

The Owen Hart foundation helps fund many charitable causes including a scholarship fund and a homeowners fund for low-income families and individuals. Martha would continue to talk about how the work of the foundation mirrors the kind of person Owen Hart was.

“Owen was a practical man of profound integrity, a wonderful husband and devoted father. He would be extremely proud of the good work carried out by the Foundation and would be honoured to be remembered for what he loved best, which was his sincere kindness to all people,” reads the website of the Owen Hart Foundation.

A clip from Talk is Jericho featuring Martha Hart’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Rey Mysterio WWE Contract Update

Anutosh Bajpai
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There have been speculations about the WWE status and future of Rey Mysterio after the injury angle the company pulled off on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer who has previously revealed that Rey’s WWE contract is nearing its end has provided some more update on the situation. According to Meltzer, the Mexican wrestling legend had yet to sign a new deal with the promotion as of last week.

Rey Mysterio signed his current contract for a ‘very high’ amount of money and it’s uncertain if he will be able to get a similar deal under the current economic circumstances.

Regarding the injury angle from this week’s Raw, it was noted that it was a deliberate decision from the company to write Mysterio off the television in case he doesn’t return.

Rey Mysterio signed an 18 months contract with WWE back in December 2018 and while the exact date for it is not known, his deal is nearing its end.

WWE is likely to offer him a large contract to keep him away from the competition but the financial burdens are still there and it would be interesting to see if the two parties are able to come to an agreement.

Sami Zayn Not Working Causing ‘A Lot Of Unhappiness’ In WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Sami Zayn made the call to pull out of the WWE tapings due to concerns of coronavirus and it appears that his decision did not sit well with the company officials.

According to reports from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there is a ‘lot of unhappiness’ within the company that the former champion used the option they gave people who don’t want to wrestle in the current situation.

Meltzer added that he knows of “several people in the company who are not comfortable at all about working right now but were not about to take WWE up on the offer for job security reasons, and this was before all the firings.”

Sami Zayn won the Intercontinental Championship at Elimination Chamber in March and he successfully defended the title against Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 36.

However, the former NXT Champion has not appeared on WWE TV since the mega event. He was booked for the April 23 episode of SmackDown but the high flying star made the decision to pull out of the tapings over health concerns.

A decision was then made to strip Zayn of the IC title and the company has announced a tournament for the crowing of a new champion starting from SmackDown this week.

The company has previously stated that the employees who choose to stay home will not face any consequences but before Zayn, Roman Reigns pulled out of WrestleMania 36.

Since then, the company has not only ceased the mention of the former world champion on their programming but they also edited him out of the replays for WrestleMania 31.

Now the treatment of Sami Zayn only complicates the matter further and we will have to see how both these stars are treated when they make their return to WWE TV.

Nick Aldis Says He’d Love To See Rusev In The NWA

Chris Stephens
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Nick Aldis noted in a recent interview with Post Wrestling that he has always been a fan of Rusev’s. He also said that if the NWA were able to bring Rusev into the promotion, even for just a short run, it would be big.

“If we could get (Rusev) at the NWA, even for a short period run, it would be huge,” Aldis said.

Earlier in the interview, Aldis went into greater detail regarding his appreciation for Rusev’s work.

“You won’t find a bigger Rusev fan than me,” Aldis said. “I remember pretty much from the beginning, I would be like, ‘God, Rusev is money.’ I would text him [David Lagana] all the time, ‘God, Rusev is money,’ and he’d be like, ‘I know,’ and I remember when he first showed up on TV and they were doing kind of the Ivan Drago kind of stuff with him and Lana was very much playing that role. I was like, ‘This is money. This is perfect.’”

Rusev was one of many WWE wrestlers released from the company last month. He originally signed with the company in the fall of 2010.

“If I were AEW and I had the resources to pay for it, I think he would probably be [at the] top of my list. I think he would probably end back up at WWE, but I’m not sure how confident I’ll be that he’ll be on the open market for very long,” Aldis continued.

The full interview with Nick Aldis can be read here.

Lio Rush On Why WWE Ended His Pairing With Bobby Lashley

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Lio Rush was paired with Bobby Lashley upon his arrival on the main roster and this pairing was beginning to create buzz but the company decided to end the partnership abruptly.

During a recent interview with Inside The Ropes the now-former WWE star talked about things like his relationship with Paul Heyman, reports about his backstage heat and more.

Explaining the reasoning behind WWE’s decision to end his team with Lashley, Rush said that the biggest reason for it were his issues with WWE management over his pay:

“As far as the split with me and Bobby, I know that there was some miscommunication and frustration and just me butting heads with the powers that be financially, that was my biggest thing at the time.

It’s not just me out here. I’ve got a wife, I’ve got two kids, I have other responsibilities that I have to take care of. I just felt that it was unfair in that sense, and I guess they didn’t like a 25 year old or a 24 year old, however old I was at the time, they didn’t like me being so outspoken about that so they just cut it.”

Rush also explained that he had to tour with the then Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley everywhere he went and the expenses were not sustainable because he was still being paid the same amount when he was in NXT.

Lio Rush was among the dozens of stars which were released by WWE and during a recent interview, he revealed some surprising details about how he learned about his firing. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

Adam Cole On Possibility Of Otis Cashing The Money In The Bank Contract On Him

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Charlotte Flair set the precedent for main roster stars to come to NXT when she decided to pick Rhea Ripley as her opponent after winning the Royal Rumble match.

So after Money In The Bank, fans have been wondering if the winner can cash in the contract on the NXT Champion instead of someone from the main roster.

The NXT Champion Adam Cole talked about the possibility on the latest episode of WWE’s The Bump and the leader of the Undisputed Era said that anything can happen in WWE:

“I have thought about it, anything can happen in WWE. Whether you’re from Raw, SmackDown or NXT, I think people look at me as one of the most dominant champions in modern history. I mean look at the records I’ve broken and the records I’ve beaten.

“I very much so could see Otis deciding on challenging me for the NXT Championship.” said Adam Cole. “I think it would be a giant mistake of his. I think he would instantly regret that decision. But, I’m always ready to go. I’m ready for anything, man.”

Former Universal Champion Finn Balor held the record for being the longest-reigning NXT Champion in the history of the brand for a long time and his streak was broken by the Undisputed Era member not too long ago.

During the interview, Adam Cole also discussed the possibility of Balor challenging him for the title once again after their match in last December. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

The Undertaker Reveals His Reaction To Learning About The Ending Of The Streak

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

The ending of Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak at the hands of Brock Lesnar still remains one of the most controversial decisions made by WWE. Six years later, the fan opinion is still torn on whether it was the right call or not.

The Dead Man recently had an interview with Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show where he talked about a number of things and also opened up about his loss to the Beast.

During the discussion, the former World Champion revealed his reaction to learning about the decision. Taker claimed that most of his peers thought that it was a horrible decision and revealed what he said to Vince McMahon about it:

“It was always in the back of my mind that it would end.” said the Undertaker “Although, most of my peers and people that I work with thought it was a horrible decision, and I just asked Vince, ‘are you sure? Is this what you want?’ He was like, ‘if it’s not Brock, who can beat you?’ Alright, well, it’s your call.”

The former World Champion also said that he knew that the Streak would end someday because that’s the way the wrestling business works and in this business, you don’t walk away undefeated like Floyd Mayweather or Rocky Marciano.

The Undertaker On Why He Didn’t Say No To The Loss

The Undertaker also addressed the notion that he should have rejected the decision saying that he is not the kind of man and for him, the business comes before anything:

“Everybody thinks I have all this juice like I can say yes or say no, I could have said no, but what good was that gonna do? That really would have disappointed people. What do I do? I go out and throw a tissy and go, ‘if I’m not going over, then I’m not going in.’ That’s not me. I’m business, and business comes first before anything personal.

Taker continued by saying that he double-checked with The Boss to make sure that this was 100% what he wanted and after confirming the plan, he went with it.

Undertaker had talked some more about the match in the WWE documentary series The Last Ride and revealed that he had lost his confidence after the bout. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

Rusev Apparently Done Being The Bulgarian Brute

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Rusev was among the names which were released from WWE as part of their budget cuts and he now has the opportunity to do the things he couldn’t while being in the company.

The former US Champion has launched a twitch channel and he did a short Q&A from his official twitter account yesterday to promote the new venture.

One fan thanked Rusev for all the great matches and memories he produced during his time in the company and replying to him, the heavyweight star said that he is not dead and he is just getting started instead.

When someone asked if his wife Lana will be making an appearance on his Twitch channel anytime soon, the former WWE star responded by saying that you will have to ask Vince McMahon about it.

Interestingly, a fan called him The Bulgarian Brute and replying to him, Rusev noted that it’s a phrase owned by WWE which he cannot and will not use:

Rusev is considered to be one of the hottest free agents after his release from WWE and people like Jim Ross have previously said that signing him would be their top priority.

Though there is no word yet on what the former champion himself is planning for his future and we should get a better idea of his plans on July 15, when his non compete clause with the company expires.

AEW Dynamite Outdraws WWE NXT In Viewership (5/13)

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 604,000 viewers, down from last week’s 663,000 In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.15 rating, down from 0.18 last week.

The episode featured Finn Balor vs. Cameron Grimes, Imperium’s Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner vs. NXT Tag Team Champions Matt Riddle and his temporary partner Timothy Thatcher, and more. 

AEW Dynamite Viewership

AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 654,000 viewers, down from the 732,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.23 rating, down from the 0.28 rating that the show did last week. 

AEW Dynamite featured bouts such as Matt Hardy and Kenny Omega vs. Santana and Ortiz, Chris Jericho, and MJF in action, Hikaru Shida vs. Penelope Ford vs. Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander, Brodie Lee vs. Christopher Daniels, and Jurassic Express vs. Best Friends. 

Adam Cole Talks Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins MITB Match

Jake Skudder
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NXT Champion Adam Cole recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Undisputed Era ‘leader’ appeared on the WWE Network show to discuss a plethora of topics across WWE programming.

One of the points discussed revolved around the WWE Championship match that took place this past Sunday at the Money In The Bank PPV. Drew McIntyre successfully retained his title against the ‘Monday Night Messiah’ Seth Rollins.

“So truth is I’ve been in the ring with both of these gentlemen” Adam Cole began, talking about Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins. “The one thing I am is honest and both of those guys are two of the best that I’ve ever been into the ring with. So I was very excited to see this matchup.”

Adam Cole had previously had a bout against Rollins back in November. That match was part of the build around Survivor Series, which saw RAW vs SmackDown and for the very first time NXT got involved in the action.

You can check out that match below:

“I knew it was going to be physical, I knew it was going to be intense” Cole continued discussing the MITB match. “Drew McIntyre proved once again that no one is going to stop him on this run that he’s on. But, I think both guys showed a lot. I was really impressed.”

Do you think that Drew McIntyre is having a good run as WWE Champion? Let us know in the comments

Adam Cole
Adam Cole (Photo: WWE)

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Christian Talks ‘Corporate Ladder’ Money In The Bank Match

Jake Skudder
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Former WWE Superstar and World Heavyweight Champion Christian appeared on this week’s episode of WWE After The Bell.

‘Captain Charisma’ appeared on the podcast and discussed a number of topics from his illustrious career. One of the points raised was the fact that Christian is hailed as one of the innovators of the ladder match, alongside his former tag team partner Edge.

Edge & Christian

Edge and Christian were of course part of the first ever tag team ladder match, where they faced The Hardy Boyz back at No Mercy 1999. That bout looked a lot different to the ‘Corporate Ladder’ Money In The Bank match that took place this past weekend.

“My initial thoughts were obviously ‘this isn’t a traditional ladder match’ in the sense of what I came up doing” Christian would begin on the podcast talking about this past Sunday. “You know we’re in a unique situation in the world at this point in time, anytime.”

Christian would then touch on WrestleMania 36, the event that took place at the WWE Performance Center without a live audience. “You know having WrestleMania at the Performance Center? It’s unheard of, but for me it was necessary to do that show. To give the world some entertainment to escape.”

Cinematic Matches

The former WWF Tag Team Champion then moved into discussing how the ‘cinematic’ matches from that show have set a precedent for WWE. “That being said, it [the pandemic] also gives an opportunity to do more unique things. Like we saw with the Firefly Funhouse and the Boneyard Match and now the Money In The Bank match. I thought it [MITB] was innovative, I thought it was well done. I thought it was different and different is hard to do these days.”

Christian would finish by laying out the importance of the unique bout. “And more than anything? I think that every participant in it came off looking better than going into it. That’s important.”

Were you a fan of the Corporate Ladder MITB match? Let us know in the comments

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Michael Elgin Says He Doesn’t Like Wrestling Anymore

Chris Stephens
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Recently on Impact Wrestling, Michael Elgin has been chasing the Impact World Championship. He’s involved in a #1 contenders tournament which kicked off this week. According to Elgin, however, he’s not happy with where the pro-wrestling industry is at the moment.

Elgin took to Twitter to explain his issues with wrestling today.

“I legit don’t like wrestling anymore. Everyone is so soft. Everyone let’s outsiders or “fans” dictate how we should be. I’m just staying off here, so called wrestlers have turned to nothing but a mockery of how people and wrestling should be. I don’t like hating my profession,” Elgin Tweeted.

Elgin would clarify, however, that his Tweets are in-character.

Michael Elgin In Impact Wrestling

Elgin is one of the top heels in Impact Wrestling at the moment. He was scheduled to face Eddie Edwards and Tessa Blanchard for the world title at Rebellion before the pandemic hit. Neither Edwards or Blanchard was able to attend the recent tapings in Tennessee. As a result, Elgin was placed in a #1 contenders tournament. Moose has since declared himself the TNA World Champion as well. Elgin is scheduled to face Sami Callihan in the 1st round of the #1 Contenders tournament next week.

Mick Foley Praises Britt Baker

Chris Stephens
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Mick Foley believes that Britt Baker is the greatest wrestling dentist ever. While that in and of itself might not be particularly high praise, Foley put out a video which details how impressed he is with Baker’s performance in AEW as of late.

Foley evidently feels that not only is Britt Baker the greatest wrestling dentist of all-time, she is the “Bret Hart” of wrestling dentists.

“Hello, this is Mick Foley with an important declaration to make. It is after great thought and mental tribulation that I have come to the conclusion and would like to share my opinion that Dr. Britt Baker is the greatest wrestling dentist of all time. I say this with all due respect to Isaac Yankem and the entire town of Decatur, Illinois.”

Foley continued and explained why he believes Baker has achieved such a status.

“But given her moveset, her persona and her use of the mandible claw, I believe that Britt Baker is not only the greatest wrestling dentist of all time but she is, in fact, the Bret Hart of wrestling dentists. She is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. And I hope that Dr. Baker will take that declaration into consideration when at a certain date and time, she perfects the Foley smile. Have a nice day!”


Dr. Isaac Yankem/Mayor Glenn Jacobs has yet to issue a response to Foley’s comments.

Adam Cole Wants Finn Balor To Challenge Again For The NXT Championship

Jake Skudder
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NXT Champion Adam Cole recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump. The Undisputed Era ‘leader’ appeared on the WWE Network show to discuss a plethora of topics across WWE programming.

One of the topics discussed was who the reigning NXT Champion wanted to face next now that Velveteen Dream is seemingly in his “rear view mirror.” Cole defeated Dream on a recent episode of NXT to retain his Championship and lengthen his historic and record breaking reign.

“There is someone I’ve been thinking about recently, because I surpassed his record of being the longest reigning NXT champion” Adam Cole began.

The man Cole was describing was Finn Balor. The ‘Prinxe’ was previously NXT Champion for 292 days, Adam Cole has surpassed that with a reign in excess of 340 days and counting.

“A lot of people keep bringing up Finn Balor as someone that they would love to see challenge once again for the NXT Championship” Adam Cole continued. “And the beautiful thing is? I’ve defended my Championship against Finn Balor, and guess what? Adam Cole BAY BAY beat him.”

Cole would then officially put the challenge out to Balor for the Championshp match. “So if he wants to do another match? Whether it’s NXT television, whether it’s an NXT TakeOver? I’d be happy to wrestle Finn Balor and put to rest finally, that again? Not only did I surpass his record as the longest reigning champ, I’m a better champion than he is. Anything can happen in the WWE.”

Do you want to see another program between Adam Cole and Finn Balor? Let us know in the comments

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Lio Rush Responds To Criticism From Mark Henry

Chris Stephens
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0

Former Cruiserweight Champion Lio Rush was released from WWE last month. At the time of his release, Rush had returned to the NXT brand where he was competing in the cruiserweight division. This followed a series of backstage reports regarding conflict between him and management on the main roster in the first half of 2019. During this period, Mark Henry criticized Rush on Busted Open Radio and publicly revealed a conversation the two had backstage.

Today, Rush put out a series of Tweets critical of Henry’s comments about him last year.

“Woke up remembering the time Mark Henry said I lied to him to his face & then continued to bury me on his podcast while telling me i need to learn how to spend my money better. S**t was crazy. Sorry man, i didn’t mean to have a wife and two kids on top of other responsibilities,” Rush Tweeted.

https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1260928118694588416

Mark Henry’s Comments About Lio Rush From May 2019

In May of 2019, Henry noted on Busted Open Radio that he tried to talk with Rush backstage about the problems he was experiencing on the main roster.

“I pulled him aside the last time I saw him and told him ‘I’m hearing stuff in the locker room. What’s wrong?’ He said nothing’s wrong. It was a blatant lie to my face. I let him know that if he has a question, right now is the time to do that,” Henry said.

Rush would later state that his issues with the company were financial.

“My issue is the fact that I haven’t been on meet & greets with Bobby, haven’t been getting paid for merchandise for us that has my catchphrases on them. (I) have been sent to live shows and TVs and forced to pay for my own rental for 5 days as well as hotel while not making enough money to do so. Walking around broke in the biggest sports entertainment industry that there is while having two kids and a wife to support,” Rush said to Fightful last year.

Lio Rush has an album available for download. His music is available at MusicByLio.com.

https://twitter.com/itsLioRush/status/1260949367969796099

Karrion Kross & Scarlett Send A Warning To The NXT Roster

Steve Russell
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Karrion Kross and Scarlett made their debuts on NXT TV last week in dominant fashion. Kross soundly defeated EVOLVE wrestler Leon Ruff.

Although Kross did not have a match on this week’s episode, the pair did feature a new vignette for the WWE Universe. The unsettling promo contained a warning to the rest of the NXT locker room. He acknowledged how fans were curious behind their motives in attacking former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa.

Kross addressed how the world constantly seeks answers to questions and wants to uncover the motives behind why “terrible people do terrible things.”

Karrion Kross and Scarlett promised that they aren’t in NXT to “shock a system” or save them from their “corrupted black hearts.” Instead, they are there to be the WWE Universe’s “entertainment” and stressed it was time to wake up from the dream.

ccording to Kross, Ciampa was the first but guaranteed he wouldn’t be the last as Kross and Scarlett look to cement themselves in NXT.

The video was accompanied by “The End is Near.” The song was previously used on several WWE Armageddon pay-per-views in the past, as well as a Survivor Series event.

You can watch the promo in its entirety below:

Suge D Talks Aout Receiving AEW Opportunities During Coronavirus Pandemic

Steve Russell
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Sugar Dunkerton received a career highlight on this past week’s episode of Dynamite on TNT. This week, he competed in a losing effort against former AEW Champion Chris Jericho. He has been featured on several AEW shows during the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking on a recent episode of the We The Independent podcast, Suge D opened up about his feelings on receiving these career opportunities during the coronavirus pandemic.

Suge D—who Jericho has been referring to as Pineapple Pete—admitted it’s strange to be enjoying career opportunities during such a difficult time. He confessed he can’t help but “feel a little sadness in terms of everybody not being able to enjoy my accomplishments the way I’d like them to be enjoyed because let’s be honest, what is there to be really really really be excited about? There’s lot going on.”

Suge D On Wrestling During A Pandemic

Suge D acknowledged how people have been congratulating him and telling him he deserves the chance to be on TV for AEW. He admitted that it was “definitely a new challenge and a new mountain to climb.”

He noted how he isn’t sure where this journey will take him. There is one thing he is certain of, however: he wishes this could be happening under different circumstances.

“Would I have wanted a crowd there to really will me on and cheer me on just to see if they’re really feeling me? Absolutely, but I know two things to be true. The first one being that you are very rarely asked to be great during convenient circumstances, so it was a matter of taking a choice to whether you take that chance and you go forward or you stand back and you let it past you by.”

Suge D shared that the second thing is the uncertainty as to when a live crowd will be allowed to attend shows. He confessed this causes an “empty feeling” as going out to perform to nobody, and being unable to feed off their energy, is an undeniably different experience.

That being said, he added: “When you’re hungry, do you complain about any kind of scraps you possibly can get, or do you just go without?” Regardless, Suge D remains grateful to get the opportunity to wrestle despite the current difficulties.

Chris Jericho Opens Up About ‘Professional Rivalry’ With Triple H

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All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho has opened up about his past issues with WWE Hall of Famer Triple H. During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Jericho revealed how he had issues with people in the past before singling out his problems with Triple H. 

Chris Jericho recalled how back in the early 2000’s he and Triple H didn’t like one another. He added how Triple H would admit the same thing. Despite this, they were still able to put on great matches, adding how “I think that’s one of the reasons why.” 

He explained how they had a “professional rivalry” alongside a “bit of a personal dislike” of each other. He also stressed that they are friends now.

Jericho added how there are plenty of professional rivalries taking place when a person is “young full of vim and vigor.” He juxtaposed these rivalries with those that take place in rock and roll, pointing out how bands break up and ten years later get back together. 

“I think there’s that animosity that drives you to become better, and if you have a case like say Jericho and Triple H, our matches were always great because there was a little bit of real-life animosity between us,” Chris Jericho admitted.

“‘I’m gonna show him. Well, I’m gonna show him. Well, I’m gonna show him,’ and I think that’s good in a certain way.”

Chris Jericho then added how Vince McMahon would “subtly encourage” this kind of personal and professional rivalry. He believes he did so as doing that would inevitably lead to better results in the ring.

You can listen to Jericho’s comments about his relationship with Triple H in the video player embedded below:

Tama Tonga On Bullet Club Recruiting KENTA, Karl Anderson, Future Opponents

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Bullet Club’s Tama Tonga has shared the reasoning behind the group’s decision to bring in KENTA as a member. He revealed how when he first arrived in New Japan Pro-Wrestling, KENTA was a hot commodity in pro wrestling. Tama believes that was something that fizzled out after KENTA signed with WWE and was repackage as Hideo Itami. 

Speaking with the Wrestling Inc. Daily podcast, Tama Tonga shared how KENTA was considered to be “hot sh*t. Real hot sh*t” but lost his momentum because “the other side” didn’t know what to do with him. He feels that bringing KENTA into Bullet Club would help reignite him into the wrestler he was before, only with “more experience and knowledge.” As far as he’s concerned, Bullet Club was the group to help KENTA rediscover that killer instinct. 

Tama Tonga On Karl Anderson

Recently released WWE Superstar Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows have former ties to Bullet Club. Anderson even hinted recently that he may be soon traveling back to Japan, teasing a comeback to the stable. 

Acknowledging Anderson’s history with the group, Tama Tonga refused to be goaded into answering if fans can expect Anderson back amongst their ranks. “I’ve given you enough juice. I’ve given you enough juice,” said Tonga. “We’ll let the world speculate but you know those are my brothers.”

Guerrillas Of Destiny Vs. Golden Ace

New Japan Pro-Wrestling has been forced to cancel several dates and tours due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tama Tonga, however, already has his eyes set on their eventual comeback. He also knows who he’d like to face when NJPW is finally able to run shows: Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi. 

Tama Tonga is interested in a chance to reclaim the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships from Tanahashi and Ibushi. He noted how they had “great chemistry with the first run-in” and believes there is more than can do together in the future. He added that, at some point, he’d love the opportunity to go one-on-one with Ibushi as he’d like to “mess that pretty face up.”

Bully Ray Calls Edge & Randy Orton’s RAW Segment “Phenomenal”

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WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray has praised Edge and Randy Orton’s recent segment on Monday Night RAW. Bully Ray called their promo work “phenomenal” during a recent episode of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio.

Bully Ray stated how their mic work on RAW was “the best I’ve seen from the both of them, and Edge had no mic work, and that’s so great.” He explained how, without saying a word, he was able to see Edge’s emotions clearly and “felt the self-doubt in Edge’s heart.” 

“[…] when Randy brought up the word ‘wrestling,’ it looked like it struck fear in Edge,” Bully Ray said. “Because a wrestler who’s been retired for nine or ten years knows ‘I can get by in a Last Man Standing Match, but damn, a wrestling match? Can I legitimately go move for move with Randy Orton? No man, I don’t think I can do it.’ That’s what you got from Edge last night: self-doubt.”

Randy Orton challenged Edge to a wrestling match at WWE’s next pay-per-view, Backlash. The two previously clashed at WrestleMania 36 in a Last Man Standing Match. After a grueling clash, Edge would eventually beat his former Rated RKO tag team partner. It was his first singles matchup since returning from a career-ending injury, which forced him to retire back in 2011. 

Asuka On Winning MITB, Becky Lynch’s Pregnancy Announcement

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Women’s Money In The Bank winner and current WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka recently joined WWE show The Bump. During her time on the show, Asuka shared how she felt after winning the Money In The Bank briefcase and her reaction to Becky Lynch’s pregnancy announcement. 

Asuka recalled climbing up the ladder only to have King Corbin scale the other side, “so I gave him a nice kick.” She shared how the briefcase was heavier than she expected, so she had a hard time even holding it. Regardless, she stressed her happiness at having claimed the prize. “The view that I saw from the top of the ladder was fantastic. I am going to remember that view.”

What she thought was a year-long championship opportunity turned out to be the RAW Women’s Championship itself. Lynch revealed the news to her during this week’s Monday Night RAW, sharing with the world that she is pregnant. Asuka was reportedly not told this before their segment, which led to a heartfelt, sincere reaction. 

When asked about the announcement, Asuka shared her happiness for Lynch and her new adventure. “I had so many matches with her and I have a strong connection with her.  I think we both felt the same way. I think she likes to have matches with me. I think she was relieved that I got the Money in the Bank because she knew I could take good care of it.”

She added how she wants to become the reason people don’t want to miss the action in WWE’s women’s division. Asuka noted how she has been that in the past, but now as champion wants to work even harder to ensure people tune in. 

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