Asuka is the new RAW Women’s Champion after Becky Lynch vacated the title last night on RAW. The 38-year-old who has been with WWE since 2015 has now done something no other woman in WWE history has achieved.
Asuka is now the only woman in WWE history to have won a Money in the Bank briefcase, a Royal Rumble, the NXT Women’s Title, the Smackdown Women’s Title, the tag titles, and now the RAW Women’s title.
The 3 women’s Royal Rumble winners are Asuka, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair. Lynch never won the NXT Women’s title or the tag titles. Flair has never won a Money in the Bank match or the tag titles.
Other wrestlers who are close include Bayley, who just needs to win a Royal Rumble to equal Asuka. Alexa Bliss needs to win a Royal Rumble and the NXT title to do the same.
Asuka WWE Championship Statistics
Asuka held the NXT Women’s title from April 1st, 2016 (NXT TakeOver: Dallas) until vacating the title in August of 2017. She would later win the Royal Rumble in January of 2018.
Asuka won the Smackdown women’s title at TLC on December 16th, 2018. She would then drop the title on March 26th, 2019 to Charlotte Flair.
The Kabuki Warriors won the Women’s Tag Team titles at Hell in a Cell 2019 from Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross. They then dropped them back to “Bliss Cross” at WrestleMania 36.
Former WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch spoke with People.com following the big news she shared on Monday’s episode of RAW.
Lynch had to vacate the championship because she is pregnant with her first child. She’s been engaged to Seth Rollins since August.
In this interview, Lynch said she learned she was pregnant in April and that the baby is due in December.
Lynch also stated that she won’t be making a decision regarding her in-ring future yet
“It’s just such a joyous time and then such a sad time too. I loved this and I’ve given my life to this. I’ve achieved everything that I want to achieve in this business,” she explained.
“I don’t know what the next chapter is because I only know what it’s like to think for myself when I’m by myself,” the WWE star continued. “So I don’t know what it’ll look like and how my priorities shift and what I’m going to want in the future. So, everything’s open.”
Lynch also talked about how she went through a number of pregnancy tests in April because the first test came out negative. However, she had believed that she might be pregnant and bought more until a digital test that confirmed what she suspected.
Lynch recalled being with Rollins when she took the test and he just threw his hands up in the air as he was excited.
WWE ran an injury angle with Rey Mysterio on Monday’s RAW. Father-to-be Seth Rollins snapped and violently assaulted Mysterio. He drove the masked legend’s eye into the ringside steps, drawing blood and putting him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.
With his contract reportedly set to expire in September, the question arises if WWE was taking Mysterio off television to begin contract negotiations or deal with an injury. According to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, Rey Mysterio “isn’t going anywhere.”
He’s not the only one to think that Mysterio will be staying put. All Elite Wrestling’s Jim Ross recently spoke about Mysterio’s contract status during his podcast. During a discussion with co-host Conrad Thompson, Ross believed Mysterio had signed a new contract WWE. He shared how he felt that was a good call for Mysterio “at this stage of the game.”
Ross stressed how Rey Mysterio was a “different breed of cat” compared to other cruiserweights and Superstars. He stated how Mysterio was simply “that much better and on a different level” in his opinion.
EC3 was back at it again with another warning video posted on his official Twitter account.
This is where he pledged the destruction of his former self, meaning WWE character, and not be the corporately made persona anymore. He also talked about how he’s not reliant on the authority to make out right and wrong as well as finding freedom.
This is all part of his new gimmick that he came up with following his WWE release. He has changed his look by cutting his hair shorter and growing a goatee. You can check out his latest warning video here:
EC3 was just one of many talent and staff who was released by WWE last month due to budget cuts as a result of the financial impact of the coronavirus.
Just a few days ago, EC3 cut a promo in a video shared on Twitter where he put over The Revolt, the tag team formerly known as The Revival.
Just like all that were released by the company, his non-compete clause is slated to expire in July. Until then, he won’t be able to sign with any promotion nor can they legally make him a contract offer or appear on its programming.
WWE Superstar AJ Styles was unsuccessful in his attempts to claim the Money In The Bank briefcase during this past Sunday’s pay-per-view. Despite having the briefcase in his hands, “The Phenomenal One” would fumble the prize, dropping it into the waiting hands of Otis.
Although he wasn’t able to secure the win, AJ Styles still has his eyes set on some of WWE’s top Superstars including Seth Rollins and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Those two clashed at the event in a title match, with McIntyre successfully defending his belt.
Joining WWE show The Bump, Styles discussed both men and whom he’d prefer to face for the championship if it came to it. AJ Styles admitted he didn’t have a preference, praising both as “super athletic” and “super on fire” when it comes to their performance. “They have what it takes to get the job done. There’s no doubt about that, they obviously have one who’s the champion what has been the champion.”
AJ Styles On The “Biggest Threat” To Championship Contendenders
AJ Styles then singled out current WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. He highlighted how McIntyre is on a “different level” at this time.
Acknowledging his extensive experience in wrestling, Styles stated how McIntyre has also been wrestling for a long while. He believes that McIntyre is the “biggest threat to anyone who wants to go after the WWE Championship.”
AJ Styles recently referred to the events at Money In The Bank as a “travesty,” perhaps hinting that he intends to take his issues with Otis further on-screen.
WWE had confirmed that Becky Lynch will be making a big announcement on this week’s episode of Raw but the company had not revealed any details about it.
So the announcement of her pregnancy came as a big surprise to all the fans of The Man and her speech during the opening segment of Raw left them emotional.
The now former Raw Women’s Champion took on her twitter after the show and addressed the fans who have helped in making her dreams come true.
Becky said that she doesn’t know what will happen in the future but recalled how she entered the Performance Center in 2013 not knowing anyone and now she has a family:
Asuka won the Women’s Money In The Bank match this past Sunday during the namesake PPV and she was named the new Raw Women’s Champion after the announcement on Raw.
There is no word yet on what Becky Lynch is planning for her future and there is no news on when or if she will return to wrestling after her pregnancy.
The former Champion gave some more details about her pregnancy and revealed when she found out about it in an interview before this week’s episode of Raw. You can check out her comments on the matter at this link.
The Undertaker’s WWE documentary series The Last Riderecently debuted on the WWE Network. As part of WWE’s promotional push for the series, the WWE Legend sat down with People Magazine for an interview.
During their conversation, “The Deadman” opened up about his reluctance to retire from in-ring competition. He also shared his ambition to wrestle a perfect final match.
Reflecting on his historic career, The Undertaker acknowledged how he has been blessed to have exceeded any and all expectations since his debut as the character. That being said, he stressed how he wants a “John Elway ending.”
The Undertaker noted how he’s “fighting an uphill battle,” and admitted how time is running out for him. “But that’s the struggle. It has nothing to do with fame, it has nothing to do with money, it has nothing to do with anything other than wanting just that, “Yeah. That’s the match that I needed to go out on.’”
The first episode of The Last Ride is available to stream now on the WWE Network. It documents The Undertaker’s journey into WrestleMania 33. He wrestled Roman Reigns at the event in what was intended to be his final match.
Upon losing the match to Reigns, The Undertaker would symbolically leave his coat, gloves and hat in the ring, signifying the end of his career.
Money In The Bank winner Otis joined Lilian Garcia on a recent episode of her podcast Chasing Glory. During their conversation, Otis opened up about being bullied and dealing with dyslexia while growing up.
When Garcia asked if he had ever been picked on during high school, Otis admitted he had been. He shared how he has “always been made fun of” because of the way he looks. He stressed how it wasn’t always weight-related, noting how he has difficulty reading due to dyslexia.
“I got plenty of stories with me trying to follow kids back home trying to get at them but it’s just I wasn’t the fast one and yeah, reading assessment was weird. These days, like it’s funny to look back now because a lot of those kids that did do that, I don’t think they have the balls to talk to me anymore. I don’t think.”
Otis On Not Having Body Insecurities
Despite having to deal with people trying to make fun of him, Otis admitted he’s never had a problem with his size. He recalled how WWE wanted him to wrestle in trunks after moving away from NXT. He shared how he doesn’t have a lot of insecurities, but remembered thinking “‘Wow that’s not going to look good on camera here. I got a shakey belly, ya know?’”
Having adopted the idea of competing in trunks, however, Otis shared how the WWE Universe went nuts when he first debuted them. “I’m sitting there shaking my belly. So I guess I’m making a living shaking my belly…”
Otis would emerge victorious from this Sunday’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view. He caught the lucrative briefcase after AJ Styles fumbled it at the top of the ladder. At the time of writing, there is no indication as to what title Otis will challenge for. He has the option to compete with any champion from RAW, SmackDown or NXT.
Prior to being thrown off the top of WWE HQ’s roof during Sunday’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match, Aleister Black spoke withNew York Post. During the interview, Black was asked if he would be interested in being managed by his real-life wife, Zelina Vega.
Black stressed he has no interest in having Vega manage him at this time. He noted how “I don’t think she has to because it would be kind of cliché.”
He explained how the idea she would manage him because of their relationship falls in line with expectations, which is something he doesn’t want.
“I don’t think that I necessarily need my wife or my wife needs me on screen because clearly my wife is doing a phenomenal job. She’s basically been the head of Raw for the last two, three weeks.”
Aleister Black revealed how he’d prefer to carve out his own path as Vega continues to flourish on her own merits. That being said, it appears Black isn’t completely closed to the idea:
“Maybe in the future, you know, if they come up with something good and something we would both agree on, who knows. I’ll never say never, but as I’m looking at it right now, no.”
Although unsuccessful in claiming the briefcase during Sunday’s pay-per-view, Aleister Black did defeat Bobby Lashley during last month’s WrestleMania 36. He teamed last night with Rey Mysterio against the pair of Seth Rollins and Murphy.
Former WWE Superstar Christian has reflected on his jump to TNA back in 2005, comparing his move to Jon Moxley’s recent signing with All Elite Wrestling. Speaking with Wrestling Inc. Daily, Christian noted how every person’s story is different but stressed that Moxley has been doing a “tremendous job.”
Christian shared how when he left WWE, he was physically and mentally burned out from WWE’s arduous schedule. He was also frustrated. Christian believed that he could “perform at a higher level” than he was able to showcase.
He admitted that when he left, he knew he was going to go back to WWE at some point. Until then, however, he knew he needed to take a chance on himself and get better. He felt the only way to do that was to “take some risks and go somewhere.”
This decision to sign with TNA gave Christian the confidence boost he needed. He knew that when we returned to WWE, he would be “better equipped” than before. This need to leave in order to grow and get better is something he believes Moxley is experiencing during his successful run in AEW.
Speaking on Moxley’s time in AEW, Christian said “Obviously he’s the champion and there was great noise about him and what he was gonna do next. Anytime you can surprise the fan base – which is hard to do these days and he did that – and that gave him a lot of momentum as well.”
Christian and Jon Moxley recently worked together on a new film, Cagefighter: Worlds Collide. Christian produced and starred in the film, which also features Moxley and UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell.
You can read an exclusive SEScoops interview with Jon Moxley regarding his work on Cagefighter: Worlds Collide here.
RAW Superstar AJ Styles has addressed the fallout of Money in the Bank from this past Sunday. Having scaled the ladder, he and King Corbin fought over the unhooked briefcase. Despite his best efforts to secure the prize, Styles would fumble the briefcase. Otis would catch it after Styles dropped it, winning the match in the process.
AJ Styles’ Anger
Taking to Twitter, “The Phenomenal One” vented his frustrations with the situation, believing he was cheated from his victory. He stressed how no one had heard from either Aleister Black or Rey Mysterio at the time of his message.
AJ Styles noted how King Corbin was “running from the law,” acknowledging how Corbin had seemingly hurled both Black and Mysterio off the WWE HQ’s roof. Styles then noted how he was “CHEATED out of #MITB by @otisWWE!” The entire situation is something he called a travesty.
Although AJ Styles wasn’t a featured part of last night’s Monday Night RAW, both Rey Mysterio and Aleister Black were on the show. The Superstars teamed up in a matchup against Seth Rollins and Murphy.
With his win, Otis now has the opportunity to challenge for a championship. It is unknown at this time whether he will be challenging for gold on RAW, SmackDown or NXT, or if AJ Styles will take issue with Otis’ victory on TV.
The recent WWE releases has opened the doors for other companies to add some star power to their roster and it appears that Impact Wrestling is in the race to sign at least two such talents in Gallows and Anderson.
The now-former WWE stars were talking about their future and other things on the latest episode of their Talkin Shop podcast which is hosted by the duo and Rocky Romero.
What’s interesting to note here is that Impact Vice President Scott D’Amore ended up making an accidental appearance during the broadcast of the episode.
As first noted by The Combat Republic, D’Amore called Gallows while the show was still being recorded and they put him on speakerphone. You can check out their conversation in the clip below:
Impact EVP Scott D’Amore makes an accidental appearance on the Gallows and Anderson podcast “Talkin Shop”. Sure sounds to me like they may be negotiating. pic.twitter.com/6yp6S3If74
Gallows and Anderson signed a three year deal with WWE in 2016 and they had renewed their contracts with the promotion in July earlier last year.
However, the company released the duo alongside numerous other stars such as Kurt Angle and Rusev as part of WWE’s coronavirus budget cuts last month.
There is no news yet on what the former champions are planning for their future but we should get a better idea about their plans after July 15 when their non compete clause with the company expires.
This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw was the follow-up episode of Money In The Bank and the company followed the PPV with a number of interesting announcements and the return of the former women’s tag team champions The IIconics.
The duo appeared as the guests on “A Moment of Bliss” show hosted by the current Women’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross and they demanded a title shot from the current champions.
While Bliss and Cross did not grant them a title match, they did agree to a nontitle clash and the IIconics ended up winning this bout after Peyton Royce pinned Alexa for the win.
This win earned them a title shot and the company later announced that the former NXT stars will be challenging the current champions for their titles at next week’s episode of the Red Branded Show.
This week’s episode of Raw was an eventful episode and apart from the return of the IIconics, the show featured a number of buzzing announcements and segments.
The episode started with Becky Lynch announcing her pregnancy and relinquishing the Raw Women’s Championship. After this, the Money In The Bank winner Asuka was named the new champion.
The company also reintroduced the wild card rule with a new format. The shows can now challenge the other brand and the first match under this new rule has already been announced which you can check out here.
It was reported earlier yesterday that WWE is looking to reintroduce the wild card rule and the company confirmed the same during the latest episode of Monday Night Raw.
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre defeated the US Champion Andrade in a champion vs. champion non-title match on this week’s episode of the show.
After the bout, the Scottish superstar announced that a Brand-to-Brand invitation had been extended to SmackDown and the Blue Branded Show has accepted the challenge.
He then announced that SmackDown has chosen King Corbin as his opponent and the two will be battling in an inter-brand match at next week’s episode of the Red Branded Show.
Though this was not the only announced cross-brand appearance and the company also confirmed that the NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair will be making an appearance on SmackDown this week.
Charlotte has been a regular of NXT since winning the title at WrestleMania 36 but she is still considered a Raw star and the Queen continues to make appearances for the brand.
There is no word yet on what she will be doing at the show this Friday night but like Baron Corbin, it’s possible that she will be making this appearance for a match.
While not confirmed, it’s believed that WWE has decided to bring back this new version of the wild card rule due to the plummeting ratings. You can check out a more detailed report on the matter here.
Rey Mysterio & Aleister Black def. Seth Rollins & Murphy via DQ
Shayna Baszler def. Natalya
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Becky Lynch Announces She Is Pregnant, Asuka Is The New RAW Women’s Champion
RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch came down to the ring holding the women’s MITB briefcase. Lynch placed in on a table set up in the ring and grabbed a microphone. The Man was emotional and said that she is at a very difficult point in her life. Becky started crying and said that she didn’t know if anyone in this country would care about her but she found out that they did.
Lynch thanked the fans and said that they deserve to hear this from her first. Becky said she has to go away for a while and Asuka interrupted. Asuka came down to the ring and started shouting at Lynch. Becky told Asuka that she has beaten her when nobody else could and that she has been the best wrestler in the world.
Becky told Asuka that the match last night wasn’t for an opportunity to win the title, it was for so much more. Becky opened the briefcase and revealed that the RAW Women’s Championship was in the briefcase. Lynch stated that she cannot fight anymore and Asuka is the champion.
Asuka celebrated with the title and started running around the ring as Lynch cried in the ring. Becky congratulated Asuka and announced that she is leaving to go be a mother.
Becky was congratulated by Rey Mysterio (apparently being thrown off a roof is no big deal), Natalya, Street Profits, Bianca Belair, Ricochet, Liv Morgan, Cedric Alexander, R-Truth, Kairi Sane, Akira Tozawa, and other superstars backstage.
Bobby Lashley battled Humberto Carrillo in a No DQ match tonight on RAW.
Match Recap: Lashley dominated the action early and set up for a Spear. Humberto dodged it and sent Bobby tumbling out of the ring. Lashley grabbed a chair but Humberto hit the chair into his face with a Dropkick as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Lashley was back in control and was beating down Carrillo and the corner of the ring. Humberto battled back and connected with a Dropkick off the second rope. Carrillo followed it up with an Enziguri that knocked Lashley out of the ring. Humberto went for a Crossbody but Bobby caught him and bashed him into the ring post.
Bobby tried to hit Carrillo with a chair but Humberto ducked. Carrillo grabbed the steel chair and beat the hell out of Lashley. Back in the ring, Lashley locked in a Full Nelson for a submission victory.
Angel Garza defeated Akira Tozawa in a squash match. After the match, WWE Champion Drew McIntyre came down to the ring as Garza, Theory, and Vega were arguing in the ring.
McIntyre hit Theory with a Claymore and did the same to Garza. McIntyre and Andrade started arguing in the ring as RAW went to a break. McIntyre then battled Andrade in a non-title match.
Match Recap: McIntyre dominated early and slammed Andrade on the ring apron. Andrade battled back and locked in an Armbreaker across the ropes. McIntyre hit a boot to the face and made his way to the top rope. Drew connected with a Flying Clothesline and followed it up with a Powerbomb for a near fall. Andrade sent McIntyre into the turnbuckle and then hit Double Knees for a one count. McIntyre hit a reverse Alabama Slam and then a Claymore Kick for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Drew McIntyre cut a promo and said his match with Seth Rollins was a hell of a fight. McIntyre announced that SmackDown’s King Corbin will come to RAW and battle next week.
Seth Rollins Snapped & Brutally Attacked Rey Mysterio
Aleister Black and Rey Mysterio teamed up against Seth Rollins and Murphy.
Match Recap: Rollins stared off into the distance as Black and Mysterio took turns beating Murphy down. Aleister connected with a kick to the face and went for the cover but Murphy kicked out at two.
Murphy pleaded for a tag but Rollins just stood there. Rollins stared at Aleister for moment and Murphy capitalized with a Dropkick that sent Black into the ring post as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Mysterio hit Murphy with a Hurricanrana into the barricade. Back in the ring, Rey went for a Crossbody but Murphy countered into a roll-up for a two count. Mysterio went for the 619 but Seth caught him. Rollins launched Mysterio into the barricade and the ref called for the bell.
Rollins set up Mysterio on the steel steps and demanded that Rey stay back. Seth then brutally shove Rey’s eye into a corner of the steel steps and had a deranged look on his face while doing so.
Opinion: I was not ready for this spot at all. Rollins psychotic face and the blood pouring out of Rey’s face caught me completely off guard and it was awesome. It made no sense why the referee called for the bell and disqualified Rollins. Despite that, this was easily the best part of the night so far.
Rollins tried to apologize to Rey backstage but Mysterio was dragged away by WWE’s medical staff. Aleister Black and Murphy then brawled backstage before security arrived.
Edge came down to the ring in the final segment of this week’s RAW. He stated that he came back here to retire on his terms and wondered what is next. Edge claimed WrestleMania was not the end for him and brought up RAW airing a promo package that he was coming to hunt Orton.
Edge added that he got his closure at WrestleMania and is ready to move on. Randy Orton interrupted and joined Edge in the ring. Orton walked up to Edge and said congratulations. Randy added that the better man won at WrestleMania and exited the ring.
Orton stopped on the entrance ramp and started laughing. Randy slid back into the ring and said while it is true that the better man won at WrestleMania but the better wrestler didn’t. Orton noted that maybe he didn’t get back up after the 10 count at WrestleMania but it didn’t take him 9-years.
Randy questioned if Edge can compete in a traditional wrestling match anymore and claimed to see doubt in his eyes. Orton said that all of Edge’s grit doesn’t come close to his natural ability. Orton challenged Edge to a match at Backlash in a traditional wrestling match. Charly asked if Edge had a response but he just stood in silence. Charly Caruso then stated that this could be the greatest wrestling match ever as RAW went off the air.
Opinion: I’m down for another Edge and Orton match as I found their Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania to be disappointing. I am sure that their match at Backlash will be much better. The Viking Raiders and Street Profits playing basketball just highlights the terrible state of the tag team division on the main roster.
I don’t find Drew McIntyre versus King Corbin to be a selling point for next week’s show at all. I can think of a bunch of superstars I’d rather see McIntyre wrestle than Corbin. Congratulations to Becky Lynch, but her leaving creates a huge void in the women’s division on RAW. Hopefully, Asuka gets a solid title reign and can help build up other superstars along the way.
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch had a major announcement to make and she did just that.
During Monday’s episode of RAW in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on the USA Network, Lynch walked out to the ring for a promo while carrying the Money in the Bank briefcase.
This is where she announced that she has to go away for a while. Asuka walked out to the ring and yelled at her for having the MITB briefcase, which had the RAW Women’s Title inside.
Lynch said that the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match was actually for the RAW Women’s Title. She gave her the title before telling Asuka to go be a champion because she is going to be a mother. Thus, Lynch announced her pregnancy, and Asuka was awarded the title.
Lynch is engaged to former WWE Champion Seth Rollins. Congratulations to the expecting parents.
Originally, WWE promoted that Lynch would confront Asuka on the show after Asuka won the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match on Sunday at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event
Becky’s last match took place at WrestleMania 36 in April against Shayna Baszler that saw Lynch successfully retain the title.
Sting could be the next wrestling legend to appear for All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Or not.
As of this writing, the topic of Sting in an AEW ring should be considered speculation. That said, let’s take a look at some of the clues that have some people thinking this is more than just rumor and innuendo.
The prevailing rumor is that Sting will appear at AEW Double or Nothing later this month for presentation of AEW’s new TNT Championship title. Cody and Lance Archer square off at the pay-per-view to crown the first champion. Sting’s role would be similar to that of Bret Hart at last year’s Double or Nothing. The Hitman was on hand last May to present the AEW World Championship at the company’s inaugural pay-per-view. The title was won by Chris Jericho that night and is currently held by Jon Moxley.
During a recent episode of AEW’s Road to Double Or Nothing YouTube series, we got a look inside the boardroom of AEW offices. As we’ve seen in previous Road To episodes, a series of pending tasks were displayed on a conference room whiteboard. Some of the items are innocuous inside jokes, but you can clearly see below that AEW is teasing that somebody notable will be on hand to present the new championship title.
Who presents the TNT title?
Sting has been active on social media lately. He still follows pro wrestling and often tweets about WWE shows. Last week, he commented that it’s good to see Jake Roberts looking healthy and back on national television in a prominent role. The two worked together in WCW during the early 1990’s.
Over the weekend, a fan on Twitter asked Lance Archer which wrestler, past or present, he’d want to step in the ring with. Archer named (and tagged) Sting. Coincidentally, Archer is in that TNT tournament final match against Cody at Double or Nothing.
Sting responded that he’s glad to see Archer getting a ‘much deserved shot’ in All Elite Wrestling. Cody took notice.
WWE and Mattel are set to release a new line of action figures, Legends Series 7. The latest line of figures was set to include Sting, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Greg Valentine and Razor Ramon. They will be available at Target stores and are scheduled to ship July 26th.
Sting’s figure has been pulled from Legends Series 7. According to the Major Wrestling Figure Podcast (hosted by Matt Cardona and Brian Myers), Mattel put out the following statement about Sting’s figure being pulled:
“Due to circumstances beyond our control Sting needed to be removed from Legends Series 7. We’ll look to include this figure in a future wave if he becomes available to us again.”
Target was taking pre-orders on the Sting figure over the weekend, so the timing is certainly last-minute. Check out Cody’s reply to the news.
WWE is set to address the status of a championship that is held by a certain star this week.
According to a report by POST Wrestling, the company will do so later this week, which is likely to be Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX since it has to do with the Intercontinental Title.
The championship is currently held by Sami Zayn. The reason for the address is due to Zayn being off of television.
In fact, he last worked a match for WWE last month when he successfully retained the Intercontinental Title over Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 36.
Last month, Zayn revealed in a post on Twitter that recently had his wisdom teeth removed. At the time, people believed that this is the reason for his absence from television.
However, there’s also the belief that Zayn has decided not to wrestle during the COVID-19 outbreak due to concerns he has with getting it. Thus, he has not worked the recent tapings at the closed-set Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
This came at a time where WWE reportedly told employees what they did not have to work during the coronavirus pandemic should they choose. They were also told that if they didn’t work the tapings then it would not be held against them in the future.
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon has decided to shake things up again with his weekly television shows – Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown.
According to a report by POST Wrestling, McMahon plans to move away from the full brand split in order to allow some stars from each show to make appearances on the rival show. This would allow some stars to crossover, which is similar to the Wild Car Rule.
It was noted in the report that the introduction of the new rule will be made during Monday’s episode of RAW.
However, it was noted that the new ruling for the brands is expected to keep talent crossovers to a minimum, which is why it’s supposed to be different from the Wild Card Rule.
With ratings for Monday Night RAW hitting an all-time low and Smackdown seeing week over week declines, the crossover came at the request of FOX and the USA Network.
The company came up with the idea for the Wild Card Rule last year. This is a rule where members of RAW and SmackDown can appear on the other brand.
As time went on, WWE made changes to it by the week regarding how many stars are allowed to appear on the two weekly television shows.
WWE would later drop it and as they did another brand extension once SmackDown went to FOX.
Former President of WCW and Executive Director of WWE SmackDown Eric Bischoff recently commented on the ’empty arena’ tapings that AEW and WWE are producing.
Eric Bischoff has begun discussing TNA shows on his 83 Weeks podcast, where he and Hulk Hogan would spend some time during the start of last decade. At the time, TNA would air at Orlando Studios in Florida at a soundstage.
With the current climate of professional wrestling and the coronavirus pandemic, both AEW and WWE have had to combat the lack of ‘atmosphere’ that a building without fans creates. WWE especially have had to film at the smaller ‘soundstage’ setting that the Performance Center in (ironically) Orlando that gives the shows a much smaller feel.
Eric Bischoff on AEW, WWE & TNA
“This is where I want to draw an analogy between what we’re seeing today in WWE and AEW. And, to a degree? The challenge that TNA had” Bischoff would begin. “I think one thing that we can all agree on right now? Is that wrestling doesn’t work without an audience.”
Eric Bischoff would compare the smaller stages that AEW and WWE are having to work in, with WWE utilizing the Performance Center in Florida. “Nobody has to be a rocket scientist to come up with that observation. But one of my concerns with TNA and one of the reasons I wasn’t excited about doing it? Is because it was in a soundstage.”
Bischoff would claim that having a tiny soundstage with fans who were entering for free was a huge detriment to the TNA product. “Now, while a soundstage arguably is a live audience is just a little bit better than having cardboard cutouts in the seats with piped in fake noise? It’s not a real audience. The audience, for the most part, didn’t really understand, weren’t really engaged.”
‘Easy E’ would also talk about how the company did have some die hard fans who would attend, but for the most part the causal audience that entered the ‘IMPACT Zone’ would often not be enough to add to the product.
Join us here later tonight for our WWE RAW Results & Takeaways immediately after the show.
WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
WWE RAW Preview (5/11)
The Man to confront The Empress
Asuka climbed the corporate ladder atop WWE Headquarters and won the Women’s Money in the Bank contract. RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, of course, took notice. WWE says Becky Lynch will confront Asuka to address her MITB victory.
The WrestleMania feud between Edge and Randy Orton continues. Both Superstars will be at Raw tonight. WWE is teasing, ‘the hunter is being the hunted’ as the Viper looks to slither away from the Rated R Superstar.
The rivalry between Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits and The Viking Raiders is heating up after the Raiders scored a non-title win over the champs last week.
The teams have been jousting on social media over the past few days.
Former Knockouts Champion Su Yung has re-signed with Impact Wrestling. PW Insider first reported that the 30-year-old from Seattle, Washington has signed a new multi-year commitment to the promotion.
Yung is a 13-year pro having been trained by Bill Dundee and Kevin White. Yung is also married to former X-Division Champion Rich Swann. Her current persona in Impact is “Susie” a less murderous version of her Su Yung alter-ego.
Yung defeated Allie to win the Knockouts Championship in a Last Rites match on April 24th, 2018 from the Impact Zone in Orlando. The match aired on May 31st, 2018. She held the title until dropping it to Tessa Blanchard in a 3-way match that also involved Allie. In total, Yung spent 110 days with the title. She’s ranked at #17 in total days spent with the Knockouts title. Yung defended the title successfully against Madison Rayne, Katarina, and Saraya Knight during her reign.
This week on Impact Wrestling, the #1 contenders tournament kicks off. Trey will face Rohit Raj and Hernandez will face Madman Fulton in opening round matches this week. Moose will also defend the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against Suicide. Also, Kimber Lee debuts for the promotion and goes up against Havok.
Aleister Black signed with WWE in 2016. Before he went to the main roster in 2019, Black won the NXT Championship in 2018 at NXT Takeover: New Orleans. Before signing with WWE, Black wrestled for 14 years for promotions such as Pro Wrestling Holland, WXW in Germany, ICW in Scotland, Progress, OTT and many other top European companies.
Black was known as Tommy End in his pre-WWE career. He recently told SI.com that when he was signed to NXT in 2016, Triple H told him he didn’t want to change anything about who he was as a performer.
“The good thing about what Hunter did, or as I call him, ‘Boss,’ he believed in me and he never tried to change me,” Black said to SI.com. “He told me, ‘I signed you for you. Don’t be something you’re not. Never forget that.’”
Black continued to say that despite the confidence Triple H expressed in him, he felt lost at first in NXT.
“When I started in NXT, I felt super insecure,” he continued. “For a very long time, I was completely lost. I lost my identity, I lost all sense of who I was.”
He said this feeling helped him create a new sense of identity in NXT.
“That’s part of this process,” said Black. “It’s a process that is not pretty, but it’s something every professional has to go through. That’s helped to understand myself a lot better, not just as a performer but as a human being.”
Aleister Black on Wrestlers Who Influenced Him
Also during the interview, Black spoke about wrestlers who influenced him growing up.
“I watched New Japan growing up, and later WCW,” said Black, who listed Hayabusa, Yuji Nagata, Jushin Liger, Tiger Mask, and Toshiaki Kawada as his early influences. “I loved the Japanese wrestlers.”
Black also noted that he enjoyed the Mexican-based wrestlers he saw in WCW and the European stars he saw on World of Sport.
Kazuchika Okada was sent on excursion to America by NJPW in 2010. They sent him to TNA Wrestling where he posted a 2-16 record in 18 matches from September 2010 to June 2011. NJPW was said to have not been pleased with how its future World Champion was used while in the promotion.
Okada himself commented on his time in TNA recently during an interview with NJPW1972.com. According to Okada, the language barrier he experienced in TNA was frustrating. He was also upset that there was little effort made to communicate with him.
“The other wrestlers would only be around if they had matches,” Okada said about his time with TNA. “Every day I would be going to the gym by myself, going shopping by myself, and then going home, and that was it.”
Okada on the Language Barrier in TNA
Okada continued to talk about how the language barrier was difficult at the time.
“I’d be going to the gym and just working out in silence and then coming home, putting the TV on and having no clue what anybody was saying. I’d be so bored sometimes I’d talk to myself in the mirror (laughs).”
Okada would continue to say his English isn’t too bad, however. He also noted that Finn Balor and Karl Anderson helped him earlier in his career with it.
“It really made me think, with no human contact people go absolutely nuts (laughs). But as far as English goes, it’s never been too bad. I studied in junior high, and then went to America on my excursion. Plus when I was in the Dojo, Prince Devitt and Karl Anderson were around, and I could have conversations with them OK.”
The new management of Impact Wrestling is reported to have apologized to NJPW for the way TNA used Okada during his time on excursion to the United States.
Major League Wrestling presented the final episode of its Super-Series with AAA this weekend on BeIN Sports and YouTube. Just one match was featured on the show. A trios match between Los Parks against Psycho Clown, Nino Hamberguesa, and Psychosis closed out the series between the two leagues.
This was the final episode before MLW begins to air its anthology series. It concluded with a hostile takeover from Contra Unit.
The full episode can be viewed in the player below:
MLW Fusion 5/9/20 Quick Results:
El Hijo de LA Park, LA Park & LA Park Jr. defeated Nino Hamburguesa, Psicosis & Psycho Clown
For weeks, vignettes featuring Contra Unit warning of a coming attack have been shown on MLW Fusion. They delivered on their promises tonight. At the conclusion of the episode, it was expected we would hear from Davey Boy Smith Jr. about a possible challenge to Jacob Fatu but when the camera cut to the back we saw a bloodied Smith wrapped in a Contra flag.
Josef Samael then delivered a message to MLW. He said that they have taken over the league and it was now under their rule. Samael was in the company’s head office in New York where MLW management had also been attacked and their offices overrun. Even MLW’s social media accounts have been taken over by Contra.
As MLW moves into showcasing its anthology series, Contra’s takeover of the company seems to provide an end to this particular chapter in the league’s history. When MLW is able to schedule events again, it appears things will be under Contra’s control.
After weeks of catching up with LA Park and his sons at home, Los Parks were in trios action this week on Fusion. They took on LA Park’s rival Psycho Clown and his team of Pychosis and Nino Hamberguesa.
After a violent and weapons-filled match, it appeared as though Los Parks had Psychosis pinned in the middle of the ring. The frequently suspect officiating continued in the Super Series here, however, as the referee made a slow count. As the ref did so, Pagano decided to make the match a party. Pagano hit all 3 members of Los Parks with a chair. LA Park would get in a shot on Pagano, however, after the referee pulled the chair from his hands. Directly after that, LA Park speared Psychosis and picked up the win for his team and MLW.
With the win this week, MLW clinched victory in the Super Series. AAA officials have expressed interest in holding a second Super Series with MLW that would take place in the United States.
MLW vs AAA Super Series Results:
Mortiz & Pagano defeated Mance Warner & Savio Vega [1:0]
Alexander Hammerstone (c) defeated Laredo Kid [1:1]
Averno defeats Douglas James [2:1]
Team Filthy (Dominic Garrini & Tom Lawlor) defeated Extreme Tiger & Puma King [2:2]
Richard Holliday (c) defeated Chessman [3:2]
Hart Foundation (Brian Pillman Jr. & Davey Boy Smith Jr.) defeated Los Mercenarios (El Texano Jr. & Rey Escorpion) [4:2]
Los Jinetes del Aire (El Hijo del Vikingo, Myzteziz Jr. & Octagon Jr.) (c) defeated Injustice (Jordan Oliver, Kotto Brazil & Myron Reed) [3:4]
El Hijo de LA Park, LA Park & LA Park Jr. defeated Nino Hamburguesa, Psicosis & Psycho Clown [5:3]
Another Lifestyles of the Rich and Dynastic episode aired this week. Previously, we’ve seen Richard Holliday and Alexander Hammerstone outside of Savio Vega’s home. Holliday purchased the title to the home, making him “Richie 2 Titles.”
This week, the Dynasty where in Mance Warner’s home town of Bucksnort, TN. Gino Medina pointed out that the trio should be concerned with “Meth Gators” that are local to the area. These are alligators who also do meth, making them a unique and terrifying predator.
Hammerstone got to wandering and was looking at a family of raccoons when Holliday decided they should leave the area. This would lead to Mance Warner issuing up a challenge to the faction later in the show.
Mance Warner Challenges Dynasty To Tower Of Doom Match
Mance Warner issued quite the challenge to the members of the Dynasty this week on Fusion. Warner suggested that a match could be made where all the gold is hanging from the ceiling. This would include Alexander Hammerstone’s National Openweight title and Richard Holliday’s Caribbean Championship he stole from Savio Vega. It would be the 3 members of the Dynasty against Warner, Savio Vega and a teammate to be named later. This would not be a ladder match, however. Rather a 3-tiered “Tower of Doom” cage would be built and the winning team would have to climb to the top cage to retrieve all the gold.
MLW updated its top-10 rankings this week. Davey Boy Smith Jr. moved into the top-contender spot, moving past Alexander Hammerstone. Richard Holliday also moved up two spots, moving past King Mo and Mance Warner.
MLW World Champion: Jacob Fatu(Contra Unit)
Davey Boy Smith Jr. (Opera Cup Winner) (Hart Foundation) (+1)
Alexander Hammerstone (National Openweight Champion) (Dynasty) (-1)
AEW’s anthology series begins airing next week. The show will focus on the top matches, angles, and segments from MLW’s history. This includes the league’s first run from 2002 to 2004. MLW is also stating that lost footage from 2002-04 will run on the anthology series as well.
