Owen Hart tragically fell to his death in Kemper Arena on May 23rd, 1999. On May 7th, 2000, WCW held Slamboree in the same arena. During the show, Mike Awesome tossed Kanyon off the Ready To Rumble cage to the ramp 20-feet below. Some fans have since expressed that doing such a stunt in the same building as the Owen Hart tragedy had taken place in less than a year earlier was in bad taste.
Eric Bischoff and Conrad Thompson recently discussed this on an episode of the 83 Weeks podcast.
“In hindsight, do you think that maybe this wasn’t the best idea to do in this arena given this is where the Owen Hart tragedy happened a year before?” Thompson asked Bischoff.
“No, I don’t feel that way,” Bischoff said. “I’ll try to explain why. In any other form of entertainment/sport, or sports-entertainment or sports. Let’s just take NASCAR. When someone is killed in a NASCAR event, do they stop turning left at 180 miles per hour? Do they quit racing? Do they stop for 6-months or a month or if someone is unfortunately killed at Talladega, do they not race at Talladega anymore?”
Bischoff continued to talk about wrestling being scripted violence before Thompson chimed back in.
“Well hang on now, this is a little different,” Thompson interjected. “This is the arena where he died, roughly a year later, on his actual birthday. So, there is a good chance that some of these fans in the crowd were at Over the Edge the year before and now they’re here and they see another guy flying down to the f***ing floor from up high.”
Bischoff rejected the comparison, however.
“I disagree,” Bischoff said. “You can’t draw a parallel between what happened to Owen and the stunt we created and rehearsed and felt was safe here. They’re not connected.”
Curtis Axel was one of the many WWE Superstars released from the company last month. Arn Anderson recently discussed how Axel was used in WWE and his release from the company on an edition of “the Arn Show.”
“Curtis Axel’s dad, for god’s sake, was ‘Mr. Perfect’ Curt Hennig who was as good a performer as ever graced/built this industry.”
Anderson then said he felt it hindered Axel not to play up his family’s lineage.
“For Joe to not be able to go out on TV his first time and say ‘hey, I’m not my dad. I’m Joe but my dad was Curt Hennig. (I’m) very proud of that fact and I’m going to try to do everything I can to make him proud of me and excel in this business.'”
“His lineage was huge in this industry. Why he wasn’t able to take advantage of that?”
Anderson continued to talk about how WWE is hesitant to let wrestlers play into their family’s lineage.
“Guys would come up and they wouldn’t get to be who they were. Or who their dad was or who their uncle was. Well, that just makes the business bigger that you have 2nd and 3rd generation wrestlers that are doing well.”
“For Curtis Axel to not be who he was and then try to name him 2 or 3 different times and the kid could perform, he could work,” Anderson continued.
Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring recently covered the infamous Brawl For All tournament WWF held in 1998. Vince Russo, the creative mind behind the shoot tough man competition, is featured throughout the episode.
Russo recently went into further detail about the tournament on an episode of Konnan’s Keepin it 100 podcast. During the discussion, Russo stated his belief at the time that Bart Gunn could have defeated Butterbean at WrestleMania. He also noted that Vince McMahon shared that view.
“I got so frustrated with Bart because he still believes he was fed to the wolves and that was a punishment for Dr. Death and he’s wrong, that’s not the truth!” Russo said.
Butterbean sends Bart Gunn into another dimension at WrestleMania 15 (1999)
Russo would continue to say that Vince McMahon believed Bart could possibly have defeated Butterbean.
“I’m telling you he did, bro, I did too!” Russo continued. “You got to understand when I was watching those Brawl for Alls, bro, I’ve never seen guys get hit that hard in my life.”
Russo then talked about how hard Bart was hitting his opponents in the tournament.
“When I saw Bart hitting these guys, I believed without a shadow of a doubt he could beat Butterbean, there wasn’t a doubt in my mind, bro,” Russo continued.
Jim Ross shared his opinion of The Ultimate Warrior on a recent episode of his Grilling JR podcast. Good o’l JR worked with Warrior during the late Hall of Famer’s 1996 return to the World Wrestling Federation.
“I think he was a giant pain in the a** from day one,” Ross said on the show.
JR and Conrad Thompson were discussing a lawsuit involving Warrior on the show, leading to JR’s comments.
“He had a massive ego, knowing that he was not highly skilled, knowing that his #1 selling point was his physique and his charisma that largely was created through music and lights and pyro and things of that nature.”
Ross continued to talk about why he didn’t feel Warrior was a good person.
“He wasn’t a good person in my view, that’s my opinion,” JR continued. “I thought that he used extremely coarse and abusive language in front of women of all ages. I thought that was ridiculous, I seen it with my own eyes.”
Ross continued to talk about Warrior’s Hall of Fame induction. Ross noted he’s glad his family and fans got to celebrate him before he died.
“I’m sad that he passed, I’m glad that he got his moment in the sun before he died, I really am, for his fans’ sake and for his family,” JR said.
Jim Ross’ comments about The Ultimate Warrior can be heard in the player below:
The May 8th edition of WWE SmackDown aired frm the Performance Center in Orlando, FL. It was the final episode of SmackDown before WWE Money in the Bank this Sunday night.
SmackDown Results for May 8:
Sonya Deville def. Mandy Rose
The Miz, John Morrison & Forgotten Sons def. New Day & Lucha House Party
Tamina & Lacey Evans def. Bayley & Sasha Banks
King Corbin, Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura def. Daniel Bryan, Drew Gulak, Otis
In addition to the takeaways below, the hacker delivered another message during SmackDown.
Mandy Rose battled Sonya Deville in the first match of the night. Before the match, Mandy told Otis to just focus on his MITB match when he asked what he could do to help. Dolph Ziggler asked Sonya to go easy on Mandy’s face during the match.
Match Recap: Mandy Rose went right after Sonya to start the match off and beat the hell out of her in the corner of the ring. Rose booted Mandy in her injured leg and slowed her down. Mandy battled back with a massive right hand and Deville rolled out of the ring to try and regroup.
Deville got back in the ring and took control. Sonya connected with a running knee to Mandy’s face for a near fall. Deville went back to work on Mandy’s leg and had a sinister grin on her face while doing so. Sonya shouted that Mandy is embarrassing herself right now as she locked in a submission hold in the middle of the ring.
Sonya started ripping off Mandy’s eyelashes as Sonya vowed to make Mandy ugly. Rose escaped but collapsed to the canvas as Deville booted her in the leg once again. Mandy connected with a Clothesline and followed it up with a knee to the face that sent Sonya out of the ring.
Mandy chased after her and bounced Sonya’s face off the steel steps. Rose sent Sonya over the announce table as Cole and Graves hopped out of the way. Mandy dragged Sonya back into the ring and shouted at Deville to get up. Deville rolled up Mandy and used her tights for leverage to steal the win.
I’ve always been better, I will always be better, I am the Star now … friend.
— Daria/Sonya Deville (@SonyaDevilleWWE) May 9, 2020
Jeff Hardy Sent A Message To Sheamus
Jeff Hardy made his return and joined Renee Young in the ring for an interview. Jeff noted that he can still all the fans voices chanting his name and asked them to stick with him because he knows he has one more good run in him.
Sheamus was shown backstage mocking Jeff and Hardy called him out to the ring. Sheamus came to the entrance and claimed that nobody cares about Jeff Hardy anymore.
Sheamus stated that the fans loved the high-flying maniac that was Jeff Hardy, but they are tired of him now. He added that the fans are tired of the suspensions, releases, and the chances he has wasted.
Jeff said that Sheamus was a hater but Sheamus claimed that he wasn’t and he used to respect Hardy. Sheamus referred to Hardy as SmackDown’s weakest flame and marched to the ring.
Hardy hit Sheamus with Whisper in the Wind and followed it up with a Twist of Fate. Jeff climbed to the top rope and hit Sheamus with a Swanton Bomb before posing in the corner to end the segment.
Universal Champion Braun Strowman had a Face to Face on this week’s episode of SmackDown. Strowman will defend his title against Wyatt at Money in the Bank this Sunday night.
Strowman stated that he debuted in the Wyatt Family but Bray did not create him. Braun added that Wyatt was threatened by him then and is even more threatened by him now. The Universal Champion then challenged Bray to come down to the ring and he made his way down the entrance ramp as the Firefly Fun House theme played.
Bray asked for an apology but Strowman said he didn’t owe Wyatt anything. Strowman added that Wyatt is going to be the one that is sorry this Sunday. Bray told Braun that he needs to come home so that he can show him how to special. Wyatt told Strowman that he just needed to remove that burden (the Universal Championship) so he can show Braun the way.
Braun claimed that Bray doesn’t know him and how he thinks. Strowman vowed to end this at Money in the Bank. Wyatt laughed and said that their journey is just beginning. Wyatt brought out a sheep’s mask and asked Strowman to try it on. The puppets showed up on the screen and all of them asked Braun to come back home.
Strowman said that he is home and he has the Universal Championship. Braun vowed to retain this Sunday and leave Wyatt stuck playing with his puppets. Strowman exited the ring as Bray said that he tried over and over.
Sasha Banks & SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley teamed up to face Lacey Evans & Tamina tonight on SmackDown. Bayley will defend her title against Tamina this Sunday at Money in the Bank.
Match Recap: Bayley tried to avoid Tamina early but Tamina caught her with a Body Slam. Tamina hit a Splash in the corner but got distracted by Banks. Bayley capitalized and tagged Sasha in. Bayley hit Tamina with a chop block and Banks followed it up with a big knee to the face.
When SmackDown returned from a break, Banks hit Lacey with a Dropkick and went for the cover but Evans kicked out at two. Bayley tagged in and continue to beat Evans down. Sasha hit Evans with a cheap shot while the referee wasn’t looking and tagged into the match.
Tamina tagged in but Banks knocked her out of the ring. Sasha went for a Crossbody off the apron but Tamina caught her and sent The Boss into the barricade. Back in the ring, Tamina leveled Bayley with a Clothesline and followed it up with a headbutt. Tamina hit a Splash in the corner before dragging her to the middle of the ring.
Tamina climbed to the top rope but Sasha distracted her on the apron. Tamina sent Banks to the floor and went for a Splash but Bayley got her knees up. Bayley hit the Bayley to Belly and stomped on her a couple of times.
The SmackDown Women’s champ climbed to the top rope and hit an Elbow Drop but Tamina kicked out at two. Lacey hit Banks with the Women’s Right outside the ring. Tamina hit Bayley with a Superkick and followed it up with a Samoan Drop for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: It would have been nice not to see the champ pinned two days before the PPV. I think it would be ridiculous if Tamina won the title at the PPV and I doubt it is going to happen. Tamina has spent her entire career losing and there has been no explanation as to why she is all the sudden this dominant force that everyone that has previously defeated her is afraid of.
Corbin Posed With The MITB Briefcase To Close The Show
Daniel Bryan, Drew Gulak, and Otis faced Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and King Corbin in the main event of this week’s SmackDown.
Match Recap: Gulak leveled Corbin with a Dropkick that sent him out of the ring. Cesaro tagged in and Gulak planted him with a Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Cesaro battled back after a Nakamura distraction and hit a Gutwrench Suplex for a two count.
Nakamura and Otis then tagged in and the big man hit a Clothesline. Otis knocked Cesaro & Corbin off the apron before slamming Shinsuke to the canvas. Otis followed it up with a Splash in the corner and then the Caterpillar Elbow as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Corbin and Bryan were battling in the ring. Corbin had a Headlock applied but Daniel quickly broke free. Bryan hit Corbin with a Dropkick to the knee and tagged in Gulak. Cesaro tagged in as well and Gulak greeted him with several strikes in the corner of the ring.
King Corbin tagged in and Gulak hit him with a Flying Clothesline off the second rope for a two count. Cesaro and Nakamura sent Otis into the ring post. Bryan hit a knee to Cesaro’s face off the apron but turned around into a knee strike from Shinsuke. King Corbin then planted Drew Gulak with Deep Six for the pinfall victory.
After the match, a brawl broke out and spilled backstage. King Corbin was all alone on the entrance ramp and grabbed a ladder. Corbin slid the ladder in the ring and set it up under the MITB briefcase suspended above. Corbin climbed up the ladder but Daniel Bryan got back into the ring.
King Corbin sent him into the ladder and rolled him back outside. King Corbin once again climbed to the top of the ladder but Otis got in the ring this time. Otis sent Corbin to the corner of the ring and bashed him with ladder. Otis tried climbing the ladder but the rungs kept breaking under his weight.
Corbin threw Otis into the ring post as Daniel Bryan brought another ladder into the ring. Bryan hit Corbin with a Dragon Screw and climbed the ladder. Corbin shoved the ladder and Bryan fell into the ropes. King Corbin threw Bryan out of the ring and on top of Otis. King Corbin climbed the ladder, grabbed the briefcase and raised it to end the show.
Opinion: I’m not sure King Corbin posing with the briefcase is a good selling point for the Money in the Bank PPV this Sunday. Overall, this week’s episode of SmackDown was a letdown. It was good to see Jeff Hardy back and I thought Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville had a good match. The rest of the show didn’t do much to get me excited for Money in the Bank.
The Undertaker did an interview with ESPN where he spoke about a wide range of topics including the future of WWE doing cinematic type matches.
This comes after the highly praised Boneyard Match with Taker beating AJ Styles and Bray Wyatt defeated John Cena in a Firefly Fun House Match at WrestleMania 36.
“I think it could if I wanted to do that. That possibility is there, but we’ll just see on that. We were both very proud of that match. Considering all the circumstances, we were really, really happy with it. And the fact that we got to go offsite and give it a theme like that, it helped tremendously.”
Taker continued by bringing up how he’s always been a big believer in the story mattering more than moves during pro wrestling matches. He thinks that moves don’t tell the story. He brought up how the promos done by Styles leading up to WrestleMania were places that no one had dared to go before.
He thinks even if they had a regular match, the brawling style of it would’ve been the same as their Boneyard match due to the promos done by Styles.
“The way it was shot, I mean my goodness, it was a mini-movie. I just really think it’s going to catch on. Bray Wyatt’s character is probably the closest to mine. He’s got that really over-the-top demented type character. He could do some things in that realm that would be just phenomenal. We were the trendsetters there. I think there will be more cinematic matches like that in the future.”
Taker added that as far as him doing another match like this, he’ll see what happens but at the end of the day, he was happy with how the Boneyard Match came out.
WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon is a big fan of one character on SmackDown to the point that he’s backing a current storyline involving him.
That star is Otis. The storyline features Otis, Mandy Rose, Dolph Ziggler, and Sonya Deville.
While former WWE creative writer Andrea Listenberger has been credited with the storyline, it was noted by Dave Melzer in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that a lot of the Otis material, perhaps most of it, is from Vince as he likes the character.
It was noted that while the role of Listenerger, who was released by the company last month as part of the talent and staff cuts due to the coronavirus outbreak, was to come up with material for promos used by Rose and Otis.
It turns out that she was not the driving force of the storyline. This includes Ziggler and Deville.
It was noted in the report that she was a good writer. Melzer added that regarding her release from the company, there were people on the SmackDown creative team that could have gone to bat for her when the cuts were made but didn’t.
The Undertaker did an interview with ESPN where he spoke about a wide range of topics including his match with Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania 33.
This match, which took place in 2017 and served as the main event, wasn’t received well among fans. It turns out that Taker didn’t like the match either.
“I was so disgusted with it that I didn’t want to watch it back.”
Taker continued by talking about how he didn’t want to watch the following day at RAW with everyone during catering but rather wanted to wait until he was alone at home.
The reason for that was due to him wanting to look at the bad stuff in it rather than good. He wanted to pick it apart and didn’t want to hear praise from anyone because he understands that he’s older and moves around slower.
Taker understands that he has a limp and he missed some spots in the contest.
“I was so disappointed for Roman. Even after Brock Lesnar beat the streak, for guys coming up to have a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania — especially where Roman was at — it was important for his career.
Especially because he was going over. For me, in that role, I wanted to do the very best that I could do for Roman. I think the world of him.”
Taker continued by noting how he wanted to be able to do the best he could for Reigns and knew that he didn’t have any business in the ring that night.
While he understands he could have mailed it in to protect himself, that’s not the way he works. Taker also didn’t think it was fair to Reigns to do so. He felt that he tried his best but it wasn’t his night and things went bad.
It appears that WWE actually wanted to end The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania years before they did it.
Of course, Taker suffered his first loss at the event in 2014 at WrestleMania 30 to Brock Lesnar, which at the time had shocked the world.
In a new interview with the New York Post, The Undertaker’s wife, Michelle McCool, stated WWE officials wanted to end the streak six years before they went through with it.
This would’ve been WrestleMania 24 in 2008 where The Undertaker battled Edge for the WWE World Heavyweight Title. It turns out that the WWE Hall of Famer went to WWE officials to get the idea shot down.
“I remember a few years prior at WrestleMania [24] versus Edge, they talked about Edge breaking the streak and it was Edge that was actually like ‘That makes zero sense. I don’t want to do that. Why would I do that? The fans already love him. What’s it going to do for Edge.”
McCool continued by noting how she couldn’t believe it and didn’t think it needed to happen but Taker was fine with it at the time. She stated that people don’t understand he’s gonna do business and understands that business is business.
The WWE Network is slated to air the five-part limited series “The Last Ride,” starting this Sunday. It will chronicle the last few years of The Undertaker’s career.
WWE is thinking outside the box for the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. For the first time ever, the Money in the Bank ladder matches will take place from WWE Headquarters in Stamford, CT.
Over the last few weeks, there have been some rumors about a talent taking a big bump from the roof of WWE headquarters.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, a big spot from the roof was in fact filmed. Details are sparse, but Dave Meltzer reports that WWE CEO Vince McMahon worked directly with an unnamed wrestler on the stunt.
The 74-year-old McMahon, who is known for ‘not asking anything of his performers he wouldn’t do himself,’ reportedly demonstrated the the bump to demonstrate its safety.
Meltzer wrote, “There have been descriptions from people who were aware of the taping of Vince McMahon showing whoever was supposed to go off the top that they had set it up safely and he demonstrated it.”
This report comes after RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch stated in a recent interview that she witnessed Vince showing someone how to fall from “a tower.”
Sunday night’s show will be one to remember. Join us here for our WWE Money in the Bank Results and Takeaways.
WWE SummerSlam probably won’t be taking place in Boston this summer as scheduled.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh held a news conference on Friday. He provided an update on the city’s stance on public gatherings in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak.
Wash declared there will be no parades, festivals or large-scale events in Boston through Labor Day. That holiday takes place on September 7th, two weeks before SummerSlam on August 23rd.
“Parades and festivals will not take place this summer in the city of Boston,” Walsh said at a news conference outside City Hall.
He advised event organizers to start looking for alternative venues as soon as possible.
Mayor Walsh issued the following tweet following the media event:
I can announce that parades and festivals will not take place this summer in the City of Boston, up to and including Labor Day on September 7.
Lana recently published a video on her YouTube channel addressing Rusev’s release from WWE. She is in-character during the video and refers to Rusev as her ex-husband.
“Rusev is not exactly what you think he is,” Lana begins the video. “He has manipulated each and every single one of you fans.”
She then continued to talk about how she understands WWE fans are upset by the recent releases. “I cry when I watch Grey’s Anatomy whenever my favorite character is taken off the show, written off the show, or died on the show, I’m devastated,” Lana said.
Lana continued, “So, I get what the WWE Universe is feeling right now. They are devastated that so many of their favorite characters aren’t going to be on WWE programming anymore.”
Lana then addressed Rusev’s firing specifically.
“I can assure all of you guys – not that I’m talking to Rusev every day or something like that – but I can assure you that the man that I found in 2013 in NXT, discovered him, the man that climbed up the ladder in WWE is made up of a lot,” she continued.
“Anywho, what does the Ravishing Russian Lana have to think about her ex-husband Rusev being fired? Karma’s a b**ch.”
Otis will take part in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match this Sunday from the WWE Performance Center. The 28-year-old from Duluth, Minnesota recently took part in an interview with CBS Sports. During the discussion, Otis addressed pitching the angle with Mandy Rose to WWE management.
“We decided to just kind of present this to the writers and the people behind the scenes,” Otis said. “They were like, ‘Well, what’s the main focus here?’ The main focus is the lonely loner in high school or some nerd kid trying to get the most beautiful girl in the classroom. That was basically my thought of it.”
He continued to say that at the time, they didn’t know Dolph Ziggler would be involved but that he fit naturally into the story.
“We were lucky enough to think about this and lucky enough to have the company get behind it. Luck plays a huge factor, man,” he continued.
Otis on Heavy Machinery’s Future
With Otis having a single’s match at WrestleMania and now in the MITB ladder match, some fans have wondered what the future is with his Heavy Machinery tag-team partner, Tucker. Otis confirmed that Heavy Machinery is still moving “full tilt” as a tag-team, however.
“Heavy Machinery is full tilt. Just because there’s a little bit of absence here and there, I’m sure everyone is stirring up conversation and putting their opinions out there. But that’s a part of it. That’s a part of the mystique of what’s going on right now in WWE. I talk to my brother every day; I call him every night.”
Otis trained at the Mercury Pro Wrestling Academy in Colorado. He was signed to WWE in 2016 only a year into his career. Otis and Tucker were paired up shortly. They competed in the second-ever Dusty Rhodes Classic later that year, losing in the 1st round to Austin Aries and Roderick Strong.
Otis was also named the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Rookie of the Year in 2017.
Heath Slater was released from WWE along with many others last month. He had been with the promotion since 2006. From the Nexus angle to 3MB to having kids, Slater’s career in the company lasted almost 14 years. He recently spoke to Chris Van Vliet about his release from the company.
“I was there for 14 years and a pandemic had to take me out,” Slater said. “14 years is a good run. 10 years on the main roster. I have no ill words to say. It’s just one of those things, hell, they gave me everything I’ve got.”
Slater was 22 when he was signed to the company and reported to Deep South Wrestling shortly after.
“The only thing I have to say is ‘thank you,'” he continued. “But now I’m 36, I still feel like I’m active, young and I can still go out there and do some things. I just want to do things that I never was able to. I’ve never been to another federation! I’ve been in WWE the whole time.”
“It gives me a chance to spread my wings and fly like I never have,” Slater continued. “Like a new baby bird leaving the nest.”
Did Heath Slater See His Release Coming?
Slater also addressed if he saw his release coming.
“I saw the writing on the wall for a couple of years,” he said. “The only reason I say that is I was never really into anything after me and Terry/Rhyno.”
Roman Reigns has been absent from WWE since before WrestleMania. Braun Strowman replaced Reigns in the Universal Championship match against Goldberg.
Reigns spoke with TMZ Sports about his decision not to take part in WWE tapings and shows during the ongoing pandemic.
Reigns told TMZ that the decision to take a hiatus from WWE was all about protecting his family, including his newborn twin boys. The boys are his second set of twins with wife Gavina. They have five children together in total.
Some fans speculated that his battle with leukemia was a factor, but Reigns denies that notion. “A lot of people … they think that it was based off of my heath and the history of my fight against leukemia. Talking to my doctors and stuff, I actually am fine and my immune system is good.”
He added that his immune system is not compromised by any medications he is taking. “The drugs that I take to fight the leukemia, they don’t attack your immune system.”
Reigns continued to talk about wanting to return to the ring but right now being safe for his family is his top priority.
“I wanna be out there, I wanna get back to work, I wanna get back to normal but I just feel like I have an obligation not only to my family and myself but to my community.”
Having been forced to cancel several events due to the coronavirus pandemic, New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is now reportedly considering running empty arena shows.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, New Japan was reluctant to cancel further shows. This extended to the postponement of their highly-anticipated Madison Square Garden show Wrestle Dynasty.
The feeling in NJPW was that Wrestle Dynasty would have been its number two event of the year. The only show ahead of Wrestle Dynasty would be its annual Wrestle Kingdom show.
It was noted that they would have to wait until the Japanese government eases off their lockdown before NJPW could consider or implement any plans. Japan is operating under a state of emergency until at least May 31.
NJPW Wrestle Dynasty & Best Of Super Juniors Tournament
NJPW recently officially announced that Wrestle Dynasty was postponed to 2021.
In a statement, the promotion explained:
“In response to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, and its continued effect on social gatherings all over the world, NJPW has arrived at the decision to postpone Wrestle Dynasty, which was scheduled to take place on August 22 2020, to a date in 2021 to be announced.”
As well as postponing Wrestle Dynasty, NJPW recently announced that their annual Best of Super Juniors Tournament would also not be taking place.
WWE Superstar Nia Jax recently joined Kayla Braxton on her show Braxton Beat on WWE’s official Instagram account. During their conversation, Jax addressed the now infamous punch she delivered to RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch back in November 2018.
When Braxton asked Nia Jax if she feels somewhat responsible for helping turn Lynch into “The Man,” Jax deferred, instead praising Lynch and her accomplishments. She stressed that she wouldn’t “take anything away” from Lynch, joking how she’s so boastful of herself anyway.
“She worked hard and granted, that night, however it happened, will go down in infamy, and I’m not gonna say I helped create her,” Nia Jax said. “I think that it was an opportunity that happened that night and she became an icon.”
Nia Jax will compete in this Sunday’s Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match. She will face off against Shayna Baszler, Asuka, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans and Carmella for the briefcase that contains a championship opportunity.
The matchup will take place concurrently with the Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match and has been pre-recorded in a cinematic style, much like WrestleMania’s Boneyard and Firefly Fun House matchups.
Money In The Bank takes place this Sunday from WWE Global Headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
All Elite Wrestling’s Darby Allin has stressed how he isn’t happy to just be a part of wrestling and AEW. Extrapolating his point, he explained how if he’s going to wrestle for a living, “I’m just going to give it my all.”
Speaking with WrestleZone, Darby Allin highlighted how he doesn’t want to be a guy who goes around saying he’s just happy to be backstage with pro wrestling legends in the locker room. “That was never the case for me. I never wanted to be just a guy who was just happy to be there.”
He also shared his belief that young talent needs to stop sucking up to more experienced veterans. Darby Allin stressed how “There comes a time where you have to fu–ing not be an ass-kisser and do business and have those people you look up to end up being peers that if you don’t ever take that step you’re going to end up being a little b–ch in a way.”
Darby Allin recently competed in the TNT Championship Tournament on Dynamite. He was able to advance to the semi-finals after beating Sammy Guevara. Allin would subsequently lose to Cody Rhodes, who now goes on to meet Lance Archer in the finals.
Their match to determine the first-ever TNT Champion takes place at AEW’s next pay-per-view, Double or Nothing, on May 23.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Kazuchika Okada has donated 5 million Yen ($47,010) to the Nippon Foundation’s special coronavirus relief fund. NJPW1972.com reports that his contribution will help doctors, nurses and volunteers currently working in the fronts lines as they combat the coronavirus pandemic in Japan.
Kazuchika Okada has previously founded the Rainmaker Foundation. This foundation and its efforts are dedicated to supporting those afflicted by childhood cancer.
In an official statement, the CHAOS leader expressed his gratitude to New Japan’s fanbase and their support. He noted how he hopes to soon be able to hear the cheers of sold-out crowds again.
He added how “It’s usually me receiving the support and power of the people, but now I feel it’s my turn to lend support to medical staff fighting this disease.”
The former IWGP Heavyweight Champion then urged fans to stay and home and stay healthy. Kazuchika Okada then explained that this will help NJPW get back to putting on shows sooner rather than later.
NJPW Cancellations
New Japan Pro-Wrestling has been forced to cancel a number of events due to the coronavirus pandemic. Several planned tours have been affected by the outbreak.
The amount of rescheduling and cancellations led NJPW President Harold Meij to pen an open letter to their fanbase addressing their decisions.
All Elite Wrestling World Champion Jon Moxley was recently asked about what AEW’s locker room atmosphere is like compared to WWE. According to Moxley, the culture that AEW has cultivated has been great, and has allowed talent to come together and feel like a family.
Moxley told the WINC Daily Podcast how everyone is having fun despite things being different due to the coronavirus pandemic. He confessed there are different challenges that they each face, especially as a new company. Jon Moxley shared how he’s not a business expert. Despite this confession, he is aware from conversations with people that their “situation is not ideal to say the least.”
That being said, he stressed how they are still doing all they can to not only entertain but keep their talent safe.
Jon Moxley On AEW’s Backstage Atmosphere
Moxley highlighted how AEW is comprised of an “amazing group of creative, young, energetic people.”
He believes that the main thing that AEW is providing them is the opportunity to be themselves. This has helped breed organic positivity backstage. He explained how everybody is getting to express themselves creatively without overt censorship.
Jon Moxley then compared AEW’s locker room with an indie locker room. He noted how “Everyone is there on purpose as if they weren’t in AEW, then they would be somewhere else in pro wrestling. It’s the type of people who would do pro wrestling for free.”
Jon Moxley is set to defend his AEW World Championship at the company’s next pay-per-view, Double or Nothing. He will compete against The Dark Order’s Exalted One, Brodie Lee. The match was made after Moxely was assaulted and challenged by Lee and his group this past Wednesday night on Dynamite.
Seth Rollins has shared his interest in a potential matchup against WWE Hall of Famer Edge. Speaking with talkSPORT’s Alex McCarthy, Rollins revealed he actively wants to face the returning Rated R Superstar.
Rollins stressed how there is “unfinished business” between the two of them stemming from this year’s Royal Rumble. He also recalled how he “threatened” Edge on Monday Night RAW in the past. Seth Rollins believes that these two encounters could provide a good foundation for a storyline between them if WWE decided to pursue the opportunity.
Edge famously returned from a career-ending injury this year to face off against Randy Orton. The former Rated RKO partners clashed at WrestleMania 36 in a Last Man Standing matchup. Edge would eventually emerge victorious. Seth Rollins also competed at WrestleMania, losing his matchup to Kevin Owens.
WWE has been advertising Edge’s return to television next week on Monday Night RAW. He returns to RAW with Randy Orton. Despite the apparent conclusion to their feud taking place at ‘Mania, WWE has alluded to a potential continuation of their feud.
Seth Rollins, however, has his eyes set on his upcoming championship opportunity. He faces Drew McIntyre this Sunday at WWE’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view for the WWE Championship.
AJ Styles has addressed the critical reception to his return to WWE programming. Prior to his inclusion on Monday Night RAW this week, Styles was last seen being buried by The Undertaker during their Boneyard match at WrestleMania 36.
Acknowledging the criticisms over his comeback, Styles agreed that his return “could’ve been more” than what it was.
Styles addressed the topic during a recent MIXER stream. He confessed he had seen people talking about it and how they felt WWE ‘wasted’ their opportunity to bring him back in a more interesting way, whether that was as a different character, mood, or even a different look. AJ Styles agrees. He stated, “I’m with you.”
Also Read: AJ Styles Was Reportedly Expected To Stay Out Of Action Longer
AJ Styles Underwhelmed
He noted how the current coronavirus pandemic may have had a lot to do with WWE’s decision to bring him back.
AJ Styles came back as a surprise entrant in a Gauntlet Match. The competitors were vying for a spot in this Sunday’s Money in the Bank ladder match. Styles would ultimately win the match.
It was a comeback he felt was somewhat lacking, both in terms of return impact and competitors.
“[…] the circumstances, the match… maybe we needed some more star power in the match. Maybe that’s what that was,” AJ Styles said. “I don’t know, I’m not tooting my own horn here, but, I wish we could’ve waited and had times been different, that could’ve been something that we would’ve went [with].”
AJ Styles takes on Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Aleister Black, King Corbin and Otis this Sunday at WWE’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view.
WWE Superstar The Big Show was the first man to face Drew McIntyre after he won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36. McIntyre defeated Big Show in a match that was featured on the post-WrestleMania Monday Night RAW. In an interview with Sportskeeda, the WWE Champion revealed what Big Show told him following their matchup.
McIntyre highlighted how Big Show had watched him grow up since he first came to America when he was 22 years old. He shared how Big Show was proud of what Drew McIntyre had accomplished during his first run with the company. He noted how he is proud of where he has managed to get to “as a performer and as a man.”
Drew McIntyre acknowledged how The Big Show wanted to “test” him in the ring after his win. He noted how Big Show could see he was ready for the opportunity at be WWE Champion. Feeling it, however, was different to simply seeing the potential.
McIntyre then recalled how Big Show told him that he has “the potential to become one of the greatest champions of all time, which meant the world to me, because he is been in (the ring) with the greatest of all time.”
Drew McIntyre is set to defend his WWE Championship this Sunday. He faces Seth Rollins at WWE’s Money In The Bank pay-per-view.
WWE has been sporadically editing out Roman Reigns from recent footage on its shows. The company featured Reigns defeating Triple H during SmackDown’s 25th Anniversary show for “The Game.” They then edited Reigns out of replay footage from WrestleMania 31 on RAW.
Seth Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase during that event, claiming the WWE Championship from Brock Lesnar. However, it was Roman Reigns that would be pinned. Footage of this title change was edited on Monday Night RAW, removing Reigns from the match entirely.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE isn’t necessarily operating under a rule to erase Reigns from its programming. The situation on how WWE is approaching Roman Reigns allegedly “changes on a daily basis, depending on which way the wind is blowing.” This accounts for his inclusion on SmackDown but obvious removal on RAW.
It was recently revealed that WWE had an edict that stated commentators were not to mention Reigns’ name on TV. There was apparently nothing said regarding the use of footage.
It was pointed out how WWE highlighted its work with Make-A-Wish but included no clips of Roman Reigns or the work he has done with the charity. Vince McMahon also avoided mentioning Reigns during a recent investment conference call.
Despite this, FS1 then broadcast a one hour special on the WWE Superstar, leading to confusion and uncertainty over whether Reigns may be being punished.
Roman Reigns’ WrestleMania Choice
Roman Reigns made the decision to not compete at this year’s WrestleMania 36 due to coronavirus concerns. He has previously battled leukemia twice and is immunocompromised.
WWE has previously stated that talent are within their rights to approach them over concerns working during the coronavirus pandemic. The company stressed there would be no repercussions for any Superstars who felt uncomfortable working.
WWE Superstar Ryback recently made some extraordinary claims on a recent episode of the Shooting Blanks Wrestling Report podcast.
Ryback and co-host Raj Giri were discussing the recent furloughing of WWE’s Gerald Brisco. The former on-screen ‘stooge’ for Vince McMahon has been a fixture in the company for a number of years, having been one of the more prolific ‘scouts’ for the company. Brisco is credited as discovering Brock Lesnar, among others.
Ryback on Gerry Brisco
“He’s done so much for WWE, and for Vince [McMahon]” Ryback would begin, talking about the recently furloughed Brisco. “He’s one of those guys. But we’ve seen Vince cut ties with people that have been a part of that company from the beginning. [People who were] with him building all of this.”
Ryback would then discuss his time in FCW with Gerry’s son Wes Brisco. “I came up with Wes Brisco, his son, in developmental. Wes was always a great guy and Gerry was always so fantastic with me.”
‘The Big Guy’ would then reveal a fascinating story from his time in FCW. Gerald Brisco told the then ‘Terminator’ character that he would be a big star in WWE; and, that there was potential for Ryback to be the person to beat the then undefeated Undertaker at WrestleMania and break the historic streak.
The Streak
“He [Brisco] came up to me when I was in FCW as the ‘Ryback The Terminator’ character. I’d had a match, and I was new to the system. I never got a lot of positive reinforcement from anyone, like as far as anyone from the office. He [Brisco] was still in the position there at the time [helping and building talent]. And he just said ‘you’re going to be a major star in this company.’ He even said ‘I could see you breaking the Undertaker’s streak.’ He was dead serious. I remember thinking like, ‘holy sh*t like he sees something in me.’ I’ll never forget that.”
When Ryback first hit on the main roster at WWE he was being groomed for a major push and had a lot of potential heading into his first WWE Championship match against CM Punk. The circumstances of the situation meant that Ryback would not win the title, as Punk was on the road to his 434 day reign as Champion and a match against The Rock at the Royal Rumble.
Having said that, beating The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak? Do you think Ryback could’ve been the guy to do so? Let us know in the comments.
