AEW has released its weekly rankings for April 15th, 2020. The promotion releases new top-5 rankings every Wednesday for its men’s, women’s and tag team divisions.
AEW Men’s Division
World Champion: Jon Moxley (8-0)
Jake Hager (4-0)
Cody Rhodes (6-1) (+1)
Chris Jericho (0-1) (-1)
Kenny Omega (3-0)
Darby Allin (4-2)
The only movement in the men’s single’s rankings this week was Cody moving ahead of Chris Jericho. Cody defeated Shawn Spears in the 1st round of the TNT Championship tournament this week while Chris Jericho worked the commentary booth with Tony Schiavone.
Jake Hager and Jon Moxley were each featured in videos building up their title match on this week’s Dynamite. Darby Allin didn’t wrestle and Kenny Omega teamed with Michael Nakazawa in a loss to the Best Friends.
AEW Women’s Division
Champion: Nyla Rose (4-1)
Hikaru Shida (7-1)
Kris Statlander (2-3)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-1)
Riho (3-3) (+1)
Britt Baker (2-3) (-1)
There was just one match in the women’s division this week but it was an important one. #1 ranked Hikaru Shida once again retained her top-ranking in the division. She defeated Britt Baker who went into the match ranked #4 but with the loss drops below former champion Riho. Shida is really on fire as of late. In addition to beating Baker this week and Anna Jay last week, she won a fatal 4-way match against Kris Statlander, Penelope Ford, and Riho on March 18th. She also won a fatal 4-way against Big Swole, Shanna, and Yuka Sakazaki on February 26th.
AEW Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (6-0)
The Dark Order (5-0)
The Young Bucks (2-2)
Best Friends (4-3) (+2)
SCU (2-3)
Lucha Bros (1-2)
The Best Friends move up two spots in the rankings this week after defeating Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa. There was a lot on the line in the match, as the winning team would carry the “Best Friends” name moving forward. There was no other movement in the tag division this week.
All Elite Wrestling has provided an update on its upcoming AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
There has been some uncertainty surrounding the event due to the Coronavirus pandemic. According to AEW, the show will still take place on Saturday, May 23rd. However, it will no longer take place from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. A new location has yet to be announced, but there will be no fans in attendance.
The new location will be revealed in the weeks ahead, with the specifics to be determined using the latest guidance of national and global health authorities.
AEW Double or Double or Nothing will be available for purchase via BR Live, iN DEMAND cable operators, DirecTV, DISH. AEW fans outside the United States can order via the FITE streaming service.
Refunds are being issued for people who purchased tickets to Double or Nothing and the AEW Dynamite taping scheduled for the following Wednesday.
A statement issued by AEW reads:
“As illustrated in our mission statement, the safety and well-being of our fans and talent is always our top priority. AEW is grateful to MGM Grand Hotel and Resorts and everyone close to and within the AEW family – including fans – for their patience and understanding, and sends thanks around the world to healthcare and other frontline workers who are answering the call to protect and serve their communities.”
The MGM Grand website lists AEW Double or Nothing as being postponed to May 29, 2021.
Double or Nothing Impacted
As of this writing, the only match announced for AEW Double or Nothing is the finals of the AEW TNT Championship tournament.
AEW has not revealed the next challengers to its top champions. As of this writing, Jake Hager (4-0 this year) is the #1 contender to Jon Moxley’s AEW World Championship. Hikaru Shida (7-1) is the top ranked female, while The Dark Order (5-0) are the top-seeded tag team.
Many of AEW’s storylines have been up-ended due to the Coronavirus situation. The Blood and Guts double cage match scheduled for last month was postponed indefinitely. The consequences of that battle between The Elite and The Inner Circle would have certainly impacted AEW storylines in the build to Double or Nothing.
AEW recently held Dynamite TV tapings from Georgia. The company has many more weeks of shows ready to air, however, they worked with a skeleton crew. This also certainly impacted what was originally planned for the pay-per-view.
AEW on-air personality and former WWE agent Arn Anderson recently answered questions from fans on the ARN podcast. One of the queries centered on a potential film adaption of the Four Horseman. Co-host of the podcast Conrad Thompson asked Arn Anderson who would play Ric Flair in the film, and Arn replied with Joe Exotic. If you haven’t been following the hype about Exotic? He is the ‘star’ of the recent Tiger King series on Netflix.
Anderson would then compare the series to pro wrestling. There have been points where the eclectic nature of the big cat owners and the ‘carny’ sensibilities of old-school ‘wrasslin’ promotors have maybe intermeshed.
Arn Anderson on The Tiger King
“You know what’s what’s hilarious about that series is?” Arn Anderson began. “I mean this thing has blown up. People are stuck at home and they’re looking for a different alternative viewing and all that and this. We heard about it and heard about it before we decided to watch it. That’s Erin and I, we watched that. We watched the whole series over, you know, a couple, three days, whatever it was.”
Arn would then hilariously reveal that his wife Erin didn’t think that the personalities in the series were all that weird. “She said, you know what horrifies me? I don’t think all those people are that weird!? Now she’s grown up in the wrestling business, right? She’s seen some, some crazy stuff being around Ric [Flair] all these years. She is so jaded just like me that, that whole thing just didn’t come across as being that out of bounds! Now once you see the whole series and you go back and look at it you go ‘well something was really quirky about everybody in that show. Then it starts to pile on you a little bit but, it was it was entertaining, that’s for sure.”
In case you missed it, we had some further information on Joe Exotic’s foray below:
The former NWA World Heavyweight Champion recently spoke about his experience working with Joe Exotic. He noted that he was shocked by what he was charged and convicted of in a video posted to the NWA YouTube channel.
Vice recently spoke to promoter Robert Langdon from Texoma Pro Wrestling who worked with Joe to promote multiple shows. The events served as a fundraiser for Joe’s zoos. Joe Exotic served as the color commentator for the shows which were streamed on his official YouTube channel. Check out the full story here.
New Japan Pro Wrestling star Will Ospreay recently addressed CM Punk’s comments on the ‘Aerial Assassin’ being a potential match up he would consider. In a recent interview, CM Punk stated that if the “conditions were right” then he would consider discussing potential matches against John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio and Will Ospreay.
CM Punk on potential opponents if all the conditions were right:
Obviously, Ospreay is the only name on that list that does not currently work for WWE. This has lead many to believe that not only does Punk keep up with New Japan Pro Wrestling, but that it might be a consideration.
Will Ospreay vs CM Punk?
Whilst there’s no confirmation of this whatsoever, Will Ospreay has publicly stated that he would like the match at Wrestle Kingdom in January next year. Appearing recently on the Chris Van Vliet podcast; Ospreay said that the ball is completely in Punk’s court when it comes to the potential match.
“It can happen and the only person that can make it happen is him” Ospreay began. “We live in this world of possibility. Anything is possible and the whole ‘Never Say Never’ thing? But like whenever someone goes ‘Will are you ever going to go to WWE?’ like my natural reaction is to go like ‘no.’ But the reality is it IS never say never.”
Punk Has Left Wrestling?
Will Ospreay would elaborate further, saying how he really never considered facing CM Punk a possibility, due to the way he left WWE initially. “But like, Punk? I didn’t really consider this a possibility at all. Because the way he talked in the Colt Cabana interview? He was DONE with wrestling. And when he showed up in the UFC it was ‘all right so this is him just pretty much done with wrestling.’ It was only when I saw that (aforementioned) interview.”
“Because my phone just went off on a random day, my phone just started going off. And when Punk did that interview and he said like, ‘I would listen to your idea if it was John Cena, Rey Mysterio, Daniel Bryan or Will Ospreay!?’ and I was like, ‘dude those three are legends right there. That’s the cream of the crop stuff. So no matter what you say about my confidence in ability or whatever? Like, they’re there (up in the echelons). I’m here, I’m not even on the screen down here (laughs).”
The Pipebomb
Ospreay also mentioned that whilst he was taken aback by the suggestion, he knows that Punk is at least aware of what is happening in Japan. “I thought, If he’s coming back he’s going to WWE. But then I always remember that promo where he sat cross legged, and he was like, ‘maybe when I’m done here I could go to New Japan Pro Wrestling, maybe I could go to Ring of Honor.’ So he does watch. And that was back in 2011. He’s still watching (New Japan), because I wasn’t around in 2011.”
Do you think that we could see Punk vs Ospreay at Wrestle Kingdom? Let us know in the comments
Also Check Out:
CM Punk Says It’s Impossible To Watch Wrestling Without An Audience
It’s widely known that AEW taped matches in Jacksonville and QT Marshall’s gym in Norcross, GA last month that will air on future Dynamite episodes.
It’s been reported that the promotion has enough content taped to last them through mid-May.
A new report by Wrestling Inc notes that MJF, The Young Bucks, “Hangman” Adam Page, Nyla Rose, PAC, The Lucha Bros, SCU and Big Swole did not work the most recent TV tapings in Georgia.
Thus, fans shouldn’t expect to see them on future episodes of Dynamite. For now, Georgia is currently under a “shelter in place” order that will last the remainder of this month.
AEW does have the option of returning to Florida but they won’t be able to run Daily’s Place in Jacksonville.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has deemed pro sports leagues as “essential services” as long as they have essential people working, no fans in attendance, and production with a national audience.
This covers MMA and pro wrestling. Just like with WWE, AEW would be allowed to run TV tapings in the state.
AEW President Tony Khan has told talent and staff that if they don’t feel comfortable with working the tapings then they won’t face punishment over it.
Talent from states like New York and California were also not used at the TV tapings.
Viewership data is in for this week’s episodes of Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night RAW.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
RAW Viewership
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.913 million viewers, which is down from the 2.010 million viewers last week.
This was the lowest-rated episode of the show for the year. Here is the hourly viewership breakdown:
Hour 1: 1.994 million (2.311 Last Week), 0.59 Demo (0.78 Last Week)
Hour 2: 1.913 million (2.063 Last Week), 0.57 Demo (0.69 Last Week)
Hour 3: 1.832 million (1.925 Last Week), 0.52 Demo (0.64 Last Week)
RAW featured Asuka vs. Ruby Riott, Kairi Sane vs. Nia Jax, and Sarah Logan vs. Shayna Baszler in Money in the Bank qualifying matches, Aleister Black defeats Oney Lorcan, The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) defeat Cedric Alexander & Ricochet, and Drew McIntyre defeats Andrade in the main event.
SmackDown averaged 2.317 million viewers on FOX in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. This is down from the 2.398 million viewers that the show did for the previous week’s episode of SmackDown.
The show averaged 2.304 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was down from the 2.375 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.372 million viewers while the second hour did 2.235 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.407 million viewers while the second hour did 2.342 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from the 0.60 rating as last week’s show.
Arn Anderson sounds excited at the prospect of former WWE tag team The Revival joining All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
The latest episode of the Arn Show podcast featured AA fielding questions from his readers. Co-host Conrad Thompson asked Arn about his reaction to Dax Hardwood (Scott Dawson) and Cash Wheeler (Dash Wilder) becoming free agents. Arn replied, “What do you think?” This triggered a laugh from Conrad. Arn said he also reacted with laughter when he heard about WWE releasing The Revival.
“The laugh you just had is exactly what I did,” Arn began. “As a matter of fact, I got a message from Dawson the night before. He said, ‘About 9am, there will be some good news show up.’ And that’s all he said.”
Arn Anderson continued, “Well, 9am, it hit. It surprised me a little bit, that they would let ’em go scot-free. That’s the way it should be.”
Conrad said that WWE’s decision to grant The Revival their release is an ‘interesting story’ and not the way the company typically does business. He said that’s The Revival’s story to tell and he’ll leave it at that.
He added that The Revival becoming free agents is a remarkable situation. It seems logical that they will eventually wind up in AEW. They have been teasing a feud with The Young Bucks for years on social media. Arn Anderson is a natural fit to work with them. It will be tremendous to see them in AEW, However Conrad thinks we need to see them in an NWA ring at least once.
Arn feels The Revival are now the hottest commodity in the business. Companies all over the world will be vying for their services. Whoever signs them will be much better off.
Arn continued praising The Revival. He called them the most unselfish, giving guys he’s seen come along in a long time. They have the same mentality that he, Tully and the original Four Horsemen had. Every night, they go out steal the show and make everybody in the arena go nuts. They have the talent, the ability and whoever gets them will be very lucky.
Head over to WestwoodOnePodcasts.com to listen to the full episode.
Refunds are reportedly being issued to those who purchased tickets for WrestleMania 36. This comes via a report from PWInsider.
Initially, WrestleMania 36 was to go down from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event was forced to make a huge change. WWE moved their “Show Of Shows” to their own Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Also, for the first time ever, no fans were allowed in the arena for the show.
WWE aired WrestleMania 36 over a two day period and featured more off location matches than usual. In addition to the show facing a ton of hurdles this year, it wasn’t without controversy either. Drew McIntyre’s WWE Championship win over Brock Lesnar was criticized for being too short. Also, Edge and Randy Orton’s Last Man Standing match, the second-longest in WrestleMania history, was believed to have lasted too long.
The match also featured a spot that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. During the match, Orton choked Edge with a machine in the weight room similar to the one Chris Benoit killed himself with in 2007. With WrestleMania now behind them, WWE is focused on continuing to tape their weekly programs live. Florida has now deemed WWE “essential,” thus allowing them to continue broadcasting live weekly rather than pre-taping shows.
Jerry Lawler returned to the RAW broadcast booth last night and is currently garnering backlash online for a joke he made during the Austin Theory vs Akira Tozawa match.
Tozawa hit Theory with a diving senton during the match. As the replay aired, Lawler remarked that the move was a “ramen noodle moonsault.”
Lawler’s comment was edited off the Hulu version of RAW. Twitter user @GetDaTables posted footage of Lawler’s comment in the Tweet below:
People aren’t mad at Jerry Lawler for making a joke. He made an unimaginative joke based on racial stereotypes that wasn’t funny. He sucks at his job. They’re mad at him for sucking at his job.
Jim Cornette posted the following in defense of Lawler’s comment:
So now people are mad at @JerryLawler for telling a joke. Now I understand why modern wrestling sucks, because most modern wrestling fans are such whiny little pussies they don't DESERVE good wrestling. How do these people go out in public without breaking out in tears? #WHINE
Cornette is no stranger to online backlash from comments made at the announce booth. The NWA and Cornette agreed to part ways shortly after he made a joke in reference to the Ethiopian famine of the mid-80s during an episode of Powerrr.
“He’s the only man I’ve ever known that can strap a bucket of fried chicken on his back and ride a motor scooter across Ethiopia.”
The Ethiopian famine led to massive global fundraising efforts including the Live Aid festival in 1985. Cornette defended the line on his podcast, stating that decades ago similar jokes were made on-air.
“It’s a starvation joke, not a race joke,” Cornette said. “Whether it’s a good joke or a bad joke, it was a joke that has been told on TBS, USA Network, broadcast television stations across America over a variety of locations for the past 30 years.”
Discussion: Was Jerry Lawler’s joke in bad taste, or are people overreacting?
Wrestling legend Jim Cornette recently weighed in on the ongoing situation regarding Ronda Rousey.
To recap, the former WWE RAW Women’s Champion recently indicated that she is very unlikely to return to the company, largely due to unappreciative fans.
Rousey said on ‘Jackass’ star Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast, “I love performing. I love the girls. I love being out there … but, at the end of the day, I was just like, ‘F*ck these fans, dude.’ My family loves me and they appreciate me and I want all my energy to go into them.”
Ronda Rousey vs Nia Jax
It was recently revealed by Nia Jax that she had to go to WWE management regarding a WWE talent who was legitimately roughing up her friend Alexa Bliss during matches. Although not confirmed, it was heavily indicated that it was Ronda Rousey.
Nia recently commented on the situation, saying “I can’t wait for Ronda 2 one day return 2 WWE. Even if WWE orders me to make Ronda look good in the ring, which is the ONLY way for Ronda 2 look good in the ring w/me. I’ll risk my job 2 go down in history as the one from this biz that knocked her the F**K out! #TestMeBitch”
“So why did they put her in with Ronda Rousey? I have no f*cking idea”
-Jim Cornette
Jim Cornette Comments
“I can see why they [WWE] didn’t want to put Ronda Rousey in with Nia Jax,” Jim Cornette stated on his Drive Thru podcast. “Because they were trying to get Rousey over and she would not be able to do all of her sh*t and throw Nia Jax around like a rag doll etc.”
Cornette then questioned why WWE chose to put Alexa Bliss in a programme with Rousey initially. “I’ve seen that Alexa Bliss. She’s gorgeous girl but you know she is five foot nothing and doesn’t weigh 100 pounds or whatever the f*ck. She looks the furthest thing from physically intimidating. So why did they put her in with Ronda Rousey? I have no f*cking idea. Because they should have known a little lady like that cannot be f*cking thrown around.”
Cornette continued, “I don’t think Alexa Bliss has ever fought in a cage, I don’t think she’s been in any contact sports, she might have been a cheerleader whatever the f*ck. I would have picked one of the larger, more physically equipped ladies to work with Ronda Rousey especially if she was that f*cking dangerous.”
It looks as though this won’t be last that we’re hearing about Ronda Rousey and her time in the WWE.
Former WWE Smackdown Executive Director Eric Bischoff recently commented on the ‘Monday Night War’ that saw TNA head to Monday nights back in 2010. On March 8th 2010, TNA would air on Monday nights head to head with WWE’s flagship RAW program. The experiment would only last until late April, when the company would move back to their Thursday night slot after losing a hefty chunk of their audience against WWE.
Eric Bischoff would claim on his 83 Weeks podcast that the move to Monday was never permanent. In fact, it was designed to give TNA a ‘kick start’ and market the product and get the wrestling audience to potentially ‘sample’ something they hadn’t seen previously.
Eric Bischoff on Competition
“It’s another strategy that we created” Eric Bischoff began. “It’s competition, it’s a way to get people to sample your product and that’s all it was. How do we make the biggest impact? How do we maximise the addition of Hulk Hogan to the TNA brand? Can we exploit that to the maximum potential? How do we do it?”
Bischoff would then describe how the ‘peripheral’ wrestling media would be instrumental to the ‘sampling.’
“We thought going head to head because we knew it would make noise. We knew that the ‘peripheral’ wrestling audiences or ‘peripheral wrestling industry’ would be buzzing about it. They’d either be ripping it apart or they’d be putting it over, one or the other. It did not matter, as long as they were talking about it, they would be encouraging people one way or the other to at least sample it out. Either to validate the criticism for going head to head or to validate the choice to do it.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BKMJKtqppM
Small, Niche Product
Although some fans would argue that the pre-Hogan era of TNA was working, Eric Bischoff would comment on how the company needed to make a ‘big move.’ “TNA needed to make a big move. They were quite successful as a small niche product is in a certain segments of the country, right? TNA had some of the same problems that WCW had early on, in that they weren’t real popular on the West Coast. They didn’t have a lot of Upper Midwest kind of success. They were very popular in certain pockets of the country.”
“But for the most part it wasn’t a national kind of brand. They were pretty niche. And bringing Hulk Hogan in with Ric Flair was a way to change that perception, and that’s all going head to head was. It was ‘let’s let the world know we’re here, and we’re here to put on a good show.’ And there’s no better way to do it, in terms of getting an audience and attracting curiosity; if nothing else, it was to make a big move and go slap the giant [WWE] in the face and see what happens.”
As mentioned, TNA would eventually move back to Thursday nights on Spike TV as the experiment had failed. Or had it? Do you think that TNA were right to take the gamble? Let us know in the comments
If you use any of the quotes from this article please credit 83 Weeks Podcast with a h/t to SEScoops.com for the transcription.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling President Harold Meij has written an open letter to fans regarding event cancellations. Like several other wrestling promotions, NJPW has been forced to reschedule and cancel a number of events. This was done due to the coronavirus pandemic. Most recently, New Japan’s Road to Dontaku tour was canceled, prompting Meij to connect with the NJPW fanbase.
Meij highlighted how their recent 12 cancellations from April 19 to May 4 join previously canceled events dating back to March 1. He revealed that the promotion is monitoring the situation closely regarding events scheduled from May 4 onwards.
He shared how the promotion has been taking the global situation “very seriously from an early stage.”
According to Harold Meij, 90% of their employees are currently working from home as they do all they can to help stop the spread of COVID-19. “We, like you, are disappointed and frustrated at not being able to present the best professional wrestling on the planet on a live basis at the current moment in time.”
Harold Meij Thanks The Fans
Harold Meij urged fans to do what they can to prevent the further spread of the disease. He noted how, unless you are in essential work, you should stay home and enjoy entertainment via NJPW World. He thanked the fans for their support and stressed that “we will get through this together.”
Meij added how the fighting spirit of NJPW is something that can overcome any opposition and that he looks forward to the day they can begin delivering shows once more.
As the world continues to self-isolate and struggle with the coronavirus pandemic, Kurt Angle has offered some words of encouragement to the WWE Universe.
The WWE Hall of Famer took to his Twitter account to connect with his fans, acknowledging how the future is uncertain at this time. He stated how many are struggling right now due to the pandemic.
Kurt Angle then stressed how “this is the calm before the storm” before adding how humanity will eventually bounce back. He believes that we “will end up in a better place than we were before” before imploring his fans to believe. The former Superstar accompanied the tweet with hashtags for prayer, faith, hope, and positivity.
Many of us are struggling right now. We are unsure of our future, due to this pandemic. As of right now… this is the calm before the storm. Because we will bounce back, and will end up in a better place than we were before. Believe!!!! #Prayer#Faith#Hope#Positivity
Despite coronavirus concerns, it was recently revealed that WWE will be going ahead with live broadcasts of its shows. This comes in the wake of Mayor of Orange County, Jerry Demings, declaring that WWE is considered an essential business.
“I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business,” Demings stated before giving the explanation. “With some conversation with the Governor’s office regarding the Governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. Therefore, they were allowed to remain open.”
Since retiring from in-ring competition at WrestleMania 35, Kurt Angle has segued into a backstage produce role with WWE. It is unknown if Angle will be in attendance for WWE’s live broadcasts.
Former WWE Superstar Aron Stevens has opened up about his time working for the promotion as Damian Sandow. Catching up with Lilian Garcia on her podcast Chasing Glory, Stevens divulged the self-doubt he suffered during his WWE career.
Aron Stevens shared how he didn’t leave WWE on the note he wanted to. Following his release, Stevens revealed he became a lot more self-aware. According to him, he underwent a lot of self-analysis to look inward and “get to where I wanted to get.” He explained how he is no longer so linear in his thinking and is more open to allowing things to happen.
If he could go back and change his time in WWE, Stevens stated he would have been more patient. He believes this would have helped him to “handle things better.” He did acknowledge, however, that it was only by leaving WWE that he would have had his personal epiphany.
Aron Stevens On Creeping Self-Doubt
One thing that plagued Aron Steven’s during his WWE tenure was self-doubt. He described it as something that “crept” into him over time. When his music hit, however, Stevens noted that he would have no doubt at all.
“That’s what I think allowed me to have the career that I’ve had. Because when I’m out there [in the ring], I don’t make a wrong decision, I don’t,” he explained. “As a performer, you listen to the crowd and you start making adjustments. I am fine with that. But, it’s something that a lot of people struggle with.”
He continued, “[…] No, when I’m out there, let me have my time, and we’re going to be fine. It was such a break and such a relief. But then, when you go back [you ask yourself], ‘Why aren’t they doing this with me?’ Like my t-shirts. They weren’t the highest-selling t-shirts at live events, and I let that get to me and other little things.”
This allowed self-doubt to begin affecting him. He would question if he was good enough as a performer and Superstar. He explained how he would approach Road Dogg and WWE creative, but wasn’t able to secure anything for himself. This forced him to reassess his situation from a “realistic perspective” eventually leading him to “hit the reset button on life,” a decision he admitted wasn’t an easy thing to do.
2K’s annual WWE video game may not be released this year. The game is usually announced around WrestleMania season. At the time of writing, however, there has been no mention or tease of WWE 2K21.
According to Justin Leeper, 2K will be foregoing their annual grappling game. Leeper was involved with writing the “Road to WrestleMania” modes for several WWE video games.
He shared that his sources have informed him that the WWE 2K21 has been canceled. That being said, he added that 2K still has plans to deliver another WWE branded game.
As of this writing, there is no indication as to what kind of game this will be or how it differs from the WWE 2K series.
https://youtu.be/4w_sRieIEiA
Arguing For A WWE 2K21 Cancelation
Leeper argued how this cancellation could be a good thing for the series overall. WWE 2K20 was openly panned by both fans and critics upon release for being so technically broken. It didn’t take long for people to start making fun of the game. Many took to social media and YouTube to share the worst of the game’s glitches.
He explained how, by taking this additional year, 2K could reassess what needs to be fixed and avoid WWE 2K21 repeating 2K20’s mistakes. This would allow the next version to be a refreshed, renewed game that would hopefully win back some of the fans lost with WWE 2K20.
NXT General Manager William Regal is set to once again appear on WWE show The Bump. Last time Regal appeared, he announced that NXT would be hosting a tournament to crown an Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship. This is something current Champion Jordan Devlin took issue with. Regal’s upcoming appearance on The Bump will once again regard the state of NXT gold as he will be addressing the NXT Tag Team Championship scene.
William Regal Addresses The NXT Tag Team Championship Landscape
The current NXT Tag Team Champions are Matt Riddle and Pete Dunne. The duo, collectively known as the Broserweights, won the belts during NXT TakeOver: Portland earlier this year. They defeated Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish to claim the gold, having earned the right by winning the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament.
It’s worth noting that The Bump’s official Twitter account wrote:
“The #WWENXT GM stops by #WWETheBump to address the @WWENXT Tag Team Championship picture, this Wednesday at 10am ET!”
Having won the NXT Women’s Championship during WrestleMania 36, Charlotte Flair is set to return to the black-and-gold brand. And she’ll be doing it sooner rather than later. According to reports, Flair will be returning to her old stomping grounds on Wednesday’s episode of NXT. It will air live on the USA Network.
This marks Charlotte Flair’s first appearance on the brand since winning the gold from Rhea Ripley. The episode will reportedly air live from Full Sail University. Having previously pre-recorded episodes in the run-up to WrestleMania 36, WWE has been given the greenlight to air live episodes. This comes in the wake of Mayor of Orange County, Jerry Demings, declaring that WWE is considered to be an essential business.
It was initially reported that WWE’s decision to have Charlotte Flair reclaim the title was done to help bolster their Wednesday night ratings war. They go head-to-head each Wednesday with All Elite Wrestling’s Dynamite on TNT.
It remains to be seen whether Flair’s move back to the black-and-gold brand will have the impact WWE intends.
NXT Card 4/15
Finn Balor vs Fabian Aichner
NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament Begins
Participants include:
KUSHIDA, Jack Gallagher, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Akira Tozawa, El Hijo del Fantasma, Jake Atlas, Tony Nese, and Drake Maverick
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair returns to NXT
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff has commended WWE for delivering WrestleMania 36. Bischoff addressed the event during the premiere episode of his new exclusive video show Locked & Loaded. He acknowledged the difficult situation WWE was put in to due to the coronavirus pandemic. He then applauded WWE for moving forward with delivering the show.
Bischoff stated how, for a lack of a better description, the WWE Superstars were robbed of a WrestleMania moment. He explained it was unfortunate they weren’t able to share an “emotional connection to the audience” as those are undeniably special. He noted how some Superstars may never get an opportunity to experience something similar going forward.
Eric Bischoff On Business Over Emotion
Eric Bischoff stressed that the business is ultimately more important than emotional connection. He argued how the business has to take priority over personal feelings before applauding WWE for their decision.
“So I applaud WWE for moving forward in trying and quite honestly, in my opinion, successfully integrating some innovations to the industry that here before have not really been seen to the level that they were,” Bischoff said.
Bischoff added how talents losing out on a moment wouldn’t have influenced his decision to go ahead with the event. He did confess that, though it would make him feel bad, it wouldn’t have affected his choice to deliver the event in the way Vince McMahon did.
WWE has announced several important matches for next week’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
These bouts will be three Money in the Bank qualifying matches. WWE had MVP do a VIP Lounge segment backstage on Monday’s show where he announced that there will be a few first time ever matches.
Rey Mysterio will battle Murphy, Austin Theory will face Aleister Black, and finally, MVP against Apollo Crews. MVP called himself a ladder match legend.
This comes after Monday’s RAW that saw Asuka vs. Ruby Riott, Kairi Sane vs. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Sarah Logan take place to earn spots in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
WWE has already confirmed that this year’s men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches will have three wrestlers representing RAW and another three representing SmackDown.
The company confirmed Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro and Dana Brooke vs. Naomi for this Friday’s SmackDown.
With Money in the Bank needing a new location, it’s very possible that the event will take place in Orlando at the Performance Center. WWE has still advertised the event for May 10, but no new location has been confirmed.
This week’s episode of WWE RAW aired from the Performance Center. Three Qualifying Matches went down tonight to determine the three RAW female superstars in the women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match. RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre also appeared during tonight’s show.
WWE RAW Results (4/13)
MITB Qualifier: Asuka def. Ruby Riott
Aleister Black def. Oney Lorcan
MITB Qualifier: Shayna Baszler def. Sarah Logan
Austin Theory def. Akira Tozawa
Angel Garza def. Tehuti Miles
MITB Qualifier: Nia Jax def. Kairi Sane
Bobby Lashley def. No Way Jose
Viking Raiders def. Cedric Alexander & Ricochet
Drew McIntyre def. Andrade
Here are 7 takeaways from this week’s RAW:
Andrade Challenged Drew McIntyre
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre kicked off this week’s episode of RAW. Drew thanked the audience at home for the privilege for allowing him into their living room. McIntyre stated that the internet can sometimes be negative but it has been positive since he won the title.
He said it was surreal that he beat Lesnar within five minutes and then beat the Big Show twenty minutes later. McIntyre stated that sets the tone for the champion he will be and will give superstars an opportunity if they deserve a shot at the title.
United States Champion Andrade interrupted with Zelina Vega. Zelina referred to Andrade as the “real champion of RAW”. Vega added that it will be a shame if someone were to injure McIntyre and take the title away from him. McIntyre brought up losing the NXT Championship to Andrade and suffering a bicep injury in the match.
Drew suggested that they have a title match tonight. Andrade boasted about taking McIntyre in the past and will do the same tonight.
Remember when @AndradeCienWWE defeated @DMcIntyreWWE for the @WWENXT Championship and put him OUT OF ACTION for six months?
Asuka squared off against Ruby Riott in the first MITB Qualifying match of the night.
Match Recap: Asuka danced around the ring to Riott’s entrance music before the match. Ruby controlled the action early and hit a shoulder tackle for a two count. Ruby pointed at the MITB briefcase hanging above the ring and started taunting Asuka.
Asuka went after Ruby’s surgically repaired shoulders and took her to the canvas. Asuka snet Riott to the corner and stomped on her a few times. She then knocked Ruby to the outside with a Hip Attack and followed it up with a knee to the face. Riott battled back and sent Asuka over the barricade. Asuka booted Riott in the face and then danced on the barricade as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Riott sent Asuka to the corner. Asuka exploded out of the corner and hit a Clothesline that sent both superstars to the canvas. Asuka hit a German Suplex and followed it up with a Shining Wizard for a near fall.
Riott hit Asuka with a Clothesline to the back of the head and made her way to the top rope. Ruby missed and Asuka tried to apply the Asuka Lock but Riott countered into a cover for a two count. Riott followed it up with a Flatliner for a near fall. Asuka then applied the Asuka Lock for the submission victory.
RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch cut a promo on Shayna Baszler tonight. Lynch claimed to purposely be more silly on the road to WrestleMania because the only person who can get close enough to the Queen is the Joker.
Becky brought up the Women’s MITB Ladder match and said that she always has a plan. Lynch vowed to shock the world one more time and defeat whomever wins the MITB contract.
Opinion: This promo didn’t accomplish much in my opinion. Becky Lynch essentially claimed that she outsmarted Shayna Baszler by acting like a goofball leading up to the match. Lynch is great at promos but WWE hasn’t really built up a viable opponent on the RAW roster.
Shayna Baszler Qualified For The MITB Ladder Match
Shayna Baszler battled Sarah Logan tonight on RAW in a MITB Qualifying match.
Match Recap: Shayna Baszler knocked Sarah to the canvas and unloaded several punches before the referee broke it up. Baszler then stomped on Sarah Logan’s arm and Sarah couldn’t continue.
The ring announcer screwed up and announced Sarah Logan as the winner of the match. It was then announced that Baszler won the match because Sarah Logan could not continue. Baszler hopped over the barricade and exited to end the segment.
Nia Jax faced Kairi Sane tonight in a MITB Qualifying match.
Match Recap: Kairi ran at Nia to start the match off but Jax launched her across the ring. Jax went for a Splash but Kairi escaped. Sane climbed to the top rope and leaped over Jax to get away from her.
Sane taunted Nia and hit her with a Dropkick. Kairi followed it up with another Dropkick but Jax didn’t move. Jax threw Kairi out of the ring as Asuka was shown backstage cheering Sane on.
Sane got back into the ring and Nia hit her with a Clothesline. Nia threw Kairi across the ring. Jax planted Kairi Sane with the Annihilator for the pinfall victory.
Charlotte Flair Vowed To Teach The NXT Roster Humility
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and said tonight is history lessons with The Queen. Flair ran down her feud with Rhea Ripley and called her ballsy for issuing the challenge.
Charlotte boasted about beating the “next big thing” and that makes her the biggest thing. Flair added that Vince McMahon chose her last year to save the main event of WrestleMania.
Flair claimed that Rhea Ripley lacks humility and that she is going to remind the NXT roster of humility. Charlotte turned her attention to her next opponent, Io Shirai. Flair said that the first lesson is that everyone bows down to The Queen.
Andrade battled Drew McIntyre in the main event of this week’s show. Zelina Vega, Angel Garza, and Austin Theory were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: McIntyre went after Andrade right away and beat him down in the corner of the ring. Drew threw Andrade out of the ring and slammed him on top of the barricade. McIntyre hit Andrade with a chop to the chest but got distracted by Garza & Theory.
Andrade capitalized and slammed McIntyre’s arm into the ring post. The action returned to the ring and Andrade locked in an Arm Bar on the ropes. Andrade climbed to the top rope and leaped into a Clothesline from McIntyre. Drew followed it up with a boot to the face and climbed up to the top rope for another Clothesline.
McIntyre sent Andrade flying onto Garza and Theory with a Back Body Drop. Drew rolled Andrade into the ring and made his way to the top rope. Zelina Vega hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Andrade tried to hit the Hammerlock DDT but Drew escaped.
Drew connected with an Alabama Slam and followed it up with a massive Claymore Kick for the pinfall victory. After the match, Seth Rollins hit McIntyre with a Superkick and followed it up with the Stomp. Rollins looked at the title before hitting McIntyre with another Stomp to close the show.
Opinion: Overall, this week’s episode of RAW was solid. I like that WWE is doing qualifying matches for the men’s and women’s ladder matches at MITB. Cedric Alexander and Ricochet had a very good match against the Viking Raiders tonight. Viking Raiders had an absurd amount of enhancement matches, so it was odd to see Alexander & Ricochet face them and lose so quickly after being put together. However, they are great as a team and weren’t squashed tonight.
Seth has been excellent as a heel and this has the potential to be a great feud. It is a bit ridiculous that he is already in the title picture again following a loss to Kevin Owens at WrestleMania. I just think they can have a great match at the PPV.
Former WWE star Ryback has given his reaction to the situation of Roman Reigns pulling out of WrestleMania 36.
Reigns was supposed to challenge Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 – Night 1 earlier this month. However, Reigns announced his decision to pull out of the contest due to his concerns about the coronavirus as he has a weakened immune system with his leukemia battle.
Reigns is at a higher risk of complications from the virus and he didn’t feel comfortable with working the match. Thus, WWE got Braun Strowman to replace Reigns in the contest and had “The Monster Among Men” beat the legendary pro wrestler.
Ryback defended Reigns from fan criticism during a recent talk with Wrestling Inc.
“It’s horrible and that’s that wrestling fanbase, and it’s more than wrestling, it’s a human thing that’s going on now and this is, again, social media,” Ryback said. “There’s nobody in person who is going to go up and criticize him, it doesn’t exist.”
Ryback continued by noting that when you get on social media, you need to have the full spectrum of it. He thinks the lowest of low people are the ones who are being critics of Reigns’ decision.
He thinks those people haven’t evolved and just horrible human beings. He thinks that people need to be themselves and will get love and hate no matter what.
“I’m so happy he stepped up, and a guy in that position is actually doing it, but he’s in that position. Now if he didn’t have that and did it, the criticism he would get a hell of a lot more, and internally in WWE it would be a different situation.
He has that though, which is they cannot do anything with him, as far as depush him or anything of that nature. He has a little bit of built-in security with that.”
Ryback continued by noting that’s the negative wrestling fans. He thinks these are the same people that don’t want Reigns here.
He thinks if Reigns does something and now that he’s not around, the name-calling is always a go to for that portion of the people. The reason for the name-calling is due to them not having any other options.
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon has been officially given the green light by the state of Florida.
Mayor of Orange County, Florida Jerry Demings stated on Monday at a press conference that the WWE Performance Center in Orlando has been allowed to stay in business because they have been deemed an essential business.
Originally, WWE’s training facility wasn’t considered to be an essential business but things have changed thanks to the Governor of the state.
“I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business,” Demings stated before giving the explanation. “With some conversation with the Governor’s office regarding the Governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. Therefore, they were allowed to remain open.”
Demings didn’t further explain as to why the Governor’s office changed its stance on WWE despite that a WWE on-screen talent had tested positive for COVID-19.
WWE stated in their statement that the person is under the belief that they didn’t spread it to other WWE personnel.
WWE had plans to tape several episodes of NXT, RAW and SmackDown in addition to Main Event and 205 Live from last Friday throughout the majority of this week. That has changed as WWE will air weekly TV going forward.
You can watch footage of Orange County (FL) Mayor Demmings talking about WWE being declared an “essential business” below.
The hits continued for the XFL as on Monday, the pro football league filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
The bankruptcy statement noted that the economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the coronavirus forced the XFL to close down.
This comes after the XFL had suspended operations last week. The season was postponed after week five. The XFL issued a statement to TMZ:
“Unfortunately, as a new enterprise, we were not insulated from the harsh economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Accordingly, we have filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This is a heartbreaking time for many, including our passionate fans, players and staff, and we are thankful to them, our television partners, and the many Americans who rallied to the XFL for the love of football.”
It should be that once the relaunch of the league was made official, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon stated that WWE wasn’t part of his new project. Instead, WWE would be a separate company from the XFL, which was owned by McMahon under Alpha Entertainment.
The listing for the bankruptcy revealed that wasn’t the case. Instead, WWE owned 23.5 percent of the XFL’s Class B stock while McMahon owned the remainder of it.
As recently as February, WWE’s Interim CFO Frank Riddick stated on a conference call that WWE had no plans of investing in the XFL.
WWE is slated to release its quarterly financial report on April 23 and will hold a conference call for investors. WWE having an equity stake in the XFL could be brought up.
McMahon had sold nearly $300 million in WWE stock in order to fund the league.
Impact Wrestling’s Rebellion pay-per-view has been changed to a 2-part episode beginning on April 21st and concluding on April 28th. The show will be free to air on AXS TV in the United States, on the Fight Network in Canada, and broadcast through Impact’s international broadcast partners.
Additionally, the show was filmed on a closed set with no spectators.
“In light of the restrictions placed upon live events as a result of the coronavirus, IMPACT Wrestling will hold its next major spectacular—IMPACT: Rebellion—on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance, as per the guidelines put in place by the CDC,” a press release from Impact Wrestling reads.
Impact Wrestling Rebellion
The following matches have been announced for Rebellion:
Impact World Championship Tessa Blanchard (c) vs Michael Elgin vs Eddie Edwards
Knockouts Championship Full Metal Mayhem Jordynne Grace (c) vs Taya Valkyrie
Ken Shamrock vs Sami Callihan
Kiera Hogan vs Kylie Rae
Additionally, Willie Mack challenging Ace Austin for the X-Division title will likely occur on the show.
BREAKING: #Rebellion will now expand into a two-part television event airing April 21 and April 28 on IMPACT!
It’s not clear at this time if some Impact wrestlers scheduled for the event will no longer be taking part due to travel restrictions or personal concerns regarding the ongoing pandemic.
Sami Callihan is scheduled to face Ken Shamrock but has expressed concerns about performing during this time. On March 13th, Callihan posted that he will not wrestle during the ongoing crisis, though the Tweets have since been deleted.
Additionally, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that Tessa Blanchard may not be able to participate in the show.
“The word going around which is confirmed is that Blanchard, the Impact men’s world champion, who is based in California, is not leaving the state at this time,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Hollywood megastar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson still has love for professional wrestling. The Rock has not been an active wrestler in several years. He has since moved on to much greener pastures. However, there are certain things about the sports/entertainment hybrid he just can’t let go.
The Rock did a live stream on Instagram over the weekend, where he boasts over 178 million followers. During a Q&A session to his viewers, he was asked if he misses wrestling. The Rock said he does miss wrestling, loved his time in the business and still loves it.
The Rock certainly had “the look” of a top tier wrestling champion. He put countless hours in at the gym to achieve that aesthetic. He put his body on the line like everyone else and sustained several injuries throughout his career. He’s known as one of the greatest talker in wrestling history. All that said, he “didn’t give a sh*t” about being the biggest, the strongest, the loudest, the toughest, the guy who won all the time or any of that.
What The Rock Misses About Wrestling
What The Rock loved and misses most about wrestling is creating with his peers and connecting with the live audience.
“I loved creating with the pro wrestlers that I had great chemistry with and but the thing I miss the most about professional wrestling was just being able to connect with an audience every night,” he said. “Every night was just a showcase.”
The Rock said his co-workers who were jumping off cages and mooning the crowd were a big part of the product when he was around. But that wasn’t what got him excited about what he was doing.
“By the way, there’s a purpose for those guys by the way, many of those guys are my friends. I just always cared about connecting with an audience,” he said. “That was really the most important thing for me. So I do, I miss that part about pro wrestling because there’s nothing like it and there’s nothing like being able to listen to an audience. I love it.”
The Rock added that the wrestling business had changed dramatically since his era. He didn’t say if things are better or worse now, just different. He still follows the industry and has a ton of respect for the people who put their bodies on the line.
“They’re still working hard and just wrestling and sweating on each other and just doing all this but all in the name of entertaining the fans which I think is always cool because wrestling has always had this adaptability to it that was always very cool,” said The Rock. “So, I do [miss wrestling].”
