A new episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown is here and it’s a loaded show.
With just hours until bell time, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of SmackDown. This will serve as the go-home episode of SmackDown for Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event
Several things have been announced thus far for this show including Bray Wyatt doing a Firefly Fun House segment to further his program with John Cena heading into WrestleMania 36.
WWE holds this show from Buffalo, NY at the KeyBank Center. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Lacey Evans & Naomi vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley – Tag Team Match
Bray Wyatt to present a new Firefly Fun House segment
The New Day, Lucha House Party, Heavy Machinery, Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, The Usos, SmackDown Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz – Tag Team Gauntlet Match to earn the last entrance in the Elimination Chamber
Kevin Nash, Scott Hall & Sean Waltman will be guests on Alexa Bliss’ lively talk show, “A Moment of Bliss.”
WWE will also be announcing matches for existing feuds that will take place heading into the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event.
Samoa Joe has revealed his ambitions to wrestle against The Undertaker before “The Dead Man” retires. Speaking with SportBible, Joe was asked if he would like the opportunity to face off against the Legend. His response? “Absolutely.”
He added how there are certain things that ‘Taker does in a match that he appreciates all the more now. Joe noted how these things are “more on display” now than ever before.
“You know, I think the things that especially now that I appreciate about ‘Taker’s work are much more on display now than they probably ever have been. And yeah, I would be down to get down with ‘Taker, whether it would be now or whenever in the future.”
Samoa Joe’s Long History With AJ Styles
One Superstar that Samoa Joe has a long history with his O.C. leader, AJ Styles. The two have feuded over the years across several promotions including WWE and TNA. Reflecting on their feuds, Joe confessed it was great that they were able to have a renewed rivalry on WWE television.
“I mean, any time you get in the ring with AJ — any time I have throughout my career — usually great things happen,” he said. “And it’s a testament to him and his ability. It was nothing new for us, we knew it was bound to happen, we’ve kind of been intertwined throughout the breadth of our careers, so us managing to see each other across the ring was no surprise [laughs].”
Samoa Joe is currently serving a 30-day suspension from WWE. This is his first violation of the WWE Wellness Policy.
RAW Superstar Aleister Black recently joined Busted Open Radiowhere he discussed a few of WWE’s recent signings: Killer Kross and Timothy Thatcher. Both Kross and Thatcher have honed their craft before being signed by WWE, with Black sharing he has some history with Thatcher from their indie days.
“I’m not very familiar with Kross, but I am familiar with Thatcher,” Black confessed. “I think Thatcher was my first ever competition when I went to the United States for EVOLVE. It was over WrestleMania weekend.”
He continued, “I have yet to be introduced to Killer Kross. I know that there is a lot of hype around him and people are very excited that he got signed so obviously there are a lot of good reasons for that. So, we will see what the future holds, but with guys like Thatcher and Kross being signed it opens up a big door of opportunities and possibilities for future bookings or matches. It is a very exciting time for the industry in my opinion.”
Aleister Black Reflects On Buddy Murphy Series
Black is coming off the back of a successful feud with Seth Rollins’ disciple, Murphy. Addressing his opponent, Black believes that the two still have unfinished business. He explained how he thinks things will eventually circle around for them, allowing them to clash yet again.
“I think that there are always these opponents that you circle back to that you have made some sort of legacy with and I feel Buddy Murphy is that for me. Despite coming out of that on the upside, I don’t think we are done. I don’t think this was it. I think that there is a very real possibility that we will circle back to each other sooner rather than later.”
Aleister Black is scheduled to face off against AJ Styles this Sunday at Elimination Chamber. The two will compete in a No Disqualification matchup.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has shared who was responsible for him becoming a part of FS1’s WWE Backstage show. Speaking with Lilian Garcia on her podcast, Chasing Glory, Booker T was quick to credit his co-host, Renee Young, as being instrumental in his hiring.
“Big props to Renee, actually, because I wasn’t even on the radar, I think, to come and do this thing,” he said. “Renee was like, ‘Man, you all need to interview Book. You all need to bring him in, look at him,’ because me and Renee, we’ve got chemistry together.”
He continued, “We were doing the WWE Kickoff parties, and we realized we had chemistry, and it was just organic… They brought me in, they auditioned me. Next thing you know, I get the gig.”
Booker T On CM Punk
Despite being a panelist on the show, Booker T shared that he had no clue that CM Punk was going to become a part of WWE Backstage. Punk occasionally joins the team as a contributor and WWE analyst. He admitted that it’s great to have Punk as a part of their team and provide his unfiltered take on WWE. “I didn’t know he was there,” Booker T admitted. “It was definitely authentic. Having him be part of the show is awesome.”
Booker T joins Renee Young every Tuesday night for WWE Backstage on FS1.
Although he has since become a popular Superstar amongst the NXT faithful, there was a time when Dominik Dijakovic struggled to join WWE. Appearing on WWE’s The Bump, Dijakovic reflected on being rejected by the company after his first tryout for FCW in 2013.
“It was an interesting experience,” Dijakovic said. “It was one of those experiences that it felt like it was a lifetime ago because everything was so different about the WWE and what’s now the Performance Center. The whole facility was as big as where I’m doing this interview now. It was a couple of rings and incredibly hot…”
He continued, “It was difficult for me to accept that I didn’t have what it took at the time to be in the WWE. It was kind of like a harsh reality. At the same time, you use that as motivation, an experience, a stepping stone to learn what it takes to get to the WWE level, especially the developmental level.”
Dominik Dijakovic’s WWE Mentors, Facing Keith Lee
Now a part of the NXT roster, Dijakovic named who has helped him to grow on his WWE journey. He shared how he mostly works with Shawn Michaels and Triple H. “Those are the guys who we see every Wednesday. The Undertaker has also been here, as well as Mark Henry. Those are the guys that I’ve worked closely with.”
Turning his attention to his recent series of matches against NXT North American Champion Keith Lee, Dijakovic acknowledged the in-ring chemistry between them.
“The pressure is to never have a good match or to top a match or anything. It just naturally happens. There’s a lot of chemistry there. It works out, because he’s a big guy, and I am as well, so that correlates between the two of us. For me, the pressure is always the championship platform. I mean, I’ve been talking about the NXT North American Championship for over a year now. So, anytime that comes into play, that’s my focus and where I put the pressure on myself.”
Dominik Dijakovic recently lost a match to Cameron Grimes on NXT, thanks to the interference of Damien Priest.
WWE Superstar The Big Show was a recent guest on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions show on the WWE Network. During their conversation, Show reflected on how Vince McMahon contacted him to come back to in-ring action before naming who his favorite opponent is.
Looking back to his comeback in January, Big Show explained how he was only asked by Vince a few days before RAW aired. “I did a little thing on RAW with Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe. I got that call on a Friday night at midnight,” he said.
“Literally, I was setting my alarm to go to the gym Saturday morning [and] Vince texted me 12:02 a.m. No, [McMahon] doesn’t [text a lot]. Like, I mean, I think he’d rather pull his eardrums out and dive on a pitchfork than talk to me. But anyway, I look at the text and it says [imitating McMahon], ‘can you go Monday?’ And I was like, ‘go where and for what?’ He said, ‘I need you in a match Monday.’ ‘Single or tag?’ ‘Tag.’ ‘Yep, I’m good.'”
Big Show’s Favorite Opponent
Big Show has an extensive history performing in the ring. He has faced off against some of the greatest Superstars during his long career. When asked who his favorite opponent of all time is, Show not only revealed who is favorite opponent is, but also who his toughest opponent is.
“In the ring, John Cena, as far as we did good business, we made a crap-ton of money, and it was zero headaches with John. Toughest [opponent], like I knew I had been in a fight, was Sheamus. Like, I was covered in bruises with Sheamus. He will lay it in!”
Big Show is currently scheduled to return to appear on Monday Night RAW over the first few weeks of March 2020.
Former RAW commentator Renee Young has reflected on WWE’s decision to remove her from the red brand’s announce team. Catching up with Lilian Garcia on Garcia’s podcast, Chasing Glory, Young confessed the whole transition was “odd” at first.
“It was really odd. You realize how much of your identity is wrapped up in WWE. For me, it wasn’t like ‘Oh, I’m not on TV anymore with the WWE.’ For me, it was like ‘I’m not going to be around my friends.’ Without these people, who are my other adult friends? I don’t really have any. You get plucked out of your life, and then think like oh s–t, what do I do now? You feel a little bit lost at first. You’re like Oh my God, what is everyone up to?”
She added how she doesn’t miss WWE’s demanding touring schedule after having done it for 7 years. Young confessed she feels a lot more comfortable working from a single location, hosting FS1’s WWE Backstage show.
Renee Young Felt She “Didn’t Belong” On Commentary
Renee Young then addressed dealing with fan criticism as she adjusted to her commentary role, highlighting how she felt she “didn’t belong there.”
“I wanted to be like I belong here, I earned this spot. This should be my spot. But, I kept hearing the background chatter, like ‘Why is this woman calling the matches? She’s never been in the ring. What’s she going to bring to the table?'”
Although she received an “immense amount of support,” it was difficult for her to tune out the negativity from her critics. She confessed that she naturally felt insecure about the role because of their reaction. Young spoke about how she was glad when WWE removed her from the commentary role.
“I was up for the challenge and I really wanted to make it awesome. Like, I really wanted to make it succeed. You get down on yourself and you’re waiting to get the call from the office saying we’re not doing this anymore. They let me stay out there a lot longer than I thought they were going to. It was nice to feel like I got a good opportunity. But honestly, I was relieved to stop doing it.”
Renee Young hosts WWE Backstage every Tuesday night at 11 PM EST on FS1.
RAW Superstar Liv Morgan is scheduled to participate in a Chamber match at this Sunday’s pay-per-view, Elimination Chamber. If victorious, she will have earned a RAW Women’s Championship opportunity at WrestleMania 36. Speaking with New York Post, Morgan opened up about the matchup. She also discussed her inclusion in the recent Lana/Bobby Lashley storyline and her new character.
“The Elimination Chamber match, I feel like, is the biggest opportunity I’ve gotten so far in my career. I’m taking it very, very, very, very, very seriously,” she admitted. “I just came back from a nine-month hiatus where I got a makeover and did a lot of self-discovery. I feel like I need this win more than anyone. I need this win more than anyone else in this match. Not only that, we have Ruby and Sarah. Our friendship pretty much blew up. So there are a lot of factors in this match.”
Liv Morgan Returns
Having returned to screens as Lana’s former lover, Morgan shared that she was happy to be a part of the storyline. She believes that the shocking nature of her return and role in the narrative helped make it more memorable.
“I think it was very shocking. I think it came out of left field and no one expected it, and I think maybe that was the goal. I don’t think anything is dead in WWE. I can’t really answer that, but I do think the door is open for it to be touched on again.”
New Attitude
With her return came a new attitude for the Superstar. When asked what fans should know about her new approach, Morgan stressed how she is confident and comfortable with herself.
“Just that I’m confident, I’m comfortable within myself, by myself. I don’t need to do these extra things to get people’s attention. I can get attention on my own with my work. I don’t need these extra factors to get noticed anymore. I’m not shuffled in with other people. I’m still growing. You don’t just grow and stop growing in nine months. I’m still figuring out my footing and my placing, and it’s just a work in progress.”
Liv Morgan competes against Natalya, Shayna Baszler, Asuka, Ruby Riott and Sarah Logan in an Elimination Chamber match this Sunday.
Current WWE Intercontinental Champion Braun Strowman has shared his WrestleMania goals during an interview with Sports Illustrated. During their conversation, Strowman also spoke about his upcoming handicap match at Elimination Chamber and the events he is partaking in during WrestleMania week.
Strowman confessed that a personal goal for him is to have a singles match on the main card of WrestleMania. He added how he sees himself in the main event on the “The Grandest Stage of Them All,” believing he has the star power and fan support to help get him there.
“Having a singles match on the main card, that’s been a personal goal of mine since I started with WWE. One day, I can see myself main-eventing WrestleMania. I feel like I have the star power and the fan base behind me that wants to see it, but I just need to find the right opponent.”
Braun Strowman At Elimination Chamber
This Sunday, Strowman will be defending his Intercontinental Championship at WWE’s Elimination Chamber event. He competes in a 3-on-1 Handicap match against Shinsuke Nakamura, Cesaro and Sami Zayn. Looking to his title defense, Strowman admits he has his hands full on Sunday.
“Those three are pretty tough, and when they have their game plan working together, they’re even tougher,” he said. “I need to get past them first, but hopefully I’m carrying that title out of Elimination Chamber and into WrestleMania. I’ll represent it proudly to whomever wants to step up and get these hands.”
Magic City Mania
Past Elimination Chamber is WrestleMania 36. Unsurprisingly, WWE is going all out for the event. Several events are planned over the course of the week leading up to the show itself featuring WWE Superstars. One of these is Magic City Mania, a fan event that Braun Strowman is participating in.
“There will be so many wrestling fans in Tampa for WrestleMania, and we want to sell this event out and have people hanging from the rafters,” he said on the event. “My life has been so chaotically crazy and awesome. The platform I’ve been given and the opportunities presented to me in WWE have been unbelievable, and the coolest thing I have learned as a WWE superstar is the power that we have to help people get through hard times in their life.”
Elimination Chamber takes place this Sunday from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Nyla Rose defeated former champion Riho to claim the AEW Women’s Championship a few weeks ago on AEW Dynamite. Not everyone was happy about her victory, however. Speaking with TV Insider, Rose spoke about AEW’s attitude towards having a transgender Women’s Champion. She also addressed the backlash she has received, admitting that the “online flak” has helped motivate her.
Rose explained how AEW doesn’t make her transgenderism a “checkmark.” Instead, it’s just one of those things that is simply there. She noted how “Everyone knows about it, but nobody talks about it. That’s not a matter of us wanting to be hush-hush or hide this. They’re not making it a thing because it shouldn’t be a thing. You are a person and a performer first. That’s what I love so much and makes me feel so proud to be part of this company because they are helping normalize these ideals.”
Nyla Rose On “Onlike Flak”
When it comes to her championship win, Nyla reflected on her first promo after having won the belt. She confessed that she was well aware of the online reaction to her.
“Some of the motivation came from a lot of the online flak you see out there. A lot of pushback. That added fuel to the fire,” Rose said. “I was trying to wrap everything up and have it make sense. I wanted to keep it short and sweet and to the point. I wanted to put all the competition on notice that I’m not going to take this lightly. I’m not going to take anything lying down.”
Nyla Rose recently defended her AEW Women’s Championship against Kris Statlander at AEW Revolution.
Another match has been added to the lineup for next week’s episode of AEW Dynamite.
PAC, Pentagon Jr., and Ray Fenix will have their first match as a trio, which is named Death Triangle, that was recently formed.
AEW announced Thursday on social media that the group will face Private Party and Joey Janela on the show from Salt Lake City, Utah on TNT.
In the aftermath of an altercation that occurred at our #AEWDark taping, a trios match has been signed for Dynamite next week: the Death Triangle of PAC & Pentagon Jr & Fenix will face Joey Janela & Private Party when #AEWDynamite broadcasts LIVE from Salt Lake City, Wed March 11 pic.twitter.com/KpubmhJDvE
This comes after PAC picked up a win over Chuck Taylor on this week’s Dynamite via submission in Broomfield, CO at the 1stBank Center. After the match, Trent went face to face with PAC only to get pushed aside by Orange Cassidy.
Cassidy, who lost to PAC at AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center, wanted to wrestle PAC one more time. However, the Lucha Bros then ran out and attacked the Best Friends.
On the flip side, on last week’s AEW Dark episode, Private Party picked up a win over Shawn Spears and Brandon Cutler.
Here’s the updated card for Dynamite next Wednesday night:
Cody vs. Ortiz
MJF/Butcher & The Blade vs. Jurassic Express
The announcement of the rules for the Blood & Guts edition of Dynamite
The Death Triangle vs. Joey Janela and Private Party
WWE continues to announce more things for this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown and the latest reveal includes the nWo.
On Thursday, WWE announced on their website that Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean “X-Pac” Waltman will be appearing on “A Moment of Bliss” with Alexa Bliss.
It should be noted that Hulk Hogan, who made an appearance on the show a few weeks ago to do a segment with then-WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt, wasn’t advertised for the episode.
WWE touted the segment by noting, “What will the legendary and controversial group have to say ahead of their induction into the Hall next month during WrestleMania weekend? Find out this Friday night at 8/7 C on FOX!”
The company has already announced that Nash, Waltman, Hall, and Hogan will be inducted into this year’s Hall of Fame class.
Batista, Nikki & Brie Bella, and JBL have been confirmed for this year’s Hall of Fame class. It should be noted that The announcement of the Bellas being inducted was made when they appeared on A Moment of Bliss two weeks ago.
It’s likely the three legendary stars will be talking about their induction during this segment.
This year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony is taking place at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida on Thursday, April 2. It will be part of WrestleMania 36 weekend.
Paige had fans worried once she revealed that she had to undergo the knife.
The former WWE Divas Champion did so when she shared a story on her official Instagram account that noted she had emergency surgery on Thursday morning.
This was done to remove an ovarian cyst. She wrote the following:
“Thank you to @ronnieradke for getting on a plane from tour and rushing to be my side. What we thought was something scarier ended up having an emergency surgery to remove a massive cyst on my ovary. Life is precious and so is my boyfriend.”
Paige’s boyfriend, Ronnie Radke, also shared the news in a tweet, as seen below:
She has spinal stenosis, which has kept her from not being medically cleared by WWE doctors to wrestle again.
Since being out of the ring, Paige has served in various roles on WWE television. This includes being the SmackDown General Manager as well as the manager of Asuka and Kairi Sane, who are currently the Women’s Tag Team Champions.
She currently serves as an analyst on the weekly talk show on FOX Sports 1, WWE Backstage.
Storyline updates have surfaced online about Jon Moxley and Darby Allin.
This comes after their tag team match on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Broomfield, CO at the 1stBank Center on TNT.
They took on Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara. At the end of the match, Jericho connected with his spinning back elbow finisher, Judas Effect, to Allin, who went for a suicide dive on Jericho.
The elbow caught Allin in the head before he crashed to the ground.
After the show, Allin noted on his official Twitter account that he went to the hospital. It should be noted that he mentioned the following day that he was back to skating.
Still waiting to hear back when I can get in that ring.
Regarding Moxley, after the main event, The Inner Circle attacked the AEW World Heavyweight Champion and led to him getting power bombed off the stage through a table.
AEW mentioned on Twitter that “doctors refuse to clear Moxley to wrestle until he passes their examination. Nevertheless, the champion told AEW that he won’t take any time off (“Over my dead body!”). Moxley will speak next week on #AEWDynamite.”
These angles will be followed up on next week’s episode of Dynamite.
Ronda Rousey and Cain Velasquez were seen visiting WWE headquarters in Stamford, CT on Thursday.
It was the former UFC Heavyweight champion who revealed the news when he shared a photo of them together after he ran into the former WWE RAW Women’s Champion.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on why they were in town. Should an update surface regarding this visit, we’ll pass it along. You can see Cain’s photo here:
Last month it was reported that Velasquez successfully had his knee scoped and is feeling completely healthy. In fact, he was seen at WWE’s training facility, WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, to get more reps in the ring while awaiting his next match.
He was there for the next two weeks. While there have been rumors on Cain returning to WWE soon, nothing has been officially announced.
As previously reported, Rousey is currently not scheduled for WrestleMania 36 and there’s no word yet on when she’ll be back.
In the report, it was noted the same for WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg but that changed once WWE officials decided to put the Universal Title on him. Now, he’ll be defending the title against Roman Reigns at the show.
WWE will hold this episode of RAW from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA on the USA Network.
WWE later announced the news as well as noted that there will be exclusive Austin 3:16 merchandise released via WWE Shop that day including a special Topps Austin digital card set, and custom content on WWE’s digital platforms.
It was also announced in the press release that their streaming service, WWE Network, will be streaming a marathon of “Stone Cold” programming on 3/16 and that will include a brand new “episode of “Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions.”
The new episode of the show will feature “an in-depth interview with WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hitman” Hart, where the two icons will discuss their historic rivalry that culminated in one of the greatest matches in WWE history at WrestleMania 13.”
Although not confirmed, it’s possible that Austin announces the premiere date for his USA Network show, “Straight Up Steve Austin,” on RAW.
This series has been renewed with eight episodes beginning this summer.
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War. AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group including the +50 which AEW won as well.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 718,000 viewers, which is up from 717,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.23 rating, the same rating from the previous week.
The episode featured Roderick Strong vs. The Velveteen Dream, Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai, Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Birch, Chelsea Green (w/Robert Stone) vs. Shotzi Blackheart, and Austin Theory vs. Isaiah Scott
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 906,000 viewers, up from the 865,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.35 rating, up from the 0.30 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured such as on Moxley and Darby Allin vs. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara, PAC vs. Chuck Taylor, SCU & Colt Cabana vs. The Dark Order, Big Swole vs. Leva Bates, and Jake Hager vs. QT Marshall. This was also the post-Revolution episode of Dynamite.
Nikki and Brie Bella recently revealed that they will be releasing a memoir via Simon & Schuster. The duo will be heading into the WWE Hall of Fame in Tampa this April and ‘Incomparable’ will be available to purchase on May 5th.
The Bella Twins Book
“We’re really really excited about this book but also really really nervous” Brie began on this week’s episode of The Bella Twins Podcast. “You know, Nicole and I obviously as reality stars we’ve always put our lives out there. We don’t hold back the good, the bad, the ugly, you name it, we show it. But one thing that we kind of never told anyone about was our childhood and how we were raised into these strong women. And that is what our book will that you know. From the moment we shared a womb together, to where we’re at today. So we’re really excited for you all. And there’s a lot of stories you don’t know about my sister!”
“maybe I shouldn’t put that in or I should hold back?”
Nikki Bella echoed Brie’s sentiments, saying “it’s true there’s a lot I shared in this book that I’ve actually never talked about beyond my therapist and my sister. Even my mom will be hearing some stories for the first time. And I think you know sometimes we never actually get to hear from people all the time. Do we open up in this way when it comes to writing a book? And then Brie and I sat down with our ghostwriter. It was like therapy sessions.”
Nikki elaborated further, saying “we just started talking about our life and I remember going to, her name’s Elise, and I was like. I don’t know, ‘maybe I shouldn’t put that in or I should hold back?’ And Elise really opened up my eyes to how my stories can help other women and girls out there. Help them make different decisions or be stronger in this situation.”
Brie’s High School Boyfriend
Brie also revealed that there is a chapter about her high school boyfriend, Bear. In the past Brie has been scarce on detail regarding his death, but it is addressed in the book. “One chapter is about Bear” Brie revealed. “He was my boyfriend who passed away in high school [during] my senior year, and the impact of not only him when he was alive what he did to my life and how he changed me, but how his death changed me too. And it changed me in a spiritual way but also just, you know. I thought I literally was on this one path.”
Brie elaborated further, saying “when you have something tragic happening like that, it, it just changes everything. Like the way you live, and we start to look at stuff and I really go in detail. I know everyone always sees my tattoos in my lower stomach; and you’ve heard me speak about him here and there but it’s been very vague and so now you get a really deep look into how my life was affected and just my relationship with him.”
Incomparable will be available to purchase May 5th via Simon & Schuster and Amazon.
RAW Superstar Ricochet has been on a losing streak recently. WWE’s “Resident Superhero” recently suffered a quick loss to WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. They competed last week during WWE’s Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia. He lost in one minute and thirty seconds. This past Monday night on RAW, the former United States Champion suffered a loss to current WWE 24/7 Champion Riddick Moss.
Taking to his Instagram account, Ricochet shared a message with his fans:
“It’s not bad to dream. But you also have to consider what’s realistic. Whether you win or lose, looking back and learning from your experience is a part of life.”
The quote is reportedly from the anime series My Hero Academia, which Ricochet is a fan of. At last year’s Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia, Ricochet competed in wrestling gear inspired by one of anime’s characters, All Might.
At the time of writing, Ricochet has yet to be scheduled for a matchup at this Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view. He also doesn’t have a match at this year’s WrestleMania 36 event, which takes place on April 5 from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Between now and April, WWE still has the opportunity to involve the Superstar on the “Grandest Stage of Them All.”
Former WWE Superstar Konnor spoke about being released from WWE late last year during a recent episode of Wrestling Inc. Daily Podcast. He was one half of WWE tag team The Ascension alongside his partner, Viktor.
When asked if he had anticipated they would be released, Konnor confirmed they knew it was going to happen. “We knew. I think the one thing that anybody knows about us is we’re not big social media guys,” Konnor said. “We don’t go out there, and we don’t blast our problems out anything like that. We try to keep everything under the umbrella. There had already been talks that were discussed as far as there wasn’t really a purpose.”
He noted how they had both loved being a part of WWE. That being said, “[…] you can only sit around for so long before you start twiddling your thumbs kind of like, ‘ok guys, what are we doing here?'” Konnor added how they were told several times that things were in the works for them, only for none of them to come to fruition.
“It’s just one of those things where there’s no need to pay, and we knew we weren’t going to re-sign,” he explained. “There was no intention of re-signing, and that’s nothing against WWE. It was more along the effects of the situation and the circumstances as far as them not really having anything for us just keeping us around.”
Konnor’s Example & Vince McMahon
Konnor shared how he wasn’t interested in staying with WWE just for the money. He explained how he didn’t want to send a negative message to his son by doing so. It was more important to him to stick to his values and encourage his son to invest in what he believes in rather than just for a paycheck.
When asked about his working relationship with Vince McMahon during his time in WWE, Konnor explained that they didn’t really have one. Instead, they would be civil and polite but had no connection past that.
“It wasn’t a ‘hey Vince, how you doing’ type thing. We always said hello and stuff like that, but we would try to get meetings with him. You just never know around that place. Some guys would just knock on the door, but for the majority of the time, Vince was either busy with writers. It just seemed like, at the time, it was always something.”
He continued, “We threw pitches out. Some of the greatest stuff that we did that we really enjoyed was the Fashion Files, and it was a lot of fun because you got to see a new side of us or at least a different side of us. I always knew we could be goofy at times, and that was a lot of fun. I think they pulled the plug on that too because Vince wasn’t quite buying it. I don’t know. It’s just one of those things where us personally, we didn’t have a very close relationship with him. Some guys get that benefit, and some guys don’t. We, unfortunately, were the ones that didn’t get that one-on-one time.”
Current WWE Universal Champion Goldberg defeated “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt at Super ShowDown to claim the gold. His victory was met with a critical backlash from fans. This week, Goldberg joined WWE show The Bump. He discussed his victory over Wyatt as well as how he has dealt with the negative reception to his current reign.
“I’d love to see them do it, at any age, let alone at 53,” Goldberg stated. “I answered a phone call, and I did whatever I had to do to get ready in a short period of time, and provide a little bit of Goldberg out there. Fortunately, I was able to do it, and I’m looking forward to the next one [his title defense against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36]. If I get a phone call and I believe that I can still do what I did back in the day to at least an acceptable level, then I’m not going to say ‘No.’ If you give me a challenge, I’m going to take it.”
Goldberg’s Next Challenger
Last week on SmackDown, Roman Reigns would be the Superstar to step up to Goldberg’s WrestleMania challenge. Goldberg noted how Reigns has been in his sights since he discovered “The Big Dog” played for Georgia Tech and does the spear. He shared that he “loves Roman to death” and appreciates all that he has done as an entertainer.
“I’m one of his number one fans,” he explained. “There’s no animosity there, I just have a job to do. Babyface, heel, I don’t give a damn what it is. I’m going to go out there and rip his face off like I do with everyone else.”
With both men known for their use of the spear, Goldberg broke down the differences between how they execute them. According to him, he always attempts to drive through people. Whereas Reigns’ is more “theatrical,” Goldberg’s is all about “delivering pain.”
WWE Superstar Sasha Banks has opened up about her four-month hiatus last year. “The Boss” was missing from WWE programming following WrestleMania 35, where she and Bayley lost the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships to The IIconics.
Speaking with WWE’s The Bump, Banks explained what she did with her time away and why she had to step away when she did. She stressed that she loves what she does as a Superstar, but was burned out.
“I really, really, really love what I do. I took that break knowing that I needed to recharge,” Banks stated. “I was legit so done. My mind was just so gone. During that time [being away], I missed wrestling.”
Sasha Banks Goes To Japan
Sasha Banks spent some time in Japan during her time away. She shared how she had dreamed of wrestling in Japan before WWE signed her.
“I always had a dream to go to Japan to train. That’s where I wanted to go before I got signed to the WWE, but they called me first. I just knew in my heart that I had to go accomplish something.”
She contineud, “I bought a ticket, I DM’ed Meiko Satomura and asked her if I could come train. She said ‘Yes, we’re training next week.’ I still think about that trip to this day. I think that was the best trip I’ve ever taken. It’s also the craziest thing I’ve ever done. I learned so much. I just love wrestling, and I love learning.”
Sasha Banks wrestled last Friday night on SmackDown. She and Bayley lost to Lacey Evans and Naomi. At the time of writing, Banks does not yet have a match at this Sunday’s Elimination Chamber event or WrestleMania 36 in April.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the 1st Bank Center in Denver. It was the first episode of Dynamite following AEW Revolution.
AEW Dynamite Results (3/4)
SCU & Colt Cabana def. Dark Order
Big Swole def. Leva Bates
Pac def. Chuck Taylor
Jake Hager def. QT Marshall
Jericho & Guevara def. Darby Allin
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Jericho Vowed To Take A Leave Of Absence If Moxley Was Able To Walk Out Of The Arena
Chris Jericho
New AEW Champion Jon Moxley kicked off Dynamite to a great reaction from the crowd. Moxley said that the AEW Championship is a beautiful thing because what it represents. Jon shouted that AEW represents professional wrestling, the sport that he has dedicated his life to.
Moxley added that the belt never belonged to Chris Jericho and that it doesn’t to belong to him either. He said that the AEW Championship belongs to everyone in the building and every AEW fan at home that helped will AEW into existence. Moxley vowed to defend the title with his life and that there isn’t a man in the industry that has what it takes to take it away from him.
Jon noted that he knows it is not over with the Inner Circle and dared them to come after him. Chris Jericho interrupted came to the entrance ramp with Hager, Ortiz, Santana, and Guevara. The crowd sang the chorus to Judas as Jericho stood in silence.
Jericho stated that he doesn’t need a belt to be Le Champion. Chris claimed that Moxley has more guts than brains and that it paid off because the Moxley era has begun. Chris said that the Moxley era sucks ass and the crowd responded with a “you suck ass!” chant directed at Jericho.
Chris claimed that Moxley’s championship win was based on a lie because he spent three months training to face a man with one eye. Jericho called Jon a cheater and that all of the fans were liars as well. Chris said that Inner Circle is putting the entire AEW roster on notice and vowed to hurt everyone, starting with Moxley.
Jericho guaranteed that Moxley will not leave the arena tonight on his own two feet. Chris added that he will take a leave of absence for 60 days if Jon walks out on his own tonight. The crowd chanted “Fozzy sucks!” as Chris claimed that Jon is not as smart as he thinks he is. Moxley joked that he didn’t even graduate high school and vowed to send Jericho packing for 60 days.
SCU & Colt Cabana battled Dark Order tonight on Dynamite. Cabana came to the aid of SCU during the preshow for Revolution. Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, Alex Reynolds, and John Silver made their way to the ring as Jim Ross wondered if the Exalted One even existed.
Match Recap: Colt and Stu started the match off by trading chops. Cabana planted Grayson with a Hurricanrana before a brawl broke out. Evil Uno tagged in and Dark Order isolated Cabana in the ring. SCU battled back and took control the match. Dark Order isolated Daniels in the corner and took turns beating him down. Kazarian tagged in and leveled Reynolds with a Clothesline. Evil Uno attacked Frankie from behind and another brawl broke out. SCU beat the hell out of Evil Uno in the corner as Grayson was launched into the ring post.
Daniels followed it up with a Suicide Dive on Stu outside the ring. Cabana Moonsaulted onto Evil Uno and Silver. Sky then flipped onto Silver, Grayson, Evil Uno outside the ring. Cabana hit Reynolds with the Chicago Skyline for the pinfall victory. After the match, Evil Uno shouted that the Exalted One is going to be furious when he arrives.
Cody made his way to the ring after his loss to MJF at Revolution. Cody said that he doesn’t know how to handle losing to MJF after the lashes, the Dynamite Diamond Ring, and asked MJF to come down to the ring.
Jake “The Snake” Roberts then showed up to a massive reaction from the crowd. Jake told Cody that he got tired of listening to him bitch. Roberts added that Cody got his ass kicked at Revolution and that he is here to slay him. Jake stated that he has a client coming to AEW to take on Cody.
Roberts stated that it has taken 20 years for him to get clean and get right. Jake said he will be on the outside of the ring when his client faces Cody and added that he can bring that “one trick pony” Arn Anderson. Roberts said that “a wise man once told him not to turn his back on a man he respects or afraid of” and then turned his back on Cody before exiting the ring.
Opinion: Jake Roberts cut a great promo tonight and I’m looking forward to seeing who he will be managing. Roberts still has the ability to cut a hell of a promo and is a great addition to AEW.
Pac defeated Chuck Taylor tonight on Dynamite. Chuck controlled the action early but Pac battled back and sent him flying into the barricade. Taylor went for a Moonsault but Pac got out of the way and locked in the Brutalizer for the submission victory.
After the match, the Lucha Brothers rushed the ring and beat down Best Friends. Pac announced that they are the “Death Triangle” and that nobody is safe.
Fenix climbed to the top rope and took out Orange Cassidy. Pac then held up Cassidy’s head as Fenix bit Cassidy on the ear.
Hangman Page & Matt Jackson Still Aren’t Getting Along
Jake Hager defeated QT Marshall in a quick match. After the match, Hager, Santana, and Ortiz beat down Dustin Rhodes and QT. Cody rushed the ring and planted Ortiz with a Powerslam. Ortiz grabbed a steel chair and bashed Cody in the back.
Matt Jackson joined the party and got in some Superkicks before the numbers game caught up to him. Hangman Adam Page came down to the ring with a beer and took a sip before putting on the turnbuckle.
Page connected with a Clothesline before Hager threw him to the apron. Hangman absolutely leveled Hager with a Buckshot Lariat before Matt Jackson asked if they were cool. Page gave Matt the finger before taking some more drinks from the crowd. It was announced that Death Triangle will compete next week. Cody will also face Ortiz on next week’s episode of Dynamite.
Jon Moxley and Darby Allin battled Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in the main event of this week’s episode. During Moxley’s entrance, Moxley was attacked by three masked men. It turned out to be Hager, Santana, and Ortiz. They beat Moxley down as Jericho smiled in the ring. Hager choked Moxley out as Darby Allin got in the ring and agreed to face both men.
Match Recap: Allin leveled Guevara and knocked Jericho off the ring apron. Darby sent Jericho into the steel steps but turned around into a knee strike from Sammy. Chris tagged in and applied the Liontamer in the middle of the ring. Darby reached the ropes to break the hold and then got sent out of the ring as Dynamite went to a break.
When Dynamite returned, Allin hit Jericho with a Clothesline that knocked him out of the ring. Darby followed it up with a Suicide Dive that sent Jericho flying into the barricade. Back in the ring, Sammy tagged in and launched Allin into the turnbuckle. Jericho tagged in and went for the Lionsault but Allin got his knees up. Darby crawled to the corner but there was nobody there.
Darby tagged himself and planted Sammy with a Destroyer for a near fall. Allin took out Inner Circle with a Coffin Drop outside the ring as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”. Back in the ring, Darby hit Sammy with a Stunner and followed it up with a Coffin Drop. Jericho broke up the cover but Darby knocked him out of the ring. Allin went for a Suicide Dive but Jericho countered with the Judas Effect. Jericho rolled Darby into the ring and Sammy pinned him for the victory.
After the match, Jon Moxley rushed the ring with a steel chair. Jon launched the chair at Hager before planting Sammy with a Paradigm Shift. Hager attacked Moxley from behind and then Santana and Ortiz brought Jon up the entrance ramp. Inner Circle then Powerbombed Moxley off the stage and through a table.
Opinion: Lance Archer was advertised to appear tonight but that didn’t happen. Overall, this was another very good episode of Dynamite then flew by. Darby Allin continues to gain popularity every week and looked like a badass tonight even in defeat. MJF called out Moxley and poked fun at Cody’s neck tattoo in a great backstage promo that you can see below.
The March 4, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from the Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
The show was headlined by Roderick Strong vs. The Velveteen Dream inside of a steel cage.
WWE NXT Results (3/4)
Dakota Kai def. Tegan Nox
Chelsea Green def. Shotzi Blackheart to qualify for the #1 Contender’s Ladder Match
The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) def. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan.
Austin Theory def. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
Roderick Strong def. The Velveteen Dream
Here are the 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai
Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai took place inside of a steel cage on this show, which was heavily promoted.
It was the most recent and likely final match between the two stars. It was a fun way to kick off the show with going over Kai going over thanks to Raquel Gonzalez pinning Nox up against the fence and the door.
Their previous match was a Street Fight at the NXT TakeOver: Portland event back in February in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center that aired on the WWE Network.
This feud started back in November at the NXT TakeOver: War Games III event with Kai turning heel by attacking Nox, which ended their friendship on WWE NXT TV.
After such a long feud, it’s time to move on and that’s what WWE did here.
A late addition to the card was a tag team match that featured Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Birch.
This was a good hard-hitting affair and one that could be built into a program if WWE wanted to do so. The match saw The Undisputed Era go over and rightfully so.
The former tag team champs are still due a rematch from Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle, who dethroned them as the NXT Tag Team Champions. One can only speculate that WWE officials are saving this for a big show.
A show like NXT TakeOver: Tampa show goes down on Saturday, April 4, 2020 from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida during WrestleMania weekend.
Thus, the reason why Riddle and Dunne, who came out after the match. However, were attacked by the Grizzled Young Veterans. They vowed to become the #1 tag team.
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee came out to the ring for a promo. He talked about how since he became the champion, many men have spoken his name.
Talent like Dominik Dijakovic and Damien Priest. He praised Priest for taking matters into his own hands.
This is when Cameron Grimes came out to a chant from the fans of “no one likes you.” Grimes ranted about what he can do in the ring. The fans booed him pretty good. Lee said that Grimes made the gravest mistake of his life.
Grimes bragged about beating Dijakovic in less time than Lee. Grimes said that next week he’ll have the chance to wrestle Lee for the strap. Lee then pushed him out of the ring and accepted and promised to give him an a** whopping.
This was a fine segment that finally gave Lee a voice on NXT television. The match should be fun but I doubt anyone thinks Grimes will win.
Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Austin Theory in a singles match was exactly what you thought it would be.
A very good match between these two stars with Theory going over. This was a battle of not just former EVOLVE stars but also young talents in NXT who have a ton of upside.
WWE only announced it a few hours before the show went live on the USA Network so it didn’t have a lot of time for promotion.
The reason for that is likely due to them not having big names but they have been used on NXT TV quite a bit as of late.
The second steel cage of the night was saved for the main event featuring Roderick Strong vs. The Velveteen Dream.
WWE opened the show with the first steel cage match and it only made sense to keep this match for the main event.
WWE didn’t wait long for this feud to develop but rather went right into it and already expanded it from a singles contest and now with a gimmick match.
It was better than their match last week but rightfully so as they had more time to prepare, more options with a gimmick and already tying up once before.
The finish saw Dream push Strong out of the cage and lock the door only with NXT Champion Adam Cole in there with him so he could attack him. Dream stood tall and holding the NXT Title.
All Elite Wrestling had a surprise in store for fans watching Dynamite on Wednesday night and that was Jake “The Snake” Roberts.
Cody Rhodes came out for a promo near the end of the first hour on TNT in Broomfield, CO at the 1stBank Center.
He did so to call out MJF, who beat Rhodes at Saturday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view event. Instead of MJF coming out, the WWE Hall of Famer did.
This is where Roberts cut a promo about how he was tired of hearing Rhodes complain and had a message for him. He won’t take on Rhodes but his client will. Roberts never revealed who his client was but referred to the person as The Dark Side.
He noted that they were here to not take the whole company but rather just Rhodes’ piece of the pie.
Roberts ended his promo by stating, “Never ever turn your back on somebody you respect or you’re afraid of” before walking away and tossing the microphone behind him as he exited the ring.
For those who may have forgotten, back at last year’s All Out, Roberts had made an appearance in an AEW video that announced some of the participants for a women’s Casino Battle Royale.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on who Roberts’ client is or when the person will be revealed.
