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MLW Boss Continues To Tease TV Future

Chris Stephens
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MLW’s Court Bauer sent out a Tweet recently that has some fans wondering exactly what the future might hold for the promotion. Last month, MLW announced they had signed on with ICM Partner,s a talent agency that typically represents showrunners in the TV and Film industries. A recent Tweet by Bauer is suggesting some interesting negotiations have taken place as of late.

Bauer sent out the following Tweet regarding some conversations he is having about the future of MLW TV. The location of the Tweet is tagged as being from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the famed-headquarters of NBC, NBC Studios, and NBC Universal.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1227697277487271937?s=21

Future Of MLW TV

According to a reports earlier this month, MLW has also been in contact with Amazon about providing content for Amazon Prime. The company is looking for content for its streaming service especially with looming concerns over a writer’s strike this summer. The situation between MLW and Amazon is said to be fluid with MLW seeing “momentum in a few directions with major players.”

NBC has a wrestling-related project already in the works for the 2020/21 season. Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s early life will provide the backdrop for the sitcom “Young Rock.”

MLW Signs With ICM Partners

“As the only free agent in the wrestling space in 2020, MLW is in a unique position in the television landscape,” said Court Bauer, creator and Chief Executive Officer, Major League Wrestling in a press release announcing the league’s signing with ICM Partners.

“MLW provides an extraordinary entertainment experience, showcasing some of the sport’s most storied and iconic families, embracing the Mexican lucha libre culture and presenting original content in a 360 manner.”

AEW Rankings Released For 2/26/20

Chris Stephens
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2

AEW has released its weekly rankings for February 26th, 2020. The promotion releases new top-5 rankings every Wednesday for its men’s, women’s and tag team divisions.

AEW Men’s Division

Le Champion: Chris Jericho (0-0)

  1. Jon Moxley (6-0)
  2. Cody Rhodes (3-0)
  3. PAC (1-1)
  4. Kenny Omega (0-0)
  5. Maxwell Jacob Friedman (2-0)

There were no changes in the men’s single’s rankings this week. Cody defeated Wardlow in a steel cage match on Dynamite. Moxley defeated Jeff Cobb to maintain his ranking as well. Omega competed in tag action this week and PAC and MJF had the week off from in-ring competition.

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AEW Women’s Division

Champion: Nyla Rose (3-1)

  1. Kris Statlander (2-1) (+1)
  2. Riho (3-1) (-1)
  3. Hikaru Shida (2-1)
  4. Yuka Sakazaki (1-0)
  5. Britt Baker (1-2)

Kris Statlander moves up to the #1 position with her win over Shanna on Dynamite. That match was the only one to take place in the division this week. Riho, Shida, and Sakazaki had the week off from in-ring competition. Baker didn’t wrestle this week either but did manage to bring Tony Schiavone a Starbucks cup with his name on it.

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AEW Tag Team Division

Champions: Kenny Omega & Adam “Hangman” Page (5-0)

  1. The Young Bucks (2-1)
  2. SCU (2-2)
  3. The Dark Order (3-0)
  4. Proud and Powerful (0-1)
  5. The Best Friends (2-2)
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Multiple important tag team matches took place in the division. Page and Omega successfully defended their titles against the Lucha Bros and the Young Bucks won a tag team battle royal to earn a shot against the champs at Revolution. The Best Friends are back in the top-5 as the Lucha Bros drop out after losing to the champs this week.

On AEW Dark this week, the Dark Order picked up a victory over Strong Hearts to maintain their ranking. Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall also picked up a victory over Shawn Spears and Peter Avalon as Tully Blanchard continues to look for a tag partner for Spears.

NJPW Cancels Events Due To Coronavirus Outbreak

Chris Stephens
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New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced they are canceling all events from March 1st until March 15th, 2020 as a result of recommendations made by the Japanese Ministry of Health in regard to the Coronavirus outbreak. Among the canceled events is the promotion’s anniversary show on March 3rd which was to feature Hiromu Takahashi taking on Tetsuya Naito.

Also amongst the canceled events is the New Japan Cup this year, which was to begin March 4th, 2020. There is currently no word on if these shows will be made up at a later date or how this will impact the rest of NJPW’s schedule.

“In light of recommendations made on February 26 by the Japanese Ministry of Health connected to the new Coronavirus COVID-19, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has arrived at the decision to cancel all live events scheduled between Sunday March 1 and Sunday March 15,” an NJPW press release for the canceled events reads.

NJPW canceled events:

Anniversary Tour

  • Sunday March 1: Mito Municipal Gymnasium, Ibaraki
  • Monday March 2: Big Palette Fukushima

Anniversary Event

  • Tuesday March 3: Ota City Gymnasium, Tokyo

New Japan Cup

  • Wednesday March 4: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
  • Saturday March 7: Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium
  • Sunday March 8: Baycom Gymnasium, Hyogo
  • Monday March 9: Kochi Prefectural Gymnasium
  • Tuesday March 10: ZIP Arena Okayama
  • Thursday March 12: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
  • Friday March 13: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
  • Saturday March 14: Makuhari Messe, Chiba

AEW Dynamite Preview: PAC vs. Kenny Omega, Weigh-In Segment

Andrew Ravens
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0

After months of building towards programs, AEW Dynamite is here to serve as the go-home show for their next pay-per-view event, Revolution, that takes place this Saturday night. 

Thus, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. The show is expected to start with Jurassic Express vs. Santana, Ortiz and Sammy Guevara in a six-man tag team match. 

Although not confirmed, the belief is that the weigh-in between Jon Moxley and AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho for their title match at Revolution will be the main event segment. 

AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds as the promotion gets closer to Revolution.

AEW holds this show in Kansas City, MO at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:

  • Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho weigh-in for their title match
  • The Butcher and The Blade vs. Best Friends – Tag Team Match
  • PAC vs. Kenny Omega – 30-Minute Ironman Match
  • Jurassic Express vs. Santana, Ortiz and Sammy Guevara – Six-Man Tag Team Match

Join us here later tonight for AEW Dynamite Results and our post-show Takeaways feature.

AEW Dynamite Headed To Houston, TX In April

John Morrison On Being Back In WWE, What He Hopes To Accomplish

Steve Russell
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5

Ahead of his WWE Super ShowDown matchup, John Morrison spoke about travelling to Saudi Arabia with The National. During the interview, Morrison also opened up about being back in WWE, confessing that it still “surreal” to him.

Looking to his “important” matchup in Saudi Arabia, Morrison shared his excitement over being back in the Middle East. “I’m excited. I’ve been to the Middle East before, but I am big on ‘first time ever’ experiences and I’ve seen Crown Jewel and it just looked wild. I’m excited for this and I can’t wait to feel the energy of the crowd.”

Morrison left WWE back in 2011. The once again-SmackDown Superstar confessed he never meant to leave the promotion for as long as he did. Despite getting the chance to travel the world and wrestle for several promotions, “you can’t compare wrestling for WWE to wrestling for any other place.”

He also highlighted how WWE is the biggest platform in the world, and that every detail is done to perfection.

John Morrison’s Future Goals

Given his accomplishments outside of WWE, he was then asked what he hopes to accomplish now that he has returned. Morrison has a grounded goal in mind: striving to be the best version of himself he can be.

“If you asked me that question 10 years ago the answer would be to main-event WrestleMania and that is still the answer, but because there are a lot of things about wrestling you can’t control it is really now about being the best version of myself,” he stated. “Keeping up physically and unlocking new movement patterns is something I’m always interested in, different combinations of movements. Outside of the ring it is about realizing the people closest to me are the most important.”

John Morrison and The Miz face off against The New Day at WWE Super ShowDown for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. The event takes place on February 27th from Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Undertaker’s Raw Return Date Revealed

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

The Undertaker is expected to make a surprise appearance at the Super Showdown event and now it appears that his Raw return date has been revealed as well.

PWinsider is reporting that The Dead Man is currently scheduled to make an appearance at the March 9 episode of Raw from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.

The March 9 Raw will be the post Elimination Chamber episode of the show and it appears that WWE is loading it up to create buzz for WrestleMania 36.

Previous reports have revealed that WWE Hall Of Famer Edge will be making an appearance on the show to provide “live medical update” on his health.

Not only that but the arena for the episode is also advertising the former NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler for a “special appearance” on the show.

Baszler will be competing in the Elimination Chamber match to determine the WrestleMania opponent for Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and while not confirmed, the NXT star is rumored to face ‘The Man’ at the Show Of Shows.

The Undertaker, on the other hand, is expected to face AJ Styles at WrestleMania this year and it’s possible that he has a confrontation with the Phenomenal One during the episode.

WWE NXT Preview: Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair

Andrew Ravens
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WWE NXT is back for another episode and will be looking to build upon the momentum that it gained from last week’s post-TakeOver: Portland show. 

Thus, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of NXT. The biggest thing to be announced thus far is the return of Charlotte Flair to in-ring action under the NXT banner in several years. She’ll do so when she steps into the squared circle with Bianca Belair in a singles match. 

This is a way to help build Flair’s feud with NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley heading into WrestleMania 36 in April. 

WWE holds this show in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:

  • Finn Balor to discuss his future plans following his win over Johnny Gargano at TakeOver: Portland.
  • Tommaso Ciampa vs. Austin Theory
  • Charlotte Flair will take on Bianca Belair. This marks Flair’s first match under the NXT banner in four years. 

WWE will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds. 

As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for NXT. 

Join us here later tonight for WWE NXT Results and our post-show Takeaways feature.

WWE Making Changes To Big WrestleMania 36 Matches

Mark Jindrak Responds To Triple H’s ‘Ruthless Aggression’ Comments

Steve Russell
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Former WWE Superstar Mark Jindrak has responded to the WWE Network’s recent episode of their ‘Ruthless Aggression’ series. The episode focused on the stable Evolution, charting their formation, rise, and implosion.

During the episode, Triple H reflected on how Jindrak was being considered for the group. He acknowledged he didn’t feel Jindrak was a good fit for the stable, approaching Vince McMahon to air his concerns over his possible inclusion. Although they did film promos spots including Jindrak, he was ultimately not signed off to join Evolution. Triple H highlighted Jindrak’s immaturity at the time and the negative effect it had on a younger Randy Orton.

Taking to Twitter, Jindrak reacted to Triple H’s words. He reflected on the sentiment, sharing how it’s “nice to have closure after 17 years.” Humble to the criticism, Jindrak admitted that he understood why “he didn’t want me in the group.” Despite this understanding, Jindrak then lobbied a challenge at ‘The Game’.

“Well it feels nice to have closure after 17 years. I understand why he didn’t want me in the group. But it won’t stop me from challenging him at Wrestlemania. HHH vs. Mark Jindrak . See you in Tampa Paul. Bring your black suit”

The first three episodes of Ruthless Aggression are available to stream on the WWE Network now.

First Look At WWE Studios’ Animated Movie “Rumble” Starring Becky Lynch & Roman Reigns

Steve Russell
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3

The first image of WWE Studios and Paramount Animations animated movie Rumble has been released. People shared the image, showcasing a giant monster named Steve. He casually leans against ring ropes and looks unimpressed at the people by his feet. Will Arnett has been cast to bring Steve to life as he undergoes training to become an unstoppable monster wrestler.

“I’m excited to be part of this really fun movie,” Arnett told People. “It’s a great, positive story in a time when we need to hear more positive stories.”

Rumble Synopsis

The official synopsis of the movie reads:

“In a world where monster wrestling is a global sport and monsters are superstar athletes, teenage Winnie seeks to follow in her father’s footsteps by coaching a lovable underdog monster into a champion.”

Being a WWE Studios production, the movie will also feature the vocal talents of their Superstars. Both Roman Reigns and the current WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch are a part of the film. They join Terry Crews, Geraldine Viswanathan, Tony Danza, Susan Kelechi Watson, Stephen A. Smith, Jimmy Tatro, Ben Schwartz and Michael Buffer.

At the time of writing, there’s no indication as to whom Reigns and Lynch will be playing. Crews will star as a shark-like, tentacled behemoth called Tentacularis. His character happens to be the current Monster Wrestling Champion in the movie.

Rumble is scheduled for release in theaters on January 29, 2021.

John Morrison Discusses The Importance Of His Super ShowDown Match

Steve Russell
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0

Returning WWE Superstar John Morrison has opened up about his upcoming matchup at WWE Super ShowDown. According to Morrison, the tag match against the New Day is the “most important” matchup he’s had since returning to WWE.

Speaking with Arab News, Morrison addressed the match, admitting he is “ridiculously excited” to be travelling to Saudi Arabia. He is fully aware of how important it is to be wrestling for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions with his former partner, The Miz.

“Kofi and Big E (The New Day) are no joke,” John Morrison said. “They are individually talented and together they are very dangerous. For The Miz and I to beat them requires 100 percent focus and for us to be on top of our game. That’s what I’m planning on doing.”

John Morrison On Super ShowDown Being Like WrestleMania

John Morrison liked Super ShowDown to WWE’s premiere event, WrestleMania. He noted how it gives families a chance to feel the electricity and excitement of WWE. He added how Super ShowDown has the power to “capture the imagination of the people” in the same way ‘Mania does.

Having initially left the promotion in 2011, rumors began circulating that John Morrison had re-signed with WWE last year. He would eventually make his return to the company, once again aligning himself with The Miz.

WWE Super ShowDown takes place on February 27th from Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Hangman Page Reveals He Has Written A Kids Book

Steve Russell
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0

All Elite Wrestling’s Hangman Page has revealed he has written a kids book. The book is entitled ‘The Elite Team: Adam and the Golden Horseshoe’ and is slated for release on Sunday, May 24th via Trism Books at $16.95.

According to the official synopsis, the book will follow Adam as he attempts to track down a legendary Golden Horseshoe:

“Adam’s faded second-hand guitar never left his side. He played it at home. He played it at school. He even slept with it. As Adam and the rest of the Elite Team practiced their talents, Adam felt overshadowed by his friends. He just wasn’t good enough… When he heard about the legend of the Golden Horseshoe, and its charm to make champions, he knew he had to find it for himself. But on his quest, Adam finds more than just the horseshoe. Will he finally find the champion within himself?”

Page shared the news on his Instagram page, announcing “i have written a book” alongside an image of the front cover. The illustrations for the book were done by Dylan Coburn.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B8_8wU_Jqtq/?utm_source=ig_embed

Hangman Page isn’t the first Elite member to have written a kids book. Cody Rhodes has previously released ‘Cody Heart of the Mountain‘. Matt and Nick Jackson have also released a kids book called ‘Young Bucks Stand Tall’. The Young Bucks recently announced they will be releasing a memoir, ‘Killing The Business’.

Adam Page is scheduled to defend the AEW World Tag Team Championships with Kenny Omega at AEW Revolution. They face their Elite stablemates The Young Bucks. The event takes place on February 29th at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

ROH Reveals First Competitors In Pure And Women’s Championship Tournaments

Steve Russell
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0

Ring of Honor (ROH) has revealed the first participants to take part in their recently announced tournaments for the ROH Pure Championship and ROH Women’s Championship. The Pure Championship tournament will consist of 16 wrestlers, two of whom will be Jonathan Gresham and former Pure champion Doug Williams.

Pure Championship

The Pure Title Tournament begins at ROH Pure Excellence Night One, which takes place in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, April 10th. The tournament continues on Night Two on April 11th in Pittsburgh. The quarterfinals are set for ROH Battlestarr 2020 in New York City on Thursday, April 23rd. At the time of writing, there is no further information on when the semifinals and finals will go down.

The Pure championship was retired back in 2006 after its debut in 2004. For those unfamiliar, Pure Rules matches allow close-first punches. Wrestlers are allowed three rope breaks to force a break to a submission hold or pinfall attempt. Once a wrestler has used their three breaks, however, pinfalls and submissions on or under the ropes are legal.

ROH Women’s Championship Tournament

Regarding the ROH Women’s Championship, both Kellyanne and Sumie Sakai will be participating. Like the Pure tournament, the Women’s Championship is a 16-woman bracket. Eight first-round matches will take place on Friday, April 24th at the upcoming ROH Quest for Gold event at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.

Roman Reigns And WWE Celebrate One Year Anniversary Of His Return From Leukemia Battle

Steve Russell
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0

Both WWE and Roman Reigns have been celebrating the one year anniversary of his return announcement. The “Big Dog” had taken some time away to deal with a second battle with leukemia before making his triumphant return to the squared circle.

Reflecting on his journey, Reigns posted a heartfelt message to his Twitter account, thanking the WWE Universe for their support.

“Sharing this life with millions of people is one of the things that makes being a @WWE Superstar amazing,” Reigns wrote. “Life has struggles and setbacks, but the power and prayers of this Universe gave me the strength to fight back. Thank y’all for your support. We got much more to do!!!”

The Superstar announced that his leukemia had unfortunately returned after being in remission during the October 22, 2018 episode of Monday Night RAW. This news forced him to vacate the WWE Universal Championship and step away from WWE. Thankfully, he was able to return in February 2019, where he announced that the disease had once more gone into remission.

WWE has also been celebrating the anniversary. Their official twitter account has been sharing several of Reigns’ epic moments since his momentous comeback.

Roman Reigns’ Connection With The WWE Universe

Reigns recently shared why he decided to break kayfabe for the initial announcement that he was leaving. He explained how he had a connection with the audience and wanted to share the truth, unfiltered.

“I just didn’t want to lie. I didn’t want people to make up stories of what I was doing or where I was going,” he confessed on an episode of WWE The Bump. “I just wanted to be truthful and let the world know what was going on with me.”

Roman Reigns is scheduled to face Baron Corbin in a Steel Cage Match at WWE Super ShowDown. The event takes place on February 27 from Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ric Flair On WCW Wanting To Repackage Him, Turning Down WWE In 1988

Steve Russell
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3

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair caught up with Chris Jericho for an episode of Talk is Jericho. The two sat down with each other during Chris Jericho’s Rock’ N’ Rager At Sea: Part Deux cruise. One of the topics that were broached during their conversation was Flair’s decision to leave WCW for the the-WWF in 1991. 

Flair shared how WCW had plans in place to repackage him. This gimmick change would have included a hair cut and a name change to ‘Spartacus’, an idea he attributed to Jim Herd.

“He wanted me to… the worst thing I ever did was cut my hair. Like, I remember walking through the airport. Nobody knew me,” Flair divulged. “I mean, I was frightened because he wanted to call me ‘Spartacus’. They wanted me to change my name and put in an earring. You know that story, Chris. They wanted to call me ‘Spartacus’. You saw that haircut. What other explanation could there be? I looked like a 12 year old kid with a surfboard shoved up my butt. It was that bad.”

Ric Flair On Turning Down WWE In 1988

Ric Flair also talked about turning down the chance to compete against the late ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage at SummerSlam 1988. He shared how WWE wanted him to come in for the match, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave his friends, including Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham and Arn Anderson. They were “selling out everywhere” and Flair couldn’t have been happier, so had no real interest in dropping that to wrestle Savage.

“I just had a deposit on the belt and I was with Arn [Anderson] and Tully [Blanchard] and Barry [Windham] and we were selling out everywhere and I was happy. It was never about not going up there [to WWE] and having fun,” he said. “A lot of guys that I was friends with were there. I just couldn’t bring myself to leave that circle of friends that I was with.”

He continued, “And then, we had talks again and that didn’t do anything, so when I quit, I just called them and I said, ‘I’m here and by the way, I’ve got the belt.’ I tried to give it back. [WCW] said they wouldn’t take it. That’s the truth. I said, ‘take it’ and he said, ‘shove it up your ass.'”

H/T to Talk is Jericho for the transcription.

Matt Hardy Hints At NXT Rumors, Thanks Randy Orton

Steve Russell
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1

Matt Hardy is on the cusp of a major career decision. With his WWE contract reportedly expiring soon, several promotions are said to be interested in the WWE Superstar. WWE has allegedly made “overtures to him” in their efforts to keep him, one of which includes him becoming a part of the NXT system in some capacity. Taking to his Twitter account, Hardy teased the NXT rumors currently revolving around him.

“With a hand of days remaining, nothing is yet written in stone. Every major player is currently on the board, everyone’s at the table. I must rePROCURE. I must be RESURRECTED. I must seek out my ARCADIA.Then what’s NeXT? #FreeTheDELETE #FreeTheDELETE.com”

He also uploaded a YouTube video to his channel called “DEAR DR RKO” where he addressed the brutal attacks at the hands of Randy Orton. He spoke about how he should be livid at Orton but isn’t. Rather than the attacks being a curse, he instead considers them to a blessing, thanking Orton for his actions.

Exalted Matt Hardy?

There has been speculation that Hardy would be revealed as the Dark Order’s “Exalted One” in AEW. Raven appeared on a recent episode of AEW Dynamite in the background, hinting at his potential involvement. However, some have theorised he was just a distraction to Hardy’s arrival.

If Hardy elects to stay with WWE, that would obviously scupper any plans that may exist. With the Superstar eager to work somewhere the allows him greater creative control, the answer may come down to which promotion will grant him his request.

Bella Twins On Who Called Them About Hall Of Fame Induction

Anutosh Bajpai
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3

The reports of Bella Twins being inducted into Hall Of Fame first came out a couple of weeks ago and then WWE made the induction official on the latest episode of SmackDown.

After the major announcement, the duo of Nikki Bella and Brie Bella appeared on the latest episode of WWE Backstage to talk about their careers and more.

During the interview, The Bella Twins were also asked about their reaction to the news. Answering the question, they revealed that it was Vince McMahon himself, who called to inform them about their induction:

“It’s funny when Nikki and I got the called, Vince [McMahon] called us both, we saw his missed call and my first reaction was, ‘Nikki, what did you say in the press?'” recalled Brie. “We thought we were in trouble, we called Vince back, together, and when he told us, we were shocked, ‘What? This year?'”

Nikki Bella then explained that after working for long and fighting for so many things, having the one man who they look up to call them for the opportunity was incredible.

The Bella Twins also talked about Nikki’s Evolution match against Ronda Rousey and she said that she went in the match thinking it as a David vs. Goliath scenario.

Nikki and Brie will be inducted into Hall Of Fame during the WrestleMania weekend alongside Batista and nWo. Davey Boy Smith, JBL and Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger are the other reported names for this year’s class but they are yet to be announced officially.

WWE Reportedly Offering Matt Hardy A Position In NXT To Stay

Anutosh Bajpai
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2

Losing Matt Hardy in the current environment would be a big loss for WWE and it appears that the officials of the company also realize this as they are offering all kinds of perks to the former Champion to stay, including a position in NXT.

Mike Johnson talked about Hardy’s status on the latest episode of PWInsider Elite Audio and reported that the company has made a lot of “overtures to him” in recent times.

The Wrestling Journalist then revealed a very interesting possibility. He said that there have been talks of the Broken One working in the NXT system somehow, noting that his gut feeling is that Hardy will stay:

“I know that WWE has made a lot of overtures to him in the last couple of weeks. There’s been some talk of him working in the NXT system somehow. My gut feeling is that Matt Hardy will probably stay.”

Matt Hardy’s current WWE contract is set to expire very soon and if he doesn’t re-sign with the company then he is expected to become a free agent this Sunday on March 1.

WWE offered him an increased pay to stay with the company but Matt is looking for creative control over his character which has been stopping him from signing a new contract with the prmotion so far.

Backstage News On The NXT Championship Match At WrestleMania

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

WWE has taken an interesting direction with the Women’s Royal Rumble winner Charlotte Flair this year and she has chosen to face NXT Champion Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania, instead of choosing a champion from Raw or SmackDown.

Though it appears that Ripley’s appearance will be the only major involvement of NXT at Mania as there are no other NXT title matches planned for the show.

Dave Meltzer talked about the upcoming event on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio and revealed that there are currently 14 matches planned for WrestleMania.

However, the Ripley vs. Flair bout is the only NXT Championship match scheduled for Mania and as of this writing, no other NXT titles are expected to be defended on the event.

While the NXT stars can still be used in the male or female battle royals at the PPV, the current plans are for Rhea Ripley to be the main representative of the Black And Yellow brand on WrestleMania.

On a related note, Meltzer revealed that the NXT Champion is being paid under her standard NXT contract but she is receiving bonus pay for any Raw appearances she makes to build her feud with Charlotte.

There is no word yet on what she will be paid for her actual match at the Grandest Stage Of Them All but it’s not hard to imagine that WrestleMania will be a big payday for her and any other involved NXT stars.

Undertaker Arrives In Saudi Arabia For Super Showdown (Video)

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

It was reported yesterday morning that the Undertaker is traveling to Saudi Arabia for the Super Showdown event and now videos of his arrival have surfaced online.

@Enjoy_Saudi Twitter account recently posted some clips of WWE superstars arriving in the country for Thursday’s event. As seen in the post below, the video captures stars such as Goldberg, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, and The Undertaker:

Taker has not officially been announced for Super Showdown so far and there is no word yet on what the Dead Man will be doing at the Pay-Per-View event.

Though previous reports have revealed that the current plans are for the former World Champion to face AJ Styles in a one on one match at WrestleMania 36.

So fans are speculating that Undertaker can make an appearance on the show to confront Styles and set up their match at this year’s edition of the Show Of Shows.

AJ Styles is set to compete in the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy gauntlet match alongside Andrade, Bobby Lashley, Erick Rowan, R-Truth, and Rey Mysterio.

This match itself also made some headlines recently when WWE replaced Rusev with Rey Mysterio and reports have since revealed that the Bulgarian Brute backed out of this appearance at the last minute.

WWE RAW Viewership (2/24)

Andrew Ravens
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The WWE RAW viewership numbers are in. 

Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.210 million viewers in Winnipeg, Manitoba at the Bell MTS Place on the USA Network, which is down from the 2.437 million viewers the previous week. 

RAW Viewership

Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

  • Hour 1: 2.278 million – Last Week: 2.671
  • Hour 2: 2.246 million – Last Week: 2.559
  • Hour 3: 2.106 million – Last Week: 2.082

The episode was expected to maintain in its viewership from last week. WWE will attempt to increase its viewership for Monday Night RAW next week due to it serving as the post-show of Raw for Super ShowDown. 

Here is the hourly 18-49 demos breakdown:

  • Hour 1: 0.73 – Last Week: 0.87
  • Hour 2: 0.71 – Last Week: 0.82 
  • Hour 3: 0.68 – Last Week: 0.68 

Some of the matches that took place include Angel Garza (w/Zelina Vega) vs. Humberto Carrillo, Ricochet vs. Luke Gallows, Aleister Black vs. Erick Rowan, Seth Rollins (w/Murphy) vs. Montez Ford, and Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens.

There was also a segment with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar to promote his match with Ricochet at the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event. 

In case you missed the show, you can check out the five takeaways here. 

Watch: Top 10 Moments from Monday’s RAW (2.24.20)

Samoa Joe Suspended For Wellness Policy Violation

Chris Stephens
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WWE has suspended Samoa Joe for 30-days due to his first violation of the company’s wellness policy. The company has not released information regarding what caused Joe’s violation of the policy.

“WWE has suspended Nuufolau Seanoa (Samoa Joe) for 30 days effective Monday, February 24, for his first violation of the company’s talent wellness policy,” WWE’s release reads.

Samoa Joe Suspended 30 Days For Wellness Policy Violation

Joe is currently on the shelf dealing with an undisclosed injury as a result of hitting his head on a table during a WWE commercial shoot. He was also removed from a match on RAW after being injured mid-match as well.

Joe also spent some time working on the RAW announce table while out with another injury.

Joe is the 4th Superstar in recent months to be suspended due to failing the company’s wellness policy. Andrade was suspended recently and late last year saw Primo Colon and Robert Roode both suspended as well.

Primo would later say that his violation was a result of not actually taking the test, however.

Bully Ray – “Tyson Fury Is a Custom Fit For WWE”

Jake Skudder
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World Boxing Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury defeated Deontay Wilder over the weekend in decisive fashion. The bout was billed as the biggest of this century, with two of the most gifted heavyweights in the world colliding.

Tyson Fury in WWE

Following the fight WWE’s Braun Strowman, who previously had a match against Fury in Saudi Arabia; tweeted his want for another shot at the World Champion. Following his massive win at the weekend Tyson Fury is now arguably one of the hottest trending names in the sports world; and with his natural flair he is seen as a perfect for WWE, according to Busted Open Radio’s Bully Ray.

More Over Than Ever

“He’s even more over than he was the day he stepped foot in the WWE. Or him stepping foot in that boxing ring” Bully began. “Because this guy got him self over as an entertainer during his entrance and after the fight. I mean Tyson Fury has shown why he’s custom made for the WWE. He comes out you know on the throne, I mean we’ve seen that before you know; King Haku, or King Harley raised up, or King Corbin. It’s very WWE. He is singing Patsy Cline’s Crazy during his entrance. He’s actually singing the words of the song hanging out having a great time. Then [he] goes out there and just completely kicks Deontay Wilder ass.”

Bully also stated that he believes the ‘Gypsy King’ would be a good opponent for WWE’s King Corbin in the near future. “I mean this guy is custom fit for the WWE, the WWE is going to want the boxing world undisputed champion on their side now and I could see the Gypsy King vs King Corbin happening down the line.”

Tyson Fury

There have been rumors that Tyson Fury was looking to perform more for the WWE in future, although with this big win the boxing star might be looking ahead to a fight against fellow Brit Anthony Joshua.

Do you think we will see Tyson Fury back in a WWE ring? Let us know in the comments

Backstage Update On Rusev Missing Super ShowDown

Chris Stephens
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It was recently revealed that Rusev will not be making the trip to Saudi Arabia for Super ShowDown. Rusev had originally been scheduled to take part in The gauntlet match but has since been replaced by Rey Mysterio.

In an update to this story, there are multiple reports surfacing regarding why Rusev will be missing the show. According to a report from PW Insider, Rusev is dealing with a back injury at the moment and that has led to him not being on the show. Recently on Wrestling Observer Radio, however, Dave Meltzer noted that be back injury is the official story but that Rusev has essentially backed away from the show.

“Rusev isn’t going on the trip. The story is an injury,” said Dave Meltzer on the show. “The story is an injury but he backed out of the show essentially, I guess at the last minute.”

Rusev was scheduled for the 6-person Tuwaiq Trophy gauntlet match. The match will now pit Andrade vs. AJ Styles vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Erick Rowan vs. R-Truth vs. Rey Mysterio.

Rusev has been reported to have been involved in a contract dispute with WWE. Lana recently signed a new multi-year deal with the company, however.


SmackDown WrestleMania Matches Reportedly In a ‘State of Flux’

Jake Skudder
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We’re just 6 weeks away from the biggest event in WWE’s year. WrestleMania 36 will be taking place on Sunday April 5, 2020 at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Whilst two big bouts have already been confirmed for NXT and RAW, SmackDown’s main event matches are apparently still in a ‘state of flux.’

SmackDown at WrestleMania

WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray discussed the upcoming event on Busted Open Radio. “I’ve heard rumblings within the WWE. Nothing is set in stone on on the SmackDown side of WrestleMania” Bully Ray began. “When it comes to the Universal Championship for WrestleMania, a lot of matches are in a ‘state of flux.’ I think we only have two definitive matches so far set, you know, Brock [Lesnar] and Drew McIntyre plus Charlotte [Flair] and Rhea [Ripley], everything else is up for grabs.”

WrestleMania 36
WWE WrestleMania 36

WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt will be defending his title this Thursday against Goldberg at Super Showdown in Saudi Arabia. It is expected that Roman Reigns will be challenging for the belt at WrestleMania against the winner of the SS match. “Roman is going to be involved somehow” Bully stated. “And I think it’s probably time for them to kind of get Roman back into the championship mix. Although I can’t say positively if I think that’s a good idea or not.”

A year ago today Roman Reigns announced to the world that he was in remission from cancer. Of course the reception to Roman has changed from the live audiences since then, but there’s a palpable feeling that WWE may he hesitant to put him back into the title picture.

Do you think that Goldberg will defeat Bray Wyatt in Saudi Arabia? Let us know in the comments

Sammy Guevara Comments On Taking Superkick In Battle Royal Last Week

Chris Stephens
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Sammy Guevara attempted to interfere during the tag team battle royale on AEW Dynamite last week. He took a rather painful-looking superkick from Matt Jackson for his trouble, however. Guevara took to his YouTube vlog to comment on the spot. He noted that he ended up rolling his ankle when taking the move.

“So last night, I took a pretty nasty superkick and I actually ended up rolling my ankle,” Guevara said on the vlog. He then read some comments posted on Instagram about the spot.

“So I don’t know if I’m going to be able to wrestle in Australia,” Guevara continued to say about an upcoming booking.

“I took a superkick to the face and rolled my ankle, how is that even possible?” Guevara continued.

Guevara also visited with Jack Evans in the video who expressed that someone may have drugged his milk and that is why he did not win the battle royal. Guevara and Marko Stunt then attempted to convince each other they don’t hate one another. He finally ended the video by noting it was noon and he hadn’t been kicked out of his hotel yet.

Guevara’s latest blog can be viewed in its entirety in the player below:

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