AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently took part in a Q&A episode of his ‘Grilling JR‘ podcast. The former voice of WWE answered questions across his illustrious career, both for WWE and his new home on TNT with AEW.
One of the questions posed to JR revolved around former WCW star Sting. A fan asked how Jim Ross felt about the run that Sting had in WWE back in 2014. Sting had two high profile matches for the company, once in a losing effort to Triple H at WrestleMania and the last match of his career against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions. There has been speculation recently that Sting may be looking for another run in company, so it is interesting how JR described Sting’s short run back in 2014.
“He was a big star, I don’t think he was ever given the credit in WWE for being the star that he was” – Jim Ross
“I was underwhelmed by Sting’s WWE run” JR began. “I thought that he should have come in guns blazing and had to give the fans a chance to tap into his passion and his emotions. He was a big star. I don’t think he was ever given the credit in WWE for being the star that he was. And many speculated, it may have been because you know, the WWE didn’t ‘create’ Sting.”
“IF that was a factor, I hope it wasn’t, but if it was that’s embarrassing”
Jim Ross elaborated further, saying “they didn’t give him his name, they didn’t give him this persona. Nothing. And IF that was a factor, I hope it wasn’t, but if it was that’s embarrassing. I thought we could have done a lot more of that situation. And then you never know when you get injured or you hit that stage of life or injuries are more prominent, and then all sudden he gets hurt. And we can’t finish our business. I was very disappointed in Sting’s run. He deserved better. Sting deserved better than he got in WWE, but I’m sure he got paid very very well.”
“We wanted him for a long time.”
JR would then finish by saying “I wish we would have had more about [his] accolades and, I felt like we under delivered on how we presented him. We wanted him for a long time. So I thought was a great day and when you bring somebody in like that you GO with him. But there was that the caveat, he’s not our guy. That had an adverse effect.”
Do you think that Sting may come back for one more match? Let us know in the comments
Former NXT Champion Shayna Baszler made her Raw debut this week but it appears that she isn’t considered a member of the red roster, just yet.
Triple H held a media call this week to promote Sunday’s NXT Takeover: Portland event and talked about things like NXT Championship possibly being defended at WrestleMania, dropping the term women from NXT titles and more.
When asked about Shayna’s appearance on Raw where she attacked and bit Becky Lynch, the Game first joked that he is wearing a big collar to avoid getting bitten by her. H then claimed that Shayna is still considered an NXT star:
“At this point I’m not 100% sure as far as right now
goes? I sort of look at this like sports teams in a way of where do things net
out and you’ve got to make deals to get people to go different places.”
said Triple H. “As far as I’m concerned right now, Shayna Baszler’s still
an NXT talent until we make a deal for her to go someplace else”
The WWE Vice President later also teased the possibility of the Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch coming to NXT to take revenge of the attack on Raw.
Apart from this, Triple H talked about the ratings battle between NXT and AEW and commented on the reports of Matt Riddle having heat with Vince McMahon, which you can check out here.
Simone Johnson is only beginning her pro wrestling career but she has already made history by becoming the first fourth-generation star to have signed with WWE.
The 18-year-old daughter of The Rock recently had an interview with Cathy Kelley where she talked about things like the legacy of her family, watching wrestling as a kid and more.
When asked how she would describe the feeling of signing with the company, Simone Johnson said that she feels like she is a 10-year-old kid again:
“I keep just going back to the idea of… I’m like, ‘Oh, I feel like a kid again and I feel like 10 year old me.’ Because I have loved wrestling for as long as I can remember, and now that I have the opportunity to finally pursue that, like, I don’t know, I can’t put it into words,”
She also talked about The Rock’s reaction to her signing with the company and Simone said that the Great One and her whole family was very supportive of her decision:
“He was so supportive, my whole family has always been
so supportive, and I’m really thankful for that, and he’s been with me every
step of the way.”
Apart from this, Simone Johnson revealed that she first became interested in wrestling after watching various WWE DVDs in her grandmother’s house, and talked about carrying the legacy of her family. You can check out her full interview in the video below:
It appears that the upcoming Elimination Chamber PPV can see
a championship rematch from the Super Showdown event taking place at the show.
The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia which is the venue
for the event has recently updated their line up for the PPV and they are now
advertising a match between The New Day vs. The Miz and John Morrison for the
event.
John Morrison returned to WWE programming earlier this year. He has started teaming with The Miz after his return and the two won a fatal four-way match to earn the rights to challenge for the SmackDown tag titles at the upcoming PPV from Saudi Arabia.
Though this isn’t the only match being advertised for the show and there is another huge bout being locally advertised which can serve as the main event of the PPV.
The advertisement suggests that Roman Reigns, King Baron
Corbin, Robert Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, Daniel Bryan, and WWE Intercontinental
Champion Braun Strowman will all be competing in an Elimination Chamber match
at the event.
The winner of this match will then go on to challenge the winner of the announced Goldberg vs. The Fiend match for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36.
The Super Showdown event will take place on Thursday,
February 27 while the Elimination Chamber is currently scheduled for Sunday,
March 8.
This week’s episode of WWE Backstage featured a number of big names and it appears their presence helped the show as it saw a big increase in viewership numbers.
This week’s episode of WWE Backstage featuring Charlotte Flair as the special guest and the debut of Stephanie McMahon on the show drew 169,000 viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.
This is a big 74% increase from last week’s episode of the show which featured the Royal Rumble winner Drew McIntyre as the special guest and had drawn 97,000 viewers.
The episode drew a 0.06 rating in the key demographic of
18-49 and it ranked #132 on the Cable Top 150. For comparison, last week’s
episode of the show had drawn a 0.05 rating and it ranked #145.
This week’s episode of the show also featured CM Punk in the
panel alongside the regular hosts Renee Young, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, and
former Champion Paige.
These viewership numbers are the second-best the show has done since its official premiere back on November 5. The highest watched WWE Backstage episode was the one aired on November 19, which drew 180,000 viewers.
The November 19th episode was the one featuring CM Punk’s official return on WWE programming so the numbers this week are especially notable.
Despite an impressive debut and a high-profile match scheduled for next week’s show, Jeff Cobb has not signed a long-term deal with the promotion. PWinsider reports that the 37-year-old Olympian remains a free agent.
Cobb’s appearance with AEW should not be seen as the start of a working relationship with ROH, as the appearance was booked independently.
It was announced during this week’s episode of Dynamite that Le Champion Chris Jericho has hired Cobb to take out Jon Moxley in a match next week.
Cobb made a surprise debut during the closing segment of the show. After Moxley scored a hard-fought victory over Inner Circle member Santana, he was taken on a Tour of the Islands.
Jeff Cobb will return to AEW programming next week to take on Mox in the announced match, but this report puts his future beyond that in doubt.
Chris Jericho defends the AEW World Heavyweight Championship against Jon Moxley later this month (2/29) when AEW Revolution invades the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
Matt Riddle has been very outspoken about wanting to wrestle the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and him repeatedly calling out the Beast led to an interaction between the two at Royal Rumble.
However, while Brock told Riddle to stop talking about him, the NXT star hasn’t slowed down. Reports suggest that this has caused him to have heat with Vince McMahon who believes that Matt has no respect for the hierarchy of the business.
Triple H was asked about these reports during a recent media call to promote the upcoming NXT Takeover: Portland event and the Game claimed that the Boss has not expressed his disapproval on anything:
“To be honest with you, I haven’t asked anybody about
it. Vince didn’t express his disapproval of anything that was said, and I’m
sure if there were an issue, he would’ve called me directly. He’s not shy about
that.
The WWE Vice President then mentioned the confrontation between the two stars. He said that they had a conversation which was between them and he doesn’t know if it’s a work:
“To be honest, I read something [and I go], ‘I don’t know if that’s a work, that’s legit. I don’t know.’ I don’t care either way from that standpoint, I’m entertained by it. If somebody has a problem with it, they come to me, and I’ll help deal with the problem.”
Triple H then praised Matt Riddle as an incredible performer who is very vocal and said that the former UFC star writes checks which in his mind, he can cash.
NXT Takeover: Portland will take place from Moda Center in Portland, Oregon this Sunday on February 16. You can check out an updated match card for the event here.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the H.E.B. Center in Austin, Texas. Riho defended her AEW Women’s Championship against Nyla Rose tonight.
Dynamite Results (2/12)
Kenny Omega & Hangman Page def. SCU to retain the titles
Dustin Rhodes def. Sammy Guevara
Nyla Rose def. Riho to become the AEW Women’s Champion
MJF def. Jungle Boy
Jon Moxley def. Santana
Here are 4 takeaways from this week’s show:
Omega & Page Retained
Hangman Page & Kenny Omega defended the AEW Tag Team Championships against SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky). Before the match, Dark Order appeared on the screen and Evil Uno stated that they are preparing for the arrival of the Exalted One and will strike when the time is right. Christopher Daniels told Frankie and Scorpio that he was going to the back to find Dark Order.
Match Recap: Frankie hit Omega with a shoulder tackle but Omega battled back with a couple of Arm Drags. Scorpio Sky hit Omega in the back with a cheap shot and Kenny responded with a boot to the face. Frankie connected with a German Suplex for a near fall before Scorpio tagged in. Sky connected with a Flatliner for another near fall as Frankie knocked Hangman out of the ring. Page got back into the ring and planted Scorpio with a Suplex.
Frankie brought Hangman back to the outside and hit him with a Clothesline. Omega hit Scorpio with a Brainbuster for a two count. Hangman Page tagged in and planted Scorpio with a Fallaway Slam. Kenny and Frankie tagged in and Kazarian drove Omega into the turnbuckle. Hangman tagged back in and got a great reaction from the crowd. Page hit Scorpio with a Moonsault for a two count.
Page went for the Buckshot Lariat but Scorpio ducked and Frankie hit Hangman with a Clothesline. Frankie tagged in and hit a Tornado DDT for a two count. Omega tagged in and connected with the V-Trigger on Scorpio. Hangman and Omega hit Frankie with the V-Trigger and Buckshot Lariat for the combo for the pinfall victory. Kazarian grabbed the ropes to try to break the cover but was a second too late.
After the match, Dark Order made their way to the ring and surrounded Scorpio and Frankie. Best Friends joined SCU in the ring as Butcher, Blade, and Bunny came down the ramp. Hybrid2 joined the party but Young Bucks rushed the ring as a well. A massive brawl broke out as the AEW hyped the Tag Team Battle Royal next week on Dynamite.
Matt and Nick Jackson stood tall at the end of the brawl. Christopher Daniels did not come down to the ring for the fight. Jim Ross possibly hinted at Matt Hardy as the Exalted One when he referred to the Young Bucks as “the Bucks of Youth”.
Dustin Rhodes Challenged Jake Hager To A Match At Revolution
Dustin Rhodes defeated Sammy Guevara tonight on Dynamite. After the match, Dustin called Jake Hager “Jericho’s bitch” and asked if he was ever going to step in the ring.
Rhodes told Hager that he was failing in his MMA career and is already failing in AEW. Dustin challenged Hager to a match at Revolution and Jake marched down the ramp. Hager stopped short and walked backstage as Jim Ross pointed out that Hager’s MMA career isn’t failing because he is undefeated. The match was later made official for AEW Revolution.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Dr. Britt Baker once again tonight. Tony tried to ask about Britt’s attack on Yuka last week but Baker immediately interrupted. Britt called the question stupid and claimed that Yuka’s tooth had extensive decay. Baker threw out a bunch of dental terms as the crowd booed.
Baker claimed that she did her a favor by extracting the tooth for free. She claimed that Sakazaki doesn’t have health insurance and referred to Tony as “Mr. Starbucks”. Britt said that this was her division and said that she sees a lot of confusion in the “chubby Whataburger faces” in the crowd. The crowd booed as Baker claimed thatwhomever wins the title match is still behind her in the women’s division.
Riho defended her AEW Women’s Championship against Nyla Rose tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Riho started out the match in control and connected with a few strikes in the corner. Rose battled back and grabbed a table from under the ring. Riho hit Nyla with a Dropkick. Back in the ring, Riho connected with a Crucifix Bomb and went for a 619 but Rose blocked it. Riho escaped and hit a Dropkick for a near fall. Nyla planted Riho with a Samoan Drop and went for the cover but Riho was able to kick out at the last second. Rose hung up Riho on the ropes and hit a Knee Drop to the back of her neck for a two count. Nyla hit a massive Death Valley Driver off the middle rope but somehow Riho kicked out again.
A loud “Riho!” chant broke out as the champ tried to battle back with a couple of punches. Riho escaped the One Winged Angel and hit Nyla with two Snap Dragon Suplexes. Riho followed that up with a Northern Lights Suplex for a near fall. Riho hit three Double Stomps in a row and went for the cover but Rose got her foot on the rope. Nyla leveled Riho with a Spear and followed it up with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. Nyla Rose is the new AEW Women’s Champion.
Opinion: Britt Baker cut an awesome promo before the title match and she has been improving every week as a heel. Riho and Nyla Rose had an excellent match tonight and the crowd showed their appreciation by applauding after it was over, even though they were heavily behind Riho. I’ve been critical of how AEW’s women’s division has been booked pretty much since Dynamite began last October. They absolutely killed it tonight. I’m looking forward to Nyla’s reign and which wrestler is going to step up and knock her off the top of the mountain.
Jon Moxley squared off against Santana in the main event of this week’s episode of Dynamite. AEW Champion Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager were in their suite for the match. Ortiz was ringside and a brawl broke out before the match officially started.
Match Recap: Moxley controlled the action early but Santana battled back and sent Moxley to the outside. Santana threw Jon into the barricade and unloaded a couple chops to the chest as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Jon rolled up Santana for a two count. Santana bounced Moxley’s face off the turnbuckle and followed it up with a Cutter for a two count. Santana planted Moxley with a Piledriver and went for the cover but Moxley was able to kick out at the last moment. Ortiz spit alcohol in Jon’s good eye and Santana capitalized with a Frog Splash off the top rope for another near fall. Moxley poked Santana in the eye and both men were stumbling around blind. Moxley bumped into Santana and hit the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Inner Circle rushed the ring and beat Jon down. Chris hit Moxley with a belt several times and Sammy followed it up with a 630 Splash. Jericho leveled Moxley with the Judas Effect and asked Jeff Cobb to come down to the ring. Jeff slammed Moxley to the canvas as Inner Circle posed in the ring. Moxley will face Cobb next week on Dynamite.
Opinion: Dynamite was once again a very good show this week and the build towards Revolution has been excellent. Next week’s show should be awesome as well with Cody battling Wardlow in a Steel Cage and Moxley versus Jeff Cobb.
The February 12, 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 WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Kushida in a non-title match.
WWE NXT Results (2/12/20)
Roderick Strong def. Bronson Reed
Dakota Kai def. Candice LeRae
Johnny Gargano def. Cameron Grimes
Lio Rush def. Angel Garza – #1 Contender Match For Cruiserweight Title
Adam Cole def. Kushida – Non-Title Match
Here are the 4 takeaways from this week’s show:
The Velveteen Dream Starts Feud
The fallout from The Velveteen Dream returning last week started at the top of the show. Right out of the gate, Roderick Strong opened the show by cutting a promo about how he wants an apology from Dream.
This led to Bronson Reed walking out and a singles match was booked. In the end, Strong went over. After the match, Dream appeared on the big screen by cutting a promo about taking something more important to Strong than his career like his family. Dream had a photo of Strong’s wife and son on his leg.
This comes after The Undisputed Era attacked dream last year where they threw Dream off a trailer to write him off of television.
It’s too early to book them on the NXT TakeOver: Portland card but they’ll wrestle on next week’s episode of NXT TV.
Dakota Kai vs. Candice LeRae had an interesting rematch. The two stars wrestled several weeks ago.
This was better than their original match. Kai ended up going over. Post-match, Teagan Knox came out and brawled with Kai.
This was done to hype Kai’s match with Knox as LeRae had some history with Knox in the past. In fact, LeRae helped Knox go over Kai a few weeks ago.
This was done to promote Kai vs. Knox in a Street Fight at the NXT TakeOver: Portland event on Sunday, February 16, 2020 in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center that will air live on the WWE Network.
WWE booked Lio Rush vs. Angel Garza to see who would emerge as the No. 1 contender to the NXT Cruiserweight Title on this show.
It was a fun back and forth match that saw Rush go over. Either star would’ve been the right call, which is why this was a good choice of booking by the powers at be.
Rush is a former champ and can work with anyone while Garza, also a former champion, has been pushed heavily not only on NXT but also Monday Night RAW.
He’s appeared on the flagship show of the company for the past two weeks while filling in for United States Champion Andrade, who currently on the sidelines due to him failing WWE’s wellness test policy.
Now, Rush will challenge Jordan Devilin for the NXT Cruiserweight Title next week on NXT TV.
WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Kushida took place in a non-title match.
This came after Cole tweeted earlier in the day that he was in a bad mood and wanted to take out his frustration on Kushida.
This was a nice way to have Cole, who is NXT’s top star, in a non-title match against an opponent who is credible in the eyes of the hardcore and casual fans but at the same time someone that he could beat.
Kushida, who is a great in-ring talent, rubbing elbows with Cole will also put some stock in his value at the same time.
Post-match, Tommaso Ciampa walked down to the ring and had a staredown with Cole to close the show. Ciampa cut a promo earlier in the show about how he would reclaim goldie.
Cole defends the NXT Title against Ciampa in the headliner of NXT TakeOver: Portland this Sunday.
All Elite Wrestling has announced a new match for their upcoming Revolution pay-per-view.
Jake Hager, formerly known as Jack Swagger from his time in WWE, is slated to take on Dustin Rhodes in a singles match at this show. This will mark Hager’s in-ring debut for the promotion.
There is some history with Rhodes and Hager as during the build-up for the AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho-Cody Rhodes match last year heading into Full Gear, Rhodes took a beat down from Hager.
In fact, AEW did an angle where Rhodes’ arm was broken after Hager smashed it in a car door.
AEW presents the Revolution pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center.
The show will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and is available for purchase via iN DEMAND cable operators, DirecTV, DISH Network and B/R Live. International fans can purchase the event at FITE.TV. The promotion will be announcing more matches for the show in the coming weeks.
The news was made on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT via AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho. It was revealed that Cobb is slated to take on Jon Moxley in a singles match on next week’s episode of Dynamite in Atlanta, Georgia.
Cobb made an appearance at the end of this week’s show by attacking Moxley. Next Wednesday’s will mark the go-home show for the Revolution pay-per-view. Also set for next week is Cody Rhodes vs. Wardlow inside of a steel cage.
Cobb is a former ROH World Television Champion and former PWG World Champion. As of this writing, his status with AEW and ROH is not fully known as Ring of Honor and All Elite Wrestling hasn’t had a working relationship up to this point.
While it’s likely that Cobb will be working for AEW full-time going forward, he’s still working dates for ROH. In wrestling you can’t rule out much so technically it’s possible that this could be a one-off appearance.
An update on Cobb’s status is likely to surface in the coming days. Ironically, ROH announced minutes before this AEW announcement that Cobb would be working an ROH show on WrestleMania weekend.
Cobb and Dan Maff face KENTA and Taiji Ishimori in a tag match at Supercard of Honor in Lakeland, Fla., on April 4th.
The reign of the inaugural AEW Women’s Champion ended on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Austin, TX at the H.E.B Center on TNT. This was a surprise for many as Riho had a long reign leading into this contest.
Rose climbed her way up the women’s rankings to earn this title match. You can see the top five as of February 12th:
Nyla Rose (2-1)
Hikaru Shida (2-1)
Kris Statlander (0-1)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-0) (previously unranked)
Britt Baker (1-2) (-1)
It turns out that Riho beat Rose to become the first-ever champion under the AEW banner back on the October 2nd episode of AEW Dynamite in Washington, D.C., at the famed Capital One Arena.
These two stars earned this opportunity to compete for the title back in August at the All Out event at the Sears Centre in Chicago, IL that aired on pay-per-view.
The AEW Revolution pay-per-view event takes place on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center. Time will tell whether a third match for the title between these two stars gets booked as a result of this title change.
Teddy Hart was arrested on Tuesday night in Richmond, Virginia.
He was booked on three charges of possession, possession of a Schedule III controlled substance and possession with intent to sell and distribute, according to the police report.
It should be noted that possession of a Schedule III controlled substance is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia with a maximum penalty of up to 12 months in jail and / or a fine of up to $2,500.
Schedule III controlled substances can include anabolic steroids and ketamine. Hart is scheduled to appear in court on April 23rd.
Hart made his return to MLW 2017 where he would later become the leader of the New Era Hart Foundation alongside Davey Boy Smith Jr. and Brian Pillman Jr.
His most recent match under the MLW banner that took place in November. This is where he competed in a match against Myron Reed and dropped the MLW Middleweight Championship to Reed. He was released in December.
Hart was previously arrested back in 2017 after attempting to evade arrest after being pulled over for a hazardous traffic violation in Arlington, Texas. It should be noted that those charges were dropped.
More names for this year’s WWE Hall of Fame class have been revealed.
On Wednesday, the WrestleVotes Twitter account tweeted out a report stating that The Bella Twins and Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger are slated to be inducted into the class. It should be noted that WWE has yet to confirm the news.
“I’ve heard several names talked about for this year’s Hall of Fame. Was only able to get confirmation on 2 of them as of now, they are The Bella Twins & Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger.”
Liger, who made his name outside of WWE for his work in WCW and NJPW, has had only two matches under the WWE banner – once in 1990 where he defeated Akira Nogami at Wrestling Summit and at the NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn event on August 22, 2015 against Tyler Breeze. Liger retired earlier this year at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 14.
Both Brie and Nikki have had reigns as Divas Champion throughout their careers with WWE. After returning in the summer of 2018, the sisters have announced their retirement from in-ring action.
WWE has already confirmed that the nWo (Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, and Waltman), as well as Batista, would be inducted into the 2020 Hall of Fame class.
This year’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled to take place on April 2, 2020 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, as part of WrestleMania 36 weekend.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the ‘biting’ angle that took place on this Monday’s RAW. Part way through the broadcast NXT Superstar Shayna Baszler attacked Becky Lynch. This was following her match with Asuka. Baszler would bite the back of Lynch’s neck at the conclusion of the bout, shocking many as it was such a departure from her character in NXT.
“‘you were expecting Rhonda? You got much worse, you got Shayna Baszler”
Bully mentioned as much, saying “I would have liked less is more and keep it simple. Play to Shayna’s strengths. I almost would have liked to [have] seen at the end of the segment, you know Shana standing over Becky, and you could have got one line out of her where she could have told Becky ‘you were expecting Rhonda? You got much worse, you got Shayna Baszler.’
“Was I shocked? Yeah was I shocked, but in a good way? I’m really not sure.”
Ray also talked about how the bite itself ‘was’ shocking, but not necessarily in a good way. “The biting thing just kind of takes me out of it. Was I shocked? Yeah was I shocked, but in a good way? I’m really not sure.”
“To me the last person that needed anything was Shayna Baszler”
Bully also questioned how the company’s Creative came to give Shayna Baszler this extra wrinkle in her character. “They [creative] probably said ‘we need something for Shayna, we need something different. We need something shocking, we need her to do something that is going to have people talking. She can’t just beat up Becky, that’s passe.’ To me the last person that needed anything was Shayna. Because she’s such a credible badass, she acts it, she walks in, she talks it. But in the world of the WWE, if you’re just a ‘wrestler’ or if you’re just a fighter? They’re probably going to look to tinker with you and and give you ‘something.'”
Do you think that Shayna Baszler will be using the ‘biting’ gimmick going forward? Let us know in the comments
All Elite Wrestling releases new rankings every Wednesday. The rankings for this week have been released as the promotion prepares for tonight’s episode of Dynamite from Austin, Texas.
The only movement in the men’s singles division rankings this week sees Kip Sabian move into the top-5 as a result of his victory over Joey Janela on Dynamite last week. Sabian knocks Sammy Guevara out of the rankings as a result. Jon Moxley picked up a win over Ortiz this week. Kenny Omega was on the losing side of an 8-man tag while PAC had the week off. Cody didn’t wrestle this week but rather faced 10 lashes from MJF.
Women’s Single’s Division
Champion: Riho (3-0)
Nyla Rose (2-1)
Hikaru Shida (2-1)
Kris Statlander (0-1)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-0) (previously unranked)
Britt Baker (1-2) (-1)
Awesome Kong drops out of the rankings this week. Yuka Sakazaki moves into the #4 position as a result of her victory over #5 Britt Baker, though she also lost a tooth in the process. Riho defeated Shoko Nakajima in a non-title match on Dark last night. Hikaru Shida also picked up a win over Cassandra Golden on Dark.
Men’s Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Adam “Hangman” Page (3-0)
Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky (SCU) (2-1)
Matt & Nick Jackson (The Young Bucks) (1-1)
Evil Uno & Stu Grayson (The Dark Order) (2-0) (+1)
Santana & Ortiz (Proud and Powerful) (0-1) (-1)
Pentagon Jr. & Fenix (The Lucha Bros) (0-1) (previously unranked)
Last night on AEW Dark, Evil Uno & Stu Grayson picked up a victory over Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt that helped them move up one spot in the rankings this week. SCU picked up a victory over the Best Friends which knocked Trent and Chuck Taylor out of the rankings. The Lucha Bros teamed with the Butcher and the Blade successfully in 8-man action which helped them land back in the rankings this week.
Jordynne Grace is officially the new Knockouts Champion in Impact Wrestling. She won the title in Mexico last month but her victory over former champion Taya Valkyrie aired on last night’s broadcast.
Grace becomes the 23rd wrestler to win the title and begins the 54th championship reign in the title’s lineage. The title dates back to October 14, 2007, when Gail Kim became the inaugural champion by winning a 10-wrestler Gauntlet match.
I held this division on my back for over a yr. Reinvented myself, challenged myself & everyone that faced me in that ring. In between spitting truths & victories, I became the longest reigning Knockouts champion in history. The bar I set is high, good luck tryin 2 get on my level pic.twitter.com/Q0wGIwgRSK
Taya Valkyrie tops the list of former Knockouts Champions in terms of the longest single reign with the title. Gail Kim holds the record for most title reigns and combined days spent with the title, however.
Gail Kim (7x) 711 days spent as champion.
Madison Rayne (5x) 404 days spent as champion.
Taya Valkyrie (1x) 377 days spent as champion.
Awesome Kong (2x) 347 days spent as champion.
Taryn Terrell (1x) 279 days spent as champion.
Rosemary (1x) 266 days spent as champion.
Mickie James (3x) 241 days spent as champion.
Angelina Love (6x) 226 days spent as champion.
Tara (5x) 222 days spent as champion.
Sienna (2x) 187 days spent as champion.
Miss Tessmacher/Brooke (3x) 156 days spent as champion.
ODB (4x) 153 days spent as champion.
Tessa Blanchard (1x) 147 days spent as champion.
Velvet Sky (2x) 145 days spent as champion.
Taylor Wilde (1x) 121 days spent as champion.
Su Yung (1x) 110 days spent as champion.
Allie (2x) 103 days spent as champion.
Jade (1x) 87 days spent as champion.
Laurel Van Ness (1x) 65 days spent as champion.
Winter (2x) 53 days spent as champion.
Maria Kanellis-Bennett (1x) 50 days spent as champion.
Jordynne Grace (1x current) 25+ days spent as champion.
Impact Wrestling presented a show from Mexico again this week. The main event for the show featured a Knockouts Championship match between Taya Valkyrie and challenger, Jordynne Grace.
Impact Wrestling 2/11/20 Quick Results:
Best of 5 Series: Michael Elgin defeated Eddie Edwards (Elgin leads 2-0)
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 2/11/20:
Jordynne Grace Wins Knockouts Championship
Jordynne Grace is the new Knockouts Champion in Impact Wrestling. She defeated the longest-reigning champion in the title’s lineage to do so in the main event of this week’s episode.
John E Bravo made several attempts to steal the victory for Taya but Grace had an answer for him each time. It looked as though Grace would be counted out of the ring after taking a powerbomb on top of the steel steps followed by a Road to Valhalla on the stage but the challenger persevered and was able to make it back to the ring in time.
The closing moments came when Grace hit the Grace Driver but Bravo pulled the ref out of the ring. Taya then missed a spear and hit Bravo. Grace then hit a senton on both Bravo and Taya from the top before hitting another Grace Driver on Taya for the win. She would celebrate with her new title to close the show.
Rob Van Dam Counters Penis-Plex, Defeats Joey Ryan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=varW8Kymnks
Rob Van Dam and Joey Ryan have been at odds in recent weeks. RVD has said that what Joey Ryan does makes him embarrassed to be a pro-wrestler. Ryan countered by saying that RVD is just jealous because Katie Forbes wants to “touch it.”
The turning point of this match came when Ryan attempted to hit RVD with his patented penis plex. RVD countered the move with one of his signature kicks before hitting the 5-Star Frog Splash for the win.
Su Yung Murders James Mitchell
Finally..@MinisterReal is locked back inside the Undead Realm.. Father will have him punished for his failure..@FearHavok is left alone with the Bride @realsuyung..
Rosemary brought about the return of Su Yung on last week’s episode but Suzie seemed to appear backstage this week. Suzie quickly morphed back into Su Yung, however, and proceeded to choke James Mitchell with a noose. Mitchell then awoke in the undead realm and remarked that “Daddy’s home.”
Michael Elgin Goes Up 2-0 On Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9jWBbWd4VM
Michael Elgin and Eddie Edwards are in a Best of 5 series but Elgin has opened up a seemingly insurmountable 2-0 lead. This series came about after Edwards defeated Elgin at Hard to Kill but Elgin claims Edwards had tapped to the crossface at one point during the match (Edwards was really just reaching for the ropes.)
Elgin won with the Elgin Bomb and now is in control of this series. They meet again next week in a pivotal 3rd bout.
Johnny Swinger Rescues Willie Mack, Mack Ditches Swinger
Willie Mack was scheduled to take on Mahabali Shera in single’s competition this week but the Desi Hit Squad interfered causing a no contest. Johnny Swinger came out to save Mack despite the fact that Mack has not been receptive to Swinger’s attempts to align with him in recent weeks.
The match was then turned into a tag team match between the Desi Hit Squad and the team of Mack and Swinger. The Great Gama Singh got involved from the outside by grabbing Mack’s leg. Mack then left the match to go after Gama, leaving Swinger outnumbered. Shera picked up the pin on Swinger after a Sky High.
Madman Fulton Defeats Daga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=093tYyqowuo
OVE’s giant, Madman Fulton, took on Daga this week. Daga looked to have the match going his way but Dave and Jake Crist interfered. Turning his attention to the members of OVE, Daga dove to the outside to take out the Crist brothers.
Daga was looking to go for a springboard DDT but it was countered into a suplex by Fulton who then pinned his opponent for the victory.
Fallah Bah Defeats Ethan Page
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5c-W8Q-r90
TJP and Fallah Bah might have their sights set on the Impact tag team titles. Fallah Bah met one half of the tag team champion, the North, this week on Impact Wrestling when he took on Ethan Page.
TJP prevented Josh Alexander from getting involved in the match by taking him out on the outside. As Page got back into the ring, Bah rolled him up in a small package for the win. Josh Matthews noted on commentary that TJP and Fallah Bah might be putting themselves in a position to challenge for the tag team titles.
Roman Reigns has addressed John Cena’s comments regarding the current WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar. Cena recently shared his belief that Lesnar is the “best in-ring performer” he’s ever seen. Speaking during a WrestleMania 37 press conference at SoFi Stadium & Hollywood Park in California, “The Big Dog” shared his opinion on Cena’s thoughts.
“It puts you on a different level. When you work with Brock Lesnar, when you’re in the ring with Brock Lesnar, it puts you… it jumps you multiple levels,” Reigns said. “My life changed in 2015, WrestleMania 31. It hadn’t been the same. So, I mean, got a lot of love or Brock, he’s a great performer. A lot of people heard the statements that John Cena made about him… I’m not sure if he was wrong, you know what I mean?”
WrestleMania 31 saw Reigns face off against Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Seth Rollins would appear and cash in his Money In The Bank contract, eventually winning the championship.
Roman Reigns On Drew McIntyre’s WrestleMania Matchup
Roman Reigns then turned his attention to Lesnar’s upcoming WrestleMania 36 opponent, Drew McIntyre. He shared how McIntyre will be in “good hands” when he clashes with Lesnar later this year.
“He’s one of the few guys that people really, really believe,” Reigns said of Lesnar. “Even as a performer, you have to always keep your eyes on him. If you watch…when I’m in the ring with him, I never take my eyes off Brock, because you just never know. That’s the type of competitor, that’s the type of intimidating man that he is. So, I think the fact that Drew is going to him next, he’s in good hands.”
Roman Reigns is scheduled to face off against King Corbin at WWE Super ShowDown. The two will clash in a Steel Cage match. The event takes place on February 27th from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) has allegedly discussed making their UK debut this year with a “mini-tour.” Speaking with talkSPORT, AEW’s Promo Coach, Dustin Rhodes, talked about the promotion’s plans for their first overseas tour to the United Kingdom.
“Rumor has it that we may doing a little mini-tour over there in the UK,” Rhodes revealed. “And I hope so, I hope that’s true. Definitely want to hit London, man. London is a good town for us, good town for wrestling. All the UK is, man. The UK has got deep roots in wrestling and they love wrestling. So hopefully, sooner rather than later, we’re going to get over there.”
Rhodes extrapolated on his statement, explaining that AEW’s offering would probably be “just live events.” He added how plans aren’t set at this point in time, and “[…] you never know. We could be over there for a week and shoot a TV somewhere, I don’t know.”
AEW’s “Mini-Tour”
Dustin’s brother Cody corroborated this sentiment in a recent interview with Wrestling Observer Live. Cody noted how AEW’s schedule for travelling “across the pond” is a “very vague 2020.”
“But I will be kept… I’ll hold my word as far as like… and Tony will hold his word, and The Young Bucks and Kenny [Omega], and everybody… we have to go,” Cody said. “We have to go to London and Manchester, and there’s a lot of great markets in the UK, but 2020 – we have to make those steps for sure, and I think we’ll do well. Everyone onboard is excited about that.”
Lance Archer has teased his interest in other wrestling promotions in a recent message shared via his Twitter account. Archer, who has recently been wrestling in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is reportedly not currently under contract with the promotion, allowing him to negotiate with other companies. It was recently reported that Archer was in high-level discussions with All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
Lance Archer’s Choice
Accompanied by an image of him holding his hand over an open flame, Archer wrote:
“No matter where I end up Nxt. I’ll remain The King of Sports Entertainment Wrestling World, while making an All Elite choice. I’ll absolutely make an Impact but do it with Honor in a Ring of one Major League wrestling promotion from USA to Japan and all over the world!”
No matter where I end up Nxt. I’ll remain The King of Sports Entertainment Wrestling World, while making an All Elite choice. I’ll absolutely make an Impact but do it with Honor in a Ring of one Major League wrestling promotion from USA to Japan and all over the world! pic.twitter.com/URM1aNQ1ss
— The Murderhawk Monster Lance Archer (@LanceHoyt) February 11, 2020
The title had initially been vacated due to Moxley’s inability to make it to Japan thanks to Typhoon Hagibis last October. Lance Archer would step into an impromptu matchup against Juice Robinson at King of Pro Wrestling. He would emerge victorious, claiming his first-ever major singles championship in the process.
WWE Superstar The Miz has said he will quit WWE if he isn’t in the main event at next year’s WrestleMania. WrestleMania 37 was recently announced to be taking place at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on March 28th, 2021. Inglewood is in the Los Angeles metro area. As WWE intends to lean into the Hollywood theme for the show, The Miz is unsurprisingly interested in having a starring role.
Miz Wants The Main Event
Miz, known in WWE as “The A-Lister” shared his intentions via his Instagram account, where he wrote:
Miz uploaded a picture of himself looking over his sunglasses with the WrestleMania 37 “Hollywood” graphic along the bottom of the image as he stands in front of a version of the iconic Hollywood sign.
It didn’t take long for another WWE Superstar to see Miz’s post and add their two cents. In this case, it was “The Showoff” Dolph Ziggler, who replied “Yes!!!! Finally!!! (The quitting)” For what it’s worth, The Miz and Ziggler have known each other for a long time and frequently joke and respond to each other’s social media messages.
Despite the location reveal of WrestleMania 37, WWE has yet to host this April’s WrestleMania 36. The show takes place on April 5th from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
As usual, AEW has announced matches and segments in advance for the lineup of their weekly television show, Dynamite.
With bell time just hours away, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
The show is expected to start with Austin, TX at the H.E.B Center. Although not confirmed, the belief is that the headliner will be Jon Moxley fighting Santana in an eye for an eye match after Moxley attacked Santana’s eye last week.
AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds as the promotion gets closer to their next pay-per-view event, Revolution, that takes place later this month.
AEW Dynamite Lineup
AEW holds this show in Austin, TX at the H.E.B Center on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Sammy Guevara will face Dustin Rhodes in a singles match
Jon Moxley will fight Santana in an eye for an eye match
AEW World Tag Team Champions Adam Page and Kenny Omega vs. SCU
AEW Women’s Champion Riho vs. Nyla Rose
MJF vs. Jungle Boy
Join us here later tonight for AEW Dynamite Results and our post-show Takeaways feature.
WWE has announced that John Cena will make an appearance on Smackdown as the company heads to WrestleMania 36. Cena will return to Smackdown on Friday, February 28th, 2020.
The show is scheduled to take place inside Boston’s TD Garden. Cena was born and spent his early life in nearby West Newbury, Massachusetts.
News of Cena’s return to Smackdown was first reported on Fox’s WWE Backstage.
Cena has several movies slated for a 2020 release. He plays Jakob Toretto in F9: The Fast Saga and voices the role of Yoshi in Dolittle. Cena is also scheduled to join the cast of the upcoming Suicide Squad movie slated for a 2021 release.
“It was on SmackDown where The Cenation Leader made his dynamic debut nearly 18 years ago, when he channeled “Ruthless Aggression” to challenge WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle in his debut match,” a WWE press release for Cena’s appearance reads. “Since that fateful night, Cena went on to become WWE’s standard-bearer, earning 16 World Championships and inspiring countless WWE fans to “Never Give Up.”
WWE Superstar Charlotte Flair has opened up about her relationship with Becky Lynch, discussing whether there was any jealousy between them. She also addressed whether she felt any backstage resentment towards her during his first major push and shared the advice her father, Ric Flair, gave to her.
“I didn’t sense resentment,” Flair said during her interview with The Herd. “If anything, I think we raised the bar for the men as well, like having competition. I was never raised to think that I couldn’t do what men could do. So, when I started at WWE, I just wanted to prove how athletic I was. It was more of the chip on my shoulder of being Ric Flair’s daughter.”
“It’s just… OK, I have to work harder than everyone, male or female, and then I think the boys actually were like, ‘Wow, the girls are really digging it.’ And then the guys that have little girls are like, ‘OK, we want to bring our little girls to the show and see what you can do.’ I didn’t sense resentment.”
Ric Flair’s Advice
Charlotte revealed how Ric told her how the most important part of any segment is the “minute you walk through the curtain.” She explained how if she isn’t able to believe in herself, the crowd won’t either. Flair opened up about the anxiety and doubt that still affects her backstage before her music hits. When her theme plays, it allows her to focus and realign with the character she wants to portray.
“So here’s this Queen that’s confident, that’s independent, that is standing out in a male-dominated world, and that was just the message I wanted to send to everyone. So, I just played that over and over in my mind.”
Charlotte Flair & Becky Lynch
When asked about her current relationship with the RAW Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair joked how “Number one doesn’t talk about number two.” She explained how the two needed each other to become who they are now: “The Man” and “The Queen.”
“Um, so Becky and I call ourselves ‘Thelma & Louise.’ This roller coaster that we’ve been on professionally and personally makes us who we are today,” Flair said. “I needed The Man to be The Queen, and she needed The Queen to be The Man.”
She continued, “I don’t want to use the word ‘jealousy’ because there is such a competitive nature to both of us. I want to be the best, she wants to be the best, and that’s very important to have in this business because once you’re at that point where, ‘OK, I don’t want to be on top anymore…’ If you don’t want to be on top then you’re in the wrong place.”
Charlotte Flair emerged victorious from the Women’s Royal Rumble matchup back in January. This victory has earned her a championship opportunity at WrestleMania 36. At the time of writing, however, she has still not made her decision despite NXT Champion Rhea Ripley’s attempts to entice her into a matchup.
