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AEW Dynamite Results (1/5): Page vs. Danielson, CM Punk & MJF, New Champions

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite aired live from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It was the TBS premiere episode and featured the rematch between Hangman Page & Bryan Danielson for the AEW World Title. Jade Cargill battled Ruby Soho to crown the first TBS Champion in the tournament finals tonight on Dynamite.

Dynamite Results

  1. Hangman Page def. Bryan Danielson to retain the AEW Championship
  2. Shawn Dean def. MJF via DQ
  3. Wardlow def. Antonio Zambrano
  4. Jade Cargill def. Ruby Soho to win the tournament and become the first TBS Champion
  5. Malakai Black def. Brian Pillman Jr.
  6. Jurassic Express def. Lucha Bros to become the new AEW Tag Team Champions

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Hangman Page Retained The AEW Championship

Hangman Page defended the AEW Championship against Bryan Danielson in the first match of the night. Hangman Page went after Danielson before the bell and Bryan rolled out of the ring. Danielson did some jumping jacks and got back in the ring to officially start the match. Page drove Bryan to the corner but Danielson escaped. Danielson hit a chop to the chest and got out of the ring before Page could respond.

Danielson took his time getting back in the ring as Hangman paced around. The two locked up in the middle of the ring and Page went for a chop but Danielson ducked before doing some more jumping jacks in the corner. Hangman took control and Danielson got out of the ring to regroup. Page went for a Moonsault but Danielson got out of the way. Hangman landed on his feet and hit Danielson with a Powerbomb on the ring apron.

Danielson rolled into the ring and the AEW Champion set up for the Buckshot Lariat. Bryan rolled to the outside and Hangman got frustrated. Page went for a dive through the ropes but Danielson dodged it and the champion crashed into the barricade. Danielson launched Hangman into the ring post and rolled back into the ring to break the count.

Bryan controlled the next few minutes of the matchup and focused his attack on Page’s injured shoulder. Hangman battled with a Fallaway Slam and Bryan rolled to the apron. Page sent Danielson out of the ring and leveled him with a Crossbody. The AEW Champion rolled Bryan back into the ring and made his way to the top turnbuckle.

Hangman connected with a flying Clothesline and went for the cover but Bryan kicked out at two. Danielson knocked Hangman out of the ring and went for a Suicide Dive but Page countered into a Suplex. Bryan slammed Hangman’s head into the steel steps and busted him open as Dynamite went to a break.

When Dynamite returned, Danielson unloaded some more punches to Hangman’s face as the blood continued to pour. Page connected with a Dead Eye out of nowhere and both wrestlers fell to the canvas. Hangman ducked under a Clothesline and planted Danielson with a German Suplex for a near fall.

Page and Danielson wound up Suplexing each other out of the ring but both men landed on their feet. Danielson sent Hangman into the ring post again but Page returned the favor and bashed the challenger’s face into the steel several times. Page battled back and went for the Buckshot Lariat but Danielson dropped to the mat and Hangman couldn’t hit it. Danielson was busted open now and hit a Running Knee but somehow Page kicked out at two as the judges looked on (Jerry Lynn, Mark Henry, Paul Wight). Danielson set up for another Running Knee but Page countered into a slam.

Page went for the cover but Danielson countered into a Triangle. Hangman tried to counter into a Powerbomb but Danielson broke free. Page hit a Suplex and made his way to the apron. Hangman finally hit the Buckshot Lariat for the pinfall victory and retained the AEW Championship.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1478903515187716102?s=20

CM Punk Cost MJF His First Match In 2022 & Mocked WWE

MJF faced Captain Shawn Dean tonight on Dynamite. Before the match, CM Punk rushed the ring but MJF retreated. Punk hit Shawn Dean with the GTS and by that Dean won the match via disqualification.

Punk said he will do this every week until MJF faces him in the ring and pointed out that he started out 2022 with an 0-1 record. MJF noted that Punk is a phony because he said he was done with this last week and here he is again. MJF told Punk that the truth is that he is nothing now without him and that he makes him relevant.

MJF claimed CM Punk sold Tony Khan a bill of goods and isn’t the savior these people have been waiting for. Maxwell said he was the savior and started up a “PG Punk!” chant. MJF wondered if Punk thinks he is Piper and pointed out that Roddy was actually talented enough to main event a WrestleMania.

Maxwell demanded to be shown the proper respect around here or maybe he will main event a WrestleMania in the future too. Punk laughed and MJF called him a dipshit. CM Punk dared MJF to get into the ring for a fight so he can give him the ass kicking he deserves.

Punk added that MJF can go main event Night 4 of WrestleMania in a buy one get one extravaganza, and then get released faster than he lasts in the sack, only to return to AEW so CM Punk can kick his ass again. MJF told Punk that he can have a match next week but against Wardlow. Punk accepted and warned MJF that he is running out of people to hide behind and eventually he is going to put Maxwell to sleep.

Jericho & 2point0, Wardlow Dominated

Chris Jericho made his way to the ring and brought up 2point0 taking him out of action for six weeks after attacking him with a chair. 2point0 interrupted (Matt Lee & Jeff Parker) and joined Jericho in the ring. Jericho called 2point0 “Terrence & Phillip” from South Park and got a laugh from the crowd. Chris mocked 2point0 some more before bringing a baseball bat into the ring. Daniel Garcia attacked Jericho but Chris battled back. Santana, Ortiz, and Eddie Kingston made the save and the heels retreated.

Wardlow faced Antonio Zambrano tonight in a squash match. Shawn Spears hit Zambrano with the C4 outside the ring and rolled him back inside. Spears asked Wardlow to cover him but Wardlow declined. Wardlow hit five Powerbombs in a row for the pinfall victory.

Jade Cargill Is The Inaugural TBS Champion

Jade Cargill (accompanied by “Smart” Mark Sterling battled Ruby Soho in the finals of the TBS Championship tournament. Cargill hit an Arm Drag and Ruby regrouped in the corner to begin the action. Jade and Ruby locked up and Cargill drove Soho to the corner. Ruby battled back with some strikes and sent Jade to the outside. Ruby hit a big Dropkick off the ring apron and rolled Jade back into the ring.

Cargill stomped on Ruby’s head as she was in between the ropes and kept her grounded with some more strikes. Jade climbed to the top rope and connected with a double axe handle. Soho hit an Arm Drag of her own and rolled out of the ring to by herself some time. Mercedes Martinez ran down the entrance ramp but referee Aubrey Edwards got in her way. Thunder Rosa rushed down the entrance ramp and attacked Mercedes. The two battled to the back as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Jade missed with a Splash and Soho hit a few kicks to the face. Cargill shrugged them off and hit a Shoulderbreaker followed by a big boot for a near fall. Ruby kept going for it and finally hit a Saito Suplex for a close two count. Mark Sterling hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Aubrey Edwards kicked him out. Soho counted Jaded into a roll-up for a near fall. Soho hit a Pele Kick and went for the cover but Jade kicked out at the last moment. Cargill then hit Jaded off the middle rope for the pinfall victory and became the first TBS Champion.

Malakai Black def. Brian Pillman Jr.

Malakai Black battled Brian Pillam Jr. tonight on Dynamite. Malakai went for Black Mass but Pillman ducked under it. Pillman hit a Dropkick and sent Malakai out of the ring. Pillman followed it up with a Dropkick through the ropes as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Pillman went for a springboard move but completely missed. Malakai hit him with Black Mass for the pinfall victory. After the match, Malakai got in the ring as Julia Hart was checking on Pillman. Lucha Bros interrupted and the lights went out. Lucha Bros and Malakai Black had switched places from entrance ramp to ring when the lights came back on. Malakai Black made his way backstage and that was the ending they went with for that segment.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1478918951102988291?s=20

Jurassic Express Won The Tag Team Championships, Rey Fenix Injured

Lucha Bros (Rey Fenix, Pentagon Jr.) defended the AEW Tag Team Championships against Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus) in tonight’s main event. Fenix and Jungle Boy started off the match. Jungle Boy hit a Hurricanrana and went for the cover but Fenix kicked out at two. Fenix connected with a Dropkick and stared at Luchasaurus before tagging Penta in.

Luchasaurus tagged in and the two teams started trash talking in the ring. Luchasaurus booted Fenix out of the ring and Penta did his taunt before hitting some chops. Luchasaurus leveled PEnta with a chop but Fenix caught him with a Superkick. Jungle Boy and Fenix sent Luchasaurus and Pentagon across the ring with a highly coordinated Arm Drag spot. Luchasaurus hopped up and planted Pentagon with a Suplex for a two count. Jungle Boy tagged in and got absolutely leveled with a running kick by Fenix as Dynamite went to the final commercial break of the night.

When Dynamite returned, Luchasaurus hit some Splashes and followed it up with a Clothesline on Lucha Bros. Fenix and Pentagon battled back with a couple super kicks but couldn’t keep Luchasaurus down. Jungle Boy leaped over Luchasaurus and hit a crazy Canadian Destroyer on Fenix as Luchasaurs hit a slam for a near fall.

Jungle Boy tagged in and Penta greeted him with a Superkick. Fenix hit Luchasaurus with a Destroyer and Penta got a near fall on Jungle Boy with a Made in Japan. The lights went off yet again and nothing happened when they came back on. Fenix hit a Splash onto Luchasaurus as Penta hit a Piledriver for a near fall.

Alex Abrahantes brought over a table and Fenix told him to stop. Christian Cage chased Alex away and the match continued. Luchasaurus wound up Chokeslamming Rey Fenix through the table as Penta and Jungle Boy battled in the ring. It looked like Fenix broke his arm during this spot and was asking for help. Jungle Boy rolled up Pentagon and he kicked out just after three. Jurassic Express are the new AEW Tag Team Champions. Malakai Black, and Chris Jericho were shown watching in separate areas of the crowd. The rest of the AEW tag team division showed up on the entrance ramp and stared down the new champions.

Beth Phoenix Explains Her Biggest Holdup In Teaming With Edge

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Beth Phoenix admits she was hesitant teaming with her husband Edge.

Edge has found himself feuding with The Miz. Edge emerged victorious over Miz at the Day 1 event but this feud isn’t over.

The Miz’s wife, Maryse, has gotten involved and may have bitten off more than she can chew. Her involvement has led to the return of Beth. It’ll be Edge and Beth vs. Miz and Maryse at this year’s Royal Rumble event.

Beth Phoenix Explains Hesitancy

Beth Phoenix appeared on WWE’s The Bump and she admitted that the thought of potentially tainting Edge’s legacy gave her pause in teaming with her husband.

“The biggest thing for me, and this is just from the bottom of my heart, I never wanted to be a detriment to the legacy of Edge and everything that my husband has done for decades working so hard, creating this character working with other characters.

“I never wanted to come in and take away from that or feel pulled into the situation or anything. So, that was my concern like, ‘Will this take away from the legacy of Edge?’

“Adam has earned that [legacy] with every ounce of his soul but I think that in this instance, in this little bubble scenario I think that it’s gonna contribute to the greater picture and greater story.

“It’s really fun and selfishly for our family, this is the only time our children will get to experience something like this. Seeing mom and dad do what we grew up loving and all we wanted to do since we were little kids.”

Back in December, Beth revealed she would be stepping away from the NXT commentary table. Her last night on NXT TV was for the WarGames event.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Will Ospreay Dismisses Forbidden Door Following Wrestle Kingdom 16 Loss

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Don’t expect Will Ospreay to do business with any promotion outside of NJPW anytime soon.

Ospreay competed in the main event of Wrestle Kingdom 16 night two. The night prior, Kazuchika Okada captured the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship from Shingo Takagi.

The storyline going into WK was that Ospreay was the self-proclaimed “real” IWGP World Heavyweight Champion since he was forced to vacate the title due to injury. He considered the winner of Okada vs. Takagi an interim titleholder.

Will Ospreay Slams Forbidden Door Shut

Will Ospreay fell short in his title match with Okada. During the post-Wrestle Kingdom press conference, the former IWGP king made it clear to reporters that he has no interest in wrestling for another promotion (via POST Wrestling).

“I apologize to the fans that want to fantasy book but I’m not walking through no forbidden door seeing that door is firmly closed for me. And, I’m not signing my life away to someone else so I can get fired eight months down the line.

“I ain’t going anywhere. I’m back in New Japan Pro Wrestling and I’m going to stay here until I main event another Tokyo Dome because I will and I will hold this championship once more.

“Until then, you can have it back. I don’t need your help, I don’t need any friends, I’ve got my brothers [United Empire]. This isn’t the last you’ve seen of me.”

Just hours after Ospreay’s jab at WWE’s release sprees, the company announced a new wave of NXT cuts. Office workers, coaches, writers, and talents have been let go.

Time will tell what’s next for Ospreay following WK 16. The United Empire members went 0-3 on night two of NJPW’s biggest event of the year with Great-O-Khan losing to SANADA and Jeff Cobb falling short against Tetsuya Naito.

William Regal’s WWE Release Is Proof The Old NXT Is Truly Dead

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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If you needed further proof that the NXT of old is dead, look no further than William Regal’s WWE release.

Regal appeared to be a WWE lifer. When Regal first made his way to WWE, WCW was still in business. He had a brief stint with the company in 1998 before being released the following year and making his way back to WCW.

Regal would end up returning to WWE in 2000 and he’d end up sticking with the company for two decades. In more recent years, he was Triple H’s right-hand man in NXT.

It made sense. After all, Regal and Triple H have been friends since their WCW days in the early to mid-90s. Besides their friendship, Regal is one of the most respected people in the wrestling business and he’s been looked at as a mentor.

On camera, Regal had served as the General Manager of NXT. There was an angle where Regal teased giving up his position and handing it to Samoa Joe. In storyline, Joe refused to take the position but served as an enforcer before returning to active competition.

While Regal is a big name who no longer works for WWE, he isn’t the only one. Road Dogg has also been handed his walking papers along with others.

Reactions to William Regal’s Release

William Regal has received warm responses from fans and those in the industry. PWInsider reported that Regal is among the names who have been released by WWE as part of NXT cutbacks.

There are also people who feel this is the final dagger in the old NXT.

William Regal, Road Dogg Among a Dozen WWE & NXT Releases

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Just days into the new year, WWE has released several people from NXT including producers, writers, and office staff.

WWE sent out a statement to select media members on Wednesday that reads:

“With the continued evolution of NXT 2.0, we’ve decided to part ways with some of the staff based in our Performance Center. We thank them for their many contributions throughout the years and wish them the best.”

Here’s the current list of WWE & NXT releases, as reported by Fightful, F4Wonline and PWInsider:

  • Road Dogg
  • William Regal
  • Scott Armstrong
  • Hideki Suzuki of Diamond Mine
  • Timothy Thatcher
  • Danny Burch
  • Cathy Corino (Allison Danger)
  • Dave Kapoor, Senior VP of Creative
  • Sarah Cummins, Senior VP of Consumer Products
  • Ace Steel, Performance Center Coach
  • Ryan Katz, Writer
  • George Carroll, Writer

WWE has seen its share of releases on both the office and talent side. The cuts truly revved up following the COVID-19 pandemic.

There was a time when WWE was itching to sign talent to big contracts in response to the growth of AEW. Soon, WWE began putting more emphasis on tightening its budget and many have speculated this is due to wanting to look presentable in case a sale offer is on the table.

As far as this latest round of NXT office cuts is concerned, this is likely due to Triple H losing control of his original vision for NXT. The brand has gotten away from indie talent and has gone back to being more of a developmental hub.

SEScoops will update you on any more cuts that surface.

Macaulay Culkin Recalls WWE Rejecting His Consulting Ideas

Michael Reichlin
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Actor Macaulay Culkin has been a WWE fan since the late 1980’s. He regrets never joining WWE’s creative team, but has had the opportunity to do some informal consulting work for the company.

Culkin was Freddie Prinze Jr.’s guest on the latest episode of Wrestling with Freddie podcast, from iHeart Media’s My Cultura Network. Both men are wrestling fans since childhood and discussed how they got into this crazy sport, how they feel about the current state of the industry and much more.

Culkin says his first exposure to wrestling came in the winter of 1989, when he was filming the movie Uncle Buck. He was watching television one morning when he came across one of WWE’s syndicated shows.

After seeing a clip of The Ultimate Warrior squashing the Honky Tonk man from SummerSlam ’89, he was instantly hooked. He recalls thinking, “Who is THAT guy?!”

“I love the version I am when I watch the Ultimate Warrior!”

– Macaulay Culkin

The following year, he was in Chicago working on Home Alone. WrestleMania 6 took place, but he was unable to watch the show live due to his schedule. He remembers calling the WWF Hotline to get the results and was “ecstatic” to learn Warrior beat Hulk Hogan for the WWE Championship.

Culkin says the Ultimate Warrior was “such a good gateway drug” to get kids into wrestling. “I love the version I am when I watch the Ultimate Warrior! I am so funny and hilarious!” he laughed.

Macaulay Culkin 1
Macaulay Culkin at WrestleMania 7 (1991)

Prinze asked if he ever wanted to work for WWE. Culkin said he’s definitely thought about it and regrets never following through. “Now that I’m a dad, I barely have time to pee.” It would have been cool do, but it’s one of those things he just never did. He’s done some fantasy booking and came up with some cool storylines for Bray Wyatt.

Culkin’s Idea for WWE

Culkin then revealed WWE has reached out to him a few times asking for consultation about how to make the product better. He remembers telling them to differentiate Raw and SmackDown, because “one is blue and one’s red” but they’re essentially the same.

Unfortunately, WWE shot down that idea and essentially said, “this is our product.”

Culkin said, “God bless Kevin Dunn, but …” and did say Dunn is very good at what he does. However, he recalls most of his suggestions were related to freshening up the presentation of the product.

Culkin also said today’s WWE product is too repetitive with the same match-ups over and over. “F-ck dude.. if I have to see one more f-cking.. don’t get me wrong, I’m actually looking forward to what will be different this time, but if I have to see Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns one more freakin’ time…”

He named New Day vs. The Usos as another pairing he’d be happy to never see again. He asked, “How many times can we watch the same match?” and “What the f— is going on?”

The guys spoke about how storylines would develop for a year when they were kids, but that changed around the time of the Attitude Era.

There’s much more to the conversation, which you can listen to in the player embedded below:

Bron Breakker is “The Perfect Mold of Both Steiner Brothers”

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Tommy Dreamer is the latest stalwart in the wrestling business to heap praise on Bron Breakker.

Breakker, the son of Rick Steiner and nephew of Scott Steiner, is fresh off an NXT Championship victory over Tommaso Ciampa. The title change took place in the main event of New Year’s Evil on Jan. 4.

Bron Breakker: Clone Of Rick & Scott Steiner

  • Bron Breakker
    (via WWE)

Tommy Dreamer took to SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio to share his belief that Bron Breakker has the goods in this business thanks to picking up traits from Rick and Scott Steiner.

“If you look at Bron Breakker, he has both characters — it’s like he’s the perfect mold of both Steiner brothers. The Steiner brothers were a money tag team. Rick, like I said was a money babyface, and Scott was a money singles guy as well.

“So, there’s nothing but a great future for Bron Breakker and he has that charisma, and even last night when he locked in the Steiner Recliner, that place they went nuts for it.

“He’s got the powerslam, he’s got the military press, but there was a simple spot where Ciampa went for the boot and Bron Breakker pulled himself up and caught him with the Frakensteiner in mid-air. I mean, come on. He’s athletic as can be.

“He grew up in that home with the Steiners and it’s like he’s a clone of both his father and his uncle and that’s nothing but pure money.”

WWE has changed the vision of NXT 2.0 in order to revert back to being a developmental system. Bron now leads the charge as the brand’s champion but many believe it won’t be long before he’s called up to the main roster.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Rick Steiner and Bron Breakker Reflect on NXT Championship win

Tyriece Simon
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The new NXT Champion Bron Breakker has shared his first comments since winning the title last night.

Sports Illustrated Justin Barrasso spoke to him after defeating Tommaso Ciampa at NXT 2.0 New Years Evil last night. The win earned Breakker his first championship win with the WWE. Alongside Breakker, his father, Rick Steiner, also shared his thoughts on the title win with Barrasso.

Barrasso transcribed the quotes from the interview.

“My father and uncle paved this road for me, and I’m here to carry on the legacy they built,” said Breakker. The article referred to Breakker by his real name Bronson Rechsteiner. He continued, “I’m also here to carve my own path and make my own legacy, and that started tonight.”

https://twitter.com/NXTCiampa/status/1478573687846711300

Bron Breakker Defeats Tommaso Ciampa in Rematch

The rivalry between Breakker and Ciampa seems to have ended at NXT 2.0 New Years Evil. Ciampa won their first match with each other at Halloween Havoc on October 26, 2021. However, Breakker got his revenge by pinning Ciampa in the War Games match on December 5, 2021. While it wasn’t a singles match, NXT 2.0 promoted last night’s rematch as their third match. After his loss, Ciampa posted a photo on social media that said thank you as he walked away with Breakker in the background. It’s unclear if NXT 2.0 plans to do another championship rematch.

Rick Steiner Thoughts on Bron Breakker Championship Win

NXT 2.0 fans were surprised when Breakker celebrated with his father after NXT 2.0 New Years Evil ended. NXT 2.0 didn’t show Steiner during the event. However, WWE later posted a video on Youtube of both men celebrating in the ring. Steiner shared in the article that he is proud of his son and wants Breakker to have a better professional wrestling career than him and his brother Scott Steiner.

“I hope he’s even more successful than myself and his uncle. We had such a special time traveling the road as brothers, but this tops all of that. This is his time and his chance to carry the torch,” said Steiner. He continued, “Watching that match was one of the best moments of my life. As his father, I couldn’t be prouder, and so is our whole family.”

Breakker has begun to add to the legacy of the Steiners. Although, he wants to be able to prove his worth without using his family name.

Nick Aldis Re-Signs With NWA, Promotion Announces “NWA All Access”

Chris Stephens
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Former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis has announced that he has re-signed with the promotion. He appeared recently on Busted Open Radio and spoke about his decision.

“I can confirm that I have extended my agreement with the NWA. I have re-signed. It’s a good day in terms of looking ahead to a great new year for the NWA and for me,” said Aldis. “There is a lot going on in the business and it’s nice to be in a good position, but ultimately, respect goes a long way and from the first conversation that Billy and I ever had regarding the NWA and my career and our working relationship together, I’ve had nothing but absolute respect from him, more so than any person I’ve worked with in my career. I can’t wait to see what else we come up with.”

The NWA has also announced several broadcasting changes. A new show titled NWA USA will premiere this Saturday on YouTube. Nick Aldis stated on last night’s broadcast of Powerrr that he will be an ambassador on the show. It will focus on up-and-coming talent looking to make a name for themselves.

The NWA have also announced “NWA All Access” on FITE TV. More details on the program will be revealed soon.

https://twitter.com/nwa/status/1478722703624388612

H/T to Fightful for the above transcriptions.

AEW Beach Break & Double Or Nothing Details Announced

Michael Reichlin
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A new era for AEW begins tonight, as Dynamite moves to TBS. AEW’s top names have been doing the media rounds to promote the show, including company president Tony Khan.

TK spoke with Brandon Walker for Barstool Sports Rasslin’ podcast and dropped several news items that AEW fans will be interested in:

  • AEW Beach Break is returning later this month. The 2-night event will take place on the Wednesday, January 26th edition of Dynamite and the Friday, January 28th edition of Rampage. Beach Break will take place from Cleveland, Ohio.
  • AEW Double or Nothing will return to Las Vegas this year. The PPV takes place during Memorial Day weekend, the final weekend of May.
  • AEW will bring Dynamite and Rampage to the west coast some time this spring ‘around the time’ of Double or Nothing.

Last year’s AEW Beach Break took place from Jacksonville, FL at Daily’s Place. The main event saw Jon Moxley, PAC & Fenix vs. Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers.

Tony Khan also teased that we will be seeing Hook again “sooner than later.”

Catch Brandon Walker’s full interview with Tony Khan right here:

Cody Rhodes “Regrets Almost Everything” About Anthony Ogogo Feud

Chris Stephens
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Cody Rhodes says he regrets almost everything about the angle he had with Olympic boxer, Anthony Ogogo. Rhodes was speaking to Brandon Walker on the Barstool Rasslin’ podcast when he commented on the matter.

“I regret almost everything about the Anthony Ogogo angle. Almost everything about it,” Rhodes said on the show.

Rhodes would continue to say that perhaps he wasn’t the best person to be speaking about race relations as he did during that storyline.

“A white guy talking about race relations, who has an American flag tattoo on his neck, I can see why people would use the terms ‘tone-deaf’ when it came to that,” Rhodes continued. “Then trying to defend it and all — Just again, intentions were good and sincere and I was so excited about Brandi and the baby but it just — That should have just been one where I went out and almost just winged it.”

E0qi jdVcAMz2LF?format=jpg&name=medium

“It set the angle in a tailspin where it just wasn’t a classic, USA vs. UK, fun-spirited deal. I was going to go over to the UK and have the return match. Now I just never want to think about it again.”

Rhodes’ promo can be viewed in the player below:

Rhodes defeated Anthony Ogogo at Double or Nothing 2021 in May. The following week, however, QT Marshall and Ogogo defeated Cody and Lee Johnson in tag team action.

Ogogo then took a 6-month hiatus from AEW. He returned on the December 1st show in Duluth, Georgia, wrestling on AEW Dark: Elevation. He also took part in the AEW Dark tapings at Universal Studios on December 3rd. Ogogo competed on the Dark: Elevation shows throughout December but was off last week for the show in Jacksonville.

H/T to Fightful for the above transcriptions.

Brandi Rhodes Touts Her Drawing Power, Addresses “Go-Away Heat”

Michael Reichlin
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Brandi Rhodes is a ratings draw and she’s not afraid to brag about it.

Rhodes is the Chief Brand Officer of All Elite Wrestling. She is an active competitor with a 13-3 career record in AEW. She’s also a divisive figure that regularly engages with her critics on social media.

Brandi has been accused of having “go-away heat.” This term describes when fans boo a performer not because they’re a good heel, but because they’re annoying and shouldn’t be featured on television.

On Tuesday, Brandi Rhodes informed her Twitter followers that her segment with Dan Lambert last week on Dynamite was the most-watched part of the show. She also addressed those claims of having go-away heat.

She boasted, “If that’s go away head, then the whole rosters lookin for that same smoke.”

Brandi Rhodes Responds to Haters

Brandi Rhodes
Brandi Rhodes (Photo: AEW)

Brandi Rhodes has been “counter punching” a lot as of late.

Last month, Twitter user @Mrsbadwrench responded to a photo of Brandi by saying that she looks beautiful, but she’s not a wrestler.

She fired back, “Well Melinda, my bank account sure thinks I am. So I’m gonna take the cash over your tweet… no hard feelings?”

Tony Khan Says “Dream Signing” Is Coming To AEW Soon

Anutosh Bajpai
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Tony Khan signed a number of big names such as CM Punk, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole to AEW in 2021, and it appears he plans to continue this trend in 2022.

The AEW president recently had an interview with Josh Martinez of New York’s Z100 radio station. He was there to promote Dynamite’s move to TBS and their other upcoming shows.

During the discussion, the host asked Khan if he has a “dream signing” that he’d like to see in AEW. He narrowed it down to talent located in North America, which excludes most ‘Forbidden Door’ crossovers from New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Khan said there actually is a big name coming to AEW “pretty soon” that he’s very excited about.

“There is [a dream signing]. They are in North America and they’re coming. Pretty soon. It’s going to be awesome. I’m very excited,”

-Tony Khan

Khan did not reveal any further detail about this dream signing so it’s hard to say when they will be coming or who it could be.

There are a number of big free agents in the market that fit the bill and it will be really interesting to see which one of them ends up being the promised signing.

Top free agents who are currently available, or will soon be available, to appear for AEW include Jeff Hardy, Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt), Johnny Gargano, Keith Lee, Karrion Kross, Danhausen, Buddy Murphy, ROH World Champion Jonathan Gresham, Adam Scherr, Shane “Swerve” Strickland, Teagan Nox and Toni Storm.

Apart from this, Tony Khan talked about things such as the upcoming final of the TBS title tournament, the signing of Jake Atlas, and more.

You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Wrestle Kingdom 16 Night 2 Draws Half the Attendance of Night 1

Jake Skudder
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Wrestle Kingdom 16 is set to be a three-night event for the very first time in the history of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s biggest show.

The traditional January 4th show took place with Shingo Takagi defending his IWGP World Heavyweight Championship against Kazuchika Okada in the main event.

The winner of that bout, Okada, would then go on to face Will Ospreay as the main event of Night 2 on January 5th.

According to Eastern Lariat, the attendance for Wrestle Kingdom Night 2 compared to Night 1 can only be considered a disaster.

The attendance for Night 1 of the event was 12,047 and Night 2 of the event was 6,379.

Wrestle Kingdom Night 2 Poor Attendance

There’s a number of reasons as to why the number was so low, as mentioned it is traditional for January 4th to be the date of the big event for New Japan.

Much like you see ‘casual’ fans decide to go to WrestleMania in the US, there may be a number of fans in Japan that opted to go out for the traditional 04/01 show.

Another reason for the abysmal number (comparative to Night 1) may well be the main event itself; which when you look into it objectively, falls on the shoulders of Ospreay as Okada was in the main event of Night 1.

Whatever the reasoning may be, it will be interesting to see what the attendance is for the NJPW vs NOAH event that will be taking place on Saturday 8th January.

Watch Bron Breakker Celebrate NXT Title Win With Rick Steiner After New Year’s Evil

Anutosh Bajpai
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Bron Breakker defied all expectations when he beat Tommaso Ciampa to win the NXT championship during New Year’s Evil, only a few months after his in-ring debut in September last year.

The 24-year-old destroyed the old NXT logo while he entered the arena for his main event match, signaling the start of a new era for the development brand.

Bron Breakker’s father Rick Steiner was in attendance for this big match. Bron also paid tribute to his uncle Scott Steiner by using the Frankensteiner during the bout.

The new NXT champion finally won the match after nailing a big flying Bulldog. He then made Ciampa tap out using the Steiner Recliner submission.

The show went off air with Bron Breakker raising the NXT title in the air as Vic Joseph declared him the new face of NXT.

After the broadcast ended, Rick Steiner got into the ring to celebrate the big victory of his son. WWE posted a video of the moment on their social media as seen below:

Tommaso Ciampa also reacted to the loss in his own way. The now-former NXT champion posted a photo of himself and told thank you to the fans. You can check out the full NXT New Year’s Evil results here.

Tommaso Ciampa Reacts To NXT Title Loss After New Year’s Evil

Tommaso Ciampa Reacts To NXT Title Loss After New Year’s Evil

Anutosh Bajpai
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NXT’s first event in 2022 in New Year’s Evil signalled the start of a new era for the development brand where Bron Breakker defeated Tommaso Ciampa to become the new NXT champion.

Breakker’s father Rick Steiner was in attendance for this highly physical match between the two stars that main evented the show.

Both the stars got plenty of offense and at a time it looked like Ciampa was going to retain his title when he hit Breakker with a Fairy Tale Ending.

However, everyone was left surprised when the 24-year-old kicked out of the finishing maneuver. This got fans chanting ‘NXT’ in excitement.

The ending of the bout saw Bron Breakker delivering a big flying Bulldog to his opponent. He then applied the Steiner Recliner on Tommaso Ciampa to make him tap out and become the new champion.

The NXT veteran took on his Twitter after the show to react to the loss. He posted a photo of himself leaving the ring after the defeat and wrote ‘Thank You’:

https://twitter.com/NXTCiampa/status/1478573687846711300

There is no word yet on what WWE is planning for Ciampa after tonight’s show. It will be interesting to see if he takes part in the upcoming Royal Rumble match.

WWE NXT New Year’s Evil Results (1/4): Three Title Matches

AEW’s Matt Jackson, Brandon Cutler Test Positive for COVID-19

Ryan Droste
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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to surge around the world, the virus has been contracted by another member of the wrestling world. Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks has reportedly tested positive.

The former AEW Tag Team Champion’s condition was confirmed by a bio change on Twitter.com. The Bucks often use that location to announce things, be snarky, or a little of both.

You can see the reveal below.

Screen Shot 2022 01 04 at 10.26.01 PM

Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline revealed that both Jackson and Brandon Cutler have contracted COVID-19. Further, Nick Jackson was with both recently for 18 hours so is considered a close contact. All three men will be forced to miss tomorrow night’s TBS debut of AEW Dynamite and will not be able to return until cleared.

Dynamite takes place from Newark, New Jersey this week and none of the three are reported to have made the trip. The date of their tests has not been revealed, but due to them not making the trip, it was likely prior to Tuesday.

Nick Jackson, Matt’s brother and tag team partner of The Young Bucks, had COVID-19 in the fall of 2020 very bad. He wrote about it in an Instagram story about one year ago, detailing his battle and the long-term effect it had on him.

“Crazy to think there’s still COVID deniers out there in the world. I had a pretty bad case of COVID in early September that kept me bed ridden for nearly 3 weeks. I couldn’t taste or smell for 2 in a half months. At one point my whole body had hives in it and my doctor said that it was definitely from COVID. Matt had to do the majority of the work in matches once I returned safely because I couldn’t catch my breath. My cardio is finally back but it took months to finally feel like myself again. Let’s protect each other and wear [a] mask.”

Nick Jackson on his 2020 battle with COVID-19

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

Bron Breakker Wins WWE NXT Title At New Year’s Evil

Andrew Ravens
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For the second time, Tommaso Ciampa defended the WWE NXT Title against Bron Breakker as the rematch took place in the main event of Tuesday’s WWE NXT that had the special New Year’s Evil name. 

The match featured Bron hitting some power moves early on. Ciampa hit an outside dive then went into the ring where he got a sleeper hold locked in before Bron dumped him. Ciampa was bleeding from his right temple. Bron hit a spinebuster to Ciampa through the announce table. 

The finish was when Bron locked in the Steiner Recliner for the win to become the new NXT Champion. 

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1478563988795502599

WWE officially announced the match when Ciampa called out Breakker and predicted that the young star would ask for a championship opportunity. The vet told Breakker that he hopes he doesn’t drown again because he doesn’t think Bron is ready to be a champion in his NXT. Bron told Ciampa that there was blood in the water and he’s the shark was coming to feast.

Their first match took place at the Halloween Havoc special edition of NXT where Ciampa beat Breakker to retain the title, which was a surprise as many people including oddsmakers thought it was Bron’s night. 

They later were part of the men’s WarGames match in November where the rookies went over the veterans. With Ciampa dropping the title, it will lead to speculation that he could be headed to the main roster whether that’s on Raw or SmackDown. 

What are your thoughts on Bron winning the NXT Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

WWE NXT New Year’s Evil Results (1/4): Three Title Matches

Andrew Ravens
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The January 4, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center with the New Year’s Evil name. 

WWE NXT New Year’s Evil Results

  • Carmelo Hayes def. Roderick Strong to unify the titles
  • Wes Lee, Nash Carter & Riddle def. Imperium (WALTER, Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner).
  • Mandy Rose def. Cora Jade and Raquel Gonzalez to retain Women’s Title
  • Bron Breakker def. Tommaso Ciampa to win NXT Title

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Time To Chat Again

0NXT3

AJ Styles confronted Grayson Waller once again after the two stars have traded words in the past. Styles has appeared on NXT before while Waller has shown up on Raw. 

So what happened this time? AJ came out to the ring and cut a promo about when he first signed with WWE, he didn’t go to NXT, but rather was on the main roster. He said that there is something special about NXT. AJ put over the great fans and said he doesn’t care what the name of the show is, it’s the passion that makes NXT what it is. He said that he’d be damned if he will allow someone take it away from the fans. He said that there is always going to be someone like Waller who thinks he is better than everyone. Waller came out and said that AJ is trying to hide from his loss to Omos. Waller said that AJ doesn’t mean that he really wanted to start in NXT instead of starting on the main roster. Waller said that AJ lost last night because he was thinking about Waller. He said he’s living in AJ’s head rent free. AJ wanted a match tonight. Waller turned it down, but wanted it next week in the main event of NXT. AJ accepted and Waller tried to attack, but AJ punched him. They brawled until AJ got the better of him and Waller retreated. 

Rematch

0NXT 2

WWE NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bron Breaker took place in the main event. 

Their first title match took place at Halloween Havoc in October where Ciampa retained the title. They later met in the men’s WarGames match where Breakker pinned Ciampa. Since then, they’ve traded words and it led to them sharing the ring one more time. 

The match saw Bron hit some powerslams right out of the gate. Ciampa hit a corkscrew dive to take out Bron. Back in the ring, they went back and forth. Bron with a spinebuster then a standing moonsault. Bron caught Ciampa with a spear. Ciampa was bleeding from his right temple. Bron hit a spinebuster to Ciampa through the announce table. Bron with a powerslam for 2 as Ciampa grabbed the rope. Bron with a bulldog then locked in the Steiner Recliner for the win to become the new NXT Champion. 

Triple Threat Match

0nxt1 1

WWE NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose vs. Raquel Gonzalez vs. Cora Jade in a Triple Threat Match took place. 

Rose defeated Gonzalez to win the NXT Women’s Championship at Halloween Havoc with the help from the returning Dakota Kai. Raquel defeated Dakota in a street fight on December 21st and then called out Rose for a title match, but Jade came out citing her victory over Rose a few weeks ago as a reason why she should get a title shot. 

Rose appeared on the big screen and stated she would take them both on in a three-way. igi Dolin and Jacy Jayne then attacked the babyfaces. 

The match was in the second hour. Rose tried to leave ringside, but was stopped by Raquel. Once in the ring, Rose hit a codebreaker then talked trash to Raquel. Raquel hit her finisher to Rose for 2 as Jade broke up the pin attempt with a dive. Jade tossed Raquel to the floor then Rose rolled up Jade for the win. 

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1478554041768677378

Time To Unify

0NXT4

WWE NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes and WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong battled in a Title vs. Title Unification match.

The match opened the show. Hayes was in control early in the match, but missed a dive off the top rope and Strong caught him with a knee strike for a near fall. Hayes did a splash fly off the top rope for a near fall. Hayes hit his leg drop finisher off the top rope for the win. 

WWE introduced the North American Championship a few years ago with many wrestlers holding the title including Johnny Gargano with three separate title reigns. 

Ironically, 7 of the 11 former Champions are no longer with WWE with the 4 still there including Damian Priest, Ricochet, and Strong and Hayes. The NXT Cruiserweight Championship has been around since 2016 where at first, it was exclusive to Monday Night Raw in addition to a live episode of 205 Live every week. In recent times, the title has been only inclusive to NXT as 205 Live is a second platform to the NXT brand. 

https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1478538136066088962

Six-Man Tag Team Match

0NXT2

Riddle and MSK (Nash Carter & Wes Lee) vs. Imperium (WALTER, Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) went down. 

This feud came about when Matt Riddle became the Shaman for MSK although original plans called for Jeff Hardy to be in this role, but his WWE release nixed those plans. 

Last week on NXT, Carter and Lee called out  Imperium (Fabian Aichner & Marcel Barthel) for the NXT Tag Team Titles . WALTER and Riddle both appeared on the big screen where WALTER insulted MSK. Riddle issued the six-man tag challenge to Imperium. 

The match was in the middle of the show with the heels controlling the majority of the match. Riddle got the hot tag and cleaned house. He hit an outside dive to take out the heels. Riddle even hit a german suplex to WALTER. MSK hit a powerslam move to Fabian before Riddle hit an RKO to Marcel for the win. 

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1478546803687624709
https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1478547682733998083

Mandy Rose Retains WWE NXT Women’s Title At New Year’s Evil

Andrew Ravens
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The odds were against Mandy Rose in storyline when she put the WWE NXT Women’s Championship on the line during Tuesday’s New Year’s Evil special against Cora Jade and Raquel Gonzalez. 

The match took place in the second hour. After the babyfaces worked together, they turned on each other. Rose tried to leave ringside, but Raquel stopped her. Rose rolled up Jade for the win and to retain her title. 

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1478554041768677378

Rose defeated Gonzalez to win the NXT Women’s Championship at Halloween Havoc with the help of Dakota Kai. Jade, Raquel, and Rose have all been feuding with each other the past several weeks. 

On last Tuesday’s show, a tag team match with Gonzalez and Jade teaming against Toxic Attraction’s Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne was supposed to take place. Instead, Rose announced  Kay Lee Ray and Io Shirai would replace her girls to take on Raquel and Jade with the winning team being her opponents at New Year’s Evil. Clearly, plans didn’t change. 

What are your thoughts on Mandy Rose retaining the NXT Women’s Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Kris Statlander Names Four AEW Stars She Hopes To Lock Horns With

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Kris Statlander has four AEW stars in her sights and some of them are familiar foes.

Statlander knows a thing or two about scrapping with AEW’s top female wrestlers. She’s gone toe-to-toe with the likes of current AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker, Hikaru Shida, and Nyla Rose.

For 2022, Statlander has a couple of rematches in mind.

Kris Statlander Lists Potential Opponents

Kris Statlander has mixed it up with the likes of Jamie Hayter and Ruby Soho but she told Chris Denker on Into The Danger Zone that she’s eyeing rematches. She’s also got two other names on her radar.

“I wanna wrestle Serena Deeb. I’ve wrestled Thunder Rosa on the indies but I haven’t in AEW.

“I really just wanna wrestle them all but Jamie Hayter and I, we had a singles match on the Jericho Cruise and I would love to do that on Dynamite.

“It was a great match. It was so fun. Did I win? No, her and Britt cheated so I lost that one. So, we gotta do one that actually counts.

“I just wrestled Ruby and I lost to her but I would love to [wrestle her again].”

The match with Ruby took place in the TBS Title tournament. With the defeat, Statlander has missed out on her chance of becoming the inaugural TBS Champion.

Ruby and Jade Cargill will do battle for that honor on the Jan. 5 episode of Dynamite. This will be Dynamite’s debut on TBS.

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Carmelo Hayes Wins Unification Match At WWE NXT New Year’s Evil

Andrew Ravens
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It was the end of an era in NXT as WWE decided to unify the Cruiserweight and North American Titles when North American Champion Carmelo Hayes vs. Cruiserweight Champion Roderick Strong took place at New Year’s Evil. 

The match opened the show and it was a back and forth match. Hayes hit his leg drop finisher off the top rope for the win. 

https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1478538136066088962

Strong won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship from Kushida this September while Hayes beat Isaiah “Swerve” Scott to win the North American Title in October. Dave Meltzer noted on the last month’s episode of Wrestling Observer Radio that he had heard WWE might be getting rid of the title and renaming it the All-Inclusive Championship. 

Hayes agreed to the match after being challenged by Strong as both stars have been calling themselves the real champion in NXT. WWE had a contract signing to make the match official last week on NXT that was hosted by NXT announcer Wade Barrett.

The North American Title was first introduced in April 2018 and won by Adam Cole. There had been 13 champions in the original history of the title. The Cruiserweight Title was back in 2016 with TJ Perkins being the first champion. There had been 19 champions in the history of the title since WWE brought back the division. 

Update on WWE’s WrestleMania 38 Main Event Plans

Ryan Droste
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Despite Brock Lesnar winning the WWE Championship on short notice this past Saturday night at WWE Day 1, plans for a Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns match at WrestleMania 38 are reportedly still in motion.

Some had wondered in the aftermath of Lesnar’s championship victory what it meant for the long-rumored WrestleMania match between he and Reigns. There was speculation about a possible match at Royal Rumble or the Saudi Arabia show in February. However, Lashley vs. Lesnar was confirmed for the Royal Rumble during Monday night’s edition of Raw.

Plans in Place

During the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer spoke about WWE’s commitment to presenting another Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar showdown.

“I know that they’ve got everything worked out between now and WrestleMania,” Meltzer said. (h/t WrestleTalk). “Everything is worked out. All the original plans, there were some changes obviously because the Lesnar and Roman Reigns match from Saturday didn’t happen, but they’ve got their new twists and turns, and the final destination, which is presumably Lesnar and Roman Reigns, is still on.

“Whatever the plan was for the WWE Championship match — I don’t know what it was — but they’re gonna get there, and that’s also still on. So the WrestleMania matches are the same, but the plans on how to get there obviously have changed.”

Roman Reigns Brock Lesnar
Roman Reigns & Brock Lesnar

It will be interesting to see how they get to this match with Lesnar now holding the WWE Championship. There’s a possibility of a unification match at WrestleMania between the two champions, Universal title vs. WWE title.

Perhaps Roman Reigns could cost Lesnar the WWE Championship to Lashley in their match at the Royal Rumble, kicking the Lesnar vs. Reigns feud into high gear on the march to WrestleMania. Nobody can truly say with any certainty right now what will happen, but speculation is certainly running wild.

With Lesnar vs. Reigns still reportedly scheduled for WrestleMania, the third time the two have wrestled at WWE’s biggest show of the year, what other top matches do you want to see at the event?

If Lesnar no longer has the WWE title by WrestleMania, who do you want to see wrestling for that championship? Let us know in the comments section!

Check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.

Bobby Lashley vs. Brock Lesnar Set For WWE Royal Rumble

The New Day Discusses Possibility of Turning Heel

Tyriece Simon
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The New Day members, King Xavier Woods and Big E, shared their thoughts on turning heel.

Metro.co.uk Alistair McGeorge spoke with them about if they considered making the change. The group is currently working as babyfaces and is thriving. However, WWE fans may remember the group performed as heels in the past. Woods responded positively to McGeorge’s question and shared why.

McGeorge transcribed the quotes.

“… It’s just super fun to scream at little kids, ’cause when we were heels before, our stuff would see kids getting legitimately mad and upset at us. It’s just so much fun to be snarky, to be rude and disliked,” said Woods.

He also compared working babyface and heel. “It’s great being cheered, and people pulling for us and being the good guys – both sides are really fun to play, but I wouldn’t be mad at it at all. We love that. We talk about it all the time.”

Big E Thoughts on Turning Heel

Former WWE champion Big E also expressed intrigue in the group making the change. He admitted that he has so much fun being a heel. However, he also wants it to be an organic decision to switch roles.

“…My feeling is if we do turn, it feels organic, and it feels natural again. Unfortunately, we’re in a position right now where our reactions are pretty damn good. So, I don’t see that happening any time soon, but who knows,” said Big E.

Both Woods and Big E are open to turning heel, but it won’t happen anytime soon. Big E shared that he’s enjoying doing charitable work that helps because he is a babyface.

“What I’m doing in the ring dovetails so well into all the things I wanna do outside of the ring, as far as just charitable work, just telling my story with my issues with depression and mental health,” said Big E.

What’s Next for the New Day

The group is hoping to get back to becoming champions. Woods and Kofi Kingston lost their opportunity to regain the Smackdown Tag Team Championships at Day 1 on January 1st to the Usos. While the feud could continue, the Usos won the match clean.

Big E lost the WWE Championship to Brock Lesnar in a Fatal Five-Way match at the same event. Big E also lost clean like his partners, and Lesnar pinned him. The WWE could give Big E another opportunity at the WWE championship in the future. However, he lost a Fatal Four-Way match to Bobby Lashley to become the number one contender to face Lesnar at the Royal Rumble.

The New Day will have to work their way back to gaining championship opportunities. It’s unclear what the WWE has planned for them. While they are not rushing to become heels, the role change could give them a fresh start.

Bully Ray Thinks Big E Is More Valuable Chasing WWE Championship

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Bully Ray believes Big E is a classic case of a star who fans would rather see chase a championship than retain it.

Big E saw his 110-day WWE Championship reign come to an end on Jan. 1, 2022. He lost the title in a fatal five-way match after suffering a pinfall at the hands of Brock Lesnar.

A lot has been made about the decision to have Big E drop the WWE Title at this stage but the crowd in attendance was on their feet for the finish. After all, Lesnar by far received the biggest ovation of the night.

Bully Ray Likens Big E To A ‘Chase Champion’

  • Big E

On an episode of Busted Open Radio, Bully Ray admitted that he didn’t hate the title change. In fact, he sees more value in Big E as the one chasing WWE gold.

“A lot of these babyface champions who are built the right way, you will pay to see retain.

“Big E is one of those talents where I feel like you pay and you invest your emotion to see him chase another one of these guys, much like a Kofi Kingston where you feel like he’s been working hard for so long and he deserves better, thus you get behind him because of the chase.

“Then once it happens and the chase is over, alright fine we got what we want. Do we really wanna invest our — let’s forget about time and money. Do we really wanna invest our emotion in seeing Big E retain?

“Yeah, there will be some fans who wanna do that but the majority? I’m not quite sure.”

There will be no immediate rematch for E. Instead, Lesnar will be putting his WWE Championship on the line against Bobby Lashley at the Royal Rumble event. Whether or not Big E gets a one-on-one match with Lesnar down the road remains to be seen.

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