Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson will team up for the first time on tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite. William Regal will be in their corner, as announced by Tony Khan on Busted Open Radio.
— SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) March 9, 2022
Moxley and Danielson went to war this past weekend at AEW Revolution. Moxley got the victory in a match of the year contender. Afterwards, the two men brawled until William Regal showed up used some ‘tough love’ in order to get them to shake hands.
After spilling blood together at Revolution, Moxley and Danielson have joined forces and are instantly one of the most dangerous forces in AEW.
AEW Dynamite Preview (3/9)
The following items are set for tonight’s AEW Dynamite on TBS:
Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson (w/William Regal) in action as a team for the first time
TNT Champion Sammy Guevara vs. Scorpio Sky. The winner of this match will defend against Wardlow next week.
Thunder Rosa vs. Leyla Hirsch to determine the next #1 contender to Britt Baker’s AEW Women’s World Championship
Plus, Chris Jericho will address the man who defeated him at Revolution, Eddie Kingston.
Check back later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results & Takeaways.
AEW has released the following Control Center video hyping the show:
Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt) is scheduled to make his first wrestling-related appearance since leaving WWE this weekend in Albany, NY.
WWE released Bray Wyatt back in July 2021. The company released over 80 people last year due to budget cuts, but fans were shocked to see the former WWE Champion let go.
Wyatt will be at the Showcase of Legends 7 convention in Albany, New York. He’ll be available for a meet-and-greets, photo-ops and autograph signings from 10am-2 pm. Autographs start at $100, while Super VIP packages (which includes 6 autographs and the VIP line) go for $500.
Other top stars scheduled to appear at the event include WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, AEW Women’s World Champion Dr. Britt Baker, Dustin Rhodes and Rikishi.
After Showcase of Legends VII, Bray Wyatt will also appear at WrestleCon on Friday, April 1st during WrestleMania 38 weekend.
AEW TNT Champion Sammy Guevara and top women’s challenger Tay Conti got ‘henna’ tattoos with each other’s names.
The young power couple went public with their relationship back in December, shortly after Guevara ended his 8-year relationship with ex-fiancée Pam Nizio.
On the latest episode of his vlog, Guevara and and Conti showed off their latest show of affection. Conti asked if the tattoo would hurt, while Guevara questioned if he was up for it. He ultimately decided, “I wanna do it. I’m being dramatic.”
Guevara got the name Taynara inked on his ribs, while Conti had Samuel written on hers. You can see Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti’s new tattoos here:
“The Spanish God” puts the AEW TNT Championship on the line against Scorpio Sky on this week’s edition of Dynamite. The winner goes on to defend the title next week against Wardlow on the St. Patrick’s Day Slam show.
Conti competed at AEW Revolution this past weekend. She came up short against TNT Champion Jade Cargill.
Ring of Honor’s pending sale has thrown planning for the upcoming ROH Supercard of Honor pay-per-view into disarray.
Supercard of Honor XV is scheduled to take place Friday, April 1st from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. It’ll be ROH’s first live event since December’s Final Battle.
Sources tell SEScoops that ROH is way behind on the show’s preparations, including finalizing the card, booking, travel arrangements and other logistics.
Earlier this week, a top ROH employee told staff,
“One way or another, Supercard is happening, as of today.. Supercard is moving forward.”
Supercard of Honor XV
Tony Khan’s team (‘AEW’) wants to produce the PPV and use their own production resources that they feel comfortable with. AEW has run the building before and they know what they’re doing.
AEW also wants to handle the booking, but are being respectful of what’s already in place. The dynamic has been described to us as, “The AEW team wants things to go smoothly, but done their way.”
AEW requested a list of talent that is booked for the show. The list ROH provided includes Joe Hendry, Bandido, Jonathan Gresham and The Briscoes. However, the Briscoes are not locked in just yet.
The Briscoe Brothers are working the main event of Impact Wrestling’s ‘Multiverse of Matches’ event across town later that evening. ROH has discussed The Briscoes wrestling FTR at Supercard of Honor and then working for Impact afterwards, but that’s just wishful thinking at the moment.
New ROH Logo
Ring of Honor had a new logo designed and a total rebranding in the works that would represent the company’s new chapter after Supercard of Honor.
Digital assets have been created with the new look, as well video packages. They even had new ring skirts and turnbuckle pads made up with the new logo. As it turns out, the new logo may never see the light of day.
AEW wants to use the current ROH logo at the PPV to represent the end of this era before they completely take over with their own rebranding. As a result, ROH has two sets of marketing materials (current logo and new logo) but are expecting the current logo will be used.
Marketing campaigns for the PPV that are currently running will continue, including radio ads in the Dallas and NYC markets. There are no plans for additional media buys.
Future of ROH TV
Ring of Honor has television produced through April 16th and those shows will all air even if Tony Khan’s deal to purchase the company closes before then.
For more information on the inner workings behind ROH’s pending sale to Tony Khan, check out our earlier report:
The relationship between Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero is pretty well documented. The two became friends before Mysterio had even started wrestling and became close like brothers in the years afterward.
The Master Of 619 not only got to wrestle with the late star but he also learned a very important lesson from the legendary Hall Of Famer.
Mysterio discussed his relationship with Eddie in an interview with Complex. He revealed that Guerrero taught him how to pace himself in a match:
“He taught me how to pace myself. How to give the fans what they want at a certain time, and not just throw away my entire arsenal–just waste all my bullets in one match.
‘Wait, let them digest a little bit and have them wanting more the next time they see you.'” recalled Rey Mysterio, “All those little details are very important in our industry.”
The former world champion also recalled his first meeting with Eddie Guerrero. He mentioned how he was just 13 years old back then.
Eddie was teaming up with Rey Misterio Sr. and at the time, the current WWE star didn’t know that he himself would one day step in the ring with Guerrero.
“Never in the history of #StoneColdFriday did I think I’d see this!! Excited for @SteveAustinBSR, excited 4 the @WWE Universe and I’m excited for #WrestleMania!!!!” wrote John Cena
For those who don’t know, Kevin Owens had been taking shots at the state of Texas for the last few weeks. Reports suggested that it will lead to an angle between Owens and Steve Austin at Mania from Dallas.
The former Universal champion finally called out the Attitude Era star directly on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. He invited him to be part of the KO Show at the Grandest Stage Of Them All.
Steve Austin replied to it yesterday. He didn’t say that he will be wrestling a match but Stone Cold did promise to ‘open up one last can of whoop ass’ on Owens.
John Cena himself doesn’t seem very likely to appear on the Show of Shows this year. This tweet shows that he will at least be enjoying the show as a fan from home.
Matt Hardy has been teasing a big change to his character in recent weeks and it appears that this story will culminate on this Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite.
The Broken One recently made a post on Twitter. He posted photos of The Hardy Family Office members and promised to make a change on Dynamite:
“I became wrapped up in making as much money as I could in @AEW, much like those who came before me. I took advantage of young men who looked up to me & I failed them. On #AEWDynamite, I promise to make a change & be better. It’s time for me to get back to being Matt Hardy.”
I became wrapped up in making as much money as I could in @AEW, much like those who came before me.
I took advantage of young men who looked up to me & I failed them. On #AEWDynamite, I promise to make a change & be better. It’s time for me to get back to being Matt Hardy. pic.twitter.com/hZuGsVE2GA
For those who don’t know, Jeff Hardy’s WWE non-compete clause will expire on Wednesday, March 9, the same day as the post-Revolution episode of Dynamite.
The Charismatic Enigma’s signing to AEW is all but confirmed at this point. Reports suggest that he will be backstage at the AEW show from Hertz Arena in Estero, FL.
Matt Hardy has also been teasing his brother’s arrival from a while now and it appears that we are going to see The Hardy Boyz reunion on the flagship show of All Elite Wrestling this week.
Rey Mysterio is a well-deserving cover star of WWE 2K22. Though he didn’t realize that the game was going to be based around him when people first approached him.
The former world champion recently spoke to Complex. He discussed a wide variety of topics such as his son following in his footsteps and more.
When asked how he found out about being on the cover of the upcoming game, Mysterio revealed that he didn’t understand it right off the bat:
“So WWE first approached me in regards to doing some promotional work for the game. And I guess I didn’t understand it right off the bat? But I swear they didn’t tell me that I was going to be on the cover of the game, or that it was going to be based around me.
But slowly, as I was shooting and doing promotions, the bomb just hit,” said Rey Mysterio, “and they were like, “You know, this is based on you. You are the cover of the game this year.” I was like, “Oh no way. Damn, that’s cool. That’s dope.”
The showcase mode of WWE 2K22 will be based around the career of the high-flying star. It will allow players to relive some of the biggest moments of his career.
Reports suggest that 2K22 could also be the final game 2K produces for the company. A different developer may take over the game development if it doesn’t perform well.
Dolph Ziggler surprised everyone by becoming the new NXT champion during this week’s Roadblock special of the development brand.
The triple threat match where Bron Breakker defended his title against both the Show Off and Tommaso Ciampa main evented the show.
It looked as if Breakker will retain his title when he hit Ziggler with a big spear. Though Robert Roode came to the aid of his partner and he pulled the referee out of the ring to make the save.
The final moments of the match saw Ciampa going for a running knee on the champion but Roode pulled Bron out of the way. Dolph Ziggler took advantage of the distraction and he delivered a superkick to Ciampa for the win.
The new champion was interviewed backstage after his big win. He mentioned how he screwed up the plans for everyone with his victory:
“Just when you thought, you all had WrestleMania weekend all figured out. Good old DZ, screwed it up for everybody.”
There is no word yet on what the officials are planning for the title now. WWE has announced NXT Stand & Deliver for WrestleMania week. It’s likely that Dolph will defend the NXT championship against Breakker on the show.
Matt Cardona joined a prestigious list when he became the NWA champion. He believes that his title reign will save the company.
The Internet sensation recently had an interview with WrestleZone. He discussed things such as winning the title from Trevor Murdoch on NWA Powerrrrip and more.
Speaking of how his championship reign will help the promotion, Cardona claimed that it will save the NWA because he will promote the title everywhere:
“Man, listen, I say I’m here to save the NWA, and I am. And I think me being the champion will save the NWA because for instance, I actually get booked other places.
So [at GCW shows], I’ll be walking out with the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship.” said Matt Cardona, “As opposed to Trevor or Nick, who don’t really do anything but NWA.”
The former WWE star mentioned that he doesn’t have the control over his title defenses. So he can’t promise that his matches elsewhere are going to be for the ten pounds of gold.
On the same time, he is proud to be the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion. Cardona will make sure to announce himself as such wherever he goes, whether that is going to a wrestling show or to Paris for his honeymoon.
Jim Ross had been closely associated with Stone Cold Steve Austin throughout his WWE career. The two old friends still keep in touch with each other.
The now AEW commentator talked to the Texas Rattlesnake as recently as a few weeks back. The duo also discussed the former champion’s WrestleMania role this year.
Ross talked about Austin on his Grilling JR podcast and claimed that the Attitude Era star didn’t sound ‘overwhelmingly enthusiastic’ about a WrestleMania match:
“He and I have talked, but at the time we talked, he didn’t know what he was going to do and he didn’t sound overwhelmingly enthusiastic about it.”
Jim Ross explained that Steve Austin is a perfectionist. Even though he stays in good shape, he wouldn’t want to get back in the ring without proper preparation:
“He can do a photo shoot and it looks like that can be Steve from any era, but that’s the athlete in him. He likes to train, eat right, and all those things.”
The AEW star later said that in his opinion the program should have been finalized at least 6 months before WrestleMania, not only to build a story but to give Stone Cold the chance to train better.
Kay Lee Ray & Io Shirai def. Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro
NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium vs. MSK ends in no contest
Dolph Ziggler def. and Dolph Ziggler and Tommaso Ciampa to win NXT Title
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Opener
Cora Jade & Raquel Gonzalez vs. Wendy Choo & Dakota Kai in a Women’s Dusty Classic Semi Final Match opened the show.
This was a comedy match when Choo was in the match. Toxic Attraction hit Raquel in the left knee with a weapon when the referee wasn’t looking before we went to a commercial break. Raquel continued to work the match, but was selling the injured leg. Choo hit a splash off the top rope and Wendy hit a stomp on Raquel for the win.
Io Shirai & Kay Lee Ray vs. Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro in a Women’s Dusty Classic Semi Final Match was saved for the second hour. It was a fun back and forth high energy paced match. Io and Ray went over when they hit a tag team spot.
Now, Ray and Io will meet Choo and Kai in the finals of the tournament.
NXT Tag Team Champions Imperium were supposed to defend against The Creed Brothers. The Creed Brothers earned this title match after winning this year’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.
However, The Creed Brothers were attacked in the parking lot earlier in the night although their attackers weren’t shown. It was later revealed that MSK, who lost to the brothers in the Dusty Tournament,
The match was solid with back and forth action. However, it ended when The Creed Brothers ran out and attacked both teams. It went to a no contest, thus setting up a triple threat bout down the line, likely at Stand and Deliver.
LA Knight vs. Grayson Waller in a Last Man Standing match took place.
The match saw them brawl all around the arena including up in the stands. They used various weapons. Waller was tossed from the ring through a table on the outside. They crashed through the announce table and Waller got to his feet first for the win.
Knight challenged Waller to a Last Man Standing match on last week’s episode and the match was later made official. Waller recently picked up a win over Knight thanks to outside interference.
NXT Champion Bron Breakker defended against Dolph Ziggler and Tommaso Ciampa in a triple threat match.
The match was solid, but not given a ton of time. Ziggler hit the Zig Zag at one point for a near fall on Ciampa. Bron hit a powerslam on Ziggler, but Robert Roode pulled out the referee to stop the pin. Ciampa hit his finisher and Ziggler got a nearfall after covering Bron. Ciampa went for a running knee strike, but Roode pulled Bron out of the ring and Ziggler hit a superkick on Ciampa for the win.
The match had originally been a singles bout between Breakker and Ziggler, but Ciampa was added to the match after he pinned Ziggler last week when he and Breakker defeated The Dirty Dawgz in a tag team match.
Bron Breakker made his second title defense as NXT Champion when the odds were stacked against him in storyline when he took on Tommaso Ciampa and Dolph Ziggler in the main event of Tuesday’s episode of NXT 2.0, titled Road Block.
The match had some near fall moments including submissions that were broken up at the last minute. Ziggler hit the Zig Zag at one point for a near fall on Ciampa. Bron hit a powerslam on Ziggler, but Robert Roode pulled out the referee. The finish saw Ciampa go for a running knee strike, but Roode pulled Bron out of the ring and Ziggler hit a superkick to Ciampa for the win. We have a new champion.
Originally, this was supposed to be a singles match as Ziggler beat Ciampa in a #1 contender’s match last month on NXT. However, that was changed when Ciampa and Bron joined forces to beat Ziggler and Robert Roode last week on NXT. Ciampa was added to the bout and it made for a three-way bout.
Breakker won the NXT Title from Ciampa at New Year’s Evil in January, which was the second match between them after Ciampa previously beat him last year
Breakker made his first title defense as NXT Champion against Santos Escobar in the main event of Vengeance Day.
The second edition of NXT Stand & Deliver is just about three weeks away and matches are starting to get announced.
This will be the go-to article for an updated card of the matches and segments announced for NXT’s biggest show of the year.
This year’s Stand & Deliver premium live event, or pay-per-view, will be the second annual Stand & Deliver event. However, this will be the first year this show will happen under the NXT 2.0 banner. For a lot of stars that can believably be on the show, it would likely be their first WrestleMania weekend as a part of the company.
NXT Stand & Deliver 2022 Matches
North American Championship Ladder Match: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Santos Escobar vs. Solo Sikoa vs. Grayson Waller vs. Cameron Grimes
NXT Women’s Championship Match: Mandy Rose (c) vs. Cora Jade vs. Io Shirai vs. Kay Lee Ray
NXT Championship Match: Dolph Ziggler (c) vs. Bron Breakker
NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Imperium (c) vs. The Creed Brothers vs. MSK
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Tony D’Angelo
GUNTHER vs. LA Knight
NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Toxic Attraction (Jacy Jayne & Gigi Dolin) (c) vs. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
Date, Time & How to Watch
WWE NXT Stand & Deliver is scheduled to take place at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. This would be NXT 2.0’s first event outside of the Performance Center.
NXT Stand & Deliver takes place on WrestleMania Saturday on April 2. The air time is set fo 1:00 PM EST.
Tickets will be available for the event this Friday, 3/11, at 11:00 AM EST.
You can watch WWE WrestleMania 38 on Peacock in the United States and on the WWE Network internationally.
Ring of Honor will soon be under new ownership. With that transfer comes a major shake-up for the company’s operations.
Back in October 2021, ROH announced it would undergo a “reconceptualization” period after December’s Final Battle pay-per-view. All contracted wrestlers were also let go at this time. The company planned to relaunch in April 2022 with a mission to provide a new and unique fan-focused product.
The wrestling community largely embraced the deal, but a number of ROH employees will soon be out of work.
Winding Down of The Old ROH
SEScoops has learned Ring of Honor execs expect the deal with Tony Khan to close around the first week of April. It could be finalized sooner than that, but that is the timeframe they are working with.
There is a feeling that the deal went “in reverse” and “backwards” because it came together quickly and now a lot of details are being hammered out.
Trusted sources say ROH employees were told the company doesn’t get the impression the ‘new regime’ is interested in hiring them after the sale goes through. Staff has been encouraged to explore new career opportunities, including speaking to Sinclair Broadcast Group’s HR department about transferring elsewhere in the company. Severance packages are being considered but nothing is decided on yet.
Management is still unsure if they will issue a statement to let fans know that a new team will be bringing them the product they’ve followed for years.
The HonorClub streaming service is in limbo. ROH has a call scheduled with AEW to review the technical setup behind HonorClub and determine if that asset will be included as part of the sale. Otherwise, ROH will have to “unwind” everything related to that service. Subscribers will be notified of changes to the service and where they can get video content going forward at some point.
The general message to ROH staff has been described to us as, “We’re fighting for you and exploring how to help everyone. If you want to stay in the wrestling business, we’re doing our best, but there is no formal transition planned and no guarantee that anybody will stay on.”
For more on the sale of Ring of Honor, listen to the latest episode of the Business of the Business podcast, the official business podcast of SEScoops:
Sycho Sid will reportedly be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as a part of the 2022 class.
Sycho Sid’s Career
Sid is a two-time WWF Champion and two-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion. Sid’s real name is Sid Eudy, but he mainly went by Sid Justice, Sid Vicious and Sycho Sid.
Sid wrestled full-time from 1987 to 2001 until an extremely brutal leg break at the WCW Sin pay-per-view. Sid would end up wrestling 24 matches for many independent promotions from 2004 to 2017. His last WWE match was in 2012 when he ended up squashing Heath Slater in exactly 90 seconds.
Sycho Sid Is Rumored To Be Inducted Into The Hall Of Fame
There are currently two confirmed inductees for this year’s class. The Undertaker and Vader have both been confirmed by WWE as a part of the class. Vince McMahon has also said that he will be the one to induct The Undertaker. This year’s Hall of Fame ceremony will take place after SmackDown on April 1 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
WWE has yet to confirm whether or not Sid will be inducted.
When making an appearance on ON With, Nikki spoke about the Bellas possible WrestleMania 38 plans and her having a ‘ticket booked’ for the two-night show.
Back at the 2022 Royal Rumble, The Bellas made their return. Nikki and Brie Bella both participated in this year’s women’s Royal Rumble match. Prior to the rumble match, Nikki had not wrestled since 2018. It seemed like she would never be able to wrestle again as she had said that she was put on the “retired bench for life” by doctors.
Nikki Bella On WrestleMania 38
Nikki recently spoke with Mario Lopez about the upcoming two-night WrestleMania. With her recent clearance, it is possible that her and Brie could get involved in the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship picture.
The longest reigning Divas Champion said, “So far, I have a ticket booked. That’s all I can say. The Undertaker is getting inducted into the Hall of Fame. Vince McMahon announced he’s inducting him, so I’ll for sure be at the Hall of Fame because that’s an iconic moment. Being a Hall of Famer, I have to represent. Bellas always find some way to get themselves into trouble there.”
There is currently a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match scheduled for WrestleMania 38. On WrestleMania Sunday, Carmella and Queen Zelina will defend their titles in a triple threat match. The current Women’s Tag Team Champions will take on Sasha Banks and Naomi vs Rhea Ripley and Liv Morgan on Sunday, April 3rd.
The Bellas WrestleMania 37 Involvement
The Bellas were featured in last year’s WrestleMania. They confronted Bayley who was the host of WrestleMania 37. The Bella Twins were also inducted into the 2020 Hall of Fame class. The class was officially honored at WrestleMania 37 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is still unknown if either, or both, of The Bellas will be used or booked on WrestleMania 38.
H/T to Jeremy Lambert of Fightful for the transcription
Kelly Campbell, President of Peacock, spoke with Vulture and spoke very highly of the WWE partnership; even calling it ‘incredibly successful.’
WWE Network & Peacock Deal
Back in January 2021, it was announced by WWE and NBC Universal that the WWE Network would be moving over to Peacock. In April of 2021, the WWE Network officially moved to Peacock when all of their live and archived footage began to be housed on the NBC streaming platform.
WWE fully converted to Peacock and have held their premium live events, or pay-per-views, on the service as a part of their $1 billion rights agreement.
Kelly Campbell Comments On The Partnership
Kelly Campbell became the new President of Peacock in October 2021.
Peacock’s President said, “WWE has been an incredibly successful partnership for Peacock since launch. We invested in an incredible fan base that provides us the opportunity to bring those fans back time and time again with the massive live events that are part of the WWE franchise. We have WrestleMania, in fact, returning on April 3. This is already one of our biggest live events of the year.
And we have an original series that I’m super-excited about featuring John Cena coming later this year called WWE Evil that I think will bring a fun new take on the space for this audience.”
At the 2022 AEW Revolution media scrum, Jungle Boy discussed his excitement for the Ring of Honor acquisition.
Jungle Boy is a member of the 4 Pillars of AEW. He is one of the youngest guys on the roster, while also being able to hold his own with some of their biggest stars. This past weekend at Revolution, as a member of Jurassic Express, Jungle Boy helped his team to defend the AEW World Tag Team Championship. Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus, aka Jurassic Express, defeated the Young Bucks and reDRagon to retain their AEW World Tag Team Championship.
Ring Of Honor Acquisition
Prior to AEW, Ring of Honor was the promotion that many of today’s stars were able to cut their teeth in their early years. Talent were able to hone their craft and raise their profile, which many times helped them to receive other opportunities.
On the March 2 edition of Dynamite, Tony Khan revealed that he had purchased Ring of Honor. The two entities are currently in the early stages of transferring assets, including their valuable tape library. The AEW CEO and President has said that he plans to continue ROH’s wrestling operations, as well as being the Head Booker of the promotion and AEW.Jun
Jungle Boy’s Reaction To The Purchase
At the Revolution media scrum, Jungle Boy was asked about his thoughts on the Ring of Honor purchase.
One-half of the AEW World Tag Team Champions said, “It’s exciting. There is crazy stuff happening now in wrestling that I think, a couple of years ago, you never would have imagined. It’s really cool. It’s going to provide new opportunities for people who don’t work here now, and some people who do work here.
I’m excited, like everyone else, to see what exactly that means. I don’t think it can be a bad thing. It’s very cool, Tony is making big moves, he’s all about that. He’s continuing to push forward, I think that’s neat.”
H/T to Jeremy Lambert & Robert Defelice of Fightful for the transcription
Britt Baker retained her AEW Women’s Title over Thunder Rosa at Sunday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view in Orlando, Florida. Baker also showed off the newly designed title belt.
Fightful Select reported today that AEW officials changed the finish to Rosa vs. Baker match multiple times in the weeks leading up to Revolution. The finish ultimately saw interference from Rebel and Jamie Hayter, which led to Baker hitting her Stomp for the pin to retain.
It’s unclear why the promotion went back and forth on the finish, but based on the finish, it’s leading to a rematch between both stars during the St. Patrick’s Day Slam edition of AEW Dynamite on March 16 in San Antonio, Texas, which is the hometown of Rosa.
All Elite Wrestling has already confirmed Rosa vs. Leyla Hirsch with the winner earning the next title shot from Baker will take place on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite.
The report also noted that the design for the title belt was produced by Belts By Dan, and it was completed in just three weeks. Dan’s quickest turnaround for a belt is a month. It was inspired by the Mid-South Wrestling North American Title.
In a recent conversation with Sports Illustrated, Colby talked about the possibility of heading to the WWE after his UFC career ends.
Colby Covington’s UFC Career
It is not uncommon for MMA stars and professional wrestlers to cross over. Some of the most notable stars to do this have been Ken Shamrock, Ronda Rousey, and Brock Lesnar. They have all shown a plausible journey to professional wrestling from MMA. Many even begin to incorporate that into their in-ring style.
The former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion Colby Covington seems to be the next person to make that leap from MMA to wrestling. Colby has been a major star of the UFC for many years. He recently defeated Jorge Masvidal this past Saturday, via decision. He is currently #1 in the UFC welterweight rankings.
Colby’s Interest In Working In WWE
Colby has made his interest in professional wrestling known many times before. Colby has an extensive history in ameatur wrestling as he qualified for the NCAA Wrestling tournament twice. He also was able to achieve All-American honors.
Colby spoke with Sports Illustrated and said, “I’d love to cross over and come into the WWE, but I love being a UFC fighter. I love fighting; it’s my passion and what I was born and put on this earth to do. After my career with the UFC is done, WWE is something I’d love to dabble in.”
Covington On Ronda Rousey’s WWE Career
Covington also spoke highly about one of the recent MMA to pro wrestling conversions, Ronda Rousey. He even revealed that he believes she will be one of the best WWE wrestlers for many years.
“Ronda Rousey has really impressed me [in WWE]. Her promo game has come on strong. She’s just a true entertainer. She knows how to put on a show for a crowd. She is the baddest woman in combat sports.
Look at her track record—she’s a trendsetter. The things she did in the UFC are unheard of. I’m a big fan of Ronda Rousey and I love the way she competes. I think she’s going to be the best WWE wrestler for a long time to come,” Covington says.
Ronda Rousey recently made her return to WWE. She will face Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship on Night 1 of WrestleMania 38.
Gail Kim feels that Tessa Blanchard is a rare talent who should be accomplishing big things in the wrestling business.
Kim and Blanchard worked together from late 2018 through early 2019 during their time at Impact Wrestling. In the culmination of their heated rivalry, Blanchard ultimately Gail Kim at Rebellion 2019 in what would be Kim’s retirement match.
“Tessa Was Like This Ultimate Athlete”
Gail Kim appeared on Busted Open Radio on Tuesday morning and spoke very highly of the second generation performer.
During her years as an active wrestler (2002-2019), Gail Kim has worked with them all, including Trish Stratus, Lita, Molly Holly, Mickie James, Beth Phoenix, Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres and Awesome Kong. According to Gail Kim, Tessa Blanchard was an “ultimate athlete” who stands above the rest.
“Tessa was like this ultimate athlete that I’d never been able to face an athlete on that level,” said Kim. “Years have passed now, it was 2019 since we had that match, and she should be accomplishing big things in this business, in my opinion. So, I wish I could see that for her, because I know that that talent is rare. So you know, we’ve talked about this a bunch but those are ultimately my bottom-line feelings.”
Tessa Blanchard went on to become the first woman to capture the Impact Wrestling World Championship in January 2020. After going on an extended leave of absence, Blanchard was released by Impact before her contract was set to expire and stripped of the championship in June of that year. She’s currently involved in the rebooted Women of Wrestling promotion.
One big struggle of being a WWE star or pro wrestler in general that usually goes unmentioned is being away from your family for most of the year. For someone like Finn Balor, the struggle is even more gruesome because his family lives in a different county. Growing up in Ireland means that Balor has spent the majority of his wrestling career away from the people he grew up with.
The former Universal champion opened up about this during his appearance on Corey Graves‘ After The Bell podcast. He mentioned how it’s the strive to prove people wrong that has kept him going because the money alone wouldn’t be worth the sacrifice:
“I’ll be honest, the money’s not that good for the amount of pain we go through and being away from my family for 20 years. I wrestle with myself the whole time as the money versus being away from Ireland for 20 years. In 10 years’ time, when like, my family, people start to pass, or my friends you know, move on. Is money gonna be worth the sacrifice? [The things] that I have given up.
Not the Physical sacrifice, the sacrifice of being away from your loved ones for literally 20 years. Having phone call relationships with people or text relationships with people that you grew up with or you love. I don’t have any kids, but I’ve got 12 nieces and nephews. I love them and they know me as Finn Balor. They don’t know me as Fergal. They don’t know their uncle, The real person. They just know their uncle on TV. So I kind of wrestle with these things all the time. Is money worth the sacrifice? Not the physical sacrifice, life sacrifice.”
How Finn Balor Balances His Emotions
Finn Balor as the US champion
Corey Graves then asked Finn Balor how he deals with the mental pressure of all this to which he replied that he doesn’t. Balor explained how his parents would question his decision if he stopped doing what he loves. On the same time, he constantly has to question himself on if doing it is worth staying away from his family:
“I don’t know if I balance it or not. I think I just bottle it up inside. Like a true Irishman, who bottles up his real emotions (laughs). It’s something that weighs on my mind a lot. Especially as I see my parents getting older now. I know, that they have so much respect for what I’ve done. They’re so proud of, where I have came from and where I am now. I know that they would be disappointed if I stopped doing it. They would be heartbroken. ‘He’s not following his dreams. Why is he not doing it?’ For me, I’m questioning ‘Why am I doing this to be away from them?’ So it’s like, what’s the right answer? It’s so hard to know.”
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Anna Jay recently spoke with SEScoops correspondent Ella Jay about the state of AEW’s women’s division, who she sees as a locker room leader and her intense tag team Street Fight from the “New Year’s Smash” edition of AEW Rampage.
All Elite Wrestling has been steadily growing its women’s division. Through its evolution, the female competitors have been granted some gnarly opportunities, through the first ever Unsanctioned Lights Out Match, the TBS Championship Tournament and the bloody women’s tag team war on New Year’s eve.
Watch our full interview with “The Queenslayer” Anna Jay
Street Fight at New Year’s Smash
Anna Jay and Tay Conti battled The Bunny and Penelope Ford in a tag team Street Fight on the final AEW broadcast of 2021. It was the culmination of a longstanding rivalry between the two teams.
The match was a violent affair and one of Anna Jay’s toughest challenges to date. Despite the physical toll the match took on all four women, Anna Jay says she learned a lot from the match and enjoyed the hardcore brawl more than she expected to.
“That was a lot of fun,” said Jay. “Definitely nothing like I’ve done before. So I think my biggest takeaway, too, is just even more believing in myself. I can do these things that other people can do, and I can do hardcore things which I never thought that I would do. And yeah, like I said, I had a lot of fun. I learned a lot and really enjoyed it more than I thought that I would have.”
How does one prepare for a match that involves tables, ladders, chairs and thumb tacks?
“I think really the only preparation was just mentally just knowing what my body was going to endure, she continued. “And it’s funny too, I don’t know if I’ve said this before, but I actually had a super bad migraine that day before the match, and I did not feel good at all. So it was like hard for me to really focus on, like worrying about things, if that makes sense. So I it was kind of like a crazy day, but yeah, I would say just mentally, just knowing what I was about to do.”
The AEW Women’s Division
In honor of Women’s History Month, Anna Jay also spoke on the AEW Women’s Division. She feels the division has come a long way since the company was founded in 2019.
“I mean, it’s definitely grown,” she said. “We’re doing great now. It’s cool to say to that. We have more than one segment on Dynamite and Rampage and to grow our roster and just myself, even being able to do more and seeing everyone get better and want to do better has been a really cool thing too. So, yeah, I mean, it’s been great and I think everyone in the locker room would say the same thing.”
Women’s Locker Room Leader
(Photo: AEW)
Anna Jay went on to also explain who she considers the locker room leader in the AEW Women’s division:
“Honestly, Vickie Guerrero, that’s a great one….She’s willing to help anyone so that to start off with. She really helped out the locker room a lot. Like I said, offers to help with anything, helps us with the locker room itself, like our stuff, our gear, just pretty much anything we need. She’s there. It’s like a locker room mom, like a locker room leader. She’s really the best.”
Thanks again to Anna Jay for chatting with us! You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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