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Kenny Omega Named #1 Ranked Wrestler On PWI Top-500

Chris Stephens
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It was revealed on Busted Open Radio this morning that Kenny Omega is the #1 ranked wrestler in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated top-500 this year. Omega last earned the top spot in the rankings in 2018.

Omega earned the spot after spending much of the last year holding the AEW World Championship, AAA Mega Championship, and Impact World Championship. Omega ranked in at #13 in 2020.

Omega now joins Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, and Seth Rollins as the only wrestlers to top the list on multiple occasions. 

https://twitter.com/OfficialPWI/status/1435611376148533256

The annual edition of the magazine is available for pre-order here.

PWI Top-10 2021

The top-10 ranked wrestlers from this list year are as follows:

1) Kenny Omega
2) Roman Reigns
3) Bobby Lashley
4) Drew McIntyre
5) Kota Ibushi
6) Jon Moxley
7) Will Ospreay
8) Finn Balor
9) Shingo Takagi
10) Rich Swann

Kenny Omega Tops PWI Top-500 For 2nd Time

Omega joins a small list of wrestlers who have topped the list more than once.

  • 1991: Hulk Hogan
  • 1992: Sting
  • 1993: Bret Hart
  • 1994: Bret Hart (2)
  • 1995: Diesel
  • 1996: Shawn Michaels
  • 1997: Dean Malenko
  • 1998: Steve Austin
  • 1999: Steve Austin (2)
  • 2000: Triple H
  • 2001: Kurt Angle
  • 2002: Rob Van Dam
  • 2003: Brock Lesnar
  • 2004: Chris Benoit
  • 2005: Batista
  • 2006: John Cena
  • 2007: John Cena (2)
  • 2008: Randy Orton
  • 2009: Triple H (2)
  • 2010: AJ Styles
  • 2011: The Miz
  • 2012: CM Punk
  • 2013: John Cena (3)
  • 2014: Daniel Bryan
  • 2015: Seth Rollins
  • 2016: Roman Reigns
  • 2017: Kazuchika Okada
  • 2018: Kenny Omega
  • 2019: Seth Rollins (2)
  • 2020: Jon Moxley
  • 2021: Kenny Omega (2)

Chris Jericho Reflects On Having The Longest Storyline Of His Career With MJF

Chris Stephens
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The rivalry between Chris Jericho and Maxwell Jacob Friedman had many twists and turns. At one point the two delivered a song and dance routine over dinner. Then MJF defeated Chris Jericho to earn a spot in the Inner Circle. Then MJF formed the Pinnacle to feud with Jericho’s faction. Eventually, there was the 5 Labors of Jericho and then The Final Fight at All Out.

Jericho recently reflected on the longest storyline of his career in a post to Instagram.

Screen Shot 2021 09 08 at 10.28.18 AM

“Jericho vs MJF was THE longest storyline of my career…and one of the best,” Jericho wrote. “The angle started in Sept of 2020 and it ended last night at one of the greatest PPVs of all time, with the good guy making the bad guy tap out.”

“The angle between the The Inner Circle and The Pinnacle was full of twists and turns, comedy, tragedy, friendship, betrayal, blood, bubbly and genuine animosity. But overall, I feel it was a brilliant, expertly told tale that was one of the best in the business from the last 20 years. I hope all of you enjoyed watching this pro wrestling magnum opus as much we did telling it!!! On to the next challenge….”

Chris Jericho vs Maxwell Jacob Friedman Statistics

The first singles match between Jericho and MJF took place at Full Gear on November 7th, 2020. MJF won that match, as well as the Fifth Labor of Jericho before Jericho won at Final Fight, giving MJF a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head series in singles matches.

Jericho and MJF teamed together 7x throughout the storyline as well. They went a perfect 6-0 in these matches before losing a title match to the Young Bucks At AEW Revolution 2021.

MJF and Jericho were also on opposing sides of 2 different tag-team matches during the angle. The Pinnacle won the Blood and Cuts double-cage match while the Inner Circle won the Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing.

Damian Priest Says He Tried To Convince Triple H To Face Him At WrestleMania

Chris Stephens
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At WrestleMania this year, Damian Priest teamed up with Bad Bunny and defeated John Morrison and The Miz. According to comments he made recently during an interview with Metro, however, Priest attempted to goad Triple H into a match on the show.

 “Mania – Hunter didn’t have a match, and that was the first time all these legends, none of them [on the show],” Priest said. ‘I was like, ‘I mean, did you bring your gear? Because you can have a match, I’m right here!’ He started laughing and said, “You’re on a list of people that have asked me that”.

“I was like, I bet, I can imagine – he gets it all the time by guys being like, ‘Hey you wanna work? You wanna wrestle?'”

Priest would continue to talk about other wrestling legends he would like to face. Since he’s returned, Priest specifically mentioned working with Edge as something he would like to do. He also noted Kane as someone he’d like to wrestle.

“I think the closest one that I know that there’s a chance – and we’ve already kind of had an interaction at the Rumble – is Edge,” Priest said. “Obviously Kane, we had a little bit of an interaction. But I’m not satisfied, I need a lot more of that! Those feelings, just standing across from those guys – super cool, super, super cool.”

Damian Priest At Extreme Rules

Priest is scheduled to face Sheamus at Extreme Rules. Sheamus earned a shot at Priest’s United States Championship on RAW this week after defeating Drew McIntyre. Priest defeated Sheamus for the title at SummerSlam. He’s since defended it once in a triple threat match against both Drew McIntyre and Sheamus on the August 30th episode of WWE RAW.

Jake Atlas & Taylor Rust Return To ROH At Death Before Dishonor

Chris Stephens
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Jake Atlas and Taylor Rust (FKA Tyler Rust in WWE) will return to Ring of Honor at Death Before Dishonor this weekend. Both wrestlers have had previous stints with the promotion, albeit brief ones. Rust was released from WWE on August 6th after having just been introduced as a member of the Diamond Mine. Atlas was also released from the NXT brand on August 6th and has since been announced for shows with New Japan Pro Wrestling as well.

Rust had a brief stint with ROH last October. He competed in the ROH Pure title tournament and was defeated by Tracy Williams in the 1st round. He then signed with WWE in December. Atlas competed for ROH briefly in 2019, wrestling one match on the Death Before Dishonor Fallout tour that September.

ROH has announced that Atlas and Rust will face each other on the September 12th PPV from Baltimore. The full lineup for the show is below.

image 100125452 15035246

Death Before Dishonor Lineup

  • ROH World Championship
    Bandido (c) vs. Brody King vs. EC3 vs. Demonic Flamita
  • ROH Pure Championship
    Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Josh Woods
  • ROH Women’s World Championship
    Rok-C vs. Miranda Alize
  • ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship
    Shane Taylor, Moses, & Kaun vs. Dragon Lee, Bestia del Ring, & Kenny King
  • Homicide, Chris Dickinson, & Tony Deppen vs. John Walters, LSG, & Lee Moriarty
  • Matt Taven & Mike Bennett vs. The Briscoes
  • Eli Isom vs. Dalton Castle
  • Jake Atlas vs. Taylor Rust

The Acclaimed Returned On AEW Dark & Acknowledged Their Hiatus (Video)

Michael Reichlin
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AEW tag team The Acclaimed returned to action on this week’s AEW Dark.

The team of Max Caster and Anthony Bowens were last seen on the August 28th episode of the AEW Youtube series. Caster found himself in hot water after one of his pre-match freestyle raps received major blowback from fans.

Caster is known for walking the line of tastefulness, but his references to US Olympian Simone Biles’ mental health and the Duke Lacrosse 2006 sexual assault scandal crossed that line for many. He was sent to sensitivity training as a disciplinary measure.

During their entrance on Dark this week, the duo joked about their hiatus from AEW programing. Instead of lacing into their opponents with well-crafted biting insults, they jokingly read from a script approved by AEW management. See below:

The Acclaim picked up a victory in their return match. They defeated the team of Robert Anthony and CPT Shawn Dean.

Tony Khan Addresses Max Caster’s “Terrible” Rap On AEW Dark

Ivelisse Places Blame On Thunder Rosa For Infamous AEW Match

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Ivelisse insists that Thunder Rosa is to blame for their AEW match going off the rails.

On the Sept. 16, 2020 edition of Dynamite, Ivelisse and Rosa went one-on-one. It was clear that something was off between the two. The match was rough as the two threw stiff strikes and to many, Ivelisse appeared to be uncooperative. For Ivelisse, however, the notion that she was the problem doesn’t sit well with her.

Appearing on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, Ivelisse said that it was Thunder Rosa who didn’t want to cooperate.

“When the day came, she didn’t want to do anything. I’m like, what? No, this match will be awesome. But I’m also trying to knock it out of the park. Even at the start, with the slap, we went over that 1 million times, we knew. She forgets what comes after. I had no choice but to nudge her face. That’s when the shoot stuff happened. I’ve trained in MMA. You can’t pull that on me. I just didn’t want to allow that negativity. I didn’t want to be pulled into that.  She tried and tried though. Also, I was already signed. Why would I do that? Somehow I was made into the bad guy though. There’s nothing that can be done about that, but the bigger issue is not understanding what kind of an asset I could be.”

Ivelisse would soon find herself out of a job. She ended up being released from AEW and claims it came as a surprise to her.

Ivelisse ‘Shocked’ By AEW Release, Cites Politics

Robbie Eagles Set For NJPW Strong Autumn Attack

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion, Robbie Eagles, is making his way to NJPW Strong Autumn Attack.

NJPW has announced that Eagles will be a part of their Autumn Attack shows in Garland, Texas. These shows will be held inside the Curtis Culwell Center on Sept. 25 and 26.

Here’s what NJPW said in a statement regarding the addition of Eagles.

“An already stacked lineup for NJPW STRONG’s first matches at the Curtis Culwell Center in DFW Texas have allowed for dream matches including Lio Rush vs Taiji Ishimori, Suzuki-Gun versus Team Filthy and Jay White vs Daniel Garcia across two cards on September 25 & 26. That lineup is getting even more of a boost though, as fresh off his first defense at the MetLife Dome against Hiromu Takahashi this weekend, IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Robbie Eagles is joining the Autumn Attack. 

“With a wealth of junior heavyweight talent on STRONG and across the US, the ‘Sniper of the Skies’ heads into Texas with a target of his own on his back. Who will take aim at the champion? Find out in person later this month!”

Eagles is fresh off a successful title defense against Hiromu Takahashi at NJPW’s Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome. Eagles defeated Hiromu via submission.

This is yet another solid name added to NJPW’s Autumn Attack shows this month. The promotion has already announced Will Ospreay, Minoru Suzuki, and Lance Archer for the shows. NEVER Openweight Champion Jay White is also set to take on Daniel Garcia, who has been appearing on AEW television in prominent spots.

AEW Makes UBS Arena Debut Official, Will Host Dynamite & Rampage

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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0

The reports are correct, AEW will indeed be making its way to the UBS Arena.

Andrew Zarian was the first to report that AEW was heading to the arena in Long Island, NY on Dec. 8. Earlier today (Sept. 7), AEW made it official. This will be for a live Dynamite show as well as a Rampage taping.

Here’s what was said in a press release sent out by AEW.

“All Elite Wrestling (AEW) brings its wildly popular shows ‘AEW: Dynamite’ and ‘AEW: Rampage’ to the brand-new UBS Arena on Wednesday, December 8, for a spectacular night of bell-to-bell action. Located on the border of Queens and Nassau County in Belmont Park, NY, the state-of-the-art UBS Arena will host the world-class wrestlers of AEW as they take the squared circle in the stunning new venue.

“Tickets will go on-sale to the general public on Friday, Sept. 10, at 10 a.m. ET via AEWTix.com and Ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at $30 plus fees.

“UBS Arena at Belmont Park is a $1.1 billion multi-purpose venue that is finishing construction adjacent to the Belmont Park racetrack. The world-class entertainment venue, with its timeless and classic design, will bridge its iconic past with today’s advanced technology and amenities. In addition to being the new home to the famed New York Islanders Hockey Club, the state-of-the-art arena, opening in the fall, will deliver an unmatched live entertainment experience with clear sightlines and premier acoustics.”

This will likely be AEW’s final stop in New York for 2021. The promotion is set to have its “Grand Slam” edition of Dynamite take place inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY on Sept. 22.

WWE NXT Results (9/7): Two Title Matches, Mei Ying’s In-Ring Debut

Andrew Ravens
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The September 7, 2021 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

  • Kay Lee Ray def. Ember Moon.
  • Santos Escobar def. Carmelo Hayes.
  • Diamond Mine (Brutus Creed & Julius Creed) def. Chuckie Viola & Paxton Averill.
  • Zoey Stark & Io Shirai def. Kayden Carter & Kacy Catanzaro
  • Mei Ying def. Virginia (aka Dreamgirl Ellie).
  • MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) def. Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Mei Ying’s In-Ring Debut

05 nxt

Mei Ying made her in-ring debut. She took on Virginia Ferry, who is also known as Dream Girl Ellie. It was a quick match with Mei hitting some strikes then locking on a choke for the win. 

Karen Q portrays the character. Before signing with WWE, she worked for ROH and Impact Wrestling. Karen made her WWE debut in August 2018 by competing in the second annual Mae Young Classic.

In December 2020, Karen was repackaged as Mei Ying as the mysterious leader of Tian Sha with Xia Li and Big Boa. The group debuted on January 6, 2021.

Kay Lee Ray vs. Ember Moon

Kay Lee Ray vs. Ember Moon in a singles match was booked.  

The match opened the show and was a grappling heavy bout. Ray hit her finisher for the win. 

Ray made her NXT debut at TakeOVer 36 after being on hiatus after dropping the NXT UK Women’s Title. Moon has been trying to find her way after losing Shotzi Blackheart as her tag team partner. 

Santos Escobar vs. Carmelo Hayes

Santos Escobar vs. Carmelo Hayes in a singles match took place.   

The match was back and forth. Hayes looked good in his outing, but of course, Santos went over thanks to outside interference before hitting his finisher for the win. 

Entering this match, Escobar had been in a feud with Hit Row. On the flip side, On the August 24 episode of NXT, Hayes defeated Odyssey Jones to win the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament.

NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match

NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Io Shirai and Zoey Stark defended against Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro. 

This marked the first defense for Io and Stark. Just last week, Catanzaro and Carter defeated Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne.

The match was pretty good with the challengers looking decent yet the champions were kept strong. Post=match, Mandy Rose, Jayne, and Dolin laid out the challengers. 

NXT Tag Team Championship Match

0NXT

NXT Tag Team Champions MSK defended against Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch.

WWE set up the match last week when the champs noted they’d like to give Lorcan & Burch a shot at the titles.

Lorcan and Burch had to give up the titles this past March when urch suffered a separated shoulder. Fast forward to April, MSK won the vacant titles by defeating The Grizzled Young Veterans and Legado del Fantasma’s Raul Mendoza & Joaquín Wilde in a triple threat match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver

Burch made his big return last week as he joined Lorcan, Pete Dunne and Ridge Holland in beating down Tommaso Ciampa only for MSK to make the save. 

The match was dominated by the challengers until MSK made their comeback at the end and won with their finisher. A very solid match. Post-match, Holland and Dunne attacked Burch and Lorcan.

Adam Cole Reveals How Britt Baker Made His AEW Debut Special

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Adam Cole relished in his AEW debut but Britt Baker made things even more special.

Cole appeared at All Out following the main event world title match between Kenny Omega and Christian Cage. Cole initially appeared to make the save for Cage and Jurassic Express following a post-match beatdown. Instead, he delivered a kick to the jaw of Jungle Boy.

Cole’s reunion with The Elite was spoiled when Bryan Danielson also made his promotional debut. Bryan aligned himself with Cage and Jurassic Express to fight off The Elite.

During his post-show media scrum, Cole explained how his girlfriend, AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker, was able to make his AEW debut that much sweeter.

“I’m so excited for the future. Sunday was one of the greatest nights of my life. It was my favorite night of my career. It’s such an exciting time. I knew last minute, Britt (Baker) knew last minute, and Britt made sure she got Momma Chugs and B-Fresh [Adam Cole’s brother] there. It made it even cooler. Britt deserves a ton of credit for that. She surprised me, she didn’t even tell me she was going to do that.”

Adam Cole had plenty of options on the table once his WWE contract expired. Cole, himself, admitted that even he thought his deal would take longer to end before signing a brief extension to finish his feud on NXT with Kyle O’Reilly. Cole didn’t have a non-compete clause, so he was free to appear at All Out.

Jon Moxley: Vince McMahon Would Think AEW Matches Are ‘Garbage’

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Jon Moxley believes Vince McMahon would be of the mindset that many AEW matches are “garbage.”

Moxley has made it clear that he needed to break away from the WWE system. Moxley cited creative differences as his reason for leaving the company. He felt that being force-fed dialog on television wasn’t effective. Moxley ended up joining AEW and become the promotion’s second world champion.

During an interview with the folks at Cincy 360, Moxley said that McMahon would dismiss the styles of certain matches seen on AEW TV while dismissing crowd reactions.

“There is no ‘put-on’ character going on here. That’s what wrestling should be. Letting guys be themselves and having their own creativity whether they are Orange Cassidy or a crazy high-flying team like the Young Bucks who think up the most ridiculous and action-packed sequences.

“No one is trying to tone each other down or say, ‘that’s too much.’ Vince McMahon would watch a lot of AEW matches and say, ‘That’s garbage. They’re not selling. Slow it down. It’s crap.’ Blood and guts or whatever, but he wouldn’t be paying attention to the 15,000 people going nuts. I feel vindicated. I said a lot about how I felt wrestling should be that’s what AEW was going to do and that’s what we did. Now, look where we are. Now, I’m going to have a bit of a flex.”

Jon Moxley will be in action this Wednesday night (Sept. 8) on Dynamite. It’ll be a special night for Moxley as it’ll be his homecoming in Cincinnati, Ohio. He will be taking on Minoru Suzuki.

Kevin Owens’ WWE Expires In January, Sooner Than Originally Expected

Andrew Ravens
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The same day that Kevin Owens got fans speculating about him potentially going to AEW, a report came out regarding the contract status of the former WWE Universal Champion. 

Owens stated in an interview in May of 2018 with TVA Sports that he’d signed a new 5-year contract that would carry him into 2023 with WWE. It turns out that’s changed and his deal is up sooner than most people expected.

Fightful Select reported today that his deal is actually now up in January 2022.  WWE restructured several contracts ahead of the pandemic and Owens’ deal was changed to expire in January 2022. 

It’s unclear if any additional terms of the deal or specifically why it was shortened. Unlike WWE being unaware of the contract status for Adam Cole and Pete Dunne, WWE is aware of Owens’ deal. 

Owens took to Twitter to tweet and later deleted the coordinates to Mt. Rushmore. He just so happened to be in the Mt. Rushmore stable with the Young Bucks and Cole prior to signing with WWE. Thus, rumors about him potentially going to AEW started. 

Owens also tweeted out this photo of himself with no caption after he was trending on social media: 

AEW Releases Console Game Footage Featuring Jungle Boy

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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0

AEW has released new footage of its upcoming console title.

AEW has been garnering a ton of attention. Recently, the company acquired top-tier talents in CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Adam Cole. The promotion’s popularity has allowed them to dive into other forms of media. That includes video games.

The official AEW Games YouTube channel unveiled gameplay footage of their upcoming console game, and Jungle Boy is at the forefront this time.

In addition, a roster update for the mobile game AEW Elite GM was also announced. Among the names added to the game are CM Punk, Andrade “El Idolo,” Malakai Black, and Thunder Rosa.

Here are the rest of the AEW Elite GM roster additions announced.

AEW Elite GM Roster Update

  • CM Punk
  • Andrade “El Idolo”
  • Malakai Black
  • Thunder Rosa
  • Wheeler YUTA
  • Shawn Dean
  • Julia Hart
  • Negative One
  • Anthony Ogogo
  • Cezar Bononi
  • Brian Pillman Jr
  • JD Drake
  • Ryan Nemeth

The Elite GM game will also receive a content update outside of the roster. Players will soon have access to ranked multiplayer, a championship belt system, animations for segments, additional storyline missions, new finishing moves, and more. Players can expect the new content during the week of Sept. 14.

Mick Foley: WWE Is No Longer The Place For Talent To Aspire To

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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0

Wrestling legend Mick Foley believes younger talent is skeptical of how they’ll be used in WWE.

AEW has served as an alternative for many wrestling fans. Recently, we’ve seen the likes of Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, and Adam Cole make their arrivals in the promotion. In Cole’s situation, his WWE contract ran out sooner than expected and the 32-year-old said the decision was quite “easy.”

Foley hopped on Facebook to address the reason he thinks AEW has become a more appealing option than WWE for some talent.

“The problem is that WWE is no longer the place for talent to aspire to. Part of it is because AEW is doing a great job of attracting great talent, proven talent, building younger talent, creating storylines. But part of it is a problem of your own making. I think younger talent sees the way that developmental characters are cut or left by the wayside or in the case of Karion Kross, greatly watered down and even made a joke of when they debut on the main roster.

“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. If I was an aspiring talent now, a big-league talent with a major decision to make, I’m not sure that I would trust WWE creative to do the right thing with my career. You guys did wonders with me, uh, back in the day, that was a different time, a different place. If it was today, I’m not sure I would trust the powers to be with my career in their hands and until that changes WWE, you’ve got a problem.”

You can watch his comments here:

Mick Foley has been outspoken about WWE’s decision-making in regards to on-air talent. More recently, he was critical of a chair spot involving Drew McIntyre and Shanky.

Do you agree with Mick Foley or is WWE still the place to be for young talent?

Kurt Angle Urges WWE To Reconsider Stance On Indie Talent

Tyriece Simon
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WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle is cautioning WWE on dismissing signing independent wrestlers.

Wrestling Inc’s Nick Hausman interviewed Angle on August 31st to promote Angle’s new sneakers. During the interview, Hausman asked him about WWE focusing more on signing athletes than independent wrestlers. He also noted that most applicants had never been in a wrestling ring at the latest WWE tryout. Angle responded by warning WWE not to ignore independent wrestlers as potential employees.

“…I would tread very lightly on that because there are a lot of incredible independent wrestlers and wrestlers that never did any real sport, but very good at their craft,” said Angle.

WWE Developmental Changing

The WWE developmental program NXT is going through a change. WWE is promoting that the change will start as soon as September 14th. The announcement came with the introduction of the new NXT logo.

WWE President Nick Khan has shared in an interview with BT Sports’ Ariel Helwani that NXT will change his views on new talent. “In terms of an NXT rebrand, look for it in the upcoming weeks, it’s going to have a whole new look, it’s going to have a whole new feel, and we believe because of a lot of the ‘indie wrestlers’ if you will, have come through our system, and are in our system with SmackDown and RAW now. We don’t want to keep doing that same thing; we want to look elsewhere for great young talent,” said Khan.

NXT History with Independent Wrestlers

The WWE has had a successful history of acquiring famous independent wrestlers to NXT. Wrestlers like Matt Riddle, Johnny Gargano, and Asuka came from independent promotions and had successful careers in WWE. However, the success of All Elite Wrestling and other independent promotions has created more options for wrestlers. WWE’s decision to focus on younger athletes with no professional wrestling background seems to be their response.

In August, WWE released several former independent wrestlers from NXT. With the new era of NXT coming next week, it’s still unclear if WWE’s new direction in talent scouting will be a success.

PROGRESS confirms Women’s Championship match for Chapter 121

Jake Skudder
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PROGRESS Wrestling has confirmed that their Women’s Championship will be on the line at their next show, Chapter 121.

Gisele Shaw will be defending her title against Alexxis Falcon, who has already defeated her since the return of PROGRESS Chapters in 2021.

Shaw did however defeat Alexxis at a more recent event after The ‘Dragon of PROGRESS’ had won the top Championship.

The company released a hype video ahead of the anticipated rematch on Saturday, September 11th on Peacock, WWE Network and demandPROGRESS.

This match joins the already confirmed 30 minute Iron Man match between Cara Noir and Chris Ridgeway for the PROGRESS World Championship as well as the second-ever PROGRESS match for Charles Crowley.

Crowley will be joining ELIJAH to face Chuck Mambo and TK Cooper of Sunshine Machine on the card.

Many more matches are expected to be revealed over the next few days ahead of the card on Saturday, September 11th on Peacock, WWE Network and demandPROGRESS.

Check out the hype video for Gisele Shaw vs Alexxis Falcon via the tweet below:

https://twitter.com/ThisIs_Progress/status/1435286744920854529

PROGRESS Chapter 121

Here is the current confirmed card for the show:

  • 30 Minute Iron Man Match for the PROGRESS World Championship: Cara Noir (c) vs Chris Ridgeway
  • Charles Crowley & ELIJAH vs Sunshine Machine
  • PROGRESS Women’s Championship Match: Gisele Shaw (c) vs Alexxis Falcon

WHERE AND HOW TO WATCH: 

WWE Network (worldwide)

demandPROGRESS (worldwide)

Peacock (US only)

ICW strip NXT UK Superstar of World Championship

Jake Skudder
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0

WWE affiliated Scottish promotion Insane Championship Wrestling (ICW) has revealed that their World Champion and NXT UK Superstar Noam Dar has been stripped of the title.

The company issued the following statement on their social media accounts today:

“As a result of COVID-19 restrictions, Noam Dar has been unable to compete for ICW since winning the ICW World Heavyweight Championship last year.

ICW on Noam Dar

“Due to the ongoing uncertainty around this, we have made the difficult decision to vacate the ICW World Heavyweight Championship.

“We hope that Noam Dar can return home to ICW in the near future. When he does, he will be granted a World Championship match at a time of his choosing.

“Two Fatal-4-Way Elimination Matches will now take place on 12 September and 26 September. The winner of each match will enter the main event of Fear & Loathing to challenge for the vacant ICW World Heavyweight Championship.”

ICW has also confirmed that Kez Evans, BT Gunn, DCT and Jason Reed will compete in the first Fatal-4-Way match this Sunday at ICW Fight Club.

The exact reason for Noam Dar being unable to compete for Insane Championship Wrestling has not been confirmed.

It is however worth noting that former PROGRESS Women’s Champion and NXT UK Superstar Jinny also had to vacate her title earlier this year, despite the company filming Chapter shows behind closed doors.

ICW has also been filming on closed sets recently, so it may well be an issue with regards to Dar’s NXT UK status that means he is unable to appear during the ongoing pandemic.

The Undertaker & New Day To Star In “Escape The Undertaker” On Netflix

Chris Stephens
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A new interactive horror film starring the Undertaker and New Day is set to debut on Netflix next month. “Escape the Undertaker” will feature the New Day inside a haunted mansion where the Undertaker has set a trap for them. It will premiere on the streaming service on October 5th, 2021.

“The Undertaker has set a trap for the decorated tag team The New Day at his mansion. What they don’t know: The Undertaker’s mansion is an extreme Haunted House, packed to the brim with supernatural challenges. It’s up to viewers to decide the fate of these three poor souls trying to survive the wrath of The Undertaker,” a description of the movie reads.

Netflix announced the project today and included several screenshots of the film.

Untitled design 5
Untitled design 4
Untitled design 3

Netflix has been toying with interactive projects in recent years. These include Carmen Sandiego: To Steal or Not to Steal, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and several other projects. Netflix did not reveal what interactive aspects will be part of the film, however.

For the 56-year-old Undertaker, this project will be his first with WWE since Survivor Series last year. Taker has officially retired from in-ring competition.

Bryan Danielson Will Not Have Yes Chants or The Final Countdown in AEW

Chris Stephens
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Some fans may have been hoping to hear Bryan Danielson enter the arena to the sounds of Europe’s “Final Countdown” at All Out. Danielson had used the song on the independent scene before signing with WWE. According to comments made by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, however, AEW tried but was unable to secure the rights to the song.

“There was, in fact, an attempt to have him come out to the Final Countdown, figuring the place would explode, which they did anyway,” said Dave Meltzer. “But it was, even for Tony Khan, it was cost-prohibitive. So, that’s why that didn’t play.”

“One of (Danielson’s) friends made this new remix and they think, in time, this song will be just fine,” Meltzer continued.

ROH evidently ran into similar problems trying to obtain the rights to the music.

https://twitter.com/WWNLennyLeonard/status/1434861186709921792

Bryan Danielson on Using “Yes!” Chants in AEW

Danielson was also asked about using the “Yes!” chants in AEW during All Out’s post-even media scrum. Danielson said he won’t be using the chants himself due to WWE’s intellectual property rights. He said it was great that the fans were doing it, however.

“I don’t know, we’re going to have to talk about like what I can do and what I cannot do,” Danielson said. “So one of the things that I do try to respect, because like I said, I appreciate the people I worked for before and respecting their intellectual property and that sort of thing. And so try and making sure that I don’t contradict any of that. And the fans doing it is great, but I’m not sure if I’m going to do it.”

Bryan Danielson’s Reasons For Joining AEW Should Concern WWE

Chris Stephens
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While CM Punk has been critical of his time in WWE (without mentioning the company by name) since signing with AEW, comments made by Bryan Danielson since All Out strike an entirely different tune. At the post-event media scrum, Danielson was very complimentary of WWE, his time there, and his relationship with Vince McMahon.

“WWE was so gracious with me as far as the offer that they gave me,” Danielson said. “They were gonna let me go do some other stuff on the outside, but, I hate to say this, Vince sometimes — He and I have a great relationship. I love him, I do. Sometimes he’s overprotective of me.”

Yet even though Bryan did not have the contentious relationship with WWE management as Punk did, was not released from his contract like a Ruby Soho or many others were, he still chose to sign with AEW.

Danielson signed with AEW even though WWE was going to let him work with other companies. He signed with AEW despite WWE offering him big money and featuring him in the main event of WrestleMania just months ago.

Bryan Danielson: I Want To Be A Part of This

Bryan continued by saying that it’s the fans, the AEW locker room, and the excitement surrounding the new company that enticed him to join.

“There’s just an excitement. You see the crowd. I mean I think you all see it, probably were all out there and you felt it,” Danielson continued to say about AEW. “You felt how excited people are about this product and it feels vibrant. Even just watching it through a TV screen in a trailer. I’m sitting there going, ‘God this is awesome. I want to be a part of this.’ So that was it.”

In other words, Bryan leaving WWE and signing with AEW had nothing to do with the negative aspects we often hear about WWE. Instead, Bryan’s signing had everything to do with the positive aspects of AEW. This is something WWE may want to be concerned about.

If they are unable to hold onto key talent such as a Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson, it might be a sign that the pendulum has swung inside the industry. Amongst wrestlers, WWE is no longer the promotion wrestlers dream of signing with. AEW is now in that role.

Kevin Nash Reacts To New Day’s NWO Wolfpac-themed Gear on RAW

Chris Stephens
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Last night on RAW, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston wore black and red NWO-themed gear reminiscent of the Wolfpac. The New Day took part in the tag-team turmoil match for a shot at RK-Bro and the RAW tag team championships.

When the Wolfpac split away from what would eventually become NWO Hollywood in 1998, Kevin Nash, Randy Savage (briefly), Konnan, Lex Luger and Sting were the key members. Nash took to Twitter to comment on New Day wearing the Wolfpac-themed gear on RAW last night:

Big E responded to Kevin Nash’s comments with the following GIF:

Kofi Kingston also responded to Kevin Nash’s Tweet:

WWEShop.com has the New Day’s NWO-themed shirt available for purchase here.

NWO Wolfpac History

Before the Wolfpac ever became an official faction, they were something of an NWO sub-group. Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Syxx-Pac sometimes referred to themselves by this name. When the Wolfpac officially separated from NWO Hollywood in 98, however, Syxx was already gone from WCW, and Hall opted to remain a member of the NWO Black and White faction.

The NWO would eventually reunite after the infamous “Finger Poke of Doom” on January 4th, 1999. Kevin Nash won the WCW World Championship from Goldberg at Starrcade 1998 the week before the this. It was his first of 5 eventual reigns he’d have with the belt.

Sean Waltman Comments On CM Punk vs Darby Allin’s Homage To Bret Hart vs 1-2-3 Kid

Chris Stephens
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Many fans noticed that the match between CM Punk and Darby Allin at All Out shared multiple similar spots to an influential match from the past. Bret Hart faced the 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman) for the WWF Championship in July of 1994. Punk would have been 15 years old at the time the match took place. In the build-up to Punk vs Darby, Punk mentioned that if he was 15-years-old, Darby would be his favorite wrestler.

A Bret Hart fan page on Instagram posted a video showing several spots where Punk and Darby Allin paid homage to Hart vs 1-2-3 Kid at All Out.

Sean Waltman Responds To Bret Hart vs 1-2-3 Kid Homage During CM Punk vs Darby Allin

Sean Waltman responded to the homage recently on social media.

Waltman doesn’t always remember his matches with Bret as clearly, however. He responded to a thread about another match he had against Bret that took place in February of 1994.

Based on fan ratings from Cagematch.net, Hart vs 1-2-3 Kid is the 14th highest rated match of Bret Hart’s career. It was the 3rd best match of Waltman’s career according to the same website. The match received a 4.5 star rating from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The full match between the 1-2-3 Kid and Bret Hart can be viewed in the player below:

Kris Statlander Discusses Potentially Working With CM Punk

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Kris Statlander has spoken out on CM Punk’s arrival in AEW.

Punk made his return to the wrestling industry after being away for seven years. He debuted for AEW on the Aug. 20 episode of Rampage. Punk made his entrance inside a packed United Center in Chicago, Illinois. He received one of the biggest crowd reactions you will ever see for a wrestling show.

Punk then faced Darby Allin at the All Out PPV. He picked up the victory over Darby and now it’s full steam ahead for the self-proclaimed “Best in the World.”

Statlander appeared on Women’s Wrestling Talk and said she’s open to working with Punk down the road.

“I was there for it. I think it was never really 100% confirmed until it was there. And we all knew that it was happening, like, we all knew it, just no one officially was like, ‘Oh, CM Punk is coming.’ But we are all like, we know it’s gonna happen.

“I would definitely want to learn from him. I’m always willing to learn from any and everybody. And people have all had their own experiences with their own careers that you can always take something from.”

Statlander also appeared on the All Out PPV. She challenged Britt Baker for the AEW Women’s Championship in a losing effort.

WWE RAW Results (9/6): Tag Team Turmoil, Title Matches Set For Extreme Rules

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired from the FTX Arena in Miami, Florida. Sheamus battled Drew McIntyre to determine who will face Damian Priest for the United States Championship at Extreme Rules. 8 teams competed in a Tag Team Turmoil match to become the #1 contenders for the RAW Tag Team Championships.

RAW Results (9/6)

  1. Sheamus def. Drew McIntyre and will face Damian Priest at Extreme Rules for the US Title
  2. Rhea Ripley & Nikki A.S.H. def. Tamina & Natalya in a Championship Contenders match
  3. Karrion Kross def. John Morrison via submission
  4. Charlotte Flair def. Nia Jax to retain the RAW Women’s Championship
  5. Reggie def. Akira Tozawa to retain the 24/7 Championship
  6. Lashley & MVP won the Tag Team Turmoil match and earned a shot at the RAW Tag Team Championships

Lashley Will Defend The WWE Title Against Randy Orton At Extreme Rules

RAW Tag Team Champions RK-Bro came to the ring to a great reaction to the crowd. Orton noted that MVP & Lashley failed miserably at capturing their tag titles and called Lashley a greedy b*tch. Riddle spoke about all the teams in the Tag Turmoil match and how he hopes New Day bring pancakes to the ring.

WWE Champion Lashley and MVP interrupted and made their way to the ring. MVP called Orton’s RKO last week cowardly and challenged him to match. Orton said that has been about 10-15 years since they faced each other and dared Lashley to put the WWE Championship on the line. Lashley accepted and said that they are going to be in the Tag Team Turmoil match later tonight as well. Lashley vowed to become double champ at Extreme Rules and New Day interrupted. They said that Lashley and MVP better hurry up and talk to Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville because they are about to kick off the Tag Team Turmoil match right now.

Mace & T-Bar Attacked New Day, Ali & Mansoor

New Day faced Viking Raiders first in the Tag Turmoil match. Kofi beat Ivar down in the corner but Ivar battled back. Erik tagged in and slammed Ivar on top of Kingston. Erik went for the cover but Kingston kicked out at two. Erik leveled Kofi with a shoulder tackle and brought him to the corner.

Ivar tagged in and Kingston hit him with a Double Stomp. Xavier Woods tagged in and tried to send Erik to the corner. Erik blocked it and sent Woods across the ring with an overhead throw. Woods caught Erik with a boot to the face and leaped through the ropes into a Tornado DDT. Kofi tagged in and hit Erik with a kick to the face for a two count.

Kingston did a trust fall onto the Viking Raiders outside the ring and they caught him. Erik and Ivar launched Kofi onto Woods as RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, Viking Raiders were in control and Ivar hit a massive Frog Splash. Ivar went for the cover but Woods kicked out at two and RK-Bro couldn’t believe it ringside.

Jinder Mahal and Veer were the next team. New Day hit a couple Suicide Dive and Woods followed it up with a Splash in the ring on Mahal for a near fall. Jinder hit an elbow to the face and stomped on Xavier’s midsection. Mahal connected with a Knee Drop for a two count and Veer tagged in. Veer sent Woods out of the ring and Kofi went to check on him but Shanky got in the way as RAW went to a break.

When RAW returned, New Day took control and hit Mahal with a Backbreaker/Double Stomp for the pinfall. Lucha House Party entered the match next and dominated the action early. Kofi hit an ugly Splash for a two count and then brought Lince Dorado to the corner. Dorado hit New Day with a Cutter and then sent Woods to the mat with a Superkick. Metalik tagged in for a Moonsault and Dorado followed it up with one of his one. Dorado went for the cover but Kofi broke it up at two. Lucha House Party threw Kofi out of the ring and set Woods up for a move. Kofi broke it up and Woods rolled up Dorado for the pinfall.

Mace and T-Bar made their way to the ring to face New Day as RAW went to a break. Mace and T-Bar spent the next few minutes beating the hell out of Xavier Woods. Mace knocked Kofi off the apron and Woods rolled up T-Bar for the pinfall. They attacked Kingston after and then beat down Mansoor & Mustafa Ali. Mace brought steel steps into the ring and T-Bar launched Kofi into them. T-Bar bashed Mustafa Ali into the ring post until finally WWE officials rushed the ring to break it up as RAW went to a break. It was announced that New Day, AJ Styles & Omos, Mansoor & Ali, and Bobby Lashley & MVP will finish the Tag Turmoil match later on the show.

Damian Priest Will Defend The US Title Against Sheamus At Extreme Rules

Sheamus faced Drew McIntyre tonight to begin the 2nd hour of RAW. The winner of the match will face Damian Priest at Extreme Rules for the United States Championship.

Sheamus brought McIntyre to the mat and applied a Headlock as Damian Priest was shown watching backstage. McIntyre escaped and ran over Sheamus with a shoulder tackle. Drew followed it up with a chop to the chest and hit 10 Beats of the Bodhran on Sheamus.

The Celtic Warrior knocked McIntyre to the outside and made his way to the top rope. Sheamus connected with a Flying Clothesline and rolled Drew back into the ring. McIntyre hit a Spinebuster and went for the cover but Sheamus kicked out at two. McIntyre and Sheamus battled on the top rope and traded punches. Sheamus hit a massive Superplex as RAW went to a break.

Sheamus made his way to the top rope again but McIntyre quickly hopped and hurled him to the canvas for a near fall. Sheamus planted McIntyre with an Alabama Slam and went for the cover but McIntyre kicked out at two. Sheamus mocked the 3-2-1 chant and went for a Brogue Kick but McIntyre countered with a Clothesline.

McIntyre hit the Future Shock DDT but Sheamus was able to kick out at two. Sheamus hit a running knee to the face and went for the cover but McIntyre kicked out at two. Drew then planted Sheamus with White Noise for a near fall. Sheamus dodged a Claymore and rolled up McIntyre and used his tights for leverage to steal the win. Drew hit Sheamus with his mask and leveled him with a Claymore after the match. US Champion Damian Priest was interviewed backstage and claimed that he has Sheamus’ number indwell retain at Extreme Rules.

Rhea Ripley & Nikki A.S.H. Pinned The Champs

Natalya & Tamina faced Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley tonight on RAW in a Championship Contenders match. The crowd didn’t seem to be behind Nikki as Tamina sent her to the corner to begin the match. Tamina perched Nikki up on the top rope and went for a Samoan Drop but Nikki escaped. Nikki hit a Dropkick and tagged Ripley in. Ripley leveled Tamina with a kick to the face but Tamina got right up. The two superstars traded punches in the middle of the ring but the champions took control.

Natalya tagged in and got Ripley in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Rhea escaped lifted Nikki onto her shoulders. Nikki booted Natalya as Tamina brought Ripley out of the ring. Tamina hit a Superkick and Ripley crashed into the steel steps as RAW went to a commercial.

When RAW returned, Ripley bashed Tamina off the apron and planted Natalya with a Northern Lights Suplex for a near fall. Nikki tagged in and hit a Crossbody but Tamina broke up the cover. Natalya hit a German Suplex on Rhea and hit Nikki with a Clothesline. Natalya went for the Sharpshooter but Ripley broke it up and hit Riptide for the pinfall victory. Rhea and Nikki A.S.H. are now in line for a title shot against the team they just defeated.

Karrion Kross Tapped Out John Morrison

John Morrison had Karrion Kross on an episode of Moist TV backstage. Kross said he wanted to eliminate Morrison from existence and teach him to fall and pray tonight. Kross then battled John Morrison in a singles match.

Karrion Kross completely dominated the match early and John crawled to the corner. Morrison sprayed Karrion in the face with a squirt gun and Kross sent him into the ring post with a Back Body Drop. Morrison crashed to the floor and Kross let out a scream. Back in the ring, Karrion locked in the Kross Jacket for the submission victory.

Charlotte Flair Retained The RAW Women’s Title, Alexa Bliss Challenged Her

Charlotte Flair defended the RAW Women’s Championship against Nia Jax tonight. Before the match, Shayna Baszler said she isn’t sure Nia can beat Charlotte two times in a row and suggested that she will choke tonight.

Charlotte attacked Nia and the two started trash talking. Charlotte tried to leave with the title but Nia dragged her back into the ring by the hair. Flair hit Jax with a chop block and then a Powerbomb off the middle rope for near fall. Flair focused her attack on Nia’s leg and stomped it on it several times. Charlotte set up for the Figure Four but Nia blocked it and slammed Flair into the turnbuckle as RAW went to a commercial break.

Flair connected with a Moonsault outside the ring. Shayna went to hit Flair but she ducked and Baszler almost hit Nia. Back in the ring, Flair and Jax battled to the corner of the ring. Shayna hopped up on the ring apron to distract Nia again and Flair hit Natural Selection on Charlotte for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Alexa Bliss appeared on the Jumbotron and invited Charlotte to Alexa’s Playground. Charlotte declined and then the lights went out. Bliss showed up with Lilly in the ring behind Flair. Charlotte asked what Alexa wanted and Bliss pointed at the title. Charlotte asked if Bliss wanted a title match and then raised the RAW Women’s Championship as the crowd chanted “yes!”. Flair accepted but noted that the ring isn’t Bliss’ playground, it is hers.

Reggie Retained The 24/7 Championship

Reggie defended the 24/7 Championship against Akira Tozawa tonight on RAW. Reggie retained in a quick match and flipped onto Jeff Hardy and other superstars that were chasing him around for the title. Drake Maverick made his return to RAW and appeared on the ramp at the end of the segment. R-Truth told him to go back home to his wife as Reggie escaped.

Lashley & MVP Earned A Title Shot Next Week

New Day limped back down the entrance ramp to begin the 2nd half of Tag Team Turmoil against Mansoor and Mustafa Ali. RK-Bro were ringside again. Kofi hit Mustafa with SOS and tagged in Woods. Kofi connected with a Superplex on Ali and they rolled out of the ring. Mansoor rolled up Woods for near fall and Xavier grabbed his back in pain. Ali demanded that Mansoor attack him but he backed away. Mustafa tagged in and kicked Woods in the back. Xavier responded with a headbutt and then Kingston hit Ali with Trouble in Paradise. Woods followed it up with an Elbow Drop across the ring on Ali for the pinfall.

AJ Styles and Omos were the next team and AJ beat Woods down for a few minutes. Xavier eventually battled back and sent AJ out of the ring. Woods crawled to the corner but AJ knocked Kofi off the apron. Woods and AJ both connected with a Clothesline at the same time and fell to the canvas.

Kingston and Omos tagged in and Omos swatted the former WWE Champion out of the air as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Kofi hit AJ with an Enziguri and went for the cover but Omos broke it up. Woods charged at Omos but he threw him out of the ring. Omos lifted up Kofi and handed him to Styles. AJ connected with the Styles Clash for the pinfall. New Day wrestled for at least an hour during the show.

WWE Champion Bobby Lashley and MVP then battled AJ Styles & Omos for a shot at the RAW Tag Team Championships. Lashley controlled the action early and AJ retreated to the corner. Omos tagged in and towered over Lashley in the ring. Lashley and Omos locked up in a test of strength and the champion connected with some kicks to the midsection.

Bobby set up for a Suplex but Omos countered and slammed Lashley to the mat. Omos hit Lashley with a boot to the face and the WWE Champion tumbled out of the ring. Lashley got up and Randy Orton was right in his face. The two started at each other and AJ Styles took them both out with a Crossbody off the announce table. Omos grabbed Riddle and hurled him into the barricade.

MVP hobbled up to AJ Styles and he dropped him with a kick to the side of the head. Omos launched Riddle over the announce table as AJ set up for the Phenomenal Forearm. Lashley got out of the way and hit AJ Styles with a Spear for the pinfall victory. Lashley and MVP earned a shot at the RAW Tag Team Championships next week. After the match, Omos planted Lashley with a Chokeslam and Orton hit Lashley with an RKO when he got back up. RK-Bro posed for the crowd to close the show.

CM Punk Says Teaming With Sting Is “A Bucket List Thing”

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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CM Punk admits teaming with Sting is bucket list material.

Punk recently had his first wrestling match in seven years. He took on Darby Allin at the AEW All Out PPV inside the Now Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Punk hit Darby with the GTS to get the pinfall victory.

Ahead of the match, Sting, who is Darby’s mentor, promised he would stay out of the match. “The Icon” lived up to his word and stood backstage after Darby made his walkout. After the match, Sting returned and shook Punk’s hand.

Speaking to media members following All Out, Punk discussed what it would mean to team with Sting.

“Without ever having a bucket list, it’d be hard for me to write things down because I’ve done so many cool things, but yeah, that’s one of them, that’s a bucket list thing. It’s an item that I never thought I would, you know, because your brain doesn’t go there. We were never in the same company at the same time with two different generations of wrestlers and you just, you never thought it was possible, and now it is. That’s kind of how I feel about the entire groundswell of AEW as a whole, you know, like you got me, Darby and Sting in a ring and it’s legitimately three different generations, you know?

“It feels like there’s something there and there’s real organic moments here. Like him coming out and shaking my hand. We didn’t talk about that. That wasn’t a planned thing. He came out and he did it. Before I shook his hand, I looked at him and I was like, ‘This means something to a kid like me,’ and he said, ‘It means something to me too, you know?’ That’s, that’s wild to me. That’s the playground we have here, where we could do all the stuff that you didn’t ever think was possible.”

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