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Booker T Praises Nick Gage, Says Other Wrestlers Can Learn From Him

Chris Stephens
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Nick Gage’s recent performances in GCW and AEW have gotten a lot of people talking. One of those people is Booker T. He mentioned on his Hall of Fame show recently that if more wrestlers were like Nick Gage, the industry would be better off for it.

“I’ll tell you this. Nick Gage, I have never met this dude before in my life. But I’ll tell you, if everyone in this business had the same thought process as a Nick Gage, the business would be in a much, much better place,” Booker said.

“This guy, Nick Gage, you pull up photos of this guy, and you’ll never gonna see him smiling in any of them. He’s got the same look on his face in every photo, in every picture I have ever seen him in. There is not a picture of him being happy. It’s a picture of a guy who’s getting ready to go into a deathmatch, each and every night. He’s the real deal.”

Booker T Praises Nick Gage

40-year-old Nick Gage is a 21-year pro, having first made his debut in February of 1999. He was trained by the CZW school and John Zandig. Gage is a 4x CZW World Champion and was inducted into the CZW Hall of Fame in 2009.

“The guys in WWE, Impact Wrestling, AEW – they can learn a whole lot from Nick Gage, and that’s just my opinion. I don’t know a lot about him, but when someone sees something different about you in this business, it’s uncanny.”

Booker continued to say he’s not actually seen Gage wrestle, but that doesn’t impact his opinion. Gage feels different, serious and real, and that is what is appealing about him to Booker.

“I’ve never watched one match. But I know when you look at this dude, he isn’t the guy you’re gonna walk up on and say, ‘What about that wrestling stuff ya’ll do?’ Because he might hit you. He’s the real deal. If everybody walked along that same line and took it as serious as this guy does, it would be a much better place.”

H/T transcriptions via 411 Mania

Paige Provides Encouraging Update On Her Health & Future

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE superstar Paige has been vocal about wanting to make a wrestling return in the future. She recently provided some positive updates in the direction.

The former diva’s champion took on her Twitter to reveal that she is slowly getting stronger. She is now able to squat 185lbs once again:

“You guys I’m getting stronger, squatting 185lbs again.” wrote Paige, “I know it’s not a ton but it’s a big accomplishment for me who was worried to do any gym stuff because of my neck. But my neck is feeling so awesome. I’m so proud of myself”

https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1421239004507246593
https://twitter.com/RealPaigeWWE/status/1421242054118559748

The former champion suffered a neck injury while competing at a WWE house show back in December 2017. She officially announced her retirement from active competition in April the next year.

Paige On The Status Of Her Neck

Paige has been providing positive updates on her health for a while. The last update she provided was in April earlier this year. In an interview with Renee Paquette she had said that she hadn’t had any issues with her neck in a while:

“I haven’t had any issues with my neck right now. Sometimes I’ll wake up, and it’s funny, you know, it feels weird, but it’ll go away, I’m going to get my neck checked very soon to see the progress of it.

Hopefully, it looks good. I’m not saying in any way, shape, or form they’re going to let me come back; it’s literally just a checkup. But I am intrigued to see how my neck has progressed, for sure.”

While a timetable for her potential return is not known yet, the latest positive updates on her health are still encouraging for fans. Many hope that she will be able to return to the ring sooner rather than later.

Jon Moxley Challenges The Good Brothers To Face Him & A Mystery Partner

Chris Stephens
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New Japan Pro Wrestling posted to Twitter that they received a message from Jon Moxley regarding NJPW Resurgence. The former IWGP United States Champion has challenged Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows to a tag match on the show. Moxley says he has a mystery partner for the event.

“I just want to send a little message real quick after that match to New Japan Pro Wrestling,” Moxley begins in the video message. “Wherever my travels in this sport take me you can be sure of one damn thing, I will settle scores that need settling whether it takes months, weeks, days, hours, years, I will eventually get you. I will settle the score. I’ve got a little business with these Bullet Club type guys you know and I was just thinking on the 14th I’ve got a buddy of mine I’m meeting in LA for some beers, so why don’t we make it a 2 for 1?”

“Good Brothers, Gallows, Anderson, you meet me at Resurgence in LA and I’ll have a surprise for you,” Moxley continued.

Matches confirmed for the show on August 14thin include Jay White vs David Finlay, and Lance Archer vs Hiroshi Tanahashi.

Moxley’s comments can be heard in the Tweet below:

https://twitter.com/njpwglobal/status/1421312159829528584

Exclusive: PROGRESS Stars Charlie Sterling and Nick Riley Want Matches with ROH, AEW and NXT Superstars

Jake Skudder
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We were able to speak to PROGRESS stars Charlie Sterling and Nick Riley, the Smokin’ Aces, ahead of their PROGRESS Chapter 116 matches on Peacock, WWE Network and demandPROGRESS this weekend.

Charlie Sterling will be facing Cara Noir for the PROGRESS World Championship and Nick will be facing one half of the PROGRESS Tag Team Champions, Kid Lykos II. 

The duo discussed how they are feeling ahead of the bouts, and also who they see on the independent scenes, and beyond, that they want to get in the ring with on a PROGRESS card.

SEScoops: Charlie Sterling, how do you feel heading into the biggest match of your career thus far?

CHARLIE: I expect Cara to be a bit worried. One thing we’ve learned is that he can’t put anyone away in less than 10 minutes. If I can get him before then? I’m absolutely taking the gold home with me, but he’s an absolute stamina machine and can go for 20-30 minutes, so I really need to get in there and take him out early.

SEScoops: And Nick, how are you preparing for Kid Lykos II?

NICK: Kid Lykos is sneaky, dangerous and has never met a rule he hasn’t broken, the same goes for Kid Lykos II. I want to make sure that when Charlie comes back with the PROGRESS World Championship that the team is in a position to go for the tag belts. A win against Lykos II could push us in that direction. As a team we thrive, a well-oiled machine, Shearer and Sheringham…well I’m Jack Grealish and Charlie is…erm…McGinn?

SEScoops: In terms of your influences in wrestling, who would you say is most important to you from a tag and singles perspective?

CHARLIE: As a singles competitor, in fact even as a tag team member, Bret Hart is the greatest ever. To me there’s no discussion, best there is, was and ever will be. There’s a lot of Curt Hennig in my style as well, I’ve been told that the way I carry myself in the ring is like Mr Perfect, and I’ll take that compliment any day of the week. In terms of current performers? AJ Styles has done it everywhere and continues to be on top of his game.

NICK: Love Jerry Lynn, his matches with Rob Van Dam from later years ECW were fantastic. Eddie Guerrero is A+, and I have to show my love for Trent Acid as well. Owen Hart is another, I’ve got a bit of that relationship with Charlie, brother to brother, except he loves mentioning that I’m older than him…I’m still the Grealish of this team.

SEScoops: And in terms of tag teams?

CHARLIE: Have to go with FTR, they’re easily one of the best out there. 

NICK: Loved The Eliminators, The Steiners, and still love The Young Bucks.

SEScoops: So, as a tandem, are there any teams out there that you want to face in PROGRESS?

CHARLIE: I’ve always wanted to face Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin, the Motor City Machine Guns. I’d really like to have some former PROGRESS Tag Team Champions back here so we can show them the new generation is ready to take the company forward. I’ve got history with Zack Gibson, so I’d be more than happy to go to war with Grizzled Young Veterans.

Nick Riley and Charlie Sterling of PROGRESS

NICK: Dangerous Tekkers are a sound team, I’d like to face them. I’m with Charlie in that I want some of the ‘old’ guard to face, like Santana & Ortiz, they’ve had some belters in PROGRESS, and Jonathan Gresham with Chris Brookes. Bring them all in.

SEScoops: And in terms of continuing as singles competitors in PROGRESS?

CHARLIE: I would give my right arm to face PAC, preferably after I’ve wrestled him. Jay Lethal as well, I have huge respect for him and his ability.

NICK: Davey Richards, Bandido and Sami Callihan. If I can face Callihan first and nick his bat for the other two that would be handy.

SEScoops: Do you have any parting words before Chapter 116 this Saturday?

NICK: Charlie, beat the black swan, bring that belt home.

CHARLIE: Oh, it’s coming home.

NICK: I’m still Grealish.

SEScoops: Thanks for your time lads

Jon Moxley Believes Domino’s Needs To ‘Chill Out’

Anutosh Bajpai
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Jon Moxley recently joined Cincy 3:60 to promote an upcoming episode of AEW Dynamite scheduled for September 8 in his hometown of Cincinnati.

The former AEW champion talked about a number of things during his appearance and commented on their recent controversy with Domino’s.

The pizza chain threatened to pull their ads from AEW programming over a spot on last week’s Dynamite. Talking about it, Mox said that the company needs to child out:

“Domino’s Pizza needs to chill out. They need to chill man.”

“It was a coincidence. You know what? Jump on the bandwagon man. You don’t think Nick Gage can sell some pizzas for you? Come on. You know that the Noid is played out at this point and you’re bringing back the Noid? Come on.”

For those who don’t know, the Fight For The Fallen special of Dynamite featured a No DQ match between Chris Jericho and Nick Gage. A spot in the bout saw Gage busting Jericho open with a pizza cutter.

A Domino’s ad appeared on the screen right after this. Many speculated that the pizza chain may have partnered with AEW for the spot but they released a statement, denying any involvement in it.

NJPW Champion Robbie Eagles Interested In Facing Daniel Bryan

Anutosh Bajpai
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Amidst the various rumors about the future of Daniel Bryan, a current NJPW champion Robbie Eagles has expressed interest in facing the former world champion.

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight champion recently made a tweet. In the tweet as seen below, he expressed interest in facing the former WWE star, claiming that facing Bryan is a dream match for him:

For those who don’t know, Bryan’s contract with WWE expired in May. It was initially believed that he will re-sign with the company, but things have changed since then.

Latest reports suggest that the former champion has agreed to a contract with AEW. It’s said that he wants to compete for NJPW. AEW’s partnership with the Japanese promotion was the deciding factor in his decision.

Robbie Eagles has been with NJPW since 2018. The company has slowly been building him as a star in recent times. He has been feuding with people such as the former IWGP heavyweight champion Will Ospreay and more.

He won his first title in the company during the Wrestle Grand Slam event last week. Eagles defeated El Desperado to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight championship.

There is no word yet on if this tweet is part of any plans for Bryan. It will be interesting to see if it comes into play somewhere down the line and if we see a match between these two in future.

Free To Attend Premiere Party Announced For Rampage In Chicago

Anutosh Bajpai
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AEW has announced a free-to-attend premiere party for Rampage in Chicago taking place on August 13 from the Replay Lincoln Park bar.

The party hosted by Warrior Wrestling’s Nick Hausman will feature many festivities including AEW swag giveaways, AEW trivia, WWF WrestleMania arcade and pinball competition, and more:

The party will start a couple of hours before the premiere of AEW’s second TV show Rampage that will be taking place from the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA.

This is an interesting announcement from AEW, especially since the second episode of their new TV show will also be taking place in Chicago from the United Center just a week later on August 20.

Though that won’t be all as the promotion is set to hold 4 more shows in the Chicago area after the mentioned Rampage episode which includes the All Out PPV event from Now Arena on September 5th.

Reports suggest that Chicago native CM Punk has agreed to make his wrestling return for AEW. Many expect him to make his comeback during one of these shows.

Whether or not this turns out to be the case will be seen in the future but it’s clear that fans will be in for another fun wrestling night during the upcoming premiere party.

WWE SmackDown Results (7/30): Sasha Banks Returns, Roman Reigns & John Cena

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the Target Center in Minneapolis. John Cena appeared on tonight’s show and responded to Roman Reigns declining his offer for a match at SummerSlam but accepting one with Finn Balor. Reigns and Finn Balor had a Contract Signing for the Universal Championship match at SummerSlam during the show as well.

SmackDown Results

  1. Rey Mysterio def. Jimmy Uso
  2. Reginald def. Chad Gable via DQ
  3. Shinsuke Nakamura, Big E, Cesaro def. Apollo Crews, Robert Roode, Dolph Ziggler
  4. Sasha Banks & Bianca Belair def. Carmella & Zelina Vega

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Cena Responded To Reigns & Corbin Interrupted

John Cena kicked off the show to a great reaction from the crowd. Cena hyped up the crowd and said that tonight Roman Reigns and Finn Balor will sign a contract for a match at SummerSlam. The fans booed and Cena stated he respects Balor but this proves his point that Roman Reigns sucks.

Cena joked that he can handle rejection as he has been rejected in front of the entire world. John added that Reigns’ reasons for declining the match were stupid (Cena returned with the same look and music). Cena said that would be like asking Stone Cold to return as Sasquatch Steve Houston and The Rock to come back as Dwayne “Too Small” Johnson.

John claimed that the reason Roman has to change every couple of years is because the fans stop caring about him and don’t believe in him. Cena suggested that Reigns doesn’t even believe in himself and that Roman Reigns is actually a lazy stooge named Joe who coasts on every gimmick in the system.

Cena said that Reigns is afraid to fail and that he would have embarrassed Roman at SummerSlam. He added that Reigns didn’t reject the match because of how Cena looks, Roman rejected the match because Cena will make him look.

Baron Corbin interrupted and lumbered his way to the ring. Corbin said he wants to talk and Cena joked that he has no clue who Corbin is. John then said he recognizes him now and that Corbin looked terrible.

Corbin admitted that he wasn’t doing well and that he is desperate because his life is falling apart. Baron then claimed to suffer an injury to a sensitive part of his body that prevents him from being able to perform and that his wife left him with the kids. Corbin noted that Cena grants a ton of wishes and asked if he could help him.

Cena asked the crowd if he should help and they booed. John handed Corbin some money and Corbin complained that it wasn’t enough. Corbin told Cena that he will work for money and asked to be in the next Suicide Squad movie. Cena said that the filming for the movie is over and Corbin quickly asked to be John’s stunt double in the sequel.

Baron called Cena selfish and asked if he was going to kick a poor man while he is down. Corbin continued to insult Cena and called him a sell-out with an ego the size of California. Cena offered Corbin some help with his attitude and planted him with an Attitude Adjustment.

Rey Mysterio def. Jimmy Uso

Jimmy Uso squared off against Rey Mysterio in the first match of the night. Jey and Dominik were ringside for the match. Rey controlled the action early and connected with a Running Bulldog for a near fall. Jimmy battled back and leveled Rey with a Superkick outside the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Rey tried to battle back but Uso caught him with an Enziguri. Jimmy went for a Superplex but Mysterio blocked it with some headbutts. Rey hit a Senton off the top and followed it up with a Crossbody for a near fall. Jimmy dodged a Splash and booted Rey in the face. Rey shrugged it off and set up for the 619 but Jey pulled his brother out of the way.

Rey hit The Usos with a Splash and brought Jimmy back into the ring. Rey went for the 619 but Jimmy blocked it. Rey escaped a Samoan Drop and rolled up Jimmy. Dominik assisted in the pin and Rey won the match. Rey celebrated with Dominik after the victory.

Sasha Bank Returned

SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair was interviewed backstage tonight. Kayla Braxton congratulated the champ on her 110 day title reign and wondered what is next for her. Belair said the past few months have been amazing and she is very grateful.

Carmella interrupted and claimed that Belair could cement her legacy by giving her yet another title shot. Carmella noted that she held the SmackDown Women’s Championship for 130 days. Zelina Vega joined the party and told Carmella that she is too pretty to be a three time loser and said that she wanted to face Belair.

Vega said it to Belair’s face and the champ accepted the challenge. Carmella then attacked Belair from behind and Vega joined in on the attack. Sasha Banks made her return to an amazing reaction from the crowd. The Boss rushed the ring and leveled Carmella. Banks dropped Vega and then helped Belair up. Sasha raised Bianca’s hand as the SmackDown Women’s Champion had a confused look on her face. Banks then hugged Belair to end the segment. It was later announced that Banks & Belair will team up to face Carmella & Vega in tonight’s main event.

Reginald Retained Via DQ

Chad Gable faced Reginald for the 24/7 Championship tonight. Otis was ringside for the match. Gable connected with a Tiger Suplex and went for the cover but Reginald was able to kick out at two. The superstars battled to the top rope and Gable went for a German Suplex but Reginald was able to land on his feet. Otis then attacked Reginald to end the match in a DQ.

Cena Signed The Contract

Roman Reigns and Finn Balor had the contract signing for their Universal Championship match tonight. Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce came to the ring and said that they were going to make sure that the contract is signed without disruption.

Balor made his way to the ring first and then Roman Reigns took his time getting to the ring. Roman laughed at two fans dressed as Cena in the front row during the entrance. Reigns said that Cena must think Balor is a lesser man than he is. Roman said that Balor is a worthy challenger because he doesn’t come out here with the tired old schtick. Reigns noted that Balor is hungry and wants it and the Universal Champion digs that.

Reigns then added that he is going to smash Balor and send him back to NXT. Roman signed the contract and pushed it over to Balor. Finn said it would be great to return to NXT as the Universal Champion. Baron Corbin interrupted and attacked Finn Balor from behind. Corbin tried to sign the contract but then Cena attacked him. John Cena signed the contract and apparently that made the match official. It will be Cena vs. Reigns at SummerSlam.

Big E, Nakamura, Cesaro Picked Up A Win

Apollo Crews, Dolph Ziggler, Robert Roode faced Big E, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Cesaro tonight on SmackDown. Big E connected with a Belly to Belly Suplex on Apollo to start off the action. Crews battled back and sent Big E to the outside. Roode and Ziggler attacked him as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Cesaro tagged in and hit Ziggler with a Clothesline for a two count. Cesaro followed it up with The Swing into the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring. Roode broke it up and Nakamura tagged in. Apollo tagged in and connected with a Standing Moonsault for a near fall. A brawl broke out and Commander Azeez attacked Boogs ringside. Back in the ring, Nakamura hit Crews with the Kinshasa for the pinfall victory.

Rollins Attacked Edge

Edge made his entrance as SmackDown went to a commercial break. During the break, Seth Rollins attacked Edge from behind and WWE rolled the footage when the show returned.

Rollins grabbed the microphone and demanded that everyone listen to him. Seth claimed that Edge is done and rolled a video package of all the issues he has with Edge. Rollins added that he isn’t ashamed of his actions and that it was the right thing to do. Rollins said that he is the rightful heir to the Universal Championship and if he cannot be the champion, then neither can Edge.

Sasha Banks Attacked Bianca Belair

Sasha Banks teamed up with SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair to face Carmella and Zelina Vega in this week’s main event.

Belair started off the match with Carmella and connected with a dropkick. Banks tagged in and continued to beat Carmella down. Carmella went for a roll-up but Banks kicked out. Vega tagged in and got greeted with a Dropkick. Belair then launched Banks onto Vega & Carmella outside the ring. SmackDown went to the bring as the fans cheered Belair and Banks.

Back from the break, Bianca Belair was trapped in the corner. The champ hit a Backbreaker and tagged in Sasha Banks. Sasha connected with Three Amigos and then a Frog Splash on Vega. Sasha went for the cover but Carmella broke it up at the last moment. Carmella tagged in and hit the X-Factor but Belair broke up the cover. Sasha then got Carmella in the Bank Statement for the submission victory.

After the match, Banks celebrated with Bianca Belair in the middle of the ring. Sasha then attacked Belair and planted her with a Backstabber. Sasha followed it up with the a Tornado DDT and then got Belair in the Bank Statement. Banks then raised the title over Belair to close the show.

John Cena vs. Roman Official For WWE SummerSlam

Andrew Ravens
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After teases and mentions of it happening, WWE has finally confirmed that John Cena will challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Title at SummerSlam. 

On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, WWE held a contract signing that was supposed to see Reigns defend against Finn Balor at SummerSlam, but Baron Corbin came out to attack Balor in order to take his place. 

Cena ran out to stop Corbin and signed the contract instead. 

Cena made his return at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event to have a staredown with Reigns to set up their SummerSlam main event. This was after the main event where Reigns had retained his title over Edge. 

Since Cena has returned, he has helped boost ticket sales for SummerSlam. If he does beat Reigns it would be his 17th World Title win, which would break Ric Flair’s record. However, Cena is slated to start filming a new movie at the end of August. 

Fans can expect to see Cena appear at several upcoming shows. Here’s the list of dates and locations of events that Cena will be appearing:

  • Saturday, July 31: Supershow – Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee
  • Sunday, August 1: Supershow – Little Caesars Arena in Detroit
  • Friday, August 6: SmackDown – Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
  • Saturday, August 7: Supershow – Hertz Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.
  • Monday, August 9: Raw – Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.
  • Friday, August 13: SmackDown – BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
  • Saturday, August 14: Supershow – Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.
  • Sunday, August 15: Supershow – Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.
  • Friday, August 20: SmackDown – Footprint Center in Phoenix
  • Saturday, August 21: SummerSlam – Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas
  • Friday, September 10: SmackDown – Madison Square Garden – New York City

Sasha Banks Returns On WWE SmackDown To Set Up SummerSlam Match

Andrew Ravens
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As expected, Sasha Banks has made her WWE TV return. 

It happened on Friday’s episode of SmackDown when SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair was doing an interview in the ring about what is next for her, specifically her plans for SummerSlam.

Kayla Braxton pointed out that Belair has been champion for 110 days and Belair talked about winning an ESPY, defending the title at Rolling Loud last week and winning the title from Banks at WrestleMania 37. 

This led to Carmella coming out to sarcastically congratulate Belair on her reign and to ask for one more title shot, but Zelina Vega came out to issue her own challenge to Belair.

The heels attacked Belair before Banks came out to make the save. After clearing the ring, Banks and Belair hugged and Belair had a confused look on her face.

In the main event, a tag team match took place that saw Belair and Banks team up against Carmella and Vega. Banks won the match for her team. Post-match, Banks hit Belair with the backstabber and she continued to attack her to end the show. 

This certainly appears to start the build for SummerSlam as WWE house shows are advertising Banks vs. Belair. 

Banks was last seen in action at Wrestlemania 37 in April. The belief is that Banks had been off from WWE in order to film material as Koska Reeves, which is her Star Wars character, for a future Disney+ Lucasfilm series.

Natalya Undergoes Surgery

Andrew Ravens
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Natalya had to undergo surgery to repair an injury she suffered during a match on Raw this past Monday.

The WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion shared the news in a post on Twitter by writing the following: 

“Today my surgeon told me that I’m an anomaly,” she wrote. ”It’s been an intense week to say the least. All I asked was to be put back in the fight and FAST. Surgery will fix me, defending our championships will drive me. #UNBREAKABLE.”

WWE also noted in a post on Twitter that more information on Natalya’s injury would come this Monday on Raw. 

The injury happened in a bout where Natalya and her tag team partner Taminafaced Eva Marie and Doudrop in a contender’s match. Dewdrop rolled over Natalya at one point, causing injury to Natalya’s leg.

This led to Tamina getting the hot tag and finishing the match quickly as Natalya was checked on by WWE medical staff.

The champions have held the titles since defeating Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler on the May 14, 2021 edition of SmackDown. 

Cain Velasquez Planning To Make Pro Wrestling Return This Year

Andrew Ravens
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Cain Velasquez has plans to make a pro wrestling return this year for the AAA promotion. 

The former UFC Heavyweight Champion announced the news during an appearance on In This Corner with Cyrus Fees. Before the announcement, he talked about how he wanted to develop himself further as a wrestler.

“Actually, I’m doing a show in December for AAA,” he said. “So for me, I love AAA and I’m going to keep doing that right now. I love WWE as well, but I have to first develop myself in that way in order for me to go out there.”

Velasquez started wrestling back in 2019 as he worked two matches for AAA including a trios match teaming with Cody Rhodes and Psycho Clown in a winning effort against El Texano Jr., Taurus, and Killer Kross (best known as NXT Champion Karrion Kross.

The former UFC star then signed a contract with WWE in 2019. Velasquez lost his debut match under the WWE banner when he faced WWE Champion Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel. 

He most recently worked a tag team match in Mexico at the Arena Ciudad de Mexico for a house show back in November 2019. 

Velasquez successfully had his knee scoped in February 2020, but was released from WWE in April of 2020 due to cuts related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

WWE SummerSlam Promoted With Odd Event Name

Kristen Ashly
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Fans were met with an odd event name when trying to buy tickets for WWE Summerslam.

Twitter user @GodofWrestling posted Friday about receiving two separate notifications via Ticketmaster for SummerSlam, with the promoted event name “WWE SummerSlam vs. WWE”. Several Twitter users replied to the tweet claiming they also received the same notifications.

Shortly after the odd notifications were sent, the name was changed back to “WWE SummerSlam”.

Though the peculiar event name could have been a mistake, WWE has stated that fans can expect some surprises for the upcoming show.

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Stephanie McMahon was quoted saying as saying:

“SummerSlam is special, It’s the first time we’re going to an NFL stadium [for SummerSlam], and it’s only the second time we’ve ever been in a stadium. It’s about bringing people together and celebrating these huge moments.

This will be our biggest pay-per-view with full capacity [since Elimination Chamber in March 2020],” said Stephanie McMahon, “and we can’t wait to show off our surprises, too.”

WWE’s biggest show of the summer takes place August 21 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

WWE Returns To Classifying NXT As Developmental

Kristen Ashly
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WWE is back to classifying the Black-And-Gold Brand as developmental.

As pointed out by Lavie Margolin on Twitter, according to their quarter report with the SEC, WWE has once again labeled NXT as “developmental”.

In page 33 of the report, under “Operating Metrics”, item #3 states:

“Metrics exclude the events for our domestic and United Kingdom NXT brands. These are our developmental brands that typically conduct their events in smaller venues with lower ticket prices. We did not conduct any ticketed NXT events in the periods presented.”

This recent classification as a “developmental” territory is contradictory to recent statements made by WWE executives and Superstars that concluded NXT was considered a third brand.

Earlier this year, Triple H stated that Finn Balor’s return cemented NXT as WWE’s third brand.

Two years ago, Adam Cole was quoted saying in an interview with Newsweek, “We’ve called it this for a while, but we look at NXT as the third brand,” when asked about whether the show’s move to USA qualified it as so.

With live events back in play due to looser COVID restrictions, it will be interesting to see if WWE still keeps NXT in developmental classification.

Braun Strowman Reveals 15% Paralysis In His Left Leg

Chris Stephens
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Former WWE Superstar Braun Strowman (Adam Scherr) recently revealed on Instagram that he has 15% paralysis in his left leg.

“Awe my big dear lifting days are a lil behind me since my back injury in 2015. My left leg is around 15% paralyzed,” he wrote.

image 1

Strowman’s First Post-WWE Booking Revealed

Strowman’s first booking since being released by WWE has also been announced. According to a report on Lucha Libre Online, Strowman will be taking part in an event in Qatar on February 26th. The QPW Super Slam 3 event has numerous top names in the industry booked already. Also set to appear include Bret Hart, Sting, Eric Bischoff, Booker T, Jon Moxley, and the reunion of former Nation of Domination members Mark Henry, Ron Simmons, and the Godfather.

There have also been reports that WWE is interested in bringing back Strowman. In last week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer wrote that WWE had interest in bringing him back following the rumors of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan heading to AEW.

Strowman had an 8-year run with WWE after signing in 2013. He is a 1x Universal Champion, 1x Intercontinental Champion, 2x tag team champion (1x with Seth Rollins, 1x with Nicholas). Strowman won the Money in the Bank in 2018, The Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia that same year, and the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2019.

(Spoiler) Big Return Scheduled For Tonight’s WWE SmackDown

Michael Reichlin
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Sasha Banks is scheduled to return to WWE television at tonight’s SmackDown from Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Target Center.

The Boss has been off television since WrestleMania 37 in April, when she dropped the SmackDown Women’s Championship to Bianca Belair. Banks is returning as part of WWE’s “all hands on deck” build to SummerSlam, according to Pwinsider.

We’re just three weeks out from the pay-per-view, which will be held from the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV. Packing the stadium won’t be easy, so WWE is pulling out all the stops. Aside from Banks and John Cena, Goldberg recently returned to feud with Bobby Lashley and Becky Lynch is expected back soon as well.

WWE has included Sasha Banks in promotional materials for SummerSlam, so her return is not entirely unexpected.

75769 SSlam21 Tickets OnSale 1 42af978cb8bd0456b1df733ea7376b5b

As of this writing, the only match confirmed for WWE SummerSlam is the Triple Threat Raw Women’s Championship match between Nikki A.S.H, Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair.

Sasha Banks recently appeared at ESPN’s ESPY Awards, where she and Bianca Belair won an ESPY for “Best WWE Moment” (headlining WrestleMania).

In addition to Sasha Banks, Cena is advertised to appear tonight as part of his Summer of Cena touring schedule.

If you’re in the Minneapolis area, tickets for tonight’s WWE SmackDown are still available at AXS.com.

Backstage Update On Harry Smith Returning To WWE

Chris Stephens
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Harry Smith (aka Davey Boy Smith Jr. & DH Smith) returned to WWE recently in a Dark match taped before Smackdown on July 16th. He teamed with Austin Theory and defeated Odyssey Jones & Xyon Quinn. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Smith signed with WWE in April but his return has been kept quiet.

“Harry Smith, who has been working dark matches as a tag team with Austin Theory, actually signed with the company in April but everyone was told to keep it quiet until he debuted,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

Smith’s last indy appearance was at the GCW Bloodsport show on April 8th, 2021. John Laurinaitis was said to have been behind recruiting him back into the company.

The original plan had been for Smith to debut as a babyface on NXT UK. A program with WALTER over the NXT UK title was on the table but Vince McMahon reportedly wanted Smith for the Smackdown brand.

“Laurinaitis pushed hard for him to be on the main roster and Vince wanted him on Smackdown,” Meltzer continued.

In his first run with WWE, Smith won tag team gold along with Tyson Kidd twice. He held the IWGP Heavyweight tag titles along with Lance Archer 3x in NJPW. Smith, Teddy Hart, and Brian Pillman Jr. also held the tag titles in MLW.

Nick Gage On Domino’s Pizza Controversy: “Guess I’m Too Ultraviolent For TV, Oh Well”

Chris Stephens
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Domino’s Pizza recently released a statement to Front Office Sports regarding the deathmatch between Chris Jericho and Nick Gage at Fight for the Fallen.

“We share the concerns expressed about this incident and the content of this TV-14 rated program, and are assessing our advertising presence on it going forward,” the pizza company’s statement reads.

Nick Gage recently took to Twitter to “apologize” to Domino’s.

“i tried to cut jerichos scalp off my bad TMZ it is what it is but yeah thanks aew and thanks all MDK gang members we showed em whats up and also sorry dominos didnt mean to offend you guess im too ultraviolent for tv oh well all my new fans come see me at GCW its MDK all fn day,” Gage Tweeted.

https://twitter.com/thekingnickgage/status/1421150941437472771

Meanwhile, Pabst Blue Ribbon seems to have really enjoyed the match. They have been posting to Twitter in the hopes of picking up Dominos’ advertising spots.

PBR seems to want to join MDK.

Gage was just the “2nd Labor of Jericho” as part of his feud with MJF. The 3rd Labor of Jericho will take place next week. Jericho is scheduled to face his former WCW rival Juventud Guerrera on the show.

AEW & Upper Deck Announce Trading Card and Memorabilia Deal

Chris Stephens
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AEW and Upper Deck are announcing an exclusive trading card and memorabilia deal today. The first AEW trading cards will be released in November of 2021. It will be the first time Upper Deck produces trading cards for professional wrestlers.

“We are excited to offer professional wrestling trading cards to our collectors and AEW fans for the first time,” said Upper Deck Sports Brand Manager, Paul Zickler. “AEW is a prominent organization in the industry with a passionate fan base, and we look forward to building a long-lasting relationship and a robust wrestling product portfolio.”

Upper Deck representatives spoke about the deal below:

“Upper Deck is the premier collectibles company in the world for trading cards and memorabilia, and we’re thrilled to work with them in expanding our engagement even further with fans around the world,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “Since day one, we’ve made it a priority to listen to our fans and connect with them in new and immersive ways.”

The cards will be available at retail outlets and online. An online marketplace will provide a place for fans to buy, sell, and trade cards as well.

Fans are encouraged to sign up for exclusive updates on Upper Deck’s website here.

Strong Demand For AEW Rampage Chicago Pre-Sale

Michael Reichlin
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A ticket pre-sale was held Friday morning for the upcoming AEW Rampage: The First Dance event from Chicago’s United Center arena on August 20th. Despite the short notice and a saturated market, AEW is looking at another successful showing at the box office.

AEW sold over 10,000 tickets within a matter of hours. @WrestleTix estimates the production setup will make for a sell-out crowd of around 13,000. It was ambitious, but this will be a packed house.

AEW Rampage: The First Dance

The stakes are high for AEW’s debut at the United Center. The show was announced on Wednesday’s Dynamite, leaving just three weeks for AEW to sell a respectable amount of seats. It will be the second episode of AEW Rampage, which premieres Friday, August 13th at 10pm (Eastern) on TNT.

Of course, this is not your typical television taping. Wrestling fans are expecting the highly anticipated debut of CM Punk, based on some not-so-subtle hints by AEW. The United Center is the largest basketball/hockey arena in the United States, so

Tickets for AEW Rampage: The First Dance go on sale to the general public this coming Monday at Ticketmaster.com.

Follow @WrestleTix on Twitter and Patreon for more wrestling ticket sales info.

Update On Changed Plans For AEW All Out Main Event

Chris Stephens
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At AEW Fight for the Fallen, The Elite defeated Hangman Page and the Dark Order in a 10-man elimination tag match. The loss knocks Page out of the title picture for All Out on September 5th. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Page vs Omega for the title had once been the plan for the show, however.

“Adam Page is not getting the main event for All Out with Kenny Omega. At one point it was the plan but plans change. The ten-man tag was designed to shock people when they veered off that match,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

As for who is getting the title shot at All Out, only speculation can be had. Christian Cage is ranked #3 and could possibly be in the mix. Other names thrown around include Eddie Kingston.

Darby Allin is ranked #4 as well. #1 Hangman Page is out of the running, #2 Jungle Boy was already defeated by Omega, and #5 Orange Cassidy was in a triple threat title match against Omega on the last PPV. It’s possible someone from outside the top-5 could earn a title shot between now and the PPV, however.

Page also fell out of title contention before the last PPV as well. After going several week ranked at #1, Page lost a key match to Brian Cage on Dynamite. He would go on to avenge that loss at Double or Nothing, however, putting him back in title contention.

“They were pushing Christian Cage for a title match next. Whether that’s for TV in a few weeks or PPV should be clear pretty soon.”

Update On Jeff Jarrett’s Status With WWE

Chris Stephens
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According to a report from WhatCulture, Jeff Jarrett was amongst the many names backstage in the company to have been released back in April. According to the report, Jarrett has been reaching out to other organizations regarding potential bookings.

Update:

This report is now being refuted, however. Michael Morales Torres of Lucha Libre Online is reporting that Jarrett is still with the company. He says that taking outside bookings is part of his deal with WWE.

“So the correct information is that Jeff Jarrett does continue to work for WWE, but not exclusively, as he is working on other projects in addition to his duties with WWE,” a translation of Lucha Libre Online’s Tweet reads.

Jarrett was hired as a backstage producer in early 2019. He had been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the previous year.

His return to the company and induction into its Hall of Fame in 2018 was met with some surprise considering the way he left the company in 1999. Jarrett’s contract expired 1 day before the No Mercy 99 PPV where he was scheduled to defend the Intercontinental title against Chyna.

Chyna spoke about Jarrett’s WWE departure in her book “If They Only Knew”. She claimed that Jarrett was paid $200,000 to lose the title to her on that show. Chyna also alleged that Vince Russo and Jeff Jarrett colluded to delay Jarrett’s title defence against her until after Jarrett’s contract was up. Jarrett refuted this on his “King of the Mountain” DVD in TNA. He says he was paid only what WWE owed him at the time. Jarrett also said that all negotiations between him and the company were cordial.

Jarrett was a 6x Intercontinental champion in WWE. He was also a 1x European Champion. Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart also once held the WWE tag titles.

Impact Results (7/29): Bullet Club vs The Elite

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling on 7/29 featured Moose vs Chris Sabin and Bullet Club facing the Elite in tag-team action.

Impact 7/29 Quick Results:

  1. The Good Brothers defeated Chris Bey & Jay White
  2. Taylor Wilde defeated Kaleb with a K
  3. Fallah Bahh, No Way & FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) defeated Ace Austin, Madman Fulton, Rohit Raju & Shera
  4. Rich Swann & Willie Mack defeated Violent By Design (Deaner & Rhino) w/ Eric Young & Joe Doering
  5. Moose defeated Chris Sabin

The Good Brothers Defeat Jay White & Chris Bey

Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows picked up a victory over Bullet Club’s Jay White and BC recruit Chris Bey. Gallows hit a choke slam on Bey and then both Good Brothers hit the Magic Killer for the win.

After the match, White told Bey that he wasn’t sure if he was Bullet Club material. He did have an idea for how Bey could redeem himself, however.

Taylor Wilde defeats Kaleb with a K

Taylor Wilde returned to Impact Wrestling last week and helped Matt Cardona, Jake Something and Chelsea Green pick up a win over Brian Myers, Sam Beale, and Tenille Dashwood. This week, Wilde would face Dashwood’s personal photographer, Kaleb with a K, in singles action. Wilde would pick up the win with a bridging German suplex.

FinJuice, Fallah Bah, & No Way Pick Up Victory In 8-Man Tag

David Finlay picked up the victory for his team by hitting Trash Panda on Rohit Raju. Finlay is preparing to face Jay White for the NEVER Openweight title at NJPW Resurgence on August 14th. FinJuice’s night wasn’t over, however, as they would later run into Bullet Club in the back.

Battle Royal To Determine Kenny Omega’s Next Challenger

Earlier in the show, Scott D’Amore tasked Tommy Dreamer with determining who would be Kenny Omega’s next title challenger. Dreamer told Omega that in two weeks, Impact would have a battle royal with the winner earning a title shot at Emergence.

Bullet Club Attack David Finlay & Juice Robinson

The redemption that Jay White offered Chris Bey was evidently to attack FinJuice in the back. As Finlay and Robinson were being interviewed backstage following their victory earlier, White and Bey attacked.

The Elite Hunter Is In The Impact Zone!

The Elite were in the ring and were upset about Tommy Dreamer scheduling a battle royal to determine Omega’s next challenger. Sami Callihan then came out and said he will win the battle royal to get another shot at Omega. He also said he can’t wait until two weeks to get his hands on the Elite so next week a trios match will take place with Callihan and two partners against Omega and the Good Brothers.

Out of nowhere, The Elite Hunter Frankie Kazarian hit the ring and attacked Omega and the Good Brothers. Kazarian will be one of Callihan’s partners next week. Dreamer would later reveal that Callihan’s longtime rival Eddie Edwards would be the other.

Rich Swann & Willie Mack Pick Up Victory Over Violent By Design

Violent By Design blamed Rich Swann and Willie Mack for them losing the tag belts at Slammiversary. It would be Swann and Mack who would pick up the victory in this grudge match, however. Swann pinned Rhino after a Phoenix Splash.

Moose Avenges Previous Loss To Chris Sabin

At Slammiversary, Chris Sabin picked up the victory over Moose but things would not go the same way in the rematch. The finish of the match came when Moose fought off the Cradle Shock and then hit his Lights Out spear for the win. After the match, Moose tried to toss Sabin out of the ring but Sabin came back with a crossbody from the top and then hit a suicide dive on the outside. Officials had to pull Sabin off Moose to end the show.

Impact Homecoming Lineup

  • Homecoming King and Queen Tournament (1st Round)
    Hernandez & Alisha Edwards vs Deonna Purrazzo & TBA
  • Homecoming King and Queen Tournament (1st Round)
    Petey Williams & Jordynne Grace vs Matt Cardona & Chelsea Green
  • Homecoming King and Queen Tournament (1st Round)
    Crazzy Steve & Rosemary vs Tasha Steelz & Fallah Bah
  • Homecoming King and Queen Tournament (1st Round)
    Rachael Ellering & Tommy Dreamer vs Brian Myers & TBA
  • Homecoming King and Queen Tournament (Semi-Final #1)
    TBD vs TBD
  • Homecoming King and Queen Tournament (Semi-Final #1)
    TBD vs TBD
  • Homecoming King and Queen Tournament (Finals)
  • TBD vs TBD
  • Hardcore Match
    W. Morrissey vs Eddie Edwards
  • X-Division Championship
    Josh Alexander (c) vs Black Taurus

The Rock Praises Bret Hart, The Hitman Responds

Chris Stephens
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is busy doing media to promote his new movie, Jungle Cruise. During a recent interview, Rock took the time to explain to his co-star, Emily Blunt, how good Bret Hart was to him early in his career.

The Rock Honors Bret Hart

“The t-shirt he’s wearing is a guy who didn’t have to be but he was so good to me when I was a rookie professional wrestler and his name is Bret “the Hitman” Hart, comes from a very famous wrestling family. But at that time, he was world champion and there were a lot of guys in that world at that time in 96, that didn’t necessarily embrace me.”

“Just when I was a rookie coming in because everyone is hungry for their spot and there’s a lot of sharks in the water.”

Blunt then asked Rock why he thinks Bret was nice to him.

“I think because he knew that our families knew each other and knew that I came from a lineage of pro wrestling and that I had a real love and respect for wrestling and he was just a great guy. I always try and give him props where I can,” Rock continued.

Bret’s Reaction

Matt Cardona: “I’m The New Deathmatch King” After GCW Win

Anutosh Bajpai
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Matt Cardona picked up one of the biggest wins of his wrestling career when he defeated Nick Gage to become the new GCW world champion at Homecoming night 1.

The former WWE star recently had an interview with Sports Illustrated where he opened up about his big win and discussed what it means to him.

Cardona first commented on the wild crowd reaction to his victory. He explained that hearing the boos made him realize that they had something special, before claiming himself as the new deathmatch king:

“Tasting my own blood and hearing those boos, I knew we had something special, but it was all worth it. I’m the new deathmatch king.”

The GCW championship is the first world title of Cardona’s career. Discussing how the title win is a big deal for him, Matt Cardona said that people are crazy if they don’t think he is going to treat it as the biggest thing:

“This title is a big deal. I was fortunate in WWE to win the tag team title twice, the intercontinental title, and the United States title,

But the GCW title is my first world title. So people are absolutely crazy if they don’t think I’m going to treat this as the biggest thing in the world. I took the title to Disneyland and posed in front of the castle.”

Matt Cardona also discussed the negative crowd reaction at the Homecoming special that stemmed from his victory. He claimed that he is not trying to be a heel.

According to the former US champion, he was just being himself. He had fans in the arena too but it just happened to be that the vocal fan base there were the ones who didn’t want him to win.

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