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Josh Barnett Defeats Jon Moxley At Bloodsport 6

Chris Stephens
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Game Changer Wrestling’s Bloodsport 6 took place last night from the Cuban Club in Ybor City, Florida. Josh Barnett picked up the win in the night’s main event, defeating former AEW & WWE World Champion, Jon Moxley.

GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 6 Results

  1. Karen Tran defeated Janai Ka by submission
  2. Matt Makowski defeated Heddi Karaoui by submission
  3. Bad Dude Tito defeated Victor Benjamin by submission
  4. Simon Grimm defeated Alexander James by submission
  5. Alex Coughlin defeated Royce Isaacs by submission
  6. Super Beast defeated SHLAK by way of disqualification
  7. Allysin Kay defeated Masha Slamovich by way of referee stoppage
  8. Lio Rush defeated Yoya by submission
  9. Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeated KTB by knockout
  10. Chavo Guerrero Jr. defeated Rocky Romero by way of referee stoppage
  11. Chris Dickinson defeated Shane Mercer by submission
  12. Josh Barnett defeated Jon Moxley by way of referee stoppage

Photographer Chris Grasso snapped the below shots from the main event:

https://twitter.com/Ringsideguy/status/1380503809949065223

Renee Paquette was impressed with Allysin Kay’s entrance:

Earlier this year, Moxley spoke to SI.com about the style of wrestling on Bloodsport events.

“This is pro wrestling, exactly what f—— pro wrestling is supposed to be,” Moxley said. “No choreographed horses—, no frills, nothing that’s ironic. It’s hard-hitting wrestling, that’s Bloodsport. This is a destination for me. I wanted to do this while I was with WWE when I watched Harry Smith fight [Karrion] Kross [in April 2019]. That stood out to me, and even then, I thought Harry embodied that Bloodsport style.”

Impact Results (4/8): Rich Swann Sends Message To Kenny Omega

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling returned to Thursday night this week. Last night’s show was their first one back in their old/new time slot. Kenny Omega would make his in-ring debut on the weekly Impact television show. He’d team with the Good Brothers against Rich Swann, Willie Mack, and Eddie Edwards in the main event.

Impact Wrestling 4/8 Quick Results:

  1. Rosemary, Jordynne Grace & Havok defeated Tenille Dashwood, Nevaeh & Alisha
  2. Matt Cardona vs Jake Something – No Contest
  3. Sami Callihan & Trey Miguel defeated XXXL (Larry D & Acey Romero)
  4. Chris Sabin w/ James Storm defeated Deaner
  5. Rich Swann, Willie Mack & Eddie Edwards defeated Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers w/ Don Callis

Rich Swann Gives Kenny Omega Reason To Worry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLU3rn4ExYA

The main event this week saw Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers take on Rich Swann, Willie Mack and Eddie Edwards. During the match, Swann proved a few things to the Super Elite which could give Omega reason to worry about their match at Rebellion.

Near the end of the match, Swann reversed out of the 1-Winged Angel. Swann then was able to hit his Phoenix Splash on Omega and looked to have the AEW World Champion beat. Don Callis pulled Omega out of the ring, however, preventing the pin from taking place.

The babyface team then focussed on Karl Anderson, and Swann gave him a Phoenix Splash and got the win for his team. As the show ended, Matt Striker noted on commentary that Swann proved he can reverse the 1-Winged Angel and that he is immune to Don Callis’ mind games.

Violent By Design Lays A Trap

Chris Sabin took on Deaner in singles action this week. He picked up the win with the Cradle Shock but VOD had a plan for after the match. The camera cut backstage to Eric Young, who said that Storm had walked right into their trap. Then it was revealed that Joe Doering had attacked Chris Harris. Meanwhile back in the ring, Rhino took out Storm and Deaner took out Sabin as Young said that Harris’ blood was on Storm’s hands.

Trey Miguel & Sami Callihan Defeat Team XXXL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-Nsw6i2hrk

Sami Callihan has said that he wants to mentor Trey Miguel, but the former member of the Rascalz does not seem to be having it. Trey reluctantly joined Sami for this match but only to get revenge on Team XXXL and not to align with Sami. Although they never got along during the match, Callihan and Trey picked up the win after Trey made Larry D submit to the Hourglass.

After the match, Sami tried to raise Trey’s hand but Trey refused.

Brian Myers Attacks Matt Cardona

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MHq0RMFEVA

Matt Cardona was wrestling Jake Something this week when Brian Myers attacked, causing a no-contest. He attacked Cardona and then tossed Something eye-first into the steel steps. Myers then got on the mic and accepted Cardona’s challenge for a match at Rebellion.

Rosemary, Jordynne Grace & Havok defeat Tenille Dashwood, Nevaeh & Alisha

Things opened up with Knockouts action this week. After being attacked by her former partner last week, Havok is now firmly on the babyface side of the division. Havok and Neveah would go through a table together on the outside as Rosemary put away Alisha with Red Wedding inside the ring.

New Arrivals Teased

Impact is teasing two new arrivals to the promotion at the moment. There appears to be a punk rock act on their way to the company.

Also, “Let’s Get Wilde” might be teasing the return of a former Knockout.

Updated Hardcore Justice Lineup

  • Knockouts Title vs Career Match
    Deonna Purazzo (c) vs. Jazz
  • Knockouts #1 Contender Weapons Match
    Alisha Edwards vs. Havok vs. Rosemary vs. Tenille Dashwood vs. Susan vs. Jordynne Grace
  • Hardcore Tag-Team Match
    Violent By Design (Deaner, Eric Young, Joe Doering & Rhino) vs. Tommy Dreamer & TBD
  • Blindfold Hardcore Match
    Brian Myers vs. Jake Something
  • TBD & TJP vs. TBD & Josh Alexander vs. TBD & Ace Austin
  • Doc Gallows vs. Black Taurus
  • Chairly Legal
    Hernandez vs. Mahabali Shera

Updated Rebellion Lineup

  • AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship
    Kenny Omega (c) vs Rich Swann
  • Impact Tag Team Championships
    FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)
  • X-Division Championship
    Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton) (c) vs. TJP vs. Josh Alexander
  • Brian Myers vs Matt Cardona

Triple H Provides Health Update On “Road Dogg” Brian James

Anutosh Bajpai
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“Road Dogg” Brian James is not only making progress on his road to recovery but he is already back to working with the NXT brand, according to Triple H.

The Game provided the latest update on the wrestling veteran’s health during his media conference call following the NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver event.

Triple H mentioned that James has been recovering at home the last few days. He also revealed that the former DX member is already back to work and he worked from his home for the latest TakeOver event:

“I want to mention that Brian James, Road Dogg, has been home the last few days, he is recovering, but he is healthy, he is good. He is recovering at home, doing well. We had him set up, so he was on a headset over the last two days, and you know, kind of being involved and stuff.

“As he gets his strength back and everything, feeling good, he will be back at it, back to being the Road Dogg in no time. I just wanted to give a shout-out to him, and we greatly miss him here. He’ll be back soon enough, but he is doing well.”

triple h road dogg 1
Triple H and “Road Dogg” Brian James

Brian James Health Scare

Brian James suffered an apparent heart attack towards the ending of last month. He had to be hospitalized for a couple of days before being released and he has been recovering at home since then.

James was working as the head writer of SmackDown until WrestleMania 35. He was repositioned within the company after he resigned from the role and he has been working backstage at NXT since then.

Alexa Bliss On Why Two-Nights WrestleMania Should Continue

Anutosh Bajpai
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WrestleMania this year is once again going to be a two-night spectacle and it appears that the former women’s champion Alexa Bliss prefers it to be that way.

The former champion recently had an interview with Mike Jones from DC101 to promote the upcoming big event where she talked about a number of things.

Talking about the PPV being stretched to two nights, Bliss explained why it might be a good idea to continue this arrangement because it stops fans from getting exhausted:

“I’m really excited because I feel like the energy is going to be so much higher, when it was one night, there’s later matches at the end of the night,

And you’re just like, ‘oh man, we gotta wake these people up. they’ve been watching the show for about seven hours now!’ I’m excited, I’m happy that it’s two days and everyone can come back refreshed the next day.”

Alexa Bliss also talked about matches she is excited for at WrestleMania. She mentioned the match between Bad Bunny and The Miz, saying that she is excited to see Bad Bunny perform because he has been training really hard.

While the female star does not have a WrestleMania match of her own, she has been a prominent figure in the feud between Randy Orton and The Fiend, and Bliss is expected to be involved in their match in some capacity.

Paul Heyman Addresses His WWE Contract Expiring Soon

Anutosh Bajpai
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Paul Heyman is one of the most influential wrestling managers of the modern era. He is a prominent figure on the current WWE programming as the special counselor to Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

However, the former ECW owner’s current contract with the company is set to expire in the next couple of months. A lot of people have been wondering how his negotiations with the company are going.

Heyman appeared on Sports Media with Richard Deitsch this week. He was asked if we will continue to see him on WWE programming for the foreseeable future. The wrestling mastermind is hopeful he will remain with the company.

“One would certainly hope so; I’ve always tried to avoid negotiating in public. I understand why some people do it though.”

Paul Heyman’s Negotiating Philosophy

Brock Lesnar’s former Advocate left WWE in 2006, but virtually nobody knew it at the time. Heyman and WWE kept his negotiations private. He explained why he believes it is best to conduct his business behind closed doors.

“I just don’t think it does WWE or Paul Heyman any good for me to negotiate a contract and agreement through the media in public. It doesn’t serve anybody. It’s not what I’m here to do. I’m an entertaining, or a director [and] producer of talent. I don’t think that’s what the public turns to me for.”

He continued by saying that he loves his current role with Roman Reigns. He also enjoys his role on the Talking Smack talk show. Heyman would be a hot free agent if he left WWE, but he is “boldly confident that I’ll be continuing in those roles.”

Paul Heyman’s signed a 3-year deal with WWE shortly after WrestleMania 34. Considering how vital he is to WWE storylines, the belief is that he will re-sign with the promotion.

WWE NXT TakeOver Night 2 Results (4/8): Balor vs. Kross, Unsanctioned Match

Andrew Ravens
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WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver – Night 2 aired live on Peacock from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

  • Santos Escobar def. Jordan Devlin to become Undisputed Cruiserweight Champion
  • WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart def. Candice LeRae and Indie Heartwell to retain
  • WWE NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano def. Bronson Reed to retain
  • Karrion Kross def. Finn Balor to win WWE NXT Title
  • Kyle O’Reilly def. Adam Cole in Unsanctioned Match

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

WWE Cruiserweight Title Unification Ladder Match 

pjimage 2021 04 08T174501.315

When WWE booked Santos Escobar vs. Jordan Devlin in WWE Cruiserweight Title Unification Ladder Match, fans knew it was going to be something special. This was the battle to find out the true Cruiserweight Champion. Thus, it was no better than to put them in such a contest. 

This was the opening contest. Early on in the match, Devlin hit a springboard moonsault off the middle rope to the floor. Devlin later hit a moonsault off the top of a ladder.

At one point, Legado Del Fantasma members ran out and pushed Devlin off a ladder then rushed to the backstage area. Devlin recovered. Another impressive move was Devlin hitting a Spanish fly off a ladder. In the end, Escobar pushed Devlin off a ladder and crashed him through another.

https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1380316235938824192

Unsanctioned Match 

pjimage 2021 04 08T174455.402

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly in an Unsanctioned Match was one of the highlights of this show. It also served as the main event. O’Reilly got a new generic rock theme song. The same goes for Cole. 

The rivalry between these two stars was so intense that this contest was only fitting to settle the score. WWE changed the ropes to black and the referee didn’t have a typical referee shirt on, but rather all in black. 

Cole hit a neck breaker on a chair for a near fall. Cole was placed in a chair at ringside so he could dive off the ring apron with a drop kick. Kyle used a chain around his knee and bashed in the face of Cole. Also, Cole locked in a figure four leg lock and it was broken when they clashed heads. Cole even used the chain as a clothesline. O’Reilly hit a suplex to Cole onto the announce table. Cole hit Kyle in the ear with pliers. A brutal moment came when Kyle had him in a triangle choke, but Cole hit him in the ribs with a tire iron. 

Cole took out the referee then hit a Canadian destroyer off the middle rope and then got upset that the referee wouldn’t get up. Kyle put him in a guillotine choke, which led to Cole sending them flying through the ramp. O’Reilly hit a running knee strike to the back of the head of Cole for a near fall towards the end of the match.

Finally, O’Reilly put a chair on the throat of Cole then wrapped a chain around his knee and hit a knee drop off the middle rope for the win. Post-match, Cole was carried out on a stretcher. 

https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1380347286467776512
https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1380346503437414403
https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1380346116454158347

Gargano vs. Reed

pjimage 2021 04 08T174506.494

WWE NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano vs. Bronson Reed was exactly what it needed to be. 

Reed earned this title match opportunity by winning a Battle Royal the previous night when he outlasted Leon Ruff (first participant), Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (second participant),  Cameron Grimes (fourth participant), Dexter Lumis (fifth participant) and LA Knight (final participant). He entered the match third. 

Reed got the early advantage. Gargano worked over the ribs of Reed after sending him into the corner of the announce table. At one point, Reed went for a suplex off the middle rope, but, Gargano reversed it and hit a backbreaker.

There was a nice spot where Reed hit Razor’s Edge from the entrance ramp into the ring. They did a cool near fall spot where Reed missed a splash off the top rope and Gargano caught him with a superkick for a near fall. Reed hit a powerbomb and went for the cover, but Theory put Gargano’s foot on the bottom rope.

Finally, Reed missed a moonsault off the top rope, which allowed Gargano to hit his spring board DDT finisher for the win. 

Tag Team Titles

pjimage 2021 04 08T174504.406

WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae and Indie Heartwell took place. 

The build to this match had been a bit lackluster and it was positioned as just another one on the card. These ladies worked hard throughout the match. They did a tower of doom spot in the corner. The heels dominated the majority of the bout.

There was a spot where Shotzi dove through the middle rope to take out the heels and landed badly. Moon did a dive off the turnbuckle to the floor.

There was a nice double-team move for a near fall by Moon and Blackheart. The finish saw Moon hit a double eclipse then Shotzi with a backsplash off the top rope for the win. 

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1380321214447685633

Co-Main Event

NXT Takeover

WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross was the co-main event of this show and rightfully so. It was an interesting choice as WWE previously announced this would be the headliner, but for whatever reason, the decision was changed. 

It was a slow start to the match. Kross did miss a spear and ate the ring post, which allowed Balor to get a short lived advantage, but Kross took over.

The story of the match was how Balor would get some offense and work over the left shoulder of Kross, but was cut down by Kross. In the middle of the match, there was a span of several minutes where Kross sold. Kross did a series of moves that resulted in a powerbomb for a near fall. Balor also worked over the ribs of Kross.

Finally, Kross made a comeback with a series of moves including a suplex. A nice near fall saw Balor hit his finisher. The downfall of Balor came when Kross mounted him and landed a series of strikes. Kross hit his signature moves and then finisher for the win. 

Kyle O’Reilly Wins Unsanctioned Match At WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver – Night 2

Andrew Ravens
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The highly anticipated fight between Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly seemed to live up to expectations based on feedback from fans on social media. 

The two stars battled in an Unsanctioned Match where there were no rules nor liability on the part of WWE at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver – Night 2 event.

The fight saw them use various weapons such as chairs and a chain. Towards the end, O’Reilly hit a suplex to Cole onto the announce table, which didn’t break. Cole sent both of them through the ramp. In the end, the finish witnessed O’Reilly putting a chair on the throat of Cole then wrapped a chain around his knee and hit a knee drop off the middle rope. After the match, Cole was carried out on a stretcher. 

This feud started when Cole turned against O’Reilly at TakeOver: Vengeance Day in February. Since then, they’ve each attacked each other and have gotten into multiple altercations.

The more notable angles were done when O’Reilly tried to run Cole off the road and police got involved as well as Cole confronting O’Reilly while O’Reilly was taking part in a jiu-jitsu training class. The reason for the unsanctioned stipulation was due to O’Reilly not being cleared to compete because Cole gave him a brainbuster on the steel steps in February on an episode of NXT. 

Once Cole and O’Reilly signed the contract for the match, they acknowledged that NXT isn’t responsible for anything that happens to them.

https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1380347286467776512
https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1380346503437414403
https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1380346116454158347

Karrion Kross Wins WWE NXT Title From Finn Balor

Andrew Ravens
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WWE had fans wait to see what would happen when Karrion Kross would challenge Finn Balor for the NXT Title and it didn’t disappoint. 

This title match served as the co-main event of WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event on Thursday night. A last-minute decision to put this in the co-headliner spot was made. The match had a slow build and increasingly picked up the action. Throughout it, Balor got small bursts of offense and when he did, he targeted the left shoulder of Kross.

There was a span of several minutes where Kross sold. In the end, it was Kross standing tall with the NXT Title after hitting his forearm strike finisher. 

They had a confrontation that set up this contest. WWE later booked them as a tag team for a one-off as they challenged NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch, but when Balor knocked Scarlett off the apron, things took a turn for the worse as Kross attacked Balor as a result. 

This gave Kross the chance to reclaim the title that he never lost as he had beat Keith Lee to win the NXT Championship at TakeOver XXX last August. Unfortunately, Kross suffered a separated shoulder during the match and had to relinquish the title.

WWE needed to crown a new champion so there was a fatal 4-way match that resulted in Balor pinning Adam Cole last September to win the vacant NXT Championship.

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

Johnny Gargano Retains North American Title At WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver

Andrew Ravens
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Johnny Gargano defended the North American Title against Bronson Reed at Thursday’s WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver – Night 2 event from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on Peacock. 

The match saw Gargano work over the ribs of the big man throughout it. Somehow, Gargano hit a reverse hurricanrana at one point. After Reed missed a moonsault off the top rope, Gargano connected with his finisher for the win. 

Reed earned this title match by working the Gauntlet Eliminator match on Wednesday night against Leon Ruff (first participant), Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (second participant),  Cameron Grimes (fourth participant), Dexter Lumis (fifth participant) and LA Knight (final participant). 

Gargano’s title reign began back on December 7, 2020 at the NXT TakeOver: WarGames special when he beat Leon Ruff and Damien Priest in a triple threat match. Ruff shockingly won the title from Gargano on NXT TV just a few weeks before this special last year after getting help from Priest distracting Gargano. 

WWE holds the fallout episode from this show on NXT on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see if WWE continues this feud or goes in a different direction. Either way, they put on one heck of a match that delivered. 

Santos Escobar Becomes Undisputed WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion

Andrew Ravens
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Fans finally got to witness who is the rightful WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion as Santos Escobar vs. Jordan Devlin battled it out in a unification ladder match at the TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event. 

The match opened the show. Early on, Devlin did an impressive springboard moonsault off the middle rope to take out Escobar on the floor. Later on, Devlin hit a moonsault off the top of a ladder. Towards the end, Legado Del Fantasma members ran out and pushed Devlin off a ladder before leaving. The finish featured Escobar pushing Devlin off a ladder and crashing him through another.

Devlin won the NXT Cruiserweight Championship at Worlds Collide in January of last year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic started in March, which forced Delvin from traveling and defending his title due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, WWE had to come up with a tournament to crown an interim champion, which was later dropped and a new champion was crowned. 

Escobar won his version of the NXT Cruiserweight Championship by winning the tournament as he beat Drake Maverick in the tournament finals. Devlin retained his NXT Cruiserweight Championship by defeating Trent Seven in his previous title defense. 

On the March 17th edition of NXT, WWE had Devlin return to confront Esobcar and told Escobar to take his “replica title” and throw it in the trash because he’s the real champion. 

https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1380316235938824192

WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver Night 2 Predictions

Jake Skudder
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The WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event is taking place over the course of two nights. Night 1 took place yesterday, Wednesday April 7th (airing on USA Network).

Tonight’s show, Thursday, April 8th will be available to watch via Peacock and WWE Network for International fans.

WWE had already announced the main events of both nights that take place in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. WWE NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez headlined the first night, with Gonzalez winning the Championship for the first time in her career.

WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor vs. Karrion Kross will main event tonight, with Balor putting his Championship on the line.

This show marks the second special for the yellow brand in 2021, which features a stacked lineup. As a reminder, we will be providing ongoing coverage of tonight’s show throughout.

Here’s the full card for Night 2 of the event:

NXT Takeover Stand & Deliver: Night 2

  • Unsanctioned Match – Kyle O’Reilly vs Adam Cole
  • NXT Championship Match – Finn Balor (c) vs Karrion Kross
  • Undisputed NXT Cruiserweight Championship Ladder Match – Jordan Devlin vs Santos Escobar
  • NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match – Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon vs The Way
  • NXT North American Championship Match – Johnny Gargano (c) vs Bronson Reed

Here are Jake’s predictions for the second night of WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver:

What would you like to see us produce for video content on YouTube going forward? Let us know in the comments

Dark Side Of The Ring Season 3 Premieres May 6th (Trailer)

Michael Reichlin
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Dark Side of the Ring season three is set to premiere in just over a month.

Vice TV’s hit series about the seedy underbelly of the pro wrestling industry returns for a third season on Thursday, May 6th at 9pm (EST).

Vice has released the official trailer the 14-episode season.

Topics shown in the trailer include Brian Pillman, Nick Gage, Collision In Korea, Ultimate Warrior, Grizzly Smith and Dynamite Kid.

According to Dark Side Executive Producer & co-creator Evan Husney, the season premiere focusing on Brian Pillman’s story will be a 2-hour special.

Dark Side Of the Ring Season 3 Topics

The updated list of confirmed topics for Dark Side of the Ring Season 3 is below:

  • Brian Pillman (Season Premiere)
  • FMW (Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling)
  • XPW (Xtreme Pro Wrestling)
  • Nick Gage
  • WCW/NJPW Collision In Korea 1995
  • The Smith Family (Grizzly Smith, Sam Houston, Rockin’ Robin & Jake “The Snake” Roberts)
  • Ion Croitoru (a.k.a. Bruiser Bedlam, Johnny K-9)
  • Chris Kanyon
  • Dynamite Kid
  • The Plane Ride From Hell
  • The Ultimate Warrior

WWE Video Game Announcement To Be Made During WrestleMania 37

Michael Reichlin
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0

Wrestling fans will be glued to Peacock and the WWE Network this weekend for all the WrestleMania 37 festivities.

According to the @WWEGames Twitter account, we can also expect announcement regarding the WWE 2K video game franchise.

The annual WWE 2K video game franchise was put on hold after the disastrous release of WWE 2K20 back in 2019. The game was plagued with bugs and was widely panned by critics. It was so bad that WWE 2K21 was scrapped entirely.

WWE 2K went in a completely different direction with 2020’s WWE Battlegrounds release, an arcade-style grappler.

WWE’s video game division has had two years to rethink the WWE 2K series. It appears we’ll get first details about WWE 2K22 in just a matter of days during WrestleMania 37.

WWE Uses Wrong Footage For Ethel Johnson’s HOF Induction

Chris Stephens
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Ethel Johnson holds the distinction of being the first female African-American wrestler, although by some accounts her sister Babs Wingo began training before she did. Their younger sister Marva Scott would join them shortly after.

She made her debut as a 16-year-old in 1950. It had been just 3 years since Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947 when Johnson and her two sisters began trailblazing a similar path in pro-wrestling. She was trained by and would later serve as a challenger to Mildred Burke.

Johnson was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Legacy Wing this week. Unfortunately, it appears WWE used the wrong footage for her induction.

“The footage of Ethel Johnson that they showed was not of Ethel Johnson it was of Sandy Parker, who was an African-American woman wrestler who came along probably, I’m going to say 15 years later, ” said Dave Meltzer recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“Ethel Johnson and Sandy Parker didn’t look anything alike.”

Ethel Johnson retired in 1976 at the age of 41, finishing up her career with the AWA. She would pass away at the age of 83 in 2018.

Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring

Johnson and her two sisters are featured in the documentary “Lady Wrestler:
The Amazing, Untold Story of African American Women in the Ring.” Johnson appears in the documentary.

“Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring” is a documentary that chronicles the stories of Babs Wingo, Ethel Johnson, Marva Scott, Ramona Isbell and dozens of other women who braved racism and sexism to succeed in the male-dominated world of professional wrestling during the sport’s golden age in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s. These courageous women raised families while blazing a trail for female athletes long before many of the breakthroughs of the civil rights and feminist movements,” reads a description of the film.

A clip from the film is below:

Tony Khan: “I Just Want To Make New Fans Of Wrestling”

Chris Stephens
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0

AEW Dynamite next week will be unopposed. Tony Khan recently spoke to PW Insider about how he feels NXT moving nights will help create more wrestling fans.

 “I think there are a lot of wrestling fans who like AEW, and I think among the world of wrestling fans, we have a chance to continue building an audience and getting fans to check out the show now because we won’t be opposed by another wrestling show next week,” he said. “I think we’ll have some new fans coming in then I really hope, checking us out, and I hope to make some new wrestling fans in general, fans of AEW and then they can check out other companies and find what they like in wrestling, and find the wrestlers and the moves and the stories they like, and I just want to make new fans of wrestling.”

Khan also spent some time during the interview talking about tomorrow’s house show. AEW will present “The House Always Wins” tomorrow from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville.

“This is an experiment,” Khan said regarding tomorrow’s show. “It felt like a great week for us to do it where we have the whole crew available to us and we got a really good house for Dynamite this week, we have a great crowd, and with the recent sales of Dynamite, tickets have trended really well, Revolution did very well, the weather’s been great, the fans have been great, we wanted to do something special for our fans here in Jacksonville.”

Bayley Unsure Why She Isn’t Booked For WWE WrestleMania

Chris Stephens
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0

Bayley had such an impressive 2020 that she was named the #1 female wrestler in the world in the annual PWI rankings. She held the Smackdown Championship from October 11th, 2019 until October 25th, 2020. In recent months, however, she’s fallen out of the title picture and doesn’t have a match booked at all for WrestleMania.

Bayley recently spoke to Talk Sport about not having a match on the show.

“I cannot give you an honest answer, dude,” Bayley said when asked what is going on with her at Mania. “I don’t know. I’m sorry guys, it just didn’t happen.”

“Even if there was something, I don’t know if I would tell you guys to spoil it. But yeah, it’s OK. I’ll be here for a long time. I might just jump the barricade and steal my own moment if they won’t give me one. I’ll just steal it.”

Bayley Pitched Ideas for WrestleMania

Bayley continued to say that she pitched ideas for this year’s show but nothing came together.

“I’ve pitched for stuff for this past WrestleMania just because there has been so many instances this past year where the pitches have gone through and it becomes easier to talk to certain people.”

She continued to say that she would have been open to a non-title grudge match at this year’s event.

“I would have loved to have had a non-title match at WrestleMania. Just a grudge type of match. Something that meant, not more than a title, but was a little deeper than a title. But, there’s always next year.”

Bayley hasn’t wrestled since February but she says she’s injury-free and that is not the reason she hasn’t been a major part of angles as of late.

What makes things even more frustrating is that Bayley had a prominent role at last year’s WrestleMania. She successfully defended the SmackDown Women’s Championship in a Fatal 5-Way Elimination match.

bayley sasha mania 36

The Rock Rumored To Replace Arnold Schwarzenegger In Terminator Franchise

Chris Stephens
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is rumored to be replacing WWE Hall of Famer Arnold Schwarzenegger in the title role of the Terminator franchise. Schwarzenegger last played the role of a futuristic cyborg in 2019’s Terminator: Dark Fate.

According to entertainment reporter Daniel Richtman of Giant Freakin Robot, replacing Arnold with the Rock could be part of plans to massively shake up the franchise. The last film, the 6th installment, actually skipped over the 3rd, 4th, and 5th movies, pretending they never happened.

Additionally, Netflix has ordered an anime series based on the Terminator franchise. There are also rumors that the next movie will veer more into the horror genre than science fiction.

Richtman also reported that Rock is being considered for a role in a new Predator movie, another classic Schwarzenegger action movie.

The Rock Arnold Schwarzenegger
The Rock & Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Rock Asks: Schwarzenegger or Stallone?

The Rock recently mentioned Schwarzenegger in an Instagram posted to promote this week’s episode of Young Rock. In it, The Rock asked the question of who is the greatest action movie star of all time?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNV-JsyFuxl/?utm_source=ig_embed

The Rock’s WWE Future

Paul Heyman recently stated that the Rock was hopeful to take on Roman Reigns at WrestleMania this year.

“If I could show you one day’s worth of text messages, emails and calls that come into my phone from some of the biggest superstars in sports and entertainment on this planet, it would blow your mind,” Paul Heyman told GiveMeSport in a recent interview. 

“Crossover celebrities in their prime would love to step into a WrestleMania ring with Roman Reigns. It’s not just Dwayne Johnson. The Rock is just one of many. Top stars in many sports are yearning for the publicity, the notoriety, fame, legacy and money of main eventing WrestleMania with Roman Reigns.”

AEW Dynamite Results (4/7): Blood & Guts Match Set, Mike Tyson Returns, Young Bucks

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite aired live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. AEW Champion Kenny Omega teamed up with Good Brothers to face Jon Moxley and AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks tonight. Mike Tyson made an appearance on this week’s edition of Dynamite as well.

Dynamite Results (4/7)

  1. Hangman Page def. Max Caster
  2. Jurassic Express def. Bear Country
  3. Darby Allin def. JD Drake to retain the TNT Championship
  4. Tay Conti def. The Bunny
  5. Kenny Omega & Good Brothers def. Jon Moxley & Young Bucks

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Hangman Page Picked Up A Victory

Hangman Page battled Max Caster in the first match of the night. Hangman dominated the action early and bounced Caster’s face off the top turnbuckle several times. Page stomped Caster down to the canvas and then planted him with a Fallaway Slam.

Page followed it up with a Suplex for a one count. Caster connected with a forearm to the face but Hangman shrugged it off and leveled him with a big boot. Caster dragged Hangman out of the ring but Page sent Max into the barricade.

Anthony Bowens sent Hangman into the barricade and rolled him back in the ring. Caster went to work on Hangman’s arm and controlled the next couple minutes of the match. Page battled back with a Powerbomb and a Clothesline in the corner.

Page connected with an Exploder Suplex and went for the cover but Caster kicked out at two. Hangman and Caster traded punches on the ring apron. Page got the better of the exchange and connected with a Side Slam that caused Max to tumble to the floor.

Hangman made his way to the top rope but got distracted by Bowens. Caster capitalized and planted Hangman with a Superplex before applying an Armbar in the middle of the ring. Page set up for a reverse Alabama Slam but Bowens slid the boombox into the ring.

The referee caught it but Bowns then tossed a chain to Caster. Max hit Page in the face with the chain wrapped around his fist but somehow Page was able to kick out. Hangman hit Bowens with a Moonsault and then delivered the Buckshot Lariat to Caster for the pinfall victory. After the match, Hangman celebrated with a beer and gave some to the crowd.

The Pinnacle Will Face Inner Circle In A Blood & Guts Match On May 5th

Inner Circle came to the ring as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Jericho said the Inner Circle is back in black and brought up the beatdown they received by The Pinnacle. Jericho said it was a wake up call and made them realize they have made some poor decisions.

Jericho claimed that all of those decisions were caused by his “jerk off” friend MJF. Chris noted that he is not smart about a lot things, but is smart when it comes to the business of pro wrestling. Jericho wanted MJF under his thumb because he knows how good MJF is.

Chris admitted that MJF outsmarted them but has no idea how to put on a spray tan and had more streaks than the toilet bowl he shoves his face in last week. Jericho told MJF that he needs to ditch the scarf and focus on being better than talent like Peter Avalon.

Jericho wondered why MJF is stealing past gimmicks from him and mocked Maxwell for caring so much about what people think. Chris said MJF is a mark for himself and the truth is that he will never be better than Jericho and he knows it. Chris brought up Tully Blanchard and referred to himself as a “3rd string member of the Four Horseman”.

Chris joked about FTR and how nobody can tell them apart. Jericho joked Shawn Spears’ “potential” and how he has never seen it and how it’s embarrassing to have a blonde mohawk in 2021. Jericho added that Wardlow needs to strip naked to count to 21. Jericho then announced that it will be The Pinnacle versus Inner Circle on May 5th in a Blood & Guts match.

Opinion: This one of the better Jericho promos I have seen in some time and I don’t know how you can’t be excited for this match. There were so many quotable lines in Jericho’s promo tonight.

Taz Wants Christian To Join His Team

Christian Cage was interviewed backstage tonight. Taz interrupted and tried to get him to join his team. Cage went to respond but Taz told him to sleep on it and walked away before he could answer.

Jurassic Express def. Bear Country

Jurassic Express faced Bear Country tonight on Dynamite. Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus booted Bronson and Boulder out of the ring to start off the action. Jungle Boy went for a flip but Bear Country caught him. Luchasaurus then leaped onto Bear Country before the action returned to the ring.

Boulder slammed Luchasaurus into the turnbuckle and tagged in Bronson. Bear Country isolated Luchasaurus in the corner and took turns beating him down. When Dynamite returned from a break, Bear Country was still in control. Luchasaurus connected with a Chokeslam to Bronson and followed it up with a standing Moonsault for the pinfall victory.

QT Marshall Cut A Great Promo

QT Marshall cut a promo on Cody Rhodes tonight. QT joked that Cody surrounded himself with vanilla midgets so he can be the star he wanted to be. QT added that Aaron Solow will never be known as just somebody’s boyfriend ever again.

Darby Allin Retained The TNT Championship

Tony Schiavone interviewed Sting on the stage. Jake Roberts interrupted and poked fun at Sting and called Darby a gerbil. Lance Archer showed up and ripped the microphone away from Roberts. Archer told Sting that it is his time now and he is supposed to be in the main event. Sting then ripped the microphone away and agreed with Archer. Sting told Lance to make it happen and stop disappearing. Archer laughed and walked away with Roberts.

Darby Allin defended the TNT Championship against JD Drake. Allin went for a Crossbody off the top rope but Drake caught him with a shoulder tackle. Sting came up behind Ryan Nemeth with the baseball bat and chased him around the ring. Nemeth ran away as JD hit a Senton in the ring.

When Dynamite returned from a break, Allin climbed to the top rope but Drake tripped him up. JD hit a Cannonball in the corner and followed it up with a Splash for a two count. Allin and Drake battled on the turnbuckle again. Darby bit JD’s finger and hit him with a Powerbomb. Allin followed it up with the Coffin Drop for the pinfall victory to retain his TNT Championship. After the match, Matt Hardy, Butcher, Blade tried to attack Darby but Sting and Dark Order fought them off.

Mike Tyson Beat Up Shawn Spears

The Pinnacle somehow got Chris Jericho alone and beat him down before bringing him to the middle of the ring. It was revealed that Inner Circle’s dressing room door was bolted shut. Mike Tyson then made his way to the ring and attacked Shawn Spears int he corner. Tyson unloaded some punches before Inner Circle finally rushed the ring. Mike Tyson and Chris Jericho then shook hands to end the segment.

Tay Conti def. The Bunny

The Bunny (Allie) faced Tay Conti tonight. Butcher, Blade, Matt Hardy, and Dark Order were ringside for the match. Bunny controlled the match early and Dropkicked Conti into the barricade as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Bunny was still in control as Hikaru Shida was now ringside. Conti hit a knee to the face and went for the cover but Bunny kicked out at two. A brawl broke out and Bunny grabbed a kendo stick. AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida ripped the kendo stick away and Conti connected with a Superplex. Tay followed it up with a DDT for the pinfall victory.

Young Bucks Betrayed Jon Moxley

Jon Moxley and The Young Bucks faced Kenny Omega and Good Brothers in the main event tonight. Omega locked up with Matt Jackson to begin the match. Nick and Karl Anderson then tagged in and Nick hit an Arm Drag. Gallows grabbed Nick by the throat but he escaped. Young Bucks sent everyone out of the ring and Moxley hit a Suicide Dive with them. Moxley and Young Bucks posed in the ring as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Moxley and Anderson traded chops in the ring. Moxley planted Omega with a German Suplex and then delivered one to Gallows. Gallows connected with a big boot to the face that knocked Moxley to the canvas. Moxley battled back with a Neckbreaker and tagged in Nick Jackson.

Nick hit Karl with a forearm to the face and a flurry of kicks. Gallows threw him to the corner but missed with a Splash. Jackson kneed Gallows in the face and followed it up with a Double Stomp. Nick connected with a Backstabber on Anderson in the corner before booting Gallows in the face. Anderson caught Nick with a Spinebuster and both men fell to the mat.

Matt and Omega then tagged in. Matt hit Kenny with an Arm Drag and then a massive Back Body Drop. Matt faked a Superkick and planted Omega with a DDT. Matt strutted around the ring waiting for the AEW Champion to get back up. Matt hesitated and didn’t hit Omega with a Superkick.

Omega slapped Matt in the face several times and Matt responded with some punches. Gallows booted Matt in the face but turned around into a Dropkick from Nick. Moxley then Clotheslined Gallows out of the ring as Matt hit Karl with a Superkick.

Omega connected with a snap Dragon Suplex but got turned inside out with a Clothesline from Moxley. Matt followed it up with a Piledriver and went for the cover but the AEW Champion was able to kick out at the last moment. Young Bucks it a 450 Splash and a Moonsault and went for the cover but Anderson broke it up.

Nick flipped onto Good Brothers outside the ring. Matt continued to check on Kenny Omega and had a remorseful look on his face. Young Bucks set up for the BTE Trigger but wouldn’t do it. Moxley started yelling at them and tagged himself in. Jon planted Kenny with the Paradigm Shift and hit another one.

Moxley locked in a choke hold and went for another Paradigm Shift but Young Bucks Superkicked him. Good Brothers attacked Eddie Kingston as he limped down the entrance ramp and hit him with the Magic Killer. Good Brothers then hit Moxley with the Magic Killer and dragged Omega on top of him for the pinfall victory. Good Brothers then held up Moxley and Callis whispered into Matt’s ear. Young Bucks then hit Moxley with another Superkick as the crowd chanted “you sold out!” to end the show.

WWE NXT TakeOver Night 1 Results (4/7): Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez, WALTER Defends Title

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

WWE NXT Results 

  • Pete Dunne def. Kushida
  • Bronson Reed Wins Gauntlet Eliminator Match
  • WWE NXT UK Champion WALTER def Tommaso Ciampa
  • MSK def. Grizzled Young Veterans & Legado del Fantasma to win NXT Tag Team Titles
  • Raquel Gonzalez def. Io Shirai to win NXT Women’s Title

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Gauntlet Eliminator Match

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WWE booked Bronson Reed, Dexter Lumis, Cameron Grimes, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Leon Ruff, and LA Knight in a Gauntlet Eliminator Match. 

Scott and Ruff started things off. Reed entered the match third and caught Ruff, who attempted a dive during his entrance, but he tossed him into the ring. Grimes was out at #4. As Lumis was making his entrance, Ruff got eliminated by Scott.

Knight eliminated Lumis. Reed hit a backsplash to Knight for the elimination. Grimes was eliminated before Reed hit his finisher to Scott for the win. 

As a result, he has earned the right to challenge North American Champion Johnny Gargano for the title on the second night of TakeOver, which is tomorrow. 

Pete Dunne vs. Kushida

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Pete Dunne vs. Kushida took place in a singles match. It was an excellent choice for an opener. Dunne won with the Bitter End after injuring the hands of his opponent. 

Last week on NXT TV, Dunne and Kushida worked the battle royal to determine the participants for the Gauntlet Eliminator match at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one.

This is where Dunne and Kushida simultaneously eliminated each other from the match. After the eliminations, Kushida put him in the Hoverboard Lock but refused to let go of it until he was forced to do so. 

Earlier in this show, Dunne interrupted an interview with Kushida because he took exception to Kushida calling himself the best technical wrestler in the world. Dunne stated that he holds that crown and dared Kushida to answer his challenge and try to prove him wrong.

WWE NXT UK Title Match

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WWE NXT UK Champion WALTER vs. Tommaso Ciampa aired on this show. 

Ciampa was telling the story of his old self being back as he went back to wearing trunks and shaved his head again so he doesn’t like a 60-year-old man as he had been with hair. The match was just as advertised, a hard-hitting bout. These guys brought it. 

Throughout the match, Ciampa was working over the right hand of the champ after he missed a chop on the announce table. A back and forth match with Ciampa hitting near fall spots towards the end. WALTER hit a big chop for the finish. 

WALTER will defend the NXT UK Title against Rampage Brown at NXT UK: Prelude on Thursday.

https://twitter.com/btsportwwe/status/1379963910908997634

Vacant NXT Tag Team Titles

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MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma in a Triple Threat Match for the vacant NXT Tag Team Titles. 

Of course, the titles were declared vacant once Danny Burch suffered a separated shoulder while teaming with Oney Lorcan against Finn Balor & Karrion Kross in the main event. 

These were the top three injury free teams and so it made sense for them to battle it out to see who should become the new champions. 

The match had a wild start with MSK getting the majority of the offense. There was a brilliant spot where Lee’s hand was placed in the turnbuckle and Drake hit a drop kick in the corner. Of course, Lee previously hurt his hand. The finish came down to MSK hitting a double cutter to Drake and a tag team move out of the corner to Gibson for the win. 

Main Event

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WWE NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Raquel Gonzalez was the main event of this show. 

First off, this was the perfect match to headline the first night. Io is one of the best workers in NXT and not just in the women’s division. Coming into this bout, Raquel was someone that fans could buy in and think was a real contender and someone who could dethrone Io as the champion. 

Io got the early advantage before there was some outside interference by Dakota Kai, who ended up getting ejected from ringside. This was a sprint and no downtime whatsoever. 

Io made a comeback after being dominated. Io hit a moonsault off the top rope to the floor then a running knee strike. Near the end, Io hit a dive off the skull, which was part of the stage. Raquel hit her finisher for the win.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1379977380463316992

Raquel Gonzalez Wins WWE NXT Women’s Title

Andrew Ravens
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Io Shirai made her latest defense as WWE NXT Women’s Champion against Raquel Gonzalez at Wednesday’s (April 7, 2021) WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

The match featured an early attack by Io. When Dakota Kai attacked Io, she was ejected from ringside, and allowed Raquel to dominate. At one point, Shirai hit a dive off the skull, which was part of the stage. Raquel hit her finisher for the win. 

On the March 14th edition of NXT, Shirai retained her NXT Women’s Championship against Toni Storm. Later that night, Shirai confronted Gonzalez and declared that she wanted to face Gonzalez next. The following week, Shirai told Raquel to sign a contract to make it happen, which she did. 

This feud goes back to the NXT TakeOver: WarGames event where Gonzalez pinned Shirai to get the win in the women’s WarGames match as Gonzalez was part of Team Candice with Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Storm while Shirai was part of Team Shotzi with Shotzi Blackheart, Ember Moon & Rhea Ripley.

Shirai became the NXT Women’s Champion when she beat Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a triple threat match at TakeOver: In Your House in June of last year.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1379977380463316992

MSK Win Vacant WWE NXT Tag Team Titles

Andrew Ravens
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New WWE NXT Tag Team Champions have been crowned and it’s MSK. 

On the first night of WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center, the company booked MSK vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma in a three-way match. 

The bout featured a wild start with MSK getting the early advantage and a few dives. The end came when MSK hit a double cutter to Drake and followed up with a tag team move out of the corner to Gibson.

The titles became vacant after Danny Burch suffered a separated shoulder while teaming with Oney Lorcan against Finn Balor & Karrion Kross in the main event of a recent episode of NXT. Unfortunately, Burch is expected to be out of action for six months.

Lorcan and Burch had been NXT Tag Team Champions since winning the titles from Breezango in October 2020. In the finals of the men’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic at TakeOver: Vengeance Day, MSK defeated The Grizzled to win the tournament.

Just a month ago, MSK were supposed to challenge for the titles against Lorcan and Burch, but that match was nixed due to Lee being out with a broken hand. 

Mike Tyson Saves Chris Jericho On AEW Dynamite

Andrew Ravens
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As advertised, Mike Tyson made an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT, which marked his first appearance in AEW with a live crowd. 

On the show, the boxing legend showed up in the second hour when The Pinnacle was attacking Chris Jericho in the ring. The rest of the Inner Circle was locked in a room backstage and was making their way out to the ring. After Tyson and Inner Circle stood tall in the ring, Jericho and Tyson hugged in peace, a reference to their past. 

https://twitter.com/FiteTV/status/1379967412242554882

Tyson made an appearance at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view event last year where he presented the TNT Championship to the winner of Cody Rhodes vs. Lance Archer, which served as the tournament finals to crown the inaugural TNT Champion.

AEW followed up with another Tyson appearance on the May 27, 2020 edition of Dynamite where he was involved in a brawl alongside some of his friends with Jericho and the Inner Circle. This episode did 827,000 live viewers and a 0.32 in the important 18-49 demographic. 

After this angle was shot, there had been some speculation about a match between the boxing great and Jericho happening. Jericho previously confirmed there were plans to do a match with Tyson at the AEW All Out PPV event on September 5th, but due to Tyson’s fight with Roy Jones jr. happening on September 12th, they had to postpone it. 

WALTER Retains WWE NXT UK Title At TakeOver: Stand & Deliver

Andrew Ravens
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WALTER worked his first match of the week with a top NXT star standing tall with the top prize in his hands. 

WALTER defended the NXT UK Title against Tommaso Ciampa at Wednesday’s (April 7, 2021) WWE NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event from Orlando, Florida.

Ciampa turned back into the 2018 version of his character with the return of his shaved head and trunks. The match saw Ciampa continuously try to get a string of offensive moves together only to be knocked down. In the end, WALTER hit a big chop for the finish. 

This came before WALTER will defend the NXT UK Title against Rampage Brown at NXT UK: Prelude on Thursday. 

This feud started a month ago when Ciampa mentioned WALTER on NXT. After Imperium invited Timothy Thatcher to join them, Ciampa told Thatcher that he’s not interested in joining Imperium, but was interested in facing WALTER. 

To get things moving along, Ciampa said WALTER was sitting safely across the pond holding onto the title while the rest of Imperium did his dirty work. This led to WALTER appearing to take out Ciampa. 

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

Inner Circle vs. Pinnacle In Blood And Guts Match Announced

Andrew Ravens
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All Elite Wrestling is finally booking the Blood and Guts match. The COVID-19 pandemic previously prevented fans from seeing it in AEW.

The original plan was for the match to take place in Newark, New Jersey in front of AEW’s largest paid crowd to date last year. The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz) were supposed to face The Elite (Kenny Omega, Cody, Hangman Page, and The Young Bucks) in the contest.

On Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite, Jericho came out with the rest of the Inner Circle members for a promo to address their feud with The Pinnacle (MJF, FTR, Wardlow, and Shawn Spears). This marked The Inner Circle’s first arena appearance since they were attacked by MJF and The Pinnacle a few weeks ago.

Jericho blamed his “jerk off” friend MJF for some of the recent bad decisions they’ve made and apologized. He noted that he’s smart about pro wrestling and that’s why he brought MJF into the Inner Circle, but MJF outsmarted them. 

He mocked MJF for being a mark for himself because he would run around backstage to see what people were saying about him after his matches.

The former AEW World Heavyweight Champion then announced there will be a Blood and Guts match between The Inner Circle and The Pinnacle on the May 5th edition of Dynamite from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT.

Keith Lee To Appear On WWE Programming This Week

Andrew Ravens
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WWE announced on Thursday that Keith Lee is slated to return to their programming this week. 

He’ll do so when he participates in the Watch Along episode for the second night of NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver – Night 2 event on Thursday. He’ll join Ricochet, Samoa Joe, Dominik Mysterio, and others on the stream, which will be hosted by Matt Camp, Evan T. Mack, and Ryan Pappolla of The Bump.

His status with WWE has made headlines as of late because he has been out of action since early February. Last month, it was reported that Lee was actively trying to get cleared for a return and had been working out at the Performance Center. 

He did break his silence in a statement posted on Twitter, but aside from that, has been quiet. This return comes at the same time as former WWE on-air personality Cathy Kelley coming back to the company for at least one night as she participated in the Watch Along episode for TakeOver Night 1. 

For fans wanting to check it out, the Takeover Watch Along episodes will air live on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.

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