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WWE Files Lawsuit Against US Citizen & Immigration Services

Chris Stephens
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WWE filed a lawsuit in a Connecticut court against the US Citizen & Immigration Services on January 26th, 2021. Documents relating to the case are sealed to the public, however. While it is not known exactly what the lawsuit is in relation to, some speculation can be made.

Following President Joe Biden’s election and inauguration, he signed an executive order mandating that people traveling into the United States from other countries must self-quarantine upon arrival. This could potentially cause problems with WWE bringing in talent from other countries. It is not clear if this issue is what WWE’s lawsuit is pertaining to, however. The new rules for people traveling into the United States also include being able to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

As of this writing, documents relating to the lawsuit have not been served to the US Citizen & Immigration Services. The department will have 60 days to respond once they have been.

Some deadlines have been set for the lawsuit. Pretrial amended pleadings are due by March 27th, 2021. Discovery is due on July 28th, 2021.

Martine G. Cuomo is serving as WWE’s lawyer for the case. Cuomo has a background in corporate immigration law. She is a partner with the firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy.

Jungle Boy & Dax Harwood React To Their Match On AEW Dynamite

Chris Stephens
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Jungle Boy made Dax Harwood submit in a singles match on Dynamite this week. It was Jungle Boy’s first singles victory on AEW’s flagship show and Harwood’s first singles loss, as well.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was Harwood who pitched the match to Tony Khan with the idea being it would help turn Jungle Boy into a top babyface for the company.

“Harwood was the guy who put together the angle and presented it to Tony Khan with the goal of the angle to make Jungle Boy come out of it as a superstar babyface,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

Harwood is certainly on to something. Both men looked great in the match, but Jungle Boy is the young prospect with unlimited upside. He’s been looking better during each outing. Working with ring savvy veterans like Dax Harwood will only help his progress.

Jungle Boy, Dax Harwood & Jim Ross React

Jungle Boy took to Twitter following the match to talk about its importance to his career. He tweeted:

“That was the biggest win of my career, and a match I will never forget. Dax Harwood, you are a son of a bitch, but thank you for bringing that out of me.”

Dax Harwood of FTR also commented on the match on Twitter:

“I’m a tag team wrestler. I’m upset about losing my first singles match in years, but my ultimate goal is to be AEW World TAG TEAM Champions. Maybe, in time, I’ll take that TNT belt & be a double champ, just like a certain Enforcer. Oh yeah, I have the best kicks in the business.”

Finally AEW broadcaster Jim Ross went out of his way to call Jungle Boy vs. Dax Harwood a “Beautiful pro wrestling match.” That’s high praise from JR, who is known to be critical from time to time.

AEW posted this video from the bout and awarded it the #1 Moment of the Week:

Details On Recent Pentagon Jr Segment From AEW Dynamite

Anutosh Bajpai
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AEW did an injury angle with Pentagon Jr during last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite but latest report confirms that it wasn’t the original Pentagon behind the mask at the show.

Last week’s episode of Dynamite saw the AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and The Good Brothers beating up the former Lucha Underground star in a backstage angle.

Some fans later noted that the man behind the mask wasn’t the real Pentagon because he didn’t have the cero miedo hand tattoos which the real star has.

The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter provides some update on the situation and it confirms that it wasn’t the real Penta El Zero M behind the mask featured during the segment at the show and someone else was wearing his outfit.

According to the Newsletter, the Mexican star is currently sorting out a visa issue and he is expected to be back on AEW TV when it’s taken care of.

There has also been some speculation about the former tag champion being injured but the report confirms that while the high flying star was injured for a while last year, he has recovered from the injury and is no longer hurt.

A return date for Pentagon Jr is not known at the moment but these recent reports suggest that the angle was done to explain his absence from TV during the visa issues and he will not stay away from action for very long.

Update On NJPW’s American Television Deal

Chris Stephens
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New Japan Pro Wrestling revealed at Wrestle Kingdom 15 that NJPW programming would soon be headed to the United States and United Kingdom. Details regarding what network they will be on was not revealed, however.

Unfortunately, it does not appear this deal is going to be a game-changer for NJPW. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, NJPW will not be on a major network.

“Obviously the TV deal still hasn’t been finalized although the announcement could come at any time when it is. I’ll just say that it’s not something people would consider major,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

NJPW commentators have made remarks on recent NJPW broadcasts about the color purple that many are taking as a hint regarding the new deal. The video announcing the pending deal was also tinted purple. A few networks feature purple: Pluto TV, Roku, Twitch, HBO Max.

Fans have been speculating about the purple tie-in on social media:

A new episode of NJPW Strong will air on New Japan World today. Lio Rush is scheduled to appear on the show for the first time. The lineup is below:

July 29th, 2021 New Japan Strong

  1. Clark Connors vs The DKC
  2. Rocky Romero vs Chris Dickinson
  3. Lio Rush, TJP, & Fred Rosser vs Hikuleo, KENTA, and El Phantasmo

Update Regarding WWE Network Moving To Peacock

Chris Stephens
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WWE announced a major deal this week. The WWE Network in the United States will be moving to NBC Universal’s Peacock streaming service in March. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the deal has been in the works for months.

WWE hired Nick Khan as President and Chief Revenue Officer in August. “The deal started in talks almost exactly after Khan took over as President of WWE,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “Nick Cordella, the Chief Revenue Officer at Peacock congratulated Khan on his new job the day it was announced, and in his next message, told him, ‘Let’s talk.'”

Khan replaced George Barrios and Michelle Wilson in his role as President and CRO. Barrios and Wilson had both played a major role in the development of the WWE Network. They were promoted to co-Presidents in 2018 and then let go in 2020.

Khan spoke with the Wall Street Journal about the deal. He noted that it will create new WWE fans by exposing the product to potential new consumers.

“As you said, if it is only on WWE Network and you are not a fan yet, why would you subscribe to that?” Khan said. “This gives a chance to win people over when it is right in front of them and the hope is there is a trickle down effect to Raw and SmackDown and ultimately to ticket sales, once that is happening again, merchandising, etc.”

WWE Network Employees Blind-Sided By Deal

A WWE employee who has worked on the WWE Network sent a statement to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. According to the comments by the [anonymous[ employee, WWE staff were blind-sided by the deal and fear for their jobs. A portion of the letter is below:

“Myself and my team were completely bulldozed by the press release about Peacock’s streaming rights to WWE Network in the U.S.,” noted a Wrestling Observer source within the WWE Network. “

“We just had an all employee meeting last week and there was zero indication that this would be happening. And while I’m here, I’ve also heard internally that they’re pointing the finger at social media for poor ratings.”

Backstage News On The Current State Of WrestleMania 37 Match Card

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE typically plans out the WrestleMania card months in advance, but this is not the case for this year’s ‘Show of Shows.’ According to reports from the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, most of the card is still uncertain. In fact, only one WrestleMania match involving Roman Reigns has been decided on.

The report did not divulge the planned opponent for the Universal Champion, but it did rule out Shinsuke Nakamura as Reigns’ opponent.

A John Cena appearance for the show which was reported recently has been confirmed but so far it’s not known what the Cenation leader will be doing at the event and if he will be getting involved in the action.

The company hasn’t been pushing a lot of long term angles that can lead to a WrestleMania match on TV with the exception of the one feud between Randy Orton and The Fiend.

A Firefly Fun House match between the two was planned for the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV at one point but WWE seems to have scrapped those plans so it’s possible that the company is holding off the bout for a future PPV.

Other angles such as Charlotte Flair vs. Lacey Evans and Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens could still lead to a match at the show but they are more likely to culminate before the PPV.

If Randy Orton does end up facing Bray Wyatt, that will leave Edge free for the event. So it’s possible that he wins Sunday’s Royal Rumble PPV and challenges either Reigns or Drew McIntyre at the show.

The Rated R Superstar’s promo on Raw was also heavily centered around a title shot. Though it’s something which the report could not confirm and we will have to tune in to Sunday’s Royal Rumble PPV to find out whether it’s the case.

Alex Shelly Opens Up About Decision To Pull From Hard To Kill

Anutosh Bajpai
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Alex Shelly was originally expected to be part of Impact Wrestling’s Hard To Kill main event but he was pulled from the show a day before the PPV without any explanation. This sudden change without a given reason had started many rumors about his status and now the high flying star has come forward to clear the air.

Shelly took on his Twitter recently to post a lengthy statement and one half of the Motor City Machine Guns explained that his day job as a physical therapy clinician prevented him from making an appearance at the PPV:

“I am a physical therapy clinician, physio is my livelihood and career. Wrestling is my livelihood and passion project. At my company, due to the volume of sick and injured patients we are in care of, we modify our COVID-19 mandates as needed.

As numbers went up, so did restrictiveness. To circumvent the topic, I could not be at Hard To Kill due to my career. I respect the decisions made by our company surgeons and doctors: I look to them for advice and guidance. I am unable to travel and wrestle until I am vaccinated. “

Alex Shelly then discussed how he does not want to receive the coronavirus vaccine so soon but he wants to help the people in therapy and wrestle as well:

“But I want to wrestle very badly while I help people in therapy. So there’s no option. @IMPACTWRESTLING was supportive and understanding and as someone who doesn’t have nor want a contract at this point, my hands were tied. Thanks for your support everyone.”

There is no word yet on how long Alex Shelly will have to stay away from action. Impact Wrestling taped a few months of content coming out of the Hard To Kill PPV and the former tag champion did not work these tapings.

The next Impact PPV Rebellion is scheduled for April 24 and we will have to see if the former champion is able to return to the ring before that.

You can check out his full statement below:

Charlotte Flair On Ronda Rousey’s Impact On Women’s Roster, If WWE Needs Her

Anutosh Bajpai
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There have been some recent rumblings about Ronda Rousey returning to WWE to fill the gap left by Becky Lynch but Charlotte Flair believes that the company doesn’t need the former UFC star.

The Queen recently had an interview with Vicente Beltrán of ViBe & Wrestling where she talked about a number of things and also shared her thoughts on the former MMA star.

Flair was asked about Rousey’s impact on WWE’s women’s roster and whether the company needs her. Responding to it, Charlotte explained that need is a very strong word:

‘Need’ is a very strong word. Do I think Ronda would add to the division? 100% but ‘need’? No, we have an incredible roster of already established stars and some of them are on the rise so ‘need’ I think is a strong word, but do I think she brings a lot to the table? 100%.”

While there has been no official update on Ronda Rousey’s return, the former women’s champion was spotted training in the ring last year and despite not being announced for the bout, she is still one of the favorites to win this year’s women’s Royal Rumble.

Charlotte Flair has previously competed against the former UFC Champion on multiple occasions and if Rousey does return to the company at some point, it’s almost certain that we will see these two sharing a ring once again.

Mick Foley Responds To Undertaker’s Comments On Current WWE Product

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

The recent comments from The Undertaker about the current generation of wrestlers being soft have started a debate among the fans and now WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley has responded to these remarks from the Dead Man.

The Hardcore Legend, who is known for his extreme performances took on his social media and posted a photo of himself with the former world champion.

Foley also responded to Taker’s comments in the caption and wrote: “Today’s professional wrestlers are every bit as tough as the wrestlers of my era were. Just my opinion.”

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/1354880525866053633
https://www.facebook.com/RealMickFoley/posts/4343544865675618?cft[0]=AZVzjFXm53UuEtI00hdy-ZrSAEjH1uohYjLzuxymrWkWR7UM263xj1yaPXHVSe0tN4XA5fWkXC3fLs97olkzh_GyhU86sb8Qw5ysOQX0Mbxd7VuIlaYQD_7puAk9CDUqlsk&tn=%2CO%2CP-R

The Undertaker Believes The Current WWE Product Is Soft

The Undertaker had made some interesting comments on the current WWE product during his recent appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast. In the comments; Foley is responding to he had said that the current product is soft:

“I just think the product is a little soft. There is obviously guys here and there that have an edge to them but there’s too much pretty and not enough substance I think right now.”

Since the podcast came out, multiple WWE and AEW wrestlers have responded to Taker’s opinion on the current roster and people like Xavier Woods and Drew McIntyre have said that they don’t agree with the remarks.

Though there have been some who have spoken up in support of the Last Outlaw and most notably Goldberg recently agreed with his comments.

NXT Demo Rating Spikes 40% From Last Week, AEW Dynamite Down

Michael Reichlin
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TV ratings are in for this week’s Wednesday Night War and NXT gained a lot of ground on AEW Dynamite. Here’s the breakdown for this week, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

  • AEW: 734,000 viewers, 0.29 rating (A18-49), 6th on cable
  • NXT: 720,000 viewers, 0.21 rating (A18-49), 24th on cable

Overall, this was is a very strong showing for NXT. Compared to last week, viewership jumped 9.3% and the rating spiked 40%. AEW’s viewership declined 14.1% and the rating dropped 19.4%.

NXT won the Adults 50+ demo, as it usually does. However, it also won the Women 18-49 and Women 12-34 demographics.

AEW Dynamite featured the Young Bucks and Good Brothers teaming against the Dark Order in the main event, Jungle Boy vs. Dax Harwood, Eddie Kingston vs. Lance Archer, Chris Jericho teaming with MJF and more.

NXT saw Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly team up against the NXT tag team champions and three Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament matches.

You can see our results and takeaways features for both shows here:

AEW Beach Break Preview: Main Event, Tag Team Battle Royal, Wedding

Michael Reichlin
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AEW Beach Break takes place Wednesday, February 3rd from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL. This will be a special edition of AEW Dynamite ahead of the upcoming Revolution pay-per-view on March 7th.

The following matches are confirmed for the event:

Kenny Omega & Good Brothers vs. Jon Moxley, PAC & Rey Fenix

The main event will feature the next chapter in Jon Moxley’s heated rivalry with Kenny Omega. The AEW World Champion will have the Good Brothers on his side, while Moxley has backup from PAC and Rey Fenix.

Kenny Omega does not yet have an opponent for Revolution. It will be interesting to see if AEW uses this six-man tag as a vehicle to set up Omega’s match at Revolution. It could be a stipulation against Jon Moxley, or someone else entirely.

Britt Baker vs. Thunder Rosa

Thunder Rosa will finally get her hands on Dr. Britt Baker. The former NWA Women’s Champion is out for revenge after several surprise attacks by AEW’s resident dentist. Baker has done everything in her power to avoid facing Thunder Rosa, but time running out.

Tag Team Battle Royal

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The winning team will be the next challengers to AEW World Tag Team Champions, the Young Bucks. The title match will take place at Revolution.

Participating teams include: FTR, Top Flight, Private Party, The Acclaimed, Jurassic Express, Evil Uno and Stu Grayson of the Dark Order, Santana & Ortiz, Chris Jericho & MJF, “Sammy Hegar” and the champions, the Young Bucks.

If Bucks win, they’ll get to hand pick their opponents at Revolution. They’ve teased their opponents could be anybody, even the Good Brothers.

Lumberjack Match

Eddie Kingston and Lance Archer squared off on the most recent episode of Dynamite. Kingston got the win, but not without controversy (outside interference). AEW President Tony Khan announced these two will ‘run it back’ and settle their score with Lumberjacks surrounding the ringside area.

Kip Sabian & Penelope Ford Wedding

AEW Beach Break Wedding

Finally, wrestling fans are cordially invited to the beach wedding of Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford. The lovebirds will finally tie the knot, with Miro serving as Kip Best Man. Wrestling weddings always go off without a hitch, so what could go wrong?

Join us here Wednesday night, February 3rd for AEW Dynamite: Beach Break Results and Takeaways.

Kurt Angle Announces “The Kurt Angle Show” Podcast With Conrad Thompson

Chris Stephens
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Kurt Angle has announced that “The Kurt Angle Show” podcast will debut on Westwood One on February 7th, 2021. He spoke to SI.com about the news.

“We’re going to have a lot of fun with this podcast and get into some great wrestling stories,” said Angle. “It’s true that I have a lot of stories to tell, and I won’t be holding back.”

Angle plans on being open about his past substance abuse issues on the show as well.

“I’m very proud of the fact that I’ve been clean and sober for nearly eight years, and I want to help others,” Angle continued. “If I can help one person with this show, that will mean the world to me.”

Conrad Thompson, who hosts popular podcast with Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, and Eric Bischoff, will be Angle’s co-host.

“It’s almost become a gag about that he won an Olympic gold medal with a broken freakin’ neck, but Kurt Angle wrestled that match, the main event of WrestleMania 19, with a broken neck,” Thompson says. “His decision to wrestle is one that he is still paying for today, and it started his dependency on prescription drugs. He goes into all of it, and fans are going to love hearing his stories. This is going to be a chance to really learn about the human element of this wrestling machine.”

Meiko Satomura To Debut For NXT UK Soon

Chris Stephens
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WWE has officially announced that Meiko Satomura will be debuting for the NXT UK brand shortly. It was revealed in an article back in October that she was headed to England to begin work with WWE.

Satomura is expected to work as a player/coach for the brand.

Satomura competed in the 1st Mae Young Classic tournament, making it to the semi-finals before losing to Toni Storm.

Sasha Banks is likely happy with the news. Banks has said previously she would like to wrestle Satomura.

Pete Dunne also spoke about Satomura during a pre-Mae Young Classic interview.

“I’m a student of pro wrestling. I’ve always been a huge fan of Meiko Satomura so… I’d seen that she’d been added to the Mae Young Classic–I’m really excited for her. I think, especially this late in her career, it’s amazing she’s finally getting the chance to come to a platform like this, show the world what she can do.” Dunne said.

“Seeing her live, you’ll see what I mean. The aggression and the competitiveness she brings is something unique and like I said I’m excited for the world to see. I think it’s gonna be great to see how competitors deal with somebody with that level of experience that Meiko brings to the tournament. I think that’s what so unique about her; not only is she always wrestling a completely different style over in Japan, but she has that level of experience that’s hard to match right now with those superstars.”

AEW’s Allie Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles

Chris Stephens
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Today is “Let’s Talk Day,” an annual tradition in support of mental health. It is run by Bell Canada, who own TSN, AEW’s Canadian broadcast partners.

Allie, known in AEW as The Bunny, recently opened up about her struggles with mental health as part of the Let’s Talk awareness campaign.” I try to be as transparent as possible when it comes to my mental health struggles,” she wrote. “I would be lying if I told you I didn’t feel ashamed at times or embarrassed to speak about them openly. If I’m being honest, I sometimes worry about what people will think.”

“But the truth is, I struggle. I will likely have to battle these issues for the rest of my life. I work at them EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. For those that are struggling, I am sorry. I know it isn’t easy. You are not alone.”

“Treatment for mental health issues should not be a luxury. There NEEDS to be better access for people who need help.”

Allie (Laura Dennis) began her pro wrestling training on her 18th birthday. She started her professional career in 2005. She worked in the Toronto indie scene under the name, Cherry Bomb. She wrestled for promotions such as Shimmer, Smash, and Shine before catching on with Impact in 2013. She was killed off in Impact storyline in 2019 and debuted for AEW later that year.

Allie on Mental Health

Allie also opened up about her mental health struggles last year on “Let’s Talk” day.

“I have struggled with and battled depression since my teens. I kept it a secret for a very long time. I smiled and laughed with my friends but inside I felt empty and alone,” Allie Tweeted last year.

“Like many people suffering with a mental health issue, I felt ashamed. It wasn’t until a close friend reached out and asked if I needed help. It was a hard thing for me to admit. I was too proud to ask but she asked for me and it saved my life.”

“Let’s show more kindness and understanding to our loved ones, friends and strangers. You have no idea what someone is fighting on the inside. Let’s break the stigma surrounding mental heath issues. You are not alone.”

#BellLetsTalk

Chris Jericho was featured in a PSA for “Let’s Talk” that was posted by AEW:

WWE’s Chelsea Green also spoke about her own struggles with mental health.

MLW Fusion Results (1/27): Disgraced NBA Official Helps Richard Holliday Win Caribbean Championship

Chris Stephens
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MLW Fusion featured the professional wrestling debut of former disgraced NBA official, Tim Donaghy. The man at the center of the 2007 NBA betting scandal was the official for the Caribbean Strap Match between Savio Vega and Richard Holliday. Needless to say, things weren’t entirely on the up and up.

The full show can be viewed in the player below.

MLW Fusion 1/27 Results:

  1. AAA Cruiserweight Championship
    Laredo Kid (c) defeated Zenshi
  2. TJP & Bu Ku Dao defeated Violence is Forever (Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini)
  3. Caribbean Championship
    Strap Match
    Richard Holliday defeated Savio Vega (c) – New Champion

Below are the key takeaways from MLW Fusion 1/27:

Laredo Kid Defends AAA Cruiserweight Championship, Sends Message to Lio Rush

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1354584474047057920

We got a AAA championship defended in an MLW ring this week as Laredo Kid defended his Cruiserweight title against Zenshi. The champion was able to retain after landing a top-rope Spanish Fly for the 1-2-3. After the match, Laredo Kid cut a promo about wanting to be a double-champion. He made it clear that he’s gunning for Lio Rush and the MLW Middleweight title.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s top-10 MLW Rankings

New top-10 rankings via Pro Wrestling Illustrated were announced this week. It was also noted that LA Park was removed from the singles rankings as he will be focusing on just tag-team action for the time being.

MLW World Champion: Jacob Fatu (c) (Contra Unit)

  1. Alexander Hammerstone (National Openweight Champion) (Dynasty)
  2. Tom Lawlor (Opera Cup Winner) (Team Filthy)
  3. Low-Ki
  4. Lio Rush (MLW Middleweight Champion)
  5. Mads Krugger (Contra Unit)
  6. Richard Holliday (Dynasty)
  7. Mil Muertes (Azteca Underground)
  8. Myron Reed (Injustice)
  9. Daivari (Contra Unit)
  10. ACH

Tom Lawlor’s “Filthy Island” Financial Problems?

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1354587495766188034

Tom Lawlor continues to deny that his Team Filthy had anything to do with the recent attack to ACH. It appears that sponsors for his Filthy Island are pulling out in the aftermath of the scandal, however. It was noted on commentary that this could be another Fyre Festival type situation.

TJP & Bu Ku Dao Earn Tag Title Shot

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1354591017098473474

The Violence is Forever team of Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini took on Bu Ku Dao and his mentor TJP this week. It was announced that the winner will receive a tag title shot against Los Parks next week.

The finish of the match came when a double team attempt by VIF was countered, Dao hit a diving flatliner from the ropes and TJP hit a frog splash that allowed Dao to get the pin on Ku. Next week, it will be Los Parks defending the title against TJP and Bu Ku Dao.

Tim Donaghy Helps Richard Holliday Win Caribbean Championship

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1354594791950979077

Richard Holliday has been in possession of Savio Vega’s Caribbean Championship title for many months, despite not being the rightful champion. He had the chance to win the title legitimately in this Caribbean Strap match, however.

It looked as though Vega had the match won. As he went to touch the fourth and final turnbuckle he needed, however, the referee got in the way. As Vega reached out for the buckle, all he could grab was the referee’s shirt. This then allowed Holliday to dive, reach the buckle, and win the match. The referee then exited the ring along with Holiday as Vega protested in the ring.

A close look at the referee revealed that this was Tim Donaghy, the referee who served time in prison as a result of his role in the 2007 NBA Betting Scandal. It was announced last year that Donaghy had signed with MLW, though his involvement in this match had not been promoted ahead of time.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1354595295586353154

Holliday and Donaghy were interviewed in the back where they denied anything controversial had happened. Savio Vega ran in as the show came to a close.

Coming Up In MLW

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1354587242358968320

The following matches are upcoming in MLW:

Next Week:

  • Balikli Brawl
    Mads Krugger vs Alexander Hammerstone
  • MLW Tag Team Championships
    Los Parks (c) vs TJP & Bu Ku Dao

February 17th, 2021

  • Filthy Island w/ Tom Lawlor and Team Filthy

Moose Reportedly To Be A Free Agent Soon

Chris Stephens
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0

36-year-old Moose is reportedly set to be a free agent in a few months. According to a report from Fightful Select, Moose’s Impact contract is up in June. In March of 2019, Impact announced Moose had signed a multi-year commitment to the promotion. It was noted in storyline, however, that Moose had recently signed a 2-year deal with the promotion.

Moose made his first appearance in the promotion in the summer of 2016. He held the Impact Grand Championship on 2 occasions and is currently the self-proclaimed TNA World Heavyweight Champion. A program pitting current Impact World Champion, Rich Swann, and Moose appears to be brewing, however. At Genesis recently, Swann revealed he’ll grant Moose a title shot after Moose had just defeated Willie Mack in an I Quit match.

https://twitter.com/TheMooseNation/status/1353685341576814594

Moose began his pro-wrestling career in 2012 after his NFL career ended. He played in 62 NFL games but was cut by the Rams in 2012. Moose then trained with Mr. Hughes to start his pro-wrestling career. He landed with Ring of Honor in 2012 and then with Global Force Wrestling in 2014. Moose was named the Rookie of the Year in 2015 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated.

Moose wrestled in the 8-man tag-team main event on Impact Wrestling Tuesday night.

Amanda Huber Details Timeline Of Brodie Lee’s Illness On AEW Unrestricted

Chris Stephens
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0

Amanda Huber is the latest guest on the AEW Unrestricted podcast. The widow of Brodie Lee spoke to Aubrey Edwards and Tony Schiavone about the final months of his life.

On a Monday in mid-October, Jon was unable to continue his normal exercise routine on his Peloton bike due to not being able to catch his breath.

Amanda then said she checked his temperature and checked him for symptoms of COVID-19.

The following night (Tuesday in mid-October), he went to AEW and tested negative for COVID-19 but the doctor didn’t feel safe letting him in the bubble with his symptoms. Jon drove home instead.

Jon then quarantined in the home away from his wife and kids. He also developed a high fever but continued to test negative for COVID-19.

Jon said he felt like he had pneumonia but the doctors at the hospital thought he had bronchitis and allergies.

On Sunday, he went back to the hospital. His fever had gone away but his oxygen levels were very low. Jon’s oxygen was at 52, a normal person is at 100. He was then put on oxygen.

The doctors were convinced it was COVID but the tests kept coming back negative.

That Wednesday he was moved to the ICU because the doctors and nurses said they wanted to keep a better eye on him.

At this point, some people from AEW knew what was going on and reached out.

On October 31st, the doctors said they wanted to move Jon to another hospital. The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville was chosen. Jon needed to go on an ECMO machine.

While Amanda was preparing to go to Jacksonville and helping the kids with Halloween, she received word that Jon had crashed and was intubated.

Jon was put on an ECMO machine which was described to her as “dialysis for the lungs.”

Amanda praised the doctors and nurses quite a bit. She talked about taking medication and talking with a therapist to deal with the impacts on her mental health.

Amanda also praised the staff of AEW for how everything was handled. They told everyone at AEW but requested that they keep things quiet. At the time, they felt he would get better because he was showing signs of improvement. Amanda was worried that he would wake up and be upset that things had been published on the internet. Aubrey, Tony, and Amanda all expected the news to leak out and it didn’t.

More advanced tests for COVID-19 were tried and still came back negative.

Basically, doctors don’t know what happened but his lungs were very damaged. They think his high fever was attempting to fight off a lung infection and caused massive scarring of his lungs. She’s hopeful to learn more after an autopsy report.

Jon showed signs of improvement after getting to the Mayo Clinic. He was doing physical therapy and getting better.

November 14th is Amanda’s birthday, the nurses and hospital staff had a cake and banner for her to celebrate.

Jon wasn’t able to talk but things were looking up. In late November, he was taken off the ventilator and put on oxygen but things went very downhill from there.

Jon got worse and the doctors said he either needs a lung transplant or “end of life care.”

Doctors said Jon would not be able to continue wrestling after a lung transplant and would have been immunocompromised for life.

In mid-December, it was revealed that he had an infection in his lungs and things were not looking good.

Amanda then detailed just how much Brodie Jr. loves wrestling. He was having a rough time dealing with everything and said all he wanted for Christmas was for his Dad to come home. When asked what else he might want, Brodie Jr. said he wanted to go to AEW. Chris Jericho flew them on his private jet to an AEW Dynamite show while Amanda was waiting to hear about a possible transplant.

Jon was turned down for lung transplants. Amanda said she was worried this would be the answer due to the infections. They tried some other transplant centers but continued to get turned down.

The hospital called on December 24th to say they needed to start end of life care due to kidney and heart failure.

They tried to have a normal Christmas day. That night they drove to Jacksonville.

She called Cody Rhodes and Big E to ask if they would help tell Brodie Jr. that his father was going to pass away. Cody drove from Atlanta to get there to help and he also had the perspective of having lost his larger-than-life father as well. Cody, Shawn Spears, Peyton Royce, Tyler Breeze and Big E were also there on the day of Jon’s passing.

Due to COVID, there was no memorial service.

“His AEW Celebration of Life, that was his funeral,” Amanda said. “The outpouring of love from the wrestling community has been unreal. The amount of people from every corner of the wrestling world have reached out to me and had their stories about Jon. All of that has been kind of breathtaking.”

“I would have loved to have done a funeral but I can’t risk anybody else’s health. So, the AEW show that was put on that was his send-off, that was his funeral, and that was our saying goodbye to him. It was so beautiful.”

She also talked about how much fun -1 is having right now and having this connection with his Dad.

Amanda was very open, honest, and added humor to a very difficult and tragic story.

Bobby Lashley: Certain People Have Kept Brock Lesnar Away From Me

Michael Reichlin
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Bobby Lashley is the latest guest on Peter Rosenberg’s Cheap Heat Podcast. WWE’s reigning United States Champion spoke with Rosenberg and co-host Stat Guy Greg about a range of topics. They discussed being a muscular guy in WWE, how the Hurt Business was formed, working with Umaga and more.

Wrestling fans and pundits have long talked about a between Bobby Lashley and Brock Lesnar. It is an intriguing pairing that some would call a dream match. They are two of the most athletic big men in WWE history. Lashley has expressed interest in working with Lesnar, but it has never happened. Lashley was asked if Brock is ducking him, or if he’s ducking Brock.

“We can cancel that second part out, because I ain’t ducking anybody,” said Lashley. “Let’s go and cross that out.”

Lashley has heard Lesnar doesn’t want to work with him because he’s not a big enough star. He feels this is completely ridiculous, if true.

“You know, I’ve heard a couple different things, which I think is completely obnoxious, I think it’s ridiculous. I’ve heard this one time, maybe he thinks he’s too big of a star. Because if you think about it, look who he usually goes against. He’ll come back in and see who’s hot. ‘Oh, Kofi’s hot, I’ll get Kofi. Oh, Drew’s hot. Let me get him.’ It kind of takes away from the fact of what the fans want. Fans have been [wanting this match] since I began wrestling.”

Bobby Lashley Doesn’t Know Brock Lesnar

Bobby Lashley has been compared to Brock Lesnar ever since he joined WWE. People have called him the Black Brock. He corrects them and says, “No, no, no. It’s just Bobby.”

Surprisingly, Bobby Lashley says he doesn’t know Brock Lesnar. He says he’s “never” talked to Brock. In fact, he says they’ve exchanged a maybe a total of 5 words – ever.

“I’ve never talked to Brock, I don’t even know Brock really well,” said Lashley. “So, it’s usually through his advocate or someone else that you can even get any kind of dialogue. So, I’m not the one to ask that question. It’s those other guys, ’cause I’m ready.'”

Peter Rosenberg was stunned that Lashley has never had a conversation with Brock Lesnar. Rosenberg says he frankly never sees Brock at WWE shows when he’s there, but sees Lashley backstage all the time. He asked Lashley to elaborate. Lashley says he never even met Brock Lesnar until 2 years ago. He believes certain people have tried to keep them apart throughout the years.

“I’ve maybe exchanged a total of 5 words with Brock – ever,” Lashley revealed. “And, another thing is, I never met Brock until probably like 2 years ago in Saudi [Arabia]. I didn’t even know he was there, I walked passed gorilla and was like ‘hey, hey’ and that was it. We shook hands, and that was about it.’ Since then, there’s been a few other times, he’s come and it was just in passing, ‘Hey Brock, what’s going on, what’s going on.’ We shook hands, boom. We ‘know’ each other, but I think there’s people that have tried to keep us apart.”

You can check out the full interview with Bobby Lashley on Cheap Heat embedded below:

Corey Graves Gives His ‘Dark Horse’ Picks for Royal Rumble Matches

Jake Skudder
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WWE commentator Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast has come back after a short layoff in 2020. Graves had Goldberg appear on the show this week as part of the WWE Royal Rumble build-up.

During the show, Corey Graves would give his picks for the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumble matches. Going against the more established betting favorites, Graves would say that he sees Bayley and Cesaro winning the Women’s and Men’s matches respectively.

Corey Graves Picks His Rumble Winners

“I’m picking Bayley to win the Women’s Rumble” Corey Graves began on the show. “She’s won the Grand Slam and she’s done everything there is to do in the Women’s division. However, she has yet to win a women’s Royal Rumble match, and for my money Bayley is just firing on all cylinders right now.”

Graves the revealed that he is picking Cesaro to win the Rumble match and go on to face Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania. “And for the men’s side of things? I’m gonna throw a dark horse at you. It’s no secret, I have advocated for him on this podcast for many moons. I think, finally? The stars have aligned and he is functioning at a high enough level. I think Cesaro shocks everybody and wins the Royal Rumble. And I’m going to do you one better. Not only is Cesaro winning the men’s Royal Rumble match? Cesaro then challenges Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania.”

The chances of Bayley winning the Women’s Rumble are arguably far higher than Cesaro taking the Men’s. Whilst SmackDown has done a very good job week to week this year building more stars? For Cesaro to win and defeat the likes of Brock Lesnar (potentially), Daniel Bryan, Goldberg (potentially) and Big E would be a real shock, but a welcome shock.

Do you agree with Corey Graves? Do you think that Bayley and Cesaro have a shot at winning the matches this Sunday? Let us know in the comments

Goldberg Agrees With The Undertaker: WWE Is Soft Compared To His Era

Jake Skudder
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WWE Superstar and former WCW Legend Goldberg recently appeared on WWE’s After The Bell podcast with Corey Graves.

Goldberg discussed a number of topics during the interview, including the recent comments made by The Undertaker. ‘Taker recently appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast, and the Deadman stated that he feels today’s WWE is ‘soft’ comparative to his era. “It’s tough right now, for me, because the product has changed so much. It’s kinda soft” ‘Taker said on the podcast.

“When you hear the comments about me coming back and doing one or two matches a year?” Goldberg began on After The Bell. “How you know people were like; he doesn’t deserve it. He never paid his dues, he was never on the road and these people are on the road.’ Man people forget very quickly what all of us did back in the day. So I earned the spot that I’m in now and again I’m one of the luckiest guys in the world.”

Goldberg on Undertaker’s Comments

“Yes, I believe comparatively [to my era that] the business is soft,” Goldberg continued. “But the business is in 2021, so things have to change and things have to be different. [We had] Mega superstars that were bigger than life, but it’s hard in this generation, seemingly, to build those people. There are a couple people who have have made it beyond relying upon the public to do that, and they forced their way up and they’ve earned their spot. Drew McIntyre is one of them.”

Goldberg then finished by addressing the odd promo that he cut on RAW just a couple of weeks ago. The former WCW Champion made claims about Drew McIntyre being disrespectful to the legends of WWE past. Although McIntyre was reportedly going to cut a promo like that, it was cut for time, however Goldberg was still sent out to read his scripted lines.

“I think mainly when I was talking to Drew in the beginning? I was speaking to the locker room” Goldberg stated, seemingly trying to save face. “So I was speaking to everybody. And he’s the leader, right? So you got to go to the leader and you got to make sure that everything is taken care of in the right way. I mean, like I said, times are quite different than they were back in the day, but people are soft. People take take offence to things way too quickly, I mean you know, grow a little thicker skin, boys and girls, that’s all I can say.”

Goldberg faces Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship this Sunday at the Royal Rumble.

Santino Marella Recalls His Royal Rumble Debut

Anutosh Bajpai
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The Royal Rumble edition of WWE’s The Bump featured stars such as Charlotte Flair, Tegan Nox, and Santino Marella talking about the upcoming PPV event among other things.

The episode started with the former WWE star and they opened the discussion with Santino’s Royal Rumble debut in 2008 at the Madison Square Garden:

“Well, I wouldn’t call that [debut] fortunate, but it was a special moment for me because it was at Madison Square Garden,” said Santino Marella. “I was hoping that I would come out later after everyone was tired.

I looked to the left, and I looked to the right, and all of a sudden, I was in the locker room trying to figure out what happened. That was a quick one. But I was honored to share the ring with these guys.”

During the interview, Marella also shared some exciting news about his personal life and the former United States Champion revealed that his wife is pregnant:

“Because this is called The Bump, my wife upstairs she has a little bump – baby bump. We’re going to have another baby! of course, my daughter Bianca is 25. She’s training to become a professional wrestler.

She is very good. You’re going to see her become a superstar. And my little son Marko, he’s two. And now, we have one more coming!”

Santino Marella entered the 2008 Royal Rumble at #3 after Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Though he didn’t stay in the bout for very long and the former champion was eliminated from the match in just 25 seconds by the Undertaker.

The Rock On The Roughest Time Of His Life

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former World Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently took part in NBCUniversal’s Winter Press Tour event on Tuesday to discuss the new Young Rock comedy series based on the Hollywood star’s childhood days.

During the press event, the former WWE star talked about things like being pitched the idea for the show, how he had a tough childhood and more.

The Rock was also asked what were the roughest times of his life and the Great One replied to the question explaining that it’s a multi-layered answer:

“There’s a few layers to that answer…At 13, I veered off the tracks to do things I shouldn’t be doing. I got arrested at 13 in Hawaii,”

The Rock added that getting passed over for NFL was another rough patch in his life “that was a pretty big loss; when you’re done with your college career, you’re done. There was no NFL for me,”

Young Rock series will chronicle the formative years of the former wrestling star. The new series will be premiering on Tuesday, February 16 at 8pm ET. You can check out the official trailer for it below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMGdV2RehDk

Riho Returning To AEW To Compete In #1 Contender Tournament For Women’s Title

Anutosh Bajpai
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AEW has finally announced the return of their Inaugural women’s champion Riho after almost 10 months of absence for the female star from the company.

The promotion announced a women’s eliminator tournament last week to determine the new #1 contender for the current champion Hikaru Shida.

The company then announced an interesting first-round match for the tournament during tonight’s episode of Dynamite, confirming that a returning Riho will be facing the current NWA women’s champion Sarena Deeb:

Riho was crowned the first-ever AEW women’s champion during the premiere episode of Dynamite back in October 2019 after defeating Hikaru Shida in a one on one match.

She held the title for 133 days before losing it to Nyla Rose in February last year. Shida then won the championship from Rose during Double Or Nothing in May.

The Japanese star took a leave from AEW not long after losing the championship due to the travel restrictions put in place to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Though the company has not provided any timetable for this bout just yet and so we will have to wait and see when the former women’s champion actually makes her return to AEW programming.

Tony Khan Apologizes For Streaming Issues With Tonight’s Dynamite

Anutosh Bajpai
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It appears that there were some streaming issues with tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite and president Tony Khan has apologized for it. The opening match of Dynamite saw Eddie Kingston taking on Lance Archer but many fans were not able to see the match due to some technical issues with the TNT app.

Tony Khan later took on his Twitter to apologize to fans who faced the inconvenience and were not able to watch the opening bout. He also noted that they will be uploading the full match on their YouTube channel after the show which can be seen below:

The opening match saw Lance Archer coming out with Jake Roberts but the former NJPW star later asked Roberts to stay in the back so he can compete on his own. Lance Archer went on to dominate the bout and he delivered some heavy blows to his opponent including one spot where Archer choke slammed Kingston onto the ring apron.

Apart from this, the show also featured matches such as The Young Bucks and The Good Brothers vs. The Dark Order, Jungle Boy vs. Dax Harwood and Hangman Page vs. Dolph Ziggler’s brother Ryan Nemeth.

You can check out the complete Dynamite results from this week here.

John Cena Has “Earned The Right” To Be A Part-Time WWE Superstar – Triple H

Anutosh Bajpai
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There was a time when John Cena was heavily critical of The Rock for his part-time schedule but the Cenation leader has since taken the same path and Triple H believes that he has earned his current spot.

The Game was recently a guest on The Michael Kay Show where he talked about things like having fans at the upcoming WrestleMania 37 event and more.

During a discussion about John’s status for WrestleMania, the host Michael Kay pointed out how Cena himself has become a part timer now. Replying to it, Triple H said that he has earned it:

“You find yourself when you’re in the thick of it being that guy that says, ‘I’m here every day. This is my house and my place,’ but then you get to where John Cena is, you get to where The Rock is. You get to where Taker is or [Ric] Flair or anybody else where you’ve earned the right with fans to come back every now and then and tip your cap and for them to say, ‘man, thank you for all of that’ and for you to re-live those moments.

John has earned that. Whether he spoke badly about it in the past and meant it, or whether he didn’t,” said Triple H, “he earned that right. He’s earned that right to pick his spots.”

John Cena had a feud with The Rock back in 2012-13 when the duo main evented two consecutive WrestleManias. The 16-time world champion at the time criticised The people’s champion for leaving the company for Hollywood.

However, the former champion has since followed the Great One’s path and he has admitted that he was wrong about his opponent and he was ignorant.

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