It turns out that Jason Jordan isn’t giving up hope regarding a possible in-ring return.
Chad Gable, the former tag team partner of Jordan, made an appearance on today’s episode of WWE’s The Bump. Around the 58-minute mark, Gable reflected on teaming up with Jordan.
This is where he noted that Jordan is working towards to a potential comeback.
“Just speaking from a personal standpoint, he became one of my best friends throughout the process and still is. It’s unfortunate what happened with his injury, but you never say never. He’s working on it. He’s trying to get back, and who knows? A reunion is always something that I would never be against.”
Jordan and Gable won both the NXT and SmackDown Tag Team Championships as a tag team together before they were separated in 2017 during the Superstar Shake-Up. Jordan would later win the Raw Tag Team Titles with Seth Rollins.
Jordan had neck surgery in early 2018 and still hasn’t been cleared to return to in-ring action. It’s been reported that the likelihood of him wrestling again isn’t likely.
On the flip side, Gable would go onto win the Tag Team Titles on the red brand with Robert Roode. He is currently a member of the Friday Night SmackDown where he’s paired with Otis.
Over the years, WWE has typically just announced the competitors, or even in some cases, there will be qualifying bouts with the winners being added to one of the most exciting matches the company puts on all year.
This year has been a bit different as there have been various wrestlers just declaring for it and automatically added without question.
Adam Pearce, who serves as a WWE Producer as well as an on-air authority figure, recently clarified WWE Superstars declaring themselves for the match. He did so in a post on Twitter by writing the following:
“It’s actually pretty simple: Those that have been granted the ability to simply declare entry into the Royal Rumble by management are free to do so. Those that haven’t must qualify. I don’t write the rules, I enforce them.”
So far confirmed for the Women’s Royal Rumble Match include Nia Jax, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Bianca Belair, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Peyton Royce, Alexa Bliss, and Shayna Baszler.
Jeff Hardy, Jey Uso, Cesaro, Daniel Bryan, WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Otis are named thus far set for Men’s Royal Rumble Match.
WWE is moving forward with WrestleMania 37 in what will be the closest to a normal presentation that fans haven’t seen in nearly a year by having a show not held in a closed set environment.
Since March, WWE hasn’t had any fans in attendance for their shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That will change with WWE’s biggest pay-per-view event of the year.
WWE confirmed over the weekend that this event will be held over the course of two nights – April 10th and 11th – from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
PWinsider.com reports that the current plan is for each night to be a three-hour show, airing live on the WWE Network from 7-10pm ET. WWE will likely have a Kickoff pre-show that airs before the main card. There’s no word yet whether the pre-show will be an hour or two hours long as everything is subject to change at this point.
Regarding fans being allowed to attend the show, WrestleVotes reported today that both nights are expected to have 25,000 fans in attendance, which would give WWE 50,000 fans in total. Now, WWE shifts its focus on what they will do after WrestleMania regarding traveling and fans attending shows.
WWE is planning on permitting upwards of 25,000 fans for WrestleMania on each night. The real internal discussions are what to do after. Some would like a soft “reopening” of the touring schedule for Live TVs as continuing the ThunderDome post Mania comes with location headaches.
Pwinsider added that no other events have been locked in for this special weekend although there has been talk of holding the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony as a virtual event.
Eric Bischoff commented on the trend of ‘cinematic matches’ during a recent interview with Sportskeeda. The former WCW President thinks it’s possible to present them correctly, but he does not see them as “the future of the business.”
AEW star Matt Hardy is credited with being a pioneer of cinematic matches, stemming from his time with Impact Wrestling. Hardy’s “Broken Universe” produced several memorable short films, including the Final Deletion.
Other companies have utilized cinematic matches. WWE filmed mini-movies from the Wyatt Family Compound. The main event of last year’s WrestleMania saw The Undertaker defeat AJ Styles in the well-received Boneyard Match.
The most recent example of a cinematic match came this past weekend at Impact Wrestling: Hard to Kill when Ethan Page battled his alter ego, Karate Man.
Bischoff on Cinematic Matches
Eric Bischoff explains that cinematic can be a valuable part of a wrestling show. However, it’s important that companies use them sparingly, as special attractions.
“I don’t think it’s the future of the business,” said Bischoff. “I think it’s a valuable component, a special attraction. I think if it’s done too much, it will lose some of its value to the audience when everything becomes a cinematic style match. Then it’s no longer special. I think if the cinematic matches are presented as a special event, once a year, or twice a year, or in unique story-driven situations, I think it could become a very valuable part of the presentation. But I think to rely on that exclusively as a presentation would diminish their value.”
Cinematic matches have been generally well-received and the trend does not appear to be going away. Someone like Sting, for example, is somewhat limited with what he can do in the ring. However, he’d be the perfect candidate to utilize cinematic matches.
In the past, WWE would announce the date and location of the following year’s WrestleMania either before or after that year’s event. However, WWE didn’t do that for WrestleMania events over the next three years.
This past weekend, WWE confirmed that they would hold WrestleMania 37 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on April 10 and April 11 of this year, WrestleMania 38 on April 3, 2022 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 2, 2023.
WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon recently spoke with Tony Maglio of The Wrap. During the interview, she explained why WWE bucked the trend of announcements.
“It just helps everybody,” she said. “It helps us for planning purposes, it helps our fans plan their trips, it helps in so many different capacities. And now we can really work with all of our partners across the board in all of these major cities and really blow everything out as big as we possibly can,” McMahon said.
She added that she thinks people need hope and something to look forward to during this difficult time as we all live in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.854 million viewers with a 0.60 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. Last week’s show did 1.819 million viewers with a 0.55 rating.
Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Monday night:
The first hour did 1.991 million viewers and a 0.64 rating (A18-49).
The second hour did 1.875 million viewers and a 0.61 rating.
The final hour of the show had just 1.697 million viewers and a 0.56 rating.
For the second time since September, WWE didn’t have to face competition from any football coverage whether that was Monday Night Football with the NFL or in the case of last week with the college football championship game.
The January 4th edition didn’t have any competition from football, but that was the Legends Night Special, which saw a tremendous boost in buzz and intrigue among fans to the point that it drew Raw’s highest rating in months.
WWE will get a boost next week as it will mark the go-home edition of Raw for the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
SmackDown Viewership
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.262 million viewers. This is up from the 2.120 million viewers on FS1 that the show did for the previous week.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.67 rating in the 18-49 demos, up from the 0.56 rating as previous week’s show. The episode drew an average of 2.153 million viewers in the overnight ratings, up from the previous week that did 2.003 million viewers.
The first hour saw it pull in 2.200 million viewers while hour two did 2.105 million viewers. The show did 2.036 million viewers in hour one while hour two did 1.969 million viewers two weeks ago.
Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo worked together twice in the wrestling business. The first time was at the tail end of WCW and the second was when they were both in TNA Wrestling at the same time. Bischoff is not a fan of Vince Russo’s writing. He recently spent some time on his 83 Weeks podcast commenting on the “immature” nature of some of the angles and gimmicks Russo came up with while in WCW.
Conrad Thompson and Bischoff were talking about the “Misfits in Action” stable from WCW’s dying days when he had the following to say:
“It’s embarrassing. I mean, Hugh G Rection? Major Gunns? Come on! Are you 14 years old, for crying out loud?” Bischoff said about Russo’s creations.
Bischoff then spoke about a conversation he had with Brad Siegel about Russo.
“One of the comments that always has stuck with me that Brad said is ‘Look, Vince is just too dark. His approach to television everything is just nasty and dark.’ And I wasn’t really sure what he meant, because I hadn’t been watching.”
“Everything had a layer of dirt or scum on it,” Bischoff continued. “No story was clean and crisp and easy to follow and triggered emotions as a result of it. Everything had this dark, kind of, I don’t know, sewage scum kind of vibe to it.”
“All of his stuff had that same kind of juvenile just junky feel to it,” Bischoff concluded.
Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the YouTube clip below:
WWE returns to the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, FL tonight for an all-new episode of NXT.
This week’s USA Network broadcast will feature the ong awaited Fight Pit match between Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher. We’ll also see several tag team matches from the Men’s and Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournaments.
The following matches are scheduled for NXT:
NXT Fight Pit: Tommaso Ciampa vs. Timothy Thatcher
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (First Round): Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory vs. Kushida and Leon Ruff
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic (First Round): Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik) vs. Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel in a men’s
Dusty Rhodes Women’s Tag Team Classic (First Round): Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter vs. Toni Storm and Mercedes Martinez
Plus, Karrion Kross has his sights set on NXT Champion, Finn Balor.
It’s Wednesday. You know what that means. All Elite Wrestling returns to Jacksonville, FL tonight with an all-new episode of AEW Dynamite.
This week’s broadcast will feature the in-ring return of Jon Moxley, some ‘friendly competition’ within the Inner Circle, Hangman Page teaming up with the Dark Order and much more.
The following items are confirmed for AEW Dynamite:
Inner Circle Tag Team Triple Threat: Chris Jericho and MJF vs. Santana and Ortiz vs. Sammy Guevara and Jake Hager
Former AEW Jon Moxley returns to action
“Hangman” Adam Page and The Dark Order’s (Colt Cabana, Alex Reynolds & John Silver) vs. TH2 (Angelico & Jack Evans) and the Chaos Project (Luther & Serpentico)
Matt Hardy and Private Party vs. Matt Sydal and Top Flight
Cody Rhodes vs. “Pretty” Peter Avalon
Penelope Ford vs. “Legit” Layla Hirsch
Plus, Sting will be on hand and we’ll get an update from Miro and his new well-dressed butler, Charles Taylor.
For more on tonight’s AEW Dynamite, check out the official preview at the AEW website.
Check back later tonight for our AEW Dynamite results and takeaways.
WWE has announced the brackets for the first-ever edition of the Women’s Dusty Rhodes Classic. The brackets for the 8-team single-elimination tournament were revealed today on WWE’s The Bump. All 3 of the recently signed wrestlers to WWE will be in the tournament.
Left side of the bracket:
Candice LeRae & Indie Hartwell (The Way) vs Gigi Dolin (Priscilla Kelly) & Cora Jade (Elayna Black)
Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon vs Marina Shafir & Zoey Stark (Lacey Ryan)
Right Side of the bracket:
Mercedes Martinez & Toni Storm vs Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter
Aliyah & Jessi Kamea vs Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
The first match in the tournament will take place tonight on NXT. Mercedes Martinez & Toni Storm will team up to take on Kacy Catanzaro & Kayden Carter.
Other matches scheduled for tonight’s episode of NXT include Fight Pit II between Timothy Thatcher and Tommaso Ciampa. That match had originally been scheduled for New Year’s Evil. It was postponed when Thatcher was out with an injury, however.
There will be two matches in the men’s Dusty Rhodes Classic tonight as well. The Lucha House Party will take on Imperium and Kushida and Leon Ruff will team up to take on Johnny Gargano and Austin Theory from “The Way” on tonight’s show.
WWE has officially announced they have signed 3 new wrestlers to its roster.
The company announced the new signings on the WWE NXT Twitter account. Priscilla Kelly, Lacey Ryan, and Elayna Black will all receive new ring names now that they are members of the roster.
23-year-old Priscilla Kelly has wrestled previously in the 2nd edition of the Mae Young Classic. She was eliminated by current Knockouts Champion, Deonna Purrazzo, in the 1st round.
Kelly has also wrestled with AEW. She was in the Casino Battle Royale at All Out in 2019, and also wrestled a couple of matches on the Jericho Cruise in early 2020. She will now be going by the name Gigi Dolin.
My match with @DirtyDickinson now available for free! Blistering heat and no remorse.
Lacey Ryan has been wrestling for several independent promotions the last few years. She’s a former FSW Women’s Champion with the Future Stars of Wrestling promotion based out of the Las Vegas area. Ryan has also performed on UWN Live shows in recent months as well as with OVW, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, and Shimmer. She will now be known as Zoey Stark.
This one took a few trys to get right and it's still not completely correct as I should stand tall and jump straight up before flipping but that's ok. Within the next few days I'll keep busting my butt to get it perfect. #unstoppable#AEWDynamite#WWENXT#IMPACTonAXSTVpic.twitter.com/937ot9erwm
Elayna Black is a 2-year pro out of the Chicago area. She’s wrestled a couple of matches on AEW Dark previously. Black has also performed on Game Changer Wrestling PPVs, Warrior Wrestling shows in Chicago, Shimmer, and UWN. Black will now be going by the name Cora Jade.
For the second consecutive year, WrestleMania will take place over two consecutive days. WrestleMania 37 will be held on Saturday, April 10th and Sunday, April 11th. The host venue will be Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
WWE Executive Stephanie McMahon spoke to TMZ Sports this week to promote WrestleMania. She is “thrilled” because WWE hopes to have a live crowd in attendance. This would be the first show with fans since the start of the pandemic.
“I’m thrilled and excited because, hopefully, this will be the first opportunity for us to have our fans back in attendance. That’s the current plan. Of course, ticket information is not available yet cause we’re still trying to figure out all the machinations.”
Stephanie McMahon said WWE is looking to the NFL and the precautions they’ve taken to run games with a limited audience. There are complicated logistics involved with pulling off any WrestleMania weekend. During the pandemic, it’s an even more intricate process.
“Working with the local organizing committee, all of the health officials, health and safety is first and foremost, of course.” she said. “For our fans, for our performers, for the employees, for the staff working the building, there’s a lot of different logistics that need to determined.Hopefully, it’ll all work out, and this will be the first WWE event where we actually bring the WWE Universe back together in person. I cannot wait.”
You can watch Stephanie McMahon’s comments about WrestleMania 37 in the player embedded below:
Brian Cage drops out of the rankings this week after losing his TNT title shot against Darby Allin on last week’s Dynamite. As a result, Ricky Starks moves up one spot and Pac is back in the rankings.
#5 Pac defeated Eddie Kingston last week, helping him move into the top-5.
#1 Jon Moxley will be in action on Dynamite tonight. His opponent has yet to be announced.
#2 MJF will be in the triple threat tag match to determine the Inner Circle’s official team tonight.
#3 Cody Rhodes will face Peter Avalon tonight.
AEW Women’s Singles Rankings
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (1-0) (30-7)
Serena Deeb (2-0) (7-2) (+1)
Big Swole (1-0) (18-9) (-1)
Nyla Rose (1-0) (22-7)
Penelope Ford (0-0) (14-9)
Anna Jay (0-0) (9-5) (Previously unranked)
Abadon drops out of the rankings this week after losing to Hikaru Shida 2 weeks ago. #5 Anna Jay moves into the top-5 as a result.
#1 Serena Deeb moves into the top-ranked spot after defeating Tay Conti in an NWA title defence last week.
#4 Penelope Ford will take on Leyla Hirsch on tonight’s show.
AEW Tag Team Rankings
AEW Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (0-0)
FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (1-0)
Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (1-0)
The Acclaimed (Anthony Bowens & Max Caster) (2-0) (+1)
The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) (0-0) (-1)
Santana & Ortiz (1-0)
#1 FTR maintained their top ranking after defeating #2 Jurassic Express last week on Dynamite.
#3 the Acclaimed and #4 the Dark Order switched spots. The Acclaimed have been active on Dark while Uno and Grayson have yet to wrestle a 2-on-2 tag match in 2021.
Dark Side of the Ring will be returning for a 3rd season sometime in 2021. Vice ordered 14 episodes for the upcoming season. Previously, it was revealed that the first episode to air will focus on the life of “The Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman.
XPW was a hardcore promotion based out of Philadelphia that formed in 1999. When ECW went out of business a couple of years later, XPW became arguably the most well-known hardcore promotion there was. The owners of the promotion have a long backstory that will likely make up a considerable chunk of the Dark Side of the Ring episode. XPW went under in 2003, though a couple of reunion episodes have since been held.
XPW did appear in one episode of last season’s Dark Side of the Ring. It was the promotion that hosted the infamous scaffold match between New Jack and Vic Grimes in 2002.
Back in the studio for our first reenactment shoot of the season. Guess what episode this shot is for? pic.twitter.com/PqYNaTI355
Impact Wrestling on 1/19 featured the first episode filmed during the tapings over the weekend. Some significant events took place on the show including an in-person appearance by Tony Khan. “Big Money” Matt Hardy brought Private Party into the promotion as well.
Impact 1/19 Quick Results:
Eric Young defeated Rhino
Kimber Lee & Susan defeated Jordynne Grace & Jazz
Brian Myers defeated Fallah Bah
#1 Contenders Impact Tag Team Titles Private Party defeated Chris Sabin & James Storm
Here are 8 Takeaways from Impact Wrestling 1/19:
Tony Khan & Jerry Lynn Help Matt Hardy & Private Party Qualify For Tag Title Shot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hcf5KipibqM
Earlier in the night, the Good Brothers were cutting a promo when they were interrupted by Chris Sabin. With Alex Shelley on the shelf with an injury, James Storm also came out as Sabin’s new, albeit temporary, partner. All 4 men were then interrupted by Matt Hardy making his return to Impact Wrestling. Hardy was decked out as “Big Money Matt” and lobbied for his clients, Private Party, to be added to the tag title mix as well. The Good Brothers then pointed out that Private Party and Sabin/Storm could face each other with the winner facing the Good Brothers down the line. This set up the main event for later in the evening.
Before the match began, Tony Khan and Jerry Lynn came out in person and set up chairs at ringside. Lynn, of course, has a long history in Impact. Along with guys like AJ Styles and Low-Ki, Lynn is a pioneer of the X-Division.
After a fun back and forth match, Lynn would get involved in the finish. Sabin was on the top turnbuckle as Private Party was looking to set him up for their Gin and Juice finisher. Sabin tried to escape but Jerry Lynn ran to ringside and held onto his foot, holding him in place for Private Party to hit their finisher and get the win. Now, Private Party has earned a title shot against the Good Brothers.
Taya Valkyrie Arrested For Attempted Murder, Future Plans Teased
It’s not clear if Taya was really at these tapings or if they just filmed this scene ahead of time. Regardless, it appears Taya Valkyrie’s run in Impact Wrestling has come to an end. What a run it was too. She held the Knockouts Championship for the longest single-reign in history and was involved in major storylines throughout her entire time here. I don’t even think she missed anytime for injury either.
Acey Romero brought new evidence to Tommy Dreamer this week that proved Taya Valkyrie was the one who shot John E Bravo. She was taken away to prison after sharing an emotional moment with Rosemary.
After Taya was gone, Tommy Dreamer, Acey Romero, and John E Bravo had a very humorous exchange where they commented on what “prison” Taya might be going to. I’ve taken the liberty of transcribing their comments:
Tommy Dreamer: “If she’s lucky, she’ll go to Jacksonville (AEW)….state prison. But for what she did and she’s not that lucky, I think they are going to send her to Stamford (WWE) Maximum Penitentiary for 2 years, maybe an option for 3, and trust me, that will change a person’s soul forever.”
Acey Romero: “I hope they don’t send her to Baltimore (ROH)”
Tony Khan Explains Why He Sent “Big Money Matt” To Impact
After Matt Hardy had made his first appearance on the show, we were treated to another Tony Khan video this week. Tony Schiavone wasn’t with him this time, however, rather it was Jerry Lynn by his side. In this video, Khan explained why he sent Matt Hardy to Impact. Khan explained that he can’t “out carny” Impact because he’s a nice guy, and not a carny. Big Money Matt is a carny, however, so Khan sent him to Impact to cause chaos in response to Impact stars showing up on his program.
Moose and Rich Swann Rivalry Continues
At Genesis a couple of weeks ago, Moose earned a title shot against Rich Swann by defeating Willie Mack in an “I Quit” match. Then, after their Hard to Kill main event match where they teamed together along with Chris Sabin against Omega and the Good Brothers, Moose attacked Swann in the back. Swann cut an in-ring promo this week and said he had trust issues with Moose in the match at Hard to Kill. He calls out Moose, who joins him in the ring. Swann said he wants to give Moose his title shot tonight, but Moose declines, saying he wants the match to take place on his terms. The champion can’t wait, however, and goes after Moose and sends him retreating to the back after a Phoenix Splash.
Violent By Design Takes Out Rhino
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzoiF_bXE9s
Eric Young and Rhino faced off in singles action to kick-off Impact this week. Both had been involved in the trios “Old School Rules” match at Hard to Kill. Young had Joe Doering and Deaner at ringside and Rhino brought Cousin Jake with him. Deaner would provide a distraction at ringside that allowed Doering to hit a brutal clothesline on Rhino and toss him back into the ring where Young was waiting. Young locked in a heel hook and made Rhino tapout for the win.
After the match, the faction continued the assault on Rhino’s leg, much like Young has done to Rich Swann in the past. They wrapped Rhino’s leg in a steel chair and Doering stomped on it, possibly leading to an injury. It might be awhile before Rhino is 100% again.
Kimber Lee & Susan Pick Up Win Over Jordynne Grace & Jazz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFuLHHsjekw
Su Yung was Susie and is now Susan, a straight-laced business-suit wearing persona. She teamed with Kimber Lee this week and had Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo on the outside. Their opponents were the team of Jordynne Grace and Jazz, who went to the semi-finals of the Knockouts tag-team title tournament.
The finish of this match came, when Kimber Lee had the ref distracted, allowing Purrazzo to hit Jazz with the Knockouts title. Susan then covered Jazz and picked up the win for her team.
It appears Susan is something of a “Susan” as well:
Brian Myers Defeats Fallah Bah, Will Face Eddie Edwards Next Week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4XLUaI8hvE
The “Most Professional Wrestler” Brian Myers didn’t shy away from taking shortcuts to pick up the win this week. He was taking on Fallah Bah, who has lost a dramatic amount of weight lately and is looking good. The finish of the match came when Fallah Bah inadvertently poked Myers in the eye. As Myers was explaining this to the referee, he was able to hit a low-blow with the ref out of position. Myers then hit a big clothesline and got the pin.
Later in the show, Myers went to Dr. Ross Foreman to get his poked eye evaluated. At the time, the doctor was treating Eddie Edwards for the many injuries he sustained at Hard to Kill. This set up a match between Myers and Edwards for next week.
WWE has signed former Evolve star Anthony Henry. He will soon be heading to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando to begin his stint with the company.
The 36-year-old star has been one of the top performers of North Carolina indie scenes in the last few years and he has been an important talent for Premiere Wrestling Xperience promotion.
The veteran wrestler finished up his commitments with PWX over the weekend and Anthony Henry posted an emotional farewell message for the fans on his Twitter recently.
With that being said, I am extremely proud of my matches last night, especially the last fight with @RealJDDrake. Once it drops, please go watch it. We left all out in the ring. https://t.co/uSUYgQeiu2
Though this wasn’t the indie star’s final non-WWE appearance and he still has one last date booked for Tyrone, Georgia on February 12 where he will be facing Nolan Edward in an Action Wrestling event.
Anthony Henry originally had a failed WWE tryout in December 2019 and he had announced plans for his retirement by the end of 2020.
However, Anthony had another tryout with the promotion in October last year and it appears he has changed the plans for retirement since then.
The exact date for his reporting at the Performance Center is not known yet but the announced match in February suggests that he will report to the PC after that.
Taya Valkyrie is done with Impact Wrestling. This week’s episode of Impact on AXS TV featured a segment to write her off TV. PW Insider was first to report this would be her last appearance for the promotion.
Valkyrie originally signed a two year contract with Impact back in 2017. Officials chose the option to roll over her deal for another year in 2019. The extended contract expired last month. The former Lucha Underground star decided to stay with the company until last Saturday’s Hard To Kill PPV where she put over Deonna Purrazzo.
This week’s episode of Impact then saw a segment featuring Valkyrie where it was revealed that she was the one who shot John E. Bravo at his wedding segment with Rosemary. The explanation for her actions were that Taya was trying to protect her friend Rosemary without realizing that the demon Mary was using Bravo to get his “virgin blood.” Tommy Dreamer then had Taya Valkyrie taken to jail as a way to write her off TV.
Dreamer also joked about Taya’s future saying that she will go to Jacksonville State Prison if she is lucky, referencing AEW. However, if she is not lucky she will end up at Stamford Correctional where WWE’s headquarter is situated which, according to Dreamer, changes a person’s soul forever.
Mercedes Martinez originally made her main roster debut as part of the Retribution faction last year but she later requested her removal from the group and returned to NXT.
The NXT star recently had an interview with PWinsider where she talked about a number of things and opened up about her decision to leave the group.
Martinez who was known as Retaliation in Retribution said that she didn’t know the outcome when she said yes to the opportunity and she later realised that it wasn’t for her:
“I was given an opportunity, and I took the opportunity not knowing what the outcome would be, you got to make the best with anything you can, but I think when that opportunity came, it just wasn’t for me.
When you hit the pinnacle of your career, as I did, hitting 20 years,” said Martinez, “you want to make the most of your career, and make it part of a legacy.”
Though later in the interview, the NXT star claimed that she has no hard feelings about her stint with the group and she wishes the best for them:
“It’s kind of one of those things where it’s, ‘This is where Mercedes is, but maybe it doesn’t fit the mold, doesn’t fit her career.’ It was no hard feelings,
I just think we both had two different plans, I wanted one thing to go one way, and they had a different outlook. I wish them success, to all those part of the group, and I wish them the best.”
Mercedes Martinez has returned to NXT since leaving the group and she recently began a feud with the current NXT women’s champion Io Shirai.
While a match between Roman Reigns and The Rock is not likely for the upcoming WrestleMania 37 event, the current Universal Champion has not given up on the idea and he has a very interesting location in mind for this mega bout.
During a recent interview with Fox Sports, Roman Reigns talked about a potential match with his cousin and said that it makes sense for them to face off when WrestleMania returns to Hollywood:
“We’ll go to Hollywood for WrestleMania 39, and I think it just makes sense, he’s the biggest box office attraction for the big screen.
So, to be able to take that and match it up with the biggest box office attraction in sports entertainment, I think some magic would be made.”
A match between Roman Reigns and The Rock has been in discussion for a few years now and the People’s Champion also showed interested in squaring off with the Big Dog last year.
Though due to the movie commitments of the Hollywood star, the match will require a lot of planning. So a destination such as WrestleMania 39 seems to be a much more likely scenario for the bout than a closer date.
Kenny Omega didn’t appear live on Impact Wrestling this week, but it didn’t stop other AEW stars from invading the show and the episode saw the return of Matt Hardy to the Impact Zone for the first time since 2017, alongside appearances from several other stars from his current company.
A segment during the show saw The Good Brothers bragging about their victory at Saturday’s Hard To Kill main event but they were interrupted by Chris Sabin who wanted a rematch for the Impact tag titles. Gallows and Anderson pointed out how Sabin did not have his partner Alex Shelley on his side again but Chris said he has another guy and introduced the returning James Storm.
The two then tried to get into the ring but they were interrupted by AEW stars Matt Hardy and Private Party. Hardy praised the AEW tag team and said that they should be the ones getting a shot at the tag titles. Hardy also claimed that he saved the company from collapsing in 2016 and the Hardy Boyz technically never lost the Impact tag team titles before they left the promotion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loJcWcc4u1c
The segment resulted in a #1 contenders match for the tag titles being announced between the teams of Storm & Sabin and Private Party for the main event of the show. The episode interestingly also featured another paid advertisement from Tony Khan and Tony Schiavone but AEW producer Jerry Lynn was at Khan’s side this time.
The AEW president alongside Lynn showed up at the Impact Zone for the main event match to get a closer look at the action. Matt Hardy was already on the ringside to support Private Party. The match saw Private Party winning the bout and becoming the new #1 contenders for the Impact tag team championships thanks to interference from Jerry Lynn.
The Good Brothers came out to face off with Private Party after the bout but they were attacked by Sabin and Storm. The show went off air as a big brawl broke out among all the stars. There is no word yet on when Private Party will get their title shot and after the brawl, it would be interesting to see if Chris Sabin and James Storm are also added to the match.
Don Callis has boldly compared himself to the one and only Advocate of pro wrestling, Paul Heyman. In fact, the Invisible Hand is so confident that he proclaims to be working at “a much higher level” than “characters” like Heyman. With all due respect.
Callis is the mastermind behind Kenny Omega, the reigning World champion of All Elite Wrestling. During a recent discussion with Chris Van Vliet, he was asked about people who have influenced his career. Among the names were [Kenny Omega’s uncle] The Golden Sheik, former WWE Superstar Bad News Allen and the esteemed Paul Heyman.
There are certain similarities between Callis and Heyman. Aside from guiding the careers of men at the very top of the sport, they both seem to play 4D chess while others are playing checkers. Callis didn’t just cite Paul Heyman as an influence, though. He thinks his current work with Kenny Omega is on a whole different level.
“I’ve been happy for Paul that he’s had the success that he’s had, because he’s a very talented and hard-working guy,” said Callis. “He did a lot for me. There have been people now that have been comparing us, and I think it’s an unfair comparison for Paul because Paul is a tremendous wrestling performer, a character on a television show. He does a wonderful job of that. I’m not a character. I am the essence of who I am and what I do is done at a much higher level than what characters like Paul, with all due respect, can do.”
You can watch Don Callis’ full interview with Chris Van Vliet below:
Don Callis & Kenny Omega
Don Callis and Kenny Omega will return to AEW Dynamite. The return follows Saturday’s Impact Hard to Kill pay-per-view, which saw Omega pin Impact Champion Rich Swann in the main event.
AEW is advertising that Omega will “reflect on his dominance.”
Jon Moxley has a story to tell and fans will soon be able to read all about his wild journey. The former AEW World Champion is currently writing a book.
AEW President Tony Khan broke the news during an appearance on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast. Khan says he’s read portions of the book and loved what he saw.
Jon Moxley’s wife Renee added some additional details about the process. She said Moxley is using her laptop to pen his story and she’s also had a sneak preview of what he’s working on.
“I’ve read it all and I had no doubt,” said Renee. “I’ve been up his ass forever like, ‘Dude, you need to write a book!’ He can be a very eloquent speaker and his memory is so amazing… The fact that he’s doing it now and writing it himself, I think it’s gonna be such a badass product.”
Moxley is not the only person in his marriage with a book coming out. Renee Paquette will soon be a published author, as well. Her cookbook, Messy In The Kitchen: My Guide to Eating Deliciously, Hosting Fabulously and Sipping Copiously, is scheduled for release on May 18th. You can pre-order now at Amazon.
Jon Moxley and Renee Paquette are expecting their first child together later this year.
Moxley has been out of action since dropping the AEW Championship to Kenny Omega at Winter is Coming. He recently returned to AEW TV and is scheduled to compete Wednesday on Dynamite.
WWE broadcaster Charly Carusso (Charly Arnolt) has landed a new gig with ESPN.
Carusso, Kimberley A. Martin, and Chiney Ogwumike will host “First Take, Her Take” podcast. The project is a spinoff of the popular ESPN morning talk show, First Take.
First Take, Her Take premieres Wednesday, January 20th and will drop a new episode each week. According to an ESPN press release:
“On Wednesday, January 20, ESPN Podcasts will debut a new weekly offering, First Take, Her Take, with format similar to ESPN TV’s weekday morning discussion show, First Take. The new podcast will feature three prominent women in sports – ESPN’s Charly Arnolt, Kimberley A. Martin and Chiney Ogwumike – discussing the biggest sports stories but also providing insight into their unique backgrounds and personalities as they delve into other topics about their lives and culture.”
Charaly Caruso said, “The First Take brand speaks for itself–and now to combine such a tried-and-true formula and give it a female twist is exactly what we need in 2021! Honored and pumped to be part of First Take, Her Take!”
She also posted a message on Instagram expressing her excitement. She wrote that she is ‘SOOOOOO EXCITED’ about the new podcast. “The @espn “First Take, Her Take” podcast is launching this week and it will feature none other than yours truly, along with my girls @chiney and @kimberleymartin! You already know we are going to bring the heat ? with our crazy bold takes, insane stories dealing with our jobs in the world of sports, the latest and greatest in pop culture and we will definitely be spilling the tea ? subscribe wherever you get your podcasts! Link in bio!! First episode drops TOMORROW ?? oh and go follow @firsttakehertake!”
AEW President Tony Khan recently spoke with Renee Paquette for the Oral Sessions podcast.
The following are some highlights from the discussion, including Khan’s views on competition in wrestling, whether or not he watches WWE/NXT, how AEW’s relationship with Impact Wrestling came about and not wanting to be an on-screen authority figure in AEW.
Competition in Wrestling
Competition is great for wrestling and he can only imagine how frustrated wrestling fans would be if AEW was not around for the past year. Tony Khan feels that Dynamite is the the best wrestling show on television. He admits he is biased. He’s not saying Dynamite is the only good wrestling show out there, but he thinks it’s consistently the bet show. He believes competition is a good thing for AEW and it’s good for the fans.
Khan keeps up with a little WWE programming, because he wants to make sure they are not doing the same exact thing creatively as fans can see elsewhere. He just likes watching wrestling, including New Japan Pro Wrestling, some of the big AAA shows and others. He enjoyed Wrestle Kingdom 15.
Overall, he thinks all wrestling promotions have worked hard to keep fans entertained during the pandemic. He is proud that AEW has not only kept their full staff but also hired new people over the past year.
AEW’s Relationship with Impact
AEW’s relationship with Impact Wrestling was Kenny Omega’s idea. A lot of wrestlers pitch him ideas and he’s trying to get better about picking the right ones. Sometimes there are good ideas that don’t work, for one reason or another. Omega put a lot of time and thought into the Impact storyline that is currently unfolding.
Kenny Omega was a strong proponent of bringing in Don Callis as his heel manager. Sometimes, wrestlers are turned heel, but fans aren’t ready to boo them. Khan named Steve Austin in 2001 as an example. When Omega turned, fans were ready. Omega has put a lot of effort into reinventing himself for this new character. Tony Khan touted Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley as the two best pro wrestlers in the world.
Tony Khan as an On-Screen TV Character
Finally, Renee asked Tony Khan if we are seeing the start of him as an on-screen character. Khan said definitely not. He made a big exception for the Brodie Lee special. The “paid ads” on Impact Wrestling exist in a bubble, outside of the AEW ‘universe.’ We are not going to see him as a ‘Mr. McMahon’ type figure.
General Managers do not have to be on television. He owns professional sports teams and he’s never on television in that capacity. In the case of AEW, the GM will sometimes make matches. He doesn’t need to be on television for that. The announcers can say, “Tony Khan made this match” and that’s enough, as a storytelling vehicle.
Tony Khan also revealed that his father was not pleased when he was pitching the idea of starting a wrestling league. They had some loud, uncomfortable conversations about it. Shad Khan knew nothing about wrestling before AEW. Now, he enjoys the product and he’s able to impart some of his business advice.
You can listen to the full episode in the player embedded below:
Tony Khan is the latest guest on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast. The discussion lasted about an hour and covered a wide range of topics. The following are the highlights:
Brodie Lee Tribute
Renee congratulated Tony for the Brodie Lee tribute shown on AEW Dynamite a few weeks ago. Tony said he’s so proud of everybody in the company for how they handled a very difficult situation. The entire AEW crew was told about Brodie Lee’s deteriorating condition several weeks before he passed away. TK was pleasantly surprised that there were no leaks about the situation and Brodie Lee’s family was able to be there for him without the world knowing he was sick. It was Shawn Spears’ idea to bring in Eric “Rowan” Redbeard for the tribute.
AEW’s Early Success
Tony Khan is proud, but not surprised, of AEW’s early success. He has learned a lot and is expecting a big year ahead. AEW hopes to have fans back in full capacity “sometime soon.” He feels that AEW has come up with a great solution for having a limited number of fans attending their shows. They’ve they’ve had great experiences with fans, who have said they feel safe at their “pods” at Daily’s Place. The concept behind their current seating configuration was inspired by drive-in movies. They can currently accommodate 1,080 fans if they open up the top balcony. If they don’t open the top area of Daily’s Place, they have 750 fans.
Additional TV, PPV Format
Tony Khan is very excited to add a third hour of television. That is the most important thing on the horizon for them. They are looking forward to having the ability to showcase the entire roster. This will NOT be a third hour of Dynamite. He is aware of the dangers of overexposure. The ‘third hour’ of weekly television will be on a Warner Media property, but will not air Wednesday nights. He loves their current format of four pay-per-view events per year, with special editions of AEW Dynamite airing throughout the year. He just spoke to TNT executives on the phone this week and they told him AEW is doing great.
Biggest Lesson Learned In 2020
2019 was a good year for AEW, but 2020 was even better. The biggest lesson Tony Khan learned last year was accountability. He is getting comfortable filtering out bad ideas. In 2019, there were a few ideas he didn’t love and had low expectations for, but still gave them the green light. Those wound up being poorly received by fans.
He has learned to trust his instincts and is not afraid to exercise his power to ‘veto’ ideas. AEW is now more organized and more logical, which has made for better programming.
AEW Talent
Tony Khan says Jon Moxley is his favorite person to collaborate with. He revealed that Moxley is currently writing a book. He’s read some early drafts and loves it.
Looking ahead over the next several years, he is looking at guys like Jon Moxley and MJF to be among the top stars in AEW. So many of the company’s main event wrestlers are early-to-mid 30’s and in their prime with a lot left in the tank. He believes AEW’s top guys will be on top for many years to come. He is excited about younger stars of AEW, such as MJF, Jungle Boy, Darby Allin, Sammy Guevara, Ricky Stars, Private Party and Top Flight. In the women’s division, Khan touted Anna Jay, Tay Conti and Britt Baker. Thunder Rosa is awesome, although she is not full-time with AEW.
You can listen to the full episode in the player embedded below:
