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Update On WWE’s COVID-19 Outbreak

Chris Stephens
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WWE is reportedly dealing with multiple cases of COVID-19 at the moment. The situation was addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“There’s at least 4, including Drew McIntyre, WWE wrestlers that I’m aware of that have or just got over COVID,” said Dave Meltzer. “There may be more. Those are only the names I know.”

WWE has only gone public with Drew McIntyre’s diagnosis, but COVID-19 is currently impacting SmackDown and NXT as well.

There was one on Smackdown, who did miss Smackdown, was scheduled on the show, and taken off. There is one who is a big star who just returned from COVID. Then there is another one in NXT, and there are probably others and there are probably others that will be kept out due to contact tracing, I’m going to guess.”

Due to the current situation, WWE was forced to work with a greatly reduced crew at Monday’s Raw. The whole show was rewritten and Triple H wrestled his first cable television match in years.

“The show was obviously very much a skeleton show, you could see by people working multiple matches and a lot of talent that you’d expect to be on the show was not there. The RAW show had to be completely re-done.”

Drew McIntyre noted on last night’s RAW broadcast that he is one of the lucky ones to not be dealing with any symptoms.

“Mild symptoms, actually. I know what he said, but it’s mild symptoms,” Meltzer said regarding McIntyre’s health.

Impact Preview: Swann vs. Anderson, Hard To Kill

Michael Reichlin
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Impact Wrestling returns to AXS TV tonight for the “go home” show before Saturday’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view.

The big angle headed into the PPV is AEW World Champion Kenny Omega aligning with Impact World Tag Team Champions, the Good Brothers. The trio will battle Impact World Champion Rich Swann and the Motor City Machine Guns. The Bullet Club alums have gotten the upper hand in recent weeks, so you can be sure Swann & the Machine Guns are looking to make a statement.

Impact has confirmed that Kenny Omega and Don Callis will appear in the Impact Zone tonight.

The following matches are advertised for Impact on AXS TV:

  • Impact World Champion Rich Swann vs. “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson
  • Tenille Dashwood vs. Rosemary
  • Kimber Lee vs. Taya Valkyrie
  • Cody Deaner vs. Tommy Dreamer

Check back Wednesday morning for our Impact on AXS TV takeaways feature.

Order Impact Wrestling: Hard To Kill now at FITE.TV.

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Anthem And Jeff Jarrett Reach Settlement In GFW Lawsuit

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Jeff Jarrett and Anthem, the parent company of the current Impact Wrestling have finally reached a settlement in their trademark case, according to Law 360.

While the terms of the settlement between the two parties were not disclosed, a brief filing with the court told the judge that both the parties will be submitting a joint request for dismissal:

“The terms of the settlement are met, and unless any party objects, they will submit a joint request for dismissal of the claims and counterclaims in the case by no later than Oct 1, 2022.”

Impact Wrestling had originally announced a merger with Jarrett’s GFW back in April 2017 and they started rebranding their programming using the GFW logo and theme in June.

However, the merger was short lived as the company severed their ties with GFW in October and returned to the Impact Wrestling name which they have utilised ever since.

Then in August 2018, Jeff Jarrett and Global Force Entertainment filed a lawsuit against Anthem claiming that the company violated state and federal trademark infringes by continuing to use footage of GFW Amped.

Anthem officials filed a countersuit against Jeff Jarrett in 2019, arguing that Jerrett and GWE granted them a licence to the GFW name and related assets.

R Truth Opens Up About His Struggles After WWE Release In 2002

Anutosh Bajpai
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The wrestling career of R Truth started on a high note as he got signed to WWE in 1999, only a couple years after making his debut in the wrestling industry.

However, the former champion couldn’t cash in on the opportunity and he had to rebuild himself after getting released from the promotion in 2002.

Truth opened up about the struggles he had to endure after getting released by the company during his latest interview with Sports Illustrated and he revealed that there were times when he thought of quitting the business altogether:

“There have been times I was ready to quit; It’s hard to be your best when you don’t believe in yourself. There were times when I felt I wasn’t good enough, times when I didn’t think I had a shot of making it.”

Though thankfully, the former United States Champion continued to work hard and R Truth explained how he stayed motivated through his struggles:

“I remember telling myself, ‘I’m not going to quit,’ That’s why I’m at where I am right now. Everything I went through back then, it helped make me stronger. It helped me find different emotions.”

R Truth had runs with promotions such as TNA and NWA after his WWE release. He was re-signed by the company back in 2008 and the former Hardcore Champion has been a part of the WWE roster ever since.

Tyson Kidd On What Would Be His Dream Retirement Match

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Tyson Kidd never got a proper closure to his in-ring career and a lot of fans believe that the former champion deserves a retirement match.

The WWE producer opened up about his current role with the company on his recent interview on the Angle podcast and revealed that he has also thought about a potential retirement match.

Kidd first mentioned how he had thought about competing in a match such as Royal Rumble porior to his retirement before putting the idea to rest. He then went on to reveal his dream retirement match:

“In terms of an actual match, would it be me vs. Cesaro or me vs. Harry or me, Cesaro, and Harry in a match against The New Day? Right as I got hurt, I saw Jason Jordan and Chad Gable started hitting their strides and I thought of what great matches we could have. I think Gable is so good.”

Tyson Kidd suffered a neck injury during a dark match with Samoa Joe on Raw back in 2015 which turned out to be a career-ending blow for the former wrestler.

He has since taken a backstage role in WWE as a producer. Kidd has had a hand in producing many of the memorable women’s matches in recent times.

Candice Michelle On Romantic Storyline With Vince McMahon

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Candice Michelle’s storyline romance with Mr McMahon got the female star reorganization early in her run with WWE after signing with the company in 2004.

The former women’s champion recently had an interview with WrestlingInc, where she talked about her WWE career in detail and also opened up about the angle with the Boss.

Michelle was asked about the storyline where she had to kiss Vince McMahon on a few occasions, and she admitted that it was awkward but said that she considered it a part of her job:

“I remember it was awkward,” Michelle said. “I do think there was like two, maybe three, I don’t quite remember to be honest. But also it was how it was back then. I remember it just kind of trickled down from girl to girl. Everybody kind of went through that. Even though it’s awkward to do, it was just part of my job.

There was no intimacy, we didn’t think of it like we’re actresses and we’re going to win an Emmy nomination or something.” said Michelle, “We’re young and we’re dumb and we’re innocent, and we’re happy to be working. That’s just part of it.”

The former champion also recalled her pudding match with Melina back in 2007 during the One Night Stand PPV and she called it the worst match of her life.

Apart from this, Candice Michelle talked about her run with the women’s championship and more. You can check out her full interview at this link.

WWE RAW Results (1/11): Triple H vs. Randy Orton, Alexa Bliss Attacks

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired live from the ThunderDome in Tropicana Field. It was announced earlier today that WWE Champion Drew McIntyre tested positive for COVID-19. McIntyre addressed his diagnosis during tonight’s broadcast.

RAW Results (1/11)

  1. Lacey Evans def. Charlotte Flair
  2. Jaxson Ryker def. Jeff Hardy
  3. Jeff Hardy def. Elias
  4. Keith Lee & Sheamus def. The Miz & John Morrison
  5. Keith Lee def. Sheamus
  6. T-Bar def. Xavier Woods
  7. Lashley def. Riddle via submission to retain the US Title
  8. Riddle def. MVP via DQ
  9. AJ Styles def. Drew Gulak
  10. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler def. Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke
  11. Triple H vs. Randy Orton ended in a no contest

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Randy Orton Challenged Triple H

WWE COO Triple H kicked off this week’s episode of RAW. Randy Orton immediately interrupted and said that the office decided to show up because Drew McIntyre couldn’t. Orton got in the ring and suggested that Triple H hand him the WWE Championship.

Triple H told Orton to win the Royal Rumble if he wants the WWE Championship. Triple H said that he wasn’t afraid of Orton and it has been impressive watching Randy over the past year. He added that he watched Orton burn The Fiend and claimed that he doesn’t know if he was ever more proud of him than in that moment.

Triple H got in Orton’s face and said he doesn’t understand him kicking legends in the head or humiliating them in front of the world. He said that Orton is not a legend, but is nothing but a no good prick.

Orton asked Triple H if The Game was still in there and suggested a good old fashioned fight tonight in the ring. Triple H declined and told Orton that there was no benefit in it for him. Randy said that Triple H must not have been able to retrieve his balls from Stephanie McMahon’s purse. Triple H punched Orton in the face and Randy laughed. Orton said “I guess that means yes” to end the segment.

Triple H later accepted the challenge for a fight in a backstage promo. Triple H accepted the challenge on the behalf of every legend that Orton has disrespected and paved the way for them.

Ric Flair Cost Charlotte The Match

Charlotte Flair squared off against Lacey Evans in the first match of the night. Before the match, Lacey Evans dedicated the bout to Ric Flair. Flair and Evans locked up in the middle of the ring to begin the action. Charlotte rolled up Evans for a one count and followed it up with a slam.

Charlotte connected with a flurry of chops that knocked Lacey to the canvas. Flair hit a knee to the face and went for the cover but Evans was able to kick out at two. Charlotte went for the Figure Four but Evans reached the bottom rope. Lacey rolled out of the ring and Ric Flair’s music hit.

Ric made his way down the entrance ramp and stood ringside as Lacey beat Charlotte down in the corner of the ring. Charlotte battled back and hit a slam. Charlotte stared at her father before booting Evans in the face. Flair connected with a Clothesline and then an Exploder Suplex. Charlotte hit the Natural Selection and went to cover Lacey but Ric Flair put Evans’ foot on the rope. Ric Flair then tripped up Charlotte and Evans pinned her.

Jeff Hardy def. Elias

Jeff Hardy faced Jaxson Ryker tonight on RAW and Elias joined commentary for the match. Ryker slammed Jeff’s face into the top rope several times as Elias explained that he injured his thumb playing guitar and that is why he couldn’t compete tonight. Jeff took control the match and Elias hopped up for a distraction. Jaxson Ryker capitalized and rolled up Jeff for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Jeff Hardy challenged Elias to a match and he accepted as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Elias was in control and dominated the first few minutes of the match. Jeff eventually battled back and planted Elias with the Twist of Fate. Hardy followed it up with the Swanton Bomb for the pinfall victory.

Keith Lee & Sheamus Picked Up A Win

Sheamus and Keith Lee teamed up to face The Miz & John Morrison to begin the 2nd hour of this week’s RAW. Sheamus and Morrison started off the match. Morrison tackled Sheamus to the mat but the Celtic Warrior got right up and tagged in Keith Lee. Keith slammed Morrison the canvas and went for the cover but John kicked out at two.

The Miz tagged in and walked into an elbow to the face from Keith Lee. Keith knocked Miz out of the ring and launched Morrison on top of him. Sheamus tagged in and hit a double Clothesline off the apron. Back in the ring, Keith and Morrison tagged back in and battled in the corner. Lee hit a massive Splash and the turnbuckle popped off as RAW went to a commercial break.

Sheamus sent Miz into the turnbuckle and knocked Morrison off the apron. Miz caught Sheamus with a DDT and went for the cover but Sheamus kicked out at one. The Miz and Morrison isolated Sheamus in the corner and took turns beating him down. Sheamus tried to get to the corner to tag out but Morrison dragged him back to the middle of the ring and applied a Headlock.

The Miz tagged in and applied a Headlock of his own. Sheamus escaped and planted Miz with the Irish Curse Backbreaker. Keith Lee and Morrison tagged in and Keith hit a series of shoulder tackles. Keith hit Miz and Morrison with a Splash and then planted John with a massive Powerslam.

Keith hit Miz with Grizzly Magnum before tossing him out of the ring. Morrison hit Lee with a Pele Kick and went for a Crossbody but Keith swatted him away. Sheamus tagged himself in and hit Morrison with the Brogue Kick for the pinfall victory.

Keith Lee def. Sheamus

Keith Lee and Sheamus apparently started arguing during the commercial break and it led to a match between them. Keith knocked Sheamus to the apron and hit him with a headbutt. Keith followed it up with several chops but Sheamus battled back with a Dropkick.

Sheamus controlled the action for the next few minutes and brought Keith to the canvas with a submission hold. Keith escaped and the two superstars battled on the turnbuckle. Sheamus connected with a Flying Clothesline and then a knee to the face for a two count. Sheamus locked in another submission hold but Keith countered into a Powerbomb. Keith Lee followed it up with the Spirit Bomb for the pinfall victory.

Drew McIntyre Accepted Goldberg’s Challenge

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre to Goldberg’s challenge for a title match at Royal Rumble tonight. McIntyre said it was a dream scenario last week to defend his title in front of all the legends last week. Drew added that he didn’t get a chance to thank them because Goldberg interrupted.

McIntyre said he was a little bit star struck when Goldberg made his way to the ring. Drew stated “never meet your heroes because they will let you down” and that Goldberg let him down. McIntyre claimed Goldberg only challenged him because he has never been able to capture the WWE Championship in his career. McIntyre vowed to teach Goldberg a lesson of respect at Royal Rumble.

T-Bar Dominated Xavier Woods

Xavier Woods faced T-Bar tonight on RAW. RETRIBUTION was ringside for the match. T-Bar controlled the action early and absolutely leveled Woods with a Clothesline for a two count. Woods booted T-Bar in the face and followed it up with some chops to his chest. Xavier climbed to the top rope and connected with a Dropkick that knocked T-Bar out of the ring. RETRIBUTION distracted Woods and T-Bar capitalized by slamming Xavier into the top rope. T-Bar then hit a GTS for the pinfall victory.

Lashley Tapped Out Riddle

Bobby Lashley defended the United States Championship against Riddle to begin the 3rd hour of RAW. MVP was ringside for the match. Lashley attacked Riddle before the bell rang and beat him down in the corner of the ring. Lashley hit Riddle with a Clothesline and then the match officially began.

Riddle was busted open at the mouth and Lashley sent him flying out of the ring. Riddle shoved Lashley into the ring post and rolled back in the ring. Riddle hit Lashley with a knee to the face and followed it up with the Floating Bro outside the ring. Back in the ring, Riddle went for a Crossbody but Lashley caught him with a slam. Lashley then quickly applied the Hurt Lock and Riddle tapped out. Lashley is still the United States Champion. After the match, Riddle challenged MVP to a match and MVP accepted.

MVP wrestled in a suit and hit Riddle with a knee to the face to start off the action. MVP followed it up with the Ballin’ Elbow for a two count. Riddle hit MVP with some jabs to the midsection and followed it up with a kick to the back of the head. Riddle hti MVP with an elbow to the face and then a knee strike. Riddle booted Lashley in the face and climbed to the top rope. Riddle hit the Floating Bro but Lashley got into the ring and hit Riddle with a Spear to end the match in a DQ. MVP and Lashley beat Riddle down to end the segment.

AJ Styles def. Drew Gulak

Drew Gulak faced AJ Styles tonight on RAW. If Drew Gulak won the match, he would be allowed to enter the Royal Rumble. Gulak dominated the action early and hit a Tiger Driver for a two count. Drew went for a Superplex but AJ was able to escape. Styles connected with a Pele Kick and both superstars fell to the canvas.

Styles threw Gulak out of the ring and Omos stood next to Drew and stared at him. AJ brought Gulak back into the ring and hit the Phenomenal Forearm for the pinfall victory.

Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler Picked Up A Win

Mandy Rose and Dana Brooke faced Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler tonight. Mandy Rose and Shayna locked up to start off the action. Rose booted Shayna away and tagged in Dana Brooke. Dana applied a Headlock but Shayna escaped and tagged in Nia. Jax leveled Dana with a shoulder tackle and then launched her across the ring.

Dana connected with a Jawbreaker and Shayna tagged in. Dana sent Shayna to the apron and tagged in Mandy Rose. Mandy leveled Shayna with a Clothesline and followed it up with a Flapjack. Mandy hit Shayna with a knee to the face and went for the cover but Nia dragged her out of the ring. Jax tagged in and planted Mandy with a Samoan Drop.

Dana Brooke broke up the cover and turned around into a Backbreaker from Baszler. Shayna tagged herself in and locked in the Kirifuda Clutch on Mandy for the submission victory.

Alexa Bliss Shot A Fireball At Orton

Triple H faced Randy Orton in a fight in this week’s main event. Orton got into the ring and Triple H greeted him with a punch to the face. Orton booted Triple H in the head and followed it up with an uppercut. Triple H rolled out of the ring to regroup and Orton followed him out there.

Triple H sent Orton into the steel steps but Randy responded with a poke to the eye. Orton tried to slam Triple H onto the announce table but The Game blocked it. Triple H then slammed Orton on top of the table and rolled him back into the ring. Triple H grabbed the sledgehammer from under the ring and slowly made his way up the steel steps.

The lights in the arena began to go out as Triple H brought the sledgehammer into the ring. Triple H raised the sledgehammer and it was on fire all of the sudden. The lights went completely out and Triple H was gone. A slowed down version of the Firefly Fun House theme played and Alexa Bliss appeared in the corner. Alexa shot a fireball into Randy’s eyes and Orton stumbled around the ring to end the show.

Opinion: Alexa Bliss shooting a fireball was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but laugh. This storyline has been one of the only entertaining parts of RAW and that was no different tonight. Triple H returning to the ring for a few minutes couldn’t save this episode of RAW. I was looking forward to the US Championship match only to see Lashley beat Riddle with ease. There were several filler matches on this show and I’m just hoping RAW can somehow get better next week.

Stone Cold Steve Austin Recalls Conversations With Jon Huber

Anutosh Bajpai
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Wrestling legend Stone Cold Steve Austin recently had an interview with The Wrap where he opened up about the recent passing of Jon Huber aka Luke Harper. The former AEW star passed away due to some non-COVID related lung issues last month and his sudden death shook the wrestling world.

Talking about the unfortunate turn of events, Steve Austin said that he just couldn’t believe it and he then recalled his conversations with the former Wyatt Family member when he was still in WWE:

“I just absolutely couldn’t believe it because the guy was a tremendous hand in the business, but he was a sweetheart of a guy,” Austin said. “When he was in WWE, we would talk every now and then on the phone just about his character and what he was doing.

And then we stopped talking and he kept going and he finally ended up in AEW. And I didn’t know his real name from his WWE name.” said Stone Cold, “And I was like, ‘Holy cow, this guy is so young.’ And then I didn’t know what had happened.”

The former world champion continued by saying that Huber’s passing is an absolute tragedy because he was a guy who everybody in the business loved.

Stone Cold Steve Austin also recalled a conversation he had with a “very close” friend who “has done very well” in pro wrestling business about the passing of Huber. You can check out his full interview at this link.

Triple H Fights Randy Orton In WWE Raw Main Event

Andrew Ravens
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Triple H kicked off Monday’s episode of WWE Raw to do a promo in the ring. This was done to create buzz around the show following the news that WWE Champion Drew McIntyre tested positive for COVID-19 and had to pull out of his non-title match with Randy Orton on the same episode. 

This segment saw Triple H welcome everyone to the show before being interrupted by Orton, who said the office decided to show up because McIntyre couldn’t. Orton asked him whether he will rule that he will enter the Royal Rumble Match last or hand him the WWE Title. Triple H wasn’t interested in doing either. Triple H brought up Orton’s history with attacking and talking down to various legends over the past few months. Triple H called him a prick for doing so. 

Orton challenged him to a fight and Triple H said no because there’s no benefit to him. Orton threw a jab at Stephanie McMahon for having Triple H’s balls and she wasn’t there for him to get them. Triple H punched him then accepted the challenge. 

Triple H fought Orton in the main event of the show. It started with six minutes left in the show. They brawled around the ring with no referee. Triple H grabbed a sledgehammer then as the lights started to go out, it was put on fire and then Triple H disappeared. Alexa Bliss showed up and threw a fireball in the face of Orton to end the show. 

There had been a rumor earlier in the day of this happening. It turns out that the future WWE Hall of Famer hadn’t worked a match on Raw since 2016 when he went over Dolph Ziggler in a singles match. 

Since 2010, Triple H has greatly reduced his in-ring schedule. He worked 9 matches in 2016, 14 in 2017, 4 in 2018, and 4 in 2019. 

Before this match on Raw, the latest contest that Triple H competed in was in June 2019 when he teamed up with Shinsuke Nakamura to defeat Robert Roode & Samoa Joe in a tag team match.

Kofi Kingston Dealing With Jaw Injury

Andrew Ravens
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It turns out that the reason why Kofi Kingston didn’t appear on Monday’s episode of Raw is due to him dealing with a real jaw injury. 

WWE announced the injury as a way to explain why he wasn’t on the show, which featured Xavier Woods losing to T-Bar. WWE claimed that he’s dealing with a broken jaw.

While he is dealing with a jaw injury, it appears to not be broken as he recently spoke about it in a video shared on his Instagram account. 

“I gotta apologize because I feel like I’m talking out of the side of my mouth and I’m dealing with a jaw injury right now. My mouth is only closing on one side and if I sound kind of funny, that’s why. Ordinarily, I do a lot of imitations, impersonations, and impressions but I’m not doing that right now. I’m talking funny trying to figure this situation out.”

There’s still no word yet on how or when he suffered the injury, but it could’ve happened at the WWE TLC pay-per-view when he and Woods dropped the Raw Tag Team Titles to The Hurt Business.

Kingston mentioned on Twitter after the show that he had lost two teeth during the contest. 

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CJ6gc0wJ_he/?utm_source=ig_embed

Drew McIntyre Addresses Positive COVID-19 Test On WWE Raw

Andrew Ravens
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WWE delivered on its promise that Drew McIntyre would speak about his COVID-19 diagnosis on Monday’s episode of Raw. 

News that the WWE Champion tested positive for the virus came out on Monday when WWE confirmed it in a statement on its website. At the time, WWE noted that he was in quarantine after finding out. Originally, he was supposed to take on Randy Orton in a non-title match on this show, but that was scrapped. 

McIntyre recorded a message via his phone that aired on the show where he talked about how he is one of the fortunate ones to not have any symptoms, but assured that COVID is not something to take lightly.

He said that people shouldn’t think they can’t catch it because they can. He noted that the only way to stop the virus is by working together and pleaded fans to follow social distancing guidelines as well as wearing masks. 

McIntyre just defended the WWE Title over Keith Lee in the main event of last week’s episode of Raw, which was billed as Legends Night. After the match, Goldberg came out and confronted McIntyre. Eventually, the WWE Hall of Famer challenged him to a title match at the upcoming Royal Rumble show then shoved McIntyre down to close the show. 

There’s no word yet on whether McIntyre’s COVID-19 diagnosis will impact plans for him to wrestle Goldberg at this pay-per-view event on January 31, 2021.

Steve Austin On Paul Heyman-Roman Reigns Pairing: “That’s Such a Great Package”

Andrew Ravens
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Even though Steve Austin hasn’t wrestled for nearly two decades, he’s kept in tune with WWE programming. 

The WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated to promote “Straight Up Steve Austin” season two premiere on the USA Network.

During the interview, he spoke about the pairing of Paul Heyman and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. 

“That’s such a great package. They compliment each other so well,” Austin said. “Roman can work his ass off. He’s always been very solid in the ring, but now there’s this bond and this chemistry between Roman and Paul. That’s what Paul Heyman does. He makes anybody he’s with that much better.”

Austin recalled it happening for him as well with Heyman. He noted that if you want to suspend your disbelief, but you can’t because Reigns gets help from Heyman with his knowledge. He called the presentation and chemistry as these two stars together look and sound like money. 

Heyman serves as the legal counsel for Reigns on WWE television and has been doing so since August when Reigns turned heel after his surprise return at SummerSlam. 

Roman Reigns Receives Unexpected WWE Royal Rumble Opponent

Latest COVID-19 Outbreak Affecting WWE, AEW & Impact

Andrew Ravens
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It appears that there will be more wrestlers having COVID-19 following the news that WWE Champion Drew McIntyre tested positive for it. 

The top WWE star is in quarantine and was pulled from a scheduled non-title match with Randy Orton in Monday’s episode of Raw. Unfortunately, McIntyre is not the only wrestler to test positive for the coronavirus in recent weeks. This comes after a busy holiday season with Christmas and New Year’s. According to Fightful, there has been another string of positive COVID-19 tests to hit the pro wrestling world. The positive cases reportedly affect WWE, AEW, and Impact Wrestling. 

As it stands right now, there’s no confirmation on the specific changes that the cases have caused, but the report did state several matches and appearances are being nixed. 

Some people in WWE expected a wave of COVID-19 infections from the holidays and were surprised that things were not worse considering the circumstances. 

There is confirmation on wrestlers scheduled for Raw, SmackDown, Dynamite and Impact being affected by the outbreak aside from McIntyre. 

Regarding WWE, they obviously air their television shows live every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. When it comes to AEW, they have been taping shows every other week. This week’s New Year’s Smash (Night 2) episode of AEW Dynamite was taped last Thursday night Jacksonville. 

Impact is slated to tape several future episodes of their weekly TV program this weekend as well as air the Hard To Kill pay-per-view event. 

Drew McIntyre Tests Positive For COVID-19

Chris Stephens
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WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has tested positive for COVID-19. The company announced the news Monday morning. A statement at WWE.com reads:

“Drew McIntyre has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been placed in quarantine.”

SEScoops has learned that Drew McIntyre will address the WWE Universe tonight on Raw. The master of the Claymore Kick was advertised to face Randy Orton in a non-title on the show, that will obviously won’t be happening.

Looking ahead, McIntyre is scheduled defend the WWE Championship against Bill Goldberg in less than three weeks at the Royal Rumble.

McIntyre retained the WWE Championship against Keith Lee last week on RAW. After the match, Bill Goldberg came out to challenge him to a match at the Royal Rumble.

Drew McIntyre has been the top babyface on the RAW brand for the last year. He won the 2020 men’s Royal Rumble en route to defeating Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36.

He held the title for 213 days before dropping it to Randy Orton at Hell in a Cell last October. He then regained the title from Orton on the November 16th, 2020 edition of RAW.

SEScoops wishes Drew Mcintyre a full and speedy recovery from COVID-19.

Jeff Hardy Comments On Matt Hardy’s Fall At All Out

Chris Stephens
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Jeff Hardy recently commented on what was going through his head when he saw his brother Matt get knocked out at AEW All Out in September. He spoke to Metro UK recently about what happened.

”Terrifying! When he tried to get up and then he fell down – when you hit your head hard, that’s scary stuff,” Jeff Hardy said. “That was scary, man, with Matt – flesh on concrete, it was scary when he couldn’t walk. Gosh, man – thank God he’s OK, but that’s part of the game.”

Jeff himself took a nasty bump not long ago. He was wrestling Elias in a Symphony of Destruction match on RAW when he appeared to hit his head hard on the ring steps.

“Even in that Symphony of Destruction match with Elias, people thought my head was messed up from the stairs but it was easy, my head is fine,’ Jeff continued. “When I did the Whisper in the Wind and he hit me in the butt with the guitar, my back is still messed up from that.”

Hardy defeated Elias in the Symphony of Destruction match on November 30th, 2020. He dropped a match to Randy Orton on last week’s edition of WWE RAW.

The full interview with Jeff Hardy can be read here.

Mustafa Ali and Sgt. Slaughter Trade Shots On Twitter

Chris Stephens
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Mustafa Ali was not pleased that his Retribution stable had to make room for several legends to appear on RAW last week. He aired his grievances with the show on an episode of RAW Talk recently.

Former WWE Champion, Sgt. Slaughter, recently responded to Mustafa Ali online in response to comments made by a fan on Twitter.

Mustafa Ali responded by reminding Sgt. Slaughter of the time he turned his back on America and became an Iraqi sympathizer.

Mustafa Ali ripped WWE legends night during his recent appearance on RAW Talk.

“I am agitated, I’m angry but most of all I’m confused,” Ali said on the show. “We dedicated a 3-hour show to old has-beens. You want to call them legends, call them whatever, they’ve had their time. A night like tonight is exactly what is wrong with this company. 3 hours to guys that can barely walk?” Ali said.

“I know exactly that the generation before me paved the way but when the hell are you going to let me walk on that path? Guys like Drew Gulak, Akira Tozawa, myself, all of Retribution not on the show, why? Because we need to hear ‘whatcha gonna do brother?’ again for the seventh million time.”

Eric Bischoff On Why WWE’s NWO Angle Failed In 2002

Chris Stephens
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After the Invasion angle flopped in 2001, WWE turned to the New World Order in an attempt to turn things around. Vignettes for the NWO featured Vince McMahon stating he was bringing the group in to “destroy his creation.” The faction would debut at No Way Out that February.

Former WCW President Eric Bischoff spoke about the WWE incarnation of the NWO on the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff believes the angle got off to a bad start with Vince McMahon’s involvement. “I wouldn’t have had Vince McMahon turn around and reveal himself in the chair as the evil genius that was going to bring back the nWo to destroy his own company.”

He continued, “That was such a non-starter from a creative perspective. I don’t care how big of a fan of WWE you were at the time, you couldn’t possibly buy that, it was just so nonsensical.”

Bischoff on the NWO in WWE

The NWO angle changed direction when fans cheered Hollywood Hogan at WrestleMania X-8. Scott Hall would later leave the company. Shawn Michaels and Booker T would each have short stints with the faction as well.

“If you start out a story with one foot on a banana peel and the other in a bucket of cement, where are you going? That’s how the story started, there’s no way it was going to get better from there,” Bischoff continued.

The NWO was set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame last year. The induction ceremony was postponed due to the pandemic, however. Bischoff spoke about plans to induct the faction on a previous episode of his podcast.

“The nWo is the storyline, the angle, the moment that storyline was conceived and as it became executed, was probably one of the most important periods in professional wrestling, in this industry, in the last 30 years,” Bischoff said.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcribed quotes

Mil Muertes To Debut On MLW Fusion This Week

Michael Reichlin
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Mexican wrestling star Mil Muertes is set to debut for Major League Wrestling this week on MLW Fusion.

The “Man of 1,000 Deaths” has been summoned to MLW by Salina De La Renta, who will serve as Executive Producer of MLW Fusion for the next few weeks.

Mil Muertes was previously known as Ricky Banderas when he wrestled in Puerto Rico. He was a 5-time IWA Heavyweight Champion. In Mexico City he was known as El Mesias, where he held the AAA Heavyweight Championship 4 times.

Mil Muertes reigned supreme in Lucha Underground. His death grip loomed over all… until his temple fell. Since then, he has wandered the earth with an unquenchable desire for revenge. The “seemingly invincible” Mil Muertes now looks to build a shrine of death with the bodies of the men he’s conquered and careers destroyed.

Mil Muertes Arrives in MLW

Wednesday’s episode of MLW Fusion will feature:

  • MLW World Tag Team Champions The Von Erichs vs. Los Parks: Tornado Match with “Filthy” Tom Lawlor serving as special guest referee
  • Mil Muertes will debut. There is an ‘open contract’ for whoever chooses to fight him.

MLW Fusion premieres this Wednesday, January 13 at 7PM (Eastern) on MLW’s YouTube Channel, Fubo Sports, DAZN and Roku.

Catch up on the latest MLW News and check our takeaways from last week’s Kings of Colosseum special:

Karl Anderson Talks The Good Brothers’ AEW Dynamite Invasion

Jake Skudder
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IMPACT Wrestling stars Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows recently joined forces on-screen with AEW Champion Kenny Omega and ‘The Invisible Hand’ Don Callis.

The group aligned during an episode of IMPACT Wrestling back in December; since then fans have been wondering when The Good Brothers would eventually make their way over to AEW Dynamite.

Kenny Omega and Don Callis were the catalyst for the AEW/IMPACT storyline beginning, at least on-screen, and last week saw The Good Brothers invade Dynamite and attack Jon Moxley. Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson appeared following the main event which saw Kenny Omega defeat Rey Fenix for the AEW Championship.

The 4 men would then unite with The Young Bucks on screen; revealing that the ‘Bullet Club’ (not named as such on camera) had reunited outside of New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Karl Anderson discussed the invasion during this week’s episode of Talk’n Shop. Co-host and NJPW star Rocky Romero would ask Anderson if ‘the boys’ backstage did not know they were going to appear.

Karl Anderson On ‘Bullet Club’ Invasion

“No, no, no [they knew]” Karl Anderson would begin on the podcast. “I guess that’s the difference of the time right? Because there was a couple…I guess there was a couple marks at the hotel here and there?”

Anderson would then discuss how the invasion wasn’t leaked online. “We came in and there might have only been one or two in the hotel? I don’t know how they didn’t see us? Maybe they just are a part of the game, and didn’t want to leak it? I almost think it was probably expected at some point, but where we are in the world right now? It’s just easy to surprise I guess.”

If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops

Raven On Why Vince McMahon Didn’t Like Him

Chris Stephens
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Former ECW, WCW, WWE, and TNA alumni Raven recently spoke about why he had heat with Vince McMahon. Raven was on the Scheduled for 2 Falls podcast, when he commented on the situation.

“Me and Shane used to be really tight but we drifted apart. He’d go out with me every night. Big heat with Linda and Vince. The boys thought I was kissing ass for my career but it actually killed my career, giving me heat.”

Raven actually went into greater detail about this during a Talk is Jericho appearance in 2015.

“They used to call me Johnny Port Chester Polo because Stamford, they rolled the sidewalks up at one o’clock, but Port Chester was open till five in the morning. It 5 miles away. My downfall was I’d bring Shane out with me, Shane McMahon. And the boys are like, ‘ah, you’re sucking up to him’ and I’m like, ‘no, I’m not! I’m burying myself’ because he’d call his dad, and on commentary, I’d call his dad ‘Vic’ instead of ‘Vince’, so he’d go, ‘hey, Vic,’ which is just horrible! He’d say, ‘hey, Vic, it’s,’ and it would be, like, four in the morning, ‘I’m just going to sleep at Johnny Polo’s tonight’ and so I just buried myself.”

Jim Ross spent some time talking about Raven on Grillin JR recently.

“The thing about Raven, it was never a talent issue. He had talent. He was a good talker, smart guy, high IQ. Probably could have been a good road agent at some point later on. He could have contributed in a lot of ways.”

Jim Cornette: WWE Should’ve Done More With Rhea Ripley By Now

Jake Skudder
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Former NWA commentator and outspoken pro wrestling personality Jim Cornette recently discussed Rhea Ripley and her current stature in WWE.

It was recently reported that Ripley is due to join the ‘main roster’ imminently, with Monday Night RAW the likely destination. Jim Cornette has stated in the past that he is a huge fan of the Australian Superstar, and he questioned on the most recent episode of The Jim Cornette Experience why WWE hasn’t done ‘more’ with her character by now.

“The match that Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair had at WrestleMania? It was the highlight of the show, it was the best thing on the show” Cornette began. “Because everybody else was still trying to figure out how to do the empty arena thing and it was a bunch of garbage matches.”

Jim Cornette on Rhea Ripley

“It was people that couldn’t ‘get’ it. The girls? They nailed it and had an athletic contest” Cornette continued. “And then shortly afterwards Charlotte leaves to have surgery.”

Jim Cornette would finish by slamming WWE for not utilizing Rhea Ripley more in the months that Charlotte Flair was off of television. Cornette firmly believes that Ripley has the potential to be the top female star in pro wrestling.

“If anybody had had any forethought, because it’s not like somebody can’t see that Rhea Ripley should be a movie star, a female action movie star? She’s probably, I would say, more qualified than anybody else in wrestling to be the number one female box office attraction. Charlotte would be right there, if Rhea Ripley is not available. Why didn’t they (WWE) spend the time establishing Rhea Ripley as the top girl in any of the WWE divisions? Why?”

Do you agree with Jim Cornette? Do you think that Rhea Ripley will become the biggest box office attraction in WWE? Let us know in the comments

Linda McMahon Run Organization Critisized For Ties To Capitol Hill Riot

Chris Stephens
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Linda McMahon’s America First Policies organization is being criticized in the media for its ties to the Capitol Hill riot last week. America First Policies is what some call a “Dark Money Group”. This means they do not have to disclose their donors or other financial information.

A recent article by CNBC’s Brian Schwartz, however, has uncovered ties between the McMahon-run organization and the organizers of last week’s events at the Capitol building.

https://twitter.com/schwartzbCNBC/status/1347937990417543173

“America First Policies, which is also a 501(c)(4) that does not disclose its donors, is chaired by Linda McMahon, a longtime Trump ally and former head of the Small Business Administration. The 2019 filing shows America First Policies ended up raising over $30 million,” Schwartz wrote.

“Previous donors to Women for America First include America First Policies, a nonprofit chaired by Linda McMahon,” Schwartz also said.

https://twitter.com/hunterw/status/1348105447048413188

America First Priorities are not required to disclose donation information. They did publicize in 2019, however, that they donated $25,000 to “Women for America First”. Schwartz notes this organization was largely responsible for organizing the events on Capitol Hill last week.

“The rally, officially known as the ‘March to Save America,’ was largely organized by a 501(c)(4) group known as Women for America First,” he wrote.

Women For America First Statement

The Women for America First website now points to a statement on the violence last week.

“We unequivocally denounce violence of any type and under any circumstances.”

“Unfortunately, for months the left and the mainstream media told the American people that violence was an acceptable political tool. They were wrong. It is not.”

Meanwhile, America First Priorities has not released a statement.

Bayley Reveals Her Mount Rushmore Of Women’s Wrestling

Steve Russell
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Former SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley has listed who would adorn her personal Mount Rushmore of female wrestlers during an appearance on “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions.

According to Bayley, her hypothetical mountainside would contain Sasha Banks, Lita, Chyna, and…herself.

When asked by Austin, Bayley confessed it was a hard question to answer:

“Gosh, it’s hard…can I put myself in there? Okay, first of all, we’ll put me in there. Next to me, and a little bit behind me, we’ll do Sasha Banks for the obvious reasons, y’know. I’ll be ahead of her though, she can be, like, in the back corner.”

She then named WWE Hall of Famer Lita. Bayley confessed Lita’s inclusion was because of how Lita “made me realize I could do it.” She then noted how there is a plethora of deserving female talent she could name.

“I wanna say Chyna because, y’know, she was so different and brought so much more to the table, and then—y’know, kind of…yeah. Yeah. I don’t know, I could say so many. I’m going to go with that.”

Bayley will be a participant in the upcoming 30 Women’s Royal Rumble match. She will compete against 29 other female Superstars for the opportunity at a Championship matchup.

WWE’s Royal Rumble event occurs from the WWE ThunderDome on January 31 from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.

Finn Balor Explains Why Returning To NXT Was The Right Choice

Steve Russell
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NXT Champion Finn Balor returned to the black-and-gold brand back in late 2019 following a main roster run. In a recent interview with Digital Spy, Balor revealed how it’s a decision he doesn’t regret.

According to Balor, the sheer wealth of talented Superstars he’s been able to compete against is justification enough for his choice.

“You can make a lot of decisions in this business that you regret, but I feel like the thing that affirms that I made the right decision is the different talent I’ve gotten to work with since I’ve been in NXT, people I’ve never worked with before in the past.”

He pointed to notable NXT Superstars such as Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Damien Priest, and current Raw Superstar, Riddle.

Balor also revealed how returning to NXT helped push himself “to the limit.” According to him, his NXT return forced him out of the “comfort zone” he found himself in during his time on Raw and SmackDown.

Couple this with the wealth of fresh feuds and matchups he’s enjoyed since his NXT return, Balor has no doubt he made the right decision.

Finn Balor recently competed against Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly at NXT New Year’s Evil. Like their first vicious encounter, which left Balor with a broken jaw, the two faced off in another hard-hitting affair. Balor would defeat O’Reilly, retaining his NXT Championship in the process.

Sonya Deville Discusses Her WWE Return, New On-Screen Role

Steve Russell
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Sonya Deville returned to WWE programming during the New Year’s Day episode of Friday Night SmackDown. Deville has since discussed her return to television during an appearance on Talking Smack. She also addressed her new role as Adam Pearce’s assistant.

Deville explained how she’s “never felt better” now that she’s finally back on the blue brand. She shared how her return felt as though it was “never going to happen.”

“A long 4 months off, but you know what, 2021 is going to be the year of Sonya Deville, but also the year of SmackDown. I’m excited about so many things to come for the show and I’m excited to show you guys.”

Regarding her new on-screen role, Deville revealed how anyone who knows her would admit the role is a “natural fit” for her. She noted how she and Adam Pearce make a “great kind of duo” before sharing her 2021 SmackDown goals.

“I want to make SmackDown a good place to work, and I want the women to get opportunities,” Deville said. “I have a lot of things in store, and I think it’s all going to be positive, moving in the upward direction, and that’s all I’m going to tell you.”

Sonya Deville initially left WWE programming after being beaten by Mandy Rose. She lost a “Loser Leaves WWE” matchup to Rose at SummerSlam 2020.

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