The Undertaker has evolved his character several times over the decades. Each change helped breathe fresh life into his “Dead Man” gimmick. Now, as ‘Taker heads towards his 30th Anniversary at Survivor Series, he has revealed which version of “The Dead Man” has been his favorite.
Speaking with Matt Camp on WWE’s The Bump, The Undertaker highlighted how, although he enjoyed playing the American Badass, this version wasn’t his favorite. Regardless, the American Badass still holds a special place for him. The Undertaker noted that this was mostly because he could “talk however I wanted.”
He then shared that only one version could ever be considered his favorite: the original Deadman.
“I mean the traditional Undertaker, obviously, because that’s the one that first debuted,” he said. “But probably the most fun was the American Badass because I could talk however I wanted. It was perfect for the time period that we were in. But yeah, I think the original Deadman was my favorite.”
WWE has been celebrating the legendary career of The Undertaker all throughout November. In honor of his career, WWE has been airing ’30 Days of the Deadman’ specials on the WWE Network.
All of WWE’s Undertaker celebrations culminate with this Sunday’s Survivor Series event. The pay-per-view will host a ‘Final Farewell,’ celebrating The Undertaker’s 30th Anniversary.
WWE Survivor Series takes place Sunday, November 22nd from the Thunderdome in Orlando, FL.
Pat McAfee has been incredibly vocal on NXT as of late, often speaking on behalf of his new NXT stable. In a recent interview with Busted Open Radio, McAfee shared how NXT allows him greater creative freedom. He explained how he’s not interested in delivering scripted promos if the main roster came calling.
“Yeah, probably not,” McAfee said on the subject. “I’m in such a good situation where I can say that. I have a business, I have 10 employees, my guys and I go to work every single day trying to do our show and we have a merch business that does really well. Literally, everything I’ve said in promos is true. I’m in a very lucky situation for everything I’ve been in and I understand that a lot of professional wrestlers aren’t.”
McAfee acknowledged how he’s in a unique situation. His particular situation allows him to discuss ideas with WWE’s creative team if he isn’t comfortable with what they’ve pitched. He confessed that’s he’s “not a good reader” and that he’s “never read a book in my entire life.”
He was quick to add that this isn’t something to brag about, noting how kids should read. McAfee then added how reading just isn’t his thing as he’s a more visual learner. Ultimately, McAfee conceded that he isn’t a good enough actor to deliver scripted promos. If he were forced to, he believes it wouldn’t be good for himself or WWE.
Pat McAfee Discusses Watching From The Sidelines
Regarding his potential in-ring future, Pat McAfee revealed how he had watched enviously from the sidelines for many years. According to him, he was itching for the chance to compete inside the squared circle.
“For two and a half years I had to sit on that goddamn kickoff show panel just asking for an opportunity to do this whole thing, and now that I’ve gotten the opportunity to go, I’m gonna go as hard as I can and do everything I think I should be doing and try to make it as enjoyable and as entertaining as possible.”
He acknowledged how NXT has put a lot of trust in him to “do what I wanna do.”
McAfee shared how he loves being a part of NXT alongside his new stable, describing it as his favorite thing to do on Earth.
WWE Superstar Cesaro has shared how he tries to make his matches stand out by doing something different each time.
The SmackDown Superstar was a recent guest on Lilian Garcia’s podcast, Chasing Glory. During their conversation, Cesaro explained how he never wanted to be the kind of Superstar who does the “same stuff over, and over, and over again.”
According to the “Swiss Superman,” he wants to ensure he gives his fans a reason to not only watch but pay attention during his matches. He revealed how “that’s my goal because I feel they need to be rewarded.”
This workhorse mentality has helped establish Cesaro amongst the WWE Universe. Many fans have pointed to him as an underrated, underused talent. When Garcia discussed this idea with him, Cesaro confessed it made him feel “validated.”
“There’s only so much that I can control. There’s a lot of stuff that is out of my control. For them to say that, I feel like they’re saying that I’m making the absolute best with what I’ve been given,” Cesaro said.
He confessed how to be thought of in that way is a “huge acknowledgment” of what he does. Cesaro shared how he wanted fans to see him stand up for quality and honesty. He added how he will always give the fans one hundred percent of himself, no matter what.
Current All Elite Wrestling TNT Champion Darby Allin has opened up about his in-ring style during an interview with TVInsider. During the discussion, Allin also shared his thoughts on being viewed as a fan favorite competitor.
When it comes to his pro wrestling training, Allin revealed he learned under an “old school” coach. He explained how this old school mentality makes its way into his matches.
“My trainer is old school. His name is Buddy Wayne. He is super old school. I’ve learned the old-school style, and I do apply it if you see my matches. It’s not just high spots,” Allin said. “There is a lot of storytelling behind everything I do. There is a brain behind what I do. As far as what people say about me, that I need to slow down, I know what works for me, and my body feels great. I’m really on physical therapy, recovery, stretching, and icing. I feel great.”
Darby Allin On Being a Role Model
Allin confessed it feels good to have been so well-received by AEW’s fanbase. He noted how they’ve embraced him for being himself. This ability to just portray himself on-screen means he doesn’t feel “any added pressure” to be a role model.
“I’m going to keep being myself. I never said I was a role model, but if they want to take me as one I’m down. A lot of kids for example look at me because I’m straight edge. I don’t drink or do drugs. I feel like that’s a cool outlook for kids to see.”
Allin recalled having anti-drug groups visit his school when he was younger. He shared how these groups would dictate what they should and shouldn’t do. Allin questioned this approach. According to Allin, he’s happy to have fans see him as a role model as he is a living embodiment of his personal ideologies.
Darby Allin recently competed on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. He teamed with Cody in a losing effort against FTW Champion Brian Cage and Ricky Starks.
Zelina Vega has revealed how the past week has been a “literal hell” for her following her WWE release. Taking to her Twitch account for a live stream, Vega shared how difficult the past seven days have been, noting how Friday was one of the worst days of her life.
“The past week has been hell. Literal hell. Friday was the worst day of my life, well, since 2001,” Vega said. “When you hear about me in the social media world, sometimes misinformation can be spread.”
Vega explained how it was important for her fans to get to really know her. She noted how she was “someone who let people walk all over me.” Vega opened up about her insecurities and would often not stand up for herself. Following the announcement of her WWE release, she admitted she expected the “absolute worst” on her social media.
“I was pleasantly surprised. I thought people were going to look at me like the devil. Let’s just say that the narrative has been spun completely out of control and is completely wrong,” Vega said. “When people see the real story that I put out, that’s who I am. I’ve learned to grow as a person. I’ve known to realize my worth and stand up for who I am, and appreciate the things I’ve gotten along the way.”
Since her release from the company, Zelina Vega has reportedly had a “very powerful” conversation with SAG-AFTRA in relation to her support for unionization within pro wrestling.
Leon Ruff surprised the WWE Universe by upsetting Johnny Gargano to win the NXT North American Championship. In an interview with WWE’s The Bump, Ruff reflected on his sudden rise to stardom and how he thought he was being pranked when WWE first contacted him.
Ruff confessed his world has been turned upside down since his victory. “This whole experience has been crazy,” Ruff said. “It’s also been a dream come true. I haven’t been able to sleep, still. I smile a lot, but I do that a lot anyway.”
When WWE first called him with an offer to appear on Monday Night Raw, allowing him to embrace his dream, Ruff recalled thinking it was a prank call. When he realized it was WWE, however, he described how it felt “unbelievable” to be talking with the promotion.
“Monday Night RAW was a brand I couldn’t watch growing up because we had a bedtime, and it came on too late,” Ruff said. “So when I finally started watching RAW, it was a new world to me. To not being able to watch it as a kid, and now I’m going to be featured on Monday Night RAW? It was something I couldn’t believe was happening to me.”
Leon Ruff faced off against Johnny Gargano in a championship rematch during this week’s episode of NXT. Ruff won the match via disqualification after Damien Priest punched him, purposefully costing Gargano the bout.
NXT Superstar and former NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley may be heading towards WWE’s main roster.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, Ripley could soon be featured on either WWE’s red or blue brand. He revealed how he had recently “heard talk of Ripley moving to the main roster.”
Rhea Ripley competed on this week’s episode of NXT. She faced off against current NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai in a hard-hitting affair. Despite her best efforts, Ripley lost her bout to Shirai. After the match, the women embraced and showcased mutual respect for one another. Meltzer noted how the matchup and respect shown was done to showcase “finishing up their story.”
Following their match on the black-and-yellow brand, both Ripley and Shirai were listed on NXT’s Injury Report. Ripley reportedly suffered multiple contusions, with her ear getting split and bleeding at one point during the bout. Shirai, meanwhile, is said to be dealing with a sore neck.
Ripley has already had experience competing for WWE’s main roster audience. As well as her Survivor Series 2019 appearance as a part of Team NXT, she more recently competed against Charlotte Flair. The two competed for the NXT Women’s Championship during Day 2 of WrestleMania 36 back in April. Flair defeated Ripley for the championship gold.
AEW Dynamite scored a decisive win over NXT this week. Here is the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
AEW: 850,000 viewers, 0.37 rating (7th on cable for the night)
NXT: 638,000 viewers, 0.14 rating (56th on cable for the night)
For comparison, Monday’s WWE Raw averaged 1.778 million viewers with a 0.51 rating in the key demo. AEW and NXT combined tied Raw in the Adults 18-49 demo.
The big story this week is the strength of AEW’s numbers. This was the second best rating for Dynamite of 2020, only behind the January 15th Bash at the Beach episode. Dynamite, while going head-to-head with NXT, actually beat Raw in the Adults 18-34 demo. This is extra impressive considering Raw featured Drew McIntyre defeating Randy Orton for the WWE Championship in the main event.
You can find full results and our takeaways from both shows below:
Jade Cargill the latest guest on this week’s AEW Unrestricted podcast. Cargill made her AEW television debut last week on Dynamite and has moved right into prominent storylines with Cody and Brandi Rhodes.
During her discussion with Aubrey Edwards and and Tony Schiavone, Cargill spoke about training at the Nightmare Factory with QT Marshall, being inspired by WWE legend Chyna, running her own fitness business, being a mother and more.
She credits QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes with helping launch her pro wrestling career. “Dustin’s really been geared in,” she said. “He’s been making sure that I’m prepared. He made my debut super easy for me. He talked me through everything as well as QT at the Nightmare Factory. They’ve been sitting down, talking to me, rehearsing with me, making sure that everything is perfect.”
Jade Cargill in AEW
Jade Cargill has a unique look with her bodybuilder frame and long silver hair. She recalls guys picking on her when she was younger, but turned to WWE legend Chyna for inspiration. Chyna was empowered by her muscles, which led Cargill to feel the same way about her own body.
“Growing up I’ve always been muscular and I used to always get picked on by guys saying, ‘Oh she looks like a man. She’s too muscular.’ And I remember growing up and watching Chyna and seeing how she just embodied, just loved how she looked, and it just did nothing but empower me and make me say, ‘You know what? I look good. These muscles look great!'”
“I was just sitting around with my friends, and they said, ‘You know what color you should wear? You should wear the silver or the white color.’ And I said, ‘Oh wow! I would love that!’ And they said, ‘You know, you look like Storm.’ I tried it, and I loved it. I love what she stands for. She’s a powerful Black woman, and I think I stand for that same thing.”
Jade Cargill recently signed a multi-year deal with AEW, so fans can expect to see
Listen to Jade Cargill’s appearance on AEW Unrestricted at Omny.fm or in the player embedded below:
Raw Superstar Alexa Bliss has divulged details about her WWE contract, revealing in an interview with Better Together with Maria Menounos when it expires.
The topic came up after Menounos asked the recently engaged Bliss if she and Ryan Cabrera planned on having children. Bliss informed her that the two have discussed the possibility once her WWE contract has expired.
“We discussed we would see, you know, once my WWE contract is over, where we’re at,” Bliss said. “That’s in about 3, 3.5 years! He’s totally fine with that, like, ‘yeah, I’m good! I just don’t want to be 45 and having my first kid!'”
Alexa Bliss On Firefly Fun House Influences
During the interview, Alexa Bliss also opened up about her recent on-screen transformation and alignment with “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. When asked about any shows she may have drawn inspiration from for her new Firefly Fun House character, Bliss pointed to several kids’ shows, including The Big Comfy Couch.
“I was watching The Big Comfy Couch. I rewatched this sing-a-long called Sing A Long With Silly Wen. But she used to wear the pig tales, and so did the girl from the big comfy couch. I’ve just been watching that, and Nick Jr, and I’ve been watching Blues Clues again.”
On a recent episode of Monday Night Raw, Bliss aligned herself fully with “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, much to the surprise and chagrin of her long-time best friend, Nikki Cross.
WWE Superstar Kofi Kingston recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast. The former WWE Champion and RAW Superstar discussed a number of topics during his time on the show.
These included a potential return to bigger live audiences post COVID-19; Kingston would also discuss what it has been like in the company since the ‘break up’ of The New Day.
Kofi Kingston on The New Day
When discussing the New Day breakup, Kofi would say that he has mixed emotions about it. “A lot of mixed emotions for me” Kingston began on the podcast. “I’ll start with the negatives. [Xavier] Woods has been out, if you really think about it, for the past year? It has been for about a year. He had been out for a legitimately long time, so for a while it was just me and Big E.”
“So we’d already kind of gotten almost like a head start, you know?” Kofi Kingston would continue. “Like a preview. Kind of an easing into what this was. And then all of a sudden? The draft happened and it made it official.”
Big E
“The way that it’s affected me the most? Walking into the locker room and not seeing Big E, then knowing that I’m not going to see him for the whole day? We hadn’t been in the same room physically together since about January [before the Draft] when we shot an episode of the podcast, when Xavier was still injured.”
Kingston would then discuss the main positive of the New Day breaking up. “I’ve said this before in a lot of different interviews as far as like Big E having a legitimate singles run. It’s so necessary, because he has earned it, he deserves it. He would be an amazing face of the company. Big E is smart, talented. He’s also hilarious, but he can be serious if he wants to be, very intimidating if he wants to be.
“You look at him? He’s a physical specimen” Kingston continued. I think that from from an unselfish perspective? He deserves that chance. He deserves to have a legitimate run at a major singles championship.”
Do you agree with Kofi Kingston? Do you think that Big E could end up a major singles Champion? Let us know in the comments
Kofi Kingston and The New Day. Photo Credit: WWE.com
The Undertaker’s episode of Hot Ones is now online.
The Dead Man has been doing the media rounds to promote Sunday’s WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view. The event marks his 30th anniversary with WWE. The company is promoting the show as the Undertaker’s Final Farewell.
Hot Ones features celebrities being interviewed by host Sean Evans while eating increasingly spicy chicken wings. Here are some highlights of the interview:
The Undertaker spoke about the experience of breaking character over the past year for the Last Ride docuseries and other interviews. He’s been in wrestling for over 30 years and considers himself a very old school guy. It’s awkward for him to talk about the business so openly. The old school ‘rassler’ in him makes him want to ‘close the curtain’ again.
Early in his career, he was absolutely miserable doing media appearances like Regis and Kathie Lee in character. He knew it was great for WWE, but he hated it.
He was asked about the first character he portrayed in wrestling, ‘Commando’ in Central Illinois Wrestling. Undertaker was very impressed with the question, saying, “You’ve done some homework, brother.” He was a starving wrestler at the time, but looks back on those times fondly. His dad gave him some great advice: “The toes you step on on your way to the top are connected to the asses you’re going to have to kiss on the way back down.” This lesson taught him to treats people with respect no matter how big a star you are.
Undertaker named Arn Anderson as the best technical wrestler he ever saw work.
The most impressive physical athlete he’s ever seen is Brock Lesnar. He called Lesnar a freak athlete and couldn’t believe how agile Lesnar was for a big man.
The most savage backstage pranksters were Curt Hennig, Mr. Fuji and Owen Hart. He said Mr Fuji would escalate things to such an extreme level that he couldn’t share the worst of his antics.
The Undertaker on Hot Ones
When asked to name four matches he would recommend as definitive examples of great pro wrestling, he listed:
Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat (WM3)
Ric Flair vs. Harley Race (Any of their matches)
Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (WM25)
Edge and Randy Orton (WM35)
Undertaker spoke about wrestlers court. He said it was a serious thing, but also a friendly, lighthearted way that wrestlers were told they needed to ‘check themselves’ for getting out of line. If you were called into wrestlers court, there was usually a pretty good reason for it, such as ‘gimmick infringement’ (stealing another wrestler’s moves.)
Other topics discussed include his favorite match with Steve Austin, the evolution of his theme music, his love of riding motorcycles and Mike Tyson’s lasting impact on pro wrestling. You can watch The Undertaker on Hot Ones in the YouTube player embedded below:
Several other professional wrestlers have appeared on Hot Ones in recent years, including “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Sasha Banks, Ronda Rousey and Chris Jericho.
After several weeks of rumors, WWE has officially announced they are moving the Thunderdome to Tropicana Field. WWE’s first show from the indoor baseball venue will be Smackdown on Friday, December 11th, 2020. The venue is home to MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays.
No live fans will be permitted in the venue for the foreseeable future, however. WWE noted that events from Tropicana Field will be on “closed sets with only essential personnel in attendance”.
Tampa Bay Rays President, Matt Silverman and WWE’s Kevin Dunn were quoted in a press release.
“The Tampa Bay Rays are excited to welcome WWE to Tropicana Field for this residency and shine a spotlight on the Tampa Bay area for WWE fans around the world,” said Silverman. “The ballpark will be transformed to host the spectacle of WWE ThunderDome, allowing fans to enjoy this wildly popular experience virtually.”
“We are proud to have reimagined the in-arena atmosphere and provide an interactive experience like nothing else in sports and entertainment with the launch of WWE ThunderDome,” said Dunn. “Our fans’ response and industry-wide recognition are both humbling and further validation of the innovative spirit and passion that exist across the entire WWE organization.”
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has shared his thoughts on Zelina Vega’s recent WWE release, noting how Vega is one of his “Fav 5” who had been on her way up in the company.
Booker T addressed her release during a recent episode of his podcast, The Hall of Fame. He shared how “She was coming up and one day she’s here, the next day she’s gone. Watching her on her Twitch Channel talk about it broke my heart watching her cry.”
Booker T shared how he’s sad to see her go as he thought she was incredibly talented. He believed Vega was the kind of Superstar that “really made a huge difference as far as the card.”
Booker T then expressed how other Superstars who used third-party social media like Vega will now have to “figure out how this thing is going to work” going forward.
“Guys, figure it out because at the end of the day, it’s a bigger picture,” Booker T said. “At the end of the day, you hope the pot of gold is at the end of the rainbow or you have someone like Zelina who said I created that pot of gold for myself. I can appreciate that as well but I wanted to say above all, I’m going to miss her because she was talent.”
He revealed how he talked to Green only a few weeks ago about how he was using her match against Charlotte Flair as a study match for his classes.
“I was showing a match with her against Charlotte Flair. It was a match she had in NXT. I was talking about how green Chelsea was and how experienced Charlotte was and the difference between the two of them and how they were working in that same match with each other,” Booker T explained. “You can see and notice the difference between the two. None of it was the big things they did. All of it was the small things. That’s what Chelsea needs to work on. “
Booker T admitted he didn’t see what caused Green’s injury. He added how he noticed how she was moving in the ring. According to him, she didn’t “really pay attention to where she was going before she started her trip. It seemed like she would get on a road and start going and then she would pull out the GPS and figure out on the road where she was. You can’t do that in this business.”
He then shared how he always says people need to learn how to “navigate” their way through a match. Booker T extrapolated this, saying that people needed to know where they were going before they got there, something he argued Chelsea Green didn’t do.
Will Hobbs showed his true color last night on AEW Dynamite. That color is orange.
The main event saw TNT Champion Darby Allin and Cody Rhodes taking on Brian Cage and Ricky Starks. Team Taz picked up the win after Cage spiked Allin with an avalanche Drill Claw. After the match, Team Taz beat down Allin and Rhodes, until Will Hobbs came running down to ringside with a steel chair.
Hobbs was a bit late to make the save, as he has been before when saving Allin and Rhodes from Team Taz. As it turns out, this was no coincidence and was actually a big angle playing out before our eyes.
With the heels outside the ring, Hobbs dropped the steel chair, picked up Cage’s FTW Championship smashed into the face of Cody Rhodes. Hobbs embraced Team Taz as the faction’s newest member.
Former WWE Superstar Victoria (Lisa Marie Varon) has expressed her interest in becoming a part of All Elite Wrestling’s training team.
During an interview with the Wrestling Inc. Daily Podcast, Victoria discussed how she was “open” to the idea of becoming All Elite.
“I’ve always wanted to be a trainer for the new kids, being an agent or something like that,” Victoria said. “I have a lot to give back I think. I learned a lot like going through a lot of mistakes in the business, what not to do on TV, that kind of stuff, and I think I have a lot of knowledge to share.”
Despite her open interest, however, there was one caveat she brought up as a subject of discussion: travel. Victoria admitted she isn’t sure she can do “four days a week again and have a normal home life.”
“That’s a tough part. You’re sacrificing a lot to go back, so of course, it’d have to be financially viable and something I would enjoy, and I would have to see how the locker room is and see if I get along with everybody. I don’t want to go to a miserable atmosphere. I still want to be in a positive atmosphere.”
Victoria retired from in-ring competition last year. When asked about a potential return, she teased how “you never know.” She admitted she’s not in talks with any promotions about a return before acknowledging that if she were to come back, it would have to be a “good scenario,” not just an empty cameo appearance.
Despite all of his accomplishments and championship accolades in WWE, The Miz still feels disrespected by wrestling fans. Miz opened up about his feelings during a recent interview with Barstool Sports’ KFC Radio, where he revealed he doesn’t “get the respect” he feels he deserves.
“Even in WWE, sometimes I feel I don’t get the respect I feel like I want, maybe that I feel I deserve,” Miz said. “I’ve won every title there is to win, but yet sometimes I feel like — you know, you’ll read Twitter here and there and you’ll see all the negative comments. ‘You don’t deserve to be there, we hate you, you’re the worst.'”
The Miz then revealed that, although he sees the negative comments aimed at him, he uses them to drive him. He argued how the kind of person taking the time to embrace such negativity is probably “[…] some nerd in his basement just typing away. So, I use it as fuel.”
With Tucker’s unexpected assistance, The Miz defeated Otis at WWE’s Hell in a Cell event in October. His victory granted him the Money in the Bank contract, ensuring The Miz a future WWE Championship opportunity against a champion of his choice.
Zelina Vega was released from WWE recently. This was reportedly due to conflict between Vega and WWE regarding the company’s new policy of preventing members of its roster from working with 3rd parties such as Twitch and Cameo.
Just 10 minutes before Vega’s release was announced publicly, Vega Tweeted out that she “supports unionization”. The President of The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, then responded to Vega. Now, both parties have shared on Twitter that they had a “powerful conversation.” on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, SAG-AFTRA released the following statement about reaching out and working with professional wrestlers.
“Wrestling is as much about media as it is sports, and we are going to directly engage with members of this profession to help find ways for them to protect themselves.”
“As more people reinvest in unions, and as more working people are harassed by employers who don’t want to protect them, SAG-AFTRA is committed to doing what we can to help professional wrestlers secure the protections they deserve.”
Also of note, Zelina Vega wrote on her official Tumblr account that, “The truth will come out once the shackles come off.”
More details regarding the internal reaction to Vega’s release can be seen here:
The Undertaker has reflected on his initial thoughts on WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, revealing how he “didn’t care” for Michaels at first when they first met and eventually started working together.
“Early on in my career and when Shawn was there, I didn’t care for Shawn personally,” Taker told the New York Post. “I thought he was an arrogant little s**t.”
Regardless of his initial opinions on “The Heartbreak Kid,” The Undertaker couldn’t deny Michaels’ in-ring ability. He explained how there’s “[…] still no one I would rather get in the ring with it and work [with]. That’s just how good he is.”
“The Dead Man” then reflected on how problematic Michaels used to be. He recalled the night of WrestleMania XIV, where Michaels was headlining in a matchup against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. According to The Undertaker, he wasn’t sure Michaels would go through with dropping the WWF Championship to Austin. He recalled how he was ready to make sure “business was done that night” if not.
He confessed he didn’t tell Michaels the truth of what could have erupted between them for years. ‘Taker admitted he felt bad about being willing to go to those lengths as their “relationship had changed so much.”
After finally telling Michaels, the Undertaker shared how HBK later brought it up and asked him about it. He wanted to know if Undertaker would have really gone through with it. ‘Taker denied it, claiming it was all rumors, which placated Michaels.
“The whole time in my head I’m like, ‘I was gonna smash you if you didn’t drop that belt to Steve.’ But yeah, he’s a completely different person, I love him to death now. But, yeah, that’s the story. I was sitting there hands taped ready to do whatever I needed to be done.”
WWE hosts The Undertaker’s ‘Final Farewell‘ 30th Anniversary celebrations at this Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view.
Survivor Series takes place on November 22 from the Amway Center in Orlando, FL.
WWE has confirmed two WarGames matches for the next NXT TakeOver event.
During Wednesday’s NXT broadcast, a promo video aired of Shotzi Blackhart calling out Candice LeRae. Blackheart spoke about going to war with LaRae. The two have been feuding since this summer, around the time of NXT’s Great American Bash.
LeRae and Indi Hartwell took out Blackheart on NXT after LeRae had picked up a victory over Toni Storm. (Full Results). It was later announced that the two women will captain two teams inside the WarGames double steel cage match.
The second WarGames match will see Undisputed Era battle Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan. NXT General Manager William Regal made the official announcement after NXT went off the air in this WWE Network exclusive:
Roderick Strong tweeted this video late Wednesday night of Undisputed Era reacting to the news that they’re going to war with Pat McAfee and company.
The 4th annual NXT Takeover: WarGames takes place Saturday, December 6th. The event airs live on the WWE Network. WWE has yet to confirm the host venue, but it will likely take place from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, FL.
Major League Wrestling presented its first new episode of Fusion in several months this week. The MLW World Heavyweight Championship and MLW Middleweight Championships were both on the line as the MLW restart kicked off.
MLW Fusion 11/18 Quick Results:
Alexander Hammerstone defeated Jason Dugan
MLW Middleweight Championship Myron Reed (c) defeated Brian Pillman Jr.
MLW World Heavyweight Championship Jacob Fatu (c) defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Alexander Hammerstone Calls Out Jacob Fatu After Convincing Victory
MLW National Openweight Champion Alexander Hammerstone kicked off the MLW restart in a big way by making short work of Jason Dugan. He landed the Nightmare Pendulum on his opponent in just seconds.
After the match, Hammerstone made it clear he wants a shot at Jacob Fatu and the MLW World Heavyweight Championship.
The main event of MLW Fusion this week was an MLW World Championship match between Jacob Fatu and the winner of the 2019 Opera Cup, Davey Boy Smith Jr. The story of this match was that Smith is still feeling the effects of Contra Unit’s attack back in the spring. His back was broken in the raid of MLW’s head offices and this factored heavily into this week’s main event.
Smith’s lower back started to become a factor after hitting a suplex on the big champion early in the match. It would continue to play a factor thought the match, especially as Smith went for power moves. When the challenger went for his patented power slam, his back wouldn’t allow it. Fatu then delivered a thrust kick to the back of the challenger followed by a Samoan Drop and his patented springboard moonsault for the win.
After his victory in the main event, Fatu got on the mic and called out Alexander Hammerstone in response to comments the National Champion made earlier in the show.
As Hammerstone made his way to the ring, however, he was attacked by a masked man. Earlier in the show, we learned that Josef Samael is currently in the badlands of Tunisia but it appears he arranged for Fatu to have some backup at the restart. Fatu and the mystery new member of Contra Unit stood tall on the stage to end the show.
The first of two title matches on the show featured Injustice’s Myron Reed defending the middleweight championship against Brian Pillman Jr. The middleweight division has a weight limit of 205lbs which the champion makes without having to cut weight. The challenger in this match, however, had to cut 15lbs to get down from 220lbs. His music played multiple times before Pillman finally came out. Before the commercial break, it was noted on commentary that Pillman “did not want to come to the ring area” but we were not told why.
Following the commercial break, Pillman did make his way to the ring but it was noted on commentary that he looked distracted by something. It was never made entirely clear what was going on with Pillman here.
Reed’s chest protector came into play multiple times throughout the match. Early on, Pillman’s offence was interrupted after he hurt himself attempting to deliver a chop to the protective vest. It would be the end of the match where it would make the biggest impact, however. Reed removed the vest and placed it in the corner. Pillman then charged at the champion with a running knee but missed and hit the vest. This allowed Reed to hit Captain Crunch for the win.
Before the restart, several allegations were levied against the leader of Promociones Dorado, Salina de la Renta. Konnan got a hold of Salina’s phone and discovered she had been working as a mole on behalf of Contra Unit and helped the group seize control of the promotion during the raids on MLW offices this spring. As a result, MLW has revoked her manager’s licence and fined her. Salina de la Renta will speak on her actions on next week’s show.
MLW will present a special Thanksgiving day episode next week. We’ll see the 2020 Opera Cup begin, the arrival of Calvan Tankman, comments from Salina de la Renta, and more.
AEW Dynamite aired live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. Cody Rhodes & TNT Champion Darby Allin teamed up to face Ricky Starks & Brian Cage in the main event. In addition to the takeaways below, Jade Cargill attacked Brandi backstage and stomped on her arm inside of a steel chair.
Serena Deeb def. Thunder Rosa to retain the NWA Women’s Championship
Brian Cage & Ricky Starks def. Cody & Darby Allin
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Young Bucks Defeated Top Flight
Young Bucks battled Top Flight (Darius & Dante Martin) in the first match of the night.
Match Recap: Nick Jackson and Darius started off the match. Nick connected with a chop and went for an Arm Drag but Darius landed on his feet. Dante and Matt tagged in and Dante connected with a kick for a two count. Dante followed it up with a Dropkick and a Clothesline.
Top Flight did a flip and posed in the ring as the Young Bucks regrouped outside the ring. Matt and Dante locked up in the middle of the ring and Nick tagged himself in. Nick connected with a Superkick that sent Dante to the corner. Young Bucks followed it up with a Bulldog/Superkick combo and Matt tagged back in.
Matt locked in a Half Crab but Darius broke it up. Matt then Powerbombed Dante on top of Darius in the corner. Nick tagged in and delivered a Double Stomp and followed it up with a Backstabber on Dante. Dante avoided the Meltzer Driver and tagged in Darius.
Darius leveled Nick with a Clothesline and a couple chops to the chest. Darius connected with a Spanish Fly but Matt broke up the cover at the last moment. Top Flight flipped onto the Young Bucks outside the ring and knocked them to the floor.
Back in the ring, Dante hit Matt with a Hurricanrana for a near fall. Matt battled back and hit Dante with a Spear. Nick tagged in and booted Darius in the face. Young Bucks followed it up with Sliced Bread and went for the cover but Dante broke it up at two. Dante rolled up Nick for a near fall. Young Bucks knocked Darius out of the ring and hit Dante with the BTE Trigger for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Jack Evans and Angelico (TH2) attacked Top Flight outside the ring. The Young Bucks chased them away and helped Top Flight up.
Inner Circle went to Las Vegas this week. Sammy Guevara and Ortiz were not having a good time as MJF kept winning everything. MJF and Jericho argued over what drinks to order and settled on Everclear. They downed a shot and shouted “son of a bitch!”. MJF and Jericho stumbled around as Santana and Ortiz laughed. Konnan showed up as the party continued. Sammy told MJF that he hates him and everyone started laughing as Wardlow went to punch Hager. Security guards broke it up and Hager & Wardlow beat them up.
Inner Circle partied with an Elvis impersonator as they continued drinking. MJF had his scarf wrapped around his head and stated that he always considered himself to be a lone wolf but wanted to find a wolf pack. MJF got choked up and said that they are blood brothers now. Sammy pulled out a knife and offered to cut himself to make it official but Elvis talked him out of it.
Jericho woke up the next morning with Elvis in his bed. MJF stumbled out of bed and found Sammy laying in a fountain. It was revealed that MJF had marker all over his face as Sammy learned that he got married three times last night. Jericho and Santana found Swoggle crying in a diaper to end the absurd segment. Jericho & Hager versus SCU was announced for next week.
Jon Moxley cut a backstage promo tonight and said that he is motivated by his dad. Moxley said his father kept him in line and always let him know that they are the good guys. Moxley noted that he has a pregnant wife at home and his body feels like crap. Moxley vowed to walk in to the ring tonight and sign the contract for the AEW Championship match against Kenny Omega on December 2nd.
A fight is a fight and when it comes down to it – Jon Moxley is ready to fight tooth & nail for his AEW World Championship.
Orange Cassidy faced Kip Sabian tonight on Dynamite. Penelope Ford was ringside and Miro joined commentary.
Match Recap: Kip controlled the action early and applied a Headlock. Cassidy went to put his hands in his pockets but Sabian booted him in the midsection. Kip connected with a Slam for a two count. Cassidy put his hands in his pockets and went for a Dropkick but Kip dodged it. Orange then hit the Dropkick and posed for the crowd.
Cassidy connected with a Suicide Dive and Penelope Ford got in his way. Cassidy gave her a high five and Sabian capitalized on the distraction with a Gutbuster for a near fall as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Sabian hit Cassidy with a kick to the face and perched him on the top rope. Cassidy hit a Crossbody and followed it up with a DDT for a two count. Orange bounced Sabian’s head off the turnbuckle and followed it up with another DDT for a near fall.
Sabian tripped up but recovered and planted Cassidy with a Brainbuster. Kip followed it up with a Falcon Arrow for another two count. Kip hit Cassidy with a knee to the face but Orange recovered and rolled up Sabian for the pinfall victory. After the match, Miro leveled Cassidy with a Clothesline. Miro and Sabian then retreated as Best Friends rushed the ring.
Tony Schiavone moderated the contract signing between Kenny Omega and AEW Champion Jon Moxley. Jon’s music played but he didn’t come down to the ring. The cameras cut to the back and Moxley was knocked out. Kenny laughed into the microphone and said he was not one for this psychology type stuff. Omega said last time it was the elbow and this time it looks like a broken nose. Kenny signed the contract and left the ring.
The November 18, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Leon Ruff def. Johnny Gargano via disqualification to retain North American Title
Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes ends in no contest – Blindfold Match
Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell def. Kayden Carter and Kacy Catanzaro
Kushida def. Arturo Ruas
Ember Moon & Toni Storm def. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
Timothy Thatcher def. August Grey
Io Shirai def. Rhea Ripley to retain NXT Women’s Title
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Finn Balor Update
Finn Balor gave a live address to his fans for the first time since suffering a broken jaw and undergoing surgery to fix it.
Of course, he broke it in two places while retaining the NXT Championship against Kyle O’Reilly in the main event of TakeOver 31 last month. Following the match, it was revealed that he suffered the injury.
On the post-edition of NXT from that special, WWE noted at the time that they were going to give it a few weeks in order to see how Balor recovers before deciding what to do with the NXT Championship. That’s exactly what happened.
On this show, WWE saved Balor’s appearance for the very end of the show, He got in the ring to grab a microphone and congratulated Io for the win. He said that he has three plates in his jaw that says he’s bad SOB. Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Onley Lorcan, and Danny Burch interrupted. Pat recapped what they’ve done since Balor has been gone.
Patt demanded that Balor hand over the NXT Title to them or he would end up like everyone else that stood in their way. Balor brought out Undisputed Era and the two groups brawled to close the show.
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai defended the title against Rhea Ripley.
WWE gave these ladies plenty of time to tell their story. The match took place in the last hour of the show.
Ripley brought a fighting effort and a challenge to the champion. She shined for the majority of the contest. In the end, Io rallied back. Ripley was bleeding from her left ear. Io countered the Riptide into an armbar at one point. The finish saw Io hit a moonsault for the win. A really good match.
These are the top two stars in the promotion and when WWE first announced the contest it came as a surprise. Not because of booking the match, but just doing it on an episode of NXT TV as the brand has an upcoming special taking place on December 6th.
Plus, WWE has been building up Ember Moon as the next title contender. Perhaps this is what WWE has in mind for the next TakeOver special.
NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff defended his title against Johnny Gargano.
This rematch came after last week’s shocking title change when Gargano was distracted by Damian Priest and lost the title to the former EVOLVE star.
WWE played this up as Gargano wanted to break his title defense curse by retaining the championship against a “worthy opponent.” Of course, WWE had Gargano’s Wheel of Challengers land on Ruff’s name.
Ruff got some early moves that caught Gargano off guard, but the heel star took over and dominated most of the contest. Priest once again came out and watched on from the stage.
The finish saw Priest knock out Ruff with a right hand. After the match, Priest picked up Ruff and laughed at Gargano.
Did you know you can wear the #NXTNATitle as a hat?
Ember Moon & Toni Storm vs. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
A tag team match saw Ember Moon & Toni Storm vs. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez take place.
This comes after Moon and Storm both returned to NXT at TakeOver 31 last month. In fact, their first match back saw Moon team up with Rhea Ripley to defeat Kai & Gonzalez. Just two weeks ago, Kai beat Moon in a singles match thanks to a brief distraction by Gonzalez. On last week’s show, Candice LeRae beat Storm when she put her feet on the ropes for leverage to get the pin.
WWE gave these ladies plenty of time to work. Basic match with the heels dominating until Storm got the hot tag for the comeback. Storm got the win thanks to a roll-up.
However, after the match, the heels laid out both babyfaces. Hartwell and LeRae watched on in approval.
The feud between Cameron Grimes and Dexter Lumis continues.
During this show, WWE decided to have them battle in a Blindfold Match. It’s exactly what you would think this match would be. Both guys had hoods on, which was interesting considering this is pro wrestling.
It was pure comedy with Grimes not being able to find Lumis and nearly taking out the referee and finally did. Once Grimes realized that he attacked the wrong guy, he tried to hit Lumis, who punched him before laying him out.
The two stars have been feuding for the last month or so. Grimes scored a victory in their Haunted House of Terror Match at NXT Halloween Havoc. Since that time, Lumis has been haunting Grimes.
AEW is hyping December 2nd as the biggest episode of Dynamite in history. It’s not just hyperbole, as the main event will see AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defend against Kenny Omega.
The show is being billed as AEW Winter Is Coming, indicating a new themed episode of Dynamite similar to FyterFest and the Beach Break.
AEW held the championship match contract signing on this week’s Dynamite, but it did not go off as scheduled, as these things rarely do. Challenger Kenny Omega came to the ring, but Moxley was nowhere to be found. We were taken backstage to find Moxley laid out by an unknown attacker (or attackers).
You can see the segment in the player embedded below.
AEW Winter is Coming takes place in two weeks live on TNT.
.@JonMoxley laid out backstage. However, @kennyomegamanx has signed the contract and is ready for Dec 2nd for the AEW World Championship Match.
For the fourth straight year, WWE is bringing back WarGames as an upcoming NXT TakeOver special.
During Wednesday’s episode of NXT, the company announced that the NXT TakeOver: WarGames 4 event is slated to go down on Sunday, December 6th.
WWE aired a video package featuring Shotzi Blackheart. She also was included in the video package for Halloween Havoc that served as a special themed episode of NXT TV last month.
What’s interesting is that Shotzi stated in the video that both she and Candice LeRae will be going to war. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on if they will be featured in a Women’s WarGames Match, but it’s possible.
Blackheart and LeRae have been feuding in storylines dating back to before the NXT Great American Bash event. LeRae and Indi Hartwell took out Blackheart on NXT after LeRae had picked up a victory over Toni Storm.
WWE has yet to announce a location for the show, but it’s expected to take place in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
Last year’s show was headlined by Team Ciampa (Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic & Kevin Owens) defeating The Undisputed ERA (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish, Kyle O’Reilly & Roderick Strong).
The gimmick match was originally used in the NWA and later held annually in WCW.
