Home Blog Page 1021

Madusa Calls Out WWE’s Use Of Female Dancers At RAW Underground

Chris Stephens
-
0

Wrestling legend Madusa is calling out WWE for its use of female cage dancers during the RAW Underground segments last week. During scenes of Shane McMahon’s underground fight club, 3 scantily clad women can be seen up on a stage dancing. Madusa took to Twitter recently to express her concerns with the segments.

“SO? We are bringing back half naked women in the same breath of promoting the evolution and equality of women? Yes this is entertainment yes this is a skit yes this is acting yes these are wrestlers why resort to women sexually dancing opening a show? Why not Men in speedos?” Madusa responded to a Tweet featuring the RAW Underground segments.

Former WWE producer Lance Storm agreed with Madusa. He offered up the suggestion of having some Chip N Dale dancers for the sake of equality.

https://twitter.com/LanceStorm/status/1292835897960890371

Madusa also has responded to some critics who feel she is being negative about WWE because she is involved with the Women’s Tag Team Cup in AEW.

Madusa also responded to someone who noted that AEW had bikini-models during Fyter Fest.

Madusa On AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup

Madusa also spoke about the AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup which got underway last week. A new episode of the tournament will air tonight on YouTube.

For all those interested, WWE has released “RAW Underground” t-shirts at WWEShop.com.

Dasha Gonzalez & Rachel Ellering To Compete In AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup

Chris Stephens
-
0

AEW broadcaster Dasha Gonzalez, formerly known as Dasha Fuentes in WWE, will be wrestling as part of the AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup. Dasha was on-hand for the latest drawing of partners for the tournament when it was revealed that she will be in the tournament herself.

The 32-year-old was originally signed to NXT as a wrestler in 2014 but transitioned to broadcasting following a knee injury.

Dasha was introducing the latest drawing for the tournament when Madusa came out to inform her she will be in the tournament. Her teammate will be Rachael Ellering, who will also be making her AEW debut in the tournament. They will face the team of Ivelisse and Diamante tonight on the show.

Footage of Dasha finding out she’ll be wrestling in the tournament is below:

AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup: The Deadly Draw

The second episode in the tournament takes place tonight on YouTube. Last week, Allie and Brandi Rhodes defeated Penelope Ford and Mel. Anna Jay and Taynara Conti also defeated Nyla Rose and Ariane Andrew.

Veda Scott made her AEW debut on commentary during last week’s episode as well. Additionally, Shaul Gerrero made her first AEW appearance on the card as a ring announcer.

Jim Ross Comments On WWE’s Interest In Eric Angle

Chris Stephens
-
0

Jim Ross recently addressed WWE’s interest in Kurt Angle’s older brother Eric Angle in the early 2000s. Eric Angle was signed to a developmental deal with the company before being released in 2003.

“Kurt was certainly for his brother getting work,” JR said on the show.

Eric Angle made his WWE debut at the Survivor Series 2000, helping his brother retain the WWE Championship against the Undertaker.

“He just didn’t have Kurt’s charisma or his athleticism,” JR continued. “I’ll give you an example, the Funk brothers, Dory and Terry. One, Dory was a much better fundamentalist, traditionalist. Terry was much better at the extraneous, brawling, you know, the sizzle.”

“To be an Angle, you can’t be ordinary, you can’t be average. We knew Kurt was going to be a Hall of Fame guy, if he could stay healthy.”

Eric Angle did have some matches on WWE live events in 2002 but never returned to WWE TV following the Survivor Series 2000 PPV.

“It wasn’t going to work out. Was Eric a good athlete? Yeah, but as we know he’s had some issues and those are troublesome.”

Eric Angle was arrested in September of 2019 for distribution of anabolic steroids.

“I think as time has moved on those thoughts have been proven out.”

JR’s comments can be heard in the player below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsif0C657l8

Matt Jackson Reveals Reason The Young Bucks Left Twitter

Chris Stephens
-
0

Many wrestlers have been leaving Twitter as of late. Some have said this is due to the frequent toxic messages they have received on the app. Matt Jackson recently posted to his Instagram stories a message of support for anyone who chooses to leave Twitter. He also noted the reason why he and his brother chose to do so.

“I applaud anyone who decides to take a break from social media. Especially the toxic world of Twitter specifically,” Matt Jackson wrote. “We logged off when threatening messages were sent to us regularly & finally the last straw came when google map images of our homes were being tweeted to us. It’s been a nice break for our mental health. If someone decides to sign off, good for them!”

Screen Shot 2020 08 10 at 9.01.54 AM

Jackson’s comments may be in regard to Brandi Rhodes recently having deactivated her Twitter account. He also wrote a note on Instagram about this subject back in December when he and his brother left Twitter.

“My brother & I decided to leave Twitter permanently a few days ago. We realized it took precious time away from our families who’ve already sacrificed enough time as it is. Also, we’ve noticed how it seems to stifle our creativity. Lastly, after taking numerous breaks this past year from Twitter, we found it to be healing to our mental health, so getting off completely was the next step.”

Chris Jericho Responds To Criticism Of Fozzy Playing Sturgis Rally

Chris Stephens
-
0

Chris Jericho has performed at the Sturgis motorcycle rally a few times in his wrestling career and this weekend his band Fozzy did the same. The rally has come under criticism for an apparent lack of social distancing. There are those currently criticizing Jericho for taking part in the show considering he will be part of upcoming AEW tapings in Jacksonville as well.

Jericho responded to this criticism on a YouTube stream over the weekend.

“It’s been so great to be back on stage again after 7 months,” Jericho said. “The last gig we played was on the Jericho cruise, which is so hard to believe. It was like on a different planet, back in the days before the ‘Rona’ changed everything.”

Jericho also said that indoor venues at the rally were kept at half-capacity. He also noted that temperature checks were taken and masks were handed out.

“The venues are either outside or they are half-capacity,” Jericho said on his live-stream.

“We hand out masks at the door, do temperature checks, all that sort of stuff. We basically just stay on the bus all day and everyone in the Fozzy camp, crew, and band has been tested.”

People have been Tweeting about Jericho attending the Sturgis rally:

https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/1292306075904081920

Jericho also said he was banning Jim Cornette from future AEW shows. Cornette responded:

Jericho’s live stream can be viewed in the player below:

Cause Of Death For Kamala

Scott Lazara
-
0

Kamala (James Harris) reportedly passed away after going into cardiac arrest on Sunday.

The WWE Legend tested positive for COVID-19 this past Wednesday, according to Bleacher Report’s Jason King, who spoke with Kamala’s wife on Sunday. He likely contracted the coronavirus from one of his numerous weekly visits to the dialysis center.

Kamala was hospitalized for COVID-19 on Wednesday night, according to his wife. He seemed fine and in good spirits as recent as Sunday morning. Despite his condition on Sunday morning, Kamala went into cardiac arrest that afternoon and passed away.

He was 70 years old.

https://twitter.com/jasonkingbr/status/1292650848288485376

WWE remembered Harris with a statement on their official website

“WWE is saddened to learn that James Harris, known to WWE fans as Kamala, has passed away at age 70,” the statement read. “Under the frightening face paint of Kamala, the 6-foot-7, 380-pound Harris battled the greatest Superstars in sports-entertainment history, including Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker and Andre the Giant. He terrorized opponents and thrilled audiences in Mid-South, World Class Championship Wrestling, WCW and WWE until 2006. WWE extends its condolences to Harris’ family, friends and fans.”

Seth Rollins: “Audiences Don’t Have The Patience For Long Term Storytelling”

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Seth Rollins has been known for making some controversial comments in recent times and the Monday Night Messiah has made another interesting remark.

The former World Champion was recently a guest on The Gorilla Position Podcast where he talked about a number of things including the declining ratings of Raw, the concept of Raw Underground and more.

Talking about his Messiah gimmick, the former Shield member revealed that they haven’t planned things months in advance and Rollins said that there is no timetable on how things will go:

“Although I have been careful to craft the character, nothing has been perfectly planned out for months in advance; there has been no timetable on how things are going to go.”

Seth Rollins On Today’s Audience

The former NXT Champion then made a very interesting claim, saying that today’s audience does not have the patience for long term storyline and according to Seth; this is the age of instant gratification:

“In the age of instant gratification, audiences don’t have the patience for long term storytelling, when you can binge-watch your favorite series in two days, as opposed to two months, it creates a different precedent for how we intake our entertainment.”

Seth Rollins later explained how things have changed since the old days of wrestling saying that the people are consuming entertainment differently and they have to adapt according to it as well.

What do you think about the Monday Night Messiah’s comment on today’s audiences? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

AJ Styles Wants To Face WWE Hall Of Famer

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

AJ Styles has given us a number of dream matches since his arrival in WWE and he has faced veterans such as The Undertaker and John Cena since signing with the company.

However, there are still many stars in the promotion The Phenomenal One has not faced and during a recent twitch stream, the current IC Champion revealed one such name he wants to face ‘badly’.

Styles was talking about matches he would like to have in future. He took names like Keith Lee and said that he wouldn’t mind going down to NXT before revealing the name of a Hall Of Famer he really wants to face:

“I’ve got to have a match with Edge before him and I both retire, I think that’s something that we both want. I know he tore his tricep, and hopefully it’s a speedy recovery for him.

That’s one that I want badly, and I think that he would like to have one as well.” said Styles “It would be great. I’m still looking forward to it, Edge.”

A match between AJ Styles and Edge looked impossible a few years ago but it’s a real possibility now. The Rated R Superstar has also shown interest in facing the former TNA star before he hangs his boots for good.

However, Edge is currently out of action due to a triceps injury so this bout is not a possibility for the foreseeable future and fans will have to wait for his return before they can hope to see these two competing in a match.

Eric Bischoff On ECW’s Status During Monday Night Wars: “Nobody Cared”

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

While the Monday Night Wars is mostly the story of the competition between WWE and WCW, there was another company of the time which has developed a cult following since it’s closing – ECW.

However, Eric Bischoff believes that this status is unjust and in reality, the promotion was never really a big deal for the time it existed.

Bischoff talked about ECW during the latest episode of his 83 weeks podcast, and while he admitted that ECW helped launch the careers of a number of stars, Eric believes that the company couldn’t have survived on a bigger platform:

“I understand why everybody thinks it was one of the greatest things to happen for a couple of years, but if you go back and look at the numbers, it wouldn’t have survived and couldn’t have survived on a bigger platform.”

The former WCW official then gave an example of ECW’s status mentioning how Paul Heyman used unlicensed music for his shows and according to Eric Bischoff, Heyman got away with it because nobody was paying attention:

“Paul Heyman, famously, he would use unlicensed music on his show, he would find a song he liked and he’d use it for entrance music. Why? Because nobody was watching the damn thing. He wasn’t going to get sued. Nobody was paying attention, nobody cared.”

During the podcast, Eric Bischoff also talked about the current state of Impact Wrestling, how the former TNA President Dixie Carter constantly overpromised and under-delivered during her time and more.

Kamala Passes Away At 70 Years Old After Contracting COVID-19

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Pro wrestling legend Kamala, real name James Harris has passed away at the age of 70.

The news was first heard from WWE Hall Of Famer Koko B and the company has since confirmed the demise of the former wrestling star through a press release on their official website:

“WWE is saddened to learn that James Harris, known to WWE fans as Kamala, has passed away at age 70.  He terrorized opponents and thrilled audiences in Mid-South, World Class Championship Wrestling, WCW and WWE until 2006 WWE extends its condolences to Harris’ family, friends and fans.”

Kamala made his wrestling debut in 1978 and spent most of his early career in Southern United States, wrestling under the ring names “Ugly Bear” Harris and “Big” Jim Harris.

Harris wrestled for promotions such as Continental Wrestling Association and Mid-South Wrestling before having a stint with WWE in 1984.

Kamala returned to WWE for a couple more stints in the 90s and made sporadic appearances for the company from 2001 to 2006. He also had a small run with WCW in 1995.

We at SEScoops send our deepest condolence to the family and friends of the former wrestling star in this difficult time.

Eric Bischoff Talks Paul Heyman’s Demands For TNA Role: “I Think It Was a Fantasy”

Jake Skudder
-
0

Former WCW President and Executive Director of SmackDown Eric Bischoff recently discussed his former colleague Paul Heyman’s near signing with TNA back in 2009 into 2010.

Bischoff commented on Heyman nearly taking ‘control’ on the company on his 83 Weeks podcast, saying that there was ‘no way’ it would’ve happened.

Eric Bischoff on Paul Heyman

“I think it’s a fantasy” Bischoff began on the podcast, describing how Heyman reportedly wanted to have a Dana White style role within TNA. This would’ve meant that Heyman had a majority holding in the company and that could essentially do ‘what he wanted;’ somewhat like the owner of UFC, the aforementioned Dana White. “I do believe, based on what Dave (Meltzer) wrote in that excerpt that you (co-host Conrad Thompson) just read? That Dave was probably talking directly to Paul Heyman.”

Bischoff elaborated further, saying “much of that position sounds very much like Paul Hayman’s voice. So I think that was probably a direct quote or close to it from Heyman to Meltzer. That being said, No way in hell that was going to happen. Number one it wouldn’t have made any difference, you know?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w6nWW9ksD8

The Carters

Bischoff also shed some light on how much equity Paul Heyman could have received had he joined TNA. He also said you’d have to be taking hallucinogenic drugs to think the Carter family was going to hand over control of their $40 million investment to Paul Heyman.

“Paul would have had five points in a company or 10 points in a company. Unless you’re a majority shareholder in a private company? Somebody has to be the majority decision, that was never going to be Paul Heyman in any scenario.”

“There’s just not enough mushrooms that you can dry and feast on and hallucinate enough to try to imagine a scenario where the Carters were going to give Paul Heyman control over there” Bischoff continued. “And it was rumoured to be at some point a $35 or $40 million investment in TNA [from the Carters].”

He continued, “I don’t know if that number is accurate but if it’s even close? To imagine a scenario where the Carters, who didn’t know Paul Heyman, and probably didn’t know much about Paul Heyman other than what Dixie told him and what they could read on a dirt sheet site? There’s no way that they were going to give him control. They wouldn’t give Dixie control of the company for God’s sake, why would they give it to Paul Heyman!?”

Do you agree with Bischoff? Let us know in the comments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz4KrNJ25X0

Arn Anderson Talks FTR ‘Patterning Themselves’ After The Brain Busters

Jake Skudder
-
0

AEW on-air personalities Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard recently appeared on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast.

This episode of Talk Is Jericho saw the iconic duo appear on a podcast together for the first time ever. Tully and Arn would discuss a number of topics from their time together in the ring as well as the current crop of stars appearing on All Elite Wrestling.

One of the questions posed by Jericho revolved around the FTR tag team. Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler have made it abundantly clear in the past that they model themselves after Tully and Arn, but Jericho wanted to know what Arn Anderson saw in the former WWE tag team that set them apart from the rest of pack.

Arn Anderson on FTR

“I think it was an absolute effort on their part to pattern ourselves after our style” Arn Anderson began on the podcast. “But I also saw that they took the concept of, whatever it may be. Sucker punching a guy and making them chase you, then rolling back in [the ring] and getting the referee’s back turned to your opponent. [Followed by] A tag he doesn’t see, the other guy steps in from behind and ploughs him. That kind of psychology, but they put their tweak on it.”

Arn Anderson would then hugely praise Harwood and Wheeler, saying “you know they’re…they’re a hell of a lot; I don’t know if you notice, they’re a hell of a lot more athletic than you [Tully] and me were! But, it’s the same concept, they truly are [like we were]. They give you, at the end of the day, they’re a team that knows what their partner’s doing at all times. That’s what makes a great team I think.”

Do you agree with The Enforcer? Let us know in the comments

Also Check Out:

WWE Needs To ‘Rebuild’ Shayna Baszler, Says Bully Ray

Jake Skudder
-
0

WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on Shayna Baszler’s status in WWE.

The tag team legend talked about how Baszler has been ‘misused’ by the company as of late. This seems especially true since her WrestleMania loss against Becky Lynch. Bully Ray would indicate that he felt WWE need to ‘rebuild’ Baszler’s character, and make her the bad ass she represented whilst in NXT.

Bully Ray on Shayna Baszler

“I don’t want to see Shayna Baszler right now in a competitive match” Bully Ray began on the show. “You know what I would have done with Shayna Baszler on Monday night? I would have had Shayna Baszler pop Sasha Banks in the mouth backstage.”

“I would then have had her come to the ring, I would have had Shayna Baszler beat the sh*t out of Sasha Banks, beat the shit out of Bayley. Then? Take both of their championships and hold them in the air.”

“Because they [WWE] need to rebuild Shayna little bit” Bully Ray continued. “I need Shayna Baszler to be that bad mother trucker that she’s supposed to be, not having a competitive wrestling match. I don’t care about her having a competitive wrestling match right now.”

Bully would then compare Baszler’s past character to that of Brock Lesnar. “This woman Shayna Baszler is supposed to be like a killer, like a Brock [Lesnar]. I mean stop me if I’m wrong. Shayna Baszler, the girl that hit the back of that neck of Becky Lynch; this wild rabid animal who can break you, snap your arm, and bite the back of your neck, just poke your eye out and destroy you. Have her do that to those other two girls (Sasha and Bayley), let’s reestablish her.”

Ray would elaborate further, saying “let’s turn her into this menace to the women’s division. Let’s turn her into this loose cannon, snap Sasha’s arm, snap Bayley’s arm, take both of their championships. If you’re going to get somebody over, let’s really get them over. Let’s strap a rocket to their back and shoot them to the moon.”

Do you agree with Bully? Let us know in the comments

Brandi Rhodes Comments On First AEW Heels Event

Chris Stephens
-
0

The first event for the Brandi Rhodes led all-female fan club initiative, AEW Heels, took place on Friday night. The event featured a Q&A session with Aubrey Edwards and a Respect, Inclusion, and Empowerment in the workplace session with Keisha-Ann Gray.

Brandi took to Instagram to declare the first event in the initiative a success.

“AEW Heels was a massive success last night. We exceeded the number of membership sign ups necessary to continue to move the fan club onward and upward,” Brandi wrote.

“The biggest takeaway is that people were happy. Countless posts have been created letting the world know they felt they got more than their money’s worth. That is the whole point. Heels promised a positive space to be yourself, share more, make connections, enjoy exclusive offerings, partake in exclusive events and connect with AEW women from the roster to the executive team…and it delivered.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDoxPm7pkCD/

In an interview with SI.com, Brandi explained why she created the AEW Heels Fan Club:

“The idea came from me watching people interact on social media,” said Brandi. “I saw women getting bashed for having an opinion just because they were a woman having an opinion. That inspired me to create a place where female fans can voice their opinions.”

“Don’t let someone take your opinion away from you. Don’t let that ever shut you down, talk about what you love. This platform is a place where women can be themselves as wrestling fans, create friendships, and learn. We can create a movement,” she continued.

Big E Responds To Booker T’s Comments About Changing His Character

Chris Stephens
-
0

Booker T recently offered his opinion that Big E might be well-advised to change up some of the comedic elements of his character to be taken more seriously as top-tier Superstar. Big E recently spoke to the Bleacher Report about Booker’s comments.

“This is not a shot at Booker at all. I am so thoroughly entertained by his career, but this man had a world title around his waist as King Booker doing a faux English accent. You know I mean? Let’s put things in perspective here,” Big E said.

Recently on Smackdown, Kofi Kingston encouraged Big E to go on a singles run. This came after it was revealed Kofi would be out of action for 6 weeks. Big E defeated Miz in singles action the following week.

“I know Booker is a supporter, so this is not supposed to be a shot at him,” Big E continued. “We’ve had conversations too where he’s said some really nice things to me to my face, so I’m not here to take shots at him. I learned a lot from watching him, he’s a guy I loved watching as a kid. He meant so much to so many of us as someone who was a great talent and a great entertainer, but for me, it’s going to be about telling a story that makes sense. It doesn’t make sense to me to suddenly be serious.”

Booker T’s Comments About Big E

“Big E still trying to be the New Day is not going to work for him as far as him working at the top of the card. I’m talking about being the main attraction. I’m talking about being the guy that the company has put in position to be the guy,” Booker says in the below video.

The full interview from the Bleacher Report can be read here.

YOSHI-HASHI, Ishii, Goto Win NEVER 6-Man Championships

Evan S
-
0

Today, NJPW held one event of their ongoing Summer Struggle tour, at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan. Today’s event was main-evented by the conclusion of the tournament to crown the new NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions. This was held as a result of EVIL defecting from the Los Ingobernables de Japon unit to Bullet Club, breaking up the trio that were then-champions.

The eight-team, three-day tournament ended with a match involving two trios from the same faction CHAOS: Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano and SHO against Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI. After 24 minutes and 18 seconds, Tomohiro Ishii pinned SHO after a vertical brainbuster to win the match for his team. At the time, YOSHI-HASHI was holding Okada back from being able to break up the pin.

Following the match, Goto, Ishii, and YOSHI-HASHI were presented their new Championships. Kazuchika Okada made it a point to present YOSHI-HASHI his Championship belt, since this is the first Championship YOSHI-HASHI has won in his 12-year career.

This event can be watched on NJPW World.

AEW Adds Stipulation To Chris Jericho vs Orange Cassidy

Chris Stephens
-
0

All Elite Wrestling has announced a stipulation to the Chris Jericho vs Orange Cassidy match on the upcoming Dynamite. Previously, it had already been announced that if Jericho wins, Orange will have to pay $7,000 for damaging Jericho’s jacket. AEW has now added the stipulation that The Best Friends and the Inner Circle will be banned from ringside.

AEW posted out news of the added stipulation recently:

Chris Jericho vs Orange Cassidy II

Jericho defeated Orange Cassidy at Fyter Fest. It was the 3rd singles match Orange Cassidy has dropped in AEW. His singles record in the promotion is 5-3. Orange has defeated Jimmy Havoc, Jason Cade, Peter Avalon, Will Hobbs, and Serpentico. His 3 losses were to PAC, Fenix, and Chris Jericho.

Jericho is 8-1-1 in AEW singles matches. His victories have come over Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, Darby Allin, Cody, Scorpio Sky, Pineapple Pete, Colt Cabana, and Orange Cassidy. His loss came to Jon Moxley and he also went to a time-limit draw with Jungle Boy.

Bianca Belair Attacks Zelina Vega During Twitch Stream

Chris Stephens
-
0

Zelina Vega was streaming on Twitch recently when she was attacked by Bianca Belair. During the stream, Zelina can be heard asking her cousin to get the door. She then can be heard saying “what the hell are you doing in my house?”

At this point, Bianca Belair attacked her and the two tumbled off screen. Belair can be heard yelling “You know what you did!”

Belair’s husband Montez Ford recently collapsed on RAW. It was later revealed that he had been poisoned. With the Street Profits scheduled to face Andrade & Angel Garza at SummerSlam, one might assume Zelina had something to do with the poisoning.

Footage of Belair attacking Zelina during the Twitch stream can be viewed in the Tweet below:

https://twitter.com/TheNextBlGThing/status/1292221209065611264?s=20

Bianca Belair On The Main Roster

Bianca Belair is 10-0 on the main roster so far. She’s 7-0 on Main Event, and 3-0 on RAW.

She made her RAW debut on the April 6th, 2020 episode, teaming with the Street Profits to beat Angel Garza, Austin Theory, and Zelina Vega. She also defeated Santana Garrett on RAW in singles action on April 20th. On July 3rd, she teamed with Ruby Riott and defeated the Iiconics.

On Main Event, she’s defeated Catalina, Ruby Riott (3x), Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, and Jessi Kamea.

Cody Rhodes Downplays Impact Of Big WarnerMedia Shakeup On AEW

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Cody Rhodes has given his first public thoughts about AEW losing a major supporter at WarnerMedia in Kevin Reilly. 

News broke on Friday that Reilly is gone from the company. AEW President & CEO Tony Khan previously told the story about how he pitched the idea of bringing back wrestling to the TNT network when he and Reilly had a meeting at a party in Los Angeles.

Reilly was a big factor in AEW getting their TNT TV deal as he had worked as the Content Chief at WarnerMedia, and as the President of TNT, TBS and TruTV.

On Twitter, a fan asked Cody Rhodes if fans should be worried about the future of AEW since the recent shakeup. 

He responded with, “No. We have been blessed to have had so many viewers(even opposed), thus the 3+ year extension. It’s a great partnership!”

Rhodes will be in action on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT. The live episode will see him defend the TNT Championship against Scorpio Sky. 

AEW has still to name his opponent at the All Out pay-per-view event next month. 

Drew McIntyre Addresses Criticism Over His WWE Title Reign

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Drew McIntyre has been WWE Champion since WrestleMania 36 where he dethroned Brock Lesnar but has also faced challenges during his reign. 

He did an interview with TV Insider to talk about various topics including this year’s SummerSlam and his reign as WWE Champion. 

His time as the top champion has come under fire for not being a drawing champion with television ratings although WWE is in the COVID-19 era. 

“It would certainly be unique, which is what it’s all about right now. We’re trying to catch people’s attention with something different. The environment at the Performance Center is what it is. But a boat would certainly catch my attention.”

“The audience that has stuck around are getting to learn about the characters on a deeper level. I think that because of this, when we get back into the arenas, the viewership will grow. I think we will reach new heights to be honest because we’re going to have so many compelling characters.”

The WWE Champion is slated to defend the title against Randy Orton in one of the top matches on the card for the SummerSlam pay-per-view event. 

WWE has yet to name the main event for the show, but this is certainly a contest that is worthy of that spot. 

Seth Rollins Talks RAW Underground, Initial Boost For WWE TV Ratings

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Seth Rollins is one of the first WWE stars to give his take on the latest concept created by Vince McMahon, which is RAW Underground. 

During this week’s episode of RAW, Shane McMahon introduced RAW Underground, which is in a room with dimmed lighting and a ring with no ropes surrounded by Performance Center talent. It has elements of an MMA fight, with competitors wearing gloves.

Rollins made an appearance on The Gorilla Podcast for a new interview and during the chat was asked about it. 

“It is something out-of-the-box, and our audiences are always begging for something fresh and different. My verdict is TBD, let us what happens. It might end up being ridiculous in a good or bad way. Who knows?”

The concept was created as a way to improve the decline in WWE Monday Night RAW’s viewership numbers. 

“Obviously, it worked in the first week since we saw a bump in viewership. Now, can we keep the ball rolling? Let’s see. I had no idea what to expect when I first saw it (Raw Underground) mentioned on the sheet.”

Rollins stated that when he watched it he wasn’t entirely offended by it, especially since it’s a brand new idea. 

Instead, he wants to see what it turns into down the road. He pointed out how it’s 2020 and anything can happen, but they’re hoping for the best. 

Big Show On Challenges Of Wrestling Without Real WWE Crowd

Andrew Ravens
-
0

The Big Show is making the media rounds to help promote Netflix’s Game On: A Comedy Crossover, and his series, The Big Show Show.

The future WWE Hall of Famer did an interview with TV Guide and during the interview, he was asked about wrestling without a live audience

“Well, that’s the thing. You have to adjust,” Big Show said. “We take our responsibility pretty seriously, being an outlet and an escape for people. The feeling that I’m getting from talking to the other talent is everybody’s improving. At first, it was really awkward but now you’re focusing more on what you’re doing between the ropes and honing those skills.”

Big Show said that he thinks when they get that luxury of performing in front of the fans back then it’s going to make it all sweeter. He thinks it’s a good thing sometimes to have that taken away because it makes you more appreciative when it happens again. 

He stated that he can’t wait to walk down the ramp in front of 20,000; 50,000; 100,000 people again.”

WWE has held shows at the Performance Center without fans for a few months due to COVID-19. As of late, WWE has had mostly NXT / PC talent in the crowd.

Arn Anderson Reveals Why WWE Try To Keep Their TV Matches Short

Jake Skudder
-
0

Former WWE Agent Arn Anderson recently discussed WWE’s penchant for shorter television matches in the modern era. Whilst Anderson did talk about the lengthier bouts that go over two segments on the ARN podcast; Anderson also revealed exactly why WWE tries to keep a big proportion of their televised matches as short as possible.

“Whoever did their research, and I put that in parentheses” Arn Anderson began on the show. “Whoever took their polls and did all that behind the scenes stuff that they need 100 people working for the company to come up with? They figured out a six minute time span. That’s about all the audience’s good for, then they’re ready to switch channels.”

Arn Anderson on Six Minutes

“Well, that that six minute thing? Well that looks good, until you take entrances out of that six minutes. And then you take exit time, aftermath, posing in the ring…that’s another minute. So if I did my math right that six minutes now became what? Three minutes, right? We’re back to that time, that three minute deal.”

Anderson would then talk about why a three minute match is detrimental to the talent themselves. “And the thing about it is, when you give every match six minutes because that’s the brilliant thing that you came up through all your research? When you have every match go six minutes? Then it starts to look pretty uniform, and it’s a bunch of matches that don’t have enough time, except ding ding ding hurry hurry hurry. Then run through a couple spots and get your finish. There’s no story there.”

Arn would finish by saying how even the longer matches on the show are devalued because the talent are being overexposed on RAW and SmackDown. “And some of those guys that are getting the two segment matches later on in the show? When those guys have already been seen twice during the show, and then you give them the two segments, it’s probably too much exposure.”

Do you agree with The Enforcer Arn Anderson? Let us know in the comments

Also Check Out:

Arn Anderson
“The Enforcer” Arn Anderson

Jim Cornette Talks Dixie Carter’s ‘Creative Influence’ on TNA

Jake Skudder
-
0

Pro wrestling personality and former TNA backstage employee Jim Cornette recently discussed Dixie Carter and her influence on the TNA product. Cornette was responding to recent comments from WWE Superstar AJ Styles on his Drive Thru podcast.

AJ Styles stated “Do I believe Dixie ruined IMPACT? Well, it was TNA back then, and 100%. IMPACT, there was a time when it was really gaining ground. The problem was, Dixie wanted to be WWE-lite and that’s not what people wanted. They wanted to see something else. All she had to do was let us do what we do, it was really that simple. Had she left it to the writers, I think TNA would still be around and be bigger than what they are, but not knowing what’s best for business? She hurt TNA” 

Jim Cornette on Dixie Carter

“Dixie had talent she liked” Jim Cornette began on the Drive Thru. “And I’m not saying that in an inappropriate way. She thought that Hernandez, and she was correct in this, should be a Latino Mexican superstar at one point. I fully agreed with that.”

Cornette would then elaborate further on this, blaming Vince Russo for ‘destroying’ the potential they had with LAX member Hernandez. “Unfortunately for Hernandez? She’d [Dixie] picked an idiot to write her show [Vince Russo] who didn’t know how to get that guy over. And when I left? That was the end of that [Hernandez’s run], because he [Russo] didn’t understand it.”

Jim Cornette would then blame Dixie Carter for bringing in Vince Russo to oversee the writing of the product, thus somewhat agreeing with AJ Styles. “Dixie was responsible for creative in terms of who she hired to be in charge of it. And Jeff Jarrett to his credit, while he was there was able to balance most of the bullsh*t out with actual sh*t that made sense. OR, wouldn’t harm talent when you presented him with a better way to do it.”

“Dixie may have sat in on a few production meetings, not that many” Jim Cornette would continue. “Sometimes she wasn’t there at television and other times she would get there right before taping started. She’d be flying in from somewhere, she’d get there just in time to get her makeup done to go out in front of the fans and take post pictures holding the TNA title belt. But if you had a creative question, or if I did? I went to Jeff Jarrett.”

Do you agree with Cornette’s assessment? Let us know in the comments

Also Check Out:

Pat McAfee Comments On Upcoming Match At TakeOver XXX

Chris Stephens
-
0

Pat McAfee recently appeared on ESPN’s Get Up and spoke about his upcoming match at TakeOver XXX against Adam Cole.

“2 weeks away, SummerSlam weekend, NXT TakeOver XXX Saturday night,” McAfee said. “I got 2 weeks to prepare for this guy who has been wrestling for 12 years.”

McAfee punted Adam Cole in the head on last week’s NXT. The former NXT Champion appeared to have been knocked out by the blow.

“Getting to do this is going to be awesome,” he continued. “It’s going to be a dream come true.”

McAfee then continued to talk about having had some wrestling training. He has a wrestling ring up at his house and has trained with Rip Rogers.

“One night when I was a little bit intoxicated I bought a wrestling ring, a full-sized wrestling ring and I put it in my barn. It showed up at my house a couple of months later, I’d forgot that I bought it. I sent that thing up and I’ve ran the ropes a couple of times, I’ve taken a couple of bumps. I’ve trained with a guy named Rip Rogers.”

“I have to not look like an idiot like the Saturday Night Live guys that have gotten in there before.”

McAfee’s comments can be heard in the player below:

1...1,0201,0211,022...3,353Page 1,021 of 3,353