Home Blog Page 1025

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio Official For WWE SummerSlam (Updated Card)

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Two new matches have been announced for the upcoming WWE SummerSlam PPV.

First up is WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. MVP. This comes after Crews had successfully retained the title over the pro wrestling veteran in the opening match of Monday’s episode of RAW. MVP blamed the flickering lights, which was part of a storyline, for the loss. 

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio was also booked for this show, which will mark the official in-ring debut of the son of Rey Mysterio. Dominik had attacked Rollins and Murphy during last week’s RAW in addition to Monday’s RAW after Rollins and Murphy got into it with Samoa Joe. 

Of course, Rollins had been in a feud with Rey which saw Rollins take out an eye of the future WWE Hall of Famer in an Eye for an Eye Match at Extreme Rules. Dominik challenged Rollins to this match and the former WWE Universal Champion accepted it after the second attack. 

WWE presents the SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 23, 2020 at an unknown location that will air on the WWE Network. 

Updated WWE SummerSlam Card

  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
  • WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Andrade & Angel Garza
  • WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. MVP
  • Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

Discussion: What do you think about the WWE SummerSlam card so far?

Shane McMahon Returns To Reveal RAW Underground

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Shane McMahon returned to WWE television Monday night to introduce RAW Underground.

The son of WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon teased a new concept that would take place in the third hour of the show. Shane was in a room with dimmed lighting and a ring with no ropes surrounded by Performance Center talent. 

The rules of RAW Underground contests were not made entirely clear. It has elements of an MMA fight, with competitors wearing gloves. There were also scantily clad women dancing in the corner, just because.

Once the segment aired, McMahon did the ring introduction for Dabba-Kato, who smashed jobbers with a series of strikes. Kato is formerly known as Babatunde.

The broadcast also showed shots of the door outside being guarded by NXT trainee Jordan Omogbehin, who had previously been used as one of Akira Tozawa’s ninjas.

WWE first announced that McMahon would be appearing on the show on Monday afternoon. The @WrestleVotes Twitter account teased that McMahon would be on the show to announce this new concept. There were later widespread reports of ‘chaos’ behind the scenes at WWE’s TV taping once the Raw Underground concept was presented to the crew.

Several WWE Superstars participated in Shane McMahon’s Raw Underground fight club, including Dolph Ziggler and Erik of the Viking Raiders. MVP’s new Hurt Business faction crashed Raw Underground at the conclusion of the show.

RAW Underground: Original Idea?

A few fans on Twitter noticed that the ‘underground fight club’ gimmick presented by Shne McMahon has already been done elsewhere, including GCW Bloodsport and Chikara.

https://twitter.com/BuddyBarlow33/status/1290470677275979776
https://twitter.com/Neowyng/status/1290460019012624391

Shane McMahon was written off of WWE television last when he lost to Kevin Owens in a ladder match on SmackDown with the stipulation of “loser leaves WWE.”

More Reactions to RAW Undergound

Matt Cordana Confirms AEW Contract Length, Talks Goals

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Matt Cardona has opened up on his current AEW deal and his goals in the promotion. 

We noted over the weekend that Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder, is currently working on a five appearance deal with the company, according to Wrestling Inc.

Rick Ucchino of Sportskeeda has since had the opportunity to speak with Cardona, who confirmed that it is a short deal.

However, he plans to stay in AEW for much longer and even has goals of becoming not only the AEW TNT Champion but also the AEW World Heavyweight Champion. 

“Yes, so there’s a couple appearances, a few appearances right now, but listen…I’m not here for a little vacation,” Cardona said. “I’m here to win the TNT Title, the AEW Title, to get all those action figures! I’m here because I want to be here. You know what I’m saying? So we’ll get there. Just stayed tuned. Everybody just take a chill pill, and relax, and enjoy the show!”

The belief is that the former WWE Intercontinental Champion could end up signing a longer deal should he impress AEW executives.

Cardona will team with Cody to face John Silver and Alex Reynolds this Wednesday night on Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT.

Nikki & Brie Bella Give Birth A Day Apart (Photos)

Jon Fuentes
-
0

Nikki and Brie Bella have both given birth to baby boys, and only a day apart from one another!

Both former WWE stars announced the news on their respective Instagram pages. Brie was the first to share her news, posting, “It’s a BOY!!! 8-1-2020 We are overwhelmed with joy and everyone is healthy!!!,” along with all three of the family’s hands. This is Brie and husband Daniel Bryan’s second child together.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDZbd7UBdSg/?utm_source=ig_embed

Next, Nikki shared a photo with the same pose – she, fiancee Artem Chigvintsev, and her newborn baby boy all holding hands. Nikki captioned the photo with “7/31/2020 Our baby boy is here and we couldn’t be HAPPIER and more in LOVE! Everyone is safe and healthy.” Check it out below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDZoxn7lGa3/?utm_source=ig_embed

Nikki and Brie briefly shared a pregnancy period with fellow WWE star Becky Lynch. Earlier this year, Lynch was forced to vacate her WWE Raw Women’s Title due to the fact that she is pregnant. However, she remains unsure if she’ll return to the ring after giving birth later this year, unlike the Bella twins, who are currently retired from in-ring competition.

“I don’t know what the next chapter is because I only know what it’s like to think for myself when I’m by myself,” Lynch told People Magazine earlier this year. “So I don’t know what it’ll look like and how my priorities shift and what I’m going to want in the future. So, everything’s open.”

Becky Lynch and fiancee Seth Rollins’ child is due to be born this December.

AEW Dynamite Episodes To Be Preempted By The NBA On TNT

Scott Lazara
-
0

Several upcoming episodes of AEW Dynamite will be preempted by NBA basketball games on TNT.

WarnerMedia announced the following schedule change for the August 19th, August 26th, and September 16th shows:

  • The Wednesday, August 19th Dynamite episode will air on Saturday, August 22nd at 6:00pm ET / 3:00pm PT
  • The Wednesday, August 26th Dynamite episode will air Thursday, August 27th at 8:00pm ET/PT
  • The Wednesday, September 16th Dynamite episode will air Thursday, September 17th at 8:00pm ET/PT

The episode of AEW Dynamite that airs on Saturday, August 22nd will act as a “lead-in” (with an hour of overlap) to NXT Takeover XXX, which kicks off at 7pm that night on the WWE Network.

The preemptions will not affect the All Out go-home or post-show episodes.

It will be interesting to see how AEW Dynamite and NXT television viewership is impacted by these changes. NXT should see a significant uptick in viewership by airing in its usual time slot without direct competition from AEW. Dynamite will have three shows without the NXT opposition, but airing on different nights than fans are used to will not help matters.

MJF To Challenge For AEW World Championship at All Out

Scott Lazara
-
0

Maxwell Jacob Friedman will challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at the upcoming All Out pay-per-view. AEW announced the news on Monday afternoon.

MJF has been the top ranked men’s singles competitor on the weekly AEW Rankings. In recent weeks, he has been campaigning against Moxley using hashtags including #NotMyChampion.

Last week on AEW Dynamite, he delivered a blistering promo on Dynamite during his State of the Industry address. MJF criticized Moxley for holding him down and referred to him as a ‘dictator.’

Moxley has been AEW World Champion since February when he dethroned Le Chamion Chris Jericho at AEW Revolution.

Both Jon Moxley and MJF will appear this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite. Moxley will defend the AEW World Championship against Darby Allin. MJF will be on hand to deliver his next State of the Industry address. You can be sure MJF will have some things to say about AEW officials deciding to award him this championship opportunity.

AEW All Out takes place on Saturday, September 5th from Jacksonville, FL. The show will stream live on BR Live and FITE.tv (Internationally).

Chaos At Today’s WWE TV Tapings, Shane McMahon Returning for RAW

Scott Lazara
-
0

WWE has announced that Shane McMahon will return on tonight’s RAW episode.

McMahon has been off WWE TV since losing the Career vs. Career Ladder Match to Kevin Owens on the October 4th SmackDown FOX premiere last year. There is no word yet on what he will be doing during tonight’s RAW.

In other news for tonight’s RAW, it’s been reported by multiple sources that there is “chaos” at the RAW tapings. The news was first reported by Gary Cassidy of Sportskeeda.

WWE is taping two RAW episodes at the Performance Center today and it was reported that there is “chaos from the top” and that the shows are being ran with crews who are “totally unprepared.”

The first episode being taped, to air tonight, is reportedly changing on the fly, while the second episode, airing next week, is still incomplete. It was also said that there is a lack of leadership and a lot of stress that’s being blamed on indecisiveness.

Vince McMahon is at the tapings today and his mood was said to be “volatile” due to the indecisiveness and the chaos.

It will be interesting to see how tonight’s show comes off on TV as it was said by a source that, “what’s going on today seems even wilder than usual.”

Stay tuned for RAW updates and remember to join us for live coverage at 8PM EST tonight. Here is the announced line-up for tonight:

* Apollo Crews defends the United States Championship against MVP in the opener

* Drew McIntyre addresses Randy Orton’s recent attack

* Asuka looks for revenge on Sasha Banks and Bayley

* Shane McMahon returns

MLW Teasing Return Of Live Events

Jon Fuentes
-
0

Major League Wrestling (MLW) could be gearing up to get back to running live events again.

It’s no secret that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a huge blow to the professional wrestling industry, along with the rest of the world. Several promotions have been forced to hold off on hosting events, MLW included. The company hasn’t put on a show since March, when the pandemic began to get out of control.

However, that could all change very soon. MLW’s official Twitter account Tweeted out a photo of their production set, captioning it with a ticking clock. This has led many to believe that MLW is teasing the return of live shows soon.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1290098770273689600

Promotions such as WWE and AEW have been running empty arena shows for the past several months. They have also used their own talents to serve as audience members, placing them in the crowd where fans would usually be in an attempt to liven the shows up a bit.

Now would be a great time for MLW to get back to work. Especially with the recent news of the promotion partnering up with WAVE.tv for social media content distribution. The partnership will allow for more of MLW’s content to be seen by the likes of Gen Z and Millennial sports fans through WAVE.tv’s combat sports media brand “HAYMAKERS.”

New WWE Trademark Filings For MVP’s Stable And “Justus”

Scott Lazara
-
0

WWE filed to trademark “The Hurt Business” on Wednesday, July 29th.

“The Hurt Business” is the name for the new RAW stable with MVP, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. WWE filed for two trademarks on the name – one for merchandise use, and one for general use.

The following use descriptions were filed with the United States Patent & Trademark Office for “The Hurt Business” names:

General Use: “IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment”

Merchandise Use: “IC 025. US 022 039. G & S: Clothing, namely, tops, shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, hoodies; outerwear, namely, coats; bottoms, pants, shorts, underwear, dresses, pajamas, lingerie, clothing ties, scarves, gloves, swimwear; Halloween and masquerade costumes; footwear, namely, shoes, sneakers, slippers, flip flops, boots; headwear, namely, hats, caps; wrist bands; bandanas”

WWE also filed to trademark the name “Justus” on July 29th. There is no word yet on if this is related to MVP’s stable.

The following use description for “Justus” was filed with the USPTO, for general pro wrestling use:

“IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment”

AEW Women’s Tag Team Tournament Begins Tonight

Michael Reichlin
-
0

The first round of the AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup tournament begins tonight, Monday August 3rd.

The 8-team ‘Deadly Draw’ tournament will air exclusively on AEW’s YouTube channel. New matches premiere Monday nights at 7pm (Eastern).

The first match of the tournament will see Nyla Rose and former WWE wrestler Ariane Andrew vs. Anna Jay of the Dark order and former NXT star Tay Conti.

As of this writing, two other teams are confirmed for the tournament:

  • Ivelisse & Diamante
  • Brandi Rhodes & Allie

The winners of the tournament will receive the AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup trophy.

EecTNA8U0AAZk2C?format=jpg&name=medium
AEW’s Women’s Tag Team Cup trophy

During a recent interview AEW Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes spoke about the tournament. She noted that her hope is that it becomes an annual event.

It has not yet been confirmed when the finals will take place, but AEW’s next pay-per-view, All Out, takes place on Saturday, September 5th, 2020.

The Rock & Investor Group Purchase The XFL for $15 Million

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Vince McMahon will not be resurrecting the XFL, but rather, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and partners are the new owners. 

The former WWE Champion has teamed up with Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital to purchase the league for $15 million, according to a press release sent out Monday morning.

The entity that purchased the XFL is Alpha Acquico, LLC, a joint venture of The Garcia Companies and Redbird Capital Partners Management LLC. In addition to acquiring all XFL assets, Alpha Acquico will take on “certain specified liabilities” and finance $8.5 million towards any financial defaults from the previous owner.

The XFL was slated to be auctioned today. Johnson’s business partner and ex-wife, Dany Garcia, will also be a stakeholder. RedBird has made various sports-related investments with some of them having ties to the NFL and its players.

The Rock & Dany Garcia Comment on XFL Purchase

The Rock said about the purchase, “The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Danny Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things – my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans. With pride and gratitude for all that I’ve built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football.”

He and business partner Dany Garcia posted the following on Twitter about the big news:

https://twitter.com/DanyGarciaCo/status/1290286011658801152

Vince McMahon shut down the league earlier this year just weeks into its first season due to COVID-19. Although the league had TV deals with ABC/ESPN and FOX, the league under the ownership of the WWE Chairman and CEO didn’t survive. 

McMahon decided to fold the second attempt at the XFL a few months ago as the pro football league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the state of Delaware.

As of May, it was reported that XFL creditors seemed to believe McMahon was positioning to buy the league out of bankruptcy, but that’s not the case clearly. 

Former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck filed a lawsuit against McMahon for wrongful termination. Luck was supposed to get between $20-25 million over five years, which he was promised and it was not contingent on the league surviving. However, McMahon fired Luck the day before he closed the league.

Seth Rollins Talks About WWE’s ‘Process’ To Create New Stars During COVID-19

Steve Russell
-
0

WWE Superstar Seth Rollins has addressed WWE’s attempts to create new Superstars. In an interview with TalkSport.com, Rollins explained how he believes WWE’s primary goal continues to be “building stars for the future.”

Rollins acknowledged how the current coronavirus pandemic has forced WWE to lose a lot of its “top-tier talent due to various circumstances.” Regardless, he believes that WWE’s emphasis is to continue building future stars. He stressed how Paul Heyman’s departure as WWE Raw Executive Director doesn’t change that goal.

He pointed at the efforts of Bayley and Sasha Banks as evidence of Superstars working hard to stand out during this time. Rollins noted how they’ve done all they can to rise to the challenge and secure opportunities for themselves — especially as Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair are currently out of in-ring action.

“The women have been lagging behind Becky and Charlotte for some time and now it’s time for them to step up and do their thing,” Rollins stated. “Asuka has stepped up too, as well, but I do think Bayley and Sasha have been great. They’ve filled that void as best as they possibly can and have been working like crazy as Tag Team champs and now RAW and SmackDown champs.”

Seth Rollins On The “Process” Of Building Stars

Seth Rollins also praised his disciple, Murphy, and Aleister Black. He highlighted their “incredible performances” during their rivalry. He explained how you could see how talented and hungry they were to reach “the next level.”

Rollins added how this hunger has continued throughout WWE’s empty arena shows with zero fans. According to Rollins, Murphy has stepped up to figure out what his role is and who Murphy is as a performer. He believes Aleister Black has taken the same approach during this time.

Rollins stressed how “One of the things we need to understand if you can’t make new stars overnight.” He added how people have to be patient as a build needs to take place.

He explained how “there has to be a story, it has to be the right time. You can’t just put people on TV in prominent positions that nobody knows if you want casual viewers to continue to tune in.”

Rollins acknowledged that the build of new Superstars is a “process” — one that includes gettings talent associated with audiences and viewers who may not necessarily be wrestling fans. Once that’s been achieved, he believes WWE can put those talents in a position to become stars.

Bayley On Current Run With Sasha Banks: ‘This Is The Most Fun I’ve Had On TV’

Steve Russell
-
0

Current WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley recently helped her partner, Sasha Banks, secure the Raw Women’s Championship last week on Monday Night Raw.

Speaking with SI.com, Bayley reflected on her current partnership with Banks. She admitted how their pairing is the “most fun” she’s had on TV to date.

Bayley shared how everyone keeps telling her how it looks like she’s having fun on TV. She thinks it’s “awesome” people can see the enjoyment come through. Bayley credited this to the fact she loves being around Banks as they “get along so freakin’ well.”

She commented on how it had taken them a long time to get into this position together. According to Bayley, both Superstars have experienced plenty of ups and downs and “being held back.”

“One of the things we heard a lot was, ‘We can always count on you.’ We believed they could count on us to run the whole company. It took a lot of proving, but that’s what we’re doing now. We are very vocal about what we believe is right and what we want to do to help the company and help the division. It’s finally being able to shine through, and it’s very rewarding.”

Bayley assisted Banks’ victory after her assault of Kairi Sane drew Asuka away from the ring. Banks would win the WWE Raw Women’s Championship after Asuka was counted out.

Sasha Banks Shares Why She Misses Fans At WWE Events

Steve Russell
-
0

The new WWE Raw Women’s Champion Sasha Banks claimed the championship last Monday Night on Raw entering her fifth reign. Her win saw her join her partner Bayley as a double champion within WWE. Unfortunately, her recent accomplishment took place at the WWE Performance Center in front of zero fans.

Speaking in a WWE The Day Of documentary clip, Banks shared her thoughts on performing at WWE events without a crowd in attendance due to the current coronavirus pandemic.

She confessed she missed feeling the crowd’s energy but noted she has learned a great deal since audiences have been unable to attend events. Despite this growth, Banks admitted she’s ready to have fans return as long as it’s safe to do so.

“Until then, I’m gonna keep on entertaining and you’re gonna keep on watching at home. I hope you enjoy it. But maybe it’s during these crazy times, that it’s on such a different grande scheme of things of how I look at this as a whole, since we don’t have an audience.”

Banks continued, “Maybe that’s why I’m not as so, like, ‘Oh my God, what are they going to think?’ Because their opinion is really online, and the thing is I don’t have to read that, and I don’t read it. Really, my opinion is my opinion of what I think this match is going to be and what it means to me.”

Sasha Banks explained how if she feels confident she has just “killed it” in a match up, then no one’s opinion of it matters except hers. She stressed how she is happy to have the confidence to know that if she’s satisfied with her performance, other people’s opinions can’t affect her.

Big E On If He Feels Ready For A Singles Run

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

A lot of people including many legends have praised Big E over the years and characterised him as a potential world champion if the New Day member wrestles as a singles competitor. Now that he is finally getting a chance to showcase his skills on his own, the former IC Champion feels that he is ready to go solo after being a team player for over half a decade.

Big E recently had an interview with Yahoo Sports and discussing his singles run, the former Tag Team Champion mentioned how it all came out of nowhere. Though he later said that he hopes that the people who have clamoured for this for years will not be disappointed:

“This is all kind of coming out of nowhere. I feel confident that I am ready for this. The interesting thing and weird thing is we don’t have that organic response. I hope people enjoy this run, I hope it’s good and entertaining, I hope all of the people who have clamored for this for years are not disappointed.”

Even though he is getting the opportunity for a singles run, the former NXT Champion still sees himself as a representative of the New Day and he believes that his singes achievements will add up to the legacy of the group:

“I always see it as I am a representative of the New Day. The same way that Kofi credited Woods and me and said that when he won it was for all of us, that’s the same feeling I have.  This adds to all of our legacies because I don’t get this far, I don’t have this much without those two. I don’t even know if I am around in this company without those two.”

Xavier Woods has been out of action due to an Achilles injury since October last year. Kofi Kingston revealed during the July 24 episode of SmackDown that he will be out of action for 6 weeks after losing a Tables match at Extreme Rules, effectively giving Big E his first singles run since the formation of the group in 2014.

Next WWE Draft Planned for October

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

WWE is planning to hold the annual draft in October this year once again, according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio.

WWE had 5 dates under consideration for next ‘Superstar Shakeup.’ Company officials have since narrowed it down to two possible dates in October.

Last year’s draft saw The Street Profits being called up to the main roster. There is no word yet on if NXT stars will be included in the draft but it’s very likely that the brand will be represented in some capacity this year as well.

The drafts last year took place in October, one week after SmackDown moved to Fox Network. It started on the blue branded show and concluded on the Raw episode the following week.

Also Read: Drew McIntyre & Top WWE NXT Star Tease Possible Match

A number of big names switched brands during the last drafts. The most notable moves included the then Universal Champion Bray Wyatt moving to SmackDown and people like Randy Orton and Kevin Owens being moved to Raw.

The WWE Champion Brock Lesnar who won the title from Kofi Kingston on SmackDown’s Fox Premiere then quit the Blue Branded show and later joined Monday Night Raw.

Now it would be interesting to see if the Black and Yellow brand of the company is also included in the shake up and if the company adjusts the format of the event to incorporate moves from NXT into the drafts this year.

Former NXT Star Added To AEW Women’s Tag Tournament

Chris Stephens
-
0

AEW will be running a women’s tag team tournament this summer. The teams will be drawn at random and the first pairing was made on Dynamite this week. Nyla Rose will be teaming with Ariane Andrew, the former Cameron in WWE.

Chris Jericho noted a few more teams for the tournament recently. He revealed 3 pairings of teams for the tournament on his Saturday night live stream. One of the teams involves former NXT star, Taynara Conti.

Here are the teams Chris Jericho revealed for the tournament recently:

  • Taynara Conti & Anna Jay
  • Ivelisse & Diamante
  • Allie & Brandi Rhodes

Brandi Rhodes spoke about how the tournament is a bit of an experiment. If it goes well and fans respond positively to it, the tournament could become an annual event.

“I think that’s how you look at a lot of things. You try things, you see how they go. I, of course, am very hopeful that this tournament is something that can continue to happen as it’s going to bring great opportunities to a lot of women who don’t normally get to be seen on Dynamite or on AEW Dark as often as we’d like to.”

Drew McIntyre & Top WWE NXT Star Tease Possible Match

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Drew McIntyre and Karrion Kross got fans talking when they planted the seeds for a potential match down the road.

The WWE Champion started it all when he responded to a fan on his official Twitter account who asked him to name one NXT superstar that he hopes to work with.

This led to him naming Kross by writing, “@Lady_Scarlett13 & @WWEKarrionKross have my full attention #DrewAndA.”

The NXT star took to Instagram where he shared a photo of McIntyre’s tweet and told fans to never miss an episode because anything can happen in NXT. 

“Anything can happen in the #WWE. And it’s all the more reason why you should never miss an episode no matter what brand it is. Think about the future.”

This match may not have to wait as WWE finds itself in two interesting situations. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDUhXUHJXAA/?utm_source=ig_embed

First up is the most alarming one which is how Monday Night RAW has seen its viewership numbers fall at a scary rate and they’ve been hitting new records low over the last few months while in the COVID-19 era. Thus, WWE could always have Kross appear on RAW for any reason. 

The second situation is the war between NXT and AEW Dynamite. WWE has had main roster stars appear on NXT in the past as a way to boost viewership. 

Ric Flair Discusses Decline In WWE TV Ratings

Andrew Ravens
-
0

WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair spoke with Scott Fishman of TV Insider for a new interview. 

During the chat, Flair was asked about the decline in WWE television ratings and what he thinks the disconnect is there and what WWE can do to turn things around. 

Flair stated that he has been watching wrestling for a long time, but he doesn’t pay attention to the competition. He thinks the reason for the decline is the “whole thing” right now as it’s fun to watch the show at home with a large audience and he thinks that can impact it. 

He put over the talent for busting their butts. Flair also thinks WWE is missing some key players but keeps marching on. 

“They have that good work ethic that it will come back around. I don’t think anyone is taking it personal. It’s what is going on right now. Vince McMahon, WWE, will bounce back bigger and better a year from now. 

The pandemic has stopped a lot of things. It has given a different perspective on a lot of things, but it’s not due to their attitudes or level of performance. “

Just this week, Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.620 million viewers with a 0.47 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. The previous Friday Night SmackDown episode averaged 1.924 million viewers on FOX.

WWE Moves Undercard RAW Star To NXT

Andrew Ravens
-
0

WWE has sent one main roster star to NXT and that’s Shane Thorne. 

On Saturday, WWE confirmed that Throne will wrestle Bronson Reed this Wednesday night on NXT.  Following the news, WWE also moved Throne’s profile from the RAW brand to the NXT page. 

Before the move, there were a few months where it appeared that WWE was going to do something with Brendan Vink and Thorne as they had been briefly involved with MVP in storylines. 

Several months ago it was reported that MVP was eventually going to turn on them but those plans were scrapped and WWE hadn’t done much with the tag team after it. 

It should be noted that Vink is not listed on any of the rosters and there’s no word whether he’ll be headed back to NXT with his tag team partner or stay on RAW. 

Updated NXT Card

  • Damian Priest vs. Oney Lorcan vs. Ridge Holland – Triple Threat Match (winner advances to vacant North American Title Ladder Match at TakeOver)
  • NXT Tag Team Champions Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner vs. Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish
  • Rhea Ripley vs. Dakota Kai – #1 Contender’s Match 
  • Bronson Reed vs. Shane Throne – Singles Match
  • Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grimes – Non-Title Match

Otis On The Idea Of Returning To NXT, If Heavy Machinery Will Be Split Up

Eric Bischoff Comments On Hiring Virgil In 1996

Chris Stephens
-
0

Michael Jones is known to many wrestling fans by the name Virgil. He’s also wrestled under the names Vincent, Soul Train Jones, and a few other monikers. When Virgil was hired by WCW in 1996, he was placed in the New World Order. Virgil became the 8th person to join the faction on September 23rd, 1996.

Eric Bischoff was recently asked on the 83 Weeks podcast what went into the decision to hire him for the NWO angle.

“It wasn’t my idea to bring him in. I think it was a combination of a couple of different people, I think Hulk Hogan being one of them but it wasn’t his idea. He didn’t originally come to me with the idea. It might have been Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. It was the trifecta, it was that group who came to me and said ‘why don’t we do this? It’ll be fun. He’s a good dude.'”

“There was a diversity issue that was apparent to me, keep in mind this Turner Broadcasting. Turner Broadcasting was way more interested in diversity before diversity became as important as it is today.”

“We had a challenge in terms of diversity within the NWO and he was available.”

“Regardless of whose idea it was, it kind of made sense on paper. He was never brought in to be a big star, he was never brought in as a big damn deal. He was a supporting cast member for crying out loud.”

Virgil appeared as “Soul Train Jones” in a couple of segments with the Inner Circle in AEW last November.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pSNalm2F_k

Natalya Pens Column On Kairi Sane

Chris Stephens
-
0

Nattie Neidhart (aka Natalya) writes a column for the Calgary Sun. Her Uncle Bret used to do the same for many years. Natalya dedicated her column this week to Kairi Sane. The former NXT Women’s Champion has now departed WWE after the most recent set of tapings.

“This week WWE said goodbye to Kairi Sane, as she is moving on to exciting new adventures in her life. I couldn’t be more proud of Kairi and all that she’s accomplished in just a few short years after leaving Japan to chase her dreams in WWE,” Natalya says in the column.

Natalya continued to write about the first time she met Kairi. It was backstage at the Mae Young Classic. Both Natalya and Beth Phoenix noted how talented she was and how much the fans responded to her.

“I remember meeting Kairi for the very first time with Beth Phoenix at the Mae Young Classic, as she stood out in such a special way to me. After watching her compete, I said to Beth, ‘Kairi is so talented in the ring. She also has a way of connecting with the audience that is so genuine and so authentic.’ Beth responded by saying, ‘The audience loves Kairi because they can feel how much heart she has and how much she loves what she does in the ring.'”

Last week on RAW, Kairi was the victim of a backstage assault by Bayley. At the time, Asuka was wrestling Sasha Banks in a RAW Women’s title match. As Asuka left the match to rescue her friend, she was counted out. This gave Banks the win and the title due to a stipulation added to the title match.

Natalya’s full column on Kairi Sane can be read here.

Trailer For Mick Foley & David Arquette Film Released

Chris Stephens
-
0

Mick Foley and David Arquette will both star in the upcoming film, 12 Hour Shift. A trailer for the film was recently released. The film was set to debut initially at the Tribeca film festival. This was canceled due to the ongoing pandemic, however. The film is a dark comedy and will be released through the Tribeca digital library tomorrow.

“It’s 1999 and over the course of one 12 Hour Shift at an Arkansas Hospital, A Junkie Nurse (Angela Bettis), Her Scheming Cousin (Chloe Farnworth) and a group of black market Organ-Trading criminals (Mick Foley, David Arquette, Dusty Warren) start a heist that could lead to all of their demise,” reads a description of the film.

The film will be the first IMDB credit for Foley this year. Some of his previous credits include:

  • The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
  • Chokeslam (2016)
  • I Am Santa Claus (2014)
  • Hellevator Man (currently in production.)

As for Arquette, his latest films include

  • Spree (2020)
  • Mob Town (2019)
  • 2099: The Soldier Protocol (2019)
  • The MisEducation of Bindu (2019)

A trailer for the film can be viewed in the player below:

55-year-old Mick Foley also spent some time recently commenting on a potential Big E singles run.

“I believe if he can show a little different side of himself. A little bit more seriousness, a little bit more anger when the situation calls for it, that he will go down in history as one of the great WWE Superstars and I hope it happens.” 

MVP Comments On Rumored Nation Of Domination Reboot

Chris Stephens
-
0

MVP is currently a member of “The Hurt Business” along with Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin on RAW. There have been rumours as of late that Vince McMahon is (or at least was) interested in rebooting the Nation of Domination stable from the late 1990s. Speaking on a podcast with former WWE writer Kazeem Famuyide, MVP says he has no interest in taking part in such an angle.

MVP On Rumored Nation of Domination Reboot

“No, no, short answer is no, because I’ve been hearing the chatter and I’ve been seeing that and I don’t wanna do the new anything. The Nation was done, it was awesome in the time that it was done. It was needed, stars were made. I don’t wanna rehash something else, I wanna bring something new, and I don’t necessarily, in our approach to The Hurt Business, me and Bobby, as you know are legitimate friends away from wrestling. We boys. Shelton is one of my closest friends. I just like making money with my friends, you know what I’m saying?” MVP said on the show.

MVP continued to say he’s excited about getting to work with Apollo Crews and Ricochet. He would also say that his current angle with The Hurt Business isn’t a statement about race.

“I have no interest in rehashing the Nation of Domination and while I do wanna present myself and Bobby and Shelton as strong black role models, successful, we’re businessmen. We’re not trying to make a statement on race. We’re trying to just make a statement.”

MVP’s last match on RAW came two weeks ago when his Hurt Business dropped a trios match to Cedric Alexander, Ricochet, and Mustafa Ali. Lashley then defeated Ali this week on RAW. MVP is also claiming to be the United States champion at the moment, though the title actually belongs to Crews.

The full interview with MVP can be viewed in the player below:

NJPW Vacates NEVER 6-Man Championships, Schedules 8 Team Tournament

Evan S
-
0

New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced that, following EVIL’s defection to Bullet Club from Los Ingobernables de Japon, the NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championship has been vacated. It was previously held by EVIL, BUSHI, and Shingo Takagi. Their reign lasted 206 days with 2 successful defenses.

To determine new champions, NJPW will hold a single-elimination tournament with eight teams during next week’s events as part of the Summer Struggle tour. The tournament is scheduled as follows:

August 6 (First Round)

  • CHAOS (SHO, Kazuchika Okada & Toru Yano) vs. Bullet Club (Yujiro Takahashi, Gedo & Jado)
  • Los Ingobernables de Japon (Shingo Takagi, SANADA & BUSHI) vs. Suzuki-gun (Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado & DOUKI)

August 7 (First Round)

  • Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi & Master Wato vs. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)
  • Togi Makabe, Tomoaki Honma & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI)

August 8 (Semifinals), August 9 (Final)

  • Matches To Be Determined
1...1,0241,0251,026...3,353Page 1,025 of 3,353