WWE has made the first match to be featured on the card for this year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view event official.
The next challengers to WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits will be Angel Garza and Andrade.
During Monday’s episode of RAW on the USA Network, WWE held a match that would determine who is next line for a title shot.
Triple Threat Tag Team Match that saw Angel Garza & Andrade vs. Viking Raiders vs. Ricochet & Cedric Alexander took place with the winners becoming the next challengers to the title.
It was a lengthy match that had a finish of Garza hitting his finisher to Alexander while staring at the champions.
Garza and Andrade were victorious, earning the right to challenge Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford for the RAW Tag Team Titles. The champions were at ringside for the contest and the challengers attacked them after the bout was over.
WWE holds the SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 23, 2020 from a location to be announced. WWE has already confirmed that it would not take place in Boston, MA from the TD Garden.
As expected, WWE went forward with the initial angle to kick off the feud between Randy Orton and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.
WWE had been hyping that Orton would be opening the show to “announce his next target.” Orton did a promo in the first segment by talking about how he has the desire to become WWE Champion again. He said that the accomplishments between himself and McIntyre are much different.
Orton brought up McIntyre’s background from being the Chosen One to getting fired and hustling his way back to the company to the point where he won the WWE Title by beating Brock Lesnar.
Orton challenged McIntyre to a WWE Title match at SummerSlam. He said that McIntyre has what he wants and vowed to take it from him.
Later in the show, McIntyre was booked to take on Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match, which had been originally announced with the WWE Title on the line but later changed. This was a rematch from the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event that saw McIntyre successfully retain the WWE Title.
WWE RAW aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. Sasha Banks and Asuka battled for the RAW Women’s Championship during tonight’s show.
RAW Results (7/27)
Andrade & Garza def. Viking Raiders, Ricochet & Alexander to earn shot at RAW Tag Titles at SummerSlam
Lashley def. Mustafa Ali
Sasha Banks def. Asuka via count-out to win RAW Women’s Championship
Murphy def. Humberto Carrillo
Drew McIntyre def. Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE Championship
Here are 7 takeaways from this week’s show:
Randy Orton Wants A WWE Championship Match At SummerSlam
Randy Orton kicked off the show by boasting about his resume and claimed that The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin couldn’t hold a candle to him. Orton added that something is missing and that he desires to once again become WWE Champion.
Orton joked that if he compared resumes with Drew McIntyre it would be a short conversation. Randy said that McIntyre was called the chose one 10 years ago but back then he had his head up his ass and got fired.
Randy claimed that McIntyre has his respect for earning his way back to WWE and beating Brock Lesnar in quick fashion at WrestleMania. Orton looked directly into the camera and stated that McIntyre has what he wants. Orton said he wanted a WWE Championship match at SummerSlam and vowed to take his title.
Nia Jax made her way to the ring and said she was listening to Orton talk and knows exactly how he feels. Jax complained about being screwed out of the RAW Women’s Championship by a certain referee. Shayna Baszler interrupted and marched down to the ring.
Shayna got in Nia’s face and told her that nobody gives a damn what she wants. Jax leveled Baszler with a punch to the face and launched her across the ring. Shayna battled back with a couple of punches before WWE officials rushed the ring and separated them.
Basler and Nia Jax then competed later on RAW. The action quickly spilled out of the ring and the two superstars were counted out. Security tried to separate them again but Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch on one of them. Jax booted the other security guard out of the ring and then knocked Shayna off the apron.
Viking Raiders, Cedric Alexander & Ricochet, and Anrade & Garza competed in a Triple Threat Tag Team match to determine who will face Street Profits at SummerSlam for the RAW Tag Team Championships. Street Profits joined commentary for the match.
Match Recap: Andrade and Garza snuck out of the ring when the match started but Viking Raiders brought them back inside. Ricochet and Alexander beat Garza down as Ivar slammed Andrade to the floor. Erik then Body Slammed Ivar on top of Andrade.
Erik Dropkicked Garza to the corner as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Andrade hit Double Knees and went for the cover but Erik kicked out at two. Ricochet tagged in an connected with a Standing Moonsault on Garza for a near fall.
Ivar made his way to the top rope and hit Alexander and Ricochet with a Senton outside the ring. Back inside the ring, Garza planted Alexander with the Wing Clipper for the pinfall victory. Andrade and Garza will face Street Profits for the RAW Tag Team Championships at SummerSlam.
Seth Rollins and Murphy made their way to the ring at the beginning of the 2nd hour of RAW. Rollins said he should be in a good mood but isn’t because somebody is always standing in the way of the greater good. Seth added that Kevin Owens, Rey Mysterio, and Aleister Black are all injured because they got in the way of the greater good.
Rollins pointed out that the last time Dominik said he was going to confront him, he jumped him from behind and things got a lot more violent than he wanted. Seth claimed to have a soft spot in his heard for the Mysterio family and asked Dominik to come to the ring so they can talk this out.
Dominik appeared at the top of the entrance ramp and Rollins asked him to come to the ring. Rollins told Dominik that everything is okay and he is here for him. Dominik tackled Rollins but Murphy quickly attacked him from behind. Rollins and Murphy launched Dominik into the barricade and stomped on him.
Rollins and Murphy were about to shove Dominik’s eye into the steel steps but Aleister Black broke it up. They then beat Aleister Black down and threw him into the plexiglass. Seth then hit Black with the Stomp and told Murphy to shove Aleister’s eye into the steel steps. Murphy hesitated and Rollins slapped him in the face. Murphy shoved Aleister’s eye into the corner of the steel steps. Dominik hit Rollins and Murphy with a kendo stick and they retreated.
MVP, Lashley, and Shelton Benjamin were in the ring for an episode of the VIP Lounge. MVP said he wants to help Mustafa Ali see the light and asked him to come to the ring.
MVP welcomed Mustafa to the VIP Lounge and stated this is where made men congregate. Mustafa Ali said that he was happy to be back and to finally have an opportunity to become a champion. MVP told Ali that he needs to hang out with the right people and the right things will happen.
Mustafa Ali told MVP that he thinks for himself and always will. MVP stated that Apollo Crews went down that road and is now sitting at home on the couch. Mustafa once again declined to join MVP’s group as R-Truth rushed the ring. R-Truth tried to roll-up Shelton Benjamin to win the 24/7 Championship but Shelton kicked out. Lashley and Mustafa Ali then competed in a singles match and Bobby picked up the win via submission.
Sasha Banks Won The RAW Women’s Championship Via Count-Out
Bayley and Sasha Banks cut a promo and called Stephanie McMahon a bully. Banks claimed that Stephanie was jealous of them because they run the whole company. Bayley added that they lead by example and stand against injustice. Bayley once again claimed that she did the right thing by putting on the referee’s shirt and counting to three at Extreme Rules. Banks and Asuka then battled for the RAW Women’s Championship.
Match Recap: Asuka controlled the action early and hit Banks with a Hip Attack. Asuka applied an Arm Bar but Sasha was able to get to the bottom rope to break the hold. Sasha took Asuka to the canvas and locked in a Half Crab. Banks then focused her attack on Asuka’s left knee before Asuka booted her out of the ring. Banks threw the RAW Women’s Championship to Asuka and pretended that she hit her with it. The referee wasn’t buying it and Asuka connected with a kick to the face as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Banks was back in control and hit Asuka with a DDT for a near fall. Asuka went for the Hip Attack but Banks dodged it and slammed Asuka’s knee onto the ring apron. Sasha followed it up with a Meteora for a two count before locking in the Half Crab again.
Asuka escaped and applied an Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. Sasha Banks broke free and sent Asuka into the turnbuckle. Banks climbed to the middle rope and leaped into Double Knees from Asuka.
Asuka planted Sasha with a German Suplex and followed it up with a Hip Attack for a two count. Asuka perched Sasha up on the top turnbuckle but Banks hit her with a headbutt. Sasha connected with a Frog Splash for a two count and then applied the Bank Statement in the middle of the ring. Asuka escaped and Sasha threw her out of the ring. Banks then slammed Asuka’s knee off the announce desk.
Sasha rolled back into the ring and the referee started counting. Asuka got into the ring at the last second and Sasha couldn’t believe it. Sasha locked in the Bank Statement again but Asuka countered into the Ankle Lock. Banks broke free and Asuka hit her with a Dropkick. Bayley and Kairi Sane were then shown ont he jumbotron backstage.
Bayley slammed Kairi into the wall several times and continued to beat her down as Asuka looked on. Asuka rushed backstage to help Kairi Sane as the referee started counting. Sasha Banks won the RAW Women’s Champion via count-out. After the match, Asuka flipped out when asked about Kairi’s condition.
Opinion: I wasn’t a fan of the ending but this was WWE’s way of writing Kairi Sane off of television. Despite the ending, Banks and Asuka put on awesome match tonight. It will be interesting to see where this storyline goes from here. Asuka is clearly going to want revenge and who knows if something will come from Banks & Bayley calling Stephanie McMahon a bully before. the match.
BREAKING: HHH’s birthday is officially cancelled. Moving forward July 27th will now be known as #2BeltzBanks day! The day the #LegitCEO took over the entire company! Run me my check ? pic.twitter.com/ChalAG7OWh
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) July 28, 2020
My time in the NXT & WWE locker rooms was incredible. Everyone was kind, funny, & talented, so every day was full of happiness. Also, I was saved by the supportive staff behind the scenes. I will forever love & respect all these professionals I had the pleasure of working with.?
Drew McIntyre defended his WWE Championship against Dolph Ziggler in the main event. McIntyre said it is official that he will defend his title against Randy Orton at SummerSlam. Drew said he hopes Randy underestimates him and Dolph Ziggler came to the entrance ramp. Ziggler wanted to know what the stipulation was and McIntyre announced it was an Extreme Rules match.
Match Recap: McIntyre sent Ziggler flying into the ring post and then launched him into the plexiglass. Drew brought a table and several chair into the ring. McIntyre set up the the corner and stuck Dolph with a chair. Ziggler hit McIntyre with a low blow and the WWE Champion fell to the canvas. Ziggler controlled the action for the next few minutes until McIntyre slammed him through the barricade as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, McIntyre planted Dolph with a Belly to Belly Suplex and followed it up with a Flying Clothesline off the top rope. Ziggler dodged the Future Shock DDT and connected with a Fameasser.
Dolph made his way to the top rope but McIntyre caught him with a punch to the face. McIntyre connected with a Superplex and went for the Claymore but Dolph countered with the Zig Zag for a near fall. McIntyre leveled Ziggler with a Claymore through the table for the pinfall victory. Drew McIntyre is still WWE Champion. Randy Orton hit McIntyre with an RKO out of nowhere to close the show.
Opinion: Orton’s promo and the RAW Women’s Championship were great and the rest of the show was terrible. I thought it was title match but I guess it was switched and Ziggler vs. McIntyre wound up being a complete afterthought. Humberto Carrillo lost tonight to Murphy, but for some reason didn’t assist Aleister Black when he was getting his face shoved into the steel steps. Mustafa Ali made his triumphant return last week and he’s already back to the same place he has always been after losing tonight.
It’s been reported that Vince McMahon is eager to hold WWE shows with fans again, but spikes in cases of positive COVID-19 tests have delayed that.
Obviously, WWE was forced to stop holding live events and TV tapings with fans in attendance because of the virus. Since March, WWE has been holding shows in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
During the annual WWE stockholders meeting earlier this month, the WWE Chairman and CEO commented on when investors can expect the company to resume holding shows with fans again.
“Sure, we obviously have to follow what’s going on and sometimes you think you have the answer and then “uh oh”, COVID-19 makes a more severe impact than you had imagined to begin with. We’re working with arenas. We have any number of tentative dates. Those tentative dates keep moving back sometimes. But again with our form of entertainment, it’s imperative that we have fans to interact with. And we continue to look forward. Pinpointing exactly when we’re going to return, it’s a whole different atmosphere than has been in the past and we’ll capitalize on it.”
Over the past few months, there’s been talk of WWE having plans to hold shows outside of the training facility, but due to increases in positive tests, those plans have pushed back.
The latest report about when this could happen is projected to be in August or September.
It appears that Vince McMahon wants to do something big for this year’s SummerSlam.
Last week, the promotion announced that the event will not take place from Boston, MA at the TD Garden arena as scheduled. They also wouldn’t confirm a new location for it.
Mike Johnson reported on PWInsider Elite that WWE has considered at least one outdoor location for the show. Per the report, there have been talks about moving the show to the beach or on a boat. The idea regarding the boat is that some or all matches on the card would be held there.
On Monday, Bryan Alvarez noted on Wrestling Observer Live that he knows after talking with people that McMahon wants to do something “wacky” for the show.
Alvarez added that McMahon doesn’t want it to be just another event in an empty arena with a bunch of fans wearing masks. SummerSlam is largely considered the second biggest event of the year for WWE just behind WrestleMania/.
Either way, WWE will have to make a decision soon as they’re just under one month until the event takes place. By hosting the event outdoors, it does reduce the chances of people getting exposed to COVID-19.
Major League Wrestling has signed another streaming deal.
MLW and Digital Original Entertainment have reached an agreement that will bring MLW Fusion to the new DOE TV streaming network starting in the fall.
“We’re thrilled that Doe TV Network viewers will get to see all of the world class fighters MLW has to offer starting this fall,” said MLW COO Jared St. Laurent. “Whether it’s World Heavyweight Champion Jacob Fatu, World Middleweight Champion Myron Reed or any of the other incredible athletes in Major League Wrestling, anybody who tunes into the Doe TV Network can expect all of the action and excitement MLW is known for.”
“At Doe TV Network we are super excited about bringing Major League Wrestling to our network this fall,” said DOE TV Network CEO Ron “Doe” Williams.
MLW’s flagship FUSION series will premiere on DOE TV in September.
DOE TV Network will soon be available on Pluto TV and be available through all internet-connected TV platforms, Android and AppleIOS/iPadOS, Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, PlayStation, Xbox One, Chromecast and Virgin Media.
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (aka MJF) is currently the #1 ranked wrestler in AEW’s men’s singles division. He has yet to be pinned or submitted in the promotion.
AEW is now promoting that MJF will address the state of the wrestling industry this Wednesday night on Dynamite.
BREAKING NEWS@The_MJF will appear on Dynamite this Wednesday, to address the state of the industry.
MJF also sent out the following Tweet with just the words “40 days”. 40 days from today will be Saturday, September 5th, 2020. AEW’s “All Out” PPV is currently scheduled for that date.
MJF has been making various ominous comments about AEW World Champion Jon Moxley as of late as well. Could MJF be lobbying for a title shot at All Out? It seems we could find out on Wednesday night.
MJF has wrestled 18 times for All Elite Wrestling. He is 1-2 in battle royals, 0-1 in fatal 4-ways, 3-1 in tag matches, and a perfect 10-0 in singles matches.
5/25/19: 21 Man Casino Battle Royal (won by Hangman Page)
6/29/19: Hangman Page defeated Jimmy Havoc vs Jungle Boy vs MJF (Fyter Fest 2019- 4-way match)
7/13/19: Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Sammy Guevara & Shawn Spears defeated Darby Allin, Jimmy Havoc & Joey Janela (Fight for the Fallen 2019)
10/2/19: Maxwell Jacob Friedman defeated Brandon Cutler
11/20/19: Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal won by Hangman Page and MJF (final 2 participants would meet the following week for the Dynamite Diamond Ring.)
11/27/19: MJF defeated Hangman Page
1/15/20: The Butcher And The Blade (The Blade & The Butcher) & MJF defeated Diamond Dallas Page, Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall (AEW Bash at the Beach)
1/21/20: MJF defeated Joey Janela
2/12/20: MJF defeated Jungle Boy
2/29/20: MJF defeated Cody (AEW Revolution)
3/11/20: MJF & The Butcher And The Blade (The Blade & The Butcher) defeated The Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus & Marko Stunt)
5/13/20: MJF defeated Lee Johnson
5/20/20: MJF defeated Marko Stunt
5/23/20: MJF defeated Jungle Boy (Double or Nothing)
5/27/20: TNT Title #1 Contender Battle Royal won by Jungle Boy
6/11/20: MJF defeated Billy
7/1/20: The Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) defeated MJF & Wardlow
Vickie Guerrero was interviewed this week by Denise Salcedo for Instinct Culture. Vickie spoke about how she came to work for All Elite Wrestling, her time in WWE, how the two companies compare, working with The Undertaker, Vince McMahon, Nyla Rose and more.
Guerrero revealed that she got a text out of the blue from Brandi Rhodes asking if she wanted to do commentary on AEW Dark. She is an AEW fan and was following the product, so it was an easy yes’ for her. After attending one AEW TV taping, she fell in love with how the company operates, the roster, the leadership and the atmosphere.
As for how AEW differs from WWE, Guerrero says Tony Khan is much more approachable than Vince McMahon and it’s easier for talent to pitch ideas to management.
“In WWE you kinda have to wait in line behind a closed door to get your turn to get your ideas in,” she began. “Tony Khan is in the hallway, people can go up to him and talk to him about the show. Tony calls me, I was like ‘oh my gosh he’s calling me.’ I never saw a lot of people in WWE calling the talent. It’s a relaxed atmosphere to where they let the superstar do the creative, the creative aspects for that night. And I just thought that was brilliant. There’s a lot of young people on the roster and I saw the advantage to be able to share my knowledge and experience with them and that was exciting to me because this is how it works, the industry starts with the next generation and if I can share my knowledge and experience with the women there and even the men, I’ve gained something back and given back to them and that’s how we help each other out. So I love that part of it.”
Several weeks ago, Nyla Rose teased that she had selected a new manager to guide her career. It was eventually revealed that Vickie Guerrero was the new advocate for the Native Beast. Vickie says Nyla is a “badass woman” whose style and strengths compliment her own.
“Being the bad guy of course I want to team up with the biggest woman they have on there besides Kong… I get to work with Nyla Rose, get to know her and I loved her character. I loved her attitude, her personality. When they teamed us up, right away we took off with creative ideas and backstage content and t-shirt ideas and what are new hashtag was gonna be and I think she was kinda taken aback a little bit. But at the same time, I wanna show Nyla that I am one hundred percent in and I wanna show AEW that I am not here just because I am a Guerrero or because I am a General Manager. I am here because I want to be part of the team and I want to expand the women’s division and start running with it. I’ve had really good feedback, I am excited.”
Vickie Guerrero sees big potential in AEW’s women’s division. She wants to see the women get more attention and more opportunities, but thinks they’re off to a great start just one year into AEW’s run.
You can listen to Denise Salcedo’s full interview with Vickie Guerrero here:
Independent wrestler Warhorse will challenge Cody for the TNT Championship on Dynamite this week. Recently on the Arn Show, Conrad Thompson asked Arn Anderson how Warhorse got on his radar.
“Well, just because I’m illiterate where computers go, I have advanced this far, I can look on my phone, go to a Twitter account, go to an AEW twitter account, go to Conrad’s Twitter account. My go-to ones that I have to go to, I can go to and that name when the fans are talking wrestling and what they hear on our show, the name started to pop up.”
Anderson continued to talk about how Warhorse’s name kept popping up on his feed.
“Apparently this Warhorse kid has developed a pretty good following out there in the independent world. If you think about it, 90% of the talent on the AEW roster was in the same position he was in. They were making the indies, making the circuit, earning their stripes, and paying their dues.”
He continued to talk about how Tony Khan has challenged him with finding wrestlers such as Warhorse to challenge Cody.
“He’s on the radar screen and in this day and time, for a lot of guys who would like to be in that spot, that’s good enough.”
Former WWE writer and wrestling personality Jim Cornette had some choice words for the recent WWE Extreme Rules PPV. The event was billed as ‘The Horror Show at Extreme Rules,’ and Cornette seemed to agree with the ‘Horror’ aspect in more ways than one.
“It’s been so fucking stupid from the time that they announced this “Jim Cornette began on this week’s Drive Thru podcast, talking about the Eye for An Eye match between Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio. “Everybody laughed at it and nobody believed it.”
Jim Cornette Talks Eye for an Eye
“There was some element of discussion and or wonderment and bewilderment” Cornette would continue. “How they gonna do this, right? It’s like two dogs f*cking.”
Jim Cornette would then allude to WWE ‘copying’ the booking style of Vince Russo. Whilst Cornette didn’t strictly say the former WCW, TNA and WWF writer’s name? It was quite clear who he was referring to. “They have taken what I described about sh*t stains booking from years ago and just now applied to everything. We don’t give a f*ck what happens, we just want to see how they’re going to do it.”
Cornette elaborated on this further, saying “we don’t care about any of these people and we certainly don’t believe that any of this is in any way legitimate. OR EVEN that there could be some ill will between these guys, like a Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels; that would lead somebody to go into business for themselves. It’s just a bunch of bullsh*t to laugh at, so how are they going to do this?”
The former Midnight Express manager would then admit that he himself was intrigued at one point. “I was even interested, what are they going to do? Is this one guy gonna walk around with no eyeball for the rest of his life!?”
Do you agree with Jim Cornette’s points here? Let us know in the comments
AEW commentator and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently commented on WWE owner Vince McMahon ‘looking after him’ when it came to monetary matters.
This week’s episode of Grilling JR saw Jim Ross and co-host Conrad Thompson discuss the Fully Loaded 2000 PPV. As usual, Conrad would talk about the wider scope of WWE’s (then WWF) business around the time, which included the move from USA Network to TNN for the Monday Night RAW show.
The money involved in the change of Network was huge for the company, and JR would talk about how much of a difference it made for him from a monetary standpoint.
Jim Ross on The Big Bucks
“It was major, major money, big time” JR began on the show. “And we all shared in those profits. You know the executive guys like myself and Kevin Dunn for example, among others. You know, Vince took good care of us with stock. We got great stock, options and grants.”
Jim Ross elaborated further, saying “quite frankly Conrad? During that time I really kind of set my portfolio up to take care of me for the rest of my life. Cause the stock kept increasing. Vince [McMahon] took care of us.”
JR would then discuss Vince McMahon as a businessmen, saying that he ignores negative stories aimed at the WWE CEO. “So, when all the negative stories about him during that period of time? I ignored them. He [Vince] solidified my financial future over those last few years there, with the stock issues and things of that nature. So, the better we did? The more we got paid, which is a great way to look at it.”
WWE tried Luke Gallows out under a few different characters after he was first signed in 2005. In Deep South Wrestling he was known as “The Freakin’ Deacon.” His first experience on the main roster was as an imposter Kane in a short-lived angle. Then in 2007, Gallows formed a team with Ray Gordy known as “Jesse and Festus.”
Gallows recently spoke about how Vince McMahon pitched him the Festus character during an interview with Chris Van Vliet.
“I was 23-years-old and basically they told me to kind of get out of shape and this was the character they had for me,” Gallows said. “Originally, we were going to be hillbillies. I mean, how far is this hillbilly thing going to be able to go?”
“We’re getting ready to debut, we’re in the ring saying we’re going to do this, this and this, it’s like 20 minutes before doors and they go ‘Vince McMahon wants you guys in his office.’ Are we getting fired already? So we go in the office and Vince is literally like ‘hey, big man, can you do this?” Then Vince did the face Festus was known for. Gallows continued to say that he and Vince then made the Festus face back at each other for ten minutes or so.
“When you grow up thinking you’re going to be a long-haired wrestler with a beautiful robe and this cool guy and you become Festus, it’s not exactly ideal.”
In an interview on the Sam Roberts podcast in 2016, Anderson and Gallows mentioned that when Gallows returned to WWE, Vince McMahon had no idea he was the one who played Festus.
“The best part of the Festus character is that we heard from Talent Relations, or the Head of Talent Relations is that Vince doesn’t even remember that he was Festus,” Anderson said on the Sam Roberts podcast.
Gallows’ comments can be heard in the player below:
Brandi Rhodes has provided some new information about All Elite Wrestling’s upcoming ‘Deadly Draw’ women’s tag team tournament.
AEW’s Chief Brand Officer spoke with Christy Olson this week for CHRISTYreports. Brandi discussed a wide variety of topics, including her role as an AEW executive, the #SpeakingOut movement addressing sexual misconduct in pro wrestling and much more.
Last week on Dynamite, AEW announced the Women’s Tag Team Cup tournament is happening this summer. We know that 8 teams will be competing, but additional details have been hard to come by.
Brandi says that the full picture will become “crystal clear” this week on AEW Dynamite. She and Allie have been announced as the first two participants in the tournament, but Brandi reveals that they might not be teaming together as the Nightmare Sisters.
“We’re going to explain how the teams come together and then you might see a team or two come together,” said Brandi. “There is the factor that [the Nightmare Sisters] could maybe not be together in the tournament, since that hasn’t been clear. So we will also see on Wednesday with the rules what that means for the Nightmare Sisters. I’m honestly hoping that we are together, because again, I feel like we’ve just gotten our footing so it would be kind of sad to tear us apart at this point.”
As for whether or not this is a one-off tournament or not, Brandi is hopeful this will be the first of many.
“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.”
“There’s a limit to what I can handle of people sending me pictures of their genitalia. So I’m not open publicly to DMs anymore.”
For more of Christy’s interview with Brandi Rhodes watch the full video here:
Adam Cole recently stormed off from an interview with Pat McAfee. Cole shoved a stagehand after taking issue with McAfee’s line of questioning and referring to him as “kind of small.”
Cole recently published a statement on the incident.
“I’ve had the weekend to think about everything, and it’s still hard to put into words where to begin. First of all, to anyone that I offended, I apologize. I apologize because I represent a brand that commands respect. Not just because of what we do in the ring, but how we handle ourselves outside the ring. Even though he continued to push my buttons, I still should have kept my composure and acted like a professional. I’m embarrassed by my reaction, and I will make sure something like that never happens again. Thanks for the continued support everyone.”
Although the segment appeared to have been a worked angle, one WWE Hall-of-Famer believes it was real. Mark Henry said he believes the incident was legit recently on Busted Open Radio.
“This is not a work, this is real sh*t that’s going to have to be turned into business because it’s too good not to,” Mark Henry explained. “Here we are with all the stuff that happened for a week in pro wrestling and we’re talking about a verbal disagreement on a show. It was real and that’s why we talking about it.”
Brian Pillman Jr. recently wrestled a couple of matches on AEW Dark. He dropped bouts to Shawn Spears and Brian Cage. He is currently signed to MLW and has been involved with the new Hart Foundation stable in the promotion. Pillman recently spoke to Talk Sport about the help he’s received in his career from numerous wrestling legends.
Pillman was asked about his relationship with AEW’s Chris Jericho:
“Me and Chris have been close for a long time. That was also somebody that was pulling for me in the company [AEW] and he helped me get the opportunity at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view about one year ago. That was May 22, 2019,” Pillman said.
“So it’s been about a year since I’ve been there, so it’s been a long time. they wanted to see how far I have come and what improvements did I make and I think they were all happy with that.”
Brian Pillman Jr. On Advice From Steve Austin
Pillman also noted he got to speak with Jericho at the tapings as well.
Additionally, Pillman spoke about the guidance he’s received over the years from his father’s former tag-team partner, Steve Austin.
“Steve has offered me advice on several, several occasions,” Pillman said about Austin. He continued to say he asked Austin if he should go into the wrestling business.
“He just told me ‘You can do whatever you want to do. Your father would want you to do what’s passionate to you.’”
Pillman also spoke about his relationship with Bret Hart, Pillman’s father’s former stablemate in the Hart Foundation.
“He’s definitely someone that if I ever needed anything, he would be right there for me. Whenever I’ve seen him, he’s been nothing but family to me,” Pillman said of Hart.
NWA World Champion Nick Aldis has shared an open letter to NWA fans. In the letter, he addressed his personal growth and how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted upon his and NWA’s momentum.
Aldis stressed how “Momentum is everything in this business.”
He pointed out how many talented wrestlers have suffered because of a lack of continual momentum.
Reflecting on his career in 2017, he confessed that he had lost a lot of personal and professional momentum. However, because he was always searching for external validation, he had “never taken the time to build any value in myself, BY myself.”
“I had always relied on a team of producers, editors and writers to tell the world who I was. As a result, I wasn’t even sure who I was. And if I wasn’t sure, why should the audience care?”
Nick Aldis’ “Symbiotic Resurrection”
Turning his attention to the success he has enjoyed in NWA, Aldis shared how fans have been able to follow his ascension.
He pointed out how they’ve watched his journey as he defended the same belt held by Harley Race, Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes.
Aldis then pointed out how this “symbiotic resurrection” in NWA has hit a stumbling block thanks to COVID-19. He stressed how he isn’t an “angry young man” anymore. Instead, he has grown into a “thick-skinned experienced man who has weathered storms before.”
“[…] the major difference between the pre-NWA Nick and the current version is you, the fans. The fans who took a chance on a bold new strategy of focusing on one match, one champion, one challenger and one prize. The fans who sold out the GPB studios over and over for NWA Powerrr, the most authentic alternative in the business. The fans who stuck their flags in the ground on my island and said “this is where I want to be a wrestling fan the most.”
Nick Aldis ended his open letter thanking the fans. He stressed how he appreciates their support, and that he has no intention of letting them down. He added how, together, they will collectively find that lost momentum once more, helping NWA get back on track.
A short message to my fans and the fans of the @nwa: Your faith doesn't go unnoticed…https://t.co/RVhO5tqXN5
We have a rare look at Impact Wrestling viewership data for the company’s weekly TV show on AXS TV. Earlier this year, AXS TV began to be rated with Nielsen allowing for Impact Wrestling TV ratings to be publicized.
According to information obtained by PWTorch, Impact averaged 174,000 viewers per week for the first quarter of 2020. During the Q2 COVID-19 ’empty arena’ era, that number fell to 147,000.
Slammiversary generated significant buzz for Impact. That spike in interest carried over to the Impact TV show two days later. The post-PPV edition of Impact averaged 163,000 viewers, up from 156,000 the previous week before and 135,000 two weeks prior.
Impact Wrestling is the most-watched show on AXS TV by a considerable margin.
In the 18-49 demo that advertisers care most about, Impact brought in a 0.05 this week. In comparison, NXT did a 0.17 in the key demo this week and hovers around 600,000 to 700,000 viewers per week on the USA Network.
Impact began a new era this week at both Slammiversary and on AXS TV. The Good Brothers, EC3, Eric Young, and more either made their return or debut last week. This week on the show, The Good Brothers will face Reno Scum in tag-team action. There will also be an Impact World Championship match between Eddie Edwards and Trey from the Rascalz.
Current WWE Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles has revealed who he believes can be blamed for ruining TNA’s Impact Wrestling show. As far as he’s concerned, blame can be fully attributed to Dixie Carter.
Reflecting on his time working for the promotion during a Twitch stream, Styles confessed how he loved Vince Russo as a person. However, when it came to working creatively together, he admitted they often “butted heads.”
“[…] but I realized when we butted heads, it was because he was getting things from Dixie the whole time. It must have been very difficult to work with this woman who has no idea how wrestling works and wanted everything to be done to it and it didn’t make any sense.”
Style then stressed how “Do I believe Dixie ruined IMPACT? Well, it was TNA back then, and 100%.”
He explained how, at the time, Impact was gaining positive momentum. Styles believes the problem stemmed from Dixie Carter’s need to be “WWE-lite,” something Styles claimed people weren’t interested in.
AJ Styles argued how instead of providing WWE-lite, fans were eager for “something else.” He shared how all Dixie Carter had to do was “let us do what we do.” He added how—had she left the creative direction to the writers—TNA would still be around and would probably be more popular than they currently are as Impact Wrestling. Styles added how, because Dixie Carter didn’t know what was best for business, she ultimately ended up hurting TNA.
WWE SmackDown Superstar Cesaro recently took part in an interview with Newsweek.com. During the conversation, Cesaro acknowledged his growth on the microphone and whether or not he’s interested in another singles run.
When asked if he was actively working to improve on the mic, Cesaro joked how he’s been “working on that forever.” He noted how English isn’t his first language, so promos tend to be a bit harder for him.
“A lot of stuff gets mixed up in my head, I’ll mix up words and sayings. I had a good one like ‘taking the kid from the candy’ or one of my better ones is ‘out of blue field’ which is a mix of ‘out of left field’ and ‘out of the blue’ so I mess up stuff, I mix stuff up, my accent sometimes people don’t understand it.”
He acknowledged how his hard work is paying off, however. As his promo abilities have grown, he shared how he’s now “getting the chance to talk more.” He argued how the two feed into each other, with his evolving promo skills opening up mic opportunities and vice versa.
Despite this growth and additional mic time, Cesaro confessed how it’s a process he will be constantly working on and hopes to continue improving in.
Cesaro’s Ultimate WWE Ambition
Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura recently claimed the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Despite this accomplishment, Cesaro joked how he hasn’t held enough gold. He divulged how his goal has always been to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Cesaro acknowledged how this goal is shared by everyone in WWE but remains his ultimate ambition.
He stressed how he doesn’t want to win the title just for himself. He wants to be crowned WWE Champion for “all of Europe” and for all of WWE’s international fans.
All Elite Wrestling’s TNT Champion Cody Rhodes has responded to fan criticism regarding the promotion during a recent Q&A Session under the hashtag #AskCody.
When asked about AEW’s detractors and why they might find it so difficult to relax and enjoy wrestling without constantly comparing promotions and shows, Cody replied explained AEW’s show is still so new and unknown. He added how Dynamite is “aggressive in delivery and it’s marketing.”
He acknowledged how the Monday Night Wars that took place between WWE and WCW offers a template that people often revert to as a reference point. Cody added how “respectfully that ecosystem doesn’t fit ours. This is very new territory & it’s fan made.”
It’s new. It’s unknown. Its also very aggressive in delivery and it’s marketing.
I think the late 90s’ template for the current situation is the only reference people have sometimes, but respectfully that ecosystem doesn’t fit ours.
Cody On Providing An Alternative & Equal Entry Contracts
Cody Rhodes also responded to a fan who stressed how they wanted an alternative to WWE, not alternative WWE. The fan pointed at Marko Stunt as an example of how AEW’s product is embarrassing, to which Cody replied:
“Show is great man. It’s a 2hr gritty/atheltid/and often fun weekly presentation. Seems odd to form an opinion about the entire brand based on you disliking short people. Not the end of the world though man, you can’t please everybody and trying is the first step down.”
When challenged over the starting contract rates between male and female talents, Cody was quick to correct a fan who believed men were on a higher entry rate than the women. He explained how AEW’s “entry contracts are the same, regardless of gender. It’s 2020 man.” He added how AEW stressed the importance of this initiative at its first press conference, and how they’ve delivered on it ever since.
That’s already real bud. Entry contracts are the same, regardless of gender. It’s 2020 man. We told the world this at our first presser. Real now as it was then.
No. That’s a Nielsen statistic and a scapegoat one that post movers thrive on. It dismisses global penetration(major growth) and fiscal equity. We just signed an extension. Have more content coming to the network.
This is a wild ride and it’s not anything we’ve seen before.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho has explained why he isn’t interested in returning to WWE. The former AEW Champion shared his reasoning during a recent live stream of Saturday Night Special.
Jericho proclaimed how a return to WWE simply isn’t going to happen. He explained how he’s really enjoying being in AEW before adding how he loved his WWE experience. Jericho also stressed how he loves Vince McMahon.
He noted how he learned a lot and had a lot of fun in WWE but, ultimately, felt how he couldn’t “stay in the same place forever.” If he did, he believes he would have eventually become stagnant—something he never wants to become.
“If you do and I think you need to push yourself to do something new and the fact that AEW was live without a net when I first showed up and all of us have done such a great job of promoting this brand and promoting this company.”
Chris Jericho then stressed how his current claims of being a “demogod” are real. He was quick to add, however, that it’s not just him contributing to AEW’s success “[…] even though I’ve never been beaten in the demo for my segment this week. The friggin Young Bucks did over a million viewers. And not only that, The Butcher and The Blade, how about that?”
Chris Jericho teamed with Jake Hager in a winning effort against Jurassic Express during last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite that saw the return of Inner Circle member Sammy Guevara.
WWE Hall of Famers Mark Henry and Bully Ray have shared their thoughts on the recent confrontation between Adam Cole and Pat McAfee. The two discussed the incident during a recent episode of Busted Open Radio.
While appearing on McAfee’s show, Cole took issue with McAfee’s suggestion that he had only become the longest-reigning NXT Champion because of the Undisputed Era. He then mocked Cole’s size, calling him “small.” At this point, Cole took offense and began to berate McAfee before storming off.
Henry stressed how the best stories have a semblance of reality to them. He shared how he doesn’t believe their interaction was work, adding how WWE should capitalize on this encounter, turning it into business.
“This is not a work, this is real sh*t that’s going to have to be turned into business because it’s too good not to,” Mark Henry explained. “Here we are with all the stuff that happened for a week in pro wrestling and we’re talking about a verbal disagreement on a show. It was real and that’s why we talking about it.”
Pushing Adam Cole’s Buttons
Mark Henry’s co-host Bully Ray explained how he believes McAfee’s words pushed Cole’s buttons on an off day. He then asked how Cole’s reaction can be justified or found “acceptable” by WWE.
Bully Ray also argued how people can also put the onus on McAfee. He suggested how WWE may reflect on its relationship with the host and the work they’ve done together:
“And then the WWE can turn around and go, ‘You know something Pat? We’ve been really good to you, we’ve allowed you to announce on our shows. […] Why did you even feel the need to throw any digs at Adam Cole?’ There’s a lot of different ways to look at this. You know Adam Cole is a big part of the NXT roster. You know that people bust his chops for his size. Why would you do that?”
Former WWE writer and wrestling personality Jim Cornette had some choice words for the recent WWE Extreme Rules PPV. The event was billed as ‘The Horror Show at Extreme Rules,’ and Cornette seemed to agree with the ‘Horror’ aspect in more ways than one.
“And that’s when I said I’m done” Jim Cornette began on this week’s Drive Thru podcast, talking about the Wyatt Swamp Fight match. Cornette was discussing the point where Braun Strowman was knocked out (by himself) and woke to be chained against a chair.
Jim Cornette on Wyatt Swamp Fight
“F*ck these guys, f*ck these alleged writers [and] f*ck this company” Cornette continued. “This would have made me ashamed to ever be a part of wrestling, but this isn’t wrestling. So I’m not ashamed to have ever been a part of wrestling. I would have been ashamed to ever be a part of whatever the f*ck these people just did.”
Cornette would elaborate further, saying “they should be ashamed to call themselves wrestlers; but it didn’t make me ashamed of wrestling, because there was no aspect of wrestling involved in this.”
The former manager of the Midnight Express tag team would finish by laying into Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard. “If Vince likes it? He needs to take that cognitive test that old f*cking president pigsh*t has taken; where he can identify the elephant from the donkey. Or if Bruce was in favour of this? I think he’s been to rehab before, somebody needs to f*cking check and see if Bruce has fallen off the wagon.”
Do you agree with Jim Cornette’s assessment of the ‘match’? Let us know in the comments
Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson had a lot to say about their WWE departure. They did an interview with Ryan Satin on YouTube where they addressed a wide variety of topics.
One of the more interesting topics was about them being let go by the company due to budget cuts just months after they had signed new big-money deals with the promotion.
Gallows and Anderson joined AJ Styles in the belief that Paul Heyman was responsible for the tag team being let go as he put their name on a list of talent to be released.
They do acknowledge that Vince McMahon made the final call to fire them, but they were still upset that Heyman allegedly lied to them.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the backstage reaction to their comments was mostly about how naive they could be to think that it was Heyman, not McMahon, that made the call to fire them.
There are two stories that have gone around about the internal reactions. The first story is that while McMahon made the call, Heyman didn’t fight to keep them. The second story is how Gallows and Anderson were not on the list of wrestlers to be fired but once McMahon had a talk with Heyman about future storyline plans and they were planned to be used, McMahon added them to it.
It should be noted that all wrestlers who were released in April were under a 90-day non-compete. Thus, if McMahon wanted to bring them back, he had three months to make a decision and didn’t.
Chris Jericho hit a home run by getting into the sparkling wine business. He partnered with Stephen Amell, star of the CW superhero series Arrow.
He launched the brand, “A Little Bit of the Bubbly” last year. He took to his official Instagram account where he noted that sales of the sparkling wine are going well.
More than 40,000 bottles of A Little Bit of the Bubbly have been sold in 7 months. You can see his post here:
A Little Bit of the Bubbly is a sparkling Riesling produced exclusively by Nocking Point Wines.
Jericho made the “A Little Bit of the Bubbly” catchphrase extremely popular with fans that ended up going viral last Summer after he beat Adam Page at the All Out pay-per-view event. He said the catchphrase in his post-match celebration for winning the first AEW World Championship.
Pre-orders were made available late November 2019 with bottles of Jericho’s sparkling shipping in December.
Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, Luchasaurus, and Jungle Boy vs. Jericho, Jake Hager, Santana, Ortiz, and Sammy Guevara in a 5-on-5 match has already been confirmed for next week’s AEW Dynamite episode.
