Home Blog Page 1029

Results: NJPW Sengoku Lord 2020

Evan S
-
0

Today, New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Sengoku Lord 2020 event will take place from the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan.

Watch on NJPW World with Japanese commentary.

Start Times: 2AM Pacific, 5AM Eastern, 10AM UK, 6PM Japan, 7PM East Australia

An English commentary version will be uploaded later in the week. Note: This event was held with a reduced attendance capacity so that the crowd could maintain social distancing.

NJPW Sengoku Lord 2020 in Nagoya Results

Taiji Ishimori def. Yuya Uemura (8:02)
It continues to be obvious that Yuya Uemura has a lot of potential. If I were in charge, I would have both him and Yota Tsuji skip excursion and simply turn up as non-Young Lions one day. After all, it’s not going to be practical or fruitful to send them overseas to wrestle any time soon. Uemura looked a bit awkward when he did a springboard crossbody, he lost his balanced on the top rope but was able to save it. Taiji Ishimori submitted Yuya Uemura with the Yes Lock after hitting the Cipher Uteki.

Togi Makabe, Satoshi Kojima & Ryusuke Taguchi def. Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & Gabriel Kidd (10:25)
Tomoaki Honma and Yota Tsuji were also supposed to be on oppiste teams in this match, but NJPW reported that they had recently been on a TV show, where they were in close proximity with a cast member who has since tested positive for COVID-19, so they were removed from the show out of an abundance of caution. This match was at its best towards the end when it involved young lion Gabriel Kidd against Togi Makabe. Makabe was using his power to run over Gabriel with lariats, but Kidd was able to get Makabe down for multiple near falls using clever pinning combinations. Togi Makabe pinned Gabriel Kidd with a bridging German suplex.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & SANADA) def. CHAOS (SHO, Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI) (10:31)
The most interesting thing about this match is what’s going to happen with two sets of splintered tag team championships that have members present here. SHO has the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship, but YOH is likely going to be out for the rest of the year with the ACL tear he sustained. The NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Championships, which are held by EVIL, SANADA, and BUSHI, are also in an obvious state of flux. EVIL said in an interview that he didn’t need the championship other than the fact that he was able to call himself a triple champion, so it will be interesting to see what happens. Notably, while SHO brought his championship, SANADA and BUSHI did not bring theirs, and EVIL likely will not bring his during his match tonight. SANADA submitted SHO with the Skull End. After the match, all of LIJ attacked the referee, which they used to do frequently, but haven’t done at all recently.

At this point, an intermission to disinfect the ring was held, but NJPW had a major announcement to make. They will be running their second outdoor event in history on August 29th to conclude the Summer Struggle Tour. It will take place at Meiji Jingu Stadium, a baseball stadium in Tokyo that can seat over 30,000 people. Read all about it.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kota Ibushi, Yuji Nagata, Hiroyoshi Tenzan & Master Wato def. Suzuki-gun (Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr., Minoru Suzuki, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI) (12:55)
It was notable that Tenzan entered to Master Wato’s music while all the other members of that team entered to Tanahashi’s. It’s really being presented that Tenzan and Wato are in something of a master-and-student relationship. Kota Ibushi pinned DOUKI after the Kamigoye. He and Tanahashi gestured at IWGP Tag Team Champions Taichiand Zack Sabre Jr. as if they wanted their championships back. The match in which Dangerous Tekkers won the championships involved heavily unfair two-on-one offence, so it might be the best course of action to give them a rematch.

Kazuchika Okada def. Yujiro Takahashi (13:43)
Yujiro was hesitant to start this match from the beginning. In interviews leading up to this match, Yujiro had acknowledged that Okada was stronger than him, but said that he would try to brign Okada down to his own level. Okada got Yujiro in the cobra clutch, which he has been using to win matches lately, but Yujiro was able to get his foot on the bottom rope to braek the hold. Following that, Gedo came in and hit Okada with a spanner, but Okada still kicked out when Yujiro went to pin him. Finally, Okada knocked Gedo off the apron when he tried to interfere again, then hit Yujiro with a spinning tombstone piledriver and then submitted him with the Cobra Clutch.

NEVER Openweight Championship: Shingo Takagi (c) def. El Desperado (17:03)
El Desperado entered wearing the NEVER Openweight Championship that he had stolen from Shingo Takagi at Dominion. Furious, Shingo Takagi entered quickly to start the match, and laid waste to Despy with his explosive power. However, El Desperado knew he wouldn’t be able to outmatch Shingo blow for blow, and instead relentlessly went after Shingo’s legs. Shingo was still capable of brief bursts of quickness, but his damaged leg stopped him from following up at speed. El Desperado lured Shingo out of the ring only to hit him with his own NEVER Openweight Championship. As Shingo barely made it back in before the count, Despy floored him with a spear and the Guitara de Angel for a two count. With a brief display of energy, Shingo was able to get Despy up for Made in Japan, but it only garnered a near fall. El Desperado tried to push Shingo into the referee and give him a low blow, but Shingo blocked it. With his last energy, he hit the Pumping Bomber and Last of the Dragon to put El Desperado away. He them limped back up the ramp, damaged but victorious.

IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championships: EVIL (c) def. Hiromu Takahashi (33:57)
EVIL’s look has improved substantially from his victory several weeks ago, as he’s substituted the awkward skirt for some tights that are more appropriate for the rest of his look. Dick Togo entered with him, wearing an all white suit that made him look like a drug lord. Hiromu Takahashi blitzed him at the start of the match, incensed by the betrayal of his former stablemate and friend. He took advantage early, but well-timed and subtle interference from Dick Togo let EVIL firmly take control. The crowd was all for Hiromu here, wanting to see good conquer EVIL, so to speak. He tried to hit Hiromu with the Darkness Falls on the apron, but Hiromu stuffed it and made EVIL’s plan backfire with an apron death valley bomb, then a diving senton bomb from the top rope to the outside. EVIL was able to fire back with a superplex and he went for the EVIL, but Hiromu blocked it, only for EVIL to throw him with multiple high-angle German suplexes. He went for the EVIL again, but Hiromu just slapped him in the face, and followed up with a lariat for a 2.9 count. EVIL threw Hiromu into the referee and this gave Dick Togo the opportunity to interfere again. He and EVIL hit a Magic Killer on Hiromu, and Dick Togo went to the top turnbuckle, but Hiromu kicked EVIL into the ropes, causing Togo to fall. Hiromu capitalized by hitting EVIL with his own self-named finish, then a death valley bomb into an exposed turnbuckle. He then hit the Time Bomb, but it onlymanaged a two count! He then hit the Time Bomb II, and it looked like he would win, but Dick Togo pulled the referee out right before the three. Hiromu was about to take out Togo, but EVIL hit him with a low blow from behind to slow his roll. Togo was out, but EVIL hit the Darkness falls and the EVIL for the pinfall victory. He retains the IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental Championships.

Following the match, Taiji Ishimori attacked the fallen Hiromu, and tried to hit him with the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, but Tetsuya Naito finally ran in to scare him off. Naito stared EVIL down and expressed his desire for revenge, before leaving with Hiromu slumped over his shoulder.

WWE SmackDown Results (7/24): Bar Fight, Two Title Matches Set For Next Week

Robert Lentini
-
0

WWE SmackDown aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. Jeff Hardy battled Sheamus in the main event. In addition to the takeaways below, Kofi Kingston told Big E that he is going to be out for a bit and it was time for him to show what he can. do as a singles competitor.

SmackDown Results (7/24)

  1. Nikki Cross def. Alexa Bliss to earn a shot at the SD Women’s Title next week
  2. Matt Riddle def. Tony Nese
  3. Gran Metalik def. Lince Dorado, Shorty G, Drew Gulak to earn a shot at the IC Title next week
  4. Jeff Hardy def. Sheamus in a Bar Fight

Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:

Bayley Will Defend Her SmackDown Women’s Championship Against Nikki Cross Next Week

bayley nikki cross

Bayley and Sasha Banks kicked off the show and addressed the championship landscape. They claimed that they were the new definition of greatness and bragged about all the championships they have.

The crowd chanted “you suck!” and Bayley called them idiots. Banks claimed that the women’s evolution is over because it started with them and will end with them. Bayley said that they are bringing a new era, the era of Sasha and Bayley.

Nikki Cross and Alexa Bliss interrupted and came to the entrance ramp. Cross said that Sasha Banks stole her championship opportunity and that the era of Banks and Bayley is over. Nikki had her ribs taped up and Bliss told her that she should take it easy.

Cross demanded a shot at the SmackDown Women’s Championship right now. Bayley told Nikki that she can have her title shot if she defeats Alexa Bliss. The winner of the match can face her for the SmackDown Women’s Championship next week. Nikki told Alexa that they have to do this as SmackDown went to a commercial break. Bliss and Cross battled when SmackDown returned as Bayley and Banks joined commentary.

Match Recap: Cross drove Bliss to the corner until the referee broke it up. Cross took control and hit Alexa with a Running Bulldog for a two count. Nikki trapped Bliss in the ring skirt but Alexa broke free with a couple of kicks. Cross and Bliss then leveled Bayley and Banks as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Bliss connected with a Dropkick that knocked Nikki to the announce table. Cross returned to the ring and Alexa focused her attack on Nikki’s injured ribs. Cross connected with a Jawbreaker and then beat Bliss down in the corner of the ring.

Nikki followed it up with a Neckbreaker and went for the cover but Bliss kicked out at the last moment. Cross climbed to the top rope and went for a Crossbody but Bliss got out of the way and Nikki crashed to the canvas. Cross grabbed her ribs in pain and the referee checked on her. Nikki then rolled up Bliss for the victory. Bayley will defend her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Nikki Cross next week.

After the match, Alexa Bliss told Nikki Cross that she was very happy for and congratulated her. Bliss told Nikki that he was time to focus and beat Bayley to become the next SmackDown Women’s Champion.

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1286821647798992897?s=20

King Corbin Put A Bounty On Matt Riddle

King Corbin
King Corbin

Matt Riddle faced Tony Nese tonight on SmackDown.

Match Recap: Matt Riddle dominated early and hit Nese with a Gutwrench Suplex for a two count. Riddle followed it up with a Broton for another two count. Nese battled back and hit a Moonsault and went for the cover but Riddle kicked out at two. Riddle hit an Exploder Suplex and followed it up with a Penalty Kick. Matt then hit the Bro Derek for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Riddle grabbed a microphone and called out King Corbin. King Corbin was greeted with a chorus of boos from the crowd as he made his way to the entrance ramp. Corbin told Riddle that he doesn’t get to call out the King without putting in a formal request.

Corbin told Riddle that he doesn’t belong here and has that new car smell. Eventually that new car smell fades and that he needs to go back to NXT for a little more seasoning. Corbin told Riddle that maybe he should go to 205 Live because he could be a top guy there. King Corbin stated that he is putting a King’s Ransom because Riddle doesn’t belong in his kingdom. Riddle told Corbin that he is the next guess on the Bro Show before booting Tony Nese in the face.

Opinion: I thought it was odd that Corbin dissed two WWE products (NXT and 205 Live) in his promo. There remains zero interest in this feud for me and I don’t think it is going help Matt Riddle all that much.

Naomi Joined Miz TV

Naomi Miz TV

Naomi joined Miz and Morrison for an episode of Miz TV tonight on SmackDown. The Miz and Morrison danced around the ring to Naomi’s theme as she made her way to the ring. Naomi complimented them on there dance moves before Miz said that Naomi trended worldwide after her loss to Lacey Evans last week.

Naomi thanked the fans for their support and that they are her motivation. The Miz said it makes sense for them to go viral for their hit music videos and made fun of Naomi for losing all the time. Naomi wondered why The Miz thinks he can pass judgement on her and that the fans have her back because she gives it her all every time.

John Morrison apologized because things were about to get worse and welcomed Lacey Evans to the show. Lacey joked that Naomi got her ass kicked so bad that it created a pity hashtag. Evans added that Naomi has been here for a decade and that has hardly anything to show for it. Naomi and Lacey then traded punches and Evans retreated out of the ring.

Gran Metalik Earned A Shot At The IC Title Next Week

gran metalik

Lince Dorado, Drew Gulak, Gran Metalik, and Shorty G battled in a Fatal 4-Way to determine the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship. The winner will face AJ Styles next week. Intercontinental Champion AJ Styles joined commentary for the match.

Match Recap: Gulak slammed Dorado to the floor outside the ring but turned around into a Suicide Dive from Matalik. Shorty G hit Metalik with an Arm Drag but Metalik battled back with a Dropkick. Shorty G connected with a Moonsault onto everyone as SmackDown went to a break.

Shorty G hit Gulak with a Suplex and went for the cover but Drew kicked out at two. Gran Metalik knocked Gulak and Shorty G to the canvas with elbows to the face. Lince Dorado hit Gulak with a Crossbody for a near fall. Lince followed it up with a Stunner but Gran Metalik broke up the cover.

Shorty G planted Metalik with a Suplex and then launched Dorado across the ring. Shorty G hit Gulak with an Exploder Suplex and then delivered one to Metalik for a near fall. Gulak applied a Dragon Sleeper but Shorty G broke free. Shorty G then applied an Ankle Lock on Gulak in the middle of the ring but Dorado broke it up with a Splash off the top rope.

Dorado hit Shorty G with a Moonsault from the first and then second turnbuckle. Lince made his way to the top rope but Gulak broke it up. Shorty G shoved Gulak to the floor and planted Dorado with an Exploder Suplex off the top rope. Gran Metalik then came out of nowhere with an Elbow Drop off the top rope for the pinfall victory. Metalik will face AJ Styles for the Intercontinental Championship next week.

After the match, AJ Styles offered a handshake but Metalik refused. AJ slapped Metalik in the face and Metalik responded with a Tornado DDT. Metalik posed with the title before throwing it back to Styles to end the segment.

Jeff Hardy Defeated Sheamus In A Bar Fight

jeff hardy bar fight

Hardy and Sheamus battled at Irish Shannon’s in Orlando. Sheamus arrived at the bar first and was about to have a shot of whiskey before Jeff showed up. Hardy took a seat next to Sheamus at the bar.

Sheamus offered Jeff a shot but Hardy declined. Jeff asked for a cup and poured himself some water. Jeff told Sheamus that his brother had to delete his WWE career and tonight he is going to recover his. Hardy added that sobriety has changed his life and warned Sheamus to be ready for anything.

Jeff stated that he is connected to everything now and is the TV, the window, and the bar. Sheamus said that he is The Bar before Jeff threw the glass of water in Sheamus’ face. Hardy bounced Sheamus’s head off the bar a couple of times before Sheamus battled back.

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1286840746629365764?s=20

Sheamus slid Jeff across the bar and hit him with several clubs to the chest. Jeff sent Sheamus into the whiskey barrels and started throwing basketballs at him. Sheamus slammed a door on Jeff a few times before bouncing his head off a sink in the men’s bathroom.

Sheamus shoved Jeff’s head in a urinal and flushed it while shouting that he will cleanse Hardy’s demons. Hardy went for a Crossbody but Sheamus caught him and slammed him into the wall a couple times. Sheamus grabbed a guitar and tried to hit Jeff but he got out of the way. Sheamus launched Hardy into a drum kit as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick but Jeff avoided it and knocked him to the floor. Jeff connected with Twist of Fate and set up a barrel by the whiskey barrels. Jeff climbed up the ladder before the bartender attacked him. Hardy Powerbombed him through a table but Sheamus struck him with a barstool from behind.

Sheamus put a hat over Jeff’s face before pouring himself a beer. Sheamus took a sip and then downed the entire beer. He limped towards Jeff and told the referee to get ready. When Sheamus took off the hat, Jeff had face paint on and jumped to his feet. Hardy beat Sheamus down and hit the Swanton Bomb off the ladder for the pinfall victory.

Opinion: I thought that the Bar Fight was filmed very well and actually enjoyed. The ending was well done, we will see if Hardy is portraying Willow or another version of his character in the weeks to come. Having said that, this storyline was awful and this absolutely needs to be the end of it. Overall, this week’s episode of SmackDown was a good show and next week’s episode is set up well with two title matches.

Randy Orton Trolls AJ Styles After Downplaying His Flat Earth Belief

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Randy Orton didn’t let up on AJ Styles as he poked fun at the WWE Intercontinental Champion for his interesting belief. 

For a few years, there has been an ongoing joke about Styles believing that the earth is flat. Earlier this week, Orton made fun of Styles for the belief by writing the following in a response to RJ City: 

“They council me, they understand Multiple musical notes F**k you for doing this to me bro. As @AJStylesOrg  would say, ‘frick’…. also he’s a flat earther. Lets talk about THAT.”

Styles recently talked about this topic on his official Twitch channel.

“For instance, the whole flat Earth thing. I’m with you guys. Randy Orton likes to be a turd…I’m like, come on! There are some interesting things that come up, and I was like, wow, that’s interesting. You know? But it was never, ‘It’s flat! It’s flat! You’re gonna fall!’ It’s never been like that. Just because I said that was interesting I’m now a flat Earther? I’m like, alright then.”

Orton saw the latest comments made by Styles and trolled him yet again, as seen below: 

Jokes about Styles believing in this theory is due to Daniel Bryan, who shared it during an episode of Talking Smack. 

Falls Count Anywhere Match On AEW Dynamite Delivers Over One Million Viewers

Andrew Ravens
-
0

This past Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite was a big show in terms of match quality and viewership. 

AEW President Tony Khan mentioned in a response to Dave Meltzer on Twitter that the last 5 minutes of the Falls Count Anywhere Match did over a million viewers. 

The Young Bucks went over The Butcher and Blade on this episode from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT. It also did over 500,000 viewers in the all-important 18-49 demographic. Khan wrote the following to tout the impressive numbers: 

“Yes, #AEWDynamite was over a million total viewers for the final 5 minutes of the @youngbucks v. Butcher & Blade Falls Count Anywhere match, from 8:55pm ET to 9pm ET with 1,018,000 viewers total and 502,000 in the key 18-49 year old demographic! Thank you to everyone who watched!”

Dynamite drew 845,000 total overnight viewers while also doing a 0.32 rating in the 18-49 demos. They also finished in the top 5 for the top 150 shows on cable for the night. 

Next Week’s AEW Dynamite Card 

  • AEW World Tag Team Champions Hangman Page and Kenny Omega vs. Evil Uno and Grayson 
  • AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida vs. Diamante Non-Title Match
  • Darby Allin and Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage and Ricky Starks with Taz – Tornado Tag Match
  • Cody to defend AEW TNT Championship against War Horse
  • Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, Luchasaurus, and Jungle Boy vs. Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Santana, Ortiz, and Sammy Guevara

AEW Dynamite Scores Decisive Win Over NXT In Viewership & Demo

WWE NXT UK Returning With A Tournament?, Vignette Airs For NXT UK Superstar

Scott Lazara
-
0

A tournament for the WWE NXT UK brand could be announced soon.

WWE filed to trademark “Heritage Cup” and “NXT UK Heritage Cup” on July 20th. This appears to be the name of a planned tournament for the brand.

The following trademark use description was filed for each name with the USPTO (United States Patent & Trademark Office):

“IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, a show about professional wrestling; entertainment services, namely, the production and exhibition of professional wrestling events rendered live and through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing wrestling news and information through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fans; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment”

The status of the NXT UK brand has been up in the air as of late due to the coronavirus pandemic. There is no word yet on when they will be able to start taping new content, but now it looks like they could return in a big way with a tournament.

Despite the hiatus for the brand, the weekly NXT UK show on the WWE Network has continued to air during the pandemic. There has been no new content for several months now, but they are airing “Best Of” or compilation shows each Thursday.

This week’s NXT UK show was another “Best Of” show but they did air a vignette for Saxon Huxley. NXT UK’s “Best Of” shows usually feature older matches, but recently they started airing talent vignettes to build Superstars up for when the brand returns to normal operations. Huxley’s new vignette featured a promo on how he’s been in solitude for too long, watching everything get torn down to ruins. Huxley said he’s coming for everyone after being locked away for too long, and he has a plan to wash the world away. He went on to declare that this is his birth, and the end of everyone else.

Huxley tweeted a screenshot from the vignette, seen below. He wrote, “ISOLATION. THE BIRTH OF ME. THE END OF YOU. THERE HE GOES. #NXTUK [chains emoji]”

It’s worth noting that the NXT UK TakeOver: Dublin event is still on the schedule for Sunday, October 25th at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. That event was originally scheduled for April 26th, and was pushed back due to COVID-19.

Warhorse Announced As Next Challenger To Cody’s AEW TNT Championship

Chris Stephens
-
0

AEW has announced Warhorse has answered Cody’s Open Challenge and will face him for the TNT Championship next week.

Cody’s coach Arn Anderson has been teasing Warhorse as an opponent for Cody over the past few weeks. The champ has already defended the TNT title 6 times since winning it at Double or Nothing. He’s defeated Jungle Boy, Marq Quen, Ricky Starks, Jake Hager, Sonny Kiss, and Eddie Kingston thus far.

Warhorse (@JPWARHORSE on Twitter) looks excited about the news:

https://twitter.com/JPWARHORSE/status/1286693470506307585

Becoming WARHORSE

Earlier this year, Kenny Johnson produced the following short documentary on Warhorse:

In the documentary, Warhorse describes the creation of his character:

“I was reading this book by KISS and essentially, they talked about how they did everything different. They wanted to be the band they never got to see, and they love comic books and horror movies and all these things, so I thought ‘Okay, I love heavy metal. I love 80’s style wrestling, I love the big over-the-top personalities.’ And if you listen to most of the old-school vets, they’ll tell you that a character will get you farther than anything else.”

AEW Dynamite Preview

Cody vs. Warhorse rounds out a stacked lineup for next week’s AEW Dynamite:

Jim Ross Talks Some Younger AEW Talent’s “Bullsh*t” Attitude

Jake Skudder
-
0

AEW broadcaster and WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently appeared on the Busted Open Radio show on Sirius XM. JR discussed a number of topics on the show, including his impressions of the young talent in AEW and how they have adapted to performing on national television.

“A lot of them come to me to ask questions,” said JR. “You gotta get beyond the fact that, ‘man, I’ve dreamed all my life that you were gonna call one of my matches.’ Okay, cool. Thank you, I’ll do my best.”

Jim Ross on Rule Changes

Ross also discussed some rules changes that have been implemented into AEW programming, some of which he is not a big fan of.

“The issue is, not everybody listens. They think that somethings [in the industry] ‘suck’. We don’t have tag ropes anymore because some of our crew think it’s lame. I think it’s bullsh*t. Heels need rules to break.”

JR would elaborate further, saying “you need shortcuts to gain an unfair advantage. It’s just common sense, it is basic human instincts. The heels when they get out and wrestle? They cheat. It’s never changed, it’s not going to change.”

“Most of them listen in and are appreciative” Jim Ross would continue. “I can tell when their eyes go off the topic. If I’m talking to you and you ain’t looking at me in the eye? You ain’t listening. So why should I waste my breath?”

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

Also Check Out:

The Rock Surprises Fans During Blind Taste Test Of His Tequila

Chris Stephens
-
0

Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson gave some people the thrill of a lifetime recently during a taste-testing of his Teremana brand tequila.

The Rock hid backstage as a focus group tasted his tequila and then surprised the group after they had offered their positive reviews of his product. The event was produced by PEOPLE TV and filmed before the start of the pandemic.

“There is a focus group here and they are taste testing my new tequila,” Rock says in the video. “This is the very first time that I’ve participated in any kind of taste-testing, certainly surprising people, so this is going to be a lot of fun. I hope they like it.”

The focus group responded positively to the Rock’s tequila brand. Some members of the group even felt the tequila was “a little dangerous” due to how smooth it tastes.

Footage of The Rock surprising the focus group participants can be viewed below:

Rock described his Teremana tequila brand in an Instagram post from October:

“TERA is meant to represent “Terre” which means of the earth and MANA is our powerful Polynesian spirit that guides us. 
Spirit of the earth.
Our goal is to create a tequila that is the best of quality and taste, but done the right way – by hand. “

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4PdNg_Fkts/?utm_source=ig_embed

Reported Plans For Edge and Randy Orton At WrestleMania

Chris Stephens
-
0

Edge tore his triceps during the filming of the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever at Backlash. The injury will keep him out of action for some time but according to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, plans are already in place for his match at next year’s WrestleMania.

The report states that while things could change, the current plan is for Edge and Randy Orton to meet in an “I Quit” match at WrestleMania 37. WWE originally wanted to do this match at SummerSlam. Edge’s injury caused a change in plans, however.

“The plan is for Edge vs. Orton in an I Quit match as one of the key matches for next WrestleMania,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “It was already scheduled for SummerSlam before the Backlash “Best in the World” match took place, but Edge’s injury made that impossible.”

As always, these plans could change in the time between now and next year’s WrestleMania.

Edge is also said to have taken on a creative role backstage in WWE as of late. It was reported on the Wrestling Observer, that he and Daniel Bryan are on the writing teams of their respective shows.

“Edge on Raw and Daniel Bryan on Smackdown both have significant creative influence,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “The term I was given is they were part of the writing teams of the respective shows right now.”

Update On Edge & Daniel Bryan’s Creative Influence In WWE

Chris Stephens
-
0

Daniel Bryan hasn’t wrestled in WWE since late May. He dropped the finals of the Intercontinental title tournament to AJ Styles on Smackdown.

Edge’s most recent for the company was labeled ‘The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever’ and took place at Backlash. He is currently out of action recovering from a tricep tear.

According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, both wrestlers currently have significant creative influence backstage in the company. They are both said to be part of the writing teams for their respective shows.

“Edge on Raw and Daniel Bryan on Smackdown both have significant creative influence,” wrote Dave Meltzer. “The term I was given is they were part of the writing teams of the respective shows right now.”

WWE has undergone several changes to its creative team recently. The company announced after Paul Heyman’s departure from the creative team that they were consolidating its writing teams. Bruce Prichard serves as head of creative both WWE’s main roster shows.

WWE’s official statement on the matter read, “In an effort to streamline our creative writing process for television, we have consolidated both teams from Raw and SmackDown into one group, led by Bruce Prichard. Paul Heyman will concentrate on his role as an in-ring performer.”

Update On Plans For New Nation Of Domination Stable

Chris Stephens
-
0

It was recently reported that WWE had plans for a new Nation of Domination stable. This is said to have been the reason why Ron Simmons (aka Faarooq) was on RAW this week. In an update to this story, The Wrestling Observer is reporting that there are people in WWE against the idea.

“We don’t know if they are going to do that or if it was dropped,” wrote Dave Meltzer about the angle. “We do know people who thought from a real life timing situation that redoing the Nation right now would be incredibly tone deaf, so a lot did want it nixed.”

Plans for the angle were to include both Ron Simmons and Mark Henry. Both former Nation members were to be on RAW this week to help kick-start the angle.

Simmons appeared backstage on RAW and spoke with MVP’s stable, the Hurt Business. The faction added Shelton Benjamin to its ranks on the show. Henry did not appear on the show. Benjamin also won the 24/7 title from R-Truth on RAW.

“There was an idea, I don’t know if it was dropped,” said Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer radio earlier this week. “Originally it was going to be on the show for a revamping of the Nation of Domination and Ron Simmons was going to be apart of that angle But they dropped that angle for this show.” 

WWE Announces SummerSlam Location Change Due To COVID-19

Scott Lazara
-
0

WWE has confirmed that next month’s SummerSlam pay-per-view will not take place from Boston, MA at the TD Garden arena as scheduled.

In a press release sent in to SEScoops.com, WWE announced that the change was made due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The company thanked the city of Boston for working with them on the ill-fated event:

“We are grateful to the city of Boston for their longstanding partnership and look forward to holding WWE events at TD Garden in the future.”

Fans who purchased tickets for the original SummerSlam Week events can receive refunds via the original point of purchase.

The ‘biggest event of the summer’ takes place Sunday, August 23rd and will air live on the WWE Network. WWE will announce a new venue for SummerSlam in the coming weeks. It will likely take place from the Performance Center in Orlando.

It was announced this week’s episode of NXT TV that TakeOver: XXX is taking place during SummerSlam weekend on Saturday, August 22nd.

Stay tuned for more details on SummerSlam as they become available.

AEW Dynamite Scores Decisive Win Over NXT In Viewership & Demo

Andrew Ravens
-
0

AEW Dynamite scored a big win over WWE NXT this week in total viewers and the key Adults 18-49 demographic. Courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

  • AEW: 845,000 viewers, 0.32 rating (5th on cable for the night)
  • NXT: 615,000 viewers, 0.17 rating (35th on cable for the night)

This marks 3 consecutive weeks that AEW viewership increased and NXT decreased. It was the biggest margin for AEW in quite some time.

Aside from the Adults 50+ demographic (which NXT won this week and typically does), AEW not only won every demo but nearly doubled NXT across the board.

NXT dropped 2.5% from last week’s 631,000. Top matches included Karrion Kross vs. Dominik Dijakovic, Dexter Lumis vs. Killian Dain, Shotzi Blackheart vs. Aliyah and Timothy Thatcher vs. Oney Lorcan. (Results & Takeaways)

Meanwhile, AEW viewership was up 7.2% from last week’s 788,000. Dynamite saw Cody defending the TNT Championship against veteran Eddie Kingston, the Young Bucks defeating the Butcher & Blade in a wild Falls Count Anywhere match, Hangman Page turning down an offer to join the Dark Order and the surprise return of Sammy Guevara. (Results & Takeaways)

AEW Takes a Victory Lap

AEW President Tony Khan thanked fans for their continued support:

Cody Rhodes pointed out that Dynamite edged out Guy’s Grocery Games (hosted by celebrity chef Guy Fieri) in the key demo:

Inner Circle leader Chris Jericho was quick to take credit for his show’s surging popularity.

AEW Star Reportedly Suffers Concussion, More Potential Injuries On Dynamite

Scott Lazara
-
0

There were several potential injuries coming out of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite episode.

Darby Allin reportedly suffered a concussion during his segment with Brian Cage and Ricky Starks, according to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio.

The injury reportedly occurred after Starks attacked Allin from behind to begin the double team attack. Allin had come to the ring to confront Cage. Starks and Cage were preparing to use Allin’s skateboard on him when Jon Moxley made the save with a barbed wire baseball bat, clearing the ring.

AEW later announced Allin and Moxley vs. Starks and Cage in a Texas Tornado match for next week’s Dynamite episode. However, that match may be nixed due to the concussion to Allin.

In other injury news from Dynamite, it was noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that The Young Bucks, The Butcher and The Blade were shaken & banged up coming out of their Falls Count Anywhere match.

The finish to the match saw The Young Bucks place The Butcher and The Blade onto tables on the stage. The Bucks then climbed to the top of the tunnels to finish their opponents off. Matt Jackson was described as “pretty messed up” after putting The Butcher through a table because the table leg jammed his knee. Nick Jackson was said to be “pretty shaken up” after putting The Blade through a table.

It remains to be seen if the two tag teams will miss any ring time, and there’s no word yet on the severity of their injuries. It was said that The Blade, Matt and Nick were “pretty messed up” after the match ended.

Michael Elgin Addresses Allegations Against Him

Chris Stephens
-
0

Impact Wrestling has said that Michael Elgin will no longer appear on their programming. This announcement was made in the wake of allegations against Elgin as part of the #SpeakingOut movement. Elgin recently put out a series of Tweets and videos regarding his situation.

“It’s hard and I’ve tried to go about all this the right way and I don’t want to attack people because what has happened in society, not just wrestling, is very just. People who use power or their position to take advantage of others, I’ve never agreed with,” Elgin said in the video.

“Wrestling should be a sanctuary for male, female, Black, white, Asian, straight, gay, trans, it should be a safe place.”

Elgin then mentioned he has sent Impact information about the allegations against him. He has also spoken with an attorney.

“So with that, I sent Impact all my info of what accusations were made and I have sent it to an attorney. If things don’t get sorted, I don’t want to post these online.”

Elgin then released the following Tweets regarding the allegations made against him earlier today:

https://twitter.com/MichaelElgin25/status/1286342619698728967
https://twitter.com/MichaelElgin25/status/1286342889354788865
https://twitter.com/MichaelElgin25/status/1286372040614858760
https://twitter.com/MichaelElgin25/status/1286373672417210374
https://twitter.com/MichaelElgin25/status/1286374110533169153

Elgin’s videos are below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUyQKm2CZkw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WVriwQhNdI

Elgin is a former IWGP Intercontinental Champion, NEVER Openweight Champion, and ROH Champion.

Adam Cole Storms Out Of Interview With Pat McAfee

Chris Stephens
-
0

Adam Cole stormed out of an interview on the “Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday. In what is likely a worked angle, Cole appeared to take offense to McAfee’s line of questioning.

McAfee said that Cole was only the champion for as long as he was because of the help he received from the Undisputed Era. McAfee also made comments about Cole being “kind of small” leading to Cole hurling insults at him and storming off the set.

“F**k you Pat,” Cole said as he stormed out of his seat. “Seriously, I’m sick of your s**t. I come the whole way here, take time away from my family to come and do your stupid f***ing show and you’re going to continue to disrespect me.”

Cole then pushed a stagehand who approached him before leaving.

https://twitter.com/BRWrestling/status/1286412705088155648

McAfee would later post a series of DMs he had with Cole:

Cole’s reign with the NXT Championship was the longest in the title’s lineage. He defeated Johnny Gargano at TakeOver XXV. Cole dropped the belt to Keith Lee earlier this month at the Great American Bash.

MLW Signs Jacob Fatu Until 2025

Chris Stephens
-
0

Major League Wrestling has locked up their World Champion, Jacob Fatu, until 2025. According to a report from ESPN, Fatu and MLW agreed to a contract extension to keep the Contra Unit member in the promotion for four more years.

“Major League Wrestling has signed its heavyweight champion Jacob Fatu to a contract extension, sources told ESPN on Thursday. MLW penned Fatu to a deal in late 2019 and this new one extends it four more years, into late 2025, per sources,” an ESPN report reads.

Fatu is part of the famed Anoa’i family. His father is Sam Fatu (aka Tama from the Islanders, The Tonga Kid, and Tama Somoa). He is cousins with the Usos. Rikishi is his uncle.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1286420860707000328

Fatu is just the 7th person to win the MLW World Championship. In part due to the global pandemic and MLW ceasing to run shows, Fatu is the longest-reigning MLW World Champion of all time. As of this writing, he has held the title for 377 days. He won the title from Tom Lawlor on July 6th, 2019 at Kings of the Colosseum in Cicero, Illinois.

MLW is currently airing episodes from the “underground” series from its original run. Court Bauer has said the promotion won’t run events until it is safe to do so. In storyline, MLW has been taken over by Fatu’s Contra Unit, explaining why shows are not currently taking place.

Jim Ross & Taz Say AEW Doesn’t Insult Fans’ Intelligence

Chris Stephens
-
0

Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Taz spent some time discussing the Wednesday Night Wars on the Dynamite post-show recently. According to JR and Taz, there is no question as to which show fans should be watching first on Wednesday nights.

“This is going to sound real ass-kissing, but why is there even a choice on Wednesday nights? DVR NXT. Watch it later. Our shit’s better and I’m proud of being able to say that and it’s not in defiance, it’s just in reality,” Ross said.

Taz then added his comments by saying that he hasn’t seen NXT in some time and addressed AEW taking shots and acknowledging WWE in the past. Taz said AEW does it because it respects the audience’s intelligence unlike WWE as he claims.

“I don’t remember the last time I even watched (NXT),” Taz said. “That’s no bullshit. I really don’t give a rat’s ass about it. I respect the men and women there bumping and working but I’m not trying to be a homer, I don’t give a shit if someone thinks I am. I’m so locked into what we do, I don’t really give a rat’s ass.”

The conversation then turned to WWE not acknowledging AEW on their programming.

“Well here’s the deal, man. Do you think any of those TV shows, those online shows, those streaming shows that WWE does, that they would ever mention us? Shit no. They’re arrogant, they’re omnipotent. They’re the kings of the mountain,” Ross said.

Taz and Excalibur then pointed out that AEW acknowledges WWE on their broadcasts because they don’t want to insult their fans.

“What we’re doing is we’re not insulting your intelligence and we’re acknowledging WWE. They are the one’s insulting your intelligence,” Taz continued.

“We’re trying to be transparent for you people,” Taz continued.

Excalibur then added that AEW will also bring up when someone is unavailable due to COVID-19 related concerns while WWE does not do the same.

“There is a reason why we said Jon Moxley couldn’t wrestle because of second-hand exposure to COVID. There is a reason why we say all these things because we treat the audience like we as individuals like to be treated,” Excalibur said.

The full discussion can be heard in the player below:

Tony Khan Comments On Lifting Sammy Guevara’s AEW Suspension

Michael Reichlin
-
0

Sammy Guevara made a surprise return to All Elite Wrestling at the conclusion of this week’s AEW Dynamite. It was his first appearance on AEW television in over a month. Guevara was suspended without pay on June 22nd when an inappropriate joke he made about Sasha Banks several years ago resurfaced.

AEW President Tony Khan spoke to Sports Illustrated this week about his decision to lift Guevara’s suspension. The Spanish God underwent four weeks of extensive sensitivity training where he learned about tolerance, race relations and gender issues.

“Sammy was off television for a month and suspended without pay for 30 days. I think it was the right time for Sammy to come back because he’s shown that he’s very sorry and that he can change. He’s spent every day over the past month trying to prove that.”

In addition to undergoing vigorous sensitivity training, one month of Sammy Guevara’s salary was donated to the Women’s Center of Jacksonville.

Tony Khan feels Guevara did his best to turn around a bad situation by improve himself and making a positive impact in the Jacksonville community.

“I think Sammy was very happy to have an opportunity to apologize, publicly and privately, and do something to turn a terrible comment he made into something positive.”

Next week on AEW Dynamite, the reunited Inner Circle will battle Orange Cassidy, Best Friends and the Jurassic Express in a 10-man tag team match.

Edk6 RUXkAEE405

Here are some more articles related to the Sammy Guevara suspension story:

Update On AEW Women’s Tag Tournament, First Team Announced

Scott Lazara
-
0

AEW has announced an 8-team Women’s Tag Tournament is taking place this summer. The event has the tagline, Deadly Draw. Eight teams will compete in single-elimination tournament. The tournament winners will be awarded a cup trophy.

While no start date has been announced as of this writing, it’s likely that the finals will take place at or around AEW’s next pay-per-view – All Out on September 5th. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, company officials are confident this will become an annual event.

AEW Women’s Tag Team Tournament

The first team confirmed for the inaugural tournament is the Nightmare Sisters: Brandi Rhodes and Allie.

https://twitter.com/AllieWrestling/status/1286101164031868929

It will be interesting to see if Nyla Rose and her new manager Vickie Guerrero end up being one of the teams. They were featured in the promo for the tournament, and Guerrero has wrestled some in the past.

The company might have to scout female talent outside of the AEW roster, since some women are still impacted by COVID-19-related travel issues (and injuries).

AEW has held several tournaments in the company’s short history. Previous tournaments have been held to determine a #1 contenders to crown the first AEW World Championship (won by Chris Jericho and Hangman Page), a tournament to crown the first World Tag Team Champions (won by SCU) and most recently, Cody winning a tournament to become the first AEW TNT champion.

You can watch the first promo video for the Deadly Draw tournament below:

Orange Cassidy Believes The Young Bucks Hired Him As A “Giant Middle Finger To Pro Wrestling”

Steve Russell
-
0

Orange Cassidy has shared how he believes The Young Bucks signed him to All Elite Wrestling as a “middle finger to professional wrestling.”

Speaking with ESPN, Cassidy reflected on how Matt and Nick Jackson were determined to sign him. The brothers eventually got their wish granted when Cassidy officially debuted for AEW at 2019’s All Out pay-per-view. He had previously participated at Double or Nothing’s Casino Battle Royale.

“The Young Bucks were the people that were like, ‘We need to get Orange here,'” Orange Cassidy said. “Because my character is a giant middle finger to professional wrestling, so they were like, ‘Of course, let’s get him in.'”

Cassidy aligned himself with Best Friends, Chuck Taylor and Trent Beretta. The trio have been teaming with and accompanying one another ever since.

AEW President Tony Khan previously shared how he didn’t originally have major plans for Cassidy. This was because he wasn’t too familiar with Cassidy or his gimmick.

Recognizing Cassidy had a following, Khan explained how “[…] he wasn’t somebody, when we started, that I was really particularly aware of or had real big plans for,” Khan said. “[After Double or Nothing,] I spent a lot of time with Orange Cassidy and got to know him a lot better, and also talked to him about ideas, and that opened a lot of doors for both of us.”

Since then, Khan has acknowledged how Cassidy is a multitalented team player. This recognition has seen Cassidy become involved in a major feud with former AEW Champion Chris Jericho.

Cody Rhodes: “There’s Nobody Greater” Than Rey Mysterio

Chris Stephens
-
0

This past weekend at WWE’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view, Rey Mysterio had his eyeball extracted by Seth Rollins.

The 45-year-old legend is believed to be working for WWE without a contract. WWE reportedly declined Mysterio’s request for a pay raise. The eyeball angle will keep Mysterio off television while the two sides continue negotiating.

Should he decide against re-signing with WWE, it looks like Rey Mysterio will have interest from All Elite Wrestling. AEW Executive Vice President Cody recently spoke to Sports Illustrated this week and heaped praise on his WrestleMania 27 opponent.

Cody says his father and brother helped mold his career, but Rey Mysterio also made a huge impact on his development as a worker.

“The one thing Chris Jericho and I can agree on is that there is nobody greater than Rey Mysterio,” Cody said about Mysterio. “There are people I give a lot of credit for helping me build my career, and they’re not always the obvious ones. Dusty and Dustin, of course they were involved, but they’re family. Rey Mysterio, I don’t even know if he remembers, but he changed my whole career. Rey, Randy Orton and Big Show are three people that put a great deal of work into carving out my skills as a wrestler. I didn’t know nearly as much as they did, and I still don’t. They were very important to me.”

Rey Mysterio is in the later stage of his in-ring career. However, he still has tremendous star power and can put on world-class matches that defy his age.

It’s worth noting that Mysterio wrestled in the main event of All In, the highly successful independent wrestling event promoted by Cody and The Bucks that served as the genesis for AEW.

The full interview with Cody can be read at Sports Illustrated.

Muhammad Hassan On The Graphic Novel He Wrote With Shad Gaspard

Chris Stephens
-
0

Muhammad Hassan wrote a graphic novel with Shad Gaspard titled “Assassin and Son.” It has recently been published by Scout Comics with proceeds going to Gaspard’s family. Hassan recently was a guest on the Chris Van Vliet Show and spoke about the project.

“It was in Los Angeles that I started writing a screenplay with Shad Gaspard which is actually a graphic novel by Scout Comics,” Hassan says during the interview.

“I think everybody knows the story of Shad and the heroic actions that unfortunately led to his death. So Scout Comics had this idea to release an edition early, just the first book, but a tribute edition for Shad. It’s available at ScoutComics.com. I want to sell these out, because all of the proceeds from this go to Shad’s family.”

Assassin and Son tells the story of Donovan Braddock, an assassin who works with a unit known as the Horsemen. Braddock tries to leave the life but his wife is murdered in front of him and his young son.

Muhammad Hassan On If His Character Would Work In 2020

Hassan was also asked during the interview if he feels his character would work in 2020.

“I don’t think the character could be done the way it was done 15 years ago,” Hassan said. “I think it was insensitive. It became very insensitive towards Muslim Americans and Arab American people. The way that the character changed from being this Arab-American who was upset at the unjust treatment of his people to a more radicalized Muslim and Arab young man who was lashing out violently, I don’t think that would be appropriate at this time.”

The full interview can be viewed in the player below:

Sonny Kiss Talks AEW. Reveals How Dire Things Were In Lucha Underground

Steve Russell
-
0

Fresh off his TNT Championship match from last week’s special episode of Dynamite, All Elite Wrestling’s Sonny Kiss joined Chris Jericho’s podcast, Talk is Jericho.

During their conversation, Kiss opened up about how he came to sign with AEW. He also revealed how he came to be known as Sonny Kiss.

Kiss revealed how Sonny is actually a nickname off his real-life name, Hassan. He explained how Kiss derives from him blowing a lot of kisses during his entrances. Kiss revealed how his dad is “partly Middle Eastern” and his mom is “African American Native American.”

Sonny Kiss on Joining AEW

Chris Jericho then asked how Sonny Kiss came to be signed by AEW. Kiss revealed how Brandi Rhodes had reached out to him. According to Kiss, she wanted to know if he was signed and asked if she could go to a show.

He explained how he was signed to Lucha Underground at the time. Despite this, he was allowed to “do other stuff.” Kiss noted how Lucha Underground talent were allowed to do “everything but the other company.”

Lucha Underground

Reflecting on his time with Lucha Underground, Kiss shared how it wasn’t the best time. He also noted how the roster weren’t on high salary contracts.

“That contract (Lucha Underground), I don’t even want to get into for legal reasons. We were probably making $4,000 a year. There were times I couldn’t even pay my cell phone bill or anything,” Kiss explained. “I couldn’t even contribute to my rent. They (Pentagon and Phoenix) were one of the first to get out and I was one of the last to get out. Cody said, don’t worry, we are still going to book you to the moon and make sure you are still here which was great.”

Sonny Kiss recently responded to hateful comments made by a troll ahead of his TNT Championship match on last week’s Fight for the Fallen event. Despite his best efforts, he would ultimately lose the match to reigning champion, Cody.

AJ Styles WWE Talent “Despise” Paul Heyman For Being A Liar

Steve Russell
-
0

AJ Styles continues to publicly express his displeasure for former RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman.

During a Twitch stream, Styles addressed his problems with Heyman, whom he has previously labeled a “liar.“

AJ Styles confessed that the reason he requested to move to SmackDown was because he “couldn’t stand looking” at Heyman. He stressed how he “just can’t stand a liar.”

He explained how, as grown men, he couldn’t understand why Heyman felt the need to lie. This led his feelings of animosity to grow to the point where, if an opportunity presented itself on SmackDown, he was willing to jump at it.

AJ Styles: WWE Talent Despise Paul Heyman

AJ Styles shared how fans wouldn’t believe how many people “despise” Paul Heyman because of his lies. He then claimed that Heyman would “find ways to throw them under the bus when he screwed up.”

According to Styles, Heyman would do this so they would get in trouble instead of him. It’s a claim Styles said he’s heard from “several, several different people.” He added how it was hard to find someone who actually liked Heyman.

“I didn’t know this, I just assumed everybody liked him and I was the only one. Vince is a very smart man and he can see through a lot of crap and I think he finally saw what everybody already knew and said ‘you know what man, you’ve done some great things in the past [but] you’re just not well-liked here, maybe hit the bricks. We’ll let you be the advocate for Brock Lesnar. You do it well, you can’t deny that. He’s good at that. I think that’s as far as it needs to go.'”

AJ Styles then stated how the only person Heyman can blame is himself:

“Just don’t lie to people man. This is the business that he, I don’t want to say grew up in but found a way to be successful in – probably by lying. I’m not the first guy to say this, as I found out.”

AJ Styles has previously shared how he believed Heyman recommended that Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson be released by WWE as a cost-cutting measure due to COVID-19.

1...1,0281,0291,030...3,353Page 1,029 of 3,353