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TNT Parent WarnerMedia Planning Thousands Of Layoffs

Michael Reichlin
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WarnerMedia, parent company of AEW television partner Turner Sports, is preparing a large-scale round of layoffs.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s negative impact on WarnerMedia’s bottom line, the company is planning to reduce costs by as much as 20%. This will result in thousands of people laid off, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Properties under the WarnerMedia umbrella include TNT, home of AEW Dynamite, as well as HBO, CNN, TBS, TruTV and many more.

TNT and TBS “dodged disaster” this summer when professional baseball and basketball returned, along with the viewers and ad dollars that come with them. Unfortunately, the television ad market has yet to fully recover.

WarnerMedia’s plan to aggressively cut costs has been seen across the entire entertainment industry. Disney and ViacomCBS have laid off thousands of people, while NBCUniversal, home of WWE Raw, is expected to follow suit.

It remains to be seen if these layoffs, which will likely hit TNT, will impact AEW. Fortunately, AEW is at the start of a multi-year deal with WarnerMedia. Television executives are said to be very happy with

With that being said, AEW is unlikely to be affected as their current deal is set to last for several more years and the network is very happy with their steady ratings.

AEW programming costs them a fraction of what USA Network and FOX pay for WWE programming. As seen in the chart below by Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, AEW programming is a great value that delivers a far superior return on investment (cost per share in the key demo) than WWE.

Alberto Del Rio Indicted For Aggravated Kidnapping

Chris Stephens
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Alberto Del Rio, real name Jose Alberto Rodriguez Chucuan, was arrested in May after a woman came forward alleging that he beat and sexually assaulted her over a period of several hours on May 3rd, 2020. Del Rio was then released on $50,000 bond.

According to a recent report from PW Insider, Del Rio was indicted recently by a Texas grand jury for aggravated kidnapping. It is not clear if he has also been indicted on sexual assault as well. A conviction for aggravated kidnapping in Texas carries a potential 5-99 year prison sentence as well as a fine of up to $10,000. Some cases can result in a sentence of life in prison as well.

Del Rio’s accuser alleges that he accused her of being unfaithful to him and slapped her on the head several times. He is then alleged to have forced her to wear a dress and “dance for him”. When the woman says she started crying, Del Rio is alleged to have told her to stop or he would drop her son in the middle of the road.

He is also alleged to have tied her up and put a sock in her mouth according to an article from the Houston Chronicle. Reports that came out after Del Rio was arrested in May also stated he had sexually assaulted the victim.

Del Rio is a 2x WWE Champion and a 2x World Heavyweight Champion. He’s also held the AAA Mega Championship and the GFW Global Championship.

Bobby Lashley On Why He Was Given Certain Storylines Since WWE Return

Steve Russell
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Hurt Business member Bobby Lashley has opened up about participating in uncomfortable storylines since he returned to WWE.

Joining Corey Graves for his WWE podcast After the Bell, Lashley explained that he had to figure out “why” he was being chosen for these storylines. He believed it came down to two things.

According to him, WWE wanted people to hate him and also wanted to loosen him up as a performer.

“For me, I had to figure out the why. A lot of times people don’t want to figure out the why,” Lashley explained. “I think part of the why for me is when I came back, they wanted people to hate me. But also, I think it’s just getting me to loosen up a little bit.”

He explained how he had been wrestling for so long and that he had always been a “[…] shut up and train type of person.” He typically wanted his hard work and actions to speak for him.

According to Lashley, he was always happy being a workhouse and was a naturally quiet person. However, when he came back to WWE, he believed the promotion wanted to “[…] embarrass him enough to break out of his shell.”

Prior to joining The Hurt Business, Bobby Lashley was involved in a controversial storyline including Lana and former WWE Superstar Rusev. The storyline would unfortunately see Lashley receive online hate to the point he received death threats. 

Samoa Joe Addresses His In-Ring Status: ‘I’m Not Done’

Steve Russell
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Since suffering an unfortunate concussion, Samoa Joe has further established himself as a voice of Monday Night Raw. In a recent interview with Taylor Wilde’s Wilde On podcast, Joe addressed the status of his in-ring future.

Samoa Joe confessed he is enjoying his commentary duties on Raw, calling it a “fun challenge.”

He then stressed that he’s not finished with his in-ring ambitions but is currently exploring other things.

“Obviously, I’m not done in the ring by no means. I think right now I’m exploring things,” Joe said. “Aside from that, I’m doing voice acting which is fun and very cool. It’s a very enjoyable thing. I have a project coming up with Warner Brothers. I’m very fortunate and I’m very happy that I’m doing the things I’m doing right now.”

Samoa Joe is providing the voice to DC fan-favorite King Shark in Rocksteady Studios’ next game, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

His commentary role on Raw was intended to be a temporary role. However, his natural ability in the role, coupled with recent injuries, made keeping him on the announce team a smarter goal for Samoa Joe for the time being.

Samoa Joe hasn’t competed in in-ring action since suffering a concussion earlier this year during a commercial shoot. Prior to taking over on the Raw team from Jerry “The King” Lawler, Joe had been involved in infrequent on-air skirmishes. One included a confrontation with “The Monday Night Messiah” Seth Rollins, indicating an in-ring return may be a matter of time.

Cedric Alexander On Why He Is Excited Mustafa Ali Is Leading Retribution

Steve Russell
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0

The Hurt Business’ newest member, Cedric Alexander, has revealed he is excited Mustafa Ali was revealed to be the leader of RETRIBUTION.

Speaking on Table Talk w/DVon, Alexander shared how he was surprised Ali was the leader of the faction. He then explained why he’s excited at the revelation despite currently being embroiled in a feud with the anti-WWE stable:

“Honestly, in a weird way, it made me excited because I’ve been waiting to get a hold of Ali again ever since we had our match at WrestleMania [34]. Now that Ali decided to make better business decisions than hanging out with Apollo [Crews] and Ricochet, I’m interested to see what he’s really going to do.

Alexander explained how he’s always thought Ali “had a bit of a mean streak.”

He noted how Ali was one of the nicer guys in the locker room. According to him, Ali “didn’t really cause a lot of trouble.”

Cedric Alexander then stressed that Ali has never beaten him in “any way, shape, or form.”

Whether it was a singles match, tag team bout, or otherwise, Cedric Alexander claimed Ali had never bested him.

“So, that’s part of why I’m so excited that he decided to join RETRIBUTION. Now, I get to get my hands on Ali again and see if he actually learned something from me the last few years we’ve been apart.”

Mustafa Ali unveiled himself to be RETRIBUTION’s leader earlier this week on Monday Night Raw. You can see the reveal below:

Ridge Holland Required Surgery Following NXT, Not Medically Cleared

Steve Russell
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WWE has provided an injury update on NXT Superstar Ridge Holland. In a video uploaded to its YouTube account, Matt Camp reported that Holland required surgery following an incident on this week’s NXT.

Holland has already undergone the necessary surgery and is not medically cleared to compete. He injured his ankle when he caught Oney Lorcan, who had dived to the outside.

When he caught Lorcan, Holland unfortunately dislocated and fractured his left ankle. He also suffered a right knee patella dislocation and patellar tendon rupture. The knee dislocation was reportedly put back into place while Holland was ringside. The ankle dislocation was put back in the emergency room.

Holland’s injury came after his victory over Danny Burch on this week’s episode of NXT. He continued his beatdown after the match, drawing out Burch’s tag partner, Lorcan. During their brawl, Lorcan would sling himself over the top rope, unfortunately leading to Holland’s injury.

Ridge Holland had been seemingly set for a significant push within NXT. He came out during the end of NXT TakeOver: 31 after Finn Balor successfully defeated Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly. He carried a badly beaten Adam Cole before dropping him at ringside.

The show ended with O’Reilly, Roderick Strong, and Bobby Fish all checking on the Undisputed Era leader. The stable promised payback against Holland on this week’s show. Given Holland’s injury, however, it may be some time before they get it.

WWE Star Reveals Recent Injury As Reason For Absence From TV

Anutosh Bajpai
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Mickie James hasn’t been seen on WWE programming in recent weeks and the female star recently revealed the reason behind her absence.

The former women’s champion revealed in a recent video on her YouTube channel GAW TV that she actually broke her nose during a match.

Though thankfully James confirmed that the damage was not severe. She claimed that it was more like a curve where she couldn’t breathe out of one side of her nose and revealed that she will only be out of action for a couple of weeks:

“So, [I] legit broke my nose in a match, and now I can’t wrestle for a couple of weeks, unfortunately that sucks. It wasn’t severe.

It wasn’t like my nose was blasted across my face. It was more like a curve and I can’t breathe out the one side and I’ll be honest, I thought it was gonna be a lot more painful, to get it fixed.”

Mickie James had a championship match against Asuka on the September 14 episode of Raw which apparently ended earlier than planned because the referee thought that James was legitimately injured.

She then lost a #1 contenders match for the Raw Women’s Championship to Zelina Vega during the September 21 episode of the show and the wrestling veteran hasn’t been seen on WWE programming ever since.

While the confirmation from James that she won’t be out of action for long is good news, we still don’t know the exact date for her return and it would be interesting to see if she is involved in the upcoming WWE draft.

Kevin Nash On Which Current Star Would Fit In nWo

Anutosh Bajpai
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The nWo is one of the most impactful factions in the history of the wrestling business and even to this day, people discuss the possibility of a modern-day version of the group.

Kevin Nash, who was one of the original three members of the group was recently interviewed on The Hashtag show where he talked about many different things.

During the interview, the former WWE star was asked which current female star he would want in the early version of nWo and the former champion took the name of ‘The Boss’ Sasha Banks:

“Gotta be Sasha … I thought her match at SummerSlam that she lost; I thought the psychology was amazing at the end.” said Kevin Nash “I mean, there was some thought put into it. There were several times she had her in the, ‘Is she gonna tap, no she doesn’t tap.’

And they just worked it back and forth. And I thought, ‘I’m not seeing that anywhere else.’ I mean, I’m seeing it here, I’m seeing it in her match. And she’s, you know, she’s very attractive. I mean, that goes without saying. But she has that swag, you know. She’s the total package.”

Nash also explained the importance of a wrestler’s theme music saying that it’s the first thing that gets a reaction from the crowd when you are having a match.

Which current female star from WWE do you think would be the right fit for nWo? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below

Ken Shamrock Explains Why He Asked The Rock To Do The Greeting For His Impact Wrestling HOF Induction

Anutosh Bajpai
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Ken Shamrock made some headlines recently when he publically asked The Rock to deliver a greeting for his Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame induction and received a reply from the great one.

The MMA legend recently had an interview with Busted Open Radio where he talked about a number of things and also explained why he wanted The Rock to be a part of his induction.

Shamrock recalled his feud with the People’s Champion and his Nation Of Domination faction in 1998. The former WWE star explained that the feud helped him tremendously in his pro wrestling career:

“I’ll never forget the things that he did for me, and the times that we spent together were special because it really did help me in my pro wrestling career, and I know he’ll tell you the same thing with me and the things that we did because that shot him up into stardom, and it wasn’t because of me.

It was because of what we were able to do together and be able to give ourselves a chance to be able to step away and do greater things at other places, but that was a start for me and for him, and he was a big part of that. So, I thought it was fitting for him to be a part of that induction because I believe that’s where it started – was with him.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Shamrock who is in both the UFC and Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame said that you shouldn’t get in the Hall Of Fame of any industry unless you have contributed to it at a high level and you are respected by the fans of the community.

Ken Shamrock’s Hall Of Fame induction was announced earlier this year and he was inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame in February.

Backstage Update On Finn Balor’s Injury

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Finn Balor defended his NXT Championship against Kyle O’Reilly in a gruesome match at the NXT Takeover: 31 event where the title holder managed to retain his championship.

Though the champion did not come unhurt out of the bout and WWE announced that he suffered a broken jaw during the fight. However, latest reports suggest that his injury is not as serious as it’s being reported.

Dave Meltzer talked about Balor on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio. While he revealed that the reports of Finn’s injury are not inaccurate, the wrestling journalist noted that it was “made to be worse than it is.”

There is still no word on how long the current champion will stay out of action but the typical recovery time from a broken jaw is around 6 weeks.

Finn Balor made his return to NXT during the October 2nd episode of the show back in 2019 and he confronted the NXT Champion at the time, Adam Cole, during his return.

He went on to have feuds with the likes of Matt Riddle, Damian Priest and Johnny Gargano in the coming months before finally winning the NXT title back during the NXT: Super Tuesday II event last month.

So far WWE has not announced a time table for his return, but with reports of his injury not being as serious, it doesn’t look likely that Balor will stay out of action for very long. it would be interesting to see who challenges him for the title next when he comes back.

Zack Ryder On How He Felt On Losing The IC Title The Night After WrestleMania

Anutosh Bajpai
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Zack Ryder finally got a WrestleMania moment after being with WWE for more than a decade when he won the Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match during the WrestleMania 32 event.

However, the former WWE star did not have a very long reign with the title and fans were not very happy with the fact that the company actually took the belt off him the next night on Raw in a match with the Miz.

Though while talking about his short reign during a recent session with Pro Wrestling Junkies, Ryder claimed that losing the title actually made the moment because it fitted his underdog character:

“I think losing the next night made the moment, I wish I could have lost it that same night. Why have the title for two weeks or two months? Unless I’m going to go undefeated for two years or something, just take it off me. That’s just the Zack Ryder character – the underdog that finally gets it and then it gets taken away.”

Zack Ryder continued by saying that the loss made his win special because nobody thought that he was going to win in the first place and people resented the fact that he lost it so soon.

Apart from this, the former WWE star also talked about things like his recent AEW stint and he revealed that he has actually made a list of AEW stars he wants to face. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.

WWE Responds To Reports Of New Lawsuit From Matt Riddle Accuser

Anutosh Bajpai
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Reports came out earlier today that Samantha Tavel, a.k.a. Candy Cartwright has filed a civil lawsuit against Matt Riddle, WWE, and former Evolve owner Gabe Sapolsky.

The news was first reported by the Chicago Sun Times and court documents that have surfaced online suggest that Tavel is seeking $10 million dollars per defendant for actual damages, damages from emotional distress, punitive damages, attorney’s fees, and costs.

WWE has now responded to these reports about a lawsuit. The company released a short statement claiming that they have not been served yet but they will defend themselves if they do get served:

“WWE has not been served with a lawsuit by Ms. Tavel. However, if served, we will vigorously defend ourselves and contest it.”

For those who don’t know, Samantha Tavel accused Matt Riddle of sexual assaults during the “#SpeakingOut” movement earlier this year.

The female star claims that Riddle committed a series of assaults against her from 2017 through January 2020 and the first incident of assault took place in a parking lot following an Evolve show in April 2017.

This new lawsuit comes after Matt Riddle had withdrawn his petition for a restraining order against Cartwright and filed a civil lawsuit of his own back in mid-September.

Matt Riddle has so far not reacted to this new lawsuit from his accuser but we will keep you posted on any updates in the situation.

AEW & NXT Viewership Down Against VP Debate

Michael Reichlin
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Viewership data is in for the October 7th editions of AEW on TNT and NXT on the USA Network.

Both shows were down this week due to the Vice Presidential debate between Vice President Mike Pence and candidate Kamala Harris. The debate drew over 50 million viewers across various network and cable channels.

Here’s the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

  • AEW: 753,000 viewers, 0.31 rating (19th on cable for the night)
  • NXT: 639,000 viewers, 0.16 rating (56th on cable for the night)

For comparison, Monday’s WWE Raw averaged 1.686 million viewers with a 0.52 in the key demo.

Dynamite viewership was down 113,000 viewers from last week, although the demo was only down .02. It was the lowest viewership for AEW since July 8th.

NXT fell by 93,000 viewers and .03 in the demo, the lowest since August 12th.

You can find full results and our takeaways from both shows below:

WWE Draft 2020: Official Rules & Eligible Superstars

Chris Stephens
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The 2020 WWE Draft begins tomorrow night on Smackdown. WWE has sent in a press release detailing the official rules and eligible Superstars for this year’s draft.

Here is what has been revealed about the draft:

  • Stephanie McMahon will preside over the draft and announce the picks for both RAW and Smackdown.
  • Much like last year as well, RAW will get 3 picks for every 2 picks that Smackdown gets since it is a 1-hour longer show.
  • Tag-teams count as one pick unless a brand specifically says they only wish to draft one member of the team.
  • Anyone left undrafted will immediately become free agents. This happened to Heath Slater, which was hard for him since he has so many kids.

Different superstars will be eligible to be drafted on different nights of the draft. Superstars eligible to be drafted on Friday night will not be eligible on Monday and vice versa.

List of Superstars eligible to be drafted on Night 1 of Draft:

  • Asuka
  • Sasha Banks
  • Bianca Belair
  • Dana Brooke
  • Humberto Carrillo
  • Elias
  • Angel Garza
  • Drew Gulak
  • Heavy Machinery (Otis & Tucker)
  • The Hurt Business (Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Cedric Alexander and MVP)
  • Mickie James
  • Lucha House Party (Kalisto, Gran Metalik and Lince Dorado)
  • Drew McIntyre
  • Murphy
  • Rey & Dominik Mysterio
  • Naomi
  • The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods)
  • Roman Reigns
  • Ricochet
  • Seth Rollins
  • Mandy Rose
  • Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax
  • Shorty G
  • AJ Styles
  • Jey Uso

List of Superstars eligible to be drafted on Night 2 of Draft:

  • Andrade
  • Bayley
  • Aleister Black
  • Alexa Bliss
  • Daniel Bryan
  • Carmella
  • King Corbin
  • Apollo Crews
  • Nikki Cross
  • Dabba-Kato
  • Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
  • Erik (of The Viking Raiders)
  • Lacey Evans
  • Charlotte Flair
  • Jeff Hardy
  • Billie Kay
  • Lana
  • Keith Lee
  • The Miz & John Morrison
  • Riddick Moss
  • Natalya
  • Titus O’Neil
  • Randy Orton
  • Kevin Owens
  • R-Truth
  • RETRIBUTION (Mustafa Ali, T-BAR, MACE, SLAPJACK, RECKONING & RETALIATION)
  • Matt Riddle
  • The Riott Squad (Ruby Riott & Liv Morgan)
  • Peyton Royce
  • Arturo Ruas
  • Sheamus
  • Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro
  • The Street Profits (Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford)
  • Braun Strowman
  • Tamina
  • Akira Tozawa
  • Zelina Vega
  • Bray Wyatt
  • Sami Zayn

Update On Finn Balor’s Broken Jaw, Triple H & Doctor Comment

Michael Reichlin
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Finn Balor will miss ring time due to a fractured jaw. The NXT Champion sustained the injury this past weekend at NXT Takeover 31.

WWE has released a video of Finn Balor and his doctor discussing his condition. According to Dr. Jeffrey Westerfield, Balor fractured his jaw in two places during his match against Kyle O’Reilly.

Dr. Westerfield said it was amazing that either man was able to finish the hard-hitting match. “Finn had two fractures in his jaw,” he said. “Once the swelling goes down in a couple days, Finn’s going to be able to talk very sparingly. Obviously it’s going to have to have him out for a little bit of time.”

westerfield

Balor said people are questioning if his current NXT title reign will be as good as his last. Referencing his successful title defense at Takeover 31, Balor said, “I think they just got their answer.”

For what it’s worth, Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Balor’s injury is legitimate, however WWE is making the situation out to be worse than it is.

You can watch the video with comments from Finn Balor and Dr. Westerfield in the Youtube player embedded below.

Triple H tweeted the following regarding Finn Balor’s tenacity in light of this latest setback.

Tony Khan Reacts To NJPW President Stepping Down

Chris Stephens
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We could be getting a little closer to a partnership between All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Harold Meij recently announced that he is stepping down as the President of New Japan Pro Wrestling. The news has led to some AEW fans believing that Meij’s departure could perhaps open the door for some type of relationship between the two promotions.

Tony Khan recently spoke to Dave Meltzer for the Wrestling Observer Newsletter and said he thinks Meij’s departure could be a positive development towards a working relationship between the two organizations.

“I’m not sure yet,” was Tony Khan’s reaction to the Wrestling Observer. “But my initial gut feeling is it could be good.”

There were several references to NJPW made on last night’s edition of AEW Dynamite. The “Ace of New Japan” Hiroshi Tanahashi sent in a video congratulating Chris Jericho on his 30-years in wrestling. There were also references to NJPW matches involving Lance Archer and Jon Moxley on Dynamite.

Moxley and Archer will meet for the AEW World title on next week’s “1-Year Anniversary” edition of Dynamite. They faced each other at this year’s Wrestle Kingdom as well.

The references to NJPW on this week’s Dynamite led to much speculation from fans but Dave Meltzer noted they likely have nothing to do with a potential relationship between the two promotions.

Mark Henry: WWE On The Right Tracking To Making Alexa Bliss A ‘Female Monster’

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed the ongoing Alexa Bliss and ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt storyline.

Initially, Alexa Bliss appeared during the ‘Wyatt Swamp Fight’ at WWE’s Extreme Rules event earlier this year. Bliss would, seemingly, appear as an illusion in Braun Strowman’s psyche. This however would end up leading to Alexa Bliss and The Fiend being intertwined on television.

‘She Could Do Unbelievable Things’

“What could Alexa do with that kind of power?” Mark Henry began on the podcast. “Harness a stable of men? But what about the women? What about people like Nikki Cross, and people that are not being used right now?”

Mark Henry would also suggest that Bliss could end up ‘controlling’ The Fiend; with Alexa becoming the Sister Abigail character that has been teased for so many years on WWE programming.

“[She] can convince them, ‘I can introduce you to him (The Fiend Bray Wyatt). I can help you. I can help you become a champion'” Mark Henry would continue. “She could do unbelievable things, that you can only do if you have the catalyst for it.” Henry stated that Bliss could be the catalyst for a major shift on WWE television.

Mark Henry would finish by praising WWE for beginning to create a ‘female monster’ with Alexa Bliss’ new direction in the company. “I think that they’re [WWE] on the right track to creating a female monster, and that’s gonna be great.”

Do you agree with Mark Henry? Could Alexa Bliss have her own stable in WWE with The Fiend? Let us know in the comments section how you would book this angle

Alexa Bliss
Alexa Bliss

Hangman Page Statement On Joining AEW Tournament

Chris Stephens
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AEW’s Hangman Page has released an official statement. The rather official-looking document is printed on branded letterhead as well. It addresses his entry into the AEW World Champion #1 Contender tournament.

“After deep contemplation, about half a bottle of Scratch Bourbon Whiskey, and chucking a dozen watermelons at a red oak out of the back of a pickup, ‘Hangman” Adam Page has decided to enter the single-elimination tournament to decide a number one contender to the All Elite Wrestling World Championship,” his statement reads.

Page then listed off a few of his reasons for entering the tournament including:

“The tournament could provide ‘Hangman’ Adam Page with his first opportunity to challenge for the AEW World Championship since his catastrophic and embarrassing loss to Chris Jericho at All Out 2019.”

It appears Page dictated the statement to someone and this person was unable to make out some of his comments.

“As a child, ‘Hangman’ Adam Page (unintelligible – the voicemail devolved into a slurred monologue with the occasional yell, followed by two minutes of silence).”

Page then listed what he will be doing to prepare for the tournament. These included the following:

“‘Hangman’ Adam Page will continue to wear a mask while in public, wash his hands, and social distance to avoid contracting COVID-19 to preserve the integrity of his lungs and his character.”

The finals of the tournament will take place at Full Gear. Page’s full statement can be viewed in the Tweet below:

https://twitter.com/theAdamPage/status/1314014314450358274

Rumour Killer On Potential Partnership Between AEW And NJPW

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Ever since AEW came into existence and even before they had produced their first show as a company, people have been talking about a potential relationship between them and NJPW.

However, so far there has been no indication of the same and while officials have maintained the never say never attitude, there hasn’t really been any solid development that could suggest a future partnership between the two.

The rumours picked up once again after the Japanese promotion was referenced a number of times during this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite including a cameo from Hiroshi Tanahashi.

However, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer killed the rumours recently and replying to a tweet about the references, he revealed that the Tanahashi appearance was Chris Jericho’s doing:

This week’s Dynamite saw Chris Jericho celebrating the 30-year anniversary of his pro wrestling debut. The episode included multiple video messages from various wrestlers congratulating Y2J, including one from the NJPW star.

Though this wasn’t the only NJPW reference on the show. A video package hyping the match between Jon Moxley and Lance Archer featured footage from their previous encounter at the Japanese promotion and Excalibur name-dropped the company on commentary as well.

While the two companies do not have a working relationship at the moment, the recent departure of NJPW CEO Harold Meij has given a new life to the rumours and it would be interesting to see if this change turns out to be a positive development for a future relationship between the two promotions.

Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 12

Evan S
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New Japan Pro-Wrestling thirtieth annual G1 Climax tournament has arrived!

Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Only live Japanese commentary available. English commentary will be uploaded within several days. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

Start Times:

  • Pacific: 10/8 2AM
  • Eastern: 10/8 5AM
  • UK: 10/8 10AM
  • Japan: 10/8 6PM
  • East Australia: 10/8 8PM

NJPW World Video

G1 Climax 30 Day 12 Results

Gabriel Kidd def. Yuya Uemura (8:47)
Over the course of this G1, which is past the halfway mark at this point, Gabriel Kidd has shown himself to be the most adaptable of the three young lions, in my view. He has the strength to strike with Tsuji and the technique to grapple with Uemura, while the two Japanese young lions are more specialized. Kidd and Uemura were both able to reach the ropes with their dueling Boston crabs early in the match, but, and Kidd had enough fight in him to stuff Uemura’s attempt at a double arm suplex. He hit a dropkick, a vertical suplex, followed by his own double underhook suplex for the win.

B Block: Hirooki Goto def. YOSHI-HASHI (14:12)
Goto’s last several matches have ended in very decisive fashion, lasting only several minutes combined. His right arm and shoulder are bandaged and it is a wonder whether that has made Goto fight with more urgency. YOSHI-HASHI focused on Goto’s hurt arm, applying a keylock that Goto needed a rope break to escape. Goto rallied with a spinning kick and a running bulldog, followed by the Ushigoroshi, but the pain in his arm stopped him from capitalizing. YOSHI-HASHI smartly countered with a lariat to the arm, followed by a Dragon suplex and the Butterfly Lock. He transitioned it into a sleeper hold and backstabber when Goto started moving towards the ropes, followed by the Kumagoroshi for a near fall. He tried to hit the Karma, but Goto stuffed it and lifted YOSHI-HASHI for the GTW. He tried to follow up, but YOSHI-HASHI hit a headbutt, only for Goto to return the favor. Finally, he hit the GTR for the pinfall win. Goto 6 points, YOSHI-HASHI 2 points

B Block: Zack Sabre Jr. def. Toru Yano (12:20)
Toru Yano claimed to want a clean fight with Zack Sabre Jr., and voluntarily removed many rolls of wrist tape from his trousers. He then proceeded to challenge Zack to grappling, followed by amateur wrestling, but Zack was not interested in engaging. Zack then adopted an amateur wrestling stance as well, but Yano instead ran to remove a turnbuckle pad. He left to retrieve a chair from outside the ring, along with a roll of tape, and he tied Zack’s arm to a chair outside the guardrail. Still, Zack was able to pull the chair through the bars of the guardrail to make it back in the ring before he could be counted out. The referee removed the chair and Yano apologized profusely to Zack, before hitting a belly-to-belly suplex. Yano pulled him out of the ring and tried to hit a German suplex on the floor, but Zack pulled him into an ankle lock and dragged him away from the ring. Yano was still able to limp back to the ring before the 20-count, though. The slowed Yano was a sitting duck for more leg attacks from Zack. Yano got to his feet and removed a turnbuckle pad, but then engaged Zack in a series of fighting for pinning combinations. Zack trapped him in an ankle lock yet again, then transitioned it into a heel hook, and Yano had nowhere to go. Zack 6 points, Yano 6 points

B Block: SANADA def. KENTA (11:24)
KENTA’s “IWGP US Heavyweight Championship #1 contender” briefcase had a big crack in it from when KENTA hit Tanahashi across the face with it two days ago. It had a note taped over the crack with Tanahashi’s name written. KENTA controlled the match early, grinding SANADA down with strikes and holds to the head. SANADA blocked a kick of KENTA’s and applied the Paradise Lock, which to this day amuses the audience very much. With a running dropkick followed by a diving double footstomp, KENTA brought the momentum of the match back in his favor. Hew went for the Go 2 Sleep, but this may have been premature, as SANADA avoided it easily. SANADA hit a pop-up TKO and applied the sleeper hold, but KENTA pushed him into the referee and left to pick up the briefcase again. He tried to hit SANADA in the face with it, but SANADA dodged it and dropkicked the briefcase into KENTA’s face. He then went for a moonsault, but KENTA blocked it with his knees. Seeing the opportunity, he tried for the Go 2 Sleep again, but SANADA avoided it and pulled KENTA into a Japanese leg roll clutch for the pinfall win. SANADA 6 points, KENTA 4 points

B Block: Tetsuya Naito def. Juice Robinson (25:01)
Juice has been one of the best at engaging a crowd that isn’t allowed to cheer, but Naito was the more popular man in the building. Naito dominated Juice in the early going, almost mocking him, and perhaps his Blues Brothers cosplay outfit, as he scraped his boot across Juice’s face. He mimicked Juice’s crowd-rallying pose while holding Juice in a headscissors hold, but Juice was finally able to get to his feet and grant himself some space with a spinebuster. This did not last long, though, as Naito pounced with a neckbreaker drop into the Pluma Blanca necklock. Naito condescendingly encouraged Juice to try harder, only for Juice to catch his flying forearm and hit a full nelson slam. He fired up the crowd as he lifted Naito to the top rope and landed a superplex into a jackhammer for a near fall on the double champion. Naito wriggled out of Juice’s Pulp Friction finish and awarded Juice a reverse Frankensteiner for his efforts. Naito went for the running Destino, but Juice caught him with a leg lariat as he yelled profanely. He caught Naito’s rope-assisted tornado DDT, but Naito modified it into a reverse Destino. Juice reversed Naito’s next Destino attempt into a falling powerbomb as the crowd applauded. Past the 20 minute mark, Juice hit a big lariat and tried once more for the Pulp Friction, but again Naito avoided it, but was knocked to the mat by the Left Hand of God. Juice tried yet again for his finish, but again Naito managed to hit another running Destino. The crowd came unglued as Juice kicked out! Naito was unfazed, though, and landed one last Destino to extend his lead on the rest of B Block. Naito 10 points, Juice 6 points

B Block: EVIL def. Hiroshi Tanahashi (19:58)
It didn’t take a long period of Tanahashi getting the better of EVIL for Dick Togo to interfere on EVIL’s behalf. EVIL whipped Tanahashi into the barricade, and while he was down, he pulled out a pile of chairs, suplexed Yota Tsuji onto them, and removed a turnbuckle pad. Togo would repeatedly be there when Tanahashi was starting to take control. EVIL tried to throw Tanahashi to the outside, but he skinned the cat to get back in the ring, only to get thrown halfway across with a German suplex. Tanahashi fought off EVIL’s Scorpion Deathlock attempt and tried to apply the Texas cloverleaf, but EVIL grabbed his hair to get Tanahashi off of him. Tanahashi hit a sliding dropkick to knock down Togo, followed by multiple Dragonscrews and another go at the cloverleaf. EVIL’s back was severely arched, but he managed to crawl to the bottom rope and free himself. EVIL returned to form with a big lariat, but Tanahashi reversed his Darkness Falls into a Sling Blade. Tanahashi climbed to the top rope for a High Fly Flow, and Togo tried to distract him, but Tsuji pulled him away. He hit the crossbody on a standing EVIL and transitioned into the Texas cloverleaf once more, but Togo came in and started choking Tanahashi with his wire. Tanahashi was able to lift it off of his neck and slap Togo in the face to send him reeling. From there, he hit a Sling Blade and a High Fly Flow to EVIL’s back, then went for another. However, Dick Togo pulled his leg, making his groin land on the turnbuckle, and giving EVIL the opening he needed. He superplexed Tanahashi off the top rope and landed Darkness Falls for a two-count. Finally, he landed his self-named STO for the three count. EVIL 8 points, Tanahashi 6 points

G1 Climax 30 Standings

A Block:
8 points – Kota Ibushi, Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay, Jay White
6 points – Taichi, Minoru Suzuki, Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi
4 points – Jeff Cobb
0 points – Yujiro Takahashi

B Block:
10 points – Tetsuya Naito
8 points – EVIL
6 points – Hiroshi Tanahashi, Toru Yano, Juice Robinson, Hirooki Goto, Zack Sabre Jr., SANADA
4 points – KENTA
2 points – YOSHI-HASHI

Chris Jericho Calls Crown Jewel Match The Worst He Has Ever Seen

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Chris Jericho has seen his fair share of bad matches in his three-decades-long wrestling career but the worst match he has ever seen is fairly new.

The former world champion appeared on Busted Open Radio ahead of the 30-year celebration of his debut on this week’s episode of Dynamite and talked about things like why he decided to join AEW and more.

During the interview, he was asked about the worst match he has ever seen and Jericho claimed that it was the Crown Jewel match between The Brothers Of Destruction and DX:

“The worst match I ever saw, and here’s your clickbait, was Saudi Arabia, Triple H and Shawn Michaels vs. Kane and The Undertaker. It was such a stupid idea in booking, it should have never happened.

It should’ve been Shawn and Hunter vs. Roman and Seth, and Taker and Kane vs… I don’t know; give me two names of guys. Cesaro and Kevin Owens, whatever you want.” said Chris Jericho, “That’s exciting.””But it’s like, ‘Oh we’ll just go out there and wing it brother,’ that doesn’t work anymore. That old school mentality doesn’t work.”

The match Chris Jericho is talking about took place in Saudi Arabia during the Crown Jewel 2018 event. The PPV saw Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement for one more match.

The whole event had been controversial in the wake of the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The match was also criticised by the fans for its poor execution, which was largerly attributed to the old age of the participants.

Elijah Burke On If Anything Felt Off With Chris Benoit During His Final Match

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

The death of Chris Benoit and his family is one of the most tragic incidents in the history of the wrestling business and a lot of things surrounding the case remain a mystery to this day. One of the biggest points of investigation is how the former world champion was feeling in his final days and if the people around him noted any significant difference in his behaviour before he took his own life.

Former WWE star Elijah Burke who was the final person to wrestle Benoit before his tragic demise was asked the same question during his recent interview with The Wrestling Epicenter. Replying to the question, Burke, who wrestled the former champion during an ECW episode on June 19, 2007, said that everything seemed normal to him:

“No, not at all. One thing Chris was big on, and hindsight is 20/20 on this if I could say, ‘Oh, that kind of makes sense’ is just the fact that he said, ‘Talk to me out there. I might forget.’ So, after everything that happened, when it came back that he had like the brain of an 80-year-old with Alzheimer, that was like, ‘Hmm, that is interesting,’

In this business, I was always taught that we should communicate in rings. So, I didn’t think anything of it. That could have been a sign.” said Burke, “Chris Benoit asking me to talk to him? But other than that, there was nothing that could have tipped me or anyone else off to the extent of the degeneration of his brain per the results of his test.”

The recent episodes of the Dark Side of the Ring series documenting the final days of Chris Benoit have brought the topic of his death back in the discussion. During the interview, Elijah Burke was asked if he was approached for the episodes centred on Benoit and he revealed that he was not contacted. You can check out the full interview of Elijah Burke here.

Renee Young Returning To WWE For Special Appearance

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Former WWE broadcaster Renee Young will be returning to the company for the first time since SummerSlam for a special appearance next week.

WWE and Fox Network announced earlier today that they will be celebrating the season two of SmackDown on Fox during the upcoming episode of the show on October 16.

The episode will feature a special kick off pre-show and the company has announced that Young will be returning to host the pre-show alongside WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T.

The celebration also includes a special on the “Best WWE Moments of 2020” which is scheduled to air on this Sunday, October 11 alongside the other NFL programming on Fox.

Renee Young ended her 8 year long stint with WWE earlier this year after her husband Jon Moxley also left the company following the expiry of his contract last year in May.

In later interviews, the former WWE announcer explained the reasoning behind her decision to leave the company, saying that she felt like she had hit her ceiling in the promotion.

There has been no news on what Young is planning for her future and the WWE return is only expected to be a one-off appearance as of now.

AEW Dynamite Results (10/7): Dog Collar Match, 30 Years Of Chris Jericho

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. Chris Jericho celebrated 30 years in the wrestling business and Brodie Lee defended the TNT Championship against Cody in a Dog Collar match.

Dynamite Results (10/7)

  1. Brian Cage def. Will Hobbs to retain the FTW Championship
  2. FTR def. TH2 to retain the AEW Tag Team Championships
  3. Cody def. Brodie Lee to become the new TNT Champion
  4. Big Swole def. Serena Deeb
  5. Chris Jericho & Jake Hager def. Serpentico & Luther

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Brian Cage Retained The FTW Championship In A Great Match With Will Hobbs

FTW Champion Brian Cage & Taz
FTW Champion Brian Cage & Taz

Brian Cage defended the FTW Championship against Will Hobbs in the first match of the night.

Match Recap: Hobbs and Cage sprinted at each other to start the action off. Cage and Hobbs exchanged shoulder tackles until Cage sent Hobbs to the canvas with an elbow to the face. Hobbs hopped right up and leveled Cage with a Clothesline.

Will Hobbs followed it up with a Crossbody for a two count. Cage connected with a Superkick and slammed Hobbs to the canvas for a near fall. Cage followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a two count.

Hobbs battled back and planted Cage with a Back Drop. Will hit Cage with a couple Clotheslines and then a massive shoulder tackle. Hobbs connected with a Powerslam and went for the cover but Cage kicked out at two. Will hit a giant Spinebuster for another near fall.

Cage slammed Hobbs face-first to the mat and then the F10 for a two count. Cage hit Hobbs with a German Suplex but Hobbs popped right up. Hobbs and Cage then connected with a Clothesline at the same time and both men fell to the canvas. Hobbs hit another Spinebuster for a two count.

Will climbed to the top rope and went for a Frog Splash but Cage got out of the way. Cage then hit the Drill Claw for the pinfall victory. Brian Cage is still FTW World Champion. After the match, Taz got on the microphone and said that Will Hobbs is impressive and he fought his ass off. Taz wanted Hobbs to join Team Taz and said Cage and Starks will kick his ass if he declines. Darby Allin made his way to the ring but Starks and Cage retreated. Taz shouted that one day Darby will learn not to stick his nose in their business.

FTR Retained & Will Defend Against Best Friends Next Week

FTR Tully Blanchard
FTR & Tully Blanchard

FTR defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against TH2 tonight. The Young Bucks were shown watching the monitors from a ridiculous angle as FTR made their entrance.

Match Recap: TH2 controlled the action early but the momentum changed when Tully Blanchard hopped on the ring apron for a distraction. Harwood slammed Evans’ knee on the barricade and then against the ring post.

When Dynamite returned from a commercial break, Cash Wheeler was in control but Evans battled back and sent Cash into the turnbuckle. Dax tagged in and Evans took him down with a Clothesline. Harwood connected with a Dragon Screw and followed it up with a German Suplex.

Evans connected with a few elbows to Harwood’s face and went for a move off the top rope but it was botched. Jack then hit a Moonsault off the middle rope for a near fall. Wheeler slammed Angelico’s face off the apron as Evans rolled up Harwood for a near fall. Dax leveled Jack with a Clothesline and followed it up with a Tiger Driver for a two count. Harwood connected with a Superplex and Wheeler followed it up with a Splash for the pinfall victory. FTR are still the AEW Tag Team Champions. Young Bucks Superkicked a camera man after the match.

Best Friends came to the entrance ramp with FTR dressed as hot dogs on their shirts. The crowd chanted “wieners!” at FTR as Trent and Chuck Taylor made their way to the ring. Best Friends stated that they are the #1 contenders and that their title match is live on the Anniversary show next week.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1314003370382954497?s=20

WWE NXT Results (10/7): Kushida vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Tag Team Headliner

Andrew Ravens
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The October 7, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

  • Tommaso Ciampa def. KUSHIDA via DQ.
  • Drake Maverick & Killian Dain def. Ever-Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel).
  • Austin Theory def. Leon Ruff.
  • Dexter Lumis def. Austin Theory 
  • Shotzi Blackheart def. Xia Li.
  • Ridge Holland def. Danny Burch
  • Ember Moon & Rhea Ripley def. Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez.

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Finn Balor Update

pjimage 2020 09 08T193507.442

Just a few hours before this show, NXT Champion Finn Balor announced on Twitter that he suffered a broken jaw in two places during his successful title defense against Kyle O’Reilly at NXT TakeOver 31. 

He mentioned in the post that he would address this on NXT, which he did. During the episode, WWE aired a video package looking at the match along with photos of Balor in the hospital. 

A WWE trainer noted that Balor wouldn’t be able to fully talk and would miss some time in the ring.

The positive thing here is that Balor won’t have to vacate the title, but we still have no word yet on how long he’ll be out of action.

Ember Moon Talks

Ember Moon
Ember Moon

Ember Moon was supposed to kick off the show, but WWE saved it for later in the episode with a promo in the ring. This came after she made her return to television after being sidelined with an injury last year. She was revealed as the mystery person behind recent vignettes. 

Her reveal was after Io Shirai had successfully retained the NXT Women’s Title over Candice LeRae at Sunday’s NXT TakeOver 31 event. This is where she had a staredown with the champion. 

On NXT, Moon stated that it’s been a while since she was in isolation for the last 14 months. She said that she took her bike on a long journey and found clarity. She said that she found herself as no one is going to walk over her anymore.

She said that she wants some gold. This led to Io coming out Io and Rhea Ripley coming out. As Rhea was about to talk, Raquel Gonzalez and Dakota Kai attacked Ripley. William Regal booked a tag team match for the main event. 

Kushida vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Tommaso Ciampa
Tommaso Ciampa

Kushida vs. Tommaso Ciampa was the only match to be announced in advance of this show, which was Tuesday night on Twitter. 

Kushida had scored a big win over The Velveteen Dream in a singles match at Sunday’s NXT TakeOver 31 event. On the flip side, despite WWE booking Ciampa as an unstoppable heel, he didn’t work the show. 

Fast forward to this match, the two stars worked hard. While Ciampa did have the majority of the offense in a lengthy match, Kushida had moments to shine. Unfortunately, the match didn’t have a solid finish as Dream ran out and attacked Kushida. As a result, it ended in a DQ. 

Thus, it appears that WWE wanted to keep both guys strong yet continue the feud with Kushida and Dream. 

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1313997088368267267

Main Event

Rhea Ripley
Rhea Ripley

Following the angle earlier in the night, the main event saw Rhea Ripley and Ember Moon team up to face Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez in a tag team match. 

An interesting match booking to have in the headliner, but these ladies delivered in a solid match. Moon got some ring time and didn’t appear to be rusty although splitting the workload probably helped. 

The finish of the match saw Moon hit her finisher to Kai for the win after Ripley took out Gonzalez over the announce table. Now, it will be interesting to see who gets the first title shot at Io Shirai – Ripley or Moon?

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