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Paige’s Statement On Her Twitch Account After WWE Take Over Report

Andrew Ravens
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Paige has gained quite the following on the Twitch platform and based on her recent comments, it’s something that is special to her. 

The former WWE Divas Champion built up the following after she retired from being an in-ring performer and not currently being used on WWE television. 

She took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to comment on what she has built on the platform. Many people thought this statement might be a reference to WWE’s new edict on third party activity. She wrote the following: 

“Twitch is MY place what I built with my wonderful fans. A place where people can go and feel some positivity and little bit of normalcy. Fun. Interactive. Non judgemental. Charitable place. I’m proud of what I built with my fan base.”

Of course, Vince McMahon sent out a reminder to wrestlers this week about how they had until October 2nd to cease all unauthorized third party activity. 

This is where McMahon told that repeated violations may result in potential fines, suspensions, or terminations. It has since been reported that the company plans to take over the Twitch accounts created by talents in four weeks as they will own those accounts. 

The problem that wrestlers have with this is that while they will receive a percentage of the revenue, it will count against the pay from their downside guarantees.

Joey Ryan Files 3rd Lawsuit Against Canadian Accuser

Chris Stephens
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It has been previously reported that Joey Ryan has launched two separate lawsuits against groups of people who publicly accused him of sexual misconduct. These allegations were made as part of the #SpeakingOut movement. Ryan subsequently was released from Impact Wrestling shortly after the allegations surfaced.

According to a report from PW Insider, Ryan has filed a 3rd lawsuit. This suit involves one accuser of Ryan’s that is based in Canada. The name of the accuser is being redacted to protect their identity.

This lawsuit features similar wording as to the previous two. Ryan is seeking to recoup losses that he has incurred as a result of damage to his public reputation. In addition to being fired from Impact Wrestling, the venue that hosted his Bar Wrestling also cut ties with him.

Additionally, this suit specifically mentions Dolph Ziggler’s brother Ryan Nemeth’s social media activity. His Tweets are alleged to have “encouraged violence to be committed on Plaintiff” according to documents filed.

https://twitter.com/HotYoungBriley/status/1311402300720574464
https://twitter.com/HotYoungBriley/status/1311039078989586432

“On information and belief, both [name redacted] Defamatory Statement and Nemeth’s response are available to view by any person interested or who happens upon [redacted]’s Twitter timeline. Also, no statement retracting [name redacted] Defamatory Statement or denouncing Nemeth’s statement has been made by [redacted.] In fact, more threats of violence upon Plaintiff in social networking sites have been made directly or indirectly to Plaintiff.”

WWE Moving WrestleMania 37 Location (Report)

Chris Stephens
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Kevin Owens may once again have his opportunity to jump off the pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium.

News is coming in today that WWE is tentatively planning to move WrestleMania 37 from its planned venue of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California to the originally planned WrestleMania 36 location of Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. The NFL’s SuperBowl LV will be held in the same venue on February 7th, 2021.

Florida-based reporter Jon Alba and Inside the Ropes’ Garry Cassidy have been Tweeting about the news.

WWE was forced to move WrestleMania 36 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida to their WWE Performance Center in Orlando. The event was originally scheduled for April 5th but WWE changed the show to a 2-night event.

This happened just weeks after other sporting leagues began shutting down due to the global pandemic.

Due to not having live fans in attendance for the first time in WrestleMania history, the event featured multiple “Cinematic Matches”. These included the Undertaker and AJ Styles’ Boneyard Match. Bray Wyatt and John Cena also met in a FireFly Fun House match on the show.

NXT Takeover Will Have A “New Look” This Sunday At WWE PC

Chris Stephens
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WWE’s NXT brand has been filming shows in their longtime home of Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. According to a report from John Pollock of POST Wrestling, however, the brand will now be moving into the WWE Performance Center for the foreseeable future.

The change will begin with this weekend’s NXT Takeover 31. Triple H noted on a media call to promote the show that beginning with this weekend’s show NXT “will have a unique look and feel, something totally different that hasn’t been done, so far.” He would continue to refer to the new look as “game-changing.”

Following Takeover, NXT will stay in the Performance Center as will episodes of 205 Live. Whatever new look Triple H referred to on the conference call will likely apply to episodes of those two shows moving forward as well.

NXT Takeover 31 Lineup

Confirmed matches scheduled to take place on this weekend’s Takeover 31 include:

  • NXT Championship
    Finn Balor (c) vs Kyle O’Reilly
  • NXT Women’s Championship
    Io Shirai (c) vs Candice LeRae
  • NXT North American Championship
    Damian Priest vs Johnny Gargano
  • NXT Cruiserweight Championship
    Santos Escobar (c) vs Isiah “Swerve” Scott
  • Kushida vs. Velveteen Dream

 

WWE Taking Over Talent’s Twitch Accounts

Chris Stephens
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Last month, reports circulated that WWE had issued a ban on its talent working with 3rd parties such as Twitch and YouTube. A later statement from the company, however, indicated that WWE Superstars would be able to keep their 3rd party deals provided they did not use their gimmick/screen names.

WWE was also looking to crack down on 3rd party VIP meet-and-greets involving their talent. SEScoops exclusively reported on how some in WWE were making a small fortune with such deals.

Now, a new report is stating WWE plans on assuming control of all Twitch accounts run by WWE talent.

According to a report by Wrestling Inc and confirmed by other sources, WWE issued a statement to talent that the company will be taking over all Twitch accounts. WWE will own the accounts but the talent will receive royalties from it that count towards their downside guarantee in their WWE contract.

Andrew Yang vs WWE’s Independent Contractor Policy

Former Presidential candidate Andrew Yang is hoping to be in a cabinet position following next month’s election. He has stated that if he is in a position to do so that he will take action on WWE’s policy involving talent under independent contractor agreements.

Andrew Yang spoke to Wrestling Inc about WWE’s independent contractor policy:

“A lot of it is that wrestlers are afraid to speak out, and I’ve had wrestlers past and present reach out to me and say that Vince has been getting away with exploitation of wrestlers calling them independent contractors while controlling their activities for years and years,” Yang said. “A lot of it is just that they are a quasi-monopoly, and wrestlers fear that if they do try and unionize or organize in any way that Vince doesn’t like, that it will never work again.”

AEW Dynamite & NXT Viewership Both Up This Week

Michael Reichlin
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AEW and NXT both saw viewership increases this week, despite stiff competition from Game 1 of the NBA finals, MLB playoff games and a South Park ‘pandemic special’ that topped the night in the Adults 18-49 demographic.

Here’s the breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:

  • AEW: 866,000 viewers, 0.33 rating (12th on cable for the night)
  • NXT: 732,000 viewers, 0.19 rating (50th on cable for the night)

For comparison, Monday’s WWE Raw averaged 1.82 million viewers with a 0.54 rating in the key demo.

Dynamite viewership was up 31,000 from last week, while NXT saw an increase in 36,000 viewers. You can find full results and our takeaways from both shows below:

Roman Reigns Tribal Chief Crowning Ceremony Announced for SmackDown

Michael Reichlin
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All hail the Tribal Chief. Paul Heyman recently bestowed this moniker upon his new client, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. On SmackDown, it will be made official.

WWE has announced that Paul Heyman will preside over a special “Tribal Chief crowning ceremony” for his client this Friday night. The SmackDown preview at the WWE website questions if the rest of the legendary Anoa’i family will agree with the gesture.

In addition to this most unique ceremony, Friday’s SmackDown will also feature Sammy Zayn defending the Intercontinental Championship against Jeff Hardy and Kevin Owens welcoming Alexa Bliss on The KO Show.

Zayn captured the Intercontinental Title this past weekend at Clash of Champions by winning a Triple Threat Winner Take All Ladder Match with Hardy and AJ Styles.

WWE is teasing that Kevin Owens will try to free Alexa Bliss from The Fiend’s grasp, who will try to pull her ‘further into the darkness.’

Arn Anderson Files To Trademark “The Four Horsemen”

Michael Reichlin
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AEW coach Arn Anderson has filed to trademark the phrase, “The Four Horsement.”

A search of the United States and Patent Office database shows that Marty Lunde (Arn Anderson) filed the application just days ago on September 27th.

The Four Horsemen trademark would be for usage in “Entertainment services, namely, live appearances by a professional wrestling and sports entertainment personalities” and other similar services (personal appearances, interviews, etc.).

The attorney of record on the application is Michael E. Dockins. In addition to Arn Anderson, Dockins also represents Jim Ross, Cody Rhodes, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley FTR, Miro and many other pro wrestlers.

Podcast host Conrad Thompson previously applied to trademark ‘Four Horsemen’ back in March 2019 through a business entity, Toot Toot, LLC. That mark was abandoned later in the year due to failure to respond or late response.

The legendary Four Horsemen faction was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame back in 2012. If Arn Anderson’s application is approved, we could very well see a new incarnation of the Horsemen appear in AEW.

Stephanie McMahon Named #2 Most Influential Chief Marketing Officer

Chris Stephens
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Stephanie McMahon has been listed as the #2 most influential marketing officer in the world by Forbes. The famous magazine posted its annual list today.

McMahon finished 2nd behind only Apple’s Phil Schiller.

“McMahon is an outspoken and highly visible executive at WWE, a company in an industry often mired in controversy,” the magazine wrote of McMahon. “The daughter of WWE CEO Vince McMahon, she is a former WWE Superstar herself, and she’s a big proponent of WWE Superstars growing their own brands via social media. She has also championed women’s equality in the WWE.” 

The 44-year-old mother of 3 has been an outspoken proponent of women in sport and business. She’s also been a key driver of several of WWE’s charitable efforts, including Conor’s Cure.

“This year she spoke out about making the events that went on during the pandemic safe for fans and Superstars. In June she also reportedly shared what she and the company are doing to eliminate racial inequality on The Female Quotient—and partnered with FQ founder Shelley Zalis to create a discussion series called “Women in the Business of Sports,” Forbes’ report continued.

WWE took to Twitter to comment on Stephanie’s accomplishment:

Alexa Bliss Comments On Her First Boyfriend & Childhood Crushes

Chris Stephens
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Alexa Bliss recently opened up about her upbringing during an interview with Metro UK. The multi-time WWE Women’s Champion spoke about her parents not allowing her to date when she was younger and other

‘I wasn’t allowed to date growing up, I just wasn’t allowed. My parents didn’t let me date really,” Bliss said. “I didn’t have my first boyfriend until senior year of high school.”

“I didn’t really go on dates. When you’re a senior in high school, where are you gonna go? We’d all go to the movies with our friends but I don’t really having any embarrassing one on one dates,” she continued.

Bliss also detailed a time in her childhood when she embarrassed herself in front of a crush.

“I would buy Pokemon cards because he had Pokemon cards, and I learned to skateboard because he skateboarded. Silly little things,” Bliss said about a neighborhood boy she developed a crush on.

“One time, I was riding my bike, right. ‘And I saw Cory skateboarding next door, and I looked over at him and as I was waving I ran my bike into my dad’s parked car and just ate it! Not my best moment, but it definitely happened.”

Bliss asked fans to share their “uncool” moments with her:

Bliss has a new podcast out named “Uncool with Alexa Bliss.” The first episode was released on September 22nd.

Bliss posted the below to Twitter, perhaps insinuating that Jeff Jarrett’s old gimmick has helped her spell:

Billy Corgan Provides Update On NWA Powerrr Return

Chris Stephens
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The National Wrestling Alliance is currently promoting joint PPVs along with David Marquez’s United Wrestling Network. All 3 major NWA singles titles have been defended on the first 3 PPVs. Recently, however, NWA owner William Patrick Corgan announced that the company is working on bringing back NWA Powerrr soon as well.

“One year ago, we shot our first episode of NWA Powerrr,” Corgan wrote. “Suffice to say it’s been a crazy ride ever since. From trending #1 world wide on our debut to successful PPV’s to having to stop many plans (including the Crockett Cup) due to the plague, to Rosa appearing with the NWA Women’s Championship on @allelitewrestling to now adding our voice to the collective that is Prime Time Live on the @unitedwrestlingnetwork, I can only say to our great fans ‘hang in there.'”

Corgan continued to detail his plans for NWA Powerrr to return soon.

“We are currently talking about brining back POWERRR very soon, even if it means we can’t have fans in the stands because we just want to get back to work. But it’s nice to see our friend and former champion Tim Storm here. If anyone can lead us out of this, it’s a man or woman like him: who gives it all he or she’s got even when the chips are done. That sounds more grim than I mean it, ’cause yeah: still here, still kicking, and ready to get ready to rock…”

The NWA was forced to cancel its planned “Crockett Cup” PPV in March due to the ongoing pandemic.

https://twitter.com/Billy/status/1311492763339325441

The Rock Reveals When The XFL Will Re-Launch

Chris Stephens
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is the new part-owner of the XFL along with Dany Garcia and Redbird Capital. The league was folded earlier this year following the onset of the global pandemic. It was announced in August that the Rock and an ownership group had purchased the rights to the league.

The Rock took to Twitter recently to announce when the league will return. The XFL’s 3rd incarnation will begin in the spring of 2022.

Garcia, The Rock, and XFL President and COO Jeffrey Pollack were quoted in a release about the league’s return.

“For the love of football and for the safety of our players and fans, we’ll be back on the field in 2022,” said Jeffrey Pollack, XFL President and COO. “The opportunity in front of us, with our new ownership, is simply too big to rush back. We want to do this properly with care and thought for everyone who loves football, especially our players, coaches, partners and fans.” 

“The XFL represents the idea of ultimate opportunity; it’s a league of soul and culture, anchored by the pursuit of dreams and love for the game, that we couldn’t be more proud to lead,” said Garcia and Johnson. “Every XFL player, coach, city and fan is our top priority and we couldn’t be more excited to champion them in an electrifying 2022 season. We are the new XFL—hungry, humble and no one will outwork us.”

Miro Recalls WWE Pitching Him Erectile Dysfunction Storyline

Michael Reichlin
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Miro was the special guest on this week’s AEW Unrestricted podcast. The following is a recap of Miro’s discussion with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards:

  • Many people at AEW were unaware Miro was coming in. Tony & Aubrey said they weren’t even aware he was in the building the night of his AEW debut.
  • Miro says he has always been a big person. He weighed a staggering 15 pounds at birth and was 300 pounds at 20 years old.
  • He enjoyed negotiating with Tony Khan and appreciates that he’s able to do outside projects such as his Twitch channel.
  • Chris Jericho gave him input on his debut promo. Jericho suggested he reference the “brass ring” because it’s something wrestling fans are familiar with.
  • Miro spoke about the abysmal “Rusev is a sex addict” storyline that WWE ran last November. This was during the Lana and Bobby Lashley romance angle. WWE writers actually scripted a plot point that Rusev suffered from erectile dysfunction. He went to Vince McMahon directly and told him his character would never be able to recover if they went through with the erectile dysfunction angle. He told listeners that if you suffer from ED, you should see a doctor immediately and consider using Blue Chew.
  • Miro worked many odd jobs when he was youngr, including being a taxi cab driver, a painter, a cleaner and even worked at Wendy’s.
  • When asked which AEW wrestler he wants to work with, he said Kenny Omega.
  • WWE Superstar Xavier Woods got him into Twitch streaming.

Brian Cage To Defend FTW Title Against Will Hobbs Next Week

Chris Stephens
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Two big heavyweights will collide next week on Dynamite with the FTW title on the line. Brian Cage will look to defend his championship against Will Hobbs. The two big men brawled at ringside during the Darby Allin vs Ricky Starks match this week and AEW officials scheduled them to go one-on-one next week.

This bout between two of the largest athletes in AEW has fans discussing potential ways the FTW title can be used in the promotion. Many fans have been commenting on the title possibly being used as a “Hoss” championship competed for by top heavyweights.

https://twitter.com/TypicalChellZ/status/1311566516358447105

“FTW title is officially the hoss belt lezgoo” wrote a user on Reddit.

Some fans even began putting together a “Hoss Division.”

“Sold. Miro, Lee, Wardlow, Luchasaurus, Hager, Butcher, Archer, let them all kill for that hoss title,” another user on Reddit wrote.

Will Hobbs commented on the match in the Tweet below:

FTW Title History

Although the title is not officially recognized by AEW, this will be Brian Cage’s second title defence in the promotion. He defeated Brian Pillman Jr. with the belt on the line on an episode of Dark in July.

Cage is one of only three men to ever hold the title. Taz introduced the belt in 1998 and briefly lost it to Sabu in 1999. The title was abandoned after Taz defeated Sabu in a title vs title match at Living Dangerously 1999.

Mick Foley Believes Vader Is A ‘Glaring’ Omission From WWE’s Hall Of Fame

Steve Russell
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WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley believes the late Vader is a “glaring” omission from the WWE Hall of Fame.

Foley shared his thoughts during an exchange with Vader’s son on Twitter. Vader’s son was asked if he had any thoughts on his father’s Texas Deathmatch with Foley at Halloween Havoc in 1993. This prompted him to share how his father loved working with Foley and that their Deathmatch was “easily one of his favorites.”

Foley would see this interaction. He jumped in to share how much he enjoyed working with Vader. He admitted he “[…] geared up for every match with @itsvadertime like it was #AliVsFrasier.”

Foley then stated how he believes “[…] Vader’s absence is the most glaring and obvious omission from the #WWEHOF.”

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/1311017679470448640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1311017679470448640%7Ctwgr%5Eshare_3&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwrestlingnews.co%2Fwwe-news%2Fmick-foley-names-wrestler-who-is-the-most-glaring-and-obvious-omission-from-wwe-hall-of-fame%2F

Vader In The WWE Hall Of Fame

There was a swell of support for Vader to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020 earlier this year.

Foley was a major name who championed for Vader’s inclusion. Despite his best efforts, however, the former WWE Superstar was not one of those announced to be joining the Hall of Fame this year.

The WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020 includes the nWo, Dave “The Animal” Batista, Nikki and Brie Bella, Jushin Thunder Liger, “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, and JBL.

The WWE Hall of Fame did not take place this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. WWE reportedly intends to induct the 2020 Class alongside the 2021 Class leading up to WrestleMania 37.

Bianca Belair On Being A Multi-Faceted Talent, Creating Her Own Ring Gear

Steve Russell
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WWE Superstar Bianca Belair has opened up about how her real-life passions inform and influence her onscreen character.

In an interview with Digital Spy, Belair spoke about her YouTube channel. She explained how she utilizes it to pursue personal interests for herself and help benefit her WWE career:

“It shows different elements of myself aside from my character. My character is very multi-faceted, very powerful, she can get in the ring and do an array of things but I like to use my YouTube channel to show other elements of myself that I feel I many not be able to show in the ring.”

Bianca Belair noted how she can use her YouTube channel to show off what she loves outside of the ring. One of these activities includes conceptualizing and sewing her own ring gear.

She explained how, when it comes to her WWE persona, “[Belair] knows nobody can do it like her, nobody can do it better than her, and that also includes making my gear. I can never get my ideas across to people where they totally understand it completely, so I’m just like: ‘I’m going to do it myself, cause nobody can do it like me.'”

Bianca Belair was brought to Monday Night Raw earlier in the year. She is reportedly in line for a major push in the near future.

Roman Reigns Reveals Cinematic Inspiration Behind His New Character

Steve Russell
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WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has opened up about his new attitude since his return at SummerSlam in August.

Reigns explained to ComicBook.com where he drew inspiration for his new gimmick and attitude. He admitted he didn’t develop it from anyone within the wrestling industry, instead pointing to a more cinematic influence.

“If anything, more [from] movies. It’s hard because in a weird way, I’m sure you guys have seen Gangs of New York, The Butcher. In his mind, there is a bad element to him. but he’s the native, he’s the one that’s from America,” Reigns explained. “I like those type of characters to where there’s a justification, in their own mind at least, to what they’re doing.”

Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman

“The Big Dog” noted how he wants to portray his character from a certain perspective going forward. Reigns stressed that not everybody on the WWE roster will “understand” where he’s coming from because they’re not in the same position as he is.

“They’re not in that boss role, that top-of-the card role, and if they are they haven’t been there as long as I have. So of course they’re not going to be able to understand, Reigns siad. “But there are some justifications and a lot of rationalizing that this character is going to go through to convince himself that he’s right, even when he is wrong. I’ll have conviction going forward.”

Roman Reigns recently defeated his cousin Jey Uso at WWE Clash of Champions.

Kenny Omega Provides AEW Video Game Update

Steve Russell
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All Elite Wrestling Executive Vice President Kenny Omega has provided an update on the promotion’s highly-anticipated video game.

Speaking with Gamespot, Omega shared that the video game is “currently in development.”

He noted that he couldn’t say much more but admitted he is “working very closely creatively with a team.”

According to Kenny Omega, the game’s development team provides AEW with “exciting’ updates every few weeks. He believes they are on the right track, highlighting how they have a “good team backing us.”

Omega added how those involved with the AEW video game are very “capable.” He stated that when he can share more, he won’t hesitate to do so as he’s “[…] really excited to show the first little bit of footage that we have.

Kenny Omega then confessed the game is still “a little ways away” at this time. He then joked how it won’t be competing with WWE’s recently released Battlegrounds video game.

He stressed that “[…] when the game is ready, and when it will release, I think it has a very good chance of standing alone is probably the best wrestling product as a video game that you could probably find on the market. That’s the hope anyway.”

Details On WWE’s Plans For Certain Undisputed Era Members

Steve Russell
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Undisputed Era leader Adam Cole faced off against Austin Theory during last night’s episode of NXT in a bout that reportedly signified the beginning of a major babyface push for Cole.

According to PWInsider, Cole is now being positioned into a babyface position within the black-and-gold brand. WWE began to drop hints it may be turning him after his significant NXT Championship loss to Finn Balor. The two clashed at NXT Super Tuesday II in early September. Last night’s victory over Theory was Cole’s first in-ring appearance since that notable loss.

Cole isn’t the only member of the Undisputed Era to be primed for a babyface push. Kyle O’Reilly has also been positioned recently for a positive turn. He recently won the opportunity to face off against Balor for the NXT Championship. O’Reilly called his upcoming bout the “biggest moment” of his life. He will face off against Balor at NXT TakeOver: 31.

The other members of Undisputed Era, Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong, are reportedly not in line for a character turn.

The two are scheduled to face Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch in a matchup to decide the number one contenders to Breezango’s NXT Tag Team Championships.

NXT TakeOver: 31 takes place on October 4 from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 8

Evan S
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0

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: 10/1 2:30AM
  • Eastern: 10/1 5:30AM
  • UK: 10/1 10:30AM
  • Japan: 10/1 6:30PM
  • East Australia: 10/1 7:30PM

NJPW World Video

G1 Climax 30 Day 8 Results

Yota Tsuji vs. Gabriel Kidd ended in a draw (15:00)
Gabriel Kidd has come along a great deal since joining NJPW. He worked a headlock on Tsuji in the most interesting way I’ve ever seen someone do it, cranking on it and reversing all of Tsuji’s attempts to break it in creative ways. His creative holds and transitions enabled him to dominate the majority of the match against Tsuji. Tsuji retaliated with a body slam into a single-leg Boston crab, but it was enough to make Kidd’s crumble after he tried a body slam of his own. Kidd locked in a full Boston crab, but Tsuji was able to make it to the ropes to break the hold. Tsuji hit a back body drop and applied a Boston crab of his own. Kidd was able to get out of it and hit a dropkick as the ring announcer said there was less than 1 minute to go. They both attempted flash pins but the 15 minute time limit arrived before either man was finished Both men kept striking each other after the bell rang until they collapsed in a heap.

B Block: Juice Robinson def. Toru Yano (6:42)
Toru Yano threw one of his t-shirts at Juice and asked him to put it on. Juice was suspicious of Yano’s intentions, but he insisted, and then attempted to roll Juice up, but failed. He then left the ring and told Juice to come after him, but Juice ripped the Yano shirt off and rubbed it between his legs before running after Yano. Yano outsmarted him and taped Juice’s legs together, then bolted back into the ring for the countout victory, but Juice hopped on his taped-together legs back into the ring in time. Juice managed to rip the tape off and hit the Left Hand of God, but Yano blocked Juice’s Pulp Friction. He tried for another roll up but Juice reversed it into a prawn hold for the pinfall victory. Juice 6 points, Yano 6 points

B Block: Zack Sabre Jr. def. Hirooki Goto (3:59)
Following his loss at the hands of KENTA, Zack Sabre Jr. wasted no time trying to dismantle the bandaged right shoulder of Hirooki Goto. He brought Goto to his knees with an octopus hold, then hit a cheeky penalty kick for good measure. The angered Goto hit a lariat with his bad arm and paid the price, collapsing in pain. He managed to still perform the Ushigoroshi on Zack, but when he went for his finishing move, the GTR, Zack dropped out of his grip and flipped Goto into the bridging European Clutch for the three-count, in a very fast match.

B Block: Hiroshi Tanahashi def. YOSHI-HASHI (18:41)
YOSHI-HASHI, seemingly in defiance of one of the elder statesmen of NJPW, adapted part of Tanahashi’s trademark strategy for himself, going after Tanahashi’s legs early in the match, including a Dragonscrew. Irate, Tanahashi pushed YOSHI-HASHI into the corner with elbow strikes and then repaid him with a Dragonscrew of his own. Shockingly, YOSHI-HASHI overpowered Tanahashi in a chop battle and then put him down for a 2-count with a sitout powerbomb. Tanahashi hit a Sling Blade when YOSHI-HASHI ran off the ropes, and then went for the High Fly Flow, but YOSHI-HASHI blocked it with his knees! He then hit a big lariat and applied the Butterfly Lock as the crowd rallied behind Tanahashi. He could see Tanahashi inching toward the rope and transitioned into a backcracker. Tanahashi tried to come back with repeated Dragonscrews, but YOSHI-HASHI managed to hit the Kumagoroshi for a near fall. Tanahashi blocked YOSHI-HASHI’s attempt at the Karma and hit a fast Sling Blade, followed by two High Fly Flows to put YOSHI-HASHI away. 4 points Tanahashi, 2 points YOSHI-HASHI

B Block: EVIL def. KENTA (15:40)
I was interested in this match before the tournament began, with the potential interactions between two Bullet Club members who have not interacted recently, and how Dick Togo’s allegiance might factor in. KENTA offered a 2-Sweet at the start of the match, and EVIL and Dick Togo gave each other a 2-Sweet instead of KENTA. Seemingly perturbed by this, KENTA whispered something to Dick Togo and then went about beating EVIL from pillar to post. He asked Dick Togo to help him but Togo did not get involved. EVIL irish-whipped KENTA into the ropes and Togo grabbed his foot, making him trip, which made KENTA furious at how a Bullet Club member could cheat against another one. From here, EVIL controlled the pace, grinding KENTA down and wrenching on his bad left shoulder. KENTA retaliated with powerful kicks and a flying lariat for a near fall, but when he tried to follow up, Dick Togo jumped onto the apron to distract him and put EVIL back in control. KENTA pushed the referee into EVIL and went to grab his “IWGP US Heavyweight Champion #1 contender” briefcase. Dick Togo asked KENTA for it, and got hit in the face with it. KENTA then hit EVIL with it as well and followed up with the Busaiku Knee Kick, but EVIL kicked out. EVIL then came back with the Darkness Falls, but KENTA blocked the EVIL, and lifted the interfering Dick Togo into the Go 2 Sleep. This gave EVIL the opportunity to hit a low blow from behind and then the EVIL STO for the dirty win over KENTA. 4 points EVIL, 4 points KENTA

B Block: SANADA def. Tetsuya Naito (27:08)
Naito and SANADA have met in the G1 several times since SANADA joined LIJ, but no LIJ member has ever defeated Naito in the G1. However, the crowd today, being in the same prefecture that SANADA was born in, was on SANADA’s side. They clapped in bursts of three, as if chanting the syllables of his name. Naito took this personally, finding every opportunity possible to crank on SANADA’s neck while urging the crowd to chant for their hometown hero. Naito softened SANADA’s neck up with a top rope Frankensteiner and the Esperanza, but SANADA reversed his running Destino into the TKO cutter. From there, he landed the moonsault into the Skull End, reapplying the bodyscissors when Naito managed to get to his feet. He broke the hold to hit the top rope moonsault, but Naito rolled out of the way! As the ring announcer said that 25 minutes had passed, Naito hit a Destino only for SANADA to kick out. He wound up for another, but SANADA blocked it and hit a Destino of his own! He followed up with two top rope moonsaults and got the pin on Naito! SANADA 2 points, Naito 6 points

G1 Climax Updated Standings

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

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

AEW Dynamite Results (9/30): Jon Moxley Defends AEW Title, FTR vs. SCU

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. An 8-man tournament was announced with the winner receiving a shot at the AEW Championship. The finals of the tournament will take place at Full Gear in November.

AEW Dynamite Results (9/30)

  1. Darby Allin def. Ricky Starks
  2. FTR def. SCU to retain the AEW Tag Team Championships
  3. Chris Jericho def. Isiah Kassidy
  4. Orange Cassidy def. #10
  5. Britt Baker def. Red Velvet
  6. Jon Moxley def. The Butcher to retain the AEW World Championship

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Darby Allin Picked Up A Win

Darby Allin
Darby Allin

Ricky Starks faced Darby Allin in the first match of the night.

Match Recap: Starks went for a Spear but Allin countered and applied an Armbar in the middle of the ring. Ricky worked his way across the ring and grabbed the bottom rope to break the hold. Darby Suplexed Starks on the apron and Ricky fell to the floor outside the ring.

Allin connected with a Suicide Dive as Brian Cage made his way to the ring. Will Hobbs attacked Cage and the two traded punches all the way backstage. Back in the ring, Starks capitalized on the distraction and beat Darby down in the corner. Allin battled back and applied another submission hold but Starks was able to get to the bottom rope.

Allin connected with a Stunner and leaped off the middle rope but Ricky caught him with a Spear for a near fall. Darby and Starks battled on the top turnbuckle. Allin booted Starks in the face and Ricky fell to the canvas. Darby connected with the Coffin Drop for the pinfall victory.

https://twitter.com/AEWrestling/status/1311458890895298561?s=20

Brodie Lee Will Defend The TNT Title Against Cody Next Week In A Dog Collar Match

cody dynamite 9 30

Former TNT Champion Cody cane down to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Dasha Fuentes interviewed Cody asked how he is feeling. Cody stated Al Snow trained him and always told him to wrestle hurt but never injured. He said that pre-pandemic wrestlers always shook hands because they need each other because the marquee has two names on it.

Cody stated that he felt shame losing the TNT Championship in three minutes and took a Hollywood job to be on another show. Cody added that he was listening while away and heard people claiming to be the ace of AEW. Cody said that can only be three people, Hikaru Shida, Jon Moxley, or Brodie Lee. Dasha asked if Cody accepted Brodie’s challenge for a Dog Collar match.

Cody said that his answer was no and got out of the ring. Cody got back in the ring and stated “no as in no regrets” and accepted the challenge for next week. Brodie Lee rushed the ring and attacked Cody before security broke it up. Brandi Rhodes hit Dark Order with a Senton off the top rope. Anna Jay and Brandi then traded punches before they were separated.

FTR Retained The Tag Titles

FTR Tully Blanchard
FTR & Tully Blanchard

FTR was interviewed by Tony Schiavone backstage tonight during Dynamite. Dax and Cash boasted about their victory over Best Friends and claimed that they weren’t ready for a title shot. Tony asked about the Young Bucks and said that Dave Meltzer giving them five star ratings doesn’t mean they deserve a title shot. Matt Jackson came out of nowhere and hit Tony with a Superkick as FTR wondered why he didn’t attack them. FTR then defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against SCU. Christopher Daniels and Tully Blanchard were ringside for the match. Hangman Page joined commentary with a glass of whiskey in hand.

Match Recap: Frankie Kazarian and Dax Harwood started the action off. Hangman Page stated that he still wants to be a part of the tag team division despite Kenny Omega saying he was focusing on his singles career last week. Scorpio tagged in and leveled Harwood with a Dropkick for a one count.

Dax brought Scorpio Sky to the corner and Cash Wheeler tagged in. Scorpio connected with a shoulder tackle and then Wheeler made it seem like Christopher Daniels tripped him up. The referee then ejected Daniels from ringside and Wheeler capitalized on the distraction by beating down Scorpio in the corner.

Frankie tagged in and Clotheslined Harwood out of the ring. Scorpio Sky then flipped onto FTR outside the ring. Back in the ring, Scorpio went for the cover but Wheeler kicked out at two. Wheeler leveled Scorpio Sky with a Clothesline as Dynamite went to a break.

When Dynamite returned, Dax had Scorpio Sky trapped in the corner. Scorpio rolled up Harwood but Wheeler distracted the referee. Cash tagged in Scorpio Sky hit him with a Russian Leg Sweep. Frankie tagged in and hit Dax with a couple Clotheslines and then knocked Cash off the apron.

Frankie connected with a Northern Lights Suplex and followed it up with a Fisherman’s Suplex for a near fall. Dax rolled up Frankie for another two count. SCU planted FTR with a pair of Cutters but Harwood was able to kick out at the last moment.

Dax hit Frankie with a Powerbomb and Wheeler followed it up with a Dragon Suplex for another two count. Frankie connected with a Powerslam on Dax for a near fall. Scorpio and Wheeler tagged in and traded roll-ups before battling to the apron. Scorpio brought Cash back into the ring with a Suplex. Tully then tripped up Scorpio and held his legs down as Wheeler pinned him. FTR are still the AEW World Tag Team Champions.

WWE NXT Results (9/30): Shawn Michaels Appears, Champions In Action

Andrew Ravens
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The September 30, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. 

WWE NXT Results 

  • Shotzi Blackheart def. Dakota Kai.
  • Cameron Grimes def. Joey Pistachio
  • KUSHIDA def. Tony Nese
  • Adam Cole def. Austin Theory.
  • Kayden Carter (w/Kacy Catanzaro) def. Xia Li.
  • Johnny Gargano & Candice LeRae def. Damian Priest & Io Shirai.

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Champions In Tag Team Action

Io Shirai
Io Shirai

NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai and NXT North American Champion Damian Priest vs. Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano took place. 

Of course, Shirai will defend the Women’s Title against LeRae while Priest will defend the North American Title against Gargano at this Sunday’s TakeOver show. Thus, this was a preview for those matches. 

They ended up saving this contest for the main event of the show. The stars had a decent amount of time to work. 

The finish saw LeRae hit Priest with a low blow that the referee didn’t see, which led to Io chasing after LeRae and Gargano hitting his finisher to Priest for the win. LeRae hit Io with a back breaker after the match. The heels closed the show by standing tall over the two champions. 

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Dakota Kai

Dakota Kai

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Dakota Kai is in the books in what marked the latest match for Blackheart, who has been a big star in the women’s division as of late. 

Once moving away from a feud with the Robert Stone brand, she hasn’t been winning all of her matches, but has been positioned as a star on the rise and sharing the ring with notable names and in big time matches. 

This was actually the opening match, which was fine as there is no storyline connected to it. There was some outside interference by Raquel Gonzalez and Rhea Ripley. This caused Blackheart to roll her up for the win. 

Face-To-Face

Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels hosted a face-to-face meeting between NXT Champion Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly just days before they meet in a championship match at NXT TakeOver. 

O’Reilly won a Gauntlet Eliminator Match last week to earn this title opportunity. Not only did this segment fill time, build on the main event of TakeOver, and get O’Reilly over more a challenger, it will also help NXT’s viewership with an appearance by the WWE Hall of Famer. 

The three stars sat in chairs with a makeshift table. Balor put over O’Reilly for being a great wrestler. Michaels called O’Reilly one of the best-kept secrets in wrestling. O’Reilly stated that Balor is a fighting champion, but stated that this is a certain defeat for Balor. 

Balor questioned if O’Reilly was going to show up by himself or with Undisputed Era. O’Reilly said that the group being together is how they’ve achieved success, but stated that he’ll show up alone. Balor said there will be no room for excuses when he beats him at TakeOver. 

Adam Cole In Action

Adam Cole
Adam Cole

Adam Cole came out for a promo where he talked about for the last three years. The Undisputed Era has won all of the titles in NXT and they dominated NXT.

He stated that everyone knew in the locker room that no one should cross them. He stated that they have since lost all of the titles.

He said that people forgot to check themselves when they get in the group’s way. He reminded people of their accomplishments. He recalled Austin Theory for talking trash about Kyle O’Reilly earlier in the show.

He called out Theory, who came out to the ring. Cole said that Theory can bring his stupid face to the ring and fight him or he can stay where he’s at and they can beat him down. 

Thus, a singles match broke out. It was a lengthy back and forth affair with Cole winning after hitting the Last Shot. 

Tournament Finals To Take Place At AEW Full Gear

Andrew Ravens
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AEW has announced plans to hold a tournament and some early details have been shared heading into Full Gear. 

The news was made in a segment on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite on TNT. There will be an eight-man tournament taking place over the next few weeks with the finals taking place at AEW Full Gear. 

The purpose of this tournament is to crown a new number 1 contender for the AEW World Championship. Jungle Boy, Rey Fenix, and Kenny Omega were the first names announced for the tournament.

AEW had Adam Page, who was on commentary, choke on his beer when he heard the news. More details on the tournament will be announced soon including the rest of the competitors in the tournament. 

The AEW All Out pay-per-view event will take place on Saturday, November 7th, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place. This will be the final PPV event of the year for AEW. 

The show will air on B/R Live, which is Bleacher Report’s streaming service, traditional PPV outlets, and FITE TV in international markets.

All Elite Wrestling will be announcing more matches in the coming weeks including who will challenge AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley for the title.

Last year’s show was right in line with other AEW pay-per-view events as it did around 100,000 buys.  

WWE Declined RZA’s Offer To Remix Batista’s Theme For Free In 2014, CM Punk Reacts

Andrew Ravens
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Batista’s return to WWE in 2014 could’ve been different in one aspect if WWE actually signed off on an interesting idea. 

It turns out that the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion wanted to update his theme music. For several years during his career, he used Saliva’s “I Stand Alone.”

The change to the music in 2014 would’ve seen some input by the Wu-Tang Clan as RZA planned to add some lyrics to his theme music. 

In fact, RZA was willing to do it for free. However, as Batista tells it, WWE decided against it. As result, it only furthered frustrated him. 

“Here’s some cool background shit for ya! My homie @rza from @WuTangClan was going to add some lyrics to my music to give it an updated feel when I went back in 2014… FOR FREE!!!! And the @WWE said NO. Just another one of my frustrations of the 2014 shit show if a return.”

Batista made his return before the 2014 Royal Rumble event where he won the rumble match and eventually lost to Daniel Bryan for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat match that also featured Randy Orton. 

He stayed around for a few more months before deciding to leave again to further pursue his acting career. 

CM Punk, who is friends with Batista, gave his reaction, as seen below: 

https://twitter.com/CMPunk/status/1311381886246191108

Batista Lands Role In “See” Series On Apple TV+

Triple H Talks Potentially Moving NXT Off Wednesday, WWE Draft

Andrew Ravens
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Triple H gave some interesting answers on two topics during a media call to promote this Sunday’s NXT TakeOver: XXX event.

First up was the possibility of NXT moving off Wednesday to a different date. NXT recently aired on Tuesday for two weeks due to the NHL Playoffs on USA Network. It had some of the best viewership numbers for the year as it didn’t go head-to-head with AEW Dynamite. 

According to Triple H, he’s happy with the day of the week that the show airs. 

“There are conversations around all of our products at all times, the best place for it to sit, the best place for it to work, all of that. Funny, I don’t hear anybody else asking about people moving on Wednesday since we were always on Wednesdays. It comes down to a question of where the show best sits, not only for us, but our partners and wherever they want to go. We’re open to doing the best business we can, but it’s not as simple as it’s our decision and we just put the show where we want.”

Triple H continued by stating that those decisions are made by partners, but did note that people tend to believe what they want to believe. However, he’s not concerned about it. He said that they try to put on the best show possible and thinks they have the best wrestlers in the world. 

“As far as where it sits, those are business questions that come down to WWE and our partners.”

Up next was about how the upcoming draft with RAW and SmackDown will impact NXT. 

According to Triple H, he doesn’t know whether NXT will be part of it, but rather is waiting to see the excitement unfold.

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