It’s been well documented that WWE and AEW compete against each other in the Wednesday Night War, but now they might be competing for the services of a rising independent wrestler.
Ben Carter has drawn the interest of multiple companies including WWE and AEW. Per the report, there was at least contact with NXT, but there’s no word yet on how serious those discussions were or how far the conversations got.
AEW may have a slight advantage in signing him to a full-time deal as he’s worked for the promotion in the past.
He made his AEW debut when he worked a match against Ricky Starks on Dark. Two of his matches aired last month that saw him lose to Scorpio Sky on Late Night Dynamite, but scored a win over Lee Johnson on Dark.
Carter was trained at Seth Rollins and Marek Brave’s wrestling school before breaking into the pro wrestling business.
AEW tag team champions appeared on The Push Podcast the week and spoke about their experience being mentored by Dusty Rhodes.
Prior to joining All Elite Wrestling, Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood competed in WWE and NXT as The Revival. It was Dusty Rhodes who paired them up and they learned a lot from the late American Dream.
“For us, he wanted us to be a team.” said Harwood. I think he enjoyed that we were two Carolina boys. I think he enjoyed the fact that we both had Southern accents, and we had our style of work. And I also think he liked the fact that we weren’t the biggest guys in the room.”
Rhodes urged them to always have each others backs, which created a bond between them that has lasted to this day. Harwood continued, “He told us never to leave each other’s side, whether we were in promo class, at the shows together, or in the Performance Center, ‘Never leave each other’s side. Be seen together all the time, so that people can see what I sees, just on the surface.’”
Harwood added that Dusty Rhodes taught them to use a ‘conversational’ style when doing their promos. He taught them the value of connecting with the audience and their peers by speaking to them in a believable way.
Cash Wheeler also spoke fondly of Dusty Rhodes’ teaching style.
“Yeah, the craziest thing about learning from Dusty is, half the time you didn’t even realize you were learning until after he already taught you,” said Wheeler. “He would like, Mr. Miyagi you. You don’t understand why he’s asking you certain things, and why you’re doing certain things until after, finally you just have this realization of like, ‘Oh wow, that’s why he wanted me to do it.’”
MJF is interested in wrestling one of the top stars on WWE’s NXT brand.
The 24-year-old AEW star held a Twitter Q&A session with fans Friday afternoon. Taking time out of his busy schedule, MJF answered 5 questions from fans who used the hashtag, #imabigdumbmark.
One fan asked if he could if he could have a jacket too, a reference to MJF giving members of the Inner Circle jackets this past week on Dynamite. MJF “forgot” to give a jacket to Sammy Guevara and referenced his snub of the Spanish God during the Q&A. He wrote, “I’m still trying to find Sammy’s [Jacket]. Poor little guy is probably somewhere freezing cold right now.”
MJF was asked who he wants to wrestle that is not currently on the AEW roster. He replied, “#Betterthanyou vs. #BayBay.” The tweet has since been deleted.
Of course, this is a reference to former NXT Champion Adam Cole, husband of AEW star Britt Baker. Aside from his wife, Cole has history with many of AEW’s core performers. The Undisputed Era leader would be a huge addition to the AEW roster if he ever decided to jump ship.
The main event is set for the next WWE pay-per-view.
The WWE Universal Championship will be on the line when Roman Reigns the defends the title against his cousin, Jey Uso. This is a rematch from their recent battle at Clash of the Champions. The stakes will be higher this time, as the match is taking place inside the demonic structure
The match came about on Friday’s SmackDown. Jey Uso appeared the big Tribal Chief crowning ceremony, but refused to acknowledge Reigns’ new moniker. This prompted the high-stakes rematch, which is being promoted as “the highest stakes match in WWE history.”
Hell in a Cell takes place Sunday, October 25th from the ThunderDome in Orlando, FL and airs live on the WWE Network.
AEW on screen manager and former WWE star Vickie Guerrero recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The former SmackDown General Manager discussed how her late husband Eddie Guerrero was extremely protective of ‘kayfabe’ when they first started dating.
“Wrestling heritage in Mexico and through the Hispanic community was taken very seriously” Vickie Guerrero began on the show. “You talk about kayfabe? They really protected the business in so many ways. And it wasn’t for three years when I was dating Eddie…he would not let me into any of the secrets or the psychology or anything about wrestling! Because he always told me ‘in due time, I will let you know what’s going on.'”
Vickie Guerrero on Eddie Bleeding In-Ring
Vickie Guerrero would then discuss how difficult it was seeing Eddie perform in brutal matches in Mexico before she was ‘smartened’ up the to the business. “I would see the wrestling happening, which was really big from 1986 to 1995. I mean, it was just, when I saw Ari Romero get his fork and make Eddie bleed? It was just like, I was a mess because here’s my boyfriend in the ring bleeding.”
“And there’s diapers full of crap!” Vickie Guerrero would continue. “Fans were throwing them at the heels! I didn’t understand because the wrestling I saw in American TV? With Hulk Hogan and the Von Erichs? There was no diapers with crap being thrown into the ring. ‘So why is it okay here in Mexico but not in the States!?’ I was very green and I didn’t know a lot.”
Guerrero would finish by discussing the sense of family that was a hugely important part of the scene in Mexico. “I did know that going back into the locker room it’s such a deep rooted family history. There’s a love for the sport and everyone is just so appreciative of the sport that they they were involved in.”
Are you enjoying Vickie Guerrero in AEW so far? Let us know in the comments
Former WWE agent and AEW on screen coach Arn Anderson recently answered fan questions on the ARN podcast.
One fan asked The Enforcer what was the best match you’ve ever seen ‘live.’ Arn Anderson would give an interesting and unexpected answer to that question. “I’ll tell you one, it’s a sleeper” Anderson began on the podcast.
Arn Anderson on Kane vs Kurt Angle
“I saw Kane wrestle Kurt Angle, and I hadn’t been with WWE too long. I don’t remember the exact year, but they [WWE] were really high on Angle. They were really building him, and it was when Kane was about 330 pounds with the mask.”
The match that Anderson was referring to is from SmackDown in November 2001. At the time Kurt Angle was the WCW United States Champion and this was right at the tail end of the Invasion storyline.
“They went about 20-25 minutes on TV. With the story being Kane, the monster, tripping up a little bit and allowing that ankle lock to be put on him several times. And I mean several times. Kane obviously did what you thought Kane would, he nodded his head back and forth, saying ‘no no no no way, I’m going to tap out no way.'”
Glenn Jacobs
Arn Anderson would then praise the man behind the mask. “I’m a huge fan of the Kane character, and the person Glenn Jacobs. As we know if you’ve got a mask covering your face? It’s hard to see your facial and facials are where our money lies in this business. It tells you when you’re happy, when you’re hurt, when you’re sad, when you’re hurting and when you’re in trouble. All those emotions are conveyed through your face.”
Elaborating further, Arn Anderson said “when you got a mask on? It’s hard to do that. But some way, somehow Kane was able to show me his frustration, bobbing his head in pain and the slapping of the mat. His whole body English during the course of that; until finally he did the unthinkable, and it was the first time he’d ever done it. Kane tapped out to Kurt Angle.”
Do you remember the match from ’01? Do you agree with Arn Anderson that it’s a great bout? Check out the match below and let us know what you think in the comments.
An email from Vince McMahon to talent on the WWE roster has reportedly been leaked. According to a report from Fightful Select, the below email was sent from Vince McMahon to the roster. The email is regarding 3rd party deals with companies such as Twitch or Cameo. The alleged leaked email reads as follows:
“Just a friendly reminder that this Friday, October 2 is the deadline for severing any unauthorized business relationships with 3rd parties. As was mentioned in my September 3 message, continued violations beyond this deadline will results in fines and may result in suspension of termination. If you need further details, please contact our EVP of Operations, Brad Blum. Thank you. Vince.”
Shortly after news first broke regarding the policy, it was later reported that talent would only have to use their real names for such accounts. Now it appears, that WWE is set to assume control of all accounts belonging to members of its roster.
Talent will still earn revenue from Twitch and Cameo but it will count toward their downside guarantee in their WWE contract. This may be part of a larger strategy WWE eventually rolls out regarding both Twitch and Cameo.
WWE is reportedly set to assume ownership of the Twitch accounts created by several members of its roster. The talent will still earn revenue from their Twitch accounts but it will count toward the downside guarantee in their contract with WWE.
Several WWE Superstars who have accounts on the video game streaming platform have issued a public statement regarding their relationship with Twitch.
Dakota Kai posted the following:
Starting Twitch up again was purely for three reasons; to have fun as a gamer, communicate with y’all during a difficult year and to give as much possible back to different charities.
“And host charities for people and animals in need. Yesterday we raised enough money to help someone get their cat the surgery they needed to survive. We love what we built and worked hard for,” Vega added.
Mia Yim has done charity streams on Twitch to raise money for people who need medical procedures and other causes. She posted the following regarding her relationship with Twitch:
Gaming has been my escape from reality and a way to interact with friends and fans throughout this difficult few months.
The community that I gained on twitch also help me raise funds for a friends burial expense and a friend’s kidney transplant.
“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,” Paige Tweeted.
Kyle O’Reilly will headline Takeover 31 tomorrow night against NXT champion Finn Balor. The Undisputed Era member lives with Type 1 diabetes and spoke to the NY Post recently about the challenges that come from living with the condition while being a pro-wrestler.
“That’s the thing about Type 1 diabetes, it is a daily grind, a daily challenge,” O’Reilly said. “But it’s a challenge and fight I can win on a daily basis, too. I know it keeps me accountable for my own health, my own well-being. I take it into my own hands. I do what I have to do to be the best performer and the best healthy human being I can possibly be.”
O’Reilly continued to talk about the challenges associated with having Type 1 diabetes and being a professional athlete.
“It’s not without its challenges, but it’s something I’ve dealt with my entire career since I was 18 years old. It’s something I’ve dealt with for a long time. I’ve always had a good grasp of it. I’ve looked at it as a blessing in disguise because it does sort of keep me accountable for my own health. I have no excuse to let things slide or to get lazy with my own health.”
It also appears as though some members of the UE are turning babyface. O’Reilly spoke about this as well during the interview.
“Pretty much all of my singles success in the past has come with me being a babyface, so it’s something I’m comfortable doing. It’s something I think I can be good at.”
O’Reilly won a gauntlet elimination match on NXT recently to earn the right to face Balor. The full interview can be read here.
It was reported recently that WWE is planning on assuming ownership of several Twitch accounts operated by talent on its roster. Paige, Dakota Kai, Mia Yim, and several others have successful accounts on the video game streaming platform.
Former US Presidential candidate Andrew Yang hopes to be in a cabinet position following the next election. He has publicly stated he plans to take action on WWE’s independent contractor policy when/if he is in a position to do.
According to Yang, he has heard from WWE Superstars that the company is asking them to sign new contracts that specifically mention Twitch.
Hearing from talent that WWE is forcing performers to sign new contracts that include twitch. Streaming on twitch will become a work obligation and if talent doesn’t stream they will forego earnings, be suspended or face penalties. Doesn’t sound like independent contractors.
WWE will reportedly be rolling out a new Twitch strategy, with streaming on the platform becoming part of a talent’s regular work schedule. Money earned from streaming on Twitch would count toward that talent’s downside guarantee.
Yang had the following to say regarding the Twitch deal recently when speaking to Wrestling Inc.
“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 on screen manager and former WWE star Vickie Guerrero recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The former SmackDown General Manager discussed on the show how her early tenure has been with All Elite Wrestling.
“You know, I never thought I’d be getting back into a wrestling promotion” Vickie Guerrero began on the show. “To be part of the AEW family? [It] has been so much fun. It’s Stress Free, and I’m just loving that I’m able to be creative with my character.”
Vickie Guerrero on Nyla Rose
Guerrero currently works on AEW programming as the manager of Nyla Rose. Vickie Guerrero was announced as the former AEW Women’s Champion’s manager back in July. “To work with Nyla Rose has been a lot of fun” Guerrero stated. “She’s so creative and funny and has a great attitude.”
“Everything is kind of, you know, growing together and we’re moulding and collaborating” Guerrero would continue. “So I’m really excited to see what these next few months are going to contain with Nyla Rose. I’m ready to start causing trouble again!”
Vickie Guerrero did praise her former employer WWE back in August. Speaking to Daily DDT, Guerrero stated “With WWE? I’m always grateful for the opportunity they gave to my late husband, Eddie Guerrero. Then for me too, to start my legacy, so to speak. I’m very grateful for what they gave me back then and just gave me the opportunity to further my career. I’ll always grateful for that.”
“Vince McMahon was very good to Eddie and I” Vickie would continue. “Eddie thought of him as a dad. He was very good to me and took great care of me when Eddie passed away. I think my focus with WWE was to do the best I could for him. I did that and we left on very good terms.”
Are you enjoying Vickie Guerrero in AEW so far? Let us know in the comments
WWE SmackDown aired from the ThunderDome inside the Amway Center. It was the first episode of SmackDown following WWE Clash of Champions. Carmella was revealed to be the superstar in the vignettes aired on SmackDown over the past few weeks. It was also announced during tonight’s show that Big E will face Sheamus in a Falls Count Anywhere match next week.
Heyman stated that he was a little bit nervous because tonight we are all here to anoint Roman Reigns as the Tribal Chief of the entire WWE Universe.
Reigns stuck out his hand and Paul put the microphone in it. Roman said that Jey still hasn’t acknowledged him as the Tribal Chief and demanded that he come out here right now.
Jey Uso slowly came to the ring as Reigns started at him. Jey said Reigns is supposed to be his cousin, his family, but at Clash of Champions he showed his true colors. Jey noted that he showed his true colors as well and that he would have won if Jimmy didn’t throw in the towel.
Roman claimed that Clash of Champions was the worst night of his career and that he was trying to do Jey a favor by putting him in the main event. Reigns added that he wanted to get Jey that huge payday and that he loves Jey more than his brother does.
Reigns told Jey was all he had to do was acknowledge him as the Tribal Chief. Roman said that all he wanted to do was to represent our family to the fullest but Jey disrespected and embarrassed their whole family. Roman added that Jey broke his heart and even now Jey cannot look him in the eyes.
Reigns noted that Jey keeps looking at the Universal Championship and said that he will give him another title shot at Hell in a Cell. Roman claimed that the match will have the highest stakes that any match has ever had in WWE history. Roman hugged Jey and said “this time there is going to be real consequences if he accepts this challenge”. Jey accepted the challenge and Reigns smirked on the entrance ramp.
AJ Styles interrupted and told Jey that he doesn’t want to see him take another beating. Styles suggested that he was more qualified to challenge for the title and that Jimmy Uso is the better athlete. Jey attacked Styles and hit him with a Splash outside the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break. Jey and Styles then competed in a singles match when SmackDown returned.
Match Recap: AJ sent Jey to the corner and hit him with a couple chops while taunting him. Jey battled back with a punch to the face and followed it up with a Body Slam. Jey connected with a headbutt and AJ retreated to the corner. Jey went for a Splash but AJ dodged it and connected with a kick to the midsection.
Jey Clotheslined AJ out of the ring and went for a Suicide Dive but Styles countered with a kick to the head. Styles then planted Jey with a Suplex on top of the announce table as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Styles was in control and set up for the Styles Clash. Jey blocked it and sent AJ over the ropes with a Back Body Drop. Jey knocked Styles out of the ring with an Enziguri and followed it up with a Suicide Dive. Back in the ring, Jey hit a Superkick and then the Uso Splash for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I’m actually alright with Reigns and Jey having another match because they have hit out of the park with this storyline. I’m assuming that AJ Styles is on his way to RAW in the WWE Draft.
Otis squared off against John Morrison tonight on SmackDown. Before the match, Otis claimed he was going to represent himself in court next week in regards to the lawsuit filed against him by Miz and Morrison.
Match Recap: Morrison controlled the action early and posed on the top rope. Otis caught him with a Clothesline and then stood on his ribs. Otis connected with a Splash in the corner and followed it up with the Caterpillar Elbow Drop. Otis climbed to the second rope and hit another Splash for the pinfall victory.
Kevin Owens hosted a special edition of the Kevin Owens Show and welcomed Alexa Bliss as his guest. Owens noted that he is a RAW superstar but this might be his new home after the WWE Draft.
Owens told Alexa that he has so many questions about what is happening to her. Kevin said that he has seen a lot of anger from Bliss and it reminds him of what he is seeing from Aleister Black on RAW.
Kevin noted that Alexa Bliss used to be always happy and that is not who she is anymore. Bliss said that people change and that Kevin should try it sometime. Owens wanted to understand the “darkness” that is taking over Alexa so that he can understand what has happened to Aleister Black.
Alexa asked Kevin if he has ever been around him (The Fiend) and claimed that your whole body goes numb when he touches you. Bliss added that when he looks at you it feels like you are looking right through you.
Owens suggested that Alexa is brainwashed and Bliss agreed. Alexa claimed that her brain has been washed of all the lies and has been cleansed by “him”. Bliss said “let him in” and the lights went out in the arena. When the lights came on, The Fiend had the Mandible Claw locked in on Kevin Owens as Alexa Bliss watched on. The Fiend then took Alexa’s hand and she smiled to the camera as SmackDown went to a break. It was announced that The Fiend will face Kevin Owens next week.
The final betting odds have been released for the WWE NXT TakeOver 31 event from Orlando, Florida at the Performance Center.
The card for the show that takes place this Sunday appears to be finalized as only 5 matches have been announced. It’s possible that a sixth match is added whether that be on the main card or pre-show.
Some of the more notable odds include the main event between WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor and Kyle O’Reilly as Balor is listed as a clear favorite over the underdog.
There are no titles expected to change, according to the odds. It should be noted that odds are not out yet for WWE NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott.
WWE NXT TakeOver 31 Odds
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of the show this Sunday. The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds:
WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor (1/7) vs. Kyle O’Reilly (4/1)
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai (4/9) vs. Candice LeRae (13/8)
WWE NXT North American Champion Damian Priest (1/2) vs. Johnny Gargano (6/4)
News broke late Thursday night that WWE would not be airing the NXT TakeOver 31 show from Full Sail University. Instead, the show will be moving to the Performance Center.
It was also reported how the NXT TV show would also take place from the training facility. Pwinsider.com reported today that starting this coming Wednesday, the TV shows will no longer be taped in advance, but rather air live every week going forward.
Regarding NXT TakeOver 31, Wrestling Inc reports that there are several reasons as to why WWE amicably left Full Sail University.
It was noted that the main reason is due to the students as before the pandemic, they have used students in various capacities from camera personnel and production assistants. Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, that hasn’t been the case due to NXT being a closed set with WWE personnel only. There are also no plans to use students as fans as Full Sail won’t allow fans to attend live shows on campus.
Finally, with the recent outbreaks in NXT and the university partially re-opened to in-student learning, NXT uses some of the conference rooms in the building across that students use when WWE isn’t taping NXT.
With WWE setting up another training facility and the reasons mentioned above, the feeling of keeping everyone close and them being the only ones using the facilities played a factor.
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.
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.
“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.”
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.
I was just about to run this within the hour but wanted to give #WWE a chance to comment and was waiting for a response. Multiple sources have told me as well WrestleMania may be on the move to Tampa, about a month after the Super Bowl is held at the same venue. https://t.co/vFjnxM0iry
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.
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
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 exclusivelyreported 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.
This would be infuriating to me if I had spent time building up my social media channels only to have WWE take them over from their ‘independent contractors.’ People are angry and rightfully so. https://t.co/Xa2WVsgWU3
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 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.
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:
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.’
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 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.
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:
Share your uncool high school /teen moments using the #uncoolwithalexa !!!
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.
