2020 has been a year of releases with many big names becoming free agents and jumping ships and now another name seems to have joined the list in Impact Wrestling star Daga.
According to reports from WrestlingInc, the high flying star had asked for his release from the company a while back and the officials have now granted his request.
Daga made his Impact debut in February last year and the company had held off his release request while trying to re-sign him but the management did not succeed in their efforts.
The now-former Impact star is probably best known for his time with AAA in Mexico where he spent six years of his career from 2011 to 2017 and won multiple titles, including the AAA cruiserweight championship once.
He was asked about a potential AEW signing last year but Daga had confirmed that he hasn’t talked to the promotion, though he had shown interest in growing his name in the American market.
Now it would be interesting to see where the former Impact star goes next after his release and if WWE or AEW officials show any interest in signing the Mexican wrestler to their promotion in the coming times.
WWE has been criticized by many for gathering people and running shows during the coronavirus pandemic but it appears that their troubles might just be getting started. Latest reports have confirmed that The Orange County, Florida Department of Health is investigating several of the WWE arenas as potential locations where the coronavirus might be spreading.
The health department has asked their Strike Team to look into a total of 17 business locations as potential coronavirus hotspots including a number of bars and fitness centers. The list of places also includes several sites associated with WWE and the locations include the NXT arena at Full Sail University campus, WWE Performance Center, and the WWE ThunderDome at the Amway Arena.
A WWE spokesperson issued the following response to the story explaining that their arenas are not open to the public and they are producing shows with only the essential personnel in attendance:
“WWE is not open to the public, but rather operating on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance. As part of on-going weekly testing protocols, Aventus Labs have administered more than 10,000 PCR tests to WWE performers, employees, production staff and crew resulting in only 1.5 percent positive cases as compared to the current national average of more than 5%. Additionally, extensive contact tracing takes place and impacted individuals are placed in 14-day quarantine and then only cleared after they test negative.”
There is no word yet on what kind of action the health department could take against the company. We will keep you updated on any development in the story.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.777 million viewers with a 0.52 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This was down from last week, which did 1.855 million viewers and 0.57 demo rating.
To compare, just one year ago, RAW averaged 2.341 million viewers. This marked the first episode of RAW with its new roster after last week’s Draft and the go-home show for Sunday’s Hell in a Cell event.
WWE went up against an NFL game that aired on ESPN, which was between the Cardinals and Cowboys that had 11.317 million viewers.
Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:
Hour 1: 1.806 million, 0.50 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 2: 1.835 million, 0.56 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 3: 1.689 million, 0.49 in the 18-49 Demo
SmackDown Viewership
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.124 million viewers on FOX. This is down from the 2.178 million viewers that the show did for the previous week.
SmackDown averaged 1.987 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was up from the 2.087 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 1.978 million viewers while the second hour did 1.995 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.156 million viewers while the second hour did 2.017 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from 0.50 rating as last week’s show.
Sami Callihan will go one-on-one with his longtime rival Eddie Edwards tonight on AXS TV and Twitch. At Bound For Glory, Callihan will be in Ken Shamrock’s corner as he takes on Edwards. Shamrock and Callihan have formed an alliance in the promotion. They previously feuded and then formed a tag-team.
“If you told a 14-year-old Sami Callihan that he’d be tag-teaming with Ken Shamrock, he’d freak out,” Callihan said in an interview with Slam Wrestling. “But, now, as a grown man, I don’t just look at him like a legend – I look at him as an equal, a co-worker. I look at it as a big feather in my cap that I’m the person they put with him after he came back to wrestling after being gone for so many years. Because they knew we could really do good business.”
Callihan also spoke about the last couple of years he has spent in Impact Wrestling. He won the company’s world title and has had high-profile feuds with Rich Swann, Tessa Blanchard and others.
“To go from someone like Pentagon Jr. then to Brian Cage, to Rich Swann, to Tessa Blanchard, then to Ken Shamrock. Anyone you put me in the ring with, I’m going to bring out the best in them.”
Scarlett Bordeaux has provided an injury update on Karrion Kross. The former NXT Champion was forced to vacate the title shortly after winning it from Keith Lee at TakeOver 30 due to suffering a separated shoulder.
According to an Instagram post from Bordeaux, however, Kross’ recovery is going well. “Everyone loves a comeback, but not everyone is willing to do what it takes.”
“We’re getting closer… and he’s about to be the deadliest piece on the board,” Scarlett wrote regarding Kross’ recovery. “
Bordeaux included a video of Kross using a pulley to life both her and another person from a seated position in her post.
Kross currently holds a perfect 7-0 record in NXT. He’s defeated Leon Ruff, Liam Gray, Tommaso Ciampa, Bronson Reed, Dominik Dijakovic, Danny Burch, and Keith Lee. There is currently no timetable for his return.
Separated shoulders typically take between 2-3 months to recover from but it depends on the severity of the injury.
Kross became the 18th wrestler to ever win the NXT title when he did so at TakeOver 30. He began the 20th reign in the title’s lineage before being forced to vacate the belt the next week.
Darby Allin says that he and Steve-O have something planned for Dynamite tomorrow night. Allin will challenge for the TNT Championship coming up on November 7th at Full Gear.
Allin posted a short video featuring him and Steve-O talking about this upcoming episode of Dynamite.
“Hey everybody, I’m Steve-O,” the Jackass star begins the video. “And we all know that Darby Allin is going to be competing for the TNT Championship on November 7th and clearly, there is something really wrong with him because before that match he is going to do this…”
The camera then pans down to reveal a body bag with the words “Face of TNT” on it.
“All kidding aside, this has bad news written all over it,” Steve-O continued.
Darby Allin’s video with Steve-O can be viewed in the Tweet below:
This isn’t the first time Steve-O has been involved with wrestling. Along with Chris Pontius, he appeared on an episode of WWE RAW from 2006. They ended up getting physically involved with Umaga during the show and the Samoan Bulldozer didn’t take kindly to them not selling moves enough to his liking.
“The Samoan Drop, I’ll tell you, it hurt. Like, I woke up in the middle of the night and I couldn’t breathe,” Pontius later said of the experience.
“So now the match is supposed to be over, but I don’t know that I have to play dead,” Steve-O added. “So, I keep moving around and I’m like, ‘Oh!’ and he’s not done beating me up. Now, he’s going to hit me with a f–king elbow that actually knocked me into a blackout. And I showed this to Jason Ellis and he said, ‘Dude, that is not a WWE elbow. That is an MMA [elbow]’, and I’m begging him, like, ‘Please stop doing this to me!’ But that means that he has to keep doing it because I’m moving around. I don’t remember leaving the ring and they just cut to commercial.”
Former President of TNA/Impact Wrestling, Dixie Carter, recently sent out a Tweet promoting the Bound For Glory PPV scheduled for this Saturday. Carter was responding to a Tweet from Scott D’Amore when she made the comments. D’Amore is promising to send a personal video to anyone who pre-orders the PPV from FITE.
Elijah Burke Says Dixie Carter Doesn’t Get Enough Credit
Elijah Burke recently mentioned that he doesn’t feel Dixie Carter gets enough credit for her work in wrestling. He was speaking with the Wrestling EpiCenter podcast when he said Dixie gets a bum rap.
“Certainly, she gets a bum rap and she doesn’t get enough credit for what she did do, which was take a company that was going under and made it a national company and made it a somewhat profitable company. Sure, she was not the wrestling genius or wrestling mastermind, as so many other people have pointed out. But, when it came to the promotion and what needed to be to get IMPACT to a respectable number 2 at the time, she did that. She did that!”
The Lineup For Bound For Glory
Here is the lineup for Saturday’s Bound For Glory event:
Impact World Championship Eric Young (c) vs Rich Swann
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Kylie Rae
Impact Tag Team Championships The Motor City Machine Guns (c) vs the Good Brothers vs The North vs Ace Austin & Madman Fulton
X-Division Championship Rohit Raju (c) vs Jordynne Grace vs TJP vs Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel vs Willie Mack
Goldberg’s name had become a synonym with his undefeated streak and it made him one of the biggest attractions for WCW until the decision was made to end this record run.
On the latest episode of the Keepin’ it 100 podcast, Disco Inferno who was part of the WCW roster during the time period, revealed how the former world champion reacted backstage after his loss.
Goldberg was worried about his future with the company after the loss. In fact, he felt that he was getting buried:
“He was like talking about like an appearance he had to make or something and started talking like, ‘if they even want me now?’ Like he was thinking, like he got completely buried.
This was his first loss. Right? Nash was showering and then when Nash was drying, Nash asked Bill, he goes, ‘Do I have heat over this?’ Bill was like, ‘nah, nah, nah man. No. Not at all. I’m not talking about you. And I’ll never get that.”
Goldberg made his WCW debut in September 1997 and he quickly became an attraction due to his monstrous look and the undefeated streak which saw him picking victories over the likes of Scott Hall and Hollywood Hogan.
After 173 consecutive wins, the former WCW star’s streak came to an end at Starrcade 1998 when Kevin Nash defeated him thanks to the interference from Scott Hall. Goldberg continued being a top star for the company in the following years until the promotion was sold to WWE.
WWE’s Paige recently took to Instagram to celebrate 2-years of sobriety. She posted a photo of her from 2 years ago and placed it side-by-side with a current one. It definitely appears the 28-year-old is in a much better place these days.
“I’ve posted something like that before. But so proud of my progress! 2 years of soberness. Mumma feeling goooooddd,” Paige said in the post.
Paige also mentioned that her brother is celebrating 6-weeks of sobriety. She noted that he seems to have aged backward in the last 2 months.
“He is 6 weeks in of being sober and I’m SO proud!!! He aged backwards in just under 2 months. Please throw some support in the comments, he deserves it ? Can’t wait for him to come visit me and ronnie for his 40th in February.”
Paige and former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio became engaged in 2016. The couple announced they had split in late-2017. There were concerns at the time that substance abuse was rampant in their relaionship. Del Rio will go on trial early next year for aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault. If convicted, Del Rio could face as much as 99 years in prison.
Gallows and Anderson have started a number of new business ventures since leaving WWE and it has made many wonder if this is a sign that their days in the ring are numbered.
The Good Brothers were recently interviewed by Entrepreneur.com where they talked about things like their future business plans, getting released from WWE and more.
During the interview, Gallows and Anderson were asked if the new projects they have undertaken are a sign that they are planning their retirement and the two responded negatively:
“We are not counting down the days until then. We want to be out there when we’re 50 if we can be. There’s a chance our bodies don’t hold up, so we want this brand that we’re creating now to be the thing that carries us into the next thing.”
The fact that the duo decided to sign with Impact Wrestling and make the company their home base in the US surprised a lot of people because many were hoping Gallows and Anderson to sign with AEW.
When asked about it, the duo claimed that Impact officials put together a very good deal for them and they explained that the company is promoting them as their top stars. You can check out the full interview at this link.
WWE Hall of Famer and AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently discussed WWE RAW from 2005 on the Grilling JR podcast.
This week’s episode of the show was a watch-along of RAW from 10/10/05. That episode was eventful for JR as an on-screen character as he was ‘fired’ on television. As is usually the case, Jim Ross would discuss players and events from the timeframe, including WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon.
JR on Stephanie McMahon
“I think she took after the old man as far as training and dieting” JR began on the podcast. “And in that era [Ruthless Aggression] she was very aware of her appearance as a television performer.”
Ross would then praise McMahon further, making a huge claim regarding her status in the Attitude Era from the late nineties to early 2000’s. “I always believe she was one of the best heels that we had in the Attitude Era. Because she took so much after her dad.”
Initially, Stephanie McMahon played more of a bit-part character in the Attitude Era. When McMahon aligned with Triple H it brought on the McMahon-Helmsley Era, it allowed her to flourish into one of the biggest heels on television at the time. McMahon would largely continue to play a heel role from that point on, both with and against her real life husband Triple H.
“I’ve always said that Vince…even though we philosophically didn’t get along all the time? He was the best heel we had in the Attitude Era” Jim Ross continued. “Because? He was the perfect foil or for top babyface (Steve Austin).”
Do you agree with Jim Ross? Do you think that Stephanie McMahon was one of the best heels in the Attitude Era? Let us know in the comments
Reports first came out earlier yesterday that the company was planning to give the Phenomenal One a bodyguard after his move to Raw during the latest WWE drafts.
Styles then confirmed these reports when he came out with Jordan Omogbehin on his side during this week’s episode of the Red Branded show.
The former World Champion had a match with Matt Riddle on the show but the bout was delayed a bit because Omogbehin refused to leave the ring. He only left when the referee threatened to disqualify AJ and started a 5 count.
His new bodyguard then also helped AJ Styles in picking up the victory against his opponent. He intimidated Riddle outside the ring by forming a fist and when a terrified Riddle ran back to the ring, he was caught by a Styles Clash:
Jordan Omogbehin is a Nigerian star who has previously played college basketball for the University of Florida and for Morgan State University. He was signed by WWE in October 2018 and he has made a handful of appearances for the NXT brand since then.
Though this is not Jordan’s first main roster appearance and the 26-year-old star has previously appeared on Raw Underground as a bouncer. He was also used as a ninja in Akira Tozawa’s group.
There is no word yet on where WWE is planning to go with this storyline and it would be interesting to see where this development leads us.
WWE RAW aired from the ThunderDome in the Amway Center. It was the season premiere of RAW and the final episode before WWE Hell in a Cell this Sunday. RAW also debuted a new theme song tonight.
RETRIBUTION then showed up as The Fiend and Alexa Bliss were holding hands in the middle of the ring. The lights went out again and The Fiend & Alexa Bliss were gone. The Hurt Business rushed the ring and a brawl broke out as RAW went to a break. The two teams faced off in an 8-man tag team match when RAW returned.
Match Recap: Lashley went right after T-Bar and sent him to the corner. Bobby connected with a Flatliner before Slapjack tagged in. Lashley greeted Slapjack with a massive Suplex and Cedric Alexander tagged himself in. Cedric connected with a kick to the face for a near fall.
MVP tagged in and beat Slapjack down in the corner of the ring. Hurt Business isolated Slapjack in the corner as Mace slammed on the steel steps. Mustafa Ali tagged in and stomped on Cedric’s arm. Ali brought Alexander out of the ring and slammed him into the barricade. The Fiend appeared on the jumbotron as RAW went to another commercial break.
When RAW returned, Shelton Benjamin hit Mace with a knee to the face for a near fall. Hurt Business then isolated Mace in the corner and took turns beating him down. Lashley planted Mace with a Spinebuster and then hit T-Bar with a Spear. Ali broke up the cover and retreated to the corner. T-Bar grabbed Lashley from behind but Bobby was able to apply the Hurt Lock. T-Bar quickly tapped out to end the match.
After the match, The Fiend showed up and beat RETRIBUTION down as Mustafa Ali retreated. The Fiend hit T-Bar with the Sister Abigail to end the segment.
Opinion: I don’t see how it is possible to take RETRIBUTION seriously after this. T-Bar, the imposing monster of the stable, tapped out after being in the Hurt Lock for a couple seconds. The Fiend then kicked RETRIBUTION’s ass with ease. RETRIBUTION is absolutely going to be dominating catering on RAW. I have no idea who I was supposed to be cheering for in this match.
Styles claimed that the real redemption of RAW was his return and boasted about defeating Jeff Hardy and Seth Rollins last week. Styles then battled Matt Riddle in a singles match. Before the match, Styles refused to have Jordan leave the ring and the referee started counting. Jordan grabbed the referee’s hand and the ref pleaded with him to leave the ring. Eventually, Jordan Omogbehin left the ring so the match could begin.
Match Recap: Riddle planted Styles with three Gutwrench Suplex and then Clotheslined him out of the ring. Jordan stood in the way of Styles as RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, Matt Riddle hit another Gutwrench Suplex and went for the Broton but Styles got his knees up. AJ connected with the Pele Kick but Riddle immediately battled back and hit a German Suplex. Styles hit Riddle with a Neckbreaker for a two count.
AJ set up for the Styles Clash but Riddle countered into a Fisherman’s Suplex for a near fall. Jordan distracted Riddle and AJ capitalized with the Styles Clash for the pinfall victory.
Drew McIntyre Vowed To Retain The WWE Title At Hell In A Cell
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre was interviewed tonight on RAW. McIntyre will defend the title against Randy Orton inside Hell in a Cell this Sunday night at the PPV. McIntyre took the microphone from Charly and said he wanted to address Randy Orton directly.
McIntyre claimed that Orton is the most evil and entitled superstar in WWE. Drew stated that this should have been over at Clash of Champions but Orton attacked the four legends the following night on RAW. McIntyre said that those with darkness in them thrive inside Hell in a Cell.
Drew added that he has never been in a Hell in a Cell match but that doesn’t give Orton an advantage. McIntyre said that he will put Randy Orton through hell to remain WWE Champion. Drew threatened to show up during Orton’s interview later tonight.
Match Recap: Asuka applied a Headlock to start the action off. Lana broke free but the RAW Women’s Champion leveled her with a shoulder tackle. Asuka went for the Asuka Lock but Lana reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Lana booted Asuka in the face and went for the cover but the champ kicked out at two.
Lana stomped on Asuka in the corner of the ring but Asuka caught her with a kick to the head. Asuka then applied the Asuka Lock for the quick submission victory. Asuka is still the RAW Women’s Champion. After the match, Women’s Tag Team Champions attacked Asuka from behind and then brought Lana outside the ring. Nia once again put Lana through the announce table with a Samoan Drop. Asuka then knocked Shayna out of the ring with the Hip Attack.
Charlotte Flair has decided to take the next step in her career as she has signed with a management company.
On Monday it was announced that the former RAW, SmackDown, and NXT Women’s Champion had inked a deal with VaynerSports Agency.
The agency is owned by entrepreneur and internet personality Gary Vaynerchuk as well as his brother AJ. The agency launched in 2016 and is under the successful VaynerMedia umbrella. Flair looks to be their first wrestler.
Gary V reacted to the news with a response of “BEEN WATING TO ANNOUNCE THIS! So pumped!!!” while Flair stated, “So excited!!!”
In this year’s WWE Draft, Flair was sent to the RAW brand even though she is currently on hiatus. She hasn’t been seen on WWE television in a few months. The reason for that is due to her taking time off to get a cosmetic procedure.
There is no firm word on when she will be back. When she first removed herself from the product, there had been rumors that she could be back by SummerSlam in August, which obviously didn’t happen, while others suggested as long as possible January for the Royal Rumble.
Eric Bischoff made some interesting comments about WWE NXT and TNA Wrestling.
While speaking on his After 83 Weeks post-show, the former SmackDown Executive Director spoke about the differences between TNA about 7 years ago and today’s NXT.
“I don’t think NXT is as good as TNA was when TNA was at its peak.”
He continued by noting that something being at its peak is subjective as some people like it at various stages. He stated that a lot of people liked it because it did feel different in the very beginning or because it was new or it had a smaller presentation. He noted that more than anything, everybody loves a competitor.
“But if you go back and look at TNA in terms of its peak across the boards, not for a moment in time but for an extended period of time across the boards in terms of television ratings, PPV buys and house show attendance. That’s going to be that period of time that I was describing earlier.
Right around the Aces and Eights peak storyline period with Brooke [Hogan] and Bully [Ray] and all of that when they were putting 2500, 3500, 5000 people in a venue.
Yes, they did, and they actually paid for it. I don’t know that NXT is doing anything better than TNA was when TNA was at its peak. I would be pretty sure…that I would bet that there are a lot more resources being pumped into NXT than there ever were being pumped into TNA.”
Bischoff came into the promotion in January 2010 alongside Hulk Hogan. He would be behind various storylines including the Aces & Eights group and Bully Ray becoming TNA World Heavyweight Champion.
It turns out that WWE originally had a different opponent in mind for John Cena at WrestleMania 36.
It wasn’t supposed to be Bray Wyatt, but rather Elias. Plans changed though. Elias shared the news in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.
“New Orleans, I’m in the mix with John and the Undertaker. The next year, I’m in there with John and the Undertaker again—John at WrestleMania, the Undertaker the night next on Raw. I was supposed to go on and face the Undertaker at the show in Saudi Arabia.
That never ended up happening because of Goldberg, but that was supposed to be my match. The year after was supposed to be myself against John Cena at WrestleMania in a three-year running story. Things obviously changed and that didn’t end up happening.”
Cena took part in the Firefly Fun House match against Wyatt at WrestleMania. It was a trip down memory lane for Cena as it wasn’t a normal match. Instead, WWE aired a series of segments where he went through all of his old gimmicks.
Elias ended up wrestling and beating Baron Corbin at Wrestlemania 36 at Night 1.
Cena hasn’t been on WWE television since this contest. Instead, he has continued to focus on his career in Hollywood.
Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in prison for his role in the 2007 NBA betting scandal. An FBI investigation concluded that Donaghy bet on games that he was officiating in the 2005/06 and 2006/07 seasons. While his career officiating basketball is over, he is about to begin one as a pro-wrestling referee.
Donaghy and Major League Wrestling have reached a deal that will see the 53-year-old return to officiating.
“Pro wrestling is entertainment, and I always joked the NBA was a form of entertainment and I compared it a little bit to pro wrestling behind the scenes,” Donaghy said to Sports Illustrated. “When I was growing up, I always enjoyed pro wrestling, guys like Hulk Hogan and Ivan Putski. I thought it would be fun to get involved and see where it goes.”
Donaghy is set to be the “personal referee” for Richard Holliday in the promotion. Holliday is part of the Dynasty faction in MLW. He is also the self-proclaimed “Caribbean Champion” although the title actually belongs to Savio Vega.
“If there is a good response, who knows where it can go from here?” Donaghy continued. “I’m willing to do whatever I can to make the show entertaining and fun for everyone watching, and I’m excited to be a part of it.”
Vice TV’s hit series Dark Side of the Ring has ben officially renewed for a third season. According to The Wrap, season three will feature 14-episodes and premieres in 2021.
Jason Eisner, Vice TV’s Executive VP and General Manager tells The Wrap that Dark Side is a ‘knockout show’ for the channel. He touted series Executive Producers Evan Husney and Jason Eisener as “true heavyweight champions of the world.”
Eisner continued, “Seasons 1 and 2 of ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ are examples of the compelling, thought-provoking, and engaging storytelling we champion here at Vice TV. We can’t wait to see what the series will throw down in the third round!”
Eric Bischoff recently announced that he was interviewed for two episodes of Dark Side of the Ring season three. The subject matters he was interviewed for include Brian Pillman and WCW’s Collision in Korea pay-per-view (1995).
Evan Husney and Jason Eisner both commented on the renewal on social media.
It’s been hard to keep this secret but Season 3 is finally announced and underway! Can’t believe we’re making 14 more documentaries! https://t.co/sKTfraARS5
Kia Stevens, aka Awesome Kong, plays the role of Tammé Dawson on the Netflix series GLOW. The show was canceled due to the pandemic but efforts are underway to possibly end the series with a movie.
According to a recent Instagram post by Stevens, the show does not have any writers who are persons of color. She also stated the show has been irresponsible with how they have portrayed storylines related to racial stereotypes.
“It has been problematic to use our faces, oftentimes solely in the context of a racist storyline, and to be brief with our story development to serve the in-depth white storylines,” she wrote.
Stevens continued to mention that there are no persons of color on the show’s writing team.
“With zero persons of color in the writer’s room this season, it’s a huge oversight to be writing our narratives without anyone else to represent us besides ourselves,” she continued.
She also pointed out that a central theme of the show is performers from the original GLOW dealing with portraying characters who are racial stereotypes. She noted that the same thing is happening again with actors on the Netflix series.
Kia Stevens Statement On GLOW
“The meta-narrative of our show — actors dealing with the conflict of perpetuating stereotypes in order to have opportunity — is exactly what is happening in our real life.”
“We can no longer be quiet about the pain this has caused and the harm it has done in perpetuating the representation of people of color as sidekicks to elevate white leads.”
Stevens concludes her statement with a call for showrunners to hire an executive producer who is a person of color. They also would like the show to address how portraying racial stereotypes has impacted the performers and amplify their voices and characters in Season 4.
Stevens’ comments seem to imply some version of the show will be returning for a new season or a movie. This cannot be confirmed, however. It was also revealed recently that Taya Valkyrie was cast in season 4. At least one episode had been filmed before the pandemic shut down production. The series was always scheduled to end following the 4th season as well.
Kong returned to the wrestling world last year with AEW. She was briefly a member of Brandi Rhodes’ Nightmare family before the angle was scrapped.
WWE and Lillian Garcia have announced that the longtime ring announcer’s podcast “Chasing Glory” is headed to the WWE Network. The show will be available on the free version of WWE’s streaming service. Garcia’s podcast heading to the WWE Network is just the latest in a series of shows that are doing the same.
“I’m proud to announce that my show, ‘Chasing Glory’ will now appear on the WWE NETWORK!!! That’s right! You will now be able to see it on the FREE side of the Network beginning Monday, October 26!!”
Garcia commented on her decision to start the show in 2016 after leaving WWE.
“Since departing the WWE in 2016, I reflected on what would be next, and it didn’t take long to know the next chapter would be to create positive impact in the world! That is exactly what has happened with “Chasing Glory” as the very real stories of my WWE colleagues, athletes, entertainers and entrepreneurs have impacted millions around the world! On the show, they have had the freedom to express who they are, feel connected to one another, and leave the listeners empowered.”
WWE Network To Feature Several New Podcasts & Shows
In addition to Lillian Garcia’s podcast headed to the WWE Network, so too will the “Swerve City” podcast by Isiah “Swerve” Scott. he noted the show will have a bigger budget as well.
Sam Roberts is also set to host a new show on the WWE Network. This will not be a different version of his podcast but an entirely different show, however. His new show will premiere Thursday morning.
This will be a brand new show- not a video version of the podcast, produced by me, every Thursday morning on @WWE Network. This is surreal. Let’s have some fun. pic.twitter.com/Wn2zj487ro
All 3 podcasts are currently hosted in video form on YouTube and on various podcast platforms. They will be available in video once debuting on the WWE Network as well.
A new episode of Steve Austin’s “Broken Skull Sessions” will also premiere next month. The Undertaker will return to Austin’s show as part of the “30 Days of the Deadman” series announced recently.
It is currently being reported that Ben Carter has signed or is expected to sign with WWE shortly. No official announcement has been made, however. According to recent comments on Wrestling Observer Radio, Carter’s decision had much to do with current international travel restrictions.
Due to Carter living in the UK and current travel restrictions, he would not be able to travel to independent shows as much as he would have been able to before COVID-19. Not being able to work the independent shows reportedly made his decision to sign with WWE easier.
“He’s already really good but he could get a lot better by wrestling a few more years in the indies,” said Dave Meltzer.
It is being speculated that Carter will be part of the NXT UK brand.
Carter broke out last month in matches on AEW Dark and the Late Night Dynamite special. Both AEW and WWE are said to have had interest in him although it is not clear if AEW offered him a contract as well.
News that Carter was likely headed to WWE was first revealed by Miro on a video game stream.
“We lost Ben Carter. Ben Carter is lost. He’s gone to the dark side,” said Miro. “I mean, good luck to Carter. All the best to him. I was really impressed with his stuff.”
Tino Sabbatelli is once again signed to a WWE contract. According to a report from PW Insider, the 37-year-old from Orlando re-signed with the company last week. The report also states that Ace Steel has been re-hired in a coaching role at the PC as well.
According to a report from Fightful, there are those in AEW who believe Sabbatelli was responsible for leaking news from AEW tapings. It is not clear if he did or not, however.
Shortly after Eric Bischoff’s appearance on an episode of AEW Dynamite was leaked before airing, accusations were made that it was leaked by an “NXT reject” who was at the tapings. Chris Jericho stated as much on an episode of his Saturday night live stream.
“For example, when we had the debate and Eric Bischoff, and it was announced on Reddit. We know who the spy is by the way, oh we know, and he’ll never be back in f*ckin AEW. NXT reject was the spy, so print that!” Jericho said.
Sabbatelli wrestled on an episode of AEW Dark this summer after having been released from his NXT contract this spring. He teamed with Brady Pierce in a losing effort to The Best Friends.
AEW star Colt Cabana recently discussed the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the affect it is having on live pro wrestling. On the Art of Wrestling podcast, Cabana talked about how his style of performance is not attuned to a setting without live fans in the arena.
“I think my wrestling has taken a tad of a hit, you know?” Colt Cabana began on the podcast. “I was just starting to move forward. My last match was this really fun match, you could watch it on YouTube, it was myself and Peter Avalon in Utah.”
Colt Cabana on ‘No-crowd’ Wrestling
Cabana elaborated further, saying “I’d never been to Utah! The crowd for Utah in this match on [AEW] Dark was going crazy for me! I felt this real connection to the fans and something that I have lived off of for years is a true connection to the wrestling fan.”
Colt would then relay how it felt with the pandemic hitting and the lack of fans being available live in the arena. “I felt the momentum going, ahen we shut down and then when we wrestle? It’s in front of nobody, there are no fans.”
Cabana would finish by making some intriguing comments regarding AEW Champion Jon Moxley. Whilst in context it may be a complement to the Champion, there’s potentially scope to put Cabana in the title picture down the line?
“And I’m not really the wrestler who thrives in front of no fans. Maybe Jon Moxley and his style is. So it’s a perfect time for Jon Moxley to be the AEW champion. But for me? It put me on ice. It put me on ice big time. So if that’s the worst of my worries? It’s fine.”
Bret Hart recently opened up about the career-ending kick he received from Goldberg at Starrcade 1999. Hart spoke about the incident during a recent episode of his Confessions of the Hitman series, noting how, although he liked Goldberg as a person, his “workrate was 0/10.”
Hart explained how Goldberg “was a guy that nobody seemed to have taught how wrestling really works.” He argued how Goldberg’s approach revolved around picking up an opponent and slamming them down as hard as possible.
“His wrestling, his workrate was 0/10. Like, everything he did hurt – everything! He could tie up with you and hurt you. He’d tie up with himself and hurt himself!”
Turning his attention to the kick that would, unfortunately, end his career, Hart stressed how it was the work of “somebody who had absolutely no skill at all.”
Reflecting on the incident, Hart recalled how Goldberg simply threw him into the ropes and then “tried to kick my head off my shoulders.” As far as he’s concerned, there was no “working aspect” to the strike.
“There’s no way you can do it without hurting somebody, and the thing with Bill was that all the ‘I’m sorries’ in the world don’t mean anything when you hurt somebody for real.”
Bret Hart Explains “The Nature Of The Business”
Bret Hart then shared how he never received a call from Goldberg following the career-ending kick. He explained how Goldberg never reached out to ask how he’s doing or discuss the incident.
“[…] but he did say when I saw him about a year after I got hurt, in fact a few weeks before [WCW] terminated my contract, I remember he said to me, ‘it’s the nature of the business – we all know what can happen out there. It’s the nature of the business.'”
Hart took issue with Goldberg’s flippant approach, arguing how their incident wasn’t reflective of the business at all. He stressed how the nature of the business is to not hurt the guy you’re working with.
AEW recently announced a single-elimination tournament to determine a new #1 contender for the promotion’s world championship. AEW has confirmed that the entire 1st round of the tournament will take place on this week’s Dynamite.
Here are the 1st round matches that will take place on Dynamite this Wednesday night:
Penta El Zero M vs Rey Fenix
Colt Cabana vs Adam “Hangman” Page
Kenny Omega vs Joey Janela
Wardlow vs Jungle Boy
Additionally, the following has also been confirmed for this week’s Dynamite:
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) vs. Private Party (Isiah Kassidy & Marq Quen) vs. The Butcher And The Blade (The Blade & The Butcher) vs. Dark Order (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) – winner receives a tag-team title shot.
Dr. Britt Baker DMD vs TBA
Chris Jericho and Maxwell Jacob Friedman have a steak dinner.
The finals of the AEW tournament will take place at Full Gear on November 7th, 2020. Former tag-team champions Kenny Omega and Adam “Hangman” Page are on opposite sides of the bracket. If they were to face each other in the tournament, it would not take place until the finals.
AEW’s is advertising a season’s pass for upcoming shows at Daily’s Place:
Tickets for this Wed, Oct 21st & 3 additional live Dynamites available NOW with outdoor physically-distanced seating in compliance w/state/local regulations + CDC guidelines.
