WWE Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy has revealed he may not transition into a trainer or agent role when he eventually retires from in-ring competition.
Speaking with the Daily Star, Hardy shared how he hopes there will be a “creative place” for him when he decides he can’t wrestle anymore.
“I still don’t feel like I’m a trainer, a coach or a leader. I just feel like somebody who would never really be seen but has these unique ideas that might be cool for a show or a storyline.”
Hardy then revealed the only circumstances that would convince him to become a trainer. He confessed he would embrace the role only if his daughters wanted to become pro wrestlers:
“[…] If my two daughters ever want to wrestle and they’re serious about it, that’s when I’ll get a ring and a building, and get my training boots on. Other than that, I don’t know what it is…”
Jeff Hardy then spoke about how invested he is in his musical career. He shared how he’s been writing a lot and attempting to improve despite being such an “intimidating industry.” He also pointed to his love of art and painting before once again stating how “[…] I don’t think like I’ll ever be a wrestling trainer, an agent, a coach or anything like that.”
Jeff Hardy is set to defend his Intercontinental Championship this Sunday at Clash of Champions. He competes in a Triple Threat Ladder Match against AJ Styles and Sami Zayn.
Ahead of his Triple Threat Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship this Sunday, AJ Styles has revealed which is his favorite Ladder Match of all time. “The Phenomenal One” shared his thoughts during a recent Twitch stream.
Styles believes everyone can agree the best Ladder Match is the first tag team Ladder Match between The Hardy Boyz and Hedge and Christian, which took place back at No Mercy in 1999.
“I think we can all agree that the first one between Matt and Jeff Hardy against Edge and Christian changed it all,” Styles said. “That has to be the favorite. That was so incredibly done that you’ll never forget it. These guys changed it; they changed the way ladder matches were done. You want to know what the hardest thing about a ladder match is? It’s to not disappoint.”
Styles then stressed how much using ladders in a match hurts. He noted how “there’s a lot of pain involved” in any Ladder Match.
“You’ve seen some accidents. People get hurt – A lot of people get hurt. Hopefully I’ll come out safe on Sunday,” Styles said. “I really just believe that first tag team ladder match was the best. The standing ovation those guys got the next night was incredible. It still gives me cold chills.”
AJ Styles competes against Jeff Hardy and Sami Zayn in a Triple Threat Ladder Match at this Sunday’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view.
Undisputed Era’s Kyle O’Reilly has commented on his momentous win from last night’s episode of NXT. O’Reilly bested Cameron Grimes, Timothy Thatcher, Bronson Reed, and Kushida to win the first-ever NXT Gauntlet Eliminator match. This victory has propelled O’Reilly into an NXT Championship match against Finn Balor at NXT TakeOver: 31.
Speaking with Sarah Schreiber backstage in a WWE Network Exclusive, O’Reilly reflected on his win calling his championship match the “biggest moment” of his life.
“[…] I came into this match on relatively short notice, but we make the most of these opportunities. TakeOver isn’t just the biggest match for Kyle O’Reilly’s career, which it is, it’s not just a huge match for The Undisputed Era as a whole, which it is, this is the biggest moment of my life.”
When asked if he was nervous about facing off against Finn Balor, O’Reilly confessed he has been experiencing some “butterflies.” He opened up, admitting how the idea of competing at TakeOver against Balor gives him “goosebumps” before stressing how this opportunity is “huge for me.”
“I thrive under high presser situations. I mean, it really drives me, Sarah. Can you think of a higher pressure situation than the main event of TakeOver for the NXT Championship? Please, tell me if there is one, because I don’t think there is. So, Finn Balor, NXT, the world, is gonna see just what Kyle O’Reilly can do when he’s under pressure.”
O’Reilly Praised by Hall of Famers
Following his main event win, both Triple H and Shawn Michaels commented on O’Reilly’s achievement.
Triple H stressed how O’Reilly’s success “shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone” before praising his dedication to pro wrestling. He noted how O’Reilly versus Balor “has the ability to steal the show.”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has shared his thoughts on the recent passing of Joe “Animal” Laurinaitis.
Taking to Instagram, The Rock reflected on the news, sharing how he has been saddened and impacted by Animal’s passing. He highlighted how both Animal and his Road Warrior partner, Hawk, were the most “intense, legit tough bad asses tag team in the history of the wild world of pro wrestling.”
He then opened up about the team helped him when he first began his in-ring career. The Rock shared how both Hawk and Animal always took care of him. He revealed how the pair always ensured he learned as much as he could:
“When I was making my bones, still learning the business in the WWE as a very young “The Rock” – I wrestled these guys so many times on the road and they always took good care of me and made sure I learned.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFgIe8-lGDR/
The Rock stressed that both Road Warriors were “Tough as nails” and, ultimately, “Good men.” He then labeled them the “Greatest tag team of all time.” He signed off his heartfelt message by sharing how he will always be grateful to both men for all they did to help him.
Retribution member T-BAR, formerly NXT Superstar Dominik Dijakovic, has responded to CM Punk’s recent mocking of his stablemate, Slapjack.
Punk shared a screenshot of Slapjack in his mask following the group’s unveiling on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. He accompanied it with a jab reading: “When you’re bored in catering and there’s an abundance of paper plates.”
T-BAR replied directly to Punk, calling him out for making fun of his “brother” Slapjack before labeling the former WWE Superstar a “coward.”
“[…] you are a coward like every current and former @WWE Superstar. You tease leading RETRIBUTION but we will not follow you to failure like your New Nexus. We will destroy this place piece by piece, including you if you ever show up.”
The Retribution member later uploaded another tweet, detailing that his name is actually an acronym. According to him, T-BAR stands for Terrorize, Brutalize, Annihilation and Retribution.
Retribution has been making its presence known on WWE programming in recent weeks. Its key members finally unhooded themselves this past Monday only to reveal they all wore masks.
Slapjack wasn’t the only member that had members of the WWE Universe poke fun at them. T-BAR was also likened to a knockoff version of Bane from the 2012 Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises.
AEW Dynamite aired live from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville. Jon Moxley put the AEW Championship on the line against Eddie Kingston. Brodie Lee defended the TNT Championship against Orange Cassidy tonight as well. In addition to the takeaways below, Chris Jericho and MJF had a hilarious backstage segment tonight.
Match Recap: Sonny sent Kip to the corner and slapped him in the face. Miro tagged in but Kip tagged himself in before Miro did anything. Janela and Kiss took turns beating Kip down in the corner of the ring. Miro tagged in and hit Joey with a ridiculous slam. Miro planted Sonny with two slams and an uppercut for a near fall. Sabian tagged in and hit Sonny with a Senton and a kick to the face for a two count. Janela tagged in but referee Aubrey Edwards didn’t see it. Miro and Sabian continued to beat Sonny down in the corner.
Janela finally got the tag and sent Miro out of the ring. Joey went for a Crossbody but Miro caught him. Sonny connected with a Dropkick and the action returned to the ring. Joey hit Sabian with a Superkick for a near fall. Miro tagged back as Sabian planted Joey with a German Suplex on the apron. Miro leveled Sonny with a massive kick and then locked in the Game Over (the Accolade) for the submission victory.
Opinion: Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss just aren’t very good in my opinion. This match went on way too long and was a botchfest. Miro should have tagged in, dominated, and won the match in a couple minutes.
Eddie Kingston ran down to the ring and said he was never eliminated from the Casino Battle Royal and his 18-year career says he deserves a title shot. Kingston stated Moxley sold out and went to the land of sports entertainers. Eddie boasted about never selling his soul to the devil and staying with the fighters. Kingston shouted that he wanted to look the sports entertainer in the eyes and Jon rushed the ring. Kingston and Moxley had a staredown before referees broke it.
Hangman Page faced Evil Uno tonight. Dark Order was on the entrance ramp and Kenny Omega joined commentary. Omega said he was done wrestling in the tag team division.
Match Recap: Hangman dominated the match early and planted Evil Uno with a Suplex for a near fall. Page connected with a Fallaway Slam for another two count. Evil Uno battled back and stomped Hangman down in the corner. Page sent Uno to the outside and hit him with a Crossbody off the apron.
Back in the ring, Evil Uno hid behind the referee and used the distraction to hit Hangman with a Neckbreaker. When Dynamite returned from a break, Hangman hit Evil Uno with a Spinebuster on the apron and followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a two count. Hangman then was able to connected with the Buckshot Lariat for the pinfall victory.
Brodie Lee defended the TNT Championship against Orange Cassidy tonight.
Match Recap: Cassidy hit his lazy kicks and Brodie responded with a punch that knocked Orange Cassidy on his ass. Orange Cassidy went for a Suicide Dive but Dark Order caught him. Brodie then leveled everyone with a Suicide Dive and then delivered a chop to Cassidy’s chest. The fans in Daily’s Place chanted “Brodie sucks!” as the TNT Champion connected with a Senton for a near fall. Cassidy rolled up Brodie for a near fall and then launched him into the turnbuckle. Cassidy sent Brodie out of the ring and hit with two Suicide Dives.
Back in the ring, Orange Cassidy hit Brodie with the Stunner and followed it up with a DDT off the top rope. Cassidy connected with an Air Raid Crash and went for the cover but Brodie was able to kick out at two. Cassidy went for the Orange Punch but Brodie caught him with a Powerbomb. Brodie followed it up with a massive Clothesline for the pinfall victory. Brodie Lee is still the TNT Champion.
After the match, Cody returned with black hair and suite on. Cody launched Silver off the entrance ramp and beat down #5. Cody hit a Cutter and slammed 5’s knee into the ring post. Cody locked in a Figure Four as Brodie and Dark Order retreated.
Brodie Lee boasted about what he did to Dustin and mocked Brandi Rhodes for posting thirst traps on Instagram. Brodie vowed to cut Cody down and wrap a dog collar around Cody’s neck. Brodie added that Cody has one week to answer if he is a man or a coward.
Opinion: I thought that this was a fun match and it was great to see Cody back on Dynamite. Brodie’s promo after the match was absolutely awesome.
WWE booked a tag team match with a member from four tag teams. It was Roderick Strong representing the Undisputed Era teaming up with Danny Burch taking on Imperium’s Fabian Aichner and Legado Del Fantasma’s Paul Mendoza.
WWE had claimed Fandango came up with the idea for the match. The winners of this match will then face off in another tag team match at a later date for a future shot at the NXT Tag Team Titles.
If there was ever a random tournament type match this would be it. As far as the work inside of the ring, it was fine.
The finish saw Burch hit a cutter to Mendoza off the top rope for the win.
WWE held a #1 contender battle royal to determine who will challenge Io Shirai at TakeOver for the NXT Women’s Title.
Shotzi Blackheart, Kacy Catanzaro, Indi Hartwell, Aliyah, Dakota Kai, Candice LeRae, Rhea Ripley, Tegan Nox, Raquel Gonzalez, Kayden Carter, and Xia Li were the competitors.
This was a typical battle royal that you’ve seen before until the ending when there were four stars being left.
At one point, there was a spot where Catanzaro was sent over the top rope, but jumped onto the barricade and then back to the ring apron. Ripley and Gonzalez were eliminated at the same time when they brawled over the top rope to the floor.
The final two stars were LeRae and Blackheart. The finish saw LeRae toss Blackheart off the steel steps and Blackheart crashed on her back.
I don’t know if it would matter who won this contest. Io is still early in her title reign and there are no many people on the roster who can be a believable threat to Io’s title outside of Ripley.
This upcoming match should be fun even if WWE can’t convince fans in thinking that Io has a real chance of losing the title.
Tommaso Ciampa battled Jake Atlas in a singles match on this show. This comes off Ciampa’s recent in-ring return and heel turn in the process.
It also comes at a time where Atlas made his return just last week. Atlas is still an unproven wrestler who has a bright upside and someone that will be pushed under the WWE banner.
Atlas did get some offense here, but it was exactly what you thought it would be and that is Ciampa being a nasty heel. He hit a middle rope DDT before hitting his finisher for the win.
It still seems as if WWE is building towards something much bigger for Ciampa, but with the next TakeOver event just over a week away, WWE might be saving for whatever they have planned after this show or will need to hot shot the feud quickly.
WWE held a Gauntlet Eliminator Match that would determine the new #1 contender to the NXT Title, which is held by Finn Balor.
Bronson Reed, Timothy Thatcher, Kyle O’Reilly, Kushida, and Cameron Grimes were the competitors in the match. The way the match worked was having two stars start off the contest with a new star being added every four minutes with eliminations being done by pinfall and submission until there was one wrestler left.
This was built as a first-ever match, but the concept of it was something that we’ve seen in the past. Either way, this was a fun yet different way to determine a new title contender.
O’Reilly and Kushida started things off while Reed came out as the third star. Kushida was eliminated when Reed hit him with a big splash off the top rope and next out was Thatcher followed by Grimes.
Reed was next to be eliminated. O’Reilly eliminated Thatcher. The final two stars were Grimes and O’Reilly, which saw O’Reilly lock in a heel hook.
Finn Balor has his next challenger as WWE determined the new #1 contender for the WWE Title that’s held by “The Prince.”
WWE announced heading into Wednesday’sepisode of NXT that the reveal of this contender, which also marks the third match to be added to the card of the NXT TakeOver event on October 4th, would be determined.
WWE held a Gauntlet Eliminator Match, which took place in the final 30 minutes of the show. The rules of this match are as followings:
Two men will start in the ring
Ever 4 minutes, another competitor will enter
The only way to be eliminated is via pinfall or submission
The last man standing is the winner
Bronson Reed, Timothy Thatcher, Kyle O’Reilly, Kushida, and Cameron Grimes worked the bout. Kushida and O’Reilly started things off with Reed coming out as the third star and Thatcher as the fourth. Grimes was the last to enter.
The final two stars were Grimes and O’Reilly battling it out. O’Reilly locked in a heel hook to win the match.
O’Reilly was victorious, which means he earned the right to challenge Balor for the WWE NXT Title. After the match, Balor and O’Reilly had a staredown to close the show.
Cody Rhodes has made his return to AEW television. He did so during Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
It happened from Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place after Brodie Lee had successfully retained the TNT Title over Orange Cassidy.
Rhodes changed his hair color from blonde to black. He attacked members of The Dark Order while Lee retreated and ended the segment by stating tall.
The AEW executive has been off television since the August 22nd episode of Dynamite when he dropped the TNT Title to Lee. It was a one-sided dominant performance by Lee. After the match, Rhodes was stretchered out of the arena due to the damage that he suffered only to be attacked by members of the Dark Order.
Brody Lee cut a fiery promo on Cody and challenged him to a dog collar match.
Cody was kept off television for five weeks to sell the injuries he and the rest of the Nightmare Family suffered at the hands of the Dark Order. The hiatus came at an interesting time as it may have something to do with STARZ Heels series going into production in Georgia. Stephen Amell, who stars in the series, specifically asked Cody to take part in the project when casting was announced last year.
The next challenger to WWE NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai will be Candice LeRae and it’s the second match to be added to the card of the upcoming NXT TakeOver event.
During Wednesday’s episode of NXT from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University on the USA Network, WWE held a Battle Royal to determine the #1 contender.
Shotzi Blackheart, Kacy Catanzaro, Indi Hartwell, Aliyah, Dakota Kai, Candice LeRae, Rhea Ripley, Tegan Nox, Raquel Gonzalez, Kayden Carter, and Xia Li were the competitors. It was a typical battle royal and the final four were Kacey, Blackheart, LeRae, and Nox.
The finish saw LeRae toss Blackheart off the steel steps and she landed on her back. The match went about 20 minutes.
Because LeRae was victorious, she earned the right to challenge Shirai for the NXT Women’s Title.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE officials have considered holding this event outside of Full Sail University in favor of holding it at the ThunderDome, which is hosted in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center. There’s still no word yet on the actual location.
Roman Reigns has given his public reaction to the comments made by The Rock regarding a potential match.
The former WWE Champion stated that if he ever went back to work a match at WrestleMania then the opponent that would make sense would be his cousin in terms of a box-office draw.
Reigns took to his Twitter account on Wednesday to give his response. He brought up defending his title against his other cousin, Jey Uso, at this Sunday’s WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view.
Reigns wrote, “@TheRock at #WrestleMania… Jey @WWEUsos at #WWEClash, my responsibility is putting our family’s name on top of the card and at the center of @WWE Universe.”
As of this writing, The Rock has not responded to Reigns’ tweet. The Rock has noted in the past that he’s retired from the pro wrestling business, but perhaps this match can bring him back.
The future WWE Hall of Famer stopped wrestling full-time around 2002 and went on a hiatus for many years after his contract with WWE expired in 2004. The Rock returned to WWE part-time from 2011–13 and continues to make sporadic appearances for the company.
Brian Cage mentioned on social media that he’s not feeling well just hours after AEW announced the cancelation of the main event for Wednesday’s Dynamite episode.
Originally, Cage, Lance Archer, and Ricky Starks vs. AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, Darby Allin, and Will Hobbs in a six-man tag team match was booked for this show, but it got nixed after Archer tested positive for COVID-19. He announced the news in a post on social media.
Now, Cage is saying that he’s not feeling well, but is staying in good spirits. In the same post, he issued his first comments about the match being nixed.
Cage posted on both Twitter and Instagram after the Dynamite changes. It should be noted that just because Cage said he’s sick doesn’t mean that he has COVID-19. He has since deleted the post.
Cage wrote, “Not feeling very well, but still looking GOOD! Best body guy even while sick and out of then gym [flexed biceps emoji] #machine #swolverine #redcon1 #bodyguy #luchaundergroundunderwear.”
The change to the main event caused AEW to book a World Heavyweight Title Match with Moxley putting it on the line in singles action against Eddie Kingston.
AEW aired its one-hour Late Night Dynamite special and pulled in impressive viewership numbers.
The show, which aired after midnight on the east coast Tuesday night on TNT after game three of the NBA Western Conference Finals, averaged 585,000 viewers.
It also cracked the top 10 of the top 150 shows on cable for the night as it ranked ninth and did a 0.26 rating in the 18-49 demo. On the flip side, the NBA game, Los Angeles Lakers vs. Denver Nuggets, did 4.828 million viewers, topping all of cable and finishing third overall for the night.
The post-game show also did 1.743 million viewers on TNT as Dynamite started nearly an hour after the game ended. The men 18-49 was AEW’s strongest demo for the show as it did a 0.35 rating and was tied for seventh overall on cable.
These numbers for the AEW special do match the rating that WWE NXT did back on September 1st. That NXT episode didn’t go up against competition with AEW on a Tuesday night that was in prime time. The AEW special also beat the 0.22 rating that NXT did the following Tuesday.
Obviously, NXT didn’t have a lead-in from an NBA game that AEW had.
Miro did an interview with Sports Illustrated to discuss his WWE departure.
Earlier this year due to budget cuts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, WWE decided to release the former Rusev.
According to Miro, he doesn’t see a reason to be bitter towards WWE because he met his wife and that is the person that he cares about the most.
“People ask me why I’m not bitter. WWE gave me a platform. I have the best fanbase in the world. And that is where I met my wife. I love her to death. If nothing else came of it, I met my wife. So I can’t be bitter. There is no point to that.”
Miro stated that he came to America for an opportunity that he didn’t have in his country and he feels the same way with AEW. He stated that he loves pro wrestling and it has so much left to offer him.
He stated that as soon as he got the call from WWE to inform him of his release, he knew right away about the two places he wanted to go. The first being AEW and “the second, you’ll find out when the time is right.”
Miro will make his AEW in-ring debut on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite by working a singles match against an unknown opponent.
All Elite Wrestling star Lance Archer has tested positive for COVID-19.
The Murderhawk Monster posted a message on social media Wednesday afternoon announcing the diagnosis.
Archer says that after he returned home from AEW’s most recent TV taping, he returned home and learned that a family member was ill. He found out later a friend who had been around that family member had contracted the virus.
“While at home, now I’ve also gotten sick tested positive,” Archer revealed. “I feel ok, expect to see me in 2 wks.”
It remains to be seen if he will be healthy enough to be back in the ring in just two weeks time. The status of Lance Archer’s AEW title match against Jon Moxley at the Dynamite Anniversary show on October 14th is now in question..
Lance Archer will be unable to wrestle on this week’s AEW Dynamite. He was scheduled to team up with Ricky Starks and Brian Cage against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, Darby Allin and Will Hobbs.
We wish Lance Archer a full and speedy recovery.
Jon Moxley vs. Eddie Kingston
Jon Moxley wasted no time in posting his own reaction on social media. Molxey tweeted that he’ll be defending the gold tonight on Dynamite.
Change of plans. I'm putting up the title tonight. Live TV babe. #AEWDynamite
Eddie Kingston took notice of Moxley’s declaration. Kingston has been angling for a title shot, claiming that he was never eliminated from the Casino Battle Royal match at All Out. Lance Archer won that bout to earn the shot at Moxley.
AEW President Tony Khan has since announced that Eddie Kingston will in fact get his shot at Jon Moxley tonight on Dynamite.
Tonight on #AEWDynamite Live on TNT at 8pm ET/7 CT, JonMoxley v. Eddie Kingston for the AEW Championship! There were questions about if Eddie’s Battle Royale elimination was valid (Lance + Eddie were the final 2, Lance threw him off the top but not over), now Eddie gets his shot! https://t.co/mySZDyzjmPpic.twitter.com/bXLdmccBuO
Former WCW President Eric Bischoff recently discussed one of the company’s most iconic match types. War Games began in National Wrestling Alliance and later World Championship Wrestling; the two ring cage match created some of the greatest matches and moments from WCW circa the late eighties/early nineties.
Eric Bicshoff on WarGames
Bischoff would admit that he actually wasn’t a fan of the concept…sort of. “I didn’t really like the concept…Well, let me be clear. Sometimes I talk faster than I should! It’s not that I didn’t like the concept, the conceit, the idea, the ideation, if you will of WarGames. It was kind of cool, it kind of makes sense.”
Eric Bischoff would then discuss the wider implications of the match, saying how whilst WarGames was ‘cool,’ it didn’t have the same importance as the likes of a Royal Rumble in the rival promotion. “You pointed out (co-host Conrad Thompson) for example the Royal Rumble, and how that became a tentpole event for WWE. I think one of the reasons for it is because of the outcome of Royal Rumble sets the stage of what’s going to happen for the next six or eight months. Theoretically it used to, more so than it does today.”
“Wargames didn’t have that element” Bischoff continued. “It was a spectacle. It was different, it was very unique in its own way. But that alone I don’t think made WarGames really that viable. And since it wasn’t the pay per view (Fall Brawl) that kind of helped set the tone for what was going to come? It was really, I hate to say it, it was…it was just another pay per view.”
Eric Bischoff would finish by re-stating that point, saying how WarGames was ‘just another match’ in the grand scheme of things. “That was unique in the format, because it was WarGames. But regardless of what happened in WarGames? Other than ending some storylines and beginning others? It was just another pay per view, but it was another pay per view that was pretty cool, because it was unique.”
Do you agree with Eric Bischoff? What was your favourite WarGames match? Let us know in the comments
John Cena has signed on to star in a new animated comedy headed to HBO’s new streaming network, HBO Max.
Cena will star in The Peacemaker, a spinoff series based on the character he is portraying in the new Suicide Squad movie.
Cena wrote on Twitter, “Working alongside James Gunn on Suicide Squad was an absolute masterclass in how to best bring beloved character to life in a new and fun way. I cannot wait for the DC Universe to experience more of absurdity that is The Peacemaker in this new project on HBO Max!!!”
“The Peacemaker is Christopher Smith, a pacifist diplomat so committed to peace that he was willing to use force as a superhero to advance the cause … Smith later learns that his peace-through-violence efforts were the result of a serious mental illness brought on by the shame of having a Nazi death camp commandant for a father. He believes his father’s spirit haunts him continually and criticizes his every move, even as he tries to live down his past.
Becoming a particularly deadly vigilante who would kill at the slightest notice, he begins to believe that the ghosts of the people he killed, or who were killed in his vicinity, are collected inside his helmet and can offer him advice and commentary.”
In addition to the Suicide Squad movie and this new Peacemaker project for HBO, John Cena recently signed on to host the game show Wipeout on TBS.
Working alongside @JamesGunn on #SuicideSquad was an absolute masterclass in how to best bring beloved characters to life in a new and fun way. I cannot wait for the #DCUniverse to experience more of absurdity that is the Peacemaker in this new project on @hbomax!!! pic.twitter.com/PZ9dOa7Dzj
Former WWE Superstar Ryback recently discussed his ongoing stem cell treatment and potential return to the ring. The Big Guy addressed his timetable for a in-ring training return on the Shooting Blanks Wrestling Report this week.
Ryback on Treatment
“A lot of my shoulder stuff is still scar tissue related” Ryback began on the podcast. “I see a massage therapist now for three and a half hours [a session], it’s probably going to get moved to four for the next couple weeks. Just breaking up more and more scar tissue that had built up from all that cortisone that was that was pumped into me.”
“My back is great” Ryback continued. “I’m training now, like weight training and conditioning to get ready for wrestling. I’m not going to be taking any time off, like like I did when I got it [stem cells] before. [That was] where I took like two or three months off.”
Escalating Training
Ryback would then reveal that his latest set of stem cell treatment is actually just for good measure; confirming that he is indeed not too far away from a potential return to the ring. “These are just for good measure. Get these and then the training is going to escalate further. I’d say I’ll probably give myself three to four weeks and then hopefully from there be able to get back in a ring and start doing some training low key. Just get myself in there to see how I feel.”
“I don’t, I honestly don’t think I’ll miss a beat. I’ve been out before” Ryback stated. “When I had the ankle injury [in WWE] I didn’t wrestle for a year and a half. Then I got thrown on the road, and came right back after not wrestling for a year and a half. I did dark matches and live events there for like five months but like I went back to live events, working 8, 10, 12, 15 minute matches. [That was] after not practising, nothing. People were saying ‘oh my god you got so much better!’ And I hadn’t even even been practising in-ring.”
Ryback has in the past mentioned his want to join All Elite Wrestling. The Big Guy has stated that he likes the schedule in AEW, he also has close ties to Cody Rhodes, with both having worked in WWE and travelled together for a time.
Do you think that we’ll eventually see Ryback in AEW, IMPACT, NWA or New Japan? Let us know in the comments
Rich Swann and Eric Young were both guests on the Impact Press Pass yesterday. The media session was streamed over Facebook Live. Young recently returned to the promotion and quickly captured the Impact World Championship for a second time. Swann is returning after a career-threatening injury and will challenge Young in the main event of Bound For Glory.
I had the chance to ask Rich Swann about his last 2 years in Impact and what they have meant for his pro-wrestling career.
“The last 2 years for me in Impact Wrestling has definitely been like a re-charge. It’s been something that, you know, it brought me up. As everybody knows, before Impact Wrestling, I was on downtime and I was retired but then some people brought me back and brought me into Impact Wrestling. And I’ve done nothing but take opportunity after opportunity that’s been given to me and I am nothing but grateful for Impact Wrestling for giving me these opportunities.”
“Now that I’ve gotten the opportunity to wrestle Eric Young at Bound For Glory, I’m going to seize it baby,” he continued.
As for Eric Young, he said during the call that his current incarnation is his truest form. He also spoke about how he believes Impact Wrestling is the #1 professional wrestling show in the world.
“Impact is the #1 professional wrestling show in the world. I am a professional wrestler, you are a professional wrestler, and when it comes to BFG, we are going to make history.”
The full show can be viewed in the Facebook post below:
All Elite Wrestling returns tonight with an all new episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. The following matches are confirmed for tonight’s live broadcast from Jacksonville, FL at Daily’s Place Amphitheater:
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley teams with Darby Allin and newcomer Will Hobbs against Lance Archer and Team Taz members Brian Cage and Ricky Starks.
AEW TNT Champion and Dark Order leader Brodie Lee puts the gold on the line against Orange Cassidy.
“The Best Man” Miro makes his AEW in-ring debut.
AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida and NWA Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa team up against Women’s Tag Team Cup tournament winners Ivelisse and Diamente.
The next special edition of AEW Dynamite will take place Wednesday, October 14th. This ‘first anniversary’ show will see Jon Moxley defend the AEW World title against Lance Archer.
AEW’s next pay-per-view, Full Gear, takes place Saturday, November 4th.
AEW has released new top-5 rankings and the big news this week is that former AEW Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page are no longer ranked.
AEW Men’s Singles Division
AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (17-0) TNT Champion: Brodie Lee (7-1)
Lance Archer (13-1)
Brian Cage (8-1)
MJF (9-1)
Cody (18-2)
Scorpio Sky (8-2)
There was no movement in the men’s singles rankings this week. A big match in the division takes place tonight on Dynamite, however.
#1 Lance Archer will team with #2 Brian Cage and Ricky Starks in trios action against AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, Darby Allin, and the recently signed Will Hobbs.
Also tonight, Brodie Lee will defend the TNT title against Orange Cassidy.
AEW Women’s Division
AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (17-1)
Nyla Rose (9-2)
Big Swole (8-3)
Abadon (5-1)
Penelope Ford (8-5)
Dr. Britt Baker (4-6)
There was no movement in the women’s division this week either. A big match will take place on tonight’s card, however. AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida will team with NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa to take on the winners of the AEW Tag Team Cup, Diamante and Ivelisse.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Champions: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (9-0)
Best Friends (16-6) (+1)
Young Bucks (7-3) (+1)
The Natural Nightmares (7-2) (+1)
Butcher and the Blade (9-5) (previously unranked)
Santana & Ortiz (8-4)
The big news this week is that former champions Kenny Omega and Hangman Page have been removed from the tag-team rankings. It should be interesting to see what both have to say about this. Omega noted last week while on commentary that he is looking to go back to the singles division but Page has expressed he would like their team to continue.
#1 The Best Friends move into the top contender position after defeating Santana and Ortiz in an epic Parking Lot match last week.
Impact Wrestling continued its build to Bound for Glory on October 24th last night. Would you believe it if we said that Flava Flav, Nancy Kerrigan, and Chuck Norris all appeared on the show? Results and key takeaways from the show are below:
Impact Wrestling 9/22 Quick Results:
Trey Miguel defeated Chris Bey vs TJP
Rohit Raju defeated Trey Miguel (X-Division Championship)
Susie defeated Kimber Lee
Rob Van Dam defeated Sami Callihan
Tenille Dashwood defeated Jordynne Grace
Eric Young vs Eddie Edwards Rematch Scheduled For Victory Road
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovJOiz-ypyQ
Eric Young went on another rampage this week. He attacked Cousin Jake and Cody Deaner for no apparent reason other than to send a message to Scott D’Amore, Rich Swann and everyone else that he is an out of control maniac. He hit piledrivers on both Deaners but was eventually confronted by Scott D’Amore. When Young went to attack D’Amore as well, Eddie Edwards came out and fought him off.
Later in the show, D’Amore booked a rematch between Eddie Edwards and Eric Young for Victory Road on October 3rd. As Edwards was leaving the arena in the closing moments of the show, the lights went out and when they came back on Edwards was on the floor.
Tenille Dashwood Picks Up Main Event Win Thanks To Personal Photographer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB5isRc_Xyo
Caleb Konley (Caleb now spelled Kaleb) is now Tenille Dashwood’s personal photographer and his distraction allowed Dashwood to hit her finish on Jordynne Grace and come out of this week’s main event victorious.
Dashwood’s new heel persona in Impact plays up her status as an “influencer” on social media. They touted her 1.5 million followers on Instagram frequently on commentary. After her victory over Grace, Dashwood remained in the ring for a photoshoot with “Kaleb”. It should be interesting to see where this new version of Tenille Dashwood goes.
Dashwood took a mean looking Grace Driver during the match as well:
Someone from Impact Wrestling had a lot of fun with Cameo this last week. In a segment I’m certain many fans found hilarious, Heath made another appeal for fans to use the #Heath4Impact hashtag this week as he continues to lobby for a spot on the roster.
In addition to noting that having Heath in Impact would help “Rhino Conservation,” Heath enlisted the help of many celebrities to deliver messages via Cameo in support of him being hired. Flava Flav, Nancy Kerrigan, Chuck Norris and others all voiced their support for Heath4Impact. Tremendous.
Sami Callihan’s Feud With Rob Van Dam & Katie Forbes Comes To An End
The stipulation in this match was that if Rob Van Dam could defeated Sami Callihan then Katie Forbes would be given 5-minutes in the ring with him. RVD was able to secure the victory after Forbes sprayed Callihan in the face with hairspray.
After the match, Forbes began kicking a downed Callihan but the man from Ohio eventually fought back, took RVD out of the picture, and gave Katie Forbes a huge piledriver to end the segment.
On commentary, Josh Mathews noted that this was the end of their rivalry.
EC3 Gave Out Moose’s Phone Number
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFtJZrM4YtA
EC3 “stole” Moose’s TNA World Heavyweight Championship and is threatening to destroy it. Moose has been on a worldwide search but discovered that EC3’s influence stretches far and wide. This week on Impact, EC3 gave out Moose’s personal phone number and encouraged fans to send him any information that could lead him to recover the title belt. It’s not quite clear what EC3 has planned for this but will likely learn more in the weeks to come.
Brian Myers was interviewed in the back this week about his loss to Willie Mack last week. Myers pointed out that he had defeated Mack twice beforehand but it was noted to him that he had cheated to do so. This set Myers off and he began throwing things around the room. Tommy Dreamer then entered the picture and told Myers this was no way to act in a new company. Dreamer ordered Myers to clean it up and while the Most Professional Wrestler eventually agreed, some animosity appears to be building between the two.
Dreamer co-hosted the Twitch stream last night and noted that he hired Myers into WWE and wants him to get off to a good start in Impact.
Rohit Raju Retains X-Division Championship
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOJPi02tDTg
The opening match on Impact this week was a triple threat between Chris Bey, TJP and Trey Miguel. The winner would receive an immediate shot at Rohit Raju’s X-Division Championship. Trey picked up the win in the match by hitting a double-knee on TJP. Raju would then retain his title quickly via a roll-up pinning combination while he had a handful of trunks. Raju was able to escape with his title this time but challengers are lining up for his title.
Susie Continues To Channel Su Yung
Susie appears to be reverting back to Su Yung in recent matches on Impact Wrestling. She broke out several moves from the undead bride’s repertoire in her match against Kimber Lee this week on Impact.
Kimber Lee’s association with Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo may be on rocky ground. Purrazzo attempted to interfere in this match but hit her ally instead. This allowed Susie to hit Su Yung’s Panic Switch for the win.
Kylie Rae Challenges Deonna Purrazzo At Bound For Glory
#1 contender for the Knockouts title, Kylie Rae, was in Susie’s corner for her match against Kimber Lee this week. After Susie’s victory, Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo attacked her from behind. Susie attempted to help but got locked in an arm-bar for her trouble. Kylie then tossed Purrazzo out of the ring.
With the champion on the outside, Kylie Rae picked up a microphone and challenged Purrazzo for a title match at Bound For Glory.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
The following matches have been booked for next week’s show:
The Good Brothers vs The Rascalz
Johnny Swinger vs Fallah Bah (Winner is John E Bravo’s Best Man)
Joseph Laurinaitis, better known to wrestling fans as Road Warrior Animal, has passed away at the age of 60. He was a father of 3 children, including former NFL player James Laurinaitis.
News of Animal’s passing was confirmed on his official social media channels. A cause of death is not currently available. A formal statement is expected later today.
SEScoops sends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Joseph “Road Warrior Animal” Laurinaitis. RIP
The Road Warriors, Hawk and Animal, are widely regarded as one of the greatest tag teams in pro wrestling history. The childhood friends from Chicago, Illinois became household names during the 1980’s. They were known for their smash mouth physical in-ring style.
They steamrolled opponents in virtually every major promotion worldwide and won tag team gold wherever they went. Fans will forever remember their jacked-up physiques, iconic war paint, spiked shoulder pads and war paint. The Road Warriors epitomized the notion of two guys you wouldn’t not want to encounter in a dark alley.
The team are 4x PWI Tag Team of the Year award winners. They were voted #1 on the 100 Best Tag Teams of the “PWI Years” in 2003. They were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.
Animal is a 3x tag-team champion in the promotion. He twice won the belts with his longtime partner, Hawk, and once with Heidenreich. Hawk passed away in October 2013 at age 46.
Animal was inducted into the NWA Hall of Fame in 2012 and the NWA Legends Hall of Heroes in 2016. He also received the Frank Gotch Award in 2012 from the George Tragos/Lou These Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Earlier this year, he was presented with the Tag Team Award by the Cauliflower Alley Club. Animal is also in the Minnesota Wreslting Hall of Fame.
Reactions to Animal’s Passing
Animal and the Road Warriors were beloved figures in the wrestling industry. The following are some reactions to the news of his passing:
Today we lost the engine of the train LOD. Animal was a partner, warrior, and friend. He will be welcomed home by a waiting Hawk. pic.twitter.com/pJ3BSYRSnQ
I Am More Than Saddened To Hear Of The Loss Of My Good Friend And GREAT Opponent Joe Laurinaitis Of The Legendary Road Warriors. They Were Iconic! The Road Warriors And The Four Horsemen Drew More Money And Had More Fun And Entertained Fans Worldwide At The Highest Level. RIP ?? pic.twitter.com/eiZ2udqGNm
RIP Animal,love you my brother, I know you and Hawk have a lot of unfinished business to take care of! God speed and blessings to your beautiful family,one love4Life. HH
We're saddened to learn of the passing of Road Warrior Animal, a true legend of professional wrestling. Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to his loved ones at the time. pic.twitter.com/QqwxGimSHR
So stunned to hear about the passing of Animal. He was always so active on the indies, making appearances, and always watched the matches and gave feedback. He shared some great stories about pops as well. He will be sorely missed!!! RIP Animal ??
AEW and the wrestling world mourn the passing of the legendary Road Warrior Animal, our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans. pic.twitter.com/xAzwv8gngw
