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Quick Results: NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 3

Evan S
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New Japan Pro-Wrestling held their third day of the G1 Climax 30 tournament today.

NJPW World Video (Japanese commentary)

English commentary will be uploaded this week.

NJPW G1 Climax 30 Day 3 Results

Gabriel Kidd def. Yuya Uemura (7:21, Pinfall, Double Underhook Suplex)

A Block: Jeff Cobb def. Shingo Takagi (11:44, Pinfall, Tour of the Islands)

A Block: Kazuchika Okada def. Yujiro Takahashi (12:01, Submission, Money Clip)

A Block: Taichi def. Minoru Suzuki (12:11, Pinfall, Black Mephisto)

A Block: Will Ospreay def. Tomohiro Ishii (18:20, Pinfall, Stormbreaker)

A Block: Jay White def. Kota Ibushi (20:28, Pinfall, Blade Runner)

Standings

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

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

Ken Shamrock Comments On Raw Underground

Steve Russell
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Ken Shamrock has shared his thoughts on Raw Underground while appearing on an episode of The Dropkick podcast.

Shamrock confessed he is now a fan of the concept of Raw Underground. He juxtaposed the segments intentions with MMA promotion Pancrase: 

“[…] what we wanted to find out is what wrestling would look like if it was real, and that’s what you have in the Pancrase organization where I fought over there. That’s what it looks like when you take wrestling and you turn it into a real fight, and it’s sharp.”

The former WWE Superstar promised that Raw Underground will engage fans on a different level by providing a harder-hitting alternative to its typical in-ring offerings. According to Shamrock, WWE will soon discover the same lessons Pancrase learned in how to present its product.

“When you think about what WWE is doing with [RAW] Underground, they’re going, ‘Hey, let’s find out what it’s like if we can start doing these predetermined outcomes, but yet let’s make it more physical and let’s make it more real.’ They’re gonna find out the same thing we did over in Japan: that it’s much more exciting when you’re watching a movie that you can’t tell whether it’s real or it’s not real.”

Ken Shamrock has previously shared negative comments on Raw Underground. When the segment first began airing, he invited WWE to bring him on board to help its worked shoots actually “look good.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-FdSzoCDvQ

Drew McIntyre Says The ThunderDome Is A ‘Difference Maker’ For WWE

Steve Russell
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WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has opened up about WWE’s ThunderDome, believing the state-of-the-art production setup to be a “difference maker” for the company.

Speaking with PWInsider, McIntyre explained how the ThunderDome provides the kind of “big feel” fans and Superstars expect of WWE:

“When I first came out, on the first Raw in the ThunderDome and I raised the Title and freaking fire started going off around me and pyro going off around me, you know I’m still a wrestling fan at heart, I’m just standing there trying to keep a straight face, but in my head I am marking the hell out, man this is really freaking cool.”

McIntyre then pointed to how the atmosphere for matches has improved as he’s been able to “see faces react” to what’s happening.

“When Randy and I were in that match it was such a difference maker for the emotion and that’s kind of what Randy and I are about, is telling the story, and you really need that feedback from the crowd to kinda dictate where you’re going and feel that emotion.”

He highlighted how the virtual crowd’s input had a significant impact on their bout. McIntyre also acknowledged how his time performing to fans at home has been a learning experience.

“[…] it’s a figuring out process every step we go, you know we progress and our team are so unbelievable and they’re making us look like stars, it feels closer to what you would expect with WWE with the pyro and the lights and those drones flying overhead, so we feel good.”

Drew McIntyre defends his WWE Championship against Randy Orton this Sunday at Clash of Champions. The two will compete in an Ambulance Match.

The Rock Says He’d Be Honored To Put Roman Reigns Over At WrestleMania

Michael Reichlin
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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson says he’d be honored to wrestle Roman Reigns at a future WrestleMania.

The Rock recently sat down with his brother-in-law Hiram Garcia for a project called, ‘The Rock: Through the Lens,’ a photographic record of a brotherhood over twenty years in the making. Garcia serves as President of Production at Seven Bucks Productions. Through the Lens can be seen at The Rock’s YouTube channel.

During the latest clip from Through the Lens, The Rock spoke about his experiences hosting Saturday Night Live five times, working with Hollywood legend Danny DeVito and his cousin, Roman Reigns.

The Rock said Reigns is a hero to millions of people around the world. He amassed a legion of fans wrestling for WWE, but showed people his true warrior spirit when he went public with his heroic battle against Leukemia.

When asked if he’d ever return to WWE for one more WrestleMania event, The Rock named Roman Reigns as the one opponent that would make sense. He officially announced his retirement from wrestling last year, but a match against Reigns would be a box office blockbuster.

Garcia asked The Rock the big question. If he did return to WWE for a WrestleMania dream match against Roman Reigns, who goes over?

The Rock joked, “I’ll tell you this right now. I’m not going down that road, because I know how that conversation goes.”

Imitating WWE boss Vince McMahon, they continued, “Here’s what we’re thinking. Roman beats you now at this WrestleMania. But, listen, before you guys say anything … then on the next one… that’s when …”

In actuality, The Rock said it would be an honor to put Reigns over on that stage.

“You know what,” he began, “the truth is, I would be honored not only to share the ring with Roman and to go back to the WWE, but of course, I would be honored to have him raise his hand on that one.”

You can see The Rock’s full comments about working with Roman Reigns below:

WWE RAW Viewership Dips Against Week 2 Of Monday Night Football (9/21)

Andrew Ravens
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Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.667 million viewers with a 0.49 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This was down from last week, which did 1.689 million viewers, but up from the 0.50 demo rating. 

Despite loading up the show last week that included a Steel Cage Match, RAW got hit pretty hard by the premiere of Monday Night Football for the league on ESPN. 

This week, WWE only had to deal with one NFL game that aired on both ABC and ESPN. This was the Clash of Champions go-home show of RAW. 

To compare, just one year ago, RAW averaged 2.210 million viewers. Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:

  • Hour 1: 1.746 million, 0.51 in the 18-49 Demo
  • Hour 2: 1.692 million, 0.50 in the 18-49 Demo
  • Hour 3: 1.565 million, 0.48 in the 18-49 Demo

SmackDown Viewership

Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.037 million viewers on FOX. This is down from the 2.329 million viewers that the show did for the previous week.

SmackDown averaged 1.954 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was down from the 2.261 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets. 

The first hour drew 1.922 million viewers while the second hour did 1.986 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.236 million viewers while the second hour did 2.286  million viewers. 

SmackDown pulled in a 0.50 rating in the 18-49 demos, down from the 0.60 rating as last week’s show.

Previews For Tonight’s AEW Late Night Dynamite & Dark Shows

Michael Reichlin
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All Elite Wrestling is dropping two new shows Tuesday night featuring more than a dozen fresh matches.

In addition to the weekly AEW Dark YouTube series, a one-hour Late Night Dynamite special will air on TNT following the NBA Playoff game.

Below are previews for both shows:

AEW Dark:

  • The Butcher and The Blade vs. Calvin Stewart and Puf.
  • The Gunn Club (Billy and Austin) vs. M’Badu and Cruz.
  • Sonny Kiss and Joey Janela vs. Kevin Blackwood and Daniel Garcia
  • The Dark Order (Evil Uno and Stu Grayson) vs. Rembrandt Lewis and Fuego Del Sol
  • Will Hobbs vs. Serpentico
  • Ben Carter vs. Lee Johnson
  • Sereena Deeb vs. KiLynn King.
  • Eddie Kingston vs. Brian Pillman Jr.
  • Lucha Bros. (Pentagon Jr. and Rey Fenix) vs. Donte Smiley and Maxx Stardom
  • The Dark Order (5 and 10) vs. Ryzin and Xander Gold
  • Ricky Starks vs. Christopher Daniels

Late Night Dynamite on TNT:

  • Scorpio Sky vs. Ben Carter
  • Brandi Rhodes vs. Anna Jay
  • Matt Sydal vs. Shawn Spears

Chris Jericho will join Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone and Excalibur on commentary.

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Colt Cabana Talks Being Worried by Lack of Wider Concussion Knowledge

Jake Skudder
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AEW star Colt Cabana recently released a new episode of the Art of Wrestling podcast. AOW is considered the ‘first’ wrestling podcast that really made an impact on the medium, leading to the litany of different shows that are now available to listen to almost daily.

Art of Wrestling was put on hiatus after Cabana spent years releasing episodes; however special ‘seasons’ are now being released sporadically. Colt Cabana revealed on this first new episode that he is concerned about the effects of concussions on professional wrestlers.

Colt Cabana on Concussions

This episode of AOW featured Matt Hardy, who of course recently suffered a horrific head injury at AEW’s All Out PPV. Cabana stated that the podcast episode was recorded before the incident, however it brought up the issue of concussions in pro wrestling once again to the forefront.

“While I was with the NWA? Chris Nowinski came in to talk to us” Colt Cabana began on the podcast. Chris Nowinski is a former WWE Superstar who retired due to concussion related issues. Since his retirement in 2003, Nowinski has been part of research into concussions and their effects on sports stars, even beyond professional wrestling.

“He basically said ‘we’ll never know what’s going on with any of your brains, until you die and we dissect it'” Cabana continued. “I was like ‘wait, you can’t do studies!? How do I know that my brain isn’t the most hurt right now!? I mean, I’m not in the safest job and he’s just like ‘don’t get two concussions in a row. If your head hurts don’t wrestle.'”

“I feel I need more concrete information, and we don’t have that. It’s not like AEW [just] doesn’t have that, or WWE, or IMPACT. Nobody does, and I thought listening to Chris Nowinski’s speech would make me feel safer and happier? It like did the complete opposite and made me so worried in general, for everyone. So of course when this stuff happens with Matt Hardy? That’s all I could think of.”

Colt Cabana
Colt Cabana is All Elite

Gerald Brisco Teasing That He Is Headed To AEW

Michael Reichlin
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Gerald Brisco could be the next wrestling legend taking his wealth of knowledge to All Elite Wrestling.

Brisco was recently released from WWE after being furloughed back in April. He had been with the company since 1984, before the first WrestleMania took place.

The 74-year-old WWE Hall of Famer from Oklahoma City has teased that we haven’t seen the last of him. He released a video on social media this week teasing that he’s got a “big announcement” to make this Wednesday night.

Brisco says he “khan’t wait” to share his big news with everybody. The typo appears to be a reference to AEW President Tony Khan. There is no doubt that Brisco would be an asset behind the scenes in AEW, along with other producers/coaches such as Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, Jerry Lynn and B.J. Whitmer.

Over the past two weeks, the company has announced the signings of Miro, Will Hobbs, Tay Conti and Serena Deeb.

WWE-Branded Wines Now Available For Pre-Order

Michael Reichlin
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“Stone Cold” Steve Austin has his own Broken Skull IPA beer. Chris Jericho’s A Little Bit of The Bubbly champagne was a viral sensation. Now, Wrestling fans of legal age will soon be able to enjoy WWE-branded wine.

The company has partnered with Wines That Rock to produce the first WWE Wines collection bearing the likeness of The Undertaker and the Ultimate Warrior.

“We knew these bottles would look amazing and be perfect for collectors and fans alike but wanted the quality of the wine to ultimately be the real winner here,” said Wines That Rock winemaker Andrew Nelson.

“For The Undertaker’s Limited-Edition 30 Barrel Series, we used 100% premium Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi, California aged in oak. For The Ultimate Warrior, we looked to Mendocino County for a high quality, full bodied and flavorful Zinfandel.”

Pre-orders are now live at WWEWines.com with the first shipments going out Thursday, October 22nd.

Roman Reigns To Debut New Gear & Entrance Music

Chris Stephens
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Roman Reigns will debut new ring gear and entrance music this Sunday at Clash of Champions. Reigns noted during a recent Facebook Live video that he’ll no longer be wearing the chest-protector that he has for the bulk of his in-ring career.

“I’ve been wearing a SWAT outfit my entire career so I’m just going to stick to those pants,” Reigns said in response to a question about his ring gear. “If you watch this Sunday, you’ll probably see me with my shirt off. So that’s going to be the change.”

Reigns’ former SHIELD teammates, Seth Rollins and Jon Moxley, ditched the SWAT look shortly after the trio broke up in 2014. Fans have been calling on Reigns to make a similar change in gear for years.

Reigns then noted he will also be debuting new entrance music soon as well. He said he personally selected the new music, which will be rolled out as “more drastic things happen” in his storyline with Paul Heyman.

“I decided to save the new music and hopefully down the line, once more drastic things happen, and the story unfolds…”

Reigns continued to talk about how he wants to delay certain parts of his character change so that it is more drawn out. He used his new entrance music as an example of something that will be part of longterm storytelling.

“You’re not going to get it quite yet, we’re going to let the steak stay on the grill,” Reigns continued.

Reigns is scheduled to face his cousin Jey Uso for the Universal title on Sunday. Reigns won the title from the Fiend at Payback.

3 Retribution Members Receive New Names

Chris Stephens
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3 members of Retribution have received new names. In storyline, members of the group were recently given WWE contracts and are now officially WWE Superstars. This was revealed at the beginning of last night’s episode of RAW.

New names for 3 members of the faction were revealed on commentary last night and also through WWE’s social media channels.

The former Dominic Dijakovic is now known as T-Bar:

Dio Madden is now known as MACE and the former Shane Thorne is now known as Slapjack.

The other two members of the faction, Mia Yim and Mercedes Martinez have not been given new names as of yet.

For Dijakovic, the last time he was seen on WWE programming, he lost to Killer Kross on NXT. Dio Madden was recently on the RAW commentary team before he was attacked by Brock Lesnar and returned to training at the Performance Center. Shane Thorne’s last official match took place on NXT this July. He lost to Bronson Reed.

Mia Yim last wrestled in NXT back in August. She lost to Shotzi Blackheart on an episode taped August 26th. Mercedes Martinez had been aligned with the Robert Stone brand in NXT. She dropped a cage match to Rhea Ripley earlier this month.

Good Brothers, Rocky Romero, & nZo Produce Cartoon Series

Chris Stephens
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Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, Rocky Romero, and the former Enzo Amore have released a new cartoon titled “The Real Gimmicks.”

Rocky Romero has described the series as “South Park meets wrestling.” The Talk N Shop crew released clips of the cartoon during RAW last night.

A clip of the first episode is available below:

https://twitter.com/therealgimmicks/status/1308180673136439296

Rocky Romero spoke about the project on a recent episode of Talk is Jericho.

“We’re working on an animated series, it’s gonna debut on Instagram. It’s called The Gimmicks,. If it’s the first time you’ve ever heard about it, it’s actually phenomenal. We’re working with an amazing team, they’re called Toonstar, it’s an amazing studio out in LA, and basically we’re doing South Park meets wrestling. It’s insanity, all the insanity from Talk’n Shop A Mania, we’re bringing it to you in an animation, as a cartoon. It’s unfiltered, it’s raw, it’s real, and it’s pretty crazy.”

Karl Anderson Rips Tapout Gear

The Talk N Shop crew has also announced a follow up to the worst PPV ever. Romero noted that Talk N Shop Mania 2 will be even worse than the original.

WWE RAW Results (9/21): RETRIBUTION vs. Hurt Business, Randy Orton

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired from the ThunderDome in the Amway Center. It was the final episode of RAW before Clash of Champions this Sunday night. Braun Strowman defeated Dabba-Kato during RAW Underground tonight.

RAW Results (9/21)

  1. Andrade & Garza def. Dominik & Humberto Carrillo, Rollins & Murphy to earn RAW Tag Team Championship match at Clash of Champions
  2. McIntyre def. Keith Lee via DQ (Randy Orton interference)
  3. Zelina Vega def. Mickie James to shot at RAW Women’s Championship at Clash of Champions
  4. Apollo Crews def. Cedric Alexander
  5. Asuka def Peyton Royce via DQ (Zelina Vega interference)
  6. Hurt Business def. RETRIBUTION via DQ

RETRIBUTION Signed WWE Contracts

retribution raw 9 21

RETRIBUTION kicked off the show and the announce team said that the group is now officially part of WWE because they have contracts. Mia Yim said that WWE superstars are motivated by money but they are not. Yim added that they are done getting stepped on and hearing about the imaginary brass ring. Dominik Dijakovic had a gas/ Bane mask on and said that WWE superstars just want a paycheck like whores.

The Hurt Business interrupted and made their way to the ring. RETRIBUTION hopped out of the ring and MVP challenged them to a fight tonight. More members of RETRIBUTION showed up and surrounded the ring. RETRIBUTION beat Hurt Business down as RAW went to a commercial break.

Opinion: It is a good thing Adam Pearce has spent weeks trying to keep RETRIBUTION out of the building, only for the company to give them contracts. Why would the WWE give RETRIBUTION contracts in this storyline? They are invading the building every week. Dijakovic in the gas mask is a tragic thing to see. Am I supposed to be rooting for the Hurt Business?

Andrade & Garza Earned A Shot At The RAW Tag Titles

andrade and angel garza raw 9 21

Rollins & Murphy faced Dominik & Humberto, and Angel Garza & Andrade in a Triple Threat Tag Team match. The winners will face Street Profits at Clash of Champions for the RAW Tag Team Championships. Street Profits joined commentary for the match.

Match Recap: Humberto knocked Murphy and Andrade out of the ring to start off the action. Humberto tagged in Dominik and they both connected with Suicide Dives onto Murphy and Andrade outside the ring. Back in the ring, Dominik tried to cover Andrade but he kicked out at two. Rollins left Murphy alone in the ring and walked away. Angel Garza hit Murphy with his finisher for the pinfall victory. Garza and Andrade will once again face Street Profits at Clash of Champions.

Opinion: Andrade and Angel Garza haven’t been getting along for weeks. There is nothing fresh about another match between these two teams. I find it impossible to care about this match on Sunday.

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1308200678939152386?s=20

Aleister Black Attacked Kevin Owens

aleister black raw 8 24

Kevin Owens came down to the ring for an episode of the Kevin Owens Show. Kevin referred to Aliester Black as Captain Hot Topic and claimed to have taken care of him last week.

Owens introduced Shane McMahon as his guest tonight on the show. Shane promoted Dabba- Kato versus Braun Strowman tonight on RAW Underground. Dabba-Kato made his way to the ring and Owens brought up Dabba beating him down two weeks ago on RAW Underground. Owens told Dabba-Kato that they are going to fight at some point and slapped him in the face.

Braun Strowman was the 2nd guest on the Kevin Owens Show. Strowman and Dabba-Kato got in each other’s face as Shane shouted that they cannot fight until RAW Underground. Aleister Black then attacked Kevin Owens from behind and slammed him the ring post a couple times.

https://twitter.com/pcwesner/status/1308204866121195525?s=20

Positive COVID-19 Tests Cause Changes In WWE NXT

Andrew Ravens
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WWE had to deal with another outbreak of talent testing positive for COVID-19. 

On Monday night, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reported that there were several positive tests in NXT the week of September 9th. As a result, it caused significant changes to NXT programming over the last couple of weeks. WWE knew of the situation ahead of last week’s episode of NXT.

Per the report, many wrestlers who have been training at WWE’s new makeshift training facility close by the Performance Center tested positive for COVID-19. 

It was noted that NXT creative had to be “conservative” in some aspects of the shows because of this.  While several classes at the PC ended up being canceled, some “essential coaches” were said to have remained. 

WWE does have policies in place for training sessions that include mandating masks while outside the ring, but not while inside or in the gym area.

Earlier this month it was reported that the WWE Performance Center is currently “being renovated and remodeled.”

At this time, there are no further details on what WWE is changing or improving at the Performance Center.

Retribution Core Members Revealed, WWE Survivor Series Match

Andrew Ravens
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One week after the identities of the core members of the Retribution group were reported, WWE basically confirmed the main stars. 

It happened with the opening segment of Monday’s episode of RAW on the USA Network when they jumped the barricade and got into the ring. Before that during the intro of the show, it was messed up with various graphics. 

They hit the ring and announced that they signed contracts to wrestle in WWE. Mia Yim grabbed the microphone and cut a promo before Dominik Dijakovic, who was sporting a new Bane-inspired look, took over.

Because of their masks, Dio Maddin and Mercedes Martinez were also clearly seen in the group as well, but one other individual remained unknown. 

This led to the Hurt Business (MVP, Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander) coming out and challenged the group to a fight. 

This led to more members of Retribution showing up where they surrounded the group in the ring before beating down the rival faction. Dijakovic and Dio hit a double chokeslam on Lashley before the show went to commercial. 

The word making the rounds in WWE over the weekend was that Retribution vs. a WWE team is being targeted as the main event of Survivor Series.

New Match Set For WWE Clash Of Champions

Andrew Ravens
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A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Clash of Champions PPV.

During Monday’s episode of RAW, a Triple Threat Tag Team Match to determine who would face The Street Profits for the RAW Tag Team Titles took place. 

Seth Rollins and Murphy vs. Dominik Mysterio and Humberto Carrillo vs. Andrade and Angel Garza were booked. 

Garza beat Murphy after hitting the Wing Clipper for the finish. It should be noted that Murphy was abandoned by Rollins, which allowed Garza and Andrade to double team him.

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1308200678939152386

WWE presents the Clash of Champions pay-per-view event on Sunday, September 27, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center that will air on the WWE Network. 

Updated WWE Clash Of Champions Card

  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Jey Uso
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Nikki Cross
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler vs. Liv Morgan & Ruby Riot
  • WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Lucha House Party
  • WWE Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy vs. AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn – Ladder Match
  • WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Andrade and Angel Garza

Retribution Members Identified

New Match Set For WWE Clash Of Champions

Jon Moxley Comments On Roman Reigns’ Alliance With Paul Heyman

Andrew Ravens
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Jon Moxley has given his thoughts on WWE pairing Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman together on WWE television.

The AEW World Heavyweight Champion did so in an interview with The Sun. 

“The concept of him and Paul Heyman – that was very cool to me. I think that’s gonna work out really good. All my friends there (WWE) I wanna turn the TV on and I wanna see them kicking ass and doing great.”

Since his departure from WWE, Moxley has signed deals with AEW (All Elite Wrestling) and NJPW (New Japan Pro Wrestling). In fact, he had a run as the IWGP United States Champion under the NJPW banner.

Moxley was successful in his in-ring debut with AEW when he beat Joey Janela in a non-sanctioned match at the Fyter Fest event. He was postioned a top star in the promotion ever since he made his first appearance at Double or Nothing last year. 

Reigns is slated to defend the WWE Universal Title against Jey Uso at the upcoming Clash of Champions pay-per-view event on Sunday, September 27, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center.

On the flip side, Moxley will defend the AEW Title against Lance Archer on the October 14th episode of AEW Dynamite. 

Edge Reveals Artwork He Pitched For “Rated-R” Championship (2006)

Andrew Ravens
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Edge came up with artwork for a “Rated-R” WWE Championship belt that he pitched to WWE officials.  This was covered during the latest edition of WWE Untold on the WWE Network. This idea came during the memorable rivalry between Edge and John Cena in 2006.  

Edge revealed that he hated Cena’s spinner belt design. Thus, when it was mentioned to him that WWE wanted to come up with a different style of WWE Title, he drew up what he thought the design should be. However, the idea was ultimately nixed in favor of his logo being placed on the spinner belt.

“When they approached me and said, ‘We’re going to do a Rated R Championship belt.’ I was like, ‘Right, let me get to work.’ I got home and drew up this beautiful championship belt. This thing was badass.

https://twitter.com/TheNextBlGThing/status/1307695150164897792

“When I got back, they were like, ‘Well, no, we’re just going to put your logo in it.’ Like, that’s it? Edge wouldn’t want a spinner belt. That to me is the one championship that needs to look like a championship and not somebody’s hub caps.”

The former WWE Champion sustained a torn triceps during the re-takes of a spot for his latest match. Edge has been placed on the sidelines for the next few months if not longer. 

The good news is that he’s expected to be back by the time WrestleMania 37 comes about. 

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AEW Officially Signs Serena Deeb

Chris Stephens
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Serena Deeb has officially signed with All Elite Wrestling. Deeb had been working as a coach at the WWE Performance Center before being furloughed and eventually let go by the company this spring.

Deeb debuted for AEW on the September 2nd edition of Dynamite. She was defeated by NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa on the show. It was her first official match since the 2017 Mae Young Classic.

Deeb was a member of CM Punk’s Straight Edge Society in 2010. After her head was shaved, Deeb was released from the company that same year. It was reported that Deeb was actually released from WWE for not adhering to her straight-edge gimmick in public.

After being released by WWE in 2010, she began competing for promotions such as SHIMMER while also working as a yoga instructor. In 2017, she was brought back to the company to perform in the Mae Young Classic. She was then hired as a coach in 2018 before being furloughed and eventually let go this spring.

AEW announced Deeb’s signing today on social media:

Deeb gave an interview to Newsday in 2011 and spoke about her time in the Straight Edge Society.

“I don’t really know what was going on in their minds, in my bosses’ minds, during my time in WWE. I think that the plans were there to eventually have me break out and be in the ring. But the role that I played on television, that wasn’t part of it…

Hangman Page Comments On Being Rejected By WWE Early In His Career

Chris Stephens
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Adam “Hangman” Page recently talked about having participated in a tryout for WWE early in his career. Page said he tried out for a spot in the company about 10 years ago but never heard back. According to the former AEW tag champion, he questioned whether there was a place for him in the business after.

“I mean, I guess like when you’re 18-19, you start doing that kind of stuff. You feel so close to the only thing you think matters at the time,” Page said on the WINCLY podcast.

“You think getting that job is the only thing matters and you feel so close, so your so enthused, but then nothing ever happens after you go. And then you get pretty damn depressed about it, and you sort of consider if this is the only avenue to make it in wrestling, and you show up and nothing happens, you start to wonder like, ‘can I even keep doing this? What’s the point?'”

Not long after this, Page debuted for Ring of Honor in 2011. He would wrestle part-time while working as a teacher for the next 5 years. In 2016, Page was added to the Bullet Club roster, began wrestling in NJPW in addition to ROH, and left his teaching job to pursue wrestling full-time. He signed with AEW in 2019.

The full podcast can be listened to in the player below:

Cody Denied Trademark For “The American Dream” Again

Chris Stephens
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Cody Rhodes has again been denied a trademark for the nickname made famous by his father, Dusty Rhodes. This was his 3rd attempt at trademarking “The American Dream” and the 3rd time it has been rejected.

The US Patent and Trademark Office shows Cody attempted to trademark the term on June 25th, 2019.

According to documents obtained by HeelByNature, Cody filed for a reconsideration of the rejected trademark application recently. The filing was again rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The following statement was attached to the document and given as reason why the filing was rejected:

“The mark is a stage name for a living individual whose consent is of record and also provides an acceptable specimen including a flyer promoting the services. The current specimens fail to show the mark used in commerce in connection with the applied-for services. In addition, it fails to function as a service mark as it appears to be the stage name of a deceased wrestler.”

Cody also filed to trademark several WCW PPV names in March of 2019. Earlier this year, he also filed to trademark the name “Cody Rhodes.”

The Undertaker: Vince McMahon ‘Did Not Like’ Original Ending To The Last Ride

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The Undertaker has divulged that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon did not approve the original ending to his recent WWE Network docuseries, The Last Ride.

According to Undertaker, Vince McMahon was behind the “never say never” line. The intentional addition of this line teased that the door was always open to a potential return for “The Dead Man.”

“I had to send the last 15 minutes of the final episode [The Revelation] to the Chairman [for approval],” The Undertaker informed Barstool Sports. “Needless to say, he did not like the ending. That’s why we had to put the “Never Say Never” line back in there, just to leave the door open.”

When filming first began for the documentary, The Undertaker confessed how he remained conflicted over his career. He admitted how outside influences mixed with his internal thoughts, creating a lot of pressure for his decision. 

“I had a group of people telling me stuff like, ‘You can still go out to the ring and people will go crazy.’ On the inside, I’m thinking, ‘I don’t move the way I used to, and this is a watered down version of The Undertaker.’ I needed to get a point where this documentary will solidify [my retirement] and I wouldn’t have a choice. It was almost like I needed somebody to put the bullet in there and stop it.” 

He admitted that when WWE begins heading towards WrestleMania season, he will start to have an “internal feeling” that he should be preparing for a match. However, he believes once he gets past that time period, he’ll be able to breathe a little easier once more.

Kofi Kingston On Roman Reigns’ Heel Turn, Calls Paul Heyman A ‘Parasite’

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Former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston has shared his thoughts on Roman Reigns’ recent heel turn. Speaking with ABC6 News, Kingston noted how he always considered Reigns to be “the guy who had all the tools.”

Kingston pointed to how Reigns is not only a movie star but also WWE’s ‘Big Dog.’ He added how Reigns is “the top dog in the entire yard.” With this success, however, Kingston can’t help but ask himself why Reigns has aligned with Paul Heyman, whom he referred to as a “parasite.”

The New Day member explained how he wanted to speak with Reigns about his recent decision. Kingston stressed how he personally believes Reigns didn’t need to “go that route” and partner with Heyman.

“With that said, it is still interesting to see because performers, over a period of time, develop a new sense of personality and a new persona that just draws you in,” Kingston said. “I never expected this from Roman, never thought he’d do this in a million years. But here we are.”

Kofi Kingston acknowledged, however, that Reigns’ new attitude will undeniably make people want to “tune in.”

Reigns made his in-ring return last month at WWE’s SummerSlam event. He soon aligned with Paul Heyman and went on to win the WWE Universal Championship at WWE Payback.

The Undertaker Explains Why The ‘American Badass’ Had To Return For His Boneyard Match

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The Undertaker has addressed why he brought back the ‘American Badass’ for his Boneyard Match against AJ Styles. The two clashed in a cinematic matchup at this year’s WrestleMania 36. 

Speaking with Barstool Sports, “The Dead Man” explained how AJ Styles’ promos leading to their ‘Mania bout made their feud far too personal. According to Undertaker, these personal attacks made the ‘American Badass’ a perfect gimmick to bring back. 

As far as he was concerned, one he transitioned away from the ‘American Badass’ character, “everyone was really content with the hybrid version of The Undertaker.” He pointed to his in-ring work and how he fused that version of his gimmick with the origins of The Undertaker.

The Undertaker explained how, prior to the Boneyard Match, there was no backstage discussion about bringing the character back. He noted how it “dawned” on him that with Styles’ personal attacks, “there’s really no way that I can bring the original Undertaker to this.”

This lead to ‘Taker to introduce the WWE Universe to the “American Badass 2.0” at WrestleMania 36. He described this evolved version as “all grown up” but with an undeniably “evil side” still present.

The Undertaker defeated AJ Styles in their Boneyard Match at WrestleMania 36. Their match took place during Night One of WrestleMania 36’s two-day event.

Shane McMahon Reflects On WrestleMania 33 Match With AJ Styles

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Shane McMahon has reflected on his WrestleMania 33 matchup with AJ Styles during an interview with Cory Graves. Speaking with Graves on his WWE podcast After the Bell, Shane shared how he’s “very proud” of what he and AJ accomplished.

“I think that surprised a lot of people actually because I’m not really known to wrestle in the normal sense of collar-and-elbow tie-up or whatever. I’m learned, again, from Dr. Tom [Prichard] and also from many other things. Can I do it? Yes, and that was part of the story that we got to showcase.”

Shane McMahon revealed how he had been excited about their bout. He believed it was a “good showcase” for Styles, who was “ascending” in WWE at the time before sharing he felt “privileged” to have been able to share the ring with him. 

“When whoever you’re in there with is appreciative, and you pull it off and you rock it, you get that adulation from the crowd, and you get, more importantly, the respect from the boys. Collectively, I say boys, but the locker room when you come back through. Those are, as you’re well aware as a performer, there’s no bigger drum than that.”

Shane McMahon lost his matchup to AJ Styles at WrestleMania 33. You can see highlights of their bout below:

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