Former WWE Superstar and newly signed AEW performer Miro recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The ‘Bulgarian Brute’ discussed a number of topics during his time on the show; including the promotion of his outside projects within AEW’s programming.
Miro on AEW Promoting His Content
“Being with the company that actually promotes my stuff? They promote my YouTube channel, they promote Twitch, my social media. They wanted to do that because this is the way of the future. There are all these other dinosaurs [that won’t allow that]. We don’t need that, we don’t need that.”
Miro was of course referring to WWE and the recent policy that was put in place regarding third party sites. Twitch, Cameo and YouTube were particuarly being looked at by WWE as ‘harming potential’ for revenue.
WWE’s recent crackdown on third party streaming platforms has been gaining a lot of traction, even in the mainstream. WWE has always been quick to refer to their ‘independent contractor’ status of their Superstars; however this recent move to choke Superstar’s earning potential on external services has called this into question once again.
Andrew Yang
Former Presidential candidate Andrew Yang recently discussed why he called out WWE for their practices in light of the third party ‘ban.’
“I actually got a message from someone who is part of the WWE, pointing out to me the story about how WWE was saying, ‘Hey, don’t go on Cameo or Twitch.’” Yang would stated. “And it infuriated me because I know that the WWE has been trying to play it both ways for years, where they’re saying on one hand, ‘Can’t do anything without our say so. We own you, but you’re an independent contractor and we have nothing to do with your health, retirement, any of the benefits you’d get that would accrue to an employee.’ (h/t to 411mania.com for this transcription).
It was recently reported that WWE had made certain changes to the policy. These were mainly focused on Superstars not using their trademarked WWE character name for their third party use. This becomes a bit more murky when you factor in the amount of performers who use their real name when streaming or on Cameo.
Chris Jericho says he wrote the controversial line in Miro’s promo
Arn Anderson was recently asked about Roddy Piper on his podcast, the Arn Show. Anderson says he has a lot of respect for Piper’s accomplishments in wrestling even though the two didn’t know each other well.
“Piper was a guy that I didn’t spend any downtime with. I was a huge fan as you will find a lot of wrestlers are fans of Roddy Piper and what he brought to the table.”
“He was just so talented and good on the stick and that’s one of those things that I aspired to do well,” Anderson continued.
“I would just watch Piper and marvel at how good he was and he paid a lot of dues to get where he was in the business. He was just one of those really, really huge superstars. Like a wrestler’s wrestler as far as just being so well-rounded and really a superstar in the business. I miss him, that’s for sure, I miss getting to watch him perform.”
Roddy Piper passed away in his sleep on July 31, 2015. He was 61-years-old at the time of his death. His daughter, Ariel Teal Toombs, made her pro-wrestling debut last year under the name Teal Piper. She was recently spotted training with Ronda Rousey as well.
Former WWE Superstar Mike Bennett recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Formerly Mike Kanellis, Bennett would discuss a number of topics from his time with WWE. These topics would include creative meetings with Vince McMahon, appearing for NWA and his battle with addiction.
Mike Bennett Talks ‘Obscurity’
“When we (Mike and Maria) got released back in April? I spent a good two months like trying to figure out where my next move would be” Bennett began on the show. “I knew I wanted it to be special, but I also didn’t know if anyone would really be interested in me.”
Elaborating further, Mike Bennett/Kanellis would discuss how he knew he was a virtual unknown on the WWE roster, nearly from day one. “I’m not completely oblivious to what the last three years were like. I would love to come out and be like, ‘oh yeah like I was a former WWE guy! So everyone’s going to be chomping at the bit for me to come and wrestle for them.’ But I was kind of living in obscurity at WWE in 205 Live.”
“I had little tidbits here on RAW and Smackdown” Bennett continued. “I really wanted to come out and do something special. But I didn’t know if that opportunity would exist, and like, thank god, this NWA opportunity came about.”
Mike Bennett recently appeared on the new NWA weekly PPV show on United Wrestling Network and FITE TV. Bennett challenged NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis for the prestigious Championship but was unsuccessful.
Bennett would describe how the opportunity to appear for the National Wrestling Alliance ‘excited’ him about pro wrestling again. “I don’t know how to explain it, it really just…it excited me about pro wrestling again. Because I had really been in a bad place. I hadn’t really enjoyed pro wrestling and a lot of that falls on my shoulders. I realised that, but the last three years [in WWE] kind of gave me a sour taste.”
Do you think that Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis deserved a better shot in WWE? Let us know in the comments
Mickie James challenged RAW Women’s Champion Asuka this week on RAW. The match was stopped early due to an assumed injury to James. As it turns out, however, James was fine and the match was stopped out of an abundance of caution.
“We have to be very careful,” James said to Talk Sport. “The refs do their job and kind of their job is to protect us and make sure it never goes too far or no one ever gets hurt. So he made his decision based on what he thought was a reality, that I was hurt or I couldn’t continue and that’s unfortunate for me.”
James continued to say that she was planned to lose the match regardless.
“I felt like I could continue and it’s an unfortunate loss. But, it’s not a real loss let’s face it. It was the final decision, what can I do? Except go in there a throw a fit on Monday!”
“In that moment it’s very hard for them to tell whether you are hurt or not,” James continued regarding the referee. “It can’t just be his call either. It must have been whoever thought I was hurt.”
“They’re just trying to protect me and keep me safe because concussions are a real thing.”
After the match ended, it wasn’t clear if James had a concussion or hurt her shoulder.
“I’m hearing that Mickie James may have injured her shoulder in tonight’s RAWmatch – which would explain the quick ending to the match. If true, I’m wishing Mickie a quick and complete recovery…and hoping she gets another shot at the title,” Mick Foley tweeted.
Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Live would report on Tuesday that James was fine.
Current NXT Champion Finn Balor has shared why he believes the ‘Demon’ didn’t work on WWE’s main roster. Speaking with Vicente Beltrán of ViBe & Wrestling, Balor explained how the character had been “designed as something special,” but ultimately fell flat due to WWE’s overadvertising.
“The ‘Demon’ was designed as something special. It was one of those things that should have been saved for breathtaking occasions, but it ended up being advertised in the media and that was one of the main reasons why it didn’t work,” Balor stated. “The surprise factor was completely gone and the ‘Demon’ became Finn Balor’s savior, which was also to my detriment because I could not develop my own character separate from the ‘Demon’. I think it hurt both of us, Finn Balor and the ‘Demon’.”
When asked if the ‘Demon’ could be utilized in a cinematic matchup, Balor seemed open to the idea. He stressed how people have to evolve alongside the business, which is something the ‘Demon’ may be able to do within a cinematic feud. However, Balor remains adamant that the ‘Demon’ resonates best with an excited WWE audience and that a live experience is what he and the fans would enjoy most.
Finn Balor recently defeated Adam Cole during NXT Super Tuesday II. His victory saw him become a two time NXT World Champion.
Shane McMahon was Corey Graves’ guest this week on the latest episode of WWE’s After The Bell podcast.
Shane spoke at length about his Raw Underground concept He admitted that WWE is open to trying “different things” as they figure out what clicks. He stressed how the idea is still a “work in progress” as WWE continues to pivot and adapt to its new format. Ultimately, he believes Raw Underground is a great opportunity to showcase new talent and get them more exposure.
Looking back to his return in 2016, Shane McMahon explained how he returned for his kids. He shared how his kids had never seen him perform live. He wanted to take the opportunity to return and become a “real-life superhero” to his kids.
“That was the opportunity that was presented to me at the biggest stage of them all against arguably the most iconic and singular talent ever created, The Undertaker, who is also my longest-running friend in the business. That was tough to pass up.”
He continued, “We didn’t know where it was going to go. We thought it would be one and done. I had my boys come out on stage and that was an amazing moment. I was euphoric watching them and so proud that I had to snap myself out of it.”
Shane McMahon lost to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 32 in a Hell in a Cell matchup. As seen below, the match included a signature high-risk Shane McMahon bump off the top of the cell
Ronda Rousey has expressed his interest in returning to a WWE ring for a rematch against WWE Superstar Natalya.
The former WWE Raw Women’s Champion commented on a tweet from WWE’s Twitter account sharing their previous bout from 2018. Rousey wrote, “One of my fav matches – such a huge challenge in so many ways, what a crazy day looking forward to a rematch someday @NatbyNature!”
One of my fav matches – such a huge challenge in so many ways, what a crazy day ??? looking forward to a rematch someday @NatbyNature! https://t.co/CVNWBU0n8m
“Rowdy” Ronda Rousey last competed in WWE at WrestleMania 35. She and Charlotte Flair lost a Winner Takes All Triple Threat matchup to Becky Lynch. Lynch’s victory saw her become the SmackDown and Raw Women’s Champion.
Although under WWE contract until 2021, Rousey has stressed she has no interest in returning to pro wrestling in a full-time capacity. She cited WWE’s grueling schedule as a core reason behind her decision, explaining how it’s not “the lifestyle for me.”
Rousey has, however, suggested she would still be interested in performing in WWE on a part-time basis. If that’s the case, the WWE Universe may eventually see her feature on key pay-per-views, much like Brock Lesnar.
Miro has revealed his All Elite Wrestling contract permits him to compete for different wrestling promotions. He shared the information during a recent Twitch stream. Furthermore, the former WWE Superstar teased that this clause may lead him to debut in Japan sooner rather than later.
“Despite signing a contract, I am not restricted to AEW alone,” Miro explained. “While I am not going to name any promotions, I’ll just say I’m allowed to work in different countries. Maybe a country where the sun rises? You’ll just have to wait and see.”
Miro shared how competing in Japan has been a lifelong dream of his as a pro wrestler. He added, “Sometimes when God says, Miro you’re going to live all your dreams, you just got to keep the faith.”
When he was released from WWE, Miro had “zero doubt” he would work in AEW and different places. He stressed how everything is unfolding how he hoped they would.
Reflecting on his release, Miro stated how “things happen for a reason” and that by being able to let go, you can, in turn, accept more.
For him, if you can perform, trust and believe, then “things will align themselves.” All that’s required is patience, which he embraced in preparation for his AEW debut.
During her 8 year-long tenure with WWE, former backstage personality Renee Young became part of many weird moments in the company. As it turns out, one of the weirdest moments of her career was actually her first meeting with the owner of the company, Vince McMahon.
During her recent interview with Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast, Young recalled her first meeting with The Boss. According to Renee, her first interaction with Mr McMahon took place in a hallway where they shook hands. However it wasn’t a straight chat and the former WWE star explained how it ended up being a bizarre interaction.
“We were in Hershey, Pennsylvania, I was brought in to TV and I got to the building early, as one does when you’re new. I was used to our world of acting auditioning where you show up fresh faced then change and get ready for the show. Little me is walking around backstage with a clean face, squeaky clean, and he comes walking down the hallway, and I’m like, ‘Hi!’
And I don’t remember who it was with him, but they said Vince should not see you without makeup on. You should be fully done.” recalled Young
“He did not react in any poor way or anything, but I remember being like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know that. I thought I came here and I would go into makeup, so why would I already have makeup on?’ It was very weird.”
Renee Young continued by saying that Vince would not remember the meeting but she just remembers it because she had no clue that’s how it was supposed to work.
During the same interview, the former WWE star explained the reason behind her departure from the company in detail and you can check out her comments at this link.
The Wednesday Night War resumed this week after a one month hiatus due to preemptions. AEW Dynamite once again scored a big victory over NXT in average overnight viewers and the Adults 18-49 demographic. Courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
AEW: 886,000 viewers, 0.34 rating (3rd cable for the night)
NXT: 689,000 viewers, 0.18 rating (31st on cable for the night)
For comparison, Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.689 million viewers with a 0.50 demo. Naturally, AEW and NXT were down a bit from last week’s unopposed shows, but 3rd for the night is the best AEW has done since the first episode of Dynamite last October.
AEW viewership was down 12.6% from 1,014,000 for last Wednesday. Dynamite featured a wild parking lot brawl between Santana & Ortiz and Best Friends, Hangman Page returning to singles action (with snarky commentary from Kenny Omega), FTR picking up a non-title victory over Jurassic Express and much more. (Results & Takeaways)
NXT viewership was down 17.8% from last week’s Super Tuesday II episode, which averaged 838,000 viewers. This week’s NXT saw several of the brand’s champions in action, including Damien Priest retaining the North American Championship over Timothy Thatcher, Breezango fending off Imperium and Io Shirai besting Shotzi Blackhart. NXT General Manager William Regal also made some big announcements about the next Takeover special. (Results & Takeaways)
Paul Heyman was released from his role as Executive Director of RAW this summer. He has since returned alongside Roman Reigns on Smackdown. Reigns then captured the WWE Universal Championship at Payback. Heyman spoke to SI.com about his new role in WWE recently.
“It’s an opportunity 33 years into my performing career to completely redefine, reimagine and reinvent myself,” Heyman said. “I’m now the special counsel to the tribal chief, a role I’ve never played.”
“I’ve been a manager. I’ve been an agent. I’ve been an advocate. I’ve been the CEO of the Dangerous Alliance. I’ve been an executive producer in ECW. I’ve been the executive director of Monday Night Raw. I’ve been the general manager of multiple brands. This is a completely different role for me. That’s the way I look at it and approach it, and it’s a completely different dynamic than I’ve ever had with any other talent.”
Roman Reigns returned to WWE for the first time since the pandemic at SummerSlam. He attacked the Fiend and Braun Strowman. Reigns would then align with Heyman on Smackdown before winning the title at Payback.
Matt Riddle’s legal team recently withdrew a cyberstalking injunction against a woman who accused him of sexual assault. Riddle’s lawyer released a statement today stating that his client has elected to file a civil suit for defamation against his accuser.
Riddle’s lawyer’s statement is below:
“On July 13, 2020, our client Matthew Riddle only sought a cyberstalking injunction against Samantha Tavel. The Court set it for hearing as they found probable cause for the matter to be heard. It was represented to our client and our firm that Ms Tavel had moved on with her life and our client would no longer need to continue with the cyberstalking inunction. Our client then dismissed the cyberstalking injunction (without prejudice) which left all of his legal remedies open and allowed for closure.”
The statement continues to note that Riddle has filed a civil suit against his accuser for defamation.
“Today, our client has elected to file a civil suit against Ms Tavel for her continued false and defamatory statements that our client sexually assaulted her. No further statements will be made on social media at this time.”
Riddle currently performs in WWE on Smackdown. He made his main roster debut in June.
“Candy Cartwright, I never sexually assaulted you. The story about that van trip and the driver being asleep and me forcing you to do stuff and hop on whatever is a complete lie. It’s a fabricated story because you’re still mad. You know why you’re mad? Because yes, you’re right, we had an affair, you have plenty of evidence of that. You know what? I never denied it because it happened. Do I want to talk about it? Do I really want to share about it? No, it’s embarrassing because I feel like real piece of crap cheating on my wife and doing that and now having to talk about it publicly but I have to.”
Last night’s edition of AEW Dynamite concluded with a Parking Lot Brawl between the Best Friends and Santana and Ortiz. Many wrestling personalities, wrestlers, and fans have been commenting about the match online.
Tony Khan noted that the whole match was shot in just one take. Other than muting a swear word, no editing of the match took place.
It was all shot at once in one take. No edits other than dropping the audio on the F word. One amazing take.
Foley offered further thoughts on the match in a video clip he posted:
“Hey everyone, it’s Mick Foley with just a few follow-up thoughts on that outstanding parking lot brawl,” Foley said. “That’s one thing I always wanted to do, I always wanted to have a big match in a parking lot, maybe on a PPV. I remember pitching the idea for me and Vader, in particular, at the Omni because the Omni had this really cool underground parking structure that I thought would lend itself to an incredible match.”
Foley continued to praise both the Best Friends and Santana & Ortiz.
“I have to be honest, I’d be hard-pressed to tell you what I could have done any better than those guys did,” Foley continued. “That was just an outstanding match.”
Foley’s full comments can be heard in the below Tweet:
NWA Women’s World Champion Thunder Rosa has talked about her future in All Elite Wrestling during an interview with SportsKeeda.
Thunder Rosa spoke candidly about her experience in AEW to date despite being under contract with the National Wrestling Alliance. She revealed how she began working for AEW after AEW President Tony Khan agreed with NWA owner Billy Corgan. This deal allowed Thunder Rosa to appear on AEW Dynamite in a winning effort against Serena Deeb on the 9/2 episode of Dynamite. She would also face off against AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida at the promotion’s recent pay-per-view, All Out.
“The working relationship is there, I’m returning, I wasn’t expecting to return so quickly. Yes, I think Billy [Corgan] and Tony [Khan] have been talking. They are very happy with my performance so far,” Rosa said. “I hope, knock on wood, it continues. It’s going well for me. We are putting NWA name on a broader platform, which is the goal at the end of the day.”
Thunder Rosa competed on last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. She defeated Ivelisse. The fallout of the match saw Shida assisting Rosa as she was assaulted by both Ivelisse and Diamante. The segment ended with Shida holding the NWA Women’s Championship before handing it back to Thunder Rosa.
All Elite Wrestling commentator Tony Schiavone has opened up about WWE approaching him prior to signing with AEW. Schiavone shared his story during an “Ask Tony Anything” segment on his show, What Happened When with Tony Schiavone and Conrad Thompson.
When asked why he ultimately signed with AEW over WWE, Schiavone explained how WWE was “very sketchy” about the position he would have within the promotion.
“They said we just want you to come to work here. We need more people here who have a strong wrestling background to help out. Well, what would I do? Well, you would just work with us.”
He shared how he spoke to Bruch Prichard about the role, and believes that Prichard was “shooting” with him when he confessed he didn’t know what position he would have. Looking back on it, Schiavone added how it’s “pretty apparent” what WWE was trying to do and that he doesn’t blame Prichard for his part in it.
“[…] they wanted to get me so AEW wouldn’t get me and they would have run me out the door right after Eric Bischoff or before. I’m not blaming Bruce but I get it. I know what Vince (McMahon) was thinking.”
SmackDown Superstar AJ Styles has reflected on his feud with “The Beast Incarnate” Brock Lesnar during a recent Twitch stream. The two Superstars clashed at Survivor Series 2017 in a Champion vs. Champion matchup.
“The Phenomenal One” explained how putting the match together was Lesnar was “a lot of fun” for him. Styles believes that the bout came together well and remains a matchup that he is proud of.
“It was a true David vs. Goliath thing with him beating the c**p out of me at the beginning and making people think, ‘Oh, AJ’s got no chance’ and then all of a sudden it was, ‘Oh my God – maybe he does have a chance.’ That was a really cool and fun match. Brock’s so great, too. I loved working with him.”
At the time, AJ Styles was SmackDown’s WWE Champion. Lesnar, conversely, was Raw’s Universal Champion. Despite his best efforts, however, “The Phenomenal One” was unable to beat Lesnar at Survivor Series, losing to him in approximately 15 minutes after receiving an F5.
Despite the loss, AJ Styles stressed how much fun he had competing against Lesnar and that he loved working with him and delivering that experience for the WWE Universe.
Chris Jericho has claimed it is “embarrassing” for WWE to continue to air its black-and-gold brand NXT against AEW Dynamite every Wednesday night. Jericho made his proclamation during a recent interview with Inside the Ropes.
The Inner Circle leader explained how WWE decided to air on Wednesday nights opposite Dynamite, “just to mess with us.” Jericho argued how WWE should switch nights to broadcast NXT, suggesting that WWE should look to Tuesday nights instead.
“Don’t worry about our company. We’re not worried about you. We don’t have a screen up that shows what’s going on every moment on NXT, like they do watching Dynamite,” Jericho stated.
Jericho stressed how his recent Demo God character “is not a gimmick” before reiterating how WWE should switch NXT to another night away from Wednesdays. He highlighted how WWE could “[…] go to any other day you want, but don’t exist just to mess with us because we’re beating you every week. It’s kind of embarrassing for NXT at this point.”
Chris Jericho continued to recommend Tuesday nights for WWE’s black-and-gold brand, explaining that by committing to a schedule change, WWE would be able to “make more money” and “get more viewers.”
“I think you should throw the red flag, retreat, go to Tuesday, make Tuesday your night, make more money, get more viewers, get more guys over and don’t worry about what we’re doing because we’re going to continue on either way, and we’re winning every week anyways, so just go your own way. That’s the best way to do it.”
You can listen to Chris Jericho’s full rant about NXT in the player embedded below:
Former WWE Superstar Mike Bennett recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Formerly Mike Kanellis, Bennett would discuss a number of topics from his time with WWE. These topics would include creative meetings with Vince McMahon, appearing for NWA and his battle with addiction.
Mike Bennett on First Impressions
“Here’s the thing that I learned when I got sober, is you have to hold yourself accountable” Mike Bennett began on the show. “One of the big things I’ve started doing is…there’s this mantra that I kind of live by. It may not be your fault, but it is now your responsibility. That’s something that I’ve kind of had not only in life and that’s what helped me with my addiction, but just in general.”
Bennett would then recant his early days when WWE, shortly after being signed along with Maria Kanellis. The couple debuted in 2017 at the Money In The Bank PPV. “So I showed up at WWE, it was my dream job. It’s what I always wanted to do. But, I showed up not in the best shape. I showed up addicted to drugs and I showed up not ready to go. And so, first impressions are a big deal.”
Vince McMahon
“If the first impression that Vince [McMahon] or anybody else got there was, well? ‘He’s had three months to sit at home before we brought him there AND he’s not in the best shape of his life!? What has he been doing!?'” Bennett continued. “And then ‘we sign this guy who’s addicted to drugs!? Maybe we need to look at our vetting process a little bit better!?’ You add all those things together? And I think there’s a percentage of the failures that falls on me.”
Mike Bennett would also discuss the angles that he was put in on WWE programming. Originally, Bennett and Maria Kanellis were portrayed as a performer/manager pairing, however that shifted to a ‘cuckold’ style angle, with Mike having to ‘submit’ to his wife. “It might not be my fault but it is my responsibility. Now was there bad creative along the way? Of course there was, but I tried to make the most of it. I tried to do the best I could; with what I was given.”
“I actually liked the challenge of that crazy RAW angle of like submitting to my wife all the time” Bennett continued. “I was like, ‘let’s see if we can get something out of this. Because who knows? Maybe this could be the best thing that ever happened to me.'”
Do you think that Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis deserved a better shot in WWE? Let us know in the comments
Chris Jericho is known to be the guy who always has his figure on the pulse of the wrestling business and he continues to evolve his character to stay relevant in the wrestling world.
On the other hand, WWE is often blamed for not understanding what the fans want and up until recently, one of the biggest examples of it was the babyface run of Roman Reigns, who many believed should have been turned heel long ago.
Jericho talked about WWE’s decision to finally turn Reigns heel during a recent interview with Inside The Ropes and the former World Champion claimed that the Big Dog will do better as a heel:
“I’m a huge fan of Roman Reigns, I think as a heel, he’s going to leaps and bounds be better than as a babyface, which will then allow him to become a babyface, which will be leaps and bounds over being a heel.”
Y2J also recalled his time working with Roman and said that he would be a much bigger star if WWE would just let him be himself. Interestingly, Chris Jericho then went on to compare the current Universal Champion to his cousin, The Rock:
“He reminds me a lot of The Rock, he’s the type of guy that if you’re a guy, you want to have a beer with them. If you’re a girl, you want to go on a date with him, but he doesn’t get a chance to really show that.”
Chris Jericho continued by saying that WWE should let the former Shield member relax and be himself and he would get to a point where he would become the top guy in the company who no one complains about.
Trish Stratus continues to address a potential match against WWE Superstar Sasha Bans. The trailblazing Attitude Era star appeared on The Bump this week to discuss the women’s revolution movement, her career and much more.
Ever since their interaction in the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble match, fans have speculated the possibility of Stratus and ‘The Boss’ going one-on-one.
Stratus says she loves and respects Sasha Banks. She knows fans want to see them wrestle and finds the match-up intriguing.
“I mean, do you guys think fans would want to see that? I’m not sure,” she asked sarcastically. “The fact of the matter is that I can’t go back, that’s a proven fact, right? I love and respect Sasha so much. I love her in-ring work. Would I love a taste at that? Yes.
Here’s the thing people have been buzzing about Sasha and I’s interaction at the Royal Rumble.” said Trish Stratus “As a wrestling fan, do I think this is intriguing? Absolutely!”
Earlier this year, Trish Stratus got fans buzzing with a cryptic video she tweeted that included her and Sasha Banks. WWE knows fans are interested in a potential ‘dream match’ between the two women, as seen in the video embedded below.
Would you like to see Trish Stratus returning to the ring for one last match against Sasha Banks sometimes in the future?
The former Nexus Leader spoke to Sports Illustrated about his new contract with the company after the news broke out and he claimed that their aim is to be different than the rest of the WWE programming.
Barrett also revealed that he has signed a one-year deal with WWE which has the option to extend their partnership, before claiming that NXT is not a developmental brand:
“This isn’t a developmental brand, I’ve followed the careers of The Undisputed Era, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Rhea Ripley for a long time. There are so many up-and-comers, and NXT is a destination where you can see people turn into stars.”
Before rejoining WWE, Wade Barrett was doing commentary for NWA and he revealed that he was actually planning to sign a long term deal with the company.
Though he noted that the coronavirus pandemic made them change their plans and the former Intercontinental Champion claimed that he has nothing but great things to say about Billy Corgan.
AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. In addition to the takeaways below, Matt Hatt was attacked backstage during tonight’s show. It was also announced that Brodie Lee will defend the TNT Championship against Orange Cassidy next week.
Thunder Rosa def. Ivelisse to retain the NWA World Women’s Championship
Best Friends def. Santana & Ortiz in the Parking Lot Fight
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
FTR Remains Undefeated
FTR & Tully Blanchard
AEW Tag Team Champions FTR faced Jurassic Express in a non-title match. Before the match, the Young Bucks came down to the ring and hit a referee with a Superkick. They went backstage and threw money at Tony Khan for the upcoming fine for their actions. They trash talked with FTR before leaving.
What was the meaning of this attack by the @youngbucks?!
Match Recap: FTR dominated early and isolated Luchasaurus in the corner of the ring. Jungle Boy tagged in and connected with a Hurricanrana on both members of FTR. Cash Wheeler hit Jungle Boy with a Powerslam and went for the cover but Jungle Boy was able to kick out at the last moment.
Wheeler locked in the Bow & Arrow Stretch on Jungle Boy in the middle of the ring. Jungle Boy escaped with an Arm Drag and went for the tag but Wheeler prevented it. Dax tagged in and hit a Suplex for another near fall.
Wheeler tagged in and went for a Dropkick but Jungle Boy got out of the way. Harwood tagged in and walked into a massive Clothesline from Jungle Boy. Luchasaurus tagged in and unloaded several chops before leveling FTR with a Clothesline.
Luchasaurus planted Wheeler with a Chokeslam and followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a near fall. Jungle Boy tagged back in after Luchasaurus hit FTR with a series of kicks. Jungle Boy hit Harwood with a Shining Wizard for a two count. Wheeler went for a Powerslam but Jungle Boy countered into a roll-up for a near fall.
Jungle Boy rolled up Harwood for a two count and then made his way to the top rope. Jungle Boy went for a Crossbody but Harwood countered into a roll-up for a two count. Luchasaurus went for a Splash outside the ring but Cash got out of the way and Luchasaurus went into the crowd. Harwood rolled up Jungle Boy for the win asWheeler grabbed Dax’s arm for leverage.
Hangman Page squared off against Frankie Kazarian tonight on Dynamite. Kenny Omega joined commentary for the match.
Match Recap: Frankie controlled the action early but Hangman battled back and planted Kazarian with a Body Slam. Hangman brought Frankie to the corner and unloaded several chops to his chest. Page connected with a Suplex and Frankie rolled to the corner of the ring.
Frankie hopped to his feet and hit some punches and chops of his own. Hangman knocked Frankie out of the ring and hit him with an awesome Crossbody as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Kazarian and Hangman traded forearms to the face. Both men went for a Clothesline at the same time and wouldn’t go down. Frankie went for a German Suplex but Hangman landed on his feet and connected with a Clothesline.
Frankie went for a Crossbody but Hangman caught him with a Fallaway Slam and both wrestlers fell to the canvas. Hangman followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a near fall. Kazarian planted Hangman with a DDT for another two count. Hangman hit Kazarian with a Death Valley Driver and went for the cover but Kazarian kicked out again. Frankie connected with a Cutter for another near fall. Hangman battled back with a Powerbomb as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”.
Page hit Frankie with a Clothesline outside the ring and rolled him back inside. Hangman followed it up with a Buckshot Lariat for the pinfall victory. Kenny Omega left the announce table and didn’t go to the ring to congratulate Page. Hangman looked around for Omega before downing a beer in the ring.
MJF faced Shawn Dean tonight on Dynamite. MJF immediately poked Dean in the eye and locked in the Salt of the Earth Arm Bar for the quick submission victory.
After the match, MJF said that he is an honest man as the crowd chanted “no you’re not!”. MJF bitched about Moxley using the banned Paradigm Shift at All Out and claimed that he should still be undefeated.
MJF added that he should be the AEW Champion as a “you’re a loser!” chant broke out. MJF demanded that everyone refer to him as the undefeated, undisputed and uncrowned world champion of All Elite Wrestling. He told Justin Roberts to announce him with his new title and Justin obliged.
MJF claimed that in order to get a fair shake around here you need to be in a group or stable. MJF said that he has always been a lone wolf but maybe it is about time to join a wolf pack.
The September 16, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
WWE NXT Results
Io Shirai def. Shotzi Blackheart
Tommaso Ciampa def. Desmond Troy
KUSHIDA def. Austin Theory
Breezango def. Imperium to retain tag team titles
Killian Dain & Drake Maverick def. The Undisputed Era via disqualification
Damian Priest def. Timothy Thatcher to retain North American Title
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Non-Title Match
Io Shirai
NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai vs. Shotzi Blackheart in a non-title match took place, which was certainly an interesting dynamic with two babyfaces facing each other.
We’ve seen this type of booking before, but with Shotzi, who had been in a comedy feud with the Robert Stone Brand, it made for an interesting decision by NXT officials.
Io hit a moonsault off the top rope for the win. This was an excellent match with the announcers putting over Blackheart for taking the champion to her limit. It was a back and forth affair with both stars shining bright.
With such a performance, it will be interesting to see where Blackheart goes from here. Perhaps a title shot in the near future?
Killian Dain and Drake Maverick vs. Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish in a tag team match is in the books.
Of course, WWE set up this bout last week when Dain took on Strong in a singles match, which saw Strong go over thanks to outside interference by Fish. Post-match, Strong and Fish beatdown Dain until Maverick ran out, but he got taken out. Once Dain chased them off with a pipe, Maverick tried to make an alliance by shaking his hand, but Dain laid him out with a punch.
It turns out that for this contest, Dain didn’t want to be Maverick’s tag team partner as advertised. Thus, Maverick worked a handicap match instead. William Regal tried to talk some sense into Dain and go to the ring, which he did. He laid out Fish and Strong until Fish attacked him with a chair that caused the DQ.
Post-match, Dain and Maverick cleared house, but Dain laid out Maverick before leaving.
Breezango put the NXT Tag Team Titles on the line against Marcel Barthel and Fabian Aichner.
The NXT tag team division is lacking so this felt like just another endless match between these two teams.
The match was fine and there were some nearfalls. At one point, it looked like Imperium was going to win as Breeze missed a leg drop off the top rope and Aichner caught him with a running knee strike followed by a german suplex for a near fall.
In the end, Breeze scored a roll up win to retain the titles. Let’s hope there are some new challengers in the wait and we move on from this feud.
Damian Priest put the NXT North American Title on the line against Timothy Thatcher.
The match was really fun and that was expected as Priest has found his groove in the last few months while Thatcher is always going to put on a fun match just because he’s so talented.
Thatcher got the majority of the offense in this contest and brought the champion to the peak of abilities. Priest made a comeback that was capped off with a heel kick to the face and his finisher to retain the title.
Thatcher has been finding his character as of late and it’s no secret that Triple H is a big fan of his as he has been pushed hard since his pairing with Matt Riddle.
WWE had promised that there would be two major announcements made on this show and it was delivered.
William Regal did so in a pre-recorded video to announce that a Gauntlet Eliminator Match will determine the new #1 contender to the NXT Title, which is held by Finn Balor.
This contest will take place next week. The rules of this match is 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 will be named the #1 contender for the NXT Title and will go on to face Balor for the strap at NXT TakeOver.
There will also be 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 are the competitors.
Wade Barrett has officially signed with WWE to remain on the NXT broadcast team.
The news was first reported by Sports Illustrated and later confirmed by WWE. He has been part of the announce team in recent weeks alongside Vic Joseph and Beth Phoenix after being away from the company for a few years.
Barrett decided to leave WWE in 2016 and hasn’t wrestled a match since then. He has stayed in the pro wrestling business where he has worked as a wrestling commentator for various promotions.
“I hope this lasts for a long time, that’s our intent,” Barrett told SI. “So there is no bad news to share, but never forget, there is always a little bad news up my sleeve.”
Part of that was due to his passion for acting as well as there were not being many viable alternatives in terms of wrestling promotions in the United States.
Up until his WWE return, he had replaced Jim Cornette on the announce team for the weekly NWA Powerrr show on YouTube.
Barrett also sent out these tweets about signing with the company:
Former WWE Superstar Mike Bennett recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. Formerly Mike Kanellis, Bennett would discuss a number of topics from his time with WWE. These topics would include creative meetings with Vince McMahon, appearing for NWA and his battle with addiction.
“I had many good conversations with Vince [McMahon]” Mike Bennett began on the show. “After we [Mike and Maria] had our first child? I remember going into Vince’s office and I just said to him, ‘look if this isn’t working out? If I’m not what you thought I was or whatever or you just don’t see anything? Release me.”
Mike Bennett on Vince McMahon
“I said ‘just let me go for a couple years and maybe I’ll come back and we’ll figure this out'” Bennett would continue. “And he straight up told me, he said, ‘I’ve seen your work I think you’re good. We just have to find the right storyline that fits. We just have to find the right place for you. I’ve got a million guys right now.'”
Mike Bennett would then discuss his own personal views on the WWE Chairman. “One thing I respect about Vince? He was always brutally honest with me. He never sugar coated anything, I respected that. It was other people in that company that would sugarcoat things for me or just try to do things, but Vince? If I went to him directly? He always straight up told me what was going on.”
Vince McMahon Getting ‘distracted’
Bennett would finish by saying that his creative meetings with McMahon were beneficial, but that it was easy for McMahon to get distracted. “We did have those conversations and we had many opportunities where me and Maria went in there and we pitched stuff. Vince always seemed open to it, he was very respectful about everything.”
“Then they just didn’t materialise, and I know how that works. I know I’ll go in there and I’ll tell Vince one thing he might like it…but then Roman [Reigns] goes in there, Seth [Rollins] goes in there and Bray [Wyatt] goes in there right after me. And he [Vince] probably doesn’t remember it after that, which sucks. It sucks for a smaller guys, we’re trying to get our names up there, but it at the end of the day? It’s just how that company works.”
Do you think that Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis deserved a better shot in WWE? Let us know in the comments
