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
Daniel Cormier and WWE have had an interest in working with each other for the last few years.
That possibility appears to be getting closer as the former UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Champion confirmed to Sports Illustrated in a new interview that the two sides are talking, but it’s still early.
“We’ve been talking. We’ve spoken to some of the people over there in very, very early conversations. WWE is a company I’ve watched and loved my entire life.”
Cormier also shared that he would rather be a commentator at first instead of being an in-ring performer. He thinks WWE should let him call matches and tell people how great the wrestlers are in the ring for six months. He said he would love that and not faking it as WWE is something that he loved his entire life.
“Then, after those six months, what if I’m sitting next to Michael Cole, and Roman [Reigns] comes over and smacks the microphone out of my hand? But I’m an announcer. Will I hit him back? Then you’re asking if this will happen or not.”
Cormier stated that is what he wants, which would be a slow build to a story that fans want to see and the hearts of fans feeling like it will explode while waiting for it. Thus, he wants it to simmer before getting into the ring.
Cormier just retired from being an MMA fighter when he lost in a trilogy fight against Stipe Miocic in the headliner of UFC 252 last month.
Will Hobbs is All Elite. AEW announced the signing Wednesday afternoon.
Hobbs has been competing on AEW Dark over the past few weeks and picked up his first victory two weeks ago. He racked up another win this week, bringing his record to 2-5 for the year.
The big man tweeted, “Been through hell and back. Dreams do come true. BELIEVE IN #”
The news of Will Hobbs joining AEW was well-received by several members of the AEW roster. Jim Ross, Jungle Boy, Sammy Guevara, Isiah Kassidy and Peter Avalon are among the wrestlers who tweeted their approval.
Congratulations to Will Hobbs. You can follow him on Twitter at @TrueWillieHobbs.
Check out Hobbs’ latest match rom this week’s AEW Dark:
AEW has released new top-5 rankings ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite.
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 (8-1)
Cody (18-2)
Scorpio Sky
There was no movement in the men’s singles division this week in AEW. The rankings are the same from last week.
In the division last week, Brodie Lee successfully defended the TNT Championship against the former champion’s brother, Dustin Rhodes.
#1 ranked Lance Archer maintained his top ranking this week. He’ll face Jon Moxley for the title on the 1-year anniversary of Dynamite show next month.
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 month either.
Last week in the division, #1 ranked Nyla Rose defeated the newly signed Tay Conti in singles competition.
A big match in the women’s division is scheduled for tonight, however. Ivelisse will challenge Thunder Rosa for the NWA Women’s Championship.
AEW Tag Team Division
AEW Tag Team Champions: FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (8-0)
Kenny Omega & “Hangman” Page (12-1)
Best Friends (15-6)
Young Bucks (7-3)
The Natural Nightmares (7-2)
Santana & Ortiz (8-4)
There was no movement in the tag-team division rankings either this week, marking the first week of AEW rankings to see no changes whatsoever.
Last week in the division, the unranked Jurassic Express defeated the Lucha Bros and tonight they will take on the tag champs, FTR, in non-title action.
Also tonight, #2 The Best Friends will continue their rivalry with #5 Santana and Ortiz.
Chris Jericho and Jake Hager were victorious over Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss last week. They will take on Private Party this week on Dynamite.
AEW has filed for two trademarks possibly related to a potential new video game. According to documents publicly available on the US Patent and Trademark Office website, AEW has filed for terms potentially related to a GM mode in a new game.
The filings are for two terms: “Elite GM” and “All Elite Wrestling General Manager.”
The purposes of the trademarks are listed as:
“Downloadable game software, Downloadable computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones, Downloadable electronic game software for use on handheld computers and mobile gaming devices; Downloadable video game programs; Recorded video game software.”
The applications were filed on September 10th.
ALL ELITE WRESTLING: ELITE GENERAL MANAGER "Downloadable game software; Downloadable computer game software for use on mobile and cellular phones; Downloadable electronic game software for use on handheld computers and mobile gaming devices…"https://t.co/1otg0zkzWVpic.twitter.com/M4iZl8xfTG
AEW Co-Executive Vice President Kenny Omega spoke about a possible AEW video game recently in an interview with Venn.
“Yes, we are in production of a video game. We have a lot of creative minds at work at the new video game right now. I think people are going to like it. And I think that what the fans are hoping for is, in fact, going to come to fruition.”
“I’m hoping that it really is sort of a brand new take on something that’s like the No Mercy game of old. So, if you liked WrestleMania 2000, No Mercy, VPW – we are very much hoping to recreate the same feel, the same fun-factor, the same pick-up-and-play ability of those games in the past. So, look forward to that. We are working diligently to give you guys something in the near future.”
NXT will hold the next Takeover special Sunday, October 4th. The event will air live on the WWE Network.
The most recent Takeover saw Damian Priest win the vacant North American Championship in a ladder match, Io Shirai defend the NXT Women’s Title and Karrion Kross capture the NXT Championship from Keith Lee. Finn Balor has since won the NXT title after Kross had to vacate the gold due to a shoulder injury.
WWE will begin promoting NXT Takeover XXXI on tonight’s edition of NXT TV on the USA Network. WWE has yet to announce if Takeover will take place from the Performance Center or the ThunderDome at Orlando’s Amway Center arena.
The North and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton defeated The Motor City Machine Guns & The Good Brothers
Impact World Championship Match Booked For Bound For Glory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U6IOak49bA
Rich Swann will face Eric Young for the Impact World Championship at Bound For Glory on October 24th. Scott D’Amore made the match official for the PPV this week. Swann came out on crutches to cut a promo. He said he wanted to face Young for the title which brought out D’Amore. The co-Vice President of Impact said if Swann faces Young he could end up crippled but Swann was undeterred. Young came out to confront Swann and a melee ensued after Young shoved D’Amore. As Young retreated up the ramp, D’Amore made the match official for Bound For Glory.
Tag Team Controversy Headlines Show
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdsSqsggG5Q
The Rascalz were replaced in the night’s main event by the Good Brothers. Wentz and Dez had been attacked in the back earlier in the show by the North and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton. The match seemed to be more every team for themselves rather than 4-on-4 at times and this was noted on commentary.
The finish of the match came when The North delivered a double-team move onto Sabin but Ace Austin got the pin off the blind tag. The North looked annoyed at Austin after the match. The Good Brothers and MCMG also seemed to take issue with each other after the match’s conclusion.
Moose has been searching for EC3, who stole the TNA World Heavyweight title from him and has been threatening to destroy it. Moose called someone on the phone this week looking for help. He referred to this person as “Demo God” and asked them what they did that time they lost the World Championship belt, something Jericho did shortly after becoming AEW World Champion. Moose thanked the person on the other end of the phone for some advice the audience was not privy to and then said the next time they see each other, that the “Bubbly” would be on him.
Kiera Hogan Scores Huge Victory Over Taya Valkyrie Thanks To Tasha Steelz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubeGqmIAnoM
Taya Valkyrie was perhaps more concerned with Rosemary and John E Bravo’s upcoming wedding than she was with this match. Valkyrie told Kiera Hogan and Tasha Steelz last week that they would not be involved in the wedding leading to this match.
With the referee distracted, Steelz kicked Taya in the head and allowed Hogan to hit a fisherman suplex for the win. One has to wonder how this match would have gone if Rosemary had been in Taya’s corner, however. Rosemary was seen approaching Havok backstage this week. She needs Father James Mitchell to officiate her wedding as she is a demon and all, but to bring him back she either needs a virgin sacrifice or Havok’s help. Havok seems unwilling, however.
Jordynne Grace Confronts Tenille Dashwood During Photoshoot
Anyone else sensing a little jealousy here!? I have multiple jobs! The people know how hard I work! Plus, we’ve all seen @JordynneGrace try to follow in my food steps with the photoshoots and all.. It’s not my fault she hasn’t been as successful as me! ????? #IMPACTonAXSTVhttps://t.co/Ip25UVuLpz
Tenille Dashwood was in the middle of a photoshoot with her own personal photographer this week when Jordynne Grace confronted her about “showing up to work.” A match between the two has been scheduled for next week.
Willie Mack Gets Measure Of Revenge On Brian Myers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6FMuQmuS_8
Willie Mack came into this one having dropped 5 straight singles matches. He lost two in a row for the X-Division belt to Chris Bey, then he lost to Eric Young and recently he had dropped two in a row to the debuting Brian Myers.
Mack kicked out of Myers’ big DDT and then threw him into an uncovered turnbuckle that Myers himself had exposed before then giving him a Stunner for the win. Willie Mack is back in the win column and Brian Myers suffers his first loss in Impact Wrestling.
Trey Miguel Makes Case For X-Division Title Shot, Rascalz Attacked
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY1ruRdYiFI
Trey Miguel was seen challenging X-Division champion Rohit Raju in the back for a title shot this week. He then went out and had a great match with TJP, scoring the victory with a Meteora from the top rope.
Unfortunately, while Trey was out in the ring wrestling TJP, The North and Ace Austin & Madman Fulton attacked his Rascalz teammates in the back. Wentz & Dez had been scheduled to team with the Motor City Machine Guns later in the show but “Dr” Ross Foreman was unable to clear them to compete. Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows then volunteered to replace the Rascalz.
Later in the show, Chris Bey, TJP, and Trey Miguel confronted Raju. The champion then suggested the 3 contenders face each other to determine the next contender.
Susie Channels Su Yung To Score Victory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abQnEW9m7cg
This week’s episode kicked off with Susie and Kylie Rae teaming up to take on Deonna Purrazzo and Kimber Lee. It would be Susie picking up the win for her team on Kimber Lee but the innocent Susie seemed to channel some of her darker Su Yung persona to close the match.
Susie would use a modified hurricanrana out of the corner followed by the Panic Switch on Kimber Lee to score the pin. Those two moves are more associated with her Su Yung persona than Susie. It seems possible that the former undead bride and Knockouts Champion Susie could be returning.
Team XXXL Picks Up Win Over The Deaners
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51C3xHxtAzs
This week a story appeared on SI.com covering Acey Romero’s astonishing weight loss. Perhaps Team XXXL will have to drop one or two of the “Xs” in their name soon.
The heavyweight team also picked up a big win this week over Cody Deaner and Cousin Jake. It was Larry D, who gained so much confidence in himself on Wrestle House as Lawrence D, picked up the win for his team when he knocked out Cousin Jake with a big right fist.
Next Week On Impact Wrestling
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R23lknFOQNc
The following matches have been confirmed for next week:
Trey Miguel vs TJP vs Chris Bey (X-Division #1 Contender)
Ever since her interactions with “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, Alexa Bliss has incorporated character changes to her on-screen role. During an interview with TVInsider.com, Bliss reflected on her character evolution and why she loves anything “out-of-the-box.”
Alexa Bliss admitted how she loves anything “different and out-of-the-box.” This is because those ideas allow her to evolve and change her character.
She highlighted how gimmick changes and character development will often “spike people’s interest.” Bliss then pointed to “The Fiend” as a successful example of this.
Bliss noted how she is known for loving promos and enjoys being given a chance to “portray a character.”
According to Bliss, it’s her favorite thing to do. She admitted that being able to try something new is a lot of fun and that she is excited to see where it may go.
Bliss then looked back at her participation during the Extreme Rules Swamp Fight between “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman. She revealed how she didn’t know she would be a part of their clash:
“I thought it was really cool how it came across. I didn’t know I was going to be in that. When I was told I was, it was really cool because it was something different. It was something I’ve never done. I love how it turned out.”
You can see Alexa Bliss role in Extreme Rules’ Swamp Fight below:
All Elite Wrestling’s newest signing, Miro, has explained why he believes the company is the best wrestling promotion during an interview with Busted Open Radio.
During the conversation, Miro—formerly known as WWE’s Rusev—highlighted the range of different in-ring styles in AEW. He admitted how he’s been “fascinated” by AEW ever since its inception. Miro acknowledged how he had spent ten years performing in a “bubble” while conforming to the “same style” each time. Coming to AEW, however, has led him to a pro wrestling epiphany.
“I was just into this bubble and at the same style for ten years, and everything outside was like, ‘Well, that makes no sense.’ You’re just pointing fingers, but now, I’m on the outside looking and I finally understand why AEW is the best,” Miro said. “AEW gives you every single style around the world, and when they invite you to come to AEW, they don’t invite you and tell you, ‘Hey, come and change your style to what we want’. No, you come and show your style, doing whatever you’re coming from.”
He explained how “the old bubble” was like boxing. According to Miro, AEW can be likened to MMA. He highlighted how AEW provides “all styles combining into one and in one show.”
Miro added how this diversity of in-ring styles is what he loves about AEW and why he can’t wait to begin competing.
Thunder Rosa has commented on the current state of All Elite Wrestling’s Women’s Division. The current NWA Women’s World Champion shared her thoughts with SportsKeeda, explaining how she believes AEW is on the “right track.”
She acknowledged how AEW is filled with a lot of young female talent. Rosa indicated how, due to their youth, they “don’t have experience of working TV shows.” She believes this is one of the main issues AEW’s Women’s Division faces.
“It will take time to build something strong. We shouldn’t be discrediting the effort the female wrestlers are putting in. Being a female performer, I can tell you from my own experience, it is hard. You are constantly competing with very talented men.”
Thunder Rosa highlighted certain women in AEW, including Red Velvet, Abadon, and Anna Jay. She noted how they are doing a great job at being “positive and supportive.” According to her, they are on the “right track to build up a strong women’s division.”
The NWA Women’s World Champion has appeared on AEW programming in recent weeks. She defeated Serena Deeb on the 9/2 episode of AEW Dynamite. Thunder Rosa would face off against AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida at the promotion’s recent All Out event. Despite her best efforts, Thunder Rosa lost to Shida in their Champion versus Champion clash.
Former WWE on-air talent, Renee Young, has opened up on her relationship with AEW’s Jon Moxley. She addressed whether their relationship had ever affected her WWE career.
Young divulged the information on a recent episode of the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast. She explained how Moxley’s departure from WWE to AEW wasn’t as weird as she thought it would be.
“I actually thought it was gonna be weirder than it was, but maybe I just had my head buried in the sand about it. When Jon and I were at WWE together, it wasn’t like we were this couple that was rammed down people’s throats. When we walked through the door, we went in, and did our separate jobs, and then we’d meet each other in the car after and make our way to the next town.”
Because of this approach, Young doesn’t believe there were any “real effects” after Moxley debuted in AEW. She attributed this to her being valued by WWE separate from Moxley’s contributions. However, Young couldn’t deny that there were some initial concerns:
“[…] once he left, it was, ‘Are people gonna treat me different? Are people gonna start being weird towards me?’ I really didn’t feel that way, and I don’t know if it was more like a slow burn of feeling that happen. It wasn’t an overnight thing, and it might have been nothing.”
SmackDown Superstar AJ Styles has confirmed that he had discussions with All Elite Wrestling last year when his WWE contract was set to expire. Styles revealed the news during a recent Twitch stream.
During the stream, Styles conversed with fans online. He revealed that “there were talks” before pointing out how “it’s a business.” Styles then highlighted how his contract with WWE was going to expire, opening up a conversation with AEW.
AJ Styles explained how he’s good friends with Matt and Nick Jackson. He added that, although discussions had been had with The Young Bucks, they never reached a point to actively discuss money. He then reiterated how, ultimately, “it’s all business.”
Styles would ultimately re-sign with WWE. According to Matt Jackson, had Styles signed with AEW, they would have had a Bullet Club reunion at Madison Square Garden. This proposed storyline would have seen Styles reunited with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
AJ Styles recently shared which WWE Superstars he would want in a WWE Bullet Club. Styles immediately pointed to Bullet Club founder Finn Balor. He also included Undisputed Era—and former Bullet Club member—Adam Cole. However, he admitted that without Gallows and Anderson, it made the idea a harder sell for him.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.689 million viewers with a 0.50 rating in the key 18-49 demographic. This was down from last week, which did 1.725 million viewers, but up from the 0.47 demo rating.
The summer is over and that means that the NFL is back. Monday featured the premiere of Monday Night Football for the league on ESPN, which had two games. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Giants did 10.762 and Denver Broncos vs. Tennessee Titans had 7.697.
To compare, just one year ago, RAW averaged 2,.272 million viewers. Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:
Hour 1: 1.812 million, 0.52 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 2: 1.734 million, 0.52 in the 18-49 Demo
Hour 3: 1.521 million, 0.45 in the 18-49 Demo
SmackDown Viewership
Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.329 million viewers on FOX. This is up from the 2.129 million viewers that the show did for the previous week.
SmackDown averaged 2.261 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was up from the 2.066 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.236 million viewers while the second hour did 2.286 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.018 million viewers while the second hour did 2.113 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from the 0.60 rating as last week’s show.
Mickie James vs Asuka for the RAW Women’s Championship was stopped early last night. It looked as though James may have injured her shoulder leading to the premature ending to the match.
Mick Foley then noted on Twitter that he heard James had injured 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.”
According to Bryan Alvarez, however, James is fine and the referee made a mistake ending the bout.
Mickie James’ Mission
Before her title match with Asuka, James spoke with SI.com about wanting to change how women are perceived in wrestling.
“My goal has always been to change the way women are perceived in wrestling, and that’s still my goal,” says James. “It was very different when I first broke in. I never wanted to be a valet or a manager. I wanted to be a wrestler. I wanted to have the best match of the night. That mentality has kept me leveling up. I always want more for women in wrestling.”
Paul Heyman was removed from his role as Executive Director of RAW this summer. He has since become Roman Reigns’ advocate and is reportedly involved in the creative process of the character. According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, there are 2 stars from the RAW brand who are being negatively impacted by Heyman’s departure from the brand.
“When Heyman got replaced, I was kind of told – not so much the Viking Raiders cause that obviously came from the injury – But Aleister Black and Andrade were like the two guys that I was told that were really going to be in trouble because Vince doesn’t necessarily see a lot in them as compared to what Heyman saw in them.”
This week on RAW, it appeared the faction of Andrade, Angel Garza, and Zelina Vega has split up.
Aleister Black recently turned heel after sustaining an eye injury via an attack by Seth Rollins and Murphy. Black attacked Kevin Owens and turned heel a few weeks later.
“I really see Andrade from tonight’s show, when I saw that split, it was just like ‘oh god’. Yep, that thing with Andrade is going to come true exactly like I was told,” Meltzer continued.
Jeff Hardy recently re-signed with WWE. Hardy was arrested twice in 2019. In July, he was arrested for public intoxication in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Then back in October, he was arrested for DUI in Moore County, North Carolina.
Hardy said recently in an interview with BT Sport that he can’t afford to screw up again.
“I can’t screw up again if I do I’m done. Living one day at a time has been huge for me.”
“When I heard what happened to Chadwick Boseman, it touched my soul. I want to be an example, a good person.”
Hardy’s comments can be heard in the below Tweet:
"I can't screw up again if I do I'm done. Living one day at a time has been huge for me."
"When I heard what happened to Chadwick Boseman, it touched my soul. I want to be an example, a good person."
In a previous clip, Hardy spoke about wanting to use No More Words as his entrance music again.
“When we do get in front of a crowd again, that was a part of me re-signing I was like ‘if we get back in front of people again I would like to use No More Words again’ because I know y’all want it.”
“I think the Hardyz Boyz music is just for Matt & Jeff Hardy not for Jeff Hardy,” he continued.
A recent trailer for Season 2 of Disney’s hit Star Wars series “The Mandalorian” has been released. The series returns to Disney Plus on October 30th. The trailer features a cameo from WWE’s Sasha Banks.
Banks is shown wearing a very Jedi-Esque robe in the trailer. Her character’s identity has not yet been announced.
Near the end of the trailer, the Mandalorian appears to be attending some type of galactic combat competition taking place inside a ring. Former MMA fighter Gina Carano also stars in the series.
Renee Young seems excited about Banks’ role in the new season of the series as well:
Filming for season 2 of the Mandalorian began in mid-October last year and wrapped up in early March just before the pandemic shut everything down. The plot focuses on the Mandalorian searching for the Child’s (Baby Yoda) home planet. Mandalorian Season 3 is reportedly already in the works as well.
“The songs of eons past tell of battles between Mandalore the Great and an order of sorcerers called Jedi,” the Armorer tells the Mandalorian in the trailer. Banks appears in the trailer shortly after this line.
“You expect me to search the galaxy and return this creature to a race of enemy sorcerers?” the Mandalorian replies.
The 38-year-old Olympian has been one of the top free agents in pro wrestling. He’s had notable runs with Lucha Underground, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Ring of Honor. He was briefly aligned with Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle earlier this year with a 2-week stint on AEW Dynamite.
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said it’s all but certain that Cobb has signed with New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Jeff Cobb will enter this year’s G1 Climax Tournament, one of several signs that NPW is his new home. The general feeling within the industry is that Cobb’s goal was to use Ring of Honor as a stepping stone to New Japan.
With this news going public, keep an eye out for public comments from Cobb himself.
Discussion: Do you think Jeff Cobb made the right call by joining NJPW?
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T revealed on his Hall of Fame radio show and Reality of Wrestling YouTube channel that he has tested positive for COVID-19. The 55-year-old noted that he was tested for the virus in June but never got his results back. He then received a call recently from the Center for Disease Control that his test came back positive.
“About an hour ago from the CDC and the CDC told me that yes, I have tested positive for the Coronavirus… back at the end of June,” Booker said. Co-host Brad Gilmore noted that they had talked on the show about him not feeling well and getting tested a few months back.
“I never got my result back. But they called me, rest assured, today, to tell me that back at the end of June when I got tested that I tested positive. I’ve had three tests since then and they all came back negative.”
Booker continued to talk about how he went 3 months without getting his test result back.
“It just goes to show you how bad that we really are with this system that we are working with as far as people are finding out if they have this or they don’t. I’m living proof, thank God that I’m still here,” he continued.
Booker also spoke about symptoms he experienced during this time.
“I know what I went through for a couple of weeks, I had headaches, I had night sweats. I lost my taste and smell for 2 weeks. Thank God, I was smart enough to quarantine from the family.”
AEW has given the first taste of limelight to a number of independent stars and Chris Jericho recently revealed his top picks for the stars which are rising to stardom in the company.
The inaugural AEW World Champion talked about a number of things on the latest episode of his Saturday Night Special stream including his match with Sonny Kiss and more.
During the show, Jericho was asked about which talents he thinks are the rising stars of AEW and he took the names of people like Darby Allin and Jungle Boy:
“I’ll go with Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, Orange Cassidy, Sammy Guevara, and Thunder Rosa. I’ll also throw in Penelope Ford there.”
Chris also provided an update on the AEW video game and the former WWE star said that they are spending a lot of time in its development to ensure that it’s done right:
“Kenny [Omega] and Aubrey [Edwards] have a lot to do with the direction of the game. They are spending a lot of time on its development, putting in a lot of time. We want to ensure that the video game is done right and it is not a half-assed effort”
During the same stream, Chris Jericho talked about Miro’s AEW debut as well and he revealed that he wrote the controversial line about WWE in his promo. You can check out Y2J’s comments on the matter at this link.
Renee Young ended her 8 year-long stint with WWE after SummerSlam this year. Her departure came as a surprise to many because she was still featured on TV and there wasn’t any news of the female star being unhappy in the company.
The former NXT star recently appeared on Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast and during the interview; she detailed the reason behind her surprising decision.
In her long tenure with WWE, Young portrayed many roles in the company including being the first full-time female commentator, a backstage interviewer and panel co-host and according to Renee she felt that she had hit her ceiling:
“I’ve been there for eight years and I kinda did everything I could possibly do. I felt like I was bouncing around and continually trying to carve this path out for myself and I feel like I hit my ceiling,”
Renee Young explained that after doing commentary for a year, she realised that her strength was being a TV host. After she was removed from her position and moved to SmackDown as a special contributor Young felt that WWE didn’t know what to do with her either:
“I felt like they didn’t know what to do with me either. Just having me on TV and doing backstage interviews again felt like a step back and there was just nowhere for me to go. There was nothing for me to do anymore especially when Backstage got cancelled with FS1.
I feel like I had checked all of the boxes and I turned over every card that I could there. I didn’t want to waste any more time. I’m about to turn 35 and I’ve done a bunch of stuff there so it’s time to move on.”
During the interview, Renee Young also revealed that she still has a relationship with Fox and she will be working with the network in future.
Though the former WWE star has a serious non compete clause that stops her from working for any other wrestling company for almost a year, which means that the possibility of her making an appearance for All Elite Wrestling anytime soon is not very bright.
WWE RAW aired live from the ThunderDome in the Amway Center. Asuka defended the RAW Women’s Championship against Mickie James tonight and Drew McIntyre battled Keith Lee. in the main event. . Braun Strowman dominated RAW Underground during tonight’s show.
Asuka def. Mickie James to retain the RAW Women’s Championship
Bobby Lashley def. Erik
Seth Rollins def. Dominik in a Steel Cage match
Kevin Owens def. Alesiter Black
Riott Squad def. Natalya & Lana
Keith Lee versus Drew McIntyre ended in a No Contest (Retribution interference)
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
McIntyre Challenged Orton To An Ambulance Match At The PPV
Dolph Ziggler joined Michael Cole and Byron Saxton on commentary for RAW: In Your Face. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre kicked off the show and made his way to the ring.
McIntyre said that Randy Orton broke his jaw but he is back now. Drew added that he considers himself lucky that it was only a fractured jaw after what Orton did to him. Drew said that WWE medical staff told him to take some time off but that would require him to relinquish the title and he refused. McIntyre said he would rather leave the ThunderDome in an ambulance every week then give up his title. McIntyre then suggested he defend his WWE Championship against Orton in an Ambulance match at Clash of Champions.
Adam Pearce interrupted and said that Orton’s injuries are extensive and his availability at Clash of Champions is unknown. Adam announced that Keith Lee will face McIntyre at Clash of Champions for the title if Orton is not medically cleared. Keith Lee then made his way to the ring and shook McIntyre’s hand. McIntyre went to walk away but Lee didn’t let go as RAW went to a break.
Street Profits Won The Champions vs. Champions Match
RAW Tag Team Champions Street Profits battled SmackDown Tag Team Champions Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title match tonight on RAW.
Match Recap: The SmackDown Tag Team Champions dominated the action early and isolated Angelo Dawkins in the ring. Montez Ford tagged in and sent Cesaro and Nakamura out of the ring. Ford went for a Crossbody but the SmackDown Tag Team Champions caught him and sent him flying into the barricade surrounding the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Dawkins was back in the ring and connected with a Clothesline on Nakamura. Shinsuke battled back with the sliding German Suplex but Dawkins responded with a Spinebuster. Montez tagged in and went for the Frog Splash but Nakamura got his knees up.
Cesaro tagged in and leveled Ford for a two count. Cesaro followed it up with a few more uppercuts and then a Superplex. Dawkins tagged in and hit Cesaro with a Frog Splash for the pinfall victory.
The Hurt Business came to the ring and MVP proclaimed that business is booming. Cedric Alexander said his social media was blowing up with people throwing shade on him for turning his back on Apollo Crews and Ricochet. Alexander stated that this is his job and he will do whatever he needs to do to succeed.
Ricochet and Apollo Crews interrupted and Apollo told Alexander that he is weak minded. Crews added that Alexander has to live with the consequences of his decision. Ricochet told Alexander that they are coming for him. Ricochet then battled Alexander in a singles match as Crews and the Hurt Business were ringside.
Match Recap: The action spilled out of the ring and Erik from the Viking Raiders attacked Lashley from behind as RAW went to a break. Lashley and Erik will battle later tonight. When RAW returned, Cedric was in control and beat Ricochet down in the corner of the ring.
Ricochet battled back with a Dropkick and both superstars fell to the canvas. Alexander connected with a Michinoku Driver and went for the cover but Ricochet kicked out at two. Cedric followed it up with the Lumbar Check for the pinfall victory.
After the match, the lights in the arena went out and RETRIBUTION appeared on the screen. They claimed that when you are loyal to an entity that cast people aside like garbage, you become garbage. They added that when you sell your soul to a corrupt machine, you become corrupt. RETRIBUTION said that they thought their time at the Performance Center would lead them to fame but they refuse to suck up to an entitled regime.
The Hurt Business approached Adam Pearce backstage and said it was time to update the security from boys to men. MVP told Pearce that they will help with the fight against RETRIBUTION and send Adam a bill for their services.
Opinion: RETRIBUTION is basically just a group of wrestlers that feel overlooked. There really isn’t a single thing interesting or original about them right now.
Retribution has been wreaking havoc on WWE televisions for several weeks now.
After various theories among fans about who could be in the group, WWE’s internal roster has confirmed the five members of the stable.
On Monday evening, John Pollock of Post Wrestling reported Dio Maddin, Mia Yim, Shane Thorne, Mercedes Martinez, and Dominik Dijakovic are in WWE’s internal roster. Dave Meltzer has confirmed this report.
All of the stars mentioned above have been appearing in promos in the last couple of weeks on Monday Night RAW. Martinez and Dijakovic have been used in speaking roles.
On Monday’s episode of RAW, the group did a promo where they talked about the machine and how everyone is bad for liking the machine. They ended the promo with a number of extras appearing by wearing the same apparel as the group.
In recent weeks on NXT television, Yim and Martinez have both been used as Martinez lost a steel cage match to Rhea Ripley on last week’s show.
This ended her storyline with the Robert Stone brand as Stone had been her manager. WWE did a storyline where he filed a restraining order against her, which ended up cutting ties with Martinez.
No one knows what the future holds with COVID-19 and that includes the status of WWE WrestleMania 37.
WrestleMania 37 is scheduled to take place on March 28th, 2021 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The stadium holds 70,000. Along with it comes other events that take place during the week.
Those events include Friday Night SmackDown, NXT TakeOver, and Monday Night Raw at Staples Center, WrestleMania Axxess at the Los Angeles Convention Center as well as the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
It appears that WWE is dealing with some scheduling conflicts that week as musical group Grupo Firme announced in August that they will play the Staples Center that week.
Now, the arena is selling tickets to the shows on Friday, March 26, 2021 and Saturday, March 27th. As a result, this would conflict with SmackDown and NXT TakeOver.
As of this writing, WWE has yet to announce any changes to its schedule for this week.
WWE hasn’t been able to hold shows with fans in months and plans to do so again have been pushed back month after month starting back in June. WWE wanted to have fans for SummerSlam, but instead, they decided to go with the ThunderDome.
