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Rey & Dominik Mysterio Get Revenge On Seth Rollins & Buddy Murphy

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Rey and Dominik Mysterio had the chance to get back at their arch-rivals, Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy. 

This tag team contest was booked at the Payback pay-per-view event. It was a back and forth contest with the father and son going over.

The finish featured Murphy accidentally kicking Rollins in the head before Rey hit a sunset flip powerbomb to Rollins into the barricade. Dominik hit the 619 then a frog splash off the top rope to Murphy for the win. 

This has been a long term feud that dates back to the original program between Rey and Rollins. Rollins took out an eye of the future WWE Hall of Famer in an Eye for an Eye Match at Extreme Rules. 

After being off television for a few weeks, Rey made his return in order to be in the corner of his son when he battled the former Universal Champion in a Street Fight at the SummerSlam pay-per-view event just one week ago that saw Rollins go over. 

WWE has already confirmed that Rey will wrestle Rollins in a singles match on this Monday’s episode of RAW on the USA Network in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center

What are your thoughts on Rey & Dominik Mysterio going over Seth Rollins & Buddy Murphy in this tag team contest? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler Win WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles

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Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler have captured the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship. 

The unlikely tag team took on Bayley and Sasha Banks for the titles at Sunday’s WWE Payback pay-per-view event. The match aired in the middle of the card in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center on WWE’s streaming service. 

Baszler and Jax are just the seventh team to hold the titles. The finish of the contest saw an interesting finish as Baszler had Banks in a leg submission while also putting Bayley in a rear-naked choke and in the process, used Banks’ arm to put over the throat of Bayley for the win. 

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1300226227526139904

WWE made the match announcement this past Monday night on RAW when Baszler battled SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley in a non-title match. Jax pulled her partner out of the ring and stood with her to stare the champs down. 

They would later have an exchange of words and Baszler said she would help Jax win the titles if Jax left her alone and stayed off her back. This led to Baszler slapping Jax and walking off.

Bayley and Banks first won the titles on the June 5th during an episode of SmackDown when they beat Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross.

What are your thoughts on Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler winning the WWE Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Bobby Lashley Wins WWE United States Title

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There is a new WWE United States Champion and that’s Bobby Lashley. 

WWE had Lashley challenged Apollo Crews for the championship at Sunday’s (August 30, 2020) WWE Payback pay-per-view event.

This is where Lashley connected with a chokeslam and his full nelson finisher in a competitive match to win the title and end Crews’ reign. Post-match, Crews attacked Lashley before running away from MVP and Shelton Benjamin. 

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1300211128727818240

Crews dethroned Andrade as the champion by beating him in a match on the May 25th episode of RAW on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.

This championship match took place just one week after Crews had successfully retained the title over MVP during the pre-show of the SummerSlam pay-per-view event. 

Crews has been feuding with The Hurt Business (Lashley, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin) as of late on the red brand. 

Time will tell whether WWE continues this feud or goes into a different direction heading into the Clash of Champions pay-per-view event on September 27th. 

What are your thoughts on Bobby Lashley winning the WWE United Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.

Reason Why WWE Paired Roman Reigns With Paul Heyman

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One of the bigger pieces of news to come out this week was the pairing of Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman. 

It’s been reported that WWE had plans to give Reigns more of an edgier side coming out of WrestleMania 36 where he was supposed to beat Goldberg for the Universal Title. That didn’t happen as Reigns went on hiatus. 

Dave Meltzer noted on today’s Wrestling Observer Radio that the reason for the alliance between the two men was due to WWE needing to justify the big-money contract that Heyman has.

t was also done as a way to cement Reigns’ heel turn. Heyman hadn’t been used on television since WrestleMania and there’s no word on when Lesnar is expected to return. Thus, Heyman was being paid without working. 

It should be noted that Heyman did have two different deals with WWE – one for being a performer and the other being for the role of RAW Executive Director. Of course, Heyman lost on the second deal when Vince McMahon decided to remove him. 

With such grand plans that WWE has for Reigns as a heel, it made sense to pair Heyman with him another big star. 

Lance Archer on Shaquille O’Neal: “I’m gonna kick you in the back of the knee and take your face off your head.”

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AEW star Lance Archer recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The ‘Murderhawk Monster’ answered a litany of questions on the show, with some dynamite comments being thrown at NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.

Shaquille O’Neal recently spoke to The Athletic and stated that he would ‘love’ to come to AEW and go up against the ‘face’ of the company, Cody Rhodes. Shaq stated “I’d love to fight Cody. Write it. Print it. Text it to him. Call AEW up and tell them.”

Lance Archer took exception to the fact that Shaq wanted a shot at Cody and not someone who is a lot closer to his stature. Shaq has previously appeared for WWE and stood toe to toe with the likes of The Big Show in-ring.

Lance Archer on Shaq

“I mean, Cody IS the face of AEW” Lance Archer began on the show. “So he [Shaq] wants to be in that picture with the face of AEW. That IS Cody, and who knows what Cody’s condition is right now?”

Cody Rhodes was recently ‘written off’ television after his TNT Championship loss to Brodie Lee. It was reported that this was due to an upcoming television role elsewhere and the plan is for Cody to take on the ‘Exalted One’ Brodie Lee when he returns.

“But that’s where Shaq thinks he wants to go” Lance Archer continued. “And it’s cool. [Go on] look in a different direction Shaq. Don’t pay attention to the biggest baddest SOB on the card. Because if you’re not paying attention? I’m gonna kick you in the back of the knee and take your face off your head.”

Would you like to see Lance Archer vs Shaq Fu in AEW? Let us know in the comments

Lance Archer
Lance Archer (Photo: AEW)

Lance Archer Talks AEW Ratings amid Television Slot Changes

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AEW star Lance Archer recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The ‘Murderhawk Monster’ answered a litany of questions on the show, mostly surrounding AEW’s recent television night moves and how the company have appeared to ‘retain’ their audience.

The Dynamite show had to be moved on a couple of nights due to the NBA coverage on TNT. This meant that there was a Saturday Dynamite show (08/22) and a Thursday Dynamite show (08/27).

Typically, when a programme has to change slots it can hurt viewership with television audiences being creatures of habit, they sometimes do not switch to the new timeslot and the rating is downsized. However, the past three weeks ratings show that Dynamite fared extremely well given the move in dates:

12th August: 792,000 and a 0.32 rating in the 18-49 demographic
22nd August:: 755,000 and a 0.31 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Saturday)
27th August:  813,000 and a 0.29 rating in the 18-49 demographic (Thursday)

Lance Archer on Ratings

Busted Open co-host Bully Ray talked with Lance Archer about the importance of television ratings in the ‘pandemic’ era, and Archer emphatically agreed. “I think you have to be [looking at ratings] in this era of professional wrestling. Being that we’re on TV and that’s what kind of drives the business right now, especially right now. Because there is no live audience? That’s something you have to pay attention to.”

“I think it’s absolutely one of those things that’s discussed [in the locker room], it’s understood, and everybody’s looking at ways to even improve those ratings” Lance Archer continued. “Again, giving the fans new and cool things every single week, new and cool people every single week. That’s what keeps driving those ratings. I think that’s what helped that Saturday rating stay so strong, it was because you never know exactly what you’re going to tune in and see, you know?”

Do you agree with Lance Archer? Let us know in the comments

Triple H Gives Details On NXT UK Return

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The NXT UK brand is returning but things will be a little different. Triple H spoke to Metro recently about the return of the United Kingdom division. One notable change is that new episodes of the weekly NXT UK show will be filmed inside the BT Sport studio in London.

“When you look at that studio, it’s perfect for what we do,” Triple H said in the interview. “But they are perfect for what we do. They have been a leader in changing the game in sport across all of Europe and, really, globally.”

“It’s an amazing facility. The intent is for us to be able to in there long term to be able to create this content, and I think if later down the line, we get to a place where fans can come in – obviously we’d be thrilled and excited.”

Triple H also spoke about the impacts of the #SpeakingOut movement which rocked the UK wrestling scene earlier this summer.

“Part of this is why we started [NXT UK] in the first place – to professionalize and put that system into place where everyone can feel safe and protected and have a working environment that is inclusive of everyone and the opportunity to do what we do.”

In terms of how WWE deals with allegations against its roster members, Triple reiterated the company policy.

“We look into it, we go from there to see what is legitimate, what is not, what is real, what isn’t, and deal with it accordingly.”

WWE announced the return of the NXT UK brand during the TakeOver XXX broadcast. New programming is already being filmed and is set to premiere on the WWE Network on September 17th, 2020.

The full interview can be read here.

Dominik Mysterio on Vince McMahon’s Response To His Debut

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Dominik Mysterio made his professional wrestling debut at SummerSlam 2020. The match occurred 15 years after his father Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero met at SummerSlam 2005 with custody of Dominik on the line. Dominik recently spoke to Talk Sport about the reaction backstage from Vince McMahon and others to his debut.

“The reaction backstage was crazy. I got very emotional, hugged my mum, hugged my dad, hugged Jamie, Seth – the whole deal. Everyone was very happy and clapping for me, so it was a surreal moment,” Dominik described the backstage atmosphere after his debut.

Dominik also discussed Vince McMahon’s reaction to his debut during the interview.

“I definitely gave the bossman [Vince McMahon] a hug afterwards and thanked him for the opportunity. It was just a crazy experience,” Dominik continued. “From seeing other people and other wrestlers finish their matches and walk through gorilla and hug Vince and stuff like that, having that be my turn to do it… I’m forever grateful.”

Dominik will team with his father tonight to take on Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy at Payback. Tomorrow night on RAW, Rey Mysterio and Seth Rollins will face each other in singles competition.

Dominik also spoke about how he feels it was Vince McMahon’s decision to bring him into the storyline.

“At the end of the day, I don’t know what people think, but I wasn’t asking for things or begging my dad, so I think me being brought into this storyline and being put in the position I was put in was definitely coming from someone that has a lot of power and my guess is that would be Vince. I’m very grateful.”

The full interview can be read here.

The Rock Pays Tribute To Chadwick Boseman

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Chadwick Boseman, the actor famous for playing the title role in Black Panther, died recently after secretly battling colon cancer for 4 years. Fans have been paying tribute to the late actor online and so has Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson.

The Rock posted the following in tribute to Boseman.

“‘Press on with pride. Press on with purpose’ – Chadwick Boseman 
This was hard to hear about. 
Hard to imagine the quiet pain and struggle you went thru all these years, yet still shined your powerful light and talents to inspire the world.”

“Especially, our kids who finally saw themselves as a superhero — because of you. 
Rest in power, brother. 
My love and strength to your family. 
You will always press on with pride and purpose.”

The Rock is set to become part of the DC superhero universe much like Boseman was a part of Marvel. Rock will portray “Black Adam” in the DC Universe film set to be released in late 2021.

The Rock’s full tribute to Boseman is below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEdqWu1FE6j/

Kevin Owens also paid tribute to Boseman on Twitter. He posted the following upon hearing news of the actors death:

Betting Odds For WWE Payback

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The card for Sunday’s (August 30, 2020) WWE Payback pay-per-view event has been finalized, which means the final odds are out. 

The company hasn’t officially announced the main event of this event that takes place in Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center and will air on the WWE Network but it will most likely be WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman. 

This will be a No Holds Barred Triple Threat Match and the first match involving Reigns in months. Reigns is actually the favorite to win the championship. 

As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of this special on Sunday evening starting at 6 PM EST. The favorites are listed with (-). Here are the final betting odds for the show:

Final WWE Payback Betting Odds

  • WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt +250 vs. Roman Reigns -120 vs. Braun Strowman +500 – No Holds Barred Triple Threat Match
  • Keith Lee -130 vs. Randy Orton +110
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks +110 vs. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler -150
  • WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews +200 vs. Bobby Lashley -300
  • Rey & Dominik Mysterio +200 vs. Seth Rollins & Buddy Murphy -150
  • Baron Corbin +130 vs. Matt Riddle -170
  • Big E -400 vs. Sheamus +250

NXT Will Air On Tuesday For The Next 2 Weeks, AEW Returns To Wednesday

Roman Reigns Comments On His Alliance With Paul Heyman

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Nearly 24 hours after WWE showed that Paul Heyman had secured his latest client, Roman Reigns commented on the pairing. 

During Friday’s episode of SmackDown, Vince McMahon instructed producer Adam Pearce to get the contract for the No Holds Barred Triple Threat Match at the Payback pay-per-view event signed by Reigns, Braun Strowman, and Bray Wyatt. 

The last few minutes of the broadcast that aired on FOX saw Reigns and Heyman sitting together in the backstage area. Reigns stated that he would get back his Universal Title and how it wasn’t a prediction, but rather a spoiler. By watching the segment, it was pretty clear that Heyman is now advocating for Reigns.

On Saturday, Reigns took to Twitter where he responded to a tweet by Heyman by writing, “Been waiting on this for a long time. Here we go!!”

This marked Heyman’s first appearance on WWE programming since WrestleMania 36 when Brock Lesnar dropped the WWE Title to Drew McIntyre. 

It was likely the first time that Heyman was also backstage at a WWE event since McMahon decided to end Heyman’s tenure as the RAW Executive Director a few months ago. 

WWE SmackDown Results (8/28): Roman Reigns & Paul Heyman, Sami Zayn Returns

NXT Will Air On Tuesday For The Next 2 Weeks, AEW Returns To Wednesday

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NXT will air on Tuesday night at 8pm (Eastern) on the USA Network for the next two weeks. The USA Network website has been updated to reflect that NXT is airing on Tuesday, September 1st and Tuesday, September 8th.

NXT is being pre-empted for NHL hockey. In an effort to make sure fans tune in, WWE is billing this coming Tuesday’s show as a “Super Tuesday” special. It will be a historic broadcast that will feature a 4-way Iron Match to crown a new NXT Champion. The competitors will be Finn Balor, Johnny Gargano, Tomasso Ciampa and Adam Cole.

The title was vacated by Karrion Kross last week due to a shoulder injury he sustained at Takeover XXX.

On the other side of the Wednesday Night War, AEW Dynamite returns home to its usual Wednesday night time slot this coming week. NXT had a chance to run unopposed in its usual time slot for the past two weeks. AEW will have that same opportunity the next two weeks.

The next two unopposed editions of AEW Dynamite will be the the weeks before and after the big All Out pay-per-view scheduled for Saturday, September 5th.

AEW will now have a chance to show what they can do airing in their normal time slot unopposed for 2 consecutive weeks.

The next time NXT and AEW run head-to-head will be Wednesday, September 16th.

https://twitter.com/TonyKhan/status/1299512692919734272

Vince Russo Blames Bruce Prichard For ‘Comical’ Retribution Storyline

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Former WWE writer and polarising figure Vince Russo recently commented on the WWE ‘Retribution’ angle.

The Retribution have been making their presence felt on WWE programming over the past few weeks. The group have been invading RAW, SmackDown and PPV events and their actual intentions and identities are at this point unknown.

Vince Russo on Retribution

“Bro, this takeover is freaking comical” Vince Russo began on The Brand’s 8 Days a Week; describing how he feels about the way Retribution have gone about their business in WWE. “You made everybody on your roster look like a bunch of effing idiots, bro. There’s a match going on in the ring. So the entire locker room comes out to the ring to make sure that the Retribution don’t attack the ring.”

“Meanwhile, the ‘new kids on the block’ have beaten up someone in the back right?” Russo would continue. “So they [creative] wrote that a referee comes out and gives the talent in the ring the heads up. They’re now out of here and they’re in the back, they’re in their back, bro I swear to God, like the Keystone cops.”

Vince Russo would then lay the blame solely on SmackDown Executive Director Bruce Prichard. Bruce Prichard himself of course has a long running podcast himself (Something To Wrestle With) and he has taken the opportunity to ridicule Russo’s creative on more than one occasion. “All the talent are running back and I’m like are you effing, like what am i watching here Bruce!?” Russo would finish. “What is wrong with you? And you want to sit there on your show and bury me? Are you kidding!?”

Right now there’s no definitive confirmation on how the Retribution angle will play out. On this week’s episode of SmackDown, Roman Reigns was seen backstage with Paul Heyman, who appeared to be his new ‘advocate.’ There have previously been rumblings of Reigns being behind the Retribution group, as he only just recently returned to television at SummerSlam.

So perhaps WWE has a masterplan for the group after all?

Do you agree with Vince Russo? Have Retribution been booked poorly? Let us know in the comments

strowman retribution

Naomi Reportedly To Receive A Big Push

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WWE has reportedly heard much of the social media buzz surrounding Naomi as of late. In recent months, the hashtag “#NaomiDeservesBetter” has trended on Twitter. Support for Naomi began after she took part in the poorly-received Karaoke segment on Smackdown and after multiple losses to Lacey Evans and Dana Brooke.

According to a report from PW Insider, WWE officials have heard the support for Naomi “loud and clear” and plan on giving the Smackdown Superstar a push in response.

2 weeks ago on Smackdown, Naomi wrestled two matches as the opponent for both Bayley and Sasha Banks in a Beat the Clock Challenge. While Naomi lost her match to Sasha Banks, she defeated Bayley, possibly putting her in the mix for a future Smackdown Women’s Championship title shot.

Naomi’s Record Since WrestleMania

Naomi is 2-4-1 in singles matches since Wrestlemania. She also didn’t not win the recent battle royal on Smackdown.

  • 8/21/20: defeated Bayley
  • 8/21/20: lost to Sasha Banks
  • 8/13/20: didn’t win the Tri-brand battle royal
  • 7/21/20: defeated Lacey Evans
  • 7/17/20: lost to Lacey Evans
  • 7/2/20: vs Lacey Evans – No Contest
  • 5/11/20: lost to Dana Brooke
  • 4/17/20: lost to Dana Brooke

The 32-year-old is a 2x Smackdown Women’s Champion. She won the WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal in 2018 as well.

Jim Ross Comments On “Bungled” WWF Invasion Angle

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In 2001, WWE featured the infamous Invasion angle. After both WCW and ECW went out of business, WWE worked them into their storylines but the angle received poor reviews from fans. WCW and ECW would form “The Alliance” and feud against WWE.

“The main thing that I will agree with is that the angle was bungled because any time you cut one short that you knew had more legs and longer legs, that’s a little rough to handle. This was a good story and it got good numbers. It was just challenging to manage. We got a bunch of new guys in the locker room and everyone reacts differently when you move to a new home.”

Conrad and JR would continue to talk about how the angle failed to meet fans’ expectations.

“The Invasion angle was probably the most under productive TV angle that we did to have that much potential,” Ross continued.

Many fans say the reason the angle didn’t perform up to expectations is that several of the top WCW stars weren’t part of it. It made more sense for many WCW wrestlers to sit at home and collect paychecks from their previous WCW contracts.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to grab the NWO out of their homes kicking and screaming and forsake those massive checks they got every single week from Time Warner?” JR said when asked about not having WCW’s top stars fro the angle.

“It was a situation where you hope that some of these guys that we did bring in, somebody might break through, somebody might break out. And quite honestly, that really never happened.”

JR’s comments can be heard in the player below:

Eric Bischoff On WCW’s Policy For Hiring ECW Wrestlers

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Eric Bischoff recently spent some time on his 83 Weeks podcast talking about hiring wrestlers from ECW to bring into WCW. According to Bischoff, ECW contracts were not anything WCW took seriously.

Conrad asked Bischoff if he was worried about contractual agreements Raven and Stevie Richards were supposedly still under to ECW when they were brought into WCW.

“I wasn’t worried about it,” Bischoff said about the pair’s ECW contracts.

“You could drive a half-tonne pickup through the holes that were in the ECW contracts. And a lot of those contracts were non-existent. Paul would say ‘we’ve got him under contract,’ we’d go to the talent and say ‘are you under contract?’ ‘No’.”

“Or you’d look at the contract and realize that you could drive a truck through it or Paul had already breached the contract so it was no longer really a contract. It was such a cluster when it came to anything that ECW professed to have contractually that for the most part, we took none of it seriously.”

ECW filed a lawsuit against WCW for tortious interference. Conrad noted that Paul may have been familiar with a rumored Turner policy of settling all lawsuits under $100,000.

“I think Paul (Heyman) was doing what Paul knew he could do to get a payday.”

“Yes, Paul was just looking for a payday. There was no valid claim, there was no valid agreement, Paul could not have afforded to take this to court.”

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jls4mOX7TVY

Former WWE Superstar Challenges Nick Aldis For NWA’s 1st Weekly PPV

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The NWA is embarking on a new period in its history beginning September 15th, 2020. The promotion has partnered with the United Wrestling Network to produce weekly wrestling PPVs on Tuesday nights. The NWA World Heavyweight Champion Nick Aldis has received a challenge from former WWE Superstar, Mike Bennett, to face him on the first show.

“It’s time to take back what’s mine. My name is Mike Bennett. Do you hear me? Mike Bennett. I’ve been a professional wrestler for 20 years,” Bennett says in his video challenge. “I’ve traveled the world. It’s time to prove everybody that ever believed in me that you are 100% correct and the only way to do that is to hit the ground running.”

“Nick Aldis, September 15th, I want the World Heavyweight Championship,” Bennett continued.

NWA Weekly PPVs

The shows will be available on FITE and traditional PPV outlets. The company still plans on bringing back episodes of Powerrr at some point.

“My goal here is simple: to provide the best contests possible with the greatest talent available, carrying on the great legacy of the National Wrestling Alliance as an independent governing body. And in that we hope to feature at least one championship match on every live broadcast,” said NWA Owner, Billy Corgan in a press release. 

Kenny Omega Comments On WWE Thunderdome Appearance

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Kenny Omega, or at the very least an image of him, was visible inside WWE’s Thunderdome Friday night on Smackdown.

Many fans likely assumed this was another case of a virtual fan trolling WWE’s ThunderDome by featuring an image of an AEW star. Omega himself has issued a comment that seems to imply he really did serve as a virtual fan for the show. That doesn’t necessarily mean he was, however.

Fans on Twitter noted an image of Omega as a virtual fan was visible during Smackdown.

This got the attention of Kenny Omega himself, who addressed his ‘cameo.’

“I was just trying to have a good time, I honestly didn’t think anyone would notice,” Omega Tweeted.

Several virtual fans have posted images of various wrestling personalities inside WWE’s Thunderdome, however. Despite Omega’s comments, it is still entirely possible that it was not him serving as a virtual fan.

While Omega was on Smackdown this week, he was surprisingly absent from Dynamite on Thursday. Omega’s partner, Adam Page, prevented the Young Bucks from moving on in the gauntlet match and was subsequently kicked out of the Elite. Omega and Page will now face FTR for the tag belts at All Out on September 5th, 2020.

Results: NJPW Summer Struggle in Jingu

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New Japan Pro-Wrestling returns to Meiji Jingu Stadium for their first outdoor wrestling event in 21 years, as the Summer Struggle 2020 tour comes to a head.

Watch on NJPW World with a paid subscription. Live English and Japanese commentary available. This event will have reduced attendance capacity to comply with COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.

Start Times (August 29, 2020): 1AM Pacific, 4AM Eastern, 9AM UK, 5PM Japan, 6PM East Australia

NJPW Summer Struggle in Jingu Results

Yoshinobu Kanemaru def. Master Wato (7:31)
The atmosphere of an outdoor show in daylight, albeit the sun beginning to set, was enjoyable and novel for me. Kanemaru dominated the match early, using strikes and holds to wear down his more energetic opponent, for whom this is only his second match since returning in early July. Wato took control with a dropkick to the outside and a plancha. His ability was never in question, just this persona and look of his was the subject of criticism and some humor. Kanemaru pushed Wato into the referee and tried to spit whiskey in his face, but Wato kicked the bottle out of his hand before he could. Wato was on the verge of winning, about to set up his corkscrew senton, but Kanemaru grabbed his legs and rolled him into a flash pin for the three count.

KOPW 2020 Final Four Way Match: Toru Yano def. Kazuchika Okada, SANADA, El Desperado (7:01)
Toru Yano was visibly distraught by the smoke machines as he made his entrance. I’ve never seen a four way match involving heavyweights in my time watching NJPW, but this brought something novel and interesting. Wrestlers from different factions working together to break up other wrestlers’ pinfalls, and wrestlers from the same faction working together, and then turning on each other when one went for the pinfall. Okada and Yano engaged in the latter, and it was sufficiently amusing. SANADA caught Okada in the skull end, but El Desperado broke it up with a top rope splash. Okada caught Desperado with the cobra clutch, but Toru Yano snuck up on Okada from behind, hit him with a blow blow, then rolled him up for the victory! Toru Yano is the provisional KOPW 2020 Champion.

The KOPW 2020 trophy is amusingly small.

NEVER Openweight Championship: Minoru Suzuki def. Shingo Takagi (c) (14:56)
People have been looking forward to seeing Shingo and Suzuki in a straight up fight, but it was not before long that Suzuki’s cunning was on display, as he bullied Shingo around the outside of the ring, slamming him into barricades. As the match returned to between the ropes, Shingo fired back up with his powerful strikes and throws. Perhaps Suzuki had the advantage in pain tolerance too, as he ate Suzuki’s strikes and came up laughing. From there, Suzuki fought back with headbutts, and put Shingo in the sleeper hold. He looked for the Gotch piledriver again, but Shingo slipped out of it, and came off the ropes looking for the Pumping Bomber, but Minoru Suzuki slowed his roll with a dropkick. The two of them continued to exchange strikes and headbutts, which resounded loudly even in the open air stadium. After a particularly blunt sounding elbow strike, Suzuki applied the sleeper hold again and hit the Gotch-style piledriver for the 3 count! Minoru Suzuki is now a two-time NEVER Openweight Champion!

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori def. Hiromu Takahashi (c) (13:30)
This match had a thunderous start, as Hiromu and Ishimori came at each other with all the energy they had, moving fast enough that neither of them could catch each other. But something had to give, and Ishimori was able to throw himself into a La Mistica, putting pressure down on Hiromu’s left shoulder, which is in poor shape as a result of Ishimori’s attacks on it in recent weeks. Hiromu tried to fight back by hitting the sunset flip powerbomb with his opponent on the apron, but Ishimori backflipped out of it and continued to press the advantage. Frustrated, Hiromu ripped all the supportive tape all his shoulder. He tried to throw a running Ishimori into the turnbuckle pad, but Ishimori was able to catch himself, only to fail to do so after Hiromu tried it again. The two madmen traded German suplexes, and Hiromu floored him with a lariat and the Dynamite Plunger. Hiromu kept the pressure on, but Ishimori granted himself a few moments of rest when he hit the Cipher Uteki. He hit the La Mistica again into the Yes Lock, but Hiromu was able to get a free hand on the ropes to break the hold. Ishimori set up the Bloody Cross, but Hiromu got out of it, only for Ishimori to put him down again with a lariat. He tried the Bloody Cross again, but Hiromu stopped the lift, then brought Ishimori to his shoulders and hit a death valley bomb into the turnbuckle pad. He hit the Time Bomb, but Ishimori kicked out at two! He tried for the Time Bomb II, but Ishimori blocked it and hit a move I’ve never seen before, the reverse Bloody Cross. He applied the Yes Lock again and Hiromu submitted! Taiji Ishimori is now a two-time IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion.

IWGP Tag Team Championship: Dangerous Tekkers (Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi) (c) def. Golden Ace (Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kota Ibushi) (16:01)
As the sky turned dark, Hiroshi Tanahashi and Kota Ibushi entered to new mashup entrance music.These two teams, some of the most high-profile to fight for the IWGP Tag Team Championships in recent memory, have been at each other’s throats ever since NJPW began having shows again in June. As such, they know what to expect of each other more than ever. Furthermore, the dynamic between Golden Ace has been brought into question; Ibushi questioned his faith in Tanahashi as a partner after he took the losing fall at Dominion, but they have since reassured the public that they are fine. As Ibushi and Taichi were about to begin, Tanahashi called out that Zack was sneaking up behind Ibushi. Dangerous Tekkers focused their double team offense on Tanahashi, meaning perhaps they thought he was the weak link of the team as well. Ibushi ran wild after getting tagged in, hitting a running shooting star press on a prone Taichi. Ibushi and Taichi engaged each other in a battle of kicks under the lights. After Ibushi hit a brutal high kick, he tagged in Tanahashi, who delivered repeated dragonscrew leg whips to Zack Sabre Jr, and then to Taichi, with the aid of Ibushi. Zack slowed Tanahashi’s roll with the Jim Breaks Armbar, but was interrputed by Taichi, who had pulled out the Iron Finger from Hell. Ibushi kicked him in the face nonchalantly and continued on. Tanahashi hit the High Fly Flow on Zack Sabre Jr., and climbed to the top rope for another, but Zack moved out of the way. From that point, Taichi ran in, and they together hit the Zack Mephisto on Tanahashi for the pinfall victory. Dangerous Tekkers retain the IWGP Tag Team Championships. Kota Ibushi looked absolutely distraught, and perhaps disappointed yet again.

IWGP Heavyweight & IWGP Intercontinental Championship: EVIL (c) vs. Tetsuya Naito (26:20)
EVIL had a very cool entrance, emerging from the dugout in pitch-blackness, with the stadium lights turned off, as if entering from “The Darkness World” if you will. EVIL controlled the match early on, as well-timed help from Dick Togo enabled him to take advantage of the leader of the unit he used to be a part of. Naito came back multiple times, but Dick Togo was continually a thorn in his side. It’s unknown whether Naito, like Hiromu, has insisted to the rest of LIJ that he fight his own battle regardless of the circumstances, but he could really use their help in these circumstances. Naito’s comebacks continued to garner thunderous applause, and he looked to be making the most progress yet before EVIL pushed the referee into an exposed turnbuckle, and Dick Togo came in again to attack Naito. He and EVIL hit the Magic Killer on Naito, prompting heavy boos. BUSHI ran in and fought off the two of them, but Gedo was also there to take out BUSHI. EVIL brandished a chair as Naito rose to his feet, but Naito kicked it away before Dick Togo came in and choked him with a wire. SANADA ran in and he and BUSHI fought off everyone, hitting simultaneous planchas on Togo and Gedo. EVIL and Naito rose to their feet, and Naito hit the running Destino for a near fall. Naito hit the Destino again, but EVIL blocked it and hitting a mule kick. EVIL went for his self-named finish, but Naito managed to block it. EVIL tried to hit Naito in the groin again, but Naito blocked his hand and slapped him in the face before hitting the Valentia. Finally, he hit the Destino for the three count. Tetsuya Naito is IWGP Heavyweight Champion and IWGP Intercontinental Champion again!

As he always does after winning in a main event, Tetsuya Naito performed the roll call of Los Ingobernables de Japon, emphasizing not mentioning EVIL. A firework display began, and Naito posed under the dazzling night sky.

https://twitter.com/SirLARIATO/status/1299654313015496705

WWE SmackDown Results (8/28): Roman Reigns & Paul Heyman, Sami Zayn Returns

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WWE SmackDown aired from the Amway Center in Orlando. It was the final episode of SmackDown before WWE Payback this Sunday.

SmackDown Results (8/28)

  1. Jeff Hardy def. Shinsuke Nakamura to retain the IC Title
  2. Matt Riddle def. Shorty G
  3. Braun Strowman def. Drew Gulak
  4. Cesaro def. Kalisto
  5. Big & Heavy Machinery def. Sheamus, John Morrison, The Miz

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Jeff Hardy Retained & Sami Zayn Returned

Jeff Hardy Sami Zayn SmackDown 8 28

Vince McMahon told Adam Pearce to get The Fiend, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns to sign the contract for their Triple Threat No DQ Match for the Universal Championship this Sunday at WWE Payback. McMahon gave Pearce to the end of the night to collect the three signatures.

Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy said it was good to be standing in the WWE ThunderDome tonight but was quickly interrupted by AJ Styles. AJ told Jeff that he is not a concurring hero, he is a liar and a cheat. Styles added that Hardy knew his knee brace was illegal but he used it anyway.

Styles stated that Jeff Hardy knows how to play the system and that the doctor will not medically clear him to compete tonight. Hardy said that sucks for AJ because he is about to issue an Open Challenge. Jeff then leveled Styles with a punch to the face as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Shinsuke Nakamura had accepted the Open Challenge and AJ Styles joined commentary.

Match Recap: Nakamura controlled the action early and applied a Headlock. Hardy battled back but Nakamura cut him down with a Dropkick to Jeff’s injured knee. Hardy connected with a Dropkick of his own and sent Nakamura into the turnbuckle. Jeff hobbled across the ring but Nakamura cuaght him with a knee to the ribs and draped him across the top rope. Shinsuke went for a Running Knee but Hardy got out of the way and Clotheslined Nakamura to the outside.

Back in the ring, Jeff connected with a Leg Drop and then a Splash for a two count. Hardy followed it up with the Whisper in the Wind but Nakamura shrugged it off and planted Jeff with a sliding German Suplex. Nakamura set up for the Kinshasa but Jeff dodged it and hit the Twist of Fate. Jeff hit his right knee with the brace on Nakamura’s head during the move and Styles lost his mind on commentary. Hardy made his way to the top rope and hit the Swanton Bomb for the pinfall victory. Jeff Hardy is still the Intercontinental Champion.

After the match, Sami Zayn returned holding an Intercontinental Championship. Sami said he has never been defeated and he is the true champion. Sami leveled Jeff with a Helluva Kick and Styles made his way up the entrance ramp. Zayn shouted that Jeff Hardy was a fraud before making his way backstage.

Kayla Braxton tried to interview Sami backstage and asked why he attacked Jeff Hardy. Zayn said his career has been about righting wrongs and Jeff Hardy is a fraudulent champion. Zayn added that he won the title on March 18th and doesn’t need to explain to anyone why he hasn’t defended the title in the past five months.

Opinion: I thought Jeff and AJ’s promo was hilarious and Styles’ obsession with the knee brace was great. It is also awesome to see Sami Zayn on SmackDown and I’m hoping this leads to a Triple Threat match for the IC Title in the near future.

Sami Zayn spoke to Nakamura and Cesaro backstage and they weren’t happy that he didn’t contact them for four months. Zayn put his Intercontinental Championship on the table next to their SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Cesaro told Zayn that they were in the middle of a private conversation and asked Sami to leave. Zayn claimed that he actually has to leave because he has so much stuff to do.

Bray Wyatt Signed The Contract

wyatt postman pearce

A new episode of Firefly Fun House aired during tonight’s edition of SmackDown. Wyatt waved to the camera and welcomed everyone to the show. Bray said it feels good to be back home with all of his friends.

Wyatt said that something was missing and brought out the Universal Championship. He then looked directly into the camera and stated it was really good to see Roman Reigns again. Adam Pearce showed up at the Firefly Fun House with the contract. Bray referred to Adam as “Postman Pearce” and signed the contract.

Matt Riddle Picked Up A Win & Will Face King Corbin At Payback

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Matt Riddle came down to the ring and accused King Corbin of being afraid of him as SmackDown went to a break. Riddle was still waiting in th ering when SmackDown returned and finally King Corbin showed up. King Corbin slowly made his way down the entrance ramp as Shorty G attacked Riddle from behind.

Match Recap: Shorty G took Riddle down with a Dragon Screw and followed it up with a Tiger Suplex for a two count. Riddle connected with a knee to the face and followed it up with the Bro Derek for the easy victory. Corbin tried to attack Riddle from behind but Matt was ready and sent Corbin out of the ring.

Kayla Braxton then caught up to Corbin backstage. King Corbin vowed to prove that Riddle doesn’t belong on SmackDown this Sunday at Payback.

Updated Card for WWE Payback (New Match)

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A new match has been announced for the WWE  Payback PPV this Sunday. 

Baron Corbin vs. Matt Riddle in a singles match has been booked as the two stars have been feuding for several weeks now. 

During Friday’s episode of SmackDown, Riddle came to the ring to call Corbin out for a fight. Corbin distracted Riddle and allowed Shorty G to attack him from behind. This led to Corbin accepting a match on behalf of G. Riddle easily picked up the win. 

Post-match, Corbin tried to attack him, but Riddle sent him retreating. In an interview after the match, Corbin cut a promo about how bad he’s going to destroy Riddle on Sunday as a way to prove that he doesn’t belong in this kingdom.

Updated WWE Payback Card

  • WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman – No Holds Barred Triple Threat Match
  • Keith Lee vs. Randy Orton
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
  • WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. Bobby Lashley
  • Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins & Buddy Murphy
  • Baron Corbin vs. Matt Riddle

WWE No Longer Has Clear Direction For WrestleMania 37 Main Event

What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.

Sami Zayn Returns On WWE SmackDown

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Sami Zayn has made his return to WWE television. 

The former WWE Intercontinental Champion did so during Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX. It happened after Jeff Hardy had successfully retained the Intercontinental Title over Shinsuke Nakamura in the opening contest.

After the match, Zayn walked out with the old version of the title and had a staredown with Hardy on the stage as if WWE was teasing a champion vs. champion contest. 

Zayn told him that he never lost the title and that he’s the real champion. He then hit Hardy with a big boot after staring down AJ Styles, who had just lost the championship to Hardy. 

It was reported back after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic that Zayn decided to pull himself from television due to concerns about the virus. WWE later stripped him of the championship. 

Back on the May 15th episode of SmackDown, WWE announced the full bracket for the Intercontinental Title tournament. There were 8 competitors in the tournament.

Styles, Daniel Bryan, Drew Gulak, Elias, Hardy, King Corbin, Sheamus, and Shinsuke Nakamura were confirmed as competitors. Eventually, Styles won the tournament finals and became the champion. 

WWE Star Posts Teaser For Possible Retribution Angle At Payback

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It appears that there will be some type of angle involving the Retribution group. 

The angle may involve the group crashing what WWE has planned at this Sunday’s Payback pay-per-view.

Although none of the members in the group have been revealed, NXT star Dominik Dijakovic is someone who is widely believed to be one of the main members of the group. On Friday, he sent out a cryptic tweet although he later deleted it. 

The tweet contained the following numbers: 192114040125. By translating it, it reads “Sunday,” which happens to be when WWE Payback is scheduled to take place. 

With how many cryptic tweets he sends out, it’s all but confirmed that Dijakovic is part of the group. He was also one of the names from NXT that was supposed to be moved up to the main roster, but it never happened. 

He was also part of the group this week on Monday Night RAW to do an angle to close out the show as they attacked Rey and Dominik Mysterio, who were working a tag team match against Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy, which ended in a no contest. 

Latest On AOP Returning To Action, Paul Ellering’s Claims

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Paul Ellering recently appeared on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast where he claimed that he was set to return to WWE programming with The Authors of Pain before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

This was around the time that Rezar suffered a bicep injury in March. This injury put the team on the shelf once again and halted their push on the RAW brand alongside Seth Rollins and Buddy Murphy. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that a source told him that Ellering’s name was never brought up for a return with the AOP before the pandemic. It was noted that Vince McMahon didn’t like Ellering, which is why he booked for the AOP to turn on Ellering when they were moved from NXT to the main roster. 

Ellering’s claims wouldn’t have been around the time when RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman had plans to give AOP a big push as his top heel tag team. Ultimately, the push fell apart due to Rezar’s injury. That’s when the decision was made to keep Akam off TV until Rezar was able to return.

Regarding when fans can expect to see the tag team back on television, it was noted that they will not be working with Rollins when they return. AOP is expected to be back sometime between late September and the end of this year.

Seth Rollins Comments On Turning Heel, Alliance With AOP & Murphy

Austin Theory Sent Back Down To NXT

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After making a return to WWE television, Austin Theory is officially a member of the WWE NXT roster once again.

Just this past Wednesday night on an episode of NXT, Theory appeared to do a backstage segment with Bronson Reed on the USA Network. It appears that WWE is setting up a match between Reed and NXT North American Champion Damian Priest on an upcoming NXT episode.

As of Wednesday night, Theory was still listed on the RAW roster, but Pwinsider.com reported on Friday that he has been moved back to the NXT roster.

Thus, Theory is no longer affiliated with Seth Rollins and Murphy in the storylines. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on why Theory has been sent back to NXT. 

This marked his first appearance on television since working the RAW episode on June 22nd. Before the disappearance, he had been grouped with Seth Rollins and Murphy.

WWE never gave a reason as to why he was removed from TV, but it was reported earlier this month that WWE had suspended Theory for unknown reasons. However, Rollins did state in a recent interview that it was due to personal issues.