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WWE Superstars Offer Nikki & Brie Bella Parenting Advice

Steve Russell
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Several WWE Superstars have recorded their congratulations for Brie and Nikki Bella following the births of their newborn sons. The Bella Twins recently gave birth, with their babies arriving only a day apart.

In a WWE YouTube video, Mickie James, Lacey Evans and Natalya all offered their congratulations alongside some parenting tips and advice.

Natalya wished both Brie and Nikki Bella the best, noting how Nikki had always wanted to be a mom from the first time they met. She expressed her love for both Bellas and shared how she has no doubt they’ll be “amazing parents.”

“I’m so proud of you in every way, and I cannot wait to see your babies. […] I don’t really have great parenting advice because I’m still trying to be a good cat mom—but the best thing to do is just spoil your kids silly the way that I do Two Paws. That way, everything will be great,” she joked.

Lacey Evans gave some more unique advice to the sisters. She stressed how they should elect for the epidural before sharing some an interesting potty training tip she has utilized in the past:

“Get the epidural. Ain’t nobody got time for all that fussin’ and a-fightin’, and, um, the water hose is a great potty training tool. If you got any questions on that, go ahead and call me. Trust me, it works wonders.”

Mickie James’ Advice

Mickie James expressed how there “couldn’t be anything more beautiful than two sisters having a baby at the same time.”

Regarding advice she had for the twins, she recommended that they do their best to see life through their kids’ eyes.

“One piece of advice that I could send to you is, when you see them look at the world for the first time, when you see them look at magic for the first time, of like what reality is — what life is — try to look at it with them. Look at it for the first time with their eyes. Remember what that’s like.”

Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan already have a child in their little girl, Birdie. Their new baby boy is their second child together.

The birth of her baby boy sees Nikki Bella become a parent for the first time with her partner, Artem Chigvintsev.

If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.

Eric Bischoff On RAW’s Declining Viewership, Dynamite’s Recovery During COVID-19

Steve Russell
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Former SmackDown Executive Director and WCW President Eric Bischoff has commented on RAW’s declining viewership. Speaking with Chris Featherstone of Sportskeeda, Bischoff addressed pro wrestling’s current viewership and ratings. He also discussed how AEW is growing and recovering despite the difficulties of the coronavirus.

Bischoff explained how no promotion bar AEW is “starting to show real signs of life,” pointing to how the promotion was recently “knocking on a million viewers again.”

It’s a number he noted wasn’t too far from what they were achieving during Dynamite’s debut. He called this “a really good sign” for AEW’s future during COVID-19.

Turning his attention to WWE’s RAW and SmackDown shows, Eric Bischoff talked about how “SmackDown hasn’t fallen farther than it has, it’s not gonna sound like anything to cheer about. I think that’s a good sign.”

He believes SmackDown has “stabilized” during this time. Bischoff pointed out how SmackDown is still “delivering over two million,” which puts them where WWE wants it to be for their key demos. According to him, “they’re more than treading water in that regard.”

RAW, however, is a different story.

Bischoff acknowledged how RAW seems to be “suffering.” He stressed how seeing AEW grow and SmackDown maintain steady viewership and “not dropping like a rock” unlike RAW can only be interpreted as a good thing for those brands during a pandemic.

Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson Discuss Impact’s Influx Of Former WWE Superstars

Steve Russell
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Former WWE Superstars Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have previously spoken about their decision to become a part of Impact Wrestling’s roster. They weren’t the only former WWE Superstars to sign and debut with the promotion, however.

Speaking with Sportskeeda, The Good Brothers, discussed the opportunities that await their fellow WWE colleagues. The two pointed to how they evoked interest over their impending debut as an example of creating opportunities for themselves.

With the coronavirus pandemic still affecting business, Anderson believed that announcing their debut ahead of time would be an exciting, different approach:

“I would say, if this was in front of a live crowd, it may be there are ways to have a surprise, and you get that reaction from the surprise that maybe you could have held off. But I think in this Covid-19 environment, and with there not being a crowd, I think us announcing that we were coming to IMPACT actually got a lot more eyes on the pay-per-view, and that’s what made it so cool.”

Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows And More Sign With Impact

Alongside The Good Brothers, Impact Wrestling signed EC3, Brian Myers, Eric Young and Heath Slater. All were cut from WWE as a cost-cutting measure due to the coronavirus impacting business.

Gallows revealed how they were all discussing business options together due to their friendship. It’s something Gallows believed “came off beautifully.” He noted how due to their success outside of WWE, people would often seek their advice. He pointed to Slater as an example of someone who asked for help, explaining how he had been a part of WWE’s system for 14 years.

“They don’t necessarily know what it’s like outside, so we don’t mind helping our brothers along when they need it. But I think we were a huge part of that.”

Anderson shared how Impact Wrestling fans are in for something special with this influx of talent looking to prove themselves. He highlighted Slater and Myers as two to watch, promising how most haven’t seen what Myers is fully capable of.

Karl Anderson then acknowledged how EC3 has previously enjoyed a main event run in Impact and that Eric Young is a previous Impact World Champion. He stressed that this level of ability makes it an “exciting time” for Impact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB7Y0oqnIm8

Chris Jericho Considered Retirement In 2015, Shares Future Retirement Plans

Steve Russell
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Chris Jericho has spoken about his future retirement plans during a recent episode of his YouTube show, Saturday Night Special. During the episode, Jericho revealed how he had intended to begin hinting towards retirement back in 2015. However, his best friend storyline with Kevin Owens allegedly rekindled his passion for pro wrestling, leading him to nix any retirement plans.

He shared how he “started having fun again” after contemplating a reduced schedule that would seem him “wind down” and compete at WWE house shows. Jericho gave it serious consideration after discovering how much fun he was having on house shows. This was because they were “fun [without] the pressure.”

“[…] I came back and I started having so much fun, and then I met Kevin Owens. We had a great chemistry, we clicked right away, and I was like, ‘This guy get it. He’s a lot like me, like, he doesn’t take things seriously but he takes his work seriously. He’s not afraid to look himself look stupid if it’s willing to get a reaction. That’s when the whole Jericho/Owens best friends thing happened, and that’s when I was like, ‘This is awesome’.”

Chris Jericho’s Future Retirement Plans

Turning his attention to future retirement plans once he is done with in-ring competition, the “Demo God” confessed he doesn’t have a specific date in mind. He shared how, even when he does retire, he would want to continue being a part of the business. Jericho suggested he would be interested in a commentary role or becoming a consultant.

He stressed how he’s not interested in becoming an Executive Vice President or a writer for any promotion. Jericho also added how he’d want to continue hosting shows like Saturday Night Special and his podcast Talk is Jericho, as well as pursuing more acting opportunities.

Eric Young Says That Triple H Did Not Know About His WWE Release

Anutosh Bajpai
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Eric Young was one of the guys Triple H had signed to NXT. He found success in the development territory of the company but couldn’t replicate the same after being called up to the main roster in 2018.

After making sporadic appearances for the company for a couple of years, the former TNA Champion was released in April earlier this year and according to him, HHH did not even know about his firing beforehand.

Young recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. During the talk, the former leader of Sanity revealed that The Game was the first person to call him after his release and that the DX member did not know about his firing:

“I can tell you now Scott D’Amore was the second person I heard from when the news came out. This is going to sound weird, but Triple H was the very first. He was unaware that it was happening. He’s in a different position in the company now. [We] have always had a very good relationship.”

After being released from WWE, Eric Young has returned to his roots in Impact Wrestling and he made his surprise return to the company during the Slammiversary PPV last month.

Young took part in a 5-way match for the Impact World Championship during the show and he established himself as a heel during the bout.

Austin Theory Reportedly On An “Unannounced Suspension”

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former NXT star Austin Theory hasn’t been seen on WWE programming for a while now and latest updates on the situation suggest that he might be in hot waters with WWE management.

A fan recently asked Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer on why the former Evolve Champion hasn’t been seen on WWE TV recently and replying to the question, Meltzer claimed that he is on an “unannounced suspension”:

Though Meltzer did not confirm the reason for this so it’s hard to say if the former champion has done something to upset the management or if he has beef with any top star instead.

Austin Theory made his wrestling debut in 2016. He made his name working for many independent promotions including his stint with Evolve which led to his WWE signing in August last year.

Theory made his televised debut for the promotion in December. Though he didn’t stay in the development for long. He was called up to the main roster just before WrestleMania 36 and he later joined Seth Rollins’ stable.

However, his name hasn’t been mentioned on WWE programming in recent times and this latest report now puts a question mark over the future of the young star. We will keep you posted on any updates on his status.

Rusev Takes Shot At Shane McMahon’s Return, The Riott Squad On Their Future

Anutosh Bajpai
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This week’s episode of Monday Night Raw saw the return of former SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon who was there to introduce a new segment on the show.

Former WWE star Rusev who was released from the company earlier this year took a shot at Shane’s return via Twitter. He made the following tweet, mentioning how it’s opposed to the talks of building new stars:

Shane McMahon was on the show to introduce the concept of Raw Underground which took place in a warehouse-like setting with a ring that had no ropes. You can check out the complete Raw results at this link.

The Riott Squad On Their Future

Tonight’s episode of Raw saw Kevin Owens holding his talk show with the special guest being Ruby Riott. Liv Morgan also came out during the segment and Riott admitted that she was wrong to attack Liv before.

The IIconics then came out as well and the segment set up a match between the two teams. The match saw Liv Morgan picking up the victory for her team.

Both Riott and Morgan were interviewed backstage after the match and when asked about their future, they suggested that this reunion could continue in the upcoming times. You can check out their interview below:

Two Former WWE Stars Debut During AEW’s Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament

Anutosh Bajpai
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AEW’s Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament kicked off tonight on the company’s YouTube channel and it saw the debut of not one but two former WWE stars.

The show started with WWE Hall of Famer Madusa introducing the trophy that will be rewarded to the winning team. Tony Schiavone and Veda Scott were on the commentary for the show.

The tournament will see 8 teams fighting for the trophy. The competition interestingly has a random draw for partners meaning that the competitors do not know who will be their partner before the match.

The first match of the show saw Brandi Rhodes teaming with Allie to face the team of Penelope Ford and Mel. Brandi won this bout for her team via a pin after hitting Mel with a spear.

The second match saw the debuts of former WWE star Ariane Andrew better known to WWE fans as Cameron and Tay Conti who was known as Taynara Conti.

The match saw Anna Jay and Tay Conti teaming together to face Nyla Rose and Ariane Andrew. The match was won by Jay and Conti with Anna Jay picking up a pinfall victory over Ariane Andrew

Due to the random draw format, the company has not announced the matches for next week. You can check out this week’s episode featuring the debut of the former WWE stars below:

WWE RAW Results (8/3): Shane McMahon Returns, Dominik Attacks Rollins

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. Shane McMahon made his return tonight to debut RAW Underground and Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre met Face-to-Face before their WWE Championship match at SummerSlam.

RAW Results (8/3)

  1. Apollo Crews def. MVP to retain the US Title
  2. The Riott Squad def. The IIConics
  3. Akira Tozawa won the 24/7 Championship
  4. Sasha Banks vs. Shayna Baszler ended in a DQ
  5. Angel Garza def. Angelo Dawkins
  6. Andrade def. Montez Ford

Here are 7 takeaways from this week’s show:

Apollo Crews Retained The US Title

Apollo Crews
United States Champion Apollo Crews

Apollo defended his United States Championship against MVP to begin this week’s show. This match was supposed to take place at Extreme Rules but Apollo couldn’t compete. The lights went out and the announcer’s tried to play it off as bad weather.

Before the match started, MVP claimed he was the real United States Champion because Crews didn’t show up at Extreme Rules. MVP said that their beef is done after he wins tonight and Apollo can go back and hang with Cedric Alexander & Ricochet in catering. The lights flickered once again when the bell rang.

Match Recap: Apollo and MVP locked and MVP hit him with a stomp to the left foot. The lights continued to flicker as MVP hit Apollo with an uppercut. Crews battled back and hit a Suplex for a near fall. Apollo flipped onto the Hurt Business outside the ring as RAW went to a commercial break.

When RAW returned, MVP had Crews in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Apollo broke free but MVP leveled him with a Clothesline for a near fall. Crews connected with a Crossbody off the second rope for a two count. Apollo followed it up with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. After the match, Lashley tried to get Apollo in the Full Nelson but he escaped. Apollo said he was going to hang the old title in his kids room and wear the new US Title that MVP paid for around his shoulder.

MVP flipped out and complained about the flickering lights. MVP claimed that this was an unsafe working environment and that Apollo stole the United States Championship. MVP shouted that he doesn’t care about Crews’ wife or kids and wants his rematch at SummerSlam. It was later announced that Crews accepted MVP’s challenge for a rematch at SummerSlam.

The Riott Squad Is Back Together

riott squad raw

Kevin Owens came down to the ring and said it was interesting that Shane McMahon was returning but didn’t want to talk about that tonight. Owens then welcomed Ruby Riott as his guest on the show.

Owens noted that Riott got pretty emotional after finally picking up a win over Peyton Royce recently. Riott said she hadn’t won a singles match since February and called The IIConics “toxic, sad broads” that have to bring people down to pick themselves up. Ruby said she wished Liv Morgan was in the ring to celebrate with her.

Liv came down to the ring and said that Ruby asked her to listen and Owens convinced her to be here. Kevin said that the Riott Squad was special and Sarah has moved on to another part of her life. Owens claimed that Liv and Ruby bring out the best in each other and that it was worth it to Morgan to hear Ruby out.

Riott got choked up and said that she thought things were going to be the same when she came back. Ruby stated that Liv was thriving and maybe she didn’t need her. Riott pointed out that Liv beat her twice and realized that Liv didn’t need her at all. Riott apologized for taking it out on Morgan and noted that they have their debut date tattooed on them. Ruby asked for once more chance for the Riott Squad to be stronger than it has ever been.

The IIConics interrupted and shouted that nobody cares about the Riott Squad. Billie Kay told Riott that everyone is so tired of her emotional social media posts after winning one match. Liv said that nobody starts a riot better than them before Owens got back into the ring. The IIconics then challenged them to a match. The Riott Squad picked up the quick win.

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio Official For WWE SummerSlam (Updated Card)

Andrew Ravens
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Two new matches have been announced for the upcoming WWE SummerSlam PPV.

First up is WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. MVP. This comes after Crews had successfully retained the title over the pro wrestling veteran in the opening match of Monday’s episode of RAW. MVP blamed the flickering lights, which was part of a storyline, for the loss. 

Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio was also booked for this show, which will mark the official in-ring debut of the son of Rey Mysterio. Dominik had attacked Rollins and Murphy during last week’s RAW in addition to Monday’s RAW after Rollins and Murphy got into it with Samoa Joe. 

Of course, Rollins had been in a feud with Rey which saw Rollins take out an eye of the future WWE Hall of Famer in an Eye for an Eye Match at Extreme Rules. Dominik challenged Rollins to this match and the former WWE Universal Champion accepted it after the second attack. 

WWE presents the SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 23, 2020 at an unknown location that will air on the WWE Network. 

Updated WWE SummerSlam Card

  • WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton
  • WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Andrade & Angel Garza
  • WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. MVP
  • Seth Rollins vs. Dominik Mysterio

Discussion: What do you think about the WWE SummerSlam card so far?

Shane McMahon Returns To Reveal RAW Underground

Andrew Ravens
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Shane McMahon returned to WWE television Monday night to introduce RAW Underground.

The son of WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon teased a new concept that would take place in the third hour of the show. Shane was in a room with dimmed lighting and a ring with no ropes surrounded by Performance Center talent. 

The rules of RAW Underground contests were not made entirely clear. It has elements of an MMA fight, with competitors wearing gloves. There were also scantily clad women dancing in the corner, just because.

Once the segment aired, McMahon did the ring introduction for Dabba-Kato, who smashed jobbers with a series of strikes. Kato is formerly known as Babatunde.

The broadcast also showed shots of the door outside being guarded by NXT trainee Jordan Omogbehin, who had previously been used as one of Akira Tozawa’s ninjas.

WWE first announced that McMahon would be appearing on the show on Monday afternoon. The @WrestleVotes Twitter account teased that McMahon would be on the show to announce this new concept. There were later widespread reports of ‘chaos’ behind the scenes at WWE’s TV taping once the Raw Underground concept was presented to the crew.

Several WWE Superstars participated in Shane McMahon’s Raw Underground fight club, including Dolph Ziggler and Erik of the Viking Raiders. MVP’s new Hurt Business faction crashed Raw Underground at the conclusion of the show.

RAW Underground: Original Idea?

A few fans on Twitter noticed that the ‘underground fight club’ gimmick presented by Shne McMahon has already been done elsewhere, including GCW Bloodsport and Chikara.

https://twitter.com/BuddyBarlow33/status/1290470677275979776
https://twitter.com/Neowyng/status/1290460019012624391

Shane McMahon was written off of WWE television last when he lost to Kevin Owens in a ladder match on SmackDown with the stipulation of “loser leaves WWE.”

More Reactions to RAW Undergound

Matt Cordana Confirms AEW Contract Length, Talks Goals

Andrew Ravens
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Matt Cardona has opened up on his current AEW deal and his goals in the promotion. 

We noted over the weekend that Cardona, formerly known as Zack Ryder, is currently working on a five appearance deal with the company, according to Wrestling Inc.

Rick Ucchino of Sportskeeda has since had the opportunity to speak with Cardona, who confirmed that it is a short deal.

However, he plans to stay in AEW for much longer and even has goals of becoming not only the AEW TNT Champion but also the AEW World Heavyweight Champion. 

“Yes, so there’s a couple appearances, a few appearances right now, but listen…I’m not here for a little vacation,” Cardona said. “I’m here to win the TNT Title, the AEW Title, to get all those action figures! I’m here because I want to be here. You know what I’m saying? So we’ll get there. Just stayed tuned. Everybody just take a chill pill, and relax, and enjoy the show!”

The belief is that the former WWE Intercontinental Champion could end up signing a longer deal should he impress AEW executives.

Cardona will team with Cody to face John Silver and Alex Reynolds this Wednesday night on Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT.

Nikki & Brie Bella Give Birth A Day Apart (Photos)

Jon Fuentes
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Nikki and Brie Bella have both given birth to baby boys, and only a day apart from one another!

Both former WWE stars announced the news on their respective Instagram pages. Brie was the first to share her news, posting, “It’s a BOY!!! 8-1-2020 We are overwhelmed with joy and everyone is healthy!!!,” along with all three of the family’s hands. This is Brie and husband Daniel Bryan’s second child together.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDZbd7UBdSg/?utm_source=ig_embed

Next, Nikki shared a photo with the same pose – she, fiancee Artem Chigvintsev, and her newborn baby boy all holding hands. Nikki captioned the photo with “7/31/2020 Our baby boy is here and we couldn’t be HAPPIER and more in LOVE! Everyone is safe and healthy.” Check it out below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDZoxn7lGa3/?utm_source=ig_embed

Nikki and Brie briefly shared a pregnancy period with fellow WWE star Becky Lynch. Earlier this year, Lynch was forced to vacate her WWE Raw Women’s Title due to the fact that she is pregnant. However, she remains unsure if she’ll return to the ring after giving birth later this year, unlike the Bella twins, who are currently retired from in-ring competition.

“I don’t know what the next chapter is because I only know what it’s like to think for myself when I’m by myself,” Lynch told People Magazine earlier this year. “So I don’t know what it’ll look like and how my priorities shift and what I’m going to want in the future. So, everything’s open.”

Becky Lynch and fiancee Seth Rollins’ child is due to be born this December.

AEW Dynamite Episodes To Be Preempted By The NBA On TNT

Scott Lazara
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Several upcoming episodes of AEW Dynamite will be preempted by NBA basketball games on TNT.

WarnerMedia announced the following schedule change for the August 19th, August 26th, and September 16th shows:

  • The Wednesday, August 19th Dynamite episode will air on Saturday, August 22nd at 6:00pm ET / 3:00pm PT
  • The Wednesday, August 26th Dynamite episode will air Thursday, August 27th at 8:00pm ET/PT
  • The Wednesday, September 16th Dynamite episode will air Thursday, September 17th at 8:00pm ET/PT

The episode of AEW Dynamite that airs on Saturday, August 22nd will act as a “lead-in” (with an hour of overlap) to NXT Takeover XXX, which kicks off at 7pm that night on the WWE Network.

The preemptions will not affect the All Out go-home or post-show episodes.

It will be interesting to see how AEW Dynamite and NXT television viewership is impacted by these changes. NXT should see a significant uptick in viewership by airing in its usual time slot without direct competition from AEW. Dynamite will have three shows without the NXT opposition, but airing on different nights than fans are used to will not help matters.

MJF To Challenge For AEW World Championship at All Out

Scott Lazara
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Maxwell Jacob Friedman will challenge Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at the upcoming All Out pay-per-view. AEW announced the news on Monday afternoon.

MJF has been the top ranked men’s singles competitor on the weekly AEW Rankings. In recent weeks, he has been campaigning against Moxley using hashtags including #NotMyChampion.

Last week on AEW Dynamite, he delivered a blistering promo on Dynamite during his State of the Industry address. MJF criticized Moxley for holding him down and referred to him as a ‘dictator.’

Moxley has been AEW World Champion since February when he dethroned Le Chamion Chris Jericho at AEW Revolution.

Both Jon Moxley and MJF will appear this Wednesday on AEW Dynamite. Moxley will defend the AEW World Championship against Darby Allin. MJF will be on hand to deliver his next State of the Industry address. You can be sure MJF will have some things to say about AEW officials deciding to award him this championship opportunity.

AEW All Out takes place on Saturday, September 5th from Jacksonville, FL. The show will stream live on BR Live and FITE.tv (Internationally).

Chaos At Today’s WWE TV Tapings, Shane McMahon Returning for RAW

Scott Lazara
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WWE has announced that Shane McMahon will return on tonight’s RAW episode.

McMahon has been off WWE TV since losing the Career vs. Career Ladder Match to Kevin Owens on the October 4th SmackDown FOX premiere last year. There is no word yet on what he will be doing during tonight’s RAW.

In other news for tonight’s RAW, it’s been reported by multiple sources that there is “chaos” at the RAW tapings. The news was first reported by Gary Cassidy of Sportskeeda.

WWE is taping two RAW episodes at the Performance Center today and it was reported that there is “chaos from the top” and that the shows are being ran with crews who are “totally unprepared.”

The first episode being taped, to air tonight, is reportedly changing on the fly, while the second episode, airing next week, is still incomplete. It was also said that there is a lack of leadership and a lot of stress that’s being blamed on indecisiveness.

Vince McMahon is at the tapings today and his mood was said to be “volatile” due to the indecisiveness and the chaos.

It will be interesting to see how tonight’s show comes off on TV as it was said by a source that, “what’s going on today seems even wilder than usual.”

Stay tuned for RAW updates and remember to join us for live coverage at 8PM EST tonight. Here is the announced line-up for tonight:

* Apollo Crews defends the United States Championship against MVP in the opener

* Drew McIntyre addresses Randy Orton’s recent attack

* Asuka looks for revenge on Sasha Banks and Bayley

* Shane McMahon returns

MLW Teasing Return Of Live Events

Jon Fuentes
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Major League Wrestling (MLW) could be gearing up to get back to running live events again.

It’s no secret that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a huge blow to the professional wrestling industry, along with the rest of the world. Several promotions have been forced to hold off on hosting events, MLW included. The company hasn’t put on a show since March, when the pandemic began to get out of control.

However, that could all change very soon. MLW’s official Twitter account Tweeted out a photo of their production set, captioning it with a ticking clock. This has led many to believe that MLW is teasing the return of live shows soon.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1290098770273689600

Promotions such as WWE and AEW have been running empty arena shows for the past several months. They have also used their own talents to serve as audience members, placing them in the crowd where fans would usually be in an attempt to liven the shows up a bit.

Now would be a great time for MLW to get back to work. Especially with the recent news of the promotion partnering up with WAVE.tv for social media content distribution. The partnership will allow for more of MLW’s content to be seen by the likes of Gen Z and Millennial sports fans through WAVE.tv’s combat sports media brand “HAYMAKERS.”

New WWE Trademark Filings For MVP’s Stable And “Justus”

Scott Lazara
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0

WWE filed to trademark “The Hurt Business” on Wednesday, July 29th.

“The Hurt Business” is the name for the new RAW stable with MVP, Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin. WWE filed for two trademarks on the name – one for merchandise use, and one for general use.

The following use descriptions were filed with the United States Patent & Trademark Office for “The Hurt Business” names:

General Use: “IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment”

Merchandise Use: “IC 025. US 022 039. G & S: Clothing, namely, tops, shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, hoodies; outerwear, namely, coats; bottoms, pants, shorts, underwear, dresses, pajamas, lingerie, clothing ties, scarves, gloves, swimwear; Halloween and masquerade costumes; footwear, namely, shoes, sneakers, slippers, flip flops, boots; headwear, namely, hats, caps; wrist bands; bandanas”

WWE also filed to trademark the name “Justus” on July 29th. There is no word yet on if this is related to MVP’s stable.

The following use description for “Justus” was filed with the USPTO, for general pro wrestling use:

“IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, wrestling exhibitions and performances by a professional wrestler and entertainer rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via the internet or commercial online service; providing wrestling news and information via a global computer network; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment via an online community portal; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; fan club services, namely, organizing sporting events in the field of wrestling for wrestling fan club members; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fan club members; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely blogs, in the field of sports entertainment”

AEW Women’s Tag Team Tournament Begins Tonight

Michael Reichlin
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The first round of the AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup tournament begins tonight, Monday August 3rd.

The 8-team ‘Deadly Draw’ tournament will air exclusively on AEW’s YouTube channel. New matches premiere Monday nights at 7pm (Eastern).

The first match of the tournament will see Nyla Rose and former WWE wrestler Ariane Andrew vs. Anna Jay of the Dark order and former NXT star Tay Conti.

As of this writing, two other teams are confirmed for the tournament:

  • Ivelisse & Diamante
  • Brandi Rhodes & Allie

The winners of the tournament will receive the AEW Women’s Tag Team Cup trophy.

EecTNA8U0AAZk2C?format=jpg&name=medium
AEW’s Women’s Tag Team Cup trophy

During a recent interview AEW Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes spoke about the tournament. She noted that her hope is that it becomes an annual event.

It has not yet been confirmed when the finals will take place, but AEW’s next pay-per-view, All Out, takes place on Saturday, September 5th, 2020.

The Rock & Investor Group Purchase The XFL for $15 Million

Andrew Ravens
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Vince McMahon will not be resurrecting the XFL, but rather, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and partners are the new owners. 

The former WWE Champion has teamed up with Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital to purchase the league for $15 million, according to a press release sent out Monday morning.

The entity that purchased the XFL is Alpha Acquico, LLC, a joint venture of The Garcia Companies and Redbird Capital Partners Management LLC. In addition to acquiring all XFL assets, Alpha Acquico will take on “certain specified liabilities” and finance $8.5 million towards any financial defaults from the previous owner.

The XFL was slated to be auctioned today. Johnson’s business partner and ex-wife, Dany Garcia, will also be a stakeholder. RedBird has made various sports-related investments with some of them having ties to the NFL and its players.

The Rock & Dany Garcia Comment on XFL Purchase

The Rock said about the purchase, “The acquisition of the XFL with my talented partners, Danny Garcia and Gerry Cardinale, is an investment for me that’s rooted deeply in two things – my passion for the game and my desire to always take care of the fans. With pride and gratitude for all that I’ve built with my own two hands, I plan to apply these callouses to the XFL and look forward to creating something special for the players, fans, and everyone involved for the love of football.”

He and business partner Dany Garcia posted the following on Twitter about the big news:

https://twitter.com/DanyGarciaCo/status/1290286011658801152

Vince McMahon shut down the league earlier this year just weeks into its first season due to COVID-19. Although the league had TV deals with ABC/ESPN and FOX, the league under the ownership of the WWE Chairman and CEO didn’t survive. 

McMahon decided to fold the second attempt at the XFL a few months ago as the pro football league filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the state of Delaware.

As of May, it was reported that XFL creditors seemed to believe McMahon was positioning to buy the league out of bankruptcy, but that’s not the case clearly. 

Former XFL Commissioner Oliver Luck filed a lawsuit against McMahon for wrongful termination. Luck was supposed to get between $20-25 million over five years, which he was promised and it was not contingent on the league surviving. However, McMahon fired Luck the day before he closed the league.

Seth Rollins Talks About WWE’s ‘Process’ To Create New Stars During COVID-19

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WWE Superstar Seth Rollins has addressed WWE’s attempts to create new Superstars. In an interview with TalkSport.com, Rollins explained how he believes WWE’s primary goal continues to be “building stars for the future.”

Rollins acknowledged how the current coronavirus pandemic has forced WWE to lose a lot of its “top-tier talent due to various circumstances.” Regardless, he believes that WWE’s emphasis is to continue building future stars. He stressed how Paul Heyman’s departure as WWE Raw Executive Director doesn’t change that goal.

He pointed at the efforts of Bayley and Sasha Banks as evidence of Superstars working hard to stand out during this time. Rollins noted how they’ve done all they can to rise to the challenge and secure opportunities for themselves — especially as Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair are currently out of in-ring action.

“The women have been lagging behind Becky and Charlotte for some time and now it’s time for them to step up and do their thing,” Rollins stated. “Asuka has stepped up too, as well, but I do think Bayley and Sasha have been great. They’ve filled that void as best as they possibly can and have been working like crazy as Tag Team champs and now RAW and SmackDown champs.”

Seth Rollins On The “Process” Of Building Stars

Seth Rollins also praised his disciple, Murphy, and Aleister Black. He highlighted their “incredible performances” during their rivalry. He explained how you could see how talented and hungry they were to reach “the next level.”

Rollins added how this hunger has continued throughout WWE’s empty arena shows with zero fans. According to Rollins, Murphy has stepped up to figure out what his role is and who Murphy is as a performer. He believes Aleister Black has taken the same approach during this time.

Rollins stressed how “One of the things we need to understand if you can’t make new stars overnight.” He added how people have to be patient as a build needs to take place.

He explained how “there has to be a story, it has to be the right time. You can’t just put people on TV in prominent positions that nobody knows if you want casual viewers to continue to tune in.”

Rollins acknowledged that the build of new Superstars is a “process” — one that includes gettings talent associated with audiences and viewers who may not necessarily be wrestling fans. Once that’s been achieved, he believes WWE can put those talents in a position to become stars.

Bayley On Current Run With Sasha Banks: ‘This Is The Most Fun I’ve Had On TV’

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Current WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley recently helped her partner, Sasha Banks, secure the Raw Women’s Championship last week on Monday Night Raw.

Speaking with SI.com, Bayley reflected on her current partnership with Banks. She admitted how their pairing is the “most fun” she’s had on TV to date.

Bayley shared how everyone keeps telling her how it looks like she’s having fun on TV. She thinks it’s “awesome” people can see the enjoyment come through. Bayley credited this to the fact she loves being around Banks as they “get along so freakin’ well.”

She commented on how it had taken them a long time to get into this position together. According to Bayley, both Superstars have experienced plenty of ups and downs and “being held back.”

“One of the things we heard a lot was, ‘We can always count on you.’ We believed they could count on us to run the whole company. It took a lot of proving, but that’s what we’re doing now. We are very vocal about what we believe is right and what we want to do to help the company and help the division. It’s finally being able to shine through, and it’s very rewarding.”

Bayley assisted Banks’ victory after her assault of Kairi Sane drew Asuka away from the ring. Banks would win the WWE Raw Women’s Championship after Asuka was counted out.

Sasha Banks Shares Why She Misses Fans At WWE Events

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The new WWE Raw Women’s Champion Sasha Banks claimed the championship last Monday Night on Raw entering her fifth reign. Her win saw her join her partner Bayley as a double champion within WWE. Unfortunately, her recent accomplishment took place at the WWE Performance Center in front of zero fans.

Speaking in a WWE The Day Of documentary clip, Banks shared her thoughts on performing at WWE events without a crowd in attendance due to the current coronavirus pandemic.

She confessed she missed feeling the crowd’s energy but noted she has learned a great deal since audiences have been unable to attend events. Despite this growth, Banks admitted she’s ready to have fans return as long as it’s safe to do so.

“Until then, I’m gonna keep on entertaining and you’re gonna keep on watching at home. I hope you enjoy it. But maybe it’s during these crazy times, that it’s on such a different grande scheme of things of how I look at this as a whole, since we don’t have an audience.”

Banks continued, “Maybe that’s why I’m not as so, like, ‘Oh my God, what are they going to think?’ Because their opinion is really online, and the thing is I don’t have to read that, and I don’t read it. Really, my opinion is my opinion of what I think this match is going to be and what it means to me.”

Sasha Banks explained how if she feels confident she has just “killed it” in a match up, then no one’s opinion of it matters except hers. She stressed how she is happy to have the confidence to know that if she’s satisfied with her performance, other people’s opinions can’t affect her.

Big E On If He Feels Ready For A Singles Run

Anutosh Bajpai
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A lot of people including many legends have praised Big E over the years and characterised him as a potential world champion if the New Day member wrestles as a singles competitor. Now that he is finally getting a chance to showcase his skills on his own, the former IC Champion feels that he is ready to go solo after being a team player for over half a decade.

Big E recently had an interview with Yahoo Sports and discussing his singles run, the former Tag Team Champion mentioned how it all came out of nowhere. Though he later said that he hopes that the people who have clamoured for this for years will not be disappointed:

“This is all kind of coming out of nowhere. I feel confident that I am ready for this. The interesting thing and weird thing is we don’t have that organic response. I hope people enjoy this run, I hope it’s good and entertaining, I hope all of the people who have clamored for this for years are not disappointed.”

Even though he is getting the opportunity for a singles run, the former NXT Champion still sees himself as a representative of the New Day and he believes that his singes achievements will add up to the legacy of the group:

“I always see it as I am a representative of the New Day. The same way that Kofi credited Woods and me and said that when he won it was for all of us, that’s the same feeling I have.  This adds to all of our legacies because I don’t get this far, I don’t have this much without those two. I don’t even know if I am around in this company without those two.”

Xavier Woods has been out of action due to an Achilles injury since October last year. Kofi Kingston revealed during the July 24 episode of SmackDown that he will be out of action for 6 weeks after losing a Tables match at Extreme Rules, effectively giving Big E his first singles run since the formation of the group in 2014.

Next WWE Draft Planned for October

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WWE is planning to hold the annual draft in October this year once again, according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio.

WWE had 5 dates under consideration for next ‘Superstar Shakeup.’ Company officials have since narrowed it down to two possible dates in October.

Last year’s draft saw The Street Profits being called up to the main roster. There is no word yet on if NXT stars will be included in the draft but it’s very likely that the brand will be represented in some capacity this year as well.

The drafts last year took place in October, one week after SmackDown moved to Fox Network. It started on the blue branded show and concluded on the Raw episode the following week.

Also Read: Drew McIntyre & Top WWE NXT Star Tease Possible Match

A number of big names switched brands during the last drafts. The most notable moves included the then Universal Champion Bray Wyatt moving to SmackDown and people like Randy Orton and Kevin Owens being moved to Raw.

The WWE Champion Brock Lesnar who won the title from Kofi Kingston on SmackDown’s Fox Premiere then quit the Blue Branded show and later joined Monday Night Raw.

Now it would be interesting to see if the Black and Yellow brand of the company is also included in the shake up and if the company adjusts the format of the event to incorporate moves from NXT into the drafts this year.

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