MVP is an internationally known pro wrestler due to his stints with WWE. However, he wasn’t always on a clear path to success and there is a troubled past behind the current achievements of the former US Champion.
The wrestling star joined a gang when he was 12 years old and spent over nine years in prison for armed robbery and kidnapping when he was only 16.
Though WWE still gave him an opportunity for redemption and during his recent appearance on Chasing Glory podcast, MVP revealed what Vince McMahon said to him upon his hiring:
“When I got to the WWE, I was given an opportunity that society wouldn’t give me. Society wouldn’t give me an opportunity to make minimum wage, Vince McMahon said, ‘Yeah, you did some bad things, but everybody here gets an opportunity. You’ve earned an opportunity.’
He gave me an opportunity to become an internationally known professional wrestling superstar.” said MVP “With that came social redemption.”
The WWE star continued by mentioning how he still gets negative comments regarding his past actions but he has served his time in prison and he is a changed man.
MVP originally joined WWE in 2005 and stayed with the promotion till 2010. He returned to the company during Royal Rumble earlier this year and he has been working as a backstage producer and on-screen talent for the promotion since then.
On May 25th, the Japanese government lifted the nationwide state of emergency caused by the coronavirus pandemic. New Japan Pro-Wrestling has announced their plans to return to conducting live wrestling events over the next month. To ensure minimal risk of virus propagation, NJPW has been conducting antibody testing on wrestlers, crew, trainers, and other live event staff, and preparation of venues has begun.
The last NJPW event took place on February 26th in Okinawa, Japan. New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s first live event following the end of Japan’s COVID-19 state of emergency will be an empty arena event on June 15th, called the NJPW Together Special. In all, eleven events have been scheduled, including a rescheduled New Japan Cup and Dominion.
The New Japan Cup participants have changed to accommodate international travel restrictions caused by the pandemic. The majority of participants who live overseas have been replaced. As such, the 32-man New Japan Cup, usually a heavyweights-only tournament, now includes a number of NJPW’s junior heavyweight wrestlers. Also, it has been announced that, as previously, Tetsuya Naito will defend both his IWGP Heavyweight and IWGP Intercontinental championships against the winner of the New Japan Cup.
All events will be streamed live on NJPW World. NJPW has also announced that their Summer Struggle 2020 tour, originally scheduled to take place from July 11 to July 19, has been cancelled.
NJPW Event Schedule
June 15: NJPW Together Project Special
Matches unknown
June 16: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
Togi Makabe vs. Yota Tsuji
Tomohiro Ishii vs. El Desperado
Toru Yano vs. Jado
Tomoaki Honma vs. Hiromu Takahashi
Unknown “special match”
June 17: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
Kazuchika Okada vs. Gedo
Yuji Nagata vs. Minoru Suzuki
Yuya Uemura vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru
Gabriel Kidd vs. Taiji Ishimori
Unknown “special match”
June 22: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Taichi
Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Ryusuke Taguchi vs. SANADA
SHO vs. Shingo Takagi
Unknown “special match”
June 23: New Japan Cup 2020 First Round (empty arena)
Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. YOSHI-HASHI
YOH vs. BUSHI
Satoshi Kojima vs. EVIL
Hirooki Goto vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Unknown “special match”
June 24: New Japan Cup 2020 Second Round (empty arena)
Four New Japan Cup second round matches
Unknown “special match”
July 1: New Japan Cup 2020 Second Round (empty arena)
Four New Japan Cup second round matches
Unknown “special match”
July 2: New Japan Cup 2020 Quarterfinals (empty arena)
Four New Japan Cup quarterfinal matches
Unknown “special match”
July 3: New Japan Cup 2020 Semifinals (empty arena)
Two New Japan Cup semifinal matches
Two unknown “special matches”
July 11: New Japan Cup 2020 Final (Osaka-jo Hall, Osaka, one third capacity attendees)
New Japan Cup 2020 Final match
July 12: Dominion (Osaka-jo Hall, Osaka, one third capacity attendees)
It’s been a while since WWE made the decision to produce shows without an audience due to coronavirus threats but now Triple H is teasing a change in this situation.
A fan posted a selfie in front of the Full Sail University before last night’s NXT Takeover event and he mentioned how he misses being part of the WWE shows.
The WWE Vice President interestingly responded to this tweet from the fan and Triple H teased the return of the audience with just one word in his reply:
The governor of Florida had announced plans for the reopening of the state earlier last month which included the order to allow sporting events to be produced with 25% of the arena capacity.
WWE has also recently eased up their restrictions a bit and started allowing development talents to be used as audience for the shows from the Performance Center.
Since the government is moving forward with their re-opening plans, it’s believed that companies like AEW and WWE could be allowed to have fans in attendance very soon.
This advancement, coupled with the tweet from Triple H has given some hope to the fans, however, we will still have to wait for a timeline to be exactly sure from when can we see the fans return to the wrestling shows.
The June 8th edition of WWE RAW aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. It was the final episode of RAW before WWE Backlash this Sunday night. Edge joined Christian for an episode of The Peep Show and Asuka battled Charlotte Flair in the main event.
RAW Results (6/8)
Charlotte & Asuka def. The IIconics, Sasha Banks & Bayley
Humberto Carrillo & Aleister Black def. Murphy & Austin Theory
Andrade def. Kevin Owens & Angel Garza to earn a shot at US Title
Lashley & MVP def. Viking Raiders
Charlotte def. Asuka
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Charlotte Attacked Asuka
Asuka was set to face Charlotte Flair tonight but Sasha Banks and Bayley interrupted. Bayley told the booing crowd that they should be thanking her for bringing star quality to RAW. Sasha and Bayley bragged about winning the Women’s Tag Team Championships before Asuka cut them off.
The IIconics then interrupted and said that everyone wants to see them face Bliss & Cross, Sasha Banks & Bayley in a Triple Threat Match at Backlash. Bayley and Banks attacked Flair and Asuka. Asuka and Charlotte battled back and sent them out of the ring. This then led to a Triple Threat match between the three teams. It was announced that Flair and Asuka will still compete against each other later tonight.
Match Recap: The IIconics and the Women’s Tag Team Champions battled to start the match off. Kay and Royce isolated Bayley and took turns beating her down. Charlotte forced a tag and stomped on Bayley. The fans started a “we want Asuka!” chant and Flair got pissed off.
Asuka tagged in and hit the Hip Attack on Bayley that sent her flying off the ring apron. Asuka beat Banks down as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, The IIconics were in control and had Asuka isolated in the corner. Charlotte tagged in and regained control of the match. Asuka tagged herself in and Charlotte got pissed off again. Charlotte quickly tagged herself back in and told Asuka to watch how it is done. Flair made her way to the top rope but Asuka tagged back in and applied the Asuka Lock on Billie Kay for the submission victory.
After the match, Charlotte and Asuka had a staredown in the middle of the ring. Asuka raised the title in Charlotte’s face and Flair responded with a Clothesline. Charlotte then raised the RAW Women’s Championship while saying that Asuka has never defeated her.
Rollins Invited Mysterio & Dominik To RAW Next Week
Seth Rollins came down to the announce table and asked Byron Saxton to give him his headset. Rollins stated that he didn’t want to miss the satellite interview with Rey Mysterio.
Mysterio said that he saw his doctor and that things were looking good but the possibility for further damage to his eye is there. Rey added that he didn’t know when he was going to compete but then delivered a warning to Seth.
Rey warned Seth that he was going to pay for what he put his family through and that he is going to kick his ass. Rollins claimed that Rey was spreading misinformation and that he gave Mysterio the chance to walk away as a legend.
Seth invited Rey and Dominik to come to RAW next week so that he can prove that Mysterio’s sacrifice was for the greater good. Mysterio stated that Rollins only wants him at RAW next week because he is not cleared. Rollins said that wasn’t true but his explanation was cut short by a kick from Aleister Black out of nowhere. Aleister Black and Humberto Carrillo then defeated Murphy and Austin Theory in a Tag Team match.
After the match, Rey Mysterio’s music hit but Rollins came down the entrance ramp his a mask on. Theory and Murphy then attacked Black and Carrillo from behind. Murphy leveled Humberto with a knee to the face and then Rollins hit Black with the Stomp.
Christian returned to RAW for an episode of the Peep Show. Christian invited Edge down to the ring ahead of the “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” against Randy Orton this Sunday at Backlash.
Christian claimed that it looked like Edge was running on fumes, which prompted a “you still got it!” chant from the crowd. He then insulted Edge some more by saying Edge couldn’t even have the greatest wrestling match ever in his prime.
Edge noted that he hasn’t been in a traditional wrestling match for 9 years and now it is being labeled as the greatest ever. Christian claimed that Edge was making excuses and brought up his late mother. Christian said that she was there for all his big matches and will be there for this one even if Edge thinks she is not.
Edge got up and started Christian down. Christian smiled and said that was what he was looking for. Christian added that he believes in Edge and that he can defeat Randy Orton in the greatest wrestling match ever at Backlash.
Randy Orton interrupted from the jumbotron and told them both to shut up. Orton vowed to embarrass Edge at Backlash and send him back to his wife & daughters. Randy claimed that the redemption of Edge was over at Backlash. Edge stated that it is not and walked backstage.
Opinion: Christian was phenomenal during this promo. Orton & Edge had amazing promos leading up to their underwhelming WrestleMania match. I hope this one delivers at Backlash. The “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” tagline is putting a hell of a lot of pressure on Edge and Orton.
Andrade Will Face Apollo Crews At Backlash For The US Title
Anrade, Kevin Owens, and Angel Garza battled in a Triple Threat match tonight to determine the #1 contender for the United States Championship. Before the match, Crews said he was excited to defend the title against the winner at Backlash.
Match Recap: Owens got some revenge and attacked Garza and Andrade during their entrance. Owens was fired up in the ring and shouted “bring it on!” as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Garza and Andrade beat Owens down but didn’t seem to be on the same page as Zelina Vega was ringside. Angel ripped off his pants to reveal his tights and continued to beat Owens down with Andrade.
Andrade hit a Suplex and went for the cover but Garza broke it up. The two started shoving each other and Zelina tried to get in between them but they accidentally knocked her down. They stop fighting with each other and check on Vega as RAW went to another break.
Zelina Vega was helped to the back by WWE medical staff during the break. Owens lifted up Andrade and hit Garza with a Senton while Andrade was on his back. Owens hit a Frog Splash but Andrade kicked out. Andrade hit Owens with a Dropkick and then started trading punches with Garza.
Angel Garza went for the Wing Clipper but Owens countered into a Stunner. Andrade then hit Owens with a Dropkick and pinned Garza for the victory. Andrade will face Apollo Crews for the United States Championship at Backlash.
McIntyre Sent A Message To Lashley Heading Into Backlash
MVP hosted another edition of the VIP Lounge tonight. MVP said his guest had the most devastating move in WWE and introduced Bobby Lashley. Drew McIntyre immediately interrupted and continued to raise the WWE Championship around in the ring as MVP tried to talk.
McIntyre joked that MVP must have been talking about him and his Claymore Kick. MVP said he was talking about Lashley and the Full Nelson. Drew claimed that he was still feeling the Full Nelson from last week but MVP has taken several Claymores as of late. MVP stated that this was part of his business plan and that Lashley will win the WWE Championship at Backlash.
Drew set up for the Claymore but Lashley got in the ring. McIntyre hit MVP with a Glasgow Kiss before Viking Raiders interrupted. Lashley & MVP then defeated Viking Raiders after Lashley locked in the Full Nelson on Erik. McIntyre & Street Profits looked on from ringside during the match. After the match, McIntyre hit Lashley with the Claymore as he had the Full Nelson locked in on Ivar. Lashley got knocked out of the ring but landed on his feet after the Claymore. McIntyre shouted that it is going to be a war at Backlash to end the segment.
Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks joined commentary for the Asuka versus Charlotte match.
Match Recap: Charlotte controlled the action early and slammed Asuka into the ring apron. Flair continued to beat Asuka down and mocked the crowd for booing her. Asuka battled back and hit the Hip Attack against the barricade. Charlotte slammed Asuka into the plexiglass before the action returned to the ring. The IIConics attacked Banks and Bayley from behind and slammed Bayley on the announce table as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Bayley, Banks, and The IIconics were banned from ringside. Asuka hit Flair with a Hip Attack and went for an Arm Bar but Charlotte unloaded several elbows to Asuka’s face. Charlotte followed it up with a Headlock in the middle of the ring as the crowd got behind Asuka.
Asuka broke free but Charlotte knocked her back down with a knee to the face. Asuka battled back with a Dropkick off the second rope. Charlotte went for a boot to the face but Asuka avoided it and hit a German Suplex.
The RAW Women’s Champion hit another Hip Attack that knocked Flair out of the ring. Charlotte hit a Moonsault off the barricade and then slammed Asuka’s left knee onto the ring post a few times.
Charlotte connected with a big boot and went for the cover but Asuka kicked out at two. Flair went for the Figure Four but Asuka blocked it. Charlotte then went for the Spear but Asuka countered with a knee to the face. Charlotte connected with the Spear and went for the cover but Asuka kicked out at two. Nia Jax came down to the ring for the distraction and Charlotte capitalized with a big kick to the face for the pinfall victory. It looked like Asuka kicked out right as the referee’s hand hit the canvas. After the match, Nia Jax planted Asuka with a Samoan Drop to end the show.
Opinion: Charlotte and Asuka had a terrific match tonight. I know Nia Jax had to interfere to hype the RAW Women’s Championship match at Backlash, but it sucked that we didn’t get a proper finish to a 30 minute match. I don’t have any interest in Nia Jax vs. Asuka at Backlash. I just hope they keep the belt on Asuka and as far away as possible from Nia Jax. Overall, this week’s RAW was a decent show. There wasn’t much that happened tonight that got me excited for Backlash this weekend.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Backlash PPV.
During Monday’s episode of RAW, Kevin Owens, Angel Garza, and Andrade faced off in a Triple Threat #1 Contender’s Match to determine who would be next line for a shot at the United States Championship.
As seen on the show, Andrade ended up winning the contest to become the new #1 contender. As a result, Andrade will challenge Apollo Crews for the United States Championship at Backlash.
WWE presents the Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 14, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network.
Updated WWE Backlash Card
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison – Handicap Match
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka vs. Nia Jax
Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus – Singles Match
WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley & Sasha Banks vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. The IIconics – Title Triple Threat Match
WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews vs. Andrade
One WWE star decided to share quite an interesting video on social media.
That star is Tamina, who has been absent from WWE television since her loss last month to Bayley at Money in the Bank.
The SmackDown star took to Twitter where she shared a promo that featured her inside of a mental hospital in order to get over how her character has been pushed to the brink.
She’s in a straight jacket and sitting on the floor. This is where she screamed, “Ten years, I have given my life to you. And for what? Nothing!”
In her original post, which has been deleted, she wrote in the caption, “After my devastating loss at #MITB and 10 years of being used and abused it has finally happened…”The Trepidation.”
In the middle of the video, she is quoted by stating, “A person can only take so much before they crack,” but admits “I have never been more alive in all my life.”
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on whether she is slated to debut this new persona on television or if she did this on her own as a way to show off a character idea she has.
An interesting report has surfaced online regarding the status of Charlotte Flair in WWE NXT.
Of course, Flair dropped the NXT Women’s Championship to Io Shirai, who pinned Rhea Ripley to win the title, in the headliner of Sunday’s NXT Takeover: In Your House event.
After the match, fans speculated that since Flair didn’t take the pinfall, she could be headed towards a singles program with the new champion. However, that’s not the case, according to a report by Wrestling Inc.
Per their report, Flair is actually done with NXT for the time being. With Flair exiting from NXT, it appears that WWE will be going towards a program for the new champion with Ripley.
The fallout from this event and what’s next for Shirai will take place on Wednesday’s episode of NXT on the USA network.
Triple H addressed the outcome of this contest on the post-event media call.
This is where he noted that Flair has always been a RAW talent, but noted that she’s worked all three brands as of late. Triple H also said that the finish was done for a long term storyline.
WWE went back to a brief program with Asuka for Flair on Monday’s episode of RAW.
Tommaso Ciampa and Randy Orton had an interesting Twitter exchange in the fallout of last night’s NXT In Your House event. Orton took to Twitter and gave what could be interpreted as a sarcastic complement to last night’s show.
“Heard #WWENXT#TakeoverInYourHouse was great! Slappin my leg for you guys. Sincerely #legslap,” Orton Tweeted.
A wrestler slapping their leg to make a striking move sound good is sometimes looked down upon amongst some wrestlers.
Former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa offered a reply to Orton’s comments.
“My daughter has been having trouble sleeping. Luckily I found a remedy. Randy Orton matches. Better than NyQuil. Sincerely #AnEntireLockerRoomWhoBustedTheirAsses,” Ciampa Tweeted in reply.
Orton fired back with another dig at Ciampa and the NXT brand:
Looks like I hurt the feelings of the self appointed lockeroom leader of a wrestling school. Let me know what time #legslap class starts so I can take my game to the next level. https://t.co/c2ECCKL44f
Randy Orton will take on Edge at Backlash on Sunday. The match is being billed as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” According to comments Edge recently made to ESPN, he was surprised by the way the match is being billed.
“I just laughed because I didn’t think it was serious,” Edge said. “Then I realized fairly quickly it was. Then my reaction was, is this wise, because anytime you say something the greatest ever beforehand, you’re setting yourself up for failure. And I don’t ever want to think that way. I need to think the opposite of that, I can’t control the court of public opinion. I need to do and be proud of the work that I put in.”
Keith Lee defeated Johnny Gargano last night at NXT In Your House. Following the show, Triple H was asked about the possibility of Keith Lee one day winning a World Championship during the post-event media call.
“Look, it certainly wouldn’t shock me, right? I mean Keith has every tool,” Triple H said.
Triple H continued to praise Lee on the call.
“Such a great guy. Hard-working, humble, just wants to deliver,” he described Lee. “Great human being, locker room leader, everything you could want. An ultimate pro, right? He’s just the kind of guy you want to work hard for and you want to deliver for him.”
Finally, Triple H confirmed that he too is enthusiastic about the idea of Keith Lee being a future World Champion.
“Again, I love working with him,” he continued. “You say ‘Keith Lee, world champion’ and if you ask me what my opinion is I say ‘Hell yeah!'”
Keith Lee signed with WWE in 2018. He was awarded the NXT Breakout Star of the Year award in 2019. Lee defeated Roderick Strong for the NXT North American Championship on January 22nd, 2020. He is the 6th person to hold the title in its 2-year history.
Edge vs Randy Orton at Backlash this weekend is being billed as “The Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.” This has led lots of wrestling fans to wonder what exactly WWE has planned for Backlash. Edge was recently interviewed by ESPN and said that when he first heard his match with Orton being billed that way, he didn’t think it was serious.
“I just laughed because I didn’t think it was serious,” Edge said. “Then I realized fairly quickly it was. Then my reaction was, is this wise, because anytime you say something the greatest ever beforehand, you’re setting yourself up for failure. And I don’t ever want to think that way. I need to think the opposite of that, I can’t control the court of public opinion. I need to do and be proud of the work that I put in.”
“All I can do is take it as if this is all just a bonus and in a weird way, a compliment. Or it’s a giant rib. I don’t know.”
Edge continued to say that he would have preferred the match not be billed in such a way.
“Would I have preferred they not billed it as that? Absolutely. But I also know there are times where heels get dug in the sand and there’s no changing it.”
Edge and Orton met at WrestleMania in a Last Man Standing match that went all over the WWE Performance Center. For Backlash, however, Orton challenged Edge to a traditional wrestling match.
Kurt Angle recently served as the referee for Matt Riddle’s match against Timothy Thatcher on NXT. Following Thatcher’s victory over Riddle, Kurt Angle then announced on Smackdown that Riddle would soon debut for the blue brand on Friday nights. In a recent interview with Talk Sport, Riddle recently revealed a booking idea he had for a storyline involving himself and Kurt Angle.
It had recently been revealed that WWE offered Angle the role of managing Riddle but the Original Bro feels the big money would have been with him turning on Angle.
“You know what crossed my mind originally [with Kurt Angle]? There’s the management thing, but then like in my head – and maybe this is just greedy me – in my head, when I see Kurt Angle, even if I like him and I’m friendly with him, I know the money is in beating up Kurt Angle,” Riddle said.
Riddle felt that the storyline could have been him turning on Angle after Angle costed him his match against Thatcher.
“I was really hoping he was going to cost me the cage match and then the Bro was going to snap and beat up Kurt Angle! Some deadlift Germans to an Olympic gold medallist from the Stallion? You telling me everybody at home wouldn’t be like ‘no he didn’t just dump him on his head!’ – because that’s what I do! It would have been crazy.”
Riddle also talked about how he could get revenge on King Corbin for retiring Angle and that could be a storyline he works on Smackdown.
Following last night’s NXT: In Your House event, Triple H spoke with media. During the discussion, he talked about Io Shirai’s NXT Women’s Championship victory and the fact that she pinned Rhea Ripley and not the then-champion, Charlotte Flair.
“That finish was done tonight the way it was done for a very specific reason,” Triple H said. “Some people will read into that and go ‘oh, Charlotte can’t even get beat.’ I don’t buy into that, first of all. To me, the whole rhetoric of Charlotte Flair and her dad and her name and all that stuff is garbage. She works as hard as anybody I’ve ever seen. She’s a great performer, deserves everything she’s ever gotten and has.”
“This was done for a very specific reason for storytelling purposes,” he continued to say. “Hopefully, if we get to tell the story the way we want to over the coming months, I think 3 or 4 months from now you’ll go ‘I know exactly why they did the finish that they did.'”
Earlier on the call, Triple H was asked if Charlotte will continue on the NXT brand.
“We shall see,” Triple H responded when asked if Charlotte was done with NXT. “Charlotte’s always been a RAW talent, that is where she signed and her home. She had the NXT Championship. In essence, she’s been working all 3 brands lately, which has been awesome. We’ll see, I’m not 100% sure.”
Triple H On Io Shirai
Triple H also spent some time talking about the new NXT Women’s Champion, Io Shirai on the call.
“Io coming here from Japan, I always considered Io to be one of those game-changing talents, much like I did Asuka when she came here,” Triple H said. “There’s been bits and pieces of moments and injuries and setbacks and things. It’s amazing to see here where she is right now. She’s one of the greatest in-ring performers in the women’s division anywhere. I’m really excited for her. This is a new era for the NXT Women’s division with Io Shirai in that position.”
Elias was removed from the Intercontinental Championship tournament on Smackdown recently. 2 weeks ago, he was shown being taken to a “local medical facility” after being hit by a car. As it turns out, the angle will explain Elias’ absence from the show. He is dealing with an injury that will keep him out of action for months.
According to a report from the Wrestling Observer, Elis has suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will be out of action for some time. The typical recovery time for a torn pec is 4 months but there is currently no timetable available for his return.
Elias made his WWE main roster debut shortly after WrestleMania in 2017. He had been on NXT since 2014. The only title he has won in his WWE career thus far is the 24/7 Championship which he has held on 4 occasions.
This year at WrestleMania, he defeated King Corbin on night 1 of the 2-night show. He again defeated Corbin in the 1st round of the Intercontinental Championship tournament before an injury led to him being no longer able to continue. AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan will face each other in the finals of the tournament this week on Smackdown.
NXT TakeOver: In Your House aired from Full Sail tonight on the WWE Network. Adam Cole defended the NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl. Charlotte Flair put the NXT Women’s Championship on the line against Io Shirai and Rhea Ripley in the main event.
NXT TakeOver: In Your House Results
Tegan Nox, Mia Yim & Shotzi Blackheart def. Candice LeRae, Raquel Gonzalez & Dakota Kai
Finn Balor def. Damian Priest
Keith Lee def. Johnny Gargano to retain the NXT North American Championship
Adam Cole def. Velveteen Dream to retain the NXT Championship
Karrion Kross def. Tommaso Ciampa
Io Shirai def. Rhea Ripley & Charlotte Flair to win the NXT Women’s Championship
Here are 6 takeaways from TakeOver: In Your House:
Tegan Nox Pinned Dakota Kai
Mia Yim, Tegan Nox & Shotzi Blackheart battled Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez in the fist match of the night.
Match Recap: Tegan Nox beat Dakota Kai down to start off the match and then tagged in Shotzi. Kai battled back and tagged in Candice. LeRae went for a Senton but Blackheart got out of the way and connected with a kick to the face. The action spilled out of the ring and Yim hit a Suicide Dive. LeRae hit a Crossbody and then Tegan Nox flipped onto everyone.
Back in the ring, Gonzalez hit Shotzi with a cheap shot as Dakota Kai tagged in. Dakota bounced Shotzi’s face off the turnbuckle and beat her down in the corner of the ring. Mia Yim and Candice tagged in and Yim planted LeRae with a Neckbreaker. Yim connected with a Dragon Suplex and went for the cover but LeRae kicked out at two.
Gonzalez and Tegan then tagged in and traded shots in the middle of the ring. Gonzalez hit a massive Powerbomb and went for the cover but Mia broke it up at the last moment. Yim and LeRae then battled up the entrance ramp and backstage. Dakota Kai accidentally booted Gonzalez in the face and then Nox hit Kai with the Shiniest Wizard for the pinfall victory.
Finn Balor Defeated Damian Priest In A Great Match
Finn Balor faced Damian Priest tonight at In Your House.
Match Recap: Balor started off the match in control and hit him with a Dropkick in the corner. Priest went for a Splash but Finn got out of the way and booted Damian out of the ring.
Finn followed Damian out there and Damian sent him flying into the steel steps. Damian slammed Balor on the ring apron with a massive Side Slam from off the steel steps. Priest brought Balor back into the ring applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring.
Priest connected with the Broken Arrow but Finn quickly hit a Double Stomp and both superstars fell to the canvas. Balor hit the Pele Kick and went for the cover for a near fall. Finn Clothelined Damian out of the ring but Priest hopped right back onto the apron and booted Finn in the face. Damian Priest hit a Razor’s Edge on the ring apron and went for the cover back in the ring but Balor was able to kick out at the last moment.
Balor connected with a Slingblade but Priest quickly caught fin with two roundhouse kicks. Finn hit another Slingblade and followed it up with a Dropkick in the corner of the ring. Balor made his way to the top rope but Priest caught him. Priest planted Balor with a massive Chokeslam for a near fall.
Damian went for a Razor’s Edge off the apron but Finn broke free. Balor hit a forearm to the face and Priest fell onto the steel steps outside the ring. Balor hit Priest with a Coup de Grace on Priest as he got back into the ring. Finn went right back to the top rope and hit another Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: The bump on the steel steps looked unbelievably painful for Priest. Balor picked up the win but I’m sure Priest impressed a lot of people and earned new fans tonight.
Keith Lee Retained The NXT North American Championship
Keith Lee defended his NXT North American Championship against Johnny Gargano tonight at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
Match Recap: Gargano knocked Johnny out of the ring and went for a Suicide Dive but Lee caught him. Johnny escaped and went for a Cannonball off the apron but once again Keith caught him. Gargano escaped again by raking Lee’s injured eye but Keith caught Johnny with a punch to the face.
Johnny tried to exit through the door on the set but it was locked. Keith Lee bounced Johnny’s face off the door and threw him back down the entrance ramp. Gargano continued to attack Lee’s injured eye and beat him down in the corner of the ring.
Gargano kept Lee grounded for the next several minutes as “Johnny sucks!” chants broke out. Keith connected with a massive Clothesline for a two count. Lee went for a Powerbomb but Gargano countered into a roll-up for a near fall.
Keith Lee lifted Gargano up into a Fireman’s Carry but Johnny once again countered into a roll-up for a near fall. Johnny planted Lee with a DDT outside the ring. Gargano got into the ring and broke up the referee’s count so the match could continue. Keith Lee hit Gargano with a Pounce that sent Johnny flying through the plexiglass.
Candice LeRae tried to distract Keith Lee but Mia Yim attacked her. Gargano grabbed the key from his trunks and dug it into Keith Lee’s eye. Gargano hit One Final Beat and went for the cover but Lee kicked out at two. Gargano hit Lee with several kicks to the face but Lee kept kicking out at two.
Lee grabbed Gargano by the throat and lifted him up to his shoulders. Keith planted Johnny with the Spirit Bomb and followed it up with the Big Bang Catastrophe to retain the NXT North American Championship.
Adam Cole defended the NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl tonight at TakeOver: In Your House. If Velveteen Dream did not defeat Cole tonight, he wouldn’t get another shot at the title as long as Cole was champ.
Match Recap: Dream cosplayed Negan from The Walking Dead and Cole arrived in a monster truck. Velveteen got in the ring with a baseball bat and Cole demanded that he put it down.
Velveteen rolled up Cole a few times in a row but Adam kicked out at two each time. Cole leveled Dream with a boot to the face and said he was leaving with the title. Cole hopped in a car but Dream climbed on top of it and started swinging the bat.
Cole got out of the car and the two superstars started trading shots. An Uber driver showed up and Dream bounced Cole’s face off the car. Dream launched Cole into a trash can and then tried to throw it at him but the champ got out of the way. Cole ran away and Dream followed him. Dream opened an unlocked door and Cole sprayed him in the face with a fire extinguisher.
Dream battled back and sent Cole flying into the ring post. Velveteen leaped off the top rope but Cole was ready and caught him with a Superkick. Dream returned the favor and hit a Superkick of his own after Cole leaped off the apron.
Velveteen beat Cole down on top of a car and then set up a ladder next to him. Dream climbed to the top rung but Undisputed Era showed up for a distraction. Dream shoved Cole off the ladder and onto the windshield of the car. Undisputed Era attacked Dream and beat him down.
Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish threw tons of steel chairs into the ring that were stored in the monster truck. Dexter Lumis slid out from under the ring and attacked Fish and Strong with a steel chair. Dexter put Fish and Strong in his trunk and drove away.
Adam Cole crawled towards the ring and climbed to the top rope. Cole went for the Panama Sunrise but Velveteen countered into the Dream Valley Driver for a near fall. Cole hit Dream with a low blow and then the Panama Sunrise on top of the steel chairs for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I was looking forward to this match and was surprised when it wasn’t the main event. After watching it, I now understand why it wasn’t. There were fun moments here and there but the setting didn’t work for me. I thought the ring surrounded by cars was cool looking but Dream and Cole stumbling through the backlot for several minutes was boring. It was overproduced as well with a ton of camera cuts that felt unnecessary. The match wasn’t bad by any means but I was just underwhelmed by it.
Karrion Kross faced Tommaso Ciamps tonight at In Your House. Scarlett was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Tommaso got in a little offense early but Kross quickly took control of the match and brutally slammed Ciampa onto the ring apron. Kross then planted Ciampa with multiple Suplexes in the ring.
Kross put his hands behind his back and dared Ciampa to hit him. Tommaso swung but Karrion avoided it and connected with a Northern Lights Suplex. Kross leveled Ciampa with a Clothesline but Tommaso battled back with an Enziguri.
Ciampa delivered a knee to the face that sent Karrion to the ring apron. Tommaso hit a DDT and went for the cover but Kross kicked out at two. Ciampa went for Fairy Tale Ending but Karrion countered with a slam. Karrion then locked in the Kross Jacket and Ciampa passed out.
Match Recap: Charlotte rolled out of the ring and Rhea & Io locked up. Flair hopped in the ring and attacked Ripley from behind. Ripley and Shirai then teamed up and beat Flair down in the corner of the ring.
Ripley knocked Flair out of the ring and went for a Cannonball but Charlotte got out of the way. Flair launched Ripley into the barricade but turned around into a Frankensteiner off the apron from Io. Flair shrugged it off and launched Io onto Ripley against the barricade.
Back in the ring, Charlotte locked in a Boston Crab on Io in the middle of the ring. Ripley broke it up and hit Flair with a Dropkick. Shirai dropped Rhea with a kick to the face and hit Charlotte with a 619. Shirai followed it up with a Double Stomp and a Dropkick to Flair for a near fall.
Ripley and Shirai connected with a punch at the same time and collapsed to the canvas. Flair connected with a Spear on both superstars and went for the cover but they both kicked out. Flair went for a Moonsault but Io got her knees up. Rhea went for the Riptide but Shirai countered.
Io applied a Crossface to Charlotte in the middle of the ring but Rhea broke it up with a boot to the face. Flair leveled Rhea with a big boot for a two count. Flair went for Natural Selection but Ripley blocked it. Shirai hit a springboard Dropkick that sent Ripley to the canvas.
Flair hit Shirai with Natural Selection and went for the cover but Io kicked out at two. Charlotte locked in the Figure Four but Ripley dragged Charlotte out of the ring. Io hit Ripley with an awesome Crossbody through the ropes. Charlotte sent Io flying through the windows on the In Your House set.
Charlotte took Ripley down and unloaded several punches. Shirai climbed to the top of the set and hit them both with a massive Crossbody as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”. The action returned to the ring and Charlotte went for a Spear but wound up crashing into the turnbuckle.
Ripley hit Io with several chops and perched her up on the top turnbuckle. Ripley went for a Superplex but Io blocked with a couple punches to the ribs. Io went for a Frankensteiner but Ripley stopped it and Charlotte hit Shirai with a boot to the face.
Charlotte hit Ripley with several chops and joined her on the top rope. Rhea hit the Riptide but Shirai broke up the cover. Flair brought a kendo stick and hit Ripley in the back with it. Flair hit Io as well and then continued to beat the hell out of Ripley.
Flair connected with a Spear on Ripley and locked in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. Charlotte bridged into the Figure Eight as Io climbed to the top rope. Shirai connected with a Moonsault onto Ripley for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Io Shirai capturing the title was awesome to see . I thought this match was very entertaining and once again NXT put on a great TakeOver event. Backlash has a tough act to follow next week.
Charlotte Flair didn’t survive the Triple Threat Match as NXT Women’s Champion against two of the best stars that NXT has to offer as Io Shiri dethroned her.
Shirai won the NXT Women’s Championship by beating Rhea Ripley and Flair in the main event of the NXT TakeOver: In Your House special on Sunday night.
It was a wild match that saw them brawl over ringside. At one point, Flair used a kendo stick on her challengers. Flair sent Io through the window part of the set while Ripley threw a plant at Flair. Io did a dive off the roof of the house set onto Flair and Ripley.
The finish saw Io hit a moonsault to Rhea’s head off the top rope for the win.
This feud all started when Flair defeated Ripley by submission to win the NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36 – Night 2. Fast forward to the April 8th episode of NXT, Shirai won a ladder match to earn a championship match against Flair.
Moving along to the May 6th episode, Io won the match against Flair but failed to win the championship due to the DQ victory.
After the contest, Rhea made her return to NXT television in order to make the save for Io. Then, a match between Shirai and Ripley ended in a no-contest on the May 20th episode when Flair attacked them leading to this title match.
Karrion Kross now can say that he had a match featured on the main card of an NXT TakeOver special.
As seen at Sunday’s (June 7, 2020) WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House in Winter Park, Florida, the former Impact Wrestling star did so when he took on Tommaso Ciampa that saw Kross go over the former NXT Champion.
It was a short match that saw Kross be booked strong with Ciampa not getting a ton of offense in. The finish saw Kross lock in the Kross Jacket submission, which is a rear-naked choke.
When Kross first signed with the company, it was reported that he was being brought in as a top star and WWE is living up to that expectation.
Back in April, this feud started when Kross attacked Ciampa from behind as Ciampa was doing a backstage promo. WWE paired Kross up with his real-life girlfriend, Scarlett. Fast forward to the May 20th episode of NXT, WWE had Ciampa cut a promo about Kross to make this match official.
The Velveteen Dream didn’t dethrone Adam Cole as WWE NXT Champion as he failed to win the title.
The Backlot Brawl aired during Sunday’s WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House at Full Sail University on the WWE Network. WWE actually had taped this match in late March.
As seen in the contest, Cole went over in the contest when he hit a Candian Destroyer onto a pile of chairs for the win. Cole arrived at the fight in a lifted truck while Dream drove to the fight in a lambo.
They brawled around and at one point, an Uber showed up for Cole, who was trying to leave. Dream pushed Cole off the ladder and onto the windshield of the car.
Roderick Strong and Bobby Fish showed up but were taken out by Dexter Loomis, who put them in his car and drove away.
This was actually a rematch from the May 6th episode of NXT on the USA Network that saw Cole successfully retain the championship. However, WWE continued the program.
WWE set up this contest back on the May 27th episode of NXT when Cole had a Zoom call with NXT General Manager William Regal to address his problems with Dream.
Cole added a stipulation, which was if Dream loses then Dream can never get a title shot again as long as Cole is the champion.
Johnny Gargano isn’t a champion once again in WWE NXT as Keith Lee held onto the NXT North American Championship.
The former NXT Champion failed to beat Lee to win the NXT North American Championship at the WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University on the WWE Network.
The contest featured the two stars having plenty of time to tell the story of Gargano willing to do anything to get the win including working over the eyes of the champion and outside interference by his wife, Candice LeRae. In the end, Lee picked up the win by hitting his finisher.
WWE didn’t give this feud a ton of build-up as they had a run-in a few weeks back along with Candice LeRae and Mia Yim. WWE later confirmed that Gargano would indeed challenge Lee for the title at this show back on the May 27th episode of NXT.
Lee won the North American Title Match back on the January 22nd episode of NXT on the USA Network when he beat Roderick Strong for it.
WWE holds the fallout episode from this show and match of NXT on Wednesday in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
What are your thoughts on Keith Lee retaining the NXT North American Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Triple H spoke with CBS Sports for a new interview to promote the NXT TakeOver: In Your House special.
During the interview, he talked about the difficulties for those in NXT with having to wrestle in the empty Performance Center during the COVID-19 pandemic. It should be noted that a few weeks ago, WWE decided to have Performance Center recruits work as fans in the crowd.
Triple H started out by talking about how he’s very proud of the product that they’ve continued to put out. He noted how NXT had to drift along on the tail of RAW and SmackDown in regards to move as they were the last in the three-show order. He noted how there were a lot of times that they were scrambling to pick up the chains last and move with it.
He stated that it was difficult to do but thinks the talent has done a remarkable job.
“I read a quote the other day where a talent said everybody hates doing these empty-arena shows. Of course, they do. No one wants to wrestle in an empty arena. No one wants to get COVID either. “These empty-arena shows are what they are.”
He continued by stating that WWE feels like it’s really important right now in the world for people to be entertained while also doing everything they can from a safety standpoint and following guidelines to continue putting on a product.
“It’s a different product and it’s hard for talent, especially in NXT where some of the talent are younger and newer.
I can’t even imagine if I’d only been in the business for a couple of years and I’m just starting to get used to having a lot of fans at the shows and now they take all the fans away. I’m expected to do the matches still and put one-hundred percent into everything else. It’d be really hard. It’s a tough thing.”
He stated that everything they do goes back to being taught to listen to the reactions from fans and react to it. He stated that you can guide them from there but now, there’s nothing to guide you.
He called it really tough but understands that this isn’t going to last forever. He noted that he’s a big believer the talent will rise to the top, the cream will rise to the top. He added that if they continue to put out great shows, people will continue to watch.
It turns out that this year’s WWE Backlash pay-per-view event will not be live.
Instead, WWE taped the show on Sunday in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that WWE brought in Performance Center recruits this morning to film the show.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on whether WWE has any cinematic elements planned for the show.
Once filming was done for the show, WWE sent the recruits to Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University in order to be there for the live NXT TakeOver: In Your House special.
It was added that the recruits had a call time at 8:30 AM and expected to be working until midnight.
WWE presents the Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 14, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network.
Updated WWE Backlash Card
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Singles Match
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Bobby Lashley
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. The Miz & John Morrison – Handicap Match
Zack Ryder was recently a guest on “Keepin it 100” with Konnan and Disco Inferno. Ryder talked about how he got over with some fans on YouTube, social media, and being “the Internet Champion” in WWE. He was asked if he thought Vince McMahon resented him for getting over outside of the company.
“I wasn’t the first guy to have a YouTube show, I wasn’t the first guy to have social media. I think I was the first guy to use it to accelerate my career,” Ryder said. “There was clearly nothing going on for me. Yes, I was in WWE, I was on RAW but I was doing nothing.”
Ryder then talked about how despite getting over with some fans, he never knocked on Vince’s door and asked why he was being used the way he was.
“I could have easily knocked on his door and said ‘hey, Vince, what’s going on here?'” Ryder said.
“I at the time was a couple of things, I was naive, I wasn’t mature enough, I wasn’t man enough to knock on his door and ask, so we’ll never know.”
Ryder continued to say he’s not bitter. He also reiterated that he could have asked Vince why he was being used the way he was.
“I blame myself for that. I never want to regret things or hold grudges or blame other people because then you are just bitter and I just don’t want to live that life,” he continued.
Arn Anderson worked in WCW when Vince Russo was brought in during the promotion’s final years. Russo signed with WCW on October 3rd, 1999. The final episode of Nitro would take place 18 months later on March 26th, 2001. On an episode of “The Arn Show,” Double-A talked about what it was like working with Russo.
“He’s one of the guys that I worked for instead of with,” Anderson said regarding Russo. “When he came in a lot of guys started going home, the regular guys, the big stars, because there was a creative difference in what they had in mind and what he had in mind.”
Anderson continued to say he just tried to do what he was told at this time.
“All I did as an agent at the time was exactly what he wanted. Him and Ed Ferrara because they were writing the show and from my perspective, they had absolute autonomy. What they said went.”
“Was Vince Russo in some areas very creative? Absolutely.”
Double-A would continue to say that he believed strongly that the product needed to make sense. He perhaps insinuated that WCW storylines at the time did not do that.
“It shouldn’t dumb the product down, it shouldn’t be so outlandish that nobody is going to buy it. It can be as creative as you want it to be but, at least, at the end of the day when it’s all said and done, have it make sense.”
“To answer the question, I worked for him, what he said he wanted I did my best to give him and that was the extent of our relationship to my memory,” Anderson concluded.
Booker T recently spent some time on his radio show and YouTube channel talking about Impact Wrestling. He said that now could be the time for Impact to get back in the game as the promotion has teased bringing in recently released WWE stars to their Slammiversary PPV on July 18th.
“I am wondering if this is a time now for Impact Wrestling to – bang – explode again and get back in the game,” Booker said.
Booker and his co-host discussed the video Impact aired last Tuesday night for Slammiversary. Clips of EC3, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, the Bennett/Kanellis’ and more were shown in the video. The clip also shows a flag of Belarus, Rusev’s home country.
“You gotta think Anthem, Anthem has been doing a lot of big major moves, lot of money moves. I’m sure they’re saying ‘hey man, this is the time to get back in the game.'”
“There’s guys out there like Rusev right now. We got guys out there like Heath Slater, Erik Rowan, Kassius Ohno, there’s a lot of big guys out there that we can pick up that can put a lot of behinds in the seats.”
“It’s the perfect time for TNA (Impact) to pull the trigger and get back in the game,” he continued.
They continued to discuss the rumours of WWE reaching out to bring back some of the released stars as well.
Booker’s comments can be heard in the player below:
WWE Hall of Famer and backstage producer for NXT Road Dogg Brian James recently appeared on the WWE After The Bell podcast w/Corey Graves. The D-Generation X member discussed a number of topics from his career with WWE, including his run backstage with the company.
One of the points discussed was fans not understanding the intricacies of the business and why certain talents are not able to cut ‘unscripted’ promos.
“They shouldn’t be able to, because they can’t fathom the intricacies that go into it” Road Dogg began on the podcast, talking about the fan’s mentality about the business. “We got to keep the lights on, you know what I mean? We’re trying to pay the power bill.”
Road Dogg on Scripted Promos
Road Dogg would elaborate further; saying “it’s big picture stuff, we have a way we shoot TV and we have a way the promos are cut. It’s to rise above that ‘wrasslin,’ that old school mentality. We talked before we came on about USWA and look, I learned how a wrestle there and I loved it. It was a breeding ground and I really did love it. But that’s how a lot of people in the world still view wrestling.”
The former New Age Outlaw would then praise Vince McMahon for trying to change the causal viewer’s mentality of pro wrestling. “For somebody there to try to take it out of that and make it something more? I don’t think that is a bad thing, I think it’s a brilliant business decision, to be quite honest.”
The Fans ‘Not Getting It’
Moving on to scripted promos, Brian James would say that certain fans don’t understand that with the nature of WWE as a public company; they cannot allow certain talents to just cut promos they way that used to in the 90s. “They [the fans] can’t fathom like ‘okay, this guy is a loose cannon, he might say a cuss word or something.’ So we script his promo and he has do it word for word now, because we don’t trust you yet.”
Road Dogg did then clarify that talents in WWE can build that trust and be given more leeway with promos over time. “If we see over a period of time that we’re wrong and we can trust you? Then you will be brought in to the writers room. The writer has this balancing act of making sure you [the talent] get the message across. And not only the message that is written, but the message that we as a company want to send. The message that we as a company are comfortable with telling; and how far do you go and how far do you not go?”
Do you think that WWE needs to give performers more of a chance to be unscripted on television? Let us know in the comments
FTR, the former Revival, made an appearance on Jim Cornette’s podcast where they spoke about their time in WWE.
During the interview, they recalled how Randy Orton was not only a good friend but an even better top star to them as he would go and pitch to work with the former WWE Tag Team Champions on television.
“With Randy, who has become one of our mentors and one of our really close friends, we talked to him every single day. He fought for us so hard to get us on TV with him every single week because he believed in our work ethic and he believed in what we brought to the table.
We watched him go to Vince every single week, or Hunter or whoever, and say, ‘we gotta keep this up’.”
It was added that there were other WWE stars in addition to Orton who pitched McMahon about working with them. If an idea go through then they would do it for a few weeks then have it taken away without putting any juice on it.
The Usos, Roman Reigns, and Shane McMahon were mentioned as guys who wanted to work with them and went to management about working together.
