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.
The card for Sunday’s WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House event has been finalized.
The company has yet to officially announce the main event of this event that takes place in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University and will air on the WWE Network.
This show marks the third special for the yellow brand in 2020, which features a stacked lineup. There are a total of six matches booked for this show with three of them being championship matches.
As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special later tonight. Here’s the final card:
WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House Card
NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. The Velveteen Dream – Dream can’t challenge for the title as long as Cole is champion should he lose, Backlot Brawl
Karrion Kross vs. Tommaso Ciampa – Singles Match
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai – Triple Threat Match
Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Johnny Gargano
Teagan Nox, Shotzi Blackheart & Mia Yim vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez – Six-Woman Tag Team Match
One WWE star is not happy with his current role on television and decided to take to social media to let fans know about it.
It all started when a fan sent a tweet to Ali claiming that he had one of the easiest jobs in WWE.
The fan stated that Mustafa Ali was being paid not to do anything. Ali took issue with that opinion and expressed his displeasure with no working. He wrote the following:
“Yeah, man. It’s real nice to be in your prime and wanting to use the exposure you get to bring light to serious topics, but instead forced to the sidelines for reasons beyond your control. Real nice to not be allowed to do what you’re passionate about.”
Since the introduction of the mystery hacker on Friday Night SmackDown, Ali has been rumored as the possible star behind it.
It should be noted that the character hasn’t been mentioned on SmackDown in a few weeks, which some fans think that the gimmick is losing steam.
Ali hasn’t worked a match since February 7th, which was a dark match at a SmackDown TV event where he went over Drew Gulak.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed Velveteen Dream and the upcoming NXT Takeover: In Your House event that will be taking place this weekend.
The show will be airing live on WWE Network Sunday night, and the main event will see NXT Champion Adam Cole defending his title against Velveteen Dream in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl match. If Velveteen Dream cannot defeat Cole, then he will be unable to challenge again for the NXT Championship.
Velveteen Dream vs Adam Cole
That stipulation will stay in place as long as Cole is Champion. With the stipulation confirmed, there have been rumblings of Velveteen Dream finally making his rise to WWE’s ‘main roster’ and joining SmackDown or RAW. Although WWE has previously said that NXT is on par with both of the traditional main brands, it’s clear that WWE still classes SmackDown and RAW as the two main programmes for the company.
“I want to see Velveteen Dream stepping up” Mark Henry began on Busted Open. “He’s always entertaining and flamboyant and kinda like a loose cannon, if you will, sometimes.”
Henry would elaborate further, saying “I want to see him elevate his work. I want to see him be the Velveteen that we’ve seen, BUT I also want to see something else. I want to see everything, I want to see more from Velveteen Dream.”
Here’s the full card for NXT Takeover: In Your House
Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, & Shotzi Blackheart vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez
Finn Balor vs. Damian Priest
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Karrion Kross
Keith Lee (c) vs. Johnny Gargano – NXT North American Championship Match
Charlotte Flair (c) vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Io Shirai – NXT Women’s Championship Match
Adam Cole (c) vs. Velveteen Dream – Last Chance Backlot Brawl for the NXT Championship
Do you think that Velveteen Dream will win the Championship this weekend? Let us know in the comments
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed NXT Champion Adam Cole and his prospects on WWE’s ‘main roster.’ There have been reports that WWE management are concerned at the size of Adam Cole, who some deem as ‘too small’ to be taken seriously as a main eventer on WWE’s biggest stage.
“There’s the misconception that Adam Cole is not big enough to be on RAW or SmackDown” Mark Henry would begin. “When I say big enough? I mean his stature? It is great, incredibly big enough. But size wise?”
Adam Cole (Baybay)
Henry would elaborate further, saying how he does not agree at all with the assessment of the NXT Champion. “I think that’s unbelievably unfair. Because you think about the match he had with Daniel Bryan; and him beating Daniel Bryan, I might add to that [November 2019]. The dude was stellar, and you would get more of that if he was to go to RAW or SmackDown.”
The World’s Strongest Man would then talk about the perceived size issue in WWE generally. “I think that the biases about size needs to go away” Henry confirmed. “The dude is unbelievably good. And I want to see him versus Drew McIntyre, I want to see him versus Brock Lesnar, I want to see him versus Randy Orton, Edge, Baron Corbin you name it, he can get the job done.”
Adam Cole is set to defend his NXT Championship against Velveteen Dream this weekend at NXT Takeover: In Your House in a Last Chance Backlot Brawl match. If Dream loses then he will be unable to challenge for the belt again, as long as Cole is Champion.
Do you think that Adam Cole could be a big star on WWE’s ‘main roster’ of RAW and SmackDown? Let us know in the comments
Outspoken pro wrestling personality and former TNA, WWE and WCW on-screen performer Jim Cornette recently discussed a hilarious tale from TNA’s chequered legacy.
Cornette was discussing Championship belts on the Drive Thru podcast earlier this week when he revealed the faux pas from TNA’s production staff. 2005-2010 is considered by many to be the heyday of the Total Nonstop Action brand, with the likes of AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Abyss and Kurt Angle topping the card. Even still, the company that sometimes gets lumbered with the ‘LOLTNA’ meme in their later years were liable to gaffes even in this time frame.
Jim Cornette on ‘Losing’ The Belt
“Another time in TNA? It was years ago., like 2007-2008ish they did the pay per view in St. Louis” Jim Cornette would begin on the podcast. “They actually had to have a stooge in Florida that could get into the soundstage at Universal Studios to go in. Because they forgot the belt [TNA World Championship].”
Cornette would discuss how times had changed in the wrestling industry, as Champions nowadays rarely hold on to their prized possession. In the case of TNA it was kept ‘safe’ by the production team…so things like this didn’t happen.
“The champion wasn’t carrying the belt” Jim Cornette continued. “So the f*cking, you know, production people were supposed to bring it. They forgot the belt they had it at the soundstage. So they had the stooge go to the soundstage in Orlando, get the belt rush it over to the airport and buy it a f*cking plane ticket.”
Jim Cornette would finish by revealing that the belt not only had a seat on the plane, but apparently went under the name belt/championship (we can’t verify if this is true). “They put it on the goddamn plane and they had somebody in St. Louis go to the airport. They still didn’t get there on time, the pay per view had already started. They picked up the belt at the airport in St. Louis from Delta. The ticket was under the name of belt slash championship.”
Can you think of a more LOLTNA moment than this? Let us know in the comments
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Backlash PPV.
During Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX, WWE confirmed that Sheamus would battle Jeff Hardy at this show. The two stars have been feuding for several weeks now to lead to this contest.
The two stars were part of the tournament to crown a new Intercontinental Champion but Hardy was removed when he was featured in a hit & run angle that also involved Elias while Sheamus lost in the semi-finals to Daniel Bryan. Both the segment and match took place last week on SmackDown.
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. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming week. Here is the updated card:
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
The June 5th edition of WWE SmackDown aired from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross defended their Women’s Tag Team Championships against Bayley & Sasha Banks in the main event.
SmackDown Results (6/5)
Otis def. King Corbin
Lacey Evans def. Sonya Deville
Drew Gulak def. AJ Styles
New Day & Shorty G def. Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, Mojo Rawley
Sasha Banks & Bayley def. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross to capture the Women’s Tag Team Championships
Here are 5 takeaways from the show:
Sheamus Beat Jeff Hardy Down
Jeff Hardy came down to the ring as Michael Cole stated that Elias could miss months due to injuries sustained in the hit & run angle last week.
Hardy said he pulled up to the Performance Center and right when he got out of his car someone hit him on the head. When he woke up he was in handcuffs and smelled of alcohol.
Jeff wondered how he could have let his wife and daughters down again and how many more times could he beg for forgiveness. He said that he knew deep down that he did not slip last Friday and passed all his sobriety tests.
Hardy added that there were eye witnesses at the police station that saw a man with red hair and a red beard leave the scene of the crime. Sheamus interrupted and claimed that Jeff was just blaming other people for his problems.
Sheamus said that Jeff always has an excuse for his actions and that his fans were enablers. He told Hardy to be a man for once in his life and admit what he did. Sheamus called Hardy a junkie and his family is used to it.
Jeff Hardy sprinted up the entrance ramp and tackled Sheamus. Sheamus quickly fought back and leveled Hardy with a Brogue Kick. He then slammed Hardy into the plexiglass several times as the PC trainees chanted “you suck!”.
Opinion: I thought this promo was great and I’m really enjoying this storyline. The use of Jeff Hardy’s troubled past has made the rivalry personal. Sheamus trying to frame Jeff Hardy for running Elias over while intoxicated is an act that shouldn’t be settled in a traditional wrestling match. It was announced that they will face each other at Backlash but I hope a stipulation is added to the match next week.
Mandy Rose Cost Sonya Deville Her Match Against Lacey Evans
Lacey Evans faced Sonya Deville tonight on SmackDown. Before the match, Sonya attacked Evans from behind and shoved her into the ring post.
Match Recap: Evans battled back when the bell rang and hit Sonya with an Arm Drag. Lacey followed it up with an elbow to the face and went for the cover but Deville was able to kick out at only a one count.
Deville hit Lacey with a boot to the face and targeted her knees and midsection with a series of kicks. Evans went for a roll-up and wound up sending Sonya into the referee. The ref grabbed his knee in pain and called for help as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Deville was in control as another referee was in the ring. Sonya knocked Lacey out of the ring and slammed her on the ring apron. Back in the ring, Lacey hit Sonya with Clothesline and both superstars fell to the canvas.
Evans leveled Deville with a running knee and followed it up with a Bronco Buster in the corner of the ring. Lacey connected with an impressive Moonsault for a near fall. Mandy Rose showed up on the jumbotron and called Sonya failure. Lacey capitalized and hit the Woman’s Right for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: She took the loss tonight but Sonya Deville has really shined on SmackDown as of late. Her aggression in the ring was awesome tonight and her promos have been excellent throughout this entire storyline. I honestly didn’t see this coming at all and hopefully this feud leads to her being built up a strong heel on SmackDown.
Daniel Bryan Wants To Defend The IC Title Every Week
Renee Young moderated Face to Face between AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan tonight on SmackDown. Bryan and Styles will clash to determine the new Intercontinental Champion next week.
Styles claimed that if Jeff Hardy not got involved in his match he would be facing Sheamus for the Intercontinental Championship. Daniel Bryan called AJ a coward for taking a bye into the finals.
AJ referred to himself as the greatest champion WWE has ever seen and Daniel Bryan is all heart. Bryan called Bryan stupid for not taking a bye as well. Daniel told AJ that he wasn’t going to get under his skin and they apparently have two different visions of what it means to be an Intercontinental Champion.
Bryan stated that AJ’s vision was sparingly defending the title while Daniel wants to the defend the title on SmackDown every single week. AJ said that he doesn’t believe in handouts, he believes in earning an opportunity. Styles added that Gulak doesn’t belong in WWE and challenged him to come down to the ring to get his ass kicked.
Drew rushed the ring and tackled AJ Styles as SmackDown went to a break. AJ Styles dominated most of the action and set up for the Styles Clash. Styles took his time and started at Daniel Bryan ringside. Gulak countered into a rollup for the pinfall victory. Bryan and Styles will battle next week in the finals of the Intercontinental Championship Tournament.
The Miz and John Morrison spent the entire show pulling pranks on Universal Champion Braun Strowman. They tried to slime him but wound up getting Kayla Braxton instead.
They then smashed Strowman’s car up with a baseball bat. Strowman got pissed off and found them in the van they were hiding in. The Miz and Morrison locked the doors but Strowman wound up flipping the van over.
Opinion: I would much rather Strowman have a legitimate opponent at Backlash instead of this feud. I wouldn’t hate the goofy prank segments if it wasn’t for the Universal Championship.
Bayley & Sasha Banks Are The New Women’s Tag Team Champions
Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Sasha Banks & Bayley in the main event.
Match Recap: Bliss and Cross controlled the action early and isolated Bayley in the corner. Nikki connected with a Bulldog and went for the cover but Bayley kicked out at two. Nikki sent Sasha into the ring post and then delivered a Crossbody on Bayley outside the ring. Sasha tagged in and hit Nikki Cross with a Meteora as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Cross was trapped in the corner as Banks and Bayley took turns beating her down. Nikki crawled across the ring but Bayley prevented her from making a tag. Cross booted Bayley away and tagged in Alexa Bliss.
Bliss leveled Bayley with a Clothesline and followed it up with a Dropkick to Banks. Alexa made her way to the top rope and booted Banks to the ring apron. Bayley capitalized on the distraction and caught Alexa with a right hand.
Baley hit Bliss with the Bayley to Belly off the second rope and tagged Sasha in. Banks connected with a knee to the face for a near fall. Nikki planted Bayley with a Tornado DDT outside the ring as Bliss hit a Sunset Flip Powerbomb on Banks for a near fall.
Nikki tagged in and hit Sasha with a Crossbody for a two count. Sasha hit the Backstabber and locked in the Bank Statement but Bayley had tagged herself in. Sasha tagged back in and locked in the Bank Statement in the middle of the ring. Alexa tried to break it up but Bayley prevented her from getting in the ring. Nikki countered into a roll-up but Sasha countered into a cover of her own for the victory. Bayley and Sasha Banks are the new Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Opinion: This was the right call and hopefully Bayley & Banks can breathe some life into the women’s tag team division. I’m not sure if that is even possible with so few viable teams in the division. Overall, this week’s episode of SmackDown was a good show despite the Universal Championship storyline.
EC3 got fans talking over the latest video that he shared on his official Twitter account.
Earlier this week, Impact Wrestling released a commercial to promote their Slammiversary pay-per-view event.
The video showed a news anchor announcing how several WWE stars had been let go and that their futures are unknown while the world deals with the pandemic.
The video EC3 shared indicates that he could be the mystery man shown watching the commercial as he removed the hoodie to reveal himself. His video featured footage shown in the commercial with flashes of various stars who had previously worked in Impact.
Although not confirmed, a theory is going around that is how the mystery man will be revealed at Slammiversary.
All WWE stars that were released in April including those in the commercial are under 90-day no-compete that will expire a few days before Slammiversary
This could just be his way to play into the rumors or he could be the mystery man. Nothing is confirmed until the PPV event that takes place on Sunday, July 18th. No matches have been announced for this show.
The final betting odds have been released for the WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House event from Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
The card for the show that takes place this Sunday has been finalized as only 6 matches have been announced.
Some of the more notable odds include Rhea Ripley being the favorite to beat Charlotte Flair and Io Shirai to win the NXT Women’s Title in the Triple Threat Match.
WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House Odds
As a reminder, we will be providing coverage of the show this Sunday. The favorites to win are listed as – while the underdogs are listed with +. Here are the final betting odds:
NXT Champion Adam Cole -300 vs. The Velveteen Dream +200 – Dream can’t challenge for the title as long as Cole is champion should he lose, Backlot Brawl
Karrion Kross -250 vs. Tommaso Ciampa +170 – Singles Match
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair 6/5 vs. Rhea Ripley 2/1 vs. Io Shirai 2/3 – Triple Threat Match
Finn Balor +120 vs. Damian Priest -160
NXT North American Champion Keith Lee +120 vs. Johnny Gargano -160
Teagan Nox, Shotzi Blackheart & Mia Yim -200 vs. Candice LeRae, Dakota Kai & Raquel Gonzalez +150 – Six-Woman Tag Team Match
It appears that one star on the RAW brand could end up getting a potential run as the WWE Champion now that WWE has put a former producer as his manager.
It was reported earlier this week that MVP recently transitioned from the role of a Producer to a full-time wrestler. It was noted that he is not currently working behind-the-scenes as a Producer.
Of course, MVP was brought back earlier this year for the Royal Rumble Match and later received a job as a producer.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman wanted MVP to work as Bobby Lashley’s mouthpiece for a WWE Title run.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on whether Lashley’s current feud with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre will end with a title change. The belief since McIntyre won the title was that he would have a long title reign.
Lashley will get his first title shot from McIntyre at the WWE Backlash pay-per-view event on June 14.
It turns out that MVP was furloughed as a Producer in mid-April alongside other Producers in the company due to budget cuts related to the coronavirus. When this happened, MVP was already in the storyline with Lashley. Thus, WWE kept him on as just a talent.
When things start to go back to normal, it’s possible that he returns to the Producer role.
Matt Riddle recently did an interview with TalkSport.com to talk about his Royal Rumble appearance and the encounter that he had with Brock Lesnar backstage at the event.
At the time, it was reported that they passed each other while walking backstage and a tense encounter ensued. It was noted that Lesnar saw Riddle and wanted him to know the reality of the situation between them.
Riddle recalled being told about the appearance and how he had thoughts about what would happen if he got the chance to be in the ring with Lesnar.
“Then, of course, [Paul] Heyman and his security guard – I won’t mention his name [laughs] – him and his security guard come up to me and basically told me I had no chance in hell – it was very Vince McMahon like [laughs] – no chance in hell that I was going to get that match with him and I’d have better luck doing something else.”
Riddle admitted that he was disappointed when he was told that because he got this far and knew it wouldn’t happen.
He added that “You’re literally holding me like this [tightly]. Like, he’s holding me like we’re friends but we’re not. And then he [Lesnar] tells me ‘it’s never going to happen.’”
Riddle noted that he was just heartbroken like when a girl turns you down on a date but doesn’t mean give up completely. He stated that he went back to the drawing board and thought that he came on a little too strong this time.
He now looks at it differently and might try another way to convince Lesnar.
Riddle noted how he’s stopped calling out top guys now that he’s on the main roster and realizing that these guys only really work off one thing and it’s money. Thus, he knows that he needs to become more valuable and draw enough money to get into the ring with them.
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 a segment that they had back on the 25 Anniversary episode of Monday Night RAW where they were attacked by some legends. Before the segment, they worked with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson.
After the match, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, X-Pac, Billy Gunn, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Road Dog came out to the ring and hit their finishers to the former WWE Tag Team Champions.
Regarding angle and whether Triple H changes his support for NXT talent once they move up to the main roster, Dax Harwood started out by stating that Triple H always had respect for them. He said that they were his guys due to their commitment to NXT.
He recalled how they did everything they could from hard work to having long matches to make NXT into what it became.
“When RAW 25 came along and we heard rumblings of that day about what we were doing and then we found out, it broke my heart man and I hope that doesn’t sound corny or cheesy.”
He ran through the spots before recalling the aftermath.
“We came to the back and I walked right through gorilla and I punched the wall. It was a brick wall and punched it as hard as I could and I started flipping out. I remember Cash just like grabbed me and he’s just like, ‘calm down it’s going to be okay it’s going to all right.’ I was in tears not because I was sad but that I was so upset and hurt because a guy that we had and we still do a guy that we had so much respect for, we couldn’t believe that he would allow that to happen to us. On the flip side of that, it’s not his company, you know, what I mean it’s he doesn’t call the shots.”
Cash Wheeler jumped in and stated that it wasn’t really the segment but the situation made before and after it. He recalled how no one aside from X-Pac looked at them. Only X-Pac came up and told them how big of a fan he was of them and thanked them for the bumps.
“You know that really hurt us. So I can’t say that you know anybody loses faith in Hunter. I’m not sure if we lost faith in Hunter that day as much as we just lost faith in that particular company in that particular business and we just knew from then on that wasn’t the place for us.”
CM Punk threw some not-so-subtle shade at WWE Superstar AJ Styles on social media.
CM Punk’s penchant for speaking his mind is well-documented. Punk has been vocal on social media this week about issues related to the ongoing nationwide protests against racial injustice and police brutality in the wake of George Floyd’s killing.
On Friday afternoon, he tweeted the following about other people showing their true colors by expressing their words and actions:
“Lotta people snitching on themselves. When people tell you who they are, believe it. Might be unfortunate and disappointing if you’re a fan of that person, or if it’s your grandmother, but fuck ’em. Good bye! (I yield my time, fuck you)”
Twitter user @titan9 replied to CM Punk and said ‘silence speaks volumes,’ while referencing AJ Styles in particular for not chiming in on current events. Styles has gotten flack for using the “f” word (the derogatory term for gay people) over the years.
@titan9 wrote, “Seeing AJ Styles promote streams and shit but couldn’t be bothered to post anything made it clear how he feels. That was a tough unfollow…”
CM Punk referenced AJ Styles’ history of ‘insensitive’ remarks by saying, “Well. Come on. That one has been obvious for years.”
CM Punk appeared on this week’s episode to weight in on the nationwide protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd. You can see footage of the appearance below:
Jinder Mahal underwent another knee surgery this week.
The former WWE Champion posted a photo on Instagram with his leg bandaged up post-operation. He wrote on Friday morning,
“Unfortunately I had to go under the knife again to fix some knee issues. The journey has hit a speed bump, but I will be back stronger than ever.”
Jinder Mahal reportedly signed a 5-year contract extension in early 2019. He was injured in June 2019 during a WWE live event. He underwent surgery that month to repair a ruptured patella tendon. Since then, he has been rarely seen on television.
Mahal returned on the April 27th, 2020 edition of WWE Raw.
The Maryland Athletic Commission has fined more wrestlers for bleeding and dangerous conduct during a match. Previously, the commission fined AEW $10,000 as a result of the Kenny Omega vs Jon Moxley “Light’s Out Match” from the Full Gear PPV.
Now, ROH’s Mark Haskins and Bully Ray have been fined for bleeding and dangerous conduct as well. ROH has agreed to pay $4,000 as a result of actions taken during Bully and Haskins’ street fight at Final Battle. The event was held at the UMBC Events Center in Baltimore.
The Maryland commission’s rules prohibit “unsportsmanlike or physically dangerous conduct” and “deliberately lacerating oneself or one’s opponent” in wrestling matches.
In an email to the Baltimore Sun, the commission’s executive director, Patrick Pannella, explained the commission’s ruling.
“The Commission considers the actions it has taken in the consent orders, and the requirements within, to be a deterrent to any future violations of a similar nature by this organization or these individuals.”
The consent order agreed to by both ROH and the commission details what specifically led to the fine.
“During the match, Mr. LoMonaco (Bully Ray) lifted Mr. Haskins and threw him onto the table which held the plywood-barbed wire apparatus,” the consent order reads. “The impact of Mr. Haskins against the plywood barbed-wire apparatus and table caused the table to break in half, and Mr. Haskins suffered lacerations due to coming into contact with the barbed wire.”
Jaxson Ryker (Chad Lail) is currently receiving backlash both backstage and publicly from many in the wrestling world. This is due to his comments regarding Donald Trump and the civil unrest following the police-killing of George Floyd. According to a report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Ryker will likely not be released from the company but the locker room is very upset with him.
“According to one person high up in the company, the belief is that Lail can’t be fired for expressing freedom of speech, but that the locker room is fuming at him,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
Ryker’s social media accounts have recently been made private. Before they were, however, previous comments began coming to light. A 2019 Facebook post from Ryker referred to Black Lives Matter as “garbage.”
“Pretty touchy subject but all this black lives matter garbage baffles me. I challenge anyone of any color or race to go watch 12 years a slave, the movie and realize how good you all actually have it. Learn heritage. Christ, Gandhi, Budda; they all Taught love and caring for others. This is getting out of hand. I Pray for this nation daily.”
The other members of the Forgotten Sons have commented on this situation as well. They are distancing themselves from Ryker. Steve Cutler made it clear he is his own person with his own thoughts and beliefs and Blake says he stands for justice for George Floyd.
Although I am part of a tag team while I wrestle, I am my own person with my own thoughts and beliefs. It pains me to see what’s going on in the world. I fought for the freedom of our country and ALL of the people who live here.
Already the Mayor of Longwood, Florida, Matt Morgan is throwing his hat in another political race. The former wrestler filed his paperwork at the elections office last week and is officially running for the Seminole County Commission District 1 seat. He was elected Mayor of Longwood in 2019.
“I want to be this county’s 7-foot 300-pound backbone,” Morgan said to News 13 Orlando. “And give them back the power and the decision-making process in Seminole County.”
“Not the jury, judge and executioner, I say that with all respect, I get along with Bob,” Morgan continued to say about the current seat-holder Bob Dillari.
Matt Morgan wrestled with WWE from 2002-05. He was then with TNA from 2007 to 2013 and returned briefly to the company in 2015 and 2017. Morgan spoke to Spectrum News about his decision to run.
“I go where I feel that the residents of, whether its Seminole county or Longwood before that, call,” Morgan said. “Right now I feel I can be a bigger service to a bigger amount of people. Again, it goes back to my entire thesis behind being a public servant. If you are a true public servant you don’t make a career out of this. It’s about legit serving the public and being the people’s conduit and I am a living breathing 7-foot 300-pound conduit for Seminole County residents. That’s what I’m looking to do here.”
Triple H is quick to point out that Matt Hardy didn’t invent cinematic matches but he does recognize the impact he has had on them. He also noted the importance of Jeremy Borash’s contributions to the growing genre of pro-wrestling during a recent interview with Metro UK.
“It’s a funny thing, that people say all of a sudden there’s this moment with the cinematic thing that happened,” Triple H said. “But people were doing that 20 years ago.”
HHH would continue to use Mankind vs the Rock’s Halftime Heat match and Booker T vs Steve Austin in a grocery store as examples.
Matches filmed like movies have been taking place for decades, but recent years have seen science fiction and fantasy-inspired elements creep into such segments. This was the case with both Matt Hardy’s Broken Universe in TNA and with Lucha Underground and its head writer, the recently-released Chris DeJoseph.
Jeremy Borash’s work behind-the-scenes with the Broken Universe in Impact before he was hired by WWE was praised by Triple H during the interview.
“Jeremy’s an incredible talent with an eye for storytelling and an eye for image and everything like that. Man, I can’t tell you how much I enjoy working with him.”
Finally, Triple H certainly wants to correct people who say Hardy and Borash invented the genre but he is also willing to admit the two took cinematic matches to another level.
“That’s not to negate the Matt Hardy, Jeremy Borash thing that you mentioned,” he said to the Metro reporter. “That took it to another level. There’s all steps to this – but to say it all started there, to me, I’d say it’s not accurate.”
All Elite Wrestling’s debut in Newark, New Jersey has been rescheduled once again.
AEW Dynamite from the Prudential Center in Newark was originally booked for Wednesday, March 25th. This was set to feature the first Blood and Guts double steel cage match between the Inner Circle and The Elite.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Newark show was bumped to July 22nd.
Ticketmaster sent out an email Thursday afternoon announcing the show has been postponed once again. Dynamite from Newark will now take place Wednesday, February 24, 2021.
Ticket holders have the option of keeping the same seats for February 2021 or getting a refund if they are unable to attend.
It’s worth noting that Ticketmaster.com has a full listing of AEW’s upcoming touring schedule. As of this writing, the first AEW Dynamite outside of Jacksonville, FL is scheduled for Wednesday, August 5th from Boston, MA.
Other cities still scheduled to host Dynamite this year include St. Louis, Milwakee, Houston, New Orlean and Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Of course, this is all subject to change, based upon the status of the pandemic in the months ahead.
Here’s the current AEW road schedule from Ticketmaster:
