Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
AEW won the night in total viewers and in the key 18-49 demo. Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 592,000 viewers, down from last week’s 604,000 In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.13 rating, down from 0.15 last week.
The episode featured the return of Tommaso Ciampa to do an in-ring segment with Karrion Kross, Io Shirai vs. Rhea Ripley, and two Interim Cruiserweight Championship Tournament matches – El Hijo del Fantasma vs. Akira Tozawa and Drake Maverick vs. KUSHIDA.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 701,000 viewers, up from the 654,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.26 rating, up from the 0.22 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured bouts such as Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara, Jon Moxley vs. The Dark Order’s 10 in a non-title match, a face-to-face confrontation took place between Lance Archer’s manager Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Cody’s “head coach” Arn Anderson, MJF vs. Marko Stunt, and Nyla Rose and Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida and Kris Statlander.
Ric Flair remains part of the WWE Universe. The Nature Boy revealed on Thursday that he has signed a new contract with WWE.
He declared on Twitter, “Limousine Riding, Jet Flying, Styling and Profiling … Then, Now, Forever With WWE! WOOOOO!”
Flair tweeted a photo of his signature on the contract, along with the bronze statue he was honored with during WrestleMania weekend back in 2017.
Recently, there were reports that Flair and Sting had become free agents. Despite WWE letting go over two dozen people last month as part of drastic cost cutting measures, it’s clear the company did not want Flair appearing elsewhere.
As we’ve noted, former WWE star Shad Gaspard has passed away. The former Cryme Tyme member’s body was located on Venice Beach
Earlier this week Gaspard and his 10-year-old son found themselves caught in a strong rip tide. Gaspard instructed lifeguards to help his son first before assisting him. Luckily, Gaspard’s child was safely returned to shore. However, Gaspard was subsequently taken underwater by a big wave.
Gaspard was missing for a few days before his body was eventually located yesterday on Venice Beach. Gaspard was 39-years-old. Now, in the wake of his confirmed passing, Gaspard’s wife, Siliana, has released a statement on the matter.
“Aryeh, myself, and the Gaspard and Chittick families would like to take this time to thank everyone for their prayers and support, as we mourn the terrible loss of our beloved Shad. Shad was our whole world and we were his. There are not enough words to describe what he means to all of us.
“He was our heart, our soul, our protectors, our warrior. He was a bright force of nature, who brought joy to many through his joyous and gracious nature. The outpouring of love from Shad’s friends, colleagues and fans has meant more to us than you can even imagine. We’d like to once again thank the lifeguards, coast guard, divers, fire and police departments for their efforts. Shad was and will always be our real life super hero. Siliana Gaspard.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Gaspard family during this difficult time.
Dr. Martha Hart has been taking part in several media interviews this week. Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring covered Owen Hart’s tragic fall in their season 2 finale Tuesday night. Martha spoke about WWE’s legal tactics as the wrongful death lawsuit was unfolding when speaking with Chris Jericho on Talk is Jericho and in an interview with CBS Sports. WWE lawyer Jerry McDevitt responded to her comments in a lengthy, and at times aggressive, statement to CBS Sports.
“We were basically trying to find out what happened that night. Martha wasn’t even interested from a distance to find out what had happened that night; she just wanted to use it as a vehicle to beat a business in which she didn’t like her husband being, the wrestling business,” McDevitt said about Martha.
“In response to Jerry McDevitt’s recent comments I want to make it very clear, if there was one person on this planet who wanted to get to the bottom of what happened to my husband Owen it was me!” Martha Hart said in a statement released to media.
“The defense on the other hand was doing everything in their power to muddy the waters (as they try to continue to do) in an effort to detract from the case because they didn’t have one. I read every single affidavit taken, sat through endless face-to-face depositions, and spent over a year of my life dissecting every solitary fact of this case. To insinuate for one second that I of all people did not care about the truth behind Owen’s death, but instead was more interested in a ridiculous vendetta against the wrestling business, is beyond the pale.”
McDevitt’s full statement can be found here and Martha’s full response can be found here.
OHF Triumphant May Long-Weekend Sylvan Lake Food Bank Drive!
The OHF collected tons of much need food for the Sylvan Lake Food Bank over a two day haul with a $1000 in cash donations too! Well done Sylvan Lake neighbors and thanks to our fabulous OHF Committee! #caring#foodbankpic.twitter.com/kXMp1gooHm
— The Owen Hart Foundation (@owen_foundation) May 20, 2020
Celebrate Owen Hart and Support The Owen Hart Foundation
Unfortunately, the nastiness involved in the aftermath of Owen Hart’s death remains even to this day. On May 23rd it will be exactly 21-years since the world lost Owen Hart. Fans of Owen’s do have an option to celebrate Owen’s life and career, however.
VICE media and the Owen Hart Foundation have teamed up to create the first official Owen Hart merchandise in over 20 years. All proceeds from the sales of the below t-shirts go to support the Owen Hart Foundation.
First Official Owen Hart T-Shirt in 20 Years – All Proceeds Go To The OHF!
To commemorate Vice Media's Dark Side of the Ring Episode 'Owen Hart's Final Days' the OHF has produced Owen Hart T-shirts with One Hour Tees. Includes a Authenticity Certificate. https://t.co/hcJOAvBgUtpic.twitter.com/sCSKnmo3jV
— The Owen Hart Foundation (@owen_foundation) May 19, 2020
In an interview with Chris Jericho on Talk is Jericho, Dr. Martha Hart stated that much of the work the Owen Hart Foundation does mirror the kind of person Owen was in life. She told the story of Owen once offering a person experiencing homelessness use of his hotel room. The Owen Hart Foundation now offers programs to help low-income families and individuals purchase homes. The Foundation also provides scholarships for students.
The Foundation was created with funds from the wrongful death lawsuit against WWE.
Examples of the great work done by the Owen Hart Foundation can be found in the below Tweets:
OHF Bids Farewell To Our Giant Pandas!
The OHF is a proud supporter of The Calgary Zoo & is very saddened to hear that due to the shortage & lack of access to fresh Bamboo our Giant Pandas need to be transported back to China. The OHF was there to welcome them & to say goodbye. pic.twitter.com/7Bs6XXNIuJ
— The Owen Hart Foundation (@owen_foundation) May 12, 2020
Sylvan Lake Food Bank running low due to the Covid-19 crisis so the OHF has organized the OHF May Long-Weekend Sylvan Lake Food Bank Drive. All donations to the OHF up to May long-weekend will be donated to this great cause: https://t.co/n0d9hJwnp0pic.twitter.com/ywBlp7MlBH
— The Owen Hart Foundation (@owen_foundation) May 1, 2020
Goal Reached For Nova Scotia Mass Murder Victims.
OHF thanks all for helping Barb Simic's family reach $75,000 gofundme goal. We celebrate with a tribute from Canadian Fiddler Natalie MacMaster who performed with a video of Barb's lost niece Emily Tuck NS Kitchen Party Style. pic.twitter.com/eL9GF5lD4K
— The Owen Hart Foundation (@owen_foundation) April 25, 2020
The OHF support OHF Committee Member Ashid Bahl's (founder of For The Love of Children Society) initiative sending aid to Afghanistan where a hunger crisis beckons due to terrible food shortages from COVID-19. For more info on how to help contact us or: https://t.co/iHvKWS5wavpic.twitter.com/2LNoVIFSsW
— The Owen Hart Foundation (@owen_foundation) April 19, 2020
AEW Executive Vice President Cody took part in a media briefing Thursday afternoon to promote Saturday’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
Cody faces Lance Archer at the show to crown the first-ever AEW TNT Champion.
Here are some highlights and full audio from the ~45-minute call:
It has been an honor to continue working during the COVID-19 pandemic. He takes a lot of pride in providing a ‘bright spot’ for fans during this difficult time.
The final card for AEW Double or Nothing is approximately 90% of what they had planned back in March before the world changed. Not a lot changed on the creative side as a result of COVID-19.
What is Cody’s mindset, as a performer and an EVP, going into the second annual Double or Nothing? Cody said his mindset heading into the second year of AEW is self awareness. They are all evolving. The mindset is to continue making Double or Nothing destination programming. Without live crowds, there is less instant feedback.
Cody said it’s an honor to be in the finals of the TNT Championship tournament. Cody said Warner/Turner requested the creation of the belt, which he thinks might be a first.
He ran down the card again, touting the selling points for each match. Cody said he’s particularly looking forward to MJF vs. Jungle Boy. Said they remind him of a young Steve Austin and Dustin Rhodes, in that they are young guys vying to be the next big thing.
He loves the challenge of their current working environment. It can be a nightmare for the athletes, but they’re “sharpened their swords” and are becoming even more well-rounded performers.
They don’t yet know what rules will govern the TNT Championship. It might be a workhorse title, it might have certain stipulations about how often it will be defended. “We’ll see how it goes.” Cody has not even seen the belt.
When asked about what it’s been like working at Daily’s Place the past few weeks, Cody loves the venue. “There are a lot of tools in the sandbox.” He’s enjoyed the sunsets and the wind that are present in the open-air amphitheater. They have a lot of contingencies in place when the rest of the country opens up. If they wrestled at Daily’s Place for the foreseeable future, he’d have no problem with that.
The current plan is to stay in one spot, Jacksonville, for their tapings, even if other states allow sports events without crowds. This minimizes health risks and is easier all-around. Cody said there are other decision makers who have input over this, but that’s his preference.
Has AEW had to make any adjustments during the COVID-19 pandemic that he can see carrying over once things get back to normal? Cody says he can see handshakes behind the scenes going away. The locker room is like a brotherhood and they take each others lives into their hands. It’s customary to shake hands and thank your opponent for your match and keeping you safe. That might be a thing of the past.
They have been very fortunate to have nobody test positive COVID-19.
Are there any advantages/positives to having shows without fans in attendance? The overlying advantage is that you’re really tested as a performer and a competitor. Aside from that, they miss the fans dearly. Every aspect of a really good wrestling match plays off the crowd.
Regarding Mike Tyson’s involvement, Cody said he was at last year’s Double or Nothing. Over the course of the last year, Tyson has become a ‘hardcore’ AEW fan. Mike Tyson presenting the TNT Championship this Saturday night was one of the last creative elements they finalized for the show.
Will we see the TNT Championship belt before Saturday night? There has been talk of the belt being seen before the pay-per-view, but his personal preference is for us to see it live for the first time at the show.
When asked about who he sees as the next breakout star in AEW, Cody named MJF, as much as he doesn’t like Max as a person. He also named Sammy Guevara as an incredibly special talent, as well as Hikaru Shida and Wardlow.
Cody said that having wrestlers and staff sitting at ringside has helped a great deal with the overall ambiance of the show. The last thing you ever want is silence.
Cody reiterated that all of the scheduled shows from the past couple months have been postponed, not canceled. Their plans to tour internationally might be delayed, but they will get there.
Is “Broken” Matt Hardy an official member of The Elite? “Matt Hardy is wonderful,” he began. Last night at Dynamite, Matt was talking to the younger talent and he loved to see the veteran taking the young guys under his wing. As for The Elite, Cody said The Elite is the original. The OG’s. The Elite is Kenny Omega, Matt & Nick Jackson. Then there’s the ‘expanded universe’ of the Elite, which includes himself Hangman Page, Marty Scurll and Matt Hardy, to his estimation. At the end of the day, Kenny and the Bucks decide who is considered Elite.
Order AEW Double or Nothing now at BR Live (US) and FITE.TV (International).
Seth Rollins appeared on Corey Graves’ “After the Bell” podcast that was released today. During the conversation, Rollins responded to comments Jim Cornette made on his podcast regarding Becky Lynch.
Cornette criticized Lynch for becoming pregnant while she was on-top of the wrestling industry.
“What would you do if your wife came home and said instead of making a million dollars next year I’m going to basically just be a raging b**ch for the next 9 months and then give you more s**t to worry about around the house?” Cornette said on his podcast.
Rollins responded to Cornette’s comments at the very beginning of his discussion with Corey Graves.
“It hurt my feelings on a personal level because Jim Cornette is someone who is a legend in our industry and he is someone that I have personally worked with in my time at Ring of Honor,” Rollins said on the show.
“And for him to come out and say some real negative things, some real misogynist things about women in general and pregnancy in the industry, it kind of caught me off guard and made me lose a lot of respect for someone who a lot of people have kind of lost respect for.”
“This is something that I am so proud of my fiance Becky of what she is doing,” Rollins continued.
“Look, she’s 33, so once you hit 35 you start running risks with these pregnancies, so she made an incredibly tough decision.”
“She is the most talented woman I have ever seen in my entire life and she’s going to be just fine being pregnant, making money, doing alright. So everything that Jim Cornette said is complete nonsense, not just for her but for women all around the globe.”
AEW star and leader of the Dark Order Brodie Lee recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The former WWE Superstar would discuss a litany of topics from his short time with the All Elite promotion, as well as leaving him WWE earlier this year.
One of the topics discussed with Brodie Lee was the level of talent in the AEW locker room. The now Exalted One will be challenging for the AEW Championship this weekend against Jon Moxley, another former WWE Superstar. Brodie Lee recently stole the belt from Moxley, and he is saying that the former ‘Lunatic Fringe’ will have to earn it back at AEW Double or Nothing.
Brodie Lee’s Wishlist
If Brodie Lee defeats Moxley he has a ton of potential opponents going forward, and the Exalted One gave his list of preferred names on the AEW roster. “The list is so long. A guy like Kenny Omega, probably? Darby Allin, Jungleboy, Cody Rhodes…the list is so wide so it’s hard to choose.
Lee would elaborate further, “even the Proud and Powerful, [Chris] Jericho all those guys in the Inner Circle. I don’t want to come off like ‘oh you know everybody’ but like literally almost everybody on the roster is a fun matchup to me, it’s all fresh, it’s all new.”
The Exalted One would finish by saying that Kenny Omega is at the top of the list, and that he could have a big time matchup with the ‘best bout machine.’ “A guy like Kenny Omega is probably at the top of the list, o have that crazy big time matchup.”
Would you like to see Brodie Lee vs Kenny Omega? Let us know in the comments
There is currently the belief amongst some that the XFL’s second death is still not the final nail in the coffin for the league. Vince McMahon’s twice ill-fated football league filed bankruptcy earlier this year after the global pandemic hit.
According to a report from the Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan, some XFL creditors believe Vince McMahon’s plan is to wait out the pandemic before buying the league back at a “fire sale” price.
It is also being reported that XFL President Jeffrey Pollack has contacted stadiums in St. Louis and Seattle about reinstating lease agreements.
Creditors have also been led to this conclusion based on a plan to repay $3.5 million to season ticket holders. The XFL’s creditors believe this is a goodwill gesture to ticket holders in the attempt to win them back when McMahon buys back the league.
McMahon would then have to completely rebuild the league from scratch in order to start over again. This would also involve hiring a new league commissioner after McMahon fired Oliver Luck shortly before filing for bankruptcy. Luck has since filed suit against McMahon for money he says he is owed on the remainder of his contract.
Luck’s team contends that his contract states he is owed the remainder of his contract if he is terminated without just cause. McMahon’s team is arguing that Luck was terminated with cause.
According to documents pertaining to Owen Hart’s tragic fall from the Kemper Arena ceiling in 1999, Max Mini was originally supposed to be part of the fatal stunt.
Reporter David Bixenspan posted to Twitter portions of a file from the Kansas City Police Department’s investigation into Owen Hart’s death. In the highlighted section below is a portion of the transcript from an interview with the stunt’s rigger, Bobby Talbert. His comments to the police stated that Max Mini was originally supposed to be attached to Owen Hart for the stunt but the plan changed last minute.
“Talbert stated originally the stunt was to be that a midget MAX-MINI would be attached to the victim, however, they later decided against performing that stunt and were only going to lower the victim to the ring,” the police report reads.
“I only knew Owen a little,” Max says in the video. “He was very modest and calm. And me, the day that the accident happened, I was with him all day. I was supposed to be his mascot. And when they told me, he was already…lost. We love you very much. May God watch out for you.”
AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. It was the final episode of Dynamite before Double or Nothing. Matt Hardy battled Sammy Guevara in this week’s main event.
AEW Champion Jon Moxley battled 10 from the Dark Order to begin the show. Brodie Lee came to the entrance ramp with the stolen title and cut a promo. Brodie demanded that 10 go hurt Moxley for him. Moxley will defend the AEW Championship against 10 at Double or Nothing this Saturday night.
Match Recap: Moxley leveled 10 with a knee to the face and followed it up with a Suplex. Jon stomped the hell out of 10 in the corner of the ring. 10 battled back for a moment but Moxley put a stop to that with a Piledriver. Moxley hit 10 with the Paradigm Shift for the easy victory.
After the match, Moxley put 10’s arm in a steel chair and grabbed a microphone. Moxley said he is going to give Brodie ten seconds to come out here and give him the title back or he is going to break 10’s arm. Brodie appeared on the jumbotron and said we all have to make sacrifices and he is leaving. Moxley then hit 10’s arm with the chair and told Brodie he will see him Saturday night at Double or Nothing.
MJF Picked Up A Win Heading Into Double Or Nothing
MJF (Photo: AEW)
MJF battled Marko Stunt tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: MJF locked in a Bear Hug and then planted Marko with a Suplex. MJF launched Marko to the corner of the ring and then perched him up on the top turnbuckle.
MJF shouted that this is Jungle Boy’s future come Double or Nothing but Marko shoved MJF down to the canvas. Stunt hit a Hurricanrana and followed it up with a couple Dropkicks.
Marko hit MJF with a knee to the face and knocked him out of the ring. Stunt sent MJF into the steel steps and rolled back into the ring. Marko went for a Suicide Dive but MJF countered with a big punch to the face. MJF connected with a Shoulderbreaker and then locked in the Salt of the Earth for the submission victory.
After the match, MJF grabbed a microphone and joked that everyone was so proud of Marko Stunt tonight. MJF asked Wardlow to lift Stunt up and MJF hit him with the diamond ring. Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy rushed the ring but MJF retreated. MJF will battle Jungle Boy this Saturday night.
Jake Roberts & Arn Anderson Hyped The TNT Title Match
Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Arn Anderson joined Tony Schiavone in the ring. Roberts said it was almost surreal to sit across the table from Arn Anderson because they never had a match against each other.
Roberts stated that Lance Archer has destroyed everything that has been put in front of him and Cody sacrificed his own brother so he wouldn’t have to face him. Jake added that Archer is a mean son of a bitch that is going to rip Cody’s heart out. Roberts joked that Arn Anderson is looking “thick”.
Arn said he can see the evil in Roberts’ eyes and the snake was just distraction. Roberts interrupted and stated that he has been to hell and back and suggested that they fight. Anderson hyped up Mike Tyson presenting the TNT Championship and claimed that he can do whatever he wants at the PPV.
Jake said he promised Archer that he gets the first shot at Tyson and joked that he was hoping Brandi would present the belt because he’d love to bump into her again. Arn stated that Cody has to win because he has turned the business on it’s head in one year.
Anderson brought up DDP Yoga and said he wants Jake to be real limber when he gives him the Spinebuster and shoves his head where sun doesn’t shine.
Fenix squared off against Orange Cassidy tonight on Dynamite. Fenix tried to hit Cassidy with a boot to the face like he did last week on the entrance ramp but Orange avoided it.
Match Recap: Orange Cassidy hit Fenix with a Dropkick that sent Rey to the outside. Back in the ring, Fenix hit Orange Cassidy in the face and followed it up with an awesome Leg Drop for a near fall. When Dynamite returned from a break, Orange hit a Crossbody off the top rope and followed it up with a DDT for a near fall.
Cassidy made his way to the top rope but Fenix caught him with an uppercut. Orange shoved Cassidy to the mat and hit a DDT for a two count. Fenix battled back with a Powerbomb for another two count. Cassidy connected with the Air Raid Crash and went for the cover but Fenix kicked out at two.
Kip Sabian brought a ladder to the entrance ramp and climbed to the top of it. Cassidy got distracted and Fenix hit a low blow. Fenix then hit a Cutter for the pinfall victory.
After the match, SCU knocked over the ladder and Sabian crashed to the canvas in the ring. Jimmy Havoc rushed the ring and a brawl broke out. Fenix tried to flip onto everyone but came up short and landed hard on the ground. Colt Cabana hit a Moonsault and then Orange Cassidy hit one of his own as Dynamite went to a break.
Opinion: Orange Cassidy and Fenix had a very entertaining match. Nobody caught Fenix, Cabana, or Cassidy during their flips out of the ring. Fenix came up short and nobody broke his fall. Cabana had a rough landing and Cassidy wound up bashing his legs off the barricade. This was a fun brawl but that was just a ridiculous sequence
Kris Statlander & Hikaru Shida faced Britt Baker & Nyla Rose tonight. Nyla will defend her AEW Women’s Championship against Hikaru Shida in a No DQ match this Saturday night at Double or Nothing.
Match Recap: Nyla Rose absolutely leveled Statlander with a shoulder tackle and then stomped on her in the corner of the ring. Shida tagged in and hit a Splash on Baker and Rose in the corner.
Statlander and Shida lifted Nyla on their shoulders and slammed her on top of Britt in the corner of the ring. Shida hit Rose with a Dropkick off the top rope and followed it up with a knee to the back of the head for a near fall. Nyla then planted Shida with the Beast Bomb for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Nyla Rose grabbed a table and slid it into the ring. Rose set up Shida on the table but Statlander made the save. Hikaru then hit a Superplex that sent Nyla through the table.
Young Bucks & Hangman Page Returned To Battle Inner Circle
Matt Hardy battled Sammy Guevara in the main event on this week’s show.
Match Recap: Hardy dominated the action early and sent Sammy flying out of the ring. Hardy followed him out there and slammed Sammy into the barricade before the action returned to the ring. Matt went for the Twist of Fate but Sammy escaped and hit an Enziguri.
Guevara hit Hardy with a Hurricanra that sent him to the outside. Sammy flipped onto Matt and both men fell to the floor as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Sammy went for a Moonsault but Matt got out of the way.
Hardy slammed Sammy’s face into the turnbuckle several times as the wrestlers in the crowd chanted “delete!”. Hardy hit the Side Effect but Sammy kicked out at two. Guevara battled back with a kick to the face for a near fall. Matt planted Sammy with an awesome Twist of Fate but Guevara somehow kicked out at two.
Matt took off Sammy’s boot and bit his toe but Sammy escaped and hit a knee to the face for a near fall. Guevara hit a springboard Cutter for another two count. Hardy then hit another Twist of Fate for the victory.
After the match, Inner Circle appeared on the jumbotron and had Kenny Omega held up against the field goal post. Jericho hit Omega with the baseball bat before the Young Bucks made the save. Matt Hardy joined the party and a brawl broke out. Hangman Page sprinted across the field and leveled Jake Hager with a Clothesline. The Elite stood tall to end the show. The Elite will battle Inner Circle in a Stadium Stampede match this Saturday night at Double or Nothing.
Opinion: Hangman Page sprinting across the field and leveling Jake Hager was my favorite moment of the night. I thought Anderson and Roberts had a really good promo as well. Overall, this week’s Dynamite was a very entertaining show and I’m really looking forward to Double or Nothing this weekend.
The May 20, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from the Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University and we have the results.
The show was headlined by Io Shirai vs. Rhea Ripley.
WWE NXT Results (5/20)
Karrion Kross (w/Scarlett) def. Liam Gray.
El Hijo del Fantasma def. Akira Tozawa
Mia Yim def. Santana Garrett
Roderick Strong def. Dexter Lumis
Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan def. Ever-Rise (Chase Parker & Matt Martel)
Io Shirai vs. Rhea Ripley ends in no contest
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Killer Kross Opens The Show, Daddy Comes Home
WWE had Killer Kross and Scarlett open the show by doing their cool entrance right before Kross’ second NXT match.
As expected, Kross worked a squash match against some jobber named Liam Gray. The former Impact Wrestling star squashed Gray with a series of suplexes before locking in his finisher.
After the match, Tommaso Ciampa walked out and introduced himself to Kross. He says that NXT is his home but Kross already knew that which is why Kross attacked the main attraction. He respects Kross’ aura of being special. Ciampa said that NXT has the best pro wrestlers in the world but Kross stands out. He pointed out that Kross has a killer entrance.
Ciampa stood on the apron and Scarlett held the rope for Ciampa to get in. He said that on June 7 at TakeOver, it’ll be Ciampa vs.Kross and that’s special. He said welcome to the main event.
An excellent segment and a match many will look forward to seeing.
.@NXTCiampa is not about to ??? ???? from @WWEKarrionKross…
Roderick Strong vs. Dexter Lumis, Velveteen Dream Seeks Revenge
A late addition to the card was Roderick Strong vs. Dexter Lumis in a singles match.
It was a decent hard-hitting affair. In an interesting finish, Strong went over Lumis.
This match was interesting as WWE has been pushing Lumis, a former Impact Wrestling star, in recent weeks by having him do squash matches. This was his first real test against Strong, who has been someone that NXT has been behind for quite some time now as part of The Undisputed Era.
After the match, Lumis attacked Strong but was beaten down by the group until The Velveteen Dream ran out and made the save. Lumis and Dream stood tall to end the segment.
Dream already lost to Cole with the title on the line but it appears this feud is going on further.
The biggest match announced for the show over the last week was Io Shirai vs. Rhea Ripley and rightfully so.
It marked the first match back for Ripley since she dropped the NXT Women’s Title to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 36.
The match was solid and they had plenty of time to work. The finish saw Flair walk out to the ring to watch the contest only for her to run in and attack both stars to cause a no contest.
Clearly, WWE is reigniting the feud with Ripley and Flair, which has played out over the last few weeks since Ripley made her return to television. The real interest is how WWE plans to get there.
Will WWE make it a three-way bout at the NXT TakeOver: In Your House special? Perhaps they go right back to Flair vs. Ripley but with the inclusion of Io, she’s either a blockage in the middle of the road or a third person in this match to allow WWE to extend the Flair-Ripley feud for a later date and one final singles match.
Kushida faced Drake Maverick to close out Group A in the Interim NXT Cruiserweight Title Tournament.
WWE had hyped going into the contest that if Maverick won then he would force a three-way tie atop Group A as Jake Atlas previously lost to Kushida, but he also defeated Maverick. On the flip side, a victory for Kushida would put him in the Interim Cruiserweight Title Match opposite the winner of Group B.
As seen on the show, Maverick went over after he countered an armbar into the pinfall. The match was decent but didn’t get a ton of time for these guys to tell whatever story that was needed.
Maverick’s situation with the company is still odd as it plays out as he was released from the company along with other talent last month due to budget cuts.
It was announced after the match that due to Kushida, Maverick, and Atlas being tied in the standings of Group A, there will be a Triple Threat Match next week. The winner of this contest will then advance to the finals of the tournament.
After several weeks of building and following along to this moment, the finals of Group B took place when El Hijo del Fantasma collided with Akira Tozawa.
This was the fastest-paced match on the show due to the styles that these two bring to the squared circle, which made for quite the entertaining bout even though the two stars don’t have much drawing power.
The contest isn’t one to boost viewership but WWE is clearly behind Fantasma and someone that could become a decent name in star power for them should he get the proper booking to go along with it.
As seen on the show, Fantasma went over to advance.
It appears that Candice LeRae will be feuding with Mia Yim going forward.
Yim beat Santana Garrett. After the match, LeRae and Johnny Gargano walked out to the ring where they mocked her for losing to NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. LeRae congratulated her for actually winning a match tonight.
LeRae blamed Yim’s loss on playing to the crowd. LeRae blamed Yim for not letting her have the chance of facing Flair. Gargano said that LeRae wouldn’t have dropped the ball and blown that type of opportunity. Yim and LeRae started to brawl.
Gargano pulled down the rope and Yim flew to the floor. Keith Lee walked out and ran Gargano into the ring. Gargano and LeRae retreated to the back and the segment ended with them staring down.
So there are the next feuds for these four stars. Perhaps singles or even a mixed tag team match on task at TakeOver?
All Elite Wrestling has announced a new match for their upcoming Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
On Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Shawn Spears did a news anchor segment where he cut a promo about how Dustin Rhodes had retired from the pro wrestling business.
He brought up Rhodes not only losing but also being beaten down by Lance Archer following their TNT Title tournament match. Moments later, AEW confirmed the match.
The AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view event will take place on Saturday, May 23, 2020 in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place.
AEW Double or Nothing Card
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee
Cody Rhodes vs. Lance Archer – AEW TNT Title Tournament Finals
Jungle Boy vs. MJF
Darby Allin vs. Colt Cabana vs. Orange Cassidy vs. Fenix vs. Scorpio Sky vs. Kip Sabian vs. Kazarian vs. Luchasaurus vs. mystery man- Casino Ladder Match for future AEW World Championship shot
AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida – No DQ Match
The Inner Circle (Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana and Ortiz) vs. The Elite (Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, and Adam Page) – Stadium Stampede Match
Britt Baker vs. Kris Statlander
Shawn spears vs. Dustin Rhodes
Best Friends vs. Private Party – #1 Contenders Match (Pre-Show)
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
The first match has been announced for the upcoming WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House special and its Karrion Kross vs. Tommaso Ciampa.
Just after Kross had worked his second match under the NXT banner, which was a squash match similar to his debut, the returning Ciampa made his way out to the ring where he would cut a promo about how Kross is special.
Ciampa thinks this because of his entrance and look, which makes Kross stand out from all of the other talented wrestlers under contract with WWE NXT.
Ciampa ended his promo by stating that at TakeOver, it’ll be Ciampa vs.Kross and that’s special. He said welcome to the main event.
WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: In Your House event on Sunday, June 7, 2020 and will air on the WWE Network.
There’s no word yet on where the special will be held from but the company has been taping NXT television in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. No matter where it’s held, it will be on a closed set.
Alexa Bliss recently did an interview with The Express where she spoke about the big news that Becky Lynch shared on an episode of Monday Night RAW earlier this month.
Lynch vacated the WWE RAW Women’s Championship, which was awarded to Asuka, right before she announced her pregnancy. She’s been engaged to Seth Rollins since August.
It turns out that the WWE locker room found out about Lynch’s pregnant during the segment as WWE had kept it a secret aside from a small group of people who knew about it.
“No actually, we all found out at the same time when she announced it. Nobody knew, everyone kept it very secret which they should because that is her news to announce, which is awesome and we’re all so happy and excited for.
I did reference it on Moment of Bliss and it wasn’t even on my script. So we had to add it in after because it was kept so secret, which it should be because that’s their exciting news to announce.”
Bliss continued by noting how everyone was so excited and all the girls were smiling. She stated that it was great because Lynch had such an amazing year. She recalled congratulating Lynch and told her that everyone was so happy for her.
However, at the time, Lynch had a camera crew with her so she didn’t want to bug her with everything going on in addition to everyone coming up to Lynch congratulating her.
Rhea Ripley made her WrestleMania debut this year but it was likely not how she had originally thought it would go.
Of course, Ripley wrestled Charlotte Flair with the NXT Women’s Title on the line at WrestleMania 36. Flair was able to dethrone Ripley to win the championship.
With the outbreak of the coronavirus, WWE had hold the event on a closed set with no fans in attendance.
In an interview with Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com, Ripley commented on her match against Flair at Wrestlemania 36 and how she felt about the match.
“I absolutely loved it. I enjoyed it thoroughly, even though it was super weird with no crowd. And it was the first time that I had competed or just come out in front of no crowd. It was super strange, but at the same time, like WrestleMania is Wrestlemania and it was still a huge moment for me in my career. To be able to share that and share the ring was no one other than Charlotte Flair was just incredible.”
Ripley continued by noting how much praise she got about that match after they did it. She thought it was insane to think that at just 23-years-old and only wrestling for eight years and worked her first WrestleMania.
“Everyone telling me that I just absolutely killed it. Man, it was definitely a confidence boost.”
Ripley stated that she was legitimately happy about the match and cried about it because she was so overwhelmed with the feeling of prideful and the stress being lifted was amazing.
AEW has released new top-5 rankings for its men’s, women’s, and tag-team division.
AEW Men’s Single’s Rankings
Champion: Jon Moxley (10-0)
Cody (9-1)
Lance Archer (5-0)
Brodie Lee (5-0) (+1)
Kenny Omega (4-0) (-1)
Darby Allin (6-3)
#3 Brodie Lee moved up one spot this week in the rankings. Lee moves ahead of #4 Kenny Omega after defeating Christopher Daniels on Dynamite this week. He’ll go on to face Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship at Double or Nothing this weekend.
#1 Cody and #2 Lance Archer will clash this weekend for the inaugural TNT title. Neither wrestled this week but they were involved in segments with each other.
#4 Kenny Omega teamed with Matt Hardy on Dynamite and defeated Proud and Powerful.
#5 Darby Allin picked up a win over Serpentico in the main event of Dark last night. Taz was on commentary for the match and again stated that he could help Darby.
AEW Women’s Division
Champion: Nyla Rose (5-1)
Hikaru Shida (9-1)
Kris Statlander (3-4)
Britt Baker (4-4)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-1)
Riho (3-3)
There was no movement in the women’s single’s division this week but #1 Hikaru Shida picked up two victories and maintained her top spot in the rankings. Shida defeated #2 Kris Statlander, #3 Britt Baker and the unranked Penelope Ford in a fatal 4-way match. She also defeated Dani Jordyn on Dark. Shida will face Nyla Rose for the AEW Women’s World Championship at Double or Nothing.
Also scheduled for Double or Nothing will be #2 Kris Statlander vs #3 Britt Baker.
AEW Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Hangman Page (6-0)
Best Friends (7-3) (+1)
The Dark Order (5-0) (-1)
Private Party (4-1) (+2)
The Young Bucks (2-2)(-1)
Jurassic Express (3-1) (-1)
#1 The Best Friends move into the top-contender spot for the AEW tag titles. They defeated #5 Jurassic Express on Dynamite, dropping that team one spot in the rankings.
#3 Private Party moved up 2 spots after picking up a win over Mike Reed & Ryan Rembrandt on Dark.
#4 the Young Bucks drop a spot in the rankings. They have been competing on the BTE compound rather than on Dark or Dynamite as of late. #2 Evil Uno and Grayson are unable to travel to tapings due to travel restrictions between Canada and the US.
24-year-old Arisa Hoshiki has been forced to retire due to head and neck injuries. Hoshiki was a star in World Wonder Ring Stardom and was the promotion’s Wonder of Stardom champion. The title has been vacated with news of Hoshiki’s retirement.
The promotion posted an announcement from Hoshiki through their social media channels:
Long time no see, thank you for always showing me support. It’s Arisa Hoshiki.
After asking you to wait, I can now announce it.
I was absent from the Korakuen Hall show on March 8th due to head and neck issues. After discussions with doctors, Mr. Harada (President of Bushiroad Fight) and Mr. Ogawa (Rossy Ogawa/Stardom Executive Producer), I have decided that I will retire.
I’ve not been well for about a year, but I was able to continue because I enjoyed doing professional wrestling and my feelings helped me keep going.
However, since my physical condition has deteriorated this year and I have accumulated various injuries, I am out of balance mentally and physically, so I can’t continue.
At present, my neck has improved, but my head is still in a bad condition.
I wanted to return the Wonder of Stardom belt as soon as I got into such a state but I think that the timing was bad because of the coronavirus and so on.
I can’t settle in-ring issues with Natsuko Tora, Giulla and Tam Nakano. I wanted to fight against these three guys especially for my White Belt, but I couldn’t finish it because of my body and to all the fans who were looking forward to it, I’m sorry.
In the end, I wanted to tell the fans in the ring but we have this current world situation. I’m really sorry that the announcement was made while the Stardom shows aren’t happening.
In the future, I will continue to do work that I love, while watching my physical and mental conditions.
It was a short time that I came back to wrestling, but I would like to thank you all of your support.
Arisa Hoshiki.”
Arisa Hoshiki
Hoshiki competed as a teenager with the promotion until leaving from 2012 until 2018. She won the Cinderella tournament in April of 2019 and then won the Wonder of Stardom championship the next month.
Impact Wrestling presented another episode last night from their recent set of tapings in Tennessee. This episode featured 2 more first-round matches in the #1 Contenders tournament as well as Moose defending “his” TNA World Championship.
TJP & Fallah Bah defeated Team XXXL (Ace Romero & Larry D)
TNA World Championship Moose (c) defeated Suicide
X-Division Championship Willie Mack (c) defeated Johnny Swinger
#1 Contenders Tournament (1st Round) Michael Elgin defeated Sami Callihan
Michael Elgin Defeats Sami Callihan, Advances In Tournament
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FizqJHpRNNs
The main event of Impact this week saw Michael Elgin go up against Sami Callihan in the 1st round of the #1 Contenders tournament. It was a rough draw for each wrestler to get in the 1st round. Callihan came into this match at a disadvantage, however. After Ken Shamrock caused Sami to pass out at Rebellion in the ankle lock, it became clear the injury has not fully healed yet and that was a factor in this match.
Elgin didn’t shy away from focussing on his opponent’s injured ankle but Sami fought back. Ultimately, Callihan stumbled on his injured leg after escaping a power bomb attempt by Elgin and this allowed Elgin to capitalize and land a sit-down power bomb for the win. Elgin will go on to meet Trey in the semi-finals.
Moose Defends “His” TNA Championship, Josh Matthews Having None Of It
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htmuO44TtE0
We saw more highlights this week of a sit-down interview between Josh Matthews and Moose. Matthews made no secret of the fact that Moose is only a self-proclaimed holder of the TNA World title. Moose did not respond kindly to Matthews’ expression of this fact.
Moose needed to resort to underhanded tactics to score a second-straight victory over Suicide this week. This time, as Suicide landed a crossbody block from the top rope, Moose’s momentum landed him on top of Suicide in a pinning position. Moose then grabbed a handful of trunks and got the 3-count to defend “his” TNA World Title.
Moose continued to insist that he be announced as the TNA World Champion and that the referee hold up the title before the match.
Ace Austin Advances In Tournament
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gocxmhG9zUM
Ace Austin was named as a last-minute replacement for an injured Ken Shamrock in the tournament. The former X-Division Champion was in tough in the 1st round of the tournament but much like he did throughout his title reign, Austin was able to find away to escape with a victory.
In this match, Austin would use his baton to hit Rhino with while the referee’s attention was averted. With the win, Austin will go on to face Hernandez in the semi-finals of the tournament.
Johnny Swinger & Chris Bey Attack Willie Mack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD6Wl3K_Xzw
In Johnny Swinger’s mind, he and Willie Mack used to form a tag-team called “the Mack and Pack Connection.” Once Mack won the X-division title, Swinger started calling for a title shot against him. Chris Bey was shown speaking with Swinger in the back before the match and it appears an alliance between the two is brewing.
At one point in the match, Swinger hit a swinging neck breaker and Mack only kept his title by getting his foot on the rope. Swinger thought he’d won the match and the title but it was not the case. Mack would pick up the victory with a Samoan Drop followed by a standing moonsault.
After the match, however, Chris Bey hit the ring and he and Swinger attacked Mack and left him laying.
Madman Fulton Quits OVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFU2rUdz6Es
The returning Crazzy Steve picked up a victory this week in single’s action. He landed a diving DDT on Dave Crist for the win. Joey Ryan came out to watch Steve in action this week after the two had a bit of an altercation in the back last week. Ryan feels Steve’s name is “offensive to crazy people.”
The other members of OVE, Madman Fulton and Jake Crist were at ringside but after the match Madman Fulton let it be known he’d had enough of being in the faction. Fulton grabbed both Crist brothers by the neck and proclaimed that he quit. It looks like OVE really is over now, as Sami Callihan and Madman Fulton have left, leaving just the Crist brothers on their own.
Tasha Steelz was recently signed to a contract with Impact Wrestling. She lost a single’s match to Kylie Rae last week. This week she was approached by Kiera Hogan in the back and the two came to an understanding on a new alliance.
Steelz is a 5-year pro who has competed for ROH, NWA, Warrior Wrestling and many other promotions. Last summer, she challenged Kelly Klein for the WOH title on the ROH Summer Supercard in Toronto. Steelz was also featured prominently recently on episodes of NWA Powerrr. Now it looks like Steelz will be joining forces with Kiera Hogan in Impact Wrestling.
Next weak on Impact Wrestling, the semi-finals of the #1 Contenders tournament will take place. Trey will take on Michael Elgin and Hernandez will take on Ace Austin. Also next week, the North will take on Cody Deaner and a partner as all 3 are in Ontario, Canada and unable to travel to tapings. Kimber Lee and Havok will also rematch after Lee picked up a victory in their first tilt by way of using a pair of brass knuckles.
#1 Contenders Tournament (Semi-Finals) Ace Austin vs Hernandez
#1 Contenders Tournament (Semi-Finals) Michael Elgin vs Trey
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently commented on the on-screen chemistry of Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and Lance Archer.
When Jake Roberts first appeared on AEW television it was to the shock of the wrestling audience. Roberts has not been a prominent figure in such a high profile role in many, many years.
When it was confirmed that Roberts would be managing Lance Archer, there were some who were concerned that WWF legend would overshadow the newcomer to All Elite Wrestling. Mark Henry confirmed that he doesn’t see that as being the case.
Lance Archer
“No, I don’t think that that Jake is overshadowing Lance Archer” Henry would begin on the show. “There’s been many managers, that you know…I remember Bobby Heenan with Andre [The Giant]. He was the most vocal of the two and he brought up a bunch of valid points, but he never overshadowed Andre.”
Henry would elaborate further on the point, comparing the dynamic to Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar. “And then you have Paul Heyman, we consider Paul to be one of the top managers of all time. He’s been the mouthpiece and the spokesman, but every now you’ll see Brock Lesnar go, ‘Paul, now’s not the time for comedy. Say what I told you to say.’ And then you see who the boss is.”
Focus on Business
Bringing the discussion back to Archer and Roberts, Henry pointed out that Archer will need to establish he is the top dog and cement the dynamic ala Heyman and Lesnar. “At some point? Archer is just gonna turn to Jake and say ‘Snake? You here because I want you here, I need to focus on my business. You just say what I said.’ It’s easily done like that, there won’t be overshadowing. If I see it? I know they see it.”
Lance Archer will be challenging to become the inaugural TNT Champion this weekend at the AEW Double or Nothing PPV when he faces Cody Rhodes in the tournament final.
Do you think that Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts is overshadowing Lance Archer in AEW? Let us know in the comments
The Casino Ladder Match is sure to be one of the standout matches of Saturday’s AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
Multi-man ladder matches are always exciting affairs. Money in the Bank is one of WWE’s most popular events for good reason. The stakes will be high this weekend. Similar to Money in the Bank, the winner of AEW’s first Casino Ladder Match will earn the right to challenge the AEW World Champion at a future date.
Below, you’ll find a full breakdown of the rules and confirmed participants.
Casino Ladder Match Rules
AEW commentator Excalibur ran down the rules of the match on this week’s edition of AEW Dark. The rules are as follows:
There will be a poker chip hanging above the ring.
Two competitors will begin the match.
Every 90 seconds, a new competitor will join.
The winner is the first man to retrieve the poker chip.
Excalibur teased that the match could end before all 9 participants have entered, but this rule has not been explicitly stated.
Participants
The Casino Ladder Match will feature nine participants, one of whose identity will remain a mystery until he joins the match.
Darby Allin
Orange Cassidy
Colt Cabana
Rey Fenix
Scorpio Sky
Frankie Kazarian
Kip Sabian
Luchasaurus
Mystery Participant
Discussion: Who do you think will be the Mystery Participant? Let us know in the comments section.
All Elite Wrestling returns tonight with an all-new episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
Top matches signed for the card include “Broken” Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara and Rey Fenix vs. Orange Cassidy. Also in action will be AEW World Champion Jon Moxley, Maxwell J. Friedman and Women’s Champion Nyla Rose.
AEW Dynamite Preview (5/20)
The following items are advertised for tonight’s show from Daily’s Place Amphitheater in Jacksonville, FL:
AEW World Champion Jon Moxley vs. 10 of the Dark Order
Orange Cassidy vs. Rey Fenix
“Broken” Matt Hardy vs. Sammy Guevara
MJF (with Wardlow) vs. Marko Stunt (with Luchasaurus & Jungle Boy)
Women’s Champion Nyla Rose & Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida & Kris Statlander
Plus, there will be a face-to-face meeting with Jake Roberts and Arn Anderson. The legends will discuss their clients, Lance Archer and Cody, vying for the TNT Championship at Double or Nothing.
Join us here after the show for our weekly Results & Takeaways feature.
Ember Moon hasn’t wrestled since dropping a single’s match to Lacey Evans on the September 13th, 2019 episode of RAW. She was reported to have suffered an ankle or Achilles injury during a segment where she was chasing then 24/7 champion Carmella.
Unfortunately, based on comments she made on WWE Backstage recently, Moon feels her injury may be career-ending.
“The more and more I sit back and look at everything I’ve done and what I would redo, I think more about my injury currently and realizing that I may have a career-ending injury,” Moon said.
“I’m coming back from the hardest injury and I might not have a chance to redeem myself of all the things I wanted to do and all the things I want to do in my future. It’s so hard to think back in regret when I try to look forward.”
Following her injury, it was reported that Moon could be out of action for up to a year. She gave further detail regarding what happened during the injury in an interview with Booker T.
“We do the run through and I told Truth, I was like, ‘Truth, you better run, I’m gonna catch you, Truth. If I catch you, I’m tackling you and you’re going down.’ And so when we actually did it, I literally caught them right before we went through the curtain,” she added. “So they go through the curtain and they didn’t realize how close I was behind them. As I’m coming through, the curtain shuts, I open it, go through. Truth is dropping Carmella and I’m going full speed and I had to hit the brakes. I was just like, ‘whoah,’ BOOM, and I felt a pop.”
A body now confirmed to be Shad Gaspard has been discovered on Venice Beach. His body was discovered near where he went missing on Sunday after getting caught in a riptide. Gaspard was 39-years-old.
Reports that the body of an unidentified male had been found in the area were made earlier this morning. The body was later confirmed to be Shad Gaspard.
“The individual that was seen here on the beach this morning was an African-American male approximately 6ft 6, over 240lbs. So it matched the description of the missing swimmer that had gone missing during the rescue efforts that we conducted here on Sunday afternoon,” the official in the above video says.
Shad Gaspard 1981-2020
In the wake of this tragedy, many wrestlers and those from the wrestling business have been speaking about what a quality human being Shad was. Shad is being remembered as brave and selfless and as a good friend and father.
“Shad is a fighter, a warrior and a magical soul. We are hoping and praying for his safe return,” a statement released by family yesterday reads. “As a family we thank you all for your concern and well wishes. Please continue to keep sending your positivity and prayers to our beloved Shad.”
The Undertaker is one of the last remaining old school guys in the wrestling business who believes in keeping the kayfabe alive and making sure that the secrets of the business are well guarded.
However, the Dead Man has opened up in recent years. Not only has he eased into his real-life persona a bit more but the former World Champion has also joined social media and become active on Instagram and Twitter.
Taker recently appeared on The Bill Simmons Podcast where he was asked about his presence on social media and he explained why he has made these accounts:
“I got a social media account, it’s probably less than two years, right? You know, the writing was on the wall. I got more matches behind me than I do in front of me.
And, people are saying like, “dude, you need to get yourself out there because your wrestling career is coming to an end.” said the Undertaker. “Now, it’s time to cash in on the brand, you know, the stuff that you didn’t do all these years.”
The Undertaker is the subject to the new WWE documentary The Last Ride where he has opened up about the recent years of his career and he has also been making other appearances recently.
During one such interview, he revealed what he asked Vince McMahon when the boss first told him about the ending of his famous WrestleMania streak. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.
CM Punk’s return to WWE programming during the WWE Backstage episode last year was kept as a big secret and Renee Young was one of the few people who knew about his comeback beforehand.
The WWE Backstage host recently had an interview with Outkick the Coverage where she talked about things like the progression of Sasha Banks and more.
When asked about Punk’s return, Young revealed that she had first heard about it a couple weeks before the episode but she hadn’t actually seen the former WWE Champion until he walked through the curtain:
“I heard some rumblings a couple weeks before, In the world of WWE, you’re always waiting to see if this is actually happening and are we really doing this. I had not actually seen him until his music hit and he walked through.
I’m getting texts throughout the show and I’m making sure to check my phone saying okay cool, he is in the building we’re actually doing this.” said Renee Young. “He did not miss his flight, he showed up and wanted to make sure he was there to be a part of the show. It was really the day of [the appearence] when it all felt so real to me like ‘Oh my god, CM Punk is coming back.'”
The WWE star continued by mentioning how the other guests of the show like Adam Cole and Paige did not know about Punk’s presence. Even the people from WWE in the control room were not aware of the same and they were left surprised by his return.
CM Punk made his WWE return after 5 years of absence during the November 12 episode of WWE Backstage last year. There have been rumors of a possible in-ring return for the Straight Edge Star but the speculations have not come to fruition yet.
