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Stu Bennett on WWE Departure – “I Need To Leave, I F*cking Hate It”

Jake Skudder
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5

Former WWE Superstar Stu Bennett/Wade Barrett recently appeared on Colt Cabana‘s Art of Wrestling podcast. The former ‘Bad News’ giver would discuss a plethora of topics from his career. Including when he ‘knew’ he had to leave WWE.

“2016 is when I left. I think it was April or May 2016, and I told them ‘okay my contract coming up. I’m not re-signing” Stu Bennett began. “They [WWE] made me a couple of offers, ‘doesn’t matter what you offer me I need to leave, I f*cking hate it here.’ I needed that change.”

Stu Bennett on Leaving WWE

Stu Bennett would elaborate further, discussing how he fell out of love with WWE. “I loved my job probably until the end of 2014 beginning of 2015” Bennett revealed.

“Because I had done some exciting things and then some not so exciting things. But I felt I at least I had this carrot in front of me and I was excited about, you know, if I keep improving. Improve my physique? I’ll try and get ripped that’ll convince [them]. Oh no, maybe I need a catchphrase? And I got a catchphrase. Or maybe I need a T shirt that’s a big seller? Maybe I need to work on my in-ring skills? There was all these things; there was always something in my head on how I can improve them and improve this, improve that.”

“I became King of the Ring, which sounds like it should be impressive, but what it was followed up With? Zero writing”

– Stu Bennett

King of The Ring

Barrett would also discuss how the ‘accolades’ he was gifted ended up having diminishing returns. “I was sliding down the card and getting opportunities that I thought were kind of wasted. Like I became King of the Ring, which sounds like it should be impressive, but what it was followed up with? Zero writing.”

He continued in frustration, “You know, 30 seconds of writing. ‘Just have them wrestle for three minutes’ and ‘Have this guy go over Stu whatever.’ Yeah, there was that level of writing, week after week after week. And suddenly after putting in the effort I had to climb up the card and get to where I want it to be? I’m rewarded with what I thought was pretty disappointing to say the least.”

“It doesn’t matter what I’m doing here. I’m completely out of control with this”

– Stu Bennett

He finished by saying, “For me it was a realization that it doesn’t matter what I’m doing here. I’m completely out of control with this, I’m waiting for one man to give us a thumbs up or a thumbs down and I’m spending my whole career waiting and hoping that I get a thumbs up next week, next week, next week.”

Stu Bennett currently serves as a broadcaster for the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).

WWE ‘Very Negative’ On Idea Of CM Punk Wrestling Again

Jon Fuentes
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12

It sounds like the possibility of having CM Punk jump back in the WWE ring is getting less and less likely.

Recently, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer discussed Punk’s current relationship with the company. Meltzer noted how often Punk has been featured on the WWE Backstage program on FOX. It was noted that Punk’s contract is through FOX, not WWE, meaning he is not an employee of the Vince McMahon-owned company. It was also speculated that the former WWE Champion’s contract is likely for one show a month.

With that being said, ever since Punk came back into the WWE fold, there has been a lot of speculation regarding whether or not he’ll return to the ring. Meltzer noted that WWE is actually “very negative” on the idea of Punk wrestling for them again. This is due to a mixture of several reasons. First, WWE believes they already have enough part-timers with the likes of WWE Hall Of Famers Goldberg and Edge, amongst others.

Also, there is still bitterness between the two sides given how toxic of a falling out they had all those years ago. However, Meltzer added that there appears to be “more bitterness on WWE’s side.”

All that being said, it doesn’t sound like the highly-anticipated WWE return is in the cards for Punk anytime soon. Of course, crazier things have happened in the professional wrestling business. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before all the chips fall into place.

Punk departed WWE back in early 2014 shortly after the Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV). He cited several issues with the company as his reason for leaving, and has since gone on to do more acting, comic book writing, and even dabbled in the world of mixed martial arts (MMA) with two UFC fights under his belt.

  • Details On Whether WWE Has Reached Out To CM Punk

Scott Dawson Of The Revival Teases, “I’M FREE!”

Jake Skudder
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2

Scott Dawson of the popular WWE tag team The Revival is teasing that he might finally be free from the company.

Dawson, along with partner Dash Wilder, has turned down multiple offers to re-sign with WWE. Quoting the country music song “Amarillo by Morning by George Strait, he cryptically wrote on Monday, “I AIN’T GOT A DIME, but what I got is mine. I ain’t rich, but Lord I’M FREE!”

The Revival Leaving WWE?

We have reported over the last few months that The Revival have been looking to leave WWE. Although, this is not something new. The tag team have reportedly been unhappy with their stature in the company for quite some time; apparently turning down huge deals in the region of $750,000 per year each to leave WWE.

The duo have also been attempting to copyright several of their trademarked names. This is likely so that they can be used outside of the WWE bubble, presumably somewhere such as AEW.

Recent Booking For The Revival

Dave Meltzer recently reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the tag team were being ‘phased’ off television. Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder were originally slated to be featured in SmackDown Tag Team Title Elimination Chamber Match. This at the namesake pay-per-view event. Plans are subject to change in WWE, however the plan is believed to be to keep them in the same ‘spot’ as performers. Such Jon Moxley and Matt Hardy before they left the WWE.

We do not currently know exactly how much longer Dash Wilder has on his WWE deal; however it is believed that it is around 10 weeks beyond when Dawson was slated to leave. It is also not confirmed if Dawson took a ‘buy out’ on his WWE contract or if he simply chose to not renew. “I AIN’T GOT A DIME” seems to indicate that he may have ‘bought’ himself out of his last few months. However this is just conjecture and we cannot currently confirm.

Watch MJF Perform In His High School Acapella Group (Video)

Chris Stephens
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0

Maxwell Jacob Friedman evidently had quite the high school experience. The #2 ranked wrestler in AEW’s male single’s rankings recently boasted on Twitter that he sang in both an acapella group and choir while attending high school. Footage of him singing an acapella version of Sugar Ray’s “Someday” has recently surfaced online.

The name of MJF’s group was the “Acafellas.” He is featured prominently in the group’s rendition of the Sugar Ray song. MJF comes in around the 4:08 mark of the below video:

MJF noted on Twitter in response to the video that he is the only graduate of his high school to be All-State in football.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman in AEW

All-round nice guy and salt-of-the-Earth Maxwell Jacob Friedman holds a 5-0 record in single’s matches.

  • 2/10/19: defeated Brandon Cutler on AEW Dynamite #1
  • 11/27/19: defeated Adam Page to win the Dynamite Diamond Ring on AEW Dynamite #9
  • 1/21/20 defeated Joey Janela on AEW Dynamite #16
  • 2/12/20 defeated Jungle Boy on AEW Dynamite #19
  • 2/29/20 defeated Cody Rhodes at AEW Revolution

He is 3-0 in tag matches:

  • 7/13/19: Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Sammy Guevara & Shawn Spears defeated Darby Allin, Jimmy Havoc & Joey Janela at Fight for the Fallen
  • 1/15/20: The Butcher And The Blade (The Blade & The Butcher) & MJF defeated Diamond Dallas Page, Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall at AEW Bash at the Beach
  • 3/11/20: MJF & The Butcher And The Blade (The Blade & The Butcher) defeated The Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus & Marko Stunt) on AEW Dynamite #23

He is 1 win and 2 losses in multi-person matches.

  • 5/25/19: 21-Man Casino Battle Royal won by Adam Page
  • 6/29/10: Adam Page defeated Jimmy Havoc, Jungle Boy, and MJF at Fyter Fest
  • 11/20/19: Adam Page & MJF were the final two left in the Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal and advanced to their single’s match for the ring the next week.

Omega vs. Guevara Title Match Signed For Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite

Michael Reichlin
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2

All Elite Wrestling has announced another intriguing bout for Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite. Kenny Omega of The Elite will battle “Spanish God” Sammy Guevara. This will be a championship match, but not for AEW gold.

In addition to being one half of the AEW Tag Team Champions with “Handwash” Adam Page, Kenny Omega also holds the AAA Mega Championship. He won that title from fellow AEW star Rey Fenix at AAA Heroes Inmortales XIII back in October. You can watch that match in full below:

AEW Dynamite Preview

This week’s AEW Dynamite was originally scheduled to be the Blood and Guts episode from Newark, NJ. As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, AEW postponed Blood and Guts until further notice. A fan on Twitter complained about AEW’s decision, but Le Champion Chris Jericho set him straight:

AEW has yet to confirm the location of this week’s Dynamite, but it’s expected that Daily’s Place Amphitheater in Jacksonville, FL will remain the home of Dynamite until things get back to normal.

The following is an updated preview for this week’s AEW Dynamite on TNT:

  • AAA Mega Campeón Kenny Omega vs. Sammy Guevara
  • Cody vs. Jimmy Havoc
  • Confrontation between “Broken” Matt Hardy and Chris Jericho

Catch up on last week’s Dynamite below with our popular Takeaways feature:

MLW Fusion Results & 5 Takeaways (3/21/20)

Chris Stephens
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0

Major League Wrestling presented an episode of Fusion this weekend on BeIN Sports and YouTube. The show emanated from Philadelphia’s famed 2300 Arena and featured an 8-Man tag-team main event.

The full episode of the show can be viewed in the player below:

MLW Fusion 3/21/20 Quick Results:

  1. El Lindaman defeated Zenshi
  2. The Blue Meanie defeated Richard Holliday via count-out
  3. Killer Kross, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Ross & Marshall Von Erich defeated Tom Lawlor, Dominic Garrini, Erick Stevens, & Kit Osbourne

Here are 5 Takeaways from MLW Fusion this week:

King Mo & American Top Team Join Team Filthy

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1241635726279806976

The main event of Fusion this week featured an 8-man tag team match as Tom Lawlor’s Team Filthy took on the Von Erich brothers, Killer Kross, and Davey Boy Smith Jr. Last week on Fusion, Lawlor was disqualified in his singles match against Kross setting up this week’s main event.

It was noted on commentary that at times this match resembled the old Philadelphia Flyers games from back in the team’s Broad Street Bullies days.

The Von Erich’s would take control early before Ross missed a knee in the corner which allowed Team Filthy the advantage. A hot tag would later bring in Kross, however, and he would suplex all of Lawler’s cronies.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1241733874318598152

Kross accidentally hit the referee, however, taking him out of action. This allowed the former Rip Von Erich, and Team Filthy yoga instructor Kit Osbourne to land a low blow on Davey Boy Smith Jr. This brought in Marshall Von Erich who gave the imposter Von Erich an Iron Claw Slam followed by a moonsault to get the pin.

The end of the match did little to stop the brawl, however, as the babyfaces continued to take it to Team Filthy member Osbourne after the match.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1241756525296644096

It was right in the show’s closing moments when King Mo attacked Killer Kross from behind backstage and announced that he and American Top Team have joined Team Filthy.

https://twitter.com/ILoveSugiuragun/status/1241524610631270400

King Mo is set to take on Low-Ki next episode after weeks of antagonizing comments from both competitors.

Mance Warner Helps Blue Meaning Defeat Richard Holliday

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1241658375294812160

It was announced this week on Fusion that Mance Warner had been attacked at the pay window by Maxwell Jacob Friedman recently, and MLW officials banned MJF from the 2300 Arena as a result.

It was also arranged that Richard Holliday would face a mystery opponent this week, something Holliday’s lawyer/father was likely not pleased about.

Warner chose someone with a lot of history in the former ECW Arena as the Blue Meanie would take on the current possessor of the Caribbean Championship.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1241711226977234944

Holliday was distracted by Warner at the commentary booth, however, and it would end up costing him the match. He took the time to pour out one of Warner’s light beers but the Southern Psychopath would then blow beer mist in his face and prevent him from getting back in the ring in time to meet the referee’s count. As a result, the Blue Meanie picked up a victory inside the ECW Arena via count-out. The loss will no doubt not sit well with the members of the Dynasty.

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1241613076706856960

It was later announced on the show that Warner has challenged MJF to an empty arena match with the loser having to leave MLW.

Los Parks Cook Eggs & Sausage, Gunning For MLW Gold

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1241748973024505856

MLW fans were also treated to a special cooking show this week featuring LA Park and El Hijo de LA Park. The Father and son combo cooked up sausage and eggs while stating they are after some championship gold in MLW.

The segment ended when LA Park grew upset about not having his chopping board or being able to add onions to the meal.

El Lindaman Pulls Off Victory Over Zenshi

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1241582877927559168

This week’s show kicked off with a high-paced match between El Lindaman and Zenshi. Zenshi came into the match with a taped-up shoulder and El Lindaman was not shy about focussing on his opponent’s injured limb throughout the match. In the end, however, it was the member of OVE’s vicious suplexes that would earn him the victory here. He hit a blue thunder bomb followed by a tiger suplex to get the win.

Brian Pillman Jr. Faces Jordan Oliver Next Week

It was also announced on MLW Fusion this week that Brian Pillman jr. will take on Jordan Oliver next week. Pillman and Injustice have been at odds since the Opera Cup last year. The members of Injustice were alternates in the tournament and attacked Pillman backstage at the venue. Pillman made it all the way to the finals, eventually losing to his Hart Foundation stablemate, Davey Boy Smith Jr.

Pillman has since said he is going to be dropping weight so that he can compete in MLW’s middleweight division. He will be looking to earn a shot against middleweight champion Myron Reed. He’ll get his chance to show what he can do as a middleweight next week when he takes on Reed’s stablemate Jordan Oliver.

That match is in addition to King Mo vs Low-Ki also scheduled for next week’s show.

Joe Exotic Has Ties To Pro Wrestling, Because Of Course

Chris Stephens
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0

With much of the world on lockdown due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, many people have turned to streaming services looking for a new show to binge-watch. One documentary currently on Netflix is Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.

The documentary focusses on Joseph Maldonado-Passage, best known as Joe Exotic, a tiger breeder and former Presidential candidate now serving 22 years in federal prison for a murder-for-hire plot and animal abuse violations.

Joe’s a character straight out of pro wrestling. As it turns out, he was actually involved in wrestling a few years back. He promoted Texacoma Pro Wrestling, NWA Texoma Wrestling (2016), did some commentary for NWA Texoma.

Some of Joe Exotic’s wrestling past can be found on his official YouTube channel:

A link to the Netflix documentary series is here. The series currently has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes 4 out of 5 stars on IMDB.

“A zoo owner spirals out of control amid a cast of eccentric characters in this true murder-for-hire story from the underworld of big cat breeding.”

Podcast kingpin Conrad Thompson noticed that Joe Exotic bares a striking resemblance to wrestling legend Michael P.S. Hayes.

Undertaker & Michelle McCool’s Love of Big Cats

Recently, a video surfaced online of The Undertaker and Michelle McCool touting their love for tigers and the need for people to protect the endangered species.

The video was filmed at the T.I.G.E.R.S. Preservation Station in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, a wildlife refuge prominently featured in the Joe Exotic Netflix docuseries.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B99AlZQhD_F/

Mark Henry Believes Fans Need To Show Goldberg “Respect”

Steve Russell
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5

WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry believes that wrestling fans need to show WWE Universal Champion Goldberg “respect.” Henry shared his thoughts during a recent episode of Sirius XM’s Busted Open Radio where he was discussing the upcoming WrestleMania clash between Goldberg and Roman Reigns.

“So Roman Reigns goes and does business. When will be the next time you see Bill Goldberg? You won’t see him very much because I don’t think that he’s going to work a full workload. […] primarily the whole thing is, we got to respect Bill Goldberg for who he is.” 

Henry reflected on Goldberg’s infamous matchup against The Undertaker. The two wrestled during the controversial Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia. Goldberg would suffer a concussion during the matchup, leading to dangerous moments and botched spots between the two veterans. Mark Henry argued that the chance to move on from that match is a huge motivating factor behind Goldberg’s current run.

“He [Goldberg] wanted to get that horrible taste out his mouth,” Henry stated. “From having a bad performance. And here he is given substance to the business, and he’s doing exactly what he needed to do to get rid of that. Like people will remember him being involved in a hell of an angle and going out at WrestleMania.”

Goldberg will attempt to defend his WWE Universal Championship against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36. “The Show of Shows” takes place on April 4 and April 5. It will be pre-recorded from multiple locations due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Mike Rome On Empty Arenas, Format Changes, WrestleMania 36

Steve Russell
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1

WWE ring announcer Mike Rome has shared his recent experiences working in empty arenas during an appearance on The Chris Van Vliet Show. He acknowledged how it’s “definitely different” compared to when WWE is delivering a show in front of a live audience. 

“It’s weird but it’s so cool to see these guys perform these promos, and these epic things that they’re not used to and stuff outside of their comfort zone, and come together to put something out there for people,” Rome said. “So I think everybody was a little somber and trying to figure things out but once we got rolling, it was just like being back on Monday, somewhere else, just without the audience.”

Addressing how WWE was forced into a format change due to the coronavirus pandemic. Rome acknowledged how the company has now shifted into delivering the show under the current circumstances.

“[…] when you’re taking something that you’re used to doing a certain way for so long and now you kinda have to change it, there wasn’t a lot of time for us to kinda shift what was happening and how to make it, so I think what [fans] are gonna see moving forward is going to be a lot cooler of a process because the first two days, they didn’t have time to turn it around but now they’ve had time to sit there and give something back to everybody to get their minds off of what’s going on, and, as long as we can, I’m 100% sure it’s gonna keep going.”

Mike Rome On WrestleMania 36

With WrestleMania 36 fast approaching, “The Show of Shows” will now take place across two dates. It will also be hosted in multiple locations. Despite these pivots, Rome shared how he believes it’s great that WrestleMania is still happening.

“Yeah, I think wrestling in general, wherever it’s coming from, it’s great that it’s still continuing. I mean, the thing is everybody wants to sit on one side or the other, whatever it is, but any kind of wrestling happening right now or anything going out to the people is great for wrestling in general and great for everybody, and I think it’s cool and I love the fact that WrestleMania is two days now.”

He continued, “I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s gonna be insane,’ and I, literally, what’s even crazier about it is, I know, besides the matches and stuff, I literally know nothing about what’s happening for those two days. So I’m just sitting here going…’What’s gonna happen?’

WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 4 and 5. It will take place from multiple locations including the WWE Performance Center and will be pre-recorded.

H/T to WrestleZone for the transcription. 

WALTER Calls Brock Lesnar The “Most Succesful And Best Wrestler”

Steve Russell
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0

Current WWE NXT UK Champion WALTER has praised WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, calling “The Beast Incarnate” the “most successful and best wrestler.” The Imperium leader shared his thoughts during an interview with SPORT1, where he was asked who he believes is the best wrestler on the planet.

WALTER confessed that a question like that is difficult to answer, reasoning that it’s hard to judge as pro wrestling is not a “competitive sport.”

“Wrestling is not a competitive sport, it has a lot to do with personal taste. For me, Brock Lesnar is at the top of the food chain worldwide,” Walter shared. “He is the most successful and best wrestler. He is financially the most successful but does not have to work as much as others. He is not over-present and you can not see enough of him. He is very smart and is currently at the top for me.”

WALTER has previously shared how he believes Lesnar is the smartest man in pro wrestling right now. He also shared his interest in a potential clash between the two of them.

There are no plans at the time of writing for WALTER to defend his championship at WrestleMania 36. Lesnar, however, will be clashing with the winner of the 2020 Royal Rumble Drew McIntyre. The two will compete for Lesnar’s WWE Championship.

WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 4 and April 5 from multiple locations including the WWE Performance Center.

Arn Anderson On Bray Wyatt Before “The Fiend”, Feud With Randy Orton

Steve Russell
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0

WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson discussed Bray Wyatt’s run prior to his gimmick change into “The Fiend.” Anderson addressed the subject during a recent episode of his podcast, The Arn Show, where he was answering fan questions.

“Anything that can get Bray Wyatt a fresh start after the raw deal he has gotten over the years, I’m all for,” Anderson said. “Whoever came up with the mask, it’s pretty scary looking. I think Bray can pull the character off. Bray Wyatt just as Bray Wyatt in the beginning with those promos that he used to do. The Cape Fear-esque character was pretty scary to me.”

Anderson explained how the issue was never in Wyatt’s performance. He praised Wyatt’s work with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, noting how they had incredible six-man matchups together. He shared how their match against The Shield was one of the greatest six-man tag matches he’d ever seen. 

“They were awesome. So he did everything right except you’ve got to win the big one. If you continually lose the big one, people look at you as being a loser,” Arn Anderson stated. “But more importantly, they’re smart enough to know, our audience, if the company doesn’t have anything planned for you and you’re not going to be pushed as a star. They’re not going to look at you as a star. If the company doesn’t make you big the audience won’t make you big.”

Arn Anderson On Wyatt & Orton’s Feud

Arn Anderson also reflected on Wyatt’s pairing with Randy Orton. Orton would eventually turn on Wyatt, leading to a matchup between the two at WrestleMania 33. Anderson shared how he felt there was more to them as a team, and argued they should have lasted longer.

“They were over and they were getting over strong as a team. I was there for it. It was tremendous,” he said. “Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt made a great team. It was gonna be one of those things that we talk about on this show all the time, when something gets hotter than it was expected to get and it starts to boil and percolates. But without any help fro the office, a lot of times it just gets shut down. It gives those talents too much stroke and too much power. This was one of those situations because I was there and I saw it.”

He continued, “Those guys should have still been partners when that match went down at Wrestlemania. It’s one of those history things that get cut off way short. Once you’ve shot the angle, you’ve had the match now. You can’t go back to it and have the same results down the road. You get one crack at building these scenarios and if they haven’t ran their course, it is what it is.”

Randy Orton defeated Bray Wyatt during their clash at WrestleMania 33 for the WWE Championship. Orton is scheduled to face Edge in a Last Man Standing match at WWE’s upcoming WrestleMania 36. Wyatt will clash with John Cena. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

ROH COO Joe Koff Details How ROH Will Handle Talent During Coronavirus Pandemic

Steve Russell
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1

Ring of Honor (ROH) COO Joe Koff has addressed how the promotion intends to look after its talents during the current coronavirus pandemic. He explained how ROH won’t be stopping their talent from taking independent bookings and that the process to do so remains the same. Joining The Wrestling Inc. Daily, Koff noted how ROH always wants to take care of its staff and wrestlers. 

“We always take care of our people. Should they be taking indie dates? They should be clearing that just as they would under normal circumstances. But who’s running? Are there promotions still running,” Joe Koff asked.

“That would be draconian but maybe that’s what’s necessary,” Koff said, referring to a potential lockdown forcing people indoors. “I would hope that in the spirit of humanity and social responsibility, but we’ll face that as it comes up. With certainly our contracted talent, we would have to know that anyway so we would find out. But [our talent taking indie bookings] has not been broached.”

Joe Koff On Sinclair’s Support

Joe Koff shared how ROH’s parent company, Sinclair, has allowed them to continue operating as usual so far. They are following all guidelines as needed, noting how “We’re taking the guidelines from the company in a corporate standpoint in all of the individual operations. The company is fantastic and have been nothing but supportive.”

COVID-19 has impacted several industries worldwide, including pro wrestling. Like other promotions including New Japan Pro-Wrestling, ROH has cancelled their events due to coronavirus concerns. They won’t be running any shows through to May 31.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Brodie Lee Comments On Joining All Elite Wrestling

Steve Russell
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0

Brodie Lee was revealed to be the Dark Order’s Exalted One during last week’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. The long mystery of the Exalted One heavily teased several wrestlers could be the Dark Order leader, including former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy, but it was the former-Luke Harper that would unveil himself.

After AEW uploaded a post to Twitter welcoming Lee to the promotion, Brodie Lee responded to their greeting, writing:

“Odd that you would welcome the wolf to a land full of lambs.”

Brodie Lee Appears

During a promo featuring Dark Order’s Evil Uno and Stu Grayson alongside SCU members Christoper Daniels and Kazarian, a video package played. This video package revealed Lee as the Exalted One.

Dynamite then cut back to the ring. Inside it, behind the SCU members who had been watching the screen, was Brodie Lee. Leading the charge, Lee and the Dark Order then assaulted Daniels and Kazarian.

Last Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite was set to take place in Rochester, New York, which is Brodie Lee’s hometown. AEW reportedly had plans for Lee to debut on this specific show. It was expected that Lee would debut to a huge response thanks to the hometown crowd.

However, the coronavirus pandemic currently affecting the world scuppered those plans. It ultimately forced AEW to relocate the episode to Jacksonville, Florida.

Colt Cabana Opens Up About Joining All Elite Wrestling

Steve Russell
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0

Colt Cabana has opened up about signing with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He broached the subject during a recent episode of his podcast, The Art of Wrestling. He reflected on his debut as well as his matchup against Peter Avalon on AEW Dark, which he called a “basic fun introductory match” for him. 

“Let’s talk about AEW, I made my debut on Dynamite. I wrestled on AEW Dark against Peter Avalon, and I’m recording this before Dark airs. But you will be listening to this after Dark airs. And my match against Avalon was a very simple, basic fun introductory match for me to the AEW world.”

Colt Cabana On Connecting With Fans

Cabana touched on how, although there are plenty of people plugged into pro wrestling and know who he is, there is also a large part of the AEW audience who might not know who he is. He confessed how he is a “blip on the radar of the world of professional wrestling” before adding “[…] some of these fans they don’t dive into it unless it’s the big time, quote unquote, and I have loved that I have championed the little time quote unquote for years.”

Colt Cabana reflected on how some people backstage were surprised to find out “‘holy sh*t Colt knows what he’s doing.’” He is well aware that his friends knew about his abilities, but he surprised some with his skills and professionalism. “[…] sometimes I guess it takes 21 years to prove to people, but I’m here, and I’m doing it, I’ve proved it so this is just the start.”

You can watch Colt Cabana’s matchup against Peter Avalon below:

H/T to WrestlingNews for the transcription. 

Matt Hardy May Have Stayed With WWE If Triple H Was “Solely In Power”

Steve Russell
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0

One of All Elite Wrestling’s newest signings is former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy. Hardy made his debut for the promotion during last Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite on TNT. During an interview with Chris Jericho on Talk is Jericho, Hardy shared how his decision may have been different if Triple H had been solely in charge at WWE.

“I’ll just go my own way, and even days after I left, I talked to Triple H,” Hardy said. “It’s just like he was cool, and I feel like if Triple H would have been the guy that was solely in power, I would have probably had a much better opportunity of kind of getting to do what I wanted creatively, but it is what it is.”

Matt Hardy & The Elite

Matt Hardy ultimately left WWE due to his desire for more creative freedoms, something WWE wasn’t giving him. He aligned himself with Elite members Kenny Omega, Cody, Hangman Page and Matt Jackson. Matt Hardy will join them as their fifth man in an upcoming Blood & Guts matchup against Chris Jericho and his Inner Circle members. 

That match, originally to take place on the next episode of Dynamite, has been postponed due to coronavirus concerns, especially as it pertains to the number of people gathered together at any one time. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. 

Jerry Lawler On Why WWE Brought Asuka For Commentary On Raw

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Asuka joined the announcers’ booth on this week’s episode of Raw and one half of the current Women’s tag team champion did commentary during the match between Rey Mysterio and Andrade on the show.

WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry Lawler, who is a regular commentator of the show talked about the episode on the latest episode of his podcast, and revealed why the company had brought the Japanese star in for the bout.

The former Champion first recalled his empty arena match against Terry Funk and said that he felt dumb being out there and throwing each other into a bunch of empty chairs.

Lawler then claimed that he noticed the same thing with Mysterio and Andrade on Raw and revealed that the company had brought in Asuka to make things as loud as possible:

“They put Asuka out there to help with the commentary and just to try and help make some noise and make things as loud as possible so it wouldn’t just be silence, so that helped a lot. It’s a tough go, and I felt sorry for Rey and Andrade and Zelina and all of them, they still did great but it was a whole unusual experience.”

Apart from this, Jerry Lawler also revealed his experience of arriving at the Performance Center and revealed how he was examined before going inside.

The match in question saw Rey Mysterio compete in a one on one non-title bout with the United States Champion Andrade in which Mysterio picked up the win after hitting a 619. You can check out a video of the match below:

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Chris Jericho Responds To Fan Complaining About Blood And Guts, R Truth Wins Back 24/7 Title

Anutosh Bajpai
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While WWE is moving forward with WrestleMania, AEW is taking a different direction and the company recently announced that they are postponing the Blood And Guts match which was announced for next week.

A fan recently took on his Twitter and complained about the decision to cancel the special edition of the show, mentioning how the company spent last week’s entire Dynamite episode building towards the bout.

The former AEW Champion Chris Jericho then responded to the fan via a tweet of his own and he explained that the company was not allowed to gather more than ten people together at a time:

R Truth Wins Back 24/7 Title From Riddick Moss

Riddick Moss had held the 24/7 Championship for a while and he had even defended the title in several traditional matches, but he has now lost the title back to R Truth.

WWE recently published a video of Moss jogging outside when a car stops by him and we see that a WWE referee is driving the vehicle. Riddick freaks out seeing the ref and starts looking around for a potential opponent.

However, as seen in the video below, he is not able to see Truth who was hiding in the car’s dickey and the former US Champion manages to win the title back:

WWE Legend Criticises Brock Lesnar’s Booking

Anutosh Bajpai
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Brock Lesnar has been presented as a monster since his return to WWE in 2012 and he has been booked to decimate any opponent that dares to step in the ring with him.

He will once again be entering WrestleMania as the WWE Champion this year and it appears that the WWE Legend, Jake “The Snake” Roberts is not a big fan of his booking.

The WWE Hall Of Famer recently had an interview with FlipDaScript podcast and talking about Brock Lesnar, the former WWE star said that the company is treating their other talents like s–t by bringing him in:

“The thing about Brock is man, he’s not an everyday wrestler,” Roberts said. “He’s a once a year guy, or three times a year guy.

And to me, you are really treating your talent like s–t to, every year come WrestleMania time after these guys have busted their asses for 365 days, when it comes time for the big one, they bring (Lesnar) in and they have to sit down.”

Jake Roberts also talked about how Vince McMahon spent a lot of money to send him to rehab a number of times and gave praise to DDP for turning his life around.

The former WCW star recently made headlines when he joined All Elite Wrestling as a manager and after a tease, revealed Lance Archer as his new client.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Original WrestleMania Plans For Sasha Banks And Bayley Revealed

Anutosh Bajpai
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This week’s episode of SmackDown saw Paige making an appearance on the show through Skype and announcing a six-pack challenge for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 36.

During the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer talked about this announcement and revealed the original plans for the championship at the Show Of Shows.

According to him, the original plans called for Sasha Banks to challenge her friend for the title at the Grandest Stage Of Them All but they nixed these arrangements.

The company felt that there wasn’t enough time to build a feud between the two. So the officials decided to hold off the bout for a later late and announced the six-pack challenge for WrestleMania instead.

While not confirmed, it’s likely that they will use the announced bout to kick off the feud between the two and have a singles match with a longer build somewhere down the line.

For those who don’t know, Paige announced that Bayley will be defending her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Naomi, Tamina Snuka, and Dana Brooke in a six-pack challenge at WrestleMania.

There is no word yet on which night of the show this match will take place on but you can check out the updated match card for the event at this link.

Jim Ross On What Was His Greatest Contribution To WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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While Jim Ross is widely known as the voice of WWE during the Attitude Era, he also handled various backstage responsibilities in the company during his time there, including being in charge of talent relations for a long time.

During a recent episode of AEW Unrestricted podcast, the former WWE broadcaster talked about his early career and also revealed what he considers to be his greatest contribution to the company.

Ross said that at the end of the day, his best work would be the talents he signed to the company who have gone on to become big names and he thinks that’s his greatest contribution to the promotion:

I think my best work, at the end of the day, someday will be the talent that I signed that went to WWE and have become millionaires [and] movie stars, I was there 26 years, and the majority of that I was in charge of talent relations and negotiated all the contracts.

[I was] a good listener to those guys and gals.“ recalled Ross. ”I think that is my greatest contribution quite frankly is the guys that I helped facilitate to get in the game in that level and see how they ran with the ball.”

Ross then recalled how they had one class where they signed guys like Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Randy Orton, and Shelton Benjamin and predicted that all these guys will be in Hall Of Fame someday.

Apart from this Jim Ross discussed the success of Attitude Era and also criticized the media coverage of coronavirus. You can check out his comments on media at this link.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Naomi On Why She Wrestled In Saudi Arabia Despite Having Her Reservation

Anutosh Bajpai
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The Saudi Arabia shows of WWE have always been controversial and a number of WWE stars have refused to work events in the country in the past.

Though we have also seen some progress in the situation and after the first-ever Women’s match in the country last year, this year’s edition of Super Showdown saw Naomi battling Bayley for the SmackDown Women’s title at the show.

During her recent appearance on Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast, the former Women’s Champion talked about the show and revealed why she chose to work the event, despite having reservations about it:

“I was really happy that I got to talk to Natalya about going, because I had my own perceptions and reservations about going, like personal reasons,” Naomi stated. “Like, who I am as a woman and a person, especially with what I stand for and believe in.

I had some reservations about it. I talked to Nattie, and after hearing about her experience, I realized that me going was a way bigger impact than me not going… I knew I needed to go, and I’m so happy that I went.”

Naomi continued by saying that the fan reaction she got in the country opened her perception and she claimed that it was way bigger than a wrestling match.

Apart from this, Naomi talked about things like taking time away from WWE, facing a sand storm while entering Saudi Arabia and more. You can check out her full interview below:

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Matt Hardy Wants To Work Wrestle Kingdom, Cody Match Set For Dynamite

Michael Reichlin
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Matt Hardy thinks the prospect of competing at New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom event is WONDERFUL. Over the weekend, a fan asked Hardy on Twitter if there’s a chance we could see him compete ‘just once’ in New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Broken Matt revealed that his AEW contract does in fact allow him to work for NJPW, similar to that of AEW World Champion Jon Moxley and Le Champion Chris Jericho.

AEW Dynamite: Cody in Action

AEW has announced a new match for this coming week’s episode of Dynamite. The American Nightmare Cody will face Jimmy Havoc in singles action.

This show was originally supposed to feature the highly anticipated Blood and Guts double steel cage match between The Elite and the Inner Circle. However, AEW President Tony Khan announced that the match has been rescheduled. You can read Tony Khan’s full statement on the matter here.

In addition to Cody vs. Jimmy Havoc, Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite will feature a face-to-face confrontation between “Broken” Matt Hardy and Inner Circle leader Chris Jericho. These two have crossed paths before in WWE. They will soon clash at Blood and Guts, now that Hardy has been named as the final member of Team Elite.

Daniel Bryan, Drew Gulak & Chad Gable Is The Faction We All Need Right Now

Michael Reichlin
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Daniel Bryan wants to know what WWE fans think about the possibility of wrestling machine Chad Gable joining his alliance with Drew Gulak.

As seen below, popular Wrestling .GIF Twitter account @TDE_Wrestling posted a clip of Bryan and Gulak doing a common grappling training drill from Friday’s SmackDown.

https://twitter.com/tde_wrestling/status/1241157275953356801

Japanese wrestling legend Yuji Nagata commented on the video. He wrote in Japanese (translated), “It’s not really good (laughs)”

Daniel Bryan saw Nagata’s tweet, apologized, and promised to do better next time.

Chad Gable, who has been critiquing Otis’ workouts on Twitter, chimed in. He gave some input on Bryan and Gulak’s form and offered to give them more training, when they are ‘truly ready’ for his expertise.

Bryan pondered the idea of the Bryan & Gulak Connection becoming the Bryan, Gulak and Gable Connection. He asked his Twitter followers what they think about the prospect and received a strong showing of support.

Daniel Bryan, Chad Gable and Drew Gulak could make for one hell of a faction. The trio of technicians could put on wrestling clinics week in and week out. It’s an exciting prospect, but even Corey Graves knows that it seems far fetched that WWE would embrace such a great idea.

It remains to be seen if this will advance beyond simple Twitter banter, but we can only hope something more comes of it.

Mark Henry Talks Triple H Eventually Taking Over WWE

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed Triple H and his potential move into the CEO position once Vince McMahon retires.

Henry stated that he believes Triple H would change the scope of the company, by putting more emphasis on a number of featured talents instead of one or two ‘top guys.’

Mark Henry on Triple H

“I think Triple H would broaden the title picture” Henry began on the latest episode of Busted Open. “Like it is at NXT. There are six or eight guys right now that can be champion on NXT. They have a lot more versatility in NXT, they don’t put all the stock in one person to be the lead.”

Henry elaborated further, describing how he believes HHH would make the ‘main roster’ more of a ‘wild west.’

“And that’s that’s the biggest change I think that he would make. Triple H would make it a more of a wild wild west. Wide open. You know, one week a guy’s challenging, the next week, another guy challenging. To find out who’s the cream of the crop.”

There were recent reports that ‘The Game’ had actually taken a ‘demotion’ in WWE. Hunter’s new title in WWE is Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy and Development; whereas he previously worked as the EVP of Talent, Live Events, and Creative. Triple H himself took a shot at the reports on the first SmackDown live at the Performance Center, saying he has apparently been “demoted but is even busier.”

It will be interesting to see if HHH is still likely to take over the helm of WWE once Vince McMahon leaves or retires.

How do you think Triple H will change the format/presentation of WWE if/when he ever takes over from Vince McMahon?

Latest On WWE Negotiating With ESPN For Potential Streaming Deal

Andrew Ravens
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WWE is still looking to land a new streaming deal with ESPN, but negotiations are still underway. 

In February, Dave Meltzer reported that the talks would be in regards to WWE content airing on the ESPN+ service. The deal would see WWE sell their rights to air pay-per-views on ESPN+ in order to get more money than what they earn through the WWE Network. 

Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that while the two sides have been talking, they are “far apart on money” because WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon wants a higher number than what UFC got from ESPN. 

Meltzer didn’t share the exact number but it was noted it wasn’t expected to be a big $100+ million deal. It all comes down to the unsteady climate and how much revenue from advertisements that ESPN can get. 

While WWE is talking with ESPN, there are other streaming services that could be options for WWE. These partners include DAZN and NBC’s Peacock service.

The Peacock service will launch later this year and some people think this would be the best bet for WWE.

The situation for such a move of WWE selling PPV rights is due to the subscription numbers for the WWE Network continuing to decrease. 

Taping Schedule Revealed for WrestleMania & Next Few Weeks of WWE TV

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