The Rock faced Hulk Hogan in one of the biggest dream matches of all time at WrestleMania 18 where the Great One defeated the Immortal in a one on one bout.
During a recent Q&A session on his official Instagram page, the Hollywood star reflected on his match with Hogan and revealed how the bout came about.
The former World Champion revealed that Vince McMahon had reached him out to take The Rock’s opinion on bringing Hulk back into the company. This is when he first mentioned about the match between the two legends:
“About six months before the match happened, Vince McMahon came to me and said, ‘How do you feel about bringing Hulk Hogan back?'” recalled the Rock. “I think Hogan had left WWE on not so great terms. He asked, ‘How do you feel about bringing Hogan back?’
I said, ‘How does the locker room feel?’ He said, ‘I talked to a few locker room leaders and it’s mixed.’ I said, ‘I love it. I think having him back is intriguing and very selfishly, I would like to wrestle him.’ He said, ‘Funny you say that. I have a match in mind. You vs. Hogan at WrestleMania.'”
According to the Rock, he loved the idea of having the match with the former face of WWE and he immediately started seeing the build-up and the intrigue for the fans in his mind.
The People’s Champion then asked McMahon about possibly bringing back the other nWo members in Scott Hall and Kevin Nash too and Vince McMahon said that he was going to bring them back as well.
CM Punk had recently said that he would consider a wrestling return against the right opponent and one of the names he mentioned as a potential rival he has never faced was the current NJPW star Will Ospreay.
The former IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion responded to these comments from the former WWE Champion recently. He challenged Punk with the following tweet, while also taking a shot at his current WWE backstage gig:
Will Ospreay recently defeated Zack Sabre Jr to win the British Heavyweight Championship and announced moving to the heavyweight division of NJPW after spending almost 4 years in the junior heavyweight division.
When discussing opponents he never faced during his pro wrestling career, the former Champion had named Will Ospreay as one of the people he would like to wrestle with:
“For people I haven’t ever wrestled before, I think Will
Ospreay, I would listen to your idea. There’s a lot of moving parts. I’m busy
doing other stuff and nobody has found the right combination of ways to
approach me”
With Ospreay making his mark on NJPW, and CM Punk working on WWE Backstage, a face-off between the two in near future looks very unlikely. Though it’s still possible if Ospreay joins WWE in future and Punk makes his return to the company.
Would you like to see a match between the current British Heavyweight Champion and the Best In The World? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
D-Von Dudley reflected on the impact of the TLC matchup between the Dudleyz, The Hardyz and Edge and Christian during a recent interview. Speaking with The Outlaws Radio Show, D-Von noted how they were treated like “rock stars” following the match up.
“We really couldn’t go anywhere without having to shut things down. My 15 minutes of fame I’m happy to say that it was worth it with all the abuse that I took over the years from ECW, the WWE and of course unfortunately I’d like to say sometimes TNA…Aces and Eights, that was greatest thing that came out of that, but for the most part, we had fun.”
He continued, “We did what we did and we had fun. We created history and if wasn’t for us, Edge & Christian, The Hardyz and The Dudleyz there would be no PPV called TLC and if it wasn’t for ECW and what we did, there would be no Attitude Era.”
D-Von On Changing The Business Forever
D-Von explained how their TLC match led to a resurgence in tag team wrestling. He also noted how tag team wrestling is “somewhat of a lost art nowadays” on WWE’s product. He argued how WWE has always been a “singles man competition” before listing notable teams throughout the decades. D-Von stated how teams had to fight to earn a position in WWE and get respect.
“You had to be somebody and I think when the Hogan and Andre era was gone, I think people thought that tag team wrestling was really a lost art until six guys that were unknown came in and changed the face of tag team wrestling and that’s exactly what we did.”
The first-ever TLC matchup took place at SummerSlam back in 2000. Edge and Christian would emerge victorious after their famous Triple Threat match with The Hardyz and Dudleyz.
However, the show was broadcasted without any fans in
attendance due to coronavirus threats and one thing the fans noted was that
throughout the episode, the graphics for future matches were listed as ‘next
dynamite’ instead of ‘next week’.
This made many fans wonder if the show was going on a hiatus but. As of this writing, AEW is still scheduled to be broadcasted live on TNT next week. The production team wanted to get through this week’s episode of the show and “not be so arrogant as to assume” that they will be back live on TV next week. Things are changing rapidly due to the Coronavirus outbreak. As a result, nothing is guaranteed.
The company officials, including president Tony Khan believes that the situation should not be taken for granted. They did not want to come across as if anything was guaranteed and so the decision was made to list everything for the ‘next dynamite’.
The current plan is to go forward with the show as planned if they can broadcast Dynamite next week. In case the show is postponed, the company plans to pick things up where they left off as soon as they are allowed to do so.
WWE made the interesting announcement recently that WrestleMania 36 will be broadcasted in two parts on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5, from multiple locations.
The broadcast from multiple locations will actually make the production easier for WWE. The company has been very careful about having only a limited number of personnel for tapings at the performance center. This the reason why big-name talents like Edge and Randy Orton are being cycled on the show instead of making same night appearances.
WWE has taken the CDC’s social distancing edicts very seriously and they have only brought in a restricted number of talents for the shows despite the fact that many of them live locally in the Tampa and Orlando area.
Broadcasting WrestleMania from a singular location in one
day would cause a lot of production issues for the company in terms of managing
so many talents, producers and staff members who would have to gather at the
same place for the show.
The multiple locations will also allow the company to switch
places during the broadcast and keep the show from looking and feeling
‘monotonous’.
This can also allow the company to pre-tape segments and even matches for WrestleMania since a closed set would make it easier for them to stop the spoilers from leaking.
There is no word yet on what other locations the company could use but Titan Tower and WWE HQ in Stamford, and the 3-D suite in the Performance Center are some of the locations they control and could film the show in.
They can also lean on their relationships with Fox Network or NBC Universal for assistance in finding places and possibly set material outdoors, allowing them to use pyro the fans have come to expect from the show of the caliber of WrestleMania.
Hardy made an appearance on their weekly television show, Dynamite, on Wednesday after the main event that saw The Inner Circle beat The Elite in a six-man tag team match.
This has been speculated for quite some time. Matt Jackson noted that someone owed him a favor, which led to Hardy being shown in the crowd. With Nick Jackson being at home to be with his family, Hardy will join The Elite to take on The Inner Circle next week in the Blood & Guts Match.
Matt Hardy already has two new t-shirts available at ShopAEW.com.
You can watch Matt Hardy’s AEW debut below:
Matt Hardy’s Road to AEW
On March 2nd, it was teased during the latest episode of Being The Elite that Hardy could be going to AEW. The episode featured Matt Jackson getting a call from a 910 area code. This is the code for North Carolina, which is where Hardy lives.
Fast forward to the tenth episode of Free The Delete, The Young Bucks drove to Hardy’s house with Hardy stating that he knew they would come. They later helped bury Hardy.
Hardy’s contract with WWE expired on March 1st, which is when he became a free agent. It was reported before he hit the market that the major hurdle between the two sides is how he would be used going forward, not money. Thus, the reason why he hadn’t signed a new deal.
WWE has been throwing out big money offers to re-sign its talent to longer deals than in previous years with most current deals seeing a star stay under contract for five years.
AEW Dynamite aired live from Jacksonville tonight at Daily’s Place. The Exalted One was revealed during tonight’s episode.
Dynamite Results (3/18)
Lucha Bros def Best Friends
Hikaru Shida def. Penelope Ford, Riho, and Kris Statlander
Jurassic Express def. Butcher & Blade
Brodie Lee is the Exalted One
Inner Circle def. The Elite
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Cody Asked The Elite To Put Their Differences Aside
Cody Rhodes
Cody kicked off the show by speaking to the audience at home. Cody said that us as human beings need to stand together and for many of us that will mean standing at a distance. He stated that he refuses to live in fear because that is not living at all.
He claimed that Matt Jackson’s anger towards Hangman Adam Page was misplaced and he needs him at his best at Blood & Guts. Cody added that he is tired of putting over Hangman Page and challenged him to be the difference maker at Blood & Guts.
Cody said that he needs the real Kenny Omega, the best bout machine. He stated that he needs The Elite to be elite. Matt Jackson and Kenny Omega joined Cody in the ring. Omega claimed that they don’t know if they will even had a Dynamite next week but he would want to go out how they came in, as The Elite.
Matt wondered where Hangman was and looked around the empty arena. Page showed up with a glass of whiskey on the ramp and Matt asked Hangman if he will stand with them tonight and at Blood & Guts. Page raised his glass and said “yep” before heading backstage. Hangman shouted to hit the pyro and Dynamite began.
Lucha Bros battled Best Friends tonight on Dynamite. Orange Cassidy joined commentary for the match. Several wrestlers were in the crowd as MJF and Spears were shown gambling on the action.
Match Recap: MJF started up a “lets go bad guys!” chant as Fenix beat down Trent to start things off. Trent battled back and hit Double Knees and followed it up with a boot to the back of Ray’s head. Chuck tagged in and slammed Ray Fenix to the canvas.
Fenix finally battled back and hit Trent with a few chops to the chest. Pentagon tagged in and hit Trent with a Superkick. Lucha Bros connected Trent with stereo kicks to the face for a near fall. MJF and Spears enjoyed some wine as Fenix booted Chuck off the apron.
Orange Cassidy stood up and distracted Lucha Bros. Trent took out Pentagon with a Suicide Dive as Chuck leveled Fenix with a Clothesline. Back in the ring, Trent connected with a Tornado DDT and tagged Chuck back in. Chuck planted Fenix with a Backbreaker. Best Friends opted not to hug and rubbed elbows instead. Lucha Bros leveled them with a couple of Superkicks as Orange Cassidy left the announce desk.
Orange Cassidy put his hands in his pockets and hit Lucha Bros with a Crossbody. Chuck hit Pentagon with a Piledriver for a two count. Pentagon pinned Trent after a low blow to pick up the win and MJF won his bet against Spears.
After the match, Tony interviewed Best Friends on the stage. Best Friends told Death Triangle to meet them in the parking lot next week for a Street Fight.
HikaruShida Remains The Top Contender For The AEW Women’s Championship
Penelope Ford, Riho, Kris Statlander, Hikaru Shida competed in a 4-Way match tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Penelope went right after Riho start it off and sent her flying out of the ring. Kip Sabian dragged Shida and Statlander out of the ring and they responded with a couple punches to the face. Riho climbed to the top rope and took everyone out with a Crossbody. Statlander planted Riho with a Backbreaker and set her up on the turnbuckle. Shida then Suplexed Statlander onto Riho. Kris battled back with a massive Clothesline. Penelope went for a Hurricanrana and completely missed.
Ford and Riho teamed up for a second to hit Shida with a Suplex. Riho launched off Penelope and hit Kip with a knee to the face. Kris lifted Riho up in the Electric Chair and slammed her onto Shida. Penelope planted Statlander and knocked her out of the ring. Shida planted Penelope with the Falcon Arrow for a near fall. Shida followed it up with a running knee to the face.After the match, Colt Cabana was interviewed ringside. He dissed Kip and Sabian got in his face. Colt slapped him and Kip retreated with Penelope Ford.
The Butcher and The Blade squared off against Jurassic Express. MJF handed Butcher and Blade some cash and said “daddy needs a win”.
Match Recap: Jungle Boy hit Blade with an Arm Drag but Blade caught him with a knee to the midsection. Luchasaurus tagged in and slammed Blade to the canvas for a one count. Jungle Boy went for a Crossbody but Butcher & Blade caught him and threw him into the barricade.
Back in the ring, Butcher tagged in and hit Jungle Boy with a headbutt. Butcher followed it up with a massive chop and tagged Blade back in. Blade hit Jungle Boy with a Backbreaker and went for the cover for a two count. Luchasaurus finally got a tag and took out Butcher with a boot to the face. Luchasaurus went for a Moonsault and came up a bit short on Butcher outside the ring. Back in the ring, Jungle Boy hit Blade with a Cutter. Luchasaurus pinned Blade for the victory.
Dark Order came down to the ring and claimed that the Exalted One is near and will bring new life to the Dark Order. Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels interrupted and said that they were sick of Evil Uno’s lies.
Daniels stated that Uno hasn’t made anyone’s lives any better in Dark Order and has just been wasting everyone’s time. Daniels shouted that there is no Exalted One before music hit. The Exalted One spoke in an altered voice and said that Dark Order will do what they want when they want.
The Exalted One then took off his hood and it was revealed to be Brodie Lee. Brodie introduced himself to Christopher Daniels and announced himself as the Exalted One. Brodie then said to Daniels that he is not the first out of touch old man to not believe in him. Brodie then appeared and the ring and leveled Daniels with a big boot and a Clothesline.
Opinion: I loved this segment and Brodie’s shot at Vince McMahon was epic. The wrestlers serving as the crowd has added so much to show and hopefully WWE does something similar going forward.
Inner Circle (Jake Hager, Santana, and Ortiz) battled The Elite ( Cody, Hangman Adam Page, and Matt Jackson) in the main event tonight. Sammy Guevara and Kenny Omega were ringside for the match. Chris Jericho joined commentary as Sammy Guevara and MJF sang along to Judas. The winner of the match will get the advantage at Blood & Guts next week.
Match Recap: Cody planted Ortiz with a Suplex and tagged Matt in. Matt got in some offense before Hangman tagged himself in. Page leveled Santana with a Clothesline for a near fall. Cody tagged in and walked into a Clothesline from Santana. Ortiz slammed Cody into the apron as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
Hager had Cody in a Wrist Lock when AEW returned from commercial. Ortiz tagged and rolled up Cody for a near fall. Cody battled back with Cross Rhodes but couldn’t make the cover. Cody crawled towards the corner but Hager tagged in. Cody Clotheslined Hager to the outside as Santana knocked The Elite off the apron.
Hangman tagged in and hit Ortiz with a big boot and followed it up with a Clothesline. Hangman planted Santana with a Fallaway Slam and then hit a Crossbody on Hager outside the ring. Back in the ring, Hangman hit a Clothesline on Santana for a two count. Cody took out Ortiz with a Suicide Dive and threw him over the barricade and onto MJF.
Wardlow grabbed Cody’s throat and Arn Anderson hit Wardlow with his notepad. Back in the ring, Matt hit Santana with three Northern Lights Suplexes in a row. Page and Matt teamed up and planted Hager with a Northern Lights Suplex. They went for the Indie Taker but Hager tripped up Hangman. Santana then rolled up Matt for the victory.
After the match, Chris Jericho grabbed a microphone and started mocking The Elite. Jericho claimed that he is banning all fans from Dynamite until he says so. Jericho boasted about attacking Nick Jackson and flipped The Elite the bird. Hager did some pushups as Sammy was on his back. Chris added that Inner Circle hasn’t done anything besides win and dominate The Elite. Jericho asked Sammy to tell the world how sexy he is and Guevara started hitting on Brandi. A drone flew over the ring as Matt stated that The Elite isn’t outnumbered. The drone (Vanguard 1) landed in the ring and Matt said he made a call to a friend. Matt Hardy was then shown standing above the ring and made the delete motion to close the show.
Opinion: Dynamite was a WONDERFUL show tonight and it is great to see Brodie Lee & Matt Hardy in AEW. The entire show tonight was entertaining and I’m looking forward to the Blood & Guts match and the Street Fight next week as well.
It’s official, Brodie Lee, formerly known as Luke Harper, is All Elite.
The former WWE Tag Team Champion has signed with AEW (All Elite Wrestling) as he made an appearance on their weekly television show, Dynamite, on Wednesday.
This is where he was revealed as The Exalted One, the leader of The Dark Order. He cut a promo about how Christopher Daniels wasn’t the only old man who didn’t believe in him. He would then attack Daniels and Kaz alongside The Dark Order.
Brodie Lee’s Road to AEW
Brodie Lee (Luke Harper) requested his release from WWE back in April 2019. He remained under contract until December when WWE finally granted the request.
At the time of his release, he had a 90-day no-compete clause with WWE, which prevented him from appearing on AEW television until late March 2020.
Harper’s time in WWE had both ups and downs as he found success as a singles star by winning the Intercontinental Title as well as a tag team competitor while with The Wyatt Family.
Things took a turn when it was reported that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon didn’t see anything in him. Thus, they stopped using him, which resulted in Harper asking for his release.
WWE Hall of Famer Edge talked about his match with Randy Orton at Wrestlemania 36 while doing a recent interview with Gorilla Position.
It should be noted that WWE hasn’t officially announced the match yet but Edge did just challenge him to a Last Man Standing Match on this past Monday’s episode of RAW on the USA Network. The match is all but confirmed.
In this interview, Edge brought up how the match will be taking place in an empty arena at the Performance Center. The reason for that is due to there being no fans in attendance as a concern of the coronavirus outbreak.
Edge talked about how the crazy part is that it’s never been done before at WrestleMania. Over the years, WrestleMania has always featured fans in attendance. He brought up Mick Foley vs. The Rock in 1999 where they had an empty arena match but that wasn’t at WrestleMania.
“Sure, it’s not ideal. We all get it, but we have to make do, and we have to figure out, we have to adapt. And that’s what this whole thing will be. I know I feel confident because I know in Randy, I don’t say this lightly, one of the best ever or possibility, and it’s all subjective, the best to ever do this. You get my brain and his natural ability on this thing, and I’m excited.”
He added that he’s excited about what they can do and what they can bring to the audience because all bets are off, there are no rules. He concluded by stating, “It’s an entirely blank canvas.”
'It’s not ideal, but we have to make do, we have to adapt. In @RandyOrton I have the best to ever do this. With my brain & his natural ability, I’m excited' pic.twitter.com/9TLxfKObDn
WWE has not only announced a big change to WrestleMania 36 but also the fact that the host of the show has been officially announced.
On Wednesday, the company announced that their biggest show of the year will be held over the course of two nights. The first night of the show will be on Saturday, April 4 while the second night will take place on Sunday, April 5.
Both nights start at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT and will air on the WWE Network. There will be no fans in attendance in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
It will also air live from “multiple other locations,” according to sources. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on where these other locations will be.
Former New England Patriot Rob Gronkowski will be hosting the show on both nights. The former NFL star, who is slated to appear on Friday Night SmackDown this week, commented on the news:
WWE noted in the announcement that only essential personnel will be on the closed set during the production of WrestleMania.
It’s official! I’m hosting @WrestleMania this year…and it’s gonna be too big for just one night. For the 1st time, #WrestleMania will be a ?2-NIGHT?event: Saturday, April 4 AND Sunday, April 5 on @WWENetwork! Tell you more this Friday night on #SmackDown at 8 ET on @FOXTV.
All Elite Wrestling has announced the latest set of AEW Rankings for the week ending Wednesday, March 18, 2020.
The updated standings come after the results of Tuesday’s AEW Dark episode. These rankings are for the following divisions – men’s, women’s, and tag team.
The way the rankings work is the talent will be listed in rankings by their match records but doesn’t include the champions. It also helps fans keep an eye on the current push of certain wrestlers as they work their way up the ladder to an eventual title shot in their divisions.
Cody passed PAC to reach the fourth spot in the men’s rankings while former AEW Women’s Champion Riho has dropped to fifth in the women’s division. Finally, Private Party moved past Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara in the tag team division.
AEW Rankings
The rankings will be next week. You can see the rankings here:
A lot of plans have changed for WrestleMania 36 amid the coronavirus outbreak.
First, “The Show Of Shows” has been moved from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando. This is due to the mass gathering bans imposed on the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. For the first time ever, WrestleMania will be held in front of an empty crowd.
Also, WrestleMania is typically the time WWE Superstars utilize some spectacular ring entrances. It turns out WWE had quite the entrance planned for Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch in Tampa, involving the custom semi-trailer truck we saw on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw. Lynch arrived at Raw in the truck, but according to PWInsider, this was originally to be used in her WrestleMania entrance.
The truck was also to be featured at WrestleMania 36 Axxess. WWE likely went ahead and used it this week on Raw since they’re not going to be able to do so in the way they had hoped at WrestleMania.
WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan recently gave an update on his in-ring WWE career. The leader of the ‘Yes’ Movement recently appeared on The Bellas podcast and discussed how the upcoming birth of his second child with Brie Bella has changed his priorities in life, particularly pertaining to being a full time WWE contracted performer.
“It’s a little stressful because of the date that you’re due and all that kind of stuff” Daniel Bryan began. “But the WWE has been great. They’re gonna give me six weeks paternity leave, which so few places in the United States do that. So I’ll get to be home that first six weeks.”
“It’s not long until my contract is up”
– Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan would then reveal that his WWE contract is soon to expire. “Then after that it’s not long until my contract is up. We’ve been talking about, like, what we do from there? But to me, in my mind, it’s almost like I think I’m just done being a full time wrestler.”
Daniel Bryan’s Return To WWE
Bryan finished by saying “You know what I mean like, I love being a dad. I will always love wrestling, right, I will always love wrestling. And I always want to do wrestling, but when I say always do wrestling that means like maybe once a month or once every couple of months.”
Daniel Bryan made his return to in-ring WWE action back at WrestleMania 34. Bryan would team with Shane McMahon to take on Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, shocking many who believed that the former WWE Champion would no longer be able to compete due to concussion complications.
More recently, Daniel Bryan has been utilized as a mid to upper card talent, now working alongside Drew Gulak in a program against Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura.
Former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio recently claimed during an appearance on Nos Cayó La Noche in Mexico that he was in contact with WWE about a potential return.
Del Rio and WWE’s relationship over the years has been rocky, to say the least, but the Mexican Lucha star claims they have mended that bridge and he’s hoping for a return to the company sometime in 2020.
“We have been in communication, ” Alberto said. “We have rebuilt the bridge. On their part, they were wrong on some decisions and I also did some things wrong on my part. I am hoping that we can reach an agreement sometime this year or by the middle of this year I’ll be back there.”
However, according to a report from talkSPORT’s Alex McCarthy, that is not the case. McCarthy reports that Triple H, nor anyone else from WWE has contacted Del Rio about coming back to the company.
I’m told he absolutely didn’t reach out to Del Rio for what that’s worth. Nor did anyone.
Del Rio was last with WWE back in 2016 before ultimately securing his requested release citing empty promises, including a main event push upon his return in October of 2015. He was officially released from WWE in September of 2016, before going on to work with IMPACT Wrestling for a bit, as well as working the independent circuit.
He also competed in his first mixed martial arts (MMA) fight since 2010 this past December when he was submitted by ex-UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz under the Combate Americas banner in the first round.
WWE Hall Of Famer Bret Hart is one of the most honest professional wrestlers you’ll ever come across.
“The Hitman” isn’t one to mince words, and will tell you his side of things regardless of how harsh they may be. That was no different during Hart’s recent appearance on fellow Hall Of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s “Broken Skull Sessions” on the WWE Network. During the program, Hart went in on WWE Hall Of Famer and current Universal Champion, Goldberg.
Hart called Goldberg “one of the most unprofessional wrestlers there ever was in the business,” before suggesting the ex-WCW World Champion “hurt everybody he worked with.”
“I always knew what I was doing and I would hurt myself before I ever hurt another wrestler,” Bret said. “I just wish some of the wrestlers I worked with, especially at the end like Goldberg. Goldberg to me was one of the most unprofessional wrestlers there ever was in the business.
“For Bill Goldberg to be in the Hall of Fame… he hurt everybody he worked with, so he might as well wrestle a real gorilla. He was the most dangerous guy to work with. He hurt everybody he worked with. I remember Curt Hennig being in pain all the time from the matches they had, and even when I worked with Bill…
“I always think, the last words I said to Bill before we went out and had that match where he injured, ended my career… I said, ‘Bill, whatever you do out there, don’t hurt me. Do whatever you want, we can do anything, just do not go nuts.'”
Hart’s beef with Goldberg stems back decades ago during the pair’s time together in WCW. A match between the two ultimately led to a career-ending injury for Hart. As for Goldberg, after a lengthy period of time away from the ring, he has since rekindled his relationship with WWE and is a two-time and current Universal Champion.
He’s scheduled to put that title up for grabs against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 36 on April 5. This year’s WrestleMania is currently scheduled to broadcast in front of an empty crowd inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida due to the coronavirus pandemic.
CM Punk is no longer an active talent for WWE, but he certainly has some stories from his run with the company.
Recently, the former WWE Champion-turned-UFC fighter was a guest on Cody and Jennifer Decker’s Swing and Mrs. podcast, where he discussed his professional wrestling career. During the interview, Punk mentioned a recurring elbow injury he dealt with during his WWE run. The injury forced Punk to continuously ice his elbows and knees regularly.
As a result, Punk claims he was made fun of by other members of the WWE locker room for his icing practices. He was even compared to WWE Hall Of Famer Diamond Dallas Page. Punk discussed how childish he viewed this, and didn’t understand the “bully culture” for doing such a simple thing.
“It’s a bully culture. I remember somebody — every time I would ice my elbow, because I constantly had a chronically bad elbow. And I would ice my knees and that was more of a maintenance thing. After a while I did get a surgery on my knee. But they would always laugh and make fun of me.
“And they would look and point and say, ‘Oh, look, it’s DDP!’ And I’d be like, ‘Why are we making fun of somebody for icing?’ It was always the stupidest stuff. The bullies backstage, I would always think like — is that a weakness, really? And look at billion dollar NBA teams that are mandatory icing guys after games and stuff like that.
“But like, the macho bulls**t. I’m not a man because I’m icing my knees? Okay, cool.”
Currently, Punk is attached to the WWE brand once again by serving as a frequent guest on the FOX studio show, WWE Backstage. It’s not a return to the squared circle by any means, however, perhaps it could lead to exactly that down the road now that the bridge between Punk and WWE seems to be mended.
The identity of the Exalted One, the mysterious leader of AEW’s Dark Order faction, will be revealed on tonight’s episode of Dynamite.
For months, the Dark Order and AEW’s social media pages have been pushing propaganda signaling the Exalted One’s arrival.
The most recent tease can be seen below. At a glance, it appears to be a jumbled set of numbers. Some bright minds on Twitter figured out numbers contain an encoded “tap code” message that reads, “It’s Too Late Now.”
So, who is the Exalted One? There have been many theories going around. One plausible possibility is Brodie Lee (former WWE Superstar Luke Harper). The ‘non-compete’ clause on Brodie Lee’s WWE contract has expired. He is officially a free agent and rumored to be AEW bound. Tonight’s AEW Dynamite was originally scheduled to take place from Rochester, NY. This happens to be Brodie Lee’s home town. He would make a good fit as the leader of the cult.
Matt Hardy also a prime candidate to be revealed as the Exalted One. Hardy is a free agent and is almost certainly AEW bound.
Matt Hardy has also been dropping plenty of hints about the Exalted One. It’s getting so obvious that it might very well be a red herring. Perhaps he’s headed to All Elite Wrestling to save AEW from the Exalted One.
The twelfth and final installment of Matt Hardy’s Free The Delete YouTube series premieres tonight. Hardy is likely headed to AEW, but is he the Exalted One?
Dark Order member Evil Uno has been tweeting about who is NOT the Exalted one, including names like Ryback, Jim Ross, Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, Max Headroom and others. We’ll find out who the Exalted One is in a matter of hours. Whoever it winds up being, kudos to AEW for crafting a pretty engaging mystery angle.
Paige has shared what the current WWE Champion, Brock Lesnar, is like backstage and away from the ring. During an interview with Inside the Ropes, she confessed that “The Beast Incarnate” is just as intimidating behind-the-scenes at first. However, once you get to know him, she shared he’s actually “very sweet.”
“No. He’s scary—he’s definitely scary when you first meet him. He is an intimidating man, for sure. He’s massive,” Paige said. “But once you get to know him, he’s also very sweet. So, like, if I’d wanted advice from him, I could go to him and he’ll be like, ‘yeah, sure I’ll give it to you.’ He’s really wonderful, too.”
Since she was unfortunately forced into retirement from in-ring action, Paige has been a General Manager for SmackDown. She also helped manage the Kabuki Warriors before their betrayal. Paige has previously expressed interest in managing other talents including “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey.
Brock Lesnar, meanwhile, is set to defend his WWE Championship against the winner of the 2020 Royal Rumble, Drew McIntyre. The two will clash at WrestleMania 36 on April 5.
This decision was made in the wake of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. WWE officially announced their decision to relocate ‘Mania after days of speculation following a meeting with Tampa officials last week.
They are the latest organisation forced to reschedule and postpone events due to the coronavirus. Other events, conventions, concerts and tours have been cancelled.
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WWE Hall of Famer and current RAW commentator Jerry “The King” Lawler has opened up about travelling during the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking with Memphis’ Local 24 News, Jerry Lawler opened up about WWE’s schedule during the outbreak. He confessed that he’s never experienced anything like this before. Lawler also talked about how pro wrestling and television provides people with a distraction during such a worrying time.
“I really don’t know what to think about this. I’ve been in the wrestling business for nearly 50 years and traveled and seen just about everything but I’ve never seen anything like this so far.”
Lawler continued, “I think all you have to do is ask anyone who sat on a Sunday with no sports on TV. It was just unbelievable. I don’t know how many times I sat there looking at my TV and said, ‘oh my gosh, what is happening here.’ I think that it’s a good diversion. It gives people something to take their mind off with all this bad news.”
WrestleMania 36 is set to take place on April 5 from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. It was initially meant to take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Both the Hall of Fame and NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay have been cancelled.
Scott Steiner made an appearance at New Era Wrestling in Jasper, Alabama this past weekend. It was his first public appearance since he collapsed at an Impact taping session a few weeks ago. At the show, Steiner took the opportunity to address his recent medical scare and subsequent hospitalization. He revealed how he had no recollection of Friday or Saturday night.
Scott Steiner’s Comeback Promo
“Everybody heard what happened last week. A lot of people came to me and said they were praying for me and gave me best wishes and I appreciate that,” Steiner said. “I tell you what. It happened on Friday night and I actually do not remember walking to the ring, talking, walking back to the ring, collapsing. I don’t remember Friday night, I don’t remember Saturday night.”
Steiner continued, “As I was sitting in the hospital bed, the doctor came up to me and said ‘the procedure that happened to you, normally you only have 80 percent chance of winning…of getting out of the bed…of living’ I said doc, every time I step in the ring I have a 140 and two-thirds chance of winning. What do you think my chances are of jumping out of this bed? So this goes to all my freaks in Jasper, Alabama. Big Poppa Pump is your hookup! Holla if you hear me!”
You can see the promo in the video below at approximately 8 minutes.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chris Jericho will be narrating the upcoming premiere of Dark Side of the Ring. Season 2 begins with a documentary focused on the Chris Benoit tragedy. Given the controversial nature of the subject, Jericho stressed that neither he nor the show is “glorifying a murderer.”
“I didn’t want to hear how I was glorifying a murderer. I don’t want to hear that I’m ignoring this murder. I wanted to talk, specifically, about his life and times, his intensity, and his successes within the ring,” Jericho explained to SI.com.
“We’re not glorifying a murderer. We’re telling the full story. It was done properly, it was done for the right reasons, and we were able to portray the full story, emphasizing the tragedy that much further.”
Chris Jericho On Chris Benoit & Eddie Guerrero’s Friendship
Jericho shared how the episode will also cover the death of Eddie Guerrero. He explained that the connection between Benoit and Guerrero made it impossible to tell a full story without mentioning both wrestlers.
“[…] half the story is the story of Eddie and the other half is of Chris. I think we did the right way of portraying this, reminding everyone there were people behind this, not just sensational murder coverage. There is a story to tell of a friendship and a family, and a guy that was not a monster. This was someone you could trust and that was very respected in the wrestling community amongst his peers.”
Chavo Guerrero’s Involvement
According to Chris Jericho, Chavo Guerrero was instrumental in the production of the episode. He noted how Chavo helped produce it and is the reason he agreed to be a part of the show.
“His mindset was, ‘If we don’t do this properly, it’s going to get done anyway. Let’s do it for the right reasons and do it the right way.’ I think he was spot on with that. Chavo was involved, which got me involved, and David Benoit and Nancy’s sister were involved, then I was able to get Dean and Dean’s wife, and Vickie.”
He continued, “Suddenly it became this noble project instead of a hack job, which is what the media tends to do in situations with someone they don’t know. We knew the person behind this, not just the murderer.”
Dark Side of the Ring airs on VICE TV on Tuesday nights. Season 2 starts next week with a two-hour special.
CM Punk says the door is still open for a possible in-ring return. The former WWE Champion recently appeared on the Swing & Mrs. Podcast, hosted by former Major League Baseball star Cody Decker and his wife/AEW commentator, Jennifer Decker.
When asked if he would consider lacing up his boots again, Punk said nobody has made him the right offer to draw him out of retirement.
“The answer changes,” Punk said. “It’s a very fluid answer. Currently, if the business was right and I had somebody that motivated me across the ring from me, I think, might be able to get it done. Nobody has dangled the correct carrot.”
As long as the money was right and his opponent was somebody he wanted to face, CM Punk confessed he could be open to the idea. He listed previous opponents such as Daniel Bran, John Cena and Rey Mysterio as people he’d like to face again. He also pointed to New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s Will Ospreay as a new challenge he’d be open to.
“As far as people that I’ve worked with before, if there was a clean slate, if the money was right, I think a guy like Daniel Bryan, I would go, ‘I would listen to your idea.’ If you said John Cena, I’d probably listen to your idea. Rey Mysterio, I would listen to your idea,” CM Punk said. “For people I haven’t ever wrestled before, I think Will Ospreay, I would listen to your idea.”
“There’s a lot of moving parts. I’m busy doing other stuff and nobody has found the right combination of ways to approach me. It’s not all up to me, ladies and gentlemen, it’s up to the people who actually run the company.”
Will Ospreay caught wind of Punk name dropping him as a possible opponent. The Aerial Assassin told Punk to mark January 4th on his calendar, the day of New Japan Pro Wrestling’s annual Wrestle Kingdom event.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has shared his thoughts on WWE moving WrestleMania 36 to the WWE Performance Center. Reflecting on how the show will take place in an empty PC, Booker T spoke about what a surreal experience it will be without fans in attendance.
“I’m just gonna keep it real on this. WrestleMania, of course, has always been about the payoff,” Booker T said during an episode of his podcast, The Hall of Fame.
“It’s always been about those great matches of course, but I always thought that WrestleMania was more so about the event, the spectacle for the crowd. The people to be a part of and for the fans not to be a part of WrestleMania is definitely going to be something I never thought I would witness in my lifetime because I always thought that was what WrestleMania was.”
Booker T also highlighted how WrestleMania has always featured stars, pointing at Muhammad Ali, Mr. T, Lawrence Taylor and Mike Tyson. He explained how WrestleMania has always been “another level” for everyone. He noted how it wasn’t just excitement for the fans, but that WWE Superstars looked forward to ‘Mania.
WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 5 from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. It was initially meant to take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Both the Hall of Fame and NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay have been cancelled.
AEW will present the first-time-ever type of episode for their weekly television show, Dynamite due to the circumstances of the coronavirus outbreak. There will be no fans in attendance but only essential staff.
Thus, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. The show is expected to start with Lucha Bros vs. Best Friends.
Although not confirmed, the belief is that The Inner Circle vs. The Elite in a six-man tag team match will serve as the headliner. The winners will be receiving the advantage for the “Blood & Guts” match on March 25.
AEW holds this show from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
The Inner Circle vs. The Elite – Six-Man Tag Team Match
Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy vs. The Butcher and The Blade
Lucha Bros vs. Best Friends
The reveal of The Exalted One, The Dark Order’s leader
AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds.
Join us here later tonight for our post-show AEW Dynamite Results and Takeaways feature.
Viewership data is in for this week’s episodes of Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night RAW.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
SmackDown Viewership
SmackDown averaged 2.470 million viewers on FOX in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. This is up from the 2.456 viewers that the show did for the previous week’s episode of SmackDown.
The show averaged 2.588 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was up from the 2.453 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.673 million viewers while the second hour did 2.503 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.579 million viewers while the second hour did 2.326 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.70 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from the 0.70 rating as last week’s show.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.335 million viewers at the same venue on the USA Network, which is up from the 2.163 million viewers the previous week. This show featured appearances by Edge, The Undertaker, and Steve Austin.
Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
