WWE programming, including WrestleMania 36 and NXT, has been relegated to the Performance Center for the foreseeable future as a result of the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak.
The most recent episodes of NXT, SmackDown and Raw have taken place at the training facility, with live matches and non-wrestling segments taking place in front of an empty venue with no fans in attendance. It has made for an interesting, at times eerie, setting for pro wrestling shows.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, WWE has already changed gears on this format and will be going in a new direction for Wednesday night’s NXT broadcast.
Meltzer says it is confirmed that this week’s NXT will feature no live matches. He wrote on Twitter, “Studio setting, interviews, personality profiles, old footage.”
NXT, AEW Affected by Coronavirus
WWE announced earlier this week that the upcoming NXT Takeover show from Tampa Bay, FL during WrestleMania weekend has been canceled. The 2020 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony is rumored to be taking place during SummerSlam weekend. However, WWE has yet to announce the fate of Takeover: Tampa Bay.
NXT will not feature any matches, but rival show AEW Dynamite will. Until further notice, AEW Dynamite will take place in closed-set locations. Wednesday’s show has been moved to the Daily’s Place Amphitheater in Jacksonville, FL.
Top items hyped for AEW Dynamite include the Inner Circle vs. The Elite in a match to determine which team gets the upper hand in next week’s Blood and Guts double steel cage match. We’ll aslso see the Lucha Bros vs. Best Friends and the big reveal regarding the identity of the Dark Order’s Exalted One.
NXT has had a tough year competing with AEW Dynamite. It will be interesting to see how the two shows fare this week in light of the unique formats.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of the Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the revelation that WrestleMania 36 will be held in front of no fans at the Performance Center in Florida.
Postponing WrestleMania
“They got to do it, I don’t think postponing WrestleMania is gonna work for them” Bully Ray began. “Who knows when it’s gonna get postponed to? I mean, this whole situation with coronavirus is so fluid [and] changing, day to day. We don’t know if we’re on a two week, four week or six week [situation]. Who knows how long we’re gonna have to practice this social distancing before things go back to normal?”
“You run into colliding with your own business”
– Bully Ray
Bully Ray would then talk about the actual logistics of ‘postponing’ WrestleMania. “If you start postponing WrestleMania too deep into the year? You run into colliding with your own business. [With] SummerSlam, you run into by obviously the start of Major League Baseball, NFL preseason. Which stadium is going to be available?”
“Remember the WrestleMania of 2020 at the Performance Center in front of no people?”
– Bully Ray
Bully Ray elaborated further, discussing the potential positives of the ‘no fans’ Mania. “This is going to be unique, it’s going to be different and in 50 years from now when we’re looking back on it? We’re going to say, remember the WrestleMania of 2020 at the Performance Center in front of no people? It’s gonna be unique, in some way, shape or form. This might be the way business is gonna be done in the WWE and all of wrestling that’s televised in the foreseeable future.
Coronavirus: A Benefit to WWE?
Bully would then finish by giving a very interesting take, saying that the situation may end up being beneficial for pro wrestling, especially WWE. “I think it’s actually going to help professional wrestling, and the WWE in an interesting way,” he said. That, I am not quite sure people are seeing. This is it because that there’s the opportunity now for more eyes to be on WrestleMania than ever before.”
He continued, “Because as you know there’s no other sporting events taking place, everyone’s kind of self contained they’re in their homes. Nobody’s venturing outside. So, you know people who haven’t watched wrestling the last 10 or 15 years and obviously, any wrestling fan?”
Bully Ray argues that some sports fans who are confined to their homes due to Coronavirus will purchase the WWE Network, watch WrestleMania 36 and like it so much that they’ll become regular viewers of RAW, SmackDown and NXT. Maybe?
“They’re gonna tune into WrestleMania 36 because there’s really no other choices or options. If you’re a sports fan. In the short term, that’s definitely one way I think it’ll benefit. People are going to be home, people are going to be basically hunkering down and quarantined to their homes. They’re going to be looking for some sort of entertainment so yes, we might get new viewers to the WWE Network we might get new viewers on pay per view we might get new viewers on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights for their products. But I think the interesting aspect of having no fans at the arenas, is that when the day comes when fans are allowed to go back to watch the WWE live, I think the floodgates are going to be open, you know, absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
Earlier this week, WWE announced some major changes to WrestleMania 36 weekend. As a result of the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak, WrestleMania will no longer take place ta the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, FL. Instead, the company’s biggest show of the year will be held at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL.
Two other Mania weekend events, NXT Takeover: Tampa Bay and the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony, are also affected.
Georgia Smith, daughter of WWE HOF Class of 2020 member “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, reveals that WWE is now considering SummerSlam weekend for this year’s Hall of Fame ceremony.
Smith noted that SummerSlam would be an appropriate setting for her father to be honored, a reference to his classic 1992 bout against Bret Hart from London’s Wembley Stadium.
WWE has since put out a statement addressing this report, simply reiterating that details about NXT Takeover and the Hall of Fame will be shared when they are available:
“The WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony and NXT TakeOver will not take place as previously scheduled. We will share further details as they become available.”
WWE RAW aired live from the Performance Center in Orlando. Stone Cold appeared on tonight’s episode.
WWE RAW Results (3/16)
Edge challenged Randy Orton to a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania
The Undertaker & AJ Styles signed the contract to make their WrestleMania match official
Rey Mysterio def. Andrade
The Man sent a message to Shayna Baszler
Kevin Owens will face Seth Rollins at WrestleMania
Stone Cold closed the show
Here are 6 takeaways from the show:
Edge Challenged Orton To A Last Man Standing Match At WrestleMania
Edge kicked off this week’s show and brought up his history with Randy Orton. Edge stated that it took a lot of grit to come back to WWE after being retired for 9-years. He referred to Orton to an entitled brat but added that he is one of the best to ever to do this. Edge
Edge claimed that Randy’s father handed him everything and it makes him jealous that Edge achieved success by hard work. Edge claimed that Beth Phoenix was going to retire for him again but Orton couldn’t let her finish what she was going to say. Edge challenged Orton to a Last Man Standing match at WrestleMania.
The Undertaker and AJ Styles signed the contract to make their WrestleMania match official on tonight’s episode of RAW. Undertaker came down to the ring and flipped over the table as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, WWE rolled clips of AJ Styles’ promo as Undertaker paced around in the ring. The Undertaker was pissed because there was no contract in the ring.
AJ’s music hit but Styles didn’t come down to the ring. AJ’s music hit again but he didn’t show up. Styles appeared on the jumbotron with Gallows and Anderson. Styles blamed Michelle McCool for Undertaker returning once again and claimed that he was going to embarrass himself.
Styles said that Undertaker needs to let it go and he has no sympathy for him because he has twice stuck his nose in The OC’s business. AJ stated that he will gladly pay for Undertaker’s assisted living costs after their match at WrestleMania. Styles signed the contract and asked Gallows & Anderson to take the contract to Undertaker but they declined.
AJ bullied them into doing it and they made their way to the ring. Gallows and Anderson slid the contract into the ring as Undertaker’s gong went off. The lights went out and Undertaker was behind Gallows and Anderson. Undertaker beat them down before signing the contract and shoving it Anderson’s mouth.
Match Recap: Andrade controlled the match early but Rey battled back some chops to the chest. Mysterio went for a Crossbody but Andrade caught him with a Dropkick for a near fall as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, Andrade connected with two Suplexes and went for a third but Rey countered into a Hurricanrana. Mysterio then hit 619 and followed it up with a Splash off the top rope for the pinfall victory.
Becky stated as long as she is the champ, nothing in Shayna’s world makes sense because she has gotten used to bullying her way to the top. Lynch referred to Shayna as an “animal scumbag” and claimed that she is the prey that killed it’s predator. Becky added that every action is designed to make Shayna think actually what she wants.
Lynch told Shayna to think of how it is going to feel when she beats her. Becky vowed to prove that Shayna’s whole life is a lie at WrestleMania and it is going to hit her like a truck. Shayna was shown backstage with a pissed off look on her face watching Becky exit the ring.
Kevin Owens was interviewed backstage during tonight’s RAW. Owens accepted Rollins’ challenge and announced that they will have a match at the Performance Center.
Owens said he has the home field advantage because Seth has never spent time at the PC. Kevin noted that he started his WWE career at the Performance Center and claimed that Rollins always doubted him and didn’t believe he would make it in WWE.
Kevin vowed to beat Rollins in the same building where he earned his place in WWE and he is going to do it at WrestleMania.
Stone Cold returned in the final segment of this week’s episode of RAW. Austin came down to the ring with a beer in hand and took a swig before getting in the ring.
Austin posed in the corners of the ring before someone threw him a few beers. Stone Cold chugged both beers and then fell backwards to the canvas. Austin grabbed a microphone and joked that he was already out of breath because of his entrance.
Stone Cold declared that March 16th is now a national holiday and asked the empty crowd to give him a “hell yeah!”. Byron Saxton shouted “hell yeah!” and Austin gave him the “what?” treatment.
Steve stated that 3:16 day was all about giving people the middle finger and Saxton held up a gigantic sign with the number 8 on it. Austin thanked Byron for participating and giving him ratings. Austin stated that you can open up a can of whoop ass on anyone you want and Byron gave that one a 6.
Austin said that the speed limit is only a suggestion and Saxton gave him a 10. Stone Cold added that 3:16 day is when your boss is working for you and Bryon gave that one a 7. Stone Cold announced that you can have beer instead of your morning coffee and Byron gave that an 8. Saxton gave a 5 for Stone Cold suggesting that four letter words are always acceptable on 3:16 day.
Stone Cold invited Saxton down to the ring and grabbed a couple more beers. Saxton said he was just being honest and loved Austin. Steve Austin told Byron that he appreciates his effort on the broadcast and toasted Saxton. Austin then hit him with a Stunner and drank some more beer.
Becky Lynch brought a cooler of beers to the ring and joined Austin. Stone Cold pointed out that the last time he was in the ring with Becky she hit him with a Stunner. The two then chugged some beers and Austin hit Byron with another Stunner to close the show.
Opinion: While it was great to see Stone Cold back, this segment was pretty terrible. WWE aired the entire men’s Royal Rumble match once again during tonight’s show. At the very least, WWE is providing a welcome distraction from the craziness going on right now. The shows may not be the best but it is better than nothing.
Steve Austin made his return to WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night RAW, in a special episode of the series.
He did so on the show that was held in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on the USA Network. This marked the first time that WWE has aired RAW from their training facility, which was due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
Steve Austin Celebrates 3:16 Day
Steve Austin’s returned to WWE programming to celebrate 3:16 Day (March 16th), commemorating his famous Austin 3:16 catchphrase. Austin is known for coming out to packed houses of screaming fans, but this night was different. Austin came out to empty bleachers in the Performance Center. He drank some beer and declared that 3:16 Day is now a national holiday.
He then read some cards that described the significance of 3:16 Day. The new holiday is symbolized by various rebellious activities, such as flipping people off, making your boss work for you and speeding in your car.
As this was going on, Bryon Saxton was holding up cards with numbers to rate what Austin was saying. This eventually led to Austin inviting Saxton down to the ring. Austin shared a beer with Saxton and then nailed him with a Stole Cold Stunner.
Steve Austin later shared a moment of mutual respect with RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. The two stars saluted each other in the middle of the ring with a few beers.
Austin made a few appearances on RAW last year including for the special RAW Reunion at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
My sincere apologies to @ByronSaxton for kicking him dead square in the balls. I don’t know what hurts worse, his balls or my foot. I will go in for X-Rays tomorrow. Byron, Ice em down for 20 minutes every other hour. That’s what Vince did. All the best. #316day
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE WrestleMania 36 PPV event.
During Monday’s episode of RAW on the USA Network, WWE had Kevin Owens cut a backstage promo about how he accepts Seth Rollins’ challenge and that he has decided for the match to take place at the biggest event of the year.
He talked about how the show now being held from the Performance Center makes sense as this is where his WWE journey started.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
Updated WWE WrestleMania 36 Card
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Universal Champion Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler
After weeks of speculation, WWE has confirmed The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles for its biggest event of the year, WrestleMania 36.
WWE confirmed the match on Monday’s episode of RAW on the USA Network when the two stars signed a contract for the contest.
After Styles signed the contract in the backstage area, he sent Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows to the ring to give Taker the contract. Taker took them out before signing it.
Their first encounter came at the Super ShowDown show last month when Taker attacked Styles in the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy Gauntlet Match by hitting a chokeslam then pinned him to not only win the match but to kick off his next feud under the WWE banner.
Fast forward, Taker also cost Styles his No DQ Match against Aleister Black when Taker made the save for Black.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. Here’s the card:
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Universal Champion Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler
CM Punk wasted little time in having some fun at the expense of Roman Reigns on social media.
WWE made big news when they issued a statement on Monday as it was announced that WrestleMania 36 will still take place as scheduled but will take place at a different location.
It was originally scheduled to take place at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. However, it was moved due to the coronavirus and will now air live at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida with no live audience.
CM Punk took to his official Twitter account where he wrote, “Well that’s one way to make sure Roman finally gets not booed and nobody chants for meeeeeee.”
Punk’s reference was about Reigns being heavily booed by fans on numerous occasions including previous WrestleMania events in which he either won or was challenging for the WWE Title.
CM Punk won’t be appearing on Tuesday’s episode of WWE Backstage on FS1 due to the production of the show being halted due to the coronavirus. There’s no word yet on when the show will return.
Reigns is slated to challenge Goldberg for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 36. This is expected to be one of the top matches featured on the card.
In the wake of the news regarding the status of WrestleMania 36, WWE has confirmed that two events that were originally slated to take place as part of the weekend have been postponed.
The Hall of Fame ceremony for the 2020 class of inductees was slated to take place on April 2, 2020 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The NXT TakeOver: Tampa show was supposed to go down on Saturday, April 4 from the same arena.
Pwinsider.com was able to obtain a statement from the company on Monday that confirmed these events are off. You can read the statement here:
“The WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony and NXT TakeOver will not take place as previously scheduled. We will share further details as they become available.”
This announcement comes after WWE confirmed that WrestleMania 36 will still take place as scheduled but will take place at a different location. It will now air live at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida with no live audience.
WWE never announced any matches for NXT TakeOver: Tampa. However, WWE had already confirmed several members for this year’s Hall of Fame class.
Although not confirmed, the belief is that the Hall of Fame ceremony will take place at a later date:
Batista
The nWo (Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman)
After days of speculation, WWE has confirmed that WrestleMania 36 will indeed take place but from a different location.
On Monday, the company issued a statement that noted the show will take place from the Performance Center next month. WWE had to make the change due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, which has been impacting their event schedule since last week.
The virus has forced sports leagues and arenas to shut down during this time. WWE has been and likely planning on airing their shows – RAW, NXT & SmackDown – from the training facility.
WWE issued the following:
“In coordination with local partners and government officials, WrestleMania and all related events in Tampa Bay will not take place. However, WrestleMania will still stream live on Sunday, April 5 at 7 pm ET on WWE Network and be available on pay-per-view. Only essential personnel will be on the closed set at WWE’s training facility in Orlando, Florida to produce WrestleMania.”
Updated WWE WrestleMania 36 Card
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Universal Champion Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler
Original Story: There are plenty of rumors going around regarding the status of WrestleMania 36.
Currently, “The Show Of Shows” is scheduled to go down on April 5 from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. However, due to the current coronavirus pandemic, it has been recommended that, for the time being, people avoid assemblies of more than 10 people. WrestleMania is expected to attract anywhere upwards of 70,000 fans. Other sports leagues such as the NBA, NHL, MLB, and more have decided to either cancel or postpone their seasons for the time being.
However, WWE has yet to make a final decision on their biggest show of the year. With that being said, a recent report from PWInsider has debunked several rumors that are making their way around the internet. For starters, there has been chatter that WrestleMania 36 could be moved to New York inside Madison Square Garden on March 22. MSG has shut down operations, so that is off the table.
There have also been rumblings that WrestleMania could be headed to Saudi Arabia. The report notes there’s nothing to this rumor. As for the talk of WrestleMania taking place from their Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, the idea has been pitched but it’s unknown if that remains a possibility. Finally, there has been some speculation of WrestleMania being moved to June this year.
Mike Johnson’s report states June 7 is a date rumored among WWE talent but the report can’t confirm this. Vince McMahon is reportedly adamant that the show goes on on April 5.
Former AEW Champion Chris Jericho recently spoke to commentator Excalibur as part of the Talk Is Jericho weekly podcast. Jericho spoke to the masked man about founding PWG (Pro Wrestling Guerilla) as well as his stint thus far in the new upstart All Elite brand.
Chris Jericho’s Influence In AEW
The conversation would segue into Chris Jericho’s own backstage roles within the company. “I have a much bigger role in the shaping and creative of Dynamite than I ever did in WWE” Jericho began. “Not just for my own stuff, but everything. Production elements, music, light switches, vignettes and all that sort of stuff.”
“We have a whole group of people that are basically starting this from scratch, how do you do that?”
– Chris Jericho
Jericho would finish discussing how the AEW team as a whole has stepped up to the challenge of weekly live television and PPV. “We have a whole group of people that are basically starting this from scratch, how do you do that?” Jericho stated.
“Some things are going to be perfect. Other things are going to need stuff to work, you have to shape and work on it better. But I’ve really seen a difference from a whole crew that had never really experienced live TV yourself (Excalibur) included. Very few of us: Jim Ross, Cody Rhodes, Jericho, Dustin Rhodes, Jon Moxley dealt with it in WWE, [Also] Jake Hager. But most of us haven’t, so to see that come together so quickly, has been really cool to experience and be a part of it.”
There have been recent reports that indicate Jericho has held ‘talent meetings’ with regards to the in-ring product for AEW.
“I called a team meeting…the lack of tags and normal tag team wrestling psychology drove me nuts. It’s sort of making excuses for The Lucha Brothers because tagging in and out, they’re lazy, they don’t care.”
Do you think that the in-ring and production elements of AEW have improved over the first few months? Let us know in the comments
Original Story: The coronavirus outbreak has thwarted the sports world, and a decision has yet to be made on WrestleMania 36.
While leagues such as the NBA, NFL, NHL, and more have all decided to postpone or cancel their seasons altogether, the likes of WWE and the UFC are holding empty arena shows. However, that’s likely not something the WWE would want to do with its biggest show of the year, and the biggest show of the year for professional wrestling overall, in WrestleMania.
Currently, WrestleMania 36 is scheduled to go down on April 5 from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. WrestleMania 36 is expected to hold about 70,000 people, which is a very risky prospect given the current coronavirus pandemic. With that being said, TMZ reports that WrestleMania 36 has not been canceled as of today, and WWE is exploring other options. Nothing is set in stone yet, but WWE is considering a no-fan show.
WWE has already done this with last week’s episode of SmackDown Live, and will also do this for tonight’s Monday Night Raw. Of course, WWE could also postpone WrestleMania to a later date, but that presents an entirely different set of problems. It will certainly be interesting to see what WWE decides to do when it’s all said and done.
AEW continues to postpone upcoming episodes of their weekly television show on TNT, Dynamite.
The company did so again Monday with the April 15th episode from Boston, which will have to be rescheduled for another date due to the coronavirus.
What to take away from this statement is the fact that they noted all upcoming Dynamite episodes will be held without fans and essential personnel only.
As noted earlier this week, it looks like AEW’s big Blood and Guts double steel cage match is still happening. This week’s edition of Dynamite will feature The Elite vs. The Inner Circle, with the winners earning an advantage for Blood and Guts.
AEW issued the following statement on Twitter regarding the cancelation of the April 15th Dynamite from Boston:
AEW DYNAMITE: 4/15 BOSTON RESCHEDULED
As a precautionary measure against COVID-19, the AEW DYNAMITE show on April 15 in Boston, MA, will be relocated. The relocated show will be televised live on TNT on April 15. Until further notice, live episodes of DYNAMITE will be produced at closed set locations with essential personnel only.
The DYNAMITE show in Boston will be rescheduled for Wednesday, August 5, at Agganis Arena. Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Boston show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on August 5. Additional details will be forthcoming.
We appreciate your understanding as the safety and well-being of our fans and talent is always our top priority. We will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation related to COVID-19 and be guided by government officials, health organizations and venue management.”
This comes a few days after the promotion announced that Wednesday’s episode from Rochester, NY and then the special edition of the show, Blood & Guts, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey the following week on March 25th will have to find new locations.
Due to concerns about the coronavirus, these changes have been made.
Alberto Del Rio made some interesting comments during a recent appearance on Nos Cayó La Noche in Mexico.
During the interview, not only did he claim that he’s in talks with WWE about a potential return to the company but also gave a timetable as to when this could happen.
It should be noted that there haven’t been any recent reports about his return.
“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.”
Del Rio has had two stints with the company. His previous run ended on bad terms. Since that time, he made some negative comments about the company and Triple H.
However, he has since apologized for his comments towards Triple H.
Del Rio is coming off a loss to former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Tito Ortiz in December by first-round rear-naked choke submission in a 210 catchweight bout.
We have several backstage notes to pass along from last week’s episode of WWE SmackDown Live.
Of course, last week’s episode was filmed inside the empty WWE Performance Center from Florida due to the coronavirus outbreak. Sports leagues and major events all over the country have been either canceled, postponed, or relocated due to the pandemic. However, the likes of WWE and the UFC continue on with their events, for now, in front of empty arenas.
With that being said, a report from Fightful sheds some light on what went down during the “on the fly” episode of SmackDown last week from the empty WWE PC. Friday was reportedly very much a feeling out process for things, and as of Saturday, tonight’s Monday Night Raw is expected to be very different from how SmackDown operated last week.
WWE also had a crew of dozens at the PC to prep for SmackDown, and there were several Superstars who were not on the broadcast that were brought to the show anyway on Friday. The report adds that, after speaking to numerous NXT talents, they have learned NXT stars were not at Friday’s show and were not given any instruction as to whether or not they were allowed, or should be at the show.
Fightful also was able to obtain a video of the Israeli broadcast of the program. There, it could be seen that the action stopped during commercial breaks, the likes of Michael Cole on commentary could be heard asking for feedback on how things sounded, the referee was switching tag ropes to different corners – forcing teams to switch accordingly – and Triple H could be heard referencing that the talent was working to the audiences that aren’t there rather than the cameras, suggesting someone buzz them in on that.
Finally, the report notes that the original plan didn’t have so much Triple H involvement on-screen. Initially, the plan was to have more guests featured instead. However, after seeing the positive feedback on social media and the chemistry “The Game” brought to the table, the decision was made to have him stick around for the entire show.
Eric Bischoff has not taken lightly to the All Elite Wrestling’s president Tony Khan’s comments. Khan had recently told the Financial Times that he plans to run the company in a different way than Eric Bischoff ran World Championship Wrestling when he was the president.
This statement didn’t sit too well with Bischoff, who has responded back to Khan on a recent episode of his podcast, 83 Weeks with Eric Bischoff.
Back in late February, Bischoff said that he AEW had a long way to go to even reach WCW’s success. Bischoff said that Khan has not been in the wrestling industry for years like him, and he isn’t sure that Khan would be able to change the wrestling industry.
“Call me in a couple of years and let me know how you’ve changed the industry. Call me in a couple of years when your show is one of the top, if not the top original piece of programming on the TNT network,” Bischoff said. “Call me in a couple of years when you’re number two, number three, number four in all of the cable programming for the night in primetime, and then let’s talk about it. But until then, hmm, I’ll just have another cup of coffee and see what happens.”
After this scathing statement, Bischoff just couldn’t let go and talked about the matter again on the next episode of his podcast which aired last week. Bischoff stated that WWE wouldn’t have been the company that it is today if not for the pressure, the influence, and the template that Bischoff thinks WCW created that made the whole industry competitive and took things to the next level.
Bischoff said that Tony is doing what he did, such as using pay-per-view event names similar to WCW’s, a “low budget Nitro,” paying huge amounts of money to stars that they have never been paid before, etc.
Bischoff said, “You’re still seeing the impact of early Nitro across the board including in AEW as much as they try to suggest, as Tony Khan did recently, that we’re gonna do everything different than Eric Bischoff did. Well, guess what m-fer? You’re doing about as much as I did than anyone else in the industry.”
Bischoff continued by explaining that many of WCW Nitro’s innovations are being employed by WWE and AEW to this day.
“I’m not defensive about that. I think it’s just a fact when you look at things objectively. The things we did on Nitro [are what] you’re still seeing today. They’re things that change the nature, the landscape [and] the entire industry, and I think it’s even fairer to say, now that I’m into my third Starbucks, WWE wouldn’t be the company that it is today had it not been for the pressure, the influence and quite frankly the template we created that they were able to follow and take to the next level, so there I’m off my soapbox. Sorry.”
You can listen to a clip of Eric Bischoff talking about Tony Khan and WCW’s influence on AEW/WWE below:
Monday’s episode of RAW will no doubt be an interesting show due to the circumstances that not only WWE is in but the world due to the coronavirus.
WWE has already confirmed that due to the outbreak of the virus, only essential personnel will be there. It also means that no fans will be in attendance just like last week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
The company has announced three segments for the show with three big names slated to appear. However, no matches have been confirmed for the show.
As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for RAW.
WWE holds this show in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Steve Austin returns to celebrate 3/16.
The Undertaker and AJ Styles will be doing a contract signing for their WrestleMania 36 match
Edge is in town and will appear on this show in order to continue his pursuit of Randy Orton.
WWE will also be building on the hype for existing feuds that will take place heading into the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event despite the high chance of this show being postponed.
Join us here later tonight for our WWE RAW Results and Takeaways feature.
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley has reflected on her experiences wrestling in front of an empty WWE Performance Center. Last week’s episode of SmackDown was relocated to the WWE PC in the wake of coronavirus concerns. Tonight’s 3:16 edition of Monday Night RAW has done the same.
Taking to Instagram, Bayley shared her feelings on the situation, stressing how “first is forever.”
“First is forever. I’m not gonna brag about the fact that @sashabankswwe and I opened Friday Night SmackDown (live on FOX) with a big ol victory (classic), in the house that we built (the Performance Center…literally we put together the rings and stuff), in front of good ol Papa Hunter and (apparently Paige’s travel agent) Michael Cole, with zero fans in the audience due to the terrible circumstances going on in our world, we did what we do best no matter what is asked of us because we are professionals, superstars, role models…no, no, no, I won’t talk about any of that.
BUT it was something I will remember forever. I was very proud to be a part of that whole night. Wrestling is something wild/special/crazy. @WWE”
At the time of writing, Bayley does not have a championship matchup scheduled for WrestleMania 36. WWE met with Tampa officials last week to discuss options and alternatives due to the coronavirus pandemic. Following their discussion, Tampa officials have claimed they may have to “pull the plug” on the event.
WWE Superstar The Big Show has credited Brock Lesnar with helping to reignite his career. Big Show made the revelation after joining Corey Graves for his WWE podcast, After the Bell.
“I owe my entire resurgence of my career to Brock Lesnar,” Big Show confessed. “For the longest time, I was still napalm when I came back from OVW, and Brock’s main event [opponent] somehow got stuck on a plane. Jack Lanza, in a house show, threw me in with Brock, and Brock and I tore the house down.”
He continued, “Just before that I was working mid-card. I was working body-slam matches and stuff like that. I filled in for that main event, and Brock and I literally tore the freaking house down because Brock can flat out go.”
The Big Show Recalls Brock Lesnar Wanting To Work With Him
Big Show praised Lesnar, pointing out how he “gets it,” comparing his ability to Kurt Angle. He argued that their wrestling backgrounds helped make them a better in-ring performer. Reflecting on their time working together, Big Show remembered how Lesnar requested to work with him and how he felt WWE wasn’t utilizing him.
“[…] they were asking Brock who’s you next opponent he said, ‘I want to work with Show. He’s a giant. He can work. You guys are just sleeping on him.’ Brock and I started working tearing the house down. It changed a lot of people’s perceptions of who I was as a talent and who I was as an individual. I really owe that break because of Brock. I don’t think that’s something I’ve ever told on any podcast so there you go.”
At the time of writing, The Big Show doesn’t have a scheduled match at WrestleMania 36. Lesnar, however, is set to defend his WWE Championship against Drew McIntyre. The event is intended to take place on April 5 from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
XFL was no exception to the sporting world’s ravagement by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Pretty much every professional and top collegiate organization has shut down its activities during the outbreak for the foreseeable future.
Vince McMahon’s football league began play in late winter 2020. On March 12, 2020, the league had to cancel the remainder of its regular season games due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The teams got to play five games only, but the players will be paid their base salary for the rest of the season according to an announcement by XFL. Ticket holders will be given refunds or credit that they can redeem for attending future games.
The company has also announced that players who receive a “credible contractual offer” from the NFL (National Football League) or the CFL (Canadian Football League) would be allowed to sign with those teams, and if the offer is submitted to the XFL. There’s a clause to this, however, and that being that the players would be required to return to their XFL squads if the league could hold its own championship games.
Originally, XFL contracts said that the players could not sign with NFL teams until after the XFL playoffs are over.
“The XFL is committed to playing a full season in 2021 and future years,” the league said in a statement.
Undisputed Era members Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly have discussed what makes their teamwork so well. Joining WWE’s The Bump, the duo also explained why they believe they are one of the top teams in the world.
“What me and Bobby have is special,” O’Reilly said. “We’ve been a tag team since 2012. We’ve been all over the world. As far as I’m concerned, we’re one of the top two greatest tag teams of all time.”
His partner, Fish, added how their chemistry isn’t something people can “fabricate.” He said how the brotherhood that exists between them and their other stablemates Roderick Strong and NXT Champion Adam Cole is “real.” “I think people feel that,” he said. “I think people understand that, and that’s why we’re successful as we are.”
Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish On Making History, Dream Opponents
O’Reilly explained how, as a team, he and Fish are “the judge, jury and executioner of the tag team division.” He stressed that this has been the case when they first arrived and that it will stay that way for the foreseeable future. “We’re going to become the first, four-time NXT champions. All we do here is make history.”
With the team having proved to be so dominant in the black-and-gold brand in the past, the two have casually looked at both RAW and SmackDown for potential opponents. O’Reilly shared how he would love a matchup with The New Day or The Usos. He believes either matchup could prove to be “something very special.”
All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan has explained how the promotion is focused on being their own competition. Appearing on AEW’s official podcast, Unrestricted, Khan also noted how they don’t want to oversaturate the market. For now, a two-hour show is the “perfect amount of TV.”
“I also don’t want to oversaturate. I think there’s a sweet spot, so I’m never going to try to produce so many shows that you can’t keep track of what we’re doing. To me, a two hour Dynamite and now, the new one hour show we’re going to develop, is the perfect amount of TV,” Khan said.
Tony Khan On AEW Being Their Own Competition
Tony Khan explained how there are plans in place to release new things on YouTube and BR Live. Ultimately, however, he believes AEW’s current output of Dynamite and Dark allows them to keep creating a consistent, strong product.
“We’re our own opponent. At the end of the day, people talk about you’re in a wrestling war or whatever, we just have to do the best show we can do.”
He continued, “We’re competing with ourselves to do the best shows we can, and when we haven’t done stuff that made sense or wasn’t our best work, we’ve had to refocus and say, here’s why that didn’t work and never do that again.”
Booker T is of the opinion that the former President of World Championship Wrestling Eric Bischoff doesn’t deserve to be inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame.
Speaking on the Hall of Fame podcast on ESPN, Booker T said that while he doesn’t really have a bad thing to say about Eric Bischoff he, just thinks that Bischoff doesn’t deserve to be inducted into the HOF because of how he handled WCW. According to Booker T, the end of the promotion began when Bischoff wrote himself in an on-screen storyline. According to Booker, there’s no way one can manage a company when they’re in the middle of it, heavily involved as an on-screen personality.
“I just thought that was the recipe for disaster, and the demise at the end of the day, for WCW. I just don’t know, people can say ‘well Vince McMahon, he played a part in the company.’ Well, it was his money. It was his company. Eric Bischoff was hired to do a certain job, and I say the same thing about Vince Russo.”
Booker T then touched on other things that he thought Eric Bischoff did wrong with WCW, such as hiring Vince Russo as a writer for the promotion. Russo also wrote himself into storylines and even won the WCW Heavyweight Championship. Booker T thinks that Bischoff should just have never been part of the company in this way, as far as he is concerned, Bischoff should have just had just stayed as the creator.
After Russo’s arrival in the promotion, the ratings went plummeting down. Top stars of the company were unhappy with their position and how the management was handling them.
Eric Bischoff will probably respond to Booker T’s comments via his 83 Weeks podcast, so that is something to look forward to.
The Montreal Screwjob, which was a result of Bret Hart signing a contract with WCW, is one of the most famous events in the history of professional wrestling.
However, the WCW run of the former World Champion that followed was a disappointment for many fans and despite him winning the WCW title two times during his time with the company, his tenure there is often described as lackstar.
WWE recently published a clip of Bret Hart’s upcoming interview with Steve Austin on Broken Skull Sessions. During the interview, the wrestling veteran talked about his disappointing run with the company, saying that they didn’t know what to do with him:
“There was so much talent I could have worked with—Booker T, [Hulk] Hogan—I should have worked with Hogan, right away, I should have had Hulk Hogan in a sharpshooter and done some big numbers with him. I went into WCW, I had more heat
I had wrestled you at WrestleMania 13, I beat Undertaker at SummerSlam, I knocked Vince [McMahon] out, I didn’t really lose to Shawn [Michaels].” recalled Bret Hart. “I had so much heat and they just didn’t know what the hell to do with me.”
Bret Hart had signed a three-year contract with WCW when he originally joined the company in December 1997. However, his run didn’t last that long.
He suffered a career-ending injury during his match with Goldberg at Starrcade 1999, and his WCW contract was terminated on October 2000.
