Former Impact World Heavyweight Champion Sami Callihan has declared he will not be performing until the coronavirus pandemic has been contained.
Callihan shared his intentions via his Twitter account, stressing how “safety is the most important thing” for all concerned. He shared how he won’t be doing any wrestling shows before asking everyone to be as safe as possible.
“F–k characters, f–ks storylines…. our safety is the most important thing. Until this gets better I’m not going to ANY wrestling shows. I beg the world to be as safe as possible in this extremely scary time. Let’s join together like never before. We can get through this.”
Sami Callihan later sent a follow-up Tweet, noting how his family, pets, and himself were all more important than “fake fighting our underwear.”
“My family… my animals… myself is more important than fake fighting in our underwear. I’m sorry. I’m not going to show until this in contained. I hope everyone does the same. The world. Our loves. Is not worth it.”
Coronavirus Pandemic
Several events worldwide have been affected by the coronavirus. Concerts, conventions and entire sports seasons have all been postponed, rescheduled and cancelled in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.
Although WrestleMania 36 still seems to be going ahead, plenty of other promotions have taken action to help combat spreading the virus. New Japan Pro-Wrestling has cancelled several New Japan Cup events, and ROH has recently cancelled their 18th Anniversary pay-per-view.
The Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group decided against calling off any major events in the Tampa area in their meeting on Thursday which means that WrestleMania 36 can go on as planned.
WWE Officials also seem to be committed towards moving ahead
with the show as scheduled, though they have confirmed that they have
contingency plans in place if the local authorities decide to cancel the show.
The company recently released a statement on the matter saying that they remain committed to hosting WrestleMania on April 5 as planned while also mentioning that they are monitoring the situation closely:
“While we remain committed to hosting WrestleMania at
Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, April 5, we are putting contingency plans in
place in the event that it is cancelled by government officials, civil
authorities and/or local venues.
The health and safety of our fans, performers and employees are our top priorities and we are monitoring the situation closely with our partners and government officials in Tampa Bay,”
While the company seems to be planning to move forward with WrestleMania, they have confirmed that this week’s episode of SmackDown is moving to the performance center with no live audience due to the epidemic.
Not only that but the company has also canceled a Live Event
scheduled for this Sunday and it’s very likely that more events will be
cancelled or rescheduled in near future.
WWE recently published a new episode of their If It’s On The Internet series where The Big Show reveals whether the rumors about him on the internet are true or false.
During the session, Big Show discussed a number of rumors about his wrestling career, like if his original WWE contract included a guaranteed WrestleMania main event.
He was asked about rumors of WCW officials considering calling him Andre The Giant Jr. Replying to it, the former World Champion confirmed that it was true and revealed that he was very close to being given the name:
“Very close. It was very close. They were trying to figure out what to call me because they wanted to do the storyline that I was the son of Andre. I remember I was very conflicted about that because at that time I was very naive and didn’t want to lie to anyone.”
When asked about the rumored match between him and Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 23, Show admitted that it was true: “That’s true. But that was mostly rumors I heard from the office. I really didn’t get any specifics on it but it was heavily talked about.”
Apart from this, Big Show also revealed if he ever considered leaving WWE for a boxing career and more. You can check out the episode of the series featuring the giant below:
The coronavirus outbreak has been affecting sporting events across the globe and just in the last 24 hours, both the NBA and XFL have suspended their ongoing seasons.
Not only that but the promotion has also canceled Sunday’s live event in Youngstown, Ohio and more events are expected to be rescheduled or canceled in the coming times.
These changes are expected to affect the company’s financial performance and so the officials are trying to assure the investors that they are prepared to handle the situation.
The company recently released a statement regarding the epidemic affecting their business and revealed that they have financial resources available in cash and debt capacity to manage the challenges ahead, totalling in more than $0.5 billion.
You can check out their full statement below:
WWE Statement on Potential Impact of COVID-19
WWE (NYSE: WWE) today communicated perspective regarding the potential impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s financial performance.
WWE has substantial financial resources, both available cash and debt capacity, which currently total more than $0.5 billion, to manage the challenges ahead. The fundamentals of the Company’s business remain strong reflecting the passion of WWE’s fans and the quality of its content. Management continues to believe the Company is well positioned to take full advantage of the changing media landscape and increasing value of live sports rights over the longer term.
The health and safety of WWE’s fans, performers and employees are the Company’s top priorities and management is monitoring the situation closely domestically and internationally. The potential impact of COVID-19, and corresponding changes in the way WWE operates, may adversely impact the Company’s business including, but not limited to, its live event ticket sales and the sale of merchandise at those events.
It should be noted that the Company may be directed to cancel, postpone or relocate certain upcoming events and the number of these changes is unknown at this time. The Company is currently unable to quantify the potential financial impact of COVID-19, but the financial impact to the Company may be material.
Accordingly, the Company is withdrawing its previously announced first quarter and full year 2020 guidance due to the increased uncertainty of the financial impact of COVID-19 to the Company.
WWE has confirmed that this week’s episode of SmackDown Live from Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan has been canceled due to coronavirus and the show will be aired from the Performance Center instead.
The company revealed the news via a short statement on Twitter, announcing that the show will air with no live audience and only the essential personnel will be in attendance:
“SmackDown on March 13 will air live as regularly
scheduled and emanate from WWE’s training facility in Orlando, FL, with only
essential personnel in attendance. The event was originally scheduled in
Detroit, MI.”
Friday Night SmackDown Proceeds With No Live Audience
Friday Night SmackDown on March 13 will air live as regularly scheduled and emanate from WWE’s training facility in Orlando, FL, with only essential personnel in attendance. The event was originally scheduled in Detroit, MI. pic.twitter.com/o9mR2SNhAj
The reports of WWE moving the show had first come out earlier yesterday but the company had released a statement on the matter, denying any such change at the time.
Though they had mentioned that they were putting contingency
plans in place and now the company has confirmed that the show is being moved
to WWE PC In Orlando, Florida.
This week’s episode of NXT also aired from Performance Center though the reason for it was different. Triple H had confirmed that The Full Sail University which is the regular venue for the show had a previous commitment, forcing the change.
The line up for this week’s SmackDown includes the return of
John Cena and Jeff Hardy as well as a segment with Paige confronting the
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley.
Triple H is generally considered to be the successor of Vince McMahon. However, the latest news on the matter is not very positive for the Game and reports suggest that he has been given “quiet demotion” within the company recently.
According to reports from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The former World Champion’s roles within the company have changed recently and his job title has been edited as well.
Triple H had been working as the Executive Vice President of
Talent, Live Events & Creative since 2013 and he also has the Senior
Producer and creator role with NXT.
However, things have changed recently and the former Evolution member has been given the edited job title of Executive Vice President of Global Talent Development & Strategy.
His main job was being the head of talent relations but The Game has now been moved away from this role and his main duties now are the operation of NXT, selling the NXT TV rights to oversees partners, and overseeing the global expansion of the NXT brand.
Brad Blum, who is Vince McMahon’s Chief of Staff, has taken
over Triple H’s previous duties which include the duties of negotiating
contracts with talents.
This is a big change and according to the report, people within the company have called it a “quiet demotion” for Triple H.
This change had been kept quiet for almost 5 months before
finally being revealed in an SEC filling and the situation has been described
as ‘curious’.
AEW has announced the relocation of two scheduled episodes of Dynamite.
All Elite Wrestling was slated to hold next week’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.
However, due to concerns about the coronavirus, those shows have been moved. Next week’s show will take place in Jacksonville, FL from Daily’s Place. The location of the Blood & Guts is unknown at this time.
“As a precautionary measure against COVID-19, we are relocating next week’s AEW DYNAMITE show on March 18 from Rochester, NY, to Jacksonville, FL. Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Rochester show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on July 8. Additional details will be forthcoming.
In addition, the DYNAMITE show on March 25 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, will be relocated to a new venue, which will be announced shortly. This show will be televised live on TNT on March 25, and be managed under a restricted attendance policy. The DYNAMITE show in Newark will be rescheduled for Wednesday, July 22, at the Prudential Center.
Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Newark show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on July 22. 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.”
The Prudential Center issued the following statement about shutting the arena down:
While John Cena landed one of the biggest movie roles thus far in his acting career, fans will have to wait even longer to watch it.
The former WWE Champion joined the cast of “Fast & Furious 9.” Vin Diesel, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, and more star in the film.
The film, which will be the ninth installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise, was scheduled to be released on May 22, 2020, by Universal Pictures.
That all changed on Thursday when the franchise issued a statement announcing that the film’s global release date has been delayed until April 2021 and it will open on April 2, 2021 in the United States due to the coronavirus.
“To our family of Fast fans everywhere, We feel all the love and the anticipation you have for the next chapter in our saga.
That’s why it’s especially tough to let you know that we have to move the release date of the film. It’s become clear that it won’t be possible for all of our fans around the world to see the film this May.
We are moving the global release date to April 2021, with North America opening on April 2. While we know there is disappointment in having to wait a little while longer, this move is made with the safety of everyone as our foremost consideration.
Moving will allow our global family to experience our new chapter together. We’ll see you next spring. Much love, Your Fast Family”
While Cena will be joined the cast, there won’t be one familiar face featured and that’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as he will not be returning in the film.
The card for Friday’s (March 13, 2020) ROH 18th Anniversary Show has been finalized but the show has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns.
Ring of Honor was slated to hold its latest pay-per-view event of the year at the Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was supposed to headlined by ROH World Heavyweight Champion Rush vs. Mark Haskins.
ROH announced the cancellation of the show with the following statement:
“Dear ROH Family,
After much consideration and consultation with local officials regarding COVID-19, ROH has decided to cancel this weekend’s 18th Anniversary (Friday, March 13th) and Past vs Present (Saturday, March 14th) shows at Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas.
This extremely difficult decision was made in conjunction with the most recent developments surrounding COVID-19, known as the Coronavirus.
While the marquee “18th Anniversary” and the very special “Past v Present” events were ready to show the world why Ring of Honor is truly the “Best Professional Wrestling on the Planet,” the safety and health of our fans, talents and staff are always our utmost priority.
Additional Information will be provided as soon as possible regarding refunds and potential rescheduling of the events that were set to transpire this weekend.
Once again, thank you for understanding and we truly appreciate your continued patronage and support.”
Other top matches featured on the card included ROH TV Champion Dragon Lee vs. Bandido and ROH Tag Team Champions Jonathan Gresham & Jay Lethal vs. Marty Scurll & Flip Gordon.
ROH 18th Anniversary Show Card
ROH World Heavyweight Champion Rush vs. Mark Haskins
ROH TV Champion Dragon Lee vs. Bandido
ROH Tag Team Champions Jonathan Gresham & Jay Lethal vs. Marty Scurll & Flip Gordon
The Briscoes vs. Dalton Castle & Joe Hendry
Shane Taylor vs. Dan Maff vs. Kenny King vs. Bateman – Dealer’s Choice: Winner Gets a Title Shot of Their Choice
Jeff Cobb vs. Slex
Session Moth Martina vs. Nicole Savoy
Eli Isom vs. Bully Ray
PCO and Brody King of Villain Enterprises vs. Rey Horus and Alex Zayne
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War. AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group including the +50 which NXT slightly won.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 697,000 viewers, which is down from 718,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.21 rating, down from the 0.23 rating that the show did last week.
The episode featured North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grimes, Tegan Knox vs. Deonna Purrazzo, Dakota Kai vs. Mia Yim, The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) vs. NXT Tag Team Champions The Broserweights (Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle), and Kushida vs. Raul Mendoza.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 766,000 viewers, down from the 906,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.26 rating, down from the 0.35 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured such as Bea Priestley & Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida & Kris Statlander, Adam Page and Dustin Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes vs. Ortiz, Death Triangle vs. Joey Janela and Private Party, and Jurassic Express vs. MJF, The Butcher and The Blade.
The drama of whether or not WWE will hold WrestleMania 36 as scheduled in Tampa, Florida due to the coronavirus will remain a possibility.
On Thursday, the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group decided against calling off WrestleMania or any events in the area, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Per the report, the group could reconsider in a week based on how the virus spreads. This comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis encouraged to cancel mass gatherings and events scheduled for the next 30 days.
However, the city of Tampa is keeping things as scheduled, which includes WrestleMania.
It’s been reported that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon traveled to Tampa today in order to meet with city officials regarding the pandemic and the status of WrestleMania 36.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre is likely to headline the show should it take place.
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
All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan was the special guest on this week’s edition of the AEW Unrestricted podcast.
Here are some highlights of Khan’s discussion with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards:
In the early stages of creating the wrestling promotion that would be come AEW, the first idea he had for the company’s name was, Worlds Best Wrestling.
Tony met TNT President Kevin Reilly at a party back on April 6, 2018. He learned that TNT was considering bidding for the TV rights for WWE Raw and SmackDown. He remembers telling Reilly that the wrestling TV industry had changed a lot since TNT aired WCW programming. He told Reilly that acquiring WWE programming would be way too expensive, but there was still enough fan interest to warrant a second major league product. Reilly was intrigued, especially when Tony Khan told him that were a lot of talent free agents and WWE wrestlers with contracts expiring in the near future.
The first names Tony Khan had in mind for starting a new promotion were Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Chris Jericho and CM Punk. Jon Moxley was not under consideration at the beginning, because he was a WWE guy and they were pleasantly surprised when he became a free agent.
He is very hands-on with the AEW product, as it relates to the creative direction and overall business operations. He’s communicating with referees during the matches about time cues and with the announcers about what to put over. However, he is careful to not be in the announcers’ ears too much.
AEW executives are happy with the Dynamite product and took a dig at ‘other companies’ taping 5 weeks of shows at theme parks.
MJF recently signed a new contract extension with AEW. He will be with the company through at least 2024.
It was Tony Khan’s idea to have young stars like Jungle Boy and Scorpio Sky have TV matches with (former) AEW World Champion Chris Jericho. He thought both matches showcased the challengers in a big way.
His appearance on Steve Austin’s podcast shortly after Double or Nothing, and Austin’s praise for the show, was one of the proudest moments during his time in wrestling.
His first exposure to pro wrestling was seeing Hulk Hogan on the A-Team in the early 1980’s.
AEW Of all the names that Tony had been thinking of to sign early on, Jon Moxley’s name was never one of them, because him leaving was a big surprise.
The people in AEW do not feel like they are in a war with WWE. They are trying to present a strong alternative product and compete with themselves.
Tony spoke about wanting to avoid insulting fans’ intelligence and the need to present things logically. He called out the “invisible camera” technique that other companies have used, where you see someone hatching a plan in secret and everyone else is supposed to act like it didn’t just air on television for the world to see.
Overall, it was a fun chat that is definitely worth checking out.
AJ Styles’ WWE debut is one of the most iconic debuts of all time and the Phenomenal One has gone on to become one of the top stars of the company since then.
However, the former World Champion didn’t know how he would
be treated by the fans and management before coming in, and according to
Styles, he was ‘terrified’ before his WWE debut.
The former TNA star was the guest on the latest episode of WWE Backstage and while talking about his first night in the company, AJ recalled how the experience was intimidating:
“I was terrified,” Styles said. “We went over
the match, and they took me out of the trailer where they were hiding me, and I
saw Road Dogg and I didn’t want to let him go. I’m in someone else’s house.
It’s their home.
I’m a guest. I don’t live there yet. I didn’t know until
literally days before, I didn’t know. I don’t think many people knew. It was
huge for me and intimidating. I’m a 38 year old man coming to the WWE for the
first time, it’s intimidating.”
AJ Styles made his WWE debut at Royal Rumble in January
2016. He has since become one of the top stars of the company and has won a
number of championships in the promotion, including winning the world
championship twice.
Styles is currently scheduled to face the Undertaker at WrestleMania 36. You can check out an updated match card for the event at this link.
WWE Superstar AJ Styles joined FS1’s WWE Backstagethis week where he opened up about his role as a locker room leader. During his time on the show, he also offered some words of encouragement to a couple of frustrated WWE Superstars.
With a career has extensive as Styles’, there are plenty of Superstars eager to learn from ‘The Phenomenal One.’
“I don’t think they’re green, they’ve earned their way into the WWE but it is a roller coaster ride,” Styles said. “There is going to be ups, there’s going to be downs. You have the internet saying this and that and a lot of it is not true.”
He continued, “I want to talk to those people, I want to sit down with them and say listen: ‘Keep doing what you’re doing, keep working, keep learning and you’ll get to where you need to be. How’s everything at home? Is everything great? Think about that stuff, your bills are being paid, think about the positives in your life, don’t think about your job.’ As much as we love this business at the end of the day it’s still a job.”
AJ Styles With Words Of Encouragement
When asked to name a few Superstars he believes will be WWE’s next big stars, AJ Styles was quick to name Ricochet, Cedric Alexander and Shayna Baszler.
“Ricochet, definitely, this guy is unbelievable, the talent that he has,” Styles shared. “Cedric Alexander, another guy, unbelievable. Shayna Baszler. There are opportunities for these athletes, and they will come if they are not already. These guys were high for a moment, I’ve gotten beat by Cedric, beat by Ricochet, it’s okay, we’re gonna get there. I see these guys on their way up. Just because you’re on the downturn doesn’t mean you’re not going to come back up. We just got to wait our turn sometimes.”
He confessed that he’s been in a similar situation and has shared their frustrations. Styles added that he has felt that way in WWE. He explained how it comes down to accepting the idea that “[…] it’s not my turn it’s somebody else, I’ll just wait and do the best I can with what I’ve got.”
AJ Styles is scheduled to face off against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 36. The event takes place on April 5 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry joined this week’s episode of WWE show The Bump. With WWE boasting so many athletic big men, Henry spoke what it’s like to be a big guy in wrestling. Mentioning large talents like The Big Show, Keith Lee and Braun Strowman, he revealed how there were some who had doubts regarding Strowman when he was first brought into the company.
“[On the ‘Big Guy gimmick’] It starts off as heat like you’ve got a problem with everybody. We call that ‘Big Guy Heat,'” Henry explained. “You get too many big guys in the room, people start to talk about their accolades, and say things like ‘Yeah, I’ve beaten this guy. Yeah, I’ve beaten that guy. I’m over, look at me.’ Then, you start to look at people as your contemporaries. You look at them as your peer group. You learn from each other. Then, you start to work against each other.”
He continued, “Me and The Big Show – arguably the biggest guys of our era – we worked together probably 100 times. It was always cordial when we met. He was like my brother. So, it’s been different in the case for me and him. When I brought in Braun Strowman, some people were like ‘I don’t know about this guy, man.’ I told him ‘That’s the big guy heat. Let it die down. It will work out in the end, and it did.'”
Mark Henry On Scouting Talent
Working as a talent scout for WWE, Henry pointed to NXT North American Champion Keith Lee as a Superstar he believes will excel. He noted how Lee is an unbelievable worker that has great ring psychology.
“There are some other guys in developmental that I’m looking forward to seeing show up. We have a 7’0″ giant named Jordan from Nigeria, who looks the part. I’m looking forward to seeing the future. There are about 10 guys there, and six of them are over 7-feet-tall.”
Mark Henry noted how Superstars like Braun Strowman is the “A-typical” person they need in wrestling. He shared how Strowman isn’t shy and that when he walks into the room, he owns it. According to Henry, these are qualities he is looking for when he’s scouting future talent.
Corey Graves confirmed the reports of Davey Boy Smith going into Hall Of Fame and he announced on the latest episode of his After The Bell podcast that the British Bulldog will be inducted into the class of 2020.
Graves welcomed the wrestling legend’s son Harry Smith,
Natalya and Tyson Kidd for this special episode of his podcast featuring the
announcement of the induction.
Reacting to the news, Harry said that it’s something that has been long overdue but he is really excited and glad to finally get the chance to induct his father:
“It’s been long overdue but I am really excited and
glad to be inducting my father into the 2020 Hall Of Fame. It’s something that
is great not only for my family but the WWE Universe as well.”
Natalya, on the other hand, said that the time has never been better for the induction of Davey Boy Smith and she went on to explain that his legacy has stood the test of time:
“It feels like the time has never been better. So many
people in our industry say that it was the British Bulldog who inspired them to
want to get into WWE. His work and his legacy has stood the test of time and he
is still so relevant to the culture of WWE today.”
Davey Boy Smith will be joining JBL, The Bella Twins, nWo and Dave Batista into the Hall Of Fame class of 2020. Japanese veteran Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger is also expected to be inducted this year but it hasn’t been made official yet.
It is OUT and Official, my father Davey Boy Smith will be inducted into the 2020 @WWE Hall of Fame! Well deserving and long overdue ? ? ? ?? ? ??? ? pic.twitter.com/NVIm28POv6
— Harry Smith, “Davey Boy Smith JR” (@DBSmithjr) March 12, 2020
I’ve had to be quiet for over a month… It’s been confirmed and official… Now I can shout it to the world!!!! MY DAD IS BEING INDUCTED INTO THE @WWE HALL OF FAME! I LOVE YOU DAVEY!!! pic.twitter.com/cQRXNPnhEj
President Trump has announced a 30-day travel ban between the United States and Europe due to the coronavirus pandemic. The imposed ban will begin this Friday at midnight and end after WrestleMania 36. European fans travelling into the United States for WrestleMania 36 will be affected by this decision. It’s worth noting that the ban will not include travel to and from the United Kingdom at this point in time.
It has been reported that WWE is closely monitoring the coronavirus situation in relation to WrestleMania 36, which takes place in Tampa, Florida. Tampa city officials will be meeting to discuss viable options regarding several major events set to take place in the area, including WrestleMania. WWE recently denied reports they were cancelling this week’s episode of SmackDown due to concerns. They revealed the show will go ahead as planned, but they are putting “contingency plans” in place for future shows.
Coronavirus Pandemic
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently defined the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. It has been confirmed in over 100 countries so far and has infected more than 120,000 people. There have been an unfortunate 4,300 coronavirus related deaths worldwide, with a vaccine taking as long as 18 months to develop.
Due to the nature of the coronavirus, numerous events have been postponed, rescheduled or cancelled. Events, conventions, attractions and tours have been shut down in order to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
WrestleMania 36 takes place on April 5 from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
“The actions of Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa to each other and to the WWE Performance Center are beyond unprofessional and UNACCEPTABLE on every level. I will be dealing with this privately with both gentlemen.”
Chaos At The Performance Center
In case you missed it, last night’s episode of NXT took place from the Performance Center. The episode ended with a heated brawl breaking out between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
The two Superstars fought throughout the PC from the back, through to the gym and finally out to the crowd. Their clash ended after Ciampa drove Gargano through the announce table from off of a platform above the commentary area.
Their fight saw mass amounts of property damaged as Gargano and Ciampa battled one another. Gym equipment was used, mirrors were broken, walls were destroyed, and at one point Ciampa was thrown through a glass pane door. It’s believed that the two will take part in a major matchup at NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay as part of WrestleMania 36 weekend.
NXT TakeOver: Tampa Bay takes place on April 4, 2020, from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
Coronavirus is affecting people all over the world and WrestleMania 36 seems to be in jeopardy but the WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry Lawler believes that the epidemic will not affect the major event.
Lawler appeared on Cerrito Live recently where he talked
about a number of things and also discussed the effect the outbreak of COVID-19
is having on the world.
However, while discussing the possibility of the situation
affecting the Show Of Shows, the WWE Hall Of Famer claimed that it’s not gonna
affect the event at all:
“I don’t think it’s gonna affect WrestleMania at all.
I’m not trying to downplay it or anything like that. When you listen to what
has happened in the past, it’s almost like a cycle. These kinds of things happen every now and
then,” Jerry Lawler said. “There’s nothing you can do about it except
react to it as best as we can.”
The former Champion then named other major diseases that have made similar headlines in the past like the Hong Kong flu and swine flu. He said that coronavirus is just another thing we will get through and it’s just the way life is.
The Tampa officials are expected to hold a meeting this Thursday to discuss the future of major events in the area including WrestleMania 36. We will keep you posted on any updates on the situation.
WWE Backstage had seen a big drop in viewership numbers just last week and the show has made a record for low viewership this week once again.
This week’s episode of the WWE series which featured AJ
Styles and Xavier Woods as the special guests drew only 35,000 viewers,
according to Showbuzz Daily.
This is not only the lowest viewership the show has garnered
this year but it’s the lowest number it has done since its official premiere in
October last year.
WWE Backstage did a 0.01 rating in the 18-49 demographic this week and the show’s numbers were delayed because it once again failed to make it into the Cable Top 150.
In comparison, last week’s episode of the show, which was built around the return of Jeff Hardy, had drawn 56,000 viewers.
During the WWE Backstage episode, WWE had announced the return of Jeff Hardy for this week’s SmackDown and the company has since confirmed the appearance of former world champion John Cena for the show as well.
Though the SmackDown episode seems to be in jeopardy due to the coronavirus outbreak. While WWE has denied the reports of the show being canceled, they have revealed that they are putting contingency plans in place.
You can check out their statement on the matter here.
WWE has responded to the reports of this week’s episode of SmackDown Live being canceled due to coronavirus, confirming that the show is scheduled to go as planned.
The company released the following statement to media outlets regarding the show. They announced that episode has not been cancelled yet but they are putting ‘contingency plans’ in place in case this decision is made by local authorities:
“WWE has not cancelled Friday Night SmackDown in Detroit;
however, based on the current situation, we are putting contingency plans in
place in the event that upcoming WWE shows are cancelled by government
officials, civil authorities and/or local venues.”
PWInsider, who originally published the report of the cancellation suggests that it’s possible that the company has reversed their decision or a final call has not been made yet.
Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, the venue for this week’s episode of SmackDown is the same arena where NBA Player Rudy Gobert played a game over the weekend.
Gobert later tested positive for coronavirus. After the Utah
Jazz player tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, the NBA officials have
decided to suspend their current season.
A decision on large scale events in Tampa area, where WrestleMania is expected to take place is also pending and we’ll keep you posted on any updates on the situation.
Coronavirus has affected people worldwide and the global epidemic has now started showing its effect on the world of professional wrestling as well.
PWInsider is reporting that WWE has canceled the broadcast of this week’s episode of SmackDown and 205 Live which was expected to take place from the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan due to the outbreak of the virus.
Both these shows will now be broadcasted from the WWE
Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, which was the venue for this week’s
episode of NXT as well.
Though the NXT episode was broadcasted from the PC because
its regular venue in Full Sail University had a previous commitment that was
booked before the show went live on USA Network.
An announcement regarding the cancellation of SmackDown is expected to be made soon. There is currently no word on if the company is planning the same for Raw as well.
It’s worth mentioning here that the upcoming weekly WWE
shows are not the only events in jeopardy due to the outbreak of the virus.
The officials of Tampa city are expected to make a decision regarding possibly canceling upcoming major events in the area soon and this includes WrestleMania 36 as well.
A decision is expected to be made in a meeting on Thursday
and we will keep you posted on the future of WrestleMania and other WWE events.
WWE has announced that the Cenation Leader and former World Champion John Cena will be making an appearance on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
Cena made his return to WWE programming during the February
28 episode of SmackDown after a long hiatus, where he announced that he won’t
be a part of WrestleMania this year.
The 16 time World Champion had made the decision to stay off
the show this year to leave the spot for the younger talents but things changed
quickly.
He was confronted by ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt as John was heading back and the former Universal Champion challenged John Cena for a match at the Show Of Shows by pointing towards the WrestleMania sign.
The former WWE Champion accepted this challenge made by the former Wyatt Family leader and WWE has since confirmed that these two will meet in a one on one match at this year’s edition of WrestleMania.
There is no word yet on what John Cena will be doing at the
show but the latest episode of SmackDown saw Bray sending a message to his
opponent in a Firefly Fun House segment.
So it’s likely that John will respond to the former Champion and it will be interesting to know if we see a confrontation between the two stars at the episode.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the Maverik Center in Salt Lake City. Hangman Adam Page teamed up with Dustin Rhodes to face Jericho and Guevara in the main event.
Hangman Adam Page & Dustin Rhodes def. Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Lance Archer Made His Debut & Inner Circle Attacked Nick Jackson
Ortiz battled Cody in the first match of the night. Santana, Brandi Rhodes and Arn Anderson were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Cody took Ortiz down with a Dropkick and followed it up with a Powerslam for a one count. Jake “The Snake” Roberts showed up with Lance Archer in the crowd during the match.
Cody was distracted for a moment but refocused and sent Ortiz into the steel steps. Santana distracted Cody and Ortiz capitalized with a punch to the face. Santana followed that up with a cheap shot on Cody and Ortiz hit a Splash for a two count.
Cody hit Ortiz with ten punches in the corner before Santana once again distracted the referee. Ortiz crotched Cody on the top turnbuckle and went for a Superplex but Cody blocked it. Santana tried to distract Cody again but Brandi hit him in the head with her belt.
Ortiz then hit the Superplex and went for the cover but Cody kicked out at the last moment. Cody took out Santana with a Suicide Dive and followed it up with a Suplex to Ortiz on the entrance ramp. Archer made it seem like he was going to jump over the barricade but Jake held him back.
Back in the ring, Ortiz connected with a Fisherman’s Suplex for a two count. Cody locked in the Figure Four on Ortiz for the submission victory. After the match, Santana attacked Cody from behind. Matt Jackson and Kenny Omega made the save.
Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager then appeared on the jumbotron. Jericho claimed that Inner Circle was going to beat the hell out of The Elite at Blood & Guts. The camera then panned back to reveal Nick Jackson laid out with a door shut on his face with blood everywhere.
The Butcher, The Blade, and MJF squared off against Jurassic Express tonight on Dynamite. The Bunny and Wardlow were ringside for the match. MJF was still wearing his “I pinned Cody” shirt.
Match Recap: MJF ran away from Luchasaurus to start things off and tagged in Blade. Everyone got in the ring and had a stare down as the crowd chanted “Luchasaurus!”. MJF distracted Luchasaurus allowing Butcher & Blade to attack him from behind. They then took turns beating him down in the corner and focusing their attack on Luchasuarus’ leg.
MJF tagged back in and took Luchasaurus down with a Dragon Screw for only a one count. Luchasaurus was finally able to tag in Jungle Boy and he quickly leveled The Blade with a Clothesline. Marko Stunt planted Butcher with a DDT and then went for a Suicide Dive but Blade and MJF caught him. Jungle Boy then hit a Suicide Dive of his own. Luchasaurus then flipped onto everyone as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”.
Back in the ring, Luchasaurus hit MJF and Blade with a Chokeslam. Butcher and Luchasaurus traded elbows to the face in the middle of the ring before Marko tagged back in. Marko stomped the hell out of MJF in the corner before Jungle Boy broke it up. The Bunny distracted Jungle Boy as Wardlow leveled Luchasaurus outside the ring. MJF then tapped out Marko with the Salt of the Earth Arm Bar.
Big Swole & Britt Baker Made References To Cedric Alexander & Adam Cole
Tony Schiavone interviewed Britt Baker once again tonight. Britt took a couple shots at the Utah crowd and called the crowd boring. Baker brought Tony a Starbucks coffee and claimed that she was seeing a lot of high BMI and poor oral health in the crowd.
Baker added that it looks like a giant family reunion in the crowd. Britt continued to insult the crowd by saying that they can become the janitor or the construction worker they always wanted to be. Britt added that she will be everyone’s role model and thanked the crowd.
Big Swole interrupted and Baker hid behind Tony. Swole told Britt that Tony doesn’t even like her. Britt claimed that they only care about Big Swole’s boyfriend (Cedric Alexander). Swole said that she was married and added a “bay-bay” in reference to Baker’s boyfriend Adam Cole. Britt then threw the coffee in Swole’s face before running away.
Joey Janela teamed up with Private Party (Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen) to face Death Triangle (Pac & Lucha Bros) tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Death Triangle dominated early before Janela battled back with a leaping elbow off the second turnbuckle. Joey followed it up with a Clothesline that sent Pentagon to the canvas. Private Party then hit Lucha Bros with a couple Dropkicks that sent them out of the ring. Joey climbed to the top rope and hit a Crossbody onto Death Triangle outside the ring.
Private Party hit Gin & Juice and Quen followed it up with a Shooting Star Press on Fenix. Pentagon broke it up and tagged back into the match. Pentagon connected with a Slingblade and sent Marq to the corner. Pac tagged in and went for a German Suplex but Marq landed on his feet.
Janela tagged in and Pac greeted him with a kick to the face. Janela hit an elbow to Pac’s head and brought him to the apron. Joey connected with a Death Valley Driver on the apron and followed it up with an Elbow Drop off the top rope for a near fall. Fenix planted Joey with a Cutter as Pac made his way to the top. Pac connected with Black Arrow for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Death Triangle attacked Private Party and Janela but Best Friends rushed the ring and made the save.
Chris Jericho & Sammy Guevara battled Hangman Adam Page and Dustin Rhodes in the main event of this week’s show. The rest of Inner Circle came down to ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Hangman and Dustin controlled the match early and isolated Sammy in the ring. Jericho grabbed a beer from the crowd and mocked Hangman by saying he is a cowboy. Page responded with a right hand that knocked Jericho to the floor. Back in the ring, Hangman hit a shoulder tackle and followed it up with a Suplex that sent Jericho on top of Guevara.
Dustin tagged in and planted Sammy with a Running Bulldog before knocking Jericho off the ring apron with a right hand to the face. Sammy connected with a Double Stomp and went for the cover but Rhodes kicked out at two. Hangman tagged back in and leveled Sammy with a boot to the face.
Rhodes and Hangman climbed to the top rope and took everyone out. Hangman went for the Buckshot Lariat but Jericho saw it coming. Jericho locked in the Walls of Jericho but Dustin broke it up. Sammy tagged in and Hangman booted him in the face. Page set up for the Buckshot Lariat but Jericho tripped him up. Dustin hit a Destroyer and Hangman followed it up with the Buckshot Lariat for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Inner Circle attacked Hangman Adam Page and Dustin Rhodes. Kenny Omega ran down to the ring with his cast on but the numbers game quickly caught up to him. Cody ran to the ring and beat Jericho down in the corner. Hager then slammed Cody to the canvas before throwing him out of the ring. Ortiz got some revenge from earlier in the night and Suplexed Cody on the entrance ramp. Inner Circle was about to Powerbomb Hangman off the stage but Matt Jackson broke it up. Matt then stared at Hangman Page before giving him the middle finger. Jericho leveled Matt and Hangman with a steel chair. Inner Circle then posed on the entrance ramp to close the show.
Opinion: I’m a fan of tag team wrestling but it was overkill tonight. Also, does every single episode of Dynamite have to end in a post match brawl? It seems like every week I am watching Cody, Omega, The Young Bucks, etc run down to the ring one at a time in an outnumbered situation. I know they are building towards the Blood and Guts match in a couple of weeks but the brawls aren’t exciting anymore. Overall, this week’s Dynamite was still decent but I thought it was one of the weakest episodes so far.
The March 11, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
The show was headlined by Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle vs. The Undisputed Era to for the NXT Tag Team Titles.
WWE NXT Results (3/11/20)
Keith Lee def. Cameron Grimes to retain the NXT North American Title
Mia Yim def. Dakota Kai to qualify for the #1 Contender’s Ladder Match
KUSHIDA def. Raul Mendoza
Tegan Nox def. Deonna Purrazzo
Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle def. The Undisputed Era to retain NXT Tag Team Titles
Here are the 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Keith Lee Retains NXT North American Title
Keith Lee
WWE NXT North American Keith Lee made his latest title defense against Cameron Grimes on this show.
It was a hard-fought battle and they went back and forth just as expected. The right call and likely predictable for most fans, Lee successfully retained the title.
WWE set up this contest last week when Lee was doing a promo in the ring and Grimes came out to rant about what he can do in the ring. Lee said that Grimes made the gravest mistake of his life.
Grimes bragged about beating Dijakovic in less time than Lee did, which led to Lee knocking him out of the ring.
This appeared to be a match that was for the title in hopes of getting a bump in the ratings and something to keep Lee busy heading into WrestleMania weekend.
Post-match, Damian Priest attacked Lee with a pipe but Dominik Dijakovic ran Priest off. Lee then got up and thought Dijakovic was the one who attacked him so he powerbombed him. Apparently, this feud with all three stars will continue.
The Broserweights (Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle) put the NXT Tag Team Titles on the line in their latest defense against The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish).
It was up there with the quality that their original match had and the same finish, which was Dunne and Riddle winning in their first televised defense.
Dunne and Riddle beat Fish & O’Reilly for the straps at the NXT TakeOver: Portland event at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon last month.
With WWE not waiting to book this rematch at NXT’s next special, TakeOver: Tampa next month, it appears that WWE has decided to go in a different direction for these two teams.
Tegan Nox vs Mia Yim with the winner being added to the #1 contender ladder match at NXT Takeover: Tampa was booked on this show in a late addition to the lineup.
It was a solid back and forth affair with the winner being Yim in a surprising move. After the match, Raquel Gonzalez beats down Yim.
Nox had been in a feud with Dakota Kai but it appears that the feud was ended after last week’s show that featured Kai going over in a Steel Cage Match.
Yim joins Chelsea Green in the contest to see who will be next in line for a shot at the title. Four spots remain with those being filled in the coming weeks.
WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: Tampa event on Saturday, April 4, 2020 from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida and will air on the WWE Network.
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley came out for a promo where she talked about knocking Charlotte Flair on her a** come WrestleMania 36.
This led to Flair coming out and telling Ripley that she’s too much to handle.
Flair told her that she would take her into deep waters and drown the fastest rising star in the company. She added that Ripley wouldn’t do anything about it. This led to Ripley attacking her and a brawl broke out.
Flair hit her with a big boot then went for the Figure Eight submission but Ripley countered it until Flair knocked her down and attacked the left knee of the champ by hitting it against the ring post then locking in the Figure Four around it.
A solid segment with them actually getting physical to further their feud at WrestleMania 36 next month.
Tommaso Ciampa came out for a promo asking where Johnny Gargano was. This led to Gargano appearing on the big screen and telling him that they would do this on his time.
Gargano said that Ciampa is a horrible person and ran him down about being out due to neck surgery only for fans to chant his name when he returned. Ciampa walked to the backstage area and started a brawl with Gargano.
Security tried to break it up but Ciampa fought them off. They brawled all over the Performance Center. Gargano sent Ciampa crashing through a window in a door. Ciampa threw a weight at Gargano, who moved, and it crashed into glass. Ciampa and Gargano went crashing off a platform through the announce table to end the segment.
While not confirmed, this feud is expected to end at NXT TakeOver: Tampa next month.
As far as this segment goes, it was one of the best brawls in pro wrestling in recent memory.
