Wrestling legend Haku recently spoke to TV Insider about a range of topics including his sons wrestling in NJPW, his memories of Rocky Johnson and more. During the interview, Haku was asked about his history in the business and getting started alongside the Barbarian.
Haku and the Barbarian originally left Tonga to become sumo wrestlers in Japan after having been scouted.
“We grew up together, we came from the same country, on a small island of Tonga. We came from the same high school. He was a year ahead of me,” Haku said.
“From there, we went into sumo together. He saw me on TV in Los Angeles. Those who were before me. Especially from the South Pacific. I appreciate everybody all together, but those of us that came from the island like High Chief Peter Maivia and the Wild Samoans, Don Muraco, Mr. Fuji, Professor Tanaka. I’m grateful. My sons I’m proud also. We all owe those who paved the way for us before me. It’s not just about me and my children, but about those who came before me. I’m very grateful. Barbarian is an uncle to my kids in that way.”
Haku’s sons comprise the Guerillas of Destiny in NJPW. Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa are 6x IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Champions, which is tied for the record alongside Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan. They rank 4th in terms of days spent with the titles and 5th in terms of total title defenses.
“When my sons are in Tokyo, which I always considered my second home, it is unbelievable to see them wrestling,” Haku continued. “You want them to go on in life to get a real job like Tama Tonga had in the Air Force. Tanga Loa with football and going to college. You think they were going to have a better job than me.”
Haku also spoke about the current state of the wrestling business. He said he’s glad there are so many companies around today.
“I’m grateful that it’s not just WWE anymore. That we have AEW. NWA is coming back also,” he said. “You have all these independent companies. I like it because there are so many wrestlers and guys who call themselves wrestlers. There are places to go. It’s not just WWE. You have New Japan of course, places in Europe and other spots. The business is alive and well.”
Haku On Rocky Johnson’s Passing
Haku also spoke about the recent passing of Rocky Johnson.
“It was losing a brother that was kind enough to teach me the way. It reminded me of the days we used to drive around going from town to town. Now he is gone,” he said. “My boys, my family was with me. I’m glad because not many are in town. I’m glad they were in town for his funeral.”
New Japan Pro Wrestling has canceled the remainder of the New Japan Cup this year due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. NJPW has canceled all events up until March 21st, 2020.
The following scheduled events have been officially canceled by the promotion:
“After NJPW events between March 1 and 15 were canceled as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak, and acting under the recommendations laid out by a specialist government task force meeting on Tuesday, March 10, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has arrived at the decision to cancel the five events remaining in the New Japan Cup tour between March 16 and 21,” an NJPW press release reads.
NJPW Cancels New Japan Cup For 2020
The promotion is stating the events are canceled and there has been no mention of making up the dates later in the year. New Japan announced on February 26th, 2020 that they were canceling events from March 1st to 15th due to recommendations from the Japanese Ministry of Health.
Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy is now a free agent after allowing his contract to expire. Speaking with PWInsider, Hardy opened up about on whether WWE ever really truly understood his Broken/Woken Matt Hardy character.
According to Hardy, he felt that the creative within WWE understood what he was trying to achieve with the gimmick. Overall, however, “I don’t think they got the character all the way.”
“People say, “Oh, creative should have done better,” but at the end of the day, it’s not up to them. I mean, you say it all the time. I mean, Vince is like the one. I mean, if he wants something done, it’s happening. If he doesn’t want something done, it isn’t happening.”
He continued, “The Halloween special, I and JB and Dan Pucciarello from WWE Network did that all together. So literally I had creative control in that. And those specials …what was sad in many ways. In January, I just got the word from them that they greenlit two more House Hardy specials because the first one did very well.”
Matt Hardy’s House Hardy Special
One of the more original concepts WWE eventually greenlit was the aforementioned House Hardy special. Despite its reception, WWE wasn’t quick to follow up with the idea. Hardy explained why the concept took so long to have more approved by WWE’s higher-ups, noting how it was difficult to get a “clear cut answer” from Vince McMahon.
“[…] there was just so much concern whenever I had left TV, whenever Bray and I had wrapped up [our storyline] and we were going to be off for a couple of months, they’ve been pitching to do specials, House Hardy, House Hardy, House Hardy. But then they said they couldn’t ever get a clear cut answer from Vince, or they couldn’t get a meeting with Vince. And then like they’re saying, “Well if you come back as a different character then it’s going to be our ass and we don’t want to do that.” So that’s why that never came to be. I was just like, I went in to [Vince McMahon] and he was okay with it, but then they can never get confirmation on their own. It is such a big company, so many moving parts and nobody wants to infuriate Vince.”
Matt Hardy has confirmed he is in talks with various promotions including AEW, NWA, ROH, and Impact Wrestling. He has yet to announce where he plans to join but has stated that it will be within the next 30 days.
Jeff Hardy joined WWE Backstage this week, announcing that he has been cleared to return to in-ring action. Following his appearance on the show, Hardy took to Twitter to answer several fan questions that pertained to his career, opponents and future goals.
When asked about the best storyline he was involved with, Hardy pointed to one with a WWE legend. “Overall, over the years, I would have to say the storyline with me and The Undertaker because it was huge for my singles career.”
Although he has not brought his high-flying style to NXT, Hardy already knows which black-and-gold Superstar he would like to face if he ever got the opportunity: Undisputed Era’s Roderick Strong.
“If I had to wrestle somebody in NXT, it would be Roderick Strong. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting that guy. We’ve never went face-to-face, so that would be nice.”
Jeff Hardy’s Future Ambitions & Favorite Opponent
Looking to the future, Hardy shared what he’d like to achieve next in WWE. Calling it a “long stretch,” he opened up about his ambitions to have a big singles match at WrestleMania.
“It’s a long stretch, but I definitely want to—not necessarily main event—but I want to have a big singles match at WrestleMania before I’m done. So, the next 2-3 years, that’s a huge goal that I’m setting for myself.”
Having such a long career in pro wrestling, Hardy has faced a plethora of big names. One name, however, still stands out to him as his favorite opponent.
“Over the years…God rest his soul, I miss him dearly, Umaga was one of my favorite competitors to be in the ring with. We had a great feud, and I miss him every day.”
With his brother, Matt Hardy, now a free agent, some might wonder what’s next for Jeff and whether he will pursue a singles run or find a new tag partner. If he were to find a new partner, Hardy already has one in mind, quickly naming R-Truth. He explained how they’re both into the music scene and believes they would compliment each other as Superstars.
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Former WWE Superstar Matt Hardy has discussed why he feels WWE wrote his tag team with Bray Wyatt off of television. Joining Busted Open Radio, Hardy praised WWE and shared his gratitude. Despite this thankfulness, he noted how from a creative standpoint, they were “on different pages.”
“When I went there, they treated me great. I had great conversations with everyone there. But creatively, we were just on different pages,” Hardy explained. “Nothing against them, but it was time for me to go somewhere else and maximize and optimize my creativity. Especially, with what my role is going to be, if I want to be involved in a prominent role for the last 3-4 years that I have to do this That’s where we’re at.”
Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt
These attempts to optimize his creative extended to his time as a part of the Deleters of Worlds with Wyatt. According to Matt Hardy, the two Superstars would pitch several creative ideas about how they could be used. He believes that their thoughts, originality and insistence contributed to WWE writing them off RAW.
“In all honesty, I think the reason why Bray and I were pulled off of TV at that time, was because they were tired of us suggesting ideas about how we should use the Hardy Compound, and we shouldn’t be wrestling all the time,” he said. “I think that the whole scenario between myself and Bray could have been so much more if we could have gotten people to listen to our ideas.”
Matt Hardy has confirmed he is in talks with various promotions including AEW, NWA, ROH, and Impact Wrestling. He has yet to announce where he plans to join but has stated that it will be within the next 30 days.
Ricochet recently joined Good Morning Washington with Julie Wright on WJLA. During their conversation, the RAW Superstar reflected on his Super ShowDown matchup against WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. He also broached the idea of returning to WWE’s black-and-gold brand, NXT.
“That’s a place that I would always like to call a home for me,” Ricochet of NXT. “It was a place that I enjoyed thoroughly while I was there. Now that they have more exposure, every Wednesday on the USA network, I think that’s huge.”
He added how any time they might need him, he would “be there for sure, no problem.”
Ricochet’s WWE Schedule & Loss To Lesnar
Going back to NXT would undoubtedly add to an already hectic WWE schedule. Ricochet explained how there is no off-season for WWE Superstars. Despite being on the road for almost 300 days a year, he noted that traveling with friends helps make the journeys easier.
Turning his attention to his loss to Lesnar last month, Ricochet remained positive about his experience. He confessed that the match was a “dream come true” for him. “I can remember Brock facing The Rock or Kurt Angle and I am glad to be a part of that history now.” Ricochet lost to Lesnar in approximately one minute and thirty seconds.
RAW Superstar Cedric Alexander has previously shared his frustrations with his current spot in the company. Following his matchup last night against current WWE 24/7 Champion Riddick Moss, Alexander once again took to Twitter to reflect on how WWE is using him.
Uploading a Gif from an episode of The Simpsons, it showcases Abraham Simpson walking into a room, spotting his grandson, Bart, and immediately turning around, taking his hat, and walking out. He accompanied the Gif with a single hashtag: “#RAW”.
His wife, All Elite Wrestling’s Big Swole, responded to his message. Seemingly sharing her husband’s frustration, she replied, “Whew the mess of it all”.
Last year, Cedric Alexander was involved in a high-profile rivalry with AJ Styles. The two were feuding over the WWE United States Championship, which Styles held at the time. Their feud would culminate with Styles emerging victorious over Alexander at last September’s Clash of Champions show.
It has been previously reported that Vince McMahon allegedly doesn’t see any value in Alexander. It’s worth noting that Alexander hasn’t won a matchup on Monday Night RAW since his Clash of Champions match.
Cedric Alexander has previously taken to Twitter to vent his frustrations. He previously shared a tweet that read “Frustrated is an understatement.” This message, first shared on February 12, is still pinned to the top of his Twitter profile.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has spoken about WWE’s decision to book Roman Reigns versus Goldberg at WrestleMania 36. The two will compete for Goldberg’s WWE Universal Championship. He defeated ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt for the gold during WWE’s Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia.
“[…] Roman Reigns, he’s set up. I see this thing working out perfectly, and we were just talking about this a month ago,” he said on his podcast, The Hall of Fame. “Callers were calling in, all upset, ‘You know man, it doesn’t look like anything’s going to happen. It’s going to be the worst WrestleMania in history.’ There’s still a lot of people upset about The Fiend thing, and there’s going to be.”
Booker T Argues In Favor Of Reigns Vs. Goldberg
Booker T shared how he personally liked the decision to go ahead with this matchup. His co-host Brad Gilmore agreed, highlighting the list of Superstars that Reigns has previously faced at Wrestlemania. Alongside Triple H, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, Gilmore argued that facing Goldberg would help solidify his place in wrestling history.
“Nah, man Roman’s done that already,” Booker T stated. “I said he had big shoes to fill coming into this company, and he’s went out there and he’s done that very, very well. At one point, the direction of his character was slipping a little bit. The fans didn’t want to see that Roman Reigns, and I think that’s what started the downward spiral of Roman Reigns—was the fans not wanting to support him. Then, all of the sudden, the ship was righted, and Roman said, ‘Hey man, let me just go out and do what I do, man…And that’s beat guys up, and lock and load, and drop the hammer. We might can make some monies.”
Booker T continued, “And I think that’s what happened. Roman went out and started being himself and the fans still were kind of on the fence. But when Roman went away – and then was gone for a while – with his illness and then he came back [to the ring] again…absence make the heart grow founder! The people love it, and now with this match right here, is a moment. There’s a moment that we can capture right here, that we can never ever get back.”
Roman Reigns faces Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36. The event takes place on April 5 from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
WWE RAW aired live from the Capital One Arena in Washington DC. It was the first episode of RAW following WWE Elimination Chamber 2020.
WWE RAW Results (3/9)
Rey Mysterio def. Angel Garza
Bobby Lashley def. Zack Ryder
Drew McIntyre def. Erick Rowan
The Kabuki Warriors def. Natalya & Liv Morgan
Riddick Moss def. Cedric Alexander to retain the 24/7 Championship
Seth Rollins, Murphy, and AOP def. Street Profits & Viking Raiders
Here are 7 takeaways from this week’s episode of RAW:
Becky Vowed To Smash Shayna’s Face In At WrestleMania
RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch kicked off this week’s show. Shayna Baszler won the women’s Elimination Chamber match last night to earn a shot at Becky’s title at WrestleMania. The Man marched to the ring and rolled highlights from Shayna’s victory last night.
Lynch pointed out that it only took Shayna a couple of minutes to defeat Asuka, while it took Becky her entire career. Becky gave Lynch props on her MMA career before referring to her as a black hole of charisma. Lynch added that she might be a bitch but she is the bitch that runs this whole division.
Becky brought up Shayna refusing to shake her hand after last year’s WrestleMania and stated that Baszler is the biggest threat to her since Ronda Rousey. Lynch claimed that Shayna is underestimating her and vowed to smash her face in at WrestleMania.
Opinion: It was good to see Becky Lynch not wearing deal with it sunglasses or cosplaying as a king this week on RAW. Her promo tonight was great and she sounded like The Man for the first time in a while.
Charlotte Flair came down to the ring and said that Rhea Ripley will never be as good as her. Flair added that Rhea should continue to enjoy all the hype that is surrounding her because it is not going to last.
Flair stated that she is challenging for the NXT Women’s Championship to teach her a lesson. Charlotte added that she is going to humble her at WrestleMania before Ripley interrupted.
Ripley came down to the ring as Flair claimed that RAW was her kingdom. Flair told Ripley that she was excused but Rhea responded with a punch to Flair’s face before exiting the ring.
Match Recap: McIntyre dominated the match early and sent Rowan to the outside. Drew then took the steel steps and smashed Rowan’s cage.
Back in the ring, McIntyre hit Rowan with the Future Shock DDT and followed it up with the Claymore Kick for the pinfall victory. McIntyre continues to be on a roll leading up to his match against Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36.
Women’s Tag Team Champions Kabuki Warriors came down to the ring and started laughing like maniacs. The Kabuki Warriors said that they wanted to beat someone between shouting. Natalya and Liv Morgan then made their way to the ring for a tag team match.
Match Recap: Natalya and Liv Morgan started off the match in control before Ruby Riott made her way to the entrance ramp as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Sarah Logan sprinted down the ramp and attacked Ruby. Liv Morgan climbed to the top rope and took out Ruby and Sarah with a Crossbody. Natalya now had nobody tag but connected with a Clothesline on Sane for a two count.
Asuka tagged in but Natalya didn’t see it. Natalya applied the Sharpshooter on Kairi and Asuka capitalized with a kick to the head for the pinfall victory.
AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson appeared on tonight’s show. Styles lost to Aleister Black last night at Elimination Chamber due to The Undertaker interfering.
Styles said that The Undertaker stole a beautiful trophy form him at ShowDown and cost him a match last night.
AJ vowed to get his revenge and challenged The Undertaker to a match at WrestleMania. He claimed that he might have been hesitant to call out The Undertaker 15-years ago but now he just sees a broken down old man named Mark Calaway.
Syles added that Undertaker should have retired ten years ago when he was in his prime. He claimed that Undertaker only keeps coming back because his wife, Michelle McCool, is the most conniving person he has ever met in his life.
AJ stated that Michelle is going to run Undertaker into the ground and he is going to help her. Styles said that he is going to take Undertaker’s soul at WrestleMania and that Taker has nothing to lose because he already lost his dignity.
Styles claimed that nobody gives a damn about The Undertaker anymore. AJ vowed to put the nail in Undertaker’s coffin at WrestleMania.
Opinion: AJ Styles cut a hell of a promo tonight. The build to this match has been predictable so far and tonight’s promo at least made the rivalry feel personal.
MVP tried to make himself Edge’s manager tonight but the Rated R Superstar wasn’t interested. Edge ripped the microphone away from MVP and demanded Orton to come to the ring. MVP claimed that Edge was embarrassing himself and mentioned his wife.
Edge got pissed off and leveled MVP with a Spear. Randy attacked Edge from behind but Edge hit Orton with an RKO out of nowhere. Edge grabbed a couple steel chairs into the ring but Randy escaped. Edge then choked out MVP while staring at Orton on the ramp. He then planted MVP with an RKO onto the chair before following it up with the Con-Chair-To. The crowd chanted “one more time!” and Edge obliged. He then sprinted after Orton as Randy retreated backstage.
Rollins, Murphy, and AOP attacked Kevin Owens tonight as he arrived at the arena. Rollins was eating popcorn during the attack and brought the popcorn with him to the ring for his match against Aleister Black later on the show. Rollins tried to recruit Black earlier in the night but Aleister declined the offer.
Match Recap: Rollins connected with a Slingblade and went for the cover but Black kicked out at two. Seth follwoed that up with a Headlock as Murphy looked on from ringside. Aleister broke free but Rollins sent him flying into the turnbuckle. Aleister battled back and hit a German Suplex.
Black went for the pin but Murphy broke it up and the match ended in a DQ. AOP joined in on the attack and beat Aleister down. Viking Raiders and Street Profits joined the party and a massive brawl broke out. It lead to an 8-man tag match in which Rollins, Murphy, and AOP won. After the match, Kevin Owens hit Akam and Murphy with a Stunner. Rollins then planted Owens with the Stomp to close the show.
Opinion: I was interested in the match between Aleister Black and Seth Rollins but unfortunately that only lasted a few minutes. The 8-man tag match was solid but it was difficult to care about it. Becky’s promo, AJ’s promo, and the Edge/Orton segment were good tonight. The rest of the show felt like a standard episode of RAW even though we are only a few weeks away from WrestleMania.
Matt Hardy recently discussed a wide range of topics including his decision to leave WWE as well as a potential return to the company with PWinsider.com.
Hardy let his contract with the company expire back on March 1st. Since that time, while fans have speculated over his future, he has yet to sign a contract with any promotion.
In this interview, he was asked about leaving, which he noted, “I mean I was determined if I didn’t get my dialogue and I didn’t get my creative concerns addressed, I was going to leave. I just determined that.”
Hardy noted that he worked to do that. He did mention how he was treated great by WWE management as they were professional and took great care of him. Everyone from Mark Carrano to Triple H.
“It’s like I didn’t want to leave, but I had to leave that creative process.”
Matt Hardy Discusses His Future
While Hardy has talked to other promotions, there is still a chance that Hardy could make a return to the company, which he addressed. However, he knows the stage of his career right now.
“I mean there would be a possibility, but I would need assurances. This is really important to me, like how I do these next three or four years. I’m not 25 or 30 years old. I have some good matches left in me, but I don’t have a good match every day of the week, and I can’t do it four or five days a week like I used to. I just don’t bounce back like that.”
Hardy has confirmed being in talks with various promotions such as AEW, NWA, ROH, and Impact Wrestling. He has yet to announce where he plans to join but has stated that it will be within the next 30 days.
After weeks of speculation, WWE has confirmed the exact date that Jeff Hardy will make his return to television.
On Monday night, the company officially announced that the former WWE Champion would be appearing on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
This will mark his first appearance on WWE programming (outside of his recent WWE Backstage interview) since last year. It should be noted that he’s been backstage at the show for the past few weeks but wasn’t used.
What could be an interesting segment that was also confirmed is former WWE Divas Champion Paige confronting SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. You can watch the announcement here:
Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. King Corbin, Sheamus & Robert Roode in a six-man tag team match and Braun Strowman vs. Shinsuke Nakamura with Sami Zayn is being locally advertised for the show.
WWE holds this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Detroit, MI at the Little Caesars Arena on FOX.
This will mark the post-show of SmackDown for Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event, which saw John Morrison and The Miz successfully retain the SmackDown Tag Team Titles inside of the Chamber structure against several teams.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently commented on the company and their stance on using ‘older’ talent heading into WrestleMania.
Bully Ray on Goldberg
Bully began by referencing Goldberg winning the Universal Championship at Super Showdown last month. “If you’re angry about this you just don’t get it” stated Bully Ray. “People took that as if I was happy that Goldberg won. Or I thought it was good for the younger guys that Goldberg one.I ‘m just saying that I understand it from the business point of view, heading into WrestleMania.”
Bully Ray elaborated further, saying how he feels veteran talent should be used sparingly to help propel the newer generation. “I’m not a fan of it when it comes to constantly relying on the older talent, the veteran talent. The Hall of Fame talent. Because one day is going to come along where you cannot rely on that Hall of Fame talent anymore. I mean, when will Becky Lynch have the opportunity to get to the same level as Steve Austin did? When will Roman Reigns have the same opportunity to get to the same level The Rock did? Will anybody get the same opportunity that the nWo did? Or any of these guys. Why was the sky the limit for Austin and Rocky, ‘Taker, Cactus and Hardy? I mean so many acts, but now? Nope.”
FCW and Ruthless Aggression
Bully then referenced the FCW original documentary that aired on the WWE Network. “How come Roman is not at the same level as everybody else? Seth, Becky, Charlotte, they’re all the biggest names in the WWE, but they don’t even come close to what those other stars were able to accomplish. Last night after Elimination Chamber was over I watched the FCW special that I absolutely loved. And then I actually started watching the Brock Lesnar special from the Ruthless Aggression series. I got to the point where it was Brock vs The Rock from SummerSlam 2002. And I’m just like, holy crap. This is awesome. Look at what Rock is doing for Brock and look at how that propelled Brock into superstardom. Nobody is being given the opportunity to be propelled into superstardom now.”
You can listen to Busted Open Radio every day via SiriusXM. The podcast version of the show is also available via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and PlayerFM.
The journey to the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event is over and with the show in the rearview, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
The biggest thing thus far announced for the show is the return of WWE Hall of Famer Edge. This comes after he has been off of television since January due to him being attacked by Randy Orton, who also attacked Edge’s wife, Beth Phoenix, last week.
Elimination Chamber was a speed bump in the road for WWE storylines and now that’s it’s out of the way, WWE can put the throttle down on programs for WrestleMania 36.
WWE holds this show in Washington, D.C. at the Capital One Arena. As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for RAW. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
The fallout from Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event
Edge will make his return to RAW to address Randy Orton’s recent actions
Although not confirmed, The Undertaker will reportedly make an appearance on this show
How will Becky Lynch react to facing Shayna Baszler at WrestleMania 36?
Join us here later tonight for our post-show RAW Takeaways feature.
All Elite Wrestling is set to debut in New Orleans and Albuquerque, New Mexico.
It was announced on Monday that AEW Dynamite is coming to New Orleans, LA on Wednesday, May 6th at the Lakefront Arena. Tickets for AEW NOLA go on sale this Friday, March 13th at AEWTix.com.
If you zoom in and increase the contrast of the image, you can see it’s some sort of bird in the background. Is it a raven, a (murder)hawk or something else? Look below and decide for yourself.
Major League Wrestling presented the 100th episode of Fusion this weekend on BeIN Sports and YouTube. The show emanated from Philadelphia’s famed 2300 Arena and featured a main event of Jacob Fatu defending the MLW world heavyweight championship against CIMA.
MLW Fusion #100 Quick Results:
Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeated Erick Stevens
Brian Pillman Jr. defeated Jimmy Havoc
MLW World Heavyweight Championship: Jacob Fatu (c) defeated CIMA
The full episode can be viewed in the player below:
Jacob Fatu Retains, Despite Solid Effort From CIMA
Jacob Fatu is arguably the most dominant champion in MLW world heavyweight championship history. Coming into this match, few if anyone would have given CIMA a chance to take the belt here. The member of Stronghearts did manage to give Fatu a surprising run for his money, however.
CIMA must have known that he would need to take risks if he was to gain the advantage on the champ but the end of the match came when he missed a top rope move and Fatu countered into a pop-up Samoan drop. The champion then went to the top and delivered a devastating moonsault but was then instructed by Josef Samael on the outside to deliver one more for good measure before pinning his challenger and retaining his title.
Eric Stevens recently aligned with Tom Lawlor and Team Filthy but he was in tough this week as he took on the 2019 Opera Cup winner Davey Boy Smith Jr.
The end of the match came when Stevens attempted to go off the top rope but was caught by Davey Boy who then delivered his Calgary Stampede Powerslam followed by a diving headbutt for the win. After the match, Davey Boy got in the faces of Lawlor and Garrini, the other members of Team Filthy. Lawlor had been on commentary during the match.
Rookie of the Year Brian Pillman jr. faced Jimmy Havoc this week on Fusion. In Havoc’s corner was “Hell’s Favorite Harlot” Priscilla Kelly and she did not hesitate to interject herself into the match. Throughout the course of the contest, Kelly put Havoc’s leg on the ropes to break up a pin, handed him a foreign object, and as the match wore on she even came off the top rope for an attempted cross-body block.
Pillman was able to thwart all of this, however. As Kelly was coming off the top, he avoided her attack and allowed her to crash into Havoc instead. Moments later, the Hart Foundation member would hit Air Pillman for the win.
Brian Pillman Jr. and Injustice’s Rivalry Continues To Build
Pillman didn’t have to worry about the members of Injustice getting involved in his match against Jimmy Havoc this week as the trio had been banned from the building. MLW cameras caught Injustice trying to get into the building but they were turned away by security. During the course of this interaction, Jordan Oliver repeatedly stated that he would stab Pillman.
We’ve also heard that while Pillman has normally been competing at around 220 lbs, he will look to the keto diet to drop 15 pounds to the 205-pound middleweight limit. This will allow him to challenge Myron Reed for the title he took off Pillman’s Hart Foundation teammate Teddy Hart who has since left the territory. Before Reed can worry about Pillman, however, he must face Laredo Kid for the title next week.
Richard Holliday’s Caribbean Championship Reign Continues
Don’t worry consumers.
There is a very Dynastic episode of “Lifestyle of the Rich and Dynastic” featured in this episode.
Richard Holliday from the Dynasty is currently in possession of the Caribbean Championship title belt. He took that title off of Savio Vega but not by defeating him for it but rather by literally taking it from him after a recent match.
This week on Fusion, viewers were informed that Holliday defended the title on a private island earlier this week. Footage of this supposed title defense was not shown, however, and likely doesn’t exist. It sounds like the Dynasty had a great time on the island, and the trio discussed how Holidays’ new title belt is the 1A belt in the promotion alongside Alexander Hammerstone’s National Openweight belt. One has to wonder how these comments sat with the legitimate Caribbean Championship, Savio Vega.
On March 13th, 2020, MLW and AAA host a joint show in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. The last time MLW was in Mexico they performed in front of a capacity crowd of 5000.
Matches listed for the show are as follows:
Black Destiny, Fantastik & Rayo Star vs. Nuevo Poder del Norte (Carta Brava Jr., Mocho Cota Jr. & Tito Santana)
AAA World Trios Title Match Los Jinetes del Aire (El Hijo del Vikingo, Myzteziz Jr. & Octagon Jr.) (c) vs. Injustice (Jordan Oliver, Kotto Brazil & Myron Reed)
Extreme Tiger & Puma King vs. Dominic Garrini & Tom Lawlor
MLW Openweight Title Match Alex Hammerstone (c) vs. Laredo Kid
Mortiz & Pagano vs. Mance Warner & Savio Vega
Gino Medina & Richard Holliday vs. Los OGTs (Averno & Chessman)
Los Mercenarios (El Texano Jr. & Rey Escorpion) vs. Hart Foundation (Brian Pillman Jr. & Davey Boy Smith Jr.)
Nicho el Millonario, Nino Hamburguesa & Psycho Clown vs. El Hijo de LA Park, LA Park & LA Park Jr.
Also, next week on Fusion we’ll see Tom Lawlor take on the debuting Killer Kross.
WWE Elimination Chamber 2020 aired live from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the final main roster PPV before WrestleMania 36.
Andrade def. Humberto Carrillo to retain the US Title
The Miz & John Morrison won the SmackDown Tag Team Elimination Chamber match to retain the titles
Aleister Black def. AJ Styles
Street Profits def. Rollins & Murphy
Sami Zayn won the Intercontinental Championship
Shayna Baszler won the women’s Elimination Chamber and will face Becky Lynch at WrestleMania for the RAW Women’s Championship
Here are 7 takeaways from the PPV:
Daniel Bryan Defeated Drew Gulak In A Great Match
Drew Gulak battled Daniel Bryan in the first match of the PPV. Daniel Bryan got a great reaction from the Philadelphia crowd as he made his way to the ring.
Match Recap: Drew Gulak dominated the match early and kept Bryan on the mat. The crowd chanted “Daniel Bryan” as Daniel battled his way to the bottom rope to break up the action. Bryan then rolled out of the ring to regroup as commentary pointed out that Daniel underestimated Gulak.
Bryan got back in the ring and took Gulak to the canvas. Drew broke free and applied a Heel Hook in the middle of the ring. Daniel escaped and booted Gulak in the knee with a pissed off look on his face. Gulak lifted up Bryan by his neck, spun him around and connected with a Neckbreaker for a near fall.
Daneil went for a Suplex but Gulak held on and both men tumbled to the floor outside the ring. Back in the ring, Drew connected with a Belly to Back Suplex and Bryan landed on his neck once again. Bryan battled back and hit a Dragon Suplex for a two count.
Gulak hit a Dragon Suplex of his own and went for the cover but Bryan was able to kick out at two. Bryan landed on his head and rolled out of the ring to regroup once again. Gulak hit a Inverted Superplex and locked in the Dragon Sleeper in the middle of the ring. Daniel countered and locked in the Yes Lock in the middle of the ring. Gulak passed out from the pain and Bryan picked up the win. After the match, Bryan showed Gulak some respect before starting up a “yes!” chant.
Opinion: I absolutely loved this match and it would nice to see Gulak actually featured on SmackDown going forward. The bump Bryan took on his head was scary as hell and thankfully he didn’t appear to be injured.
It’s always uncomfortable seeing someone land badly on their neck/head inside a wrestling ring.
It’s another level of uncomfortable with Daniel Bryan after everything he’s been through.
Andrade once again defended his United States Championship against Humberto Carrillo tonight at Elimination Chamber. Zelina Vega accompanied the champ to the ring.
Match Recap: Andrade immediately hit an elbow to the face and beat Humberto down in the corner of the ring to start things off.
Humberto battled back and connected with a Splash for a two count. Andrade brought Humberto to the canvas and locked in a submission hold in the middle of the ring. Carrillo broke free but Andrade sent him into the ring post and then launched him into the barricade.
Carrillo hit a Back Body Drop that sent Andrade over the top rope and to the floor outside the ring. Back in the ring, Humberto hit a Backbreaker and followed it up with an Enziguri. Andrade avoided a Moonsault and threw Humberto into the turnbuckle. Both superstars battled on the top rope and Carrillo hit a Hurricanrana for a near fall.
Andrade ripped up the padding and went for the Hammerlock DDT but Humberto broke free. Humberto brought Andrade into the ring and rolled him up for a near fall. Andrade then rolled up Carrillo and used Humberto’s tights for leverage for the victory. Andrade is still the United States Champion.
The Miz & John Morrison defended their SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Roode & Ziggler, Heavy Machinery, Lucha House Party(Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado), The Usos, and New Day (Big E & Kofi Kingston) in an Elimination Chamber match.
Match Recap: New Day and The Usos were the first two teams in the match as the remaining four were in their pods. The two teams went back and forth before Lucha House Party was released from the pod. Lince hit Jey with a Stunner and Metalik followed it up with a Splash for a two count.
Big E sent Lince and Metalik out of the ring and then launched Kofi onto them. Dorado climbed up on top of a pod and Kofi chased him up there. Metalik joined the party and knocked Kofi to the floor. Lince hit The Usos with a Crossbody and Metalik followed it up with a flip onto New Day in the ring.
SmackDown Tag Team Champions Miz & Morrison entered the match with everyone down. Miz and Morrison attacked New Day and Usos before battling with Lucha House Party in the ring. Gran Metalik hit an awesome Hurricanrana off the top of the pod on Morrison and went for the cover but Miz broke it up.
Kington hit Miz with a Boom Drop and fired up the crowd. Big E hit Morrison with a Belly to Belly before turning around into some It Kicks from Miz. Heavy Machinery entered the match next as the crowd chanted for Otis. Tucker and Otis hit Jimmy and Jey with several Splashes against the steel chamber.
Tucker planted Metalik with a Sidewalk Slam for a near fall. Heavy Machinery sent Big E to the mat and Otis followed it up with the Caterpillar. Lince Dorado climbed to the top of the chamber and dropped onto everyone besides Heavy Machinery as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”. Heavy Machinery then hit the Compactor on Metalik to eliminate Lucha House Party.
Dolph and Roode tried to hold the doors closed on their pod as Heavy Machinery waited for them. Miz and Morrison attacked Heavy Machinery from behind and beat them down. Otis went after Ziggler but Dolph escaped to the top of the pod. Tucker climbed up the other side and bashed Ziggler’s face into the chamber wall. Tucker sent Dolph down and Otis caught him. Tucker then leaped off the top of the pod onto everyone else as another “holy sh*t!” chant broke out.
Roode and Ziggler teamed up on Otis and tried to slam him into the chamber. Otis blocked it and Clotheslined Roode into the ring before turning his attention back to Dolph. Otis sprinted towards Dolph but Ziggler got out of the way and Otis crashed through the pod and to the floor outside the ring.
Ziggler and Roode then went after Tucker and Roode connected with a Glorious DDT to eliminate Heavy Machinery. Big E hit Roode with the Big Ending as Kofi delivered the Trouble in Paradise to Ziggler. Jimmy and Jey followed it up with Uso Splash and pinned them to eliminate Roode and Ziggler.
New Day and The Usos teamed up and beat the SmackDown Tag Team Champions down. Big E connected with a Uranage and then ran into a Samoan Drop from Jimmy for a near fall. Kingston went for a Splash off the top of the pod but missed and Miz & Morrison pinned him to eliminate New Day.
The Usos and Miz & Morrison were the final teams remaining in the Elimination Chamber match. The Miz locked in the Figure Four and Morrison hit the Starship Pain on Jimmy. Jey broke up the cover and connected with a couple Superkicks. The Miz and Morrison then rolled up Jey while Miz used the ropes for leverage for the win. The Miz and John Morrison are still the SmackDown Tag Team Champions.
Opinion: This match started off slow and took a while to get the crowd into. However, it wound up being very entertaining with Lince Dorado hitting the best spot of the match. Otis has become a fan favorite and it will be interesting to see where his storyline goes with Ziggler and Mandy Rose as we head towards WrestleMania.
AJ Styles squared off against Aleister Black in a No Disqualifications match tonight at the PPV. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Styles started off in control and applied a Headlock. Black broke free and beat AJ down in the corner of the ring. AJ battled back with a chop block and targeted Aleister’s knee with his attack. Styles brought a kendo stick in the ring and hit Black in the knee with it.
Aleister ripped the kendo stick away but AJ caught him with Dropkick. Black tumbled out of the ring and Styles went for the Phenomenal Forearm but Aleister countered with a knee to the face. Black set up a table outside the ring as AJ grabbed a steel chair. Styles struck Black a few times and Aleister crumbled to the floor.
Back in the ring, AJ connected with an Enziguri before going back to Black’s left leg. Black sent AJ to the apron but Styles hit a forearm to the face and followed it up with a Brainbuster for a near fall. Styles made his way to the top rope but Black connected with a knee strike out of nowhere and AJ fell to the canvas.
Aleister hit a springboard Moonsault and went for the cover but Styles kicked out at two. The action spilled to the outside and Styles threw Black over the announce desk. Aleister battled back and hit Styles with a Meteora through the table.
Back in the ring, Aleister set up for Black Mass but Anderson and Gallows interfered. The OC beat Aleister down in the middle of the ring as the crowd booed. The gong hit and the lights in the arena went out as the crowd went insane. When the lights came on, The Undertaker had Gallows and Anderson by the throat. AJ went for the Phenomenal Forearm but Undertaker was ready and planted him with a Chokeslam. The lights went out again and The Undertaker was gone when they came back on. Aleister then hit Styles with Black Mass for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: I couldn’t get over the fact that this was a No DQ match but Gallows and Anderson were just standing around ringside while Black attempted several pinfalls on AJ. It would be perfectly legal for them to be in the ring the entire time. It would have made more sense to have them rush the ring towards the end of match. The Undertaker interfering was predictable but still entertaining. I hope WWE has something significant planned for Aleister Black heading into WrestleMania.
Street Profits (Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins) put their RAW Tag Team Championships on the line against Seth Rollins and Murphy at the PPV. Street Profits defeated Rollins & Murphy to become the champs this past Monday night on RAW. AOP were in Murphy and Rollins’ corner for the title match.
Match Recap: Dawkins and Rollins started the match off as the WWE Universe chanted “we want the smoke!”. Rollins wasn’t feeling it and tagged in Murphy. Seth shared a hug with Murphy before making his way to the apron. Seth tagged in and beat Ford down in the corner of the ring.
Street Profits battled back and knocked Rollins and Murphy out of the ring with dueling Dropkicks. Back in the ring, Seth connected with a Neckbreaker and tagged Murphy back in. Ford tagged in and hit Murphy with Crossbody. AOP distracted the referee and Rollins beat Ford down.
Viking Raiders interrupted and brawled with AOP on the entrance ramp. The brawl continued to the backstage area as Rollins locked in a Headlock on Montez in the middle of the ring. Ford broke free but Seth planted him with a Falcon Arrow for a near fall.
Dawkins tagged in and hit Rollins & Murphy with a couple of Clotheslines. Murphy and Rollins hit Ford with dueling Superkicks as he jumped off the top rope. Rollins tagged himself in and walked into a right hand from Dawkins. Ford tagged in and went for a Crossbody but Seth countered into a roll-up for a two count. Murphy tagged in and hit Double Knees on Ford but Dawkins broke up the cover.
Angelo planted Seth with a Belly to Belly Suplex on the floor outside the ring. Rollins hit Street Profits with a Powerbomb as they hit Murphy with a Superplex at the same time. Kevin Owens made his way through the crowd with a box of popcorn. Owens took a seat on the announce table as Rollins stared at him.
Kevin threw popcorn in Seth’s face and Dawkins capitalized with a massive shoulder tackle that sent Seth into the barricade. Murphy tried to flip onto Street Profits but they caught him and sent him flying into the barricade. Back in the ring, Dawkins hit a Spinebuster and Ford followed it up with a Frog Splash for the pinfall victory. Street Profits are still the RAW Tag Team Champions. After the match, Kevin Owens hit Rollins with a Stunner and dumped the rest of his popcorn on Murphy.
Braun Strowman defended the Intercontinental Championship against Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn, and Cesaro in a Handicap Match.
Match Recap: Sami Zayn avoided Strowman and tagged in Nakamura. Shinsuke beat Strowman down for a bit for tagging in Cesaro. The Swiss Superman did the same before tagging in Sami Zayn. Sami stomped on Strowman before flexing as the crowd booed.
Strowman battled back and chased Sami around the ring while leveling Shinsuke and Cesaro with shoulder tackles in the process. Zayn hid under the ring and Braun went after him. Cesaro and Shinsuke capitalized and sent Strowman into the ring post. Shinsuke hit Braun with the Kinshasa and Sami tagged in. Zayn hit the Helluva Kick for the pinfall victory and Sami is the new Intercontinental Champion. After the match, Sami hung around to raise the title in Strowman’s face.
Opinion: I was ready to write that WWE is wasting the talents of Sami Zayn, Cesaro, and Shinsuke Nakamura in this dumbass stable and feud but I’ll refrain for a night. I thought Strowman was just going to massacre these three and leave with the title. I’m a fan of Zayn, Nakamura, and Cesaro and feel like they’ve been completely misused on the main roster. Cesaro being the most egragious out of the three for years now. However, I’m not excited about Zayn being champion because it is WWE and I’m guessing it is only a matter of time before he drops it. I hope I’m wrong about that. It still is about damn time that Sami held a title on the main roster.
Shayna Baszler Will Face Becky Lynch At WrestleMania
Photo: WWE.com
Shayna Baszler, Asuka, Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott, and Natalya competed in an Elimination Chamber match tonight. The winner of the match will go on to face Becky Lynch at WrestleMania for the RAW Women’s Championship.
Match Recap: Ruby Riott and Natalya were the first two superstars in the match. Natalya controlled the action early and taunted Ruby while beating her down. Sarah Logan was released from her pod and absolutely leveled Natalya with Double Knees. Ruby and Logan then battle don top of one of the pods. Natalya pulled Riott down and planted her with a Powerbomb on the floor. Sarah Logan then leaped off the pod and took them both out of with a Crossbody.
Shayna Baszler was next up and immediately sent Natalya into the ring post. Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch to eliminate Logan. Shayna did the same to Ruby and she quickly tapped out. Baszler then slammed the pod door onto Natalya several times and locked in the Kirifuda Clutch on Natalya and she tapped out.
Liv Morgan entered the match next and was immediately bashed into the chamber. Shayna then swung her into the pod door and got back into the ring. Baszler spent some time trash talking with Asuka as Liv slowly made her way to her feet. Baszler quickly choked out Liv with the Kirifuda Clutch to eliminate her.
For the second time in the match, everyone had to wait a couple of minutes for the pod to open. Asuka was finally released from the pod and entered the ring with Shayna. Asuka hit the Hip Attack and unloaded some kicks to Shayna’s midsection. Asuka applied the Asuka Lock in the middle of the ring. Shayna rolled to the outside but Asuka kept the hold.
Shayna broke free by slamming Asuka into the chamber several times. Back in the ring, Shayna locked in the Kirifuda Clutch but Asuka escaped. Shayna bent back Asuka’s fingers and then slammed her to the canvas. Baszler locked in the Kirifuda Clutch again and Asuka passed out. Shayna Baszler will face Becky Lynch for the RAW Women’s Championship at WrestleMania.
Opinion: I think WWE wanted Shayna to come off as a monster by having her stand alone in the ring for several minutes twice in this match. Unfortunately, it was painfully boring and the crowd became restless waiting for the pod to open. It would have been more effective if Shayna entered the match last and just choked everyone out one by one with the Kirifuda Clutch. Despite the main event, Elimination Chamber was a very solid PPV for a PPV with a two week build. As a result of having very little build, several matches suffered because the crowd wasn’t invested in the feud. The show being almost four hours also caused the energy of the crowd to fade.
As expected, Shayna Bazler is headed to WrestleMania 36 and will do so by being in a championship match.
WWE booked a Women’s Elimination Chamber Match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wells Fargo Center on the WWE Network.
This contest saw WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Asuka vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Ruby Riott vs. Sarah Logan vs. Liv Morgan, vs. Natalya with the winner becoming the new #1 contender for the RAW Women’s Title, which is currently behind held by Becky Lynch.
As seen in the contest, Bazler won the match. As a result, she has earned the opportunity to challenge Becky Lynch for the strap at 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 will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
What are your thoughts on Shayna Baszler winning this contest and challenging Becky Lynch for the RAW Women’s Title at the biggest event of the year for WWE? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Braun Strowman’s reign as the WWE Intercontinental Champion didn’t last long as he was dethroned by Sami Zayn.
The title change happened when Strowman defended the title against Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Sami Zayn in a 3-On-1 Handicap Match.
This contest served as the co-main event spot on the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view card at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that aired on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network. Zayn pinned Strowman in the match earning him the title.
The four stars have been feuding for the past few months. Back on the January 31 episode of SmackDown, Strowman defeated Nakamura to win the Intercontinental Championship.
This marked Strowman’s first reign as the champion. It was a surprising outcome considering that Strowman won the title recently and he was a big favorite according to oddsmakers throughout the week in the betting odds.
As of this writing, there haven’t been any reports regarding the creative direction for Strowman and the Intercontinental Title for WrestleMania 36. Time will tell where WWE goes from here.
What are your thoughts on Sami Zayn being the one to dethrone Braun Strowman to win the Intercontinental Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
The Undertaker made an unadvertised appearance at WWE’s latest pay-per-view event.
On Sunday night, WWE hosted the Elimination Chamber event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wells Fargo Center on the WWE Network. A No DQ Match between AJ Styles and Aleister Black took place.
The match ended when Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson attacked Black until The Undertaker came out. He had them in a hold until Styles tried to hit him with a Phenomenal Forearm.
Taker reversed it and hit a chokeslam to Styles that allowed Black to hit his finisher, Black Mass, to get the win. Pwinsider.com reported during the match that “The Deadman” was backstage at the show.
It’s also been reported by Pwinsider that The Undertaker is currently scheduled to make an appearance on Monday’s episode of RAW from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC on the USA Network.
This appearance is slated to further the feud with Styles heading into the biggest event of the year for the company. It will also likely mark the confirmation of reports about WWE booking Styles vs. Taker at WrestleMania 36 next month.
John Morrison and The Miz will stay on top of the SmackDown Tag Team division despite a difficult match against a ton of challenges.
They made their latest defense at Sunday’s (March 8, 2020) WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wells Fargo Center on the WWE Network.
They did so when they battled The New Day, The Usos, Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler, Heavy Machinery, and Lucha House Party inside of the Elimination Chamber structure.
This comes after Morrison and The Miz beat The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston) to win the titles at the WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium earlier this month.
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.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on who will challenge Morrison and Miz for the straps at this show.
What are your thoughts on John Morrison and The Miz retaining the Smackdown Tag Team Titles? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
The reign as WWE United States Champion for Andrade hasn’t come to an end as Humberto Carrillo wasn’t the man to dethrone him.
As seen at Sunday’s (March 8, 2020) WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wells Fargo Center on the WWE Network, Andrade beat Carrillo to retain the title by using the tights.
A potential title change was heavily speculated on by fans despite it being reported last month.
Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reported that Andrade’s days as champion were numbered. The reason for that is due to Andrade serving a suspension for failing a Wellness Policy test at the time. This was the Superstar’s first violation of the company’s Wellness Policy.
Last December, during a house show at MSG, Andrade defeated Rey Mysterio to win the United States Championship for the first time.
Time will tell whether WWE continues this feud or goes into a different direction heading into the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium.
What are your thoughts on Humberto Carrillo not winning the WWE United States Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Plans for one WWE Championship have surfaced heading into WrestleMania 36 as the biggest event of the year for the company is getting closer.
Alex McCarthy of Talk Sports reported on Sunday that the plan right now is for a six-pack challenge to take place at WrestleMania 36 that will see Bayley defend the SmackDown Women’s Title.
The other confirmed competitors include Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Carmella, and one unknown star.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on who the mystery star will be. WWE has yet to confirm the match.
“A source tells me the plan for the SD women’s title at WM36 is a six-pack challenge right now. Bayley v Sasha v Naomi v Lacey Evans v Carmella – that’s five of the six names. The source speculates Bayley and Sasha would prefer to hold off their major singles PPV match, too.
I hate tweeting things like this because WWE/wrestling is so fluid and the source even said ‘as of this morning’ alluding to the possibility of change.”
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 expected to get top billing on the card with the second biggest match of WWE Universal Champion Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns.
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
All Elite Wrestling will reveal the rules for the upcoming “Blood and Guts” match this Wednesday on Dynamite. The promotion revealed the participants in the match today, however.
The 2-ring steel cage match will pit two teams against each other: The Elite and the Inner Circle. Based on the match graphic released by AEW, it will be Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Sammy Guevara, Santana, and Ortiz representing the Inner Circle against Cody Rhodes, Adam “Hangman” Page, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks.
The rules for Blood and Guts will be announced on this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite.
AEW’s first Blood and Guts match takes place on a special edition of Dynamite on Wednesday, March 25th from Newark, NJ at the the Prudential Center.
MATCH ANNOUNCEMENT#AEWDynamite: Blood & Guts Newark, NJ | @PruCenter – March 25th!? It's the #InnerCircle vs. #TheElite in your main event! Rules will be announced this Wednesday on Dynamite!
The show will emanate from the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, USA. The following week AEW will broadcast from the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, New York.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed the ongoing feud between RAW Superstar Randy Orton and Edge. Henry has previously praised Orton specifically for ‘carrying’ the feud singlehandedly whilst Edge is off of television ‘recovering’ from the chair shot he took on January 27th.
Mark Henry on Randy Orton
“I’m gonna read something right now, I get a text yesterday” Henry began on the SiriusXM show. “‘Hey, man, I watched [WWE] Backstage, and I heard the kind words that you said about me. That sincerely means a lot my man.’ And that was from Randy. Randy Orton respects the fact that we [the performers] honor him. That we hold him at a high regard and justifiably so, he deserves it.”
“Arguably The Best Heel In The Industry”
Henry would also call Orton arguably the best ‘heel’ in the wrestling industry right now. “He’s arguably the best heel in pro wrestling today” Henry stated. “Work wise, promo wise, career wise. There’s nobody else on the planet that’s living up to Randy Orton’s excellence. Randy listens to this [Busted Open] show, and every time it’s not because it is about him per se. It’s about the fact that he lifts up the business. He cares about the business of pro wrestling, just like you and I. You’re the superfan. I was the superfan that became a wrestler. That actually got to come back in the media and relay that message. And I feel like I’m the voice of the wrestler that gets to respond to the fans. And I’m letting all y’all know that Randy Orton is relishing being the guy that he is today.”
“I’m looking so forward to next week that I just can’t even…”
Mark Henry would finish by saying that he holds Randy Orton in high regard. He also made it clear that he holds RAW above SmackDown in terms of quality television right now. “It’s much appreciated as a fan of pro wrestling. And as a former wrestler? I hold Randy at a high regard. And it’s going to continue to be that way. I’m looking so forward to next week that I just can’t even…I know I’m shouldn’t be pushing past Friday. I shouldn’t be pushing past Smackdown, I shouldn’t be pushing past the pay per view Elimination Chamber. But I’m so ready for Monday.”
You can listen to Busted Open Radio via SiriusXM. The podcast version is available via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and PlayerFM.
Do you think that Randy Orton is currently the best heel in pro wrestling? Let us know your pick in the comments below
Big E noted on Twitter today that he has given names to two of New Day’s signature moves. The 34-year-old took to Twitter to announce the names given to the moves.
ATTENTION: The powerbomb/double stomp will hereby be known as Afternoon Delight & the uranage/backstabber will be referred to as Morning Woods. Thank you for your time.
The multi-time tag team champion also spoke with the Daily Orange recently and noted that he had trouble being entertaining early in his career. Something that has not been an issue in recent years.
“I would say that, early in my career, I had trouble being entertaining. I grew up an introvert in a sports background, where the goal is to physically overwhelm your opponent. There, it’s not about hospitality, it’s not about connecting with the fans,” Big E said during the interview.
“So, switching things up was difficult but also because the entertainment industry was something that I was never involved with. It took me a while, but it took me by surprise that I was able to start showing my personality. Now, I get so much fulfillment going out there and looking around seeing people smiling or laughing.”
The full interview with the Daily Orange can be read here.
