William Regal has opened up about his role as NXT’s General Manager during an interview with Sportskeeda. He explained why he doesn’t consider the job a “role” compared to the previous times he’s played a General Manager on-screen. In real life, Regal is the Director of Talent Development and Head of Global Recruiting.
“For me, it’s not really a role because it’s what I do – which makes it very different than whenever I’ve done this role before,” he said. “Although it’s not exactly what I do, it is in a lot of ways, if that makes any sense. It’s the first time that has probably been… When I played that role anyway, where I am actually a big part of that and, fortunately for me that I am.
William Regal’s Request
William Regal explained how, when he was first asked to assume the role, his one request was to not be put on camera. He noted how he doesn’t need to be on camera “unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“This isn’t about me, it’s about the talent, and everyone that works in NXT, that’s what we think. It’s about the talent but you do need the odd person.”
When it comes to the role of General Manager, Regal believes there is still a place for that kind of character in today’s modern landscape. He noted how, if done right, it can still be “very valuable.”
Kevin Nash will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame for the second time this year. He receives the honor as a part of the nWo alongside Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman. One integral member of the nWo during their peak was former WCW President, Eric Bischoff. According to Nash, Bischoff deserves to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as a solo induction.
Replying to a fan who was tweeting that Bischoff deserved to be included as a part of the nWo, Nash shared his thoughts on the matter:
“I feel Eric should go in alone. His contributions warrant a solo induction”
I feel Eric should go in alone. His contributions warrant a solo induction
Kevin Nash’s Outsiders partner, Scott Hall, has previously mentioned that he believes Bischoff should be inducted as a nWo member. Sean Waltman shared this sentiment, adding how he feels the Big Show also deserves to be included with the nWo.
Eric Bischoff previously replied to Waltman’s comments, saying “That’s nice of him to say, but he’s not calling the shots, so it really doesn’t matter. I wish he was. That’d be great.”
He continued, “I’d like to hang out with my buddies at WrestleMania, that’d be wonderful, but I don’t worry about that. I knew as soon as I saw that, I go, ‘Oh my gosh, my Twitter feed is going to be overloaded with comments about this, I’m going to be dealing with it now for weeks.’ But I love those guys. Those four guys, especially Hulk, these are guys that I have deep affection for, and respect for, so I couldn’t be happier.”
The nWo will be a part of the 2020 Hall of Fame Class. They join ‘The Animal’ Dave Batista, The Bella Twins and the recently announced John Bradshaw Layfield.
CM Punk just finished up shooting a new movie by horror-legend Barbara Crampton. The film Jakob’s Wife was shooting in Canton, Mississippi and recently wrapped up. Travis Stevens, who worked with Punk on “Girl on the Third Floor,” directed the film.
The film is a supernatural horror that follows a woman in her late 50s who develops powers. Also set for the film are Larry Fessenden (Stake Land), Bonnie Aarons (The Nun), Robert Rusler (Weird Science), Sarah Lind (Edgemont), Mark Kelly (Fear the Walking Dead), and Nyisha Bell.
“I’m thrilled to be able to bring Jakob’s Wife to life with such highly experienced producing partners at AMP International. It’s been wonderful working closely with Bob Portal in developing this amazing project, and reuniting with two of my favorite colleagues in the business, Travis Stevens and Larry Fessenden,” said Crampton.
“Since making We Are Still Here together; I’ve been looking forward to telling more scary stories with Barbara and Larry. Jakob’s Wife has been a chance for us to dig deep in to the lives of these fictional characters and test them in ways I think genre fans are going to love seeing,” added Stevens.
AEW will present a new episode of their weekly television show, Dynamite, tonight that will feature the fallout from their first pay-per-view event of the new year, Revolution.
Thus, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
Although not confirmed, the belief is that Jon Moxley and Darby Allin vs. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara will serve as the headliner.
This match comes after Saturday’s AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL where Allin defeated Guevara in a singles match while Moxley won the AEW World Title from Jericho in the main event.
AEW holds this show in Broomfield, CO at the 1stBank Center on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
The fallout from AEW Revolution
Jon Moxley and Darby Allin vs. Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara – Tag Team Match
The debut of Lance Archer. There’s no word yet on whether he’ll be wrestling on this show and if so, who his opponent will be.
PAC vs. Chuck Taylor
SCU & Colt Cabana vs. The Dark Order
AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds coming out of the Revolution pay-per-view event.
Impact Wrestling this week emanated from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas and featured a main event of Tessa Blanchard defending the Impact World Championship against Taya Valkyrie. It was the first Impact World Championship match to feature two female wrestlers in history.
Impact Wrestling 3/3/20 Quick Results:
TJP & Fallah Bah defeated the North (Non-title match)
Moose defeated Petey Williams
Acey Romero defeated Joey Ryan
No Disqualification: Su Yung defeated Havok
The Deaners defeated the Swinging Disco Balls (Disco Inferno & Johnny Swinger)
Impact World Championship Tessa Blanchard (c) defeated Taya Valkyrie
Here are 9 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 3/3/20:
Tessa Blanchard Retains Over Taya Valkyrie
A historic title reign resulted in a historic title match this week as Tessa Blanchard took on Taya Valkyrie with the Impact World Championship hanging in the balance. John E Bravo attempted to interfere in the match, grabbing at Blanchard’s ankle as she hit the ropes. Taya attempted to take advantage of this and charged at the champion but missed and hit Bravo instead. Blanchard then took advantage with a head-scissors into the buckle followed by a Buzzsaw DDT for the win.
Blanchard celebrated on the stage with the belt to bring the show to a close. In terms of what may lay ahead for Blanchard, Eddie Edwards told her earlier in the night that after he defeats Michael Elgin in the finals of their best of 5 series next week, he’s coming for Blanchard’s belt.
Joey Ryan, Katie Forbes, & Rob Van Dam Becoming Allies?
Joey Ryan seems conflicted. As Acey Romero was being made to “touch it” this week Ryan did not execute the penis suplex move he usually does in such a situation. Instead, Ryan seemed as though he did not want to use the move for whatever reason. This allowed Acey Romero to capitalize and hit a devastating elbow for the win.
Later on in the back, Ryan was seen talking to Katie Forbes. Rob Van Dam walked up to the two and Forbes again stated to RVD that Ryan understands what they go through with entitled fans on social media. Is there an alliance brewing between these 3 wrestlers?
Su Yung Gets Revenge For Her Own Murder
The rivalry between Su Yung and Havok is a little personal. That tends to be the case when one or both of two feuding wrestlers have attempted or succeeded in murdering the other one. Previously, Havok had tossed Su Yung over the side of a stairwell with a noose around her neck. This led to “Suzie” wandering around the halls of possibly the undead realm as James Mitchell attempted to manipulate her into doing his bidding. Rosemary helped bring the old Su Yung back, however, and she got her revenge this week on Havok.
Su Yung finished off her rival by wrapping a noose around her neck and using the mandible claw type finisher of hers. After the match, the Undead Bridesmaids made their return to Impact as well, Su put Havok in a coffin and the undead bachelorette party walked off with her inside. After, Rosemary was interviewed in the back about what had happened.
Rosemary may have thought that rescuing Suzie from the grips of James Mitchell would bring her some type of satisfaction but it hasn’t. After Su Yung got her revenge on Havok, Rosemary was interviewed but seemed surprised that she doesn’t feel as she thought she would, possibly because nothing can bring the Bunny back (because she died, not because she signed with AEW). Rosemary may have to go searching now to find what it is that she is missing.
Vengeance is meant to taste so very sweet.. this crumbles like ash in our mouth..
What did we miss..? Where did we miss it..? Why do we still feel so excruciatingly empty..? https://t.co/cgNVWZiaRB
Johnny Swinger wanted to form a tag team with Willie Mack but Mack is not interested, noting that he has a tag partner in Rich Swann who just happens to be injured at the moment. Swinger and Disco Inferno opted to form a team instead and this week took on the Deaners.
Disco and Swinger attempted to use a roll of quarters to attack their opponents but the Deaners outsmarted them, causing Disco to hit his partner and the Deaners to pick up the win.
ICU Strikes Again
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2mSdkF5iXU
Disturbances to Impact Wrestling’s broadcasts have been taking place in recent weeks. It’s not yet clear what “ICU” wants or why they are stalking Impact broadcasts but its disturbances aren’t limited to Impact’s television broadcasts. ICU has been active on social media as well, hacking the accounts of people on Twitter.
Moose Is Ready To Take On TNA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psZog_WMN1s
Impact Wrestling has a special event planned for WrestleMania weekend in Tampa Bay. On April 3rd, Impact presents “Impact Wrestling TNA: There’s No Place Like Home.” There will be a King of the Mountain match and an Ultimate X match on the old school TNA themed card. Moose has let it be known that he has no time for wrestlers from TNA’s past and that includes X-Division pioneer Petey Williams. They met in single’s action this week on Impact with Moose coming out the victor.
TJP & Fallah Bah Gunning For The North’s Tag Titles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zDW3jBLtlI
TJP and Fallah Bah have beat the members of the North in single’s matches and now have defeated them in non-title 2-on-2 action as well. TJP and Fallah Bah scored the clean victory on the tag champs this week and have seemed to have their number for a while now. With the non-title victory, TJP and Fallah Bah have no doubt earned a tag title shot somewhere down the line.
The road to WrestleMania weekend is getting closer and that could play a factor in the latest NXT show.
Thus, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of NXT. The company is building up this show around two Steel Cage matches.
First, we have Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai, which is a lengthy program WWE has been presenting on television that started back at TakeOver: WarGames III back in November. This will likely be the final match in the feud.
In the likely main event, Roderick Strong vs. The Velveteen Dream will go down. This comes after their first match last week that served as the main event.
WWE holds this show in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for NXT. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Steel Cage Match: Roderick Strong vs. The Velveteen Dream
Steel Cage Match: Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai
Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Birch
WWE will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds.
Join us here later tonight for our post-show WWE NXT Results and Takeaways feature.
Dana Brooke has shared her future goals in WWE after signing a new five-year contract. Speaking with The Pop Break, Brooke spoke about her intentions to continue improving in the ring. She also discussed her championship aspirations, which includes not only the SmackDown Women’s Championship but the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.
“I’ve signed a new five year contract. So right now I just want to keep improving and strive for the best. In my mind, I think Lacey Evans and I work great together,” Brooke said. “She always pushes me to the best of my abilities. When we can come together I feel like we’re a very dominant team.”
She continued, “With that being said, I would love to go up for the tag team titles. And you know the Kabuki Warriors have the titles right now – Asuka and I have quite the history as well. So I definitely have some unfinished business with her.”
Dana Brooke then confessed how she’d love for Ronda Rousey to return. She talked about how they are close friends and complimented Rousey as a great competitor. For her, Rousey always helped her improve. “She really makes me step up my game so that would be amazing. […] The sky’s the limit!!”
Newly signed All Elite Wrestling (AEW) talent Lance Archer has lashed back at online critics. Having teased his interest in multiple promotions including NXT and Ring of Honor, the former IWGP United States Champion eventually signed with AEW.
Taking to Twitter, Archer promised that he doesn’t intend to block social media trolls and haters. Instead, he will simply ignore their very existence. He added how they can catch him performing on AEW Dynamite on Wednesday nights.
“To all the trolls n haters. I will not block you. I will not respond to you. I will not acknowledge your existence. I will ignore you and let you and your maybe 20 followers disappear into insignificance. Buh buh now. Watch me on Wednesdays on TNT and keep hating.”
To all the trolls n haters. I will not block you. I will not respond to you. I will not acknowledge your existence. I will ignore you and let you and your maybe 20 followers disappear into insignificance. Buh buh now. Watch me on Wednesdays on TNT and keep hating. ?? ??
— The Murderhawk Monster Lance Archer (@LanceHoyt) March 4, 2020
Lance Archer Is All Elite
Previously addressing his decision to sign a multi-year contract with AEW, Lance Archer said:
“I’ve been in the business for almost half of my life, but with AEW, I’m setting my sights on the best chapter of my career so far. This company champions the creative, competitive and electrifying environment that I’ve been waiting for my whole career. No matter where I go—no matter who steps in front of me—I’m the one you should be afraid of at AEW.”
AEW President Tony Khan added how Lance Archer’s explosive, dynamic and unpredictable nature makes him “perfect for AEW” before noting how “He’s brutal, colorful and will be a factor the minute he steps into the ring.”
Jeff Hardy has revealed he has been “officially cleared” for in-ring action. Hardy joined the team of WWE Backstagefor this week’s episode where he provided the update. The Superstar has been present backstage at SmackDown for the past few weeks. He had been sidelined thanks to an unfortunate leg injury just before WrestleMania 35 last April.
Hardy’s WWE contract was set to expire on March 1. The time he has spent recovering will likely be added, as has been the case other injured Superstars. His brother, Matt Hardy, allowed his contract to recently expire.
It has been speculated that Matt would eventually be revealed as the Exalted One in All Elite Wrestling. When asked by Renee Young about his brother’s next steps, Jeff confessed they had hardly spoken about what Matt would do next.
Jeff Hardy Reflects
When asked about his time recovering, Jeff admitted that “the last 9 months have been very crazy.”
“When I had knee surgery, it was a blessing in disguise because my dad was in real bad shape, away from home. So I was able to be over there with him every day and walk with him—he would walk with me but not the nurses. Long story short, I got him home halfway through September, so he’s been home for about 5 months now, and he’s doing much better.
He continued, “[…] on the night of October the 3rd, I got into some trouble. On the morning of October the 4th I arranged for me to go to inpatient rehab for the first time in my life and it was one of the best things I could have ever done for myself, y’ know. And I’ve done something every day to better myself, and it’s just gonna be so good to be back in front of all those people.”
At the time of writing, there is no indication as to when Jeff Hardy will return to the ring despite being cleared.
John Bradshaw Layfield is officially heading into the WWE Hall of Fame. News of JBL’s induction was confirmed during last night’s episode of WWE Backstage.
The former Superstar joined WWE back in 1995, wrestling regularly under several gimmicks until his retirement in 2009. His final match took place at Wrestlemania XXV where he lost the Intercontinental Championship to Rey Mysterio in only 21 seconds. Having left in-ring competition, JBL segued into a commentator role with WWE before focusing on his humanitarian work in and out of WWE. He has worked with organisations such as Beyond Rugby Bermuda and Beyond Sport, where he is a Global Ambassador.
JBL won copious amounts of gold during his tenure in WWE. He is a former WWE Champion, Intercontinental Champion and United States Champion. During his time in WWE, he also won the Hardcore, European and Tag Team championships. He is one of the few Superstars to not only be a Grand Slam Champion but a Triple Crown winner.
He joins “The Animal” Batista, the Bella Twins, and the nWo (consisting of Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman) as a part of the 2020 Hall of Fame Class. The ceremony will take place during WrestleMania week on April 2 from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.
One of JBL’s most notable rivals delivered a special message after the Hall of Fame announcement was confirmed. John Cena congratulated JBL on the accomplishment, stressing how he absolutely earned the recognition for all he has done.
“Hey John, it’s John. Remember that young whippersnapper that you put over at WrestleMania for the strap? I just want to thank you for everything you’ve ever done for me. I have great perspective of all the people that have helped me along my journey, and there is no me without you.”
He continued, “We had some wonderful times. I hope that as you get inducted into the Hall of Fame, maybe you can relive some of those times and enjoy some of those memories like I do every single day. I’m just really thankful for what you have done for me. As far as I’m concerned, this is something that you’ve absolutely earned. I never use the word ‘deserve’—you have earned every inch. I hope that you enjoy the Hall of Fame ceremony and all that it encompasses because it is well earned. Thank you, John.”
JBL dropped the WWE Championship to Cena during WrestleMania 21. This was the first time Cena had claimed WWE’s top prize, moving him from the roster’s upper mid-card and firmly placing him into the main event picture.
Viewership data is in for this week’s episodes of Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night RAW.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
SmackDown Viewership
SmackDown averaged 2.687 million viewers on FOX in Boston, MA at the TD Garden. This is up from the 2.484 viewers that the show did for the previous week’s episode of SmackDown on FOX.
The show averaged 2.717 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was up from the 2.490 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.736 million viewers while the second hour did 2.697 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.542 million viewers while the second hour did 2.438 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.80 rating in the 18-49 demos, up from the 0.70 rating as last week’s show.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.257 million viewers in Brooklyn, NY at the Barclays Center on the USA Network, which is up from the 2.210 million viewers the previous week.
Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
Michelle McCool was not included in a recent WWE.com article focussing on some of the greatest women’s champions in company history. 45 women wrestlers from WWE’s past were mentioned in the article, but not Michelle McCool. The list was later updated to include more entries, including McCool.
McCool is a former 2x Divas Champion and held the title for a combined 278 days.
WWE’s List Of 50 Women’s Wrestling Champions
The updated list (which now includes McCool) is as follows:
Becky Lynch
Nikki Bella
The Boss N Hug Connection
Trish Stratus
Michelle McCool (added later)
Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
Naomi
Shayna Baszler
Charlotte Flair
Eve
AJ Lee
Rhea Ripley
Asuka
Melina
Jaqueline
Ronda Rousey
Nia Jax
Bayley
Carmella
Maryse
The Kabuki Warriors
Brie Bella
Kaitlyn
Natalya
The Iiconics
Kay Lee Ray
Sasha Banks
Alundra Blayze
Alexa Bliss
Ivory
Beth Phoenix
Toni Storm
Candice Michelle
Alicia Fox
Victoria
Chyna
Layla
Molly Holly
Kairi Sane
Ember Moon
Paige
Mickie James
Lita
Kelly Kelly
Stephanie McMahon
Bull Nakano
Jazz
Jillian Hall
Sable
Wendi Richter
The list does not include the Fabulous Moolah, who holds the record for the longest time spent with a WWE women’s title. Sensational Sherri also held the title for 441 days but does not appear in WWE’s article. Gail Kim is also absent from the list.
In 2007, the world lost Nancy, Daniel, and Chris Benoit. In the years since the case has been a difficult one for many wrestling fans to come to terms with. The Vice documentary series “Dark Side of the Ring” plans to dedicate their premiere episode of Season 2 to the case. The episode will air on March 24th, 2020 at 9 pm.
And we’re back! Season 2 premieres March 24 on @VICETV. @IAmJericho joins us as narrator — plus, Variety has the official trailer and full episode list below???? https://t.co/z5TAAG9FAl
— Dark Side of the Ring (@DarkSideOfRing) March 3, 2020
Former AEW World Champion Chris Jericho will serve as the narrator for the series.
The following topics are confirmed to be covered this season on the documentary season:
The murder of Dino Bravo.
Brawl for All tournament.
An episode on New Jack’s career
David Schultz’s run-in with a 20/20 reporter.
The death of Nancy Argentino and allegations against Jimmy Snuka.
“The first season of ‘Dark Side of the Ring’ was a massive hit,” said Morgan Hertzan, executive vice president and general manager of Vice Television. “These powerful stories transcend wrestling fandom and resonate with both fans of the sport and newcomers who were captivated by this incredible storytelling. We rise to the challenge and do not shy away from the truth. I am proud and excited to continue telling these courageous stories in season two.”
“As lifelong fans, we have always been fascinated by the behind-the-scenes, human stories of the world of professional wrestling,” said executive producers Evan Husney and Jason Eisener. “For our second season we’re going even deeper into its secretive past. Many wrestlers and family members we interviewed have never spoken out before. Our series seeks to help bring closure to their stories.”
Co-host of the 83 Weeks podcast Eric Bischoff recently discussed ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt on the show. Bischoff referred to the recent Super Showdown event where Wyatt lost his Universal Championship against Bill Goldberg; calling it ‘shocking.’ Eric Bischoff would discuss how The Fiend was a massive merchandise mover during his short time in WWE. Also how he believed that WWE were building a new ‘Undertaker-esque’ character at the time.
Bischoff at The Helm of SmackDown
Bischoff was the Executive Director of the SmackDown brand back in 2019. Although The Fiend wasn’t actually on the blue brand around the time that Bischoff was in charge; there’s a good chance that ‘Easy E’ would’ve been privy to that sort of merchandising information at the time.
“I found that shocking particularly, the way they did it [and] as quickly as they did it” Bischoff began, talking about how Goldberg would get the win against a previously dominant in-ring presence in The Fiend. “When I was in WWE, I don’t know what the situation is now. But The Fiend’s merchandise, they couldn’t produce it fast enough” Bischoff revealed.
The Fiend as a new Undertaker?
Bischoff elaborated further, saying “it appeared to me at least, that The Fiend was going to be one of those characters that could be an Undertaker esque type character over the long term.”
Bray Wyatt is currently scheduled to face John Cena at WrestleMania 36 in Tampa. The creative direction for The Fiend is currently uncertain. Wyatt has been alluding to the character’s mentality on social media. With Wyatt making allusions to the fact that Goldberg wasn’t “part of his journey.” And that John Cena at WrestleMania is “where it all began.”
It will be interesting to see how WWE play off the feud heading into WrestleMania season.
Do you think that The Fiend could be the next Undertaker? Let us know in the comments
One year ago, All Elite Wrestling announced a strategic partnership with Mexico’s AAA promotion. Since that time, AEW talent has appeared on AAA shows. Last summer’s AEW TripleMania show saw Cody Rhodes, Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks and the Lucha Bros. in action. AEW tag team champion Kenny Omega is the reigning AAA Mega Champion. However, we never saw an influx of AAA stars on the AEW roster.
On the latest episode of his Keepin It 100 podcast, Mexican wrestling legend Konnan shed some light on the situation. According to Konnan, he believes AEW put the AAA partnership on hold when they realized the grind of doing weekly television.
“When (AEW) first started they were very high on El Hijo del Vikingo, they were very high on Laredo Kid,” Konnan said.
Disco Inferno then interjected that Vampiro has been high on Vikingo as well.
“Well he actually discovered him, Vamp’s the one that discovered him. When I got to AAA, Vamp hadn’t used him. I was like ‘how come you’re never on TV? How long has it been since you’ve been on TV? He said ‘like 5 months’ I was ‘bro, you need to be on TV every week.’ So, he was just one of the guys I started to push.”
Konnan on AEW Using AAA Talent
Konnan then continued to talk about how AEW wanted to sign Laredo Kid.
“They wanted El Hijo del Vikingo, they talked to Laredo Kid and then just as Laredo Kid was about to sign, he got on this humungous reality show in Mexico and he was there for like 3 or 4 months, so they’ve been interested.”
Konnan then continued to talk about his feeling that AEW discovered the weekly grind of TV and that changed their approach to dealing with AAA temporarily.
“This is what I think, I think that once they got in there and they saw the grind of what weekly TV is and everything that it entails, they’ve got bigger things to do than right now bring in AAA wrestlers but I’m sure they’re going to bring in some people in the future and we’re going to keep bringing in people from AEW.”
You can listen to Konnan’s thoughts on the AEW-AAA relationship below:
Game Changer Wrestling’s Joey Janela’s Spring Break 4 is scheduled for Friday, April 3rd, 2020 but will not feature the Great Muta as originally announced. The promotion is stating publicly that Muta being pulled from the show has to do with shady negotiating tactics by Muta’s self-described agent, Sonny Onoo.
GCW posted the following message to their social media accounts:
An update regarding The Great Muta appearing at Joey Janela's Spring Break 4… pic.twitter.com/Jlr9V7GPuq
— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) March 2, 2020
The message states they reached a deal for Muta to come in for Spring Break 4 back in November. GCW was then contacted by Sonny Onoo, who works as an agent for many Japanese wrestlers, in December and said he would be taking over as Muta’s representative even though the deal was already finalized. Onoo informed GCW he would be looking for other events WrestleMania weekend for Muta as well. GCW said that was fine so long as the other promoters shared in Muta’s lodging and travel expenses. This is how wrestling promoters often work together to reduce costs for bringing in top-talent for a weekend. GCW says Onoo was shocked by this part of the deal.
GCW then pieced together that Onoo himself was the vendor for Muta’s other booking. They concluded the message by saying they are still open to working with Muta on a deal for Spring Break 4.
GCW then posted the following regarding Sonny Onoo’s demands for WrestleMania weekend:
As an aside, here were some of the extras that Sonny Onoo tried to tack on while holding us up… pic.twitter.com/RlQbZpsQj9
— GameChangerWrestling (@GCWrestling_) March 2, 2020
They also posted the following Tweet alleging a possible fake account that has popped up on Twitter:
Also, this account has started popping up with some tweets in the last couple days suggesting GCW failed to meet our deal with Muta.
WWE RAW aired live from the Barclay’s Center in New York tonight. It was the final episode of RAW before WWE Elimination Chamber this Sunday.
WWE RAW Results (3/2)
Street Profits def. Rollins & Murphy to become the new RAW Tag Team Championships
Riddick Moss def. Ricochet
AJ Styles def. Aleister Black
Liv Morgan def. Ruby Riott
Shayna Baszler def. Kairi Sane
Rey Mysterio & Humberto Carillo def. Andrade & Angel Garza
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Drew McIntyre Beat Brock LesnarDown
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman made their way to the ring to begin this week’s RAW. Heyman stated that the main event of WrestleMania is a sham because Drew McIntyre is a hyped up fraud.
Heyman said that Lesnar was only vulnerable in the Royal Rumble match because Ricochet hit him with a low blow. Paul claimed that McIntyre eliminating Lesnar at Royal Rumble doesn’t mean that he has the ability to defeat him at WrestleMania.
Paul claimed that McIntyre is nothing but a “stupid big bitch that is going to get squashed at WrestleMania”. Drew interrupted and confidently marched to the ring. Lesnar and McIntyre had a stare down for a bit before Brock backed away.
Brock went to try and attacked Brock but McIntyre absolutely leveled him with the Claymore Kick. The crowd then chanted “you deserve it!” as Lesnar stumbled to his feet. Drew then hit Lesnar with another Claymore Kick on the entrance ramp and raised the WWE Championship. McIntyre hit another Claymore Kick as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”.
Opinion: The crowd is behind Drew McIntyre and this segment was pretty much perfect. I hope that this match winds up being the main event but it seems more likely that WWE will force Goldberg versus Reigns in that spot.
Kevin Owens Helped Street Profits Capture The RAW Tag Team Championships
Seth Rollins and Murphy defended their RAW Tag Team Championships against Street Profits tonight on RAW.
Match Recap: Montez Ford tried to flip onto Murphy and Rollins by they caught him and Powerbombed him onto the barricade. Murphy and Rollins then isolated Angelo Dawkins in the ring and took turns beating him down. Ford hit Seth and Murphy with a Crossbody and followed it up with a DDT to Rollins. Montez connected with a Standing Moonsault and went for the cover but Seth kicked out at two. Rollins battled back and planted Montez with a Slingblade. Rollins Powerbombed Ford onto the turnbuckle as Murphy tagged in.
Murphy and Seth sent Dawkins into the ring post and Rollins tagged back in. Seth went to Powerbomb Ford into the turnbuckle once again but Montez countered into a Hurricanrana and Murphy accidentally booted Rollins in the face. Rollins distracted the referee and as AOP marched down the entrance ramp. The referee turned around and threw out AOP from ringside. Akam and Rezar wouldn’t leave and Kevin Owens slid into the ring and hit Rollins with a Stunner. Montez Ford followed it up with a Splash for the pinfall victory. Street Profits are your new RAW Tag Team Champions.
After the match, Rollins and Murphy demanded a rematch at Elimination Chamber. Rollins added that once he gets his hands on Owens he will be crucified.
AJ Styles cut a promo on The Undertaker Chokeslamming him at Super ShowDown. Styles rolled footage from Mark Wahlberg saying AJ Styles needs to walk away from The Undertaker during a press junket. Styles said he was on a collision course with The Undertaker and vowed to defeat Aleister Black tonight. Before the match started, Styles said that Black must not have read the contract because he has to go through Karl Anderson first.
Match Recap: Aleister Black defeated Karl Anderson with the Black Mass. AJ Styles then announced that Black had to defeat Luke Gallows to get a match with him. Luke Gallows was disqualified after The OC beat Aleister down in the corner. Gallows and Anderson hit Aleister with the Magic Killer and AJ said he will take it from here. AJ Styles then dominated Aleister Black and picked up the win after hitting the Phenomenal Forearm. AJ mocked The Undertaker during the cover.
Opinion: Styles versus The Undertaker should be a fine match at WrestleMania. However, can a week go by without Anderson and Gallows looking like idiots? There seems to be a match that serves as a time filler every episode of RAW and that is what this was. Aleister Black having to go through Anderson and Gallows was nothing more than convenient way for WWE to work in commercial breaks.
Ruby Riott battled Liv Morgan tonight on RAW. Sarah Logan was the special referee for the match.
Match Recap: Ruby Riott dominated the match early and beat Morgan down in the corner of the ring. Sarah Logan separated them and Riott hit Morgan with a Clothesline for a near fall. Ruby started arguing with Sarah Logan and demanded that she count faster. Liv Morgan then rolled up Ruby Riott and Sarah did the count fast to ensure Liv got the win. After the match, Sarah shoved Ruby to the canvas and Liv followed it up with a Dropkick. Sarah Logan then leveled Liv Morgan with a boot to the face. Liv, Ruby, and Sarah Logan will be in the women’s Elimination Chamber match.
Match Recap: Sane got in some offense early and taunted Shayna. Sane went for a sliding forearm but Shayna blocked it. Baszler planted Kairi with a Spinebuster and then knocked her out of the ring. Sane walked into a big boot from Shayna for another near fall. RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch interrupted with a ridiculous coat on and joined commentary as the show went to a break.
Becky then added Jerry’s crown to the Elton John outfit and called the match as Kairi Sane battled back and hit a Spear. Sane climbed to the top rope and went for the Insane Elbow but Shayna got her knees up. Shayna then locked in the Kirifuda Clutch for the submission victory. Shayna held onto the hold for a bit after the match before exiting the ring.
Opinion: Shayna and Kairi had some good matches in NXT but this one did not work at all. It probably wasn’t the best idea to have Shayna’s main roster debut match against another heel.
Beth Phoenix made her way to the ring to give a medical update on her husband, Edge. Randy Orton interrupted and tried to shake Beth’s hand but she declined and called him a son of a bitch for what he did to her husband.
Phoenix said that is here as a wife and that their children deserve their father. Orton ripped the microphone away from Beth and claimed that it was a certainty that Edge will never wrestle again.
Orton stated that there was a live event in 1999 in St. Louis and his father Cowboy Bob Orton took him backstage. Randy added that Edge came up to his father to show him respect and that Edge said that he was one of the reason’s he became a wrestler.
Edge then shook Randy’s hand and wished him luck. Orton claimed that motivated him and he became confident in that moment. Randy added that years later he stole shows with Edge but made some poor life choices and Edge saved his life.
Orton claimed that he returned the favor and saved his life by attacking him. Randy said that he wanted Beth to husband and their daughters deserve to have their father. Randy blamed Beth Phoenix for everything and called her an enabler for not stopping him from getting back in the ring.
Randy added that he loves Edge’s daughters more than they ever could and Beth responded with a slap to the face. The crowd chanted “RKO!” as Orton stared at Beth. Orton called her a bitch and Beth booted him in the midsection. Randy planted Beth with an RKO.
Opinion: Randy Orton continues to be excellent as a heel and this storyline is awesome. I really enjoyed the opening segment and the final segment of this week’s RAW. There was a lot of terrible segments throughout the show. For example, Riddick Moss defeating Ricochet and Rowan revealing that it was just a giant fake spider in the cage were both awful. However, the Lesnar vs. McIntyre match and the Edge vs. Orton match are being built up very well as we head towards WrestleMania.
WWE presents the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event on Sunday, March 8, 2020 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming days.
Updated WWE Elimination Chamber Card
Women’s Elimination Chamber Match (winner challenges Becky Lynch at WrestleMania): WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Asuka vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Ruby Riott vs. Sarah Logan vs. Liv Morgan, vs. Natalya.
Intercontinental Champion Braun Strowman vs. Shinsuke Nakamura, Sami Zayn & Cesaro – Handicap Match
SmackDown Tag Team Champions John Morrison & The Miz vs. New Day vs. Usos vs. Robert Roode & Dolph Ziggler, vs. Heavy Machinery vs. Lucha House Party – Elimination Chamber Match
RAW Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Seth Rollins & Murphy
AJ Styles vs. Aleister Black – No DQ Match
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
John Cena has broken his silence on not only his WWE return but also his next match.
The former WWE Champion made an appearance on last Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX in Boston, MA at the TD Garden in the final segment.
The lights went out then back on with The Fiend standing behind him and pointing at the WrestleMania sign. Cena tipped his hat and The Fiend disappeared to close the show. Now, he’ll take on Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36.
Cena took to his official Twitter account on Monday evening where he issued his first public comments. Cena wrote the following:
“Want to thank @WWEonFOX and more importantly @WWEUniverse for such an emotional experience on #Smackdown,” Cena wrote. “I went to Boston to say ‘goodbye’ but realized that no matter where life takes me, @WWE is always home. Now, onto #WrestleMania!”
As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when Cena will return to SmackDown.
Although not confirmed, the belief is that he should make at least a few more appearances to build to the big match in the coming weeks.
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.
After a few different tries, The Street Profits have fulfilled their dream of becoming the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions.
Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins did so when they dethroned Seth Rollins and Murphy to win the titles on Monday’s episode of RAW in Brooklyn, NY at the Barclays Center on the USA Network.
The finish saw Kevin Owens take out Rollins that led to the AOP chasing after him and Dawkins hitting a frog splash off the top rope to Rollins for the victory. This marks the first time that they have held the titles together.
This was a rematch that saw Rollins and Murphy retain the titles over The Street Profits at the WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the Mohammed Abdou Arena on the WWE Network last week.
Rollins and Murphy beat Ivar and Erik to win the WWE RAW Tag Team Titles on January 20th episode of RAW in Wichita, KS at the Intrust Bank Arena.
WWE presents the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event on Sunday, March 8, 2020 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that will air on the WWE Network.
Although not officially announced, with the event being just days away, it’s possible that a rematch will be booked between these two teams at the show.
It should be noted that WWE hyped this as a “now or never” match for The Street Profits.
After months of speculation as to what Matt Hardy will do when his contract with WWE expires, he made his decision and now there’s a new AEW teaser.
Early Monday morning, the longtime pro wrestler announced via YouTube that he would indeed not re-sign with WWE. Instead, he would hit the free-agent market.
While there have been rumblings that he could return to WWE should a new deal get reached, there’s also been speculation that he could be headed to All Elite Wrestling.
Matt Hardy Teaser
This is something that was teased during the latest episode of Being The Elite. Near the end of the episode, Matt Jackson got a call from a 910 area code. This is the code for North Carolina, which is where Hardy lives.
The person on the phone asked him to go somewhere and Matt agreed to do so before hanging up. Matt told his brother, Nick, it looks like they aren’t going home quite yet, they gotta make a quick stop.
WWE also issued a statement on Hardy’s departure from the company:
Matt Hardy’s contract with WWE has expired.
A trailblazer throughout his 19-year WWE career, Matt and his brother Jeff pioneered the first tag team Ladder and TLC Matches in WWE, stealing the show at WrestleMania on several occasions. Matt, who competed in his first WWE match in 1994, captured nine tag team titles with Jeff, in addition to two other reigns with MVP and Bray Wyatt.
He is also a former ECW, United States, European, Cruiserweight and Hardcore champion, and he won the Fifth Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34.
But Matt is perhaps most revered for the uncanny connection he has cultivated with the WWE Universe over the years, even as his character has transformed. From a gravity-defying daredevil willing to take any and all risks to becoming one of the most eccentric personas ever seen as “Woken” Matt Hardy, all incarnations had one thing in common — the adoration of WWE fans.
WWE thanks Matt Hardy for his contributions to sports-entertainment and the WWE Universe and wishes him the best in his future endeavors
Hardy took to his official Twitter account where he gave his response to their statement:
I’m very grateful for all of the love & support I’ve received today.
Whatever it may be, let’s make the next chapter of this story absolutely EXHILARATING.
Matt Hardy has been announced for this weekend’s The Big Event wrestling convention from Queens, New York. This marks Hardy’s first appearance since his WWE contract expired over the weekend. Other top stars set to appear include The Undertaker, Bret Hart and Braun Strowman. For more information, visit BigEventNY.com.
Two NXT stars have been spotted in New York City in advance of Monday’s WWE RAW from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. According to PWInsider, both Matt Riddle and Bianca Belair are in town and could be used as part of the build to WrestleMania.
Erik of The Viking Raiders missed two WWE live events over the weekend. After competing at the Saudi Arabia show last week, Erik was sent home to recover from an unknown illness. We wish him a speedy recovery.
WWE Survivor Series 2020 is rumored to be taking place from Dallas, Texas on Sunday, November 22nd. The news comes courtesy of insider Twitter account @Wrestlevotes.
Finally, Fox News Tampa Bay reports that two people in the area have tested “presumptive positive” for the deadly coronavirus. Tampa Bay, FL hosts WrestleMania 36 weekend in just a matter of weeks, so you can be sure WWE executives and local officials are monitoring the situation closely. According to the Department of Health, the overall threat to the public health from the virus is still “low.”
Host of WWE’s Backstage show on FOX and former RAW commentator Renee Young appeared on Lillian Garcia’s ‘Chasing Glory‘ podcast this week. Young discussed a number of topics with Garcia, including how WWE officials reacted to her following her husband Jon Moxley joining All Elite Wrestling.
Renee “bracing for impact”
“I was sort of like bracing for that impact” Renee began, “I was expecting…I mean at that time I’m doing commentary, I’m sitting in production meetings and all the news breaks about him [Moxley] going to AEW. And [I’m] like, what’s gonna happen?”
Renee Young would then confirm that, to her surprise, nothing day to day changed for her in WWE. “Nothing changed for me. No one treated me differently. No, not really. I mean other than the ‘boys,’ wanting to know how he was doing and what not, but other than that I was never pulled aside and was like ‘oh my god Jon’s doing his thing, and you’re doing this and we got to keep things separate’ like that conversation never happened.”
Travel Schedule
Young would elaborate further, talking about how her travel schedule changed without Moxley/Dean Ambrose on the road with her. “It sucked for me not having him on the road with me, my biggest issue was like ‘damn we don’t get to travel together? Like you’re not in the hotel room when we finish the show?’ You know I miss having those moments.”
Moxley in Japan
Renee finished by saying just how unhappy Moxley was before his WWE depature. “So he wants to go off and go do something else. I mean I’m not gonna dig in and ‘oh my god you’re not on the road with me now!? You’ve busted your ass since you were a kid to achieve this, like gigantic dream. Don’t sit around and meet me in catering after the show. You go do the thing that you need to do like go knock on those doors go to Japan.’ I mean when the hardest part was when he went to go to the G1 [Climax] in Japan, he was gone for four or five weeks. I was like, Oh my God. But I was in Toronto, I was like with my friends and family and stuff so it was, it’s fine. But yeah it really wasn’t that because when he came to me and said that he wanted to leave I was like, sure. Yeah, I mean, when you know you know.”
You can check out Chasing Glory every week via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Player FM
Colt Cabana has commented on signing with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Taking to Twitter, Cabana shared his thoughts following his AEW appearance this past weekend at Revolution.
“As @TonyKhan said last night, I’ve signed with @AEWrestling & @AEWonTNT. I’ve had different goals & ideas throughout my career in Wrestling. Right now, to be involved on a national TV show & product with my Friends and Equals… it’s all I can ask for! This will be fun! Thankssss”
As @TonyKhan said last night, I've signed with @AEWrestling & @AEWonTNT. I've had different goals & ideas throughout my career in Wrestling. Right now, to be involved on a national TV show & product with my Friends and Equals…it's all I can ask for! This will be fun! Thankssss
Colt Cabana ran out during Revolution’s pre-show. After his music hit, he came out to make the save as he aligned himself with SCU against the forces of the Dark Order. Despite their best efforts, however, the Dark Order was able to get the advantage.
That is until the arrival of Christopher Daniels, dressed in a black robe as he pretended to be the long-awaited Exalted One. Daniels then joined the fray, teaming with his SCU teammates and Cabana to fight off the Dark Order members.
Following the conclusion of the pay-per-view, AEW President Tony Khan confirmed that Cabana had signed a deal with the promotion. Their agreement reportedly allows Cabana to wrestle for promotions outside of AEW, but only with Khan’s approval.
Colt Cabana has previously appeared on AEW, only not in a physical role. He provided guest commentator duties during an episode of AEW’s YouTube show, Dark, last December.
Kurt Angle has speculated how he thinks his storyline with on-screen son Jason Jordan would have played out had Jordon not suffered an injury. The WWE Hall of Famer discussed the storyline on the Table Talk with D’Von and Mo Podcast.
According to Angle, the storyline would have led to a one-off matchup between himself and Jordon. He noted how he wouldn’t have been wrestling constantly and how WWE wanted to protect him as much as possible. Angle stressed how he understood WWE’s mindset and reiterated how he was just happy to come back to WWE. He shared how retiring in WWE was “all I wanted to do.”
Kurt Angle’s Assistant GM
Kurt Angle explained how Jordan would have probably been put into an Assistant GM role on screen. Over time, the two of them would begin butting heads over decisions being made. This would have ultimately led to a matchup. He shared how, if the injury hadn’t occurred, the two would have faced off at WrestleMania 35. Baron Corbin would eventually face Angle in his Farewell match.
“What I believe is that Jason was probably going to continue on being my son, he was going to start being a pain in the ass to me, I probably would’ve hired him on as my assistant GM, he would’ve started making decisions for me and it would’ve caused a lot of animosity and then him and I would’ve wrestled at WrestleMania instead of Baron Corbin,” Angle explained.
“Obviously they picked Baron. No matter what you think about him, he’s a great in ring worker, his promo skills have gotten a lot better, he’s a big kid great athlete and what I believe, he replaced Jason.”
It has been reported that Jason Jordan has been working backstage as a WWE Producer since he underwent neck surgery. Following his surgery, Jordan was cleared to travel on the road. He has allegedly not yet been cleared for any in-ring activity.
