Jon Moxley has a chance to win the AEW World Championship on Saturday at Revolution from Chris Jericho. Moxley recently commented to Sportskeeda that winning the AEW title would be a better feeling than when he won the WWE Championship in 2016.
“This, I feel, will be a far greater feeling,” Moxley said. “You know this is me, on my own, doing things my way. Totally different situation. Not even a comparable situation – as good as a night as that was.”
Under the name Dean Ambrose, he won the WWE title at Money in the Bank 2016. He first won the MITB briefcase and then cashed it in later that night on Seth Rollins who had just defeated Roman Reigns for the belt.
“Chris Jericho is arguably hotter than he’s ever been, and that’s really saying something considering Chris Jericho’s career. I think he’s not just trying to be good every week he’s trying to be the greatest of all time. And like I said I’ve been running through competition; killing dudes – You’re getting the best version of Chris Jericho and the best version of Jon Moxley at the same time and something’s gotta give, somebody’s gotta go down,” Moxley said.
The full interview with Jon Moxley can be read here.
The card for today’s (Thursday, February 27, 2020) WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view event has been finalized.
The company hasn’t officially announced the main event of this event that takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the Mohammed Abdou Arena that will air on the WWE Network but it will most likely be Goldberg vs. Universal Champion Bray Wyatt.
Also on tap for this show is WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet.
As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special on Sunday evening starting at 11 a.m. ET. Here is the final card for the show:
Final WWE Super ShowDown Card
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet
WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Goldberg
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. John Morrison & The Miz
Roman Reigns vs. Baron Corbin – Steel Cage Match
Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy Gauntlet Match: Andrade, Bobby Lashley, Erick Rowan, AJ Styles, R-Truth, Rey Mysterio
WWE RAW Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins & Buddy Murphy vs. The Street Profits
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Naomi
Humberto Carrillo vs. Angel Garza
Mansoor vs. Dolph Ziggler
The Viking Raiders vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson – Pre-Show Match
Ric Flair was at NXT this week to watch Charlotte Flair in the main event of the show and he made an appearance for the live audience before the episode went on air.
The 16-time world champion came out right before the show
went on air and he interacted with the Godfather of the Black And Yellow brand
Triple H during his appearance.
Flair first said that the guys at NXT work really hard and Ric Flair then also teased a knee drop on his jacket but ultimately decided against it. You can check out some photos and a video of Flair’s appearance below.
Charlotte Flair defeated Bianca Belair in the main event of this week’s episode of NXT but she didn’t stop there and the Queen attacked Belair with a chair after the match was over.
Flair was interviewed backstage after the show. When asked
why she attacked the NXT star after winning the bout, Charlotte simply replied
with ‘because I can’.
The former Women’s Champion then explained her actions saying that when she was in NXT she had more respect for the performers on Raw and SmackDown. You can check out her interview in the video below:
The Undertaker has been in news recently due to reports of him traveling to Saudi Arabia despite not officially being announced for the show.
Videos of the Dead Man arriving in the country had surfaced
online yesterday and now WWE has also confirmed the former World Champion’s
presence.
The company confirmed Undertaker’s sighting via a post on their official website. They mentioned how he has not been announced for the show so far but teased a Super Showdown appearance for him as well.
The Last Outlaw is scheduled to face AJ Styles at WrestleMania this year and speculation is that he can set up his match with the Phenomenal One during the event on Thursday night.
Though it’s also possible that the company holds off the
start of their rivalry for some more time and Taker makes an appearance as a
special attraction on the show.
Undertaker and some other major names are currently advertised for an appearance on the March 9 episode of Raw which will be the post Elimination Chamber episode of the show.
So if he doesn’t set up a match with Styles on the PPV from
the Middle Eastern country, then this upcoming Raw seems to be the next best
spot to kick off the feud.
While Trish Stratus has not been announced for WrestleMania so far, a new tweet from her has sparked rumors of a major WrestleMania feud for the former Women’s Champion.
Stratus, who debuted on WWE Television in March 2000, recently posted a short clip from her Twitter in celebration of “20 Years of Stratusfaction.”
What’s interesting to note here is that towards the ending, the video features a graphic of the WWE Hall Of Famer having a confrontation with none other than ‘The Boss’ Sasha Banks from the 2018 Women’s Royal Rumble match:
This tweet has sparked rumors of a potential rivalry between the two and with WrestleMania being around the corner, people have started speculating if WWE can be planning a match between Stratus and Banks at the Shows Of Shows.
Sasha Banks is currently out of action with an ankle injury
and there is no word yet on how long she will stay on the shelf or what the
company is planning for her return.
WrestleMania is currently expected to feature 6 women’s matches. Since matches for all other horsewomen have already been account for, it would make sense for Banks to be involved in a big match against someone like Trish Stratus for the show.
The video also shows the date of Thursday, March 19. WWE has
a rare live event scheduled from Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama on the
day and it would now be interesting to see if Trish Stratus makes an appearance
on the show.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Kansas City, MO. It was the final episode of Dynamite before AEW Revolution this Saturday night.
AEW Dynamite Results (2/26)
Kenny Omega def. Pac in an Iron Man match
Jurassic Express def. Inner Circle
Best Friends def. Butcher & Blade
Hikaru Shida def. Shanna, Big Swole, Yuka Sakazaki
Here are 4 takeaways from this week’s Dynamite:
Kenny Omega Defeated Pac In A Great Iron Man Match
Pac squared off with Kenny Omega in a 30-minute Iron Man match to begin the show. The Young Bucks accompanied Omega to the ring.
Match Recap: Omega sent Pac over the top rope and flipped onto him as the crowd went insane. Back in the ring, Omega went for a Moonsault but Pac got out of the way. Kenny bounced back up and planted Pac with a Dragon Suplex. Pac went for a Moonsault off the apron but Omega caught him. Pac somehow then countered into a DDT and both men fell to the floor outside the ring. Omega and Pac battled on the top rope and Pac connected with an Avalanche Brainbuster as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”.
Pac hit Omega with a Cutter and went for the cover but Kenny was able to kick out at two. Omega connected with the V-Trigger and followed it up with a Tiger Driver 98 for another near fall. Kenny hit another snap Dragon Suplex and followed it up with a V-Trigger but Pac kicked out again as the crowd chanted “this is awesome!”. Pac then hit Omega in the face with a chair for a DQ and Omega picked up the first point. Pac immediately hit the Black Arrow for a pinfall and the match was tied 1-1.
Omega and Pac battled on the ring apron and Pac hit Kenny with a Falcon Arrow to the floor outside the ring. Pac went for a Dropkick and hit the referee. Pac grabbed a table and put Omega on top of it. Pac then hit Omega with a Shooting Star off the top rope and through the table. Back in the ring, Pac went for Black Arrow but Omega got his knees up.
Kenny hit two V-Triggers in a row and followed it up with a Uranage for a two count. Omega went for the One Winged Angel but Pac countered into a reverse Hurricanrana. Pac then locked in the Brutalizer in the middle of the ring with a little under three minutes remaining in the match. Omega fought through the pain and reached the bottom rope to break the hold and the 30-minutes expired. After the match, Pac punched the referee in the face before Justin Roberts announced that the match will continue under sudden death rules. Omega then quickly won after hitting the One Winged Angel.
After the match, Pac attacked Orange Cassidy on the entrance ramp. It was later announced that Pac and Cassidy will battle at AEW Revolution.
Opinion: Omega and Pac delivered an outstanding match tonight that was PPV worthy. There was only one commercial break throughout the entire 30+ minute match.
Jurassic Express (Luchasaurus, Jungle Boy, Marko Stunt) faced Inner Circle (Sammy Guevara, Santana, Ortiz) tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Inner Circle controlled the match early and sent Stunt flying on top of Jungle Boy outside the ring. Back in the ring, Santana & Ortiz beat the hell out of Stunt. Luchasaurus tagged in and launched Sammy across the ring. Luchasaurus Chokeslammed Ortiz and followed it up with a Standing Moonsault. Jurassic Express then hit three Superkicks to Sammy in the corner.
Luchasaurus went for the cover but Santana broke it up at two. Sammy was going to use a weapon but Darby Allin ripped it away. Jungle Boy capitalized on the distraction with a Hurricanrana for the pinfall victory.
Yuka Sakazaki, Big Swole, Shanna, Hikaru Shida battled in a 4-way match tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Shanna hit Shida with an Arm Drag to start things off. Shanna hit Swole and Shida with a double Hurricanrana and went for a cover but Yuka broke it up. Yuka hit Shida with a Hurricanrana and turned around into a shoulder tackle from Big Swole. Shanna hit Swole with a Superkick as Dynamite went a break.
When Dynamite returned, Shida planted Swole with a Backbreaker. Yuka hit Swole with a Splash and went for the cover but Shida broke it up. Shida then leveled Swole with a Running Knee to the face for the pinfall victory.
Jericho and Moxley had a weigh in tonight for their AEW Championship match this Saturday night at Revolution. Moxley got a great reaction as he made his way through the crowd and to the ring. Jericho was accompanied to the ring by Inner Circle as the crowd sang along to Judas.
Jericho ripped the microphone away from Tony Schiavone and called Gary Michael Capetta a weird little man. Moxley hopped on the scale and weighed in a 234 lbs. Chris got on the scale but hopped off to take off his sunglasses. Jericho hopped off again to remove his bandana. Jericho told the crowd to “shut their ass”. The crowd responded by doing the Tomahawk chop and Jericho called Mahomes (Chiefs QB) a piece of sh*t.
Moxley headbutted Jericho the canvas and busted Chris open. Inner Circle then beat Moxley down in the corner of the ring. Dustin Rhodes rushed the ring and Clotheslined Hager out of the ring. Hager and Rhodes battled through the crowd and to the concourse area. Hager threw Dustin into the Dippin Dots cart as Darby Allin rushed to the ring. Sammy hit Darby with a knee to the face and then bashed him over the head with his skateboard. Moxley and Jericho traded some shots and Jon went for the Paradigm Shift but Ortiz hit him with a low blow. Jericho hit Moxley with the Judas Effect and then a Paradigm Shift on top of the scale.
Opinion: Dynamite was awesome once again this week and the final segment was fun as hell. It sure looked like Jericho has a busted nose as a result of the headbutt from Moxley. There are so many matches that I am looking forward to at AEW Revolution. However, I wish AEW had hyped up the match between Nyla Rose and Kris Statlander for the Women’s Championship during tonight’s show. AEW aired a great video package for the Cody vs. MJF match at Revolution and there was also an interview segment to hype the Tag Team Championship match that you can see below.
The February 26, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from the Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
The show was headlined by Charlotte Flair vs. Bianca Belair in a singles match.
WWE NXT Results (2/26/20)
Cameron Grimes def. Dominik Dijakovic
Xia Li def. Mia Yim
Tommaso Ciampa def. Austin Theory
Killian Dain def. Bronson Reed
Charlotte Flair def. Bianca Belair
Here are the 4 takeaways from this week’s show:
Finn Balor Cuts Done It Promo
Finn Balor in NXT
Finn Balor came out to the ring to discuss his future plans following his win over Johnny Gargano at TakeOver: Portland.
He talked about how he builds brands and has done it in Mexico and Japan and he holds lots of titles. He said that everybody is trying to get big before WrestleMania season and that people want to get a rub off of him. He brings up names such as Matt Riddle and Gargano.
This led to members of Imperium coming out and cutting a promo about one thing that he hasn’t done is travel to NXT UK. They say that WALTER, who isn’t there, would like to send his regards.
A brawl broke out with Balor being left laying. It appears that WWE is setting up Balor vs. WALTER for the NXT UK Title at TakeOver: Tampa.
A late addition to this show came in the way of Dominik Dijakovic vs. Cameron Grimes in a singles match. WWE announced the contest on Wednesday morning.
It was a nice back and forth affair with both guys having their moments. Clearly, WWE officials are behind Domik and thus the reason that many people thought he would go over in this contest. That isn’t the case as Damien Priest attacked Dijakovic with a club that played into the finish. Grimes won the match.
The belief was that WWE is keeping him in a feud with NXT North American Champion Keith Lee unless that changes. They’ve had some good matches both in WWE NXT and outside including in PWG.
Grimes continues to be a talent that is lost with a gimmick not working despite being a good worker. Perhaps WWE will repackage him one day but it appears with the push of him on television, he’ll be in this role for the time being.
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Austin Theory was booked and as expected, the former NXT Champion went over.
While the outcome of the match was predictable, it wasn’t a bad thing as it gets Ciampa a win coming off his loss to NXT Champion Adam Cole at NXT TakeOver: Portland two weeks ago.
Post-match, Gargano attacked Ciampa and threw him on the TakeOver: Tampa logo. This would signal whee things are going.
This contest was set up last week when Ciampa interrupted Theory’s match in order to cut a promo about Johnny Gargano costing him the NXT Title by turning heel while attacking him.
Theory tried to attack him but Ciampa knocked him down. Ciampa ended the promo then went on an assault of Theory.
That segment and this match was a nice shine for Theory, who is a former EVOLVE Champion. Some think that he has a ton of potential in NXT and someone to keep an eye out for. Whether that happens remains to be seen but for him to be in the ring and in a competitive match with someone like Ciampa is only a positive.
Charlotte Flair took on Bianca Belair in a singles match on this show in what was the most promoted thing on the episode.
This marked Flair’s first match under the NXT banner in four years. WWE announced the match over the weekend and did it for two reasons. First is due to it helping the ratings as they continue to face and get beat by AEW Dynamite over on TNT.
Also, this was a way to help build Flair’s feud with NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley heading into WrestleMania 36 in April.
A few weeks ago, WWE did a segment where Ripley and Belair laid out Flair. Thus, the reasoning behind the match booking between Flair and Belair. Thus, this was a match that many fans thought could happen and WWE obliged that hope.
The match saw Flair go over an rightfully so as WWE needs to keep Flair strong heading into Mania. Post-match, Flair attacked Belair until Ripley ran down to make the save and Flair backed down.
What will be interesting about this match is the outcome as one could think that Flair isn’t going to be a normal player in the NXT world.
All Elite Wrestling has announced new matches for their upcoming Revolution pay-per-view.
PAC vs Orange Cassidy in a singles match was made official. Also, Evil Uno and Grayson vs. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky.
The match was set up when PAC lost to Kenny Omega in an Ironman Match. Following the contest, Orange Cassidy came out to interrupt PAC’s interview, which led to PAC attacking him.
AEW presents the Revolution pay-per-view event on Saturday, February 29, 2020 in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center.
The event is being promoted in conjunction with the popular C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo) convention.
The show will air at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, and is available for purchase via iN DEMAND cable operators, DirecTV, DISH Network and B/R Live. Here is the updated card:
AEW Revolution Card
AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Jon Moxley
AEW Tag Team Champions Kenny Omega and Adam Page vs. The Young Bucks
Cody Rhodes vs. MJF
Jake Hager vs. Dustin Rhodes
Darby Allin vs. Sammy Guevara
AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose vs. Kris Statlander
PAC vs Orange Cassidy
Evil Uno and Grayson vs. Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card presented by AEW? Sound off in the comment section.
The Young Bucks (Nick & Matt Jackson) recently did an interview with ComicBook.com where they spoke about Marty Scurll’s decision to stay with Ring of Honor instead of joining AEW.
Many fans expected Scurll to wind up in All Elite Wrestling after a short run with the NWA but that wasn’t the case.
Nick started things off by noting that they had a feeling Marty was going to stay with ROH three months before the news came out.
“We were kind of feeling him out for a while now and he always was very vague with us, anytime we would bring up storylines and stuff. So, we pretty much got the hint three months ago or so. And we realized, ‘Okay, he’s staying put.’ Good for him, though. And that he knows how we feel, it’s a business.
Yeah, it would’ve been great to have him with us because we’re good friends, but he got a great deal out of it and he seems to be very happy. He’s definitely going to try to paint his path on his own and more respect to him for doing that. We’re all cool though.”
Matt gave his take by noting that Marty got a great offer and he thinks Scurll wanted to be more than just a wrestler and he got an opportunity to do that. He noted that Marty is a clever guy and he’s very talented.
Matt said that he loves him and hopes nothing but the best for him. Matt hopes that Marty can make the place he’s working a better place because he wants wrestling everywhere to succeed because as long as the wrestlers are being taken care of and there are more opportunities for wrestlers in order to support their families.
Matt noted that he thinks the wrestling world needs Ring of Honor to do well.
“I think Marty, if you can pinpoint any person right now that can help them, it’s him. Good on them, and I’m happy for Marty.”
Goldberg recently did an interview with WWE.com where he spoke about his next match under the WWE banner.
The WWE Hall of Famer is slated to challenge Bray Wyatt for the Universal Title at Thursday’s Super ShowDown pay-per-view event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the Mohammed Abdou Arena.
In the interview, Goldberg sent a warning to Wyatt but did so before he praised him for never being against anybody like him before but he’s here to stand his ground.
He also wants to prove a point and show that no matter what age or what level of fitness you’re in, if you have something in your mind then you can do it. He added that he’s lucky he gets another chance.
“My first Saudi Arabia stint here was less than favorable in a lot of ways and it put me in a place that I’ve never been before and I think part of my reasoning for coming back is to kind wipe that out but I’m taking everything out on The Fiend tomorrow night, and hopefully it’s enough.”
Goldberg was referencing his match against The Undertaker at this same show last year which saw Taker go over after a disappointing match.
There were some botched spots due to miscommunication, the heat inside of the stadium, and Goldberg suffering a concussion.
The topic of inter-gender pro-wrestling is talked about much these days. Inter-gender amateur wrestling has been a less frequent topic of conversation. Teen wrestling standout Heaven Fitch may have just changed all that, however. Last weekend, the high school junior won the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) state wrestling championships in the 106lbs division while competing against male wrestlers.
“I just wrestled my best, and I kind of dominated the match, if I’m being honest,” Fitch said. The teenager says she has been wrestling since she was 6 years old after watching her older brothers compete in tournaments.
“(My parents) didn’t want me to wrestle,” Fitch said regarding her decision to wrestle. “I’m pretty sure it was because they didn’t want me to get hurt. But I would just be like, ‘Well, if they can do it, then I should be able to do it.'”
The NCHSAA stated to media that they have roughly 300 females involved in amateur wrestling and that number is growing.
Highlights of Heaven Fitch winning and becoming the first-ever female wrestler to win an individual wrestling state championship can be viewed in the Tweet below:
1??st Female Wrestler to WIN an Individual Wrestling State Championship
Tito Ortiz seemingly defeated Alberto “El Patron” Rodriguez (aka Alberto Del Rio) at a Combate Americas event on December 7th, 2019. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation has recently changed the result of the fight to a no-contest, however.
It is not clear what has led to the department changing the result of the fight. An ongoing investigation is said to be taking place, however. Combates Americas have said they are in fact-finding mode at the moment regarding the department’s decision.
Tito Ortiz’s Win Over Alberto El Patron Overturned By Texas Commission – https://t.co/l0SAt4KwyT
Tito Ortiz vs Alberto El Patron Fight Result Changed
For Ortiz, the victory over Alberto had been his 3rd straight win. He defeated longtime rival and MMA legend, Chuck Liddell, in November of 2018 and Chael Sonnen in 2017.
For Alberto, this was his first MMA fight in many years. The 42-year-old now holds a 9-5-1 professional MMA record. Perhaps Alberto’s most famous fight was a loss to Mirko “Cro Cop” Filopivich in 2003 at Pride Bushido 1.
Tito Ortiz is said to be have been training at the WWE Performance Center recently. The 45-year-old is not currently signed to the company, however.
AEW sent in the following announcement about Lance Archer signing a multi-year deal with the promotion. Archer and AEW President Tony Khan are quoted.
AEW Signs Renowned Wrestler Archer to Multi-Year Deal
February 26, 2020 – All Elite Wrestling today announced a multi-year deal with Lance Archer, a global professional wrestling sensation renowned for his brutal, powerhouse moves including the Blackout and EBD Claw.
Archer, a Texas native and former collegiate quarterback, is also known by his menacing monikers – “The Murderhawk Monster” and “The American Psychopath.” Standing at 6’8” and weighing in at 260 pounds, Archer’s dominating stature and natural athletic prowess have defined his 20-year career.
“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,” said Lance Archer. “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.”
“Lance Archer is explosive, dynamic and unpredictable, making him perfect for AEW,” said Tony Khan, President and CEO of AEW. “He’s made his mark in every corner of the world. He’s brutal, colorful and will be a factor the minute he steps into the ring.”
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are currently a tag team on WWE programming. They defeated the Iiconics to win the WWE Women’s tag team championships last August. Cross and Bliss would drop the belts to the current champions, the Kabuki Warriors, at the Hell in a Cell PPV last October.
Alexa Bliss spoke with Metro in the UK about wanting the women’s tag belts to play a more prominent role at WrestleMania this year.
“I would love for us to go for the tag team championships again. We’re establishing the women’s tag division still, and there’s no better place to showcase the titles than at WrestleMania!” Bliss said.
She would continue to say that WrestleMania is the perfect spotlight for the women’s tag team division.
“I think our women’s tag division has some of the most talented women on the roster, you just don’t see that because the tag division is so new and it’s not getting as big of a spotlight. But it’s just a matter of time because the titles are so new, and I think WrestleMania is the perfect spotlight for it!”
Alexa Bliss On Being A Babyface
Bliss also spent some time during the interview speaking about the difference between being a babyface and heel in WWE.
“It’s been very interesting, being the bad guy for six years and then all of a sudden being told, ‘Oh you’re a good guy,'” Bliss added. “So I’m definitely working on getting rid of those bad guy tendencies – it’s still in my nature to scream at the ref and throw a temper tantrum in the ring, but hopefully I can gear it towards another direction!”
One thing she noted is that now that she is a babyface, it’s okay for her to laugh while in character.
“A lot of times I just don’t keep a straight face,” she admitted. “When I was a bad guy, I used to have to keep a straight face all the time, even when stuff was funny.”
The full interview with Alexa Bliss can be read here.
WWE has added three matches to the Super ShowDown event tomorrow from Saudi Arabia. The promotion announced the additions to tomorrow’s lineup on today’s episode of The Bump.
Dolph Ziggler versus Mansoor has been added to the lineup tomorrow. At the last Super Showdown event from Saudi Arabia in 2019, Mansoor won a 50 man battle royal as the live crowd cheered him on. Mansoor will have another chance at this year’s event to make an impact when he takes on a former world heavyweight champion in Dolph Ziggler.
A rematch from this Monday night Raw show will also take place tomorrow in Saudi Arabia. Angel Garza will take on his cousin Humberto Carrillo in singles competition. When these two met on Monday night, Garza was able to score the victory with a clever pinning combination.
The third match added to tomorrow’s event from Saudi Arabia will see the Viking Raiders take on Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Anderson and Gallows have been successful at Saudi Arabia events in the past, previously winning a tag team gauntlet match which saw them declared the best tag team in the world.
Naomi and Bayley spoke with the National.AE ahead of their match for the Smackdown Women’s title tomorrow in Saudi Arabia. Naomi defeated Carmella on Smackdown last week to earn the title opportunity. The match will be the second-ever featuring women wrestlers to occur on a WWE show in Saudi Arabia. Natalya and Lacey Evans wrestled at Crown Jewel on October 31st, 2019.
Both wrestlers spoke about wearing abayas while in the country.
“Actually Nattie gave me a couple to bring on the way here and I’ve really been enjoying them. I love them. It’s awesome,” said Naomi about the long garments which are generally worn over clothing and designed to cover the body but leave the face exposed.
“Nattie let me borrow one of her abayas,” said Bayley. “She was messaging us beforehand like ‘hey this what you get to wear over there’, and just helping us with how to prepare.”
“She was saying how much of a beautiful experience it will be,” Bayley continued to say of Natalya.
Both Naomi and Bayley also spoke about making history with women’s wrestling in Saudi Arabia.
“Since I’ve joined the WWE, we’ve always had the idea of changing the perception of women’s wrestling,” Bayley said. “In Saudi, I think we want to change the perception of women in all sports and what women are capable of. It means a lot.”
“It’s a win-win for me to even be here and have this opportunity,” Naomi said. “Whether I win or lose, I will not walk away feeling like I lost out on anything because I’m super proud and happy to be here and see the progress that’s happening and be a part of that.”
For the first time ever, two female wrestlers will face each other with the Impact Wrestling World Championship at stake. Impact has recently announced that Tessa Blanchard will defend her Impact World Champion against Tessa Blanchard on next week’s show on AXS TV.
Valkyrie interfered in the closing moments of Tessa Blanchard’s X-Division title match against Ace Austin this week on AXS. Blanchard had defeated Austin at Sacrifice over the weekend and had been awarded a shot at X-Division gold as a result.
Tessa Blanchard vs Taya Valkyrie Head-to-Head Statistics
Taya Valkyrie holds a 6-2 record over Tessa Blanchard in single’s matches. She is 4-1 against Blanchard in matches that took place in Impact Wrestling.
Impact Wrestling 2/25/20 took place from Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas. The main event of the show featured Tessa Blanchard challenging for the X-Division title against champion Ace Austin.
Impact Wrestling 2/25/20 Quick Results:
Daga defeated Rob Van Dam via count-out
Rohit Raju defeated Wentz
Knockouts Championship Jordynne Grace (c) defeated Miranda Alize
Eddie Edwards defeated Michael Elgin (series tied 2-2) (match took place at Wrestling Revolver show)
X-Division Championship Ace Austin (c) vs Tessa Blanchard – No Contest (Taya Valkyrie interference)
Taya Valkyrie Attacks Tessa Blanchard
After Tessa Blanchard defeated Ace Austin at Sacrifice over the weekend, Scott D’Amore granted her a shot at Austin’s X-Division title. Blanchard looked poised to become “Tessa 2 Belts” but Taya Valkyrie hit the ring and attacked her. Valkyrie’s actions caused the match to be thrown out and cost Blanchard her chance to add another belt to her collection.
Valkyrie and Blanchard are no strangers, having previously feuded over the Knockouts championship. The two have also feuded over AAA’s Reina de Reinas championship. Based on the closing segment of Impact Wrestling this week, it looks as though the Taya vs Tessa rivalry has been renewed, this time with the Impact World Championship in the mix.
Do Joey Ryan, Rob Van Dam, & Katie Forbes Share Common Ground?
Rob Van Dam lost to Daga via count-out this week after he bailed on his match to search for Katie Forbes. RVD’s girlfriend accompanied him to the ring for his match but later left to go backstage after being upset with fans saying negative things about her on social media (she was checking her phone the whole match).
When RVD caught up with Forbes backstage, they were both approached by Joey Ryan who let them know he understands where they are coming from. Ryan told RVD and Forbes that the same people who are attacking them on social media also attack him. It seems as though these 3, who previously had issues with each other, may have found some common ground.
Eddie Edwards Evens Best-of-5 Series At 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2X0QFjcIII
Michael Elgin had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in his series with Eddie Edwards but things are all tied up now. This match took place at a Wrestling Revolver show and saw Edwards pick up the victory with a pinning combination. The series will now come down to a 5th and final match.
Strange vignette type things have been airing at random intervals on Impact Wrestling in recent weeks. It appears a mystery person is stalking the goings-on in the promotion from afar. Time will tell when the person behind the vignettes chooses to reveal themselves.
It was announced on Twitter that ICU had hacked Josh Matthews’ account.
Jordynne Grace cut a promo in the back this week saying she plans on being a fighting champion and issuing an open challenge. This brought out 5x Knockouts champion Madison Rayne who thought Grace was acting a bit too confident for a 1x champion who just got the belt. Rayne would then accompany Miranda Alize to the ring for her shot against Grace for the belt.
While Alize would get in some offense and even a near fall, Grace would ultimately pull out the win with a Grace Driver.
A backstage segment featuring Johnny Swinger and Disco Inferno aired this week. Inferno attempted to explain to Swinger why Willie Mack doesn’t want to be his tag team partner but somehow this led to the two deciding they should form a team, although Disco was still a little hazy on the details as the segment came to a close.
Gut Check Returns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZzhkSw6gvw
Impact announced the return of Gut Check this week. Full episodes of the show are available to watch on Impact Plus but a preview was shown on this week’s episode. On the show, John E Bravo serves as a trainer and is not shy at pointing out trainees’ bad habits.
A vignette for Chris Bey’s signing aired this week on Impact Wrestling. The 24-year old is from the Las Vegas area and has wrestled for the Future Stars of Wrestling promotion in the city. He is a former FSW Heavyweight Champion.
Rohit Raju Picks Up Win Over Wentz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHvI8YBWHEc
The Desi Hit Squad and the Rascalz appear destined for a rivalry. Rohit Raju suggested in a backstage promo that he is upset with the tag title shot the Rascalz were recently given and felt that shot should have gone to the Desi Hit Squad.
In single’s action between Raju and Wentz this week, interference from the rest of the Desi Hit Squad allowed Raju to pick up the win. Things are likely not finished between these two factions, however.
MLW’s Court Bauer sent out a Tweet recently that has some fans wondering exactly what the future might hold for the promotion. Last month, MLW announced they had signed on with ICM Partner,s a talent agency that typically represents showrunners in the TV and Film industries. A recent Tweet by Bauer is suggesting some interesting negotiations have taken place as of late.
Bauer sent out the following Tweet regarding some conversations he is having about the future of MLW TV. The location of the Tweet is tagged as being from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the famed-headquarters of NBC, NBC Studios, and NBC Universal.
According to a reports earlier this month, MLW has also been in contact with Amazon about providing content for Amazon Prime. The company is looking for content for its streaming service especially with looming concerns over a writer’s strike this summer. The situation between MLW and Amazon is said to be fluid with MLW seeing “momentum in a few directions with major players.”
NBC has a wrestling-related project already in the works for the 2020/21 season. Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s early life will provide the backdrop for the sitcom “Young Rock.”
“As the only free agent in the wrestling space in 2020, MLW is in a unique position in the television landscape,” said Court Bauer, creator and Chief Executive Officer, Major League Wrestling in a press release announcing the league’s signing with ICM Partners.
“MLW provides an extraordinary entertainment experience, showcasing some of the sport’s most storied and iconic families, embracing the Mexican lucha libre culture and presenting original content in a 360 manner.”
AEW has released its weekly rankings for February 26th, 2020. The promotion releases new top-5 rankings every Wednesday for its men’s, women’s and tag team divisions.
AEW Men’s Division
Le Champion: Chris Jericho (0-0)
Jon Moxley (6-0)
Cody Rhodes (3-0)
PAC (1-1)
Kenny Omega (0-0)
Maxwell Jacob Friedman (2-0)
There were no changes in the men’s single’s rankings this week. Cody defeated Wardlow in a steel cage match on Dynamite. Moxley defeated Jeff Cobb to maintain his ranking as well. Omega competed in tag action this week and PAC and MJF had the week off from in-ring competition.
AEW Women’s Division
Champion: Nyla Rose (3-1)
Kris Statlander (2-1) (+1)
Riho (3-1) (-1)
Hikaru Shida (2-1)
Yuka Sakazaki (1-0)
Britt Baker (1-2)
Kris Statlander moves up to the #1 position with her win over Shanna on Dynamite. That match was the only one to take place in the division this week. Riho, Shida, and Sakazaki had the week off from in-ring competition. Baker didn’t wrestle this week either but did manage to bring Tony Schiavone a Starbucks cup with his name on it.
AEW Tag Team Division
Champions: Kenny Omega & Adam “Hangman” Page (5-0)
The Young Bucks (2-1)
SCU (2-2)
The Dark Order (3-0)
Proud and Powerful (0-1)
The Best Friends (2-2)
Multiple important tag team matches took place in the division. Page and Omega successfully defended their titles against the Lucha Bros and the Young Bucks won a tag team battle royal to earn a shot against the champs at Revolution. The Best Friends are back in the top-5 as the Lucha Bros drop out after losing to the champs this week.
On AEW Dark this week, the Dark Order picked up a victory over Strong Hearts to maintain their ranking. Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall also picked up a victory over Shawn Spears and Peter Avalon as Tully Blanchard continues to look for a tag partner for Spears.
New Japan Pro Wrestling has announced they are canceling all events from March 1st until March 15th, 2020 as a result of recommendations made by the Japanese Ministry of Health in regard to the Coronavirus outbreak. Among the canceled events is the promotion’s anniversary show on March 3rd which was to feature Hiromu Takahashi taking on Tetsuya Naito.
Also amongst the canceled events is the New Japan Cup this year, which was to begin March 4th, 2020. There is currently no word on if these shows will be made up at a later date or how this will impact the rest of NJPW’s schedule.
“In light of recommendations made on February 26 by the Japanese Ministry of Health connected to the new Coronavirus COVID-19, New Japan Pro-Wrestling has arrived at the decision to cancel all live events scheduled between Sunday March 1 and Sunday March 15,” an NJPW press release for the canceled events reads.
In light of recommendations made by the Japanese Ministry of Health connected to Coronavirus COVID-19, NJPW has arrived at the decision to cancel all events between March 1 and March 15.
After months of building towards programs, AEW Dynamite is here to serve as the go-home show for their next pay-per-view event, Revolution, that takes place this Saturday night.
Thus, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT. The show is expected to start with Jurassic Express vs. Santana, Ortiz and Sammy Guevara in a six-man tag team match.
Although not confirmed, the belief is that the weigh-in between Jon Moxley and AEW World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho for their title match at Revolution will be the main event segment.
AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds as the promotion gets closer to Revolution.
AEW holds this show in Kansas City, MO at the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho weigh-in for their title match
The Butcher and The Blade vs. Best Friends – Tag Team Match
PAC vs. Kenny Omega – 30-Minute Ironman Match
Jurassic Express vs. Santana, Ortiz and Sammy Guevara – Six-Man Tag Team Match
Join us here later tonight for AEW Dynamite Results and our post-show Takeaways feature.
Ahead of his WWE Super ShowDown matchup, John Morrison spoke about travelling to Saudi Arabia with The National. During the interview, Morrison also opened up about being back in WWE, confessing that it still “surreal” to him.
Looking to his “important” matchup in Saudi Arabia, Morrison shared his excitement over being back in the Middle East. “I’m excited. I’ve been to the Middle East before, but I am big on ‘first time ever’ experiences and I’ve seen Crown Jewel and it just looked wild. I’m excited for this and I can’t wait to feel the energy of the crowd.”
Morrison left WWE back in 2011. The once again-SmackDown Superstar confessed he never meant to leave the promotion for as long as he did. Despite getting the chance to travel the world and wrestle for several promotions, “you can’t compare wrestling for WWE to wrestling for any other place.”
He also highlighted how WWE is the biggest platform in the world, and that every detail is done to perfection.
John Morrison’s Future Goals
Given his accomplishments outside of WWE, he was then asked what he hopes to accomplish now that he has returned. Morrison has a grounded goal in mind: striving to be the best version of himself he can be.
“If you asked me that question 10 years ago the answer would be to main-event WrestleMania and that is still the answer, but because there are a lot of things about wrestling you can’t control it is really now about being the best version of myself,” he stated. “Keeping up physically and unlocking new movement patterns is something I’m always interested in, different combinations of movements. Outside of the ring it is about realizing the people closest to me are the most important.”
John Morrison and The Miz face off against The New Day at WWE Super ShowDown for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. The event takes place on February 27th from Mohammed Abdu Arena on the Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
PWinsider is reporting that The Dead Man is currently scheduled to make an appearance at the March 9 episode of Raw from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
Baszler will be competing in the Elimination Chamber match
to determine the WrestleMania opponent for Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and
while not confirmed, the NXT star is rumored to face ‘The Man’ at the Show Of
Shows.
The Undertaker, on the other hand, is expected to face AJ
Styles at WrestleMania this year and it’s possible that he has a confrontation
with the Phenomenal One during the episode.
WWE NXT is back for another episode and will be looking to build upon the momentum that it gained from last week’s post-TakeOver: Portland show.
Thus, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of NXT. The biggest thing to be announced thus far is the return of Charlotte Flair to in-ring action under the NXT banner in several years. She’ll do so when she steps into the squared circle with Bianca Belair in a singles match.
This is a way to help build Flair’s feud with NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley heading into WrestleMania 36 in April.
WWE holds this show in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Finn Balor to discuss his future plans following his win over Johnny Gargano at TakeOver: Portland.
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Austin Theory
Charlotte Flair will take on Bianca Belair. This marks Flair’s first match under the NXT banner in four years.
WWE will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds.
As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for NXT.
Join us here later tonight for WWE NXT Results and our post-show Takeaways feature.
