All Elite Wrestling commentator Jim Ross has shared his thoughts about obsessing over ratings. He claimed how they are “irrelevant” to him. He also discussed locker room leaders in AEW and Darby Allin’s potential. Addressing the ratings war, Ross was clear with his opinions: “I don’t care what the ratings do.”
“Look, we have to be realistic about things. The more that AEW devotes more time than they devote on WWE and what they’re doing, we’re wasting time on our own product. If we’re thinking about them, we ain’t thinking about us,” he told WrestleZone in an interview.
He continued, “I don’t care what the ratings do. It’s irrelevant to me what the ratings do—that’s a good sound byte. I don’t care about it because all we can do is work our ass off and provide a great product or as best as we are being produced to do, that’s what we have to worry about, not the other stuff. So I believe if we spend all our time working on how to get us better and improve our team and not worry about anybody else’s team because we can’t change or affect it. Too many of us worry about things that we have absolutely no control over.”
Jim Ross On Locker Room Leaders
The AEW roster is filled with a mixture of younger talent and industry veterans. This provides plenty of opportunities for people to learn from established names.
“I think we have a healthy locker room being built. There’s leaders there,” Ross stated. “There’s young guys that want to be led, want to be taught, coached up, and you’ve got veterans on your squad. We have several. We live by our champion, Chris Jericho.”
“How do you not respect and follow the lead of a Chris Jericho who’s reinvented himself over and over again—always for the better, always leading to more success at a high-level? So if you’re a young guy and you’re wanting to talk about being a wrestling villain or fan-favorite or whatever it may be, Chris Jericho’s a great source of information with that.”
Potential Stars & Long-Term Booking
When it comes to using that talent in AEW storylines, Ross explained how he isn’t a fan of “50/50 booking. Although he concedes that technology and social media can be great tools for wrestlers to connect with fans, he noted how “It’s a sad thing because that’s how you invest emotionally in the characters and that’s how they become big stars and part of that is how they’re booked. You can’t book somebody 50/50. They win one week, they lose the next, that’s silly. Nobody merits from that and the way you get talent over is you get guys on a roll.”
One of those young talents he believes in his Darby Allin. To him, Allin has a great future ahead of him. He noted how Allin reminds him of a young Jeff Hardy. Another is Jungle Boy. Ross described him as having an “unlimited upside” before comparing him to a young Kevin Von Erich.
Alongside these two is Inner Circle member, Sammy Guevara, who Ross claimed is a “little Eddie Guerrero-ish. Great personality, never going to beat anybody with his size, he’s gonna beat him with his technique, his skill set and his speed and so forth.”
Former WWE Superstar Tommy Dreamer has shared which match he feels will steal the show at NXT TakeOver: Portland. Speaking with Bully Ray on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Dreamer highlighted the in-ring talent of Bianca Belair and the current NXT Women’s Champion, Rhea Ripley. Describing the women as true stars, he is confident the two will deliver something memorable this Sunday.
“For me, it’s been since Survivor Series, this woman continues to step up,” Dreamer said of Belair. “I’m enjoying them. They have been the MVPs of NXT each and every week, and I want to say that they are the top guys in NXT, and that is nothing but a compliment. She has the ‘it’ factor. She can work, she can talk, she’s officially my favorite bumper […] she just has this crispness, this ‘it’ factor about her.”
He continued, “She has a presence. I want to to be her manager so I can get a braid to cover my bald spot. I think she’s amazing, and Ripley is off the charts, putting the rocket on her for any brand, she’s a star. They’re both stars. And when you have that star power, it does nothing but help you, and at TakeOver: Portland they’re going to steal the show.”
Rhea Ripley defends her NXT Women’s Championship against Bianca Belair this Sunday at NXT TakeOver: Portland. The show takes place at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
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Current NXT Champion Adam Cole has revealed who his WrestleMania dream match would be against. For the black-and-gold brand Superstar, there’s only one name that comes to mind: “The Phenomenal” AJ Styles.
“[…] if I could have a WrestleMania match with anybody right now in WWE, really in the world, I would love to wrestle AJ Styles at WrestleMania,” Cole told FLO WWF. “I’ve wrestled him a couple of times before. He’s one of the absolute best I’ve ever faced before, but I’ve never beat him.”
“So he’s a guy I definitely want to get the chance to get in the ring with again. But, to me, when I think about, like, the top 3 lists of the best performers on the planet today, AJ Styles is always on my list. [He’s] just an unbelievably great athlete and I think we could have a really, really great match, especially on a stage like WrestleMania. Yeah, so AJ Styles would be my pick.”
Adam Cole Versus AJ Styles
The Undisputed Era had a run-in with AJ Style and his O.C. cohorts, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, a few months ago. The O.C. invaded NXT, attacking Cole and his stablemates before the show had a chance to start.
They would end up in the main event of that episode against the team of Tommaso Ciampa, Matt Riddle and Keith Lee. Following their NXT appearance, it was reported that AJ Styles attempted to pitch a matchup between the two stables for last year’s Survivor Series.
Adam Cole is scheduled to defend his NXT Championship against Tommaso Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: Portland. The event takes place on February 16th from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
If you use any quotes from this article, please provide a H/T to SEScoops.
All Elite Wrestling’s Dustin Rhodes isn’t only an in-ring talent. He also uses his vast experience in the industry to help coach AEW talents with their promo skills. Speaking with the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling Podcast, Rhodes opened up about his coaching experience to date and how the talent has been growing under his tutelage.
A lot of AEW’s roster weren’t initially familiar with adapting their style for a television production. Rhodes acknowledged this fact but noted how “they are handling it pretty good. There are still some things every single week that I see that I go up to them and I tell them.”
Dustin Rhodes’ Feedback
Rhodes shared how there are still occasions where talent will turn around and face the audience rather than the hard cam. Valuing feedback, Rhodes will approach them to let them know how to improve these subtle things that have a massive impact for the “million people at home” rather than the “4,5 or 6,000 in the arena.”
He continued, “That’s a transition for them to learn because they are coming from the indies and they never had that. Guys like Chris Jericho, myself, Moxley, Cody are teaching that, and it is very important for them to learn. We’ve got three months in now and they are doing good and they are starting to be cognisant of where those cameras are and lifting their heads up because they know the camera is right there to make them look good and the people at home get to see them. If you are looking the other way, they just see your ass and they want to see you.”
Dustin Rhodes recently challenged Inner Circle member Jake Hager. The two will clash at AEW’s next pay-per-view, Revolution, on February 29th.
Simone Johnson has no shortage of family members she can turn to for advice when it comes to wrestling and one of them is the current WWE superstar and cousin of her father The Rock, Roman Reigns.
Reigns recently had an interview with TMZ where he talked
about a number of things and he also revealed his advice for the newest WWE
star.
The former World Champion was asked if his niece should use the People’s Elbow made famous by her dad and replying to the question, Roman said that his advice to Simone would be to develop her own personality:
“If I were to give her some advice, I’d say try to develop your own personality and develop your own shtick, your own character,” Reigns said.
“I mean, we can do anything we want. I could’ve been The Savage from the Island of Samoa if I wanted to, but I developed a different character and I went a different route.”
Reigns then explained that he has developed his own
character but he is still able to pay homage to his heritage and Johnson will
feel more accomplished if she does the same.
Apart from this, Roman Reigns also responded to UFC star Jon Jones’ recent comments about joining WWE and discussed a potential match with the MMA fighter. You can check out his comments on the matter here.
Former Lucha Underground star King Cuerno, also known as El Hijo del Fantasma will finally be making his NXT debut during a live event this weekend.
The Mexican star, now renamed to Jorge Bolly recently
appeared on a video with new NXT on-air personality Kat Marino and announced
that he will be making his NXT debut at Saturday’s Live Event from Ft. Pierce,
Florida.
He revealed that he will be teaming with Raul Mendoza for a tag team match but their opponents were not confirmed. You can check out the video featuring the announcement of his debut below:
Making his professional wrestling debut in 2000, Bolly has
wrestled for a number of big companies in Mexico, including AAA and Lucha
Underground.
He also made several appearances for Impact Wrestling in
2017 and 2018, competing at events like Slammiversary XV and Bound For Glory.
WWE announced the signing of the Luchador back in September but it was later revealed that he was recovering from a knee injury and that’s why he hasn’t made his debut yet.
Jorge Bolly also teased the introduction of his tag team partner in the video above and called their team ‘Tequila’. So now it would be interesting to see which star he introduces as his partner during the show.
UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones had recently said that a move to WWE is ‘inevitable’ and it’s only a matter of time. Now it appears that Roman Reigns is ready to take on the MMA star when he arrives.
Reigns recently spoke to TMZ during the WrestleMania 37 press conference. He was asked if Jones can dominate WWE like UFC, and Roman said that he has the tools and there could be a future for him in wrestling if he can put in the time.
Discussing a potential match with the UFC star, the former
World Champion said that someone like Jon would definitely want to be in there
with the Big Dog. When asked if he can take on Jones in a match, Roman said
that it would be a hell of a fight:
“Oh man, it would be a helluva fight,” Reigns
said. “But when it comes to the squared circle, I don’t think there’s
anybody better in the world. So, yeah, I feel very comfortable being in the ring
with Jon Jones.”
Roman also said that Jon Jones has a huge career in UFC
which is still going on so he should keep his eyes on the ball and don’t worry
about WWE right now.
Apart from this, Roman Reigns discussed The Rock’s daughter Simone Johnson joining WWE. You can check out what advice he would give to Simone in the video below:
The Usos will be missing this week’s episode of SmackDown
due to past legal issues and it means that Roman Reigns will have to find a new
partner to defend the pride of his bloodline in a match against the Miz and
John Morrison.
The Miz took on his Twitter yesterday and made some interesting comments. He mentioned how he has done more than what many superstars can dream of and name-dropped The Usos and Roman Reigns.
The A-Lister had also teased that the Usos won’t be able to
appear on SmackDown this week. Reigns then jumped in to defend his bloodline
and he fired some shots of his own:
Most-hated to Must-See. A nobody to an A-lister. I’ve done more for @WWE than other Superstars dream of and I ALWAYS make the show. Even Roman knows (from his VAST movie experience ?) that the show always goes on … even when The Usos can’t. #Smackdown
I doubt anyone has seen your terrible movies, let alone care if you actually make the show. But if you do make it, stop by and get your ass whooped real quick, again. #HobbsAndShaw ? #Smackdownhttps://t.co/7mV8boEJCj
I know you don’t pay attention to anything outside the WWE bubble- not much inside the bubble either for that matter. But you’re not the only one that’s been hustling all these years ?? regards ~ #TheMayorOfSlamtownhttps://t.co/s1WyiwZsh5
WWE has since confirmed that the Miz and John Morrison will
be competing in a tag match against Roman Reigns at this week’s episode of the
show.
They confirmed the news on their official website and
announced that the Big Dog will have to find a partner for himself due to the
“impending absence” of the Usos.
For those who don’t know, this week’s SmackDown will be taking place from Vancouver, Canada and the Usos will not be a part of it because their past legal troubles prevent them from entering the country.
When WWE announced Rusev for a gauntlet match at the upcoming Super Showdown event, a lot of people started wondering if his contract dispute with the company has been resolved but latest reports suggest that this isn’t the case.
According to reports from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Rusev’s dispute with the company is still ongoing and him being booked for the event is not a sign of things getting settled.
For those who don’t know, it was reported earlier this month
that WWE has pulled Rusev from TV due a contract dispute, though not many
details were revealed about the situation between the two parties.
The Bulgarian Brute last appeared on WWE programming during the January 20 episode of Monday Night Raw where he teamed up with Liv Morgan and lost a mixed tag match to Bobby Lashley and Lana.
Rusev has been unhappy with his position for a while and many
believe that he will be leaving the company once his current contract expires.
The former US Champion had also changed his twitter bio back
in mid-January to indicate that he will be a free agent soon but he has since
removed the reference and the Newsletter is reporting that there is still
“plenty of time” left on his current contract.
Whether or not he actually leaves WWE will be revealed in future but one thing we know is that his wife Lana will be staying with the company for the foreseeable future as she has recently signed a new 5 year deal with the promotion.
Rusev will be competing in a gauntlet match alongside AJ
Styles, Erick Rowan, R-Truth, Bobby Lashley, and WWE United States Champion
Andrade at the upcoming Super Showdown event for the Tuwaiq Mountain Trophy.
The advertised line up for the Elimination Chamber has got fans excited but latest reports suggest that this could change when the time for the event comes.
Dave Meltzer talked about the advertised line up on the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio and revealed that WWE has not made a final decision on the participants for the chamber match yet.
According to Meltzer, the advertisements are just something the company has sent out to help the ticket sales and it’s possible that the line up will change before the PPV.
Roman Reigns is rumoured to be winning the Elimination Chamber this year and face the Fiend at WrestleMania 36 so he is still very likely to end up in the match.
However other advertised names like Robert Roode could be
replaced because WWE just “threw six names” in the line up to advertise
the bout in the local market.
For those who don’t know, the Wells Fargo Center is advertising that Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Shinsuke Nakamura, King Corbin & Robert Roode will be competing in the Elimination Chamber match this year.
The winner is then expected to challenge the Universal Champion Bray Wyatt or Goldberg at the Grandest Stage Of Them All.
Though this isn’t the only match which is being advertised for the PPV and the company is also promoting a Super Showdown championship rematch for the show. You can check out the match here.
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War.
This week, AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group except Adults 50+, where NXT had a significant edge as they usually do.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 757,000 viewers, which is down from 770,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.24 rating, up from the 0.22 rating the previous week.
The episode featured Lio Rush vs. Angel Garza with the winner to become the No. 1 contender to the NXT Cruiserweight Title, Roderick Strong vs. Bronson Reed, Dakota Kai vs. Candice LeRae, Johnny Gargano vs. Cameron Grimes, and NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Kushida in a non-title match.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 817,000 viewers, down from the 928,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.30 rating, down from the 0.36 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured matches such as MJF vs. Jungle Boy, Sammy Guevara vs. Dustin Rhodes, Jon Moxley vs. Santana, AEW Tag Team Champions Adam Page and Kenny Omega vs. SCU, and Riho vs. Nyla Rose for the AEW Women’s Title.
Next week’s battle will be very interesting to see which show wins the ratings battle as NXT will be getting closer to their next special, TakeOver: Portland while AEW edges closer to Revolution.
Simone Johnson, the 18-year-old daughter of Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson has signed with WWE. WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch offered up some advice for Johnson when reporters from TMZ caught up with her recently.
“Work hard, work as hard as you possibly can,” Lynch said when asked if she had any advice for Johnson. “Work harder than everybody else.”
“The thing is it’s going to be a lot of pressure on her,” Becky Lynch continued. “There is big shoes to fill, she’s going to feel that, she’s going to know that everybody expects a lot more from her and that she is going to be under a lot more criticism than everybody else.”
“She doesn’t get that chance, that slack-line that other people might get but I think she’s up for the challenge and I think that tests you, that makes you into the woman that you want to be and to be a champion. And hey, whenever she’s ready I’ll be holding down the fort. I’ll still be holding onto this whenever she’s ready.”
“I think it’ll be good for her to try and make her own way, don’t rely on the past, don’t rely on what got other people over, try to make something new for yourself. I think there’s merit in that,” Lynch said about Johnson blazing her own path.
Lynch’s comments can be viewed in the full with the player below:
Billy Corgan’s NWA is back on PPV in April with the 2020 edition of the Crockett Cup. An exact date and location for the show have yet to be announced, however. Corgan sat down with Chris Van Vliet recently to discuss his plans for the National Wrestling Alliance.
According to Corgan, he is approaching the NWA today the same way he has approached the music scene with his band, the Smashing Pumpkins.
“We are nowhere near as funded as the other companies that are being talked about,” Corgan said, noting that he is not himself a billionaire.
“Ring of Honor, AEW, and WWE are all owned by billionaires. So to even be in the conversation without that same level of resources, that’s more a credit to our hard work and our creativity and that’s exactly the way I raised the Smashing Pumpkins through the ranks of the rock business,” Corgan continued.
Corgan would continue to talk about the mentality the Smashing Pumpkins had.
“We had to be a better band, we had to tell better stories musically-speaking and that’s exactly the blueprint for the NWA.”`
Corgan also hinted during that the throwback feel to the NWA is being done to get people’s attention
“You have to get people’s attention first,” Corgan said. “If you don’t have their attention they are not going to listen to what you have to say down the road.”
The full interview can be viewed in the player below:
Ring of Honor has announced plans to replace the Women of Honor Championship with the Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship. The promotion will begin a tournament starting on April 24th.
ROH Quest for the Gold will take place April 24th, 2020 from Philadelphia’s famed 2300 Arena.
“To emphasize ROH’s commitment to women’s wrestling, a new Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship has been created. This title will replace the Women of Honor Title and carry the utmost prestige as only the best competitors will earn its gold,” an ROH press release for the tournament reads.
TOURNAMENT TO CROWN ROH WOMEN'S WORLD CHAMPION BEGINS AT QUEST FOR GOLD IN PHILADELPHIA APRIL 24TH!
“Quest For Gold” tickets go on sale Feb. 19 at 10 a.m. ET for HonorClub members and Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. ET for the general public. pic.twitter.com/kQASkiBeE1
ROH Women’s World Championship To Replace WOH World Championship
A tournament to determine the first-ever WOH World Champion began in early 2018. Sumie Sakai would defeat Kelly Klein in the finals to become the inaugural holder of the title.
Klein is a 3x holder of the title but was officially stripped of the belt on January 1st, 2020 due to her departure from the company.
AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently took part in a Q&A episode of his ‘Grilling JR‘ podcast. The former voice of WWE answered questions across his illustrious career, both for WWE and his new home on TNT with AEW.
One of the questions posed to Jim Ross revolved around AEW’s stance in terms of new signings. Ring of Honor star Jeff Cobb appeared in a shock appearance on Dynamite this week to the end the show. Interestingly, although JR is reportedly not involved in talent relations he did mention that the likes of Cobb would be a great fit for All Elite.
“I’m a big fan of Lance Archer, I’m a big fan of Jeff Cobb” – Jim Ross
When asked about the type of talent AEW should be looking for JR replied “size. Athletic, big guys. I don’t know who is signed. I [just] know that I’m a big fan of Lance Archer, I’m a big fan of Jeff Cobb. I’m a big fan of the former Harper in WWE [now Brodie Lee].”
Jim Ross elaborated further, saying “guys like that have ability that we all can see. [Guys] That have not been given the total opportunity to become a global star with a spotlight on them. I like those kind of guys, because all those guys I just mentioned are from athletic backgrounds. So that means to me that since being a kid they were competitive. That’s important. Because this business is not easy. So finding athletes to become pro wrestlers is not a bad formula, it worked for generations in our country. Bronko Nagurski is an NFL Hall of Famer. [He] was playing football in the height of his career, but left the NFL [to] wrestle full time cause he made more money wrestling at that point.”
Jim Ross also made the point of saying that AEW needs to look at bringing in bigger stars to play the heel role. “We need heels, big heels, we need heels on our roster to develop. We [AEW] probably have too many babyfaces. So I think big athletic heels are something they’re looking for.”
Who do you think AEW are likely to sign next?Let us know in the comments
WWE Superstar Carmella recently appeared on the After The Bell podcast alongside her partner and host Corey Graves. During the interview on the show Graves asked Carmella about her upcoming Championship match against Bayley. The match will be taking place next Friday on SmackDown for the brand’s Women’s Title.
“I didn’t know what the hell I was doing”
“I mean Bayley and I’ve only had one match against each other” Carmella began. “That was in NXT and that was for the [NXT Women’s] title. I had only been wrestling at the time for…it was probably less than two years. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, not that I know any more now, but to know where we’re at now?”
“it’s gonna happen on Friday, which I just found out last night!”
Carmella elaborated further, saying “I have been a Champion. I’ve been, you know, Miss Money In The Bank. I’ve done so many things in my career. So, I don’t know, I’m just excited for this opportunity and apparently it’s gonna happen on Friday, which I just found out last night! So, I’m ready. I’m excited, and I’m [going to be] ready to go in time for Smackdown.”
“I was hopefully waiting for a bigger stage” – Carmella
Graves then revealed that Carmella had legitimately not been told about the match until it was confirmed earlier that week. “I was like ‘what the hell!?’ Carmella revealed. “I had no idea that was gonna be this soon. I was hopefully waiting for a bigger stage. Maybe a pay per view? Maybe Super Showdown, maybe WrestleMania? I don’t know, and now it’s gonna be this Friday but I’m really ready for it.”
Do you think that there’s a chance Carmella wins the Championship on Friday? Let us know in the comments
New Japan Pro Wrestling have announced that they will be bringing a ‘Wrestle Kingdom’ level event to Madison Square Garden in August. The show will be taking place on August 22nd, which is SummerSlam weekend.
“I could see Marty Scurll possibly being on that New Japan show [in MSG]”
Busted Open Radio co-host Bully Ray was discussing the move for NJPW and the performers who may be able to make some appearances. “I’ll look back to the three shows that New Japan did in in Philly, Boston and New York. That wasn’t a co-promote with Ring of Honor. Every time ROH did their War of the Worlds in those towns they co-promoted with New Japan” Bully began. “So, yeah, you might get a couple of Ring of Honor talents. I could see Marty Scurll possibly being on that New Japan show [in MSG], or maybe like a Briscoes vs Guerrillas of Destiny rematch.”
“‘Hey, let’s go for the Grand Slam let’s see if we can do the garden on our own.”
Bully then discussed the idea of the show not being co-promoted with ROH. “As far as a co-promote? if I’m New Japan, I don’t know if I’m going down that road. Because you’ve already sold out three of the major northeast cities on your own. ‘Hey, let’s go for the Grand Slam let’s see if we can do the garden on our own.'”
“Do you need Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho on that show? Sure as hell doesn’t hurt”
Ray’s co-host Dave LeGreca then asked if there’s a chance that Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho could be part of the NJPW show. “You know why the answer is yes?” Bully began. “Because it’s pro wrestling, anything is possible. And everything is negotiable. Do you need Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho on that show? Sure as hell doesn’t hurt.” Ray would also go on to say that whilst he does not have the specifics of their contracts with AEW he believes that Chris Jericho has ‘carte blanche’ and that Moxley may have to ask AEW President Tony Khan for his blessing to appear on the show. There were issues back at last year’s G1 Climax show where it was believed that Moxley could not appear at the United States show due to his AEW contract.
AEW Commentator Jim Ross recently took part in a Q&A episode of his ‘Grilling JR‘ podcast. The former voice of WWE answered questions across his illustrious career, both for WWE and his new home on TNT with AEW.
One of the questions posed to JR revolved around former WCW star Sting. A fan asked how Jim Ross felt about the run that Sting had in WWE back in 2014. Sting had two high profile matches for the company, once in a losing effort to Triple H at WrestleMania and the last match of his career against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions. There has been speculation recently that Sting may be looking for another run in company, so it is interesting how JR described Sting’s short run back in 2014.
“He was a big star, I don’t think he was ever given the credit in WWE for being the star that he was” – Jim Ross
“I was underwhelmed by Sting’s WWE run” JR began. “I thought that he should have come in guns blazing and had to give the fans a chance to tap into his passion and his emotions. He was a big star. I don’t think he was ever given the credit in WWE for being the star that he was. And many speculated, it may have been because you know, the WWE didn’t ‘create’ Sting.”
“IF that was a factor, I hope it wasn’t, but if it was that’s embarrassing”
Jim Ross elaborated further, saying “they didn’t give him his name, they didn’t give him this persona. Nothing. And IF that was a factor, I hope it wasn’t, but if it was that’s embarrassing. I thought we could have done a lot more of that situation. And then you never know when you get injured or you hit that stage of life or injuries are more prominent, and then all sudden he gets hurt. And we can’t finish our business. I was very disappointed in Sting’s run. He deserved better. Sting deserved better than he got in WWE, but I’m sure he got paid very very well.”
“We wanted him for a long time.”
JR would then finish by saying “I wish we would have had more about [his] accolades and, I felt like we under delivered on how we presented him. We wanted him for a long time. So I thought was a great day and when you bring somebody in like that you GO with him. But there was that the caveat, he’s not our guy. That had an adverse effect.”
Do you think that Sting may come back for one more match? Let us know in the comments
Former NXT Champion Shayna Baszler made her Raw debut this week but it appears that she isn’t considered a member of the red roster, just yet.
Triple H held a media call this week to promote Sunday’s NXT Takeover: Portland event and talked about things like NXT Championship possibly being defended at WrestleMania, dropping the term women from NXT titles and more.
When asked about Shayna’s appearance on Raw where she attacked and bit Becky Lynch, the Game first joked that he is wearing a big collar to avoid getting bitten by her. H then claimed that Shayna is still considered an NXT star:
“At this point I’m not 100% sure as far as right now
goes? I sort of look at this like sports teams in a way of where do things net
out and you’ve got to make deals to get people to go different places.”
said Triple H. “As far as I’m concerned right now, Shayna Baszler’s still
an NXT talent until we make a deal for her to go someplace else”
The WWE Vice President later also teased the possibility of the Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch coming to NXT to take revenge of the attack on Raw.
Apart from this, Triple H talked about the ratings battle between NXT and AEW and commented on the reports of Matt Riddle having heat with Vince McMahon, which you can check out here.
Simone Johnson is only beginning her pro wrestling career but she has already made history by becoming the first fourth-generation star to have signed with WWE.
The 18-year-old daughter of The Rock recently had an interview with Cathy Kelley where she talked about things like the legacy of her family, watching wrestling as a kid and more.
When asked how she would describe the feeling of signing with the company, Simone Johnson said that she feels like she is a 10-year-old kid again:
“I keep just going back to the idea of… I’m like, ‘Oh, I feel like a kid again and I feel like 10 year old me.’ Because I have loved wrestling for as long as I can remember, and now that I have the opportunity to finally pursue that, like, I don’t know, I can’t put it into words,”
She also talked about The Rock’s reaction to her signing with the company and Simone said that the Great One and her whole family was very supportive of her decision:
“He was so supportive, my whole family has always been
so supportive, and I’m really thankful for that, and he’s been with me every
step of the way.”
Apart from this, Simone Johnson revealed that she first became interested in wrestling after watching various WWE DVDs in her grandmother’s house, and talked about carrying the legacy of her family. You can check out her full interview in the video below:
It appears that the upcoming Elimination Chamber PPV can see
a championship rematch from the Super Showdown event taking place at the show.
The Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia which is the venue
for the event has recently updated their line up for the PPV and they are now
advertising a match between The New Day vs. The Miz and John Morrison for the
event.
John Morrison returned to WWE programming earlier this year. He has started teaming with The Miz after his return and the two won a fatal four-way match to earn the rights to challenge for the SmackDown tag titles at the upcoming PPV from Saudi Arabia.
Though this isn’t the only match being advertised for the show and there is another huge bout being locally advertised which can serve as the main event of the PPV.
The advertisement suggests that Roman Reigns, King Baron
Corbin, Robert Roode, Shinsuke Nakamura, Daniel Bryan, and WWE Intercontinental
Champion Braun Strowman will all be competing in an Elimination Chamber match
at the event.
The winner of this match will then go on to challenge the winner of the announced Goldberg vs. The Fiend match for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36.
The Super Showdown event will take place on Thursday,
February 27 while the Elimination Chamber is currently scheduled for Sunday,
March 8.
This week’s episode of WWE Backstage featured a number of big names and it appears their presence helped the show as it saw a big increase in viewership numbers.
This week’s episode of WWE Backstage featuring Charlotte Flair as the special guest and the debut of Stephanie McMahon on the show drew 169,000 viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.
This is a big 74% increase from last week’s episode of the show which featured the Royal Rumble winner Drew McIntyre as the special guest and had drawn 97,000 viewers.
The episode drew a 0.06 rating in the key demographic of
18-49 and it ranked #132 on the Cable Top 150. For comparison, last week’s
episode of the show had drawn a 0.05 rating and it ranked #145.
This week’s episode of the show also featured CM Punk in the
panel alongside the regular hosts Renee Young, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, and
former Champion Paige.
These viewership numbers are the second-best the show has done since its official premiere back on November 5. The highest watched WWE Backstage episode was the one aired on November 19, which drew 180,000 viewers.
The November 19th episode was the one featuring CM Punk’s official return on WWE programming so the numbers this week are especially notable.
Despite an impressive debut and a high-profile match scheduled for next week’s show, Jeff Cobb has not signed a long-term deal with the promotion. PWinsider reports that the 37-year-old Olympian remains a free agent.
Cobb’s appearance with AEW should not be seen as the start of a working relationship with ROH, as the appearance was booked independently.
It was announced during this week’s episode of Dynamite that Le Champion Chris Jericho has hired Cobb to take out Jon Moxley in a match next week.
Cobb made a surprise debut during the closing segment of the show. After Moxley scored a hard-fought victory over Inner Circle member Santana, he was taken on a Tour of the Islands.
Jeff Cobb will return to AEW programming next week to take on Mox in the announced match, but this report puts his future beyond that in doubt.
Chris Jericho defends the AEW World Heavyweight Championship against Jon Moxley later this month (2/29) when AEW Revolution invades the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
Matt Riddle has been very outspoken about wanting to wrestle the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and him repeatedly calling out the Beast led to an interaction between the two at Royal Rumble.
However, while Brock told Riddle to stop talking about him, the NXT star hasn’t slowed down. Reports suggest that this has caused him to have heat with Vince McMahon who believes that Matt has no respect for the hierarchy of the business.
Triple H was asked about these reports during a recent media call to promote the upcoming NXT Takeover: Portland event and the Game claimed that the Boss has not expressed his disapproval on anything:
“To be honest with you, I haven’t asked anybody about
it. Vince didn’t express his disapproval of anything that was said, and I’m
sure if there were an issue, he would’ve called me directly. He’s not shy about
that.
The WWE Vice President then mentioned the confrontation between the two stars. He said that they had a conversation which was between them and he doesn’t know if it’s a work:
“To be honest, I read something [and I go], ‘I don’t know if that’s a work, that’s legit. I don’t know.’ I don’t care either way from that standpoint, I’m entertained by it. If somebody has a problem with it, they come to me, and I’ll help deal with the problem.”
Triple H then praised Matt Riddle as an incredible performer who is very vocal and said that the former UFC star writes checks which in his mind, he can cash.
NXT Takeover: Portland will take place from Moda Center in Portland, Oregon this Sunday on February 16. You can check out an updated match card for the event here.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the H.E.B. Center in Austin, Texas. Riho defended her AEW Women’s Championship against Nyla Rose tonight.
Dynamite Results (2/12)
Kenny Omega & Hangman Page def. SCU to retain the titles
Dustin Rhodes def. Sammy Guevara
Nyla Rose def. Riho to become the AEW Women’s Champion
MJF def. Jungle Boy
Jon Moxley def. Santana
Here are 4 takeaways from this week’s show:
Omega & Page Retained
Hangman Page & Kenny Omega defended the AEW Tag Team Championships against SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky). Before the match, Dark Order appeared on the screen and Evil Uno stated that they are preparing for the arrival of the Exalted One and will strike when the time is right. Christopher Daniels told Frankie and Scorpio that he was going to the back to find Dark Order.
Match Recap: Frankie hit Omega with a shoulder tackle but Omega battled back with a couple of Arm Drags. Scorpio Sky hit Omega in the back with a cheap shot and Kenny responded with a boot to the face. Frankie connected with a German Suplex for a near fall before Scorpio tagged in. Sky connected with a Flatliner for another near fall as Frankie knocked Hangman out of the ring. Page got back into the ring and planted Scorpio with a Suplex.
Frankie brought Hangman back to the outside and hit him with a Clothesline. Omega hit Scorpio with a Brainbuster for a two count. Hangman Page tagged in and planted Scorpio with a Fallaway Slam. Kenny and Frankie tagged in and Kazarian drove Omega into the turnbuckle. Hangman tagged back in and got a great reaction from the crowd. Page hit Scorpio with a Moonsault for a two count.
Page went for the Buckshot Lariat but Scorpio ducked and Frankie hit Hangman with a Clothesline. Frankie tagged in and hit a Tornado DDT for a two count. Omega tagged in and connected with the V-Trigger on Scorpio. Hangman and Omega hit Frankie with the V-Trigger and Buckshot Lariat for the combo for the pinfall victory. Kazarian grabbed the ropes to try to break the cover but was a second too late.
After the match, Dark Order made their way to the ring and surrounded Scorpio and Frankie. Best Friends joined SCU in the ring as Butcher, Blade, and Bunny came down the ramp. Hybrid2 joined the party but Young Bucks rushed the ring as a well. A massive brawl broke out as the AEW hyped the Tag Team Battle Royal next week on Dynamite.
Matt and Nick Jackson stood tall at the end of the brawl. Christopher Daniels did not come down to the ring for the fight. Jim Ross possibly hinted at Matt Hardy as the Exalted One when he referred to the Young Bucks as “the Bucks of Youth”.
Dustin Rhodes Challenged Jake Hager To A Match At Revolution
Dustin Rhodes defeated Sammy Guevara tonight on Dynamite. After the match, Dustin called Jake Hager “Jericho’s bitch” and asked if he was ever going to step in the ring.
Rhodes told Hager that he was failing in his MMA career and is already failing in AEW. Dustin challenged Hager to a match at Revolution and Jake marched down the ramp. Hager stopped short and walked backstage as Jim Ross pointed out that Hager’s MMA career isn’t failing because he is undefeated. The match was later made official for AEW Revolution.
Tony Schiavone interviewed Dr. Britt Baker once again tonight. Tony tried to ask about Britt’s attack on Yuka last week but Baker immediately interrupted. Britt called the question stupid and claimed that Yuka’s tooth had extensive decay. Baker threw out a bunch of dental terms as the crowd booed.
Baker claimed that she did her a favor by extracting the tooth for free. She claimed that Sakazaki doesn’t have health insurance and referred to Tony as “Mr. Starbucks”. Britt said that this was her division and said that she sees a lot of confusion in the “chubby Whataburger faces” in the crowd. The crowd booed as Baker claimed thatwhomever wins the title match is still behind her in the women’s division.
Riho defended her AEW Women’s Championship against Nyla Rose tonight on Dynamite.
Match Recap: Riho started out the match in control and connected with a few strikes in the corner. Rose battled back and grabbed a table from under the ring. Riho hit Nyla with a Dropkick. Back in the ring, Riho connected with a Crucifix Bomb and went for a 619 but Rose blocked it. Riho escaped and hit a Dropkick for a near fall. Nyla planted Riho with a Samoan Drop and went for the cover but Riho was able to kick out at the last second. Rose hung up Riho on the ropes and hit a Knee Drop to the back of her neck for a two count. Nyla hit a massive Death Valley Driver off the middle rope but somehow Riho kicked out again.
A loud “Riho!” chant broke out as the champ tried to battle back with a couple of punches. Riho escaped the One Winged Angel and hit Nyla with two Snap Dragon Suplexes. Riho followed that up with a Northern Lights Suplex for a near fall. Riho hit three Double Stomps in a row and went for the cover but Rose got her foot on the rope. Nyla leveled Riho with a Spear and followed it up with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. Nyla Rose is the new AEW Women’s Champion.
Opinion: Britt Baker cut an awesome promo before the title match and she has been improving every week as a heel. Riho and Nyla Rose had an excellent match tonight and the crowd showed their appreciation by applauding after it was over, even though they were heavily behind Riho. I’ve been critical of how AEW’s women’s division has been booked pretty much since Dynamite began last October. They absolutely killed it tonight. I’m looking forward to Nyla’s reign and which wrestler is going to step up and knock her off the top of the mountain.
Jon Moxley squared off against Santana in the main event of this week’s episode of Dynamite. AEW Champion Chris Jericho, Sammy Guevara, and Jake Hager were in their suite for the match. Ortiz was ringside and a brawl broke out before the match officially started.
Match Recap: Moxley controlled the action early but Santana battled back and sent Moxley to the outside. Santana threw Jon into the barricade and unloaded a couple chops to the chest as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Jon rolled up Santana for a two count. Santana bounced Moxley’s face off the turnbuckle and followed it up with a Cutter for a two count. Santana planted Moxley with a Piledriver and went for the cover but Moxley was able to kick out at the last moment. Ortiz spit alcohol in Jon’s good eye and Santana capitalized with a Frog Splash off the top rope for another near fall. Moxley poked Santana in the eye and both men were stumbling around blind. Moxley bumped into Santana and hit the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Inner Circle rushed the ring and beat Jon down. Chris hit Moxley with a belt several times and Sammy followed it up with a 630 Splash. Jericho leveled Moxley with the Judas Effect and asked Jeff Cobb to come down to the ring. Jeff slammed Moxley to the canvas as Inner Circle posed in the ring. Moxley will face Cobb next week on Dynamite.
Opinion: Dynamite was once again a very good show this week and the build towards Revolution has been excellent. Next week’s show should be awesome as well with Cody battling Wardlow in a Steel Cage and Moxley versus Jeff Cobb.
