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 770,000 viewers, which is up from 712,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.22 rating, the same from the previous week.
The episode featured Angel Garza vs. Isaiah Scott, Dominik Dijakovic vs. Killian Dain, Mercedes Martinez vs. Kacy Catanzaro, Jordan Devlin vs. Tyler Breeze, and The BroserWeights (Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne) & Tommaso Ciampa vs. The Undisputed ERA (Adam Cole, Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly)
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 928,000 viewers, up from the 828,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.36 rating, up from the 0.34 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured matches such as Dr. Britt Baker vs. Yuka Sakazaki, Jon Moxley vs. Ortiz, and The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Lucha Bros, The Butcher and The Blade (w/The Bunny). In the main event segment, Cody Rhodes got 10 lashes from MJF.
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.
NXT Superstar Bianca Belair recently appeared on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast and discussed her recent breakout appearance at this year’s Royal Rumble.
“…I was pulled aside at Worlds Collide” – Bianca Belair
Graves initially asked Belair when she found out that she would be taking part in the Women’s Rumble match. “I found out the, well, pretty much, I was pulled aside at Worlds Collide and I found out that I was going to be a part of the Royal Rumble probably…the night before it was confirmed” Belair began. “The night before is a lot more advance notice then you know we sometimes get! So [I’m] kind of used to it by now.”
“I was excited. Then directly after that, What followed was nervousness”
Belair elaborated further, describing how she felt entering her first ever Rumble match. “I was, of course, I was excited. Then directly after that, what followed was nervousness. It was my first Royal Rumble. I wasn’t a part of the Rumble the last year. So I was excited that they chose me to be a part of it this year and I was excited to get that experience and also know that I would possibly be get to share the ring with some of the girls that I always wanted to share the ring with. And possibly some legends, so I was excited to be on the big stage and get in front of some people that may not exactly know a lot about Bianca Belair. Just get to showcase who I was in front of a bigger audience.”
Belair had an impressive run in the 2020 Women’s Royal Rumble. The NXT Superstar eliminated 8 women from the match and lasted just over 33 minutes in the bout. Belair took out Alexa Bliss, Mighty Molly, Nikki Cross, Mandy Rose, Candice LaRae, Sonya Deville, Dana Brooke, and Tamina.
All Elite Wrestling (AEW) President and CEO Tony Khan has revealed which wrestlers adorn his personal wrestling Mount Rushmore.
Speaking with AL.com ahead of last night’s episode of AEW Dynamite, Khan listed Ric Flair, Bret Hart and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. They would join the current AEW World Champion, Chris Jericho, upon his Mount Rushmore.
Tony Khan’s Favorites
Reflecting on how he became a fan of pro wrestling, Khan spoke about his favorite childhood wrestlers. He shared how The A-Team introduced him to Hulk Hogan at a time when he didn’t know what wrestling actually was.
“When I first really got into wrestling, my favorite wrestlers at first were Ric Flair and the Macho Man, Randy Savage. But the first time I saw wrestling was Hulk Hogan on ‘The A-Team,’ and I didn’t really know what wrestling was, and then I saw Hulk Hogan on WWF TV when I was a kid and that was the first time I’d seen pro wrestling.”
He continued, “Then I learned about other pro wrestling, like WCW and then later when I was like 13, I got really into ECW, I started trading tapes with people through the dial-up internet, junior-high up into high-school.”
Khan noted how, upon entering high school, his favorites changed to Austin, Hart and Jericho. With Jericho currently the champion of his promotion, Khan has since developed relationships with both Austin and Hart. It’s a development he admits is “kind of awesome.”
AEW’s Character Approach
Many AEW wrestlers have been highlighting the creative freedoms the promotion provides them. It’s a factor that stars like Shawn Spears and Jon Moxley clearly consider important to allow them to flourish without being weighted down.
When asked how involved AEW are in crafting or adapting their rosters characters, Khan replied:
“It depends. I think we’re really involved in the presentation of whoever it comes in, whether it’s a complete overhaul … I think we have a big say, like I have a big say, in what the presentation’s going to be.”
Khan continued, “I think what’s great is when we work with people who have so much experience and knowledge, like Chris is brilliant. And I’ve sat with Chris and with Cody and people and we’ve had really interesting talks about how AEW can help develop a unique presentation for them.”
He highlighted how AEW’s version of Chris Jericho is a different iteration compared to previous gimmicks. He then pointed to Cody Rhodes. Khan explained how Cody evolved during independent circuit experience, but believes his “presentation is off the charts” in AEW.
Current NXT Champion Adam Cole has revealed that he didn’t predict Undisputed Era becoming as big as they have become. The stable, who feature on WWE’s black-and-gold brand, has become a firm staple on NXT, with its members often holding gold. At one point, the entire stable held all of NXT’s championships.
“I didn’t expect it,” Cole revealed to SportsBible when asked about Undisputed Era’s success. “I’m confident in myself and all of us. I’m very confident in our abilities. I know that if given the chance — like the chance that we have now — that we would succeed.But yes, if I’m being totally honest, I did not expect this to turn into one of the… seriously, the best factions in WWE.”
Cole commented on how he would look out at a TakeOver event and see so many people adorned in Undisputed Era merchandise. He described their teamwork, in-ring ability, and group dynamic as a “one-in-a-million scenario.”
Undisputed Era’s Organic Popularity
His Undisputed Era teammates were also a part of the interview. Bobby Fish added to Adam Cole’s comments, noting how success can’t necessarily be predicted. Instead, their popularity has been an organic process.
“[Undisputed Era], from the inception, has evolved and turned into different things along the way,” Fish said. “Like we talked about it before when there was three and then adding Roddy and Roddy was the only option for this and it caused us to evolve. And you don’t evolve when you’re just sitting in your comfort zone. So like if you plan it all, that doesn’t work.”
The Undisputed Era recently wrestled in a losing effort against NXT UK’s Imperium. The two teams clashed at WWE’s recent Worlds Collide event.
According to former WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth, Brock Lesnar has been actively pushing to work with him again. The two shared the ring a few weeks ago before the Royal Rumble, with Truth threatening to eliminate Paul Heyman from the Rumble match. Their entire promo was supposedly completely unscripted.
“Brock actually has been pitching ideas,” R-Truth told UpRoxx.com. “He wants to work with me doing something because of that segment. He pitched a couple ideas. He and I talked afterwards. The sky’s the limit. This business is always changing, and I’m always changing with things.”
Respect For R-Truth
According to Mark Henry and Bully Ray, Lesnar holds R-Truth in high regard due to his veteran status. According to Henry, Lesnar wasn’t even aware that Truth would be a part of the promo segment.
“This was purely Heyman and Truth” Henry revealed. “When I heard it, I was like, No, no. [But] like the more that I saw Brock’s reaction? I realised it was true. That’s the only way that he could break like that. There was no acting. Brock was reacting. And it was absolutely beautiful.”
Brock Lesnar is scheduled to defend his WWE Championship against Ricochet at WWE Super ShowDown. The pay-per-view takes place on February 27th at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Buddy Murphy has confessed he believes that Roman Reigns is one of the best in the world. Speaking with talkSPORT, the RAW Team Team Champion opened up about his experiences wrestling the “Big Dog.”
“Yeah, it was awesome to be in that position,” Murphy said, reflecting on his 2019 SmackDown matches against Reigns and Daniel Bryan. “First of all, with the Roman match and being thrown into the mix with him – Roman was awesome to work with. He kind of let me put my own little spin on it.”
He continued, “It was more a Buddy Murphy match, so to speak. I know a lot of people in the internet wrestling community give Roman a lot of hate, ‘he can’t wrestle’ and whatever – Roman is one of the best wrestlers in the world and you can mark my word on that.
Buddy Murphy praised Reigns’ ability in the ring, commenting on the chemistry that had together. Murphy added how, if he could, he would wrestle him every day of the week. It’s a sentiment he also has for Daniel Bryan.
Buddy Murphy On Joining Seth Rollins
Having aligned with Seth Rollins, Murphy has since been a tear on RAW. When asked about who approached him to join the stable, Murphy revealed it was Rollins’ idea.
“Seth did approach me about it, yes. I was very excited to have a story to sink my teeth into because I know I can go out there and perform. I’ve proven that and I’ve stolen many, many shows I’ve been on, but the character aspect and connecting with fans is something you always want to work on. This is the perfect opportunity for that.”
Buddy Murphy noted how the stable reflects the real-life respect he carries for Rollins. He knows there is a lot he can learn from Rollins going forward and is excited by the dynamic between themselves and the Authors of Pain leading to bigger storylines in the future.
All Elite Wrestling’s Chief Brand Officer Brandi Rhodes has addressed fan criticism over her stable, the Nightmare Collective. Speaking with Yahoo! Sport, Rhodes acknowledged the negative reaction her group has received since their debut.
“Our fans have been very vocal about it from the very beginning,” Rhodes confessed. “They’re a little spoiled, but that’s OK because we love them and we will spoil them.”
She continued, “One of the things they said that they wanted was stories for the women. Now we are starting to see certain stories develop, ‘Nightmare Collective’ being one of them, but it’s certainly not the only story in the women’s division. There’s a lot of other things happening that people can look at and see where their feelings lie. There’s definitely potential this year for a lot to happen within this division and people should be excited about new stories forming.”
Although she has competed a few times in an AEW ring, Brandi Rhodes has acted more of a puppet master and spokesperson for the group since their debut.
Brandi Rhodes’ Nightmare Collective Is Changing
During this week’s episode of AEW: Dark, Awesome Kong was attacked by her Nightmare Collective cohorts, Mel and Luther. The altercation came about after Kong confronted Mel following Mel’s loss to Hikaru Shida.
It is speculated that AEW has done this angle in order to write Awesome Kong off of television so she can film the final season of Netflix’s pro wrestling drama series, GLOW.
RAW Superstar Buddy Murphy has been enjoying a string of success recently, especially since aligning himself with Seth Rollins. Even before this, Murphy has been turning heads with several great matches against Aleister Black. In a recent interview, Murphy credited these opportunities to Paul Heyman’s belief in him.
“Paul has been awesome to work with. He has a lot of belief in me and I don’t want to let him down,” Murphy explained to talkSPORT. “The Aleister Black performances and what not, I want the ball and I want to run with it. I believe – and Paul believes – I can be a mega star for this company.”
Murphy stated how, once the bell rings, he’s confident with his in-ring talents. He then noted that all he needs now is a “story to sink my teeth into.” For him, his alliance with Rollins could be the exact thing to propel him even further. He added how Heyman has been actively pointing him in the right direction, and as long as he can keep Heyman and Vince McMahon happy, then he’s happy.
Buddy Murphy Comments On 205 Live
Buddy Murphy then turned his attention to his former brand, 205 Live. He stressed how the the “205 originals are awesome” because of how they could be partnered with any main roster Superstar at any time.
He admitted he hasn’t seen much of the current 205 Live show, adding how “From what I’ve seen of it, they don’t do much [in the way of] stories at the moment. Not many storylines there, you know what I mean?”
All Elite Wrestling’s Jon Moxley has shared what he considers to be some of the key differences between WWE and AEW. For him, one of the most prevalent differences between the two promotions lies in the creative process.
AEW’s Story Pacing
Speaking with TV Insider, Moxley stated how AEW is how wrestling is supposed to be. He highlighted how the company is providing the same kind of product that he enjoyed as a kid when he was first becoming a fan.
Moxley noted how AEW doesn’t have “37 pay-per-views a year and 600 network specials every year,” and instead deliver Dynamite once a week and 4/5 pay-per-views a year. He argued how in doing so, it allows them to “keep those high-quality, big matches” for the bigger shows, giving them a big fight feel.
“I think some of that has been missing over the last few years when you have to rush through stories and car crash stuff and give away so much on TV,” Moxley explained. “The gratifying part for me is that it’s so much easier. You don’t have to overcomplicate things.”
Jon Moxley Hates Scripts
Jon Moxley noted how the story is a simple one. To him, it’s one that doesn’t need to be complicated: “You have professionals who know what they are doing, veteran guys. Sometimes you can take risks and try something out. Maybe it works or doesn’t. It’s always great to be willing to do that.”
He continued, “The lack of 30 writers buzzing around with all this weird f—’in energy is the biggest difference. Instead of a 10-minute sports entertainment segment, at AEW I don’t have anyone bugging me with 40-page script to memorize or drilled to me how it’s supposed to be done.” He added how this attitude creates a stress-free environment that allows people to get on with their jobs because AEW trusts them to do so.
Other AEW stars have recently spoken about how the promotion allows them a level of creative freedom. Both Shawn Spears and AEW ring announcer Justin Roberts have shared what they consider the differences between the AEW and WWE.
Chris Jericho has revealed what Vince McMahon said to him after he signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Speaking on his podcast, Talk is Jericho, the current AEW World Champion reflected on his discussion with Vince McMahon. He was joined by Scott Hall, Booker T, Eric Bischoff and Diamond Dallas Page to discuss the history and rise of the nWo. Jericho compared his AEW situation to Hall joining WCW back in 1996.
Chris Jericho Chooses AEW
According to Jericho, he didn’t join AEW to be a “rebel.” Instead, he signed with the promotion because Vince McMahon told him to go. Once the ink was drying on his contract however, it appeared as though Vince had a change of heart.
“I’m not in AEW because I was a rebel,” Jericho admitted. “I’m with AEW because Vince went, ‘go.’ And then, when I went, he went, ‘did you sign the contract?’ I said, ‘well, yeah.’ He said, ‘can you get out of it?’ ‘No! You told me to sign it!'”
He continued, “But [McMahon] had the opportunity to stop it like he did with [Hall], which is very interesting to me because 23 years later, he made the same [mistake].”
Chris Jericho defends his AEW World Championship against Jon Moxley at AEW Revolution. The show takes place on February 29th, 2020, at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
AEW Dynamite aired live from the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Cody was forced to receive 10 lashes in order for his match against MJF at Revolution to become official.
Dynamite Results (2/5)
Jon Moxley def. Ortiz
SCU def. Best Friends
Yuka Sakazaki def. Britt Baker
Lucha Bros, Butcher & Blade def. The Elite
Kip Sabian def. Joey Janela
Here are 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Moxley Got Revenge On Inner Circle
Jon Moxley battled Ortiz to begin this week’s episode of Dynamite. AEW Champion Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, and Sammy Guevara joined commentary for the match. Santana was ringside as well.
Match Recap: Moxley controlled the match early as the crowd chanted his name. Ortiz retreated out of the ring to regroup with Santana but Moxley went after them with a steel chair. Ortiz threw Moxley into the steel steps and locked in a Cobra Clutch in the middle of the ring. Moxley escaped and applied a Figure Four. Ortiz broke the hold by poking Moxley in the eye. Moxley escaped and leveled Santana with a Suicide Dive outside the ring. Back in the ring, Moxley connected with a Side Slam for a near fall. Ortiz sent Jon to the outside and connected with a Cannonball. Ortiz rolled Jon in the ring and hit a Splash off the top rope for a two count. Jon quickly connected with the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Santana attacked Moxley from behind but Jon fought him off and planted him with a Paradigm Shift. Moxley taunted Jericho with the Ford GT car keys and then shouted “eye for an eye!”. Jon then stabbed Santana in the eye with the key and escaped through the crowd as Inner Circle rushed the ring. Medical personal attended to Santana in the ring as Moxley posed in the crowd.
Later on Dynamite, Santana was shown with a bandage over his eye and challenged Moxley to a match next week.
Opinion: Awesome start to this week’s Dynamite. Moxley and Ortiz had a solid match and Jericho added to it with his commentary. I’m looking forward to the title match at Revolution and February 29th cannot get here fast enough.
SCU squared off against Best Friends (Trent & Chuck) tonight on Dynamite. Orange Cassidy was in Best Friends’ corner for the match.
Match Recap: Best Friends controlled the action early and isolated Scorpio Sky in the ring. Frankie tagged in and planted Trent with a German Suplex outside the ring. Frankie followed it up with a Suplex and then a beautiful DDT for a near fall. Best Friends battled back and shared a hug in the ring. The hug cost them and Frankie planted Trent for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Dark Order rushed the ring and attacked both teams. Evil Uno made his way down the ramp as the crowd booed. Orange Cassidy got in the ring as the crowd chanted “freshly squeezed!”. Evil Uno tried to recruit Cassidy to Dark Order but Orange put his hands in his pockets. Dark Order beat him down before Christopher Daniels ran to the ring. Dark Order backed away as Jim Ross pointed out that Daniels is the wrestler that Dark Order wants the most.
Britt Baker faced Yuka Sakazaki tonight on the show. Baker cut a promo during the commercial break and insulted the crowd.
Match Recap: Britt sent Yuka to the corner and choked her. Baker followed it up with a kick to the face and went for the cover but Sakazaki kicked out at two. Yuka battled back and hit a Senton off the top rope. Baker rolled to the outside and Sakazaki hit her with a Splash off the top rope. Back in the ring, Yuka leveled Baker with a Clothesline. Britt connected with a Swinging Neckbreaker and tried for Lockjaw but Yuka escaped. Sakazaki rolled up Baker for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Baker brought the ring bell in the ring and hit Yuka in the back with it. Baker went to hit her again but referee Aubrey Edwards ripped it away. Baker then placed Yuka’s jaw on the ropes and stomped on it. Sakazaki was bleeding from her mouth and spit out a tooth. Baker then applied the Lockjaw for a bit before finally exiting the ring.
The Butcher & The Blade, Lucha Bros battled Hangman Adam Page, Kenny Omega, and The Young Bucks in a 8-man tag team match tonight on Dynamite. The Bunny was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: The Elite dominated early and hit three Splashes as Hangman Page just chilled on the ring apron. Fenix took out Page, Omega, Matt and Nick Jackson with a flip outside the ring as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Nick Jackson sent the Lucha Bros flying into the barricade. Matt tagged in and planted Fenix with three Northern Lights Suplexes in a row. Omega tagged in and Fenix sent him to the corner. Pentagon tagged in and hit Omega with a Backstabber. Butcher and Blade then took turns beating Omega down before Kenny connected with a Hurricanrana.
Hangman tagged in and a “cowboy sh*t!” chant broke out. Hangman Moonsaulted onto Butcher, Blade, and Lucha Bros outside the ring. Butcher connected with a Powerbomb but Kenny broke it up. Hangman Page tagged himself in and went for the Buckshot Lariat but Butcher got out of the way. Page then hit Blade with the Buckshot Lariat and planted Butcher with a Fallaway Slam. Hangman refused to tag in Young Bucks and it cost him. Pentagon planted Hangman as Fenix took out Young Bucks with a Suicide Dive. Pentagon then pinned Page for the victory.
Opinion: It sure looks like we are heading towards a clash between Omega & Page and The Young Bucks for the AEW Tag Team Championships somewhere down the line and I’m all for it. Hangman Page has been getting a great reaction from the crowd recently and it will be interesting to see where this goes in the weeks leading up to Revolution.
Tony Schiavone was set to interview Kenny Omega after the match but was interrupted by PAC backstage. PAC approached AEW Women’s Champion Riho and told Kenny that he could stop what was about to happen if he accepted a match. Kenny Omega accepted but Nyla Rose attacked Riho from behind. Rose Powerbombed Riho onto a table and it was announced that Riho will defend her title next week against Nyla. It was also announced that Omega and PAC will battle in a 30-minute Iron Man match in 3 weeks.
MJF and Wardlow made their way to the ring to deliver 10 lashes to Cody at the end of this week’s show. MJF demanded to use Cody’s belt as the crowd loudly chanted “a**hole!”. MJF struck Cody twice with the belt and Cody got right in his face. MJF dared Cody to hit him but Rhodes resisted as it would void their match at Revolution.
Arn Anderson came down to ringside and told Cody not to give MJF the satisfaction. MJF hit Cody again and shouted at him to quit. Cody popped back up as the crowd cheered him on.
Dustin Rhodes hopped in the ring and started trash talking with MJF. Dustin said he wanted to take the rest of the lashes and MJF told him that isn’t how this works. MJF delivered two more lashes and we are up to 7. Young Bucks joined the party and hyped up Cody. MJF hit Cody again shouted “stay down b*tch!” as Rhodes collapsed to the canvas. Cody give MJF the finger and hopped back up to his feet. Wardlow asked for the belt and MJF gave it to him. Wardlow wound up and hit Cody with everything he had. Brandi then came to the ring and told Cody that he only has one more lash and he can do this. MJF delivered the final lash across Cody’s chest. MJF got pissed off because he thought he could get Cody to quit. MJF hit Cody with a low blow and escaped through the crowd to close the show.
Opinion: I thought this segment was done very well and brought out emotion in the fans. People felt sorry for Cody but at the same time can’t wait for him to finally get his hands on MJF at Revolution. His brother, friends, and wife coming down to the ring was also great. Cody’s back was bright red by the end of the 10 lashes and I can’t imagine how painful it was. Overall, this week’s episode of Dynamite was excellent and did a phenomenal job of building towards the PPV later this month.
The February 5, 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 a six-man tag team match that saw The Undisputed Era take on Tommaso Ciampa, Pete Dunne, and Matt Riddle.
WWE NXT Results (2/5/20)
Angel Garza def. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott
Dominik Dijakovic def. Killian Dain
Mercedes Martinez def. Kacy Catanzaro
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin def. Tyler Breeze – Non-Title Match
Tommaso Ciampa, Pete Dunne, and Matt Riddle def. The Undisputed Era by DQ
Here are the 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle Follow Up
The big question heading into this week’s show was what’s next for Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle.
WWE kicked off the show with the two stars as they made a grand start by having their own entrance while riding in a golf cart that was decorated. They had the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic trophy.
Dunne brought up how the last thing he thought was that he would be in a tag team with Riddle but Riddle thought it was meant to be. They made it known that they would be the next NXT Tag Team Champions. This led out the champs, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly, who came out to make fun of them.
They didn’t want to wait until Portland. However, Roderick Strong came out to calm them down. Riddle mocked Fish and Dunne stated that they would smoke the Undisputed Era at TakeOver: Portland.
This was a fun segment that further pushed this contest. Mission accomplished.
WWE booked Dominik Dijakovic vs. Killian Dain in a singles match that served as an opportunity for the winner.
As seen in the contest, Dijakovic ended up going over. As a result, he will challenge NXT North American Champion Keith Lee at the NXT TakeOver: Portland show.
It was a fun match and a step in the right direction for Lee in his next title defense.
This match was expected as WWE teased both Dijakovic and Dain squaring off in the ring after releasing a video earlier today on YouTube where they teased a showdown as both stars wanted a shot at the title. They both thought that they were worthy of a title match.
Mauro Ranallo brought up how William Regal booked Dijakovic vs. Lee at Portland. Thus it’s official. They had a staredown after the match.
The Undisputed Era found Tommaso Ciampa after looking for him for over an hour. They had been attacking random people backstage before going outside and being attacked by Ciampa.
Ciampa and Cole battled into the arena. Eventually, Dunne and Riddle came out to brawl with the rest of the members of the group.
Ultimately, NXT GM William Regal came out to book an six-man tag team match between the faces and heels for the main event.
A nice angle to not only further Dunne and Riddle vs. O’Reilly and Fish but Cole defending the NXT Title against Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: Portland.
Cole vs. Ciampa is expected to headline the show that takes place on February 16, 2020 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
As promised, Charlotte Flair made her return to NXT in order to answer NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley’s WrestleMania 36 challenge.
WWE did an in-ring promo with Bianca Belair, who will be challenging Ripley for the title at NXT TakeOver: Portland, where she noted that she doesn’t care about Flair.
This led to Flair coming out where she praised Belair but made it known that Belair isn’t her. Ripley came out and stated that she’s ready to drop Flair at Mania. The segment with Ripley remaining Flair that they are NXT. Belair and Ripley laid out Flair before having a staredown.
Once again, a segment that saw Flair not accept the challenge.
Of course, WWE set up this feud on Monday’s episode of RAW where Ripley made the initial challenge, which Flair didn’t accept. While a quick turnaround for the program wasn’t expected on this show, it does clearly show that WWE is trying to boost the ratings of NXT as the war with AEW Dynamite continues.
Back in November for the build to Survivor Series, WWE had main roster stars crossover to NXT and vise versa. If WWE continues to find a boost in its NXT viewership then expect to see more of this.
The Velveteen Dream made his return to NXT television after the main event had come to close that saw a six-man tag team match that featured The Undisputed Era take on Tommaso Ciampa, Pete Dunne, and Matt Riddle.
After the match, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Bobby Fish, and Roderick Strong attacked Ciampa to the point where they spray painted the back of Ciampa with an X spot.
This is when Dream appeared after the lights went out with him standing on the top rope and attacking the group to make save.
On the September 18 episode of NXT, he lost the North American Title to Strong, which ended his reign at 231 days. This was done to write Dream off of television due to him dealing with a back injury.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland special.
On Wednesday’s episode of NXT, WWE booked Dominik Dijakovic vs. Killian Dain in a singles match that served as a #1 contender’s match.
As seen in the contest, Dijakovic ended up going over. As a result, he will challenge NXT North American Champion Keith Lee at the NXT TakeOver: Portland show. They had a staredown after the match.
WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: Portland event on Sunday, February 16, 2020 in Portland, Oregon at the Moda Center and will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming days. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE NXT TakeOver: Portland Card
NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Tommaso Ciampa
NXT Tag Team Champions The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Kyle O’Reilly) vs. Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle
Finn Balor vs. Johnny Gargano
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Bianca Belair
The latest on MLW (Major League Wrestling) trying to get a new distribution deal for their weekly television show and other content has surfaced online.
On Wednesday, Pwinsider.com reported that the promotion is in talks with Amazon with the idea to air their content on Amazon’s Prime Video service.
The media outlet noted that MLW is still meeting with other potential outlets. One source noted that it’s a “fluid situation” and there is “momentum in a few directions with major players.”
It was noted that Amazon is among many TV content producers looking to fill potential holes in its lineup as there is a looming writer’s strike that could halt production come June.
Thus, sports and pro wrestling are valued highly in these situations due to them not being affiliated with the union as they can continue to draw viewers.
Currently, MLW airs episodes of Fusion to YouTube and FITE in the US along with airings on beIN SPORTS.
If MLW reaches a deal with Amazon then it would mark the first general-purpose streaming service dipping into a weekly wrestling series.
Although Netflix reached a deal with Lucha Underground a few years ago to air episodes of the program on their service, the episodes didn’t air live and were taped shows that had already aired on the El Rey Network.
AEW Double or Nothing returns to Las Vegas Saturday night, May 23rd from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The news was first reported by Sports Illustrated Wednesday afternoon.
AEW President Tony Khan told SI’s Justin Barrasso that the success of last year’s AEW Double or Nothing led to the launch of Dynamite, the promotion’s weekly flagship television show on TNT.
“It’s been an incredible run, and only fitting that we return to Las Vegas to celebrate our one year anniversary with AEW’s marquee event,” said Tony Khan. “On Saturday, May 23, Double or Nothing is back for round two at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Last year’s event changed the world of wrestling, and this year the stakes will be even higher.”
Tickets for AEW Double or Nothing go on sale next Friday, February 14th at AEWTIX.com and AXS.com.
Double or Nothing 2019 was the first pay-per-view event presented by All Elite Wrestling. Since then, we’ve seen the development of AEW’s quarterly PPV calendar, which also includes the events All Out, Full Gear and Revolution. In addition to these pay-per-view events, AEW has held several other ‘special’ shows including Fyter Fest, Fight for the Fallen and Bash at the Beach.
The first AEW Revolution takes place later this month on Saturday, February 29th from Chicago, IL.
All Elite Wrestling has released its newest rankings. The promotion unveils its top-5 rankings in the men’s, women’s, and tag-team divisions every Wednesday. Here are this week’s rankings:
The only movement in the men’s single’s rankings this week saw Cody Rhodes pass PAC for the #2 spot. Cody defeated Kip Sabian this week on Dynamite while PAC had the week off.
AEW Women’s Single’s Division
Women’s Champion: Riho (2-0)
Nyla Rose (2-1)
Hikaru Shida (1-1)
Kris Statlander (0-1)
Britt Baker (1-1)
Awesome Kong (1-0)
There was no movement in the women’s division rankings this week. Shida defeated Mel on Dark this week and Nyla Rose defeated Big Swole on Dynamite. Champion Riho recently teamed with Kenny Omega and defeated Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford on the Jericho Cruise.
AEW Tag Team Rankings
Tag Team Champions: Kenny Omega and Adam “Hangman” Page
Frankie Kazarian & Scorpio Sky (SCU) (1-1)
The Young Bucks (1-1) (+1)
Proud and Powerful (0-1) (-1)
The Dark Order (1-0)
The Best Friends (1-1) (previously unranked)
SCU maintain their #1 ranking after defeating the Hybrid2 on Dynamite last week. The Young Bucks moved up one spot after defeating the Butcher and the Blade. Santana and Ortiz drop down one spot despite being victorious along with Chris Jericho against Darby Allin and Private Party last week.
The Best Friends re-enter the rankings after picking up a win on Dark. The Lucha Bros fall out of the rankings this week as a result.
AEW star MJF recently called in to the Busted Open Radio show to continue his social media ‘feud’ with host of the show Dave LeGreca. MJF had recent made comments about LeGreca’s wife Loretta on Twitter:
After I’m done whipping the dog shit out of your buddy, I’m going to leave a “human stain” on your wife’s face to celebrate. https://t.co/E6zWOtPH7Q
LeGreca recapped the story on a recent episode of Busted Open; “So I sent out a tweet Bully [Ray]. A tweet about the matchup, about the lashes that MJF is going to give Cody on Dynamite on Wednesday, because honestly I’m intrigued” LeGreca began. “I’m interested about what’s going to take place on Wednesday, as I do all the shows. I mean, God forbid I talk about one show. So I send out the tweet. And then, you know what, I also saw MJF made a remark about what he’s going to do to my boy Cody Rhodes. And I call MJF human filth. I was kind of just like playing along with the story, playing along with what’s gonna take place on Dynamite on Wednesday night. All right, so I call him human filth because you know what, as a pro wrestling host on this show, I figured it’s kind of fun to buy into the story and play along every once in a while.”
LeGreca finished the segment by saying “MJF sent out a tweet about my wife. If I ever cross paths with that piece of sh*t he’s gonna get a fist in the face. This is not some pro wrestling story or angle, this is some piece of sh*t going after my wife.”
“…throw her straight on the maximum ride”
MJF then called into the show. The AEW star then proceeded to push the AEW storyline between himself and Cody Rhodes, whilst also demeaning LeGreca’s wife further. “I just wanted to ask you a quick question” MJF began. “How does it feel knowing that after Wednesday when MJF is done within the absolute dogsh*t and making Cody Rhodes quit live on national television, but he’s gonna walk into your home. Grab your wife by the arm and throw her straight on the maximum ride?”
“how about you jump the guardrail to punch me in the face?” – MJF
MJF elaborated further, saying “I gotta tell you something makes me sick to my stomach. A lot of things that make me sick to my stomach, namely first number one Cody Rhodes. Secondly, you decided to fire off a tweet at me, what did I do? All I did was I simply stated that I am the youngest and fastest rising star in the history of professional wrestling. I’m going to whip the ever living daylights out of Cody Rhodes. Your best friend, right, Dave? And then I’m going to have a good time with your wife. Now, you decided to say that you were going to punch me in the face the next time you saw me. Well guess what Dave, here’s what I’m going to tell you. You know where I live. I’m sure would be very easy to find out where I am.”
MJF (Maxwell J. Friedman)
MJF then finished by saying “matter of fact, you have all these big fans, I’m sure, in Alabama, which is where this Wednesday the [AEW] show will be held. I invite all your friends…how about you jump the guardrail to punch me in the face? How about you guys do that? Because here’s the thing. All of you people, all of you people you’re nothing, you’re minimum, you’re mouth breathing, knuckle dragging people.”
Major League Wrestling announced a partnership with AAA back in November and in March the two promotions plan to co-promote an event together. MLW recently issued a press release stating that on March 13th MLW and AAA will work together to produce a show from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.
“This collaboration between the two organizations continues Major League Wrestling’s strategic alliances with international federations to create a unified global system to help introduce the sport to new markets, exchange talent, collaborate on content and develop opportunities for fans, athletes and the sport,” An MLW press release for the show reads.
Major League Wrestling featured AAA stars prominently on their recent show from Dallas, Texas. AAA’s Drago challenged Injustice’s Myron Reed for the MLW Middleweight Championship on a recent episode of Fusion.
MLW previously ran a show from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico last October. On that show, the promotion partnered with the Crash Lucha Libre. The show drew 5000 fans and featured La Rebelion Amarilla (Bestia 666 & Mr. 450) & LA Park defeating members of the Contra Unit in the main event.
ROH World Champion PCO re-signed with the company late last year. He defeated Rush for the promotion’s top belt at the Final Battle PPV on December 13th, 2019. The 52-year-old recently spoke to Vulture Hound about why he chose to re-sign with the company.
“I think to go to a big company, be the Champion, be something big. It’s already done. It’s already there. I think to become Champion with the company itself and being the Champion and then help the company make it as big as WWE. I think that’s a very challenging goal.”
PCO also talked about having negotiated with 3 different companies at the end of 2019. He also mentioned what it was about ROH’s pitch to him that got him excited to re-sign.
“I had talks with three companies before I decided to sign with Ring of Honor, they flew me to Baltimore, they showed me what Sinclair broadcast group was like, 217 TV stations, the businesses that they own, the money that they were ready to inject into Ring Of Honor. When they did the 17th-anniversary show in Las Vegas, they showed they have been going around for 17 years.”
According to PCO, ROH wants to grow into a much larger wrestling company.
“Maybe before they didn’t want to be underwater, didn’t want to compete with the number one company in the world but I felt that, when I had my meeting with them, I felt that we really wanted to go big, to become like something like WWE, and in my dream, when I wanted to become Hulk Hogan, I wanted to help pop the territory, take it and make it explode. That’s why I decided to go with Ring Of Honor.”
Former Smackdown Women’s Champion and 2x 24/7 Champion Carmella says she misses working with R-Truth and felt their act still had a lot left in it. Carmella is currently assigned to the Smackdown brand, however, and Truth to RAW. She spoke to BT Sport recently about her time with Truth.
"I miss him! We had so much more we could've done"
"Without @RonKillings this last year would've been so boring, he's become one of my closest friends."
“I felt like we still had so much more we could’ve done, it wasn’t, to me, getting old,” Carmella said. “I feel like we could have taken this and run with it for a long time, however, now I’m excited for when my opportunity comes again.”
Carmella also recently spoke to SI.com about her new wine brand.
“I knew I needed to do something with all of my creativity, and I love drinking wine,” she said. “So I started researching and networking. We’re still in the early stages because I’m very busy with my WWE schedule, but it’s all very exciting.”
The name of Carmella’s win is Capo Cagna.
“That means ‘Boss Bitch’ in Italian,” said Van Dale. “It’s important to embrace your inner ‘Boss Bitch.’ I want women and girls who follow our shows to see that, and it’s important to empower them to follow their dreams. I’m a product of that, so it’s important to spread that message.”
Carmella’s interview with Sports Illustrated can be viewed here.
Aron Stevens is the NWA National Champion at the moment. He owes some of his success to his Mongrovian Karate Sensai, the Question Mark, however. Both Stevens and the Question Mark spoke with Chris Van Vliet recently about the NWA, Mongrovian Karate, and more.
“Well, it’s been wonderful,” Stevens said when asked about his time in the NWA. “This company, its taken an old-school template, it has applied the modern flair to it like where the wrestling industry is headed but then when you have the template of that studio wrestling setting it just has a nostalgic feel but modern-day thrills and excitements.”
The Question Mark understands English but is unable to speak it. Stevens appears to understand the Question Mark’s Mongrovian perfectly but does not appear to speak the language himself.
“(The Question Mark) hails from the nether-regions of Mongrovia,” Stevens said. “We met on the set of one of my movies ‘Shogun in Malibu’ he was the fight coordinator and I brought him here to the NWA to kind of watch my back, help me out, and we are getting him accustomed to western culture.”
The full interview can be viewed in the player below:
Impact Wrestling presented another show from Frontenac, Mexico this week. The promotion is building to the Impact Plus exclusive event “Impact Sacrifice” on February 22nd. Impact will also be in Las Vegas for a set of TV tapings this weekend.
Impact Wrestling 2/4/20 Quick Results:
Tessa Blanchard defeated Adam Thornstowe (Reno Scum)
Rhino defeated Taurus
Rosemary vs Suzie – Double Countout
TJP defeated Vikingo
Daga & Dr. Wagner Jr. defeated Dave & Jake Crist
Street Fight: Ace Austin defeated Tommy Dreamer
Here are 8 takeaways from Impact Wrestling 2/4/20:
Tessa Blanchard Prepares To Face Ace Austin
As Blanchard prepares to take on Ace Austin on February 22nd, 2020, she faced his run-in buddy from Reno Scum this week. Blanchard defeated Thornstowe with a Buzzsaw DDT but was attacked after by Luster the Legend and Ace Austin. This brought out Tommy Dreamer for the save and set-up the night’s main event between Austin and Dreamer in a street fight.
Ace Austin Goes To The Extreme To Defeat Tommy Dreamer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIVmcqbqxqw
Ace Austin has the biggest match of his young career later this month when he faces Tessa Blanchard at Impact Sacrifice on February 22nd. The X-Division champion would main event this week’s show against Tommy Dreamer in a street fight.
Austin would pick up the victory by using his wand-like weapon to knock Dreamer off the ropes and onto a ladder. He then hit “the Fold” for the win. Austin would celebrate with his title belt as the show came to a close.
TJP Defeats Vikingo Before The North Attack
Last week, Vikingo faced Josh Alexander in single’s competition. This week, he’d take on TJP in another fast-paced action-packed match. With his friend Fallah Bah by his side, however, TJP was able to do what Josh Alexander could not and defeat the luchador from AAA. TJP countered a headscissors attempt into a submission for the win.
After the match, however, Josh Alexander and Ethan Page (the North) attacked Vikingo. Fallah Bah came in and broke up the attack, however. Perhaps a match between the North and TJP & Fallah Bah is upcoming in Impact Wrestling.
2 weeks ago on Impact Wrestling, Rob Van Dam said that Joey Ryan’s match against Maximo made him embarrassed to be a pro-wrestler. Ryan responded last week by saying that RVD is just mad because Katie Forbes wants to “touch it.”
This week on Impact, Katie Forbes provided the distraction as RVD attacked Ryan from behind. After being accused of having lost his cool, RVD would then say that next week Ryan will find out just how cool RVD really is.
Rosemary Brings Su Yung Back To Life
Rosemary and Suzie met in single’s competition this week but Rosemary wasn’t concerned with winning or losing the match. Her goal was to trigger Suzie’s memory and bring out the former Su Yung.
The match spilled to the back where Rosemary attempted to wrap a noose around Suzie and throw her over a staircase just as Havok had done to her previously. As she did so, however, Suzie morphed back into Su Yung as she remembered Havok having done the same to her oh so long ago now.
James Mitchell walked across the scene awhile later and told Rosemary that they are all doomed.
Dr. Wagner Jr. & Daga Get Revenge On OVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nspNJgM87h0
Recently on Impact Wrestling, the members of OVE attacked Dr. Wagner Jr and beat him up in front of his son. Don Callis described the members of OVE as anarchists this week and that their attacks on Wagner were unprovoked and completely random.
This week, Dr. Wagner Jr and Daga teamed up in victorious fashion over the Crist brothers. After the match, however, Madman Fulton attacked Daga and Wagner and also fended off Dr. Wagner Jr’s son as well. Fulton stood tall to end the segment.
Moose Breaks Up Match Between Rhino and Taurus
Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen Rhino and Moose’s rivalry involve AAA’s Taurus. This week on Impact Wrestling, Rhino and Taurus faced each other in single’s competition. As Rhino was preparing to give his opponent the Gore, however, Moose invaded the ring and caused the match to be thrown out. Rhino would give Moose a Gore and him and Taurus stood tall to end the segment.
Taz made his WWF debut at the 2000 Royal Rumble in New York’s Madison Square Garden. He choked out Kurt Angle and received a thunderous ovation from the crowd. Taz’s time in WWE was discussed recently on an episode of “Grillin JR with Jim Ross.”
During the show, Conrad Thompson suggested that Taz was worried when he heard the loud ovation in MSG that he wouldn’t be pushed in WWE because he wasn’t a WWE creation.
“There’s no way as a talent or someone that’s involved in talent management that I’m going to look at a great pop like that as a negative,” Jim Ross said on the show. “I think he overreacted there, in my opinion.”
It was also discussed on the show that Taz was talked to by WWE management about dropping people on their heads during matches.
“Taz didn’t do those moves, the suplexes, acapella,” JR continued. “Kurt was taking them, Kurt was a little bit daredevil-ish, it takes two to tango in these scenarios but there is no doubt that there was some release-type suplexes, some things going on that we had not had a lot of in WWE and the reason for that is because they’re not totally safe.”
Ross then talked about some moments from the Taz vs Kurt Angle match from Royal Rumble 2000.
“There were moments in that 3 minutes 16-second match that somebody could foresee that Kurt was just going along trying to help Taz but he was acquiescing to unsafe moves.”
“I don’t know how comfortable (Taz) was once he got with us,” Ross continued.
Ross would then continue to praise Taz, however. His comments can be heard in the player below:
Awesome Kong’s days as an active competitor for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) might be over.
AEW has provided an update on Kong’s ‘medical condition’ following an attack from her Nightmare Collective cohorts, Mel and Luther. This attack took place during this week’s episode of AEW: Dark, which is available to watch on their YouTube channel.
Taking to Twitter, AEW says Awesome Kong sustained ‘serious injuries.’ Additionally, they are unsure when she will be cleared to wrestle again, if ever.
Awesome Kong Medical Update: on this week’s episode of #AEWDark Kong suffered serious injuries at the hands of Mel & Luther. We do not know when or if she will return to action. pic.twitter.com/3lELXkbrOK
The incident took place after Mel’s loss to Hikaru Shida. Kong confronted Mel over the loss only to be attacked. She was held in place by Luther as Mel assaulted her. She was then sent through a barrier, with the attack continuing until Mel delivered a leg drop onto her on the steel steps.
It is speculated that AEW has done this angle in order to write Awesome Kong off of television so she can film the final season of Netflix’s pro wrestling drama series, GLOW. It’s worth noting that, although this is the currently believed reason, it has yet to be confirmed.
AEW’s next pay-per-view, Revolution, takes place on February 29, 2020, from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.
A new episode of AEW’s weekly television show, Dynamite, will air tonight.
As usual, the promotion has loaded up the show with some interesting matches. Thus, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.
The show is expected to start with The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Lucha Bros, The Butcher and The Blade (w/The Bunny). Although not confirmed, the belief is that Jon Moxley vs. Ortiz will serve as the headliner.
AEW Dynamite Preview
AEW holds this show in Huntsville, AL at the Von Braun Center on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
PAC will be looking for Kenny Omega
Cody Rhodes to receive 10 lashes from MJF
Dr. Britt Baker vs. Yuka Sakazaki
Jon Moxley vs. Ortiz
The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Hangman Page vs. Lucha Bros, The Butcher and The Blade (w/The Bunny)
AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds as the promotion gets closer to their next pay-per-view event, Revolution, that takes place later this month.
