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.
WWE’s “Resident Superhero” Ricochet earned himself a huge opportunity this past Monday night on RAW. He defeated Bobby Lashley and one half of the RAW Tag Team Champions, Seth Rollins, in a Triple Threat match to earn a WWE Championship match. However, not everyone is happy for him. Taking to Twitter, Ricochet reacted to some of the negative comments his victory has received.
Ricochet Responds
One of the more succinct messages he shared read “Can’t you all just enjoy things? Haha.” He did, however, wade into a few conversations. Ricochet responded to the more negative reactions regarding his win/loss record and his championship opportunity.
When a fan responded to his open question, they answered that they weren’t able to enjoy the product. They argued that WWE has failed to deliver so consistently they have no faith in the product. Ricochet replied to let him know that he respects his opinion on the matter, even if he might disagree.
Another fan tried to make the conversation about Ricochet’s wins and losses on RAW, to which Ricochet replied: “You do realize I had the most wins on Raw last year, right? Haha”
His victory has seen him get a WWE Championship match against Brock Lesnar at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia. The event takes place on February 27, 2020, from the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle has reflected on his time away from the promotion, noting that it’s “unfortunate” that his best years weren’t spent within WWE’s squared circle.
Angle spoke candidly with Mark Freund of WHO-HD. Although he may wish he had spent more time in WWE, he ultimately doesn’t regret his choice. He believes that it was “the right decision to make.”
“My body is pretty banged up, and I had a great career. It’s unfortunate that my best years were with a smaller company and not the WWE, but that’s a choice I made,” Angle said. “I did it for my own benefit, for my own health, and that was the right decision to make.”
He continued, “I was able to travel all over the world, both in amateur and pro wrestling, and I got to see many things that a lot of people don’t get to see, and I took advantage of that. I would tour countries and tour cities and see their cultures and see what they do, see their famous places. I can look back now and say I did it, and that was the most interesting part of my career.”
Kurt Angle wrestled his final matchup at WrestleMania 35. He lost to Baron Corbin before retiring from his in-ring career. He now works backstage for WWE in a producer role.
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WWE NXT is back for another episode with an interesting lineup, so let’s take a look at the preview for the show.
The company will present the fallout from last week’s show. Two segments have been confirmed such as a faceoff between NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair.
This comes after Belair won a #1 contender’s match to earn a chance to dethrone Ripley as champion as they meet at the TakeOver: Portland show in a few weeks.
Also, Charlotte Flair will return to NXT in order to respond to the WrestleMania 36 challenge made by Ripley on Monday’s episode of RAW. WWE has yet to announce any matches for the show, as of this writing.
WWE holds this show in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Charlotte Flair to answer NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley’s WrestleMania 36 challenge
New NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin comes to Full Sail
How will Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle follow up on their Dusty Classic win?
The Undisputed ERA vow to get their hands on Tommaso Ciampa
Rhea Ripley and Bianca Belair come face to face
As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for NXT.
Join us here later tonight for WWE NXT Results and our post-show NXT Takeaways feature.
The new WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Jordan Devlin, has spoken about his commitment to NXT UK, despite the fact he is allegedly primed for a major international push now that he is a reigning champion.
“NXT UK has made stars out of guys like the British Strong Style, Travis Banks and myself,” Devlin said to TV Insider. “For us to be able do independent dates in the UK as well and get people to come and see us. It’s really good for the UK scene. It has breathed life into us. To have the UK Performance Center as well and learn from the best minds in the business… NXT UK has grown so much in the last three years.”
He admitted that, three years ago, he couldn’t imagine the growth they’ve achieved. Devlin then stated how he’d like NXT UK to become a brand that tours all across Europe and not just within the United Kingdom. He highlighted how he’d love WWE to host an NXT UK TakeOver Dublin event before reiterating his interest in taking their show on the road.
Jordan Devlin And Finn Balor
Devlin also reflected on his long-time friendship with the black-and-gold brand’s Finn Balor. “The Irish Ace” actually trained with Balor years ago when Balor was 21-years-old, and Devlin was only 12. The two faced off against each other at the original NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool event last year.
“He was the best wrestler in Ireland then and probably now,” Devlin shared.” He was the person I most aspired to be like. He was always the guy I wanted to measure up to and up with. He went from Ireland to Japan to train, as did I. He went to New Japan Pro Wrestling. I went to Zero-One. He went to the States and WWE. I was a couple of years behind him when WWE signed me. We’ve been running the same path for a long time.”
He shared how he’s always aspired to be like Balor, noting how the two share the same work ethic. Being such an inspiration to him, it’s unsurprising that Devlin looks back fondly on their match at TakeOver Blackpool.
Jordan Devlin has some significant supporters within WWE, and will reportedly defend his championship across all of WWE’s brands. He is currently scheduled to appear on this week’s episodes of NXT as well as 205 Live.
Villain Enterprises’ resident Mercenary, Flip Gordon, has broached the idea of Villain Enterprises and Bullet Club forming an alliance. Gordon will be in attendance at Bullet Club’s upcoming Beach Party where he will compete against Tama Tonga in a flip cup tournament.
Speaking to Wrestling Inc. Daily, Gordon confessed how he dreamed of being a part of Bullet Club, especially as he had so many friends within their ranks. He highlighted how Villain Enterprises’ leader, Marty Scurll, was even a member of Bullet Club at one point before adding, “Can’t we be friends with them? I don’t know. But I’m also the mercenary and money talks.”
Flip Gordon On Backstage Interactions
Bullet Club members Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga have previously wrestled on the same ROH cards as Flip Gordon and Villain Enterprises. Despite having the opportunity to cross paths backstage, Gordon admitted that the two factions generally stay away from one another.
“We actually kinda keep our distance. The Bullet Club and Villain Enterprises, we don’t share the same locker room,” revealed Gordon. “We’re not walking by and giving each other hugs. We’re respectful and say ‘hi’ and ‘bye’ when we see each other in passing, but we’re not buddy buddy.”
Flip Gordon is scheduled to compete against Slex. The two face off this Sunday at ROH’s Free Enterprise event.
New Day member Xavier Woods has explained why fans should appreciate WWE. Speaking with ESPN, Woods argued how, unlike scripted television shows, WWE Superstars aren’t given scripts days in advance. He also highlighted the physically demanding schedule required of them, as well as the need to be ready for everything to change at a moment’s notice.
“Everybody has some tie to wrestling, either it was their grandpa taking them to matches or their stepmom being really into it,” Woods explained. “Everyone has some sort of wrestling story, and when they understand what wrestling is, they have a different appreciation for it.”
He continued, “Look, it’s 2020. We get it. Wrestling is what wrestling is. And then we’ll hear people saying they just watch UFC and not the ‘fake stuff.’ Well, the dragons on Game of Thrones are not actually dragons. And in shows that are in television, you have months or years to write a script, the actors then get those scripts. They go over their lines. They shoot the scenes 30 times. And then they make their best cuts from all of these, and produce their 12-episode shows.”
Xavier Woods stressed how WWE runs 52 weeks a year. He explained how Superstars tend to find out what they’re doing at 5 pm before performing it live only a few hours later.
In front of a live audience, however, anything could happen, and everything could change: “We have to tell a story through words and through physicality as well. Once people get that, they realize, ‘Oh, this is difficult. I should really appreciate it.'”
The SmackDown Superstar is still recovering from an unfortunate Achilles injury he sustained during a WWE Live Event.
It appears as though not everyone sees Jon Moxley’s as a main event player in All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Despite garnering high praise for his work in the promotion, including from WWE Hall of Famer Bully Ray, it turns out that former WCW President Eric Bischoff isn’t as taken with Moxley’s efforts. Yet.
Speaking on his podcast 83 Weeks, Bischoff broke down Moxley’s current run in AEW, admitting that he doesn’t believe Moxley is a “top guy.”
“Not yet,” Bischoff said. “I gotta be honest, I like his character, I like his work, I like the fact that he is kind of this enigma in a way. Theres a lot of things I like about him, but the top guy? If I’m being honest, no I don’t.”
Eric Bischoff’s Belief
Eric Bischoff argued that Moxley is currently two dimensional. He believes he needs to find that third dimension to get himself to Chris Jericho’s level. He stressed that there’s nothing wrong with Moxley’s in-ring work but believes there is a “sameness” to his character. Bischoff noted how he lacks “range,” adding that this is true for a lot of characters and not just Jon Moxley.
“You go back and look at Chris Jericho’s career and he’s been able to successfully reinvent himself so many different times and so many different ways because he has that range and that third dimension that a lot of people have really never developed,” Bischoff explained.
He continued, “A lot of top guys don’t have it. If any talent, not just Jon Moxley, wants to reach that level they have got to have that range that allows them to position elements of their character that make them feel more interesting.”
Jon Moxley is scheduled to face off against Chris Jericho for the AEW World Championship. The two clash on February 29th at AEW’s next pay-per-view, Revolution.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling’s double champion Tetsuya Naito has addressed his upcoming opponent KENTA in a recent interview with njpw1972.com. The Los Ingobernables de Japon leader holds both the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. He won the dual titles after emerging victorious from NJPW’s Double Gold Dash over Wrestle Kingdom 14 two day event.
Tetsuya Naito’s Stolen Moment
His Wrestle Kingdom celebration would be unfairly cut short thanks to a blindsided attack by KENTA. Addressing his opponent, who he faces this Sunday at The New Beginning in Osaka event, Naito surprisingly gave Kenta credit for the attack.
“You have to give him credit for turning the focus to himself. I said this at the press conference, but as a wrestler, I have to respect what he was able to do, completely wrecking the ending to that weekend,” Naito said.
“Look, there were probably a ton of guys in the back who were cursing me out behind my back after I won. Plenty of people who would want to do what KENTA did, but he was the one that ran out and did it. Esepcially after he lost the NEVER Championship, just jumping me like that took a lot of balls.”
KENTA’s actions ruined Naito’s “moment,” something that isn’t lost on the LIJ leader. He explained how “To the fans who understand that, what KENTA did was [unforgivable]. n wrestling it’s all or nothing. Indifference is the worst reaction that can be; he might have been booed by over 30,000 people, but KENTA made that happen. He did get those fans in chorus, against him.”
Los Ingobernables De Japon’s Championship Glory
Tetsuya Naito isn’t the only LIJ member to enjoying championship glory. Hiromu Takahashi is the current IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship, and Shingo Takagi recently won the IWGP NEVER Openweight Championship after defeating Goto. LIJ members EVIL, Takagi and BUSHI are also the current IWGP NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Champions.
Reflecting on his group’s success, Naito commented on how LIJ has no intention of slowing down:
“Me and Hiromu are lighting the fire. That’s what we have going on here. In 2020, already, I’ve won double gold in the main event of the Tokyo Dome, and Hiromu’s come back, won the belt, beaten Liger, and has all the charisma in the world. That gets you thinking about what might happen within LIJ as the year goes on.”
All Elite Wrestling’s Shawn Spears has shared big plans for the rest of his 2020. AEW’s resident “Chair Man” discussed his intentions during a recent interview. He also opened up about his thoughts on the importance of talent being given creative freedom, something he believes AEW provides its roster.
Shawn Spears’ 2020 Goal
One 2020 goal stands out more than others for him: to be more challenged. He explained how, with the help of Tully Blanchard, he wants to evolve and challenge himself as a performer. He wants to be put into situations where he can “rise to the occasion” and how the responsibility currently lies with him to do so.
“[…] there’s no one to blame but me if something works or doesn’t work and I love that. I thrive on that environment, that’s when I feel most alive, especially in this industry so that part I’m looking forward to the most,” Spears explained to Wrestlezone. “In terms of personally, I just hit 18 years in January at wrestling. I’ve always said that if I can make 20 years in-ring, anything beyond that is just a cherry on top, so 2020 I’m looking to challenging and healthy so hopefully if I can do two of those things, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a good year for me.”
Creative Freedom
When it comes to creative freedoms, Shawn Spears noted how AEW don’t micromanage their performers. He conceded that there are people in place who make the final decision, but that the talent still has freedom “in the palm of their hands” to create and display the performance they want. It’s an aspect he called a “very, very, very rare and beautiful thing” in pro wrestling.
He stressed how not everybody needs a push or title opportunity. According to him, people that make it all about these elements are missing the point entirely. “All talent needs is credibility and the freedom to create. That is all. That’s what will make the talent happy, that’s what makes me happy to this day.”
Spears continued, “I maybe wrestle once or twice a week, I have all the freedom in the world, I have all the time in the world, and that is something that any kind of artist, whether you paint on canvas, whether you write in a novel, or whether you perform in sports, that’s all we can ask for is that creative freedom to hopefully show an audience something a small piece of ourselves so whether they like it or not it’s a different story, but at the end of the day, that’s all we ask for.”
Shawn Spears is currently on the hunt for a tag team partner in AEW. He has partnered with several wrestlers in his efforts to find the perfect partner but has yet to find that elusive person. He lost a match with Colin Delaney to the team of Best Friends during last night’s episode of AEW: Dark.
“Sami and Shin were doing a thing together. A thing where Sami was just going crazy during Shin’s entrances [laughs] everyone’s favorite GIF every week,” Cesaro said. “And then Sami was like ‘Yeah, I’m trying to get you into the group’ and I’m like ‘Yeah, OK!’ I’ve moved to SmackDown again and there was no plan so I was like ‘Yeah, I’d love to, let’s do something!’”
Cesaro explained how the idea appealed to him as it sounded fun, especially after he and Nakamura teamed up for the first time. He noted how their teaming was a partnership that didn’t require much talking as it is “one those where you just know.” He confessed that he enjoys the dynamic with Zayn and reflected on the mutual respect that exists between himself and Nakamura, who he thinks is “one of the coolest people in the world.”
When he first came out with them, however, Cesaro admitted he wasn’t sure what to do. In between Nakamura “looking cool” and Sami going “absolutely crazy,” he wasn’t sure how to act. So he decided to stand absolutely still and “be a bad ass.”
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has offered some advice to Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of The Revival. He addressed their contract negotiations on a recent episode of his podcast, The Hall of Fame. Booker T stressed one piece of advice over everything else: take the money.
“If I could give them any advice, ‘Take the money. Take what’s behind door number one.’ If they came to me and said, ‘Hey Book, we’re going to give you a million dollars a year. You’re not going to win any titles. We’ll give you TV time. A 15-year contract.’ I’m gonna shut the hell up. I don’t give a damn about no titles,” Booker T said.
He continued, “Legacy and all that is okay. But if I had the choice of getting the money, and not working, I’m taking the money and I’m not gonna care about the legacy. I’m gonna take that $15 million and parlay that into 45 or 50. For me, it was about getting paid and parlaying professional wrestling into what I’m doing right now. If they would’ve said, ‘you can take the money and work sporadically’ or ‘take the money and stay at home.’ You would have never saw me again. I’m serious.”
Booker T reflected on being able to see the world because of pro wrestling, stressing how much he loves the business. He also loves seeing young talent living their dreams. But, for Booker T, if he had been offered $1 million a year, he would have taken the money. He noted the money would have allowed him the opportunity to take the trips anyway without the responsibility of having to perform.
All signs were pointing towards the same and now WWE has officially announced the signing of both Killer Kross and Timothy Thatcher.
The company announced the news on the latest episode of WWE Backstage and they later confirmed the same on their official website as well.
Though they have announced that the new recruits will be reporting to the performance centre so it’s not known which brand Kross and Thatcher will be joining and when.
Killer Kross who wrestled for promotions such as Lucha
Underground and AAA in Mexico joined Impact Wrestling in 2018 and rose to
stardom pretty quickly, before being released by the company in December last
year.
On the other hand, Thatcher is known for his work with
Evolve where he holds the record of being the longest-reigning Evolve Champion
at 596 days.
He has also wrestled for other notable indie promotions such
as Major League Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla and Combat Zone Wrestling
since his debut in 2005.
It’s worth mentioning here that recent reports had suggested that the former Impact star Killer Kross could be on ‘fast track’ once he signs with WWE.
While the exact meaning of this is unknown, it’s believed that he can receive a big push in NXT or be sent to the main roster directly.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.168 million viewers in Salt Lake City, UT at the Vivint Smart Home Arena on the USA Network, which is down from the 2.402 million viewers the previous week.
RAW Viewership
Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
Hour 1: 2.318 million – Last Week: 2.541
Hour 2: 2.164 million – Last Week: 2.441
Hour 3: 2.022 million – Last Week: 2.224
The episode was expected to increase in its viewership from last week. The reason for that is due to the lack of competition it faced as well as it serving as featuring the fallout from Randy Orton’s attack on WWE Hall of Famer Edge.
Here is the hourly 18-49 demos breakdown:
Hour 1: 0.72 – Last Week: 0.81
Hour 2: 0.66 – Last Week: 0.76
Hour 3: 0.63 – Last Week: 0.72
Some of the matches that took place include Liv Morgan vs. Lana, AOP & Buddy Murphy (Akam & Rezar) (w/Seth Rollins) vs. Kevin Owens & The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar), Rey Mysterio vs. Angel Garza (w/Zelina Vega), Asuka (w/Kairi Sane) vs. Natalya, and Ricochet vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Seth Rollins in a WWE Title #1 Contendership Triple Threat Match.
There was also a segment with Randy Orton talking about why he attacked WWE Hall of Famer Edge last week.
WWE will attempt to increase its viewership for Monday Night RAW next week due to no sports competition and the road to WrestleMania on its way.
In case you missed the show, you can check out the seven takeaways here.
An update on where things stand with WWE and WWE Hall of Famer Sting has surfaced online.
During Royal Rumble weekend, Pwinsider.com reported that there had been a lot of talk about Sting being a major part of Super ShowDown. This sparked speculation that he could make a return to in-ring action or make an appearance at the show.
Sting Spoke With WWE Officials
At the time of the report being released, it was noted that the deal wasn’t done but the conversations had proceeded so far that some believed Sting could appear at the Royal Rumble to start hyping his return.
Clearly, Sting didn’t appear at the show. Fast forward to Tuesday, PWinsider.com released an update that stated they were told on Monday night that those talks of bringing in Sting for the show had died down.
Thus, it appears that a deal wasn’t reached and Sting won’t be appearing at the show. However, in WWE anything is possible but with WWE bringing in Goldberg for the show, it’s not likely at this time.
In 2015, it was revealed that Sting had spinal stenosis and wouldn’t be medically cleared. He has since retired from pro wrestling.
The XFL kicks off its 2020 season on Saturday when the Seattle Dragons take on the DC Defenders. The 2020 season begins 19 years after the conclusion of the XFL’s first season in 2001.
Vince McMahon’s league is the second attempt in recent years to create another pro football organization in the United States. The Alliance of American Football was not able to last through its first season, however.
Additionally, WWE and Vince McMahon are being sued by WWE stockholders in regards to the XFL. WWE stock-holders from the Oklahoma Firefighters Pension Fund has filed suit against Vince McMahon and the WWE seeking transparency in the relationship between WWE and the XFL.
With the XFL’s season about to get underway, one has to wonder what Vince McMahon’s plan is to make his league more successful than the AAF was. The belief is that Vince plans on funding the league for multiple seasons until they are in a position to get a big-money TV rights deal as both RAW and Smackdown currently enjoy. The TV rights deal would then hopefully be enough to cover the losses McMahon is expected to experience the first few seasons.
Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez discussed Vince McMahon’s strategy with the XFL on a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio.
“Vince has earmarked $300 million and that’s going to get them through 2.5 seasons and he’ll put up more later,” said Dave Meltzer. “The way this whole thing is structured is Vince is probably going to lose about $375 million over the next 3 years on this league and he will and he knows and that’s what he’s going to do.”
“Then at the end of those 3 years, the idea is he’ll be able to get television deals that will total over $125 million a year which would cover his losses and then he’s okay. There’s a lot of factors involved in that and again, the ratings are one of them. If these stations feel that it’s valuable enough to pay that much, it’s not as long a shot as everyone thinks.”
In 2018, ESPN’s Darren Rovell noted that Vince McMahon is prepared to spend as much as $500 million on the league.
“People were focused on the $100 million, but the truth is that doesn’t even get us to the 20-yard line,” league CEO and commissioner Oliver Luck told ESPN.
“There are very few participants who underwrite for this market anymore and it is obviously costly,” he continued.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of Busted Open Radio Mark Henry recently discussed Braun Strowman and his Intercontinental Championship win. The ‘Monster Among Men’ Strowman won his first ever singles title in WWE on the 31st January episode of the blue brand on FOX.
On Braun Strowman – “I think that you don’t want to rush things”
Henry first discussed why he believed it took ‘so long’ for Strowman to win a singles title. “I think that you don’t want to rush things” Henry began. “Didn’t we always talk about how Roman Reigns was pushed ON us? Yeah, we didn’t get to choose Roman Reigns; and now people ARE choosing Roman Reigns, look how long it took for Roman Reigns to take.”
“How long is he going to keep the title. Who is he going to defend the title against?”
Henry elaborated further, saying “I’m glad that they did not rush [Braun Strowman] and just make him a champion over someone that it didn’t seem plausible. Now, for him to go over at this point, considering after all the things that he’s done. It’s going to legitimise him. And is not just winning, it is keeping the title. How long is he going to keep the title. Who is he going to defend the title against? What stories are going to be built out of the fact that Braun Strowman has the title now?”
Braun Strowman’s WWE Championship History
To this point Strowman had only won tag team Championships in his time on the WWE roster. One time with Nicolas, WWE referee John Cone’s son. Also once with current RAW Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins. Strowman has challenged for the Universal Championship on occasion, including the ‘no-contest’ against Roman Reigns at Hell In a Cell 2018.
Who do you think that Braun Strowman will be defending the Intercontinental Championship against at WrestleMania? Let us know in the comments
Kalisto is reportedly dealing with a separated shoulder at the moment. According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, Kalisto’s injury will not require surgery but there is currently no timetable for his return.
The 33-year-old just signed a new contract with WWE last month. He hasn’t wrestled since a December 30th, 2019 house show from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The luchador is a 2x United States Champion, 1x Cruiserweight Champion, and once held the NXT tag team titles along with Sin Cara.
Kalisto On Meeting Rey Mysterio
In 2018, Kalisto appeared on Stone Cold Steve Austin’s podcast and talked about meeting Rey Mysterio for the first time.
“Rey, when he won his world title, he did a book signing at my college in Chicago. I met up with him. I was five months in wrestling,” Kalisto said. “When I saw him, I said ‘I’m in the process of being a luchador, I’m learning so much, and you’re a good inspiration.’”
“At the time, I didn’t know he was going to win the title. And when I met him, he’s a little shorter than me, and that gave me inspiration. If he could do it, I could do it.”
Former EVOLVE Champion Timothy Thatcher has reportedly signed with WWE. According to reports from both Squared Circle Sirens and PW Insider, the 36-year-old has been at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando this week.
Thatcher last wrestled in December in a victory over Kassius Ohno on a Progress show from Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK. Prior to that, Thatcher had also been wrestling with Major League Wrestling. Thatcher most recently advanced to the semi-finals of MLW’s Opera Cup tournament.
Thatcher also dropped matches to WALTER and Arturo Ruas on EVOLVE shows back in December.
Timothy Thatcher Signs With WWE
Thatcher won the EVOLVE Championship at EVOLVE 45 on July 10th, 2015. He wouldn’t lose the title for 596 days and successfully defended the title 22 times during his reign. Thatcher dropped the title to Zack Sabre Jr. at EVOLVE 79 on February 25th, 2017.
Thatcher’s 596 days as EVOLVE Champion is both the longest single reign in the title’s lineage and also the most combined days anyone has spent with the title as nobody has ever won the title more than once. Zack Sabre Jr’s 404-day title reign is good for second place in this category.
Taya Valkyrie is working alongside her husband, John Morrison, on a horror film with a premise many wrestling fans will likely find quite entertaining. The film “The Iron Sheik Massacre” focusses on a toy Iron Sheik doll that becomes sentient. The doll then targets a group of new school wrestlers who it feels are insulting old school wrestling traditions. The sentient Iron Sheik doll will be voiced by none other than the Iron Sheik himself.
Valkyrie and Morrison co-wrote the script together on their Honeymoon.
“As of right now, last week John was doing some meetings with the special effects people,” Valkyrie told Metro.
“It’s a very effects-heavy short film because of the nature of it being a horror-comedy. There’s a lot of stuff that’s being worked on right now that did take longer than expected – I’m slowly learning about this. I always thought things just happened, and they were out and ready [laughs] – which sounds ridiculous, but I’ve learned that things take time.”
“It is taking its time, but I think it’s all going to be extremely worth it. We have some of the best special effects people working on it. It will be done this year, 120%.”
John Morrison spoke to BANG Showbiz about the project last May.
“The last thing that I did that I’m finishing right now is a horror-comedy short that Taya and I wrote on our honeymoon. It’s called ‘The Iron Sheik Massacre’,” Morrison told the outlet.
“It’s about a group of new school wrestlers who are dumping on old school wrestling, lightning hits the house and an Iron Sheik doll becomes sentient.”
Ruby Riott returned to WWE after having missed 262 days due to two separate shoulder surgeries. The 29-year-old’s last official match before going on the shelf was May 17th, 2019 at a house show in Cardiff, Wales. Riott returned last night and turned on her former Riott Squad teammate, Liv Morgan.
WWE correspondents caught up with Riott backstage from RAW last night. Riott seemed uninterested in answering any questions, however, and stormed away from the interview without issuing any comment.
Video of the attempted interview can be viewed in the player below:
Liv Morgan Reacts To Ruby Riott’s RAW Return
Liv Morgan issued a social media post last night after RAW. She posted the following to Twitter:
Ruby Riott, Sarah Logan, and Liv Morgan debuted as the Riott Squad on the WWE main roster on November 21st, 2017. A year later, the trio would all get matching tattoos to commemorate one-year together.
After WrestleMania 35 last year, the faction was broken up when Liv Morgan was drafted to Smackdown. Morgan wouldn’t do much on the brand until reappearing on RAW during the Bobby Lashley and Lana wedding recently. Sarah Logan is also on RAW where she recently had a small angle with Charlotte Flair going before the Royal Rumble. Riott underwent two shoulder surgeries last year, the first in May and then another in August.
WWE RAW aired live from the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Brock Lesnar’s opponent for Super ShowDown was revealed in the main event.
WWE RAW Results (2/3)
Liv Morgan def. Lana
Drew McIntyre def. Mojo Rawley
AOP & Buddy Murphy def. Kevin Owens & Viking Raiders
Aleister Black def. eric Young
Rey Mysterio def. Angel Garza via DQ
Asuka def. Natalya
Ricochet def. Seth Rollins & Bobby Lashley to become #1 contender for WWE Championship
Here are 7 takeaways from this week’s show:
Randy Orton Didn’t Explain His Actions
Randy Orton (Photo: @WWE)
Randy Orton came down to the ring to kick off this week’s show. Last week on RAW, Orton brutally attacked Edge with a steel chair. Orton stated that he owed everyone an explanation for his actions as the crowd booed him out of the building.
Orton tried to talk but the crowd drowned him out with a loud “you suck!” chant. Orton said that he cannot do this and dropped the microphone. Randy got out of the ring and walked backstage as the crowd continued to boo.
Liv Morgan once again battled Lana tonight on RAW. Lana pretended to injure her arm early and baited Liv into a boot to the face for a two count. Liv quickly slammed Lana to the canvas for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Ruby Riott made her return and came down to the ring. Ruby made it seem like she was going to hug Morgan but wound up attacking her. Riott leveled Morgan with a Clothesline and Lana capitalized by attacking Liv as well.
Opinion: It is great to see Ruby Riott back and hopefully this feud leads to good things for her and Liv Morgan. I thought it was frustrating to watch the Riott Squad continuously get jobbed out when they were a solid stable and should have had more of an impact on the division.
Kevin Owens & Viking Raiders squared off against Buddy Murphy & AOP in a Elimination Match tonight. Seth Rollins was ringside for the match.
Match Recap: AOP and Murphy dominated early and isolated Erik in the the corner. Ivar went for a Crossbody outside the ring but Byddy got out of the way and Ivar crashed into the LED board. Rollins hit Erik with the Stomp as the referee was distracted and rolled him in the ring. Buddy then pinned Erik to eliminate him as Ivar was ruled out due to injury. Owens took out AOP outside the ring and planted Buddy Murphy with the Pop-Up Powerbomb to eliminate him. Owens quicky planted Akam with the Stunner for the elimination.
Rollins fired up Rezar but Owens quickly hit him with a Superkick and then a Cannonball. Owens climbed to the top rope and connected with a Senton for a two count. Seth hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Rezar capitalized with a Clothesline. Rezar followed it up with two massive Spinebusters for the pinfall victory.
Angel Garza came down to the ring with Zelina Vega tonight on RAW. Garza claimed that Humberto Carrillo disgraced their family and attacked him. Angel set up Humberto for the Hammerlock DDT on the concrete but Rey rushed the ring to make the save. Rey then battled Garza in match.
Match Recap: Rey controlled the match early and locked in a Headlock. Garza battled to his feet but Rey sent him to the canvas. Angel asked Rey to shake his head but Mysterio declined. Garza hit Rey with a Dropkick and followed it up with a knee to the chest for a near fall. Angel took a break to pose for the crowd and went for a Moonsault but Rey was able to get out of the way. Mysterio hit a Destroyer and went for the 619 but Vega pulled Garza out of the way. Vega distracted Rey and Garza capitalized with a Superkick. Angel then hit Rey with a Hammerlock DDT onto the exposed concrete and the match ended in a DQ.
Opinion: Garza is great and has a ton of charisma. He got more of a reaction tonight than Humberto Carrillo has ever gotten. I’m wondering if Rey was just written off of television like Andrade and is about to go on 30-day vacation.
Charlotte Flair kicked off the final hour of RAW to announce who she will face at WrestleMania. Flair stated that she has held the RAW and SmackDown Women’s Championships multiple times. Charlotte added that she has already defeated Bayley and Becky Lynch multiple times.
Flair boasted about being a 10-time champion but was interrupted by NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley. The crowd loudly chanted “NXT!” as Rhea told Flair that she has never beaten her. Ripley added that she has actually beaten Charlotte and raised the NXT Women’s Championship in her face. Charlotte smirked at Rhea before getting out of the ring. Flair stopped at the top of the entrance ramp and said “woo!” to end the segment. It was later announced that Charlotte will be on NXT this week to answer Rhea’s challenge.
Becky Lynch Will Defend Her Title Against Asuka AgainNext Week
Asuka tapped out Natalya tonight on RAW. After the match, Asuka stated that she wanted a rematch with Becky Lynch for the RAW Women’s Championship.
Becky came down to the ring wearing the “deal with it” glasses and claimed that beating Asuka at Royal Rumble almost gave her super powers. Lynch wondered why she would put her title on the line so close to WrestleMania but said that it fun beating up Asuka and she wanted to it again.
Kairi Sane tried to attack Becky but she fought her off and sent her to the outside. Lynch joked that one of her super powers was that she has eyes in the back of her head. It was later announced that the match will go down next week on RAW.
Opinion: I’m hoping that the storyline is that Becky has become too cocky and winds up dropping the title. I doubt that will be the case but one can hope.
Seth Rollins, Bobby Lashley, and Ricochet competed in a Triple Threat match tonight in the main event. The winner of the match will face Brock Lesnar at Super ShowDown for the WWE Championship.
Match Recap: Ricochet controlled the action early and made his way to the top rope. Buddy Murphy and AOP rushed the ring and beat Lashley and Ricochet down. Kevin Owens and Viking Raiders joined the party and hit Akam and Rezar with steel chairs. Lashley connected with a Spinebuster on Seth for a two count. Ricochet connected with the 630 Splash on Lashley for the victory and earned a shot at the WWE Championship at Super ShowDown. After the match, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar attacked Ricochet and hit him with the F5.
Opinion: I’m expecting Ricochet to get demolished at Super ShowDown and sell the hell out of some German Suplexes. I really cannot bring myself to get invested in this match since the outcome is so obvious. Overall, this week’s episode of RAW was a solid show.
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar has received his next opponent as he will make his next title defense at the upcoming WWE Super ShowDown PPV.
WWE booked a #1 contender’s match on Monday’s episode of RAW in Salt Lake City, UT at the Vivint Smart Home Arena on the USA Network. This Triple Threat contest saw Ricochet, Seth Rollins, and Bobby Lashley battle it out.
Brock Lesnar Receives Opponent
Ricochet ended up winning the match and becoming the new #1 contender for the top title on RAW. As a result, he will now challenge “The Beast” for the WWE Title at WWE’s next event in Saudi Arabia. Post-match, Lesnar ran down to the ring and laid out Ricochet.
WWE has already confirmed that Lesnar will defend the title against Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36.
WWE presents the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event on Thursday, February 27, 2020 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium that will air on the WWE Network.
Updated WWE Super ShowDown Card
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Ricochet
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions The New Day vs. John Morrison & The Miz
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
A new match has been teased for the upcoming WWE WrestleMania 36 PPV.
During Monday’s episode of RAW, Charlotte Flair came out for the second straight week to reveal who she would be challenging at WrestleMania 36.
Before Flair could make her announcement, NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley interrupted by walking out to the ring. Ripley cut a promo about how Flair has beaten many top stars but never defeated her. In fact, Ripley brought up how she holds a win over Flair.
Instead of Flair accepting the challenge, she walked out of the ring. Thus, WWE is stretching out this match announcement for at least another week. It’s been reported that this is a match that is planned to take place at the biggest event of the year for the company.
Flair won the 30-Woman Royal Rumble Match at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view event in Houston, Texas at the Minute Maid Park.
As a result, she can challenge for any title in WWE such as the RAW, SmackDown, and NXT Women’s Championship.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium that will air on the WWE Network.
So far the only match that has been announced for this show is WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre.
The company announced during Monday Night RAW that the WWE Hall of Famer is slated to make an appearance on Friday Night SmackDown this week in San Jose, CA at the SAP Center on FOX.
Additional details on his appearance weren’t given. However, that hasn’t stopped fans from speculating. WWE is slated to make its return with the Super ShowDown event in Saudi Arabia later this month.
Goldberg worked last year’s Super ShowDown show in the country and with the Saudi Arabia government liking big stars from the past, speculation is that we could hear an announcement featuring Goldberg in action at this upcoming show.
WWE presents the Super ShowDown pay-per-view event on Thursday, February 27, 2020 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the King Fahd International Stadium that will air on the WWE Network.
WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
WWE started their deal with Saudi Arabia in 2018 as the company signed a 10-year partnership with the Saudi General Sports Authority to bring two shows per year to the country in support of a new campaign, Saudi Vision 2030.
