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Taeler Hendrix Says She Will Never Join WWE

Jon Fuentes
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18

Former IMPACT Wrestling and Ring Of Honor (ROH) star Taeler Hendrix recently spoke to GO Pro Wrestling.

Hendrix said that it’s an honor to be known as one of the women who helped start various women’s divisions. She had a key role in ROH’s Women Of Honor and is currently working in the NPWL’s women’s division.

“Never”

When asked when fans could expect to see her in WWE, Hendrix’s answer was simple. “Never.”:

“Never,” said Hendrix, “Never. “I am with National Pro Wrestling League and I am very happy. I found a home for myself, I found a brand that I can believe in, and I can help revolutionize.

“And, honestly, not many women can they’re there for the starting of a division. And this just isn’t any division, let’s be clear. This isn’t just an independent. This is a TV program. This is a revolutionary program. How many women are going to be able to say that?”

Despite not having any interest in signing with WWE right now, Hendrix says she wishes WWE all the best. She’s content where she is right now with NPWL’s women’s division:

“I wish the WWE best, but I know where my home’s at, I know where my heart’s at, and I go where I’m really appreciated,” Hendrix said. “I go where I’m gonna see the most potential for myself.

“For all of my dreams, my hopes, my aspirations. Have I had opportunities with the WWE? Yes. Have I had opportunities with TNA, Ring of Honor? Yes. I’ve done, in this business, almost everything I’ve ever wanted to do to some level, in some way, shape, or form.

“So, I think that’s really cool for the little girl in me that watched it growing up to be able to say.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Alexa Bliss Says She’s Preparing For Ronda Rousey Rematch

Jon Fuentes
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0

WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss was interviewed by the CT Post during her appearance at the Connecticut Open.

Bliss comes off a RAW Women’s Title loss to Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam over the weekend. She admitted that if anyone had to take the title off of her, at least it was Ronda Rousey. Not many get to say that they shared the ring with the female mixed martial arts (MMA) pioneer:

“My thing on the whole situation is if there’s anyone that had to take the title from me at least it was Ronda Rousey,” Bliss said.

“Not many people can say they had their first big title loss to Ronda Rousey. I guess I’m OK.”

Bliss pointed out that she still has a rematch clause that she looks to invoke soon. She says she’s currently preparing for the rematch but doesn’t know quite yet when it will take place:

“But I do have a rematch clause that I get to invoke at any point,” said Bliss. “Every champion is entitled to a rematch. I am preparing for that. I don’t know when it’s going to happen. She’s going to hold the title for now, but she’s not going to hold it for long.”

WWE Evolution

Aside from a pending rematch with Rousey, Bliss has another high-profile match on the horizon. She has been announced to be facing Hall Of Famer Trish Stratus at WWE Evolution. The pay-per-view (PPV) is WWE’s first all-female show in history:

“It’s very exciting,” said Bliss. “I’ve always loved Trish, I always watched Trish growing up. I actually got to meet her for the first time at the Women’s World Rumble Match.

“I wasn’t able to be part of it because I was holding a title at the time. I’m really excited to be in the ring with her, to have this match with an idol.

“I really want to work with Trish. I’ve worked hard for this. It might be a little harder to get mad and mean at Trish.”

Discussion: Do you want to see Bliss rematch Rousey? Sound off in the comments below!

Carlito Names One Issue He Has With WWE NXT

Jon Fuentes
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12

Former WWE Intercontinental and United States Champion Carlito recently called in to the Chair Shots To The Cranium Show.

Carlito talked about traveling the world and working the independent scene. He noted he probably travels more overseas now than he did when he was with WWE. Carlito then commented on what he has learned since being released from WWE eight years ago:

“I think I’ve had time to really think about things,” Carlito said. “I enjoy the slowed-down pace. What I’ve learned is kinda like what I think the great athletes like basketball players and stuff what you start to learn as your physical abilities start to dissipate or whatever. You start to adjust to succeed otherwise.

“I feel like a much better wrestler just because of new ways that I have found to workaround situations and entertain people.

“It’s like a total difference performance now than when I was younger when I was just worried about how high I could jump or what flip I could do.”

When Carlito was getting his start in WWE, the company’s developmental system was still in Ohio Valley Wrestling. Today WWE has innovated NXT and the Performance Center. These tools weren’t at the disposal of stars from Carlito’s era.

He admits he has yet to see much of NXT but hears good things about it. Carlito did say, however, that there’s one issue he has with the system. He feels that today performers adapt to one system’s style as opposed to utilizing their own unique style of working:

“I don’t know much about NXT, I don’t really see much of it,” Carlito continued. “I’ve heard it’s a great product.

“I heard the [WWE Performance Center] is a state-of-the-art thing like you know, I wish we had that in our day — we didn’t have that — so you know they have a whole staff training. Not just wrestling, but weight training and all kinds of stuff

“I think it’s great. The only thing is I’ve always been a fan of not throwing everything into one bucket, like having different styles.

“I feel like a lot of those guys just go into a system and instead just work the system’s style and they start to deviate from what makes them unique.”

Discussion: What do you make of Carlito’s comments? Sound off in the comments!

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Updated Card For Saturday’s ROH TV Taping (8/25)

Andrew Ravens
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0

Several matches have been announced for the next set of ROH TV tapings.

Ring of Honor will hold their Philadelphia Excellence event on Saturday night in Philadelphia, PA at the 2300 Arena. For those who are planning to attend this event, you can buy tickets here.

Some of the more high profile matches taking place will include Cody & The Young Bucks vs. Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas in a six-man tag team match that will likely serve as the main event, ROH TV Champion Punishment Martinez vs. Aaron Solow, and Women of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai vs. Tasha Steelz.

This taping will likely reveal some matches for their next big event. Ring of Honor is slated to hold their Death Before Dishonor pay-per-view event at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, September 28, 2018. The event will air on traditional PPV outlets and the FITE TV app. The promotion will be announcing more matches in the coming weeks.

The Card

Cody & The Young Bucks vs. Silas Young & Beer City Bruiser & Brian Milonas

Hurricane Helms vs. Marty Scurll

Adam Page vs. Kenny King.

Coast to Coast vs. The Kingdom

The Boys vs. Best Friends

Fight Without Honor: Cheeseburger vs. Will Ferrara

ROH TV Champion Punishment Martinez vs. Aaron Solow

Women of Honor Champion Sumie Sakai vs. Tasha Steelz

What are your thoughts on this card? Sound off in the comment section.

Chris Jericho On Working For Impact or ROH: “Sure, Why Not?”

Staff
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3

Chris Jericho says he’s open to the possibility of working for Impact Wrestling or Ring of Honor. the reigning IWGP Intercontinental Champion appeared on the DuhCast podcast this week and told James Ellsworth and Dennis Farrell that nothing is holding him back from working with companies outside of WWE.

“When someone says ‘Would you ever go to IMPACT? Would you ever go to Ring Of Honor? Would you ever go here there or wherever’ – yeah sure, why not? If its creatively satisfying, if it’s something that I can really sink my teeth into, something that I can really enjoy, then why wouldn’t I give it a try?”

Chris Jericho is almost three decades into his legendary wrestling career. He is loyal to WWE, but that hasn’t precluded him from wrestling for their top rival, New Japan Pro Wrestling. Jericho is looking to have fun and feels that other companies rising up to compete with WWE is best for business.

“At this point, I’ve done everything I could ever do in wrestling. I have a loyalty to WWE but not a death wish with them or anything like that where by hook or by crook I have to be with the WWE. I think part of the fun of what’s going on right now in the business is there’s a real resurgence with independent wrestling and independent companies and it really gives the WWE a real kick in the ass when people go other places.”

Jericho referenced guys like Kenny Omega, Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks who are able to achieve incredible success without the help of WWE. He says that would have never been possible 5 or 10 years ago, when everyone’s ultimate goal was signing with Vince.

Back to the talk about Impact Wrestling, he clarified that he has not had formal discussions with anybody from that company about working for them. “I’m not saying I would ever go there, but I’m not saying I wouldn’t,” said Jericho. “And I’m not saying I wouldn’t go to WWE or I wouldn’t go to New Japan or go wherever. To me, it’s all about helping to change the business in a lot of ways and if there’s a way to do it by being a little bit of a revolutionary then why not? Let’s go for it, man. This is show business, it’s entertainment, it’s the Wild West. There’s no rules and nobody says that you have to work in the WWE or you don’t have to work there.”

Jericho added that independent wrestling is as big as it’s ever been, which is great for guys like Kenny Omega and even James Ellsworth. For the first time in nearly 20 years, wrestlers have viable options of where to work outside of WWE. According to Jericho, “It’s an exciting time for everybody involved.”

Listen to Chris Jericho on the DuhCast podcast here:

WWE Championship Match Announced For Hell In A Cell

Andrew Ravens
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7

WWE announced on Friday that Samoa Joe will get another shot at the WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell. In a rematch from last weekend’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, Joe will challenge AJ Styles for the title on Sunday, September 16th.

The Samoan Submission Machine has been relentless in taunting Styles with personal attacks. We have seen Joe’s dark side before, but things have been escalating in recent weeks. At SummerSlam, Styles finally had enough. With his family at ringside and Joe addressing his wife and children on the microphone during their match, Styles snapped. He grabbed a chair and unleashed a furious attack on Joe, which resulted in a disqualification. On Tuesday’s SmackDown Live, Joe struck once again.

WWE’s match announcement did not make any reference to Styles vs. Joe taking place inside the Hell in a Cell cage. This is somewhat surprising, considering how intense this feud has gotten and the fact that their SummerSlam match ended in a DQ. Perhaps we’ll see a stipulation added in the coming weeks.

WWE Hell in a Cell Card

Following this latest announcement, there are now two matches confirmed for WWE Hell in a Cell:

  • WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe
  • The Miz & Maryse vs. Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella

WWE Hell in a Cell pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, September 16th from San Antonio, Texas at the AT&T Center. The event will air live on the WWE Network and traditional pay-per-view outlets. We’ll keep you posted as more matches are announced.

Tommaso Ciampa Gets An Entrance Theme (Video)

Jon Fuentes
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6

WWE NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa finally has an entrance theme.

Ciampa had been making his way to the ring in silence since turning heel. Now, in the midst of his NXT Championship reign, Ciampa has changed things up a bit. Last night WWE held its latest batch of NXT tapings at Full Sail University.

During the tapings, it was revealed that Ciampa will no longer be making his way to the ring in silence. WWE has now given Ciampa an entrance theme to walk out to. Watch a fan video showing the new theme here:

Ciampa comes off a successful NXT Title defense at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 4 on SummerSlam weekend. He defeated rival Johnny Gargano in a Last Man Standing match in the night’s main event.

Recently, Ciampa went as far as telling WWE.com that he believes he’s the best sports-entertainer of all time:

“It’s good to be champ, and right now, there truly is no debate. I am the champion of champions.

“I’m the main event. I’m untouchable. I, Tommaso Ciampa, am the greatest sports-entertainer of all time.”

He also suggested that he’s the perfect role model for children to look up to:

“If you are teaching your child to be content with a participation award, then you already failed at life. If you want your kid to be a winner, then tell them to look at Tommaso Ciampa for inspiration.”

Ciampa is certainly a confident character to say the least. Just 13 days after winning the NXT Title, he suggested he already has the greatest title reign in history:

https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/1026833788754685952

“I have been the NXT World Champion for 13 days,” Ciampa Tweeted.

“During that time, I’ve successfully defended my title against Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream, and EC3.

“You are witnessing the greatest NXT Title reign in history. Don’t take my gift for granted. Enjoy every second of it.”

Discussion: What do you make of Ciampa getting an entrance theme? Are you for it, or against it? Sound off in the comments!

Matt Hardy Confirms His Producer Role Backstage At SummerSlam

Jon Fuentes
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9

Matt Hardy is currently taking a break from in-ring competition. Last week it was reported that Hardy will be taking an extended break to deal with nagging injuries. Hardy’s health will be reevaluated later this year. For now, there’s no indication that Hardy plans on retiring. However, Wrestling Observer Newsletter suggests his in-ring future is in question.

Recently, Hardy has been gearing up for the next chapter of his professional wrestling career. Hardy was recently “shadowing” WWE producers, with some speculating he’s preparing for a backstage role transition.

The 25-year professional wrestling veteran would be a huge asset backstage, as many have raved about his wrestling IQ. On Sunday afternoon before SummerSlam, Hardy took to Twitter to comment on his new role:

Hardy suggested it was strange to be a part of the show in a “different capacity”:

He also Tweeted out a photo of himself working with WWE broadcaster Mike Rome backstage at the Barclays Center:

Matt Hardy Confirms His Producer Role

Yesterday, Hardy further elaborated on his backstage role at SummerSlam. He confirmed that he was working as a producer at the show. Hardy said he loved working backstage, and also mentioned he was babysitting his sons at the same time:

Reby Hardy

Hardy’s wife, Reby, had this to say about her husband’s “transitional time” recently on an appearance on the Busted Open satellite radio show:

“Matt is good,” she said. “Matt is right now going through a transitional period. He’s not really sure what he’s going to be doing. His contract is up in March, which I’m not sure many people are aware of.

“But there’s sort of a decision to be made at this point as to whether or not he should continue his in-ring career or if he should pursue something different, which he would totally be up for and would be excited to do, I feel like.

“So, he’s kind of giving it a go right now backstage. He’s at SummerSlam. He’s not on the card but he’s there. And we’re kind of going to see from here. It’s really a transitional time right now.”

Discussion: What do you make of Hardy’s backstage role transition? Do you expect him to wrestle again? Sound off in the comments section below!

WWE Evolution Poster Released (Photo)

Jon Fuentes
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12

The poster for WWE Evolution has finally been released.

WWE’s first-ever all-female pay-per-view (PPV) is set for October 28th. The action goes down from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. Women from WWE’s past and present will be competing on the card.

Now, the poster for the historical event has finally been released. It features WWE Hall Of Famers Trish Stratus and Lita. NXT stars Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler are also featured. Main roster figureheads such as Ronda Rousey, Alexa Bliss, Sasha Banks, Charlotte Flair and Asuka are all front-and-center as well.

Check it out here below:

poster for WWE Evolution

WWE Evolution Match Card

The match card for Evolution is shaping up rather nicely thus far. There are currently four Title matches set for the PPV. Check out the current card for the show below:

  • RAW Women’s Championship: (C) Ronda Rousey vs. TBA
  • SmackDown Live Women’s Championship: (C) Charlotte Flair vs. TBA
  • NXT Women’s Championship: (C) Kairi Sane vs. TBA
  • NXT UK Women’s Championship: TBA vs. TBA
  • 2018 Mae Young Classic Tournament Finals: Io Shirai vs. Toni Storm
  • Alexa Bliss vs. Trish Stratus

**Card subject to change**

Discussion: What do you think about the poster for Evolution? Do you think anyone was left out? Sound off in the comments!

Rev Pro Announce First Matches For TV Tapings

Steve Russell
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0

Revolution Pro Wrestling (Rev Pro) recently announced a set of television tapings to take place at York Hall, Bethnal Green in London, – an announcement that, like an RKO, took a lot of Britwres fans by surprise.

Today, they sent out a teasing Tweet to their fanbase that read, “Lots of stuff to announce. Shall we get started?”

It wasn’t long after this initial tease that the account would proceed to give us the first two matches announced for their two day take over on September 5th and 6th.

The first of these was revealed to be Kushida going up against Suzuki-Gun’s Zack Sabre Jr.

Sabre Jr. is coming off the back of a successful G1 Climax 28, which saw him pick up notable victories over NJPW stalwarts such as Tomohiro Ishii and Tetsuyo Naito, ending the tournament with 12 points to his name.

The matchup of different weight classes, with Kushida still wrestling as a Junior Heavyweight, could have interesting implications, given Rev Pro’s connection with NJPW. The two have faced off before – in RPW, no less – so it will be interesting to see how they’ve developed and what kind of match unfolds as the two styles clash.

A Legend Returns

The second match announced shortly after Kushida vs Sabre Jr., was Tipton’s own Chris Brookes versus the living legend, Jushin Liger.

The man from Tipton has accrued himself a large following over the years, honing his craft, as well as his Twitter game, and will undoubtedly be going to pull out all the stops against the living legend, Jushin “Thunder” Liger.

Rev Pro claims that they will be making “history” with these tapings, and they’re already shaping up to be an undeniably entertaining couple of days as they continue to lean into their positive relationship with New Japan.

Tickets are on sale now, priced at £15.

Road Dogg Defends Becky Lynch Booking On Twitter

Chris Stephens
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20

Creative head for Smackdown, Road Dogg, decided to spend some time on Twitter debating fans recently. There has been more than a few unhappy Becky Lynch supporters in the WWE Universe as of late. A fan on Twitter criticized the booking of Lynch recently and Road Dogg took the time to respond.

Becky Lynch Booking

Road Dogg’s defense of the booking is that Flair and Lynch each had to overcome the same obstacle to get a title match. It’s the same obstacle R-Truth is currently trying to overcome as well.

Where some are taking issue with Road Dogg’s defense is that Lynch had already earned a single’s match for the title and then had it taken away. This creates sympathy for the character who had earned something only to lose it through no fault of their own. Unless you consider a triple threat match as an equal opportunity to a single’s match for the title but some Scott Steiner match should be able to show why that doesn’t make sense.

The other issue with the booking is how Lynch was scripted to turn on the fans Tuesday night. Her character, instead of reveling in the support she received from the crowd as a normal person would do, turned on the crowd and said they had not been supporting her prior to Summerslam.

WWE Hall of Famer, Bully/Bubba Ray Dudley has been following this issue closely. He Tweeted out the following on Tuesday night:

10 Takeaways From Impact Wrestling 8/23

Chris Stephens
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3

Impact Wrestling last night featured a Mexican Death Match between Sami Callihan and Pentagon Jr. The matches tonight were from the first show of the August 12th & 13th tapings from Rebel Nightclub in Toronto.

I was in attendance for these tapings and thought both nights were pretty fun. They aired the matches slightly out of order last night, however. The matches for next week’s “Impact ReDefined” episode were interspersed amongst the matches which aired last night.

Impact Wrestling 8/23

Sami Callihan Wins The Mexican Death Match

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PddPNrZX1VY

Sami Callihan defeated Pentagon Jr. in the night’s main event. After writing another hardcore chapter in their rivalry, Callihan picked up the win with a Cactus Jack inspired piledriver off the turnbuckle and through a table.

Callihan and oVe badly needed this win. They’d dropped tag matches to the Lucha Bros and Callihan lost singles matches to both Fenix and Pentagon prior to tonight. By avenging his loss from Slammiversary and beating a former Impact World Champion, Callihan has done much to erase the losses he suffered earlier this summer.

I don’t think things are finished between the boys from Ohio and the Lucha Bros, however…

Eddie Kingston May Have Committed Vehicular Homicide

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZelY9D-6Ug

This week we saw Konnan & LAX celebrating their street fight victory. Fittingly, they decided to celebrate on the streets of Toronto.

Last week’s street fight concluded with a mock-execution of King. Konnan ended up hitting him in the head with a slapjack, a move which is rarely fatal. Unfortunately, King survived and was able to get a bit of revenge this week.

Konnan’s crew was celebrating with a small child for some reason and evidently, nobody was willing to help this child cross the street. King drove like a maniac through the streets and ran over the child. It didn’t seem as though LAX realized it was King at the time.

Moose Is Back!

Just when it looked as though Austin Aries and Killer Kross were going to hand Edwards a beating for the 3rd straight show, Moose returned to make the save.

We haven’t seen Moose since Slammiversary. After dropping an Impact World Championship match to Aries, Moose was out of action with a concussion. He returned tonight, however, and appears to once again be aligned with Eddie Edwards.

Next Week: Triple Threat For The Knockouts Championship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdCZC6LR70Y

Following Kiera Hogan’s victory over Alisha Edwards this week, Allie got on the mic and challenged Su Yung. Allie knows that she’ll just have to deal with Tessa Blanchard when she takes on Yung, however, so why not make things a triple threat match?

Next week at Impact ReDefined, Su Yung vs Allie vs Tessa Blanchard will collide for the Knockouts Championship.

Brian Cage is Champion of the “Weapon X Division”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZPIm_sBou0

Brian Cage spoke for the first time since debuting in Impact earlier this year. Cage spoke about how the X-Division is what put Impact Wrestling on the map. The X-Division is what has made Impact Wrestling stand out. Cage feels his abilities makes him stand out amongst the rest as well.

“Nobody can do the things I do in that ring,” Cage said. “When I came to Impact Wrestling, one goal of mine was to take over the X-Divison. Why? Because when I think Impact Wrestling, I think of the X-Division.”

Next week at Impact ReDefined, Cage will look to defend his X-Division Championship for the second time when he faces Fenix.

Johnny Impact Throws Kongo Kong Into the Cabana Pool

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJMnO_4bZu8

The Cabana Pool Bar in Toronto is right next to Rebel Nightclub. It’s a fitting venue for someone like Johnny Impact to be hanging out in while he waits for a night of Impact tapings to begin.

It is not a fitting place for Kongo Kong to be, however, and how he got passed security is still a bit of a mystery. Kong attacked Johnny while he was poolside but in the end, it was Kongo who ended up going in the pool.

Rich Swann Is Going For The X-Division Championship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m__UL61TzU

Alicia Atout and Rich Swann went for a walk and talk this week. The two both looked as though they were coming from a 1970s themed dance party.

Swann talked about the history of the X-Division Championship and how he wanted to add to that legacy. Earlier this year, I had the chance to ask Swann what competing for the X-Division Championship means for him. Many of his answers during that interview expressed a similar sentiment to what he said tonight.

Swann will be in tough to achieve this goal, however, considering who the current champion is.

Local Talent Upset the Cult of Lee

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bktJPTa6578

The Cult of Lee may have been busy trying to impress former Impact World Champion, Eli Drake, and it cost them a match tonight. I don’t think Drake was too impressed.

The two wrestlers who defeated them were Brandon Tidwell and Mr. Atlantis.

Scarlett Bordeaux’s Advice Is Working For Fallah Bah & KM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObU98wWh8ts

Scarlett Bordeaux was able to convince KM that it is time to try things Fallah Bah’s way. This week Bah and KM wore matching tights and appeared in sync. They were able to defeat the Great Gama Singh’s Desi Hit Squad tonight.

Speaking of Bordeaux, she also did some work to improve Grado’s confidence this week. If her advice has the same effect on Grado as it did Bah and KM, we could see his fortunes change for the better.

Matt Sydal Is Enlightened Again

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdN4-bpVWSY

Sydal may have lost his X-Division Championship and a later single’s loss to Pentagon Jr but he got back in the win column this week. He defeated noted PWG wrestler, Zachary Wentz in single’s competition.

Quick Results:

  1. Matt Sydal defeated Zachary Wentz
  2. Fallah Bah & KM defeated the Desi Hit Squad
  3. Kiera Hogan defeated Alisha Edwards
  4. Brandon Tidwell & Mr. Atlantis defeated the Cult of Lee
  5. Mexican Death Match
    Sami Callihan defeated Pentagon Jr.

Young Bucks And Cody Rhodes On Why They May Not Sign With WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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14

There are a lot of reasons why Cody Rhodes and Young Bucks may want to go to WWE, but one of the primary reasons why they hesitate from signing with the company is the lack of creative control.

During the latest episode of Talk Is Jericho, the trio talked about this matter and discussed how having no creative control is one of the major let downs of signing with the company.

Cody recalled a fan recently asking him if he would go back. He claimed that his answer to similar queries has become ‘I don’t think so’ because he is incapable of taking directions now.

Matt Jackson jumped in after this and he revealed why it would be hard for them to conform to that kind of relationship, saying that they are used to making their own decisions.

Jackson then explained how tables have turned since everybody in WWE now wants to be where the Bucks are and they did it without going there.

The talk concluded with the ROH Star claiming that the goal eventually is to get to the point where the host Chris Jericho currently is where one can call their own shots and do what they want to do.

While WWE is definitely interested in bringing these three to their fold, Young Bucks and Cody’s recent interviews and comments make it seem like the possibility of it happening anytime soon is not very bright.

Check out our All In event page for all the latest news on the upcoming event. 

The Rock Favored To Win Royal Rumble 2019

Anutosh Bajpai
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40

Former WWE Superstar turned Hollywood heavyweight Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is currently favored to win the 2019 Royal Rumble match, according to early betting odds.

Several weeks ago, there was a report by the Wrestling Observer that stated, “There has been talk of Rock being interested in wrestling at Mania this year. If there’s no schedule conflict, it would be expected he’d make an appearance in some form at the show.”

Since then, WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins has gone on record saying he doesn’t think WWE needs The Rock at WrestleMania.

Skybet has released early betting odds for next year’s WWE PPV, and the People’s Champion is currently favored to win Royal Rumble as a 2/1 favorite.

Former SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan follows him with 6/1 odds. Seth Rollins (8/1) and Braun Strowman (9/1) are then the #3, and #4 in the line. Roman Reigns, John Cena and Finn Balor all have 12/1 odds.

It’s worth mentioning here that in a recent interview with Cathy Kelley, the former World Champion had shown interest in returning to the wrestling ring. When she asked him about a potential WWE return, The Rock said that he “can’t wait to get back to a WWE ring” and he always tells people that there is nothing like inside there.

The 46 year old Rock has not wrestled since WrestleMania 32, when he defeated Eric Rowan in an impromptu match. Prior to that, the last high-profile match was against John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania 29.

Do you expect we will see The Rock wrestle another match for WWE over the next year?

Kevin Owens Reveals He Signed A New Contract With WWE Recently

Anutosh Bajpai
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12

A lot of people including Stone Cold Steve Austin were not happy with Kevin Owens getting squashed at SummerSlam but it appears that Owens himself is comfortable with his current position in the company.

Kevin recently had an interview with Guerrilla Position where he talked about his favorite SummerSlam memories, his first SummerSlam match and more.

While talking about the independent circuit, Owens discussed the MSG show of ROH and NJPW selling out and implied that the show being held in the WrestleMania weekend helped in the ticket sales.

Continuing on the topic, the former Universal Champion talked about missing the indie circuit but said that he was tired of being there and WWE snatched him up at the perfect time.

He then went on to claim that he never wants to go back to the indie circuit and revealed that he has recently signed a new contract with WWE.

Although Kevin did not provide much detail about his new contract, the former Champion’s words make it clear that he won’t be leaving WWE anytime soon.

Apart from this, Kevin Owens also discussed his recent cage match with Braun Strowman, Sami Zayn babysitting his cat and more. You can check out his full interview in the video below:

Update On Paul Heyman’s Future With WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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20

With Brock Lesnar seemingly being done with WWE after his SummerSlam loss, there are questions about Paul Heyman’s future with the company as well.

The latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter provides some update on his situation, and it reveals that there has been talk of keeping him on Television as a performer.

While the Newsletter doesn’t elaborate what role Heyman may be given in future, the most likely scenario is that he will end up managing someone on the main roster.

One name that has been discussed in the past for the position is none other than the former UFC Star Ronda Rousey who is the female counterpart of Lesnar in many ways.

It has been reported previously that Ronda hoped to be paired with the former ECW owner when she came to WWE, and the idea was discussed before Lesnar extended his contract past WrestleMania 34.

However, with the Women’s Champion seemingly reigniting her feud with Stephanie McMahon on this week’s Raw, it wouldn’t make sense for her to be paired with Heyman anytime soon.

To have Paul as her manager will mean that Ronda will be turning heel and the general feeling is that it’s too early for the former UFC Star to portray a villain in the company.

If the company does decide to pair him with a current star, who would you like to see becoming the next Paul Heyman guy in WWE? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Madison Rayne Gone From Impact Wrestling, Alisha Edwards Wrestling At One Night Only

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– As expected, Madison Rayne’s latest stint in IMPACT Wrestling has officially come to an end.

Earlier this week, her profile on ImpactWrestling.com was removed from the Knockouts roster and placed among the Alumni.

Last month at Slammiversary, Rayne unsuccessfully challenged Su Yung for the Knockouts Championship. Rayne passed out after Yung locked in the mandible claw, thus awarding the victory to Yung. Immediately following the match, Yung placed an unconscious Rayne inside the coffin and stood on top of it with the Knockouts Championship held high.

Yung’s actions seemingly wrote off Rayne’s character from IMPACT Wrestling and the promotion alluded to that on Twitter.

A week later, WWE announced that she would compete as Ashley Rayne in Mae Young Classic 2018.

– In association with Xcite Wrestling, IMPACT Wrestling will hold their next One Night Only pay-per-view event taping this Saturday in Binghamton, New York at American Legion Post 80. The event is officially titled “One Night Only: Night of the Dummies” and tickets are currently on sale at xcitewrestling.com.

Rebel has announced that she will be facing Alisha Edwards at the event.

Alisha recently broke out on her own after generally being attached to angles involving her husband, Eddie Edwards. On August 2, she revealed to Alicia Atout that she was putting her personal life to the side to focus on the Knockouts division. She returned to action the following week on IMPACT, losing to Tessa Blanchard. She had her second match on last night’s show, which resulted in a loss to Kiera Hogan.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unYgyYlxLJQ&w=560&h=315]

Prior to her match, Alisha thanked Moose for returning to save Eddie from a vicious beatdown at the hands of Austin Aries and Killer Kross.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1EloPFRfhU&w=560&h=315]

To go along with her return to action, Alisha also has a new theme song.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKs2f_Zrjvs&w=560&h=315]

WWE Studios President Fired

Lesly Sincere
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An eight-year tenure comes to a close for the president of WWE Studios, Michael Luisi.

Luisi’s WWE Studios Tenure

Luisi’s prior engagements were with New Line, Miramax, and The Weinstein Company. He would join WWE Studios in 2010 and rise in the ranks.

Films under Luisi’s tenure at WWE Studios include The Marine Franchise, Fighting With My Family (Page Bio picture produced by Dwayne Johnson), along with straight-to-DVD animation films involving Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, and other Hannah Barbara characters under the Warner Bros. Animation banner.

Other reports are stating that Luisi lost his job due to a clash with Co-president of WWE, Michelle Wilson. The interim position is said to given to Timothy Schmidt, Vice president of Business Affairs and Operations of WWE Studios.

WWE is currently searching for the new full-time head of WWE Studios who will ultimately report to Wilson.

Reason Why Brock Lesnar Didn’t Appear On Raw

Anutosh Bajpai
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Brock Lesnar was originally scheduled to be a part of this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, and it shocked many when the Beast didn’t appear on the show.

His absence was especially surprising because Lesnar lost his Universal Championship just 24 hours prior to the show. So people expected the company to follow the storyline in some way the next night.

The latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter sheds some light on the situation. According to it, the reason why Brock was not on Raw was because Officials couldn’t figure out a way to follow the title loss.

Why Was Brock Lesnar Not On Raw?

The last time Brock lost a title was in 2015 when Seth Rollins infamously cashed in his Money In The Bank contract at WrestleMania 31.

The next night on Raw, Lesnar demanded a rematch. When Rollins refused, he ended up attacking a number of ringside personnel and was suspended afterward.

Officials could have followed his Universal title loss the same way and suspend or fired the Beast, but the feeling was that it wouldn’t do the company any good.

They felt that this would put the focus on the former World Champion when he is on his way out of the company and has no dates left.

Having Braun Strowman beat him up would have not been a great choice either because they couldn’t follow the angle with a match anytime soon.

What’s Next For The Beast?

Lesnar’s WWE contract is set to expire in a few days and since they couldn’t come up with a better idea, the company apparently wrote him off TV with the Paul Heyman segment on this week’s Raw.

As far as his UFC return goes, the former World Champion has dropped weight and he is training with the idea of facing Daniel Cormier for the UFC heavyweight title in early 2019.

The door for the Beast Incarnate to return to the company somewhere down the line is still open, but as of now, it appears that he is done with WWE.

Spoilers: NXT TV Tapings Results (8/23/18)

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On Thursday night, NXT taped the next several weeks of television from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida. Thanks to Will Henderson for the results and Marc Middleton for the write-up:

August 29 Episode:

– Johnny Gargano comes out on a crutch with no entrance music. He says we’ve had his back but he doesn’t deserve it right now. Says he broke a promise and couldn’t fix things. Says he doesn’t know where he goes from here, and says he lost himself in Brooklyn and he’s made a lot of mistakes and he doesn’t know how to fix things and make things right. Regarding the loss to NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa at Takeover, he says he became something he’s not proud of in Brooklyn, he became Ciampa. And he can’t get Ciampa out of his head, but he’s gotta be better.

NXT General Manager William Regal is out. Regal says before Aleister Black comes and burns the whole place down, he has to ask if Johnny attacked him. Johnny says “you tell me,” and tells him to look in his eyes and he’ll know. The Velveteen Dream interrupts and says he’s tired of listening to the same “woe is Johnny” spiel, and says tonight should be about him. Calls him Johnny Failure. Crowd actually chants that. Johnny says the crutch is just to keep the weight off, but he’s good to go and throws the crutch at Velveteen. Regal breaks it up and says we’ll have this match next week.

– Dakota Kai defeated Aliyah. Dakota misses a dropkick and Aliyah takes control. Aliyah with a leg lariat Thesz press into a body scissors. Dakota fights out. Dakota hits the running kick and the Facewash for 2. Aliyah drops Dakota by her hair. Dakota hits the Kaio-Driver for the win

– Lars Sullivan is shown backstage having laid out EC3

– Raul Mendoza comes out for a match but Lars Sullivan also comes out. Lars says unlike the mystery of the Aleister Black situation, he admits to taking out EC3. Lars cuts a heel promo and destroys Raul

– Keith Lee defeated Luke Menzies. Lee with an awesome hurricanrana. Menzies attacks during the basking. Lee rebounds with a huge pounce and a brutal double overhand chip in the corner. Lee hits a huge pop-up Last Ride for the win

– The Undisputed Era (NXT Tag Team Champion Roderick Strong & Adam Cole) defeated WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne and NXT North American Champion Ricochet. Roddy blind tags and hits a huge backbreaker on Ricochet. They tag in and out and work over Ricochet. Ricochet makes the hot tag to Pete, who runs wild and takes out both guys. Pete drops Cole on Strong for 2. Pete hits a sitout bomb but Cole breaks out the pin. Pete hits a moonsault to the outside, and Ricochet goes for a suicide dive, but takes out Pete. Kyle throws Pete back in the ring and Cole hits the shining wizard for the win. Undisputed attack both men after the match until War Raiders run out for the save

September 5 Episode:

– Kassius Ohno defeated Kona Reeves. Kassius launches Kona as he trash talks. Ohno goes for a running senton but Kona gets his knees up. Ohno slips out of fireman’s carry and hits a rolling elbow for the win. Kassius cuts a promo about how we he came back, there was so much hype, but he became an afterthought. He says he racked his brain trying to figure it out, but he finally got it: there’s always gonna be someone new and fresh coming in. He says the next person with buzz that comes in, he’s not going anywhere and will knock that person to the back of the line

– The Forgotten Sons (Steve Cutler and Wesley Blake) defeated The Street Profits. Montez Ford drinks from the cup and does a dive onto Cutler, Blake, and Jaxson Ryker. Montez works over Cutler’s arm. Cutler tags in Blake and Blake hits a massive clothesline on Montez. Cutler and Blake take turns working over Montez. Montez gets the tag to Angelo Dawkins, who runs wild. Angelo tags Montez for the frog splash, but Dawkins gets pulled out and thrown into the steps. Two masked men run in and steal Montez’s cup, but Montez unmasks one as Shane Thorne. Cutler and Blake hit a stomp off the top rope for the win. Cutler is busted open and spitting blood and is pretty upset at Montez after the match

– NXT Women’s Champion Kairi Sane defeated Trish Adora. Kairi comes out on stage and reveals the NXT Women’s Title in a treasure chest. Kairi tosses gold coins to the crowd on her entrance. Quick match. Kairi hits a spinning backfist, walks the plank, and hits the InSane Elbow for the win. Shayna Baszler comes out. She knocks over the treasure chest and says for Kairi to enjoy her pirate fantasy while it lasts because it won’t be there when she enacts her rematch clause. Shayna says let’s see if the pirate can swim and attacks. They brawl and Kairi gets the better of Shayna and sends her running with a spear

– The Velveteen Dream defeated Johnny Gargano. Great match. Dream is wearing one of Johnny’s shirts but has FAILURE written on tape over the “Wrestling” part. Gargano is more intense than usual. Dueling Johnny Wrestling/Johnny Failure chants. Velveteen in control after a hot start by Gargano. Velveteen with a huge boot the head for 2. Johnny fights to his feet but Velveteen locks in a sleeper and hits knees to the back. Johnny fights back and hits his spear through the ropes for 2. Johnny hits a superkick on the apron and a huge dive to the outside. Dream ducks the roll out kick and hits a Fameasser for 2. Johnny rolls out of the DVD and they trade 2 counts.

They trade shots on the apron. Johnny goes for a sunset flip, but tweaks his knee. Dream shoves him into the steps, rolls him into the ring, and hits his DDT, but Johnny kicks out. Dream works over the knee. Johnny rolls out of the way of the elbow drop on the apron and hits a suicide dive. Johnny puts the Gargano Escape on outside of the ring, but Velveteen gets in at 9. Johnny sets Dream up for a dropping DDT to the outside, but can’t do it. He talks to a kid with a Johnny Wrestling sign at ringside. Johnny hesitates, goes for the running knee, but Dream hits him with the rolling DVD and gets the pin. Awesome, awesome match. Gargano leaves through the side exit of the arena, looking disheartened and unsure of himself

September 12 Episode:

– Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch defeated Cezar Bononi & Adrian Joude. Joude works over Danny at the start. Nothing match really

– NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa has a new entrance and finally has music. Ciampa says the music is a personal message to the audience to shut up. He says he’s heard the rumors that he took out Aleister, but when he wants to attack someone, he does it on the biggest stage so you can worship your master. Ciampa says he won’t lie, because the champ never lies. He says he planned on taking out Aleister, but someone beat him to it. If he knew he they were, he’d pat him or her on the head. He says if Aleister made it to Brooklyn, the results would be the same: He Wins.

Ciampa says the title has something it wants him to say and that is that it felt really good to be back in the main event of a Takeover. Ciampa says he has one final thing to address, and he wants everyone to listen: the fact is, if you want to be a success, a winner, or a champion, follow the lead of Tomasso Ciampa. Ciampa goes to the kid who Johnny spoke to during his match, takes his Ciampa Sucks sign, and beats it up, tears it in half, and throws it back at the kid

– Shayna Baszler defeated Violet Payne. Shayna kills her with wrist locks, steps on her arm, and taps her out with the choke. Super quick match. Shayna comes back down and locks the choke back in. Refs pull her off and check on Violet. Shayna grabs her again and locks the choke on once more. Shayna then tosses her out of the ring before leaving

– Lars Sullivan defeated Raul Mendoza. Lars tosses Raul all over the place and just brutalizes him. Raul attempts to fight back, and sidesteps a charge, sending Lars into the ringpost. Raul with a springboard dropkick. Lars cuts him off with a pop-up powerslam and hits the Freak Accident for the win

– Nikki Cross and Bianca Belair go to a no contest. Nikki ducks a clothesline and waves hi at Bianca. Nikki is fascinated by Bianca’s moves, but Bianca is not amused. Bianca has control with a bearhug. Bianca catches Nikki attempting a crossbody and impressively deadlifts her into a gorilla press. Nikki ducks a clothesline and hits the crossbody. Nikki with stomps in the corner. Nikki hits a splash and goes up top, but Bianca rolls to the apron. Nikki traps Bianca in the ringskirt.

Bianca tosses Nikki into the steps and hits her hairwhip. Nikki jumps on her back and gets a sleeper, but Bianca drops back on the ramp and neither can answer the 10, resulting in a double countout. They continue brawling after the match, as refs attempt to keep them apart. Bianca tosses Nikki over the announce table, but Nikki gets on top and hits a diving crossbody off the table to Bianca and the refs. Nikki gets to her feet and celebrates

September 19 Episode:

– Lacey Evans & Aliyah defeated Dakota Kai & Deonna Purrazzo. Good start between Deonna and Lacey. Lacey and Aliyah tag in and out and work over Deonna for most of the match, with your usual heel spots behind the ref’s back. Deonna gets the hot tag to Dakota. Dakota with the running boot and facewash, but Lacey breaks up the pin. Aliyah makes the tag while Dakota goes for an O’Connor Roll, and Lacey hits the Women’s Right for the pin.

– Jaxon Ryker defeated Humberto Carrillo. Ryker is the former Chad Lail, aka Gunner in TNA. Total squash. Ryker knocks Carrillo out of a springboard with an axe handle, and hits a toss powerbomb for the win

– First-ever NXT Champion vs Champion match: NXT North American Champion Ricochet vs. WWE UK Champion Pete Dunne goes to a no contest. Incredible match. Arm drags and kip-ups to start. They square off. Dunne works over Ricochet’s left arm. Dunne works over Ricochet’s limbs with various holds. Crowd is chanting like crazy, with dueling One and Only/Bruiserweight chants. Good technical stuff from Dunne to start. Ricochet fights out but gets laid out with a brutal forearm. Ricochet fights back and sends Pete outside and hits a big suicide dive. Ricochet flips up, but Pete catches his foot and twists it, then kicks his hand out from him.

Pete with wrist locks and goes after the fingers. Ricochet dodges the arm stomp and hits a lariat. Ricochet hits a running shooting star to Pete’s back for 2. Pete counters the rolling cutter into an armbar. Pete stomps on Ricochet’s hands. Pete hits a forearm out of mid-air and hits the X-Plex for 2. Pete lands on his feet from a suplex, but Ricochet dumps him to the outside. Ricochet hits a backflip to the floor but meets a forearm. Pete with an X-plex on the apron, but Ricochet hits a reverse rana for 2. Back and forth strikes. Ricochet with an incredible counter into a DDT for 2. Crowd is on their feet. Ricochet goes up, but Pete cuts him off. Ricochet hits a springboard hurricanrana, and a modified Bitter End but only gets 2. Ricochet with a springboard 450, but Dunne catches him in a triangle. Ricochet powerbombs him with one arm, but Pete catches him and goes for a kimura style hold. Ricochet fights out and hits a deadlift suplex. They trade blows, but the Undisputed Era run in for the no contest.

War Raiders run down and chase them out of the building. War Raiders return to the ring while Undisputed appear on the ramp. Oney and Danny run down and toss Undisputed back into the ring and they get laid out. Cole escapes and taunts that they can’t get him, when Keith Lee appears behind him and tosses him into the ring. They lay Cole out with finishers and pose to send us home. It appears everything after War Raiders chased off Undisputed Era was stuff for the crowd

Austin Aries Explains Why He Doesn’t Watch Much Pro Wrestling Anymore

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IMPACT Wrestling World Champion Austin Aries was recently a guest on Keeping It Real With Konnan.

Aries discussed the differences between working in WWE and IMPACT Wrestling. Since leaving WWE last year, Aries has returned to great success on the indies. He currently holds several titles from different promotions. Of course, the most prominent of the bunch is his IMPACT World Title.

Why Aries Doesn’t Watch Much Pro Wrestling

During the episode, Aries noted that he doesn’t watch much professional wrestling anymore. He said that today’s product is more geared towards a young audience and it doesn’t appeal to him:

“I really don’t watch a lot of wrestling. I really don’t. People are surprised that I don’t. There was a time that I really loved pro wrestling, but I’m not a pro wrestling junkie, per se,” Aries said.

“I don’t have a lot of free time with the amount of traveling that I do, but most of pro wrestling isn’t catered to me. I am not a kid.

“There are a lot of guys that complain to me about the product, but it’s like, well, you are not a kid. It is catered to sell t-shirts and merchandise to kids and their parents.

“That is why with some of the things that we are doing at Impact Wrestling and other places there are more of a resurgence to more of an adult-orientated version of pro wrestling because that is what is missing for a long time,” he continued.

“Maybe, there is something we can do at Impact Wrestling that some corporate companies don’t want to touch. I think that there is a lot of people that miss what pro wrestling can give them too.

“I don’t watch a ton of it, I watch enough to see what is going on, I think it is also good to not be watching it because your ideas are your ideas.”

Discussion: What do you make of Aries’ comments on why he doesn’t watch much wrestling anymore? Sound off in the comments!

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

John Cena To Produce And Appear In Facebook Watch Prank Series

Jon Fuentes
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John Cena has announced his latest non-WWE endeavor.

Entertainment Weekly reports that Cena has partnered with hypnotist Chris Jones for a new prank series on Facebook Watch. Cena is producing and appearing in the six-episode series that will run 12-15 minutes long.

The show will also feature celebrities such as Steve-O, Adam Rippon, NeNe Leakes, Gabriel Iglesias and Pamela Anderson. The show’s premiere is set for September 5th. Watch a preview for the program here. Cena said the following about the show:

WWE even released a statement on Cena’s new show. Here’s what they said:

John Cena to star in new Facebook Watch prank show

John Cena is gearing up for quite a busy fall season. As far as in-ring action goes, The Cenation Leader is preparing to debut his “6th Move of Doom” for WWE Live Shanghai on Saturday, Sept. 1, and he’s training for a tag team match at WWE Super Show-Down, where he’ll partner with Bobby Lashley to face off against Kevin Owens and Elias on Saturday, Oct. 6.

Outside the ring, though, Cena will star in a brand-new Facebook Watch prank series, “Double Take.”

As announced by Entertainment Weekly, Cena will partner with celebrity hypnotist Chris Jones for “Double Take,” featuring celebrities pranking their biggest fans … but with a twist.

The 16-time World Champion took to Twitter with the news, sharing excitement and a taste of what’s to come.

Don’t miss “Double Take” when it premieres Wednesday, Sept. 5, on Facebook Watch!

Cena’s Current Whereabouts

“The Leader Of The Cenation” is currently in China filming a movie with Jackie Chan. He has been in the gym working on his physical appearance for the film. Cena is investing a lot of time into this project.

In fact, he missed his first SummerSlam in 15 years recently in order to film in China.

Discussion: What do you make of Cena producing “Double Take?” Will you be checking it out? Sound off in the comments below!

Sasha Banks Has No Desire To Work With Alexa Bliss Again

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Sasha Banks has seen enough of Alexa Bliss standing across the ring from her.

What was once a fierce rivalry in WWE as they battled for the RAW women’s championship, Banks doesn’t really seem to care much about facing Bliss again, although she’s not airing dirty laundry as to why.

The interesting comments came during an interview with Peter Rosenberg on “Open Late” when he talked to Banks about her fierce dedication to professional wrestling and how the chip on her shoulder has always driven her to do better and better.

Banks didn’t shy away from the fact that she absolutely has a chip on her shoulder when it comes to her career in WWE and that it might lead to ‘complicated relationships’ in the locker room with other athletes. “I have people I don’t like. I’m not going to push them down the stairs,” Banks said with a laugh.

That’s when Bliss’ name came up after Rosenberg heard rumblings about backstage heat between the two superstars.

The rumors about their rocky relationship started after Banks made an appearance on “RAW Talk” last year and made comments about Bliss that seemed to blur the line between fiction and reality when discussing her lifelong love of wrestling and spot on “Total Divas”.

In response, Bliss then said that she doesn’t need to make things personal with Banks and they could just stay focused on business to put on the best matches possible in WWE.

Banks wasn’t taking the bait about the real life beef she might have with Bliss but the most telling part of the interview came when she was asked about her desire to work with the former RAW women’s champion again

“Not really,” Banks said in response. “I think if they want to have me versus Alexa, they can do that cause I can do my job very well.”

Would you like to see Sasha Banks take on Alexa Bliss again or should WWE just try to keep these two apart? 

Ric Flair Reacts To Hulk Hogan’s WWE Reinstatement

Jon Fuentes
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Earlier this summer Hulk Hogan was reinstated into the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Several years ago Hogan was essentially black-listed from WWE history after some racist comments of his became public via a leaked sex tape. After years of apologies and rebuilding his reputation, Hogan is now back in the WWE fold.

Hogan apologized to the entire WWE roster backstage at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV). The roster’s response to Hogan’s apology was essentially split. WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair recently gave his thoughts on the matter.

Flair On Hogan’s HOF Reinstatement

“The Nature Boy” spoke to Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc. and admitted he’s “very happy” to see Hogan back with WWE:

“I’m very happy to see him back,” Flair said. “I don’t pretend to understand any of that. I’ve heard so many different sides of the story and all that.

“I think that anyone who portrays him as anything less than a good person that has done an excellent job, I mean he’s been through a lot — just think about it. His wife was terrible during the divorce and then there was the accident with [Hogan’s] son and then this.

“I mean, he’s had to go through a lot and the thing is great about Hulk is that he’s still the most expensive guy to get out there to sign autographs. He’s still Hulk Hogan, they can do whatever they want. If you want Hulk Hogan, you gotta have a big wallet, that’s the way it is.”

Flair explained how he’s glad there wasn’t the technology around in his day that there is today to catch him in some of his old antics:

“I mean Jesus Christ, we’re all sitting here wondering if [there’s] a spy camera now, you know?” Flair continued. “You never know, right? It’s a good thing they never put a camera in my room, Wendy would be a national hero. I couldn’t probably get work for her anywhere.

“I wonder how I’d react to social media in the 80’s wearing my robe up and down the airplane serving drinks. [I] would have probably ended up on the cover of Time.”

Discussion: What do you make of Flair’s comments? Sound off in the comments below!

Alberto Del Rio Explains Why He Pulled From AAA TripleMania (Video)

Jon Fuentes
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Earlier this week Alberto Del Rio pulled from his appearance at AAA TripleMania.

Del Rio recently spoke to The Roman Show and explained the reason for his withdrawal. He explained that he wasn’t happy with the way the promotion did business:

“I don’t like how they are doing things in the business,” he said. “We continue to see promoters take advantage of the talent. Thank God I am in the position where’ I am able to say, ‘OK you can do this, but you won’t do this to me’. It happened with Triple A.”

He further explained that the promotion failed to pay him for the agreed upon appearance. Apparently he was “spoiled” and pitched a big match at their largest event of the year. However, AAA was unable to fulfill their financial promise to him. Thus, he pulled from the appearance:

“They called me and found me and took me somewhere and spoiled me to see if I can do their biggest event of the year,” El Patron stated.

“Then, they never sent the money. They never came. I was supposed to fight someone and they were never able to seal the deal… They didn’t fulfill their commitment with me.”

Discussion: What do you think about Del Rio pulling from the AAA show? And what do you make of his explanation? Sound off in the comments below!

Check out the updated card for TripleMania below:

TripleMania Lineup
August 25th, 2018

  • Cruiserweight Championship
    Australian Suicide (c) vs Multiple opponents TBD
  • AAA Mixed Tag Championships
    Big Mama and Nino Hamburguesa vs Hijo Del Vikingo and Vanilla vs Dinastia and Lady Maravilla vs Angelikal and La Hiedra
  • AAA Tag Team Championships
    Aerostar and Drago vs Golden Magic and Laredo Kid vs Bandido and Flamita vs Andrew Everett and DJZ
  • Mamba, Maximo, Pimpinela Escarlata vs Carta Brava Jr, Mocho Cota Jr, Tito Santana vs Hijo de LA Park, Puma King, and Taurus
  • Jack Evans, Juventud Guerrera and Teddy Hart vs Averno, Chessman, Super Fly
  • La Mascara, Rey Escorpion, and Texano Jr. vs Joe Lider, Murder Clown, and Pagano
  • AAA Heavyweight Championship
    Jeff Jarrett (c) vs Fenix vs Brian Cage vs Rich Swann
  • Mask vs Hair
    Lady Shani vs Faby Apache
  • One Luchador Will Be Unmasked Cage Match (After 2 Luchadors escape the other 2 wrestle, loser losing his mask)
    Psycho Clown vs Hijo Del Fantasma vs LA Park, vs Pentagon Jr.
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