This Sunday at Slammiversary, Austin Aries will defend his Impact World Championship against Moose. Despite the pay-per-view recently selling out, Aries knows there is still work to do to improve the company’s reputation. He recently took part in an Impact Wrestling media teleconference.
“When people go ‘oh its the same old TNA, lol, or whatever’,” Aries said in reference to Impact’s historical reputation. “I know it will take time but I think now we are showing people with the product and what is going on in the locker room that this is really a different Impact Wrestling.”
“People should give it a chance and see if it might be something that they enjoy watching again,” he continued.
Austin Aries On His Relationship With Impact Wrestling
Aries returned to Impact Wrestling in January. He’d previously been at odds with the company’s old management regime.
“This time to me feels completely different,” Aries said. “There’s just a different energy and a different thought process. And a different foundation being laid as far as what’s being done behind the scenes.”
“I’ve been at odds with the company over the course of my career, I don’t think that’s a big secret,” Aries continued. “But I think the difference now why I’m back is because the people or the ideals that I had issues with are no longer there and attached to this.”
Austin Aries On What He’s Brought To Impact Wrestling In 2018
In a video posted to Impact Wrestling’s YouTube channel earlier this week, Aries said he returned to the company because he felt they needed him. We had the chance to ask Aries what effect he feels he’s been able to have on the company so far.
“I think, at the very least, I’ve been able to be a bit of a stabilizing force,” Aries said. “I think I’m someone who is a familiar face that for the fans who have followed this company for a long time, they can have some comfort in knowing.”
“They were able to bring a marquee player back into the fold,” Aries continued. “Which every company needs those guys in top positions to then help elevate the next group of guys.”
Austin Aries On Moose and Slammiversary
The build-up to Moose vs Aries has been done through sit-down interviews.
“I’m excited for this match-up coming up,” Aries said. “Moose, in his mind, feels like he’s ready, feels like he’s worked his whole life for this. I disagree and I think this is going to be a good learning experience for a man named Moose.”
On Tuesday night, ESPN hosted its 4th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards in Los Angeles. The event is “a celebration of the impact made by athletes, teams and sports industry professionals who use the power of sport to make a difference throughout the world.”
WWE personalities Stephanie McMahon, Roman Reigns and Charlotte Flair were to accept the award for League Humanitarian Leadership.
2-division UFC Champion Daniel Cormier was also in attendance and had some interesting things to say about Hulk Hogan and Seth Rollins. When asked about the news of WWE ending Hulk Hogan’s 3-year suspension. Cormier, a big WWE fan, called Hogan one of the greatest performers of all time and is willing to accept that Hogan is remorseful for his racist comments.
“People do make mistakes,” said Cormier. “I think if we know anything from the WWE, the UFC, NFL, any sport, if you are willing to learn from your mistakes, you get another opportunity. So, congratulations.”
Daniel Cormier is expected to defend the UFC Heavyweight Championship against Brock Lesnar in early 2019.
When asked if there is anyone he is pulling to defeat Lesnar for the WWE Universal Championship, Cormier joked, “Maybe I’ll beat Brock for the Universal title.”
Visit ESPN.com to see video of Cormier’s comments about Hogan & Lesnar.
Christian has given some insight into the decision that was made about the name of his finisher when he was an active pro wrestler.
If you recall, during his first stint with the WWE, his finisher was called The Impaler while he was with The Brood but later changed it to The Unprettier which stuck for a while. Once he decided to go to TNA in 2005 where he had a successful run, his finisher name stayed the same until he decided to return to the WWE three years later and placed on the ECW brand and the name of the move was once again changed to The Killswitch.
During a recent episode of E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness, the former World Heavyweight Champion explained why the name of the finisher was changed.
“The name The Unprettier kinda came as a joke between myself and The Hardys and Adam we would joke around. I don’t even remember how we came up with it but I jokingly called it The Unprettier because I hate how it makes you feel so damn unpretty.”
He continued by stating that they would jokingly talk about it behind-the-scenes and one announcer (could’ve been Michael Cole) heard it and then said it on the air during his match where it would later stick.
“But I never thought the name matched how dangerous the move was. So when I came back from TNA to WWE I kinda wanted to repackage a few different things, the name of my finish being one of them. I had a conversation earlier that first day back with Vince and I told him my feelings on it and what I wanted to name it and he went, ‘no that’s great. Do it.’ So that’s how it got changed.”
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair has made his first public comments about his recent surgery.
If you recall, just last week, the pro wrestling legend underwent the knife for an ileostomy procedure. At first, it was reported that he was scheduled to get surgery to remove a colonoscopy bag but that was not the case. Flair wrote the following on his official Twitter account:
“Thank You To All The Staff At Gwinnett Medical Center For The Excellent Care During My Stay! I Was So Lucky To Be In The Hands Of An Amazing Surgeon, Dr. James Elsey. Truly Grateful For Everything! The Naitch Is Back Up And Runnin’! @GwinnettMedical.”
Thank You To All The Staff At Gwinnett Medical Center For The Excellent Care During My Stay! I Was So Lucky To Be In The Hands Of An Amazing Surgeon, Dr. James Elsey. Truly Grateful For Everything! The Naitch Is Back Up And Runnin’! @GwinnettMedical pic.twitter.com/nPnzaDgRpQ
His fiancé, Wendy Barlow, went on record by telling Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet that the procedure had to be done after his health scare last summer and reverse the stoma that way he’ll no longer be forced to drain the bag.
The reason for the confusion at the time about the surgery was the differences between the two procedures as an ileostomy is defined as an opening in the belly (abdominal wall) that is made during surgery and that the lowest part of the small intestine is brought through this opening to form a stoma while surgery to remove a colonoscopy bag applies to the large intestine and not the small intestine.
Flair was last seen on WWE television when he appeared on a November 2017 edition of SmackDown Live to congratulate Charlotte Flair after she won the SmackDown Women’s Title from Natalya in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Four new names have been confirmed as competitors for the second installment of the upcoming Mae Young Classic.
On Wednesday morning (July 18, 2018), the WWE announced that Tegan Nox, Deonna Purrazzo, Jessie Elaban and Reina Gonzalez would be competing in the tournament.
With the latest names being revealed, they join Kaitlyn, Io Shirai, Rhea Ripley, Kacy Catanzaro, Nicole Matthews and Jinny as confirmed competitors for the tournament. The company is expected to announce more participants in the coming weeks.
WWE is slated to tape the tournament on August 8th and August 9th from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida and will air later this summer on the WWE Network.
It should be noted that WWE has yet to reveal when the first-round matches will air on the WWE Network or when the finals will take place but by looking back on history, last year’s tournament finals went down on September 12th from the SmackDown TV event in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Thomas and Mack Center that saw Kairi Sane beat Shayna Baszler in the finals to win the tournament.
What are your thoughts on the latest names being announced for the second year of this tournament? Sound off in the comment section.
Travis Brown, MMA fighter and husband of WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey, is open to stepping inside a WWE ring.
The 6’7″ 243-pounder spoke with TMZ this week and commented on the possibility of crossing over to the world of sports entertainment.
“I’ll never say no, but we’ll have to see, really,” said Browne. “This is Ronda’s time in the WWE. She’s killing it, she’s taking over the world. She took over the UFC, she’s taking over the WWE, she’s gonna continue to do whatever she wants to do.”
Browne then said he would love to compete in a mixed tag team match with his wife and would not turn down the opportunity to do so, if WWE pitched the idea.
“I’ll never say no to the possibility of going out there and wrestling. I’d love to go out there and work with my wife. That’d be so much fun. A mixed match? Oh yeah. That was her at the WrestleMania. It’d be fun. I wouldn’t say no.”
Travis Browne’s professional MMA record is 18-7. His last fight took place in July 2017 at UFC 213. Following a submission loss to Oleksiy Oliynyk, UFC President Dana White said, “I think that Travis should retire.”
Check out Travis Browne’s comments to TMZ about teaming with Ronda Rousey in WWE:
Titus O’Neil has released a statement in response to Hulk Hogan’s reinstatment into the WWE Hall of Fame. He is stating that he agrees in full with a statement released earlier by the New Day.
O’Neil has been the subject of several unconfirmed reports in recent days regarding the Hogan situation. He is denying those reports and is expressing support and agreement with the statement released by New Day earlier.
In FULL AGREEMENT AND SUPPORT OF EVERYTHING SAID IN THIS STATEMENT. MY additional response to this from to follow as there have been NUMEROUS ERRONEOUS reports on my Views and Response-to this situation. https://t.co/jCjtAusYW9
Mark Henry recently commented that the WWE locker room is split 50/50 on the issue.
“The first thing I thought was I’m hoping he is able to address everybody and voice some concerns. He made an announcement. He apologized. He’s done a lot of stuff with the Boys And Girls Club,” Henry said. “But I didn’t want to lose track of the fact that there’s more work to be done and I think that’s going to happen.”
Booker T is one wrestler who has had Hogan’s back for some time now. He credits Hogan with helping his career when both were in WCW.
“I talk about Hulk Hogan being in my corner, back in the day and a lot of the boys they may look at me and say, ‘Why is Booker T talking to [Hogan]?’ Booker said on his podcast back in May.
“Back in the day, Sister Sherri was an intricate detail to Harlem Heat, and our success, and it was all because of Hulk Hogan. Saying ‘Hey man, those are the guys you need to put your money behind.’”
“Everybody deserves a second chance,” Booker T told TMZ Sports. “It’s what life is all about.”
2-division UFC Champion Daniel Cormier will most likely be stepping into the Octagon against WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar some time in early 2019. The fight was set up earlier this month at UFC 226.
After Cormier Cormier knocked out Stipe Miocic to capture the UFC Heavyweight Championship, he called out Brock Lesnar, who was cageside and ready to confront the winner of the UFC 226 main event. Lesnar shoved the former Olympic wrestler and the confrontation sent shockwaves throughout both the MMA and pro wrestling worlds.
Cormier was interviewed by Denise Salcedo of Instinct Culture at Tuesday night’s ESPN Sports Humanitarian Awards and asked Cormier about the confrontation with Lesnar. Salcedo jokingly asked Lesnar if he shoved Cormier because he knows DC is friends with another WWE Superstar, Seth Rollins.
“Maybe that’s why he’s mad at me, because I’m friends with Seth Rollins,” Cormier said. “I got a text message from Seth right after the fight. He goes, ‘congratulations now go kick Brock’s ass.'”
A confident Cormier added, “That’s what I’m gonna do.”
Check out the Daniel Cormier interview with Instinct Culture below.
WWE personality James Ellsworth appeared on The Wrestling Perspective Podcast this week and revealed new information about Hulk Hogan’s backstage speech to the WWE roster before Sunday’s Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
According to Ellsworth, Triple H began the talent meeting by telling the roster that Hogan has been reinstated and warning everyone about the dangers of social media. He explained that when you’re a WWE Superstar, you need to be very careful about your conduct because everyone has a camera on them these days and a gaffe can spread around the world within minutes .
Hulk Hogan then delivered his speech and apologized for his racist comments. Hogan said that he did not know he was being recorded when he said vile, inexcusable things about black people (on multiple occasions), which is just mind-boggling on many levels.
The talent meeting ended with Mark Henry offering support to Hogan.
Ellsworth said most of the WWE Superstars appeared to be accepting of Hogan’s apology. He feels that Hogan is sincere in his apology and regrets saying things like “f*** n****rs” and “I’d rather if [my daughter Brooke] was going to f*** some n****r, I’d rather have her marry an 8-foot-tall n****r worth a hundred million dollars. Like a basketball player.”
You can listen to James Ellsworth appearance on the Wrestling Perspective Podcast here:
NXT will present a taped show from Full Sail University tonight. The main event is scheduled to be a triple-threat match to determine a new #1 contender to Shayna Baszler’s NXT Women’s Championship.
Another important match in the women’s division will take place as well. Additionally, Kassius Ohno will return to single’s action on tonight’s show.
NXT 7/18
Candice LeRae vs Nikki Cross vs Kairi Sane
Bianca Belair was originally scheduled to take part in this match as well. A back injury forced her eventual removal from the match, however.
Cross dropped a match to the champion at Takeover: Chicago II.
Sane defeated Baszler in the finals of last year’s Mae Young Classic but lost to Baszler on an episode of NXT from February of this year.
LeRae also lost to Shayna Baszler in the quarter-finals of the Mae Young Classic last year.
Dakota Kai vs Lacey Evans
This is another important match in the Women’s division.
Dakota Kai dropped a title match to Baszler on an episode of NXT from May.
In her most revent match, Kai defeated Santana Garrett, however. She also defeated Lacey Evans back in February.
The First Lady of NXT has won some and lost some since debuting with the brand last year. She’ll be looking to avenge her loss to Dakota from February.
Evans was likely pushed out of title contention due to her loss to Candice LeRae in June.
Kassius Ohno Returns To Single’s Action
Ohno has dropped 4 straight single’s matches on NXT programming. He’s lost to EC3, Tommaso Ciampa, Adam Cole, and the Velveteen Dream. If Ohno wants to avoid falling to the very bottom of the single’s rankings in NXT, he’ll have to put together some wins soon.
No opponent has been officially named for Ohno tonight. Whoever his opponent is, however, Ohno will be looking to break out of his current losing streak.
Major League Wrestling returns to New York City on Thursday night with MLW Battle Riot live from the Melrose Ballroom in Queens, NY. Cameras will be rolling for a 2-hour special that will air on beIN SPORTS next Friday night, July 27th.
The headline match will be the first-ever Battle Riot match, a 40-man anything goes battle royal that will begin with two participants in the ring and another new participant every 60 seconds. Eliminations can take place via pinfall, submission or a wrestler being thrown outside the ring to the floor at ringside. The winner of MLW Battle Riot will earn an opportunity to challenge for the MLW World Heavyweight Championship any time they choose.
There have been some late additions to the card, which you can see below.
If you’re in the NYC area, a limited number of tickets have been made available after MLW finalized the production setup. We’ll be there – visit MLWTickets.com so you can too.
As a reminder, you can watch MLW’s weekly television show FUSION on Youtube, if you don’t have the beIN SPORTS cable channel. New episodes of MLW FUSION are uploaded to MLW’s YouTube channel every Saturday night at 6:05pm ET.
MLW Battle Riot: Final Card
Battle Riot: 40-Man Anything Goes Battle Royal
MLW Champion Low Ki vs. John Hennigan
MLW Tag Team Champions Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix vs. Drago & Aerostar
Joey Ryan vs. MJF to crown the first-ever MLW Middleweight Champion
Shane Strickland vs. Sami Callihan
The Hart Foundation (Teddy Hart & Davey Boy Smith Jr. w/Brian Pillman II) vs. Rich Swann & ACH
Kenny Omega will take on NEVER Openweight Champion, Hirooki Goto, tomorrow in the G1 Climax 28 tournament. It will be a rematch from 2 years ago when Omega defeated Goto in the finals of G1 Climax 26.
Omega spoke with reporters backstage after night 3 of the tournament. He spoke about his upcoming match with Goto and the possibility he could one day become the first-ever NJPW Grand Slam Champion.
Kenny Omega vs Hirooki Goto G1 Climax 28 (night 4)
Omega and Chase Owens were defeated by Hirooki Goto and Yohei Komatsu in a tag match on night 3. Goto pinned Owens and Omega then directed his comments towards him after the match.
“Hey Goto,” Omega started his post-match interview. “It’s easy to say that your belt means nothing compared to mine. That you are nothing compared to me. But guess what? That isn’t true because your NEVER belt, as s****y as it may be, it’s the only single’s belt I’ve never won.”
“Trust me, I’m a fair man. I believe in revenge. My career has been fundamentally been built upon revenge,” Omega continued. “So, I’m going to give you a fair chance. G1 26 Finals, I beat you, do you remember? I do. I made history and then I went on to have one of the greatest matches of all time against Okada and I lost. And he gave me revenge and then I couldn’t beat him and then he gave me revenge and then I did.
What kind of champion would I be if I didn’t give you that same chance? You better come prepared because the next chance at the G1 could mean everything. And it could cost everything for you Goto because I might just come for your title after. What are you going to do then? What’s everyone going to do once I become the first-ever Grand Slam Champion of New Japan? Wouldn’t that be interesting? Wouldn’t that be something?”
X-Division Champion, Matt Sydal, will defend his title this Sunday at Slammiversary against Brian Cage. He recently sat down with the Sporting News and discussed why having creative freedom as a performer is important.
“We’re creating an ethereal consciousness during the match,” explained Sydal. “There’s a symbiotic relationship that we’re co-creating together and I want them feeling the same mystical experience that I am going through simultaneously. I just am trying to do more. It’s easy to go out there and wrestle. It’s hard to go out there and try new things, to create an atmosphere.”
Sydal would continue to say that recent developments in the pro-wrestling landscape have reinvigorated his love for wrestling.
“Wrestling used to be like this — it was this bathtub that we will fill up from only one faucet,” Sydal said. “It was mainly WWE filling the tub of love of wrestling for the entire world. And because of the internet, technology, the interconnectedness of people and the desire of independent artists to create their own work, this resurgence of wrestling has come up and it’s reinvigorating for me.”
Sydal continued to say what he feels is different about today’s wrestling. “Now the bathtub of wrestling that we’re trying to fill up to the brim with water — it has a WWE faucet, it’s got a New Japan faucet, IMPACT Wrestling, some of these hotter indies, WWN, Evolve, Progress. It’s getting filled from everywhere and all of the water is warm and everybody’s saying come on in and take a bath with us because this is some good, clean fun.”
Matt Sydal on His Slammiversary Opponent, Brian Cage
Sydal will take on a much larger opponent on Sunday. Brian Cage is a heavyweight wrestler who utilizes an X-division style move-set.
“Someone like Brian Cage, he’s a gigantic man who is trying to wrestle like me,” explained Sydal. “That’s his mistake because I clearly hold the top card in someone who is wrestling like Matt Sydal. I see things from a higher perspective. I can know what Brian Cage is doing before he’s doing it because he’s doing me. I’ve been facing the man in the mirror my entire life. That’s been my hardest battle is the one where it’s me versus me.”
Cedric Alexander is now the second longest reigning Cruiserweight Champion in the title’s short lineage. He is currently at 101 days as champion, 96 days short of Neville’s 197-day record.
Last night on 205 Live, General Manager Drake Maverick made an announcement regarding who Alexander’s next title defense will be against. Maverick announced a #1 contenders match for next week featuring 4 of the division’s top-ranked competitors.
Next week, Mustafa Ali, TJP, Hideo Itami, and Drew Gulak will meet in a fatal 4-way match. The winner will earn a title shot against Cedric Alexander.
205 Live Title Picture
Alexander won the title by defeating Mustafa Ali in the finals of a tournament to declare a new champion. The title had been vacated after Enzo Amore was released from the company. Alexander defeated Mustafa Ali on the WrestleMania 34 Kickoff show.
Since then, Alexander has defended the title against Kalisto, Buddy Murphy, and most recently, Hideo Itami.
205 Live 7/17 Results
TJP defeated Noam Dar
This was a rematch from two weeks ago when Dar defeated TJP in under 30 seconds.
Drew Gulak defeated Danny Garcia
After the match, Gulak stated his case for a Cruiserweight title shot.
Danny Garcia wrestles indies in the Toronto area.
Lio Rush defeated Akira Tozawa
Rush wins his first real test since debuting on 205 Live.
Rush pulled Tozawa off the top rope as he was going for his Senton. This allowed Rush to hit his frog-splash for the win.
Last night, WWE was awarded the League Humanitarian Leadership award by ESPN. They received the award at the 4th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards in Los Angeles.
“The Sports Humanitarian Awards is a celebration of the impact made by athletes, teams and sports industry professionals who use the power of sport to make a difference throughout the world,” a company statement reads.
Roman Reigns, Stephanie McMahon, and Charlotte Flair were on hand to accept the award.
.@WWE is honored to be named the @espn League of the Year at their annual Sports Humanitarian Awards Dinner. Our mission is to put smiles on faces the world over, and we will continue to use our platform to inspire social good! pic.twitter.com/NT2C6yfFwF
“Our mission is to put smiles on faces the world over, and we will continue to use our platform to inspire social good!” WWE Tweeted.
“WWE helps to address and provide support on important social issues worldwide, including diversity and inclusion, education, military and bringing hope to critically ill children,” WWE’s statement continues. “In 2017 alone, WWE generated 3.1 billion impressions, held 237 events in the community and donated more than $25 million in media value to its community partners.”
WWE has placed emphasis on corporate social-responsibility these last few years. Their work on the Be A Star and Conor’s Cure are two examples of CSR projects the company has spearheaded.
Earlier this year, WWE organized the Mixed Match Challenge tournament. Each team picked a charity of their choice. The winning team would earn a donation of $100,000 to that organization. The winning team of Asuka and the Miz earned a donation to the charity “Rescue Dogs Rock”. The charity supports neglected or abused dogs and helps find them a forever home.
Thank you @espn for the honor of @wwe the League Humanitarian Leadership award! This award is for all of our Superstars, employees and fans who do so much to give back and put smiles on people’s faces. #SportsHumanitarianAwardspic.twitter.com/FwO3kbxcAY
“Thank you ESPN for the honor of WWE the Sports Humanitarian Leadership award!” Stephanie Tweeted. “This award is for all of our Superstars, employees and fans who do so much to give back and put smiles on people’s faces.”
The members of New Day have released a statement regarding Hulk Hogan’s reinstatement into the WWE Universe. The statement was released through Kofi Kingston’s Twitter account early this morning.
“To the WWE Universe and whoever else it may concern:
This will be the only statement we will make regarding Hogan’s reinstatement into WWE’s Hall of Fame. We do not wish to spend energy debating the point because between our kids, our external ventures, and this job, out energy is spread thin enough already, lol.
We are only writing this simply to provide an answer to the many who have bombarded us with questions on where we stand on the issue.
We preface this statement by emphasizing that this is our own opinion and may not necessarily reflect the opinion of anyone else affected.
How do we feel? Indifferent. We are not happy, or sad, or resentful. Who WWE puts into the HOF is totally and completely up to the company and from a career standpoint, there is no argument on whether or not Hogan should have his place. We have no problem with his re-induction in the slightest degree. It is impossible to even begin to mention the history and evolution of the business without mentioning his name and accolades.
On a personal level, when someone makes racist and hateful comments about any race or group of people, especially to the degree that Hogan made about our people, we find difficult to simply forget, regardless of how long ago it was, or the situation in which those comments were made. But we also do not respond with more feelings of hate. Instead, we just do not associate with the people who convey or have conveyed this negative and hurtful mindset. This instance will be no different. Perhaps if we see him make a genuine effort to change, then maybe our opinion will change with him. Time will tell.
Through the course of our lives, people have used racist comments towards us and it doesn’t feel good. But if we stopped moving forward every time we were met with prejudicial hatred, then we would have never achieved our current accomplishments.
We know we are worth it, we know our kids are worth it, and most importantly, we know that people that look like us are worth it and always have been. There isn’t a person on this planet who will ever be able to say anything to make us think otherwise because we believe in ourselves as a people and don’t need anyone’s approval on that, regardless of who they are.
Having said that, his reinstatement won’t change anything for us. It will have zero effect on our ability to perform or the level of effort we will put into doing what we love to do, and that is: To deliver an entertaining product each week for our fan base.
The July 17th, 2018 episode of WWE SmackDown aired live from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, PA. In addition to the takeaways below, Aiden English asked Lana to talk to Rusev for him. Lana questioned if Aiden was best for Rusev after what happened during the WWE Championship match at Extreme Rules.
English felt bad about costing Rusev the match at Extreme Rules and said that everyone deserves a second chance. Lana said that she will take that into consideration and English stated that is all he can ask for. SmackDown GM Paige will also announce who AJ Styles will defend the WWE Championship against at SummerSlam on next week’s episode of SmackDown.
Here are 7 takeaways from this week’s show:
Jeff Hardy Has Been Feeling Broken Since Losing The US Title
Jeff Hardy came down to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Hardy stated that he may look like Jeff Hardy but he does not feel like Jeff Hardy. He said that he feels incomplete and that his heart is broken. Jeff said that Shinsuke proved to the world that he lacks ethics and is a jackass at Extreme Rules.
Hardy claims that a low blow is the only way Nakamura can beat him and vowed to recapture the United States Championship. Hardy added that he wanted to make Shinsuke feel as much pain as possible tonight and make him fade away and classify himself as obsolete.
Nakamura was then interviewed backstage by Renee Young. Shinsuke called Hardy a sad clown that wears face paint to hide the tears he cries. Shinsuke stated that the US Title is now his and that is a reason to smile. Nakamura vowed to make everyone smile tonight by making a clown cry again. Shinsuke ending the interview by saying “God bless America”.
WWE Champion AJ Styles battled Andrade “Cien” Almas tonight on SmackDown.
The two Superstars locked up in the middle of the ring to start off the match. Almas sent AJ to the canvas with an Arm Drag and then posed over him.
Styles got back up with a smirk on his face but Almas connected with another Arm Drag that sent AJ back down to the mat. Styles and Almas locked up again and Andrade once again got the upper-hand after hitting an elbow to AJ’s face.
The crowd chanted “AJ Styles!” as Almas applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring. AJ broke free and went for a Dropkick but Almas caught himself in between the ropes and struck a pose as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, AJ was back in control and hit Almas with a forearm to the face. Andrade responded with a Dropkick and both Superstars crashed to the canvas. Almas caught AJ up in between the ropes and slammed him to the mat for a two count.
Andrade perched AJ up on the top turnbuckle and sent him back to the mat with a Dropkick to the face. AJ battled back and planted Almas with a Neckbreaker for a near fall. AJ set up for the Styles Clash but Andrade blocked it and sent AJ to the apron. AJ then went for the Phenomenal Forearm but Almas elbowed Styles in the knee and AJ crumbled to the mat.
Almas climbed to the top rope and went for a Moonsault but AJ rolled out of the way. Almas incredibly landed on his feet and transitioned right into a standing Moonsault for a two count. Styles connected with an Enziguri that knocked Almas to the corner of the ring.
Andrade booted AJ in the face and climbed back up to the top rope. AJ hit Almas with the Pele Kick and then joined Andrade on the top rope. Almas tripped up AJ and hit him with a Double Stomp to the chest off the top turnbuckle. Almas followed it up with Double Knees in the corner for a two count.
Zelina Vega flipped out at ringside after Styles kicked out at the last second. AJ blocked the Hammerlock DDT and countered into the Calf Crusher in the middle of the ring. Andrade reached for the ropes but was too far away and had quickly tapped out.
Opinion: Sign me up for a feud between these two Superstars any time. This match was very good and was just a small preview of what they could do together in the ring.
Becky Lynch faced Mandy Rose tonight on SmackDown. Rose sent Lynch to the corner to start off the match. Deville hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Mandy slammed Lynch to the canvas for a two count.
Mandy connected with a Dropkick and then a boot to the face for another near fall. Rose unloaded a few punches to Becky’s face and locked in a submission hold. Becky broke free and rolled up Rose for a two count.
Lynch hit a Crossbody and then an Exploder Suplex. Lynch then locked in the Dis-Arm-Her in the middle of the ring and Mandy Rose quickly tapped out. After the match, Becky grabbed the microphone and said that winning feels “freaking great!”.
Lynch said that she has been patiently waiting and never stopped working as hard as she can. Becky added that she is just getting started and warned Carmella that she is coming for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.
Carmella was then shown backstage with SmackDown GM Paige. Carmella said she deserves another “Mellabration” next week. Paige announced that Becky Lynch will face Carmella next week in a non-title match. If Lynch wins, Carmella has to defend the SmackDown Women’s Championship against her at WWE SummerSlam.
Miz thanked the crowd for coming tonight and plugged his new TV show. The Miz then boasted about getting MVP in the Celebrity All-Star Game. The Miz said it was now time to say “bye bye bye” to Team Hell No following their loss to the Bludgeon Brothers at Extreme Rules.
The Miz asked the crowd to stand up and join him in honoring Team Hell No in a moment of silence. The crowd made noise and The Miz demanded that they show some respect. The Miz waited for the crowd to be quiet but they wound up chanting “yes!” instead.
Miz said he had one final thing to say and that was “I told you so”. Miz stated that Kane was nothing more than a broken down demon and he was proven right. The Miz added that Daniel Bryan is nothing more than a glory hound obsessed with setting impossible goals to tug at your heartstrings.
The Miz called Bryan sad and that called Daniel’s return from injury a bust. Miz said that nobody has the courage to tell Bryan that his days of headlining WrestleMania are over and his career is dead.
Bryan’s music hit and Daniel attacked The Miz from behind. Bryan took out the pallbearers as well as The Miz retreated up the entrance ramp. Bryan geared up in the corner and hit the running knee to one of the pallbearers. Daniel then pointed at The Miz who mockingly applauded him.
Kofi Kingston faced Eric Young tonight on SmackDown. The rest of SAnitY and New Day were ringside for the match. SAnitY defeated New Day in a Tables Match on the Extreme Rules Kickoff Show this past Sunday.
Kofi connected with a Dropkick for a two count to start off the match. Young quickly battled back and sent Kingston to the corner of the ring. Young hit Kofi with a couple of jabs to the face but Kofi connected with a Clothesline that knocked Young out of the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Young was back in control as SAnitY and New Day had a stare down outside the ring. Young connected with a Neckbreaker for a two count and then applied a Chin Lock.
Young climbed up to the second rope and leaped towards Kofi. Kingston was ready for it though and connected with a Dropkick while Young was in midair. Kingston hit another Dropkick and followed it up with a Clothesline.
Kofi hit the Boom Drop and geared up in the corner of the ring. Young ducked under Trouble in Paradise and rolled up Kingston for a two count. Young rolled out of the ring and Kofi took the opportunity to take out SAnitY with a Crossbody. Back in the ring, Kofi connected with the SOS for a near fall.
Kingston made his way to the top rope but Wolfe hopped up on the ring apron for a distraction. Big E took him out but Dain then hopped on the apron. Woods took out Young for a moment but Dain got back up and threw Woods into Kingston. Young then planted Kofi with a Neckbreaker for the pinfall victory.
Jeff Hardy invoked his rematch clause for the United States Championship in the main event of SmackDown. Nakamura defeated Hardy in 6-seconds after hitting him with a low blow as the referee called for the bell. Randy Orton returned following the match and hit Hardy with another low blow.
Hardy went right after Nakamura to start off the match. Shinsuke missed with a low blow and Hardy sent him tumbling out of the ring. Jeff leaped off the steel steps and connected with a Clothesline that caused Nakamura to fall into the barricade surrounding the ring as SmackDown went to a commercial break.
When SmackDown returned, Nakamura was in control of the match and had Hardy in a Headlock in the middle of the ring. Hardy broke free but Nakamura remained on the attack and bounced Jeff’s face off the top turnbuckle.
Shinsuke hit Bad Vibrations in the corner and then booted Jeff in the face for good measure. Nakamura went back to the Headlock in the middle of the ring and Jeff began to fade. Jeff battled back and slammed Nakamura’s face into the top turnbuckle in every corner of the ring as the crowd chanted “delete!”.
Hardy connected with a Jawbreaker and followed it up with a Splash for a two count. Jeff connected with a Russian Leg Sweep for another near fall. Shinsuke escaped Hardy’s Twist of Fate attempt and booted Jeff in the back of the head. Nakamura followed it up with a knee to the midsection as SmackDown went to another commercial break.
SmackDown returned as Nakamura sent Hardy into the corner. Jeff battled back with a right hand to the face and followed it up with a Dropkick. Jeff climbed to the top and hit Whisper in the Wind for a two count.
Jeff dropped Shinsuke with a Clothesline and then followed it up with an inverted Atomic Drop. Hardy then quickly got back up and connected with a Leg Drop for a near fall. Shinsuke draped Jeff across the top rope and delivered a knee to the midsection for a two count.
Nakamura hit a Backbreaker and followed it up with a sliding knee to Jeff’s head for another near fall. Shinsuke geared up in the corner of the ring and went for the Kinshasa but Hardy countered with a Slingblade. Jeff climbed to the top rope but Nakamura hopped up and crotched Jeff on the turnbuckle.
Shinsuke then delivered a kick to the face that dropped Jeff to the canvas. Hardy countered the Kinshasa once again and connected with the Twist of Fate. Jeff made his way to the top rope and hit the Swanton Bomb. Jeff went for the cover but Randy Orton pulled him out of the ring.
The referee called for the bell as Orton slammed Jeff’s face into the steel steps several times. Orton beat the hell out of Hardy against the barricade as Nakamura looked on from the entrance ramp. Jeff started to battle back but Orton poked Jeff in the eye to end his momentum. Orton pressed Jeff’s head against the steps and stomped on it. Orton then told Hardy that he is going to have to wait to find out why he is doing this.
Randy put his finger in Hardy’s earing and started tugging on his ear. Orton then threw Jeff over the announce table and then started clearing it off WWE officials sprinted to the ring. Orton planted Jeff with a DDT off of the table as SmackDown went off the air.
Opinion: Randy Orton is so much better as a heel and this feud has already got me interested. This was a pretty brutal attack and I’m looking forward to seeing where this storyline goes. Overall, I enjoyed this week’s episode of SmackDown.
WWE has officially announced a match and segment for next week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
The segment will see SmackDown General Manager Paige reveal who AJ Styles will defend the WWE Title against at the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view event that is slated to go down on Sunday, August 19, 2018 in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center and will air on the WWE Network.
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live from Wilkes Barre, PA, Styles defeated Andrade Almas in a non-title match. Also on this show, Samoa Joe beat Tye Dillinger in a singles match and after the match, Joe posted a cryptic message on his official Twitter account that has fans talking about this tweet potentially leading to Joe challenging Styles for the WWE Title at SummerSlam.
How many more must pay before you give me what I want? You keep denying, I keep collecting.
As of this writing, that match has yet to be confirmed but Joe vs. Styles is being advertised for upcoming live events.
The match that has been announced for this show is WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Carmella vs. Becky Lynch in a non-title match with the stipulation that if Lynch wins then she gets a title shot at SummerSlam.
Who do you think Styles will defend the WWE Title against at SummerSlam?
WWE Monday Night RAW color commentator Jonathan Coachman claims to have some inside information on the famous shove that Brock Lesnar gave to Daniel Cormier.
As seen in the main event of the UFC 226 pay-per-view event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, Cormier was able to score a KO win over Stipe Miocic to win the UFC heavyweight title. Then, things got out of hand. Cormier invited Lesnar inside the Octagon with Lesnar accepting the invitation and shoving Cormier in the process. Lesnar then cut a promo on the heavyweight division and Cormier.
According to Coachman, once Lesnar got into the Octagon, the WWE Universal Champion was upset because Cormier made it so WWE and that it wasn’t talked about between Lesnar and Cormier before the fight. The only thing that Cormier and Miocic knew before the fight was that the winner was supposed to call out Lesnar for a future fight. The shove was real as Lesnar didn’t want it to go down like that. “He was like, ‘[Lesnar] was so pissed because Cormier made it so WWE.’ Brock was so mad that he did it that way. That shove was real, it wasn’t planned, it wasn’t talked about. Him [Lesnar] coming in [the cage] was, but the shove that everyone says was so WWE — Brock didn’t want it that way. Brock wanted it just on that fine line.’
Typically, after a UFC main event fight, both the winner and loser are interviewed. However, at this event, Miocic was not interviewed about the fight or the chance to reply to Lesnar’s insults after his loss. Coachman made it clear that it was planned out that way that whoever won would call Lesnar into the Octagon.
“It was planned out that way that whoever won would call Brock in. Normally on a normal fight of that magnitude, you interview the winner and then the loser will stay and get interviewed. So I was hoping that Joe Rogan would say, ‘oh Brock you just said that about Stipe.’ It wasn’t planned that way, so Stipe was long gone.”
The July 17th, 2018 edition of WWE SmackDown took place at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
– Jeff Hardy’s music hits to kick off this week’s show and the former U.S. Champion makes his way down to the ring. Jeff gets on the mic an says he may look and seem like Jeff Hardy, but he doesn’t feel like Jeff Hardy. Hardy says he’s missing something and feels broken because of how he lost the U.S. Title on Sunday. Jeff says Nakamura is a jackass who could only beat him by cheating. Jeff says he’s going to punish Nakamura and make him obsolete, and take back his U.S. Title. Hardy heads to the back and high-fives fans on the way.
– Shinsuke Nakamura is backstage for an interview. He calls Hardy a sad clown and makes fun of his face paint. Nakamura says the U.S. Title is his now so he’s all smiles. He says he’ll make the clown cry again tonight.
– Still to come: The Miz’s eulogy for Team Hell No
– AJ Styles vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas: Zelina Vega is at ringside for this one. AJ’s Title is not on the line. The opening bell sounds and AJ and Andrade trade holds on the mat in the opening moments. They run the ropes and AJ looks for a dropkick, but Andrade holds onto the ropes and AJ falls flat on his face. They fight out to ringside where AJ whips Cien into the fan barricade. Back in the ring, Almas fires back with an elbow to the face and then a running knee. AJ fights back and they trade strikes back and forth in the ring. Almas hits a backbreaker for a two count. Almas continues the offense until AJ pulls off a fireman’s carry neckbreaker out of nowhere for a two count of his own. AJ looks for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Almas knocks him off the rope. Almas follows up with a moonsault for a two count. Almas looks for a suplex, but AJ escapes and hits an enziguri. They fight in the corner and AJ hits the Pele kick. They fight up to the top rope where Almas trips AJ up in the ropes and hits a double foot stomp. Almas charges and hits AJ in the corner for a two count. Almas goes for the hammerlock DDT, but AJ escapes and locks in the Calf Crusher. Almas taps out and AJ gets the win.
Winner: AJ Styles
– We go to replays as AJ grabs his WWE Title belt and recovers in the ring. AJ and Almas get to their feet, and Almas walks away looking upset about the loss.
– Aiden English is backstage telling Lana he has to apologize for Extreme Rules. English talks about his mistake costing Rusev the WWE Title, and he asks Lana to talk to him for him. Lana says Rusev needs his space, and she questions if Aiden is good enough for Rusev. English asks for a second chance and Lana says it’ll be taken into consideration.
– Mandy Rose vs. Becky Lynch: Sonya Deville is at ringside for this one. Becky starts off strong, but Mandy is able to drop her off the middle rope and take control. Mandy stomps a mud hole in Becky in the corner and slows down the pace with a shoulder hold on Becky. Mandy misses wildly with a clothesline and Becky capitlizes with a kick and a roll-up for a two count. Becky follows up with some kicks and then a t-bone suplex. Becky applies the Disarm-her and wins via submission.
Winner: Becky Lynch
– After the match, Becky gets on the mic and says winning feels great. She says she’s been working as hard as possible and she’s just getting started. She says she’s coming for Carmella and her Women’s Championship.
– Carmella runs into Paige backstage and mocks her accent. Carmella says she’s due for another celebration after all her success lately. Paige says before she celebrates, Carmella has to win her match against Becky Lynch next week in a non-title match. If Becky wins, Carmella has to defend the Title at SummerSlam.
– Tye Dillinger and R-Truth are backstage warming up. They have an interaction, but as Tye walks away it’s revealed R-Truth was on his Bluetooth the whole time. Tye vs. Samoa Joe is coming up.
– Samoa Joe vs. Tye Dillinger: Before the match, we see footage of Samoa Joe attacking Tye off-air last week. The opening bell sounds and the fight spills out to ringside early on. Tye throws Joe into the announce table and lays into him. Joe turns it around and throws Tye into the ring post. Back in the ring, Joe locks in the Coquina Clutch for the win after a very short match.
Winner: Samoa Joe
– After the match, Joe stands over Tye and stares into the camera. Still to come: Nakamura defends his U.S. Title in a rematch against Jeff Hardy.
– The Miz comes out for a eulogy for Team Hell No. Some people behind Miz wheel down what appears to be a casket with a Kane mask on top of it. The Miz picks up the dummy head with the Kane mask on it and takes it in the ring with him and sets it on a table. Miz first talks about his new USA Network reality show, and then moves on to “two of the worst friends ever,” Daniel Bryan and Kane. Miz asks for a moment of silence for Team Hell No, and tells the crowd that it’s time for their mouths to go shut. The Miz says he has one last thing to say: I told you so. The Miz says he was right about Kane being broken down, and Bryan being nothing more than a glory hound. The Miz continues to trash Bryan until Bryan’s music hits. Bryan hits the ring from behind to attack Miz. Bryan fights off the guys who wheeled out the casket as they hit the ring, and the Miz retreats up the ramp.
– The New Day is backstage in their locker room getting pumped up to come out to the ring.
– Kofi Kingston vs. Eric Young: The rest of The New Day and Sanity are at ringside for this one. Young starts off strong and elbows Kofi down to the mat. Kofi comes back with a flying clothesline, then he dumps Young down to the ringside floor. Back in the ring, Young turns it around and drops Kofi with a knee to the body. EY lays into Kofi with strikes in the corner, then chokes him from the second rope with a dragon sleeper until the ref calls for the break. Young goes leaping off the turnbuckle, but Kofi kicks him out of mid-air. Kofi follows up with more kicks and then the boom drop. Kofi misses the Trouble In Paradise and Young rolls him up for a two count. Kofi hits a suplex off the top turnbuckle for a two count, then Young rolls outside for a breather. Kofi goes flying and hits a suicide dive over top of the referee and down onto Sanity at ringside. Back in the ring, Kofi hits he SOS for a two count. Kofi kicks Young down again and then climbs up top. Wolfe causes a distraction until Big E drops him, and Dain causes a distraction until Woods drops him. Kofi goes flying at Young but Young ducks. Dain causes Woods and Kofi to knock heads on the apron, and Young capitalizes and hits a big neckbreaker for the three count.
Winner: Eric Young
– The New Day recovers in the ring as Sanity celebrates on the ramp.
– We see Shinsuke Nakamura backstage admiring his U.S. Title belt. Elsewhere, Jeff Hardy stares into the camera as he gets ready for his match.
– Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Jeff Hardy: The U.S. Title is on the line in this one. Jeff starts off fired up right out of the gate and he beats down Nakamura at ringside. Back in the ring, Jeff goes up top, but Nakamura rolls back outside for a breather. Back in the ring, Nakamura turns things around and repeatedly pins Hardy for one counts and two counts. Nakamura continues to beat down Hardy until he misses a knee drop, and Hardy starts slamming Nakamura’s head against the turnbuckles. Jeff hits a jawbreaker and a splash, then he escapes a suplex attempt by Nakamura. Hardy drops Nakamura and pins for a two count. Nakamura comes back with a kick to the back of the head, then he drags Hardy off the apron outside and knees him in the face. Back in the ring, Jeff comes back and hits the Whisper In The Wind for a two count. Hardy lays into Nakamura with strikes, then hits the inverted atomic drop, leg drop and dropkick. Hardy looks for the Twist of Fate, but Nakamura escapes. Jeff kicks him down, but Nakamura comes back with a kick of his own. Nakamura hits the running knee in the corner for a two count. Nakamura looks for the Kinshasa, but Jeff dodges it and drops him. Jeff goes up top but Nakamura kicks him down. Nakamura goes for the Kinshasa again, but Jeff side-steps it and hits the Twist of Fate. Jeff goes up top and connects with the Swanton Bomb. Jeff pins, but Orton yanks Jeff out of the ring to break it up. The ref calls for the bell.
Winner via DQ: Jeff Hardy
– After the bell, Orton beats down Hardy at ringside. Orton pummels on Hardy on the floor, and then he pulls the ring steps apart. Jeff gets up and fights back, but Orton whips Jeff into the ring steps. Orton puts Jeff’s head on the ring steps and stomps on it as Nakamura looks on. Orton grabs Jeff by the hair and talks trash to him. Orton sticks his finger inside the piercing in Jeffs ear and yanks on it, which makes for a shocking visual. WWE staffers come out to try and break it up, but Orton throws Jeff onto the announce table and continues the beat down. Orton finally walks off, as Jeff sells his ear and SmackDown goes off the air.
Drew McIntyre has given some insight into his time with the WWE and resurgence in the company.
The former NXT Champion recently appeared on Chasing Glory with Lilian Garcia to talk about various topics including his reaction to his release by the WWE in 2014 where he noted that he was shocked at first as he was doing the 3MB gimmick with Jinder Mahal and Heath Slater where they were on literally every show so it was very unexpected.
He would continue by stating that although he saw the news on social media, it never crossed his mind that a missed call from WWE might have been to tell him the news but rather assumed to tell him to be on the road a week earlier.
“When I got it I was like, “Oh, okay. I’ll be seeing you very soon.” And I sat and I thought about it. My girlfriend at the time who is now my wife and I had just moved into the apartment that I got the call 3 days prior. It was our first place together, so I was thinking, “How am I going to tell her? How am I going to tell my Dad?” He’s always been my number one fan.”
He continued by stating that he worried about the next step and then eventually told himself that this is the opportunity he’s been waiting for and that it had been years since he was in a serious role.
He noted that it was the right time to be away from the company for a while and to have learned so much. He believed in himself and that he could really do something and the wrestling scene outside of WWE was really picking up. This is when he got excited.
McIntyre also touched on his decision to go back to NXT when he returned to the company instead of going back to the main roster right away.
“That was what I wanted. I told my wife in the beginning when NXT really started catching fire,”You know what babe, ideal when I go back there first, if I do my thing here and I get a reputation in the independent scene, then I believe I can get an angle to NXT because it’s such a passionate fan base. I think that would be the place for me to go to really show what I can do. And then when the time is right, because the transition is so much smoother from NXT to RAW and Smackdown, because it moves so fast. RAW and Smackdown, there’s so many hours of unique TV every single week all year round.”
McIntyre added that is the way he saw it and even told Chris Jericho about it during a podcast appearance as he gave credit to Jericho for helping him early in his career and Jericho telling him when he was released that he’d be back in WWE.
McIntyre also talked about how he discovered his love for wrestling and more. You can listen to the full interview here.
What are your thoughts on McIntyre’s comments? Sound off in the comment section.
Johnny Impact will face Fenix, Rich Swann, and Taiji Ishimori on Sunday at Slammiversary.
“I can’t think of a better way to return to Impact than with this 4-way match between some of the most talented guys in the world, myself included,” Johnny said on a media call. “I plan on stealing the show for sure.”
“The guys in this match are really on the upper echelon of athletism and charisma,” Johnny continued. “I’m stoked, bro.”
Johnny Impact On Why Fans Should Be Watching Impact Wrestling
We had a chance to ask Johnny Impact why fans should be watching Impact Wrestling right now.
“The current roster of Impact Wrestling is possibly the best roster in the world,” Johnny said. “You’ve got your traditional American psychology type wrestling but now we’ve got with Ishimori, with Pentagon, with Fenix, with Sami Callihan and Cage and Kevin Kross now, Aries, and of course, Johnny Impact. You’ve got this crazy blend of wrestlers from different styles from all over the world that make the matches on Impact infinitely interesting.”
“You’re seeing this collision of styles every time you’re out there,” Johnny continued.
“Social media, the youtube channel, all the views are spiraling upward because there is a new interest in this product,” Johnny said. “That new interest is just a symptom of the fact that what we are doing is something that wrestling fans like to see.”
Johnny Impact would also compare Impact Wrestling’s current product to right before a wave breaks when you’re surfing.
“When you’re surfing right before a wave breaks, that’s where you want to jump on and surf because you don’t want to miss the boat,” Johnny explained. “That’s what Impact is now.”
Slammiversary takes place July 22nd, 2018 from the Rebel Nightclub Complex in Toronto. It will be available to purchase live on the FITE app.
Charlotte Flair has revealed she’s currently out of action due to rupturing both her breast implants. The 5-time WWE Women’s Champion appeared on the Conversations With Maria Menounos SiriusXM radio show on Monday and provided intimate details about the injury.
Charlotte says when she began wrestling, her saline implants ruptured during during a match. When she woke up the following morning, they were gone. She later had them ‘redone.’ A few months ago, she began experiencing pain behind her shoulder blade.
She spoke to her trainer about the injury and tried to relieve the pain through exercises, but the discomfort persisted. Upon visiting a doctor and undergoing a mammogram and ultrasound, Charlotte’s doctor found that she had free floating silicone in her chest due to the ruptured implants.
At the time, Charlotte had several big things on her schedule, including WrestleMania 34 and her photo shoot for ESPN’s Body issue She kept the situation hidden until recently, when she went under the knife once again to get the situation resolved around 4 weeks ago.
Charlotte said she is medically cleared to get back in the ring on July 31st. She joked that she does not consider this to be a “legitimate” injury and can’t believe she’s missing ring time due to her enhancements.
You can listen to a clip from Charlotte’s conversation with Maria Menounos here:
Impact Wrestling World Champion, Austin Aries, will defend his title against Moose on Sunday in Toronto. He took part in a sit-down interview to promote his Slammiversary title defense and also mentioned why he decided to return to Impact earlier this year.
“Not every platform is created equal. Not every platform allows the same freedoms, not every platform gives guys the opportunity to truly grab the brass ring.” – Austin Aries on Impact Wrestling
“Why did Austin Aries choose to come back to Impact Wrestling?” Aries asked himself. “Cause Impact Wrestling needed me and I like to feel needed. I like to feel wanted. But in some ways maybe Austin Aries needed the platform of Impact Wrestling.
“Not every platform is created equal,” Aries continued. “Not every platform allows the same freedoms, not every platform gives guys the opportunity to truly grab the brass ring.”
They offered me an opportunity, they said ‘hey, we love what you do, we respect the artist you are, please come to Impact Wrestling, we’re going to give you a blank canvass to paint as you see fit.”
Austin Aries is a vegan and promotes the diet and lifestyle whenever he can. He recently sat down with Live Kindly last week and spoke about what it’s like to be a vegan professional wrestler.
“I’ve really had a positive impact on a lot of my fans just by being who I am,” he said before recalling a moment with a fan at a Veg Fest. “After a panel signing books, and a longtime fan of mine came up to me and said I was the reason he chose to become plant-based himself and in the time since, he lost 200 pounds. His sister-in-law lost 100 pounds but went back to her previous lifestyle, but the point is, I affected this young man’s life in such a huge way and turned his life in a completely different direction.”
