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Cody Rhodes Wants To Bring WWE TV to Italy, Tama Tonga Makes In-Ring Debut

Thomas Lowson
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Italy could soon be host to an episode of WWE TV if the reigning Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has anything to say about it. 

Rhodes was part of a recent WWE live event in Bologna, Italy, and defended his title in the show’s main event against Shinsuke Nakamura. Speaking to the crowd after the match, Rhodes teased bringing an episode of Raw or SmackDown to the country. 

“You know we are sold out tonight, this is pretty good showing for Italy. Wouldn’t it be cool to have a RAW, to have a SmackDown?”

https://www.instagram.com/p/reel:C6cOk_6MNfl

WWE has hosted just one episode of TV in Italy throughout the company’s history, that being the April 16, 2007, episode of Monday Night Raw. The show in Milan is best remembered for the WWE debut of Santino Marella who captured the Intercontinental Championship from Umaga (albeit with a big assist from Bobby Lashley.)

Tama Tonga Makes In-Ring Debut

The WWE live event in Bologna, Italy also marked the in-ring debut of Tama Tonga, who debuted on TV as part of Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline very recently. In the third match of the night, Tonga and Sikoa defeated the team of LA Knight and Randy Orton. Despite getting the win, Tonga still fell victim to an RKO from the Viper after the match. 

Tonga joined WWE after a nearly-14 year tenure with New Japan Pro Wrestling. This run saw him become a seven-time tag-team champion and four-time NEVER Openweight Champion. It remains to be seen if Tonga will see the same success in WWE but debuting in a high-profile angle like The Bloodline and working with established top stars in his debut certainly bodes well for his future. 

The Elite Wreak Havoc On AEW Dynamite In Tony Khan’s Absence, Dispose Of Kenny Omega

Aaron Varble
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Tony Khan rode a wave of attention when he wore a neck brace during the NFL Draft. He had plenty of chances to plug Dynamite this week, as he promised that fans will find out what is next in the obvious power struggle going on within the company.

Tony Khan opened this week’s AEW Dynamite via satellite from Jacksonville, Florida. As he was explaining that he couldn’t be in Winnipeg due to The Elite’s actions last week, his feed got choppy and cut out. Matthew and Nicholas Jackson appeared in a production truck and made it clear they were in charge of the broadcast. They explained Khan can’t fire them due to a ‘founder’s clause’ in their AEW contracts. Since they’re the highest ranking officials at the show, they’re in charge and rolled a customized Dynamite opening video package featuring only The Elite.

Later in the show, Jack Perry explained his actions against Tony Khan last week. He said he did what was best for AEW in this “new era” as the Winnipeg arena filled with “CM Punk” chants.

The Cleaner Returns

Kenny Omega took the ring during the final segment of AEW Dynamite. After explaining his ordeal with diverticulitis, The Cleaner admitted that he couldn’t watch AEW television for the longest time. The former AEW World Champion stated that he’s not done wrestling, and he will do whatever it takes to return.

Then he brought up The Jackson Brothers, saying that they don’t call the shots by themselves in AEW, because the Best Bout Machine is still an EVP of the company. Kazuchika Okada made his way to the ring after that, as fans chanted “holy sh*t” before either of them said a word. 

Okada said, “I’m sorry Kenny, I’m the best bout machine now” right before Jack Perry jumped Omega from behind.

Although Omega mounted a bit of a comeback, Perry whacked him in the gut with a steel chair, sending him down to the mat. The Young Bucks soon came down to nail him with an EVP Trigger. FTR ran down for the save, chasing The Elite off, but the damage was done. AEW signed off Dynamite this week with Omega laying in the middle of the ring. When Rampage started immediately afterward, they led Omega off on a stretcher. After the initial assault, The Elite stopped EMTs from loading Omega onto an ambulance. They then tipped over the stretcher while Kenny was strapped in, adding insult to injury. 

Kenny Omega In-Ring Return Update

Dominic DeAngelo
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Kenny Omega will be at AEW Dynamite tonight as the show will hail from his backyard of Winnipeg, Manitoba after an extended absence. While fans will be excited for the return of ‘The Cleaner,’ they will have to wait a bit longer before he’s back in action. According to Fightful Select, Omega has a ways to go before he’s medically cleared after a major health scare with diverticulitis diagnosis. Omega revealed that he was pretty close to death after initially believing his ailment was a hernia. The report adds that Omega is strictly being brought back to help boost ticket sales for AEW Dynamite and add some additional star power to the show as they combat  the NBA and NHL playoffs.

AEW can take several routes with Omega’s role on the show as he was recently “fired” from his EVP position by his Elite brethern in The Young Bucks. Omega could have some added aggression as The Bucks are a week removed from rocking AEW President Tony Khan with a Meltzer Driver. 

Tony Khan hinted in build to the show that with him on the shelf, there should be a “power struggle” within All Elite Wrestling. Will that involve Omega? From how it seems AEW could get a new authority figure in play while Khan “recuperates” from his injury. Omega being in that new role would make sense from a storyline standpoint, but him also being on television consistently as he literally tries to get healthy may slow his progress down.

Nyla Rose Selling T-Shirt To Support 2SLGBTQ+ Advocacy

Aaron Varble
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The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission has issued a warning to AEW regarding Nyla Rose, a transgender woman, competing against cisgender women in the state. She has now responded by putting out her own merchandise to help people like her in that state.

Rose posted a new t-shirt showing an image of herself crouching in front of the word, “HER” in giant letters. To hammer home the message, the Native Beast included a caption to hype her new merch.

Ok well the cats outta the bag ya big noseys!!!! I was waiting for the official graphic but Yes this is a real shirt you can buy with your money to wear on your body AND ALL proceeds will go to @FreedomOkla and hopefully we can do some good for the people that live there

The former AEW Women’s World Champion picked a charity that hit close to home for her. Freedom Oklahoma works across the state and within the 39 sovereign tribal nations to create a future where all Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and other individuals whose sexuality, gender, or romantic identities fall outside the traditional heteronormative, binary framework (2SLGBTQ+), can live safely.

You may find more information about Freedom Oklahoma here.

The Nyla Rose Warning

During a January meeting, the OSAC decided to warn AEW that continuing such matchups with Nyla Rose against other cis gendered women could lead to punitive measures.

This issue arose after AEW’s event on December 20, the first one they hosted in Oklahoma, during which Rose defeated Alejandra Lion in a match broadcast on ROH television. Someone in the crowd didn’t see the entertainment value, and they lodged a complaint.

Jim Miller, OSAC Administrator, learned that Rose had participated in the match. He subsequently contacted AEW to inform them that this was against OSAC regulations.

Mike Bower, OSAC chairman, then pointed out that unlike applications for boxing, kickboxing, and MMA, wrestling applications in Oklahoma currently do not inquire about gender reassignment surgery. He suggested that the wrestling application forms should be updated to include this question.

Nyla Rose has already responded to the controversy, with a tongue-in-cheek post, she chastised whoever traveled to Oklahoma to entertain those pro wrestling fans.

Right now, the whole situation seems up in the air. AEW does not have any announced dates in Oklahoma. We will have to see how they cross that bridge when they come to it. 

Bryan Keith Confirms Multi-Year AEW Contract

Aaron Varble
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AEW has inked deals with several prominent names over the last few months, including “The Bounty Hunter” Bryan Keith.  After making several appearances for Tony Khan’s company, Keith has confirmed he’s officially ‘All Elite’ and will be for years to come. In a recent interview with WhatCulture, Keith expressed his enthusiasm and readiness for his role with the major league promotion.

“I’m on top of the world dawg. I feel like everything I’ve done in my life has prepared me for being in AEW. I’m capitalizing on every opportunity I got and just having fun, you know, being myself and mixing with everything else that’s going on in AEW and meshing with that so well. I’m excited. I signed a deal with them for the next couple years so I’m excited to see what’s gonna happen.”

Keith finalized a deal with AEW in February 2024, following a match against Eddie Kingston on an episode of AEW Collision. Since then, he’s wrestled against wrestlers such as Kyle O’Reilly, Malakai Black, Top Flight, and Private Party on AEW television.

Bryan Keith Before AEW

Before joining AEW, The Bounty Hunter had a successful career with several accolades in professional wrestling. At Deadlock Pro-Wrestling, he won the DPW National Championship and currently holds it.

He made a tour around the indies, picking up top titles in F1RST Wrestling, Freelance Wrestling, and Loko Wrestling. In New Texas Pro Wrestling, he earned the New Texas Pro Championship.

Furthermore, Keith held titles in Pacific Coast Wrestling, where he is the current PCW ULTRA Light Heavyweight Champion. We will have to see how AEW handles the fact that he’s still carrying gold on the indies.

Keith also dominated Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling company for a bit. His accomplishments there include winning both the ROW Heavyweight and ROW Television Championship.

Many regarded The Bounty Hunter as one of the best indie wrestlers who was not on any mainstream platform. Now that he is with AEW, the sky is the limit. 

Swerve Strickland Came Prepared For The Pressure Of Being AEW World Champion

Aaron Varble
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Swerve Strickland won the AEW World Title at Dynasty last month to end Samoa Joe’s reign and usher in a new era for himself and the company. He admits it’s a lot of pressure to carry AEW on his back, but he was ready for the responsibilities. Speaking on AEW Close Up with Renee Paquette, he said representing change will bring some detractors. 

Strickland compared wearing the coveted AEW World Championship to, “fitting into a perfect shoe that was made for you.” He knows you can’t please everybody and there will always be resistance when changes and history are made. He sees some of the online negativity, but it doesn’t get him down. Instead, he uses it as motivation to keep going and showing the world this is Swerve’s House.

“For me to be at the top of that there’s a lot of pressure to be the first of anything, there’s a lot of pressure. I can already read in the comments and stuff, and I think they’re waiting to see how I respond to that. They wanna see me take that bait, but they don’t understand the professionalism and the mind state that I’m at, at this point. They wanna see the cracks form, they’re waiting for it. Coming off of Dynasty into Dynamite, it’s like, ‘Boom!’ right into the action., and I’m like, ‘Good, it’ll give you no room to speak..”

Swerve Strickland shows off his dangerous offense

All Just a Practice Run…

Swerve kept busy in the days leading up to his win at AEW Dynasty and did the media rounds to spread the word about the company he wants to lead. The day before the PPV, he threw out the first pitch before the Saint Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Brewers at Busch Stadium. He had the AEW World Title with him for photo-ops, even though he had yet to win the gold. 

Swerve Strickland has many irons in the fire outside pro wrestling. He recently rocked the Rolling Loud Los Angeles stage with his music, and he also keeps up his Swerve City Podcast. Swerve explained how these personal endeavors prepared him to carry the torch for AEW.

“I feel like the last two or three years was preparation. It’s not like I was presented to do these things. It’s just something that I wanted to do. I’m inspired by Jericho and Fozzy, touring and still making it to TV, doing Talk is Jericho and doing all the shows, and all these guys who have these outlets. I was like, ‘man I wanna do that.'”

“This was all just a practice run, like oil in a machine, and now [points at AEW World Title] I am the machine. The machine is here because I’ve been doing this for a while with my small team, my small crew and I have to lead that. I’ve been leading these small crews in music and everywhere and it’s like now we’re gonna add this responsibility on top of that.”

The AEW World Title commands a great amount of time and attention. The schedule may be grueling, but Strickland has been putting himself to the test for years with his own hustle. Now he is the face of AEW, and more than prepared to take on the role of a lifetime.

Triple H On Possible UK WrestleMania: ‘Everything is On The Table For Where We Go’

Thomas Lowson
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WWE CCO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque believes that everything is possible for WWE’s upcoming Premium Live Events, including a potential WrestleMania in the UK. 

Fans across the pond have for years hoped for a WrestleMania of their own, and those hopes grew after John Cena advocated for a WrestleMania in London during Money in the Bank 2023. More recently, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes said that the UK indeed deserves a WrestleMania to call its own. 

During a recent appearance on X Spaces alongside Rhodes, Levesque was asked about a possible WrestleMania in London. The Game said that this is a possibility and encouraged other cities to reach out to WWE. 

“The thing about the global nature of what we do, where we are, what we’re doing. I look at the globe. I think everything is on the table for where it goes. You saw the Mayor of London the other day, put out a statement about WrestleMania. I said ‘We should talk.’ And we should. As should the mayors or the leaders of every other place around this globe.

“If they want WWE come talk to us. We’re open for business. We’d love to be there. Wherever our fans are going to be the loudest and the craziest and the most into what we do, it would be an honor.”

Levesque’s comments seemingly contradict those of WWE President Nick Khan who has said that WWE’s main PLEs will remain in North America for the time being. Fans are continuing to wait for confirmation regarding the location of WrestleMania 41 but Minneapolis and Las Vegas are said to be the favorites. 

As for Europe, WWE will host Clash At The Castle: Scotland in Glasgow next month with WWE Bash At Berlin scheduled for August. While fans eagerly await a WrestleMania in the UK, there’s no shortage of WWE events coming their way. 

For the use of quotes, please give a H/T to SE Scoops. 

WWE Speed Will Feature Women’s Division Matches, Triple H Confirms

Thomas Lowson
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WWE Speed, the promotion’s new show featuring high-octane action, will feature women’s matches, CCO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque has confirmed. 

WWE Speed was announced in February 2024 and sees three-minute matches, ensuring a fast-paced style between competitors. A tournament is currently underway to crown the first WWE Speed Champion and the show is expected to launch on Twitter/X in full this Spring. 

So far, matches for WWE Speed have solely featured male talent. That will change soon enough according to Levesque. During an appearance on X Spaces alongside Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Levesque confirmed that the show will feature women competing in Speed matches.

There’s no word yet on whether a championship will be created for the women competing on WWE Speed. This revelation will come as good news to Piper Niven who following the announcement of WWE Speed, poked fun at women often being granted only a handful of minutes for their matches. 

What’s to Come for WWE Speed? 

The tournament finals for the WWE Speed Championship will see Ricochet and Johnny Gargano face off on the May 3, episode. Ricochet advanced to the finals with wins over Dragon Lee and JD McDonagh while Gargano bested Angel and Bronson Reed to get to the title match. 

The new show could be a fantastic opportunity for talent who don’t typically get given attention on TV to build support from fans. This can especially be the case for the women of WWE as with only a select amount of opportunities on TV, several talented Superstars are often left on the sidelines. No women’s matches have been announced for WWE Speed yet but expect more news to come in the coming weeks. 

WWE Draft News: More Trades Expected Before May 6 Deadline

Thomas Lowson
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The WWE Draft is not over just yet, as trades are expected to be made in the coming days before the rosters are locked in. The 2024 WWE Draft took place on the April 26, SmackDown, and continued on the April 29, Raw with a total of 56 selections made across the televised and supplemental drafts. Many wrestling pundits and even legends such as The Undertaker have criticized the draft for the lack of significant changes, with the vast majority of Superstars remaining on the brand they were a part of prior to the draft. 

WWE went big with their draft coverage, which received added ‘buzz’ given the excitement surrounding the NFL draft. Things aren’t over just yet though as the new rosters don’t come into effect until next week. According to 2024 WWE Draft rule #6, “Rosters will go into effect on Monday, May 6, two days after Backlash France.” 

That leaves several days for Raw and SmackDown to trade talent before the new rosters are locked in. In prior years, last-minute trades have significantly shaken up the Raw and SmackDown rosters, giving an added level of excitement to the ‘trade deadline’ that occurs over a week after the main draft. 

Late Shakeups

For example, Triple H was drafted to SmackDown in 2004 during the televised draft, but was moved back to Raw days later. Then-SmackDown GM revealed on the post-draft episode of the blue brand that he’d traded the Game for Booker T and the Dudley Boyz. Ironically, Angle became GM after his predecessor Paul Heyman was drafted to Raw. 

These post-draft changes will give WWE time to evaluate their rosters and decide if certain talent would benefit on the show they were not drafted to instead. Fans will have to wait until May 6, before we have confirmation as to what the future holds for the rosters of Raw and SmackDown. 

Here are some wrestler reactions to the 2024 WWE Draft:

Hulk Hogan Won’t Make The Same Mistakes Again After Born-Again Baptism

Thomas Lowson
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Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan is looking to move forward from past mistakes after recently being baptized as a born-again Christian. 

The Hulkster was baptized in late 2023, in a moment he described as the greatest day of his life. Given his accolades in the wrestling world both in and outside of WWE, that’s quite the claim from the former World Champion. 

Hogan’s recent baptism isn’t the first time he’s been part of the Christian faith and for decades, he encouraged fans to “Say your prayers” among other commands. Sitting down with CBN Sports, Hogan reflected on returning to the faith and moving on from the past. 

“I accepted Christ as my savior when I was 14 but I derailed. It wasn’t my life. But he has given me the opportunity to prove that I’m faithful and I’ll never make those same mistakes again… My faith, the momentum was overwhelming. There was nothing stopping me.”

There’s no shortage of mistakes that Hogan hopes his faith will ensure he avoids in the future. Hogan has been criticized by fans and wrestlers as a politicker who influenced promotions so he was on top, often at the expense of talented names on the roster. In 2015, racist comments by Hogan came to light which resulted in his removal from the WWE Hall of Fame. He was reinstated in 2018. 

The Hulkster is all in for Jesus Christ, and so could you, for the right price. The blue John 3:16 shirt Hogan wears in the video is available for purchase from Hogan’s website. The shirt comes in a variety of sizes and colors and features the bible verse as well as Hogan’s logo on the sleeve. 

Hogan is hardly alone in finding faith. Shawn Michaels became a born-again Christian during his 1998-2002 hiatus which would play into his merchandise following his return. The Showstopper would publish a book about his faith in 2015. 

More From Hulk Hogan

Here are some recent articles regarding Hulk Hogan as the WWE Hall of Famer continues to be an icon of the wrestling world: 

WWE Wrestler Scrypts Confirms He’ll Be a Free Agent Soon

Bishal Roy
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NXT wrestler Scrypts has confirmed a rumor that he’s leaving WWE soon.

On Tuesday, he posted a video on social media that provides details on his next moves. With Kendrick Lamar’s new Drake diss song ‘Euphoria’ paying in the background. Scrypts can be seen packing a box with the WWE 24/7 championship and his old mask, before taking off the OTM necklace. The clip concludes with him sitting back and smiling at the camera as the message “Available June 1st” is shown on the screen.

Scrypts joined WWE back in 2020 and portrayed the character of Carmella’s sommelier, Reginald. He went on to enter the WWE 24/7 title scene and enjoyed the title reign four times. His gimmick was eventually repackaged as Scrypts and he moved to NXT. He made his debut in WWE’s developmental brand on November 22, 2022. Initially, he performed wearing a mask but dropped it after his storyline with Axiom. Scrypts went on to form OTM alongside Bronco Nima, Lucien Price, and Jaida Parker.

His most recent match NXT took place in April where he endured a defeat against Je’Von Evans. Most recently, Scrypts was featured in a Snickers ad with OTM and Street Profits. 

You can follow Scrypts (Syndey Akeem) at @ScryptsWWE and find all the necessary information for booking.

Daily Drop (5/1): CM Punk Has Priceless Fan Moment, Power Struggle Building In AEW

Aaron Varble
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It’s the first Daily Drop of May, and we have a lot to cover. Last night saw NXT bring the second night of their Spring Breakin’ event, and there is a lot to unpack.

First off, Wes Lee made his return from injury, and he is going for the North American Title, currently held by Oba Femi. The night concluded with Lola Vice defeating Natalya in an NXT Underground match.

Let’s get into today’s Daily Drop!

WWE:

New NXT Title: The NXT Women’s North American Championship is coming. On the April 30 episode of WWE NXT, General Manager Ava announced that the title will find its inaugural champion at NXT Battleground on June 9 in a six-woman ladder match in the UFC Apex. Before this event, there will be qualifying matches to decide the participants in the ladder match.

The Rock Responds: The Rock dropped a photo of himself during the WrestleMania 40 walkthrough. This was after reports that he was late and his tardiness caused issues. The timing of this post was apparent that he wanted to make a statement of denial that he was late to WrestleMania.

https://www.instagram.com/p/p:C6aOICzrbOV

Who Killed WCW?: The trailer for Seven Bucks Productions’ upcoming four-part Vice TV documentary about WCW’s demise is out, and fans are talking about it in a big way. This new documentary, debuting on June 4, promises to include a lot of stories that fans haven’t heard before, and from a different angle as well. This should be a great watch, especially since Dark Side of the Ring creators are also involved.

CM Poop: During Monday’s draft on RAW, CM Punk showed up to surprise Drew McIntyre, who didn’t think he made the trip to the show. Punk later surprised a fan who brought a “CM Poop” sign to the show. The Second City Savior tracked this fan down and had to autograph the sign. He also took photos with the young fans who brought it to the show.

AEW:

AEW Dynamite Card for 5/1:

  • Kenny Omega returns
  • Find out Swerve Strickland’s challenger for AEW World Title at Double Or Nothing
  • FTW Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
  • AEW TNT Championship: Adam Copeland (c) vs. Buddy Matthews
  • Mariah May vs. Serena Deeb
  • Claudio Castagnoli vs. Brian Cage (with Prince Nana)
  • Samoa Joe vs. Isiah Kassidy

Darby Allin Injury Update: Allin updated fans after he was hit by a NYC bus. He may still appear on AEW television, but his Mount Everest journey is cancelled for now. That being said, his foot is not scheduled to heal until around June, so he has a couple of months left.

Power Struggle: Tony Khan spoke about the power struggle going on in AEW right now. This week’s episode of Dynamite in Winnipeg could be a very interesting one with everything going on in the company. Since Kenny Omega is returning tonight, it’s anyone’s guess how another EVP might weigh into things.

Online Battle: Dax Harwood and Eric Bischoff are having it out on Twitter. This is all in defense of AEW, where Bischoff took the opportunity to call Harwood a “chunky little monkey” who keeps tabs on his timeline.

The Wizard at The Game: Chris Jericho showed up to Game 5 of the NHL Playoffs, where the Winnipeg Jets faced off against the Colorado Avalanche. Jericho pumped up the crowd, but in the end, the Jets were defeated 6-3 by the Avalanche, losing the series 4-1.

Upcoming PPV’s and PLE’s:

Here are the upcoming major wrestling events

  • Saturday, May 4: WWE Backlash France (PLE)
  • Sunday, May 26: NXT Battleground (PLE)
  • Sunday, May 26: AEW Double or Nothing (PPV)

The Undertaker Comments On Underwhelming WWE Drafts

Anutosh Bajpai
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The Undertaker liked some aspects of the 2024 WWE Draft but he believes that more could have been done to make things exciting for the fans.

The Dead Man reviewed the latest episode of Monday Night Raw on his Patreon Page where he talked about things such as the many commercial breaks during the show and more.

This year’s Draft ran from April 26 to April 29. WWE had brought in a number of legends to announce the picks. The actual Draft results were still criticized by many fans for a lack of any prominent changes.

The WWE Hall of Famer first mentioned that he liked certain presentation aspects of the Draft. The Undertaker later explained, however, that it would have been more exciting if brands were allowed to trade with each other:

“You know what it missed for me? I want to see some deals made right. You know what I’m saying? Like a lot of teams, they want a quarterback. They trade up or they trade down.

You know, that would to me be more compelling to watch. You’re expecting your fan base to watch two nights of TV content. And I mean, to be completely honest, there wasn’t a whole lot of change really.”

There Needs To Be Something More: The Undertaker

The Last Outlaw discussed how there were some promising NXT call-ups in the Draft. He also acknowledged that the officials have to think about the future plans for any talent before placing them on a brand. Though Taker still thinks that something big needed to happen during the Draft:

“It’s difficult to get everyone placed right. You got to get everyone placed where they’re supposed to be moving forward, and I can tell they’re making efforts to do that. The way the Draft is promoted. I just think there needs to be some more something like you said drama, something needs to happen big where people get hooked.”

While the Drafts did not bring in any big change for WWE, there were still some surprising picks made during the two nights. You can check out some superstar reactions to the Draft here.

WWE, Amazon Refute Report That Dwayne Johnson Is Unprofessional: “Ridiculous and False”

Thomas Lowson
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A higher-up with WWE has categorically denies a report that The Rock was significantly late for WrestleMania 40 earlier this month. TheWrap ran a negative piece on Dwayne Johnson this week, accusing the Final Boss of being a nightmare to work with on the set of movies and at other projects. 

WWE Executive Vice President Chris Legentil quickly put a statement addressing the aspects of the story that relate to WWE. Legentil says the story couldn’t be farther from the truth. In fact, he says Rock was there several hours early and was a pleasure to work with throughout his entire run this year.

“Dwayne was not only on time for Wrestlemania, he was hours early to help with rehearsal — and a pleasure to work with throughout the entire run.”

‘Red One’ Rumor Killer

Dwayne Johnson’s ‘chronic lateness’ and lack of professionalism on set reportedly caused production delays on his new movie project ‘Red One.’ One anonymous source alleges  he ‘relieves himself’ in water battles and has his subordinates dispose it. 

A source close to Amazon MGM refutes that claim by The Wrap and calls these allegations “ridiculous and false.”

“Dwayne Johnson and Seven Bucks have been incredible partners on ‘Red One.’ Any reporting that implies that we got to this point with him showing up seven-eight hours late to set is both ridiculous and false.”

The source added that it is “completely normal” for budget fluctuations to happen within 15% of the target, which is what happened with Red One. The Rock has vowed to return to WWE after the filming of his newest project ‘The Smashing Machine‘ which tells the story of UFC fighter Steve Kerr. 

The Rock was two hours late to an appearance at WWE World, this was out of his hands, but that was chalked up to WWE commitments and bad traffic getting to the event. When he did arrive, he lelate as he was busy watching the Philadelphia Eagles lose. 

First NXT Women’s North American Champion to be Crowned in Ladder Match at Battleground

Thomas Lowson
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WWE NXT Battleground 2024 will be a historic night for the gold brand as the show will see the crowning of the first NXT Women’s North American Champion. 

During the April 30, episode of WWE NXT, General Manager Ava announced that the title will be on the line at NXT Battleground on June 9 in a six-woman ladder match. Before that match though, there will be qualifying matches to determine the entrants in the much-anticipated ladder match. 

This announcement brought out Jaida Parker, who declared that she wanted to be part of the qualifying matches. She was joined in the ring by Sol Ruca and Arianna Grace who had similar intentions. Up next it was ‘Michin’ Mia Yim, who despite being on the SMackDown roster, wants to be part of the Women’s North American Championship hunt. 

The four women brawled before the rest of the NXT Women’s roster came out which led to a bigger brawl in the ring. The qualifying matches are set to begin soon but the entrants have yet to be revealed. 

NXT Battleground won’t just be historic for its introduction of the Women’s North American Championship. The event will take place at the UFC Apex and in partnership with WWE’s sister company under TKO Group Holdings. It will be WWE’s first event hosted at the Apex and shows WWE’s commitment to cross-promotional endeavors as part of TKO. 

Women’s Mid-Card Championships

WWE will soon have a women’s mid-card title, but this isn’t a new idea. Here are some recent articles about having such a title in wrestling:

Tony Khan: ‘It Was Nice My Dad Appeared On Dynamite, I Wish It Was For A Different Reason’

Thomas Lowson
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Tony Khan was pleased that his father Shad recently appeared on AEW Dynamite, though he wishes his dad’s debut came under better circumstances. 

Shad Khan appeared in the closing moments of the April 24, episode of AEW Dynamite, after Jack Perry & The Elite attacked his son. Tony Khan was laid out with a piledriver by the Young Bucks and has been in a neck brace ever since. Khan intends to put the neck brace to good use when he no longer needs it.

Sitting down with SE Scoops correspondent Scott Fishman for TV Insider, Khan spoke about his father’s All-Elite debut and had plenty of praise for his dear old dad. 

“It was nice of him to be on the show on one hand, but the reason for it is another. It meant a lot for him to come out to check on me. He is an incredible father and a loving parent and a great man.

“I’ve learned so much from him. I know he cares a lot. Nobody wants to see their son out cold and recovering from a deadly piledriver move. You saw he was concerned. You saw it on his face. He was angry and concerned. Mostly very angry.”

When asked if his father has a favorite wrestler on AEW’s roster, the younger Khan said that Shad has quite a few stars he’s keeping an eye on. 

“A few weeks ago I got a text from him during Will Ospreay and Claudio [Castagnoli]. He knew them both. He hadn’t seen much of Will Ospreay. He said Ospreay was amazing. I introduced him to Will, and he is now a huge fan of him.

“He is a huge fan of Kenny Omega, MJF, Jon Moxley, Orange Cassidy, Dr. Britt Baker, and recently “Timeless” Toni Storm And Mariah May. Also, he had some nice interactions with Swerve.”

It’s unclear when, if ever, we’ll see Shad Khan on AEW programming again, though Tony Khan will be operating shows remotely as he recovers from the attack. With The Elite a force to be reckoned with and Kenny Omega’s imminent return to AEW TV, it’ll be interesting to see how the power struggle goes with Khan out of the picture. 

More From Tony Khan

Here are some recent articles regarding Tony Khan as the AEW President continues to recover from the attack by The Elite: 

Lucha Brothers Putting On A Live Wrestling Event At Lucha Underground Temple

Dominic DeAngelo
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Lucha Underground was indeed a cult hit when it was on television and the Lucha Brothers want to charge up that nostaglia for fans of the defunct series.

Rey Fenix along with Penta El Zero M are going to but hosting Republic of Lucha 7: Hit The Lights and it will take place at the old Lucha Underground Temple. 

Fenix and Penta will join quite the list of names set for the event including Konosuke Takeshita, Brian Cage, John Morrison, Nic Nemeth, Thunder Rosa, Lio Rush, Nick Wayne, Speedball Mike Bailey, Alex Windsor, Dante Martin and more. The event currently doesn’t have an air date but it will take place on Triller TV.

https://twitter.com/PuroresuFlow/status/1785410020802224165

It will be this upcoming October when the show will celebrate its ten-year anniversary since it first aired on El Rey Network and ran four seasons with a total of 127 episodes. The Temple was located in Boyle Heights, CA.

While the series may be over, the legacy of Lucha Underground happens to live on through Major League Wrestling. It was years ago when MLW introduced Cesar Duran to the company as they made an indication that Duran was Dario Cueto (the owner of Lucha Underground) going under a new alias.

MLW has also reintroduced other players from the program including Mil Muertes and Jeff Cobb, but they also have put their own spin on the show. In less than two weeks, MLW will host AZTECA Lucha, their own solitary event featuring many lucha libre talent competing against one another. AZTECA Lucha is actually MLW highest-selling gate event in league history as they sold out Cicero Stadium in Chicago.

Wes Lee Returns From Injury At 4/30 WWE NXT Spring Breakin, Cleared to Wrestle

Thomas Lowson
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Former North American Champion Wes Lee made his long-awaited return to programming during the April 30, edition of WWE NXT. 

During Night Two of WWE NXT Spring Breakin’, Oba Femi defended the North American Championship against Ivar. After the match, Lee appeared to a thunderous ovation from the audience at the Performance Center. Lee emerged from the crowd and to prove he is healed, leapt from the crowd to the ringsteps. Lee then came face-to-face with Femi who held up the NXT North American Championship. 

Lee had been out of action since December after suffering a severe back injury. His return to TV has come far earlier than thought, as it was originally believed that he’d be out of commission for anywhere from eight months to a year. The injury nixed plans for Lee to challenge for the North American title, held by ‘Dirty’ Dominik Mysterio at the time. 

Lee is officially cleared to wrestle, Fightful Select has confirmed and it won’t be long before fans see him wrestle again. At WWE NXT Spring Breakin’ it was announced that Lee will face Josh Briggs on the May 7 episode. This will be his first match since November 2023. 

Having Lee back is a huge win for NXT head Shawn Michaels who has been a loud advocate for the former North American Champion. With WWE NXT losing top talent like Lyra Valkyria and Ilja Dragunov in the recent draft, Lee is in a prime position to be elevated up the card now he’s cleared to wrestle once more. 

More On Wes Lee

Here are some articles regarding Wes Lee as the former North American Champion looks to regain the momentum he once had in WWE NXT: 

Kevin Nash Says ‘Who Killed WCW?’ Will Tell The Real Story, Not The WWE Version

Dominic DeAngelo
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If you have any apprehension to watch the forthcoming Who Killed WCW? series, Kevin Nash wants you to fear not.

VICE TV revealed that Jason Eisener and Evan Husney of Dark Side Of The Ring will once again collaborate with The Rock’s Seven Bucks Productions on an upcoming four-part series detailing the rise and fall of World Championship Wrestling.

In a statement announcing the series, which will premiere on June 4,  The Rock talked about how WCW as a promotion to rival WWE became a huge inspiration for him personally.

“The rise of WCW, not the fall, inspired me greatly early in my career where I would eventually become, ‘The Final Boss.’”

The trailer featured all sorts of major names set to tell the story of WCW including Eric Bischoff, Diamond Dallas Page, Bret Hart, Goldberg, Vince Russo and Kevin Nash. 

Nash Says We’re Getting the Untold True Story

Despite all of the big names being involved in “Who Killed WCW,” the project garnered skepticism from some fans. The main critique has been Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson helming the project, since he’s one of the most powerful people in WWE. One fan wrote on social media, “It’s gonna have a huge WWE tilt to it and we already have a docu-series with that, The Monday Night War. So it’s a bit redundant.”

Kevin Nash, one of the key players who helped bring WCW to the top of the wrestling world in the late 1990’s, says fans should buckle up for their uncensored account of what happened, not a version written by the ‘victor’ of the WWE vs. WCW war.

“No we told our story. Not the WWE Victor’s version. This will be the first real take.”

Luckily, there’s only a month to wait before we find out who actually killed World Championship Wrestling.

Details On Swerve Strickland’s Hilarious Meeting With NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell

Dominic DeAngelo
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Tony Khan happened to share quite a Swerve Strickland story with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Speaking with Scott Fishman of TV Insider, the AEW President talked about introducing his AEW World Heavyweight Champion to Goodell and talked about that gruesome moment he fought Hangman Page and took a staple to the face.

“I was telling Goodell about Swerve versus Hangman Page. I mentioned to him how Swerve got stapled in the face. Roger looked at him and said, ‘Really? He got stapled in the face for real?’ Swerve was smiling and said, ‘Yeah it’s true.'”

After Goodell left, Khan noted to Swerve that he happened to omit the fact that Strickland drank Page’s blood. According to Tony, Swerve got a kick out of that.

Tony Khan Happy With AEW & NFL Draft Buzz

Albeit polarizing, Tony Khan was very pleased with the connection and promotion he got from wearing a neckbrace during the NFL Draft, following the Meltzer Driver he took from last week’s AEW Dynamite. Khan made a point to credit NFL personality Rich Eisen for all the publicity for AEW during the weekend.

“Making lemonade out of lemons, I brought my recovery to the NFL Draft this year. I was blessed that Rich Eisen gave it so much coverage on the broadcast several times. He is doing great things with St. Jude through Run Rich Run. It’s such an awesome cause.”

In an effort to get AEW over as the underdog, Khan made a controversial analogy with his company in comparison to WWE, noting that WWE was Harvey Weinstein while AEW was Pepsi.

Drew McIntyre Trusts In Triple H

Dominic DeAngelo
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Drew McIntyre may not be happy with his WWE Draft spot, but he is happy with the work of Triple H.

McIntyre is arguably doing the best character work of his pro wrestling career in 2024 and it was just revealed by The Rock that the former World Heavyweight Champion re-signed a brand new deal with WWE. With him being in a top bout at WrestleMania, many speculated that it was just a matter of time until McIntyre put paper to pen on a new contract with the company as the Chief Content Officer Triple H was putting Drew in a prominent light.

Following last night’s episode of WWE RAW, McIntyre took to social media to share a photo of himself in Gorilla with Triple H, giving ‘The Game’ a big vote of confidence as WWE rolls into a big future.

“I trusted Triple H when he brought me back in 2017. And I trust him now to lead the evolution of our industry. Here’s to the future.”

Drew was drafted very late on RAW, well past his recent “obsession” in CM Punk who was the first pick of round two while McIntyre was the third pick of round three. Punk ended up cutting a promo in the middle of the ring at McIntyre who watched from afar. McIntyre stewed as Punk made an effort to keep his conversation shorter than McIntyre’s very brief title reign. Punk said that he wasn’t out for revenge, but McIntyre has given him purpose.

Dax Harwood & Eric Bischoff Continue A War Of Words On Social Media

Dominic DeAngelo
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Dax Harwood and Eric Bischoff has gone back and forth with one another on social media before, but Monday night the two took it to a whole new level.

Bischoff has always been vocal when it comes his constructive criticism on AEW. Eric’s opinion was even more resounding following the recent buzz Tony Khan has been getting after the polarizing angle from last week’s Dynamite and the former WCW President had some more words regarding the current AEW President.

Harwood, who in 2023 re-signed with AEW, decided to express his thoughts regarding Eric’s “obsession” with Khan on his “83 Weeks” podcast, calling him “stalkerish.”

“I know it’s your gimmick and the other guys pay you well to bury AEW, but checking out your timeline & all the Tony tweets and RT’s, it looks very stalkerish. Netflix “Baby Reindeer” would do you a bit of good, my brother in Christ.”

Bischoff wasn’t having any of that, stating that Dax is the pot calling the kettle black.

“Says the chunky little monkey that studies my timeline. That’s weird.”

Eric then decided to unload on Harwood following fan input who labeled Dax a hypocrite. Bischoff went on to call Harwood “mid as mid can get” and that his supposed “loyalty” to Khan is just a means as holding onto the bag as long as he can. He also threw another jab, calling Dax a future greeter at Walmart.

Earlier this year, Harwood said Bischoff was a “miserable podcaster” as he and FTR Wheeler said Eric was just upset that Tony Khan had never hired him. On several occassions, Bischoff has made clear he really took issue with Khan after he took a dig at Ted Turner.

Bischoff isn’t the only top WCW talent to dole out constructive criticism to Khan. Kevin Nash has expressed his thoughts on the current AEW product. Both he and Bischoff had made it quite clear that they want to see AEW succeed.

Cody Rhodes Received Important Advice From JBL After WrestleMania

Tyriece Simon
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Cody Rhodes has reached new heights after defeating Roman Reigns to become the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion at WrestleMania 40. The year-long story finally ended after Rhodes overcame the odds to end the title reign of ‘The Tribal Chief.’ In the aftermath of his career achievement, Rhodes shared great advice that JBL had given him about being a champion. 

In an interview with Cheap Heat with Peter Rosenberg and Stat Guy Greg, Rhodes revealed that JBL spoke to him after his title win at the ‘Grandest Stage Of Them All’ and what it meant to him. 

“He said, try not at this point to focus on any numbers, because you’ve already broken every record that matters. And I thought, oh, that’s exactly what I wanted to hear at the time. It was just from a guy who’s not a soft man, not an easy guy to get to get that type of love. So much love for the Cowboy, former WWE champion himself, John Bradshaw Layfield,” said Rhodes.

Although JBL advised Rhodes not to focus on numbers, the champion is motivated to be WWE’s most profitable superstar. In the same interview, he shared that he aims to surpass other greats like Stone Cold Steve Austin and John Cena. While Rhodes’s new goal is very ambitious, he has to remain focused on his next challenger, AJ Styles. 

Preview Of Cody Rhodes vs. AJ Styles At WWE Backlash

Rhodes will have his first title defense against Styles at WWE Backlash. The event will occur at the LDLC Arena in Lyon-Décines, France. At this time, Rhodes and Styles are expected to be the main event of the PLE. 

Styles earned his title opportunity after defeating LA Knight on the April 19 episode of WWE Friday Night Smackdown. The matchup will also be the first time Rhodes and Styles have competed against each other. 

‘The American Nightmare’ is coming into his first title defense with confidence after dethroning Reigns at WrestleMania 40. However, he can’t take Styles lightly as the challenger will try to push Rhodes to his limit to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. 

MLW Breaks Company’s All-Time Box Office Record For 5/11 Chicago Return

Dominic DeAngelo
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MLW is making waves in the Windy City following a five-year hiatus from the great wrestling city of Chicago.

Major League Wrestling announced yesterday that tickets for its upcoming AZTECA Lucha event on May 11 is sold out and it did so in historic fashion. The event has smashed the company’s all-time box office gate record. The league’s website did tell its fanbase to keep tabs in case the production set-up offers more space, but as of now there are no tickets available.

MLW CEO Court Bauer expressed his excitement for the news, noting that 2024 has been a good start for the promotion.

“Thank you, Chicago. To sell out the biggest arena we run is a huge triumph. This is a big milestone as MLW’s best year of business to date in the history of the league. From our Boss Fight Studios action figures selling out to arenas selling out, this is an unprecedented era for MLW. None of this happens without the fans’ support, the wrestlers’ work in and away from the ring, and the grind of our production team and front office. We’re all pumped to now bring it on May 11. Chicago and fans watching on TrillerTV+ are in for a very special night.”

If the name of the event didn’t give you the hint, the card for AZTECA Lucha is extremely lucha libre focused as Cesar Duran (formerly Dario Cueto of Lucha Underground) is in the middle of a power struggle with Salina de la Renta. The two promoters are waging war with lucha talent and up for grabs is a mysterious key that Duran currently holds possession of.

The headline match for the show is Mistico defending the MLW World Middleweight Championship against Barbaro Cavernario. Matt Riddle will also be taking on Joshua Bishop and Rickey Shane Page will put his National Openweight Championship on the line against Bad Dude Tito.

Darby Allin’s Broken Foot Won’t Heal Until June, May Not Stop Him Appearing for AEW

Michael Shalik
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AEW’s Darby Allin isn’t ready to wrestle just yet but his severe foot injury may not keep the daredevil wrestler from appearing for the promotion. 

Allin has been out of action since suffering the aforementioned injury during a match Jay White at AEW’s Big Business show in March 2024. As if that isn’t bad enough, Allin is also dealing with a broken nose and was hit by a bus in New York City mere days ago. 

On The Daily Migs Show, Allin was asked about his recovery and whether he’ll be appearing on the May 15, episode of AEW Dynamite in Everett, Washington. 

“My foot is not scheduled to heal until, I’d say June. So if I did roll up [to Dynamite in two weeks], it would just be with a broken face and a broken foot waving to the crowd, which may not be the worst thing. I’ll see.”

Given Allin’s history with Everett, the former AEW TNT Champion wasn’t ready to rule out an appearance on the show.

“I trained in Everett, Washington, so it would be like an ultimate homecoming of sorts. That’d be really cool. May 15, I gotta see. I think might be able to make it. As long as there’s no buses, I’m good.”

Allin’s injury comes at an interesting time in his career. For years, Allin’s career has seen him by the side of Sting who retired from in-ring competition at Revolution 2024. With his mentor out of the picture, it’ll be up to Allin to re-establish himself in singles competition, once he’s healed up. 

More from Darby Allin

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