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10 Biggest Mistakes AEW Made in 2022

Robert Lentini
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When 2022 first started, everything was looking up for All Elite Wrestling. CM Punk was involved in an epic rivalry against MJF, free agents were swarming to the promotion, and it appeared that the company was well on its way to becoming must-watch television every week.

  • 10 Best AEW Moments of 2022

Lack of accountability, direction, and leadership has exposed all of AEW’s flaws this year, and hopefully, 2022 will be the company’s reference point as to what not to do moving forward.

Here are the 10 biggest mistakes made by All Elite Wrestling in 2022:

#10. The Unfortunate Debut of Satnam Singh

Samoa Joe captured the ROH TV Championship on the April 13th edition of Dynamite. Joe defeated Minoru Suzuki in a physical match in the main event to capture the title. After the match, Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal appeared on the entrance ramp with a present. They opened it and revealed Jay Lethal’s middle finger.

The lights then went out and Satnam Singh made his debut. The giant beat Joe down but his arrival did not generate the reaction AEW was hoping for. Chants of “who are you?!” echoed throughout the arena and AEW fans immediately rejected Satnam. He has become more of a background figure in the faction, as Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett appear to be entering a feud with AEW Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed.

#9. Too Many Titles/ Interim Champions

One of the biggest gripes wrestling fans currently have with All Elite Wrestling is the absurd amount of titles in the promotion. Even with the surplus of championships, outside titles like the Regina Di Wave title are randomly defended within the promotion.

AEW set a precedent with CM Punk with Interim Champions that completely undermined Toni Storm’s title reign. The interim label made her seem like a temporary champion for the entire reign and hopefully, she will get another one to rectify that in the future.

The All-Atlantic Championship was the breaking point for many fans. Orange Cassidy has done his best to make the title relevant on Rampage but it still feels like an unnecessary title, as many think of the TNT Championship as the secondary title in the company.

#8. Lack of Transparency Regarding AEW Fight Forever

AEW Fight Forever was advertised to be released in 2022 all year until it became obvious that the video game wasn’t ready to be on shelves.

Fight Forever’s release date was pushed back until February 2023 in November, but there was just a very loud silence surrounding the game for months until finally a trailer was recently posted. Time will tell if the game delivers when it is released, but it is hard to feel confident that it will at the moment.

#7. Too Many Factions

Factions are great in wrestling. The leader of the group is usually a charismatic performer that helps elevate the talent around him. The Jericho Appreciation Society might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s little doubt that Chris has the ability to lead his own group and help other talents.

However, throwing talent together and slapping a name on them doesn’t mean anything. What has Private Party gotten out of being a part of the Hardy Family Office? Is Cole Karter getting more of a reaction now that he is in The Factory with QT Marshall?

The factions have to be interesting themselves for it to equate to fan interest. Otherwise, it is just a collection of wrestlers interacting with each other in segments nobody cares about.

#6. Too Much Ring of Honor

AEW President Tony Khan purchased Ring of Honor in March of this year. Nine months later, there is no TV deal for the promotion and he’s asking fans to sign up for Honor Club for ten bucks a month.

Even with that subscription, fans would still have to shell out $40 for the PPV as it will not appear on Honor Club until 90 days after it airs live. Chris Jericho became the ROH Champion by defeating Claudio Castagnoli and his reign came to an on December 10th at Final Battle.

From the outside looking in, it sure looks like he was made the ROH Champion to try and orchestrate a TV deal for the brand and it didn’t work out. Hopefully, there are big things in the promotion in the future, but there was far too much ROH involvement on Dynamite for asking fans to subscribe to Honor Club to be the end goal.

#5. The William Regal Situation

William Regal played a massive part in MJF becoming AEW World Champion and then left the company. It was a bizarre series of events and left many fans wondering why Regal played such a prominent part in the storyline when management knew he was on his way out.

Tony Khan did the right thing in letting Regal return to WWE after the regime change. It was just bizarre that he became the most prominent he had been as a television character on AEW TV as he was on the way out of the company.

#4. Lack of Focus on the Women’s Division

The women’s division in AEW is very talented but it just hasn’t clicked yet. Toni Storm was a big signing for All Elite Wrestling but her title reign was underwhelming. Jade Cargill is undefeated as TBS Champion but the promotion has struggled to find viable opponents or interesting feuds for her.

Jade’s feud against Nyla Rose for Full Gear was quite forgettable. The match at the PPV was fine, but the build to get us there was not. The talent is there, it remains to be seen if the creative writing will be in 2023.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRaYATCXcJ0

#3. Lack of Focus on Rampage

AEW Rampage became the most missable wrestling show on television this year. Rarely did anything of note happen in AEW on Friday nights during 2022. The show often features main events with wrestlers that are on the main event level and has a pacing issue.

There’s no time for anything to breathe on Rampage and there often is far too much crammed into an episode. It appears that AEW President Tony Khan has a renewed focus on Rampage following its recent record-low ratings and it will be interesting to see if AEW is relevant on Friday nights next year.

#2. Letting Cody Rhodes Leave

The American Nightmare returned to WWE as former CEO Vince McMahon’s selection for Seth Rollins’ opponent at WrestleMania 38. Cody Rhodes got an incredible reaction upon his return to WWE and became even more popular as the weeks went on. His promos connected with the WWE Universe and he seems destined to become champion one day.

Cody’s run in All Elite Wrestling had a bizarre ending. He took himself out of AEW World Championship contention by saying he would never get another title shot while he was in management if he lost to Chris Jericho at Full Gear 2019. Cody lost after MJF threw in the towel for him and hit Rhodes with a low blow after the match.

Rhodes then found himself disconnect from the AEW audience, sometimes booed relentlessly during his promos. A change of scenery was likely what Cody needed, but his presence is still missed in AEW. There aren’t too many that can cut a promo like The American Nightmare and consistently deliver in the ring at the same time.

#1. Lack of Leadership

There have been too many instances of AEW talent burying each other, burying their boss, brawling, and just general dysfunction this year in the company. CM Punk’s rant following AEW All Out was egregious, but it was also allowed to get to that point. There were stories about issues backstage for months but nothing was resolved. Talented wrestlers like Miro and Andrade have become disgruntled and were poorly used in the promotion from the day they signed.

It is a difficult task to manage all of the egos in the locker room but it has to be done by somebody. If everyone is just looking out for themselves in AEW, they will become the alternative to Impact rather than WWE in the years ahead.

AEW Rampage Results, Takeaways (12/16/22): Jon Moxley & Hangman Page, FTR Speaks, Dustin Rhodes

Robert Lentini
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AEW Rampage aired from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas. Jon Moxley battled Sammy Guevara tonight. Britt Baker was in action against Skye Blue and an 8-man tag team match was this week’s main event.

Rampage Results

  • Jon Moxley def. Sammy Guevara
  • Britt Baker def. Skye Blue
  • Wardlow def. Exodus Prime
  • Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, and Dustin Rhodes def. The Butcher, The Blade, Kip Sabian, and Trent Seven

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Jon Moxley Picked Up A Win & Brawled With Hangman Page

Blackpool Combat Club’s Jon Moxley faced Jericho Appreciation Society’s Sammy Guevara tonight on AEW Rampage. The former AEW World Champion controlled the match early and beat Guevara down. Moxley hit a Cutter but Sammy battled back.

Guevara connected with some chops to Jon’s chest and then knocked him to the canvas with a Dropkick. Sammy controlled the next few minutes and slammed Jon on the ring apron as Rampage went to a commercial break.

When Rampage returned, Moxley was busted open as always. Sammy had ripped his earring out during the commercial and started stomping on the ear. Guevara sets up for the GTH but Moxley escaped.

Sammy got Moxley in the Boston Crab but Jon battled his way out of the submission hold. Moxley connected with a Stomp and went for the cover but Sammy kicked out at two. The action spilled outside the ring and Sammy connected with a Swanton through a table.

Back in the ring, Guevara went for a Crossbody but Moxley blocked it. Jon connected with a Piledriver and applied the Bulldog Choke but Guevara was able to break free. Moxley went for the Deathrider but Guevara countered with a DDT of his own. Sammy followed it up with another Swanton off the top rope but Moxley wouldn’t stay down. Guevara connected with a Spanish Fly off the top turnbuckle but Moxley still was able to lock in the Bulldog Choke. Guevara passed out and Moxley called Hangman Adam Page out after the match.

Hangman and Moxley brawled on the entrance ramp and back into the ring. Hangman Page set up for the Buckshot Lariat but accidentally hit a security guard instead. The brawl continued until the two former AEW World Champions were separated.

FTR Warned Gunn Club

FTR came to the ring for a promo tonight on Rampage. They lost the ROH Tag Team Championships to The Briscoes this past Saturday at ROH Final Battle in a Dog Collar Match. Dax Harwood claimed he had a “broken ass bone” and claimed FTR let the fans down by losing the belts. Dax and Cash thanked the fans for making 2022 the best year of their careers and vowed to kick the Gunn Club’s ass next Wednesday at Dynamite: Holiday Bash.

  • 8 Best Moments from ROH Final Battle 2022

Britt Baker def. Skye Blue, Hikaru Shida & Jamie Hayter Staredown

Britt Baker battled Skye Blue tonight on AEW Rampage. Blue controlled the action early and connected with a boot to the face for a near fall. Baker responded with a Slingblade and then the Stomp for the quick pinfall victory.

After the match, Britt got Skye in the Lockjaw but Hikaru Shida made the save with a kendo stick. Shida hit Rebel with the kendo stick and delivered a shot to Britt Baker as well. Jamie Hayter got into the ring and the two had a staredown. Jamie will defend the AEW Women’s Championship against Hikaru Shida at Dynamite: Holiday Bash next weke.

Preston Vance Explains His Actions

Preston Vance, formerly known as 10 in Dark Order, explained why he betrayed the group tonight in a backstage interview with Jim Ross. He said Brodie Lee was the one who picked him to be in the group and the rest of the members are not on his level. Preston added he’s sick of -1 (Brodie Lee Jr.) and doesn’t want to take orders from people he is better than anymore.

Wardlow Dominated, TNT Title Match Set

Former TNT Champion Wardlow squared off against Exodus Prime on this week’s edition of Rampage. Wardlow hit four Powerbombs for the easy pinfall victory. After the match, Wardlow called out Samoa Joe. The King of Television ROH TV & TNT Champion Samoa Joe answered and mocked the Texas crowd. Joe announced that he will defend the TNT Championship against Wardlow on the December 28th episode of AEW Dynamite.

Best Friends, Orange Cassidy & Dustin Rhodes Picked Up A Win

Best Friends (Trent, Chuck Taylor), All-Atlantic Champion Orange Cassidy, and Dustin Rhodes faced The Butch, The Blade, Trent Seven, and Kip Sabian in the main event of this week’s episode of AEW Rampage. As always, Mark Henry interviewed the competitors before the main event.

Trent Seven and Trent Beretta started off the action and went back and forth. Orange Cassidy tagged in and set up for a Suicide Dive but Penelope Ford and The Bunny got into the way. The Butcher and The Blade capitalized on the distraction as Rampage went to the final break of the night.

When Rampage returned, Dustin Rhodes tagged in and beat Trent Seven down. Best Friends sent Butcher and Blade to the outside and shared a hug with Orange Cassidy before they leaped onto Butcher and Blade outside the ring. The referee ejected Bunny and Ford during the match as Kip Sabian hit Danhausen with a low blow ringside.

Back in the ring, Dustin tagged in again and connected with a Destroyer on Kip. Orange Cassidy hit Sabian with his lazy kicks before Rhodes followed it up with Shattered Dreams. Cassidy hit Seven with the Orange Punch and Dustin hit him with a Bulldog for the pinfall victory.

Roman Reigns & John Cena Match Set for the Final WWE SmackDown of the Year

Robert Lentini
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A big Roman Reigns match has been announced for the December 30th edition of WWE SmackDown.

On the final episode of SmackDown of the year, Roman Reigns will be teaming up with a member of The Bloodline. During tonight’s edition of SmackDown, Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso had a conversation backstage. Jimmy wondered what Reigns had planned for Sami Zayn’s “big night” tonight. Reigns said he wanted to talk to WWE Official Adam Pearce and Paul Heyman called him into The Tribal Chief’s locker room.

Roman Reigns said he wanted to team up with Sami Zayn against Kevin Owens and a partner of his choosing. Paul Heyman suggested December 30th as the date for the match. John Cena will also be returning on the final edition of SmackDown of the year in Tampa Bay, Florida.

At the end of WWE SmackDown, The Bloodline came to the ring in what was supposed to be a big night for Sami Zayn. However, John Cena interrupted on the jumbotron and announced he will be Kevin Owens’ tag team partner against Roman Reigns & Sami Zayn on December 30th.

Sami Zayn Leads The Bloodline to Victory at WWE Survivor Series WarGames

Sami Zayn has spend the past several months trying to prove his worth to The Bloodline and he finally did so at WWE Survivor Series WarGames last month.

On the SmackDown before the premium live event, Jey Uso overheard Kevin Owens talking to Sami Zayn outside The Bloodline’s locker room. Owens suggested that Sami betray The Bloodline before they do so to him. Sami then lied to Jey about the conversation taking place, but admitted everything to The Tribal Chief when he talked to him at Survivor Series.

At the end of the WarGames match, Sami hit Kevin Owens with a low blow and followed it up with a Helluva Kick. The Honorary Uce then stepped aside and allowed Jey Uso to hit KO with a Frog Splash for the pinfall victory. Roman and Jey shared a hug with Sami after The Bloodline’s victory at the premium live event.

WWE Wants to Make Upcoming SmackDown With John Cena a “Must-Watch” Show

Watch: WWE Superstar Revealed as Mystery Attacker on SmackDown

Robert Lentini
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A masked WWE Superstar interfered in the Women’s Tag Team Championship match tonight on SmackDown.

Damage CTRL defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Tegan Nox and Liv Morgan to begin this week’s episode of SmackDown. Tegan Nox recently returned to the promotion after she was released last November.

Liv Morgan has gone a bit crazy since losing to Ronda Rousey at Extreme Rules and attempted to confront Damage CTRL by herself. Tegan Nox made the save and it led to tonight’s Women’s Tag Team Championship match.

Bayley was ringside for the match and watched on as Dakota and IYO controlled the action early. Tegan and Liv Morgan began to battle back and Bayley attempted to interfere. Nox sent The Role Model flying over the barricade but a masked superstar attacked her.

Damage CTRL capitalized on the attack and IYO connected with a Moonsault on Nox for the pinfall victory. IYO SKY and Dakota Kai are still the Women’s Tag Team Champions.

Xia Li Revealed as the Mystery Attacker

After the Women’s Tag Team Championship match, the masked superstar was caught by WWE security and brought backstage.

WWE official Adam Pearce then unmasked the attacker and revealed that it was Xia Li. Xia has not been since on SmackDown since she called Emma weak after she lost her return match against Ronda Rousey.

Xia Li debuted for WWE in 2017 in the Mae Young Classic. She was called up to the main roster last December but hasn’t been featured much on SmackDown.

Xia Li Makes Debut Against Sonya Deville On SmackDown

WWE Wants to Make Upcoming SmackDown With John Cena a “Must-Watch” Show

Andrew Ravens
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John Cena is slated to return to WWE television on the December 30 edition of SmackDown. 

According to Fightful Select, there’s been talk of seeing him before then. Per the report,  “there have been discussions within WWE and even plans to integrate Cena into upcoming episodes of SmackDown even before he arrives.” 

Some of the talks included having a “video presence” of some sort, but the extent of that wasn’t known. That was one of the several things that were teased to hype up Smackdown this week.

The report added that the Cena appearance will be promoted heavily over the next two weeks and that they wanted to make the December 30 show a “must-watch.”

His Last Appearance

John Cena WWE

During Cena’s return on Raw for his 20th Anniversary celebration over the summer, he did not set up his match with Theory at SummerSlam, which had been speculated about because they had been publicly teasing a match.

Instead, nothing was announced regarding his WWE future, as Cena stated he wasn’t sure when he would wrestle again. 

Shortly before WWE confirmed Cena would be appearing on this episode of SmackDown, it was reported that Cena was expected to work WrestleMania 39 although an opponent wasn’t mentioned. 

AEW Star Undergoes Surgery

Andrew Ravens
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Griff Garrison is on the mend after undergoing the knife. 

The AEW star announced on Friday evening that he had surgery by tweeting that he “had to go under the knife,” but added that he’d be back in no time. The post also featured a picture of himself in a hospital bed. As of this writing, it’s unclear what the surgery was for and how long he’ll be out of action.

Garrison’s Last Match

Varsity Blondes

Garrison has not wrestled since the AEW Dark taping in October, where he and Brian Pillman lost to QT Marshall and Cole Karter. 

Garrison entered the pro wrestling business in 2016 after graduating from the Fire Star Pro Wrestling Academy in Greensboro, NC.

In 2020, Garrison started making appearances for AEW as he made his promotional debut on the June 10th edition of Dark, where he lost to Jimmy Havoc in a singles match.

Garrison was paired up with Brian Pillman Jr. in AEW, where they have found success as a tag team known as The Varsity Blonds. Both Pillman and Garrison were on tiered deals before

The tag team lost the rights to the “Varsity” name to Josh Woods and Tony Nese in October. As a result, they’re now simply The Blonds.

We wish him a speedy recovery.

WWE SmackDown Results, Takeaways (12/16/22): Roman Reigns Returns, Two Title Matches, John Cena

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown airs live tonight from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Roman Reigns returned and there were two title matches on tonight’s show.

WWE SmackDown Results

  • Damage CTRL def. Liv Morgan & Tegan Nox to retain the Women’s Tag Team Championships
  • Gunther def. Ricochet to retain the Intercontinental Championship
  • Hit Row def. Legado Del Fantasma, Viking Raiders in a Triple Threat Tag Team match

Here are the takeaways from this week’s episode of SmacDown:

Xia Li Helped Damage CTRL Retain

Damage CTRL (IYO SKY and Dakota Kai) defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Liv Morgan and Tegan Nox to begin the show. Bayley was ringside for the match. Liv hit IYO with a Dropkick and taunted Dakota Kai. Liv grabbed a kendo stick from under the ring and started chasing Dakota around.

Tegan broke it up and tried to remind Liv that they can’t win the titles via DQ. Morgan and Nox sent Damage CTRL out of the ring. Tegan hit a Crossbody off the top turnbuckle as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Liv hit Dakota with a Dropkick and went after Iyo on the ring apron. Dakota caught Liv with a running kick and Iyo followed it up with a Powerbomb. Tegan broke up the cover but Kai hit her with a Pele Kick. Morgan hit Iyo with a DDT and Nox followed it up with a Shining Wizard but Kai broke up the cover at two.

Liv Morgan hit an awesome Sunset Flip Powerbomb off the ring apron but turned around into a Dropkick from IYO SKY. Nox hit a SKY with a Senton but IYO responded with a headbutt to knock Tegan out of the ring. Bayley attempted to interfere but Nox sent her over the barricade. A masked person hit Nox and Iyo followed it up with a Moonsault for the pinfall victory. It was revealed in a WWE Digital Exclusive that the masked person was Xia Li.

Watch: WWE Superstar Revealed as Mystery Attacker on SmackDown

Sami Zayn is Ready for His Big Night

Sami Zayn said he needs a couple of minutes to get ready for the big night tonight. Jey Uso said to Jimmy that Roman Reigns will be making Sami a full-blown Uce tonight. Jimmy didn’t seem so sure and wondered if Jey had even talked to Roman yet. Jey avoided the question and simply said tonight is going to be good.

Uncle Howdy Appeared

LA Knight came to the ring and called out Bray Wyatt. Knight said Bray is a former WWE Champion his recent return is one of the most talked about ever. LA mocked Wyatt for doing nothing since his return and challenged him to come to the ring so he can stomp him out.

Bray Wyatt made his way to the entrance ramp and said he was sick of LA Knight. He added that he is sick of this game they keep playing and once again denied that he attacked him. Wyatt added that they both know how this story ends. LA attacked Bray and stomped him down to the canvas in the corner of the ring.

Uncle Howdy appeared on the screen and said “little pig, what have you done? You want to see something really scary?” and disappeared from the screen. Knight kicked Wyatt again and noises started playing. Uncle Howdy appeared on the entrance ramp and laughed as LA Knight retreated to end the segment.

Gunther Retained the IC Title

Gunther defended the Intercontinental Championship against Ricochet tonight on SmackDown. The Ring General went for a Clothesline to start off the match but Ricochet was able to dodge it. Gunther took Ricochet down and unloaded several punches. The champ went for a submission hold but Ricochet escaped to the ropes.

The Ring General went for a chop but Ricochet dodged it. Ricochet applied a Headlock but Gunther quickly escaped. Ricochet stayed on the attack and beat the champ down against the turnbuckle as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Ricochet was in control and hit a Shooting Star Press off the top rope but couldn’t keep Gunther down for three. The Ring General battled back and hit a Powerbomb but somehow Ricochet kicked out at two. Gunther followed it up with a Powersla for the pinfall victory and retained the Intercontinental Championship.

After the match, Imperium surrounded Ricochet and set up for an attack but Braun Strowman made the save. Braun raised Ricochet’s hand and fired up the crowd.

Roman Reigns & Sami Zayn Tag Team Match Announced for Dec. 30th

Jimmy Uso talked to Roman Reigns backstage and said if he doesn’t want to make Sami an Uso tonight he understands because of his past with Kevin Owens. Jimmy added that Sami is his dog though but he loves the family. Roman then told Paul Heyman to bring him WWE Official Adam Pearce as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Roman said he wanted to team up with Sami Zayn against Kevin Owens on a partner of his choosing. Heyman suggested December 30th as the date for the match. Solo Sikoa got in Pearce’s face and he exited the room.

Hit Row Earned A Title Shot

Hit Row, Viking Raiders, and Legado Del Fantasma battled in a Triple Threat tag team match. Cruz Del Toro and hit Top Dolla with a flip off the top rope for a near fall. Erik hit Del Toro with a German Suplex and everyone brawled out of the ring.

Top Dolla botched a dive over the top rope in embarrassing fashion, but Hit Row somehow still emerged with a pinfall victory. It was announced The Usos will defend against Hit Row next week. Top Dolla appeared to be in pain after the botch, and next week’s episode of SmackDown is being taped later tonight so it will be interesting to see if he wrestles later.

Gauntlet Match Set for Next Week

Emma, Raquel Rodriguez, Tegan Nox, Sonya Deville, and Xia Li will compete in a Gauntlet Match next week. The winner will earn a shot at Ronda Rousey’s SmackDown Women’s Championship. Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler attacked Raquel in the trainers room this week.

John Cena Will Be Kevin Owens’ Partner on the Final SmackDown of the Year

The Bloodline made their way to the ring at the end of this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown. Roman Reigns asked the crowd to acknowledge him before bragging about The Bloodline dominating WarGames.

Reigns said tonight was going to be a good night for Sami Zayn but they have a Kevin Owens problem. John Cena interrupted on the jumboton and said he got a text from Kevin Owens tonight and will be his partner on the final edition of SmackDown on December 30th. Cena announced that he will be Owens’ partner on the final SmackDown of the year.

WWE Discussing Multiple WrestleMania 39 Ideas for Top Stars

Andrew Ravens
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Triple H is gearing up for his first WWE WrestleMania in charge of creative after Vince McMahon decided to retire due to the hush money scandal. 

Since taking over creative, fans believe WWE has changed for the better. WrestleMania 39 will be a two-night show, set to take place on April 1st and 2nd at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that the company has already started discussing multiple ideas for top talent.

Where Things Stand

Wrestlemania 39
Graphic Credit: Business Wire

Meltzer wrote, “regarding stories that the WrestleMania card is finalized, we are told that there are multiple ideas for Mania cards in discussion and every top act has multiple different things under discussion right now.”

As previously reported, WWE has locked in plans for Brock Lesnar. WWE is hoping to have The Rock, Steve Austin, and John Cena wrestle at the show. 

The speculation is that if WWE can’t get The Rock to come back to do a match with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns then Cody Rhodes may fill that rople. There’s also been talk of having Reigns wrestle on both nights of the show against both stars on different nights. 

Spoiler on WWE Plans for Brock Lesnar’s WrestleMania 39 Opponent

AEW & WWE Pay Tribute to Brodie Lee on His Birthday

Robert Lentini
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0

It is December 16th, do you know what that means? It is Brodie Lee’s birthday.

The former TNT Champion passed away in December 2020 at just 41 years old. His wife, Amanda Huber, works on the promotion’s Community Outreach program. His son, Brodie Lee Jr., portrays -1 in Dark Order. Today would have been Brodie’s 43rd birthday.

Brodie Lee was known as Luke Harper in WWE during his time with the promotion. He was a part of The Wyatt Family, as well as the tag team The Bludgeon Brothers with Erick Rowan. Former Wyatt Family member Braun Strowman took to Twitter to send a happy birthday wish and noted that everyone misses him.

“It’s Friday!!!!!! You know what that means. Happy birthday brother. We miss you.”

WWE & AEW Pay Tribute to Brodie Lee

AEW’s official Twitter sent out a tribute to Brodie earlier today and said that The Exalted One will never be forgotten.

He will never be forgotten. Happy Birthday to the greatest TNT Champion, “The Exalted One @ThisBrodieLee

WWE remembered Harper on his birthday as well. Jon wrestled as Luke Harper in WWE from 2012-2019.

Former WWE Champion Big E was close friends with Jon Huber and wished his friend a happy birthday.

Happy birthday, my brother. We still remember you. We still love you. We still miss you.

WWE had a live event in Rochester, New York earlier this month and Seth Rollins honored Brodie in his hometown.

He passed away a couple of years ago around this time and this is the first time I have been here with a microphone in my hand in this city to tell him how much I miss him and how much I love him.

I just wanted to say tonight was for him, every time we are in Rochester, in my heart, that means we’re here for him. It’s Saturday, and you know what that means, so do your damn thing and sing my song.

Brodie Lee’s final match was on October 7th, 2020. He dropped the TNT Championship to Cody Rhodes in a Dog Collar match. AEW celebrated the life of The Exalted One on the December 30, 2020 edition of Dynamite from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville.

What are some of your favorite moments of Brodie Lee/Luke Harper’s professional wrestling career? Let us know in the comments section below.

Chris Jericho Lands Role in Horror Movie ‘Dark Match’

Andrew Ravens
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Chris Jericho has his next movie project lined up as he is set to lead cast in a wrestling-themed horror movie, “Dark Match.”

Deadline reported today that Jericho will star with Ayisha Issa (Transplant), Steven Ogg (The Walking Dead), Sara Canning (The Vampire Diaries), Michael Eklund (Wynonna Earp) and Jonathan Cherry (Goon) in the movie. 

The Dept. 9 Studios film, which recently wrapped in Edmonton, Canada, is written and directed by Lowell Dean (Wolfcop) and is produced by John MacDonald who also serves as one of the executive producers along with Jericho. Don Depoe and Michael Feehan, who are also Dept.9 producers, are joined by Rhonda Baker (The Grudge) and Michael Peterson.

The Synopsis

Chris Jericho
(via AEW)

The movie sees a small-time wrestling company accept a high-paying gig in a backwoods town, only to discover when they arrive that the community is run by a mysterious cult leader with devious plans for their match.

Jericho previously starred in Terrifier 2 which was released in October that saw him portray a nurse. It became a hit at the box office, grossing $11.5 million.

The ROH Final Battle event was headlined by Jericho defending the ROH World Title against Claudio Castagnoli which saw Jericho drop the championship back to Claudio. 

TBS Were Initially Against Chris Jericho Working ROH Final Battle

Andrew Ravens
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Chris Jericho is arguably AEW’s top act and the biggest name on the roster since the start of the promotion in 2019. 

TBS is also well aware of that value as Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Tony Khan had always planned Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli would close out the ROH Final Battle event on December 10. However, Khan did receive a little pushback.

Jericho dropped the ROH World Title to Claudio at Final Battle. Per the report, “[TBS SVP] Sam Linsky and TBS actually were at first against Jericho, as one of the top guys in AEW, appearing on this PPV show.”

Agreement

Chris Jericho
(AEW)

There was a point where Jericho was scheduled to lose the ROH World Title in the fatal 4-way bout at Full Gear in November to Claudio. However, they ultimately changed it when everyone got on the same page. 

The stakes were high for Castagnoli at Final Battle as his future in the Blackpool Combat Club was on the line. The stipulation stated that if Castagnoli would have lost his Final Battle fight, he would have had to join The Jericho Appreciation Society. 

Jericho started off his reign by defeating Castagnoli before he defended it against several names, including Dalton Castle, Bandido, and Colt Cabana. 

ROH Final Battle Attendance, Live Gate & PPV Buys

ROH Final Battle Attendance, Live Gate & PPV Buys

Andrew Ravens
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Ring of Honor presented its third and final pay-per-view event of 2022 with Final Battle last weekend. It closed up the first year under Tony Khan’s ownership and creative vision for the brand. 

The early estimates are in for ROH Final Battle. According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, the show drew over 25,000 pay-per-view buys (19,000 streaming and 6,400 cable) based on first-week estimates, which are “always low in the end by five to 10 percent.”

The other pay-per-view events for ROH this year were ROH Supercard of Honor in April, with 23,000 buys, and ROH Death Before Dishonor in July, with 37,000 buys.

Other Metrics

Samoa Joe ROH Final Battle

This edition was the biggest PPV number, and the highest attended ROH Final Battle in company history.

The show reportedly drew 2,700 fans, with 2,500 paid at the College Park Center.

The show featured a loaded lineup, including the highly praised double dog collar match for the ROH World Tag Team Titles between The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) against FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) that saw FTR drop the titles. 

It was headlined by Chris Jericho defending the ROH World Title against Claudio Castagnoli. Jericho dropped the championship back to Claudio. 

Matt Cardona’s Advice For Young Talent: “Slow The F*ck Down”

Anutosh Bajpai
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Matt Cardona has successfully rebuilt himself after his WWE release in 2020. He is one of the stars that has helped fill the gap in the independent circuit left by people like The Elite and others after they signed exclusive contracts. His advice for anyone wanting to replicate the success is very simple – to get good at the basics and let things breathe.

The former WWE star recently spoke to Chris Van Vliet. Talking about his advice for young talent on the indies, Cardona mentioned how it’s important to have moments in your match that can go viral. At the same time, you need to get good with the basics and know how to tell a story in a match. The former IC Champion then revealed what he learned during his time in WWE that has helped him get over in the indies:

“Slow the fuck down. Seriously. You gotta imagine, this is what I tell guys too. Let’s say you do a move and you’re both selling and it seems like you’re selling for eternity but in TV land, the commentators are telling the story, the cameras are going from one facial expression to the other guy. So relax a little bit. [It] doesn’t have to be like move, move, move, move, move, move move. There’s a time and a place to go balls to the walls, but you also gotta let the people digest what they just saw.”

‘People Have Given Up On Impact’: Matt Cardona

Matt Cardona on Impact

Matt Cardona also talked about his time with Impact Wrestling and said that he doesn’t know what his future with the company is. The former Digital Media champion put over the promotion for their storylines and roster but agreed with the criticism that their product is hard to find:

“I think it’s great. I think that the roster is awesome. I think that [the] actual show if people watch it, it’s an awesome show, where things make sense in the storylines. They actually have a beginning, middle and end. I just think a lot of people have given up on impact and they don’t want to give it another chance and it’s a shame because it’s a great, great product. It’s another problem, it’s fucking impossible to find it. Like I’m on the goddamn show. I can’t watch it.”

You can check out Matt Cardona’s full interview below:

If you use any quotes from the article, please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

Big Changes to AEW’s TV Presentation Coming in January

Michael Reichlin
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Wrestling fans can expect All Elite Wrestling’s flagship shows to have a new look and feel in the very near future.

In recent months, Warner Bros. Discovery and AEW President Tony Khan decided it’s time to change the overall look and presentation of Dynamite and Rampage. Those changes will be rolled out at some point in January, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

AEW’s recent hiring of Michael Mansury is a big part of this initiative. Mansury previously worked as WWE’s VP of Global Television Production and will serve as Tony Khan’s new Senior Vice President and Co-Executive Producer.

Mansury is considered a “tremendous asset” who is universally well-liked. He worked for WWE from 2009 through 2020. At one time, he was being groomed to be Kevin Dunn’s successor. Many felt he’d replace Dunn whenever Vince McMahon stepped away from WWE, but Mansury didn’t wait that long.

One WWE source told the Observer, Mansury rose ‘too quickly’ through the ranks, which led Dunn to feel threatened and ‘covertly’ make his life very difficult.

AEW’s New Look and Feel

What will this “new look and feel” entail? AEW’s television productions involve many elements, including the the set and staging, lighting, graphics and video packages, music, camera angles, audio, and more.

Dynamite has undergone subtle changes since premiering in October 2019, but it sounds like we’ll be seeing the most significant shakeup to date in just a matter of weeks.

AEW recently brought in Renee Paquette, who has enhanced the broadcast team and by extension, the presentation of the shows.

With AEW’s next round of TV deals approaching, it makes sense for the company to freshen things up now in hopes of being in a better position during negotiations.

“My Masterpiece” – Dax Harwood on Final Battle, FTR’s Future

Michael Reichlin
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Dax Harwood says 2022 was the greatest year of his life and it was capped off by a match he calls his masterpiece.

FTR is widely regarded as one of the greatest tag teams in the world and they’ve held the gold to prove it. Some would argue that All Elite Wrestling could have featured them more prominently this year, but Harwood and Wheeler’s excellence is undeniable. Their tag team record currently stands at 7-3-1 for the year and they’re 6-0 in trios matches.

As the year winds down, Harwood took a chance to look back at the highs and lows of the past twelve months and ponder what the future holds for pro wrestling’s Top Guys. It wasn’t an easy year, but that’s part of what made it so rewarding for him.

2022 and Looking Ahead to 2023

319887952 529053759276496 5751914158298475538 n

On Friday, December 16, Dax Harwood posted a touching message on social media reflecting on how proud he is of FTR’s work this year and their latest classic against the Briscoe Brothers last weekend at ROH Final Battle.

“Artists have the one piece they’re the most proud of, and that’s their Masterpiece,” said Harwood. “This was my Masterpiece. Watching it, honest to God, I’ve laughed, I’ve cringed, and I’ve cried. Over every other match I’ve had, this is the one I’m the most proud of.”

– Dax Harwood

2022 brought a wide range of emotions, including anger, frustration, joy and pain. He doesn’t know what next year will bring, but he’s grateful for the fans who have supported FTR through it all. He gives his word that he’ll do everything in his power to make sure fans are as entertained as ever.

“Completely Wrong” – Chris Jericho Touts How Much He Earned in NJPW

Michael Reichlin
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Chris Jericho is setting the record straight on how much money he made during his high-profile run with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

When Jericho left WWE in 2017, wrestling fans didn’t think much of it at the time. He came and went from WWE several times over the years, a practice that helped keep him fresh and always left fans wanting more. Nobody expected what would happen later that year, when Jericho popped up in NJPW for a feud with Kenny Omega. They did huge business together and NJPW is still profiting off that run to this day from subscribers to their NJPW World streaming service. Jericho was paid handsomely and rightfully so.

NJPW’s gamble to bring in an expensive star from WWE paid off. The promotion will soon attempt to catch lightning in a bottle once again. Sasha Banks is expected to attend Wrestle Kingdom 17 on January 4 and work a series of dates for NJPW.

How Much Did Chris Jericho Make in Japan?

Earlier this week, Dave Meltzer reported that Sasha Banks will be the highest-paid performer in the history of NJPW. She’ll be earning more than she did in WWE (on a per-show basis) – allegedly more than Chris Jericho was paid. Meltzer pegged this figure at $100,000 per match. Jericho caught wind of this claim and says it’s not true.

The inaugural AEW World Champion says this notion is “completely wrong” and he didn’t make a flat rate per appearance. Instead, his pay was determined based on the success of the shows he wrestled on.

“I never had a flat per appearance deal, I was paid according to the event.”

– Chris Jericho

He added that he made more per NJPW event than he did for most of his WrestleMania matches, which is quite a statement.

Jericho is known to be a savvy businessman and proved this once again by negotiating a great deal for himself in Japan. Certain Hollywood stars negotiate a percentage of box office receipts as part of their compensation for appearing in movies. Jericho took the same route, knowing his popularity would drive fans to spend money on his NJPW matches.

WWE Believes Sasha Banks has Peaked as a Wrestler (Report)

Thomas Lowson
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Sasha Banks and WWE were nowhere close to reaching a deal as the promotion no longer see potential in her, the Wrestling Observer Newletter reports.

This month, it was reported that Banks will appear for New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 17 event on January 4.

The former Raw and SmackDown Women’s Champion hasn’t appeared for WWE since walking out of the May 16, Raw over a creative dispute.

Negotiations

For months, it was believed that Banks and WWE would reach an agreement that would facilitate her return to the promotion.

The Observer reports that the two sides were not close on money and that the only deal reached in the summer was for her to leave.

Banks did return to the negotiating table after Vince McMahon’s retirement in July, and despite belief of a “done deal” at the time, the two remained far apart on money.

Horsewomen

It is unclear how much exactly Banks was seeking from WWE, but the Observer writes that it was a number close to the levels of Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.

WWE at the time did not see Banks as somebody who would be on top for the next five years, and instead, believe that she has already peaked as a wrestler.

The company acknowledged that if they did bring her back, there would be a ‘honeymoon’ period of fan support for her, but believed that would not be long-lasting.

It is believed within WWE that Banks could make a fine singles or tag champion, but she is far from a name WWE can build a women’s division around.

Dave Meltzer writes that New Japan cannot afford to pay anywhere close to her WWE deal, but that she will earn more per appearance than for WWE.

Sasha Banks on Filming Her First Movie, Future Projects Outside of WWE

Mandy Rose Wasn’t Given Chance to Delete Photos Before WWE Firing (Report)

Thomas Lowson
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Mandy Rose was released from WWE this week, and the promotion reportedly did not give her a chance to make things right.

Rose was released on Wednesday, 24 hours after dropping the NXT Women’s Championship to Roxanne Perez on this week’s episode of WWE NXT.

The Toxic Attraction member was cut over NSFW content she had shared on her personal website with subscribers.

Mandy Rose

Rose’s departure came as a shock to fans given how popular she had proven to be as NXT Women’s Champion for the past year.

The former Superstar was fired without being given the option to take the stuff down and tone down her site, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports.

Those in the company felt that had no other choice than to fire her because she was an active performer on the roster, and unlike the Saraya situation, these photos had been posted willingly.

The Observer reports that during one stream, Rose threatened to end the stream if she was not tipped $400 for her performance.

Despite WWE sources claiming she requested her release two weeks ago, Rose was reportedly blindsided by being fired this week.

Sympathy

Rose is gone from WWE, and many both in and out of the company believe this is the wrong decision.

While nobody has directly mentioned her, WWE talent have been sharing posts of support, in a rare example of going against management.

Cora Jade posted a heart after news of Rose’s departure was announced, while her Toxic Attraction partners Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne shared images of broken hearts.

Shawn Michaels Wanted NXT Women’s Title Off Mandy Rose Immediately After Learning of Online Content (Report)

Vince McMahon’s WWE Return Could “Cripple the Entire Company” (Report)

Thomas Lowson
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Those in WWE are concerned that Vince McMahon’s return could “cripple the entire company” if it goes ahead.

This week, it was reported that McMahon is planning a comeback, believing that he was given bad advice to retire in July of this year.

McMahon believes that the allegations of misconduct leveled against him in June would have blown over if he had stayed in his roles as CEO and Chairman.

Cripple the Company

McMahon’s potential return to WWE has been met with universal disdain, both from fans and those within the company.

The opinion within WWE is that the promotion has been doing very well under the current regime of Nick Khan, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reports that one longtime Vince supporter is against the idea, fearing that McMahon could “upend the entire Board.”

That same source said that removing the entire Board would likely lead to class action shareholder lawsuits that would “cripple the entire company.”

McMahon Power

Vince McMahon may have retired in July, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have some power.

McMahon owns 37.6% of all WWE stock (as of this past summer) but because his stock is determined differently, this gives him 80% of the voting power.

One source in WWE noted that McMahon stands to make a fortune in stock sales if he allows TV negotiations to go smoothly, which isn’t as likely with rumors of his possible return to the company.

Jim Cornette on Vince McMahon Trying to Return to WWE: “He Thought It Was Going to Blow Over”

Drew McIntyre On Vince McMahon’s Original Plans For 3MB

Anutosh Bajpai
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Drew McIntyre’s career in WWE started off on a high note. Vince McMahon himself hailed him as ‘The Chosen One’ and he looked all set to be the next star of the company. Things didn’t go as planned however and after the initial run, McIntyre slowly descended into the card until he reached the very bottom as part of the 3MB stable.

Though, according to the former WWE Champion himself, his inclusion in 3MB wasn’t meant to be a demotion and instead it was an effort from Vince McMahon to bring some personality out of him.

The WWE star was recently interviewed by Faction 919 where he talked about the different stages and milestones of his career. Speaking about his time in 3MB, Drew mentioned how there were many names suggested for the group but Vince chose him and Jinder Mahal to accompany Heath Slater:

“Vince McMahon looked at the ideas and went ‘these are kind of the obvious ones’ but he doesn’t think like everybody else.” said Drew McIntyre, “He went ‘No, no, I wanna see Drew McIntyre and Jinder Mahal.’ The two most serious guys, serious characters who have not shown anything but being serious.

Because he wants to see what we’ve got and gave us the opportunity [for] our personalities to shine a little more. In WWE, you can’t just be the same forever. It gets boring. You can’t just be angry all the time. Even when you’re winning titles. I was winning titles and just scowling all the time, for some reason, because I just wasn’t relaxed. I felt like I had to be that badass all the time.”

‘He Was Trying To Bring Something Out Of Us’: Drew McIntyre

Heath Slater and 3MB

Drew McIntyre recalled that he was plagued by personal issues at the time and wasn’t fit to be put in the top position in the company. He revealed that there were bigger plans in place for 3MB that couldn’t materialize because he got injured:

“He was trying to bring something out of us while at the same time couldn’t trust us in a prominent role. But [thought] ‘Okay, let’s see if these guys can come out of their shell a little bit more with Heath’ and that’s why 3MB was put together.

I had a broken wrist at the time, didn’t realize I needed surgery. So he did have bigger plans than ended up materializing, but six weeks after we formed, I had to get wrist surgery. I couldn’t touch anyone for about six months. So that kind of put the 3MB in the ground before we even started.”

You can check out Drew McIntyre’s full interview below:

WWE Sources Trying to Claim Mandy Rose Requested her Release

Thomas Lowson
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Why was Mandy Rose released from WWE NXT this week? Well, it depends on who you ask.

Rose was released from the company on Wednesday, a day after losing the NXT Women’s Championship to Roxanne Perez.

The former champion was released after WWE learned of the NXFW content she has been sharing with subscribers of her website.

Request?

All signs have pointed to Rose being released against her wishes, but that’s not what some in WWE are trying to claim.

Some sources in the company are trying to put the story out that Rose requested her release two weeks ago, Fightful Select report.

Fightful added that they have not been given any indication that this claim is true.

Those close to Mandy Rose claim she was in good spirits at the NXT show Tuesday night, as well as immediately following the release.

It is believed that Rose will be just fine from a financial standpoint, given that she is earning more with her online content than as a WWE Superstar.

Toxic Attraction

Prior to her release, Rose had spent over a year as the leader of Toxic Attraction, aligning herself with Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne.

In their report, Fightful adds that the group had been considered several times for the main roster, and had impressed a lot of people of influence.

With that said, there were no active plans for the group to be called up to the main roster at the time of Rose’s release from the company.

Toxic Attraction Reacts to Mandy Rose’s Release from WWE

Braun Strowman Says he Still Owns Control Your Narrative

Thomas Lowson
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Braun Strowman may be a WWE Superstar once more, but the former Universal Champion could still control his narrative if the situation arose.

Strowman was released from WWE in June 2021, and would begin Control Your Narrative with EC3 in February of this year.

The promotion, heavily inspired by Fight Club, earned mixed reviews from fans, many of whom felt that the company took itself far too seriously.

Control Your Narrative

In March, Control Your Narrative hosted its first event, which saw EC3 and Strowman (going by real name Adam Scherr) win the main event tag-team match.

Speaking to Shakiel Mahjouri this week, Strowman spoke about the financial side of Control Your Narrative.

“It was all financed by me and EC3. All the money that we ever made which wasn’t much, we put right back into the company. I was a firm believer in making sure if you wrestled on one of our shows that you got paid. Because this industry is so cutthroat.”

Strowman added that he is still an owner of the company, and appreciates the time he spent with CYN.

“We get to travel around the world and fight with our friends and make money doing it and how could you not? It’s every five-year-old’s dream and it was just an opportunity to try and help others live theirs and unfortunately, like I said — it’s something that I still own, CYN.”

The Future of Control Your Narrative

Control Your Narrative hasn’t hosted an event since July, and the future of the promotion looks very uncertain.

After Strowman’s WWE return in September of this year, EC3 confirmed that a planned tour of Control Your Narrative had been postponed, and no future dates have been announced.

In the interview, Braun said “who knows what’s gonna happen” with CYN, but for now, he is just happy to be ‘home’ in WWE.

Control Your Narrative React to Braun Strowman’s WWE Return

h/t: eWrestlingNews

Matt Hardy Confirms Jeff Hardy Was Going to Win MITB Match at WrestleMania

Samantha Schipman
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December 14 was the 14th anniversary of Jeff Hardy winning his first and only WWE Championship. In route to becoming champion, Hardy was rumored to win the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania 24.

On the latest episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, it focuses on the road to the WWE Championship for Jeff. On the March 3 episode of RAW, Jeff is a guest on Chris Jericho’s “Highlight Reel” when Jericho attacked him from behind. Shortly thereafter, Jeff dropped the Intercontinental Championship to Jericho. This was due to a failed drug test and 60-day suspension as it was his second violation.

Matt Explains What Happened

Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy

Matt confirmed the rumor that his brother was scheduled to win the ladder match and they had decided to make him champion. Freddie Prinze, Jr. was part of creative at this time and had been tasked with making Jeff the WWE Champion.

“I know Freddie Prinze had been given this edict to get Jeff ready for the championship. This was around the time too that he had started to paint his face again. I think they started to lean into some stuff that was very Jeff Hardy-ish.”

“Jeff was in Mexico on an international tour and its at some point there he ended up taking something, some sort of pill or substance — I don’t know if it was for his back or whatever it was — but he ended up getting popped in a drug test. One of the things I remember from the story is that Michael Hayes called him at home and was like, ‘what is going on here? I can’t believe you did all this. Vince is going to call you in a few minutes, so be ready to answer the phone.’ Vince called and was like, ‘what the fuck have you done?’ I guess they taiked it through and Jeff said they spoke for a while and they seemed to be kosher. Jeff just apologized and regretted taking it.”

Matt Speaks on Jeff Hardy Plane Incident

Jeff Hardy SmackDown

Matt also discussed the “Nashville incident” where Jeff was removed from a plane by police. The brothers and Shane Helms had been celebrating someone’s birthday the night before and stayed up too late. The next day, Jeff managed to get either liquor or beer and was “buzzed.”

Matt tried to get his brother to eat and Jeff smashed the sausage biscuit into the ground while laughing. Matt & Helms told him to “be cool.” Jeff talked to everyone that was boarding and someone with the airline realized he might be drunk. They asked him to leave and he said no, he’d just sleep on the flight. He was the escorted off the plane by police. This incident upset some of the locker room and Jeff lost some support.

Jeff eventually beat Edge and the WWE Champion Triple H at Armageddon, even though Triple H didn’t think Jeff was reliable enough to be champion. Matt says seeing his brother become WWE Champion was one of the highlights of his career.

Jim Cornette on Vince McMahon Trying to Return to WWE: “He Thought It Was Going to Blow Over”

Robert Lentini
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Wrestling veteran Jim Cornette recently discussed Vince McMahon trying to return to WWE and noted that it might not be the best thing for the company.

Vince McMahon resigned from the company in July on Twitter. The 77-year-old cited his age as the reason for him stepping away while news of alleged hush money payments to former female employees came to light.

Former EVP of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis was dismissed during the scandal. Nick Khan and Stephanie McMahon have been named co-CEOs of the company and Triple H has gained more power than ever since Vince stepped away.

Speaking on episode 273 of Jim Cornette’s Drive Thru, the legendary promoter and manager spoke about Vince possibly attempting to return to the company. Cornette noted that Vince has likely been working on a way to get himself back in WWE for some time now.

Vince wasn’t gonna not work. Vince has been working on something, he’s probably been working on figuring out how to get back to work. But he has been working on something. He has been occupying his time with something.

Jim Cornette

He added that Vince probably thought this whole thing was going to blow over and always planned to come back when he announced his retirement on social media.

He thought it was going to blow over. He wasn’t going to put it over, and then someone got to him with how serious it was, that this is going to be bad if something doesn’t happen.

And he acquiesced to it, and then he started getting bored, and now he wants something to f***ing do. And you cannot stop Vince McMahon from either working or working on a way to start working again.

Jim Cornette

Jim Cornette on if Vince McMahon Returning to WWE Would Benefit the Company

Co-host Brian Last asked if Vince McMahon coming back to WWE would be good for the company and Cornette pointed out how many people have wanted to come back to WWE now that Triple H has gained power.

Cornette added that Triple H is trying to get WWE out of the “goofy funk” they were in during Vince’s final stretch as CEO of the company.

All we’ve been talking about for a couple of months now or more, guys want to go back and work for Triple H. I think he’s brought back some that he probably has buyer’s remorse on some that he’s brought back, but they want to come back and work for him.

And some more will follow. You know, Regal, etc. They didn’t want to work for Vince because he had gone out of his mind and Max Dupree was an example, and Ezekiel.

It’s bad creatively because RAW or SmackDown is not setting the world on fire with the ratings either, but at least they are trying to do something to get out of that goofy funk they were in the last little while with Vince.

The old guys that made a ton of money with Vince and worked with him before he lost his mind apparently, they love him. So no, I think Vince for PR, for creative, and potentially just for hiring, he needs to be separated from that situation.

But it’s his. How can you separate him if he don’t want to be separated?

Jim Cornette

Please credit Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru with a H/T to SEScoops if you use any quotes from this article.

Vince McMahon Planning WWE Comeback, Regrets Retiring

Bayley on Botch During WWE RAW: “We Were So Flustered by It”

Robert Lentini
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Bayley squared off against Alexa Bliss this past Monday on RAW in a #1 contender’s match. During the match, Alexa Bliss went for a Hurricanrana but it didn’t go well and both superstars crashed to the canvas in an awkward fashion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yrCG78NdGU

The Role Model spoke about the incident during a recent Instagram Live and explained how the move went wrong.

I was taking a move from the girl [Bliss] I was wrestling, and it just kind of got wonky. It got wonky to the point where I lost my footing, and we both landed on our heads. We weren’t knocked out or anything, but we were like, ‘ oh that sucked and didn’t look good.’ 

We just tried to get back on the same page, but we didn’t know where we were going. We were so flustered by it – she and I literally went for the same move, which made us collide heads again.

I just had to give her a clothesline and just had to stop. I just said, ‘alright, let’s just stop and slow down a little bit.’

Bayley

H/T: Wrestling Inc

Bianca Belair on Alexa Bliss Almost Attacking Her on RAW

Alexa Bliss won the #1 contenders match after Becky Lynch attacked Damage CTRL ringside. Becky battled with IYO SKY and Dakota Kai through the crowd and it distracted Bayley. Alexa capitalized and hit Twisted Bliss for the pinfall victory.

RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair congratulated Alexa after the match but Bliss almost hit her with Sister Abigail out of nowhere before stopping herself.

Bianca was interviewed after RAW and stated that she was reminded that Alexa Bliss is still a competitor and that she won’t be caught off guard again.

She showed me a side of her that… I have no words for it.

I’m still trying to figure out what that was, is this what is going to be, is this a phase?

We’ll have to see. But at the end of the day, we are competitors. So once we step into the ring there are no friends and I have to remember that.

Next time we step in the ring, I have to show her that I’m the EST of WWE, and we are going to compete, but that is not going to happen again.

Bianca Belair
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