Mick Foley may have just left Twitter but is making a boatload of cash on another application.
Cameo is service that in exchange for money, a celebrity, former athlete, or anyone with any notoriety whatsoever, will create a video message in exchange.
According to Betting.com, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley has reportedly earned close to $500,000 and is the highest-earning athlete on the application. Brett Favre ranks at #2 and the former Packers QB may be in dire need of the funds in due time with his current legal issues.
The other wrestlers in the top ten are WWE legend Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and AEW’s Matt Hardy and Danhausen. Wrestling is currently the top-earning sport on Cameo. DDP, Kurt Angle, Kevin Nash, and AEW’s Darby Allin have done well on the platform as well.
Many celebrities film quick videos for their fans that pay them on Cameo. Mick Foley does the opposite and puts a lot of effort into the personalized videos and it is clearly paid off for him. The 57-year-old will often make Cameos for fans as his wrestling personas Cactus Jack or Dude Love.
Mick Foley on Paying the Price for His Wrestling Career
Mick Foley had a legendary wrestling career, spanning decades and multiple promotions. He earned a reputation for his hardcore styles during his career, and perhaps his most memorable moment was being launched off the top of the HIAC by The Undertaker. The WWE legend also has a comedic side to his character in WWE and The Rock n’ Sock Connection is still beloved by wrestling fans.
Speaking on his Foley is Pod show, the Hardcore Legend said that the price he is paying for his wrestling career is steeper than he thought was imaginable.
We’ve been looking over your MRIs and your X-rays. You’ve got too many issues. You got muscular, neurological, skeletal, and even if we are able to help from a neurological standpoint, there’s nothing we can do with those other things.
I’m looking at all these things I did during the course of my career and I mean, I’m paying a steeper price than I thought imaginable.
Chris Jericho is The Ocho (an 8-time World Champion), a wizard, and the leader singing of the popular rock band Fozzy. He recently appeared on The Masked Singer and fans were quick to point out that that is the voice of Le Champion.
The Masked Singer is a show where celebrities dress up in mascot costumes and then sing a tune. A panel of judges and the audience guess which celebrity is under the costume.
On a recent episode of the show, a giant pink dinosaur in a wedding dress, labeled “The Bride”, sang Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance” hit from 2014. The Wizard also performed Smash Mouth’s “All Star” on the show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phIEp7oGD0s&t=18s
AEW Fans Sing Chris Jericho’s Theme
Chris Jericho has been with All Elite Wrestling since its inception and has become one of the leaders of the promotion. After the brawl between CM Punk and The Elite after All Out, it was reported that Moxley, Danielson, and Chris Jericho all took more of a leadership role in the company backstage.
The inaugural AEW World Champion had one of the cooler moments in the promotion’s short history thus far. Dynamite aired live from the Jericho Cruise Ship and fans sang Fozzy’s Judas as Jericho made his way to the ring with Jake Hager behind him. AEW fans have been singing his theme ever since as he comes to the ring.
Chris Jericho is scheduled to defend the ROH World Championship on November 19th at Full Gear. He will put the title on the line in a 4-Way match against Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Sammy Guevara.
No, Ethan Page does not think women belong in the kitchen or that gay people are fatherless. He may or may not believe that Christ is King, but he certainly isn’t posting about it on social media.
Indeed, Ethan Page’s Twitter has been hacked and the person who did it is saying some super weird, offensive stuff.
We’re not going to link to the Tweets, because they’re probably going to get deleted, but here are some screenshots that show just how creepy some people can be.
Don’t Fall For It
And so on. It’s very clearly not ‘All Ego,’ but there are inevitably some fans who could think this was some sort of awkward “heel turn.” It’s not. He was hacked. Page even took to Instagram to let his followers know he was hacked, as well as what he was having for lunch.
It’s important to note that while it may seem like a good idea to report the account, in today’s crazy Twitter climate, his account may get banned if it’s reported. So it’s best to just ignore what the poster is saying and move on. Don’t respond, don’t engage and, most importantly, DO NOT click on any links that he may post.
Cameron Grimes debuted in WWE NXT in 2019 and it appears that his time in the developmental promotion may be coming to an end.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, the plan is to bring Cameron Grimes to the main roster following his program with Joe Gacy in NXT.
Cameron Grimes is supposed to go to the main roster. I was told he’s going to finish up with Joe Gacy and then go to the main roster.
Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio
Grimes battled Joe Gacy in this week’s episode of NXT but came up short after Ava Raine interfered in the bout.
The 29-year-old recently appeared on the main roster in a backstage segment on the October 17th edition of RAW. He asked for The Good Brothers to join him in a 6-man tag team match against Joe Gacy’s Schism faction on NXT. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson accepted and the trio defeated Schism the following night on NXT.
The New York Post recently spoke with Grimes following his debut on RAW and the purchase of a new home. Cameron said it was indescribable to have his debut with AJ Styles as he looks up to him.
“I always thought I was gonna have that moment, but you never know how it will come. I thought I might be an extra — like a security guard in the arena or something — but to come in and to be featured in a spot with AJ Styles, who I’ve looked up to since I was a child and I emulated a lot of his career early on because he’s just so good.
So to be able to be featured with him and the Good Brothers [Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson] was so cool. It’s indescribable.”
Robert Roode is slated to return to in-ring action after not wrestling on WWE TV since the beginning of April.
The veteran wrestler hasn’t worked a match since a non-televised house show in June. In September, he underwent a medical procedure at Southlake Orthopaedics in Birmingham, Alabama.
According to a report by PWinsider.com, Roode was spotted back in Birmingham on Wednesday (November 9), and the “hope” is that he’ll be making a return to the ring “soon.”
Plans for Robert Roode
Per the report, WWE has talked about bringing Roode back on SmackDown, which would split up his tag team with Dolph Ziggler, who is on Raw, unless Ziggler is moved over too.
Under the leadership of Paul Levesque (Triple H), when he was still booking NXT, Roode was pushed as a top star and became the NXT Champion. Under Vince McMahon’s vision, he never hit the same heights on the main roster.
That could change with a new regime in place and a fresh start for Roode, who may be elevated more than he was under Vince McMahon. While on the main roster, Roode has been a US Champion and a three-time Tag Team Champion.
R-Truth says he’s on the road to recovery after undergoing surgery to repair a torn quad tendon.
The veteran Superstar suffered the injury during a match on WWE NXT earlier this month. During a match against Grayson Waller, Truth went for a Flip Dive over the top rope and onto the arena floor. Unfortunately, his knee clipped the rope and he had an ugly landing. He was unable to continue the match, so Waller was declared the winner and Truth was helped backstage by medical staff.
Truth, a 54-time WWE 24/7 Champion, has been keeping fans apprised of his situation on social media. Earlier this week, he checked in to thank fans for their support and half-joked that he might document the whole injury and recovery for a future documentary.
On Thursday, Truth revealed that his surgery was a success. He wrote on Twitter, “I really really appreciate the support and love im receiving from all of you!! I can’t say thank you enough??, Surgery went well, stay tuned.. #whatitis”
If theres one thing we know about R-Truth: he’s got heart. The fact that he is still competing at such a high level at 50 years old shows that he puts in the work.
A torn quad tendon typically takes about 4 months to heal, so he’ll be out of action for the remainder of 2022.
SEScoops wishes R-Truth a full and speedy recovery.
Roman Reigns has been the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion since WrestleMania 38 when he beat Brock Lesnar to unify the WWE and Universal Championships. He signed a new deal shortly after this that started his part-time schedule.
Manny fans expected to see Reigns drop one of his titles to Drew McIntyre when they met in the main event of the Clash at the Castle event, the first major PPV event in the UK since 1992 as it had been built around this expectation. That didn’t happen as Reigns retained the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship over McIntyre.
Leading up to the event, there was talk of WWE considering taking at least one of Roman’s titles off him, but it was revealed WWE decided to stick with its long-term plan with Reigns as a top guy. As a result, they went with that direction instead of going for the big pop that McIntyre would’ve received from the fans there live for a title win.
“The only thing they could think of was with Austin Theory. He was going to somehow make it known that he was only cashing in for one of the belts. Therefore, it became a triple threat, and Tyson Fury stopped him like he did, and Drew would then would take one of the titles. For whatever reason, that didn’t work, and it sounds really convoluted. I don’t know how you’re gonna pull it off on TV.”
This past Saturday at Crown Jewel, Reigns retained his Undisputed WWE Universal Title over Logan Paul.
After going through x-rays, CT scans, and an MRI, Saraya was officially cleared on Halloween. She said she called her parents and was “crying my eyes out.” She sent the picture from her doctor to Paquette. Saraya is clear on what she can and can’t do. She said “I’m not going to get kicked in the back of the head again — which was my fault, you guys. Again, that was my fault.”
Saraya is referring to a house show from December 2017. She was in a six-woman tag match in Long Island. Sasha Banks kicked her really hard and it resulted in a stinger and losing the feeling in her extremities. At the time, the injury was believed to be career-ending.
Saraya Tells Sasha Banks
(via WWE)
One of the first people she texted after being cleared was Banks. “All of that stuff can mentally fuck someone up to like, end someone’s career. All her fans were attacking me and all my fans were attacking her — well not all of them, a small percentage — but they were all attacking each other. (…) They still send me tweets like, ‘I’m so glad Sasha broke your neck’ and people tweeting her like, ‘how dare you end someone’s career?’ She’s not unsafe, it’s just an accident. It happens in wrestling, that’s what we sign up for.”
Saraya read the text that she sent Banks. “I just said ‘Hey sis, I just want to let you know this because I know that this stuff was really tough on you mentally. But my doctor just cleared me and told me my neck is 100 percent ready to go. I haven’t told anyone else, but I know this will make you feel good: I’m back. Haha'”
Saraya says Sasha was over the moon. Saraya said she told her that she doesn’t want her to feel bad anymore. Having the time away was for the best in the long run because she could focus on herself and get healthy and sober. “I just feel like it was meant to be and I healed in record time. It’s been five years and I’m officially back. It’s pretty fucking inspiring.”
There are two stars that Bray Wyatt would like to see Paul Levesque (Triple H) bring back to the WWE that had been released during the COVID-19 pandemic alongside several other names because of what was blamed on “budget cuts.”
Wyatt was also let go by the company when Vince McMahon was still running things as he departed in July 2021, only to return last month at the Extreme Rules event after several weeks of teases that were dropped throughout WWE’s shows.
Since taking over talent relations and main roster creative, Triple H has brought back several names, including Wyatt, and it appears fans shouldn’t expect that trend to end any time soon.
The Names
While speaking with GiveMeSport, WrestleVotes stated that Wyatt wants to work with two specific names: his real-life brother Bo Dallas and former Wyatt Family member Erick Rowan.
“There’s people that Bray likes and people he wants to work with. Bo Dallas is one of them and so is Erick Rowan. If Erick wants to come back, I’m sure they’d allow that if Bray also wanted it.”
There have been rumors that Wyatt will lead a new faction called the ‘Wyatt 6.’ As of late, Wyatt’s promos have been interrupted by a dark character known as ‘Uncle Howdy,’ whose actual identity has yet to be revealed but is speculated to be Dallas or an alter-ego of Wyatt himself.
Bo Dallas and Eric Redbeard have both spoken about the possibility of returning to WWE. Back in April, Dallas announced that he’ll be returning to wrestling “really, really soon.” More recently, there have been reports that his WWE return is imminent.
Last month, Redbeard said the door is open for a WWE return. He told NBC Sports Boston, “There’s always [an] opportunity and my story within wrestling. That character of Erick Rowan or Erick Redbeard, it has so much left to tell and talk about. I think when I stepped aside when Covid happened and people were let go, I wasn’t ready for my story to stop.”
5 WWE Superstars who can Challenge Gunther for the IC Title
Bobby Lashley wants to fight Brock Lesnar for a third time after feuding with the fellow former WWE Champion throughout 2022.
Their first match took place at the Royal Rumble in January, where Lashley beat “The Beast” for the WWE Title. However, Lashley lost the title at the Elimination Chamber event in Saudi Arabia in February but was never pinned or submitted as WWE did an injury angle to get Lashley out of the match as he was dealing with a shoulder injury.
At Crown Jewel, Lesnar beat Lashley, although”The All Mighty” laid him out with a post-match attack. During an appearance on WWE’s The Bump this week.
Lashley made a comment about the defeat and stated he intends to finish the trilogy after emphasizing that he won the fight, not the match. Lashley said that he would be there to greet “The Beast Incarnate” when he decides to return.
Bobby Lashley’s Idea
Lashley proposed that their next match occurs outside the ring, where they could fight in a street brawl. If not, he suggested that their third encounter should be something unique to reflect the level that which Lesnar has raised their rivalry.
“He’s making it personal, and if it he makes it personal, okay, we fight at a different level. That’s why, at Crown Jewel, I didn’t care about winning the match. I wanted to kick his ass, and I wanted to let him know that I don’t appreciate what he’s been doing this entire time, that he’s been making it personal. If you make it personal, it’s a street fight. So the next time we fight, I don’t even think it should be in a ring. I think we should go fight outside. I think we should grab, YouTube, let somebody grab a camera, meet us out in the street, and let’s beat each other down and see who doesn’t get up afterwards. I mean, I don’t know. It has to be something else because if he wants to make it that way, then we gotta go and fight that way, and I’m okay with it. I’m okay with fighting any way,” Lashley said.
Before Crown Jewel, Lashley expressed his confidence that his rivalry with Lesnar would continue after the show, and it looks like that will be the case.
Saraya came to AEW in part because for her friendship with Paquette. When she signed with the company, she told Paquette she didn’t 100 percent know what she was going be doing. “I know I’m going there to support the division in some way on TV or behind the scenes. You know, I’m just there to try and help as much as possible. The division’s doing really well, it can always be elevated.” She said that’s why Madison Rayne is there too.
“When I came in, I didn’t really know what the deal was. I knew I was going to be a part of something and I was going to be part of something special. Then, when I got there — the great reaction when I walked out — oh my God! You cannot throw a wrestler out there and tell them they can’t do anything. (laughs) I came to terms with not being able to wrestle anymore and that’s fine.”
“A couple years ago, I did do some x-rays and they were looking great. I didn’t do the full MRI, but I did do the x-rays a couple of years ago. There’s not like the perfect read on your neck. X-rays of the bones, but you can see everything like all the inner workings of your neck; like the important part. You know they can see exactly how much fluid is around there. It’s really crazy how an x-ray works. And a CT. I just did the x-rays, so I was a little nervous about doing the MRI.”
Stone Cold Inspired Her To Wrestle Again
via WWE.com
She thought things looked good, but didn’t want to rush anything. The return of Edge and Stone Cold Steve Austin having a good match without any bumps was really inspiring. After seeing Stone Cold versus Kevin Owens, she thought “I could do a Stone Cold match.” She told Tony Khan her idea. He told her that they did tag matches with Sting and suggested doing that for her, but she wanted a singles match if she came back.
Saraya clarifies that Dr. Sampson didn’t “clear me for anything.” She said when she first went out there with Baker, she didn’t ask for clearance. He advised her not to take a bump. If she wanted to wrestle, she would have to have x-rays, MRIs, and CTs. Saraya agreed, but didn’t want to see a doctor associated with wrestling because “there’s a little bit of bias there. I don’t want to make the same mistake where I came back and I was like, wrestling every single day and just doing all these crazy things. I really want to be aware and careful of my neck this time. I want to get to the nitty gritty of what my neck looks like and if I’m even going to be paralyzed because that would be the biggest scare that if I did wrestle, I could potentially get paralyzed.”
Saraya Gets Medically Cleared with No Restrictions
(AEW)
On Halloween, Saraya went to a doctor in California. He has seen patients that compete in the NFL, NBA, and actors and actresses that are action stars. She thought he was perfect because he’d tell her no if he didn’t think she should wrestle and also his job would be on the line if he cleared her when he shouldn’t have.
Although her x-rays looked good, he said “we still have to triple check.” She went downstairs for the MRI and across the street for CT scan and then brought them back in the same hour. Upon hearing the news that she was cleared, she burst into tears. She said she started asking questions like, ‘what about the fluid in my neck?’ The doctor told her the fluid was back and her “fusions look perfect. There’s no fractures above and below, there’s no issues.”
He also told her that paralysis is rare. “If you get kicked there, you have some cushion now.” He advised her to take time if she isn’t feeling well. When she asked how many matches she can have, he told her “let’s take it easy. Like, one match a month and then gradually start building up.”
Full Gear is live from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Saturday, November 19.
After going public with his announcement that he would be leaving the company once his contract expired on January 1, 2023, the NWA has suspended Nick Aldis.
The former World Heavyweight Champion has been the face of the promotion for the last five years as he was the top champion for over 1000 days during that time.
Matt Cardona, a former NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion himself and set to face Aldis at NWA Alwayz Ready before he suffered a bicep injury, has given his thoughts on Aldis leaving the promotion.
Matt Cardona on Nick Aldis
Matt Cardona as the NWA champion
“That’s unfortunate. Nick and I, we have some unfinished business, we were supposed to wrestle at Alwayz Ready, but obviously, I got injured. I feel he’s a great opponent of mine. I don’t think he liked when I came to NWA because it was his baby and he did such a great job representing the NWA, being the face of NWA, he’s got all the tools and I wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors,” he said while appearing on This Is Pro Wrestling.
At this Saturday’s NWA Hard Times 3 event, Cardona will challenge for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat bout against Trevor Murdoch and Tyrus.
All Elite Wrestling has additional content plans in the works.
A new report from Fightful Select touches on excitement within Warner Bros. Discovery over the new AEW docuseries that is currently filming. There had been speculation about AEW’s future with WBD after the recent merger, but things are looking more positive as a WBD source stated AEW will likely be offered a renewal with a significant increase on their rights fee deals when the time comes.
Positive News
The two sides have been collaborative and open to input from one another. The WBD source noted this year has been a huge rebound year for interest in pro wrestling across the board and that it came at the perfect time for AEW and WWE.
As previously reported, AEW began filming their new docuseries at the recent Dynamite event in Baltimore that will focus on the behind-the-scenes aspect of the promotion and through the experiences of several wrestlers, which is the point of the series.
Although not confirmed, the belief is the project will air on TBS in early 2023. All Elite Wrestling did give wrestlers the option to not be involved in the project, but there’s no word yet on which wrestlers the series will focus on.
Filming is set to go on for six weeks, through the Dynamite event on December 14 at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TX. AEW President Tony Khan will serve as Executive Producer, while Shed Media Executive Producer Sam Berns will assist with the new series. Production is a collaboration between WBD and Shed Media.
Cena’s thriving Hollywood career has kept him away from the ring, with his most recent televised match taking place all the way back at Summerslam 2021.
John Cena has faced some of wrestling’s biggest names at WrestleMania, including Bray Wyatt, The Rock, the Big Show, and Shawn Michaels, but who is next for Big Match John?
4 – Austin Theory
Is the long-rumored Cena-Theory match destined to happen at WrestleMania?
To many people, the most obvious choice for WWE, a match between Cena and Theory makes a lot of sense.
It was earlier this year that the two teased a feud, with both men throwing shade at one another on social media.
At the time, fans predicted that a match at Summerslam 2022 was bound to happen, likely for the U.S. Title Theory held earlier this year.
That of course didn’t happen, and while he’s confident the Cena match will come in time, Theory has been on a downward spiral since then, recently failing in his Money in the Bank cash-in attempt.
At just 25 years old, Theory is a star WWE could get a lot out of for years, possibly decades to come, but they need to have that big win.
A match with Cena would be a fantastic mix of generations, and if Theory was to get the win, would set the cocky heel back on track on his road to the main event.
3 – Logan Paul
Logan Paul wowed fans with his gutsy performance against Roman Reigns at WWE Crown Jewel 2022.
Fans may love him or hate him, but there’s no denying Logan Paul’s talent in the ring.
In just three matches, Paul has shown that he can hang with full-time WWE Superstars, and he could soon be sharing the ring with John Cena.
Cena’s thriving Hollywood career and Paul consistent YouTube fame would guarantee the match mainstream exposure, something WWE always wants, especially for WrestleMania.
The story would not need to be too complex, and while WWE could go with a heel Paul disrespecting the legend, the feud would also work as face vs. face.
It could be as simple as Paul saying that he wants to prove himself by facing the best, and boom! John Cena storyline, and Paul recently tweeted interest in the match.
The big question however is Paul’s recent injuries, which are expected to keep him out for the foreseeable future, and could force him to miss WrestleMania.
With that said, Cena himself became known for recovering from injuries at a near super-human rate, and if Paul can match that, then this unlikely dream match is a possibility.
2 – Intercontinental Champion GUNTHER
2022 has been the year of the Austrian powerhouse GUNTHER, who could have a war with John Cena.
As anyone who watches SmackDown will know, 2022 has been the year of GUNTHER.
Debuting on the blue brand earlier this year, the Austrian quickly captured the Intercontinental Championship and has held on to it with an iron grip.
Of course, GUNTHER’s rise to prominence has come during Cena’s hiatus from wrestling, but a match between the two would be a spectacle.
The clash of styles alone would make this a potential Match of the Night, and the story would play into Imperium’s quest for respect for wrestling.
This match is more than wishful thinking, however, as like Paul, GUNTHER has also addressed rumors of a match, and is all for facing Big Match John.
Should he hold the Intercontinental title that long, there would also be the possibility of John Cena finally winning the gold and becoming a Grand Slam Champion, one of a select few accolades not on his resume.
GUNTHER’s title reign has done wonders to bring prestige back to the Intercontinental Championship, and having the biggest star of the past two decades would certainly add to that.
1 – Randy Orton
It’s been over five years since the two veterans faced off. Will WrestleMania 39 mark the end of one of WWE’s biggest feuds?
All matches so far are never before seen bouts, but what if WWE wants an opponent Cena is VERY familiar with?
Holmes and Moriarty. Batman and The Joker. Some opponents are made for each other. Orton and Cena are such a pair.
Fans may groan at the idea of seeing YET ANOTHER Cena-Orton match, but bear in mind that it’s been five years since their last bout, and close to nine years since their last match at a Premium Live Event.
Cena and Orton are two of WWE’s biggest stars, and a rematch (especially one billed as their final collision) is worthy of WrestleMania.
But there’s another reason why this match makes sense for WrestleMania 39: Time.
As we’ve seen, Cena isn’t around as much these days, and it’s not impossible to think that WrestleMania 39 could be the last time he competes at WWE’s flag-ship show.
There’s also questions that need to be raised about Orton, who’s missed most of 2022 with an injury, and is expected to miss the rest of this year.
If WWE wants one final epic Cena-Orton match, then the window of opportunity is closing, and WrestleMania 39 could be a fitting send-off for one of the biggest feuds in wrestling.
Gunther has been pushed as a top star on WWE SmackDown since being called up to the main roster earlier this year and booked strongly as the Intercontinental Champion.
Over the last week, it’s been rumored that John Cena will make his return to WWE for another match at WrestleMania 39 next year in LA. There has been speculation about Cena wrestling Gunther at this show.
At this point in his career, Cena is considered a legend who will occasionally work a rare televised match.
Gunther was interviewed on Steve Fall’s Ten Count YouTube channel before this year’s WWE Survivor Series in Boston later this month. During it, Gunther talked about the rumored match.
Gunther on the Match
“Of course, we could see it. I don’t know what’s going to happen or if it’s going to happen. Obviously, that’s something I would love to do. John Cena is one of the legends. Because he’s not really active at the moment anymore, he just pops up, but when he does, if the chance is there for me, I’ll gladly take it. One of, if not the most popular babyface in this sport of all time. I think I would be a great counterpart to that. I would love to do it.”
Cena’s last match was in August 2021 when he teamed with The Mysterios (Dominik Mysterio & Rey Mysterio) to defeat The Bloodline (Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso & Roman Reigns) for a SmackDown dark match while his last televised match was a loss to Reigns in the main event of SummerSlam 2021.
Who is winning the war between WWE and All Elite Wrestling? Well in the UK, it’s hard to tell.
In May 2019, months after launching, AEW announced a partnership deal with ITV for their weekly programming and Pay-Per-Views to be aired.
After ITV Box Office ceased operations in January 2020, the promotion’s Pay-Per-Views were no longer streamed by the broadcaster.
The Ratings
During this week’s AEW Dynamite, it was announced that the promotion will host its first UK event next year.
The UK is known for its wildly passionate fanbase, as the success of WWE Clash at the Castle can attest.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that AEW is consistently improving in the ratings thanks to a new timeslot.
“Because the ratings have been good, ITV 4 [AEW’s host channel] decided to move it to 9 pm every Friday night. That is a regular time slot. It won’t be revolving around. What happened the first couple of weeks is the new timeslot, the numbers were way down. Not way up, because people didn’t know about the timeslot change. But every week the ratings have gone up and up and up.
“Last week, they set their all-time record rating, not just for that time slot but since Dynamite has been on the air.”
Popularity
Typically, ratings can tell you what is the more popular show, and this metric can often shape future deals for companies.
As Meltzer explained, this isn’t the case with the UK, as WWE remains the more popular show despite what the numbers say.
“Ratings and popularity are not the exact same thing. Because they are on a station that is stronger in England than WWE is, as far as exposure, their ratings dwarf WWE in England. WWE just ran in Cardiff and did 53,999 paid attendance and an $8 million house, and AEW is not going to do that. AEW’s ratings dwarf WWE but WWE is more popular in England, and by a significant margin.
“In this case, the ratings do not tell you which is the more popular promotion, even though more people by far watch Dynamite than any other show. More people watch Rampage than watch Raw or SmackDown in England.”
It is unclear when exactly in 2023 AEW will make their UK debut, while WWE’s next events in the UK will be in April next year.
Another NWA star is done with the promotion just days after Nick Aldis announced his intention to leave when his contract is up.
Aldis, arguably the NWA’s biggest star since its 2017 revamp, made his announcement last week and has been suspended from the promotion.
The two-time former NWA Worlds Champion has been openly critical of NWA President Billy Corgan who he claims disrespected Mickie James ahead of and after NWA Empowerrr.
Taryn Terrell
Aldis’ contract with the NWA will expire in January 2023, and Taryn Terrell is also set to leave the promotion.
Fightful Select reports that Terrell gave her notice last month, and has expressed concerns about the lack of direction in the show.
Terrell, who worked as Tiffany in WWE’s ECW, wrestled in ten matches during her time with the NWA.
Her most recent match saw Terrell and Natalia Markova lose to Max the Impaler in a handicap tag match on the August 31, NWA USA Taping.
When Fightful reached out to Terrell, they were unable to get a statement, and NWA did not confirm if she is leaving when asked.
Injury
Taryn is unhappy with the promotion’s direction moving forward, but that isn’t the only issue with the company.
Terrell is also said to be unhappy with how the company reacted when she suffered a head injury during a match.
It is unclear which match Terell suffered her head injury in or how the injury happened.
The 36-year-old had hoped to finish up her remaining dates with the company but is unable to.
What was Bret Hart told prior to his infamous Survivor Series 1997 WWF Championship match with Shawn Michaels?
The match, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this week, saw Hart lose via submission despite never tapping out to the Sharpshooter.
Hart had informed WWE higher-ups that he was leaving for WCW, but had creative control that meant he could refuse to lose to Shawn Michaels, his real-life rival at the time.
The Match
Clocking in at under 20 minutes, the match is one of the shorter bouts Hart and Michaels had especially compared to their WrestleMania 12 Iron-Man classic.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated this week, Hart explained how the match had only just gotten started when Vince McMahon called for the bell.
“We had another 25 minutes. The match was already good, and we hadn’t even hit our stride… Even when we didn’t get along, Shawn and I always had great chemistry together in the ring.
“That match was just starting. All the brawling was done just to set up the actual match. It was going to really get going after I reversed his sharpshooter. We pictured the crowd standing up and going crazy. That was going to be the moment when it took off.”
Bret would leave the WWE immediately after the show, but not before laying out McMahon with a black eye backstage.
After a 2006 WWE Hall of Fame induction, Hart would return to WWE fully in 2010 and has made appearances since.
Bret Today
Despite being deeply hurt for years over the Screwjob, Hart has said he is in a much better place these days.
Looking back at his career, the Hitman is proud of what he did despite the Screwjob.
“I’m proud that people still appreciate what I did. When I wrestled, I wanted to have the best match I could every night. I never believed in going to a certain city and taking it easy. I gave 100% every night.”
Hart is one of a select few to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame twice, first in 2006 and then in 2019 as part of the Hart Foundation.
Austin Theory’s attempt to cash in his Money in the Bank contract was frankly ‘bizarre’ according to Elias.
On Raw, Theory made history as the first man to cash in the contract not for a World Championship, as he challenged United States Champion Seth Rollins.
Thanks to an attack by Bobby Lashley, Theory was unsuccessful in cashing in on Rollins, who retained his title after a curb stomp.
Bizarre
WWE’s booking of Theory’s cash-in has received mixed reviews from fans, who have questioned why he’d not challenge for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title.
Speaking on The Bump, Elias gave his two cents on the matter, and found the events on Raw strange.
“I thought the whole thing was a little bit bizarre. First off, it’s an open challenge. So what are you doing in the first place? Secondly, then he wants to use it on a random Monday Night RAW.
“If I was Austin Theory and I had the Money in the Bank, I would have waited for a way bigger moment, and maybe somebody like Roman Reigns when they were vulnerable. So hey I get it. Seth, he’s resilient, he did it again, he came out on top. But as for Austin Theory, I think the whole thing’s bizarre all around.”
Responding to his loss on social media, Theory said he’ll “never stop” and remained optimistic despite the defeat this week.
Behind the Scenes
Many have questioned if Theory’s loss this week is down to WWE’s change of management backstage.
When Vince McMahon was running WWE, Theory seemed poised to be the company’s next big star.
Since Triple H was appointed Head of Creative and Talent, Theory has suffered a three-month-long losing streak, as well as his failed cash-in attempt.
Theory’s cash-in was produced by Jason Jordan, who produced all segments related to Seth Rollins on this week’s Raw.
Sammy Guevara was in no mood for sportsmanship after this week’s AEW Dynamite wrapped up filming.
This week’s Dynamite took place from the Aggannis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts, and saw the promotion continue on the road to Full Gear.
Guevara and Danielson
In the main event of this week’s AEW Dynamite, Sammy Guevara faced off against Bryan Danielson in a two-out-of-three falls match.
The first fall saw Danielson get a DQ victory after being hit in the face with a steel chair by Guevara.
A rising knee strike to a bloodied Danielson quickly tied the score, with one victory each.
The tiebreaker fall saw Danielson win the match via submission, locking in the former three-time AEW TNT Champion into a double arm-bar submission.
After the show, Danielson offered his hand in a sign of respect, but Guevara did not shake back.
Instead, the Spanish God flipped off Danielson and stormed off to bring the show to an end.
Facing off Again
Guevara didn’t get the win this week, but will get another shot at Danielson at next week’s AEW Full Gear 2022 Pay-Per-View.
The pair will be joined by Claudio Castagnoli and Ring of Honor World Champion Chris Jericho in a four-way match for the Wizard’s title.
This week’s Dynamite also saw Saraya confirm that she is medically cleared and will also compete at Full Gear where she’ll face Britt Baker DDS.
AEW Full Gear will be headlined by AEW World Champion Jon Moxley defending against MJF, who earned a title match by winning the Casino Ladder Match at All Out.
“I still have a year under contract, a little less than a year, and I’m gonna try to do the best I can and entertain as much as I can because I still love it and am pretty passionate about it.”
Dustin Rhodes.
In addition to being an on-screen performer, Rhodes also works as a trainer and coach for the company and has been praised for his efforts.
Retirement?
The former WWE Superstar had a lot of people believing his time was up with his post last month.
Addressing his health issues and possible retirement, Rhodes said he is doing much better now but realizes his time in the ring will be over soon.
“Knee is great. I’m feeling good. I’m ready to go back. I’ll be back very very soon, probably two weeks. Right now, I feel good.
“I am getting older and that kind of weighs on my mind a little bit… I’m getting older, they’re getting younger and faster. I know my time is short.”
If you weren’t listening carefully, you might’ve missed Tony Schiavone casually announcing that AEW is finally headed to the UK in 2023.
Tony Khan hinted earlier on Wednesday that the announcement was on the way. After promising a very “exciting newsworthy show”, he threw in UK ITV4 viewership news, including that the October 28th episode of Dynamite was the most watched episode ever.
I promise an exciting newsworthy show on Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite on @TBSNetwork TONIGHT
Before Dynamite tonight, some UK @ITV4 viewership data per @JohnWilliams004
September 2022: +14% vs 9/21 October 2022: +12% vs 10/21
October 28 episode most watched ever: 201k average!
On nearly every single media call, someone has asked when AEW is coming to the UK. Khan has long said he wants to hold a show at Craven Cottage. That venue is the home of Fulham FC, the Premier League football (soccer) owned by the Khan family.
Back when AEW was in the early stages, Khan flew the Young Bucks to the UK. While showing them around, Khan told them he wanted to hold a show there. The promotion had hoped to get there sooner, but the pandemic changed everything and made it impossible for AEW to go to the UK.
The inaugural Trios Champions appear to be on their way back to All Elite Wrestling at the Full Gear PPV on November 19th.
During tonight’s edition of Dynamite, AEW aired another video package featuring The Elite. Kenny Omega and Young Bucks can be seen with Cody Rhodes, Finn Balor, Kevin Owens, and other wrestlers in the video.
The video features graphics from Full Gear and that appears to be the date Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks will return.
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks defeated Death Triangle at AEW All Out on September 4th to become the first Trios Champions in company history. Their title reign lasted a few days before they were suspended for their part in a backstage brawl following the PPV.
Jon Moxley and CM Punk had a rivalry leading into the PPV. Moxley had won the AEW World Championship from Punk on an episode of Dynamite two weeks before All Out. The legendary Ace Steel talked Punk into accepting Moxley’s Open Challenge for the AEW World Championship at the PPV. CM Punk wound up accepting the challenge and defeated Moxley to become the AEW World Champion for the 2nd time (without a single title defense).
After CM Punk won the title in front of his hometown crowd, he was confronted by MJF to set up the third match in their rivalry. However, that likely will never happen as the former AEW World Champion went on a tirade after the PPV that had very little to do with winning the title ten minutes prior. CM Punk had also torn his triceps during the match, which would likely have resulted in having to forfeit the title.
The rant led to AEW EVPs Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks confronting the champion in his locker room. According to various reports, the door either was kicked open by The Elite and hit Larry the Dog in the face, or The Elite politely knocked. The truth is likely somewhere in between.
What has been confirmed is that a brawl broke out, CM Punk reportedly threw the first punch, Ace Steel hurled a chair at Nick Jackson, bit Kenny Omega, and was fired. The Elite now appear to be on their way back while there has been no word on the status of CM Punk. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer has stated that AEW has been negotiating with Punk for a buyout but nothing has come to fruition yet.
Satin mentions that in the post-WrestleMania scrum, Rhodes told Nick Hausman that he wasn’t mature enough for an EVP role. Rhodes clarified that while he said he wasn’t mature enough, what he thinks he meant was that “in that role, I did well.”
“I was very active and I did start a department, a community department. Brandi did bring Kulture City into the wrestling and sports entertainment space. So, we were very active in terms of all the facets and assets of that gig. But, I think that job was meant for — we wanted a wrestling company brought you by wrestlers. For sure, that’s a huge part of the mission — but maybe it would’ve been better served for me at age 45 then it did at age 33 or whatever it was.”
Cody Rhodes Can’t Be A Wrestler and a Boss Simultaneously
“I am just now entering the prime of my career. So the make political decisions like boxing myself out of winning a world championship, those decisions in hindsight were not the correct decisions and what I should’ve been doing.”
Rhodes declares that he’s the best wrestler. He said it isn’t being “braggadocios” because he lives and breathes wrestling. He says he treats wrestling like “an athlete would treat an NFL game.” Rhodes said, “I needed to go and be that. And I wanted to both and that was just too difficult and that’s where I didn’t have the maturity to balance it.”
Being on the backstage side of things, he feels he can “no longer be one of the boys.” If he had been in an EVP role later in his life, Rhodes feels like it would’ve served him better. “If I can’t be the best wrestler in the world on television because I’m afraid I’m going to offend colleagues because I am also their boss, that was the situation we were in and I just played it in the middle. There was only so much of playing in the middle that I could do and now I’m not in charge of nothing other than me and being a pro wrestler.”
Rhodes is currently rehabbing a torn pectoral muscle that he suffered earlier this year.
Jeff Jarrett made his shocking debut in All Elite Wrestling last week on Dynamite and took a shot at a WWE Superstar during tonight’s show.
5 Reasons MJF Should Win The AEW Championship at Full Gear
He attacked Darby Allin in his debut and bashed a guitar over his head. Double J cut a promo and vowed to be a prominent figure in AEW on and off the screen. Jarrett sent out a warning to AEW fans as well during the promo.
“By the time I’m done with this place, there will be full of body bags. So AEW fans, you can choke on that, Slapnuts!”
AEW President Tony Khan tweeted out that Jeff will be serving as the Director of Business Development for the company.
Welcome to #AEWDynamite to the new AEW Director of Business Development@RealJeffJarrett. I look forward to expanding the@AEW live events calendar in 2023 + in future years with JJ,@rmorfnyc,@mookieghana and our entire great AEW team. Jeff Jarrett is All Elite!
Jeff Jarrett Takes a Shot At Braun Strowman on Dynamite
On this week’s episode of Dynamite, Jeff Jarrett appeared following Jay Lethal’s win over Trent. He hyped up Jey as a wrestler that has wins over Sting and Ric Flair. Double J added that Sonjay Dutt has an IQ of 180 and they’ve taken over promotions all across the world.
AEW Full Gear 2022 Preview
Jarrett then brought up Satnam Singh and said he’s a real giant. He added that he’s not a “make believe monster in red skinny jeans produced by the banana nose factory”.
Jeff Jarrett: “this ain’t no make believe monster who wears red skinny jeans who is produced by the banana nosed circus”
Jeff Jarrett appeared at WWE SummerSlam as the special guest referee for the Undisputed Tag Team Championship match between The Usos and The Street Profits. After Triple H gained power, he let Jarrett go and replaced him with Road Dogg as the SVP of Live Events.
