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Ric Flair On CM Punk’s Media Scrum Rant: “I Love It”

Anutosh Bajpai
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Different people have different opinions on CM Punk’s post All Out media scrum rant. There are many who believe that Punk was in the wrong. There are some others like Ric Flair who seem to support the former WWE star.

The 16-time world champion talked about the whole debacle on his To Be The Man podcast. He first mentioned how Punk is giving a lot of entertainment to fans.

Ric Flair then commented on the Straight Edge Star telling people to come and find him in his locker room. The wrestling veteran explained that it’s the old-school way of doing things and he loves it:

“He’s creating excitement now, and if he’s not afraid to say it…. I like the way he said I’ll walk down the hall and be ready.

That’s Harley Race talking right there. I don’t if he’s that tough but [laughs] I love it.” said Ric Flair, “That’s old-time stuff right there, it is. You got a problem with me, you can find me, right there in the building,”

The 2-time WWE Hall of Famer noted how he doesn’t know The Elite all that well and they have seemed easy to get along with in the limited encounter they have had.

However, Flair reiterated that what Punk did was showing courage. If he feels so strongly about someone then Ric doesn’t blame him for calling them out.

Quotes via Fightful

CM Punk and Bobby Fish’s Relationship Soured After Their 2021 Dynamite Matchup

Joey Galizia
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One week ago AEW held their annual ALL OUT pay-per-view from the NOW Arena in Chicago, which saw CM Punk recapture the world championship from Jon Moxley in the main event, and the monumental return of MJF.

However, the post-show media scrum and eventual backstage altercation between Punk and The Elite have dominated the headlines as the incidents have put a dark cloud over the promotion’s successes. Former AEW star Bobby Fish has not been shy of giving his thoughts on the situation, where had some major criticisms of Punk and even called him a not so kind word. You can read about Fish’s dislike of the Second City Saint here.

When Fish and Punk’s relationship took a turn

Fish and Punk actually wrestled each other an an October episode of AEW Dynamite back in 2021. The bout was a competitive back and forth that Punk ended up winning via his GTS finisher, but for some reason Fish kicked out at 3.1 seconds. The ending was clearly not the original plan as the live crowd, and Punk, were visibly confused as to why the kickout had occurred.

According to Fightful, this was the reason Punk and Fish’s relationship soured as Punk was indeed upset at the kick-out happening. The report states that communication between the two pretty much stopped aftewards.

Fish is now a free agent as his AEW contract expired after being absent from television due for several weeks. Fish was getting married at the time, but injuries to Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly kept him off television longer than anticipated.

Claudio Castagnoli Reveals When He Wants To Retire

Anutosh Bajpai
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Claudio Castagnoli dared to leave his well-earned position in WWE and try something new with AEW. According to the former US champion, his motivation was keeping himself sharp and making sure that he still got it.

The former WWE star recently appeared on The Kurt Angle Show. He was first asked about his WWE departure and Castagnoli explained that it was time for him to try something new:

“I kind of felt that it was time to try something new. To look for a new challenge. Towards the end [of my run] my mind was made up. I’m always happy and grateful. I was happy and grateful [in WWE]. But I also knew where I was thought of, you know what I mean?

So I was just looking for something different at this point, and to me when I look at AEW, there’s so many guys that I want to be in the ring with that I have not necessarily been in the ring with.”

‘I Want To See If I Still Got It’: Claudio Castagnoli

Claudio Castagnoli
(via AEW)

Claudio Castagnoli then explained the philosophy he learned from John Cena. He mentioned that he wants to surround himself with people who can push him to do better and he wants to retire while he can still wrestle competently:

“There’s so many young people there that I was like, ‘This is amazing. I wanna be part of that.’ I really want to because again you’re only as good as your last match. You need to surround yourself with people, and I always have, that push you and are better than you. To me it was like I looked at it and I was [like] ‘Okay, I wanna go to AEW, and I want to wrestle of all those young guys. I want to see if I still got it.’

Because when people ask me like ‘When you think it’s time for you to retire? Certain age, this or that’ it’s whenever I get in that ring and I feel like I [have] lost two steps. I never want people to think, ‘Oh man I wish he would have [retired]’ I’m like ‘No, I wanna go out when I still can do what I can.'”

You can watch Claudio Castagnoli’s full interview below:

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Sasha Banks Wants to Own the IP of her Characters

Thomas Lowson
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Mercedes Varnado is no stranger to playing characters, both in and out of the ring.

In WWE, she’s known as Sasha Banks, the multi-time Women’s Champion, while outside of wrestling, Varnado is perhaps best known for her character Koska Reeves in Disney Plus hit ‘The Mandalorian.

Controlling her Characters

Recently, Sasha Banks spoke about wanting to branch out into other forms of entertainment, including music.

While it may be a while before the Boss is on the Top 40 charts, Banks plans on ensuring that what she does is her own property.

Speaking to the Ahch-To podcast, Banks spoke about her media plans, and how she wishes to own the Intellectual Property of her characters (via Fightful.)

“We’re always portraying different characters in every different moment of our time. For me, it’s really just owning my own IP [Intellectual Property] and owning the character behind the character and really defining, who is the character that is playing the character. It’s really just finding yourself. When it comes to even wrestling, that’s a character that I come up with.”

At this time, there’s no word on any other characters Banks hopes to portray in the future, though she has told fans to “stay tuned.”

Returning to WWE?

Sasha Banks is still with WWE, but hasn’t been seen since walking out of the May 16, 2022, episode of Raw.

Despite the belief that she and Naomi were done with the company, there has been renewed hope that the pair will return in this post-Vince McMahon era of the company.

Sasha Banks & Naomi Walk the Runway for New York Fashion Week

Claudio Castagnoli Reveals Philosophy He Learned From John Cena

Anutosh Bajpai
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Claudio Castagnoli got to wrestle some of the biggest names in the wrestling world during his time with WWE. One of them was John Cena, who the former WWE star got the chance of sharing the ring with during Cena’s US open challenge run.

Castagnoli recently joined The Kurt Angle show. When asked about his experience with John, the AEW star claimed that he has nothing but good things to say about the Cenation Leader. He also revealed the philosophy he has learned from the 16-time world champion:

“I’ve nothing but good things to say about John. John is an awesome person. He has a very high standard for himself. He’s one of those people that doesn’t just say how you should do it or say how it should be done. He shows you.” said Claudio Castagnoli, “He does it every day. He lives it. You know what I mean?

If he tells you to watch all the matches, he’s sitting there at the monitor watching all the matches. If he tells you, ‘You should work out.’ He is there working out early in the morning. [He’s] somebody I deeply respect. That’s kind of how I tried to do my career. Whatever I would say, I just do it. If people wanna take notice that’s good. If not, I feel like I don’t want to park it all around.”

‘Absolutely Amazing’: Claudio Castagnoli

Speaking about their matches as part of the US open challenge, Claudio Castagnoli mentioned how Cena was already a legend at that point. However, he still worked hard and tried to prove himself with every match:

“Being in the ring with him for that open challenge was awesome. Because he was a legend at that point, and still every match he wants to go out there and prove it. He’s the one that said it. I probably had it always kind of in my brain but he’s the one that said that ‘You’re only as good as your last match.’

That kind of stuck with me because every time you go through that curtain, you want to prove yourself to everybody. So with him to have that open challenge and him working so hard and having such a fun match with me was absolutely amazing.”

You can watch Claudio Castagnoli’s full interview below:

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AEW has Done “Maybe One Thing Wrong” Claims Chris Jericho

Thomas Lowson
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If AEW has made any mistakes, it certainly hasn’t been many, at least according to Chris Jericho.

Jericho has been with AEW since the beginning, joining the promotion during a press conference in January 2019.

That same year, Jericho would become the first AEW World Champion, and has been prominently featured in AEW for years.

One or Two Things

Like many in AEW, Jericho is intensely passionate about the company.

Sitting down with Inside the Ropes, Jericho spoke about the company, and what he perceives as a lack of mistakes (via Wrestling Inc.)

“We’ve been doing this for three years now and continuing to grow, and this is a big-time corporate business. We are run and paid for by a giant television corporation.”

“We’ve done nine things right and maybe one thing wrong or two things wrong.”

Chris Jericho on AEW

“So, there’s always gonna be growing pains when you start a company. I think we’ve done nine things right and maybe one thing wrong or two things wrong. So we learn from that and we continue to build our brand and continue to improve.”

Fans

AEW has a deeply loyal fan base, but its programming still falls behind WWE in terms of viewers.

Speaking about his former employer, Jericho said that AEW is in this for the long game.

“WWE has a lot of [fans], but they’ve also been around for 50 years. Give us another 47 years to see where we’re at. I guarantee we’ll still be here.”

The Next World Champion?

Following CM Punk’s actions at AEW All Out, the Chicago Made wrestler has been stripped of the AEW World Championship.

Jericho is part of the tournament to crown the next AEW World Champion, with the new champion to be crowned at the Grand Slam Dynamite on September 21.

Jericho will face Bryan Danielson on next week’s AEW Dynamite, with the winner advancing to the finals.

“I Don’t Need a Title to Help AEW… I’m Chris Jericho, That Trumps All of That”

Roman Reigns Reaches Yet Another WWE Milestone

Thomas Lowson
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Roman Reigns has dominated WWE for over two years as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.

Reigns’ tenure as the Tribal Chief has seen him defeat plenty of WWE’s biggest stars, including Bray Wyatt, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Edge to name just a few.

Now, the leader of the Bloodline has another impressive accolade.

Pinfall

Reigns has retained against every opponent he’s faced so far, and it’s been a very long time since the Tribal Chief suffered defeat.

This week, Reigns reached 1,000 days since being pinned, which took place at the WWE: Tables Ladders and Chairs event in December 2019.

At the show, Reigns, then a babyface, loss to Baron Corbin in a TLC match.

It’s worth mentioning that Corbin had significant help in the match, with Dolph Ziggler and the Revival (now FTR in AEW) helping him get the win.

Who’s Next?

Reigns has gone 1,000 days since last being pinned, but this streak will have to end eventually.

It was recently reported that the Tribal Chief won’t be competing at next month’s Extreme Rules, and his next title defense will be at the Crown Jewel show in November.

Despite Kevin Owens teasing confronting Reigns, it’s also been noted that he won’t be facing Reigns, nor will long-time rival Seth Rollins.

Braun Strowman has been rumored by fans to be next to step up to the Head of the Table, given his return to WWE earlier this month.

There has also been speculation that Cody Rhodes could be the one to break Reigns’ tenure as Champion, as well as reports of Roman facing his cousin The Rock at WrestleMania 39.

Roman Reigns Walks Out of WWE Clash at the Castle Press Conference

Kenny Omega Interview Postponed due to ‘Unfortunate Circumstances’

Thomas Lowson
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Kenny Omega has been suspended from All Elite Wrestling, meaning fans won’t be seeing him on TV, and they won’t be hearing from him either.

Omega had been scheduled to be on Swerve Strickland’s Swerve City podcast, but that isn’t going ahead at this time.

Strickland, one-half of the reigning AEW World Tag Team Champions, took to Twitter to say that the interview has been postponed due to what’s being described as “unfortunate circumstances.”

Omega’s appearance on the show was announced last month, and Strickland said that a replacement guest will be confirmed tomorrow.

Strickland also promised that the former AEW World Champion and former World Trios Tag Champion will appear when the time is right.

The Suspension

Strickland didn’t confirm what the ‘unfortunate circumstances’ are that led to Omega being postponed, but it is believed to be as a result of his ongoing suspension.

Omega, along with the Young Bucks, has been suspended from AEW due to their actions during the All Out 2022 post-show fight.

This decision also led to Tony Khan stripping the Elite of the AEW Trios Tag Titles, and the Death Triangle won the gold on this week’s Dynamite.

While the Bucks and Omega have been suspended, there’s been no talks of them being fired by AEW, unlike CM Punk and Ace Steel.

Punk is reported to have instigated the fight backstage after last week’s Pay Per View, while Steel is reported to have bit Omega and pulled his hair.

Punk has been stripped of the AEW World Championship, but it is unclear at this time whether he’s been suspended or fired by the company.

AEW Personality Expected to Lose Job Over All Out Media Scrum Fight

Eddie Kingston Catches COVID-19, Pulls Out Of NJPW STRONG Tapings

Joey Galizia
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Eddie Kingston has unfortunately caught COVID-19.

The Mad King announced his diagnosis on Twitter earlier today, revealing that because of the virus he will be unable to compete at this weekend’s NJPW STRONG tapings. Kingston adds that the situation sucks, and that there is a chance he might miss this week’s AEW Dynamite from Albany, New York.

He writes, “So here we go, got covid won’t be able to make Strong this weekend. It fucking sucks going to test again to see if I can make tv this week.”

https://twitter.com/MadKing1981/status/1568681110720380929

Kingston is coming off a huge victory over top NJPW talent Tomohiro Ishii at the Zero Hour pre-show of ALL OUT. The match was a brutal and hard-hitting contest that Kingston won by using Ishii’s brainbuster finisher, evening their score at 1-1. He was originally set to face Sammy Guevara at ALL OUT, but due to a backstage incident the match was called off, and Kingston served a temporary suspension.

We will keep you updated on Kingston’s condition ahead of next week’s AEW Dynamite.

Watch: Darby Allin Tricycle Backflip at Nitro Circus

Tyriece Simon
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All Elite Wrestling star Darby Allin decided to get extreme as he competed for Nitro Circus.

Allin appeared during Nitro Circus’s tour Nitro Circus: Good Bad and Rad on Sep. 9. The event took place at Maimonides Park in Brooklyn, New York.

His participation at Nitro Circus: Good Bad and Rad shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Both he and AEW has promoted that he would the former TNT Champion has promoted his involvement earlier this week on social media. AEW also shared a special code offer that would’ve given fans that wanted to attend 30 percent off.

Allin has participated in Nitro Circus in the past, as he unsuccessfully attempted to do a backflip down a long ramp while on a tricycle. However, yesterday the AEW star redeemed himself and successfully performed the stunt.

Here is the video from AEW’s Twitter Account.

Darby Allin Out of AEW Grand Slam Tournaments of Champions

Allin was unsuccessful in his recent quest to challenge for the AEW World Championship when he faced Sammy Guevara at AEW Rampage yesterday. The loss happened after multiple distractions from Anna Jay, and Tay Melo led to Guevara defeating Allin.

The loss to Guevara puts Allin in an interesting position in his AEW career. The company’s Aug. 31 men’s contender’s rankings have him ranked fifth.

His loss to Guevara removes him from contending for the AEW World Championship, at least for a little while. Now that he is no longer in the title picture, for the time being, it should be interesting to see what the company has planned for Allin.

Allin and Sting seemingly ended their feud with the House of Black at AEW All Out on Sep. 4. As AEW builds towards AEW Grand Slam, it’s unclear if Allin will be involved at the event. Hopefully, the company will soon give Allin another notable feud.

KENTA 100% Agrees With Bobby Fish For Saying CM Punk Stole His Finisher

Joey Galizia
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Add KENTA to the list of CM Punk’s enemies.

The NJPW star took to Twitter to respond to the recent interview comments made by former AEW talent Bobby Fish, who unleashed his true thoughts on Punk following the disastrous events from last Sunday’s ALL OUT media scrum and the backstage brawl that occurred afterwards. Fish’s full comments can be found here.

At one point in the interview Fish stated that Punk was in the wrong for stealing KENTA’s finishing maneuver, the GTS, and not even having the decency to give him any credit over the years. The former Undisputed Era’s exact quotes were, “Phil, you took a man’s finishing maneuver. Anyone who knows pro-wrestling knows that’s f***ed up. You weren’t even decent enough to change the name.”

KENTA Agrees With Fish

So how did KENTA feel about what Fish said? He tweeted out the quotes on his persona account and writes, “Hey Bobby. You Are 100% right.”

This isn’t the first time KENTA has made his feelings about Punk known. Ahead of Forbidden Door (prior to Punk breaking his foot) he wrote “It looks like the forbidden door won’t open for me But I’m totally fine as long as he pays royalty.”

That’s not all. Sometimes KENTA just goes off on Punk whenever he feels like it.

Sasha Banks Tells Fans “Stay Tuned” For Projects Outside of WWE

Thomas Lowson
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Sasha Banks is one of WWE’s most recognizable stars in recent years, but fans haven’t seen much of her as of late.

Banks and Naomi were suspended in May following their walk-out during Raw, citing creative differences with the planned main event, and long-term plans for both women.

With Vince McMahon’s retirement, it is believed that Banks and Naomi will be back on WWE TV soon, but ‘the Boss’ has plans for outside the company.

Outside the Ring

Sasha Banks is already an established name in WWE, and she’s been looking to make her name in other forms of entertainment.

Banks’ best-known non-WWE role is as Koska Reeves on Disney Plus hit ‘The Mandalorian’ set in the Star Wars universe.

Speaking to Ahch-To Radio, Banks discussed her work outside the ring and teased big plans for the future.

“There is so much that I’m creating right now. It’s all under an umbrella. I’m an actor, writer, producer, and extraordinaire entertainer. All within those realms, I’m doing something. You just have to stay tuned. You have a microphone, that’s something big I want to do. Not podcasting, but music. I don’t know if that’s the number one next thing because acting.”

“You just have to stay tuned.”

Sasha Banks

“There are a lot of things coming up acting right now. I’m really starting to focus my mind around music and the music realm and being kind of a director in that space of creating a musical video piece.”

Banks recently appeared at the premiere for Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, and walked the runway for the New York Fashion Week.

Sasha Banks & Naomi Expected Back in WWE Any Week Now

H/T Fightful

Bobby Fish Believes Undisputed Era Were Split Up Prematurely

Anutosh Bajpai
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The Undisputed Era were one of the hottest commodities of the Black and Gold era of NXT. Though many people believe that the group was disbanded prematurely. Bobby Fish admits that the end of the stable when it happened was a mistake.

The former WWE star recently spoke to Steve Fall of NBC Sports Boston. Speaking about the break-up of The Undisputed Era, Fish explained that they evolved a little bit too quickly, leading to a premature break up:

“I just think things changed and everything needs to evolve. I think we had evolved quite a bit in a very short time. Maybe we moved a little bit quicker than we needed to as far as the timing of when to pull the trigger on stuff and when not to.

The people that made decisions at this time would probably agree that we split apart premature. I think there was more left for us to do as a unit. I think that was the plan and then it wasn’t the plan and then it was the plan and then it wasn’t.” said Bobby Fish, “Then they just weren’t sure what to do. So we pulled the trigger. You learn from your mistakes.”

Undisputed Era made their debut during NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III in 2017. The four members of the group held all four male titles of the development brand at one point in 2019. They were disbanded in 2021 when Adam Cole attacked Kyle O’Reilly during NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day.

You can check out Fish’s full interview below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZP9UUVs6fo&t=647s

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Dolph Ziggler Reveals His Current Goal In Wrestling

Anutosh Bajpai
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Dolph Ziggler has been a part of the wrestling world for a long time and he has seen many highs and lows. He has now reached the place where personal accolades do not interest him. The Show off instead is focused on making sure that he leaves the business better than when he started.

The former world champion had an interview with The Wrestling Classic. He was asked what’s left in his bucket list. Ziggler first mentioned how he had the idea to cash in his Money In The Bank contract to get a match with Shawn Michaels back in the day. However, now he is focused on helping younger talents who can pass the knowledge when their time comes:

“When it comes to now 2022 It’s just finding someone like a Theory, who’s quickly picking it up, crushing it, and be able to have some time on the weekend.” said Dolph Ziggler, “Live event matches where we don’t have to go to commercial in 90 seconds. We got 25-30 minutes, and you beat him down and you see what he can do. Then you see if he can pass that on to someone else when you’ve done.

So things like that are much more important. To be leaving the business better than when you started and actually have a meaningful impact on not just young talent, or talent the same age or even talent that are older than me. Being able to know that no matter what the win-loss record is out there. No matter what fans online say. Everyone in that locker room says ‘This is the guy I want leading my platoon, putting the company on his back, putting me over his shoulder, and passing it on to the next generation.'”

You can watch Ziggler’s full interview below:

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The Young Bucks Have Sent WWE ‘Feelers’ to Gauge Interest

Thomas Lowson
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As founding members of AEW, it’s hard to imagine that the Young Bucks would be willing to join any other promotion, especially WWE. On the F4W Message Board, a fan claimed that Matt and Nick Jackson have signed new deals with AEW, but that isn’t the case.

The Wrestling Observer’s Ryan Frederick corrected the fan, saying that their current deals were renewed. “They didn’t sign new deals. Their options were picked up. They did reach out to a talent to send feelers that they would be interested in talking about coming in when their deals are up.”

When Cody Rhodes returned to WWE in April 2022, fans speculated on who could be next to join him. Since returning, the three-time AEW TNT Champion has been treated very well, and is expected by many to hold the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion when he’s back from injury. WWE has also got their eye on certain AEW talent, with reports of reigning AEW TNT Champion Wardlow and MJF being on their radar.

Young Bucks to WWE?

With a budding tag-team division in WWE, including teams like The Usos, the Street Profits, and RK-Bro, there’s no shortage of fans who hope to see the Young Bucks join the company.

Frederick explained that while the Bucks may not have spoken to WWE directly, they did try and gauge what it’s like to work there.

“I can’t say they talked to anyone direct at WWE, but that would fall under tampering and this came at the same time the legal letters were being sent about tampering.

“They talked to other WWE talent about coming in.”

Ryan Fredrick on the Young Bucks joining WWE.

“Can’t confirm they actually talked to WWE people themselves, but they talked to other WWE talent about coming in, which they can do (much like WWE talent can send feelers thru AEW talent, which has happened and happens on both sides often).”

The Bucks are currently serving a suspension for their role in the All Out post-show fight.

Young Bucks Feel Superior to the Attitude Era’s Best Teams

Latest on Talent Meeting Before this week’s AEW Dynamite

Thomas Lowson
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This week’s AEW Dynamite came hot off the heels of All Out 2022, and the explosive media scrum and backstage fight that has overshadowed the Pay Per View.

During the scrum, CM Punk had harsh words for the Elite, Colt Cabana and ‘Hangman’ Adam Page, and fought with the Elite backstage, in a brawl that included Punk’s trainer Ace Steel.

The Elite have since been suspended from AEW, and there are talks that Punk and Steel could be fired, if not already.

The Meeting

Mere weeks after hosting a talent-wide meeting to discuss reports of conflict in AEW, another meeting was held prior to this week’s Dynamite.

Instead of Tony Khan, this was led by Bryan Danielson, Chris Jericho and Jon Moxley.

Fightful reports that talents were complimentary of the meeting, noting that Danielson, Moxley, and Jericho were the right people to lead.

What was said?

Talent were told to “keep their personal issues personal” and solve their problems backstage instead of leaking news.

The issue of stories of problems getting out to the media was also a topic of discussion during the previous meeting in August.

Wrestlers were encouraged to leave AEW All Out 2022 in the past and move on.

One source noted that it was the “best backstage meeting” the talent have had

CM Punk

A large topic of discussion during the meeting was CM Punk, who’s future with AEW is unclear at this time.

The meeting was said to be not “anti-Punk,” and that wrestlers left in a better mood than the day before.

Danielson was commended as a “calming” presence during the meeting, while Jericho has been praised for his professionalism throughout his time in AEW and especially during this recent period.

Moxley was said to be “adored” during the meeting, with wrestlers agreeing with his promo about being “the answer” to AEW’s problems.

CM Punk & The Elite Pulled from AEW Dynamite Intro

“It ain’t over” – Solo Sikoa Warns WWE Star After In-Ring Debut On SmackDown

Robert Lentini
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Solo Sikoa made his main roster debut this past Saturday at WWE Clash at the Castle.

Roman Reigns defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre in the main event. Drew had the match won after hitting the Claymore but Solo Sikoa arrived through the crowd.

Solo broke up the cover, allowing The Tribal Chief to hit his third Spear of the match to retain the title. On tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, The Usos and Honorary Uce Sami Zayn officially welcomed Solo Sikoa to The Bloodline.

Drew McIntyre interrupted and marched down to the ring with a steel chair. Solo wouldn’t leave the ring as the rest of The Bloodline scattered. Sami then leaped in front of the chair shot and saved Sikoa. Drew got in some punches on Solo before The Bloodline retreated. McIntyre demanded a match and Solo accepted.

Initially, The Bloodline would not be ringside but Jey got jealous when Solo suggested he would ask Sami Zayn to help him. The Bloodline were all ringside for the match.

Solo Sikoa Warns Drew McIntyre

In the main event of this week’s SmackDown, Solo Sikoa made his in-ring debut on the main roster against the man he screwed out of the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Drew McIntyre. The Usos and Sami Zayn kept trying to distract McIntyre but Street Profits rushed the ring to make the save.

Once again, it appeared that Drew had the match won when he was attacked from behind. Karrion Kross got McIntyre in the Kross Jacket and choked him out as the blue brand went off the air. Solo took to Twitter to issue a warning to Drew McIntyre that their rivalry is far from over.

It ain’t over. Bring a chair. Bring a sword. I don’t back down from nothing or nobody.

https://twitter.com/WWESoloSikoa/status/1568477506600321024?s=20&t=fUpPZydTx6M8R_A3c741pg

WWE Star Jokes About The CM Punk Media Scrum Comments

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

The drama that ensued from CM Punk’s media scrum comments has attracted reactions from all over the wrestling world including a WWE star.

WWE announced a fatal five-way #1 contenders match for the SmackDown Women’s Championship for tonight’s show earlier on Friday.

Natalya who was one of the participants of the bout took this opportunity to make a joke about the CM Punk situation. The former women’s champion replied to a tweet about the bout as her assistant.

She noted how she hasn’t sued anyone in this match despite being a locker room leader. She was also eating a muffin while writing the message:

“This is Bob. Ms Neidhart hasn’t sued anyone in this match, and she’s also a locker room leader. For some reason, she was eating a muffin when she dictated this message to me. Bye.”

Latest reports on the matter suggest that CM Punk’s comments about the AEW EVPs during the press conference may have been premeditated. He intentionally tried to bury the company executives during the post-show media scrum.

AEW has brought in an independent firm to investigate the issue. If the claims against the former AEW champion are verified, then it may very well lead to his departure from the promotion.

Bianca Belair Set To Defend Title On WWE RAW

Robert Lentini
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0

WWE ran an advertisement tonight that announced Bianca Belair will be putting the RAW Women’s Championship on the next Monday night.

Next week’s edition of the red brand takes place in Portland, Oregon. Johnny Gargano will make his return to the ring after nine months. Gargano left WWE nine months ago but returned on the August 22nd episode of RAW.

Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky will also challenge Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah for the Women’s Tag Team Championships. The two teams met in the finals of the tournament but Aliyah rolled up Dakota to capture the titles. Edge will battle Dominik Mysterio in a singles match. Dominik shockingly joined The Judgment Day on last week’s show.

WWE also advertised a RAW Women’s Championship match for Monday’s episode. Bianca Belair will put the title on the line in an Open Challenge next Monday on RAW. You can check out the advertisement for next week’s RAW in the video below.

Bianca Belair & Damage CTRL

The EST is currently involved in a storyline with Bayley after The Role Model returned at SummerSlam. She missed over a year of action with a torn ACL and returned following Bianca’s victory over Becky Lynch. Bayley arrived with Dakota Kai and Iyo Sky and the faction has now been named Damage CTRL.

At Clash at the Castle, Damage CTRL picked up the victory over Bianca Belair, Asuka, and Alexa Bliss. Bayley connected with the Rose Plant and Iyo followed it up with a Moonsault. The Role Model then pinned the RAW Women’s Champion to pick up the win for Damage CTRL.

Max Dupri Hints At Gimmick Change Following WWE SmackDown

Robert Lentini
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Max and Maxxiine Dupri’s Maximum Male Models (Mansoor & Mace) teamed up with Los Lotharios to battle Hit Row and Street Profits this week on SmackDown.

Hit Row and Street Profits picked up the victory and Max Dupri gave his faction a pep talk during a WWE Digital Exclusive following the show. Mace and Mansoor were despondent after the loss and Max searched for the words to say.

After a dramatic pause, the 39-year-old changed his tune and appeared to hint at a return to his LA Knight gimmick in NXT.

“Gentlemen, you have to pick those chins up. Lift those chiseled chins, I’ve been here before, unfortunately too many times. In that process, I have learned that you have to go through the day to get to the night”.

Max performed as LA Knight in NXT and captured the Million Dollar Championship from Cameron Grimes at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. He lost his final match in NXT to Intercontinental Champion Gunther at Stand & Deliver.

He made his debut on the main roster on the May 20th edition of SmackDown as Max Dupri. Maximum Male Models later added Max’s storyline sister, Maxxiine Dupri to the faction. Maxxine Dupri performed as Sofia Cromwell in NXT.

Maximum Male Models debuted while Vince McMahon was still the CEO of WWE. It will be interesting to see what The Game has planned for the group and Max Dupri moving forward. Triple H has already given Riddle and Theory their first names back and brought back several stars that were released under the previous regime.

5 Takeaways From AEW Rampage (9/9): ROH Title Match, Samoa Joe, Tournament of Champions, Miro

Robert Lentini
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AEW Rampage was taped after Wednesday night’s Dynamite in the Keybank Arena in Buffalo, New York. Claudio Castagnoli defended the ROH Championship against Dax Harwood in the main event. Sammy Guevara and Darby Allin battled in the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions to crown a new AEW Champion.

Rampage Results

  • Sammy Guevara def. Darby Allin to advance to the semifinals of the tournament
  • Serena Deeb def. Madison Rayne via submission
  • Claudio Castagnoli def. Dax Harwood to retain the ROH Championship

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

Sammy Guevara Will Face Jon Moxley In The Semifinals Of The AEW Championship Tournament Next Week

Sammy Guevara battled Darby Allin tonight in the tournament for the vacant AEW Championship. Tay Melo was ringside for the match. Darby took Sammy down to start off the action and applied a Headlock.

Guevara hit a Superplex but didn’t let go. Sammy went for another Suplex but both wrestlers wound up tumbling out of the ring. Darby went for a Suicide Dive but Tay stood in the way. Allin went for the dive anyway but Sammy countered into a Cutter on the floor as Rampage went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Darby took control and started bending back Sammy’s fingers like Pete Dunne. Tay hopped on the ring apron for a distraction and Sammy caught him with a knee strike. Sammy followed it up with a springboard Cutter for a near fall.

Sammy went for a Coffin Drop but Darby rolled out of the way. Allin climbed to the top rope and Anna Jay provided a distraction this time. Sammy capitalized with a low blow and then Powerbombed him to the mat. Sammy then hit the GTH for the pinfall victory.

ROH TV Championship Match Set For Next Week

ROH TV Champion (ROH doesn’t have a TV show at the moment) Samoa Joe made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Joe said he’s open for business before he was interrupted by Mark Sterling. Mark noted that Tony Nese has more abs than Samoa Joe and claimed that Josh Woods deserves a title shot. Samoa Joe accepted but Mark delated the match until next week’s Rampage.

Opinion: The crowd let out an exhausted boo when Mark Sterling and the funky bunch interrupted. Samoa Joe versus Josh Woods might be great but there’s no momentum at all for the match following this segment.

Miro Wants The Title

Miro cut another ominous promo from a poorly lit room tonight on Rampage. He spoke about God, his wife, and complained about the “lesser” men battling for “his” title in the Grand Slam Tournament of Champions.

Serena Deeb def. Madison Rayne

Serena Deeb squared off against Madison Rayne tonight on AEW Rampage. Madison controlled the action early but Deeb battled back with a slam. Serena bashed Madison’s knee into the canvas several times before applying a Half Crab for the quick submission victory.

TBS Champion Jade Cargill was interviewed backstage and boasted about defeating Athena at AEW All Out. Jade challenged anyone on the roster and try to defeat her. The TBS Champion is currently 37-0 in AEW.

Claudio Castagnoli Retained The ROH Championship

Claudio Castagnoli defended the ROH Championship against Dax Harwood in the main event. William Regal accompanied Claudio to the ring. Mark Henry interviewed both wrestlers before the match. The action started out back and forth as Rampage went to a break.

When Rampage returned, Claudio launched Harwood into the ring post and the challenger fell to the floor outside the ring. Back in the ring, Claudio remained in control and locked in an Abdominal Stretch. Harwood countered into an armdrag but the champ shrugged it off and leveled Dax with a lariat for a near fall.

Harwood hit a slam and followed it up with a headbutt off the top rope for a two count. Claudio went for an uppercut but Dax blocked it. Harwood connected with a Powerbomb and went for the cover but Claudio was able to kick out and the match continued.

Dax connected with a German Suplex before perching Claudio up on the top turnbuckle. Harwood went for another Suplex but Castagnoli countered into a Crossbody for a near fall. Castagnoli got Harwood in The Swing for several rotations before locking in a Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring.

Harwood tried to crawl to the ropes but Claudio dragged him back to the center. Dax then escaped and locked in a Sharpshooter on the champion in the middle of the ring. Claudio escaped with several forearm shots to the face and got Dax back in the Sharpshooter for the submission victory. Claudio Castagnoli is still the ROH Champion. William Regal raised Dax’s hand and Harwood shook hands with Castagnoli to close the show.

Final Thoughts: AEW has a long way to go to get people invested in tuning into Rampage every week again. Tonight was a solid show and hopefully more stars are featured on Friday in addition to the changes moving forward.

What did you think of this week’s episode of AEW Rampage? Let us know in the comments section below.

7 Takeaways From WWE SmackDown (9/9): Ronda Rousey Earns Title Shot, Karrion Kross Attacks, Solo Sikoa Debut

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington. Ronda Rousey, Xia Li, Natalya, Sonya Deville, and Lacey Evans battled in a Fatal 5-Way to determine Liv Morgan’s opponent for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules next month. In addition to the takeaways below, Corey Graves was revealed as Pat McAfee’s replacement as he has joined College Gameday on ESPN full-time.

SmackDown Results

  • Imperium def. Brawling Brutes
  • Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah def. Toxic Attraction
  • Ronda Rousey won the Fatal 5-Way to earn a shot at the SmackDown Women’s Championship at Extreme Rules
  • Drew McIntyre def. Solo Sikoa via DQ

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Imperium def. Brawling Brutes In A Great Match

Imperium (IC Champion Gunther, Ludwig Kaiser, Giovanni Vinci) battled The Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Butch, Ridge Holland) in a 6-man tag team match to begin the show. Imperium controlled the action early and isolated Ridge Holland in the ring.Gunther tagged in and booted Sheamus off the ring apron.

Butch tagged in and got Ludwig in an Armbar but Gunther broke it up with a giant chop. Sheamus and Gunther traded punches outside the ring but Vinci broke it up with a flying knee off the ring apron. The action returned to the ring and Vince whipped Butch into the turnbuckle. Giovanni followed it up with a Clothesline as SmackDown went to a break. The Intercontinental Champion had Pete Dunne in a submission hold when the show returned. Dunne escaped and tagged in the Celtic Warrior.

Sheamus unloaded the 10 Beats of the Bodhran on Ludwig Kaiser’s chest as the crowd erupted. Sheamus hit White Noise on Ludwig as the crowd cheered. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick on Vinci and then a Powerslam on Ludwig. Ridge tagged in and hit a lariat but Gunther broke up the cover. Gunther and Sheamus traded punches and battled out of the ring. Dunne went for a Blockbuster but Vinci beautifully countered into a Brainbuster. Vinci and Ridge tagged in. Ludwig and Giovanni hit the Imperium Bomb on Ridge Holland for the pinfall victory in a great match.

Solo Sikoa Joined The Bloodline, Drew McIntyre Interrupted

Sami Zayn came down to the ring with The Usos to welcome Solo Sikoa. Zayn played the role as the hype man and high-fived Jimmy Uso. Jey wasn’t interested in a high-five and noted that Roman Reigns is the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. Jey boasted above Roman beating Drew McIntyre on his own turf at Clash at the Castle. The Usos introduced Solo Sikoa to the group and he made his way to the ring. Solo announced that he was here to stay before Drew McIntyre interrupted.

Drew marched down to the ring with a steel chair and everyone retreated besides Sikoa. Sami jumped in front of a chair shot before the Bloodline retreated. McIntyre shouted that he wanted a match against Solo tonight as SmackDown went to a commercial break. Later on SmackDown, Sami informed Solo Sikoa that he doesn’t have to go into the battle against McIntyre alone. Jey shouted “he know” and Sami hilariously responded with “I know he know”. It was decided that all of The Bloodline will be ringside for the match later tonight.

Opinion: Sami Zayn has always been great but he has become one of the most consistently entertaining performers WWE has to offer. He’s fantastic in the ring and his comedic timing during these segments is impeccable.

Raquel Rodriguez & Aliyah Picked Up A Win

The Women’s Tag Team Champions battled Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin, Jayce Jayne) tonight in a tag team match. Toxic Attraction got in some offense early but the champs wound up winning with ease. Raquel planted Jacy with a Tejana Bomb off the top rope for the pinfall victory.

Ronda Rousey Will Battle Liv Morgan At WWE Extreme Rules

Ronda Rousey, Sonya Deville, Lacey Evans, Natalya, and Xia Li competed in a Fatal 5-Way match that couldn’t wait to be over. Xia, Lacey, and Natalya will eliminated in rapid fashion as SmackDown Women’s Champion Liv Morgan watched from the crowd. Ronda and Sonya were the final two in the match.

Rousey went for Piper’s Pit but Sonya blocked it. The action spilled out of the ring and Rousey slammed Sonya into the barricade. Back in the ring, Ronda hit Piper’s Pit and applied an Ankle Lock for the submission victory. Ronda Rousey will face Liv Morgan for the SmackDown Women’s Championship once again at Extreme Rules.

Ronda then had a conversation with Shayna Baszler backstage and told her to catch up with her when she’s ready to break bones again.

Hit Row & Street Profits Picked Up A Win

Hit Row & Street Profits battled Los Lotharios & Maximum Male Models tonight on SmackDown in an 8-man tag team match. Humberto caught Montez Ford with an Enziguri and knocked him out of the ring. Angelo Dawkins leaped onto everyone. Top Dolla was about to the same when Maxxine Dupri got in the way. B-Fab dragged her down and then Max Dupri got knocked down. Top Dolla lifted Mansoor in the air and Ashante The Adonis hit a Dropkick for the pinfall victory.

Braun Strowman Destroyed The Alpha Academy

The Monster of all Monsters Braun Strowman interrupted Alpha Academy tonight on SmackDown as they cut a heel promo on the crowd. Braun returned on RAW and decimated four tag teams. Braun beat Otis down in the corner and then turned his attention to Gable. Braun hit him with a Powerbomb and then delivered one to Otis as well.

Karrion Kross Attacked Drew McIntyre

Drew McIntyre faced Solo Sikoa in the main event. Drew dominated the match early and sent Solo out of the ring as SmackDown went to the final break of the night. When SmackDown returned, Sami caught Drew with a cheap shot while the referee was distracted. Solo capitalized with a Uranage and went for the cover but McIntyre kicked out at two.

McIntyre knocked The Usos off the apron and then dragged Sami by the hair. McIntyre launched Sami across the ring and set up for a Claymore. Drew went for the Claymore but Solo caught him with a Superkick for a near fall. Street Profits rushed down the ring to help and brawled with The Usos. Montez climbed to the top rope and hit the Frog Splash from the heavens onto everyone.

Drew hit a Claymore but Solo fell out of the ring. Karrion Kross (and his black & white filter) showed up and he choked out McIntyre with the Kross Jacket to close the show.

Final Thoughts: Solo Sikoa impressed in his debut and this was a good way to get out of handing him a pinfall or submission loss in his debut. Overall, SmackDown was a decent show this week. The Fatal 5-Way was disappointing but the 6-man tag to begin the night stole the show.

What did you think of this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown? Let us know in the comments section below.

Sasha Banks & Naomi Walk the Runway at New York Fashion Week

Anutosh Bajpai
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Sasha Banks and Naomi have not made their rumored return yet but they’re keeping their tag team intact and making appearances everywhere they can.

The latest sighting of the former women’s tag champions came at the New York Fashion Week. Both the wrestling stars walked the ramp as models:

Both Sasha Banks and Naomi have been absent from the wrestling world since their infamous walkout from Raw back in May.

The duo were considered to be done with the company, and they had even gotten their releases, until the WWE regime changed.

After Triple H took over the creative control of the company, it was reported that the former tag champs were open to a WWE return.

Later reports claimed that the two parties had agreed on a new deal and Banks’ and Naomi’s return was only a matter of time.

WWE announced the tournament to crown the new Women’s Tag Team champions in the midst of all this. The tournament was won by Aliyah and Raquel Rodriguez.

It was believed that both Sasha Banks and Naomi will return to TV shortly after this tournament concludes since they never officially lost the titles. However, they haven’t made their return so far.

MJF Reacts To The Bloodline Segment On Tonight’s WWE SmackDown

Robert Lentini
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The Bloodline welcomed a new member tonight on SmackDown.

Solo Sikoa made his presence felt at Clash at the Castle in the main event between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre. The Usos’ younger brother interfered in the match and it allowed Reigns to connected with his third Spear of the night to win the match.

Honorary Uce Sami Zayn and The Usos welcomed Solo to The Bloodline tonight on SmackDown. Roman Reigns was not with them during the segment. Sikoa announced that he was here to say but Drew McIntyre interrupted.

Drew marched to the ring with a steel chair but Sikoa remained in the ring as the rest of The Bloodline retreated. Sami then jumped in front of the chair shot but McIntyre was able to beat down Solo a bit. The Bloodline retreated as Drew demanded a match against Solo tonight.

MJF Reacts To The Bloodline Segment on WWE SmackDown

MJF returned to All Elite Wrestling this past Sunday at All Out. He confronted then-AEW Champion CM Punk to close the show. CM Punk then went on an absurd rant during his appearance at the media scrum following the PPV, which led to a physical confrontation with then-Trios Champions The Elite (Young Bucks & Kenny Omega). The fight after the media scrum (AEW Brawl Out) has led to CM Punk and The Elite being stripped of their titles and numerous suspensions.

On Wednesday’s edition of Dynamite, MJF referred Cody Rhodes and Triple H during his promo. He claimed that he views the AEW Championship as a bargaining chip for the bidding war of 2024. Maxwell was tuning into tonight’s edition of SmackDown and reacted to The Bloodline’s segment with a “we the ones” emoji.

“I’m Not High” – Former WWE Champion Pitches New Nickname For Sami Zayn

Robert Lentini
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Former WWE Champion Kofi Kingston has suggested a new nickname for Sami Zayn based on being an Honorary Uce in The Bloodline and his friendship with Kevin Owens.

Sami has spent months trying to become an official member of The Bloodline faction with Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Paul Heyman. He recently had some conversations backstage with The Tribal Chief and it appeared that Sami was on his way to joining the group.

Kevin Owens battled Jey Uso on the August 29th episode of RAW. During the match, The Usos wanted Zayn to strike Owens with a chair but he refused. This led to Jimmy getting frustrated with Sami and taking his eye off of Owens. Kevin capitalized with a Stunner for the pinfall victory.

Earlier today, Kofi took to Twitter to suggest a new name for Sami that may allow The Role Model to stay loyal to both parties.

Man… i might be late on this but…I just realized that Sami been trying to get in with the Samoans…but there’s questions on wether he’s still boys with Kevin Owens… you think he can stay loyal to both parties by changing his name to ‘Sam Owens’ ? (I’m not high)

Sami has already hopped in front of a few Claymore kicks from Drew McIntyre in an effort to show his loyalty to Roman Reigns. It will be interesting to see how much more The Locker Room Leader is willing to take before he inevitably has a falling out with The Bloodline. The Usos’ younger brother, Solo Sikoa, joined The Bloodline at Clash at the Castle this past weekend and helped Roman retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship over Drew McIntyre.

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