More details are coming out regarding the backstage chaos following Sunday’s AEW All Out pay-per-view. As of this writing, we are still less than 48 hours removed from what’s developing into one of the biggest stories of 2022.
A physical altercation occured in CM Punk’s dressing room after his explosive comments at the All Out post-show media scrum. Punk trashed Colt Cabana, Hangman Page and AEW’s Executive Vice Presidents and stated once again, “come find me” if you have a problem with him.
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks took him up on the offer as soon as Punk wrapped up his rant at the media scrum. Details are still unclear about who escalated things to the point of violence, but punches (and a chair) were thrown, hair was pulled and Kenny Omega got bit.
Update on the All Out Backstage Brawl
Here’s the the on the fallout from the backstage melee that occurred after AEW All Out:
Tony Khan has suspended several AEW employees who were in the room for the CM Punk – Elite brawl, according to Brian Last’s The Wrestling News podcast.
Fightful Select reports that several members of the AEW roster expect CM Punk to be released after the way things went down. Several people who would typically side with conspicuously not defending him.
Whether the first punch was thrown by CM Punk or a member of The Elite, there is a feeling that the EVP’s should be setting an example and may even lose their titles as a disciplinary measure. (via Steve Muehlhausen)
CM Punk and Kenny Omega had a conversation after things calmed down. However, the talk is not believed to have been productive.
This is a developing story and we’ll provide additional updates as new information becomes available.
Since Triple H took over as Head of WWE’s Creative, the promotion has undergone several changes.
Fans have seen several returns from Superstars released under the previous regime, with Karrion Kross, Dakota Kai, Hit Row, Johnny Gargano and Dexter Lumis all being rehired.
WWE has also relaxed rules against some ‘banned’ words, allowing terms like wrestler and hospital to make it to air.
Nikki A.S.H, No More?
During this week’s Monday Night Raw, Nikki A.S.H and Doudrop came up short in their efforts to become WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.
Losing to Raquel Rodriguez and Aliyah, this loss came mere days after the pair of Scottish Superstars failed to capture the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships at Worlds Collide.
During a segment backstage, where Damage CTRL were walking to the ring, Nikki could be seen berating Doudrop, and ripped her mask off and threw it at her tag team partner.
Nikki stormed off, and on Twitter, reacted to a video of the clip.
If Nikki A.S.H does revert back to Nikki Cross, she’ll be the latest WWE Superstar to undergo a change.
With Vince McMahon retired, multiple Superstars have had their names changed to monikers used earlier in their careers.
Austin Theory and Tommaso Ciampa both lost their first names as part of a McMahon-era rule against talent using real names.
On last week’s SmackDown, Butch, who previously wrestled as Pete Dunne, competed in his Dunne-era attire.
While Nikki did use part of her real name while working as Nikki Cross (her real name is Nikki Glencross) it is not believed that her name change last year was part of the rule.
The rock and wrestling connection remains strong. No band knows that better than Shinedown. This popular band is taking the charts by storm with their latest album “Planet Zero,” which brought them a 19th number one on Active Rock. Their smash “Daylight,” also gave them their 18th Mainstream Rock number one. We’re talking the most in the 41-year history of the chart’s existence.
Helping them over time no doubt is the exposure that comes when six of their songs play on WWE shows. This includes WrestleMania, and for quite a while, Raw every Monday night. Shinedown’s Zach Myers got a sense of the company’s reach very quickly.
“You’ll be on a day off in Albuquerque and go to a restaurant,” Myers recalled. “I look like I’m in a band I guess, so they’ll ask what band I’m in. I’ll say Shinedown. They’ll respond with, ‘Yeah, you guys were the Raw theme song for two years.’ It’s really cool to have that relationship.”
Myers along with lead singer Brent Smith, Barry Kerch, and Eric Bass have had wrestlers at their shows. They’ve also been at WWE events. Friendships have formed, built on mutual respect and exchange of fandoms.
On August 28, frontman and Knoxville, TN, native Smith was surprised with the key to Knox County, presented by mayor Glenn Jacobs (aka professional wrestler Kane) on stage during the band’s show at Thompson-Boling Arena. Through their relationship with the WWE, Shinedown guitarist Zach Myers and the band’s head of security John Guarnieri helped to plan this special honor for Brent with the mayor’s office. The key was crafted by students at Brent’s alma mater South Doyle High School. PRESS HERE to watch.
“The parallels between those two universes are way more similar than most people realize,” Myers said. “I would go even further as to say there is a percentage of our fans that came from the wrestling world…I think a percentage of our global fan base has come from that which is really cool. It’s always really nice. We were never the cool band. We were never on MTV. We were never on VH1. We kind of made our own cool. We are a radio band that just did the work live and really gained fans from radio and our live shows.”
Myers will make it a point to attend shows when he is home when WWE is in town. Even before being part of rock’s go-to hitmakers, the musician has been a longtime fan.
“I was at one of the Raw’s Hulk Hogan came back after being gone for a long time,” he reminisces. “I remember seeing WCW a long time ago with one of Goldberg’s first appearances when I was younger. They take care of us as we go now. We’re usually in the front row. It’s always super fun. I’m a big shoe guy, so I remember when Hulk Hogan came out in his Jordans. I have been there for a lot of them. It has been really cool to see.”
He admittedly doesn’t follow as much on TV anymore. Touring the world is not only Shinedown but Smith & Myers, Hanson, and other music projects will take up a lot of time. Not to mention being a dad.
“I have two kids, and I’m dad-ing full-time when I’m not on the road,” Myers explained. “When the live events come, I’ll usually backtrack Peacock for a couple of weeks. My younger brother is seven years younger than me. He is super into it still. So we go and he’ll catch me up on what’s going on.”
Photo Credit: Sanjay Parikh
When asked who the biggest Shinedown fans in pro wrestling are, Myers runs down a number of top stars. Everyone from Triple H to Fozzy’s own Chris Jericho, who has been a friend of his for 15 years. Memories start flooding back.
“We did WrestleMania in Chicago, the pre-event at House of Blues,” Myers said. “WrestleMania does the whole weekend wherever they are. John Cena came and a bunch of people came. There is a very early photo of us with John Cena. He looked great. We did not. This is the old days of Shinedown when we weren’t as healthy as we are now. [Happy] Corbin and I are really close. Not even through wrestling. We met each other through wrestling, but we are both cooks. We both love barbecue and cooking outdoors to the point that we actually discussed doing a show together and pitching a show to a network.
Then there was the time he crossed paths with his favorite legend in red and yellow.
“I got to meet Hulk Hogan one time. He said he knew who Shinedown was,” he added. Whether he was lying to me or not, that was cool for me …We were walking in Target the other day and my son saw the wrestling action figures and they did this legend’s remake thing…He pointed to one. I said, “That’s dada’s favorite wrestler of all time. It came full circle for me.
“I told my wife that when he turns 7 I think I’ll let him start watching. He has a brother two years younger than him, and they fight enough for my taste. Wrestling would add more fuel to the fire. I think next year I’ll start him at events.”
“Planet Zero” is out now. See Shinedown when they come to a city near you!
A former AEW star is calling out CM Punk for a shoot fight.
During a recent interview with The Undisputed Podcast, former AEW star Bobby Fish called for a competitive fight against CM Punk.
Fish isn’t very concerned with what the rules are, as he’s willing to fight Punk in boxing, kickboxing, or mixed martial arts (MMA).
“Let’s just make this a formal invitation to Phil [CM Punk]. Yeah, I’m down. If that’s the direction he wants to go and I mean, he could pick the time, the place, we can do it in Chicago. Yeah, that would be kind of fun, right? It can be boxing, it could be kickboxing, it can be MMA.
“I mean sh*t, we can do this bareknuckle. Whatever sounds good to Phil. He can pick the weight, he can pick the place like I said. I mean whatever he wants to do but yeah, let’s make it official. Like come on Phil [Fish chuckled].”
“Oh, they are atrocious [Fish described Punk’s kicks]. Well, you said what you heard on the sheets was that he came out throwing haymakers. He didn’t come out throwing kicks, because he ain’t hitting anybody with those [Fish laughed].”
Fish claims that during his time in AEW he actually tried to get AEW president Tony Khan to give him permission to do a fight several times.
Of course, he had no success on that front. Now, he’s hoping he can land a fight with Punk, who, for the time being, is under contract with AEW.
“So truth be told, since May, I have tried to get Tony Khan to sit down with me no less than five times to ask permission to do a kickboxing fight.
“It was actually something that I talked to other people in the company about but I could never nail Tony down and in Tony’s defense, he’s a busy man, especially on TV days, it is what it is but I wanted permission to do a fight and I couldn’t get there with Tony so now, it’s no secret, I don’t need anyone’s permission at this point so yeah, let’s make this sh*t official Phil… I’ll do you one better. Phil, let’s f*cking go! [Fish laughed] I think that’s how someone else would say it.”
We have some backstage news to pass along regarding Braun Strowman returning to WWE.
As noted, on this week’s episode of Monday Night RAW, Braun Strowman made his return to the company.
Strowman made a surprise appearance during the Fatal-Four Way Number One Contenders tag team match between The New Day, Alpha Academy, Los Lotharios, and The Street Profits.
Strowman came out and laid out everybody before celebrating with the crowd. PWInsider reports that, despite returning on RAW, Strowman will be used as a member of the SmackDown Live roster. He’s also slated to be used as a babyface.
The former WWE Universal Champion’s first run with WWE began back in 2013 as a member of The Wyatt Family. After several years with the faction, Strowman began a singles career in 2016.
That run saw him feud with top stars the likes of Roman Reigns, winning the WWE Universal Title, Intercontinental Title, and RAW Tag Team Titles. He’s also a former Money In The Bank winner, and an Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner.
Strowman was released from WWE in June of 2021 due to budget cuts. During his time away from WWE, Strowman still competed in professional wrestling on the independent circuit for the Control Your Narrative promotion.
Now, he’s back with WWE and could potentially rejoin the World Title picture as a potential opponent for Roman Reigns.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque has been promoted once again. WWE issued a press release on Tuesday announcing Levesque will now serve as the company’s Chief Content Officer.
In a press release sent in to SEScoops, we’ve learned the responsibilities Triple H’s new role entails.
As Chief Content Officer, Levesque will oversee Creative Writing, Talent Relations, Live Events, Talent Development and Creative Services. The role will report to WWE co-CEO Nick Khan.
WWE also touted a 15% spike in Raw viewership since Triple H took over the creative reigns from Vince McMahon, as well as double-digit gains in social media activity.
Triple H issued the following statement regarding his promotion:
“WWE is one of the most prolific producers of premium content in the world and I look forward to this amazing opportunity,” said Levesque. “Having spent my entire career in this business, I’m confident that we have the right pieces in place to continue to grow our audience and deliver for our fans around the world.”
Triple H Making Big Changes to WWE
New WWE President & CFO
Additionally, Frank A. Riddick III has been promoted to be WWE’s new President and Chief Financial Officer. Riddick joined WWE as Chief Financial Officer last year, after serving on the company’s Board of Directors for more than 13 years and previously holding the role of interim CFO.
As President & CFO, Riddick will oversee Financial Planning & Analysis, Strategy, Controllership, Investor Relations, Tax, Data Analytics, Technology, Event Travel and Facilities. He will jointly report to WWE Chairwoman & co-CEO Stephanie McMahon and co-CEO Nick Khan.
“I’ve had the great fortune of working closely with the talented people at WWE in a variety of capacities over the past 15 years,” said Riddick. “Along with Steph, Nick and Paul, we look forward to executing our ambitious plans and delivering for our shareholders.”
“We are excited to announce expanded roles for Paul and Frank, which will enhance WWE’s ability to create premium content for our partners around the world and, ultimately, drive our business forward,” said McMahon and Khan.
Solo Sikoa is ready to take his rightful place alongside The Bloodline this Friday on WWE SmackDown.
The younger brother of The Usos (and cousin of Roman Reigns) has been making a name for himself in NXT since his arrival in October 2021. After weeks of rumors that he’s headed to the main roster, Sikoa appeared in the main event of Saturday’s Clash at the Castle premium live event.
Sikoa instantly proved his usefulness to Reigns by getting involved when it counted the most. With Drew McIntyre seconds away from dethroning Reigns, Sikoa emerged and pulled the referee out of the ring and interrupted what could have been the deciding pinfall.
Solo Sikoa Joins the Bloodline
Just because Solo Sikoa helped Roman Reigns retain the Undisputed WWE Universal championship, that doesn’t guarantee he will officially join the Bloodline faction.Well, WWE is now advertising exactly that.
WWE has published a teaser video hyping Friday’s SmackDown titled, “The Bloodline’s family grows.” The voiceover on the video states, “This Friday, Acknowledge a Bigger, Badder Bloodline.”
In his first public statement since Clash at the Castle, Sikoa replied to the Smackdown teaser on social media by writing, “[Blood] comes first. Always.”
“I was was going to do something with Gable Stevenson and try to get him launched and get going. When they told me I was like, ‘Okay.'”
Triple H on plans for him at WrestleMania 38.
Triple H added that then-WWE CEO Vince McMahon was counting on an appearance by his son-in-law, who needed “the attraction” of the former World Heavyweight Champion.
However, Stephanie McMahon was reportedly against the idea of Triple H doing anything physical with Steveson, and the idea was later scrapped.
Going Cold
Instead of tangling with Triple H, Steveson appeared at WrestleMania: Saturday, having an in-ring segment with the Street Profits and RK-Bro.
WWE signed Steveson last year, with huge expectations for the Olympic Gold Medalist, who was drafted to Raw last October.
According to recent reports, WWE has gone cold on Steveson, as he’s not shown the level of improvement in training expected of him.
While WWE had plans to fast-track Steveson to the main roster, his name hasn’t come up in creative meetings in months.
Sunday’s All Out pay-per-view was another successful outing for AEW. The matches were well-received, we’ve got a new AEW World Champion (CM Punk) and MJF made his highly anticipated return.
Unfortunately, the events that transpired after the show went off the air have been overshadowing AEW’s latest event.
During the post-show media scrum, new AEW World Champion CM Punk lashed out at Colt Cabana and Hangman Page, who he called an “empty-headed f**cking dumb f***.” Punk also trashed AEW’s Executive Vice Presidents (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks), who he said are incapable of managing a Target retail store.
Punk said once again, if you have a problem with him, he’s not hard to find. His locker room door is always open. Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks took this message to heart. They were waiting for Punk in his locker room after Punk finished ranting at the media scrum.
The Fallout
We know a physical altercation occurred involving CM Punk, AEW producer Ace Steel, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. Details are still coming out, as it relates to escalated the situation to the point of violence.
Punches (and a chair) were thrown, hair was pulled and there’s even been reports that Ace Steel bit Kenny Omega. Nick Jackson was seen with a black eye after the melee. The situation is a complete mess and you can be sure consequences will be levied very soon.
AEW has yet comment publicly on what transpired, but we can report that Ace Steel is not expected to stay with the company due to his conduct. Steel has been working as a producer for AEW since earlier this year. Last week on Dynamite, he played a key role in CM Punk agreeing to wrestle Jon Moxley at All Out.
Additionally, we’re told several AEW personnel who were in the room for the altercation have been suspended. For more on this developing story:
When WWE introduced the 24/7 Championship, the title was at first met with criticism from fans.
Fans had been hoping to see the return of the Hardcore Championship, especially as it was Mick Foley (the first Hardcore Champion) who did the unveiling of the 24/7 title.
The title’s design also spawned criticism, though fans got on board with the new championship thanks to comedy segments, many of which featured R-Truth.
The End of the Championship?
The 24/7 Championship has been around for over three years, but fans haven’t seen much of the title as of late.
The most recent televised title match took place on the July 18, 2022, episode of WWE Raw, when Dana Brooke pinned Tamina to win the gold.
This lack of TV time has led to the belief that the title could be quietly retired as part of the new era of WWE.
While the title isn’t being defended on TV, there are still title changes happening at untelevised WWE Live Events
According to a report from Fightful Select, none of those title changes have been acknowledged, which has fueled belief that the title is finished.
It is not confirmed whether or not Triple H is planning on retiring the title or if he will just be using it for live event purposes.
Replicas of the WWE 24/7 Championship are still available on WWE’s merchandise website.
The current Champion is Dana Brooke, who is in her seventh official reign as Champion, but has held the title several times more than that by winning at WWE Live events.
In 1997, Joan Laurer debated in the WWF, introduced as Chyna: the imposing bodyguard for D-Generation X.
Chyna’s career would see her become a two-time Intercontinental Champion (the only woman to win the title), as well as a one-time Women’s Champion and the only woman to enter the King of the Ring tournament.
After her 2001 departure, Chyna was never welcomed back to the company before her death in April 2016.
Survivor’s Guilt
One Superstar who worked closely with Chyna is ‘Road Dogg’ Jesse James, who often teamed with the Ninth Wonder of the World in DX.
Speaking on his ‘Oh You Didn’t Know’ podcast, James said that he recently filmed content for an A&E Biographies: WWE Legends episode about the deceased wrestler.
Road Dogg said he got emotional thinking about Chyna, and how like her, he too had problems with drugs and other substances, but is still alive (via Wrestling Inc.)
“They came to my house and I didn’t think I was gonna, I was gonna cry, but it got me, man. Some of that survivor’s guilt comes back, you know what I mean? … I did every horrible thing she ever did, why me? … It got me yesterday and the guy said, ‘Oh, man, that’s gonna be good TV.'”
“I did every horrible thing she ever did, why me?”
Road Dogg Jesse James on questioning why he’s alive and Chyna isn’t.
The Hall of Fame
For years, WWE tried to downplay Chyna’s influence, arguing that her career in pornography meant that she could not be acknowledged by the PG-rated promotion.
In recent years, WWE has done a U-turn and now celebrates Chyna, inducting her posthumously into the Hall of Fame in 2019.
While Chyna is worthy of the induction, fans criticized that she was being inducted as part of DX and not as a singles Superstar.
There have been calls for Chyna to receive a second induction, with WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley saying he believes it should happen.
The Miz has been tormented by Dexter Lumis for the past few weeks.
Dexter has dragged The A-Lister out of an arena, hidden in the back of his car, and now he’s kidnapped The Miz once again. Lumis arrived in epic fashion during tonight’s main event. Bobby Lashley put the United States Championship on the line against The Miz inside a Steel Cage.
Tommaso Ciampa was ringside for the match and kept hitting the champion with cheap shots. The Miz appeared to have the match won when Dexter Lumis slid out from under the ring in an awesome camera shot. The A-Lister scurried back into the ring and got hit with a Spear from Lashley for the pinfall victory. Lashley is still the United States Champion.
Dexter Lumis Kidnaps The Miz After RAW Goes off the Air
Dexter climbed up the steel cage as The Miz desperately tried to get away and crawl towards the steel door. Lumis caught up to Miz and choked him out in the middle of the ring. He then patted Miz on top of the head as if he was pet as RAW went off the air.
After RAW ended, the steel cage was brought up and Dexter took the opportunity to kidnap the 2-time WWE Champion. He slid out of the ring like a snake before dragging The Miz to the outside. Dexter put The Miz over his shoulder and walked backstage.
Johnny Gargano made his return to WWE recently after spending nine months as a free agent.
He and his wife, former NXT Superstar Candice LeRae, welcomed a baby into the family and exited the company. Johnny returned on the August 22nd edition of WWE RAW from Toronto, Canada. He got a tremendous reaction from the crowd and claimed that he wanted to become Intercontinental Champion, United States Champion, and perform at WrestleMania and WWE was the only place to do that.
Money in the Bank winner Theory, now known as Austin Theory, interrupted and got a Superkick to the face.
Johnny Gargano’s Return Match Announced For RAW Next Week
Gargano was interviewed backstage tonight during RAW and was interrupted by Theory once again. Austin attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank contract during the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship at Clash at the Castle between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre.
Both WWE Superstars were down and it appeared that he picked the perfect time to cash in. Unfortunately for Theory, he was unable to cash in because he received a massive right hand to the face courtesy of Tyson Fury.
The 25-year-old came up short once again tonight against Kevin Owens and was pissed off when he interrupted Gargano’s interview backstage. Johnny announced that he will be returning to the ring next week to Theory but did not name him as the opponent.
Next week live on Monday Night RAW, Johnny Wrestling after nine months returns to in-ring action.
Braun Strowman returned to WWE tonight on RAW. He arrived in the middle of a Fatal 4-Way match between Alpha Academy, Los Lotharios, Street Profits, and The New Day to determine the #1 contenders for the Undisputed Tag Team Championships.
The match ended in a no contest after Braun attacked Chad Gable and put Angelo Dawkins through the commentary table with a Powerslam. The Monster Among Men continued his attack through a commercial break until WWE officials finally broke it up when RAW returned.
During the final hour of WWE RAW, Braun was interviewed backstage about his return Strowman didn’t reveal much but did disclose what’s next for him. He will be appearing on Friday’s edition of SmackDown and that nobody is safe.
Look, I’ll fill you in on everything you need to know. The Monsters of All Monsters is back and nobody is safe. I will see you all this Friday night on SmackDown.
"I will see you all this Friday night on #SmackDown!"
Braun Strowman single-handedly decimated four tag teams tonight on RAW. The 39-year-old accomplished another incredible feat at WrestleMania 34. Strowman didn’t have a partner for a tag title match so he selected a 10-year-old child named Nicholas from the crowd.
Nicholas and Braun defeated The Bar (Sheamus and Cesaro, now known as ROH Champion Claudio Castagnoli) to capture the RAW Tag Team Championships. After Braun arrived on RAW, his former tag team partner sent out a picture of them celebrating the titles.
Dominik Mysterio has joined The Judgment Day just days after turning on Edge and his father Rey Mysterio at WWE Clash at the Castle. On Monday’s episode Raw, he aided the group as they attacked Edge.
The show opened with Edge doing a promo where he called out Dominik, but Rey answered the callout instead to ask Edge not to hurt his son. The WWE Hall Of Famer called him out again after stating Dominik is old enough to answer for his own actions.
Rhea Ripley came out next to say that she had made Dominik a man, and then the son of the former WWE champion walked out to stand with Ripley. Rey left the ring as he said he could not be a part of what was about to happen. Although he asked Dominik to look at him and to apologize to Edge, Dominik refused.
As Dominik and Ripley walked towards the ring, Finn Balor and Damian Priest of Judgment Day attacked Edge. Dominik handed Balor a chair, and Balor hit a Coup de Grace.
Judgment Day Attacks
Dominik Mysterio
Dominik then posed with The Judgment Day as Rey returned to check on Edge. According to the announcers, Edge had been taken to a medical facility following the attack.
Dominik turned heel this past Saturday at Clash at the Castle by attacking Edge and Rey following their tag team bout against Priest and Balor.
Braun Strowman made his return to WWE during tonight’s episode of RAW.
American Alpha, Los Lotharios, Street Profits, and The New Day competed in a Fatal 4-Way to determine the #1 contenders for the Undisputed Tag Team Championships.
The Monster Among Men arrived in the match and attacked Chad Gable to end the match in a no contest. Braun then put Angelo Dawkins through the announce table and started posing like Hulk Hogan for the crowd. Strowman continued his attack through the commercial break and finally made his way backstage when RAW returned.
EC3 & Control Your Narrative Release Statement on Braun Strowman Returning to WWE
WWE released Braun Strowman (Adam Scherr) on June 2, 2021. He launched the Control Your Narrative promotion alongside former WWE Superstar EC3. Control Your Narrative and EC3 released a statement on Instagram shortly after The Monster Among Men’s return tonight on RAW. EC3 said that CYN is about more than just one man and wished Braun well in his “unfinished business” in WWE.
You can read the entire statement below:
CONTROL YOUR NARRATIVE (CYN) BIDS “THE TITAN” ADIEU
The “Monster Among Men” Returns to World Wrestling Entertainment
Orlando, FL(Sept 5, 2022) – Control Your Narrative (CYN) would like to wish Adam Scherr the best on his return to form as Braun Strowman in the WWE. To “Control Your Narrative” is to “Tell Your Story” and the story of Braun Strowman is “unfinished business.” May Adam/Braun continue to strike fear into the hearts of his opponents, while also doing what motivates him the most, “putting smiles on people’s faces” world wide.
Adam’s ability and value was a catalyst of growth for CYN, allowing an “idea” to grow into featured content, live shows, and the prospect of both a domestic tour and weekly episodic television featured on “Pro Wrestling TV.” With CYN we hope the fulfillment of helping facilitate the next generation and personal growth leads him to becoming “who he is supposed to be”
Control Your Narrative is not about just one man, but a brand. CYN is, and always will be, a platform for any talent/individual to find their “purpose” in this industry. CYN was created to allow name performers’ the creative freedom to reinvent themselves while also giving new, deserving wrestlers the one thing they desperately seek.
Opportunity.
With CYN, our mission is to create memories, characters and a platform that will last a lifetime. I remain determined to make CYN a platform where those following their “dream” have a place to learn, create, grow and make a living. Control Your Narrative will be both a proving ground and an education. CYN exists not just to build better wrestlers, but to build better people. Adam’s contributions to both will be missed.?
With Adam’s return to the WWE, the vision remains the same but the immediate future is unknown. This is not a bad thing. To our CYN talent, those that are knocking on the door, to any fan, lover/hater or any individual reading I can assure you only one thing.?
Everything you ever want, is on the other side of the unknown.
-ec3
EC3, Adam Scherr to LAUNCH NEW WRESTLING COMPANY!?? ?? TV DEAL announcement IMMINENT!?? ?? CYN: Live? 3/5 ORLANDO, FL ? 3/31 Dallas, TX (TV SPECIAL!)?? ?? Bio for TICKETS/INFO? ?? “Now that I have your attention, here’s the truth.” – ec3?? ?? pic.twitter.com/npdsyBBy4c
Sunday’s AEW ALL OUT pay-per-view has been overshadowed by the events of the post-show scrum, but that doesn’t mean that the show didn’t feature some marquee moments, which included a special cameo on the Zero Hour pre-show.
Rising superstar HOOK successfully defended his FTW championship against Angelo Parker on Zero Hour, but Parker’s longtime tag partner Matt Menard attacked the 23-year old New Yorker as soon as the match ended. However, HOOK would be helped by a very unlikely ally.
Rapper Action Bronson, who was shown sitting in the front row and fist bumped HOOK prior to the match beginning, jumped inside and disposed of Menard and Parker. This led to HOOK standing side-by-side with Bronson and having an intense staredown with the JAS members as the segment eventually came to an end.
Action Bronson & AEW
(AEW)
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, this won’t just be a one-off appearance for Bronson. Reports are that the famed hip-hop star has been training with Taz and will be tagging with HOOK to take on Menard and Parker at the upcoming AEW Dynamite: Grand Slam show from Arthur Ashe Stadium.
For those who don’t know Bronson’s work, he is the artist behind HOOK’s popular theme song, “The Chairman’s Intent,” and has dropped pro-wrestling references in his music for quite some time, including a full-length album entitled “Mr Wonderful.”
As of this writing AEW has yet to confirm that Bronson will be competing.
MJF’s first Dynamite appearance since June has been set as the top AEW star will appear live on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite in Buffalo, New York.
MJF made his return at Sunday’s All Out as he was revealed to be ‘The Joker’ in the Casino Ladder match It was Stokely Hathaway who pulled down the casino chip for MJF as he was flanked by W. Morrissey, Lee Moriarty, Ethan Page, Austin Gunn, and Colten Gunn to take out Claudio Castagnoli, Wheeler Yuta, Penta Oscuro, Rey Fenix, Rush, Andrade El Idolo, and Dante Martin.
CM Punk beat Jon Moxley in the main event to win the AEW World Heavyweight Title. Post-match, MJF appeared in front of the audience and signaled that he is coming after the new AEW World World Heavyweight Champion.
Rest of The Card
This Wednesday on #AEWDynamite, we’ll hear from the 2022 Casino Ladder Match winner @The_MJF!
During All Out, All Elite Wrestling also confirmed that Best Friends & Orange Cassidy vs. Death Triangle (PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) in a trios bout while ROH Pure Champion Wheeler Yuta defends against Daniel Garcia on Dynamite.
MJF had been away since the post-Double Or Nothing episode of Dynamite, where he cut a memorable promo and demanded that Tony Khan fire him.
Braun Strowman made a triumphant return to WWE on Monday’s edition of WWE Raw.
Strowman didn’t waste any time raising hell. The former Universal Champion interrupted a tag team contender match by attacking Chad Gable and Otis, in addition to several other tag teams and security.
The beast now known as the Monster of All Monsters drove Angelo Dawkins of the Street Profits through the announcers table at ringside.
Twitter user CB caught this ringside footage of Strowman tripping during the ringside melee:
Later in the show, Braun Strowman was briefly interviewed backstage. He announced that he will be on hand for Friday’s edition of SmackDown from Seattle, Washington.
You can watch the full segment here:
Strowman had this to say to the WWE Universe after his return on Raw:
Strowman first joined WWE in 2013 with no wrestling background and fast-tracked to the main roster as Vince McMahon was high on him. He was paired with The Wyatt Family on the main roster.
After splitting away from the faction that included Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, and Erick Rowan, he was pushed as a singles stars after being drafted to Raw in 2016.
In later years, he engaged in feuds with top stars, such as Roman Reigns. He is also a former Intercontinental and Raw Tag Team Champion, as well as a former Money in the Bank briefcase holder. At WrestleMania 36 in 2020, he also won the Universal Title from Goldberg.
There were rumors that he might sign with Impact Wrestling or AEW, but those rumors fizzled, and his price tag may have been a factor following his departure from WWE. Last year, he was involved in a feud with Bray Wyatt and lost to Bobby Lashley on Monday Night Raw.
Strowman has worked eight matches since leaving WWE, mostly for Control Your Narrative.
CM Punk didn’t just make headlines for his latest victory inside of the squared circle at AEW All Out, but mostly for what he did at the post-show media scrum.
Punk defeated Jon Moxley in the show’s main event to become the new World Heavyweight Champion.
At the media scrum, he dismissed speculation that he had anything to do with Colt Cabana not being used on AEW programming and noted that he couldn’t care less about his former friend.
He ripped Hangman Page for his comments during a promo earlier this year on an episode of Dynamite heading into Double Or Nothing, where he won the World Title for the first time. More importantly, he stated that the AEW EVPs (Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks) couldn’t run a Target store.
Reactions Among Talent
One of the most difficult things I’ve had to do in 25 years in the professional wrestling business is keep my mouth shut. However, it’s has also been one of the most rewarding things.
I’ve lived a helluva life – I’ve accomplished incredible things & I’ve also fucked up a lot. I can confidently say I’ve learned from both the good & the bad. I don’t believe in tearing people down, I only believe in building people up.
A quiet afternoon in the world of professional wrestling. Spice things up with the hottest Monday night wrestling program of all time. #AEWDarkElevation Excalibur an Daddy Magic on the call. Tonight. 7pm.
John Cena also tweeted out the following, although it’s unclear whether it had anything to do with Punk:
Recognize greatness in others. Never monopolize achievement. Be a vehicle to bring out the best in everyone, even those deemed your opposition. It will bravely lead you to an honest place of who you are, where you stand and what hill is next to climb.
As previously reported, Punk got into a backstage altercation with Omega and The Young Bucks that got physical. A real-life tag team match broke out during the media scrum after Punk said that if anyone had a problem with him, to do so to his face. And that’s exactly what happened.
More information continues to emerge regarding the fight involving CM Punk during the AEW All Out media scrum.
Fightful previously noted Punk allegedly started things by throwing punches at Matt Jackson. The Wrestling Observer confirmed this and noted Punk’s trainer/friend Ace Steel was allegedly involved as he reportedly threw a chair that hit Nick Jackson in the eye. Kenny Omega was involved with Steel, who was “grabbing his hair and biting him.”
Steel, who appeared last week on Dynamite works backstage as a Producer for the company. There has been no public comment from anyone involved.
Fallout
The Wrestling Observer website wrote: “As of this writing, no one involved, nor AEW, has commented publicly about the alleged incident, part of which is due to potential legal issues.”
The incident happened while Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee were answering questions from the media as there was a security guard seen running out of the room as they were talking.
Punk won the AEW World Heavyweight Title from Jon Moxley in the main event of All Out and is slated to feud with MJF. Omega and The Young Bucks are the Trios Champions at All Out.
Bobby Fish is making his first appearance following his departure from AEW.
The Undisputed Elite member will be competing at Black Label Pro’s Turbo Graps event from Crown Point Indiana on September 24th, where he will taking on the super talented Kevin Blackwood. Black Label is holding a tournament at that same show but Fish’s match will be unrelated to that.
?TURBO GRAPS 24?
Non-Tournament Action!
Kevin Blackwood takes on the debuting Bobby Fish!
September 24, 2022 7:30 PM RDS Gym Crown Point, IN.
Fish’s AEW contract quietly expired on Wednesday August 31st. His final television appearance was the August 3rd Dynamite, where he, Kyle O’Reilly, and Adam Cole turned on the Young Bucks. Prior to that Fish was sidelined with an injury.
During his time with the promotion Fish had marquee matchups with CM Punk and Bryan Danielson, challenged unsuccessfully for the TNT championship, as well as unsuccessfully challenging for the AEW tag team championships with Kyle O’Reilly. He is currently still a free agent in the competitive wrestling market.
Rhea Ripley has been on a mean streak since turning on former partner Liv Morgan back in April, but her character has taken a noticeably darker turn since joining Judgment Day.
The former Raw Women’s champion is one of the toughest competitors in WWE. With Finn Balor and Damian Priest at her side, she’s more dangerous than ever. Ripley has been racking up wins and it’s only a matter of time before she’s back in the title picture.
Ripley participated in a media scrum prior to Saturday’s Clash at the Castle event and told Inside the Ropes that she believes it’s important to constantly evolve your on-screen presence. During her time wrestling in the women’s tag team division with Nikki A.S.H. and later Liv Morgan, she “lost herself” along the way and regressed as a performer.
“I sort of lost myself and lost that brutal streak that I had… I was becoming too lovey-dovey and just like, trying to please people again,” she said.
Confident, Chaotic and Brutal
Rhea Ripley realized she was losing her edge, so she looked within herself. She remembered who she really is, which is what got her to the big time (WWE) in the first palce.
“I was like, ‘Nah, nah, fam. I don’t want this, I don’t like this.’ So, I’m just gonna be me again. [I’m going to be] confident and be a menace and just be chaotic and brutal.”
– Rhea Ripley
The Judgment Day is riding a wave of momentum following Clash at the Castle. After months of feuding with Rey and Dominik Mysterio, Dom did the unthinkable and turned on his father at the event. It remains to be seen if he’ll join the group, but Judgment Day remains at the forefront of WWE storylines, thanks in no small part to Rhea Ripley.
Watch Rhea Ripley’s comments about her decision to join The Judgment Day:
Tonight’s WWE Raw is from Kansas City and will be a big show as it features the fallout from last Saturday’s Clash at the Castle premium live event, the first PPV event to be held in the UK since 1992.
So far, only one match has been confirmed for the show which is Bobby Lashley defending the United States title against The Miz in a steel cage match. The cage match stipulation is is just the latest sign that WWE is taking its mid-card belts seriously. We’ve seen a renewed emphasis on the IC and United States championships since Triple H took over creative.
Braun Strowman’s Return
Former WWE Superstar Braun Strowman is rumored to be returning to WWE. According to Fightful Select, Strowman is slated to be backstage at the show. Furthermore, WWE’s production crew is working on an angle that will involve a car getting flipped over.
During his first run with WWE, Strowman was involved in several stunts that saw cars and trucks getting flipped and demolished.
Also on tap for tonight… the ongoing angle involving Dexter Lumis will continue. The New Day is scheduled for the show and will be part of a program around The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles, currently held by The Usos.
The Usos couldn’t travel overseas for Clash at the Castle to be ringside with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns for his title defense against Drew McIntyre in the main event.
In January, Ronda Rousey returned to WWE after a near-three year absence from the promotion.
Returning at the Royal Rumble, Rousey won the Women’s Rumble match, earning a title match at WrestleMania 38 that she’d lose.
Rousey would win the SmackDown Women’s Championship a month later at WrestleMania Backlash, before losing the title to current champion Liv Morgan who cashed in Money in the Bank.
Plans for Rousey
Ronda Rousey is one of the biggest stars to join WWE, having established herself in the Olympics and UFC before signing in 2018.
Since losing the SmackDown Women’s Championship, Rousey has acted as a tweener, bordering on the line between heel and face.
Speaking during Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said the plan is for Rousey to be presented similar to another ex-UFC name (via Wrestling News.)
“They want to get her back to ‘special attraction, big Brock Lesnar star.’ So that’s the goal of what they’re doing right now. The belief was that at the end, because she’s [working with babyface] Liv Morgan, [Ronda] ends up as a heel. What they’re doing now isn’t necessarily to make her a heel, it’s to make her a big big star.”
Meltzer added that recent Google Trends show Rousey falling behind Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, and WWE wants to rebuild her image as a special attraction.
WrestleMania
Despite her impressive performances, Rousey doesn’t have a great WrestleMania record.
The former champion is 1-2 at WWE’s biggest show of the year, having won in 2018 (her WWE debut match) but lost in 2019 and 2022.
Meltzer noted that a year ago, the plan was for Rousey to face Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 39.
This has been a match WWE planned for Survivor Series 2018, but was changed after Lynch suffered a concussion.
It was noted that plans for WrestleMania 39 could change depending on fan reactions.
