Kevin Owens claims the WWE locker room has been “rejuvenated” by Triple H’s recent promotion.
Owens was recently interviewed by the TWC Show where he was asked about the changes that have gone on within WWE since Triple H took over. Owens got to work very closely with “The Game” during his own days in NXT, before eventually making his way up to the main roster.
Triple H was also a big part of his storyline in which he won the Universal Championship. With Triple H now running creative on the main roster, Owens is able to work with “The Game” again, and “KO” is excited about the reunion.
“Getting to work with Triple H again is really exciting because he’s obviously the reason I’m here, the reason I got my opportunity in WWE, my chance to go to tryout and eventually get signed and everything.
“When I first started out, I was in NXT for a few months and I got to work directly with him and it was so enlightening. I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of people that have tremendous minds for this industry.”
Vince McMahon was forced to step down as WWE CEO after some sexual misconduct allegations against him surfaced. After those claims began to be investigated, McMahon then retired as head of creative for WWE.
Soon after, Triple H then stepped in to fill the position, and there have already been big changes made under the new regime. Owens adds that the change has “rejuvenated” those in the locker room.
“It rejuvenated everybody, the atmosphere here is pretty great and it’s just cool to see where things go from here.“
Last year, the National Wrestling Alliance hosted their Empowerr event, marking the first all-female show in the promotion’s history.
The event didn’t just showcase the female talent in the NWA but also stars from AEW and AAA in a three-way crossover of the companies.
The show was headlined by Chelsea Green going the distance in the NWA Women’s Invitational Cup Gauntlet after entering from the #1 position.
Bringing Back Empowerrr
In the year since NWA Empowerrr, the promotion has not brought back the event, but that is reportedly the plan.
Speaking to SEScoops correspondent Steve Fall, NWA owner Billy Corgan discussed the all-female event’s future.
“It is in the cards. In fact, I saw a headline recently that said I don’t plan on bringing back Empowerr and that is totally false… We will definitely run another Empowerrr Pay Per View. Absolutely. Hopefully next year, but it’s just one of those things where it has to be the right time.”
“We will definitely run another Empowerrr Pay Per View.”
Billy Corgan on the future of the NWA’s all-female event.
Addressing not holding an NWA Empowerrr Pay Per View this year, Corgan said that there are currently not enough female free agents to justify doing the show.
“Look at all the people under contract with AEW and look at all the people under contract with WWE. You recognize probably 80 to 90 percent of top talent on the female side is already under contract.
NWA 74
Next weekend will mark the NWA 74 Pay Per View, which will run from August 27 to August 28.
In the interview, Corgan promised that “anything can happen” and that “history will definitely be made” next weekend.
The Smashing Pumpkins star also spoke about the NWA reaching it’s 75th year of operation, which he described as “insane.”
Later in the interview, Corgan called next week’s two-day event as a blend of “what was, is, and will be.”
Another former WWE Superstar is hoping to become All Elite in the near future.
The AEW roster features a healthy mix of homegrown talent, former WWE stars and legends. Competitors such as PAC, Malakai Black, Andrade, Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland are just some of the names who joined Tony Khan’s promotion hoping to show fans their true potential.
Miro is a great example of a former WWE star who has taken advantage of the creative freedom offered by AEW. Having reinvented himself as The Redeemer, Miro has done a commendable job establishing a new character that is completely different from his former persona, Rusev.
God’s Favorite Champion has long spoken about his hot, flexible wife. After countless references to his better half, it sounds like former WWE Superstar CJ Perry (Lana) is itching to get back to business.
Lana Wants to Join AEW
CJ Perry appeared on Wednesday’s edition of Busted Open Radio and spoke about Miro’s success in AEW.
Miro was courted by Julia Hart to join the House of Black faction last week on Dynamite. He rejected the offer, but the interaction caught Perry’s attention.
According to Perry, she didn’t like seeing Hart proposition her man. She was so enraged by the interaction that she was ready to retaliate with violence.
“I’m not a jealous type of person, but I was furious. I wanted to literally show up and slap the shit out of her.”
– CJ Perry on Julia Hart
She wasn’t done venting about what she wants to do to Julia Hart. Perry continued, “She does all these cute pictures on Instagram and her vibe is very House of Black, then she shows up in a blazer. I will literally dropkick her in the face.”
CJ Perry was asked if she’d be interested in working with Miro in AEW. As we saw in WWE, the married couple has undeniable on-screen chemistry.
“Hopefully, I get a chance to do that,” she said. “I’d love to do something with Miro in AEW. We’ll see what happens.”
Watch CJ Perry’s comments about wanting to join AEW:
Miro spoke with WhatCulture last month and had this to say about his wife possibly joining AEW:
“You never know. She’s really focused on CJPerry.com, her website, and everything it has to do with. She’s doing movies, she’s producing movies, so she’s really, really busy. But like I said in my interview, it’s about my god, my gold and my gorgeous wife.”
He says he and his wife have always been “money” wherever they’ve gone, whether it’s pro wrestling, reality television or online digital content.
“In my mind, in The Redeemer’s mind, his wife is always there, so it’s a no-brainer for my gorgeous wife to join my team eventually and walk through fools together.”
Jim Ross believes that CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley for the Undisputed All Elite Wrestling (AEW) World Title will be the promotion’s biggest main event ever.
Ross recently took to his podcast, “Grilling JR,” to offer his thoughts on the potential CM Punk vs. Jon Moxley match to unify their AEW World Titles. Punk recently made his return to AEW TV to confront Moxley, teasing their eventual matchup.
Of course, given Punk’s current injury, there’s no indication as to when that match could finally take place. With that being said, Jim Ross believes when the match finally does go down, it could do historic business for AEW.
“I knew he was in the building. I saw him briefly, earlier in the day, in the trainer’s room, getting some attention. He sure has been missed, there is no doubt about it. The crowd’s reaction would indicate the same. They are ready to see him.
“I still don’t know how healthy the guy is. I asked on air ‘has he been cleared to wrestle?’ Nobody knew. He will be cleared. He’s under good doctor’s care. This process has been ongoing.
“He’s still in the process of healing as far as I’m concerned, until I get word that he’s 100%, I’m going to play it by ear. He’s a tough guy. Everyone wants to see him and Moxley beat the shit out of each other.
“You can count your bottom dollar that’s what they’re going to do. They both have that pride. It’s going to be, arguably, the biggest main event we’ve ever had considering all the ramifications going in and injuries and all these things.
“I’m excited about calling that match. I think it’s going to be fun as hell.”
Punk won the AEW World Title at AEW Double Or Nothing earlier this year against Hangman Page. However, in June it was announced that Punk suffered a foot injury that needs surgery to repair.
In his absence, Moxley has been crowned as the interim World Champion. He’ll be ready to welcome Punk back once the former WWE Champion is ready to get back inside the squared circle.
Chris Jericho believes that the cons of Vince McMahon’s departure from WWE won’t be felt for another few months.
Jericho was recently a guest on the Swerve City podcast, where he talked about Vince McMahon stepping down as WWE CEO, as well as retiring as the head of creative on television. This happened shortly after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced against McMahon.
“Y2J” explained that, while there will certainly be some positives from McMahon’s WWE departure – especially creatively – there will also be some negative impacts. Those negatives in particular likely won’t be felt for a few more months.
“I can go back working for him for 17-18 years. Obviously, there are Vince-isms and Vince-foibles that don’t make sense, but I did learn a lot about the psychology of the business and how to be a star, how to conduct yourself, how to be a true main eventer and money draw.
“I think the pros, if that’s the right word, the pros of Vince leaving WWE will be seen very quickly. There are a lot of changes right off the bat, very refreshing. Lots of in-ring time. The cons of Vince leaving won’t be felt for a few months, maybe more, six months, a year.
“There are a lot of things that Vince did, little things, and I know people bag on him for his recent booking, and obviously there was a habit he had, but the guys who are true main event stars are legit stars. Legit stars.
“You can spot them from a mile away. Look at the difference between Drew McIntyre now, prior to the last run he had. Vince worked with him to make him a top guy and top star. Same with Roman (Reigns).
“Completely different now than it was before he turned heel. Brock as a babyface, I can tell Vince worked with him as being a babyface. You can spot it. I can see it.”
(AEW)
Chris Jericho certainly knows what he’s talking about when it comes to working with McMahon. The current All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star worked under McMahon during his nearly 20-year run with WWE.
After departing from WCW in the late 90s, Jericho debuted for WWE and instantly became one of the company’s biggest stars. The six-time WWE World Champion eventually joined AEW in 2020, where he became the promotion’s inaugural World Champion.
Hangman Page has wrestled in many competitive matches over the course of his career. The two hardest matches for him are a death match where he suffered a gruesome injury…and wrestling Bryan Danielson.
The former AEW world champion recently held a Q&A session at GalaxyCon Raleigh 2022. During the talk, Page was asked which are the hardest matches he has had to wrestle. He first recalled his Texas Death Match against Lance Archer:
“Probably the hardest match I would say two. One of them would be wrestling Lance Archer in a Texas Death match. I got my eyebrow cut. I didn’t know there were like vessels and veins in your eyebrow a lot. So I bled so much.” remembered Hangman Page, “There’s blood in my eyes and I couldn’t see.
I couldn’t breathe because it was just like going up my nose and stuff like that. I couldn’t see anything, I got thrown onto the steel steps and my left arm crashed into the edge of it. I lost feeling in my left arm for a while. It was a terrible combination. So that was a really hard match.”
‘I’m Just Huffing and Puffing’: Hangman Page
The second match was Hangman Page’s very first AEW world title defense against Bryan Danielson. The two wrestled for an hour in a match that ended in a draw. Per Page, Bryan was enjoying this bout while he was looking for an opportunity to throw up:
“Secondly, I’d probably say wrestling Bryan Danielson for an hour. An hour is so long to do anything, especially wrestle someone like Bryan. He’s just doing jumping jacks and having a good ol’ time lefts and right in the ring and I’m just huffing and puffing and trying to throw up. So those are probably my two hardest matches.”
You can check out the session featuring the AEW star below:
All Elite Wrestling returns tonight with a special “House of the Dragon” themed edition of AEW Dynamite from Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, West Virginia.
The show is being presented as a promotional tie-in to the Game of Thrones spinoff series premiering this Sunday on HBO Max.
Dynamite will feature a huge 2 out of 3 falls main event, a Trios Tournament first round match, a special appearance by Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and more.
Daniel Garcia shocked the world when he defeated Bryan Danielson last month. Can the Jericho Appreciation Society member do it again?
The Young Bucks need a partner for the AEW World Trios Championship tournament. “Hangman” Adam Page turned them down last week. Will they be able to find a suitable third man?
AEW Dynamite Preview (8/17)
AEW has announced the following for tonight’s AEW Dynamite:
Best-of-3 Falls Match: “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia
Trios Tournament (First Round): Andrade El Idolo, Rush and Dragon Lee vs. The Young Bucks and a Mystery Partner
Toni Storm vs. KiLynn King
The Gunn Club vs. The Varsity Blondes
Plus, wrestling legend Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat will serve as the special guest time keeper for tonight’s matches.
Check back later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results and news coming out of the show.
AEW Control Center
AEW has produced this special “control center” preview for tonight’s House of the Dragon episode of Dynamite:
In March this year, Thunder Rosa captured the AEW Women’s World Championship, ending the 290-day reign of Dr. Britt Baker DDS and doing so inside of a steel cage.
The win was made even more special as it happened in her adopted hometown of San Antonio, Texas.
Rosa has held on the title since then, defending against the likes of Toni Storm, Nyla Rose, Serena Deeb, Marina Shafir, and Miyu Yamashita.
The Challenge
Prior to signing full-time with AEW, Thunder Rosa competed for the NWA, where she is a former NWA Women’s World Champion.
Rosa’s 277-day reign as NWA Women’s World Champion began in January 2020 and would end at the hands of Serena Deeb that October.
Speaking to Bullet Cast, Thunder Rosa explained how being the Champion of AEW has brought on more challenges than her time with the NWA (via Wrestling Inc.)
“It’s been really challenging because being a champion on a major platform is different than when I was the NWA Women’s Champion. There’s a lot more at stake, there’s a lot more that you’re representing, and also a little bit of pressure.
“It’s been really challenging… There’s a lot more at stake.”
Thunder Rosa on her reign as AEW Women’s World Champion.
“Every time you stand in front of the camera, you just want to make sure that you’re perfect. The thing is, it’s not about perfection, it’s about making a difference and I hope that I have been making a difference in the women’s division.”
Rosa’s most recent title defense saw her retain against Jamie Hayter on the August 5, Battle of the Belts III special taping.
WWE is notorious for forcing stars to memorize scripts and lay out every move of a match in advance. However, there are many top stars who have broken this stigma recently. Becky Lynch is one of the names who apparently has the freedom to say what she wants on the mic.
The Man recently took part in an Instagram Live session with Seth Rollins, The Rock and former WWE writer Brian Gewirtz. During the interview, she was asked if she has to memorize promos word by word as well. Lynch claimed that she gets to write her own promos for the most part:
“Thankfully for me it’s not like that and it’s not like that for this guy [Seth Rollins] either. We get a promo and sometimes there’ll be lines in it that you have to hit,” said Becky Lynch, “They’ll often be that the lines that you’re like ‘That doesn’t sound like she would say that’ But for the most part we’ve gotten to the point where we’ve gotten enough equity and we’ve gotten enough trust that, we get to write our own promos.
She continued: “It’s usually a collaborative process where if I’m comfortable with my writer, [I’ll go] ‘Well what do you think of this. I feel like it’s gotta hit more and I think we could do more with this.’ And a lot of the times they’ll come up with a good line. It’s collaborative that way when you’ve gotten that equity, but I think when you first come up [it’s different]. Like when I first came up, I was too scared to say anything out of turn. I was like ‘oh these are the words on the page, I must say every single word exactly as it is.’ Thankfully it’s not like that anymore.”
AEW star Kris Statlander joined the ever-growing injury list when she suffered a leg injury during the AEW Dark tapings on August 5.
The female star provided some updates on her health on the most recent episode of AEW Road To. She revealed that she has completely torn her ACL:
“After getting an MRI, I have a completely torn ACL. My lateral meniscus is torn, and there is lateral impaction fractures in my tibial and femoral heads. So just tiny little cracks that are more of a bruise, but still, technically a broken leg.”
Speaking about her recovery, Kris Statlander noted that it’ll be six to eight months before she gets cleared to compete again:
“So recovery time, it’s about six-to-eight months post-operation. Once we got the MRI, we were hoping it was just a meniscus tear. That would have either been a few weeks to three months, at most. But now that we know the ACL is completely torn, that’s the one you don’t want to get, children.”
The timing of the injury is unfortunate for Statlander as she was gaining momentum in AEW before that. She has reached the #2 spot in the ranking and was making a strong case for a shot at the women’s title.
Wrestling star Sasha Banks had her car broken into and robbed in Oakland by an unidentified person earlier on Monday.
The former champion shared photos and videos of the incident on her Instagram account. The video, as seen below, shows that someone broke the glass from behind.
Banks noted that her car had only been parked there for five minutes. In the caption of one of the stories, she suggested that the thief only managed to steal some hair products.
Both Sasha Banks and Naomi made headlines yesterday as well when they attended the premiere of the new Marvel series She Hulk.
The former women’s tag team champions have been absent from the wrestling world ever since they walked out of a Raw episode back in May. Both the WWE stars were frustrated with their creative direction.
Earlier reports had suggested that the former champions had decided to leave WWE for good, and at least Banks had gotten out of her contract with the company.
However, things have changed following Vince McMahon’s retirement. It’s believed that both Sasha Banks and Naomi have agreed to make a comeback, and the officials are now looking for a suitable opportunity to bring them back.
The development brand presented the Heatwave special this week. What’s notable is that multiple NXT UK stars made their presence felt during the show.
First The Diamond Mine was attacked by longtime UK stable Gallus. The group was arguing that Roderick Strong wanted to end the faction in a segment.
This came after Diamond Mine was defeated by Tony D’Angelo and others during the July 26 episode of the show. Strong cost them the match after he accidentally hit his own team member Julius Creed.
After attacking the NXT faction, the group of Wolfgang, Joe Coffey, and Mark Coffey went to the back. They confronted the current NXT UK tag team champions Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen and challenged them for the title match next week.
Though these three weren’t the only UK stars to show up on the show. The main event of the episode saw Bron Breakker successfully defending his NXT Championship against JD McDonagh.
After the bout, the NXT UK champion Tyler Bate came to the ring and confronted Baker. Both the stars held up their belts high as the episode went off air.
Bate won the vacant NXT UK championship during a match taped on July 7. However, the bout is yet to air and he isn’t officially recognized as the champion as of now.
Former NXT cruiserweight champion Santos Escobar has been ‘banned’ from NXT 2.0 after losing a match on this week’s Heatwave special.
The former King Cuerno had been feuding with Tony D’Angelo and his faction in recent times. The two were set for an All or Nothing Street Fight at the show.
The stipulation for this bout was that if Escobar wins, then Legado Del Fantasma will be free from the D’Angelo family. However, if he loses, then he will have to leave the development brand.
The match featured a lot of interference. The ending of the bout saw D’Angelo accidentally hitting Elektra Lopez.
Both Tony and Santos then grabbed a crowbar and brass knuckles, respectively. Though D’Angelo managed to hit Escobar first and pinned him for victory.
Santos Escobar has been a part of the WWE roster since 2019. He made his official in-ring debut in February 2020 and has been a featured star of the brand ever since.
There is no word yet on what the company is planning for the future of the high-flying star. There is obvious speculation that he could be headed to the main roster now that Triple H has taken over the creative.
All Elite Wrestling invades the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, West Virginia this Wednesday for the House of the Dragon edition of AEW Dynamite. The tie-in comes from the soon to be released House of the Dragon HBO series, a spin-off of the hit Game of Thrones.
AEW President Tony Khan revealed on Twitter this evening that along with a stacked lineup the show will feature an appearance from WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, who will serve as the company’s guest timekeeper for the evening. Khan writes:
“For tomorrow’s Wednesday Night AEWDynamite presented by HBO’s @HouseofDragon, we have the perfect special guest timekeeper for the event: Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all-time, making his return to TBSNetwork tomorrow night @ 8pm ET/7pm CT!”
For tomorrow’s Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite presented by @HBO’s @HouseofDragon, we have the perfect special guest timekeeper for the event: Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, one of the greatest pro wrestlers of all-time, making his return to @TBSNetwork tomorrow night @ 8pm ET/7pm CT!
Steamboat’s appearance won’t be the only thing fans can look forward to on Dynamite. The big rumor is that former world champion Kenny Omega will be returning as the Young Bucks mystery partner for the opening round of the trios tournament to crown the first-ever AEW Trios champions. They will be facing RUSH, Dragon Lee, and Andrade El Idolo.
The August 16, 2022 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Carmelo Hayes defeated Giovani Vinci to retain the NXT North American Championship.
Cora Jade defeated Roxanne Perez.
Tony D’Angelo defeated Santos Escobar to win the street fight. Santos Escobar is gone from NXT.
Mandy Rose defeated Zoey Stark to retain the NXT Women’s Championship.
Bron Breakker defeated JD McDonagh to retain the NXT Championship.
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
WWE NXT Title Match
NXT Champion Bron Breakker defended the title against JD McDonagh in the main event.
On the July 26th episode, Breakker confronted McDonagh and said the two would be squaring off at a summit the following week to make the championship match official. McDonagh headbutted Breakker, who responded by headbutting McDonagh back to terminate the scene. The storyline for this feud has been that JD has been targeting the shoulder of Bron and knowing how to use that to pave the way for his victory.
The match was back and forth. Breakker hit a hurricanrana at one point for a near fall. JD hit a spanish fly off the top rope then the brain buster for 2. Breakker hit a series of spears to JD, who had a bloody mouth for the win. Following the bout, NXT UK Champion Tyler Bate showed up to have a staredown with Bron.
NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose defended the title against Zoey Stark.
Stark, who had been sidelined since last year, returned a few weeks ago by winning a #1 contender’s battle royal. They’ve been feuding ever since then.
The match was the co-main event. They went back and forth and nearfall spots for Stark. However, Rose gave Stark a Knee Brace assisted running knee for the victory.
NXT North American Champion Carmelo Hayes defended the title against Giovanni Vinci.
The match opened the show. It was a really good bout that had the fans going crazy. At one point, Vinci hit an outside dive then a double springboard moonsault for a near fall. Vinci went for a powerbomb, but Hayes reversed it with a roll up for the win.
Santos Escobar vs. Tony D’Angelo in a street fight took place with the stipulation that if D’Angelo wins, Escobar leaves NXT, but if Escobar wins, Legado Del Fantasma is free of D’Angelo.
These two stars have been feuding for months. They had a match that was won by D’Angelo that led to Legado Del Fantasma joining D’Angelo’s family.
The match saw them use various weapons. Escobar hit Tony with a nice Arrow From the Depths of Hell in the corner. Both men picked up the weapons and knocked each other out, but D’Angelo fell on Escobar for the win.
Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade in a singles match took place.
Jade turned heel a few weeks ago by attacking Perez as a mystery attacker then trying to take her spot in an NXT Women’s Title bout against Mandy Rose only to cost Perez the title. They had been the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions at the time of the heel turn.
The match had plenty of time. Perez teased hitting Jade with the kendo stick. Jade hit a DDT onto the kendo stick for the win.
Becky Lynch is expected to be out of action for several months due to injury. However, her recovery is going well, and she is remaining optimistic.
She suffered a separated shoulder during her match against Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at SummerSlam. On the August 1st episode of Raw, she was written off television by being attacked by Bayley, IYO Sky (Io Shirai), and Dakota Kai.
Becky Lynch Shares Good News
While doing a recent Instagram Live with The Rock, Seth Rollins, and Brian Gewirtz, Lynch talked about her progress while rehabbing the injury.
“Hopefully, in the next couple of months. Now that I got bad wing, I have a little bit more time to dedicate to it,” Lynch said about writing her book.
“Yeah, I feel like I got a little bit more mobility in it [hershoulder] because when it happened, it was so painful that I was like, ‘oh no, I’m going to be out for a long, long time.’ But now, it’s healing up really quick.”
“I’m feeling strong. I’m feeling good. I’m hoping it won’t be much time at all.”
– Becky Lynch
You can watch the full interaction here;
Interesting. Becky is hoping she can finish up her book in the next few months. Really can’t wait for that! Also says she’s feeling fine from her injury. pic.twitter.com/ac2CawKlKE
Former WWE NXT star Johnny Gargano has been on the free agent market since last December, but he has yet to join a major promotion nor wrestle a single match, and it has left fans wondering when he will make his big move.
Cassidy Haynes of BodySlam.net reports with Triple H now in control as Head of Creative in WWE that, Gargano is open to a WWE return. It was noted that Gargano is also interested in talking to Triple H and “seeing how things would be changing.”
Why Gargano Walked Away
Gargano reportedly wasn’t a fan of the schedule, especially now that he’s a father. However, the “overarching factor for him walking away was dissatisfaction with his position/direction with no set plan for how he’d be used.” Haynes’ sources stated that Gargano has also been in talks with AEW.
Gargano most recently appeared as part of a live panel at Starrcast V in Nashville called “What’s NeXT? With Johnny Gargano.”
In interviews, Gargano stated that he still has unfinished business with the WWE, but he also believed that all of his options are open to him. Therefore, he had not yet decided what to do next and had remained a free agent.
Kevin Owens is ready to hold tag team gold in WWE.
The Prizefighter recently spoke appeared on the TWC Show to discuss the matter, as it is the one title he has not held since joining the promotion back in 2014. In that time he has captured the NXT championship, the United States championship, the Intercontinental championship, and the Universal championship. However, Owens has not held a title in five years.
When talking about winning a tag title he states that his top pick as a parter is his longtime friend/rival, Sami Zayn.
“Of course. I’ve never been a tag team champion. I’d love to be tag team champion anybody. Well, maybe not anybody. There are a couple of guys I could see myself winning the Tag Team Titles with, obviously, Sami is at the top of the list.”
Owens and Zayn have been dominant as a tag team elsewhere in the pro-wrestling industry, so a win here would be what Owens calls, the ultimate good moment for the duo.
“That would be the ultimate good moment for us, to achieve that. We’ve been tag team champions everywhere we’ve went, except for WWE. We definitely have to get that checked off the list soon enough.”
Owens confronted Drew McIntyre on last night’s Monday Night Raw.
It appears as though Conrad Thompson also tried getting WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page to do a Last Match.
Recently, two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair headlined a Last Match event in which the main event was headlined by the last match of his career. Flair teamed up with Andrade El Idolo to defeat Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.
The event was promoted by Conrad Thompson and Jim Crockett Promotions at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. Since, Thompson has teased doing more events allowing legends to have their “Last Match.”
On a recent episode of his podcast, “DDP Snake Pit,” Diamond Dallas Page revealed that Thompson suggested that he take part in a Last Match. However, it doesn’t seem to be something DDP is interested in.
“It’s nothing I’ll ever do,” DDP said. “Conrad was like ‘You know DDP, you’d be perfect to do one of these,’ I was like ‘Nah bro, I’m good. I had my last match, it’s never going to be better than that.’ I was lucky enough to have all my boys around me and it was fun. I’m good with that.”
Page did get to do a match two years ago in All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he teamed up with Dustin Rhodes and QT Marshall against MJF and The Butcher and Blade.
DDP was also at Flair’s Last Match event, where he hit Matt Cardona with a Diamond Cutter, which got quite the reaction from the crowd. He was one of several professional wrestling legends at the show; including The Undertaker, Bret Hart, and Mick Foley.
Since leaving AEW alongside her husband, Cody, things have been quiet about Brandi Rhodes.
It was previously reported that Brandi had a good relationship with WWE but wasn’t brought back to television when he returned for his match against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38.
Fightful Select reports that Brandi had pushed for KultureCity and WWE to form a partnership. However, there is more to Brandi and WWE.
Back in the Ring
Brandi Rhodes (Photo: AEW)
The report notes Rhodes was at the WWE Performance Center recently. Its unclear if she is signed with WWE, but she did a lot more than just ”visit friends” at the PC.
Brandi competed in a match at a PC Live event. She worked against a newer talent. The event took place on August 12, and she was seen at the training facility before that.
Brandi last wrestled in January by taking on KiLynn King in AEW. Since her departure from All Elite Wrestling, she’s continued to wrestle at the Nightmare Factory.
While in WWE from 2013–2016, she was the regular ring announcer and backstage interviewer under the name Eden.
AJ Styles has revealed exactly how close he was to becoming a member of the All Elite Wrestling (AEW) roster.
Styles was set to be a free agent this summer before signing a new multi-year extension with WWE. Now, Styles is enjoying a deal that is seeing him make well over a reported $3 million a year.
The former WWE Champion was asked about his contractual situation earlier this year with WWE in a recent interview with Inside The Ropes. Styles was specifically asked about how close he came to becoming a member of the AEW roster, where he has several friends.
(via WWE)
Styles admits he doesn’t think it was close for him, but he does ultimately want AEW to succeed, as it benefits everyone in the long run.
“I didn’t really sign a new [WWE] deal. Basically, I had a player option and I just used that option. I had no plans, really, looking back.
“I want to be with WWE and as much as I’d like to be with my friends [in AEW], this is what I know, this what I know is expected of me, I understand what they need here in WWE, and I want to be a part of it.
“Like I said, this is a business. I’m going to go where business is best for AJ Styles… Was it close? I wouldn’t say it was close for me.”
“I want AEW to do well. Competition is a good thing, it makes everybody better, there that. We want to see people succeed and to tell the truth, I have friends in every company, I would like to see them do well.
“So, they have my support, just like anybody else. I want to see them do well, I don’t want to see anyone lose their job and you never know who might show up in WWE.”
Currently, AJ Styles is one of the top stars on Monday Night RAW. This week he even challenged for the United States Championship against Bobby Lashley.
Despite putting on a great performance with “The Almighty” inside the ring, he came up just short, eating a Spear off of a Phenomenal Forearm attempt for the defeat.
WWE reportedly tried to poach a talent from All Elite Wrestling (AEW) recently.
Since Triple H has assumed control of WWE creative, there have been several returns made on television. Former NXT stars such as Karrion Kross, Scarlett Bordeaux, B-Fab, Dakota Kai, and Hit Row have all been brought in.
Of course, it seems like this is only the beginning of the main roster Triple H has envisioned moving forward. While more NXT stars are expected to be brought up, some desired talents Triple H has his eyes on might not even be under the company’s umbrella at the moment.
Some could be with AEW, such as former WWE stars Adam Cole, Daniel Bryan, and more. Apparently, WWE tried to make a move on a current top AEW star to bring them into WWE.
Fightful Select reports that a notable AEW star “reported to AEW management that WWE had reached out to them about coming to WWE.” The reported talent made it clear that they’re happy in AEW and wanted upper management to know about the situation.
The talent added that they have no desire to leave AEW. It was noted that the talent received a call from one of WWE’s talent relations department members. The talent responded by referring them to their representation rather than speaking directly.
A source also notes in the report that there were no mistakes made in regards to knowing that the talent was under contract with AEW on a full-time basis. We’ll keep you updated as we learn more.
Eric Bischoff is not a fan of how Tony Khan is booking All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
It’s no secret that the former WCW president has been critical of the Khan-led promotion in recent months. Both he and Khan have exchanged harsh words through the media as of late, mainly due to Bischoff’s criticisms of AEW.
In a recent interview with SHAK Wrestling, Bischoff was asked for his thoughts on the booking in AEW at the moment. Bischoff doesn’t seem to be a fan of Khan’s creative mind or storytelling ability.
Instead, he feels like Khan is booking the promotion as a 14-year-old with too many toys to play with.
“If Tony Khan is smart, and I know he’s very, very smart, a lot smarter than me in a lot of ways. I don’t exactly think he’s got a creative instinct in his body.
“I think what he’s doing is reliving a childhood memory, you know of ECW and the indie scene, and super matches. He’s booking, in my opinion, like a 14-year-old would – who would have a lot of toys and things he can play with.
“But I’m not seeing story – we’ve seen the wrestling audience or AEW audience call it a story but it’s not. It’s an excuse for having a super match or dream match.”
(A&E)
At one point Bischoff made a few appearances for AEW in 2020. However, that all stopped after he became more vocal about his issues with the product. That doesn’t mean fans should expect Bischoff to show up in WWE anytime soon.
Bischoff noted that WWE doesn’t need him back, and any changes he would make seem to already be in the works in the post-Vince McMahon era.
Steve Austin has kept a close eye on the WWE product and realizes the amazing work that Roman Reigns has been doing since returning to WWE television in the summer of 2020.
For years, Vince McMahon pushed Reigns as a top star, but he never got over to the degree the former WWE boss wanted. It wasn’t until Reigns returned at SummerSlam that year with a new gimmick that was more like the true personality that made him the star McMahon knew he could be.
During a recent interview with Bill Apter for Sportskeeda, Austin formally “acknowledged” the great work being done by the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
Steve Austin Acknowledges Roman Reigns
Steve Austin and Roman Reigns
Stone Cold Steve Austin is one of the biggest stars in WWE history. An endorsement from him goes a long way. During his chat with Bill Apter, Austin gave Reigns his official stamp of approval.
“I’ll acknowledge that he’s doing some amazing work,” he said. “It took a while for him to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, and they didn’t book him in the greatest fashion at certain points of his career, but when he walked through the door, he was one of those guys that had that look and had that it factor.”
Austin said that Roman Reigns always had the potential to be the top guy in WWE. He just needed for the company to “do the right thing” with him.
“They finally started doing the right thing. He got to a mindset of where he’s at right now, and he’s just crushing it, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
Steve Austin on The Usos
In addition to praising Roman Reigns, Austin had glowing things to say about The Usos.
Austin exclaimed, “All those Samoans can work their asses off!” He never wrestled Roman Reigns or The Usos, but did work with several members of the great Anoa’i wrestling family, including Yokozuna, Rikishi and The Rock.
“The Usos are just killing it,” he said. “Jimmy and Jey, they were kind of like just a tag team, but now they’re a tag team with an identity and character, The Bloodline. So they’re great as a unit, and they’re all related, but Jimmy and Jey just in and of themselves as The Usos, they are a thing now. They are a force to be reckoned with. They’re one of the best tag teams on planet Earth right now.”
Roman Reigns defends the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle on Saturday, September 3rd.
Watch Steve Austin’s full interview with Bill Apter here:
This coming January, New Japan Pro Wrestling will host its annual Wrestle Kingdom event, highlighting the biggest stars of the promotion.
Wrestle Kingdom is NJPW’s biggest event of the year, and next year’s show will have an international flavor to it.
AEW at Wrestle Kingdom
Wrestle Kingdom 17 will showcase NJPW’s biggest stars, but will reportedly include names from All Elite Wrestling.
Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio today that there are plans for some AEW wrestlers to compete at the event, but didn’t name any specific stars.
This wouldn’t be the first time AEW and NJPW had teamed up, as at Wrestle Kingdom 14, then-AEW World Champion Chris Jericho defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi.
The two-night event also saw Jon Moxley defeat Lance Archer for the IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship in a Texas Death Match.
AEW and New Japan
Wrestle Kingdom 17 will be just the latest team-up by the two massively popular promotions.
AEW star Wheeler YUTA competed in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament while Lance Archer is working the G1 Climax tournament.
The promotions also teamed together for the Forbidden Door Pay Per View in June which saw Jon Moxley defeat Hiroshi Tanahashi.
A Confirmed Match?
Wrestle Kingdom 17 is still months away, but one match may already be known.
AEWxNJPW Forbidden Door was rumored to have CM Punk face Hiroshi Tanahashi in the show’s main event, but that did not take place due to the AEW World Champion’s injury.
While speaking to Tokyo Sports in June, Tanahashi threw out the challenge for Punk to face him in the Tokyo Dome for Wrestle Kingdom.
