We’re back with another edition of Getting Blue, recapping the May 27, 2022 edition of WWE SmackDown in a strange and unique way.
Join us as we run down The Good, The Bad and What The Heck?! moments from this week’s SmackDown.
Plus, we’ll name the show’s MVE (Most Valuable Entertainer).
Subscribe to the SEScoops YouTube Channel and comment below to let us know what you think!
The May 27 episode of WWE SmackDown is in the books.
This week’s SmackDown took place inside the Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. In the main event, Drew McIntrye served as the mystery partner for Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods to take on The Brawling Brutes.
In the end, McIntyre nailed Ridge Holland with the Claymore and Woods finished things off with the Limit Break for the pinfall win.
When the cameras stopped rolling, Cody Rhodes was in action against Kevin Owens. Cody ended up winning the match.
Ahead of the clash, Owens cut a hilarious promo on Cody only being popular due to having pyro in his entrance.
After the match, Cody made it clear he does not control the pyro.
One of the most anticipated wrestling shows happening this summer will be the June 26th Forbidden Door pay-per-view, which will pit top superstars from AEW against top superstars from NJPW in a number of dream matches that is sure to excite both fanbases.
Bryan Danielson told Sports Illustrated that he is ecstatic about the marquee event, as getting to face some of Japan’s greatest professional wrestlers has been on his bucket list since his WWE days. When the American Dragon was asked about who he specifically hopes to face at Forbidden Door, he revealed the following:
“There are a ton of guys I’d like to wrestle. You mentioned Okada, and that’s a match I really want. I would love to wrestle Okada. But in the back of my mind, I’m thinking about Zack Sabre Jr. and wrestling him to see who is the best technical wrestler in the world. We have two very different styles of technical wrestling.”
Danielson and ZSJ have crossed-paths before back in 2008, an encounter he remembers very well.
“We wrestled in 2008, and he was just a kid, but I was super impressed with him then. He’s grown into this amazing wrestler, and I don’t ever recall seeing anyone wrestle with his technique.”
The Blackpool Combat Club member wouldn’t stop there. He would go on to name Tomohiro Ishii, Shingo Takagi, KENTA, Katsuyori Shibata, and the great Hiroshi Tanahashi as potential opponents, but ends by saying that he will take on whoever AEW President Tony Khan books him to face.
“I’m open to whoever Tony [Khan] and New Japan want me to go up against.”
Danielson will team with Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, Santana, and Ortiz to battle Chris Jericho and the rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society at this weekend’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view in Las Vegas.
Who do you guys want to see Danielson face at Forbidden Door?
Congratulations to Charlotte Flair and Andrade El Idolo on their wedding as the ceremony took place today.
They had plenty of friends there to watch the ceremony including several wrestlers such as Apollo Crews, Finn Balor, Rey Mysterio, and Lina Fanene (Nia Jax).
The belief is that they started seeing each other in 2018 and went public with their relationship in 2019. Although there were rumors that they broke up earlier this year, their love is stronger than it’s ever been.
Charlotte took time off from WWE after WrestleMania Backlash where she dropped the SmackDown Women’s Title to Ronda Rousey in an I Quit Match. WWE noted that Flair has a fractured radius as a way to write her off television.
There is no word yet on when she will return to WWE television although she is advertised for a SmackDown TV event in July so it appears she will be back in time for SummerSlam.
WWE has given an injury update on Randy Orton and it’s not good.
During the May 27 episode of WWE SmackDown, the commentary team announced that Orton is meeting with neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons due to a lingering back issue.
Here’s WWE’s formal announcement:
“INJURY UPDATE
Randy Orton is currently undergoing consultations with neurosurgeons and orthopedic spine surgeons to determine the extent of his injury and to recommended course of treatment.”
There has been no word on whether or not this back injury is legit or part of a storyline.
On the May 23 episode of WWE Raw, Riddle opened the show and was quite emotional discussing Orton’s status. He claimed there’s a real possibility that RK-Bro is done.
Riddle ended up enlisting the help of Shinsuke Nakamura to attack The Usos in the opening segment of WWE SmackDown. During his backstage interview, Riddle said he had Orton’s blessing to team with Nakamura.
SEScoops will keep you posted once more details on this story becomes available.
The May 27 episode of AEW Rampage is in the books and there was some post-show fun to be had.
In the main event of the latest episode of Rampage, the semifinals of the women’s Owen Hart Cup was held.
Ruby Soho defeated Kris Statlander and she’ll move onto the finals to take on Britt Baker at AEW Double or Nothing.
Fans also witnessed a banger of an opener between Bryan Danielson and Matt Sydal. Ultimately, Danielson choked out Sydal for the victory.
SEScoops’ Mike Chin was in attendance for AEW Rampage and he witnessed an intense “Rock Paper Scissors Match” between Taz and referee Aubrey Edwards.
Here’s how it played out:
The road to Hell in a Cell continued tonight as WWE SmackDown aired live from the Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. New Day and a mystery tag team partner battled the Brawling Brutes in tonight’s main event.
SmackDown Results
Here are the takeaways for this week’s show:
Undisputed Tag Team Champions The Usos made their way to the ring to kick off the show. They boasted about defeating RK-Bro and claimed to defeat Riddle & Orton on their own despite Roman Reigns’ interference. Jimmy and Jey joked that they needed nobody during their success. The Usos bragged some more before Shinsuke Nakamura interrupted. Nakamura said he has a tag partner again and announced it was Riddle. Riddle and Nakamura beat down The Usos and posed in the ring to end the segment.
Riddle and Nakamura were interviewed and Riddle said that it was Orton’s idea for him to team with Nakamura to go after The Usos. It was announced that Randy Orton is meeting with professionals to deal with a lingering back issue.
Ronda Rousey battled Raquel Rodriguez in a Championship Contender’s match tonight on SmackDown. Before the match, Natalya, Shayna Baszler, and Shotzi said they were going to interfere. Shotzi was then locked in the room and it was revealed that Aliyah had the keys. Natalya & Shayna Baszler rushed the ring and attacked to end the match in a DQ. Rousey & Rodriguez fought them off as SmackDown went to a break.
When SmackDown returned, Ronda Rousey & Raquel Rodriguez battled Natalya & Shayna Baszler in a tag team match. Natalya and Shayna isolated Raquel in the corner for the first couple of minutes. Rodriguez finally escaped and tagged in the SmackDown Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey. Natalya took the champ down and locked in the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring.
Rousey made it to the corner and tagged in Rodriguez as Baszler tagged in as well. Raquel knocked Shayna down with a headbutt and followed it up with a Splash off the middle rope but Natalya broke up the cover. Ronda sent Natalya out of the ring and bumped into Baszler. The two old friends had a stare down and Natalya capitalized on the distraction. Natalya dragged Ronda out of the ring but Rousey fought her off. Raquel then planted Baszler with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory.
Los Lotharios battled Jinder Mahal & Shanky tonight. Jinder and Shanky were late to the ring because Shanky was dancing backstage by himself. Shanky leveled Humberto with a big boot and tagged in Mahal. Humberto hit him with a Dropkick and tagged in Angel Garza.
Angel applied a headlock and tagged in Humberto. Mahal greeted Humberto with a Back Body Drop but Angel sent Jinder to the outside with a Dropkick. Angel then started dancing for the ring announcer and Shanky danced behind him like a goof. Back in the ring, Humberto rolled up Jinder for the pinfall victory. Jinder Mahal and Shanky argued after the match.
Max Dupri got in Adam Pearce’s face again backstage and said that his agency “Maximum Male Models” can begin recruiting the next generation of WWE superstars. Pearce said Dupri is officially a member of SmackDown during the face-to-face.
Kevin Owens welcomed everyone to a special SmackDown edition of the Kevin Owens show. It was advertised as a member of The Bloodline as his guest but it turned out to be the “Locker Room Leader” Sami Zayn. Sami was wearing his Bloodline shirt and claimed that everyone knows that Ezekiel is really Elias. Owens wanted Sami’s help with Ezekiel but Zayn declined and said “now is not a good time Uce”.
Owens called Sami naive and told him that he’s not a part of The Bloodline. Kevin added that Sami wearing the shirt makes him look like a moron. Zayn told Owens that he was being nice, Ezekiel & Elias are clearly brothers, and Owens is actually the moron. They started bickering and calling each other names before Sami exited. Owens followed Sami but Zayn shoved him into the barricade. WWE staffers started clearing the KO Show signs out of the ring and Owens hit them both with Stunners to end the segment.
Later on SmackDown, Sami Zayn was made an “Honorary Uce” but still wasn’t allowed in The Bloodline’s locker room.
Intercontinental Champion Ricochet & Drew Gulak faced Gunther & Ludwig Kaiser. Ludwig and Gulak started off the action. Ludwig dominated until Ricochet tagged in. The IC Champion hit Kaiser with a Crossbody and lifted him up in the fireman’s carry. Ludwig escaped and sent Ricochet out of the ring. Kaiser hit Gulak with a Suplex and a running kick to the face for the pinfall victory. Gunther then caught Ricochet with a boot to the face as he checked on Gulak.
Brawling Brutes (Sheamus, Ridge Holland, Butch) battled New Day and a mystery partner in the main event. The mystery partner was revealed to be Drew McIntyre as SmackDown went to a break.
Riddle & Nakamura vs. The Usos in a Championship Contender’s match was announced for RAW. Madcap Moss will also return next week after the brutal attack by Happy Corbin.
Butch and Xavier Woods started off the action. Woods hit a Neckbreaker and tagged in Kofi Kingston. Kofi connected with a Splash and went for the cover but Butch kicked out at two. Sheamus tagged in and hit Woods with the 10 Beats of the Bodhran. Ridge Holland tagged in and connected with a Suplex on Xavier for a two count.
Kofi hit Ridge with a Dropkick and stomped on him in the corner of the ring. Woods tagged in and stomped on Ridge as well before sending Butch to the outside with a Back Body Drop. McIntyre tagged in and stomped on Holland as well before bashing Butch off the ring apron. Kofi delivered a Dropkick to Holland but Butch caught him with a cheap shot. Holland capitalized and posed for the crowd as SmackDown went to the final commercial break of the night.
When SmackDown returned, Brawling Brutes had Kofi trapped in their corner of the ring. Sheamus got Kingston in a headlock but Kofi was able to counter into the SOS and both superstars fell to the canvas. Drew tagged in and launched Holland across the ring and then did the same to Butch.
McIntyre planted Ridge with a Neckbreaker and quickly hopped up as the crowd cheered. Butch went for a Sleeper Hold but McIntyre dumped him out of the ring. Woods hit Butch with a Dropkick through the ropes but Sheamus caught him with a Brogue Kick. Kofi hit Sheamus with a Crossbody as McIntyre hit Holland with the Glasgow Kiss. McIntyre followed it up with the Claymore. Woods tagged in and hit the Elbow Drop for the pinfall victory. Drew McIntyre danced around with New Day to close the show.
AEW Rampage aired live tonight from the Michelob Ultra Arena. It was the final show before AEW Double or Nothing this Sunday night. In addition to the takeaways below, Darby Allin challenged Kyle O’Reilly to a match at the PPV.
Rampage Results
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Matt Sydal battled Bryan Danielson in the first match of the night. Danielson applied a headlock to start off the action. Danielson controlled the first few minutes of the match as Dynamite went to a commercial break.
When Dynamite returned, Sydal connected with a knee strike and then an enziguri. Sydal connected with a Hurricanrana for a near fall. Matt leveled Bryan with a boot to the side of the head and went for the cover but Danielson kicked out at two.
Sydal climbed to the top rope and went for a Meteora but Danielson was ready for it. Bryan got Sydal in a Half Crab in the middle of the ring. Danielson transitioned into a Heel Hook but Sydal was able to reach the ropes to break the hold.
Danielson and Sydal battled on the top rope and Matt connected with an awesome Sunset Flip Powerbomb for a near fall. Bryan hit Sydal with the running knee and unloaded some elbow strikes and choked Matt out for the win.
Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) came to the ring dressed as The Hardys for a match against Rust & Cruz. Gangrel accompanied them to the ring and got a huge pop from the crowd. Young Bucks hit Whisper in the Wind and Matt Jackson made his way to the top rope. Matt Jackson wound up hitting a crappy looking elbow drop off the middle turnbuckle to mock Matt Hardy.
Taylor Rust tagged in and Young Bucks leveled him with a double superkick. Jon Cruz climbed to the top rope and wound up leaping into a couple superkicks as well. Nick Jackson climbed to the top rope and connected with the Swanton Bomb for the pinfall victory. Young Bucks will battle The Hardys at Double or Nothing.
After the match, Young Bucks attacked Gangrel and beat him down as Brandon Cutler filmed in the corner. The real Matt & Jeff Hardy made the save and had a stare down with Young Bucks. Matt and Jeff set up for a Twist of Fate but Brandon Cutler broke it up. Young Bucks retreated as Gangrel hit Cutler with a slam. Matt followed it up with the Twist of Fate and Jeff then hit the Swanton Bomb to close the segment.
Max Caster faced Dante Martin tonight on Rampage. Anthony Bowens & Gunn Club were ringside for the match. Dante leveled everyone with a Crossbody to start off the match. The referee kicked out Gunn Club and Bowens as they tried to distract Dante. Caster sent Dante to the ropes and leveled him with an elbow to the face as Rampage went to a break. When Rampage returned, Caster connected with a Sidewalk Slam and went for the Mic Drop but Dante dodged it. Dante hit a Crossbody off the top rope and followed it up with a springboard flip for a pinfall victory.
Dan Lambert and Men of the Year introduced a new TNT Championship that had Laker’s colors. Sammy Guevara, Tay Conti, and Frankie Kazarian showed up at Lambert’s America’s Top Team training facility and stole the old TNT Championship. This led to Sammy saying that they will be in Vegas on Sunday if they want the titles back. Scorpio Sky suggested a mixed Trios match for Double or Nothing and the match was later made official. It will be Sammy Guevara, Frankie Kazarian, Tay Conti versus Scorpio Sky, Ethan Page, and Paige VanZant.
Ruby Soho battled Kris Statlander in the semifinals of the women’s Owen Hart Tournament. Mark Henry interviewed both wrestlers before the main event. Stadtlander controlled the action early and leveled Soho with a shoulder tackle. Kris whipped Ruby to the mat and flexed in her face. Soho got pissed off and started trash-talking before they locked up in the middle of the ring. Soho hit an Arm Drag and followed it up with another one. Ruby went for a third but Statlander blocked it and hit a Clothesline.
Back from the break, Ruby hit a Hurricanrana off the top for a close two count. Soho got Statlander in a submission hold but Kris reached the ropes and the match continued. Kris hit a big Clothesline and then went for a submission hold but Ruby escaped. Soho tripped Statlander and rolled her up for the win. Ruby Soho will battle Britt Baker in the finals of the women’s Owen Hart Tournament.
As expected, AEW has given Scorpio Sky a new custom version of the TNT Championship.
During the May 25 episode of Dynamite, Dan Lambert announced that Sky’s TNT gold would be getting a makeover. This was in response to Sammy Guevara and Frankie Kazarian destroying Sky’s original championship.
On the May 27 episode of Rampage, the custom gold was revealed and it was indeed in the purple and gold LA Lakers-inspired colors:
Sammy, Tay Conti, and Kazarian interrupted the title presentation with a live feed of their invasion of American Top Team. They destroyed a trophy mantle and stole UFC Titles.
A mixed tag team match was then announced for Double or Nothing. It’ll be Sammy Guevara, Tay Conti, and Frankie Kazarian vs. Scorpio Sky, Ethan Page, and Paige VanZant.
If Team Sammy loses, then Guevara can never challenge for the TNT Title again.
Brandi Rhodes is in the building for WWE SmackDown.
While it’s unknown whether or not Brandi will show up on TV, she is indeed inside the Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, AR. Her husband, Cody Rhodes, has also arrived.
Brandi teased a new female superstar had made her way inside the SmackDown ring. Many assumed that she was talking about her daughter Liberty.
That hunch was correct as revealed by Brandi.
Brandi Rhodes and Cody made their exit from AEW back in February. Brandi had been the Chief Brand Officer, while Cody was an active wrestler and an EVP.
Recently, Rhodes dismissed theories surrounding his AEW departure. He said simply put, it’s time to go after the WWE Championship.
Cody will have his third on-air match with Seth Rollins at the Hell in a Cell premium live event on June 5. If Cody wins, he’ll have gone 3-0 against Seth since returning to WWE.
Longtime fans may remember that Brandi had served as a ring announcer for WWE. She went by the name “Eden Stiles.” She left the company along with her husband back in 2016.
A big-time member of the Monday Night Raw roster will be appearing on WWE SmackDown tonight (May 27).
The official WWE Twitter account has announced that Kevin Owens will be hosting the KO Show on the blue brand.
Earlier this week, Bryan Alvarez of F4WOnline took to Wrestling Observer Live to say that while WWE hasn’t announced anything, the brand split is “essentially done.”
Alvarez had reported some of the Raw crew would be present for the May 27 episode of Friday Night SmackDown. Judging by the announcement of the KO Show, that report looks to be correct.
Owens has been in a feud with Ezekiel, the alleged younger brother of Elias. Kevin Owens has accused Ezekiel of lying for weeks and it’ll lead to a match between the two at the Hell in a Cell premium live event on June 5.
WWE SmackDown tonight will emanate from the Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, AR.
JBL has gone to bat for his longtime former boss Vince McMahon against critics of his production style in WWE.
Many over the years have voiced the opinion that WWE is over-produced, especially due to the oversight by McMahon. One of the most common talking points is how McMahon feeds lines and information to the commentary team during the show.
The likes of WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross, and others have discussed this and how it can sometimes make the job difficult. It’s often said that McMahon can be rude at times to commentators during this period.
However, speaking on GAWTV recently, JBL said he actually enjoyed having McMahon in his ear during shows.
“Vince [McMahon] gets a lot of heat over what he produces, and I loved it. By the way, Vince was never rude to me. Not one time, did not yell at me one time.
“Jerry Lawler says the same thing. Booker T says the same thing. Now he yelled at Michael Cole and he yelled at some other guys, but I think it was the old guys who had been in the ring for him.
“He just treated us differently. Even when I made mistakes, he was very kind about it,” JBL said.
“But I loved him being in my ear because he was very succinct. He’s a great producer. He would tell you just a short little phrase. He wouldn’t tell you a whole paragraph.
“Usually I’d be one word behind it. I’d just repeat exactly what he said, because he knew what was coming up and he also knew what he was feeding somewhere else.
“So, sometimes he’d feed me something, but he’d [Michael] Cole something different and it made sense after Cole said it. He (Vince) had access to everything.
“I enjoyed Vince being a producer. A lot of guys, I think it’s fashionable to say they hated it, but I thought he was terrific at it.”
JBL served as a commentator for just over five years, serving as a vital part of the broadcast team assisting on both Monday Night RAW and SmackDown Live.
The WWE Hall Of Famer has since stepped away from full-time commentary, but does occasionally return for pre-event shows and other special appearances.
Quotes via WrestleZone
AEW President Tony Khan has burned WWE amid the company’s decision to move its Money in the Bank event.
WWE MITB was going to be held inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ticketholders were recently notified that they will be refunded as the event has been moved to the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Fans who purchased tickets for the Allegiant Stadium show will be the first with access to the pre-sale for the MGM Grand event.
Never one to back down from some banter, Tony Khan took to his Twitter account to throw massive shade toward Vince McMahon’s empire.
“Yesterday: one of my favorite days, including
-great visits with fans + media
-a trip to LA for the most fulfilling meeting of my life with @wbd leadership
-dinner with my Dad + Dana White, where I got to break the news to Dana about MITB moving to MGM
Today: #AEWRampage on TNT!
“Genius move trying to take on Dana and the UFC in Vegas during International Fight Week.”
Khan isn’t the only one who has taken shots at WWE over the venue change. CM Punk also had a bit of fun with it, reminding fans of the WrestleMania VII building being changed due to poor ticket sales.
Since the WarnerMedia-Discovery merger was announced, many grew concerned over AEW’s future on TBS and TNT. Brett Weitz, a top executive at WarnerMedia who championed AEW programming, is out of the company due to the merger.
Despite the fears, Tony Khan has seemingly squashed any doubt that his promotion is in good standing with the new regime.
As mentioned in the quote, Khan claimed to have had “the most fulfilling” meeting of his life with Warner Bros. Discovery leadership.
Mustafa Ali has finally spoken out about his decision to go public with his WWE release request.
Earlier this year, Ali publicly requested his release from the company for apparent grievances with the promotion. Of course, just because a Superstar requests their release from a contract, doesn’t mean they’ll receive it.
Ali instead was brought back to WWE TV recently, where he’s feuding against United States Champion Theory, alongside The Miz, on Monday Night RAW. Recently, Ali was a guest on RAW commentator Corey Graves’ podcast, “After The Bell.”
During the show, Ali explained why he made the decision to publicly ask for his WWE release, rather than keep those conversations behind closed doors.
Ali explained that he initially did have talks with the company behind-the-scenes, but those went nowhere. Therefore, he decided to take the next step.
“I believe private conversations are meant to be private. The reason it went public is because that private conversation went nowhere.
“So anyone that truly knows me, and I know there’s a portion of the audience that was like, ‘How unprofessional’, but anyone that’s ever worked with me or dealt with me as a human being knows how much I love this place, how much I love sports entertainment, and how much I love wrestling.
“This is the only thing I ever want to do. For me to even get to that point, that’s the issue. Everyone’s judging the action. They’re not judging the intention behind the action.
“Corey, you know me. Imagine how much it would take for me to try to leave. So I think that’s the conversation. That’s the hot topic.
“There’s situations that I can’t publicly discuss, but that’s what I would want to say about that whole issue. The only reason it got to that point was because there was no other option.
“It’s incredible the things that you’ll do when you’re back is against the wall and you’re fighting for survival.
“I wouldn’t have done something unless I believed in it, I still stand by that choice. I did what I had to do.”
Ali has been with WWE since his debut in 2016 for the Cruiserweight Classic tournament. He became a mainstay on 205 Live during its run and eventually made the main roster as part of the Retribution faction.
Despite being one of the most talented performers on the roster, Mustafa Ali has not won a title with the company during his five years there.
Quotes via WrestlingNews.co
Charlotte Flair has been taking time off of WWE TV since she is preparing for her wedding with AEW star Andrade El Idolo. Her last appearance was at WrestleMania Backlash, where she lost her SmackDown Women’s Championship to Ronda Rousey in an “I Quit” Match.
The company then announced that Flair is out of action indefinitely as she got injured.
Now, it seems like WWE already has a return planned for Flair according to an advertisement for the July 15 episode of SmackDown. The show will take place in Orlando, Florida, and Flair is featured in the promotional graphic.
The advertisement promotes an Intercontinental Championship between Ricochet and Sami Zayn. Drew McIntyre, The New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods are also featured in the advertisement.
It’s worth noting that Charlotte Flair’s name is not featured on the graphic, only her image is used.
The advertisement also uses The Usos’ and Shayna Baszler’s images without mentioning their names.
As mentioned, Flair and El Idolo are gearing up for their wedding. Flair recently posted photos on her Instagram account which show a gathering of her family and friends. Names such as Finn Balor, Nia Jax, and Apollo Crews are also in the pictures.
The location added for one of the photos is a wedding venue in Mexico. More on that scoop here.
A former WCW World Champion and Hall of Famer will be taking on a crucial executive role for WWE.
PWInsider is reporting that Jeff Jarrett has returned to WWE. He’s been tasked with “taking over live events.”
The role is expected to begin next week. This is being described as a “high-level executive position.”
Jarrett had taken a producer role for WWE in early 2019. Just two months later, he found himself on the creative team.
Jarrett eventually worked with the live events staff before the COVID-19 pandemic ruined plans. Jarrett was quietly gone from the company but now he’s back in the fold.
Jeff Jarrett had been quite busy in his time away from WWE. He purchased the Springfield Sliders baseball team in late 2021.
He also debuted a podcast last spring, aligning with Conrad Thompson.
Tony Khan proudly discussed AEW’s continuous success in Las Vegas in a recent pre-pay-per-view media call.
This year, Double or Nothing will return to Vegas for the first time since the first AEW event in 2019. Interest is at an all-time high in the ‘Sin City.’
AEW is above the $1,000,000 mark in ticket sales for their pay-per-view return to Las Vegas.
During the pre-AEW Double or Nothing 2022 media call, AEW Owner Tony Khan said,
“This is the biggest live attendance we’ve ever had. It’s a great barometer in pro wrestling. The live fans in the arena set the pace for fans all over the world.
“Obviously, with their reactions in the arena to people they see in the ring, but also how they spend their money and how they make their presence felt at the show.
“For us to set our attendance record already with well over a million dollars, I think over $1.1 million in tickets sold to Sunday’s pay-per-view, that is an amazing milestone for us and I also believe it’s indicative of huge interest in Double or Nothing 2022.”
At the fourth AEW Double or Nothing, CM Punk will challenge Hangman Page for the AEW World Title. This is his first world championship match in pro wrestling in nearly ten years.
Serena Deeb will also challenge Thunder Rosa for the AEW Women’s World Championship.
There’s a triple threat match for the AEW Tag Team Championships where Jurassic Express will defend against Team Taz (Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs) and Swerve In Our Glory (Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland).
You can check out the full card and how to watch here.
H/T to Jeremy Lambert & Gisberto Guzzo of Fightful for the transcription
WWE will be straying away from its initial test run with a WWE faction.
The company has been dipping its toes in the water with a new stable. Fans took notice of this during dark segments.
The faction in question is being led by Max Dupri, formerly known as LA Knight. Dupri made his main roster debut on the May 20 episode of SmackDown.
During the segment, Dupri revealed he’s the CEO of “Maximum Male Models.” The group had been called “Knight Model Management” in dark segments.
That isn’t the only change, however.
WrestlingNews.co is reporting that WWE will be ditching plans to have former Retribution member Mace and Mansoor be a part of the faction.
It’s been said that Vince McMahon ultimately made the call. The original plan was for Mace and Mansoor to be reintroduced as heels on the SmackDown brand.
It’ll be interesting to see who ultimately ends up in Max Dupri’s group.
It looks like Colt Cabana will have a strong presence in Ring of Honor.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Colt has signed a new deal with AEW.
While Colt has re-upped with AEW, he’s expected to play a role in Tony Khan’s vision for ROH.
Meltzer notes that Colt’s involvement with ROH could very well be due to his sour relationship with CM Punk.
Colt Cabana and Punk used to be close friends but a lawsuit changed that.
Colt believed that Punk owed him money for lawyer fees stemming from a lawsuit filed by WWE doctor Chris Amann.
Punk appeared on Colt’s podcast and accused WWE doctors of missing his staph infection and telling him to use Z-Paks whenever he had an ailment.
Ultimately, CM Punk won the civil trial in the defamation lawsuit.
Colt ended up suing Punk for breach of contract. The case would soon be dropped.
Many have suspected that Colt’s lack of TV time as a late is due to the situation with Punk. With that said, it appears AEW still sees value in having Colt Cabana around.
New Japan Pro Wrestling President Takami Ohbari and Bushiroad Founder and President Takaaki Kidani held a press conference earlier this morning to address the ongoing situation with former world champion Kota Ibushi, and his status with the company.
Earlier this month Ibushi shared a text conversation between himself and NJPW official Yusuki Kikuchi on Twitter, which showed Kikuchi chewing Ibushi out for making an appearance at a Just Tap Out event in March. In the thread Kikuchi also indicated that NJPW could potentially release Ibushi, as his appearance at the event was a breach of his exclusive contract.
Furthermore…Ibushi exposed some details regarding how NJPW handled his shoulder injury, and called the company out for other abuses of power. The situation became bad enough that Ibushi also revealed that his mother tried to take her own life due to the stress.
Ohbari began the press conference by going through the events as they happened, and the private conversation he had with Ibushi after he made his Just Tap Out appearance. Obhari states that he did reprimand Ibushi for breaching his contract, but that they were able to hash things out. To summarize…neither Ibushi, nor Kikuchi, are expected to be released from NJPW.
“Today, on behalf of New Japan Pro-Wrestling I would like to address recent claims made by Kota Ibushi.
Starting May 10, Kota Ibushi began releasing statements critical of certain members of NJPW staff on Twitter. Firstly I would like to deeply apologise for the concern these comments caused amongst fans and personnel.
The statements posted on Twitter included screenshots of a text conversation with a member of staff (henceforth “Official”) that included a threat that Ibushi’s contract would be terminated. On investigation, we ascertained from the individual concerned that these screenshots were indeed genuine. I would now like to take a moment to explain the series of events that led up to the aforementioned posts to the extent of our current understanding.
Kota Ibushi is a wrestler exclusively contracted to New Japan Pro-Wrestling. As such, it is understood that in order to devote full attention to NJPW matches and associated events, he is required to inform, and receive express permission from NJPW before outside appearances.
On March 4, in breach of the terms of his contract, Mr. Ibushi made an appearance seconding wrestlers at a Just Tap Out event. The aforementioned Official is responsible for contacting various wrestlers contracted to New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but also has a long personal history with Mr. Ibushi that extends far before him becoming an exclusively contracted talent.
The Official contacted Mr. Ibushi in the belief that Mr, Ibushi’s actions in breach of his contract were taken deliberately to persuade NJPW to terminate its agreement with him. Perceiving this as a betrayal of personal trust established over a number of years, his messages were sent in an emotional state as a result.
When I myself learned of Mr. Ibushi’s appearance in a different promotion, I requested a full status report from the Official. Therefore it is possible that the official’s contact with Mr. Ibushi also involved a desire to find out the exact particulars of the situation to relay to myself. In relaying this report, the Official told me that he thought Mr. Ibushi wanted to leave NJPW.
Not wanting to lose the services of Kota Ibushi in such a manner, and wanting to find out his true mental state and opinions on this matter, I arranged a meeting with Mr. Ibushi at his personal training facility on March 31.
In my brief meeting with Mr. Ibushi, we chatted while we conducted some light exercise. As we moved on the mat, and participated in some jump training, I was amazed at his super human physical abilities, yet Ibushi confided that he found recovery from his 2021 shoulder injury was taking longer than he had expected, and that his range of motion was far from ideal.
After our conversation, Mr. Ibushi took me by car to a restaurant where we continued our conversation. Our conversation was amicable, and Mr. Ibushi explained to me that he had been invited to Just Tap Out by its manager TAKA Michinoku. He also explained that while he was in the dressing rooms, he made an impulsive decision on his own accord to head to ringside and second the wrestlers.
After receiving Mr. Ibushi’s explanation, I reprimanded him, reminding him that this was a breach of his contract with New Japan Pro-Wrestling, as well as a breach of licensing agreements we hold with other companies. Mr. Ibushi sincerely apologised for his actions. Mr. Ibushi’s penalty for his breach was limited to a reprimand as, on hearing with Mr. Ibushi, it was clear there was no intention to breach the terms of his contract, nor did he believe a breach had taken place because he had not participated in a match.
At the point of our meeting, I did not know the exact wording or particulars of Mr. Ibushi’s text conversation with the Official and as a result, did not offer a proper apology for the content of the conversation.
Several weeks later, on May 10, screenshots of the conversation on the LINE service were made public. I have since learned that those tweets were made when Mr. Ibushi was acting in a state of concern for his mother. Mr. Ibushi told me that this situation triggered his mother’s mental distress, leading to a suicide attempt at the start of May in which she suffered a broken bone in her back.
After the first series of Mr. Ibushi’s tweets were posted, a meeting was held on May 10 including our company’s legal staff in order to understand the particulars of the situation, and to determine the best possible course of action for both New Japan Pro-Wrestling and Mr. Ibushi. We determined that said best course of action would be to directly meet with Mr. Ibushi, to formally apologise and hear one another’s opinions before making a public announcement should one be deemed necessary.
As a result, there has been no formal announcement from the company on this matter until this time. However yesterday, myself and the company owner Mr. Takaaki Kidani were able to meet with Mr. Ibushi, and discuss this statement to you here as well as our opinions on the matter. Before proceeding I would like once again to sincerely apologise to fans for the concern caused by this series of events.
I would now like to relay the company’s stance on this situation.
Mr. Ibushi’s actions in attending an outside event without proper procedure, as well as publicly disclosing internal affairs were actions in breach of his contract, and after consideration of the particulars I previously mentioned, an appropriate penalty for Mr. Ibushi will be determined.
However, the words of the Official in his text conversation were inexcusable, especially in their direction to a wrestler who risks his life in order to fulfil his role as a professional. It is this mindset that directly led to Mr. Ibushi posting his critical tweets about the company. For the thoughtless content of these messages, we fully and unreservedly apologise to Mr. Ibushi.
Despite the Official’s lengthy relationship with Mr. Ibushi, the lack of consideration shown to him and by extension our wrestlers at large should also be met with an appropriate penalty.”
Takaaki Kidani would speak next, apologizing to fans for the way NJPW came off in the allegations, and expressing how important it was that Ibushi, and his mother, were taken care of in the situation.
“First let me express my sincerest personal gratitude to Kota Ibushi for his contributions to New Japan Pro-Wrestling and his thrilling matches in the ring. It is my sincerest hope that he continues to be connected to NJPW moving forward. However, his utmost priority at this time must be to the care of his mother, as well as full recovery from his injury. It should go without saying that he will remain under contract for as long as that process takes.
Mr. Ibushi receives so much support from fans all over the world. While it might be difficult for him to perform in the ring, I sincerely hope that he can continue to contribute outside of it, at signings, talk shows, or, and this is my personal wish, to assist in operations at STARDOM. I continue to hold Mr. Ibushi in the highest regard, and if he ever again feels he wants to move away from NJPW, I hope we can have a full and frank exchange of ideas.
It’s my opinion that Kota Ibushi’s contributions to his company and the world of professional wrestling have been innumerable. I join fans in hoping that he continue to shine as only he can, and take any issues he has outside of the ring as a top priority. I hope with this conference today we can put these issues behind us and move forward together.”
We will keep you updated on Ibushi’s status following this morning’s press conference.
After weeks of uncertainty over the future of the tag team titles, WWE finally made the decision to unify the titles. Last week’s episode of SmackDown saw The Usos finally defeating RK-Bro to become the new Unified Tag Team Champions. Since then, people have been discussing whether the company would take the same step with other titles as well. Corey Graves for one, believes that it would be the right thing to do.
Bully Ray recently shared the idea to replace the IC and US championship belts with a new one. Graves has now made the case for more titles to be unified during the latest episode of After The Bell. He talked about The Bloodline now holding the Unified World and Tag Team Championships and said that WWE’s mid-card titles should be next:
“I wanna talk about what’s on everybody’s mind right now this week, that being all of the gold in the WWE now belongs to The Bloodline. All of the gold meaning Universal World [title, and] now unified Tag Team Champions. Vic, I am just gonna come right out and say it, I think it is time. I think it’s beyond time. I think we take the final step. I think we need to unify the United States and Intercontinental championships as well.”
Corey Graves explained his reasoning behind the move saying that fewer titles will make everything mean more. He admitted that WWE sometimes uses championships to build stories without much effort. He explained that unified champions will be allowed to float from brand to brand and take on emerging challengers. Per Graves, having fewer titles will force stars to get over with their character work rather than just being the champion:
“Having the champions float to me just, it freshens everything up. It makes everything more important because there’s less of them. Supply and demand. If there’s only a handful of titles, the titles all become more valuable. I think it’s high time we do this.”
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WWE is trying to show Sasha Banks and Naomi that it doesn’t get much greener on the other side.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Sasha and Naomi are not being paid during their indefinite suspension.
Sasha and Naomi walked out of WWE TV despite being scheduled for a six-pack challenge on the May 16 episode of Raw.
Rumors have swirled claiming the two walked out hours before the show began despite reports.
PWInsider was the first to report that creative differences were the main sticking point.
Sasha Banks and Naomi were the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. They were reportedly due for singles title matches at Hell in a Cell on June 5 and both were scheduled to lose.
WWE has had no issue publicly bashing “The Boss” and “The Glow.” The company has had commentators Michael Cole and Corey Graves call the duo “unprofessional” on air.
In addition to not being paid during their suspension, all online merchandise for Sasha and Naomi has been pulled.
It’s been reported that the contracts of Sasha and Naomi are coming due soon. WWE has the ability to freeze those deals if they wish.
Sasha is currently working on a project outside of WWE.
There has been a lot of chatter online on whether or not Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar will be attending this year’s WWE Money in the Bank event.
Both Roman and Brock were featured in the advertisement for WWE Money in The Bank set for July 2.
After announcing that the show will be moved from Allegiant Stadium to the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Reigns and Lesnar were removed from the ad.
This has led some to speculate that two of WWE’s top attractions won’t be featured at MITB this year.
Dave Meltzer took to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter to report that as of now, the status of Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar for Money in the Bank is up in the air.
Meltzer had initially reported that Reigns was on tap to face Riddle and Randy Orton this summer. The order in which he would face them was said to be interchangeable.
Now, it’s unknown if that’s still the plan. Riddle has said on WWE TV that his feud with The Bloodline isn’t over and he called Roman Reigns a “Tribal piece of trash.”
Dave also reported that WWE knew that reaching 50,000 tickets sold wouldn’t be feasible when MITB was scheduled for Allegiant Stadium.
With that said, the company was hoping for 30,000 tickets sold but it seems that number wasn’t going to be attainable either.
Stephanie McMahon is not expected back with WWE after announcing an indefinite leave of absence earlier this month.
Last week, McMahon tweeted that she is stepping away from the majority of her duties with the company. She cited the need to spend more time with her family as the reason for her hiatus.
The news was kept secret from other high-ranking WWE executives who did not know anything until her tweet was sent out. PWInsider reported:
“There were lots of high-up executives who had no inkling this was coming until it very quickly spread across the company after she tweeted.”
– Mike Johnson, PWInsider
Despite the secrecy surrounding Stephanie McMahon stepping away, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that she had been planning the move for several months.
She is not expected back any time soon as evidenced by the company’s decision to swiftly seek a replacement.
Triple H recently returned to work at the WWE office, but industry observers are in disbelief how much the expected “line of succession” for WWE’s future has changed. At point, it was considered a foregone conclusion that Triple H and Stephanie McMahon would be running WWE for decades to come once Vince McMahon steps down.
We’ve seen WWE President Nick Khan’s power grow year after year and the chances of an eventual sale are more likely than ever.
It’s been speculated that Nick Khan will take on a lot of Stephanie McMahon’s duties. WWE posted a job listing for one of McMahon’s roles, ‘Director of Brand and Marketing.’
The ideal candidate will be “an important contributor to the growth and success of the WWE Premium Live Events” according to their listing.
Stephanie McMahon has worked for decades in multiple roles for WWE, starting off as a model in WWF Merchandise catalogs.
In 1999, Stephanie became an on-screen character and joined forces with Triple H that December.
The McMahon-Hemsley regime dominated the WWE for much of 2003 and the couple married for real in late 2003.
Charlotte Flair has been out of action indefinitely since WrestleMania Backlash. The company announced that she sustained injuries and she needs time off to recover.
At the event, Flair defended the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey in an “I Quit” Match in a losing effort.
Flair is actually taking time off of WWE to prepare for her wedding with AEW star Andrade El Idolo. The two have been dating since February 2019 when they were both with WWE. They announced their engagement a year later on January 1, 2020.
Looks like the couple is gearing up for the wedding as Flair posted photos on Instagram which show a gathering of family and friends. Fellow wrestlers such as Finn Balor, Nia Jax, and Apollo Crews are also seen. She also shared a picture with popular Mexican makeup artist Pepe Gutierrez.
Interestingly, the location added for the photo is Hacienda Mi Ranchito, which is a wedding venue in Ciudad Lerdo, Mexico.
Last month, Flair confirmed in an interview with Ariel Helwani that she is getting married to her fiancé this summer in Mexico.
It wouldn’t be too surprising if Charlotte Flair and Andrade announce something about a wedding soon.
As for her goals inside the wrestling ring, Flair recently said that she wants to surpass her father’s record for most world title reigns. More on that here.
You can check out the pictures below:
