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Xavier Woods Returns to Action for WWE After Two Months

Michael Reichlin
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Xavier Woods returned to action at Saturday night’s WWE live event from Jackson, Mississippi.

The New Day member hasn’t wrestled in over two months. He’s been recovering from a leg injury (the plantaris muscle in his calf).

His last match took place on the January 7th edition of SmackDown, when New Day lost a street fight to The Usos. According to Woods, the injury occurred when he delivered a Tornado DDT to Jey Uso. Despite the injury, he was able to finish the match and actually took a Samoan Drop moments after hurting his leg.

Woods said he expected to miss 4-6 weeks of action, but was out for approximately 9 weeks.

At Saturday’s live event, Woods and Kofi Kingston competed in a tag team triple threat match for the SmackDown tag team titles. The Usos retained over New Day and the team of Sheamus & Ridge Holland.

WWE Jackson Results

Here are quick results from WWE Jackson (3/12/22):

  • Viking Raiders def. Los Lotharios
  • Shayna Baszler def. Aliyah
  • Ricochet def. Sami Zayn to retain the Intercontinental championship
  • Happy Corbin def. Shinsuke Nakamura
  • The Usos def. New Day and Sheamus/Holland
  • Sasha Banks & Naomi def. Charlotte Flair & Sonya Deville
  • Roman Reigns def. Drew McIntyre to retain the Universal Championship

FTR Would Return To WWE Under the Right Circumstances

Michael Reichlin
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Dax Harwood is hell-bent on making FTR the greatest tag team in wrestling history. Being a perfectionist can drive you to greatness, but it can also leave you feeling unsatisfied.

Harwood held a Q&A session for his Twitter followers on Saturday night and answered a variety of questions about his career.

Interestingly, Harwood says he’s not satisfied with his AEW career thus far and would consider going back to WWE under the right circumstances.

Dax Harwood on FTR’s Future

The following are some highlights of what Dax Harwood said about:

His dream match for FTR:

“Rematch vs Young Bucks. Who really is the greatest tag team of this generation?”

Who he’d want to face in FTR’s final match:

“Chad Gable & Jason Jordan.”

FTR’s ladder match against the New Day:

“I told all the guys involved, I can’t do the athletic stuff most ladder matches have, but we can tell a story and we can be BRUTAL. I love that match and I love those guys.”

A fan questioning if we’ll see Dax vs. CM Punk:

“You guys tell CM Punk that.”

Wanting to work for New Japan Pro Wrestling: 

“Cash and I want to win the NJPW Tag team titles. We’ve talked about it on many 4 hour road trips.”

If FTR would return to WWE:

“Yes, If the money and circumstances were right.”

Is he satisfied with his AEW career so far?

“No. Okay, back to normal Twitter shit. Thanks y’all!”

(Author’s Opinion: I wouldn’t read too much into Harwood’s comments about being dissatisfied with how they’ve done in AEW up to this point. Dax Harwood has set very high goals for himself and rightfully so. FTR is always striving for greatness. Dax is a perfectionist. FTR has held the AEW World Tag titles, but are they considered the greatest tag team in AEW history? Have they dominated the division and proven they are the greatest beyond a shadow of a doubt? Not yet.)

Jeff Hardy Names His Favorite Feud & Wrestling Mt. Rushmore

Michael Reichlin
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Wrestling legend Jeff Hardy made a big return to the national wrestling scene this past week. Months after being let go by WWE, the Mysterious Enigma made a shocking debut on Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite.

The Hardys are back together. Matt and Jeff, one of the most decorated tag teams in wrestling history, have embarked on a reunion tour.

Jeff Hardy did a virtual appearance this week on Facebook for Signed by Superstars and fielded a bunch of questions from fans. Hardy spoke about his favorite matches, his favorite feud and named his “Wrestling Mt. Rushmore.”

Here are some highlights of what Jeff Hardy said about:

Jeff Hardy’s Best Matches:

Matt and Jeff Hardy are known for many things, but they are probably best known for their legendary TLC matches in WWE. It should come as no surprise that these are among Jeff’s favorite matches.

“Probably all TLC matches,” Hardy said.

As for his solo career, his World title ladder match match against The Undertaker from 2002 sticks with him to this day.

“Solo wise, myself versus The Undertaker for the World Title,” he said.

His Wrestling Mt. Rushmore:

We always like to hear who popular wrestlers name as their personal “Mt. Rushmore.”

When asked about his personal Mt. Rushmore of professional wrestling, Jeff Hardy named Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan.

That’s a diverse group, with HBK & Mysterio representing the athletic, innovative style that Hardy became famous for, while Flair and Hogan are the larger-than-life figures from the era Hardy grew up watching.

His Favorite Feud:

Jeff Hardy has been wrestling on national television since the mid-1990’s, so he’s competed against multiple generations of wrestlers.

To be Jeff Hardy’s favorite feud is quite an honor. Jeff says his matches against the late Umaga hold a special place in his heart.

“Favorite feud of all time,” Hardy said about working with Umaga.

Chris Jericho Thinks Triple H May Have Kept Him Out of the WM2000 Main Event

Anutosh Bajpai
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Chris Jericho made his WWE debut in 1999 and he instantly become a big star in the company. Jericho believes he could have even had his first WrestleMania main event within a year, if it wasn’t for Triple H. Y2J was interviewed on the latest episode of The Kurt Angle Show where they discussed the various stages of Jericho’s career.

During the talk, the AEW star claimed that he was originally supposed to be a part of the fatal four-way main event of WrestleMania 2000. He was going to be the fourth participant of the bout instead of Mick Foley:

“The original plan for that WrestleMania if you remember, it was a four-way title match with a McMahon in every corner. It was [The] Rock, Big Show, Triple H and Mick Foley. With Vince, Shane, Linda and Stephanie with whoever they were with. The original plan for that match was Hunter, Rock, Big Show and Jericho. And if you think that I’m just saying that because I heard rumors or someone told me, they actually made promotional pieces for the match.”

Chris Jericho showed a press kit for WrestleMania 2000 which featured his photo with the other three participants. He also recalled seeing a billboard on Sunset Boulevard with the same picture. However, he thinks that Vince McMahon didn’t believe in him enough at the time to put him in the spot:

“I think Vince just didn’t have the belief in me, I guess to put me in that spot yet. So he brought Mick back. That was after Mick had retired. I think Mick told me that Vince offered him enough money to pay his kids’ college educations. So he came back.”

“There Was A lot Of Politics At That Time” Says Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho

Interestingly enough, Jericho believes that his heat with Triple H during the early days might have cost him the opportunity. He mentioned how he is cool with The Game now but it wasn’t always the case:

“There was a lot a lot of politics at that time. When I say this, it’s not from a bitter point of view or an angry point of view. It’s just the way it was. So to come in, there was a lot of legit heat between Hunter and myself. [It] Involved China, [It] involved a little bit X Pac as well. But Hunter and I just didn’t like each other and I think Hunter had such a pull at the time, such power that if he didn’t like me of course, [he could have gotten me removed]. Even if he’s not going out of his way to bury me to Vince, I am sure every time my name came up he would be like ‘ugh, that guy? come on.’

It’s just kind of the way the business worked at the time. So I think that might have had a lot to do with it. [Hunter probably said] ‘You don’t want Jericho, is that a big enough name? Bring back Foley or see if Austin’s available.’ Or whatever it may be. That kind of [was] one of the reasons. Once again, I’m not saying that I’ve heard this. I just can tell. I can read the room for the past that we had. We’re really cool now but at the time we just fucking didn’t like each other, [it] just didn’t work.”

If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription.

Kevin Owens Promo Seemingly Cut from SmackDown

Jake Skudder
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WWE RAW Superstar Kevin Owens was reportedly set for an in-ring promo during this week’s episode of SmackDown, but it was pulled.

Fightful Select recently reported that Owens was listed internally as having an in-ring promo on the show, but a video package ran instead.

They noted: “Kevin Owens was listed for an in-ring promo internally, but a video package ran instead. It was to be produced by Jason Jordan.”

The video package that would end up airing showed Owens challenging Stone Cold Steve Austin to confront him at WrestleMania 38.

Austin would of course accept the challenge, and The Rattlesnake is now set to appear on the show.

Kevin Owens WWE SmackDown

What Stone Cold will eventually end up doing remains to be seen, but we will see the Hall of Famer at the show.

It is not currently known why WWE opted to remove Owens from appearing live on the show, but the video package sold the story of the confrontation well enough anyway.

It is also not known if we’ll see Steve Austin on RAW or SmackDown ahead of WrestleMania 38. It’s likely however that WWE will opt to keep the former WWE Champion off-screen until he appears in Dallas, Texas.

Becky Lynch Returns to Action at WWE Live Event

Jake Skudder
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WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch has returned to action after suffering from a fractured voice box.

The injury occurred ahead of this past week’s episode of WWE RAW, and Lynch did not appear on camera for the show itself.

Becky was however backstage towards the end of the show and told fans via social media that Bianca Belair had caused the voicebox injury.

There was some uncertainty as to whether Lynch would be able to return to action in the short term, but she has now wrestled again for the company.

Becky Lynch WWE Return

Becky Lynch performed on the Saturday 12th March ‘Road to WrestleMania’ live event from Columbus, GA.

Lynch took part in a handicap match on the show, which saw Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan & Rhea Ripley defeat The Man, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Queen Zelina & Carmella and Doudrop.

Following the initial worry that Becky Lynch might not be able to make WrestleMania 38, it now appears that she has been cleared for in-ring action.

Although not one of the main events of the two-night show, Becky vs Bianca is still a top bout for the card, and WWE will not want anything to jeopardize its position on the biggest show of the year.

With the injury to Big E on this week’s episode of SmackDown, the company will likely be even more vigilant in ensuring that potential issues to the WrestleMania card are avoided in the final weeks ahead of the show in Dallas.

SmackDown Rating Falls Narrowly This Week

Jake Skudder
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This week’s episode of WWE SmackDown reportedly saw a small fall in viewership compared to last week, according to the overnights.

WWE is currently building up to WrestleMania 38 from Dallas, Texas, and they will be hoping that they can maintain the weekly television audience ahead of their biggest event of the year.

Spoiler TV has reported that the Friday March 11th episode of the show brought in 2.133 million viewers on FOX.

The show also had a .5 in the all-important 18 to 49 demographic. An interesting stat to note is that the show actually held the audience of 2.133 million viewers across both hours.

SmackDown Overnights

Comparatively, the overnight ratings for the Friday March 4th episode of SmackDown drew an average of 2.1395 million viewers. That show also had a .5 in the 18 to 49 demographic.

The ratings for SmackDown towards the end of February saw the show hover below the 2 million mark, so these recent weeks of shows can only be considered a success for the company.

What is promising for WWE is that this week’s show actually held the number across the two hours, indicating that there is investment across the show rather than just the main feuds.

The show opened this week with WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and ended with an Intercontinental Championship match between Ricochet and Sami Zayn.

The company will be hoping to hold these sorts of numbers as we head towards WrestleMania at the start of April.

AEW Rampage Viewership This Week Reportedly Below 500k

Jake Skudder
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This week’s episode of AEW Rampage on the TNT Network was again a taped show, and the viewership reportedly fell below 500,000.

Alfred Konuwa, who seems to be fed the fast national ratings for Rampage when they’re low, indicated this week that the Rampage number was below the half a million mark.

The Friday March 11th episode of Rampage apparently had a viewership of 480,000, down from last week. It’s worth noting that a demographic breakdown for the 18 to 49 number has not yet been revealed.

Comparatively, the March 4th episode of AEW Rampage had a viewership of 545,000 with a .22 rating in the 18 to 49 demographic.

AEW Rampage Ratings

There’s no indication right now as to whether the network is happy with the recent numbers from AEW on Friday nights.

Whilst the ratings and viewership has been declining, with last week’s show actually being 34% down from what was showing on TNT last year at the same time, it is first run programming for Turner.

Rampage was initially a far more important aspect of AEW’s weekly programming, with CM Punk originally wrestling almost exclusively on the show.

Although Tony Khan initially promised that it was not a “B show” for AEW, it does appear somewhat as though it is becoming the natural number two behind Dynamite on TBS every Wednesday.

Bron Breakker Reacts To NXT Title Loss: “It Is What It Is”

Anutosh Bajpai
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Bron Breakker is still trying to digest his NXT championship loss to Dolph Ziggler, though he is promising that this story is far from over.

The now former champion had an interview with Dallas News. He discussed things such as his Raw debut, a potential move to main roster, and more.

Speaking about losing the NXT title to Ziggler during the Roadblock event this past Tuesday, Breakker said that he is no way close to being done with the Show Off:

“I’m … I’m still in a little bit of shock. You know, it is what it is. There’s nothing I can do about it now. It’s over. You just wake up, dust myself off, back to work.

As far as Dolph Ziggler goes – and Bobby Roode, for that matter – we are no way close to being done.” said Bron Breakker, “I’m sure I’ll run into them again down the line. But, I just got to get better.”

The NXT star also talked about his Raw debut and getting to work with veterans such as Ziggler, Tommaso Ciampa and Robert Roode just in the past few weeks.

Breakker said that it’s been a great experience and he has been learning a lot about the business. He claimed that he couldn’t be happier to be in the learning position that he is in.

Original WrestleMania Plans For Big E Before Neck Injury

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE had planned a New Day reunion for this year’s edition of WrestleMania before Big E suffered the unfortunate neck injury at Friday’s SmackDown.

PWinsider recently provided some update on the former WWE champion. They revealed what the officials were planning for him before this week’s episode of the blue branded show.

According to the site, Big E and Kofi Kingston were supposed to reunite with Xavier Woods soon. These three were expected to take on Sheamus, Ridge Holland and Butch at WrestleMania 38.

Woods suffered a muscle tear while wrestling against The Usos back in January. He was expected to stay out of action for 4 to 6 weeks.

Ridge Holland was drafted to the SmackDown brand during the 2021 draft. He has been paired with Sheamus since his arrival on the main roster.

This week’s episode of the blue branded show saw Pete Dunne joining this team. Now renamed to Butch, Dunne was introduced as Sheamus’ protégé.

The WrestleMania plans are obviously up in the air now with Big E suffering a broken neck. The good news is that he won’t require surgery.

There is no word on how long he may stay out of action but at this point, competing at the Show of Shows seems very unlikely for the New Day member.

GCW: Astronaut Results(3/12)

Tyriece Simon
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Game Changer Wrestling held their first event at Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, with GCW: Astronaut.

The main event saw H8 Club vs. Second Gear Crew for the GCW Tag Team Championship. GCW: Astronaut also had ROH Champion Jonathan Gresham vs. Blake Christian in a non-title match. GCW wanted to have the match at The Wrld on GCW, but Gresham couldn’t make the show. The event aired live on FITE and is available for on-demand purchase for $13.99

GCW: Astronaut is the last Pay-Per-View before GCW: The Collective at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. GCW: The Collective will occur from Mar. 31 to Apr. 2, with 12 PPV events. Wrestling fans can buy each event individually or buy the bundle for $139.99 on FITE.

https://twitter.com/GCWrestling_/status/1502744020778463237

GCW: Astronaut Quick Results

  • AR Fox defeated Nick Wayne
  • Gringo Loco defeated Ninja Mack
  • Matt Cardona did a in-ring promo before his match. He talks about GCW’s Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6 in Dallas, Texas and said he should be challenging for the GCW World Championship, instead of wrestling Chris Dickinson.
  • Matt Cardona defeated “Action” Mike Jackson
  • After the match, Cardona did a in-ring promo disrespecting Jackson and said he was going to beat Dickinson at GCW’s Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6. Dickinson comes out and Cardona leaves the ring. Jackson beats up Cardona and throws him in the ring. Dickinson tries to Powerbomb Cardona, but Cardona escaped.
  • Tony Deppen defeated ACH
  • Alex Colon defeated Jimmy Lloyd, Jordan Oliver, Zen Shi, Cole Radrick, and Manders in a Six-way Scramble Match
  • Bobby Flocko and Cavron Canyon vs Ash Bennett and Rico Gonzalez ends as no contest after Joey Janela interrupts the match and attacks everyone.
  • Janela did a in-ring promo and vows to “Kill” Sean Waltman at GCW’s Joey Janela Spring Break 6. He also claims GCW wouldn’t be where it is without him and demands that people should “Give him his flowers” at GCW’s Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6.
  • Allie Katch defeated Jordynne Grace
  • AJ Gray defeated EFFY to retain the GCW Extreme Championship
  • Jonathan Gresham defeated Blake Christian
  • Christian did a in-ring promo after the match thanking the fans
  • H8 Club(Nick Gage and Matt Tremont) vs. Second Gear Crew(Mathew Justice and Mance Warner) for the GCW Tag Team Championship ends in a draw
https://twitter.com/Aregularindyfan/status/1502854980306407425

After the match, fans chanted for the match to be restarted. Tremont challenged Second Gear Crew and The Briscoes to a three-way dance at GCW’s Joey Janela Spring Break 6. The fans still booed, but Gage thanked the fans to a lukewarm response, and the show ended.

Ric Flair Interested In Managing Cesaro

Anutosh Bajpai
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Cesaro has not revealed his next move after his WWE departure yet but Ric Flair is interested in managing the Swiss Superman in AEW if he gets the chance.

On the 16th episode of his Woo Nation Uncensored podcast, the 16-time world champion discussed things such as Jeff Hardy’s AEW debut and more.

He was also asked if he would like to manage the former WWE star. Replying to it, Flair said that he would love to teach Cesaro how to be nasty:

“Manage him? I’d love it! Then you work on him with little things that make him nasty. You’ve never seen him be nasty. You take a guy with his skill and his strength and teach how to be nasty, just little tricks of the trade, he’d be really hot.

If I was managing him, I would call Tony Khan out to the ring and I’d knock him down from behind” said Ric Flair, “and have Cesaro give him a giant swing and put him in a hospital for a month.”

The wrestling veteran also talked about Cesaro’s WWE career. He said that the former US champion’s matches with Seth Rollins were the high point of his career.

Flair explained that he liked the Bar but his matches with Seth were really good. He claimed that he has never seen Cesaro have a bad match.

Thanks to WrestleZone for the quotes

House of Glory: Salvation Results from NYC

Michael Reichlin
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House of Glory held its latest iPPV, HoG: Salvation, on Friday night from the NYC Arena in Queens, NY.

The event aired live on FITE PPV and featured a broadcast team that included longtime friend of the site, The Solomonster (Jason Solomon).

Image

House of Glory: Salvation Results

Here are the quick results from HoG: Salvation:

  • Mantequilla def. KC Navarro
  • The Mane Event (Midas Black & Jay Lyon) def. The Amazing Graysons (JP & Tommy)
  • Ken Broadway def. Michael Fain
  • Evander James (w/Scarlett Meidan & Joey Silver) def. Carlos “La Sombra” Ramirez
  • Low Ki def. Biff Busick to retain his HOG Crown Jewel Championship
  • Natalia Markova def. Taya Valkyrie to retain her HOG Women’s Championship
  • The Briscoes def. Penta El Zero Miedo & Arez (sub for the injured Rey Fenix) in a Winner Take All Match to win the HOG Tag Team Championship and retain their ROH Tag Team Titles

House of Glory returns to the NYC arena on tax day, April 15th.

ROH Supercard Of Honor XV Match Card, Date & Time, How To Watch

Jaychele Nicole
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Ring of Honor is returning to host their annual Supercard of Honor show as a part of WrestleMania weekend.

Ring of Honor announced on October 27, 2021 that they would be going on hiatus for the first quarter of 2022 after their Final Battle event. All their wrestlers and staff were released from their contracts on various dates.

Supercard of Honor 2022

Supercard of Honor XV will be the first wrestling event of 2022 promoted by ROH following their hiatus. This is also their first event under the ownership of Tony Khan. This year’s event will be the 15th event in the Supercard of Honor chronology.

On the March 2 edition of AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan announced that he had purchased Ring Of Honor. This has left the Supercard of Honor XV up in the air and there are many questions surrounding the booking. For more information on the Supercard of Honor planning being in disarray, click here for our exclusive.

Date & Time

ROH Supercard of Honor XV will take place on April 1, 2022 at 8PM EST.

The event is located at the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.

Match Card

  • Undisputed ROH World Championship: Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Bandido (c) (w/ Chavo Guerrero Jr)
  • ROH Tag Team Championships: The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) (c) vs. FTR (Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood)
  • ROH Pure Championship: Josh Woods vs. Wheeler Yuta
  • Interim ROH Women’s World Championship: Willow Nightingale vs Mercedes Martinez (Winner to Face Champion Deonna Purrazzo At A Later Date)*
  • Alex Zayne vs. Sw3rve Strickland
  • Jay Lethal vs. Lee Moriarty (w/Matt Sydal)
  • Ninja Mack vs. Tully Blanchard’s New Client
  • ROH World TV Championship: Rhett Titus vs Minoru Suzuki
  • Joe Hendry To Appear

*Deonna Purrazzo is unavailable for Supercard of Honor

WrestleCon 2022 Schedule, Matches, Dates & Times, How To Watch

Jaychele Nicole
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The annual WrestleCon event is about to take place during WrestleMania weekend for the 8th time.

WrestleCon is an annual event that takes place during WrestleMania weekend. This year, the event will take place in Dallas, Texas. The convention will happen from March 31 to April 2. The convention features signings, photo ops, and live events. For a full list of events, guests, and tickets, click here.

This year’s WrestleCon event features six live events. IMPACT Wrestling, AAA, New Japan Strong, and Zicky Dice have events scheduled for the Dallas convention.

This will be the go-to article for an updated list of the shows and matches that have been announced for this year’s edition of WrestleCon.

Where & How To Watch

Some of the shows are available for purchase individually on the FITE platform. However, there is also a bundle available for purchase that will host all of the events on a continuous stream. The AAA live event is only available if you purchase the FITE Fest WrestleCon Bundle. The bundle also includes Major Wrestling Figure Podcast: Live XII and Thuzio: SuperShow Live!. The full bundle is available now for $74.99. 

All of WrestleCon’s live events will take place indoors, inside the Fairmont Hotel in Dallas, Texas.

Shows & Matches Announced

March 31st:

AAA Lucha Libre: Invades WrestleCon (6:00PM EST)

  • Taya Valkyrie, Niño Hamburguesa, and Micro Man vs. Los Mercenarios (Rey Escorpión & La Hiedra) and Mini Abismo Negro
  • Los Jinetes del Aire (Octagón Jr. & Aramís) and Mr. Iguana vs. Los Vipers (Arez & Abismo Negro Jr.) and Fabi Apache
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship: La Rebelión (Bestia 666 & Mecha Wolf 450) (c) vs. Aero Star and Drago
  • No Disqualification Match: Pagano, Drago Kid, and Jack Cartwheel vs. La Empresa (Puma King & Sam Adonis) and Gringo Loco
  • Psycho Clown vs. Black Taurus
  •  AAA World Cruiserweight Championship: Laredo Kid (c) vs. Bandido vs. Flamita

Mark Hitchcock Memorial WrestleCon Supershow (10:00PM EST) – $14.99

  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Biff Busick
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Timothy Thatcher
  • The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) vs. Low Ki & Homicide
  • Bandido vs. Speedball Mike Bailey
  • Mia Yim vs. Athena
  • Ace Austin, Black Taurus & Josh Alexander vs Michael Oku, Rey Horus & Laredo Kid
  • Team Onita (Atsushi Onita, TBA, TBA, TBA & TBA) vs Team PCO (PCO, TBA, TBA, TBA & TBA)
  • Dirty Dishes Match: Taya Valkyrie vs John Morrison
  • Rock N’ Roll Express

April 1st:

Zicky Dice’s Trouble In Paradise 2 (2:00PM EST) – Free on Twitch 

  • EFFY vs “Speedball” Mike Bailey
  • Sensational Sextuplet Scramble: Frontman Jah-C vs Keita Murray vs Carlie Bravo vs Levi Shapiro vs Darian Bengston vs Lord Crewe
  • Lince Dorado vs Black Taurus
  • Rich Swann vs Scotty 2 Hotty
  • Jonah Turk vs Deonn Rusman
  • Masha Slamovich vs BEAR (a literal bear)

NJPW Strong: LoneStar Shootout (6:00PM EST) – $14.99

  • Chris Dickinson vs. Tomohiro Ishii
  • ‘Speedball’ Mike Bailey vs. Jay White
  • Ren Narita vs. Rocky Romero
  • David Finlay, Juice Robinson, Kevin Knight, & Daniel Garcia vs. Karl Fredericks, Clark Connors, Yuya Uemura, & Mascara Dorada
  • Minoru Suzuki vs Killer Kross
  • Blake Christian vs JONAH
  • Team Filthy (“Filthy” Tom Lawlor, JR Kratos & Royce Isaacs) vs Team Rosser (Fred Rosser, Alex Coughlin & Dylan Kyle Cox)

IMPACT: Multiverse of Matches (10:00PM EST) – $19.99

  • Ultimate X Match For The X-Division Title: Trey Miguel vs Vincent vs Chris Bey vs Rich Swann vs Blake Christian vs Jordynne Grace
  • “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs Alex Shelley
  • Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe)
  • Jay White vs. Chris Sabin
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Eddie Edwards
  • Josh Alexander & JONAH vs IMPACT World Champion Moose & PCO
  • Chelsea Green & Matt Cardona vs Mickie James & Nick Aldis
  • Champ Champ Challenge: Deonna Purrazzo Open Challenge
  • IMPACT Knockouts Tag Team Championships: The Influence (Tenille Dashwood & Madison Rayne) (c) vs. Tasha Steelz & Savannah Evans vs. Havok & Rosemary vs. Gisele Shaw & Lady Frost

April 2nd

USA vs The World 2022 (12:00PM EST) – $14.99

  • Undisputed British Cruiserweight Title Match: Rich Swann vs Michael Oku
  • Warrior Wrestling Lucha Title Match: Sam Adonis vs La Hiedra vs Mr. Iguana vs Abismo Negro Jr.
  • Davey Richards vs “Speedball” Mike Bailey
  • Rachael Ellering vs Jessica Troy
  • Workhorsemen (JD Drake & Anthony Henry) vs Bandido & Rey Horus
  • Calvin Tankman vs. Big Damo
  • Gringo Loco & Flip Gordon & Caleb Konley vs. Aeroboy & Aramis & Arez

Athena and Jade Cargill Tease Match Through Fiery Twitter Exchange

Jaychele Nicole
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Jade Cargill and Athena had a back-and-forth exchange on Twitter which teased a possible match between the two.

Athena, formerly known as Ember Moon, was released from WWE on November 4, 2022. She has since returned to the independent scene with her most notable match being against Thunder Rosa at Warrior Wrestling 19. She is currently scheduled to take part in some WrestleMania 38 weekend events when she faces Mia Yim at this year’s WrestleCon. 

On this past week’s episode of AEW Dynamite, the current TBS Champion asked who’s left for her. She urged someone to step up and answer her open challenge. Cargill defeated Tay Conti at Revolution last Sunday. She says she’s ready for real competition and that she’ll give them her “kiss of death”. Cargill posted this promo to her Twitter. 

The Twitter Exchange

To which Athena responded with, “Hmmmm [thinking face emojis]…”

“Hmmmm? What? Say how you feel if you feel it. I don’t play games. Open up,” Jade responded.

The former NXT Women’s Champion replied, “Sure, Jade Cargill. I’ll give in to your request and ill say loud enough for the people in the back…even though I’m pretty sure I know the answer. GIVE ME A MATCH SO I CAN TAKE YOUR TITLE! Talk to ya boy and make it happen… I’ll be waiting.”

Cargill answered by throwing shade in reference to her WWE release, “You’re welcomed kid. I’m a needle mover. I’ll help you out. Clearly you need it. Looking kind of dry out there without TV.”

Below is the full back-and-forth exchange:

Shayna Baszler And Natalya Want To Be In The Women’s Tag Title Match At WWE WrestleMania 38

Jaychele Nicole
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Natalya and Shayna Baszler are currently petitioning to be added into the WWE Women’s Tag Team Title match at WrestleMania 38.

New Women’s Tag Team In The Division

On the March 11 edition of SmackDown, Shayna Baszler and Natalya teamed up for the first time. They took on Naomi and Sasha Banks in a losing effort. Natalya was pinned by Banks after she was hit with a Codebreaker. 

Baszler and Natalya appeared on the most recent episode of Talking Smack to talk with Kayla Braxton about their future as a team. Shayna asked what they need to do to get a match at WrestleMania. Natalya informed her that she will be taking WWE Official Sonya Deville out for dinner to try and make it happen. 

WWE Women’s Tag Team Title Match At WrestleMania 38

There is already a WWE Women’s Tag Team Title match scheduled for WrestleMania 38. On WrestleMania Sunday, Queen Zelina and Carmella will defend their titles against Sasha Banks & Naomi and Rhea Ripley & Liv Morgan. Natalya & Shayna Baszler are currently trying to politic their way into the match.

Samoa Joe Talks About Being In WWE 2K22 After His Release

Jaychele Nicole
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Samoa Joe was released by WWE back on January 6th, but he’s a playable character in the new WWE 2K22 video game.

The former ROH, Impact and NXT Champion is just one of many players released from WWE that still remain as playable characters in the WWE 2K22 game.

This list also includes Braun Strownman, The IIconics, Cesaro, Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Jeff Hardy, Keith Lee, Johnny Gargano, and many others. 

Samoa Joe on WWE 2K22

Samoa Joe spoke about how this process worked for him when he appeared on Kinda Funny Games Daily. He was asked about how WWE was still able to keep him in the game despite him no longer being in the company.

“Built into our contract is a licensing agreement,” he said. “I am Samoa Joe, that’s my trademark that I own. For me, it’s a little different than most guys because I have a licensing agreement and we negotiated our price based off that.

It’s essentially the same type of thing with guys who don’t have their own name. When you leave there, that character is still there for their properties.”

WWE 2K22 is now available on all platforms. Make sure to check out our WWE 2K22 Review. You can buy WWE 2K22 now from Amazon.

What’s Next For Samoa Joe?

Samoa Joe is still currently under a non-compete clause with the WWE. His 90 days will be up on April 6, 2022. Samoa Joe will be inducted into the Ring of Honor Hall of Fame as a part of the 2022 class. He will be inducted with Bryan Danielson, CM Punk, and the Briscoes. 

H/T to Jeremy Lambert of Fightful for the transcription

GCW: The Collective 2022 Schedule, Matches, How To Watch

Jaychele Nicole
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It is time for the 2022 edition The Collective, presented by GCW, to take over Dallas, Texas.

On WrestleMania weekend, GCW will hold The Collective at Fair Park, which is the home of Big Tex and The Texas State Fair. From March 31 to April 2, The Collective will take place. It will feature live wrestling events, merchandise, food trucks, vendors, podcasts, games, stage shows, and more.

The Collective will feature 12 live wrestling events this year. Eight of those shows will be presented by GCW and the others are presented by Glory Pro Wrestling, Mission Pro Wrestling Unsanctioned Pro, and Black Label Pro.

This will be the go-to article for an updated list of the shows and matches that have been announced for this year’s edition of The Collective.

Where & How To Watch

Each of the shows are available for purchase individually on the FITE platform. However, there is also a bundle available for purchase that will host all of the events on a continuous stream. By buying GCW: The Collective 2022 bundle, you would save $37. The full bundle is available now for $139.99. 

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All of The Collective’s live events will take place indoors, inside The Embarcadero building at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas.

Shows & Matches Announced

March 31st:

Glory Pro Wrestling: Cemetery Gates (12:00PM EDT) – $12.99

  • Besties In The World (Mat Fitchett & Davey Vega) vs. No Remorse Corps (Davey Richards & Rocky Romero)
  • WARHORSE vs. Josh Alexander
  • Tootie Lynn vs. Janai Kai
  • Jake Something vs Max The Impaler
  • Mike Outlaw vs. Bryan Keith
  • Technical Difficulties vs. Fly Def vs. Alpha Omega vs. Hustle & Muscle
  • Myron Reed vs. Carlos Romo vs. Shane Sabre vs. Danny Jones
  • No DQ Loser Leaves The Neighborhood Match: Dan The Dad vs. Kody Lane
  • Submission Match: Allie Katch vs. Laynie Luck
  • Rohit Raju

GCW: Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 8 (4:00 PM EDT) – $19.99

  • Josh Barnett vs JONAH
  • Zeda Zhang v. Marina Shafir
  • Timothy Thatcher v. JR Kratos
  • Jon Moxley vs Biff Busick
  • Minoru Suzuki vs Chris Dickinson
  • Masha Slamovich vs Janai Kai
  • Ninja Mack vs Yoya
  • Alex Coughlin vs SLADE
  • Simon Gotch vs. John Hennigan
  • “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs Yuyu Uemera
  • Royce Isaacs vs Bad Dude Tito

GCW: Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6, Part 1 (9:00PM EDT) – $19.99

  • GCW World Championship: Jon Moxley (c) vs. AJ Gray
  • Deathmatch for the GCW Ultraviolent Championship: Alex Colon (c) vs John Wayne Murdoch
  • GCW World Tag Team Championship: H8 Club (Nick Gage and Matt Tremont) (c) vs. SGC (Mance Warner and Matthew Justice) vs. The Briscoes (Mark Briscoe & Jay Briscoe)
  • Joey Janela vs. X-Pac
  • AR Fox vs Blake Christian
  • Mickie James vs Allie Katch
  • Scramble Match: Nick Wayne vs Jordan Oliver vs Jack Cartwheel vs Ninja Mack vs Gringo Loco vs Alec Price
https://twitter.com/JANELABABY/status/1506075541115396099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1506075541115396099%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwrestletalk.com%2Fnews%2Fmickie-james-gcw-debut-joey-janelas-spring-break-6%2F

April 1st:

GCW: Planet Death (12:59AM EDT) – $12.99

Hosted By Nick Gage

  • Sawyer Wreck vs Brandon Kirk
  • Reed Bentley vs Hoodfoot
  • Sadika vs Jimmy Lloyd
  • Akira vs Cole Radrick
  • Shane Mercer vs Neil Diamond Cutter
  • SLADE vs Bam Sullivan

LA Fights vs JCW (12:00PM EDT) – $9.99

  • Kevin Blackwood vs Cole Radrick
  • Big Vin vs Juicy Finau
  • Grim Reefer vs B-Boy
  • Charles Mason vs Dark Sheik
  • Billie Starkz vs Sandra Moone
  • Nick Wayne vs Marcus Mathers
  • Alec Price vs. Jack Cartwheel
  • Super Series of Survival Match: Team LA Fights (Titus Alexander, Bad Dude Tito, Hunter Freeman, Matt Vandagriff, Damian Drake, Jordan Cruz, Lucas Riley and Ju Dizz) vs Team JCW (Yoya, Janai Kai, Edith Surreal, Jordan Oliver, Charlie Tiger, Ellis Taylor, Bam Sullivan and Slade)

GCW: For The Culture 3 (4:00PM EDT) – $13.99

  • IMPACT Knockouts World Championship: Tasha Steelz (c) vs Big Swole 
  • HitMakerz (AJ Francis & Tehuti Miles) (w/Briana Brandy) vs Shane Taylor Promotions (O’Shay Edwards & Shane Taylor)
  • AJ Gray vs Darius Lockhart
  • 2 Cold Scorpio vs Bryan Keith
  • Deathmatch: Hoodfoot vs Bill Dixon
  • JTG vs Rich Swann
  • Trish Adora vs. MJ Jenkins

GCW: Gringo Loco’s The WRLD on Lucha (8:30PM EDT) – $13.99

  • Lucha Extrema Match: Pagano vs Sadika
  • Lucha Extrema Match: Dr. Wagner Jr vs Psycho Clown
  • Psicosis vs Tony Deppen
  • Johnny Caballero (fka John Morrison) vs Jack Cartwheel
  • Team Gringo (Gringo Loco, Demonic Flamita & Abismo Negro Jr.) vs Team Laredo (Laredo Kid, Rey Horus & ASF)
  • AR Fox vs. Ninja Mack
  • Scramble Match: Golden Dragon vs. Octagon Jr vs. Drago Kid vs. Aero Boy vs. Chris Carter vs. Shane Mercer

April 2nd:

GCW: Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6, Part 2 – The Greatest Clusterf*ck (12:59AM EDT) – $19.99

  • Chris Dickinson w/ Missy Hyatt vs. Matt Cardona w/ Chelsea Green
  • EFFY vs Minoru Suzuki
  • Tony Deppen vs Biff Busick
  • “Speedball” Mike Bailey vs PCO
  • The Greatest Clusterf*ck: Maven, Jimmy Wang Yang, Jazzy Yang, Nasty Leroy, Kevin Matthews, Edith Surreal, Lord Adrean of the Walmart Dudes, Shazza McKenzie Kamikaze, Invisible Man, and Sean Ross Sapp

GCW: EFFY’s Big Gay Brunch 4 (12:00PM EDT) – $13.99

  • EFFY vs Pimpinela Escarlata
  • Keita Murray vs Billy Dixon
  • Parrow vs Dark Sheik
  • Max The Impaler (w/ Amy Rose) vs Edith Surreal
  • Jai Vidal vs Carlos Romo
  • 4-Way Tag Team Match: Pretty In Pink (Dillon McQueen & Kenzie Paige) vs Devon Monroe & Brooke Valentine vs Ashton Starr & AC Mack vs Maine State Poser (Aiden Aggro & DangerKid)
  • Allie Katch vs. Dango
  • Kidd Bandit
  • Pollo Del Mar
  • Jordan Blade
  • Shay Purser

Mission Pro Wrestling: Bangerz Only! (4:00PM EDT) – $12.99

  • The Hex (Allysin Kay & Marti Belle) & Laynie Luck vs. Renegade Twins & Jazmin Allure
  • La Rosa Negra vs. Jody Threat
  • Masha Slamovich vs. Lindsay Snow
  • Bougie Reality (Madi Wrenkowski & Rache Chanel) vs. KiLynn King and Jennacide
  • Tasha Steelz vs. Janai Kai
  • Holidead vs LuFisto
  • JP Harlow vs Allie Katch
  • Thunder Rosa vs Trish Adora

Unsanctioned Pro: Mulligan (8:00PM EDT) – $12.99

  • Robert Martyr vs. Charlie Tiger
  • Billie Starkz vs. Kristian Robinson
  • Big Vin vs. Casanova Valentine
  • Ohio State Championship Match: Tre LaMar (c) vs. TBA
  • Bryan Keith vs. Lexus Montez vs. Kevin Blackwood
  • Fuck Jeffrey John Memorial Gauntlet: Jeffrey John vs. ???
  • Scramble Match: Sam Stackhouse vs. Hoodfoot vs. Jake Something vs. Ace Perry vs. Everett Cross vs. The Whisper
  • Unsanctioned Pro Hardcore Championship Match: Alex Colon (c) vs. Kevin Giza
  • Unsanctioned Pro Tag Team Championship Match: Cincinnati’s Most Wanted (Lord Crewe and Aaron Williams) (c) vs. Yokai (Yoya and Janai Kai)
  • Unsanctioned Pro Heavyweight Championship Match: Cole Radrick (c) vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
  • Akira
  • T.I.M.
  • Ron Bass Jr.

April 3rd:

Black Label Pro: Norm (4/3 – 12:59 AM EDT) – $12.99

  • BLP Championship: Jake Something vs PCO
  • Faces of Fear (Meng & The Barbarian) vs. The Workhorsemen (Anthony Henry & JD Drake)
  • Shazza McKenzie vs. Billie Starkz
  • Texas Deathmatch: Levi Everett vs. Big Beef
  • Violence Is Forever (Dominic Garrini & Kevin Ku) & Tom Lawlor vs. Davey Richards, Kevin Blackwood & Matt Makowski)
  • EFFY vs Charlie Haas
  • Blake Christian vs Black Taurus
  • WARHORSE vs Big Damo
  • Anthony Greene vs. Alex Zayne

Big E And Goldberg Promote WWE 2K22 On Hot Ones: Truth Or Dab

Jaychele Nicole
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Big E and Goldberg appeared on Hot Ones: Truth Or Dab to answer questions, eat hot wings, and cut a promo on each other.

“Big Meaty Men Slapping Meat”

On the New Day: Feel The Power podcast back in 2020, Big E explained why Goldberg was his dream match while cutting the famous “big meaty men slapping meat” promo.

It seems like that promo led to the most recent edition of Hot Ones: Truth Or Dab YouTube show. Big E and Goldberg both competed in a truth-or-dare game with hot wings beginning the dare. On Hot Ones: Truth Or Dab, you must either truthfully answer the host’s question or eat a chicken wing with hot sauce on it. 

Second Round: The Spicy Questions

In the second round, the host, Sean Evans brings the pressure to both Superstars by asking them spicier questions after an easy first round. 

Evans says, “Big E, we’re back with you. Your tag team, The New Day, you guys have had a Hall of Fame career. But, I’m curious how you would rank yourself against your tag team partners, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston, in an individual matchup.”

The former WWE Champion said, “Yeah, you know, you know I can’t do that. Yeah, we’re gonna- we’re gonna do this,” and then took a bite of a level two hot wing. 

Big E declined to answer the question and chose to eat a hot wing. He had a lasting reaction but decided to try and ‘no-sell it’ for the most part. 

When it was time for Goldberg to get a harder question, the multi-time champion had no problem answering. 

Sean Evans asked, “Goldberg, perhaps it’s time for you to join the party. From interviewing wrestlers in the past, I know the pre-fight rituals is the stuff of locker room legend. Is there a wrestler who annoyed you the most behind the scenes, even if you respected what they brought to the ring?”

Goldberg responded with, “Oh yeah, how much time do I have? I’d say Scott Hall may be at the top of that list. 100%. As much as I’d like to eat these wings, I’d much rather select him as the number one guy in that category.”

Final Round: Line-For-Line Promos

Goldberg has always been Big E’s dream opponent, but this is the first time we’ve seen them go face to face. Towards the end of the video, Evans challenges the two former champions to face off, eat hot wings, and cut back-and-forth promos on each other. This line-for-line promo battle ends with a simulated 2K22 matchup. 

If you use the quotes above, please credit the original source with a h/t and link back to SEScoops for the transcription.

Mia Yim’s First Post-WWE Match Announced, Facing Athena At WrestleCon

Jaychele Nicole
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Mia Yim was released from WWE on November 4, and now her first match since being in WWE has been announced.

Mia Yim vs. Athena Booked For WrestleCon

WrestleCon has announced that Yim’s return match will take place at the March Hitchcock Memorial SuperShow on March 31. She will be facing Athena who is formerly known as Ember Moon. 

This is Mia’s first match following her release from WWE. She was released by WWE on November 4. Athena was also released from WWE on that same day. She has already returned to the ring with her most notable match being against Thunder Rosa at Warrior Wrestling 19.

WrestleCon SuperShow Match Card

Below are the current announced matches for the WrestleCon SuperShow:

WrestleCon SuperShow (3/31) Matches: 

  • Minoru Suzuki vs. Biff Busick
  • Tomohiro Ishii vs. Timothy Thatcher
  • The Briscoes (Mark & Jay Briscoe) vs. Low Ki & Homicide
  • Bandido vs. Speedball Mike Bailey
  • Mia Yim vs. Athena

Other Announced Talent: 

  • Black Taurus
  • PCO
  • Michael Oku

Paige VanZant Did First AEW Appearances For Free, Starts Training on 3/14

Jaychele Nicole
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The new AEW signing spoke to ESPN, and revealed that she did many of her first appearances with AEW for free, which led to her falling in love with wrestling.

Paige VanZant signed her AEW contract on this past Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite. After Scorpio Sky won the TNT Championship, VanZant laid out Tay Conti, seemingly setting up her first feud. VanZant is a former UFC fighter and her record was 8-5. In addition to AEW, Paige is also signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships. Paige first started making appearances in AEW back in September as a part of the American Top Team faction. 

Paige On Venturing Into Pro Wrestling

Paige spoke with Marc Raimondi of ESPN and talked about her interest in wrestling and how she always considered venturing into professional wrestling.

VanZant said, “The more I got involved, the more I loved it. I just realized I was meant to be a part of the show. I wanted to be one of the wrestlers for them and I knew I would be really good at it.”

VanZant On Her Pro Wrestling Journey

VanZant will begin her pro wrestling training on Monday, March 14 with David Heath, aka Gangrel. ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reports that Van Zant will be training at Coastal Championship Wrestling in Pompano Beach, Florida. One of the coaches that work at Coastal Championship Wrestling is former WWF talent Gangrel.

“My only frustration so far with my whole pro-wrestling journey is I would show up and I said, ‘Hey, I want to jump off the ropes tonight. I want to slam someone through a table tonight — someone is getting slammed through a table.’ They’re like, uh, you should probably train first. 

My only concern is they don’t let me do the crazy stuff right away. I want to go in there and I want to do all the crazy stuff. I want to fully immerse myself in this world,” Paige said.

You can watch video of Paige VanZant’s conversation with ESPN here:

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships And AEW Partnership

Bernie Bahrmasel, a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships spokesperson, has said before that BKFC and AEW will work together to develop her career. She has said that she has no plans to leave the promotion, and her AEW deal will still allow for her to work with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships.

It’s unclear how VanZant will balance working for AEW and BKFC. The injuries for BKFC could be significant that could impact her wrestling career. She’s also lost two bare-knuckle boxing fights by unanimous decision. Van Zant hasn’t shared if she’s contemplated retiring from professional fighting to focus on her wrestling career. Regardless, the former UFC fighter will begin training at Coastal Championship Wrestling to become elite in the wrestling ring.

The President of BKFC, David Feldman, previously said, “If she wins this fight, then she has a future. If she loses this fight, she’s probably not going to want to do this, either, and we’ll part ways amicably. But I don’t expect that to happen. I think she’s learned this craft, and she has a lot of tenacity. I do expect her to perform even better this time.”

VanZant has also explained that she still sees MMA in her future. We are unsure when Paige will work her in-ring debut with AEW.

H/T to Tyriece Simon for context regarding Paige’s training school and BKFC career

AEW Rampage Results (3/11): Swerve Strickland Debut, Keith Lee In Action, Matt & Jeff Hardy

Robert Lentini
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AEW Rampage aired tonight on TNT. Swerve Strickland made his AEW in-ring debut against Tony Nese. Mercedes Martinez battled Jamie Hayter, Darby Allin squared off against Marq Quen of Private Party, and Keith Lee battled QT Marshall on tonight’s show. In addition to the takeaways below, Scorpio Sky vowed to keep his undefeated streak alive and retain the TNT Championship against Wardlow on next week’s Dynamite.

Rampage Results

  1. Darby Allin def. Marq Quen via submission
  2. Jamie Hayter def. Mercedes Martinez
  3. Keith Lee def. QT Marshall
  4. Swerve Strickland def. Tony Nese

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Darby Allin Tapped Out Marq Quen, The Hardys Appeared

Darby Allin faced Sting in the first match of the night. Isiah Kassidy and Sting were ringside for the match. Quen controlled the action early and kept Allin grounded. Darby battled back and made his way up to the top turnbuckle for the Coffin Drop but Kassidy provided a distraction.

Sting took out Kassidy but Marq capitalized on the distraction and knocked Allin off the turnbuckle and to the floor. Quen climbed to the top rope and hit a crazy 450 Splash onto Darby below. Quen quickly got back into the ring but Darby was able to make it in as well just before a ten count and the match continued. Quen went for a Shooting Star Press but Darby dodged it and applied an Armbar for the submission victory.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1502483150789914634?s=20&t=T26WLtoyMwvFfRX2UGRhKw

After the match, Andrade El Idolo and his crew rushed the ring for an attack but Matt & Jeff Hardy made the save. The Hardys came down to the entrance ramp and Andrade Family Office retreated. Matt & Jeff were in matching ring gear and had another brief stare down with Darby Allin & Sting before Rampage went to a commercial.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1502483976472117250?s=20&t=T26WLtoyMwvFfRX2UGRhKw

Jamie Hayter Picked Up A Win

Jamie Hayter faced Mercedes Martinez tonight on Rampage. AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker & Rebel were in Hayter’s corner for the match. Martinez dominated the action early and leveled Hayter with a Clothesline as Rampage went to a commercial break.

When Rampage returned, Martinez hit a couple Suplexes and went for the cover but Hayter wouldn’t stay down. Martinez and Hayter battled to the top rope and Mercedes connected with a German Suplex. Jamie had a rough landing on her neck during the move but was alright. Baker tripped up Martinez off the top rope and Hayter capitalized with a Clothesline for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Thunder Rosa rushed the ring to break up the post match beatdown. Baker retreated and will defend the AEW Women’s Championship against Thunder Rosa on Dynamite in a Steel Cage match.

Keith Lee Dominated, Team Taz Attacked

Keith Lee faced QT Marshall tonight on Rampage and this one went just about as you’d expect. Lee launched QT around the ring like he was nothing to start off the match. QT battled back and was able to hit a missile Dropkick off the top turnbuckle. QT went for a Cutter but Lee countered into the Powerslam for the pinfall victory. After the match, Solo & Commorato went for an attack but Keith Lee fought them off with ease. Ricky Starks & Powerhouse rushed the ring and attacked Lee. Powerhouse Hobbs sent a message and planted Lee with a big Spinebuster to end the segment.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1502490933199355910?s=20&t=T26WLtoyMwvFfRX2UGRhKw

Swerve Strickland Won His AEW In-Ring Debut

Swerve Strickland faced Tony Nese in the main event of this week’s edition of AEW Rampage. It was Strickland’s in-ring debut in All Elite Wrestling. Strickland appeared at Revolution this past Sunday and announced that he had signed with the promotion in an interview with Tony Schiavone. Mark Henry interviewed both wrestlers before the match. Nese mocked Swerve and said that this isn’t a hip hop show. Strickland said he was a mogul and not just a rapper as Nese called him.

Nese and Strickland started off the match back and forth with neither wrestler gaining and advantage. Strickland caught Tony with a Dropkick to the face but Nese battled back. Tony got Strickand caught in the ring skirt and beat him down as Rampage went to the final commercial break of the night.

When Rampage returned, Strickland dodged a Moonsault and unloaded some chops to Tony’s chest. Swerve followed it up with an uppercut and a Brainbuster for a close two count. Nese and Strickland battled to the corner of the ring. Nese slammed Strickland to the canvas and connected with a 450 Splash but Strickland somehow kicked out at two.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1502494772044435456?s=20&t=T26WLtoyMwvFfRX2UGRhKw

Strickland connected with a standing Double Stomp and went for the cover but Nese was Abe to kick out at two. Swerve hit an Enziguri and made his way to the top turnbuckle and connected with another Double Stomp for the pinfall victory.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1502495597827342336?s=20&t=T26WLtoyMwvFfRX2UGRhKw

WWE SmackDown Results (3/11): Rousey & Flair, Title Match, Lesnar Appears, Big E

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, AL. In addition to the takeaways below, Jackass star Johnny Knoxville gave out Sami Zayn’s phone number ahead of their matchup at WrestleMania 38.

SmackDown Results

  1. Sheamus & Ridge Holland def. Big E & Kofi Kingston
  2. Sasha Banks & Naomi def. Natalya & Shayna Baszler
  3. Rick Boogs def. Jey Uso to earn a shot at the SmackDown Tag Team Championships
  4. Ricochet def. Sami Zayn to retain the Intercontinental Championship

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Paul Heyman Escaped Brock Lesnar

WWE Champion Brock Lesnar kicked off the show and didn’t stop on the entrance ramp to tip his cowboy hat this week. Lesnar was pissed about Roman Reigns attacking him at the WWE Live Event at Madison Square Garden and marched down to the ring. Brock raised the WWE Championship and grabbed a microphone.

Lesnar stood in silence for a bit before shouting “Roman Reigns!”. Brock said that Roman has changed the game and showed the wounds from the attack from the Tribal Chief. Lesnar said he doesn’t care about WrestleMania contracts or the WWE Championship right now and threw it out of the ring. Lesnar demanded that Reigns get his ass out here for a fight.

Paul Heyman interrupted to a chorus of boos. Heyman told the crowd to relax and announced that Universal Champion Roman Reigns was not here tonight. Lesnar told Heyman to shut up and chased him backstage. Lesnar tackled a few security guards and beat them down as Heyman escaped in a limo. Later on SmackDown, it was promoted that both Lesnar & Reigns will be at SmackDown next week.

Pete Dunne Debuted as “Butch”, Big E Injured

Sheamus & Ridge Holland faced Big E & Kofi Kingston tonight. Pete Dunne, now known as “Butch” on the main roster, was ringside for the match. Butch was wearing a top hat, suspenders and was aligned with Holland & Sheamus.

Big E & Kofi dominated early but Big E missed with a Splash on the apron. Sheamus leveled Big E with a knee to the face and posed with Ridge as SmackDown went to a commercial.

When SmackDown returned, Kingston hit Sheamus with SOS and went for the cover but Holland broke it up at two. Ridge knocked Big E to the out of the ring and hit an overhead Suplex and Big E landed hard on his head. Butch provided a distraction and Sheamus capitalized with a Brogue Kick on Kofi for the pinfall victory. Big E looked to have been legitimately injured during the match and was stretchered out during the break.

*Big E provided an update that he has broken his neck but has all movement. You can check out Big E’s video message below.

Happy Corbin’s Plan Backfired

Drew McIntyre was set for a match but Shanky & Jinder Mahal attacked him. Happy Corbin joined in on the attack and slammed McIntyre into the ring post. Madcap Moss joined the beat down but McIntyre battled back and hit him with a headbutt. Corbin retreated and McIntyre sent Moss to the outside. McIntyre planted Shanky with a slam and stared at Corbin. Drew grabbed Angela the sword and Shanky retreated. McIntyre will battle Happy Corbin at WrestleMania.

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1502462748441018369?s=20&t=SApXYn1qVmpYMoV2q20uKg

Sasha Banks & Naomi Picked Up A Win

Sasha Banks and Naomi faced Natalya & Shayna Baszler tonight on SmackDown. Women’s Tag Team Champions Queen Zelina & Carmella joined commentary for the match. Natalya connected with a Falcon Arrow for a two count and tagged in Baszler. Shayna applied a submission hold but Naomi was able to escape. Banks and Natalya tagged in and battled in the corner of the ring.

Banks connected with Double Knees and then slammed both Natalya & Shayna to the mat. Sasha followed it up with a Hurricanrana that sent Natalya onto the champions outside the ring. Sasha got distracted and Natalya hit a lariat for a near fall. Queen Zelina hopped on the apron again and Sasha launched Natalya onto her. Sasha then hit Natalya with a Codebreaker for the pinfall victory.

Ronda Rousey Vowed To Leave WrestleMania With The Title

Ronda Rousey cut a promo in the ring about her SmackDown Women’s Championship match against Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania 38. Rousey noted that Charlotte called her a “one trick pony” with her Armbar submission. Ronda said that she knows a thousand ways to get to that hold and has also picked up the Ankle Lock from Kurt Angle.

SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair interrupted and told Ronda that she shouldn’t be concerned with honoring her mentor (Kurt Angle) at WrestleMania, she should focus on trying to win on the biggest stage. Charlotte promised that she will not tap out to Rousey and Ronda noted that she has already made her tap. Charlotte then vowed to tap out Ronda at WrestleMania and exited the ring. Ronda told Charlotte that she cannot run away at WrestleMania and she’s leaving with the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Nakamura & Boogs Earned A Title Shot At WrestleMania

The Usos came to the ring for a promo about what their plans are at WrestleMania 38 as SmackDown Tag Team Champions. Jimmy & Jey claimed that nobody can step up to their level and beat them at WrestleMania. Shinsuke Nakamura & Rick Boogs then interrupted. Jimmy suggested a singles match, if Boogs can beat Jey Uso, they will get a title shot at WrestleMania. Boogs revealed that his knee was no longer injured and quickly planted Jey with a Powerslam for the pinfall victory. Boogs & Nakamura will face The Usos at WrestleMania. After the match, The Usos beat Boogs down and smashed his guitar.

Ricochet Retained, Charlotte Flair Attacked Ronda Rousey Backstage

Ricochet defended the Intercontinental Championship against Sami Zayn tonight. Before the match started, Austin Theory showed up in a chair next to Pat McAfee and started taunting him. Pat wound up leaping onto Theory and getting in some punches before security separated them. McAfee will battle Austin Theory at WrestleMania 38.

Sami applied a Headlock to begin the action but Ricochet quickly escaped. The champion leveled Zayn with a Dropkick but Sami responded with a Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. Sami knocked Ricochet to the floor outside the ring as SmackDown went to a final commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Sami went for a Powerbomb but Ricochet countered into a Hurricanrana for a close two count. Ricochet and Sami traded punches in the middle of the ring. The champion connected with a boot to the face and lifted Zayn up in the Fireman’s Carry. Sami escaped and hit another Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall.

Zayn went for a Superplex but Ricochet knocked him off the turnbuckle with some punches to the face. Ricochet went for a move but Sami tripped him up and hit an Exploder Suplex off the top rope. Ricochet battled back and made his way to the top rope again. Ricochet connected with a 630 Senton for the pinfall victory and retained the Intercontinental Championship.

After the match, Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey were show battling in the parking lot. They kept fighting off security guards and throwing strikes at each other. Rousey booted Flair in the midsection but Flair battled back. Charlotte punched Pat Buck in the face and Suplexed Ronda onto a car. Flair locked in a Crossface before bashing Ronda’s face off the windshield to close the show.

Big E Suffers a Broken Neck at WWE SmackDown

Andrew Ravens
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Big E suffered a broken neck at Friday’s WWE SmackDown. He posted the following video from a hospital bed:

Big E took two hard bumps on SmackDown and one resulted in him being stretchered out of the arena.

The former WWE Champion worked a tag team match alongside Kofi Kingston against Ridge Holland and Sheamus. At one point, he fell hard outside of the ring, but seemed to be okay. However, moments later, he landed right on his head during a belly-to-belly suplex from Holland. 

Fans in attendance immediately knew something was wrong. Several began posting videos on social media showing Big E getting taken out on a stretcher.

In late 2020, WWE decided to push Big E as a singles star as they split him away from Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods in that year’s Draft. He would go on to have a run as the Intercontinental Champion and later won the Money in the Bank match back in July 2021. He would win the WWE Title from Bobby Lashley on an episode of Raw after cashing in the Money in the Bank contract. He held it for 110 days before losing it to Brock Lesnar at the Day 1 event.

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