It appears that there is a change being made to the AEW Rampage commentary team.
Rampage is a new show for AEW that has only been on the air for a month. It didn’t take long for the show to get a two-hour special. That will be the AEW Grand Slam edition of Rampage set to air on Sept. 24 via tape delay.
Fans took notice of the commentary team for the Sept. 17 edition of Rampage. Ricky Starks joined Taz, Chris Jericho, and Excalibur. Usually, Mark Henry is in the booth but instead, he just had a pre-main event interview.
Speaking to Wrestle Talk, Starks claimed that he is now a permanent member of the Rampage commentary team.
“I am definitely proud of AEW, the work that I’ve done in AEW, and the work that I continue to do. And the fact that I think so much that they appreciate me that they made me a permanent commentator for Rampage, replacing Mark (Henry).”
F4W reports that while there is a change to the Rampage booth, it isn’t what Starks is claiming. The report notes that instead, AEW is going with a rotating commentary team. At this time, there is no word on why AEW has decided to go with this change.
Cesaro has dished out on what disappointed him about the Roman Reigns feud.
Cesaro had a red hot spring this year. The “Swiss Superman” defeated Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 37. He then received a WWE Universal Title match against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania Backlash. While Cesaro lost the match, this stretch was the most relevant he had been in WWE since winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royale back in 2014.
During his appearance on Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast, Cesaro revealed the biggest disappointment about his rivalry with Reigns.
“You know what I was disappointed about? I wish it would have been in front of fans. That’s the one thing. That was the one thing, like… that match, the build-up, everything, I wish it would have been in front of fans, but it was the ThunderDome and it was still awesome.”
While WrestleMania 37 took place inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay at a reduced capacity, WWE didn’t immediately return to regular shows on the road. The company eased its way back to live crowds. This meant that WrestleMania Backlash was held inside the ThunderDome with no fans in attendance.
At the very least, Cesaro can take pride in his match with Rollins at WrestleMania 37. As mentioned, that event did have fans and Cesaro received a big ovation when he scored the pinfall.
Busted Open Radio’s Dave LaGreca briefly addressed Tommy Dreamer’s status with the show on today’s episode. Dreamer has been a longtime co-host of Busted Open but has not appeared on it since the airing of a recent Dark Side of the Ring episode focussed on 2002’s Plane Ride From Hell.
LaGreca noted that Dreamer is off the show for the time being but he does not know how long Dreamer will be gone for.
“As far as Tommy’s future on Busted Open, he’s off the show. How long? I don’t know. I don’t know how long Tommy is going to be off the show,” said Dave LaGreca (transcriptions via WrestlingNewsCO).
Dreamer took to social media recently to apologize for the comments he made on the Dark Side of the Ring episode. His statement is below:
Dreamer was also suspended by Impact Wrestling. He was sent home from the promotion’s recent tapings in Nashville.
“We are aware of Mr. Laughlin’s (Tommy Dreamer) comments on ‘Dark Side of the Ring.’ The views expressed by him in the interview are completely unacceptable. We can confirm Mr. Laughlin was suspended this morning with immediate effect, pending further action,” reads a statement released by Impact.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Callihan suffered a broken ankle during this past weekend’s Impact Wrestling tapings. Callihan isn’t expected to return to the ring this year.
Sami Callihan suffered a broken ankle Saturday at the Impact tapings and had surgery. Looks to be out until spring 2022.
“Sami Callihan suffered a broken ankle Saturday at the Impact tapings and had surgery. Looks to be out until spring 2022.”
It’s a tough pill to swallow for Impact Wrestling fans. Those who were hoping to see the return of Switchblade Conspiracy will also be disappointed. Switchblade Conspiracy is the team of Sami Callihan and Jon Moxley. The two were set to reunite at The Wrestler Revolver’s Tales From The Ring show on Oct. 30.
Callihan recently competed at Impact Wrestling’s Victory Road PPV. He teamed with Eddie Edwards to take on Moose and W. Morrissey. Callihan and Edwards lost the match. This match had been taped back in August but didn’t air until Sept. 18.
Vince McMahon doesn’t shy away from getting inspiration from any place, even if it’s a movie like the Suicide Squad, according to Ruby Soho.
The former NXT star recently appeared on the Talk Is Jericho podcast. During the episode, she talked openly about her time in WWE among other things.
Discussing her main roster debut as part of the Riott Squad, Soho revealed an interesting rumor she had heard about where the boss Vince McMahon got the inspiration for the faction:
“I don’t know how much truth there is to this, Vince [McMahon] watched the Suicide Squad and wanted a Joker, a Harley Quinn, and a beast in a female faction.”
Chris Jericho chimed in saying that Mr. McMahon probably didn’t even watch the Suicide Squad in full. Ruby Soho then explained the apparent logic behind the choice of the members for her faction:
“Maybe it was just a trailer he watched? I’ve always wondered what made him put that group together, the three of us, he wanted a Joker, which was me. A Harley Quinn, which was Liv Morgan and a beast, which was Sarah. make sense.”
Ruby Soho, Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan all made their main roster debuts as The Riott Squad in November 2017. The group stayed together before being drafted to different brands during the 2019 Superstar Shakeup.
Stephen Amell appeared on the latest episode of the Talk Is Jericho podcast. During the interview, the Arrow star reflected on his wrestling journey so far.
The acting star first recalled his match against Christopher Daniels at All In. He remembered the big table spot and said that he wishes he would have taken some more time in between spots.
Amell then discussed his very first outing in the wrestling world at SummerSlam 2015. He revealed the advice Triple H had given him at the time before his match:
“And I just think back to before I went out at SummerSlam, just think back to Hunter, Triple H coming up to me and going, ‘If you think you’re going too fast, just slow down. If you think you’re going too slow, slow down more.
And when you’re absolutely positive that you’re going way too slow, slow it way f——— down.’ And it’s such great advice” said Stephen Amell, “and I didn’t listen to it at all.”
The Heels star teamed up with Neville to compete against the team of Cody Rhodes then known as Stardust and Wade Barrett at the SummerSlam 2015 event.
Stephen Amell stated recently that he will be attending the upcoming Dynamite: Grand Slam event this Wednesday and he has also promised to bring his wrestling gear for the show.
Sean Waltman has been talking about wanting to make a wrestling return for a while now and he is ready to compete at Royal Rumble next year if WWE calls him.
The former WWE star provided some updates on rehab of his knee on the latest episode of his Pro Wrestling 4 Life podcast. He revealed that while he is a little behind the schedule, everything seems to be coming along nicely.
Waltman then mentioned that his goal is to be ring ready by the time for Royal Rumble just in case the officials decided to give him a call to compete on the show:
“Just in case, I would like to be ready by Royal Rumble time. That’s not something that is my main goal to go do Royal Rumble, but if they call me, I would do the Royal Rumble. “
A Lot Of People Have Reached Out To Sean Waltman
Though later in the episode, the former X-Pac said that he has already had ‘a lot of people’ reach out to him, in case the call from WWE does not come:
“I love WWE, regardless of what’s going on, I love it. I would like for them to be the ones that host my return matches. If not, there are plenty of other people that will. I’ve already had a lot of people reach out.”
WWE has not announced the official details for next year’s Royal Rumble yet. It’s expected to be held in St. Louis, Missouri and there has also been some talk of the event being held in February this time.
Do you think WWE should bring back Sean Waltman for the big event if he is ready to compete by then? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
Becky Lynch has revealed nixed plans for a return at WrestleMania 37.
Lynch ended up making her surprise return at WWE SummerSlam. She replaced Sasha Banks to challenge Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Lynch won the title in under 30 seconds after nailing Belair with a cheap shot following by a pump handle slam for the win.
Lynch had been out of action due to her pregnancy. She quickly found herself hitting the gym and getting back in shape. In fact, “The Man” revealed to talkSPORT’s Alex McCarthy that she was even set to make her return at WrestleMania inside Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida back in April.
Becky Lynch just told me she was originally good to go for WrestleMania and it was discussed she’d face Bayley.
That didn’t happen (obviously) and then she was meant to return in October before WWE called her the week of SummerSlam.
Ultimately, Becky Lynch didn’t appear at “The Grandest Stage of Them All.” Bayley didn’t even have a match at the PPV. Instead, she was involved in multiple segments on the show before being made to look like a fool courtesy of the Bella Twins.
Becky is currently embracing the role of a heel on television. She has done all she can to avoid a rematch with Belair. Lynch’s efforts were futile, however, as she will be putting her SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against Belair at Extreme Rules on Sept. 26.
Minoru Suzuki is taking full advantage of his time in the United States.
The Japanese wrestling legend has appeared for AEW and GCW. He’s fresh off a victory over Jonathan Gresham and is scheduled to compete on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Rampage. He will team with Lance Archer to take on Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston in a Lights Out match.
Suzuki has added another date to his calendar. It has been announced that he will be a part of the upcoming Bloodsport 7 event on Oct. 22. Here’s what Josh Barnett had to say on the addition of Suzuki.
My brother in Gotch-ism. Fellow "King of Pancrase", @suzuki_D_minoru is coming back to the hardest hitting event in professional wrestling.
This is where you will see Suzuki-san thrive above all others. This, is Josh Barnett's: Bloodsport
“My brother in Gotch-ism. Fellow ‘King of Pancrase,’ Minoru Suzuki is coming back to the hardest-hitting event in professional wrestling. This is where you will see Suzuki-san thrive above all others. This is Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport.”
Minoru Suzuki joins the likes of Killer Kelly, Marina Shafir, and Calvin Tankman as the names announced for the show. It’s yet another GCW date for the “King of Pancrase.” He worked the Sept. 17 show and is due to meet Nick Gage on Sept. 24 in New York City. He also has GCW dates lined up for Oct. 10 and Oct. 23.
Suzuki has been penciled in for the Sept. 25 and 26 NJPW Strong Autumn Attack tapings.
AEW announced a partnership today with the Owen Hart Foundation. The agreement will honor the legendary wrestler’s memory and contributions to the wrestling industry.
The promotion has also announced the creation of an annual tournament named “The Owen Hart Cup”. The tournament winner will receive a trophy referred to as “The Owen.”
“AEW’s relationship with the Hart family dates back to our inaugural pay-per-view event, Double or Nothing in 2019, and Owen’s influence is still felt today,” said Tony Khan, AEW CEO, GM, and Head of Creative. “To extend his memory and his legacy even further through this agreement is a powerful and meaningful moment for the entire wrestling community.”
AEW X The Owen Hart Foundation
In addition to the Owen Hart tournament, AEW will also market merchandise featuring Owen Hart’s likeness. This includes apparel and Owen’s inclusion in the upcoming AEW console video game. Owen Hart action figures are also part of the agreement.
“The Owen Hart Foundation is extremely pleased to partner with AEW in this wonderful joint venture to honor Owen’s substantial international wrestling career and the lasting influence he and his craft has had in the sport. AEW’s Owen Hart Cup Tournament serves as a tremendous tribute to Owen and provides an incredible way for professional wrestling enthusiasts to celebrate his work in a most fitting way. We trust that Tony Khan and his amazing AEW team will do a brilliant job with this highly anticipated project. This OHF/AEW partnership is my special gift to all of Owen’s magnificent loyal fans who forever remember him and his inspiring repertoire of talents,” said Dr. Martha Hart.
Meet Our Newest Owen Hart Foundation Homeowner! Rocio is a single mum who started saving with Momentum 10+ years ago and recently purchased her dream home with the help of the Owen Hart Foundation Homeowners Program. Well done Rocio, so glad we could help you realize your dream! pic.twitter.com/88pN1sGUw9
The Owen Hart Foundation’s mandate is to help those who have “limited resources but unlimited potential”. Programs offered by the nonprofit include helping people with limited resources obtain homeownership and scholarships for disadvantaged youth.
AEW’s press release is below:
#AEW and The Owen Hart Foundation (@owen_foundation) Enter Into A Relationship to Honor World Renowned Wrestler Owen Hart’s Legacy
Tony Khan is hoping to make AEW Grand Slam an annual event.
This Wednesday night (Sept. 22), AEW will be making its big debut in New York City. Arthur Ashe Stadium is the venue for the show. Dynamite will be airing live, while Rampage is going to be taped.
Khan has been making regular appearances on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. During his most recent session, Khan discussed the future of AEW’s Grand Slam events.
“I’m really hoping it’s something we can do in New York with Arthur Ashe Stadium every year.”
Khan also said the significance of holding an AEW event inside a stadium that is known for hosting the US Open isn’t lost on him. AEW will also be a part of history as Grand Slam will be the first wrestling show held inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Here’s a look at the final card for AEW Grand Slam.
AEW Dynamite (Live On Sept. 22)
Kenny Omega vs. Bryan Danielson (Non-Title Match)
Britt Baker (c) vs. Ruby Soho (AEW Women’s World Championship)
Malakai Black vs. Cody Rhodes
Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
Sting and Darby Allin vs. FTR
MJF vs. Brian Pillman Jr.
AEW Rampage (Airs On Sept. 24)
Adam Cole & The Young Bucks vs. Christian Cage & Jurassic Express
Powerhouse Hobbs vs. CM Punk
Lights Out Match: Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston vs. Minoru Suzuki & Lance Archer
Chris Jericho & Jake Hager vs. Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page
Lucha Bros & Proud N Powerful vs. Private Party & The Butcher and The Blade
Testing positive for cannabis without a medical prescription is against WWE’s Wellness Policy. Currently, a positive test will result in a talent being fined $2,500. According to comments the Godfather recently made on the Midnight Hustle podcast, however, Vince McMahon is not anti-cannabis and Shane McMahon even owns a cannabis business.
“What you are failing to realize is that’s a big corporation and they answer to a lot of people so if they let people smoke weed, it’s not federally legal and you’re still breaking the law no matter if it’s legal in states,” Godfather said on the show. “If it was up to Vince, Vince would have everybody smoking. Vince is no fool but he has people to answer to and it’s a big company. He just can’t say it’s okay to smoke weed because what happens if you go to a state where it’s not legal? They bring the police in, they test you and there’s a lot of legal things. It ain’t because Vince don’t want to. The second it becomes legal, Vince would be the first one on that wagon.”
Godfather continued to say that Shane McMahon even owns a large cannabis co-op in California.
“I mean Shane owns a [Cannabis] co-op in California. A big co-op. [Vince is] not against weed, he’s a businessman. I’m telling you, I know this 100 percent, he would much rather see people smoke cannabis than all this other stupid sh** if it was up to him, believe me.”
Shane McMahon’s Cannabis Business Ventures
Shane investing in a California-based cannabis co-op is not the first time he’s been involved in the cannabis industry. In 2017, the NY Daily News reported on Shane McMahon’s investment in another cannabis-based company.
According to the report, Shane invested half a million dollars into a cannabis startup in Connecticut. The company was called EnviroGrow. When McMahon went to tour the company’s facilities, however, he found their operations to be “virtually nonexistent”. He filed suit to have his investment refunded. Documents pertaining to Shane’s lawsuit against the company can be found here.
Under the WWE Wellness Policy, testing positive for cannabis does not result in a suspension. It still results in a fine of $2500, however. A WWE talent may receive an exemption provided cannabis is prescribed by a physician, however.
“A WWE Talent may request a Therapeutic Use Exception (“TUE”) for a prohibited drug under the Policy if (i) such use is for a legitimate medical purpose given pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed and treating physician of the WWE Talent,” WWE’s Wellness Policy reads.
AEW Dynamite beating WWE Raw ratings in the 18-49 demographic has been the major story of the wrestling world for the past couple of weeks and Tony Khan is very happy about it. The AEW president recently had an interview with Bloomberg Business of Sports. Among other things, he talked about the AEW TV audience in detail.
Khan mentioned how they have the ‘youngest skewing audience’ of all sports programming. He then discussed how both Dynamite and Rampage are doing great in the 18-49 demo on their respective nights:
“Well, it’s the youngest skewing audience of all sports programming on all of television, there have been more weeks than not in the past several months where we’ve beaten every major sporting event in terms of having the youngest skewing audience. Our Wednesday night show and our Friday night show have both been rated as the number one show on cable in the 18-49 demographic.”
‘More Affluent Fanbase’
Tony Khan added that their audience is consistent and you can count on AEW fans to watch the show every Wednesday. He didn’t forget to mention how the AEW audience is more likely to be a college-educated audience and it’s attractive for advertisers.
“We have a more affluent fanbase than other wrestling organizations, but really, people from all kinds of backgrounds. They are more likely to be a college educated audience. They’re a very attractive audience to an advertising base — particularly, with the age demographic that they add.”
Tony continued his explanation saying that having such a young and engaged audience is really important for them. He also revealed that the male-to-female split of the AEW audience is currently about five to three. Apart from this, the AEW official opened up about the vaccination policy of the promotion. You can check out his comments on the matter at this link.
Big E is not ready to anoint himself a “locker room leader” anytime soon.
The newly-minted WWE Champion is well respected by his peers. Many performers from WWE as well as other promotions such as AEW have congratulated Big E on finally winning the big one. Despite being a veteran and someone who is liked by pretty much everyone, E doesn’t want to be seen as a leader of the locker room.
“I will never refer to myself as a locker room leader of any sort. Kofi is not a vocal leader, he just leads by example. You look at him and see the way he carries himself. I remember when he won the title and how busy he was, but he never complained and was always professional. That’s all I want to be and we should all do that, just lead by example, carry yourself in a way….
“I don’t want to have this public image that I have to worry about upholding because I’m a fraud and I have to make sure everyone has to stay quiet because they know how I really am. I want to be transparent about who I am and how I carry myself. As far as my personal life is concerned, I don’t want beef or smoke with a single person on this planet. I hope everyone does well and is successful. I don’t intend on changing how I carry myself. I also realize that winning the title isn’t where it stops, it’s where it starts.”
Big E captured the WWE Championship on the Sept. 13 episode of Monday Night Raw. After Bobby Lashley successfully retained the WWE Title against Randy Orton, he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and pinned Lashley.
Former WWE broadcaster Renee Paquette spoke about Big E’s title win last week on Busted Open Radio. She believes Big E has all the tools to be WWE’s next franchise player. However, she is not convinced the company’s creative efforts will position Big E to achieve his full potential in that respect. More on that below:
Jeff Hardy has not given up on his Willow The Wisp gimmick and he wants to portray it on television one more time before hanging his boots for good.
The former world champion recently had an interview with the Culture State podcast. He talked about things such as being part of the first ever TLC match and more.
Discussing the possibility of bringing back The Willow character, Hardy revealed that he recently talked to the guy who originally made the mask for the gimmick:
“Speaking of Willow, I was just talking to the guy who makes the mask, who made it back then, he’s an awesome mask maker and making a new Willow mask
And talking about the possibility of Willow entering the scene once again before my career is over. There we go, it’s gonna happen,”
Jeff Hardy created Willow The Wisp character during the very early stage of his career. He has since brought it back a couple of times, including for a brief 2014 run in TNA.
Though the chances of WWE officials allowing him to use an outside character on their programming are slim.
The possibility of AEW allowing the use of the gimmick is far greater, that is if Jeff joins the promotion in the future as his brother Matt Hardy hopes.
Davey Boy Smith Jr. hasn’t been let go by WWE and he is still with the company despite mostly being inactive since his re-signing with the promotion a few months back, according to latest reports.
Mike Johnson of PWinsider was recently asked about the former MLW star. Replying to the question, the wrestling journalist confirmed that he is still with the company:
“He (Davey Boy Smith Jr.) signed with WWE but is yet to be officially assigned to a brand. So, he’s in “hurry up and wait” mode, but he’s 100% with the company.”
The former NJPW star signed a new contract with WWE back in April this year. Talents were reportedly told to keep quiet about his status until he made his in-ring return.
He finally returned to the ring for the company in July. Smith Jr. teamed with Austin Theory in a dark match before the July 16 episode of SmackDown. They defeated Odyssey Jones & Xyon Quinn in a tag match.
However, the former tag team champion hasn’t been used by WWE ever since and people have been puzzled about his status with the company.
There is no word yet on why they have kept him off TV but it could be a case of creatives not being able to find the right opportunity to reintroduce him on the WWE programming.
Mia Yim recently commented on the rumors about her absence from WWE programming. The former NXT star confirmed that she is not suffering from any kind of injury. The former Reckoning of retribution took on her Twitter earlier yesterday to comment on her health. While she didn’t provide a lot of update on her status, she wrote: “I’m not injured”
After working as an enhancement talent for WWE in 2014-15, Mia Yim returned to the company to compete in the Mae Young Classic tournament in 2017. She then impressed the officials with her performance in the second Mae Young Classic as well. The female star was signed to a development contract back in September 2018.
Following a couple years in NXT, Yim made her main roster debut as part of the Retribution stable in September 2020. Though she hasn’t been seen on WWE TV in a regular capacity since walking out of the group at Fastlane in March this year.
She was moved to the Raw roster in July but has yet to make an appearance for the brand. There is no word yet on why WWE has kept the former NXT star away from the programming. Though it could very well be another case of the creatives having nothing for her.
Tony Khan recently had an interview with Bloomberg Business of Sports. Among other things, he also discussed the vaccine policy of All Elite Wrestling. The AEW president revealed that vaccines are not mandatory in his company as of now. Though he claimed that there are protocols in place to encourage vaccination:
“Most of the roster has gotten [vaccinated] and we have encouraged people to do so, I haven’t put in mandatory,” said Tony Khan, “but I’ve also strongly encouraged and put in protocols to encourage everyone to do so.
He was also asked if they have done anything to motivate the wrestlers to get vaccinated. Replying to it, he said that they have created a great backstage environment where people want to spend time together.
Khan explained that not being part of rigorous levels of testing and having the ability to live your life like before makes it encouraging for people to get vaccinated.
AEW saw its fair share of covid outbreaks in the past year or so. However, things have been in control ever since their return to the road in July. This is a good news for the fans as the company prepares for their biggest show in terms of live attendance in Dynamite: Grand Slam this Wednesday.
Adam Cole has responded to his girlfriend, Britt Baker, hugging Tony Schiavone on AEW Rampage.
Throughout Baker’s heel run, her friendship with Schiavone has played out on television. It’s an interesting dynamic as Schiavone is a face commentator. It’s also led to some funny segments but Cole isn’t exactly laughing.
Cole took to his Twitter account to give his reaction to Baker hugging Schiavone and he was at a loss for words.
Cole confronted Schiavone on the Sept. 8 edition of Dynamite. He made it clear that he feels Schiavone has been getting too cozy with Britt.
“I know that you’re close with Britt Baker and I swear to God if you even look at her the wrong way, I will slap those stupid glasses off your face and whoop your ass. Do you understand me? Now, get out of our ring now, you nerd.”
Schiavone recently explained why he stood in the ring for as long as he did during the segment with Cole. During a recent edition of his What Happened When podcast, Schiavone said he had to remind Cole to deliver the “nerd” line.
Bronson Reed has an idea of why WWE decided to cut ties with him.
Reed was among the slew of NXT talent releases made back in August. Reed joined the likes of Bobby Fish and Mercedes Martinez in the list of names that had been let go. For many, Reed’s name was the most surprising as he appeared to be primed for a main roster debut.
During an episode of his JONAHDROME podcast, Reed discussed what he was told by WWE management after he wrestled a dark match prior to a WWE TV taping.
“We waited for Vince, Raw is going on, he’s a very busy man. He said, ‘Good work,’ and that was it. I thought I did a pretty good job. I didn’t get told anything. Never got told that my work wasn’t good. All it was, was, ‘you need to smile more.'”
He also recalled John Laurinaitis telling him that he might have to cover up his tattoo, which he didn’t really understand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx3rlb9TBj8
Reed never got a definitive answer about why he was let go. However, he thinks it was probably related to his physical appearance or the company’s new initiative to avoid hiring independent wrestlers.
“I have no clue why they would release me other than it has something to do with look. I 100% think it has to do with body image or the fact that I was an indie wrestler and had been wrestling for fourteen years and they are going in this new direction of hiring young talent that are athletes outside of wrestling.”
Matt Cardona’s run as the “deathmatch king” has quickly come to an end.
Cardona took the wrestling world by storm with his polarizing victory over Nick Gage back in July. With the win, Cardona captured the GCW Championship. Fans pelted the ring with garbage as Cardona celebrated and flipped the bird at the crowd.
“Tasting my own blood and hearing those boos, I knew we had something special, but it was all worth it. I’m the new deathmatch king.
“Originally, I thought we could have a little celebration in the ring after I won. I have the Major Wrestling Figure podcast and we have a sponsorship with Pabst Blue Ribbon, so I wanted to do a toast in the ring after I won with Pabst Blue Ribbon. But I couldn’t even get to the beer because they were throwing so much crap at me. It wasn’t like it was a water bottle here or there. That stuff was coming at me. It was crazy.”
That was my last deathmatch. I will always love and respect that style. Thanks for all the years of support from the DM fans. I appreciate you. pic.twitter.com/7TaiKEo8Go
Will Ospreay has some more company in The United Empire.
The United Empire is a faction in NJPW started by Ospreay. It began with Ospreay, Bea Priestley, and Great-O-Khan. Eventually, Jeff Cobb joined the group, Bea was kicked out, and Toa Henare was added to the stable as Aaron Henare.
New members of The United Empire had been teased for the past week and we now have two more to add to the group. Those two additions are Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis. The two joined the faction during a recent RevPro event.
At the moment, Cobb, Great-O-Khan, and Henare are the only members of The United Empire currently in Japan. In storyline, Ospreay has refused to return to Japan until NJPW apologizes to him and acknowledges Shingo Takagi as nothing more than an interim IWGP World Heavyweight Champion.
Ospreay has made life difficult for the NJPW brass. He says it boils down to being stripped of the IWGP gold. Ospreay feels there is bias against him because the promotion allowed Jon Moxley to hold onto the IWGP United States Championship when he didn’t defend it for over a year.
Time will tell when these new members will be able to make the trip to Japan.
MVP has gone under the knife but it isn’t for the storyline injury WWE has run with.
The manager of Bobby Lashley has had a lingering knee issue. He suffered the knee injury during a six-man tag team match on Raw back in February. During the spring, MVP gave an update on his knee when speaking to WWE Espanol (h/t Wrestling Inc.).
“As many of you know, my knee has been bothering me for a while now. While it is better, it hasn’t fully healed yet. We’ve been trying to avoid surgery, so we’re gonna try one more procedure. If that doesn’t work either, I might have to get some minor arthroscopic surgery for the knee but, not yet. We’re still gonna try another treatment first.”
As it turns out, he couldn’t avoid the surgery. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that MVP has indeed gone under the knife.
WWE is running with a storyline angle to explain MVP’s absence. The promotion says he suffered a “broken rib” as a result of Randy Orton’s RKO to the outside during the Sept. 13 edition of Monday Night Raw.
Tony Khan has touted the immediate success of CM Punk in AEW.
Punk had been away from the wrestling industry for seven years. While it appeared as though Punk once lost his passion for the business, AEW shot some new life into his love for wrestling. The self-proclaimed “Best in the World” made his AEW debut on Aug. 20 and had his first match since 2014 at the All Out PPV, defeating Darby Allin.
During an appearance on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Khan said Punk’s merchandise sales have set records for AEW.
“What he’s done for our attendance, record TV ratings, record PPV buys. We set a live attendance mark in Chicago. We’ve set all new kinds of merchandising records. We sold over 100,000 CM Punk shirts. We’ve sold thousands and thousands of ice cream bars since he started giving those away. You know, he’s absolutely changed our business. And that was the expectation when he came in. I spent years literally talking to CM Punk, talking to him about AEW, what it could be and how much it would mean to us if he could come back to the ring in AEW. He’s doing it.”
Punk is currently involved in a feud with Team Taz. He’ll go one-on-one with Powerhouse Hobbs on the AEW Grand Slam edition of Rampage. The action will be held inside Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, NY. It’ll air on Sept. 24. Punk will also appear on the Sept. 22 Dynamite to talk about his match with Hobbs.
Cody Rhodes has listed his personal favorite matches.
Rhodes has been wrestling since 2006 when he was brought to OVW to develop. It didn’t take long for Rhodes to make it to WWE Raw as he made his television debut the following year. He ended up spending nearly nine full years on the main roster before being granted his release from WWE.
Cody Rhodes ended up wrestling on the independent scene as well as NJPW and ROH before playing a pivotal role in the creation of AEW. With years of experience under his belt, Rhodes has plenty of choices in terms of which matches are his personal favorites.
In a recent mailing list, Rhodes revealed his opinion on the top matches he has participated in.
“My personal top 4:
4) MITB 2013 – Philly(the crowd saved me) 3) Cody V Kenny at Supercard(set an attendance record) 2) Cody V Sammy G on Dynamite 1) Cody V Brodie I on Dynamite
Honorable mentions: Wardlow in the cage, Legacy V DX Summerslam, Cody V Aldis I ALL IN, Cody V Dustin DON, Cody V Darby I, Cody V Lethal York Hall, Cody V Rey WM”
Cody’s number one choice was featured on the Aug. 22, 2020 edition of Dynamite. Rhodes put the TNT Championship on the line against Brodie Lee. Brodie ended up winning the match in dominating fashion. The two had a Dog Collar match on Oct. 7, which saw Cody win back the TNT Title.
