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Beth Phoenix Pitched Storyline to Play Brock Lesnar’s Sister

Rayan Sayyed
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Brock Lesnar is known as “The Beast” in WWE and for good reason. He is exceptionally strong and burly, and has been a force to be reckoned with. While he performed mostly as a singles wrestler, having a female counterpart to him could be a very interesting idea if the execution is done properly. Beth Phoenix had this exact same idea but it never came to fruition.

The WWE Hall of Famer recently revealed that she pitched an interesting idea to producer Michael Hayes during her time with the WWE as an extra. She wanted to play the role of Brock Lesnar’s sister. She even came up with a detailed storyline on how she could be brought in as Lesnar’s sister.

“Fun Fact: At one of my first gigs as a @WWE extra I pitched a detailed storyline to Michael Hayes to be brought in as Brock Lesnar’s sister. I had ZERO CHILL,” Beth Phoenix wrote on Twitter.

Beth Phoenix joined WWE’s developmental territory OVW in 2004. This is the same year Lesnar left the WWE to join the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (but was cut from the team pre-season). Phoenix would work in OVW till 2006, and she would make her debut on the WWE main roster in the same year. During this time, things between Brock Lesnar and WWE were strained which could be the reason why didn’t want a female counterpart of him.

Interestingly enough, Phoenix would leave WWE the same year Lesnar would make his return in 2012. Currently, Phoenix is a color commentator on NXT and occasionally makes wrestling appearances. Brock Lesnar is suspended as part of a storyline but has vowed to make his return.

Impact 11/11 Results: Eddie Edwards Earns Title Shot Against Moose

Chris Stephens
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Impact 11/11 continued the build to Turning Point on November 20th. The main event saw Moose’s first challenger for his title determined.

Impact 11/11 Quick Results:

  1. Savannah Evans defeated Rachael Ellering (BTI)
  2. #1 Contendership for the Impact Tag Team Championships
    Bullet Club (Chris Bey & El Phantasmo) defeated FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson)
  3. Minoru Suzuki defeated Kaleb with a K
  4. Decay (Havok & Rosemary) defeated The Undead Bridesmaids (Brandi Lauren & Kimber Lee)
  5. Mercedes Martinez defeated Madison Rayne
  6. Rohit Raju defeated Rocky Romero
  7. #1 Contendership for the Impact World Championship
    Triple Threat
    Eddie Edwards defeated Matt Cardona and W. Morrissey

Bullet Club Earns Title Shot Against The Good Brothers

Last week on Impact, Bullet Club interfered in a non-title match between FinJuice and the Good Brothers, leading to a no-contest. In response, Scott D’Amore booked this #1 contendership match between FinJuice and Bullet Club with the winners moving on to challenge the Good Brothers with the titles on the line.

The finish of this match came when Finjuice looked to be setting Chris Bey up for the Doomsday Device but ELP grabbed a hold of Finlay’s foot while he was on the top rope. Finlay then turned his attention HIKULEO on the outside and hit him with a diving attack to the floor. Meanwhile in the ring, Bey countered Juice into a cradle but Juice reversed the momentum and ended up on top. With the ref counting the pin on Bey, ELP hit Juice with a super kick (there have been concerns that ELP uses a loaded boot). Bey then covered Juice and got the pin.

After the match, The Good Brothers came out to confront Bullet Club and a brawl ensued. HIKULEO entered the ring and took out Anderson. This left just Gallows and HIKULEO in the ring. They brawled and HIKULEO eventually tossed Gallows out of the ring. Bullet Club stood tall in the ring with the champions on the outside to end the segment.

Minoru Suzuki Destroys Kaleb With a K While Josh Alexander Watches

Minoru Suzuki made quick work of the Influence’s Kaleb this week. During the match, the camera would cut to a shot of Josh Alexander watching Suzuki on a monitor. Suzuki picked up the quick win with a Gotch style piledriver. Suzuki and Josh Alexander will face off next week.

Decay Defeat The Undead Bridesmaids Ahead of Title Rematch

Last week, The Iinspiration sought out the Undead Bridesmaids to take out Decay. This week Decay made short work of them in tag team action. Jessica McKay and Cassie Lee came out to the stage area to watch the match and then came down to the ring area after and taunted the former champions.

Later in the show, the Iinspiration then said they were going to take out the Undead Bridesmaids next week for their failure to take out Decay.

Mickie James Saves Mercedes Martinez From Post-Match Attack, Mercedes Not Then Attacks Her

Mercedes Martinez will challenge Mickie James for the Knockouts World Championship at Turning point. Martinez would face and defeat a former champion in Madison Rayne this week. The finish of the match saw Martinez get the pin after countering a cutter into a cradle. After the match, Rayne attacked Mercedes from behind and eventually gave her the cutter she wasn’t able to during the match. Rayne then hit Mercedes in the midsection with a chair before Mickie James’ music hit and she came out to make the save. Then James went to help Martinez up but her future challenger then picked her up and slammed her down. Martinez then sauntered away from the ring area while James lay in the ring to end the segment.

Rohit Raju Picks Up Win Over Rocky Romero

Rohit Raju picked up a big win this week as he defeated NJPW’s Rocky Romero. The finish of the match came when Raj Singh distracted the ref while Rocky had Raju trapped in an arm-bar. Rocky then took out Singh and hit a running sliced bread on Raju for a 2-count. Raju fought back, however, and countered a tornado DDT with a high-knee followed by his Drive-By finish for the win.

Eddie Edwards Earns A Title Shot Against Moose

Eddie Edwards has earned a shot at Moose’s Impact World Championship. A triple threat between him, W. Morrissey and Matt Cardona headlined this week’s episode. Edwards hit a Boston Knee Party on Morrissey on the outside, taking him out of the match. The finish of the match then came when it was left to Edwards and Cardona inside the ring. Cardona missed a dive off the ropes and Edwards then followed that up with a Boston Knee Party again and got the 3-count.

Moose was shown watching the match from a private box but then getting up and leaving as soon as Edwards was declared the victor.

Coming Up In Impact Wrestling

Next Week:

  • Josh Alexander vs Minoru Suzuki
  • The Iinspiration vs the Undead Bridesmaids
  • Steve Maclin vs Laredo Kid (If Maclin wins he’s added to X-Division title match at Turning Point)
  • Sit down interview with Deonna Purrazzo

Turning Point – November 20th

  • Impact World Championship
    Moose (c) vs Eddie Edwards
  • Knockouts World Championship
    Mickie James (c) vs Mercedes Martinez
  • Knockouts World Tag Team Championships
    The Iinspiration (Jessie McKay & Cassie Lee) (c) vs Decay (Rosemary & Havok)
  • Impact World Tag Team Championships
    The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson) (c) vs. Bullet Club (Chris Bey and Hikuleo)
  • X-Division Championship
    Trey Miguel (c) vs Laredo Kid

Keith Lee Tells Fans “Patience Is Key” After WWE Release

Rayan Sayyed
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Keith Lee got released from his WWE contract earlier this month on November 4. He received a lot of support from fans online and looks like there are some who are ready to drop watching WWE altogether because they released him.

A fan wrote to Lee on Twitter saying that he will never watch WWE again and would never support the company by going to their events. They asked how they can keep supporting Lee from now onwards.

Lee responded by thanking his fans for supporting him and asked them to be patient. He said he’s looking forward to the future and only time will tell what’s next in store for him.

“Right now, I think patience is key. Time is a friend right now. And I intend to make the most of it. I feel your support right this moment. In the not so distant future, I am sure something will come about. At such a time… well… time will tell I suppose,” Lee wrote in the quote tweet.

It would be interesting to see where Keith Lee would end up next. AEW Tony Khan is interested in the recent WWE releases, and in a recent interview he said that he’s interesting in doing business with some of the people that WWE let go.

Following his release, it was reported that Lee had “attitude issues” in the company and that may have played a vital role in his release from the contract. PWTorch’s Wade Keller reported, “He just had, in general, attitude issues. Or as one wrestler told me tonight, “perceived attitude issues.” He just was frustrated. I’ve heard different things about him in terms of his mood being altered way more than it should in the modern era about being asked to do a job.”

Chris Jericho Explains Why He Constantly Changed Look In WWE

Rayan Sayyed
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Chris Jericho has a good reason behind changing his look and attire all the time while working with the WWE.

Jericho revealed that he changed his look and his ring gear in WWE to keep things fresh and relevant in the wrestling business. By doing so, he was also able to make more money from merchandising.

Speaking to Sports Media with Richard Deitsch, Jericho revealed that he did not want to turn into a nostalgia act so he made a conscious effort to keep reinventing himself.

“When I first started working on TV every week in WCW and more specifically, in WWE when SmackDown started, and we used to do both shows [before the roster split/brand drafts]. I said people are going to get bored of me pretty quickly if I am on TV twice a week and I look the same and have the same rap, shall we say? ‘We’ve got to change it up,’” Jericho said.

Jericho said that he would keep changing his ring attire subtly enough every week. This meant that multiple versions of actions figures would be made for him to accommodate all the different changes. He would do the same thing with his facial hair. This resulted in Jericho making more money from merchandise.

“I remember the late, great Pat Patterson said to me, ‘You always have different facial hair every week.’ And one of the reasons for that was because it was always something different. Subtly, it was something different,” Jericho added. “I had different tights that I changed every week, and then I noticed that they would make an action figure for every set of tights that I wore and every set of facial hair that I had. So now you’re making more money too, because there’s more diversity of what people can market from you.”

Jericho attributes this mindset of keeping things fresh and constantly staying ahead of the curve from show business and rock and roll culture. He stated that he got advice from KISS bassist and co-lead singer Gene Simmons to never stagnate and keep reinventing yourself, and that this can be applied to life in general.

Related: Chris Jericho Says Recent MJF Promo Got the “Wrong Kind of Heat”

H/T Wrestlezone for the quotes

The Undertaker To Undergo Multiple Surgeries

Rayan Sayyed
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The Undertaker is set to go through multiple surgeries for his right knee.

After having an illustrious career spanning three decades, it’s no surprise that being in the ring for such a long time has taken a toll on The Undertaker’s body. Even though he has been officially retired from wrestling for a year, he is still trying to heal from decades’ worth of wear and tear of that his body has went through wrestling.

Speaking in an interview on The Norm and D Invasion show this week (via PWInsider), The Undertaker said that he has surgeries lined up for his new right knee.

“Both my hips are partial hip replacements already,” The Phenom said. “I need, I need a right knee, so I have surgeries lined up. I just… I gotta wait until hunting season is over for [them.]”

The Undertaker also said that he still misses performing in front of live audiences, especially during WrestleMania season. However, he is thankful and feels blessed that he had a very long career in the ring. “…but the body can only take so much and deliver so much, and for me that time.  I realized at the last WrestleMania that I had, that I did [WrestleMania 36] that my time had come.”

In a recent interview, Undertaker said that he is simply unable to meet the standards of a traditional wrestling match these days, due to his age and the condition of his body.

“I think it’s always in my head and in my heart, especially getting ready for WrestleMania here at AT&T Stadium it’s just like … man. But it’s just at a point where physically, I can’t perform at a level. I mean, I could go out and walk through something and I could get through a match. But I can’t give people what they expect at this point.”

The Undertaker had his Final Farewell at Survivor Series in November 2020. His last match was with AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36. The match was cinematic and narrative-heavy, and was dubbed the “Boneyard Match”. He won the match and his performance was heavily praised.

More Details On Eddie Kingston & CM Punk Backstage Dispute Referenced On Rampage

Chris Stephens
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Eddie Kingston and CM Punk’s intense promo segment from last week’s Rampage focussed on a beef Kingston had with CM Punk going back to their days on the independent circuit. More details regarding what actually did happen between the two of them was covered in the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

A source speaking on the condition of anonymity noted that they were backstage at a show when Punk and Kingston had an altercation.

“I can fully vouch for Eddie’s promo on Punk the other night. I was sitting right there in an IWA Mid South locker room when Punk called Eddie and his partner at the time, Blackjack Marciano, fat, lazy and unsafe. Marciano had just accidentally injured Delirious in a previous match and Punk was hot about it, so just buried them nonstop. I could see why Eddie hung onto that hate and anger for so long,” the anonymous source said.

This week on AEW Dynamite, Punk and Kingston had to be separated from brawling in the back. The two will face off in singles action at AEW Full Gear on Saturday. It will be the first time the two have ever been in a match together.

The IInspiration Say Impact Wrestling Feels Like Home

Rayan Sayyed
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The IInspiration made their debut for Impact Wrestling at the Bound for Glory event and picked up a big win by winning the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship. The duo feel at home working with Impact Wrestling, with Cassie Lee and Jessica McKay both talking about signing with the company and how Impact turned out to be a perfect fit for them.

Speaking to Alex McCarthy on the Wrestling Daily podcast, Lee said that they had many options to choose from but in the end they decided to go with Impact and it was a perfect fit for them.

“I feel like it was a perfect fit for us or not to toot our own horn but we’ve had many options and what it came down to Jess and I just felt like we just fit perfectly with IMPACT in the knockouts division they just use their talents so incredibly well and the women are just you know put on a pedestal which they should be they’re so good and I just feel like we slipped right on in you know became not hesitating champs did the damn thing and you know, [we fit in IMPACT] like a missing puzzle piece,” Lee stated.

“We found a home because that’s how it really felt. We wanted it to feel like the best decision and it really did, it fits so well. We were so happy,” McKay added. “We’re just incredibly grateful to be part of IMPACT and The Knockouts Division I’m super stoked. That’s all I have to say.”

According to McKay, one of the biggest plus points of working with Impact is the open communication the company maintains with its talents. The company provided them with all the information they needed and kept in touch with them frequently. They also spoke about the freedom Impact gave them regarding their characters.

“The freedom that we’ve had is, I mean, it just makes me so freakin’ happy. Because we know The IInspiration better than anyone we have built this from the ground up is a 17-year-old friendship, you cannot force anything on that and they respect that and they respect us as performance. It’s just beautiful and that was a big decision in us joining IMPACT,” McKay said. “We felt that respect and we felt wanted, to be honest, and that’s it. That’s an awesome feeling to have.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFEF2s7vhKU

H/T to Fightful for the quotes

Brock Lesnar Vows To Make Return To SmackDown

Rayan Sayyed
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Brock Lesnar is likely to make a return to WWE television. The Staples Center in Los Angeles, California made an announcement which stated that Brock Lesnar has vowed to buy a ringside ticket to the December 10 edition of SmackDown.

“The suspended Brock Lesnar vows to buy a ringside seat in Los Angeles for @WWE Friday Night Smackdown on December 10!,” says the caption of the post by Staples Center’s official Twitter account.

There are no details available yet on what this particular episode of SmackDown will have in store for us. Brock Lesnar got suspended in storyline on the post-Crown Jewel SmackDown episode. He started a locker room-clearing brawl with Roman Reigns, which earned him the suspension by WWE producer and on-air authority figure Adam Pearce. Lesnar also proceeded to attack Pearce afterwards. He was drafted to SmackDown on October 27 despite being suspended. On the following SmackDown episode, Lesnar was fined $1 million by Pearce.

It is possible that we will see Lesnar involved in a storyline that will continue on till Royal Rumble 2022. The Ticketmaster pre-sale for the event went live in October and the promotional material features Brock Lesnar prominently. The Royal Rumble poster features Lesnar in the middle with other stars like Roman Reigns, Big E, Becky Lynch, and Bianca Belair beside him.

Royal Rumble will take place on Saturday, January 29, 2022 from The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis, Missouri. We could see Lesnar appear in action on the event. It wouldn’t be surprising if he is featured in a main event match, apart from the Men’s Royal Rumble.

Related: Update On Post Draft Plans For Brock Lesnar And Other Free Agents

Full Card For TripleMania Regia II Announced Including FTR vs the Lucha Bros

Chris Stephens
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AAA has announced the full card for TripleMania Regia II. The show will take place December 4th from the Estadio de Beisbol Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico.

Kenny Omega will defend his AAA Mega Championship on the show against El Hijo del Vikingo. Cain Velasquez will also make his return to AAA as he teams with Psycho Clown and Pagano to take on the team of LA Park, Rey Escorpion and Taurus.

The feud between FTR and the Lucha Bros will also continue on December 4th. Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler will defend the AAA World Tag Team Championships against the team they took the titles from, the Lucha Bros. At Full Gear this weekend, the Lucha Bros will defend their AEW World Tag Team Championships against FTR.

TripleMania Regia II Lineup

  • AAA Mega Championship
    Kenny Omega (c) vs. El Hijo del Vikingo
  • Cain Velasquez, Psycho Clown & Pagano vs. LA Park, Rey Escorpion & Taurus 
  • AAA World Tag Team Championship
    FTR (c) vs. The Lucha Brothers
  • La Empresa (Sam Adonis, Puma King & DMT Azul) vs. Monster Clown, Murder Clown & Dave the Clown
  • Dragon Lee & Dralistico vs. Laredo Kid & a mystery partner
  • Vipers (Psicosis, Abismo & Arez) vs. Poder del Norte (Mocho Cota Jr., Tito Santana & Carta Brava Jr.) vs. NGD (Sanson, El Cuatrero & Forastero)
  • Marvel Lucha Libre match
    Leyenda Americano & Gran Mazo vs. Venenoide & Enganso
  • Faby Apache, Lady Shani & Sexy Star vs. La Hiedra, Flammer & Lady Maravilla
https://twitter.com/manrayk/status/1459027372099915779

Eric Bischoff Thinks NXT 2.0 Is Having An Identity Crisis

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Former WCW President Eric Bischoff is of the belief that NXT 2.0 doesn’t quite know what it wants to be.

A lot has been made about NXT 2.0. Various reports noted that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was changing the look and feel of NXT and is straying away from signing indie talent.

As a result, the NXT brand is now full of talent that is quite green and not ready for primetime despite being seen on the USA Network every week.

Eric Bischoff Questions NXT 2.0 Identity

During an appearance on the Generation Of Wrestling podcast, Eric Bischoff gave his take on what issues lie in front of the NXT makeover.

“I think what I’m seeing thus far, and we don’t know yet because NXT 2.0 is new at this point, but I think NXT 2.0 is having an identity crisis. I think deep down inside, there are people that know, hey, we just have to go back and be a little gritty and it needs to have an edge.

“It can’t be so pretty. It can’t be so WWE in order for it to have its own identity. It needs to be different from the RAW and SmackDown product.

“What I’m seeing so far is a tendency to lean into the RAW and SmackDown product in terms of its presentation, which if I’m right, and I could be wrong, I hope I am, but if I’m right, it will just further distance the audience away from NXT because they want something different.”

NXT 2.0 hasn’t been all doom and gloom, however. Many have praised Bron Breakker, the son of Rick Steiner. Breakker lost his first NXT Title match against champion Tommaso Ciampa but vowed to claim the gold one day.

H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the quotes.

Tony Khan Teases New Look For AEW Dynamite With Move To TBS

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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AEW Dynamite is moving to TBS and with it may come a new look.

Dynamite is transitioning from TNT to TBS beginning on Jan. 5, 2022. AEW Rampage will remain on TNT and the network will also be receiving special live events here and there.

Now that Dynamite is moving to a new channel, albeit under the same umbrella, it’s left many wondering if there will be a new look.

Changes To AEW Dynamite?

  • AEW Dynamite
    AEW Dynamite

AEW boss Tony Khan spoke to media members during a conference call. Khan revealed that he might be making changes to the presentation of Dynamite next year.

“The great wrestling and the great wrestlers and what people love about Dynamite, for the most part, I think that’s all going to be the same. But the look of the show, you know we may do some tweaks in presentation and it’ll be fun.

“We’ll do our best and if you don’t like it, then we’ll go back to what we have [laughs]. I think we’re gonna look at the presentation of the show going into TBS but the wrestling, the wrestlers, all the stuff you love about the show, for the most part, I think will be the same.

“Hey, if I mess with the look of the show and you don’t like it I can always go back [laughs].”

The finals of the TBS Women’s Championship tournament will take place on Jan. 5. Jade Cargill, Thunder Rosa, and Ruby Soho have emerged as favorites to win the tourney.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Tony Khan AEW Media Call Highlights (11/11/21)

Michael Reichlin
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All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan participated in a media call on Thursday afternoon to promote Saturday’s AEW Full Gear pay-per-view.

Here are some highlights from the Q&A. The questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Q: Full Gear has a stacked card with 10 matches. Is this the ideal length for an AEW PPV? (Chris Mueller, Bleacher Report)

TK: They’ve received great reviews for their quarterly pay-per-views. He really likes the format and length they’ve been working with: a 4-hour main card, plus a Buy-In kickoff show featuring a match or two. This has been working really well for them and expects it to continue this way.

Q: Why is now the right time to pull the trigger on Hangman Page? (Jon Alba, AdFreeShows)

TK: They’ve talked about homemade stars – Hangman is the epitome of a homemade star. He had some exposure before AEW, but not on national television. He’s blossomed in AEW from the beginning. The fans have been along for the ride and seen him grow. He was one of the challengers to determine the first AEW World Champion. Today, it’s a different company and Hangman Page is a different person. Page and Omega have something special between them. They had great chemistry as a team and you could tell they’d be great rivals. Khan picked up some character elements from Being the Elite, including Hangman’s drinking. People are ready to see him rise up from the lowest lows and conquer his biggest obstacle yet.

Q: Will we see an AEW pay-per-view from California or the Pacific / Mountain time zones in the near future? (Jonathan Hood – ESPN Chicago)

TK: Double or Nothing will take place from Las Vegas once again next year. There’s a good chance AEW will bring Dynamite and Rampage to the west coast round that time.

Q: Is AEW interested in acquiring the ROH video library, or signing ROH talent that is being released from their contracts? (Sean Ross Sapp, Fightful)

TK: Ring of Honor has a lot of great stuff in their library and some very talented performers that have worked for them this year. “We’ll see what happens on the business side.” He said to stay tuned to AEW. He’s good friends with many people in ROH.

Q: Any plans for AEW to present an All-Women’s event? (Ella Jay, SEScoops)

TK: AEW has made great strides with building their women’s division and featuring women prominently on television and pay-per-views.

When the NWA presented their all women’s pay-per-view, he provided them with a lot of that talent and paid them to wrestle for the NWA. The highest paid wrestlers on that show were sent and paid by him. He doesn’t think the NWA did a great job acknowledging that. He feels like he picked up the tab for everybody at dinner and nobody thanked him.

Q: Could we see Bray Wyatt in AEW? (Nick Hausman, WrestlingInc)

TK: He likes Windham a lot, but has never spoken to him about joining AEW. He thinks Windham is a wonderful person and a great talent.

Q: Will AEW Dynamite have a new look when it moves to TBS in January 2022?(Sebastian Diaz, Over the Top Rope)

TK: The great wrestling that people have come to expect from AEW will remain the same. As for show’s presentation – the staging, the graphics, the music – fans can expect some tweaks. He said, “It will be fun!” and if he hears that fans don’t like the changes, they will go back to the current look.

He said to expect less “time shifting” (preemptions) on TBS and plugged the “Battle of the Belts” special that will air Saturday, January 8th on TNT.

Q: When will the Owen Hart Memorial Tournament take place? (Russ Weakland, Hollywood Life)

TK: Fans can expect some big news shortly after Full Gear. There’s so much going on with the PPV, he doesn’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet regarding the Owen tournament. The Owen will be a big prize in AEW. They have some interesting announcements coming at next week’s Dynamite or Rampage. They have “something fun planned” that everyone will really enjoy.

Q: When Eddie Kingston first joined AEW, could he envision what Kingston’s contributions would be? (Mark Madison, Pro Wrestling Post)

TK: Yes, pretty quickly. He didn’t know Eddie before he answered Cody’s TNT Championship Open Challenge, but they connected immediately. They’re now close friends.

Q: Will AEW continue taping Dark from Universal Studios? (Jim Varsalone, Miami Herald)

TK: Yes, they plan to continue taping from Universal Studios, when they can and when it makes sense. On weeks where they have live Rampage tapings (like this week), they tape Dark before Rampage.

Q: Are there plans to keep Dante Martin & Lio Rush as a tag team? (Bill Prichard, WrestleZone)

TK: It’s a story. Without saying too much about where things are going, he’s enjoying the pairing. He worked closely with them on their Dynamite match this week. He sees a lot in Lio Rush and actively recruited him to come out of retirement.

Q: How is the relationship with NJPW? Could we see AEW talent at Wrestle Kingdom in January? (Samantha Shipman, DailyDDT)

TK: “It’s a great relationship.” It was rocky when AEW first launched, but things have smoothed over. Enjoys working together and they talk on a regular basis. Expect more talent sharing in the months ahead.

Big E Expresses Disappointment on New Day Split

Tyriece Simon
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WWE Champion Big E is not happy with WWE separating the New Day. However, he is trying to make the best of the situation and is wishing for their success.

TalkSport’s Alex McCarthy interviewed Big E and asked him about WWE splitting up the New Day. The group separated for the second time, with Big E going to Monday Night Raw, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods going to Friday Night Smackdown. The champion shared that he wished WWE had kept the group together.

McCarthy transcribed the following quotes.

“It’s always disappointing. I will say, I think the last year of being on SmackDown while they were on RAW did help me grow as a wrestler and a performer,” said Big E. He continued, “There are some benefits, but really I’m just trying to find the silver lining of it all – it still sucks.”

He also shared that while he’s disappointed, he wants Woods and Kingston to have opportunities. “But at the same time, I want to make sure I’m not standing in the way of those guys growing or putting us in a situation where they’re just running out there for my matches and being my cheerleaders, I don’t think that would be best for them. So we’re all trying to make the best of it,” said Big E.

WWE Motivation Behind New Day Split

The WWE has slowly pushed Big E to become a successful singles wrestler over the last year. However, this came at the expense of separating the New Day. In the 2020 WWE Draft, the company moved Big E to Smackdown, and the other group members went to Raw. Big E had success on the Smackdown brand, winning the Intercontinental Championship and Money in the Bank.

He became the WWE Champion when he defeated Bobby Lashley at Raw on September 13th. The win also helped reunite the New Day on Raw. However, this year WWE Draft separated the group once again. In the interview, Big E confirmed that he knew ahead of time they were splitting the group again.

“We got some heads up, so we knew it was coming, and I wasn’t shocked,” said Big E. He continued, “I was hoping, though, that we’d be on the same brand, and they could have done their own thing, and I could have done mine.” 

While the group isn’t together, they haven’t broken up or had internal disputes. The WWE could bring the New Day back together. However, it seems the company wants Big E to stand alone as a singles superstar.

Kurt Angle Reveals Most Dangerous Moonsault He Ever Landed

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Kurt Angle has reflected on the most dangerous moonsault he ever landed.

Oftentimes, Angle went above and beyond in the ring. While he had great technical wrestling abilities, he was also the definition of a performer.

If Angle was in a steel cage match, fans knew there was a good chance the Olympic gold medalist would do a moonsault from the top.

Kurt Angle’s Scariest Moonsault

On an episode of The Kurt Angle Show, Angle explained why a moonsault he did against Ken Anderson at TNA Lockdown 2010 was his most dangerous one.

“They were all dangerous but I did one in TNA. The TNA cage was about two feet higher than the WWE cage. The first time I did a moonsault off a cage was against Chris Benoit in WWE and I actually had to have knee surgery because of it.

“But the most dangerous one I did was when I moonsaulted on top of Ken Anderson in TNA and the cage was about two feet higher than the WWE cage, and when I came down I landed on his face [laughs].

“My hip landed on his face, I almost broke his nose. I jammed my toes into the ring from that and my toes were never the same. They’re still not the same. I got some major arthritis in my toes from that moonsault. It was very dangerous.”

Kurt Angle Shares Hilarious Story Involving Stone Cold

The first time Angle did a moonsault off the cage was when he faced Chris Benoit back in 2001. Both men tried impressing Stone Cold, but they almost scared him away.

“The first time I did it was the first time with Chris Benoit. Stone Cold Steve Austin was actually watching it from the announce table, I remember that. The match was incredible.

“The crazy thing about that match was we were doing so much crazy stuff that Austin was like, ‘I ain’t working with these two assholes ever.'”

Of course, Stone Cold did end up working with Angle. In fact, Angle credits Austin with teaching him how to blade.

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Bobby Lashley Reflects on his Time as WWE Champion

Tyriece Simon
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WWE superstar Bobby Lashley gave his perspective on being WWE Champion and dropping the title to Big E.

TalkSport’s Alex McCarthy interviewed Lashley and asked him if he was proud of his time as the WWE Champion. He held the championship for six months. Lashley expressed gratitude for the opportunity and praised his former opponents.

Mccarthy transcribed the following quotes.

“Yes, I think it was one [a reign to be proud of]. Especially who I got to defend it against and who I won it off. Man, Miz is great,” said Lashley.  He continued, “Defending at ‘Mania against Drew. Everyone was like ‘how is it going to go, what are they going to do?’ And then me and Drew tore down the house. I think it’s just given me the legitimacy that I’ve wanted.” 

Bobby Lashley Reign as WWE Champion

Lashley defeated The Miz in a LumberJack match for the WWE Championship at Monday Night Raw on March 1st. After his win, WWE had Lashley defend his title against Drew McIntyre at Wrestlemania 37 on April 10th. Most WWE fans were surprised by Lashley successfully retaining his title at the event. However, WWE wanted to push him as a dominant champion. His reign as champion ended when Big E defeated him at Raw on September 13th.

When asked about his feeling about losing the title to Big E, Lashley seems happy about it. He shared that it was great to drop the championship to Big E and that he wanted to help other WWE talent succeed.

“It felt great to drop it to Big E. There’s a few guys who just need a push, and during my time as champion, I was trying to help out a lot of guys,” said Lashley. He explained, “Like Riddle and [Xavier] Woods, look what they’ve done afterwards. It helped elevate them, and that’s what I tried to do.” He also shared his time when he first came to WWE and the people that helped him.

“When I came back, I wanted the title, but I wanted to be that guy. When I started out, I had Booker T, Big Show, JBL, Undertaker, Finlay, and all these guys that wanted to work with me and help me, said Lashley.  He continued, “It’s all about respect, and that’s what I want to do with a lot of these young guys coming up. We have some superstars coming up, some of the guys in NXT too, that have got it.” 

Lashley attempted to regain the WWE Championship at Raw on September 27th but was unsuccessful. It seems WWE is keeping him out of the title picture for now. He took some time off WWE TV after his loss to Goldberg at Crown Jewel on October 21st. However, he made his return at Raw on Monday by defeating Dominick Mysterio. As a result, he took Mysterio’s place as a member of Team Raw in the elimination tag team match at Survivor Series on November 21st.

Becky Lynch Opens up on Relationship with Charlotte Flair

Tyriece Simon
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WWE superstar Becky Lynch has shared her feelings towards Charlotte Flair.

Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina interviewed Lynch, where he asked about her relationship with Flair. PWInsider’s Mike Johnson reported that both wrestlers had an altercation after Smackdown on October 22nd.

Lynch didn’t confirm that an incident took place. However, she did acknowledge that they were not on good terms.

“I don’t know, man, we don’t talk anymore. We don’t talk,” said Lynch.
All I’ll say is, the locker room needs a hero sometimes, and sometimes somebody has to be that hero. I’m all right being that hero. That’s all I’ll say on that matter.”

Becky Lynch Unable to Trust Charlotte Flair Currently

She tried to avoid commenting more on her relationship with Flair. However, Traina asked her how she deals with working with someone with whom she has a problematic relationship within the ring. She wrestles Flair at Survivor Series on November 21st at the Barcley Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Lynch discussed how wrestlers have to trust each other in the ring and work together to entertain their audience.

“…When you have two people that are wanting to work together to make magic, then you make magic, said Lynch. She continued, “Sometimes when there is hostility when you can’t trust the person, then you never know what’s going to happen. And you always have to be on guard. It’s like a game of chess.”

Traina asked if she currently trusts Flair and if they were friends. Lynch responded by saying that she doesn’t trust her.

At one point, they were best friends. It’s unclear why or when their relationship became problematic. Flair hasn’t responded to reports of their relationship status.

Both wrestlers will have to work together through their problems in less than two weeks.

Did Impact Champion Moose Throw Shade At WWE & AEW?

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Impact Wrestling World Heavyweight Champion Moose has answered the question of whether or not he took shots at WWE and AEW.

Moose cut his first promo as the Impact Wrestling World Champion and it turned a lot of heads. He dropped references to many WWE and AEW stars and claimed he was better than all of them.

It was a fiery promo from Moose and one that left many wondering if he was shooting on the opposition.

Moose Shoots On WWE & AEW?

The newly-minted gold standard of Impact appeared on the Juice Pro Wrestling podcast and he cleared the air on his promo.

“If you hear the promo, everyone was like I shot at WWE or AEW. I never took a shot at anybody. I never said one bad thing about anybody.

“If anything, I put them all over. I just said I’m better than all of them. I hate to put this guy over, but Don Callis used to work with me on my promos and he would tell me, ‘one thing you don’t want to do is put anybody down in your promos. Put them over and then when you put yourself over, you seem greater than all of them.'”

Moose Thinks He Put WWE & AEW Over

  • Moose
    (via Impact Wrestling)

Moose believes his promo had the opposite effect of what some fans are thinking. He feels the promo was actually giving credit where it’s due.

“I used that in my mind as a reference when I was writing this promo. I put them all over because they are all legendary and I think they’re the best in this business, I just think I’m the greatest of all time. At the end of the day, I put myself and IMPACT over as a whole.

“A lot of people I mentioned, I’m good friends with or associates with. I think they are all great. I just put myself up there with them. When I wrote the promo, I didn’t think it was going to get the clout and praise and mentions that it got.”

Moose is scheduled to return to a New Japan Pro Wrestling ring. He will meet Juice Robinson at NJPW Battle In The Valley on Nov. 13.

The last time Moose stepped inside an NJPW ring, he took on Tomohiro Ishii back in August. He ended up losing the match to Ishii but his performance was praised.

H/T to Fightful for the quotes.

Chris Jericho Says Recent MJF Promo Got the “Wrong Kind of Heat”

Chris Stephens
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During a recent interview on Sports Media with Richard Deitsch, Chris Jericho noted that he thought a line from a recent MJF promo got the “wrong kind of heat.” MJF was addressing Sting and commented on his long-time friend Lex Luger being in a wheelchair.

“There was a line a few weeks ago that MJF used about Lex Luger being in a wheelchair to Sting. I don’t think that gets heat, I think it makes people feel uncomfortable. I think it makes people feel bad, and you don’t want that,” Jericho said of the comment.

Jericho continued to talk about the intricacies of using real-life issues in wrestling promos.

“There is a fine line between using real life issues, and going too inside baseball, where it’s like, ‘I don’t know what this guy is talking about, but it just doesn’t feel right.’ To me, that is the fine line of a pro wrestling promo.”

“That’s how I feel. I don’t think it gets more heat, I think it actually gets reverse heat, which has people going, ‘ugh. We know it’s a show.’ It’s like watching the new Star Wars movie and someone going, ‘Kylo Ren, your mom in real life had an abortion when she was sixteen.’ What does that have to do with Kylo Ren? It’s two different things. So, I think there’s a fine line to it. You can make things seem real with your intentions and the way you say things and the words you use. That makes it real.”

Chris Jericho In AEW

Chris Jericho is scheduled to team with his Inner Circle teammates against The Men of the Year and American Top Team at Full Gear. This week on AEW Dynamite, Dan Lambert power-bombed Jericho through a table.

Jericho noted in September that the year-long feud he had with MJF was the longest of his career and also one of the best. The angle evolved from MJF joining the Inner Circle and causing dissension, to a stable war between the Pinnacle and Jericho’s faction. Jericho took to Instagram to comment on what the angle meant to him. His comments are available in the link below.

Chris Jericho Reflects On Having The Longest Storyline Of His Career With MJF

H/T To Wrestling Inc. for transcriptions

Tony Schiavone: “The Acceptance Of The Fans For My Return Has Been Mind-Blowing”

Chris Stephens
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Tony Schiavone started his wrestling broadcasting career in 1983. Once WCW was purchased by WWE in 2001, however, he found himself on the outside of the business. He spent several years working as a sports anchor on the radio covering the Georgia Bulldogs and the Atlanta Braves minor league system.

In 2015, Schiavone began working at Starbucks to supplement his income from sports broadcasting, something Britt Baker has mentioned on AEW programming. He’d return to wrestling broadcasting in 2017 with MLW and then in 2019 with AEW.

During a recent interview with SI.com, Schiavone says his time with AEW has been the best of his career. He also noted how pleased he is with how fans have responded to his return.

“It’s been the best two and a half years of my career,” Schiavone said. “It’s worth your weight in gold to work for good people, and it’s a pleasure to work here. And I can’t stress this enough—the acceptance of the fans for my return has been mind-blowing. So for me, it’s really easy doing what I do because I love it so much.”

“It almost makes me numb how much people care about me,” Schiavone continued. “I never thought I’d be back in wrestling. It’s like I was reintroduced to an old love. Wrestling fans welcomed me home, and I’m forever grateful.”

Butts In Seats

A kickstarter for a biographical graphic novel on Tony Schiavone’s career raised over $135,000. The book, titled “Butts in Seats”, is currently available for pre-order. Schiavone spoke about what fans can expect from it.

“This is my story of loving wrestling as a fan, getting involved with the Crocketts, working with Ted Turner, spending a year with WWE, then being out of the business for 18 years before coming back.”

Eddie Kingston Says Match Against CM Punk The Most Personal Of His Career

Chris Stephens
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Last year at Full Gear, Eddie Kingston challenged Jon Moxley for the AEW World Championship. He lost an I Quit match to the wrestler who would later become his partner. This year, Kingston takes on CM Punk in a match he is calling the most personal of his career.

Kingston took part in an interview with DAZN and spoke about what his match with Punk means to him.

“I wouldn’t say it’s the biggest match of my career but it’s definitely the most personal match,” Kingston said. “Professionally, it was me and [Jon] Moxley last year because I truly believe in my heart that the AEW World title is the biggest prize in all of America. That was the biggest match for me, but this weekend, personally, it’s me and Punk.” 

Kingston would continue to talk about his run with AEW. He started with the company in the summer of 2020 as Cody Rhodes was giving TNT title shots to wrestlers from outside AEW. Kingston challenged Cody on the show taped on July 16th (aired July 22nd, 2021). Later that month, it was announced that Kingston had signed a full-time contract with the company.

“I did not expect this, and I have to pinch myself every once in a while,” Kingston continued. “I still don’t think it’s real. I’m just trying to live in the moment. This can all be taken away at any moment just like 2020 has shown us.” 

Update on “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan’s Prostate Cancer Battle

Chris Stephens
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WWE Hall of Famer “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He also underwent emergency surgery in October. More recently, he gave an update to his fans through a video on social media.

Duggan underwent emergency surgery on October 20th. His wife Debra revealed the news on Facebook. “Back where we don’t want to be,” she wrote. “Please pray for Jim and his doctors as he has emergency surgery this morning. Thank you, Debra— feeling emotional.”

https://twitter.com/OfficialHacksaw/status/1450839134411509770

Emergency Surgery

“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan was in good spirits after undergoing emergency surgery in October 2021. His official Twitter account posted an update on his condition after the procedure. “Out of surgery and back in his room. Everything went well.”

https://twitter.com/OfficialHacksaw/status/1450910857009917956

Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

On Thursday, October 28, Duggan posted a video on Instagram announcing that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He’ll undergo cancer surgery on Friday, October 29 in Charleston, South Carolina.

Duggan said his wife will keep everyone updated on his recovery. He thanked everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlJJv8M2mI/

“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2011. He also won the original Royal Rumble match in Hamilton in 1988. Duggan also won both the United States Championship and the TV title in WCW.

Duggan has twice been given awards by the readers of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He was awarded the Most Improved Wrestler in 1982. His feud with Ted Dibiase in 1985 was then awarded the Feud of the Year by the same publication. In 2018, he was inducted into the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Update November 2021

In a video he posted to Twitter recently, Duggan thanked everyone for their well wishes. He also noted that he will have to cancel his bookings for the remainder of the year but is looking forward to returning to the road in 2022.

“Hi everybody. I’d just like to give everybody a quick update after my back-to-back surgeries. Obviously I’m home. Doing well. Feel much, much better. And I also want to say thank you to everyone for the thoughts, the prayers, the good wishes,” Duggan says in the video.  

“It’s humbling to have so many people all over the world care, and I tell you, it means a lot. From the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you so much to so many folks for checking in on me.”

“Also, I’d like to say I’m sorry and I hope you all understand I’m going to have to cancel the rest of the shows for this year, but we’re looking forward to traveling the world next year, God willing. And so, hopefully we’ll see you down the road.” 

“Again, thank you very much for all the good wishes and prayers. God bless and hopefully see you soon.”

https://twitter.com/OfficialHacksaw/status/1458568092066492422

SEScoops wishes a full and speedy recovery to the legendary “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.

https://twitter.com/OfficialHacksaw/status/1468605030219534338

Mel B Trash Talks Sami Zayn At WWE Event (Photos)

Chris Stephens
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Sami Zayn has found himself entangled in a social media spat with pop star Melanie Brown (Mel B) of the Spice Girls.

WWE just wrapped up its latest tour of the UK on Wednesday with a live event from Manchester, England. Mel B, aka Scary Spice, was in attendance for the show at AO Arena. Evidently, she was not impressed with Sami Zayn’s actions.

Zayn took to Twitter to note that he was called a derogatory term by Mel B on the show. He was shocked when Mel B called him a p*ssy.

“Scary Spice just called me a p*ssy”

– Sami Zayn

She then doubled down on her comments when responding to Zayn’s Tweet.

Mel B Attends WWE Event

Mel B and Sami Zayn didn’t get along too well, but she did pose for photos with some of WWE’s top performers.

Here are some photos of Mel B backstage Sasha Banks, Natalya and Charlotte Flair:

https://twitter.com/FlexChupacabra/status/1458643209387528192

Charlotte Flair has been apprehensive about handing out her title in the past. She did give it to Scary Spice, however.

Sami Zayn’s Side of the Story

Sami Zayn spoke about his encounter with Mel B during a recent appearance on WWE’s After the Bell podcast.

Zayn tells Corey Graves that he got knocked to the floor during his match. While on the outside, he’s getting heckled by some fans at ringside.

“So I’m doing a little bit of back-talk,” said Zayn. “It was like, ‘Get up, you’re a coward.’ I’m saying, ‘Hey, I’m hurt. Give me a second. You don’t know what it’s like. I’m in pain right now.’ That’s when the line was uttered by Scary Spice, under her breath mind you. Because she was in the front row, it was almost as if she knelt down and whispered in my ear of what I know and you know what you’re being right now.”

Matt Cardona Says Hype Bros Was The Lowest Point Of His Career

Anutosh Bajpai
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Matt Cardona was put into many embarrassing storylines during his stint with WWE. He has revealed which one he considers the worst.

The former WWE star recently had an interview with WrestlingInc. He discussed things such as how he is able to reinvent himself and more.

Speaking of his tag team with Mojo Rawley, Cardona said that it was worse than being thrown off the stage in a wheelchair by Kane:

“It’s a career-low. That’s definitely below (being pushed on the stage by Kane), the worst thing ever in my career. I wouldn’t bring The Hype Bros anywhere. Dean Muhtadi as a human being, love him. Mojo, hate him, tough sh*t, not happening.

He can come backstage and hang out in my private dressing room,” said Matt Cardona, “but we will not be in front of the people on camera together ever again.”

The former GCW champion continued by explaining that he has already won the tag team titles at WrestleMania. He doesn’t want to be a tag team wrestler anymore.

Matt Cardona and Mojo Rawley formed The Hype Bros in NXT in 2015. The team lasted till 2017 before Rawley attacked his partner and turned heel.

WWE Planning To Split Up Rey Mysterio And Dominik Mysterio (Report)

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

The tensions have been rising between Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio in recent times. Latest report suggests that it will lead to a feud between the two soon.

Andrew Zarian of Mat Men podcast provided an update on the storyline involving the father-son duo. He confirmed that the officials are planning to split the two:

Both the wrestling stars have been talking about Dominik donning the iconic mask and taking over the Rey Mysterio mantle in recent times.

Though at the same time neither of them seem interested in having a feud with each other to pass the torch. They have suggested alternate ideas for the same.

There is no word on the exact timetable for this feud but with the year coming to a close, it’s likely that WWE will continue the slow burn leading to a match between Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania next year.

It will also be interesting to see what the future holds for Rey after this rivalry is over. The wrestling veteran has previously confirmed that he was considering retirement before his son came along.

How do you feel about a potential rivalry between Rey and Dominik? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

Rey Mysterio Considered Retirement Before Dominik’s Debut

New Matches Announced For AEW Full Gear, Updated Card

Anutosh Bajpai
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AEW has confirmed a couple of new matches for their upcoming Full Gear PPV including the bout for Malakai Black and more.

This week’s episode of Dynamite saw Dax Harwood facing Pac in a one-on-one match. The ending saw Pac submit his opponent for the win.

However, the high-flying star kept the hold even after the bout was over. This led to Cash Wheeler, Andrade El Idolo, Malakai Black, Cody Rhodes, Rey Fenix, and Penta all coming out to the ring.

An all-out brawl broke out between these two groups. After this, AEW announced that Cody Rhodes will be teaming with Pac to face Andrade and Black at the PPV.

The promotion also confirmed a buy-in match for the show. They revealed that Nyla Rose and Jamie Hayter will be teaming up to face Thunder Rosa and Hikaru Shida.

Updated Full Gear Match Card

Including the buy-in bout, a total of 10 matches have been announced for the Full Gear PPV. Here is the updated match card for the show:

  • AEW World Championship Match: Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page
  • AEW Women’s World Championship Match: Britt Baker vs. Tay Conti
  • AEW World Tag Team championship match: Lucha Brothers vs. FTR
  • World Title Eliminator Tournament Finals: Bryan Danielson vs. Miro
  • Minneapolis Street Fight: Inner Circle vs. Men of the Year, Junior Dos Santos, Andrei Arlovski, and Dan Lambert
  • Falls Count Anywhere: Jurassic Express and Christian Cage vs. Adam Cole and The Young Bucks
  • Singles Match: Eddie Kingston vs. CM Punk
  • Singles Match: Darby Allin vs. MJF
  • Tag Team Match: PAC and Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black and Andrade El Idolo
  • The Buy In: Nyla Rose and Jamie Hayter vs. Thunder Rosa and Hikaru Shida

AEW Full Gear will be taking place this Saturday on November 13, 2021, at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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