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Ryan Nemeth On How His AEW Debut Came Together

Anutosh Bajpai
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Ryan Nemeth made his AEW debut during a Dynamite episode back in January this year. Though this wasn’t really his first match for the promotion.

The brother of WWE superstar Dolph Ziggler recently appeared on the Talk Is Jericho podcast. He was asked how he ended up in AEW and he revealed that he actually used to help babysit Brodie Lee Jr.

Nemeth showed up at an AEW event where they were celebrating the birthday of Lee Jr. He was then offered a 6 men tag team match at AEW Dark but Tony Khan ended up deciding not to air the bout:

“We did a six-man Dark, and then Tony [Khan], as we were going back through a tunnel; he came halfway through the tunnel and said, ‘We’re not going to air this. I want you to figure something else out.’ I was like, alright.”

While Ryan Nemeth thought that he had somehow blown up his opportunity, Tony Khan had something else in mind. He was then called up for a match with Hangman Page on national television:

“I interpreted that as, aw, I really blew it. I must have sucked, something went wrong, and the next morning, Jess Palombo was talking on the phone but looking at you [Chris Jericho]. She goes, ‘Hey, it’s you and Hangman tonight,’

And she walked off and I was like, ‘What? Why? I mean, great. Okay, cool.’ I don’t know [what Tony saw], but I’m happy about it.”

Ryan Nemeth made his official AEW debut during the 27 January episode of Dynamite. The former WWE star faced Hangman Page in a losing effort.

Matt Cardona Becomes New GCW Champion At Homecoming: Night 1

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former WWE star Matt Cardona shocked everyone and became the new GCW world heavyweight champion by defeating Nick Gage during tonight’s GCW: Homecoming night 1.

The main event of the show saw Gage defending his title against the former Zack Ryder in a brutal match that left both the competitors bloodied.

Nick Gage was in control for the majority of the match. He used multiple light tubes and a pizza cutter among other things on Cardona during the bout.

Chris Jericho’s Judas theme played at one point in the match. While the hooded figure that showed up, ended up not being Jericho, the distractions continued even after that.

The 44OH! faction came out and attacked Gage not long after this. Former GCW champion RSP came out in Gage’s aid and the two managed to fight off the attackers.

Though this alliance was short-lived as RSP ended up low-blowing Nick Gage. This allowed Matt Cardona to hit a Rough Ryder on his opponent and win the match.

Fans started throwing trash in the ring immediately after the bout ended. Cardona ran off the arena to save himself, leaving Cage in disbelief.

This ends Nick Gage’s 100+ days long championship reign with the title. Now it would be interesting to see what the promotion has planned for Cardona’s title reign.

Career vs. Title Match Announced For NWA 73rd Anniversary Show

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former WWE star Trevor Murdoch will be challenging Nick Aldis for the NWA world heavyweight championship in a career vs. title match at the upcoming NWA 73 PPV.

The former tag team champion from WWE challenged the current NWA champion for his title during TMart Promotions’ The Gathering II event this Saturday.

Aldis managed to defend his title successfully in this bout. After this, Trevor Murdoch challenged the former TNA star to a career vs. title match during the upcoming NWA 73rd anniversary show.

Trevor Murdoch wrestled for WWE from 2005 to 2008. He teamed up with Lance Cade during his stint with the promotion. This duo known as Cade and Murdoch became three times WWE tag team champions before being disbanded.

After leaving the company, Murdoch had a short stint with TNA in 2009. He had been wrestling in the independent circuit since then. He made his NWA debut back in 2019.

Apart from this championship bout, it has been confirmed that Mickie James will be wrestling at the upcoming PPV event but her opponent for the show has not been announced.

NWA 73rd anniversary show will be taking place live on Sunday, August 29 from Khorassan Ballroom of the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, Missouri.

Nick Gage Reveals What Stipulation He Wants For Kenny Omega Match

Jake Skudder
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Game Changer Wrestling Champion Nick Gage recently appeared on the Wrestling Delorean Podcast. The ‘Deathmatch King’ discussed several topics whilst appearing on the podcast, including what it would take for him to have a match with AEW Champion Kenny Omega.

Nick Gage made a shocking appearance during this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. Gage was revealed as the 2nd Labor of Jericho by MJF, with Gage now getting a No DQ match against ‘Le Champion’ next week on the show.

“Oh, I have no problem facing Kenny Omega, but it would be in a deathmatch,” Nick Gage began on the podcast, revealing the stipulations it would take for him to have a match with the AEW Champion.

Nick Gage vs Kenny Omega

“It wouldn’t be a regular match, ya know? Does he say he is the King of the Deathmatch? Well, let’s go with real glass and real barbwire. Do you know what I mean? Let’s go,” Gage continued, referring to the Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch between Omega and Jon Moxley, where Omega proclaimed himself the King of The Deathmatch.

“I seen clips of it,” Gage revealed, talking about the contest from AEW Revolution. “I thought it was ok. Something happened at the end. Are you talking about that exploding barbwire one? I don’t know what happened there, man, I don’t know, man.”

“I just feel like they are using Hollywood glass, and they are snipping the barbwire because any barbwire I been in or get hit with it, I always get stuck in it”, the GCW Champion added.

“So I always start bleeding, and any glass I land in, my back starts slicing up, bleeding really bad. So for them not to have no blood on them, or blood just on their forehead, makes me second guess what they are using, ya know what I mean?” Nick Gage would conclude.

Nick Gage will be defending his GCW Championship this weekend against former WWE Superstar Matt Cardona.

Dr Britt Baker Posts Backstage Photo With Paige VanZant at BKFC

Jake Skudder
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AEW Women’s Champion Dr Britt Baker D.M.D went to watch the Paige VanZant vs Rachael Ostovich Bare Knuckle Boxing fight this weekend in Tampa, Florida.

This contest was VanZant’s second fight with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships (BKFC), and she lost to Rachael Ostovich after 5 rounds via unanimous decision. VanZant has now moved to 0-2 in her bare-knuckle fighting career.

The AEW Women’s Champion tweeted that she was backstage with the fighter before she took to the ring to face Ostovich. Baker also revealed that she had sustained a broken wrist.

Dr Britt Baker on Paige VanZant

“With Paige VanZant…And oh yeah, I retained the title on Wednesday night at AEW Dynamite with a broken wrist. Not taking any time off either. #AndStill.”

F4Wonline.com first reported that Baker sustained the injury during her match on AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest Part 2 this past Wednesday. Britt Baker retained her AEW Championship against Nyla Rose after making the challenger tap out in the Lockjaw.

Paige VanZant has said in the past that pro wrestling is an avenue she is considering. With the former UFC fighter now 0-2 in bare-knuckle, she may look at AEW or WWE as her next career move.

VanZant has apparently spoken to WWE in the past, so the chance for a move to the squared circle isn’t out of the question for the former MMA fighter.

John Cena Wrestles Dark Match After Smackdown

Chris Stephens
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Following the conclusion of WWE Smackdown on Friday night, John Cena wrestled his first official match in almost 16 months. Cena teamed with Rey and Dominik Mysterio and defeated Roman Reigns and the Usos.

It’s the first time Cena has wrestled since facing Bray Wyatt in a rather bizarre FireFly FunHouse match at WrestleMania 36. Users on Twitter have been posting video of the match:

https://twitter.com/TribalGawdSZN/status/1418760220189224961
https://twitter.com/StevenCena76/status/1418845635319586818

The Summer of Cena Begins

WWE announced recently that John Cena will be at several events this summer as part of the “Summer of Cena.” WWE.com posted a list of 14 events Cena will be at starting with last night’s Smackdown in Cleveland. Cena will be on a WWE show tonight from Pittsburgh. He’ll be at a supershow tomorrow at the rather interestingly named KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Cena will then be back on RAW Monday night from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The next time Cena will be on Smackdown will be next week’s show from the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Cena is one of the most decorated WWE Champions of all time. He holds the record for 13 separate runs with the WWE title. His 1,254 days spent with the belt is good for fourth all time. Only Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and Bob Backlund spent more time with the title.

Alex Shelley’s Return To Wrestling Announced By GCW

Chris Stephens
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Alex Shelley will be returning to wrestling for the first time in 2021 next month. GCW has announced him for their September 3rd show in Chicago.

Shelley was forced to withdraw from Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill event back in January. He had been scheduled to team with Chris Sabin and Rich Swann to face Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers.

“There are certain things in life that are just out of our control and unfortunately, my ability to compete at Hard to Kill has been dropped into that bucket,” Shelley said regarding having to withdraw from the event. “So, on that note, I owe an apology to Chris Sabin. I owe one to Rich Swann, I owe one to the fans. And I owe a receipt to the Good Brothers and Kenny Omega.”

Shelley would clarify a couple of weeks later that he would be unable to wrestle until a COVID-19 vaccine became available.

“I am a physical therapy clinician,” Shelley stated. “Physio is my livelihood and career. Wrestling is my livelihood and passion project. At my company, due to the volume of sick and injured patients we are in care of, we modify our COVID-19 mandates as needed. As numbers went up, so did restrictiveness.”

“To circumvent the topic, I could not be at Hard To Kill due to my career. I respect the decisions made by our company surgeons and doctors: I look to them for advice and guidance. I am unable to travel and wrestle until I am vaccinated.”

It is not yet clear if Shelley will be returning to Impact Wrestling.

Kenny Omega On AEW Lacking Women’s Wrestling Content

Chris Stephens
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Kenny Omega was recently interviewed on a variety of topics for Wrestling Observer Radio. During the discussion, Omega spoke about AEW lacking content in its women’s division. He’s hopeful that the addition of AEW Rampage will help improve the situation, however.

“The content I think we’re lacking in is our women’s division,” Omega said. “I would love to see Rampage be home to more women’s wrestling.”

He continued to talk about how he feels they have some incredibly talented women on their roster who perform on Dark. Omega hopes to put these matches in front of a wider audience with Rampage.

“I want people to see and appreciate and enjoy some of the talent that we have to offer,” Omega continued. “I hope that we can get out and show some of these matches that perhaps aren’t seen by enough people. We’ve got a lot of great talent on Dark. And people maybe don’t want to watch our YouTube channel. Maybe they just want to watch Dynamite or they want to see a television product and I get that.”

Omega is hopeful that Rampage will give some lesser-seen talent more exposure.

“I think the extra hour of Rampage, when we get the new program on TBS, I feel that rather than give them more Chris Jericho, more Kenny Omega, more MJF, and the guys you know you’re going to see on Dynamite, I’d rather give them all of the extremely talented individuals that you maybe can’t see that week.”

“I feel that we have a lot of very gifted female wrestlers that have been working really hard, fighting for a spot, maybe it’s time for them to get some more and I think that would count as a variation in content, more women’s wrestling.”

Indi Hartwell & Other NXT Talent Work Dark Matches Before Smackdown

Chris Stephens
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Several talents from NXT have been wrestling dark matches before RAW and Smackdown as of late. The latest to be given a look in a main roster untelevised match is now Indi Hartwell. She wrestled Aliyah in Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse before Smackdown last night.

The 24-year-old Hartwell signed with WWE in late 2019. She was trained by the PCW Academy in Australia and made her pro debut as a 19-year-old in 2016. Recently on NXT, Hartwell and Candice LeRae lost the NXT tag-team championships to Io Shirai and Zoey Stark. Hartwell and LeRae had won the titles from Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon in May.

Hartwell’s brother-figure from the Way, Austin Theory, also wrestled before Smackdown. He took on Odyssey Jones, who is currently involved in the NXT Breakout tournament.

Is NXT Developmental? Or A 3rd Brand?

With so many NXT talents wrestling dark matches lately the subject of what NXT is in relation to the main roster has been speculated on by many. According to reporter Jon Alba, he’s heard that internally WWE considers NXT its developmental territory.

“Sources in WWE tell me NXT is officially viewed internally as ‘developmental,’ rather than the third brand as Paul Levesque’s team has promoted over the past few years,” Alba Tweeted.

Lance Archer On Signing with AEW and Receiving a Full-Time NJPW Offer

Alex Laybourne
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Lance Archer has been cutting a ruthless path through AEW since making his debut, including his recent Texas deathmatch with Jon Moxley at Fyter Fest.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRngK5MJd6W/

Talking during a recent episode of AEW Unrestricted, the Murderhawk Monster Lance Archer spoke about how he chose to sign with AEW over a contract offered by NJPW.

Lance Archer wrestled for nine years out in Japan but revealed he never had a full-time contract with the Japanese promotion.

“I did. New Japan, as far as Japanese wrestling is concerned, a lot of times. The old school way of doing business, especially with the foreigners, was just a tour-by-tour thing. That’s how I’d actually been with the company for nearly nine years,” Lance Archer explained.

It wasn’t until he was offered a contract by AEW that Archer was offered a full-time deal with NJPW. However, by that point, the options available to Lance Archer, were far broader than ever before.

“I don’t even think, to a degree, I would have received the offer from New Japan if AEW didn’t exist. They didn’t even know that AEW offered me the deal. I’m just saying that AEW was changing the wrestling world completely from how everybody was doing business.”

Lance Archer Liked the Idea of Coming Back to Wrestle in the US

Wrestling a foreign country is never easy, even before the pandemic hit, different cultures and language barriers can be big obstacles to overcome. For Lance Archer, there was an allure to coming back to wrestle full time in the United States.

“So, the opportunity to come back home, to tour the United States, this is prior to anybody knowing what was going to happen in 2020, the new challenges of coming back to the U.S. and being in AEW, a company that was growing and changing the world professional wrestling, all these things were just too enticing and something that I actually wanted to take on. I wanted to bet on myself and be a part of AEW.”

Lance Archer has an affinity with the New Japan crowd. Thanks to AEW’s open relationship, it is likely he will wrestle in Japan in the future. Especially now that he is the IWGP United States champion. However, for the Murderhawk Monster, it would seem that there really is no place like home.

Senior Talent Relation Executive Canyon Ceman Released By WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE has let go the company’s senior vice president of talent development Canyon Ceman this Friday according to reports from PWinsider. The rumors of the promotion releasing the executive had been heard a few weeks ago as well. They had turned out to be false at the time but now his departure has been confirmed.

Ceman had been working for WWE since 2012. He was initially hired as the senior director of talent relations in March 2012 and promoted to his latest title in August 2015. Prior to joining the world of professional wrestling, the WWE official served as the chief financial officer for the association of volleyball professionals until 2010.

Over his nine year long tenure with WWE, Canyon Ceman had been involved in scouting, recruiting and evaluating potential talents for the company’s developmental system. He was also involved with NXT. He is not the only big backstage name to have been let go by the officials in recent times.

Just like their talent roster, WWE seems to be working on decluttering their employee list as well. They have let go a number of backstage personnel in recent times. There is no word yet on why WWE decided to let go Canyon Ceman but it wouldn’t be a big surprise if his release was budget-related as well.

Edge Feels Nobody Truly Appreciates The Talent of Rey Mysterio

Alex Laybourne
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WWE superstar Edge was a recent guest on The Kurt Angle Show. During his appearance, he spoke about a number of topics including the status of Rey Mysterio. Rey and his son Dominik ran to the ring to help Edge fend off an attack from the Usos at Money in the Bank.

Rey Mysterio is held in high regard by almost every wrestling fan around the world. However, Edge feels the man still doesn’t get the full level of credit that he deserves.

“Rey Mysterio, he gets credit, but it’s still not the credit he deserves,” Edge said. “I think because he’s been so consistent for so long, that he’s not appreciated to his full extent. I don’t know if he will be fully appreciated until he retires. When there’s no Rey Mysterio on the show, they’ll go ‘But wait? We need Rey.’ I think as a writer, as a company, as a fan, as a colleague, although I think colleagues and peers appreciate him more than anyone else because they truly fully grasp and understand it.”

Edge is Amazed by Rey Mysterio’s Career Longevity

Wrestling is a tough business. It is hard on the body, especially if you wrestle a high lying luchador style. Yet, Mysterio is still going just as hard and fast today as he did in his youth. This is a fact not lost on Edge, and one of the core reasons he believes we won’t fully appreciate Rey until he has retired.

“That dude, for his style and what he’s done, to still even be in there at all let alone at the level that he’s performing at, he just did a Hell in a Cell with Roman Reigns. The term legend is thrown around a lot, dudes a legend. He’s a living legend and one day people will fully latch onto how special Rey Mysterio is.” Edge explained before going on to talk about how he paved the way for so many current superstars and is doing it for future ones too.

Edge is one of the most popular figures in WWE, arguably on a par with Rey Mysterio. Regardless, both men are in their twilight years and wrestling won’t be the same once either hang up their boots.

TNT Delighted as AEW Ratings Continue to Dominate Wednesday Nights

Alex Laybourne
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After being moved to a Friday night slot for a few weeks, AEW Dynamite is back on Wednesday nights. Since returning, the AEW ratings have continued to climb, and TNT is over the moon about it.

Night Two of Fyter Fest say AEW ratings peak with 1,148,000 hourly viewers and a 0.44 rating in the core 18-49 demographic. Aside from the show’s debut show, the Fyter Fest figures, for both nights one and two are among some of the best the show has seen.

In fact, this year AEW ratings are up 5% in the key 18-49 demographic and 3% in total viewers. These are certainly impressive gains for a company that is just 93 weeks into its life. It’s no wonder that TNT felt compelled to issue a statement on AEW’s ratings charge.

TNT’s AEW: DYNAMITE continues domination as Wednesday’s #1 cable program in P18-49 for the second week in a row. See highlights below:

AEW: Dynamite

575K P18-49 / 150K P18-34 / 1.15M P2+

Week 93 of AEW was up 11% vs. last week

AEW Ratings Continue to Recover Following Wednesday Night Return

During the recent NBA playoffs, AEW had been forced to move to a temporary Friday night slow. This change did knock the AEW ratings for a few weeks, with record low numbers being posted. However, since returning to Wednesday nights, the company is moving from strength to strength.

With all the rumors floating around about names like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, interest in AEW is at an all-time high. This will surely be reflected in the AEW ratings through the rest of the year and beyond.

AEW Dynamite is now an established part of Wednesday night TV. Dark Elevation and Dark occupy Monday and Tuesday nights on YouTube. Now, we are less than a month away from the debut episode of AEW Rampage on a Friday night. How long will it be before we start talking about AEW ratings dominance across the entire week?

Michael Cole Says Pat McAfee “Completely Revitalized My Career”

Alex Laybourne
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Michael Cole has been working with WWE since 1995 and has been a commentator for the majority of this period. He has been there and done it all, rising through the ranks behind the scenes. It is only natural, however, that you begin to feel a little jaded, or stale after so long. That doesn’t mean your work slips, or you’re unhappy, just that things begin to feel a little routine.

Talking during a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, Michael Cole spoke openly about how working alongside McAfee in the commentary booth has changed his career.

“You have completely revitalized my career.” Michael Cole said. I’ve been doing this for almost 25 years and have seen and been part of everything in WWE. You go through different partners and everyone I have worked with has been great and have all brought a different style to the product. JBL, unbelievable partner. Corey Graves, incredible talent. You’re different than all of those guys because you’re a true fan and you bring that enthusiasm to the product and seeing how you’ve been acting over the past couple of months has really revitalized what I do and I realize that I have to step up my game to keep up with what you’re doing from an enthusiastic standpoint and that’s what I’m trying to do. It’s been a lot of fun for me and it’s been really different. Thank you for breathing life into this old man.”

Michael Cole is the Voice of WWE

There have been some memorable men sitting in the WWE announcer’s booth. However, few have had the longevity Michael Cole has. From playing the heel commentator to leading the ship through many different eras, he has proven himself to be dependable and competent.

He will long be remembered for his deft handling of the Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler incident, along with many other moments during his career.

Bringing in someone with the character of McAfee for Michael Cole to play off makes a great pairing and in its own right, has many avenues for possible character building and storytelling within the commentary booth.

Jim Ross On Which AEW Star Is The Closest Thing To Stone Cold Steve Austin

Anutosh Bajpai
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Wrestling veteran Jim Ross talked about a number of things on the latest episode of his Grilling JR Podcast. He also revealed which current AEW star reminds him the most of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Steve Austin is widely regarded as one of the biggest if not the biggest wrestling superstars of all time. Ross has the first-hand experience of his rise to superstardom. He was the lead commentator for WWE throughout the Attitude Era.

During the episode, Jim Ross claimed that Jon Moxley is the closest thing he has seen to Stone Cold since the Texas Rattlesnake hung up his boots:

“[Jon] Moxley is the closest thing I’ve seen in pro wrestling like Stone Cold, since Stone Cold, attitude, body english, facial expressions, legitimate intensity, absolutely phenomenal.”

Alongside the other companies, AEW has also welcomed the fans back to the arenas this month. Speaking of the AEW crowds, Ross claimed that they remind him of the Attitude Era audience:

“Our audience because they’re younger, they come prepared. They have their signs, posters, it reminds me of the Attitude Era as far as audience participation. It’s a really good time to be a wrestling fan no matter which brand you support,

I’m a really big believer in if you’re a wrestling fan, be a wrestling fan of all of them., said Jim Ross, “Don’t go out of your way to piss on something that’s not on fire. It’s a great time to be a fan.”

Jim Ross also discussed how people like Jon Moxley know how to work TV matches in an arena full of fans but there are many young wrestlers in AEW who are having this experience for the first time in their careers.

Britt Baker Worked Championship Match On Dynamite With Broken Wrist

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Britt Baker picked up a big win on this week’s Fyter Fest edition of Dynamite. If her victory wasn’t impressive enough on its own, it’s now been revealed that she did it with a broken wrist.

The AEW women’s champion recently posted a picture of herself with MMA fighter Paige VanZant. In the photo she is seen wearing a cast on her right hand and in the caption she confirmed that she has a broken wrist:

“With @paigevanzant …And oh yeah, I retained the title on Wednesday night at #aewdynamite with a broken wrist. Not taking any time off either. #AndStill”

Britt Baker won her first women’s title in AEW during the Double Or Nothing PPV in May. She defeated Hikaru Shida in a one-on-one match for the championship.

The women’s champion had her first title defense on this Wednesday’s Fyter Fest edition of Dynamite. She successfully defended the title in a match against Nyla Rose.

She apparently suffered the injury during a death valley driver spot in the match. Though according to the champion herself, she is taking no time off.

There is no word yet on who will be Britt Baker’s next challenger after her victory on Dynamite this week. She will likely not be defending her title again until the All Out PPV on September 5.

WWE SmackDown Results (7/23): Roman Reigns & John Cena, Toni Storm Debut

Robert Lentini
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SmackDown aired live from the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland & Rolling Loud festival in Miami. Bianca Belair defended the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Carmella during tonight’s show. Universal Champion Roman Reigns responded to John Cena’s challenge for a title match at SummerSlam.

SmackDown Results (7/23)

  1. Finn Balor def. Sami Zayn
  2. Angelo Dawkins def. Chad Gable
  3. Bianca Belair def. Carmella to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship
  4. Toni Storm def. Zelina Vega
  5. Jimmy Uso def. Dominik

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Paul Heyman Mocked John Cena

John Cena kicked off the show and made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Cena referred to Roman Reigns as a lifeless egomaniac and said he came back to challenge him for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam.

Cena joked about the Indians changing their names to Guardians and claimed that SmackDown with Roman Reigns as champion sucks. Cena added that SummerSlam is not just a match for the Universal Championship, it is a chance for people to stand up for what they believe.

John asked if the crowd was on team jorts or on team cargo pants and a “Cena!” chant broke out. Cena asked Reigns to come to the ring but the Universal Champion didn’t show. Paul Heyman finally made his way to the entrance ramp and said that Cena has it all wrong.

Heyman told Cena that he’s not worth Reigns listening to and that John will get an answer to his challenge tonight whenever Roman decides to come to the ring. Heyman then hilariously mocked Cena’s theme before leaving.

https://twitter.com/r0bato/status/1418726192837013509?s=20

Finn Balor def. Sami Zayn

Finn Balor squared off with Sami Zayn in his first match back on the main roster. Sami hit Finn with an elbow to the face and brought him down to the canvas. Balor battled back but Sami dropped him again with a punch. Zayn followed it up with some more punches to Balor’s face before throwing him out of the ring.

Sami beat Balor down against the barricade and rolled him back into the ring. Balor tackled Sami and got in some punches of his own. Finn threw Sami out of the ring and flipped onto him as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Sami hit a Clothesline and went for the cover but Finn kicked out at two. Zayn applied a Headlock but Finn was able to break free and take control of the match. Finn Dropkicked Sami to the corner and followed it up with the Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory.

Apollo Crews Interrupted Big E

MITB winner Big E made his way to the ring to chants of “you deserve it!” from the crowd. Big E thanked the crowd and said that he will never forget this past Sunday. Big E joked that has no business jumping off of ladders but was interrupted by Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews & Commander Azeez.

Crews laughed at Big E for winning a contract and brought up beating Big E at WrestleMania. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode interrupted but they were quickly interrupted by a screaming Rick Boogs. Shinsuke Nakamura made his way to the ring as Boogs played the guitar. Cesaro ran to the ring and a brawl broke out. Big E Clotheslined Azeez out of the ring as Cesaro got Crews in the Swing.

Angelo Dawkins def. Chad Gable

Angelo Dawkins faced Chad Gable in a singles match from Rolling Loud. Ford and Otis were ringside. Dawkins perched Gable up on the top rope and sent him to the mat with a Clothesline. Gable battled back with a Flying Clothesline off the top rope for a two count. Gable hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Dawkins hit Splash and went for the cover but Gable kicked out at two. Angelo then connected with Sky High for the pinfall victory.

Bianca Belair Retained

Bianca Belair put the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against Carmella. The match aired from Rolling Loud. Bianca connected with a shoulder tackle and sent Carmella to the ring apron. Carmella connected with a punch and went for a Crossbody off the top rope.

Bianca caught Carmella and connected with a Fallaway Slam. Belair followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a near fall. Carmella caught Belair with a Jawbreaker and followed it up with a Facebuster for a two count. Belair took control and hit KOD for the pinfall victory. Bianca Belair is still the SmackDown Women’s Champion.

Edge Sent A Message To Seth Rollins

Edge came down to the ring to a great reaction from the Cleveland crowd. Edge said that Rollins is going to find out what he is capable of and Rollins’ music hit.Rollins interrupted and cackled into the microphone. Edge told Seth to shut up and come down to the ring. Edge added that he wasn’t going to put a hand on him. Seth added that he was going to talk about people like Cena & Edge coming back whenever they want and jumping the line but isn’t going to.

Seth said that Edge has been such a scumbag to him that he would be thrilled to end his dreams of becoming champion once again. Rollins noted that he hesitated to end Edge’s career 7 years ago but will not hesitate this time around. Edge told Rollins he lied and hit him with some punches. Rollins stomped Edge to the mat but the he got up and hit Edgecution. Edge went for the Spear but Seth retreated out of the ring.

Toni Storm Debuted With A Win

Toni Storm made her debut on SmackDown against Zelina Vega. Zelina got the jobber entrance. Toni was wrestling as a babyface and Vega beat her down to start off the action. Vega hit a running knee to the face but Toni shrugged it off and connected with a headbutt. Vega got distracted by accidentally taking Toni’s belt off somehow. Toni then hit Storm Zero for the pinfall victory.

Jimmy Uso def. Dominik

Jimmy Uso faced Dominik tonight on SmackDown. Jey Uso and Rey Mysterio were ringside for the match. Jimmy dominated the match early and hit Dominim with a Superkick for a near fall. Uso focused his attack on Dominik’s knee and then hit him with an Enziguri to the face for a two count.

Rey took out Jey outside the ring with a Senton and Dominik hit Jimmy with a Crossbody as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Dominik hit a Neckbreaker and sent Jimmy to the apron. Jimmy battled back and rolled up Dominik with an assist from Jey for the win.

Roman Reigns Declined Cena’s Challenge, Will Face Finn Balor

Universal Champion Roman Reigns came to the ring at the end of this week’s show.

Reigns stood in the ring silent with Paul Heyman as the Cleveland crowd chanted “you suck!”. Roman told Cleveland and the audience at home to acknowledge him as Heyman raised the Universal Championship above his head.

Roman stated that John Cena is a nostalgia act with the same entrance, same outfits, and same promos. Reigns joked that if he wanted that he could just search 2005 John Cena on the internet. Roman added that Cena was like missionary every night and that everyone is tired of Cena. He declined Cena’s challenge for a title shot at SummerSlam. Paul Heyman raised the Universal Championship but Finn Balor’s theme hit.

Balor came to the ring and Reigns wondered if Finn was here to acknowledge him. Finn said he was not here to do that but if Roman isn’t interested in Cena’s challenge, maybe he’d be interested in Balor’s. The crowd chanted “Roman’s scared!” and the champion quieted them down. Roman then accepted Balor’s challenge to end the show.

New WWE Action Figures Revealed At San Diego Comic-Con

Kristen Ashly
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A batch of new WWE action figures are on their way to fans, soon.

Friday, WWE and Mattel joined forces to host a fan panel during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, where they revealed their newest round of upcoming WWE figure releases.

The panel was moderated by WWE broadcaster Sam Roberts, and featured Mattel Elite Squad representatives Bill Miekina and Steve Ozer. WWE Superstars Johnny Gargano, Bianca Belair, Dominik Mysterio, and Adam Cole also dropped by at various points to help reveal the figures.

Among those released are various Elite Collection Series, Ultimate Edition, and Retro figures, along with figures for Masters of the WWE Universe Wave 8. Superstars with new figures range from current NXT and WWE talent like Ember Moon, Keith Lee, Santos Escobar, Damian Priest, Reckoning, to legends like Trish Stratus, Sgt. Slaughter, Zodiac, and The Goon.

The panel revealed several new Championship Showdown 2-Pack sets, including the Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair set, and the Drew McIntyre and Goldberg set. New Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and WrestleMania Elite figures were also added to the new batch, which included new Dakota Kai, Bayley, Bret Hart, and Vince McMahon figures.

New entries into the Hollywood Elite Collection Series was introduced, featuring The Rock as Luke Hobbs from “Hobbs & Shaw”, John Cena as Jakob Toretto from “F9”, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as John Nada from “They Live”, Roman Reigns as Mateo Hobbs from “Hobbs & Shaw”, and even The Rock as “The Scorpion King”.

Most notable from the panel, was the new campaign from WWE and Mattel seeking backers for the WWE Ultimate New Generation Arena. The crowdfunding campaign requires at least 5,000 backers at $250 each before Aug. 22 to produce the set. More features are “unlocked” after 7,000 and 8,000 backers are reached. At the time of this article, there are 660 backers.

WWE released a gallery of photos featuring the new Mattel WWE action figures Friday, as well.

The entire San Diego Comic-Con virtual panel that aired Friday can be seen at the video below.

Goldberg Announced For Two WWE Raw Events

Andrew Ravens
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Goldberg is being advertised for two WWE Raw episodes on the road to SummerSlam.

It was recently announced that the WWE Hall of Famer will be appearing on the Raw episode at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois on Monday, August 2nd. Also, he will be at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on the Monday, August 16 episode of Raw.

It should be noted that the episode in San Antonio will be Raw’s go-home show for SummerSlam.

The former Universal Champion just made his return this past Monday night to start the build for his match with Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam. It happened after Goldberg came out to the ring and confronted Lashley. Goldberg started laughing in Lashley’s face and declared that “I’m next.”

In a backstage segment after the confrontation, MVP said Goldberg disrespected Lashley and they weren’t going to dignify it with a response.

Goldberg was previously in action when he challenged for the WWE Championship at this January’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view but lost to Drew McIntyre.

WWE holds the SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Saturday, August 21 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada at Allegiant Stadium which will air on Peacock.

Chelsea Green Back In A Cast After Slammiversary

Kristen Ashly
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Chelsea Green’s doctor has put her back in a cast.

July 17, Green made her return to Impact Wrestling at their annual pay-per-view event Slammiversary, teaming up with her fiancé Matt Cardona in a winning effort against Brian Myers and Tenille Dashwood. During the match, Green landed a one-arm Canadian Destroyer on Myers.

Friday, Green posted x-ray photos on Twitter before visiting her surgeon for a follow-up on her injured arm, stating she had plans to show her doctor a video of the Destroyer.

Later Friday, Green updated her followers on Twitter by revealing her doctor had watched the video and put her arm back in a cast.

Green had appeared at Slammiversary with a cast on her arm; commentary claiming she had been cleared medically to compete. On her podcast “Green with Envy with Chelsea Green”, Green confirmed she had wrestled with a broken arm, noting Tennessee doesn’t have a health commission. A health commission can prevent a wrestler from competing when injured.

“So, obviously I’ve been talking about the familiarity—look at that fancy f*cking word. Ah, the familiarity of IMPACT. But one thing that wasn’t familiar, clearly, was wrestling with a broken arm,” started Green. “Slammiversary was in Tennessee, so they don’t have a health commission, so a health commission cannot ban me from wrestling with a broken arm. See what I mean? So I f*cking did it. YOLO, right?”

Green continued by stating that though her arm didn’t feel the best, it was worth it to wrestle, in her opinion.

“Last week, obviously I was upset that I couldn’t wrestle for Ring of Honor in the Women’s Championship tournament, but I understood why,” shared Green. “The Maryland Commission was not having any of it. But in Nashville, however, it is balls to the wall. Woo! We were good to go, so I took the opportunity and I ran with it, cast and all. I will say it doesn’t feel great, okay. Doesn’t feel 10 out of 10, but it was 10 out of 10 worth it, 100 percent worth it. A little pain, a lot of pleasure; that sounds dirty.”

The Canadian native first suffered a broken wrist during her first TV match on the March 13, 2019 NXT TV tapings, undergoing surgery the next day. Green re-injured her wrist on her SmackDown debut in November 2020, placing her on the sidelines again. After months on inactivity, WWE released Green in April, despite having signed a three-year contract.

On the same episode of “Green with Envy with Chelsea Green”, Green shared how the injury affected her mentally while preparing for Slammiversary.

“I just had this weird mental blockage,” shared Green. “I didn’t realize how much this injury would affect me mentally this time around. I think the first and second time that I broke my arm, I truly believed in my head that it was a freak accident. So, when it happened for the third time, because this is the third time I’ve broken my arm, if you don’t know, I really was in my head about it.”

Green worked recent Impact Wrestling tapings, and appeared on Thursday’s episode of Impact Wrestling in a six-man tag team match with Jake Something and Cardona. She’ll also be featured in a tournament for the upcoming Impact Homecoming special, which was also taped during the same time.

Quotes used from “Green with Envy with Chelsea Green” were h/t POST Wrestling.

https://twitter.com/ImChelseaGreen/status/1418620941752537099?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1418620941752537099%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wrestlinginc.com%2Fnews%2F2021%2F07%2Fchelsea-greens-doctor-puts-her-back-in-a-cast-after-seeing-slammiversary-video%2F

Details On When Daniel Bryan Began Contract Talks With AEW

Andrew Ravens
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Daniel Bryan has reportedly signed with All Elite Wrestling, which is just one of the big additions to the roster as well as the promotion having talks with fellow former WWE Champion CM Punk. 

Bryan is expected to make his debut during the Grand Slam edition of Dynamite from the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City on September 22nd. This show has already sold over 15,000 tickets. 

As part of his deal, in addition to comparable money to his WWE contract, Bryan wanted to work fewer dates and be able to work in Japan as well as have creative input. 

Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam, who initially broke the news, has an update on the situation. AEW’s internal talks on bringing Bryan in began back in May after his WWE contract expired

While AEW was talking about it among top executives, there were no contract talks or negotiations happening with Bryan. However, talks between Bryan and AEW began some time over the last few weeks.

As of this writing, it’s still unclear how long the contract is nor the amount of money the fan-favorite star is getting.

Vince McMahon & Other WWE Executives Sell Stock Ahead Of Next Week’s Earnings Report

Andrew Ravens
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Several WWE executives cashed in on company stock earlier this week including Vince McMahon, “Triple H” Paul Levesque, and Stephanie McMahon-Levesque. 

WWE uploaded a new SEC filing to their corporate website that shows the sold shares of Class A Common Stock. 

The following trades were made earlier this week (July 20):

  • Vince McMahon sold 17,465 shares at $48.68 for an approximate total of $850,196. The Chairman & CEO still has 72,265 shares.
  • Paul Levesque sold 4,547 shares at $48.68 for an approximate total of $221,347. The Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development still has 45,465 shares.
  • Stephanie Levesque sold 4,410 shares at $48.68 for an approximate total of $214,678. The Chief Brand Officer still has 77,712 shares.
  • Kevin Dunn sold 14,404 shares at $48.68 for an approximate total of $701,186. The Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Distribution still has 82,798 shares.
  • Kristina Salen sold 1,233 shares at $48.68 for an approximate total of $60,022. The Chief Financial Officer still has 10,817 shares.
  • Nick Khan sold 1,098 shares at $48.68 for an approximate total of $53,450. The President & Chief Revenue Officer still has 9,410 shares.
  • Bradley Blum, Executive Vice President of Operations, sold 3,558 shares at $48.68 for an approximate total of $173,203. Blum still has 26,230 shares.

Next Thursday (July 29), WWE is expected to report earnings after the market closes. The report will be for the fiscal quarter ending Jun 2021.

WWE’s stock has been trading around $49 per share this week.

Daniel Bryan Pulled From WWE 2K22 Video Game (Report)

Alex Laybourne
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There’s been a lot of press in recent days revolving around Daniel Bryan and his likely deal with AEW. While his actual signing remains unconfirmed, Dave Meltzer has reported that WWE has taken a big step with regards to his character and their use of it.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer says WWE officials sent a memo to 2K games to have Daniel Bryan’s character removed. The release date of it has not yet been announced, which would make changes such as this easier to accomplish.

This is a big move for WWE to make, given Bryans affinity with the fans and the frequent use of legacy characters in their virtual rosters. Perhaps the wound is still a little too fresh for WWE to accept.

Meltzer went on to confirm the memo was sent to multiple media outlets, meaning there will be no Daniel Bryan merchandise being created.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-X1fufate4Y

Daniel Bryan Has a Long History in WWE Video Games

Daniel Bryan has long been part of the WWE video game franchise. He has been a playable character in no less than 10 different games since 2011. This is every single video game released by WWE including the most recent WWE 2K Battlegrounds.

Daniel Bryan was even the central part of the storyline mode in the 2K19 edition of the series. Players could play as Brian Danielson and play the story of his career. He was also the alternate cover art design for WWE 2K14.

The sudden request for his removal could just be a kneejerk reaction to his crossing over to their biggest rival. However, with digital downloads adding new content and characters post-launch is easy. Alongside that, there is a high chance that Daniel Bryan’s move set will still be part of the game. Gamers are able to create their own character in 2k games. It’s a safe bet that we will see players creating their own Brian Danielson characters.

On a similar note, maybe there is still time to have a Daniel Bryan character added to the upcoming AEW console video game.

CM Punk AEW Rumor Spikes All Out Ticket Sales

Chris Stephens
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AEW’s upcoming All Out PPV in Chicago on September 5th sold out quickly and long before any rumors of CM Punk signing with the promotion leaked. Despite this, rumors of Punk heading to AEW have caused a spike in the secondary ticket market for the event.

According to a recent report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, secondary market ticket prices have increased 18% since news of Punk possibly signing with AEW was reported. The current “get-in” price for the event is $141.

“All Out on 9/5 in Chicago has a $141 get-in price, so the C.M. Punk rumors have upped ticket prices about 18 percent across the board,” wrote Dave Meltzer.

The event will be held in what is now known as the NOW Arena. Previously, it was named the Sears Center. It is the home of the famous “All In” PPV put on by Cody Rhodes and Ring of Honor in 2018.

If CM Punk is headed to AEW, an event in Chicago is the place to do it. Punk has very strong roots in the city and some of his biggest moments in wrestling occurred in Chicago as well. Possibly the biggest moment being the Money in the Bank PPV from 2011. Punk defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship that night. The event drew an attendance of 14,815 people to the Allstate Arena. The PPV did 195,000 buys.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCuF3JCnk2s/

Big E Feels His Money in the Bank Victory Was a New Day Victory

Alex Laybourne
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Last year’s WWE Draft may have separated the New Day, but it did not defeat them. Far from it. Many, including Big E, feel the brand split just means their group gets even more exposure than it did before.

“Even though we’re on different shows, I still feel like the caveman that’s gone out and grabbed fresh meat and berries and brought it back to the cave so that my family can eat,” Big E said speaking to Bleacher Report.

Big E was largely referring to his recent Money in the Bank victory. However, in his mind, the same would apply even if he were to lift the WWE Championship. In fact, while chatting, Big E reflected that his victory wasn’t his, but rather, the groups.

“That may have been one of the greatest nights of my career,” Big E said about becoming Mr Money in the Bank. “I almost don’t want to say it because I have so much reverence for Kofi and Woods and what we’ve done together. It almost feels like saying that diminishes that, but to me, but it’s still a New Day accomplishment. I don’t think I would’ve gotten here without those guys and how much I was able to grow as a performer because of that run.”

Being in the New Day Changed Big E’s Career Forever

When they first debuted, the New Day sank almost as fast as the League of Nations faction. However, something changed. Something clicked. It was an organic growth that nobody could have stopped. Not even the big man of the group. In creating the New Day, the lives of Big E, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods were changed forever.

Even if the stable does disband, and change their personas, the legacy of the New Day will live on. From their incredible battles against The Uso’s, to their trombone-playing, pancake-flinging antics, they are a faction that changed the landscape.

“That’s still my perspective. I don’t just do this for me. Everything I do adds to our legacy as a trio.” Big E said, confirming his earlier statements about the New Day still having a lot they want to accomplish.

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