After weeks of having NXT stars work dark matches, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina faced NXT stars Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart on this week’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown from Tampa, Florida at the Yuengling Center on FOX.
Blackheart got the win for her team by pinning Natalya by hitting her with the Ballpit finisher. There’s still no word yet as to whether this marked their official main roster debuts.
This was expected as the news was reported earlier in the day. This comes at a time where NXT Champion Karrion Kross, Toni Storm, Blackheart, Scarlett, Odyssey Jones and former NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed have been brought to recent TV events for WWE officials to check out.
Nox returned to the ring at Monday’s Raw TV event when she wrestled a dark match against fellow NXT star Toni Storm. The following night on NXT, she made her return to TV as she was revealed the person behind the battery charging vignettes. She continued her program with Candice LeRae after being sidelined with a torn ACL.
Kross and Reed are on WWE’s short list for main roster call-ups, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, WWE named Bayley’s replacement in the match and that’s Carmella. It happened when Sonya Deville announced the news. It was also noted that this match is no longer slated to take place at Money in the Bank, but rather moved to next week’s SmackDown episode.
Fightful Select reports Bayley was training with another WWE star this week and that her “knee popped.” The media outlet was told the staff has been told it’s a torn ACL, but that’s not confirmed by WWE.
It was said that her injury may have actually caused plans to change for incoming talent and two wrestlers on the roster were openly frustrated that the company’s lack of depth left them scrambling to find an appropriate replacement. One person said “they did it to themselves,” before noting that Bayley helped carry the company during the COVID-19 pandemic and did everything that was asked of her.
The injury was said to be a freak accident that happened while chain wrestling at WWE’s mandatory return to road Performance Center training.
Chris Jericho had an interesting moment in Miami on Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite when a fan tried to rush the ring to attack the former AEW World Champion and MJF.
Cornette tweeted, “Got news for you dips**t, the ring is sacred ground for US, and even if you and a lot of others THINK you can kick the s**t out of the Young Bucks, I would have turned you into a tennis racket popsicle, & you’re lucky someone there didn’t gut you like a fish. And you’re blocked.”
Jericho also ripped the fan by writing, “Do you really think @TheJimCornette would condone this you fu**in loser? Jimmy would’ve shoved a tennis racket up your ass and smashed your car windows.”
Speaking of Jericho, Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the top AEW will be missing some Dynamite episodes later this year.
He’ll be on tour with his rock band Fozzy in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Ireland from November 30 to December 12. According to that schedule, he’ll be missing the December 1st and 8th episodes of AEW Dynamite.
Once again, tickets for AEW All Out sold out almost immediately.
Thursday, AEW held a ticket presale for the event, which resulted in nearly every ticket inside Chicago’s NOW Arena to sell out. Friday, the general public was given access to the remaining seats, which were also snagged incredibly quickly, selling-out the venue for the September event.
POST Wrestling reported they were told once AEW arrives in Illinois and finalize production set-up, the company may have more seats available.
According to WrestleTix, a Twitter account that posts live ticket information for numerous wrestling promotions including AEW, NJPW, and WWE, the map held 9,496 seats, with suite seats likely increasing that number. The venue’s website itself states the center has 11,800 seats.
WrestleTix also reported that the All Out sold out before the que could lighten, sharing screenshots that revealed very few seats were available before the general public sale began. Even the Trio Combo packages were mostly sold out when WrestleTix made it to the front of the ticket line.
In 2019, AEW also sold out the same venue in 15 minutes for their inaugural All Out event.
This is the third All Out in the event series, the second to be held an hour outside of Chicago in Hoffman Estates, IL. AEW will hold a total of three events at NOW Arena during the same week as All Out— including Dynamite on Wednesday and Rampage on Sunday.
AEW All Out Week begins Wednesday, Sept. 1 with Dynamite. AEW All Out 2021 takes place Sunday, Sept. 5, live from NOW Arena starting at 7:30pm EST.
These were the screenshots sent to me of those who did get in when they had tickets left. By the time I got in, they were gone: pic.twitter.com/aiG8O3FXwj
I'm STILL in the queue for the All Out individual on-sale but I got in for the Trio Combo package deal where they had about 432+ tickets available and those are ALL just about gone as of now. https://t.co/yRCOtKPuzUpic.twitter.com/AOwf7p9z2b
Stephanie McMahon is promising fans that live shows will feature a different look and feel when it comes to production and creative.
During an interview with Variety, McMahon explained how excited WWE is to get back to live shows, stressing how important fans are to the wrestling experience.
“I think I can speak for everybody that touches the WWE Universe — whether it is our fans, our Superstars, our employees, or our partners — we absolutely cannot wait to get back together and come back home where we belong,” McMahon told Variety. “And even though we never went off the air and we continue to produce our content, even though we brought in nearly a million virtual fans over this time period through the ThunderDome with over 70 plus live shows, there’s still just such a huge component missing without fans physically in attendance.”
WWE’s Chief Brand Officer also revealed how the company’s stint inside the Thunderdome taught the crew many lessons, describing how WWE plans on using those lessons to create change at the upcoming live shows.
“In the ThunderDome, we were able to experiment with different types of technology,” stated McMahon. “And we needed to over-deliver for our partners and our fans watching at home. But now we have the ability to apply all of those learnings to the live event experience with our fans. So from a production and storytelling standpoint, it will look and feel different.”
McMahon continued, “We’re going to have a new set design, a new presentation of our talents, different locations, and arena setups. We’re going to be utilizing augmented reality in a way that we never have before. We experimented with it a lot during Thunderdome, but it is now going to be incorporated into our talent entrances. There’s also going to be animated graphics. It’s going to be so exciting and so different than anything we’ve done before.”
The interview could be alluding to other interviews where Stephanie McMahon has stated that WWE has some surprises in store for SummerSlam. It’s also been rumored that WWE will have special “themed” live events to drive ticket sales.
In May, WWE announced they would return to live events beginning in July 16 with a 25-city tour, starting with the return’s debut at the Toyota Center in Houston for SmackDown.
SmackDown Superstar Bayley will be out of action for the remainder of 2021.
WWE announced on Friday that Bayley sustained an injury while training for her upcoming “I Quit” match against SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at Money in the Bank (7/18).
Upon asking around sources in WWE, we’ve heard Bayley is dealing with a knee injury. In an update to this situation, Pwinsider confirms Bayley tore her ACL during a recent training session at the Performance Center.
With Bayley out of action, a “suitable replacement” to challenge Belair at MITB will be named tonight on WWE SmackDown.
SEScoops wishes Bayley a full and speedy recovery.
Reactions to Bayley’s Injury
Here are some reactions from WWE Superstars and social media:
. @itsBayleyWWE is one of the toughest I know. Speedy recovery and sending all the love to you. Thank you for always being you.
— The Realest Swerve Strickland (@swerveconfident) July 9, 2021
I’m not alone is saying this news makes my heart hurt, but that being said 9 months from now we can expect one badass return ? we will be waiting. https://t.co/FTqpzWThnw
— Daria/Sonya Deville (@SonyaDevilleWWE) July 9, 2021
Wishing a speedy recovery! I can’t wait to see your chingona comeback chiquita ?? https://t.co/86u6MrEyJu
The only person on the SmackDown roster it would make natural sense to face Bianca Belair is Sasha Banks, who hasn't appeared since after WrestleMania. Certainly some big opportunity for WWE to reset things and give some new people a chance.
The arena has played home to countless WWE events over the years. Both house shows, live events, and big PPVs. Both Wrestlemania and SummerSlam debut events were held there. The announcement of a Smackdown return to Madison Square Garden was naturally excitedly received by the WWE universe.
In a new development, it has been announced that the event will be a ‘Super Smackdown’ with wrestlers from both brands making an appearance.
WWE Universal champion Roman Reigns took to social media to comment on the decision. Saying he was excited to see both brands lining up for the Tribal Chief.
Tickets for the event went on sale this morning. Madison Square Garden has stipulated that anybody over 16 needs to show proof of vaccination if they want to attend. As of the time of writing, there are still tickets available for the event.
WWE Draft Set One Week Before Madison Square Garden Return
The return to Madison Square Garden is scheduled 1 week after the 2021 edition of the WWE draft. The decision to include superstars from both rosters could be a way of ensuring names can appear regardless of the draft result.
Including members of both rosters is not common in the era of the brand split. However, if ever there was a reason to celebrate in such a way, a return to wrestling’s Mecca would certainly be a valid one.
Regardless of the brand, Madison Square Garden always brings with it a special atmosphere. The company are sure to go all out for the event. With WWE celebrating being back on the road, with fans in attendance, it is guaranteed to be a memorable occasion.
Riddle has become one of the bigger stars on RAW every Monday night. His RK-Bro team with Randy Orton has become a focal part of the show even when Orton’s not there. The UFC fighter turned WWE Superstar recently spoke to Talk Sport and the topic of backstage heat he had with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch was discussed.
The Original Bro told Alex McCarthy, “I’ll be honest, I’ve met Seth multiple times and he’s met me and I don’t think we’ll ever be best friends I don’t think we like one another, we’re just two different people. We both love wrestling.”
The conflict between Riddle and Rollins started after Riddle’s partner posted some comments online about women on the WWE roster.
“Calling several main roster divas over the past two weeks for being straight skinny jiggly fat (not to say they aren’t pretty, just to say SQUAT),” she said in a since deleted post.
Riddle continued to talk about how these comments impacted his relationship with both Seth and Becky.
“I know my significant other said something about Becky that they didn’t like and I also did not like or agree with,” Riddle continued. “Seth didn’t like me after that and I don’t think Becky liked me or my wife either, which is understandable. It is what it is.”
Riddle and Seth Rollins Talk Backstage At Survivor Series
Riddle continued to say that he and Rollins spoke about their issues backstage at Survivor Series.
“We talked,” Riddle continued. “I said ‘Hey man, what was said, I don’t agree with it. I thought it was bullcrap. It’s not cool. I just want you to know I apologise, I apologise on her behalf as well.”
“On top of that I think you’re a great performer and if you would ever have it in your heart to work with me, I would love that.”
Riddle said the two appeared to squash their beef then but things still aren’t friendly between the two of them.
“I said ‘Thank you for listening and giving me the time, bro. I hope we’re good now.’ And I will say this, we’re good enough to be working together, I don’t think we’re friends.”
It has been confirmed by Dave Meltzer that Paul Heyman will not be returning as host of Talking Smack. Last week Heyman was replaced on the show by Pat McAfee. However, the news is now out that Heyman is being replaced full time. It is not yet known whether McAfee will be the one to assume the mantle or not.
While people are always eager to find an angle in things, there appears to be nothing behind the change. It is just a company decision to move ahead with a new face.
Of course, there is increasing speculation that Brock Lesnar will soon be returning to WWE. Paul Heyman is a close friend to Brock in real life, and the pair have often worked together in WWE. With Heyman currently acting on behalf of Roman Reigns, it could be that there is a bigger storyline brewing for Heyman which would explain why he needs a break from hosting duties. However, that would be pure speculation.
Paul Heyman has been the host of Talking Smack since November 2020. The show has been through a few incarnations over the years. Originally hosted by Renee Young and Daniel Bryan. It was then moved to a post PPV only slow, before being pulled completely. November was the rebirth of the show, which has provided many memorable moments over the years.
Paul Heyman and Talking Smack Were Viral Gold
Paul Heyman is good with his words and he is good with people. Two things that are a must for a show host, or anybody working in the entertainment sector. His confrontations with the guests on Talking Smack have provided many memorable moments in the eight months he was the host.
Whether he was getting under someone’s skin with pointed barbs, or wisecracking the annoyance out of them, Paul Heyman was a master at getting the job done. He would rant and rave, going off on wild diatribes about different storylines – not only his own – with the annoyingly eloquent grace we have come to expect.
As irritating as Paul Heyman can be, it only serves to highlight the talent the man has for character building. Hopefully, Talking Smack can carry on without him at the helm and there is nothing nefarious work behind the move.
There were few wrestlers caught more by surprise by their release than former NXT tag-team Ever-Rise. The duo comprising wrestlers Matt Martel and Chase Parker had only just signed new contracts with WWE. On top of that, they were getting an ever-increase level of screen time.
Talking to WhatCulture, Ever-Rise, were perfectly happy with the way their careers seemed to be developing.
— ‘Cool Hand’ Angelo Parker (@TheAngeloParker) July 8, 2021
“Yeah, [we were] surprised to say the least. Surprised, to say the least. It seemed to us that we had our whole careers in front of us in WWE. We were on TV every week doing what we wanted to do.” Matt commented.
“Since, like, the month of October, we were doing something every week. Especially on NXT. finally getting, like, those… fleshing out those characters, which was always the idea, but it was a slow start.” Chase added.
Ever-Rise were always supposed to be background figures, building their popularity and their brand slowly before snowballing onto the main stage. It was a process they all thought was going well.
Ever-Rise Praise NXT Communication and Hold No Grudges
In fact, the duo had been talking creative ideas with NXT the very day they were cut from the roster. However, that said, Ever-Rise hold no animosity with NXT and were full of praise for the level of communication and way of working on the black and gold brand.
“For our end, there’s always great communication between… whether it be Triple H, or Shawn Michaels or the coaches at the Performance Center, the writing team, the producers. Great communication all around. So it was… again, that’s kind of why it comes as a surprise because we were still in the process of working on stuff that day. That day!”
It’s a shame Ever-Rise never got the chance to truly show what they were capable of in a WWE ring. Whether the pair will stay together or go their separate ways remains to be seen. First, they need to sit through their mandatory cooling-off period.
Major League Wrestling returns tomorrow in Philadelphia for Battle Riot III. The promotion will welcome back fans for the first time since the pandemic as they invade the famed 2300 Arena.
The show will kick-start a new season for the promotion, one that has been built up in recent weeks with an official draft. The show is officially sold out.
Battle Riot is similar to a Royal Rumble style battle royal with wrestlers entering at different times. In Battle Riot, 40 wrestlers will take part entering the ring in intervals of 1 minute. Eliminations can occur by throwing a wrestler over the top rope but also by pin and submission.
The winner of the match earns the right to challenge the MLW World Champion at a time and place of their choosing. Tom Lawlor won the first Battle Riot in 2018. LA Park won the second Battle Riot in 2019. The event did not take place last year due to the pandemic.
Azteca Underground’s Cesar Duran (the former Dario Cueto) has arranged for his King Muertes to receive a shot at the Caribbean Championship at Battle Riot. He’ll take on Richard Holliday under Caribbean rules, meaning anything goes. Duran is scheduled to be part of the tapings and will be live in Philadelphia to lead his mysterious faction. Muertes represents a significant threat to Holliday’s title.
Davey Richards is returning to the ring with MLW. He’ll take on TJP at Battle Riot III in a match that will have technical wrestling fans excited. TJP will be looking to deal a blow to Richard’s return while Richards will be looking to show the wrestling world he hasn’t lost a step.
MLW has also announced that its 2021 Draft will conclude at Battle Riot. This could possibly mean many surprise new additions to the roster will be unveiled on the show.
Bunkhouse Brawl Pits The Von Erichs vs Team Filthy
This match was announced late last month, but no longer appears on MLW.com. It is not currently clear it is still taking place.
There is perhaps no bigger rivalry in MLW than the Von Erichs vs Tom Lawlor and his Team Filthy. That rivalry will continue at Battle Riot III when the Von Erichs take on Team Filthy in a Bunkhouse Brawl. Team Filthy cost the Von Erichs the tag belts earlier this year while the Von Erichs ruined Lawlor’s “Filthy Island” festival. This will be a brutal grudge match between two rival factions.
The wrestling world was left in slack-jawed amazement when news broke of Braun Strowman’s WWE release. The monster had been main eventing PPVs and challenging for the top title just a month previous.
Initially, Braun was coy about his future plans. However, after some time away and a new beard cut, the big man is just itching for a fight. Taking to social media recently, Strowman likened his 90-day wait to being in prison.
— The Monster of all Monsters (@Adamscherr99) July 9, 2021
Braun Strowman has certainly been enjoying life since he was released by WWE on June 2nd, but a fighter wants to do but one thing. It is clear from his words that Strowman is now ready to get back in the ring. If his recent social media posts are anything to go by, he is keeping himself in great ring condition.
Given the sudden and shocking nature of his goodbye, there will undoubtedly be some frustrations the big man is looking to work out of his system. His first few opponents are surely going to feel his wrath.
Is Braun Strowman AEW Bound?
While not even halfway through his mandatory cooldown period, talking about an AEW move is gaining traction. This was fuelled by new AEW analyst Mark Henry saying that both sides were interested and talking.
If Braun Strowman is going to sign with the Jacksonville-based promotion then his first feud could already be set. Strowman was quick to reply to a fan who claimed that AEW’s resident big man, Wardlow would be willing to stand in Strowman’s way.
— The Monster of all Monsters (@Adamscherr99) July 9, 2021
A fight between the pair would be quite the affair, and it could be a natural fit given both men’s physiques. Wardlow is currently locked in a feud along with other Pinnacle members with the Inner Circle.
However, that said, Braun Strowman is not eligible to compete again until August 31st. Luckily enough, the last day of his sentence is a Tuesday, and with AEW Dynamite airing on a Wednesday, the timing could not be better.
The self-proclaimed Beef King has been posting videos on social media of his training for the next chapter of his career, whatever that entails.
Impact Wrestling continues to build up the idea that anyone could show up at Slammiversary. This week on Impact Wrestling, Gail Kim informed Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo that she will not know who her opponent on the PPV will be ahead of time. She’ll be defending her title against a mystery opponent.
This has led many people to speculate as to who could be brought in to face the champion on the PPV. There is no shortage of possible options.
BREAKING: @DeonnaPurrazzo will defend the Knockouts Championship against a MYSTERY OPPONENT at #Slammiversary on July 17th LIVE on PPV and @FiteTV!
Former Knockouts Champion, Chelsea Green, is heavily rumored to return to her former promotion. Green returning to Impact was addressed recently in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Chelsea Green has been heavily talked of as coming back here of late and even hinted herself about the idea of bringing back Laurel Van Ness, which was her Impact name,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
The man formerly known as Aleister Black is wasting no time in getting back into the ring. This week, he released a short horror vignette showing Tommy End in a psychiatric facility, being examined by doctors. The next day, he appeared on AEW, attacking Cody Rhodes and Arn Anderson. In doing so, debuting his new character Malakai Black.
Black also appeared on the YouTube show Drinks With Johnny, where he spoke about his new character and what he is trying to do.
The simple takeaway from it is not that Aleister Black is dead, but rather he never existed at all. Talking in his interview, Tommy End made two announcements.
“What you’re going to see is what happened to Tommy End during the 4 years that Aleister Black was on TV.” He explained. “The base of my character has always been that Tommy End was possessed by the devil and turned into Aleister Black.”
This is a creative way to not only move on from a character created in an old promotion but also to tie together a career spanning multiple incarnations. Wrestler’s identities will often change when they move around. However, linking everything to an underlying psychosis is a clever way to weave the different stages of a career together.
Aleister Black Likens WWE to a Psychotic Episode
There has been no shortage of released wrestlers talking about the level of frustration they felt while working for WWE. Jon Moxley created his prison break video which aired to the minute of his contract ending. However, writing off your entire WWE experience as one bad psychotic episode is a creative touch that would surely make his former employers jealous.
Aleister Black went on to explain how Tommy End could not beat his episode and eventually gives in to Malakai. He did this to great effect in his video. Yet, it was not without intent. It is another layer to the Tommy End story, with Black wanting to put a little distance between himself and End.
“I’m also moving away from Tommy End for a while. I just wanted to get rid of my WB name for a while. I’m creating a specific IP for something else. You will know it when it happens because it will most likely happen on the same day.”
Aleister Black is taking storytelling and character development to an entirely new level. Luckily, fans will get to see that unfold in AEW. It could be that what Black was alluding to was his AEW debut with his comments. However, there is clearly a lot of thought going into his new character and it is exciting to think where it could go.
Malakai Black (FKA Aleister Black, Tommy End) hosted Thea Trinidad’s (Zelina Vega’s) Twitch channel yesterday. During the stream, he spoke about how his AEW debut all came together.
“Once I found out that my contract was a tad different than the usual, I just came up with this idea,” said Black (transcriptions via Wrestling Observer). “We made it a thing to make it available to as limited people as possible because that’s how you keep it under wraps. Security, Cody Rhodes, and a few others. It may have been five or six total people.”
On AEW Dynamite this week, Arn Anderson was in the ring when the lights cut out. When they returned, Black was in the ring. He attacked Anderson and then Cody Rhodes as well.
“I pitched that idea and said, ‘What if we do multiple blackouts throughout the show and insinuated the technical difficulties?’ Commentary did a great job getting that over and it came off great,” he continued. The lights also went out during the Rhodes vs QT Marshall strap match, with commentary alluding to there having been technical difficulties throughout the day.
Shortly after Black was released from WWE, there were rumors that some in the company were pushing for him to be brought back. Black also addressed his decision to sign with AEW during the stream.
“It was the right move for me to make for me, my family, my career, the state of mind I’m in. It’s just a really good company. I can’t say enough good things about it. They have a bright future.”
“Last night was top three one of my favorite moments of my career… It was the cumulation of months and months and months and having this big payoff was worth the pain, chaos, and perseverance,” Black concluded.
HOLY S**T … Malakai Black ( @TommyEnd) has arrived in @AEW!
Impact Wrestling on 7/8 featured a show-long storyline of Sami Callihan being arrested for assaulting Don Callis. The promotion also continued the build to Slammiversary in less than two weeks.
Impact Wrestling 7/8 Quick Results:
Jake Something defeated Brian Myers w/ Sam Beale
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo defeated Lady Frost
W. Morrissey defeated Jason Page, Manny Smith & Deonte Evans
Rosemary & Havok defeated Susan & Kimber Lee
Karl Anderson w/ Doc Gallows defeated Deaner w/ Violent By Design, TJP w/ Fallah Bahh & Rich Swann w/ Willie Mack
Matt Cardona Returns!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv_8NFTMfwg
Jake Something picked up a big victory in this week’s opening contest. He defeated Brian Myers with a Black Hole Slam. The stipulation in this match was that the loser had to acknowledge the other as a true “professional” but Myers’ protege, Sam Beale, jumped Something from behind before Myers adhered to the stipulation.
Something was then saved from a 2-on-1 beatdown by a returning Matt Cardona, however. Cardona cleared the ring of the heels, leaving him and Something in the ring to close the segment.
As Sami Callihan is being interviewed in the back, several security officers approach him to say they have a warrant out for his arrest. Later we would see that footage exists of Callihan having punched Don Callis, although the footage only seemed to show Callihan from behind…
With Callihan arrested it is not clear if he will be able to make it to the contract signing later.
Deonna Purrazzo Will Face A Mystery Opponent At Slammiversary
Lady Frost made her debut in Impact Wrestling by answering Deonna Purrazzo’s open challenge this week. She’d drop the match via submission when the champion locked in a Fujiwara arm-bar, however.
After the match, Gail Kim came to the ring and confronted the champion. At first, Purrazzo thought that Kim was there to issue a challenge to her for Slammiversary. Kim confirmed she’s retired but was out there to announce that at Slammiversary, Purrazzo won’t know who her opponent is ahead of time. It will be the champion versus a mystery contender on the PPV.
Chris Sabin was just settling in for a relaxing time at Swinger’s Palace this week when he was attacked from behind by Moose. Sabin was left fairly brutalized as Moose effectively softened up his Slammiversary opponent.
W. Morrissey Sends A Message To Eddie Edwards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2-Rvd4ZE9E
W. Morrissey attacked Eddie Edwards before he was scheduled to face Satoshi Kojima last week. The big man who is still undefeated in Impact will face Edwards at Slammiversary. He sent a message to his upcoming opponent this week by dominating 3 opponents in a handicap match.
Kimber Lee Enlists James Mitchell’s Help After Loss To Havok & Rosemary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUPDGdE4KVc
Havok & Rosemary have joined forces as of late and this week they picked up a win over Kimber Lee and Susan. They will now move on to face the champions at Slammiversary.
After the match, Kimber Lee was distraught at suffering another loss. She approached Father James Mitchell in the back to ask for help. Susan, the former Su Yung, then left with Mitchell. Could the more devious version of her character be returning?
Tenille Dashwood Attacks Jazz
It’s not my fault @Phenom_Jazz put me in that situation. I just did what I had to do… Like any reasonable person would. I am only human. https://t.co/O5AFHdrcFK
— Tenille Dashwood (@TenilleDashwood) July 9, 2021
On Dashwood’s “All About Me” reverse-talk show this week, she berated Jazz and said that she’s the reason Dashwood and Rachael Ellering didn’t become a team. Jazz went to leave but was attacked from behind by Dashwood.
Later in the show, Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace would challenge Dashwood and Kaleb to a match for next week.
Multi-Team Tag Team Title Match Announced For Slammiversary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtZgPKtzDI4
Rich Swann and Willie Mack came out for a promo and said they want a shot at Violent By Design, but then so did several other teams. This brought out Tommy Dreamer who announced a 4-way match at Slammiversary featuring Mack & Swann, TJP & Fallah Bah, The Good Brothers, and the champions Violent By Design.
This then led to a four way match with each team sending one representative. Anderson would pick up the win with a Gun Stun on 1/2 of the champs, Deaner.
Sami Callihan and Kenny Omega Contract Signing
Kenny Omega and Don Callis come out for the official Slammiversary contract signing with Scott D’Amore. With Callihan arrested, it was just them. Omega signed the contract but then the lights in the building went out. The video of “Callihan” assaulting Callis is shown on the screen but this time the footage continues to show that it was actually John E Bravo dressed up as Callihan. When the lights come back on Callihan is in the ring. He delivers a piledriver to the champion before signing the contract. The challenger then put the champion through a table to end the show.
Coming Up In Impact Wrestling
Next Week
Doc Gallows vs. Fallah Bahh vs. Joe Doering vs. Willie Mack
Josh Alexander, Chris Bey, Trey Miguel & Petey Williams vs Rohit Raju, Ace Austin, Madman Fulton & Shera
Havok vs Tasha Steelz
Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering vs Tenille Dashwood & Kaleb
Slammivesary:
Impact World Championship Kenny Omega (c) vs Sami Callihan
Knockouts Championship Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs A Mystery Opponent
Impact Tag Team Championships Violent By Design (c) vs The Good Brothers vs Willie Mack & Rich Swann vs TJP & Fallah Bah
Knockouts Tag Team Championships Fire N Flava (c) vs Rosemary & Havok
X-Division Championship Ultimate-X Josh Alexander (c) vs Rohit Raju vs Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel vs Ace Austin vs Petey Williams
Major League Wrestling returns this Saturday night with MLW Battle Riot III live from the famous 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.
I will be on-hand for Battle Riot this weekend as a correspondent for SEScoops and spoke with “Interview Queen” Alicia Atout to discuss MLW’s return, Battle Riot and much more.
When asked who she thinks will win Battle Riot III, Atout named MLW National Openweight Champion Alex Hammerstone as her favorite.
“As much as I don’t want to choose someone from this faction, I feel like a lot of eyes are on Hammerstone at the moment,” said Atout.
She goes on to say that many people were wondering when he will finally go one on one against Fatu and will he hold the Openweight and Heavyweight Championship at the same time.
Atout added, “Every single day when I’m opening Instagram, I’m seeing him like in the gym 10 times a day. He knows what he’s been working on and I think he’s gonna come in just like swinging. I think it might be Hammer, but I’m not sure.”
Other topics discussed include the returning to live wrestling, Salina De La Renta’s departure from MLW, her favorite reality TV shows, and more.
Watch my full interview with Alicia Atout:
MLW’s Battle Riot III is sold out and will be taking place at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on July 10th at 7 p.m. EST.
Check back this weekend for MLW Battle Riot III Results!
John Cena has signed on to be part of an upcoming film franchise that already has three movies planned. An all-star cast will take part in the spy thriller series including Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, and Samuel L. Jackson.
Dua Lipa will provide the soundtrack for the film and also make her acting debut. Kingsmen director Matthew Vaughan will direct.
“When I read this early draft manuscript I felt it was the most incredible and original spy franchise since Ian Fleming’s books of the ’50s,” said Vaughan. “This is going to reinvent the spy genre.”
It is not yet clear what Cena’s role in the film series will be. Filming begins in Europe next month, which if Cena is involved in early shooting, could cause problems for him appearing at SummerSlam. It’s not yet clear when Cena would need to be on set for filming, however.
Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bryan Cranston, Dua Lipa, Samuel L. Jackson, John Cena, Catherine O’Hara Set For New Matthew Vaughn Spy Franchise ‘Argylle’ https://t.co/xwwrWYujIo
The Wednesday Night Wars were always something fought out at the boardroom level. Talking in a recent interview with Sportskeeda, recently released superstar Killian Dain talked about how watching AEW matches while backstage at NXT.
Wrestling is a community. Regardless of what promotion you work for, there is a kinship that exists between wrestlers that runs deep. It is this friendship that keeps matters more than ratings and demographics in the eyes of the wrestlers themselves.
“Like, so, I think people would love [for] me to say it was this rivalry or whatever else, but the truth is, you know when we were going head-to-head if they had a particularly good match, we’d wanted to watch; we’d watch! You know what I mean? We’d be backstage in the locker room; we’ll be like, ‘Oh, such and such, let’s see that.’ A lot of [them] are our friends, [as is] with a lot of the guys on the roster,” Killian Dain said.
Killian Dain Enjoyed the Healthy Rivalry But Never Wants AEW to Fail
A rivalry is always a good thing. It can drive you to do the very best you can at every chance you get. This is a statement echoed by Killian Dain when talking about how the NXT and WWE stars thought of AEW.
“So yeah, sure, there is a rivalry so far as we wanted to do the best we could, we wanted to put on the best matches, and we felt that we had an incredible roster at NXT,” Dain said. “There is not one person there, who has gone, ‘F them’ or anything like that because I shared locker rooms with maybe at least 50 per cent of that roster. In fact, I’m probably underselling that; I’d say I’ve been at shows with about 75 per cent of that roster; some of the guys I even trained with or people who have [been] trained by myself, you know, are on that roster.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CQjwkhWsyLv/
Killian Dain is now a free agent. His wife, Nikki Cross is a WWE wrestler, and his friends are scattered across the globe. He is a hard worker in the prime of his career. Hopefully, it won’t be long before he’s back in a wrestling ring once more.
Comedian Donnell Rawlings recently posted a photo of himself with Vince McMahon from a show he did with Dave Chappelle. Triple H recently spoke to the NY Post about attending Chappelle’s comedy show along with his father-in-law.
“We all find Dave Chappelle, much like the rest of the world, I think, as incredibly entertaining and funny and we’re big fans,” Triple H said. “And there was a rare opportunity where he was going to be in town, we all had an opportunity to have a few moments where we weren’t going to be working for a minute and we could also go see him. It sort of kind of was one of those things where we all went to each other at the same time — ‘Hey, I saw Chappelle is going to be doing some shows.’”
Triple H continued to say that Vince McMahon is just a normal guy but also very private. He said that when Vince does something like goes to a concert, attends a show etc. that he rarely posts photos from it.
“He’s a normal human being,” Triple H continued. “The persona that people have placed upon him is funny, but he’s also very private, too. Often when he does do things, when he goes to a concert or he goes to things you don’t often see photos from it. In fact, we took pictures with a lot of people that night and that was the one photo that came out. I was kind of surprised myself.”
JTG mentioned on the Bump last year that Vince is a fan of Chappelle’s. He said that Chappelle Show influenced some of Cryme Tyme’s skits and segments in Ohio Valley Wrestling.
New Japan Pro Wrestling will run its annual G1 Climax tournament in September this year. The round-robin competition normally runs in August but scheduling changes have pushed it back the last couple of years due to the pandemic and Tokyo Olympic schedule.
According to the promotion’s Japanese-language website, the event will begin on September 18th and conclude on October 21st. This is similar to last year’s G1 Climax which ran from September 19th to October 18th. Kota Ibushi defeated SANADA in the finals of last year’s tournament.
Upcoming NJPW Schedule
NJPW has two “Summer Struggle” events this weekend. Night 1 of Summer Struggle takes place Saturday from Hokkaido. The main event of that show will feature El Desperado vs Taiji Ishimori for the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship. Night 2 of Summer Struggle will be headlined by the Dangerous Tekkers defending their IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships against SANADA and Tetsuya Naito.
A Wrestle Grand Slam event from the Tokyo Dome has been scheduled for later this month on July 25th. That show is scheduled to be headlined by Shingo Takagi defending the IWGP Heavyweight Championship against Kota Ibushi. Japan has declared a state of emergency recently which could impact the promotion’s schedule, however.
LIVE English for Summer Struggle in Sapporo!
LIVE English for Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome!
WWE Superstar Jimmy Uso was arrested for DUI again this week. His latest arrest for driving under the influence occurred Monday night in Pensacola, FL (Escambia County).
Uso, real name is Jonathan Fatu, posted $500 bond Tuesday morning and was later released from custody.
A copy of the police report by arresting officer William Roper, was obtained by EWrestlingNews.com and can be seen below. The report details Uso running a red light, getting pulled over and showing multiple signs of intoxication from alcohol.
[ STATEMENT OF PROBABLE CAUSE / NARRATIVE ]
On 07-05-2021, at approximately 2235 hours, I was running radar in the area of Garden Street and I Street in my marked patrol vehicle. While running radar I observed a white Dodge Charger with FL [license plate redacted] traveling east on Garden Street in the inner lane. I measured the vehicle going 50mph. While catching up to the vehicle I observed the vehicle run the red light at Garden Street and A Street.
Due to the above listed circumstances, I conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle near the intersection of Garden Street and Rues Street. I approached the vehicle and made contact with the driver, later identified as Johnathan Fatu, and smelled the odor of an alcoholic beverage. After identifying Fatu I returned to the vehicle and asked Fatu to get out of the vehicle. Fatu exited the vehicle and walked to the rear of the vehicle, swaying. I asked Fatu if he had consumed any alcohol that night, to which he advised [redacted]. During my investigation I observed the following signs of impairment:
Strong smell of alcoholic beverage
Due to the above observed circumstances I requested Fatu submit to SFST’s, which he agreed to.
Fatu and Officer Leach #178 walked to the parking lot of 315 W Garden Street (Everman’s) where I performed the SFSTs.
During the HGN Fatu was unable to keep his head still, and I observed multiple signs of nystagmus. Fatu had difficulty maintaining balance, and had difficulty in performing the Walk and Turn. During the one legged stand Fatu was unable to maintain balance, and placed his foot down multiple times.
Due to the above circumstances I placed Fatu under arrest for DUI.
Fatu was requested to submit to a lawful test of his breath to determine his alcohol content. He refused to answer and Implied Consent was read. Fatu agreed to give a lawful test of breath after being read Implied Consent.
I transported Fatu back to the Pensacola Police Department where Officer Martinez #201, as a licensed Breath Test Operator, performed the lawful test of Fatu’s Breath. Fatu’s breath tests resulted with a .202 and a .205.
Fatu was issued a DUI citation AD4ELPE
Fatu was issued Uniform Traffic Citations ADN9ZPE (Speeding) and ADN9ZQE (Ran red light.)
Fatu’s vehicle was secured and left, legally parked, on Garden Street eastbound near the intersection of Garden Street and Rues Street.
Fatu was transported to the Escambia County Jail.
My department issued body camera, and in car camera were activated during this investigation.
Having a gaijin as champion worked well for NJPW in the past, however, during the pandemic era it has caused one of their belts to essentially be suspended. Jon Moxley, the reigning IWGP US Heavyweight Champion has held the belt since January 2020. Claiming victory over Lance Archer at Wrestle Kingdom. It is his second reign, after being stripped of the belt while battling a nasty MRSA infection in his elbow. It was the enforcement or a rather strict rule in Japan about making commitments and defending belts.
While unable to travel to Japan, Jon Moxley has defended his NJPW title a few times. Including a defence on Dynamite against Japanese legend Yugi Nagata.
Now, Jon Moxley is defending his belt once again taking on Karl Anderson on Night One of Fyter Fest. This is an interesting match as it not only a continuation of the existing feud between Mox and The Elite but also represents a chance at singles goal for Anderson. Aderson created a video to challenge Moxley. Claiming it makes him sick to see Mox with the belt Omega first held.
Karl Anderson has a long working relationship with NJPW and was one of the founding members of Bullet Club. He has never held a singles title for the promotion and will be looking to emulate his Elite team lead Kenny Omega in capturing the gold.
Jon Moxley is a fighting champion, however, and will not be giving up the gold cheaply. While it is unlikely to be a fair fight, Mox will have Eddie Kingston by his side. This should help even the odds somewhat. Whatever happens, this will not be the last time The Elite will have to contend with Mox and Kingston.
Former WWE Superstar August Grey has returned to using the moniker Anthony Greene since being released from the company on Friday, June 25. Greene appeared on 205 Live the same night that he was released from the company, with the show being pre-taped to air live later in the week.
Greene was previously know as ‘Retrosexual’ on the independent scene, however he is now going under the name of ‘The Alternative.’
Anthony Greene released a video to Twitter where he stated that his career would’ve ended ‘a long time ago’ if he had listened to the naysayers.
Anthony Greene Is The Alternative
“If my career ended when I was told, ‘No,’ I would have been done a long time ago” Greene began. “Life is not about pass or fail. It’s about how you come back from it. It’s about having a backup plan. Having an alternative. Anthony Greene does not have an alternative. I am the alternative.”
The following talents were also released on June 25, and reportedly have differing lengths of non-compete clauses:
Tony Nese
Ariya Daivari
Ever-Rise
Fandango
Tyler Breeze
Bollywood Boyz
Arturo Ruas
Curt Stallion
Marina Shafir
Killian Dain
Tino Sabbatelli
It is not confirmed how long Anthony Greene’s non-compete will last, however recently reports have indicated that 205 Live talents are more likely to have 30-day non-compete deals on their contracts. Greene should theoretically be free to join the likes of AEW, IMPACT, NWA or New Japan as of July 25.
You can check out the full segment released by Anthony Greene below:
CM Punk’s MMA career looks slightly better today with his second fight in the UFC now being declared a No Contest. Punk now officially sits at 0-1-0 (1 N.C) due to his second opponent failing a drugs test from the fight way back in 2018.
MMA Junkie reported the news recently but it was apparently confirmed way back in October 2018 by authorities, but it has only been confirmed publicly this week.
Punk’s opponent Mike Jackson reportedly tested positive for “tetrahydrocannabinol due to marijuana,” thus rendering the fight a no contest. Jackson was tested on the night of the fight, and this is when the failed test was administered.
CM Punk Fight Overturned
CM Punk has not reacted to the story publicly, and Jackson himself has been dismissive of the result being changed, saying on Instagram “it’s funny how you losers think your opinions matter.”
Punk nor Mike Jackson have fought for the UFC since that contest at UFC 225 in June 2020, with Dana White saying at the time that he didn’t want Jackson back in the cage and that the gamble on Punk hadn’t paid off.
Punk is as always being rumored for a return to pro wrestling, although these rumors have softened somewhat over the past few months. With Tony Khan saying that there will be ‘bug surprises’ coming in the new few months, Punk has once again been slated for a return to wrestling as a member of the All Elite roster.
