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Damian Priest Says WWE Allowed Him To Use Punisher Martinez Name

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Damian Priest says he was allowed to keep the Punisher Martinez name in WWE but he’s glad he didn’t.

Before making his way to WWE, Priest was known as Punishment Martinez. He competed under the Ring of Honor promotion where he captured the Television Title. Priest signed with WWE in the fall of 2018. In New Japan Pro Wrestling, he was known as Punisher Martinez.

Speaking to the folks at ViBe & Wrestling, Priest recalled being allowed to keep the Punisher Martinez name but feeling Triple H had a better idea.

“In my professional career, whether it was in the indies, ROH, or NJPW, I always had a character who in this case was Punisher Martínez. But it was always something artificial, it was not me. They are things that I like, like horror movies and rock music, but it is not who I am. When I started in NXT, Triple H told me that I could continue being Punisher Martínez but that he saw someone better in me and wanted me to show my personality. I had no problem changing.

“It was a different life and I could start from 0. We agreed on the name, and I told him that I loved rock music, archers, so many things in life that we decided to put together. And it was very easy and natural. Now, I’m not acting. It’s me. The Damian Priest that you see on television is the same that you can see on the street. It is the same person, and it made it easier for me to relax and be me, and the fans realized and they love me more because they know that it is real. That I am like this.”

Damian Priest is the current WWE United States Champion. He recently received praise along with Drew McIntyre and Sheamus for an exciting triple threat match for the title on the Aug. 30 edition of Monday Night Raw. Priest is set to defend his gold against Sheamus at the Extreme Rules PPV on Sept. 26.

Renee Paquette To Host New MMA Show On Sirius XM

Michael Reichlin
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Renee Paquette has landed a new hosting gig. The former WWE broadcaster touted a ‘big announcement’ for Thursday.

Paquette is teaming up with UFC fighter Miesha Tate to host a new show about mixed martial arts.

Throwing Down with Renee and Miesha premieres this coming Monday, September 13th at 2pm (Eastern) on Sirius XM Fight Nation.

Here’s the official announcement from Renee Paquette:

Miesha Tate noted that this show has been ‘months in the making.’ Tate is scheduled to face Ketlen Vieira on October 16, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 195.

In addition to Throwing Down MMA show, Renee Paquette will also be joining Busted Open Radio to serve as an on-air correspondent.

Her cookbook, which released in May, is currently on sale at Amazon:

Kenny Omega Wants More Unity in Pro Wrestling Community

Tyriece Simon
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All Elite Wrestling Executive Vice President and talent Kenny Omega shared his goal of creating more unity in pro wrestling.

Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Editor-in-Chief Kevin McElvaney interviewed Omega about being number one in PWI’s top 500 pro wrestlers. During the interview, McElvaney asked Omega about his future goals. Omega shared that he wants to help create a less toxic wrestling community.

https://twitter.com/OfficialPWI/status/1435611376148533256

“…The wrestling community can sometimes be toxic, and I hate seeing it in sports. I hate seeing it in video games, music, and movies, where you have fans divided so passionately. People feel that they have to choose a side, and they feel that when they choose that side, they have to defend that side with every fiber of their being,” said Omega.

He also went on to share that he has friends in other promotions and wants them to succeed. “…I have friends not only in AEW, but I have friends in New Japan, I have friends in Impact, and I have friends in WWE. I know it sounds crazy, but I have friends there, and guess what I want them to succeed. I still keep in touch with them. I don’t want you to wish Ill or wish harm or wish death upon them as my fans, and I don’t think the opposite is true either,” said Omega.

How Kenny Omega Plans to Create Unity

Omega has been one of the essential factors in AEW working other promotions. When Omega began working with Impact Wrestling, it helped create more intrigue and increased viewership for Impact Wrestling TV episodes. AEW has been working with Impact and New Japan Pro Wrestling, and the National Wrestling Alliance.

Omega doesn’t expect unity in the pro wrestling community to happen immediately but will continue to advocate for it. “…It’s like saying a broad statement like I wish for world peace, and it’s like how do you even attain that. That’s impossible. That’s Naive. Regardless as unrealistic as it is, I’m still taking steps because I don’t think it’s wasted effort,” said Omega.

He also doesn’t know he will see this change happen while he is alive, but Omega is hopeful that one-day promotions will all come together to do a supershow to display different styles of wrestling. Omega will remain dedicated to create unity in the wrestling community and hopes fans will follow along.

Lance Archer Talks Importance Of AEW & NJPW Working Together

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Lance Archer believes that cross-promotion between AEW and NJPW is healthy for the wrestling business.

Archer enjoyed great success during his time with NJPW. Along with Davey Boy Smith Jr. as Killer Elite Squad, Archer became a three-time IWGP Tag Team Champion. When Smith made his exit from the promotion, it opened the door for Archer’s singles run. He ended up capturing the IWGP United States Championship.

In Feb. 2020, Archer signed with AEW, signaling the end of his run with NJPW. Luckily for wrestling fans, the “Forbidden Door” has been busted open. Archer ended up winning the IWGP United States gold a second time when he defeated Jon Moxley in the main event of an episode of AEW Dynamite.

During an interview with NJPW, Archer discussed the importance of cross-promotion.

“It was absolutely special for me, one of the more special moments of my career. I was able to twice represent NJPW as its US champion, even if the second time wasn’t in a New Japan ring. It really feels for me now that, along with Jon Moxley and some other guys, I’m part of that bridge between NJPW and AEW, and that’s huge because I think that bridge is important to both companies, and to the whole business.”

Archer put the U.S. title on the line against Hiroshi Tanahashi at NJPW Resurgence. Tanahashi ended up defeating Archer to capture the championship for the first time. After the match, Archer said he wants a rematch with Tanahashi under the AEW banner.

Archer isn’t done with his time inside the NJPW ring. He will be a part of the NJPW Strong Autumn Attack shows on Sept. 25 and 26.

AEW Announces Universal Studios Tapings This Weekend

Chris Stephens
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AEW is going to tape episodes of Dark from Orlando’s Universal Studios this weekend. The promotion announced today that tickets are available for two sets of tapings to take place Saturday.

Each set of tapings is set to run for 3 hours. The first taping will run from 12 until 3 PM. The second taping will run from 4:30 to 7:30 PM.

AEW Taping Schedule

For most weeks, AEW will not tape episodes of Rampage live. Rather, the shows will be filmed immediately following Wednesday’s Dynamite and then air on Friday nights in the usual Rampage timeslot of 10 PM. Episodes of AEW Dark: Elevation are filmed before Dynamite on Wednesdays and then air the following Monday on YouTube.

Some episodes of Rampage will air live, however. The next live episode of Rampage will take place on October 15th from Miami. The November 5th edition of Rampage is also scheduled to be live from St. Louis.

The move to a studio setting for Dark was addressed last month in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“They are going to be doing studio tapings for Dark most weeks now since Rampage is being taped on most Wednesday nights going forward,” wrote Dave Meltzer. The report continued to say that the format will typically be Dark Elevation filmed before Dynamite and then Rampage being filmed after. 

AEW Dark Moving To Universal Studios In Orlando, FL

Jeff Hardy: “I Show Up to Work, Do What They Need Me To Do & Move On”

Chris Stephens
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Jeff Hardy was involved in a segment on RAW this week where he was chasing after the 24/7 Championship. Many fans have voiced criticism of having a multi-time former world champion in such a segment.

Hardy was asked about his chase of the 24/7 title during a recent appearance on Boston’s 98.5 The Sports Hub.

“Monday night in Miami, that’s just what I felt like doing, that’s what I had to do,” said Hardy. I was in the chase for the 24/7 Title and it just didn’t work out. It’s one of those things, I show up to work and do what they need me to do and move on. That’s in the past and this Monday is the future so I’m super excited.”

Reactions to WWE’s Booking of Jeff Hardy

Several fans have reacted to the segment on social media.

https://twitter.com/Drew7200/status/1435070036629237764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Jeff Hardy’s Recent Win/Loss Record In 2021

Jeff Hardy is 7-12 in 19 singles matches this year. 5 of those matches took place on Main Event, where he has a 2-3 record this year. Hardy’s victories in singles matches have been over Elias, Jaxson Ryker, Cedric Alexander (3x), Karrion Kross, and Shelton Benjamin. His losses in 2021 have come to Randy Orton, Jaxson Ryker, AJ Styles, Sheamus, The Miz, Jinder Mahal (2x), Mustafa Ali, John Morrison, Veer, and Karrion Kross (2x).

Lee Moriarty Is The Latest Signing To Bolster AEW’s Growing Roster

Michael Reichlin
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Lee Moriarty is All Elite. The popular independent wrestler competed at the AEW Dark: Elevation tapings that took place prior to the live Dynamite broadcast. He faced Daniel Garcia in a match that will air on AEW’s Youtube channel in the days ahead.

After the match, Moriarty made his way to the backstage area. AEW President Tony Khan greeted him on the stage.

https://twitter.com/ConfirmedShoot/status/1435754111031513088

Lee Moriarty is All Elite

Tony Khan said he’s been so impressed with Moriarty’s appearances on Dark that he wanted to offer him a full-time contract with AEW. Of course, he accepted. You can see footage of Tony Khan presenting Lee Moriarty with his AEW contract here:

AEW’s talent acquisition efforts show no signs of slowing down. The varied ages of their recent signings show the company is investing in the present and future:

  • CM Punk (42)
  • Bryan Danielson (40)
  • Adam Cole (32)
  • Ruby Soho (30)
  • Daniel Garcia (22)
  • Jamie Hayter (26)
  • Lee Moriarty (24)

Ricky Starks Says He’d Like To See Sasha Banks In Team Taz

Chris Stephens
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FTW Champion Ricky Starks recently took part in an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) session for Reddit Talk. During the Q&A, Starks was asked who he would like to see join Team Taz. Starks responded that he’d like to see Sasha Banks in the heel faction.

“Sasha Banks. They’re gonna run with that one, boys. Sasha Banks, y’all, in Team Taz,” Starks said during the discussion.

He also mentioned Andrade as someone who he would like to see in Team Taz.

Where Is Sasha Banks?

It has been over a month since Sasha Banks wrestled. She was pulled from some house show events in mid-August and then did not appear on SummerSlam for her scheduled match against Bianca Belair. The reason for her absence has not been revealed.

WWE is hopeful that Banks will return tomorrow for WWE’s Super Smackdown event at Madison Square Garden, according to PWInsider. The Boss was reportedly backstage at last week’s Smackdown.

“Sasha was at SmackDown last week, she did not appear on camera,” Mike Johnson wrote. “I was told the plan was for her initially to be at SmackDown this week at the Garden, so I don’t know if she’ll return, but I expect her to be on the road for the company full time this week.”

Previews for Friday’s AEW Rampage, Next Week’s Dynamite

Michael Reichlin
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Following Wednesday’s edition of AEW Dynamite (Results), we have updated previews for Friday’s AEW Rampage and next week’s Dynamite from Newark, NJ.

AEW Rampage Preview (9/10)

  • Andrade El Idolo vs. PAC
  • Brian Pillman Jr. vs. Max Caster
  • Britt Baker, Rebel, & Jamie Hayter vs. Riho, Ruby Soho, & Kris Statlander

Plus, Darby Allin and Sting will respond to Tully Blanchard’s challenge from Dynamite.

AEW Dynamite Preview (9/22)

The following items are set for next week’s Dynamite from Newark, New Jersey. This will be a big night for AEW, as the company has already sold over 11,600 tickets for the Prudential Center.

  • Adam Cole vs. Frankie Kazarian
  • Darby Allin (w/Sting) vs. Shawn Spears (w/ Tully Blanchard)
  • Jade Cargill vs. Leyla Hirsch
WWE’s Pitch To Keep Adam Cole Made His Call To Leave A No Brainer

WWE’s Pitch To Keep Adam Cole Made His Call To Leave A No Brainer

Chris Stephens
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Adam Cole debuted for AEW at All Out on Sunday, aligning with members of the Elite. Cole reportedly met with Vince McMahon regarding a potential move to the main roster in the weeks leading to his departure. What WWE had planned for him on the main roster was recently addressed on Wrestling Observer Radio.

Evidently, WWE’s pitch to keep him in the company was to have him become a manager. “They were going to bring him up, the idea was to turn Keith Lee heel, have Adam Cole be his manager, probably with a different name because of the last name Cole and its main roster and Michael Cole, and you know how that goes,” said Dave Meltzer.

Meltzer then compared what they wanted from Adam Cole and Keith Lee to a Lio Rush/Bobby Lashley dynamic.

“That was kind of the dynamic they were looking for from him. More of a manager than a wrestler,” Meltzer continued. He would then say that these ideas were coming from either Vince McMahon or Bruce Prichard and not necessarily the creative team.

https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/1436028448535982081

WWE’s Idea To Have Adam Cole Manage Keith Lee

Mick Foley recently commented on social media that WWE is no longer the place that wrestlers aspire to be. WWE’s pitch to have Adam Cole be more of a manager than a wrestler may illustrate some of Foley’s points.

“I think younger talent sees the way that developmental characters are cut or left by the wayside or in the case of Karion Kross, greatly watered down and even made a joke of when they debut on the main roster,” Foley said in the video. “

“I’m not sure that I would trust WWE creative to do the right thing with my career,” Foley continued. Perhaps Adam Cole began to feel the same.

Mick Foley: WWE Is No Longer The Place For Talent To Aspire To

Update On Bryan Danielson’s Reasons For Signing With AEW

Chris Stephens
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At the post-event media scrum from All Out this weekend, Bryan Danielson mentioned that WWE had made a very gracious offer to him. Danielson said their offer included him being able to work for other companies.

There had been rumors that part of Danielson’s negotiations with WWE involved being able to work with NJPW. This is said to have been a key reason why Nick Khan was looking to develop an exclusive relationship with the promotion. Danielson’s negotiations with WWE and AEW were addressed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“New Japan was a big thing. The key aspect of this was whether Nick Khan could pull of the exclusive deal between New Japan and WWE which obviously did not happen,” said Dave Meltzer. “Because if that happened, maybe he would have gone in the other direction and maybe he wouldn’t have.”

WWE Was Going To Let Bryan Danielson Go To NJPW

Meltzer continued to say that WWE was going to let Danielson work for NJPW. He also said that both offers from WWE and AEW were similar from a financial perspective.

“Both offers were money-wise similar. And both would have allowed him to do New Japan. WWE was going to allow him to do New Japan and he was trying to open the door for other people in WWE that wanted to go to New Japan to be able to do that but that seems to be a dead issue right now from a WWE standpoint.”

Danielson’s decision is also said to have been influenced by what he felt was best for the wrestling industry as a whole.

“He may have felt like Mick Foley did many years ago when he went to TNA, that the best thing for the industry is competition at a high level,” Meltzer continued. “Mick Foley went to TNA years ago for that reason.”

“For the industry as a whole, if competition is one of the key things then going to AEW would obviously be a big part of that as well. So, that was a factor.”

Kenny Omega Thinks He Will Cross Paths With Kota Ibushi Again

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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Kenny Omega believes there is unfinished business with Kota Ibushi.

Omega left NJPW following his Wrestle Kingdom 13 match against Hiroshi Tanahashi back in January 2019. He ended up signing with AEW and is the promotion’s current world champion. Before he left NJPW, Kenny realigned with Ibushi as the Golden Lovers back in 2018.

During an interview with Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Omega said he doubts that he’s crossed paths with Ibushi for the final time.

“If I were a betting man, I would say, it’s safe to say…when real life is involved and it’s more than just the wrestling in the ring and now, as time goes by and promotions and fans are listening more and responding more to what they want to see in professional wrestling — we talk about the ‘forbidden door’ and this concept that if you wrestle for one promotion, there’s no way you get to mingle with another, slowly but surely those borders are evaporating. We’ve seen IMPACT talent and New Japan talent on AEW. We’ve seen our talent go elsewhere as well. Who knows where the future lies. There may be more special guests and surprises in the future.

“For me, I’m a storyteller. Way more than I like professional wrestling, I like telling stories. I love stories that have an ending. I love stories that have a beginning, middle, and end. I have a lot of stories that have yet to have a final chapter. That story is yet to close. I would love, with however long my health allows me to, I would love to have that book have the final chapter written. That goes for not only that but for quite a few other stories as well. I would love to close the book and look back and be proud that these stories that I pictured in my wacky little brain, they had a beginning, middle, and end and that I could close that book happily. For someone as influential as Ibushi was to my career, inside and outside, I feel it would be an injustice for it to die.”

Ibushi recently challenged for the IWGP United States Championship. He went one-on-one with titleholder Hiroshi Tanahashi at Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome. Ibushi fell short in the match. Meanwhile, Omega had a successful AEW World Title defense against Christian Cage at All Out.

AEW Dynamite Results (9/8): Bryan Danielson & Kenny Omega, Moxley vs. Suzuki

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite aired live from the Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was the first episode of Dynamite following AEW All Out. Jon Moxley battled Minoru Suzuki tonight. It was announced that Cody Rhodes will face Malakai Black on the September 22nd edition of Dynamite from Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Dynamite Results (9/8)

  1. Malakai Black def. Dustin Rhodes
  2. Powerhouse Hobbs def. Dante Martin
  3. Ruby Soho def. Jamie Hayter
  4. The Pinnacle def. Dark Order
  5. Jon Moxley def. Minoru Suzuki

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Malakai Black def. Dustin Rhodes

Dustin Rhodes battled Malakai Black in the first match of the night. Rhodes connected with a couple Clotheslines and an Atomic Drop to begin the action. Malakai hit a kick to the face but Rhodes shrugged it off. Dustin sent Malakai across the ring with a release German Suplex.

Rhodes threw Malakai to the outside and followed him out there. Malakai shoved Rhodes into the ring post and then slammed him through a table. Malakai removed the turnbuckle padding and brought Rhodes back into the ring.

Malakai kept Rhodes grounded for a bit and booted him in the face as he tried to get up. Dustin battled to his feet and leveled Malakai with a Clothesline. Dustin Rhodes went for a Powerslam but Malakai held onto the ropes. Rhodes still did the Powerslam motion for whatever reason and then got up into a running kick to the face from Malakai. Dustin connected with a Canadian Destroyer and went for the cover but Malakai kicked out at two. Malakai brought Cody’s boot into the ring but Rhodes attacked him. Black sent Dustin into the exposed turnbuckle and hit Fade to Black for the pinfall victory.

Team Taz Interrupted CM Punk

CM Punk made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Punk defeated Darby Allin this past weekend at All Out. Punk thanked Darby Allin, Sting, and all the fans. CM Punk thanked the crowd for the “you still got it!” chants and hyped the main event between Suzuki and Moxley. Punk also gave a shout out to Ruby Soho, Bryan Danielson and Adam Cole. The crowd responded with a loud “Moxley!” chant and Punk pointed out Aunt Linda Pillman in the crowd and called her an angel.

Punk noted that his wife asked him what is next for him and that he didn’t know. CM Punk asked the crowd and then Taz interrupted. The crowd booed and Punk told Taz to never interrupt him again. Taz said he was sick of this bullshit love fest and told CM to never mention anyone from Team Taz. Punk dared Taz to send the whole team and CM added “beat me if you can, survive if I let you” to end the promo and mock Taz some more.

Powerhouse Hobbs def. Dante Martin

Powerhouse Hobbs squared off against Dante Martin tonight on Dynamite. Dante got in some offense early but Hobbs quickly put a stop to it. Hobbs beat Dante down and connected with a Suplex as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Hobbs went for a Knee Drop but Dante got out of the way at the last moment. Martin hit a massive Dropkick and followed it up with a Senton for a two count. Dante hit a running kick to Hobbs’ face and set up for a Suicide Dive but Hook hopped on the apron. Dante flipped over Hook and onto Hobbs outside the ring. Back in the ring, Martin tried to capitalize but Hobbs caught him with a big Spinebuster for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Dan Lambert cut a promo in the crowd with Men of the Year (Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page) beside him. Lambert said that AEW was hiring every skinny dork to hide the truth. Lambert claimed that the Men of the Year are the best in the company and challenged anyone in the locker room to try and take them out.

MJF & Wardlow Sent A Message To Varsity Blonds

MJF claimed that he beat Jericho clean at All Out but the match was restarted due to extreme bias against him. MJF said that there is a bias against him because everyone in the back wants to be him. He then complained about how much of a dumpster fire Cincinnati is and dared anyone from the crowd to jump the barricade. MJF added that it is called the midwest because everything from the chili to the people are mid.

MJF mocked Pillman’s family in the front row and eventually Brian Pillman Jr. interrupted wearing a Bengals jersey. Pillman said he doesn’t appreciate MJF mocking his hometown and his family. Pillman noted that MJF grew up with a silver spoon but Cincinnati breeds badasses like Jon Moxley and his father.

Pillman made his way to the ring Wardlow got in his face. MJF mocked Wardlow for not being any help at All Out and told him to stand in the corner and look pretty. MJF said he was going to do something Pillman’s mother should have done 28 years ago and abort him. Pillman tackled MJF and unloaded some strikes as Wardlow watched in the corner. Eventually, Wardlow helped out and sent Pillman across the ring with a release German Suplex. Griff Garrison rushed the ring but MJF put the Dynamite Diamond Ring on and punched Griff in the face.

Ruby Soho def. Jamie Hayter

Ruby Soho squared off against Jamie Hayter tonight on Dynamite. AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker and Rebel were ringside for the match. Earlier on the show, Baker and Ruby Soho had a conversation backstage. Soho vowed to win the title and Baker joked that she was going to send Ruby back to where she has spent the past four years of her career, catering. Hayter connected with a shoulder tackle but Ruby responded with a knee to the face. Jamie then booted Ruby to the outside as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

Hayter got Soho up in the Electric Chair but Ruby countered into a slam for a near fall. Soho caught Hayter with the Riot Kick (overhead kick) for the pinfall victory. After the match, Baker, Rebelt and Hayter attacked Ruby Soho. Riho and Kris Statlander rushed the ring for the save. Britt retreated and raised the AEW Women’s Championship to end the segment.

The Pinnacle Picked Up A Win

FTR & Shawn Spears faced Dark Order’s Evil Uno, Stu Grayson, John Silver in a Trios Match. Dark Order controlled the action early but things quickly broke down. John Silver got trapped in the ring alone and Spears hit him with a Death Valley Driver for the pinfall victory. After the match, Dark Order started shoving each other as Tay Conti & Anna Jay watched on the entrance ramp.

Bryan Danielson Confronted Kenny Omega, Adam Cole’s First AEW Match Announced

Tony Schiavone was supposed to interview The Elite but Don Callis took the microphone from him. Callis noted that Omega was voted #1 in the PWI Top 500 and thanked the fans for their votes & money. Don shouted that the AEW Tag Team Championships were stolen from the Young Bucks and gave the microphone to Nick Jackson.

Nick announced that they have their best friend back and Adam Cole made his way to the ring. Cole got in Tony’s face and told him that he will slap his stupid glasses off if he ever looks at Britt Baker again. Cole called Schiavone a nerd and continued to mock him as he got out of the ring.

Cole said AEW is the greatest professional wrestling company in the world because of the guys in the ring right now. Adam added that he is a once in a generation professional wrestler and now he is with the very best. Cole referred to the Young Bucks as the greatest tag team of all time and Kenny Omega as another once in a lifetime talent. Cole announced that he will make his in-ring debut next week on Dynamite. It was later revealed that his opponent will be Frankie Kazarian.

AEW Champion Kenny Omega grabbed the microphone and said he hated interruptions. Bryan Danielson immediately interrupted and made his way to the ring as the crowd chanted “yes!”. Omega asked the rest of The Elite to get out of the ring and invited Danielson into the ring. Bryan ripped the microphone away from Omega and asked the crowd if they wanted to see him fight Kenny. The crowd erupted in a “yes!” chant but Omega said that isn’t how it works here.

Danielson told Omega that he was afraid to take this match because Kenny knows that he is not on his level. Omega tried to attack Danielson but he took him down and applied a Yes Lock. The Elite hopped back into the ring and beat down Danielson until Jurassic Express and Frankie Kazarian made the save. Danielson hit Cutler with the running knee to end the segment.

Jon Moxley def. Minoru Suzuki

Moxley battled Minoru Suzuki in the main event. Suzuki and Moxley traded chops and strikes in the middle of the ring. Moxley hit a forearm to the face that knocked Minoru to the ropes. Jon beat Suzuki down some more in the corner of the ring as Dynamite went to a final commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Suzuki went for a kick but Moxley caught his leg. Moxley bit Minoru’s head and then Suzuki returned the favor. They then traded headbutts in the middle of the ring but neither would go down. Moxley and Suzuki then headbutted each other at the same time and fell to the canvas. Jon went for a Clothesline but Suzuki countered into a Sleeper. Minoru went for the Gotch Piledriver but Jon countered with a Back Body Drop. Moxley hit Minoru with a Clothesline but he wouldn’t go down. Suzuki had blood pouring down his face and caught Moxley with a kick. Jon shrugged it off and hit the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory. Moxley celebrated with his hometown crowd to close the show.

Status Update On Kevin Owens’ Future With WWE

Fernando Quiles Jr.
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0

Much has been made about the WWE future of Kevin Owens.

It was recently reported by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select that Owens’ contract with WWE is running out sooner than expected. The current deal ends in January 2022.

Jon Alba has now revealed that some within WWE are of the belief that Owens will be making his exit from the promotion.

“In speaking with some WWE sources throughout the day, there is very much an internal belief Owens is gone at the end of his WWE deal. He has dropped multiple hints on social media in the last 24 hours that allude to him being AEW-bound.”

Alba added the following to his report in a Twitter post.

“Just for more context on this. I spoke with multiple people in #WWE today and this is just what they believe. Still plenty of time for things to change, as Sean Ross Sapp
noted, his deal is up in beginning of 2022. He’ll be an asset wherever he goes.”

Kevin Owens currently competes on the SmackDown brand. He has accomplished quite a bit in his WWE run. He’s a former WWE Universal Champion, a three-time United States Champion, a two-time Intercontinental Champion, and a former NXT Champion.

Kenny Omega & Will Ospreay Trash Talk Heating Up

Michael Reichlin
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Will Ospreay called out Kenny Omega on Wednesday after the AEW World Champion was named the #1 pro wrestler the world on this year’s PWI Top 500 list.

Omega topped the list, while Ospreay charted at the #7 spot (behind Roman Reigns, Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, Kota Ibushi and Jon Moxley.)

Ospreay was so put off by his placement on the list that he said, “I’d beat up number 1 any day of the week and twice on Wednesdays……just saying.”

This did not sit well with Kenny Omega. He replied by telling Ospreay that “his promotion” (New Japan Pro Wrestling) has been so “ice cold” since he left that not even Dave Meltzer can convince his followers that Ospreay should be in the conversation for Best in the World.”

“It hurts me, bruv,” said Omega. “One of you dorks should have been the guy. Turned out a bigger dog was my only competition.”

Will Opsreay vs. Kenny Omega

Will Ospreay wasn’t done. He followed up by tweeting a recent clip of himself threatening to walk through the ‘Forbidden Door.’

He also touted New Japan Pro Wrestling’s accomplishments since Omega left. “A pandemic put the breaks on & you know it. Open that door, let’s have this conversation.”

Needless to say, Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay would be a banger of a match. With NJPW talent already wrestling on AEW programming, this is high on the light for potential ‘Forbidden Door’ dream matches we could see in the months ahead.

Triple H Recovering After Cardiac Event, Expected To Make Full Recovery

Michael Reichlin
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WWE executive Paul Levesque (Triple H) is recovering from a recent ‘cardiac event.’

According to a statement sent in by WWE, he underwent a successful procedure last week at Yale New Haven Hospital. The episode was caused by a genetic heart issue.

“Paul Levesque, a.k.a. Triple H, underwent a successful procedure last week at Yale New Haven Hospital following a cardiac event. The episode was caused by a genetic heart issue and Paul is expected to make a full recovery.

– WWE Statement on Triple H’s health

Levesque serves as WWE Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy & Development.

SEScoops wishes Paul “Triple H” Levesque a full and speedy recovery.

WWE Raw Ratings Dip Against College Football Competition (9/6)

Andrew Ravens
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Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.849 million viewers with a 0.52 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This is down from last week’s 1.907 million viewers and the 0.54 rating. 

Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:

  • Hour 1: 1.958 million, 0.54 in the 18-49 Demo
  • Hour 2: 1.842 million, 0.52 in the 18-49 Demo
  • Hour 3: 1.748 million, 0.50 in the 18-49 Demo

This show was expected to drop from last week’s Raw as it went up against a college football game on ESPN that did 3 million viewers.

This episode featured Akira Tozawa vs. 24/7 Champion Reggie in a non-title match, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina vs. Rhea Ripley and Nikki A.S.H. in a non-title match, Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus with the winner facing Damian Priest for the United States Title at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event, Charlotte Flair defended her Raw Women’s Title against Nia Jax, a Tag Team Turmoil match to determine the new #1 contenders to Raw Tag Team Champions Riddle and Randy Orton, and more.

SmackDown Viewership

The episode drew an average of 2.147 million viewers in the overnight ratings, down from the previous week that did 2.874 million viewers. In the 18-49 demographic, it did a 0.62 rating, which was up from the 0.59 rating the week before.  The final ratings were 2.220 million viewers, down from last week’s 2.250 million viewers.

Jeff Jarrett Says Low-Ki Never Got Out Of His Own Way

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Jeff Jarrett believes Low-Ki created his own roadblocks.

Low-Ki has long been one of the most highly-regarded talents in the wrestling industry. On the independent scene, fans grew to like Low-Ki’s in-ring style. He ended up competing for Ring of Honor, TNA Wrestling, and WWE. With TNA and WWE, things just didn’t feel right for the popular indie star.

Soon, stories began to circulate regarding Low-Ki’s reputation behind-the-scenes. Some believe that he is difficult to work with and has burned bridges.

Jarrett shared this belief during an episode of his “My World” podcast. Here’s what the TNA founder told Conrad Thompson.

“Low-Ki, especially as we sit here today, and it just wasn’t just in TNA, and in different promotions, he was always his worst enemy. His athletic ability and his believability in the ring, he knew how to work incredibly well so he wouldn’t hurt you. There would always be something when you get him right to the point that you’re going to push him to the next level, I don’t want to say self-destruct, but I read that about him and I’m like, yea. A lot of times he was his own worst enemy climbing that ladder. For whatever reason, he’s a guy that I think will go down in history and it’s like, ‘What if?’ because his skill set was there and he could talk as well. His stoic delivery was a unique presentation that I thought had a lot of money in it, but he never did quite get over that hump.”

More recently, Low-Ki has competed under the MLW banner. He is a former MLW World Heavyweight Champion. He held onto the title for 205 days.

Reggie: My Character On WWE TV Is 100% Me

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Reggie, formerly known as Reginald, says that his persona on WWE TV is authentic.

Reggie is the current WWE 24/7 Champion. When you compare him to other 24/7 Champions, Reggie has had a rather lengthy reign with the title. While 50+ days with a championship may not seem like a lot, it feels liken an eternity with the 24/7 Title.

There have been several reports claiming that WWE chairman Vince McMahon is a big fan of the Reggie character. Speaking to Ryan Satin for the Out of Character podcast, Reggie said what fans see on television is who he really is.

“Actually, pretty much 100% of that character is me. It’s quite funny because I didn’t have much direction. When I first was introduced to SmackDown. I was just the sommelier and whatnot and they didn’t tell me how to act or what to do. There was just do certain things with Carmela and whatnot. But come to find out, I actually spoke French. So what’s the school in Montreal, I traveled around friends. I love fashion. I love suits. So, I just put all of those things into that character and it worked so well.”

Reggie went on to say that he isn’t interested in letting any type of success get to his head. He said he’s been given the freedom to do a lot of what people see on TV. Reggie also expressed his belief that staying humble will get him far in the wrestling business.

Bryan Danielson Won’t Dabble Into Business Side Of AEW

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Don’t expect Bryan Danielson to be a part of the creative process with AEW.

Danielson has the wrestling industry buzzing. The “American Dragon” made his debut for AEW at the conclusion of the All Out PPV. He helped Christian Cage and Jurassic Express fight off The Elite.

During a media scrum, Danielson was asked if he has any interest in dabbling into some behind-the-scenes creative decisions for AEW. Danielson says that’s a hard pass.

“So I briefly took part in creative in WWE and I will say this, I like just wrestling, right? I’ll leave the business stuff and all that kind of stuff up to up to Tony. I mean, honestly, Tony’s the businessman. I couldn’t care less about the business. As far as the business I want him to make money so that he keeps doing this thing that is so much fun for me to do, right? So what I want more than anything else out of all this — I don’t know if you know this, I’m the richest man who’s ever lived.

“Yeah, pretty much I grew up without much so in comparison, I feel — as far as that kind of stuff, I just feel so blessed to be able to step into this position where you have a crowd that just loves this product and you saw it tonight. Every match, they’re just invested, you know? So for me, it’s not about like, ‘Oh, can we take it to this?’, or, ‘Can we take it to that?’ I would love to help Tony do that. But my goal is to produce excellent professional wrestling that people can watch because this is one of the things I truly believe: you show excellent professional wrestling to anybody and they will enjoy it because excellent professional wrestling is fucking awesome.”

Bryan Danielson has admitted that walking away from WWE was a hard decision to make. He says that while he has much love for Vince McMahon, he believes the WWE chairman is overly protective of him. Danielson also said there’s renewed excitement when it comes to joining the AEW roster.

Tony Khan Admits Adam Cole Scared Him During AEW-NXT ‘War’

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AEW head honcho, Tony Khan, can now admit that Adam Cole had him worried when he was on WWE’s NXT brand.

Cole became the talk of the wrestling world when news broke that his WWE contract expired. Cole didn’t leave the company high and dry in the middle of a feud with Kyle O’Reilly. He ended up signing an extension in order to give O’Reilly the final victory in their rivalry.

It didn’t take long for Cole to sign on with AEW once his contract extension with WWE ended. He appeared at the end of the All Out PPV, realigning with The Elite.

At the height of the AEW vs. NXT “Wednesday Night War,” Cole was a key player. Speaking to the media following the All Out PPV, Khan explained why he feared going up against Cole when he was on NXT.

“I’d just like to say a statement, which is that, the Wednesday Night War is over and in the demo, I believe, out of 75 episodes, we went 74-1. [Adam Cole] is the one in 74-1. When there was a Wednesday Night War, this is the man that used to strike fear into my heart every Wednesday. This guy scared the sh*t out of me every Wednesday. There is nobody I would rather have here and it means the world that he came.”

It shouldn’t take long to find out exactly what’s in-store for Cole under the AEW banner. He has already gotten physical, taking part in a brawl that involved Bryan Danielson before All Out went off the air.

Kenny Omega Named #1 Ranked Wrestler On PWI Top-500

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It was revealed on Busted Open Radio this morning that Kenny Omega is the #1 ranked wrestler in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated top-500 this year. Omega last earned the top spot in the rankings in 2018.

Omega earned the spot after spending much of the last year holding the AEW World Championship, AAA Mega Championship, and Impact World Championship. Omega ranked in at #13 in 2020.

Omega now joins Bret Hart, Steve Austin, Triple H, John Cena, and Seth Rollins as the only wrestlers to top the list on multiple occasions. 

https://twitter.com/OfficialPWI/status/1435611376148533256

The annual edition of the magazine is available for pre-order here.

PWI Top-10 2021

The top-10 ranked wrestlers from this list year are as follows:

1) Kenny Omega
2) Roman Reigns
3) Bobby Lashley
4) Drew McIntyre
5) Kota Ibushi
6) Jon Moxley
7) Will Ospreay
8) Finn Balor
9) Shingo Takagi
10) Rich Swann

Kenny Omega Tops PWI Top-500 For 2nd Time

Omega joins a small list of wrestlers who have topped the list more than once.

  • 1991: Hulk Hogan
  • 1992: Sting
  • 1993: Bret Hart
  • 1994: Bret Hart (2)
  • 1995: Diesel
  • 1996: Shawn Michaels
  • 1997: Dean Malenko
  • 1998: Steve Austin
  • 1999: Steve Austin (2)
  • 2000: Triple H
  • 2001: Kurt Angle
  • 2002: Rob Van Dam
  • 2003: Brock Lesnar
  • 2004: Chris Benoit
  • 2005: Batista
  • 2006: John Cena
  • 2007: John Cena (2)
  • 2008: Randy Orton
  • 2009: Triple H (2)
  • 2010: AJ Styles
  • 2011: The Miz
  • 2012: CM Punk
  • 2013: John Cena (3)
  • 2014: Daniel Bryan
  • 2015: Seth Rollins
  • 2016: Roman Reigns
  • 2017: Kazuchika Okada
  • 2018: Kenny Omega
  • 2019: Seth Rollins (2)
  • 2020: Jon Moxley
  • 2021: Kenny Omega (2)

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

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The rivalry between Chris Jericho and Maxwell Jacob Friedman had many twists and turns. At one point the two delivered a song and dance routine over dinner. Then MJF defeated Chris Jericho to earn a spot in the Inner Circle. Then MJF formed the Pinnacle to feud with Jericho’s faction. Eventually, there was the 5 Labors of Jericho and then The Final Fight at All Out.

Jericho recently reflected on the longest storyline of his career in a post to Instagram.

Screen Shot 2021 09 08 at 10.28.18 AM

“Jericho vs MJF was THE longest storyline of my career…and one of the best,” Jericho wrote. “The angle started in Sept of 2020 and it ended last night at one of the greatest PPVs of all time, with the good guy making the bad guy tap out.”

“The angle between the The Inner Circle and The Pinnacle was full of twists and turns, comedy, tragedy, friendship, betrayal, blood, bubbly and genuine animosity. But overall, I feel it was a brilliant, expertly told tale that was one of the best in the business from the last 20 years. I hope all of you enjoyed watching this pro wrestling magnum opus as much we did telling it!!! On to the next challenge….”

Chris Jericho vs Maxwell Jacob Friedman Statistics

The first singles match between Jericho and MJF took place at Full Gear on November 7th, 2020. MJF won that match, as well as the Fifth Labor of Jericho before Jericho won at Final Fight, giving MJF a 2-1 lead in the head-to-head series in singles matches.

Jericho and MJF teamed together 7x throughout the storyline as well. They went a perfect 6-0 in these matches before losing a title match to the Young Bucks At AEW Revolution 2021.

MJF and Jericho were also on opposing sides of 2 different tag-team matches during the angle. The Pinnacle won the Blood and Cuts double-cage match while the Inner Circle won the Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing.

Damian Priest Says He Tried To Convince Triple H To Face Him At WrestleMania

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At WrestleMania this year, Damian Priest teamed up with Bad Bunny and defeated John Morrison and The Miz. According to comments he made recently during an interview with Metro, however, Priest attempted to goad Triple H into a match on the show.

 “Mania – Hunter didn’t have a match, and that was the first time all these legends, none of them [on the show],” Priest said. ‘I was like, ‘I mean, did you bring your gear? Because you can have a match, I’m right here!’ He started laughing and said, “You’re on a list of people that have asked me that”.

“I was like, I bet, I can imagine – he gets it all the time by guys being like, ‘Hey you wanna work? You wanna wrestle?'”

Priest would continue to talk about other wrestling legends he would like to face. Since he’s returned, Priest specifically mentioned working with Edge as something he would like to do. He also noted Kane as someone he’d like to wrestle.

“I think the closest one that I know that there’s a chance – and we’ve already kind of had an interaction at the Rumble – is Edge,” Priest said. “Obviously Kane, we had a little bit of an interaction. But I’m not satisfied, I need a lot more of that! Those feelings, just standing across from those guys – super cool, super, super cool.”

Damian Priest At Extreme Rules

Priest is scheduled to face Sheamus at Extreme Rules. Sheamus earned a shot at Priest’s United States Championship on RAW this week after defeating Drew McIntyre. Priest defeated Sheamus for the title at SummerSlam. He’s since defended it once in a triple threat match against both Drew McIntyre and Sheamus on the August 30th episode of WWE RAW.

Jake Atlas & Taylor Rust Return To ROH At Death Before Dishonor

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Jake Atlas and Taylor Rust (FKA Tyler Rust in WWE) will return to Ring of Honor at Death Before Dishonor this weekend. Both wrestlers have had previous stints with the promotion, albeit brief ones. Rust was released from WWE on August 6th after having just been introduced as a member of the Diamond Mine. Atlas was also released from the NXT brand on August 6th and has since been announced for shows with New Japan Pro Wrestling as well.

Rust had a brief stint with ROH last October. He competed in the ROH Pure title tournament and was defeated by Tracy Williams in the 1st round. He then signed with WWE in December. Atlas competed for ROH briefly in 2019, wrestling one match on the Death Before Dishonor Fallout tour that September.

ROH has announced that Atlas and Rust will face each other on the September 12th PPV from Baltimore. The full lineup for the show is below.

image 100125452 15035246

Death Before Dishonor Lineup

  • ROH World Championship
    Bandido (c) vs. Brody King vs. EC3 vs. Demonic Flamita
  • ROH Pure Championship
    Jonathan Gresham (c) vs. Josh Woods
  • ROH Women’s World Championship
    Rok-C vs. Miranda Alize
  • ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Championship
    Shane Taylor, Moses, & Kaun vs. Dragon Lee, Bestia del Ring, & Kenny King
  • Homicide, Chris Dickinson, & Tony Deppen vs. John Walters, LSG, & Lee Moriarty
  • Matt Taven & Mike Bennett vs. The Briscoes
  • Eli Isom vs. Dalton Castle
  • Jake Atlas vs. Taylor Rust
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