Home Blog Page 860

MMA Champion Arjan Bhullar Calls Out AEW & WWE stars

Chris Stephens
-
0

Arjan Bhullar is the new ONE World Heavyweight Champion. He defeated Brandon Vera in a fight that took place April 28th, 2021 from Singapore Indoor Stadium. The fight didn’t air until today, however. After his victory, the new champion called out stars from both WWE and AEW.

“I have reached the pinnacle of this sport now I want to attack the pro-wrestling industry. AEW, WWE, I’m coming for you guys next, consider this a warning shot,” Bhullar said.

The promotion Bhullar fights for, ONE, recently signed a deal with TNT. So far, 4 fight cards from the promotion have aired on the network. Bhullar isn’t the first fighter from the promotion to call out stars from AEW. Vitor Belfort is also signed to the promotion, has appeared on Dynamite as part of Mike Tyson’s entourage, and has asked Tony Khan to give him a match with Chris Jericho.

“With myself being with ONE, and on the same network, I think it’s time for [AEW CEO] Tony Khan to give me Jericho, and I can whip Jericho’s butt. We can really make that fight happen,” Belfort said to SCMP MMA.

Arjan Bhullar fights out of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. His pro-record sits at 11-1, including a 3-1 stretch in the UFC.

Update On How Long Chris Jericho May Stay Out Of Action

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Chris Jericho suffered a legitimate elbow injury during the Blood And Guts match on Dynamite last week and he was seen wearing a brace on this week’s episode of the show.

The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter provides some update on his condition and reveals how long the former AEW champion will need to get cleared.

At first it was speculated that Chris might have fractured his elbow during the big ending spot where the former WWE star fell off the cage.

However, the report revealed that Jericho suffered a dislocated elbow during his fall off the cage and he is expected to stay out of action for 4 to 6 weeks.

This timeline is interesting because MJF has challenged Inner Circle for a Stadium Stampede match at the upcoming Double Or Nothing event on May 30.

However, if the reports are correct then it means that Chris Jericho will not be cleared in time for the match and he won’t be able to compete in the bout.

So it will be interesting to see how AEW tackles this problem and if they postpone the teased match to a later date or find a different solution for it.

Drew McIntyre On What He’s Learned From John Cena & The Miz

Chris Stephens
-
0

Drew McIntyre has a chance to regain the WWE Championship Sunday night at WrestleMania Backlash. It’s a spot McIntyre likely once thought he’d never be in following his release from the company in 2014. McIntyre recently spoke to the Bleacher Report about lessons he learned from John Cena during his time away form WWE.

“I always talk about John Cena as someone I patterned myself after, after I was released rather than learning from him in the moment when I was there on the roster. Instead of working to better myself on the roster, it took getting fired and bettering myself personally before I thought of who I could look up to in this business and whose mentality I needed. I thought about John and how relentless he was with everything he did: be it in media, the gym, in the ring and every aspect of his life.”

McIntyre would continue to say that Cena was not the only person he learned from. He also mentioned that he has been influenced by The Miz as well.

“Cena is such a workaholic and The Miz followed that exact same path. I said to myself, ‘I’m going to be that guy, too.’ Whether it was outside of WWE or inside WWE, whenever I was given any kind of position where I was able to take the reins and get the media opportunities and they wanted to speak to me, I was going to take full advantage of it. The second I had that title, I said, ‘Give me it all! I’m that guy now, there’s no excuse, I want every little bit of it.’”

McIntyre will face Bobby Lashley and Braun Strowman Sunday night in a triple threat match for the WWE Championship.

Asuka Comments On Once Having Given Up On Wrestling

Chris Stephens
-
0

Asuka is one of the most decorated champions in modern-day WWE. She’ll have a chance to win the RAW Women’s title again as well this Sunday at WrestleMania Backlash. There was a time when Asuka was ready to give up on her pro-wrestling dream, however. She spoke to ET Canada about the experience.

“I want to say to Asian girls, don’t give up on your dreams! When I was 16, I wanted to be a WWE superstar. One day I asked my mom can I be a WWE superstar, and she said, ‘No, you have to go college! I also told my high school teacher, ‘I want to be a WWE superstar.’ She laughed and said, ‘Don’t be silly.’ I was shocked.”

Asuka continued to say that she gave up on her dream and decided to go to college. She began training as soon as she graduated, however. She’d hit another obstacle in 2006, however.

“I had no choice,” she continued. “I gave up on my dream once, I went to college and after graduating from college, I started training, I couldn’t give up on my dream. My friends gave me confidence, ‘You can do it, you can do it!’ I called a wrestling company in Tokyo. I left my hometown of Osaka, Japan. Now I am a WWE superstar. Don’t give up on your dream!”

Asuka’s pro-wrestling dream hit another rough patch in 2006 when she retired due to chronic inflammation of the kidneys, a condition known as Nephritis. She didn’t wrestle a match from December 2005 until September 2007. It would be Asuka’s mother, who had once implored her not to go into wrestling, that encouraged her to not give up on her dream, however.

“I had a problem, but I want to entertain people. It’s my goal. My mother told me I have to fight again,” Asuka said of this time.

Asuka’s sometimes friend sometimes rival Becky Lynch has a similar story. After debuting in 2002, Lynch retired (aside from a couple of appearances) from 2006-2013 before being signed to WWE. It seems notable that two of the greatest women’s wrestlers in the world both toyed with the idea of giving up around the same time.

Asuka was also asked about potential opponents she would like to face one day. She listed some surprising names!

“I want to wrestle with Triple H and Ric Flair,” Asuka teased. “I fought many great WWE superstars. Oh, [I want to wrestle] Ronda Rousey. One day!”

Shinsuke Nakamura Declares: “The King of Strong Style Is Back”

Jake Skudder
-
0

WWE SmackDown had an interesting (sort of) change to the Shinsuke Nakamura vs King Corbin feud. Corbin defeated Nakamura in a match to determine the ‘king’ of SmackDown, with Shinsuke Nakamura wanting to be proclaimed the King of Strong Style once again.

Nakamura then ‘stole’ the crown from Corbin, the crown that the ‘King’ has had since winning the King of The Ring tournament back in 2019. Nakamura then appeared in a backstage video where he said that the King of Strong Style had returned, and that he enjoyed ‘looking good.’

“I’m the real King. The King of Strong Style is back, finally” Nakamura said in the video. “Finally. I’m looking good, it’s time to take photos,” Nakamura added.

Nakamura vs. Corbin

Shinsuke Nakamura vs King Corbin has not been confirmed for the WrestleMania Backlash card on Sunday, however it may end up being included as a pre-show match.

Hopefully, and I really mean hopefully, the King Corbin gimmick might now get dropped and Baron Corbin might take a different turn with his character going forward.

Shinsuke Nakamura has had a very stop start path on his career on the WWE ‘main’ roster. As NXT Champion, Nakamura appeared to be one of the prominent talents going forward, with the NJPW legend having a different type of charisma to other talents on the roster.

Sadly, Nakamura has arguably not reached the same heights, other than his Royal Rumble win and subsequent WrestleMania match against AJ Styles for the WWE Championship.

John Cena Recalls Bizarre Firefly Funhouse Match From WrestleMania 36

Jake Skudder
-
0

WWE Superstar John Cena recently spoke to Den of Geek. The future WWE Hall of Famer discussed a number of topics during the interview, including the creation of the Firefly Funhouse match.

The Funhouse match of course took place back at WrestleMania 36. The concept was brought together due to the COVID-19 pandemic meaning that 2020’s ‘Mania event had to take place in the WWE Performance Center. The Fiend Bray Wyatt and John Cena took part in the cinematic ‘match,’ showcasing the history of Cena’s career and throwing in some subtle (and some not so subtle) hints to the audience.

“The Funhouse match was something I hold very close to me” John Cena began during the interview. “Maybe that’s another 45-minute interview for another day, because that was kind of thrown in my lap at the last minute.”

John Cena on Firefly Funhouse

“I remember specifically asking what a Firefly Funhouse match was. And the answer was literally, ‘we don’t know’” Cena continued, noting how creative he and Wyatt had to get for the concept to work. “In most performers that would cause panic, but I was just riveted by the open field that we could possibly create something special.”

“And like you said, it took a lot of brave folks and a lot of hard work to make something that hopefully the audience understood” Cena noted. “At least if it reached one, we reached you and that’s good.”

John Cena has not been back on WWE programming since his ‘loss’ during the Firefly Funhouse match, which you can watch in its entirety below:

https://youtu.be/_bkElHv7EQ4

Summer Rae On Her Relationship With Vince McMahon

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Many WWE superstars find it hard to reach out to the boss Vince McMahon and talk to him but it wasn’t the case with the former WWE star Summer Rae.

The female star recently had an interview with Casual Conversations where she talked about a number of things including her start in wrestling and more.

Elaborating her relationship with the chairman of WWE, Summer said that Vince loved her and opposite to the stories about him, the boss did not scare her at all:

“Oh Vince loved me, I love it, I would walk my butt straight into Vince’s office all the time. Vince did not scare me at all. Mind you like I have to be respectful.

I would never just walk in there, I would knock and then wait for hours and hours” said Summer Rae, “But if I ever was having an issue or was thinking about leaving, I went and talked to him.”

The former Total Divas star also talked about a potential return and explained that personally, she knows that she cannot make a full-time return due to her injuries.

Though she didn’t completely turn down the idea and Summer Rae said that she could return for a Royal Rumble appearance or such after some rehab.

Reason Vince McMahon Nixed Pat McAfee’s Spoof Of Him From SmackDown

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Vince McMahon reportedly nixed Pat McAfee’s segment from the throwback episode of SmackDown because he thought the commentator’s impression of the boss “looked stupid.”

According to reports from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the segment was cut from the broadcast by the chairman himself because of several reasons.

Per Vince, McAfee didn’t sound or look like a young version of himself and it looked stupid. Mr McMahon believed that the portyal was comical in the wrong way and felt like a parody of the parody.

Though the report notes that Vince McMahon wasn’t against the segment itself. He was open to the idea of his portrayal on the episode and he just felt the former football star’s impression was not what he was looking for.

For those who don’t know, WWE held a special throwback edition of SmackDown last week which featured retro graphics and details throughout the broadcast.

Pat McAfee put out a skit portraying a young Vince McMahon ahead of the show. He later revealed on his podcast that the cosplay was supposed to be featured on the broadcast as well but the idea was nixed before the episode.

McAfee revealed that he shaved his beard for the portrayal of the character on the suggestion of Michael Cole. He had even filmed some segments in the character which were not used.

The Miz On His WWE Championship Reign Ending In Two Weeks

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

The Miz won the WWE championship once again after 10 years earlier this year when he cashed in his Money In The Bank contract on Drew McIntyre at the Elimination Chamber event.

However, his title reign didn’t last for very long and the former champion only held the belt for a couple of weeks before dropping the title to Bobby Lashley during the March 1 episode of Raw.

During his recent interview with Fox Sports, The Miz explained that he didn’t feel bad at the championship being taken off him so soon, The Awesome one says the short title reign was just as meaningful as a longer run.

WWE Champion is “The Guy”

“I didn’t want to be a one-trick pony,” said The Miz. “I didn’t want to have one title reign, I think as a WWE Superstar you always want to be that guy. No matter how long you have it. Whether it’s a month, a week, a day, an hour, a minute, it doesn’t matter.”

He continued, “If you win the WWE Championship, you are that guy for that particular amount of time” explained the Miz, “And it is your job to showcase the prestige and honor that everyone before you did.”

Apart from this, the former WWE champion also talked about his WrestleMania match with Bad Bunny and how people were not happy with Bad Bunny’s involvement at first.

The Miz explained that after seeing all the negativity online, he had decided to prove people wrong. The negativity was gone when they presented the full story leading up to their WrestleMania match.

Cesaro On Why His Pairing With Paul Heyman Didn’t Work

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Cesaro will finally be getting a one on one world title shot this Sunday. Though at a time it felt like the opportunity would come much earlier. That was when the former champion was paired with Paul Heyman in 2014. Heyman’s other client at the time, Brock Lesnar had just ended The Undertaker’s streak at WrestleMania 30 and Cesaro had won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

The Swiss Superman recently had an interview with DAZN where he talked about this pairing and explained why it didn’t work. The interviewer first mentioned how Heyman had commented on the topic recently and said that he was coming off of the big storyline with Brock and Undertaker. It felt like the destination was still to go back to that story and Cesaro was used as a placeholder.

Replying to the question, Cesaro admitted that Heyman’s assessment was right. He said that he learned a lot from Paul Heyman during their pairing but the advocate used their time together to talk about Brock Lesnar more than him. The former US champion was the second fiddle at the time and the pairing was more beneficial for Heyman:

“I’ll say this much. I learned a whole lot from Paul, and I still do. But I agree 100 percent with Paul’s assessment because that’s 100 percent right. Paul used that opportunity to talk about Brock Lesnar and, I was second fiddle at that point. He even said that in the Talking Smack interview that he did. He said that he knows that alliance was more beneficial to him than it was for me.”

Apart from this, Cesaro also talked about things such as his early career in WWE, not getting the opportunity at the world title for so long and more. He will be challenging the universal champion Roman Reigns for his championship at the upcoming WrestleMania: Backlash event this Sunday.

Andrade Reportedly Has Had Talks With AEW

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Former NXT champion Andrade was released from WWE earlier this year and latest reports suggest that he has had at least some level of talk with AEW.

While it’s not known on which stage the talks are, the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the former champion has had some negotiations for a potential run with the promotion.

Andrade had a successful run in WWE winning the NXT championship and the United States championship once during his time in the company.

The Mexican star, however, was not being used much in the last few months of his time with the company. So he decided to ask for his release from the promotion on March 8 earlier this year.

Andrade’s request was granted on March 21. It was reported at the time that he was not under the standard 90 days non-compete clause, meaning that he is free to sign with any promotion he chooses.

The former WWE star has since returned to the independent circuit and started competing for various indie promotions. He has also joined AAA in Mexico.

What’s interesting about his signing with AAA is that Andrade has challenged the AAA mega champion and the AEW champion Kenny Omega for a match at the TripleMania XXIX event.

Now the latest reports confirm that he is also in touch with other AEW officials. It would be interesting to see if his storyline with Omega leads to his AEW debut.

WWE SmackDown Results (5/14): WrestleMania Backlash Go-Home Show, New Champions

Robert Lentini
-
0

WWE SmackDown aired live from the ThunderDome. It was the final episode of SmackDown before WWE WrestleMania Backlash this Sunday night. Cesaro battled Jimmy Uso in the main event and will face Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at the PPV. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Natalya and Tamina tonight.

SmackDown Results (5/14)

  1. Natalya & Tamina def. Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax to become the new Women’s Tag Team Champions
  2. Rey Mysterio def. Dolph Ziggler
  3. King Corbin def. Shinsuke Nakamura
  4. Cesaro def. Jimmy Uso via DQ

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Jimmy Uso Challenged Cesaro

Jey Uso kicked off the show and said his brother disrespected the head of the table (Roman Reigns) last week. Jey introduced Universal Champion Roman Reigns as the man that is going to handle Cesaro this Sunday at WrestleMania Backlash.

Roman claimed to like Cesaro and referred to him as a top tier talent. Roman added that Cesaro could be considered one of the greatest wrestlers in the world, but he is so much more, he is the Tribal Chief. Reigns boasted some more and said that there is no way that Fox wants to see Cesaro replace him as Universal Champion.

Reigns brought up Jimmy Uso and he immediately interrupted. Jimmy was sporting a shirt that read “nobody’s bitch” and got into the ring. Jimmy said that all he hears is Reigns running his mouth while Jey stands here like his bitch. Jimmy asked his brother if he likes his shirt and claimed to have one waiting for him.

Jimmy added that he is not sure if Reigns is going to make it past Cesaro on Sunday. Jey interrupted and told Jimmy to show Roman Reigns some respect. Jimmy shouted that Roman is part of their family but not all of it. Roman interrupted and asked Jimmy thinks he can beat Cesaro on Sunday. Jimmy responded “no”.

Roman wondered if Jimmy thinks he can beat Cesaro and Jimmy said he can beat him with Jey. Jimmy asked if they would become the Head of the Table if they won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships and Reigns lost the Universal Title. Roman told Jimmy that isn’t how this works and went on a rant about putting food on the table and being the face of the WWE.

Reigns mocked Jimmy for believing that he could be the man in WWE and dared him to try and beat Cesaro. Jimmy and Reigns then had a stare down before Jimmy asked for Cesaro to come to the entrance ramp. Jimmy challenged him and Cesaro accepted the match. Cesaro said he is going to beat Jimmy Uso tonight and then Roman Reigns this Sunday at WrestleMania Backlash.

Tamina & Natalya Won The Tag Titles

Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax defended the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Natalya and Tamina tonight on SmackDown. Jax beat Tamina down in the corner of the ring and tagged in Shayna.

Baszler got in some offense but Tamina quickly battled back and tagged in Natalya. Tamina hit a Samoan Drop and Natalya went for the cover but Reginald hopped on the apron for a distraction. The referee sent Reginald to the back and SmackDown went to a commercial break with the Women’s Tag Team Champions back in control.

When SmackDown returned, Shayna and Nia had Natalya isolated in the corner of the ring. Natalya escaped and tagged in Tamina. Nia Jax tagged in as Natalya and Shayna battled outside the ring. Natalya planted Shayna with a German Suplex on the floor and then got back into the ring. Jax planted Natalya with a Samoan Drop but Tamina caught Nia with the Superfly Splash for the pinfall victory. Tamina and Natalya are the new Women’s Tag Team Champions.

Crews Gave Commander Azeez A Medal Of Honor

Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews came to the ring with Commander Azeez for a “Nigerian Medal of Honor” ceremony. Commander Azeez stood on a platform as Crews said he brought honor back to the IC Title and his home country. Apollo vowed to the Intercontinental Champion for life and presented Azeez with a medal for his hard work and loyalty. Azeez placed the medal around his neck and Big E interrupted.

Big E showed up on the Jumbotron and said that Crews stole the title and shouldn’t get too comfortable with it. Sami Zayn joined the party but was quickly cut off by Kevin Owens. Kevin ran to the ring and got beat down by Azeez and Apollo. Big E rushed the ring but Azeez attacked him as Apollo traded punches with Owens.

Big E blocked the Nigerian Nail and sent Azeez to the floor. Kevin Owens leveled Big E and Apollo with a couple Superkicks and then delivered a Stunner to Sami Zayn. Owens then turned around into a Big Ending from Big E. Big E went for a Big Ending on Crews but Commander Azeez dragged the Intercontinental Champion out of the ring. Big E stood tall to end the segment.

It was later announced that Crews will defend the IC Title against Big E, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn in a Fatal 4-Way match next week on SmackDown.

Rey Mysterio def. Dolph Ziggler

Rey Mysterio faced Dolph Ziggler tonight on SmackDown. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Dirty Dawgs (Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode) will defend the titles against Rey Mysterio and Dominik this Sunday night at WrestleMania Backlash.

Mysterio sent Ziggler out of the ring and hit him with a Splash as SmackDown went to a commercial break. When SmackDown returned, Ziggler was in control and was beating him down in the corner of the ring.

Ziggler dominated the next few minutes and got Rey in a submission hold in the middle of the ring but Mysterio was able to make his way to the bottom rope. Rey connected with a Tornado DDT and made his way to the top rope.

Dolph hit Rey with a punch and went for a Superplex but Mysterio blocked it. Rey knocked Dolph to the canvas and hit a Senton from the top rope. Mysterio went for the 619 but Dolph countered with a Fameasser for a near fall.

Ziggler went for a Superkick but Rey was able to avoid it. Rey then went for the 619 again but Ziggler was ready and hit the Superkick this time. Ziggler hit a Body Slam and went for another one but Rey countered into a roll-up for the victory. Robert Roode tried to attack Rey after the match but Dominik Mysterio made the save.

Bayley Warned Bianca Belair

SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair was interviewed by Michael Cole tonight on SmackDown. Belair said she is the bEST and that people have been doubting her for her entire life but she doesn’t pay any attention to them. Bayley then appeared on the Jumbotron and poked fun at Bianca’s earrings.

Bianca dared Bayley to come to the ring to come see her braid and Bayley called her an idiot for thinking she would get in the ring with her before Sunday. Belair claimed that Bayley was just mad because The Bella Twins through her down the ramp at WrestleMania while she was main eventing and winning the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

Bayley got pissed off and claimed that she sees her past in Bianca Belair swinging her stupid ponytail. Bayley added that fairytale title reigns do not end will and that she will put an end to Bianca Belair for good this Sunday at WrestleMania Backlash.

Nakamura Took Corbin’s Crown

Shinsuke Nakamura faced King Corbin tonight on SmackDown. Before the match, Shinsuke Nakamura said Corbin is the “King of Suckness” while he is the King of Strong Style. Nakamura added that only one kingdom will survive tonight and it will be his.

Nakamura controlled the action early and hit Good Vibrations in the corner of the ring. Corbin unloaded some elbow strikes and went for the cover but Shinsuke kicked out at two. Shinsuke battled back and applied an Armbar but Corbin countered with a Powerbomb for the pinfall victory. After the match, Shinsuke hit Corbin with the Kinshasa and put on his crown. Nakamura was shown backstage staring at himself while wearing the crown later on the show.

Cesaro Sent A Message To Roman Reigns

Cesaro battled Jimmy Uso in the main event of this week’s SmackDown. The action started off back and forth but Jimmy took control as SmackDown went to a commercial break. When SmackDown returned, Jimmy connected with a Superkick and went for he cover but Cesaro kicked out at two.

Cesaro connected with an uppercut and followed it up with a massive Superplex off the top for a near fall. Jimmy rolled out of the ring to regroup but Cesaro hit him with a Cannonball off the ring apron. Cesaro followed it up with an uppercut against the barricade and rolled Jimmy back in the ring.

Universal Champion Roman Reigns showed up and attacked Cesaro from behind. Reigns sent Cesaro over the announce table and Jimmy Uso got pissed off. Jimmy told Reigns that he just had to make it about him didn’t he. Jimmy left the ring and Reigns followed him to the entrance ramp.

Reigns told Jimmy that nobody cares about these stupid little matches and it is the big money matches keeps their family on top. Back in the ring, Cesaro attacked Jey and beat him down. Reigns got back into the ring and leveled Cesaro with a Clothesline. Roman demanded that Jimmy get into the ring and help but he just stood outside the ring.

Cesaro hit Roman with a couple uppercuts but Jey attacked him from behind. Jey demanded that Jimmy get into the ring and turned around into an uppercut from Cesaro. Jimmy hopped on the ring apron but Cesaro caught him with a kick to the face. Cesaro then hit Jey with the Neutralizer and shouted at Reigns that this will be him on Sunday.

Reigns stood with Heyman on the entrance ramp and Paul handed him the Universal Championship. Cesaro dared Roman to get into the ring and planted Jey with another Neutralizer. Reigns smirked and then stared at Cesaro to close the show. Roman Reigns will defend the Universal Championship against Cesaro this Sunday at WrestleMania Backlash.

Natalya & Tamina Win WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler have been dethroned as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions by Natalya & Tamina. 

It happened on Friday’s SmackDown’s go-home show for WrestleMania Backlash. The finish saw Jax give Natalya a Samoan drop only for Tamina to hit a splash from the top rope on Jax and pinned her to get the win.

This is the first title Tamina has held in WWE aside from the 24/7 Championship. Post-match, the new champs were interviewed in the ring where Natalya stated this night was anyone who’s ever had a dream and felt like their dream passed them by as it’s never too late to keep fighting for your dreams. Tamina thanked their families and also thanked the fans to end the promo. 

Earlier in the day, Bret Hart sent out a tweet about the match by noting, “I want to wish my niece @natbynature and her tag team partner @TaminaSnuka the best of luck tonight in their championship match on #SmackDown. They won’t need luck though, because talent can’t be stopped.”

Jax & Baszler had been the champs since winning the titles from Asuka & Charlotte Flair this past January on the Royal Rumble pre-show.

New Jack Passes Away

Andrew Ravens
-
0

New Jack, real name Jerome Young, passed away on Friday afternoon. He was 58 years old.

News of his passing was made public by his wife Jennifer via Pwinsider.com. He had a heart attack in North Carolina where he had lived in recent years. 

He came up with his ring name after being inspired by the film “New Jack City.” He found success after breaking into the pro wrestling business by forming The Gangstas with Mustafa for a run in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. He got recognition for his edgy interviews and worked with the likes of The Rock N’ Roll Express to The Undertaker.

The tag team went to ECW in 1995 where they had the ECW Tag Team Titles a few times. He later branched off into being a singles wrestler. He had several memorable moments including diving out of balconies, various hardcore matches, and more. He’s also been in the middle of controversy such as the mass transit incident.

Jack’s life and career were covered in the second season of Dark Side of the Ring on Vice TV. He also appeared in the Beyond the Mat documentary in 1999. 

Our thoughts are with his family had this difficult time.

https://twitter.com/RealMickFoley/status/1393378213779357698

AEW Dynamite Episodes To Be Preempted By The NBA On TNT

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Fans can expect to see several upcoming episodes of AEW Dynamite to be preempted thanks to NBA Playoffs airing on TNT.

It’s been previously reported that Dynamite will be moved to Friday, May 28th at 10 pm ET, which is the go-home show for the Double or Nothing pay-per-view on May 30th. It was also noted the June 2nd show would be preempted, airing on Friday, June 4th, which is the post-Double or Nothing episode. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that TNT also has NBA Playoff games scheduled for three Wednesdays in June. Those dates are June 9th, June 16th, and June 23rd. 

AEW does have some options on those dates as Dynamite could air late night on Wednesday after the NBA games, or on Thursday or Friday as TNT does not have NBA games booked for those three Thursdays. 

If they go the Friday route then they won’t go head-to-head with WWE SmackDown at 8 pm on FOX, but rather air after the show ends. 

All Elite Wrestling has dealt with this in the past and their ratings aren’t impacted too badly. As long as AEW has a TV deal with TNT and NBA is also airing on the network, scheduling conflicts will continue. 

John Cena: “I Really Want To Get Back To WWE”

Andrew Ravens
-
0

Fans are still waiting to see John Cena and he seems to be ready to see them as well. 

The former WWE Champion was recently interviewed by Den of Geek. During it, he was asked whether he thinks he could top the Firefly Funhouse Match if he returns to WWE. 

This marked his most recent match, which came against Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania 36 last year. 

“I don’t think it’s about topping what you’ve done. I think it’s about correctly continuing a narrative. And I think that’s the most important thing.”

He continued by talking about his accomplishments and how he went from main eventing Mania’s with The Rock to working his way down the card. He talked about finding a real sense of satisfaction contributing where he could and there only being one top spot in WWE. 

Cena then switched his discussion to wanting to get back to WWE. 

“I believe a spot is a chance to contribute. So it won’t be about that. It will simply be if there is an enthralling and correct continuation to the narrative. I really, really want to get back to WWE. I really want audiences to get back to WWE. Heck I’m with everybody I think around the world saying I just want the world to get back to normal, but these are interesting times and I have a lot of interesting opportunities at my feet, and I really do appreciate the WWE universe understanding that after so many years of…”

Cena did get fans talking with this post on Instagram with no caption last week despite there not being any reports about when he could return to the company:

Bret Hart & Ric Flair Have Settled Their Public Feud

Chris Stephens
-
0

Bret Hart and Ric Flair have each released statements regarding what appeared to be a public spat between the two. Things between Flair and Hart hit a sour point after comments Bret had made several years ago began making the rounds online recently.

Ric Flair then responded to the old quotes from Hart during a podcast with Conrad Thompson.

“What I do wanna do is be able to walk into the building and not have people say, ‘God, he’s bitter, he’s old, and he’s gonna continue to knock people,’” Flair said. “I couldn’t live like that. And calling Roman Reigns the next Triple H or cracking on him… I mean, how uncomfortable is that for people in the family to walk around in front of Hunter? And Shawn, who is an integral part of the company. NXT, that’s part of the company, right? What else? Jerry Lawler… ‘Jerry Lawler hit me with a chair too hard.’ Wow, okay… I don’t understand it. I don’t ever wanna be that lonely.”

Hart has released a statement about old quotes of his being used by someone to insinuate he did an interview with them recently:

Hart continued to say that he considers Ric a friend.

Hart then reached out to Ric Flair and the two of them cleared the air. Flair then posted the following statement addressed to Bret Hart:

https://twitter.com/RicFlairNatrBoy/status/1393199856915828736

Bret also noted on Twitter recently that he is pulling for his niece, Natalya, to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles along with Tamina.

Bayley Comments On Not Wrestling At WrestleMania This Year

Chris Stephens
-
0

Bayley did not have a match at WrestleMania this year. After having been on top of the Smackdown women’s division for much of 2020, she found herself outside the title picture and without a major storyline heading into the biggest show of the year. Bayley did, however, perform in a few segments at WrestleMania, including with the recently inducted WWE Hall-of-Famers, the Bella Twins.

She recently spoke about the experience during an interview with SI.com.

“You always want that match, or title match, or main event, but now I can say I’ve done something else at WrestleMania. I’ve defended the Raw title, I’ve defended the SmackDown title, I’ve defended the tag titles with Sasha, I’ve been in the battle royal, and now I can say I hosted with Hulk Hogan and Titus O’Neil, I was on stage with the NWO and got thrown off the stage by the Bellas. It’s cool when you look back on it, even though [not having a match] is a little salt in my wound.”

Bayley also noted that she saw people online were upset she wasn’t on the show.

“I could go on Twitter and see my name trending with people upset that I didn’t have a match, and it’s nice that people recognized how much work I’ve put in,” she continued. “After all the names I’ve called them, the fans still had my back.”

Later on in the interview, Bayley said she wants to be the wrestler that WWE can rely on for a variety of situations.

“I want to be the one the company can rely on to make anything great,” Bayley continued. “A match, a talk show, a 30-second backstage, a promo, a five-minute match—whatever it is, I’m going to make it different and exciting. You’ll never see some cookie-cutter version. I’m going to make it me.”

Bayley’s next big match will take place Sunday night at WrestleMania Backlash. She will challenge Bianca Belair for the Smackdown Women’s Championship on the show.

Update On WWE’s Planned Return To Live Events & Touring

Chris Stephens
-
0

AEW recently announced that they plan on running live Dynamite shows with fans in cities outside of Jacksonville beginning in July. According to a recent report from the Mat Men podcast, WWE is planning on doing the exact same thing. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is also reporting the news.

According to the report, either the July 16th edition of Smackdown or the July 19th edition of RAW could be the first outside of the Thunderdome.

WWE President Nick Khan said during a recent investors call that “there would be no turning back” once the company returned to touring. The inference being that once they return to events with live fans, they will not be going back to a Thunderdome experience.

AEW Not Running Events At Capacity?

Also concerning the return of live fans to wrestling events, fans online are noting that AEW tickets for recently announced live events are not being sold at capacity. Rather, social distancing appears to still be taking place inside these venues. This is the case despite the events being held in Texas and Florida. AEW recently announced a return to touring beginning July 7th.

The Twitter account “All Elite Wrestling Ticket Information” has been providing updates online:

Some AEW EVPs Reportedly No Longer On Speaking Terms

Chris Stephens
-
0

There are several reports that have come out recently which are stating that things backstage in AEW have hit a significantly rough patch.

Wade Keller of PWTorch noted on a recent podcast that certain members of ‘The Elite’ are no longer on speaking terms.

“There’s gonna a book written someday by some of these EVP’s or someone else closely observing and we’re gonna learn about a lot of dysfunction,” Keller said. “We’re gonna learn what a very short honeymoon period there was between certain key people in the company, who aren’t even talking to each other anymore.”

Keller is convinced that the situation is so volatile, it’s only a matter of time before specific details are made public.

“I think we’re gonna find that out,” he continued. “I know there are people in other wrestling companies saying The Bucks and Cody and Kenny it’s not gonna be long at all before they want to have nothing to do with each other. The honeymoon period is going to be short.”

AEW Infighting Turning Off Talent

Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net reports that there’s a major free agent, a “difference-making” star, that is hesitant to sign with AEW due to this reported infighting.

“There’s a would-be difference maker who could go there that has that opinion that there’s all this in-fighting and this person for that reason is hesitant to go there,” he said.

Adding further credence to the reports, Brian Last of the Jim Cornette Experience podcast also alluded to heated emails being exchanged between Cody Rhodes and Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks. He also alluded to Cody Rhodes’ absence from BTE as being related to conflict amongst AEW management.

Impact Results (5/13): Go-Home Show For Under Siege

Chris Stephens
-
0

Impact Wrestling presented the go-home show for this weekend’s Under Siege event last night on AXS TV and Twitch.

Impact Wrestling 5/13 Quick Results:

  1. Knockouts Title #1 Contendership
    Havok defeated Rosemary
  2. X-Division Title #1 Contendership
    6-Way Scramble
    El Phantasmo defeated Ace Austin vs TJP vs Acey Romero vs Rohit Raju vs Petey Wiliams
  3. Willie Mack defeated Sam Beale
  4. David Finlay defeated Karl Anderson via DQ
  5. Brian Myers defeated Crazzy Steve
  6. Sami Callihan, Moose, & Chris Bey defeated Matt Cardona, Chris Sabin & Trey Miguel

Havok To Face Deonna Purrazzo For Knockouts Title At Under Siege

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7ExYgbg4zI

Former Knockouts champions Rosemary and Havok met in singles action to kick off the show this week. The winner of this match would move on to face current Knockouts Champion Deonna Purrazzo at Under Siege. Havok knocked off Rosemary with a tombstone piledriver in what could be considered a mild upset.

After the match, Purrazzo hit the ring and tried to soften up her challenger for Under Siege. Havok fought back, however, and forced Purrazzo to retreat. As she did so she ran into Rosemary and the other members of Decay who promptly tossed her back into the ring. Kimber Lee and Susan tried to help but Taurus growled at them and they ran away. Back in the ring, Havok gave Purrazzo a tombstone and stood tall to end the segment.

El Phantasmo To Challenge For The X-Division Title At Under Siege

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

The newly arrived 2x Super J-Cup winner, El Phantasmo wrestled in just his second match in Impact Wrestling this week, and qualified for an X-Division title shot in the process. ELP came out of this 6-way scramble match the winner and will now face Josh Alexander for the title at Under Siege. Earlier in the match, ELP was hit with a Canadian Destroyer from Williams but later in the match, he would reverse that same move into a double-underhook slam that I believe he calls the CR II or Canadian Revolution II for the win.

W. Morrissey Attacks Willie Mack

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zGH5jCEcUo

Willie Mack put away Sam Beale with a frog splash in the night’s 3rd contest. After the match, however, he was attacked by his opponent at Under Siege, W. Morrissey, the former Big Cass. He took him out with a short-arm clothesline followed by a big boot. Morrissey then stood tall to end the segment.

Tenille Dashwood Doesn’t Understand How Talk Shows Work

Tenille Dashwood hosted her “All About Me” segment this week with Taylor Wilde as her guest. Dashwood seems to believe that her guests should ask her questions during these interviews, however. Instead, Wilde just explained that she will team with Dashwood at Under Siege to get even with Kimber Lee and Susan but her ultimate goal is to get the Knockouts title. Dashwood comically misunderstood all of this and still couldn’t understand why Wilde wasn’t asking her any questions.

Kenny Omega Interferes In Karl Anderson vs David Finlay Match

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gjRVVSmmg4

Karl Anderson and David Finlay faced off in singles action this week. The match came after Doc Gallows defeated Juice Robinson in singles competition on last week’s show. This week, however, Omega decided to break up the match as Finlay had Anderson locked in a deathlock submission hold. The two trios teams that will face off at Under Siege then brawled inside the ring with Eddie Edwards clearing the Elite away with his kendo stick.

Brian Myers Defeats Crazzy Steve, Gored By Taurus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGQAD3dea6A

After getting into a backstage altercation with the members of Decay last week, “The Most Professional Wrestler” Brian Myers faced Crazzy Steve in singles action this week. Myers would pick up the victory by using the ropes for leverage during a pin attempt. After the match, however, Myers would be gored by Black Taurus (who he’ll face at Under Siege) and left laying in the ring as the members of Decay stood over him. Rosemary then placed the “card of death” on top of Myers to end the segment.

Sami Callihan Picks Up Victory For Heel Team Ahead of Under Siege 6-Way

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmOMBTlV6HQ

At Under Siege this weekend, Kenny Omega’s next challenger will be determined in a 6-way match between  Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Trey Miguel. In a trios tag match that main event’ed this week’s Impact, Callihan picked up the victory for his team with a package piledriver on Trey Miguel. The Elite were shown in the back and Don Callis seemed concerned at the threat that Callihan might pose to Omega should he win the 6-way at Under Siege.

Under Siege Lineup

Below are the matches scheduled for Saturday’s Under Siege event:

  • Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows) vs. Eddie Edwards & FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson)
  • #1 Contendership – Impact World Championship
     Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Trey Miguel
  • X-Division Championship
    Josh Alexander (c) vs El Phantasmo
  • Knockouts Tag Team Championships
    Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering (c) vs Fire N Flava
  • Brian Myers vs Taurus
  • W. Morrisey vs. Willie Mack
  • Susan & Kimber Lee vs Tenille Dashwood & Taylor Wilde
  • #1 Contendership to the Impact Tag Team Titles
    Ace Austin & Madman Fulton vs TJP & Petey Williams vs Team XXXL vs Rohit Raju & Shera

Shawn Spears Explains Reasoning Behind Decision To Leave WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Shawn Spears’ decision to leave WWE was a tough one for him not only because he was leaving the job security to explore the indie wrestling world but because his wife Peyton Royce still worked for the promotion at the time as well.

During a recent interview with Inside The Ropes, the former WWE star talked about a number of things and also explained the reasoning behind his decision to leave the promotion.

Spears first mentioned how there were a lot of things that could have kept him in WWE but he would have regretted not taking a shot at himself and that made him take the leap of faith.

Shawn Spears: It’s Not About The Money

“If I didn’t leave and take a shot on myself and see what I was at least capable of, in 30-40 years down the road, I was going to say I should have. I knew that that’s what I was going to do.

I was going to look back on this time and go, ‘Damn it, I should have took a shot on myself.’ And I’m a big believer in – the worst feeling in the world is probably regret. And there’s nothing… At a time where you can’t do anything about it.”

The chairman of AEW also said that it was not about the money or being in the main event. According to him, it boils down to waking up every day and being excited for the work.

Things worked out well for Shawn Spears in the end. He signed with AEW not long after leaving WWE where he has recently joined MJF’s Pinnacle stable.

Sammy Guevara On The Reports Of His Dispute With Impact Officials

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Sammy Guevara made some headlines earlier this year due to reports of his dispute with Impact Wrestling officials over his refusal to work some matches for the promotion back in February.

There were a lot of rumors and speculations floating around at the time and the AEW star addressed the incident during his recent interview with WrestlingInc.

Guevara was asked about the various reports about the dispute and replying to it, the young star said that the stuff that came out was only coming from one side:

“You know a lot of stuff was said, but it’s just business at the end of the day, I know I didn’t really say nothing out there, and all this stuff [reports] that came out was only coming from one side. Some of it wasn’t true; I really don’t want to comment too much on it.”

Though he didn’t elaborate on the situation further and Sammy Guevara ended the conversation around the topic by saying that he still wishes everyone the best:

“It was what it was, and I still wish everyone the best. We’re all friends and we’re just all trying to succeed at the end of the day.”

Apart from this, Sammy Guevara also talked about things such as Kenny Omega capturing the Impact world title, Young Bucks’ new attitude and more.

Randy Orton On The Most Uncomfortable Thing He Has Done In His Career

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Randy Orton has been one of the top heels of WWE for almost 2 decades now. He has done some nasty things as part of his character on TV in this time which sometimes have made even The Viper uncomfortable.

While recently appearing on The Kurt Angle Show, the Legend Killer opened up about such moments from his career and revealed which one of them made him the most uncomfortable.

Orton talked about the promo he cut on Eddie Guerrero after his death. Randy had said that the late legend was not in heaven and he was actually in hell and he admitted not being comfortable with the line:

“[I was] 100% was not comfortable with it, Rey assured me that it’s something that Eddie would’ve wanted. Even still, Rey and myself went to Vickie and Vickie gave us her blessing

She said the same thing ‘Eddie would’ve wanted to help you guys in this manner. If he could’ve used his death in some way to help the business, he would’ve wanted us to do it, especially with Rey being involved.’”

Randy Orton later acknowledged that the storyline helped his career, but he still puts that promo on top of the list of things that have made him uncomfortable:

“There’s a lot of things I’ve done in my career that have made me uncomfortable, I think we can all agree on that individually, but that in particular was something I’d put at the top of that list.”

Randy Orton was involved in a feud with Rey Mysterio and Kurt Angle in 2006 only months after the passing of Eddie Guerrero in November 2005. This feud led to a match among the three at WrestleMania 22 where Rey Mysterio defeated both the stars and won the world title.

Bayley On Who Will Win 2021 Money In The Bank

Anutosh Bajpai
-
0

Former SmackDown women’s champion Bayley recently had an interview with SportsKeeda where she talked about the upcoming Money In The Bank event.

The female star has some experience when it comes to winning Money In The Bank as she won the bout in 2019 and successfully cashed in her briefcase on Charlotte Flair to become the women’s champion.

During the interview, she was asked about this year’s edition of the PPV. When asked who she thinks is going to win the bout, Bayley picked up the members of the Riott Squad:

“Oh man, that’s hard, but I’m gonna have to go with either one of the Riott Squad, or two. Both of them. Maybe they could share it. They are best friends right.”

Bayley also talked about her own Money In The Bank win and how she didn’t get to carry the briefcase for long as she cashed it in on the same night.

The former champion admitted that she would have loved to carry the contract around for a while and tease people about a potential cash in.

Money In The Bank this year is expected to take place from the ThunderDome in Yuengling Center, Tampa, FL on June 20 and the build for it will begin after the Backlash event.

1...859860861...3,336Page 860 of 3,336