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Kurt Angle Reveals There Are ‘Plans’ For Him To Make WWE Return

Jake Skudder
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WWE Hall of Famer and TNA alumni Kurt Angle recently appeared on Hannibal TV. The man considered one of the greatest ‘all-round’ performers in WWE history discussed a number of topics during the interview, including how he may be returning to WWE sooner rather than later.

“Well my relationship with WWE is really good and I like to keep it that way” Kurt Angle began the interview. “I don’t have any plans of going to AEW. I haven’t really spoke to them that much.”

“There’s just a couple messages sent back and forth but nothing serious” Angle revealed, negating any rumors that he was going to be All Elite bound. “I have something going on with WWE right now and it most likely will materialize.”

Kurt Angle on WWE Return

Angle finished by elaborating, somewhat, on those plans; “I can’t talk about it but that’s what I’m waiting on and I don’t wanna mess that up. The company’s been so good to me and I wanna be loyal to them.”

Kurt Angle’s last WWE match took place back at WrestleMania 35 against Baron Corbin. Angle has previously had a GM position on Monday Night RAW, so there’s a chance he may return for a similar role if and when he were to return.

Angle has stated in the past that he would like to work with Chad Gable, so that is also a possibility down the line.

credit to POST Wrestling for the transcription.

Would you like to see Kurt Angle back in WWE? Let us know in the comments

Daniel Bryan Considering Stepping Back from being a Fulltime Superstar

Alex Laybourne
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WWE superstar Daniel Bryan has shocked fans in a recent BT Sport interview. Talking about the match and his future, Bryan opened up and admitted he is considering stepping back from fulltime wrestling.

Daniel Bryan, who won the hearts of the wrestling world during his underdog run that culminated in a huge win at Wrestlemania 30, has had a storied career. From earning his stripes on the indie scene to conquering the top of the mountain in WWE, and returning from a career-ending injury. He is a man who has done it all.

Yet now, it would seem, that the near-guaranteed hall of famer is considering calling it a day on his glittering career.

Thoughts of Retirement

When discussing his experience at WrestleMania, Daniel Bryan reflected on feeling disconnected from the moment. As a veteran of the industry, that was an unfamiliar feeling and something Bryan found a bit scary.

“It was really bizarre. I don’t know why or how it happened, but it was unlike anything I’ve felt while wrestling before.”

“Maybe it was a sign that it’s time to let go of being a full-time wrestler, which is something that I have been thinking for a while.”

They say that when it’s your time to stop, you just know. Maybe now is the right time for Daniel Bryan to step away. Doing so on his own terms as opposed to when it was previously forced upon him.

With his words hinting at retirement, could it be that his late inclusion at WrestleMania was his goodbye swan song?

Reason Why Charlotte Flair Is Off WWE Television

Jake Skudder
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Charlotte Flair recently returned to WWE television following WrestleMania 37. The former RAW Women’s Champion returned to face Asuka on this week’s episode of RAW, with Rhea Ripley interrupting the match and causing Flair to be distracted and lose to Asuka.

Following the match, Charlotte Flair attacked WWE referee Eddie Orengo. This caused Flair to be ‘fined’ (in storyline) by Adam Pearce to the sum of $100,000.

Even though Flair has only just returned, she is now back off of WWE programming. The reasoning for this is Flair getting dental work done, this is according to a report from Alex McCarthy on the Wrestling Daily podcast.

Charlotte Flair on Suspension

Flair reacted to the storyline news on Twitter, alluding to a potential feud with Rhea Ripley down the line on Monday nights.

“This whole thing sped past ridiculous, jumped over absurd and landed right on stupid” Flair tweeted. “The top two wrestlers in WWE having a classic match on the flagship show, and for what? To be ruined by a petulant child with Road Warriors cosplay shoulder pads.”

“They found one other thing as well: audacity” Flair added. “The audacity to fine me. The audacity to physically remove me from MY RING and remove me from a building with MY NAME on the marquee. The fine? The suspension? Adam Pearce? All the same, a joke.”

Checking In From Somewhere

Meanwhile, the 13-time Women’s Champion appears to be enjoying her time away from WWE. The daughter of Ric Flair checked in this week from an exotic location. Here she is with her man, former WWE Superstar Andrade.

AEW Dynamite Results (4/21): Two Title Matches, Inner Circle & The Pinnacle

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Darby Allin put the TNT Championship on the line against Jungle Boy tonight. Hikaru Shida defended the AEW Women’s Championship against Tay Conti during this week’s Dynamite as well. In addition to the takeaways below, Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston smashed into a trailer with The Elite’s name on it tonight.

Dynamite Results (4/21)

  1. Hangman Page def. Ricky Starks
  2. Pentagon Jr. def. Trent
  3. Hikaru Shida def. Tay Conti to retain the AEW Women’s Championship
  4. QT Marshall def. Billy Gunn
  5. Christian Cage def. Powerhouse Hobbs
  6. Darby Allin def. Jungle Boy to retain the TNT Championship

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Hangman Page Picked Up A Win

Ricky Starks squared off against Hangman Page in the first match of the night. Hook was ringside for the match and Taz joined commentary. Page started off the match in control with a Clothesline and then a Splash. Page connected with a Fallaway Slam but Ricky battled back.

Starks sent Page to the corner but Adam responded with a Brainbuster for a near fall. Ricky made his way to the middle turnbuckle but Hangman caught him. Page hit another Fallaway Slam off the top for a two count. Starks hit a Spear for another near fall. Page then targeted Ricky’s ankle and locked in a submission for the victory. After the match, Hook and Starks attacked Page. Brian Cage made his way to the ring as well but Dark Order made the save and Team Taz retreated.

Pentagon Jr. def. Trent

Trent faced Pentagon Jr tonight on Dynamite. The action quickly spilled out of the ring and Pentagon sent Trent into the barricade. Trent went for a Tornado DDT but Pentagon escaped and hit a Crossbody. Penta followed it up with a Slingblade and went for the cover but Trent was able to kick out at two.

Trent hit a DDT but Penta hopped up and hit a Destroyer as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Trent and Penta were battling on the ring apron. Alex Abrahantes got on the mic for a distraction and Orange Cassidy got in the ring. Pentagon hit him with a Superkick and the referee got distracted. Alex hit Trent with the microphone and Pentagon capitalized with a Piledriver for the pinfall victory.

Jim Ross Interviewed The Pinnacle

Jim Ross sat down with The Pinnacle for an interview about their Blood & Guts match against Inner Circle on May 5th. MJF noted that he has been wearing the scarf since he was a child and didn’t attempt to steal Jericho’s gimmick. MJF then switched to a silk scarf as Wardlow claimed Jericho made a mistake by mentioning him.

MJF said that when Jericho was his age, he hadn’t accomplished anything compared to him. He called Mike Tyson a stooge and added that he wants Jericho’s spot and will take it at Blood & Guts.

Hikaru Shida Retained

Hikaru Shida defended the AEW Women’s Championship against Tay Conti. Dark Order accompanied Conti to the stage for the title match. Shida and Conti bowed to each other before the bell rang. Conti controlled the match early and hit a knee to the face for a two count.

Tay went for a submission but the AEW Women’s Champion reached the ropes to break the hold. Shida slammed Conti face first on the apron and followed it up with a running knee. Shida connected with a Brainbuster on the floor before the action returned to the ring.

Shida hit a Suplex but Conti shrugged it off and booted Hikaru in the face. Tay connected with a German Suplex and followed it up with a Senton for a near fall. Hikaru hit a Falcon Arrow but Conti was able to kick out at the last moment. Conti hit the TayKO but Shida kicked out at two. Shida connected with a Backbreaker and a big kick to the face for the pinfall victory. Hikaru Shida is still the AEW Women’s Champion. Britt Baker came to the entrance ramp and sent a message to Shida after the match. Baker has moved into the top spot on the rankings and is in line for a title match.

Inner Circle Responded To The Pinnacle

Tony Shiavone interviewed Inner Circle tonight in the ring. Jericho said there was a lot of energy in the crowd due to the upcoming Blood & Guts match against The Pinnacle on May 5th. Jericho claimed it will be one of the most brutal matches ever seen on TV and Hager added that The Pinnacle will be sucking out of a straw after the match. Santana called The Pinnacle bitches because they wait until there is a crew behind them to fight.

Chris Jericho said MJF is all talk and on May 5th he is going to teach him a lesson in violence. Chris brought up Le Dinner Debonaire and sang a quick verse poking fun at MJF. Jericho suggested a parley between Inner Circle and The Pinnacle next week. Inner Circle then gave a middle finger to the camera to end the promo.

QT Marshall def. Billy Gunn

Billy Gunn faced QT Marshall this week on Dynamite. Gunn hit a Powerslam as Aaron Solow came to the ring. Austin and Colten attacked Comoroto and Solow to even the odds. QT hit Gunn with a Piledriver for a two count. Anthony Ogogo interfered and punched Billy in the midsection. QT followed it up with a Diamond Cutter for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Ogogo brought a wooden chair into the ring and went to hit Gunn but Dustin Rhodes broke it up. Ogogo retreated as Dustin planted QT with a Powerslam. Nick Comoroto broke it up and The Factory retreated.

Christian Cage def. Powerhouse Hobbs

Christian Cage faced Powerhouse Hobbs tonight and Team Taz was banned from ringside. Hobbs dominated the match early on as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Hobbs had Cage in a Headlock in the middle of the ring as the crowd got behind Christian. Taz joined commentary and said he loved what Hobbs was doing tonight.

Powerhouse Hobbs threw Cage to the corner of the ring and began taunting him. Hobbs threw Cage across the ring again as the crowd booed. Hobbs stood on Cage’s chest and posed like him. Hobbs went for a Splash but Cage got his knees up. Christian connected with a flurry of right hands and then a diving uppercut off the middle turnbuckle for a near fall.

Cage slapped Hobbs in the face but ran into a Spinebuster for a near fall. Hobbs perched Christian up on the top turnbuckle but Cage hit him with a Powerbomb to the mat. Cage went to the top rope and hit a Frog Splash for a near fall. Christian went for a Spear but Hobbs leveled him. Powerhouse hit a Hip Attack in the corner of the ring for a two count.

Hobbs brought Cage back up to his feet but Christian applied a Sleeper Hold in the middle of the ring. Hobbs broke the hold and went for a Powerslam but Christian escaped. Cage planted Hobbs with the Killswitch for the pinfall victory.

Darby Allin Retained

Darby Allin defended the TNT Championship against Jungle Boy in the main event of this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. Sting and Luchasaurus were ringside for the match. Jungle Boy brought Darby to the canvas and applied an Armbar in the middle of the ring.

Allin finally was able to escape and break the hold. Darby connected with an Arm Drag that sent Jungle Boy across the ring and the two had a stare down. Jungle Boy went for another submission right away but Allin escaped to the ropes. Jungle Boy and Darby got in each other’s face and before Darby sent Jungle Boy to the outside.

Jungle Boy hit Darby with a chop to the chest but he shrugged it off and drove Jungle Boy into the ring post. The two then battled into the crowd as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Darby hit a couple Splashes and went for a third but Jungle Boy got his knees up.

Jungle Boy threw Darby out of the ring and flipped onto him. Darby battled back and stomped Jungle Boy down on the ring apron. Allin climbed to the top rope and hit a Coffin Drop on top of the ring apron. Luchasaurus got on the entrance ramp and Sting got in his face. Sting unloaded some strikes and awkwardly fought with Luchasaurus until they went backstage.

Back in the ring, Jungle Boy hit a Brainbuster for a two count before locking in the Snare Trap in the middle of the ring. Allin fought through the pain and reached the bottom rope to break the hold. Jungle Boy once again locked in the Snare Trap but Darby broke free by raking Jungle Boy’s eyes. Darby then rolled up Jungle Boy with the Last Supper for the victory.

After the match, Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page attacked Darby Allin. Lance Archer made the save as Sting marched back to the ring. Sting pointed his bat at Scorpio and Ethan Page to close the show.

NXT On USA Draws 841K Viewers, 0.23 Rating (4/20)

Michael Reichlin
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NXT’s move to Tuesday nights continues to pay off with an uptrend in viewership.

The 4/20 edition of NXT on the USA Network averaged 841,000 viewers, up from 805,000 last week. The show scored a 0.23 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic, up from 0.22.

NXT finished 23rd on cable for the day up against news coverage of the Derek Chauvin trial verdict. The numbers come courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily.

WWE’s black and gold brand is settling in to a new level of viewership on Tuesday nights without the direct competition of AEW Dynamite. They’ll be in good shape if they can maintain and steadily grow this audience.

Check out our recap and takeaways from this week’s NXT:

Daniel Bryan Tried Getting Out Of The WrestleMania 37 Main Event

Michael Reichlin
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Daniel Bryan made history earlier this month when he competed in the main event of WWE WrestleMania 37 (Night 2). He challenged for Roman Reigns’ Universal Championship in a triple threat match that also involved Edge.

The original plan was for Royal Rumble winner Edge to challenge Reigns one-one-one. Bryan was a late addition. Although headlining WrestleMania is a huge honor that most pro wrestlers never achieve, Bryan reveals that he actually tried getting out of the match several times.

During an interview with BT Sport, Daniel Bryan said, “I kept trying to get out of it… It was such a strong main event with just the two of them.”

Bryan acknowledges that he ‘added something’ to the triple threat main event of WrestleMania XXX, where he defeated Randy Orton and Batista to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion. However, he didn’t feel that he was needed in the main event of WrestleMania 37.

Bryan sensed that certain people in WWE felt like he didn’t belong in the match either, but couldn’t say anything. He voiced his opinion backstage, but nobody agreed with him (to his face).

Ultimately, Daniel Bryan was an asset to the match, which was not at all surprising. He is still one of the best wrestlers in the world and his mentality going into WrestleMania shows that he’s also humble and selfless.

Check out BT Sport’s interview with Daniel Bryan in the Youtube player embedded below:

Jim Ross Wants NJPW Champion To Join All Elite Wrestling

Jake Skudder
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Jim Ross recently discussed IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay on the Grilling Jr podcast. JR discussed that while Ospreay is a ‘very good hand’ he still has a long way to go before he can be classed as one of the best in wrestling history.

“He’s now the greatest champion in the history of wrestling and nobody’s been better, are you sh*tting me?” Ross began on Grilling Jr. “Come on. He’s a very good hand. I called some of his matches back in the day, he’s very good and very unique, he creates his own style with a lot of British stuff.”

Jim Ross then discussed the former top Champions of New Japan, questioning whether Will Ospreay even ranks up to them at present.

“I think Will Ospreay is a great talent, but all of a sudden, because he did have a fantastic NJPW experience, is he the greatest ever?” Ross asked. “Is he even the greatest NJPW champion? It’s hard to say he’s better than [Hiroshi] Tanahashi, it’s hard to say he’s better than [Kazuchika] Okada or the list of all luminaries that held that title. I do think he’s very good, it might be a little early a week after his win to consider him the greatest ever.”

Jim Ross on Will Ospreay

JR finished by saying that he wants to see Ospreay appear for AEW at some point in the future. “I wish he wrestled in AEW, he’d do great here,” Ross noted. “He’s not from here you know, I don’t know if that means a lot to him or not. I know he could probably make more money than he’s making where he is, that’s my guess.”

“We know he’d have more creative freedom if he wrestled for Tony Khan than if he wrestled for Vince McMahon” Jim Ross added. “I think that’s one of the attractive things about our company that’s ever growing, you get to have a bigger influence on your creative. I know guys here in AEW that outline their whole program, I think that’s cool as hell. It gives them some creative release and wrestlers are creative by nature.”

Would you like to see Will Ospreay appear in AEW? Let us know in the comments

Reason Vince McMahon ‘Doesn’t Want’ a Real Hall of Fame

Jake Skudder
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This past weekend, a new WWE show premiered on A&E titled, “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures.” Hosts Triple H and Stephanie McMahon scour the globe for lost pieces of pro wrestling memorabilia, such as Ric Flair’s iconic robes, Kane’s mask, etc. The recovered items are being brought back to a WWE warehouse, but they might eventually be part of a physical WWE Hall of Fame building.

WWE has considered a physical Hall of Fame at different times over the years, but it’s never come to fruition. The Most Wanted Treasures show has revived interest in the topic, which led to some commentary by Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

According to Meltzer, the reason WWE never pulled the trigger on a physical Hall of Fame is because Vince McMahon has always felt it’s a waste of money. Triple H has reportedly been pushing for a Hall of Fame building for nearly a decade, but McMahon has always vetoed the idea.

The company has a spotty track record when it comes to real estate. The WWF New York restaurant in Times Square was short-lived. The company’s Las Vegas hotel and casino concept never got off the ground.

There were talks about bringing the WWE Hall of Fame to Universal City Walk in Orlando, Florida, but that fell apart in 2016. For now, the best place for wrestling fans to see WWE memorabilia is the Axxess Fan Fest that is held during WrestleMania weekends.

Ronda Rousey Reveals She’s 4-Months Pregnant

Chris Stephens
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Ronda Rousey’s “impregnation vacation” has proven successful. Rousey and Travis Browne announced on YouTube that the couple is expecting.

“How do I put this? Pow, 4 months pregnant!” Rousey revealed in the video. “What? You didn’t even know the last 4 months.”

“I’ve been pregnant since January, so 4 months. Woo baby bump! I can’t hide it anymore so time to show it off.”

“There’s definitely much more to the story that we’ll be telling later,” Rousey also revealed.

Shortly after WrestleMania 35, Rousey revealed she would be taking a hiatus from wrestling as she looked to start a family. She spoke to ESPN about her decision in 2019.

“I’ve not kept it a secret that I would definitely want to start a family,” Rousey said. “But how do you go about doing that? I love this way more than I thought that I would. So do you just keep going until you just happen to get pregnant? Or should you stop and go try and get pregnant? Or is going and trying to get pregnant putting yourself on the spot and then you’re less likely to get pregnant?”

You can watch Ronda and Browne make the big reveal in the video below:

Kurt Angle Recalls Vince McMahon’s Role In The Plane Ride From Hell

Chris Stephens
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The Plane Ride From Hell is one of the most infamous stories in wrestling history. The event took place as the WWE roster was returning from a European tour on May 5th, 2002. One of the many stories to come from this commute was Vince McMahon deciding he wanted to wrestle the Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle.

On the latest episode of his Kurt Angle Show podcast, Angle recalls the Plane Ride from Hell as being the ‘longest night of his life.’ There was a lot of rowdiness on board, but things got dangerous when Angle and McMahon were wrestling near the door of the airplane.

“The thing was, I was on the plane and Vince had a few glasses of wine in him,” Angle began. “He was feeling frisky and thought if I’m gonna wrestle someone that’s the best, might as well wrestle an Olympic Gold Medalist. You have to understand, Vince is the type of guy who would say to Mike Tyson, ‘Knock me out. Go ahead, hit me in the face. I want to feel what it’s like.’ He wants to feel what it’s like to be with the best person. I totally get it, but Vince is crazy.”

Angle further explained McMahon’s affinity for roughhousing. He’s an alpha male and wants to test himself by mixing it up with the best athletes in the world.

“He would have somebody come get me and he’d jump me from behind and we’d wrestle. We did this for five hours. We’d wrestle for a few minutes, and I’d hold him down and say, ‘Are you good?’ He’d say, ‘Yeah, yeah, we’re good.’ I’d go back and lay down and he’d jump on me again. It went for five hours, and it just became very irritating.”

“Tell the pilot to go…”

WWE Plane

While some would expect the boss to assume control of the situation, it sounds like McMahon was as much to blame for things getting out of hand than anybody.

“The crazy thing, there were wine stains all over the floor – there’s white carpet and wine stains everywhere,” Angle said. “Vince and I were wrestling near the door, and there’s the latch. You open the latch and the door is open and you fly out of the plane. We kept hitting the latch while we were wrestling, so the flight attendant came and said, ‘The pilot said if you don’t sit down and stop, he’s gonna land this plane right now.’ Vince says, ‘Go tell the pilot to fuck himself. I’ll buy the fucking plane.’

“Here we are wrestling on the plane and we’re getting ready to land and they finally get Vince to calm down. Jericho is sitting in front of me and he says look who’s coming up the aisle. While we’re hitting the ground landing, Vince is army crawling up the aisle to jump on me again. I’m like, ‘Holy shit, this is the night that will never end.’ It was a frickin’ nightmare.”

This infamous trip will be covered in Season 3 of Dark Side of the Ring.

AEW Dynamite Preview (4/21): Allin vs. Jungle Boy, Shida vs. Conti

Michael Reichlin
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All Elite Wrestling is back tonight with an all-new episode of AEW Dynamite on TNT.

AEW looks to keep the momentum going after last week’s Dynamite topped 1.2 million viewers. We’ve got multiple championships on the line, interviews with AEW’s top warring factions and much more to look forward to.

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The following matches are announced for tonight’s broadcast from Daily’s Place amphitheater in Jacksonville, Florida:

  • TNT Champion Darby Allin defends against Jungle Boy. This match came about after Darby Allin asked Tony Khan to find him a challenger in AEW’s Top 5 rankings.
  • AEW Women’s World Champion Hikaru Shida defends against Tay Conti.
  • Hangman Page vs. Ricky Starks (Team Taz). Both men are on winning streaks.
  • Powerhouse Hobbs (Team Taz) vs. Christian Cage.
  • Penta El Zero Miedo (Death Triangle) vs. Trent (Best Friends).
  • Billy Gunn vs. QT Marshall w/The Factory.

Plus, AEW’s veteran broadcasters will interview the two teams who will go to war inside Blood and Guts on May 5th. Tony Schiavone interviews The Inner Circle, while Jim Ross speaks with The Pinnacle.

All that and more goes down in just a matter of hours. Join us here later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results and Takeaways feature.

Update: AEW announced Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston will return at Dynamite. This will be their first appearance since being attacked by Kenny Omega, the Young Bucks and the Good Brothers two weeks ago.

Konosuke Takeshita Hopes To Work With Kenny Omega Again in AEW

Michael Reichlin
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Japanese wrestling star Konosuke Takeshita is headed back to Japan after a successful (short) stint working for AEW.

The 25-year-old primarily works for Japan’s DDT promotion. He spent a few weeks in the United States and wrestled at three AEW events. He worked the ‘House Always Wins’ non-televised event during WWE WrestleMania weekend. He also competed on two episodes of AEW Dark: Elevation.

Earlier this week, Takeshita posted on Twitter that he’s returning home, but hopes to return to AEW in the future as DDT Champion. He stated that his next goal is to appear on All Elite Wrestling’s flagship show, AEW Dynamite. He let American wrestling fans know, this is only goodbye ‘for now.’

Konosuke Takeshita & Kenny Omega

Konosuke Takeshita teamed up with AEW World Champion Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa this past week on Dark: Elevation. They defeated Danny Limelight, Matt and Mike Sydal’s in the main event.

Omega took notice of Takeshita’s message. He replied with condescension. “We sent him home packing but he was a good hand. He fought the good fight for the brothers in the Elite. Maybe we’ll bring him back?”

Takeshita took Omega’s ‘good hand’ jab in stride. He thanked the champion for his support and hinted that they might cross paths again in the future.

You can see Omega, Takeshita & Nakazawa vs. Limelight & the Sydal Brothers in the player embedded below:

WWE NXT Results (4/20): Title Match, Io Shirai Speaks, Sarray’s Debut

Andrew Ravens
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The April 20, 2021 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

  • GYV def. Breezango.
  • Sarray def. Zoey Stark.
  • KUSHIDA def. Oney Lorcan to retain Cruiserweight Title
  • Imperium def. Ever-Rise.
  • Kyle O’Reilly def. Cameron Grimes.

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Io Shirai Speaks

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Io Shirai’s first appearance since losing the NXT Women’s Championship took place on this show as she did a sit-down interview. She dropped the strap to Raquel Gonzalez in the main event of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one earlier this month.

Io said that she was going to take some time off and when the time is right, she would get her rematch. 

Franky Monet appeared and introduced herself as well as said that Io had a great title reign. She said that she is willing to fill Io’s spot as the top star in the women’s division. Io said something to her in Japanese and said she likes cats before walking away. 

Kushida Defends His Title

pjimage 2021 04 20T151319.545

A championship celebration was booked for NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida on this show. However, WWE changed it and booked a title match instead as Kushida did an open challenge. 

The challenge was answered by Oney Lorcan. This was a really fun back and forth match. They had a stiff technical style. Kushida won with a kamura. Post-match, Legado Del Fantasma attacked him, but MSK came out to make the save and they stood tall in the ring. 

This came after Kushida answered Santos Escobar’s open challenge on last week’s NXT and defeated him to win the strap. As a result, this marked the first title that Kushida has held since signing with WWE in 2019.

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1384680180472590337

Kyle O’Reilly Appearance

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Kyle O’Reilly made his first appearance since TakeOver: Stand & Deliver where he battled Adam Cole in an unsanctioned match on the second night two weeks ago. 

Kyle opened the show with a promo about how he’s in a good mood because he no longer has to deal with Cole. He said that he found his killer instinct and is willing to pay the sacrifices to get where he wants to go. He made a time reference and said Karrion Kross has something he wants. 

Cameron Grimes came out and talked about how Kyle showed he could stand and deliver. Kyle eventually decked Grimes to end the segment. They later worked the main event.

Neither O’Reilly nor Cole appeared on NXT last week, but WWE did show footage of what happened in the aftermath of their match including Cole being stretchered out and being transported to the hospital by ambulance. 

In that same footage, O’Reilly was seen collapsing backstage and being taken out by ambulance. Funny enough, when they saw each other at the hospital at the same time, Cole started yelling at him. 

Last week’s show also saw Cole and O’Reilly’s former Undisputed Era stablemate Roderick Strong give NXT general manager William Regal papers and told him he was done in NXT. 

Sarray’s Debut

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Sarray (formerly known as Sareee) made her NXT debut against Zoey Starks. 

WWE gave Starks some offense in this match, which was surprising considering this is Sarray’s promotional debut. Sarray went over with her powerslam finisher. 

Post-match, Toni Storm came out and laid out Starks. 

The 24-year-old is from Tokyo, Japan. Prior to joining WWE, she worked for the likes of World Woman Pro Wrestling Diana, SEAdLINNNG, and Sendai Girls’ Pro Wrestling. 

Her signing with WWE was made official last month as she was originally supposed to move to the United States and start with WWE last year. That was delayed thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sarray is using the nickname “The Warrior of the Sun.”

Dexter Lumis vs. LA Knight

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Dexter Lumis vs. LA Knight took place in a singles match.

This comes after Knight had eliminated Lumis from NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver’s Gauntlet Eliminator match when night pinned Lumis as Lumis had his Silence choke locked on Cameron Grimes

Later on, after Knight was eliminated, Lumis put him in the Silence choke outside of the ring. Last week’s episode of NXT saw Lumis, Reed, Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon defeat The Way (Gargano, Austin Theory, Candice LeRae & Indi Hartwell) in an eight-person tag team main event. 

The match was pretty good. In the end, Heartwell appeared at ringside and distracted Knight to allow Lumis to hit him with an outside dive. Back in the ring, Knight caught Lumis with a face planter for the win. 

https://twitter.com/WWENetwork/status/1384664495352688642
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CM Punk Thinks He’d Be “Just Another Guy” If Ever Returned To WWE

Andrew Ravens
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Whenever CM Punk does an interview, he is asked about a possible return to pro wrestling as the fans still want to see the former WWE Champion perform inside of the squared circle. 

That was no different when he sat down with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated. He was asked about the possibility of him returning to wrestling. 

Punk started out by stating that he has said no before in interviews because he’s not fishing for a deal and he gets offered to do a lot of stuff, but he says no to it 90% of the time because he wants to work with quality human beings. He wonders whether pro wrestling has a lack of quality human beings.

Punk said that if there is a fun and quality wrestling project that gets sent way then he will listen to it. 

“I don’t need the money. And the way the wrestling business is now, it’s wacky. You’ve got WWE, who has multiple billion-dollar television deals, and the television’s awful. I go back there, I’m just another guy.

“And it’s not even that—I’d be just another guy that’s doing not-good television. I want to do stuff that’s good. I want my name attached to quality projects, where it’s fun and it makes people laugh, smile, think and people don’t hate watching it. I want to do fun stuff.”

Punk hasn’t wrestled since 2014 and instead, shifted his focus towards acting as well as fighting twice in the UFC.

Details On Paid WWE WrestleMania 37 Attendance

Andrew Ravens
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Back in January, WWE expected to have 25,000 fans in attendance each night, which would give them 50,000 total, for WrestleMania 37. 

It was later bumped up to 45,000 fans each night only for that number to drop back down to the original expectation of 50,000. 

Tampa Sports Authority released the actual numbers to Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston. The event sold 40,806 tickets over two nights, which generated a combined $6.2 million in revenue.

The first night had 18,328 with 20,172 total tickets sold while the second night had 18,924 in the house with 20,634 total tickets sold. Comped tickets for Saturday were 1682 and 1470 for Sunday.

WWE announced 25,675 attendance on both nights from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. WWE sold 7,952 two-day packages in non-suite seating and a total of 435 suite tickets were sold for both nights.

The first night opened with WWE Champion Bobby Lashley retaining the strap against Drew McIntyre while Bianca Belair won the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship from Sasha Banks in the headliner. 

On the second night, Rhea Ripley won the Raw Women’s Title from Asuka and in the headliner, Universal Champion Roman Reigns retained the title over Edge and Daniel Bryan.

WWE will hold WrestleMania 38 from Dallas, Texas next year and WrestleMania 39 in 2023 in California. 

AEW Planning To Resume Live Touring Schedule With Fans By July

Michael Reichlin
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All Elite Wrestling is gearing up to hit the road once again this summer.

AEW has been filming shows from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL since last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to AEW broadcaster Jim Ross, the company is getting ready resume a ‘pretty aggressive’ touring schedule starting in July.

“We’re getting our schedule together,” said Ross on the Grilling JR Podcast. “It looks like we’re going back on the road pretty aggressively, beginning in July. Getting back in front of a live audience is a blessing. I can’t wait.”

JR said that performing in front of live crowds across the United States will help everyone’s work. “You can’t help but feed off of the adrenaline of the people and the audience surrounding you,” he added.

The Events section of the AEW website lists the following dates for AEW Dynamite tapings outside Jacksonville:

  • 6/23: St. Louis, MO
  • 8/18: Houston, TX
  • 8/25: Milwaukee, WI
  • 9/8: Boston, MA
  • 9/15: Newark, NJ
  • 9/29: Rochester, NY
  • 10/6: Philadelphia, PA

AEW has done a commendable job running television and pay-per-view events during these challenging times. Smaller crowds have been permitted at Daily’s Place for several months, but it’s been nearly a year since AEW talent performed in front of a full house.

The recent WWE WrestleMania pay-per-view featured the largest live crowds since the start of the pandemic. According to Wrestlenomics, WWE had over 20,000 fans in attendance for each night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, FL.

We will provide an update when AEW announces more information about this big push to resume touring with fans in attendance.

WWE Raw Ratings Down Below 2 Million Viewers After One Week Increase (4/19)

Andrew Ravens
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Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.907 million viewers with a 0.61 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This is down from last week’s 2.026 million viewers and the 0.68 rating, which was the post-WrestleMania 37 edition of Raw. 

Ratings were expected to be down from last week. Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Monday night:

  • The first hour did 2.017 million viewers and a 0.63 rating (A18-49).
  • The second hour did 1.981 million viewers and a 0.63 rating.
  • The final hour of the show had just 1.724 million viewers and a 0.57 rating.

This episode featured Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka, Randy Orton vs. Matt Riddle, Mace & T-BAR vs. Braun Strowman & Drew McIntyre, and Damian Priest vs. The Miz.

SmackDown Viewership

Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.119 million viewers. This is down from the 2.250 million viewers on FOX that the show did for the previous week.

SmackDown pulled in a 0.56 rating in the 18-49 demos, down from the 0.61 rating the previous week’s show. The episode drew an average of 1.996 million viewers in the overnight ratings, down from the previous week that did 2.080  million viewers. 

The first hour saw it pull in 2.001 million viewers while hour two did 1.992 million viewers. The show did 2.060 million viewers in hour one while hour two did 2.099 million viewers a week ago.

Charlotte Flair Reacts To WWE Suspension & $100,000 Fine

Michael Reichlin
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Charlotte Flair snapped during the main event segment of Monday’s WWE Raw. The 13-time Women’s Champion faced Asuka in the final match of the show. Asuka picked up the win by pinfall after interference by Raw Women’s Champion, Rhea Ripley.

The Queen lashed out after the finish. She viciously attacked referee Eddie Orengo and went back for more after WWE officials pulled her off the ref.

During the post-Raw edition of Raw Talk, WWE official Adam Pearce announced that Charlotte has been suspended indefinitely as a result of her actions. She was also hit with a $100,000 fine, according to storylines.

Charlotte Reacts To Suspension & Fine

Charlotte Flair posted a series of messages on social media addressing the situation. She is outraged that WWE had the audacity to discipline her, despite the fact that she repeatedly assaulted an official.

“This whole thing sped past ridiculous, jumped over absurd and landed right on stupid,” she wrote. “The top two wrestlers in WWE having a classic match on the flagship show, and for what? To be ruined by a petulant child with Road Warriors cosplay shoulder pads.”

Flair continued, “They found one other thing as well: audacity. The audacity to fine me. The audacity to physically remove me from MY RING and remove me from a building with MY NAME on the marquee. The fine? The suspension? Adam Pearce? All the same, a joke.”

It is unknown at this time why Charlotte Flair is being written off WWE television.

Google Searches For Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren Triller PPV Dwarf WrestleMania

Chris Stephens
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Triller put on one of the most unique boxing PPVs of all time recently. YouTube sensation Jake Paul knocked out former MMA fighter Ben Askren in just over 2 minutes this weekend. According to comments made on Wrestling Observer Live, the PPV eclipsed WrestleMania in terms of Google searches.

“It appears as though there were 7.2 million searches on Google which is gigantic basically beating everything in combat sports except for Ronda Rousey’s biggest fights or something like McGregor vs Mayweather,” said Bryan Alvarez.

He then compared the Google search numbers for the Triller PPV and compared them to WrestleMania. “Both days of WrestleMania combined did 750,000 (Google searches). So, this Triller show in one day did 10x the Google searches that WrestleMania did over 2 days.”

“The AEW Revolution PPV did 200,000,” he continued. “The UFC show on ESPN this weekend did 200,000. Triller – 7.2 million.”

Alvarez continued to say that WWE’s releases caused 20,000 Google searches on Friday. Bad Bunny’s concert’s selling out did 1 million searches.

Although numbers are not yet official, estimates currently are that 1.5 million people ordered the PPV.

AEW star Chris Jericho offered his thoughts on the fight. Needless to say, he was not impressed.

Big Swole Talks Medical Cannabis Helping Her Manage Crohn’s Disease

Chris Stephens
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AEW’s Big Swole lives with Crohn’s disease, an illness characterized by inflammation of the digestive tract. In an Instagram post on 4/20, Swole mentioned how medical cannabis has helped her manager her condition.

“I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how I managed my Crohn’s Disease while wrestling,” Swole wrote. “My Crohn’s is very aggressive so I was referred by my physician to try medical cannabis.”

“For me, this decision was best for my recovery. I honestly believe I wouldn’t have been able to get through this past year w/o it. My pain has nearly subsided, my appetite is revived and my overall happiness has increased. It may not be for you but it’s worth a look!”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CN5CVH5pcl7/?igshid=yx58cv1vn6me

Big Swole On Crohn’s Disease and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Swole released a statement last month about how the pandemic has impacted her Crohn’s treatment.

“After my bout with pneumonia early last year, I was informed that resuming medicine for Crohn’s would result in death given the COVID-19 circumstances. Seeing as how the biologic I was on shuts down my immune system and acts as such, resuming my medicine was not an option.”

https://twitter.com/SwoleWorld/status/1369136699184455681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1369136699184455681%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fs46315.p1736.sites.pressdns.com%2F2021%2F03%2Fbig-swole-releases-statement-on-struggle-with-crohns-disease%2F

Ridge Holland Injury Update: Gruesome Post-Surgery Photos

Michael Reichlin
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NXT star Ridge Holland has checked in with an injury update and it’s not pretty.

Holland (real name Luke Menzies) has been out of action since October, when he suffered a series of injuries during a match against Oney Lorcan on NXT TV.

During a spot that saw Lorcan dive to the outside of the ring onto Holand, the former professional rugby star fractured his left ankle. He also suffered a right knee patella dislocation and patellar tendon rupture. He was hospitalized and underwent multiple operations to repair the damage.

You can see WWE’s coverage of Ridge Holland’s injuries from this October 2020 NXT Injury Report:

Ridge Holland Update

Ridge Holland posted several photos of his legs to social media on Tuesday morning. He did not provide a caption, so it’s unknown when they were taken.

The photos reveal the extent of Ridge Holland’s injuries. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.

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Anthony Bowens On Being Worried That Coming Out As Gay Would Impact His Wrestling Dream

Chris Stephens
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Last night on AEW Dark: Elevation, Paul Wight spoke with both members of the Acclaimed in a sit-down interview. During the interview, Bowens spoke about his fear that coming out would impact his professional wrestling dream.

“I represent the LGBQT community, I’m an openly gay professional wrestler so I had a lot of years living in fear of whether or not I’d be able to do this or not. So, to even be here is an incredible opportunity and I’m extremely grateful for it,” Bowens said during the interview.

Bowens is currently out of action with a knee injury but is expected to return shortly.

Anthony Bowens On Representation in Wrestling

During an interview with SI.com in 2019, Bowens spoke in-depth regarding representation of gay athletes in wrestling.

“It means something when a person can see someone that looks like them, gets them, and understands what they’re going through,” said Bowens. “I’m representing the LGBT community and athletes that are LGBT, but even more than that, too, I’m representing the small-town kid who was told he’d never make it, and I’m here for the shy kid that is ready to burst out of his shell and be that social butterfly.”

“I’m trying to represent all of these people in the most positive way I can. I get messages from people that make me cry. To know that I’m having a positive impact on people is a blessing, and makes me feel that I made the right decision to come out.”

NXT Preview: Lumis vs. Knight, Sarray Debuts, O’Reilly Returns

Michael Reichlin
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WWE returns to the Capitol Wrestling Center tonight with an all-new episode of NXT on the USA Network.

The top match advertised for this week’s show is Dexter Lumis squaring off against LA Knight. WWE has released the following video hyping the bout:

NXT fans will also see:

  • The debut of Japanese wrestling star Sarray, formerly known as Sareee. The WWE Nickname Generator 3000 has blessed her with the nickname, “The Warrior of The Sun.”
  • A championship celebration for the new undisputed WWE Cruiserweight Champion, Kushida.
  • Kyle O’Reilly returns to NXT TV for the first time since defeating Adam Cole at Takeover: Stand and Deliver.

All this and more go down in just a matter of hours. Check back later tonight for our NXT Results and Takeaways.

Visit our NXT News page for all the latest articles about WWE’s black and gold brand.

Backstage News On Last-Minute Changes To RAW

Chris Stephens
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Over the weekend, WWE announced that Braun Strowman would face Randy Orton in singles competition this week on RAW. A post was made for the match on WWE.com that has since been removed. Then on Monday, there was no mention of the match in WWE.com’s official RAW preview and the match did not take place on the show.

On Monday afternoon, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported that Vince McMahon had made numerous changes to the show that afternoon.

“This all could change because Vince McMahon showed up and made a number of changes in the show,” wrote Dave Meltzer about that night’s show.

According to a report from PW Insider, by the time the production meeting for RAW began yesterday, the Orton vs Strowman match had already been removed by Vince himself. There was no reason given for the change.

Randy Orton would lose to Matt Riddle on last night’s show. Braun Strowman would team with Drew McIntyre against MACE and T-Bar in tag-team action.

Orton took to Twitter and commented on the scrapped match and the possibility of it taking place against somewhere down the line.

Orton also took to Twitter to comment on his loss to Riddle from RAW.

Although Orton and Strowman have met in tag matches and multi-person matches, they have never had a one-on-one match.

Steve Austin Says Vince McMahon Tried To Get Him To Return Several Times

Alex Laybourne
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Stone Cold Steve Austin is arguably one of the biggest names in wrestling history. The Texas Rattlesnake was the face of the Attitude Ara. His feuds were legendary. His style and personality fit that era of professional wrestling like a favorite pair of gloves.

Yet sadly, his career was cut short by a neck injury after just a few years. To many, the idea of seeing Stone Cold Steve Austin back in a WWE ring is the stuff they dream about. That even extends to WWE CEO Vince McMahon.

Talking on his Broken Skull Sessions podcast, Austin admitted that Vince McMahon was interested in getting him to return  

“Vince McMahon tried talking me to coming back a couple times,” he explained to his guest.

Stone Cold Steve Austin Loves Wrestling too Much to Return

Yet, it is precisely his deep-seated love of professional wrestling that keeps him from making a comeback.

“I love it more than anybody else. I can only speak for myself, but I love the damn business and it hurt me so much to leave it.”

“And to me, going back for one match, man, why? What am I proving? What are they going to remember?”

It speaks a lot about the man, who refuses to come back to what he loves because of the risk of tainting the legacy left behind. While there can be no denying that fans would love nothing more than to hear the sound of glass breaking one more time, it seems highly unlikely this will ever happen.

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