Home Blog Page 876

Impact Results (8/5): Melina To Face Purrazzo, Elite vs Impact Trios

Chris Stephens
-
0

Impact Wrestling 8/5 featured Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers facing Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan, and Kazarian in the main event. It also featured Mickie James unveiling Melina as Deonna Purrazzo’s opponent at NWA Empowerrr.

Impact Results 8/5:

  1. Chris Bey defeated Juice Robinson
  2. X-Division #1 Contendership
    Jake Something defeated Shawn Daivari vs Rohit Raju vs Trey Miguel
  3. Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering defeated Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz)
  4. Steve Maclin defeated Jah-C
  5. Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan & Kazarian defeated The Elite (Kenny Omega, Karl Anderson, & Doc Gallows)

Chris Bey Beats Juice Robinson, Officially Joins Bullet Club

Chris Bey faced Juice Robinson this week on Impact. He’d pick up one of the biggest wins of his young career but it was in part thanks to some distraction from the outside. Jay White got up on the ring apron, prompting his NJPW Resurgence opponent David Finlay to yank him off the apron. As the two began brawling, it distracted Juice who was then left vulnerable to a springboard cutter from Bey for the win.

After the match, as Bey and White were celebrating on the ramp, White gave Bey a Bullet Club t-shirt, seemingly officially inducting him into the famed faction.

Mickie James Reveals Melina As Deonna Purrazzo’s Empowerrr Opponent

Highlights of Drama King Matt and Deonna Purazzo winning the Homecoming King and Queen tournament from over the weekend were shown. As the two were cutting a promo this week, they were interrupted by Mickie James. Purrazzo wasn’t sure why James was out to interrupt her yet again but Mickie stated that it was to introduce her opponent on the Empowerrr PPV later this month, Melina. The contract is signed and the match is made official for St. Louis at the Chase.

Su Yung Is Kimber Lee’s Mother?

We got a creepy little vignette featuring the former Kimber Lee and Susan. After enlisting the help of Father James Mitchell to bring back Su Yung, Kimber Lee appears to have been transformed into a disciple of hers now. This dark version of Kimber Lee promises to bring her “mother” Su Yung the souls she desires.

Jake Something Earns X-Division Championship Match

X-Division Champion Josh Alexander has defeated all challengers for his belt, even escaping the Ultimate X Match with his title recently. A new #1 contender for the belt was determined this week, however, when Jake Something won a fatal 4-way match against Rohit Raju, Shawn Daivari, and Trey Miguel.

After the match, Daivari challenged Alexander to a non-title match for next week. If he can beat the champion, he’ll be awarded a future title match.

Also, Rohit was mad about the result and tossed a bag backstage. The bag almost hit Chelsea Green, leading Matt Cardona to confront him. That will likely set up something for later.

Tasha Steelz Enlists Help Of Savannah Evans, Ends Tag Team With Kiera Hogan

And just like that, one of the most successful tag-teams in Knockouts history is no more. Fire N Flava are the only 2x winners of the Knockouts tag belts and held the titles for more combined days than any other team in history (aside from ODB and Eric Young, who held the titles for long after they’d stopped being used in the promotion.)

Rachael Ellering and Jordynne Grace are back on the same page, and they picked up a win over Hogan and Steelz this week, but the real story came after the match. Steelz, evidently seeing the writing on the wall for her team, enlisted the help of the debuting Savannah Evans, who attacked Hogan after the match. A rather mean looking Steelz and Savannah then left the ring area together.

Steve Maclin Is A Dastardly Heel, Petey Williams Makes The Save

Steve Maclin has shown a no-nonsense approach to being a dastardly heel thus far in Impact Wrestling. He made quick work of Jah-C in squash match style but decided to continue the attack after the match. This brought out Petey Williams with a chair to make the save, likely setting up a future match between the two.

Tenille Dashwood Not Impressed With Her Guests On “All About Me” This Week

Dashwood’s talk show where her guests as her questions rather than the other way around didn’t go quite as she planned this week. Scott D’Amore accused Dashwood of phoning border patrol agents to prevent Taylor Wilde from being able to cross the Canada-USA border to attend Impact shows. D’Amore then set up a match between Dashwood and Wilde for next week.

Impact Stars Beat The Elite In The Main Event

Longtime Impact/TNA veteran Kazarian teamed with Impact stars Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan to go up against the Elite this week. Callihan and Edwards would have to put aside their long-running rivalry and work together. That’s exactly what they did. The finish of the match saw Callihan give Omega a piledriver on the ring apron while in the ring Eddie Edwards hit the Boston Knee Party on Anderson for the win.

W. Morrissey Attacks Eddie Edwards

Eddie Edwards defeated W. Morrissey in a hardcore match at Homecoming to even their head-to-head series at one win a piece. Morrissey let it be known their rivalry is not over yet, however, as he attacked Edwards after the main event. The show went off the air after Morrissey hit a powerbomb on Edwards.

Coming Up In Impact Wrestling

Here are the upcoming matches in Impact Wrestling:

Next Week:

  • Battle Royal to determine Kenny Omega’s next challenger.
  • Bullet Club (Jay White & Chris Bey) vs FinJuice (Juice Robinson & David Finlay
  • Taylor Wilde vs Tenille Dashwood
  • Josh Alexander vs Shawn Daivari

Emergence (August 20th):

  • Impact Tag Team Championships
    The Good Brothers (c) (or Dark Order if they win on Dynamite next week) vs Violent By Design vs Rich Swann & Willie Mack
  • X-Division Championship
    Josh Alexander (c) vs Jake Something

Jordynne Grace Feels Forbidden Door Isn’t Open To Female Wrestlers

Alex Laybourne
-
0

Ever since the forbidden door opened, wrestling has changed. The wrestling world has watched the different weekly shows wondering who on earth could appear at any given moment. However, IMPACT star Jordynne Grace feels that there has been a general lack of female talent walking through the door.

Talking during a recent interview with TalkSport, Jordynne Grace voiced her disappointment in the way the forbidden door has operated for female wrestlers.

“Honestly, I was super excited when it first got announced, but as the months have dragged on with only a few things happening and never really happening for the women. I’ve been more disappointed than anything else really. Because I thought the forbidden door was definitely going to wide-open instead of having to knock and only a few people get in at a time [laughs]. But you know, that’s the nature of the business, right!”

Jordynne Grace Wants to Fight the Very Best Around

The forbidden door has been great for wrestling fans. There is an excitement around the sport that had been lost for a long time. However, it is often overlooked that stars like Jordynne Grace or any other wrestler, male or female, are also excited by what this opening means to them.

Wrestling is a small business in many ways. The athletes all know each other, and many have invariably worked for multiple promotions. This new open-door policy means that the previously erected boundaries are gone. It’s conceivable that a story could be sold to creative pitting anybody against anybody else. That’s an exciting prospect for fans and performers alike.

Jordynne Grace doesn’t really know why more women haven’t crossed the forbidden threshold. However, she has hopes that this could change. Grace is a powerful and talented performer. There is a number of exciting possibly matches for her should she or any other female star be allowed through the door.

Sami Zayn Is Not a Fan of The “You Deserve It” Chant

Alex Laybourne
-
0

As a character, Sami Zayn has never been afraid to stand up and make his voice heard. Off-screen, he is a very different figure, however, one thing remains the same. His passion and his ability to express his point and hold down a conversation about it. Recently, Zayn joined Renee Paquette for another Oral Sessions episode.

During his chat, Sami Zayn spent some time talking about wrestling chants. Focusing on one in particular which is a common chant and one most wrestlers love to hear. However, for Sami, he finds it a little derogatory, especially when looking at the big picture of professional wrestling.

 “My favorite chant in wrestling, the ‘you deserve it.’ And I’m like ‘do you? Do you deserve anything?’” Sami Zayn said. “What about believing that chant? You know what? ‘I worked hard and I do deserve it.’ No, I don’t think so. Everyone works hard, with a few exceptions. The biggest source of, what’s the word I’m looking for, malcontent? The thing that leaves me in a state of unease is how amazing my life is and the juxtaposition with how awful life is for so many other people and the sorrow I feel for other people and how I have it so good. It’s not because I deserve it. That’s the point. I don’t deserve it any more than the next person. I don’t.”

Sami Zayn Feels Lucky to be Where He is and Remains Humble

The message Sami Zayn is trying to get across is not one of big headedness, nor is it one of disrespect to the fan base. He was saying that just because a wrestler wins a title, it doesn’t mean he deserves it any more than anybody else in the locker room. The wrestlers whose job it is to lose every match, or who go the distance week after week in thrilling non-title storylines. Everybody deserves it because while wrestling is about individuals, it is very much a team success.

“I believe it’s just mainly luck. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I worked hard. Whatever. Everybody works hard. And you know what, I’m really great at wrestling. I’m really really good. Not everybody is this good.  But a lot of people work hard at a lot of things and don’t get the breaks, and I got breaks. And it’s time to acknowledge that. Don’t ever chant ‘You deserve it’ at me. I don’t want to hear it. I would much rather ‘you got lucky! You got lucky!’ That would be more accurate.”

Sami Zayn understands the importance of every cog in the wheel. He doesn’t begrudge anybody their success but feels the relationship of success between the individual at the top and the roster that helped get them there is often forgotten.

Al Snow Believes Wrestlers Focus on Ratings Over Fan Connection

Alex Laybourne
-
0

Any wrestling fan from the 1990s will remember Al Snow and his run through WWE. You remember, he was the crazy wrestler who carried a mannequin head everywhere and had Help Me written backwards on his forehead. He was quite the character, a memorable character, who resonated with the fans.

Well, Al Snow was talking on a recent episode of the It’s My House Podcast, where he had some harsh words about modern wrestlers and their lack of connection with the fan base.

“The talent isn’t performing for you anymore. That’s a fact,” Al Snow said. “They’re not going in the ring and wrestling for you. Your opinion doesn’t matter. They are wrestling for each other, trying to impress each other, and they are wrestling for that small group of people that write a report and give them critical acclaim and say either it was really a good match, or it was a bad match. That’s the truth. That’s why the talent is so caught up in today and in the locker room calling every single second. They’re not living in the moment, not reacting to each other, to the referee, not interacting with the audience like they used to. They’re so concerned that they’re gonna forget the next thing that’s coming up, and they’re scared to death that they’re going to make a mistake.”

Al Snow Feels Wrestlers Are Too Focused on Ratings than Performances

As part of his rant, Al Snow made big references to the journalists and writers. Those who give the ratings and award merit to stars that put on the best show. Claiming that the need to be pure and faultless is pushing wrestlers to forget the fans, and in many ways, forget about wrestling. Preferring to focus on delivering a flawless performance rather than a real one.

“It’s not that you’ll notice it because you won’t. It’s that somebody in the back will notice it, and we’ll call them out on it. Or someone who’s writing a report will notice that they made a mistake, or they did a botch. You can’t botch anything unless you expose the wrestling, the lie. If you ruin the illusion, that’s the only way you can make a mistake, otherwise, there’s no way to do it.”

Al Snow is clearly still passionate about wrestling. While his words may not ring true for everybody, his general assumption was that when wrestlers cared for the fans, you could identify the star with a single short sentence. Nowadays, however, with everybody out to impress rather than connect, that is getting harder and harder to accomplish.

Bobby Eaton: “As Good As Anyone of His Era”

BJ Bethel
-
0

Bobby Eaton’s most endearing trait was his giving nature. 

Friends of the former NWA and WCW Tag Team Champion, and NWA/WCW TV Champion, Eaton was known for carrying bags of extras on the road in case he or any of his fellow wrestlers needed them. He would donate gas money and groceries while on the road to people that needed them, even as a member of one of the most hated tag teams in pro wrestling history.

“As a human being, Bobby was just like his namesake,” Les Thatcher said. “He was beautiful.” 

Eaton died on Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021 at the age of 62. The Huntsville, Ala., native was married to Donna Dundee, the daughter of wrestling legend Bill Dundee, who died in June. 

Thatcher knew Eaton for 40 years, since the Huntsville, Ala., native began appearing in the southern NWA territories in his mid-teens. 

“As a worker he was as good as anyone of that era. He was so smooth, so dead-on with how he worked. Everything just flowed with him he was so good, but he was also an innovator.” – Bruce Mitchell, wrestling writer and historian.

Eaton was one of the most influential wrestlers of his time, both as a tag team and singles wrestler. His work with Dennis Condrey, Stan Lane and Jim Cornette as part of the Midnight Express is considered by many to be the greatest tag team work ever and stands out 40 years later. He was a headliner with the Midnight Express with two different partners, and its feuds with the Rock and Roll Express, Dusty Rhodes and Magnum TA and the Road Warriors were a key in the high-drawing era of Jim Crockett Promotions in the mid to late 1980s. 

“He was consistently as great of wrestler as I’ve ever saw,” Bruce Mitchell, pro wrestling writer, columnist and podcaster told SEScoops on Thursday. “He was always very friendly, just a nice human being. He was always giving things and money to people who needed it. As a worker he was as good as anyone of that era. He was so smooth, so dead-on with how he worked. Everything just flowed with him he was so good, but he was also an innovator.”
 
Starting in NWA Mid-America in his mid-teens, Eaton was a member of the Jet Set tag team with George Gulas, the son of promoter Nick Gulas. Mitchell said Eaton was by far the more talented of the two wrestlers and carried the team early, even while a teenager. 

Eaton briefly held the National TV Title in Georgia Championship wrestling after he left Mid-America around 1980. He later teamed with Koko B. Ware when he moved to Memphis in 1980 as part of Jerry Jarrett’s Continental Wrestling Association. He was with the promotion for three years before moving to Bill Watts’ Mid-South territory, where he first encountered Condrey and Cornette, and reforming a pre-existing stable into a new tag team, one that would change wrestling.

The threesome immediately became three of the hottest heels in the country, feuding with Magnum TA and Mr. Wrestling II for the Mid-South Tag Team titles. Mid-South is where they began their feud with the Rock and Roll Express – which would run for decades across several territories. The Midnight Express headlined numerous shows at the Superdome and Crockett’s Starrcade event. 

Eaton was part of several top PPV main events and national TV main events on TBS. He was in the War Games cage match several times as both a heel and face, and in a “champions vs. champions” match on TBS, headlined Clash of the Champions as the US and World Tag Team champs against US champ Barry Windham and World champ Ric Flair in a two-out-of-three falls match. Eaton headlined the Clash again when he was a singles wrestler and TV champion, losing a two-out-of-three falls match to Ric Flair in the main event. 

Eaton worked a short period for Jim Cornette and producer Ric Rubin in Smokey Mountain Wrestling. He spent the most of the 1990s in WCW as tag team partners with Arn Anderson and Lord Steven (William) Regal. 

Eaton’s good nature and excellent work continued to earn him admirers later in his career. Bill Goldberg, who was WCW’s biggest star in 1998 and in the middle of his 173-match win streak, wanted to lose to Eaton in the middle of the streak when WCW made a tour stop near Eaton’s hometown in Alabama. Goldberg told Steve Austin during an interview on Austin’s “Broken Skull Sessions” podcast in 2019, he went to WCW agent Arn Anderson to ask he if could drop the match to Eaton, but the idea was nixed.

Eaton worked on the indie circuit after 2000 and was often a trainer at camps, teaching up and coming wrestlers. He had three daughters.

From Scaffolds to Masterpieces, Beautiful Bobby’s Must-See Matches

1. Superstars on the Superstation: Midnight Express vs. Rock and Roll Express, Feb. 1986

Superstars on the Superstation was a special primetime show Crockett ran on TBS in February 1986. The first match on the show, Jim Cornette’s tennis racket came into play and helped the Midnights win their first NWA World Tag Team title. One highlight was Eaton, who recorded the pinfall, being held up on a chair afterward half unconscious on a chair as Cornette cut a promo afterward celebrating their win. 

2. The Fantastics vs. Midnight Express – NWA World Wide, April 1988

The Rock and Roll Express and the Midnight Express had one of the best-drawing feuds in tag team history, but The Fantastics matched up just as well against the Midnight Express as anyone. The Midnight Express were the longest-reigning US Tag Team champs in NWA history, but lost in this classic that was taped for NWA Worldwide in April 1988.The Wrestling Observer rated the match 5 stars. 

3. Clash of Champions IV: Midnight Express vs. Barry Windham/Ric Flair, best 2-out-of-3 falls, Dec. 1988

The Midnight Express were babyfaces for a short period, and also held the NWA World and US tag team titles at the same time. They had won the titles from Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson in a rushed feud and match in Philadelphia earlier that year. Blanchard and Anderson had signed with the WWF and were on their way out of town. Fans have long lamented never getting what would have been an amazing long-term feud. One small consolation was a 2-out-of-3 falls match to see who the best champions were in the NWA. Barry Windham (US Champion) and Ric Flair (World Champion) were all that remained of the Horsemen (Windham and manager JJ Dillon would leave for the WWF soon after this match). The Horsemen won with some nefarious tactics, which earned the ire of Jim Cornette as the show was going off the air. The match was a feature of six masters of their craft, and Eaton was front and center.

4. Clash of Champions XV: Ric Flair (World Champion) vs. Bobby Eaton (TV Champion), June 1991

After Stan Lane and Jim Cornette left WCW in 1990, Bobby Eaton remained as a tag specialist and singles wrestler. He had a very solid run as WCW TV Champion as a babyface, and main evented the 15th Clash of Champions in June 1991 against Ric Flair. WWE had made the match available on YouTube. 

5. Starrcade 1986: Midnight Express vs. Road Warriors Scaffold Match, Nov. 1986

Night of the Skywalkers was the theme for Starrcade 1986, and the scaffold match between the Road Warriors and Midnight Express was the single match most associated with Bobby Eaton. The Midnights had a similar scaffold match against the Rock and Roll Express in Mid-South. The match is famous for Animal and Hawk throwing watermelons off the top of the scaffold to show how dangerous the height was, the “training” video of Cornette screaming at Eaton and Condrey for not standing on the scaffold due to their fear of heights, and Cornette blowing out both of his knees when he landed bad after falling from the bottom of the scaffold with his knees straight.

Warner Bros. Job Listing Reveals New AEW Projects in Development

Tyriece Simon
-
0

All Elite Wrestling is in the development stage of various new projects.

Warner Bros. Career posted a job listing for a new Director in Scripted Development and Programming. While giving details about the position, Warner Bros. also revealed that AEW is working on several new series and projects.

“Starting in August 2021, AEW is expanding from one two-hour weekly live show to a second weekly live one-hour show as well as adding quarterly specials. As well, we have 4 other AEW series in various stages of development (including Rhodes to the Top to be launched this year) and are helping them expand into various ancillary businesses such as comics, NFTs, EST distribution, streaming, etc.,” according to the job listing.

AEW Announced Projects

While not specified, Warner Bros. is referring to AEW Rampage as the new weekly one-hour show. Rampage’s first episode will be on August 13th. In a media conference, AEW’s Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes gave few details regarding Rampage. Miami Herald’s Jim Varsallone asked Rhodes about expectations for Rampage, and Rhodes said that the show would be “…more centered around the fight itself. The match itself, being that’s a one-hour program.”

‘Rhodes To The Top’ Reality Series Coming To TNT

AEW also revealed that the reality tv series Rhodes To the Top was in development in March. The project will show the behind-the-scenes life of Rhodes and his wife, Brandi. AEW hasn’t released more information about the show.

Another NXT Superstar Contract Close to Expiring Soon

Tyriece Simon
-
0

NXT has another superstar contract set to expire.

Wrestling Inc’s Raj Giri reported that NXT superstar Adam Cole’s contract would expire after Summerslam. Fightful Select reports today that NXT superstar Pete Dunne’s contract is expiring soon, saying, “Fightful Select has learned that Pete Dunne’s NXT contract is also up soon, with one source also pointing to “after Summerslam weekend,” though we haven’t confirmed that date with Dunne or WWE as of yet.”

Fightful Selects also reports, “The situation was similar to that of Adam Cole’s but haven’t been given any additional details.”

While Dunne’s contract may be expiring soon, Fightful Select didn’t say if WWE will re-sign Dunne or if he wants to leave.

Dunne’s Current Storyline in NXT

On last week’s NXT, Dunne teamed with Oney Lorcan to defeat Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher. After the match, Dunne and Lorcan reunited with the returning Ridge Holland. On Tuesday, Dunne officially formed a stable with Lorcan and Holland and said, “We’re the most dangerous men in NXT.”

For now, Dunne seems to be in NXT’s plans along with his group. However, as Fightful Select reports, WWE will have to figure out Dunne’s contract situation.

Cody Rhodes Teases Retirement Before Malakai Black Beat Down

Alex Laybourne
-
0

This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite finally saw the in-ring debut of Malakai Black. Black took on Cody Rhodes after making a very impressive entrance. However, despite Black picking up the win, it was Cody Rhodes who got everybody talking after the bell.

The man whose vision became AEW took to the center of the ring and addressed the crowd. Doing so with a tear in his eye and a tremble in his voice.

“There is no better place than here. There is no better time than now, and I say this with absolutely zero bitterness in my heart. I thank you guys so incredibly much. I love you so incredibly much. You have made my life incredibly special.” Cody Rhodes was in tears as he placed the microphone on the floor and began to remove his boots.

https://twitter.com/AEWonTNT/status/1423102053119713282

The AEW commentary team made no short reference to the significance of the gesture, and it being the time-honoured way for a wrestler to retire.

However, before Cody Rhodes could remove his second boot, Malakai Black struck. Levelling Rhodes with a crutch shot across the back. The broadcast went off the air with Rhodes laid out in the middle of the ring and Black standing tall.

Have We Seen the Last of Cody Rhodes in an AEW Ring?

It remains to be seen if this is all part of a storyline, of how Cody is broken and ready for the end. To have his zest for wrestling re-ignited by Malakai, or if it is indeed, really the end of the Rhode road.

Wrestling is a sport built around emotion and storytelling. It is a sport where retirement is more often than not impermanent. Many have already drawn parallels to Ric Flair and his numerous retirement matches and celebrations. However, Cody Rhodes is a businessman. He has the taste for life backstage, and maybe, just maybe he wants to stop while his body is still working with him.

Enjoying his time as an EVP of AEW, running a business, the recent discovery of fatherhood. All of these things can put a new perspective on life. However unlikely it may seem; all eyes will surely be tuned in to Dynamite next week to see what Cody Rhodes has to say.

Miro Comments On Lana Possibly Joining AEW

Chris Stephens
-
0

Miro recently appeared on Action Sports Jax and spoke about the possibility of his wife Lana joining him in AEW.

“Well, currently she’s doing her own thing. But also it’s not about me. It’s about what she wants to do. She’s been in the business for such a long time and came fresh out of nowhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if she stays in wrestling because there are so many opportunities coming because she’s one of the best. She could always go outside of wrestling because before wrestling, she was something else. My mind is blown if she decides to focus on a different career path, how successful that would be,” Miro said (transcriptions via Fightful). 

Miro defeated Lee Johnson last night on AEW Dynamite. He has never been pinned or submitted in AEW. Lana noted on Twitter that she prepared brownies for the defending champion.

Lana is fairly busy for the time being. She has been cast on the rebooted “Surreal Life” series. Lana also spoke recently about helping her husband with his AEW promos.

“I think I played a big part in his success behind closed doors in AEW” Lana said on Talk is Jericho. “I can talk about that now.”

“A big turn for him was when we really started talking about ‘let’s make your message more clear over there’” Lana noted. “So it’s reassuring to me that I do grasp storytelling. I do grasp storytelling in wrestling as well.”

Eric Bischoff Comments On The AEW/Dominos Controversy

Chris Stephens
-
0

Chris Jericho and Nick Gage’s deathmatch at Fight for the Fallen ended up resulting in Dominos making a statement that they are evaluating their advertising presence on the show. Eric Bischoff commented on the fallout from the match recently on his 83 Weeks podcast.

“If I was a Dominos shareholder, I’d be a little hot. I’d question what the f**k is my advertising agency doing?” Bischoff said on the show.

“Take it from the guy who wrote the book ‘Controversy Creates Cash’ there is some controversy that really works in your benefit and particularly in this state of affairs we find ourselves in culturally today, there is a lot of controversy that can kick your ass and not be a benefit.”

Bischoff continued to say that it’s not so much that AEW chased off Dominos, but now the agency that represents Dominos will be less willing to purchase AEW ad spaces for other clients in the future as well.

“Dominos has an advertising agency, do you think that Dominos is the only client that that advertising agency has?”

He continued to say that there are very likely executives at Turner worried about the impacts this will have on ad sales for the network.

“Then everybody got excited when Pabst Blue Ribbon jumped in,” Bischoff continued. “Good for them, guess what? They don’t have a pot to piss in in terms of national advertising. Why is that? Because Pabst Blue Ribbon isn’t even a brewery, it’s a brand.”

Bischoff’s comments can be heard in the player below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh_uY0QKcI4&t=5s

NJPW Announces New Japan Strong Shows In Texas and Pennsylvania

Chris Stephens
-
0

New Japan Pro Wrestling is building it’s NJPW of America (NJoA) brand by taking episodes of New Japan Strong on the road. The promotion announced shows in Texas and Pennsylvania recently.

New Japan will run tapings of Strong over two nights in September from the Curtis Cullwell Center in Garland, Texas. The tapings will be held on September 25th and 26th. Those shows are being billed as “Autumn Attack.”

Then in October, New Japan will present two days of tapings from the famed 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. Those tapings will take place on October 15th and 16th. Those shows are being branded as “New Japan Showdown.”

NJPW Resurgence Lineup

NJPW is building to the Resurgence PPV on August 14th from Los Angeles. 6 matches have been confirmed for the show thus far.

  1. Alex Coughlin vs. Karl Fredericks
  2. Fred Rosser, Rocky Romero and Wheeler Yuta vs. TJP, Clark Connors and Ren Narita
  3. Jon Moxley and TBA vs. The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows)
  4. Jay White (c) (with Gedo) vs. David Finlay (with Juice Robinson)
  5. Lance Archer (c) (with Jake Roberts) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
  6. Tomohiro Ishii vs Moose

NJPW will also be taping episodes of Strong from Thunder Studios in Long Beach on August 16th. Tomohiro Ishii and Hiroshi Tanahashi are both confirmed for that event.

AEW Announces Code of Conduct For Fans Before Dynamite

Chris Stephens
-
0

Last month, a fan jumped the guardrail at AEW Road Rager in Miami. It was AEW’s first show back on the road. The promotion has since revealed a fan “Code of Conduct” that has been presented to the live audience before the last few episodes of Dynamite.

AEW’s Fan Code of Conduct bans the following:

“Obscene or offensive gestures, signage, including the use of such language or gestures concerning a person’s race, ethnicity, color, gender religion, creed, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or national origin; or to instigate, incite, or encourage a confrontation or physical assault.”

“Interference with the progress of the show (including throwing objects onto or entering the ring).”

“Failing to follow instructions of law enforcement, guest services, or security personnel.”

“Any conduct deemed inappropriate or dangerous to fans, talent, or staff.”

“Damaging the venue or personal property.”

“Behavior that is unruly, disruptive, threatening or illegal in-nature including fighting and physical harrassment.”

“Four, harassing or abusive language towards other fans or staff.”

“Unreasonably obstructing the view of other patrons and standing in aisles.”

“Smoking (including e-cigarettes).

“Abuse of drugs or alcohol.”

Image from iOS

AEW travels to Pittsburgh for two events next week at the Petersen Events Center. Dynamite will air from the venue on Wednesday and the first-ever episode of Rampage will take place that Friday.

Update On When Natalya Is Expected To Return From Injury

Chris Stephens
-
0

Natalya had to be helped to the back last week on RAW after suffering an ankle injury in her match with Tamina against Eva Marie and Doudrop. She later went in for surgery to repair the damage. As it turns out, however, Natalya is expecting to return from the injury in “under a month.”

Natalya was on the Table Talk podcast when she spoke about her injury.

“I am two days away from running on the treadmill, so I’m very excited about that. I had screws and stuff drilled into my bone,” Natalya said. “There were no broken bones, but it needed surgery. For some weird reason, I didn’t feel any pain. And I think it was because we were with fans….hopefully soon. For me, just to be totally transparent, the surgery was Friday. I was walking with no crustches three days later.”

“I probably have another week before I get my stitches out,” she added. “I’ve gotta let my bone heal a little bit. But probably in the next little bit, probably under a month, we’ll see, obviously I still have to get a doctor’s clearance.”

Natalya and Tamina are still the WWE tag team champions. Tamina came out with both belts this week on RAW. With Natalya expected to return from injury in a few short weeks, it looks like they won’t have to vacate the belts.

Bobby Eaton Has Passed Away

Chris Stephens
-
0

“Beautiful” Bobby Eaton has passed away at the age of 62. News of his passing was announced by his sister on Facebook recently.

“I never wanted to have to post this, but my Little Brother Beautiful Bobby Eaton passed away last night,” she wrote. “When I find out all the details I will post them. Bobby was the kindest, loving person you would ever meet. I loved him so much and am going to miss him, please say a prayer for my niece Taryn. She found him. And she just lost her Mom a little over a Month ago,” Debbie Eaton Lewis posted to Facebook.

Eaton was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and museum in Wichita Falls, Texas as a member the Midnight Express in 2019. He was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame along with Dennis Condrey and Stan Lane in 2009. The Midnight Express were also voted the tag team of the year by the publication 3 years in a row from 1986-1988. Eaton was voted “Most Underrated” by WON in 1985, 1986,1 990, and then again in 1993.

“Very shocked and saddened to hear about the death of Bobby Eaton. Between the ropes he could do it all. Super nice guy as well,” Dave Meltzer Tweeted.

John Cena Finds WWE Future Less Stable With Reliance on Older Talent

Alex Laybourne
-
0

The return of fans to wrestling was always going to be a big thing for any company. The reaction of a live audience cannot ever be replaced. When John Cena made his return to a WWE ring last month, the pop that he received was unlike anything heard before. A man who divides people’s opinions so strongly had everybody on their feet.

Yes, it was inevitable given the fact that it was the first Raw with fans following Covid. However, John Cena remains a huge name. He is Mr WWE, and love him or hate him, he has served the company well during his tenure. However, Cena is no spring chicken. A fact he is painfully aware of.

“Man, I wish there was some sort of fountain of youth where I could be a full-time contributor. ” John Cena said during a recent USA Today interview with Brian Truitt.

Father time catches up with us all. Athlete or not, champion or not. There is nothing we can do about it. The next generation comes along and replaces us. John Cena knows this, and however much he would wish it were different, he accepts it. Talking further with Truitt, he voiced his concerns with WWE’s insistence on running with returning older talent as a means of boosting the company profile.

John Cena Is Set to Main Event Summerslam Against Roman Reigns

John Cena and Goldberg returned the same night to lay down challenges for the WWE’s top two titles at Summerslam. As a performer, there is no denying that Cena is in love with professional wrestling. However, he understands the need for generation replacement. It worries him that WWE’s long-term stability could be rocky should they continue to rely on returning older talent.

 “The longer they continue to bet on an aging prospect, that makes (WWE’s) future a little bit less stable,” he said.

Coming from a WWE stalwart such as John Cena, these comments are not meant as a barb, nor an attack. He is merely a performer, and a fan, talking honestly. Echoing the sentiments of many. There is a host of younger talent ready to step up, but the continued reliance on marquee names from years gone by as a means of negating waning creativity is never a long-term solution.

AEW Dynamite Replaces Dominos Ad With Pabst Blue Ribbon Party

Alex Laybourne
-
0

Following the controversy last week during the Chris Jericho match versus Nick Gage on AEW Dynamite, Dominos has seemingly gone through with their decision to withdraw their sponsorship. However, one company’s loss is another’s gain as Pabst Blue Ribbon stepped in to claim the vacant spot.

While this is great news for AEW Dynamite, the advert itself is strange as while it is a wrestling-based advert, it doesn’t feature an AEW wrestler. Rather, Matt Cardona and his fiancée Chelsea Green. Between them, both have made sporadic appearances for AEW, but are more known for working with ROH, IMPACT, NWA and as of last month, GCW.

Pabst Blue Ribbon released a statement talking about how Matt Cardona embodied everything Pabst Stands for. This may be true; however, the unanswered question is why this was aired during an episode of AEW Dynamite.

“We are proud to support independent wrestling, and debut Pabst Blue Ribbon’s first-ever cable advert with the Michael Jordan of wrestling figure collecting and GCW world champion, Matt Cardona. Matt’s embodiment of having fun and betting on yourself is what independent wrestling and Pabst Blue Ribbon are all about. We work directly with creatives, artists, and athletes like Matt, which allows us to move quickly, like producing this commercial in-house to air within 4 days. It’s fast and furious and fun. #MajorPBR forever.”

AEW Dynamite Opened the Forbidden Door for Commercial Crossovers

In the day of brand and company crossovers, is an advert such as this a mistake or is it just a clever extension of the open-door policy of modern wrestling? AEW Dynamite is a place where anybody, from any promotion, could seemingly appear. Yet, despite this, the decision to run an advert featuring a wrestler from another company still seems a little strange.

Perhaps it was rushed, a last-minute change. It could be the original plans for the Pabst Advert were for alternate placement. After all, the goal of the ad is to make money for the beer and not AEW Dynamite. Either way, it would appear that even without Dominos, AEW will not struggle to find other sponsors.

AEW Dynamite Homecoming Results: Malakai Black vs. Cody, Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera

Robert Lentini
-
0

AEW Dynamite returned to Daily’s Place in Jacksonville for tonight’s Homecoming edition. Miro put the TNT Championship on the line against Lee Johnson. Chris Jericho faced Juventud Guerrera with Jericho having to win the match via a move off the top rope. Malakai Black made his AEW in-ring debut against Cody tonight on Dynamite. Hangman Page told Dark Order that he is sorry for costing them their title shot and needs a break from them.

AEW Dynamite Homecoming Results

  1. Chris Jericho def. Juventud Guerrera
  2. Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, Darby Allin def. 2.0, Daniel Garcia
  3. Christian Cage def. The Blade
  4. Miro def. Lee Johnson to retain the TNT Title
  5. Leyla Hirsch def. The Bunny to earn a shot at the NWA Women’s Championship
  6. Malakai Black def. Cody

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Jericho def. Juventud Guerrera, Will Face Wardlow Next

Chris Jericho faced Juventud Geurrera tonight. MJF made the stipulation that he had to win the match with a move off the top rope. MJF ripped up a Jericho sign ringside before the bell rang. Juventud attacked Jericho and unloaded some chops and elbows in the corner.

Juventud hit a Splash and followed it up with a Clothesline. Guerrera hit a Hurricanrana and sent Jericho out of the ring. Guerrera leaped onto Jericho off the top rope and posed for the crowd. Back in the ring, Juventud connected with a Dropkick and went for the cover but Jericho kicked out at two.

Jericho battled back and slammed Geurerra to the floor. Jericho hit some chops against the barricade before slamming Juventud on a table. Chris connected with a Crossbody off the top rope and went for the cover but Juventud kicked out at two.

Guerrera dropped Jericho with a Superkick and went for the cover but Chris kicked out at two. Juventud applied a submission hold in the middle of the ring as the crowd got behind Jericho. Chris escaped but Juventud beat him down in the corner of the ring.

Jericho hit a couple shoulder tackles and climbed to the top rope. Chris connected with a double axe handle for two count. Chris connected with the Judas Effect and went for the cover but Aubrey Edwards said that it wasn’t a move off the top rope. Jericho started ripping away at Juventud’s mask and Guerrera caught him with an elbow to the face.

Guererra bounced Jericho’s face off the top turnbuckle and perched him on the top rope. Juventud went for a Hurricanrana but Jericho blocked it into the Walls of Jericho in the middle of the ring. Guerrera hit another Superkick for a two count. Juventud followed it up with a Falcon Arrow for another near fall. Jericho hit a Judas Effect and then made his way to the top rope. Jericho connected with a top rope Judas Effect for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Wardlow attacked Jericho and MJF got on the mic. The crowd loudly chanted “you suck!” and MJF called them idiots. MJF announced that Jericho will face Wardlow next and that he will be there to make sure it is called fair and square.

Moxley, Kingston, Allin Picked Up A Win

Eddie Kingston, Jon Moxley, Darby Allin faced 2.0 (Jeff Parker, Matt Lee, formerly Ever-Rise in NXT) and Daniel Gargia in a Trios Match.

Gargia and Allin started off the action. Garcia took control and Matt Lee tagged in. Darby tagged in Kingston and Eddie unloaded some chops in the corner of the ring. When Dynamite returned from a break, Moxley beat down Garcia outside the ring. Matt Lee marked out for Sting and it cost him as Darby Allin connected with a Suicide Dive. Kingston hit Parker with Backfist to the Future, Moxley planted Garcia with the Paradigm Shift as Darby climbed to the top. Allin connected with the Coffin Drop on Daniel Garcia for the pinfall victory.

Christian Cage def. The Blade

Christian Cage faced The Blade tonight on Dynamite. The Bunny was ringside for the match. Cage connected with a Clothesline and some punches to start off the action. Blade rolled out of the ring to regroup and Christian chased him around. The Bunny got in Christian’s way and started taunting him. The Blade tried to capitalize with an attack from behind but Cage was ready and hit a right hand to the face. Christian slammed Blade into the barricade before rolling him back into the ring.

Cage climbed to the top rope but The Bunny grabbed his leg. Leyla Hirsch rushed the ring and broke it up. The Bunny and Leyla battled to the back and will face each other later in a #1 contender’s match for the NWA Women’s Championship. Cage hit a DDT and went for the cover but Blade kicked out at two. Blade slammed Christian’s midsection across the top rope as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, The Blade was still in control and stomped away on Cage in the corner of the ring. Cage sent Blade into the ring post to buy himself some time. Cage climbed to the top rope and connected with a flying forearm outside the ring. Back in the ring, Cage hit some punches to Blade’s face in the corner and followed it up with an uppercut off the middle turnbuckle.

Blade blocked the Killswitch but Cage hit him with an elbow to the face. Christian went for a Tornado DDT but Blade countered with a slam. Blade quickly followed it up with a Powerslam and went for the cover but Christian powered out at two. Blade started ripping away at the turnbuckle pad and exposed the metal ring. Blade pulled out some brass knuckles but turned around into a Spear from Christian for the pinfall victory.

Baker Will Face Red Velvet On The Debut Episode Of Rampage

AEW Women’s Champion Britt Baker came to the ring with Rebel for an interview with Tony Schiavone. Baker said it was here in Jacksonville where she became women’s champion. Red Velvet interrupted and marched to the ring. Velvet told Baker that red is not her color and Baker noted that she has also defeated her in three minutes in Jacksonville.

Red Velvet said she has 7 straight wins and did not have to cheat to get them. Baker told Red Velvet that she can have her match in Pittsburgh at Rampage next Friday. Rebel tried to attack Red Velvet but she was ready for it. Baker leveled Red Velvet and choked her with Rebel’s crutch before posing with the title to end the segment.

The Elite Beat Hangman Page Down

Tony Schiavone interviewed Hangman Page in the ring tonight but he was immediately interrupted by The Elite. Page said that he was glad that they are here because there was something that he needed to say to them for a long time. Omega got in Hangman’s face and suggested that he was trying to make a plea to rejoin The Elite.

Hangman said that is not what he is trying to do and Omega called Page a “try hard”. Kenny told Hangman Page that he doesn’t fit in The Elite because he is a loser and a failure. Hangman slapped Omega in the face but Good Brothers beat him down. Good Brothers hit the Magic Killer and Dark Order rushed the ring. Grayson and Uno stopped the rest of Dark Order and made their way backstage.

The Elite took turns beating down Hangman until Frankie Kazarian rushed the ring. The Elite beat him down as well and then Omega bashed Hangman over the head with the AEW Championship.

Miro Retained The TNT Title

Miro defended the TNT Championship against Lee Johnson tonight on Dynamite. Lee charged but Miro dropped him with a shoulder tackle. Miro stomped on Lee and followed it up with an uppercut. Johnson connected with a boot to the face and went for a Crossbody but Miro caught him. Miro slammed Lee to the canvas and went for the Game Over but Lee scampered out of the ring as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Lee dodged a Splash in the corner and leveled the TNT Champion with a Superkick. Lee made his way to the top rope and connected with a Frog Splash for a near fall. Miro hit the Machka Kick and locked in the Game Over submission hold for the victory.

Leyla Hirsch Earned A Shot At The NWA Women’s Championship

Leyla Hirsch faced The Bunny tonight and the winner of the match wold earn a shot at the NWA Women’s Championship. Leyla knocked The Bunny out of the ring and hit a Suicide Dive. Leyla gave a thumbs up to Orange Cassidy and brought The Bunny back into the ring.

Hirsch went for an Armbar but The Bunny escaped and connected with a Backstabber. The Bunny threw Leyla out of the ring and hit her with a Dropkick. The Bunny and NWA Women’s Champion Kamille traded words as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

Hirsch connected with a Superplex when Dynamite returned as Kris Statlander and Nyla Rose trash talked ringside. Leyla hit a couple German Suplexes and then a Clothesline in the corner. Hirsch hit Double Knees and followed it up with a Dropkick for a two count. Leyla hit a running knee to the face and went for a Moonsault but Bunny got out of the way. Bunny hit a Death Valley Driver and went for the cover but Leyla kicked out at two. Hirsch applied an Armbar in the middle of the ring for the submission victory.

Malakai Black Dominated Cody

Malakai Black faced Cody in the main event of this week’s episode of Dynamite. Cody and Malakai tied up in the middle of the ring to start off the match. Black took Cody to the canvas and went for a submission hold but Cody broke free. Malakai booted Cody in the face and followed it up with some strikes.

Cody hit a kick to the face but Malakai shrugged it off and got Cody in a Half Crab in the middle of the ring. Cody battled through the pain and reached the ropes to break the hold. Malakai geared up in the corner and went for a running knee but Cody got out of the way.

Cody went for Cross Rhodes but Malakai countered with a boot to the face. Cody slammed Malakai down and climbed to the top rope. Malakai booted Cody in the face and Rhodes crashed through a table outside the ring as the crowd chanted “holy sh*t!”. The referee began counting but Cody made it back to the ring in time. Malakai knocked Cody down with the Black Mass for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Tony Schiavone came to the ring for an interview with Cody Rhodes. Cody hobbled around and someone slid a crutch into the ring. Cody shook Tony’s hand and continued to hobble around. Cody made it seem like he was about to retire in an overly long promo after the match. Malakai Black hit Cody from behind with the crutch to close the show.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1423101762626543617?s=20
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1423100039614844938?s=20

Olympian Tamyra Mensah-Stock Wants To Compete For WWE

Kristen Ashly
-
0

Maybe one day fans will see Olympian Tamyra Mensah-Stock on weekly WWE programming.

Mensah-Stock, who won the gold medal in women’s freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is an American sport wrestler who is not only the reigning Olympic and World Champion in wrestling freestyle, but is currently the number one ranked female wrestler in the world.

During an appearance on Olympics coverage for NBCUniversal, Mensah-Stock was asked if she they she could ever compete for WWE. The Houston-native yelled, “I want to!” WWE tweeted the video of the interview, indicating they definitely have their eyes on the 28-year-old.

The Wayland Baptist University graduate wouldn’t be the first Olympian to compete for WWE, nor would she be the first sports-centric athlete to enter WWE as a new Superstar.

WWE would be lucky to have Tamyra Mensah-Stock, who is the first African-American female Olympic gold medalist in the sport of wrestling and only the second American to win Olympic gold in women’s wrestling after Helen Maroulis.

Ruby Soho (FKA Ruby Riott) Expected To End Up In AEW

Chris Stephens
-
0

AEW is expected to pick up another talented wrestler for its women’s division in the not too distant future. According to a report from Fightful, Ruby Soho, the former Ruby Riott in WWE, is expected to end up in AEW. Riott’s 90-day no-compete clause is believed to be up at the end of August.

Ruby’s name was brought up recently by Vickie Guerrero, who mentioned her when asked about unsigned talent who could end up in AEW.

“I think the one that comes to mind is Ruby. You know she was formerly with WWE; I would love to have Ruby on the roster for AEW,” said Guerrero. 

“She was really underutilized, and I love her. She was on my podcast and just a great talent and a good wholesome human being.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSHfM8UrlW5/

Ruby is now known as Ruby Soho, which is a reference to a song by Rancid. She was on the Wrestling Perspectives podcast, co-hosted by Rancid’s Lars Frederiksen and spoke about the meaning of the name.

“I am shopping for a new name I would like to keep [the name Ruby] if it’s possible. I feel like it fits me. Ruby came from Ruby Soho and that’s dear to my heart,” she said on the show. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CP3iQwPF0fA/

Nick Gage Reveals What Tony Khan Said To Him At Fight For The Fallen

Chris Stephens
-
0

Nick Gage certainly had an eventful debut in AEW. He was the 2nd Labor of Jericho and created one of the most notable moments of accidental product placement in wrestling history. Gage appeared on Sean Waltman’s “Pro Wrestling 4 Life” podcast and spoke about his experience.

“I was fired up. I was born for that moment. The AEW locker room is awesome. The boys are great. I never felt like I was unwelcome or anything, so that was cool. I was able to focus on what I wanted to do. Then, they were able to let me be…I’m gonna be Nick Gage. They brought me in to be Nick Gage. If you don’t want me to be Nick Gage, I’m going to leave. I felt great and I was fired up. That match was great. Shoutout to Chris Jericho for being a tough dude. It was awesome,” he said (transcriptions via Fightful). 

Gage then spoke about what Tony Khan said to him backstage.

“Tony came up to me all fired up. As soon as I got to the back, he came up to me, I looked that man dead in his eyes and I said, ‘You’ve got something awesome going here. Thank you for making me feel at home.’ I was fired up. He said, ‘Thank you, what an awesome match.’ He showed me nothing but love.”

The following day, Gage carving up Jericho in picture-in-picture during an ad for Dominos made a lot of headlines. Gage said he wasn’t even aware of the situation until much later. When he did find out he thought it was a funny coincidence.

https://twitter.com/thekingnickgage/status/1421150941437472771

The 3rd Labor of Jericho will take place tonight on Dynamite. Jericho will take on his old rival from WCW, Juventud Guerrera.

Peyton Royce (Cassie Lee) Talks The Breakup of the Iiconics & WWE Release

Chris Stephens
-
0

Cassie Lee (FKA Peyton Royce) was recently interviewed by Chris Van Vliet. She spoke on a variety of subjects including how she is doing and how she feels about wrestling since being released by WWE earlier this year.

“Since the draft, since they split Jess and I up it’s been rough. But I am doing well, every day I’m feeling happier and I’m just excited for the future,” she said.

“Then I have my moments where I just get sad that it didn’t work out but I really truly believe that everything happens for a reason and there’s something bigger out there for me.”

She continued to say that she is not finished with wrestling but she also wants to get into acting more. Her release from WWE hurt her, however, and she still gets emotional about it.

“Being let go really broke my heart and it kind of stole my love of wrestling and I would love to get that back and not move on with my life with this bitter feeling about wrestling. I still get emotional about it,” she continued.

“Literally every decision I made in my life was for the purpose that it would get me one step closer to WWE. And those are things like picking my subjects in high school.”

Peyton spoke about taking acting classes and being excited for future opportunities.

When Jessie and Cassie Get Together, They Are The Iiconics

Another interesting comment Peyton made during the discussion, is how similar Cassie and Jessie are to their on-screen personas when they are together.

“When Cassie and Jess are together, those two people are exactly the same as Peyton and Billie. But Cassie, I’m really shy and I don’t like to be in crowds of people, I get anxious. So when I’m by myself I’m very shy, I’m inside my shell but if I’m with her, there is no shell, I’m completely fine.”

It Was Peyton’s Idea To Break Up The Iiconics

Peyton also spoke about how it was actually her decision for the Iiconics to break up. She had told Billie in January that she wanted to have a run as a singles wrestler. Then one week when Billie was off, she had a singles match and Vince McMahon liked it, leading to her brief run as a singles wrestler.

“I wanted to go singles, there was just things I wanted to tick off my bucket list as a singles competitor,” she said.

“I feel like it’s my fault because I wanted to push myself and see what I was capable of but that might have been the worst decision I made because nothing ever happened,” she continued.

Tony Khan Addresses Max Caster’s “Terrible” Rap On AEW Dark

Chris Stephens
-
0

AEW President Tony Khan has reacted to the controversy surrounding Max Caster’s latest rap on Tuesday’s AEW Dark.

Caster and AEW faced strong pushback after his rap referenced the mental health of US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and the 2006 sexual assault criminal case involving members of the Duke University lacrosse team.

Caster rapped, “The Acclaimed kicking ass for miles, make you claim mental health like Simone Biles. The Sydals gonna pay the cost, I’m gonna treat those bitches like Duke lacrosse. The Blondes say they the best but those dudes are faker than a PCR test. And what’s that smell here in North Carolina, oh wait that’s Julia’s …”

https://twitter.com/davidbix/status/1422768306285596672

Tony Khan Reacts To Max Caster Controversy

During his weekly appearance on Busted Open Radio, Tony Khan announced he is taking over editing duties of AEW Dark and AEW Dark: Elevation. Khan called the situation “terrible” and said the controversial comments never should have made it to air.

To ensure something like this does not happen again, Khan will be taking over editing duties for the show in order to prevent something like this happening again.

“Last night on Dark, Max Caster’s rap was terrible. I was not out there in the moment when he did it, it was not during Dynamite,” Khan said. “I had not heard it until last night, truthfully. In the editing process, it should have been caught. We deleted the episode and re-posted it with that edited out but it shouldn’t have aired.”

“This would never have happened (on Dynamite) because Max’s raps, I have always gone over them with him,” he continued. “I don’t script or write wrestler’s promos, but the bullet points I give. In this case, it shouldn’t have happened and what will happen going forward is I will take over the editing of Dark and Elevation myself.”

Khan was praised on social media for his handling of the situation.

A reference to Simone Biles was also made on WWE RAW this week. Charlotte Flair mentioned the gymnast in her promo this week regarding Nikki ASH.

The Acclaimed are currently ranked #2 in the AEW top-5 tag-team rankings.

The Rock Hated His Rocky Maivia Ring Name

Rayan Sayyed
-
0

The Rock started out in WWE with the ring name “Rocky Maivia” back in the 1996 Survivor Series, and the name was given to him by Vince McMahon as a homage to The Rock’s father Rocky Johnson, and grandfather Peter Maivia. The Rock, along with Emily Blunt, did an interview with WIRED where he stated that he hated the Rocky Maivia nickname and wanted it changed.

One of the questions that was asked to The Rock was “Why Dwayne Johnson is called The Rock?” He responded to the question by saying, “Birth story of ‘The Rock’, is before I do what I do now, many moons ago, I used to throw around 300 pound men for a living, and get my ass kicked. And then my original wrestling name was ‘Rocky Maivia’, which was a combination of my dad’s first name and my grandfather’s last name, because both of them were pro-wrestlers. So my name became ‘Rocky Maivia’, and when it was first pitched to me from Vince McMahon, he said, ‘I got your name and I want it to be Rocky Maivia. Now, what do you think?'”

The Rock reiterated that he hated the name he was given but he had to accept it and do his job. The reason he stated behind his dislike for Rocky Maivia is that he wanted his own identity and didn’t want to have a career just based on his lineage. He, however, did acknowledge that it’s the same name that got him a knock at the door of the industry.

“And as we, he knows me now, and it’s how I speak. I say, I hate it. And I hated the name. I hated it,” The Rock continued. “I hated it because the lineage I had, gave me the opportunity to at least knock on the door. I wanted my own identity, I wanted my own space. So while I was very proud to come from who I came from, with my dad and grandfather. And my whole family’s in wrestling. I still wanted my own space. And so I said, I hate it. And he said, ‘Okay. Great, well that’s your name.’ And I went, okay. So I embraced it, and I did it.”

The Rock continued the story behind his name and said that Rocky Maivia didn’t stick and when he turned heel his present ring name, “The Rock” was suggested to him by his father figure Pat Patterson and when it was pitched to him he loved it.

“And that name did not stick. And eventually, when I became a bad guy, it got truncated down to ‘The Rock’. And a guy who was my father figure, and I’ve talk to you (Emily Blunt) many times about him, Pat Patterson. Was a mentor of mine in pro-wrestling. I lost him last year when I lost my dad at the same time – I lost my father and my father figure in the same year. And he said, ‘What if we call you The Rock?’ He’s a French guy, he had a tough French accent. I said, I love it! And he goes, okay, you’re ‘The Rock’. And that was it.”

Related: The Rock Praises Bret Hart, The Hitman Responds

Quotes used in this article are transcribed by the author.

Dakota Kai On Why She Betrayed Raquel Gonzalez

Rayan Sayyed
-
0

Dakota Kai turned on her friend Raquel Gonzalez in a shocking twist last week on NXT. She threw away the friendship and attacked Gonzalez with a kick to her face while she was celebrating, and took her NXT Women’s Championship and raised it. This clearly signified that we’re going to see a rivalry between the two now-ex-best friends, and on this week’s episode of NXT Kai explained her actions in a video package aired during the episode.

Dakota Kai explained that 18 months ago she needed someone that she could trust in the beginning, and that’s when she found Raquel Gonzalez. Kai said that if she hadn’t picked Gonzalez, she would have stayed stuck in the shadows. Describing her early partnership, Kai said that Gonzalez’s task was simple, it was to stand behind her and protect her whenever she needed. When Gonzalez became a star on her own, Kai was okay with it as long as it was clear who the leader was.

Kai, however, started to get envious when Io Shirai chose Gonzalez for the title match instead of her. She felt it was disrespectful but she still chose to help Gonzalez with the title, still adding that she should have been the one standing in the ring with Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley. She wanted a title of her own so that’s why she seeked help from Gonzalez in winning the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships, however, she accused Gonzalez of not giving her 100% ever since she became the NXT Women’s Champion. They went on to lose to Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon, sealing the deal for Kai’s friendship with Gonzalez.

Kai said that Gonzalez was so caught up in her own world that she didn’t even see the betrayal coming. Kai clarified that she doesn’t want to be anyone’s sidekick and will take Gonzalez down.

Chelsea Green Added to NWA EmPowerrr Main Event

Alex Laybourne
-
0

Mickie James is leading a charge with the NWA. Their first-ever all-female PPV is happening this month and has already garnered a lot of interest from wrestling fans. James herself has already said she will not be fighting on the card. However, one name that will be there, fighting in the main event, is Chelsea Green.

The announcement was made during a live Instagram stream. The announcement was a complete shock to Chelsea Green who until then had merely commented on social media about how much she wanted to be involved.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CSIp3YgHFKO/?utm_source=ig_embed

It was, in fact, her comments that led to her getting a spot in the NEW Epowerrr Main Event

“I remember a Tweet that I saw from you that said ‘not only do I wanna wrestle on Empowerrr but I want to be in the main event’ and I was like ‘ooh sassy pants OK’. So I wanna do that for you.” Mickie James said to a stunned Chelsea Green.

Chelsea Green is on a Career Resurgence in 2021

Ever since her release from WWE, Chelsea Green has been on a resurgence. Making her debut for both ROH and IMPACT before being brought into the NWA main event at Empowerrr. Now, she stands just one match away from a shot at the NWA Women’s Championship.

The Empowerrr Women’s Invitational tournament will be the first in a new annual event. Nine different women, including Chelsea Green, are scheduled to take part. The winner of the tournament will not only take home the trophy and write themselves into the history of a new event but will also gain a chance to take on the Women’s Champion the next night at NWA 73.

For Chelsea Green, the chance to win a third singles title of her career will be one motivating factor, but surely behind it all is the drive to prove that she is more than the sum of her experience of the past few years and finish a proposed storyline we never got to see involving her and Mickey James.

1...875876877...3,404Page 876 of 3,404