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Eric Bischoff Says RK-Bro Reminds Him Of WCW Tag Team

Anutosh Bajpai
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A number of wrestling personalities have paid their tribute to the late WWE Hall Of Famer “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff since his passing earlier this month. Eric Bischoff recently joined this list.

The former WCW president dedicated the latest episode of his 83 Weeks podcast to the wrestling veteran and long-time friend. He talked about the various stages of Orndorff’s career during the episode.

Bischoff also recalled the time Mr Wonderful teamed with Paul Roma in WCW. He revealed which current tag team compares to the duo who were then known as Pretty Wonderful:

“Roma was a little more flamboyant and Orndorff was a little more dangerous,” Bischoff said. “I like that, I like how contrasts work. Randy Orton and the skateboard burn out guy, Matt Riddle.

I love that team because that’s just an interesting contrast of characters. It’s like a good buddy cop movie, you generally have contrasting characters that compliment each other and I think that’s the way Paul Roma and Paul Orndorff were.”

Randy Orton formed a tag team with Matt Riddle after a match between the two in April this year. Since then, the two have become a fan favorite.

Apart from this, Eric Bischoff also talked about being relieved from his management position in WCW in 1999. He claimed that he felt betrayed by the decision but didn’t go into detail for the reason behind it.

Joey Janela & W. Morrissey (Big Cass) Say They’ve Buried The Hatchet

Chris Stephens
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Joey Janela and Big Cass (aka W. Morrissey, CaZXL) were involved in a backstage altercation in late 2019 at a WrestlePro event. Cass took a little time away from wrestling after that and spent some time staying with Diamond Dallas Page as well. He was on Sean Waltman’s podcast recently and said that he and Janela have buried the hatchet.

“I spoke to Joey the weekend of WrestleMania. At GCW, I did a show. I spoke with Joey, and we’re really cool, man. We buried the hatchet,” Cass said (transcriptions via WrestlingNewsCO). “That was one that I really, genuinely needed to apologize to the guy in person. I like to do things face to face.”

Cass continued to talk about speaking with Janela backstage at the GCW show.

“I happened to walk in, we started talking right away, and I was super happy about that.  He’s cool as can be, and I appreciate him being super understanding.”

Not long after, Janela took to Twitter to comment on the conversation the two had over WrestleMania weekend as well. Janela also mentioned he’d hoped to book Cass for GCW over the summer. Cass is wrestling for both Impact and SWE at the moment, however.

“I saw that Cass talked about our convo, he’s really awesome! I’m happy to see him doing so well, tried to get him in the fold at GCW this summer but he’s become a busy guy! Hope I can make something happen sometime because that 7 foot dude slamming guys through doors would rule!” Janela Tweeted.

AEW’s Nick Comoroto Proposes to MCW Referee Girlfriend ‘Ref Becky’

Alex Laybourne
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AEW star and Factory member Nick Comoroto made headlines this weekend at an MCW Wrestling event. Only it wasn’t a match that made headlines, but rather a guest appearance after the bell. It was MCW’s first event in 17 months. His appearance only made it even more special for one member of the MCW roster.

Nick Comoroto took to the center of the ring, grabbed a microphone in order to ask his girlfriend, MCW Wrestling referee to marry him. His girlfriend, Becky, said yes instantly, after listening to his heartfelt speech with tear-stained eyes.

“When I was poor, she was there. When I had money, she was there. Then, when Covid his and I lost my job, she was there to pick up the pieces and bring me back here.” Nick Comoroto said, talking about his life with Ref Becky. “Becky is the sweetest, most caring person you will ever meet in your life.”

As soon as Nick Comoroto came to the ring and started talking, the crowd knew something was coming. Chants of ‘ask her, ask her,’ echoed. Ask her he did, dropping down to one knee in the middle of the ring.

Nick Comoroto Has a Bright Future in AEW

Nick Comoroto is a novice when it comes to wrestling experience. however, as part of the Factory alongside QT Marshall, he is making huge bounds. It will not be long before he becomes a regular name on any AEW match card.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRl16uupg7a/

At just 30 years old, the big man’s career is just getting started. He is on the right path, honing his skills before a live studio audience. Whether he will stay a part of the Factory, or eventually break away and go off on his own remains to be seen, but either way, the future is bright for Nick Comoroto. Many fans have already joked that his appearance at MCW Wrestling mas the greatest face turn in wrestling right now.

Jordynne Grace Breaks Records At National Powerlifting Championships

Chris Stephens
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Jordynne Grace is a very strong woman. She proved that again this weekend at the World National Powerlifting Federation championships. Grace broke several state and national records during her performance.

Grace’s tag-team partner, Rachael Ellering, provided Grace’s cheering section. She also live Tweeted from the event. She did so while wearing an Aja Kong t-shirt as well.

https://twitter.com/JordynneGrace/status/1419075817666142209

Ellering had some fun pretending one of the judges was Arn Anderson:

She had to get a photo with the judge who looked like Arn Anderson as well:

https://twitter.com/JordynneGrace/status/1419089716578762755

Jordynne Grace Comments On Her Performance

Grace Tweeted out the following after the event:

https://twitter.com/JordynneGrace/status/1419004596538724353
https://twitter.com/JordynneGrace/status/1419086049184260099

Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering In Impact Wrestling

While Grace and Ellering’s friendship was strong this weekend, it’s still not clear where they stand as a team in Impact. After winning and then losing the titles to Fire N Flava, it seemed as though they were done as a team. Two weeks ago they reunited to defeat Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb with a K, however, after Dashwood attacked Jazz in the back.

In addition to being a former Knockouts Tag Team Champion, Grace is a 1x former Knockouts Champion as well. She held the title from January 18th, 2020 until dropping it to Deonna Purrazzo at last year’s Slammiversary PPV.

Ronda Rousey Gives Pregnancy Update

Chris Stephens
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Ronda Rousey recently took to social media to give an update on her pregnancy. Rousey revealed she was 4 months pregnant back in April. It doesn’t sound as though she is too thrilled with some of the more uncomfortable aspects of pregnancy, however.

“I wish I could say that pregnancy feels amazing, that I’ve never felt more powerful as a woman. But it feels more like my organs are being crushed by the miracle of life,” Rousey says in the post. “I’ve never felt more exhausted, unmotivated or aware of gravity. Some days I have to lay on my side for hours just to comfortably breathe.”

Rousey also said that she’s very excited to meet her baby. She’s excited to find out what traits the baby gets from her and her dad. Mainly, however, she sounds as though the actual pregnancy is exhausting to her.

“There’s no break, it’s a grind, I’m just trying to get through one day at a time. And holy hell what is all this shit coming out of my nipples?”

“This baby is gunna be some kind of superhero cause I swear she’s eating all my muscles.”

“Has anyone seen my butt? I can’t find it.”

Hang in there, Ronda! Her full post is below:

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

Ronda Rousey and the RAW Women’s Championship

Ronda Rousey holds the record for the 2nd longest run with the RAW Women’s Championship. She held the title for 232 days from SummerSlam 2018 to WrestleMania 35. Becky Lynch would then break her record when she held the title from WrestleMania 35 to the night after Money in the Bank last year.

Edge Reflects On Returning To No Mercy 1999 Venue

Chris Stephens
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Smackdown this week was held in Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Field House. The arena was known as the Gund Arena previously and hosted the WWF No Mercy PPV in 1999. Edge and Christian would face “The New Brood” Matt & Jeff Hardy that night in a ladder match. The winner would earn $100,000 and the managerial services of Terri Runnels.

Edge recently took to Instagram to post a story about once again being backstage in the same arena this week. He posted a picture of a hallway backstage and then spoke about its significance.

“This hallway was instrumental to E&C and The Hardy Boyz taking flight,” Edge begins the story.

Edge continued to tell the story of arriving late to the show in 1999 due to a hurricane and then having to quickly scramble with Christian, Matt, and Jeff to come up with what why would do in the match.

“We put our demented minds together and the tag team ladder match was born. Which propelled us to where we all are now, still going strong 22 years later. After that match we all came back to this hallway and had a beer. Which we all hate but seemed fitting. So yeah, this hallway is special to me, as silly as it sounds, and I got to spend some time there again yesterday and reflect. If I didn’t make that flight who knows how different my career might have been. What a ride.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRtqXmtr3Yr/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=eb034b61-d43f-4af4-bb6d-c71f002c9345

Johnny Gargano noted he was in attendance for that show as a youngster.

“12 year old me was in the crowd that night! I’d never seen a crowd react that way before.. Changed wrestling forever. Legendary!” wrote Gargano in response.

Chris Jericho was backstage and noted that he can vouch for Edge’s story.

“I can vouch for this story!! I remember u guys talking in that hallway. What a match..what a night!” Jericho wrote in response.

GCW Homecoming Beats UFC and Olympics to Top Twitter Trending Spot

Alex Laybourne
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The shock result at GCW Homecoming night 1 not only saw a new heavyweight champion crowned, but it saw the promotion take the number one trending spot on Twitter.

It is not uncommon for the larger, more widely followed companies to hit the trending boards, often claiming the top spot. However, for a smaller promotion, with a more niche fanbase to hit the top spot is quite an achievement. The feud between Cardona and Gage saw a lot of social media exchanges between the pair. This undoubtedly helped get more eyes on the product.

What makes the results for GCW Homecoming even more impressive is that it occurred at the same time as the Olympics and UFC (Fight Night 192). Both of these events have an arguably bigger draw yet failed to get the world talking.

This is despite a few shocking gold medals being claimed in Tokyo. GCW Homecoming shocked the social media world.

Matt Hardy was quick to congratulate both Matt Cardona and GCW for their Homecoming success. While the finish to the match brought the ire of fans, many wrestling names have congratulated Cardona for his success

Matt Cardona the Unlikely Winner at GCW Homecoming Night 1

Matt Cardona is the epitome of the sports entertainment side of wrestling. Nick Gage and many of the other GCW stars play a much darker, more violent game. The meeting of the two at GCW Homecoming turned on its head when Matt Cardona picked up the win.

The instant reaction from the fans told enough. You need to question whether it was the manner of the victory or the fact that it was a previously clean-cut sports entertainment man who took the belt from their hardcore hero.

Regardless of what the fans thought, social media loved GCW Homecoming. It’s not easy to pick up the top trending spot, but they did it. How much of that can be attributed to Matt Cardona may never be known. However, he is certainly a marquee name who is now the face of GCW, for a little while at least.

It remains to be seen who his next challenger will be, but Nick Gage will surely want revenge. One thing is for sure, it will not be a friendly affair. First, however, Gage will need to shake off his GCQ Homecoming loss and prepare for his match with Chis Jericho on AEW this week.

Ryan Nemeth On How His AEW Debut Came Together

Anutosh Bajpai
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Ryan Nemeth made his AEW debut during a Dynamite episode back in January this year. Though this wasn’t really his first match for the promotion.

The brother of WWE superstar Dolph Ziggler recently appeared on the Talk Is Jericho podcast. He was asked how he ended up in AEW and he revealed that he actually used to help babysit Brodie Lee Jr.

Nemeth showed up at an AEW event where they were celebrating the birthday of Lee Jr. He was then offered a 6 men tag team match at AEW Dark but Tony Khan ended up deciding not to air the bout:

“We did a six-man Dark, and then Tony [Khan], as we were going back through a tunnel; he came halfway through the tunnel and said, ‘We’re not going to air this. I want you to figure something else out.’ I was like, alright.”

While Ryan Nemeth thought that he had somehow blown up his opportunity, Tony Khan had something else in mind. He was then called up for a match with Hangman Page on national television:

“I interpreted that as, aw, I really blew it. I must have sucked, something went wrong, and the next morning, Jess Palombo was talking on the phone but looking at you [Chris Jericho]. She goes, ‘Hey, it’s you and Hangman tonight,’

And she walked off and I was like, ‘What? Why? I mean, great. Okay, cool.’ I don’t know [what Tony saw], but I’m happy about it.”

Ryan Nemeth made his official AEW debut during the 27 January episode of Dynamite. The former WWE star faced Hangman Page in a losing effort.

Matt Cardona Becomes New GCW Champion At Homecoming: Night 1

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former WWE star Matt Cardona shocked everyone and became the new GCW world heavyweight champion by defeating Nick Gage during tonight’s GCW: Homecoming night 1.

The main event of the show saw Gage defending his title against the former Zack Ryder in a brutal match that left both the competitors bloodied.

Nick Gage was in control for the majority of the match. He used multiple light tubes and a pizza cutter among other things on Cardona during the bout.

Chris Jericho’s Judas theme played at one point in the match. While the hooded figure that showed up, ended up not being Jericho, the distractions continued even after that.

The 44OH! faction came out and attacked Gage not long after this. Former GCW champion RSP came out in Gage’s aid and the two managed to fight off the attackers.

Though this alliance was short-lived as RSP ended up low-blowing Nick Gage. This allowed Matt Cardona to hit a Rough Ryder on his opponent and win the match.

Fans started throwing trash in the ring immediately after the bout ended. Cardona ran off the arena to save himself, leaving Cage in disbelief.

This ends Nick Gage’s 100+ days long championship reign with the title. Now it would be interesting to see what the promotion has planned for Cardona’s title reign.

Career vs. Title Match Announced For NWA 73rd Anniversary Show

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former WWE star Trevor Murdoch will be challenging Nick Aldis for the NWA world heavyweight championship in a career vs. title match at the upcoming NWA 73 PPV.

The former tag team champion from WWE challenged the current NWA champion for his title during TMart Promotions’ The Gathering II event this Saturday.

Aldis managed to defend his title successfully in this bout. After this, Trevor Murdoch challenged the former TNA star to a career vs. title match during the upcoming NWA 73rd anniversary show.

Trevor Murdoch wrestled for WWE from 2005 to 2008. He teamed up with Lance Cade during his stint with the promotion. This duo known as Cade and Murdoch became three times WWE tag team champions before being disbanded.

After leaving the company, Murdoch had a short stint with TNA in 2009. He had been wrestling in the independent circuit since then. He made his NWA debut back in 2019.

Apart from this championship bout, it has been confirmed that Mickie James will be wrestling at the upcoming PPV event but her opponent for the show has not been announced.

NWA 73rd anniversary show will be taking place live on Sunday, August 29 from Khorassan Ballroom of the Chase Park Plaza in St. Louis, Missouri.

Nick Gage Reveals What Stipulation He Wants For Kenny Omega Match

Jake Skudder
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Game Changer Wrestling Champion Nick Gage recently appeared on the Wrestling Delorean Podcast. The ‘Deathmatch King’ discussed several topics whilst appearing on the podcast, including what it would take for him to have a match with AEW Champion Kenny Omega.

Nick Gage made a shocking appearance during this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite. Gage was revealed as the 2nd Labor of Jericho by MJF, with Gage now getting a No DQ match against ‘Le Champion’ next week on the show.

“Oh, I have no problem facing Kenny Omega, but it would be in a deathmatch,” Nick Gage began on the podcast, revealing the stipulations it would take for him to have a match with the AEW Champion.

Nick Gage vs Kenny Omega

“It wouldn’t be a regular match, ya know? Does he say he is the King of the Deathmatch? Well, let’s go with real glass and real barbwire. Do you know what I mean? Let’s go,” Gage continued, referring to the Exploding Barbed Wire Deathmatch between Omega and Jon Moxley, where Omega proclaimed himself the King of The Deathmatch.

“I seen clips of it,” Gage revealed, talking about the contest from AEW Revolution. “I thought it was ok. Something happened at the end. Are you talking about that exploding barbwire one? I don’t know what happened there, man, I don’t know, man.”

“I just feel like they are using Hollywood glass, and they are snipping the barbwire because any barbwire I been in or get hit with it, I always get stuck in it”, the GCW Champion added.

“So I always start bleeding, and any glass I land in, my back starts slicing up, bleeding really bad. So for them not to have no blood on them, or blood just on their forehead, makes me second guess what they are using, ya know what I mean?” Nick Gage would conclude.

Nick Gage will be defending his GCW Championship this weekend against former WWE Superstar Matt Cardona.

Dr Britt Baker Posts Backstage Photo With Paige VanZant at BKFC

Jake Skudder
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AEW Women’s Champion Dr Britt Baker D.M.D went to watch the Paige VanZant vs Rachael Ostovich Bare Knuckle Boxing fight this weekend in Tampa, Florida.

This contest was VanZant’s second fight with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships (BKFC), and she lost to Rachael Ostovich after 5 rounds via unanimous decision. VanZant has now moved to 0-2 in her bare-knuckle fighting career.

The AEW Women’s Champion tweeted that she was backstage with the fighter before she took to the ring to face Ostovich. Baker also revealed that she had sustained a broken wrist.

Dr Britt Baker on Paige VanZant

“With Paige VanZant…And oh yeah, I retained the title on Wednesday night at AEW Dynamite with a broken wrist. Not taking any time off either. #AndStill.”

F4Wonline.com first reported that Baker sustained the injury during her match on AEW Dynamite Fyter Fest Part 2 this past Wednesday. Britt Baker retained her AEW Championship against Nyla Rose after making the challenger tap out in the Lockjaw.

Paige VanZant has said in the past that pro wrestling is an avenue she is considering. With the former UFC fighter now 0-2 in bare-knuckle, she may look at AEW or WWE as her next career move.

VanZant has apparently spoken to WWE in the past, so the chance for a move to the squared circle isn’t out of the question for the former MMA fighter.

John Cena Wrestles Dark Match After Smackdown

Chris Stephens
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Following the conclusion of WWE Smackdown on Friday night, John Cena wrestled his first official match in almost 16 months. Cena teamed with Rey and Dominik Mysterio and defeated Roman Reigns and the Usos.

It’s the first time Cena has wrestled since facing Bray Wyatt in a rather bizarre FireFly FunHouse match at WrestleMania 36. Users on Twitter have been posting video of the match:

https://twitter.com/TribalGawdSZN/status/1418760220189224961
https://twitter.com/StevenCena76/status/1418845635319586818

The Summer of Cena Begins

WWE announced recently that John Cena will be at several events this summer as part of the “Summer of Cena.” WWE.com posted a list of 14 events Cena will be at starting with last night’s Smackdown in Cleveland. Cena will be on a WWE show tonight from Pittsburgh. He’ll be at a supershow tomorrow at the rather interestingly named KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky. Cena will then be back on RAW Monday night from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo. The next time Cena will be on Smackdown will be next week’s show from the Target Center in Minneapolis.

Cena is one of the most decorated WWE Champions of all time. He holds the record for 13 separate runs with the WWE title. His 1,254 days spent with the belt is good for fourth all time. Only Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and Bob Backlund spent more time with the title.

Alex Shelley’s Return To Wrestling Announced By GCW

Chris Stephens
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Alex Shelley will be returning to wrestling for the first time in 2021 next month. GCW has announced him for their September 3rd show in Chicago.

Shelley was forced to withdraw from Impact Wrestling’s Hard to Kill event back in January. He had been scheduled to team with Chris Sabin and Rich Swann to face Kenny Omega and the Good Brothers.

“There are certain things in life that are just out of our control and unfortunately, my ability to compete at Hard to Kill has been dropped into that bucket,” Shelley said regarding having to withdraw from the event. “So, on that note, I owe an apology to Chris Sabin. I owe one to Rich Swann, I owe one to the fans. And I owe a receipt to the Good Brothers and Kenny Omega.”

Shelley would clarify a couple of weeks later that he would be unable to wrestle until a COVID-19 vaccine became available.

“I am a physical therapy clinician,” Shelley stated. “Physio is my livelihood and career. Wrestling is my livelihood and passion project. At my company, due to the volume of sick and injured patients we are in care of, we modify our COVID-19 mandates as needed. As numbers went up, so did restrictiveness.”

“To circumvent the topic, I could not be at Hard To Kill due to my career. I respect the decisions made by our company surgeons and doctors: I look to them for advice and guidance. I am unable to travel and wrestle until I am vaccinated.”

It is not yet clear if Shelley will be returning to Impact Wrestling.

Kenny Omega On AEW Lacking Women’s Wrestling Content

Chris Stephens
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Kenny Omega was recently interviewed on a variety of topics for Wrestling Observer Radio. During the discussion, Omega spoke about AEW lacking content in its women’s division. He’s hopeful that the addition of AEW Rampage will help improve the situation, however.

“The content I think we’re lacking in is our women’s division,” Omega said. “I would love to see Rampage be home to more women’s wrestling.”

He continued to talk about how he feels they have some incredibly talented women on their roster who perform on Dark. Omega hopes to put these matches in front of a wider audience with Rampage.

“I want people to see and appreciate and enjoy some of the talent that we have to offer,” Omega continued. “I hope that we can get out and show some of these matches that perhaps aren’t seen by enough people. We’ve got a lot of great talent on Dark. And people maybe don’t want to watch our YouTube channel. Maybe they just want to watch Dynamite or they want to see a television product and I get that.”

Omega is hopeful that Rampage will give some lesser-seen talent more exposure.

“I think the extra hour of Rampage, when we get the new program on TBS, I feel that rather than give them more Chris Jericho, more Kenny Omega, more MJF, and the guys you know you’re going to see on Dynamite, I’d rather give them all of the extremely talented individuals that you maybe can’t see that week.”

“I feel that we have a lot of very gifted female wrestlers that have been working really hard, fighting for a spot, maybe it’s time for them to get some more and I think that would count as a variation in content, more women’s wrestling.”

Indi Hartwell & Other NXT Talent Work Dark Matches Before Smackdown

Chris Stephens
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Several talents from NXT have been wrestling dark matches before RAW and Smackdown as of late. The latest to be given a look in a main roster untelevised match is now Indi Hartwell. She wrestled Aliyah in Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse before Smackdown last night.

The 24-year-old Hartwell signed with WWE in late 2019. She was trained by the PCW Academy in Australia and made her pro debut as a 19-year-old in 2016. Recently on NXT, Hartwell and Candice LeRae lost the NXT tag-team championships to Io Shirai and Zoey Stark. Hartwell and LeRae had won the titles from Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon in May.

Hartwell’s brother-figure from the Way, Austin Theory, also wrestled before Smackdown. He took on Odyssey Jones, who is currently involved in the NXT Breakout tournament.

Is NXT Developmental? Or A 3rd Brand?

With so many NXT talents wrestling dark matches lately the subject of what NXT is in relation to the main roster has been speculated on by many. According to reporter Jon Alba, he’s heard that internally WWE considers NXT its developmental territory.

“Sources in WWE tell me NXT is officially viewed internally as ‘developmental,’ rather than the third brand as Paul Levesque’s team has promoted over the past few years,” Alba Tweeted.

Lance Archer On Signing with AEW and Receiving a Full-Time NJPW Offer

Alex Laybourne
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Lance Archer has been cutting a ruthless path through AEW since making his debut, including his recent Texas deathmatch with Jon Moxley at Fyter Fest.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CRngK5MJd6W/

Talking during a recent episode of AEW Unrestricted, the Murderhawk Monster Lance Archer spoke about how he chose to sign with AEW over a contract offered by NJPW.

Lance Archer wrestled for nine years out in Japan but revealed he never had a full-time contract with the Japanese promotion.

“I did. New Japan, as far as Japanese wrestling is concerned, a lot of times. The old school way of doing business, especially with the foreigners, was just a tour-by-tour thing. That’s how I’d actually been with the company for nearly nine years,” Lance Archer explained.

It wasn’t until he was offered a contract by AEW that Archer was offered a full-time deal with NJPW. However, by that point, the options available to Lance Archer, were far broader than ever before.

“I don’t even think, to a degree, I would have received the offer from New Japan if AEW didn’t exist. They didn’t even know that AEW offered me the deal. I’m just saying that AEW was changing the wrestling world completely from how everybody was doing business.”

Lance Archer Liked the Idea of Coming Back to Wrestle in the US

Wrestling a foreign country is never easy, even before the pandemic hit, different cultures and language barriers can be big obstacles to overcome. For Lance Archer, there was an allure to coming back to wrestle full time in the United States.

“So, the opportunity to come back home, to tour the United States, this is prior to anybody knowing what was going to happen in 2020, the new challenges of coming back to the U.S. and being in AEW, a company that was growing and changing the world professional wrestling, all these things were just too enticing and something that I actually wanted to take on. I wanted to bet on myself and be a part of AEW.”

Lance Archer has an affinity with the New Japan crowd. Thanks to AEW’s open relationship, it is likely he will wrestle in Japan in the future. Especially now that he is the IWGP United States champion. However, for the Murderhawk Monster, it would seem that there really is no place like home.

Senior Talent Relation Executive Canyon Ceman Released By WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE has let go the company’s senior vice president of talent development Canyon Ceman this Friday according to reports from PWinsider. The rumors of the promotion releasing the executive had been heard a few weeks ago as well. They had turned out to be false at the time but now his departure has been confirmed.

Ceman had been working for WWE since 2012. He was initially hired as the senior director of talent relations in March 2012 and promoted to his latest title in August 2015. Prior to joining the world of professional wrestling, the WWE official served as the chief financial officer for the association of volleyball professionals until 2010.

Over his nine year long tenure with WWE, Canyon Ceman had been involved in scouting, recruiting and evaluating potential talents for the company’s developmental system. He was also involved with NXT. He is not the only big backstage name to have been let go by the officials in recent times.

Just like their talent roster, WWE seems to be working on decluttering their employee list as well. They have let go a number of backstage personnel in recent times. There is no word yet on why WWE decided to let go Canyon Ceman but it wouldn’t be a big surprise if his release was budget-related as well.

Edge Feels Nobody Truly Appreciates The Talent of Rey Mysterio

Alex Laybourne
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WWE superstar Edge was a recent guest on The Kurt Angle Show. During his appearance, he spoke about a number of topics including the status of Rey Mysterio. Rey and his son Dominik ran to the ring to help Edge fend off an attack from the Usos at Money in the Bank.

Rey Mysterio is held in high regard by almost every wrestling fan around the world. However, Edge feels the man still doesn’t get the full level of credit that he deserves.

“Rey Mysterio, he gets credit, but it’s still not the credit he deserves,” Edge said. “I think because he’s been so consistent for so long, that he’s not appreciated to his full extent. I don’t know if he will be fully appreciated until he retires. When there’s no Rey Mysterio on the show, they’ll go ‘But wait? We need Rey.’ I think as a writer, as a company, as a fan, as a colleague, although I think colleagues and peers appreciate him more than anyone else because they truly fully grasp and understand it.”

Edge is Amazed by Rey Mysterio’s Career Longevity

Wrestling is a tough business. It is hard on the body, especially if you wrestle a high lying luchador style. Yet, Mysterio is still going just as hard and fast today as he did in his youth. This is a fact not lost on Edge, and one of the core reasons he believes we won’t fully appreciate Rey until he has retired.

“That dude, for his style and what he’s done, to still even be in there at all let alone at the level that he’s performing at, he just did a Hell in a Cell with Roman Reigns. The term legend is thrown around a lot, dudes a legend. He’s a living legend and one day people will fully latch onto how special Rey Mysterio is.” Edge explained before going on to talk about how he paved the way for so many current superstars and is doing it for future ones too.

Edge is one of the most popular figures in WWE, arguably on a par with Rey Mysterio. Regardless, both men are in their twilight years and wrestling won’t be the same once either hang up their boots.

TNT Delighted as AEW Ratings Continue to Dominate Wednesday Nights

Alex Laybourne
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After being moved to a Friday night slot for a few weeks, AEW Dynamite is back on Wednesday nights. Since returning, the AEW ratings have continued to climb, and TNT is over the moon about it.

Night Two of Fyter Fest say AEW ratings peak with 1,148,000 hourly viewers and a 0.44 rating in the core 18-49 demographic. Aside from the show’s debut show, the Fyter Fest figures, for both nights one and two are among some of the best the show has seen.

In fact, this year AEW ratings are up 5% in the key 18-49 demographic and 3% in total viewers. These are certainly impressive gains for a company that is just 93 weeks into its life. It’s no wonder that TNT felt compelled to issue a statement on AEW’s ratings charge.

TNT’s AEW: DYNAMITE continues domination as Wednesday’s #1 cable program in P18-49 for the second week in a row. See highlights below:

AEW: Dynamite

575K P18-49 / 150K P18-34 / 1.15M P2+

Week 93 of AEW was up 11% vs. last week

AEW Ratings Continue to Recover Following Wednesday Night Return

During the recent NBA playoffs, AEW had been forced to move to a temporary Friday night slow. This change did knock the AEW ratings for a few weeks, with record low numbers being posted. However, since returning to Wednesday nights, the company is moving from strength to strength.

With all the rumors floating around about names like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, interest in AEW is at an all-time high. This will surely be reflected in the AEW ratings through the rest of the year and beyond.

AEW Dynamite is now an established part of Wednesday night TV. Dark Elevation and Dark occupy Monday and Tuesday nights on YouTube. Now, we are less than a month away from the debut episode of AEW Rampage on a Friday night. How long will it be before we start talking about AEW ratings dominance across the entire week?

Michael Cole Says Pat McAfee “Completely Revitalized My Career”

Alex Laybourne
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Michael Cole has been working with WWE since 1995 and has been a commentator for the majority of this period. He has been there and done it all, rising through the ranks behind the scenes. It is only natural, however, that you begin to feel a little jaded, or stale after so long. That doesn’t mean your work slips, or you’re unhappy, just that things begin to feel a little routine.

Talking during a recent interview on The Pat McAfee Show, Michael Cole spoke openly about how working alongside McAfee in the commentary booth has changed his career.

“You have completely revitalized my career.” Michael Cole said. I’ve been doing this for almost 25 years and have seen and been part of everything in WWE. You go through different partners and everyone I have worked with has been great and have all brought a different style to the product. JBL, unbelievable partner. Corey Graves, incredible talent. You’re different than all of those guys because you’re a true fan and you bring that enthusiasm to the product and seeing how you’ve been acting over the past couple of months has really revitalized what I do and I realize that I have to step up my game to keep up with what you’re doing from an enthusiastic standpoint and that’s what I’m trying to do. It’s been a lot of fun for me and it’s been really different. Thank you for breathing life into this old man.”

Michael Cole is the Voice of WWE

There have been some memorable men sitting in the WWE announcer’s booth. However, few have had the longevity Michael Cole has. From playing the heel commentator to leading the ship through many different eras, he has proven himself to be dependable and competent.

He will long be remembered for his deft handling of the Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler incident, along with many other moments during his career.

Bringing in someone with the character of McAfee for Michael Cole to play off makes a great pairing and in its own right, has many avenues for possible character building and storytelling within the commentary booth.

Jim Ross On Which AEW Star Is The Closest Thing To Stone Cold Steve Austin

Anutosh Bajpai
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Wrestling veteran Jim Ross talked about a number of things on the latest episode of his Grilling JR Podcast. He also revealed which current AEW star reminds him the most of Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Steve Austin is widely regarded as one of the biggest if not the biggest wrestling superstars of all time. Ross has the first-hand experience of his rise to superstardom. He was the lead commentator for WWE throughout the Attitude Era.

During the episode, Jim Ross claimed that Jon Moxley is the closest thing he has seen to Stone Cold since the Texas Rattlesnake hung up his boots:

“[Jon] Moxley is the closest thing I’ve seen in pro wrestling like Stone Cold, since Stone Cold, attitude, body english, facial expressions, legitimate intensity, absolutely phenomenal.”

Alongside the other companies, AEW has also welcomed the fans back to the arenas this month. Speaking of the AEW crowds, Ross claimed that they remind him of the Attitude Era audience:

“Our audience because they’re younger, they come prepared. They have their signs, posters, it reminds me of the Attitude Era as far as audience participation. It’s a really good time to be a wrestling fan no matter which brand you support,

I’m a really big believer in if you’re a wrestling fan, be a wrestling fan of all of them., said Jim Ross, “Don’t go out of your way to piss on something that’s not on fire. It’s a great time to be a fan.”

Jim Ross also discussed how people like Jon Moxley know how to work TV matches in an arena full of fans but there are many young wrestlers in AEW who are having this experience for the first time in their careers.

Britt Baker Worked Championship Match On Dynamite With Broken Wrist

Anutosh Bajpai
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Britt Baker picked up a big win on this week’s Fyter Fest edition of Dynamite. If her victory wasn’t impressive enough on its own, it’s now been revealed that she did it with a broken wrist.

The AEW women’s champion recently posted a picture of herself with MMA fighter Paige VanZant. In the photo she is seen wearing a cast on her right hand and in the caption she confirmed that she has a broken wrist:

“With @paigevanzant …And oh yeah, I retained the title on Wednesday night at #aewdynamite with a broken wrist. Not taking any time off either. #AndStill”

Britt Baker won her first women’s title in AEW during the Double Or Nothing PPV in May. She defeated Hikaru Shida in a one-on-one match for the championship.

The women’s champion had her first title defense on this Wednesday’s Fyter Fest edition of Dynamite. She successfully defended the title in a match against Nyla Rose.

She apparently suffered the injury during a death valley driver spot in the match. Though according to the champion herself, she is taking no time off.

There is no word yet on who will be Britt Baker’s next challenger after her victory on Dynamite this week. She will likely not be defending her title again until the All Out PPV on September 5.

WWE SmackDown Results (7/23): Roman Reigns & John Cena, Toni Storm Debut

Robert Lentini
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SmackDown aired live from the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland & Rolling Loud festival in Miami. Bianca Belair defended the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Carmella during tonight’s show. Universal Champion Roman Reigns responded to John Cena’s challenge for a title match at SummerSlam.

SmackDown Results (7/23)

  1. Finn Balor def. Sami Zayn
  2. Angelo Dawkins def. Chad Gable
  3. Bianca Belair def. Carmella to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship
  4. Toni Storm def. Zelina Vega
  5. Jimmy Uso def. Dominik

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Paul Heyman Mocked John Cena

John Cena kicked off the show and made his way to the ring to a great reaction from the crowd. Cena referred to Roman Reigns as a lifeless egomaniac and said he came back to challenge him for the Universal Championship at SummerSlam.

Cena joked about the Indians changing their names to Guardians and claimed that SmackDown with Roman Reigns as champion sucks. Cena added that SummerSlam is not just a match for the Universal Championship, it is a chance for people to stand up for what they believe.

John asked if the crowd was on team jorts or on team cargo pants and a “Cena!” chant broke out. Cena asked Reigns to come to the ring but the Universal Champion didn’t show. Paul Heyman finally made his way to the entrance ramp and said that Cena has it all wrong.

Heyman told Cena that he’s not worth Reigns listening to and that John will get an answer to his challenge tonight whenever Roman decides to come to the ring. Heyman then hilariously mocked Cena’s theme before leaving.

https://twitter.com/r0bato/status/1418726192837013509?s=20

Finn Balor def. Sami Zayn

Finn Balor squared off with Sami Zayn in his first match back on the main roster. Sami hit Finn with an elbow to the face and brought him down to the canvas. Balor battled back but Sami dropped him again with a punch. Zayn followed it up with some more punches to Balor’s face before throwing him out of the ring.

Sami beat Balor down against the barricade and rolled him back into the ring. Balor tackled Sami and got in some punches of his own. Finn threw Sami out of the ring and flipped onto him as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Sami hit a Clothesline and went for the cover but Finn kicked out at two. Zayn applied a Headlock but Finn was able to break free and take control of the match. Finn Dropkicked Sami to the corner and followed it up with the Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory.

Apollo Crews Interrupted Big E

MITB winner Big E made his way to the ring to chants of “you deserve it!” from the crowd. Big E thanked the crowd and said that he will never forget this past Sunday. Big E joked that has no business jumping off of ladders but was interrupted by Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews & Commander Azeez.

Crews laughed at Big E for winning a contract and brought up beating Big E at WrestleMania. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode interrupted but they were quickly interrupted by a screaming Rick Boogs. Shinsuke Nakamura made his way to the ring as Boogs played the guitar. Cesaro ran to the ring and a brawl broke out. Big E Clotheslined Azeez out of the ring as Cesaro got Crews in the Swing.

Angelo Dawkins def. Chad Gable

Angelo Dawkins faced Chad Gable in a singles match from Rolling Loud. Ford and Otis were ringside. Dawkins perched Gable up on the top rope and sent him to the mat with a Clothesline. Gable battled back with a Flying Clothesline off the top rope for a two count. Gable hit a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Dawkins hit Splash and went for the cover but Gable kicked out at two. Angelo then connected with Sky High for the pinfall victory.

Bianca Belair Retained

Bianca Belair put the SmackDown Women’s Championship on the line against Carmella. The match aired from Rolling Loud. Bianca connected with a shoulder tackle and sent Carmella to the ring apron. Carmella connected with a punch and went for a Crossbody off the top rope.

Bianca caught Carmella and connected with a Fallaway Slam. Belair followed it up with a Standing Moonsault for a near fall. Carmella caught Belair with a Jawbreaker and followed it up with a Facebuster for a two count. Belair took control and hit KOD for the pinfall victory. Bianca Belair is still the SmackDown Women’s Champion.

Edge Sent A Message To Seth Rollins

Edge came down to the ring to a great reaction from the Cleveland crowd. Edge said that Rollins is going to find out what he is capable of and Rollins’ music hit.Rollins interrupted and cackled into the microphone. Edge told Seth to shut up and come down to the ring. Edge added that he wasn’t going to put a hand on him. Seth added that he was going to talk about people like Cena & Edge coming back whenever they want and jumping the line but isn’t going to.

Seth said that Edge has been such a scumbag to him that he would be thrilled to end his dreams of becoming champion once again. Rollins noted that he hesitated to end Edge’s career 7 years ago but will not hesitate this time around. Edge told Rollins he lied and hit him with some punches. Rollins stomped Edge to the mat but the he got up and hit Edgecution. Edge went for the Spear but Seth retreated out of the ring.

Toni Storm Debuted With A Win

Toni Storm made her debut on SmackDown against Zelina Vega. Zelina got the jobber entrance. Toni was wrestling as a babyface and Vega beat her down to start off the action. Vega hit a running knee to the face but Toni shrugged it off and connected with a headbutt. Vega got distracted by accidentally taking Toni’s belt off somehow. Toni then hit Storm Zero for the pinfall victory.

Jimmy Uso def. Dominik

Jimmy Uso faced Dominik tonight on SmackDown. Jey Uso and Rey Mysterio were ringside for the match. Jimmy dominated the match early and hit Dominim with a Superkick for a near fall. Uso focused his attack on Dominik’s knee and then hit him with an Enziguri to the face for a two count.

Rey took out Jey outside the ring with a Senton and Dominik hit Jimmy with a Crossbody as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Dominik hit a Neckbreaker and sent Jimmy to the apron. Jimmy battled back and rolled up Dominik with an assist from Jey for the win.

Roman Reigns Declined Cena’s Challenge, Will Face Finn Balor

Universal Champion Roman Reigns came to the ring at the end of this week’s show.

Reigns stood in the ring silent with Paul Heyman as the Cleveland crowd chanted “you suck!”. Roman told Cleveland and the audience at home to acknowledge him as Heyman raised the Universal Championship above his head.

Roman stated that John Cena is a nostalgia act with the same entrance, same outfits, and same promos. Reigns joked that if he wanted that he could just search 2005 John Cena on the internet. Roman added that Cena was like missionary every night and that everyone is tired of Cena. He declined Cena’s challenge for a title shot at SummerSlam. Paul Heyman raised the Universal Championship but Finn Balor’s theme hit.

Balor came to the ring and Reigns wondered if Finn was here to acknowledge him. Finn said he was not here to do that but if Roman isn’t interested in Cena’s challenge, maybe he’d be interested in Balor’s. The crowd chanted “Roman’s scared!” and the champion quieted them down. Roman then accepted Balor’s challenge to end the show.

New WWE Action Figures Revealed At San Diego Comic-Con

Kristen Ashly
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A batch of new WWE action figures are on their way to fans, soon.

Friday, WWE and Mattel joined forces to host a fan panel during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, where they revealed their newest round of upcoming WWE figure releases.

The panel was moderated by WWE broadcaster Sam Roberts, and featured Mattel Elite Squad representatives Bill Miekina and Steve Ozer. WWE Superstars Johnny Gargano, Bianca Belair, Dominik Mysterio, and Adam Cole also dropped by at various points to help reveal the figures.

Among those released are various Elite Collection Series, Ultimate Edition, and Retro figures, along with figures for Masters of the WWE Universe Wave 8. Superstars with new figures range from current NXT and WWE talent like Ember Moon, Keith Lee, Santos Escobar, Damian Priest, Reckoning, to legends like Trish Stratus, Sgt. Slaughter, Zodiac, and The Goon.

The panel revealed several new Championship Showdown 2-Pack sets, including the Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair set, and the Drew McIntyre and Goldberg set. New Royal Rumble, Survivor Series, and WrestleMania Elite figures were also added to the new batch, which included new Dakota Kai, Bayley, Bret Hart, and Vince McMahon figures.

New entries into the Hollywood Elite Collection Series was introduced, featuring The Rock as Luke Hobbs from “Hobbs & Shaw”, John Cena as Jakob Toretto from “F9”, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper as John Nada from “They Live”, Roman Reigns as Mateo Hobbs from “Hobbs & Shaw”, and even The Rock as “The Scorpion King”.

Most notable from the panel, was the new campaign from WWE and Mattel seeking backers for the WWE Ultimate New Generation Arena. The crowdfunding campaign requires at least 5,000 backers at $250 each before Aug. 22 to produce the set. More features are “unlocked” after 7,000 and 8,000 backers are reached. At the time of this article, there are 660 backers.

WWE released a gallery of photos featuring the new Mattel WWE action figures Friday, as well.

The entire San Diego Comic-Con virtual panel that aired Friday can be seen at the video below.

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