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AEW Planning To Resume Live Touring Schedule With Fans By July

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SmackDown Viewership

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charlotte Reacts To Suspension & Fine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ridge Holland Injury Update: Gruesome Post-Surgery Photos

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

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

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

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

Ridge Holland Update

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anthony Bowens On Representation in Wrestling

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

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

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

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

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

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

NXT fans will also see:

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

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

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

Backstage News On Last-Minute Changes To RAW

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stone Cold Steve Austin Loves Wrestling too Much to Return

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

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

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

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

MLW Announces Deal With Vice TV

Chris Stephens
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Vice TV, the channels that airs the Dark Side of the Ring series, is getting deeper into the pro-wrestling world. MLW has announced that they have reached a deal with the station to begin airing its content shortly.

The announcement was made last night on MLW’s YouTube channel. MLW programming should begin appearing on the channel next month. The new deal will not impact existing relationships the promotion has with BeIN Sports or DAZN, according to a report by PWInsider. MLW is also believed to be in negotiations with Discovery Plus as well.

Court Bauer on MLW’s TV Deal With Vice

“I think you have two decades of atrophy within an empire that had a grip on the market, and that atrophy has allowed all this other life to flourish,” Court Bauer told Forbes.

“[WWE] is still very successful in spite of their atrophy. But now they’ve locked in their deals, they’re not going to pivot in a creative direction to grow their audience. They’re not growing their audience, so for somebody like me there’s great opportunity. There are all kinds of interesting opportunities that I can look at and things that WWE may or may not do–I might be willing to do, or do differently.”

Dark Side of the Ring: Season 3 is scheduled to begin airing on VICE TV on May 6th. Season 1 of Dark Side of the Ring featured an episode titled “The Last of the Von Erichs” that focussed on Kevin Von Erich and his family. The Von Erichs are a big part of MLW currently, with Kevin managing his sons Ross and Marshall Von Erich.

WWE RAW Results (4/19): Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka, Riddle vs. Randy Orton, Alexa Bliss

Robert Lentini
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WWE RAW aired live from the ThunderDome. Charlotte Flair faced Asuka tonight and Drew McIntyre took on Mace & T-Bar in a Handicap match. A new episode of Alexa’s Playground with Alexa Bliss aired tonight as well.

RAW Results (4/19)

  1. Viking Raiders def. Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin
  2. Riddle def. Randy Orton
  3. Lana & Naomi def. Nia Jax & Shayna Baszler
  4. Elias def. Kofi Kingston
  5. Mace & T-Bar def. McIntyre & Braun Strowman via DQ
  6. Damian Priest def. The Miz
  7. Asuka def Charlotte Flair

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Mace & T-Bar Attacked McIntyre Again

Drew McIntyre kicked off this week’s show and discussed how he became #1 contender last week. McIntyre brought up the attack by Mace & T-Bar and said that he knows that MVP is the mastermind behind it. McIntyre joked that he will get some RETRIBUTION on them the next time he sees them.

MVP interrupted and claimed that he had no idea about the attack. MVP said that WWE Champion Lashley is looking forward to beating McIntyre again at WrestleMania Backlash. MVP added that Lashley just recently downsized the Hurt Business and Lashley has already proven that he can beat Drew by himself.

Once again, MVP claimed that Mace and T-Bar have zero affiliation with the Hurt Business. McIntyre made his way to the ring apron and to the outside. Drew said maybe MVP is telling the truth and start walking towards him. Mace and T-Bar attacked McIntyre again and beat him down in the middle of the ring. MVP looked on with a smile on his face but Mace and T-Bar walked right past him.

Mace & T-Bar were stopped backstage and asked if they were aligned with the Hurt Business. They started listing off animals until Mace said saber-toothed tiger. T-Bar said that they were extinct and that is what they are going to do to Drew McIntyre. Drew then demanded a Handicap match against Mace & T-Bar. Adam Pearce told him to find a tag team partner but Drew declined and told Pearce to make the match or he will regret it.

Viking Raiders Dominated

Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin faced Viking Raiders tonight. Shelton and Cedric controlled the action early and isolated Erik in the ring. Ivar tagged in and Shelton greeted him with a knee to the face. Erik tagged back in and Cedric connected with a Tornado DDT. Alexander went for the cover but Ivar broke it up at two.

Ivar sent Shelton into the barricade outside the ring and connected with a Cannonball. Back in the ring, Erik kneed Alexander in the face and tagged in Ivar. The Viking Raiders then hit the Viking Express for the pinfall victory.

Asuka Interrupted Charlotte

Charlotte Flair came to the ring and demanded respect from the women in the locker room and the WWE Universe. Flair claimed that she was the biggest star in the division. Charlotte said that her WrestleMania match was taken from her when Lacey Evans got pregnant. Flair stated that she can beat Asuka and Rhea Ripley in the same night and that is why they call her “The Opportunity”. Charlotte vowed to remind Asuka of how much she doesn’t like her and prove why she is The Queen.

Asuka and Rhea Ripley interrupted. Ripley told Charlotte that she will take her up on that offer and Rhea suggested that Asuka was going to beat her tonight. Charlotte mocked Asuka and spoke really slow to remind her that she broke her streak. Asuka shouted that she will beat Flair tonight and called her a bitch to end the segment.

Riddle def. Randy Orton

Riddle annoyed the hell out of Randy Orton backstage by interrupted his interview. Orton was saying that he wanted to get the WWE Championship but Riddle scooted up to him and wanted to form a team called RKBro. Randy walked away and told Adam Pearce that he wanted a match with Riddle to teach him a lesson.

Riddle and Orton locked up in the middle of the ring to start off the match. Orton applied a Headlock and took Riddle down to the canvas. Riddle battled to his feet and broke the hold against the ropes.

Orton kneed Riddle in the midsection and went for a Suplex but Riddle escaped. Riddle locked in a Sleeper Hold and trapped Randy’s arm as he reached for the ropes. It looked like Orton was about to tap out but he instead broke the hold by ripping at Riddle’s hair.

Riddle leaped right back onto Orton and got him in the Sleeper Hold again but Randy broke free with a slam. Riddle once again applied the Sleeper but Orton escaped out of the ring. Orton slammed Riddle onto the apron and then on top of the announce table as RAW went to a break.

Riddle hit some chops to the chest but Orton responded with a Powerslam for a near fall. Orton followed it up with a Suplex in the middle of the ring. Randy went for the RKO but Riddle countered into a backslide for the pinfall victory.

https://twitter.com/WWEUniverse/status/1384312214522408963?s=20

Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose Distracted Nia Jax

Lana and Naomi faced Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax tonight. Lana and Naomi dominated early and isolated Nia in the ring. Shayna tagged in and took control before Mandy Rose and Dana interrupted and rolled footage of them beating Nia down last week. Nia got angry and left Shayna alone in the ring to chase after Mandy and Dana. Lana and Naomi slammed Shayna to the mat for the pinfall victory.

Damian Preist def. The Miz

Miz and Maryse came to the ring to promote their reality show Miz & Mrs. and Miz’s documentary on the network this weekend. Damian Priest interrupted and challenged Miz to a match. Maryse got pissed off and accepted the match on Miz’s behalf before throwing champagne in Damian’s face.

Later on RAW, The Miz and Damian Priest battled and Maryse was ringside. Miz rolled out of the ring to give Maryse a kiss and then walked into a Suplex from Damian for a near fall. Priest followed it up with a massive Clothesline and geared up in the corner. Maryse distracted Damian and Miz capitalized with a Dropkick.

Miz followed it up with a Neckbreaker and some It Kicks. Priest got pissed off and slammed Miz to the canvas. Damian followed it up with Hit the Lights for the pinfall victory.

Elias def. Kofi Kingston

Elias faced Kofi Kingston tonight on RAW. Jaxson Ryker and Xavier Woods were ringside for the match. Woods played an electric guitar for a distraction and Kofi capitalized by beating Elias down in the corner. Kingston hit a Crossbody for a near fall and then hit an awkward SOS for another two count. Kofi went for a Hurricanrana off the top turnbuckle but Elias held onto the ropes. Elias then hit an Elbow Drop from the top for the pinfall victory.

Alexa Bliss Warned The RAW Roster

WWE aired another episode of Alexa’s Playground tonight. Bliss said Lily didn’t come into her life around WrestleMania and that they have been best friends for a very long time. Bliss stated that they were on a playground once and there was another little girl being mean to her.

Alexa giggled and stated that she shoved that little bitch off of the swing and she fell on her ass and broke her arm. Bliss laughed and said that she told the teachers the truth. Alexa claimed that Lily made her do it and that she has no problem letting people know if she doesn’t like something. Bliss added that Lily didn’t like him (The Fiend) and she doesn’t like any of the little girls on the RAW roster.

T-Bar & Mace Were Unmasked

Drew McIntyre faced Mace & T-Bar in a Handicap match to begin the final hour of this week’s show. McIntyre and T-Bar battled as MVP watched from backstage. Mace tagged in and unloaded some punches on Drew in the corner of the ring. Mace leveled McIntyre with an uppercut for a two count.

T-Bar tagged in and Drew planted him with a Spinebuster. McIntyre knocked Mace off the ring apron but T-Bar capitalized not he distraction and drove Drew to the corner. Mace and T-Bar then beat McIntyre down in the corner of the ring before Braun Strowman’s theme hit.

Strowman got in the ring and Mace & T-Bar retreated to the outside as RAW went to a commercial. When RAW returned, Braun Strowman & Drew battled Mace & T-Bar. Strowman beat Mace down in the corner and was somehow bleeding from his forehead. Strowman applied Headlock and then kneed Mace in the face.

Braun then sent T-Bar into the turnbuckle when he tagged in. Mace distracted Braun and T-Bar capitalized with a chop block. Mace tagged back in and hit a Clothesline for a near fall. Strowman eventually battled back and hit a Back Body Drop on T-Bar.

McIntyre and Mace tagged in and Drew connected with a Clothesline. Drew followed it up with a Suplex and then a Neckbreaker in the middle of the ring. McIntyre ripped off Mace’s mask and responded with a slap to the face. McIntyre hit a harder slap and then beat Mace down until the referee ended the match via DQ. Strowman then ripped off T-Bar’s mask as well.

Sheamus Attacked Humberto Carrillo

Sheamus came to the ring and shouted that he was your new United States Champion. Sheamus said it is going to be like that for a long time and will be a fighting champion. He then issued an open challenge and Humberto Carrillo made his way to the ring. Sheamus attacked Carrillo during his entrance and launched him into the ring post. Sheamus dragged Humberto back to the corner and leveled him with a Brogue Kick.

Charlotte Attacked The Referee After Losing To Asuka

Charlotte Flair squared off with Asuka in the main event of this week’s episode of RAW. RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley took a seat on the entrance ramp to watch the match. Asuka went for a Hip Attack but Flair dodged it and hit a kick to the face. Charlotte and Asuka then hit a Neckbreaker at the same time and fell to the floor outside the ring. Ripley stood over them as RAW went to a break.

When RAW returned, the action returned to the ring and Asuka connected with a kick to the face. Asuka hit a sloppy looking Double Knees to the face and both superstars fell to the canvas. Flair hit Asuka with a Spear and went for the cover but Asuka kicked out at two.

Flair went for the Figure Four but Asuka escaped with a kick to the face. Charlotte was then able to apply the Figure Four but Rhea broke it up and the referee didn’t see it. Asuka then rolled up Charlotte for the pinfall victory. After the match, Charlotte got pissed off and beat the hell out of the referee to close the show.

Batista On His Wrestling Retirement: “Nothing Is Bringing Me Back”

Andrew Ravens
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It’s been a few years since Batista worked his last match and announced his retirement. However, there are some fans who want to see “The Animal” wrestle one more match. 

During an appearance for Justice Con, the former WWE star made it clear that he has no intentions of coming out of retirement.

“Don’t put that out there, people will jump all over that [laughs]. ‘He’s coming out of retirement!’ No, I’m not. It’s so hard to convince people that I’m actually retired. You have no idea how tough that discussion is. 

When a professional wrestler retires, they don’t really retire, they kind of retire. If the paycheck or event is big enough, they’ll come out of retirement. It’s just not that way with me. I exited the business in such a storybook way, I could never go back. I’m just done. I got to finish on my own terms and nothing is going to bring me back and take away from that.” 

Batista’s last full-time run with WWE came in 2014 at the Royal Rumble event where he won the rumble match, but eventually lost to Daniel Bryan for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a triple threat match that also featured Randy Orton at WrestleMania 30.  He stayed around for a few more months before deciding to leave again to further pursue his acting career. 

His retirement match came against Triple H at WrestleMania 35 where he lost and then announced his retirement. 

MLW To Make Special Announcement Tonight at 9PM (Eastern)

Michael Reichlin
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Major League Wrestling is set to make a major announcement Monday night at 9pm (Eastern) on the MLW YouTube Channel.

No further details have been made public as of this writing. However, all signs point to the fight league landing a national television deal.

MLW boss Court Bauer has been touting that MLW was on the verge of blowing people away with what they’ve got cooked up.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1371966671519428609?

Earlier this month, Bauer indicated that the paperwork was signed.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1380251831331340291

Check back later tonight for the big reveal of the MLW special announcement.

Rich Swann Ready For The Match Of His Life Against Kenny Omega At Rebellion

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling champion Rich Swan will battle AEW World Champion Kenny Omega this weekend at Impact’s Rebellion PPV. Swann spoke to Sports Illustrated to hype the match and explained why this is the biggest match of his career.

“The focus is on Kenny Omega, and that’s understandable,” said Swann. “He’s the Best Bout Machine, he’s Dave Meltzer’s favorite wrestler, he’s this seven-star wrestler. Kenny has proven why he deserves this attention. But I’m here, too. I’m also a person that has battled adversity.”

Swann says he was told he would have to retire due to injuries, but he’s still here. He’s faced adversity and has earned the right to be part of this historic match.

“Two world champions from two different companies, repping two different television stations, and we’re about to blow this industry’s roof off,” he said. “I’m going to make this different than any match we’ve ever had in our careers. This is an opportunity I won’t let slip. It’s going to be the match of my life.”

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

Impact Rebellion PPV

In addition to Swann vs Omega, several other big matches have been booked for the show. The updated lineup is below.

  • AEW World Championship vs Impact World Championship
    Kenny Omega (c) vs Rich Swann
  • Impact Tag Team Championships
    FinJuice (David Finlay & Juice Robinson) (c) vs. The Good Brothers (Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson)
  • Knockouts Championship
    Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs Tenille Dashwood
  • X-Division Championship
    Ace Austin (w/Madman Fulton) (c) vs. TJP vs. Josh Alexander
  • Knockouts Tag Team Championships
    Fire N Flava (c) vs Jordynne Grace & TBA
  • Brian Myers vs Matt Cardona

Order Impact Wrestling: Rebellion now at FITE.TV.

Vince Russo On Why Samoa Joe Wasn’t Pushed Harder In TNA

Chris Stephens
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On the heels of Samoa Joe being released by WWE on April 15th, former TNA Wrestling writer Vince Russo recently commented on why he wasn’t pushed harder while he was in TNA. Granted, Joe is a former Grand Slam champion in TNA but according to Russo, Joe’s weight was a factor backstage.

“The problem we always had with Samoa Joe, always revolved around weight. It was never that he was a pain in the ass or he wasn’t talented or he couldn’t do this… it was always (his) weight,” Russo said recently on his Writing with Russo podcast (transcriptions via Sportskeeda).

“So what would happen, and this always happened, it was like a yoyo… Samoa Joe would come to TV looking great so now we’re all excited because physically Samoa Joe could look really good or look really bad. He would come to work looking really great so now we’re booking for ‘Joe was off, Joe lost some weight, Joe is in shape…’, now we’re booking for that guy. So we’ll book six to eight weeks of TV, then we’ll go home, we’re all excited about Joe, we’re writing the next set of TVs and he comes back and he’s out of shape and you could tell in the ring. We had these talks with him all the time. We were all upfront with this. This is my POV. There’s a huge difference in Samoa Joe when he’s in shape and when he’s not in shape and you saw it. This happened so many times.”

Joe is a former TNA World Heavyweight Champion. He also held the X-Division title, the short-lived TNA TV title, and twice held the tag titles (once by himself and once with Nick Aldis).

Defending (But Not Really) WWE For Releasing Samoa Joe

Jake Skudder
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Samoa Joe was perhaps the biggest name to be released by WWE last week as part of the company’s latest round of cost-cutting.

Whilst many fans and critics were completely shocked about the former TNA and ROH World Champion being released; WWE would’ve had fair reason.

Well hopefully they would’ve had fair reason and not just the petty usual stuff.

Check out the video below and let us know if you agree or disagree with my reasoning for defending WWE somewhat in their decision to release Samoa Joe.

What would you like to see us produce for video content on YouTube going forward? Let us know in the comments

Update Regarding Mia Yim On The Main Roster

Chris Stephens
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While MACE and T-Bar are still on RAW, they are no longer being led by Mustafa Ali as members of Retribution. They are also no longer flanked by Reckoning, the Retribution character portrayed by Mia Yim. With Yim now no longer part of the group, some fans have been wondering what comes next for her.

According to a report from PW Insider, Mia Yim is expected to become part of the Smackdown roster. Details such as when she’ll debut and if she will be keeping the Reckoning persona are not immediately available, however.

Yim was originally called up to the main roster in the fall of 2020 with Retribution.

Mia Yim In WWE

32-year-old Mia Yim signed with WWE in late 2018 after performing in the Mae Young Classic. She would spend the next two years in NXT, which included a shot at Shayna Baszler and the NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: Toronto II in 2019.

Mia Yim Championship Statistics:

  • 1x Knockouts Champion (Impact/TNA)
  • Queen of the Knockouts Winner (Impact/TNA)
  • 1x Shine Champion
  • 1x Shine Tag Team Champions w/ Leva Bates
  • Shine Tag Team Title Tournament Winner (2014)
  • 1x DDT Ironman Heavymetalweight Champion

Yim celebrated her 32nd birthday recently on April 16th. According to her post below, she couldn’t have asked for a better birthday celebration:

Chris Jericho Talks Why Celebrities Are ‘Better’ at Wrestling Than Years Past

Jake Skudder
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Chris Jericho remains at the forefront of AEW storylines. His Inner Circle faction is embroiled in a heated feud with MJF’s new group, Pinnacle. The two factions will soon clash at Blood and Guts, AEW’s version of the War Games double-catch “match beyond.”

Le Champion recently spoke with Hollywood Life and discussed celebrity involvement in professional wrestling. Jericho has worked closely with Mike Tyson in AEW and says celebrities are doing better with wrestling than in previous years.

“You now have guys that have a large amount of respect for pro wrestling,” Jericho began. “You can throw Jay Leno’s name in there and I will raise you a Karl Malone, a Dennis Rodman or a Lawrence Taylor way back in the day.”

He continued, “There are athletes and guys like Bad Bunny who have been lifelong fans of wrestling and really respect what we do and want to be involved. Those are the ones that always work the best. If you take a guy who doesn’t want to do the training and do the things to put on a good match, you will not get one. Then it becomes more of just a stunt casting.”

Chris Jericho on Shaq and Bad Bunny

Over the past several months, mainstream celebrities Shaquille O’Neal, “Iron” Mike Tyson and Bad Bunny have all gotten involved with professional wrestling.

Jericho praised Shaq in particular for his match on AEW Dynamite against Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet, alongside Jade Cargill.

“Shaq took it very seriously” Jericho stated. “He worked very hard to put on the match he did. The same thing with Bad Bunny. You can tell the training was there because what he did was very much like the match we had with Shaq.”

Head over to Hollywood Life to read their full interview with Chris Jericho.

Ivelisse ‘Shocked’ By AEW Release, Cites Politics

Jake Skudder
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Controversial wrestling star Ivelisse has broken her silence about her recent release from All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

The veteran performer from Puerto Rico says she was blindsided when AEW let her go. Despite her in-ring talent, Ivelisse has a reputation for being difficult to work with behind the scenes.

“I was in shock, definitely, but not as much because I had already recalled everything that went on in the past, so I had an idea,” Ivelisse told Hugo Savinovich for Lucha Libre Online. “I noticed too late just how much damage was made to my name, and I only realized after analyzing the chain of events from everything that went on and it made a lot more sense, because this and this happened because of this and whether it was fair or not.”

As she reflects on what transpired in AEW, she understands how everything transpired. After AEW stopped booking her for matches, people reached out to ask about her role with the company. She decided to focus on her mental and physical health.

Ivelisse on AEW Release

Ivelisse has wresteld for WWE, NXT, Shine, TNA, Lucha Underground. She was hopeful about her AEW run, but it seems that run met a similar fate.

“I did not expect it to turn into a positive reaction, so when they gave me the notice, I was still in shock,” she admitted. “Again, I understand wrestling and it’s politics, but the fact that someone was brought in as strongly, that is what shocked me the most, especially during a pandemic.”

Ivelisse then mentioned how she came to AEW during the pandemic to try and elevate herself and her wrestling career in the United States.

“I came from Puerto Rico on my own” Ivelisse stated. “With my clothes on my back in a suitcase, and I came here to kill myself from ground zero with many against me; so when I lost everything on the fire, literally the little that I achieve because, as you mentioned, if I was a man, I would have had a lot more wealth and success than I would as a woman in my career, I lost it.”

“I had my hopes very elevated, but I lost everything,” Ivelisse concluded. “Everything that happened there, plus everything else on top of it, and I still did everything I was asked to do. I gave it my all to my work, and I lost a lot of weight due to the stress of what was going on and personal issues that I was going through, I was suffering. So I lost the person that was with me when everything would go South, everything was gone, so that’s why I put everything in my work. I will be super honest, I was in that wave of depression trying to hold on, specially.”

Watch Ivelisse’s interview with Lucha Libre Online:

Edge Reveals Why He Chose To Adopt ‘Tweener’ Character for WrestleMania 37

Jake Skudder
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2021 Men’s Royal Rumble winner Edge recently took part in a WWE media call. The Rated R Superstar discussed a number of topics during the call, including his ‘tweener’ character he portrayed heading into WrestleMania 37.

Main eventing Night 2 of WrestleMania 37, Edge and Daniel Bryan both lost in a Triple Threat match with Roman Reigns defending his Universal Championship.

“When you find out it’s a triple threat, you go, okay, we both can’t play the underdog hero” Edge began during the call, discussing how Daniel Bryan was added to the match. “[You can’t have] that Rocky vibe and both pull that off. If you look at the both of us, well, that’s Bryan. That’s his thing. No one does that better than him.”

“I’d like to think if I could come at it with that little ‘Rated R’ vibe back, that gives me an edge that I think our audience was ready to see” The ‘Ultimate Opportunist’ continued.

Edge on Character Development

“I think we’re past, and here’s what’s difficult because we don’t have the audience to really know, but I think they were past this veteran who’s coming back” Edge added.

“Can he do it? He’s questioning” Edge continued. “They saw that with Randy [Orton], and that worked there. I thought it could continue to work, but I saw that it wasn’t, and then you throw Bryan into the mix, okay, he’s going to corner that market. Roman [Reigns] is cornering his market.”

“I have to find a direction to come from here, and to me, it’s neither heel nor babyface” The Rated R Superstar stated. “It’s not hero. It’s not a villain it’s Edge. And he wants back what he never lost, and the character of Edge was always driven by the championship. Nothing else.”

“It was so simple. Edge wants the title” the former World Champion concluded. “That’s it. Doesn’t matter who has it. It could have been Batista. It could have been JBL. That’s what Edge wants.”

Do you think that Edge should keep this character going forward in WWE? Let us know in the comments

Jim Ross Can’t Understand Why This Superstar Never Turned Heel

Alex Laybourne
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AEW broadcaster Jim Ross recently discussed The Rock and John Cena’s legendary rivalry on a recent episode of his Grilling JR podcast. The feud ran for two years and culminated with main-event clashes at WrestleMania 28 and 29.

Jim Ross says he still struggles to understand why Vince McMahon didn’t turn Cena into a heel during that run. As a wrestler, Cena was primed to be a big heel. The crowd were booing him resoundingly, wherever he went. The stage set for an epic face vs heel feud. Yet, it never happened.

“The thing that’s always been funny to me is that Cena never turned heel,” Ross confessed. “There’s where my brain fart starts. Why didn’t we do that? Why was that not done? 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwarI5G1Rhs&list=PLZhSB0DI3lFhhaRMHC5MxOm0Bqf2LJQi0&index=101

The decision to stick with Cena as the companies leading babyface is one that baffles many fans even to this day.

Jim Ross Draws Parallels Between John Cena and Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns and John Cena
Roman Reigns and John Cena

There are a lot of parallels that can be drawn between Cena and Roman Reigns. Reigns was also the proud face of the company, despite being booed by everybody. He had no spice or character as a face and looked set to go down as Cena II. However, the voice of the fans won out. Roman is now a dominant heel in a character that seems to be a far more natural fit for him.

“Cena getting booed was a lot like Roman Reigns getting booed whenever he was just getting rolling, and now there’s a reason to boo Roman Reigns because thanks to Paul Heyman he’s become a significant antihero. He’s a heel, and he’s a damn good one.”

Jim Ross has been the voice of wrestling for several generations now and has echoed what we have all been saying for the last decade. WWE missed the boat with Cena, and it does leave you wondering just how different things would have been had they pulled the heel trigger when the time was right for it.

The Real Reason Why WWE Released Samoa Joe

Alex Laybourne
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There are few wrestlers out there who have such a rapport with the fans as Samoa Joe. From his legendary run with ROH to his somewhat hindered tenure with WWE, Joe has always been a fan favourite despite being a heel for his entire career. In fact, he was turning face for the first time just before his recent layoff due to a concussion.

When news broke last week that Joe had been removed from the RAW broadcast team, many speculated that the submission machine would be making a return to the ring. They may have been right. It just won’t be in a WWE one, as the star was cut from the roster a few days later in what is now the annual post-Wrestlemania slim down.

Joe was gracious in his departure from the company, but his recent hiatus must have been frustrating for him.

Samoa Joe Still Has Enough Gas in the Tank for One More Run

At 42 years old, Samoa’s Joe’s best years may be behind him. Yet to hear his release from WWE looks to be because they felt he was over the hill is shocking. Citing age and injuries as being too much of a liability to keep him on the roster. At least that is the reason for his departure as given by Dave Meltzer in his most recent newsletter.

“But perhaps WWE believes with his age and injuries, he wouldn’t be, similar to not competing to keep Jay Reso (Christian Cage).”

It is a mind-boggling decision to many. Even if there were no plans to give Joe a title run, there are a great many potential matchups that would have stolen the show. Not forgetting the experience he brings behind the scenes.

AEW is the most likely place for Joe to head. He must first serve the obligatory 90 days no-compete clause. Wherever Joe does go, legions of fans are sure to follow. One thing is for sure, we have no seen the last of Joe in a wrestling ring.

Toru Yano Sets a Wild Stipulation for his Match with Evil

Alex Laybourne
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NJPW fans were given the chance to vote for the stipulation in the upcoming fight between Toru Yano and Evil. Both Yano and Evil picked their desired match and the vote was opened to the NJPW universe.

Evil suggested a darkness match, stipulating the lights to be turned on and off at thirty second intervals, until the three-minute mark. Following that, the lights would cut out for thirty seconds every three minutes.

Toru Yano suggested a Creation of Darkness Blindfold match, stipulating that a blinding hood be hung from each corner post. The wrestlers much first attempt to place the hood over their opponent. From then on normal rules exist with victor coming via pinfall or submission.

An the winner is…Toru Yano

The winner with 51.58% of the votes was Toru Yano and his creation of darkness blindfold match.

This stipulation is certainly an interesting one. Given that Yano is such a master of sneaky style that even Rocky Romero can be seen taking notes at his matches, you have to wonder what sort of cheeky deviousness Yano will be looking to spring on the former LIF member.

On paper, a matchup between the two should be a no brainer. However, if Yano has proven anything during his tenure with New Japan it is that he can beat absolutely anybody on his day. Just ask Tanahashi.

While many may laugh him off as a fool, Yano is a seasoned professional. When it comes to putting on matches that are shall we say less than traditional, he proves that perhaps he is truly the ace of New Japan.

The Young Bucks Reveal ‘Retirement Age’ from Pro Wrestling

Jake Skudder
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AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks have been working hard on their recent heel turn on All Elite programming. The duo have been utilizing their social media, specifically Twitter, to advance their NJPW Bullet Club-esque characters over the past few weeks.

One way that Matt and Nick Jackson have used Twitter is by posting ‘New bio!!’ every few days to get fans to click on their profile and check out the latest musings from AEW’s top tag team.

In the latest update, The Young Bucks have said that they plan to ‘retire’ from professional wrestling at the age of 40.

The Young Bucks on Retirement

“Wrestling’s sweethearts. Needle movers. Goalpost chasers” The Young Bucks write. “Polarizing, self-made millionaires. Could’ve retired years ago so this is all extra credit. Done by 40.”

It’s worth noting that Matt Jackson is 36, and his brother Nick will be turning 32 in July.

It’s not uncommon for professional wrestlers to still be performing well into their 40s or even 50s. Arguably the biggest mainstream name in AEW is Chris Jericho, and he turned 50 last year.

Do you think that The Young Bucks/Matt Jackson will be retiring in the next 4 years? Let us know in the comments

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