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Kofi Kingston On How Big E Will Do In The Money In The Bank Match

Anutosh Bajpai
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Big E is long overdue for a world title push. Many wonder if the upcoming Money In The Bank PPV could open the doors of a world title opportunity for him and Kofi Kingston recently commented on the possibility.

The former WWE champion recently spoke to Sports Illustrated where he talked about the ladder match and how his partner will do in such a scenario.

Kingston explained that E would be a great fit in a match such as Money In The Bank. He would bring a lot of things on the table which we haven’t seen before:

“E would be a great fit because he would bring a lot of things to the table you hadn’t seen before; there aren’t a lot of people that move like Big E that are built like him in a Money in the Bank match.”

Kofi mentioned how Big E is not only very strong but athletic as well. Discussing how a MITB win can lead to a main event push, Kingston revealed that one of his goals to join New Day was to help his teammates:

“One of my goals when I initially joined New Day, when Woods and E approached me about being in this group, I wanted to do something new—and I wanted to help Woods and E rise,

And do whatever I could do to help them achieve a level of stardom in this industry that they hadn’t before,” said Kofi Kingston, “So yes, E would be amazing in Money in the Bank.”

The Money In The Bank usually takes place in May or June but the company has moved the show down this year and announced Hell In A Cell as their next PPV.

It’s believed that Money In The Bank will be held in July with fans in attendance. It will be a great opportunity for WWE to push Big E to the next level with a big win in the presence of fans.

AEW Star Out Of Action For 8-10 Weeks With Injury

Anutosh Bajpai
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AEW star Austin Gunn has suffered an injury during his match on Dynamite tonight that is gonna keep him out of action for the next couple of months.

The young star faced Anthony Ogogo in a singles match on this week’s episode of the show. It turned out to be a one sided contest in Ogogo’s favor.

The bout saw the English boxer-turned-wrestler hitting his opponent in guts several times, leading to Austin Gunn bleeding from his mouth.

The referee tried to end the match but the injured star stopped him. The match eventually ended after Ogogo hit him with a pop-up punch to the face. The referee then had to call the bout off.

After the show went off air, AEW provided some update on Austin. They made a tweet confirming that the AEW star will be out of action for 8-10 weeks:

The match was only the second televised match for Ogogo after his match with Cole Karter on Dynamite back on April 14. He will now face Cody Rhodes at Double Or Nothing on May 30.

Austin Gunn is the son of wrestling veteran and WWE Hall Of Famer Billy Gunn. He made his wrestling debut in 2017 and was signed by AEW in 2020.

Alexander Wolfe Clarifies WWE Status After Reported Release

Anutosh Bajpai
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Reports of several NXT talents being released from their contract became a point of discussion among fans earlier today and one of the most notable names being mentioned was Alexander Wolfe.

Though once the reports went viral, the former Sanity member came forward. He made a tweet to clarify his status with the company and revealed that he hasn’t been let go by the officials just yet.

Wolfe took on his Twitter to reveal that his current WWE contract actually expires on June 15 and he can only take bookings after that.

However, at the same time, the NXT star updated his Twitter bio to start accepting independent bookings, indicating that he won’t be staying around for long.

His former Sanity teammates Nikki Cross and Killian Dane also took on their twitters to reflect on their time together, further confirming that his official release is only a matter of time:

Alexander Wolfe signed with WWE back in 2015 and he started teaming with Sawyer Fulton in 2016. The duo joined Nikki Cross and Eric Young to form the Sanity Stable in NXT in late 2016.

After Sanity’s main roster debut on SmackDown and disbanding, the German professional wrestler was sent to the NXT UK brand where he joined the Imperium faction led by the current NXT UK champion Walter.

Tony Khan On WarnerMedia Wanting To Add Third Hour To Dynamite, If Rampage Will Be A Secondary Show

Anutosh Bajpai
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Tony Khan’s AEW made a couple of big revelations earlier today including the announcement of a new television show called Rampage and their move to TBS in 2022. The AEW president talked about these big announcements during his appearance on Busted Open Radio and went in length to explain how the new show will fit into their current dynamic.

During the talk, Khan revealed that the warner media officials had shown interest in adding a third hour to Dynamite instead but he insisted on the third-hour being on a separate night:

“I didn’t want to do three hours of Dynamite. They (warnermedia) asked at one point if I wanted to do three hours of Dynamite. It came up about doing a third hour and I said I really believed in doing it on another night.”

Tony Khan also explained how Rampage will be positioned among their current programs. He explained that it will not be a secondary show. He claimed that Rampage would rather be a partner and equivalent of Dynamite:

“I promise you Rampage isn’t going to be a secondary show. Rampage is going to be the partner of Dynamite, the equivalent of Dynamite. We have these two strong franchises in Dynamite and Rampage and they are our weekly core properties. And then we’ll have our peripheral properties (Dark and Elevation).

They’re probably the equivalent of what you’d seen, partially a developmental show, partially a syndicated show.”

Khan said that both Rampage and Dynamite are going to be their core properties in terms of content for the rest of the year and on TBS from next year. AEW Rampage will premiere on TNT on August 13. It will air on 10 pm (Eastern) on Friday, right after the broadcast of WWE’s premier show SmackDown.

Tyson Kidd Recalls Interesting Backstage Interaction With Shawn Michaels

Anutosh Bajpai
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Tyson Kidd has been involved in the wrestling business for almost all his life which started with him making his in-ring debut in 1995, at the age of 15.

In a recent interview with WrestlingInc, the retired wrestling star talked about a number of things and opened up about his experiences in the wrestling world.

During the interview, Kidd told an interesting backstage incident with Shawn Michaels, where he had heard HBK say that he was nervous before a match:

“I was a kid, about 15 years old, and I remember seeing Shawn Michaels earlier in the day of WrestleMania 12, Diana Hart was asking if [Shawn] was excited for the match. And I remember him saying he was really nervous.

Tyson Kidd explained that he had made his debut the summer before and he found it interesting that even Michaels got nervous before a bout:

“I’d had my first match the summer before, and I am a 15-year-old kid, and I remember being insanely nervous. I remember sitting there and hearing those words come out of Shawn Michaels’ mouth in 1996 and I was like, ‘Shawn Michaels is nervous? No way!

I thought I was just nervous!’ [Michaels] did say to [Diana] later that he was nervous about entertaining the crowd for that amount of time. So, it was kind of an interesting thing to see Shawn Michaels say that.”

Apart from this Tyson Kidd also discussed how he has been a part of many WrestleManias throughout his life and shared his experience of being there for various editions of the show of shows.

Sanity Member, MMA Horsewomen, And More NXT Names Released

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE has released several NXT talents today including some noteworthy names such as former Sanity member Alexander Wolfe and one of the MMA horsewomen Jessamyn Duke.

The news of talent releases started coming in early in the morning. The list only grew as the day passed by, reaching to more than half a dozen releases.

Below is the current standing list of stars that have confirmed to have been released by the officials during today’s cuts according to reports from PWInsider and Fightful select:

  • Jessamyn Duke
  • Alexander Wolfe
  • Vanessa Borne
  • Skyler Story
  • Ezra Judge
  • Kavita Devi

Wrestling talents are not the only ones to have been let go and NXT referee Drake Younger and referee Jake Clemons have also been cut by the company. The talents that have been released today have apparently been told that they are being let go due to budgetary reasons.

The release of Jessamyn Duke is especially interesting because it ends the possibility of having an MMA horsewoman vs. WWE horsemen feud which has been rumored for a long while.

Now it would be interesting to see what these talents are planning for their future after the end of their WWE stints and if any of them end up at rival promotions such as AEW or Impact Wrestling.

AEW Dynamite Results (5/19): Two Title Matches, The Pinnacle & Inner Circle

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Young Bucks defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr., Griff Garrison). Inner Circle also responded to Pinnacle’s challenge for a Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing during tonight’s show.

Dynamite Results (5/19)

  1. Christian Cage def. Matt Sydal
  2. Jon Moxley & Eddie Kingston def. The Acclaimed
  3. Hikaru Shida def. Rebel via submission
  4. Serena Deeb def. Red Velvet via submission to retain the NWA Women’s World Championship
  5. Anthony Ogogo def. Austin Gunn
  6. Young Bucks def. Varsity Blonds via submission to retain the AEW Tag Team Championships

Here are the takeaways from this week’s episode of Dynamite:

Christian Cage Picked Up A Win

Christian Cage squared off with Matt Sydal in the first match of the night. They battled to the corner and Christian slapped Matt in the face. Sydal responded with a Hurricanrana and climbed to the middle turnbuckle but Christian tripped him up. Christian then applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring.

Sydal escaped and hit a Meteora for a near fall. Matt went for a standing Moonsault but Cage was able to get his knees up. Christian followed it up with the Killswitch for the pinfall victory.

After the match, Christian shook Sydal’s hand but was interrupted by Ricky Starks. Ricky says he’s front and center and is not going to be on the sidelines. Team Taz attacked Christian and Sydal from behind until Hangman Page made the save. Page then got beaten down and Brian Cage hit him with a massive Powerbomb.

Moxley & Kingston def. The Acclaimed

Eddie Kingston and Jon Moxley faced The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) tonight on Dynamite. Caster made a hilarious “Oral Sessions” reference during his rap and it pissed Moxley off.

When Dynamite returned, Bowens got Kingston in a Cloverleaf submission. Moxley broke it up and then tagged in. Jon leveled Max with a Clothesline, a German Suplex, and then another Clothesline. Moxley followed it up with a Piledriver and then locked in a Sleeper Hold on Bowens until he dropped to the floor.

The Acclaimed connected with a Crossbody/Suplex combo and went for the cover but Eddie Kingston broke it up at the last moment. Eddie and Caster then battled out of the ring and Kingston launched him into the barricade.

Caster dragged Jon out of the ring and threw Bowens a chain but the referee daw it. Caster grabbed the boombox but Moxley ripped it away and leveled Max with it. Moxley then tagged in and planted Bowens with the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1395178274075156482?s=20

Sting & Darby Allin Attacked Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page

Tony Schiavone interviewed Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page in the ring tonight. Tony brought up the attacks on Sting and Scorpio said he wanted to be just like Sting growing up. Sky claimed that Sting is not the same man he used to be and said it was time to step aside or he will put him down.

Ethan Page took the microphone away from Schiavone and told him he can finish this interview. Page noted how they threw Darby Allin down a flight of stairs and then he lost the TNT Championship the next week. Page said he was here to take everything away from Darby and he knows how much that TNT title meant to him.

The lights in Daily’s Place went out and Sting’s music hit. Sting made his way to the ring and Darby attacked Sky & Page from behind with his skateboard. Sting applied the Scorpion Deathlock on Sky who tapped out. Page and Sky tried to retreat but Dark Order showed up. Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page then scampered away off the side of the stage. It was later announced that Sting & Allin will face Scorpio Sky & Ethan Page at Double or Nothing.

Inner Circle Accepted The Pinnacle’s Challenge

The Pinnacle were shown enjoying a meal together at a fancy restaurant. MJF was seated at the head of the table and said Jericho is dealing with someone who also gets the last laugh for the first time in his career. Harwood chimed in and said FTR should be chasing the tag titles and not dealing with Inner Circle.

They asked for more wine and a server came to the table. Spears slammed the waiter’s head off the table because he had to wait too long for his wine. Tully prevented Spears from hitting the man with a wine bottle and gave the waiter some money.

Later on Dynamite, Inner Circle made their way to the ring as the crowd sang along to Judas. Ortiz said talk is cheap and wants a fight. Sammy agreed and added that as long as both groups are in AEW, this rivalry will never end. Jake Hager said that they have to accept the match or they will be cowards like The Pinnacle.

Jericho said that he is not sure a Stadium Stampede match is worth it after what they went through at Blood & Guts. Chris claimed that the mental image of MJF throwing him off the top the cage will never go away. Jericho acknowledged that Inner Circle will also have to accept the possibility of breaking up as a group if they come up short.

Jericho then stated that it was worth it because of the revenge he is going to get by punching MJF’s face over and over again. Inner Circle then accepted the challenge and will face The Pinnacle in a Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing.

Hikaru Shida def. Rebel

AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida faced Rebel in a Title Eliminator match. Rebel started off the match by faking an injury and Shida beat her down. Shida then mocked Britt Baker by putting on a glove and the two trash talked. Hikaru went for the Lockjaw but Britt distracted her. Rebel capitalized and cracked Shida over the back with her crutch. Shida battled back and tapped out Rebel in the Stretch Muffler submission.

Baker attacked Shida after the match and connected with a Stomp on top of the title. Britt then posed with the AEW Women’s Championship to end the segment. Hikaru Shida will defend the AEW Women’s Championship against Britt Baker at Double or Nothing on May 30th.

Omega & Callis Tried To Talk Orange Cassidy Out Of The Title Match At Double Or Nothing

Kenny Omega and Don Callis approached Orange Cassidy last week about getting knocked out during his match with PAC. AEW Champion Kenny Omega said that they want Orange Cassidy to be AEW’s mascot and he doesn’t need to be a main eventer. Don Callis then presented a legal document that will give Orange Cassidy a future title match if he drops out of the Triple Threat at Double or Nothing due to injury. Cassidy slowly ripped the document in half as Omega shouted that he didn’t even read it. Omega told Cassidy to think about it because he could end his career, or even his life. Callis gave him another copy of the document and told Orange Cassidy to think of his future.

Serena Deeb Retained The NWA Women’s World Championship

Serena Deeb defended her NWA Women’s Championship against Red Velvet tonight on Dynamite. Deeb controlled the action early and connected with a Neckbreaker for a two count. Red Velvet battled back and connected with a series of strikes in the corner of the ring. Deeb hit a forearm to the face and then a Dragon Screw as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Red Velvet connected with an Enziguri and went for the cover but the champion was able to power out at two. Red Velvet followed it up with a Moonsault but Deeb was able to get her knees up. Deeb connected with a Powerbomb for a near fall. Deeb then got Red Velvet in the Serenity Lock for the submission victory. Serena Deeb is still the NWA Women’s World Champion.

Anthony Ogogo Dominated

Anthony Ogogo faced Austin Gunn tonight on Dynamite. Gunn went right after Ogogo when the bell rang and hit a Blockbuster. Ogogo quickly battled back with a shot to the midsection that knocked Gunn down. Austin spit up some blood and Anthony then knocked him out with a punch to the face.

Lance Archer Interrupted Miro

TNT Champion Miro cut a promo during tonight’s episode of Dynamite. Miro thanked Jesus for protecting him and making him more powerful than everyone else so he can destroy them. Miro boasted about taking the title away from Darby Allin and said that everybody knows that if you are done if you have what he wants.

Miro joked that Darby should go make another gritty student video and announced that next week somebody is getting a title shot. Lance Archer interrupted with Jake Roberts trying to hold him back. Archer shouted at Miro to shut up and claimed that he was the beast in AEW.

Lance noted that he lost his previous opportunity at the TNT Championship and is not letting that happen at Double or Nothing. Archer added that he is going to hold the title over Miro’s head and make him his “Bulgarian bitch”. Miro laughed and mocked Archer for having an old man hold him back. Miro told Jake Roberts that there isn’t enough yoga in the world to bring him back if he ever crosses his path. The announce team then said that Dante Martin from Top Flight has already accepted Miro’s challenge and will have a TNT Championship match next week.

Young Bucks Retained & Will Face Moxley & Kingston At Double Or Nothing

The Young Bucks defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against the Varsity Blonds (Brian Pillman Jr., Griff Garrison) in this week’s main event. Julia Hart accompanied the Varsity Blondes to the ring. Garrison and Nick Jackson started off the action. Garrison took control with a boot to the face and Matt Jackson tagged in. Young Bucks took control of the match and posed in the ring as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Garrison hit both Matt and Nick with a Clothesline and sent Young Bucks out of the ring. Garrison connected with a Crossbody onto both of them before tagging in Pillman. Brian connected with a Superkick on Nick and went for the cover but Matt broke it up at two.

Nick Jackson sprayed something in Pillman’s face and applied a Sharpshooter but Garrison broke it up. Nick leveled Garrison with a Superkick and then distracted the referee. Matt grabbed the spray but Julia Hart alerted the referee and Rick Knox took it away. Matt then sprayed Julia in the face with it and got Brian in a Sharpshooter. Nick Jackson hit Pillman with a Facebuster while the hold was applied and then Moonsaulted onto Griff Garrison outside the ring. Pillman reached for the ropes but had no choice but to tap out. The Young Bucks are still the AEW Tag Team Champions.

After the match, Moxley and Eddie Kingston rushed the ring and attacked the Young Bucks from being. Eddie bit Nick Jackson as Moxley choked out Matt. It was announced that Young Bucks will defend the AEW Tag Team Championships against Eddie Kingston & Jon Moxley at Double or Nothing.

AEW Double Or Nothing Updated Card: Stadium Stampede, Other Matches Announced

Andrew Ravens
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All Elite Wrestling announced several bouts for their upcoming Double Or Nothing pay-per-view event during Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite.

Stadium Stampede featuring The Inner Circle vs. The Pinnacle was made official. The two factions worked the Blood and Guts match a few weeks ago. Last week, The Inner Circle threw out the challenge for Stadium Stampede. The stipulation to go along with this match is if Inner Circle loses the match then they must disband.

Miro will defend the TNT Title against Lance Archer at this show after Miro won the title from Darby Allin on last week’s Dynamite. Post-match, Archer had a staredown with Miro. 

AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks will defend against Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston. Finally, Sting and Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky in a tag team match will go down. 

AEW Double Or Nothing Card

The AEW Double Or Nothing pay-per-view event will take place on Sunday, May 30, 2021 in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place. 

AEW World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega vs. PAC and Orange Cassidy

Stadium Stampede: The Inner Circle vs. The Pinnacle

AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida vs. Dr. Britt Baker

“The American Dream” Cody Rhodes vs. Anthony Ogogo

Adam Page vs. FTW Champion Brian Cage

AEW Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks vs.  Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston

TNT Champion Miro vs. Lance Archer

Casino Battle Royale: Competitions announced thus far include Christian Cage, Matt Sydal, Powerhouse Hobbs, 10, Evil Uno, Colt Cabana, Matt Hardy, Isiah Kassidy, Marq Quen, Jungle Boy, Penta El Zero Miedo – winner gets world title match

Sting and Darby Allin vs. Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky

Toni Storm Debuts Devastating New Finisher on NXT

Alex Laybourne
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Toni Storm has endured a tough time of late in NXT. After coming across from NXT UK, it could be argued that’s she has failed to find her stride. A loss at the hands of Zoey Stark, an NXT newcomer on the Stand and Deliver pre-show did little to bolster her mood. This was followed by another loss to Zayda Ramier – another new talent.

It is not unusual for wrestlers to go through a dry patch, but there is no denying that Toni Storm came to the US to win titles. Something that has avoided her until now.

Going into NXT this week, Storm was looking to get her career back on track. Ready put the blip that was Zoey Stark behind her, Toni Storm came ready to fight.

However, when her opponent wasn’t put down when hit with Toni Storm’s ‘Storms End’ finisher, the New Zealand native had to dig deep. Pulling out a new move that not only looks incredible but buried her opponent.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPDdnCOn5db/

The move is one that has been gifted to Toni Storm by her trainer Dean Allmark. The move was named the Ruby Cutter by Allmark. It could be just what Storm needs to get her hands on NXT gold.

It’s not clear yet what Toni Storm is going to call her new finisher, but the NXT universe is certainly keen to see her use it more often.  

Dolph Ziggler Opens Up On Working With Younger Talent

Alex Laybourne
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Dolph Ziggler is one of the longest serving WWE wrestlers having signed with the company seventeen years ago. In that time, he has won fourteen different championships as well as being the sole survivor in two different Survivor Series matches and a Money in the Bank contract winner.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPB6FI7LVty/

In short, his professional career has been just as successful as his amateur wrestling career. Now however, he finds himself in a rather special position. Working with younger talent, helping them learn the ropes and hone their craft. Not backstage, but upfront, in the ring, before an audience (or in the Thunderdome).

Dolph Ziggler: Mentor

This is a role far-flung from the main event man he was for so long. Yet Dolph isn’t bitter about this change in his career. In fact, he finds it an honor, and embraces the role with all seriousness.

Ziggler recently appear on Out of Character with Ryan Satin, where he covered this topic with a very gracious response.

“I love passing that on. I really do. There’s no reason to be a negative bitter A-hole and then not give back to everybody else. I know what I’m doing better than almost everybody in the business, and I can give out lessons.”

Ziggler further talked about his relationship with Vince McMahon and how it has ebbed and flowed over the years. He has learned the hard way that respect from the boss is earned. It is earned, lost and re-earned again.

“You gotta re-earn it every day, and I do. If I mess up, which I do all the time, I say, ‘I screwed this up. It’s on me. I will fix this for next time.”

Whether in the main event or supporting a young superstar, there is no denying that Dolph Ziggler is a talented wrestler. There are few active wrestlers who could be a better teacher than Dolph.

AEW Rampage Show Announced, Dynamite & Rampage Moving To TBS In 2022

Michael Reichlin
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AEW dropped some bombshell news on Wednesday. Two years after the announcement of AEW Dynamite at the 2019 TurnerMedia up-fronts, AEW President Tony Khan reveals that All Elite Wrestling has negotiated its relationship with its television partner. The main developments:

  • AEW Rampage is the new television show launching Friday, August 13th. Rampage will air Friday nights at 10pm (Eastern) on TNT.
  • AEW Dynamite and AEW Rampage are moving to TBS in 2022.
  • AEW will present quarterly specials on TNT in 2022. Think, Blood and Guts, Beach Break, Winter is Coming, etc.

Here’s the official word from Tony Khan:

Tony Khan on Busted Open

The announcements were made during Tony Khan’s weekly appearance on Wednesday’s episode of Busted Open on SiriusXM. Here are some additional highlights of Khan’s conversation with Dave LaGreca and Mark Henry:

  • Tony ran down the card for tonight’s AEW Dynamite. Top matches he’s excited for include AEW World tag team champions The Young Bucks will defend against the Varsity Blonds, Moxley & Kingston vs. The Acclaimed, Serena Deeb vs. Red Velvet, Christian Cage vs. Matt Sydal, Anthony Ogogo vs. Austin Gunn and more.
  • He called MJF the ‘Bret Hart of the Create-a-Pro dungeon’ (wrestling school) on Long Island, NY. Tony said C.A.P. has produced many talented AEW stars, including The Acclaimed, Kris Statlander, members of the Dark Order and more.
  • Max Caster has a killer rap lined up for The Acclaim’s entrance tonight on Dynamite. Luckily, Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston have thick skin.

Catch Busted Open weekday mornings from 9-12pm (EST) on Sirius XM Fight Nation (Ch. 156).

Johnny Gargano Wants Daniel Bryan In NXT

Chris Stephens
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Daniel Bryan is currently a free agent. His contract is said to have expired after he lost to Roman Reigns in a match that carried a stipulation that he would leave Smackdown if he did so. This has led to much speculation regarding where and when fans will see Bryan next.

In a recent interview with Comicbook.com, Johnny Gargano said he hopes Bryan ends up on NXT. He also mentioned that Bryan was pitcing for the two to be a team on Smackdown a few years ago.

“So (Bryan) can’t go to SmackDown anymore, so obviously, I’m in NXT. The only thing for him to do now obviously is to come down NXT,” Gargano said. “I remember back then when he was making the pitch for me to come to SmackDown, he really wanted us to be a team, which would have been amazing.”

“Obviously, I had other things going on in my life during that time with Tommaso and everything like that. And I definitely didn’t feel like I was anywhere near leaving NXT, but now obviously, I think the door should be wide open for him to come to NXT. Obviously, NXT now is a different incarnation than it was back in 2018.”

“But I think now he has the opportunity to come here and selfishly, I want him to come here just because I think the potential match-ups for him here are just so exciting. I’m able to throw my name in the ring of having the ultimate street match, I guess ultimate underdog street match in me versus Daniel Bryan,” Gargano said. “But also, you have matches with Pete Dunne, you have matches with Kushida, you have matches with Tommaso, you have matches with Cole, you have matches with Kyle O’Reilly. I think the list goes on and on and on of guys that Daniel Bryan getting in the ring with, it would be amazing to see.”

“So yes, Daniel Bryan, if you are listening to this, please come to NXT. Everyone here wants you. Everyone wants to get in the ring with you. That’d be tons of fun, man,’ Gargano added.

Eric Bischoff Believes There Is No War Between AEW And WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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While the perception of a wrestling war between WWE and AEW often keeps the fans busy, Eric Bischoff believes that there is no real war between them. The former WCW president recently talked about the competition between the two promotions on the latest episode of his 83 weeks podcast.

He first discussed how AEW will be returning to road before WWE in July. Though opposed to the perception of how it might affect Vince McMahon, Bischoff claimed that he doesn’t think the boss cares:

“I don’t think Vince cares, I know wrestling fans like to think that there’s this battle between AEW and WWE. The very fact that I made an appearance on AEW a month before they inducted me into the Hall of Fame suggests to me that they really don’t care. Are they aware? Sure. Is Vince McMahon walking around kicking people in the ass saying ‘God dammit, how did they beat us to the punch?'”

Eric Bischoff claimed that he knows people think there is a war between the two companies because deep down they want another wrestling war, but WWE is ‘on a different planet’ compared to AEW:

“WWE is on a different planet than AEW right now. That’s because AEW is about 24 months old or so, WWE has been around for decades and decades and decades. A lot of catching up to do folks, there is no war. There is no angst or anxiety from WWE in my opinion when it comes to AEW.”

Eric Bischoff also discussed how the formulas of producing content has changed since the Monday Night Wars because the companies are more reliant on the revenue from TV deals and so they are focusing on quantity over quality.

The former SmackDown general manager explained that the reason for the decline in the content quality of WWE is because they have not conditioned themselves and developed a formula for producing the same quality of content while increasing the amount of it.

Jim Ross On Vince McMahon’s First Reaction To Brock Lesnar

Anutosh Bajpai
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Jim Ross was the one who introduced Vince McMahon to Brock Lesnar and the boss’ first reaction to the beast was exactly what you would expect. The former WWE commentator recently had an interview with Talk Sport where he talked about his other role in the company as the head of talent relations.

Ross has previously explained how they did not tell Vince about Lesnar earlier as they wanted the former WWE champion to complete the senior year of his college. Speaking of the time he and Gerry Brisco finally brought Lesnar to a TV taping, JR revealed how Vince reacted when he first saw him:

“I said to McMahon ‘that new kid I’m recruiting is here tonight. If you get a chance I’d like you to say hello him. So McMahon is walking about with his Mr. McMahon walk and he happens to glance over and Gerry Brisco is standing by this monster. Vince made a U-turn and beelined right to Brock – he had never seen him. Never watched him wrestle.”

Jim Ross mentioned that they had hyped Lesnar as an extraordinary talent to the boss before bringing him in. When Vince McMahon finally laid his eyes on the monster-sized athlete, he knew that Brock was ‘the guy’:

“So when Vince laid eyes on him he knew that we had the guy. If he had any aptitude whatsoever – we knew athletically he was going to be great, he’d already proven himself as an athlete – but if he could get the showbiz side of it and have the aptitude to be a pro wrestler, he was going to be our guy for a while. And that worked out.”

Brock Lesnar was then signed to the biggest rookie contract of that time and sent to OVW in 2000. He had a successful run following his main roster debut in 2002 but he famously got burned out and left the promotion only two years after his first main roster match in 2004 to pursue other interests.

The Miz Talks John Morrison Deserving More Singles Main Event Chances

Jake Skudder
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WWE Superstar The Miz is set to take some time away from the ring. It was reported that the former WWE Champion was injured the ‘zombie’ lumberjack match at the WrestleMania Backlash show. Although the severity has not been publicly revealed, he sustained an ACL tear.

With Miz now out for some period of time, that leaves his tag team partner John Morrison open to pursue a singles run on Monday Night RAW. Speaking to Forbes, The Miz recently said that WWE needs to have John Morrison near the top of the card as soon as possible.

The Miz on John Morrison

“I don’t see myself and John Morrison splitting up for a very long time. If ever,” The Miz revealed to Forbes. “I don’t see that happening. We’re too connected, we have too much chemistry and we still have more to go.”

“John pushes me more than anybody else in WWE” The Miz added. “Right now, he is just absolutely incredible, he is on a tear. I think if he’s not in the main event scene going for the WWE or Universal Championship in the next year? I think this is something we’re missing in WWE.”

With The Miz now out, do you want to see Johnny Drip Drip start competing for the top titles in WWE? Let us know in the comments

Tenille Dashwood On How She Got Her Name In WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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Tenille Dashwood, better known to WWE fans as Emma recently appeared on Taylor Wilde’s ‘Wilde On’ podcast where she revealed the story behind her ring name in the company.

The female star signed a contract with the company in 2011 and made her debut for the FCW brand right before its rebranding as the NXT in August 2012.

Talking about her ring name, Dashwood discussed how the company did not allow people to use their real names at the time. So the officials asked her to give a list of suggestions for her ring name:

“So, when I first started, they said ‘give me a list of names’ and I remember I gave a list of like 20 names or something and they were like two-part names too,

like I had a last name but they just went ahead and went ‘out of all of these, we’ll just take this name but without that…so, just Emma,’ and I was like oh, okay.”

Tenille Dashwood continued her story mentioning how the officials had finalised two names from the list and she chose the one which felt catchy to her:

“Well, they came back with two options, it was like Emma or like Adeline was the other one and I thought, Adeline? What is that?

I guess it’s a nice name but it’s not like catchy, it’s not easy to say, Adeline is easy to forget and Emma is simple, everyone will be able to say it,”

Dashwood made her main roster debut in 2014 as Emma, making her the first Australian woman to debut on WWE TV. At a time it was said that the company had big plans for her character.

However, Emma was sent back to NXT in 2015. While she did return to the main roster in 2016, she didn’t stay in the company very long after that. She was released from the promotion in October 2017.

EC3 Shares Fond Memories of Fighting the Late Brodie Lee

Alex Laybourne
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Since his departure from WWE, EC3 has been a loud voice for real storytelling in wrestling. Disillusioned with the authoritarian control that lingered above everything during his WWE tenure, EC3 has been vocal about real wrestling.

His upcoming Free the Narrative event which features a match between him, and Matt Cardona is the result of his voice. The fully-independent event has no overarching corporate governance and will be a match about real professional wrestling.

While talking about the event on The Wrestling Inc. Daily, podcast, EC3 also brought up a memory that is equally poignant as it is indicative of the level of frustration felt in WWE right now.

Talking more about this Smackdown dark match with the late Brodie Lee (then Luke Harper), EC3 comments on how they were forced to perform as many different, counterintuitive spots as possible in a reduced time window.

EC3 Shared Fond Memories of the Late Brodie Lee

During the interview, the legacy that Brodie Lee created is clear in the way EC3 talks about the man. It also encapsulates everything that is currently wrong in WWE. Why many of their talents are leaving or accepting their lack of narrative control as the way of modern business.

“Whatever, that’s the business, but Jon was a great man, very fortunate to have worked with him in that sense. I always hold on to that memory. When I got fired, he actually texted me. He said, ‘Hey man, remember when they told us to do all this stuff, and you and Drake did really good at your job and then we all got in trouble?’ And I said, ‘Yep.’ He’s like, ‘Well, hopefully, see you around,’ and I did not get to see him since. That’s unfortunate, but that’s the story.”

EC3 never named his previous employers and asserted that no three-letter companies are going to be involved. The landscape of professional wrestling is changing. Hopefully, for wrestlers and fans alike, it is a change for the better.

MSK to Defend NXT Tag Team Belts Against Legado del Fantasma

Alex Laybourne
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Another rivalry looks to be reaching its conclusion in NXT. William Regal has sanctioned an NXT tag team title match between MSK and Mendoza and Wilde from Legado del Fantasma.

The match came about after Mendoza and Wilde picked up a win over Tomasso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher. The match itself served as a device for escalating two different feuds. The MSK feud for one and the growing storyline between the duo of Ciampa and Thatcher and the Grizzled Young Veterans. The British pair being the reason Legado del Fantasma picked up the victory on Tuesday night.

The group have been feuding with the current Tag Team champions for a while now. MSK beat Mendoza and Wilde on the opening night of NXT Stand and Deliver to claim the then vacant belts. In recent weeks, the pair have been teaming up with Cruiserweight champion Kushida. Kushida himself is locked in a feud with Santiago Escobar, the leader of Legado del Fantasma.

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MSK are currently enjoying their first reign as champions in WWE. The championship fight, which is set for June 1st, will be the second time they have defended the belts. At this time there are no stipulations attached the bout. However, expect to see Escobar show up at some point to try and steer the odds in his teams favor. Hopefully Kushida will be on hand however to even up the score.

It could be hard to pick a winner between these two groups, but either way, the match is bound to be a show-stealer.

Bray Wyatt Reacts to Wrestlemania Backlash Zombies

Alex Laybourne
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The internet has been abuzz ever since the undead invaded the WWE Backlash event last Sunday. The latest superstar to make a comment is Bray Wyatt. The man whose Fiend character who, despite being absent since Wrestlemania is a largely supernatural and somewhat horrific entity.

Wyatt is not the most active of social media superstars. However, when he does use it, he uses it to good effect.

In a simple tweet sent out on Tuesday night, the demonic Bray Wyatt simply asked if the WWE universe were missing him.

For such a short message, there are a lot of layers worked into it. The Fiend Bray Wyatt was an unstoppable force when he first arrived. Many fans criticised his character for his supposed invulnerability. In his tweet, Wyatt is clearly venting a little frustration at what happened.

Wyatt has not been seen in a WWE ring since Wrestlemania 37, when Alex Bliss cost her partner in his match against Randy Orton. The match itself was disappointing, with a single RKO enough to slay the fiend.

The rumoured reasons behind Wyatt’s absence are that he has been suffering from some mental health problems and asked for some time away to heal. His return was immediately lambasted by Vince McMahon which led to Wyatt taking further time off to heal.

Mental health is an important thing to take care of, especially in a world like professional wrestling, and it is good that stars are not afraid to speak up when they need to take a break. Hopefully, though, it won’t be long before Bray gets another storyline, and the Fiend can be unleashed once more.

David Finlay Considering a Move to WWE

Alex Laybourne
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In a recent session talking with Briscoe and Bradshaw, WWE legend Fit Finlay opened up about this son, David Finlay. David Finlay has been a star for New Japan ever since graduating through their dojo system. He is currently one-half of the IMPACT world champions with his NJPW colleague FinJuice.

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However, according to his father, there may be some doubt as to whether David will stay in Japan for the long haul. The Covid pandemic and recent outbreaks within the NJPW ranks have forced wrestlers to review their current position.

“So I guess Japan have had an outbreak of COVID and so they started cancelling shows. He works for New Japan Pro-Wrestling. They started having an outbreak. A lot of the talent got COVID so they were sending them home.” Finlay told the show.

The wrestling legend then went on to talk about how his son is finding his feet as a wrestler. He is at that pivotal point where a decision can be made without having to build a reputation back from the bottom rung of a company.

“But, he’s a little bit confused at the minute as to what to do next, you know? Is he going to stay in Japan, does he want to try here, like WWE or whatever. But he and I are gonna sit down when he does eventually come home and try and figure it out but he just needs a little bit of wisdom put in his head.”

It is an interesting conundrum, Fit is a WWE legend, while David Finlay’s tag team partner Juice Robinson has experienced the darker side of the current generation of WWE executives.

Whatever happens, David Finlay has an exciting wrestling future ahead of him.

Charlotte Flair On CM Punk Poking Fun At Vince McMahon

Anutosh Bajpai
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CM Punk recently had some fun with a famous habit of Vince McMahon while replying to Charlotte Flair. The multi-time Women’s Champion has has since responded to his remarks.

Flair posted a photo of herself on commentary and asked her followers to provide a caption. Punk provided a cheeky response and poked fun at McMahon’s habit of shouting instructions at WWE commentators during live broadcasts.

Doing his best Vince McMahon impersonation, Punk wrote, “GODDAMIT PAL WATCH THE MONITORS AND STOP SAYING WRESTLING PAL”

Charlotte Responds to CM Punk

When asked about Punk’s reply to her post in a new interview with Hindustan Times, Charlotte claimed that no one was buzzing in her ear during her time in the commentary booth:

“No one is buzzing me in my ear, I have known Byron Saxton and Corey Graves for a very long time. It was just great to be out there with them, feeling as confident as ever. No, Vince doesn’t buzz me in my ear about anything.”

Charlotte Flair also talked about her recent storyline with Ric Flair and Lacey Evans. She explained how she wasn’t very enthusiastic about the storyline and said that she didn’t want to share the screen with her dad.

The former champion expanded on her comments saying that she still love to share the screen with her dad but she also wants to be acknowledged as a separate performer after everything she has done.

Bronson Reed Wins North American Championship on NXT

Alex Laybourne
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Bronson Reed emerged from the steel cage victorious after a brutal bout with Johnny Gargano on NXT this week. The pair have been locked in a feud for some time. In recent weeks Gargano has been seen doing everything he can to try and avoid a clash with the big Australian. However, their clash was inevitable, and with the addition of a steel cage, the mountain Gargano had to climb grew even bigger.

Reed is a fan favourite in WWE and a fourteen-year veteran. The title is his first in WWE and it caps off quite a rocky road for the high-flying big man.

Having been rejected by WWE on several occasions in the past, he finally got his chance in 2019. Grasping it with both hands, his hard work paid off on Tuesday night.

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‘It’s been a long journey but I’m finally a champion in WWE. It’s overwhelming. I didn’t think in these sorts of moments that I’d cry, but I did,’ Bronson Reed told the Adelaide Advertiser.

2021 has been a good year for Australian wrestlers in WWE. Bronson Reed and Reah Ripley – both Adelaide natives – hold singles titles. While fellow Australian Indi Hartwell is one-half of the newly crowned NXT Tag Team champions.

We have so much untapped potential and talent in Australia. We’re starting to put the world on notice that Australia is a big wrestling company,’ Bronson Reed told reporters.

With the steel cage behind him, it is unlikely that Reed will get long to celebrate his victory. NXT is full of superstars who are willing to go to great lengths to claim gold. It is not clear who Reed will feud with next, but there will no doubt be a rematch with Gargano in the near future.

Shinsuke Nakamura On Potential Rematch With Brock Lesnar

Anutosh Bajpai
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Shinsuke Nakamura hasn’t had a whole lot of interaction with Brock Lesnar in WWE but the King Of Strong Style is still interested in a rematch with The Beast from their NJPW days.

The former NXT champion recently appeared on the Oral Sessions podcast hosted by Renee Paquette, where he talked about a number of things.

During the interview, Nakamura was asked about Lesnar and his behavior during his NJPW stint. Replying to it, he said that he would be open to a rematch before claiming that Brock’s behavior was very unprofessional:

“If I have the opportunity, of course, I want [it]. [on the reaction to Brock Lesnar’s NJPW run] I was young, and he was young, I don’t know, [It was very] unprofessional.”

For those who don’t know, Brock Lesnar had a short stint with NJPW after his WWE departure and he won the IWGP World Heavyweight title in his debut match for the promotion in October 2005.

The Beast defended his title against opponents such as Shinsuke Nakamura. However, Lesnar’s unwillingness to defend the title regularly led to the company stripping him of the championship in July 2006.

Apart from this, the Japanese star also talked about things such as struggling with English, talking to Vince McMahon, and more. You can check out more of his comments at this link.

The Miz On Potential Break Up With John Morrison

Anutosh Bajpai
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A lot of people believe that going their separate ways would be better for the careers of both John Morrison and The Miz but the latter believes that they will continue being partners for a long time.

He recently had an interview with Forbs. It was conducted before the former WWE champion suffered a nasty injury in his WrestleMania: Backlash match against Damian Priest.

During the talk, The Miz was asked about their team splitting up and he said that he doesn’t see it happening for a long time:

“I don’t see myself and John Morrison splitting up for a very long time, if ever, I don’t see that happening. We’re too connected, we have too much chemistry and we still have more to go. John pushes me more than anybody else in WWE.

Right now, he is just absolutely incredible,” said The Miz, “He is on a tear, and I think if he’s not in the main event scene going for the WWE or Universal Championship in the next year I think this is something we’re missing in WWE.”

These comments from the former champion are interesting in light of his recent injury. While not many details about his condition are known yet, reports suggest he could miss up to 9 months of action if he ends up requiring surgery.

The Miz staying out of action for that long would force WWE to make a decision about John Morrison. It’s very likely that he will be moved to singles competition instead of being taken off TV.

Chuck Palumbo On Why He Left WWE

Anutosh Bajpai
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Former WCW star Chuck Palumbo had a couple of stints with WWE in the early and mid-2000s, but the runs didn’t last for very long and he ended up leaving the company after a short while.

During a recent interview with WrestlingInc, the former tag team champion talked about his wrestling career and explained the reasoning behind his departure from the company.

Palumbo explained that the first time he left WWE in 2004 after a three year run with the promotion, it wasn’t really his choice:

“The first time, it really wasn’t my choice. I didn’t want to, but they weren’t doing anything with me, they did for a while, but then it got cut short.

I thought the FBI stuff was good. In this business, it’s kind of weird. One or two people, their opinion of you can often dictate your career.”

Chuck Palumbo was brought back to the promotion in 2006. However, his second run was even shorter and the former WWE star explained that he knew that it was going to be his last run:

“They paid me to sit home, and then I finally started to use the motorcycle gimmick. I signed a two-year deal in ’06. I knew in my gut that that was going to be it for me.

I didn’t want to stay any longer than that, unless things were really good. I knew I had the two-year deal. I tried to do the best I could with it, but I started making plans at that point for my future.”

Palumbo continued wrestling in independent circuit several years after his departure from the promotion. He quietly retired from the sport in 2012.

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