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Damian Priest Says He Was Told He Would Be ‘Done’ If Bad Bunny Storyline Failed

Anutosh Bajpai
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Damian Priest made his main roster debut at the start of the year. Almost immediately he was put into a big storyline with Bad Bunny leading to their WrestleMania match against The Miz and John Morrison.

During his recent interview with Sporting News Australia, the former NXT star opened up about his experience in the main roster so far among other things.

Talking about his storyline with Bad Bunny, Priest explained how his confidence has grown due to the trust the company has shown in him before revealing that prior to the storyline, he was told that he would be done if he blew the angle:

“Yes it does give me confidence, it goes both ways. I can put in all the work I want, but obviously I also need the company to believe in me and have my back.

 A lot of people were honest with me and they told me ‘listen, you can’t blow this because if you do, you’re done’. All I said was you’re giving me the opportunity, I’m going to do everything to my abilities to knock this out of the park.”

While Damian Priest did not reveal the name behind the comment, he did reveal some names which have helped him since his arrival on the main roster:

“Everybody has been awesome to me, if I have a question or anything. I could go up to say one of the guys in The New Day and they’ll take the time to just sit with me and talk and explain stuff to me, and guide me the right way.”

Damian Priest signed a contract with WWE back in October 2018. He was moved to the main roster in January 2021 after a successful run with the North American championship in NXT.

“I Was Mad”: Ric Flair Admits Being Uncomfortable With Lacey Evans Storyline

Anutosh Bajpai
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Ric Flair’s recent storyline with Lacey Evans was criticized by a lot of people and now the wrestling veteran himself has admitted that he was not comfortable with the whole angle. The 16-time world champion recently appeared on the Ariel Helwani MMA Show where he talked about things such as his promo after winning the 1992 Royal Rumble and more.

Opening up about his romantic angle with Evans, Flair admitted that he wasn’t comfortable with the part but he still played it because he doesn’t want to be the one to turn down an angle:

“In this instance, I didn’t [feel comfortable]; the one thing I’ve learned is you’re not going to win a war when someone’s got their mind made up. She most definitely didn’t like it, but the one thing that I can say about me is I always said yes. I didn’t want to be that guy that was always going ‘Oh, that isn’t perfect for me.’”

Ric Flair also admitted being mad about the whole thing when the storyline was pulled and explained how Vince McMahon had made his mind about it:

“When that was all over, I was mad but now I just look back and say it wasn’t it. This was something that when I got to TV, Mr. McMahon wasn’t there to argue the point with and he had stuff going on, I don’t like to put the pressure on someone if I can’t talk to him. He just made up his mind,

The former champion later claimed that a reason behind the storyline was that Lacey Evans is a former marine and Vince McMahon wanted her to be successful. According to him, the way to get successful sometimes “is to take two people that are doing really well and give them the rub.”

Ric Flair started aiding Lacey Evans in her feud against Charlotte Flair in January. The storyline continued for more than a month before the female star announced her real-life pregnancy and went on a hiatus.

AEW Dynamite Results (5/12): Three Title Matches, PAC vs. Orange Cassidy

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite aired from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida. Darby Allin put his TNT Championship on the line against Miro. Jon Moxley put his IWGP US Championship on the line against Yuji Nagata. The Young Bucks defended their AEW Tag Team Championships against SCU tonight as well. It was announced that Hangman Page will battle Brian Cage at Double or Nothing on May 30th.

Dynamite Results (5/12)

  1. Jon Moxley def. Yuji Nagata to retain the IWGP US Championship
  2. Young Bucks def. SCU to retain the AEW Tag Team Championships (SCU forced to disband as a team)
  3. PAC vs. Orange Cassidy ended in a double countout
  4. Thunder Rosa def. Jazmin Allure
  5. Miro def. Darby Allin to become the new TNT Champion

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Jon Moxley Retained

Jon Moxley defended his IWGP US Championship against Yuji Nagata in the first match of the night. Moxley came to the ring to the song “Wild Thing”.

The action quickly spilled out of the ring and Moxley sent Nagata into the barricade. Back in the ring, Moxley maintained control and slammed Nagata to the mat for a two count. Nagata battled back and went for an Exploder Suplex but Jon escaped. Nagata unloaded some kicks to the midsection and then hit the Exploder for a two count.

Nagata unloaded some kicks as Moxley dared him to hit harder. Moxley went for a Piledriver but Nagata countered into a Back Body Drop. Nagata then hit an awesome Exploder off the top and followed it up with a running kick but Moxley somehow kicked out at two.

Jon applied a Sleeper Hold but Nagata reversed into a hold of his own. Moxley reached the ropes and then hit a lariat for a two count. Moxley went for the Bulldog Choke but Nagata blocked it. Jon booted Nagata in the midsection and planted him with the Paradigm Shift for the pinfall victory. Jon Moxley is still the IWGP US Champion.

Cody Challenged Anthony Ogogo

Cody Rhodes made his way to the ring tonight for an announcement regarding Double or Nothing. Rhodes stated that it is fair to poke fun at things like the election, what to do during the anthem, but he has already been proud to be an American. Cody brought up Anthony Ogogo and how he has run down America even though he has a visa and makes money in America. Cody added that Ogogo didn’t come here to live the “English Dream”. Rhodes added that he wants to face Ogogo at Double or Nothing and that Anthony will not be facing The American Nightmare, he will be facing The American Dream.

Young Bucks Retained, SCU No Longer A Team

The Young Bucks defended the AEW Tag Team Championships against SCU (Frankie Kazarian & Christopher Daniels) tonight on Dynamite. SCU will no longer be a tag team if they lose the match. Frankie Kazarian controlled the match early and beat Nick Jackson down. Young Bucks battled back and Matt Powerbombed Daniels onto the ring apron as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, SCU was back in control and connected with a Powerbomb on Nick for a two count. Nick sent Daniels into the ring post outside the ring and busted him open. Back in the ring, Frankie connected with a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count.

Doc Gallows distracted the referee as Kazarian connected with a Styles Clash but Nick broke up the cover. Daniels then planted Nick Jackson with the Angel’s Wings. Matt caught Daniels with a Spear and unloaded several punches to his bleeding head. Matt Jackson poked fun at Shawn Michaels/Ric Flair and did the “I’m sorry, I love you” before hitting Daniels with a Superkick. Matt went for the cover but Daniels powered out at two.

Daniels then hit the Best Moonsault Ever but Nick broke up the cover. Matt sprayed something in Daniels face and smashed the can over his head for a two count. Young Bucks then hit Daniels with the BTE Trigger for the pinfall victory as Frankie was too late breaking it up. Young Bucks are still the AEW Tag Team Champions.

Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston trashed The Elite’s locker room during tonight’s show. Later on Dynamite, Young Bucks challenged the Varsity Blondes to a match next week. Young Bucks then challenged Eddie Kingston & Jon Moxley to a match at Double or Nothing.

Omega Will Defend The Title Against PAC & Orange Cassidy At The PPV

PAC squared off against Orange Cassidy tonight on Dynamite. The winner of the match will face Kenny Omega for the AEW Championship at Double or Nothing. Before the match, Orange Cassidy pissed off PAC by putting his sunglasses on him.

PAC broke the glasses and tried to attack Cassidy. Orange hit Beach Break right away and went for the cover but PAC kicked out. PAC rolled out of the ring to regroup but got a Suicide Dive from Orange Cassidy for his troubles. Cassidy then pulled out another pair of sunglasses and put them on.

When Dynamite returned, PAC was in control and launched Cassidy into the barricade. PAC hit two Dropkicks and went for the cover but Cassidy kicked out at two. PAC planted Cassidy with a Liger Bomb for a two count as Dynamite went to a break.

Don Callis showed up ringside when Dynamite returned and distracted referee Aubrey Edwards. AEW Champion Kenny Omega slid into the ring and hit PAC with the title. The match then ended in a double countout and Callis claimed that Omega will not have to defend the title at Double or Nothing. Tony Schiavone interrupted and said that Tony Khan has announced that Omega will defend the AEW Championship against PAC and Orange Cassidy in a Triple Threat match at the PPV.

The Pinnacle Challenged Inner Circle To A Stadium Stampede Match

The Pinnacle made their way to the ring to celebrate their victory over Inner Circle at Blood & Guts last week. MJF was sporting a crown on his head and pink suite for the coronation. MJF claimed that he was now the demo god and is the greatest of all time. He demanded that everyone bow to the group and boasted about how Dynamite’s ratings have gone up since The Pinnacle arrived.

Tully Blanchard said that The Pinnacle withstood everything Inner Circle had to offer but at the end of the match Inner Circle were the ones begging for the match to stop. Tully gave everyone in the group a watch as a present before Inner Circle interrupted. Inner Circle arrived in a vehicle that had “A Little Bit of the Bubbly” written on it and Sammy Guevara was operating a hose on top of it.

Jericho climbed to the top of the vehicle and had his arm in a cast. Chris wanted a rematch but MJF declined. Sammy hosed The Pinnacle down before MJF grabbed the microphone again. MJF said that they can have a rematch if it is a Stadium Stampede match at Double or Nothing and Inner Circle will have to break up forever if they lose. MJF shouted “take it or leave it!” to end the segment.

Thunder Rosa Dominated

Thunder Rosa faced Jazmin Allure tonight on Dynamite. Allure got in some offense to start things off but Thunder Rosa quickly took control of the match. Thunder Rosa connected with a Dropkick and followed it up with a Body Slam. Thunder Rosa hit a Senton and then the Fire Thunder Driver for the pinfall victory.

Miro Captured The TNT Championship

Darby Allin defended the TNT Championship against Miro in this week’s main event. Miro attacked Darby Allin before the bell rang and beat him down. Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky were shown laughing their asses off in the crowd as Miro connected with a boot to the face for a near fall.

Allin tried to get in some offense and went for the Coffin Drop early but Miro countered into a German Suplex as Dynamite went to a commercial break. When Dynamite returned, Darby was in control as footage was down of Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky attacking Sting during the break.

Darby applied a Sleeper Hold and then locked it in again outside the ring. Miro broke the hold by slamming Darby into the barricade and then brought the TNT Champion back into the ring. Miro took off the medical tape on Darby’s injured shoulder and started attacking it.

Allin slapped Miro in the face and hit a Stunner for a near fall. Darby went for another Coffin Drop but Miro countered into a German Suplex again but this time Allin landed on his feet. Allin went for an Armbar but Miro countered into the Game Over for the submission victory. Miro is the new TNT Champion.

After the match, Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page tried to attack Sting again but Dark Order broke it up. Miro posed with the title and stood over Darby Allin. Lance Archer showed up on the stage and shouted at Miro but Jake Roberts held him back to close the show.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1392661662671454209?s=20

Miro Wins AEW TNT Championship From Darby Allin

Andrew Ravens
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Darby Allin previously fought all comers and did so successfully, but when he went up against Miro, he fell short. 

As seen on this week’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place on TNT,  Allin defended the TNT Title against Miro in the main event. The lengthy fight saw Allin try to overcome the tough challenge that Miro brought, but it wasn’t enough. 

Miro won the match with a rear=naked choke and now is the new champion. Post=match, Scorpio Sky and Ethan Page tried to attack Sting, who fought them off. This led to Lance Archer coming out to the stage and was held back by Jake Roberts as he was trying to protect his guy.

Darby Allin won the TNT Title from Cody Rhodes last November at the Full Gear pay-per-view event. 

It will be interesting to see when Allin gets his rematch for the title. Based on the post-match angle, it appears All Elite Wrestling is building to a future match between Archer and Miro. It could take place at the upcoming Double or Nothing pay-per-view event later this month.

Main Event & More New Matches Set Set For AEW Double Or Nothing

Andrew Ravens
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Fans found out who will challenge AEW World Champion Kenny Omega for the strap at Double or Nothing and that’s both PAC and Orange Cassidy. 

All Elite Wrestling booked a number one contender’s match on Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite as PAC took on Orange Cassidy. The back and forth match saw it end in a double count-out. 

As a result, both stars have earned the right to challenge Omega for the top prize in the promotion at this upcoming PPV event. 

A Casino Battle Royale with the winner receiving a future title shot was made official. Christian Cage and Matt Sydal both revealed they are in that bout.

Adam Page vs. Brian Cage was also confirmed for the show. 

It was also revealed on this show that Cody Rhodes will take on Anthony Ogogo at this show. He cut a promo about what it’s like to be an American so he will go by the name of “The American Dream” for one night only at this show. 

This comes after Ogogo attacked Rhodes and then draped the flag from the United Kingdom over his body on last week’s Dynamite. 

AEW Double or Nothing 2021 Matches

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

  • AEW World Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega vs. PAC and Orange Cassidy
  • 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
  • Casino Battle Royale: Competitions announced thus far include Christain Cage and Matt Sydal

The Acclaimed Dropping A Mixtape This Friday (5/14)

Michael Reichlin
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AEW tag team The Acclaimed are gearing up to drop a mixtape this Friday, May 14th.

“Critically Acclaimed” Volume 1 will be available this Friday on all major streaming platforms. The mixtape will feature the raps of Max Caster and is hosted by Anthony Bowens.

Critically Acclaimed Vol. 1 will begin streaming Friday, May 14th on major streaming platforms.

Watch Bowens and Caster announce The Acclaim’s first mixtape:

Here is Max Caster’s latest material from this week’s AEW Dark.

Bayley Calls Out The Bella Twins For Embarrassing Her At WrestleMania

Michael Reichlin
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Bayley has not forgotten her not-so-friendly interaction with Bella Twins at WWE WrestleMania 37.

During a segment that saw Bayley talking trash to the newly-minted Hall of Famers, Bayley got physical and attempted to strike Nikki. The Bellas fired back by roughing up Bayley and leaving her for dead as they celebrated on the stage.

You can see the segment in the video embedded below:

Bayley addressed this situation on Tuesday’s episode of WWE’s The Bump digital series. The former Women’s Champion wants revenge and promised the Bellas that they’ll be seeing her sooner than later.

“You know how many videos that I had to see after WrestleMania of people adding music to that roll? You know how embarrassing that was? You hear those fans booing in the crowd? That’s right, that’s because it was ridiculous.”

Bayley Calls Out the Bellas

She continued by officially calling them out directly for embarrassing her on WWE’s grandest stage.

“So, Bella Twins, this won’t be the last time that we see each other because you embarrassed me and on one of the hardest weekends of my life. You embarrassed me and put a little salt in the wound. So, I’m not going to forget that, Bella Twins, yeah, I’m calling both of you out.”

You can see Bayley’s message to the Bella Twins in the tweet embedded below:

Ariel Helwani Open To Working With AEW Or WWE

Chris Stephens
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ESPN’s Ariel Helwani is about to become a free agent. His contract will soon run out and the popular MMA reporter is open to the idea of moving into pro-wrestling. Helwani was the guest recently on Renee Paquette’s “Oral Sessions” and spoke about the possibility.

“I was a massive pro wrestling fan. I was born in ‘’82, so I remember WrestleMania I, going to the video store and watching it with my brothers,” Helwani said during the interview (transcriptions via WrestlingNewsCo).

He would continue to say he sort of stopped following wrestling when he went to high school but that all changed when he attended Survivor Series 97 in Montreal. It was a fairly notable PPV, if you remember.

“I remember going home, going on Scoops Wrestling and those sites, reading up on all the drama, and thinking, ‘Holy Crap.’ That got me right back in. Then ‘97, ‘98, ‘99, 2000’s, I was more of a fan than ever before. Attitude Era. So in the moment, I was a little bit oblivious, but now in hindsight, I’m like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I was at one of the most historic matches of all time.”

Will Ariel Helwani Transition To Pro Wrestling?

In terms of the possibility of him moving to wrestling, Helwani sounds enthusiastic about the idea.

“Wow, TNT, I like it yea…it would be fun,” Helwani said about possibly working with AEW. “We also have ONE Championship on TNT so that’s an MMA organization that’s over there. Back in 2006 or so, I actually had a brief conversation with Double J Jeff Jarrett to work in TNA for the early days in TNA through Kurt Angle, who I befriended at the time. The wrestling world has always been a big part of my life and an influence. I’ve never worked for WWE as you know but I’m open to anything…If you know Mr. Khan, put in a good word.”

Chris Jericho Comments On The Ending To Blood & Guts

Chris Stephens
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Maxwell Jacob Friedman threw Chris Jericho off the top of the cage following the conclusion to last week’s double-cage Blood & Guts match. The ending of the match has drawn polarizing reactions from fans. Jericho discussed the “big spot” recently on his Talk is Jericho podcast.

Jericho noted that there was a 6 inch mat and several empty cardboard boxes to break his fall. He also noted that he just missed hitting his head on the stage lights. He then spoke in regards to hearing negative feedback about the spot.

“It was only later on that I started hearing that people thought the fall was on a crashpad and it didn’t look great,” Jericho said. “For me, I watched it back, I thought it looked amazing. The thing that was really scary is that if you watch it back, I barely missed hitting my head on the lights at the back of the stage. I went so far back that I almost overshot everything.”

“Everybody in the business knows how dangerous this can be, how terrifying it is and just the margin for error is so slim. Like I mentioned earlier, there is some hardcore wrestling fans that were bagging on it, that’s fine, you have the right to bag on it and out of the 1.3 million people that watched, like I said if 3,000 people didn’t like it, that’s a very small percentage. Most people thought it was crazy as did I.”

“It’s one of those things that I hope you enjoyed it because you will never see me do it again. Ever. And I’m glad it turned out the way that it did.”

Chris Jericho On Blood & Guts Happening Early In the Pinnacle vs Inner Circle Feud

Jericho also addressed the Blood & Guts match taking place at the beginning of the feud with the Pinnacle rather than being the blow-off.

“Originally, we had kind of thought about doing (the match) later on,” Jericho said on the show. “But then it was decided let’s do it earlier. I think Tony came up with the idea and we thought about it and we thought why does Blood & Guts have to be the blow-off to the feud? Why can’t it be kind of the kick-off? I mean, we built it with these promos.”

“I think it blew everybody’s mind that we did it right out of the gate,” he continued.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1b6NwXTFVleMngq3LTgBsc?si=3fyErcwySBSjeKAd9iB75A

AEW Dynamite Preview (5/12): Allin vs. Miro, Moxley vs. Nagata

Michael Reichlin
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It’s Wednesday and you know what that means. All Elite Wrestling returns with an all-new episode of AEW Dynamite from Jacksonville, FL.

History will be made tonight when Japanese wrestling legend Yuji Nagata challenges AEW star Jon Moxley for the IWGP United States Championship. It will be the first time a championship sanctioned by New Japan Pro Wrestling will be defended in AEW.

We’ll also get a #1 Contender’s match to determine Kenny Omega’s next challenger, Cody Rhodes has an announcement related to Double or Nothing and much more.

AEW Dynamite Matches for May 12th

The following matches are scheduled for AEW Dynamite:

  • Darby Allin defends the TNT Championship against Miro
  • Jon Moxley defends the IWGP US Championship against Yuji Nagata
  • The Young Bucks defend the AEW World Tag Team Championships against SCU. Kazarian and Daniels have vowed to dissolve their team if they lose.
  • Orange Cassidy vs. PAC in a #1 Contender’s match. The winner will challenge AEW World Champion Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing later this month.
  • Thunder Rosa will be in action.

Also On The Show

In addition to these matches, AEW is also hyping the following items for the broadcast:

  • Cody Rhodes will make a special announcement regarding the AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view on Sunday, May 30th.
  • Jade Cargill will speak with Tony Schiavone.
  • A coronation ceremony will be held for The Pinnacle after their win at Blood and Guts last week.

Join us here later tonight for our AEW Dynamite Results & Takeaways feature.

Jim Ross Compares The Wednesday Night Wars To The Monday Night Wars

Chris Stephens
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Jim Ross was the voice of WWE during the Monday Night Wars. He then was the voice for AEW during the Wednesday Night Wars. According to comments he made recently on his “Grillin Jr” podcast, the Monday Night Wars were far more intense.

“I’m glad that there’s no more ‘Wednesday Night Wars’. That was just a cop out for the Monday Night Wars,” Ross said. “It wasn’t nearly that extreme, in my view, but hey, If you want to believe that and that helps motivate you as a fan, adds more enjoyment to your game plan then hell, have at it, make that your agenda.”

The Wednesday Night Wars lasted from  October 2, 2019 to April 7, 2021. The Monday Night Wars lasted from September 4, 1995 until WCW’s death on March 26, 2001.

During an interview last year with Sportskeeda, Tony Schiavone agreed that the Wednesday Night War is not as “cut throat” as the Monday Night version was.

“You’re right, it’s not as cut-throat as it used to be,” Schiavone said. “There is still a want to be better than the other guy, but I think competition makes everybody better and everybody would agree with that. The cut-throat nature of what it was back in the day was really exhausting.”

JR’s comments regarding the Wednesday Night Wars begins around the 8:41 mark of the podcast below:

Renee Paquette Says Vince McMahon ‘Ignored’ Request To Appear on Her Podcast

Jake Skudder
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Former WWE personality and on-air host/interviewer Renee Paquette recently revealed that she reached out to Vince McMahon. Paquette said that she wanted to get the WWE CEO on her Oral Sessions podcast, but up to now he has ‘ignored’ her requests.

“No, he [Vince McMahon] did not get back to me” Renee Paquette revealed on the latest episode of Oral Sessions. “No response but I do have his email. I can get his phone number.”

“I kind of pushed pause on that a little bit because I’ve been busy” Paquette noted. “We’ve had so many great guests, but I would love to have any McMahon on the show. Any McMahon is welcome on my show.”

Renee Paquette on Vince McMahon

“I guess I would just talk to him about some of the visions that he has for things and just being able to pick his brain” Paquette revealed, saying what an interview with the WWE owner would involve.

“I mean, being able to sit in production meetings with him for a year plus, and getting to just see how his mind works and trying to understand how his mind works, I think I would just have a lot of questions about how he runs the shows” Paquette concluded.

Check out our recent interview with Renee Paquette below:

Kamille Reveals That She Wants To Face Jade Cargill in AEW

Jake Skudder
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NWA star Kamille recently appeared on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. The ‘insurance policy’ of NWA Worlds Champion Nick Aldis discussed a number of topics on the show, including how she would like to face Jade Cargill in an AEW ring.

“I would definitely bring a different twist to their product and the type of matches they have” Kamille began, discussing AEW television and what she could bring to the roster. “The only way I would go there is if the business is there to do so.”

“I understand a working relationship, but I’m team NWA” Kamille added. “If the business got more eyes on our product, I’m all for it. Other than that, it is what it is.”

Kamille on Jade Cargill

“Down the line, no time soon, this girl is brand new but she’s an absolute superstar is Jade Cargill” Kamille continued, revealing that she’d like to work with the megastar in waiting. “If you’re flipping channels and you see her, you’re like, ‘What’s going on here?’”

“I like matches with people who are out of this world and you don’t see every day” Kamille concluded. “The business is there for me and Jade.”

Do you think we’ll ever see Jade Cargill and Kamille cross paths?

Bayley Calls Out Eva Marie Over New ‘Role Model’ Gimmick

Jake Skudder
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0

WWE SmackDown Superstar Bayley recently spoke to Sportskeeda. The former SmackDown Women’s Champion discussed a number of topics during the interview, including the returning Eva Marie and her concept of being a ‘role model’ as part of her new vignettes.

During this week’s episode of RAW, Eva Marie was part of another vignette where she claimed to be a ‘role model’ to the WWE roster. “I have seen levels of fame and fortune that I could never have imagined at the beginning of my career” Marie said. “Some may see me as a super model, but I like to see myself as a… super role model.”

“I guess I was surprised, but there’s already people out there [like Britt Baker] that call themselves role models,” Bayley began, speaking to Sportskeeda. “I was nice enough to let that one slide. But I’m not letting this slide, she’s coming back to my world.”

Bayley on Eva Marie

“We have a past, we have a history” Bayley continued. “I’ve wrestled Eva Marie so many times and I’ve actually had a lot of fun with her.”

“She was one of my favorite people to be in the ring with” Bayley stated. “But that don’t mean I’m going to let you come in here and be the role model of WWE – because there’s only one, there’s the one, and it’s me, Bayley.”

Bayley finished by teasing a feud with the returning Monday Night RAW Superstar. “She is going to have to come up with another name, maybe All Pink Everything or whatever. If she wants to fight me for the name, we can do that, too.”

Would you like to see Bayley vs Eva Marie? Let us know in the comments

Backstage Raw Updates On Velveteen Dream And More

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

Velveteen Dream’s presence backstage at this week’s episode of Raw became a topic of discussion among fans making many wonder if the company had any plans for him to appear on the show.

PWinsider has now provided some update on the situation and the site reports that despite his presence, there were no plans for Dream to appear on the show at any point.

He hasn’t been seen much at the Performance Center in recent months either and there is no word on why he was brought in at the tapings. Dream has not appeared on WWE programming since his match with Adam Cole during the December 23 episode of NXT.

On a related note, the site notes that Mansoor was originally scheduled to appear on this week’s episode of the red branded show but he was pulled from the episode after the plans changed.

Mansoor officially became a Raw star last week. He also made his in-ring debut for the brand during the show. He competed against Sheamus in a singles match. Mansoor lost the bout by DQ when Humberto Carrillo attacked the US champion.

Regarding this week’s match between Sheamus and Carrillo, the original plan was for Sheamus to win clean before the match had to be stopped by the referee due to a botched Sunset Flip Powerbomb.

Humberto has since been cleared to compete by the doctors and according to the report; he will only be missing ring time if the company decides to sell the finish of that bout.

Booker T Responds To Reports Of Controversial Triple H Angle Being Omitted From His Documentary

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

The latest episode of the A&E’s Biography: WWE Legends series focuses on the wrestling career of Booker T. It looks at the various achievements and career highlights of the veteran wrestler. However, the documentary attracted some controversy over the omittance of his 2003 feud with Triple H for the world heavyweight championship held by the game at the time.

Booker T addressed the rumors about the feud intentionally being left out of the episode which originated from a tweet of writer David Dennis on his Hall Of Fame podcast. He claimed that he has never given the story a whole lot of credence:

“How can it be pulled from the bio, okay you talked about it – it wasn’t in there and it got pulled out, it never actually got in. To write it like that makes it seem like there was a whole lot of meat and potatoes on the bone of the story of Booker T, Triple H, WrestleMania 19.

Me personally, I’ve never given that story a whole lot of credence. They talk about the story that went into, and I understand that being a young black kid looking up to my heroes – trust me I understand that as well.”

The former world champion went on to say that he has never framed his career around one match and he got paid more money for the one match with Triple H than any other match in his life. T said that he understands why people have interest in the story. Though the former WCW star explained that for him, that’s not what his story is about:

“For me, I just want everybody to know that, that was not what my story was about at the end of the day. It’s not about the dark side of WrestleMania 19 and Booker T and Triple H. And for people to want to make it about that, I get it, I get it. I’m not naive or anything like that. I understand. But for me personally, that’s not what Booker T’s career makeup is all about.”

Booker T had a feud with Triple H in 2003 leading to a match between the two at WrestleMania 19. The angle became controversial due to its racial overtone and the fact that Triple H ended up beating his opponent clean.

The issue became a topic of discussion when writer David Dennis, who appeared in the documentary, mentioned how producers filmed him speaking about the angle. However, in the since-deleted tweet, Dennis suggested that it won’t be included in the episode, which turned out to be the case.

CM Punk On Which Wrestling Spot Scared Him

Anutosh Bajpai
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CM Punk is known as one of the best wrestlers in the history of the business and he was never the one to shy away from a dangerous spot even if it scared him.

The former WWE champion recently appeared on The Movie Crypt to promote his upcoming film Jakob’s Wife where he talked about a number of things.

During the interview, Punk was asked if there was ever a wrestling spot that scared him heading into it and the former WWE star recalled a spot from his 2009 TLC match with Jeff Hardy:

“I remember wrestling Jeff Hardy in the Staples Center, and he was jumping off a very tall ladder onto me and I just had to kind of lay on a table for an extended period of time, which really makes you think about it, and it’s one of those things where I was just looking, I’m like, ‘Man, he’s really high up there. This sucks,’

And you stew in that moment. And I remember being like, ‘I should just get up and walk away. Why am I laying here? This is stupid,’ and then he finally jumped on me.” remembered CM Punk, “and I was like, ‘Yeah, that hurt. Alright, great,’”

The former ECW champion was also asked when he realized that pro wrestling could become a career for him. He revealed that his first Japan tour was when he believed that he had made it.

CM Punk defended his world heavyweight championship against Jeff Hardy in a TLC match at SummerSlam 2009. This main event match was won by Punk.

WWE NXT Results (5/11): Two Title Matches, Karrion Kross In Action

Andrew Ravens
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The May 11, 2021 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center. 

WWE NXT Results 

  • Karrion Kross def. Austin Theory
  • MSK (Wes Lee & Nash Carter) def. Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango).
  • Raquel Gonzalez def. Mercedes Martinez to retain NXT Women’s Title
  • Kyle O’Reilly def. Oney Lorcan.
  • Kushida def. Santos Escobar to retain Cruiserweight Title

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Non-Title Match

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NXT Tag Team Champions MSK vs. Breezango in a non-title match took place.

There was a spot where the referee did a leap frog to avoid Breeze running him over. MSK ended up winning with their finisher. 

Two weeks ago on NXT, MSK & NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida lost a six-man tag match to Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar, Raul Mendoza & Joaquin Wilde) in a six-man tag team match. 

The finish saw Mendoza pin Carter to win the match. Last week, Mendoza & Wilde cut a promo saying that they want a title match against MSK. Thus, it appears this match will be happening sooner rather than later.

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Oney Lorcan

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Kyle O’Reilly vs. Oney Lorcan was booked in a singles match. 

The match was a stiff back and forth match. It ended in a victory for Kyle who hit a flying knee strike off the top rope. Post-match, he was attacked by Dunne until the returning Bobby Fish ran out to make the save. 

WWE set up this match by doing an angle earlier today where Lorcan interrupted an interview with O’Reilly as O’Reilly was arriving at the building. This is where Lorcan told him that he can’t beat Karrion Kross, Finn Balor, or Pete Dunne and that he couldn’t also beat him. Thus, O’Reilly challenged Lorcan to face him in the ring.

Last week, O’Reilly, Balor, and Dunne all interrupted NXT Champion Kross on last week’s NXT. 

Cruiserweight Title Match

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Santos Escobar got his rematch for the NXT Cruiserweight Title when he took on Kushida. This was a best two out of three falls match. 

The match saw Escobar get the first follow and shortly after, Kushida got the second fall. The third fall saw Kushida pin him with a bridge suplex.

Escobar became the champion when he beat Jordan Devlin in a ladder match to become the Undisputed Champion at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver last month.

On the April 13th edition of NXT, Kushida answered Escobar’s open challenge. This is where Kushida shocked him by winning the title. 

Two weeks ago, Kushida was laid out by Escobar and Legado Del Fantasma. Last week, Kushida showed up to challenge Escobar to a title bout. Escobar had no issue accepting the challenge.

Karrion Kross In Action

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Karrion Kross battled Austin Theory in singles competition. This was a non-title match for the NXT Champion. 

Last week, there was an in-ring segment with Kross interacting with the likes of Kyle O’Reilly, Finn Balor, and Pete Dunne where they all made their cases for why they should get a title shot. 

A brawl broke out with Theory and North American Champion Johnny Gargano then getting the jump on Kross so they laid him out. NXT General Manager William Regal announced the match later in the show. 

The match opened the show. Theory did get some offense in with cheap tactics, but Kross mostly dominated the match. Kross locked in the rear-naked choke for the win. Post-match, Balor came out to the ring and told him that he doesn’t wait in line, he wants his rematch. Kross agreed, but no date was given.

Women’s Title Match

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NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez defended the title against Mercedes Martinez.

The match was good and back and forth with each star getting their spots in. It was a fight between two powerful wrestlers. Raquel won with her finisher. 

WWE confirmed this match booking last week after Gonzalez beat down Martinez when Martinez faced Gonzalez’s tag team partner Dakota Kai and it ended in a DQ when Gonzalez attacked Martinez. 

Martinez faced Gonzalez’s tag team partner Dakota Kai on tonight’s NXT, but the match ended in a disqualification when Gonzalez attacked Martinez. Gonzalez was at ringside during the match. 

This attack came after Martinez had called out Gonzalez, but had to face Kai first. Martinez called Gonzalez a lapdog and said she would take out Kai so that nothing would be standing in the way.

Gonzalez became the champion when she defeated Io Shirai in the main event of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver night one last month.

Karrion Kross vs. Finn Balor Rematch Set For NXT TV (5/26)

Andrew Ravens
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The rematch that fans have been waiting for has been booked as Karrion Kross will make his first defense of the NXT Title against Finn Balor. 

It will happen on the May 26th edition of WWE NXT from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network. On this week’s episode, Kross beat Austin Theory in the opening contest and it was mostly a one-sided affair. 

After the match, Balor appeared and told Kross that he doesn’t wait in line. He wanted the title match and Kross agreed to it. It was only until later in the show that WWE actually confirmed it. 

Last week, WWE did a segment where Balor, Pete Dunne, and Kyle O’Reilly made their cases as to why they should get the next title shot. 

Kross beat Balor last month on the second night of NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver special to become the champion for the second time. 

WWE also confirmed that next week’s episode will see Johnny Gargano will defend his NXT North American Title against Bronson Reed, who became the new #1 contender by defeating Theory on the April 27th edition of NXT. 

This is also a rematch from the latest TakeOver special as Gargano was able to retain after interference from Theory.

Keith Lee Shares Cryptic Posts Amid His WWE Absence

Andrew Ravens
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Keith Lee has fans talking after sending out two cryptic tweets. The WWE Raw star took to Twitter to say today is the day that can and will define the future. 

He wrote, “Today is a day that can and will define the future. The wheels can have motion and move forward….or…. they can stop completely. ……Make your wheels turn. Accept no substitute.”

The Raw star also shared a photo of him standing next to a cage at WWE NXT TakeOver: WarGames. This has caused some fans to think he could be headed back to NXT. 

As it stands now, there’s been no word yet on if these tweets are related to anything on television. 

His status has been up in the air for the past few months after being out of action since February. In March, it was reported he was actively trying to get cleared for a return to in-competition. He did make an appearance on the Watch Along livestream for the NXT TakeOver: Stand and Deliver Night Two show over WrestleMania 37 week. 

The reason he’s been on the shelf is due to health reasons and WWE has not cleared him for in-ring action. He did undergo some testing in February, but it’s unclear what the results or exact reason for the tests. 

Lee did send out some messages to his fans on social media during this time. One time he teased his return while the other was promising to explain everything that has kept him out of action.

Ricky Starks Out Of Action With A Fractured Neck

Michael Reichlin
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AEW star Ricky Starks recently fractured his neck. The best dressed member of Team Taz will miss around three months of action, but will most likely not require surgery. The news was first reported by Voices of Wrestling.

The injury occurred on the April 21st episode of AEW Dynamite. During a match against Hangman Page, Starks took a german suplex and hit his head on the mat during the landing. He worked the rest of the match, which is quite a feat in hindsight.

The video below does not include the spot that caused the injury, but it’s amazing to see how Starks continued to work with a broken [freakin’] neck.

Ricky Starks wrote the following about the outpouring of support for his recovery:

Starks made his AEW debut in June 2020 by answering Cody Rhodes’ TNT Championship open challenge. Rhodes tweeted these words of encouragement:

SEScoops wishes Ricky Starks a full and speedy recovery.

WWE Raw Ratings Hold Steady Headed Into WrestleMania Backlash (5/10)

Andrew Ravens
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Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.817 million viewers with a 0.53 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This is on pair from last week’s 1.872 million viewers and the 0.53 rating. 

This week’s episode was the go-home edition of Raw for WrestleMania Backlash. Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Monday Night Raw:

  • The first hour did 1.912 million viewers and a 0.55 rating (A18-49).
  • The second hour did 1.828 million viewers and a 0.54 rating.
  • The final hour of the show had just 1.710 million viewers and a 0.51 rating.

This episode featured Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre in a non-title match, A.J. Styles, Omos, Jaxson Ryker & Elias vs. New Day, Randy Orton & Riddle, and Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler & Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka, Dana Brooke & Mandy Rose.

SmackDown Viewership

Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.282 million viewers. This is up from the 2.018 million viewers on FOX that the show did for the previous week.

SmackDown pulled in a 0.65 rating in the 18-49 demo, up from the 0.49 rating the previous week’s show. The episode drew an average of 2.080 million viewers in the overnight ratings, up from the previous week that did 1.923 million viewers. 

The first hour saw it pull in 2.060 million viewers while hour two did 2.099 million viewers. The show did 1.875 million viewers in hour one while hour two did 1.971 million viewers a week ago.

Nikki Cross Returns To Action This Week On WWE Main Event

Michael Reichlin
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Nikki Cross has returned to action for WWE.

The 2-time Women’s Tag Team Champion competes against Naomi on this week’s edition of Main Event.

She was drafted the the Raw brand back in October 2020. She last appeared on WWE television on February 1st, when she lost a singles match to Alexa Bliss.

WWE Main Event airs Thursdays on the Hulu streaming service.

Nikki Cross: Underutilized

Nikki Cross remains a fan favorite, despite WWE’s reluctance to feature her prominently. Back in January, she cut an impassioned promo expressing her anger and annoyance that she has “no momentum” in WWE.

“It may not be now, it may not even be in the near future, but one day, you’re all going to realize what exactly it is about me that got me to this point. So let me finish with this. I’m gonna be around in this industry for a very long time and I’m gonna go down as one of the best. And I am so done and I am so finished with not realizing that myself!”

You can (and should) check out here promo here:

Todd Pettengill To Host NXT TakeOver: In Your House On June 13th

Chris Stephens
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WWE has announced NXT TakeOver: In Your House will take place Sunday, June 13th. The news was first reported by Fightful. The event will air live on Peacock and the WWE Network.

Former WWE broadcaster Todd Pettengill will return to host. Pettengill is best known to wrestling fans for his time as a WWE host and backstage interviewer during the mid-1990’s.

This is the second installment of NXT Takeover: In Your House, a revival of the mid-90’s WWE pay-per-view series. Last year’s show saw NXT Champion Adam Cole defeat Velveteen Dream in a Backlot Brawl and Io Shirai capture the NXT Women’s Championship by defeating Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley in a Triple Threat match.

Road to NXT Takeover: In Your House

As we look ahead to NXT Takeover: In Your House, WWE presents an all-new episode of NXT tonight on the USA Network. There are two championship matches announced for the show:

  • A rematch for the NXT Cruiserweight Championship will take place on the card. New champion KUSHIDA will defend against former champion, Santos Escobar. The match will be contested under a best 2-of-3 falls stipulation.
  • The NXT Women’s Championship will also be defended tonight. Raquel Gonzalez will look to defend the title when she faces Mercedes Martinez in singles competition.

NXT Champion Karrion Kross is also set for singles action tonight. He’ll take on Austin Theory from the Way.

In other action, former Sanity teammates will collide when Killian Dain faces Alexander Wolfe.

We saw a title change on last week’s edition of NXT on the USA Network. Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae defeated Shotzi Blackheart & Ember Moon for the NXT tag-team championships. Blackheart and Moon had previously defeated the Way at Stand and Deliver. It’s possible a trilogy match between the two teams could take place at NXT TakeOver: In Your House.

Rinku Singh: From “Million Dollar Arm” Pitcher To WWE’s Main Roster

Chris Stephens
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Jinder Mahal and the tag-team of Indus Sher are now a new faction on WWE RAW. The former NXT tag-team of Rinku Singh and Dilser Shanky are now known as Veer and Shanky. For Veer (Singh), his debut on WWE RAW takes place after a long journey that included a stint in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

In 2008, Singh won a 2008 reality television show competition in India titled “The Million Dollar Arm.” The show took Indian athletes from other sports and had them tryout in baseball as a pitcher. Prior to appearing on the show, Singh had been a high-level javelin thrower and cricket player.

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Rinku Singh – Bucs Pipeline

After winning the competition, Singh signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The story was turned into the 2014 film “Million Dollar Arm.”

Along with Dinesh Patel, who also competed on the reality television show, Singh became the first Indian to sign with an MLB team and in 2009 became the first Indian to appear in a professional baseball game. He pitched in the minors and in the Dominican summer league for several seasons. Singh would go through some injuries during his minor league career, however. He got in just one inning of relief work in 2016 and his baseball career ended soon after.

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Rinku Singh – Pirates Prospects

WWE signed Singh to a contract in 2018. He would then help form the Indus Sher team in 2020. At the WWE Superstar Spectacle earlier this year, the duo joined forces with Drew McIntyre and faced Jinder Mahal and the Bollywood Boyz. The team have since joined forces with Jinder and debuted on the main roster. Mahal picked up a win over Jeff Hardy last night on RAW.

Rinku Singh On Signing With WWE

Upon his debut on NXT last year, Singh spoke with local media in Pittsburgh about transitioning from baseball to WWE.

“I wanted to share the journey of Rinku Singh,” Singh said. “I want to put a smile on peoples’ faces all around the world, inspire them and share my story with them. So many kids can relate to it, and WWE allows you to do that.”

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He also compared the feeling of putting on a baseball jersey to stepping in-between the ring ropes.

“When I put on the [baseball] uniform, I was a totally new human,” Singh said. “Now I feel like I did when I would put a baseball uniform on. It’s game time. There’s new energy. I’m ready to go out there and perform.”

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