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Jon Moxley Victorious On NJPW Strong, Attacked By Yuji Nagata

Michael Reichlin
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IWGP United States Champion was in action on Friday’s edition of NJPW Strong. He and Chris Dickinson teamed up to defeat the team of Yuji Nagata and Ren Narita.

Moxley picked up the pinfall victory by hitting a paradigm shift on Narita. Post-match, Nagata attacked Moxley. The two will battle in a historic singles match next Wednesday on AEW Dynamite. It will be the first time in history that a championship sanctioned by NJPW is defended on AEW programming.

Here are full results from Friday’s NJPW Strong:

  • Barrett Brown and Adrian Quest defeated The DKC and Kevin Knight
  • The West Coast Wrecking Crew (Royce Issacs and Jorel Nelson) defeated Misterioso and Jordan Clearwater
  • IWGP US Champion Jon Moxley and Chris Dickinson defeated Yuji Nagata and Ren Narita

You can stream the episode now on NJPW World.

Court Bauer Comments On MLW/WWE Rumors

Chris Stephens
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Court Bauer’s MLW promotion is gearing up for the start of a new era. El Jefe from Azteca Underground was revealed on Fusion this week and a big show from the 2300 Arena has been scheduled for July.

It has also been reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently that MLW and WWE were developing some type of relationship. Bauer recently spoke to Forbes about those rumors. Bauer noted that his company is in talks with some “interesting people” but any relationship would have to benefit both parties.

“A collaboration must have a long-term vision and a genuine commitment to enriching both parties,” said Bauer. 

“We’re having some interesting conversations with some interesting people, and if there is a two-way relationship that feels like it’s a win-win for the companies, the talent and the fans—and has a long-term sustainability to it—we’ll always examine it. You can’t do one-sided. I don’t kiss rings, I don’t need the validation,” Bauer continued.

Court Bauer on MLW and VICE TV

Bauer also spoke about MLW’s new deal with VICE TV and how it helps both parties.

“Vice TV has found an audience in pro wrestling. They’re the fastest-growing entertainment cable network in America, and in this day in age to be growing in linear cable a lot—and their success with Dark Side of the Ring and finding this audience—[the pro wrestling audience] is a very loyal audience. It always has been. That’s why Turner Sports grew in the ‘70s, because of the Atlanta Braves and pro wrestling. The reason USA Network found its way in the ‘80s was because of WWF. Pay-per-view thrives because of wrestling. This formula worked for them, and in us they have a partner that’s very true to their audience, which is full of Gen Z and millennial viewers.” 

MLW is looking to add some fresh faces to its roster before the show on July 10th. The promotion announced a draft of sorts will take place in the coming weeks.

https://twitter.com/courtbauer/status/1391014642772807681

Paul Heyman Discusses Potential Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar Match

Jake Skudder
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Paul Heyman recently spoke to DAZN. The Special Council To The Tribal Chief discussed a wide variety of topics during the interview, however his answering of a question regarding Brock Lesnar returning to face WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns as particularly intriguing.

Although Reigns and Lesnar have already fought on multiple occasions, including WrestleMania main events, a meeting between the two now would be arguably the one that draws the most intrigue from the audience. With Heyman now aligned with Roman, and Reigns portraying his Head of The Table character, it means that Lesnar has a different reason to go after the Samoan Champion.

“The problem that I have with your question is that it’s based on a hypothetical” Heyman said to DAZN during the interview. “My father was a far smarter man than I will ever be, which is a testament to my father. My father used to have a saying, ‘If your aunt had balls, she’d be your uncle.’ She doesn’t. So she’s not.”

“If Brock Lesnar were to return, ‘if’ is a hypothetical. Brock Lesnar does what Brock Lesnar wants to do” the former ECW owner continued. “How you can be cognizant of the fact that Brock Lesnar does not want to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal championship, or at least not yet, is because he hasn’t done it.”

Paul Heyman on Brock Lesnar

“Because if Brock Lesnar wanted to it, it would have happened already” Heyman noted, in an extremely telling manner. “And it hasn’t happened already because he doesn’t want to.”

“Now, there may be reasons why he doesn’t want to” Heyman added. “And that’s for Brock Lesnar to reveal if Brock Lesnar ever decides to reveal it. Man doesn’t tweet. He doesn’t post pictures on Instagram. He’s not a public persona. He’s a very private beast. He does enjoy being on his tractor and on his combine, and the man loves the farm.”

“If Brock Lesnar ever decides to appear in public, it’ll be when Brock Lesnar wants to appear in public because Brock Lesnar does what Brock Lesnar wants to do” Paul Heyman concluded, leaving the door open to a potential mega match down the line.

Shawn Spears Talks Possibility of Peyton Royce and Billie Kay in AEW

Jake Skudder
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AEW star and husband of former WWE Superstar Peyton Royce, Shawn Spears, recently spoke to Inside The Ropes. During the interview, the member of The Pinnacle discussed Peyton and her IIconics tag team partner Billie Kay potentially joining him in All Elite Wrestling.

“Obviously they [the fans] would assume that would be the plan that because I work there” Spears said during the interview. “Her [Peyton] husband works there, that it’s just, naturally she’s going to… Those questions are above my pay grade.”

“I don’t have anything to do with the hiring process” Shawn Spears continued, discussing the popular tag team unit and them potentially signing. “Selfishly, of course! Why would I not want my wife working there? Not only do I feel it’d be great to see her on a weekly basis with me, but what her and Jess can offer our women’s division and the entertainment world as a whole is just second to none.”

Shawn Spears on The IIconics

Shawn Spears then seemed to almost ‘pitch’ the duo, saying “you’ve seen how entertaining they are. I don’t need to explain to you what they bring to the table, and I don’t think I would need to explain to Tony Khan what they bring to the table either. That guy knows everything about every talent.”

With Billie Kay and Peyton Royce being almost shock releases from WWE a few weeks ago, there’s a good chance that they’re on the radar of many promotions. Whether we will see the duo end up in AEW remains to be seen, as IMPACT, NWA or even a return to Australia are all viable options.

WALTER Explains Why He Never Thought About Signing With WWE

Jake Skudder
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WWE Superstar and United Kingdom Champion WALTER recently appeared on WWE’s After The Bell podcast w/Corey Graves. The Austrian Superstar discussed a number of topics during the interview, including how WWE was never his end goal and a destination he never expected to end up.

“I was never thinking about signing with WWE,” WALTER said in the interview with Graves. “It was never a goal. I was happy in the process, sometimes you get lost too much when thinking about the future. Sometimes, your brain is way ahead of you so I always have to focus on what I’m doing right now.”

WALTER then confirmed prior rumors regarding his status with the WWE ‘main’ roster. It has been reported in the past that WALTER is unwilling to move away from Europe, thus why he has not been moved over to either NXT, RAW or SmackDown, despite the company wanting him to.

“I was never too keen about leaving Germany or Europe to live in the United States. It’s a big step” WALTER said. “Most of the other wrestlers are willing to do it because it’s their goal from day one or early in their career. For me, it was never a realistic thing that I could ever wrestle for WWE.”

WALTER on WWE Landscape

“When I started ten years ago, the wrestling world was different” the NXT United Kingdom Champion continued. “WWE was very protected and isolated from everyone else. They opened up a few years ago when they realized how much talent there is. When everything came to talks with NXT UK, they talked to me right when it started and I was doing well on the Indies.”

“I wanted to wait and see what happens” WALTER revealed, clearly wanting to see how the pieces fell before he committed to the then new brand. “When everything came together with NXT UK, I was thinking about myself. The travel schedule on the Indies was really rough. You’re working for a different guy every day and have to organize everything. If you rely on the promoter, there’s a chance you get stranded somewhere.”

“I was only home two or three days a week. When NXT UK came up and we talked, obviously the focus was to build something in Europe and it was the logical first step in the process” WALTER concluded.

Do you think at some point we will see WALTER in NXT, RAW or SmackDown full time? Let us know in the comments

Pat McAfee Comments On Unaired Smackdown Scene

Chris Stephens
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Last night, WWE presented a throwback edition of Smackdown. New Smackdown commentator Pat McAfee appeared to resemble Vince McMahon on the show but as it turns out, McAfee had planned on doing a much larger VKM impersonation on the broadcast.

McAfee took to Twitter to comment on an unaired scene from Smackdown last night with him dressed up and acting as Vince McMahon himself.

“Tonight was gonna be a memorable 1. I was prepared to have no voice for weeks.. Got the Bentley driven DAHN there. Shaved my face 4 the first time in my life. Ideas got changed immediately after filming this,” McAfee Tweeted. “I’m thankful we got the clip. All in all fun night on Smackdown.”

McAfee recently spoke to the New York Post about his approach to commentary.

“I’m trying to be something that provides a little more assist for stories that are happening as opposed to interjecting myself in stories. But it was difficult not to be a heel full-time in there, I will say. I think that will naturally turn up a little bit, but I don’t think you’ll ever expect me going on to commentary … maybe it will happen, but I don’t think so, though … of me saying, ‘it must suck to suck’ or whatever to whoever is listening. I don’t know if that’s going to happen. Maybe it will. Maybe that’s how it will kind of feel and lead to. But for me, I’m naturally more of a heel, but I also want to make sure I’m not distracting from all the incredible things going on SmackDown.”

Brian Cage Reflects On His Time In Lucha Underground

Chris Stephens
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Brian Cage defeated Hangman Page last week on AEW Dynamite. He’s currently ranked #4 in the men’s singles division. Cage recently took part in an interview with the Jobbing Out podcast and spoke about his career leading up to AEW. In particular, Cage had positive things to say about his time in Lucha Underground.

“I remember the last time I was part of something that kind of slowly took the wrestling world by storm was Lucha Underground, which is still one of my favorite times in wrestling,” Cage said (transcriptions via 411Mania).

“I absolutely loved it there. And now that we’re here with another alternative – the biggest problem with Lucha Underground was finances and TV network. (In AEW), we’ve got the finances to back to the company, and we’ve got TNT. If Lucha Underground was on TNT instead of El Rey, it would have done a little better and lasted a little longer to say the least.”

Lucha Underground’s former Dario Cueto character recently debuted in MLW. Now known as El Jefe, he is expected to become a major part of the show. The Azteca Underground faction in MLW is thought to be El Jefe’s new venture following the demise of his “old temple.”

Paul Heyman Reflects On John Cena’s ECW One Night Stand Performance

Chris Stephens
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In 2006, at the second ECW One Night Stand PPV, Rob Van Dam defeated John Cena to win the WWE Championship. The atmosphere inside the arena that night was intense and Cena played into the negative reaction he got that night. Paul Heyman recently spoke to Metro UK about Cena’s performance on the show.

“John Cena feeds off of the interaction with a live audience like very few people on the face of the planet in history ever have, ever could, ever would, or ever have the ability to generate that level of passion from a live crowd,” Heyman said.

Cena threw his t-shirt into the crowd as he normally does during this show, only this time the ECW faithful tossed it right back at him.

“I think John Cena, to this day, loved every single micro moment of it.”

“Anybody that says that they wouldn’t cherish the opportunity to work with John Cena on any level is a fool,” he continued.

Heyman continued to reflect on the ECW shows in 2005 and 2006. He also reflected on the type of atmosphere the promotion regularly had before going out of business.

“Everybody talks about the atmosphere of Rob Van Dam versus John Cena at the 2006 show, or The Sandman’s entrance at the 2005 show, or the atmosphere of the entire night at the 2005 show,” Heyman reflected.

“I’m happy the memories of those two shows are so vivid to so many people – and I will use the word “and” instead of “but”. And I would add to that statement – we did this every night in ECW. That was the atmosphere every night in ECW.”

WWE SmackDown Results (5/7): Cesaro Earns Universal Title Shot, Jimmy Uso Returns

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the ThunderDome and this week was a special Throwback Edition of the show. Seth Rollins faced Cesaro tonight in a WrestleMania 37 rematch. If Cesaro won the match, he would earn a shot at the Universal Championship at WrestleMania Backlash.

SmackDown Results (5/7)

  1. Cesaro def. Seth Rollins to earn a title shot at WrestleMania Backlash
  2. Carmella def. Ruby Riott via submission
  3. Tamina def. Reginald via disqualification
  4. King Corbin, Alpha Academy, Sami Zayn, Apollo Crews def. Shinsuke Nakamura, Street Profits, Kevin Owens, Big E

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Jimmy Uso Returned

This week’s episode of SmackDown was a throwback edition as part of a promotion for Fox this weekend. Universal Champion Roman Reigns came down to the ring with Paul Heyman and Jey Uso.

Heyman said that Reigns has asked him to eulogize the career of his victim, Daniel Bryan. Paul asked for a ten bell salute and hilariously made “ding” sounds with his mouth instead of ringing the bell.

Reigns noted that he gave Daniel Bryan what he wanted because he didn’t want to be here anymore. Roman claimed that they have replaced Daniel Bryan and introduced Jimmy Uso.

Jimmy shared a hug with everyone in the ring before Cesaro interrupted. Cesaro said that you can never replace Daniel Bryan. Seth Rollins attacked Cesaro from behind before Teddy Long joined the party. Teddy Long said Adam Pearce gave him some authority tonight and announced that if Cesaro beats Rollins he will face Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship at WrestleMania Backlash.

Cesaro Will Face Roman Reigns At WrestleMania Backlash

Reigns attacked Cesaro from behind as SmackDown went to a. break. When SmackDown returned, Jimmy and Jey Uso were ringside for the match as Paul Heyman watched Roman Reigns watching the match backstage.

Rollins controlled the action early and kept Cesaro rounded. Seth applied a Headlock and then went for a Suplex but Cesaro blocked it. Cesaro connected with a big Clothesline and went for the cover but Seth kicked out at two.

Cesaro went for the Gotch Neutralizer but Rollins countered with a Back Body Drop for a near fall. Rollins hit a Superplex and quickly followed it up with the Falcon Arrow for another two count.

When SmackDown returned from a commercial break, Cesaro locked in the Sharpshooter in the middle of the ring. Rollins reached for the ropes but Cesaro blocked him. Seth eventually broke free and dropped Cesaro with a forearm to the back of the head.

Rollins started arguing with Jey and told him that he didn’t want to interfere. Rollins shoved Jey Uso to the floor and Jimmy hit him with a Superkick while the referee wasn’t paying attention. Cesaro capitalized with a Crossbody and rolled Seth back into the ring. Cesaro connected with the Gotch Neutralizer for the pinfall victory. Cesaro will face Roman Reigns at WrestleMania Backlash next Sunday.

After the match, Seth Rollins stormed into Reigns’ locker room and claimed that Jimmy cost him the match. Roman told Rollins that he will handle Jimmy Uso and that Seth’s loss cost him as well because now he has to face Cesaro at the PPV. Reigns vowed to defeat Cesaro and Rollins said that if he will deal with Jimmy Uso if Roman doesn’t.

Roman later confronted Jimmy Uso and scolded him for making a mistake. Jimmy told Reigns that he isn’t going to talk him like he does Jey because he isn’t anyone’s bitch. Jimmy then walked away and Roman told Jey to deal with it.

Carmella def. Ruby Riott

Ruby Riott faced Carmella tonight on SmackDown. Liv Morgan was ringside for the match. Riott slammed Carmella’s face into the middle turnbuckle and connected with some strikes in the middle of the ring. Riott slammed Carmella to the mat for a near fall.

Riott climbed to the top rope but Carmella caught her with a kick to the face. Carmella went for the cover but used the ropes for leverage and Liv Morgan alerted the referee. Riott and Carmella then traded roll-ups until Carmella transitioned into the Code of Silence for the submission victory.

Bayley Sent A Message To Bianca Belair

Bayley came down to the ring and said she was here to pay tribute to some of the women’s champions of the past. Bayley brought up Alundra Blayze, Jacqueline, Lita, Trish Stratus, Ivory, Beth Phoenix, and Molly Holly.

Bayley boasted about herself after bringing up everyone’s name. She then put Bianca Belair’s name on the screen and claimed that she was blind to the world around her. Bayley added that if Belair is not careful, she is going to wind up like all of those other women, not on her level.

She vowed to defeat Bianca Belair at WrestleMania Backlash and show the WWE Universe that she was right about her all along. Bianca Belair interrupted and said it was her confidence that bothers Bayley. Belair told Bayley to worry about herself because she is on her way to becoming the new longEST reigning SmackDown Women’s Champion.

Bayley cackled into the microphone and tried to tackle Bianca but Belair blocked it. Belair sent Bayley to the corner and then launched her across the ring. Belair connected with a Dropkick but Bayley hopped up and ripped away at Bianca’s earring. Bayley then planted Bianca with the Rose Plant to end the segment.

Jimmy Uso Wants To Go For The Tag Titles

Jey Uso confronted Jimmy Uso backstage. Jey told Jimmy that whatever Roman does benefits the family. Jimmy disagreed and said that Jey has become Roman’s bitch and all he is doing is fighting the Universal Champions’ battles. Jimmy said it would be representing the family as well if Roman was the Universal Champion and The Usos were SmackDown Tag Team Champions.

Dominik def. Dolph Ziggler

Rey Mysterio was set to face Dolph Ziggler tonight on SmackDown. Ziggler and Roode will defend the SmackDown Tag Team Championships against Rey and Dominik at WrestleMania Backlash.

Before the match, Ziggler said there is no better throwbacks than the Dirty Dawgs. Dolph told Dominik that he doesn’t really belong here and is nothing besides Rey’s little kid. Ziggler added that Dominik should leave the ring and let the real men handle their business. Dominik told Rey that he wanted the match instead and Rey agreed.

Dominik hit a Dropkick that sent Ziggler out of the ring to begin the action. Dolph tripped Dominik up on the apron and then delivered a Body Slam on the floor outside the ring. Back in the ring, Dominik battled back with some punches but Ziggler halted his momentum with a Neckbreaker for a two count. Ziggler taunted Dominik and it backfired. Dominik rolled up Ziggler for the pinfall victory and celebrated with Rey after the match.

Tamina def. Reginald

Tamina faced Reginald tonight. Shayna Baszler, Nia Jax, and Natalya were ringside for the match. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler will defend the Women’s Tag Team Championships against Tamina and Natalya on next week’s show.

Reginald rolled out of the ring until the referee made Tamina go to the corner. Tamina went for a couple Clotheslines but Reginald flipped out of the way. Tamina sent Reginald to the turnbuckle and he climbed to the top rope. Reginald then stood on top of the ring post and flipped to the canvas as Tamina started to climb.

Reginald danced around and turned around into a Superkick. Tamina went for the Superfly Splash but Baszler attacked her to end the match in a disqualification. Nia and Shayna then beat Tamina and Natalya down. Shayna stomped on Tamina’s elbow and Nia delivered a Samoan Drop onto the barricade to end the segment.

King Corbin, Alpha Academy, Apollo Crews, & Sami Zayn Picked Up A Win

Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews, Alpha Academy, King Corbin, and Sami Zayn faced Big E, Street Profits, Kevin Owens, and Shinsuke Nakamura tonight. Sami originally asked Teddy Long for an Intercontinental Championship match but Teddy announced that he will be facing The Undertaker tonight. After Sami informed Teddy that The Undertaker retired, Teddy and Sonya eventually made the 10-man tag match official.

Montez Ford slammed Chad Gable to the mat to start off the action. Gable took control and brought Ford over to the corner. Apollo tagged in and connected with a Body Slam. Sami Zayn tagged himself in and unloaded some kicks to Montez’s midsection. King Corbin tagged in and leveled Big E with a Clothesline. Big E battled back with an elbow to the face for a one count. King Corbin drove Big E to the corner of the ring and Sami got in some cheap shots as referee Charles Robinson was distracted. A brawl broke out and Owens hit Sami with a Splash off the ring apron as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Otis and Kevin Owens were battling in the ring. Otis hit Owens with a Splash in the corner and tagged in Apollo Crews. Apollo lifted Owens up but Kevin escaped. Owens went for the Stunner but Crews blocked it. Owens hit an Atomic Drop and followed it up with an Enziguri.

Otis leveled Big E with a Clothesline outside the ring. Owens tagged in Shinsuke and he hit Sami Zayn with a boot to the face. Nakamura knocked Corbin off the ring apron and delivered another kick to Sami’s face. Sami looked for a tag but nobody was on the apron.

Nakamura hung up Sami in the ropes and connected with the sliding German Suplex. Nakamura followed it up with another kick to the face and went for the cover but King Corbin broke it up. Big E hit Corbin with a Belly to Belly but turned around into a German Suplex from Crews. Owens hit Crews with a Stunner but Gable hit him with a German Suplex on the floor outside the ring. Montez Ford leveled Otis with a Suicide Dive outside the ring.

Nakamura booted Sami in the face and went for the cover but he didn’t realize that King Corbin made a tag. King Corbin planted Shinsuke Nakamura with the End of Days for the pinfall victory.

Cesaro Beat Everyone Down To Close The Show

Roman Reigns had another conversation with Jey Uso backstage. Reigns told Jey that he loves him and loves Jimmy as well. Reigns said he needs to know where Jimmy stands and we are about to find out right now. Reigns and Jey then headed out of the locker room as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

Reigns, Jey, and Paul Heyman were in the ring when SmackDown returned. Roman said that this was not how he envisioned this night going. Jimmy Uso interrupted Reigns and made his way to the ring. Jimmy asked Jey where he stands and brought up the I Quit match between Reigns and Jey. Jimmy noted that Jey wouldn’t quit until Reigns brought him into the ring and choked him out.

Jimmy said that Jey quit because he loved him and didn’t want to see him get hurt. Jimmy then rolled footage from the Universal Championship Hell in a Cell I Quit match and how Roman was about to bash Jey’s face with the steel steps. Jimmy prevented it but Roman locked him in the Guillotine Choke until Jey quit so he would let Jimmy go.

Jimmy added that he would never say “I Quit” to Reigns no matter what. Roman told Jimmy that he was still stuck on the past and that he is not going to go back and forth with him. Reigns told Jimmy Uso to fall in line, acknowledge him or he can take his ass home.

Roman said that Jimmy will have to explain to his kids why he is sitting at home watching the Tribal Chief and The Uso. Jimmy exited the ring and walked to the entrance ramp. Jey went after him and grabbed Jimmy’s arm.

Cesaro attacked Reigns from behind and beat him down in the corner. Jimmy tried to prevent Jey from helping out but he didn’t listen. Cesaro beat Jey down until Jimmy made the save. Cesaro hit Jimmy with an uppercut and then planted Jey with the Neutralizer. Cesaro then delivered a Neutralizer to Roman Reigns to close the show.

Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro Set For WWE WrestleMania Backlash, Updated Card

Andrew Ravens
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The main event from the SmackDown brand has been announced for the upcoming WWE WrestleMania Backlash PPV.

Cesaro will challenge WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns at this show. It was confirmed on Friday’s episode of SmackDown after the company had WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long. Long announced that Cesaro would earn a title shot from Reigns if he could beat Seth Rollins in their singles match.

When Rollins ended up having words with The Usos at ringside, Cesaro managed to capitalize and get the win. Thus, he earned the right to become the new #1 contender for the top title.

Just last week on SmackDown, Reigns beat Daniel Bryan to retain the title, which had the stipulation that if Bryan lost then he would be banished from SmackDown. This was done to write Bryan off television as his contract expired. 

WWE presents the WrestleMania Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, May 16, 2021 from Tampa, Florida at Yuengling Center that will air on Peacock. 

Updated WWE WrestleMania Backlash Card

  • WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman
  • WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Cesaro
  • WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair vs. Bayley
  • WWE Raw Women’s Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair
  • WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode vs. Rey & Dominik Mysterio

Jimmy Uso Returns On WWE Friday Night SmackDown

Andrew Ravens
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The Usos were able to reunite on WWE SmackDown.

It happened in the opening segment of the Throwback edition of the show on FOX as WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns announced the return of Jimmy Uso, who came out to celebrate with Reigns, Jey Uso and Paul Heyman.

Reigns cut a promo about how after he beat Daniel Bryan on last week’s episode of SmackDown, which had the stipulation that if Bryan lost then he would be banished from SmackDown, he introduced Jimmy.

Of course, in all reality, Bryan’s contract with WWE expired and he is currently a free agent. Reigns said Bryan wouldn’t acknowledge him, so they replaced him with someone who certainly will and that’s when Jimmy walked out. 

The former WWE Tag Team Champion suffered a torn ACL while working a Triple Threat Ladder match for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Titles during Night 1 of WrestleMania 36. 

This is where he wrestled Kofi Kingston and John Morrison. At the time of his undergoing surgery, the belief was that he would be on the shelf for 6-9 months.

In February, Jimmy was back training at the WWE Performance Center. He did make a few appearances on WWE TV last year when Jey was feuding with Reigns, but he wasn’t cleared at the time. 

Rey & Dominik Mysterio Look To Make History At WrestleMania Backlash

Michael Reichlin
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WWE has announced a new match for the upcoming WrestleMania Backlash pay-per-view. Rey and Dominik Mysterio look to make history when they challenge SmackDown Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode.

WWE has seen several championship teams comprised of brothers. Teams who have accomplished this unique feat include the Steiner Brothers, The Hardy Boyz, Cody Rhodes and Goldust and The Usos.

We’ve also had several ‘fictional’ brother parings win tag team gold, including the Dudley Boyz and the Brothers of Destruction (The Undertaker and Kane).

However, should they capture the gold, Rey and Dominik Mysterio would be the first father-son tag team to wear WWE tag team championships.

WrestleMania Backlash Matches

With the addition of this match, here is the updated lineup for WrestleMania Backlash:

  • WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs Drew McIntyre vs Braun Strowman
  • SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair vs Bayley
  • Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs Asuka vs Charlotte Flair
  • SmackDown Tag Team Champions Dolph Ziggler & Bobby Roode vs. Rey & Dominik Mysterio

WrestleMania Backlash airs on Sunday, May 16th on Peacock and the WWE Network.

Cody Rhodes To Make AEW Double Or Nothing Announcement

Michael Reichlin
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Cody Rhodes has some news to share regarding the upcoming AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view. The American Nightmare is set to make some sort of announcement next week on AEW Dynamite.

The main event of AEW Double or Nothing will also be determined next Wednesday. Top-ranked competitors PAC and Orange Cassidy will clash in a #1 contender’s match. The winner will challenge Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship.

Tickets for Wednesday’s Dynamite are on sale now at AEWTIX.com.

AEW Double Or Nothing

AEW Double or Nothing
AEW Double or Nothing

Double or Nothing has special significance for All Elite Wrestling. The 2019 installment was the first wrestling show presented by AEW.

Tony Khan recently revealed that Double or Nothing will feature a full-capacity crowd for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Over 5,000 fans will be in attendance.

AEW Double or Nothing takes place Saturday, May 30th from Daily’s Place Amphitheater in Jacksonville, Florida. Here is an early match listing:

  • AEW World Champion Kenny Omega vs. PAC or Orange Cassidy
  • AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida vs. Dr. Britt Baker

New Title Match Booked For WWE WrestleMania Backlash

Andrew Ravens
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WWE has announced that The Mysterios are getting a SmackDown Tag Team Title shot at WrestleMania Backlash when they challenged Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode for the straps at this show. 

WWE confirmed the news on Friday afternoon. The Mysterios are looking to become the first father and son team to hold Tag Team Titles in WWE, which would mark history. 

Ziggler and Roode became the champs when they beat The Street Profits this past January. At WrestleMania 37 last month, they were able to retain their titles against The Street Profits, The Mysterios, and Chad Gable & Otis in a fatal four-way match.

Just three weeks ago, they retained the straps against The Street Profits on SmackDown. Two weeks ago, the Mysterios defeated Otis & Gable. Last week’s show saw The Street Profits & Bianca Belair defeat Ziggler, Roode & Bayley in a six-person tag match.

This is the fourth match that’s been announced for the WrestleMania Backlash pay-per-view event on Sunday, May 16, 2021 from Tampa, Florida at Yuengling Center that will air on Peacock thus far.

WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Braun Strowman and WWE Raw Women’s Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Asuka vs. Charlotte Flair are the top matches on the card. 

Jordynne Grace Signs New Multi-Year Deal With Impact Wrestling

Chris Stephens
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Jordynne Grace has signed a new multi-year contract Impact Wrestling. The former Knockouts Champion (and reigning Knockouts tag-team champion) revealed the news to Pro Wrestling Illustrated this week.

Grace spoke about her pending free agency while on the Wrestling Perspectives podcast in March.

“Honestly, I have no idea what’s going to happen when my contract is up with IMPACT in May. I have no idea, I can’t foresee the future, and who knows who’s going to offer me something or if I’m going to stay here. I truly have no idea.”

“I love the opportunity that IMPACT has given me, but obviously it’s going to be a lot less money than WWE would give me if I were to go there and they would give me a lot less input on my character. So it just kind of depends on if I get older and I’m feeling like I need to be stacking some money for retirement, then I think that’s a place I would probably go.”

Jordynne Grace In Impact Wrestling

Grace held the Knockouts title for 6 months last year. She defeated Taya Valkyrie for the belt on January 18th, 2020. She held it for 182 days and 5 title defences. She successfully retained the belt against Lacey Ryan, Miranda Alize, Havok, Taya Valkyrie, and Kimber Lee during her reign.

Grace will face Tasha Steelz in singles action next week on Impact. Her team with Rachael Ellering will then defend the Knockouts tag-team titles against Fire N Flava (Kiera Hogan & Tasha Steelz) on May 15th at Under Siege.

Moose Reveals When His Impact Contract Is Up

Chris Stephens
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Moose recently stated on Twitter that it is his goal to win the Impact World title before his contract expires. That puts a tight deadline on him as he also revealed his contract expires next month.

https://twitter.com/TheMooseNation/status/1390358667829161993

Moose was victorious last night on Impact Wrestling in a match that moves him one step closer to facing Kenny Omega for the world title. The 37-year-old has been with Impact since 2016. While he hasn’t won the Impact World Championship, he has held the Impact Grand Championship and the TNA World Heavyweight Championship during this run. Prior to his run in Impact, Moose had spent from 2014 to 2016 with Ring of Honor.

https://twitter.com/TheMooseNation/status/1390494541116059648

Under Siege Lineup

Moose’s victory over James Storm qualified him for the #1 contendership 6-way at Under Siege. The updated lineup for the show is below:

  • #1 Contendership – Impact World Championship
     Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Trey Miguel
  • Knockouts Tag Team Championships
    Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering (c) vs Fire N Flava
  • Brian Myers vs Taurus
  • Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs. Eddie Edwards & FinJuice
  • W. Morrisey vs. Willie Mack

Deonna Purrazzo will also defend the Knockouts belt against either Rosemary or Havok. Josh Alexander will defend the X-Division title against a challenger determined next week.

https://twitter.com/TheMooseNation/status/1390520396156395520

“No Chance: The Vince McMahon Story” Film Project In The Works

Chris Stephens
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An interesting casting call recently went out from Filmmakers Studio for a project based on the life of Vince McMahon. It does not appear as though WWE has any involvement in the project.

The full title of the project is “No Chance: The Vince McMahon Story and The Rise of the New Wrestling World Order.” It appears as though this will be a documentary. The casting is for the role of “host.”

A description of the project is below:

“It was his art of the hustle that led him to raging war on the top territories (AWA, Jim Crocket Promotions, WCCW Mid-South, and many others) and stunting their growth by raiding all of their top talent . It was his novel and bold approach to pitch the Super Bowl of Wrestling Shows , ‘WrestleMania’ into the Pay-Per View stratosphere that wrestling would forever be changed forever.”

“This isn’t a movie but a review retrospective that will dig deep in learning not only about Vince McMahon’s adversaries but how he outsmarted them all in associating USA Pro Wrestling with the World Wrestling Federation. Learn more about other noteworthy promoters who dared tried to oppose the Young Conqueror in which we will focus on each territories noteworthy plays and embarrassing mistakes made on their wrestling shows.”

Impact Results (5/6): Is Moose Kenny Omega’s Next Challenger?

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling continued to build to Under Siege this week. 3 more qualifying matches for the 6-person #1 contendership match on the PPV took place as well as El Phantasmo making his debut. Juice Robinson and Doc Gallows also went one-on-one.

Impact Wrestling 5/6 Quick Results:

  1. Under Seige Qualifier
    Chris Sabin defeated Rhino
  2. Taylor Wilde defeated Susan
  3. Under Seige Qualifier
    Trey Miguel defeated Rohit Raju
  4. Doc Gallows defeated Juice Robinson
  5. El Phantasmo defeated VSK
  6. Rachael Ellering defeated Kiera Hogan
  7. Under Seige Qualifier
    Moose defeated James Storm

Moose Moves One Step Closer To Facing Kenny Omega

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

This week’s main event was a qualifying match for the #1 contendership 6-way at Under Siege. Before the match, Don Callis visited Moose in the back and appeared to be buttering him up for something. Callis said that Moose shouldn’t have to qualify for the match and that Impact management isn’t treating him fairly. Moose didn’t appear to be falling for Callis’ disingenuous routine, however.

Moose focussed on Storm’s leg for much of the match and this played into the finish. Storm was unable to deliver a crucifix bomb due to his injured leg, Moose was then almost able to hit his Lights Out Spear as a result but Storm countered with a superkick. The move cost Storm, however, who favored his leg heavily after and was unable to make the pin. Moose then got up, delivered the spear and got the win.

After the match, Moose wrapped Storm’s leg in a chair and stomped on it. Chris Sabin ran out to help his partner but the damage had been done.

Doc Gallows Defeated Juice Robinson, “Coach Kenny” Helps

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbsnLw0DDBs

Kenny Omega agreed to come out and be at ringside for Doc Gallows’ match against Juice Robinson this week. The finish of the match came when Robinson was setting Gallows up for his Pulp Friction finisher but was distracted by Anderson who had gotten up on the ring apron. He then turned his attention to Omega and Callis who did the same. The distraction allowed Gallows to recover, counter the Pulp Friction, hit a bicycle kick followed by a slam for the win.

After the match, Omega and the Good Brothers kept up the assault on Finjuice. Eddie Edwards attempted to make the save but the Elite still had the numbers advantage and took him out too. They then celebrated in the ring to end the segment.

El Phantasmo Makes His Impact Debut

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

2x Super J-Cup winner and 2x IWGP Junior Heavyweight tag champ El Phantasmo made his official debut for Impact Wrestling this week. He defeated VSK, who has worked a fair bit on episodes of AEW Dark. VSK got a surprising amount of offence in this match but in the end, ELP was able to finish off his opponent with a super kick. It did look as though ELP may have loaded up his boot before delivering the kick, however.

Chris Sabin Qualifies For Under Siege

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzOMw-A4SW8

Two former world champions faced off in the night’s opening match with a spot in the Under Siege #1 contendership match on the line. Sabin’s speed and technical ability gave him the advantage at numerous points during the match, but Rhino’s stablemates from Violent By Design always did something underhanded to give their guy the advantage. It looked like Rhino had the match won when he was setting up his opponent for the Gore but Sabin avoided it and rolled him up in a cradle and got the 3-count.

Decay Targets Brian Myers

Brian Myers ran into Rosemary and the members of Decay backstage this week. Myers was upset he wasn’t given another chance to qualify for Under Siege when Rosemary attempted to tell him what the cards had in store for him. Myers tried to flee the situation but promptly got headbutted by Taurus for his trouble. Decay then laughed over top of him to end the scene. Myers vs Taurus was later announced for Under Siege.

Taylor Wilde Does Not Want Tenille Dashwood’s Help

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

Taylor Wilde faced Susan this week on Impact. Wilde would have to contend with Susan’s ally, Kimber Lee on the outside as well. Tenille Dashwood and Kaleb sauntered out to the ring area during the match as Dashwood has been lobbying to form a tag-team with Wilde. The finish of the match came when Kimber Lee grabbed Wilde’s leg from the outside prompting Kaleb to pick her up in a fireman’s carry to prevent further interference. While the ref was distracted with that, Dashwood gave Susan a neck breaker along the ring ropes just before Wilde delivered a German Suplex for the win.

After the match, Dashwood wanted to celebrate with Wilde but she was having none of it. Wilde bailed out of the ring before Kaleb could get a photo of the two posing together.

W. Morrissey Is No Longer “One-Half of a Catchphrase”

W. Morrissey is not kidding around. He cut an intense promo over top of a video package this week. He’s not happy with how fans and the industry itself has treated him.

“You were the first to criticize, you were the first to say ‘he’s done’ and it isn’t just the fans, it’s every member of this rotten industry.”

Morrissey pinned Willie Mack in tag-team action at Rebellion. Mack then challenged Morrissey to a match at Under Siege. Morrissey more or less accepted the challenge in this video package.

Trey Miguel Qualifies For Under Siege

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQVYagl0KjA

Trey Miguel moved one step closer to achieving his goal of winning the Impact World Championship this week. He locked in his hour-glass submission and got Rohit Raju to tap.

As Trey walked back up the ramp, Jake Something walked passed him with his eyes glued on Shera and Raju. Last week, Raju interfered in Something’s qualifying match for Under Siege and cost him the opportunity. He then took out both Shera and Raju to end the segment.

Rachael Ellering Defeats Kiera Hogan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYKNxHlKng8

Jordynne Grace and Rachael Ellering will have to defend their newly won belts against the former champs at Under Siege. This week, Ellering and Kiera Hogan went one-on-one in a little preview for the upcoming title clash. Ellering picked up the victory with a sideslam as her and Grace continue to have the edge over the duo from Fire N Flava.

Later on in the show, the two teams met up backstage and Jordynne Grace and Tasha Steelz agreed to a match next week.

Coming Up In Impact Wrestling

Next week:

  • Jordynne Grace vs Tasha Steelz
  • Karl Anderson vs David Finlay
  • #1 Contendership – Knockouts Title
    Rosemary vs Havok
  • #1 Contendership – X-Division Championship
    Petey Williams vs ELP vs Rohit Raju vs Ace Austin vs Acey Romero vs TJP

Under Siege Lineup (May 15th):

  • #1 Contendership – Impact World Championship
     Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Trey Miguel
  • Knockouts Tag Team Championships
    Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering (c) vs Fire N Flava
  • Brian Myers vs Taurus
  • Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs. Eddie Edwards & FinJuice
  • W. Morrisey vs. Willie Mack

NJPW Postpones Both Wrestle Grand Slam Events

Chris Stephens
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NJPW announced today that they have postponed both Wrestle Grand Slam events scheduled for later this month. The events were to have taken place May 15th in Yokohama and May 29th from the Tokyo Dome. Kazuchika Okada was to have challenged Will Ospreay for the IWGP World title on the 29th.

The promotion is working on determining new dates for the event. Tickets for the event will be valid for the new date. Refunds will be available for ticket-holders unable to attend on the rescheduled date.

6 wrestlers were taken off the Wrestling Dontaku Night 2 show on May 3rd. Kazuchika Okada, Minoru Suzuki, El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, SHO, and YOH were all removed due to health and safety protocols. It was later revealed that 2 of those wrestlers then tested positive for COVID-19.

NJPW Statement On Postponed Events

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“On Friday May 7, the Japanese government announced an extension to the state of emergency currently in place in Tokyo and other prefectures,” reads an update from NJPW1972.com.

“In light of this announcement, as well as current COVID-19 infection status, and in order to prevent any potential further spread of the virus,  New Japan Pro-Wrestling has arrived at the decision to postpone the Wrestle Grand Slam events in Yokohama Stadium and the Tokyo Dome previously scheduled for May 15 and 29 respectively.”

Will Ospreay Reacts

IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Will Ospreay posted a video reacting to this news. While he understands the issue of safety, he is convinced this is all a conspiracy orchestrated by Kazuchika Okada to avoid getting in the ring with him.

Jinder Mahal Returns On WWE Main Event With New Allies

Michael Reichlin
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Jinder Mahal returned to action on this week’s edition of WWE Main Event on Hulu. The match was taped prior to Monday’s Raw.

The former WWE Superstar was not alone. He was accompanied by former NXT tag team Indus Sher. That team has undergone a change and now comprised of Rinku Singh and the 7-footer, Dilser Shanky. They are now going by the names Veer and Shanky.

Mahal picked up a victory over Jeff Hardy, a sign that WWE is looking to jumpstart his character with some momentum. Meanwhile, Jeff Hardy is losing to Jinder Mahal on Main Event.

Jinder Mahal has been out of action since May 2020, while Indus Sheer’s last match for NXT took place just a few weeks after that.

You can check out some highlights from Jinder Mahal’s return here:

https://youtu.be/2EnipSEYtPc

Updated Card for Impact Under Siege, Preview For Next Week’s TV

Michael Reichlin
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Impact Under Siege is the next special event from Impact Wrestling. The show takes place next Saturday, May 15th. It will be presented live on the Impact Plus streaming service.

Following this week’s AXS TV broadcast, here’s the updated match listing for Impact Under Siege:

  • Kenny Omega & The Good Brothers vs. Eddie Edwards & FinJuice
  • #1 Contender’s Match: Chris Bey vs. Matt Cardona vs. Chris Sabin vs. Sami Callihan vs. Moose vs. Trey Miguel. The winner of this match earns the right to challenge Kenny Omega for the Impact World Championship.
  • Knockouts Tag Team Champions Jordynne Grace & Rachael Ellering vs. Fire N’ Flava.
  • W. Morrisey vs. Willie Mack
  • Brian Myers vs. Black Taurus

Impact published a video of the 6 competitors in the #1 contender’s match talking about their desire to be the person who dethrones Kenny Omega:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVbVQ2TSm6Y

Impact Under Siege Go-Home Preview

Matches confirmed for next week’s “go home” edition of Impact on AXS TV include:

  • Knockouts Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Rosemary vs. Havok
  • #1 Contender’s X-Division Scramble Mach:
    Petey Williams vs. Acey Romero vs. Ace Austin vs. TJP vs. Rohit Raju vs. El Phantasmo
  • David Finlay vs. Karl Anderson

Darby Allin Says His Shoulder Is Jacked, But He’ll Be At Dynamite

Michael Reichlin
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Darby Allin has provided an update on his health after getting thrown down a flight of stairs at Blood and Guts.

AEW’s TNT Champion says has his shoulder is in bad shape, but he will show up next week no matter what.

He tweeted, “Long story short my shoulder is fucked but if I got till Wednesday to get my shit together I’ll just do that.”

You can see the full segment with Allin, Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky here:

Darby Allin vs. Miro Next Week

Miro will challenge for the TNT Championship next week.

Allin has been champion since November 7, 2020 when he defeated Cody Rhodes at Full Gear.

AEW Dynamite Tops Cable Ratings With Blood And Guts

Michael Reichlin
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TV viewership numbers are in for Wednesday’s AEW Blood and Guts special.

The May 5th edition of AEW Dynamite averaged 1.090 million viewers and did a 0.42 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. For the first time ever, AEW Dynamite was the most-watched show on cable for the day. The numbers come courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily.

Looking at the demographic breakdown, Dynamite drew a 0.58 rating in the males 18-49 demographic, more than doubling the next-closest competitor in that demo.

By comparison, last week’s AEW Dynamite did 889,000 Viewers and a 0.33 demo rating. Monday’s Raw did 1.872 million viewers with a 0.53 rating. Dynamite actually topped the third hour of Monday’s Raw in the Men 18-49 demographic (Raw: 0.55).

AEW looks to keep the momentum next week, with the following matches already confirmed for the 5/12 Dynamite:

  • Miro challenges Darby Allin for the TNT Championship
  • PAC vs. Orange Cassidy in a #1 contender’s match. The winner challenges AEW World Champion Kenny Omega at Double or Nothing later this month.
  • AEW World Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks vs. SCU.

Check out our full results and takeaways from AEW Blood and Guts:

AEW Gives Out Refunds To Fans At Blood & Guts

Chris Stephens
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Last night’s AEW Blood and Guts event might have seemed as though it was live, but in fact only the match between the Pinnacle and Inner Circle was. This was discussed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio.

Due to the time it takes to set up the double-cage, the first four matches of the event were pre-taped with no fans in attendance. Those matches were then shown on the big screen to the live fans at Blood and Guts, with their crowd noise being added to the broadcast.

“It was all taped with no fans a couple of weeks ago, the whole first hour,” said Dave Meltzer. “They did it to pretend that it was live so they actually set up the two rings when they did the taping. Because to set up the cage with the thing would take forever and they couldn’t do it live, they just couldn’t.”

“That’s why when they did the advertising, they advertised it was going to be a one match show, the idea was a one match show to the people who bought tickets.”

Tony Khan appeared before the show and explained the situation and offered refunds to anyone who was upset by the situation. In total, 5 refunds were given.

Salina de la Renta Gone From MLW

Chris Stephens
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Last night on MLW Fusion, the former Dario Cueto from Lucha Underground, now known as El Jefe, was revealed as the leader of Azteca Underground. Salina de la Renta had been abducted by one of El Jefe’s representatives and delivered to him in the show’s final scene. El Jefe informed Salina that he is building a new temple and this requires a sacrifice. While the camera cut away, it is assumed that Cueto made Salina that sacrifice.

According to comments Court Bauer made to Post Wrestling, the scene was Salina de la Renta’s send-off from the promotion. She is now gone from MLW.

“I think the character deserved a big prominent focus and a great send-off in the last scene of this era of MLW.”

MLW is looking to bring in some fresh names to its roster. They announced on Fusion last night a “2021 Draft” that will take place between now and MLW’s return on July 10th.

Salina de la Renta tweeted this out-of-character message about the end of her run with MLW:

“Nothing to cry about. Everything comes to an end and we’re grateful for those awesome memories. It’s also part of evolution and you gotta start somewhere, this the ending of a chapter in a book with many more chapters to come.”

MLW is on hiatus. The next show is scheduled for July 10th at Philadelphia’s 2300 Arena.

https://twitter.com/salinadelarenta/status/1390687039033683969
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