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Jim Cornette Says It’s “A Bummer” Watching Vince McMahon on Television

Jake Skudder
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Former WWE, TNA, WCW and NWA personality Jim Cornette recently discussed Vince McMahon and his recent WWE television appearances. Mr McMahon was recently seen on the Survivor Series PPV, introducing The Undertaker for his Final Farewell in the company.

Many fans and critics have noted McMahon’s advanced age and look during his recent appearances. Cornette himself would also comment on McMahon’s physical stature as he reaches his mid to late 70s.

Jim Cornette on Vince McMahon

“He looks like an old man” Cornette would begin on the Drive Thru podcast. “The one guy that…everybody that knew him? We thought he would never age. The one guy that they’ve [the fans] seen with all that vim and vigour on television, even if you’ve never met him, or seen him in person.”

Jim Cornette would then question why WWE still has McMahon being presented in the ‘same’ way he has been for the past 20+ years on television. “I think it’s just at this point? To have him stand in the ring and do the same type of delivery? Or deliver the message the same kind of way? It might be…it’s a bummer now [to watch]!”

“Maybe he should be in a boardroom setting” Cornette would continue. “I mean make use of the most famous wrestling personality they still have in the company. Make use of him! Just don’t have him doing the same kind of sh*t he used to do, because then you’re comparing it to 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years ago. Anybody’s gonna lose something [after that long].”

Do you agree with Jim Cornette? Do you think that Vince McMahon needs to stop appearing on WWE programming? Let us know in the comments

Check out the video of Vince McMahon from just 4 years ago to see the difference!

Arn Anderson: WWE Wanted To ‘Pull The Trigger’ With Nexus But Never Did

Jake Skudder
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AEW on-screen Coach and former WWE Agent Arn Anderson recently discussed the Nexus faction on his ARN podcast. This week’s episode is focused on the TLC 2010 event, which saw John Cena defeat Wade Barrett in the main event of the show.

At the time the Nexus were one of the top factions in the company, with Wade Barrett looking set to become WWE Champion. The crowning of Barrett would never happen, meaning that he would not become the fabled first-ever British WWE Champion. That honor would go to Drew McIntyre almost a decade later.

Arn Anderson would say that WWE were always looking to make Nexus/Barrett a massive part of the on-screen presentation; but this just never materialised due to a stop-start approach to booking.

Arn Anderson on PG Era

“It was the era of Cena” Anderson would begin on the podcast. “Which meant we were pointing towards children, having a PG product. Which was a far stretch from the Attitude Era, obviously, you know about as far as you can get.”

“I felt like we were trying to go with the Nexus full bore” Anderson would continue. “But it was start and stop. They [WWE] wouldn’t just go ahead and pull the trigger. I think the number of guys that were filtered through a card? There was probably seven or eight of those guys and you would filter them through a card…they were well represented, but they [WWE] weren’t pushing them. They never really pushed some heat on them, and I think that was a big mistake.”

Do you agree with Arn Anderson? Do you think that WWE could’ve made a much bigger deal with the Nexus group? Let us know in the comments

Remember how huge the Nexus debut was? Weren’t watching WWE at that time? Check out out below.

Renee Paquette Talks Starting Podcast Whilst Pregnant During COVID-19 Restrictions

Jake Skudder
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Former WWE on-screen personality Renee Paquette (Young) recently discussed her pregnancy on the Oral Sessions Podcast. Oral Sessions is Paquette’s newest venture; now on the second episode which features former MMA and Pro Wrestling star Josh Barnett.

Barnett hosts the annual BloodSport events and Paquette’s husband Jon Moxley has been a long admirer of the concept. The ‘shoot’ based event saw Moxley appear for the 2020 iteration back in October, facing Chris Dickinson in the main event.

Renee Paquette on new Podcast

Prior to the event Renee would record her episode of the podcast with Josh Barnett. “What’s kind of funny is that this was literally recorded days after I found out that I was pregnant” Renee would reveal on the show. “So, I had no idea what was going on with anything.”

“It was a very interesting time” Paquette would continue. “I was just wrapping my head around the fact that I was pregnant. AND trying to get this podcast off the ground.”

Renee would then discuss the difficulties of recording the interview during the COVID-19 pandemic whilst also being pregnant. “I was in Indianapolis with Jon (Moxley) who was going to do Bloodsport finally for the very first time. So I was stuck in the hotel room, I had to fully quarantine and couldn’t hang out or do anything because I just found out I was pregnant. I couldn’t do anything! Josh had been COVID tested, Jon had been COVID tested, so we were all safe to be able to gather around and crank out this podcast.”

Have you started listening to Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast? Have you got over the name yet? It’s ridiculous, right? Let us know in the comments

Check out the full episode of Oral Sessions view the embedded player below.

Eugene On If His Character Would Work In 2020

Chris Stephens
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Nick Dinsmore had a run with WWE from 2004 to 2007 where he portrayed the character of Eugene. He recently sat down for an interview with Chris Van Vliet and spoke about if he feels the character would work in wrestling today.

“One thing I know about WWE is that they can almost always make anything work,” Dinsmore responded.

“When Eugene first started, I didn’t have my first match on TV for two or three weeks and in those first two or three weeks some people I had heard, like radio stations or news outlets were saying ‘What is WWE going to do with this character?’. But the minute I won my first match, then they know it’s an underdog story of a boy with a dream wanting to be a wrestler and he’s fulfilling that dream.”

He was also asked if he was worried about people thinking the character was making fun of people with special needs.

“I thought about that going in but it was my opportunity but I was either going to sink or swim on it. But I had got so much positive affirmation afterwards. So many people said to me, ‘My brother has special needs and he told me that he can do anything because Eugene did it’. I heard that more times than I heard, ‘You’re making fun of people’. No, instead I heard ‘You’re giving them a voice’ or ‘Oh my God, there’s someone like me’. That’s what I want to be. That’s what WWE should be a representation of every type of person that there is around the world.”

The full interview with Nick Dinsmore, aka Eugene, can be viewed in the player below:

MLW Fusion Results (12/2): The Opera Cup Continues

Chris Stephens
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Major League Wrestling presented another episode of Fusion on December 2nd, 2020. This week’s show featured two matches in the Opera Cup tournament and the debut of the “Black Hand of Contra.”

MLW Fusion 12/2 Quick results:

  1. Opera Cup 2020 (1st Round)
    ACH defeated Laredo Kid
  2. Mads Krugger defeated Ariel Dominguez
  3. Opera Cup 2020 (1st Round)
    Low-Ki defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr.

ACH Advances To Opera Cup Semi-Finals

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1334292011784892417

MLW Fusion kicked off this week with ACH and Laredo Kid vying for the right to advance to the 2020 Opera Cup semi-finals. These two battled for close to 15-minutes in what was an even match up until the finish. Laredo Kid went to the top rope but was caught with a kick by ACH who then landed the Spirit Bomb (brainbuster) for the win. He’ll meet Tom Lawlor in the semi-finals.

Team Filthy To Enter The Tag Team Division

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1334342846757867521

After ACH defeated Laredo Kid, we saw a backstage promo from ACH’s next opponent, Tom Lawlor. The former MLW World Champion announced that his Team Filthy stablemate, Dominic Garrini, has found a new tag partner in Kevin Ku and they will wrestle next week.

The Von Erichs To Face Contra Unit Next Week

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1334296038316773376

The Von Erichs cut a promo this week from Hawaii. The brothers took offense to Contra Unit’s calling them out and vowed to go after the stable. It was later announced that Marshall and Ross will defend the tag titles next week against Jacob Fatu and Simon Gotch next week.

The Black Hand of Contra Debuts

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1334295283291750401

Recently on Fusion, a large man known only as the Black Hand of Contra debuted and attacked Alexander Hammerstone. This week, we learned the man’s name is Mads Krugger. He faced the much smaller Ariel Dominguez in singles action this week. Krugger manhandled his opponent and finished him off with a front-facing slam in under 2-minutes. Masked members of the Sentai Death Squad came out after the match and put Dominguez in a body bag.

Low-Ki Defeats Davey Boy Smith Jr. To Advance To Opera Cup Semi-Finals

https://twitter.com/MLW/status/1334301574991126530

Last year’s Opera Cup winner, Davey Boy Smith Jr. faced former MLW World Champion, Low-Ki, in this week’s main event. These two met in the 1st round of last year’s tournament, with Smith coming out the winner.

The finish of their match from last year’s tournament would factor into the finish of their match in this year’s tournament. After battling back and forth for 20-minutes, Smith attempted his running power slam but it was countered by Low-Ki into a choke. Smith attempted to turn the choke into a pinning combination as he did last year but Low-Ki reversed it into a pinning combination of his own and got the win.

With the win, Low-Ki moves on to face Richard Holliday in the semi-finals.

Next Week On MLW Fusion

The following matches are on tap for MLW Fusion next week:

  • Calvin Tankman in action
  • MLW Tag Team Championships
    The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall) (c) vs Jacob Fatu & Simon Gotch (Contra Unit)
  • Opera Cup Semi-Final #1
    Richard Holliday vs Low Ki

Also on Fusion this week:

  • Salina de la Renta is in Mexico City. She cut a promo saying she had some business to take care of and she doesn’t think Konnan will like it.
  • Richard Holliday cut a promo saying he’s dedicating his performance in the Opera Cup tournament to his injured stablemate, Alexander Hammerstone. Holliday was involved in an altercation with former Dynasty stable member, Gino Medina, last week.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. Finished With MLW

Michael Reichlin
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Davey Boy Smith Jr. has finished up with Major League Wrestling.

Smith participated in this year’s Opera Cup Tournament, but was eliminated in the opening round after losing against Low Ki. Smith won the tournament last year.

MLW President Court Bauer held a media call after this week’s episode of Fusion and confirmed the news of Smith’s departure.

“Davey Boy’s exit in the opening round of the Opera Cup marks the end of this chapter for DBS in MLW,” said Bauer. “I have immense gratitude for (Davey) and his contributions inside the MLW ring over the past 2 ½ years. The MLW system was a great fit for him.”

In addition to winning the 2019 Opera Cup, Smith is a former MLW Tag Team Champion along with Brian Pillman Jr.

Bauer called Davey Boy Smith the real deal and a certified beast. He will be missed on the MLW roster, but the company already has a big name lined up to fill that role.

“With Davey’s spot on the roster opening up, there will be a familiar face arriving soon to fill it. I’m a little surprised it hasn’t leaked yet. This one is a big surprise.”

Backstage News On AEW & Impact Wrestling Relationship

Chris Stephens
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AEW’s Winter is Coming was an eventful show, to say the least. We saw Sting’s AEW debut, which garnered mainstream headlines and was still trending on social media on Tuesday morning. However, that memorable moment was overshadowed by what transpired at the end of the broadcast.

Dynamite closed with Kenny Omega winning the AEW World Championship with help from longtime friend (and Impact Wrestling executive), Don Callis. As Omega and Callis were leaving the arena, Callis said that Omega would be on Impact Wrestling next Tuesday night.

AEW’s relationship with Impact Wrestling was discussed on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. “The Callis thing has been in the works for a while,” Dave Meltzer. “I didn’t know this but I presume that Don Callis – you know, Don Callis came up with the Omega Jericho match- I presume he came up with this idea and Tony Khan went with it and Omega probably wanted it.”

Kenny Omega is now a full-blown heel, with Don Callis at his side. Hijacking the AEW World Championship and are taking it to another ‘territory’ is a huge development that presents a multitude of storyline options.

In addition to Omega appearing on Impact television next week, we’ve heard that this affiliation will naturally lead to some talent exchange. It is very likely that some Impact talent will end up on AEW television, which is win-win for both sides. Impact has a strong women’s division, as well as several tag teams like The North, Gallows & Anderson and the Motor City Machine Guns. You can also expect some AEW talent appearing on Impact.

Kenny Omega will address his actions next Tuesday on Impact Wrestling.

News On Sting’s AEW Deal & How He Will Be Used

Chris Stephens
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Sting debuted for AEW last night at Winter is Coming. Shortly after his appearance on the show, it was announced that he signed a full-time multi-year agreement with the promotion.

Sting’s deal with AEW was discussed recently on Wrestling Observer Radio. “It’s not like WWE where you show up once every year or whatever. I mean, he is going to be on this thing. They wanted the idea of the big star from the old generation TNT being back as a regular.”

At 61-years-old, Sting is limited with how physical he can get. Don’t expect to see him working 20-minute singles matches, but he can still be a valuable asset to AEW.

“Whatever physical stuff he does, they are going to have to do very safely,” Meltzer continued. “There will be physical stuff but I don’t think he’ll be taking any bumps or anything like that. But he’s in, he’s going to be a character in some form.”

Sting’s debut was timed for the holiday season in part to sell merchandise. Fans probably noticed Sting was wearing an official AEW t-shirt for his debut. Immediately after his segment on Dynamite, a line of Sting t-shirts, hoodies and hats was added to the AEW store.

Check out Sting’s new AEW merchandise at ShopAEW.com.

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Xavier Woods On His Reaction To Learning About His G4 Gig

Anutosh Bajpai
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WWE star Xavier Woods was recently named the host for the revived G4 video game brand which will be relaunching sometime in the next year.

The New Day member had an interview with IGN after the announcement where he discussed things like what it means for him to be part of the G4 family and more.

During the interview, Woods also revealed his reaction to the big announcement and he claimed that his reaction was similar to the time he got a WWE contract:

“I was losing my mind… It was incredible, I’m just a random dude from Georgia who loves video games and loves wrestling.

So getting my WWE contract while sitting in the middle of a Walgreens in Orlando, Florida at the time doing like backflips, calling my parents… I had the exact same reaction when I found out I was going to be a host on G4.”

Apart from this, Xavier Woods talked about how the world of gaming has changed and he mentioned how back in the day there was a time when you got made fun of for liking wrestling.

He then explained that the same thing happened with video games in the past and he has been trying to show people that we are all the same kind of nerds.

Keith Lee Details Experience Of His First Month On The Main Roster

Anutosh Bajpai
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Keith Lee impressed everyone with his performance at last year’s Survivor Series PPV and then at Royal Rumble earlier this year, which resulted in him being called up to Raw in August after the SummerSlam PPV.

However, his transition from NXT to the main roster wasn’t as smooth as fans were hoping. The officials changed his theme song and ring gear for his debut which made many concerned about his future in the company.

During a recent interview with ComicBook.com, the former NXT star talked about his main roster call-up and discussed how he acclimated to the changes in his first month on the Red Brand:

“That first month was all over the place, I think that making it through that was enough for me to get an understanding of where I was and how I needed to approach things going forward.

I think that the first three weeks really kind of forced that acclimation, and if I had failed within those first three weeks, I was going to struggle going forward.” said Keith Lee, “But I think I’ve done quite fine.”

The former NXT Champion then discussed the change in his theme song and ring gear for his main roster debut. He said that it’s understandable why fans did not like the change and voiced their opinion against it.

Though he mentioned how the officials noticed the backlash from fans and asked Lee to come up with a new theme which he has since debuted on Raw.

New AEW Champion Kenny Omega Announced For Impact Wrestling Appearance

Anutosh Bajpai
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0

The ‘Winter Is Coming’ themed episode of AEW Dynamite featured many surprises including the involvement of Impact wrestling VP Don Callis in the AEW World title match between Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega.

Callis was in the commentary for this bout and he eventually made his way to the ring. He checked on Omega after a tough suplex on the floor and Callis then tried to pursue the referee to stop the fight, saying that Kenny was hurt.

This resulted in Mox blasting the Impact Executive with a punch. However, the mic Callis was holding ended up in the ring due to Jon’s punch and Kenny Omega used it to his advantage by hitting the AEW Champion with the microphone.

He went on to hit Moxley with a one winged angel and Kenny Omega became the new AEW World Champion after pinning the former WWE star.

Callis then grabbed the AEW title and helped Omega to get backstage and into a waiting vehicle. Alex Marvez tried asking Callis what just happened and he responded by saying that we will find out about it on Tuesday at Impact.

Impact Wrestling’s official Twitter account later retweeted a video of the segment and when a fan accused Don Callis of screwing AEW, he simply responded by saying ‘AEW screwed AEW’:

All these signs point towards a new partnership between the two promotions. We still don’t know the details of this partnership but it does open a plethora of new possibilities.

One such interesting possibility is the potential of exchanging talents which could lead to a Bullet Club reunion between Omega and the team of Gallows and Anderson. Stay tuned for more updates.

NXT Roster Pays Tribute To Pat Patterson (Photos)

Anutosh Bajpai
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The NXT roster paid tribute the late Pat Patterson during the opening segment of tonight’s show, after the legends’ unfortunate passing earlier yesterday.

The Takeover: WarGames 2020 go home edition of the show opened with Triple H, Shawn Michaels, William Regal and the whole NXT roster standing on the stage to pay tribute to the former WWE star.

They then cut to a video package on Patterson’s legendary career. The show came back to a “thank you Pat!” chant from the attendees in the Capitol Wrestling Center

Images of the wrestling legend were then displayed on led boards around the arena. You can check out some photos of the segment below:

Remembered for things such as being the Inaugural Intercontinental Champion and the creator of the Royal Rumble match, Pat Patterson passed away at the age of 79 earlier yesterday after a long battle with cancer at the Miami hospital.

The former champion had been involved with the wrestling business for over six decades and during his active years; he wrestled for companies such as AWA, NJPW and WWE.

After his retirement, Patterson transitioned to a backstage role in WWE and he had been working in various backstage positions for the company since 2005.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kuct2Bz7Hs

AEW Dynamite Winter Is Coming Results: Moxley vs. Omega, Sting Debuts

Robert Lentini
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AEW Dynamite Winter is Coming aired live from Daily’s Place. Jon Moxley defended the AEW Championship against Kenny Omega in the main event. In addition to the takeaways below, The Acclaimed attacked AEW Tag Team Champions the Young Bucks backstage tonight.

Dynamite Results (12/2)

  1. MJF & Orange Cassidy won the Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal
  2. Chris Jericho def. Frankie Kazarian
  3. Britt Baker def. Leyla Hirsch via submission
  4. Cody & Darby Allin def. Powerhouse Hobbs & Ricky Starks
  5. Kenny Omega def. Jon Moxley to capture the AEW Championship

Here are the takeaways from the show:

MJF Will Face Orange Cassidy Next Week For The Dynamite Diamond Ring

The Dynamite Diamond Battle Royal kicked off the show. Hangman Page eliminated Serpentico first and then Dark Order celebrated with him. Dark Order eliminated Luther as MJF and Sammy Guevara worked together. Scorpio Sky sent Shawn Spears over the top rope to eliminate him. Tully Blanchard gave Spears the steel slug and Shawn put it in his glove. Spears hit Scorpio Sky with a cheap shot and then Wardlow eliminated him.

Alex Reynolds was eliminated and then Marq Quen sent John Silver over the top rope. Hangman Page got sent over the top rope but Dark Order caught him. Hangman hit Quen with a Buckshot Lariat but Matt Hardy eliminated Page from behind. Miro eliminated Lee Johnson and slammed Joey Janela to the canvas.

Miro eliminated Marq Quen, Matt Hardy, and Joey Janela. Wardlow and Miro traded punches in the middle of the ring. Inner Circle teamed up and beat Miro down. Miro tried to battle back but Wardlow caught him with a Clothesline. Inner Circle then eliminated Miro. The final four wrestlers left in the Battle Royal were MJF, Wardlow, Sammy Guevara, and Jungle Boy.

Sammy and Jungle Boy were battling on the top rope and MJF shoved Jungle Boy from behind. Jungle Boy and Sammy fell to the floor and were eliminated. Wardlow realized that Orange Cassidy had not been eliminated and brought him back into the ring. Cassidy hit MJF and Wardlow with an Orange Punch. Cassidy then eliminated Wardlow and will battle MJF next week for the Dynamite Diamond ring.

Jericho Defeated Kazarian

Jericho battled Frankie Kazarian tonight on Dynamite. Kazarian controlled the action early but Jericho battled back with a poke to Frankie’s eye. Jericho followed it up with a Dropkick and posed in the ring as the crowd in attendance cheered. Frankie hit Jericho with a Dropkick of his own on the ring apron.

Hager and Ortiz distracted Frankie and Jericho capitalized with a Codebreaker as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Kazarian connected with a Dropkick and went for the cover but Le Champion kicked out at two. Frankie brought Jericho to the top rope and connected with the Flux Capacitor for a near fall.

Jericho went for the Codebreaker again but Frankie locked in the Walls of Jericho. Wardlow brought a towel down to the ring and handed it to MJF. Sammy Guevara ran down the ramp and ripped the white towel away from MJF. Jericho spotted Sammy with the towel and thought he was about to throw it in. Jericho kicked out of a roll-up and hit the Judas Effect for the pinfall victory.

After the match, MJF and Sammy started shoving each other and Jericho grabbed a microphone. Jericho shouted that they will have an ultimatum next week to decide if they can work together. If not, Inner Circle will break up.

Britt Baker Tapped Out Leyla Hirsch

Britt Baker battled Leyla Hirsch tonight. Baker mocked Hirsch’s height but quickly got taken down to the canvas. Leyla applied a Headlock in the middle of the ring and then transitioned into an Armbar. Baker battled back and beat Hirsch down as Dynamite went to a commercial break.

When Dynamite returned, Leyla hit Reba with a Suicide Dive outside the ring but Britt Baker capitalized and bounced Hirsch’s face off the apron. Back in the ring, Baker sent Leyla into the middle turnbuckle and followed it up with a Swinging Neckbreaker. Britt applied the Lockjaw for the submission victory.

After the match, Thunder Rosa attacked Britt Baker before AEW officials broke it up. Leyla planted Reba with a Suplex while Baker and Thunder Rosa brawled again.

Sting Arrived In AEW

TNT Champion Darby Allin & Cody Rhodes squared off against Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs tonight. Allin and Cody controlled the match early as Dynamite cut to a break out of nowhere in the middle of Excalibur talking. When Dynamite returned, Cody hit Starks with a Suplex before tagging Allin in. Powerhouse Hobbs leveled Allin with a Clothesline outside the ring and then launched him into the barricade.

Back in the ring, Hobbs tagged in and planted Darby with a Suplex. Hobbs did some pushups and taunted Cody before tagging Starks back in. Hobbs and Starks isolated Darby in the corner of the ring and spent the next few minutes taking turns beating him down.

Cody finally tagged in and hit Hobbs off the apron with a Disaster Kick. Darby tagged himself in as Cody hit Starks with a Cutter. Cody hit Hobbs with a Suicide Dive and then Darby connected with the Coffin Drop on Starks for the pinfall victory. After the match, Team Taz beat down Dustin Rhodes and Hobbs was about to hit Cody with the FTW Championship but the lights went out.

Sting then appeared on the entrance ramp as the crowd went nuts. Sting took out his baseball ball and marched to the ring. Sting stared at everyone before making his way backstage. It was announced that Sting has signed a multi-year deal with AEW.

Opinion: This was awesome. Sting’s entrance was absolutely perfect. Sting has returned home to TNT and we will see what happens from here. I have no idea if he is going to be wrestling for one final run or will be a coach/manager like Arn Anderson. If you are wrestling fan and didn’t get goosebumps during this segment I don’t know what to tell you.

Kenny Omega Won The AEW Title & Will Appear On Impact Next Week

Jon Moxley defended the AEW Championship against Kenny Omega in the main event. Don Callis once again joined commentary for the title match.

Moxley applied a Headlock to start off the action. Omega escaped and sent Moxley to the corner of the ring. Jon leveled Omega with a Clothesline that knocked him to the floor outside the ring as Dynamite went to a break. When Dynamite returned, Omega slammed Moxley’s knee into the barricade and brought him back into the ring.

Omega lit up Moxley’s chest with a series of chops and then sent Jon out of the ring. Omega flipped onto Moxley and rolled him back into the ring. Moxley booted Omega in the midsection and planted him with the Paradigm Shift. Jon didn’t go for the cover but brought two chairs into the ring.

Moxley and Omega took a seat on the chairs and traded strikes. Omega rocked Moxley with the V-Trigger and followed it up with a Snap Dragon Suplex. Moxley connected with a German Suplex but Omega popped up and hit another V-Trigger.

Jon caught Omega with a massive Clothesline and followed it up with another Paradigm Shift. Moxley went for the cover but Omega was able to kick out at the last moment. Jon went for a Suicide Dive but Omega countered with another V-Trigger to the AEW Champions face.

Back in the ring, Omega made his way to the top rope as Jon stumbled to his feet. Kenny connected with a Dropkick that sent Moxley to the opposite corner of the ring. Kenny hit Moxley with a knee to the back of the head and planted Jon with the Tiger Driver 98 for a two count.

Omega went for the One Winged Angel but Moxley escaped. Kenny hit Moxley with a Dropkick to the face and followed it up with another V-Trigger. Omega set up for the One Winged Angel but Jon blocked it. Jon tripped Omega up and bounced his face off the ring apron.

Moxley connected with another Paradigm Shift into the heaters next to the ring. The referee called for a doctor and Don Callis went to check on Omega. Jon got impatient and brought Omega back into the ring. Jon started unloading punches to Kenny’s face as Don Callis got on a microphone and said Omega is hurt.

Jon punched Don in the face and Omega grabbed the microphone. Omega hit Jon over the head with the microphone and slid it out of the ring while the referee was checking on Callis. Moxley was busted open and Kenny hit Jon with four V-Triggers in a row. Omega then planted Moxley with the One Winged Angel for the pinfall victory. Omega and Callis then scampered out of the ring and to the parking lot as Tony Schiavone shouted “bullshit!”. Alex Marvez stopped Callis and he said that Omega will be on Impact Wrestling next Tuesday.

Opinion: I have no idea what the hell is going but I would be ecstatic if Impact and AEW are going to start working together in some kind partnership. If that is the case, the women’s and tag team divisions just got infinitely better. This was an insane way to end the night and once again Dynamite delivers an entertaining show.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1334332355511803905?s=20

WWE NXT Results (12/2): Ladder Match, Leon Ruff & Damian Priest Team Up

Andrew Ravens
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The December 2, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Winter Park, Florida at Capitol Wrestling Center.

WWE NXT Results 

  • Leon Ruff & Damian Priest def. Legado del Fantasma (Santos Escobar & Raul Mendoza).
  • Cameron Grimes def. August Grey.
  • Jake Atlas def. Tony Nese.
  • Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Imperium ended in an apparent no-contest
  • Shotzi Blackheart def, Raquel Gonzalez in Ladder Match

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

The Kings Of NXT

pjimage 2020 12 02T184500.871

Ahead of the show, WWE had hyped The Kings of NXT (Pat McAfee, NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch, Pete Dunne) would make a “special appearance” in order to promote their WarGames match against The Undisputed Era.

Earlier in the night, there was a video package for The Undisputed Era where they were dressed in suits and said that they would make their four enemies their b*tch. 

In the second hour, a video package for the Kings of NXT was shown. This was the same as UE as the group hyped that they ruled the brand and would take care of the rival group. Pure promotional stuff here, but very well done. 

Kings of NXT then came out for a promo. McAfee said that he wants Cole to feel every single time they put them through tables and hit them with various weapons.

Tag Team Action

pjimage 2020 12 02T192413.177

Damian Priest and Leon Ruff vs. Legado Del Fantasma in a tag team contest kicked off the show after a touching tribute to the late Pat Patterson. Johnny Gargano was on commentary. 

This was done to further promote the three-way match at WarGames where Ruff will defend the NXT North American Title against Gargano and Priest. Throughout the match, Gargano continued to mock Ruff as a comedic and not the real champion. 

The heels beat down the babyfaces in the early going. After selling for most of the match Priest fought back and got the hot tag to Ruff only to have Priest do all the heavy lifting. Ruff won the match with a splash off the top rope.

An easy win here for Ruff, who continues to be booked as someone who has no business in winning. 

More Mind Games

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WWE decided to book a quick singles match between Cameron Grimes and August Grey that was short and to the point, which was a dominant win for Grimes. 

Things got interesting after the match as Dexter Lumis appeared from out of nowhere and attacked Grimes with a strap. Lumis stood tall in the ring. 

This was done to further hype their third match, which will have the gimmicked strap in play at NXT TakeOver: WarGames.

This appears to be the blowoff match between the two stars and based not only on my take but the majority of fans online, we’re hoping that’s the case. 

Ladder Match

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Shotzi Blackheart battled with Raquel Gonzalez in a ladder match with the winner earning the WarGames advantage for their team.

Shotzi tossed a ladder to the floor onto Raquel. They sent each other into the ring post. Shotzi was tossed onto the barricade, but she caught herself and did a dive off of it. Shotzi went for an outside dive, but Raquel caught her and slammed her on the apron. 

Raquel was sent into the rope then Shotzi hit a splash into the corner sending Raquel’s face into a ladder. They took a spill to the floor and the two teams checked on their representatives. Raquel tried to climb the ladder, but Io Shirai jumped on her back. Io sent her to the floor. Shotzi managed to climb the ladder to earn the advantage. 

This was just like the men’s ladder match last week. WWE has already confirmed that Blackheart’s team features Ember Moon, Rhea Ripley and the NXT Women’s Champion. while Candice LeRae’s team has Toni Storm, Raquel Gonzalez, Indie Heartwell, and Dakota Kai. They’ll wrestle inside of the WarGames structure this Sunday night. 

Kenny Omega Wins AEW World Championship With Help From Don Callis

Andrew Ravens
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In the highly anticipated rematch, Jon Moxley and Kenny Omega presented a very good match on AEW Dynamite.

The special episode of the weekly All Elite Wrestling television show had a “Winter Is Coming” theme on TNT with Moxley defending the AEW World Heavyweight Title against Omega. 

The main event of this show from Jacksonville, Florida went several minutes. It featured a hard-hitting yet technical style of match. Omega worked over the left knee of Moxley throughout the match, but they did have momentum swings. Moxley teased bringing in chairs despite their agreement of no weapons so instead of using them, they sat down and exchanged strikes. 

Towards the end, they hit some of their signature moves. Omega caught Moxley with the V-Trigger when Mox went for an outside dive. They did a spot where Moxley sent Omega into a heater and a doctor checked as well as Don Callis on Omega.

Moxley pulled him into the ring. Callus got hit after getting on the apron by Moxley and Omega took the microphone to hit Moxley with it so Mox started to bleed. Omega hit Moxley with a few V-Triggers then the One-Winged Angel for the win. 

Omega is the new AEW world heavyweight Champion. Post-match, Callis, and Omega got into an SUV just before Callis said that they would tell all on Tuesday’s episode of Imact Wrestling. 

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Omega earned this title match when he beat Adam Page in the finals of the AEW World Title Eliminator to determine the new #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Title at last month’s Full Gear pay-per-view event. 

Kenny Omega Open To AEW Having A Working Relationship With WWE

Sting Debuts On AEW Dynamite, Signs Full-Time Multi-Year Deal

Andrew Ravens
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The Icon Sting is All Elite. 

For the first time since 2001 when wrestling Ric Flair on WCW Nitro, the legendary pro wrestler made an appearance on TNT during Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite. 

The show saw Cody Rhodes and Darby Allin (with Arn Anderson in their corner) face Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs in a tag team match. The finish of the contest saw Allin hit the Coffin Drop on Starks after Rhodes hit him with a cutter. 

Post-match, Hobbs attacked Allin and Anderson got involved by trying to make the save. However, Arn got taken out only to have Dustin Rhodes try to make the save and Brian Cage took him out. The lights went out then back on with Sting appearing with his trusted baseball bat in his hand.

AEW sent out a press release announcing that Sting has signed a full-time multi-year agreement. “The surprise introduction of Sting was a great way to celebrate our biggest episode of Dynamite yet,” said Tony Khan, CEO and GM of AEW.

“When AEW launched, I was ecstatic to bring wrestling back to TNT after a very long absence. Sting defeated the legendary Ric Flair in the final wrestling match to be shown on TNT for more than 18 years until the debut of Dynamite in 2019. Now, almost two decades later, it’s such a thrill to welcome Sting to AEW and bring him back home to TNT!”

Sting hasn’t wrestled a match since 2015 at Night of Champions in a match with Seth Rollins due to a neck injury. His legends deal with WWE expired earlier this year. 

WWE NXT Star Reportedly Tests Positive For COVID-19

Andrew Ravens
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The WWE NXT brand has been dealt with another positive COVID-19 test as one of its stars has the virus. 

Fightful Select reports that another top star tested positive for the virus recently. However, there’s not the same concern attached to it compared to previous wrestlers testing positive as it hasn’t led to an outbreak. 

The name of the wrestler wasn’t mentioned, but what the report did state was the wrestler isn’t known to be around large crowds of people very often. 

WWE has been criticized in the past for its handling of the coronavirus, but NXT has been hit harder as of late due to the guidelines in place. WWE has resumed training its developmental talent and has an odd schedule of tests. 

The report stated that it’s not on the same level of concern on the main roster because they’re tested before every show. 

For those who are wondering, this talent testing positive doesn’t look to impact the NXT WarGames event this Sunday. 

There was a big outbreak within NXT back in October thanks to several wrestlers attending a party. Because of its reactions being relaxed, Florida has been hit hard since the start of the pandemic. 

Details On How Recent WWE Performance Center COVID-19 Outbreak Started

Two Rascalz Members Officially Sign With WWE

Andrew Ravens
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Part of The Rascalz trio has officially signed with WWE as Deveon Aiken (Dezmond Xavier) and Zachary Green (Zachary Wentz) were introduced as two members of the new Performance Center class. 

The new class of Performance Center recruits was confirmed by WWE on Wednesday. The new talents are now training at the facility located in Orlando, Florida.

What’s interesting is that Trey Miguel was not announced for this class even though he was the third member of the faction in Impact Wrestling. There was talk that he could end up with AEW, but it’s possible that he has signed with WWE and wasn’t included as part of this class announcement. 

The Rascalz finished up with Impact Wrestling last month. At the time of their departure, it was reported they left on good terms.

WWE sent out the following details on the other recruits: 

Alex Brandenburg competed under the name Alex Zayne on the independent scene. The Kentucky native has made a name for himself in promotions like Game Changer Wrestling, Black Label Pro and Ring of Honor during his 15-year career.

Sojiru “Ikemen” Higuchi is a 26-year-old wrestler from Japan who was trained by former United States and WWE Tag Team Champion Tajiri, and he has competed for Wrestle-1 and All-Japan Pro Wrestling.

Twenty-three-year-old Georgia native Anriel Howard played college basketball at Mississippi State and Texas A&M. She was selected in the 2019 WNBA Draft, and played professionally for the Seattle Storm.

Russ Taylor of Phelan, Calif. brings plenty of global experience to the WWE PC. Taylor has competed for wXw in Germany, as well as in Japan and across the United States.

As of this writing, there’s no word yet on when Aiken and Green will make their debut on NXT TV. 

The Rascalz Leaving Impact Wrestling After 2 Years

WWE RAW Viewership & Demo Down This Week (11/30)

Andrew Ravens
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Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.741 million viewers with a 0.53 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This was down from last week in total viewers, which did 1.808 million viewers and the 0.57 demo rating. 

To compare, just one year ago, RAW averaged 2.208 million viewers. The viewership was expected to drop this week after last week’s show, which served as the post-Survivor Series edition, although WWE did have a big Sudden Death Triple Threat Match in the third hour on Monday’s show. 

WWE went up against an NFL game that aired on ESPN, which was between the Seahawks and Eagles that had 11.376 million viewers. 

Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Raw, courtesy of Showbuzzdaily.com:

  • Hour 1: 1.828 million, 0.56 in the 18-49 Demo
  • Hour 2: 1.763 million, 0.53 in the 18-49 Demo
  • Hour 3: 1.632 million, 0.49 in the 18-49 Demo

SmackDown Viewership

Friday’s SmackDown averaged 2.141 million viewers on FOX. This is down from the 2.326  that the show did for the previous week on FOX.

The overnight rating was 1.987 million viewers, which was down from 2.215 a week ago. The first hour did 2.016 million viewers while hour two did 1.957million viewers. This was up from a week ago with hour one doing 2.202 and hour two doing 2.228. 

SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, down from 0.70 rating as last week’s show.

John Cena Releasing Two Inspirational Books In April 2021

Chris Stephens
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Anyone who has ever glanced at John Cena’s social media knows he loves a good inspirational quote. Now, a whole book of them will be published on April 6th, 2021. In fact, Cena will actually publish two books on that day.

One book will be titled “Do Your Best Every Day to Do Your Best Every Day” and will be aimed at readers aged 8-12. The book will feature inspirational messages inspired by Cena’s Twitter feed. Another book, “Be A Work in Progress,” will be similar in substance but will be geared towards readers of all ages.

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Cena was quoted in a press release announcing the two books.

“We all have a lot on our minds, especially now, given the current state of the world. Words of encouragement can help us stay motivated and focused on what’s really important, and I hope that both Do Your Best Every Day to Do Your Best Every Day and Be a Work in Progress will inspire kids and adults to be the best versions of themselves,” Cena said in a statement.

“John Cena has a great talent for connecting with and encouraging kids and adults alike,” says Mallory Loehr, executive vp and publisher of Random House Books for Young Readers Group. “These collections are a new way for him to encourage readers of all ages to celebrate their achievements and take time to become the best version of themselves—whatever that might be.”

The news was first reported by the Hollywood Reporter here.

Anthony Ogogo Calls Out Jake Paul: Come Play With The Big Boys

Chris Stephens
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Former Olympic boxer turned AEW wrestler Anthony Ogogo has called out YouTube personality turned boxer, Jake Paul.

On the undercard of Mike Tyson vs Roy Jones Jr over the weekend, Paul knocked out former NBA player Nate Robinson to earn his second win as a professional. Video of the viral knockout can be seen below.

Ogogo sent the following message to Paul on Twitter, challenging him to step up if he wants to ‘play with the big boys.’

Ogogo signed with AEW in October of 2019. He is training with Cody Rhodes and QT Marshall as well as working in a commentary role periodically on AEW Dark. He retired from the boxing ring in 2019 after suffering visual impairment following a broken orbital bone suffered in a 2016 fight against Craig Cunningham. His trainer took him out of the fight in the 8th round, resulting in the only loss of Ogogo’s pro career. Ogogo has said he was declared legally blind as a result of the injury and had his driver’s license taken away.

He hasn’t fought since and officially retired in 2019.

“I’ve been through a lot in my career. I’ve had 17 operations and suffered every pain imaginable. I’ve won, lost, cried and hurt. But if you were to ask me would I do it again? In a heartbeat. I love this game,” he said when announcing his retirement.

As for Jake Paul, he has over 20 million subscribers on YouTube. He is also the brother of famous YouTuber, Logan Paul. Jake Paul won his first pro-fight in January and then knocked out his opponent over the weekend in a clip that has gone viral online.

https://twitter.com/HipHopDX/status/1332918297000460289

MLW Fusion Preview, Lio Rush’s Debut, Kings of Colosseum

Michael Reichlin
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The 2020 Opera Cup continues on tonight’s episode of MLW Fusion. Matches signed for this week’s show include:

  • ACH vs. Laredo Kid (Opera Cup, opening round)
  • Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Low Ki (Opera Cup, semi-final)

We will also see the in-ring debut of “The Black Hand of CONTRA Unit.”

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MLW Fusion premieres at 7pm (Eastern) on the MLW YouTube channel.

The December 23rd episode of Fusion will be a special event, Kings of Colosseum. Former WWE star Lio Rush will make his in-ring debut on this card.

Finally, MLW President Court Bauer teased on social media that MLW is in talks with yet another ‘major international promotion.’

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NXT Preview: Blackheart vs. Gonzalez For WarGames Advantage

Michael Reichlin
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WWE presents NXT Takeover: War Games this Sunday live on the WWE Network. As of this writing, WWE has announced one match for tonight’s “go home” edition of NXT on the USA Network

Shotzi Blackheart will face Raquel Gonzalez. The winner earns the advantage for their team this weekend at WarGames.

We’ll update this article if WWE announces any more matches before showtime. Check back later tonight for our weekly NXT results and takeaways.

The following matches are confirmed for NXT Takeover: WarGames:

  • WarGames: Undisputed ERA vs. Pat McAfee, Pete Dunne, Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
  • WarGames: Team Shotzi vs. Team Candice
  • NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff vs. Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano
  • Strap Match: Dexter Lumis vs. Cameron Grimes

AEW Rankings Report 12/2: Omega, Swole, & FTR Ranked #1

Chris Stephens
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AEW has released new top-5 rankings ahead of tonight’s episode of Dynamite.

Men’s Singles Rankings

AEW World Champion: Jon Moxley (21-0)
TNT Champion: Darby Allin (14-5)

  1. Kenny Omega (7-0)
  2. Maxwell Jacob Friedman (10-1)
  3. Cody Rhodes (20-3-1)
  4. Brian Cage (11-1)
  5. Ricky Starks (14-2)

There was no movement in the men’s singles division this week.

Tonight on Dynamite, #1 Kenny Omega will challenge champion, Jon Moxley.

TNT Champion Darby Allin will team with #3 Cody Rhodes tonight in tag action against #5 Ricky Starks and Will Hobbs.

#2 Maxwell Jacob Friedman will look to defend his Dynamite Diamond ring tonight in the battle royal.

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Women’s Singles Rankings

AEW Women’s Champion: Hikaru Shida (21-1)

  1. Big Swole (13-4)
  2. Nyla Rose (12-3)
  3. Serena Deeb (4-2)
  4. Penelope Ford (11-5)
  5. Abadon (5-1) (previously unranked)

Anna Jay drops out of the rankings this week after losing to Hikaru Shida in a title match last week. Abadon, who confronted the champion after the match, replaces Anna in the #5 spot.

In the women’s division tonight, unranked Britt Baker takes on unranked Leyla Hirsch.

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Tag Team Division Rankings

Tag Team Champions: The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson) (11-3)

  1. FTR (Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler) (12-1)
  2. The Best Friends (Trent & Chuck Taylor) (19-7)
  3. Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus) (14-5) (+1)
  4. The Natural Nightmares (Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall) (9-2) (-1)
  5. The Dark Order (Evil Uno & Stu Grayson) (14-2)

The Jurassic Express and Natural Nightmares switch spots this week. No other movement was recorded in the tag team division, however. There are no matches featuring established tag-teams scheduled for Winter is Coming.

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Pat Patterson Passes Away At 79

Michael Reichlin
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WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson has passed away. He was 79.

Patterson was a one of a kind trailblazer whose professional wrestling career spanned six decades. After a storied in-ring career that included him becoming the first-ever WWE Intercontinental Champion, Patterson transitioned to a prominent role behind the scenes. He is credited with creating the Royal Rumble match. He was part of Vince McMahon’s inner circle and a beloved figure in the industry. In 2016, he released his autobiography, Accepted: How the First Gay Superstar Changed WWE.

SEScoops extends our condolences to the family and friends of Pat Patterson. For more on Patterson’s life and wrestling career, visit WWE.com.

Reactions to Pat Patterson’s passing:

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