For fans hoping to see Ronda Rousey make a return to the UFC, Dana White has some bad news for you.
The UFC President has shot down the possibility of the former UFC Bantamweight Champion ever returning to the Octagon. He did so as he spoke with the media ahead of Saturday’s UFC 260 pay-per-view event.
While talking about the return of Meisha Tate, who is bitter rivals with Rousey and has lost to her on a few different occasions, White mentioned he recently had a telephone conversation with Rousey. However, they didn’t talk about her MMA return.
“Don’t even f***ing start you guys,” said White [h/t/ The Sun]. “Yesterday about lots of different things, not this, but yes we talked yesterday. [She is] Absolutely, positively not coming back ever.”
Rousey lost the UFC title to Holly Holm and then lost her final UFC fight against Amanda Nunes in December 2016 where she lost in the first round by knockout.
She joined WWE in 2018 where she became a top star for the company and became Raw Women’s champion. She worked her last match in WWE against Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 35. Rousey went on hiatus to start a family. Her contract with WWE expires in April.
It appears that the appearance of Edge may have played a factor in WWE changing WrestleMania 37 plans.
Of course, the WWE Hall of Famer is slated to challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Title at WrestleMania 37. However, the company plans to add Daniel Bryan to the bout and make it a three-way match. This is the reason why Edge turned heel at Fastlane that featured him hitting double spears to Reigns and Bryan, which allowed Reigns to retain the title.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that a source within WWE noted the issue of Edge’s age, not so much the number but the look of his age, was a concerning point for Vince McMahon.
The source stated Edge “was looking older each week” on WWE TV since returning in January. The WWE Chairman and CEO decided to make a change to the match partially because of Edge’s look in addition to wanting to shake-up things.
McMahon has made various changes to plans for WrestleMania. The feeling then was that Bryan would be the babyface.
WWE WrestleMania 37 takes place on Saturday, April 10th, and Sunday, April 11, 2021 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. The match will take place on the second night.
The WWE Network has been airing shows counting down the top-50 female superstars of the modern era. Female Superstars who made their names before the 1990s have not been included in this list.
The top-50 WWE female superstars of the modern-era are:
Trish Stratus
Charlotte Flair
Becky Lynch
Chyna
Asuka
Sasha Banks
Alundra Blayze (Medusa)
Lita
Ronda Rousey
Bayley
Beth Phoenix
Mickie James
Alexa Bliss
Victoria
Molly Holly
Sable
Paige
Shayna Baszler
A.J Lee
Natalya
Rhea Ripley
Michelle McCool
Stephanie McMahon
Luna Vachon
Io Shirai
The Bella Twins (Ranked together)
Melina
Ivory
Bull Nakano
Naomi
Kairi Sane
Jaqueline
Gail Kim
Carmella
Bianca Belair
Nia Jax
Maryse
Jazz
Lacey Evans
Eve Torres
Ember Moon
Layla
Nikki Cross
Candice LeRae
Kelly Kelly
Shotzi Blackheart
Sonya Deville
Kay Lee Ray
Kaitlyn
Toni Storm
Some performers on the list have commented on their ranking.
The Twitter account for the late-Chyna posted the following:
We wish to thank @WWE for including one of the most dominate, beautiful, and amazing women to ever grace the ring in their top 5 women of all time. Let us hope this is a sign that she will soon get a solo HoF induction. pic.twitter.com/Bd1GU0Tm3L
Gail Kim was asked about only coming in at #33. Kim had two runs with WWE from 2002-04 and again from 2008-11.
“I didn’t do much there. Besides the title win, there was nothing else besides gimmick matches. It’s WWE rankings. Not women’s wrestling rankings, but thanks anyway,” Kim Tweeted at someone who expressed they thought she should have been ranked higher.
Thea Trinidad has signed with someone but what company has landed her remains a mystery. According to a report today from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Trinidad has signed a short-term deal with someone, we just don’t know who or even if it is a wrestling company.
It is being reported, however, that the company is not AEW and the deal she signed will prevent her from working for AEW, at least in the short-term.
“Trinidad has signed a deal. We don’t know with who or even that if it’s with a wrestling promotion, but the deal she signed would not allow her to work for another wrestling company and it was not with AEW. It was a somewhat short-term thing and the door wasn’t shut on her eventually working with AEW but it won’t be any time imminently,” wrote Dave Meltzer.
AEW’s Tony Khan has expressed interest in bringing Trinidad in, however.
“She was in a non-compete last time I checked. I’ve been waiting for that… I don’t talk to people when they have the non-compete,” Khan said on Wrestling Observer Radio last month. “I’ve been waiting on her non-compete to expire… when we get through this tournament and through this pay-per-view, I’d be interested to see where she’s at.”
Daniel Bryan has said that he wants to face William Regal’s son, Bailey Matthews, ten years from now at WrestleMania. Regal has been Bryan’s friend and mentor in the wrestling business for a long time. Regal’s son Matthews made his debut on NXT UK in February 2021. Bryan spoke with talkSPORT where he was asked about his future dream WrestleMania scenarios, and that’s when he named Matthews.
“It’s hard to say one, Daniel Bryan said. “If I could do a match ten years from now, and this is assuming that I’m still capable of doing it and that he progresses to a level like that, one of the things that I think would be really cool… William Regal’s son, Bailey Matthews. He just recently started on NXT UK. For his experience level, he’s doing really well. I loved being able to wrestle William Regal the times that I did in WWE, but I’m not sure people know how much he has affected my career. He has affected it so much. What he’s given to me and he’s never asked for anything from me.”
Daniel Bryan added that he has “an infinite amount of respect” for William Regal. He thinks it would be cool if he is able to wrestle with his son at a huge stage like WrestleMania. Bryan attributed his place in the wrestling world to Regal and said that he wouldn’t be where he is right now without Regal. “I wouldn’t be where I’m at without William Regal. To me, I think that’s a really cool one,” he added.
Bailey Matthews was announced as part of three other signings for its NXT UK brand in January. Matthews wrestled under the ring name Joe Bailey and trained in the NJPW dojo at one point. He has only wrestled one match for the UK brand so far, by making his debut against Tyler Bate on the February 25 episode of NXT UK.
Before Orange Cassidy signed with AEW, he frequently used the Jefferson Starship song “Jane” as his entrance music. Recently, Tony Khan said he tried to get the rights to use the song in AEW but was unable to. It was then revealed that he has purchased the rights to the Pixies’ song “Where is my mind?” as Orange’s new entrance theme.
Orange Cassidy will team with Chuck Taylor against Ryan Nemeth and JD Drake on AEW Dark: Elevation next week.
For the fans attending tonight’s LIVE #AEWDynamite here in Jacksonville at @dailysplace, we’ll tape one of the top matches for next week’s #AEWDark: Elevation, Chuckie T/@orangecassidy v. Nemeth/Drake! Also 1st time anyone’s heard the new Orange Cassidy theme; I promise it’s dope pic.twitter.com/pl3RATyoC0
It’s not Jane. I’d tried to get it for a year & a half, they never even answered my emails, so I decided to take a huge swing, & it came through. It’s a new theme. The fans attending #AEWDynamite tonight in Jacksonville will be the first to ever hear it before we go Live on TNT!
As it turns out, the new entrance music turned out to be “Where Is My Mind?” by the Pixies. Khan made a statement to Pitchfork about the news.
“A few weeks ago, I played it for him, he said he loved it. I asked if he wanted to me to try to license it, he gave me his ‘thumbs up,’” AEW CEO Tony Khan said in a statement to Pitchfork. “I signed a multiyear agreement to use the song, and every use of the song in AEW will live in our content library forever in perpetuity.”
Khan also recently purchased the rights to use the song “Tarzan Boy” for Jungle Boy. Additionally, he purchased the rights to “Ol’ 55” by Tom Waits for the Brodie Lee tribute show.
Video of Cassidy using the theme can be viewed in the Tweet below:
Scoop #3: JD Drake & Ryan Nemeth vs Orange Cassidy & Chuck Taylor on Dark: Elevation
New Japan Pro Wrestling is going to reveal the brand new belt for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship before champion Kota Ibushi defends it at Sakura Genesis in April. The company announced that the belt will be witnessed by fans during the Road to Sakura Genesis event on March 30 where Ibushi is set to team with Satoshi Kojima and Hiroyoshi Tenzan in the main event against Will Ospreay, Jeff Cobb and Great-O-Khan. The announcement reads, “At Sakura Genesis on April 4, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kota Ibushi will defend his brand new title for the very first time against Will Ospreay in our main event. Days before this huge kard (sic) in Ryogoku, fans can witness the future of NJPW competition in Korakuen Hall. On March 30’s Road to Sakura Genesis event, the brand new championship belt will see its first public reveal!”
NJPW decided to unify the IWGP Heavyweight Championship and IWGP Intercontinental Championship belts, both of which were held by Kota Ibushi. He defended both the titles successfully against El Desperado at the NJPW 49th Anniversary Show in Tokyo on March 4, 2021 which marked the final defense of the titles. Will Ospreay then won the 2021 New Japan Cup earning a title shot against Ibushi at Sakura Genesis.
Here is the full line-up for NJPW Sakura Genesis which will take place on April 4:
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship Kota Ibushi (c) vs Will Ospreay
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru (c) vs. SHO & YOH
Hiroshi Tanahashi & Satoshi Kojima vs. Jay White & Bad Luck Fale
Tetsuya Naito, SANADA & Shingo Takagi vs. The Great-O-Khan, Jeff Cobb & a mystery partner
Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii & YOSHI-HASHI vs. EVIL, KENTA, Yujiro Takahashi, Taiji Ishimori & Dick Togo
Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. & DOUKI vs. Tama Tonga, Tanga Loa & Jado
Bobby Lashley is set to face Drew McIntyre to defend his WWE Championship at WrestleMania 37’s Night One next month in April. The two got involved in the title picture back in February on the Elimination Chamber event. Lashley had helped The Miz to cash in Money in the Bank by attacking McIntyre after his Chamber match. While Lashley was able to face Miz for the title as part of the deal for helping him, and now that he is in a program with McIntyre, the champion admitted that they haven’t been able to develop the storyline properly yet because they haven’t had the opportunity to. Lashley’s initial time as champion was spent with Miz, while McIntyre was juggling between Lashley and Sheamus at Fastlane. “The Almighty” has said that they will try to build something up the next few weeks before their big match at WrestleMania.
Speaking to the We Watch Wrestling podcast, Bobby Lashley stated, “Me and Drew are going to go all out, we’re going to beat the hell out of each other. That’s what we always do. We’re going to have to build something up the next few weeks because we haven’t had the opportunity to. I had the match with him last year and after that, Lana cost me the win, and we never came back to it. I want to come back to it and there’s a lot of things we can do leading up to WrestleMania. Ultimately, just being in the ring with Drew, I know we’re going to steal the show match-wise. It’s going to be a different match than the other ones. We’re hard-hitting. Sheamus and I beat each other up bad. Drew is going to be that, times ten since it’s WrestleMania.” (h/t Fightful)
Bobby Lashley won a match against Sheamus on Raw this Monday. After the match, Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander came out to beat Sheamus down outside the ring. Drew McIntyre rushed down the ramp and saved Sheamus from the assault. He then went inside the ring and stared down Lashley. As they started arguing, MVP broke it up and told Lashley to save it for WrestleMania. McIntyre then went on to face Alexander and Benjamin in a Handicap match. According to the stipulation of the match, if McIntyre won the match, Benjamin and Alexander would be banned from ringside for the WWE Championship match at WrestleMania. McIntyre was able to pick up the victory which means the two members from Hurt Business won’t be present ringside for Lashley.
While Bayley spent the majority of her WWE career as a babyface, she surprised everyone when she turned heel in 2019 and defeated Charlotte Flair to become the new SmackDown women’s champion.
Alongside her new attitude, the former champion debuted a new look as well. She got rid of the iconic ponytail and left the hugger gimmick behind her too.
Bayley opened up about this change during her recent interview with Renee Paquette on Oral Sessions podcast and she revealed how Vince McMahon reacted when he first saw her new look:
“He was in the production office, and I walked in. [I go], ‘All right, Vince. Here I am.’ He kind of just stared at me for a second. And then I spun around to make sure he knows that I cut my hair. I did this awkward spin, and he goes, ‘[It] looks awesome!’”
Bayley also talked about the origin of her Ding Dong! Hello talk show which she has introduced on WWE programming recently. She revealed that she was told about the plans for the show just 2 days before the TV tapings.
Apart from this, the former champion talked about things such as coming up with the persona for her talk show, how Dusty Rhodes helped her during her early days and more.
John Silver injured his shoulder during his match against TNT Champion Darby Allin in the main event of Wednesday’s AEW Dynamite.
Darby Allin picked up the victory after hitting a Canadian Destroyer on the Dark Order member.
The champion cut a promo praising his opponent after the show went off air and he revealed that Silver dislocated his shoulder halfway through their contest:
“I don’t think anybody here knows, but I’m pretty sure you dislocated your shoulder about halfway through that match, but g*ddamn, did you put everything into it! And I’m down to do it anytime again. Thank you, John. Thank you.”
John Silver himself confirmed the news of his shoulder damage later on and on Twitter he wrote “came up short tonight. Shoulder is messed up. Doctor doesn’t think it’s too serious but I’ll keep everyone updated once I know.”
The Meat Man has since provided an update on his condition. On Friday, Silver wrote on Twitter that he’s expected to miss about 4-6 weeks of action. The good news is that he will not require shoulder surgery. A six week layoff puts John Silver back in action in May, several weeks before AEW’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view.
Bad news: I’ll be out about 4-6 weeks Good news: I don’t need surgery and there is no major damage
Impact Wrestling star Jordynne Grace has her contract with the company expiring in May and there is some talk on what the future might hold for her. The former knockouts champion recently had an interview with Wrestling Perspective Podcast where she talked about a number of things.
During the interview Grace also talked about her future and gave us an idea about her thought process. She first revealed that going to WWE has been a childhood dream for her. However, she explained that it was the only option when she was growing up but things have changed now:
“Okay, so yes, WWE was, I mean it still is, it was my childhood dream forever. But that was the only option back when I was growing up. Now, it’s just like, there are so many doors that you can go through and kind of they’re all like in front of you at the same time. So I mean it’s kind of a handoff.
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 then admitted that she honestly has no idea what will happen when her contract with the company expires and everything will depend on the situation at the time:
“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.”
Jordynne Grace has been a significant part of Impact’s knockouts roster since her signing with the company in October 2018. She was the one who defeated Taya Valkyrie for the knockouts title in January 2020, ending her 377 days long reign with the title. She also competed in the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Championship Tournament alongside Jazz.
She could be a decent signing for both AEW and WWE’s women’s roster and it would be interesting to see if she ends up joining either of the companies after the expiry of her current contract.
Aleister Black hasn’t been seen on WWE programming in a while but latest reports indicate the former NXT champion might be getting ready for his return.
The SmackDown star is dealing with some minor injuries but now PWinsider is reporting that he has been seen at the Performance Center in Orlando over the last several weeks.
It indicates that Black is working towards his return to the ring, though there is no word yet on how long it might take for him to be medically cleared to compete.
The heavy hitter hasn’t been seen on WWE programming this year and he last appeared on WWE TV during the October 12, 2020 episode of Monday Night Raw.
Aleister Black competed in a No Disqualification match against former Universal Champion Kevin Owens on the show. He unfortunately lost the bout and hasn’t been seen on WWE programming since.
The former NXT star was drafted to SmackDown after this but he hasn’t made any appearances for the Blue Branded Show and his absence has left fans puzzled.
While it seems to be too late for Aleister Black to get involved in a WrestleMania program, it would make sense for him to make his return right after the big event. Though we will have to see if this turns out to be the case.
Reports came out earlier last week that the game had missed the March 15 episode of Monday Night Raw and he had also not been in attendance for the March 17 episode of NXT.
It was said at the time that Triple H had been quarantined. Though his situation was being kept quiet and it wasn’t confirmed that if the WWE star had COVID-19.
The latest Wrestling Observer Radio provided some update on the situation. It notes that WWE VP returned to work this week and he was backstage for NXT.
Several other competitors who were held off the TV tapings last week due to coronavirus concerns were also back in the arena for this week’s episode of the Black and Yellow brand last night.
A number of well known wrestling personalities have had to deal with coronavirus since the pandemic began. People like The Rock, AJ Styles, Mick Foley and more have tested positive for the disease.
NXT has seen a number of COVID-19 outbreaks in recent months as well. Though Triple H’s return before the upcoming Takeover: Stand & Deliver event is still a good news for the brand.
Raw star Keith Lee has mysteriously been away from the WWE programming in recent weeks, making fans wonder about his status with the company. Now Fightful Select has provided some update on his condition and the site reveals that the former NXT champion has been sidelined due to medical reasons.
It’s not a case of creatives having nothing for him. Lee was originally taken off TV due to health reasons back in February and he hasn’t been cleared by the doctors since. The former champion underwent some medical testing when he was originally taken out of action last month. Though there is no word yet on the results of the tests.
The report also reveals that the company had plans for Keith Lee to win the United States Championship before being pulled from the Elimination Chamber PPV. The former NXT star last wrestled on the February 8 episode of Raw where he defeated Matt Riddle.
He was scheduled for a triple threat match alongside Bobby Lashley and Matt Riddle at Elimination Chamber. John Morrison replaced Keith Lee in this match after he was pulled from the show. The bout then saw Riddle capturing the US title by defeating the other two opponents.
Keith Lee is actively trying to get cleared but so far he hasn’t been given the green light by WWE doctors. We will have to wait and see if he is able to make a return before the WrestleMania 37 event next month.
WWE has announced that Grammy award-winning rapper Bad Bunny will be taking on former WWE champion The Miz in a singles match on night 1 of the upcoming WrestleMania 37 event.
This announcement was surprising to some as people were expecting to see a tag match involving John Morrison and Damien Priest.
PWinsider has now provided some update on the situation and latest report from the site reveals why the company chose to go with a singles match between The Miz and Bad Bunny instead of a tag team bout.
According to the site, both Morrison and Priest are currently dealing with minor injuries and the company has announced a one on one match as a precaution.
The officials didn’t want to announce a tag team match and then be forced to change the bout in case the stars are not cleared to return to the ring by the time of the event so they went with the announced bout.
Though there is no word yet on when or how both these stars suffered their injuries and how long they are expected to stay out of action.
Since their injuries are not very serious, it’s possible that both the stars will be cleared before the Show Of Shows. In the case they are cleared, the company is expected to add them to the announced bout, making it a tag team match.
Impact Wrestling has announced that its weekly flagship television show is moving from Tuesday to Thursday nights. The first episode in the new slot will be April 8th, 2021.
Impact also announced that the main event of that show will feature Kenny Omega wrestling on the weekly show for the first time. He will team with Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows against Eddie Edwards, Rich Swann, and Willie Mack.
“IMPACT Wrestling has years of history airing on Thursdays, which was the night for high-energy, action-packed matches, starring some of the most high-profile stars in pro wrestling history,” said IMPACT Executive Vice-President Scott D’Amore. “Nothing is changing from that front when IMPACT! jumps back to Thursday nights.”
“The new home, once again, for must-see matches is Thursday nights on AXS TV,” D’Amore added.
NXT is rumored to be moving to Tuesday nights immediately following WrestleMania. If this holds true, it would mean NXT’s first Tuesday night show would be April 13th. On SundayApril 10th, Impact will present Hardcore Justice as an afternoon show so as not to go head-to-head with WrestleMania. Impact’s Rebellion PPV recently moved to April 25th, 2021 from April 24th, likely to not go head-to-head with UFC 261.
BREAKING: IMPACT! will return to its traditional Thursday night time-slot at 8pm ET, beginning April 8.
The Bella Twins are headed back to WWE. On the latest episode of The Bellas Podcast, the Total Bellas stars revealed they plan to “take the stage” at WrestleMania 37 in typical ‘Bella style.’
The former Superstars turned reality TV stars are amongst the top attractions headlining this year’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Aside from an appearances WrestleMania, Nikki and Brie are in fact planning a return to the ring. The Bellas are expected back on WWE TV in the second half of 2021, with an in-ring return slated for this fall.
The Bellas have expressed their desire to wrestle again on several occasions. Earlier this month, they expressed interest in going after the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships. They’ll have their work cut out for them, as the titles are currently held by Shayna Bazsler and Nia Jax.
The Bella Twins retired from active competition back in March 2019. They both gave birth to baby boys just one day apart in August 2020.
Nikki’s husband Artem Chigvintsev said in a recent interview, “She’s been having talks about coming back and doing something together with Brie. They both have kids, and I feel like they still have this unclosed chapter with wrestling. I would not be surprised.”
The biggest obstacle standing in the way of the Bella Twins wrestling again is Nikki’s neck. She’s been working on neck-strengthening exercises in hopes of being able to have one last run performing for the WWE Universe.
Red Velvet teamed with Cody Rhodes at Crossroads in a losing effort to Jade Cargill and Shaquille O’Neil. Today, Cody Rhodes announced that Red Velvet is officially all elite after the company upgraded her contract.
Rhodes took to Twitter to announce the news:
At The Crossroads @AEWonTNT event squaring off against @SHAQ & Jade…Red stepped up in a huge way! @TonyKhan saw what over a million people saw that night and upgraded her contract. She’s ALL ELITE now! Let’s stir it up my friend. pic.twitter.com/1bJ2JVx280
Velvet made her pro debut in 2016 and has performed primarily in the Florida area. She has won championships with promotions such as Fighting Evolution Wrestling and Full Throttle Pro Wrestling.
Velvet has wrestled 25 matches for AEW since debuting last June. She holds a 10-10 singles record but is on a 9-match winning streak in one-on-one matches. Her last loss in one-on-one competition came to Tay Conti on the November 11th, 2020 episode of Dynamite. Her singles record in 2021 is 5-0 and that is good enough to have her ranked at #2 in the AEW women’s division.
She has a 3-2 record in tag-team matches to bring her overall AEW record to 23-22.
During an appearance on the AEW Unrestricted podcast, Velvet talked about how she got her ring name:
“A show came up asking for wrestlers and anyone can do it. I had to cut a promo. I went to my friend’s house and I was like, ok, I’m going to cut a promo. I’m going to be a wrestler. He said, ‘What is your wrestling name’, and he was a huge wrestling fan. I said, ‘Red Violet.’ He said, ‘Ew, That’s not good.’ I said, ‘I have nothing. That’s like my alter ego.’ He said, ‘You’re small, petite, spicy, you’re very elegant in the way you do things. Your hair is super red. Your skin is beautiful chocolate. You remind me of a red velvet cake.’”
Thunder Rosa defeated Britt Baker in a Lights Out match to headline last week’s edition of AEW Dynamite. Rosa was the guest this week on the AEW Unrestricted podcast with Tony Schiavone and Aubrey Edwards. Amongst other topics, Rosa spoke about the response she received backstage after her match with Baker last week.
“It’s one of those moments where you cannot fake it,” said Rosa “I was already crying at the end of the match because of all the things that I felt and all the things I’ve been through in the last 7 months. Just coming to a new place and knowing that you are ruffling some feathers and you know that you have to work really hard to show that you are one of the best talents and that’s why they brought you here.”
Backstage Ovation
When Rosa began speaking about the response she received backstage, she got choked up.
“Just walking through and seeing absolutely everybody clapping is that moment that I just want to recall it for the rest of my life until I die.”
“I’ve worked so hard, so hard to get recognized and still working so hard to keep this spot and just that moment right here, if I die tomorrow, I’ll die happy because I know we made a difference on Wednesday.”
Listen to Thunder Rosa on AEW Unrestricted here or in the player embedded below:
Jim Cornette says a lot of controversial things. He is a polarizing figure in pro-wrestling. Jim Ross recently spent some time on his podcast talking about what wrestlers on the AEW roster think of Cornette.
“I’ll be honest with you,” JR responded with Conrad Thompson asked him about the AEW roster’s opinion of Cornette. “I’ve never heard one talent say a word about him. And I talk to a lot of guys and I shoot the breeze about what’s going on in the business, so forth and so on and for better or worse, I have a link to Cornette.”
“We’ve been friends for 30 years, we were partners, we were broadcast partners. I worked with him in Mid-South in his first big manager’s gig.”
“I don’t think they pay a lot of attention to it,” JR continued. “Now, they may in smaller circles, I don’t know that because I’m not in those circles but I can tell you, it’s not a topic of conversation. In other words, when I see Tully and Arn for example, they don’t come and say ‘hey JR, what did you think of what Cornette said last week? Those words have never been spoken.”
“I don’t agree with everything that Cornette says,” JR continued. “Let’s make sure that’s clear and I’m sure he doesn’t agree with everything I say but I respect his right to say it.”
Christian Cage recently spoke to TVInsider. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion discussed a number of topics during the interview, including which AEW stars he sees as having the most potential.
Captain Charisma says MJF and Darby Allin stand out to him as two guys who have the ‘it’ factor to become huge stars.
“MJF gets it and understands what he’s trying to convey at all times,” said Christian. “He has that poise and confidence that is hard to teach. He just has it.”
“I look at Darby Allin, who has that cool factor about him” Christian Cage continued. “That Jeff Hardy feel where people just gravitate to him. It will be interesting to get that newer Jeff Hardy-type feud against Darby.”
Christian Sees Potential
He also named a few women that he believes will be the foundation of the AEW women’s division.
“I look at the women,” he continued. “Jade Cargill has all the tools to be a huge star. Britt Baker is doing great things. She is the face of the women’s division. She really stood out to me as well as Thunder Rosa. Their match was unbelievable. The future is pretty set up here in AEW.”
Christian and Kazarian have actually crossed paths before. Shortly after AEW announced this match, Impact Wrestling tweeted the following clip from 2007:
Check out Christian Cage vs. Kaz from Genesis 2007.
Major League Wrestling presented the go-home show for next week’s Never Say Never event this week. The main event featured a chain match pitting the Von Erichs against Team Filthy’s Kevin Ku and Dominic Garrini.
The full show can be viewed in the player below:
MLW Fusion 3/24 Quick Results:
Gino Medina defeated Zenshi
Mil Muertes defeated Gringo Loco
Calvin Tankman defeated Sendai Death Squad Member #1
Chain Match The Von Erichs defeated Team Filthy
Gino Medina Uses Under-Handed Tactics To Score Victory Over Zenshi
Gino Medina took a shortcut to victory this week when he faced Zenshi in singles competition. Zenshi had just hit a kick in the corner and looked as though he was in control. Medina then rolled him up into a small package for a 2-count but as Zenshi kicked out, Medina grabbed at his mask and nearly removed it. As Zenshi was adjusting his mask, Medina hit a question-mark style kick to the back of the head and got the pin.
Mil Muertes Picks Up Win, Will Face Alexander Hammerstone On April 14th
Azteca Underground’s Mil Muertes came out for his match with Gringo Loco this week wearing Alexander Hammerstone’s National Openweight Championship. Muertes stole the title from Hammer recently after Salina de la Renta suggested she wanted the belt in her stable.
Muertes put away Loco with the Straight To Hell flatliner. After the match, Hammerstone cut a backstage promo and agreed to give Muertes a shot at the title belt he stole on April 14th.
Later in the show, Salina said she agreed to Hammerstone’s challenge. El Jefe’s representative then told her that the proprietor of Azteca Underground was not happy and wants to meet with her.
MLW Tag-Team Top-5 Rankings
MLW released new top-5 rankings this week for its tag-team division.
MLW Tag-Team Champions: Los Parks (LA Park, El Hijio de LA Park, & LA Park Jr.) (Azteca Underground)
The Von Erichs (Ross & Marshall Von Erich)
Violence is Forever (Kevin Ku & Dominic Garrini)
Injustice (Myron Reed & Jordan Oliver
Contra Unit (Simon Gotch & Daivari)
The Dirty Blondes (Leo Brien & Mike Patrick)
Calvin Tankman Makes Quick Work Of Sendai Death Squad Member
1-week before he takes on Contra Unit’s Jacob Fatu for the MLW World Championship, Calvin Tankman made quick work of a Sendai Death Squad member on this week’s edition of Fusion.
After the match, Daivari, Simon Gotch, and Jacob Fatu marched to the ring. The members of Injustice then came out to help Tankman and a wild brawl erupted. Tankman gave Daivari the Tankman Driver and stood tall in the ring to end the segment.
Chain Match Between The Von Erichs and Team Filthy Headlines Fusion
Tom Lawlor removed himself from this match on short notice citing injuries. MLW league officials are a little skeptical of his claims, however. Instead of a 6-man match with the Von Erichs teaming with ACH, the match was changed to a 2-on-2 contest with Lawlor and ACH both removed from the bout.
The ropes were replaced with chains for this bout, creating a unique match environment. Lawlor was on the outside with his arm in a sling and frequently got involved in the match. The finish came when Lawlor attempted to toss brass knuckles into his stablemates but missed and they landed in the hands of Marshall Von Erich. He decked Kevin Ku and then delivered the Iron Claw-slam with his brother on Garrinni for the win.
MJF surprised everyone when he formed his own faction in Pinnacle featuring FTR, Wardlow, Shawn Spears, and Tully Blanchard and took out Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle on Dynamite a couple of weeks ago.
Since the big reveal, people have been wondering if the storyline will lead us into the Blood and Guts match between the two groups which the company originally had to halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
MJF commented on the possibility during his recent interview with Sports Illustrated.The Dynamite diamond ring holder said that if the WarGames match does happen, then it would be the best version ever of the bout.
“Those old-school WarGames matches, they are absolutely incredible spectacles, If Inner Circle-the Pinnacle does happen, it would be the best version ever of that.
Personally, I’m not sure it would be the right fit for me. I’ve seen the ‘Lights Out’ matches, the death-matches, and I don’t know if that’s for me. But down the road, if it made sense, this would be the best blood-and-guts match in the history of the business.”
On Thursday morning, MJF tweeted that the Inner Circle are “scared shitless” of The Pinnacle.
Inner circle are scared shitless of The Pinnacle.
Shawn spears has a chip on his shoulder the size of his chair.
MJF also discussed the comparisons between his new group and the Iconic four horsemen faction of the past. He revealed why he chose to have 5 members in his group saying that he wanted to put a modern spin on things:
“I wanted to take something that was old and put a modern-day spin on it, it’s incredible to me that we are so talented that we have Wardlow in a Big Bubba Rogers position. He’s gigantic and a freak athlete.
FTR is the best tag team in the world. I’m also so excited for the world to see Shawn Spears. He’s never received the proper spotlight, but now people are going to recognize how incredible he is.”
Apart from this, MJF discussed how he is the biggest homegrown talent of AEW and said that he plans to be the face of the company for a long time.
NXT star Danny Burch suffered a shoulder injury during his tag team championship match on last week’s episode of the show, forcing him to relinquish the tag title.
WWE provided some update on his health during the latest episode of the Black and Yellow brand and commentator Vic Joseph revealed that the injured star is going to be out of action for 6 months.
Last week’s episode of NXT saw Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan retaining the NXT tag team championships against Karrion Kross and NXT Champion Finn Balor.
However, Burch suffered a separated shoulder during this main event match. The injury occurred when he landed awkwardly while taking a double suplex from the former Impact star.
This week’s episode of the show saw the company announcing the fate of the vacated titles and they confirmed a match to determine the new champions.
The match announced for the upcoming NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver event will see MSK, The Grizzled Young Veterans, and Legado del Fantasma competing against each other with the winners becoming the new titleholders.
Former two times women’s champion Victoria recently appeared on The Bump in celebration of Women’s History Month where she talked about things such as her return to the company during Royal Rumble and more.
The female star had memorable feuds with Molly Holly during her time with the company and on the episode; she talked about her arch-rival going into the WWE Hall Of Fame this year.
During the talk, Victoria revealed that it was actually Holly who gave her the Widow’s Peak finishing move after she saw it at an indie wrestling show:
“I love Molly Holly, you know, I’m so proud of her. She’s the one that gave me my finishing move, the Widow’s Peak.
She saw it at an indie show and said, ‘Victoria, I have a finisher for you.’ That move made Victoria. She is just a giving person, and she’s one of those girls that’s too nice for the business. She’s not selfish; she is super giving. And I love her.”
The former champion also talked about her hair vs. title match with the future Hall Of Famer during WrestleMania 20 and confirmed that Molly Holly chose the former Impact star to be her opponent for the bout.
Apart from this, Victoria talked about things such as her WrestleMania 19 match against Trish Stratus and Jazz, her cage match with Lita and more.
